The pain.
The intense sensation of being crushed against something.
That was the feeling Max was experiencing right now.
"Ahh! What's going on? Someone, help me!" Max shouted as the overwhelming pressure and the loud buzzing noise caused him to thrash around desperately.
But Max couldn't move.
Or, more accurately, he had lost all sensation in his body. He couldn't even open his eyes to see what was happening around him.
Surrounded by the constant buzzing and the crushing sensation, time seemed to pass strangely slowly.
Maybe it had only been a second.
Or perhaps an eternity.
Slowly, the pain began to lessen.
The buzzing stopped.
Max breathed a sigh of relief.
But before he could understand what was happening, a sudden influx of unfamiliar memories flooded his mind.
"AAAH!"
Max screamed.
And then everything went black.
"How was the gathering of medicinal herbs this time, Seth?" Town Chief David asked as he looked toward the injured medicinal gatherers receiving basic treatment.
Guard Chief Seth glanced away from the injured gatherers and smiled.
"It was a good haul. We were able to find four Energy Roots that were more than ten years old, along with more than a dozen Energy Roots that were less than ten years old."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"And thanks to a newcomer, we were even able to obtain a Power Herb that was more than ten years old."
Town Chief David nodded appreciatively.
"Good. A Power Herb, huh?"
His expression became slightly serious.
"The prices of herbs have been increasing lately. There seems to be something going on in Silverton City. They've increased the prices of herbs again this month."
David frowned.
"That's the third time this year."
Guard Chief Seth shrugged.
"It's better for us. When the next caravan arrives, we can sell the herbs for a higher price and make a greater profit."
Normally, an Energy Root that is less than ten years old sells for 20–50 Poké Dollars, while one that is ten years old or older sells for hundreds of Poké Dollars. A Power Herb that is ten years old or older sells for at least 1,000 Poké Dollars.
Don't think that 1,000 is a small amount. In Black Stone Town, a single Poké Dollar can buy enough food for one person for a day. A family of three needs 3–5 Poké Dollars a day to live comfortably. That comes to 90–150 Poké Dollars a month, and 1,000 Poké Dollars can provide a comfortable living for six months to a year, depending on how carefully the money is managed.
Town Chief David nodded but didn't say much in response to Seth's comment. He looked at the injured medicinal gatherers and asked with a frown, "How many got injured this time?"
Each medicinal-gathering expedition takes place every four months, three times a year. Shadowpine Forest, near Black Stone Town, has a good supply of herbs, and herb gathering is the town's main source of profit. Not only Black Stone Town but also other towns around Silverton City and nearby cities connected to Shadowpine Forest rely on collecting herbs.
Collecting herbs is a dangerous business, as Shadowpine Forest is full of Pokémon of different species. Getting attacked and injured is common, and people are also often killed.
People from Black Stone Town can only go near the periphery of Shadowpine Forest, but the profits are still good for them.
"There was one seriously injured person this time and five with minor injuries out of the fifteen-man team, but it's still good that no one died," Guard Chief Seth said.
He looked at the injured Max, who was lying on a stretcher not far away. Frowning, he said, "The seriously injured one is the lucky newcomer who found the Power Herb. At the start of the gathering trip, everything was going well. We managed to find a few Energy Roots at the cost of one injury. But halfway through, we found some Paras footprints. Following them led us to their lair, where there were only seven Paras at quasi-apprentices stage ."
"After thinking for some time, we decided to attack. Since there was no Parasect among them, we managed to kill two and scare the rest away. Only four of the other gatherers suffered minor injuries."
Afterward, while searching for herbs in a cave, the newcomer Max found a Power Herb that was still guarded by a Paras. At the cost of a serious injury, he managed to kill the Paras and obtain the herb.
Town Chief David nodded and said, "For the uninjured gatherers, give compensation according to their contributions. Give the five injured gatherers an additional 50 Poké Dollars each. And as for Max..." David thought for a moment before continuing, "Since he was seriously injured while finding the Power Herb, give him 50% of the profit from it."
"Fifty percent? That's 500 Poké Dollars," Seth said with a frown, but he didn't say anything more.
Normally, a medicinal-gathering trip earns you 10% of the value of the herbs you find, along with additional trip compensation of 10–30 Poké Dollars, depending on your contribution to any fights. Injured gatherers can receive much greater compensation.
The total profit from this trip's four Energy Roots that were over ten years old will be 400–600 Poké Dollars. The fourteen Energy Roots that were less than ten years old will also bring in 400–600 Poké Dollars, making the total profit 1,000–1,200 Poké Dollars. With the Power Herb, however, the profit doubles.
Seth nodded and walked toward his barracks, calling for the steward.
Town Chief David remained standing there, looking at the busy guards' barracks. He sighed and walked away.
As the chief, he was the strongest person in Black Stone Town. Even so, he was still an advanced-grade [Apprentice Pokémon Trainer]