'These people in black cloaks... they're not from Galar?'
Shiro was surprised by his own guess. But the more he considered it, the more it made sense, and the more troubling it became.
If these people had come from other regions, then how had they managed to enter Galar as an organized group? The region didn't have a functioning airport at the moment, and the only active port connected to the outside world was in Hulbury. Galar was also located in a rather remote area. Coming all the way from places like Kanto by riding flying Pokémon didn't seem realistic either.
And if they came by boat… with this many people, it'd be easy to get spotted.
As Shiro was thinking, something happened in the distance. Haunter had made progress.
Since Bronzong were spread out across the Giant's Cap, the black-cloaked figures had started to split up. Some of them even broke away from the main group, walking around large boulders in an effort to catch Bronzor and Bronzong with their Poké Balls.
Haunter floated silently behind one of the cloaked men who had wandered off alone.
The man didn't notice anything. He was still throwing out a Poké Ball toward a Bronzor lying on the ground.
A faint hiss escaped from Haunter's mouth as it breathed out a puff of poisonous gas. The smoke drifted quietly, seeping into the cloaked man's nose and mouth from behind.
"Ugh... what's that weird smell?" The man pulled his sleeve over his face, holding his breath.
Haunter's eyes gleamed. Its dark purple ghostly body circled around to face the man. It slowly spread its claw-like hands as a pulse of psychic energy began to shimmer between them, growing stronger with every passing second.
The moment the man caught sight of the Ghost-type in front of him, he opened his mouth to shout. But right after that, he forgot what he was about to say. His eyes turned hazy, and in a daze, he began walking away from the others, toward the edge of the Giant's Cap.
Haunter had used Hypnosis successfully.
From behind a rock, Shiro watched the scene unfold and smiled. The man stumbled past the boulder and walked right up to him. He reached for the man's belt and carefully checked each Poké Ball. Once he was sure, he relaxed.
All the Poké Balls were locked. The Pokémon inside didn't show any strong reactions when they saw Shiro. It was as if they had already accepted their fate, ready to follow whoever let them out.
Their strength ranged from Beginner-level to Advanced-level, and they came from different regions. But there was one thing in common: none of them had been brainwashed.
After a quick inspection, Shiro lowered his voice and questioned, "What's your name?"
The man answered slowly, one word at a time. "Fuji. My name is Fuji…"
That name clearly sounded like it came from somewhere near Kanto. So they really weren't from Galar. Still, just to be sure, Shiro asked again, "Where are you from?"
"Johto..."
"How did you get to Galar?"
"By boat."
'By boat?'
Shiro quickly ran through the known ports in Galar in his mind. As far as he knew, only Hulbury had an open harbor. Could they have arrived in the waters near Galar by ship, then used Pokémon to reach land?
"Where exactly did you enter Galar from?" he continued.
"…Hulbury."
"What identity did you use to get in?"
"I… don't know."
Shiro rubbed his chin, realizing he wouldn't be getting any clear answers anytime soon. So he changed the topic to something more urgent.
"Who are you people? What's your purpose for coming here?"
For a moment, Fuji's expression twitched with resistance. But Haunter responded immediately, tightening its psychic grip.
"We... we're hunters," he muttered. "Following orders from Lord G... to capture Pokémon…"
Shiro immediately thought of the special group of people that showed up all the time in the anime, movies, and manga—Pokémon hunters. These kinds of people likely belonged to an organized network.
Broadly speaking, even the undocumented trainers and rogue wanderers all over Galar could be called hunters. They lived by catching or stealing others' Pokémon and selling them off.
But in more structured terms, in places like Kanto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh—where inter-regional ties were stronger—there existed an actual large-scale, cross-region hunter organization. Only those officially in that group were recognized as true "Pokémon Hunters."
"Our group... is a guild..." Fuji added weakly.
"A hunter guild?" Shiro pressed, unable to hold back.
Fuji gave a stiff nod.
Shiro wanted to ask more, especially about what had caused the Bronzong group here to change, but the other black-cloaked figures had already finished capturing their targets and were regrouping near the off-road vehicles parked at the center of the stone field. So he gestured for Haunter to send Fuji back quickly.
These organized hunters weren't like the chaotic wild trainers. If even one person was missing, they would notice right away.
If they started searching the area, Shiro would have to fight. Better to stay cautious for now.
After returning Fuji's Poké Balls, Shiro watched as the man wandered back around the boulder, heading toward the Bronzor he had just caught but hadn't picked up yet.
A strange giggle echoed in the air as Fuji began to regain awareness.
"Huh?" he mumbled, dazed. His head throbbed like he'd just taken a few punches. But when he looked down, he saw the Poké Ball from before.
He instinctively reached for his belt. All his Poké Balls were still there. Letting out a relieved breath, he frowned. His head still hurt, and the more he tried to recall what had just happened, the sharper the pain became.
"Fuji! Hey, Fuji!" a voice called from a distance.
It was the squad leader.
Fuji shook his head. Since none of his valuables or Pokémon were gone, he decided not to overthink it. Maybe one of the Bronzong had hit him when it woke up or something...
Jogging between the rocks, he hurried back toward the parked vehicles.
The squad leader who had been calling out to him was standing on top of a car. The short-statured man visibly relaxed at the sight of Fuji and signaled the driver to move closer.
"Anything unusual?" The man asked in a low voice.
"No!" Fuji stood straight and raised his voice to mask the ache in his head. He didn't dare mention it. If the team ended up wasting time on a medical check and found nothing, they'd definitely be scolded by Lord G later.
The leader eyed him a moment, then waved him into the vehicle.
The engine roared to life, and the vehicle surged forward, joining the rest of the convoy as it sped away from the area.
Every last Bronzong and Bronzor in the Giant's Cap had been captured.
"Talk about bad luck…" Shiro murmured, standing atop a large boulder and looking out over the now-empty terrain. He bent his knees and leapt down.
He hadn't expected this. He had just arrived, hoping to find a wild Pokémon to battle, only for them to be taken by a large-scale sweep. Maybe this was how other wild trainers felt when they ran into Macro Cosmos hunting teams.
Still, the outcome wasn't all bad. At least now he knew who these people were. And he could guess that one of the Wild Area Elite Four had secretly teamed up with them, organizing joint operations to capture Pokémon.
But those Bronzong...
Shiro shook his head to stop himself from guessing pointlessly. Then, he pulled out his communicator and began searching for the next Pokémon territory.
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