Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

The silent atmosphere between the two didn't hold even the slightest sense of discomfort.

It didn't surprise the mysterious man in the least that Viper had quickly found out what he had done. After all, this place was Viper's territory, and everyone here was his subordinate. If he hadn't known about it, now that would have been surprising.

After a moment, a faint "Hmm" came from the mysterious man's mouth.

Upon hearing the mysterious man's response, Viper smiled. Combined with the scar on his face, it was the kind of smile that could definitely stop children from crying.

Both were quite renowned. As one of Team Rocket's high-ranking members, Viper had a certain understanding of the mysterious man's identity and the shadow unit he belonged to.

Since the mysterious man had taken notice of Cain, it meant there was something unique about him. However, since the mysterious man didn't mention it, Viper didn't ask.

As if he had sensed Viper's thoughts, the mysterious man hesitated for a moment and said, "I can sense a darkness coming from that boy, and also a faint hint of familiarity." He paused, and his tone became more solemn. "He gives me the feeling that he's like... him."

Viper, who had been leisurely cleaning his Luxury Ball, suddenly froze when he heard the mysterious man's last word, as if someone had pressed a pause button. Both remained motionless.

After a moment, Viper's hand trembled slightly before he resumed polishing his ball. Anyone observant could notice that the mysterious man's words had greatly impacted him. The way he handled the ball revealed the turmoil within him.

Knowing that he had touched on something important, the mysterious man remained silent.

"It's truly surprising," Viper said after a long while.

Indeed, it was surprising. The person the mysterious man was referring to was none other than the leader of the shadow unit, an individual directly under Giovanni's command, the most mysterious figure in Team Rocket, with a status just below Giovanni himself.

In comparison, the three commanders, the four generals, and the three beasts couldn't come close to his position. He was, in essence, a person subordinate to one but wielding authority over thousands.

Moreover, while outsiders only knew about the three powerful commanders, the invincible four generals, and the terrifying three beasts of Team Rocket, they were unaware of the shadow unit's existence—a unit even more mysterious and fearsome than the others.

Since he didn't want to continue on that subject, Viper coughed lightly to hide his unease. "They say you got a high-quality Pokémon egg from him, right?"

Quite in sync, even the mysterious man—being the deputy leader of the shadow unit—didn't want to delve into matters concerning his direct superior. He nodded slightly and pulled out a Pokémon egg from his cloak: the green Weedle egg Cain had used to trade for points.

"Weedle," Viper said, identifying the egg at a glance.

He extended his hand, which only had two fingers, and placed it on the egg, feeling the warmth it emitted. "Yes, it's a Weedle. Its final evolution is Beedrill, which will serve me as a transitional Pokémon."

The mysterious man didn't hide anything. After escaping from the powerful trainers of the League, he had lost three of his main Pokémon, and the others were severely injured as well.

They needed time to recover, and he had no plans to use them in battle unless absolutely necessary.

"Its growth cycle is quick, and it can become an effective combatant soon. With some training, it can reach a near-elite level. Although its lifespan is short, it's enough to use it as a transitional Pokémon," the mysterious man continued.

He was fully aware of Beedrill's weaknesses but didn't intend to train it as a main Pokémon; he only needed it as a temporary solution.

"Do your Pokémon still need a lot of time to recover?" Viper asked curiously. Although he knew they were severely injured, he hadn't expected him to need to train a new one to replace them.

The mysterious man remained silent for a moment before sighing softly. "That's to be expected when you face an elite-level poison-type trainer. I don't know when they'll fully recover, so I'll treat this Beedrill as a backup plan."

Upon hearing this, Viper understood the situation and didn't ask further, continuing to polish his Luxury Ball.

Once again, the two fell into silence.

The night passed in the blink of an eye.

During the night, Cain and Murkrow didn't stop their training, only this time it took place in their small cabin rather than the expansive forest.

Cain personally equipped the weight gear he had acquired onto Murkrow. When inactive, the device was very light, like the weight of clothing.

The weight device resembled a small backpack that could be freely adjusted to fit perfectly. Cain tested it to ensure it wouldn't fall off.

The device was small and fit snugly to Murkrow's body, hidden well beneath his feathers. Unless someone got up close and looked closely, it was almost impossible to notice.

Cain adjusted the weight of the device using a remote, setting it to around 5 kg, which was the weight Murkrow was used to during his training.

When the device was activated, Murkrow felt his body grow heavier and had to exert more effort to flap his wings and fly as before.

However, compared to the wooden weights he used to tie to his wings, this new device was much more comfortable, as the weight was evenly distributed across his body, allowing for more balanced training.

After a few adjustments, Murkrow adapted to the new gear, which was far better than the wood.

"We'll keep it at this weight for now. Increasing it too quickly isn't good. Once you get used to it, we'll gradually raise it," Cain said, smiling as he watched Murkrow adapt to the new device.

"From today on, unless necessary, you'll keep this weight on all the time. You need to get used to it gradually."

Cain appreciated Murkrow's attitude, always striving to grow stronger. Though he himself was eager to constantly improve, he also cared about the desires of his Pokémon.

If Murkrow had been a Pokémon that didn't enjoy battling, Cain wouldn't have forced him, but he would likely have looked for a Pokémon more suited to his needs.

"Caw! Caw!" Murkrow cawed enthusiastically, feeling stronger already with the device on.

After a simple morning training session, Cain prepared some Pokéblocks for Murkrow and settled his own breakfast with some dried rations.

When he left his room, the sun had already risen, and the doors of the surrounding cabins were starting to open one by one. People came out, all heading toward the central plaza of the base.

Today was the seventh day again, the day of the second test. Almost everyone had returned, and the crowd was gathering in the plaza.

Team Rocket staff also began to appear, and the low-ranking soldiers responsible for maintaining order were trying their best to fulfill their duties.

After a week, out of the original 150 people, approximately 120 remained. The other 30 either hadn't made it back from the forest, or they never would.

Those who remained showed faces that had once been naïve but were now cold and hardened. Their eyes reflected a certain coldness and madness; the cruel test had devoured their kindness, beauty, and innocence.

The crowd in the plaza was clearly divided into four areas. Most were in the section where Cain stood. Most of these people were alone, though some were in pairs, keeping a wary eye on each other.

This group made up almost half of the remaining participants.

The second largest group was to the south of the plaza, led by Xander, whom Cain recognized. Several strong individuals were gathered around him.

When Cain looked in that direction, his eyes met Xander's, who had been watching him for a while. Xander flashed him a malicious smile before turning his gaze away.

Cain didn't pay him much attention.

The third largest group was to the west, led by a woman whose Pokémon was a Zubat, noticeably larger than average. Cain remembered her specifically because of that oversized Zubat.

The smallest group was in the eastern corner, composed of only nine people, led by a young man with a bright smile. Although his appearance seemed harmless, Cain couldn't help but notice the coldness in his eyes.

He was a "smiling tiger." The eight surrounding him were deceived by his appearance. If they had been in the Pokémon League, they might have been pillars of the organization. But this was Team Rocket, and this was the Test Island, where the mortality rate was extremely high.

As time passed, the crowd in the plaza began to quiet down. Instructor Viper, accompanied by his subordinates, moved to the center of the raised platform. Unlike before, there were now two chairs on the platform. Viper sat in one, while a mysterious hooded man, who was at the end of the group, took the other.

The mysterious man... Cain narrowed his eyes. It was the same person who had given Cain the member badge in preparation for the shadow unit.

"I didn't expect him to be here as well," Cain thought as he saw the mysterious man.

As if sensing Cain's gaze, the mysterious man turned his attention toward him. Although his face was hidden under the cloak, Cain felt that he was being watched.

After a few seconds, Cain felt the mysterious man look away and let out a sigh of relief.

Facing a trainer of this caliber with his current power level still put some pressure on him.

(End of Chapter)