Eric exhaled a long, deep breath.
The heavy, lingering tension that had coiled tightly in his chest over the past few weeks finally dissolved. He rolled his shoulders, feeling surprisingly light. He hadn't realized just how much stress he had been carrying since the incident at the Williams estate.
Sometimes, all it took was a little mindless violence to clear the head. It was even more effective than the week of rest he had taken.
"I needed that," Eric muttered, cracking his neck.
He then turned his calm, indifferent gaze back to the scarred Ursaring Leader. The massive bear was still holding its paws up in surrender, sweating profusely under the terrifying presence of the grinning Haunter.
"You and your monkeys ruined my peaceful training session," Eric said, his voice flat. "I don't work for free, and I certainly don't clean up your territorial disputes out of the goodness of my heart. Compensation."
The Ursaring Leader blinked, then hurriedly nodded. It was a seasoned veteran of the forest. It understood the universal language of extortion perfectly.
The bear gestured with a massive claw for Eric to follow.
Eric didn't hesitate. He knew the Ursaring wouldn't try anything stupid. Even if it did, at its current level, Haunter could beat it easily despite its immunity to ghost-type moves.
They walked deeper into the eastern woods, bypassing the groaning, unconscious bodies of the lesser Ursarings, until they reached a large, heavily guarded cave system. Inside the cavern, the smell of sweet honey and damp earth was thick in the air.
The Ursaring Leader led Eric to the very back of the main chamber, pushing aside a heavy boulder to reveal its personal stash.
Eric's eyes lit up.
Territory leaders were the apex predators of their respective zones. Over the years, they naturally hoarded the best resources the environment had to offer. There were piles of rare, high-grade Pecha and Sitrus berries, jars of premium honey, and most importantly, energy crystals.
Eric saw at least a dozen Tier-2 Normal-type crystals scattered around the pile.
But right in the center, resting on a pedestal of carved stone, was something that completely eclipsed everything else in value.
It was a crystal the size of a fist, glowing with a pure, blindingly dense white light.
Eric's system instantly flagged it.
```
Item: Tier-3 Energy Crystal
Type: Normal
Purity: 98%
Description: A hyper-condensed crystal formed over centuries in a high-density energy zone. Contains enough pure energy to drastically improve a Pokémon's core and energy grade.
```
'A Tier-3 crystal...' Eric's breath hitched slightly.
If you bought one in the market, it would cost at least 15 million pokedollars, that too depending on its availability. Tier-3 and Tier-4 crystals are usually sold in auctions.
Eric didn't hesitate and put the Tier-3 crystal into his spatial watch.
"URSA..." The Ursaring Leader let out a quiet, incredibly pained whimper. It looked like it was watching its own child being kidnapped.
Eric glanced at the miserable bear. He looked at the dozen Tier-2 crystals, then back at the bear.
He sighed. "Fine. Consider this my good deed for the month."
Feeling a rare pang of pity for the creature, Eric didn't touch anything else. He turned and walked out of the cave, leaving the Ursaring Leader to literally hug the remaining Tier-2 crystals in sheer, weeping relief.
But Eric wasn't done.
He marched his team straight north, crossing the territorial border and marching directly into the Primeape encampment.
Normally, a human walking into Primeape territory would be swarmed instantly. But today, the monkeys parted like the Red Sea. The few conscious Primeapes that saw Haunter hovering over Eric's shoulder actively dove into the bushes to hide.
They found the Primeape Leader sitting on a large rock in the center of the camp, nursing a massive, swollen lump on its head.
Unlike the perpetually furious ape from before, this Primeape looked noticeably more cautious, and significantly less angry. The sheer trauma of being one-shotted had apparently knocked some sense into it.
"Same deal," Eric said, crossing his arms. "Compensation."
The Primeape Leader grumbled, rubbing its head, but it wisely chose not to argue. It led Eric to a hollowed-out tree trunk at the edge of the camp.
Eric peered inside.
There were no Tier-3 crystals here, which was expected. However, the sheer volume of Fighting-type crystals was staggering.
Unlike with the Ursaring, Eric felt absolutely zero pity for the monkeys that had indiscriminately attacked him.
He swept the entire stash clean. Ten Tier-2 Fighting-type crystals and fifty Tier-1 Fighting-type crystals vanished into his inventory in the blink of an eye. He left behind a few mundane herbs and shiny rocks that weren't of much use to him.
"PRIIIIME!" The Primeape Leader's eyes bugged out. Its natural anger flared up, its fists clenching as it realized its life savings had just been robbed blind. It took a furious step forward.
"Kekeke."
Haunter floated directly in front of the ape, his red eyes curving into a psychotic, crescent-moon smile as a pitch-black Shadow Ball began to casually form in his right hand.
The Primeape Leader stopped dead in its tracks.
The memory of getting blasted through three oak trees resurfaced with crystal clarity. The ape swallowed hard, uncurled its fists, and promptly sat back down on its rock, looking the other way.
No matter how much its instincts demanded rage, it absolutely did not want to go through that again.
"Smart choice," Eric smirked.
With his pockets infinitely heavier and his mind completely refreshed, Eric finally called an end to the excursion. He recalled his team and began the trek back to Saffron City.
This had been an incredibly successful training trip. Not only had he secured millions of Pokédollars' worth of resources, but the relentless, high-paced combat had pushed his team perfectly through their digestion phase.
Back in the comfort of his hotel room, Eric pulled up their final status screens.
Haunter: Lvl 39
Poliwrath: Lvl 37
Fearow: Lvl 35
Growlithe: Lvl 16
Ralts: Lvl 12
Haunter was just one level away from the Level 40 barrier, the official threshold of an Advanced-level Pokémon. Poliwrath and Fearow had solidified their foundations wonderfully, and the two juniors were slowly gaining combat experience and catching up.
Eric leaned back on the plush sofa, tossing the Tier-3 Normal-type crystal in his hand.
He could give it to Fearow, but she mostly relied on her flying-type energy. Tier-2 Crystals were enough for her Normal-type.
Instead, he thought of Growlithe. Extreme Speed was one of Arcanine's strongest moves. He wanted Growlithe to develop his normal-type energy to maximise its strength.
Eric decided. Once Growlithe reached past level 20, he would give him the crystal.
Everything was falling into place.
He just had to continue climbing up.
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