Bottom-tier trainers in the Pokémon world

After doing all that, it opened its mouth slightly and gave a small yawn.

It seems like she's tired.

Instead of rushing headlong into the private room, Xia Yan went to the bar, where a bartender dressed in black and white was skillfully wiping the crystal-clear glasses.

I gently tapped the smooth surface of the table.

Knock knock...

"A beer."

A hand with an obscure but large ruby ​​on its index finger held a large wine glass and presented it to him, filling it to the brim.

"50."

It's quite expensive.

Xia Yan took a small sip, the bitterness of the malt quickly spreading in his mouth. He then took out a fifty-yuan Union Coin from his pocket and placed it on the counter.

Little Casey, hidden inside his clothes, seemed to have smelled something; her nose twitched slightly, and her little tail swayed involuntarily.

"Looking for someone?" The bartender put away the money and gave him a meaningful look.

"Hmm?" Xia Yan frowned and looked at him.

"Don't be nervous. Unfamiliar faces always attract more attention. Since you came in, you've been glancing at VIP room number one, probably looking for someone."

The bartender chuckled, seemingly quite confident in his observation.

"However, I have a suggestion for you: the person in VIP room number one is no small fry, so it's best not to have any bad intentions."

Xia Yan took another sip from his glass, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the bartender's suggestion.

"Of course, if you're a trainer, you might get some unexpected gains," the bartender suddenly added.

"What do you mean?"

Before the bartender could answer, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the door to VIP room number one slowly opening out of the corner of his eye.

The bartender shrugged. "See? We're welcoming you."

Xia Yan looked at the door of the private room, which had been opened a crack but hadn't changed since. After a moment's hesitation, he placed the cup on the counter and walked over.

He left a message before leaving.

"Nice ring."

Upon hearing this, the bartender paused, looked down at the ring on his index finger, and gently wiped it with the tablecloth. The layer of dust covering it was wiped away, revealing the previously hidden brilliance.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "You're quite observant."

Watching Xia Yan's figure disappear into the private room, he hummed an unknown tune and continued wiping the wine glasses.

the other side.

Xia Yan entered VIP room number one with a hint of wariness.

In the dim light, you could see an elderly man with gray hair, nestled in a sofa, a doting smile on his lips, while the Gastly frolicked around him.

Upon noticing Xia Yan entering, the old man nodded slightly apologetically.

"I'm sorry, the child seemed to sense something and suddenly left. If it disturbed you, I apologize on its behalf."

Gastly playfully stuck its tongue out at Xia Yan.

So, was it the commotion caused by Abra's evolution that caught the attention of this Gastly?

That seems like a reasonable explanation.

"I didn't know it had a trainer."

Since the other party apologized so sincerely, Xia Yan couldn't hold onto the apology.

Moreover, he couldn't see through the old man.

Starting today, we'll probably have to be careful of these elusive Ghost-type Pokémon.

Fortunately, Casey has already hatched. Even though it doesn't have much combat power yet, given the psychic abilities it just displayed, it shouldn't be difficult for it to find some hidden Ghost-type Pokémon.

"A trainer?" The old man smiled and shook his head.

Seeing that Xia Yan was about to leave, the old man called him back, "As an apology, I wonder if young brother would be interested in attending a gathering?"

"A party?" Xia Yan paused in his steps.

“Yes, a gathering, a very interesting gathering…” the old man said meaningfully.

Chapter Ten Commission

"I'm an intelligence dealer, people call me Old Bill. I also organize gatherings for people in need. There happens to be one today, and if you're free, you can try to join in," Old Bill gave a brief introduction.

An intelligence dealer?

So, the Gastly's behavior might not necessarily be its own.

Xia Yan glanced at the smiling old man, but couldn't discern anything amiss.

"What about it?"

Old Bill chuckled and said, "Most of them are trainers who exchange items with each other, including Pokémon, tools, materials, or information, etc., in an equal exchange."

"Then why not go to the black market?" Xia Yan countered.

It seems that all the items the old man mentioned can be found on the black market, right?

"The black market is certainly an option, but you should know the quality of most Pokémon there, as you know the black market exists, right? Besides, there are some things that aren't available on the black market either."

There's no black market?

Xia Yan nodded, but this was not a reason that could completely convince him.

However, it also piqued his curiosity about the gathering.

Seemingly sensing Xia Yan's hesitation, the old man thought for a moment and then added, "The actual controllers of the Goldenrod City black market are Team Rocket, but some people... are not suitable to be in Team Rocket's sights. That's all I can say."

As soon as he heard this, Xia Yan understood.

While it's true that Saffron City is officially part of the Pokémon League but secretly part of Team Rocket, this doesn't mean that all trainers in Saffron City are either non-League members or members of Team Rocket.

Among them are many like him, who are lucky enough to become trainers, but can't make it into the league, and are not too willing to join the Rockets.

The league's constraints are too heavy, and the Rockets' identity would be too sensitive.

Of course, if we analyze it more deeply, could we also assume that there are many other organizations operating within Golden City?

Don't assume that Team Rocket is the only organization in the Kanto region besides the League. It's just that Team Rocket is so powerful that other organizations have to hide.

Furthermore, it's not to say that organizations outside of the Kanto region haven't placed their own people in Saffron City.

For example, Team Magma and Team Aqua in the Hoenn region, Team Galactic in the Sinnoh region, Team Plasma in the Unova region, and so on...

Xia Yan had been thinking for a while that it didn't make sense for Golden City to be so clean, with everything being either black or white, just the Rockets or the league, and he had never seen anyone from the gray area. But what Old Bill said cleared up some of his doubts.

“I understand,” Xia Yan said.

"In that case, young man, come with me."

As he spoke, Old Bill walked to the corner of the private room, opened a hidden door, and gestured for Xia Yan to "please" with his hand.

"Oh, by the way, consider this a gift."

Old Bill somehow produced a mask.

"no need."

Xia Yan didn't take it. Instead, he tapped the Poké Ball at his waist with his fingertip. As the Poké Ball opened, a mask transformed from Ditto appeared in his hand, which he put on his face expressionlessly.

Seeing this, old Bill paused for a moment, then laughed again.

"Young man, you're very experienced."

They then led him into a hidden door, and after walking about ten meters, another door appeared in front of him.

Old Bill skillfully and rhythmically knocked on the door.

About five or six seconds passed.

squeak--

Accompanied by the grating sound of wood scraping against your teeth, the wooden door slowly opened, revealing a gray head, a mask resembling a human skull, and a red eye like a will-o'-the-wisp beneath a dark hole.

Night Patrol Spirit!

Upon seeing the head that peeked out, Xia Yan recognized the elf.

Ghost-type Pokémon registered in the Hoenn region have two evolutions, with their final evolution, Dusknoir, not yet discovered.

The Night Patrol Spirit's eyes swept over Old Bill and Xia Yan, and after a brief examination, it let Xia Yan in.

Old Bill didn't go in; he just stood outside the door with a smile.

After the door closed, the smile on his face gradually disappeared. "Being vigilant enough is good."

After entering, Xia Yan followed the Night Patrol Spirit through two more rooms and arrived at a more secluded inner room.

There were more than a dozen people sitting in the small room. Some were sitting on the sofa, some were leaning against the wall, and some were sitting directly on the floor in front of the coffee table. Each of them wore a gray mask.

Pulling at the black robe draped over his body, Xia Yan stood silently by the wall at the door, arms crossed, leaning against it.

His arrival slightly interrupted the conversation of the people in the room, but seeing that he didn't say anything, the party continued.

A burly man sitting on the sofa said in a deep voice, "Continuing our previous topic, I'm selling a veteran-level Machoke with no defensive ability. It has sufficient battle experience and good fighting skills. You can trade it for money or a Pokémon."

For Pokémon, I prefer Electric, Ice, or Rock types, and their strength must be at least at the veteran level.

After the burly man finished speaking, he didn't say anything more, seemingly waiting for a reply from the people in the room.

With his robust physique and the way he sells Fighting-type Pokémon, he must be a trainer specializing in Fighting-type Pokémon, right? It's also understandable that he wants Electric, Ice, or Rock-type Pokémon; it's to counter Flying-type Pokémon's advantage against Fighting-type Pokémon... Xia Yan thought to himself.

However, the Pokémon it was sent out was a veteran-level Pokémon, and not one of those completely tamed Pokémon sold on the black market. Its strength and willpower were guaranteed, and as long as it could be tamed, it could become a decent fighting force. This was indeed incomparable to the Pokémon sold on the black market.

If we're just talking about money, it must be at least several hundred thousand, right?

But after the burly man spoke for a long time, no one responded, as if no one met the conditions or was unwilling to pay the money.

Just as the burly man was about to give up, a slightly shrill voice rang out, "I don't have any veteran-level Flying-types, but I have an excellent-level Pidgeotto that is about to evolve. Its ability is Keen Eyesight, and it will definitely reach the veteran level after evolving. I can pay an extra 150,000 as the price difference."