Haruki was injured, so of course he couldn't go back to Rock Mountain for training.
Thankfully, having just captured the Shiny Beldum, he wasn't in the mood to head out again anyway.
He contacted Delibird for pickup and packed up all the Pokémon he'd caught recently to be sent to Team Rocket.
Once delivered, Team Rocket evaluated each one. And in the end, Haruki received 3014 points.
Way beyond what he'd expected!
Suddenly, Haruki understood why no matter how talented someone was in the logistics department, they only earned 300 points per month.
Meanwhile, battle operatives who just caught a few not-so-valuable Pokémon could rake in 3000 points in the same timeframe.
At the end of the day, this world was still centered around Pokémon. With strength, you really could do whatever you wanted!
Now that he had points, naturally it was time to go "shopping".
[Beginner Psychic-type Pokémon Training Manual - 200 points]
[Beginner Psychic-type Pokémon Breeding Manual - 400 points]
[Beginner Steel-type Pokémon Training Manual - 200 points]
[Beginner Steel-type Pokémon Breeding Manual - 400 points]
[Beginner Ground-type Pokéblock ×3 boxes (100 per box) - 300 points]
[Beginner Steel-type Pokéblock ×2 boxes (100 per box) - 400 points]
[Beginner Psychic-type Pokéblock ×1 box (100 per box) - 300 points]
[Bronzor Species Move Training Manual - 800 points]
[Click…] → [Submit Order] → [Redeem with Points.]
After checking the balance, Haruki immediately tsk.
On his point card, the remaining 59 points seemed to mock him, he didn't even have an "approved" grade.
A month's worth of grinding, and he was right back where he started. Haruki hadn't realized it until now, but...
Just raising Beldum cost more than double what it took to raise Cubone on a daily basis.
Psychic-type and Steel-type; just hearing the names made them sound rarer, and sure enough, the Pokéblocks cost way more.
More importantly, the platform didn't even have a training manual specifically for Beldum. Not that he could afford it even if it did.
But Bronzor? Totally ordinary by comparison. To throw others off, Haruki even bought an extra Bronzor training manual.
Staring at this necessary but costly cover story, Haruki sank into thought... Should he just raise a Bronzor after all?
Forget it.
The real problem was… he had no money!
Helpless, Haruki decided to drop the idea for now.
Luckily, he wasn't a registered battle operative. Even if he raised another Pokémon, he wouldn't be deployed to the "front lines".
Thinking about it that way, Haruki suddenly felt his starting position wasn't so bad.
Far from HQ politics, a laid-back captain, manageable day-to-day tasks, and enough time to train his Pokémon.
Basically… a half-chosen one?
----
Haruki's injuries were fully healed after a full week of quiet rest.
No denying it, the medical tech in this world, powered by Pokémon, was ridiculously advanced. His arm had been so mangled the bone was visible, and yet within a week it was completely fine.
During that time, Haruki only did routine training with Cubone and used the opportunity to finish reading all the basic manuals and draft Beldum's training plan.
It was only late at night that he dared to let Beldum out for some air.
Fortunately, Beldum seemed to prefer darkness, and didn't seem to mind staying in its Poké Ball most of the time.
And after Haruki began feeding it a 2:1 mix of Steel-type and Psychic-type Pokéblocks, its affection toward him noticeably improved.
A week later, in the early morning, Haruki geared up and set off once again for Rock Mountain.
That resource-rich cave was something Haruki had been looking forward to for a long time. Because, well… raising one Pokémon and raising two were completely different levels of pressure.
Just thinking about how he might have to raise six or more Pokémon in the future gave Haruki serious anxiety. He quickened his pace, eager to get back to Rock Mountain and start making money.
"Hey, you there. Trainer!"
A voice called out. Haruki kept his gaze forward and ignored it.
"Hey! Yeah, you! The handsome guy!"
Haruki turned and looked behind him, slightly to the side.
It was a girl.
"You talking to me?" Haruki asked, his tone both questioning and confirming.
"Yep! Mister handsome. Wanna battle?"
"Battle?"
Haruki blinked, then glanced at the Pokémon standing beside the girl.
Its petite body didn't even reach knee height. On its arms bloomed two roses: one pink, one blue. Elegant and vivid.
Roselia, a Grass/Poison-type Pokémon. Its evolution, Roserade, was a strong contender, but required a Shiny Stone to evolve; something only wealthier families could afford to raise properly.
Haruki looked back at the girl and had a strange sense of déjà vu.
Orange hair, a dark green cape, and a Grass-type Roselia at her side...
A series of images flashed through his mind. He could guess her identity.
Gardenia: wild and untamed!
"Sorry, I've got things to do."
Even Cubone, who was clearly eager to battle, stumbled in surprise, staring wide-eyed at Haruki.
"Oh… okay..."
The girl seemed baffled. 'Wasn't it a given that Trainers were supposed to battle when their eyes met?'
"Steelrock Town is that way. The Pokémon Center is on the main street. I'm off."
Haruki nodded, turned on his heel, and walked off. Leaving no room for negotiation.
As she watched his back fade into the distance, the girl murmured, "Weird..."
Meanwhile, Haruki slipped into the woods at the base of Rock Mountain and immediately glanced back toward the girl.
Cubone looked puzzled. Was he changing his mind and going back for a battle?
"Gardenia… just passing through Steelrock Town on her journey?"
Haruki muttered to himself. He hesitated for a moment, then stopped thinking about it and continued toward the mountain.
The future Grass-type Gym Leader of Sinnoh, Gardenia, was for now, just a spunky little girl.
But for Haruki, what mattered right now was making money!
----
Back at Rock Mountain, Cubone was thrilled, bone in hand, raring to go.
It spotted two Geodude camouflaged as rocks and immediately wanted to rush in and bash their heads.
"Don't bother with those. Geodude aren't much of a challenge. Let's go inside the cave first."
"Ca…"
Cubone hesitated but decided to listen to Haruki.
Yeah, Geodude skulls cracked too easily. It needed to find something tougher to fight.
Following his memory from last time, Haruki wound his way around and quickly found the entrance again.
After confirming no one else was around, he carefully let Beldum out.
"Beldum~"
Back in familiar territory, Beldum was visibly excited and immediately zipped straight into the cave.
Haruki hurried to keep up. In a place like this, he had to rely on Beldum to lead the way.
There were plenty of Pokémon around the cave entrance. Beldum and Haruki's arrival caused quite a stir.
Haruki looked ahead at Beldum. It really did feel like watching a Boss return to their domain.
Sandshrew, Whismur, Zubat… all either burrowed away or flew off in a panic, leaving only two wary Graveler behind, watching Haruki's group cautiously.
Prepared Graveler in the wild could be extremely dangerous. If they got spooked, they might Self-Destruct without warning. Haruki had no interest in provoking them, so he called Beldum and continued deeper inside.