Chapter 143:

Originally, Cain had planned to linger a while longer in Ecruteak City, hoping to connect with a few local families and learn some ghost-type Pokémon training methods. Although Cain had his own insights on training Gastly in its evolution into Haunter, he was still interested in the unique methods of certain families.

However, due to the incidents at the Lake of Rage Base and the battle in the Foggy Forest, too much time had been wasted. Abandoning the idea of staying any longer, Cain headed straight for Ecruteak City's bus station.

There were only a couple of buses to Mahogany Town each day, but buses to Goldenrod City were more frequent, departing every three hours. With his Association ID card, Cain encountered no obstacles, purchasing a bus ticket and boarding a bus bound for Goldenrod City after a short wait.

To reach Saffron City as quickly as possible, the Magnet Train from Goldenrod City was the fastest option. The journey that had taken Cain four days on foot was now completed in just four hours by bus.

Emerging from the luxurious Goldenrod City station, Cain headed straight for the city's black market.

Before heading to the ice mountain, Cain had dealt with two Team Rocket grunts, obtaining a Golbat and an Arbok from them. Both Pokémon had promising aptitude, but he didn't sell them in Mahogany Town, fearing they would be traced. Instead, he decided to exchange them for money in Goldenrod City.

As for the two Pokémon he got from the Association Trainers at the Foggy Forest, Cain didn't dare to sell them recklessly at this time. He'd rather wait until he reached Saffron City.

Donning his familiar outfit, Cain and Murkrow entered the black market. He casually sold the Golbat and Arbok to a small Pokémon store, as the Hunter's Guild wouldn't accept tamed Pokémon. The two Pokémon fetched him a total of 200,000 Pokédollars, quite a substantial sum.

Next, he submitted the Onix quest at the Hunter's Guild, earning 100,000 Pokédollars and 100,000 points. Despite its mediocre aptitude and level, Onix was a rare Pokémon, which justified the quest's high reward.

With this, Cain had accumulated 3,550,000 Pokédollars and 1,850,000 Hunter Points. He could now exchange these points for a decent Pokémon, but he didn't have enough resources to train another one at the moment. Besides, his Skorupi would soon enter its growth phase and consume even more resources.

Cain also hadn't provided systematic combat training for his Pokémon, except for Murkrow and Slowpoke, who had learned some TMs. Therefore, after completing Umbra's mission, he anticipated some downtime to carefully consider his Pokémon's move combinations.

What Cain needed most right now was a Flying-type Pokémon for transportation. The Pokémon available for exchange at the Hunter's Guild were untamed, and he didn't have the time to tame one. So, he decided to buy a tamed Flying Pokémon instead.

He didn't need the Flying Pokémon for battles, just as a means of transportation, like the Onix he had before. However, he had visited many Pokémon stores and found few Flying-types suitable as mounts. Those he encountered were either low-leveled, physically inferior, or too expensive.

The black-market dealers were no fools, marking up the prices of Flying Pokémon capable of carrying people. The cheaper options were underdeveloped Pokémon that could only fly for about ten minutes with a rider.

Just as Cain was about to give up, he caught a glimpse of a sign at a black-market stall, advertising a tamed Flying Pokémon for sale, capable of carrying people. He approached the stall, and the enthusiastic seller began introducing the items on display.

It seemed as if Cain would be doing himself a disservice by not buying them. He ignored the salesman's smooth talk and pointed at the sign hanging nearby. A hoarse voice emerged from the depths of his black robe, "What kind of Pokémon is it? Can I take a look?"

"Heh, you've got quite the eye! Not to brag, but Pokémon capable of carrying people through the air are quite rare, and they're always in high demand. You're lucky, I just put out the sign, and you saw it right away. Otherwise, it'd probably be gone in a bit." With that, the salesman mysteriously unhooked a Poké Ball from his belt and handed it to Cain.

Cain activated the AI system's scanning to examine the data, remaining unswayed by the salesman's increasingly parched and breathless spiel.

Pokémon: Fearow (Light Yellow)

Gender: Male

Level: 28

Type: Normal + Flying

Ability: Keen Eye

Held Items: None

Egg Moves: Quick Attack, Astonish

Basic Moves: Drill Run, Pluck, Peck, Growl, Leer, Pursuit, Fury Attack, Aerial Ace, Mirror Move, Assurance, Agility

Taught Moves: Tailwind

Technical Machines (TMs): None

As an evolved form of Spearow, a well-developed Fearow can reach a height of 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) and a wingspan of about 3.5 meters (11.5 feet). It can easily carry a fifteen-year-old boy like Cain. As long as it's strong and healthy, it can fly for an entire day, even when carrying a heavy load. Among Flying-type Pokémon, Fearow is like a mule, specializing in transportation.

However, Fearow has a drawback: its temperament is not the best, especially when encountering its archrival, the Pidgey species. It's prone to losing control of its anger. Of course, with proper training, it can indeed serve as a reliable means of transportation.

To Cain, this particular Fearow seemed well-developed, with a Light Yellow aptitude. As a dedicated flying carrier, it was already quite impressive. However, the salesman's asking price was outrageously high: 300,000 Pokédollars. For that amount, one could purchase a less rare Green-aptitude Pokémon.

This man truly thought Cain to be an easy mark.

"100,000 Pokédollars, and I'll take this Fearow," Cain said calmly, gripping the Poké Ball.

Cain's words left the salesman speechless, as if his throat had been squeezed shut.