Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom (200 - 398)

Chapter 227: Attracting Hatred

After shaking hands with Cain, Jin was very excited and wanted to hug him. But Cain stepped back, and Jin once again bumped into the psychic barrier created by Slowpoke.

Jin looked at Slowpoke with a resentful expression, then at Cain, who maintained a calm face. Jin realized it had been a fantasy to think Cain would hug him, thus marking the beginning of a legend.

Before Jin could continue complaining, the referee announced that all participants were present and that Pokémon should enter the battlefield.

The battlefield was rocky, which for Cain was neither a great advantage nor a disadvantage. The Pokémon were alert, watching their opponents; some had already allied beforehand to eliminate the others.

Cain and Jin fell into this category, with Jin's Charmeleon positioning himself next to Slowpoke to show his support.

Many trainers wanted to attack Cain's Slowpoke first, knowing it was a formidable opponent. However, Jin's Charmeleon stood next to Slowpoke, deterring many of them.

Slowpoke looked at Charmeleon and then at Cain, and after receiving Cain's approval, decided not to blast Charmeleon away with his Water Gun move.

Since Slowpoke had been with Cain, no unfamiliar Pokémon had come this close to him. His battle instinct almost led him to use Water Gun, but he held back.

With the sound of the referee's whistle, the free-for-all battle began immediately.

"Slowpoke, use Calm Mind," ordered Cain.

"Cain, how do you want to handle this? Shall we go together, or...?" Jin asked confidently.

"Half for each of us," Cain replied.

"Alright!"

Charmeleon charged onto the field, fiercely attacking the Pokémon in combat. Jin, remaining calm, directed him in a low but clear voice, which Charmeleon instantly obeyed. This impressed Cain, who now saw Jin in a new light.

"Slowpoke, let's go too. Teleport, then Bulldoze, and finally use Confusion to throw them out of the field," said Cain.

"Yadon~~," Slowpoke responded.

Slowpoke teleported to the center of the Pokémon in battle, and although he hadn't fully mastered the Bulldoze move, he had improved a lot. Slowpoke's sudden appearance startled the other Pokémon and their trainers.

Having not challenged Slowpoke initially, many were trying to eliminate the weaker ones first. But now, Slowpoke had become everyone's target, and the trainers quickly directed their Pokémon toward him.

However, Slowpoke paid them no attention. Earth-type energy was already focused in his front paws, and by striking the ground, he caused the rocky field to crack, disrupting the movements of the other Pokémon and leaving them staggering.

Slowpoke didn't stop there. After using Calm Mind, his psychic power increased, and he unleashed Confusion at full strength. Pokémon flew through the air, tracing beautiful arcs as they exited the battlefield.

The trainers watched helplessly as their Pokémon were thrown by an invisible force. Although they all knew Slowpoke was responsible, they could do nothing.

Fortunately, the eliminated Pokémon were unharmed; they were simply disqualified for leaving the field. Because of this, the trainers didn't hold much resentment toward Cain; in fact, some admired his strategy.

"Ha ha ha! I knew you were a person with good judgment! Charmeleon, we need to work harder!" Jin exclaimed upon seeing Slowpoke sweep through the field like an autumn wind, easily eliminating the others.

"Roar!" Charmeleon responded with a cry, attacking with even more ferocity.

Cain trusted Slowpoke, so after his initial command, he let him handle the field freely. Meanwhile, he observed Jin's Charmeleon.

Charmeleon was well-trained; although he had some deficiencies, they weren't significant. He used his moves with ease, defeating opponents with a single strike or quickly throwing them off the field.

Noticing this, some attempted to team up to face Slowpoke and Charmeleon. However, their Pokémon barely surpassed level 20 and had no real battle experience, so they couldn't withstand Pokémon of Slowpoke's caliber.

Moreover, Slowpoke didn't need to defeat or injure them; he simply used his psychic powers to throw them out of the field.

As more Pokémon flew through the air, the spectators gathered, intrigued. Seeing it was the same Slowpoke that defeated Takaya Imamura the day before, many showed looks of understanding.

To them, Slowpoke was being even more careful than the previous day, merely throwing the others out without using his full strength. They believed Cain had ordered him to hold back since healing a Pokémon isn't easy.

Slowpoke's "consideration" contrasted with Charmeleon's brutality, which eliminated opponents with a single strike. Thus, the eliminated trainers directed their resentment toward Jin, even those who were thrown by Slowpoke.

When the last Pokémon was defeated by Charmeleon, he returned, panting, to Jin's side, who quickly took out a medium-level Pokéblock to feed him.

It was then that Jin noticed many looking at him with hostility, and he became alarmed.

"Cain, why are they looking at me like that? I wasn't the only one who eliminated them, was I?" Jin asked in a low voice as he approached Cain.

Cain simply looked away and stepped aside, thinking to himself: "With such a fierce Charmeleon, if you don't attract the hatred, who will?"

Immediately, all the hostile gazes focused even more on Jin. If looks could kill, or at least strike, Jin would already be a battered man.

(End of chapter)