As Cain passed through the entrance of the base, the view before him gradually opened up, revealing a scene not so dissimilar to the one he had left behind. The crowd had thinned, and a feeling of emptiness hung in the air. No doubt, thought Cain, many of those who had left had not yet returned, for the trial test was to take place on the morrow.
His own return had been prompted by the need to dispose of a Weedle egg, but as he took in his surroundings, Cain couldn't shake the feeling that the base was less a sanctuary, and more a prison. The coldness that permeated the air seemed to seep into one's very soul, causing hearts and minds to harden and, if one were to linger too long, even drive one to madness.
In a corner of the square, a teenage trainer busied himself with his Pokemon, and upon catching sight of Cain, a look of joy spread across his face before he vanished from sight. Cain took note of the boy but paid him little mind as he made his way towards the exchange center.
As he walked, he could feel eyes upon him, some filled with doubt, others indifference, and still others with a hint of malice. And then, as he entered the Trialists' special housing area, he came upon a house that stood out from the rest. Inside, in the center of a hall, a young man sat, a sly smile on his lips as he stroked the scales of an Ekans that coiled around him. On either side of him sat some eight people, each with their Pokemon, all of them too afraid to meet the young man's gaze.
"Boss, Boss Xander, that kid is back," a voice called out, as a figure rushed through the doorway. But as the words were spoken, the speaker's voice faltered and the thousand words he had intended to say died on his lips.
For the young man sitting in the center of the hall was none other than Xander, the first-place winner of the first test, and, if the original timeline held true, the undisputed champion of the entire trial.
"Oh? That kid who ranked second?" Xander's smile vanished as he sat up straight, his eyes becoming as sharp as knives as he fixed his gaze upon the newcomer.
The Ekans that had been coiled peacefully beside Xander's chair straightened as well, sensing the killing intent emanating from its trainer. Its long, narrow eyes now filled with an ominous aura, sending a shiver down the spine of the teenager who had come to report the news.
"Yes, yes, yes," he stammered, nodding stiffly.
Xander, however, seemed to relax upon hearing the affirmative answer, leaning back in his chair once more. But the Ekans beneath him remained tense, and the teenager couldn't shake the feeling that he had only narrowly avoided a terrible fate.
"As expected from the person I'm interested in," Xander said, a cold smile on his lips. "He stayed outside for that long and came back safe and sound. Haha."
One of the eight seated men, a strong teenager of about 17 or 18, suddenly stood up. "Boss Xander," he rasped, "it's just a kid who used a trick to get second place. Let me go and bring him to you." And with that, he turned to leave.
But Xander stopped him with a wave of his hand. "Rockwell, no need for that. I still want to see how he does tomorrow." The smile on his face belied the cold calculation in his eyes.
"Yes," Rockwell replied, his voice still raspy, and sat back down. On the surface, he seemed like a simple man, but in his heart, he was cunning and ruthless.
For in a place like this, where survival was key, strength was important, but even more crucial was the ability to be ruthless. And Xander had achieved this by defeating those who opposed him, killing their Pokemon, and making them watch as their beloved creatures were devoured by his Ekans. This brutal act, along with his strength, had quickly attracted a loyal following.
In this savage land, only the strongest will survive. The weak will inevitably be cast aside, and the only way to endure is to cling to those who hold power and become their servant. So long as one remains among the elite ranks, a chance to survive may yet be had. This is the privilege bestowed upon the mighty by the hand of Team Rocket.
This trial serves to bring new talent to Team Rocket, and those who endure shall be granted important positions within its various posts. For those who survive, the possibility to rise to great heights, to become a powerful trainer, supported by the might of Team Rocket, may yet be within reach.
For those born into the association, a path of growth awaits, and even if they do not become powerful, they may still live a life of respect as a Pokémon trainer, without want for food or shelter.
But for those born into poverty, this trial may be their only hope.
Most of those brought to this island are commoners, those who could not even afford a meal, like Cain, who grew up in the slums, scavenging for scraps. But there are also those, like Xander, born into privilege, who came to the island not to hone their skills, but to flaunt their talents.
Xander's brother, a senior officer in Team Rocket, was one who stood out on the trial island, and Xander felt that he was no less talented. Using his brother's connections, he was able to secure a place on the island, and even obtained his green aptitude Ekans through underhanded means.
As the unevolved form of Xander's brother's signature Pokémon, Arbok, Xander was already familiar with its training, and believed his Ekans had reached the peak of its abilities for its level.
Thus far, all had proceeded without incident. Like his brother before him, Xander was a man prone to temper, and through the use of cruel methods, he had amassed a loyal following, who assisted him in providing resources for his Pokemon, aiding in its training. And as for who would be left behind and who would be taken with him after the final trial, that decision was entirely at the mercy of his whims.
Seated at the head of the table, Xander lounged in his wide chair, his cold eyes scanning the room, taking note of the more powerful among his subordinates.
Those who had proven themselves, he would consider taking with him to form his own squad within Team Rocket.
For the ambitious Xander, being a mere foot soldier would not suffice, and as he participated in this trial, he aimed to be the best. His smallest goal was to surpass his brother, and the first step to achieving that was becoming a Team Rocket executive.
If he were to reach that rank, he would be at the top of Team Rocket, and with his talent, he might even ascend further.
At the thought of his future path, a twisted smile would spread across Xander's lips as he licked them in excitement.
Cain, as he walked straight towards the exchange center, was unaware of these machinations, and even if he had been, he would not have given them a second thought. His only goal was to become stronger, and anyone who stood in his way would be crushed.
As for Xander's true identity, Cain had not been able to uncover it in his previous life, and did not possess the strength to do so now. And even if he had, he would not have cared, for with the system already activated, he believed he could overcome any obstacle.
Undoing the cloth that bound the Weedle egg, he carefully placed it on the counter, drawing the startled gaze of the Team Rocket employee.
For this Pokemon egg, Cain had made the decision to exchange it for Team Rocket points.
Though the Pokemon that would hatch from it would not be weak, and as a Bug-type, it would grow quickly and become a formidable force in battle, Cain had still chosen to part with it.
For as an egg, there was no telling when it would hatch, and if it did so at the end of the trial, it would be of no use to Cain. Even if it were to hatch in the coming days, Cain could easily raise it, but only one Pokemon could be used in the final battle of the trial, and so not only would it not aid Cain, but it would also require resources to raise, becoming a burden. Most importantly, the lifespan of its final evolutionary form, Beedrill, was too short. By the time Cain had trained it to become a valuable fighting force, its body would begin to deteriorate.
And as for Beedrill's Mega Evolution, it was important to remember that even the Association was unaware of Mega Evolution at this time, and precious Mega Stones were not something that could be obtained easily. Even if one were to be obtained by chance, the likelihood of it being the Beedrill's Mega Stone was slim.
With these thoughts in mind, Cain had decided to exchange the Beedrill's egg for points, gaining important resources and allowing him to focus on training his Murkrow.
Ignoring the staff member's astonished look, he said blandly, "I'll exchange it for points."
"Are you sure?" The employee inquired, a hint of skepticism etched onto his face as he gazed upon Cain as if he were a mere fool.
Cain merely nodded, remaining tight-lipped.
Though Pokemon eggs were not an everyday occurrence in the wild, they were not an impossibility to come across. Yet, why did many choose to overlook them, instead of bringing them back to exchange for Team Rocket points?
The answer lay in the uncertainty of a wild Pokemon egg's potential. Only upon hatching could one truly determine the talent of the creature within.
The Association's esteemed scientists had long since devised portable devices to measure a Pokemon's talents, yet they came at a steep price. To use such a device, one must first capture the Pokemon, disregarding the fact that such an extravagant instrument was not something the common folk could afford.
But the technology to judge the talent of a Pokemon egg was not yet advanced enough to be easily portable, and it required a vast amount of resources to operate. Only those with the assurance that the egg's parents were of exceptional talent would even consider delving into the egg's potential.
What if the egg possessed the yellow talent? Would someone with access to such a device even spare a glance at a yellow-aptitude Pokemon?
Thus, when Cain declared his intention to exchange this Pokemon egg for points, the employee regarded him with a look of absurdity.
Cain had no desire to elaborate, for how could he reveal that he already knew the egg had a green talent? Such knowledge would even alarm the Chief Instructor, Viper.
"Have you given this proper consideration? To determine the talent of this egg alone costs a hundred points, and even if it proves to be a Pokemon of Primary Aptitude, it is worth only a hundred points. If you do not possess the necessary points..." The employee trailed off, the implication clear. In Team Rocket, there was no such thing as credit.
Cain nodded helplessly, for without testing the talent of the Pokemon egg, it would be deemed a red talent and worth only a single Team Rocket point.
The staff member said nothing more, even though he couldn't fathom why the young lad before him was so insistent. If the Pokemon egg did not prove to possess a Primary Aptitude, Cain would have to bid farewell to it forever, unless he was willing to part with one hundred points.
Primary Aptitude is a classification of Pokemon talents used by Team Rocket and the Pokemon world as a whole. Divided into five categories: No Aptitude, Primary Aptitude, Intermediate Aptitude, Advanced Aptitude, and Top Aptitude, corresponding to the talent rankings of red, orange, yellow, and green respectively. Talents of blue, purple, and black are all considered Top Aptitude.
The Pokemon egg was placed in the recess of the device, and a liquid, made by the Association's scientists, poured into the mouth cavity before the transparent lid of the device was sealed shut. The high cost of producing the liquid made each test a costly endeavor.
With the press of a button, the instrument came to life with a hum.
"BEEP!" In the row of lights, the light representing "No Aptitude" immediately illuminated. As the minimum talent for a Pokemon was red, this light was bound to light up during the test.
Almost instantly, the second light flickered on, indicating that the Pokemon egg possessed a Primary Aptitude.
"Not bad, it actually has a primary aptitude, so at least you don't have to worry about not being able to pay the test fee." The employee said with a smile.
Cain shrugged indifferently.
As the light representing the Primary Aptitude grew brighter and brighter, ten seconds later, the light representing Intermediate Aptitude began to flash.
The staff member's expression changed as he looked at Cain, having initially thought him a fool, he didn't expect the egg to possess an Intermediate Aptitude.
When a Pokemon egg reached the intermediate aptitude, the minimum number of Team Rocket points that could be exchanged for it started at one thousand. This meant that the teenager before him would soon possess thousands of points, a monumental advantage in the trial. Aside from the select few trialists who already had support, he would be far ahead of the rest in terms of resources.
From a faint candle-like brightness, the light gradually intensified as the detection device showed no signs of stopping.
Low Intermediate Aptitude, Medium Intermediate Aptitude, High Intermediate Aptitude...
In the employee's eyes, the light representing Intermediate Aptitude lasted for thirty seconds before reaching its brightest point. Then, the light representing Advanced Aptitude began to glow faintly.
"Advanced, advanced aptitude. I cannot believe it! It's reached ADVANCED APTITUDE!" The staff member exclaimed in shock, hastily covering his mouth with his hand, but the shock in his eyes could not be concealed.
Of course, having worked for Team Rocket for so long, he knew the value of an Advanced Aptitude Pokemon Egg, worth tens of thousands of points. Even after all these years, he had never received that many points.
An Advanced Aptitude Pokemon Egg is more valuable than a wild Pokemon with the same aptitude, for when a Pokemon is with a trainer from the moment it is hatched, its bond and friendship become much stronger than that of a wild Pokemon that has already grown up.
Once this Pokemon egg entered Team Rocket's exchange system, it would be fiercely contested by a number of Officer-level Team Rocket members, and perhaps even the Executives.
Cain frowned, displeased at the shocked outburst from the employee. They were in the midst of a trial, and he was certain that if it was known that he had so many points, everyone would rally together to take him down and then divide the points among themselves. And for those who wanted to be number one in the rankings, Cain with so many points could upset the balance and be their biggest obstacle.
The employee realized he had lost his composure. Fortunately, it was night and there was no one else in the exchange center, otherwise he feared the impact it would have had on the youngster before him.
When he looked at Cain again, there was only shock and a hint of greed in his eyes, though well hidden, Cain could still sense it. With over ten thousand Team Rocket points, Cain, who knew the value of points all too well, certainly understood the appeal. Though the staff member was not involved in the trial, he, as a member of Team Rocket, could not help but feel a hint of greed for those points.
When the testing machine stopped, the light representing the Advanced Aptitude reached the middle point, Medium Advanced Aptitude! Above the instrument, a screen displayed "Medium Advanced Aptitude, Weedle".
Seeing the test instrument stop, the staff member quickly exclaimed, "I apologize, I do not possess the authority to exchange for Advanced Aptitude Pokemon eggs. Please wait for a moment." With that, he hastened to leave the counter, opened a secret door, and stepped inside.
After a couple of minutes, the door opened again, and the clerk could be seen respectfully bowing his head and holding the door open.
A man dressed in a black robe stepped out with an overwhelming killing intent surrounding him.
When Cain saw the mysterious black-robed person, his body tensed. Murkrow also stiffened, his feathers standing on end as if facing a great enemy.
The experience and keen instinct he had honed in his previous life told Cain that the person approaching him was dangerous, very dangerous!
The mysterious man's steps were slow, like an old man, as he approached the counter.
When the mysterious man finally reached the counter, the pressure suddenly dissipated and Cain felt a wave of relief wash over him.
"Not bad." The mysterious man spoke two words, a hint of appreciation in his hoarse voice. To be able to remain calm under his intense killing intent deserved such praise from him.
'What a terrifying man!' Cain thought to himself.
He had no idea that the simple exchange of a green-aptitude Pokemon egg would result in the appearance of such a formidable character.
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