The mountain peak above the underground den of the Carbink tribe.
Cain sat on the back of his Drapion, with Slowking by his side.
From the mountain, he observed the Forest and, in the distance, the Tree of Life.
Last night, Cain had managed to capture Altaria, though with his current ability, he still couldn't completely tame her.
However, as long as they remained on Mythical Island, Altaria had to follow his orders, giving Cain an extremely powerful card to play.
This way, even if other Team Rocket members gathered at the ruins to attack him, he now had the means to defend himself.
That's why Cain wasn't afraid of anything at this moment.
He briefly enjoyed the sensation of being at a great height, but as the wind began to chill, he headed to the other side of the mountain, riding Drapion.
As they descended, they found themselves once again in a pristine forest. To reach the Tree of Life, they had to cross it.
Time was no longer as abundant as before, so Cain didn't stop to worry about which Pokémon the territory belonged to.
He followed a straight route, and when they encountered enemies too strong to handle, Slowking used Teleport to move them to safety, bypassing the wild Pokémon they couldn't defeat.
This greatly increased their efficiency in progressing.
Additionally, his Pokémon could face rivals of similar levels, allowing them to grow stronger in battle.
Thanks to Floette's presence, they didn't need to worry about minor injuries.
The journey should have only taken a day, but due to battles and avoiding powerful Pokémon, the time stretched considerably.
When Cain arrived at the base of the Tree of Life, it was already midday on Day Twelve.
Earlier, he had seen the Tree of Life from afar, impressed by its height and size.
But nothing compared to the majesty of seeing it up close.
Standing near its trunk, looking up, it seemed as though the entire sky was covered by the immense tree.
Numerous Pokémon lived in its branches, which were wide enough to accommodate them all.
Observing the colossal trunk, Cain likened it to a massive column supporting the heavens.
Around it, there were no other trees, though from time to time, massive roots of the Tree of Life protruded from the ground.
Based on the extent of its underground roots, Cain estimated they might reach every corner of Mythical Island.
There were fewer aggressive Pokémon here, so Cain slowly approached the trunk.
The Pokémon in the tree, seeing Cain as an outsider, quickly hid themselves.
However, as he approached the trunk, Cain frowned.
It wasn't due to the environment or the Pokémon, but because of the dry, peeling bark on the Tree of Life.
"Has it reached the end of its life?" Cain murmured as he observed the blackened parts of the tree. "According to legend, once the Tree of Life grows, it never withers naturally."
He extended a hand, touching the dry area.
Despite its state, Cain felt warmth on the tree's surface. More surprisingly, where his palm touched, he felt a stinging pain.
This was clearly not a natural phenomenon but caused by something external.
But who could have caused this damage to the Tree of Life?
Cain mentally reviewed the data on the Team Rocket members. Although some specialized in poison-type Pokémon, this didn't seem like the result of a common toxin.
At first glance, it might appear to be natural death, but upon closer examination, there were signs of something more.
And not just any Pokémon could have caused this. According to the information he had received from Regi, advanced-level Pokémon wouldn't be capable of something .
Cain owned both Drapion and Gengar and was well-versed in poison-type Pokémon. He knew their limits.
Even after sacrificing an entire Scolipede tribe to evolve Drapion, Cain was certain his Pokémon couldn't inflict such damage.
"So... is someone hiding their true strength? Or did someone bring an external Pokémon as a trump card? But what would be the purpose of exposing it so openly? What do they gain from attacking the Tree of Life?" Cain wondered, filled with doubts.
Just as he was about to withdraw his hand, he felt the stinging pain intensify. It had been quite some time, yet the corrosive effect remained strong. He couldn't imagine the state of the tree's interior.
If the internal roots were corroded, then no matter how resilient the Tree of Life was, it would soon die, and the Pokémon living in it would lose their home. How many of them would survive?
Of course, this wasn't really Cain's problem.
He only wanted to understand the purpose behind all this.
Just as he was about to pull his hand away, he felt a sense of danger above him.
His psychic sixth sense, rarely wrong, alerted him.
His Pokémon felt it too and acted immediately.
Slowking placed a hand on his shoulder and used Teleport.
As for the attack, that wasn't his concern. His job was to ensure Cain escaped danger; the other Pokémon would handle the rest.
The quickest to react was Gengar, who emerged from Cain's shadow, creating a light green shield above his head.
The attack shattered Gengar's shield, but Slowking managed to teleport Cain away from the Tree of Life.
Drapion, Weavile, and Honchkrow also retreated, keeping a safe distance for combat.
After being struck, Gengar sank into the shadows.
A cloud of dust rose from the attack, obscuring the Pokémon that had launched it.
However, from the force of the blow and the powerful presence that could be felt, it was clear this Pokémon was incredibly strong.
So strong that Cain thought even all his Pokémon together couldn't defeat it.
Cain believed he had been misunderstood, that they had mistaken him for the one responsible for damaging the Tree of Life.
This was truly a problem.
The dust slowly cleared, revealing a figure walking upright.
When Cain finally saw it, his pupils contracted.