Under an unfamiliar yet known sky in the middle of the ocean there was an unknown island covered densely with tall trees.
A weak and scrawny boy sat on the beach with sunken eyes and hollow cheeks, clear signs of malnutrition. Although he was wearing thin and tattered clothes, one could tell that he was around 15 years old.
The boy looked with a complex expression at the creature beside him.
The creature was almost as high as the child's knee and its body was completely covered by dark feathers without a hint of paleness. If it wasn't for the bright moon, it would be nearly impossible to see the it in its entirety.
With a trembling hand, the boy reached out to the creature. Just before touching it he hesitated for a moment before proceeding to place his hand on it.
Feeling the real texture under his hand, the boy sighed gently, his gaze relaxing.
"Who would've guessed, I am back," Aoki whispered with a small breath.
Everything was still so clear.
As a powerful Pokemon trainer with the strength that was close to the elite level, Aoki still remembered how he barely survived after being captured by Team Rocket for the trial.
With the skills and special abilities from his previous life, he managed to climb up the rankings within Team Rocket, even gaining a certain reputation in the underworld.
However, he was tricked into an ambush by the League because of a trap set for him by a rival within Team Rocket.
His overconfidence because of nearly rising to the elite rank led him to believe that he could survive the attack. But he didn't expect that the League would send 2 elite-level trainers just to capture him.
Although the opponents didn't send out their most powerful Pokemon, Aoki couldn't withstand their combined attack.
With no escape, he fought with all his power and managed to kill two Pokemon from the second team of the League's operatives. The two were furious and in a fit of rage buried him alive under the ground.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the current scene.
Aoki laboriously stretched out his hands in front of him. All the scars left by the injuries from training were gone. His hands were yellowed due to malnutrition and the blood vessels and bones could be clearly seen.
He clenched his fists with all his strength, and his nails slowly dug into his palms without him realizing it.
"Caw..." Murkrow screeched softly, looking curiously at the man who had suddenly changed.
Aoki heard the caw of Murkrow, and tried to smile. But it seemed that the muscles on his face haven't smiled for a such a long time that they seem to have forgotten how to smile.
He stroked the back of Murkrow again. It was not very smooth, clearly showing the same malnutrition as him.
"Murkrow, I'm glad that you are here," Aoki said, his voice filled with mixed emotions.
In his previous life, because of his life on Earth, he was very rigid in his ways. Although he changed later, it was already too late. But Murkrow, as his starter Pokémon, was by his side from the beginning to the end, and was not only his closest guardian but also his best friend.
Even at the last moments of the previous life, he was by his side and did not give up on him.
The "powerful" partners he forcibly captured, bought, or stolen had left him. Only Murkrow remained loyal and never gave up on him from the beginning to the end. It was the one thing that Aoki regretted.
"Caw!" Crowed Murkrow. Although it didn't understand why, it could clearly feel the closeness between it and the person in front of it.
It was only the first time they had met, and although Murkrow didn't understand the reason, it did not want to attack him.
That's why after Aoki released it, it didn't try to attack or escape; it only observed him curiously.
Aoki was surprised. The first time he met Murkrow in his last life, it took a lot of effort to capture it, and fully understand this unique Pokemon.
The time wasted during that process still filled him with regret.
As someone who had only watched some anime and only knew vaguely about some relationship between Ash and Pikachu, even most species of Pokemon are not recognised, not to mention the traits, skills and training methods of Pokemon.
In this world, there is a saying that the upper limit of the growth of the Pokemon depends on the talent of the Pokemon, and the lower limit of the growth of the Pokemon depends on the talent of the trainer.
Aoki could not even bear to count how much time was wasted before he fully understood all the traits of Murkrow. Only then was Murkrow properly trained, but by then, it was already too late, and part of Murkrow's potential had been lost forever.
In his previous life, Aoki excelled in the trials thanks to Murkrow and its innate talent, despite the many mistakes he made during its training.
Moreover, due to the excessive wastage of Murkrow's potential, Aoki eventually abandoned it.
"Murkrow, in this life I will never abandon you again." Aoki said, his hand trembling slightly as he petted Murkrow.
"Caw" Murkrow responded, as if sensing the complexity in Aoki's heart.
Aoki smiled slightly. At last, his body seemed to remember how to smile.
However, there was still some tension left in his heart. Judging by the current situation, he should have just been captured and brought to this uninhabited island, and then forced to receive his starter Pokemon. If he will survive this trial, it was all thanks to Murkrow.
It's worth noting that most of the Pokemon the Rockets assigned during the trials were Zubat, Koffing, or Ekans, while Murkrow were a much rarer Pokemon.
After the distribution of the Pokemon, the first test is to subdue it. This is not an animated world; this is a real world, and all the Pokemon of the Rockets are not tamed. These wild Pokemon often attack their trainers in the first moment of release. Sometimes even killing them, and then running away.
At the beginning, there were 300 young people aged 15-18. After the first test, their were only 150-160 people remaining.
The cruelty was evident; nearly half of the participants died in the first test. Elimination meant death.
After finishing the trials, only fifty people survived. These fifty people will all be divided into the Rockets' various squads and divisions and become insignificant members.
Only the top ten people in the trials can choose which division they want to go to, and only the top three can become Team Rocket officers.
The first place in the trials would be able to receive a regional starter. Yes, in this world regional starters were extremely valuable. Apart from the members of the League who pay large fees, it is nearly impossible to find them in the wild. The Pokemon rewarded by the Rockets were also Pokemon with high potiential.
Aoki vaguely remembered that the person who got first place in his past life chose a Bulbasaur.
It was thanks to this talented Bulbasaur that he successfully became a Senior Officer of the Rockets. He even reached the peak and was just one step away from becoming an elite-level trainer.
As the focus of the Rockets training, his future was very bright. It is said that he would be trained as a part of the next generation of executives.
Although Aoki's performance was also good, Aoki was far behind from that person. Over time, he ended up working under his command, so he knew his career well.
Aoki dusted himself off and slowly stood up. He suddenly stilled as he remembered something. If he had returned back to the past, then that "something" should still be here.
"System, activate!" Aoki thought silently.
"Beep, activating the system..."
After ten seconds, just when Aoki was about to give up, a mechanical sound sounded in his mind, like an emotionless robot.
"Sure enough..."