Ursaring was a known powerhouse in the pokemon world, possessing one of the highest physical attack stats among all pokemon.
Its only glaring weakness was a lack of mobility. However, Silas knew his pokemon was unique.
For nearly a month, he had been mixing small amounts of Dragon Essence into Teddiursa's food. The process had been gradual and deliberate.
Rather than flooding the pokemon's body with draconic energy all at once, Silas had allowed it to slowly adapt and integrate the foreign power into its system. That patience had paid off.
When he supercharged the evolution pokeblocks with Dragon Essence, Ursaring's body had absorbed the energy greedily.
The result was a pokemon that possessed all of Ursaring's natural strengths while also gaining access to Dragon Dance, a move capable of compensating for its greatest weakness.
Silas wanted nothing more than to take Ursaring into battle immediately. The urge was strong. It was like an itch he couldn't scratch.
Every trainer enjoyed testing the limits of a newly evolved pokemon but Silas understood that impulsiveness was rarely rewarded.
The SS Anne mission would begin in less than 2 days. If he wanted to maximize his chances of success, he needed to consolidate his strength rather than waste it.
After cleaning up the beach and resting for a few hours, Silas returned to the Vermillion Rocket Base.
A short nap later, he found himself standing inside one of the advanced training rooms.
The room itself was enormous. Reinforced walls lined the perimeter while various training equipment occupied different sections of the floor. Several combat dummies stood against one wall while specialized machines measured power output and energy control.
Silas released Ursaring.
The massive bear emerged with a roar. Even now, Silas couldn't help admiring the pokemon. Ursaring stood nearly 7 feet tall and radiated power.
Silas had it cycle through its entire movepool repeatedly while Hermes monitored the results. The data was encouraging.
Slash remained Ursaring's strongest attack by a considerable margin. The move had reached a level of mastery where it was practically second nature.
Its Swift had also improved dramatically.
Compared to Teddiursa, Ursaring could gather the necessary energy much faster while simultaneously increasing the move's overall power.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was how quickly Ursaring adapted to its larger body.
Within an hour, the bear was moving naturally.
Its footwork was steady and balance was excellent. Its attacks flowed smoothly.
Silas wasn't entirely surprised.
Even as a Teddiursa, this pokemon had always taken training seriously. There was a diligence to its work ethic that separated it from many others.
As Ursaring continued practicing, the training room doors opened.
Rex and Andra entered together with their Pokémon. They immediately noticed the towering bear.
"So your Teddiursa evolved."
"He was right on time too."
Silas smiled.
"Right on schedule."
The comment reminded him of something.
The storage pouch.
He had been so focused on Ursaring that he hadn't fully examined everything recovered from the criminals at the beach.
Taking out the storage pouch, Silas began sorting through its contents.
There wasn't much, just a few healing items and spare pokeballs. However at the bottom was a crystal the color of sand.
A high grade Ground Crystal. It reminded him of the psychic crystals so it was easy to know its use. He could feel the dense energy contained within.
Ground Crystals contained highly concentrated ground type energy. They naturally formed deep underground or within particularly harsh desert environments.
They were extremely useful training resources.
Everything suddenly made sense regarding thst Krookodile. The level 40 breakthrough and subsequent evolution, the crystal had likely been responsible.
The criminal must have recently acquired it and used it to accelerate Krookodile's growth.
What a shame. The man had picked a pointless fight and lost his life for it.
Silas chuckled slightly. Ironically, the crystal would now benefit someone else.
The battle had helped Teddiursa evolve. The woman had possessed several egg incubators that might prove useful later.
Now there was the crystal itself. Excadrill immediately came to mind.
Ground-type pokemon could absorb Ground Crystals and strengthen their affinity toward ground energy. While the process wasn't guaranteed to increase potential, it often improved compatibility with ground-type moves.
Silas had always regretted catching Excadrill as an Excadrill rather than a Drilbur.
Evolution offered one of the best opportunities to improve talent. Since that opportunity was gone, alternative methods became increasingly valuable.
Before he could think further, Rex suddenly stepped forward.
For the first time since Silas met him, Rex looked genuinely uncomfortable.
His voice sounded hesitant.
"Can I ask for a favor?"
Silas raised an eyebrow.
"Depends."
Rex pointed toward the crystal.
"Can I have it?"
"My Nidorino will be evolving soon. I actually really need something like that."
The room became quiet. Silas stared at him for a moment before he laughed.
Without hesitation, he tossed the crystal directly toward Rex. The young trainer nearly fumbled it.
"You can have it. Just know that now you owe me one."
Rex froze.
Then stared at the crystal.
For a brief moment, Silas thought the guy might actually cry.
Instead, he quickly looked away.
"Thank you."
The words were sincere.
Nidorino walked over and rubbed its head against Silas' leg in appreciation.
Silas chuckled.
"You're welcome."
The interaction strengthened the bond between them. Unlike most Rocket officers, the three of them had developed genuine camaraderie.
Normally, relationships between members of equal rank were hostile.
Competition was fierce and sabotage was common. Assassinations weren't unheard of but luckily Silas, Rex, and Andra had avoided all that.
One could say it was because they were all young and easily underestimated or maybe because they were all talented and had hidden backers.
They were all battle maniacs. The conversation quickly shifted toward strategy.
Rex loved direct confrontation.
His solution to most problems involved overwhelming force.
Andra preferred relentless offense supported by reliable healing.
Silas favored flexibility.
He enjoyed mixed range combat and adapting to circumstances.
Hours could easily disappear when they discussed battle tactics. Eventually they returned to mission planning.
Once the SS Anne operation began, their role would be straightforward.
If everything proceeded normally, they would move through the cargo areas and gather valuables.
If things went poorly, they would reinforce whichever front required assistance.
They were reviewing possible contingencies when the training room doors opened again.
This time nobody had been invited. Three individuals entered, 2 men and a woman.
All appeared to be in their early 20s.
Silas immediately frowned.
Entering another officer's private training session without permission was considered disrespectful.
Doing so intentionally was practically a challenge.
The woman stood at the center. She was clearly the leader. Her sharp features and cold expression gave it away. She had shoulder length hair and an intimidating presence. She radiated confidence, the unpleasant kind.
"I am known as Hun."
Her eyes swept across the room.
"I am basically an Executive, you would do well to remember that."
The atmosphere quickly soured. Silas exchanged glances with Rex and Andra.None of them appreciated the interruption.
Hun smiled slightly.
"I came to inform you that the plan has changed. Your squad is no longer assigned to the inside operation."
Silas frowned.
That was unexpected.
"You'll receive updated mission details shortly."
"However, I wanted to tell you personally."
Her smile widened.
"I wanted to see your faces."
Silas genuinely didn't understand. They had never met. He couldn't remember doing anything to provoke her.
"What exactly do you gain from this? This is the first time we've met."
Silas wasn't looking for a fight. Not yet. If there was a misunderstanding, it would be better to resolve it.
Hun laughed.
The two men beside her joined in.
"I simply wanted to welcome Team Rocket's super rookies."
Her eyes narrowed.
"And remind you where you belong, beneath my boot."
The room went silent.
Cold expressions appeared on every face.
Nobody appreciated being spoken to that way. Hun responded by releasing a pokemon. A flash of red light appeared.
Then a Jolteon landed gracefully on the floor.
The pressure immediately filled the room.
He didn't need a scan. He knew instantly. This pokemon was powerful.
Still, he scanned it anyway.
Level 52 and B Talent. The electric pokemon stared directly at them while crackled across its body.
It was carefully of killing every person in the room if ordered.
The difference in strength was obvious. Silas clenched his fists and Hun clearly enjoyed the reaction.
"Luckily for you, I am a generous person."
Her smile became almost mocking.
"I'll postpone your punishment until after the mission."
Without waiting for a response, she turned around. The other two followed and moments later they were gone.
The training room remained silent for several seconds. Then the frustration exploded. Rex punched the wall.
Andra kicked a training dummy. Silas slammed his fist into the floor. Powerlessness was a terrible feeling.
Every time he started feeling comfortable with his own strength, reality reminded him how far he still had to go.
A level 52 Jolteon. That probably wasn't even Hun's strongest pokemon. The thought was irritating.
Eventually Silas checked his TR device. The updated mission briefing had arrived. Their new assignment wasn't entirely terrible. They would serve as a mobile support squad.
If authorities approached the SS Anne from outside, they would intercept them.
If Rocket forces began losing inside the ship, they would provide additional firepower.
They were the flexible support. This was an important and dangerous role. Exactly the sort of thing Silas excelled at. After reading the details, the group dispersed.
"I'll be going."
Rex's voice was calm but the fire in his eyes was unmistakable.
"Me too."
Andra looked equally determined. Silas watched them leave.
He knew exactly what they were thinking.
Training then more training. Increasing one's power was intoxicating.
The best revenge was becoming stronger.
Only 2 days remained before the mission and Silas came to a similar conclusion. He had 1 final day of intense training and 1 day of rest then the operation would start.
The plan was simple.
Silas left the base disguised as Odin.
Rather than heading toward Vermillion City, he exited Diglett's Cave and traveled west toward Route 11.
Most trainers visited the route specifically to battle. Silas had no interest in that.
The local trainers were quite weak. Few possessed pokemon above level 30. There was little value in fighting them. Instead, Silas left the main road entirely.
Strong wild pokemon rarely appeared on official routes. One had to search beyond them.
Fortunately, he now possessed basic Aura control.
Using Aura to reinforce his body, Silas leapt through the forest canopy like a ninja.
He moved continuously for nearly 2 hours.
The sensation was exhilarating. Yet Aura usage wasn't free. Eventually the constant exertion caught up with him.
Silas landed on a large branch and paused to catch his breath. Sweat covered his forehead and his muscles felt heavy. Even so, he was pleased with his progress.
Then he heard it, the unmistakable sound of battle. Silas immediately became alert. There were people fighting nearby.