Yujira understood and released their mouths.
Their intense breathing was like bellows.
"Cough cough, you, you speak." The thin man said.
They had succeeded countless times using this method.
The allure of the Starter Trio Pokémon was indeed great; few could resist once they heard its name.
The grassy patch deep in the swamp was a spot they frequently used.
Grotle acted as bait, with two Carnivines blocking the way and lying in ambush.
This Grotle wasn't much to speak of either.
They had bought this "inferior product" at a high price from the black market.
But even an inferior product was hugely attractive to many unaware Trainers.
However, walking by the river often, your shoes are bound to get wet.
Unexpectedly, just trying to make a quick buck, they encountered a real tough one.
Usually, when they teamed up, even if they encountered a tricky prey, they could retreat safely.
Unfortunately.
They ran into Natsuhiko, who wasn't easy to deal with, having seen through their tricks from the start.
You can't exactly say "seen through"; it was more like he sensed something wasn't right.
"How many times have you done this?" Natsuhiko asked.
The two exchanged glances, and finally, the more quick-witted thin man answered, awkwardly pulling a corner of his mouth, "Not, not many times. We won't dare again, let..."
"I ask, you answer."
Meeting Natsuhiko's gaze, the thin man shrank his neck and nodded stiffly.
"The task you mentioned earlier, what is it?" Natsuhiko continued to ask.
The thin man replied sheepishly, "It's a task issued by the Hunter Guild, asking us to standby in Binhai City. We don't really know the specifics; we are just peripheral members, making some small money utilizing the Hunter Guild's networks."
Hunter Guild.
Natsuhiko nodded slightly.
He knew a little about this organization but not much.
Compared to Rocket Team, Ocean Team, it's a more loosely organized group that doesn't grab territory and resources. Their goal is capturing various Pokémon.
Some of these are then distributed and sold in black markets across different regions, and resold through Pokémon Stores in those markets.
In every region's black market, there are inevitably some merchants who have cooperative relations with the Hunter Guild.
Besides that, they supply Pokémon to major underground forces.
For example, a behemoth like Rocket Team recruits a large number of new members every year, and part of their Pokémon comes from Rocket Team's own stock, another part comes from the Hunter Guild.
It could be said that the Hunter Guild has business dealings with various forces big and small across different regions.
Their network is intricate, covering many areas.
Therefore, the Hunter Guild recruits external members to relieve the pressure from the demand of various forces.
In return, these forces provide some conveniences and assistance to Hunter Guild members.
The Hunter Guild also has a service of customized Pokémon capture.
As long as enough money is provided, they say they can even catch Divine Beasts for you.
Of course, that's mostly exaggeration.
And these two in front of him were clearly external members of the Hunter Guild.
"But... but I heard from a friend that they seem... seem to be looking for a little girl. We really don't know who specifically."
At these words, a glint flashed deep within Natsuhiko's narrowed eyes.
A little girl?
Meiyu?!
So, it's the Hunter Guild that wants to grab Meiyu?
In that case, things are getting somewhat complicated.
"Who is your boss?"
The thin man swallowed lightly, glanced at his companion, and hesitated before saying, "We don't know the name. We just know people usually refer to him as 'Mr. K.'
"Mr. K?"
Hunter Guild's codename, Hunter K?
"Then what's your next action plan?"
"Don't, don't know..."
Natsuhiko furrowed his brow.
They seemed utterly clueless, knowing nothing.
But it's not surprising, considering they're just peripheral members.
"Yongji."
Beside him, Yujira nodded. Utilizing its super sensing, it monitored their brainwaves, revealing no lies.
Bang! Bang!
At Natsuhiko's signal, the two fell from the air, landing hard on the ground.
Natsuhiko glanced at them one last time, then left without looking back, taking his Pokémon with him.
"He's really not going to kill us?" The two were a bit surprised.
"Does it make a difference? He's taken our Pokeballs and Pokémon." The burly man said dejectedly.
Deep in this forested swamp area, still late at night, the most dangerous part of the forest, they probably wouldn't survive an hour without Pokémon protection.
"Call for help! Use the phone to call for help!"
But when they pulled out their communicator, they were dumbfounded.
All their communication devices had already been dismantled into pieces, thanks to Yujira's psychic abilities.
Did they really think Natsuhiko had a soft heart?
Moreover, from Yujira's super sensing, Natsuhiko knew that many Pokémon in the swamp were moving towards this way due to the noise from the earlier battle.
Kill them?
It's unnecessary to dirty his own hands; let the Wild Pokémon have their fill.
Soon after he left, a distant, horrific scream echoed from afar.
However, Natsuhiko's focus had already shifted away from them.
"Hunter Guild..."
He knew too little about the Hunter Guild's information.
What he mostly knew was from the anime, like the Pokémon Hunter J, who owned an enviable Salamence.
Aside from that, he didn't know much.
He took out his phone.
"Lance is an Investigator; he probably knows a bit more, right?"
The hunter he encountered at Meteor Falls last time could also have been from the Hunter Guild.
However, at this hour, Lance might already be asleep.
Just as he was about to put the phone down, Natsuhiko suddenly thought of someone and then many others.
A rather bold idea suddenly formed in his mind.
With his Pokémon's combined efforts, he soon found a river and a seemingly safe area.
He lit a campfire.
Sitting in front of the fire, Natsuhiko continued to hold his phone.
"I need to expand my intelligence network and channel capacity."
Using the predecessor of the Pokedex tool, he created a small group.
[User 205**1, User 314**2, joined the group chat.]
Before the two could speak, Natsuhiko sent a message first.
Flying: Change your nickname, use Pokémon Attribute.
After a long time, there was finally some activity in the small group of three.
General: So late?
Ice: Night owl?
Seeing their replies, Natsuhiko smiled; their chosen nicknames were just as he expected.
The one who chose "General Type" was Binina, the "Charming Star" Captain of the sea, with the shadow of the Alliance behind her.
Natsuhiko speculated that she must be a member of a particular family within the Alliance, just dissatisfied with her family's arranged marriage, so she ran to the sea to become a free pirate, showcasing considerable skills and connections.
The other was Kona, whom he met in the Orange Islands, a typical academic type, a future Kanto Alliance Academy representative, and a future Ice-type Elite that he set up as a rival for Lance.
He and Kona have always been in contact, mostly discussing tactics.
Kona had repeatedly expressed her wish to meet the so-called "teacher" Natsuhiko always mentioned.
As for Binina, she still owed Natsuhiko a big favor.
These were among the networks he had established during this time, maintained until now, and finally, it was time to put them to use.
Natsuhiko didn't respond to them immediately, instead taking out another phone he had prepared in the black market.
This is called... creating a little account.
Or more like, taking up the moniker of "Teacher."
A notification popped up again in the group chat.
[User "Fairy," joined the group chat.]