After spending a while on the deck, Cain returned inside the ship.
No matter how beautiful the scenery outside, with the sea wind blowing like that, a person can't endure it for too long; at the very least, their mouth will dry up.
Upon returning inside, he grabbed a free bottle of mineral water, opened it, and took a few sips, easing the dryness in his mouth somewhat.
As Cain drank, a young man of around seventeen or eighteen, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looking scholarly, approached.
He slightly adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose and, smiling, said, "Hello, my name is Takuya, Imura Takuya. I'm a trainer too. Are you interested in a Pokémon battle?"
Hearing his words, Cain was slightly surprised. Since his rebirth, this was the first Pokémon battle challenge someone had issued him.
Judging by his appearance, the other person didn't seem to be a commoner; at the very least, he was a member of a minor family.
It's rare for a family member to challenge a commoner to a battle.
It's worth noting that in the Pokémon world, family bonds are very strong, especially in some up-and-coming families that look down on commoner trainers, forgetting that they themselves once started as commoner trainers.
However, when it comes to those old, powerful families, they tend to be very cultivated; even if they're dealing with commoner trainers, they won't show obvious disdain.
After all, it's unwise to underestimate young, impoverished people.
Cain glanced at him briefly and, out of the corner of his eye, noticed two youths not far behind him, leaning together and pointing at Cain and the young man in glasses, with mocking expressions on their faces.
"Sorry, I'm not interested at the moment," Cain said, taking another sip of mineral water before walking away without paying further attention.
He wasn't here to play with kids.
Cain's words left him frozen in place.
As a family member, challenging a commoner trainer was, in his view, an act of great courtesy.
Shouldn't commoner trainers accept enthusiastically?
Wasn't that the attitude expected of them?
As Cain passed by the two who were about to laugh at his expense, he noticed that their faces had also stiffened.
A slight smile appeared on his lips. They were nothing more than pampered kids—did they really think having a few Pokémon and spending a bit of resources on them made them powerful?
"Wait a moment, have a Pokémon battle with me! Whether you win or lose, I'll give you a good reward," said Takuya, who, recovering from Cain's rejection, ran up to him, grabbed his clothing, and raised his voice, losing all his earlier refined demeanor.
His loud voice drew the attention of others, and slowly, people began to gather around them.
Cain gently released Takuya's hand from his clothing, turned, and looked at him with indifference. "Alright, if I win, I want a TM for the move Flamethrower."
The mere request for a Flamethrower TM, worth tens of thousands, surprised the crowd around them.
Even on the S.S. Anne, where people have some money, not everyone can afford such a valuable item.
Cain's demand stunned Imura Takuya. It was true he had some money, but not enough to waste it recklessly.
However, he couldn't back out now; after all, he was the one who mentioned rewards, and Cain simply asked for what he wanted.
Originally, Takuya just wanted to impress his friends by showing off the Pokémon he'd recently bought, challenging a random commoner trainer to boast after winning.
But he hadn't expected Cain to refuse him at first. Wouldn't he lose face as a family member if he didn't accept the challenge? Those two idiots would probably mock him for weeks for being rejected by a commoner trainer.
So he ran up to Cain, stopped him, and promised a decent reward regardless of the outcome. In his mind, he thought that, at worst, he'd only have to spend a few thousand Pokédollars, and any commoner trainer would be thrilled even if they lost. But Cain wasn't playing by the usual rules.
He asked for a Flamethrower TM.
Takuya didn't have that TM, but he'd heard his father mention it, saying it cost at least eighty or ninety thousand Pokédollars and was very hard to obtain.
As more people gathered around, pointing and whispering, Takuya, who initially just wanted to show off, found himself in an awkward position. He wanted to agree, but he didn't have the Flamethrower TM or enough money.
As the glances and murmurs around him increased, Takuya, who had only wanted to flaunt his skills, became more and more uncomfortable.
Suddenly, an idea occurred to him: if Cain wanted the Flamethrower TM, Takuya would ask for something Cain couldn't provide, forcing him to abandon the challenge, thus letting Takuya off the hook.
"If I win, I want your Slowpoke," said Takuya, who hadn't paid much attention to Cain's Slowpoke at first, but upon closer look, noticed that its color was different from that of regular Slowpoke.
The possibility immediately came to mind: could it be an alternate-colored Pokémon? Also known as a shiny Pokémon.
He couldn't imagine that a commoner trainer could have a shiny Pokémon.
At that moment, Takuya stopped considering rejecting the challenge and firmly demanded that if Cain lost, he'd have to hand over his Slowpoke.
If he managed to take that Slowpoke, none of his friends would dare compare themselves to him. He'd be the only one in his group with a shiny Pokémon.
His previous view of Slowpoke as slow and clumsy faded completely. Now, owning a shiny Pokémon, even just for display, filled him with pride.
The crowd also began focusing on Cain's Slowpoke.
"Is that a shiny Slowpoke?"
"Yes, it looks like a shiny Slowpoke. How lucky that kid is!"
"It's a pity that those rich kids have already set their eyes on that Pokémon."
"The shiny Slowpoke color is very similar to a regular Slowpoke. If it hadn't been pointed out, I wouldn't have noticed."
The murmurs of the crowd reached Cain's ears, making him frown.
Slowpoke's color is pink, but due to its nutritious diet, the blood vessels under its skin have a more vibrant red. It's not easy to distinguish at a glance, but after Imura Takuya pointed it out, many began to notice Slowpoke.
Now, not only Takuya, but many surrounding the scene showed signs of greed.