Chapter 153: Return to Mahogany Town

After the she hunter left, Cain didn't linger any longer. He had already captured the Onix, so the main objective of his trip to the Ice Mountain was accomplished. Now, his main goal was to return to the Team Rocket base to obtain the mission items.

Cain released the Onix he had just captured, and under the threat of Slowpoke, it quickly surrendered.

Although this Onix would be used to complete a mission in the Hunter's Guild, using it as a means of transportation first wasn't a bad idea, as in these mountainous paths, it was the most suitable.

Cain, along with his Pokémon, climbed onto Onix and descended the mountain at great speed.

For Onix, the rugged path was no different from a flat surface.

After descending the mountain, Cain didn't return Onix to its Pokéball; he found that moving this way was much faster than walking. Although it attracted many furious attacks from other Pokémon, Cain didn't mind.

He saw it as an opportunity for his Pokémon to train. The influence of the young woman he had seen earlier had been significant; he couldn't just focus on what was right in front of him, as there were many young, powerful trainers.

Moving without stopping, Onix ignored the smaller trees, only adjusting its direction in front of the thicker ones.

They also crossed the territory of many powerful Pokémon, and Onix made so much noise that it was often seen as a provocation.

Onix almost wanted to cry; by nature, it would never dare to do something like this, but with an "ancestor" on its back constantly threatening it, it had no choice.

It really wanted to tell the wild, angry Pokémon attacking it that it was being forced, not to attack it.

However, its worries were unnecessary. Although some powerful Pokémon couldn't be defeated by Cain and his team, they could delay them long enough. Once out of their territory, most Pokémon stopped pursuing.

Although there were some who didn't give up easily, with Sneasel's speed-reducing moves, they could shake them off.

If they couldn't get rid of them, Murkrow, Slowpoke, and Sneasel would launch various moves at their pursuers, which was hard to withstand.

Thus, the attacks Onix feared never came, and their path was clear and unhindered.

Before the sun set, Cain, riding Onix, reached the outskirts of the forest, much faster than it had taken him to enter.

If it weren't for the increasing number of people, Cain would have wanted to ride Onix straight to Mahogany Town.

He even started considering if he should keep Onix as a means of transportation for a while longer. After all, it was much more convenient than walking.

Having learned his lesson, Cain changed into normal clothes, put on a baseball cap, and, with his head down, passed through the crowd and entered Mahogany Town.

A more serious atmosphere could be felt in the town, as if a deadly tension enveloped the place.

"The conflict between the League and Team Rocket is escalating; better to finish the mission as soon as possible," Cain thought silently.

Cain entered the Mahogany Town Pokémon Center, a place that used to be bustling but now felt somewhat empty. Cain didn't even have to wait in line for treatment.

He handed the Super Ball containing Sneasel to the Pokémon Center's medical staff, paid, and asked them to check Sneasel's health.

Sneasel was a recently captured Pokémon from the wild; although it appeared to be in good condition, Cain wasn't sure if it had any internal injuries or similar issues. After all, in the wild, Pokémon don't receive proper treatment and, when hurt, can only lick their wounds silently in a cave.

After waiting a while, Cain retrieved the Super Ball.

He learned that Sneasel was fine, except for slight malnutrition. The medical staff suggested that if Cain had extra resources, he should give Sneasel more nutritious food, like Pokéblocks.

Cain smiled and nodded at the medical staff's recommendation.

He booked a room at the Pokémon Center. Given the current situation in Mahogany Town, Cain didn't feel safe staying at a hotel.

At night, he took some time to visit the black market in Mahogany Town. Due to the presence of the largest Team Rocket base in the Johto region in this town, most of the sellers in the black market were also Team Rocket members.

In his past life, Cain was very familiar with the black market here, so he easily presented his Pokémon to the Hunter's Guild and received a significant amount of points and money.

Cain decided to keep Onix for now; after all, the mission completion deadline was a month away, and he wasn't in a rush to turn it in, as Onix could still be useful to him.

Swinub earned him a total of 150,000 points, and the Light Green-quality Donphan brought him 500,000. Additionally, Cain had earned 200,000 Pokédollars for preparing Pokéblocks for Whitney, added to the 2.4 million Pokédollars he already had.

Now, Cain had a total of 3.25 million Pokédollars.

To an average person, that might seem like a fortune, but for someone like Cain, who had six or more Pokémon to train, it was an insignificant amount.

And that only covered the materials Cain had bought. If he had acquired rare items or TMs, his account would have been emptied instantly.

Cain knew he had to save some money for emergencies, so he decided to postpone buying moves for his Pokémon. Unless absolutely necessary, Cain preferred to obtain the moves he wanted through Team Rocket's exchange system.

When he left the black market, Cain felt somewhat relieved. It was clear that the atmosphere in the black market was also serious; the usually noisy street vendors barely spoke, and many people were urgently trying to sell their belongings to buy items or materials that could quickly enhance their power.

No one was foolish; everyone noticed something strange while walking through the town.

Recently, League trainers were appearing more and more on the streets, and there were many new faces, leading some to guess what was happening.

While walking through the streets, few people talked to each other; most were busy with their own affairs, and if someone did speak, it was only briefly before moving on.

Cain didn't stay outside long and returned to the Pokémon Center, where he at least knew he'd be safe, as he still had the identity of a League trainer.

"Tomorrow I'll pick up the items and leave; the situation is becoming unsustainable," Cain thought as he lay down to sleep.

(End of chapter)