Holding a brand-new ID, Natsuhiko walked out of the Pokemon Store.
His expression was a bit odd.
To be honest, he really didn't expect becoming a registered Pokemon Hunter with the Hunter Guild to be this easy.
Of course.
He's now considered just an outer member. Besides gaining some perks in buying and selling Pokémon at the Hunter Guild's Pokemon Store, there are no other benefits, and naturally, no responsibilities either.
As for the Hunter Guild's mission concerning the Divine Hall of Snow Peak, it has nothing to do with him at all.
However, the Hunter Guild has also released several Pokémon capture missions, which, upon completion, allow one to sell the captured Pokémon directly to the Hunter Guild and simultaneously earn Hunter Guild points.
These points have no real function; they're just a means for the Hunter Guild to categorize Hunters by level.
From Level 1 to Level 10, the Hunter Guild divides Hunters into ten levels.
Levels 1 to 3 are considered outer members, while Levels 4 to 6 have a certain identity as outer members, who, with good luck, might catch the eye of core members and complete tasks with higher points under their wing.
From Level 7 on, a Pokemon Hunter is considered a formal member of the Hunter Guild, enjoying various benefits provided by the guild and gaining certain rights.
Level 9 Hunters are truly core members of the Hunter Guild, with the power to participate in significant events and even decision-making for the guild.
The number of Level 10 Hunters is fixed at 26, each receiving an exclusive letter. They are the true upper echelon of the Hunter Guild, determining all development directions and decision-making for the guild.
As for the ranks among these 26, that depends on capability and strength; it's not entirely fixed.
All this is a summary Natsuhiko pieced together from information gathered from Lance, Kona, Binina, and Ann Jie.
It's not exactly a big secret; quite a few people know about it.
Ann Jie is a Level 5 Hunter, under the command of Hunter A.
Being able to join the ranks of Hunter A, one of the highest six in the Hunter Guild, means boundless prospects with normal development and growth.
Unfortunately, Ann Jie fell into Natsuhiko's hands.
Most of the Hunter Guild's level system is based on points. Some people may not be strong, but because they've completed enough tasks, their accumulated points grant them a higher level, possibly surpassing Hunters stronger than them.
In short, everything is about points.
However, as long as one's strength is sufficient, capturing several powerful Pokémon will expedite their promotion.
Starting from Level 7, the level roughly corresponds with one's strength.
Moreover, certain items exclusive to Pokemon Hunters, like the "High-concentration Anesthetic Gun," "High-Strength Capture Net," or even the "Petrification Gun," need a certain Hunter Level before purchase is possible.
Natsuhiko casually accepted a few tasks to capture Ice-type Pokémon.
This way, he had a legitimate reason to approach the area of the Divine Hall of Snow Peak.
And so, Natsuhiko became an "honorable" Pokemon Hunter.
He continued using the alias "Bee Sting" he had casually mentioned when facing Ann Jie.
...
...
After leaving the black market,
Natsuhiko found a pretty decent inn and rented the biggest, most spacious room available.
There was no choice.
Before, he could squeeze into a smaller room.
But not now.
The presence of Snorlax compelled him to choose the largest room possible, with sturdy construction; otherwise, Snorlax could genuinely crush those "tofu-dreg" engineered buildings.
As per usual, he had Yujira inspect the room for safety.
With quite a few Pokemon Hunters in Snow Peak City, who knows if they'll pull any unexpected stunts.
So, even upon returning to the city, he couldn't relax his vigilance.
Allowing his Pokémon to play around in the spacious room, climbing up and down on Snorlax.
Natsuhiko sat cross-legged on the floor, in front of him was a pile of equipment for making Energy Blocks; he was going to try using his superpower to control these devices.
But before that, he directed his gaze at the Pokemon Incubator in front of him.
Inside lay a Pokemon Egg with blue and white stripes.
It was a gift from the Meteor People of Meteor Village.
The incubator's display still showed no hatching time, indicating that it would take a long time to hatch, so long that even the incubator couldn't determine it.
"The incubation period for Dragon-type Pokémon eggs is relatively long, but there's been no movement for so long. It's honestly a bit excessively long,"
Natsuhiko rubbed his chin.
He had no idea what Pokémon lay within.
But he had specifically bought some Tree Fruits and materials beneficial to Dragon-type Pokémon this time, intending to concoct some special potions, hoping to nurture and warm it before it hatched.
"I just hope the hatched Pokémon's main attribute is Dragon Type, but not only Dragon Type," Natsuhiko silently prayed.
It's well-known that most Quasi-Dragon Type Pokémon aren't solely Dragon-type.
For example, Dragonite and Salamence are Dragon and Flying Type, Garchomp is Dragon and Ground Type, Hydreigon is Dragon and Dark Type, Kommo-o is Dragon and Fighting Type, Dragapult is Dragon and Ghost Type.
Among all known Dragon-type Quasi-Gods, only Goodra is a pure Dragon-type Pokémon.
But Goodra...
The waters around Goodra are too deep; Natsuhiko didn't want to get involved.
Besides that, the only single Dragon-type Pokémon are Haxorus and Druddigon.
Haxorus is alright to deal with, but Druddigon...
Perhaps Goodra, after all.
At least it's a Quasi-God.
Natsuhiko concocted potions while letting his thoughts drift.
The formulation of these potions wasn't difficult; mix according to a specific ratio and then pour into the incubator's nutrient solution.
"Little one, no rush to be born, stay a while, be nurtured a bit."
He couldn't afford two high-consumption Pokémon right now.
The emergence of Snorlax had occupied much of the resources Natsuhiko had prepared for it.
But Snorlax was too valuable a trump card; which wild Pokémon at Elite Candidate Level doesn't have a bit of a temper?
Only Snorlax, with its gentle nature, willing to work for food, would cooperate; otherwise, Natsuhiko wouldn't dare try this with just any Pokémon.
If mishandled, it wouldn't become a trump card but a ticking time bomb.
So, even though Snorlax took up a significant portion of Natsuhiko's resource allocation, he had to keep it around, as it could prove unexpectedly effective in critical moments.
Ideally, after this incident ends, he could settle completely, implement all his planned strategies, gain enough time and resources before the Pokémon Egg hatched to nurture it to his fullest capability.
With the incubation matter settled, Natsuhiko then prepared for Energy Block creation.
It turns out,
Upon awakening to his superpower...
He indeed cannot do as he pleases.
A bit too optimistic.
Superpowers can certainly aid in Energy Block creation, but given Natsuhiko's current control of his powers, it's scarcely adequate.
Even Yujira couldn't bear to watch.
And had to "teach" him some insights on using superpowers.
However, evidently, given Yujira's talent in superpowers, its methods weren't very applicable to Natsuhiko.
"Looks like I really need to find some books on superpower users or simply find a superpower user to learn from," Natsuhiko massaged his temples.
It's embarrassing to say,
After awakening to his superpower, the biggest benefit and convenience it provided him was that he no longer needed to throw the Pokeball by hand.
Truly a bit disappointing.
Nonetheless, from Yujira's explanations, Natsuhiko realized what he needed to focus on now.
Precision control and application of superpowers.
Starting with skillfully rolling a coin around his fingers.
The ordinary coin size is the smallest unit he can control at present.
It can't be compared to Yujira's ability to manipulate even a single hair with superpowers.
But Natsuhiko believes that with consistent practice, he could reach that level too.