Haruki's breathing barely changed, his physical condition was quite good. After all, even intelligence officers in Team Rocket had to undergo physical training.
Cubone, on the other hand, didn't fare as well. For a Pokémon only 20 centimeters tall, 400 meters was undoubtedly a daunting challenge.
But even so, it had never once let go of the bone club in its hand.
"Cubone, let's rest before continuing."
As Haruki spoke, he reached behind and pulled out a bottle of Moomoo Milk he had prepared earlier.
Moomoo Milk could be exchanged for points, but if something could be bought with money directly, using points wasn't cost-effective.
The ramen shop used a small amount of Moomoo Milk in soup stock and sauces, so Haruki took advantage of that and grabbed some.
Christopher didn't mind at all. In fact, he reminded Haruki to give Cubone extra nutrition during the early stages.
After all, their real mission was to gather intelligence undercover.
The ramen shop was just a cover. Even if the shop made no profit, operating costs would still be reimbursed by headquarters.
Christopher was a good captain, and he clearly knew how to win people over.
Haruki was eager to grow stronger, so he quietly accepted the goodwill.
The rich aroma of the Moomoo Milk caught Cubone's attention, and its eyes couldn't help but glance over.
Haruki didn't tease it, he simply handed the Moomoo Milk to Cubone without hesitation.
Gulp~ Gulp~ Gulp~
"Drink slowly. No rush."
Cubone sat on the ground, hugging the bottle and chugging like it was fighting a difficult opponent.
In one go, it downed half the bottle. Then, with a little milk burp, it handed the Moomoo Milk back to Haruki.
"Cubone~"
'You drink.'
Haruki froze for a moment, then took the bottle and had a small sip himself.
The milk was rich but not at all gamey. As soon as it went down, a wave of warmth spread through his body, even easing the fatigue from last night's insomnia.
As expected of a specialty product in the Pokémon world… amazing!
After a light sip, Haruki handed the Moomoo Milk back to Cubone again.
"You're still growing, so you need more nutrition. Look, I'm already strong enough!"
As he spoke, Haruki even flexed his biceps a little.
Cubone looked at Haruki's muscles, then looked at its own tiny arms and legs… and promptly downed the rest of the bottle.
'Gotta get stronger!'
Thanks to the Moomoo Milk's excellent restorative effects, Cubone was back on its feet in no time, full of energy and eagerly awaiting Haruki's next training instruction.
"Next is move training. We'll focus on Bone Club, Screech, and Curse!"
Based on his memory, Haruki already knew the moves Cubone currently had.
Growl, Tail Whip, Bone Club, Screech, Curse.
The last three were the most worth developing. Screech and Curse were even Egg/inherited moves; if used well, they could be very powerful.
Bone Club was the prerequisite for Bonemerang. Only after mastering Bone Club could they start working on the more technically demanding Bonemerang.
"The core of any move lies in three things: power, accuracy, and release speed. All three are essential. For now, let's train your power…"
The knowledge he gained for 1000 points had provided precise training methods. Haruki began organizing the training step-by-step, carefully watching Cubone's condition at every moment.
Though this was their first training session, both Haruki and Cubone performed admirably.
---
As night fell, Haruki carried an exhausted, fast-asleep Cubone back to the ramen shop.
Captain Christopher had just finished his own training and praised Haruki's dedication.
"New staff were hired today. You've got nothing to do tomorrow, so feel free to go out and take a look around."
Christopher said this with clear intent, and Haruki immediately understood what he meant.
The "intelligence-gathering" work was about to begin.
Another quiet night passed.
The alarm woke Haruki and Cubone. Starting today, they would begin morning training, so they got up earlier than usual.
Same park, same 400-meter warm-up run.
Compared to yesterday, Cubone's improvement was obvious. Though still gasping for breath, its time had already improved by nearly one-third.
Pokémon really are incredible!
After some stretching and another half hour of move training, Haruki brought Cubone back to the ramen shop. By then, four new employees, two men and two women, had already joined the shop.
"Let me introduce you. This is Haruki, my brother. If I'm not in the shop, just listen to him."
"Oh no, no. We all take orders from the boss."
Haruki quickly responded, but he knew that Christopher was simply making things convenient for his missions. This way, he could leave at any time without restriction.
Now that there were people working the shop, Haruki, freed up, followed Christopher's arrangement and went out to begin gathering intel on Steelrock Town.
"Intel" came in all shapes and sizes: rare Pokémon, valuable items, and celebrity itineraries were intel.
Street punks, rich men's lovers, illegitimate children… those were intel too.
Large or small, seemingly useless pieces of intel could become powerful tools when properly connected.
Team Rocket's grip over the Kanto and Johto regions had a lot to do with how they used information.
And Haruki and Christopher's mission was to build and maintain the intel database for Steelrock Town, providing support for Team Rocket's future plans in Sinnoh.
Of course, they were just one of many planted operatives throughout Sinnoh. Their responsibility was limited to Steelrock Town, which had appeared in the original Anime but was so minor it didn't even get named.
Aside from intel gathering, they were allowed to do anything regular people could: get married, have kids, even become official League Trainers and participate in major competitions.
And if one of them really managed to place by their own strength, Team Rocket wouldn't hesitate to promote them to a higher-tier undercover agent, complete with more resources.
Walking down Steelrock Town's main street, Haruki quickly arrived at his destination.
[Steelrock Town Supreme Internet Café]
Early intel wasn't difficult. Public networks could offer a lot, it was integrators that were in short supply.
Haruki walked into the café, picked a booth where the screen couldn't be seen by security cameras, and quietly began his first intelligence assignment.
And just like that, an entire day passed.
After packaging up all the intel into a USB drive and skimming through the latest posts on the Pokémon League's official site, Haruki finally logged off.
Gathering intel wasn't a one-day job. While Team Rocket demanded high-quality reports, the time limit was relaxed; they weren't officially embedded in Sinnoh yet.
The basic data collected today would be enough for Haruki to upload piece by piece over the next two weeks.
The original Haruki's tendency to "hide" his skills had actually become useful now, giving him time to work on whatever he needed.
Back at the ramen shop, after devouring a giant bowl of tomato beef ramen personally cooked by Christopher, Haruki shot him a look signaling the successful completion of his task.
Then, it was time for training.
Without at least some ability to protect himself, even though Haruki knew about the Shiny Metagross on Rock Mountain, he wouldn't dare act recklessly.
And so, a calm and steady routine stretched out for half a month...