"Miss Aoi, I still have one last question. Why are you so eager to learn all this?"
For the sake of his own safety, Icarus chose to press further. Only after receiving a satisfactory answer would he tell her what she wanted to know.
"…Alright, Icarus. You really are cautious."
The girl looked at the persistent Icarus, helplessness flashing across her eyes before she finally explained herself.
"I'm actually from a collateral branch of the Jiangqi Family. Both my parents are dead, and all our assets are gone. That Rattata Egg was the only thing they left behind for me.
Back during the Novice tier, I could still rely on hard work and my remaining savings. That's how I managed to rank first among my peers and secure decent treatment within the family.
But after reaching the Ordinary Level, the expenses became far too high.
The people I surpassed before—especially the main branch descendants—now all have access to additional resources.
I don't."
Her voice gradually became quieter.
"If I don't find a new source of income soon, I might not even be able to maintain my current position.
I've already done two Alliance missions before, but it's too difficult alone. The people in my generation within the family all subtly isolate me. It's already good enough if they don't sabotage me—forget about cooperating with me.
As for civilian Trainers… I tried partnering with one once, but it almost got me killed because of their scheming."
As she spoke, sorrow appeared on the girl's face.
Back during the Novice tier, she had indeed used a few tricks to rise above her peers.
But it was precisely because of those tricks that the others began ostracizing her.
"So that's how it is…"
Icarus carefully observed her expression and found it surprisingly genuine. It didn't seem fake.
In the end, he decided to explain the contribution point system to her.
If every random girl he met was secretly some master-level actress, then his luck would be absurdly terrible.
Having struggled at the bottom through two lifetimes, he still trusted his own ability to read people.
"First of all, you know how Alliance merit points work, right? Team Rocket contribution points are pretty similar, except many items cost only about 80% of Alliance prices…"
"Eighty percent?!"
Aoi's eyes widened instantly.
"Icarus, can you tell me exactly which things are discounted?"
"Forget explaining it verbally. I'll just open the computer and show you. You should find a chance to visit the base yourself eventually anyway. A computer like this only costs around ten thousand."
"Mhm! Icarus, you're really a good person!"
…
For the next hour or so, Aoi looked like she had discovered an entirely new world.
She kept exclaiming in surprise while staring at the Team Rocket database on the computer, occasionally asking questions.
Meanwhile, Icarus answered patiently while also taking the opportunity to ask her questions about the internal structure of family factions.
And Aoi answered just as honestly.
For a while, the atmosphere between them became unexpectedly harmonious.
Soon, more than an hour had passed.
It was already slightly past ten o'clock when Aoi reluctantly handed the computer back to Icarus before bowing gratefully.
"Thank you, Icarus!"
"It's nothing. We're colleagues now."
By this point, Icarus had also gained plenty of useful information from her, so his attitude toward her softened noticeably.
"Um… Icarus, there's actually one more rude request I'd like to ask…"
Seeing his improved mood, Aoi's heart stirred.
Originally, she hadn't intended to bring this up so soon, but tonight's atmosphere felt ideal. After hesitating briefly, she finally spoke.
"Oh? Go ahead and tell me first."
In truth, Icarus had already guessed what she wanted.
And honestly, he was somewhat interested himself.
"I'd like you to bring me to the Team Rocket base after New Year's. I want to buy a computer and spend my contribution points.
Of course, I won't let you help me for free. I can give you half of my 100 contribution points directly.
And in the future, we could even do Team Rocket missions together.
Although my current strength is low, I still know several secret techniques. Training up a second Pokémon won't take me long.
What do you think?"
The moment she saw that Icarus hadn't immediately refused her earlier, Aoi realized she had a chance, so she hurriedly laid out her proposal.
"She really is clever…"
Icarus naturally had no intention of refusing free contribution points.
But what interested him more was the possibility of future cooperation.
"Miss Aoi, I already have companions. I believe I mentioned that back in the Gym lounge."
Even though he was already leaning toward agreement, he still deliberately acted hesitant.
"Icarus, you're a smart person. There are no companions of yours in this room tonight—only you.
And I think you understand exactly why that is."
Aoi stopped dancing around the topic and immediately exposed his excuse.
"Of course, I understand there's still a large gap between our strengths. So I'm willing to take only 20% of the mission profits.
You'll also get first pick of all spoils.
How about it?"
"Oh?"
Hearing that, Icarus genuinely looked at her differently.
Twenty percent.
That sounded small, but the difference between an Ordinary low-tier and an Ordinary mid-tier Trainer wasn't overwhelmingly massive.
After all, hadn't that Voltorb in the tournament defeated a mid-tier Arbok despite being weaker?
The reason he had crushed Aoi's Raticate so easily was because Pidgeotto completely dominated the air.
If he had used Houndoom or Weepinbell instead, the fight definitely wouldn't have been so effortless.
And he had carefully observed her Raticate earlier—it was trained extremely well.
Its actual combat strength was definitely impressive.
"Then let me ask this clearly. Is the split permanently 20%, or is there a time limit?"
Although tempted, Icarus still cautiously clarified the details.
"What's there to be generous about? Without your guidance, Icarus, I wouldn't earn anything at all. Getting 20% is already good enough.
As for the time limit… how about until both my Pokémon reach Ordinary mid-tier?"
The moment she answered, Icarus suddenly felt something strangely familiar.
Then it hit him.
This was exactly how he used to flatter Uncle Sam back in the day.
"This woman really has emperor-level potential…"
He couldn't help admiring her schemes.
Of course, he also secretly praised himself a little.
After all, he had only developed these social survival skills after living through two lifetimes.
Meanwhile, Aoi had managed to develop nearly the same level of cunning at only fifteen years old.
And unlike him, she was far more willing to make sacrifices for future gains.
Naturally, what Icarus didn't realize was that "living two lives" depended heavily on the quality of those lives.
A bottom-tier struggler in both lifetimes wouldn't magically become some social genius.
Meanwhile, Aoi had personally experienced losing her inheritance piece by piece.
Her growth experiences were far harsher than his.
"…Alright. But I choose the missions, and I decide the schedule. Agreed?"
After pretending to consider things for a while, Icarus finally nodded slowly.
"Okay! Then I'll be relying on you, Icarus!
And you don't need to keep calling me Miss Aoi. It's too formal. Just call me Aoi."
Seeing him agree, the girl immediately smiled brightly and skillfully lowered her stance further.
"Then you can just call me Icarus too."
Seeing how sensible she was being, he also dropped the formalities.
"No problem. Since you're older than me, I'll call you Brother Icarus instead~
Well then, Brother Icarus, I'll see you later!"
As a girl who understood social etiquette very well, Aoi immediately used a more intimate form of address to subtly strengthen their relationship.
"Goodbye."
Icarus simply waved her off without objection.
But the moment she left, the warmth in his eyes disappeared.
He understood perfectly well that their seemingly friendly interaction was nothing more than mutual exploitation.
Aoi was right.
For Team Rocket missions, he truly did need a helper.
Even a helper with only one Ordinary low-tier Raticate could still greatly improve efficiency.
With support, he would no longer be limited to earning only twenty-something contribution points a day through solo mission grinding.
And right now, he desperately needed contribution points.
Nobody ever complained about having too many resources.
Meanwhile, Aoi walked alone through the empty streets, her expression equally calm and cold.
What she needed was simply a guide and temporary protection.
Once she raised two Pokémon to Ordinary mid-tier, she could abandon Icarus and operate independently.
Otherwise, if she only received 20% forever, wouldn't she basically become a slave worker?
Still, for now, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Everyone was simply taking what they needed.
…
Not long after seeing Aoi off, Icarus finally welcomed the arrival of his obedient little maid.
Looking at Luna dressed exactly as instructed, he let out a strange laugh.
"You really are the cutest one, my dear~"
Then he pounced immediately.
"Ah~ Master…"
Luna struggled symbolically for only a moment before allowing him to do as he pleased.
Looking down at her beneath him, Icarus suddenly chuckled.
In many ways, Aoi actually felt like an upgraded version of Luna.
Not in terms of looks or figure.
But in terms of strength and intelligence.
Aoi had been lucky enough to inherit substantial resources from her parents, allowing her to survive both the harshest period of becoming a Trainer and the harshest period of growing up as a person.
"Still… Aoi's external conditions are also pretty excellent…"
"Maybe after I'm done using her… I can even…"
"Hehehe…"
As he compared the two girls, strange thoughts naturally surfaced in his mind again.
Of course, he had no intention of treating Aoi the same way he treated Airi and the others.
That woman possessed both strength and cunning.
Her scheming ability was practically on the same level as his own.
He wasn't confident he could truly manipulate her completely.
For now, mutual exploitation was enough.
And when the day eventually came to part ways…
Perhaps she would even strike first.
At that point, he would simply suppress her in return.
After all, his current strength still held the advantage.
…
The next morning, the trio arrived at the Gym early once again.
Although the number of participants had already been halved, today's 2v2 matches would take considerably longer, so the tournament still began at 7:30 AM sharp.
Today's intensity was much higher.
Three rounds would be fought, directly deciding the Top 8 finalists before tomorrow's championship matches.
As for why there would end up being exactly eight people left…
Well, naturally, the organizers could manipulate the bracket behind the scenes.
Every tournament included participants from the three major factions. Some came purely for experience, while others existed mainly as "filler contestants," ready to withdraw whenever needed to adjust the numbers.
Since they already belonged to powerful factions, they weren't particularly invested in the tournament itself.
If their superiors asked them to throw a match, then they would simply do so.
After all, refusing would only make them look foolish.
…
Around 8:30 AM, the broadcast finally called Icarus's number.
"Contestant #378, please proceed to Battle Arena #2!"
"Contestant #64, please proceed to Battle Arena #2!"
As he walked toward the contestant area, people continuously passed by him.
But gradually, Icarus noticed something strange.
On the road leading to Arena #2, only he and another young man wearing a straw hat remained.
"This guy… is my opponent?"
Looking at the man's attire, Icarus's expression immediately turned serious.
The other person looked exactly like the classic Bug Catchers from the Pokémon games of his previous life.
But in this world, Bug Catchers were absolutely not weak.
Among civilian Trainers, Bug Catchers were practically a respected subcategory of specialists.
As the name implied, Bug Catchers were Trainers who possessed extremely deep understanding of Bug-type Pokémon.
Compared to ordinary civilian Trainers, their development of Bug-types was usually far superior.
Because of this, Bug Catchers often wore straw hats, sleeveless shirts, and shorts within towns as a symbol of identity.
Of course, when entering the wilderness, anyone below Elite level still wore proper protective gear.
But if you ever encountered someone dressed like a Bug Catcher deep in the wild, there was a 99% chance they were at least Ordinary high-tier—
And very possibly Elite-level.
After all, surviving in the wilderness while lightly dressed without protection required terrifying strength.
"But Bug Catchers usually specialize in Bug-types…"
"In that case, I should switch strategies."
"I'll use Pidgeotto and Houndoom. Type advantage."
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