Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom (200 - 398)

Chapter 310: Discovery of a Battle

The real purpose of the pills Cain mentioned was clearly to deceive these two foolish Pokémon, making them believe they had to obey. There was no time to actually make something like that.

But he didn't just scare those two Pokémon; Gyarados also looked visibly terrified.

"Where intelligence is lacking, muscles compensate," thought the psychic Pokémon with a hint of amusement.

In this way, the two Ursaring were completely under Cain's control. If he told them to go east, they wouldn't dare to go west. If he asked them to carry stones, they would never dig into the ground.

And although they had spent a long time frozen and their fur had been singed by Slowpoke's fire, they proved to be extremely efficient at their tasks.

Cain gave them names to make things easier. He called the Ursaring with the scar over its eye 'Bear One' and the one with the scar on its chest 'Bear Two.'

Cain stationed the two Ursaring at the entrance of the cave while he and his Pokémon retreated inside to rest.

...

The next day, on the trial island.

Cain and his Pokémon woke up promptly, as always.

Cain woke the Ursaring, who were still asleep at the cave entrance, and proceeded to prepare breakfast.

It was the second day of the final trial. Cain, already familiar with the surroundings, decided to continue exploring.

As for collecting points, Cain planned that before the trial ended, he might intercept some participant with a good number of points on their way back to Team Rocket's base.

After freshening up by the lake, Cain noticed a confrontation between Arbok and the two Ursaring at the cave entrance.

Murkrow and Slowpoke were trying to calm them down, though with little success. Still, they managed to prevent them from attacking each other.

Arbok stared intently at the Ursaring. They had been his main aggressors and had constantly harassed him, depriving him of the rest he needed during the day.

The Ursaring looked at Arbok with equal intensity, and if it weren't for Slowpoke and Murkrow's presence, they probably would have attacked.

Cain sighed; although he had captured these two as labor Pokémon, he hadn't expected this kind of conflict.

"What do you plan to do? Fight?" Cain exclaimed.

Hearing his voice, the two Ursaring jumped, immediately dropping their fierce expressions and looking at him pleadingly.

Arbok was also surprised to see the submission on the faces of these two bullies. The human's ability to subdue them so completely was truly impressive.

Despite Cain's order, there was still some tension between them, but the other Pokémon decided to ignore it.

After breakfast, Cain rested while his Pokémon carried out their morning training.

For Cain, this final trial had only one goal: to take first place.

The difference between first and second place was vast. Getting a starter Pokémon was almost a bonus; what truly interested the higher-ups in Team Rocket was gaining access to resources that would allow them to establish themselves in other regions.

While they couldn't operate under the Team Rocket name, they would still have its backing. Being the first to arrive in a region could secure them a high rank once Team Rocket decided to officially invade, making them the ones in charge of that area.

This could make them powerful figures, second only to Giovanni.

Currently, only one person in Team Rocket had that level of authority.

Those in lower ranks only hoped to earn enough merit to rise to a higher position, knowing that if they succeeded, the resources they'd gain would be immense.

Cain didn't aspire to that much, nor did he desire too many resources, as he couldn't manage them. He just wanted to grow by leveraging Team Rocket's shadow.

Power, in the end, was all that mattered.

After cleaning up any traces left behind, Cain had Slowpoke mark the area with a psychic signal before returning all his Pokémon to their Pokéballs.

He walked to the river and mounted on Gyarados's head, letting the current carry him along.

Cain believed this river was likely connected to the one where he had encountered Slowpoke a few months earlier.

In any case, the direction Slowpoke indicated pointed that way too.

Gyarados, having witnessed Cain's absolute control over the Ursaring, was now more obedient than ever.

Carefully, he followed the current.

Although Gyarados's level wasn't as high compared to the Pokémon on the island, his reputation preceded him, and wild Pokémon preferred not to provoke him.

If any wild Pokémon dared to confront him, Slowpoke and Murkrow would quickly handle it.

Not long after, a light drizzle began to fall over the mountains.

Slowpoke created a psychic barrier, covering both Cain and Murkrow.

Gyarados, on the other hand, enjoyed the rain and showed no signs of discomfort.

Cain frowned; he knew being close to the river in the rain could be dangerous if the wild Pokémon in the water became agitated.

He clearly remembered the chaos he had witnessed last time, when a Gyarados and a Milotic had fought fiercely in the river—a scene he hadn't forgotten.

Cain patted Gyarados's head and said, "Let's move to the shore."

Obediently, Gyarados swam to the shore, allowing Cain to dismount with Slowpoke's help.

"Caw~"

Upon reaching land, Murkrow perched on Cain's shoulder, softly calling for his attention.

"Hmm? You're saying you detected a fight up ahead?"

Murkrow nodded, and Slowpoke, his eyes glowing blue, confirmed with a telepathic nod.

This made Cain think about the need to improve his psychic skill, aiming to become a basic-level user. If he could master telepathy, he could communicate far more effectively in battle.

After receiving confirmation, Cain prepared himself, taking a camouflaged rain cloak from his ring and advancing stealthily.

As he got closer, Cain began to hear the sounds of a fight.

(End of Chapter)