'Bang!'
Lift foot, stomp down!
Tyranitar carried out both actions in one seamless motion. The entire ring shook violently, and beneath that brutal tremor, a tearing force ripped the ring to shreds. In a split second, dust filled the air, and countless clods of earth and pebbles flew in all directions.
Silas's group wasn't in any danger. While Earthquake is usually a massive, uncontrollable 360-degree attack, his Tyranitar had such deep mastery over the Rock element that it had long since transformed Earthquake into a fully controllable area attack. Plus, Tyranitar's size meant that all the flying debris was blocked by its own body.
A.J. and Sandshrew weren't so lucky. Not only was Sandshrew small and fragile, but the intense shaking alone left it dizzy and incapacitated—never mind expecting it to shield A.J. from the barrage of flying debris!
Even Giselle, who already knew how powerful Silas was, couldn't help but gasp as she saw the dust and chaos before her. "So strong!"
"It really is," Suzie murmured, though her eyes betrayed a hint of worry. "But… wasn't that a bit much? Is the boy alright?"
"He'll be fine," Giselle replied with a sweet, matter-of-fact smile. "Silas actually held back. If he'd gone all out, this wouldn't just be a shattered ring, it'd be a total cave-in. And even if something did happen, it has nothing to do with us. The kid set up shop here—he's prepared for the consequences."
As Giselle and Suzie talked, the dust settled.
Now, the entire ring was a mess, not a single spot left unscathed. Even the platform beneath Silas and Tyranitar's feet was crackled with fissures. A.J. and Sandshrew were sprawled among the rubble—A.J. sitting, Sandshrew lying flat—both of them coated in a thick layer of dust, looking absolutely pitiful.
'Ding! Congratulations, Host, for defeating the challenger. Received 100 Rock crystals (Low-grade)'
The system prompt rang out right after. Hearing it, Silas promptly returned Tyranitar to his Master Ball, then took out some healing spray and bandages, dropped them at his feet, and turned to Suzie and Giselle. "Let's go."
"Okay," Giselle nodded.
"Aren't we going to help him?" Suzie hesitated, motioning to the battered A.J. "Isn't just leaving a bit cold?"
"Not at all." Silas gave a relaxed smile and then, with a nod to Giselle, echoed her sentiment: "If he dared to set up a ring here, he was ready for whatever the fight brought. So what happens next is none of our concern."
"Understood." Suzie nodded, then followed Silas out.
"Wait!"
They hadn't even made it to the door before A.J.'s voice called out. He sounded neither angry nor depressed, just burning with frustration. "What's your name? Where are you from?"
"Silas Oak." Silas didn't look back, just called out as he walked: "Pallet Town!"
Pallet Town…
A.J. watched the boy who'd defeated him in a single blow disappear, turning the name over in his heart. Then, quietly, he picked up the healing spray Silas had left behind and began to treat and bandage his Sandshrew.
...
Afternoon.
In the forest.
After Silas rebuffed challenger after challenger, Giselle huffed. "Silas, why won't you accept battles from other Trainers? Even if your Charizard and Tyranitar are far too strong, you could still use Pikachu. Making Pikachu train stamina all day—what's the point? Are you planning to turn him into a punching bag?"
"Pikachu!" Giselle's words made Pikachu trip and faceplant.
Silas's mouth twitched, but he merely smiled and asked, "Why do you want me to accept their challenges?"
"Because I'm bored," Giselle replied, as if it were only natural, then followed up with something that made Silas roll his eyes and Suzie giggle, "What's the point of just walking all day? At least if you and Pikachu battled, there'd be some fun."
Some fun, huh…
Silas rolled his eyes again, grumbling, "So you just want to watch Pikachu fight for your entertainment?"
"Yep." Giselle nodded without a trace of shame.
'Bang!'
At her look, Silas shot her another glare. "Brat. Our next destination is Bill's Lighthouse. At our current pace, we'll get there in about three days. If we stop to battle along the way, it'll take five. You want to spend five nights in the woods?"
"No way!" Giselle shook her head vigorously.
Spending five days trudging through the forest with no proper place to shower—she'd go crazy. How could a pampered rich girl possibly endure that?
But she still whined, "But just hiking is so boring…"
'Bang!'
Silas gave her a light knock on the head.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Giselle clutched her head, giving Silas a wounded look. "That hurt!"
"Be quiet," Silas said coolly.
"I won't!"
'Bang!'
"You—"
'Bang!'
"I—"
'Bang!'
"Alright, that's enough now." Suzie, who'd been silent the whole time, finally broke in, "Enough with the fighting, you two."
"We weren't fighting!" Giselle pouted, refusing to back down. "Silas is just bullying me, alright?"
'Bang!'
"Again?!" Giselle lunged at Silas, hands raised like claws. "That's it, I'm taking you down!"
Bill's Lighthouse!
A lighthouse notable enough to bear Professor Bill's name.
After three full days of travel, Silas and company finally arrived in the area.
"A hot bath!" Giselle's eyes sparkled at the sight of the lighthouse, and she shouted with joy, "Finally, I get to take a hot bath again!!"
Her cry made both Silas and Suzie laugh. They understood completely—in the woods, water sources weren't always available, and aside from a bath the first day out, they'd gone unwashed for the past two days.
Silas, being male and mature in spirit, could handle it. Suzie, at seventeen or eighteen—and with her past experience traveling—could put up with a day or two, too. But Giselle, as a pampered young lady, had never traveled before; even one day without a bath left her miserable.
"Giselle," Suzie called as Giselle dashed ahead, "Try to act a little more composed—you are a lady."
"Ah…" Giselle stopped, tapped her head, and stuck out her tongue, embarrassed. "I just felt filthy, but I'll remember for next time."
Chatting, the three reached the front door of Bill's Lighthouse. Silas rang the bell.
"Who is it?" came a lazy voice over the intercom.
"Uncle Bill, it's Silas."
"Silas?!" The lazy voice paused, then said, "I'll let you in."
As soon as the words left the speaker, the door opened by itself.
Their eyes landed on a messy, chaotic main hall, and Professor Bill descended from the second floor.
"Silas," Professor Bill greeted, teasing, "Didn't you always say this place was too rundown, so you never wanted to visit? What brings you here today? Need a favor?"
"That's right." Silas nodded, grumbling, "Uncle, you used to promise me a Legendary Pokémon for my team, remember? So I'm here to collect! Where's my Legendary?"
"Haha." Professor Bill put on an awkward laugh. "Lovely weather today, isn't it…"
"It's already evening."
"Cough." Flustered, Professor Bill changed the subject. "So, what brings you here for real?"
"Nothing much," Silas replied. "I plan to stay for a while. Charizard and Tyranitar had a tough battle and broke through, so they're in a deep sleep. I want to wait here for Charizard to wake up, and train Pikachu in the meantime."
Breakthrough?!
Professor Bill's heart skipped a beat—he'd seen from the videos just how strong Silas's Charizard already was. If it had leveled up again, didn't that mean Charizard would reach the peak? Then with Outrage and Blaze, who in this world besides a Legendary Pokémon could possibly be its match?
Bill narrowed his eyes. "Silas, can we have a serious conversation?"
"About what?" Silas rolled his eyes and nodded toward Suzie and Giselle. "Can it wait? And can you get them a room so they can shower first?"
"First door on the left at the top of the stairs," Bill told Suzie and Giselle with a warm smile. "I've got something to talk over with Silas. Will you two be okay alone? The bathroom's in the room, hot water's on twenty-four hours."
"Of course." Both girls nodded—they weren't clueless; they knew Bill had business with Silas.
...
After the girls left,
Professor Bill tidied up a spot and brewed a pot of tea.
"Silas." Handing Silas a steaming mug, Bill smiled. "Now can we talk?"
"About what?" asked Silas, curious.
"The League," Bill said with a grin.
"The League?" Silas frowned. "I thought you never cared about League business?"
"That's true." Bill made no effort to hide it. "I just want to research Pokémon. League politics mean nothing to me."
"So why bring it up now?" Silas pressed.
"You know about artificial Pokémon, right?" Bill asked.
"I do." Silas nodded, puzzled. "But isn't that banned?"
"It is," Bill said, an interested look in his eyes. "But the League still has some higher-ups making deals with Team Rocket, and Rocket's already got the technology working. It's not my field, but I'd like to ask you for two favors."
"Go ahead," Silas said. He didn't nod or refuse, just listened.
"One: destroy all the relevant data. Two: before you destroy it, let me take a look."
"Why me?" Silas still didn't agree, just asked, "You could tell the Elite Four. They'd take care of it."
"They can't." Bill shook his head, regret in his eyes. "They're only Elite Four, not Champions, so they're far more restricted. The people supplying Team Rocket with artificial Pokémon data are all in the very top tier; it's way too complex, and even your Grandpa can't step in."
Even Professor Oak can't manage it?
That startled Silas—he'd lived long enough to know how powerful his Grandpa, Professor Oak, actually was. If even Oak couldn't intervene, this was no small matter.
He furrowed his brow, then asked Bill, "So why do you think I can do it?"
"Champion." Bill just dropped the word, then explained, "The League's research labs are officially under the Champion's supervision. Kanto just never had its own Champion, so those labs landed under the League heads. If you become Champion, this will be your responsibility. It only makes sense."
"Fine." Silas nodded. Bill was overjoyed—until Silas added calmly, "But you're not seeing those files. I'll destroy them myself."