He was about to leave Mahogany Town. It was a pity about the glacier falls, that excellent special training location.
In fact, he had wanted to leave Haunter to train its psychic power and continue the three training directions he had designed for it. After all, once outside, there would not be such a good special training environment. Most importantly, he would not need to worry about Haunter's food.
However, without Haunter, he was also worried that something unexpected might happen along the journey that would require Haunter's abilities.
While he was hesitating.
The phone at Sheila's house suddenly rang.
It was Pryce!
"Mmh? Pryce, did we not just speak on the phone? Is there something else?" Sheila asked.
[Shelia, I nearly forgot something. There are several dangerous stretches on the way to Battle Park, and I am not at ease about the journey…
I will transfer Swinub over and hand it to Tetsuya. He is already familiar with Swinub. With Swinub there, it will certainly be no problem reaching Battle Park safely. Also, prepare some travel expenses for Tetsuya.] After speaking, Pryce transfered Swinub's Poké Ball.
Sheila replied, "Ugh… you are right. I did not consider that thoroughly. Leave it to me!"
After hanging up, Sheila handed Pryce's Swinub's Poké Ball to Tetsuya.
This was truly help in a time of need. Tetsuya rejoiced inwardly. He had been worrying that Haunter would not be able to receive better training along the way. Now that Pryce had sent Swinub, there was no need to worry about safety at all!
Haunter could remain here for training. Piloswine and Haunter would not delay each other, and he could set off with peace of mind.
"Right. Sheila, I need to trouble you with one more thing," Tetsuya said.
"Oh? What is it?"
Tetsuya took out Haunter's Poké Ball and said, "The Challenge is approaching. After going to Battle Park, the focus will certainly be on training Piloswine. There will not be much time to look after Haunter. I would like to leave my Haunter at the glacier falls for training. Please help look after it."
Sheila nodded and said, "That makes sense. Leave it to me. Whenever I have time, I will also go help your Haunter train."
"Haunter, come out!"
Since he had already made his decision, Tetsuya did not hesitate.
Haunter was now very clear about his training plan and no longer required Tetsuya to explain much. However, this time it would be separated from Tetsuya for more than half a month. It could not help but feel somewhat dejected…
Yet the results of more than a month of training at the glacier falls were evident to all, and Haunter did not want to waste such a good opportunity.
"Train hard. As long as you achieve results in all three training directions, you can completely surpass Piloswine."
Hearing the words "Piloswine" ignited Haunter's competitive spirit. It swayed its body and headed toward the glacier falls on its own.
Afterward, Sheila gave Tetsuya ten thousand in cash as travel expenses and for the food of Piloswine and Swinub.
With everything packed, Tetsuya prepared to depart.
"It is already so late today. If not, leave tomorrow," Sheila said.
"It is fine. From here to the city is only a little over an hour. I will stay there first and save some time."
Seeing Tetsuya so determined, Sheila did not insist further.
Ditto transformed into Rapidash and headed southeast toward the city.
In truth, Tetsuya was not hurrying to reach Battle Park sooner, but to see whether there were any good "goods" at the Black Market in the city.
M-City was the northernmost city of Johto and the closest to the Sinnoh region. Perhaps there might even be some Pokémon from Sinnoh.
The Sinnoh region was vast and home to many powerful Pokémon. He also needed to find a Pokémon for his team that could use Gravity. This was a training path he had learned from Pryce, and its effect was excellent.
---◓---
By the time he arrived in the city, it was already past six in the evening.
After finishing dinner, Tetsuya inquired about the location of the Black Market and headed there directly.
Upon entering the market, it was packed with people, so crowded that it was almost impossible to move!
This surprised Tetsuya. He had never seen such a bustling Black Market before. Perhaps because this city was located in the north and law enforcement was relatively lax, some illegal activities in the Black Market had become increasingly rampant.
As Tetsuya walked through the market, he had more or less understood the situation.
"I wonder which Pokémon will appear at the auction at eight tonight. I am really looking forward to it."
"They must be rare Pokémon, but the prices will certainly be high… Tch, I am afraid people like us cannot afford them."
"That is true. I wonder how many wealthy buyers have come today."
"Heh~ As for me, I am just here to join the excitement and make my presence known!"
It turned out that an auction platform had already been set up in the center of the market. The host was making preparations, and those who wished to auction their Pokémon had to pay a certain management fee to the Black Market.
Pokémon that were "rare" enough to be auctioned naturally possessed special qualities. Their potential and talent were certainly above the overall standard of Pokémon sold in the Black Market. Of course, the prices were not something ordinary people could afford.
Since his "regression", this was the first time he had encountered an auction. Naturally, he wanted to join the excitement. He currently had more than one hundred thousand available funds. If he was lucky, he might be able to obtain a decent Pokémon.
Before the auction began, Tetsuya walked around the Black Market and selected two Pokémon.
One was Nosepass, priced at fifteen thousand. However, without evolving into Probopass, it could not use Gravity. Moreover, this Pokémon's Evolution was quite troublesome. Nosepass needed to be in a place with a strong magnetic field, such as Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh, Chargestone Cave in Unova, or Lumiose Badlands in Kalos.
After leveling up there, it would need to attract three Nosepass again in order to evolve into Probopass, which could then use Magnet Pull to control the three Mini-Noses and have them fight individually, like manipulating floating cannons.
Clearly, he did not have the ability to evolve Nosepass. There was no location in Johto where it could evolve, and Nosepass was extremely rare in Johto. It was impossible to attract three additional Nosepass to trigger Evolution. Therefore, if he wanted one, he could only buy Probopass. Nosepass was of no use.
The other was Cleffa, priced at ten thousand. It could also learn Gravity, but it required a very high level. He would have to spend considerable effort to raise it. Moreover, to evolve into its final form, Clefable, it required a Moon Stone, which was another significant expense. It was frustrating that he originally just needed a Pokémon that could use Gravity, yet he would first have to raise Cleffa. Thinking about it made him feel somewhat helpless.
He would wait for the auction first. If necessary, he would have no choice but to purchase this Cleffa. After all, Clefairy could learn a large number of support moves and played an indispensable role in a team. It was just that he had no experience in raising it and would have to explore gradually.