A certain airspace.
An Aerodactyl swiftly streaked across the sky, its flapping wings stirring up clouds and leaving a bright white contrail.
Flap-flap-flap—
A red cloak flapped noisily, a determined face carried a slight arc.
When the fierce airflow brushed against his face, it diminished significantly, only gently tousling his hair.
He reached for the special earpiece in his ear, "It's me, Lance, on my way."
This person riding the Aerodactyl was none other than our future Dragon Champion, Dragon Master Lance, now an official investigator of the Alliance. Through contribution and effort, he had successfully been promoted to Intermediate Investigator.
He was currently on a mission following the Alliance's directive.
"This time I won't let him get away. I'll apprehend him."
"That's all for now. I'm almost there. I hope you can expedite the proof, or unnecessary trouble may arise."
A vast continent appeared in Dragon Master Lance's view.
After speaking, he ended the call.
He took out his phone.
It recorded the tasks he had completed over this period, most of which were successfully completed, except for one marked as "Pending."
He considered himself a perfectionist.
He pursued task completion with an almost obsessive-compulsive desire.
However, his persistence with this task had a different reason.
Because the target of this task was intricately linked to the person he had been searching for. If he could find this person, he might gain information about her.
"I'm coming."
...
...
"Hmm, I'm here, standing by the planter at the exit of Kaina Port, the one in black clothes, wearing a black hat," Natsuhiko softly said, holding the phone to his ear.
Soon.
Screech—
Accompanied by the ear-piercing sound of tires rubbing against the ground, a luxurious car stopped in front of Natsuhiko.
The car door opened.
"Get in."
The man in front of him, dressed in a small tuxedo with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, looked elegant and charming. He was the stone enthusiast, Zfuchi Flint.
"Didn't expect you to actually have time."
Natsuhiko got into the car.
Now that he was in the Hoenn Region, he did want to see Flint, not for anything else, but to ask him to help sell some things he had.
For example, the two Intermediate quality Evolution Stones he had obtained earlier.
As for the recently acquired high-quality Dark Stone, he wasn't short on funds for the moment, and could afford to hold onto it for a while.
High-quality Evolution Stones are extremely rare, and if found by the right buyer, the price could be astronomical.
The main issue was that currently, neither the Pokemon Transmission Device nor the Artifact Transmission Device had been developed or researched, otherwise, it wouldn't be such a hassle.
Natsuhiko had intended to ask Flint where he was and then go to see him himself.
But it turned out Flint was also in Kaina City, and upon hearing that Natsuhiko had arrived in the Hoenn Region, he came to pick him up immediately.
The car drove smoothly.
"I happened to be in Kaina City for some exchanges with local merchants on the promotion of tools, otherwise, you would have had to find me in Kanaz City," Flint said with a smile, adjusting his sleeves.
"That tool, huh?" asked Natsuhiko thoughtfully.
"Yes, our Devon and Silver collaborated, and with the strong support of the Alliance, the tool has been upgraded several times. Now it's more comprehensive, complete with more features, and installation isn't as troublesome," Flint explained.
"That would indeed be beneficial to all trainers," Natsuhiko said with a smile.
"Yes, indeed."
Flint was quite enthusiastic about doing good for all trainers in the Pokemon Realm.
"However, Flint, tools that involve all trainers' personal information and secrets should have high data protection, otherwise some might have reservations or hesitations about using them."
Everyone has their little secrets, some perhaps trivial, while some may involve confidential information for some people. For instance, chat content being randomly accessible would certainly make many apprehensive.
Flint nodded in agreement, "True, the biggest obstacle we encountered during promotion was some people's worry that their secrets might be freely viewed."
Natsuhiko truly understood this sentiment.
"But you can rest assured, or rather, everyone can, because this tool's ultimate database is stored within the Alliance Headquarters' database. Even a single member of the Elite Four doesn't have the authority to view it alone; it requires at least two or more members."
"Moreover, the Alliance's data protection is world-class."
Flint was very confident about this.
Being the young master of Devon Company, he had access to many things and secrets that an ordinary person wouldn't.
And even as a key developer, he didn't have the authority to access the database.
Upon hearing this, Natsuhiko nodded.
'That means even Rocket Team, deeply infiltrated into Silver Company, wouldn't be able to access the information behind this tool.'
If even the Elite Four cannot view it alone, the level of permission is indeed extremely high.
This undoubtedly laid the groundwork for Professor Oak's future development of the Pokedex.
Even though the emergence of this tool will inevitably be exploited by those with ulterior motives, it's certainly a boon for most trainers.
The car stopped.
The door opened.
Outside were rows of skyscrapers.
As the largest port city in the Hoenn Region, Kaina City's prosperity was second only to Kanaz City, where Devon Company was located. It was also one of the famous metropolises in the Hoenn Region.
"Let's go, I'll take you for a tour, and you can experience the Hoenn Region's local customs," Flint said, stepping out of the car first.
Natsuhiko hesitated for a moment before following him out.
Raising his eyes to look.
Aside from the towering buildings, through the layers of clouds, he could vaguely see a huge mountain standing in the far distance, although it was too far to see clearly, only a rough outline.
"That's Chimney Mountain, the largest mountain in the Hoenn Region. At its base, there's the unique Chimney Mountain hot spring. If you get the chance, you should try it. The minerals from the volcano in the hot spring water can maximize the relaxation of people and Pokemon," Flint noted, observing Natsuhiko's gaze, with a smile.
"But you might have to wait for a while, as I have too many things going on recently, or I could arrange for someone to take you."
"Then how do you still have time to pick me up?"
"I must fulfill my host duty, and besides, I still have... an hour and a half of rest," Flint replied, glancing at his watch, timing it precisely.
Natsuhiko was speechless.
Even though Flint was so busy, his primary hobby was collecting various stones, and being a trainer ranked at most third in his priorities.
Despite this, he would still become a champion in the future, and not the kind of champion relying solely on resources.
One couldn't help but admit, his talent was indeed terrifyingly strong.
"Where do you want to go first for some sightseeing? Or try some local delicacies?" Flint asked.
"I want to sell these two items first," Natsuhiko said, spreading open his hand where two Evolution Stones lay quietly.
"No need for all that trouble."
Flint chuckled.
He waved casually, summoning a staff member from a shop nearby. After receiving Flint's assurance, the staff took the Evolution Stones from Natsuhiko and promptly left.
If Flint hadn't called the person over, Natsuhiko would have thought it was a robbery.
"He..."
"He will place these two Evolution Stones in the Devon store for sale, and then I'll transfer the money directly to your account," Flint explained.
Natsuhiko lowered his eyes slightly.
Is this how wealthy people operate?
Sorry, poverty really does limit one's imagination.
"What about his reward..."
Flint waved it off, "No need, he's a Devon employee."
Natsuhiko looked up at the shop the person had come from. It looked exactly like a noodle shop.
Then it suddenly hit Natsuhiko, gazing around at all the stores on the street, his expression turned stiff, his eyes involuntarily twitching.
"This street, could it be..."
Flint nodded calmly, "All part of Devon's enterprise. I bought the whole street to speed up promotion."
"...Just bought?"
"Not really, three days ago maybe."
Natsuhiko gave a thumbs-up.
"I apologize."
He felt unworthy to stand alongside Flint.