After dealing with the Raticate, Leon moved carefully through the jungle, eventually settling inside a decayed tree hollow.
"I'll recover my stamina here first. Then I'll decide my next move."
Leon sat down. The Poké Ball on his belt containing Magikarp shook lightly.
"Soon," Leon said with a soft chuckle. "Don't rush. Your moment to evolve is coming—just a few more days."
He was extremely confident about Magikarp's evolution. Its data appeared clearly before his eyes.
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Pokémon: Magikarp (Male)Type: WaterAbility: RattledPotential: GymLevel: 18 (Beginner)
Moves:
Splash
Tackle
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After investing a large amount of resources and training it carefully for three months, Magikarp had reached this stage. Leon was very satisfied.
Recently, unstable energy fluctuations had begun to appear within Magikarp's body—clear signs of impending evolution. The breakthrough was close.
Leon sat cross-legged and entered a meditative state, slowly restoring his stamina. On Trial Island, maintaining peak condition was essential. Although the fight with Raticate had looked simple, it had consumed a considerable amount of energy.
In theory, the combat power of a beginner psychic was roughly equivalent to that of a Level 20 beginner Pokémon.
Leon had won so easily not only because of strength, but because of intelligence. In that regard, Raticate had been completely outmatched.
Generally speaking, most wild Pokémon lacked the tactical intelligence of humans. After all, people who fought with strategy tended to think… dirty. And they had plenty of tricks.
From start to finish, Leon had fought with a clear plan.
Including the brown pill he had crushed mid-battle.
That pill had caused Raticate's sluggishness and loss of strength, leading directly to its defeat.
Poisoning might be underhanded, but in real combat, it was extremely effective—especially against Pokémon that weren't overwhelmingly strong.
Besides, as a member of Team Rocket, using poison was perfectly normal.
In this world, a Trainer's strength was determined by their Pokémon.
Trainer Rankings:
Levels 1–10: Rookie Trainer
Levels 11–20: Beginner Trainer
Levels 21–30: Intermediate Trainer
Levels 31–40: Advanced Trainer
Levels 41–50: Elite Trainer
Levels 51–60: Gym-level Trainer
Levels 61–70: Elite Four-level Trainer
Levels 71–80: Pseudo-Champion
Levels 81–90: Champion
Levels 91–100: Grandmaster
Pokémon also possessed potential, which corresponded directly to these tiers.
Potential was innate and extremely difficult to change later on. Only rare treasures, master-level breeding, or extraordinary encounters could alter it.
For most Pokémon, such opportunities were exceedingly rare.
In many ways, a Pokémon's potential determined the height of its future achievements.
Under normal circumstances, a Gym-potential Pokémon like Leon's Magikarp would have a natural ceiling at the Gym level.
Psychics were also classified into ranks:
Beginner Psychic
Intermediate Psychic
Advanced Psychic
Master Psychic
Legendary Psychic (beyond Master)
These five levels roughly correspond to Pokémon power ranges. For example, a Beginner Psychic is aligned with Pokémon between Levels 1–20, while an Intermediate Psychic is aligned with Levels 21–40.
Which side held the advantage depended on the individual, but generally, humans were physically inferior. Their strength lay in intelligence.
Breeders followed a similar hierarchy:
Beginner Breeder
Intermediate Breeder
Advanced Breeder
Master Breeder
Divine-level Breeder
"Divine-level" represented the pinnacle—breeders capable of nurturing Pokémon with god-like power.
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the island, Luke had also finished dealing with a group of attacking Pokémon.
Blood soaked the ground.
Two Arbok stood beside him, their cold auras unmistakable. Traces of flesh still clung to their fangs.
"Boss, that was insane," a chubby follower said as he hurried over."I knew those Pokémon were no match for you."
"They were trash," Luke replied coldly, utter disdain in his voice."I'll kill as many as come."
"Exactly. And that Leon brat still dared to offend you. He really doesn't know his place."
"Leon?" Luke sneered."He'd better not die too early. If he falls into my hands, I'll let my Arbok tear him apart—slowly. No mercy. I want him to feel every second of it. Hahaha!"
As he imagined the scene, Luke burst into manic laughter, his face twisted with hatred.
From childhood to now, anyone who dared to steal his spotlight or humiliate him had met a miserable end.
Leon would be no exception.
The words sent a chill down his followers' spines, yet they still forced out praise.
"Boss, your might is unrivaled. Becoming an Elite Four-level Trainer is only a matter of time."
"Hahaha!"
Luke laughed even harder. That was a goal he fully intended to reach.
"Should we regroup with the others first?" one follower suggested."Strength in numbers. Then we hunt Leon—and maybe grab the Rookie Champion title along the way."
"That makes sense," Luke nodded."Check their positions."
He held a tracker capable of locating his subordinates.
"Got it."
They headed off, leaving behind a gore-stained battlefield. Not long after, wild Pokémon emerged to feast on the remaining flesh.
"A silver card worth ten points. Not bad."
Leon emerged from a damp, shadowy cave holding a silver card. Its surface gleamed faintly, stamped with a bold R.
This was an assessment bonus card.
At settlement, it would grant 10 Rocket Points.
If one wanted excellent results and better resources, collecting these cards was essential. If survival alone was the goal, then simply staying alive was enough.
After securing the card, Leon took out several Poké Balls and captured the nearby Zubat. These Pokémon could also be exchanged for points within Team Rocket.
Before deployment, Team Rocket had offered Poké Balls to recruits at half price. Leon had taken the opportunity to stock up.
It benefited both sides.
Poké Balls could shrink, so they didn't take up much space. Aside from exchanging them for Rocket Points, they could also be sold at designated trading areas within the base.
"Whew—"
Just as Leon was about to leave, a dark shadow lunged toward him at extreme speed.
He sensed it instantly.
This attacker meant harm.
Leon and Magikarp vanished from the spot in the same instant. A split second later, several Supersonic waves slammed into the ground, detonating loudly.
"Golbat…"
Leon narrowed his eyes.
"No wonder. A territory this large couldn't have been held by just a few Zubat."
The Golbat hovered in midair, its eyes glowing crimson as it locked onto Leon.