Alex and Daniel look at each other silently for a moment as if they were waiting for the other to make the first move.

After a couple of seconds, Alex showed an intrigued expression. He asked with an interrogative tone, "So... Why are you still here?" ​​

Daniel looked at Alex and said as if it was the obvious thing, "The person who was watching me wasn't a rookie. And he just kept the watch and never tried to fight me. So it was obvious that he was observing me under someone else's order. And I expected someone to soon come here after he ran away."

After a few seconds, he looked at Alex and said emotionlessly, "What do you want from me? I think this is our first time meeting."

Alex gave a smile and pulled a portable machine out of his pocket that only had one large switch.

Daniel looked vigilant when he saw Alex hold this machine in his hand as if he was asking him to look at it and see what he was gonna do.

When Alex pressed the switch without another word, all the electrical devices began to break due to overload, especially the hidden one.

It looked as if all the electrical devices in this house connected to the electricity had broken. Alex couldn't help but think, 'What an impressive technology.'

Alex particularly noticed that 4 small cameras fell from the ceiling and wall after he had pressed this switch.

He gave a slight smile when he said, "Oh, what do I see here? You really have a lot of cameras. Fortunately, this little toy prevented you from misusing them to do anything funny."

Daniel said nothing but thought, 'Hmm, do you think you can prevent me from having a photo of your face? Haha, there are cameras all around the house, and the recordings are already stored in separate memory space.'

Although he thought something like that, he didn't let it show his face when he said, "This device shouldn't be easy for normal people to get. So you probably come from a powerful organization."

Alex knew that Daniel was trying to get more information from him. But since this meeting is a test for him to check if Daniel is a good choice, he only showed a smile when he said, "Heh... You really have a good instinct. If I'm right, you should already have a guess about which organization I am from, right?"

Although Daniel didn't like Alex's playful tone, he continued to put on an emotionless expression as he nodded. "My guess is that you are from Team Rocket with all the hints I have found till now."

"Hmm, the most obvious but also the most probable guess. I like it." Spoke Alex with a knowing smirk and a playful tone.

Daniel didn't like the way Alex was speaking and got more and more annoyed. He just felt like a trapped mouse being played by a cat.

But even when he was thinking such things, he showed no expression to Alex and behaved cooperatively.

He believed that the strong should be respected and that, being weak, he had no right to negotiate. Especially since he knew that he was just a nobody with okayish strength.

Daniel looked at Alex for a few seconds and then said in a submissive tone, "Sir, what can I do for you?"

Alex's haughty smile still lingered on his face. "Ohh, you really are a smart person."

But the next second, Alex's face turned cold as he said, "But I don't like it when people think I don't know what they're thinking and show such an expression. So stop that polite shit and let us talk. We have a lot to discuss."

Daniel saw Alex's cold expression and changed his face to a serious expression back when he said, "Sure. What do you want to talk to me about?"

Alex showed an approving expression when he said, "Let's not beat around the bush. I'm looking for a subordinate, and I've been watching you see if you're a good option."

Daniel, he heard that showed a slightly confused expression, "Subordinate? You don't go through all the hassle of looking for a subordinate, do you? Unless it's an important position. But if that's the case, you should be able to find a subordinate easily from your organization."

"These people have a small risk of betrayal, and there should be multiple choices available."

Alex smiled as he said, "You half guessed it right. The position I am offering you is to become a direct subordinate of mine."

Daniel said in a mocking tone, "Choice? Do I really have a choice?"

Alex gave a friendly smile and said, "Of course. Talented and useful people are almost always given a choice. But I don't think you will refuse if you hear what you can get."

Daniel fell silent and listening to Alex attentively.

"The first thing you should know is that after a year, I will get a position with similar power as a Team Rocket Executive." Alex bent the truth as he described his position. Although he wasn't lying, his statements were really inaccurate.

Daniel was stunned hearing the first sentence from Alex as he thought, 'Team Rocket Executive? He's really a big shot. He could definitely help me get stronger. Let's see what he has to offer.'

"I'm looking for a good subordinate who will get to enjoy incredible benefits and rights. Believe me when I say it's better than what you can imagine."

"But I need qualified people, so I naturally have to know everything about my direct subordinates."

After a few seconds, Alex smiled, "Daniel, I know everything about your past. Your strength, your behavior in the orphanage, and even the potential of your three Pokémon."

Daniel heard the last sentence from Alex was shocked to the core.

Alex just smiled as he said, "Although an S-rank Pokémon is really valuable, I believe that you are more valuable. I'm not just saying that without meaning, and if I wanted, I could have easily killed you long before and stole your Pokémon."

Daniel showed a grim expression as he understood his situation better. "What do I have to do as your subordinate?"

Alex smiled, "Frist thing first. Get strong as soon as possible. I'll help you in getting stronger as possible, and when I give an order, you have to execute it with high efficiency."

After a few seconds, he continued, "But don't worry, you will have a lot of freedom, and I will very rarely give you orders. Let's slowly build trust."

Daniel's eyes showed a slight sarcasm when he said, "'Trust'?"

"Yes, TRUST. Do you know how to easily build trust between suspicious people?"

Daniel didn't say anything and just looked into Alex's eyes.

Alex started pulling Ditto off his face as he said, "One of the easiest ways is when both parties in the relationship having something to lose."

Daniel looked shocked when he saw Alex's actual face. The first thought that came to his mind was 'Impossible.' But after a few seconds, everything started to make sense.

Why had someone thought that his potential was good and observed him via a subordinate? Why didn't Alex care to activate the device that destroyed all machines before entering the house and showed his face without any care? All pieces started falling together.

After not even a second, he calmed down and said with a resolute tone, "I accept the offer."

Alex showed a look that said, 'As expected' when he said, "I don't think you will regret this choice."

Even though he showed his face, Daniel had no evidence, so his testimony would be pointless. Not to mention, a smart guy like him won't make the whole Team Rocket his enemy. Alex showing his face was a winning blow with no risk included.

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[EN]: In this chapter, I see similarities between MC and Giovanni.

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