Jiang Han did not hesitate and stepped inside.
The door closed silently behind him, cutting off the luxury and warm light of the cafe.
Before him was a metal staircase extending downward, narrow and steep. Dim emergency lights were placed every few meters on the walls, casting pale halos that stretched his shadow long and thin.
The air instantly became cold and stagnant.
Jiang Han had smelled this scent countless times in Team Rockets strongholds in the Kanto region; it was the cold aura unique to this underground organization.
He remembered clearly that just three months ago, Team Rockets' operations in Hoenn were struggling, and they didn't even have a decent place to stay. All transactions had to be conducted at great risk in the black market.
Who could have imagined that in just three months, Team Rockets would not only gain a foothold in Hoenn but even build a sizable base right in the heart of the Hoenn region.
Directly beneath the most prosperous food street in Mauville City.
This scale of operation must have been driven by a special executive officer like Athena, or perhaps even higher-ups.
As Jiang Han pondered, he continued down the stairs.
After walking for about two or three minutes, his field of vision suddenly opened up.
A vast underground space appeared before him. Overhead were crisscrossing thick pipes that emitted a constant, low hum.
Dozens of Team Rockets members in black uniforms were moving hurriedly, either calibrating instruments or transporting supplies. The entire base was like a highly efficient, precision-engineered ant colony—cold and orderly.
Unlike the noisy stronghold beneath the Celadon City Game Corner in Kanto, the atmosphere here was more oppressive and professional.
Jiang Han's gaze swept across the scene. Without stopping his pace, he pulled a hard, pitch-black mask from his pocket and skillfully put it on.
The cold touch of the mask against his skin felt like an invisible switch, completely isolating his identity as the League Trainer Jiang Han.
What remained was only that ruthless, newly promoted core member within Team Rockets.
This was not just to prevent his identity from being exposed.
In this organization full of betrayal and exploitation, an extra layer of disguise was an extra bit of capital for self-preservation.
He even saw several others wearing masks like him. Their clothing varied, and they clearly weren't wearing standard Team Rockets uniforms.
It seemed that people like him, who walked the line between the League and the darkness, were not few in number.
It was just that very few people ultimately managed to survive the League's scrutiny.
Just then, a sound of rough dragging and cursing came from not far away.
"Let us go! You Team Rockets vermin! Get out of Hoenn!"
"The League will never let you get away with this!"
Jiang Han looked over and saw a powerfully built Nidoking using its thick tail to wrap around two young people who looked like League Trainers, roughly dragging them across the floor.
The two had multiple injuries on their bodies, clearly having suffered a crushing defeat.
Nidoking ignored their struggles and curses, expressionlessly dragging them into a heavy metal side door.
*Clang!*
The door was slammed shut, cutting off the final shouts.
A few seconds later, an extremely short, muffled groan escaped through the door gap, and then, everything fell into a dead silence.
The passing Team Rockets members were indifferent to this, as if they had merely seen someone disposing of two bags of trash.
Jiang Han's heart was equally undisturbed.
Survival of the fittest was the law of the world. Whether in the world of wild pokémon or in human society, this had never changed.
Sympathy for the weak was the most useless emotion.
He withdrew his gaze and walked straight toward the base's Exchange Counter.
The Exchange Counter was a window separated by bulletproof glass. Inside sat a listless-looking, tall and thin middle-aged man, boredly wiping a Poké Ball.
"Exchanging for Points," Jiang Han's voice sounded somewhat muffled through the mask.
He placed several Poké Balls onto the window's tray.
The man lazily lifted his eyelids, picked up the Poké Balls, and placed them on a machine to scan.
"Beep! Carvanha, low-grade aptitude, common species, value: 10 Points."
"Beep! Voltorb, low-grade aptitude, Aftermath ability, value: 30 Points."
"Keep this one," Jiang Han pointed to the Voltorb's Poké Ball.
Although its aptitude was average, the Aftermath ability could be an unexpected trump card at a critical moment if used well. It would be a waste to exchange it directly for Points.
The clerk curled his lip and casually pushed the Voltorb's ball back, continuing to scan the rest.
When he scanned the Vigoroth's Poké Ball, the light from the instrument brightened significantly.
"Beep! Vigoroth, advanced aptitude, Vital Spirit ability, relatively rare, value: 100 Points."
"Beep! Shroomish, mid-grade aptitude, Effect Spore ability, value: 50 Points."
"Beep! Shroomish, mid-grade aptitude, Effect Spore ability, value: 40 Points."
The clerk finally showed some energy and gave Jiang Han another look. "Heh, good luck, kid. You caught an advanced aptitude Vigoroth and two decent-looking Shroomish. That's 190 Points total."
Jiang Han nodded. Combined with that Carvanha from earlier, his total Points reached 200.
"Points have been transferred to your ID."
The clerk tapped a few times and then ignored him.
Jiang Han opened his pokédex and looked at the number 200 displayed on it, feeling little joy. He casually opened the exchange list and began browsing quickly.
The items on the list were dazzling, ranging from basic recovery medicine to precious evolution items; everything was there.
Clearly, after being promoted to a core member, the items available for exchange had increased.
This included powerful tms like Stone Edge, Dark Pulse, and so on.
But the exorbitant prices made Jiang Han's newly replenished Points seem stretched thin instantly.
He closed the exchange list, not in a hurry to trade for those resources.
The reward Athena gave him was the main event today.
He turned and walked toward the depths of the base. Soon, a black-clothed member who had been waiting nearby approached him and bowed slightly.
"Sir, please follow me. The reward Lady Athena prepared for you is ready."
This address of'Sir' made Jiang Han's eyebrows twitch slightly. It seemed that the status of a core member did indeed bring about a significant change in standing.
He followed the member through many twists and turns, arriving at a heavily guarded independent room.
The thick alloy door was covered with complex electronic locks. The member entered a long string of passwords into the access system and performed an iris scan.
"Authentication passed. Welcome, core member," a cold electronic voice sounded.
The alloy door slid silently to one side, and a blast of cold air hit him, making Jiang Han instinctively tighten his collar.
The room was not large, even somewhat cramped.
The four walls were filled with metal freezer units glowing with a faint blue light. A constant low humming sound filled the air, as if something important was being preserved.
In the center of the room, on a simple metal display stand, a Poké Ball lay quietly.
A beam of cold white light from a spotlight on the ceiling shone down, perfectly enveloping the Poké Ball and making it the sole focus of the entire room.
The member leading him stopped at the doorway and said respectfully, "Sir, your reward is inside. Please take it yourself. I will wait outside."
With that, he stepped aside and stood with his hands down.
Jiang Han stepped into the room, and the alloy door slowly closed behind him.
The entire space was left with only the hum of the freezers and the sound of his own heartbeat.
His gaze was locked firmly onto that Poké Ball.
Unlike an ordinary red-and-white ball, this Poké Ball was entirely pitch-black, with a dark red ring around the center button. In the very center, there was a small, silver-white 'R' logo.
This was a special Poké Ball reserved for Team Rockets executives.
Athena... what kind of introductory gift would this Team Rockets special executive officer give him?
Would it be a fully trained pokémon with strong immediate combat capability to enhance his current strength?
Or a rare hatchling with infinite potential that required careful nurturing, serving as an investment and a test for his future?
Jiang Han took a deep breath of the cold air, suppressed his racing thoughts, and slowly reached out.
The moment his fingertips touched the Poké Ball, a cold and heavy texture was felt.
This ball was much heavier than he had imagined.
He gripped the Poké Ball and picked it up from the display stand.
Without hesitation, he pressed the center button.
A red light shot out, condensing into a figure on the cold metal floor.
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