Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

In the vast ocean.

On the Trial Island.

Within the Team Rocket base.

The three people who were previously seated in the plaza had now returned to a large room.

If Cain were here, he would recognize this place as the mysterious site where he used to meet Umbra.

Umbra sat in his usual chair, while the man named Viper held a teacup in front of him. As for Saka, who had arrived later, he had somehow produced a luxurious sofa and was now lounging on it, half-asleep.

The three of them said nothing, simply waiting in silence.

The fact that a trial could keep three elite-level members of Team Rocket waiting showed just how important this particular trial was to the organization.

"This is so boring. Let's do something," Saka said.

Umbra and Viper glanced at him but remained silent.

"Hey, Umbra, how about we step outside for a battle? They say your strength has decreased a lot. If you fight me, you could prove you haven't lost your edge, and that might stop those people from bothering you," Saka continued, feigning concern.

Umbra remained silent.

Saka had always been defeated by him in the past.

Now, taking advantage of what seemed to be a decline in Umbra's power, Saka was hoping to regain some of his pride, though he wouldn't say it outright.

Suddenly, all three of them, who had appeared so relaxed moments ago, frowned simultaneously.

"My Arbok seems to have sensed something," Viper said. An Arbok slowly emerged from a corner of the room, slithering to Viper's side, where he placed a hand on its head.

The Arbok flicked its tongue, emitting its characteristic hiss.

"The sensation is precise," Umbra commented.

A Gengar emerged partially from the shadow beneath Umbra, its head peeking out as it made a mocking face at Arbok.

"Yeah," Saka agreed.

The Houndoom that had been lying down rose to its feet, allowing Saka to pet its back.

"It seems an elite-level Pokémon has appeared on the Trial Island. Should we call the participants back?" Viper asked.

"There's no need. It's just an early elite-level Pokémon, and we don't even know why it's appeared. The little rookies don't have the capability to provoke it."

"It's likely a native Pokémon of the island that has grown to this level and is simply asserting its territory," Saka said, yawning as he stroked Houndoom.

Umbra said nothing, narrowing his eyes.

"Could it be that brat?" he thought.

...

At that moment, Cain had just finished helping Murkrow absorb the energy from the Pokéblocks.

Meanwhile, Mismagius had fully integrated with the other Pokémon.

Thanks to Slowpoke's telepathy, Mismagius had learned some basic daily routines, making interactions much smoother.

"Alright, it's time to rest. We've got more to do tomorrow," Cain said with a smile.

Hearing this, the Pokémon quickly gathered around Cain's tent, finding comfortable spots to rest.

Mismagius mimicked their actions.

Although it didn't need to sleep like other Pokémon—being a Ghost-type, sleep didn't affect it much—it preferred to follow the others' example, adopting a sleeping posture.

In truth, Mismagius was only pretending to sleep. It didn't truly need it.

Years of solitude in the cave beneath the stone pillar had trained it to remain in a calm state for days, as if in a trance.

The day had shown it many new things, filling its mind with images, many of which Slowpoke had transmitted telepathically, teaching it about the outside world.

And so, Cain and his Pokémon fell into slumber.

Except for Haunter and Fearow, who remained on guard.

Of course, due to Mismagius's presence, few wild Pokémon dared approach the area where Cain rested.

...

Day Four

Breakfast

After breakfast, fully satisfied Mismagius returned to her Pokéball.

It had promised Cain it would obey him.

It still wasn't the time for Mismagius to reveal herself to the world.

With Murkrow and Slowpoke by his side, Cain continued his search for point cards.

The trial had been ongoing for three days. Today was the fourth, and for those who had grasped the rules, they would have accumulated a significant number of points. If Cain could find someone strong enough, gathering points would be faster than hunting down scattered cards.

However, the Trial Island was vast, and the chances of encountering someone weren't high.

Thus, the most reliable source of points remained finding cards.

After defeating a Persian blocking his path, Cain obtained his fifth point card, as indicated by his map fragment.

Instead of using it immediately, he chose to store all the cards he found in his storage space.

"Let's move on to the next spot," Cain said as Grimer devoured the defeated Persian.

From that day on, Cain began deliberately training Murkrow. After absorbing the newly prepared Pokéblocks, it ate again that morning, growing another three centimeters in size. The energy accumulating within its body also increased, and it needed to expend it as quickly as possible.

Thus, in every battle, Murkrow gave it its all, striving to control its growing power.

After advancing a bit further, Cain noticed some strange footprints in the muddy ground.

Frowning, he crouched down, lightly touching the prints with his fingers.

"They're still wet, which means whoever left them hasn't gone far. Let's follow and see," Cain said.

He then had Slowpoke create an energy barrier around his feet to avoid leaving tracks and reduce noise.

With Murkrow and Slowpoke, Cain picked up his pace, following the trail.

After about twenty minutes of swift progress, he finally caught sight of the trail's owners.

There were two of them.

Two individuals in Team Rocket uniforms.

He didn't know their names, but their faces seemed vaguely familiar. They were likely participants in the trial as well.

Following them silently, he kept his presence concealed.

If they truly were participants, Cain wouldn't have too much trouble.

However, the two seemed to be heading somewhere with a specific purpose, piquing Cain's curiosity.

After walking a bit further, the two, unable to bear the silence, began to talk.

The taller one spoke first: "Do you really think Boss Xander will take us off this island?"

The other, hesitating a bit, responded after a moment of thought: "Probably, yeah. Didn't you see how Boss Xander asked everyone to record the points they contributed? He said he'd select the ones with the most points to take them off first."

"That's what they say, but it doesn't seem very real. Do you really think giving enough points will be enough to leave? Some have even donated all their points, and in the end, they might not even make it into the top fifty. What if Boss Xander doesn't take us off then?"

(End of chapter)