Pokemon: Master of tactics

Alex went back to his office and thought about the best way to find out the real side of Elise.

All of Alex's Pokémon—except Shuppet, who was hiding in Alex's shadow—were in their Pokéballs, so the office was pretty empty.

Gradevoir can use her ability to read emotions even when she is in her Pokéball. But according to Gardevoir, the range is greatly decreased. But the range of Elise sitting in the chair in front of him was enough for Gardevoir to hear, see and perceive her emotions.

Although Gardevoir can perceive emotion, it is essential that Alex steers the conversation in such a way that this ability can unfold its full effects.

For example, if he asks whether Elise is a spy or not and Gardevoir feels a bit of nervousness from her, it doesn't mean that Elise is a spy.

In the case of a false accusation, it is normal to briefly feel anger and then a slight nervousness after you have calmed down a bit.

But this is the usual case, and many people may react differently in different situations depending on their personality.

Alex heard in his old world about a case where a man was wrongly arrested for a robbery but was very calm throughout the interrogation and hardly reacted angrily to the unjust accusation.

Also, in the questioning, his interrogator's first words were, "I know you are guilty and just want to ask why you committed this robbery." This would make any person retaliate angrily or make them nervous due to the first time having such an experience, but not this person. Normally, only the criminals, who have experienced such things many times, can keep their calm under the mental torture of such an intense interrogation.

So, his calm and unwavering behaviour made him look even more suspicious, even though he was totally innocent.

Alex thought of another way how he can best find out the information he wanted to know without the personality distorting the result of his test. And that was the initial, genuine, instinctual reaction and the series of emotions she displays afterwards.

He wanted to know whether or not Elise was a spy from the Alliance. And, the best way to find out was him talking to Elise about the Alliance for a long time.

If Gradevoir senses that Elise has hatred or long-term anger when she talks about the Alliance, Elise would immediately pass the test.

If Elise holds negative emotions against the Alliance, it would be highly unlikely that she is a spy sent by the Alliance.

Why would the Alliance send a spy who hates them? Alliance is not naive. The most valuable quality of a spy is his/her loyalty.

Alex thinks that the Alliance sending a potentially disloyal spy is extremely unlikely.

If Elise has no particular emotional fluctuation throughout the conversation, it is also a good result for Alex.

If Alex talks to her about the Alliance for a long time, but she doesn't feel worried or nervous, then the chance of her being a spy would also be very low.

But then he would have to do a few other tests to be absolutely sure to make sure that Elise isn't a monster who hardly feels any emotions.

Only if she shows positive emotions or is nervous during the conversation would reinforce Alex's suspicion that she is a spy.

Although it wouldn't prove she was a spy for sure, Alex would treat her that way afterwards and even tell Team Rocket about the possibility.

Alex doesn't want to damage his good relationship with Team Rocket because he overlooked a spy.

Although he felt that he was being a bit too cautious here, he didn't want to take any chances with his three direct subordinates.

Alex intended to let only three of his direct subordinates know about his true identity, and that can only happen if he can really trust them.

They will be the core of his organization in the future, so he doesn't want to take any risk of a spy being in one of those positions.

As Alex thought about these things, he heard a knock and the voice of Elise, "May I come in, Instructor John?"

"Yes," Alex gave a curt reply.

Elise came into the room and examined the room in a brief second.

Alex looked at her briefly and said, "Elise, it's good that you're here. Come, sit."

Elise nodded with a gentle smile on her face and said, "Thank you very much for the hospitality, Instructor John."

Alex gave a slight smile as he said, "No problem. You must be wondering why I want to talk to you. Right?"

Elise continued to answer with a polite tone, "I would be lying if I said that I am not curious."

"You can treat this as a friendly conversation combined with an interview."

"Ah! Instructor John, this makes me a little nervous."

Alex heard Gardevoir say via telepathy, "No, she's completely calm and even a little bit relieved."

'It seems she was expecting something like this.'

Despite hearing the words from Gardevoir, Alex didn't change his face when he said, "Don't worry. I'll just ask a few easy questions and otherwise, talk to you about a few light topics."

"Ok, let's start with the first question. Why did you choose Spearow as your starter Pokémon, and why an A-rank Pokémon?"

Alex wanted to hide his motives with these questions and, in the process, understand Elise's character a little better.

"Ohh! The reason is pretty simple. I wanted to have a Flying-type Pokémon as a starter first, so I had to decide between Zubat and Spearow. And about choosing an A-rank Pokémon, any smart person who has confidence in her capabilities would do that. Of course, there is a risk. But it's a calculated risk."

Alex showed a slightly curious expression when he said, "I see. And the reason for choosing Fearow?"

There was a wide smile on Elise's face for the first time as she said, "Spearow and Fearow are just so cute that I had to pick them."

Alex was slightly surprised and could not say anything for a short time. This reason was actually weird and too obvious, even for a lie.

Gradevoir's voice could be heard in Alex's head again, "She was in a slightly happy mood when she said that."

Alex wasn't sure what to do with this info.

*****

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