"This will be it," Cain thought silently.
Initially, his plan was to simply acquire a yellow-quality Miltank, just to provide nutritious milk for his entire team, and to prepare for the imminent birth of Skorupi.
Ignoring the varied looks of the five Miltank, Cain focused his attention on the tag of the Pokémon he had selected.
Number: 85679
Pokémon Species: Miltank
Quality: High
Training Value: Medium
Price: 500,000 Pokédollars
"500,000." Seeing the price of this Miltank, Cain noticed that, aside from the highest-level Miltank that cost 600,000, this was the most expensive.
However, considering the quality and the moves, the price seemed reasonable, slightly high, but within the acceptable range for Cain.
He remembered that on Judgment Island, the Weedle egg he had was sold for 20,000 Team Rocket points to Umbra.
Of course, the value of a Miltank couldn't be compared to an ordinary Beedrill, and the ratio between Pokédollars and points was not fixed.
Having made his decision, Cain pressed a red button at the entrance and crossed his arms as he waited.
It didn't take long before the woman in the black leather jacket walked in, swaying her hips.
"Have you decided? Which one do you want?" the woman asked with a smile.
"That one," Cain said, pointing at the Miltank he had chosen and handing over the black bank card he had just received.
The woman looked at him with surprise, took the nameless card, and commented, "You have a good eye."
She pulled out a card reader from a piece of space equipment, entered the purchase amount into the device, and after swiping the card, 500,000 Pokédollars were deducted with a "beep" sound.
Then, she took the simplest Pokéball, and with a red flash, captured the Miltank that Cain had chosen.
She handed the Pokéball and the bank card to Cain, and with a voice laden with sensuality and mystery, whispered into Cain's ear, "Here are your things. I hope to see you again~~ My name is Rosa, don't forget it~~"
As she said "forget," she deliberately elongated the word.
Cain couldn't help but feel his jaw tense, a slight headache forming.
For an ordinary customer, Rosa's seductive appearance and voice could influence them, leading them to act recklessly. But Cain, knowing her true identity, didn't even think of touching her.
The name Rosa suited her perfectly; she was a woman full of thorns, and anyone who got too close would suffer more than just a prick.
A quasi-elite level expert, she could teach any man swayed by his desires why roses are so red.
Everything about her exterior was just a façade.
Without responding to her insinuations, Cain took the bank card and the Pokéball. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "I want to register as a member of the Hunters Guild and accept some missions."
Rosa paused for a moment, the movement of her lips halting upon hearing this, and the seductive smile disappeared from her face. As if seeing Cain for the first time, she scrutinized him from head to toe before coldly saying, "Hunter?"
The Hunters Guild was an underground organization, but it didn't have a very rigid structure. Apart from some internal members raised from childhood, most simply registered their identity with the guild and completed a few missions, without having many obligations.
Therefore, guild members were scattered across all regions, and in each one, there were designated contact points. This shop, besides selling wild Pokémon, also served as a contact point for hunters, issuing capture missions.
The first time Cain, in his past life, had contact with the Pokémon hunter profession was in this shop in Saffron City. Although back then, the shopkeeper wasn't Rosa.
Registering as a guild hunter wasn't essential, as even without registration, captured Pokémon could be sold directly to the guild. However, registering allowed access to specific missions issued by the guild.
In his past life, Cain earned his first substantial capital as a Pokémon hunter, and in this life, he had no intention of passing up that opportunity.
As long as one had enough strength and the ability to assess a Pokémon's quality, being a Pokémon hunter was a profession that allowed for quick money-making.
Although Cain didn't lack money at the moment, he knew that as his Pokémon leveled up, the resources needed would increase, and spending would become greater.
This was just preparation.
Cain nodded silently without saying more.
Rosa looked at him with disdain and continued applying her lipstick. After finishing, she muttered with displeasure, "I thought you were a rookie, but it turns out you're already a hunter. How boring."
She led Cain out of the room, walking deeper into the shop.
After nearly five minutes of silent walking, they finally reached a massive iron door. Opening it, a wide hall appeared before Cain.
Unlike the dark shop, this hall was luxuriously decorated, and many people wandered around. Each of them wore a badge on their chest.
Some had three stars, others one star, and some even had a sun on their chest. The fearful glances from others toward the latter clearly indicated that this person was one of the most powerful in the hall.
Around the hall, there were several teleportation points. Almost every minute, someone would emerge from one, while others left quickly, disappearing from the room.
This was the true means of transport for registered members of the Hunters Guild, using teleportation points created with the move Teleport.
These teleportation points were only accessible to registered hunters who had completed a certain number of missions. For example, a newly registered hunter would learn the location of three of these points in the hall, which were the most basic and no more than 3,000 meters apart from each other.
The badges on each person's chest indicated their rank within the guild: one star for one-star hunters, two for two-star hunters, and so on up to seven stars, the highest rank in the guild.
The person with the sun on their chest was an internal member of the Hunters Guild. They enjoyed different privileges from star-ranked hunters and could accept missions of any level.
Their status was only surpassed by that of the local branch leader, being an honorary guild member.
(End of chapter)