Chapter 419: Establishing the Hunting Group
Karen, hearing Cain laugh, opened her eyes wide and prepared to leave.
However, Cain stopped laughing just in time, preventing Karen from walking away.
"Alright, I'm done laughing... Well, as you've just seen, I've now become a four-star hunter. The last time I found you was purely a coincidence, but I must thank you," Cain said.
He truly had to thank her because, if it weren't for her luck, he probably wouldn't have encountered the four Absol. He wouldn't have entered the deep lake in the forest, and Slowpoke wouldn't have found its pack, successfully evolving into Slowking.
Moreover, Slowking obtained the impressive piece of equipment, Leadership.
Perhaps all of this was thanks to Karen.
Even if Cain had been lucky enough to find Absol's mother, she would never have led him to her den or allowed anyone with ill intentions near her offspring.
Because upon seeing Absol, Cain's first thought would have been to capture her, either for personal use or to complete a mission at the Hunter Guild.
Karen stared coldly at Cain, waiting for his next words.
"But you can't deny that what I told you earlier wasn't wrong. You really need to join an organization to grow faster, don't you? Even if you had found Absol, you probably wouldn't have chosen to capture her at that moment, right?" Cain said calmly.
"And now I'm a four-star hunter. I can officially form my own hunting group. There isn't much difference from what I told you before, is there? Besides, I never claimed to be a four-star hunter; I only mentioned wanting to form a hunting group."
Karen fell into deep thought as she listened to Cain.
Although Cain had deceived her and she was angry, he hadn't caused her much harm, had he?
And now that Cain had truly become a four-star hunter, he had the ability to form his own hunting group.
If things went as he said, the hunting group would grow quickly after its founding, recruiting several people.
It would be better to join a newly formed group than to have subordinates in an established one or start from scratch to recruit members.
Then, Cain pulled a metal box from his storage space, placed it on the table, and opened it in front of Karen.
"This is..." Karen looked at the contents of the box, unable to confirm what she was seeing.
"That's right, advanced Pokéblocks. While they're the most common ones, they're still quite pricey. Consider this compensation for hiding the truth from you."
Cain continued, "All you have to do is agree to become the deputy leader of the hunting group. As deputy leader, you'll enjoy various benefits, including a steady supply of advanced Pokéblocks for your three current Pokémon."
"If you help the group reach two-star status, you'll get enough for four Pokémon. At three stars, it'll be for five Pokémon, and so on."
"When you reach six-star hunter status, I can have custom Pokéblocks made for you based on your specific needs. That's the perk of being the deputy leader."
"Of course, any reward comes with responsibilities. The most important thing is not to betray me, or I'll hunt you down no matter where you hide. Believe me, I have the means to do so."
"All you need to do is help develop the hunting group with determination. My ultimate goal is to be a leader who doesn't have to do much work. But if there's ever a tough mission or a Pokémon you can't handle, come directly to me."
Cain laid out his terms plainly.
Karen fell back into contemplation.
Looking at the box full of advanced Pokéblocks, her mind began to waver.
She couldn't deny that the advantages Cain was offering were highly tempting to her.
After all, as a lower-class trainer, she didn't have access to a specialized breeder to make custom Pokéblocks for her. She didn't even have the money for it, let alone the necessary status.
Even common advanced Pokéblocks were only affordable for her Roserade. Her other Pokémon were still fed medium-level Pokéblocks.
Moreover, she needed more funds to train her Pokémon or find others with greater potential. She couldn't let her power stagnate.
Cain didn't rush her. He simply crossed his arms and waited patiently.
Ten minutes later, as if she had made a decision, Karen leaned over the table, looked down at Cain, and said, "Fine, I'll accept being the deputy leader of your hunting group. Just make sure you keep your word."
Cain smiled and pulled two more boxes from his storage space, placing them in front of her.
"Here are two additional portions of advanced Pokéblocks. Each box has enough for two months. When you run out, contact me. Now, let's go register the hunting group."
Cain stood and headed for the registration counter.
Registering a hunting group was similar to registering as an individual hunter. Once a hunter reached four-star status, they could register their group for free.
The difficult part was recruiting people, but Cain had a simple plan: he only needed Skye and the others.
Cain chose a simple name for the group: Heavenly Hunting Group, which earned some complaints from Karen.
The two reappeared at the Hunter Guild entrance, but this time, in addition to the four stars on their badges, they had the hunting group's emblem on their right shoulders.
Cain had sketched the emblem quickly—it wasn't overly ugly but wasn't particularly attractive either.
"All done. The group is registered, and your name is listed as deputy leader," Cain said.
Karen nodded and asked, "Your hunter name is JOKER, and mine is now Hunter J. But there's another deputy leader, Hunter O. Who's that?"
Cain had registered the group under his hunter name, JOKER, and changed Karen's name to Hunter J. However, he had added another deputy leader: Hunter O, whose identity Karen didn't know.
Cain knew exactly who it was. It was part of his little joke. When registering Skye and the others, he had assigned them different letters. Miyamoto was O, Alec was K, and Skye was E.
The other deputy leader was Miyamoto.
Although Cain trusted Karen's abilities, he also wanted Miyamoto to serve as another deputy—not to undermine Karen but to keep him informed about the group's situation. It was like having a supervisor.
This was all part of his plan.
"You'll find out soon. Stay around for a few days. I'll bring them in one by one, and then you'll handle the recruiting. After that, the rest is up to you." Cain waved his hand and left the guild.
He left Karen waiting alone for Miyamoto's arrival.
Skye and Alec had other tasks, and the group's leadership would be split between Miyamoto and Karen. The rest of the team would be divided: half would stay in Leafy Town while the other half handled group missions, rotating as needed.
(End of Chapter)