Pokemon Chronicles of Darkness

Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Chapter 25:

"Are you sure?" The employee inquired, a hint of skepticism etched onto his face as he gazed upon Cain as if he were a mere fool.

Cain merely nodded, remaining tight-lipped.

Though Pokemon eggs were not an everyday occurrence in the wild, they were not an impossibility to come across. Yet, why did many choose to overlook them, instead of bringing them back to exchange for Team Rocket points?

The answer lay in the uncertainty of a wild Pokemon egg's potential. Only upon hatching could one truly determine the talent of the creature within.

The Association's esteemed scientists had long since devised portable devices to measure a Pokemon's talents, yet they came at a steep price. To use such a device, one must first capture the Pokemon, disregarding the fact that such an extravagant instrument was not something the common folk could afford.

But the technology to judge the talent of a Pokemon egg was not yet advanced enough to be easily portable, and it required a vast amount of resources to operate. Only those with the assurance that the egg's parents were of exceptional talent would even consider delving into the egg's potential.

What if the egg possessed the yellow talent? Would someone with access to such a device even spare a glance at a yellow-aptitude Pokemon?

Thus, when Cain declared his intention to exchange this Pokemon egg for points, the employee regarded him with a look of absurdity.

Cain had no desire to elaborate, for how could he reveal that he already knew the egg had a green talent? Such knowledge would even alarm the Chief Instructor, Viper.

"Have you given this proper consideration? To determine the talent of this egg alone costs a hundred points, and even if it proves to be a Pokemon of Primary Aptitude, it is worth only a hundred points. If you do not possess the necessary points..." The employee trailed off, the implication clear. In Team Rocket, there was no such thing as credit.

Cain nodded helplessly, for without testing the talent of the Pokemon egg, it would be deemed a red talent and worth only a single Team Rocket point.

The staff member said nothing more, even though he couldn't fathom why the young lad before him was so insistent. If the Pokemon egg did not prove to possess a Primary Aptitude, Cain would have to bid farewell to it forever, unless he was willing to part with one hundred points.

Primary Aptitude is a classification of Pokemon talents used by Team Rocket and the Pokemon world as a whole. Divided into five categories: No Aptitude, Primary Aptitude, Intermediate Aptitude, Advanced Aptitude, and Top Aptitude, corresponding to the talent rankings of red, orange, yellow, and green respectively. Talents of blue, purple, and black are all considered Top Aptitude.

The Pokemon egg was placed in the recess of the device, and a liquid, made by the Association's scientists, poured into the mouth cavity before the transparent lid of the device was sealed shut. The high cost of producing the liquid made each test a costly endeavor.

With the press of a button, the instrument came to life with a hum.

"BEEP!" In the row of lights, the light representing "No Aptitude" immediately illuminated. As the minimum talent for a Pokemon was red, this light was bound to light up during the test.

Almost instantly, the second light flickered on, indicating that the Pokemon egg possessed a Primary Aptitude.

"Not bad, it actually has a primary aptitude, so at least you don't have to worry about not being able to pay the test fee." The employee said with a smile.