Team Rocket's internal hierarchy was divided into four levels... from top to bottom: Boss, Executives, Elites, and Grunts...
Ariana held the position of Executive, second only to the boss Giovanni himself.
Not everyone recognized Ariana... Victor and Lucien, for instance, looked completely baffled upon hearing her name.
Caleb glanced over and noticed Gwen watching him.
Their eyes met, and in silent agreement, they chose not to share this information with the two scheming veterans...
Ariana didn't bother with lengthy introductions. Instead, she produced a standard Poké Ball from somewhere and held it up.
"I'll skip the formalities. I assume you're all familiar with Pokémon by now. What I'm going to teach you is how to make them stronger..."
"...As we all know, Pokémon and their Trainers grow together. There are many ways to strengthen a Pokémon, but the most effective and efficient method is through battle."
With that, Ariana released her Poké Ball in a flash of white light. A towering Vileplume with five massive crimson petals emerged before the four recruits.
"Come on, send out your Pokémon! Battle me, let's see what you lot are made of!" Ariana stepped back, clearing space for the match.
'Team Rocket's training methods really are blunt and brutal,ʼ Caleb thought dryly...
The four players exchanged glances, silently debating who should go first, but before they could decide, Ariana pointed, "You there, the not-too-bright pretty boy. You're up first."
Her red lips curled into a sultry smirk as she emphasized, "I'm very much looking forward to our battle~..."
She lingered on the word "battle" just enough to make Lucien's jaw drop.
"Holy shit, am I hearing this right?!" Lucien yanked Victor's sleeve, "This NPC is flirting with a player?!"
Caleb's expression twisted. After a long pause, he managed five stiff words, "I'm gonna call the police."
'It really is dangerous for guys out here...'
Ariana burst into laughter, "Go ahead, go ahead! A Team Rocket member calling the cops! That's a first! Though I doubt you'll get far. But don't worry, I'll personally come bail you out from Officer Jenny."
Caleb: "..."
Faced with this mature and effortlessly seductive woman, Caleb felt completely out of his depth.
Pursing his lips, he decided not to engage further and released Mimikyu from its Poké Ball.
Ariana blinked in surprise. If she remembered correctly, this Mimikyu was one she'd picked up during a business trip to Alola and casually tossed into the base's storage. She hadn't expected to see it here.
But she quickly schooled her expression, "Ready? Don't expect me to go easy on you."
Caleb nodded just as a system notification popped up:
[Team Rocket Executive Ariana has challenged you to a battle!]
'Very Pokémon of you.'
Instead of some random Shorts Kid or Bug Catcher, his first opponent was a Team Rocket Executive. Caleb was beginning to suspect this 'beginner scenario' was actually hell-mode difficulty...
"Vileplume, use Poison Powder!" Without waiting for Caleb, Ariana immediately ordered her Pokémon to attack.
Vileplume's petals trembled as a faint purple glow coalesced into a cloud of toxic dust which rapidly spread toward Mimikyu.
The Poison Powder's area of effect was too wide for the tiny Mimikyu to dodge, especially at only Level 1.
Though this was his first live Pokémon battle, Caleb stayed calm and quickly assessed the situation.
If dodging was impossible, then the only option was to charge straight in...
"Mimikyu, use Astonish!" he ordered.
Diving headfirst into the purple haze, Mimikyu lunged at Vileplume like a ghostly blur, unleashing an ear-piercing shriek.
The sonic waves hit Vileplume dead-on, making it flinch in terror.
Simultaneously, a purple aura flickered around Mimikyu... the Poison Powder had successfully inflicted the toxic status.
Ariana smiled, "Solar Beam."
Vileplume began gathering sunlight.
Solar Beam had a clear three-second charge time. Against opponents of similar strength, this would create a perfect counterattack window.
But when the power gap was too large, no amount of strategy could bridge it...
Though Caleb didn't know Vileplume's exact level, he was certain it was at least Level 20.
As for Ariana? She wasn't even taking this seriously. If she were, she could've broken Mimikyu's Disguise with Mega Drain first turn, then obliterated it with Energy Ball or Petal Blizzard.
Watching from the sidelines, Lucien winced, "This NPC is brutal."
She wasn't worried about accidentally killing Mimikyu?
In the Infinite World, if a Trainer's Pokémon were all knocked out without revival items like Sacred Ash or Max Revive, their main mission would automatically fail, incurring heavy point deductions.
Victor used the system's scan function on Vileplume and wasn't surprised to see 'Lv. 25' beside its name.
He couldn't help but gloat, "Hah! This batch of newbies is screwed! What kind of demonic starting difficulty is this? Compared to them, my first scenario was child's play!"
Gwen pressed her lips together in silence. She frowned... this battle would be her fate soon too.
0.13 seconds passed. Caleb's mind had already formulated a response... No, if he were honest, he'd had this plan since before the battle began.
Opening Mimikyu's status panel, his gaze locked onto the Egg Move listed under its abilities:
- Destiny Bond: When used, if the user faints from an opponent's attack, that opponent will also faint...
Mimikyu's Disguise had already been broken by the initial poison damage. So if that Solar Beam landed, Mimikyu would absolutely be knocked out.
Which meant he only had one shot.
Caleb's heart pounded. At that moment, Mimikyu turned its head, their eyes met midair.
And in the next second, Caleb issued his final command, "Mimikyu, charge in and use Destiny Bond!"
"Nani?!" Lucien's jaw dropped, "Holy sh*t! What kind of luck is this?! Why does his first Pokémon have an Egg Move?!"
Before he could finish, Mimikyu conjured a faint purple energy orb that sank into Vileplume upon contact.
At the same time, Solar Beam finished charging... However, Vileplume was now bound by Destiny Bond.
A second later, an intense white beam lanced out.
Mimikyu (still mid-leap) was completely engulfed by the devastating blast.
Its small body vanished into the blinding light...
...
Vileplume...