Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom-Chapter 390 - 389: Another Cut

Cain briefly inspected Steven's study before sitting down.

He took out a box from the storage space, which contained the Pokéblocks needed for Steven's two Metang.

"Here are enough Pokéblocks for four months, sufficient for both of your Metang to eat for two months. If you run out, come find me directly," Cain said.

Steven's eyes lit up, and without even opening the box, he stored it away immediately.

Then, he asked curiously, "Come find you directly?"

"Yes, I think I'll settle in the Hoenn region for a while," Cain nodded.

"Really? Will you settle in Rustboro City? You could work directly at Devon Corporation. Do you want me to pick a house for you?" Steven sounded somewhat excited. If Cain moved to Rustboro City, he'd have a good friend nearby.

"No, Rustboro City isn't suitable for me, and I can't afford to relax right now. Training my Pokémon is the most important thing I need to do," Cain declined immediately.

Hearing this, Steven nodded in agreement.

It made sense. If Cain stopped striving to grow stronger and settled in Rustboro City, it wouldn't align with his personality.

"So, which city will you move to? Mauville City? The battle environment there is quite good."

"No, I'm not going to Mauville City, but I'll be nearby, in Leafy Town, between Mauville City and Verdanturf Town. I plan to develop myself there."

"Leafy Town?" Steven frowned slightly.

He had heard of Leafy Town, a small town in the Hoenn region. Not only was it small, but it also had poor infrastructure. There wasn't even a Pokémon Center, which showed how little attention the League paid to the area.

"Yes, Leafy Town. Although it's a small place with underdeveloped facilities, it suits me for now. I can train my Pokémon without disturbing anyone, and there are some small businesses I can develop there," Cain explained, nodding.

"Well, if you've already thought it through, I don't have much to say. Besides, the distance between Rustboro City and Leafy Town isn't too great—by car, it'll only take a few hours. I'll come challenge you to a battle as soon as you're settled."

Between Rustboro City and Verdanturf Town, there was a tunnel, making driving very convenient. The distance between Verdanturf Town and Leafy Town wasn't far, and a Flying Pokémon could cover it in no time.

"If you need help, just let me know. After all, you're already part of Devon Corporation, and a high-ranking executive at that," Steven said.

Cain thought for a moment before saying, "Actually, there's something I'll need your help with—or rather, Devon Corporation's help."

He continued, "I plan to develop in Leafy Town and will likely apply to open a gym there. Although my strength isn't enough yet, I should be ready in time. So, I hope you can help establish some commercial areas in Leafy Town to help the locality grow."

Steven was about to respond, but Cain interrupted him.

"Let me finish first. I know you'll agree, but now isn't the right time. When I'm settled in Leafy Town and ready to apply for the gym with the League, I'll let you know so you can conduct market research. We're friends, but I don't want to put you in a difficult position."

Although Cain and Steven were friends, openly taking advantage of him might not bother Steven personally since he would see it as a favor between friends. However, other directors of Devon Corporation and members of the Stone family might view it as a blatant attempt to exploit Steven.

This could affect their friendship in the future.

After all, the wealthy need to be exploited gradually!

Steven nodded, recognizing the logic. Although he had the authority to agree immediately, and with Devon Corporation's support, business could develop even in a place as underdeveloped as Leafy Town, it wasn't the right way to handle things. As Devon's heir, acting like that would draw criticism.

Besides, Steven was confident that with Cain's strength, if he managed to establish a gym in Leafy Town, League facilities would follow, boosting the area's development.

Everything depended on Cain securing the gym.

Luckily, Cain's master, Matsuda Takashi, while uninvolved with League affairs, commanded enough respect for others to give him some leeway.

As long as Cain demonstrated sufficient strength, opening a gym wouldn't be impossible.

"Once again, if you need anything, tell me directly," Steven said.

He then pulled a wooden box from a drawer in his study.

"Here's the Dusk Stone and King's Rock you requested. I couldn't find a high-quality Dusk Stone, so I only got one of intermediate quality. If you still need a superior one, I'll keep looking."

"As for the Razor Claw, I already have a lead, but you'll need to wait a bit longer. And about the King's Rock..." Steven hesitated, as the King's Rock was incredibly expensive, and he still didn't fully understand its use.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

However, when Cain heard that Steven had obtained the King's Rock, he was thrilled.

Two King's Rocks!

Originally, Cain only had one and was wondering how, if Slowpoke evolved into Slowking, the Poliwag he had bought could only evolve into Poliwrath. Thus, the core of his rain team would have to rely on Pelipper with the Drizzle ability.

But now, with Steven's King's Rock, his team's flexibility increased tremendously.

Politoed!

The perfect core for his rain team!

As for the Dusk Stone, since Murkrow had already evolved on Challenge Island, it wouldn't be necessary. He could sell it later.

"Don't worry, intermediate quality is good enough," Cain said, waving his hand. "How much did they cost in total? I might not have enough money right now."

"Don't worry about it. Although the price was high, it's not essential. You can pay me gradually with Pokéblocks. Besides, you have a salary—I'll just deduct it directly," Steven laughed.

Although the cost amounted to several million, for Steven, money was just a number.

"Let's do this. I originally wanted to use the recipe for Miltank's Pokéblocks to negotiate with Whitney's family to obtain the method for improving Miltank. Didn't they say they were willing to buy it for ten million? Take it and make the deal with them."

After some thought, Cain decided it was time to exchange the Miltank Pokéblock recipe. With the help of energy crystals, his Miltank's potential had improved to green. With continued use, it would likely reach dark green quality.

As for advancing she to light blue quality, Cain didn't have such high expectations for his Miltank.

Although the recipe wouldn't cover the entire debt, as Steven said, he could pay the rest with Pokéblocks in the future.

Cain no longer held back with Steven.

If there's a chance to exploit, exploit it!

After all, it's not his own money!

(End of Chapter)