Both Scyther and Pinsir froze mid-motion when they noticed Silas.
A human.
The pokemon were familiar with humans. These strange beings loved to capture their kind and take them away. They had pokemon companions to do their dirty work.
The Scyther leader lifted its blades and began moving in a controlled circular pattern, wings humming faster as a faint glow built along its arms.
Swords Dance.
Its movements sharpened, power visibly rising.
The Pinsir let out a heavy roar and charged at them.
Silas exhaled sharply..
"Monferno. Elekid."
The two stepped forward.
Pinsir hit first, charging with crushing momentum. Monferno launched an Aura Sphere that exploded against Pinsir's chest, slowing it but not stopping it. Pinsir pushed through and swung its horns in a violent arc, forcing Monferno to leap back.
Scyther vanished. A blur of Aerial Ace cut downward toward Elekid.
Elekid threw up Light Screen instinctively, but since Aerial Ace was a physical attack, the defensive move did nothing to protect Elekid. The swords dance boosted strike sent Elekid skidding across the dirt.
The Swords Dance had worked.
"Focus," Silas said evenly.
He was secretly delighted at the chosen matchups by the wild pokemon, he held the advantage on both sides.
Monferno intercepted Pinsir with Brick Break, the impact cracking the ground between them. Pinsir retaliated with a wild frenzy of horn strikes, driving Monferno back through sheer physical pressure.
Scyther came again, blades cutting in a faster, sharper rhythm now. Elekid avoided one strike but took a grazing slash across the shoulder.
"Cross Chop," Silas said.
Elekid leapt forward, arms glowing, and brought them down in a tight arc that clipped Scyther mid-lunge. The impact forced it back but didn't drop it.
Pinsir seized the moment and lunged toward Elekid.
Monferno intercepted with a full-force Flame Wheel, slamming into Pinsir and knocking it off course.
The clearing filled with smoke and scattered leaves.
Scyther attacked again, blades flashing. Elekid ducked under one strike and released a point-blank Thunder Shock that forced Scyther into open space.
"Now," Silas said.
Monferno gathered another Aura Sphere while Elekid focused its electricity forward. The dual strike hit Pinsir squarely, staggering it heavily before it collapsed onto one knee and then fell flat.
Scyther hesitated for half a second.
That was enough.
Elekid delivered a super effective Thunder Shock on Scyther. Electricity coursed through its body as Scyther fell beside its rival.
Scyther quickly got up and unleashed a barrage of Air slash but Elekid withstood it easily due to its type advantage and the Light Screen from earlier.
Elekid delivered another Thunder Shock while Monferno used Flame Wheel.
The struggling to stand Pinsir was blasted by Monferno in fire ball form while Scyther was electrocuted until knocked out.
The remaining clan members had started to wake up and seeing their leaders defeated, scattered immediately into the forest.
Silas stood still, breathing steady. That had not been a beginner's skirmish. He threw a Great Ball at Pinsir and Scyther. Both Pokemon resisted capture and broke free from 2 attempts each..
Silas was not upset as these were 2 high-tier captures that should get him a decent sum.
As they exited the clearing, Silas reviewed his inventory.
Poké Balls remaining: 28
Great Balls remaining: 6
Captures: Oddish (C), Gloom (C), Pinsir (B-), Scyther (C+)
His first day was efficient and profitable. Silas managed to earn some money while training his pokemon. Elekid advanced to level 20 and Monferno was close to advancing to level 21.
Silas realized how dangerous Viridian Forest could be but he welcomed the training ground.
He visited the underground market that night and went straight to the Hunters Guild to turn in his captures. Luckily there was no line this time so Silas made his way to the front desk.
Julie was not there this time but there was a stern looking middle aged man.
"Your guild card please."
Silas handed his card to the man who placed it on the computer scanner. He presented the 4 pokemon captured today.
"I will have to appraise the level and quality."
He took out a device that had a pokeball slot and placed each ball in the slot for a minute each.
"Not bad at all, kid. This should fetch you a good price. Let me check the GMS."
The GMS was the global mission system. The Hunters Guild had several branches in every city and every branch took on missions. Using the teleport system, the Guild had a unique and efficient way of completing missions.
Some hunters would just capture rare pokemon and check the GMS because chances were that someone somewhere issued a mission for the pokemon you had. If not, the guild would directly buy the pokemon depending on the quality and rarity.
Silas hadn't accepted any specific missions so he was going the GMS route today.
"You are in luck, the Scyther and Pinsir each fit an issued missions criteria. The Gloom and Oddish are a different story, you can take them back."
"What are the rewards for my 2 completed missions?"
"Since Pinsir has a hidden ability and good talent, you will receive 75 points. Scyther inherited Swords Dance and Air Slash showing potential hidden talent so you will receive 50 points for a total of 125. Money earned for the mission is 50k pokedollars a piece. After the 30% commission, you are left with 70k pokedollars."
Silas was a little annoyed but he said nothing to show it. He took the card with his payment and his guild card.
"Thank you, I will be taking my leave now."
He made his way to the exit. Once outside, Silas fell into deep thought. He estimated he'd need at least 5 million pokedollars to compete for a pseudo legendary or perhaps another starter pokemon.
For the next week, Silas worked tirelessly. By day he would train in Viridian Forest, defeating bug catchers and other trainers. He would also defeat any strong wild pokemon he came across and captured any that seemed of value.
His most notable catch was a C+ Talent level 32 Heracross. This pokemon was normally only seen in Johto but recently pokemon from Johto and Kanto migrated between the 2 regions allowing Johto pokemon to show up in Kanto and vice versa.
Silas was lucky, he only defeated Heracross after it had been through a battle with a swarm of Butterfree. By the time Silas came across it, Heracross had at most 25% of its stamina remaining. He felt bad taking advantage of the situation but he did it anyway.
In total Silas had completed 11 missions and had collected 700 points in total so he was now a D rank hunter. The missions had also earned him an additional $260k after fees. Each level of a hunter pays 5% less in mission fees.
What made Silas happier was that the constant battling had allowed him to stock up on system points for the first time. He had battled so much and now had a balance of 277 BP.
Monferno and Elekid continued to level up, with Monferno reaching level 22 and Elekid reaching the peak of level 21. Elekid also learned Thunder Wave.
On the 7th day of his training/hunting session, after turning in his captures, Silas visited the auction once again. This auction seemed to be a special one. The auction host had several cages behind him containing various pokemon.
There were some pseudo legendaries and starter pokemon from other regions mixed in. There were 2 Dratinis, a Trapinch, 4 Beldum, Mudkip, Tepig, Magby, Rufflet, Ditto, & a strange looking Froakie. This was quite the lineup. Silas scanned every pokemon.
The Hunters Guild clearly weren't taking this auction seriously. The Dratinis both had D Talent and no egg moves. While a breeder could still make use of them, Silas was not in the same position.
The Trapinch had solid C+ Talent and the remaining pokemon all had C- talent except for Froakie, it had F talent!
"Please note that this Froakie is malnourished and suffering from multiple injuries stemming from its developmental stage."
As if sensing Silas' confusion, the system explained the cause of Froakie's condition. Silas was concerned because this Froakie had its hidden ability Protean and it was shiny which meant it would be pitch black as a Greninja. One of the coolest pokemon in Silas' opinion.
The auction started with 1 of the Dratini and the bidding was extreme but someone finally won with a final bid of 2MM pokedollars. Tepig and Magby went similarly. The next up was Trapinch. Not everyone knew this tiny little pokemon evolved into the majestic desert guide dragon Flygon.
Silas intended to bid, however there were several interested bidders and the amount quickly rose past 500k pokedollars. Silas sighed in frustration.
"We meet again, kid."
Silas heard a vaguely familiar voice behind him.