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It wasn't long before the noisy plaza fell silent. A middle-aged man with a fierce expression, standing nearly two meters tall, entered the plaza wearing a military hat.
On the most visible part of his left chest, a red "R" could be seen. Behind him followed ten Team Rocket members, all dressed in soldier uniforms with cold expressions, accompanied by large wolf-like dogs.
Walking beside the middle-aged man was a sinister dog, entirely black, with two white horns curving backward on its head and a tail resembling that of a demon. It was a Houndoom, a Dark- and Fire-type Pokémon.
Cain listened as the plaza grew quiet and slowly opened his eyes. Seeing the middle-aged man, his eyes narrowed slightly. It was him! He cast a glance at the Houndoom next to the man, and a glint passed through his eyes as the system activated.
Pokémon: Houndoom (Green)
Gender: Male
Level: 28
Types: Dark, Fire
Ability: Flash Fire
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Fire Fang, Fire Spin
Basic Moves: Will-O-Wisp, Foul Play, Thunder Fang, Leer, Ember, Howl, Haze, Roar, Bite, Odor Sleuth, Smog
Learned Moves: Feint Attack
TM Moves: Hidden Power (Rock), Shadow Ball, Flamethrower
Seeing Houndoom's level and the long list of moves, Cain couldn't help but feel a bit helpless. The difference was significant. Furthermore, he knew that this Houndoom didn't even belong to the man's primary team.
It was possible that it wasn't even on his secondary team. If the man brought out any Pokémon from his second team, he could defeat everyone present, including all the Team Rocket members.
"This time, there are even 156 survivors! The quality of this group isn't bad," the middle-aged man said. His voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the plaza could hear him. He spoke as if he weren't talking about human lives.
The man looked around the plaza, and noticing that everyone was staring at him, he calmly said, "My name is Viper, I'm the lead instructor of Team Rocket, responsible for this purgatory you call an island. From today on, your lives belong to me." He smiled sadistically as he observed how everyone was intimidated by his presence and nodded in satisfaction.
"The trial will last three months. From now on, you must gather here once a week. If you miss two consecutive times, it will be considered a failure. I'm sure you already know the consequences of failing, right?" Viper continued speaking on his own.
He pointed to a large rock in the center of the plaza and said, "This is the test stone, a device developed with Team Rocket's latest technology. It can measure the strength of a Pokémon's attack."
"Next, you will take turns attacking this stone. Based on the data obtained, you will be ranked. The top ten in the ranking will receive 100 points, with progressive increases. As for what you can get with those points, you can investigate on your own."
Team Rocket Points!
They are a resource that can only be used within Team Rocket, allowing you to obtain almost anything in the world. It's thanks to this point system that Team Rocket has reached its current level.
It's well known that in this world, large families control scarce resources, and even if you have a lot of money, you couldn't buy them.
These points can be used not only on the island but also at any Team Rocket base after the trial is over.
"The maximum number of people who can pass this trial will be fifty. The top ten will each receive ten thousand points. The top three will obtain a fake League identity card, created by Team Rocket."
"And the first-place winner will be able to choose one of the high-quality starter Pokémon from Team Rocket's storage," Viper said word by word. "And most importantly! The rule of this trial is... there are no rules!"
"Let the first ranking test begin!" With that order, Viper sat down on a chair in the center of the plaza and gave his subordinates the signal to start recording the entire process.
Under the active direction of the Team Rocket soldiers, everyone quickly formed a line for the first ranking test.
"Ekans, Bite!" A young man's voice rang out, and a purple snake shadow rushed toward the large rock in the center, opening a bloody mouth with two sharp fangs gleaming with white light, biting hard on the stone.
Bang! But it didn't leave a single scratch.
"Attack value: 56!" Immediately, a line of text appeared on the test stone.
A Team Rocket soldier recording the results shouted emotionlessly, "Number 34, attack value 56! Currently first! Next!" Then he noted the result in his notebook.
The young man with number 34 on his chest didn't seem satisfied with his result, frowned, and walked away.
Next in line was a young man with a Zubat, looking scared and somewhat inexperienced. "Zubat, Tackle!" He ordered with a youthful voice, while the Zubat above his head slowly flapped its wings and collided back-first into the stone.
Attack value: 19!
Seeing the result on the test stone, the first young man breathed a sigh of relief, then made a dismissive gesture, while the others in line looked at the young man with a mix of contempt.
"Number 13, attack value 19, currently second! Next!" The Team Rocket soldier remained emotionless. To him, these boys and girls facing Pokémon for the first time were so inexperienced they failed to capture his interest.
"Number 24, attack value 25, currently second! Next..."
"Number 98, attack value 45..."
"Number 77, attack value..."
One after another, those with better results looked down disdainfully at those below them, while those with worse results gazed enviously and with frustration at those above.
Cain watched the situation, frowning. In his past life, it had been the same. An elite selection trial for Team Rocket! Only when participants begin to fight among themselves can the strongest emerge.
"Attack value: 98!" While Cain was thinking, a murmur of astonishment spread through the crowd.
A young man with a slender build, white skin, and impeccable clothing stood at the front with an attack value of 98, the highest so far. Beside him, an Ekans stood proudly, looking at everyone with disdain.
"It's him." When Cain saw him, his eyes involuntarily narrowed.
If he remembered correctly, that young man was the one who secured first place in this trial and received an exceptional Bulbasaur, beginning a meteoric rise. Even when Cain activated the system, he never managed to catch up to him.
Number 99... his real name was Xander.
A long time passed without anyone managing to surpass Xander's attack value. When the test was almost finished, it was finally Cain's turn, number 234.
"Another one with a special Pokémon!" When Cain's turn arrived, many began murmuring as they noticed the Murkrow on his shoulder.
The Pokémon assigned by Team Rocket were mainly Zubat, Ekans, and Koffing, but there were also some different Pokémon. A special Pokémon wasn't necessarily stronger than a Zubat, Ekans, or Koffing; it was just seen as something different, an outsider.
"Bah, it's just a Murkrow, what's so special about that? The Murkrow from before didn't do that well either, and this one looks even weaker. I bet he won't accomplish much," someone said disdainfully.
Cain showed no emotion, ignored the others' words, took a deep breath, and ordered, "Tailwind and then Peck!"
His calmness silenced those who had ridiculed him, feeling slightly embarrassed. They had tried to throw him off with words, but only ended up looking foolish.
Murkrow took flight, surrounded by a white airflow. After a few days of recovery, its body had returned to the normal size of a Murkrow.
Murkrow circled in the air, gathering strength and, using the momentum of Tailwind and gravity, struck the stone with a powerful hit. Then, with an elegant turn, it landed lightly on Cain's shoulder.
Cain smiled slightly, opened his eyes a bit, raised his eyebrows, glanced at the stone, and walked away calmly.
Attack value: 97!
The words on the stone felt like a slap in the face to everyone who had ridiculed him. An attack value of 97, only one point below Xander's 98. Currently second, while the third had an attack value of only 90, a considerable difference.
"Number 234, attack value 97, currently second! Next!" Even the soldier recording the results glanced at Cain, who was walking slowly through the crowd, and after a moment, finally announced the result.
In reality, Cain's Murkrow didn't have the strength to deliver such a powerful attack, but Cain had used a trick for Murkrow to take advantage of Tailwind's momentum and gravity while descending, achieving that result.
After Cain's test, several other participants, who were more astute, began reflecting. They understood that Cain had used a trick. A simple trick, but effective, right?
As stated before, the rule is... there are no rules!
Viper had watched the entire testing process, and when Cain finished, his eyes lingered on him for a few extra seconds.
An interesting boy!
(End of chapter)