Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

The next morning.

After spending the entire night making Pokéblocks, Cain rubbed his shoulder as he pulled back the curtains to let the morning light into the room.

Then, someone knocked on the door.

Cain opened it.

He found an elderly man of similar height, smiling broadly at the entrance.

It was old Matsuda!

"You little rascal! You left without saying a word!" exclaimed old Matsuda, whose good humor at seeing Cain vanished in an instant as he launched into a scolding the moment he saw him.

Cain, with an awkward smile, invited old Matsuda inside, not daring to say too much. When an Elite Four-level trainer is reprimanding you, it's best to take the scolding quietly, especially when it's clear they care about you. Even more so when you need their help.

"Do you know that as soon as I got the news yesterday, I rushed from Violet City to Saffron City, took an overnight flight to the Hoenn region, and then used my Pokémon to get here as quickly as possible?" Old Matsuda dropped onto the couch and explained to Cain all the effort he had made to get there.

Cain was surprised. He knew the League would send someone, but he hadn't expected it to be old Matsuda, a man of great power and seemingly high rank.

Old Matsuda wasted no time and, after taking a sip of water, continued, "Come on, hurry up. I don't have much time."

"Huh?" Cain didn't fully understand.

Seeing his expression, old Matsuda frowned and said, "Kid, didn't you approach me on the ship because you wanted me to become your master? I'd bet you recognized me already."

"Those 'relatives' you talked about—some of them are probably old friends of mine. Come on, let's get it over with. Accept becoming my apprentice; I still have things to do."

Matsuda didn't want to miss the chance to accept a talent like Cain as his disciple, especially to prevent his "old friends" from persuading him first. He had gone to great lengths to protect Cain so far.

"Oh, of course, that's fine." Cain couldn't help but smile, realizing the old man had misunderstood his intentions.

Either way, this saved him the effort of finding the right words. Cain quickly took a cup of tea, approached old Matsuda, bowed, and respectfully offered the tea, saying, "Master."

Matsuda nodded in satisfaction, drinking the tea in one gulp, without showing any of that "great master" attitude.

Internally, he also breathed a sigh of relief.

In the world of Pokémon, though masters teach their disciples, most refer to them as "teacher." Additionally, there's no limit on how many teachers a person can have, though the first one is always the most important. Matsuda had made sure to be the first.

"As I told you before, my surname is Matsuda, and my name is Takashi. Now you know my full name," Matsuda commented, as if he wanted to make sure Cain knew his identity.

Cain committed it to memory. Matsuda Takashi, a senior member of the League, an Elite Four-level trainer.

"With this, I have a good backing in the League," Cain thought.

As if reading his thoughts, Matsuda added, "Don't think using my name in the League will get you very far. Not many know me; only some veterans do. Mentioning my name won't give you any advantages."

"If you want something, you'll have to earn it. I barely have resources myself; otherwise, I wouldn't have taken that job on the S.S. Anne cruise to earn a bit of extra money."

"Understood, Master," Cain quickly replied, accepting his new role.

For him, having a backing like Matsuda, an Elite Four-level trainer, was invaluable, even if there were no tangible benefits. He simply wanted a legitimate identity, not to use Matsuda's influence for material gain.

Once he had Cain as his apprentice, Matsuda felt relieved. Now he could boast to his old friends.

"You have talent as a breeder; don't waste it. Though I don't oppose you being a trainer, you should be prepared to choose at some point. It's difficult to reach the top in two disciplines at once," old Matsuda sighed.

"I don't think I can go any further than I already have, but you're different. With your talent, if you specialize as a breeder, you could reach the highest level," Matsuda continued.

Cain was well aware of the advantages a breeder has in developing Pokémon. For others, this choice might be difficult, but for him, with the help of the system providing the necessary data, there was no time lost. However, he couldn't explain this openly.

Seeing Cain's look, Matsuda could only sigh. He knew that young people always want to challenge the limits, convinced that what others can't achieve, they will. He himself had thought that way when he was young.

"Well, it's your decision. But let me tell you this: you're almost sixteen years old. If you don't become an Elite-level trainer before twenty, give up that idea and focus on being a breeder." Matsuda offered his advice sincerely.

Cain agreed. He was almost sixteen, with four years ahead. If, with all the system's help, he couldn't reach Elite level in that time, then he'd better abandon being a trainer.

After this, Matsuda didn't insist further on the matter. He had said what needed to be said; the rest was up to Cain. Now, as a master, his role was only to guide him.

Passing on knowledge, solving doubts—that was the role of a good teacher. But the decisions were the apprentice's responsibility.

(End of chapter)