71 Chapter 71:
As Cain proclaimed his knowledge of the rules, the leather-clad woman fell silent. With a graceful motion, she retrieved a bottle of nail polish from its hiding place beneath the counter and unfurled it before Cain's stoic gaze. Methodically, she brushed the color onto her nails, the sound of the bristles against the glass a soft lullaby in the still air.
Boredom crept over her as she gazed upon Cain's unchanging demeanor. Her lips curled in a smirk as she spoke, "It's dreadfully dull in here. Do tell, what sort of Pokemon are you searching for? Don't even think about asking for a Pseudo-legendary. We don't have one here and even if we did, your pockets wouldn't run deep enough to acquire it."
There was no denying that Cain was not wealthy. As a seasoned Pokemon hunter, he had to possess a keen eye for value, otherwise how could he assess the worth of the Pokemon he sought to capture?
Murkrow perched on Cain's shoulder caught her eye, giving her a rough estimate of his strength. The bird's potential was not lacking, clearly well-trained, but its overall might was somewhat limited, suggesting that its level was not particularly high.
She deduced that Cain's own strength was limited, hidden or not. He couldn't possibly possess the power to obtain a Pseudo-legendary Pokemon.
But Cain was not there to purchase a Pseudo-legendary. These powerful creatures took far too long to train, and by the time they matured, Cain's carefully nurtured Pokemon may no longer be able to keep up.
"I want to buy a Miltank," Cain stated plainly, without any unnecessary words.
The leather-clad woman's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Oh? Wild Miltanks are a rare find. Most are claimed by the affluent family in Goldenrod City. And even if you do find one, there's not much difference between a wild one and a captured one, is there?" she questioned, her gaze fixed on Cain.
"You don't have it?" Cain repeated, his voice laced with skepticism.
She batted her lashes at him in a playful yet annoyed manner, "Hmph, what a lack of manners. Follow me," she purred, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
With a flick of her wrist, she retrieved a jangling bunch of keys from the counter's drawer and sashayed deeper into the store, her hips swaying in a hypnotic rhythm beneath her leather jacket.
Cain's gaze couldn't help but linger on the curves of her body, but he knew better than to let his mind wander. This woman was not just any rose, but a thorny beauty and a Quasi-Elite expert to boot.
He trailed behind her, his gaze firmly fixed on the ground.
But the leather-clad woman was aware of Cain's presence, even as she walked ahead. After a quick glance over her shoulder, she realized that Cain's gaze was no longer on her.
A small smile played at the corners of her lips as she faced forward again. Normally, any man would ogle her with burning desire, but this time was different. The man behind her was intriguing.
Soon, they arrived at a dull, gray iron plate. The leather-clad woman meticulously combed through her keys until she found the right one. With a delicate twist, the heavy plate slowly creaked open.
"Here you go," she purred, gesturing to the Miltank inside. "Take a look, see if anything catches your eye. Each cage has a price tag. Let me know if you find anything you like."
With a hum and a twirl of the keys between her slender fingers, she spun on her heel and sauntered away, her only worry being the weight of the keys would snap her delicate nails.
Cain gazed after the leather-clad woman until she disappeared completely from view, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
He shifted his focus to the iron cage in front of him, and the Pokemon within.
The small, cramped room housed five such cages, each one holding a Miltank that Cain sought.
Activating the A.I. System's scanning function, Cain scanned each of the five Pokemon. In an instant, the data appeared before him, and he was deep in thought as he studied the results.
The five Miltanks were above average in aptitude, and their levels fell within Cain's acceptable range.
From their appearance, four of the Miltanks appeared to be in good spirits, their eyes filled with a mix of hatred and fear as they glared at Cain. The fifth Miltank, older in appearance, had a more gentle disposition, not attacking its cage or mooing in fury.
However, after being captured and imprisoned for an unknown amount of time, the Miltank still harbored a trace of animosity towards humans.
After eliminating two of the Miltanks, one older and one with the highest level, three remained.
The highest level Miltank was a level 30 specimen, its hatred towards Cain palpable. It was obvious that this Pokemon had suffered a major trauma or setback during its capture, causing its enmity towards humans to reach its peak. This type of Pokemon was often extremely difficult, if not impossible, to tame, and Cain knew better than to waste his time on it.
There was also another factor to consider - Pokemon with levels too high had already established their battle style, making it difficult to change.
The three remaining Miltanks, all light green in aptitude, had levels around 20, making them quite desirable.
One of them possessed the Scrappy ability, allowing it to excel against ghost-type Pokemon with its normal and fighting-type moves.
However, Cain eliminated this Miltank from his options as well. Despite the battle prowess of the Scrappy ability, Cain's team was already packed with attacking power. Murkrow and the soon-to-hatch Skorupi were both strong damage dealers, so they didn't require the Miltank's damage output.
As he was cultivating the Miltank as a support Pokemon, Cain hoped that after nurturing it, the Miltank would possess enough survivability to help his team recover during battles.
That left him with two Miltanks, both possessing the Thick Fat ability. This ability reduced the damage taken from fire and ice-type moves by 50%, greatly increasing the Pokemon's survivability.
Pokémon: Miltank (Light Green)
Gender: Female
Level: 21
Type: Normal
Ability: Thick Fat
Held items: None
Egg moves: Curse, Helping Hand
Basic moves: Tackle, Growl, Defense Curl, Stomp, Milk Drink, Bide, Rollout,
Taught moves: Shock Wave, Thunder Punch
Technical Machines (TMs): None
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Pokémon: Miltank (Light Green)
Gender: Female
Level: 20
Type: Normal
Ability: Thick Fat
Held items: None
Egg moves: Present, Endure
Basic moves: Tackle, Growl, Defense Curl, Stomp, Milk Drink, Bide, Rollout,
Taught moves: Helping Hand, Heal Bell, Block
Technical Machines (TMs): None
The two Miltanks were quite distinct from each other. The first Miltank was inclined towards battle, with electric moves being its strong suit. The second Miltank was more supportive, with both its inherited and taught moves geared towards support.
When considering the role Miltank would play in Cain's future team, the choice was clear. The second Miltank, with its support moves, was the better option and the one that Cain was more satisfied with.
