It was a pity that Arbok's slithering speed was far too fast. Weepinbell could only watch helplessly as the flaming jaws clamped down on her face.
"Sprout!!"
Weepinbell cried out in pain. Burned bite marks appeared on her face, and she collapsed to the ground, losing her ability to battle almost immediately.
"Weepinbell!"
Although Icarus had expected the attack to hurt, he still shouted anxiously when he saw Weepinbell's miserable condition.
"Kid, you qualify. Take this Burn Heal."
The burly man watched Icarus's worried expression and nodded, recalling the performance he had just seen. He tossed a bottle of medicine over.
"Thank you, Captain!"
Hearing that he had passed the test, the anxious Icarus quickly picked up the Burn Heal and began treating Weepinbell's burns.
After finishing the treatment, he recalled Weepinbell, leaving only Pidgey outside as a precaution.
"Let's go, kid. I'll take you to join Team Rocket. From now on, you'll be working under me. My name is Okamoto—you can call me Captain Okamoto, or just Captain."
Seeing Icarus waiting obediently in front of him, the Okamoto nodded, clearly satisfied with the new recruit as he introduced himself.
"Yes, Captain Okamoto! My name is Icarus. I'll definitely serve you well in the future!"
After hearing the introduction, Icarus immediately bowed respectfully and introduced himself.
"Haha, good. Icarus, let's go. I'll take you to the base."
Captain Okamoto seemed very pleased with his respectful attitude. He patted Icarus on the shoulder and ordered Arbok to lead the way back to the base.
"Understood, Captain!"
Icarus felt secretly delighted.
Originally, he had planned to hand over the two extra backpacks he had picked up earlier. But since his new boss didn't even mention them, it seemed they weren't worth much in the captain's eyes.
He quickly followed behind Captain Okamoto while casually probing for information.
"Captain, I actually wanted to join Team Rocket when I was younger. I searched all over town but couldn't find any trace of you guys. Now my childhood dream has finally come true!
Captain, could you explain a bit about Team Rocket? When we get to the base, I don't want to misunderstand anything and embarrass you!"
"Hah, you're quite good with words. Fine, I'll tell you a bit."
Okamoto was clearly pleased by the flattery.
After all, he was only a small captain within Team Rocket—just one rank above ordinary soldiers and handymen. Hearing someone say joining Team Rocket was their dream was something he had never experienced before.
After all, the Pokémon League had labeled Team Rocket the number one terrorist organization.
Normally, when recruiting new members, they had to rely on orphans, fugitives, or desperate civilians. To encourage these people to join voluntarily, Team Rocket usually offered welcome rewards to new recruits.
"First of all," Okamoto began, "when you arrive at the base, you'll need to provide a blood sample, fingerprints, and a sworn video oath.
Only after that will you officially become a member of Team Rocket.
If you ever do anything harmful to the organization, those records will be sent straight to the police.
You understand the consequences."
When he said the last part, Okamoto turned and gave Icarus a threatening grin.
"Don't worry, Captain! I'll definitely serve Team Rocket—and you!"
Hearing about the joining process, Icarus quickly suppressed the small schemes he had been considering and immediately declared his loyalty.
After all, a massive underground organization like Team Rocket would obviously have methods to control its members.
According to the Pokémon League's official stance, anyone affiliated with Team Rocket—especially a backgroundless civilian like him—would be executed on sight if discovered.
"Relax. After you officially join, you'll also receive a new recruit gift."
Seeing Icarus trembling slightly and pledging loyalty, Okamoto nodded and began offering incentives.
After years as a captain, he understood the classic method: a stick in one hand, a reward in the other.
"What? There's even a welcome gift? As expected of Team Rocket—rich and powerful! Completely different from that stingy League!
Captain Okamoto, what exactly does the new recruit gift include?"
Icarus immediately looked pleasantly surprised and even began referring to Team Rocket as "we."
"Heh. You're lucky," Okamoto replied.
"Team Rocket is currently preparing to reestablish control in Greenveil Town, and we've only just regained our footing here.
So we're desperately short on manpower. Because of that, your recruit reward is actually better than what other branches usually give."
After explaining the reason, Okamoto slowly continued.
"You have several choices.
The first option is to pick a Pokémon from the Pokémon storage—just like other ordinary recruits.
The worst aptitude will be mid-level Normal, and the best might even be low-level Good aptitude.
They're all beginner-level Pokémon, and most have already been partially trained."
"What kinds of Pokémon are there?" Icarus asked quickly.
If there was something interesting, raising a third Pokémon might not be impossible.
"As for species," Okamoto replied casually, "they're mostly common forest types:
Rattata, Geodude, Zubat, Ekans, Koffing, and so on."
Seeing Icarus's curious expression, Okamoto deliberately avoided revealing the full details and only mentioned general species.
"Oh… I see. Captain, what's the next option then?"
Hearing those types, Icarus immediately lost interest.
"It seems you already have plans for your third Pokémon," Okamoto said.
"But don't forget—Team Rocket has far more than just these species.
As long as you work hard and accumulate contribution points, you can exchange for almost anything—even Pokémon the League guards closely."
Only after emphasizing Team Rocket's strength did he explain the second option.
"The second option is to take contribution points instead of a Pokémon.
New recruits receive 100 contribution points."
"Captain, what can I exchange with those 100 points?" Icarus asked curiously.
"Contribution points are similar to League merit points," Okamoto explained.
"But even if you have merit points in the League, many things can't be exchanged without connections.
Team Rocket is different.
As long as you have enough contribution points, you can obtain anything:
Pokémon training and evolution plans
Rare Pokémon species
Even pseudo-legendary Pokémon eggs
And when it comes to knowledge and research data, our prices are usually 20% cheaper than the League's.
So, kid… for a lone civilian like you, working in Team Rocket will give you a much brighter future than the League ever would."
After finishing, Captain Okamoto patted Icarus on the shoulder encouragingly.
"Yes, Captain! I'll work hard for Team Rocket!"
When Icarus heard about the 20% discount, he straightened his posture and answered firmly.
At that moment, he finally understood something.
Why Team Rocket, despite years of suppression by the Pokémon League, had not grown weaker—
but instead continued to grow stronger.
---
It should now be obvious why Team Rocket keeps growing stronger.
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
(End of Chapter 115)
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