POKEMON : STARTING WITH FLASH METAGROSS

If the ring matches had been held separately, it would have been unfair to the players who had to fight earlier. However, the order was based on the results of the first round, and few dared to question it openly.

Take Ye Guang, for instance. Although he was ranked last in the first round, no one challenged him until the tenth-ranked player took their turn. Despite the delay, Ye Guang easily defeated his challenger with his Toxicroak.

At this point, Ye Guang's qualification for the finals seemed all but certain.

The matches continued. Seven of the ten rings became virtually uncontested after their champions delivered crushing victories, intimidating the remaining challengers.

The other three rings, however, saw frequent changes in their champions as their battles became increasingly vicious. Each successive champion became a target for challengers who believed their stamina and Pokémon had been drained.

The cycle of brutality escalated, culminating in a shocking scene.

During one match, a third-ranked Arbok from the first round viciously bit the wings of a fifth-ranked Golbat, tearing them apart. The Golbat was left critically injured, possibly even dead. The defeated trainer protested furiously, but the cold, detached broadcast only instructed him to leave the stage.

The audience remained silent.

This is not the Pokémon League. This is Team Rocket.

The Arbok's bloody victory secured its trainer a place in the finals. With that match concluded, all eyes turned to the sole remaining senior intelligence officer: Zhentiao.

Adjusting her glasses, Zhentiao calmly walked onto the stage, choosing Zamli as her opponent.

Gloating stares shifted toward Zamli, whose wretched expression grew even uglier. No one believed Zhentiao would lose—not even Zamli himself.

Three minutes later, Zhentiao's Rhydon left the stage victorious. Zamli's Yanmega lay buried under a pile of rocks, its fate uncertain.

The arena fell silent. No one dared to meet Zhentiao's gaze as she sat on her newly claimed throne.

---

It wasn't until Rax slowly stepped onto the stage that people remembered there was still one more challenger left.

Would he dare challenge Zhentiao?

Of course not.

Instead, Rax surprised everyone by choosing Ye Guang, the player who had been challenged the least throughout the matches.

---

Bang!

A red light flashed as Rax's long-anticipated Marowak entered the arena.

Ye Guang, faced with an opponent whose capabilities were largely unknown, chose his Zubat—a Pokémon in full condition and with the advantage of flight.

The battle began!

Marowak walked steadily into the arena, its steps deliberate and measured. Above, Zubat took to the air, its wingbeats erratic and unpredictable.

"Zubat!" Ye Guang called out, but he refrained from issuing further instructions, opting instead for a strategy of observation.

"Marowak!" Rax responded in kind, letting the Pokémon's instincts guide it.

The first clash wasn't physical; it was psychological. Both trainers sized each other up, searching for weaknesses.

Suddenly, a piercing screech echoed across the arena, causing many spectators to wince.

Screech!

Ye Guang frowned. He had planned for Zubat to use Supersonic to confuse Marowak, but the Screech disrupted his strategy entirely.

Marowak remained unaffected, its focus unwavering.

"Knock it down!" Rax commanded.

With a powerful swing of its bone club, Marowak struck an energy-infused rock like a baseball, sending it hurtling toward Zubat.

Caught off guard, Zubat took a direct hit. The Knockdown effect kicked in, and the bat Pokémon plummeted to the ground.

What followed was a devastating combination: Stomp and Bone Club.

Marowak executed the moves with precision and practiced efficiency, smashing Zubat into the arena floor and leaving it unconscious.

The battle ended in less than a minute.

Ye Guang, a well-known figure at Base No. 1, had been defeated.

---

Under the stunned gaze of the audience, Rax approached Ye Guang.

Was he about to start a fight?

Many spectators knew of Ye Guang and Zamli's unsavory behavior and watched with bated breath, hoping for drama.

But Rax simply leaned in and said, "Go back and drink more honey tea. Don't choke."

With that, he turned and claimed the champion's seat.

---

The second round of the Mobile Intelligence Agent selection was over.

The losers exited the arena, leaving the ten winners to walk toward the final gate.

Though there were no additional rounds, the next phase awaited them.

Rax had initially planned to deal with both Ye Guang and Zamli, but Zhentiao had conveniently eliminated Zamli earlier.

---

The ten finalists passed through the gate, instinctively giving the lead positions to Zhentiao and Rax.

This time, the room wasn't empty.

Three figures in plain clothes awaited them, standing side by side.

The speaker was a familiar face: the coffee shop owner Rax had met earlier. However, her current attire—a sleek, tight-fitting business suit—exuded a mature charm that starkly contrasted her previous appearance.

"So, she's not as young as she looks," Rax thought.

The other two figures were men.

One wore a sharp suit, adorned with colorful gemstone rings that reflected his affluent status. He observed the group with a friendly smile.

The other was darker-skinned and taciturn, carrying a massive travel bag as if he had just returned from a desert expedition.

The coffee shop owner spoke:

"Congratulations on passing the Mobile Intelligence Agent selection! Next, we will assign your external identities. There are four political officers, four business representatives, and two traveling trainers.

"The selection order will be based on your overall performance in both rounds. No appeals will be entertained."

She read the rankings aloud.

First Place: Zhentiao.

Second Place: Rax.

Rax blinked. Second place? Was it because of Zhentiao's elite-level Rhydon?

---

The assignments began. Contrary to expectations, Zhentiao chose a political officer role instead of the more flexible traveling trainer identity.

Rax, naturally, opted for the latter.

The third-ranked contestant, Mardo, grinned widely as he claimed the remaining traveling trainer slot, looking thrilled.

With the roles decided, the groups split up:

The political officers followed the coffee shop owner.

The business representatives went with the gem-adorned man.

Rax and Mardo trailed behind the silent man with the travel bag.