Collecting resources

Giovanni's maturity, the faint hint of presence that had just begun to form around him, and his words.

All of it made Axin and Hera feel as though they could see the hazy silhouette of a dark kingpin seated on a sofa, blotting out the sky with one hand.

This boy was no ordinary person.

Speaking of extraordinary, Giovanni was an orphan who had suffered all manner of hardships. Wasn't that the perfect template for a protagonist?

After Hera slowly came back to her senses, she told Giovanni approvingly:

"I'm growing more and more certain that you might become the young master."

Axin looked at Giovanni's young, thin figure, his gaze flickering slightly.

Hera's strength and position were both considerable, and she naturally had an eye for talent. If even she thought so, that meant Giovanni really did have a good chance.

If he could pledge himself to Team Rocket's future leader and become a trusted aide early on, becoming an executive would be a sure thing.

For now, though, while Giovanni really did have that potential, nothing had actually been decided. It was still too early to pledge allegiance.

Although Axin was currently an ordinary member of Team Rocket, his strength was still respectable. At the very least, he was at the level of a beginner or intermediate Trainer. Crushing Giovanni would be effortless.

Of course, there was no harm in getting on good terms with him.

As for pledging allegiance, he still needed to wait and see. Ideally, he would discover something special about Giovanni, some shining quality that would secure his position as young master.

If there really was something like that, he could pledge allegiance ahead of time and become Giovanni's trusted aide.

Giovanni had no idea that Axin, standing beside him, had thought through so much in such a short time.

He simply thanked Hera. "Thank you for your trust. I'll do my best."

Hera held out a hand to Giovanni.

Giovanni looked a little lost and nearly placed his hand in hers.

Fortunately, Axin explained, "Your ID card. You need your ID card to collect resources."

Only then did Giovanni hand his ID card to Hera, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Hera asked Giovanni with a smile:

"What were you thinking just now, little brother?"

Giovanni shook his head repeatedly. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Today has been so much fun." Hera covered her mouth and giggled twice, then placed Giovanni's ID card on a device.

After a beep, Giovanni's information and the resources he could collect appeared on Hera's computer.

"All right, you can collect a month's worth of Berries and Pokémon Food. By the way, what type is your Pokémon?"

A high-ranking Team Rocket member like Hera would hardly covet Giovanni's Pokémon.

So Giovanni answered honestly:

"A Weedle, Bug- and Poison-type."

When Axin heard that Giovanni's Pokémon was actually a Weedle, he felt somewhat disappointed.

The ceiling for Bug-type Pokémon was still too low. Giovanni's chances might have dropped a little.

Hera, however, did not dwell on the merits of Weedle. She merely considered it for a moment before telling Giovanni:

"A Weedle? Once it evolves into Beedrill, it certainly makes a decent fighter. I like you, so how about a little advice? Listen if you want to, and forget it if you don't."

This was Giovanni's first time raising a Pokémon. He certainly did not know as much as a high-ranking Team Rocket member like Hera, especially one who managed resources.

Her advice was bound to be useful, so how could Giovanni refuse? "I'd be grateful."

Hera smiled in satisfaction before offering Giovanni a few words:

"Since your Weedle is a dual-type Pokémon, it needs both Poison-type and Bug-type Pokémon Food. That effectively means splitting your resources in half."

"If you keep that up, neither type's power may develop as well as it could."

Giovanni considered it. Hera certainly had a point, which made this something of a headache. "That does seem to be the case. How can I solve that?"

Hera smiled at Giovanni and patiently offered him an idea. "The Berries you can collect as a newcomer are limited-only two-so there's only so much they can do."

She suggested, "But if you exchange those two Berries for leaves from Berry trees, I can authorize giving you a month's supply of leaves."

"Bug-type Pokémon naturally eat Berry tree leaves in the wild, so the leaves help improve their Bug-type power."

"That way, you'll have a month's worth of Poison-type Pokémon Food and a month's worth of Bug-type Pokémon Food. What do you think? The choice is yours."

After hearing Hera out, Giovanni considered the feasibility and the pros and cons. Hera had little reason to deceive him, and things really were as she had described.

Hera was in no hurry either. If Giovanni had agreed immediately, she would actually have thought less of him, considering him too trusting and lacking in brains.

It was right for Giovanni to think it over for himself.

That did not mean there was anything wrong with Hera's suggestion. Everything she had said was correct.

After considering it for a while, Giovanni made his decision. "Then let's do as you suggest, ma'am. But will doing this cause you any trouble?"

"A wise choice." Hera smiled and waved a hand casually. "Don't overthink it. Those Berry tree leaves weren't much use to begin with. Exchanging them for you now will actually put them to the best possible use. Besides, I'm keeping those two Berries for myself."

Wealth had always moved people's hearts. That saying was true enough.

But two Berries were hardly worth mentioning to Hera. She had only said that to keep Giovanni from overthinking it.

Giovanni understood that too. Since Hera had put it that way, he accepted the opening she had given him.

There was one other point on which Hera had told a small lie: there were actually people who wanted Berry tree leaves.

Ordinary Team Rocket members already had enough resources to raise their Pokémon, but they would still exchange for some leaves if they wanted to give their Pokémon a little treat.

"In any case, thank you, Lady Hera." Giovanni thanked Hera respectfully.

Hera walked to the back of the room. A short while later, she brought out two packages and pushed them in front of Giovanni.

"This is today's supply. I'll give it to you now. For the rest, a designated member will deliver it every day, along with your meals."

Giovanni nodded. "All right."

Hera asked one last question:

"By the way, what sort of tools do you need to train your Pokémon?"

These tools for training Pokémon actually meant tools for taming bad-tempered Pokémon. After all, Pokémon turning on their Trainers was a common occurrence.

Giovanni guessed what she meant and shook his head. "I trust Weedle. I don't need those."

The Poké Ball containing Weedle at his waist rocked. Weedle seemed delighted.

Seeing how confident Giovanni was, Hera let the matter drop. She simply took out a dagger and placed it on the table. "Since you don't need them, I'll exchange them for a dagger for self-defense. Better to be prepared."

Giovanni did not refuse. It was something he was entitled to in the first place, so he naturally put it away. "Yes. Thank you, ma'am."

Hera waved a hand.

"All right, you've collected everything. You can leave now."

Axin and Giovanni nodded and answered in unison, "Yes."

Just as they were leaving, Hera said to Giovanni, "I hope we have a chance to meet again. Come to me for your resources next time too."

Giovanni turned back and answered confidently:

"I will."