With Captain Okamoto's guidance, Icarus successfully received the mission reward—150 contribution points.
Normally, capturing a low-tier Normal-type Pokémon only earned about 25 points. Even combining Takashima's Machop and Geodude, the base reward would only total around 50 points. However, with the added value of capturing the Trainer himself, the reward was significantly increased.
Of course, after deducting 15 contribution points for Okamoto's share, Icarus was left with 135 points in his Team Rocket account.
He didn't push further by adding extra funds to exchange for a 150-point mid-tier manual. Instead, he chose the safer option—spending 100 contribution points on a basic low-tier training manual for Pidgeotto.
After all, Pidgeotto had only recently broken through to the Normal rank. It still needed to build a solid foundation.
"Now that I've got it… time to head back."
Looking at the USB drive in his hand, a faint smile appeared on Icarus's face. He adjusted his recovered backpack and left the Team Rocket base, walking toward the town.
---
The journey back was uneventful—until he reached the town gate.
A group of guards suddenly surrounded him, startling him so much that he thought his identity had been exposed.
Unexpectedly, they were all there to congratulate him.
"Congratulations, Brother Icarus!"
"You've been hiding your strength from us!"
"If you need anything in the future, just say the word!"
Hearing their enthusiastic greetings, Icarus could clearly feel the difference in attitude.
"Brothers, my apologies—I didn't mean to hide anything. I'm just inexperienced and cautious.
How about this—tonight, I'll host a banquet at the Donglin Hotel to make it up to everyone!"
He understood perfectly—they weren't truly blaming him, just trying to build connections. And he was more than willing to go along.
"Haha, now that's the right attitude!"
"I'm in!"
"Let's all go!"
These guards were essentially government employees. The network they formed together was not something to underestimate.
Ordinarily, not just anyone could invite them out. If it weren't for Icarus's potential—and the backing of Sam's team—this kind of response wouldn't happen.
---
That night at Donglin Hotel, Icarus booked a lavish banquet worth 28,888.
He drank and chatted with over a dozen guards, building strong connections. Throughout the evening, he made sure to emphasize that any future matters should go through Uncle Sam.
After all, favors weren't easy to repay.
Around 9 PM, after drinking several bowls of hangover soup, Icarus finally sobered up.
The moment he recovered, he took out both his own backpack and Takashima's, preparing to sort through the gains.
---
"First—the Rattata."
"Two with high-tier Normal potential… thirteen mid-tier…"
After counting, Icarus realized just how rare high-quality Pokémon were.
They had wiped out nearly eighty or ninety Rattata, yet only two had high-tier potential.
"No wonder the price doubles with each tier…"
---
"Next—materials."
"The main sellable items are Rattata meat, incisors, and other Pokémon materials… about 9,000 in value."
He decided to keep the higher-quality meat for personal use.
After all, breaking through to aura required a massive amount of energy. Both Gloom and Pidgeotto also needed regular meat intake.
---
"Now for the totals…"
"Alliance merit points: 80… plus the previous 35… that's 115 total."
"In cash: about 38,000 from mission rewards and selling items… plus the 12,000 I already had…"
"I'm back to 50,000!"
After finishing the calculations, Icarus couldn't help but feel satisfied.
"Going solo really is profitable… though I have to thank Takashima for that."
---
"Next—the Pidgeotto training manual. Let's see if it's worth it."
By now, it was nearly 11 PM. Gloom and Pidgeotto were already asleep.
But as a Trainer, Icarus knew he needed to fully understand the training plan as soon as possible.
---
He turned on his computer.
This time, no Team Rocket pop-up appeared—seemingly, it only showed up on first boot.
"Beep… USB detected…"
Opening the file, he first checked the daily feeding plan.
---
"Pidgeotto possesses a relatively strong body. After proper conditioning, the power of its Normal-type moves becomes quite impressive.*
Daily Feeding Plan:
1 Low-tier Normal-type Energy Cube
1 Mid-tier Flying-type Energy Cube
1–2 catties of low- to mid-tier Pokémon meat (to supplement trace nutrients)*"
---
"So I still need Normal-type Energy Cubes…"
Icarus nodded, realizing how detailed research in this world was.
"This probably refers to Pidgeotto's developed chest muscles…"
At that point, he completely gave up the idea of becoming a researcher through "hidden trait knowledge." He only remembered a few examples—and they were likely already well-known.
---
"Let's see if there are any move development techniques…"
"If it's anything like Gloom's rooted growth method, that'd be a huge profit!"
"Maybe even aura techniques… haha…"
---
A few minutes later, he shut the computer with a sigh.
"Ah… what a letdown."
"It's just claw and beak strengthening techniques… maybe the mid-tier manual has more advanced methods."
Still, the manual wasn't useless. The structured training for claws and pecking was definitely more effective than his previous trial-and-error approach.
Combined with bone-strengthening powder, he planned to strictly follow this regimen moving forward.
---
"Alright… I'm exhausted."
"Tomorrow: sell materials, then buy supplies for Pidgeotto and Gloom."
"As for those dozen Rattata, I'll wait until I meet Tian Shui Ling before deciding. I remember there's a discount when trading them at the Pokémon Center…"
---
With his plans set, Icarus turned off the lights and went to sleep.
---
(End of Chapter)
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