Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

"The balance has been broken, hasn't it, Vexor?" Cain, standing on Tropius's back, smiled as he spoke to Vexor.

Vexor initially thought it would be him who would break the balance, but to his surprise, Cain was the first to do so.

The decisive moment was upon them!

Vexor wore a grim expression as he lightly adjusted his glasses with his index and middle fingers.

"Since the balance has been broken, there's no point in holding back. Do you think defeating my Pinsir means you've won?"

"I hadn't planned to use this yet, especially with three people watching me closely, but it seems that if I don't use it now, I might lose—and I don't like losing."

As he spoke, Vexor's Pokémon slowly returned to his side.

"If one boost isn't enough, then I'll max it out. After all, Bug-type Pokémon don't have long lifespans, so as long as they can be useful in their remaining time, that's fine." He then pulled out several pills from his storage space.

Surprisingly, Vexor had a large supply of these pills, capable of enhancing Pokémon strength.

From what Vexor said, using these pills appeared to shorten the lifespan of Pokémon.

However, the pills seemed to have a special allure for Bug-type Pokémon, as the moment Vexor brought them out, his Pokémon lunged at them eagerly.

The power of Vexor's remaining four Bug-types increased.

Take Beedrill, for instance—it consumed six pills, and the effects far exceeded those used by Xander.

Pokémon: Beedrill (Light Blue)

Level: 35 + 4 Levels

Beedrill's level increased by four, as indicated by the system. The other Pokémon also experienced level increases, albeit smaller ones.

Fortunately, despite consuming so many pills, none of them could surpass level 40, indicating that crossing that threshold was significantly harder.

Alec couldn't stop Ariados from returning and ran over to Tropius's side to speak with Cain. "I'm sorry, Mr. Cain, I couldn't stop Ariados."

Cain gestured dismissively, indicating it didn't matter.

"If it could have been stopped, I would have done it myself."

"Alec, to win, you may need to make a small sacrifice," Cain spoke in a neutral, emotionless tone.

"Sacrifice? I'm willing to serve you, Sir. I'll do whatever it takes to defeat Vexor!" Alec hesitated for a moment but then answered firmly.

What was a sacrifice? To take revenge on Vexor, Alec was willing to give anything, including his freedom, which he had already handed over to Cain.

"Good." Cain smiled, but it was a cold smile.

"Order your Pokémon not to resist. It will only be uncomfortable for a moment. Afterward, I'll take care of healing them."

Without giving Alec time to react, Cain said, "Honchkrow, take down Shuckle, Mightyena, and Ponyta. You need to build power!"

Cain ordered Honchkrow to defeat Alec's Pokémon.

Alec felt a chill. Did Cain intend to kill him right there?

But he quickly understood. This Honchkrow also had the Moxie ability, which meant that winning battles would increase its power.

While Vexor's Pokémon were still recovering, Honchkrow wasted no time and defeated the three Pokémon Alec had ordered not to resist.

Honchkrow had accumulated three stacks of the Moxie ability!

"Graah!"

Honchkrow swelled with power.

"Take this. Heal your Pokémon. I'll handle the rest." Cain tossed a box to Alec, containing Pokéblocks and milk to quickly help his Pokémon recover.

There were no tactics Cain wasn't willing to use to defeat Vexor.

"Slowpoke, use Confusion to attack Ariados. Control it!"

"Honchkrow, go! Wing Attack! Finish off Ariados!"

"Haunter, Sneasel, Arbok, follow Honchkrow's lead and attack!"

Cain issued an all-out attack order, but this time Honchkrow led the charge.

"Beedrill, use Giga Impact! Show them your power!"

"Butterfree, use Confusion to block Slowpoke's attack!"

"Scyther, Fury Cutter!"

"Ariados, use Sticky Web!"

"Everyone, focus on Honchkrow! Take it down!"

Now, the only Pokémon Vexor feared was Cain's Honchkrow, which had accumulated four stacks of the Moxie ability. He dared not face its destructive power!

Slowpoke launched its Confusion first. Although Butterfree tried to block it with its own Confusion, it wasn't strong enough, and Slowpoke's attack broke through its defense.

Before the Confusion hit Ariados, it managed to fire off a Sticky Web.

A white thread shot out, but Ariados was briefly paralyzed by the mental attack.

"Haunter, use Fire Punch to burn the web!"

"Slowpoke, use your psychic powers to assist Honchkrow's attack!"

The web was quickly burned away by Haunter's Fire Punch, and Slowpoke's psychic power enveloped Honchkrow, boosting its speed even more.

Suddenly, a clear blue flame appeared around Honchkrow, enveloping it completely.

Cain's eyes gleamed.

Beedrill rushed at Honchkrow, using its strongest move, Giga Impact. Scyther supported with Fury Cutter.

"Sneasel, use Protect! Block those attacks!"

Cain gave the order just in time, and Sneasel shielded against Beedrill and Scyther's moves.

Honchkrow broke through their defenses and charged at the paralyzed Ariados.

The blue flames surrounding Honchkrow flared intensely.

"That's..."

"Sky Attack! Honchkrow, use Sky Attack!"

With the assistance of Slowpoke and its boosted speed, Honchkrow had learned the powerful move Sky Attack.

This move, with up to 140 power, grows stronger the longer it charges.

In mid-air, Honchkrow had already finished charging, and under Vexor's watchful eyes, it struck Ariados directly.

Ariados didn't even have time to use Protect.

Boom!

The impact slammed it into the ground.

When Honchkrow spread its wings and took off again, Ariados lay motionless in a crater, showing no signs of life.

Defeating Ariados triggered Honchkrow's Moxie ability once more.

It now had five stacks of Moxie!

And it had learned Sky Attack!

Vexor was in danger!

(End of chapter)