While Wen Qi was engaged in battle, Zhou Zhiwen cheerfully returned to the team with the energy cubes in hand. Still, he knew better than to show off, so instead of carrying the box openly, he stashed it in his spatial backpack.
Back at the team, he greeted his teammates and headed straight to his office. Alone there, he pondered how to use these energy cubes.
First, those hundred high-grade ones absolutely couldn't be let known to others. Chunhua City's monthly supply of high-grade perfect energy cubes was minuscule, mostly snapped up by major families or big shots above. Even Zhou Zhiwen only got a tiny share—about a dozen—at a price twenty percent above market rate, and that was only because he was the captain of the First Investigation Squad.
Now, with a hundred in hand each month, he couldn't reveal it. Though it wasn't a huge deal, if others found out, they'd constantly ask to trade or buy, leaving him in a bind. Especially with superiors and friends—refusing would be awkward, but parting with them would sting. So, keeping quiet was the best move.
But he still had three hundred low-grade perfect ones. That was a lot, more than he could use himself. How to handle it? After some thought, he decided to share some perks with his subordinates. Low-grade perfect energy cubes were suitable even for high-level Pokémon, better than average mid-grade ones. Giving his team some benefits would also strengthen his standing within the squad.
His First Investigation Squad consisted of himself, one vice-captain, and eight members—ten in total. Vice-captain Zhang Yang was strong, with just as many elite-level Pokémon as Zhou Zhiwen, minus any gym-level ones. Previously, Zhou Zhiwen had to keep an eye on him, but now, with these resources, his own strength would grow faster, so he could afford to be generous.
As for the other eight members, most had Pokémon between levels 30 and 40, with only a few owning one or two elite-level ones. One awkward point: since the cubes were all Fire-type, while most members had at least one Fire-type Pokémon, some had none at all. Giving them Fire-type cubes didn't quite make sense. But there was no helping it this time—those without Fire-types would have to trade with others. Luckily, while mid- and high-grade cubes were hard to come by, low-grade perfect ones were somewhat obtainable. He'd ask Wen Qi next time if he could get cubes of other types to make distribution easier.
Having figured this out, Zhou Zhiwen didn't hesitate. He sent a message in the team group chat, asking everyone to come to his office. Soon, the members and Zhang Yang from the other office arrived. Once everyone was gathered, Zhou Zhiwen didn't waste time with long-winded speeches like other leaders. He got straight to the point: "You've all worked hard lately, especially with that black market case keeping us busy for over half a month. I've got some perks for you."
The team members buzzed with curiosity, chattering about what the perks might be. Vice-captain Zhang Yang hadn't expected Zhou Zhiwen to pull this move—suddenly handing out benefits from his own pocket. Why "from his own pocket"? Because Zhang Yang had connections higher up. The operation had only turned up Zheng Qian's corpse, nothing else. While the higher-ups hadn't blamed the squad, there'd be no rewards either. Zhou Zhiwen was clever, buying loyalty, but with his tight finances, what good stuff could he offer? Though Zhou Zhiwen's position in the Alliance's frontline combat division came with decent perks—about a hundred thousand a month—after covering Pokémon training costs and Alliance subsidies, he barely saved anything.
Zhou Zhiwen watched the discussion without interrupting, noting Zhang Yang's contemplative silence. When the chatter died down, he spoke: "I recently got to know a senior breeder. I helped him out with some small favors, and he agreed to let me buy two hundred low-grade perfect energy cubes and a hundred mid-grade perfect ones each month at twenty percent off market price. I wouldn't be captain without your support, so I'm offering these to you at cost every month. Each of you can buy twenty low-grade and ten mid-grade at the discounted rate. What do you think?"
The room erupted in exclamations. No one expected such a deal—both low- and mid-grade cubes! Low-grade perfect ones were hard to come by but not impossible, just a hassle. Mid-grade perfect ones, at their level, were genuinely unattainable. Zhang Yang was startled too. He hadn't expected Zhou Zhiwen to be so lucky, befriending a senior breeder with access to such rare cubes. He doubted Zhou Zhiwen only had two hundred low-grade and a hundred mid-grade—there had to be more, or he wouldn't offer them all as perks. Maybe even high-grade perfect cubes. Though a senior breeder's success rate for high-grade perfect cubes was low, there'd still be some. If Zhou Zhiwen could buy those, his strength would grow faster than Zhang Yang's. Already one gym-level Pokémon behind, if even one of Zhou Zhiwen's elite-level ones advanced to gym-level, Zhang Yang's chances of taking the captaincy would vanish.
Zhang Yang wanted to say something, but seeing the team members overjoyed and praising Zhou Zhiwen, he knew it wasn't the time. Zhou Zhiwen was genuinely handing out benefits, and Zhang Yang had no reason to object—especially since he wanted more cubes himself. Unless he could match this, Zhou Zhiwen's captaincy was rock-solid.
Seeing the team's reaction, Zhou Zhiwen knew the perks were a hit. He'd make a small profit, earn everyone's support, and curb Zhang Yang's ambitions—three birds with one stone. Then he added, "One more thing: since the breeder made these specifically for me, I didn't have time to specify, so they're all Fire-type. Those with Fire-types can use them; those without can trade or sell them. Next time, I'll ask the breeder to prepare other types."
The team members didn't mind this small issue. As Zhou Zhiwen said, cubes of this quality were a win whether traded or sold—no loss involved.