Before going to sleep, Cain had a habit of recalling what he had done during the day and reviewing the gains he had achieved.
In the morning, he had assigned systematic and extended training tasks to his Pokémon.
In the afternoon, he had captured two valuable Water-type Pokémon that could become permanent residents in his gym. Adding the Lanturn he caught later, he now had three.
Then, in the Kabutops cave at the mysterious underground lake, he stole a valuable Mega Stone from the head of the quasi-elite-level Kabutops leader. This was one of the day's most significant accomplishments.
Finally, deep in the forest, his Sneasel, after careful preparation, completed its evolution, reaching level 39 and achieving dark blue quality.
That was the summary of his day, and Cain was very satisfied.
That night, he decided not to sleep in the backyard. All his Pokémon followed him to his room, including Larvitar, who, although still not fully controlling its strength, no longer damaged the ground.
While walking, Larvitar had to carefully control its steps. Its ability to handle Ground-type energy was impressive, though Cain still didn't know how it controlled Rock-type energy.
Thus, the night passed in a peaceful atmosphere.
The next day, Leafy Town was bustling again, as the League's construction team had arrived once more. This time, they weren't here for the gym but for the Pokémon Center.
Cain welcomed the construction team leader, but this time he wouldn't need to spend money, as the League and the Joy family would cover the costs.
Once the Pokémon Center was completed, a Nurse Joy would reside permanently in the town. While the center primarily focused on Pokémon, it also had areas to care for humans.
Although the medical equipment for humans wasn't as advanced as for Pokémon, for the town's residents, it was a blessing, as they had never had a proper hospital, and any serious illness had to be treated in Mauville City.
Now, the Pokémon Center would meet those needs.
The person responsible for bringing this progress to the town was Cain, the future gym leader, who was enthusiastically welcomed by the residents. If not for the presence of security, Cain might have been surrounded by a crowd of admirers.
The town's new mayor, although not very competent, was sharp enough to quickly organize town employees to help with security. The town's police station had also recently been taken over by the Jenny family, and soon an Officer Jenny would be sent to take charge.
Cain couldn't control these aspects, as the gym's construction drew more attention from the League. Given his status, it was inevitable that the Jenny and Joy families would be involved. However, this wouldn't significantly affect Cain's control over the town.
Cain's popularity among the residents solidified him as a central figure. Even the mayor followed his lead. When the gym officially opened and Cain attracted investments from major companies and families, his reputation would grow even further.
This was something other Team Rocket members, like Sabrina, Koga, or Lieutenant Surge, hadn't achieved.
Perhaps Giovanni, once considered the League's greatest genius, had earned such respect in Viridian City. However, after being exposed by the League, his reputation fell under Lance's control, the League's current protégé.
Cain's thoughts wandered for a moment but soon refocused. Leafy Town's development was progressing as planned, and Cain was ready to call Alec and the others back.
After all this time training with the hunting team's help, Cain hoped that both Alec and the new recruits had grown significantly.
He expected them to meet his standards. Otherwise, they would fall behind and eventually lose their momentum.
The hunting team was on a mission that day, but Cain had already contacted Miyamoto, asking them to rest after their current task and return to the town, as he had important matters to discuss with them.
Miyamoto, of course, wouldn't dare disobey Cain, and after consulting with the team, they decided to speed up their mission to avoid keeping Cain waiting.
Cain, meanwhile, simply gave orders and didn't concern himself with how his subordinates carried them out.
After calming the residents and speaking with the construction team, Cain left the town without returning to the gym or his residence.
Riding his Tropius, he enjoyed the warm breeze. Despite having a car assigned to him by Steven as an advisor, Cain preferred flying on his Pokémon, as driving was a hassle. No matter how expensive the car was, flying was far more comfortable.
This time, his destination was Rustboro City, with two main objectives.
The first was to wait for Steven, who had informed Cain that after failing to find the stones he was seeking in his last expedition, he had decided to return.
The second objective was to sell several valuable Pokémon he had captured, including those belonging to the Void organization trio.
Additionally, he planned to spend the Pokédollars he had earned from Team Rocket on TMs that his Pokémon could learn to improve their move sets.
The weather was mild, with some clouds slowing Tropius's flight. Cain considered releasing Yanmega, captured during a previous mission, to speed up the journey but decided to enjoy the ride.
Yanmega would become a flying tool in the future or an ally for his subordinates once his team grew strong enough.