Chapter 37 ; Introduction To The End ; Part 1

Eli was led into a separate room from the one he woke up in, and rather than something from a madhouse or a mental asylum, it looked like something he had only seen in books before.

A dormitory. Simple but effective wooden furniture, such as bed frames and a small desk in the corner. Eli swished his hand over the switch that turned the lighting on. He had relied on reading and the simple task's with the dull candlelight, but not anymore.

But he did not get joy at it. He thought when his blood-soaked hands would reach something normal people had, he would have felt joy and happiness. What was this? Why did he feel like this?

Slowly lying down on his bed, Eli blinked a couple of times before sighing. This was what he wanted, but this was not something he expected.

Grasping two pokeballs, Eli took a moment to compose himself before finally releasing Teddiursa and Skrelp.

"..." Eli looked at them, a complex look filling his eyes. They were the same. Skrelp was quiet and cunning, whereas Teddiursa was flamboyant and overbearing.

But what was this feeling in his chest? This... uncertainty.

It was too late to turn back now.

They both looked at him as Eli patted the bed near him.

"Come." His dead eyes said, but the two pokemon eagerly climbed up... well, Teddiursa did; Skrelp had to be helped up due to being slow and unable to jump on land.

Teddiursa liked the soft feeling of the bed, whereas Skrelp wasn't a fan due to being accustomed to the harsh forest and sleeping on kelp and seaweed.

But as Eli touched the holographic tablet, his confusion about such a foreign device slowly faded as he quickly grew accustomed to it.

After clicking the first button on what seemed to be a homepage, a holographic picture of a man showed up, somebody who Eli recognized as the hard-arsed man from the holographic watch. Eli looked down at his wrist, but the small bracelet wasn't there.

"This is an automated message to whoever has beaten the challenge. Congrats. But do not let the warmth and food distract you. You are not on holiday; you are in one of the biggest crime organizations in the world. Nobody here is your friend, and nobody is here to give you a helping hand. This message serves as guidance, the only guide you will get in this place.

Eli's crimson eyes flashed when he heard this before simply watching the rest of the video.

"Ranks of Team Rocket are simple, much like a large flat-organizational business. You have the grunts, the bottom of the barrel. These people failed to tame a Pokémon or failed to reach the standards you possess right now. Grunts are one-tier, with no subdivision. These people are cannon fodder and are prone and subject to you. Next are the Members, The Managers, The Directors, The Admins, and the boss. Now, the simple question? How do you rise to the ranks? By proving loyalty by doing missions and being useful.. well, easier said than done. It all comes down to how willing you are to do your job. You will apply to train, something normal grunts don't, but you are a member."

Members? Hm. They were told at the beginning of the trial on the island that they would receive higher positions.

"Your training will depend on the higher-ups, who will see your performance on the island and will put you in a category where you excel, meaning that you are prone to your higher-up's decisions. Get used to this, or you will be found in a ditch."

Eli raised his eyes at this. It was meant for a group of people, but he was the sole survivor aside from those who managed to escape. That meant that he would be given more attention... a blessing or a curse depending on his situation.

Escape? was that bitch who tried to kill him still alive? She would be dead by now if he did cause all that damage.

Eli breathed relief before gluing his eyes back to the matter.

"Rocket points are what you get from the mission, along with merits. Merits are not something you can expend and are accountable to your next rank up, whereas rocket points can get you facilities and items that can boost both you and your pokemon's powers. Items such as cold or hot weapons can be brought here. You have to become a manager to buy Pokémon on there, but potions are poke balls. You name it. But people who lack self-control are present in team rocket, and they don't last long, trust me. Finance yourself well, or you won't have enough points to buy yourself a coffin."

Eli understood why people who came from poverty would indulge themselves with such a sudden change... but he heeded the instructor's advice, as he knew that this was a seasoned man and not somebody spouting bullshit like those alliance politicians.

"You may come out of team rocket for desperation... revenge. I was no different, but I'm not reading off no fucking script for this one. The alliance isn't your only enemy. None of you truly have experienced the horrors of not only the coalition but the last part of this fucked up holy trinity.....

The cults.

The cults? What are cults?

"Fucking schizos who worship gods... and will do anything to serve those gods. Some have power's that even the alliance or team rocket doesn't understand. Do not take any missions regarding them early, or you may not come back... and even if you were lucky enough to, you wouldn't be the same—mental assailment for the lucky ones. Congratulations on the induction to team rocket, and may you live longer heeding my words. Dismissed."

The holographic 360 view of the man disappeared before Eli clutched his head and let out a sigh. He had no interest in the cultists, and his main goal was the alliance. But he had never heard of them before, and he needed to research it back-

A large red intrusive button appeared before Eli, which he clicked with hesitation.

"Hello, Mr. Eli. I am Doctor Swoiker, the head of the investigation into what happened on the island." The man was short, round, and had white hair. His eyes were empty, much like Eli's. "My research team has spent a week studying your pokemon and you while you were knocked out in an involuntary coma, which I apologize for. You may be suffering from vile-colored spouts of blood coming from your mouth. I assure you that this isn't a stomach ulcer but the effects of your energy."

Eli clicked his tongue in annoyance but tried to focus on the video. Knowing about his energy was inevitable, but it was a card that was discarded.

A chart of data appeared behind the man, which Eli studied.

"Your body is suffering from rapid discomposure of cells. But you are also rapidly gaining cells. This has both negative and positive connotations on your body. You can heal wounds faster than normal humans have, akin to a pokemon. But everything has a cost, Mr. Eli. May you look into this."

A structure of something that Eli immediately found was a textbook example of DNA.

"Right here is a Telomere. It shortens when cells undergo mitosis as a person grows older. But your DNA is different; when the cells divide, your Telomere shortens, but you don't age. Simplified, you will die faster and sooner, but you do not physically age; for example, when you are 40, you will look 40, not 80. I'm sorry, but you will die soon.

Eli put the tablet down before he rubbed his temples.

All power comes at a cost.

He gripped his fists, making his fingernails nearly go into the flesh.

What was the price he needed to pay?

"You're a special case, as you are an energy user, but you are not. You are physically incapable of using energy, but somehow, even as a broken vessel, you can still use it. We speculated that this is a somewhat artificial sample of energy, and you will be asked several times for samples of your energy when you grow stronger. It was a shame such a short period for the study was given... but the higher-ups didn't allow it.. tch a shame."

Eli's eyes grew cold. Another potential enemy and he hadn't even been on a fucking mission yet.

Ethics group? This nearly made Eli laugh. Team rocket had an ethics committee?

"The coughs you may be experiencing are the dead flesh coming out of your system. To prevent you from dying sooner than us studying you, pills have been prescribed to you to help with your medication. Your previous use of drugs has limited your immune system, so immunologic agents have been helped to ensure you don't die before I have the right to taxeridmy you. They will be delivered shortly alongside a basic package full of your equipment with team rocket. Dismissed."

As the light flickered from their eyes of Eli, he stopped before giving laughing.

"haha.Hahaha.Haha.

The world was against him.

But it was too late to back down.