After pressing the "Accept" button, another message immediately arrived.

The message indicated that the mission had been accepted and described the rewards in points and other benefits upon completion.

Cain didn't pay much attention to the rewards, but rather to the main content of the mission and the related data.

Currently, Team Rocket had drastically reduced its activities. Most members of the secondary bases remained in the facilities and only went out on rare occasions. Except for necessary missions, outings had significantly decreased.

At first, the Pokémon League seemed pleased and surprised.

However, over time, they began to grow suspicious.

They felt that Team Rocket might be developing some kind of secret weapon. Otherwise, with the great opportunities they had, why would they suddenly and absolutely retreat without warning?

The League's high command had to admit they were worried.

Just then, an important event came up: Team Rocket's annual Great Exchange Market. They decided to send someone trustworthy to investigate.

Originally, this task was to be carried out by an officer from the Kanto region, and Lance was the ideal candidate.

However, a new region had recently been discovered. Lance, along with a large team of researchers, had left to explore the area. The remaining mid- and low-ranking officers didn't seem suitable for this mission.

During a meeting, someone suggested, "In the Hoenn region, there's a high-ranking officer—wasn't he from Kanto too?"

"He participated in the Sinnoh Tournament and seems to have performed well. We could assign this task to him."

And so, this mission was honorably assigned to Cain.

If not for this reminder, Cain had almost forgotten that this was the time when Team Rocket held their annual Great Exchange Market.

In this event, many underground organizations from various regions traveled to Goldenrod City, in the Johto region, where a massive black market was held.

A wide variety of items were exchanged and traded, covering virtually everything related to the Pokémon world.

As the leading group among underground organizations, Team Rocket attracted many participants to this market.

These chaotic gatherings, with a mix of all kinds of individuals, were the perfect moment to investigate Team Rocket.

Cain would have the right to command a full team of Investigators on this mission.

In the past, as a member of Team Rocket, Cain had paid special attention to this event. In his previous life, he had participated several times and, thanks to the help of the system, had obtained many valuable things.

However, in this life, he had not yet attended the market and had nearly forgotten about it.

The fact that this mission was related to the Great Exchange Market was what led Cain to accept it.

As for how to report to the League, that wouldn't be a problem. Cain knew Team Rocket's current plans with total clarity. He just needed to filter information that would alert the League without pushing them to act rashly.

The market would begin in five days and last for seven. It would take place in the black market of Goldenrod City, in the Johto region. By then, Cain would have a full team of Intermediate and Junior-level Investigators under his command. His immediate task was to head to the Johto region.

Five days were plenty of time for Cain.

Initially, he had planned to finish organizing things on the island and then train somewhere else. But now, it seemed he needed to head to Johto first.

This, however, was also a good thing.

On the island, Cain had established survival zones for two species: Clamperl and Qwilfish, and had obtained a large quantity of resources from them. These materials could be sold at the market.

Additionally, Cain had several high-level Pokémon he wanted to sell.

For example, a near-max quasi-elite level Chandelure, an elite-level Cofagrigus, and several quasi-elite level Cofagrigus. Wild Pokémon of this caliber would have high value in the market.

On top of that, Cain had more than two thousand pearls and around four hundred poisonous needles of various qualities. If he managed to sell all of this, it would amount to a considerable sum.

Currently, Lairon and Combusken had reached their second evolutionary stage. Although it was still some time before their final evolution, it was necessary to start preparing quality-boosting potions for when the time came.

Additionally, Pokémon like Ralts, Horsea, and Bagon were close to reaching the key point for their first evolution. If Cain didn't acquire the necessary materials in advance, it would be too rushed to prepare them afterward. This was an excellent opportunity to obtain crucial materials.

Not to mention some moves that Cain had always wanted, like Swords Dance or Hyper Beam. These were rare, but would surely be available at the market. Whether he could buy them or not would depend on his resources.

This event was not only useful but perfect for Cain's goals.

Even without the mission assigned by the League, Cain would have attended the market anyway.

He might find a Pokémon that interested him. Although he already had many in his team, Cain trained based on the resources available. As long as he could balance income and expenses, he could manage it.

Of course, his standards were higher now. He would only accept Pokémon with exceptional abilities, rare characteristics, or unique qualities.

On this occasion, Cain would need to use both his identity as a League Investigator and as a Team Rocket member. Therefore, he had to bring several representative Pokémon.

Honchkrow and Weavile, as symbols of his identity within Team Rocket, were indispensable. Gengar, which wasn't particularly recognizable, could also be used to conceal his underground affiliation.

Slowking, Florges, Combusken, and Lairon would represent his identity as a League Investigator.

Finally, Mismagius, his trump card, would be the last line of defense if he faced an elite-level enemy.

Transportation between the island and other locations had become much more convenient thanks to the installation of the teleportation system. He could now swap Pokémon easily, depending on the need.

This made traveling considerably easier.

Altaria would stay to guard the island while spending more time with her chicks. Flygon, as his mount, didn't count as part of Cain's active team.

With everything ready, Cain was prepared for the next challenge.