Chapter 24: Return to the Exchange Center

Through the long entrance, as Cain entered the base, his view gradually widened.

Compared to when he left, there were almost no significant changes to the entire base. The only difference was that the crowd seemed a bit thinner, and the empty base gave off a sense of desolation.

It was possible that some people who had left had not yet returned, after all, tomorrow was when the real test would take place.

If it weren't for the need to get rid of the valuable Pokémon egg he carried on his back, Cain wouldn't have returned so early.

Compared to life in the wild, the base seemed more comfortable and safe.

A person who was training their Pokémon in a corner saw Cain enter and showed an expression of joy. He quickly stopped his training and disappeared from the plaza with his small Pokémon.

Cain also noticed that person out of the corner of his eye but didn't pay much attention; he was just a weakling who depended on others to survive.

He headed straight to the Exchange Center, occasionally passing by a few people in small groups. When they saw him, they always showed slight confusion, a hint of surprise, and a touch of malicious satisfaction.

In the accommodation area reserved for the testers of the base, in a room clearly larger than the others, a young man was sitting in the center of the room, smiling as he stroked the scales of an Ekans coiled beside him.

On either side of him, there were about eight people, all accompanied by their Pokémon, but none dared make the slightest sound, or even look directly into the eyes of the young man sitting in the center.

"Xander, Boss Xander, that boy has returned." A shadow quickly rushed from the door toward the young man, but upon reaching him, all the words he had in mind got stuck in his throat, and he finally managed to say only that one sentence.

Indeed, the young man sitting in the middle of the room was Xander, first place in the first trial. According to the original course, he should also have been the undisputed winner of the base's final test.

"Oh? Is it that boy who came in second place?" Hearing what the newcomer said, Xander's smile faded, and he straightened in his seat. His eyes sharpened, focusing intensely on the person who came to report.

Sensing his master's murderous intent, the Ekans, which had been calm until that moment, also raised its body, flicking its forked tongue and showing a cold, deadly intent in its elongated eyes.

"Gulp." The young man who came to report felt Xander's gaze and Ekans' killer eyes, as if a sharp blade brushed against his skin. He swallowed hard, nodding stiffly, "Yes, yes, yes."

Upon hearing the confirmation, Xander's body relaxed, and he leaned back in his chair. Ekans also returned to its previous position, but for some reason, the young informant felt even colder.

"No wonder I took notice of him; he managed to survive out there for so long and has returned safe and sound. Ha, ha." Xander laughed, but there was no joy in his laughter.

Among the eight people sitting below, a robust young man of about 17 or 18 suddenly stood up, speaking in a deep voice, "Boss Xander, that boy who came in second only did so with some tricks. Let me bring him to you." With that, he turned to leave.

However, before he could move, Xander stopped him with his hand. "Rockwell, there's no need. I want to see how he performs tomorrow," Xander said with a smile.

"Yes." The young man called Rockwell responded again in a deep voice and then sat down again. In reality, he was just pretending; if he were asked to risk his life for Xander, he wouldn't. Despite his clumsy appearance, he was shrewd inside.

After Cain had left the base for a few days, Xander had openly organized his own force within the base. A key reason for this was his strength. To survive in a place like this, strength was crucial, but it wasn't the most important thing.

The most important thing was ruthlessness.

Defeating those who opposed him, then killing their Pokémon, and finally forcing the opponent to watch as his Ekans devoured them. With these ruthless actions and his great power, he quickly attracted a group of followers.

In such a ruthless place, only fifty people would survive in the end. The weak would be eliminated sooner or later, so the only way to survive was to rely on a strong person, becoming their follower.

If that person was strong enough to come out on top, they could ensure the lives of some of their followers. This was the mercy that Team Rocket showed to the strong.

The entire test was designed to provide talent for Team Rocket. All who managed to survive would be highly valued and take on important positions in the future.

Therefore, this test was a hellish battlefield, but it could also be seen as a ladder to power. If one managed to survive, they would eventually become a powerful trainer.

With Team Rocket's backing, becoming someone of great influence wouldn't be impossible.

Perhaps for those who belonged to the Pokémon League, following their normal growth path would make them respected Pokémon trainers, living a carefree life.

But for those born as commoners, or in poverty, this might be their only chance.

And most of the people brought to this island were commoners or people who couldn't even afford a proper meal, like Cain. Raised in a poor neighborhood, he ate food he found in dumpsters, so when he arrived on the island, his body was weak and thin.

But there were also people like Xander, who already lived in good conditions. Coming to the island was both a way to train and a means of gaining prestige.

In fact, Xander's brother is a Team Rocket Officer, who also rose from the trial island. Now, he has reached a nearly high-ranking position in Team Rocket.

That's why Xander, as his younger brother, didn't believe his own talent was inferior. Upon hearing about this trial from his brother, he used his influence to join the testers and be sent to the island. Also, through secret dealings, he obtained an Ekans of excellent quality.

As the unevolved version of Arbok, which his brother uses as his emblem, Xander knew perfectly well how to train an Ekans. And he believed that his current Ekans had already reached the best state possible for its level.

Everything had gone smoothly so far, leading him to his current position. Perhaps influenced by his brother's personality, Xander was also an unpredictable man.

After showing his cruel side, he gathered a group of followers to gain more resources and better train his Pokémon. As for who would stay or go after the final test, that would depend entirely on his mood.

Xander, filled with ambition, had no intention of being just a decorative figure in Team Rocket. If he was going to do it, he was going to do it to the best of his ability. His minimum goal was to surpass his brother, and the first step to achieving that was to become an Executive of Team Rocket.

By becoming an Executive of Team Rocket, he would have truly entered the upper ranks. Then, relying on his talent, it wouldn't be impossible to go even further.

Whenever he thought about his future, Xander would get excited, licking his lips with a dark smile.

Cain, who had gone straight to the Exchange Center, had no idea about any of this, but even if he did, he wouldn't care.

In his second chance, he had only one goal: to become strong. Anyone who stood in his way would be destroyed.

Xander was someone Cain had been subordinate to in his past life, someone he could never investigate or confront. But in this life, even if he knew about him, he wouldn't flinch. With his system activated ahead of time, Cain was confident he wouldn't lose to anyone.

He untied the straps that secured the Pokémon egg to his back, and under the astonished gaze of the exchange clerk, he gently placed the Weedle egg on the counter.

Cain decided to use this Pokémon egg to get points.

Although this Pokémon might not be of poor quality when born, and as a Bug-type, it would grow quickly, making it useful in combat in a short amount of time, Cain decided to abandon it.

This is because it was only a Pokémon egg, and there was no way to know how long it would take to hatch.

If it hatched just as the trial was ending, what use would it be to Cain? Even if it hatched in a few days and Cain managed to train it, in the final battle, only one Pokémon could be used.

For Cain, it would not only be of no help but would also cost him resources to train, becoming a burden.

And most importantly, the lifespan of Beedrill's final evolution is too short. If Cain invested effort in training it and it became a key member of his team, due to its short lifespan, its performance would decline, eventually becoming almost useless.

As for Beedrill's Mega Evolution, it's worth remembering that not even the Pokémon League knows about Mega Evolution at this time, and Mega Stones are extremely rare.

Even if one were to be found by chance, what are the odds that it would be a stone specifically for Beedrill's Mega Evolution?

For all these reasons, Cain decided to trade it for points, to obtain more valuable resources now, and focus on training Murkrow.

Ignoring the astonished gaze of the clerk, Cain calmly said, "I want to trade this for points."

(End of chapter)