Seeing Silas leave, Andra felt compelled to say something.
Although her original intention had simply been to tease him and escape Darius' harassment, the situation had spiraled completely out of her control.
Darius had genuinely tried to kill Odin in broad daylight, and that wasn't something she could simply ignore.
"Odin, wait."
Silas stopped and turned around.
"I'm… sorry about earlier."
She looked unusually awkward but it only added to her allure in Silas' eyes.
"I didn't think things would go that far. I thought at worst he'd harass you a little before giving up. I never intended to put you in real danger."
She lowered her eyes briefly before continuing.
"Next time, I'll handle my own problems."
Silas looked at her for a few moments before smiling warmly.
"Defending a beautiful woman like yourself requires no thanks. I'd do it again."
He paused just long enough for Andra to relax.
"Usually, though, the princess rewards the knight with a kiss."
Andra immediately realized he was teasing her.
Unfortunately, recognizing the sarcasm didn't make the words any less effective.
Her cheeks instantly turned crimson.
For the second time that day, she found herself completely speechless.
She had known Odin for a while now. Normally he treated her professionally, almost indifferently. Seeing this playful side of him caught her completely off guard.
Even if he was obviously joking, she secretly found herself enjoying the attention.
Silas chuckled.
"Hahaha, since you're speechless, I'll be going."
He gave her a small wave.
"Hopefully the next time I save you, I can earn that kiss."
With that, he turned and walked away beside Jason.
Andra remained rooted to the spot.
His last sentence replayed inside her mind over and over again.
Before she knew it, she was imagining herself actually kissing him.
The thought only made her blush harder.
Rocket members were ruthless people.
They lied, stole, and killed without hesitation when necessary.
Yet beneath all of that, they were still human.
Silas' actions today had stirred feelings inside Andra that she hadn't expected.
She quietly watched Odin's back disappear into the distance, her gaze noticeably softer than before.
Only after he vanished from sight did she regain her usual composed expression and leave as well.
Silas was blissfully unaware of all this.
While he found Andra to be beautiful, he thought all the banter was just that, banter.
He assumed they were on good terms and simply joking with each other.
Despite being a reincarnation, he was equally dense as the young men of this world.
Jason and Silas walked in silence for several minutes.
The entire time, Jason wore an infuriatingly smug grin.
Silas eventually sighed.
"If you have something to say, just say it. We've got a long journey ahead of us."
Jason laughed.
"I never knew there was a knight in shining armor hiding inside you."
He nudged Silas with his elbow.
"I can't blame you though. That woman could turn heads anywhere."
Silas rolled his eyes.
"You know I was being sarcastic."
"Sure you were."
"I only beat Darius because I know his type. Men like him don't let things go. Once they set their sights on you, even over something trivial, they'll continue causing trouble unless you demonstrate enough strength to make them think twice."
Jason nodded thoughtfully.
"That actually makes sense."
Then his grin returned.
"Oh yeah!"
He leaned closer.
"And that line about earning a kiss next time, that was all part of your strategy against Darius too?"
Silas looked at him flatly.
"You know, I seem to remember someone needing a knight in shining armor when we first met."
Jason's smile froze.
"Maybe I should've stayed hidden and let those Pinsir finish you off."
Jason immediately raised both hands.
"Alright, alright. You've made your point."
A moment later he cleared his throat.
"So…"
Silas already knew where this was going.
"Does Andra happen to have any cute friends?"
Silas couldn't help laughing.
"You recover quickly."
The two continued chatting as they left Team Rocket's base behind and entered the wilderness once more.
Jason tried to give him advice several times but each time, Silas turned him down.
His philosophy was to have a harem, that way he'd always have options.
Silas didn't necessarily agree with the monogamy but something about having a harem repulsed him.
He thought it was irresponsible and invited problems.
"Odin, more is always better."
"Think logically about this. You will likely piss off a woman who's worth taking seriously or worse piss off a vengeful person. She could be the weakness that your enemies take advantage of. I just think it's better to make meaningful connections."
"Okay guru Odin."
"Well if you have a harem in the future and it causes problems for me, I can't promise I won't be violent especially since we've had this conversation as a warning."
"Hahaha I got it. Who knows, I might meet a girl during the trial and get married, you never know."
They both laughed as they walked.
The trip was surprisingly peaceful.
They encountered several groups of wild pokemon, but none possessed enough strength to threaten either of them.
Rather than wasting their pokemon's energy, Silas and Jason handled every battle personally.
The weaker pokemon served as excellent training partners.
Jason fought primarily with his sword, refining his movements while adjusting to Scyther's increasingly aggressive style.
Silas alternated between his combat knife, aura reinforcement, and psychic combat.
Watching Silas fight, Jason suddenly spoke.
"Boss, I think it's time I teach you a few proper aura techniques."
Silas immediately became interested.
"I'm listening."
Jason demonstrated by extending one palm toward a nearby boulder.
Aura rapidly condensed into a single point.
For just an instant, everything became silent.
Then, BOOM!
The compressed aura exploded outward from Jason's palm.
The boulder cracked apart as fragments scattered across the ground.
"Force Palm."
Jason flexed his fingers.
"Instead of spreading aura evenly throughout your body, you compress everything into one point before releasing it explosively."
Silas's eyes lit up.
The concept wasn't difficult. It was the execution that mattered.
Jason continued.
"The second technique is called Aura Flash."
This time he gathered aura around both feet.
Without warning, Jason vanished.
He reappeared several meters away almost instantly.
"It's the same principle. Instead of releasing aura through your palm, you release it through your feet. The burst gives explosive acceleration."
Silas nodded thoughtfully.
Unlike Force Palm, Aura Flash already felt somewhat familiar.
Whenever danger appeared, he instinctively enhanced his legs with aura to move faster.
Jason's version simply controlled the release much more efficiently.
Silas spent the next several hours practicing both techniques whenever an opportunity presented itself.
Aura Flash came naturally.
After several dozen attempts, Hermes calculated the optimal flow pattern, which would allow Silas to reduce his aura consumption dramatically.
Previously, enhancing his speed consumed an enormous amount of aura.
Once he master d the optimal flow, he'd achieve nearly identical acceleration while using barely 20% of his former consumption.
For now, he cut his consumption to 75%.
Jason whistled.
"Boss, you really are a monster. You learned that faster than I did."
Silas smiled faintly.
"Aura Flash built on something I was already doing. However Force Palm, that's another matter."
His expression became more serious as he looked at his own hand.
Every attempt either dispersed the aura too early or failed to compress it sufficiently.
Jason wasn't surprised.
"It took me months to become proficient. It's considered an advanced aura technique for a reason."
"Once mastered, it can be a lethal strike."
He struck another boulder and it crumbled under the force.
Silas silently committed himself to practicing until he succeeded.
Throughout the journey, Silas treated every wild pokemon encounter as another opportunity to refine the new techniques.
More than once he narrowly avoided attacks using Aura Flash.
Each successful use made the movement feel increasingly natural.
During one battle, Espeon suddenly emerged from her Pokeball.
Silas was engaged in battle with a Pinsir and it had scored a hit that drew blood.
However, Silas managed to defeat it by delivering a spinning kick coated in aura.
Once he was finished with his opponent, Silas turned to Espeon.
"What are you doing out here?"
Espeon sniffed proudly.
"It looked like you might lose."
Silas looked toward his shadow.
Frogadier remained hidden exactly where he belonged.
Silas smiled helplessly.
"So little faith in me?"
Espeon immediately shook her head.
"It's because Boss is getting stronger."
Silas laughed.
"Maybe one day I'll become so weak compared to all of you that you'll start looking down on me."
Espeon's ears immediately stood upright.
"I would never!"
She puffed out her chest proudly.
"Boss is Boss. It doesn't matter how strong anyone becomes. There can only be one leader."
Her answer warmed Silas's heart.
He gently rubbed the top of her head.
"I'm glad to hear that. Espeon will always be Espeon too!"
"You sure? What if you meet a stronger Espeon?"
"If that happens then I will have to make you stronger. That's the only way, I have to have the strongest Espeon there is."
"With the boss training me, it's only a matter of time."
By the time night fell, the Silas and Jason had covered an impressive distance.
They alternated using Aura Flash to conserve stamina while maintaining a rapid pace.
Espeon kept up by combining Psychic with her physical abilities, gliding across uneven terrain with surprising elegance. It was a crude but effective technique.
Watching her move gave Silas another idea.
He would soon need reliable transportation. Flying wasn't possible until he had sufficient strength. That Altaria ambushing them was etched into his mind.
Traveling on land would be a different story. It would be just as dangerous as walking and far more convenient.
Walking across Trial Island consumed far too much time.
Not only for himself but eventually for his future subordinates as well.
The first pokemon that came to mind was Arcanine. It was of learning Extreme Speed. Even better, it could learn Teleport.
Combined with Morning Sun to restore stamina during daylight hours, an Arcanine could travel astonishing distances without rest.
Silas quietly stored the idea away.
It wasn't a problem he could solve immediately.
For now, he would simply endure.
Eventually, the two selected a campsite and began setting up for the night.
The portable tent was assembled quickly while Jason gathered firewood.
Silas unpacked the cooking supplies.
As always, the nighttime routine was every member of his team's favorite part of wilderness travel.
They would be doing some fishing.
Not for fish but for opponents. Many of the continent's strongest predators became active after sunset.