First, there was the strange interaction between Mark and Jona. Then Sato asked Skyla about Mandibuzz. Gradually, everyone else began to relax and engage in normal conversation.
Eventually, Solosis seemed tired of being poked. After yawning, it floated back into Mark's arms and dozed off comfortably.
Only then did the two realize that everyone else had quietly drifted away and was now chatting on the other side of the training room.
"Pawniard is also pretty rare, but it's often spotted on Twist Mountain. You should check it out if you get the chance."
Marshal was currently answering Sato's next question about another Dark-type Pokémon from the Unova Region: Pawniard.
Its evolution, Bisharp, was extremely cool-looking. As a Steel/Dark-type, it was only highly vulnerable to Fighting-types, but otherwise had exceptional resistances. It was an outstanding offensive Pokémon.
"Twist Mountain is dangerous, and getting there isn't easy. Getting lost inside for a month or two is normal," Skyla added. Her hometown, Mistralton City, was near Twist Mountain, so she knew more about it.
"I see. Thanks for the info," Sato nodded, slightly disappointed. They really didn't have time to go to Twist Mountain.
"Bisharp? Sato, are you thinking of catching a Bisharp?" Jona ran over and jumped into the conversation.
"If possible, I'd like to try raising one. Got a way to help?" Sato replied bluntly.
"Nope."
"…" Then why are you even talking? Sato silently fumed.
"Aiya aiya, forget that for now. The old man told the three of us to take you out. So where do you guys want to go?" Jona asked like it was no big deal.
Sato and the others exchanged smiles. They had already realized that this short little girl was not the brightest. Asking them -a bunch of outsiders- where to go in Unova?
"Ahem. Vertress City is most famous for its lively night market, but since you already went last night, I recommend checking out Vertress Cave," Marshal interjected, unable to stand it anymore and redirecting the conversation.
"Vertress Cave?"
"Yes. It's a massive natural cavern filled with powerful wild Pokémon and Trainers. The minimum entry requirement is at least Peak Elite strength," -near Pseudo-Elite Four- Marshal explained, a faint look of yearning in his eyes.
"I've heard of that place too, but the old man never lets me go. How about we sneak in this time?" Jona chimed in again, trying to remain relevant. But everyone was more interested in the "old man" she kept mentioning.
"No need to sneak around. The whole point of this visit is to invite you all to train in Vertress Cave. I'm sure Elite Four Drake will be sending someone soon to talk to you about it," Marshal confirmed calmly. He was clearly the most informed among them.
"If I may, there are eight of us in total now. For a normal expedition, wouldn't that be too many?" Joseph, quick-thinking as always, immediately sensed something was off. Teams like theirs -five strong Trainers- were already uncommon in the field.
Now with eight people? The moment Sato and the others thought about it, they frowned.
Even their current five-person team had taken a long time to find synergy through past travels.
"You misunderstood. It's actually like this…"
Knock knock knock!
A sudden knock came at the door. Greno stood outside the training room, greeting them.
"Just talking about it, and Elite Four Drake already sent someone. Let him explain it to you," Marshal said, clearly relieved to dump the task onto Greno.
"Hey, everyone. I've got something to tell you."
"Is it about going to Vertress Cave?" Phoebe jumped in.
"You already know?" Greno was surprised. Then, seeing Marshal and the others, he nodded with a look of realization.
"We don't know the full details. Greno, could you explain more?" Sato followed up.
Greno glanced at Marshal and the others, a bit confused, but still fulfilled his duty and began explaining.
"Vertress Cave is a natural cavern in the outskirts of Vertress City. Because of its rich natural resources, many strong wild Pokémon live there, which naturally attracts a lot of Trainers.
And this time, it just so happens we've run into the annual Vertress Cave Trial Tournament. When the Captain heard about it, he requested five slots for you all to use for training."
"Greno, may I ask what the rules of the tournament are?" Ryoko voiced the question everyone had in mind.
"That part I'm not too sure about. Marshal, you guys probably know better," Greno said a lot, but passed the responsibility back at the end.
"Uh… other than not being allowed to kill or cripple anyone, there are pretty much no rules."
Marshal's first sentence stunned everyone. A tournament with no rules instantly made them think of many bad possibilities.
"Before the match, League staff will secretly place colored mission flags throughout the cave, each guarded by a specific Pokémon.
You must either gain the guardian Pokémon's recognition or defeat it to obtain the flag it protects. There are four flag colors -white, green, blue, and red- each representing different point values.
The higher the point value, the stronger the guardian Pokémon and the harder the challenge.
Each flag location is equipped with an invisible high-definition camera that records the entire flag acquisition process truthfully.
Once someone obtains a flag, there's no need to worry about it being stolen, footage is used to score the points, and that flag is then voided."
At this, everyone finally relaxed a little. At least once a flag was secured, they wouldn't have to worry about someone stealing their score.
But still, only the flag areas had cameras. That meant most places weren't monitored.
The rules said no killing or crippling, but they all knew -without needing to ask- that every trial like this always resulted in some people "mysteriously" disappearing.
"What about the rewards? For something this dangerous, with Peak Elite as the entry requirement, the prizes must be amazing, right?" Mark asked curiously.
"The rewards change every year, but there's a pattern. Among the basic prizes, rare and highly promising Pokémon like: the starter trio, Larvesta, Mienfoo, and Rufflet have all appeared.
If you make it into the top 10, the rewards scale significantly with each rank. As for first place… once, the prize was a pseudo-legendary baby Deino."
At that moment, everyone instinctively looked at Sato. The trial hadn't even begun yet, and he had already scored the best reward.