"And I don't think it's just Zubat," Icarus quickly added when he saw Captain Sam agreeing to his earlier request.
"Oh? Why do you say that?" Sam leaned forward, interested.
"Yesterday, when I was near the outskirts, I ran into an Ekans. Luckily I had Repel with me. It had just advanced to the Normal level, so it was paying more attention to stabilizing itself."
He paused before continuing.
"You know Ekans like to prey on bird Pokémon. When it opened its mouth, I saw red feathers inside."
He deliberately adapted yesterday's encounter into something more useful.
Sam looked at him with surprise.
"You really don't know whether to call yourself lucky or unlucky. Last time you encountered a high-quality Rattata on the outskirts. This time you ran into a Normal-level Ekans, and now you've seen Zubat at night?"
His gaze toward Icarus grew more thoughtful.
To encounter such situations repeatedly and still return safely—this boy clearly had more than just luck.
"I don't want this kind of luck either…" Icarus sighed helplessly. "I just wanted to hunt some bugs outside and save money."
Sam rubbed his chin.
"This probably has something to do with the cleanup operation not long ago. The town pushed deep into the inner zone and cleared out many Pokémon."
He nodded slowly.
"The inner zone's insect population may be recovering quickly, but it still might not be enough to sustain the stronger Pokémon. So some of them are moving toward the outskirts."
"The outer zone Pokémon may be weaker and have poorer aptitude, but when food is scarce, energy is energy."
"That makes sense," Icarus nodded. "As expected of Uncle Sam."
Sam suddenly slapped the desk.
"Alright. I'll notify Team Two and Team Three to move out together."
He looked at Icarus.
"Do you want to come?"
"Uh—no, Uncle Sam," Icarus refused immediately. "I'd just slow you down. Just remember to leave one for me."
He wasn't stupid.
The weakest members of the guard team were already Normal-level trainers with at least multiple Normal-level Pokémon.
If danger appeared, it would be far beyond what he could handle.
Besides, he didn't fully trust them to protect him in a crisis.
Better to lie low and let the professionals handle it.
"Alright," Sam said. "Go home. I'll notify you once we've captured them."
As Icarus left, Sam was already dialing his phone to mobilize the teams.
---
Back home, Icarus arranged Bellsprout and began reviewing his situation.
"The shotgun will probably collect dust for now. Twenty-eight rounds left… Hard to resell secondhand. I'll store it. Maybe it'll be useful deeper in the forest."
He locked the weapon and ammunition into the cabinet.
"I still have four empty Poké Balls. I need to keep these on me. Who knows if I'll encounter something rare again."
Then he grinned.
"The biggest gains lately—one Spearow, two Zubat."
Even if calculated at minimum aptitude:
Average Spearow: about 70,000 Pokédollars
Zubat: around 20,000 each
"That's roughly 110,000…"
His smile widened.
"The problem is the Pokémon Center only buys back at 80% of the selling price. And they'll definitely require me to sell at least one if I want them to evaluate aptitude."
He sighed.
The Pokémon Center controlled qualification testing. There was no avoiding them.
And he couldn't show these Pokémon to Sam either—after all, he had just reported the discovery.
As for Ning Hui… he had only met her twice. She came from a small family background. Their relationship wasn't strong enough for blind trust.
"The one Uncle Sam promised… that's extra income."
He couldn't help laughing again.
"Spri?"
Bellsprout, practicing powder moves nearby, tilted its head. Its trainer seemed to lose composure often lately.
After calming down, Icarus counted his cash.
"One… two… three…"
"Only 3,500 Pokédollars left…"
He sighed.
"I really burn through money."
Still, once he secured a second Pokémon, his earning capacity would increase significantly.
He reorganized his supplies.
"Alarm bell, Repel, wound medicine—essential."
"The travel tent was probably bought too early. I was overly excited back then."
Outside, the cries of Pokémon echoed:
"Pidgey~"
"Rattata~"
"Woo~"
Morning had arrived.
He had no plans to go out today.
Since informing Captain Sam, the outer forest would be swarming with guard members for at least two days.
And these weren't rookies.
To join the guard team, one needed:
At least six Pokémon
At least four at Normal-level strength
To pass elimination battles
The pioneering teams required even higher standards—at least three mid-tier Normal-level Pokémon just to qualify.
With that kind of lineup clearing the forest, why would a rookie like him join the chaos?
"At most two days," Icarus estimated. "The Flying-types outside will be cleared out."
He felt a twinge of guilt.
"I wonder if those three rookie trainers caught anything last night…"
If they hadn't, their opportunity was gone.
Still, he wasn't risking himself for that.
For the next two days, he planned to stay home and train Bellsprout's powder techniques—aiming to learn Poison Powder soon.
After that:
1. Wait for Uncle Sam's notification.
2. Collect his promised Pokémon.
3. Go to the Pokémon Center for aptitude evaluation.
4. Decide on his second team member.
Everything was proceeding according to plan.
(End of Chapter 54)
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