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Upon landing, Kalia headed to the Pokémon Center and collected her rewards for completing the recent mission.
Her efforts over these past two weeks were not in vain. From day one, Kalia consistently accepted tasks; some required several days, even up to three, while others took only a few hours.
On average, she earned around seven to eight thousand Alliance Coins daily, accumulating approximately 110,000 coins by now.
Earning over ten thousand within just half a month was once unimaginable for Kalia, but now she had achieved it.
The benefits provided by the League for mid-level Trainers were indeed substantial. Although Kalia encountered a few challenging missions, thankfully, she managed to complete them safely each time.
Failure of a task didn't carry severe penalties, usually just a deduction of some Alliance Coins. Even the weakest mid-level Trainer, if persistent in accepting and completing tasks throughout the month, could easily earn more than ten thousand Alliance Coins without issue.
Kalia's ability to accumulate such a large sum in just half a month stemmed from her relentless dedication. Most others might not have been able to match this pace.
After returning to her residence, Kalia rested briefly before heading back to the Pokémon Center to accept more tasks. Typically, unless something unexpected arose, she would immediately start a new task after resting post-completion.
Over these past two weeks, Kalia had become quite well-known. Everyone was aware that the number of available missions at the Pokémon Centers had significantly decreased due to her relentless task-taking and high completion rate, earning her the nickname "Task Maniac."
The nurses at Totem City's Pokémon Center were already familiar with Kalia. As soon as she entered, their gazes immediately landed on her.
Before Kalia could even speak, one of the nurses seemed prepared and promptly said, "Welcome back! I've already selected several suitable tasks for you. Please take a look."
Kalia smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Big Sister."
Without delay, Kalia glanced at the screen displaying three tasks. She opened each one, finding them all fitting her capabilities well.
Typically, tasks get quickly claimed by Trainers, so if Kalia chose one, it was highly likely that the remaining two would be taken before she completed hers.
Soon, Kalia made her decision and picked the second task. It involved accompanying a beginner Trainer on an adventure to a perilous location.
The task simply required assisting the individual to reach their destination on foot, making it achievable. However, the location was a treacherous mountain range, inaccessible by Flying-type Pokémon, adding considerable difficulty.
Kalia surmised that the requester must be quite wealthy, as the mission reward was directly set at 20,000 Alliance Coins—an impressive sum indeed.
Although she heard rumors about the Trainer's unpleasant demeanor, Kalia didn't concern herself with that; whether they had a good temper or not, anyone who angered her would quickly learn discipline after a swift lesson.
Regardless, Kalia was determined to secure those 20,000 Alliance Coins.
"Charizard, let's go!"
Outside the Pokémon Center, Lian awaited Kalia. As she climbed onto his back, she gracefully waved her arm.
With wings unfurled, Lian soared into the sky, ascending swiftly. Following Kalia's direction towards their destination, he promptly accelerated forward.
Their exploration site was a steep and perilous mountain range located to the east, considered quite remote with minimal human habitation.
Many areas in the Sebas Region were inherently dangerous, but compared to the North Sea, the eastern mountain ranges posed less of a threat. With a Flying-type Pokémon, even if one got lost, escape remained feasible.
This mountainous region was popular among adventurous Trainers, attracting many each year.
Kalia arrived at their destination, the base of a prominent peak, and contacted the task issuer, a beginner Trainer named Linden. They then found a spot to rest while waiting for his arrival.
After a lengthy wait, Kalia finally spotted the client approaching. He appeared shorter than her, with luxurious-looking gear, and seemed even younger, possibly around eleven or twelve years old. Upon seeing Kalia, Linden's lips curled up, and he intentionally stood on a nearby stone, looking down condescendingly at her.
"Hello, I'm Kalia, your assigned companion for this mission," Kalia greeted first, wondering what might be off about Linden's personality.
"I know that already. Why didn't you bring newer equipment? With these outdated gears, how do you think you're qualified to adventure with me!" Linden suddenly exclaimed loudly, quite inexplicably.
Kalia was taken aback; she intended to earn money, not spend it. The latest climbing gear is expensive, costing several thousand Alliance Coins at least. Since she already owned suitable equipment, there was no need for new purchases.
"I don't have the money to buy new gear." Kalia forced a bitter smile; pretending to be poor was her only option now. She couldn't possibly say she simply didn't want to purchase it, feeling unable to communicate effectively with Linden.
Initially taken aback, Linden responded, "Oh, so you're short on funds."
"Yes, exactly! I took this mission because I needed money. Without completing tasks, I can't afford better equipment." Kalia hastily nodded, eager to start their adventure promptly.
"Why waste time? Let's begin our expedition right away," Kalia suggested. She had no interest in idle chatter with Linden and wanted to finish the task as soon as possible to leave sooner.
After some delay...
Kalia engaged in lengthy conversation with Linden, finally managing to convince him to set off. However, Linden seemed to enjoy talking incessantly, chattering non-stop throughout the journey, which became quite irritating.
This was by far the most talkative Trainer Kalia had ever encountered. She chose to selectively ignore his chatter and focused on starting their adventure.
Linden's objective was to traverse from the southern end of the mountain range to the northern side, roughly reaching the easternmost point of the Sebas Region.
Once they arrived at their destination, their goal would be accomplished. However, along the way, numerous wild Pokemon were bound to appear, likely attacking Kalia and Linden for intruding on their territories.
***
Time passed unnoticed.
On a steep slope at the outskirts of the mountain range, Kalia and Linden stood high with their Pokemon surrounding them, gazing ahead at a group of wild Mightyenas.
There were ten Mightyenas in total, all seemingly formidable opponents. However, Kalia remained confident in her ability to defeat them.
Roar!
The Mightyenas collectively howled, several possessing the Intimidate Ability. Instantly, Kalia's Pokemon felt intimidated, especially affecting Linden's three attacking-type Pokemon the most.
"Combusken, what's wrong?" Kalia noticed Combusken acting unusual, appearing quite frightened, its limbs weak and almost unable to stand.
"Combusken, stay strong!" Kalia shouted just as the ten Mightyenas launched their attack.
"Ah, they're charging!" Linden yelled. Truthfully, his Pokemon were decent but seemed overwhelmed at that moment.
Ten Mightyenas hunting together, utilizing the Intimidate Ability from the start, posed a significant challenge for most prey against this pack.
Lian had no time to focus on others; the Mightyenas were formidable and needed to be stopped immediately. In the next instant, he unleashed two Air Slashes, swiftly knocking away two Mightyenas.
Several Mightyenas charged towards Lian simultaneously, but he didn't evade due to the steep surroundings and narrow space. One misstep could accidentally harm Kalia, and he also hesitated to use wide-range moves.
Instead, he utilized Air Slash to initially repel two Mightyenas. With their high Stamina ability values and tough resilience, these Pokémon could easily handle multiple opponents.
Four Mightyenas lunged at Lian, clearly considering him the greatest threat. Each unleashed Crunch attacks directly aiming for him.
Lian burst with speed, but only within a limited area, fearing that if the Mightyenas switched targets and attacked Kalia, it would escalate the situation significantly.
As a result, one of the Mightyenas managed to bite his wing, though it wasn't particularly painful. Perhaps facing all four Mightyenas' Crunches simultaneously might have hurt more.
Meanwhile, Sceptile and Ninetales engaged in battle with the remaining Mightyenas. Sceptile was largely unaffected due to its training under a Fighting-type Gym Leader, which had instilled in it a resilient fighting spirit. External factors were unlikely to diminish its strength significantly.