Adrian waited two days before hunting again.
He could have gone out the morning after completing the recovery mission, but there was no urgency.
That was the entire point of the strategy.
If he began bringing talented Pokémon into appraisal shops every other day, the pattern would eventually become impossible to explain as luck.
Yellow potential was uncommon, not miraculous.
A trainer who spent enough time in the wilderness could encounter one naturally.
Eventually.
A trainer who found one every afternoon was another matter.
So Adrian trained.
Croagunk returned to full conditioning, although Adrian changed the structure again now that his partner was firmly inside Beginner rank.
The heavier weights stayed, but their sessions became shorter and more explosive.
Sprints replaced long runs.
Repeated jumps became directional bursts.
Cross Chop repetitions focused on control rather than volume.
The homemade Pokéblocks continued as well.
Adrian had finally reached the point where the majority of his batches were edible, which was an embarrassingly low standard for how much money he’d already spent on ingredients.
Still, Croagunk’s recovery remained good, its appetite strong, and its development steady.
That was enough for now.
By the third morning, Adrian decided the timing was believable.
He left Cerulean shortly after sunrise with Croagunk walking beside him.
Their destination wasn’t Route 24 this time.
Adrian had spent the previous evening studying public habitat records and settled on a stretch of rocky grassland west of Cerulean.
Nidoran were occasionally reported there alongside Rattata, Spearow, Sandshrew, and several Grass-types closer to the wooded sections.
Nidoran were what interested him.
Both sexes had valuable evolutionary lines.
Neither species was rare enough that capturing one would draw attention, but a Yellow-potential individual could still command a respectable price.
More importantly, Adrian had never sold one before.
Different species.
Different buyer.
Enough time between transactions.
The pattern remained ordinary.
At least from the outside.
Croagunk stopped beside a large stone.
“Croa.”
“I know.”
They’d been searching for well over two hours.
Adrian had scanned nearly forty Pokémon.
Almost all of them were exactly what he’d expected.
Red Rattata.
Red Rattata again.
Orange Spearow.
Red Nidoran♀.
Another Red Nidoran♀.
Orange Sandshrew.
Red Spearow.
Orange Rattata.
On and on.
That was the wilderness.
Talent didn’t hide behind every patch of grass.
Most Pokémon out here were simply ordinary, and Adrian had stopped being surprised by it weeks ago.
A movement near the base of a rocky slope caught his attention.
Croagunk noticed it at the same time.
Two purple ears appeared above the grass.
A Nidoran♂ stepped out.
Adrian activated Scan.
Pokémon Scan
Species: Nidoran♂ Level: 9.
Rank: Peak Baby Potential: Orange Ability: Poison Point Moves: Peck · Leer · Focus Energy · Double Kick Status: Healthy Evaluation: Above Average Individual
Adrian dismissed it.
“Not this one.”
Croagunk didn’t move.
The Nidoran watched them for several seconds before deciding they weren’t worth confronting and disappearing into the grass.
Another hour passed.
Adrian’s patience began to thin, though he didn’t let it show.
This was exactly why he’d stopped hunting on a schedule.
Some days the wilderness simply didn’t cooperate, and forcing it only meant settling for less than he wanted.
Then Croagunk’s head turned sharply.
Something rustled beyond a cluster of bushes.
This time, a blue Pokémon emerged.
Nidoran♀.
Scan.
Pokémon Scan
Species: Nidoran♀ Level: 10.
Rank: Peak Baby Potential: Yellow Ability: Poison Point Moves: Scratch · Tail Whip · Double Kick · Poison Sting · Bite Status: Healthy Evaluation: Good Individual
Adrian smiled faintly.
Finally.
“There.”
Croagunk stepped forward.
Nidoran lowered its body.
It wasn’t frightened.
Good.
A terrified Pokémon was harder to capture cleanly.
“Keep the damage controlled.”
Croagunk glanced back.
“Yes, that means no full Cross Chop.”
The expression he received suggested Adrian had ruined half the fun.
Nidoran attacked first.
“Poison Sting!”
Purple needles flew.
Croagunk shifted sideways.
At level fifteen, the difference in speed was substantial.
“Fake Out.”
Croagunk vanished forward, its palm striking Nidoran’s shoulder.
The wild Pokémon stumbled but recovered quickly.
“Bite!”
Adrian recognized the movement.
“Back.”
Croagunk retreated before the jaws closed.
Nidoran followed aggressively.
“Double Kick!”
The first leg swept forward.
Croagunk avoided it.
The second came behind.
“Block.”
Croagunk raised both arms.
The kick connected.
Croagunk barely shifted.
Adrian watched carefully.
That difference still impressed him.
A month ago, Nidorino’s Double Kick had thrown Croagunk across a warehouse.
Now a younger member of the same evolutionary line could barely move it.
Training mattered.
Rank mattered more.
“Mud-Slap.”
Croagunk kicked dirt upward.
Nidoran recoiled.
“Fake Out.”
Another strike.
The wild Pokémon dropped onto one knee.
Adrian threw a Poké Ball.
Red light engulfed it.
The ball hit the ground.
One shake.
Two.
“Expected.”
Croagunk looked toward him.
“What?”
Nidoran charged again.
“Don’t let it run.”
Croagunk moved between it and the deeper grass.
Nidoran stopped.
Adrian waited.
No need to keep attacking unnecessarily.
He threw another ball.
One shake.
Two.
Three.
Click.
Adrian retrieved it.
“Two again.”
Croagunk gave an approving croak.
“Yes, I’m becoming less spoiled.”
He clipped the ball to his belt.
One Pokémon.
Done.
And worth the wait.
They returned to Cerulean without hunting further.
Adrian chose a third appraisal business.
The building was attached to a licensed Daycare near the western commercial district, which made the transaction easier to explain.
Trainers brought captured Pokémon in constantly for breeding evaluations, temporary care, or sale.
The employee behind the counter barely looked older than twenty.
“Appraisal or transfer?”
“Both, depending on the result.”
“Species?”
“Nidoran female.”
That got slightly more attention than Bellsprout had.
“Wild?”
“Yeah.”
The employee accepted the Poké Ball.
“Standard potential and health appraisal is three thousand.
Waived if we purchase.”
“Fine.”
The machine activated.
Adrian already knew the answer.
That didn’t stop him from watching.
Nidoran♀ Health: Good Potential: Yellow
The employee nodded.
“Solid.”
Adrian shrugged.
“Got lucky.”
He was beginning to hate that phrase.
Unfortunately, it was useful.
The employee released Nidoran into a reinforced examination pen.
The Pokémon hissed.
“Temperament’s aggressive.”
“It’s wild.”
“Some are calmer.”
“Some aren’t.”
The employee glanced at him.
Adrian waited.
After several minutes of observation, the appraisal finished.
“Yellow potential.
Healthy female.
Poison Point.
Bite already developed.
We can offer seventy thousand.”
Adrian kept his face neutral.
That was more than Bellsprout.
“Eight-five.”
“No.”
“Eighty.”
“Seventy-four.”
“Seventy-eight.”
The employee shook his head.
“Seventy-five.”
Adrian considered.
“Seventy-six and you waive all processing.”
The employee sighed.
“Fine.”
The paperwork took longer than the negotiation.
By the time Adrian left, seventy-six thousand Pokédollars had been transferred to his account.
Combined with what remained from Poliwag, his cash reserves had finally crossed the threshold he’d been waiting for.
Enough for the professional Berry Blender.
Adrian didn’t go straight to the store.
He ate lunch first.
Then he checked three different retailers.
Same model.
Different prices.
The cheapest legitimate seller listed it for 172,000 Pokédollars, eight thousand less than the first shop he’d found.
Adrian ordered it.
The purchase hurt.
Watching that much money disappear always did.
But he didn’t hesitate.
This wasn’t consumption.
It was infrastructure.
The box arrived at a secure pickup point two days later.
Adrian needed both arms to carry it back to Cerulean Base.
Croagunk walked beside him offering no assistance.
“You could help.”
“Croa.”
“You have Fighting typing.”
Croagunk looked at the box.
Then at Adrian.
“That wasn’t a suggestion.”
Croagunk continued walking.
Adrian adjusted his grip.
“You’re paying for your own berries.”
No response.
The professional blender was larger than his household model.
Metal construction.
Multiple speed settings.
Temperature control.
Automated timing.
A removable chamber large enough to produce several days’ worth of Pokéblocks at once.
Adrian read the manual twice before touching anything.
Croagunk sat at the kitchen counter watching.
“Today, we don’t ruin anything.”
Croagunk considered that an ambitious goal.
Adrian measured the berries.
Oran first.
Pecha second.
Then the supporting ingredients he’d been using successfully for the last week.
He recorded every quantity.
No guessing.
The professional machine allowed exact rotational speeds, which eliminated one of the biggest inconsistencies from his earlier batches.
He started the cycle.
The blender hummed.
Not screamed.
Not attempted to travel across the counter.
Adrian stared.
“Already worth it.”
Croagunk looked unconvinced.
The first batch emerged twenty minutes later.
Uniform.
Smooth.
Dense without being excessively hard.
Adrian cut one.
The interior texture was consistent throughout.
Much better.
He handed a piece to Croagunk.
The Poison-type sniffed.
Bit.
Chewed.
Adrian waited.
Croagunk reached for a second.
“Good?”
Another piece disappeared.
“I’ll take that as yes.”
Adrian made another batch.
This time he changed the ratio slightly.
Less Oran.
A little more Pecha.
The consistency remained nearly identical.
That was the real value of better equipment.
Control.
If Adrian changed a recipe now, he could be reasonably certain the result came from the ingredients rather than the machine behaving differently.
That meant experimentation became useful.
He opened his notebook.
Batch 1.
Standard physical training mix.
Texture: Good.
Acceptance: High.
Batch 2.
Increased Pecha content.
Croagunk tried the second.
Paused.
Then ate it.
Slower.
Adrian wrote: Acceptance: Moderate.
Croagunk leaned over.
Adrian covered the notebook.
“No.”
“Croa.”
“You’re the experiment.
You don’t get to edit the results.”
Croagunk reached toward the page.
Adrian pushed his face away.
“Go eat.”
That worked.
Three weeks earlier, Adrian had been feeding Croagunk whatever standard Pokémon food Team Rocket provided to recruits.
Now he was measuring recipes.
That progression mattered to him more than simply buying stronger attacks.
Moves could be learned later.
Nutrition affected every day Croagunk trained.
Every recovery period.
Every increase in muscle and energy capacity.
Especially now, while Croagunk was still developing rapidly.
Adrian wasn’t under the illusion that Pokéblocks alone would carry Croagunk upward.
Training still mattered.
Battles mattered.
Rest mattered.
Potential mattered.
Pokéblocks simply ensured fewer opportunities were wasted.
That was how Adrian intended to grow.
Not by finding one magical resource.
By stacking advantages until the difference became impossible to ignore.
His Rocket ID beeped.
A new mission notification.
Adrian dried his hands and checked it.
B-Rank Mission.
Urgent
Category: Capture Assistance Location: Cerulean Northern Wetlands Target: Wild Pokémon causing repeated attacks on supply personnel Known Species: Unknown Estimated Rank: Beginner Reward: 180 TRP Additional Capture Bonus: 75 TRP
Adrian read it twice.
Unknown species.
That increased the risk.
It also increased the reward.
Croagunk noticed his expression and hopped down from the counter.
“No.”
Croagunk stared.
“Not today.”
The Poison-type looked offended.
“You’ve already trained.”
Croagunk flexed.
Adrian ignored it.
The mission had an expiration timer.
Four hours.
Someone else could take it.
Adrian considered.
Then opened the details.
Three Rocket workers had been attacked in the same wetland over the past week.
None had identified the Pokémon clearly.
Tracks suggested something medium-sized.
Water and Poison attacks had both been reported.
That narrowed the possibilities.
Not enough.
Adrian looked toward Croagunk.
Level fifteen.
Fully healthy.
Strong against Poison.
Resistant to several possibilities.
The wetlands also suited Croagunk naturally.
He checked the reward again.
One hundred eighty TRP.
Two hundred fifty-five if captured.
A month ago, he’d risked himself for fifteen.
Now this was the type of work available.
Adrian accepted.
Mission Registered
Croagunk grinned.
“Don’t look so happy.” Adrian began packing medicine.
“We don’t even know what we’re fighting.”
Croagunk’s grin widened.
Adrian shook his head.
That was exactly why Croagunk was happy.
He packed several of the new Pokéblocks into a sealed container and clipped Croagunk’s ball to his belt.
The professional blender sat behind them.
Paid for.
No TRP spent.
One permanent improvement acquired through ordinary cash.
Exactly as planned.
Now it was time to return to the other half of Adrian’s economy.
The part where Team Rocket paid him to do dangerous things.