Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

Listening to the conversation of the three people not far away, Cain maintained a calm expression, but his eyes gleamed.

He knew that Team Rocket had many treasure maps, and he also knew that some of them hid real treasures. However, due to his needs, he hadn't redeemed them immediately.

He planned to do so later, but he didn't expect his first encounter with someone would be with the treasure-hunting trio.

Cain had some impression of the chubby boy; he used a yellow-quality Koffing. Although its level wasn't very high, its talent was notable. As for the other two, he didn't have a strong impression.

However, regardless of the situation, since he had encountered them in the wild and they were carrying something that interested Cain, there was no other choice but to fight.

His mind began to work quickly. If he was going to attack, he had to be fully prepared. The chubby boy's Koffing was a fairly strong opponent, but Cain wasn't sure if it had learned the move Self-Destruct.

They were too far away now, and the system couldn't scan the data.

The green-clad boy's Zubat seemed to have grown well, judging by its appearance. As for the little one's Oddish, it was doubly weak to Murkrow's Flying type, so it wouldn't be much of a problem.

Facing three trained Pokémon is different from facing wild ones. Fortunately, Murkrow had grown quite rapidly in recent days. With a quick glance, Murkrow's stats appeared before his eyes.

Pokémon: Murkrow (Green)

Gender: Male

Level: 12

Type: Dark, Flying

Ability: Prankster

Held Item: None

Egg Moves: Punishment, Feint Attack, Roost

Basic Moves: Peck, Astonish, Pursuit, Haze

Learned Moves: Thief, Tailwind, Gust

TMs: None

After two days of combat, Murkrow had leveled up once more and learned the moves Haze and Gust.

Cain crawled along the ground, advancing cautiously. The dense forest undergrowth provided excellent cover, and Murkrow stuck to his back, not daring to make the slightest sound.

When they were less than five meters from the trio, Cain stopped. This was the limit; getting closer could get him discovered. This distance was enough for the system to perform a scan.

A flash in his eyes, and the information of the three Pokémon appeared before him.

As he had suspected, a yellow-quality Koffing at level 14, which hadn't learned Self-Destruct, an orange-quality Zubat at level 13, and, to Cain's surprise, the little one's Oddish was also yellow-quality, though only at level 11, indicating it probably hadn't been trained properly.

Now that he knew their data, Cain's plan became clearer.

Although Oddish's level was low and its combat power weak, it was still a Pokémon. Fighting one against three was much harder than fighting one against two, and Oddish was doubly weak to Murkrow, so his first target had to be Oddish.

"Murkrow, activate Tailwind. Then, directly attack Oddish, use Gust for a long-range strike, and then close in with Peck to finish it off," Cain said softly, making sure only he and Murkrow could hear him.

Murkrow nodded resolutely. After several days of fighting, he and Cain had developed a great sense of synchronization. With just a slight instruction, Murkrow knew what to do.

Cain raised three fingers, signaling the countdown. As the fingers began to fold, a white stream of air appeared around Murkrow. Amidst the white and black colors, his eyes became sharper and sharper.

One!

The last finger dropped.

Whoosh!

Murkrow's wings flapped powerfully, and a strong wind blew through the underbrush, flattening the vegetation and exposing Cain, who had been hiding.

Cain shook his head in resignation and stood up slowly.

In an instant, Murkrow rushed toward Oddish. Amid the surprised expressions of the trio, a wind as sharp as a blade surged from Murkrow's wings, heading straight for the terrified Oddish.

Gust!

A Flying-type move that, if it hit, would deal significant damage to Oddish.

The three reacted quickly, moving away from Murkrow's attack zone. Surprisingly, the chubby boy was the most agile of them all. As they moved, Koffing and Zubat also reacted, dodging the attack.

The strong wind reached Oddish in an instant, striking hard against its astonished expression.

Bang! Bang!

With two blows, Oddish fell to the ground, even leaving a slight dent in the earth, showing the great power of Murkrow's attacks.

Taking advantage of everyone being occupied dodging, Murkrow, after launching Gust, quickly closed in and attacked Oddish with Peck.

"Koffing, Tackle!"

"Zubat, use Bite!"

The other two reacted quickly and gave orders.

"Murkrow, dodge!" Cain, now that he had been discovered, didn't try to hide anymore. Seeing the two issue attack orders, he swiftly commanded Murkrow to evade.

Murkrow lifted off, barely dodging the attacks from the two Pokémon. Although he didn't manage to finish off Oddish, it was already on the verge of defeat.

"Oddish!" the little one cried, tears in his eyes, seeing his Oddish fall to the ground, unable to get up. Although worried, he didn't dare approach; his small, thin body couldn't withstand even a single attack from Murkrow.

The chubby boy shot a glance at his companion, who was sobbing on the ground, and spat two words with a rigid expression: "Useless!"

Finally, both recognized who had attacked them. The chubby boy and the green-clad boy frowned, clearly also recognizing Cain—after all, he had come in second in the first trial.

"It's you, the lucky one who got second place," the chubby boy said coldly.

Cain flashed a slight smile and looked at them without saying a word. Apparently, Cain's tactics in the trial had spread throughout the base, and most people thought it had just been a trick and that he was nothing special. Cain didn't bother to correct that perception.

"Don't think that just because you got second place through tricks, you're something special. Those are just cheap tricks. Instead of hiding well, you dare to attack us by surprise; you're asking for your death!" The chubby boy said this while performing a series of movements, signaling the green-clad boy to start an attack.

The green-clad boy understood the signal. "Zubat, close in and use Wing Attack!"

"Koffing, Smog!"

"Murkrow, Gust! Disperse the Smog," Cain calmly responded to the attack. Influenced by Cain, Murkrow also showed no signs of nervousness.

Zubat, facing Murkrow's Gust, quickly approached while taking damage, with one of its wings glowing faintly as it aimed to attack Murkrow.

The Smog was dispersed by Gust, but at the same time, Koffing quickly moved closer.

Struck by Zubat's Wing Attack, Murkrow was sent flying several meters back. Although he took damage, his current body wasn't affected enough to interfere in the battle.

"Koffing, Assurance!" Seeing Murkrow had been hit, the chubby boy quickly issued the command.

Assurance is a move that doubles its power if the opponent has taken damage beforehand. At this moment, Assurance's power was at 120, which would be devastating if it hit Murkrow.

"Murkrow, don't forget your speed. Use all of Tailwind to dodge," Cain remained calm in the face of such a powerful move as Assurance. No matter how strong the move's power was, only the moves that hit count.

"Feint Attack and strike Zubat!"

With Tailwind at its maximum power, Murkrow moved faster, dodging Koffing's attack and quickly closing in on Zubat.

"Zubat, dodge quickly!" the green-clad boy ordered, seeing Murkrow approach Zubat rapidly.

But unfortunately, Feint Attack is a move with a high hit rate.

Bang!

Murkrow's sharp beak struck Zubat with force, and then he quickly retreated, not staying to fight.

(End of chapter)