The helicopter eased to a smooth landing outside the looming silhouette of Team Rocket HQ. As the sun dipped behind the distant hills. Silver stepped out without fanfare, his coat catching the fading light, boots clicking firmly against the cold concrete. A brief nod to the driver was all it took before he turned toward the imposing entrance that was home.
Or was slowly turning into one.
Next to him was Beedrill as Silver wore a mask that hid his identity.
Two badges. Pewter and Cerulean. The Kanto League had acknowledged him not as Giovanni's son, but as a trainer. Now it was time to move forward.
The place still looked a bit unreal. Pristine but somewhat busy. Unlike what some people might think, but as seen in the anime, the base was quite busy.
Grunts in uniform walking around as if it was normal with serious looks. Silver walked the long hallway without being guided. He knew the turns. He knew which floorboard creaked near the library and which door was always left slightly ajar.
His father was in the study.
Giovanni didn't look up when Silver entered. He was reading something business-related, likely. A single pen lay centred on the desk, the papers beside it perfectly stacked.
Silver stood in silence until his father finally acknowledged him.
"You're back early."
"I've earned two badges."
Giovanni nodded once, then closed the folder in front of him. A proud grin hit the man's face as his bright teeth slightly showed. He was impressed by his son's speed.
"Good."
Silver waited for more. It didn't come. So he spoke again.
"I'm ready to go to Unova."
This time, Giovanni leaned back in his chair. His expression changed, and Silver's stance stiffened a little bit from the way his father now looked at him with a sort of disdain.
"It's not time yet."
Silver narrowed his eyes, just slightly.
"The League circuit in Unova hasn't reopened for challengers," Giovanni continued. "They're rotating some of the leadership, finalizing policy on travel permits, and adjusting the badge path. You'll go when it's worth going."
"I can use the time to train—"
"You'll wait."
His tone wasn't harsh. But it was firm, immovable like stone.
Silver looked away briefly. He knew when to press, and when not to. But there was a slight pause in Giovanni's voice, just enough to notice. Not irritation. Not authority.
Discomfort?
Then Giovanni surprised him.
"There's a gathering next month."
Silver turned back.
"A private event," his father continued. "Investors. Business partners. Some familiar names, some new ones. A way to catch up, compare forecasts, shift a few things before the quarter ends."
Silver blinked. Giovanni never invited him to these things. Not once. Not even to observe from the side.
"You want me to attend?"
Giovanni's jaw shifted slightly like he almost regretted saying it. But then he leaned forward again and folded his hands.
"There's… been talk."
Silver said nothing.
"People enjoy bringing up their children at these things. Trainers, scholars, interns, whatever suits their story. They show off. Laugh about it. I usually don't engage."
He looked at Silver then, his eyes slightly more direct.
"But now I have someone worth showing."
It took Silver a second to register the statement for what it was. Not a compliment. Not praise. Just a fact, delivered like everything else Giovanni ever said. No decoration. No indulgence.
But it meant something.
Silver stood a little straighter. While he didn't love the man a normal son would, it still felt great to be acknowledged like this.
"You'll be there," Giovanni said. "Make sure to bring your team."
Silver gave a curt nod. "Understood."
But as he turned to leave, a thought rooted itself in his mind.
This wasn't just a delay.
This was a rare window. A time to gather, observe, and plan.
And maybe… meet the kinds of people who would shape the regions to come but he had to take the initiative. Silver thinking back to his plans to create connections with future powerhouses, an idea hit his head.
Later that day, after a quiet lunch, Silver entered his father's office again unannounced, but not unwelcome. Giovanni looked up eyes narrowing slightly.
"What's the issue, Silver?"
"I want to invite a certain family," Silver replied evenly, "Are you able to do that?"
Giovanni leaned back, sceptical. But soon after gave a quick nod.
"Kanto doesn't have a dragon-type tradition. Not like Johto. We lack that specialization. And yet, the Wataru clan still holds influence in the League's deeper structure. Even if unofficial."
That earned a reaction a faint shift of Giovanni's brow.
Hate?
"They're reclusive," Silver said. "Prideful. And care more about themselves rather than being nationalists that want to help Johto."
Giovanni considered that for a moment.
"You think they'd come?"
"If it's framed as a formal networking event, not a Kanto-centric showcase? Possibly." Silver kept his voice calm, matter-of-fact. "We don't need all of them. Just enough to open a channel."
"This about alliances?" he asked.
Silver didn't blink. "Of course."
But the truth was buried underneath. Lance. The prodigy of the Wataru clan. Already being whispered about being an ace trainer in public circles. Still young, but not yet to his final status.
Without his fully evolved dragons, he's currently training hard and will have his burst of strength later on.
"We bring in the Dragon Clan now," Silver continued, "and we plant a seed. Whether we use them later or just benefit from their public goodwill, it's worth it."
Giovanni turned his chair slightly, looking out the tall window behind him. The light was hitting the glass in sharp vertical lines, like prison bars cast in gold.
"Fine," he said after a long pause. "Send the request. But if they decline, that's the end of it."
Silver inclined his head. "Understood."
He turned to leave but paused at the doorway.
"There's a name," he added casually. "Lance. He's one of their new trainers. Supposedly talented."
Giovanni didn't answer.
Silver kept walking.
...
Giovanni hadn't hosted a gathering like this in years.
He preferred closed rooms. Two or three people, maximum. Direct conversations, predictable motives. But things were shifting in Kanto's market. Silph Co was starting to pick up momentum as technology was starting to grow.
Plus his small team of scientists were getting more funding for more.
Important things...
So he allowed it.
The invitations were discreet. A sealed, hand-delivered letter for the Gym Leaders who knew how to dress for diplomacy. A brief transmission for the foreign investors with too many zeroes in their portfolios. Not a gala. Not a ceremony. Just a private evening hosted by Silph Co he secretly has control over.
And now, there is a new addition to the guest list which was the Wataru Clan.
Giovanni sat in his office later that evening, the lights low, a file open before him. A few historical notes. Known descendants. Clan alliances. The name "Lance" was barely more than a footnote which was likely intentional. The Dragons had always hidden their promising ones until it was too late to stop them.
It was common sense.
But after a bit of digging.
'Three Dratini's...' He thought scrunching his eyebrows. The mob boss has never seen such bullshit before but here he is.
Tapping on the desk twice, Giovanni then picked up the phone.
"Matori," he said. "Send the formal invite to the Dragon Clan of Johto. I want it phrased as an acknowledgment of cultural contribution and potential cooperation. Leave the wording soft. No promises. No obligations."
"Yes, sir," came her response. "Anything else?"
"Have our observers in Blackthorn City keep an eye on who travels out. If they accept, I want to know exactly who they're sending and when."
He hung up, then leaned back.
There was no guarantee they would come. The Wataru Clan had no need for Kanto's diplomacy. They'd lived centuries on their own terms. But there were cracks forming and even ancient clans needed access, relevance, leverage. And perhaps, if the young one came…
Giovanni's gaze drifted toward the window.
Silver.
His son had said the name like it was just another piece on the board. A move to consider. An opportunity to evaluate.
For a moment, Giovanni wondered if this was what those other men at business gatherings felt when they bragged about their sons. The smug pride. The not-so-subtle comparisons. He'd always found it tedious until recently.
Now, he could participate.
A wide grin spread on his face.
He had Silver.
Elsewhere in the manor, Silver reviewed a new League report, scrolling through it line by line in his room. It detailed current Gym Leader structures across Unova and confirmed that the next battle circuit would open in two and a half months.
'Wasn't Clay's City some poor man's place before becoming a utopia later on?' Silver thought recognising the opportunity.
...
[Time - Skip (Few Days)]
The echo of Nidoran hitting the mat wasn't loud, but it was final.
Silver lowered his arm, gave no command to follow up, and turned away before Colson could fully process the defeat. Again.
"Two moves," Silver said quietly, marking the result down in his notebook. "Nodiran can at least take a hit now."
Colson crouched beside his panting partner and frowned.
"Listen," Silver said flatly. "Improvement isn't based on others around you. But yesterday you. Just because you can't beat me doesn't mean you haven't grown."
These words seemed to spark some energy into the grunt's eyes and he just fervently nodded. Either way, these words were true, there wasn't some battle that was going to occur anytime soon with the anime leaving Team Rocket with loads of free time.
So Coulson had decades to grind.
'I was gonna say no Pokemon is useless, but if he had something like a Volbeat. I might have to beat him...' Silver thought with imaginary sweat going down his face.
The Rocket underground facility was colder than usual, with more steel than stone, and more machines than people. But Silver preferred it that way. It was clean. Controlled.
You couldn't only grow in chaos like battles.
He crouched beside Totodile, who sat cross-legged across the mat, still catching his breath from the session. The Everstone on its neck glinted faintly under the artificial lights. A weight, both physical and symbolic. Most would rush evolution the moment they could. Not them. Not now.
Build a foundation that isn't really valid to Beedrill.
'That Pokemon just had no moves to train.' Silver thought a little disappointed. But Totodile over here needed to learn and properly use all of his egg moves.
They were building something from the ground up.
Silver tossed Totodile a chilled nutrient cube. It was dense, bitter, and optimised for recovery. Silver and watched as the blue croc snapped it up without hesitation. The enthusiasm showed on his face as it held its hands to its cheeks while looking at the ceiling in bliss.
"Cute," he murmurs, making a note beside the move log. "Now reset. [Aqua Jet] into [Ice Punch] loop. Precision over speed."
Totodile gave a low growl of understanding and trotted off toward the practice ring.
Silver sat against the padded wall, flipping to the back section of his notebook.
It was growing longer by the day.
-----
Unova Gym Leaders:
Clay — High Ace-tier. Ground-type. Old, methodical, but brutal.
Lenora — low Ace-tier. Normal-type. Strategic. Known for counter-strategy and quick reading of team structure.
Elesa — Veteran-tier. Electric-type. Uses tempo and audience psychology.
Taylor — Ace-tier. Flying-type. A war pilot before a Gym Leader. Prioritizes movement and unpredictability.
Brycen — high Ace-tier. Ice-type. Cool under pressure. Predictable typing, unpredictable setups.
Drayden — low Elite tier. Dragon-type. Tactical. Prideful. Old-guard ideology. Has something to prove.
-----
These were the only gym leaders he knew for now.
It still wasn't a time when things such as social media popped off, so such information gaps were wide.
Silver tapped the pen to his chin.
Totodile would never be the strongest in raw output, not yet. But it would be the cleanest. A move set sharpened at the base, bite by bite, punch by punch until every hit became fatal.
Coulson returned with Nidoran, freshly healed, but with his head down.
"You want another round?" Silver asked, not looking up.
"Yes," Colson muttered.
"Alright then," Silver agreed,
He stood, closed the notebook, and gestured to the mat.