A staff member handed over a cold metal tablet.
Ariel took it, his fingertips sliding across the smooth surface as his gaze fell on the data stream flickering on the screen.
Tyranitar, Level 40.
Followed by a line of small text in the notes:
Forced catalysis via the "Strange Sonic Wave" project led by Lady Ariana; evolved early from Pupitar.
Ariana.
A top-tier female cadre within Team Rockets responsible for scientific research and special operations, known for an efficient and unscrupulous style of conduct.
This so-called "Strange Sonic Wave" was surely no gentle technology.
The last bit of doubt in his heart dissipated.
No wonder when he first saw this Tyranitar, he felt that its Pseudo-Legendary pressure was hollow and unstable, its foundation shaky.
A normal Tyranitar needs to endure until Level 55 to break out of its cocoon; that is power accumulated through time and countless battles.
But the one before him was merely a fellow who had obtained power early through technical means.
Even so, using a Level 40 Pseudo-Legendary as the threshold for an assessment was enough to demonstrate Team Rockets' deep resources.
Ariel could even imagine Boss Giovanni's indifferent expression when approving this assessment.
Money? To Team Rockets, it was just a number.
His gaze continued downward, seeing the rules section.
There was only one sentence there, so simple and crude it made him want to laugh.
"Use any means necessary to defeat it."
No limit on the number of Pokémon, no ban on using items, and certainly none of those gentlemanly agreements and constraints found in League tournaments.
This was very Team Rockets.
Here, victory was the only metric.
The process? That was just a story written by the victor.
If a Team Rockets cadre had their hands and feet bound by so-called battle etiquette at a life-or-death moment, that would be the biggest joke of all.
However, to write such a rule, this Tyranitar's strength after the Berserk Potion should not be underestimated.
Otherwise, the Team Rockets Intermediate Cadre Assessment would be a bit too simple.
Ariel casually handed the tablet back to the staff member, the metal corner spinning between his fingers and drawing a sharp arc.
In his mind, he already had a complete plan.
This Tyranitar might be a nightmare to others, but to him, it was a perfect whetstone.
A whetstone hard and violent enough to let one of his Pokémon release itself fully, completely transforming its recent growth into actual combat capability.
Such a sparring partner was hard to come by.
In his team, there was a guy who had been waiting impatiently for a long time.
Ariel stepped into the arena.
The hard alloy floor reflected the pale lights overhead, every step producing a clear echo.
As he crossed the safety line, several mechanical arms on the ceiling slid down silently, hovering precisely above the Tyranitar.
Needle tips glinted with a cold light, piercing into the Tyranitar's thick carapace.
A vial of crimson potion was instantly injected.
"A new type of Berserk Potion..."
Ariel's pace didn't stop; he only glanced out of the corner of his eye.
Under the new Berserk Potion, while the berserk effect increased, the side effect of consuming vitality was also significantly weakened.
"Roar—!!!"
A roar completely different from before exploded! It was no longer a demonstration of power, but a pure scream mixed with pain and fury.
The Tyranitar's eyes were instantly dyed blood-red, with not a shred of sanity remaining.
The tyrannical aura turned into a physical shockwave, making the air feel thick.
The lifting platform beneath its feet released its restraints on cue, and this rock behemoth nearly three meters tall crashed to the ground!
Thump—!
The entire battle arena, and even the observation room outside, shook violently.
Spiderweb-like cracks were smashed into the ground.
Amidst the swirling dust, those crimson eyes firmly locked onto the only human in the arena.
In the observation room, Yuki and the other researchers had their hearts in their throats.
The Tyranitar in this state was simply an out-of-control killing machine!
Everyone thought Ariel would immediately release all his main forces to end this assessment in the most secure way.
However, at the convergence of all gazes, Ariel just unhurriedly took a Poké Ball from his waist.
His movements were even somewhat casual, as if he were going to tease a stray cat while taking a post-dinner stroll.
A flash of red light.
A Pokémon appeared between him and the berserk Tyranitar.
It wasn't Hydreigon, it wasn't Metagross, and it certainly wasn't some legendary Pokémon.
It was just a Krookodile.
The observation room fell into a dead silence where a pin drop could be heard.
Yuki even covered her mouth, unable to believe her eyes.
A Krookodile?
Against a Tyranitar injected with Berserk Potion?
This is an assessment, not a suicide!
But the Krookodile on the field was starkly different from the one in their memories.
The moment it appeared, a cold and violent aura spread out, colliding head-on with the Tyranitar's fury.
This momentum was no longer the arrogance of a street thug leader, but a murderous intent that had settled after being baptized by blood and fire.
Its size didn't seem to have changed much, but its body lines were more fluid, filled with a sense of power.
The dark red scales were deeper in color, their edges glinting with a cold, metallic hardness.
Most startling were its claws and teeth; the sharp claws on its limbs were nearly twice as long as before, their curves like scimitars polished from obsidian. Every casual movement scraped the hard alloy floor, producing ear-piercing sounds and a series of sparks.
In its slightly agape maw, the interlocking fangs had also become thicker and longer, their forest-white tips glinting with cold light. They were no longer just for biting; they were clearly killing tools born to crush an enemy's flesh and bone together.
It just stood there quietly, beneath its sunglass-like eye membranes, a pair of eyes stared fixedly at the behemoth in the distance. There was not a hint of fear, but rather a sense of... hunger.
It was the look a hunter has when seeing a long-dreamed-of prey.
The Krookodile took a step forward, its thick tail whipping heavily behind it with a dull sound of breaking air.
It was telling everyone with its actions.
This hunt has begun.