The next day.
Natsuhiko emerged from the Ice Cave, feeling refreshed and stretched lazily.
He had a comfortable, peaceful sleep.
This was the territory of Froslass, so there was no worry of Pokémon attacks at night.
Froslass and its four little companions had all been captured by Natsuhiko, along with a large and a small piece of Thousand-Year Ice.
Capturing Pokémon requires methods and techniques; forcibly capturing is one thing, but doing it like Ann Jie is simply nauseating.
In Natsuhiko's view, it's reasonable for a Trainer to capture some Pokémon for resources to sell, but there should still be some boundaries.
Before resting last night, Natsuhiko finally decided on the method and state he would use to enter Snow Peak City to learn more about the purpose and plans of the Hunter Guild.
With his well-rested Pokémon, he set off toward Snow Peak City.
He expected to reach Snow Peak City before tonight.
...
...
Meanwhile.
Kanto Region Alliance Headquarters.
Lance yawned long after completing the mission.
Several days of pursuit missions had turned his day-night schedule completely upside down, and now he just wanted to find a place to sleep comfortably.
Alongside him was a burly man with a bare torso.
Just looking at the muscle lines on his body, one could see how strong his body was.
"Lance, the mission is over, do you want to train together?" the man invited.
Lance smiled and shook his head, "Sheba, you go ahead, I want to have a good sleep, and the Pokémon need rest too."
The man was none other than the future Fighting Elite Four of Kanto Region, Sheba, who was slightly older than Lance and incredibly powerful.
He was preparing to make a push to become a Reserve Elite Four, and if successful, he'd be a strong contender for the vacant Elite Four position after Uncle Liu retires.
Even in the leisure time after the mission, Sheba did not let up on his training.
But Lance decisively refused his invitation.
No way, Sheba's training method was simply not suitable for him.
Lance was also not prepared to become a Fighting Master.
However, Lance still admired Sheba a lot.
Being able to train a human body to be comparable to a Pokémon requires daily hard training that would deter ninety-nine percent of people.
Hardworking people never become annoying.
"Alright then, you'll have to work hard, I'll be waiting for you above."
Sheba wasn't surprised by Lance's refusal and grinned, raising his index finger to point upward with a clear meaning.
"Then don't let me beat you to it."
"Hahahaha—"
Laughing, Sheba quickly walked out of the Alliance Hall.
Lance shook his head helplessly.
Sheba was not only a powerful Trainer but also not aligned with any faction.
It seemed like a good thing, not being constrained, but in reality, it made his path upward very difficult.
As Lance walked out of the Alliance Hall and summoned his Aerodactyl to leave, his phone suddenly rang.
Seeing the caller's number, he couldn't help but smile.
"Natsuhiko, what brings you to call me?"
The caller was none other than Natsuhiko, currently in Sinnoh, preparing to head to Snow Peak City.
"Hunter Guild?"
Upon hearing Natsuhiko's question, Lance frowned slowly.
But after some thought, he shared all the information he could tell Natsuhiko.
"The Hunter Guild is a relatively unstructured organization, but this also allows its members to be scattered throughout the Pokémon Realm..."
As he spoke, he sat on Aerodactyl.
"That's about it, if you interact with them, be sure to watch out for the twenty-six main council members of the Hunter Guild, especially A, J, L, N, T, and Z, they're very strong."
After saying this, Lance didn't forget to give a parting reminder.
"And also..."
Lance wanted to add something, but his words came to a sudden halt.
His expression grew a bit complicated.
"Never mind, just be careful."
...
...
Sinnoh.
Snow Peak City.
With some inside information about the Hunter Guild from Lance, Natsuhiko successfully arrived at Snow Peak City before nightfall. This city, at the northernmost part of the Sinnoh Region, is also the only city in Sinnoh completely covered in snow and ice.
Entering Snow Peak City, one could clearly feel the city's desolation, with the snow-covered roads seldom seeing pedestrians.
Being the peak of winter and the northernmost city, the residents of Snow Peak City were either traveling to other regions for vacation or staying home to enjoy the warmth, leaving few people wandering the streets.
After arriving in Snow Peak City, Natsuhiko headed straight for the black market.
From the Saint Anus to Sinnoh, and then walking all the way to Snow Peak City, Natsuhiko had accumulated quite a few resources and captured Pokémon.
These all needed to be sold in the black market.
Additionally, with the addition of Snorlax and its terrifying appetite, Natsuhiko was running low on Energy Blocks.
He needed to purchase some Tree Fruits and materials to make more himself later.
Awakening his psychic abilities allowed him to attempt making higher-difficulty Energy Blocks.
This could become one of his main sources of income for the foreseeable future.
Compared to the deserted streets of Snow Peak City, the black market was much livelier.
The influence of the territory was also palpable in the black market.
Most of the Pokémon being sold in the Pokémon Store were Ice-type Pokémon, whose prices were generally low and affordable.
The Pokémon Food Store also had many foods and Tree Fruits catered to Ice-type Pokémon.
When selling captured Pokémon, Natsuhiko could clearly feel this place had the largest flow of people.
Among the comings and goings, there were more people selling Pokémon than buying them.
The Hunter Guild had some manpower stationed in Snow Peak City, and those Pokémon Hunters often made extra money, constantly driving down the purchase prices of Pokémon in the black market.
After selling all the Pokémon he intended to, Natsuhiko only earned two million Alliance currency.
Though these Pokémon were either not strong, not rare, or already owned by Trainers, this price was undeniably low.
But there was no choice; he wasn't planning to leave Snow Peak City anytime soon, so keeping these Pokémon was just a waste of food, better to sell them early.
And the money he earned was used without hesitation to buy a large quantity of Pokémon food materials, including Tree Fruits.
Fortunately, as Pokémon prices fell, so did the prices of Tree Fruits and materials.
The back-and-forth made it not a complete loss.
After handling these trivial matters, it was time for the main business.
Based on his observations, Natsuhiko quickly locked onto the Hunter Guild-operated Pokémon Store in the black market,
It had the highest foot traffic, and the Pokémon in the store were the best quality in the entire black market, encompassing the widest range of regions and types.
His goal was simple.
To join the Hunter Guild!
To get an identity first, then look for opportunities to check out near the Divine Hall of Snow Peak, ideally contacting people inside, to better arrange matters concerning Meiyu and the others.
Moreover, as a loose organization, the Hunter Guild wouldn't conduct too much background checking on peripheral members.
Otherwise, with so many Pokémon Hunters in the Pokémon Realm, some even members of various underground forces working as "part-time" hunters, it would be impossible to investigate them all.
At most.
Only hunters recruited by the twenty-six members needed thorough investigation.