He took their Pokéballs and locked them to prevent the Pokémon inside from escaping by themselves.
Through the scanning system, Cain learned that the bulky man's Pokémon were a level 25 Arbok with an orange aptitude and a level 24 Fearow with the same aptitude.
The young man with the high-pitched voice had a level 22 Raticate with an orange aptitude and a level 18 Zubat with a yellow aptitude.
Cain was surprised to find a Pokémon with a yellow aptitude. Although its level was only 18, the value of that Zubat exceeded the combined value of the other three Pokémon.
The strength of both men's Pokémon was not to be underestimated. Although they couldn't compare to Murkrow or Slowpoke, facing all four at once would have been complicated.
It wasn't that he couldn't win, but the battle would have generated too much noise, making it difficult to retreat smoothly.
After all, this is a black market. Even though Cain is a member of Team Rocket, escaping wouldn't be so easy.
He shrank the four Pokéballs and stored them in his pocket. Although these Pokémon had average aptitude and strength, they were still worth some money. In his previous life as a Pokémon hunter, these Pokémon would have been his usual prey.
Then he gathered all the money and valuable items from the two men. Although they seemed quite poor, they ended up providing Cain with an income of one hundred thousand Pokédollars. There's no denying that theft is a very lucrative profession.
Finally, his attention turned to the floating Pokémon egg. Cain held it in his hand, and the egg's data appeared simultaneously.
Pokémon: Skorupi (Light Blue)
Sex: Male
Level: 1
Type: Poison + Bug
Ability: Unknown
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Screech, Agility, Poison Tail, Pursuit
Basic Moves: Bite, Poison Sting, Leer
Learned Moves: None
TM Moves: None
Just as Cain had suspected, it was a Skorupi. However, the quality of this Pokémon exceeded his expectations, reaching a blue quality level, albeit a light blue one.
This is worlds apart from a Pokémon with green quality, and it has four egg moves.
Cain, who was already interested in Skorupi, was even more pleased with this Pokémon egg. If he manages to raise it and evolve it into Drapion, it will become one of his strong cards.
Although he still didn't know Skorupi's ability, all of its possible abilities were excellent, and each had a clear development path. Cain firmly decided to raise it.
Additionally, being a Pokémon that hasn't been born yet, raising it from hatching would ensure that it becomes very attached to its trainer. After all, the first being a Pokémon sees upon hatching considers it as its parent.
He hadn't expected that such a casually chosen place to change his mask would result in obtaining such a valuable Pokémon.
This is the third Pokémon egg that Cain has obtained. Previously, he got a Weedle egg that he sold to Umbra, then a Larvitar egg, a pseudo-legendary Pokémon that cannot hatch, and now a light blue Skorupi egg.
It seems that every Pokémon egg Cain finds has superior aptitude.
Although the Larvitar egg is the most precious, as it cannot hatch, this Skorupi egg will become the first Pokémon Cain raises from its hatching in this life.
He looked at the data in the incubator, and all the indices of Skorupi were normal. The hatching time indicated a number: 3.
That means in three days, Skorupi should hatch without any issues. By then, Cain would need to prepare suitable food for a newborn Pokémon.
With the help of the system, he wouldn't have to worry about the right Pokéblocks for Skorupi during its upbringing.
However, newborn Pokémon cannot consume Pokéblocks immediately. Even in their infancy, supplementary foods are more appropriate.
Therefore, another plan must be advanced.
Cain decided to go to the black market's section for Pokémon sales and buy a Miltank, a Pokémon that produces milk rich in nutritious elements.
Miltank's milk is the perfect food for Pokémon in their infant stage, and the higher the level and quality of the Miltank, the more nutritious the milk will be.
Although Miltank milk can be purchased directly, that milk stored for a long time has been treated with preservatives and does not reach its maximum nutritional value. So, if possible, buying a Miltank would be a long-term solution.
Cain originally planned to buy a Miltank after finding a way to hatch the Larvitar egg, to feed the pseudo-legendary Pokémon with high-quality milk, ensuring it has a significant advantage from the beginning.
But now it seems that the plan to buy a Miltank must be advanced. In three days, Skorupi will be born, and with its high quality, raising it with Miltank's milk will ensure it grows strong and healthy.
Determined, Cain wasted no more time. He had Gastly hide the incubator in the shadows, which had almost become a storage area, containing both the Skorupi egg and the Larvitar egg.
Then, Cain stored Slowpoke in its Pokéball while Murkrow remained on his shoulder.
Although Murkrow is not common, being a Dark and Flying-type Pokémon, many in the black market have one, so Cain wouldn't stand out with it.
With a newly acquired skin mask and his black robe taken from his space belt, Cain stealthily left the dark alley.
Cain now possessed six detailed skin masks. If used well, he could create six different identities.
Each of those identities would play a different role in his plans.
The mask that Umbra gave him is for his identity in the League, the most important of all and the one that must never be exposed.
The mask he recently used is planned for his other profession: Pokémon hunter.
In his previous life, as a Pokémon hunter, Cain earned his first million, providing him with the resources necessary to train his Pokémon.
Although luck played a role, in this life, with a much better start, being a Pokémon hunter will allow him to obtain more resources to train his Pokémon.
(End of Chapter)