Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom-Chapter 508 - 507: One Lie Is Enough

Originally, Lairon was about to use another attack on the remaining Magmar.

But Skorupi was already unleashed.

Excited, it spun and charged at the remaining Magmar.

Under the terrified gaze of its opponent, Skorupi's Venoshock hit that Magmar again.

Although it didn't strike a weak spot, meaning its Sniper ability wasn't activated, the Magmar had already taken damage from the Stone Edge and Earthquake moves—both of which were super effective against Magmar—as well as residual damage from the Toxic Spikes, leaving it exhausted.

The powerful impact of Venoshock completely knocked it out.

If Cain hadn't told Skorupi to hold back, those fallen Magmar might have received a finishing blow from Skorupi.

"If the Sniper ability could keep hitting the opponent's weak spots, that ability would be truly terrifying," Steven commented, observing Skorupi's magnificent skills.

Cain nodded.

With Steven's ability, it was likely he had already noticed Skorupi's Sniper ability after so many battles since climbing the mountain.

But this was the first time Skorupi had fully showcased its Sniper ability.

When facing much weaker opponents, the Sniper ability's effect wasn't as noticeable.

Skorupi returned proudly, like a true victor.

Lairon let out a growl.

Its complaint seemed to be that Skorupi had stolen its opponent.

In response, Skorupi also growled; who knows what they were "saying" to each other, but in the end, Skorupi wrapped its pincers around Lairon's neck in camaraderie.

"The state of these two Magmar doesn't seem normal," Cain and Steven ignored Skorupi and Lairon.

Steven agreed, "I've been to Mt. Chimney many times, and I've seen lots of Magmar, but they all lived near the volcanic crater. They wouldn't come down without reason; besides, their usual prey isn't found down here."

"The body temperature of a Magmar can reach 1,200 degrees. They usually live in high-temperature areas; the edge of a volcanic crater is ideal for them—the hotter the environment, the more energetic they are," Cain explained, sharing some of his knowledge about Magmar.

He then added, "A Magmar wouldn't leave its habitat without reason. In this situation, either there's been a change in the volcano, or a powerful enemy has appeared in their habitat, one so strong they can't face it."

Hearing this, Steven looked somewhat serious.

Either scenario seemed unfavorable.

Mt. Chimney is an active volcano, but it's generally in a stable state. Normally, it only emits volcanic ash, something the residents of Hoenn are accustomed to.

In fact, volcanic ash is a distinctive feature of the Hoenn region.

If Mt. Chimney has changed and is about to erupt, the consequences would be unimaginable.

On the other hand, if the second scenario is true, and an enemy has appeared in the Magmar's habitat, it would be slightly better by comparison.

After all, we don't know if the Magmar's enemy is part of the League or some other organization.

"I think the second possibility is more likely. Mt. Chimney hasn't erupted in nearly a hundred years. If there were any changes, we wouldn't be the first to know. The League has had people investigating here all the time; those experts wouldn't ignore it," Cain added after a brief silence.

After a pause, Cain said, "In any case, it seems like this time things won't be so simple. We'd better be careful."

Steven nodded with a serious expression.

Hopefully, it's nothing serious.

After all, we just wanted to enjoy a trip.

Just as Steven was ready to move forward, he noticed that Cain wasn't moving.

Steven, puzzled, turned to look at Cain, who stood still with a frown, eyes closed.

"Cain, what's wrong?" Steven asked.

Cain sighed silently.

If he could avoid it, he really didn't want to reveal that he was psychic.

But if he wanted to hold a high position in the League in the future, he would inevitably encounter psychics already part of it.

At that point, it would only be a matter of time before his psychic ability was discovered.

Moreover, wouldn't he use his psychic abilities when facing a strong opponent in the future?

Impossible!

He worked hard to become a novice psychic and learn telepathy to gain an edge in battles.

Lies... one is enough.

The more things you try to hide, the more lies you'll need to cover them.

When one small lie is discovered, all the others covering it will mercilessly crumble.

So Cain thought that if he was going to hide something, it should only be one thing.

Besides, Steven was one of the few people in the League he trusted—almost on par with his mentor, Matsuda Takashi.

Since the topic of his psychic abilities would eventually come to light, why not prepare his friend in advance? That way, when it's discovered, at least he'd have someone to back him up.

Cain closed his eyes just for show; in the second he defeated the Magmar, he had already considered all these possibilities.

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"Wait a moment, I think I can find out what's going on," Cain said, walking toward the less injured Magmar.

Magmar's head and tail are pure fire. When it lost consciousness, the flames on its head extinguished.

Cain pulled out some heat-resistant gloves, put them on, and took some healing sprays from his storage space to quickly treat the Magmar's surface wounds.

With Cain's skill as a breeder and by combining medicines, Magmar soon regained consciousness.

Skorupi stayed close to Cain, ready to prevent any outburst from the Magmar.

However, upon waking, Magmar seemed less frantic and less aggressive than before.

It looked at Cain, who was treating its wounds, and at the Skorupi beside him—the same one that had defeated it.

Magmar remained calm.

Cain sprayed the last bit of medicine on the damaged scales, treating the final bleeding wound.

Given Magmar's constitution, these injuries weren't severe. After Skorupi had extracted the poison, there was no real danger. A few hours of rest would be enough for recovery.

But Magmar also knew that its previous aggression was the cause of its injuries, so it was quite grateful for Cain's treatment.

"This is for you. I've removed the poison from your partner; there shouldn't be any problem. It will wake up soon," Cain placed some high-quality Pokéblocks in front of the Magmar.

Smelling the fragrance of the Pokéblocks, Magmar's eyes lit up immediately.

(End of Chapter)