Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom (200 - 398)

Chapter 377: The Aptitude of a Champion

After much hesitation, Cain finally took the Pokéball containing Torchic.

He was going to take a gamble!

Even if he failed, a Torchic with the Speed Boost ability and light blue aptitude wouldn't necessarily be weak.

Moreover, when he reached the Hoenn region, it wouldn't be impossible to obtain a Mudkip, but a Torchic with Speed Boost and blue aptitude would be incredibly hard to find.

If the gamble succeeded, a Torchic with Speed Boost and dark blue aptitude, with two evolutionary possibilities, would give Cain the chance to train it to purple aptitude.

It's worth remembering that, in his previous life, even though Cain had the skills of a high-level trainer and plenty of support resources from Team Rocket, he had never obtained a purple-aptitude Pokémon; in fact, he had barely seen a few.

Pokémon with purple aptitude are known in this world as having "champion aptitude." This means that a Pokémon with this aptitude has a certain chance of reaching the champion level with proper training.

Of course, it's not that light blue aptitude Pokémon can't reach the champion level, but it is much more difficult.

Under normal circumstances, blue aptitude Pokémon represent the "elite" level.

For most, the elite level is the limit, which is why this aptitude is also called "maximum aptitude." Over time, this term replaced "elite aptitude."

However, purple aptitude Pokémon are extremely rare and are only found in the hands of highly powerful individuals, which is why they are referred to as "champion aptitude."

If a light blue aptitude Pokémon has only a one percent chance of reaching champion level, a blue aptitude one would have a ten percent chance or more.

Different types of Pokémon also vary. For example, a pseudo-legendary Pokémon with dark blue aptitude would have a much greater chance of reaching champion level than a Beedrill with the same aptitude.

That's why Cain decided to gamble on the possibility of obtaining a purple-aptitude Pokémon, even if it was just light purple.

Umbra, seeing Cain pick up the Torchic's Pokéball, didn't think much of it.

All the Pokémon in this group had similar aptitude, with minimal differences, so from Umbra's perspective, any choice would be beneficial.

"Are you sure?" Umbra asked.

"I'm sure!" Cain nodded firmly.

Even if the aptitude degraded to light blue, he knew how to restore it.

As long as blue aptitude was secured, he would only lose some time.

"Very well!" Umbra waved his hand, and the remaining four Pokéballs disappeared in a flash of psychic power.

Then, a red wooden box appeared on the table.

Umbra pushed the box toward Cain and said:

"Here's the King's Rock you wanted. You can open it and take a look."

The King's Rock?

Cain smiled in satisfaction and placed the Torchic's Pokéball on his belt.

Slowly, he put his hand on the box.

"Team Rocket never disappoints; even this box is made of premium wood that must be worth thousands of Pokédollars," Cain thought to himself.

He opened the box.

Contrary to his expectations, there was no dazzling golden glow, just an old, rusty crown inside. Although the cushion holding it seemed extremely valuable, he couldn't help but feel slightly cheated.

This was his first time seeing a King's Rock.

"Is this the King's Rock?" Cain touched the rusty crown, feeling it was no different from a common, rusty piece of iron.

"That's right, this is the King's Rock you requested. No one forced you to choose it. Even though it looks a bit worn, it still has some effect if you let a Pokémon hold it. However, most of the time, nobles use it as a collectible," Umbra said, shrugging as if to say, "You chose it, not me."

Could it be that the use of the King's Rock in Pokémon hadn't been discovered yet?

Cain scanned the rusty crown with his system and got the following description:

Item Name: King's Rock

Effect: Causes the holder's moves to become more intimidating, potentially making opponents flinch.

Description: An ancient and worn crown, a symbol of royalty in ancient times. It contains a mysterious power whose full use has yet to be discovered.

Note: It's not aesthetically pleasing and has a regular effect. Collectors, hurry up and find a King's Rock, as they are limited in number!

"It seems I wasn't wrong; this is the King's Rock, and its true use probably hasn't been discovered yet," Cain thought.

As Cain suspected, in the Pokémon world, the real use of the King's Rock had yet to be uncovered.

For example, both Politoed and Slowking—two Pokémon that require the King's Rock to evolve—were already registered in the Pokédex, but no one knew how they evolved.

It was similar to Milotic; many people knew it was beautiful, but they didn't know it evolved from Feebas.

This was why Umbra had been surprised when Cain requested the King's Rock: although rare, its main use was as a collectible for the wealthy.

Cain closed the box and stored it in his storage space.

Whether Slowpoke needed it or not, this item was a safe investment.

"All right, you've got what you wanted; it's time for you to leave. Team Rocket's plane is waiting for you outside," Umbra said as he stood up.

"Oh, by the way, the plane will take you to Saffron City. When you have time, go to Team Rocket's base there to register. The top five from this trial can be promoted directly to Group Captain."

"Just bring your ID card and register. As for the supplies, they'll be sent later. Once you settle in Hoenn, get in touch with me," Umbra said as he left the room.

Cain, watching Umbra leave, also exited the room.

No one realized that this time, Elite-level Leader Umbra had personally greeted him.

"Why did Regis warn me to be cautious of Umbra?" Cain thought to himself.

After leaving the room, Umbra's Gengar reappeared from the shadows.

"Did you sense anything?" Umbra asked.

"Kekeke!" Gengar shook its head.

"So, that elite-level Pokémon really has no connection to him? Viper and Saka couldn't sense it clearly, but my Gengar knows that elite-level Pokémon is a Ghost type."

"However, I can't help but feel it has something to do with that boy," Umbra laughed to himself and said, "Forget it. I don't think that boy has the ability to capture an elite-level Pokémon; it's probably just hiding. I'll leave it to Viper."

"But that boy, alongside Regis and the others... that's not good. Luckily, Regis won't be able to reach Hoenn," Umbra thought as he walked away, disappearing into the shadows of the house.

(End of Chapter)