Silas looked silently at the scene before him.
"Two Moomoo Milk Juices, please."
He naturally sat down and ordered from the Trainer who had just won a match.
"No problem. Old man Hisaku's on a winning streak, feeling good today~"
A group of Trainers sat together, chatting away.
When they heard that Silas had caught another poacher, they couldn't help but complain jokingly.
"Your title as the 'Poacher Nemesis' really suits you. You bump into these disgusting guys every other day. Nobody else has luck like that."
"You won't be able to keep this up for long. Your name's already being mentioned on the Trainer forums."
"Tch, what are you talking about? That's called carrying out justice on behalf of the law."
Silas nodded in agreement at the last comment, clearly liking the phrasing.
"Don't just point at me. Didn't you take down two poachers this month yourself?"
He took the two Moomoo Milk Juices and asked Hisaku.
Hisaku feigned modesty and nodded. "At least I've got enough saved up for this month."
Silas admitted he was about the same, maybe even better off—he had made quite a profit.
Between his normal mission rewards and the poachers' bounties, he had broken even after the first four captures this month.
Since raising Pokémon was expensive, everything after that was pure profit.
The bounty money wasn't much, but the anonymous bank cards carried by the poachers often had quite a lot stored on them.
After all, most of these independent poachers still acted like ordinary Trainers on the surface, taking on missions. They couldn't exactly stash all their wealth at home like fugitives.
And home wasn't safe either. If a League Inspector suddenly raided their place and found suspicious items, that'd be even worse.
So the conversation naturally wasn't the sort of thing most Trainers could casually join in.
Poachers were sly, and not weak. On average, they usually had at least three Pokémon at the Advance level.
Some, like the one Silas caught today, might only have two, but their levels weren't low.
Combined with battle experience, they weren't easy to deal with.
Only because the Trainers in this small circle were strong themselves could they earn money hunting poachers.
"Seriously, you'd better be careful. Taking down six poachers in one month is making too much noise.
You'll end up drawing the attention of some bigger organizations."
One of the older Trainers warned Silas to play it safe.
Silas nodded. He thought so too.
"As long as you know what you're doing. Always put safety first—life above all else."
The older Trainer repeated the motto of Officer Jenny.
He had seen too many Trainers lose their lives in fights with poachers.
He didn't want to see someone as talented and full of potential as Silas vanish one day.
"'I will never coexist with evil,' right?" Silas said with a wry smile.
Everyone burst out laughing. That phrase had practically become his catchphrase lately.
"That's not bad at all."
A deep, magnetic voice suddenly rang out.
The group stopped, realizing that the Pokémon Center had gone strangely quiet.
"Lance!?"
A shocked cry escaped from one of the Trainers, breaking the silence.
Instantly, the entire Viridian City Pokémon Center grew restless.
But all anyone dared do was stare with admiration and awe at the man who was, as always, wearing his cape.
It was none other than Lance, the Dragon Master—one of the Kanto Elite Four.
As for approaching him for an autograph, no one dared. Even though they wanted to.
After all, people in Kanto were relatively reserved.
Of course, if it were Lorelei, some might rush up and beg to be teased by her—who knows.
Besides, Lance wasn't just an Elite Four member. He also served as a Pokémon G-Men investigator, seriously devoting himself to the mission of maintaining peace.
He often acted alone, appearing across the Kanto region's major cities. His presence was frequent.
Especially in Celadon City, since he regularly visited the Department Store there to order new custom capes.
If one really wanted an autograph, that would be the time to try—not when he was working. Interrupting an Elite Four member and Pokémon G-Men investigator during a mission would be unthinkable.
And Trainers could sympathize; they wouldn't want people disturbing them while working either.
More importantly, they worried that Lance's fanatics might cause them trouble later if they saw it.
"Silas, right? I've heard of you. Very impressive." Lance patted Silas on the shoulder encouragingly.
He had indeed heard Silas's name mentioned before by Agatha, Bruno, and even Professor Oak.
Until now, he had only kept a vague impression.
But hearing Silas's conviction just now, so similar to his own, made Lance's opinion of him rise sharply.
His mind was already turning.
"Ever thought about becoming a Pokémon G-Men agent someday?" Lance asked with a smile.
It was an impulse, really.
He hadn't expected that while chasing down Team Rocket in Viridian Forest, and stopping in town for supplies, he would run into such a promising young Trainer.
Normally, invitations weren't given so casually—they required review and screening.
But with so many trusted colleagues having already spoken of Silas, Lance had no doubts about his identity.
And he had the authority to extend such an offer.
Everyone around them held their breath, listening closely to the conversation.
This was Lance—the strongest of the Kanto Elite Four. Even worldwide, his strength ranked among the very top.
Many Trainers dreamed of joining the Pokémon G-Men just for the chance to fight alongside him.
And here he was, extending the invitation himself.
It was a dream most people could never hope to touch.
"Hmm… not sure yet. I've only just started out. I'd like to travel more first.
If someday I get the chance to fight alongside you, it would be my honor."
Hearing Silas's calm and polite reply—polite but tinged with refusal—the onlookers nearly choked.
How could he turn down Lance!?
But Lance wasn't displeased.
"Fair enough. Back in my day, I too traveled all over the world before officially challenging the Elite Four."
He nodded in full agreement.
He never expected people to accept his invitation just because he offered it. Everyone had their own interests and paths.
"But I think you may have misunderstood me," Lance said with a grin, even more intrigued by Silas now.
He made a mental note to ask Professor Oak about the boy later. He trusted Oak's judgment deeply.
Seeing Silas's confused look, Lance explained:
"Actually, this is part of the G-Men's talent scouting system.
What I mean is, if you don't mind, you can put your name down as a reserve candidate.
That way, if you ever decide you want to join, you'll skip a lot of unnecessary steps.
As for the obligations and privileges…"
Lance thought a moment. "Honestly, there aren't really any. No obligations, no privileges. It's just a nice-sounding title."
The people around him grew even more excited.
They had never heard of such a "talent reserve system," but if Lance was mentioning it, it had to be worthwhile.
This time, Silas nodded readily and agreed.
After all, it was Lance asking. And this cost him nothing while giving him potential benefits.
"Good. Then I'll put your name forward later," Lance said with satisfaction.
Of course, it wasn't because he was still bothered about Silas turning him down earlier. Not at all.
"Elite Four Lance, your Pokémon are ready."
The head Nurse Joy of the Viridian Pokémon Center came over, handing Lance back his Poké Balls.
With a dramatic sweep of his cape, Lance turned. "Until we meet again. I look forward to seeing even greater things from you all."
"Dragonite, let's go."
He strode out of the Pokémon Center and tossed a Poké Ball.
"Roooaaarrr!"
With a mighty dragon's cry, Lance and his Dragonite vanished from sight.
"'I will never coexist with evil.' 'Uphold the justice I believe in.'"
Lance repeated the phrases softly to himself. The latter was one of his own mottos. He nodded with approval—yes, that boy's ideals matched his perfectly.
"Hello, HQ? It's Lance. I think the Sinnoh League's reserve agent system works well, but in Kanto we should adapt it to match the local culture…"
Even while speaking calmly into his communicator, he remained high in the sky. The thin air, freezing cold, and the buffeting wind from Dragonite's speed seemed not to affect him at all.
Naturally, Silas and the others had no idea what Lance was doing up there.
At that moment, they had already surrounded Silas, eyeing him like hungry wolves.
"Why, why, why you…" muttered Hisaku, though he knew the answer. It was pure jealousy—jealous enough to make him want to hit something.
"No way. You bastard, you have to treat us!" he said, glaring fiercely.
Silas's expression didn't change. "Fine. Dinner's on me tonight, at the Pokémon Center restaurant."
At once, seven or eight hands went up in identical motions—a universal greeting gesture.
It was something Silas himself had taught them.
"Ding~"
The alert tone of his wrist device rang out. Silas shot up from his seat in an instant.
He left behind only a few words for his stunned friends: "See you at the training grounds~"
—At the front desk.
"Thanks, Jun."
Silas looked unusually happy, which immediately piqued the curiosity of Nurse Joy Jun.
She passed him his Poké Balls, freshly healed by Chansey, and then quickly pulled out her phone, scrolling through her private gossip chat group.
A few minutes later, she looked up with realization. Yes, it was indeed good news.
Hands on her hips, she nodded proudly. This was the Trainer she had once recommended to her family—he hadn't embarrassed her at all.
—Behind the Pokémon Center.
Silas jogged into the massive training field.
Inside, countless Trainers were busy sparring with their Pokémon as part of their daily regimen.
"Machamp, that was incredible!"
"Weepinbell, whip me harder!"
If one ignored the strange shouts, it was all perfectly normal.
Silas's face remained neutral; he had long since grown used to the atmosphere.
"Gigalith, shine across the field! Servine, step forward with calm and poise!"
Yes, perhaps "grown used to" wasn't right. "Become part of it" was better.
The rest of his Pokémon weren't on the training schedule tonight. Since Silas was in a good mood, he gave them the night off.
Servine, however, needed to keep working toward its next evolution.
As for Gigalith, Silas had suddenly wondered: moonlight is also a kind of light, isn't it?.
....
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