Ethan breathing hardly changed at all—his physical fitness was excellent. After all, even as an intelligence agent within Team Rocket, he had undergone regular physical training.
Cubone, on the other hand, was not doing so well. For a Pokémon barely 20 cm tall, 400 meters was an exhausting challenge.
Yet even so, it had never once set down its bone club.
"Cubone, let's take a break before continuing."
As Ethan spoke, he pulled out the Moomoo Milk he had prepared earlier.
Moomoo Milk could be exchanged for points, but since it was something that could also be bought with money, it wasn't worth wasting points on.
Because the ramen shop used small amounts of Moomoo Milk to make broth and sauce, Ethan conveniently set some aside for Cubone.
Captain Yuzo didn't mind in the least. In fact, he encouraged Ethan to give Cubone more nutrition in the early stages.
After all, their real mission was undercover intelligence work—the ramen shop was just a cover. Even if the shop earned nothing, headquarters would still fund its operations.
Captain Yuzo was a good leader, one who knew how to win loyalty.
Since Ethan desperately needed to strengthen himself, he silently accepted the favor.
The rich aroma of the Moomoo Milk immediately caught Cubone's attention. Its eyes darted toward it instinctively.
Without teasing, Ethan simply handed the bottle to Cubone.
Glug, glug, glug—
"Drink slower, no need to rush."
Cubone plopped down on the ground, clutching the bottle as it gulped down the milk with the determination of battling a fierce opponent.
After draining half the bottle in one go, Cubone gave a loud hiccup and held the bottle out to Ethan.
"Cuuuu-bone!"
—You drink too.
Ethan blinked in surprise before accepting the bottle and taking a small sip.
The milk was rich and creamy without any unpleasant aftertaste. The moment it entered his body, a warm energy spread through him, easing even the mental fatigue from last night's restless sleep.
As expected of a Pokémon world specialty—amazing!
After sampling just a little, Ethan passed the bottle back.
"You're still young, you need the nutrition. Look at me—I'm already strong enough!"
As he spoke, he flexed his biceps.
Cubone glanced from Ethan's arm muscles to its own small limbs, then promptly downed the rest of the bottle in one determined gulp.
I'll get stronger too!
The restorative effect of Moomoo Milk was impressive. Before long, Cubone was refreshed and full of energy again, gazing expectantly at Ethan for the next step of training.
"Next is move training. We'll focus on Bone Club, Leer, and Curse."
From memory, Ethan already knew which moves Cubone had mastered:
Growl, Tail Whip, Bone Club, Leer, Curse
Of these, the most valuable to develop were the last three. Leer and Curse were Egg Moves for Cubone, and with proper use, they could be extremely effective.
Bone Club was the prerequisite for Bonemerang. Only by mastering Bone Club could Cubone later attempt the technically demanding Bonemerang.
"The core of any move has three aspects: power, accuracy, and speed of release. All three matter. Let's start with power…"
The 1,000 points worth of knowledge Ethan had redeemed provided him with precise training methods. He carefully structured the session, constantly keeping track of Cubone's condition.
Though it was only their first true training, both Ethan and Cubone performed admirably.
As night fell, Ethan carried the exhausted, sleeping Cubone back to the ramen shop.
Captain Yuzo, apparently also just finished with his own training, praised Ethan's diligence.
"We've hired the new staff today. Tomorrow, you'll have some free time to go out and look around."
His words carried a deeper meaning, and Ethan understood immediately.
The intelligence-gathering work was about to begin.
Another peaceful night passed.
The alarm clock woke both Ethan and Cubone. From today onward, morning exercises would be added, so they rose earlier than usual.
It was the same park, the same 400-meter warm-up run.
Compared to yesterday, Cubone's improvement was obvious to the eye.
Though still panting heavily, its time was cut shorter by nearly a third.
Pokémon really are amazing!
After a proper cool-down stretch and half an hour of move training, Ethan brought Cubone back to the ramen shop.
By now, there were four new employees inside—two men and two women.
"Let me introduce you. This is my brother Ethan. If I'm not around, listen to him." said Captain Yuzo.
"Oh, no, no—we'll listen to you, Boss," one of them replied.
Ethan quickly waved his hands humbly, but he understood Yuzo's intention: this arrangement allowed him to slip away for missions whenever needed without being tied down by the shop.
With the shop's work covered, Ethan followed Captain Yuzo's instructions and began venturing out to collect intelligence in Oreburgh Town.
Information came in all shapes and sizes.
Rare Pokémon, valuable treasures, and the schedules of famous figures were intelligence.
But so were things like street gangs, a wealthy man's mistress, or an illegitimate child.
Individually these details seemed trivial, but once connected properly, they could produce unexpected results.
Team Rocket's control over both Kanto and Johto relied heavily on intelligence.
Ethan and Yuzo's task was to build an intelligence database for Oreburgh Town and keep it constantly updated—preparation for Team Rocket's eventual expansion into the Sinnoh region.
Of course, they were only two of the many "nails" that Team Rocket had planted in Sinnoh, and their responsibility extended only to Oreburgh—a small town that appeared briefly in the original story but whose name wasn't even mentioned.
Beyond intelligence work, they could live just like ordinary people: marrying, raising families, or even becoming licensed Pokémon Trainers to participate in official tournaments.
If someone under Team Rocket's command managed to achieve high rankings through personal strength, the organization wouldn't hesitate to promote them into higher-level undercover operatives with access to more resources.
Walking along Oreburgh's main street, Ethan soon arrived at his destination.
[Oreburgh Extraordinary Internet Café]
Early-stage intel gathering wasn't difficult—plenty of information was accessible through public networks. What was lacking was someone to collect and organize it.
Entering the café, Ethan chose a private booth positioned away from surveillance cameras, and quietly began his first intelligence-gathering operation.
The hours slipped away until nightfall.
After compiling and sorting the intel onto a USB drive, Ethan also browsed the Pokémon League's official website before logging off.
Building an intel network couldn't be done in a single day. While Team Rocket demanded a certain level of quality, they allowed plenty of time, since they hadn't formally moved into Sinnoh yet.
The basic information Ethan gathered today was already enough to upload bit by bit over the next half month.
The "low-profile" personality of his body's original owner turned out to be convenient—it gave Ethan more free time to pursue his own plans.
Back at the ramen shop, Ethan devoured a large bowl of Yuzo's homemade tomato beef ramen, giving his captain a subtle look that confirmed the mission was progressing smoothly.
Then, it was time for training again.
Until he gained the ability to defend himself, Ethan had no intention of rashly making a move on the shiny Metagross rumored to live in the nearby mountains.
And so, a peaceful and disciplined routine continued for half a month…
[For additional chapters Patreon. Com/ALLISWELL123]