Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

When Murkrow and Slowpoke finished dealing with everything, Cain slowly descended, riding on his Tropius.

The trees were just too tall, and Cain could only come down thanks to Tropius.

Besides, the intimidating effect Tropius had was quite useful, right?

The proof was that Miyamoto stared fixedly at Tropius beneath Cain.

Although he no longer had any Pokémon left, as a trainer he still had a good eye and could see the terrifying power of that Tropius.

It could be said that, aside from the main Pokémon of the Officers, he hadn't seen any other Pokémon with such an impressive presence as this Tropius.

It was a semi-dragon Pokémon. Although it didn't have the Dragon type, its power was still extremely strong.

Cain, who had fought him before, had such a powerful Pokémon—why hadn't he brought it out back then?

If he had, Miyamoto would have surrendered immediately!

A Flying and Grass type Pokémon like Tropius would be the perfect opponent for a Fighting type.

Miyamoto couldn't help but feel resigned.

However, Cain, with his back to Miyamoto, didn't notice his change in expression.

But even if he had, he wouldn't have done anything about it.

Should he say aloud that Tropius was just there for show, more appealing than effective, and that it didn't even want to fight since Cain couldn't control it?

Murkrow and Slowpoke, seeing Cain arrive, looked at him, waiting for instructions on what to do with the three remaining men.

The three, upon confirming Cain's identity, immediately knelt, begging for their lives.

Cain glanced at them briefly, paying them no mind, and then turned Tropius toward Miyamoto.

Smiling, he said, "We meet again. Seems like you're not in the best shape, huh?"

Miyamoto's clothes were in tatters, clearly indicating he hadn't had a good time on Trial Island, and the recent fight had left him even more disheveled.

Now, his ragged appearance contrasted with his first encounter with Cain, when he was full of confidence and arrogance.

Upon hearing Cain's words, Miyamoto managed a bitter smile.

Although he had saved his life, it was clear he had merely escaped from a wolf only to fall into a tiger's jaws.

This time he was truly ruined. Before seeing Cain riding Tropius, he still had a glimmer of hope, but once he saw Cain, he knew all was lost.

"Come on, I'll take you somewhere, and we can talk calmly," Cain said.

At the same time, he signaled Tropius to pick up Miyamoto.

Miyamoto quickly returned Dodrio to its Poké Ball, as it was his only remaining Pokémon, his only hope of survival.

Tropius roughly grabbed him with its front legs, not caring whether he was comfortable or not.

Then Cain said, "Hand over your score devices and spatial equipment, and I'll spare your lives."

Hearing this, the three men stiffened. Give up their score devices and spatial equipment?

Without Pokémon, how could they survive on this dangerous trial island?

With only their bodies, it was practically impossible to progress in this place.

"Or maybe, would you rather I kill you and take them myself?" Cain said with a mocking smile.

The three men, who had attacked Nakajima without hesitation, were clearly not good people. And now, without their Pokémon, they held no value for Cain.

With no other choice, they surrendered their spatial belts and score devices to save their lives. At least this way, they still had a slim chance of survival. If not, they would die on the spot.

Slowpoke used its psychic powers to take the items, along with the Rocket Team belt of Nakajima, who lay dead on the ground, and his score device.

Then it teleported next to Cain, while Murkrow returned to perch on his shoulder.

Cain simply ignored the three men left behind.

Thus, Cain became the true victor, riding Tropius as he slowly vanished along the river.

With Tropius's imposing presence, he could be considered one of the strongest Pokémon in that forest. And with the semi-dragon blood in its veins, other strong Pokémon could sense its power.

Unless directly provoked, there wasn't much that could stand in its way.

After flying a good distance and reaching a relatively safe spot, Cain had Tropius descend.

Tropius landed grudgingly and roughly dropped Miyamoto to the ground, making him fall face-first.

Now even dirtier, Miyamoto had no choice but to bear it. He couldn't even complain about Tropius's roughness; in fact, he had to smile and pretend he didn't mind.

Cain and Slowpoke floated down from Tropius, looking at a disheveled Miyamoto. Cain smiled.

"Well, now we can talk calmly, right?" Cain said.

Miyamoto nodded awkwardly. He still remembered how, when he first met Cain, he had been arrogant, demanding answers to his questions.

But now, seeing Murkrow and Slowpoke at Cain's side, and Tropius relaxing behind him, what other choice did he have?

Did he want to end up like the three men Cain had left behind, stripped of everything?

Wasn't that the same as waiting for death?

Seeing Miyamoto's obedient attitude, Cain's smile grew even wider.

"So, tell me about your group," Cain said.

Miyamoto nodded. In truth, he had an idea of what Cain wanted to know. If he wanted to survive in the future, he might only be able to rely on Cain. With an injured Dodrio, he might not even be able to leave the island on his own.

After organizing his thoughts, Miyamoto began to speak: "My name is Miyamoto. I'm a member of a group participating in this trial island competition. In our group, there are a total of twenty-four people, led by four of the strongest and most well-connected individuals."

"These four people are: Regi, a subordinate of Team Rocket Executive Lieutenant Surge, and the strongest in our group. He specializes in Electric-type Pokémon."

"Aurelia, a woman subordinate to Executive Ariana of Team Rocket, who specializes in Grass-type Pokémon."

"Vexor, a man subordinate to Executive Lucius of Team Rocket, who specializes in Bug-type Pokémon."

"Glacius, a man subordinate to Executive Darius of Team Rocket, who specializes in Ice-type Pokémon."

"These four are the strongest in this competition. Although Regi is slightly stronger, the other three are fairly equal in power."

(End of Chapter)