The next day, after a full night's rest, Haruki was feeling great.
Lately, he had consistently dreamed of a bright full moon, but the dreams never left him feeling tired.
Perhaps this was the method of restoring mental energy the mysterious voice had mentioned.
So far, it seemed to be a good thing for Haruki.
Even if that entity had ulterior motives, with his current strength, it was unlikely they'd care much about him anyway.
Might as well take the benefits first and deal with the rest later.
After checking the two newcomers' intel gathering progress, Haruki returned to his room.
He took out the wrinkled slip of paper and dialed the number on it.
----
Half an hour later, Haruki arrived at the Pokémon Center… the fried chicken place next door.
Maybe because Haruki was still underage, Harumi had naturally assumed that all kids loved fried chicken?
Through the glass, Haruki spotted Harumi already waiting inside. The food was already laid out on the table.
"Harumi!"
"Ah, Haruki, you're here! Look, I got everything I thought you'd like. If there's anything you don't like, I'll order more."
"This is plenty, this is plenty. So, sis, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Haruki casually picked up a french fry, eating as he asked.
Harumi pursed her lips slightly, her brows furrowing with hesitation as she said, "Haruki, I wanted to ask you something… If you can help, that's great. But if not, it's okay too."
"What's going on? You eat too. You've lost a lot of weight since last time."
Haruki handed her a burger.
Harumi accepted it, but clearly had no appetite. Instead, she slowly began to explain.
A few minutes later, Haruki understood the situation and quietly let out a breath of relief.
"So, your fiancé's mine was taken over by a group of Nosepass, and the leader of the group is extremely strong. They've been blocking operations for over a week now, even injuring several people in the process?"
"Yes. Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center checked it out. She said the leader Nosepass has already reached high Veteran tier and is trying to absorb Steel-type energy from the mine to break through and evolve."
"High Veteran…"
Haruki muttered to himself. He felt a bit powerless but also understood why Harumi had come to him.
After all, his Ground-type Cubone had a clear advantage over Nosepass. Even its evolution, Probopass, was four times weak to Ground-type attacks.
And type advantage mattered at every level of battle.
"Haruki, I was just panicking because I care. After Azuma got injured, he completely lost his head, I'm afraid he'll keep trying to challenge that Nosepass leader. But this whole thing is way too dangerous… I shouldn't drag you into it. Eat up, then head home. I'm sorry."
"Hold on, sis. Can't the Pokémon Center issue bounty requests? If not, couldn't you ask the police?"
Haruki voiced his own doubt. How could a single Nosepass below Elite-tier be enough to stump an entire town?
"I already tried. But strangely, all the Trainers who used to come and go from the Pokémon Center suddenly left town two weeks ago. And Officer Jenny has been tied up with the burglary at the Galactic Department Store this whole time. No one has the time to help."
Harumi looked exhausted. It was clear she had no other choice if she was turning to someone she barely knew like Haruki.
At that moment, something clicked in Haruki's mind.
Two weeks ago… that was when the Galactic Department Store theft happened.
With the Galactic Corporation's influence, it wasn't impossible that they quietly drove out every strong Trainer in town to trap the thief from that day.
Even if the odds were low, for them it would take just a word to make it happen.
And even Officer Jenny had been busy nonstop since then.
The Galactic Corporation… terrifying indeed.
As for Harumi's family mine…
"Harumi, don't worry just yet. A mining halt is a small matter, people's safety is more important. Once you get back, make sure you talk Azuma out of doing anything reckless.
Officer Jenny's been investigating the burglary case for half a month without results. Maybe now she finally has a bit of free time, If you can, go pressure her a little. This kind of thing really should be handled by the police."
Because of the Galactic Department Store incident, even if Haruki wanted to help, he didn't dare get involved in anything too sensitive right now.
If the Galactic Corporation, pushed to desperation, started getting suspicious, it would only bring bigger problems.
"Okay, thank you, Haruki. I'll go talk to Azuma…"
Harumi didn't blame Haruki for not helping. But after sitting awkwardly for another five minutes, she left in a hurry.
Haruki absentmindedly finished half his fried chicken, then headed back to the ramen shop.
Watching Christopher and the others work tirelessly, maybe it was because they truly saw the ramen shop as their career that they never once let a crack show.
That night, Haruki reported everything to Christopher. After a bit of discussion, they decided to stay put and proceed as normal.
Since no one had caught on at the time, it was highly unlikely they'd be discovered after half a month.
The full lockdown on the town might've just been a reputation-saving measure from the League in response to the Galactic Corporation.
"But let's still be careful. Suspend intel gathering for a while, but everything else continues as usual. As for what your Harumi "sis" said about the Nosepass situation… if you want to go, go."
"Are you sure that's okay?" Haruki asked, a bit hesitant.
"If you weren't an undercover agent, and were just a motivated, hardworking new Trainer, what would you do after hearing about all this?" Christopher countered.
At that, Haruki suddenly understood.
"But just to be safe, go through the motions. Take Harumi to the police station first, let them see your face before heading off to handle the Nosepass."
"Understood, Captain!"
---
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Haruki called Harumi again and said he'd do what he could.
Even if he couldn't defeat the lead Nosepass, at least he could deal with the others and reduce the damage to the mine.
Naturally, Haruki also nudged Harumi toward visiting the police station first, giving himself a proper excuse to be seen taking official steps.
Everything went according to plan.
Aside from feeling slightly guilty when he met Officer Jenny, the rest proceeded smoothly.
That afternoon, Harumi brought Haruki to the mine and introduced him to her fiancé, Azuma.
"Kid, these Nosepass are wild and dangerous. I appreciate the gesture, but it's best if you stay away."
Azuma had an honest look and immediately tried to talk Haruki out of it. It was clear he meant it sincerely.
"It's fine, Azuma. I just want to check things out."
Azuma clearly wasn't convinced. Seeing this, Haruki continued.
"I'm a Trainer. When something like this happens, I can't just sit by. This is also a training opportunity for me."
Hearing that, Azuma didn't know how to argue back. He could only nod and say: "Be careful. If it's too much, just come back."
"Haruki, this is my Wormadam. It can use Protect. Take it with you… just in case."
Harumi handed him a Poké Ball, which made Haruki's eyes light up.
He'd seen this Wormadam before. It could use Protect and Confusion, and its defense was decent. It really would make for a solid support.
"Alright. I won't be polite, then."
Haruki took the Wormadam's Poké Ball, said no more, and walked alone toward the mine.
Beside him, Cubone shouldered its Thick Club and silently followed.
In its eyes…
Battle intent blazed like fire!