"Can't leave?"
Natsuhiko frowned as he looked at the ticket seller in front of him, feeling his heart sink.
"I apologize, sir. It's said that the external roads have been destroyed by some Pokémon, and they are currently being repaired, so the cars to Withered Leaf City likely won't be running today..."
The station ticket seller said apologetically.
"What about Hualan City?"
"I'm sorry, sir. Due to the sudden heavy rains in Hualan City a while back, the roads are largely impassable..." The ticket seller looked even more awkward.
Natsuhiko's expression changed for a moment, then he took a deep breath and said calmly, "I see, thank you."
"I apologize for any inconvenience caused, and on behalf of the Great Rock Snake Transport Company of Goldenrod City, I offer the most sincere apologies."
Without forcing it further, Natsuhiko walked through the increasingly crowded crowd and exited the station.
"Can't leave Goldenrod City, has the situation become this serious?"
This was indeed something he hadn't considered.
Originally, he planned to leave Goldenrod City after getting a small prize at the Elite Four performance event.
But now, it seems like he can't leave.
He only asked about Withered Leaf City and Hualan City, while others like Light Red City and Ziyuan Town weren't even worth asking about.
Looking at the crowded station and the bustling noise, it was clear.
Goldenrod City's connections to the outside world have been completely cut off.
The so-called various reasons probably serve as just facades; the true reason likely lies in the persistent overactivity of Wild Pokémon around Goldenrod City for over a month.
He wasn't the only one who could think of this.
"If the ground path is blocked, the air would be the same."
He glanced up at the clear, cloudless sky, as if a thin haze shrouded the entire Goldenrod City.
"I left too late, I wonder if Flint and Hilona managed to leave."
Taking out his phone, he opened the strange app that Flint had installed.
Natsuhiko: Did you guys leave?
Stone-Loving Flint: Already on the plane.
User1886****8: Hmm.
Stone-Loving Flint: What's wrong? Anything up?
Natsuhiko: No, have a safe trip.
Stone-Loving Flint: Remember to visit Hoenn.
User1886****8: Thank you.
'Indeed, having a private plane is great; you can leave whenever you want...'
He wanted to take the bus, but the delay took a lot of time, because there were too many people wanting to leave Goldenrod City at this time.
Putting away his phone.
"So, those who left in the first batch probably did get out, should've known to leave with them..."
Natsuhiko rubbed his hair in frustration.
The League must have blocked the real situation in Goldenrod City from spreading.
"I need to know the specific details first."
Hailed a cab.
He needed to gather some intelligence and information before deciding what to do next.
Old Bill from the bar was an Intelligence Merchant, but the last encounter made it impossible to approach that bar again, so he had to see if there was any information in the black market.
Skillfully navigating through the black market alley.
Cloaked in a black robe and wearing a mask, Natsuhiko arrived at the black market once more.
And the changes in the black market made his mood even heavier.
Less crowd, but more security personnel.
You could see two or more security teams patrolling the streets at any time.
Headed directly to the information center.
The usually least busy information center was surprisingly the most populated spot now.
"Looking for Goldenrod City intel? One thousand League coins, just take it from the table."
As soon as he entered, a smoking man sitting at the door glanced at Natsuhiko and spoke.
You could see stacks of small booklets piled on the table, every person coming in just threw down a thousand League coins and grabbed a booklet to leave.
'These intelligence merchants sure know how to do business...'
He grumbled in his mind, put a thousand League coins on the table, then left with a booklet.
On the way out of the information center, he casually flipped through the contents.
'Indeed, the League has sealed the city, and the number of Wild Pokémon gathered around Goldenrod City has grown so much? Some even spotted Elite Level Wild Pokémon, and Qualification Level ones aren't impossible....'
Trying to forcefully break out is no longer feasible.
If encountering an Elite Level Wild Pokémon, Natsuhiko might still manage to maneuver with the cooperation of his Pokémon, but if it's a Qualification Level Pokémon with a violent temperament, you wouldn't survive.
'This many Wild Pokémon, and not all are acting alone; there are more participating in group activities.... Is it a riot?'
The booklet also included a map of Goldenrod City and its surroundings, highlighting several locations and positions where Elite Level Pokémon might exist.
'With two Elite Four and so many League Trainers present, the safety within Goldenrod City shouldn't be too concerning, but leaving might have to wait until the League has completely resolved this situation...'
At least the inside of Goldenrod City is still safe, Natsuhiko breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Goldenrod City, being the largest city and economic center in the Kanto Region, would never be abandoned by the League.
In the event of an uncontrollable situation, the League would likely send reinforcements.
"So... I'll have to stay a while longer." Natsuhiko muttered.
Then, thinking of something, he briskly headed to the Pokémon Food Sales District.
Indeed.
Many stores, whose shelves were once brimming with goods, were now almost half emptied.
"Those who live by the sword have a keen perception of danger.... "
Natsuhiko didn't hesitate either.
He spent two hundred thousand League coins, purchasing a large amount of Advanced Energy Blocks for Beedrill and Abra.
This quantity should sustain them for about a month.
Including some leftovers from before, they should manage until this situation is resolved.
However, Togepi's Energy Block is somewhat troublesome.
But Natsuhiko also plans to try making Energy Blocks himself.
Spent three hundred thousand League coins, bought a set of relatively common Energy Block crafting tools.
Including the decomposition, separation, blending, and shaping of Tree Fruits and materials from various aspects.
Then he used another two hundred thousand League coins to buy a heap of various Tree Fruits and auxiliary materials.
Little did he know, this purchase made him realize that breeding Pokémon is indeed a money-draining occupation.
Various tools and materials are a significant expense.
And there's no guarantee that the making would definitely succeed, or that the crafted Energy Block's effect would meet the conditions.
But there's no choice, because if he didn't want to fall behind at the starting line, Togepi's Fairy Attribute was inevitably a huge hurdle.
Fortunately, the value of things related to the Fairy Attribute isn't too high now, Natsuhiko prepared a lot to prevent too many failures.
All at once, the hard-earned savings were mostly consumed.
Before leaving.
Natsuhiko went to the Pokémon shop again.
The street that should have been the liveliest turned out to be the quietest place now.
"Sir, what Pokémon do you need?"
With fewer customers, even the store staff's attitude improved a lot.
"Shuckle." Natsuhiko said directly.
Shuckle, this kind of Pokémon, is hard to describe.
You could say it's weak.
But actually, there are many tactics that can transform this Pokémon qualitatively, using one Power Trick to swap its Physical Attack with Physical Defense, breaking its shell to boost itself, and it could completely become a fierce glass-cannon assassin.
Alternatively, an Opposing Tune Shuckle paired with Highly Poisonous, Rest, Power Share, Shell Smash, and Sticky Net can be pretty annoying too.
But to say it's strong.
The most famous ability of this Pokémon seems to be its Tree Fruit decomposition ability.
Unfortunately, Natsuhiko hasn't encountered a single Shuckle so far.
This time, preparing to attempt making Energy Blocks himself, buying one first for utility is the only option.
A hint of awkwardness flashed across the staff member's face, "Shuckle isn't easy to find, so..."
"None?" Natsuhiko raised a brow.
"We have! But the price..."
One glance at the brochure the staff handed over, and Natsuhiko nearly cursed.
What is meant by rarity drives up the price?
This is it.
An entry-level Senior Level, sturdy Shuckle was thirty thousand League coins!
But thinking, if it's Senior Level in strength, it might be useful in battles, so Natsuhiko gritted his teeth.
"Buy it!"