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"Interesting," Caesar's eyes flashed with a glint of interest as he watched Sato calmly return to the lineup under everyone's gaze, completely unhurried and unbothered.
Soon, the Rocket Team's Pokémon selection process for the new recruits ended. The grunts who had pushed the racks over tactfully returned to take them away.
"Alright, now that you've all selected your Pokémon, release them immediately. If anyone can command their Pokémon properly, they'll receive a generous reward from me, like this Pokémon egg of one of the Kanto starters. But be quick—there's only one reward," Caesar said, pulling out a Pokémon egg with red markings.
As Caesar spoke, Sato noticed the surrounding Rocket Team members watching them with amused, mocking expressions, as if they were expecting to watch a good show.
"Ekans, follow my command, use Poison Sting!"
"Koffing, use Tackle!"
"Come out, Geodude, use Rock Throw!"
"Spearow, use Growl!"
"Rattata, you use Tackle too!"
"Zubat, hurry and use Supersonic!"
Upon hearing Caesar's instructions and seeing the Pokémon egg in his hand, most of the Rocket Team recruits lit up with joy. They clearly thought they were skilled enough, believing Caesar's challenge was an easy way to grab some benefits. Eagerly, they released their Pokémon and began issuing common attack commands.
In an instant, white beams of light flashed from the PokéBalls as the Pokémon emerged onto the open square.
Seeing the situation taking a bad turn, Sato's expression changed. He quickly squeezed out of the crowd of new recruits and moved closer to the nearest Rocket Team grunt.
It was clear that Sato wasn't the only one sensing trouble. Several others, like him, refrained from releasing their Pokémon and hurried to stand near the Rocket grunts.
As for the Pokémon released from the recruits' PokéBalls, they initially looked around cautiously, scanning their unfamiliar surroundings. When they saw Caesar, they showed fear and dread but paid no attention to the commands given by the new recruits who had released them.
The scene became extremely awkward, and the once confident recruits found themselves embarrassed and bewildered.
In reality, most of these new Rocket Team members came from poor backgrounds, living in relatively isolated environments. Their understanding of Pokémon was quite shallow. They had watched Pokémon battles on TV and thought that simply releasing their Pokémon would allow them to control them easily.
Some recruits, refusing to accept defeat, angrily scolded their Pokémon for not obeying. A few more hot-tempered individuals even attempted to kick or hit their disobedient Pokémon.
"As expected, most of these people were raised like pigs by the Alliance, living in the fairy tale the League has spun. They still have only a surface-level understanding of Pokémon, thinking they can just enslave them at will," Sato smiled wryly from his spot on the outskirts of the crowd.
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In his year living in Pewter City, Sato rarely saw reports of Pokémon harming people on TV or in the newspapers. If there were any incidents, the stories usually involved heroic League trainers driving the wild Pokémon away and capturing them with ease.
Overall, the League rarely allowed people in it's territories to understand the dangers of wild Pokémon, instead promoting the narrative that Pokémon are humans' friends and partners. This led the vast majority of people, who had never experienced a Pokémon attack, to believe it.
Additionally, the Pokémon League's tournaments featured young trainers, still wet behind their ears, expertly commanding their Pokémon in battle. It's no wonder that older people, who had never gone on their own journeys, assumed they could do the same.
The world is never short of arrogant people—those who assume that what others can do, they can do just as easily. In truth, some things are impossible to grasp without firsthand experience. For example, being a Pokémon trainer is no joke; it's a dangerous profession.
Sure enough, some of these arrogant individuals finally faced the consequences. Pokémon might not directly oppose trainers holding PokéBalls, but if a trainer dares to provoke them, they won't just sit back and do nothing. Those who tried to use violence on their disobedient Pokémon quickly regretted it.
An Ekans retaliated with a bite, knocking its trainer to the ground. Koffing, even worse, exploded in a self-destruct, severely injuring both people and Pokémon nearby. Geodude delivered a crushing punch that sent its trainer flying. The fierce Spearow pecked viciously at its trainer's head, leaving him bleeding profusely. Zubat unleashed a dizzying Supersonic before biting its trainer's neck and sucking blood. Rattata bit its trainer's leg, taking a chunk of flesh with it.
Chaos erupted across the plaza, with many new Rocket recruits screaming in pain. Some, utterly terrified by the bloodshed, even wet themselves.
Fortunately, the chaos was short-lived. Under Caesar's orders, the watching Rocket grunts sprang into action. They efficiently commanded their Pokémon to subdue the attacking Pokémon, then swiftly returned them to their PokéBalls.
Afterward, a few grunts split off to carry the severely injured recruits to the infirmary for treatment.
"That was incredibly dangerous. Without special means, humans can't possibly defeat Pokémon. The one I have in this PokéBall is surely untrained too. If I'd released it just now, unprepared, I might've been sent to the infirmary too," Sato thought to himself as he looked at the PokéBall in his hand.
At the same time, witnessing the immense power of the Pokémon only increased his desire to become a trainer capable of controlling such mighty creatures. A hint of excitement appeared on his face.
Soon, the plaza fell deathly silent. Most of the recruits stared at their PokéBalls in fear. Some even threw them far away, no longer believing they could command such terrifying Pokémon after what they had just witnessed.
"Hmph, what a bunch of losers. Looks like none of you are getting a reward from me. Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention that the Pokémon you're holding were only recently caught in the wild and haven't been trained yet," Caesar sneered from the podium, his face growing cold as he saw their pitiful expressions.
Upon hearing Caesar's harsh words, most of the recruits hung their heads even lower, too ashamed and scared to lift them. Only a small few still kept their backs straight, unwilling to show weakness, and looked straight at him.
Caesar, observing the recruits' reactions, took note of those who still showed promise and felt slightly relieved. A smile appeared on his face. As the drill instructor, it was his job to train new recruits for the organization. If he didn't meet the minimum training standards, it would negatively impact his own promotion prospects.
In fact, every drill instructor in Team Rocket was an elite, and they were also the organization's reserve officers. Team Rocket used their expertise not only to train new members but also to allow these elites to build their own influence within the organization.
Currently, Team Rocket's Kanto operations were divided into three powerful factions: the Athena faction, the Apollo faction, and the Hypno faction, each ruling different regions. Caesar belonged to the Apollo faction.
"Alright, I won't waste any more words. You have one week. No matter how you do it, only those who successfully tame their Pokémon will become true members of Team Rocket. Those who fail will be relegated to the lowest menial tasks. Team Rocket doesn't support dead weight. Take them away." Caesar left these parting words before suddenly disappearing from the podium.
Following his orders, the Rocket grunts moved quickly, escorting Sato and the other new recruits away from the plaza like prisoners.