Evening.
Goldenrod City.
A youth, dressed shabbily with tangled hair emitting a strong sour odor, walked through the streets of Goldenrod City, attracting significant attention and turning heads.
The youth seemed very tired, yet each step he took was firm and determined.
Beneath the messy, greasy hair were eyes as black as if illuminated.
The only thing that appeared relatively normal on him was the backpack on his back and the few Pokeballs faintly visible at his waist.
This is a Trainer who has returned alive, but how miserable he looks.
Seeing this scene, the passersby simultaneously thought of this notion, inadvertently showing expressions of pity, admiration, and indifference.
The youth suddenly paused in his steps.
He looked up at the dazzling city with its skyscrapers standing side by side, the endless stream of traffic declaring its bustling prosperity, seemingly everything appeared so wonderful.
Then lowered his head.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the downtrodden beggars rummaging through trash in the dark alley, the indistinct shadows flashing through the sewers, the dust and grime filling the disguised crevices...
Instead, it gave people a sense of the cramped, rough, and indifferent behind the facade of luxury.
When he looked straight ahead again, he only felt that everyone passing by wore false, disguised, intentionally crafted masks, seemingly decorating this perceived beauty.
"It's the cruelty behind all the splendid illusions that is the real appearance of this world."
The youth murmured this sentence, as if he had heard people say this before, but had never deeply experienced it.
He lifted his steps, continuing to enjoy the long-lost civilization.
He didn't know how long had passed.
When he stopped his steps again, it was in front of the entrance to Kelsa Street No. 115, relatively less crowded and in a more remote location.
Without hesitation, he stepped inside.
Inside was still the same, unchanged, the elderly shopkeeper was noticeably dazed when noticing the shabby young man entering.
A one hundred Alliance coin note was placed on the counter, the youth picked up a black cloak and disappeared into the long, dim corridor.
Only after a long while did the old man gradually come to his senses.
Staring at the hundred Alliance coins in front, he didn't rush to collect it; instead, he looked quietly inside.
Muttering to himself under his breath, "A tough character has arrived..."
The black market of Goldenrod City.
The bustling level exceeds that of the outside, only the varied faces of the passerby are all veiled under black cloaks, becoming "strangers."
The youth's purpose was clear, directly heading to the South District of the black market, the illegal Pokémon trading spot.
He chose a Pokémon store that did not seem very large in scale.
The sour stench leaking from his cloak made the staff inside the store involuntarily frown, blocking their breaths.
Muffled and stuffy, he asked, "What do you need?"
Only to see a few regular Pokeballs placed on the counter.
"Calculate the price."
The staff exhaled a long breath, picked up the Pokeballs and walked to the side devices for analysis and measurement.
Wild Pokémon are evaluated based on several factors like growth status, strength, traits, mastered techniques, development difficulty, and more, ultimately giving a price.
Although this price measures slightly below market value, it spares Trainers a lot of hassle.
"Oh? A Kingler with Forced Traits? The techniques are not bad, still possessing certain excellence-level developmental value; this one's not bad." The staff couldn't help but marvel at the data displayed on the computer.
The youth slowly lifted his head. Despite appearing excessively shabby, it was still distinguishable that he was none other than Natsuhiko who had gone missing for some time!
And this Forceful Giant Claw Crab was naturally the Water-type Pokémon he captured alongside Weedle at Fengluo River before the Zapdos incident.
After being in the wild for so long, upon returning to Goldenrod City, the first thing he did was exchange these Pokémon for money.
With the money now, he could implement his subsequent plans and arrangements step by step.
"Twenty-five thousand in total, sell it or not?"
The value of twenty-five thousand was undoubtedly mostly attributed to the Forceful Giant Claw Crab, possessing excellence-level strength, estimating nearly half of it came from this Kingler.
Additionally, there were miscellaneous Water-type Pokémon, and he tried capturing some other Pokémon on his way back to Goldenrod City.
Although the twenty-five thousand price didn't meet Natsuhiko's expectation, it was fairly acceptable.
Coupled with the five thousand Alliance coin reward from completing the Tangela capture task and the assorted earnings from doing trainings at the club earlier, he pieced together around thirty-seven to thirty-eight thousand with him.
This money, if he truly wanted to buy a Pokémon with outstanding talent, great cultivation value, and reasonable species value, was far from enough.
But Natsuhiko didn't have that demand now.
Furthermore, Pokémon from such stores often undergo rigorous training before selling, forcing them to fear humans and obey orders, losing their original personality and traits.
Such Pokémon might be easy to get started with, yet lack cultivation value.
If one really wants to buy Pokémon, it's more reliable to go to Breeding Houses that hold professional licenses from the Alliance.
Although the price could be considerably higher, it wins over greater cultivation value and higher growth potential.
Moreover, Breeding Houses reasonably pair and structure some Pokémon's breeding and genetics, offering Pokémon with decent genetic techniques and their own traits.
While Pokémon for cultivation were unnecessary, Natsuhiko urgently wanted some Pokémon to act as tools.
After slightly pondering, Natsuhiko said, "Do you have Ditto?"
"Ditto?" The staff gave a once-over before chuckling softly.
Ditto is a Pokémon with notably ordinary combat power, yet it's quite popular in the black market since it can transform into any form it desires.
It's just wild Ditto are difficult to capture, not easy to find, but black market Pokemon stores like these typically have professional Nurseries raising Ditto, allowing continuous production of Ditto and generating resources.
And Ditto is favored by many Trainers who maneuver between black and white zones as it effectively conceals their identities.
"Yes, two million for those not adept at transforming, five million for those adept at transforming. Which one do you want?"
The price difference between adept and inept at transformation astonishingly reached three million Alliance coins.
Yet if it wouldn't transform, what use would it be for Natsuhiko?
The Ditto might not be used now but it would be a good tool for concealing identity later.
Better safe than sorry.
"Five million one."
There's no reason to hesitate in saying it saved training time for transforming, "I also want a Flying-type Pokémon that can carry people."
Bang.
The staff dropped a thick book onto the counter.
"The catalog is at the front, with detailed descriptions in the back. You chose yourself." Covering his nose, he seemed unwilling to get close to Natsuhiko.
Natsuhiko said nothing.
Just started scanning the catalog quietly.
Mostly Pokémon from the Kanto Region and Johto Region were inside, with few from Hoenn and Sinnoh, but the prices of Pokémon from these two regions were a bit expensive.
There were quite a few Flying-type Pokémon but not many that could carry people, Natsuhiko quickly found his target.
"This one then."
Pointing to a page in the book.
Pokémon: Pidgeotto
Attributes: General Type + Flying Type
Traits: Sharp Gaze
Power Assessment: Excellence Level
Mastered Techniques: Bash, Sandslash, Wind, Electric Flash, Blow Away, Feather Dance, Wing Attack, Feather Rest, Chatter, Clear Thick Fog
Not only can it serve as a flying Pokémon for transportation, but also as a good hand for Natsuhiko when cultivating his own Pokémon.
"Good choice, hundred thousand."
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Here it is, the update you wanted, but surprisingly summaries don't count as updates; readers are too hard to deal with this time...