With the Raticate dealt with, Vance moved carefully through the jungle and settled into the hollow of an old, broken tree.
"I'll get my strength back here, then work out what comes next."
He found a place to sit. On his belt, the Poké Ball with the Magikarp in it gave a few twitches.
"Soon. Don't be impatient. Your time to evolve is only a few days off now."
Vance said it with a small laugh, entirely sure of the Magikarp's evolution. Its data came up in front of him.
> **Name:** Magikarp (male)
> **Type:** Water
> **Ability:** Rattled
> **Aptitude:** Gym-class
> **Level:** 18 (Novice)
> **Moves:** Splash, Tackle
After all the resources he had put into it, and three months of careful training, the Magikarp had come this far, and Vance was well satisfied with that.
These last few days the energy in its body had begun to stir — a sign of evolution. It could not be far off now.
That said, Vance sat down cross-legged, slipped into a meditative state and let his strength come back. On Trial Island you had to keep yourself in condition. The fight with the Raticate had looked simple enough from the outside, but it had cost him a fair amount.
In theory, the fighting strength of a Novice psychic is on a level with a Novice Pokémon at level 20.
That Vance had won so easily was not only a matter of strength, but of wits, and in wits the Raticate was nowhere near him.
As a rule, most Pokémon in the wild are not as clever as a human who plays at tactics. A man who plays at tactics has a dirty mind, and no shortage of tricks besides.
From beginning to end Vance had fought with a purpose, the pellet he had crushed in the middle of it included. That was part of the tactics too.
It was that pellet that had left the Raticate slow and weak, and let him beat it so easily.
Poisoning is a low trick, but in a real fight it works well, and against Pokémon that are not particularly strong it works very well.
Besides, for a member of Team Rocket, knowing how to poison something is perfectly normal.
In this Pokémon world, a Trainer's strength is measured by the strength of their Pokémon.
Levels 1–10: Rookie Trainer
Levels 11–20: Novice Trainer
Levels 21–30: Intermediate Trainer
Levels 31–40: Advanced Trainer
Levels 41–50: Elite Trainer
Levels 51–60: Gym-class Trainer
Levels 61–70: Elite-Four-class Trainer
Levels 71–80: Near-Champion Trainer
Levels 81–90: Champion Trainer
Levels 91–100: Grandmaster
Pokémon have aptitudes as well, matching the Trainer ranks one for one. Aptitude is inborn and very hard to alter afterwards, though a rare natural treasure, or skilled breeding, or some strange stroke of fortune can force it upward.
For an ordinary Pokémon, though, all of those are very hard to come by.
In a sense, aptitude also sets what a Pokémon will ever amount to.
Normally, a Pokémon like the Magikarp, with a Gym-class aptitude, will reach Gym-class strength at the very most.
People sort psychics into ranks as well, five of them: Novice Psychic, Intermediate Psychic, Advanced Psychic, Master Psychic, and above the Master rank, the Legendary-class Psychic.
The fighting strength of the five ranks corresponds roughly to Pokémon levels — a Novice Psychic against Pokémon of levels 1 to 20, an Intermediate Psychic against levels 21 to 40. Which of the two comes out stronger depends on the person and the Pokémon, but as a rule, the human body being what it is, the human is the weaker of the two. A human's strong point is the mind.
Breeders are ranked much the same way as psychics: Novice Breeder, Intermediate Breeder, Advanced Breeder, Master Breeder, Divine-class Breeder.
Divine-class means a Breeder skilled enough to raise a Pokémon with divine-class power in it.
Meanwhile, in another part of the island, Wilder had just finished off a wave of Pokémon that had come at him.
A wide spread of blood lay on the ground. Two Arbok with a cold, sullen air about them stood at his side, a little flesh still on their mouths.
"Nice work, boss. I knew those things wouldn't be any match for you."
A short, plump young man came up behind him, laying it on thick.
"That was nothing. A few bits of rubbish. However many of that sort come at me, that's how many I kill."
Wilder said it coldly, with real contempt on his face.
"Right. You're this strong, and that Vance still dared to cross you. It's laughable. He doesn't know what he's about."
"Vance? Heh. He had better not go and die on somebody else first. If he falls into my hands I'll let him feel what it is to be torn apart by an Arbok, and I won't make it quick either — I'll have them tear him slowly. Hahaha."
As though he were watching it happen, Wilder let out a wild peal of laughter, his face vicious. He hated this man who had stolen his thunder and made a fool of him. Since he was a boy he had finished off several people who crossed him like that, and this one called Vance would be no exception.
The words sent a chill down the back of the follower beside him, but he spoke up all the same to flatter his cruel boss.
"Nobody can stand against you, boss. Elite-Four-class before long, I'd say."
"Hahaha."
Wilder laughed at that too. Elite-Four-class was what he was after.
"So, boss, should we go and find Skinny and the others first? More hands make it easier. Then we go looking for that Vance, and pick up the rookie championship for you on the way."
"There's something in that. Come on, then. Let me see where they are."
He had a locator on him that showed the position of each of his followers.
"Right you are."
The two of them set off in one direction, leaving a bloody mess of a clearing behind them. Not long after they had gone, several Pokémon appeared where they had been, gnawing at what was left.
"A silver card worth 10 points. Not bad at all. That's 10 Rocket Points more when it's all totted up."
Vance had come out of a dark, damp cave with a silver card in his hand, silver-white all over, with something like the letter R stamped on it.
It was a bonus card for the assessment. To come out of it with a good grade and draw more resources, you had to collect as many of them as you could. If all you wanted was to be an ordinary member of Team Rocket, it was simple enough: stay alive.
Card in hand, Vance took out Poké Balls as well and gathered up the few Zubat around him. Pokémon like these could all be traded for points inside Team Rocket.
Before they set out, Team Rocket had offered this year's intake a batch of Poké Balls at half price, and Vance had taken the chance to buy plenty.
The arrangement did both sides good.
Poké Balls shrink down, so they do not take up much room.
Beyond trading them for Rocket points, you could also do as you liked with them. There were several trading spots inside the Team Rocket base where they could be sold.
"Whoosh—"
Just as he was about to leave, a black shape came at the spot where he stood, and came fast.
Vance had felt it coming, and this one meant him harm.
He and the Magikarp vanished from where they stood in an instant. A moment later several sound-wave attacks struck the spot and went off with a bang.
"A Golbat. That explains it. A few Zubat could never have held a territory this size on their own. So that's how it is."
Vance looked hard at it. What had come was a Golbat, and its eyes were blood-red as it watched him.