Rine walked forward cautiously, keeping his expression neutral. Around him, the other recruits were tense, their eyes scanning the table with a mixture of excitement, desperation, and fear.
At the front of the room stood Gideon, the man overseeing their recruitment. He was tall and sharp-eyed, his dark Team Rocket uniform immaculate despite the grime of the underground base. He waited in silence as the last of them entered before finally speaking.
“This is your second trial,” he announced, his voice cutting through the air like a knife. “Before you are one hundred Pokémon, each freshly caught and untamed. They are wild, aggressive, and do not trust you.”
Some recruits shifted uncomfortably.
Gideon continued, pacing in front of them. “These Pokémon were not raised in a lab. They were not trained by breeders. They are beasts of the wild, and they will test you.” His gaze hardened. “You have one month to dominate them. If you fail, you will be stripped of your status and sent to slave labor.”
A few recruits gasped. Others clenched their fists.
Gideon smirked. “Oh? Didn’t know that part, did you? Thought you were just getting a free Pokémon and a pat on the back?” His expression darkened. “This is Team Rocket. If you want power, you earn it. If you fail… well, I don’t waste resources on the weak.”
The room was silent.
“Each of you will step forward and pick one Poké Ball. Inside is your first partner. You will train, fight, and break them to your will.” Gideon’s smirk widened slightly. “For those of you who succeed quickly, there are rewards. The first ten to gain complete control over their Pokémon will receive valuable gifts and privileges. The stronger you become, the better your treatment. The weaker you remain, the worse your life will be.”
He gestured toward the table.
“Pick.”
Rine didn’t rush. He took his time, stepping forward only after the others had begun scrambling for Poké Balls. Many of the recruits were desperate, blindly grabbing at whatever was in reach.
But Rine wasn’t blind.
The moment he focused, something awakened inside him.
A pulse. A whisper in his mind.
His vision sharpened.
Floating above each Poké Ball, as if burned into the air itself, were names, colors, and numbers.
It was an ability. He knew it.
Identify.
It showed him their potential. Their talents.
Most were ordinary. A Koffing with Standard Green Potential. An Ekans with Standard Yellow Potential. A Zubat barely worth glancing at.
Then, at the end of the table—
Houndour (Standard Gold Potential).
His breath hitched slightly. Gold.
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A Pokémon with true potential.
He reached for it, fingers curling around the cool metal. Just as he lifted the Poké Ball, something new flashed in his vision.
Innate Talent: Thunder Shock
Rine's eyes widened. A Houndour with an Electric-type move? That was unheard of.
Parentage detected: Houndoom & Boltund Hybrid.
That explained it. This wasn’t just any Houndour—this was the offspring of two powerful parents. The potential was there. The raw power was there.
But power alone wasn’t enough. He needed to control it.
He stepped back, rolling the Poké Ball in his hand. Others had already released their Pokémon, preparing to fight. He hesitated.
A gut feeling told him to wait.
And then—
Gideon raised a hand.
“Before any of you release your Pokémon, there are things you need to understand.”
The recruits stilled.
Gideon walked toward them, clasping his hands behind his back.
“You are not just trainees. You are now part of Team Rocket’s economy. From now on, your survival is dependent on how well you manage your resources.”
A holographic screen appeared behind him, projected from a sleek black device on his wrist.
“This is the Rocket Credit System. Your rank, your success, and your power will all depend on how well you utilize this.”
The screen displayed numbers, charts, and conversion rates.
Rocket Credit to Poké Dollar Conversion:
-
1 Rocket Credit = 10 Poké Dollars
-
10 Rocket Credits = 100 Poké Dollars
- 100 Rocket Credits = 1000 Poké Dollars
“Rocket Credits are earned through missions, tasks, and battles. You will be given 1,000 Rocket Credits to start. Spend them wisely.”
A second chart appeared, showing available purchases.
Rocket Market Access (Trainee Level):
-
Basic Healing Items (Potions, Antidotes, etc.)
-
Training Materials (Dummies, Resistance Bands, Training Guides)
-
Poké Balls (Limited to Standard)
-
Basic Pokémon Food
Advanced items were locked. They had to earn access.
Gideon tapped his wrist, and every trainee’s watch lit up.
“These communication watches are now your lifeline. They allow you to:
-
Purchase from the Rocket Market.
-
Monitor your Pokémon’s condition.
-
Accept and track missions.”
The trainees murmured among themselves, checking their new devices.
Gideon’s smirk returned. “Right now, you only have access to healing items and training materials. If you want better food, better Poké Balls, or more Pokémon, you need to earn it.”
He let that sink in.
“And now…” His gaze darkened. “If you still want to release your Pokémon, go ahead.”
Some recruits immediately activated their Poké Balls.
Wild Pokémon erupted into the room, snarling and lunging. Chaos exploded as the untamed creatures turned on their new trainers.
A Spearow clawed at a girl’s face. A Poochyena tore into a boy’s arm.
A Koffing unleashed toxic gas, sending a recruit into choking spasms.
The experienced Team Rocket members watching from the walls barely reacted, but their expressions turned darker.
They had seen this before.
They knew how this ended.
Rine’s instincts screamed at him. Something was wrong.
He clenched his Poké Ball tightly and stepped back, retreating toward one of the veteran Rockets.
He wasn’t a fool. He would wait. He would study before releasing Houndour.
Instead, he pulled up his watch’s training section.
-
Ember (Unmastered)
-
Bite (Unmastered)
-
Howl (Unmastered)
-
Tail Whip (Unmastered)
-
Thunder Shock (Unmastered) [Inherited from Boltund Lineage]
Unranked → Novice → Beginner → Proficient → Expert → Advanced → Mastered → EX
Rine’s mind raced. Pokémon could train their moves beyond basic levels.
Most trainers were stuck in the old ways, thinking Pokémon could only have four moves.
But this world wasn’t the games.
He would train Houndour’s Fire and Electric abilities.
He would ensure it mastered them all.
But first—
He needed control.
And patience.
As the screams and chaos continued around him, Rine simply waited.
And Gideon, watching from a distance, took notice.
This boy was different.
Smarter.
He would survive.