Guided by the orange flicker of his torch, Feng Che walked for a short while before a massive set of blast doors loomed before him.
They were sealed tight.
"Please present your credentials."
A digitized, synthetic voice cut through the silence, making Feng Che jump slightly.
"Credentials... that should be this Rocket badge," he muttered, pulling out the insignia.
A thin red infrared beam swept over the object in his hand.
"Credentials verified. Temporary ID: 86654. Welcome to the Team Rocket Base."
With a heavy clank, the doors hissed open.
"Note: Door will remain open for three seconds. Closing immediately thereafter."
"Closing in 3..." "2..." "1..."
Before the steel slammed shut, Feng Che scrambled through, lugging his string of unconscious Zubats behind him.
The door was made of solid reinforced steel. Feng Che noted that the plating was at least a meter thick—far beyond the strength of any human to force open.
I guess they have to guard against Pokémon, too. A 'Dragonite User' like Lance loves crashing Rocket bases. His Dragonite could probably punch through this door in a single hit, Feng Che thought, recalling the destructive power shown in the stories of his old world.
After dragging his prizes down a long, sterile corridor, the space suddenly opened up. He found himself in a bustling hub. Positioned prominently near the entrance was a large sign: Team Rocket Reserve Registration Office.
Feng Che pushed open the door.
The office was modest, containing only four desks. At the one closest to the entrance sat a blonde beauty wearing gold-rimmed glasses. A metal nameplate on her desk read: Team Rocket Reserve Reception.
She wore the standard Rocket uniform, but her personal ID tag read: Staff Clerk - On Duty. She had a small beauty mark just below her left eyelid, giving her a distinctive, sophisticated charm. She looked up as he approached, seeing a handsome, black-haired youth in ordinary clothes.
"You're here for the reserve member evaluation, I presume? Present your credentials," she said in a professional, no-nonsense tone.
Feng Che handed over the pendant. Her fingers, tipped with pink-lacquered nails, took the token and swiped it through a reader.
Beep.
"Temporary ID 86654 has arrived at the base."
She looked up, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Congratulations. You are the very first candidate to reach the base. Let's see if you can bring me some more surprises. Per Team Rocket regulations, the first person to locate the base is awarded a 500-credit bonus."
"Lucky little guy. You beat the next person by a mere three seconds."
"Three seconds? But there's no one else here," Feng Che grumbled, glancing behind him.
"Don't look so confused. There are ten registration windows like this one," she explained, her attitude becoming noticeably friendlier. "The more rewards you earn, the more I get—I receive 10% of your total credit payout as a bonus. Thanks to you, I just netted 50 credits. That's more than I'd make on several standard field missions."
"My name is Jessica. You can call me Big Sister Jessica, or use my codename: J."
"In Team Rocket, try not to reveal your real name. Malicious types can use it to dig into your background, which is dangerous for a newcomer. Now, bring out the Pokémon you captured in the forest. I can smell the faint scent of Milu Grass on your clothes."
"Impressive. Using Milu Grass to bag Pokémon... you clearly know your herbology. I'm a pharmacist by trade, so I know those scents well."
Seeing his confusion, Jessica offered the explanation freely. Her eyes then drifted down to the string of snoring Zubats in his hand.
"Well now... looks like you cleared out the little doormen, too."
"You're probably wondering if these count toward your score," she said, tucking a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "Congratulations, smart guy. They do. The merciful Boss Giovanni personally decreed that any Pokémon caught by a candidate belongs to the candidate's tally. Team Rocket doesn't mistreat exceptional talent."
Jessica skillfully picked up a scanner and ran it over the 'R' bands on the Zubats' legs. Data points instantly popped up on her screen.
"Five Novice-rank Zubats and one Common-rank Zubat. Novices are 5 credits each; the Common is 10. That's 35 credits for the bats. Did you catch anything else?" She tilted her head playfully.
"I did."
Feng Che produced the four Poké Balls. Jessica took them and placed them into a scanning device.
"One Pidgey, one Nidoran♀, one Nidoran♂, and one Poliwag. Oh! Your Pidgey capture time actually broke the Team Rocket record—that's a 100-credit bonus."
"The Nidoran and Poliwag capture times are ranked second, third, and fourth respectively. That earns you 50, 30, and 20 credits."
"You certainly found quite a few hidden balls," Jessica praised. "And I've never seen a rookie catch Pokémon this fast."
"The Pidgey can be exchanged for 10 credits. The Nidoran pair are 20 credits each. The Poliwag is 15. You know as well as I do that these are very common species, so their base trade-in value is low."
"It's a shame you didn't bag a Gyarados. A Gyarados is worth 200 credits in the rookie trials. Though, we only release one per evaluation, and usually, the idiots who go after it end up running away screaming."
"The Pokémon you're turning in total 100 credits, plus your 200 credits in performance bonuses."
She leaned in slightly. "Did you find any other Pokémon items? Don't try to hide them. Once you enter the base proper, you'll be subjected to a full body search by security."