Ten days was enough time to improve.
It wasn’t enough time to waste.
Adrian stopped experimenting with Croagunk’s training schedule and settled into the routine that had produced the best results.
Mornings were devoted to conditioning and technique.
Afternoons alternated between missions and battles.
Evenings were lighter, usually consisting of reading, reviewing previous fights, preparing the next day’s Pokéblocks, and giving Croagunk enough time to recover.
The Pokéblocks had become part of that routine.
Adrian still wouldn’t have compared them to anything produced by a professional breeder.
The shapes were inconsistent, some batches came out softer than others, and he’d already learned that Croagunk refused to eat anything containing too much Rawst Berry.
But they were improving.
More importantly, Adrian could control what went into them.
Croagunk’s appetite had increased noticeably after reaching Beginner rank.
Between weighted conditioning, battles, and its rapidly developing body, standard portions were no longer enough.
Adrian adjusted the recipes gradually rather than simply feeding it more.
The results weren’t miraculous.
Croagunk didn’t eat a Pokéblock and suddenly become stronger.
It simply recovered well.
That was enough.
Recovery allowed more productive training.
Productive training improved its body and techniques.
Better performance allowed them to handle stronger opponents.
Small advantages accumulated.
By the time nine days remained before the trial, Croagunk reached level twelve.
Adrian noticed during a morning spar.
He had rented one of the cheaper automated combat machines rather than using stationary targets.
A wheeled training unit equipped with padded striking arms that could pressure Pokémon without seriously injuring them.
Croagunk had hated it.
That made Adrian like it.
“Left.”
Croagunk slipped past a padded arm.
The second came from above.
It raised both forearms.
Thump!
Croagunk absorbed the strike and slid backward.
“Don’t give it space.”
Croagunk surged forward with Fake Out, its palm striking the machine’s central pad.
The machine rotated.
A third arm swept toward Croagunk’s legs.
Croagunk jumped without waiting for Adrian.
“Good.
Cross Chop, quarter!”
The attack landed.
Croagunk retreated before the machine could counter.
Adrian didn’t give another command.
The machine advanced.
Croagunk watched it.
One padded arm thrust forward.
Croagunk shifted its head.
The strike passed beside its cheek.
Another came.
Croagunk blocked.
Then stepped inside the machine’s reach.
“Croa!”
Cross Chop struck without Adrian ordering it.
The machine rocked backward.
Adrian smiled.
“That’s enough.” He deactivated it.
Croagunk looked disappointed.
“You’re supposed to learn to make decisions yourself.
You did.
Session accomplished.”
Croagunk considered that before walking toward its water.
Adrian activated Scan.
Pokémon Scan
Species: Croagunk ♂ Level: 12.
Rank: Low Beginner Potential: Blue Ability: Anticipation Moves: Poison Sting · Mud-Slap · Astonish · Taunt · Pursuit · Fake Out (Egg Move) · Cross Chop (Egg Move) Status: Healthy.
Light Fatigue Evaluation: Extraordinary Individual
Level twelve.
Adrian dismissed the screen.
Three levels remained.
He wasn’t worried.
Croagunk’s development had accelerated after reaching Beginner, partly because Adrian had stopped wasting time on training that no longer challenged it.
The heavier weights helped.
Better food helped.
Fighting stronger opponents helped more.
But Adrian had also learned when to stop.
That mattered.
Several recruits hadn’t.
One had pushed his Spearow through three battles in a single afternoon despite an injured wing.
The injury worsened enough that the Pokémon Center ordered five days without training.
Another recruit had tried to force his Sandshrew through exhaustion until it refused commands entirely.
Team Rocket didn’t intervene.
If a recruit wanted to ruin his own Pokémon, that was his problem.
Adrian wasn’t making that mistake.
He checked the time.
“We’re done until this afternoon.”
Croagunk looked toward the training machine.
“No.”
“Croa.”
“No.”
Croagunk crossed its arms.
Adrian picked up the weights.
“Keep arguing and I’ll add another insert.”
Croagunk started walking toward the exit.
Adrian followed, satisfied.
His second Pokémon sale happened that afternoon.
He hadn’t gone looking for one.
That was precisely why Adrian decided it was safe.
The mission had been a simple gathering assignment along Route 24.
A Rocket researcher needed several kilograms of a particular moss that grew near freshwater streams.
The work wasn’t exciting, but the thirty TRP reward made it worth combining with Croagunk’s field training.
They were returning when a wild Poliwag emerged from the water.
Adrian scanned it automatically.
Species: Poliwag ♀ Level: 8.
Rank: Baby Potential: Yellow Ability: Water Absorb Moves: Water Gun · Hypnosis · Pound · Bubble Status: Healthy Evaluation: Good Individual
Adrian stopped.
A Yellow Poliwag.
Useful species.
Healthy.
Decent ability.
More importantly, it had been several days since Bellsprout.
One sale could be luck.
Two separated by enough time still looked perfectly reasonable.
“Croagunk.”
Croagunk stepped forward.
Poliwag fired Water Gun.
“Move.”
Croagunk slipped aside.
Its speed made the level-eight Pokémon look slow.
“Don’t use Cross Chop.” Croagunk glanced back.
“We’re selling it, not breaking it.”
The Poliwag fired another Water Gun.
Croagunk dodged.
“Fake Out.”
It disappeared forward.
The palm struck Poliwag.
The Water-type rolled across the grass.
“Wait.”
Poliwag tried to stand.
Adrian threw a Poké Ball.
Poliwag escaped in a burst of red light and tried retreating toward the stream.
“Block it.”
Croagunk appeared between Poliwag and the water.
Poliwag froze, its eyes beginning to glow strangely.
Hypnosis.
“Eyes down!”
Croagunk lowered its gaze.
“Fake Out!”
Another strike interrupted the technique.
Adrian threw a second ball.
One shake.
Two.
Three.
Click.
“Two balls,” Adrian muttered.
Croagunk looked toward him.
“I know.
That’s normal.
I’m getting spoiled.”
He picked up the ball.
Adrian didn’t return to the same appraisal shop.
That was intentional.
Cerulean had multiple licensed businesses that handled Pokémon transfers, and there was no reason to establish a pattern with one buyer.
The second facility was larger.
A League certification plaque hung behind the counter, and two potential-testing machines occupied the appraisal area.
The employee scanned Poliwag.
Potential Grade: Yellow
“Good catch.”
Adrian shrugged.
“Got lucky.”
There it was again.
The employee checked Poliwag’s health and moves.
“Water Absorb is desirable.
Female.
Healthy.
Hypnosis increases value.” She paused.
“Fifty-six thousand.”
More than Bellsprout.
Water-types were popular around Cerulean, and Poliwag had several useful evolutionary paths.
“Sixty-five.”
“Sixty.”
“Sixty-three.”
“Sixty-one.”
“Sixty-two.”
The employee stared at him.
Adrian waited.
“Fine.”
The paperwork followed.
When Adrian left, he had sixty-two thousand more Pokédollars.
That money wasn’t going toward luxuries.
He already knew exactly what he wanted.
The Berry shop owner recognized him.
“Back again?”
“Unfortunately.”
“You went through all those berries already?”
“Experimenting.”
“That’s an expensive hobby.”
Adrian picked up a basket.
“Training.”
The owner nodded knowingly.
“Pokéblocks?”
“Trying.”
“How many batches have you ruined?”
Adrian paused.
“Define ruined.”
The man laughed.
“More than five?”
“Yes.”
“More than ten?”
Adrian continued walking.
“None of your business.”
The owner laughed harder.
Adrian bought berries in larger quantities this time.
Oran remained the staple.
Pecha was important for Croagunk’s preferred recipes.
He also purchased several protein-rich ingredients approved for Pokémon consumption, mineral supplements recommended for physically developing Fighting-types, and enough containers to prepare several days of food at once.
He didn’t buy rare berries.
That was another trap.
The most expensive ingredient wasn’t automatically the best.
Croagunk needed consistent nutrition more than exotic ingredients.
Adrian spent a little over twenty thousand.
The remaining money stayed untouched.
Having cash available mattered.
He wasn’t going to repeatedly hunt Pokémon every time he needed groceries.
Seven days remained.
Croagunk reached level thirteen during a B-Rank mission.
The assignment sent Adrian and two other recruits to clear aggressive wild Pokémon from a drainage tunnel beneath northern Cerulean.
The opponents were mostly Rattata.
Then they found the Raticate.
Level sixteen.
Low Beginner.
This time, Adrian didn’t run.
“Poison Sting!”
Purple needles filled the tunnel.
Raticate rushed through them.
“Hyper Fang!”
Its teeth glowed.
Croagunk waited.
Adrian did too.
“Fake Out!”
Croagunk accelerated.
Their attacks nearly collided.
Croagunk twisted, its palm striking the side of Raticate’s jaw instead of meeting the fangs directly.
Raticate stumbled.
“Cross Chop, half!”
Croagunk attacked.
Raticate recovered quickly.
“Quick Attack!”
The Pokémon disappeared.
It slammed into Croagunk.
Croagunk slid backward.
But it didn’t fall.
Adrian noticed.
Nidorino had launched Croagunk across a warehouse with Double Kick.
That had been less than two weeks ago.
Now Croagunk absorbed a stronger opponent’s Quick Attack and remained standing.
“Again!”
Raticate charged.
“Don’t meet it.”
Croagunk moved sideways.
Raticate followed.
“Poison Sting, ahead!”
Croagunk fired across its path.
Raticate changed direction.
“Again!”
Another barrage.
Another adjustment.
The narrow tunnel restricted movement, and Adrian exploited it.
“Left wall!”
Croagunk fired. Read this novel at novelping.com for the best experience.
Raticate was forced right.
Exactly where Adrian wanted it.
“Close!”
Croagunk rushed.
“Fake Out!”
Raticate flinched.
“Cross Chop!”
Full power.
The crossed arms struck Raticate’s side.
It crashed into the tunnel wall.
The concrete shook.
Raticate collapsed.
Croagunk remained standing.
Breathing hard.
Bruised.
But victorious.
Adrian’s system appeared.
Level: 13
He smiled.
Two more.
Five days remained.
The entire recruit population had changed.
The nervous teenagers who had awakened in the selection hall weeks ago were disappearing.
Those who remained carried themselves differently.
Some had scars.
Some had new Pokémon.
Several had already lost their starters through injury, death, or incompetence.
Others had flourished.
Mason’s Machop had reached level twelve.
The Magnemite Adrian had noticed during the first trial was level thirteen.
Darius and his Squirtle had become regular fixtures near the wager arenas.
Small groups had formed.
Rivalries had formed with them.
And nobody knew what the second trial would be.
Rumors spread constantly.
Tournament.
Survival test.
Theft.
Team battle.
Capture competition.
One recruit claimed they’d be abandoned in Mt.
Moon for a week.
Another insisted Team Rocket would make them fight each other until half remained.
Adrian ignored all of it.
Mercer had said one month.
Nothing more.
Preparing for rumors was pointless.
Preparing Croagunk wasn’t.
Three days remained when Croagunk reached level fourteen.
Adrian stopped increasing the training weights.
There wasn’t enough time for another adaptation cycle before the trial, and exhausting Croagunk now would accomplish the opposite of what he wanted.
Training became shorter.
Sharper.
No marathon conditioning.
No unnecessary battles.
Move execution.
Reaction.
Control.
Recovery.
Croagunk’s Pokéblocks became slightly larger as its appetite increased.
Adrian also began preparing enough to last through the trial if recruits were required to leave the base.
Food.
Potions.
Antidotes.
Two spare Poké Balls.
Water.
Basic camping equipment.
He spent ordinary money whenever possible.
TRP was reserved for things he couldn’t easily obtain elsewhere.
His balance had climbed to 487 TRP.
He kept it.
Whatever came after the trial might provide a better use for it.
The final day arrived.
Adrian didn’t train.
Croagunk hated that.
“Rest is training.”
“Croa.”
“That’s not philosophy.
That’s biology.”
Croagunk stared toward the swamp.
“No.”
Adrian sat on his bed, checking the backpack for the third time.
Food.
Water.
Pokéblocks.
Medicine.
Clothes.
Basic survival tools.
Everything ready.
A notification suddenly appeared on his Rocket ID.
All Recruits Report to Assembly Hall One.
18:00.
Second Trial Commences Tonight.
Adrian looked at the time.
17:12.
Croagunk saw his expression.
Its playful irritation disappeared.
Adrian stood.
“Looks like we’re done waiting.” He picked up Croagunk’s Poké Ball.
Then stopped.
“Scan.”
The familiar screen appeared.
Pokémon Scan
Species: Croagunk ♂ Level: 15.
Rank: Mid Beginner Potential: Blue Ability: Anticipation Moves: Poison Sting · Mud-Slap · Astonish · Taunt · Pursuit · Feint Attack · Fake Out (Egg Move) · Cross Chop (Egg Move) Status: Healthy.
Fully Rested Evaluation: Extraordinary Individual
Level fifteen.
Exactly where Adrian had wanted it.
One month ago, Croagunk had been a level-five Baby-rank Pokémon pulled randomly from a room filled with hundreds of Poké Balls.
Now it stood at Mid Beginner.
Its movements were sharper.
Its body was stronger.
Its attacks were controlled.
And the four moves that had once seemed limited had become tools Adrian and Croagunk understood intimately.
Adrian dismissed the screen.
Croagunk looked up.
“Ready?”
Croagunk’s mouth stretched into its familiar crooked grin.
“Croa.”
Adrian smiled.
“Good.”
He pulled on his jacket and opened the door.
Throughout the hallway, other recruits were emerging from their rooms.
No one spoke much.
They all knew where they were going.
Assembly Hall One.
The first trial had asked whether they could tame a Pokémon.
The second had given them a month to become trainers.
Now Team Rocket was going to decide whether what they’d become was worth keeping.