[ Hey guys, since I now re-uploaded this story, I now reveal the Anime Opening I made for Funsies. Enjoy :) https://youtu.be/4VazrWlOrb8 ]
Though Sieg felt some pain at losing a shiny Pokémon, his expression remained unchanged.
He headed to the administrative hall to update his credentials. From today onward, he was officially a mid-captain.
"According to regulations, I can recruit some subordinates and establish Team Rocket branch offices in outlying areas. But since I'm now directly under Archer's command, there's absolutely no need to get sent out on risky assignments."
Thinking this, the dissatisfaction in Sieg's heart dissipated somewhat.
Walking into Team Rocket base's residential district, he entered his single-occupant dormitory. The interior was quite spartan, aside from some basic living necessities, everything else consisted of decorations in various shades of gray.
"But this is just a squad leader's quarters. Now that I've been promoted to mid-captain, I can select a luxury apartment instead."
Sieg wasn't in a rush to change residences. After all, his synthetic skin mask hadn't been delivered yet.
In the corner of his room, Sieg's first priority was setting up proper accommodations for his Pokémon. He installed a portable water pool device in the corner, then pulled out the Wave Incense he'd prepared earlier and placed it in the pool.
The moment Crawdaunt and Sharpedo entered the water, they let out comfortable sighs. They could feel a strange energy seeping into their bodies, giving them a warm, soothing sensation throughout.
Seeing both Pokémon's blissful expressions, Sieg felt his massive investment in the Wave Incense was worthwhile.
[League Senior Investigator Lance Officially Appointed as Johto Region's Acting Champion]
[Prodigy Cynthia Dominates Sinnoh's Younger Generation, Now Traveling to Hoenn Region to Participate in the Grand Festival]
While grooming Honchkrow's feathers, Sieg browsed through the recent news on his Pokédex.
Two headlines particularly caught his interest. Just as he was about to read them more carefully, someone knocked on his door.
Opening it, Sieg found a logistics staff member holding an exquisitely wrapped small gift box. Without bothering to listen to the man's attempts at flattery, Sieg simply showed his name and ID card, then took the box directly back to his room.
"This synthetic skin mask... the craftsmanship really is exceptional!"
Looking at the mask before him, Sieg admired the fine workmanship. It was thin as cicada wings.
He slowly pressed the synthetic mask to his face. It felt somewhat cool. As every inch of skin sealed perfectly, he looked in the mirror to examine it.
He had to admit, Team Rocket really lived up to its reputation!
This mask's technology was truly superb. It could absolutely pass for the real thing!
Even if someone stood just a meter away, they probably couldn't tell it was fake. It was incredibly realistic, even a single mole or strand of facial hair was rendered with perfect authenticity.
Over the following days, Sieg didn't leave the Team Rocket base. Instead, he settled into the luxury apartment he'd been assigned to after his status update.
After all, recent events had kept him so busy he hadn't had time to properly focus on acquiring knowledge.
Fortunately, Archer had issued an urgent mission scheduled for three days from now. Sieg was too lazy to commute back and forth, so he simply decided to stay put.
In a well-appointed apartment.
Sieg sat at his desk, carefully studying the knowledge before him while simultaneously writing furiously on a sheet of paper beside him.
At the top of that paper were three bold words:
Pokémon Training Plan
His Pokémon's progress over recent days had been tremendous. First Murkrow evolved into Honchkrow, then Crawdaunt broke through to elite level.
So Sieg needed to carefully consider his Pokémon's future training directions.
Crawdaunt, as the ace Pokémon that had followed him longest and was also the strongest member of his team, it had always served as the team's primary offensive core. With various boosts, its Water-type output power was explosive.
"Adaptability ability means it can effectively increase the power of moves of the same type, but it also accelerates stamina consumption..."
"Abilities themselves are mostly passive skills. Some powerful Pokémon can control when to use their abilities, like Norman's Slaking, which can briefly suppress its Truant ability..."
"Beyond that, training in various moves still can't be neglected. Teaching Crabhammer should also be prioritized. As one of Crawdaunt's most frequently used moves, it must be mastered thoroughly."
Sieg wrote his plan furiously, though this was just a rough outline. Further refinements and adjustments would be made later.
Next was Sharpedo. As the team's high-attack, high-speed assassin, the only two things it needed to master were its Speed Boost ability and various biting-type moves.
Future training would continue in this direction without major changes, though he might also train Sharpedo's swimming speed in ocean waters.
Umbreon was also one of the Pokémon that had followed Sieg relatively long. Originally, it had consistently ranked third in the team's level hierarchy, just behind Sharpedo and Crawdaunt.
But after Honchkrow used the high-grade Dusk Stone to evolve and jumped several levels at once, Umbreon had been overtaken.
Currently, Honchkrow had reached level 34, while Umbreon was only level 33. Moreover, Honchkrow hadn't even fully digested the residual energy from the Dusk Stone yet.
Even so, Sieg still held high expectations for Umbreon. He hadn't skimped on any precious resources for it.
As the team's only tank, it regularly consumed Pokéblocks and herbal materials that enhanced physical durability.
In terms of taking hits, it was the strongest in his Pokémon team.
Combined with its Synchronize ability, it could effectively harass enemy Pokémon, catching them off guard and instantly turning the tide of battle.
Paired with the Refresh move, it was a tried-and-true strategy. Substitute, Protect, Toxic, Attract, Yawn, and Wish. In the future, Umbreon would become Sieg's most troublesome asset.
As long as it didn't die, it could wear down enemies with these annoying moves until they collapsed from exhaustion.
Finally, there was Honchkrow. This one required the biggest plan changes among all of his Pokémon.
After all, the original Murkrow had been trained as a support role, but now that it had evolved into Honchkrow, its Prankster ability had changed to Moxie.
From support it had suddenly transformed into an offensive powerhouse.
Naturally, the training plan needed adjustments.
The main issue was that the original Pokéblocks were no longer suitable. He'd need to create new custom Pokéblocks based on its current physical data.
Regarding moves, the only inherited move it hadn't mastered yet was Roost. Sieg planned to find a move tutor, which would make things much more efficient.
"Besides that, I need to add skeletal powder from bird Pokémon to Honchkrow's regular diet. That way its body will grow more robust."
"Honchkrow's Pokéblock ratios also need adjustment. The proportion of Flying Crane Berries needs to be increased further..."c