Pokémon: The Path of Ascension

As Toshi was following behind the crowd, waiting in line to board the train, a hurried figure suddenly rushed past him from behind.

Toshi turned around and realized the person was running towards the train conductor.

The train conductor noticed the person as well, so he stopped and waited for them to approach.

Once the person reached the train conductor's side, they leaned in and whispered a few words. Toshi noticed that before the person could finish speaking, the train conductor's face instantly changed, and he began questioning the person.

In a flurry, the person struggled to convey the general situation, but unexpectedly, they received a sharp slap from the train conductor.

The person covered their red cheek, repeatedly apologizing, but the train conductor seemed to realize that getting angry at the person wouldn't improve the situation, so he stormed off ahead.

Toshi quietly watched this unfold.

"Things are indeed not over," Toshi murmured to himself, "I just wonder what exactly happened. Could it be related to the Trainers who have gone missing...?"

However, he also knew that even if something did happen, it had nothing to do with him.

Before long, Toshi boarded the train again.

"Hmm? Why are there so few people now?"

As soon as he got on the train, Toshi noticed that about thirty percent fewer people were sitting in their seats compared to before. Among those missing were not only the Trainers who hadn't returned, but even the man who had been sitting next to him was gone.

Looking around, Toshi observed that the missing individuals were mostly those he had noticed earlier, the ones wearing black hats.

"Hello, I'd like to ask, weren't there quite a few people earlier? Why does it seem like there are a lot fewer now?"

Toshi asked a staff member who was maintaining order nearby.

The staff member flashed a professional smile and replied, "Well, some guests couldn't stand it anymore and felt the wait was too long, so they got off and left on their own."

"Got off and left on their own?" Toshi frowned but quickly laughed, "So that's how it is. Thank you for letting me know."

"You're welcome," the staff member continued, "please return to your seat; the train is about to start moving."

After thanking the staff member, Toshi headed back to his seat.

"Left on their own?" Toshi thought to himself as he walked, sneering, "What a way to fool people..."

"However, it looks like what that person reported to the train conductor is likely related to those wearing black hats..."

Looking out the window, Toshi felt the train slowly starting to move.

"Forget it, why think so much? Even if there is some conspiracy, it has nothing to do with me, a Newcomer Trainer. I just need to get my compensation."

…

This time, the train didn't have any issues along the way and smoothly arrived at the Petalburg City station.

As soon as he got off the train, Toshi heard Shoji's loud voice.

"Toshi!"

Shoji shouted while running towards Toshi.

"Toshi, look! Shouldn't we head to the Task Hall first to get our compensation?" Shoji was quite eager.

"Yeah, I haven't been to the Task Hall yet, so it's a good chance to check it out, since we will be hanging around there quite often in the future."

Shoji laughed heartily, "Toshi, so you haven't been there either! My dad wouldn't let me go before; I thought I was the only one who hadn't."

Toshi chuckled, "What would I do there without any Pokémon?"

"Of course, it's to get a head start and learn a bit! You have no idea…"

…

As they talked, they had already walked out of the station.

Petalburg City truly lived up to its reputation as a city with a Gym; after decades of development, it appeared quite prosperous.

Rows of shops lined both sides of the streets, and the bustling crowd moved around, each person with their Pokémon, stopping occasionally. Here and there, they could see some street performers entertaining with their Pokémon.

It was a scene of peace and liveliness.

"Toshi, this way! Hurry up, don't dawdle."

For someone like Shoji, full of energy, he had already familiarized himself with the main roads and landmarks of Petalburg City.

While Toshi was still planning to open a map to find directions, Shoji had already taken the lead and was walking ahead.

Petalburg City was relatively large, but the Task Hall wasn't too far from the station.

The two of them only walked for about twenty minutes before reaching the entrance of the Task Hall.

"As expected of the Task Hall; there are so many people!" Shoji exclaimed.

Compared to some of the shops they had passed earlier, the Task Hall was not only much larger but also impressively designed.

A passing Trainer gave Shoji an amused glance, as if to say: Where did this country bumpkin come from?

Fortunately, Shoji was distracted and didn't notice the person. Otherwise, knowing Shoji's temper, Toshi could guess how things would unfold next.

Upon entering the hall, they saw many Trainers; some were inquiring about tasks, others were chatting, and some were conducting trades.

It seemed even more lively than outside.

"Toshi, look! That sign over there!"

Toshi followed the direction Shoji was pointing and discovered it was indeed the place to collect task compensations.

There were quite a few people there to collect their compensations as well, so they had to start queuing.

…

"Name: Toshi; Pokémon: Butterfree; Strength: Basic. Completed one Medium event. All right, verification completed; your compensation has been credited to your card. Please take care of it."

Toshi received his Number Card and bank card from the League staff member.

At that moment, a text message arrived on Toshi's phone. Upon opening it, he saw it indicated that 800 yen had been deposited into his bank card.

To be honest, this amount felt a bit low, but he thought that he had just gone through the motions. This 800 yen was hardly different from getting it for free, so he felt it was acceptable.

"Toshi, how much did you get?" Shoji asked impatiently as soon as he finished.

"I got 800 yen."

"What?" Shoji's eyes widened. "Why did I only get 500 yen? That's not fair; I want to talk to them!"

Toshi grabbed Shoji. "What's unfair? You're just a Novice Trainer; where's the problem with 500 yen? You have to understand that my Butterfree is a Basic strength; I think 800 yen is already a little low for what I did."

"But…! Fine, I guess I'll have to take on more individual tasks in the future; those compensations are better."

Individual and group task compensations are different; generally speaking, individual and short-term task compensations are higher, while group tasks and some long-term tasks tend to have lower compensations.

"Let's go check out that area; it looks like the place to accept tasks."

True to his spirited youth, Shoji quickly cast aside the earlier frustration after coming to terms with it.

"Yeah! I can't wait to see what tasks are available here."

Toshi was equally filled with anticipation for what was to come.