Pokémon: Trainers Start as Bounty Hunters.

Tetsuya suddenly understood.

Bring up the panoramic map that comes with the watch.

Quickly navigate to the vicinity of the location of the Cerulean Cave.

"It really is here."

He smiled.

Quite peculiar, after removing some of the useless parts, the carpet pattern in the photo depicts a scene that is nine-tenths similar to the area around the Chamland Cave.

If Tetsuya weren't so quick-witted, no normal person would ever connect the two of them.

"Nine-tenths similarity is enough."

He was very pleased with the discovery.

The terrain of the elf world can change drastically in just a few decades.

The existence of Ground, Rock, and Grass-type Pokémon means that in just a few years, the rocky wilderness and the lush forest might switch places.

The reason why the area depicted by the carpet pattern has remained largely unchanged is thanks to the unique existence of the Cerro Vai Lanta Cave.

The alliance paid a considerable price to protect it.

"Have you discovered any clues?"

The couple asked curiously.

Tetsuya hasn't spoken for so long, it's impossible that he's just spacing out.

"Ah."

He nodded. "But I still need to confirm with you. Did your grandfather ever visit the Hua Lan Cave?"

"Cherlen Cave?"

The male homeowner looked somewhat dazed. "I don't think so. My grandfather isn't that powerful."

As a native of Hualan City, how could he not know this place?

But reaching the top eight in a regional tournament is not an easy task.

If his grandfather was that powerful, he wouldn't be living in this ordinary house now, but in the mansion next door.

Is that so?

Tetsuya hesitated for a moment, then didn't press the matter further.

He didn't think the other person was lying.

Therefore, the only remaining possibility is that the other party's grandfather did not tell his descendants about this.

As for the level of detail in the carpet patterns, it's impossible to get such a detailed look without going there in person.

"Don't worry, I have a general grasp of the clues and will help you two recover your property as soon as possible."

Tetsuya quickly said goodbye to the couple and returned to the police station.

Officer Jenny, who had just finished a mission and hadn't even had two minutes to rest, widened her eyes upon hearing his report.

"You mean, that carpet might actually be a treasure map? The thief specifically targeted the carpet? And the rest of the items were just a cover?"

Tetsuya nodded, then shook his head: "Not entirely."

"The remaining stolen items were actually of excessively high value, and the contrast immediately draws attention to the discordant aspects."

In the office, another older and more experienced Officer Jenny spoke up, "This case doesn't seem simple."

"Makes sense."

The young Officer Jenny was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized what was happening.

Like her Growlithe, she is an outstanding member of her family of the same age and can naturally keep up with the two of them.

"The pattern points to the Cerulean Cave. What are they planning to do there? But the guards there are incredibly strong every day."

Officer Jenny began to ponder.

"Is it possible that he came for you?"

The older Officer Jenny, however, focused her gaze on Tetsuya.

Tetsuya narrowed his eyes: "You mean...?"

"Hmm, it's very likely the Hunter group, or a dark organization like Team Rocket."

If I'm not mistaken, your profile recently added a record of a trip to the Cerulean Cave.

"It makes sense!"

Officer Jenny slammed her hand on the table, then asked, somewhat puzzled, "But how can they be so sure it was Mr. Tetsuya who provided the assistance?"

"That's the purpose of those items."

Tetsuya also realized, "The total value is over ten million, this is already a major case."

The pool of trainers eligible to provide assistance is naturally limited to those at the near-Elite Four level or higher, and preferably those with Elite Four-level Pokémon.

“There aren’t many trainers in Cerulean City who meet this requirement.”

A light shone in Officer Jenny's eyes. "If it weren't for Mr. Tetsuya, no one else would have been able to glean any information about the Cerulean Cave from the carpet pattern, let alone find any useful clues."

"So what we need to do now is to replace the person."

Tetsuya, utterly speechless, offered his conclusion.

No, that's not it.

He just wanted to have a nice vacation, so why are people always causing him trouble?

"We will send another available trainer to explore the vicinity of Cerulean Cave."

If the perpetrator then commits another crime, then our guess is most likely correct.

The two Officer Jennys exchanged a glance and replied in unison.

I walked out of the police station.

Tetsuya's face was as gloomy as the weather.

If he could use his superpowers, he would have definitely dragged this rat out of the shadows immediately.

Unfortunately, the timing of the opponent's move was just too perfect.

No one would have expected that on his very first day entering Cerulean Cave, he would encounter Mewtwo and even get injured.

"Hey! Long time no see, why does our great genius look so downcast?"

A familiar voice rang out.

Looking up, I was surprised to see Ye Zang.

What are you doing here?

Seeing his long-lost friend, Tetsuya's mood improved considerably, and he punched the friend in the chest without hesitation.

Ouch~ That hurts~

Yozo shouted in a rather affected manner.

They had a conversation.

He also told Tetsuya why he was in Cerulean City.

"Tsk tsk tsk."

Upon hearing this, the latter made a strange sound and looked at Ye Zang with a somewhat mocking expression.

"What kind of look is that?!"

Ye Zang immediately got angry, but quickly deflated: "Really, how was I supposed to know that high-level bounty missions were so difficult to complete?"

That's right.

This year, he is still striving to graduate from the Pokémon Research School.

Don't be fooled by how easily Tetsuya completes the Bounty Hunter Association's missions, even with an exaggerated success rate of over 95%.

But that was based on his rich experience and long-term accumulation.

For Yozo, who joined halfway through, even achieving 80% would be a very difficult task, let alone 95%.

Unexpected situations in the wild are far more numerous than most people imagine.

This is especially true for high-level missions.

"It has to be our class that they keep saying they want to reform things, and they insist that we can't do any more tasks. It's so annoying."

Yozo was very unhappy.

The so-called "task completion" is actually quite easy to understand.

There are many types of bounty missions that have long-term, sustainable submissions.

Although the items required for the missions are usually quite valuable, it's really nothing to the wealthy and privileged students at the Pokémon Research School.

They could easily skip this step using the resources at home.

But after the reforms, such methods are no longer an option.

As Tetsuya's teacher, Gota Sasaki is a principal who places great emphasis on cultivating students' abilities.

In his view, while it is not wrong to make use of family resources, such excessive use is extremely detrimental to one's growth and self-testing.

The League wants the Pokémon Research School to train elites, not useless people who only talk the talk.

Tetsuya agrees with Gota's approach, but also has some concerns.

It's good as it is, but how long it can last is a question.

Yozo's personality was considered quite good among the strong second and third generations he knew.

Even he felt displeased.

Then let alone the other students.

It's really a bit difficult for these pampered young masters and ladies to do missions in the wild.

Although Gota-sensei has the Sasaki family as his backing, the Sasaki family cannot simply force their way through in the face of too many protests.

A transfer order can cause people to lose interest after leaving; that's perfectly normal.

Quite coincidentally.

The mission that Yozo took on this time was exactly the same one that Tetsuya had just done.

"This mission is a bit strange. It's very likely that the people behind it are after me. You need to be careful."

On the surface, the two friends were catching up.

Secretly, Tetsuya endured the pain in his head and used his superpower to transmit his voice.

Ye Zang's pupils trembled slightly.

"Alright, I'm not going to waste my breath on you anymore."

"I'm going in. I'll grab a bite to eat after I finish my task."

He casually waved his hand at Chao Zhe.

Tetsuya replied with a laugh, "Then I'll have to make you a good beggar, you bastard."

"Climb!"

Ye Zang's laughter and curses came from behind.

The two walked in opposite directions.

Back at the villa.

The elves were resting leisurely.

When Tetsuya returned, they all gave him a lazy greeting and then ignored him.

The Blaziken responsible for protecting him also consciously ran out of its Poké Ball and started slacking off.

Sitting on the sofa.