'Did it choose to evolve because of its frustration?'
Haruki thought silently, then glanced at Cubone, who was still staring at the light in awe.
"Don't worry. Let it come naturally."
"Cu~"
Soon, the brilliant azure light faded, revealing a Grotle over 1.5 meters tall standing before them.
Compared to its original Turtwig form, Grotle had grown at least ten times larger. A shell like armor now covered its back, with its defenses visibly reinforced.
If Cubone were to fight it again now, winning would be much more difficult.
Evolution really was incredible.
"Grotle, you're amazing!"
Gardenia hugged Grotle's head excitedly, swaying it side to side.
Grotle stayed perfectly calm, its body didn't even move, just gave Gardenia a blank look.
'My head's this hard. Aren't you uncomfortable?'
"Ahem, congratulations! But even though it evolved, Grotle just battled Cubone. You should still take it to the Pokémon Center for a checkup."
"Mmhm, thank you Haruki. Let's battle again next time!"
Gardenia sprang to her feet. The fire in her eyes reignited alongside Grotle's evolution.
Without giving Haruki a chance to refuse, Gardenia had already dashed off toward the Pokémon Center.
Haruki curled his lips into a small smile, feeling unexpectedly refreshed.
Whether it was because of Cubone's victory, Gardenia no longer bothering him, or something else entirely...
With the battle against Gardenia behind him, Haruki now had a much clearer sense of where he and Cubone stood.
Within the Skilled tier, Cubone was a little powerhouse.
Even against same-tier Pokémon with type advantage, it could win with Haruki's tactical guidance.
But there was still a long way to go before breaking through to the next level, continued training was essential.
At the ramen shop entrance, the new recruits Rika and Ryota were staring wide-eyed at Haruki, practically glowing with admiration.
If they weren't trying to keep things secret, they probably would've bowed on the spot.
"Tired? Want a bowl of noodles?"
Christopher leaned against the wall with that 'veteran' vibe, like he was the one who'd just fought the battle.
"I'm good…"
Bzz~ Bzz-bzz~
Suddenly, a strange vibration buzzed through the air. Without changing expression, Christopher reached into his pocket. The sound vanished.
"Ryota, Rika… watch the shop. Haruki and I are heading to the back to grab something."
Smiling, he casually slung an arm over Haruki's shoulder and steered them toward the rear.
Haruki followed silently, but inside, he tensed.
Urgent mission… it's here.
---
Moonlight lit the sky. In the distant mountains, glimmers of light twinkled, Volbeat and Illumise performing their courtship dance.
Christopher and Haruki were clad in black, blending seamlessly into the darkness.
Avoiding every surveillance camera with practiced ease, the two arrived at an empty shed beside the Galactic Department Store.
"Haruki, reconfirm the target."
"Confirmed. Unknown fossil in sublevel B3 storage. Route uploaded."
Inside the empty shack, Haruki's fingers flew across the keyboard. The laptop screen displayed a full 3D wireframe model of the Galactic Department Store building.
At the same time, Christopher tapped the side of his smartglasses. The building's 3D model instantly projected onto his lens, along with a bright green path.
That was the infiltration route.
"Patrol shift change on the west side occurs at 2:36 a.m. There's a 15-second window. Current time: 2:33. Captain, ready to move."
"Copy."
And with that, the room fell silent once more. Only Haruki remained at the screen, eyes locked on the countdown timer.
Before long, two-man patrol squads appeared on either side of the building's west perimeter. The groups moved slowly toward each other, nodded as they passed, and crossed paths.
"Now!"
Haruki spoke softly, but there was no one left in the room to respond.
Under the west-side streetlamp of the building, Christopher used the blind spot under the light to conceal himself.
The moment both patrol squads left the west entrance, Christopher moved completely silent. As he arrived at the west entrance... beneath the exhaust vent.
"Screee~"
Raticate darted out from the bushes near the flowerbed and reunited with Christopher.
Raticate gently tapped the metal exhaust fan with its front teeth, biting straight through the iron like it was butter.
Elite level power…
Terrifying!
Quickly, Christopher and Raticate coordinated and slipped into the vent.
Then, Raticate used its teeth to bend the damaged fan back into place; restoring it so perfectly that no one would notice it had been tampered with.
Back in Haruki's location, the computer displayed Captain Christopher's infiltration progress in real-time.
As the Intelligence Officer running computer ops, Haruki was rarely deployed to the frontlines. His role was comparatively safer.
As long as nothing went wrong on Christopher's end, Haruki wouldn't be needed.
Time ticked by. According to plan, Christopher made it to Sublevel B3 without a hitch.
He paused for two minutes; then the yellow tracking dot that represented him suddenly started moving rapidly... and turned red.
Christopher had been spotted!
"Haruki, guide me!"
The earpiece activated. Through a noisy background, Christopher's voice came through.
Haruki didn't hesitate, his fingers flew across the keyboard. Surveillance windows popped up one after another across the screen.
The entire building's security system had just been taken over by Haruki.
Simultaneously, he could now see the situation on Sublevel B3.
In front of Christopher, his elite-level Raticate surged forward like a brown blur, powerfully blocking the combined assault of four Pokémon.
Golbat circled around Christopher, guarding against any sneak attacks.
Christopher's mission bag was stuffed and bulging. Clearly, they'd gotten something.
"Captain, exit through the normally-closed door on your right. Then turn left and head up the stairs!"
Using the 3D schematic and live feed, Haruki found a temporarily unguarded path.
Christopher didn't hesitate. He turned and dashed to the left.
At the same moment, Golbat suddenly flew ahead. Its massive jaws unleashed a plume of black smoke, and with one wingbeat, the whole area filled with haze!
BOOM!
A loud explosion erupted to Christopher's left. The patrol teams immediately ordered their Pokémon to attack in that direction.
But when they cautiously approached the left-side door, they found that despite being blasted with multiple attacks… it was still intact.
"Crap, it's the other way!"
By now, Christopher had already exited through the right-side door. That earlier feint and explosion were just to mislead the patrol.
"Next, turn right, pass through the cafeteria, go up two and a half flights. There'll be a window. Captain… you'll have to break through."
"How high?"
"Ground level. Once you're out the window, you'll hit the building's east side. Expect one patrol squad."
"Got it."
Christopher didn't bother asking why there'd be patrols out front. That kind of dumb question wasn't necessary.
He hadn't faced any serious opposition yet. That meant this was the optimal escape route.
Two final patrol guards?
They couldn't stop him.
CRASH
The sound of glass shattering rang out. Raticate burst out first, its large teeth glinting menacingly in the dark.
Then, Golbat grabbed Christopher by the shoulders and flew out after him, landing directly in the path of the oncoming patrol unit.
"Super Fang!"
"Screee~"
Ferocious Raticate charged forward without fear. The guards instinctively flinched and hurriedly sent their Pokémon ahead.
But in that brief moment, Christopher -boosted by Golbat's speed- had already vanished into the alley.