Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

"Crawww!" A sharp sound came from Murkrow's mouth, so piercing that anyone would want to cover their ears, especially the four Pinsir standing in front of him.

They had never heard such a horrible sound, and the dreadful vibration seemed to pierce their minds through their ears. Their bodies trembled involuntarily, and they even felt their tough armor loosen.

"Murkrow, try to show the results of your training." Cain smiled, pulling a remote control from his belt and pressing a button.

It was Murkrow's weight controller. As soon as Cain deactivated the weight, Murkrow felt his body lighten completely. With the advantage of the Tailwind movement, in the blink of an eye, he closed the distance between him and the Pinsir.

"Craw! Craw!" Murkrow had never felt so fast. Without the weight restricting him, his body moved like the wind, and he let out a cry of excitement. He hadn't imagined that in just a few days, his speed could improve so much.

Seeing Murkrow's unleashed speed, Cain's smile became more evident, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. For a Murkrow this fast, the Pinsir in front of him were nothing more than a group of insignificant opponents.

"Murkrow, stop playing. Use Gust to block the two Pinsir in front, then take out the other two with Wing Attack."

Cain gave a series of instructions, and Murkrow nodded before flapping his wings forcefully. Without the weight, the Gust movement was unleashed even faster and with greater power. In an instant, two white tornadoes of flying energy formed, blocking the two Pinsir charging toward him.

Without hesitation, Murkrow turned and charged at the other two Pinsir. As he flew, Flying-type energy accumulated in his wings. In an instant, he appeared in front of the two Pinsir, and his wings struck the Pinsir on the left with force, sending it crashing into a nearby tree, where it fell to the ground motionless, unable to continue fighting.

A total defeat in a single blow!

After the defense reduction caused by the Screech move, and with Murkrow's full strength unleashed after removing the weight, plus the double damage Flying-type moves inflict on Bug-type Pokémon, the Pinsir was instantly defeated.

Seeing his companion fall, the remaining Pinsir roared in anger and launched a direct attack at Murkrow with his large horn, using the Take Down move.

"Murkrow, use Protect, then attack again with Wing Attack to finish him off." Following Cain's order, Murkrow immediately activated the mysterious energy stored in his body, enveloping himself in a green energy shield.

Under the mystical glow of the barrier, Murkrow appeared to be wrapped in a halo of mystery.

The barrier shattered under Pinsir's attack, but it had already fulfilled its purpose: neutralizing the enemy's offense.

While Pinsir stared in disbelief at his failed attack, Murkrow's wings, charged with Flying-type energy, struck him mercilessly. With the sound of Pinsir's shell cracking, the Pokémon was sent crashing to the ground, following the same fate as his companion.

At that moment, the two Pinsir who had been blocked by the Gust move finally managed to break free, their armor marked by damage.

Realizing that their initial advantage of four against one had turned into a two-on-one battle, the Pinsir leading the attack was left bewildered.

He barely understood how Murkrow, who hadn't been that strong before, had managed to change the situation so drastically.

"Murkrow, use Gust again, then attack with Wing Attack and finish them off."

Although the Pinsir were confused, Murkrow was not. He had been eagerly awaiting this moment of unrestricted combat, and he wasn't going to waste the opportunity. With a war cry, two tornadoes surged once more, trapping the Pinsir inside.

Without hesitation, Murkrow dove into the tornado. Under the white glow of his wings, boom, boom! Two figures flew out of the whirlwind, and even the tornadoes dissipated instantly.

"Craw!" Murkrow cried out loudly, not bothering to look at the two fallen Pinsir. There was no need to check: both had lost the ability to fight the moment they were thrown into the air.

It was the first time since following Cain that Murkrow had enjoyed such a satisfying battle.

Cain gently stroked Murkrow's proud head and jokingly said, "This is just the result of short-term training, don't get too confident. Keep working hard." Although Cain was quite pleased with Murkrow's strength, he didn't want him to become arrogant, so he gave a small warning.

"Craw, Craw!" Murkrow quickly protested, assuring that he wasn't being arrogant, just a little excited.

"Hehe, you did very well this time." Cain smiled and shook his head. He didn't mean it seriously, he was just teasing.

"Now do you see the results of your training?" Cain continued, but his tone was full of humor that he wasn't trying to hide.

Murkrow nodded quickly, his small eyes shining with admiration. He was becoming a devoted little follower of Cain.

"You!" Cain gave him a gentle tap on the head with his finger and raised the remote control, waving it in front of Murkrow. "I'm going to reactivate the weight, are you ready?"

Murkrow was a little surprised. He had just started enjoying the feeling of freedom, and now he was about to be restricted again. But he understood the reasoning behind Cain's actions and, though reluctantly, nodded to show his agreement.

Cain noticed Murkrow's disappointment, but he knew it still wasn't the time to leave him unrestricted. Murkrow still needed to improve his strength. With Murkrow's eyes filled with expectation, Cain reactivated the weight, keeping it at the previous 5 Kg.

Murkrow immediately felt the weight on his body, causing his flying height to drop a bit, but he quickly adapted and returned to the same altitude as before, looking at Cain at eye level. He was already used to that weight, and with a small adjustment, he could move normally.

While Cain performed an automatic scan with his system, he was surprised to discover that Murkrow's level had risen again after the recent battle.

This level increase was so natural that even Murkrow probably didn't realize it, attributing it instead to the relief of the weight.

Cain didn't mention it and let Murkrow think that the advancement was due to the weight training, so he would continue to train enthusiastically.

One of the advantages of fighting in the wild is that, after a battle, there's no need to clean up the field. Due to the sounds of the recent fight, the forest was completely silent.

Taking advantage of the absence of other Pokémon, Cain and Murkrow left the area and returned to their marked path on the map. The earlier fight had been just a small distraction for them, but the only significant outcome was that Murkrow leveled up again.

Following the map's route and constantly comparing the surroundings with landmarks, Cain made sure not to stray too far from the path.

Almost four hours had passed since the battle with the Pinsir, and Cain had ventured nearly 30 kilometers deeper into the forest. They were now completely outside the forest's periphery, beginning to head toward the center.

The trees in the forest were becoming increasingly larger, their trunks thicker, the leaves denser, and the spaces allowing light to pass through were getting smaller. Consequently, the temperature dropped, and a chill began to spread through the forest.

Although they still saw traces of Pokémon, Weedle and Caterpie were no longer visible, and there were no signs of battles between Pidgey and Spearow.

The strength of the Pokémon was increasing, and Murkrow's aura could no longer completely intimidate other Pokémon. As they entered territory after territory, the number of Pokémon daring to follow them increased.

Just a moment ago, when Cain was picking berries from a tree, he accidentally entered the territory of a group of powerful Pokémon. A Raticate emerged from the ground and launched a fierce attack.

Since the system couldn't scan underground, Cain wasn't prepared for the Raticate's attack. However, his reflexes, honed over the years, allowed him to dodge the attack, but even so, he received a scratch on his arm.

It was a level 20 Raticate, and its claws, used to digging, left a deep wound on Cain's arm. Had he not dodged in time, his entire arm could have been rendered useless.

Seeing Cain injured, Murkrow became enraged and attacked with all his might, launching a barrage of moves at Raticate. Under the torrential attack, Raticate was left stunned by Murkrow's skill, having thought he had found easy prey, only to realize he had run into a wall of iron.

After easily defeating a level 20 Raticate, Murkrow wasn't happy at all, as Cain had been hurt.

Fortunately, Cain had brought enough medical supplies. Enduring the pain, he washed the wound with water, disinfected it with a spray, and then covered it with a bandage. The entire process was smooth, and he didn't make a sound during the disinfection.

From his past life, Cain had developed excellent wound treatment skills, and he was already accustomed to this type of injury.

Humans are too vulnerable against Pokémon; any mistake can be fatal.

Additionally, one cannot rely too much on the system, as its scan range is limited and cannot provide timely feedback for long-range or fast-moving Pokémon, let alone those underground.

Thinking that by defeating Raticate the problem was solved, Cain soon realized he had stirred up a hornet's nest.

One Raticate after another began emerging from the ground, baring their teeth and attacking Murkrow, determined to avenge their companion. While it seemed Murkrow was strong, there were many of them, and they were determined not to let him go.

(End of chapter)