Squirtle gulped down the energy cube in one bite, eyes closing in sheer bliss.
I turned to the girl who'd somehow appeared in my gym without permission. Her face was familiar, though I couldn't quite place why. "What's your name?"
"Latina!" she chirped, brushing dust from her overalls as she stood. "Oh—by the way, I just fixed the shower pipe and swapped out the MK-II's power core."
Only then did I notice the subtle changes to the training grounds. The once-leaky faucet now flowed clean and steady, the MK-II's mechanical arm moved without stutter, and even the rust-stained iron door had been freshly painted.
I frowned. "Wait a second… I locked the door. How did you even get in?"
My gaze drifted to Squirtle, who was attempting to sneak away in the background. Ah. So even in your own home, you can't stop an inside job.
"What are your salary requirements?" I asked cautiously. With skills like hers, she might be too good for a run-down place like mine.
"As long as I have food and a place to stay, I'm fine!" Latina replied without hesitation. "I'm really into ancient machinery, and I heard you've got some…"
Before she could finish, the MK-II went berserk—its arm swinging wildly like it was possessed. Latina sprinted forward, cracked open the control panel with her bare hands, and muttered, "Ah, the Tesla valve's installed backwards."
I squinted at her. Yesterday, this gym had been the scene of a battle between mythical Pokémon. And now, today, a red-haired girl shows up claiming she's here for ancient tech. Did she think I was an idiot?
Still, what if I was wrong? What if she wasn't a spy or some opportunist, but just a slightly oddball mechanic with bad timing?
Food and lodging only… The offer was tempting. When I first arrived in this world with absolutely nothing, I had to pay people to let me crash at their place.
"Boss, what are you spacing out for?" Latina smiled brightly. "Want to try the shower I just fixed? Temperature control's working now, too."
I forced a laugh. "Oh—uh, sure. By the way, can you cook? Food here might be… a little simple."
"I can cook a bit," she said, tilting her head. "But I'm way better at making energy cubes. You should try my 'Super Delicious Energy Cubes'—you'll be hooked after one bite!"
I wasn't exactly eager to eat something designed for Pokémon, but Squirtle's ears perked up instantly. He bounced over, eyes sparkling.
"Alright," I sighed, "you can stay—for a trial, at least. Just know this place has rough conditions. Don't regret it later."
"Don't worry, Boss. I can handle anything!" She thumped her chest with a grin.
Something made me double-check. "And… you really don't want a salary?"
She blinked innocently. "Well… maybe you could give me some?"
…Ah. So much for my charity fantasy.
I cleared my throat. "Ahem. Tell you what—eat as much as you like, pick any empty room, and make yourself at home. Once we start making some profit, I won't forget to pay you."
While I spoke, I quietly opened the system's identification tool. If it could identify any Pokémon, maybe it would work on her. But nothing appeared. A little disappointing.
Latina was back at the MK-II's controls when she suddenly asked, "Oh—Boss, do you have any special equipment here? Something you might find in… ancient ruins?"
My fingers instinctively brushed the prismatic crystal in my pocket—the Ancient Guardian Token I'd received from the system yesterday. I hadn't even studied it yet. Was this what she was here for?
"You mean that…?" I forced a casual tone. "The protective force field is in the locker room. You can check it out later. Right now, I've got a job for you. Finish it, and we can sign the contract."
Her eyes lit up. "Where?"
I glanced at the system's task list:
[Infrastructure (2/3)]: Repair the damaged protective net
Time remaining: 13:21:01
Reward: Random second-hand training device ×1 + 5,000 Alliance Coins
"The protective net around the training ground. I'm counting on you."
If she could pull this off, I might even splurge on a decent dinner.
Latina knelt before the tangled mess of netting, toolbox emptied beside her. Sunlight glinted off the diamond-shaped studs in her ears as Squirtle played the role of assistant, gripping a wrench like a mini jack.
"Boss, ever heard about the civilian Tesla coil program?" she called out, raising a welding gun dangerously close to my freshly washed shirt.
I stepped back fast. "Do you really need military hardware to fix a net?"
"It's called a modular defense matrix," she corrected, yanking a rainbow bundle of wires from the MK-II. "Once I'm done, this net will double as an electromagnetic shield. Then I'll add my custom—"
Snap!
Squirtle had slipped, hitting the activation switch prematurely.
The half-finished net sprang upright, humming with electrical charge. A passing wild Dodrio shrieked as the current zapped its feathers into a ridiculous puffball. Its two companions, equally fried, began pecking furiously at the gym's iron gate. Squirtle panicked and flung his wrench into the pool.
[Defeated Dodrio — No entry obtained]
I stared at the lone pink feather stuck in the door crack. "So… was that a scam, or just bad luck?"
Latina looked far too cheerful for someone whose project had just turned a harmless bird into a lightning hazard. Squirtle, on the other hand, was already peering into the water for his lost wrench, muttering "Squirtle…" under his breath.
And me? I was starting to wonder if hiring her was a stroke of genius… or the start of my next big headache.