Chapter 1 – New Recruit Trial
"Rookies, I hope you manage to survive the next three months of trials. Try not to die, hahaha."
A large aircraft roared through the sky. Inside, a tall, broad-built man with rough features and a military cap bearing a bold red R stood at the front, his gaze sweeping over the young boys and girls seated inside the cabin.
He was Team Rocket's chief instructor. His codename was Bloodhand, and he was also a powerful Trainer.
As his words echoed through the cabin, most of the recruits instinctively clenched their fists. The air grew heavy, saturated with tension.
Leon stood among the crowd, his expression calm and unchanged. Instead of reacting to the atmosphere, he simply closed his eyes, resting.
It had been six months since he had transmigrated into this Pokémon world.Yet life after crossing over was nothing like the bright, adventurous world shown in the anime of his previous life. Instead, it was dark and cruel—especially for orphans like him, with no background and no strength.
They were easy prey.
Street thugs routinely extorted and beat them. The original owner of this body had suffered countless beatings, robbed again and again of the little money he earned. Eventually, during one such assault, he lost his life.
That was when Leon arrived.
But even after transmigrating, nothing changed.
The wages he earned through exhausting part-time work were stolen. When luck turned against him, he was beaten as well. With his money gone, hunger became a frequent companion.
Leon had thought about resisting. But the moment he saw a Poké Ball in the hands of his attackers, that thought died instantly. Moreover, before transmigrating, he hadn't been some elite soldier or special forces operative—just an ordinary university student. His combat ability was painfully average.
As for raising Pokémon? That was nothing more than a fantasy. When he could barely feed himself, how could he possibly afford to raise one?
Calling the police was useless. Ordinary officers would only brush it off, unwilling to cause trouble. In this day and age, anyone operating on the streets had some kind of backing. There were even rumors that many of those gangs were protected by powerful figures behind the scenes.
And Officer Jenny would never bother with such "minor issues."
As for other solutions, there were none worth considering.
The massive Pokémon League had long since rotted from within. Great families and powerful clans controlled everything. Perhaps the idyllic life shown in the anime belonged only to them.
People like him had nothing.
At first, Leon had been thrilled to transmigrate into the Pokémon world. As a lifelong Pokémon fan, he had often dreamed of crossing over—traveling the world like Ash, encountering Legendary Pokémon, living a life of adventure.
But after repeated beatings and extortion, those dreams were shattered completely.
What remained was a single, burning desire.
Power.
Only power could allow him to control his own fate.
Better to explode in silence than die quietly.
To avoid reliving the same helpless fate, to avoid placing his life in the hands of others—and for the sake of a so-called opportunity—Leon made a bold decision one stormy, moonless night after long deliberation.
He joined Team Rocket.
An organization officially recognized by the League as evil.
He became a Team Rocket recruit.
At the very least, this place offered an opportunity—one he could gamble his life on.
When the light no longer shines, darkness becomes the only choice.
Today marked the end of three months of brutal training. The recruits were about to face their final trial—live ammunition, real danger.
More than two hundred recruits would be dropped onto Trial Island, where they would undergo a month-long survival trial.
The rules of the island were simple.
There were no rules.
Anything was allowed. Any method was permitted.
All that mattered was survival.
Survive, and you would officially become a member of Team Rocket.
If you wanted better resources, faster growth, or a chance to climb the ranks, then you had to achieve outstanding results in the assessment.
Various evaluation items were scattered across the island. Points would be awarded based on their value, and everything would be tallied at the end.
"Scared already?" a mocking voice suddenly interrupted Leon's rest."Get on your knees right now and call me 'Dad' three times, and I might consider letting you go. Otherwise… heh."
Leon opened his eyes.
Standing before him was a teenage boy with an arrogant expression and a sinister gaze—Luke. Around him stood five or six followers, clearly acting as his lackeys, chiming in eagerly.
"Hahaha, hurry up! Why are you pretending to be so tough?"
"Yeah, Boss Luke is being merciful, giving you a chance. What are you waiting for?"
"Come on already! Hahaha!"
Leon looked at them expressionlessly, his lips moving slightly.
"Idiots."
Despite the open threats, his face remained calm, as if he were looking at a group of clowns jumping around on stage.
"Good. Very good."
Luke let out a cold laugh.
"Let's see if you can stay this calm later. I'm really curious whether that Magikarp of yours can actually protect you."
"That's none of your concern."
"Heh. Just don't die too early. If you do, it won't be fun."
The commotion did not go unnoticed. Bloodhand and the other instructors above observed the scene, but none of them intervened. If anything, they seemed mildly interested.
"That kid is probably doomed," one tall man beside Bloodhand said. He was one of the instructors for this batch of recruits and recognized Leon from his consistent top rankings."That Magikarp of his is useless, while Luke has backing. He's definitely hiding some trump cards. Leon's performance has been impressive—he took first place multiple times. A real talent. What a waste."
"As long as they don't violate discipline on the plane," Bloodhand replied indifferently, glancing at his watch, "it's none of our business."
Leon sighed inwardly.
Where there are people, there is conflict.
Team Rocket was no exception. The people here weren't good by any measure, and factionalism was inevitable.
The conflict between him and Luke had started during training. Leon had answered a question before the instructor once, unintentionally embarrassing Luke. From that moment on, Luke had held a grudge.
Later, Leon refused to become his subordinate. On top of that, Leon continued to rank first repeatedly during training.
That was enough.
Somehow, it escalated into a life-or-death feud. Luke and his group clearly wanted him dead.
At this point, Leon had no intention of begging.
And he would show them no mercy either.
If he got the chance—he would kill them.
In Team Rocket, competition was unavoidable. He needed resources. He needed growth.
He needed to survive.
Fortunately, within the Team Rocket base, strict regulations prevented Luke from acting recklessly, even with his background. Both sides had maintained a fragile peace.
But now?
The trial was about to begin.
No rules.
No restraints.
That was why Luke dared to say those words.
I'm not a pushover, Leon thought calmly. Who lives and who dies is still uncertain.
Outwardly, his expression did not change.
Before his eyes, invisible to anyone else, a translucent system panel hovered quietly.
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Host: LeonGender: MaleHeight / Weight: 180 cm / 75 kg
Pokémon Owned: MagikarpBattle Points: 220
Skills:
-Beginner Psychic
-Beginner Breeder
-Combat Techniques
-Cooking
-Driving
-…
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This system was the golden finger Leon had obtained after transmigrating. It only activated when he received his initial Pokémon—Magikarp.
After more than three months of experimentation, he had a solid grasp of its functions.
Battle Points could be exchanged for items in the system shop. Aside from living creatures, the shop offered an astonishing variety of goods.
Battle Points were obtained through Pokémon battles.
In addition, the system issued two types of tasks. Completing them granted rewards, the value of which depended on performance.
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Defeat Tasks:
Defeat 1 Pokémon (Completed)
Defeat 10 Pokémon (Completed)
Defeat 100 Pokémon (Incomplete)…
Achievement Tasks:
Become a Rookie Trainer (Completed)
Become a Beginner Trainer (Completed)
Become an Intermediate Trainer (Incomplete)…
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Over the past three months, while enduring Team Rocket's brutal training, Leon had completed several system tasks.
His psychic ability and beginner breeder skills were rewards from those missions. Two other tasks had rewarded him with a Magikarp Training Manual and a Rare Candy.
And aside from the system…
His Magikarp was on the verge of evolving.
When that happened, he would give them all a very special surprise.