When Silas woke up, the first thing he noticed was the pain.
The second thing he noticed was that he couldn't move properly.
Every inch of his body felt stiff and heavy. He looked down and discovered that he was wrapped in bandages from neck to toe. Only his head remained uncovered. Combined with how swollen parts of his body felt, he probably looked like a mummy.
The door opened and 2 women entered the room. One wore a doctor's scrubs while the other was Andra.
"So you are finally awake."
Silas attempted to sit up and immediately regretted it.
A wave of pain surged through his body so violently that his vision blurred for a moment.
The doctor sighed.
"Try not to move too much. You are lucky to be alive."
Silas wanted to respond but quickly decided against it. Instead, he simply nodded. Even breathing too deeply caused discomfort.
The second woman remained silent.
Andra looked significantly better than she had during the battle, but she was still in rough condition. Bandages wrapped portions of her body and a pair of crutches rested beneath her arms. Judging by how carefully she moved, her injuries were serious.
She hesitated briefly before speaking.
"Odin, you protected us all. I was vaguely aware of you fighting for us with your Ursaring."
Her voice was unusually soft.
"Thank you, truly."
Silas looked at her for several seconds before a grin slowly appeared.
"It's not often that one finds the opportunity to take on the role of a knight for a true beauty. Seeing your warm smile, I regret nothing."
His tone was deliberately sarcastic.
Unfortunately, Andra didn't seem to register that. Her face immediately became redder than her own hair.
Without saying another word, she turned around and hurried from the room. The door slammed hard behind her.
Silas stared after her for a moment before he started laughing. That turned out to be a terrible decision. Pain immediately exploded through his ribs and chest.
The laughter stopped almost instantly. The doctor looked thoroughly unimpressed.
After administering medication and checking his condition, she left as well. Before long, exhaustion overtook him and he drifted back to sleep.
The next time Silas opened his eyes, he was greeted by a familiar sight.
His pokemon.
Monferno, Electabuzz, Frogadier, Eevee, Excadrill, Ursaring, and Tropius had gathered around his bed. The moment they noticed he was awake, the room became significantly livelier.
Silas couldn't help but smile.
Every member of Spartan had survived.
The pokemon had already recovered from most of their injuries. Pokemon healed much faster than humans and their natural durability bordered on the absurd.
Only Tropius still showed visible signs of injury.
The wound left behind by Draco Meteor had not fully healed. She could walk without difficulty, but flying remained painful. Every attempt to use her wings caused visible discomfort. Silas estimated it would take a few more days for her to fully heal.
Silas gently rubbed her neck. The failed mission served as yet another reminder.
Strength was everything. Preparation was important but nothing could fully compensate for a lack of strength.
A level 65 Salamence had nearly wiped out multiple Elite Officers with a single attack.
The memory still lingered vividly in his mind.
He would continue growing stronger. There was no other choice.
The following days passed quietly.
Doctors monitored his recovery while his pokemon trained lightly or rested nearby. Each day brought noticeable improvements. By the 4th day after waking up, Silas could finally move normally again.
There was still pain whenever he moved too quickly, but compared to before, it was a dramatic improvement.
The door suddenly burst open.
Andra hurried inside.
She had been checking on him every day since he regained consciousness.
"We have a mission debrief in 10 minutes."
Silas immediately became interested.
"Ariana is back and she wants to see all the survivors."
"Good."
Silas slowly stood up.
"I've been curious about the results. Nobody has given any information during the last few days."
Andra nodded.
"Yeah. There's been a gag order while the top brass figures things out."
The pair spoke for a few more minutes before heading toward the mission planning room together.
The atmosphere throughout the base felt different. It was heavier and fall less lively.
The mission had left scars that went far beyond physical injuries.
Many familiar faces were gone.
When Silas entered the briefing room, he immediately noticed how empty it felt.
The surviving officers gathered quietly. They all had some form of injury. Several had visible scars and a few had even lost arms.
The reality of the failed mission stood before him. These were the lucky ones. The dead wouldn't be attending any debriefing.
At the front of the room stood Ariana.
The red haired admin waited patiently as the remaining officers took their seats. Despite the devastating losses, she appeared as composed as ever.
Once she confirmed everyone had arrived, she began speaking.
"The mission a week ago was a resounding failure. Less than half of the personnel involved in the operation survived. Many were captured by League officials and remain in custody."
Nobody interrupted.
Nobody moved.
"The Boss was disappointed by the mission failure but even more so, he was disappointed with all of you."
The statement hit harder than most expected.
Giovanni occupied a unique position within Team Rocket. To many members, he was more than simply a leader. They revered him almost like a god among men.
He was the person who gave purpose to their efforts.
Although under Madam Rocket, Team Rocket rose from a petty group to one of the most powerful criminal organizations, Giovanni turned them into something greater.
Nearly half of the Kanto gyms and an elite 4 member was one of their own. Giovanni himself was a champion level trainer. There were rumors that he possessed a Beedrill with power comparable to professor Oak's Dragonite.
Knowing that Giovanni viewed them as failures hurt. His charisma made people fiercely loyal to him so of course disappointing him would upset the fanatical followers.
One could feel the mood in the room sink even further as Ariana continued.
"The Boss believes that administrators and executives have been far too generous with promotions."
Her eyes swept across the assembled Elite Officers.
"A large number of you should still be regular officers."
Several people visibly flinched.
"The Elite Officer rank is supposed to represent the primary fighting force of Team Rocket. The backbone of the organization.
Her voice remained calm.
"We find many of you sorely lacking."
No one immediately responded. The criticism was difficult to argue against. The mission had been a complete disaster.
Eventually, one officer raised his hand. Ariana pointed toward him.
"Speak."
"Ma'am, we tried our best. We were given inaccurate information regarding the enemy's strength."
Several people nodded and the man continued, emboldened.
"You can't blame us for failing to defeat a gym leader like Erika. If any of us could defeat gym leaders, we'd already be executives."
Ariana nodded.
"Indeed."
For a moment, it appeared as though she agreed but her expression hardened.
"That would be a fair argument if there had been multiple gym leaders."
The room became quiet.
"There was only 1 Erika. How exactly did she and a single Pikachu trainer manage to cripple so many Elite Officers?"
The question lingered unanswered. There was no good answers.
Silas himself remembered the reports coming through the communication channel. Every few minutes another squad had been overwhelmed.
The reality was unpleasant.
Most Elite Officers simply weren't as strong as their rank suggested.
Ariana allowed the silence to settle before continuing.
"Across the organization, Elite Officers have been failing missions at an alarming rate."
Her tone became noticeably colder.
"The Boss is concerned that we've been promoting people without having tempered them."
That sentence immediately captured everyone's attention.
"The Boss has designed a trial to correct this problem."
The room stiffened.
Nothing about the way Ariana said that sounded encouraging.
"This trial is intended to strengthen every rank below Executive. It's to remove the fat in a sense."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Ariana's aura became oppressive. She was like a true rose with sharp thorns. She got a merciless and predatory aura that suppressed all those in the room.
For the first time since the meeting began, genuine tension filled the room.
Nobody misunderstood her meaning.
Some people would fail and some of them would die. This wasn't a simple training exercise.
Silas sat quietly as he considered the implications.
As an Elite Officer, he would almost certainly be expected to take on a leadership role. The trial would involve more than just his own survival.
He would likely be responsible for others as well.
The thought wasn't particularly comforting.
Before anyone could ask questions, movement near the front of the room drew everyone's attention.
A man walked calmly toward Ariana and stopped beside her.
Silas immediately shifted his focus toward the newcomer.
The room became completely silent.
Every eye present settled upon the mysterious man standing next to the administrator.
Whatever came next would determine the future of every Elite Officer in Team Rocket.