The month-long special training finally came to an end. Sieg and the others returned to the city, dragging their exhausted bodies.
Though weary, the results were gratifying. Not just the Pokémon, even Sieg himself had improved tremendously.
First and foremost, Sharpedo had broken through to elite level. Including his ace Crawdaunt, Sieg now possessed two elite-level Pokémon. He was no longer some novice elite-level trainer.
Even among elite-level trainers, vast differences existed.
Some had only one elite-level Pokémon, while others commanded six.
Take Mushin, for instance. He was also just an elite-level trainer, yet one of his Pokémon alone could defeat Sieg's entire team.
Mushin's three peak elite-level Pokémon alone were enough to make him stand above all others of the same level.
"So I'm still far from having any right for complacency." Sieg lay in his Team Rocket base dormitory, staring up at the ceiling, slowly raising his arm to grasp the air
The Team Rocket quarters weren't small. Compared to the "matchbox" rooms occupied by grunts, his mid-captain dormitory exceeded a hundred square meters with comprehensive amenities.
After all, this was a mid-captain's residence. Even in the undervalued Hoenn branch with limited resource allocation, the standard still exceeded ordinary Pokémon Center rooms.
In the corner stood two special installations occupying over twenty square meters.
One was a portable water pool for Sharpedo and Crawdaunt, the other a heated sand area for Sandile.
A special item floated in the portable pool, the Wave Incense. Its fragrance permeated the entire pool with a unique scent.
Even Sieg resting on his bed could faintly smell it.
When equipped, Wave Incense served the same function as Mystic Water, boosting Water-type move power.
But when placed in water where Water-type Pokémon lived long-term, it served another purpose, slowly increasing the Pokémon's leveling speed, even slightly improving their potential.
Of course, the enhancement ratio couldn't compare to the potions Sieg had previously formulated.
For example, if Sharpedo's original talent was 100, the custom potential potion Sieg had specially prepared could elevate it to around 130 or even 140.
Whereas Wave Incense, even with daily soaking and exposure for an entire year, would at most raise it to around 110.
However, Wave Incense had one advantage, it could be used by multiple Pokémon simultaneously, unlike the one-time individual consumable nature of talent potions.
Once Sieg's two Water-types reached the limits of Wave Incense's enhancement, he could resell it without much loss. If he found the right buyer, he might even turn a small profit.
Of course, there was some degradation involved.
The item's quality would slightly diminish with extended use, and the incense's fragrance materials required regular replenishment.
Therefore, it wasn't particularly miraculous. Otherwise, he'd never have had the chance to purchase it, higher-ups would've monopolized it long ago.
Sieg lay in bed browsing various messages on his Pokédex. The first thing that caught his eye was city news, a long-duration thunderstorm weather warning hung prominently on the homepage.
When Sieg had returned to the city, he'd noticed everyone on the streets looking hurried. Combined with the tense, murderous atmosphere in the black market, everything suggested a storm was brewing.
"Thunderstorms... powerful Electric-type Pokémon!"
Sieg vaguely guessed something, though he couldn't confirm his suspicions.
Sieg also replied to messages from friends like May and Luna.
The two messaged him daily. Sieg chuckled softly, responding to each one.
After finishing everything, Sieg ordered dinner. After eating, he hastily returned to bed to rest. Honchkrow remained stationed in the room's corner, it felt most comofrtable inm the dark after all.
That's why Sieg had entrusted night watch duties to Honchkrow with complete confidence.
Umbreon carefully emerged from its Poké Ball, glancing at Sieg wrapped entirely in blankets, ultimately choosing to settle beside the pillow, curling up to sleep soundly.
In the dim room, the golden patterns on Umbreon's surface emitted faint glimmers.
The next morning, Sieg gradually awoke.
The first thing he received from the badge Archer had given him was a message to assemble in his office.
Without time for breakfast, Sieg hastily tidied up and left the residential district. Every Team Rocket grunt he encountered along the way saluted him respectfully.
After all, the mid-captain badge displayed prominently on his chest commanded respect. In this base, captains probably numbered fewer than fingers on one hand. Therefore, mid-captains were often the highest-ranking officers these grunts ever encountered.
"Executive Archer sir, subordinate Black Sky requests an audience!"
Sieg stood before the door, knocking gently.
"Come in."
Archer's voice came from inside. Sieg quietly pushed the door open, head slightly bowed. Inside, the other three were already present.
Sieg spoke respectfully. "Greetings, Executive Archer!"
Though he knew Archer probably didn't care about such basic courtesies, Sieg couldn't afford to skip them.
If you performed them, Archer might not notice.
But if you didn't, Archer would definitely remember you.
"Mm. I've summoned you today mainly to inquire about the special training. How was it? Satisfied with Mushin's arrangements?" Archer first displayed a gentle smile, then crossed his hands, asking with interest.
How could anyone dare say they were dissatisfied? Mushin was Archer's direct subordinate. Expressing dissatisfaction would implicitly criticize Executive Archer himself.
"Satisfied, satisfied, very satisfied..."
Everyone hastily responded.
Though they also spoke truthfully. This past month they'd genuinely improved tremendously, setting aside the resources their Pokémon had enjoyed for strength enhancement.
Just the combat suits given to them were enough to make them ecstatic with satisfaction.
"Good. This mission is my personal secret operation, but because it's extremely important, I must implement certain protective measures."
After speaking, Archer clapped his hands. Soon, from a hidden door in the room, Mushin emerged expressionlessly.
He slowly produced four small square devices, each roughly basketball-sized.
Mushin swept his gaze over everyone. "Remove your disguises. We're recording fingerprints and facial recognition data."
Everyone startled in shock.
After recovering, they instantly understood, he was demanding a pledge of allegiance.
"If we register, won't we be completely bound to Team Rocket forever?" Sieg thought internally.
But if they refused, they probably wouldn't walk out of this room today.