Pokemon: Bounty Hunter

The most immediate change was Pidgeot's level increasing by two, likely due to its body absorbing the residual energy from previous training.

Next was its size transformation—thanks to excellent training and high potential, this Pidgeot was noticeably larger and stronger than the average for its species. Its muscular chest made it appear particularly robust, and its weight far exceeded the norm.

Now, standing on the ground, Pidgeot was slightly taller than Silas. And when it spread its wings, they were wide enough to completely envelop him, making it appear truly massive and majestic.

Finally, Pidgeot had learned four new moves: Roost, Air Slash, Double Team, and Aerial Ace.

Each of these significantly improved its combat capabilities:

Roost restored HP while temporarily removing its Flying type, which could be a lifesaver against Electric-type attacks.

Air Slash allowed it to attack from a distance, covering a weakness in its moveset while also being a powerful mid-range move.

Double Team helped it evade attacks by creating afterimages, confusing opponents.

Aerial Ace was an unavoidable attack, ensuring it could land hits no matter how evasive the enemy was.

Silas estimated that this evolved Pidgeot could now fight four or five of its previous Pidgeotto form with ease—despite only gaining two levels.

Suppressing his excitement, he reminded himself that Pidgeot had just evolved and should get a thorough checkup at the Pokémon Center.

Even though Zero (his data system) provided accurate stats, it was always good to be cautious.

Without hesitation, Silas recalled Pidgeot into its Poké Ball and rushed toward the Pokémon Center.

Inside the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy greeted him with a warm smile after completing the checkup.

"Congratulations, Trainer Silas. Your Pokémon is in excellent health and has developed remarkably well. Well done on evolving it into a Pidgeot!"

After confirming his identity, she handed him Pidgeot's Poké Ball.

Silas smiled back. "Thank you, Nurse Joy. I appreciate it."

Joy nodded. "You're very welcome."

As Silas left, Nurse Joy glanced at his trainer profile and made a small note in the system.

According to the Joy family records, any Pidgey that could evolve all the way to Pidgeot had the potential to reach at least Pseudo-Elite status.

That meant that even if Silas lacked talent as a trainer, his Pidgeot alone would be strong enough to push him into the ranks of veteran Advance-level trainers.

And if he was lucky—if Pidgeot's potential was even greater—he might rise even higher.

On top of that, Silas was still very young, an orphan, and had raised a Pidgey to its final evolution in just over a year.

That showed he wasn't just lucky—he was also a natural talent.

Plus, during the checkup, Joy had noticed that Pidgeot had been exceptionally well cared for. That meant Silas wasn't just a strong trainer, but also had talent as a Pokémon caretaker.

A civilian-born orphan with Pseudo Elite-level potential and proper Pokémon care skills—that made him a promising investment.

Even though the odds of him reaching Champion rank were low, anyone with that potential was worth keeping an eye on.

Marking him in the system was simply part of the Joy family's routine—and with that done, she quickly moved on to her other work.

Silas, completely unaware that Nurse Joy had labeled him as a potential top trainer, was still calculating his profits from this mission.

"Lucky streak continues," he muttered, pleased with his earnings.

After completing the task, he hadn't yet received the full payout—the Hunter Center required about two hours to process the funds.

For cleanup missions, the Hunter Center didn't just accept the captured Pokémon as proof—they sent people to verify the area.

This was because, in the past, some trainers had tried to cheat the system by capturing random Pokémon and passing them off as the "leaders" of the target group.

To prevent fraud, the center now required official confirmation before payouts.

Silas wasn't worried—he had done the job properly. He just needed to wait for the money to transfer.

But before that, he had one more thing to take care of.

He needed to sell the special Butterfree he had captured—the one that knew Confusion.

That was where the real profit was.

Wearing a black cloak identical to many others, Silas entered the underground marketplace.

His first stop was the Black Market Management Office, where he rented a temporary one-hour stall for 1,000 Pokédollars.

Even though Silas wasn't exactly poor, the price still stung a little.

It might seem strange for a black market to have an official management office, but in reality, underground dealings needed order even more than legal ones.

Plus, running an underground market was extremely profitable—many powerful families didn't even have the resources to control one.

With no time to waste, Silas hurried to his rented stall and placed the Poké Ball containing Butterfree onto the table.

Beside it, on the provided wooden sign, he quickly wrote down the sale details:

Butterfree – Adavance-level – Knows Confusion – 1-hour auction – Starting bid: 1,200,000 Pokédollars.

Simple and direct.

Silas had never sold a Pokémon before, but over the years, he had frequently visited the black market, so he was familiar with how things worked.

A Butterfree with Confusion was rare even in the underground market. Auctioning it was the best way to maximize profit.

Silas sat calmly behind his stall, waiting for wealthy buyers to show up.

It didn't take long for his stall to attract attention.

One by one, black-cloaked figures placed their bids.

1,220,000... 1,250,000... 1,300,000... 1,320,000...

Within just 30 minutes, the price had already climbed to 1,600,000 Pokédollars.

After another half-hour, Silas walked out of the market management office, returned the rented stall, and headed home—grinning all the way.

"Oh yeah!"

The moment Silas stepped inside, he couldn't hold back his excitement and shouted in celebration.

2,200,000 Pokédollars!

That was the final price.

He had initially expected to sell it for about 2,000,000, maybe 1,900,000—but he never imagined it would go as high as 2,200,000.

Sitting on his couch, Silas checked his balance and burst into laughter.

At that moment, his payment from the cleanup mission—70,000 Pokédollars—also arrived.

But honestly, he didn't feel anything about it. Pocket change.

He was starting to feel a little arrogant—after all, seeing big numbers in his account was much more satisfying than selling a Fire Stone.

But he quickly calmed down.

Even with this money plus his previous savings, he had just over 4,000,000 Pokédollars.

That still wasn't enough to buy even one-fifth of a Charmander egg.

Silas controlled his emotions and began planning.

Initially, he hadn't intended to raise a second Pokémon yet.

But after this unexpected windfall and Pidgeot's evolution, he realized that his plan could be moved up.

Even if he sold a Fire Stone to buy a Pokémon egg, he now had enough money and strength to train a new Pokémon properly.

This would create a positive cycle—where he could keep strengthening his team while maintaining a stable income.

Now, the real question was: which Pokémon should he choose as his second partner?

After finishing dinner with Pidgeot, Silas slowly walked upstairs, deep in thought.

"Which one should I pick...?"

[A/N:

Game Mechanics Adjustments:

Breeding mechanics won't strictly follow games (egg groups, egg moves, etc.).

TMs won't be a thing in this world.

Pokémon will naturally learn more moves as they level up or train under stronger Pokémon.

If it's logical, it's allowed—so no need to argue over why Pidgey can inherit Twister.

Reality isn't always logical, after all.]