The next five days passed faster than the first week.
Adrian stopped treating every day as something that needed to be shown in full.
There was only so much value in repeating the same routine.
Wake up.
Eat.
Train.
Complete a mission.
Battle.
Recover.
Repeat.
What mattered was what changed.
And Croagunk was changing quickly.
Baby rank was called the fastest stage of Pokémon development for a reason.
A young Pokémon’s body was still adapting to its energy, techniques, and growing strength.
With proper nutrition, sufficient rest, regular battles, and structured training, progress that might later require weeks or months could happen in days.
The difficulty was providing all four without destroying the Pokémon’s body in the process.
Adrian was beginning to find that balance.
“Again!”
Croagunk crossed the artificial swamp at a sprint.
The four training weights remained secured around its limbs as it jumped over a fallen log, landed on one foot, and changed direction.
A moving target descended from overhead.
Croagunk didn’t wait for a command.
Poison Sting erupted upward.
The needles didn’t target the center, they spread across the target’s right side, forcing the machine’s automatic evasion system left.
Exactly where Adrian wanted it.
“Fake Out!”
Croagunk exploded forward, its weighted body launching from the ground.
The target climbed.
Croagunk planted one foot against a rock, used it as a second platform, and jumped again.
Its palm connected.
The target spun away.
Croagunk landed.
“Cross Chop!”
Both arms crossed.
The strike smashed into the ground target that had approached from behind.
Croagunk recovered almost immediately.
Adrian stopped the simulation.
“Good.”
Croagunk straightened.
It was breathing heavily, but nowhere near exhaustion.
Five days ago, twenty minutes of this had left it sprawled beside the swamp.
Now it could maintain the pace for nearly an hour.
Adrian activated Scan.
Pokémon Scan
Species: Croagunk ♂ Level: 9.
Rank: Peak Baby Potential: Blue Ability: Anticipation Moves: Poison Sting · Mud-Slap · Astonish · Taunt · Fake Out (Egg Move) · Cross Chop (Egg Move) Status: Healthy.
Moderately Fatigued Evaluation: Extraordinary Individual
Level nine.
That was the important part.
Croagunk had reached level eight two days after the Venomoth encounter and level nine yesterday after defeating a wild Mankey during a collection mission.
The speed didn’t concern Adrian.
Everything he’d read agreed that early development was supposed to be fast.
Baby-rank Pokémon benefited enormously from regular combat and good training, when they had high potential.
The rate would slow later.
Beginner would take longer.
Intermediate longer still.
The higher the rank, the harder every step became.
That was also why trainers obsessed over resources.
Good Pokémon food wasn’t merely about preventing hunger.
Proper nutrition supplied a Pokémon’s rapidly developing body with what it needed to turn training into actual growth.
Specialized Pokéblocks, supplements, medicines, and type-specific resources could improve that process even further.
Adrian currently had almost none of those things.
Croagunk was eating the standard Pokémon food available to recruits.
It was decent.
Nothing more.
And Croagunk was still growing this quickly.
Adrian could only imagine what proper Pokéblocks would accomplish during this stage.
That was something for later.
Right now, they had another problem.
“One more level.”
Croagunk looked at him.
“Maybe.” Adrian emphasized the last word.
Level ten was generally considered the upper boundary of Baby rank.
That didn’t mean every Pokémon instantly crossed into Beginner the moment it reached that level.
Some broke through slightly earlier, others required additional development.
Adrian wasn’t going to force it.
“Break.”
Croagunk walked toward its water bottle.
Adrian checked the countdown.
16 Days Until Trial Two.
Half the month remained.
Their progress was accelerating.
So was everyone else’s.
The Battle Arena had become almost unrecognizable compared with the first few days.
Recruits who had barely known how to issue commands were now developing actual strategies.
Adrian watched from the observation area as a Sandshrew burrowed beneath a Growlithe’s Ember and emerged behind it.
On another field, a Magnemite used Thunder Shock to prevent a Spearow from safely approaching.
Farther away, Mason’s Machop fought a Nidoran♂.
“Low Kick!”
Machop slid underneath Nidoran’s charge and swept its legs.
The Poison-type collapsed.
“Karate Chop!”
Machop struck.
The battle ended.
Mason raised one fist.
“That’s four!”
Adrian walked down the stairs.
“Against who?”
Mason turned.
His expression changed when he saw Adrian.
“You disappeared.”
“I’ve been working.”
“Sure.” Mason looked toward Croagunk, then paused.
“He’s bigger.”
Adrian glanced down.
Croagunk had grown slightly.
Not enough that someone unfamiliar with it would notice, but Mason had fought it before.
“Training.”
“What level?”
“Nine.”
Mason’s eyebrows rose.
“Already?”
Adrian looked at Machop.
“Yours?”
“Nine.”
That answered another question.
Adrian wasn’t progressing at some absurd rate.
At least one other serious recruit was keeping pace.
Mason grinned.
“Rematch?”
Adrian looked toward the field.
“How much?”
“Twenty.”
“Thirty.”
Mason’s grin widened.
“Done.”
Ten minutes later, both stood on opposite sides of Arena Eleven.
Adrian removed Croagunk’s weights.
Mason noticed.
“So that’s what you’ve been doing.”
“Part of it.”
Croagunk rolled its shoulders.
The change was immediate.
Mason’s expression became more serious.
He released Machop.
Adrian scanned it.
Species: Machop ♂ Level: 9.
Rank: Peak Baby Potential: Green Ability: Guts Moves: Low Kick · Leer · Focus Energy · Karate Chop · Revenge Status: Healthy Evaluation: Exceptional Individual Visit novelping dot com for the full chapter.
Adrian’s attention settled on the final move.
Revenge.
New.
And dangerous.
If Croagunk struck first, Revenge could punish it with greater force.
Mason had been training too.
The terminal activated.
Wager Battle Adrian.
30 TRP Mason.
30 TRP Winner’s Award: 54 TRP
“Begin!”
Neither commanded.
Machop lowered its stance.
Croagunk did the same.
Their first battle had begun with both trainers throwing attacks at one another.
This time, neither wanted to reveal the first move.
Mason broke the silence.
“Focus Energy.”
Machop inhaled, muscles tightening as concentration gathered.
Adrian didn’t interrupt.
“Poison Sting.”
Croagunk fired.
“Move!”
Machop shifted.
The needles passed beside it.
Another barrage followed.
Machop moved again.
Adrian watched.
Croagunk wasn’t trying to hit it.
Mason realized.
“Close!”
Machop charged.
Croagunk fired to its left.
Machop moved right.
Another barrage forced it farther right.
Adrian smiled.
Exactly.
“Fake Out!”
Croagunk exploded forward.
Mason’s eyes widened.
Machop barely raised its arms before Croagunk struck.
The impact pushed it backward.
“Cross Chop!”
“Revenge!”
There it was.
Adrian changed his command.
“Cancel!
Back!”
Croagunk’s arms uncrossed.
It jumped away.
Machop’s Revenge swung through empty air.
Mason frowned.
Adrian hadn’t been supposed to know that move.
But he didn’t need to explain.
Watching a trainer cancel an attack because an opponent prepared a counter wasn’t suspicious.
“Poison Sting!”
Croagunk fired while retreating.
Several needles struck Machop.
“Through it!” Mason shouted.
Machop charged.
“Low Kick!”
Croagunk jumped.
Machop expected it.
“Karate Chop!” Its hand came upward.
“Turn!”
Croagunk twisted in midair.
The attack clipped its side rather than landing cleanly.
Croagunk landed behind Machop.
“Fake Out!”
The palm struck Machop’s back.
“Revenge!”
Machop spun.
This time it connected.
The strike caught Croagunk across the chest and sent it sliding several meters.
Adrian’s expression tightened.
That hurt.
Croagunk stood quickly.
Both Pokémon stared at one another.
Mason smiled.
“Not running from every one.”
Adrian ignored him.
Croagunk had taken one significant attack.
Machop had absorbed Poison Sting and two Fake Outs.
Relatively even.
But Croagunk had something Machop hadn’t experienced yet.
Its actual speed.
“Close.”
Croagunk moved.
Machop prepared.
“Low Kick!”
Croagunk changed direction before the sweep arrived.
Fast.
Too fast for Mason to adjust.
“Behind!”
Croagunk circled.
Machop turned.
“Fake Out!”
Croagunk struck.
Machop staggered.
“Cross Chop.
Quarter!”
The reduced-power strike landed before Machop could recover.
Not enough commitment for Revenge to punish easily.
Croagunk bounced backward.
Mason’s expression changed.
“You’re using Cross Chop like a jab now?”
“Not exactly.”
Machop charged.
Croagunk moved.
Another quarter-strength Cross Chop struck Machop’s shoulder, then Croagunk retreated.
Mason understood the problem.
“Stop chasing!
Wait!”
Machop planted its feet.
Good adjustment.
Adrian smiled.
“Poison Sting.”
Croagunk began firing from range.
Machop blocked.
One barrage.
Two.
Three.
Mason grimaced.
“Fine.
Go!”
Machop rushed forward again.
Adrian had wanted exactly that.
“Lead left.” Poison Sting forced Machop to change direction.
“Again.” Another adjustment.
Machop was no longer charging straight toward Croagunk.
Adrian was determining its path.
“Now!”
Croagunk moved.
Fake Out landed.
Machop staggered.
“Revenge!” Mason shouted. New chapters come out on g.com first.
Adrian had expected it.
“Mud-Slap!”
Instead of striking, Croagunk kicked dirt directly into Machop’s face.
Machop’s counterattack missed completely.
“Full Cross Chop!”
Croagunk’s arms crossed.
Mason’s eyes widened.
“Block!”
Machop raised both arms.
Croagunk struck.
BOOM!
Machop was driven backward, its feet leaving the ground before it landed hard.
Croagunk stumbled once from the commitment but recovered.
Machop tried standing.
One knee rose.
Then dropped.
Mason stared.
“Get up!”
Machop pushed.
Its arms trembled.
Croagunk waited.
Adrian didn’t order another attack.
After several seconds, Machop fell back onto its knee.
The arena system sounded.
“Machop unable to continue.
Winner: Adrian.”
Croagunk raised both arms.
Adrian smiled.
This time he allowed it.
“You earned that one.”
The terminal updated.
Wager Victory: +54 TRP
Mason recalled Machop before approaching.
“That speed difference is ridiculous.”
“Weights.”
“I figured.” He looked at Croagunk.
“What potential is he?”
Adrian’s expression remained unchanged.
“You asked me that already.”
“And you didn’t answer.”
“So why would I answer now?”
Mason laughed.
“Worth trying.”
Adrian wasn’t hiding Croagunk’s talent because Blue potential itself was forbidden.
The problem was attention.
A Blue-potential Pokémon in the hands of a brand-new recruit was valuable.
More importantly, Adrian didn’t want people asking how he’d identified it from hundreds of random Poké Balls before anyone had tested them.
The less attention that question received, the better.
Mason glanced toward the recovery area.
“Trial’s in sixteen days.”
“I noticed.”
“You think it’s battling?”
“Could be.”
“Could be survival again.”
“Could be something neither of us expects.”
Mason nodded.
That was Team Rocket.
Adrian doubted they’d announce the trial early enough for recruits to prepare specifically.
The month itself was probably part of the test.
What did someone do when nobody gave them instructions?
Train?
Work?
Waste time?
Build connections?
Team Rocket was watching.
Adrian was certain of that.
Croagunk reached level ten two days later.
There was no dramatic flash of light.
No explosion of energy.
It happened during a mission in the wooded outskirts east of Cerulean.
Their objective was simple: drive a group of wild Ekans away from a Rocket-owned storage site.
The final Ekans was level eight.
Croagunk defeated it with a combination they’d practiced dozens of times.
Poison Sting forced the Ekans to coil defensively, Mud-Slap disrupted its vision, Fake Out broke its posture, Cross Chop ended the battle.
When Adrian scanned Croagunk afterward, the change was there.
Pokémon Scan
Species: Croagunk ♂ Level: 10.
Rank: Peak Baby Potential: Blue Ability: Anticipation Moves: Poison Sting · Mud-Slap · Astonish · Taunt · Fake Out (Egg Move) · Cross Chop (Egg Move) Status: Healthy.
Light Fatigue Evaluation: Extraordinary Individual
Level ten.
Still Baby.
Adrian wasn’t disappointed.
If anything, it confirmed what he’d read.
The next step wasn’t simply another number.
Croagunk needed to break through.
Adrian crouched beside it.
“That’s enough.”
Croagunk looked toward the retreating Ekans.
“No more fighting today.”
“Croa?”
“You’re at the boundary.” Adrian stood.
“We’re not going to exhaust you trying to force it.”
There was something else he wanted to investigate.
Food.
He’d spent enough time in the library to understand how important nutrition became during breakthroughs.
Standard feed provided everything Croagunk needed to remain healthy, but specialized diets could support growth much more efficiently.
Pokéblocks were among the best options.
The problem was cost.
High-quality premade Pokéblocks weren’t something a poor Rocket recruit could casually purchase every day.
Making them was cheaper, if you owned the equipment, if you had ingredients, if you knew what you were doing.
Adrian currently possessed none of the three.
But for the first time, he had enough resources to begin thinking beyond tomorrow.
He checked his Rocket ID.
After missions, wager battles, purchases, and expenses, his balance had risen to 184 TRP.
A respectable amount for a recruit.
He wasn’t spending it on berries.
TRP was too valuable.
Normal money was better suited for that.
And unlike TRP, money could be earned outside Team Rocket.
Adrian looked toward the forest surrounding them.
Wild Pokémon moved through those woods every day.
Some were worthless.
Some weren’t.
His system could tell the difference before he ever threw a Poké Ball.
The thought had occurred to him before.
Now he began considering how to use it safely.
Catching Green-potential Pokémon every few days would make him rich.
It would also make anyone paying attention wonder how a fifteen-year-old recruit had become one of Kanto’s greatest Pokémon scouts overnight.
That would be idiotic.
Yellow potential was different.
Good enough to sell.
Common enough not to raise alarms.
Maybe, occasionally, Light Green.
Nothing better.
Not unless he was capturing it for himself.
Adrian looked down at Croagunk.
“We’ll deal with that later.”
The Poison-type tilted its head.
“For now, we get you through Beginner.”
Adrian checked the countdown.
14 Days Until Trial Two.
Half the month remained.
Croagunk had reached the peak of Baby rank.
Now the real question was how quickly Adrian could push it across the first genuine barrier.