After finishing two weeks of mountain training, the very first thing Haruki did upon returning to Steelrock Town was check on the intel upload status.
"Mm, all went out as scheduled."
Haruki let out a breath of relief and finally checked the rewards for the tournament intel he'd collected.
800 points.
Adding the 59 points he had left from last time, Haruki now had 859 points.
After thinking it over, he decided to hold onto them for now; he wouldn't need supplies for at least another three months anyway.
Next on the agenda was to report to Captain Christopher.
"Knew there was nothing urgent the second you came to me on your own. Good timing though, I've got something for you. Come to the shop after we close."
"..."
¿Could you not say it like that?¿
But after speaking, Christopher headed off to make ramen again, clearly radiating that "don't get in the way of my business empire" vibe.
Haruki didn't push the issue. He went back to his room and began reviewing recent training progress.
While Pokémon ranked at the Beginner and Skilled levels didn't have further subdivisions, once they hit Veteran, their level would be split into low, mid, and high stages.
So before reaching Veteran, improving a Pokémon's strength wasn't all that difficult.
As long as you stuck to a consistent training routine, even slow, steady work would bring them up to the Skilled threshold.
Both Cubone and Beldum were currently in that rapid growth phase, but they still had a long way to go before reaching Veteran.
As for Gardenia's Turtwig… it was clearly right on the cusp of becoming a Veteran-level Pokémon, just needing the right trigger.
Like... evolution.
Both Cubone and Beldum could evolve, but their evolution were slower than Starters, so no need to worry about that just yet...
"Alright, you… go over there and play."
Haruki pushed away Beldum, who had been inching closer. Then he kept typing away at the keyboard.
Beldum didn't mind. It just "sat" nearby, staring at the characters on the screen with its big eye like it could read them.
Cubone was much quieter. It sat cross-legged on a cushion, looking calm and contemplative.
But under its skull helmet, its little eyes would occasionally glance at Haruki and Beldum.
A little envious.
Kinda wants to mess around.
'No. Bad idea.'
Cubone shook its head, straightened its posture again, and focused on "meditating."
Haruki continued mapping out the next phase of training. Before he knew it, evening had arrived.
Beldum and Cubone had both curled up on the couch and fallen asleep. The cold exterior was gone, replaced by something almost cute.
Haruki returned them to their Poké Balls, then stepped out and walked into the shop.
The ramen shop was about to close. Christopher was leading the staff in cleaning up.
Of the original four employees, only two remained. When they saw Haruki, their eyes lit up with barely concealed excitement.
Haruki understood. These two were the new Rocket agents for the Steelrock outpost.
He gave his soon-to-be coworkers a friendly smile and joined in with the cleaning, leaving them a little flustered by his gesture.
Half an hour later, the ramen shop closed for the day. The four of them sat down together.
Christopher shed his usual warmth. The presence of an elite Trainer suddenly filled the room.
Haruki smiled gently… but that only made the other two even more nervous.
"What needs saying has already been said. Now let me make this formal. This is Haruki. Tier-2 Intelligence Officer. Deputy Squad Leader stationed here in Steelrock Town. My partner!"
Christopher introduced him formally. Haruki sat up a bit straighter and nodded.
The two across from him straightened as well, immediately rising to their feet and bowing deeply.
"Sit down! Respect is something you hold inside. In front of others, just act normally."
"Yes, Ca-uh, Shop Manager!"
The one who responded first was the girl seated across from Haruki; her name was Rika, age 15.
The other boy, Ryota, also quickly responded.
"Alright, from now on, the Steelrock Town base will temporarily be the four of us. I'll apply to HQ for your Starter Pokémon. Starting tomorrow, Haruki and I will take turns guiding you through battle training and intel gathering. We'll determine your roles based on performance. Any questions?"
Ryota quickly shook his head to show he had none.
Rika's eyes flickered with hesitation, she looked like she wanted to ask something but didn't dare.
Haruki said nothing and kept silent.
Christopher gave a small nod, signaling her to go ahead.
"Captain… may I ask what kind of… Starter Pokémon we can get?" Rika asked timidly.
Haruki and Christopher instinctively glanced at each other, and then Christopher answered.
"The standard Rocket-issued Starter Pokémon come in three types: Ekans, Koffing, and Zubat. If you prefer one in particular, I can try to request it for you when I file the application."
Christopher was fairly accommodating with his own people. Since Rika had worked up the courage to ask, he gave her the option.
The two of them immediately brightened, but after that, they seemed to fall into hesitation again.
"Captain, mind if I say something?"
Haruki suddenly spoke up. He had come up with a pretty decent idea.
"Say it, say it!"
Christopher slung an arm around Haruki's shoulder, though his look carried a trace of scolding.
'Why so formal all of a sudden?'
Haruki smiled and said, "How about we give Rika and Ryota one night to go research these three Pokémon themselves? Then they can decide which Starter to request. That way, it's also our first little test for them."
"That's a good idea… let's do that!"
Christopher clapped in agreement. Since they were being given a choice anyway, might as well let them make it properly, no regrets later.
It was also a good way to gauge the two newcomers' initiative and research habits.
With that settled, Christopher declared the meeting adjourned. He told them to head home early and come in half an hour before opening tomorrow to share their choices.
Haruki smirked to himself. They hadn't even been formally assigned yet, and he was already squeezing extra work time out of them.
But hey, none of that was his concern.
Whoever ended up handling intel gathering, it didn't affect Haruki either way.
He'd only suggested it out of courtesy to Christopher; to show he cared about the team, the mission, and "giving back to the cause."
The night passed without incident…
------
The next morning, when Haruki took Cubone out for morning training, he found that Ryota and Rika were already waiting at the shop door, eyes red but spirits high.
He brought them inside. Christopher was already up.
Seeing their enthusiasm, he laughed heartily and immediately asked for their decisions.
"Manager, I want to pick Ekans!"
"Manager, I want Zubat."
Rika and Ryota answered in turn. Christopher nodded and said, "Alright, I'll do my best to request those, but I can't guarantee which one HQ will assign."
Even if it was a small matter, Christopher made sure to set expectations clearly; he never made promises lightly.
Rika and Ryota nodded in understanding. Just having a Starter Pokémon and someone to train them was already an incredible opportunity.
Not everyone got to start with a Starter Pokémon from the official trio.
As for what changes their identities would undergo after joining Team Rocket… Christopher had surely "educated" them on that more than once by now.