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Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom-Chapter 389 - 388: Secret Battle
Chapter 389: Chapter 388: Secret Battle
The two didn't linger in the mining area; after capturing Aron, they left immediately.
During their time there, Cain didn't see a single Beldum. It was clear that, although the Stone family was immensely wealthy, they still guarded pseudo-legendary Pokémon like Beldum very closely.
With Aron successfully captured, Cain now officially had nine main Pokémon for battle. However, if Miltank, who served as support, wasn't counted, the number was eight.
Additionally, if he managed to hatch the Larvitar egg, he would have a total of ten Pokémon.
The burden of training so many Pokémon increased drastically—more than Cain had anticipated. After all, both Aron and Larvitar were known for being capable of devouring entire mountains.
Suddenly, the pressure on Cain doubled.
However, where there's great effort, there are also great rewards. The Pokémon Cain had recently captured had superior aptitudes, surpassing the light blue level. With proper training, their strength would increase exponentially.
They left the mining area and got into Steven's stretched car, heading to his house.
"Cain, you said last time that when we met again, we'd have a battle." Steven had a slightly teasing expression.
Although Cain had improved rapidly, it had only been less than two months since their last meeting, making it hard to imagine that Cain had reached Steven's level in such a short time.
Thinking about Steven's Metang, Cain felt a small headache.
Initially, he had thought their next meeting would be in a few months, and by then, even if he couldn't win, he wouldn't lose so overwhelmingly.
However, given the current situation, it was certain this battle would result in a tough defeat.
After all, Cain still didn't have any Pokémon specialized in countering Steel-types.
He didn't even have Pokémon that could go head-to-head with that type.
Shaking his head in resignation, Cain said, "I know I'm not your match, but a promise is a promise. Still, you wouldn't want a completely one-sided battle, would you?"
Steven, a few years older than Cain and with the backing of his family, was naturally ahead in power.
Cain, since his rebirth, had barely had three months to train.
The fact that he had reached his current level was undoubtedly remarkable.
It's worth noting that in his previous life, Cain didn't reach the Captain level until a year later.
"Hmm, you're right. Let's do this: you'll use two Pokémon, and I'll use only one. That way, it'll be a fairer battle," Steven said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
Judging by the Slowpoke that always accompanied Cain, it was clear he had a good level, but even so, there was a noticeable gap between them.
Therefore, even in a two-versus-one battle, Steven was confident he would win.
Shortly after, they arrived at a majestic mansion. Judging by the size of the garden and surrounding fields, Cain estimated it was almost the size of half a city.
Now this was a true mansion.
Before Cain could take a closer look, Steven dragged him to his personal battle room.
After closing the door, there were no spectators present.
...
Over an hour later, both emerged from the battle room.
Cain had a slight smile on his face, while Steven seemed a bit deflated.
"What's wrong? Winning didn't cheer you up? If someone else saw us, they'd think I was the one who won." Cain glanced at Steven teasingly, smiling.
Steven looked at him but couldn't help feeling unsatisfied.
That's right, Steven was the winner of the battle, and he did it using only one Pokémon against Cain's two.
However, the way the battle unfolded left him deeply uncomfortable.
Cain had used Slowpoke and Haunter, while Steven deployed his powerful Metang.
Instead of a direct fight, Cain opted for a guerrilla tactic, having his Pokémon use their speed to stay out of Metang's reach, gradually wearing down its energy.
If not for Metang's high defenses and its advantage in level and aptitude, it might have been defeated by Slowpoke and Haunter's war of attrition.
Fortunately for Steven, Haunter's Poison-type moves weren't effective against Metang; otherwise, it would have been a different story.
The entire battle consisted of enduring attacks.
After almost an hour of fighting, Cain decided that Slowpoke and Haunter's energy was running low and chose to withdraw, acknowledging defeat. Had he not done so, the battle could have continued indefinitely.
This is why, when they came out, Steven didn't feel completely satisfied.
Even though Metang also had psychic abilities, Haunter was barely affected by Slowpoke's skills.
"This is pointless. Next time, when you've grown stronger, let's have a one-on-one or two-on-two battle."
"Your Pokémon have impressive synchronization, and their training is excellent. I now understand why, with so much talent as a breeder, you also decided to become a trainer," Steven commented with admiration.
Steven not only admired Cain's talent but also his dedication.
He had seen many talented people, but very few with talent who also worked as hard as Cain.
"You're no slouch yourself. With everything you have to learn to manage a company, plus your passion for collecting stones and training Pokémon, you're truly terrifying," Cain replied, acknowledging Steven's impressive potential, who already showed signs of being a future Champion.
Although Metang was strong, after an hour of intense combat, even it began to feel the strain. But Steven maintained control, managing the situation flawlessly.
"Hahaha! Alright, enough mutual praise. Come on, let's relax a bit," Steven said, shaking off the discomfort from the battle and patting Cain's shoulder with a hearty laugh.
It was time to get serious—he couldn't let Cain surpass him in their next encounter!
The two headed to Steven's personal library.
"Have you read all these books?" Cain asked, looking at the endless shelves filled with books on Pokémon, stones, and business management.
"More or less, I've read most of them. My father assigned them as homework; when I have free time, I read," Steven replied, pouring tea for Cain.
"That's incredible!" Cain couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
Reading all those books and remembering so much... It was clear that Steven's success wasn't solely due to the backing of Devon Corporation.
Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.
"I haven't had much time to read lately. Later, I'll take you to see the stones I've been collecting—that's really interesting," Steven commented. His dark eyes gleamed with a passion only a rock enthusiast could understand.
(End of Chapter)