Bill strode up confidently toward Ash and Gary, walking directly past Silas without hesitation. Several Eevees followed him closely while a Clefairy waddled beside him carrying a small satchel almost half its size.
The scene alone screamed wealth. Not flashy wealth but comfortable wealth. The kind where pokemon were obviously pampered and expensive hobbies were encouraged rather than questioned.
From the mission details Archer provided earlier, Silas already knew Bill came from an influential family in Celadon City. They owned the largest apartment complex in the city and controlled several profitable floors inside the Celadon Department Store.
They were rich. Just not monstrously rich like the Stone family in Hoenn.
Still, compared to most trainers, Bill had grown up in luxury.
"What a great battle," Bill said enthusiastically while adjusting his glasses. "I don't think I've ever seen a stronger Pikachu."
He crouched immediately beside Pikachu, examining him with almost frightening curiosity.
"Seriously, your electrical output is absurd for your level. Your muscle conditioning is incredible too. And your reaction timing…" Bill looked genuinely fascinated. "How long have you been training him?"
Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Uh… pretty much every day."
Pikachu crossed his arms proudly.
"Pika."
Bill laughed.
"I can tell."
Then he asked curiously, "Why hasn't he evolved yet?"
Ash immediately answered.
"Because Pikachu doesn't want to."
Pikachu nodded firmly.
"It doesn't like pokeballs either," Ash continued. "We made a promise to become the strongest together without evolving."
Pikachu had already recovered enough to stand properly after the battle. Hearing Bill praise him and Ash reaffirm their goal caused the electric mouse to stand upright on its hind legs proudly while puffing out its chest.
The little pokemon looked unbearably smug. Its ego was enormous. The problem was that its strength justified it.
Even during the earlier battle, Ash didn't need to command every single action. Pikachu instinctively made excellent combat decisions on its own, like following Protect with Thunder immediately while Wartortle was vulnerable.
Watching the tiny yellow pokemon bask in attention like royalty, Silas finally burst into laughter.
Not mocking laughter but genuine amusement.
Pikachu immediately looked toward him.
"Pika?"
The electric mouse narrowed its eyes suspiciously before sticking its tongue out again.
Silas laughed even harder.
"You really are a little menace."
Ash looked embarrassed.
"Yeah… he's kinda arrogant sometimes."
"Kinda?" Gary scoffed loudly from nearby while recalling Wartortle. "That oversized battery acts like he already beat the Indigo League."
Pikachu immediately pointed at Gary accusingly while shouting back angrily.
"Pikapi!"
The rivalry between trainer and pokemon somehow felt just as personal as the rivalry between Ash and Gary themselves.
Bill was about to continue asking Ash questions when he suddenly noticed Froakie sitting calmly on Silas' shoulder.
His eyes widened instantly.
"Wait—is that a Froakie?"
Bill immediately abandoned Ash and approached Silas instead.
"I've never seen one in person before."
Froakie tilted its head curiously as Bill crouched nearby.
Unlike many people, Bill didn't immediately try touching the pokemon. Instead, he observed carefully first.
He was respectful and smart.
Silas appreciated that.
Bill extended his hand.
"Bill."
Silas shook it calmly.
"Odin."
The alias rolled naturally off his tongue now. The identity had already settled comfortably into place over the past few weeks.
Team Rocket truly excelled at constructing believable false identities. Silas quickly employed the prepared backstory.
"I'm originally from Kalos," he explained casually. "My family moved frequently because of business. After… some complications, I eventually ended up in Kanto."
The half-truth structure made lying easier.
Technically:
Silas really had lost his family just not in the way Odin described. The best lies are half truths.
Bill's expression softened slightly.
"Sorry to hear that."
Silas shrugged lightly.
"It happened a while ago."
The conversation moved on naturally afterward. Bill immediately became fascinated by Froakie.
"Amazing coloration," he muttered while examining him carefully. "And the muscle density is surprisingly high for a Froakie this young."
Froakie proudly leapt from Silas' shoulder onto a nearby railing before performing several quick flips almost like a demonstration.
Bill looked delighted.
"Excellent mobility too."
Silas internally noted something important. Bill's obsession wasn't limited to battling. He genuinely loved pokemon themselves.
Their biology, habits, development, it all interested him. The man practically radiated intellectual curiosity.
Silas could already understand why Team Rocket valued him so highly.
As they talked, Silas quietly learned more through casual conversation. Apparently Gary had already visited Bill earlier that morning.
That was where he had been returning from before encountering Ash.
Ironically, Ash had originally been heading toward Bill's cape residence himself before Gary challenged him to battle.
The group naturally drifted into broader discussion afterward.
Battle tactics, Pokemon evolution, Regional differences, specialized training methods, they talked about all the kings pokemon.
Ash talked passionately about battling. Gary argued aggressively about efficiency and standards. Bill rambled excitedly about pokemon biology and teleportation technology. Silas simply adapted naturally to the conversation.
He spoke enough to remain interesting while carefully maintaining Odin's identity. The disguise technology continued impressing him.
Gary had scrutinized him several times during conversation. Yet despite previously knowing Silas personally, he showed absolutely no signs of recognition.
Even Wartortle failed to react strangely.
That alone demonstrated how terrifying Team Rocket's technology truly was.
At one point, Bill suddenly asked:
"So what's Kalos like?"
Silas smoothly transitioned into the fabricated regional details Archer had provided earlier.
"Kalos trainers focus heavily on elegance," he explained calmly. "Battles there are flashy compared to Kanto. More emphasis on rhythm and presentation."
Bill looked fascinated immediately. Gary looked mildly skeptical. Ash just thought it sounded cool.
"And Froakie?" Bill asked. "Are they common there?"
"Not particularly."
Bill nodded slowly.
"That makes sense."
The conversation eventually circled back toward the earlier battle.
Gary still looked irritated.
"You got lucky," he muttered toward Ash.
Ash laughed.
"Your Wartortle is crazy strong now."
"It should be."
Gary folded his arms.
"I actually train."
Ash rolled his eyes.
"You act like I don't."
"You don't train normally," Gary shot back immediately. "Your pokemon just do random nonsense and somehow it works."
Silas nearly laughed because the description was surprisingly accurate.
Pikachu looked deeply offended anyway.
"Pika!"
Bill meanwhile looked delighted by the rivalry.
Silas could tell immediately:
Bill enjoyed talented passionate trainers, especially the unusual ones.
Eventually Bill invited the group toward his laboratory residence on Cerulean Cape.
"You should come see the lab," Bill said enthusiastically. "I've been working on some incredible transfer technology recently."
Silas almost reacted internally.
There it was.
The true mission target.
Still, he shook his head calmly.
"Another time."
Bill looked slightly disappointed but didn't push. Only Ash accepted immediately.
Naturally.
Ash possessed exactly the kind of personality that wandered into important situations accidentally.
Gary declined as well before heading back toward Cerulean City.
Soon only Silas remained near Nugget Bridge alongside the disguised Rocket members.
He spent another hour casually observing challengers attempt the gauntlet.
Most lost badly but a few managed respectable performances.
Several trainers recognized Odin now and whispered quietly among themselves after watching the earlier doubles sweep.
Teddiursa looked extremely proud of the attention. Meanwhile, Silas quietly checked his finances.
Current Funds: 4.3 million pokedollars.
Very healthy for a trainer his age.
Then Silas opened the system shop. The moment the interface appeared, his eyes widened slightly.
BP Balance — 3015 BP
Shop List
Divine Alchemic Cauldron — 7000 BP — Create any known item as long as the host possesses the components.
System Roulette Roll — 3500 BP — Gain a random system upgrade but guaranteed quality.
Data Acquisition Upgrade — 2000 BP — AI will gain a hacking function, allowing the user to take control of certain technology given enough time to integrate.
System AI Upgrade — 1000 BP — System AI will process information faster.
Mid Grade Vitamin Pill — 500 BP — Increase a pokemon's overall constitution, repairing old injuries and strengthening talent.
Silas stared at the screen intently.
Divine cauldron? System roulette? Hacking functionality? The system had always been absurdly useful already. The idea of expanding it further honestly felt dangerous.
Especially the roulette option.
A guaranteed high-quality upgrade sounded incredible but random outcomes made him uncomfortable.
Silas hated gambling. Reliable gains were always preferable. Stil, the temptation lingered heavily.
Silas eventually purchased two Mid Grade Vitamin Pills immediately.
Those were guaranteed value.
Froakie and Teddiursa both desperately needed long-term constitutional strengthening.
That left him with 2015 BP.
Silas hesitated for a while before finally made his choice. Data Acquisition Upgrade.
He quickly completed his purchase
"Data Acquisition Upgrade successfully integrated."
"System hacking functions now available."
Silas immediately felt curiosity rising.
Hacking technology…
That changed everything.
His mind instantly jumped toward Bill's laboratory computers. Bill was a pokemaniac first and a scientific genius second. He conducted research on teleportation, transfer systems, communication technologies, etc.
The possibilities were enormous.
"Perhaps I should visit Bill immediately," Silas muttered quietly.
But after several moments of thought, he dismissed the idea.
Too rushed.
If Bill truly possessed advanced teleportation data, assimilating it would likely require extensive integration time.
Rushing greedily now could ruin the entire operation.
Patience.
Silas closed the shop interface and slowly looked toward the distant Cerulean Lakefront.
The sun had begun descending lower in the sky.
Perfect timing.
Instead of heading toward Cerulean Cape, Silas turned in the opposite direction toward the lake.
As he walked, the atmosphere slowly changed. The noise from Nugget Bridge faded. The city sounds softened.
Eventually only the gentle sound of water remained. Sometimes Silas forgot how beautiful this world could be.
The lakefront stretched quietly beneath the open sky. Gentle waves lapped against the shore with a soft rhythmic hush. A cool breeze carried the scent of pine and fresh earth. Along the edge, the land curved gracefully around the water, creating a peaceful scene that somehow felt both vast and intimate at the same time.
Cerulean City truly was paradise for water pokemon. A massive freshwater lake only miles away from the ocean created an ecosystem overflowing with aquatic life.
Many people believed Cerulean Lake existed under Suicune's protection.
The water was famously clean and unnaturally pure.
Rumors persisted because there had actually been scattered sightings throughout history.
Never confirmed but never disproven either.
Several trainers quietly fished from nearby docks while others simply relaxed near the shoreline with their pokemon.
Silas didn't disturb anyone.
Instead, he quietly removed most of his clothing, storing everything except his shorts inside his storage bag before diving directly into the lake.
The cold refreshing water wrapped around him instantly.
Froakie happily joined him immediately.
Silas spent time having Froakie practice water manipulation by increasing swimming acceleration repeatedly. The small frog pokemon moved through water almost naturally, cutting through currents with graceful precision.
As Froakie trained happily nearby, Silas stared quietly toward the distant forested area surrounding Cerulean Cave.
His expression slowly became more serious.
The peaceful atmosphere around the lake only made his sense of foreboding feel heavier.
Stil, he continued swimming forward anyway.