Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom (200 - 398)

Chapter 221: The Terrifying Elder

What did Cain see through the system a moment ago?

An Aerodactyl at level seventy-eight, along with other Pokémon with levels between sixty and seventy. What does this mean?

It means that the elder who had just spoken is at least an Elite Four-level trainer, and not a newcomer, but an experienced veteran.

However, by his attire, he looked like a typical village grandfather.

He probably didn't want to attract attention, so Cain decided to act as if he knew nothing.

He shook his head and stopped thinking about it for now. Regardless, this elder was someone not to be provoked. If an opportunity presented itself, Cain could try to build a good relationship with him.

Shortly after, Takuya Imamura, who had left dragging his two friends, returned to the group. He looked quite pained as he pulled out three bank cards and placed them in front of Cain.

"Here's one million Pokédollars. It's more than enough to buy the Flamethrower TM. I won't argue about the difference. It's a matter of pride," Takuya said with a grand air, though he couldn't hide the pained expression on his face.

To borrow that much money from his two friends, he had to promise them plenty of benefits. In total, the value of those benefits was much higher than the amount he had borrowed.

Cain looked at him with a sarcastic smile and said, "My Slowpoke is worth much more than that money. Don't try to act magnanimous; who are you trying to impress?"

Takuya, overwhelmed by Cain's response, was left speechless, his face reddening, unsure of how to reply. Finally, he exclaimed, "Let's go to the battlefield!"

Hearing his words, many of those watching couldn't help but show expressions of disdain.

Cain said nothing more and headed directly to the public battlefield.

As they moved, many people interested in the spectacle followed them to the battlefield. Along the way, more people joined, and by the time they arrived, the field was surrounded by a growing crowd.

The interest was high because the stakes were quite large, attracting onlookers.

The public battlefield had a referee designated by the cruise ship. He stood on a high platform outside the field, holding two flags and wearing a red whistle around his neck.

After explaining all the rules, the referee instructed both to place their bets on the corresponding sides of the judge's table.

Takuya placed three nameless League bank cards, while Cain placed Slowpoke's Super Ball on the other side of the table.

Slowpoke had no objections to this; it trusted Cain completely and had confidence in its own fighting ability.

Cain was so sure that even if he lost, he wouldn't hand over Slowpoke. In the worst case, he'd have Slowpoke use Teleport, and they'd both leave the ship immediately.

With Gyarados as a means of sea transportation, returning to Vermilion City wouldn't be a problem as long as nothing unexpected happened.

As for leaving a bad reputation, he didn't care. After all, it would only be an accusation of not paying a bet, something Cain wasn't worried about at all.

If necessary, he would simply change his identity in the League. After all, he hadn't invested much in his current identity.

Besides, Cain had already scanned the data of Takuya Imamura's Pokémon. With his level of combat, Takuya had no chance against him.

"Go, Raichu!" Takuya shouted, throwing his Poké Ball to summon the Pokémon he would use in battle.

Pokémon: Raichu (Light Green)

Gender: Female

Level: 25

Type: Electric

Ability: Static

Held Item: None

Egg Moves: Double Slap, Charge

Basic Moves: Tail Whip, Thunder Shock, Growl, Play Nice, Quick Attack, Electro Ball, Thunder Wave, Feint, Double Team, Thunderbolt

Learned Moves: Snore, Knock Off

TM Moves: None

Takuya wasn't foolish; he was confident in his victory because he had his newly acquired Raichu, hoping to show off in front of his friends.

Originally, he just wanted a battle where he could crush his opponent to demonstrate the strength of his Pokémon, and by extension, his own strength.

However, he didn't know that Cain already knew he planned to use Raichu.

This Raichu's level was only twenty-five. Although it was fully evolved, it was clear that it hadn't fully developed its potential as a Pikachu. This forced evolution might even have reduced its quality.

It's likely that this Raichu had green potential as a Pikachu, but by forcing its evolution, possibly with a low-quality Thunder Stone, not only did it fail to increase its strength, but its potential was also reduced.

Forced evolution is a way of wasting a Pokémon's potential.

That's one of the reasons why Cain has yet to evolve Murkrow. Its potential hasn't fully developed, and evolving it now would harm its future growth.

Pokémon like this are usually bought cheaply by stores and then sold to wealthy but uninformed trainers, who think they've found a great deal.

Takuya was exactly one of those trainers. Although he came from a family of trainers, his position within it was not very high, as he had three older brothers who outperformed him.

When he saw Raichu and how cheap it was, he couldn't resist buying it.

In his mind, a fully evolved Raichu, at just the cost of a Thunder Stone, was a steal.

So when Cain saw the Poké Ball on Takuya Imamura's belt, he already knew what to expect from him.

A Raichu ruined by forced evolution, and a trainer without the skill to direct it, relying solely on type advantage.

For Cain, defeating him would be like crushing a fly.

"Slowpoke, when you go up, use Calm Mind immediately," Cain ordered calmly.

Slowpoke also saw its opponent. Pokémon have a keen sense of detecting the strength of their rivals, especially those with combat experience.

Upon seeing Raichu, Slowpoke couldn't help but show slight disdain. At first, it thought its opponent would be strong, but it turned out to be only at that level.

However, after following Cain, Slowpoke had developed good habits. It wouldn't underestimate any opponent and would always stay alert in battle. Upon entering the battlefield, it immediately began to focus on using Calm Mind.

Meanwhile, the opponent was still basking in the crowd's cheers.

To most people, an Electric-type Raichu, in its fully evolved form, should be able to crush a Water-type Slowpoke. Right?

Just by looking at the situation, Takuya already considered himself the winner, and he truly believed it.

Seeing Slowpoke use Calm Mind instead of attacking immediately, Takuya Imamura sneered and looked at Cain with disdain, arrogantly saying, "Raichu, Thunderbolt! Finish it in one hit!"

The crowd, seeing Takuya Imamura order Raichu to use Thunderbolt while Slowpoke was still meditating with its eyes closed, couldn't help but show expressions of pity toward Cain.

(End of Chapter)