That evening, while the three of them were having dinner together, Icarus brought up the idea of Airi and Stone hunting together.
Airi nodded in agreement without hesitation.
Over the past ten days, hunting in the wild had changed her quite a bit.
Her temperament had shifted—she was less timid now, and more composed and capable.
Her confidence had also grown. Hunting in the outskirts had made her realize that her strength wasn't weak at all—at least not in that area.
So when she heard she would be taking Stone into the wild, she agreed immediately.
---
Early the next morning, Icarus escorted the two of them to the outskirts of the forest.
But this time, he didn't act like a caretaker.
He left them behind and headed straight toward the inner area alone.
---
During these ten days, not only had Icarus improved, but Victreebel and Pidgeotto had also mastered their new moves.
Now, he needed real opponents to test his strength.
Coincidentally, Team Rocket squadron leader Luke had issued a mandatory mission yesterday.
And today—he had to report.
---
Task Number: 00000
Task Level: Mandatory
Mission Description:
Rob and eliminate the caravan of Jiang Qi's family. Attempt to capture direct descendants alive.
Time Limit: Follow squadron leader's orders
Rewards:
Participation: +50 contribution points
Each captured direct descendant: +100 points
All seized wealth: keep it
---
Looking at the message sent to his black card, Icarus's expression darkened.
But he had no choice—he had to go.
---
After receiving the mission, he had already investigated.
This caravan had recently traveled near Viridian City.
And as someone who understood the world's background—
He knew exactly what that meant.
Even if he hadn't been a hardcore fan in his previous life, he knew that Viridian City was essentially the base of Team Rocket.
So if a caravan passed through there with valuable goods—
Getting targeted was inevitable.
---
"Since Team Rocket just started rebuilding here, resources must be scarce…"
"And you just walked right past their territory…"
"If they don't rob you, who will they rob?"
---
But something else caught his attention.
Capture alive.
Those two red-highlighted words.
---
"So they want to plant spies inside the town…"
"They'll control the heirs… then control the whole family…"
"And eventually…"
---
He stopped himself.
Thinking too deeply wasn't useful.
---
"Forget it. I should focus on surviving—and grabbing what I can during the chaos."
---
After all, he was just a small pawn.
And this mission?
It was dangerous.
---
If squadron leader Luke—an elite trainer—was involved, then the caravan would definitely have elite-level defenders too.
He had seen the power of an elite Beedrill before.
If he wasn't careful, he could die instantly.
---
"Good thing I had time to prepare."
Icarus touched his newly purchased high-grade protective suit and the three disposable talismans on his wrist.
That gave him some reassurance.
---
"But this alone cost me 6…"
"If I don't make money from this mission, I'll take a huge loss."
---
Looking at his remaining balance—just 24—his heart ached.
Expenses were rising too fast.
---
While thinking, he used repellent spray to clear the way and headed toward the Team Rocket base.
---
"Beep~"
After facial verification and entering the latest password, he arrived at the assembly point.
---
Inside the lab, the doors were open.
Five squads were already lined up.
Some had 7–8 members, others only 3–4.
They were chatting casually, waiting.
---
As soon as Icarus entered, several people glanced at him—
Then quickly lost interest.
---
"Captain Okamoto, subordinate Icarus reporting."
---
From the moment he stepped into the base, his expression had turned cold and controlled.
Even if he had been slightly surprised earlier, he showed none of it now.
---
"Mm. Go line up at the back. Wait for Lord Luke."
---
"Yes!"
---
He followed orders and stood at the end of his squad.
---
More waiting followed.
From time to time, trainers in black R-uniforms entered.
Each time, people turned to look—
Then turned back again.
---
With nothing to do, Icarus started counting.
"1… 2… 3… 10…"
---
"So each squad has 10 people…"
"Five squads… that's 50 ordinary trainers."
"And that's just one squadron."
---
His expression subtly changed.
---
"Add Luke—an elite trainer…"
"That alone surpasses any of the four major families in town."
---
The strongest family only had around 30 ordinary trainers.
But here—
There were already 50.
---
Even if their quality was lower—
Numbers could overwhelm strength.
One-on-one? Maybe not.
But two-on-one? Three-on-one?
That's a different story.
---
"So this is why Team Rocket keeps growing stronger…"
"Even at the lowest levels… their numbers are insane."
---
"And this is just one small branch…"
"I can't even imagine how powerful they are in Viridian…"
---
Just as he was deep in thought—
Footsteps echoed.
---
"Tap… tap… tap…"
---
The room instantly fell silent.
Everyone straightened.
So did Icarus.
---
Then—
All members bowed in unison.
---
"Welcome, Lord Luke!"
---
(End of Chapter)
That evening, while the three of them were having dinner together, Icarus brought up the idea of Airi and Stone hunting together.
Airi nodded in agreement without hesitation.
Over the past ten days, hunting in the wild had changed her quite a bit.
Her temperament had shifted—she was less timid now, and more composed and capable.
Her confidence had also grown. Hunting in the outskirts had made her realize that her strength wasn't weak at all—at least not in that area.
So when she heard she would be taking Stone into the wild, she agreed immediately.
---
Early the next morning, Icarus escorted the two of them to the outskirts of the forest.
But this time, he didn't act like a caretaker.
He left them behind and headed straight toward the inner area alone.
---
During these ten days, not only had Icarus improved, but Victreebel and Pidgeotto had also mastered their new moves.
Now, he needed real opponents to test his strength.
Coincidentally, Team Rocket squadron leader Luke had issued a mandatory mission yesterday.
And today—he had to report.
---
Task Number: 00000
Task Level: Mandatory
Mission Description:
Rob and eliminate the caravan of Jiang Qi's family. Attempt to capture direct descendants alive.
Time Limit: Follow squadron leader's orders
Rewards:
Participation: +50 contribution points
Each captured direct descendant: +100 points
All seized wealth: keep it
---
Looking at the message sent to his black card, Icarus's expression darkened.
But he had no choice—he had to go.
---
After receiving the mission, he had already investigated.
This caravan had recently traveled near Viridian City.
And as someone who understood the world's background—
He knew exactly what that meant.
Even if he hadn't been a hardcore fan in his previous life, he knew that Viridian City was essentially the base of Team Rocket.
So if a caravan passed through there with valuable goods—
Getting targeted was inevitable.
---
"Since Team Rocket just started rebuilding here, resources must be scarce…"
"And you just walked right past their territory…"
"If they don't rob you, who will they rob?"
---
But something else caught his attention.
Capture alive.
Those two red-highlighted words.
---
"So they want to plant spies inside the town…"
"They'll control the heirs… then control the whole family…"
"And eventually…"
---
He stopped himself.
Thinking too deeply wasn't useful.
---
"Forget it. I should focus on surviving—and grabbing what I can during the chaos."
---
After all, he was just a small pawn.
And this mission?
It was dangerous.
---
If squadron leader Luke—an elite trainer—was involved, then the caravan would definitely have elite-level defenders too.
He had seen the power of an elite Beedrill before.
If he wasn't careful, he could die instantly.
---
"Good thing I had time to prepare."
Icarus touched his newly purchased high-grade protective suit and the three disposable talismans on his wrist.
That gave him some reassurance.
---
"But this alone cost me 6…"
"If I don't make money from this mission, I'll take a huge loss."
---
Looking at his remaining balance—just 24—his heart ached.
Expenses were rising too fast.
---
While thinking, he used repellent spray to clear the way and headed toward the Team Rocket base.
---
"Beep~"
After facial verification and entering the latest password, he arrived at the assembly point.
---
Inside the lab, the doors were open.
Five squads were already lined up.
Some had 7–8 members, others only 3–4.
They were chatting casually, waiting.
---
As soon as Icarus entered, several people glanced at him—
Then quickly lost interest.
---
"Captain Okamoto, subordinate Icarus reporting."
---
From the moment he stepped into the base, his expression had turned cold and controlled.
Even if he had been slightly surprised earlier, he showed none of it now.
---
"Mm. Go line up at the back. Wait for Lord Luke."
---
"Yes!"
---
He followed orders and stood at the end of his squad.
---
More waiting followed.
From time to time, trainers in black R-uniforms entered.
Each time, people turned to look—
Then turned back again.
---
With nothing to do, Icarus started counting.
"1… 2… 3… 10…"
---
"So each squad has 10 people…"
"Five squads… that's 50 ordinary trainers."
"And that's just one squadron."
---
His expression subtly changed.
---
"Add Luke—an elite trainer…"
"That alone surpasses any of the four major families in town."
---
The strongest family only had around 30 ordinary trainers.
But here—
There were already 50.
---
Even if their quality was lower—
Numbers could overwhelm strength.
One-on-one? Maybe not.
But two-on-one? Three-on-one?
That's a different story.
---
"So this is why Team Rocket keeps growing stronger…"
"Even at the lowest levels… their numbers are insane."
---
"And this is just one small branch…"
"I can't even imagine how powerful they are in Viridian…"
---
Just as he was deep in thought—
Footsteps echoed.
---
"Tap… tap… tap…"
---
The room instantly fell silent.
Everyone straightened.
So did Icarus.
---
Then—
All members bowed in unison.
---
"Welcome, Lord Luke!"
---
(End of Chapter)