After weighing the pros and cons, Haruki decided to make the exchange.
He wasn't the overcautious type, what mattered most now was gaining strength.
The future could wait. Right now, he had no other options.
Click click- after a round of mouse clicks, all the points the original Haruki had painstakingly saved were instantly reduced to just 45.
Those three manuals had cost 1000 points.
Two boxes of Beginner Pokéblocks cost another 200 points, just enough to cover Cubone's early training needs.
Quickly shutting down the computer, Haruki let out a deep breath. There were way too many good things on there… it made his head spin.
Thankfully, with no points left, there was nothing he could do even if he wanted to. Otherwise, he might not have been able to stop himself from overspending.
The items he ordered would be delivered tomorrow by Delibird. Team Rocket's dedicated air delivery service was actually quite reliable.
Turning his head to the patiently waiting Cubone, Haruki couldn't help but smile again.
"Tomorrow the manuals will arrive, and then we can start training." As he spoke, Haruki reached out again and gently touched Cubone's hard skull.
This time, Cubone didn't freeze. There was only a faint trace of confusion in its eyes.
'This Trainer today seems... a little strange… but not bad.'
---
The next morning, Haruki woke up still a little dazed.
Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, and Cubone who had woken up earlier than him, Haruki finally confirmed that this wasn't a dream.
Luckily, he had no real attachments. Now with Cubone by his side, he felt truly content.
'From now on, I am Haruki.'
Haruki thought silently, and in that moment felt much lighter, as if he had shaken off some invisible shackles.
Moved by the thought, he instinctively placed his hand on Cubone's head.
"Cu...Bone?"
Cubone glanced at Haruki suspiciously, wondering if he had his eyes on the skull it wore.
'If he really wants it... should I give it to him or not?'
---
With the shop about to open, it was another busy day.
Captain Christopher had indeed begun hiring. He looked so natural that no one would suspect he was a covert intelligence officer from Team Rocket.
And Haruki also received a new task.
The ramen shop's signboard had arrived, it was his job to supervise the workers and ensure it was installed properly.
[Jessie & James Ramen Shop]
Haruki was stunned. How could he not recognize the names of the legendary "real" main characters?
And in his memory, there really was an episode in the original story that mentioned this ramen shop…
What was it about?
What was it about!
It was about... a Shiny Metagross!
In the Pokémon anime's Diamond & Pearl arc, Team Rocket's trio had an internal split.
Meowth thought he'd found meaning in working at a ramen shop, Jessie went off to compete in Pokémon Contest, and James, left alone, went on an adventure to capture a Shiny Metagross for his Boss.
And the ramen shop in question was the very one in front of him… [Jessie & James Ramen Shop].
'Which meant... the Shiny Metagross was...'
Haruki suddenly turned around, scanning his surroundings.
To the north of town stood a stark, iron-gray rocky mountain that looked strangely out of place.
"Hey, sir, what's the name of that mountain?"
Haruki grabbed one of the workers nearby and asked urgently.
"Huh? What mountain?"
"The one up north, the bare rocky one!"
"Oh... that one doesn't have a name. We just call it Rock Mountain."
The worker looked confused, but since Haruki was the client, he responded politely.
"Any famous Pokémon up there?"
"Famous? Not that I've heard of. I've lived here for decades and never heard anything special."
Hearing that, Haruki's tension eased a bit.
The story of those dummies and Pikachu hadn't started yet, and who knew how long it would take before they even got to Sinnoh.
As for whether Rock Mountain -Metagross Mountain- currently housed a Shiny Metagross… that was still a mystery.
Even if it did, it wasn't something he could handle now. But since he knew the plot in advance, there was no way he'd just sit around and wait.
Inside the ramen shop, Haruki once again confirmed with Christopher whether Jessie and James were the same ones he knew.
The answer was obvious, and Haruki's gaze toward Rock Mountain grew even more intense.
And...
"Cubone, we've got to give it our all!"
Cubone was completely baffled by Haruki's sudden encouragement, but still nodded seriously.
'Well then… let's give it our all. Even if I don't know what we're giving it our all for.'
What Haruki was thinking about was that the Steel/Psychic-type Metagross was weak to Ground-type attacks.
And Cubone's Bonemerang was one of the rare Ground-type moves that could strike airborne Pokémon.
Just those two things already gave him a lot to work with.
---
Around noon, a red-feathered Delibird with a slightly silly look flew into the ramen shop's backyard, bringing Haruki the urgently needed Pokémon knowledge.
Haruki wasn't foolish enough to think that just because he'd watched over a thousand episodes of the original anime, the manga specials, the legendary movies, or played the games, he could raise a powerful Pokémon in the real world.
His only advantage was that he knew just a little bit early about some plot points, rare items, and the locations of special Pokémon.
Right now, the most important thing was training!
Once the day's work was done, Christopher once again cooked dinner himself.
Tonight was seafood ramen, and it was delicious.
Haruki finished every drop of broth in his bowl, as if already seeing the ramen shop's booming future.
After dinner, it was finally time to rest.
Cubone's eyes sparkled as it looked at Haruki, the coldness and loneliness from the day before now greatly diminished.
Of course, only when it came to Haruki.
"Your early training won't be hard. Let's try it together, okay?"
Cubone nodded seriously, its solemn expression making it look like it was about to take on a great mission.
After saying a quick goodbye to Captain Christopher, Haruki took Cubone out of the ramen shop.
He didn't mean to train in secret. It was just that some basic training was better done outdoors.
Like aerobic exercise: running.
They arrived at a nearby park, and Haruki picked a quiet corner to warm up with Cubone.
"Make sure to fully extend your arms, and breathe along with the movement…"
"Your bone club is an essential weapon, so your running pace needs to adapt to its weight…"
"Your tail needs warming up too, it helps keep your balance while running…"
Maybe it was because of the transmigration, but Haruki now had the "minor protagonist" gift of a much-improved memory.
He had skimmed through all three manuals earlier today, and now their contents were etched into his mind. He could already plan in detail based on Cubone's condition.
Cubone was also focused, its tiny tail swaying rhythmically… up and down, left and right.
It followed Haruki's instructions without hesitation, and that trust moved Haruki deeply.
'What a cute little guy.'
Warm-ups complete, time to run.
"Let's run a lap around the park. If you can't keep up, just tell me."
One lap was about 400 meters. For Cubone, who had just passed the newborn stage and was still only Beginner-tier, completing a full lap wouldn't be easy.
After all, it had short legs.
Cubone didn't speak, but its stance was set, waiting for Haruki's command.
"Then let's begin!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Cubone took off, its little legs pumping with effort.
Haruki followed behind, calling out, "No rush, keep a steady pace."
Cubone heard him, and though it still had some energy left, it obediently slowed down.
The first 200 meters went fine, but after that, Cubone began to feel the strain. Recalling Haruki's reminder, it suddenly felt like it made sense.
"Cubone, let's go! The finish line is close!"
With that encouragement from behind, Cubone felt a new surge of strength welling up inside, pushing it to keep going.
And like that, they finished the 400-meter run.