Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

Upon hearing their words, Miyamoto nearly spat blood in their faces.

"If my strength hadn't diminished so much, would I need to be held back by this bunch of incompetents?"

The situation was becoming more and more unfavorable. The long period of concentration needed to direct his four Pokémon in battle was starting to take a toll, and he felt he could no longer keep up with the fight.

The enemies weren't even trying for a direct attack. They preferred to avoid frontal combat and wear down his Pokémon slowly.

In particular, the group's leader had the ability to restrain two of his Pokémon but chose to send only one into battle, keeping the other by his side for protection, while also watching over his three "companions."

The three who followed Nakajima's orders understood this as well. After surviving three months on the Trial Island, none of them fully trusted each other.

"He who hoards too much, loses in the end."

Suddenly, Miyamoto made a mistake in directing his Pokémon, and Nakajima, who had been patiently waiting, seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack.

He sacrificed one of his companion's Pokémon to defeat Miyamoto's Machoke.

The situation changed drastically.

Although both sides had lost a Pokémon, Miyamoto had lost his main one, while Nakajima and his team had only lost an insignificant one.

However, the trainer whose Pokémon had fallen still wore a dark expression. On such a dangerous island as Trial Island, losing a Pokémon halved his chances of survival.

Would he dare to risk his only remaining Pokémon in an all-out attack? If he lost another, he would likely die here.

Was it worth risking his life for someone else?

Nakajima noticed his hesitation and shouted, "Full attack! If we defeat this man, I guarantee you'll leave the island safely!"

If they managed to defeat this strong opponent and gain some of his Pokémon, their power would increase exponentially. Nakajima might even have a chance to enter the top three in the trial.

Upon hearing his words, the man hesitated a bit more.

However, when he saw Nakajima's Raticate eyeing him with those small, sharp eyes, he had no choice but to attack with all he had.

He could only hope Nakajima would keep his promise.

Miyamoto was being cornered by the four.

Having lost a Pokémon, he finally couldn't withstand their attacks.

Following Nakajima's orders, the four stopped wasting time and launched a full attack.

Miyamoto's face grew darker and darker, as he cast a grim look at Nakajima, who was standing off to the side, arms crossed, confident in his victory.

"If I'm going to die, you're not getting out of here either!" Miyamoto decided with fury.

Someone who had come this far in Team Rocket couldn't have done so without staining his hands with blood and having a ruthless heart.

"Hitmonchan, Counter! Then, Thunder Punch, attack that Golbat with everything you've got!" Miyamoto roared.

Hitmonchan's eyes showed a mix of understanding and regret. It knew what its trainer intended with that command.

But quickly, a determined look crossed its face. As a Pokémon, its trainer had treated it well, and it had to do what was necessary for him.

Hitmonchan endured Golbat's attack, and with the force of the Counter move, it shook the enemy Pokémon and then unleashed a powerful punch at Golbat.

Golbat and Nakajima were stunned. Miyamoto had completely abandoned defense, and Hitmonchan was clearly willing to sacrifice itself. Anyone could see it.

"Golbat! Dodge quickly!" Nakajima shouted desperately.

But it was already too late.

Hitmonchan's Counter move brought down Golbat, leaving it almost incapacitated. However, Hitmonchan had no intention of letting it escape. It was prepared to give its life to fulfill its trainer's command.

Electricity began to violently build up in its left fist, channeling almost all of its energy.

Seeing the electric energy in Hitmonchan's fist, Nakajima's expression changed dramatically. "What are you doing?! Stop it immediately!"

But Miyamoto's other Pokémon wouldn't allow the others to interfere with Hitmonchan. They launched suicide attacks to hold off the other Pokémon.

The three following Nakajima's orders had thoughts of their own as well. Nakajima had treated them like cannon fodder, like shields.

Now that they finally had a chance to weaken him, they pretended to fight with all their strength, but only they knew how much effort they were actually putting in.

"Damn it! Raticate, go!" With no other choice, Nakajima sent out his Raticate, which had been by his side the entire time, hoping it would arrive in time to save the situation.

He then took out a Poké Ball and released a Koffing as personal protection.

Almost all trainers in the top ten had three Pokémon. Two were their main ones, and the third was typically much weaker. In Nakajima's case, that weak Pokémon was Koffing.

Raticate advanced quickly, but Hitmonchan, who was already charged, wasn't going to be stopped.

Its fist transformed into lightning!

Boom!

It struck the Golbat lying on the ground directly. Electricity surged through its body, dissipating into the ground.

Golbat, defeated.

A faint smell of cooked meat could even be detected.

"I'll kill you! I'll take you with me! Raticate, Hyper Fang!" Nakajima ordered furiously, seeing that Golbat showed no signs of life.

But it didn't matter, because when Hitmonchan launched its attack, it had already given up its own life. The final move had drained all of Hitmonchan's energy.

Raticate pounced and bit Hitmonchan's neck, killing it instantly.

Miyamoto, upon witnessing the scene, showed a brief sadness in his eyes, which quickly transformed into madness.

"Dodrio, Mankey! Forget the other Pokémon. Kill that Raticate!" Miyamoto ordered through gritted teeth.

With bloodshot eyes, he stared directly at Nakajima.

Even if I die, I won't let you get out of here unscathed! If I manage to kill your two main Pokémon, do you think that Koffing can save your life?

Sooner or later, you're going down with me!

Nakajima, in disbelief, watched as Dodrio and Mankey ignored the other Pokémon and furiously attacked his Raticate.

At that moment, he understood what Miyamoto intended. That mad look finally frightened him.

"Crazy! Crazy! He's absolutely insane! Raticate, return!"

"What are you all waiting for? Don't you see I'm about to kill that bastard's Raticate? Are you really going to let yourselves be manipulated like this? Don't you have the will to fight?"

"If he dies, and then I do, imagine all that you could gain! If he doesn't die, how much do you think will be left for you?"

(End of Chapter)