Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

As Cain arrived, the distribution of people in the plaza began to shift.

First, Regi, along with Aurelia and Glacius, approached Cain and said:

"Cain, come, let me introduce you. Glacius—you've probably heard of him but haven't met before—and this is Aurelia, whom you must have already met and spoken with."

"Little brother Cain, is it true that you actually took out Vexor?" Aurelia asked Cain curiously.

"Come on, Aurelia, Glacius and I saw it with our own eyes. Don't you believe us yet?" Regi sighed in exasperation.

"What? I just wanted to confirm it. Do you think it's impressive just because you saw it?"

As the four of them gathered, the gazes in the plaza began to change. Both the trial participants and the newcomers looked at Cain with a mix of curiosity and a bit of fear.

Everyone on Trial Island now knew what Regi and his three companions represented—it was something more impressive than Xander's backing. And there they were, chatting amicably with Cain.

Cain noticed someone following Aurelia.

It was Jasmine, the female leader of one of the groups on the Trial Island. Was she now under Aurelia's command?

"Don't look at me like that, little brother Cain. Jasmine isn't my subordinate; she's a distant relative. We're just on different teams. Her previous support is gone, so as her sister, I have to look out for her a bit," Aurelia said with a smile, noticing Cain's glance at Jasmine.

"Mr. Cain," Jasmine greeted him respectfully.

Cain now had enough authority to be addressed as "Mr." by her.

Then, Alec and Miyamoto also arrived.

Although Alec's disfigured appearance shocked many of the participants, what struck them even more was seeing Alec respectfully position himself behind Cain and address him as "Sir."

Had Cain also subdued Alec?

As for Miyamoto, he originally wanted to approach as well, but with a subtle glance, Cain signaled him to stop. Miyamoto remained among the newcomers.

Skye and Fox, along with another companion, also returned unharmed. Though they appeared seriously injured, their lives were not in danger.

"Alright, let's go. We'll stay in touch. Time is running out," Regi said, checking his watch.

Then, the three returned to their original positions, while Cain rejoined the group of trial participants.

However, when Cain joined the group, many instinctively stepped aside, especially those who had been Xander's subordinates.

By this time, Xander still hadn't returned, which likely meant he had met an unfortunate end.

On the other hand, Cain, who had clashed with Xander, was now chatting amicably with followers of several Executives.

How could they not be astonished?

After waiting a little longer, the moment finally arrived: eight in the morning.

Three figures—Viper, Umbra, and Saka—stepped into the center of the plaza, observing those who remained.

Originally, there had been over ninety participants, but now the plaza seemed a bit empty. Counting those who remained, there were fewer than fifty.

The idea was that a maximum of fifty people would pass the Trial Island, so it was no longer necessary to rank by final points. Including the newcomers, there were exactly forty-nine people left.

Everyone could leave alive, so now it was only a matter of determining who held the top positions.

The true survivor is the king!

"The final trial has ended. Each of you, take your point device and go to that room to record your position. Then you may leave. From now on, this Trial Island has nothing to do with you. Well done, guinea pigs. Congratulations on surviving," Viper announced loudly.

Some participants began to cry with emotion.

It's hard to imagine what it was like to live for three months on this island, constantly facing danger—a truly exhausting experience!

After Viper's speech, everyone headed to the building he had pointed to.

There were about ten rooms, meaning they could process a dozen people at a time.

"Looks like Vexor was really eliminated," Saka commented after everyone left.

"From the looks of it, that seems to be the case. He still hasn't returned, so the odds of him being alive are slim," Viper replied.

"Ha, Umbra, that kid's got potential. Want me to hand him over? I'll trade him for an elite Pokémon," Saka suggested to Umbra.

Umbra glanced at Saka with exasperation. Previously, when only he and Viper were on the Trial Island, they didn't talk much. But in the past week, Saka had proven to be quite a chatterbox.

"How are you so sure it was that kid? The other three have the skill, or it could have been a combination of some of the others," Umbra retorted.

"Bah, I already know those three—Regi and his group—were just here to 'show their faces' and gain some prestige," Saka replied.

Umbra didn't respond this time. Whether or not Cain had eliminated Vexor, the important thing was that Lucius had already taken an interest in Cain.

"By the way, the appearance of that elite-level Pokémon has had some impact on this island. Now that these brats have returned, should we go check it out?" Saka changed the subject.

"It doesn't matter. Once they leave, I'll take a look myself. It's just an initial elite-level Pokémon; it won't be a big deal," Viper replied.

"Hah, Viper? Since when have you become so confident? Don't tell me you plan to capture it once we leave," Saka teased.

Viper gave him a look of disdain, as if considering him weak.

Although he was a trainer at the initial elite level, he had several Pokémon at that level. Couldn't he handle it?

Ignoring Saka, Viper turned and headed to his office.

"Umbra, with your strength diminished, would you like to check it out? You could capture it and recover faster," Saka suggested again.

"Not interested."

Umbra also turned and followed Viper.

"Bah, boring," Saka muttered as he watched them walk away.

"Wait, I'm coming too!"

...

Cain and the others entered one of the rooms in the building.

The room was small, with a counter similar to a shop, and a Rocket employee behind it.

The employee, seeing Cain enter, smiled and said: "Welcome, Mr. Cain. Please place your point device in this container."

Following the instructions, Cain placed his point device into a sealed container. The display showed: 1087 points.

How they would verify the points and determine the rankings was no longer Cain's concern.

(End of Chapter)