POKEMON : STARTING WITH FLASH METAGROSS

The door closed, and Rax quickly checked his surroundings.

After confirming there were no monitoring devices, he opened his backpack and took out a can of packed sweetness.

"Brother, this is a greeting gift. Your job isn't easy. Drinking a little of this works wonders to relieve mental stress!"

With that, Rax forced the can into Jill's hands.

"This... is this really okay? That was—"

"No worries!"

Rax waved him off confidently. "It's tough earning points even if you stay at headquarters. This is high-quality sweetness made by Sanbee, hard to come by unless you visit Huayuan Town!"

Though it was bought casually, anything brewed by Sanbee always carried a guarantee of quality.

Hearing Rax's explanation, Jill's eyes widened. His outstretched hand froze, and he hesitated before pulling it back awkwardly.

"Take it, we're all brothers!"

Rax smiled boldly, pushing the gift into Jill's hands once more.

This time, Jill, still embarrassed, blushed but accepted it. "Thank you, Brother Rax!"

Rax nodded with satisfaction—Jill wasn't too difficult to deal with.

Now for the real purpose...

"Jill, what do you think of this selection process? I came here clueless, to be honest. I'm feeling a bit flustered."

Rax raised an eyebrow, using the opportunity to gather some information.

Jill froze, realizing that nothing good comes without strings attached. However, thinking of the sweetness, which could calm his Zubat and even improve its strength, he hesitated.

Since joining Team Rocket, Jill had been training at Base 1 while carrying out small assignments.

The long exposure to harsh lighting conditions had made his Zubat increasingly irritable—a condition shared by many of the team's Pokémon. Unfortunately, the treatment equipment at the base couldn't resolve this directly.

The only options were to use aromatherapy from Grass-type Pokémon or to consume rare delicacies like the sweetness Rax had provided—both methods being out of reach for someone at Jill's level.

"Don't worry, I won't force you to say anything you're not comfortable with. But you've been here longer than I have, and I just want to understand the lay of the land."

Hearing this, Jill relaxed visibly.

"Brother Rax, if you trust me, give me two hours. I'll sort out the information I've gathered and share it with you."

Rax's eyes lit up. "You're part of the intelligence team?"

Jill looked down. "Yes… Brother Rax, trust me. I'll deliver what you need in two hours."

"Alright, I'll wait for you!"

Rax patted Jill's shoulder. This was his first interaction with him, so he didn't want to push too hard. If Jill could prove to be a reliable informant, it would simplify many things.

Jill left with the sweetness, and Rax wasn't worried—anyone in Jill's position would cooperate.

After rechecking the rest area, Rax locked the door and released his Pokémon: Marowak, Beldum, and Jumpluff.

"We'll be staying here for a while. Get comfortable. We'll have dinner later!"

The Pokémon responded enthusiastically and began exploring the small room.

Marowak carefully unpacked its thick bone maintenance kit and found a cozy corner to tinker with it.

Jumpluff floated toward the ceiling, curiously inspecting the ventilation ducts.

Meanwhile, Beldum zoomed around, bumping into walls and leaving sparks everywhere as it experimented with its speed in the tight space.

Rax ignored them and turned to his computer. Logging into the system platform, he entered the points redemption section.

Because he was stationed at Base 1, many items were listed as immediately available.

Rax knew exactly what he needed. After a spree of purchases, his remaining points dropped to 259 out of the 6,859 he had amassed.

The extra 1,000 points came as a reward for capturing a Nosepass earlier—a satisfying bonus.

Purchases:

Substitute TM: 2,000 points

Protect TM: 2,000 points

Toxic TM: 1,000 points

Reflect TM: 800 points

Leaf Stone: 800 points

All of these items were meant to boost Jumpluff's combat prowess.

Support skills, such as Reflect and Substitute, were especially challenging to master but crucial for Jumpluff's role in Rax's strategy. If Jumpluff could grasp a poison-based defense strategy before the trials, Rax could dominate.

"No one here will be able to touch me!"

The Leaf Stone and Reflect TM would enhance Jumpluff's endurance, compensating for its natural frailty. Jumpluff had become Rax's ace for this trial.

After redeeming the items, Rax gathered his Pokémon and left to collect his orders. He also exchanged some Pokémon caught en route for extra points, raising his total to 610.

Finally, he grabbed dinner from the cafeteria—packing meals for himself and Marowak while relying on pre-prepared food for Jumpluff and Beldum.

Three Hours Later

As Rax reviewed information on the platform, doubts crept in.

Had he misjudged Jill?

Knock, knock, knock.

The door interrupted his thoughts.

"Return, Jumpluff, Beldum."

Recalling the Pokémon that couldn't be exposed, Rax opened the door.

It was Jill.

"Brother Rax, I'm sorry I'm late."

Jill kept his head down, voice hoarse.

"Come in. Let's talk."

After Jill entered, the room grew tense.

Jill silently handed over a USB drive.

"Brother Rax, here's the information you wanted."

"What happened?" Rax asked, taking the drive.

It was clear that something was bothering Jill. Rax intended to find out—this could be his chance to secure Jill's loyalty.

Jill hesitated but eventually spoke.

As it turned out, Jill had been bullied by others in his cohort, left without support or a way to fight back. Receiving kindness from Rax—and experiencing recent mistreatment—had pushed him to take this risky step.

For Jill, this was both a way to repay Rax and to quietly test his trustworthiness.