Chapter 2
11:52 PM – Crimson Reef Island, Beachside
...
"As expected, when I first arrived in this world, CIPHER came with me!"
Even Jayden, who was used to being calm, couldn't help but feel excited. In his previous life, the main reason he had been able to reach the level of a Quasi-Elite Four was because of this system—CIPHER, the Combat Intelligence Pokémon Hybrid Enhancement Research system.
However, in his previous life, he had activated CIPHER by chance. At that time, he was already far behind others in the trial. Even with CIPHER's help, it had been extremely difficult to catch up.
"CIPHER, scan!" Silently suppressing the excitement in his heart, he gave the command while looking at the Nincada beside him.
Almost instantly, a notification flashed in his mind.
[BEEP! Scanning target...]
A three-dimensional holographic image appeared before his eyes—visible only to him. Detailed data materialized in the air.
...
Pokémon: Nincada (Green)
Gender: Male
Level: 8
Type: Bug/Ground
Ability: Compound Eyes (Increases accuracy of moves)
Held Item: None
Inherited Skills:
Night Slash (Power = 70, Dark, Physical, High critical-hit ratio)
Bug Bite (Power = 60, Bug, Physical, Can eat target's berry)
Final Gambit (Power = Variable, Fighting, Special, User faints)
Basic Skills:
Scratch (Power = 40, Normal, Physical)
Harden (Power = 0, Normal, Status, Raises Defense)
Leech Life (Power = 80, Bug, Physical, Drains HP)
Taught Skills:
Mud-Slap (Power = 20, Ground, Special, Lowers Accuracy)
Sand Attack (Power = 0, Ground, Status, Lowers Accuracy)
TM Skills: None
...
A series of detailed data appeared on the holographic display. All the skills and characteristics of the Nincada were described with surgical precision.
Jayden's eyes gradually lit up as he absorbed the information.
"Detailed data!", He had to remind himself not to get too excited. In his previous life, when he first activated CIPHER, it had been a blank slate. He had obtained all kinds of data through various dangerous methods, categorizing them into different databases. That was how he had been able to produce such detailed renderings—and it had nearly cost him his life multiple times.
For this data, he had accessed almost all the databases of Team Rocket under his authority. He had even found ways to obtain data that exceeded his clearance level. There were several times when he'd invaded the Alliance's databases as well, with danger surrounding him at every turn. All of that... for this knowledge.
As a civilian trainer, the most important thing was knowledge. Only after mastering knowledge could one accurately train various kinds of Pokémon so that they could fully display their talents and potential.
Therefore, after seeing all the detailed information about Nincada, even Jayden—who had faced death before—couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
Who would have thought that CIPHER's entire database would be brought along with him through time!
...
Sure enough, it was the same as before. The green designation next to the Pokémon's name represented its talent grade. The talent ranking system was based on rainbow colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, and Purple. Green aptitude ranked in the middle of all grades.
Don't think that green aptitude was low—far from it. Wild Pokémon were basically red and orange in aptitude. Even occasional yellow-aptitude Pokémon would be snatched up by trainers immediately because of their rarity.
Therefore, green aptitude was already considered exceptional.
According to Jayden's calculations, among the Pokémon assigned to Team Rocket recruits this time, there would be no more than ten green-grade specimens. Even so, they were all carefully selected by Team Rocket, an investment in potential new members.
In his previous life, Jayden had only reached 34th place with his green aptitude Nincada. It was clear that in his past life, he had been able to leave Crimson Reef Island alive purely because of his partner's natural talent. His ability as a trainer hadn't been reflected at all back then.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly calmed himself down. In this life, he would definitely not be weak! Being weak was the original sin!
On Crimson Reef Island, if one wanted to survive, there was only one law: the law of the jungle, survival of the fittest. And if one wanted to become strong, then they had to first increase the strength of their Pokémon.
The first step now was to make up for Nincada's previous losses. A normal Nincada should have a body length of about half a meter with a healthy, hardened carapace. His was only about 35 centimeters and showed visible signs of malnutrition and poor care. Only by first replenishing its damaged body could he avoid wasting its talent and nurture it properly.
"Let's go, Nincada! Let's go find something to eat." Jayden stood slowly, his joints protesting after sitting on the cold sand for so long.
Nincada looked at him hesitantly. Because of the severe malnutrition, the current Jayden didn't look like a fifteen-year-old youth at all—more like a walking skeleton. After a moment's hesitation, it skittered forward on its six legs, staying close to his feet.
...
Jayden felt the subtle weight of Nincada moving beside him as they left deeper footprints in the sand together. He led his partner slowly toward the forest's edge.
As a former member of Team Rocket who had climbed up from the bottom ranks, Jayden had absolutely mastered wilderness survival skills. Which fruits could be eaten, which ones were poisonous, which ones could quickly restore stamina, and which ones could cure status conditions—he knew them all.
After finding a few ripe Oran Berries hanging from a low bush, he gave them all to Nincada. The Bug/Ground-type eagerly consumed them, its mandibles working efficiently. Meanwhile, Jayden bit into a slightly unripe Oran Berry. The sour juice dripped from the corner of his mouth, making his face scrunch up involuntarily. He endured the discomfort, chewed slowly, and swallowed.
This was the most common berry in the wild that could restore physical strength. However, because this area had the most wild Pokémon competition, there weren't many ripe berries left. After feeding all the ripe ones to Nincada, he could only eat the unripe ones himself. Although the effect was slightly worse, they were still useful.
"Nincada..." After devouring the berries quickly, Nincada looked at the unripe berry in Jayden's hand, and a hint of warmth flashed in its compound eyes.
Although it didn't understand why, the person in front of it—whom it had only known for less than an hour—had given it the best food while eating the inferior scraps himself. This was a feeling it had never experienced since hatching. It felt like... being cared for. Being valued.
"Nincada, eat the berries first. Although I know you can eat other things too, this is all I have right now." Jayden's voice carried a note of apology.
"Nin... nnin..." It gently tapped Jayden's ankle with one of its forelimbs, as if to say it was okay.
With a slight smile, Jayden felt something shift in his chest. He slowly overlapped the image of the Ninjask in his mind—the one who would protect him even unto death—with the small Nincada at his feet. A feeling called "bond" slowly flowed into his heart. The thing he had abandoned in his previous life was what he wanted most in this new one.
...
He walked slowly along the forest path, leaving a trail of footprints and tiny claw marks in the soft earth. Jayden finally stopped in front of a dense bush. According to his experience, there were often small animals in this kind of undergrowth. Of course, there could also be wild Pokémon.
There were regular animals in this world—creatures that served as food for some carnivorous Pokémon. Generally speaking, Pokémon themselves were not eaten as food, though exceptions existed in the harshest environments.
Whoosh!
Just as Jayden expected, a wild gray rabbit suddenly burst out of the bush, panicked and running for its life.
"Looks like tonight's dinner found us," Jayden said with a slight smile, his sunken eyes gleaming. "Nincada, use Scratch!"
Seeing the appearance of food and hearing Jayden's command, Nincada didn't hesitate. Its six legs moved with surprising speed for such a small creature. It lunged forward, and its sharp foreclaws glowed with a faint white light as they extended.
The wild rabbit, already exhausted from being chased out of the bush, had no chance. Nincada's claws struck true, and the animal collapsed.
...
Just as Nincada was about to drag the rabbit back to Jayden, a purple blur flashed across the ground. In an instant, the wild rabbit on the ground disappeared, snatched away by another Pokémon.
Jayden's eyes narrowed. The real trial was about to begin.
...
End of Chapter 2
"Every meal is a battle. Every battle is a lesson. Every lesson brings you one step closer to survival—or death."