After Executive Tyson left, the training area remained silent for several moments.
It was not the silence of boredom. It was the silence that followed a lesson everyone had understood, even if they were not the ones who had been taught it directly.
The spectators had watched Odin dominate a string of challengers with Espeon, only to see Tyson step forward and remind the entire arena what a true veteran looked like.
Silas had lost the double battle, but no one mocked him for it. If anything, the way Tyson had spoken to him afterward made the crowd look at him with even more caution.
Recognition from a senior Rocket carried weight.
Silas did not let the quiet linger too long.
He stepped back into the center of the arena and swept his gaze across the gathered trainers.
"I will continue battling, this time, it will be my Tropius."
He released her.
Tropius emerged with a heavy step, her broad wings spreading slightly as the grassy scent around her drifted through the arena.
Compared to Espeon, she was far more physically imposing. Her long neck, heavy body, and leafy wings gave her a natural presence that made several eager challengers hesitate.
Silas noticed the change immediately.
When Espeon had stood in the arena, many trainers had seen a graceful psychic type and assumed that if they prepared properly, they could overwhelm her.
That illusion had died quickly, but it had been enough to lure challengers forward.
Tropius created the opposite effect.
Her size alone made weaker trainers question whether the wager was worth it. She looked durable, strong, and difficult to topple.
Even people who did not understand her full move set could tell that fighting her would be troublesome.
Silas adjusted the bait.
"I will double the payout for this round. The entry wager remains the same. If you win, you receive 20,000 Trial Points."
The hesitation vanished. Greed was a reliable motivator.
A few trainers immediately surged forward, arguing over who would take the first match.
Others who had planned to leave stopped and reconsidered. Silas watched them with mild amusement. For most of them, the math was simple: risk a small wager for a chance at an enormous payout.
The fact that the opposing pokemon had already survived the first trial and belonged to a rising Elite Officer was pushed aside by desire.
Tropius needed real battle experience. Her training over the past month had improved her skills, her foundation was solid.
However controlled sparring with Silas' team was different from fighting outside pokemon with unfamiliar habits.
She needed to test her land combat, her aerial positioning, and her ability to apply Grassy Terrain under pressure.
The first challenger sent out a powerful ground type.
Tropius defeated it cleanly.
The second relied on an ice type move to exploit her weakness, but Silas used Tailwind and aerial movement to prevent the opponent from landing a decisive hit. Tropius responded with Leaf Blade and Stomp once the enemy overextended.
The third tried to poison her.
Synthesis and Grassy Terrain helped her endure while she wore the opponent down.
By the time Tropius reached her 16th consecutive victory, the excitement in the arena had shifted into wary silence.
She was not as explosively overwhelming as Espeon had been, but that only made her victories feel more oppressive in a different way.
Tropius absorbed damage, recovered, repositioned, and punished mistakes with heavy strikes from land or air.
Several opponents managed to force her to fight on the ground, which was exactly what Silas wanted. She held her own better than he expected, though the difference between land and sky remained obvious.
In the air, Tropius had initiative but on the ground, she had to trade. That was an important distinction.
Silas ended the challenge once the trainers stopped volunteering. Between the wagers collected and the payouts he avoided, he earned roughly 7,000 Trial Points from the day's battles.
More importantly, his pokemon had gained invaluable combat experience against a variety of opponents.
The public effect was even greater.
Before today, many people had assumed Odin's first trial ranking was due to luck. The captured pokemon he had distributed and sold certainly represented value, but they did not directly prove combat strength.
Some believed he had stumbled into an opportunity. Others believed he had relied on companions, traps, or outside factors.
Those opinions would be harder to maintain now.
Espeon had crushed 12 pseudo advanced pokemon in a row. Tropius had followed with 16 victories of her own.
Excadrill and Vibrava had lost to Tyson, but they had lost in a battle where Tyson openly acknowledged Silas as a legitimate Elite Officer. That combination was far more convincing than rumors.
Odin was not someone to casually provoke.
Silas made sure his pokemon were tended to before doing anything else. Excadrill and Vibrava required the most attention after the battle with Tyson.
Espeon was tired but proud, and Tropius needed recovery after her long streak of fights. Only after confirming that they were resting properly did Silas leave the arena.
By then, it was late afternoon.
He headed to the shop.
The past month had been spent mostly inside the base, refining moves, improving coordination, and consolidating his team's gains.
Now it was time to venture out again. The battles today had reinforced something important. Everyone on Trial Island was training diligently. The trial participants who survived this long were not idle.
Even with the system, even with Hermes, even with knowledge from a previous life, Silas could still be left behind if he became complacent.
There was no true replacement for the grind.
Resources and talent were needed but none of that mattered without pressure. For major level ups, Pokémon usually required a tough battle.
Silas restocked survival items, medical supplies, preserved food, water containers, rope, field tools, and other gear necessary for wilderness travel.
The next trip would not be a casual outing. Trial Island remained dangerous, and with the Luminary Court still active, wilderness training could turn into combat at any moment.
Before leaving, Silas decided to check in with Viper.
When he approached the office, the door was already open.
Viper looked up from inside and beckoned him in as if he had been expecting him.
"It has been a little while since I last saw you," Viper said, leaning back in his chair. "Don't tell me you have killed some more Luminary Court officials."
His tone was light, almost amused.
Silas understood why. Viper's attitude toward him had improved significantly after his previous contributions.
The captured Court members, the information, and the pokemon he had brought back had all been valuable. In Team Rocket, usefulness was often the fastest path to favor.
"Nothing like that this time, I am about to set out for wilderness training, and I wanted to see whether there are any current missions I can participate in."
Viper studied him for a moment.
"I heard from Tyson that you have real Elite Officer strength now, so I can give you a chance."
That alone told Silas that Tyson's words had traveled quickly.
Viper continued.
"There is a desert area roughly four days of travel away. The Court has cleverly built up a position there and has been capturing nearby pokemon. As far as we can tell, they are conducting some sort of experiment. The mission is to find out what they have going on and, if possible, destroy the base."
Silas listened without interrupting.
"Some of my personal Elite Officers are leading the mission and have already set out. The attack is set for a week from now, so you have ample time to arrive."
4 days of travel meant Silas could reach the area with time to scout, recover, and link up with the mission team.
The fact that Viper was sending his own people meant the mission had importance. The mention of experiments made it even more suspicious.
"I accept, I will do my best not to get in the way."
"That would be best. I hope you can follow orders when you get there. The mission captain is a man named Victor. Take this token, and he will know I sent you."
Viper reached into his desk and handed Silas a coin.
The token was solid, dark, and carved with the pattern of an Arbok's hood. It was not decorative. It felt like a symbol of authority, proof that Silas had permission to involve himself in the operation.
Silas accepted it and stored it carefully.
After a brief exchange of mission details, he left the office.
The moment the door closed behind him, a man materialized beside Viper as if he had been there the entire time.
He was the powerful Rocket who had previously purchased all the captured pokemon from Silas.
"You chose to send that kid to a fairly dangerous battlefield. "Aren't you afraid of incurring Archer's wrath?"
Viper poured himself a drink.
"A trainer can only get stronger by consistently facing adversity. If you and I hadn't spent most of our youth in near-constant life-and-death battles, we would be much weaker now. Fair to say?"
The man laughed.
"Hahahaha. As long as you understand the risks. Should that kid die, Percy will definitely report back to his boss."
"Let me worry about that. "Should Odin perish on this mission, then it simply means he was too weak. Though I am fond of the kid, we are still Rockets. Strength is the only currency."
The man gave him an amused look.
"I think I will take the chance to monitor the kid for a little while."
Viper paused, then looked at him knowingly.
"No. You cannot recruit him. You were just warning me about incurring Archer's wrath. Now you want to do it yourself?"
The man smiled without shame.
"Do as I say, not as I do."
Viper stared at him for a moment before both men began laughing. Soon, the conversation shifted into shared drinks and old stories, though neither forgot the subject entirely.
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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!