The system Jack awakened was called the Mercenary System.
After some experimentation, Jack figured out how it worked. The core feature was the Mission Module.
Whenever someone submitted a request to Jack—or he accepted one independently—the system would assess the mission's difficulty and assign a reward accordingly. The difficulty rankings, from highest to lowest, were:
SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, D, E, F, G
Rewards came in two forms. First, experience points, which could be used to strengthen either Jack himself or his Pokémon. Second, Hire Points, a unique currency that could be exchanged for system-exclusive items—though the catalog was limited for now.
The first item Jack unlocked was a custom explosive, which he had used to take down Carl.
Unlike typical bombs, this one had a clay-like texture—flexible, moldable, and directly connected to the system. He could set it to trigger on contact, like a landmine, or detonate it remotely with his mind within a specific range.
At his current clearance level, Jack's explosives could seriously injure Pokémon at the Excellent tier. His mental detonation range extended to fifty meters.
This leads into another key system function: Power Tier Classification for Pokémon in this world. The tiers, from weakest to strongest, were:
Initial, Qualified, Excellent, Elite, Advanced, Gym, Quasi-Elite, Elite Four, Champion, and, Legendary
The second unlockable item was a humanoid robot, though Jack's current access only allowed basic functionality—useful as a decoy or assistant, but nothing more.
The third item was invisible surveillance drones. So far, neither machines nor Pokémon had detected them. Even better, the live footage could be streamed directly to Jack's phone, giving him real-time eyes on his targets.
Next was the System Shop, where Jack could spend Hire Points on explosives, robots, drones, and everyday essentials like Pokémon food, training manuals, healing kits, and other supplies.
However, everything purchased through the system was soul-bound—usable only by Jack and his registered Pokémon. Resale or transfer was impossible.
Then there was the Detection Module, which allowed Jack to scan Pokémon. But this feature, too, had restrictions. At his current Excellent tier clearance, he could only see full data for Pokémon of that level or lower. Higher-tier Pokémon—like Elite or Gym-level—would show only limited info: species, gender, and ability. Their moves remained unknown.
The system also used a level-based structure, with a new stage unlocked every 10 levels.
Thanks to this "cheat-like" system, Jack had risen through the underground quickly. With his Excellent-tier Gastly, he'd become a seasoned mercenary, taking missions through a hidden job marketplace.
Sometimes he accepted contracts with minimal details. The clients were anonymous. The payouts were good. Jack didn't ask questions.
But based on the patterns, he had a pretty good idea who they were—wealthy people who couldn't afford to dirty their hands. Corporate execs. League officials. High-ranking trainers.
Then there were the obvious ones: rogue trainers, Pokémon hunters, and poaching cartels.
Rogue trainers—also known as wild trainers—weren't registered with the League. That meant no access to League benefits, tournaments, or protection.
Registering with the Pokémon League wasn't easy. You needed an internal referral, a high entrance fee, and a monthly renewal. The costs weren't back-breaking, but they were steep enough to exclude many.
As for poachers and hunters, their need for hired guns was even simpler: when disputes broke out over the loot, someone like Jack got called in.
Take Carl, for example—the target Jack had just eliminated. He served as a liaison between several hunting groups, pocketing fat commissions. Eventually, someone got fed up and paid Jack to silence him.
Whether the reasoning was justified or not didn't matter to Jack.
After nearly two years on the streets, clawing his way through every kind of hell, Jack had learned to shut off his emotions.
He'd been through enough close calls to numb himself. The League didn't police cities effectively. Kidnapping, trafficking, and black-market dealings were rampant—especially with criminal syndicates like Team Rocket flooding the underworld.
The Pokémon League had the power to crush these operations, but they rarely intervened unless it threatened their image.
Jack had no delusions about safety. Back then, he had nothing. No backing. No status. If it weren't for his Gastly, he wouldn't even be alive.
Now, survival was his only priority. As long as he and Gastly lived to see tomorrow, the rest of the world could burn.
This latest mission earned him 3,000 Alliance Coins and completed an E-rank mission, netting him the following system rewards:
Experience Points: 2,700
Hire Points: [Hidden]
Jack opened the system and dumped 3,000 EXP straight into Gastly's growth.
Pokémon: Gastly
Gender: Male
Ability: Levitate
Level: 26 (Excellent) — Evolvable
Basic Moves:
Confuse Ray (Lv. 3)
Lick (Lv. 3)
Hypnosis (Lv. 3)
Mean Look (Lv. 3)
Payback (Lv. 1)
Grudge (Lv. 1)
Curse (Lv. 1)
Hex (Lv. 1)
TM/Taught Moves:
Taunt (Lv. 2)
Egg/Inheritable Moves:
Disable (Lv. 3)
Haze (Lv. 3)
Spite (Lv. 3)
Looking at the updated stats, Jack felt a rush of satisfaction. According to the system, all moves could be trained to Level 10 under natural circumstances.
Each level increased move power, mastery, and effect consistency.
But with the system's boost, the cap could reach Level 15, giving Jack's team a clear edge.
After enhancing Gastly, Jack opened his own profile to check his growth.
Name: JackGender: MalePhysical Strength: 8 (10 = average adult)Energy: 8Stamina: 8Speed: 8
Special Trait: Ghost Affinity (Lv. 2)
Effect 1: Attracts Ghost-type Pokémon and gains their trust more easily.
Effect 2: Increases the power of Ghost-type Pokémon under the user's control.
Effect 3: Allows temporary transformation into a Ghost-type form, granting abilities such as invisibility, intangibility, and phasing through obstacles.