The next morning, after quickly organizing the backyard, Cain left Leafy Town and headed toward Verdanturf Town, flying on Tropius's back.
Currently, Tropius fully obeyed Cain, not only because Cain provided its favorite food but also because Cain's Pokémon were already quite strong, and Tropius, as a Pokémon, followed the orders of a capable trainer.
Although Tropius wasn't a fan of battles, it wouldn't refuse if Cain commanded it to fight.
However, Cain now had so many training and combat opportunities for his Pokémon that he rarely needed to use Tropius in battles.
With its Chlorophyll ability, Tropius excelled in long flights. Its back was broad and comfortable, and its flight was very stable. Additionally, in sunny weather, Tropius could fly quite fast.
While flying over forests, they occasionally encountered groups of wild Pokémon. Most fled at the sight of Tropius, but there were always a few wild Pokémon that tried to pick a fight. Luckily, Cain had Honchkrow.
Although Honchkrow was at level 34 and Tropius at level 40, the difference in quality between them was significant. Honchkrow, with its deep blue quality, far outclassed Tropius, whose quality was light green.
Furthermore, Honchkrow's flying type gave it an advantage over Tropius's grass type.
If Honchkrow's Moxie ability activated in succession, combined with its powerful Sky Attack move, it could even take down Tropius in a single hit. Cain knew that the only thing Honchkrow lacked was a higher level.
During the flight, any wild flying Pokémon that attacked were assigned to Honchkrow to defeat. While some contributed to stacking Honchkrow's Moxie effect, others did not. Still, it was rare for a wild Pokémon to withstand more than one of Honchkrow's attacks.
After flying for an hour and a half, Cain finally spotted Verdanturf Town. Compared to Leafy Town, Verdanturf Town was much more developed, with more modern buildings and a significantly larger population.
Verdanturf Town was located near a volcano, but thanks to air currents, volcanic ash never reached the town. Additionally, the heat from the underground volcano fed the town's famous hot springs, which attracted many visitors.
Before entering Verdanturf Town, Cain asked Tropius to land. His main objective was the black market, so he preferred to avoid drawing attention. Dressed in his League trainer uniform and wearing a cap, Cain discreetly entered the town without attracting any stares.
After walking through several streets, Cain found the entrance to the black market, hidden within a mountain. Someone had excavated nearly the entire mountain to build the black market inside.
Paying little attention to the factions controlling the black market, Cain changed into a black cloak before entering. With Sneasel by his side, he walked through the streets of the black market and called Karen on the phone.
The call was answered immediately, and they agreed to meet in front of the Hunter Guild building in the black market.
Three minutes later, they met at the guild's entrance. Although both wore black cloaks that covered their bodies, they recognized each other immediately by their Pokémon: Cain with his Sneasel and Karen with a Roserade.
"Well, you're on time," Karen said, glancing at Cain's Sneasel. In the Hoenn region, not many people owned a Sneasel.
In the black market, a Pokémon's origin wasn't as important as the trainer's strength. What truly mattered was power.
"Let's go," Cain said in a neutral tone, heading toward the guild.
The Hunter Guild was a very successful organization that had originated in Kanto and grown with Team Rocket's support. Now, the guild had branches in all regions. They sought neither power nor influence, which allowed them to expand without being perceived as a threat.
The interior of the guild was divided into two areas: one for the reception and submission of missions, and another for buying and selling Pokémon. Cain headed straight to the mission submission counter.
"Hey, man, the area for registering a hunting team is over there," Karen commented upon seeing Cain's direction.
"I know. I just have a few Pokémon I want to assign to some missions," Cain replied without stopping.
Curious, Karen followed him, intrigued by the Pokémon Cain was about to hand over.