Chapter 1: A Reunion

The night sky was clear, with only a few stars accompanying the bright moon. In the middle of the vast ocean, a small island, dense with trees, stood quietly.

A thin, pale boy sat on the beach, his eyes sunken into his face, looking severely malnourished. His ragged clothes made it difficult to tell, but he seemed to be about fifteen years old.

The boy's gaze was complicated as he stared at the creature beside him. The creature stood about knee-high to a child, its entire body covered in pure black feathers, with no sign of any other color. If it weren't for the bright moonlight, it would have been nearly impossible to see it clearly.

With a trembling hand, the boy slowly reached out to touch the creature. Just before making contact, he hesitated for a moment, then, as if gathering his resolve, finally laid his hand on the creature's back.

Feeling the real, tangible touch beneath his hand, the boy exhaled softly, his gaze growing less conflicted.

"I never thought... I'd return," Haru Takashi muttered to himself.

Everything felt so vivid, as if it had just happened.

As a powerful trainer with the strength nearing a master, Haru still remembered how he had barely survived the brutal trials after being captured by Team Rocket. Using his knowledge from his previous life and a special ability, he had managed to rise within the ranks of Team Rocket, earning some recognition even in the underworld.

However, during one of the Alliance's crackdowns, he fell into a trap set by rivals within Team Rocket. His overconfidence after being promoted blinded him, making him believe he could escape the ambush. He didn't expect the Alliance to send two elite trainers just to deal with him.

Though they hadn't used their strongest Pokémon, they were still far beyond Haru's abilities to fend off.

With no way to escape, Haru fought with all his might, killing two of their second-tier Pokémon, only to be buried alive by the enraged trainers.

When he opened his eyes again, it was to this scene.

Haru struggled to lift his hands. All the scars from battles and training were gone, replaced by hands that were pale and thin from malnutrition. The veins and bones were clearly visible beneath his skin.

He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms without him realizing it.

"Squawk..." The black bird made a soft sound, curiously eyeing the boy, who seemed to have suddenly changed.

Haru heard the bird's cry and tried to force a smile. The muscles in his face, unused to smiling for so long, felt stiff and awkward.

He reached out again to touch the bird's back. Its feathers were rough, just like him, clearly suffering from malnutrition.

"Dark Crow, I'm glad you're here," Haru said, his voice full of emotion.

In his past life, Haru had been a rigid person, slow to change even when he needed to. But Dark Crow, his first Pokémon, had stayed with him through everything. It had always been by his side, as both his protector and closest companion. Even in his final moments, Dark Crow never left him, standing guard until the very end.

All those other "powerful" partners he had caught, bought, or stolen had abandoned him when times got tough. Only Dark Crow had stayed. It was his one true regret.

"Squawk!" Dark Crow called out again. Though it didn't know why, it could feel the warmth in Haru's heart.

It was their first meeting, and even though it didn't understand, Dark Crow didn't feel the urge to attack.

Haru was surprised. In his past life, it had taken him a great deal of effort to capture and tame Dark Crow. He had spent even more time fully understanding it.

Looking back, Haru still regretted the time he had wasted learning about Dark Crow's unique traits. By the time he fully raised it to its potential, it had been too late—part of Dark Crow's talents had already been squandered.

As a Pokémon trainer, Haru had learned the hard way that a Pokémon's growth potential was determined by its natural talents, while its development was heavily influenced by the trainer's efforts.

He wasted so much time before he truly understood Dark Crow. By then, some of its abilities were already gone. His success in the trials was purely due to Dark Crow's innate gifts. The paths they had taken were full of struggles.

Overusing Dark Crow's strength had caused him to gradually overlook its importance.

"Dark Crow, this time, I won't abandon you," Haru whispered, his hands trembling as he stroked the bird.

"Squawk!" Dark Crow cried, sensing the complex emotions in Haru's heart.

Haru smiled slightly, his face finally adjusting to the unfamiliar expression.

However, a sense of urgency crept into his heart. Based on the current situation, he realized he had just been sent to this deserted island, and all Pokémon had been assigned to their respective trainers. His only hope of surviving this trial was Dark Crow.

He remembered that most of the Pokémon assigned to the trial participants were Zubat, Koffing, and Ekans. Dark Crow was a rare exception.

After receiving their Pokémon, the first challenge was to tame them. This was no cartoon; in this world, all of Team Rocket's Pokémon were wild and untamed. Many would attack or even kill their trainers upon release.

Out of the 300 young participants in the trial, only about 150 to 160 would make it past this first stage.

The trial's brutality was evident. Failing this stage meant death.

By the end of the trial, only 50 participants would remain alive. These survivors would be absorbed into Team Rocket's squads and divisions, treated as expendable. Only the top ten could choose their division, and only the top three could become squad leaders.

The first-place winner would be rewarded with a rare starter Pokémon—prized creatures only available to elite trainers and highly valued by Team Rocket.

In his past life, the first-place winner had chosen a Bulbasaur. Thanks to that Pokémon, they had risen to become a regional leader within Team Rocket, reaching a strength just shy of becoming a master. They had even been groomed as a future executive within the organization.

Although Haru had performed well in his past life, he had never reached the same heights. He had ended up as a subordinate to this person, so he knew their story inside and out.

Dusting off his clothes, Haru slowly stood up. He froze for a moment as a thought struck him—if he had been reborn, then *that* should already be here too.

He focused his mind and thought, "System, activate!"

"Beep... system booting..."

Ten seconds passed. Just as Haru was about to give up, a mechanical voice rang in his mind, cold and emotionless.

"So it's true..."

(End of chapter)