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It was around 9 p.m. when Nogu finally walked into the conference hall through the open doors, flanked by three Team Rocket elites, all bearing traces of blood.
The four of them stepped onto the stage together, and a middle-aged man—clearly a high-ranking Team Rocket elite—stepped ahead of the group. He stood at the front of the stage, casting a sharp, hawk-like gaze down at the new recruits, including Sato.
This man had a medium build, moved with the precise, predatory grace of a wolf, and had several fearsome scars marring his otherwise refined features. His hooked nose and piercing eyes gave him the air of a dangerous, cunning hawk.
Whether from frequent late nights or constant battles, he looked rather gaunt, with pronounced dark circles under his eyes. His long hair hung loosely and unkempt behind him.
Despite his disheveled appearance, none of the Team Rocket recruits dared to underestimate him.
Sato himself, along with every recruit his eyes swept over, felt as though they were being targeted by a venomous serpent. A sense of unease gnawed at their hearts.
This man was Shibata Toyo, a veteran Trainer who had reached the pseudo Elite Four level, specializing in Electric-type Pokémon. Within Team Rocket, he held the rank of a reserve Cadre.
He was also the commander of the Alolan Golem Corps—one of the three major Pokémon squads stationed at this Team Rocket base. The Alolan Golem unit that had fought earlier was under his command.
Now, under direct orders from Team Rocket's upper management, Shibata Toyo had come to brief Sato and the other recruits—soon to enter the second phase of the Rookie Competition—on the situation on the Mysterious Island.
Shibata had been among the first elite Team Rocket operatives dispatched to scout the island. He'd survived there for over a month, a rare feat that made him an authority on the island's environment.
Team Rocket's higher-ups brought him in specifically to pass on his field survival experience to Sato and the others, so that they could adapt to life on the Mysterious Island as quickly as possible.
In fact, the other three Team Rocket elites with Nogu were also veterans of the island. Their presence here was to aid in imparting survival knowledge.
Once the recruits were silenced by his piercing stare, Shibata nodded in satisfaction. He then pressed a button on the podium.
Immediately, a large electronic screen appeared mid-air, displaying a map.
The map had clearly been meticulously drawn. It not only illustrated the terrain—mountains, rivers, and plains—but also marked the general habitats of various wild Pokémon across different regions.
With such a map, the recruits' survival odds would greatly increase. At the very least, they wouldn't get lost.
However, when Sato studied the map closely, he noticed that it was strikingly similar to the one Marlos had shown him—though not nearly as detailed.
The map Marlos had possessed not only depicted the wild Pokémon distribution in greater depth, but also highlighted several resource points—natural areas that could be utilized in the wild for survival. Such resources would be invaluable.
This comparison underscored just how valuable the map in Marlos's possession truly was.
Sato couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. If only he could get his hands on Marlos's map, his odds of survival would increase significantly.
"I'm Shibata Toyo. I'm here to brief you trash on the island's situation. My time is precious, and I'm only saying this once. How much you absorb is up to you. Look at the screen—let's start from here."
As soon as the map appeared, Shibata began. With a cold expression, he walked Sato and the other recruits through each key area on the map and what to watch out for.
After experiencing the earlier wild Pokémon assault, none of the recruits dared underestimate the island's dangers. Their eyes stayed fixed on the screen.
But as soon as Shibata began explaining the various regions and hazards, everyone quickly pulled their focus from the map and listened intently.
Shibata may have had a vicious temperament, but his knowledge was the real deal. He had survived more than a month on the island and understood its workings intimately, even developing his own insights.
For example, he described how certain wild Pokémon species cohabited the same vast grassland as the large Bellsprout colony. He explained which groups were easier to deal with, and where safe resting spots were likely to be found.
He spoke of a violent, powerful Gyarados that lived in a certain lake—how it was best to avoid the area entirely, and what to do if entering its territory was absolutely necessary, including the best times and methods for crossing.
He also talked about a large forest where a Spearow clan and a Pidgey clan constantly clashed over resources due to overbreeding. Shibata laid out the best routes to avoid being caught in their crossfire.
In short, what Shibata shared was pure survival wisdom forged in hardship. To Sato and the others, it was like receiving enlightenment. Their understanding of the island's ecology expanded dramatically.
Even Sakaki Tomonari, who had initially looked unimpressed, quickly set aside his pride and paid close attention to everything Shibata said.
There's a saying: "One conversation with a wise man is worth ten years of reading." That perfectly described what Shibata was offering the recruits now.
Thanks to Shibata's detailed account, the new recruits gained a foundational understanding of the island and began to memorize key details not shown on the map.
Roughly half an hour later, Shibata finished his presentation. Without waiting for questions, he turned and left the hall.
While Shibata had survived on the island for over a month, his range of exploration was relatively limited. Thus, the area he covered on the map was only a small portion.
Next, another Team Rocket elite stepped onto the stage. His role was similar to Shibata's.
His presentation was somewhat less detailed, but he seemed to have covered a much wider range of the island. His broader overview gave the recruits a clearer picture of the island's geography and diversity.
Like Shibata, this second elite spoke for about half an hour before departing, after which another elite stepped up to continue the debriefing.
The survival orientation lasted a little over two hours in total. During this time, Sato and the other Team Rocket recruits gained a great deal of invaluable insight, and the Mysterious Island no longer felt like a complete unknown.
But the more they learned about the island's complex and unpredictable environment, the more deeply they feared it.
Especially after discovering that the last elite scouting unit Team Rocket had sent to the island had a survival rate of less than 30%. Upon hearing this, Sato and the others felt their hearts sink into the abyss.
Now, Sato was almost certain: this so-called Rookie Competition was about more than just selecting promising talent—there was undoubtedly another agenda behind it.