Adrian returned to the Mission Hall the following morning with Croagunk’s Poké Ball clipped beneath his jacket.
Cerulean Base hadn’t slept.
There were fewer people moving through the underground streets than there had been the previous afternoon, but the difference was smaller than Adrian expected.
Rocket members returned from nighttime missions while others prepared to leave.
The battle arenas were already occupied, and somewhere in the distance, the repeated explosions of Pokémon attacks echoed through the cavern.
That was one advantage of having no schedule.
Team Rocket didn’t care whether someone trained at sunrise or midnight.
The facilities remained available, missions remained posted, and the responsibility for using them belonged to the individual.
Adrian entered the Mission Hall and headed toward the F-Rank mission boards.
He’d spent part of yesterday studying the system rather than blindly accepting the first mission with a decent reward.
F-Rank missions were available to recruits and ordinary grunts regardless of strength.
Most weren’t dangerous, but their rewards reflected that.
Warehouse Inventory.
6 TRP.
Package Delivery.
8 TRP.
Collect Medicinal Herbs.
15 TRP.
Pest Removal.
12 TRP.
Capture: Rattata.
20 TRP.
Adrian scrolled past several others before stopping.
Medicinal Herb Collection Location: Route 24 Required: 10 Blueleaf Sprigs Reward: 15 TRP Additional Sprigs: 1 TRP each Deadline: 18:00
Route 24.
Close enough to Cerulean that he could reach it without wasting half the day traveling, while still giving Croagunk an opportunity to experience the wilderness.
Adrian placed his Rocket ID against the terminal.
Mission Accepted.
He continued browsing.
There was no restriction against accepting several F-Rank missions simultaneously, but failing one after accepting it was recorded on his ID.
Taking twenty missions and completing three wouldn’t fool anyone into believing he was productive.
Adrian selected one more.
Package Delivery Destination: Eastern Cerulean, Drop Point 17 Reward: 10 TRP Deadline: 16:00
NOTICE: Package is not to be opened.
Twenty-five guaranteed TRP if he completed both.
It wasn’t much.
The Poison-type training equipment he’d looked at yesterday cost several hundred.
Useful TMs were even worse.
Serious resources required thousands.
But everyone started somewhere.
Adrian accepted the mission.
A compartment beneath the terminal opened, revealing a small gray package without markings.
He slipped it into his backpack and headed for the exit.
Less than fifteen minutes later, Adrian was standing beneath the morning sun.
Cerulean City stretched before him.
For the first time since he’d entered the Copper Mug, there were no Rocket officers watching him.
No Captain Mercer.
No sealed doors.
No instructions.
He could technically spend the entire day walking around the city and return to the base tonight, and nobody would care.
That freedom came with a condition.
If he was caught, Team Rocket wouldn’t save him.
Adrian adjusted the ordinary jacket covering his recruit uniform before joining the pedestrians moving along the street.
Walking around with a giant red R on his chest would be a embarrassing way to end his criminal career.
He made the delivery first.
Drop Point 17 turned out to be a small electronics repair shop tucked between a laundromat and a bakery.
Nothing about the place suggested Team Rocket involvement.
Adrian entered.
A middle-aged man sat behind the counter repairing what looked like a damaged Pokédex.
“Can I help you?”
“Delivery.”
The man’s eyes flicked toward Adrian’s backpack.
“From?”
“An old friend.”
That was the phrase listed in the mission instructions.
The man’s expression changed almost imperceptibly.
“Back room.”
Adrian followed him through a curtain and placed the package inside an open metal drawer.
The man scanned Adrian’s Rocket ID.
A soft beep followed.
Mission Complete.
That was it.
No dramatic exchange, no explanation of what was inside.
Adrian left without asking.
Ten TRP.
Easy.
Not every mission involved stealing Pokémon or fighting League trainers.
An organization this large needed thousands of ordinary tasks completed every day.
Packages moved, information changed hands, supplies were transported, businesses needed maintaining.
The criminal empire existed because countless small operations supported the larger ones.
Adrian headed north.
By late morning, the dense streets had begun giving way to the outskirts of Cerulean City.
Route 24 stretched beyond them, eventually connecting with the famous bridge farther north.
Adrian deliberately avoided the busiest portions.
He wasn’t looking for trainers.
Not yet.
Once he found a sufficiently isolated patch of grass near the edge of a wooded area, he removed Croagunk’s Poké Ball.
“Come out.”
Red light flashed.
Croagunk appeared in the grass and turned in a slow circle.
This was different from the underground swamp.
Real sunlight, real wind, wild Pokémon somewhere close enough to smell.
Croagunk crouched and pressed one hand against the earth before looking toward the trees.
Adrian smiled faintly.
“You prefer this, don’t you?”
“Croa.”
He wasn’t sure whether that meant yes.
It was better than being ignored.
Adrian pulled out the reference image Rocket had provided for the Blueleaf Sprigs.
The herb wasn’t rare.
It grew in damp areas beneath trees, especially around streams and shaded rocks.
Finding ten shouldn’t take long.
It didn’t.
Finding ten without encountering wild Pokémon was another matter.
They had collected six when Croagunk suddenly froze.
Adrian noticed.
“Something there?”
Croagunk’s eyes were fixed on a patch of tall grass.
The grass moved.
A small purple Pokémon emerged.
Rattata.
Its whiskers twitched as it noticed them.
Adrian’s system responded almost immediately.
Pokémon Scan
Species: Rattata ♀ Level: 4.
Rank: Baby Potential: Red Ability: Run Away Moves: Tackle · Tail Whip · Quick Attack Status: Healthy Evaluation: Average Individual
Adrian dismissed the information.
Level four, slightly weaker than Croagunk.
This was exactly what he needed.
“Croagunk.” The Poison-type looked back.
“Want to try?”
Croagunk’s eyes returned to Rattata.
Then it hopped forward.
That was answer enough.
Rattata reacted.
“Rat!”
It charged.
Fast.
Faster than Adrian expected.
“Move!”
Croagunk jumped sideways as Rattata raced past.
Adrian’s mouth tightened.
Too vague.
Telling Croagunk to move worked, but it forced the Pokémon to decide everything itself.
Rattata turned sharply.
“Quick Attack!”
Adrian recognized the burst of speed before the system needed to tell him anything.
“Left!”
Croagunk moved.
Too late.
Rattata slammed into its side and sent it tumbling through the grass.
“Croa!”
Adrian almost called another command.
He stopped himself.
Croagunk was already moving, rolling onto one knee as Rattata charged again.
“Fake Out!”
Croagunk exploded forward, its palm striking Rattata across the face before the wild Pokémon could complete its attack.
Rattata stumbled.
“Poison Sting!”
Croagunk opened its mouth.
Several poisonous needles shot forward.
Two missed, one struck Rattata’s shoulder.
The wild Pokémon squealed before lunging again.
“Keep your distance!
Mud-Slap!”
Mud sprayed across Rattata’s face, and it recoiled, shaking its head violently.
Adrian saw the opening.
“Cross Chop!”
Croagunk hesitated.
Only for a fraction of a second.
Then crossed both arms.
Adrian realized his mistake.
Cross Chop was far more powerful than anything else Croagunk possessed.
Against a weaker Baby-rank Pokémon…
“Hold back!”
Croagunk adjusted at the last moment.
Its crossed arms struck Rattata’s side, and the impact still launched the wild Pokémon several feet.
Rattata hit the ground, rolled, and scrambled upright.
For a moment Adrian thought it would continue.
Instead, it looked between Croagunk and the surrounding forest, then fled.
Neither Adrian nor Croagunk chased it.
Silence returned.
Adrian released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
Their first battle had lasted less than a minute.
It had also exposed several problems.
His commands were slow.
Croagunk wasn’t accustomed to listening for instructions.
Adrian had nearly ordered an unnecessarily powerful attack against an opponent that was already losing.
Most importantly, there had been moments where Croagunk’s instincts were faster than Adrian’s decisions.
That needed to change.
He approached carefully.
“You okay?”
Croagunk rubbed the side where Quick Attack had landed.
“Croa.”
Adrian activated Scan.
Pokémon Scan
Species: Croagunk ♂ Level: 5.
Rank: Baby Potential: Blue Ability: Anticipation Moves: Poison Sting · Mud-Slap · Fake Out (Egg Move) · Cross Chop (Egg Move) Status: Minor Bruising Evaluation: Extraordinary Individual
Minor bruising.
Nothing serious.
Adrian crouched.
“My fault.” Croagunk stared at him.
“I was too slow.”
Another stare.
Then Croagunk turned away and started searching through the grass again.
Adrian laughed quietly.
“I’ll take that as forgiveness.”
They continued.
The remaining Blueleaf Sprigs took another hour to locate.
Adrian found fourteen in total and decided to collect all of them.
The additional four weren’t worth much individually, but four TRP was four TRP.
By the time they returned to Cerulean City, Croagunk walked beside him rather than remaining inside its Poké Ball.
Adrian didn’t ask it to.
He wasn’t going to discourage it.
They reached the base shortly before three.
The Mission Hall terminal scanned the collected herbs, verified their quality, and updated his account.
Medicinal Herb Collection Complete.
Base Reward: +15 TRP Additional Materials: +4 TRP
The package mission had already been confirmed.
His Rocket ID updated.
Name: Adrian Rank: Recruit TRP: 29 Completed Missions: 2
Twenty-nine.
Adrian stared at the number.
Yesterday he’d had zero.
It wasn’t enough for a TM.
It wasn’t enough for rare training equipment.
It wasn’t enough to buy anything that could dramatically improve Croagunk.
But that wasn’t what mattered.
He’d gone outside with a Pokémon that barely knew him, completed two missions, fought his first wild Pokémon, and returned with more than he’d started with.
Tomorrow, he could do it again.
Then take something harder.
Then something more dangerous.
Ten TRP could become a hundred.
A hundred could become a thousand.
And every point could be converted into resources that made Croagunk stronger, which would allow them to complete better missions and earn even more.
Adrian slipped the Rocket ID back into his pocket.
Croagunk stood beside him, staring through the glass doors toward the distant battle arenas.
Adrian followed its gaze.
A grin slowly formed.
“Yeah.” He rested a hand on the Poké Ball at his belt.
“We’re not done for today.”