Pokemon: Rising From The Dark

Aoki laughed out loud when he heard Kaitou's words.

When Kaitou heard Aoki's laughter, her eyes widened, and she wanted to get up and leave.

Fortunately, Aoki stopped laughing in time and prevented Kaitou from leaving.

"Okay, stop laughing. That... You should have seen it too. I've just become a four-star hunter. The last time I met you was a complete accident, but I really need to thank you," Aoki said.

There was real gratitude. Without Kaitou's luck, the encounter with the Absol mother and child might not have happened. Without that, there would have been no discovery of the lake deep in the forest, and the Slowpoke wouldn't have successfully evolved into Slowking. On top of that, obtaining the powerful held item, the Leader's Aura, would never have been possible.

Maybe it was all thanks to Kaitou.

Even if luck had allowed Aoki to meet Absol's mother, she would never have led him to her den, nor would she have let someone filled with malice approach her child.

Because the first instinct upon seeing her would have been to capture her—whether for personal use or to complete a League mission.

Kaitou looked at Aoki coldly, waiting for his next words.

"But you can't deny that what I said before was true. You really do need to join a group to grow faster in the future, don't you? And even if you had found Absol that day, would she still have taken you to her cave? Would you really not have chosen to capture her?" Aoki said lightly.

"And now, I've become a four-star hunter, meaning I can establish my own hunting group. This is no different from what we expected before, right? Besides, I never actually told you I was a four-star hunter. I only said I wanted to form a hunting group."

After hearing Aoki's words, Kaitou gradually fell into deep thought.

Although Aoki had deceived him, which was frustrating, it didn't really have much impact on him, did it?

And now Aoki truly was a four-star hunter, capable of forming a hunting group.

If things went as Aoki said, once the hunting group was established, more members would soon join. The group would develop quickly.

It was far better than joining another established hunting group as a low-ranking member or trying to start one from scratch alone.

Then Aoki took a metal box from his storage space, set it on the table, opened it, and pushed it toward Kaitou.

"This is..." Kaitou hesitated, staring at the contents of the box.

"That's right, these are high-grade Pokeblocks. They may be the most basic type, but they aren't cheap. Consider them compensation for misleading you."

Aoki continued, "If you agree to become the deputy leader of the hunting group, you'll receive all the benefits that come with the role. Additionally, you'll get a steady supply of high-grade Pokeblocks. Three of your Pokémon will be covered. If you help the group advance to a two-star team, four Pokémon will be covered. A three-star team will cover five Pokémon, and so on."

"Once you reach six-star hunter status, I can personally customize high-grade Pokeblocks for you, tailored to your Pokémon's needs. This is the advantage of being deputy leader."

"Of course, rewards come with obligations. First and foremost: no betrayal. If you betray us, you won't be able to escape my pursuit—no matter where you hide. Don't doubt it. Believe me, I have the means to make that happen.

"Beyond that, your role is to ensure the hunting group grows. My goal is to run things from the background."

"However, if you run into any missions or Pokémon you can't handle, come to me directly."

Aoki stated his conditions clearly.

Kaitou was lost in thought.

Looking at the box of high-grade Pokeblocks on the table, his thoughts gradually settled.

The offer was tempting.

As a trainer from a civilian background, Kaitou had no way to commission a high-level breeder to make custom Pokeblocks. He lacked both the money and the status.

Even basic high-grade Pokeblocks were something only her Roserade received. The rest of her Pokémon had to make do with mid-grade ones.

On top of that, she still needed more money to train her Pokémon and acquire stronger ones. Her strength couldn't afford to stagnate.

Aoki didn't rush her. He simply sat back in his chair, arms folded, waiting for Kaitou's answer.

Ten minutes later, Kaitou seemed to have made a decision.

Kaitou placed his hands on the table, stood up, and looked down at Aoki. "Alright. I'll be your deputy leader. I just hope you can deliver on what you promised."

Aoki smirked and took out two more metal boxes from his storage space, sliding them toward Kaitou.

"Here are two more boxes of high-grade Pokeblocks. Each one contains a two-month supply. Once you're running low, contact me."

"Now, let's go register the hunting group."

Aoki turned and walked toward the registration counter.

Registering a hunting group was similar to registering as a hunter. Once a main hunter reached four-star status, they could register a hunting group for free.

Recruiting members was the bigger challenge, but for Aoki, it was much simpler. He already had people lined up.

Aoki casually named the group the Sky Hunting Group, which Kaitou complained about for a long time.

The two emerged from the Hunter Guild once more. This time, in addition to the four-star badges on their chests, they each had a hunting group emblem pinned to their right shoulders. The emblem, hastily drawn by Aoki, wasn't particularly attractive—but at least it wasn't ugly.

"Alright, the hunting group is officially registered, and your name is listed as deputy leader," Aoki said.

Kaitou nodded, then frowned in confusion. "Your hunter name is JOKER, and you named me Hunter J. But there's another deputy leader listed—Hunter A?"

When registering, Aoki had put his own hunter name, JOKER, as leader, and Kaitou's name as J. But he had also listed another deputy leader: A.

Kaitou had no idea who that was.

But Aoki knew.

Maybe it was just his sense of humor, but when Skye and the others registered as hunters, they each took letter names—Miyamoto was A, Alec was K, and Skye was Q.

The meaning was obvious. The other deputy leader was Miyamoto.

While Aoki trusted Kaitou's abilities, he still assigned Miyamoto as a second deputy leader—not to undermine Kaitou, but to ensure that the group's activities were properly reported and monitored.

This had been Aoki's plan from the start.

"You'll find out soon enough," Aoki said. "For now, stay here for the next two days. I'll have them come one by one. You'll handle recruitment and organization. From there, everything will be up to you."

Aoki waved a hand dismissively and left the Hunter Guild.

Kaitou remained, silently waiting for Miyamoto to arrive.

As for Skye and Alec, Aoki had other assignments for them. The main leaders of the hunting group would be Miyamoto and Kaitou. New recruits would be managed by them, with half stationed in Verdanturf Town and the other half completing hunting missions. The teams would rotate as needed.