Mount Silver was located in the northeastern part of Johto. From Blackthorn City, it took only about a week to reach the base of the mountain, where Silver Town was situated.
After leaving Blackthorn City, Sato traveled directly to Silver Town. Along the way, he encountered quite a few skilled trainers.
Upon entering Silver Town, he immediately noticed the dense crowds, most of whom were engaged in Pokémon battles.
The town was brimming with a strong battling atmosphere, something that took Sato slightly by surprise.
A traveler like him, arriving dust-covered from the road, was practically challenged to a battle the moment he set foot in Silver Town!
Sato sent out his Carvanha, whose ability to hover midair as a fish-like Pokémon immediately drew a lot of attention.
His opponent released a Vileplume, which had a type advantage over Carvanha. However, after a few rounds of ferocious bites from Carvanha's sharp jaws, Vileplume was too scared to continue the fight.
A wave of sighs and murmurs followed. Sato recalled his Carvanha, who was clearly basking in the applause.
He then politely declined further battle invitations and headed straight to the Pokémon Center.
Silver Town was much like Mahogany Town. Although classified as a town, it was in no way inferior to an actual city.
If Mahogany Town had risen to fame due to its connection to two former Elite Four members, Silver Town had gradually flourished due to its strategic location.
With the rising popularity of Pokémon training, exploring the wild and capturing powerful Pokémon had become a trend.
Being situated at the foot of Mount Silver, Silver Town naturally became a major hub for adventurous trainers.
Especially after the Pokémon League had invested significant resources to establish a branch office near Mount Silver, Silver Town had no choice but to thrive.
Due to the sheer number of trainers, Silver Town's Pokémon Center was significantly larger than those in other locations.
The main hall alone had three Nurse Joys taking shifts at the reception counter.
Trainers came and went in a near-endless stream. Those confident enough to explore Mount Silver were all skilled individuals, fully evolved Pokémon were everywhere.
After depositing his Pokémon for treatment, Sato left his belongings in a single-room dorm and ventured out to explore Silver Town.
"An Adventurer's Guild?"
Not long after stepping out of the Pokémon Center, Sato came across an interesting establishment. The building was grand and majestic, resembling a palace.
More trainers were entering and leaving than even at the Pokémon Center. Most trainers gathered in small groups, chatting excitedly, their faces full of enthusiasm.
Sato had a vague idea of what this place was, but he preferred seeing it with his own eyes. So, he walked in.
The moment he stepped inside, a wave of noise filled his ears. The massive hall was packed with trainers. On three of the walls were numerous small service counters, each with a long queue in front of it.
At the center stood a giant circular reception desk, also surrounded by a crowd. As Sato moved closer, bits of conversation naturally reached his ears.
"Teaming up? Exploration? Missions? Rewards?"
After eavesdropping for a while, Sato quickly figured out the function of the Adventurer's Guild.
It served as a place where trainers could take on missions, either alone or in teams, to explore Mount Silver and complete various tasks in exchange for rewards.
The rewards came in three forms: cash, physical items, and points. The first two were self-explanatory, but the third, points, was unique to the guild.
These points could be exchanged for any item, including pseudo-legendary Pokémon eggs. As long as a trainer had enough points, they could get anything they wanted.
Additionally, there were various battle items, potions, specialty Poké Balls, and high-grade Pokémon food available for redemption.
As he browsed through the list, Sato came across a familiar item: Potential Activation Serum.
The Pokémon League was behind the Adventurer's Guild! Only the Pokémon League would dare to openly put such rare and valuable items up for sale.
However, at the moment, the serum was only effective on Pokémon at or below the Elite level. Sato's entire team had at least pseudo-Elite Four potential or higher.
It was useless to him.
Evolution Stones, Big Roots, Razor Fangs... many rare items were also listed, and it seemed they were constantly being restocked. The inventory was absurdly abundant!
Strangely, quests offering cash rewards were not in high demand. Instead, missions that awarded points were highly sought after.
New quests would barely be up for a few moments before someone accepted them, and the mission board was refreshed at an incredible rate.
Sato quickly made up his mind. Teaming up? That was never an option.
But being a lone adventurer, making money while training, now that was something he could work with.
After all, he was supporting a family of seven and every single one of them could eat, especially his now evolved Pupitar. That thing was practically a bottomless pit.
However, when Sato brought his identification card to the reception desk to apply, he quickly realized things weren't so simple.
"Since you currently have zero completed missions and your rank points are at the beginner level, you can only accept beginner-level missions."
The receptionist handed back the card with both hands, maintaining a perfectly professional demeanor, leaving Sato with no reason to complain.
"Is there any way to accept higher-ranked missions directly?"
After being informed that missions were classified into beginner, intermediate, advanced, and top-tier levels, Sato wasn't satisfied. He didn't have the time to start from basic rookie missions.
"Form a team!" The receptionist smiled without the slightest hint of impatience. "As long as at least half of your team members are advanced adventurers, you'll be eligible to take on advanced missions."
Sato left the reception desk and remained silent for a while before deciding, he needed to form a team.
Forming a team wasn't difficult. Around the Adventurers' Guild, there were countless boards displaying recruitment notices, ranging from beginner-level to even elite-level team invitations.
Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Sato noticed that adventurer ranks roughly corresponded to trainer levels: Newcomer (Rookie), Official, Elite, and Pseudo-Elite Four.
However, there were still distinctions. As he walked around, Sato realized most recruitment notices prioritized adventurer rank rather than trainer rank.
After all, while raw strength certainly played a role in exploration, experience in the wild was even more crucial, something Sato deeply understood.
"Sorry, we're looking for someone with more field experience."
After being rejected for the third time, Sato concluded that experience could only be built over time.
Strength! Strength should be the most important factor!
Naturally unsociable and disliking dealing with strangers, Sato turned around and headed back. He figured these people simply didn't have good judgment in picking teammates.
"Miss Joy, I'd like to ask..."
While retrieving his fully restored Pokémon from the storage counter, Sato shamelessly decided to take a shortcut.
"That's simple! I know quite a few teams that are still short on members. I'm familiar with them, so I can ask on your behalf."
Miss Joy spoke while picking up the phone to contact some trainers.
Not long after, a red-haired young man ran over, panting slightly, heading straight for Joy with an expectant look in his eyes.
If he had a tail, he'd probably be wagging it.
"Wataru, could you do me a favor?"
Miss Joy pressed her palms together and asked sincerely.
Sato's eyes widened in shock, unable to hide his surprise!