When he opened his eyes again, he was already in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by a mysterious forest.
Cain could be certain he had never been here before.
The test island was vast. Previously, due to the one-week time limit, Cain had only advanced a certain distance before having to return; otherwise, he wouldn't have made it back in time for the tests.
This place was likely on the opposite side of the test island.
He took out a Poké Ball and released Slowpoke.
"Slowpoke, try to sense if you can detect the coordinates we marked before," Cain asked.
"Yadon~!" Slowpoke nodded, and its eyes glowed with a blue light.
Through telepathy, it communicated to Cain that it could only sense the direction of the coordinates but couldn't teleport directly there.
Cain frowned slightly. Was the test island really that big? Slowpoke's teleportation range was now much greater than before.
To give an idea, it could teleport from one end of Saffron City to the other, but now it could only feel the direction of the coordinates without being able to teleport. It seemed they really were quite far.
He took out the scoring device he had received earlier. It was said that simply by sensing the fragments of the map with score cards, the device would emit a slight vibration. So Cain placed it in an inner pocket of his clothing.
Murkrow, Slowpoke, and Haunter hiding in the shadows were the three Pokémon Cain had taken from the test island last time, now returning to accompany him.
Since he didn't have a clear direction, Cain decided to follow the direction of the coordinates detected by Slowpoke and head that way.
At the same time, he left some psychic marks in certain places he passed.
Having a Slowpoke with instant teleportation abilities in a completely wild environment was like a fish in water.
Cain could advance or retreat as needed, relying completely on Slowpoke.
He took a bottle of spray from his ring and sprayed it on himself. The smell wasn't pleasant, but this was something Cain had specially prepared.
It could eliminate some of the urban scents on his body. Although it couldn't completely prevent wild Pokémon attacks, it greatly reduced the chances.
"Murkrow, go ahead and scout the way. We'll follow you," said Cain.
Hearing this, Murkrow flapped its wings and disappeared into the unknown forest.
While Cain began exploring the test island with his Pokémon, several people arrived at the Rocket Team headquarters on the island.
At that moment, Viper and Umbra were sitting in the center of the square, waiting for those who entered after them.
"Ha ha ha! Viper, Umbra, long time no see!" Suddenly, a shadow appeared in the sky, and the voice came from that shadow.
Hearing the voice, Viper pursed his lips and, looking at Umbra, said:
"Who could it be? Turns out it's this guy, here to take your job."
Umbra smiled, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes as he replied:
"So let him come, I've kept him under control for over a year. Does he think that just because he injured me badly last time, my strength has diminished?"
Does everyone think my strength has lessened and now dare to be so brazen?
Gradually, as the shadow in the sky grew larger, a Salamence appeared in the square.
When Salamence landed, a Rocket Team plane also began to descend slowly.
Seeing the Salamence, Viper pursed his lips again and said:
"He spends all day showing off that Salamence. I don't know how many times it's been defeated by you, yet he never drops that habit."
"If I had a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, I'd show it off every day too," added Umbra.
"Ha ha! What's wrong? Starting to feel envious of my Salamence? No problem, as long as you're willing to spend, you can get one too. Only, I doubt you'd dare spend that much," said a man who jumped from Salamence's back.
He wore the black uniform of the Rocket Team officers, with a hat resembling a military cap, at the center of which was a large red "R."
"Sarka, how are you here? Aren't you known for being lazy?" asked Viper, ignoring his previous comment.
"Huh? Well, since Umbra's here, the moment I heard, I took this bothersome job right away," Sarka replied dramatically.
Without further ceremony, he grabbed a chair and sat next to Umbra.
"Want to fight me first?" said Umbra, whose previously calm face suddenly showed signs of irritation.
"Whoa, whoa! With that serious face, you're scaring me. Unfortunately, I didn't come to fight you this time. I have a mission," said Sarka with a mocking smile as he gestured to the plane, from which about twenty people, dressed in all kinds of clothing and aged between sixteen and twenty, began to disembark.
Among them, four stood out as not very sociable, with a carefree attitude and an evident impression that they were the strongest in the group.
Then, some uniformed Rocket Team members appeared. Although they didn't impose as much as the first four, they weren't easy to underestimate either.
The rest of the people seemed more normal, but by looking at the Pokémon accompanying them, it was clear their abilities weren't weak, even if they were inferior compared to the others.
"Greetings, sirs!" the group of twenty, led by the four, greeted Umbra, Viper, and Sarka.
Sarka, ignoring Viper and his dark expression, said disdainfully:
"It seems all the participants have already entered. Pay attention and, if you can, hold back a bit. Make sure to leave some for Viper."
Viper's face was as black as coal. If it weren't for Umbra holding him back, he'd likely have launched into a fight against Sarka.
Although Sarka had a certain respect for Umbra, he didn't hold the same regard for Viper.
Despite also being an Elite Officer of the Rocket Team, Viper focused on training rookies, and Sarka had always doubted his combat abilities.
The psychic team members, who had moved back to the edge of the square, re-formed a teleportation matrix and randomly sent the newcomers to the test island.
When the last one had been teleported, the psychics gave a slight bow to the three, then disappeared instantly from the square.
Sarka looked at the place where they had disappeared and said with some envy:
"Psychic powers are really useful."
Then, changing the subject, he turned to Umbra:
"Hey, Umbra, let's bet. How many of these participants do you think will make it to the top ten? Or better yet, how many do you think will make it out alive?"
With a mocking smile, Sarka seemed well aware of the participants' quality.
"I heard you recently pulled someone out. You're not using your position for personal gain, are you? Remember, the boss takes this mission very seriously. As the chief judge of this test, you must be impartial," he said.
"You don't need to worry. Better think about what you'll do if the final outcome isn't what you expect," Umbra replied, casting him a cold look.
"What can I do? Would those ambitious ones dare attack me?" Sarka replied disdainfully.
"That you don't know..." said Umbra, enigmatic.