At exactly 6 am, the entire base began to tremble.
The vibration wasn't violent, but it was enough to abruptly wake up anyone inside the base.
Before anyone could speculate about the cause, a booming voice echoed through the walls themselves, as though the building had become one giant speaker.
"Good morning. All trial participants must report to the Field House. You have 15 minutes."
Some Rocket members got up groggily
"That's barely enough time."
The voice continued.
"Those who fail to report will be considered AWOL and hunted down like the dogs they are. That is all."
The announcement ended as abruptly as it had begun.
The base suddenly came to life as every trial participant scrambled to assemble at the Field House.
Silas immediately stood up and got ready. There was no time to truly get ready. He threw on a black tracksuit with a giant letter R in front.
Jessie and James did the same without hesitation. Executive Viper was known for 2 things. He was a powerful, calculating trainer and he never joked.
If he claimed someone would be hunted down, then someone would be hunted down.
The trio quickly left their suite and joined the stream of Rocket members flowing toward the center of the base.
The Field House occupied one of the smaller areas within the base. At least, that was true from the outside.
Once Silas stepped through the entrance, his eyebrows rose. The interior was enormous. Far larger than should have been physically possible.
Based on the building's exterior dimensions, the room should have been perhaps a 20th of its current size. Instead, it stretched endlessly in every direction, containing dozens of symmetrical battlefields separated by wide walkways.
Silas wasn't particularly surprised.
Psychic pokemon capable of bending space existed.
Team Rocket had many spacial technologies that mimic psychic power. The spacial bag packs and rings were inventions fired directly to Team Rocket.
Naturally they saved their best stuff for themselves.
Numerous Rocket members gradually filled the Field House until nearly every battlefield was surrounded.
Executive Viper stood calmly atop a raised platform overlooking the crowd.
He waited until the room became silent before speaking.
"So recruits, I have good news."
His wicked smile slowly widened.
"We began this trial with approximately 2800 participants."
He paused deliberately.
"We now have just over 2100 remaining."
A ripple spread through the crowd. Nearly 700 people had disappeared in only a few weeks.
Some had undoubtedly died. Others had probably abandoned the trial or were trapped somewhere.
Either way, numbers were sobering.
Viper seemed pleased by their reactions.
"The first trial will be simple. You will each surrender one pokemon that you personally captured,
even before the trial."
A collective sigh of relief spread throughout the room. Compared to what many had feared, this seemed almost merciful.
Viper laughed.
The sound sent chills down Silas' spine.
"You will not receive that pokemon back. The pokemon will not earn you Trial Points. This sacrifice exists solely for the purposes of today's challenge."
The relieved expressions immediately vanished.
Silas understood almost instantly.
This trial tested one's resolve and intelligence.
Everyone had captured pokemon over the past month so their main pokemon weren't at risk.
However those points were extremely valuable. You could strengthen your team with them. The question was how much were they willing to sacrifice?
A participant who submitted a weak pokemon would almost certainly rank poorly.
A participant who surrendered their strongest capture sacrificed valuable future resources.
There was no perfect answer, only calculated risks.
Viper continued.
"The top 10% will receive rewards. Ranks 220 through 111 will each receive five thousand Trial Points." Ranks 110-56 will receive 10k TP. Ranks 55-10 will receive 20k TP. The top 10…"
His grin widened further as he paused for suspense.
"will each receive 50k TP."
Excitement immediately swept through the room.
Silas, however, had already made his decision.
Without hesitation, he removed Queen Beedrill's Pokeball from his storage pouch.
She possessed great strength and solid potential. More importantly, She had never truly become one of his own pokemon.
She was more of a prisoner. Compared to the bonds he shared with his current team, surrendering Queen Beedrill required no emotional struggle whatsoever.
Silas stepped forward and placed the Pokeball onto the collection table.
Nearby participants hesitated.
Some repeatedly switched between Pokeballs. Others argued quietly with teammates.
Silas simply returned to his place.
His decision had already been made. The collection process lasted nearly three hours.
Each submitted pokemon underwent an individual scan using specialized Rocket equipment capable of evaluating level, potential, rarity, moves, and overall value.
It was painfully slow.
The final rankings soon appeared on an enormous holographic screen suspended above the Field House.
Silas calmly searched the list.
His name appeared surprisingly quickly.
7. Odin
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Top 10.
That meant 50k Trial Points.
Jessie excitedly searched for her own placement.
"There!"
James followed her gaze.
Both of them had placed somewhere in the 300s.
Neither reached the reward bracket.
Still…
Considering they were ordinary officers competing against elite officers from across Team Rocket, their ranking was respectable.
The rockets with good scores cheered whenever they found their name.
Executive Viper watched the celebration silently.
His expression slowly became stern.
"I added my own little wrinkle."
The room instantly quieted.
"The bottom 20% disappointed me. I will, however offer them redemption."
An uneasy silence spread throughout the Field House.
1 nervous young officer raised his hand.
"Executive Viper! I promise I won't disappoint you again! Please tell us what I have to do!"
Silas recognized the type immediately.
Every organization possessed people who climbed and people who clung to climbers.
This young man clearly belonged to the latter group.
Viper looked down at him almost affectionately.
"It's simple. You must survive."
The smile vanished.
"You will each battle 1 of our pokemon. You may use 2 pokemon. If you overcome the difference in strength, you deserve to remain."
His eyes narrowed.
"If you fail, you become food."
At his signal, every Rocket official surrounding the arena released a pokemon simultaneously.
Golbat, Primeape, Houndoom, Seviper, Arbok. Several menacing pokemon appeared all at once. Each one radiated overwhelming pressure.
Silas discreetly scanned several.
Every single one had reached the peak of the Pseudo Advanced stage.
Not one battle would be easy.
Many of those standing within the bottom 20 turned deathly pale.
The rest of the participants silently thanked whatever luck had spared them from this ordeal.
Viper waved dismissively.
"Everyone else may leave. The next trial begins in 1 month. Do not expect it to be this forgiving."
The crowd immediately dispersed.
Silas left without lingering.
As he passed one of the holographic displays, he briefly glanced toward the overall rankings.
The number 1 position belonged to someone named Raiga.
Silas committed the unfamiliar name to memory.
Hun occupied fifth place.
As expected.
Her strength had never been in doubt. A little farther down the rankings was a name Silas recognized.
Silas smiled.
Andra stood at 76.
Rex occupied 82.
Both had performed well. Silas briefly searched the crowd but couldn't locate either of them.
That was probably for the best.
High rankings attracted attention. Attention attracted trouble. Silas could already feel curious eyes following him.
Rather than returning to his suite, he headed directly toward the Exchange Office.
Resources meant nothing if they remained unused.
Fortunately, he had left the Field House early enough that only 2 people stood ahead of him.
The line quickly grew behind him.
By the time his turn arrived, nearly a dozen Rocket members waited impatiently.
Silas entered the private office.
Unlike his previous visits, Percy wasn't working today.
Instead, a short brunette wearing glasses looked up from behind the counter.
She wore a pristine lab coat several sizes too large for her petite frame.
"How may I help you?"
Her voice remained calm and professional.
"I have 53k Trial Points."
"I'd like to spend all of them strengthening my team."
She immediately began typing across several holographic screens.
Moments later, a list appeared.
"We currently have several notable items available. Twisted Spoons harvested from a Pseudo Elite Alakazam. 15k Trial Points each. A Mid Grade Flame Orb, 20k. A Dragon Scale harvested from a Pseudo Elite Dragonite, 35k.
She hesitated.
"And… a Steel Orb originating from a Pseudo Elite Registeel, 70k."
Silas' eyes immediately settled upon the final item.
The Steel Orb, it was perfect.
Excadrill would benefit tremendously from absorbing energy originating from one of the strongest Steel type pokemon in existence.
Unfortunately, he couldn't afford it.
Silas thought quietly for several moments before another possibility entered his mind.
"How much would Team Rocket pay for high quality Beedrill honey?"
The attendant looked mildly surprised.
She quickly consulted another screen.
"Pseudo Advanced quality?"
Silas nodded.
"400 Trial Points per gallon."
Silas smiled.
Without another word, he removed one of his storage bags.
"I have approximately 50 gallons. Please verify the quality."
The woman's eyes widened slightly.
She accepted the bag before transferring the honey into an official Rocket storage container equipped with measurement markings.
When the process finished, the display settled upon 45 gallons.
She nodded professionally.
"The quantity and quality have both been verified."
"We can offer 18k Trial Points."
Silas mentally calculated the total.
71k Trial Points. Just enough for what he needed.
"I'll take the Steel Orb."
She processed the transaction quickly.
"Your remaining balance is one thousand Trial Points."
"Do you accept?"
Silas didn't hesitate.
"I accept."
Moments later, the attendant carefully handed him a dull metallic sphere roughly the size of a baseball.
The orb felt surprisingly heavy despite its size.
Dense waves of Steel type energy quietly radiated from within.
Silas carefully stored it inside his pouch.
Spending almost everything hurt.
Still, resources existed to become strength.
Strength ensured survival. There was no reason to hoard wealth while remaining weak.
After thanking the attendant, Silas returned to his suite one final time.
He packed away the few belongings he had accumulated over the past month.
Jessie and James watched curiously.
"You two aren't coming with me."
Both looked confused.
Silas smiled faintly.
"You've grown strong training alongside me but if you continue relying on me, you will stop growing."
He looked each of them in the eyes.
"I trust you both. Forge your own paths. We'll meet again soon."
Neither Jessie nor James argued. They just nodded solemnly.
Silas understood that a leader who solved every problem eventually created dependents.
He wanted capable officers, not followers incapable of surviving without him.
After saying their farewells, Silas left the base alone.
Or so it appeared.
Nearly 15 minutes later, a faint smile crossed his face.
They weren't particularly subtle. Even before leaving the base, he had noticed several individuals shadowing him.
He pretended not to.
Instead, he continued walking deeper into the surrounding forest.
One hour passed.
The sounds of civilization disappeared entirely. Only towering trees remained.
Silas finally stopped.
"I know you're there."
His voice echoed calmly through the forest.
"You may as well come out."
Silence.
Then…
Rustling leaves.
A sleek Weavile appeared atop a thick tree branch.
Moments later, 3 Weezing slowly drifted out from behind the surrounding trees, poisonous gas leaking lazily from their bodies.
Silas' expression hardened.
Weezing complicated everything.
Before he could react further, the earth beneath his feet exploded.
An enormous Arbok burst upward, its jaws snapping shut only inches from where Silas had stood.
Fortunately, enhanced by both aura and psychic perception, he reacted instantly, springing backward before the serpent could seize him.
His eyes narrowed.
The ambush had been far more dangerous than he initially anticipated.
Especially after seeing those 3 Weezing.
One Self-Destruct could decide the entire battle.
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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!