It seemed that Haruki's stare was a bit too direct, making even the "cold-faced" Cubone feel a little uneasy.
"Cu...Bone?"
"Cubone, these are Pokéblocks made for Ground-type Pokémon... want some?"
Haruki took out the rations the original had prepared, scooped them into a small bowl, and handed them to Cubone.
Cubone sniffed lightly, didn't hesitate and quietly took it, then began eating.
With its face hidden beneath the skull, Haruki couldn't see its expression. He could only tell from the speed Cubone was eating that it must really like the taste of Pokéblocks.
Seeing this, Haruki let out a breath and a smile appeared on his face without him realizing.
When he turned his head, he found Captain Christopher watching with a satisfied expression.
"Cap-Boss..."
"Heh, it's nothing. I just saw the two of you and suddenly remembered when I first met Golbat. We were just as cautious, just as... expectant."
Golbat, still buried in its meal, seemed to sense something. It looked up and gently rubbed against Christopher.
Haruki blinked. Suddenly, Golbat didn't seem so scary anymore.
After finishing the ramen, Christopher took Raticate and Golbat to train in the backyard. The dishes, of course, were left to Haruki.
In the kitchen, Cubone silently stood behind Haruki, watching him repeatedly plunge his hands into the water it didn't like. Under the skull, its brow slowly furrowed.
A few minutes later...
"Finally done!"
Haruki tidied up the kitchen and turned around, only to see that Cubone had taken a few steps back.
His heart skipped a beat, and for a moment he felt a bit disappointed. Then Cubone suddenly dashed to the side, picked up a towel, and hurried back in small steps.
"Cubonee~"
Haruki looked at Cubone trying hard to raise the towel, felt a jolt in his heart, and understood…
He was somehow moved.
Thrown into this place without reason, with a complicated identity that forced him to stay cautious in disguise...
In the end, it was Cubone who gave him the purest kindness.
Squatting down, Haruki carefully took the towel, making sure the water on his hands didn't drip onto Cubone.
"Thank you, Cubone."
Cubone turned its head away. Its whole body still radiated coldness and loneliness, but in Haruki's eyes, it now looked a little more adorable.
After drying his hands thoroughly, Haruki smiled and said, "Do you want to go watch Golbat and Raticate train?"
Cubone didn't respond, but Haruki was starting to understand how to communicate with it.
"I want to go see them train. Will you come with me?"
Cubone glanced at Haruki and said nothing. But Haruki already "understood", and started walking toward the backyard.
Cubone gripped the bone club in its hand tightly and followed close behind, step by step.
The moment Haruki entered the backyard, Christopher spotted him but simply nodded and continued training.
Haruki stood with Cubone in the corner without disturbing Christopher, quietly observing. Cubone liked peace and was even less likely to speak.
While watching, Haruki also ''recalled'' everything he knew about Cubone.
Cubone was one of the Pokémon that Team Rocket had captured in bulk. But since it had only been a Pokémon Egg at the time of capture and was raised entirely in the facility after hatching, it held no resentment toward Team Rocket.
Such Pokémon were far more valuable than the regular starters given out after being caught in the wild, such as Ekans, Koffing, and Zubat.
The reason the original had been given Cubone was because, after joining Team Rocket, he displayed promising IT talent and was being trained as an intelligence officer, which allowed for a broader selection of Pokémon.
However, since the original's role was intelligence, not combat, the requirements for battle strength were low. As a result, Cubone had basically been free-ranged, with almost no training.
But don't let Cubone's small size fool you… it was born with a desire to fight and grow stronger. The bone club it carried wasn't for cracking walnuts.
Being overlooked by Haruki, Cubone gradually lost heart. The coldness and loneliness it radiated grew stronger, making it even less liked by Haruki.
Fortunately, Pokéblocks were distributed regularly by the organization, so Cubone never went hungry.
And while scheduled feedings meant little to Haruki, for Cubone they were rare moments of connection.
The lonelier you are, the more you fear loneliness. Cubone longed to be seen.
The original didn't see it, but Haruki did.
He squatted down and gently placed a hand on Cubone's hard skull. Cubone froze for a moment, but what Haruki said next took it completely by surprise.
"I want to ask the boss about how to train you. Will you come with me?"
"Cubone!"
This time, Cubone didn't hesitate at all. In its usually cold and lonely eyes, a spark of heat appeared for the first time.
---
"Cubone, huh? I've never trained a Ground-type Pokémon before. Honestly, I can't give you any real expert advice."
Captain Christopher hesitated, then quickly added something upon seeing Cubone's disappointed gaze.
"Actually, rather than asking me, you'd be better off checking the platform. You can exchange your points for training manuals. If you don't have enough, I can lend you some."
Cubone didn't quite understand everything, but it knew there was still hope. It immediately looked up at Haruki.
Haruki nodded to show he understood. After thanking Christopher, he gave Cubone a reassuring look.
The original's memories hadn't fully merged yet. Most of the time, memories only resurfaced when something triggered them.
Team Rocket's system platform naturally had all kinds of resources that could be exchanged using points or money.
Though using points was usually the better deal.
Seeing Cubone's eagerness, Haruki didn't hesitate. After a quick chat with Captain Christopher, he headed toward the storeroom.
Inside, he opened a plain-looking computer and entered a special password and ID verification. Team Rocket's system platform popped up in front of him.
'Mission Submission Window', 'Points Exchange Window', 'Personal Info Window'.
As a low-level intelligence officer, the original Haruki only had access to those three features.
The operation was simple. Haruki first clicked into the Personal Info Window.
[Name] Haruki
[Age] 16
[Registered Region] Lavender Town, Kanto Region
[Position] Tier-2 Intelligence Officer
[Points] 1245
[Mission Brief] Stationed in Steelbound Town, Sinnoh Region. Responsible for daily intelligence gathering.
The 1245 points had been accumulated when the original Haruki had assisted higher-level intelligence officers during missions at Team Rocket HQ.
Not knowing exactly how much that was worth, Haruki clicked into the Points Exchange Window.
After a round of searching, he found what he was looking for and slowly let out a sigh of relief.
[Beginner Ground-type Pokémon Training Manual - 200 points]
[Beginner Ground-type Pokémon Breeding Manual - 400 points]
[Cubone Species Move Training Manual - 400 points]
[Beginner Ground-type Pokéblock (Box of 100) - 100 points]
Cubone was currently eating the Beginner Ground-type Pokéblocks. Two or three a day was enough.
But those only met basic nutritional needs. If they were going to train and battle, consumption would be much higher.
As for the first two manuals, he definitely needed both. You couldn't separate breeding from training.
The third one focused specifically on the Cubone species and could be cross-referenced with the first two.
More importantly, Haruki discovered that the first two manuals also had complete advanced versions.
[Intermediate Ground-type Pokémon Training Manual - 2000 points]
[Advanced Ground-type Pokémon Training Manual - 20000 points]
[Top-tier Ground-type Pokémon Training Manual - Special Contribution Exchange Only]
Breeding manuals followed the same structure.
Each higher tier cost ten times more than the one before. The top-tier ones couldn't even be exchanged with points.
But because of that, Haruki had more faith in these manual sets, he'd be able to upgrade smoothly later on without stalling Cubone's growth.
Of course, that was also why Team Rocket could keep its members firmly tied to the organization's ship.
The further you advanced, the more dependent you became on the system… and the higher the cost of leaving.