Chapter 762 - 761: End of Training
In the third round of the tournament, although the opponents were slightly stronger than in the previous two rounds, Cain had made significant progress.
Once again, he used Swampert as his main Pokémon in battle. His opponent had evidently researched Cain thoroughly, knowing that Cain was a Gym Leader specializing in Water-type Pokémon.
Based on previous battles, they also assumed that Cain would use Water-type Pokémon again, as he had previously sent out Swampert and Poliwhirl. Therefore, the rival prepared two Grass-type Pokémon for the battle.
However, no matter how much they planned their strategy, they hadn’t anticipated that in just a week, Cain would have managed to get Swampert to reach the advanced level. Additionally, Cain had trained Swampert to face opponents with higher levels than his own, overcoming them with advanced techniques and refined strategies.
Despite the type disadvantage, Swampert’s skills and experience made defeating those two Pokémon relatively easy.
Swampert’s combined moves were now more fluid and effective, demonstrating absolute control in battle. Thus, the third round concluded quickly with Cain’s victory.
After this battle, instead of returning to the rented mansion on the outskirts of Hearthome City with Steven and the others, Cain decided to continue exploring the mysterious island in Lake Verity.
Using Slowking’s Teleport move, Cain returned to the island. There, the strength of the wild Pokémon forced him to proceed slowly.
Sometimes, a single encounter with a powerful Pokémon could extend for hours, significantly limiting the area he could explore in one day. Occasionally, it wasn’t even a lone Pokémon; facing a small group would make retreat the only viable option.
Learning from his previous experience, Cain decided to be better prepared for this expedition. He brought with him a large backpack with spare clothes, medicines, and compressed food.