Silas felt almost unstoppable.
That was not arrogance, at least not entirely. It was the simple result of looking at his team honestly and understanding what they had become. Every one of his main pokemon had now reached the pseudo advanced level.
That alone placed him far above most newly promoted Elite Officers, and for the first time since joining Team Rocket, Silas felt that his rank truly belonged to him.
He was no longer someone relying on clever tricks, hidden advantages, or lucky opportunities to survive among stronger people. He had become powerful enough to stand among them properly.
Depending on the situation, he even believed he could contend with certain executives.
Not defeat them outright. Silas wasn't foolish enough to assume that. Executives were monsters who had clawed their way upward through years of violence, resources, and experience.
Still, if the battlefield favored him, if he used preparation properly, and if Monferno's Flame Aura was activated at maximum output, there were scenarios where he could cripple someone before they understood what danger they were facing.
That thought alone made Silas feel the weight of his progress.
Monferno's maximum Flame Aura allowed him to temporarily exert the power of an advanced pokemon. The duration was short, and the strain was heavy, but the potential was terrifying. Used cleverly, it could turn a battle instantly.
A careless enemy might see only a level 44 Monferno, underestimate him, and then lose an arm, a pokemon, or their life before adjusting to the true level of danger.
Monferno was also beginning to show increasingly clear signs of evolution.
Before, he could suppress the impulse easily. Technically, he could have evolved at almost any time, but Silas had deliberately delayed it to maximize the benefits.
The longer Monferno refined his current foundation, the more complete the eventual evolution into Infernape would be.
Silas knew the delay couldn't last forever, though. The pressure building inside Monferno was becoming more obvious each week.
Soon, Electabuzz would face a similar issue.
Unlike Monferno, Electabuzz required a specific evolution item. Silas would need to seek out an Electirizer, a device capable of storing tremendous quantities of electrical energy.
If Electabuzz diligently absorbed that stored energy over time, he would eventually evolve into Electivire.
Silas had already received a high-grade Electirizer from Archer, but he still intended to prepare carefully before allowing the evolution. A rushed evolution would be a waste.
Silas looked at his team and imagined the future.
Infernape. Electivire. Greninja. Flygon. Ursaluna.
With Espeon and Excadrill beside them, his eight pokemon would form a terrifying lineup. If each reached the same tier, Silas believed they could contend against almost anyone.
Their types were diverse, their battle styles complemented one another, and nearly all of them possessed excellent tactical intelligence. He had carefully built this team through danger, resources, and relentless training.
Now he needed to test it.
After thirty days of seclusion, simply reading status screens no longer satisfied him. Numbers mattered, but battle revealed the truth behind numbers.
Silas wanted to see how his pokemon performed against other trained pseudo advanced pokemon, especially opponents that weren't already weakened, trapped, or ambushed.
He opened the trial forum on his TR device and posted a challenge.
Wager 250 Trial Points to battle. If you win, receive 10,000 Trial Points. No pokemon below Level 40 allowed.
Silas had exchanged additional Beedrill honey for more points, leaving his current balance at 38,500 Trial Points. Offering 10,000 points as bait was painful, but he expected to earn more than he lost.
More importantly, the challenge would attract exactly the type of opponents he wanted: confident, greedy, and strong enough to serve as training partners.
As expected, the post drew attention almost immediately.
By the time Silas arrived at the public training arena, a sizeable crowd had already formed. Some came to challenge him. Others came to watch the spectacle.
Trial Island had been tense since the Luminary Court was exposed, and anything involving points, reputation, and open combat quickly attracted interest.
Silas stepped onto the arena calmly. His first pokemon would be Espeon.
She padded forward gracefully, her twin tails swaying as she surveyed the crowd with quiet confidence. Ever since evolving, Espeon had become far more expressive than she had been as Eevee.
She enjoyed attention, but not in a childish way. It was more as though she believed admiration was natural.
Her first challenger was a fellow Elite Officer.
The man released a Glalie.
The pokemon appeared as a massive ball of ice with a face, jagged horns, and sharp black openings that gave it an intimidating expression. Cold air immediately spread from its body, frosting the arena floor beneath it.
Silas glanced at his opponent.
"You, as the challenger, may have the first move."
The Elite Officer sneered.
"You think you're a gym leader or something? I'll make you regret that choice."
He pointed forward.
"Glalie, use Toxic."
Silas remained calm.
"Espeon, use Calm Mind."
Glalie gathered an orb of poison type energy in front of its mouth before launching it toward Espeon.
The crowd watched in confusion as Espeon made no attempt to dodge. Instead, she simply stood still while psychic energy gathered around her body, her mind becoming sharper and calmer.
The poison energy orb reached her but then it rebounded.
A reflective force emanated from the gem on Espeon's forehead, sending the attack back toward Glalie at even greater speed. The ice pokemon had no time to avoid it. The purple energy struck cleanly, poisoning Glalie with its own move.
The challenger stiffened.
"You think passively using Magic Coat will protect you forever?"
Silas merely smiled.
He had no intention of correcting the misunderstanding. Magic Coat was a move. Magic Bounce was an ability.
The difference mattered tremendously, but there was no reason to explain his pokemon's hidden advantage to potential enemies.
"What I think is that this battle will soon be over."
"Espeon, Quick Attack, then Double Kick."
Espeon moved instantly.
Her body blurred across the arena, slamming into Glalie with enough force to stagger the floating ice pokemon.
Before Glalie could recover, Espeon twisted midair and struck twice with Double Kick, forcing it backward across the battlefield.
The attacks didn't deal overwhelming damage, but they disrupted Glalie's rhythm and forced the opposing trainer to respond.
"Glalie, Ice Beam now!"
A pale blue beam shot forward.
"Espeon, use Psybeam!"
Espeon's gem glowed.
The multicolored psychic beam collided with Ice Beam in the center of the arena. For a brief moment, the two attacks struggled against each other before exploding into glittering mist and shattered light.
Silas noticed the Elite Officer's frustration growing.
Good for Silas. Enraged trainers made mistakes.
"Espeon, use Psychic to increase your speed and power. Then end this with Iron Tail."
A purplish-l pink glow wrapped around Espeon's body.
The effect was immediate.
She didn't simply run. She vanished from sight, her psychic energy pushing and supporting every movement. In the next instant, she appeared above Glalie, her tail shining with metallic energy.
Iron Tail slammed down between Glalie's horns.
A sharp shockwave rippled across the arena floor.
When the debris settled, Glalie was embedded into the ground, unconscious.
The crowd erupted into murmurs.
Silas calmly recalled the results in his mind. Stacking psychic power with physical attributes produced a tremendous boost. The stamina cost was real, but the combat potential was undeniable.
It made him think of pokemon like Gallade, who naturally combined psychic ability with close combat.
No wonder such pokemon were frightening when properly trained, especially considering some possessed Mega Evolution.
Perhaps Electabuzz could eventually employ a similar tactic.
He was already an adept mixed range fighter. If he learned to use psychic power to increase his movement freedom, he might gain a level of mobility similar to Monferno's Acrobatics.
The defeated Elite Officer recalled Glalie and left without another word.
The next challenger entered with far more confidence.
He was technically only an Officer, but the pokemon he released made several spectators whisper.
Aggron.
The massive steel armored beast landed heavily on the arena floor, its plated body gleaming beneath the lights. After scanning it, Silas realized that he wasn't the only person on Trial Island making strides. This Aggron had clearly been cultivated seriously.
The officer smirked.
"Are you going to give me the first move too?"
His confidence was obvious. Aggron possessed a type advantage against Espeon, and with its defenses, the officer clearly believed victory was within reach.
Silas smiled faintly.
"Naturally. Let's get this over with. I hope you have more than mediocre strength."
The officer's expression darkened.
"Yeah? I'll show you mediocre. Aggron, use Surf, then Body Press."
A large orb of water formed between Aggron's claws before it slammed the energy into the ground.
A powerful wave surged across the arena, lifting Aggron atop it as though the heavy steel pokemon weighed nothing.
It rode the wave straight toward Espeon, clearly intending to crash down with Body Press once she was pinned by the water.
The man's confidence suggested he believed this combination would end the battle.
Silas almost laughed.
In his previous life, he had watched enough pokemon battles to develop certain instincts.
Surf was powerful, but it also created a predictable structure. The wave had a center of force, and if that center was disrupted properly, the rider would lose balance.
He had taught all of his pokemon this principle.
Espeon leapt high into the air instead of retreating. Psychic energy pushed her higher, while gravity and her own movement increased the force of her descent. As she dropped, her tail flashed with metallic light.
Iron Tail struck the lower center of the wave. A shockwave tore through the water. The Surf collapsed from beneath Aggron.
Before the steel pokemon could adjust, Espeon used the recoil and rolling motion of her strike to launch herself upward.
As Aggron hung midair, briefly stunned and defenseless, Espeon twisted and smashed another Iron Tail directly into its head.
Aggron crashed into the ground with a heavy thud.
"Espeon, stack Calm Mind while you wait for it to get up."
The officer gritted his teeth.
"Aggron, Thunder Wave, quick!"
The yellow electrical pulse shot toward Espeon.
Just like the Toxic earlier, it rebounded instantly. Thunder Wave struck Aggron instead, causing electricity to crawl across its heavy body. The steel beast stiffened as paralysis took hold.
Silas smiled.
"Are you sure you want to continue? From here, the battle is futile. Your Aggron will only get hurt."
The officer's pride flared.
"Do you think we're weak? Do your worst."
Silas nodded.
"Espeon, you heard him. Bombard them with Stored Power."
Espeon had already stacked 3 Calm Minds.
Stored Power became terrifying under such conditions. Calm Mind didn't merely prepare the move; it increased Espeon's special attack as well, making each orb far more dangerous than it appeared.
Psychic spheres formed rapidly around Espeon before launching toward Aggron in relentless succession.
The steel pokemon tried to withstand them through durability alone, but paralysis ruined its timing and movement.
It could barely defend properly. Despite the type advantage, repeated boosted attacks battered Aggron until it finally collapsed unconscious.
The officer stood frozen.
Silas had warned him.
In Silas' old life, there had been a saying: those who cannot hear must feel. Those who refused wisdom would eventually learn through suffering.
The officer recalled Aggron with clenched fists and left.
Silas looked around the arena and noticed the increasingly intense stares.
Surprisingly, nobody had recognized Magic Bounce yet. After thinking about it, Silas realized that made sense. The ability was extremely rare.
Aside from the Natu line, most pokemon known for it possessed it under special conditions or hidden ability circumstances. Many trainers would simply assume Espeon was using Magic Coat or some variant psychic reflection move.
That ignorance created opportunity.
Silas had long searched for a natural way to take advantage of his knowledge from his previous life. This was perfect.
Since he personally owned an Espeon with Magic Bounce, he could frame any future "discovery" as the result of observation and luck rather than impossible prior knowledge.
More challengers came.
One after another, they paid the wager and stepped onto the battlefield. Some relied on status moves, only to have them reflected.
Others tried to overwhelm Espeon physically, only to discover that her psychic enhanced movement made her far harder to catch than expected.
A few possessed solid tactics, but most underestimated how quickly Calm Mind could turn Stored Power into a decisive weapon.
By the 12th victory, the crowd had grown much larger.
Espeon stood calmly in the arena, breathing slightly heavier but still composed. Her fur bore a few marks from close calls, and Silas could sense her stamina dipping lower than before.
She had taken down 12 pseudo advanced pokemon in a row. That was already an incredible result.
Pushing further would produce more risk than reward.
Silas raised his hand.
"That's enough for Espeon."
A few spectators looked disappointed, but nobody could reasonably complain. Twelve consecutive victories had proven her strength more than sufficiently.
Espeon returned to his side with obvious pride.
"You did well," Silas said through the psychic link.
"I know,"
Espeon was snarky as usual.
Silas smiled and gently rubbed her head before returning her to rest.
Now it was time to test another combination.
He released Excadrill and Vibrava onto the field.
"The next matches will be double battles."
The announcement immediately stirred excitement.
Double battles tested coordination more than individual strength, and after Espeon's streak, many people were eager to see whether Silas' other pokemon were as troublesome.
Before the next challenger could step forward, a deep voice sounded from the edge of the crowd.
"Ah, Odin. I would love to test the mettle of the man rumored to be the top new talent within our organization."
The crowd parted.
An extremely muscular man stepped forward, his presence far heavier than the average Elite Officer. At first, Silas didn't recognize him.
Then two Fearow landed on either side of the man's shoulders.
Silas' eyes sharpened.
Tyson.
In the anime from Silas' previous life, Tyson had raised his two Fearow to a level where they could briefly contend against Lance's ace Dragonite.
That alone deserved tremendous respect. Fearow were usually considered average pokemon at best, yet Tyson had transformed his into monsters through training and strategy.
Silas immediately put his guard up.
Excadrill and Vibrava sensed the change in him instantly.
Their postures shifted.
The spectators may have thought this was simply another wager battle.
Silas knew better. This would not be simple.
————————————————————
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!