They appeared on the surface in front of the ruined base.
"Once again, I've saved us from a collapsing building."
"Yes, yes, my Espeon is amazing, but now isn't the time for that. Stay alert. We still don't know the overall situation."
The previously mischievous Espeon immediately adopted a serious demeanor and began surveying their surroundings vigilantly.
Many people had already escaped, while more continued emerging from the ruined base.
Jason had made it out as well. He was smiling from ear to ear, which told Silas that he had managed to secure a substantial amount of resources during the raid.
"Odin, you made it out too."
"Yeah, barely. I was fighting for my life the entire time. I've never experienced all-out combat like that before."
"Same here. I had to cut down a few people myself."
They spoke for a little longer before settling down and quietly meditating to recover their energy.
Silas understood that this wasn't the right time for a serious discussion. If anyone overheard them talking about the resources they had obtained, they could easily become targets.
Even now, Silas remained extremely wary.
There had been casualties, and several people had lost Pokémon, but the mission itself had been an overwhelming success.
Eventually, everyone who was still alive made it out of the base.
Victor was one of the last people to emerge. He appeared through Teleport with a wide smile stretched across his face.
He immediately began explaining how he had successfully interrogated one of the defeated Court members.
The information he extracted had allowed him to sweep through the remaining sections of the base and strip them of anything valuable.
The Rockets had taken no prisoners, except for the captured Pokémon.
Plundering was one of the fastest ways to accumulate resources. Every Rocket who survived the war campaign had killed and robbed several people along the way.
The triumphant journey back toward the cave base was surprisingly enjoyable. Nearly every Rocket openly bragged about their achievements in battle and the resources they had managed to seize.
Silas didn't participate much in the boasting. Instead, he remained beside Jason while they quietly discussed unrelated matters.
"Odin, I owe you big time for stepping in when you did. Without you, I never would've profited this much, and I might have even suffered serious losses. Let me know if you ever need anything. I owe you one."
One of the men who had been battling the Carbink approached and playfully slapped Silas on the back as he spoke.
Several nearby Rocket members overheard the exchange and looked toward Silas with newfound respect.
The man praising him was Jiro, a Rocket member with a reputation for being a hothead. Seeing someone like him openly acknowledge a new recruit made it clear that Silas wasn't someone to be taken lightly.
The strong only respected the strong, and Silas had proven himself to a certain extent.
At that moment, Silas felt fairly positive about Team Rocket.
Coming to this hidden continent had been a blessing so far. The worst experience had been the Altaria that ambushed them shortly after they arrived.
Silas wondered whether he would ever encounter that irritating, bloodthirsty bird again.
"Jason, right?"
A girl walked alongside them, her jet-black hair fluttering in the desert wind.
"Yes. Who are you?"
"My name is Mylene. Your swordsmanship is quite impressive. I can tell from the way you wield your blade that you're a diligent practitioner."
"Haha, I appreciate the recognition. Are you a sword user as well?"
Mylene reached toward her waist and drew a short sword with a black handle.
"It's my weapon of choice. The blade was forged from the fang of a Dragon-type Pokémon. Believe it or not, I've personally cut down a few pseudo-advanced Pokémon with it."
"Not bad at all."
Jason laughed heartily.
Although the girl clearly enjoyed bragging, Silas could tell that her passion for swordsmanship was genuine.
At first, there didn't appear to be any ulterior motive behind Mylene approaching Jason.
Watching their exchange, Silas flashed a knowing smile. Jason was grinning from ear to ear.
Jason was a sword fanatic, and the only thing a sword fanatic liked more than swords was a woman who also loved them.
"So, what was that sword technique you used earlier? I wish I had a finishing move like that."
Throughout Mylene's interaction with Jason, Silas hadn't sensed any malicious intent. That made him even more impressed by how casually she asked about the Aura Blade techniques.
She had asked for a powerful combat technique as casually as someone requesting the recipe for a sauce.
Jason also noticed the sudden shift in the conversation, and his enthusiastic attitude immediately cooled.
"Mylene, I'm sure you understand that everyone has their own secrets. My techniques aren't something I'll casually share with others."
"What a pity. I understand."
The bubbly demeanor she had displayed moments earlier vanished as soon as Jason refused her request.
She left shortly afterward.
Clearly, the blade technique had been her only real goal.
"A woman like that is dangerous. Make sure you don't fall for any honey traps in the future."
"Haha, you should know by now that while I can appreciate a beautiful woman, I would never let one lower my guard. You, on the other hand, need to make sure you don't drag yourself into trouble over another woman."
Hearing this, Silas could only shrug.
He knew there was some truth behind Jason's words.
"That isn't a fair comparison. I was helping a friend. Besides, she was much cuter than Mylene."
"Haha, fair enough. We can at least agree on that."
The Rockets remained in high spirits, and their enthusiasm made the journey feel surprisingly lighthearted.
A temporary outpost had been established nearby, where several vehicles were waiting to transport everyone back to the main base.
However, when they reached the entrance of the outpost, Victor suddenly stopped and turned around.
His trusted men followed his lead, forming a line as they faced the gathered Rocket members.
"I almost forgot to mention something. The man I tortured told me about an underground chamber containing a peculiar pool of water. Apparently, it is extremely beneficial to Pokémon."
One of the other Rocket members immediately stepped forward.
"Sir, then we should return and retrieve this miraculous water. A resource like that can only be properly utilized by Team Rocket."
Victor smiled.
"Being overzealous won't earn you anything, but you are right about one thing. A resource like that can only be fully utilized in the proper hands—my hands."
His gaze slowly swept across the crowd.
"You all explored different sections of the base, so I'm confident that at least one of you found the pool. Produce any water you stored away, and you will be rewarded with merit."
Silas immediately sensed the subtle threat hidden beneath Victor's words.
There was no doubt that Victor and his men would resort to extreme measures to ensure no one lied to them.
They clearly understood the true value of the water.
The surrounding Rocket members stiffened after hearing the demand.
Silas wasn't the only one who recognized the dangerous situation they had suddenly found themselves in.
Fortunately, he had already prepared for this possibility.
Silas produced a storage bag containing 5 gallons of water divided between 2 large containers.
Victor looked at him with a strange grin.
"I'm going to have to ask you to empty the rest of your belongings. That water is an invaluable resource to Team Rocket."
"Sir, that is unfair. I have already surrendered everything I collected from the pool. I only found it shortly before the explosions began, so I had very little time to gather any water. I didn't even realize how valuable it was at first. Why must you take this so far?"
Many people in the crowd clearly felt that Silas' explanation was reasonable.
However, not a single person stepped forward to defend him, including the Rockets who had previously treated him warmly.
A tall, fat man suddenly rushed forward and drove his fist aggressively into Silas' chest.
For someone at Silas' level, the punch hurt, but it wasn't enough to cause any serious damage.
Silas still needed to appear weak, so he clutched his chest and gasped for air afterward.
"Do you think you're special simply because you earned the recognition of a few higher-ranked operatives?"
The fat man leaned closer, wearing a smug grin.
"Ask yourself this: do you see any of them here? Would anyone question us if we claimed you died during the mission?"
"Why don't you fight me 1 on 1?"
Jason stepped forward aggressively.
The man looked toward him before bursting into laughter.
"As you wish. Just remember that you asked for this."
The moment he finished speaking, the man charged toward Jason.
Silas immediately realized that the 2 of them possessed similar levels of speed.
That meant Jason was in trouble.
The man unleashed several punches in rapid succession.
Jason managed to block most of them, but 2 heavy blows still landed against his chest.
The man then displayed a surprising degree of agility. He leaped into the air, spun his body, and delivered a powerful kick that knocked Jason off his feet.
Before Jason could recover, the man rushed forward and raised his foot, preparing to stomp directly onto him.
"Alright, that's enough. You can search my storage items."
Silas knew these people would have no issue killing either him or Jason.
For the moment, he had no choice but to comply.
The man stopped his foot just short of Jason's face.
However, rather than stepping away, he kicked Jason across the ground until he landed near Silas' feet.
"You could have saved yourself the pain and humiliation if you had simply complied from the beginning."
Silas stared at them indignantly.
They had only just completed a successful mission together, yet the Rockets had already turned against one another in pursuit of more resources.
Silas was beginning to understand the true nature of Team Rocket firsthand.
Victor's group thoroughly searched through Silas' belongings.
They even confiscated several resources that had nothing to do with the mysterious water.
Silas didn't care much about the losses.
He always stored his most important resources inside his system space, while keeping the more disposable items in regular storage equipment.
To avoid suspicion, he had intentionally placed a few genuinely valuable resources among his belongings, but they represented only a small fraction of his true wealth.
Victor and his men walked away with several mid-grade items, including a few Poison Barbs and a collection of rare Pokéblock herbs.
Silas had plenty of those herbs in reserve, along with several Poison Barbs of even higher quality.
"Haha, consider this a form of hazing and your official welcome into the organization. Be grateful that we left you alive and didn't confiscate your Pokémon."
They laughed maniacally before boarding the vehicles that would return them to the base.
Being humiliated in such a manner truly enraged Silas.
These shameless Rocket members would eventually need to be taught a lesson.
"Are you 2 coming or not?"
Several Rockets already seated inside the vehicles impatiently called out to Silas and Jason.
Silas said nothing.
He directly released Tropius before helping Jason climb onto her back.
The 2 of them took off without saying another word to their so-called teammates.
Victor and his crew watched them leave with mocking sneers.
After several minutes of silence, Jason finally spoke, his voice filled with anger.
"Are we really going to leave things like that?"
"What would you have me do? Fight a battle we have no chance of winning?"
Silas' voice remained calm, but his expression was anything but.
"My priority is developing my strength. Once we actually have a fighting chance, every debt can be collected."
The murderous look in Silas' eyes made Jason shudder.
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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 200k views and chapter 200.
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!