"Did I read this right? Join Team Rocket? And I have to become a damn Elite?!" Hora muttered instinctively, his heart pounding violently as his breathing grew ragged.
He had originally thought the system would, at most, issue routine tasks like "Investigate an Incident" or "Challenge a Gym." Even if the difficulty increased, he figured it would just mean facing more wild Pokémon or dealing with stricter limitations during Gym battles.
But this task completely subverted his understanding of reality.
What kind of place was Team Rocket? They were the most notorious illegal organization in the Pokémon world, infamous for arson, robbery, and kidnapping. He had transmigrated here to be a righteous Trainer, not a villain!
Even more ridiculous was the fact that the goal had skyrocketed from "Ordinary Member" to "Elite."
Hora knew very well that Team Rocket Elites (Executives) were no ordinary people. Low-level members like the Jessie and James trio he encountered earlier couldn't even touch the shadow of an Elite rank; they were utter bottom-feeders. A true Elite not only had to possess formidable strength but also wield significant power—and their hands were likely stained with plenty of "dark history."
Rising from an "outsider" to an "Elite" within a single year was practically a fairy tale.
"System, are you insane?!" Hora roared in his mind. "Setting aside the fact that Team Rocket is a villainous organization, let's talk about becoming an Elite in one year—I only have two Pokémon right now, and I haven't even won a single Gym badge. How is it possible for me to reach that rank? This task is fundamentally impossible!"
He even suspected that the system had malfunctioned or glitched, intentionally feeding him this "impossible" task to spite him.
The rewards for unlocking "System Points" and the "System Mall" were undeniably tempting—points could likely be used to improve Pokémon potential and move proficiency, and the Mall might contain rare items.
But the price of this reward was to step into the mire of the "villains." He would stand in opposition to the League, Ash, and the others. If he wasn't careful, "ruined reputation" would be the best-case scenario; in the worst-case, he would spend the rest of his new life in a prison cell.
Hora stood by the street in Viridian City. Trainers and citizens passed him by, everyone wearing relaxed smiles, yet he felt a chill throughout his body.
He looked down at the Poké Balls on his belt. His goal was to become an outstanding Trainer, not to join a criminal syndicate.
"No, I absolutely cannot take this task!" Hora gritted his teeth. He was about to tell the system he "forfeited" when he suddenly remembered the previous "punishment mechanism." Even a casual complaint had caused the task difficulty to surge; if he directly abandoned an "Ongoing Task," the consequences might force him to start his entire life over.
He forced himself to calm down and began to think rapidly: Why would the system issue such a task? Was it pure "malice," or was there a deeper meaning? Were there loopholes inside Team Rocket he could exploit? For example... could he pretend to join, take the rewards, and then find an opportunity to defect?
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
Hora knew better than anyone how strict Team Rocket's control was. Once you became a member, trying to leave was synonymous with seeking death—at best, you'd be hunted; at worst, you'd be disposed of as a "pawn." In his memory, the only people who successfully quit Team Rocket were Butch and Cassidy. But... how they managed to leave was never explained, so there was zero reference value there.
Furthermore, the goal of "Becoming an Elite" meant he would have to be deeply involved in Team Rocket's core affairs. His hands would inevitably be "stained." Even if he wanted to turn back later, the League would never accept someone who had held a high-ranking position in Team Rocket.
His fingers gripped the hem of his shirt so tightly the fabric wrinkled into a ball. His nails dug into his palms, yet he felt no pain—his mind was entirely consumed by weighing the pros and cons of the task.
The one-year time limit hung over his head like the Sword of Damocles. The rewards of System Points and the Mall were as magnetic as a lodestone. However, accepting the task meant betraying his original intent to be a "righteous Trainer," while the consequence of refusal was an unknown abyss.
After a long time, Hora slowly loosened his grip and took a deep breath, a self-deprecating smile appearing on his face. "Forget it. Thinking too much is useless. I'll just take it one step at a time."
He forced his mind to settle and began to organize the information he knew.
Viridian City itself was an excellent breakthrough point. Not only was this city a vital hub for the Kanto region, but its Gym was also one of the strongest in Kanto. And the Gym Leader, Giovanni, was the secret leader of Team Rocket.
This identity was full of contradictions and opportunities. On the surface, Giovanni was a League-sanctioned Gym Leader who had to maintain an image of being "just and powerful." In the shadows, he was the Boss of a massive illegal organization, using his dual identity to amass wealth and conduct research.
Hora could guess that Giovanni used his position as Leader to contact trainers from all over, collect Pokémon intel, and then used Team Rocket's power to plunder resources. The wealth he had accumulated over the years was likely "enough to rival a nation."
Crucially, Team Rocket was entirely different from organizations like Team Magma or Team Skull, who only knew destruction. It had a strict hierarchical structure, a vast intelligence network, and immense resource reserves—they had even engineered a man-made Pokémon as powerful as Mewtwo. Such an organization seemed hard to enter, but in reality, it valued "utility" above all else. As long as one could demonstrate enough value, even an outsider had a chance at promotion.
"Maybe... I don't have to truly 'join' them," a thought suddenly flashed through Hora's mind. "The system only requires me to 'become an Elite'; it didn't say I had to be 'loyal to Team Rocket.' If I can use some kind of 'value' to make Giovanni proactively promote me to Elite, and then find a way to defect after getting the system rewards, would that work?"
For example, using his status as a transmigrator to reveal "future information" to Giovanni ahead of time—such as the habitat of a rare Pokémon or a specific League operation plan.
With Giovanni's ambition, as long as the information was valuable enough, he would inevitably take Hora seriously. He might even grant him an "Elite" title just to secure his loyalty.
Of course, the risk was extreme. Once Giovanni realized his value had vanished or sensed his dissent, the consequences would be unthinkable.
But compared to the unknown punishment of refusing the task or blindly joining Team Rocket as a grunt, this seemed to be the only path forward.
Hora steadied his resolve and looked toward the Viridian Gym—the magnificent building stood in the center of the city like a crouching giant beast. He gripped the Poké Balls at his waist and turned toward the Pokémon Center.
"Time to rest up first, then I'll scout around the Gym. At the very least, I need to find out if Giovanni is actually in the Gym right now."