"…Actually, as long as I don't go back to my family, I'm fine with anything."
Tetsuya got that answer from James. For a wealthy kid like James, all he sought was to follow his nature and be free.
"Since you've both already made up your minds, then do what you want. But I have to remind you of one thing… Don't. Go. Catching. Pikachu!" Tetsuya said, word by word.
""Why?"" Jessie and James asked in unison.
Tetsuya froze for a moment, then said, "…Just listen to me. You can't go wrong."
""Oh, oh…""
Jessie and James nodded in unison.
As for the two of them joining Team Rocket, there definitely would not be any problem now. James's Cacturne was exceptionally strong, while Jessie's Machoke had plenty of… stamina; more than enough to meet Team Rocket's entry requirements.
"…Alright. I have something to do; we'll talk later."
---◓---
After parting ways with Jessie and James, it really was time to deal with those six Scyther.
Sunnytown's Black Market had also become more active following the construction of the new bridge across the river.
Upon entering Sunnytown's Black Market, Tetsuya indeed saw quite a few rare Pokémon, but their innate potential -IVs- was all fairly average. He also did not have the energy to raise Pokémon of so many different types. Ice- and Poison-types alone were already enough to give him a headache.
Although Tetsuya also had "some" experience with Ghost-types, Matsuba's level was ultimately only that of a Gym Leader. If Tetsuya wanted to advance any further, he would have to wait until he had an opportunity to visit Matsuba IV's place in Unova. Perhaps some advanced raising guides had been left behind there. After all, Matsuba IV had raised that Mega Gengar all by himself.
Gengar was now already a part of Tetsuya's body. Fortunately, through a happy coincidence, he had obtained this Golurk with astonishing potential. Otherwise, he truly would not have any presentable Ghost-type Pokémon, which would have "disgraced" his reputation as Matsuba's Gym pupil.
Tetsuya went around to several Pokémon resale stations, but because they could not agree on a price, he did not sell them. He also understood how things worked here…
On the surface, there were many resale stations, but behind the scenes, there was actually only one person manipulating everything.
These six Scyther varied in innate talent, so naturally their purchase prices would also differ.
However, after the person at the first station examined the condition of the six Scyther and offered a price, which Tetsuya rejected, the stations afterward basically offered the exact same price.
Some still went through the motions of taking a look, while others could not even be bothered to look at them.
It was not until Tetsuya was preparing to leave the Black Market that someone approached him.
"Hey, young man, why don't you come back to my station and we can talk it over again? My place is the largest one here." The person who had come over was none other than the manager of the first station he had visited earlier, as well as the largest of all the stations here.
Tetsuya gave a superficial smile. "How much are you planning to offer?"
"Twelve thousand each, and fifteen thousand for the strongest one. How… how about it?" The station manager said through gritted teeth.
"Forget it." Tetsuya waved his hand and left directly. He had spent decades struggling his way through the Black Market in his previous life, so he knew these prices better than anyone.
Setting aside the fact that Scyther had a base stat total as high as 500, its striking appearance had already made it the representative Bug-type Pokémon of the Kanto Region.
Generally speaking, Pokémon with a base stat total of 500 sold for between twenty and forty thousand on the Black Market.
Scyther would definitely be at the upper end of that price range. As long as one was reasonably strong, it would sell for forty thousand.
Dreaming of buying them from Tetsuya for 12k each was simply wishful thinking.
"Damn that kid…"
---◓---
As Tetsuya walked back toward the Pokémon Center, he had not gone far when a total of eight people surrounded him from every direction.
"Hand over the Pokémon you have, and we'll guarantee you can leave safely!" The one leading them was none other than the manager from earlier.
Tetsuya chuckled and said, "Heh… If this weren't an official town, I'd kill all of you right now. The deal falls through, so you resort to highway robbery… How shameful."
"Hahaha! You bōya, you still want to kill us? Worry about yourself first!" With that, the station manager leading them was the first to send out a Golbat.
The other seven were also managers from the various stations, and each of them sent out a Golbat as well.
All eight of them even used the same Pokémon, confirming Tetsuya's suspicion. These people were clearly part of the same organization.
It was nighttime now, so dealing with Golbat was indeed somewhat troublesome. Golbat was very skilled at using echolocation, so logically speaking, Tetsuya's side was at a disadvantage. That was also why all eight of them had chosen Golbat.
"Golurk, I'll leave them to you." However, Tetsuya also had Golurk, which was highly active at night.
"All together, use Air Slash!" All eight Golbat moved at once. With one sound after another of air being torn apart, the Air Slashes drew closer and closer.
"Fire Punches." As soon as Tetsuya gave the command, flames enveloped Golurk's fists, bringing a little light to the darkness.
One punch followed another without the slightest pause, leaving absolutely no opening for anyone to exploit. In just a single exchange, Golurk had already completely suppressed all eight Golbat.
At this point, the men began to panic…
The eight Golbat no longer had any opportunity to attack!
While they were still hesitating, Golurk had already engaged the Golbat in battle in midair. These Golbat did not dare confront Golurk head-on. With punch after punch, all eight were soon completely routed!
When it came to flight capability, what Pokémon could possibly compare to Golurk?
Any Pokémon that tried to flee was quickly caught by Golurk, followed by an Ice Punch, and what fell from the sky was a block of ice.
Only after eight blocks of ice fell to the ground did Golurk return to Tetsuya's side.
"So, do you still need me to hand over my Pokémon?" Tetsuya said, his expression indifferent.
"N-No! No… there's no need." The eight men repeatedly waved their hands and had no choice but to recall their Golbat. Now, all they felt toward Tetsuya was fear.
"Golurk, keep an eye on them. I'll call the police." With that, Tetsuya took out his Pokédex.
Seeing that Tetsuya was about to call the police, the eight men turned and ran. This time, however, Tetsuya showed no mercy and once again had Golurk block their path.
The eight managers immediately dropped to their knees before Tetsuya and pleaded, "Please! Please, be magnanimous and let us off just this once!"
Tetsuya sneered. Just thinking about how they had tried to rip him off earlier made his anger flare up. Ever since the Beedrill… his emotions had been running a bit wild.
Since he had cornered them now, he might as well make them bleed a little.