Mauville City, Team Rockets' underground base.
Cold metal walls completely cut off the surface noise and sunlight.
Uniformed members hurried about. Jiang Han, wearing a mask, walked to the base's resource exchange counter.
"Beep!"
A cold electronic voice sounded, confirming his identity and points.
"Exchange," Jiang Han's voice was flat, as if he were speaking of something ordinary.
"One Protect tm, 200 grams of Hard Stone powder, three bottles of Psychic Soft Gel, 10 Ice Crystals, three Bitter berries, and these berries I've selected."
The member behind the counter moved efficiently, quickly packing all the items and pushing them forward.
With the exchange confirmed, the 400 points Jiang Han had just received vanished instantly before he even had a chance to enjoy them.
He didn't care at all.
To Jiang Han, so-called points and money were just cold numbers.
Only by investing in pokémon and transforming them into tangible, touchable strength was it something real.
Carrying the resources, Jiang Han headed straight for the training room.
It was an empty room with thick alloy walls covered in scratches of varying depths and charred marks from energy burns.
He released Sandile, Inkay, and Sneasel. The three pokémon immediately observed the unfamiliar environment warily.
"Time to eat."
Jiang Han laid the items out one by one.
He first handed the 10 diamond-like Ice Crystals to Sneasel.
Sneasel touched them curiously with its claws, and a wave of frigid energy instantly spread from its claw tips.
It squinted its eyes comfortably, swallowing the Ice Crystals one by one. The cold air around its body became more solid, and its breath carried white frost.
Next was Inkay. It used its tentacles to pick up the three bottles of viscous Psychic Soft Gel. The colored lights on its head flickered as it absorbed all the shimmering gel-like substance.
Its gaze became more agile, as if it could see through people's hearts.
Finally, it was Sandile's turn.
Jiang Han mixed the 200 grams of Hard Stone powder into special pokéblocks.
Sandile ate them one by one, crunching loudly enough to make one's teeth ache.
After finishing, it let out a burp. Its sandy-yellow skin seemed to have thickened slightly, glowing with a solid earthy-brown luster.
Jiang Han then took out the Protect tm and slapped it directly onto Sandile's head.
A stream of data flashed by, and the skill was imprinted into Sandile's memory.
After doing all this, Jiang Han took out the last three Bitter berries.
These fruits were ugly, even somewhat terrifying in appearance.
Purple exterior, covered in sharp spikes.
But they helped pokémon better strengthen their Dark-type energy.
He tossed one to each of them.
Sandile and Inkay swallowed them without hesitation. Only Sneasel, being a bit fastidious and proud, first sniffed it with disdain before reluctantly eating it under Jiang Han's calm gaze.
The next second, its entire body froze, and its facial features scrunched up, clearly stimulated by the intense flavor.
Jiang Han watched this, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly under his mask.
A moment later, the energy absorption was complete, and a warm current enveloped the three pokémon.
Sandile leveled up twice, reaching Level 22!
Inkay leveled up twice, reaching Level 18!
Sneasel also leveled up twice, reaching Level 17!
The entire team's strength improved! This was the best proof of combining combat with resources.
Currently in the team, in terms of level, the thick-skinned Sandile held the top spot, Inkay was second, and the fast Sneasel was temporarily third.
Jiang Han satisfiedly recalled them into their balls and left the training room.
Just as he reached the hallway, he heard two Team Rockets members wiping Poké Balls nearby talking in low voices.
"Have you heard? Over at Meteor Falls, those idiots from Team Magma are causing trouble again."
"Those lunatics in red jumpsuits? Don't they just love running around in Sunny Day? What are they doing this time?"
"Apparently, they're frantically catching pokémon over there. They're making quite a stir. I heard it's for some plan... Tsk, who cares about them? They never succeed anyway."
"True, just a bunch of brainless brutes."
Their voices weren't loud, but every word reached Jiang Han's ears.
Team Magma... Meteor Falls... Jiang Han paused for a moment, his thoughts racing.
That group of fanatics who only know how to worship Groudon and believe in land supremacy always acted high-profile and regardless of consequences.
Where they were, there was trouble.
And where there was trouble, there was usually... profit to be made.
Whether it was the rare pokémon they caught or the resources they carried, they were all excellent supplements for his current self.
Thinking of this, Jiang Han smiled slightly in his heart.
Perfect. He'd go to Meteor Falls to take a look and find some suitable sparring partners for his pokémon... North of Rustboro City, Meteor Falls.
This place was named after a giant cave created by a falling meteorite from outer space. Deep inside the cave was a large, powerful waterfall, hence the name Meteor Falls.
Inside the cave, the sun never shone, and the air was thick with the smell of damp earth and the cold scent of rock.
Water droplets fell from the tips of stalactites, hitting the puddles below with a "drip, drip" sound that echoed clearly in the empty cave.
Unknown minerals were embedded in the rock walls, reflecting flickering glimmers under the light of Jiang Han's headlamp, like countless peeping eyes.
This was a paradise for adventurers and their graveyard.
Abundant mineral resources and meteorite fragments attracted countless gold prospectors.
There were even rumors that Dragon-type pokémon, or even powerful Pseudo-legendary Pokémon, lived deep in the cave.
Jiang Han snorted at such rumors.
In an area strictly controlled by the League, if a Pseudo-legendary Pokémon really appeared, the League's special forces would have turned the place upside down long before the news reached ordinary people. There wouldn't be any rumors left.
Such nonsense was only good for fooling hot-blooded newcomers who had just started their journey.
However, the presence of Dragon-type pokémon was somewhat believable.
After all, pokémon like Druddigon, which prefer caves, would naturally live here.
Thinking of Druddigon, Jiang Han's gaze turned colder. The image of that rampaging figure on the deserted island appeared in his mind, along with the treasure it was guarding!
"Wait for me, I'll be back soon," he muttered to himself, clenching his fist.
"Hiss!"
A sharp sound of something cutting through the air came from above, and two dark shadows dove down rapidly.
It was Zubat.
Jiang Han didn't even lift an eyelid as he threw out two Poké Balls.
"Sneasel, Sandile."
With a flash of red light, Sneasel and Sandile landed steadily.
Facing the attacking Zubat, Sneasel's body blurred, leaving an afterimage as its sharp claws slashed through the air with a cold light.
*Slash!*
Before the Zubat could even scream, it turned into a dark shadow and crashed to the ground, completely losing its ability to fight.
Beside it, Sandile lunged and bit directly into the remaining Zubat.
That Zubat was instantly torn in half by the powerful bite force!
The entire process was seamless, taking less than three seconds.
Watching the clean and efficient battle, Jiang Han nodded in satisfaction. This was exactly the effect he wanted.
"Meteor Falls isn't Petalburg Woods; there's danger everywhere here."
Jiang Han withdrew his gaze and spoke indifferently to the two pokémon, also reminding himself.
Sandile and Sneasel growled low, following him on either side while warily scanning the surrounding darkness.
Just then, a faint cry for help came from deep within the cave.
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