Once the door was closed, Haruki quickly scanned the room.
After confirming there were no listening devices, he opened his backpack and took out a jar of portioned Honey.
"This is a little welcome gift. Your job isn't easy, and drinking a bit of this can help relieve mental stress."
As he spoke, Haruki forcibly stuffed the Honey into Zirc's hands.
"This... isn't this a bit inappropriate? Earlier that was..."
"No problem at all! You're stuck at headquarters grinding for points, which isn't easy either. This is high-quality Honey produced by Combee, and it's hard to buy unless you specifically travel to Floaroma Town…"
Although it had actually been purchased in Solaceon Town, it was still Combee's Honey, so there was no real difference.
Hearing Haruki's explanation, Zirc immediately widened his eyes.
His outstretched hand froze midair, but he couldn't quite bring himself to retract it either.
"Take it, we're bros!"
Haruki said heartily, kindly pushing it toward him again.
This time, although Zirc was still a bit embarrassed, he accepted it with a flushed face.
"Thank you, Haruki... big bro!"
Haruki nodded in satisfaction, 'At least the kid wasn't stupid.'
Now then...
"Zirc, what's your view on this selection? I just arrived and don't know a thing. Honestly, I'm feeling a bit uneasy."
Haruki raised an eyebrow. This was his real purpose.
Zirc froze for a moment, realizing that good things didn't come free.
But when he thought about how Combee's Honey could help his Zubat relieve anxiety and improve its strength, he couldn't bear to give it up.
Since joining Team Rocket, Zirc had been stationed at Base No.1, undergoing training and carrying out simple tasks.
However, prolonged exposure to strong lighting inside the base had made his Zubat and many members' Pokémon, more and more irritable and anxious, something the healing equipment couldn't directly fix.
Only having a Grass-type Pokémon use Aromatherapy or consuming high-quality items like Honey could relieve it.
But for a bottom-level grunt like Zirc, both options were hard to come by.
"Don't worry. I'm not forcing you to tell me anything you're not allowed to say. But if there are things the veterans know and we newcomers don't, just tell me a bit. I just want to prepare better."
Hearing this, Zirc visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
He immediately said, "Big bro, if you trust me, give me two hours. I'll organize all the info I've gathered and send it to you."
Haruki's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "You're from the Intelligence Division too?"
Zirc lowered his head and muttered, "Sort of... Anyway, don't worry. I'll have what you need ready in two hours."
"Alright, I'll be waiting for you!"
Haruki patted Zirc on the shoulder. This was their first proper interaction, it wasn't convenient to press too hard yet.
But if he could build up a reliable informant inside Base No.1, a lot of things would become much easier in the future.
Zirc, carrying the jar of Honey, left. Haruki wasn't worried that he would run off without delivering the information.
If he did, plenty of others would be happy to take his place.
After seriously checking the rest room again, Haruki locked the door before releasing Marowak, Beldum, and Skiploom.
"We'll be living here for a while. Get familiar with the place, then we'll head out for a meal!"
The three Pokémon responded eagerly, then each went off to explore.
Marowak pulled out its Thick Club maintenance kit from the backpack, scanned the room, and headed straight for the corner at the foot of the bed to set up.
Skiploom floated into the air and soon found the room's ventilation duct, poking its head curiously inside to investigate.
Beldum zipped back and forth, showing interest in absolutely everything.
Because the room was small, every time Beldum turned, it grazed along the walls, sparking as it zipped around, almost drifting like a racecar.
Haruki ignored them and instead turned on his computer, logged into the System Platform, and entered the Points Exchange Window.
Very quickly, Haruki noticed a difference.
Because he was logging in from Base No.1, many supplies that previously required delivery were now available for direct pickup. Very real-time.
This time, Haruki had very specific targets for his points. After a spree of purchases, his 6,859 points were whittled down to just 259.
The extra 1,000 points had come from the reward for capturing Probopass, not bad at all.
[Protect TM - 2,000 points]
[Substitute TM - 2,000 points]
[Toxic TM - 1,000 points]
[Reflect TM - 800 points]
[Eviolite - 800 points]
Yes, all these valuable items were intended for Skiploom to help it boost its combat capabilities as quickly as possible!
Compared to offensive moves, support-type moves were often harder to learn and even harder to master.
And now, Skiploom's inherent advantage in mastering support moves truly shone.
If it could grasp the Toxic-Protect-Substitute combo before the selection, Haruki could confidently say to the other candidates: "None of you stand a chance!"
As for Reflect and Eviolite, they were meant to further enhance Skiploom's sustainability. After all, the Hoppip line wasn't particularly strong physically, so relying on external support was nothing to hesitate about.
Clearly, Haruki had already designated Skiploom as his trump card for the selection. And initially, the only information accessible to others would show him with just Marowak.
After exchanging the items, Haruki recalled the Pokémon that had finished familiarizing themselves with the room, then followed the system's instructions to collect his purchases.
Next, Haruki exchanged the Pokémon he had caught along the journey, raising his points back up to 610.
Finally, he went to the cafeteria and had dinner packed for himself and Marowak, then brought it back to his rest room.
As for Skiploom and Beldum, they still ate the Pokémon food Haruki had prepared earlier.
----
Time slipped by, and three hours passed quickly.
Haruki casually browsed through the official information posted on the platform, a faint doubt rising in his heart.
Could it be... that he had misjudged? 'That guy, Zirc...'
Knock knock knock!
The door was knocked. Haruki immediately looked over.
"You two, return."
He quickly recalled Beldum and Skiploom -those who couldn't yet be exposed- then opened the door.
Standing outside was Zirc.
"Haruki, sorry I'm late."
Zirc kept his head down, hiding his expression, but his voice was slightly hoarse.
"Come in, we'll talk inside."
The two entered and closed the door. The atmosphere grew a bit heavy.
But soon, Zirc pulled a USB out of his pocket and handed it to Haruki, still with his head down.
"…This is the information you asked for."
"Tell me, what happened?" Haruki took the USB and asked casually.
Judging by Zirc's state, something had clearly happened. Haruki wanted to connect further, so he asked.
It might also be a good opportunity to earn his trust.
Zirc was timid, but not stupid. Even if he had once been naive, after half a year here, he had seen enough to learn.
Thus, he accepted the Honey, and he provided the intelligence. And what followed would also be his way of testing Haruki in return.
The story was nothing new: a timid newcomer bullied by peers, without background or strength, forced to endure while waiting for a chance to fight back.
Haruki's proactive approach, coupled with the fresh round of violence Zirc had just endured, finally gave him the courage to take this step.