Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

Half an hour later, Cain had five more Poké Balls in his hands.

He had captured the Typhlosion and her partner, the Quilava, along with their three Cyndaquil offspring. Although those Pokémon had gone through a tough experience that day, Cain was convinced they would have a better life in the future.

"They'll thank me," he thought with satisfaction.

Cain nodded with a smile, pleased with the outcome. It was a good harvest. Over time, this could become a steady source of Fire-type starter Pokémon.

Also, having a Pokémon with the Flame Body ability greatly sped up breeding, allowing for results in less time. Still, starting with only five Pokémon to build something big would require patience. But it was better than nothing.

"At least we have something to start with," Cain said to himself for motivation.

"Larr!"

Suddenly, Larvitar tugged at Cain's pants leg, pointing toward a spot in the distance with a serious expression.

Cain followed the direction Larvitar was pointing and, through the hazy desert air, he could make out a towering mountain on the horizon.

Though he couldn't tell if it was purely a rock formation or if it had some vegetation, it was clear Larvitar felt something special about that place.

"You're saying you feel like something is calling you from that mountain?" Cain asked, using telepathy to communicate with his Pokémon.

"Larr!" Larvitar confirmed with a firm nod.

When they had entered this place, Larvitar hadn't shown any particular reaction. But after the battle with Typhlosion and her family, that sensation suddenly emerged, as if something or someone had sent him a signal.

Cain furrowed his brow, trying to piece the puzzle together.

"Mt. Chimney... Team Magma... Larvitar feels something... Wait! Larvitar feels something?" Cain thought, and soon realized a crucial detail.

They had been in this area for some time, but Larvitar had only started to feel that connection after the battle. That meant something.

Cain immediately crouched down and opened Larvitar's red backpack. He reached inside, looking for something specific—and soon found it. But what he saw shocked him.

The Fragment of Groudon's armor, which was normally the size of a palm, was now much smaller, having shrunk to half its size.

Cain checked that special fragment regularly to make sure Larvitar wasn't absorbing it too quickly, which could cause a violent reaction. On his last check, right after Lairon's evolution, the fragment had been in perfect, nearly intact condition.

Larvitar had been absorbing that fragment very slowly up until now. However, in this short time within the desert, half the fragment had disappeared.

"It can't have just disintegrated," Cain thought. "Larvitar must have absorbed it."

Cain placed a hand on Larvitar and asked the system to perform a full scan of his body for any abnormalities. Larvitar looked at Cain curiously.

"Larvitar, do you still feel something from that mountain now?"

"Larr!" Larvitar first shook his head, then slowly nodded.

"There's still something, though weaker and different, right?" Cain narrowed his eyes, intrigued. "This is getting interesting. Groudon? Or something related to him?"

Cain started to understand why Team Magma had shown so much interest in this place.

Could it be that they were searching for something related to Groudon? If so, he had to proceed carefully—especially if someone powerful, like Maxie, was involved.

Though Cain didn't hold Maxie in high regard, he was well aware that he stood no chance in a direct confrontation.

As Cain pondered this, the system completed the scan of Larvitar and displayed the results.

"Body density has increased again. The thickness and hardness of his armor have also improved. But most notable is... the Ground-type energy inside him has grown significantly! It even seems to be accelerating his evolution," Cain observed.

There were no negative signs in Larvitar. Every change pointed toward a major improvement.

"Incredible. On this expedition to Mt. Chimney, Lairon evolved, Combusken improved its potential, and now Larvitar is rapidly absorbing the Fragment of Groudon's armor, strengthening his body. This is going better than expected."

Cain stored the remaining fragment of the armor back in Larvitar's backpack and zipped it up carefully. Clearly, this place was accelerating the absorption process. With already outstanding talent, Larvitar could reach impressive levels by the time he finished absorbing it.

Though the sky remained clear, Cain figured it was lunchtime. He found a quiet, secluded spot, brought out his Pokémon, and prepared a simple meal for them.

"My Pokémon are the reason I can keep going in this world," Cain thought. Even in urgent situations, he always prioritized their well-being. Besides, there was no need to rush at the moment.

Team Magma had been here for a while, which meant they hadn't yet reached their objective. Intervening too soon could put Cain in danger, especially if he ran into a high-ranking Team Magma member.

While they ate, Cain devised a plan to approach the mountain without drawing Team Magma's attention, ensuring he could get what he was after without unnecessary trouble.

After lunch, with a preliminary strategy in mind, Cain resumed his journey. He kept Larvitar, Combusken, and Politoed out—his three Pokémon in most need of training.

Though Larvitar was at a relatively low level, this desert seemed to be his natural territory. However, Cain decided not to involve him too much in battles for now, since leveling up might trigger premature evolution.

Larvitar had reached level 28, and if he leveled up to 29, he could evolve at any moment. Cain didn't want that to happen before finding the Earth's Membrane, a vital resource to complete the quality enhancement potion.

"I won't sacrifice his future for short-term gain," Cain thought.

As they advanced toward the mountain, Cain noticed scattered human footprints. Some had been erased, likely due to local Pokémon activity. They also encountered several opponents along the way, but Cain kept Larvitar out of the fights, leaving the work to Combusken and Politoed.

(End of Chapter)