Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

Without speaking to the two masked individuals, Cain used the system to scan their Pokémon's data. He discovered that their levels were not very high, not even reaching the advanced level.

Moreover, after the prolonged battle against the two Alliance members, their Pokémon showed signs of exhaustion.

Thanks to the rainy weather caused by Poliwhirl, Cain's Pokémon's Water-type moves were significantly strengthened. In just a few moves, he managed to defeat his opponents' Pokémon.

It seemed that the two men had no more Pokémon available, or the ones they had had already been incapacitated in the previous battle. After Cain defeated their two Pokémon, despair was evident on their faces, and they offered no further resistance.

"Florges, use Grassy Terrain for them," Cain ordered, allowing it to help the Pokémon of the Alliance members recover.

When the two Alliance men saw that their adversaries had been defeated, they let out a sigh of relief. The effects of Florges's Grassy Terrain appeared, revitalizing both men's Pokémon with its green energy.

"If you have other Pokémon that need treatment, you can call them out too," Cain offered with a smile.

Since its evolution, Florges's ability to use Grassy Terrain had improved considerably after adopting the Grass-type through the move Camouflage. Now, Cain could play the role of a Nurse Joy exceptionally well.

As a breeder, Cain possessed the necessary skills to care for Pokémon.

The two men, somewhat impressed, quickly pulled out four or five Poké Balls and released their incapacitated Pokémon within the area of Grassy Terrain's effect.

The green energy flowed into the Pokémon, healing their wounds at a visible rate. Even those who had been unconscious due to severe injuries began to slowly open their eyes.

The effectiveness of Florges's Grassy Terrain left the two men astonished.

As their Pokémon started to recover, Cain asked, "What's going on here? Who are those people?"

One of the men, with a worried expression, quickly responded, "Sir, here's the situation: the morning before yesterday, we received a report that a poacher had been sighted in this region of Mount Coronet. Our captain led us to take on the mission."

Poachers? Cain was somewhat skeptical.

In reality, they were just Pokémon hunters. The Alliance was aware of this "profession," but due to the interests involved, they rarely took effective measures against them.

Normally, they ignored their activities, but they couldn't do so when they received specific reports.

"We searched for three full days without results until, last midnight, we found traces of them. Our captain led the battle, but we discovered they were much stronger than expected and that their group was large."

"In the end, the captain and another teammate stayed behind to hold them off while we escaped to request reinforcements," the man continued explaining.

Cain quickly analyzed the situation. It seemed that this group of hunters formed a significant team, while the search party's captain, an intermediate-rank researcher, must have had the strength of an advanced-level trainer to hold them off.

Just as Cain was about to speak, a communicator on his equipment went off. Checking the device, he noticed it was an urgent mission message sent to all intermediate-rank or higher researchers in the Mount Coronet region and the surroundings of Celestic Town.

Without hesitation, Cain accepted the mission on his communicator.

The two men watched his actions in silence. Seeing how Cain had efficiently dealt with troublesome opponents and how his Florges healed the Pokémon, they assumed Cain must be an intermediate-rank researcher.

"Where is your captain now?" Cain asked.

"Over there..." one of the men indicated, pointing in a direction.

Cain nodded, called out his Pokémon Poliwhirl and Marshtomp, and quickly headed toward the indicated area.

"Wait... Sir, wouldn't it be safer to wait for reinforcements before proceeding?" one of the men suggested, concerned for Cain's safety.

Cain smiled and pulled out a badge from his storage space that represented his rank as an Advanced-level researcher—one he had never used before. He displayed it in front of the two men before placing it on his chest.

"I rarely get the chance to show off," Cain commented as he walked away with his three Pokémon.

The two men, stunned, exchanged glances.

"Was that... an Advanced-level researcher badge?" one asked in disbelief.

"Yes... it was," the other responded, a mix of surprise and admiration in his voice.

With his enhanced physical condition, Cain traversed the dense Mount Coronet forest quickly, dodging the obstacles presented by the plants and trees.

In this area, Flygon's flight speed wouldn't be as effective as running on foot. Moreover, staying on the ground made less noise, reducing the risk of alerting the enemy.

After running for more than half an hour, Cain spotted a small camp in the distance. Near the camp, battle sounds could be heard, where several people were commanding their Pokémon to attack two Alliance members who were clearly at a disadvantage.

One was an intermediate-rank researcher, and the other was a junior-rank researcher.

"Could they be the ones who stayed behind to cover the retreat?" Cain thought as he assessed the situation.

(End of chapter)