According to Cain's prior plan, he might have stayed a bit longer in Ecruteak City to see if he could have the chance to interact with some of the city's minor families and learn techniques for training Ghost-type Pokémon, such as specialized combat tactics for Gastly.
Although in his previous life, Cain had his own knowledge to train Gastly up to Gengar, he was still interested in the unique techniques of certain families.
However, due to the incidents at the Lake of Rage base and the battle in the Misty Forest, he had already been delayed quite a bit.
Deciding not to stay any longer, Cain headed straight to the Ecruteak City bus station.
Although buses to Mahogany Town ran only once or twice a day, those to Goldenrod City were more frequent, almost every three hours.
With his League ID card, Cain had no trouble buying a ticket, and after waiting a short while, he boarded a bus to Goldenrod City.
To reach Saffron City quickly, taking the magnetic train from Goldenrod City was the fastest option.
The four-day journey that Cain and Murkrow had made on foot now took only four hours by bus.
Leaving the luxurious Goldenrod City station, Cain headed directly to the city's black market.
Previously, on his way to Ice Mountain, Cain had defeated two Team Rocket recruits and obtained a Golbat and an Arbok from them, both of good quality.
Since he was wary of selling them in Mahogany Town due to potential issues, he had held onto them until now and decided to sell them in Goldenrod City.
With his familiar attire, Cain and Murkrow entered the black market.
He sold Golbat and Arbok at a Pokémon shop, as the Hunter Association didn't accept tamed Pokémon.
For both Pokémon, he got 200,000 Pokédollars, a considerable sum.
Then, he submitted the Onix mission to the Hunter Association, earning 100,000 Pokédollars and 100,000 points. Onix is a relatively rare Pokémon, so although its quality and level were average, the mission reward wasn't low.
With this, Cain now had 3,550,000 Pokédollars and 1,850,000 hunter points.
Thanks to the Swinub mission, he received an additional 150,000 points, and with the capture of the wild Donphan, he gained 500,000 points. Adding these to his original 1,100,000 points and the 100,000 from Onix, his total points now reached 1,850,000.
With this amount, Cain could exchange for a good-quality Pokémon, but his current resources were limited, and he couldn't add more Pokémon to his training.
Soon, Skorupi would also enter its growth phase, which would mean another large consumption of resources.
Currently, aside from Murkrow and Slowpoke, who had learned some moves through TMs, Cain hadn't systematically trained his other Pokémon in moves.
Once he completed the Umbra mission, Cain would have some free time, which would be ideal for reviewing and planning his Pokémon's move combinations.
What he needed most now was a Flying Pokémon for transportation. Although he could exchange for a Pokémon at the Hunter Association, those were not yet tamed, and Cain didn't have time to tame one right now, so he preferred to buy one that was already tamed.
He didn't need the Flying Pokémon for battles, only as a means of transportation, just like the previous Onix.
However, Cain visited several Pokémon shops and found that there were few Flying Pokémon suitable as mounts. Of those available, either their level was low, their physical constitution wasn't ideal, or their price was exorbitant.
Black market vendors weren't fools; all Pokémon capable of carrying a passenger by air had very high prices. The cheaper ones were underdeveloped Pokémon, unable to carry a passenger for more than ten minutes.
Just as Cain was about to give up, he noticed a sign at a market stall advertising a domesticated Flying Pokémon suitable for carrying people.
Cain approached the stall, and the vendor warmly welcomed him, describing all his products as if they were the best in the world.
Cain ignored his flowery praises and, pointing at the sign, spoke in a raspy voice from under his black cloak: "What Pokémon is it? Can I see it?"
"Oh, you've got a good eye! I'm not bragging, but Flying Pokémon that can carry people aren't common, and as soon as they're available, they're gone. You're lucky to see the sign just when I put it up; otherwise, it would've already been sold," the vendor said as he took a Poké Ball from his belt and handed it to Cain with an air of mystery.
Cain activated his system to scan the data, ignoring the vendor's sales pitch.
Pokémon: Fearow (Light Yellow)
Type: Normal + Flying
Egg Moves: Quick Attack, Astonish
Basic Moves: Drill Run, Pluck, Peck, Growl, Leer, Pursuit, Fury Attack, Aerial Ace, Mirror Move, Assurance, Agility
Learned Moves: Tailwind
As the evolved form of Spearow, Fearow can grow up to 1.2 meters with a wingspan of up to 3.5 meters, which is enough to carry a fifteen-year-old like Cain without trouble.
If Fearow is well-developed and strong enough, it could fly a whole day carrying significant weight. It's like a pack mule among Flying Pokémon, specialized in transportation.
However, Fearow has one flaw: its temperament can be challenging, especially when facing its rival, Pidgey, which can trigger uncontrollable rage.
Of course, with proper training, Fearow could be an excellent flying tool.
In Cain's opinion, this Fearow seemed well-developed, with a light yellow quality, which was quite decent for a Pokémon that only needed to fly.
However, the price the vendor mentioned was outrageous: 300,000 Pokédollars.
With that amount, one could buy a light green quality Pokémon, even if it wasn't very rare.
It was clear the vendor saw Cain as an easy target.
"100,000 Pokédollars, and I'll take Fearow," Cain said, calmly gripping Fearow's Poké Ball.
Cain's words caused the vendor, who had been talking nonstop until then, to suddenly stop, as if someone had grabbed him by the neck.