Viper's eyes scanned the field with a keen, assessing gaze. He nodded in satisfaction as he took in the expressions of the trialists - faces that had once been filled with innocence now contorted with determination and fear.
But Viper paid little heed to the dwindling numbers; there were still more than enough trialists to meet his needs. Compared to previous years, the quality of this year's crop was high, and he was pleased to see that there were still over 120 left.
Glancing at the man beside him, he gave a subtle signal to the grunts, signaling the start of the second test.
The second test, like the first, was designed to measure the attack value. Though this test alone could not accurately reflect a trialist's overall strength, it was still a necessary benchmark.
But as the trialists listened to the explanation of the test, they learned of a new, sinister rule - the last place in this and all future tests would be eliminated.
Panic and confusion erupted in the square, as the trialists grappled with the implications of this rule. Many feared that their journey would end here and that their lives would be forfeit.
Although only fifty people were able to pass the final trial, not all those who failed would be doomed to death. Team Rocket would not participate in such a costly endeavor. As long as the trialists survived until the end and met the standard of strength, they would be given the opportunity to start as low-ranking grunts. Though their resources would be limited, they would at least have their lives. And with the right connections, their journey might still not be over.
But with the addition of this new rule, the plans of those who had hoped to survive until the end using this loophole were now in jeopardy. Each step forward could be their last, and one misstep could mean game over.
Like a herd of sheep being pursued by a lion, the slowest among them would always be the first to fall. And so the flock would have to run faster, for no one wanted to be the last.
This was the law of survival, the law of the jungle.
Team Rocket had become the lion and the trialists the sheep. And those who fell behind would be devoured.
The voices in the square grew louder, filled with the panicked cries of the weaker trialists.
"Silence!" Viper bellowed, his frown deepening in anger. As a man who had risen from the ashes of countless battles, he despised the weak and their feeble cries. "If you don't want to take the test, don't take it. But know that you will be treated as last place."
Under Viper's fury, the panicked discussions were silenced. No one wanted to be on the wrong side of a man who held their life and death in his hands.
Under the direction of the Team Rocket's grunts, the trialists braced themselves and began to form a line, but no one wanted to be the first to take the test. The delay only served to darken Viper's mood further.
The grunts, sensing their boss' displeasure, glared at the trialists with fierce eyes. They knew all too well the terror Viper was capable of.
"I'll go first," a voice spoke up, belonging to Xander, who stepped forward with a disdainful look on his face, Ekans following closely at his side, exuding an aura of danger.
With someone taking the lead, the rest slowly lined up. Under the arrangement of the Team Rocket grunts, Cain was placed at the back of the line.
"Begin the test!" The proctor shouted, standing next to the trial stone.
Without hesitation, Xander stepped forward, Ekans by his side, ready to prove his worth.
"Ekans, use Bite!"
With a fierce hiss, Ekans coiled its body like a tightly wound spring before striking out with explosive force. Black light glowed at the tips of its fangs as it bit down on the trial stone with a single, powerful strike, before quickly retreating.
Ekan's execution was meticulous, showcasing Xander's skill as a Pokemon trainer.
"Attack value: 258!" The proctor announced, recording the result with a look of astonishment.
An uproar erupted among the crowd. "As expected from Boss Xander, the attack value is an impressive 258 points, almost three times higher than the 98 points in the first test," one of Xander's subordinates exclaimed in awe.
"Holy shit, that's huge!" Another trialist exclaimed in shock.
"This is not good," others muttered, feeling the pressure mounting.
Xander's lips curled into a smirk as he strode off the stage, basking in the admiration of his peers.
One by one, the trialists stepped forward to take the test, some leaving the stage elated and excited, others sad and dejected.
Whenever a trialist learned that they were in last place, their faces would turn ashen, sweat pouring down their foreheads, their hands clenched tightly together as they stared at the other trialists, their hearts crying out for someone with a lower attack value to appear.
And when that person finally did appear, they would almost collapse in relief, as if a great burden had been lifted from their shoulders. And the new last place trialist would repeat their actions, always hoping that someone with a lower value than them would appear.
One by one, the trialists were put to the test, and in first place, as expected, was Xander with his impressive score of 258 points.
In second place was Jasmine, the young girl with the gigantic Zubat, scoring 227 points.
In third place was a loner, with chiseled good looks, and his Poochyena scoring 225 points, just two points less than Jasmine, a surprise to many.
In fourth place was none other than the young man who had previously been branded as a "smiling tiger" by Cain. A young man who always wore a sunny grin, yet hid a dark heart underneath. His name was Soros, and he scored 215 points with his Koffing.
And finally, it was Cain's turn to take the test.
Xander, who had been watching from the sidelines, wiped away his contemptuous smile and grew serious.
Even Viper and the mysterious man sitting next to him leaned forward in interest. What kind of result would this kid, who always seemed to surprise others, achieve?
As Cain stepped onto the stage, several of the other trialists recognized him.
"It's him, the one who came in second place last time!" Someone shouted immediately.
"I wonder what his score will be today." Another said curiously.
"Che, what can his score be? Those little tricks are useless now," a third said sourly. In the first test, because Cain used a trick to get second place, he fell from tenth to eleventh place, missing out on 100 Team Rocket points.
"That Murkrow isn't weak." Of course, those with good judgment could tell at a glance that Murkrow was definitely not weak, based on its size alone.
Ignoring the chatter around him, Cain calmly said, "Murkrow, full power, Wing Attack!"
With a powerful flap of his wings, Murkrow let out a scream and flew straight at the Test Stone. The surging flying energy was under his control as it gathered on his wings.
"Boom!" Without the slightest pause, and without using any tricks, Murkrow's Wing Attack made firm contact.
After a few moments, a single line appeared above the trial stone: "Attack value: 265."
The proctor, unable to contain his surprise, swallowed hard and took a deep breath before shouting, "Attack value: 265 points, currently ranked first, next!"
Immediately, gasps could be heard throughout the silent crowd.
"265 points! Damn! Could the Trial Stone be malfunctioning?" One of the trialists cried out in shock.
Their impression of Cain had always been that of an opportunistic second-place finisher in the first test, and his true strength was only on par with theirs. But this test had proven them all wrong. They knew that Cain was a loner, with no help or resources, yet he had managed to achieve such a score.
Xander, too, was stunned. He had met Cain once before and knew that he was not the opportunist that others had claimed, but had real strength. However, he had never expected Cain's score to be higher than his own.
"Could it be that the wilderness can make people grow so fast?" Xander began to doubt his own approach. Was gathering a group of people better for his growth than practicing in the wilderness?
Xander's subordinates trembled with fear, particularly the one who had dared to call for Cain's arrest the previous day. Sweat dripped down his face as he shivered, grateful for Xander's intervention to prevent any rash actions.
Though this trial did not fully reflect a person's strength, it was still a clear indication of a portion of it. Could an average trialist withstand such a powerful attack?
Cain, however, was indifferent to the thoughts of his peers. As soon as he activated his AI system, he knew that none of them would be able to keep up with him. It was a confidence that belonged solely to him.
He descended from the stage, Murkrow by his side, and made his way to a corner, leaning against a pillar and closing his eyes. He had no interest in the results of the other trialists.
Viper, perched on the podium, scowled. He was not surprised by Cain's result, but it irked him that someone had been favored by the mysterious man next to him to achieve such an outcome. In his opinion, the result was even a bit low. However, there was one small detail that caught his attention.
"This Murkrow... it seems..." Viper's suspicions were not fully confirmed, and he turned to the mysterious man for clarification.
The mysterious man understood Viper's doubt, and though he was slightly taken aback, he nodded, his hoarse voice echoing from beneath his black robe, "You are correct, it is carrying a load."
Viper was almost certain of his suspicions, but he was impressed that this boy had been able to raise his flawed Murkrow so well in such a short amount of time. Adjusting his seat, Viper said, "Oh? Then this boy is quite impressive. If your Shadow Unit does not take him in, may I have him?"
The mysterious man's lips curled upward under his black robe as he asked, "What do you think?"
Viper pouted, "How tedious. You Shadow Unit people always take things so seriously."
He was well aware of the rules of the Shadow Unit. Until the mission set by the Shadow Unit was completed, no one from Team Rocket could interfere, unless the mission failed or the selected person died.
From the moment Cain accepted the reserve member medal given to him by the mysterious man, he was considered to be half a member of the Shadow Unit. The members of the Shadow Unit were generally very exclusive, even within Team Rocket. Of course, the mysterious man and Viper were exceptions, as they had been close friends before joining Team Rocket.
Therefore, as long as Cain did not complete the Shadow Unit's mission, or as long as Cain was not judged to have failed the mission, the rest of Team Rocket would have no right to accept him into their team. Even the top executives were subject to this rule, set by Team Rocket's boss, Giovanni himself. As the most powerful force within Team Rocket, every member of the Shadow Unit was carefully selected.
"Be careful what you say, Viper." The mysterious man's tone became more serious when he heard Viper's words. Although he and Viper were good friends, he had a deep respect for the Shadow Unit and for Giovanni.
Even Cain admired Giovanni. He was the most charismatic person Cain had ever met, exuding a natural charisma like true royalty. If Cain had truly been from this world and had grown up in Team Rocket, he would have undoubtedly become one of Giovanni's loyal followers. However, as an outsider to this world, Cain had a natural resistance to Giovanni. Nonetheless, in his previous life, Cain had immense respect and admiration for Giovanni.
Team Rocket was just a small organization in the Kanto region more than ten years ago, when the head of Team Rocket was Giovanni's mother.
Team Rocket didn't have much power back then, as evidenced by the fact that Giovanni's first Pokémon was only a Beedrill. Who would have used a Beedrill as their child's first Pokémon if they had vast resources? However, that Beedrill ended up becoming the strongest Beedrill in the world, using resources that could have trained a few pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
In short, Team Rocket, which was a small regional organization a decade ago, had become the largest and most powerful evil organization in the Kanto region in just ten years. The rest of the underground organizations were either eliminated or absorbed, making Team Rocket the most dominant force in the region, aside from the Pokémon Association. This was a testament to Giovanni's abilities as a leader and a skilled Pokémon trainer. He was able to battle champions head-on without losing, earning him the nickname "Giovanni Of The Land."
As the first group that Giovanni created after becoming the leader of Team Rocket, it could be said that the Shadow Unit was raised by Giovanni himself. With his charisma, it was no surprise that the members of the Shadow Unit worshiped him.
Viper knew that he had crossed a line with the mysterious man, but he did not take offense to the obvious warning. In the eyes of the rest of Team Rocket, the members of the Shadow Unit were considered fanatics, willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals, and it was best not to cross them if possible.
After a brief exchange, the two men fell back into silence.
The test was quick, consisting of each person and their Pokémon attacking the Trial Stone and recording the data. Soon, everyone was finished.
The final rankings were as follows:
First place, attack value, 265 points (Cain)
Second place, attack value, 258 points (Xander)
Third place, attack value, 227 points (Jasmine)
Fourth place, attack value, 225 points (Alan)
Fifth place, attack value, 215 points, (Soros)
...
One hundred and twenty-third place, attack value, 45 points.
There was little change in the top few places. Cain and Xander remained at the head of the rankings, pulling away from the rest of the trialists.
As for the last place, he had only a pitiful 45 points. Even in the first test, he had been in the middle of the pack. Although his Pokémon was a Rattata, a properly trained and nurtured Rattata could still produce explosive attacks, as seen in this test where the highest-ranked person with a Rattata reached the top 10.
With an ashen face, the last-ranked trialist stood frozen. He never expected to be the lowest ranked, muttering "No way, no way, no way" in disbelief.
He didn't react until the Team Rocket grunt in charge approached him menacingly and grabbed his shoulder, ready to take him away. The trialist struggled fiercely, but he was no match for the well-trained and battle-hardened Team Rocket grunt whose iron-like hands held him in a vice-like grip.
"No! No! No! No! Give me another chance! Give me one more chance!" Crying out and begging for mercy was useless. Snot and tears were streaming down his face, and a yellow liquid was oozing from between his legs, emitting an unpleasant odor. But it was all in vain.
"Rattata, come and help me!" He finally realized that, as a trainer, he had his own Pokémon.
But before the Rattata could act, two large Mightyenas appeared right in front of it, baring their teeth and giving it a deadly stare. The Rattata wanted to save its trainer, but it was too afraid to move.
"Take care of it." Viper, sitting on the platform, witnessed the scene with indifference and even a hint of annoyance. He was tired of wasting resources and unmotivated trash. What was the point of training a Rattata with some value if it was only at this level in the hands of someone like this?
Under the merciless gaze of the two Mightyenas, the Rattata lost its life.
Seeing his last hope die, the trialist gave up all resistance and was dragged away from the crowd by the Team Rocket's grunts. There was no doubt in anyone's mind as to his eventual demise.
In front of everyone, Team Rocket once again showed their ruthless side, treating human life as nothing more than insignificant.
Cain watched the scene unfold without the slightest fluctuation in his emotions. It was just one life. Dozens of people had died by his hands. Which Team Rocket member didn't have the blood of a few lives on their hands? He had once thought that Team Rocket was just like in the anime, that they would just show up and then be sent flying, but that was just the fantasy of the anime.
"Killing the chicken to scare the monkeys, that's a good tactic." Cain thought silently to himself.
Cain had a certain understanding of what Viper was doing. He was just warning those who were fooling around. If you don't move forward, you will die. For the powerful trialists present, there was no ripple in their hearts, and apart from a slight touch of contempt, they didn't think much of it, as such things had nothing to do with them anyway.
It was like the well-known catfish effect, where a group of sardines would all die if left alone in a net, but if a catfish was put in, all the sardines would begin to swim away under the deterrent of the catfish, avoiding the catfish's predation, which ultimately resulted in the sardines reaching the fish market alive and fetching high prices.
Today, they were like sardines, and Team Rocket was the catfish, and only under the relentless prodding of the catfish could all the sardines stay alive and sell for high prices. Only then could all the trialists work harder to improve and allow Team Rocket to acquire potentially stronger individuals.
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