Morning light spilled through the windows of the Pokémon Center, painting soft gold across the polished floors.
Aiden stood at the lobby entrance, feeling the pull of Valora City's heartbeat beyond the glass doors. Today, he wasn't rushing anywhere. Today, he would understand this city.
After grabbing a quick breakfast — a modest plate of eggs, toast, and a cup of strong Sinnoh-style black tea — he pulled on his jacket, slung his bag across his shoulder, and stepped into the morning throng.
The streets were alive. Traders hawked their goods, Pokémon played in the parks, and battle cries echoed from side alleys. Aiden caught glimpses of trainers battling for respect, laughter mixing with the crackle of elemental moves.
But he had one destination in mind: The City Centre Trainer's Guild.
The Guild was a towering building in the heart of Valora City, built with sleek silver panels and adorned with banners showing the symbol of the Pokémon League: a stylized Pokéball with wings. Trainers streamed in and out, chatting, arguing, exchanging information.
Inside, a giant circular lobby opened up, lined with kiosks and screens displaying the latest news, missions, and tasks.
At the center of it all was the Task Board.
A massive wall-sized digital screen, constantly updating itself, showing available jobs for trainers — both sanctioned by the League and requested by private citizens.
Aiden moved closer, his heart beating faster.
A receptionist noticed him standing there a little lost and called out warmly, "First time?"
Aiden nodded.
"Welcome to the Trainer's Guild," she said. "Here, trainers can accept tasks based on their registered Class. Jobs vary from simple delivery to dangerous fieldwork."
She pointed at the side of the screen where there was a color-coded difficulty system:
Class I Tasks (White Badge) – For Rookie Trainers.
Examples: Deliver packages, accompany researchers, basic courier work.
Reward Range: 1,000 – 10,000 Pokédollars.
Class II Tasks (Blue Badge) – For Junior Trainers (above rookie, some battles won).
Examples: Guard duty, wild Pokémon subjugation (low-level threats).
Reward Range: 10,000 – 50,000 Pokédollars.
Class III Tasks (Green Badge) – For Intermediate Trainers (Youth/Apprentice stage Pokémon).
Examples: Escort missions, hunting down aggressive Pokémon disrupting routes.
Reward Range: 50,000 – 150,000 Pokédollars.
Class IV Tasks (Purple Badge) – For Senior Trainers (Veteran stage Pokémon or above).
Examples: Investigating organized Pokémon theft rings, battling criminal syndicates.
Reward Range: 150,000 – 500,000 Pokédollars.
Class V Tasks (Gold Badge) – For Elite Trainers (Champion stage Pokémon).
Examples: Major League-sanctioned missions, territory clearance, Legendary sightings management.
Reward Range: 500,000 – 2,000,000 Pokédollars.
The final category shimmered slightly with a note:
Note: Class V tasks require League Authorization and a background clearance.
"Makes sense. They wouldn't want rookies throwing themselves at things they can't handle," he thought, feeling both a thrill and a pinch of anxiety.
He was just beginning, barely beyond a rookie. His Pokémon were strong for his stage — Sneasel now at Apprentice rank, Budew maturing steadily, and Zubat proving his worth — but compared to seasoned trainers? He had a long way to go.
Scrolling through the lower-tier missions, he saw examples:
"Research Assistant Needed" — Help Professor Magnolia's aide capture data on Bug-types. (Reward: 3,000 Pokédollars)
"Delivery to Mt. Coronet Base" — Safely deliver important documents. (Reward: 5,000 Pokédollars)
"Wild Bidoof Invasion" — Help a local farmer clear his fields. (Reward: 8,500 Pokédollars)
Further down, a Class II mission caught his eye:
"Escort Mission" — Protect an apprentice archeologist exploring nearby ruins. (Reward: 25,000 Pokédollars)
Aiden stored that last one in his mind. He liked the idea of fieldwork that wasn't just battling random trainers.
As he turned from the board, Aiden found himself bumping into a group of older trainers, their jackets bearing the Blue and Green Badge marks — higher classes than his.
"Watch it, rookie," one sneered, adjusting the stylish leather bag slung across his shoulder.
"Newbie's probably here to pick up a Bidoof-wrangling job," another laughed, and the group sauntered off.
Aiden watched them go, his fists clenching slightly — but he smiled.
They didn't matter. He wasn't here for them.
He was here to grow.
Behind the Task Board, he noticed another doorway leading to an area marked "Trainer Advancement Testing" — a place where trainers could officially apply for tests to rank up.
He filed that knowledge away for later. One day soon, he would walk through that door.
After taking a free pamphlet about Guild operations, Aiden stepped outside into the bright mid-morning sunlight.
Valora's buildings gleamed all around him, and somewhere in the distance, the call of something wilder, something hidden, whispered along the alleys.
Aiden adjusted his bag, feeling lighter somehow.
He was ready for more.
And more would come — sooner than he expected.
Because in the next few hours, he would stumble upon something he had only heard about in whispers as a child.
A world not spoken of in official pamphlets.
The Black Market.