With the help of Unown A's psychic power, Shiro swiftly hypnotized the hunter named Alger. As the burly man's eyes gradually turned dull, a faint pink psychic glow spread over his body.
"Why did you call me Lord W?" Shiro questioned.
Alger replied slowly, word by word. "Because your attire matches… and you have Hunter W's token on you…"
Hunter W's token?
After thinking for a moment, Shiro took out the metal W-shaped emblem from his bag and continued, "Then what was that card reader at the beginning?"
"That was…" Alger stammered. "Recently requested by Hunter A… for the other twenty-five top hunters to replace. The old tokens were too bulky, so they were changed to cards. It's more convenient…"
"How are hunter ranks divided?"
"Newbie, Skilled, Veteran…" Alger's body swayed as if drunk. "Corresponding to trainer levels. Anyone at Gym-level or above becomes Ace Hunters. The strongest twenty-six Ace Hunters are the top… the Twenty-Six Seats."
"Alright…"
Shiro pondered for a moment, digesting the information, before asking his final question. "Which top hunters are currently in Sinnoh?"
"Uh…" Alger fell silent for a while before answering. "I'm not sure, but recently I heard… Hunter A and Hunter B have come to Sinnoh…"
"That's enough."
Having finished his questions, Shiro waved his hand and released the psychic hypnosis. The pink glow faded from Alger's body, and he stood there blankly for several minutes before slowly regaining his senses.
When his eyes cleared, he noticed Shiro sitting on the sofa in a black cloak. He instinctively asked again, "Sir, do you have any orders?"
"I want to sell some Pokémon," Shiro responded.
"May I ask the level and species of these Pokémon—"
Before Alger could finish, Shiro took out all the Poké Balls he had obtained from Koga.
Five Poison-type Pokémon lay on the table. One of them was an Elite-level Crobat, while the rest were all Gym-level. These were clearly Koga's main team, with strength comparable to a standard Elite Four member.
These Pokémon had all been personally trained by Koga. Shiro knew very well that he could not command them at all, and it would already be fortunate if they didn't turn on him when released.
Although he was not entirely sure how the Hunters Guild would handle these Pokémon, he was certain they would accept them.
Alger looked at the row of Poké Balls and carefully examined them. "Th-this is…"
His eyes widened as he confirmed the strength of the Pokémon inside.
"An Elite-level Crobat!"
"Mm. Will the guild take them?" Shiro asked.
Looking at the man's shocked expression, he felt a bit disappointed inside. 'Don't tell me the Hunters Guild is this lacking, that they can't even handle a Crobat?'
"This… Pokémon above Gym-level are beyond my authority to handle," Alger said cautiously. "Lord W, please wait. I'll report this immediately."
Shiro waved his hand dismissively, and Alger hurried out, taking out a communication device as he left.
"Lord W has come to sell Pokémon. Four Gym-level and one Elite-level, all Poison-type…"
"W? Were they taken by force?"
"Most likely…"
"Alright, I understand. I'll be there shortly."
Alger hung up, let out a breath of relief, and stood by the door to wait.
Not long after, a thin old man in a black cloak appeared at the end of the corridor. He wasn't wearing a hood, leaving his balding head fully exposed.
"In this room?" the old man asked, pointing.
"Yes." Alger nodded in response.
"Alright, you can go."
With a wave of the old man's hand, Alger felt as if he had been pardoned and slipped away immediately.
Only after reaching the bustling market below did the burly man take a moment to wipe the sweat from his forehead, still shaken. For some reason, he felt as if he had been controlled. Something must have happened after entering the room, but he couldn't remember anything at all.
* * *
Inside the room, the old man pulled out a stool from the side and sat down across the coffee table, directly facing Shiro.
"Hunter W… Lord W…"
He muttered to himself as he picked up one of the Poké Balls, peering through its translucent top to observe the Pokémon within.
After confirming that all the Pokémon were in good condition and unharmed, he began asking for details.
"Were these Pokémon taken by you, Lord W? Who was the original owner?"
"Is that important?" Shiro retorted calmly.
"Haha." The old man chuckled and shook his head. "Not particularly. But if you tell us who the original owner is, it will be easier for us to sell them back. The price we offer will also be higher."
Shiro's gaze sharpened slightly.
Selling the Pokémon back to their original owners… that really was taking recycling to the extreme.
The ones who needed these Pokémon the most were their original owners. Not only would they pay a higher price, but there would also be no issues afterward, like the Pokémon refusing to obey.
However, doing this required a large intelligence network. The Hunters Guild would also need enough influence to reach all kinds of trainers.
"How much are you offering?" Shiro asked in a low voice.
"Mm…"
The old man did not respond. Instead, he stared at Shiro with a faint smile, as if he had already figured something out. In a playful tone, he said quietly, "You're not Hunter W, are you?"
"Oh? Of course I'm not."
Shiro admitted it without hesitation.
The old man clearly hadn't expected that answer. He froze for a second, then absentmindedly patted his bald head.
"You… uh…"
He wanted to say something more but stopped. Following a long pause, he finally forced out a sentence.
"Aren't you afraid?"
"Afraid of what?" Shiro asked back, puzzled.
"You killed Hunter W. Someone might come looking for revenge…" the old man said, his voice dropping.
"Hmph. I don't think any hunter would be eager to throw their life away." Shiro waved his hand impatiently. "Stop with this useless testing and just tell me the price. Either way, what difference does it make whether it's an unknown trainer selling them or Hunter W?"
"There's no difference."
The old man lowered his head slightly, his attitude turning noticeably more respectful.
"Sir, without information on the original owner, this Elite-level Crobat is worth twenty million Pokédollars. The other four Gym-level Pokémon together are worth twelve million. That makes a total of thirty-two million."
"And if I tell you who their original owner is?"
"We can offer a total of fifty million Pokédollars," the old man answered with a smile, rubbing his hands together.
**
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