Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

When they appeared again, Cain and Miyamoto were already walking through the forest.

Two large Ursaring were clearing the way, with Cain and Miyamoto following behind, making it much easier to navigate through the dense woods.

When Miyamoto first saw Cain's two Ursaring, he was stunned.

Two powerful Ursaring just for clearing the path?

If Miyamoto knew that the real purpose of Cain's Tropius was to use it as an airborne mount, he wouldn't know how to react.

Of course, clearing the path this way was much more convenient, but it also provoked many wild Pokémon.

Upon seeing the two Ursaring, most Pokémon were annoyed for a moment, but in the end, they didn't dare attack and let them pass.

If the Pokémon were a bit stronger and had a territory to protect, the Ursaring only caused minor damage, so they usually preferred to ignore the intruders.

However, if they faced truly aggressive and powerful Pokémon, these would not hesitate to attack.

But the Ursaring were also violent by nature, so as long as the power gap wasn't too large, the two brothers would immediately jump into the fight.

If things got too difficult, Slowpoke, Murkrow, and Sneasel would also join the battle. Likewise, Miyamoto's Primeape was one of the Pokémon participating in the fights.

In just half a day, Miyamoto had come to understand Cain's strength quite clearly.

If only Slowpoke and Murkrow were considered, they were powerful but not at the level of the "Four Big Monsters." However, if you counted Tropius, Cain also had a fighting chance.

During this time, Miyamoto had been providing Cain with information on the other trainers. If he'd previously only given a superficial description, he was now revealing crucial details that Cain might need to know when facing them in the future.

This showed that Miyamoto had held back some secrets before.

At the same time, Cain was also teaching Miyamoto how to control "Bear Two."

Though it wasn't a Fighting-type Pokémon, which was the type Miyamoto excelled at, having Bear Two under his command added a lot of combat power, especially now that he only had two Pokémon in his team.

Furthermore, the two Ursaring still believed that the "remedy" Cain had given them was actual poison, so they didn't dare disobey him. Even if Miyamoto managed to control them, they wouldn't dare attack Cain.

Suddenly, the scoring devices in Cain and Miyamoto's pockets started vibrating simultaneously.

They exchanged glances. According to the final trial rules, the only thing that could make the scoring devices vibrate like that were map fragments containing score cards.

They took out their scoring devices and adjusted their direction. They discovered that when pointing in a specific direction, the vibration became slightly stronger.

After confirming the direction, they decided to temporarily withdraw the Ursaring.

They still didn't know whether the map fragment was guarded by any Pokémon or if someone had already obtained it.

Following the direction indicated by the device, they both advanced with caution.

The scoring device could only detect map fragments within a one-kilometer radius, so the fragment wasn't far from them.

When the device's vibration became more intense, the two stopped at the same time and looked toward the forest's interior. There was a person there—a woman.

She was a woman dressed very provocatively. Cain had seen her before on the trial island; she was probably one of Jasmine's group.

Seeing her appearance, Cain frowned. He knew Jasmine's group members; they had joined forces to protect themselves from the men on the island.

But this woman wore overly provocative attire.

As if... as if she were waiting for someone, and her appearance was too clean, not at all like someone who had been surviving on the trial island.

"The source of the vibration is on her; the map fragment is in her possession... but this woman..." Miyamoto also frowned, feeling something was off.

A woman in the middle of a deserted forest, dressed provocatively, with no Pokémon to protect her and no wild Pokémon attacking her.

"She's a participant, but why is she sitting here like this? And her expression seems... empty," Cain said in a low voice.

The woman was quite attractive, and her clothing was scant, which would be a huge temptation for any inexperienced man.

But Cain wasn't just anyone; he had been a Team Rocket Senior Officer candidate in his previous life and had seen all sorts of women. And Miyamoto, at nineteen, had already had all the experiences a young man should, so the woman didn't have much of an effect on them.

"Could she be controlled by a Pokémon?" Miyamoto suggested.

"Slowpoke, check," ordered Cain.

However, after a quick scan with its psychic powers, Slowpoke shook its head, indicating there was no trace of abnormal energy. The woman was in full possession of her own consciousness.

"No matter, I'll go take a look," said Miyamoto, gritting his teeth and preparing to approach.

In uncertain situations, it was the subordinate's role to go out and check things first.

Cain didn't stop him, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something strange about this woman.

Miyamoto stepped out of the forest, with Primeape right beside him.

The woman saw Miyamoto approaching from the forest, but her eyes showed no emotion, as if she were looking at an inanimate object.

Miyamoto approached slowly, noticing nothing unusual, while the scoring device in his hand vibrated more intensely.

The map fragment was on her!

So why was she sitting there, unmoving?

Waiting for whom?

A target?

It was a trap!

Cain, thinking quickly, finally understood why something had felt off.

It was the classic hunter's tactic!

Leaving the most tempting bait in a fixed spot and patiently waiting for the prey to approach, only to suddenly attack and capture it in one swift strike.

If it had only been a scoring device, perhaps no one would risk approaching, but an apparently defenseless, scantily clad woman would be irresistible for an inexperienced man, especially with the constant lure of the map fragment.

Sure enough, after Miyamoto approached the woman, an Ariados suddenly appeared from a tree.

Then, from the other side of the forest, a Scyther rushed out.

Both Pokémon moved quickly, and their target was Miyamoto, who was getting close to the woman.

Sensing danger, Miyamoto became fully alert, rolling swiftly on the ground, ignoring the small stones that scraped his body.

(End of Chapter)