Silas and Jason walked side by side through the quiet forest, steadily making their way back toward the Team Rocket base.
The sun had begun to rise, bathing the forest in soft orange light. After everything that had happened over the past day, the peaceful scenery felt almost surreal.
Neither of them spoke for several minutes.
Silas broke the silence first.
"So where did you learn to use your aura like that?"
Jason glanced sideways at him.
"The slash you used against Pinsir. It wasn't just raw aura. You compressed it into your blade."
Silas had replayed the attack several times in his mind already.
That Vacuum Wave Slash had tremendous offensive potential.
If he could learn something similar, it would finally solve one of his greatest weaknesses.
He possessed excellent endurance, versatility, and support abilities.
What he lacked was a decisive finishing technique.
Jason looked down at the sword hanging by his waist.
"I wasn't born in Kanto. I'm from Sinnoh."
Silas listened quietly.
"I came here after some… personal problems."
Jason paused before continuing.
"I had nowhere to go. I wandered into Celadon City. That's where I met my master."
A faint smile appeared on Jason's face.
"He took me in. Fed me. Gave me a place to sleep. More importantly, he taught me how to survive."
Silas noticed Jason's voice beginning to crack.
His eyes slowly reddened.
Whatever had happened in his past, the wounds clearly hadn't healed.
Rather than pry further, Silas smoothly changed the subject.
"I recently encountered a hidden organization."
Jason looked up immediately.
Silas summarized everything involving the Luminary Court, the mysterious mural, and the suicide bombing.
Jason's expression gradually became more serious.
"That explains why things have felt strange. I've noticed several groups that didn't seem like Rocket members."
"So there really are outsiders."
Silas nodded.
"Unfortunately. If they're as organized as I suspect, this trial just became much more dangerous."
Their conversation continued as they walked.
Several times wild Pokémon attacked from the surrounding forest.
Rather than overwhelming them immediately, Silas used the encounters as training opportunities.
"Espeon. You're up."
Espeon confidently stepped forward.
She had become increasingly comfortable fighting at close range.
Quick Attack and Bite were her go to moves.
Psychic would be used to abruptly increase her speed even further.
Instead of relying entirely on Stored Power, she rotated through different attacks while carefully preserving her stamina.
Silas watched closely.
Her movements had become noticeably smoother.
Each battle polished her instincts a little more.
Jason and Scyther naturally gravitated toward one another.
Whenever another wild Pokémon appeared, Scyther challenged one independently while Jason engaged another with his sword.
After only a handful of battles, the improvements became obvious.
Jason began timing his sword strikes to create openings for Scyther.
Scyther instinctively positioned opponents where Jason wanted them.
Silas smiled to himself.
Some partnerships required months before developing proper chemistry.
These two had only known each other for a few hours. Yet watching them fight, it looked as though they had trained together for years.
Their personalities complemented each other remarkably well. Scyther preferred direct, aggressive combat. Jason fought exactly the same way.
Their shared passion for swordsmanship allowed them to understand each other's intentions almost instinctively.
By the time Team Rocket's headquarters came into view, Scyther had completely accepted Jason as his trainer.
Espeon, meanwhile, had comfortably reached Level 37.
Although her specialty remained psychic techniques, she no longer hesitated when forced into close combat.
Silas approved.
Every weakness removed today would save her life tomorrow.
The base bustled with activity despite the early morning hour.
Rocket members constantly entered and exited through the main lobby.
Silas stopped beside Jason.
"We'll regroup tomorrow morning."
Jason nodded.
"I'll spend today getting settled."
Silas handed him his contact information through the TR device.
"If anything happens, contact me immediately."
Jason smiled.
"I will."
The two shook hands before heading in different directions.
Silas immediately walked toward Executive Viper's office.
He knocked once.
No answer.
He waited patiently for several minutes before turning away.
Perhaps Viper was still out inspecting the island.
"You had better have an excellent reason for waking me."
The sudden voice nearly made Silas jump.
The office door had quietly opened behind him.
Executive Viper stood there wearing noticeably less formal clothing than usual.
Judging from his appearance, Silas had interrupted his sleep.
His purple mohawk looked slightly flattened from sleep.
Judging from the murderous expression on his face, Silas had clearly interrupted his rest.
"You had better have an excellent reason for waking me."
Silas immediately saluted.
"I discovered foreign intruders on Trial Island."
Every trace of annoyance vanished from Viper's face.
"Explain."
Silas briefly summarized everything.
"The group calls themselves the Luminary Court. They infiltrated the island alongside Team Rocket. I confirmed many of their members possess peak officer strength or greater."
Viper's expression darkened.
"Intruders? Impossible. This island was completely secured."
Silas continued.
"I attempted to capture one alive but he detonated some sort of hidden explosive before interrogation. I managed to recover 4 of his Pokémon. I also discovered something else."
"What?"
"An ancient mural that depicted Ho-oh and Lugia interacting with humans."
Silence filled the office.
Even Viper looked genuinely shaken.
"Our intelligence reported no evidence of previous civilization. Yet you have proof that isn't the case?"
Silas nodded.
"The cave collapsed afterward. Fortunately I recorded everything beforehand."
Viper remained silent for nearly a full minute.
Finally, he looked directly into Silas's eyes.
"You did exceptionally well. You prioritized reporting instead of personal gain. That level of judgment deserves recognition."
He activated his TR device.
"For these discoveries, I award Elite Officer Odin 125,000 Trial Points. They'll appear in your account shortly."
Silas nearly lost his composure. 125,000 was an enormous fortune. He forced himself to remain calm.
"Thank you, sir."
Viper nodded.
"Remain inside the base for the next several days. We need to determine how severe this security breach actually is."
Silas saluted once more before leaving.
The moment he stepped outsid, a grin spread across his face. He couldn't hide it anymore.
125,000 Trial Points. Where would he spend it all?
He immediately rented another suite for 4 days.
The cost barely registered now.
As soon as he entered the bedroom, his body completely gave out.
Silas slept for 10 uninterrupted hours.
When he finally opened his eyes, afternoon sunlight streamed through the curtains.
He stretched slowly.
Only now did he realize how exhausted he truly had been.
After washing up, he stepped into the common room. His Pokémon were "enjoying" their rare break.
Monferno sat reading one of Silas' strategy books. Electabuzz quietly meditated. Excadrill polished the Steel Orb with obvious fascination.
Meanwhile, Ursaring and Tropius occupied the training room. Both continued practicing Dragon Dance despite technically having the day off.
Silas couldn't help laughing.
"My Pokémon really are battle maniacs."
What he failed to realize was that they had simply copied him.
Every day Silas trained in meditation and combat drills. His Pokémon merely followed their trainer's example.
After loosening his muscles with several physical exercises, Silas returned everyone except Espeon and Frogadier to their Poké Balls.
Before leaving the room, he remembered the confiscated Pokémon from the Luminary Court operative.
He released the remaining two.
A large blue Clawitzer appeared and beside it stood an energetic Tyrunt.
Silas quickly scanned both.
They were both at 38 but there was a difference in aptitude. Clawitzer possessed C+ Potential while Tyrunt had B- Potential.
Silas smiled.
"Not bad."
Unfortunately, there was little chance either would willingly serve the man responsible for killing their previous trainer.
Selling them remained the smarter option.
The exchange center remained surprisingly quiet.
A young woman greeted him politely.
"How may I assist you today?"
Silas smiled.
"I have just over 120,000Trial Points."
"I'm interested in natural treasures."
She quickly checked the inventory.
"We currently have a Medium Grade Miracle Seed for 30,000."
"A Medium Grade Flying Orb for 45000, a Medium Grade Aura Orb for 70,000 and an Elite Grade Dragon Scale from a Garchomp, 80,000 Trial Points."
Silas immediately became interested.
Trapinch and eventually Flygon. The Dragon Scalewas practically made for them given the matching types.
He placed the 4 captured Pokémon onto the counter.
"How much for these?"
The attendant began scanning them individually.
Everything proceeded normally until Tyrunt.
Her eyes widened.
"B-minus Potential…"
She looked up.
"We can offer 60,000 Trial Points."
Silas nodded immediately.
"I'll take the Dragon Scale, Miracle Seed and Aura Orb."
The attendant performed several calculations.
"After the trade, exactly 120,000."
Silas accepted without hesitation. Watching almost his entire fortune disappear hurt but not too bad.
Resources only mattered if converted into strength. Money sitting inside an account helped no one.
Back inside the suite, Silas laid the 3 treasures across the table.
Each radiated dense natural energy.
Before beginning, Hermes suddenly spoke.
"I have completed the reading material requested by your Pokémon."
Silas raised an eyebrow.
"The combat manual?"
"Correct. I have titled it Combat is an Art."
Silas laughed.
"Quite the ambitious title."
Hermes sounded strangely proud.
"I believe the contents justify it."
Silas skimmed the summarized version.
It contained battle formations, tactical perspectives, energy management, psychological warfare, and move combinations.
It resembled an advanced military handbook adapted specifically for Pokémon.
"Excellent. We'll have copies made later."
Satisfied, Silas opened the System Shop.
His current balance sat slightly above 3000 Battle Points.
Several upgrades immediately caught his attention.
After careful consideration, he purchased the Data Acquisition Upgrade along with the System AI Upgrade.
The moment both purchases completed, Hermes spoke again.
"My processing capability has increased substantially. I am now capable of integrating with compatible technology after sufficient analysis. I believe you will find that I am much better equipped to assist you."
Silas nodded happily.
The system continued evolving alongside him.
That alone made every Battle Point worthwhile.
Finally, his attention shifted toward the Aura Orb.
Hermes spoke before Silas could.
"I recommend you consume this personally."
Silas blinked.
"Not Monferno? Humans possess considerably greater versatility regarding Aura abilities. This treasure may awaken a unique Aura Gift."
Silas stared at the glowing orb.
His excitement became impossible to suppress.
He carefully set it aside.
Tomorrow, he would consume it.
The remainder of the afternoon became dedicated to planning.
Trapinch received perhaps the most dramatic new training regimen.
Silas attached a weighted harness directly around its massive jaws.
Every attempt to bite now required considerably greater effort.
Around Trapinch's neck hung the Elite tier Dragon Scale.
As the young Pokémon trained, dense Dragon and Ground type energy would naturally seep into its body.
Tropius received the Miracle Seed.
Instead of flying constantly, Silas forced her to remain grounded.
Her weight increased threefold.
She repeatedly sprinted while maintaining Dragon Dance before transitioning directly into Leaf Blade combinations against reinforced training dummies.
Excadrill happily accepted the Steel Orb.
Although too large to wear comfortably, simply remaining nearby allowed him to gradually absorb dense Steel-type energy.
Espeon's training fascinated Silas the most.
Instead of merely using Psychic offensively, she began applying it to herself.
Psychic accelerated every movement. Quick Attack became almost impossible to follow. Her physical strikes noticeably increased in power.
The drawback remained equally obvious. Her stamina drained more than twice as quickly.
Still, technique possessed tremendous potential.
Silas quietly watched each Pokémon train.
Everyone continued improving. Everyone except Electabuzz at level 44, and Monferno & Ursaring at level 42.
Their techniques continued improving. Their battle instincts sharpened daily but their actual levels refused to increase.
Silas frowned thoughtfully.
The Phoenix Lake water had long since been exhausted.
His Pokéblocks simply weren't producing the same explosive growth anymore.
The three strongest members of his team had reached their first true bottleneck.
Silas folded his arms.
"This isn't something just training harder will solve. This will take time."
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There will be a bonus chapter tomorrow. I appreciate the powerstones!!
Thanks for the continued support on my first fanfic!!
Moving forward, every 50 Power Stones, I will release a bonus chapter.
I will also be releasing bonus chapters for milestones. The next ones are 100k views and chapter 100.
Finally, I will be releasing 3 extra chapters once we reach 10 reviews. 5 star reviews are appreciated but not required, I want honest feedback so I can improve.
Once again, thanks for all the support and feedback!