"All of you, stop slacking off already."
Silas sighed helplessly.
He didn't believe for a second that among these sixteen people, only a handful of Pokémon could be used for reconnaissance.
Especially since Seiichiro Sasaki had sent out both Houndoom and Swampert at the same time.
"Each of us has our specialties. Compared to your Pokémon, ours are just a bit lacking," replied one of the trainer, shrugging.
It was true.
According to Jenny Airi, she alone could have handled this entire reconnaissance mission.
Of course, no one would agree to that.
After all, they were all young and competitive — they wanted to see who could do better.
And if one of their Pokémon happened to discover a hidden clue first, that would be quite the bragging right.
Arcanine wasn't just for show — it had undergone special training from the Jenny family.
It now naturally took the lead, acting as the boss over Mightyena and Houndoom, its canine subordinates. Its nose twitched rapidly over the ground.
Its strength was also the greatest among them.
Luxray followed closely behind, a habit it was born with.
Although Luxray's X-ray vision allowed it to detect enemies hiding deep underground or within structures, it consumed a massive amount of electrical energy. After using it, it needed time to recover.
That's why it rarely used the ability unless necessary.
But when paired with Arcanine — one to detect, one to confirm — the duo formed an extremely efficient search pattern.
Swampert, on the other hand, relied on its fins and eyes to look for traces of movement.
Its fins were incredibly sensitive — they could detect changes in ocean currents or shifts in wind pressure, allowing it to predict storms.
On land, those same fins could sense subtle differences in moisture levels in the air to locate enemies.
That wasn't something just any Pokémon could do — it came down to its unique physiology.
Gigalith remained silent. But once it appeared, its body began to emit a faint, earthy yellow light. Ripples of energy spread outward, blending with the ground.
The orange crystals on both sides of its head flickered faintly. It was using its acute sense of hearing to monitor vibrations across the entire island.
Among all the Pokémon here, only Arcanine could rival it in that regard.
Gengar let out a mischievous chuckle — "Hehehe"— and vanished into the shadows.
No one knew where it went, though its Trainer, Yuji, probably did.
When a Ghost-type Pokémon turns invisible, it's almost impossible for humans to detect it without specialized equipment.
Especially a Gengar — a true master of manipulating shadows.
Of course, even Ghost-types have weaknesses.
Take Gengar again — its body acts like a heat sink. Most Gengar naturally lower the temperature around them by about 5°C because they absorb surrounding heat.
That's why people often feel a chill whenever a Ghost-type appears.
However, this ability can be controlled.
If a Gengar wishes, it can suppress that effect for a while.
Most of the time, though, they don't bother — they enjoy the fear they inspire. The eerie atmosphere enhances their pranks.
Alakazam scoffed disdainfully.
If its Trainer hadn't warned it in advance, it would have already taught that disgusting ghost a lesson.
It closed its eyes, ignoring the others.
Crossing its spoons before its chest, Alakazam began to glow with purple-blue psychic waves as it levitated into the air.
"Everyone rested up?" Silas asked out of habit — not waiting for an answer before continuing.
"According toTeam Rocket data, the so-called 'storage warehouse' should be right ahead. Eight Pokémon total — spread out and do a full sweep."
Silas's command was direct and confident.
No one objected. They quickly split into teams, choosing their partners, and fanned out.
As long as each person could keep at least two teammates within visual range, they continued advancing deeper inland.
Since, according to the Special Forces' report, this island was supposed to be empty, there was no need for stealth.
Even assuming a few Rocket members had returned, the decision made sense.
Most of Team Rocket's forces were concentrated on the Seafoam Islands.
If anyone had come back here, it would only be to retrieve leftover research data or equipment.
Their remaining power couldn't be strong.
There shouldn't be any real danger for the group.
The squad moved in silence.
Soon, they reached the Rocket warehouse located near the forest on Chrono Island.
The Pokémon halted simultaneously.
"Tch, just as I thought — they haven't left. Guess Team Rocket really doesn't take the League seriously," came Yezo's voice over the earpiece.
"Expected. The Special Forces focused their manpower on protecting civilians at the Seafoam and Seven Islands. They didn't have the resources to sweep back here," replied Airi calmly.
Silas said nothing.
Through the gaps in the trees, his sharp eyesight caught sight of lights glowing inside the warehouse — and two Rocket Grunts patrolling.
The large red 'R' on their uniforms was unmistakable.
So much for "no one left on the Seven Islands."
Not surprising, though — everyone had half-expected it.
Otherwise, Shiraki wouldn't have sent them here.
Or perhaps… that was exactly what the League wanted.
Silas recalled Shiraki's earlier explanation and nearly groaned aloud.
"'The Special Forces were too busy protecting civilians and couldn't retrieve Rocket data from the warehouse,'" he'd said.
Yeah right — that's basically inviting Team Rocket to come back and collect it.
"Left side, second lamppost. Right side, fourth. South side, seventh — all of them have cameras."
After a short silence, Joy Yuto's calm voice came through the earpiece.
Naturally, Alakazam's perception wouldn't be wrong.
"Seven rooms total. Twenty-two people. Sixteen of them are combat personnel?"
Yezo's voice followed, hesitant.
His Gengar had successfully infiltrated, but the numbers were… too precise.
Silence fell again.
Should they be impressed by Team Rocket's intelligence network — or suspicious of how perfectly this all seemed to line up with League data?
Or perhaps… something else entirely.
"Forget it," Silas cut in with a roll of his eyes. "We'll just take them head-on. Don't worry about whatever they're guarding."
So that's how it was — a mission gift-wrapped for them.
He couldn't be bothered to guess at the political games behind it anymore.
If the League wanted to play like that, then he'd play big.
"Let's make it artistic," he said over the team channel. "Everyone, prepare your Water, Electric, and Fire-type Pokémon."
The others immediately understood what he meant.
"I have a bad feeling my aunt's going to kill you for this," said Ayako Kona, smirking despite herself.
She knew exactly what kind of "artistic" spectacle Silas had in mind — something flashy, explosive… and absolutely catastrophic for the environment.
Still, she was grinning as she threw her Poké Balls.
Being the niece of Elite Four Lorelei, she was no stranger to Ice and Water Pokémon — it ran in the family.
"Anyone with Pokémon that can use Illusion or Psychic-type moves, send them out too," Silas continued. "We're too far away for direct visuals.
Jun, have your Alakazam lead the group and build an illusion screen in front of us — like a projection.
We'll advance slowly, together with our Pokémon.
Yezo, your Gengar is the only Ghost-type here. Get it ready to use Hypnosis and mess with the enemy's perception."
The orders came smoothly, efficiently — though the mood was anything but relaxed.
Being dragged along by the League's hidden agenda didn't sit well with Silas.
He knew this whole operation was just theater — but if it was going to be a show, then he'd make it a grand one.
His usually calm, gentlemanly face carried a trace of killing intent.
"I bet the higher-ups are expecting us to fight, take the win, and then let them take the credit," someone muttered over comms. "After that, they'll dress it up for the media — we'll be the next 'rising stars'."
"Not the first time," another replied, laughing. "Star-making's an old League tradition. Who knows, maybe I'll get fangirls asking for autographs after this."
"As if! You think you're Lance or something? If anyone's getting autographs, it's me."
"I'm just curious what my old man's gonna say when he finds out we blew this place sky-high."
The channel was filled with laughter and banter as everyone moved into position.
None of them criticized Silas for "using a sledgehammer to kill a mosquito."
The League did this every few years — promoting promising young Trainers to inspire the next generation.
It had practically become a ritual.
And this time, it was their turn.
Still, none of them were the obedient type.
If all they had was their family names, they'd never have reached this level of power.
Among them, Hiroki Silph, the slightly older heir of the Silph Group, didn't seem to mind the League's manipulation.
He'd been involved in business long enough to be used to politics.
"Eh, whatever," he said carelessly. "Let them do what they want — the League can't touch us anyway."
Besides, Silas's plan was the safest one.
No one knew if those sixteen Team Rocket members inside included any Executives or Elites, so overwhelming force was the logical move.
"Man, what a waste," Hiroki sighed. "I swapped out half my main team for balance before we came. If I'd known, I'd have brought all my starters — perfect types for this."
His main team had been entirely Water, Electric, and Fire Pokémon.
For balance, he'd replaced a few with Grass, Steel, and Ground-types.
"You're not alone," said Shiba Sōju, shaking his head. "I've only got one Water and one Fire left."
"I… I only have Grass-types…" muttered Murasame Yumeko, lamenting her team composition again.
"It's fine," Silas reassured her. "You, Nurse Joy, and Daisy— stay back and focus on healing and energy recovery."
As he ordered the Water-, Electric-, and Fire-types into formation, he coordinated the support units as well.
After all, large-scale moves required recovery logistics too.
"Not enough Fire-types," Silas frowned, counting.
Two Charizards, one Ninetales, one Arcanine, one Houndoom, and his own Blaziken.
Only six total across thirteen Trainers.
At least all but one were near Elite level, and his Blaziken had recently broken through to the quasi–Elite stage.
"It's fine," said Jun cheerfully. "As long as there's a spark, we can ignite the whole field — even a Charmander would do."
Silas nodded. Fair enough.
What mattered most was the Water and Electric coverage.
Ahead of them, twelve Water-type Pokémon stood at attention:
Blastoise, Golduck, Poliwrath, Slowbro, Cloyster, Starmie, Gyarados, Lapras, Vaporeon, Feraligatr, Swampert, and Empoleon a veritable exhibition of Water-type might.
Coincidentally, no one had repeated a species.
Ayako Kona alone contributed four of them — nine near-Elite Pokémon and three Advance-level ones in total.
Their quality was more than enough to rival the Fire-types.
Above them, Alakazam sighed as it widened its illusion field to encompass all the large Pokémon — no small feat, given their size.
Thankfully, it had help: Golduck, Starmie, Slowbro, and even the support Pokémon like Blissey, Wigglytuff, and Clefable assisted in stabilizing the illusion.
Few other teams in the world could've fielded such psychic coordination.
Between the Fire and Water ranks stood the Electric-types:
three Jolteon, two Electivire, one Manectric, one Luxray, and one Magnezone —
five near-Elite and three advanced Pokémon in all.
Slightly weaker in numbers, perhaps, but their impact would still be significant.
And then, there was Silas's Shiny Flaaff, its soft pink coat standing out vividly among the yellow and blue.
"So you're the rich one, huh?" Hiroki teased. "Even I don't have a Shiny."
Silas smirked. "Try talking to Devon Corp. sometime. Not everyone's into Shinies — and not all of them are stronger."
It was true — the Silph Group could acquire any Pokémon they wanted.
They just didn't bother.
After all, the Devon Corporation's heir, Steven Stone, was famous for his shining silver-white Metagross, a Shiny pseudo-legendary in its own right.
Hiroki shrugged. "Yeah, well, I'm no Steven. My dad would kill me if I spent that much on rocks."
He was honest about it — Steven's talent as a Trainer was on another level, even if their companies were rivals.
Even opponents had to admit Steven was in a league of his own, second only to Lance.
Still, the Silph and Devon presidents often mocked each other.
How could they not, when Steven — the future Devon heir — spent all his free time digging up stones?
Silas only sighed. "As long as they're happy, I guess."
"Almost in range," reported Nurse Joy Aya from the rear line. "Any closer, and the Pokémon won't be able to suppress their energy waves."
Silas glanced ahead — less than fifty meters now. Perfect.
"All right," he said, raising his voice.
"Water-types — Surf!"
A dozen voices echoed as one.
The waves, at first only a few meters high, began to surge and merge — towering higher and higher until they filled the field of vision.
....
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