Silas knew better than to keep his superiors waiting.
Ebon undoubtedly knew about his recovery status, so there was no point in delaying the meeting. As soon as Silas was discharged, he made his way toward Viper's office.
His body felt almost normal again.
There was still a slight stiffness in some of his movements after being bedridden for so long, but compared to how he had felt when he first woke up, the difference was massive.
When Silas arrived outside the office, he raised his hand to knock.
Before his knuckles could even touch the door, a familiar voice came from inside.
"Enter."
Silas wasn't surprised.
He opened the door and stepped inside. Viper was there, but he wasn't alone. Ebon sat calmly nearby.
The burly man looked completely fine despite the brutal battle on Mount Thunder. There wasn't anything about his appearance that suggested he had nearly been killed by Mega Tyranitar only a few months earlier.
Ebon looked Silas over before smiling.
"Glad to see you are alive and well. If you died for me, I'd always have a debt to my name to Archer."
Silas laughed.
"Hahaha, as you can see, I am doing fine, so no worries. As for the debt, the current circumstances of my Pokémon and my friends make us even. Consider the debt paid."
Viper raised an eyebrow.
"This kid is different from other Rockets. I was sure he was going to try to extort more benefits out of you."
"Nah. I am rarely wrong about people. He's chasing real strength like me, men like us aren't petty."
Viper gave a slight nod.
"That is true, but in any case, Odin, you have contributed much to the organization, so I will gift you with a Pokémon created by Team Rocket as a reward."
Silas' eyes widened slightly.
A Pokémon created by Team Rocket? His thoughts immediately went to Mewtwo before he dismissed the possibility.
If Team Rocket could afford to casually gift a Mewtwo then their power would have long since been enough to crush the league.
Even with everything he had already received, this wasn't something he expected.
Obviously, Silas had no intention of turning down such a reward.
If Team Rocket had personally created the Pokémon and Viper considered it valuable enough to reward him with, then there was no chance it was ordinary.
Viper threw out a Poké Ball.
A flash of light appeared in the room before taking the shape of a strange Pokémon.
Its body was composed of sharp geometric shapes, almost as though someone had taken a living creature and recreated it using crude computer graphics.
Its head was pink, while its body was blue.
The Pokémon floated silently in place.
Its movements were stiff and unnatural compared to most living creatures, and its blank eyes remained fixed ahead without showing any noticeable emotion.
Silas immediately smiled when he recognized it.
This was a Porygon, the artificial Pokémon. It possessed a high compatibility with computers but the downside was it required a human operator well versed in computers to be truly effective.
He wasted no time activating his scanner.
Porygon — Level 40
Ability: Download
Potential: B
Moves: Rank B Conversion, Rank B Tackle, Rank B Recycle, Rank B Magnet Rise, Rank B Thunder Shock, Rank B Psybeam, Rank B Conversion 2, Rank B Agility, Rank B Recover, Rank B Discharge, Rank B Teleport
Silas' satisfaction increased considerably.
Level 40 and B Potential meant he could quickly put this new weapon to use.
Every one of its current moves had already reached Rank B.
This was absolutely a valuable Pokémon.
Ebon looked toward Porygon before speaking.
"You are quite lucky. If you can learn to use it well, this artificial Pokémon is extremely useful but I will let you figure it out on your own."
Silas nodded his head when he heard a voice in his head.
"Silas, due to the nature of this Pokémon, I can create a secondary AI to control it. The Pokémon is essentially an empty husk made to follow orders and lacks a conscience."
Silas didn't even need time to consider the offer.
"Do it."
The idea immediately appealed to him.
Hermes was already an extremely valuable part of his life. If Porygon could operate using a secondary version of Hermes, it would make controlling the artificial Pokémon completely seamless.
The process was completed shortly afterward and Hermes was copied into Porygon.
The moment the process finished, Silas felt something strange. He could sense another presence. It wasn't exactly the same as sensing one of his Pokémon through aura or psychic power. Instead, the connection felt closer to the familiar sensation of interacting with Hermes.
Silas focused on Porygon, urging it to move using his system commands.
The artificial Pokémon immediately responded with no hesitation.
It did seem a little confused initially but that was to be expected with the very first use. Even the system wasn't perfect.
Silas issued several basic mental commands, and Porygon followed each one, improving each time.
Finally, Silas directed it toward his Team Rocket device.
Porygon's body shifted before entering the device without any resistance.
Ebon watched the entire process with obvious interest.
"Wow. To be able to effectively command the Porygon that quickly is impressive."
Ebon looked on visibly shocked.
Silas smiled.
The compatibility was even better than he expected.
Viper leaned back slightly.
"Yeah, kid, not bad."
His expression then became more serious.
"Anyway, now for the serious matters."
Silas straightened slightly.
"While we appreciate your contributions, don't get cocky now. Remember that the only reason you had the opportunity was that we couldn't trust anyone at the base."
Silas listened quietly.
"But now all the spies have been uprooted, and the natural order has been restored. Do you understand?"
Silas nodded his head without hesitation. He had absolutely no problem with that.
The temporary position he had occupied had never truly belonged to him.
Silas had simply been in the right place at the right time, while also possessing enough strength and reliability for Viper and Ebon to trust him.
He had already benefited tremendously.
His Pokémon had grown and Spartan had grown as well. He had received millions of Rocket Points, temporary access to administrative resources, and now even an artificial Pokémon.
There was no need to desperately cling to temporary authority simply because he had enjoyed it.
Silas wasn't someone who wanted to spend his life talking about what he used to have.
He was far more interested in what he could accomplish next.
Viper continued.
"Essentially, don't let it get to your head. Your temporary privileges have been revoked, but judging from your trajectory, in a few years you probably will have them genuinely through your own merit."
Silas smiled slightly.
"I appreciate the kind words and transparency. I am honored to be of service to the organization."
Ebon gave him an amused look.
"Okay, kid. You don't have to be so formal. You sound like one of those humble second generations in front of their elders. Be respectful, not a weirdo."
Silas chuckled.
The remainder of the discussion was mostly about what would happen next.
The trials would soon resume.
Now that most of the Luminary Court members had been eliminated from the area, Team Rocket no longer needed to devote as many resources toward dealing with them.
The surviving Court members had entrenched themselves on the other elemental mountains.
Destroying them completely was possible, but the amount of manpower and resources required would outweigh whatever benefits Team Rocket gained from doing so.
For now, they would be left alone.
Silas had no objections.Team Rocket had already achieved its primary goals.
There was no reason to waste lives simply for the sake of completely exterminating an enemy that was no longer an immediate threat.
After the meeting concluded, Silas left Viper's office and returned to his suite.
It was the first time he had been back there in months. The place felt familiar in a way the medical facility never had.
Silas entered the training room and immediately found several of his Pokémon already hard at work.
Even without his direct supervision, they had maintained their routines.
Silas stood quietly for a moment and observed them.
Infernape had made particularly impressive progress with aura.
His mastery had become far more versatile.
Aura was no longer simply something Infernape used to reinforce his body or enhance existing attacks.
He could now shape it.
Infernape extended one hand.
Blue energy gathered around it before slowly condensing.
The aura became longer and thinner until it resembled the blade of a sword.
Silas had named the technique Aura Slash.
The concept was straightforward.
Condense aura into the shape of a blade and use it as a cutting weapon.
Unfortunately, the technique was still limited.
Infernape could form the weapon, but its power and stability still had a long way to go.
Silas wasn't worried.
The important thing was that Infernape had already taken the first step.
Greninja had also made progress.
Origin Pulse remained one of his most difficult techniques.
His proficiency with the move had finally reached F Rank.
It wasn't much, especially compared to Greninja's mastery over many of his other techniques, but Silas had expected slow progress from the beginning.
Origin Pulse was the signature move of Kyogre.
The signature move of the god of the ocean wasn't something Greninja could casually master after a few weeks of training.
There was another strange development as well.
Occasionally, Kyogre's symbol would appear across Greninja's body.
Whenever the mark manifested, Greninja's Water type attacks would become noticeably stronger.
The increase wasn't insignificant either.
Unfortunately, Greninja had very little control over it.
He had learned how to suppress the mark and prevent it from manifesting. Calling upon it intentionally was another matter entirely. For now, the power appeared whenever it wanted.
Silas believed that would change eventually, Greninja simply needed time to grow into his newfound powers.
With the system's analysis ability, it was only a matter of time before Greninja wielded the supreme power at will.
After checking on everyone's progress, Silas left his suite and went to find Jason.
He found him without much difficulty. Silas didn't bother with a long greeting.
"Let's have a double battle."
"You must be itching to return to a coma. Haha think carefully about what you are asking. Would Andra approve?"
Silas' face darkened.
"You think a few words like that will help you dodge a fight? I thought my Spartan squad was stronger than that."
Jason looked at him for a moment before smiling.
"Sure, but I won't be going easy on you."
"Good. Despite me recently recovering, you should consider this your evaluation."
Jason's expression became more serious.
An evaluation was different from a casual spar, especially with a boss like Odin.
Silas wanted to see exactly how much progress Jason had made while he was unconscious.