Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

Cain gently placed Murkrow on the ground and took out the emergency healing spray, carefully spraying each of the Pokémon's wounds.

Immediately, Murkrow felt a cool sensation on the wounds, and the pain began to subside. After a moment, the wound, which had regained sensitivity, started to hurt again: it was the disinfectant taking effect.

While Murkrow made a sound that was uncertain whether it was of relief or irritation, Cain finished using the entire spray.

After eating some Pokéblocks, Murkrow slowly regained control of his body and managed to stand up.

Cain stopped Murkrow when he tried to fly and lifted him in his arms. With Murkrow's current weight, Cain had to exert some effort to carry him.

Meanwhile, at the border between the Butterfree and Beedrill territories, the air was filled with the scent of death. On the ground, the trees, the bushes, and the fallen leaves, there were corpses of Beedrill and Butterfree everywhere.

The Beedrill swarm, which initially had the advantage, lost their numerical superiority when more Butterfree arrived at the battlefield from different places.

Moreover, the Butterfree leader was still in the fight, while the Beedrill leader had disappeared into the forest, leading to heavier losses for the Beedrill.

As more of their members died, even the usually peaceful Butterfree became enraged and started attacking the Beedrill with all their might, resulting in even more Beedrill deaths.

At the moment when Murkrow defeated the Beedrill leader, all the Beedrill seemed to sense something. The energy surrounding them suddenly vanished.

For an instant, all the Beedrill froze, forgetting they were in the middle of a battle. After taking some attacks from the Butterfree, several Beedrill permanently lost their ability to fight. But despite this, the Beedrill began to scream desperately.

"Buzz buzz buzz! Buzz buzz buzz!" They had already realized what they had lost: their leader. The aura of their leader was fading.

The leader was like their king, and with the king's death, his subjects were left devastated.

Some Beedrill lost their minds and, regardless of the Butterfree's attacks, tried to break through enemy lines, but fell before they could get close. More and more Beedrill went mad.

Suddenly, a noticeably stronger Beedrill stopped screaming and made a few sounds toward the others. All the Beedrill shuddered, as if they had been doused with cold water on a hot day.

The Beedrill, who previously seemed desolate, started to regain the light in their eyes. Finally, under the leadership of the stronger Beedrill, they began to retreat. The Beedrill that returned, after arriving with such momentum, numbered less than a hundred.

If someone looked closely, they would notice that a sort of mysterious aura was beginning to envelop the leading Beedrill.

This aura was the origin of the Leadership ability. When all members of a group are tightly united, this energy appears, which eventually turns into the Leadership ability.

The Beedrill swarm retreated, and the Butterfree also returned to the forest with the bodies of their fallen comrades. Thus ended the fierce battle between the two species.

After nearly three hours, Murkrow finally recovered from the side effects of "Roost," and that was thanks to the Pokéblocks that sped up his recovery.

So, while Roost is a useful move, it shouldn't be used frequently or considered a routine move.

For today, and at Cain's insistence, Murkrow did not train but continued recovering under Cain's careful massage.

When dawn arrived again, Murkrow had fully recovered.

Cain was preparing breakfast under a tree, while Murkrow, full of energy, flew around the tree at full speed, with two thick branches tied to his wings.

During the close combat with the Beedrill leader the previous day, Cain and Murkrow realized they needed to strengthen Murkrow's wings.

After leveling up, Murkrow felt his body had grown stronger. Before, he would tire after flying a hundred laps, but now, after a hundred laps, he still had energy left.

After a short break and eating some Pokéblocks prepared by Cain, Murkrow continued training. He untied the branches from his wings and began striking the tree, the sound of his blows echoing.

After finishing breakfast, Cain joined the training. He started with sprints up and down a slope, followed by sit-ups and push-ups...

Mornings are the best time for training, and after an exhausting session, both the human and the Pokémon collapsed on the grass, gazing at the blue sky, feeling completely relaxed.

After lunch, Cain and Murkrow set off on the road back.

Today was already the sixth day, and tomorrow was the day when Team Rocket would regroup.

As they passed the border between the Butterfree and Beedrill territories, Cain fell silent at the devastation in the forest.

He couldn't believe that a simple impulsive act had triggered a war between two species. Looking at the now-ravaged forest, with corpses everywhere, Cain could imagine the magnitude of the losses for the Beedrill swarm.

Not only Beedrill, but as they crossed Butterfree territory, the once-visible Metapod were missing, and Butterfree had become extremely rare.

For both species, the losses were enormous.

After a brief reflection, Cain continued on toward Beedrill territory.

Cain, who had already gone through many hardships, was used to such things.

This had always been a cruel world; if you don't have enough strength, death is inevitable. That kind of useless compassion was something Cain had abandoned a long time ago. Apart from the people closest to him and his Pokémon, Cain trusted no one and showed no mercy.

Compassion is for the weak; the strong are used to facing death.

Cain had been a Pokémon hunter in his previous life and had witnessed far worse massacres than this.

Weakness is the original sin.

Upon reentering the forest in Beedrill territory, Cain felt a sense of familiarity. However, the forest, once teeming with life, now seemed desolate. Kakuna were no longer seen in the trees.

"I hope they're smart enough not to seek trouble," Cain murmured. Given the current state of the Beedrill swarm, Cain wasn't afraid of them at all. Without their leader, the Beedrill were a disorganized gang that Murkrow could easily defeat.

Cain and Murkrow crossed the forest, which had once taken them nearly two hours to traverse, in just one hour.

Throughout the journey, they didn't encounter a single Beedrill. It seemed they had all retreated.

Cain was satisfied with the Beedrill's attitude. They could no longer offer Murkrow much in terms of experience. If they didn't cause more problems, Cain and Murkrow wouldn't pursue them.

After crossing Beedrill territory, signs of other Pokémon began to appear.

The return trip was almost identical to the way in. Passing the place where they had fought the trio, the signs of the battle had vanished, except for a few bloodstains on the ground.

Arriving at the Zubat cave, Cain retrieved the items he had stored there and packed them into his storage belt.

Originally, Cain had only planned to explore a little, but he ended up staying out for several days, though the rewards were great.

Moreover, this place was still the border between the forest's peripheral and central zones, and the Pokémon here were no longer strong enough for Murkrow's training needs.

Even if it wasn't for treasure hunting, Cain probably would have left this place within a day or two.

Inside the cave, there were no signs of Pokémon activity, but outside the cave, footprints of various Pokémon could be seen passing through.

Perhaps the accumulated fear of the Zubat had been enough to keep other Pokémon away, but sooner or later, they would enter the cave.

In fact, in a few days, the cave would likely become home to other Pokémon.

Cain didn't look back as he walked away from the cave. This cave was just a small stop in the lives of Cain and Murkrow, one that wouldn't leave a lasting mark.

Just like this trial island, which was only another station in their lives. It may be important, but it definitely wasn't the most important.

Team Rocket had managed to bring so many children to this island without anyone noticing and conduct what they called trials. So, this island wasn't just a simple island. Although the Pokémon on the island weren't high-level, their quality was significantly better than those elsewhere.

In the outside world, one might encounter thousands of Pokémon before finding one of excellent quality, but on this island, Cain had already found two outstanding Pokémon just in the Beedrill swarm.

Additionally, Pokémon of decent quality were much more common here.

It's likely that this was just one of many secret islands controlled by Team Rocket, and its secrets were something that Cain, even in his past life as a quasi-elite-level trainer, had never had the right to know.

Cain's thoughts wandered as he walked, and before the sun set, Cain and Murkrow finally arrived again at Team Rocket's base.

Looking at the entrance to the base, Cain felt like he was staring at a large mouth that devoured everyone who approached.

Without hesitation, he clutched the bag containing the Weedle egg against his back and disappeared into the darkness.

(End of chapter)