Of these six people, four were veteran members of the Hunters Guild in Rustboro City.
They had been hunters for more than five years and were all just below the level of Ace Hunters. In other words, they were only missing the right opportunity to become Ace Hunters with their own seats.
Now, that opportunity might have finally arrived.
Inside the room, Hunters Y, Z, and X stood on the left side of the long sofa while the other four hunters stood respectfully on the right.
Shiro sat in the middle of the sofa without a hurry. He picked up the teapot that had been sitting on the coffee table and poured himself a cup of tea. After lifting the cup and examining it for a moment, he gently blew on the surface before asking, "Has the mission been completed?"
Hunter Y answered seriously, "Leader, the two Hunters Guild branches in Hoenn, the Lilycove City Hunters Guild and the Rustboro City Hunters Guild, have both been completely taken over. There were no personnel or assets left behind."
"How many hunters does the Rustboro City Hunters Guild have now?"
"Fifty-seven. Thirty-six are Intermediate-level or below, while twenty-one are Advanced-level."
"What about the Gym-level?"
Hunter Y froze for a few seconds. After hesitating briefly, he replied, "If the three of us are included, then there are three. Aside from the seated hunter, the former Rustboro City Hunters Guild didn't have any Gym-level trainers."
Shiro slowly nodded and chuckled. "A quasi-Gym level trainer naturally counts as Gym-level too. If Rustboro City doesn't have one, what about Lilycove City?"
Hunter Y was just about to answer when the tall and slender Hunter Z spoke first. "Reporting to the Leader, aside from the seated hunter, the former Lilycove City Hunters Guild only had one quasi-Gym level trainer. He isn't resisting us and has continued doing the work he used to handle."
Hunter Y nodded and added, "That's right, Leader. The mission went very smoothly and we didn't encounter much resistance. After all, the three of us were already seated hunters in the Hunters Guild."
"Good. You three did very well."
After praising them, Shiro set down his teacup. With a flip of his hand, he produced three Poké Balls.
All three Poké Balls had been among the spoils confiscated from the Hunters Guild headquarters. Each one contained an Elite-level Pokémon.
As the three Poké Balls were placed one by one on the coffee table, Hunters Y, Z, and X immediately held their breath. Their eyes lit up and grew increasingly heated as they stared at them.
Elite-level Pokémon... Who cared where they came from?
On any underground market, they were extremely rare. Even their starting prices were in the tens of millions of Pokédollars.
If someone wanted to raise an Elite-level Pokémon on their own, the amount of effort and resources required was impossible to count. Besides the talent of both the Pokémon and its trainer, a bit of indescribable luck was also necessary.
After all, there were plenty of pseudo-legendary Pokémon that died before even reaching the Novice or Beginner levels.
Only Pokémon that survived and reached the Gym-level or above could truly be considered strong.
"Leader!"
Hunter X could no longer hide the greed in his eyes. His gaze was completely fixed on the three Poké Balls and he couldn't bring himself to look away. "Do you have any other instructions for us, Leader?"
Hunters Y and Z remained silent as they suppressed the excitement in their hearts.
Before this, they only knew that their new leader, Hunter W, was extremely powerful, possessed a Legendary Pokémon, and had a mysterious origin and complicated background.
Only now did they realize that Hunter W was also incredibly generous.
They had merely completed such a basic mission, yet he had actually taken out three Elite-level Pokémon as rewards!
Everyone present was certain that these three Elite-level Pokémon were undoubtedly rewards for Hunters Y, Z, and X. The four ordinary hunters on the right were naturally extremely envious as well, but they knew these Pokémon were not something they could lay claim to.
Their gazes kept shifting between Shiro, who sat calmly on the sofa, and the three Poké Balls on the coffee table.
"Heh..." Shiro didn't immediately say anything. He simply chuckled.
The extreme greed displayed by these hunters was exactly what he had expected.
It seemed that as long as he promised them an Elite-level Pokémon, they would willingly allow him to enslave both their bodies and souls for several years.
But...
Shiro flipped his hand again. His fingers swept over the three Poké Balls on the coffee table and all three disappeared.
"These are indeed the rewards for the three of you. However..."
He deliberately drew out the last word, and the breathing of the three seated hunters suddenly stopped.
A few moments later, Shiro continued, "However, you'll have to wait until the new guild has been established in every city across Hoenn and the Hunters Guild is fully operational. Meaning, you can only claim them after completing your first mission."
After hearing this, the three seated hunters gradually calmed down.
They all knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch. How could something as simple as coming to Hoenn for a month and taking over two old Hunters Guild branches immediately earn them Elite-level Pokémon as rewards?
The three Pokémon were merely targets shown to them in advance.
They would only have a chance of obtaining them after completing the mission.
That was perfectly reasonable.
However, building a new Hunters Guild in every city was probably not something they could decide on their own. It would depend on how willing the League was to cooperate.
Hunter Y, the most composed of the three, asked, "Leader, what do we need to do next?"
Although he couldn't claim the Pokémon right away, he actually felt relieved and became even more motivated.
With the productivity of the Pokémon world, constructing a building was hardly difficult. Once the location was decided and the land was secured, they could simply spend money to build a large structure.
The only problem was the money.
Hunter Y was worried that they might have to pay the Pokédollars themselves. If that was the case, they would have to reconsider whether this mission was worth continuing.
"I need you three to spend some time inspecting the major cities across Hoenn and determine which locations would be suitable for Hunters Guild branches," Shiro instructed them step by step. "The locations must have convenient transportation and the buildings must be easy to notice. Even if they're a little farther from the city center, the outskirts are fine."
Shiro had never been someone who liked interfering with his subordinates' actions. When the three hunters carried out their missions in Lilycove City and Rustboro City, he hadn't deliberately gone there to interfere either.
When he first arrived in Hoenn, he actually had the chance to visit the Lilycove City Hunters Guild and see how things were going, but Shiro chose not to.
There was no need to make these hunters feel overly controlled or pressured. Otherwise, they might not be able to take it and could desperately try to escape the guild.
Everyone joined the guild for freedom, money, and the chance to become stronger. They weren't there to become someone's servants.
Shiro took out a blueprint and spread it across the table.
"As for the building design, I've already prepared a plan. Once you've decided on the locations, come and report to me. I'll handle the Pokédollars and the issues with the League. After that, you only need to oversee the construction."
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!