Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

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Viper nodded seriously. The League had sent two powerful elite-level trainers, and one of them was an advanced elite, something rare.

This indicated that the League had considerable knowledge about the mission in question; otherwise, they would not have deployed such an impressive force. Viper frowned even more as he pondered the situation, which now seemed more complicated than he had imagined.

"What about the leader?"

"The leader is already aware. I'm not concerned about who leaked the information. What I need now is a couple of people to help me with some minor tasks."

"After all, I've lost a considerable amount of power and need time to recover," replied the mysterious hooded man as he withdrew his left hand, speaking indifferently.

Viper relaxed his frown a little. If he only needed a few people, that wouldn't be a problem.

"Do you want to wait until the trial is over, or do you need them now?" asked Viper, although he couldn't help but smile. The youths undergoing the trial at that moment were of little use; they weren't even at the level of a Rocket Grunt.

"After the trial ends. I'll choose a few. For now, I just need you to prepare a room for me to recover," replied the hooded man, without offering further explanations.

He hadn't directly chosen members of his former unit because, first, he didn't know who in Team Rocket could be trusted or who might be infiltrators from the League. And second, he preferred to work with inexperienced people and mold them as he saw fit.

Once his subordinates escorted the hooded man out of the room, Viper stared at the candle flame on the table, clasping his hands together as he sank into thought.

Meanwhile, Cain, accompanied by his Murkrow, was walking alone deeper into the forest. This time, he didn't plan to stay long near the forest's edge.

Not only because the nearby Pokémon were of low level, which wouldn't help train Murkrow, but also because Cain wanted to find a quiet place to camp and focus on making Pokéblocks.

As he advanced, the forest paths became increasingly blurred, surrounded by thicker undergrowth and dense bushes.

Cain stored the Pokéblocks he had prepared with Yellow Berries in the storage space of his Team Rocket belt. He then tied a strip of cloth around his head to protect his face from thorns and branches.

Murkrow, resting on Cain's shoulder, kept using the Tailwind move, keeping it activated at all times. At the same time, it controlled some air currents to clear away branches and undergrowth, making it easier for Cain to move forward.

If they encountered thicker branches, Murkrow flapped its wings, using a rudimentary attempt at the Whirlwind move to push them aside, which also served as an exercise for its Flying-type energy.

"Murkrow, when you use Flying-type energy, you need to be aware of how much you use. Since endurance is your weak point, if you can save energy, you shouldn't waste it," Cain said, giving instructions as they moved forward.

"Also, remember that you're a Dark- and Flying-type Pokémon. Once we find a suitable place, we'll start training your Dark-type moves," Cain added, smiling as he saw Murkrow growing more excited.

"Caw!" Murkrow nodded vigorously, understanding Cain's words. Murkrow also wanted to become stronger and had a great desire to fight.

With a flap of its wings, Murkrow generated two small gusts of wind.

Cain felt satisfied seeing Murkrow's desire to become stronger.

For a trainer, having a high-talent Pokémon isn't enough. If the Pokémon lacks the will to fight or improve, that talent isn't worth much. On the other hand, a Pokémon with the will to fight, even with lesser talent, can go much further.

Murkrow not only had good talent, but it was also developing great synchronization with Cain. If it also had a strong desire to improve, there was no doubt that the two of them would have a bright future.

Cain hadn't gone far when his thoughts were interrupted. A wild, robust Spearow flew directly from a nearby tree, with a fierce, murderous look. Its sharp beak and gleaming claws clearly showed its intent to kill.

On this island, Pokémon had no sympathy for humans. Seeing Cain's thin figure, this Spearow saw him as easy prey. Additionally, Spearow is known to be an especially aggressive Pokémon.

However, this surprise attack was just a routine encounter for Cain. With a slight movement, he dodged Spearow's attack by a narrow margin.

In this world, Pokémon directly attack humans, and it's not unusual.

Powerful Pokémon can cause sudden and lethal damage to humans. Moreover, in this world, some people control Pokémon to directly attack other humans.

Team Rocket is one such group; for them, the mission is all that matters, with no concern for justice. Even within the League, there are those who follow that philosophy.

Thus, having risen to become a Team Rocket officer and a quasi-elite expert, Cain had faced situations like this countless times. Spearow's attack was routine for him.

After easily dodging Spearow's attack, Cain gave an order to Murkrow: "Murkrow, use Tailwind and Feint Attack."

Murkrow flew swiftly. It had no sympathy for the Spearow that had attacked and almost hurt Cain. In fact, it felt deeply humiliated. If not for Cain's quick reaction, it might have been injured, and that was a direct challenge to Murkrow as Cain's Pokémon.

A black shadow flew past, and with the effect of the Tailwind move, Murkrow's Feint Attack hit Spearow directly.

"Screech!" Spearow cried out in pain as it was knocked down.

At that moment, Cain quickly scanned Spearow.

Pokémon: Spearow (Orange)

Gender: Male

Level: 12

Type: Normal, Flying

Ability: Keen Eye

Held Item: None

Egg Moves: None

Basic Moves: Peck, Growl, Leer, Pursuit, Fury Attack

Learned Moves: None

TM Moves: None

An orange-rank Spearow, not a bad wild Pokémon, Cain thought to himself.

"Don't stop, Murkrow! Use Peck," Cain ordered calmly.

Murkrow was already in motion before Cain finished speaking. In fact, it didn't even need Cain to say it; it was ready to continue its attack.

The Spearow, still dazed from the previous attack, had no time to react before Murkrow struck again. As a fragile Pokémon, Spearow couldn't withstand the continuous attacks and paid the price for having attacked Cain.

Ignoring the fallen Spearow, Cain adjusted his posture and continued deeper into the forest. Spearow typically lived in groups, and Cain didn't want to face an entire flock at that moment.

Besides, he knew the Pokémon he would encounter ahead would be stronger, and he didn't want to waste unnecessary energy on the way. His goal that day was to find a suitable place to camp.

Thanks to his experience with forest life, Cain was able to avoid encounters with more powerful Pokémon and use animal trails to identify the species present.

After quickly defeating several Pokémon that attacked him and moving away quickly from the scene, Cain and Murkrow finally found a satisfactory spot after about three hours of walking.

It was a small lake, surrounded by dense trees. To the west of the lake, there was a small hill with a cave clearly dug out by a Pokémon.

"This is the place," Cain said with satisfaction.

(End of Chapter)