Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

"So, is this Vexor really my target?"

"I've already joined Lord Cain, as you've seen," Miyamoto declared, making his stance clear.

As for what Paul had said about the potential consequences of joining a trial participant—what did that matter to him?

The Officer behind him was already in a desperate situation. Now, seeing that Cain had good potential and backing, and that others hadn't joined him yet, he thought that being the first to do so could bring him more benefits.

The fact that Cain hadn't taken his points device and had even promised to share 20% of the points earned in the future showed his rare determination.

Of the four advanced-level contenders, probably only Regi, the strongest, would have such resolve. Vexor, someone who preferred tricks, didn't seem fit to be a reliable leader.

Moreover, Vexor trusted no one but himself; to him, Paul was just a dispensable pawn.

Didn't Paul know this?

Yes, he did, but he had no other choice.

"Heh, well, Lord Cain, you already know that I've joined Lord Vexor. But if you let me go, I promise that when I return, I'll talk to him to stop holding any prejudice against you," Paul said, trying to defend himself.

Cain listened with a smile and said:

"Do you believe that yourself?"

Paul's smile froze instantly.

Believe it?

Not at all. If he could go back, he would just make sure to stoke the fire so Vexor would come to kill him.

Without paying attention to his expression, Cain continued:

"Is this woman your doing?"

In the previous battle, intentionally or not, no one had touched the woman sitting on the rock in the middle.

She showed no expression, but her eyes were fixed on Cain. In her once-empty gaze, now one could see pleas, regret, despair, and a wish.

A wish for Cain to free her.

She regretted not listening to Sister Mouri and ending up trapped with a lunatic like him.

She had completely resigned herself: her Pokémon had been taken, her limbs damaged, and she couldn't even make an expression. Paul had used her to deceive countless people.

Paul was a complete psychopath. He had treated her like a tool or, worse, a piece of his collection. He had even told her that once she served her purpose, he would keep her as a trophy.

This had pushed her to the brink of madness.

When Miyamoto appeared, she thought he was just another victim of Paul's trap, showing no change in expression.

However, when Miyamoto managed to resist Paul's attack, a glimmer of hope crossed her eyes; maybe this was a chance for the nightmare to end.

But soon, Paul subdued Miyamoto again.

Just when she was about to lose all hope, Cain appeared.

She knew who Cain was. Although they'd never spoken, and he probably didn't know who she was, she believed her chance to die had finally arrived.

She watched as Cain swiftly defeated the strong man, capturing him and questioning him directly.

She wanted to ask Cain to free her, but she couldn't move a muscle—only her eyes.

Now!

Cain had finally noticed her!

Her only wish was to die, just to die.

Of course, if it could happen after Paul's death, it would be even better.

Cain could see in her eyes that her will to live was completely shattered.

He sighed softly.

Sometimes, perhaps, a quick death is a stroke of luck.

In the Pokémon world, people as twisted as Paul aren't rare. Cain had encountered many in his previous life, and luckily hadn't died at one of their hands.

"Yes, Lord Cain! What do you think? Isn't she a perfect piece of art?" Paul exclaimed, looking at the woman with a sick expression, unaware that Cain's face was growing darker.

"Lord Cain, I've decided. Why don't you accept me into your team, like Miyamoto? I can provide detailed information about Vexor. I know his Pokémon, his battle tactics, and even some of his hidden moves," Paul added.

However, Paul's words caused Miyamoto beside him to look concerned.

What did this mean?

Another one trying to "compete for favor"?

"Oh? Tell me more," Cain said, expressionless.

Paul looked at Cain, trying to read his face, but saw nothing.

"Sir, look," Paul began.

Paul was so tightly bound by Arbok that he could barely breathe, his face flushed.

Cain gave Arbok a signal.

Understanding Cain's order, Arbok loosened its grip slightly, allowing Paul to breathe more freely.

However, when it released halfway, Arbok stopped.

Arbok understood Cain's intent perfectly.

Feeling Arbok loosen its grip, Paul exhaled slightly in relief, but when it only let him breathe without letting him move, his body remained immobilized.

"Fine, you may speak now," Cain said coldly.

Paul swallowed, refraining from asking for more, and organized his thoughts.

"As Miyamoto has likely already told you, Vexor is one of Lord Lucius's subordinates, an Executive of Team Rocket. Vexor specializes in Bug-type Pokémon, which also influenced my Officer's decision to join Lord Lucius, and my choice to ally with Vexor."

Cain understood this logic. Many specialize in a single type, and the stronger they are, the more common it is to find trainers like that.

Specializing in one type not only reduces resource consumption but also provides a deeper understanding of that type of Pokémon, increasing combat effectiveness.

However, this also has obvious disadvantages. Those who specialize in one type can easily be countered by certain types.

If Vexor, who specializes in Bug-type Pokémon, were to face someone with Flying, Fire, or Rock-type Pokémon, his combat ability would significantly decrease.

For this reason, Cain had yet to decide if he would specialize in just one type. While there are many advantages, there are also clear weaknesses.

Paul continued:

"Vexor uses Bug-type Pokémon. His Pokémon include a Beedrill of initial superior quality, a Butterfree of high superior quality, a Scyther of high superior quality, a Pinsir of high superior quality, an Ariados of mid-high quality, and another that is not Bug-type, a Golduck of initial superior quality, for defensive purposes."

(Superior quality is the blue quality scanned by the system, and high quality is the green quality.)

From what Paul said, one could get a general idea of Vexor's power. The lowest quality Pokémon was a green-quality Ariados, and there were two with light blue quality.

Cain finally understood the extent of resources accessible with an executive-level leader's backing.

(End of chapter)