Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom-Chapter 644 - 643: A Clone...?

When night fell, Cain finished the training session for two of his Pokémon.

Torchic and Aron each leveled up. Torchic reached level 15, just a step away from evolving. Once Torchic evolves into Combusken, it will gain the Fighting type, a type that Cain's team currently lacks.

Meanwhile, Aron reached level 20, becoming the first Pokémon in Cain's second team to reach that milestone. However, its evolution was still far off, as Aron needs to reach level 32 to evolve into Lairon.

The evolution requirements for Aron are similar to those of pseudo-legendary Pokémon. Metagross requires Metang to reach level 45 to evolve, while Aggron can only evolve once Lairon hits level 42.

This means its final evolution occurs only at an advanced level.

However, Cain doesn't have high expectations for the level progression of his second-line Pokémon, as his primary focus remains on his first-line Pokémon.

After a month of training, Cain's first team is on the verge of entering a phase of rapid level and power growth.

It's likely that once his first-line Pokémon reach the quasi-elite level, Cain will start paying more attention to his second line.

After all, upon entering the quasi-elite rank, unless special opportunities arise, the level progression of Pokémon tends to slow significantly.

There's something Cain has been considering for a long time but has yet to act on.

That is finding a trustworthy breeder in whom he can place complete trust—someone to whom he can entrust the care of his Pokémon without worry.

The truth is, Cain hasn't sought such a person yet because he believes that in this world, such a person simply doesn't exist.

Cain is a pessimist. When faced with any situation, he tends to anticipate the worst-case scenario. As a result, he is unlikely to ever fully trust anyone.

Not even Steven. Despite their close relationship, an unspoken barrier of identity still exists between them.

Using drugs to control a person doesn't guarantee complete trust either.

Pokémon are the foundation of Cain's survival in this world, his most cherished bond, something he could never abandon.

Perhaps... the only person Cain could ever fully trust is himself.

"It would be great to create a clone," Cain thought.

As he pondered this, he froze mid-motion while cooking.

"A clone...?" A bold idea surfaced in his mind.

He didn't necessarily need to create a real clone. It would suffice to have a tool or device he could fully control. It could even be a Pokémon, as long as he could manipulate it in real-time.

Cain began formulating a plan, still in its very early stages. If it proved viable, he could finally entrust the care of his Pokémon without concern.

With that thought tucked away, Cain continued preparing dinner.

The wild Pokémon in this area were not high-level, and with his first-line Pokémon present, there was no risk of surprise attacks.

Moreover, with a Dragon-type Pokémon like Flygon around, wild Pokémon were unlikely to attack.

...

The next day.

Cain didn't continue his Pokémon training.

He flew on Flygon, heading toward Meteor Falls.

As he approached, he felt a surge of excitement that was hard to contain.

In truth, he had avoided thinking about this moment, because in his previous life, this particular Pokémon was the reason he ended up being hunted by other trainers.

Owning this Pokémon had aroused jealousy and envy in many, turning Cain into a constant target of betrayal.

Although Cain had reached the quasi-elite level in his past life, it was this Pokémon that made him the center of unwanted attention.

More importantly, the relationship between Cain and this Pokémon had never been ideal. He had captured it too late in his past life, and due to special circumstances, the Pokémon had lost all trust in humans.

At that time, Cain also believed in the supremacy of strength, so he had forcibly captured it without gaining its genuine loyalty.

That series of events led to his current predicament.

But in this life, Cain planned to capture it while it was still young, believing its heart would not yet be as closed off.

Cain was eager to capture this Pokémon again, as, despite the trouble it had caused him in the past, it was an extremely rare and powerful Pokémon.

Meteor Falls lies at the intersection of Routes 114 and 115 in the Hoenn region. It is famous due to a large meteorite that created a deep crater, within which a waterfall formed.

Inside this crater, due to the meteorite's heat, numerous complex underground caverns emerged, forming a labyrinth without a defined pattern.

Over time, more explorers visited the site, and maps of Meteor Falls began to appear.

However, those maps were incomplete, as many tunnels remained undiscovered and uncharted.

In his past life, Cain had gotten lost in Meteor Falls' intricate tunnels, which eventually led him to encounter that Pokémon.

At the time, he thought he had been blessed with protagonist-level luck, but later he realized he had exhausted all his good fortune in one go.

While trainers hadn't fully explored all the caves, Pokémon had made their homes there.

In the deeper areas, it was possible to encounter more powerful Pokémon, deterring trainers from fully exploring the site.

As Cain was about to reach Meteor Falls, he decided to recall Flygon and, using his psychic abilities, descended slowly to the ground.

Finally, he could make a dramatic entrance.

Nearby trainers had noticed him flying on Flygon, and many looked at him with admiration, respect, or envy.

However, when they saw Cain landing gently using his psychic powers, they quickly averted their gaze.

A psychic!

Cain was wearing simple League trainer clothing and wasn't wearing his mask, but no one could discern his face.

This was a small trick he had learned from the psychic ability guide Sabrina had given him.

By condensing his psychic energy on his face to reflect light, he created a blurred image. Others felt they were on the verge of seeing him clearly but never could.

This trick was known as the "Psychic Mask."

Unless someone with stronger psychic abilities attempted it or a psychic contacted him directly, his identity would remain hidden.

Someone like Sabrina, for instance.

Even if he were discovered, it wouldn't matter much. Several people already knew about Cain's psychic abilities.

Steven knew, and his mentor Matsuda Takashi had found out after Cain confessed it to him.

In fact, when old Matsuda discovered it, he immediately retreated to train, feeling slightly disheartened by his pupil's talent.

He was worried about the possibility of Cain surpassing him as a master soon—a situation that, while painful, also filled him with pride and joy.

(End of Chapter)