"Zee… zee…"
The Zubat, forced to inhale a large amount of Sleep Powder, gradually quieted down.
"Bellsprout, use Absorb. Drain it until it loses combat power," Icarus ordered while glancing at the sleeping Zubat. He didn't want to waste Poké Balls on a target that could still resist.
"Spri spri! (●—●)"
Bellsprout nodded and began absorbing steadily.
"Hiss—hiss—"
Meanwhile, Icarus sprayed another layer of Repel around them. It had been a while—better safe than sorry.
Soon, the weakened Zubat was tossed in front of him.
This time, it took two Poké Balls to fully capture it.
"It's almost eight… Let's head back," Icarus said after checking his electronic watch. It was getting late. If people went to sleep, visiting would become inconvenient.
"Spri?" Though confused, Bellsprout obediently nodded and began leading the way.
Thanks to generous use of Repel, the two exited the forest without incident.
They were still in the outermost zone, where Repel worked well. Deeper inside, he had heard that powerful Pokémon could resist the scent and ambush trainers anyway.
---
At the town gate, several guards looked surprised.
"You're back early again?"
"Less than two hours this time."
"The rookies who left before you haven't even returned yet."
The guards chatted casually.
"Yes, yes. I'm cautious by nature," Icarus replied with a sheepish smile. "Actually… I made an important discovery tonight and need to report it to Uncle Sam. Is he here?"
"Important discovery? Tell us about it," a thin guard asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Sorry, brother. Uncle Sam told me to report directly to him. Of course, it concerns the entire guard team."
"Alright, Santa, don't pry," another middle-aged guard said, patting the thin man's shoulder. "Since it's about the captain, let him go. The captain should be at the Guard Mansion."
"Thank you," Icarus said politely before heading toward the central building.
As he walked, envy flickered in his eyes.
"Uncle Sam really got promoted… Now he's captain. No more guarding gates."
The Guard Mansion existed only in towns protected by Gym-level trainers. In such places, development was much faster.
In Greenveil Town, there were four departments: Logistics, Military Affairs, Agriculture, and Civil Affairs.
The guard teams fell under Military Affairs.
After advancing to Elite rank, Sam had become captain of all four guard teams—second only to the Minister of Military Affairs.
---
At the mansion gate, two guards stopped him.
"This is a restricted area. No unauthorized entry."
"I'm a registered Alliance trainer. My name is Icarus Aoki. I need to see Captain Sam about an urgent matter."
He subtly handed over 500 Pokédollars.
"Ahem. Wait here. I'll report it."
Soon, the guard returned.
"Go in."
"Thank you."
Icarus followed the signs to the Guard Office and knocked.
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
"Uncle Sam! I haven't congratulated you yet. Congratulations on your promotion!" Icarus said immediately upon entering.
"You don't need to flatter me," Sam replied, though a smile tugged at his lips. "Just tell me what you need."
"I'm just speaking from the heart," Icarus said with an embarrassed grin.
Then he lowered his voice.
"You know I'm an orphan. No background, no support. So I've been hunting bugs and Grass-types near the outer perimeter at night to make ends meet…"
Sam sighed. "You've had it rough."
"Tonight, though… I spotted two Zubat in the outermost zone."
Sam's eyes sharpened.
"Zubat usually don't appear that close to town," Icarus continued, deliberately emphasizing the point. "I followed some traces and found more signs of hunting activity. It looks like a group may have moved closer."
"Oh?" Sam leaned back. "Then why not catch them yourself?"
"Uncle Sam, I don't have the equipment to capture Flying-types effectively. And Bellsprout can't fly. I wouldn't stand a chance against a swarm."
He scratched his head awkwardly.
"But you're an Elite trainer. Leading the guard team, handling Rookie-level Flying-types would be easy for you."
He paused deliberately.
"If there are extras… could I have priority to purchase one?"
Sam burst into laughter.
"You brat. So that's your plan."
Then his expression turned pleased.
"Flying-types are harder to capture than most common Pokémon. If there's really a cluster near the outer forest, that's valuable information."
He nodded decisively.
"If we capture more than needed, I'll leave one for you. Free of charge."
A fortune had practically delivered itself to his doorstep.
(End of Chapter 53)
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