Harper points his finger accusingly, "Don't deny it, It is you, I don't believe in coincidences!"

"I...I'm not denying it, but nones called me that before..."

Massaging his temples, Harper growls, "What are you doing here lunatic?"

"Looking for work..."

Slamming his hand on the table Harper barks, "You think I'd believe that? Someone like you? You very nearly become an official trainer, and now suddenly wants to join the Rocket Gang? Someone with a bright future like you wants to join us? You take me for a fool?!"

Someone knocks on the door, "Everything alright in there, boss?"

A vein pulses on Harper's forehead, "I told you to stop interrupting me!"

Jared then replies when he felt the timing was right, "I don't think you are a fool, but I do want to join."

A moment later the Natu appears once more, and Harper commands him to say it again.

"I want to join the rocket gang."

The natu nods.

Harper lowers his tone, "Tell me lunatic, why are you joining us?"

"Because I'm at the end of my rope like you say."

The natu nods.

Harper shakes his head in disbelief, "Unbelievable... are you intending to join us to betray us?"

"No, I have no intention of betraying your company."

Natu nods.

"Last question lunatic, those that join the Rocket Gang can't leave so easily, are you willing to join now?"

"Yes, as long as I can earn money"

Harpers lower lip begins to twitch as he comes to a decision, "Come back in five days lunatic, and bring all your belongings, eight AM, don't be late, now GET OUT."

A few minutes after Jared left, Harper brought his phone up to his ear, "I need to speak to the regional leader."

Walking back to the motel, Jared mumbles, "The boss seems a bit... tempermental, but why would he need me to bring all my belongings?... Could they be taking me somewhere? But... I can't just leave Kai..."

Jared stands before the motel with a sigh, (I don't really want to join a criminal organization, but I have very few options now. It's either this, or I run out of money and risk being deported back to Alola. I really don't want to face a thousand-year-old haunter...)

Back at the musty motel, Jared plops on the bed, while the rusting wood creaks in protest. "Kai, I found work, but it's... risky work."

"Bad people?"

"Yes, and if I join them I think I'll be sent away... but don't worry, I'll see what I can find in the next five days... But, if nothing else comes up, then I might have to leave you here for a while. I'll give you the money and food, and there's enough to rent another two weeks... but I'll try to get back before then."

"I'll go with you, "

Jared shook his head, "Not this time Kai."

.

Five days later Jared was standing before the Rocket Gang building.

"Kai, I told you to stay back, these people are dangerous."

Kai just smiled, and stubbornly shook his head.

Slightly exasperated, Jared knocked on the door.

After a moment it was opened, and the doorman escorted the two back to the office. He stood watch until they entered the office.

Jared noted the lack of cigarette smoke.

The door to the room was already opened, and a few people could be seen sitting inside.

Harper was in his usual seat.

The temperamental man's eyes darken as Jared enters, and they darken further when he spots Kai, "You brought your kid?"

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

Jared affirms.

"Get in here and take a seat then."

Harper Scans the room, he then spoke bluntly, "You are now initiates of the Rocket Gang, and you will be blindfolded and teleported off for training."

A moment later a man came in, and he held a bucket full of blindfolds.

Harper threatens the six trainees, as the man begins applying them, "Don't resist"

.

Fully blindfolded, Jared feels himself pulled along this way and that, and then after a few minutes, he feels the blindfold suddenly vanish off his face.

Opening his eyes to adjust to the new lighting, he finds himself in a large dimly lit room.

The floor was smooth, and the whole area reeked of sterilization.

On his left, he barely makes out five others, but more seem to be popping into existence out of nowhere, Kai as well.

An hour later Jared and Kai look around the room. They found the crowd had grown to twenty-five people.

Some of them appear to know each other and separate into groups, while others kept to themselves.

Jared observes them in the dim light, (Most of them are pretty young, and judging by their scared expressions and dirty clothing, I imagine joining the Rocket Gang, and coming here wasn't their first choice...)

.

A spotlight suddenly lights up on a raised podium. Up until now, it was hidden by the darkness.

With a grandiose voice, a man cheers from atop it, "Welcome! I am instructor Micheal! Many of you are here because society has pushed you to the edge, and with nowhere else to turn you have come to us!" He grasped his chest for dramatic effect while tilting his head up.

The room suddenly flashes blindingly bright before slowly dimming.

Behind Micheal, an entire wall of glass comes into view. It was built in by design, and it consumed the entire back wall.

With arms outstretched, like a god accepting the lost lambs, Micheal shouts enthusiastically, "But we at team rocket will accept you!"

The responses he gets from the trainees were lukewarm, which seemed to disappoint him.

A few people shield their eyes from the lights, while others just look around fearfully.

Micheal appears to be waiting for applause, but he frowns when he gets none, "What we at the Rocket Gang care about is your ability to appraise a pokemon, as well as your ability to train them!"

With splayed fingers, he motions behind himself, "Look behind me, there are one hundred cages! Each cage contains one of five species, weedles, koffing's, zubat's, ekans', and spinaraks"

The glass wall suddenly started rising with a whirr, and behind the glass, many pokemon can be seen screeching or crying out. The man doesn't seem to notice, "You will choose one! Choose wisely, but be quick, you only get thirty minutes!"

The group of haggard people tentatively began shuffling to the cages. They went from cage to cage looking at each one.

Jared mused that they were most likely hoping to find a winner.

After a moment, Jared joined them, while Kai followed closely behind.

Scanning his eyes to the sad and lifeless pokemon in the cages, Jared clenches his fists, (They look pitiful... but I'm no saint either...)

(Anyways, what does he mean by assess? They all look the same though? Is there a trick to it? Is there really a way to figure out a pokemon potential just by looking at it?)

Just then, the ekans he was looking at began to glow a pale grey, which made him slightly gasp.

Seeing this, Kai tugs at his shirt, but Jared doesn't notice.

With widened eyes, Jared utters a whisper, "The glow... it's back. This is the third time, there is no way this is a coincidence..."

With a strong hunch, Jared sets his eyes on another ekans, then he repeats the exact same thought.

As if by magic, the new ekans began to glow a slightly brighter grey.

Repeating this a few times, he quickly figures out the trigger.

" Fifteen minutes remaining, choose quickly."

Blinking, Jared looks around to find the twenty-odd people had already picked and they each stood behind a cage nervously.

He and Kai were the only ones left.

Feeling slightly rushed now, Jared frowns, but he doesn't move to choose, (What do the colors mean? From what I can tell the most common is pale grey, but I also see a few greyish copper colors of differing intensities... Is this what they meant by assessing our ability? Can others do what I do? Is grey worse than copper because it's more common? I remember that Feraligator was pale gold, while that Butterfree was a deep bronze color... Am I maybe special?)

Jared shakes his head to dispel that thought, (No... I doubt it, if I was special I wouldn't be dropped in the middle of the ocean to die, perhaps it's a talent only a few people have? Is it a strange quirk with this world?)

Moving his eyes to the cages the other trainees had picked, he finds their choices were no better than random chance, although one had a deep reddish copper glow without any grey.

Jared nods to himself, (If thinking the word *potential* is required to activate the glow, then the glows probably mean something important. Seems... I wasn't screwed by god after all! Even if I don't know how good or bad a glow is, it makes sense to assume that the less common a glow is the better.)

.

Scanning all the cages, Jared begins walking over to one of them, (Never seen that color before...)

"Five minutes left"

Kai tugs Jared's shirt, seeming to be frantic, "We have to choose!"

Standing before the cage, Jared raises a finger, "Five minutes is enough, just hold on a for a moment longer, Kai"

(Pale emerald glow with a bit of brownish bronze... it can't be bad right? The weedle is small, but who knows what he's capable of.)

"Two minutes left"

Quickly looking around, Jared finds nothing better, "Hey Kai pick that one over there."

With some doubt, Kai follows Jared's finger and proceeds to stand next to a deep bronze glowing ekans.

.

"Times up!"

From a side door, a confident well-built man in a uniform strutted in, and at his side was a houndoom.

The houndoom immediately began snarling at the nearby trainees, as well as the caged pokemon.

All those that met the hound's eyes shrunk back in fear, none of them dared to meet its vicious gaze for long.

The announcer just smiles at their reactions, "Don't worry, this is just a precaution. The pokemon you will be taming are all wild, and the houndoom is here to prevent accidents... If they go berserk the houndoom will get himself a little snack!"

In response to his words, the caged pokemon shudder.

Suddenly the cages next to each trainer begin to open up, but the pokemon inside don't dare to step out.

Jared noted that he was the only trainee next to a weedle, (...Looking at this tiny horned bug I don't blame them, size matters, and even I wouldn't have chosen it if not for the emerald glow. I hope the glow isn't just a massive prank by whichever god sent me here...)

.

With a nod, Micheal spoke again, "You have three days to get it to cooperate with you, and you can use any means necessary! You will be given a pokeball after three days, and if the pokemon rejects the ball then you will fail. We aren't a heartless organization, but if you fail you will not even be fit to be a trainee, and you'll be sent... elsewhere..."