By complete coincidence, about a week earlier, I’d also come to find out about the cults. When I happened to visit the grounds and realized I recognized the Gengar being placed into the bomb ball and being tortured by the many leaders, I made a snap decision. Team Poisoned Rose was no longer just a Guild of Poison Pokémon fanatics — it would be something more, a cult to rival those who would dare enslave my ghostly friend.

Immediately, I decided to claim to the various Cult Leaders that Jinji was already my own. The leaders, impressed by my chutzpah, decided to alter the challenge. The Switch was passed into my hands, and it was now me against them all to decide who got the right to claim Jinji as their own.

By a stroke of luck, I would win the game, and Jinji would be saved. That’s when I revealed my plan for the Poisoned Rose Cult. Impressed, the Cult Leaders immediately befriended me, and we would soon become close allies, and members of their community, which they referred to as “Gen CL”.

Meanwhile, Jinji, grateful for saving him, decided to honour the agreement and join the Team. Jinji’s knowledge of pranks, expertise with creating various explosives, and love of messy situations would prove invaluable. Soon, he would become known as the Royal Inventor and the Team’s second-in-command, responsible for creating all sorts of new gadgets and gizmos to help the cause. The two of us would soon sport our own customized uniforms, representing our roles and purposes within the cult…