Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

"Rughh!" The Groudon-like Golurk suddenly opened its mouth and let out a powerful roar.

A red beam of light emerged from its mouth, though it didn't seem to be an attack, nor did it emit any sensation of heat. The beam shot directly at Larvitar, who was standing next to Cain.

Upon seeing the beam appear, Cain's expression changed drastically.

His face turned dark and serious instantly. He had never expected that instead of attacking, Golurk would fire an unexpected beam of light.

After releasing the beam, the runes covering Golurk's body began to dim. Its bright red appearance faded into a dull dark red, as if all of its life energy had vanished.

"Larr... Larr..." Larvitar let out a pained whimper.

Everything happened so quickly that neither Cain nor the others had time to react. Larvitar's joy transformed into discomfort, as if something strange had invaded its body, fighting to take control.

"Larvitar!"

Cain placed his hand on Larvitar's body, using his psychic power to establish a telepathic link and attempt to access its consciousness.

However, what he found was surprising: two presences coexisted within Larvitar. One was clearly its own, while the other was a completely different energy.

There was no doubt about who that second presence belonged to: it had no clear thoughts or defined emotions, just a violent and chaotic instinct.

Cain barely made surface contact before he was hit with a wave of madness and destructive urges that nearly overwhelmed him.

The energy that had invaded Larvitar seemed to be drawn to the Groudon energy that had not yet been fully assimilated within Larvitar's body. At the same time, Larvitar itself seemed capable of absorbing that chaotic energy, as if the two forces were locked in a constant tug-of-war.

"Slowking! Mismagius! Help me seal this energy," Cain ordered, his voice low but firm.

Had that energy remained within Golurk's body, it would have been nearly impossible for Cain to handle it. But now that it had detached, it could be managed with the help of his Pokémon.

Slowking and Mismagius responded immediately. Though Mismagius had a higher level, Slowking's psychic strength was superior, making him the primary executor in this task.

Meanwhile, the five Unown symbols on Cain's wrist began to glow, contributing their power to the effort.

The three sources of psychic energy quickly merged, entering Larvitar's mind and encapsulating the chaotic energy. Gradually, they began to compress it down to the size of a finger.

At that moment, Larvitar's consciousness also appeared within its mind. To the surprise of Cain and the others, Larvitar showed its innate gluttonous nature. Without paying much attention to what the energy was, it simply gobbled it up in one bite, as if it were a delicious treat.

Crunch—done!

Cain and his Pokémon were stunned, watching as the mental representation of Larvitar licked its lips contentedly after devouring the compressed energy.

Within Larvitar's mind, its consciousness form was massive, and the chaotic energy, even when compressed, didn't fill even a small gap. Nevertheless, Larvitar looked completely satisfied.

"Burrrp~"

A loud burp echoed in Larvitar's mind, followed by a small cloud of reddish-black smoke that was expelled and eventually vanished.

Plop!

After "feasting," Larvitar flopped to the ground, rubbing its belly with a gesture of complete satisfaction. Though it had only ingested a small amount, it felt surprisingly full.

At that instant, it seemed to realize it had learned something new, though it couldn't quite explain it.

"Larr?"

It finally noticed the presence of Cain and his companions in its mind. In comparison, they looked tiny, and even sitting, Larvitar had to lower its gaze to look at them.

Cain didn't know what to say.

After all the worry, the problem had been solved with a simple bite from Larvitar.

With nothing more to do there, Cain withdrew his telepathic connection, as did his Pokémon, all returning to reality.

To his relief, Larvitar no longer showed any signs of pain. All traces of red energy had vanished from its body, as if nothing had happened.

"Larr!"

Larvitar, full of joy, leapt excitedly, trying to tell Cain about its strange dream: it had eaten something delicious and seen a tiny version of Cain and Slowking.

However, before it could continue, its body began to glow intensely, emitting a white radiance that rapidly increased in brightness.

"Is it evolving?"

Cain reacted immediately, pulling out the quality-enhancing potion he had prepared in advance. Fortunately, he was ready—otherwise, Larvitar's sudden evolution could have caught him off guard.

Perhaps it was due to the Groudon energy it had absorbed, or simply the fact that it had accumulated enough strength—Larvitar had finally reached the necessary threshold to evolve.

Delighted by the flashes of light, Larvitar seemed initially a bit confused, but quickly remembered what it meant. Its eyes sparkled with excitement.

With astonishing speed, it gulped down the potion Cain had prepared and then stood still, ready to experience the transformation.

The light intensified, fully enveloping Larvitar as its body began to change. It hunched over, while its tail expanded and wrapped around its body, taking the shape of a cocoon.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps and human voices came from outside, followed by two booming explosions.

Team Magma had arrived.

Cain's expression hardened. He couldn't allow them to interrupt Larvitar's evolution. He could only trust that the Claydol at the entrance would be able to hold them off long enough.

Shortly after, the glow around Larvitar began to fade, revealing a bluish-gray cocoon: Larvitar had evolved into Pupitar.

However, one detail stood out—the central horn on its head was red.

"Puppp!" it exclaimed excitedly, letting out a low cry as it tried to adjust to its new form.

Suddenly, a burst of air shot from beneath its body, lifting it off the ground. It had gained the ability to use the compressed gases inside its body for propulsion.

Cain immediately scanned Pupitar's new capabilities with his system, and what he saw left him stunned: among its moves, one stood out...

"Precipice Blades? An incomplete version...?"

(End of chapter)