Alex had a girlfriend in his previous life. The relationship was largely physical, and because of that, it ended quickly. His girlfriend eventually left, saying she never felt truly cared for. Alex accepted it without protest. He hadn't been particularly invested. In truth, he often found her bothersome—she wanted emotional engagement, shared experiences, things he saw as unnecessary.
From then on, Alex concluded that he simply wasn't built for love. Love at first sight was something he dismissed outright.
He had seen plenty of attractive women. Beauty registered, nothing more. Like observing a painting—well-crafted, pleasing, but detached. None had ever triggered the urge to pursue, to invest effort or emotion. He believed that kind of reaction simply didn't exist for him.
Until now.
Alex's gaze lingered on Maria longer than intended. His expression remained neutral, but his attention stalled.
Maria noticed immediately.
Another one, she thought with irritation. Do men really think staring is subtle?She exhaled slowly and spoke. "Are you done, or do you plan on standing there silently?"
Her voice snapped Alex back to himself.
"My mistake," he said calmly. "You spoke?"
She frowned. "Do you normally ignore people?"
"No." He paused. "I lost focus. Alex Stark."
She looked unimpressed. "I didn't ask."
Alex nodded once, accepting it without offense.
After a moment, Maria said, "I'm Maria. I asked whether you could answer a few questions."
This one's worse than usual, she thought. At least most try to hide it.
"That depends," Alex replied evenly. "Information costs TR points."
She scoffed. "Straight to business. Fine. Five points. I want to know which rookie was the first to conquer their Pokémon."
Alex studied her for a brief second. Not her appearance—her posture, her tone, the restraint in her irritation.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because I was second," Maria said flatly. "I conquered my Ekans yesterday. I want to know whether first place is someone worth accounting for in the tournament."
She released her Pokémon. Ekans emerged, healthy and alert, coiling up her arm and settling on her shoulder. Its gaze locked onto Alex and his Zubat, hostile and alert.
Alex accessed its information.
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Pokémon: Ekans
LV: 13
Attribute: Poison
Abilities: Intimidate
Gender: Female
Potential: Gold
Move: Poison Sting, Wrap, Leer, Acid, Bite, (Innate Talent) Headbutt, (Innate Talent) Iron Tail, (Innate Talent) Rock Slide
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Gold potential.
Three innate talent moves.
That alone set it apart from nearly every Pokémon he had encountered so far. Even among Team Rocket members, such talent was uncommon.
More noteworthy, however, was Maria.
Conquering a cold-blooded Pokémon like Ekans—especially one with this level of potential—in a single day required ability, discipline, and mental resilience.
Alex felt something unfamiliar.
Not attraction.
Pressure.
So she's capable, he thought. That's all.
He straightened slightly, his tone unchanged. "Then this saves you the trouble."
Maria's eyes narrowed. "What?"
"You're looking at him," Alex said. "I was first."
AUTHOR'S THOUGHT :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"This is how Maria looks like" (check out jojo's comment)