Arriving at the central plaza of the base, Icarus suddenly noticed that there seemed to be more people around at night.
Thinking about it, it made sense. The Team Rocket members here all had questionable backgrounds and couldn't enter the town. On top of that, the forest at night was too dangerous for grunts, so gathering in the central plaza to set up stalls and exchange information was only natural.
"If I have time in the future, I can come here at night to browse. Even if there aren't any good items, listening to the latest intel would still be useful."
Quickly weaving through the crowd, Icarus finally reached an unoccupied self-service computer.
"Beep~"
After skillfully swiping his card for verification, he scanned through the tasks and quickly found the one he wanted.
⸻
Task Number: 00664
Task Level: One-star
Task Description: Provide sufficient Poison-type materials to the alchemist.
Task Duration: Long-term
Task Reward: See poison-type material acquisition price list.
If no reward is desired, the alchemist can be commissioned to refine treasures at a low price. Material providers only need to pay 100 contribution points to have the alchemist refine a treasure (there is a risk of failure; no materials or contribution points will be refunded upon failure! Guaranteed by the official alchemist's reputation!).
⸻
A hint of excitement flashed in Icarus's eyes.
An alchemist! Someone capable of creating all kinds of magical items!
Because of this, every alchemist was treated as a VIP by major powers. As far as he knew, there was only one alchemist in the town, belonging to the Gym Leader's family.
As for Team Rocket having an alchemist, that was believable—but for this newly established branch to have one was beyond his expectations.
"Forget it. Since I've come across this, I can't miss it."
He tapped Accept without hesitation and selected the second reward option.
⸻
"Hello. You can now go to Laboratory No. 4 in the experimental area. I've already informed the Superior—she's currently there."
After contacting the mysterious alchemist, the staff member gave Icarus the address.
"Okay, thank you."
With the location confirmed, he quickly headed toward the experimental area.
Having been there once before, when he saw those organs again—and heard those cries—his heart no longer wavered as it once had.
⸻
Soon, he arrived at the door of Laboratory No. 4.
As he approached, a pungent chemical smell drifted out from the slightly open door.
"Knock, knock, knock~"
"Superior, I'm the grunt who accepted your task and came to deliver materials."
Even though the door was ajar, Icarus didn't dare enter directly. If he disturbed an experiment, he was certain he'd end up as a test subject himself.
So he knocked lightly and waited outside.
⸻
"Sigh… Why did it fail again? Fine, come in. I was already informed."
After a moment, a female voice responded from inside.
"A woman? And that voice sounds familiar…"
"Yes!"
Suppressing his doubts, Icarus pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"Cough, cough—!"
The smell inside was even stronger, making him choke immediately.
"Sorry, sorry—here, take this."
Before he could recover, a gloved hand handed him a mask.
"Cough… Thank you, Superior!"
He quickly put it on.
⸻
"Now, let me see what materials you brought."
"Yes, Superior. These are all of them."
Icarus immediately took out three containers:
Core toxic sludge from a Grimer
Residual sludge
The poison sac of a Koffing
"Hm… good quantity. Let me check the quality."
The alchemist nodded and began examining them.
⸻
Taking the opportunity, Icarus looked around Laboratory No. 4.
Unlike the previous lab he had seen, this one resembled a chemistry lab—filled with test tubes, beakers, and various instruments. Several large trash bins stood nearby, their contents explaining the overwhelming smell.
He glanced at the alchemist—and froze.
It was Mina Mitsui, the same person who had helped him during his joining ceremony.
Her name tag was clearly visible as she worked.
"I didn't expect her to be not only the legitimate daughter of the Mitsui Family, but also an alchemist…"
He quickly lowered his head again.
Whether it was her identity or her profession, she was someone he absolutely couldn't afford to offend.
⸻
The Mitsui Family was one of the three great families of Viridian City, alongside the Kishimoto and Fujiwara families.
Unlike the smaller families of Aoki Town, these were true powerhouses—long-established Gym Leader-level families.
And above them all stood the Gym Leader himself:
Giovanni
The leader of Viridian Gym… and secretly, the boss of Team Rocket.
⸻
"So it really is him…"
Realizing this, Icarus felt a surge of excitement.
A backer of this level meant endless opportunities—especially with the inevitable Mewtwo incident.
All he needed to do now was grow stronger and seize that chance.
But first—
He needed Black Sludge.
⸻
After several minutes, Mina finally finished examining the materials.
"Hm. Not bad. I remember you… Aoki Taji, right? You were quiet and well-behaved during your initiation. Very honest."
"Thank you, Superior."
"I remember you. The quantity is good, though the quality is average. Tell me—what do you want refined? I specialize only in Poison-type items."
"Superior… I'd like a piece of Black Sludge."
"Hm… Black Sludge. Your materials are enough, but due to their quality, I can only produce an Ordinary-level, mid-grade item at best. Can you accept that?"
"Superior… I don't quite understand item tiers. Could you explain?"
⸻
Mina paused, then nodded.
"Items are graded the same way as Pokémon levels."
She explained:
Lower-tier items lose effectiveness on stronger Pokémon
Each stage difference roughly halves the effect
Crossing major tiers renders them nearly useless
Icarus immediately understood.
⸻
"Yes, I understand. That's acceptable."
"Good. Black Sludge is my specialty. Even at worst, I'll produce an Ordinary-level low-grade."
Then she added:
"You have a Weepinbell, right? Let me see it."
"Yes, Superior."
⸻
"Come out, Weepinbell."
"Spri~!"
The Weepinbell obediently moved to Mina's side.
"Oh? Not bad…"
Mina's eyes lit up slightly as she examined it—especially noticing the faint purple markings.
Clearly, this wasn't an ordinary Weepinbell.
-------------Author---------------
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