Put away the three Pokeballs.
Inside are three Excellence Level Paras, and there was no encounter with a Parasect in the park in the western part of the city, indicating that the information held by the Trainer Guild is not entirely accurate.
But in terms of the points system, obviously, the rewards from three Excellence Level Pokémon are the highest.
Because compared to a Wild Pokémon of Senior Level strength, in most cases, it's very difficult for three Excellence Level Wild Pokémon to achieve victory, though there are exceptions.
After capturing these three Paras, Natsuhiko promptly headed towards the west of the city.
According to the coordinates described in the mission, he opened the manhole cover and climbed down.
As the largest city in the Kanto Region, Goldenrod City is also the most economically developed city, and the entire city's sewer system is intricate and complex.
If someone could get hold of the design plan of Goldenrod City's sewer system, they would find that it is practically an Underworld.
Apart from the slightly overwhelming smell, everything else is fine.
Moreover, the design of the sewer system is very human-friendly; apart from the central channel flowing with sewage, there are pedestrian walkways on both sides, so one doesn't have to wade through the sewage directly.
Turn on the flashlight.
The dim light from the flashlight extends into the distance, without an end in sight.
In such a sewer, encountering Grimer, Muk, Rattata, and Zubat is completely normal.
Especially Grimer and Muk, for others, the sewer is a dirty, stinking place, but for them, it's simply paradise.
So the Grimer and Muk seen here may not necessarily have come from outside; they could very likely already be living in Goldenrod City, just having become agitated due to certain influences.
Flap flap flap——
Accompanied by the fluttering of wings, three Zubat hanging upside down on the sewer wall sensed Natsuhiko's approach and rushed at him without hesitation.
"Abra."
"Ka-Shee——"
Abra softly uttered a call, and an orb-like black Shadow Ball appeared in its raised hand, which it then directly hurled at one of the incoming Zubat.
Natsuhiko wouldn't waste an opportunity to train Abra.
Boom——
The Shadow Ball hit one of them head-on.
Simultaneously.
A blue glow appeared in Abra's half-open eyes, its figure flickering, appearing behind the remaining two Zubat.
Clenching its fist, pale Ice Crystals rapidly formed, engulfed in wisps of white mist, and the Frozen Fist struck the back of the Zubat on the left, with tiny crystals attaching to its wings.
One left.
And the remaining Zubat noticed Abra behind it, already locked onto it.
Ultrasonic waves emitted from its mouth, with ripples shaking the air.
However, before the supersonic waves could reach Abra, they were blocked by a thin layer of blue psychic ability.
Though it only blocked for a moment, it gave Abra enough time to react.
Its figure flashed again.
Appearing behind the Zubat.
The Frozen Fist fell once more.
Crack!
Thus, the three not-so-strong Zubat were smoothly dealt with by Abra.
Returning to Natsuhiko's side, it received affirmation.
"Not bad, your mastery of Instant Movement has improved, and your Shadow Ball release rhythm is decent. Although Frozen Fist is the least beneficial for you, it can produce unexpected effects in specific environments."
In short, one sentence.
Abra is steadily getting stronger.
"Ka-Shee."
Abra clenched its fist, Natsuhiko's affirmation being the best reward for its efforts during this period.
And the scene just now was only an unremarkable encounter along the way.
They encountered quite a few Zubat, Rattata, and Raticate, but strangely enough, the normally common Grimer and Muk were nowhere to be found.
Grimer and Muk are originally very noticeable Pokémon.
Yet, in this already foul-smelling sewer, they seemed to have vanished as if they were invisible.
"Walk a bit further, if we still don't see them, we might have to turn back. I can't waste time like this."
Natsuhiko understood in his heart.
He was here to earn extra money, but his main focus should still be on enhancing the strength of the three Pokémon. He couldn't keep spending time just trying to make money.
This isn't a game where you can get experience and level up by fighting monsters.
Battles can only be considered a part of training Pokémon.
But after walking a bit further, he noticed something unusual.
He saw.
Five Pokémon corpses lying across the path ahead.
Upon closer examination, he confirmed that they were four Rattata and one Raticate.
It's just that the desiccated appearance of these corpses nearly made them unrecognizable.
Natsuhiko furrowed his brow as he crouched down.
"They haven't been dead long, at most not more than three days, so there's no reason for the corpses to be so desiccated."
Besides being desiccated, these Rattata and Raticate's fur and skin did not match the condition typically associated with such desiccation.
Moreover.
Theoretically, the corpses of these dead Pokémon should be the perfect food for Pokémon like Grimer and Muk.
They should not have been left intact.
Unless...
"Unless something is scaring them away."
Then it's very likely that a powerful or uniquely capable Pokémon is active in this area, preventing Grimer and Muk from daring to venture here.
"But what kind of Pokémon could it be?"
Various Pokémon information flashed through Natsuhiko's mind, but he quickly dismissed them.
"Ka-Shee!"
As Natsuhiko contemplated, Abra standing guard beside him made a sound.
Pointing in a direction not far away.
Natsuhiko responded by looking in the indicated direction, moving the flashlight beam accordingly.
But apart from the grey-white stone bricks, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
To be safe, Natsuhiko threw out two Pokeballs, summoning Beedrill and Togepi.
"Chaka-ee!"
As soon as Togepi appeared, it shuddered uncontrollably all over, and with an inexplicable fear, it pounced directly into Natsuhiko's arms.
The reaction from Togepi undoubtedly served as a warning signal for Natsuhiko.
"Let's go!"
This place felt eerie, and staying longer was definitely not a good idea.
Holding Togepi in his arms, with Beedrill and Abra covering him in front and behind, Natsuhiko prepared to leave.
However.
Just as he turned around, a bluish-purple glow hazily appeared within his field of vision.
"Chaka-ee!"
Upon seeing this eerie glow, Togepi quickly turned around, burying its head into Natsuhiko's embrace.
"Be alert and watch the surroundings; it seems our opponent doesn't intend to let us leave so easily," Natsuhiko stated with a serious tone.
The desiccated corpses of these five Pokémon indicated that this Pokémon was highly aggressive and possessed peculiar powers.
"Most likely a Ghost-type Pokémon."
Mysterious and peculiarly powerful, only a Ghost-type Pokémon seemed to fit the description.
Suddenly.
Thinking of Ghost-type Pokémon brought a certain Pokémon to Natsuhiko's mind.
But he quickly shook his head, dismissing the notion.
"It shouldn't be possible; that Pokémon is too far from Goldenrod City, too far from the Kanto Region. It's unlikely to appear here."
Even though all the conditions seemed to match perfectly.
And just as he dismissed the thought, the bluish-purple aura suddenly began to move, quickly approaching his direction.