Just as Qing Wu was preparing to leave the Trial Base and return to the small cave he had found yesterday, he suddenly spotted a group of people standing outside in the distance, apparently waiting for someone.
Leading them was Kuraki, the man who trained Ekans.
When Qing Wu looked into Kuraki's snake-like eyes, his heart jolted. Snakes were the most patient predators. They used their forked tongues to pick up the scent of prey in the air, quietly approached their target, and launched a fatal strike.
Looking at Kuraki's eyes, Qing Wu couldn't help shivering. He quickened his pace toward the base's exit.
In Qing Wu's view, his Pokémon hadn't received enough training yet. Now wasn't the time to fight this madman. Once the madman set his sights on him, there would be no peace.
As Qing Wu walked out step by step, the gloomy malice in Kuraki's eyes grew heavier, and his face became increasingly pale.
Kuraki crooked his little finger, and Ekans immediately understood. It slithered rapidly toward Qing Wu.
Qing Wu only heard the sound of a little Pokémon crawling behind him and knew that Ekans had launched its attack.
Ekans opened its enormous maw, releasing a large amount of foul-smelling air.
As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Qing Wu pulled an oversized Berry from his Wristband, turned around, and stuffed it straight into Ekans's mouth.
Ekans was suddenly force-fed the Berry, which lodged halfway in its throat.
Qing Wu's move caused little physical harm, but the humiliation was immense.
Kuraki's face grew even paler. A trace of black blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, lasting until Ekans finally bit the Berry in half.
Berry juice flowed from Ekans's mouth and dripped onto the ground.
It was actually a Spicy Berry, a fruit with an extremely intense flavor. The heat made Ekans's mouth swell up like that of a sausage.
"You'd better take Ekans to the infirmary quickly and have it checked. That was a Spicy Berry," Qing Wu kindly reminded him.
Kuraki's gloomy gaze swept back and forth between Qing Wu and Ekans. In the end, Ekans's mouth had swollen as large as a sausage.
Only then did Kuraki return Ekans to its Poké Ball and lead the group toward the infirmary.
"Clap, clap, clap." A figure hidden in the darkness applauded. "I actually got to see such a good show."
Qing Wu focused his eyes and saw that it was Lan Ling.
"Qing Wu, you'd better be careful. Kuraki is a petty man. Once he sets his sights on you, he'll fight you to the death."
"What's more, you've offended him so thoroughly. Oh, right, my name is Lan Ling. I hope you'll still be alive the next time we meet."
After enjoying the show, Lan Ling was in an excellent mood. Humming a little tune, she walked toward the Exchange Office.
"So it was her." Looking at the familiar face, Qing Wu finally remembered who Lan Ling was.
She was Athena's future direct subordinate, the Ice-type Psychic Elite Four. No wonder Qing Wu had felt as if he had seen her somewhere before.
Qing Wu had encountered her several times in his previous life, but she had worn short hair back then, so he hadn't recognized her at first glance.
She was also Team Rocket's famous Viper Beauty. Once she set her sights on you, she could scheme you to death.
"Big brother, I want to make an exchange!" Lan Ling shouted, slapping down a card and making it look as if it contained several million points.
In one corner of the base stood the room of Team Rocket's chief instructor. Coach Frostwolf sat in an executive chair, smoking a cigar.
At that moment, the arrival of a Black Robe shattered Coach Frostwolf's peace.
Black Robe pulled a cigar straight from Coach Frostwolf's precious collection, skillfully cut it, and lit it.
Under Coach Frostwolf's pained, heartbroken gaze, he sat directly opposite him, crossed his legs, and said nothing.
Black Robe took a hard puff of the cigar, only to choke on the smoke and cough repeatedly.
"You can't even smoke, yet you're smoking one of my expensive cigars. What a waste."
Coach Frostwolf finally couldn't hold back. He spoke first, breaking the silence.
"Why are you here?"
"Nothing much. Boss Sakaki sent me here to take a vacation." Black Robe removed the hood covering his head, revealing a weathered face.
"Well, well. The battle maniac actually came here for a vacation. Has the sun risen in the west?" Coach Frostwolf exclaimed in amazement.
"Did the mission fail?" Coach Frostwolf asked tentatively.
"The mission didn't fail. I just need to see my old partners off." Helplessness showed in Black Robe's voice.
"I see. They held on for so long, but even they couldn't keep going. It must have been hard on them." Coach Frostwolf sighed.
Partings between life and death were the most common things in Team Rocket. These Pokémon had been with Black Robe the longest.
"Do you have any suitable Pokémon?" Coach Frostwolf said as he turned and opened the safe, taking out three Poké Balls.
"These are three relatively powerful Pokémon I collected. Take them and train them. Otherwise, your position in the organization won't be secure."
Although Coach Frostwolf was reluctant to give them up, he hardened his heart and pushed the Poké Balls toward Black Robe.
"No need. I still have backup Pokémon. After Boss Sakaki heard about it, he told me to come here and clear my head, and to find a successor while I'm at it."
Black Robe pushed the Poké Balls back toward Coach Frostwolf.
"To be honest, I'm a little tired after all these years." Black Robe spoke helplessly.
These Pokémon had all been carefully raised by Black Robe. After being together for so many years, they were like his children. He only wanted to see them through to the end.
Even someone as heartless as Black Robe could feel his own heart beating.
"The survival rate for this trial can be relaxed a little. The organization has lost a lot of manpower recently." Black Robe spoke to Coach Frostwolf.
"That was Boss Sakaki's exact order," Black Robe added.
"I never thought that even you, the Reaper of Team Rocket, would end up in this state, Cang." Coach Frostwolf sighed. He stood up and took two bottles of fine liquor from the bar.
"Want a drink?" Coach Frostwolf might have been ruthless, but he still retained a trace of humanity.
"Are you still hurting this time? After all, you used to be such a kind person." Coach Frostwolf couldn't help comforting him.
"I'm numb." Those two words revealed Cang's bitterness. After all, he and his Pokémon had made too many sacrifices for Team Rocket.
The Pokémon under him had already been replaced several times, all of them buried on Ghost Mountain on Trial Island.
Cang increasingly felt that he was no longer up to the task. It was time to find a successor.
"What exactly happened?" Curiosity finally got the better of Coach Frostwolf, and he asked.
"While fighting two Elite Four members from the League, I was ambushed by a hidden Poison-type Elite Four member. All of my Pokémon were poisoned."
"I originally thought that everything would be fine once I returned to the base and got an antidote shot. But later, I discovered that the Pokémon had begun showing signs of excessive sleepiness."
"Only then did I give all my Pokémon medical examinations. The medical experts were helpless against the poison."
"I already told Leader Sakaki to let me come here and see my Pokémon through to the end. So I treated it as a vacation and came here to choose a few people." Cang spoke expressionlessly.
"I never thought that even you, the Poison-type and Dark-type Elite Four, couldn't cure the poison. That's a rare occurrence."
Although Coach Frostwolf was joking, his expression was dark. For even the Poison-type Elite Four to be unable to cure it, the poison had to be terrifying.
"I don't know. That Elite Four member was a new face. I even had Agatha examine it."
"Crack." Cang bit through the wooden cork stuffed into the bottle and took a huge gulp of liquor, swallowing it down.
"What did Agatha say?" Coach Frostwolf raised his brows.
If Agatha ranked second in Team Rocket when it came to using poison, no one would dare claim first place.
"Agatha couldn't do anything either. He believed it was a new type of poison. His medicine could only alleviate the symptoms."
"Thanks to him, my Pokémon were able to hold on for so long and give everything they had one last time."
What a pity. Even at the final moment, Cang was still trying to save his Pokémon. He hadn't had time to raise a new Pokémon capable of reaching the Elite Four level.
Without an Elite Four-level Pokémon, Cang wouldn't be able to command respect. He was destined to fall from the heights into the abyss.
Cang sighed inwardly. He would just take things one step at a time. In any case, he had already decided to find a successor.
"I'm going to sleep here for a while. I haven't rested in several days. Whenever I open or close my eyes, I see my Pokémon struggling to stay alive."
"They keep holding on so that I, their Trainer, won't feel so sad." Two streams of muddy tears ran from the corners of Cang's eyes.
"Weren't you numb? This is a common occurrence in Team Rocket." Coach Frostwolf asked in confusion.
"I'm numb, but the memories remain vivid." Cang hadn't slept for several days and could only numb himself with alcohol.
Cang rubbed his temples hard. His head hurt terribly at that moment.
He had seen the desire to survive in his Pokémon. That desire existed so they could help their Trainer live better.
It touched the softest place in Cang's heart.
Coach Frostwolf didn't look into Cang's eyes. If he had, he would have noticed that Cang had already resolved himself to die.
"In Team Rocket, you can't develop feelings for Pokémon. You haven't just joined Team Rocket." Coach Frostwolf frowned.
Cang was Boss Sakaki's right-hand man, one of the strongest people beneath Boss Sakaki. How had he ended up in such a sorry state?
"You've never experienced it. You wouldn't understand." Cang finished the entire bottle of strong liquor in one breath.
Cang casually threw the empty bottle onto the floor, where it clattered.
"I'm going to sleep." Cang sat on the stool, wrapped himself in the Black Robe, and fell asleep. Before long, his snores thundered like landslides and crashing waves.
"Damn it, every time he comes here, he treats my office like a place to sleep." Coach Frostwolf muttered inwardly, but he still left the office and gently closed the door behind him.
Before you continue