While Silas and Spartan settled into their new suite, a different conversation was taking place elsewhere in the base.
Executive Viper stood with his arms crossed, watching the muscular middle aged man from earlier examine the newly purchased pokeballs.
The man's expression remained casual, but the faint satisfaction in his eyes revealed that he had gained more than expected from the transaction.
"Viper," the man said, still looking at the pokeballs.
"That kid seems promising. What's his background?"
Viper's eyes narrowed immediately.
"Don't even think about it."
The man chuckled.
"I only asked a question."
"You rarely only ask questions. You ask, then you take action. That brat is one of Archer's men. More importantly, he was directly recruited by Archer himself. Trying to poach him isn't worth the trouble."
The man smiled as though the warning amused him.
"I don't intend to stir up trouble over a child with some potential. I was simply inquiring, that's all."
Viper looked at him flatly.
"That doesn't reassure me."
For a moment, the man said nothing. Then he released a quiet laugh and lifted one of the pokeballs between his fingers.
"Relax. That kid benefited me unexpectedly. I added a Bisharp and a Noivern to my team thanks to him. I have no intention of offending Archer over something so minor. If anything, I simply want to make friends."
Viper's expression softened slightly, though the helpless smile on his face showed he did not fully believe it.
"As long as that's all there is to it, there should be no problem. But you know how Archer is."
The man nodded while continuing to laugh.
"Of course I do."
Silas knew nothing of this conversation.
He had no idea that his recent achievements had drawn the attention of several higher ranking members within Team Rocket. His performances were becoming difficult to ignore.
He had discovered the Luminary Court, reported the ancient mural, survived multiple deadly encounters, brought back a live prisoner, and repeatedly turned danger into resources. For a young Elite Officer, that kind of record was rare.
At that moment, however, Silas cared nothing for reputation.
He was focused entirely on work.
Inside the four-bedroom suite, Silas had taken over the common area and transformed it into a temporary breeding workshop. Storage containers, herbs, berries, minerals, and sealed ingredient pouches covered the table in neat rows.
The storage rings of the Luminary Court members had been surprisingly rich in natural herbs and high quality ingredients. To a normal fighter, these resources were merely valuables. To Silas, they were a breeder's dream.
From the rings of the 3 Court members he had defeated, Silas now had enough materials to make several months' worth of pokeblocks.
The only problem was the lack of a powerful energy catalyst.
When he still possessed Phoenix Lake water, even ordinary ingredients could be elevated to another level. The water had acted like a bridge, allowing energy to flow more cleanly into the finished pokeblocks. Without it, the blocks would still be excellent, but only a fraction as effective as they could have been.
Silas sighed softly while grinding a bundle of herbs into powder.
Hermes responded immediately.
"That is unavoidable. As the strength of your pokemon increases, ordinary materials will produce diminishing results."
Every pokemon required a slightly different formula.
Monferno's blocks leaned heavily toward fire and fighting type nutrition, with ingredients chosen to support aura circulation.
Electabuzz's formula emphasized electric stability and nerve stimulation. Frogadier's contained ingredients to improve flexibility, reaction speed, and water type energy flow.
Ursaring's were dense, rich, and designed to support muscle recovery after extreme physical training.
Tropius needed grass type vitality and stamina reinforcement.
Excadrill required minerals to strengthen his claws and armor. Espeon's blocks focused on its physical development and stamina.
Vibrava's were the most delicate because his body was still adapting to evolution; Silas focused on balancing ground and dragon type energy to create synergy.
After several hours of work, the first batch was complete.
Silas called out his entire team and allowed everyone to try their specially made pokeblocks.
Monferno examined his first, sniffing curiously before biting into it. His eyes widened almost immediately, and blue flames flickered faintly around his fur.
"Good?"
Monferno nodded quickly.
"Very good."
Electabuzz was more reserved, but the moment he finished his first block, he quietly reached for another.
That alone told Silas everything.
Ursaring didn't bother pretending to be dignified. He ate his entire portion in a few bites and stared longingly at the remaining supply until Silas firmly told him no. Tropius savored hers slowly, looking deeply satisfied by the rich grass-type energy. Excadrill gave an approving grunt after tasting his, while Frogadier simply nodded and quietly pocketed a few extra for later.
Espeon enjoyed hers the most openly.
"Boss, these are much better than the normal ones."
"They should be," Silas replied. "They cost much more effort."
Vibrava buzzed excitedly after eating, circling the room twice before Silas had to remind him not to crash into the walls again.
Luckily, every pokemon enjoyed their customized blocks.
That was a good start.
The next thirty days became a period of pure seclusion.
Silas and his pokemon rarely left the suite except to use larger training facilities or purchase necessary supplies.
Jessie, James, Jason, and Meowth followed the same general approach. None of them wanted to fall behind, especially after witnessing the terrifying efficiency of Silas' ambush against the Luminary Court.
Their schedule was strict.
Every morning began with a 1 hour run while wearing enhanced gravity gear. The trainers ran alongside their pokemon whenever possible, though the pokemon obviously handled heavier settings.
Silas pushed himself harder than anyone. His aura had improved tremendously after consuming the Aura Orb, and he refused to allow that new strength to remain unpolished.
After the run came move training.
This was where the newest TMs began showing their value.
Vibrava struggled at first with Protect. The move required precise energy control, something his newly evolved body was still adjusting to.
Silas had him practice by blocking weak attacks from Frogadier and then gradually increasing the pressure.
Steel Wing and Iron Tail gave him similar trouble because he had to coordinate wing movement, tail movement, hovering, and energy flow all at once. Vibrava's talent was undeniable, he improved daily.
Frogadier took to Ice Beam quickly. He already possessed excellent control over water type energy, and ice was merely a colder, more condensed expression of a similar principle.
At first, his Ice Beam came out uneven, sometimes as mist and sometimes as brittle shards, but after repeated practice with Electabuzz offering advice on energy compression, the beam stabilized beautifully.
Tropius trained Steel Wing with surprising patience.
Her massive leaf like wings were not naturally suited for steel-type attacks, so the process required constant repetition. Silas had her begin with slow controlled swings against training dummies before increasing speed.
Eventually, the edges of her wings gained a metallic sheen whenever she activated the move.
Espeon, Monferno, Electabuzz, and Vibrava all practiced Iron Tail together.
The move seemed simple, but Silas quickly realized it revealed weaknesses in body control.
Espeon had to learn how to combine psychic enhanced movement with physical striking.
Monferno practiced using Iron Tail as a surprise counter during close combat.
Electabuzz focused on combining the move with sudden pivots and feints. Vibrava worked hardest of all, since his tail was part of a body he had only recently learned to control.
After move training, everyone rested for an hour.
Silas insisted on this.
Overtraining was foolish. Hard work without recovery only created injuries and bad habits.
Once the rest period ended, the battles began. Silas came up with a method to make sparring more serious.
The pokemon competed for extra food and the right to enjoy their own private room for a night. To Silas' surprise, this was extremely effective.
At most he expected a few of them to take it seriously but everyone was into it.
Ursaring fought like his life depended on it whenever extra food was involved.
Espeon pretended not to care, but fought even harder when the private room was mentioned.
Monferno and Electabuzz approached each battle seriously regardless of reward, while Frogadier used the competition to refine his assassination tactics.
With Tropius maintaining Grassy Terrain and their stockpile of healing materials on hand, the pokemon could battle fiercely without excessive risk.
The sparring sessions became the heart of the 30 day seclusion.
Monferno focused on stabilizing the high grade Flame Orb's energy inside his body.
At first, the orb's fire energy clashed violently with his own flames, but over time he learned to absorb it gradually.
His blue flame cloak became easier to activate, and his fire-type attacks gained a deeper, hotter quality. The training finally allowed him to push through his bottleneck.
Electabuzz trained relentlessly in both electricity and psychic power.
He practiced using Psychic to alter the trajectory of Charge Beam, refined Thunderbolt's output, and repeatedly meditated to strengthen his Calm Mind control.
His progress wasn't explosive, but it was steady, and after weeks of accumulation, he finally advanced.
Frogadier grew through constant combat. Ice Beam added a new dimension to his battle style, while Protean allowed him to exploit the move defensively and offensively.
He practiced shifting types mid battle, conserving stamina as much as possible, and using Shadow Sneak to reposition before launching surprise Ice Beams.
Ursaring remained stuck at level 41, but his combat power still improved. Dragon Dance became smoother, Hyper Beam became faster, and his Close Combat grew even more vicious.
He was frustrated by the lack of level growth, but Silas reminded him that mastery was also strength. Ursaring accepted the explanation, though his training intensity only increased afterward.
Tropius finally reached level 42. The Miracle Seed nourished her body continuously, and her grounded mobility improved significantly.
She could now move across the battlefield without relying entirely on flight, which made her far less vulnerable if enemies restricted the sky.
Excadrill reached level 43 through steady absorption of the Steel Orb. His claws grew sharper, his armor denser, and his Drill Run became more destructive.
The Steel Orb seemed almost perfectly suited for him, and Silas made sure he spent hours near it every day.
Espeon had perhaps the most dramatic growth after Vibrava. Her physical training paid off.
Iron Tail gave her a reliable close-range strike, and combining Psychic on herself with Quick Attack made her movements frighteningly fast.
The stamina cost remained high, but her efficiency improved each week. By the end of the month, she had reached level 41.
Vibrava also reached level 41, growing rapidly as he adapted to his new body. His potential even rose again under the influence of carefully tailored pokeblocks, the Dragon Scale's lingering benefits, and relentless training.
He no longer crashed into walls or struggled to hover. By the end of the month, his flight was smooth, his attacks coordinated, and his confidence completely different from the awkward newly evolved pokemon he had been.
No one came to disturb Silas during this period.
The war against the Luminary Court continued elsewhere on the island, but Viper had clearly decided Silas had already earned his rest. That allowed him to focus completely on strengthening the foundation of his team.
At the end of the thirty days, Silas gathered everyone and scanned them one by one.
Monferno (M) — Level 44
Ability: Flame Aura
Potential: B+
Moves: Rank B Scratch, Rank B Aura Sphere, Rank B Flame Wheel, Rank B Taunt, Rank B Shadow Claw, Rank C Vacuum Wave, Rank C Mach Punch, Rank C Flamethrower, Rank C Acrobatics, Rank C Cut, Rank C Strength, Rank C Protect, Rank C Psych Up, Rank C Iron Tail
Electabuzz (M) — Level 45
Ability: Static
Potential: B+
Moves: Rank B Brick Break, Rank B Thunder Punch, Rank B Thunder Bolt, Rank B Light Screen, Rank B Cross Chop, Rank B Thunder Wave, Rank C Ice Punch, Rank C Fire Punch, Rank C Psychic, Rank C Calm Mind, Rank C Strength, Rank C Protect, Rank C Iron Tail
Frogadier (M) — Level 41
Ability: Protean
Potential: B+
Moves: Rank B Pound, Rank B Water Gun, Rank B Shadow Sneak, Rank B Toxic Spikes, Rank B Growl, Rank B Water Pulse, Rank B Quick Attack, Rank C Lick, Rank C Acrobatics, Rank C Aerial Ace, Rank C Protect, Rank C Cut, Rank C Ice Beam
Ursaring (M) — Level 41
Ability: Guts
Potential: B
Moves: Rank B Slash, Rank B Close Combat, Rank B Belly Drum, Rank B Growl, Rank B Bite, Rank C Payback, Rank C Protect, Rank C Cut, Rank C Swift, Rank C Hyper Beam, Rank C Dragon Dance
Tropius (F) — Level 42
Ability: Harvest
Potential: C+
Moves: Rank B Grassy Terrain, Rank B Leaf Storm, Rank B Gust, Rank C Growth, Rank C Sweet Scent, Rank C Synthesis, Rank C Whirlwind, Rank C Magical Leaf, Rank C Wide Guard, Rank C Stomp, Rank C Protect, Rank C Cut, Rank C Leaf Blade, Rank C Dragon Dance, Rank C Tailwind, Rank C Steel Wing
Excadrill (M) — Level 43
Ability: Sand Rush
Potential: B-
Moves: Rank B Hone Claws, Rank B Dig, Rank B Drill Run, Rank C Rapid Spin, Rank C Metal Claw, Rank C Crush Claw, Rank C Sandstorm, Rank C Rock Slide, Rank C Cut, Rank C Strength, Rank C Protect
Espeon (F) — Level 41
Ability: Magic Bounce
Potential: A-
Moves: Rank B Calm Mind, Rank B Stored Power, Rank C Bite, Rank C Growl, Rank C Double Kick, Rank C Tail Whip, Rank C Quick Attack, Rank C Morning Sun, Rank C Psybeam, Rank C Wish, Rank C Confusion, Rank C Protect, Rank C Teleport, Rank C Iron Tail
Vibrava (M) — Level 41
Ability: Levitate
Potential: B+
Moves: Rank B Sand Attack, Rank B Bite, Rank B Bulldoze, Rank B Sand Tomb, Rank B Screech, Rank B Supersonic, Rank B Quick Attack, Rank C Mud Slap, Rank C Astonish, Rank C Sandstorm, Rank C Bug Buzz, Rank C Dragon Breath, Rank C Crunch, Rank C Superpower, Rank C Dragon Tail, Rank C Dig, Rank C Steel Wing, Rank C Iron Tail, Rank C Protect
Silas looked at the assembled team with a proud expression.
A few of his pokemon had finally broken through in potential.
That was not easy. Pokeblocks with the correct ingredients could slowly improve a pokemon's talent, but the process required consistency, patience, and an enormous amount of resources.
Through perseverance and repeated battles, his team had finally crossed a major threshold.
For the first time since joining Team Rocket, Silas could confidently say that he possessed the power of a true Elite Officer.
He looked at his pokemon and felt genuine pride because every bit of strength before him had been earned through blood, discipline, and relentless effort.
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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!