"What? Do you know Dr. Zager?" Jessie asked suspiciously, noticing the change in Hora's expression upon hearing the name.
"I don't know him personally, but I've heard of his reputation," Hora masked his reaction smoothly, his tone carrying just the right amount of awe. "They say Dr. Zager is a brilliant scientific expert. I just didn't expect him to be part of Team Rocket. Don't worry, I won't cause you any trouble."
Jessie nodded and asked no more. She turned and began walking out of the warehouse, calling back over her shoulder, "Dr. Zager's lab is in an abandoned factory in the old district of Viridian City. There's a Team Rocket secret passage there. Follow us—don't look around, and don't ask questions."
Meowth led the way, twisting through narrow alleys and bypassing several streets patrolled by police officers before finally stopping in front of a dilapidated factory gate.
James stepped forward, pressed a specific brick on the left side of the gate three times, and tapped a nearby iron pipe. With a click, the lock cylinder on the inside turned, revealing a pitch-black tunnel.
"Get in. Dr. Zager should still be in the lab." Jessie gestured for Hora to go first, while she, James, and Meowth followed, vigilantly watching their surroundings.
The passage was filled with the faint scent of disinfectant and chemical reagents. Dim emergency lights hung every few meters, illuminating the winding path ahead. Following behind the trio, Hora's heart beat slightly faster than usual—this was his first true step into Team Rocket's territory.
Dr. Zager's lab was at the end of the tunnel. Through the slightly ajar door, flickering instrument lights were visible, and the low hum of machinery could be heard.
Jessie took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and called inside, "Doctor, we're back. We brought someone who wants to join Team Rocket."
Inside the lab, Dr. Zager stood with his back to them, wearing a white lab coat. His thick glasses reflected the blue light of the monitors. His fingers slid rapidly across a control panel where a 3D model of a meteorite hovered. Red energy ripples swirled around the model, labeled: "Conversion Rate 32% · Unstable."
It wasn't until Jessie spoke that he slowly turned around. Having spent years in a sunless laboratory, his face was sickly pale, with dark circles under his eyes from constant late nights. Behind his lenses, his gaze was like chilled ice; as it swept over Hora, it carried an unmasked scrutiny and pressure.
"So you're the one who wants to join Team Rocket?" Zager's voice was hoarse and dry, as if he hadn't spoken to anyone in a long time—or as if he simply couldn't be bothered to waste energy on "insignificant people." "Jessie says you have 'value.' I'd like to see if you can say something more useful than 'I want to be a Champion'—after all, my lab doesn't harbor idle dreamers."
Hora was not intimidated by the atmosphere. Instead, he met the doctor's gaze, his eyes flicking over the "R" insignia on Zager's chest and the scattered meteorite fragments on the table—the core of Zager's recent research.
He spoke slowly, his tone calm but certain: "Value, you say? Does the Doctor think a 'Future Champion' who can predict 'unconventional energy trajectories' and help you perfect your 'Meteorite Energy Conversion Device' has enough value?"
Ignoring the coldness, Hora looked up at the meteorite model on the screen. His gaze landed precisely on the most chaotic area of the energy ripples. "Doctor, the problem with your conversion device lies in the 'frequency matching of the guiding magnetic field,' doesn't it?"
Zager's fingers froze. His dismissive eyes instantly sharpened. "Go on."
"You're using fixed-frequency electromagnetic coils to force the energy within the meteorite into submission," Hora continued. "But the energy core of this meteorite is 'dynamically fluctuating.' It's like using a fixed-size container to hold water that is constantly expanding and contracting—it only causes the energy to leak through the gaps."
Hora took a step forward, pointing to a small, neglected data set in the corner of the screen. "Look here. When an abnormal magnetic field appeared in Viridian Forest last week, the meteorite's energy fluctuations actually stabilized for 0.7 seconds. That's because the forest's geomagnetic frequency briefly resonated with the meteorite's core frequency."
Dr. Zager quickly pulled up the magnetic field records from Viridian Forest. His fingers flew across the keyboard, inputting the parameters Hora mentioned into the simulation system. The red ripples on the screen began to smooth out. The conversion rate jumped to 57%, and the glaring "Unstable" tag turned into a yellow "Awaiting Verification."
He took off his glasses, wiped them, and put them back on. This time, his gaze toward Hora held genuine interest, though it remained guarded by scientific caution. "Even if you can solve the meteorite issue, that's just 'technical adjustment.' Team Rocket needs practical value, not a brat who just knows how to tweak parameters."
Hora remained silent for a moment, his eyes falling on the stacks of lab reports by Zager's hand. "You are a researcher; your value lies in breaking through scientific bottlenecks and designing core devices. But a perfect design must be verified by someone, and that is where my value lies. You handle 'upward breakthroughs,' and I handle 'downward rooting,' ensuring your research isn't wasted on unnecessary attrition."
Zager went silent, staring at the data and then at Hora's confident face. The boy's words had struck the exact weakness of his research. He never cared about "identity" or "ambition"—only "value to science." Hora's words hit his "pragmatic" sweet spot perfectly.
"Everything you've said, Jessie and James could do for me as well," Zager said, his voice still hoarse but losing its edge. He glanced dismissively at the trio behind him, a half-hearted test.
"Heh, do you really think they can?" Hora chuckled softly. "In a single week, they lost to me twice. They might be able to follow orders, but they will never think to 'pre-emptively avoid risks.' It's not a matter of ability; it's a matter of awareness."
Jessie wanted to protest, but James quietly tugged at her sleeve.
Dr. Zager glanced at the embarrassed duo and fell silent again. After a moment, his fingers tapped the console. The meteorite data minimized. His tone finally softened. "What do you want? Temporary member status? Lab assistant clearance? Resource support?"
"The same request I started with." Hora straightened his back, meeting Zager's eyes without flinching. "I want to join Team Rocket. And if possible, I want to become an Elite."