Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom-Chapter 561 - 560: Fondness for Appearances

From Altaria's eyes, Cain could discern a few things.

"Food, in the end, is just food, no matter how powerful it might be," thought Altaria, eyeing the intruders.

"As prey, you should have a clear sense of yourself: is it appropriate to enter my home uninvited?"

As for why other Pokémon could live in that meadow, it was simply because Altaria was capricious.

"Why are those Scolipede so ugly?" she mused disdainfully. "If I don't beat them, who else would I target?"

After the Scolipede were driven away, Altaria's dominating presence began to slowly fade. She turned and glanced at Cain, who stood behind her, then at the Pokémon accompanying him, nodding slightly.

"Not bad," she thought. "So I won't harm them. Besides, it seems they also attacked those ugly Scolipede earlier, meaning they share my aesthetic preferences."

If Cain's Pokémon knew that this overwhelmingly strong Altaria was deciding whether to attack them based on their appearance, they would undoubtedly be speechless.

Deciding whether to attack a Pokémon purely based on whether they looked pretty...

Cain, after being scrutinized by Altaria, felt that she harbored no strong hostility toward his group. Nor did she seem angry about their trespass into her territory.

"What a strange character. Does she treat different Pokémon differently?" Cain thought to himself.

In that meadow, he had seen several Tauros, Rhyhorn, and Skiddo all living peacefully without any sign of fear.

It seemed to be one of the few places on the island where life was tranquil.

Of course, this only applied to Pokémon that Altaria didn't perceive as threatening.

Slowly, Slowking lowered his psychic guard and stopped the Teleport move.

Maintaining that state of readiness without acting was also a demanding effort for him.

Suddenly, Altaria let out a cry toward the sky.

Under Cain's watchful gaze, two small fluffy Pokémon resembling cotton candy lazily flew down from the clouds.

They were Swablu!

Judging by the relationship between these two Swablu and Altaria, they were likely her children.

"Could it be that Altaria treats Pokémon differently for the sake of her two children?" Cain speculated.

"Perhaps, if a Pokémon appears to threaten her offspring, Altaria drives them away. But if they don't, she leaves them be."

Cain strongly believed in this hypothesis.

Though in reality, he had no idea what Altaria was truly thinking.

Since Altaria showed no intention of attacking, Cain relaxed a bit.

This Altaria gave him the feeling that resistance would be futile.

If, after killing the Scolipede leader, Altaria had turned against them, Cain probably would have had to summon Mismagius to resist briefly while Slowking teleported the group away.

...

Although the plan had been to fight another battle, things hadn't gone as expected, and the Pokémon were tired. Moreover, the situation had been quite tense.

While the sun still shone brightly in the sky, Cain ordered Skorupi and Honchkrow to hunt some wild animals.

Since Altaria was present, it meant this place was likely one of the safest in the area.

They could take advantage of it to enjoy a good dinner that evening.

Altaria, standing in the meadow, played with her two offspring.

With great care, she straightened the disheveled feathers on her children's soft wings.

The two Swablu showed no sign of fear and didn't seem to mind Cain and his group's presence at all.

After all, their mother was strong enough, and they had never encountered a Pokémon in the area more powerful than her. As a result, they lived peacefully.

Being watched by other Pokémon was nothing new to them.

After their mother finished preening them, the two Swablu resumed playing. Living a carefree life was quite enjoyable.

Under Altaria's care, these two Swablu had never experienced danger or pain. This, however, could become a problem in the future.

After briefly observing the young Swablu, Cain refocused on preparing the meal.

Certain that Altaria bore them no hostility, he decided to release his five smaller Pokémon.

The environment had been dangerous lately, and only during meals could they come out to play a bit, making these moments some of the few times they could enjoy themselves.

This was the downside of carrying so many Pokémon.

After leaving the island, Cain had decided that he would finally address this issue.

The Pokémon, skilled in handling the meat they had caught, were preparing to enjoy the meal, while Cain worked on his special sauces and seasonings.

He had developed these recipes based on studied combinations for Pokémon, so the roasted meat he prepared was unrivaled. It was one of his Pokémon's favorite dishes.

Even Aron and Larvitar, who typically preferred minerals, would set aside rocks when roasted meat was available.

At first, Altaria hadn't paid much attention to what Cain was doing. But as the number of Pokémon around him grew and the setup expanded, she began watching with curiosity.

In her life on the island, she had never seen a creature like Cain.

He was clearly not strong, yet he was surrounded by decent Pokémon who followed his every order to the letter.

Altaria was merely observing Cain, but the two Swablu flew directly over to them.

Though they lived carefree lives, they usually played only among themselves.

Seeing Cain's five little Pokémon having fun in the meadow piqued the Swablu's curiosity, prompting them to join in.

They were all young and not very strong, so they soon began playing together.

Cain's Pokémon didn't resist, especially knowing that the Swablu's mother was watching them.

However, Larvitar and the others didn't pay them any special attention, especially Aron, whose grandfather was a true Elite-level Pokémon.

The Swablu weren't bothered by the others' attitudes. Instead, they found it refreshing. Having never played like this with other Pokémon before, they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Cain noticed the two Swablu joining the group but said nothing. However, the faint smile on his face revealed his internal satisfaction.

Seeing his expression, Pokémon who knew Cain well, like Slowking, could tell he was up to something.

(End of Chapter)