Pokémon: I’m Really Not a Team Rocket Spy

Maki woke up early and took the opportunity to wake up his partner, Charmander, who was still sound asleep.

His Charmander wasn't particularly fond of being inside its Poké Ball. While it wasn't as adamantly against it as Ash's Pikachu, given the choice, Charmander clearly preferred staying outside.

Today's agenda was to continue training Charmander. If time allowed, Maki also planned to take it to the arena to observe some battles.

In a bustling city like Viridian, battles were held at the arena almost around the clock, even at the Great Ball level. It was rare to find a moment without some competition happening, except perhaps late at night.

While Maki didn't have a strong personal interest in watching these matches, exposing Charmander to battles involving powerful Pokémon would only be beneficial.

Besides, Maki wasn't one of those so-called "greedy capitalists" who exhaustively overworked their Pokémon. After consistent training, taking a break every now and then was just as important.

Maki brought Charmander to the same park they'd visited yesterday. From a distance, he noticed someone waving enthusiastically in his direction.

"Hey, Maki! What brings you here?" 

Nathan ran toward him excitedly. Maki's gaze shifted briefly to the butler following Nathan before focusing back on his new friend.

As Maki had suspected, Nathan fit the mold of a classic privileged kid. From what Maki had gathered, Nathan's family was in the "fruit" business—though not just the kind for human consumption. They also dealt in Berries used to make Pokémon treats like Pokéblocks and other specialized items.

Take the Haban Berry* from Kanto, for example. In Viridian City, it might sell for a few dozen League coins, but transport it to Johto, and its price could easily triple.

Nathan's family business capitalized on this kind of trade. While they weren't top-tier moguls in Viridian, they were definitely well-off.

In cities like Viridian and Saffron, the strength of a business often depended on its ties to Team Rocket. Both cities served as key strongholds for the organization. Companies that worked with Team Rocket tended to thrive, with Silph Co. being a prime example.

Silph Co. produced most of the Poké Balls and potions available in the Kanto region, yet few knew the corporation was secretly under Team Rocket's control.

Nathan cradled his Cyndaquil in his arms. Unlike before, the Pokémon wasn't as shy, even waving at Maki's Charmander.

Perhaps feeling tired, or maybe wanting Cyndaquil to interact more with Charmander, Nathan set it down on the ground.

"I'm just here to train Charmander," Maki explained. "Building physical endurance is vital for Pokémon. It can help avoid unfavorable situations in battle due to a lack of stamina."

"Ah…yeah! I'm here to train my Cyndaquil too!" Nathan quickly nodded, though the butler standing behind him turned his head slightly, unable to hide his amusement.

If anyone knew the truth, it was the butler: Nathan was simply out for a casual stroll with his Pokémon.

The butler was intrigued by Maki. From the presence of a Charmander as a starter, he could tell Maki wasn't from a common background.

"Let's train together, then," Maki suggested. He didn't expose Nathan's little white lie and decided to include him in their plans.

"Sure!" Nathan hesitated but eventually agreed, feeling too embarrassed to back out.

Meanwhile, Cyndaquil seemed utterly confused. It hadn't done anything but was now being roped into training.

Maki had already learned from yesterday's session that human and Pokémon endurance shouldn't be compared. He wasn't Bruno, after all, who could defeat an Onix barehanded. Thus, he had Charmander and Cyndaquil run ahead while he and Nathan followed behind. 

At first, Nathan managed to keep up, but within minutes, he was gasping for breath.

Nathan glanced at Maki, who was keeping a steady pace like it was no big deal. "What kind of monster are you? Training Pokémon is one thing, but why are you so physically strong too?!"

Maki sighed. "I'll take that as a compliment."

He wasn't particularly thrilled about being compared to a Machoke and certainly didn't plan on dating a female Machoke anytime soon.

Seeing Nathan completely out of breath, Maki decided to wrap up the running session and moved to a nearby resting area.

"Here." Nathan handed Maki a bottle of water. Exhausted, he didn't even have the energy to hold Cyndaquil, letting it walk on its own.

"Thanks." Maki took the bottle and gulped down several mouthfuls.

"Ahh~" Maki thought to himself that a fizzy soda would have hit the spot even better.

"I'm heading to the arena. Want to come along?" Maki asked.

"The arena? Are you entering a competition?" Nathan looked surprised.

"No, just taking Charmander to watch some battles and relax," Maki clarified.

"Oh, phew! I thought you were already at the Poké Ball level to compete," Nathan joked. "Let me train my Cyndaquil for a few more days, and then we'll take the test together!"

Maki hesitated. "Uh…actually, I already passed the test yesterday. I had some free time, so I figured I'd get it out of the way."

"…" Nathan felt utterly humiliated.

The two arrived at the arena, where they learned that a high-level Ultra Ball level match was about to start. Both participants were among the top-ranked trainers in this division.

"This is perfect!" Nathan exclaimed, asking his butler to buy tickets for the two of them. 

Maki offered to pay for his own ticket, but Nathan refused.

"This is nothing. We're friends, so don't worry about it."

An Ultra Ball level ticket cost about 100 League coins—a trivial expense for Nathan.

The butler received a message from Nathan's family and had to leave, leaving the two friends to enjoy the match.

The arena wasn't particularly large, comparable to a standard Gym setup. By the time the battle began, the stands were about half full.

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[TL/N: The raw says Dragon Fire Berry (龍火果). I tried searching, but there was no such berry in the canons. The only berry I could link this is the Haban Berry.]

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