Chapter 70:

Cain was a master of the dark and twisted maze of the black market, intimately familiar with the wares offered in each of its alleys. With a confident step, he strode towards the Pokemon Sales Area, a place that held fond memories for the former Pokemon Hunter, who had earned a reputation for his skills in capturing the elusive creatures.

The Pokemon Sales Area was a cacophony of noise and color, a swirl of costumes and characters, all eager to get a glimpse of the rare Pokemon displayed in iron cages before each shop. Despite their listless appearance, the creatures within were the talk of the town, their strengths and weaknesses analyzed and discussed by onlookers.

At the entrance of a few establishments, one could find the three starter Pokemon, their lack of vitality offset by the sheer draw of their rarity. These were the larger shops, stocked with an even greater variety of Pokemon, from common to the highly sought-after Pseudo-legendary.

Temptation lurked at every turn, with girls in revealing clothing beckoning visitors inside with seductive gestures, giving the illusion of a seedy underbelly to the market. But Cain was immune to their advances, ignoring the calls of those who tried to lure him inside.

For all the beauty of the Pokemon on offer, Cain knew the truth - these creatures had lost the feral instincts that made them truly valuable. They had been trained and tamed, within an inch of their lives, rendering them useless to those who sought to capture the wild spirit of these magnificent beasts.

Cain was on a mission to find a Miltank, a support Pokemon for sure, but he wasn't about to settle for just any old thing. No, if he found the right candidate, he would nurture and train it. If not, he would be forced to hit up one of the shops that sold Pokemon as mere milk-producing tools.

His journey led him to a hidden shop deep in the bowels of the black market. Even the cages out front exuded an air of danger, the metal thicker, the Pokemon inside glaring with unbridled hatred, their feral nature enough to send shivers down the spine of even the bravest souls. This was the only shop in Saffron City's black market that sold Pokemon in their raw, untamed state, a haven for those who sought the ultimate strength of these magnificent creatures.

Unlike other shops, there were no sexy assistants or flirty salesgirls luring in customers. Only a foreboding black iron door marked the entrance, beckoning Cain to push it open with a grating screech.

Inside, the shop was bare bones, devoid of any fancy accouterments or gaudy lights. Flickering candles cast a dim, eerie glow over the ranks of cages lining the aisle, each one holding a wild and unbroken Pokemon.

Cain strode past the feral cries and bestial roars of the caged creatures, his eyes locked on the back of the shop, where the counter lay. After two long minutes, he finally arrived, where a woman in a black leather jacket sat, calmly applying her makeup, oblivious to the pandemonium around her.

Upon noticing Cain, the woman behind the counter abandoned her lipstick, using a dainty finger to wipe away any smudges before returning it to her purse. With a beguiling smile, she greeted him in a voice that oozed seduction, ripe as a cherry. "Oh, a new customer," she purred, raising her delicate eyebrows and flashing a coy dimple. Propping her chin on her slender hand, she added, "Did you find your way here by mistake, or was it a recommendation?"

Before Cain could respond, her nose twitched, detecting the telltale scent of blood. The woman's expression shifted from sultry to surprise. "Blood?" she inquired, "So you didn't just wander in here. Do you know the rules of this shop?"

"I do," Cain replied, voice hoarse and ambiguous, giving nothing away about his age.

Although others might not have recognized her, Cain knew full well that this seemingly fragile woman was actually the manager of this Hunter's Guild's Pokemon shop, the most powerful Pokemon hunting organization in all of Kanto. Every single creature within those cages was hunted down by members of the Guild, left untrained and untamed, as the Guild believed that wild Pokemon were the most valuable of all.

This woman before him, despite her appearance, was a fully registered Pokemon hunter in the Guild, her strength comparable to that of a Quasi-Elite. Cain knew better than to underestimate her.

Cain was well aware of the woman's strict rules. Once a Pokemon was purchased, it couldn't be returned. And no matter what they saw inside the shop, they couldn't speak a word of it once they left. If they were caught breaking these rules, they'd be banned from all Hunter's Guild Pokemon shops in the region, and in severe cases, hunted down.

Many of the creatures on display had been acquired by the Guild through questionable means, snatched from protected areas designated by the Association or obtained from the seedy underworld of dark organizations.

If the Pokemon's origins were discovered by the Association or other criminal organizations prior to being sold, it would have a huge impact on the sale price.

But make no mistake, the Pokemon in this shop were small potatoes. The rarest of rare creatures were reserved for grand auctions, where all of the Hunter's Guild's customers and influential figures from dark organizations were in attendance.

The Guild's strength was unparalleled in the Kanto region, with the exception of the Association and Team Rocket.

And the ties between the Hunter's Guild and Team Rocket ran deep, with the former providing Pokemon for trialists like Cain, free of charge. Thus, the Pokemon they encountered were always wild and untamed, a testament to the inseparable bond between the two organizations. The specifics of their relationship, however, remained a mystery.