When Silas returned to the Rocket base, he found Jessie, James, and Meowth hard at work.
The private training room he had left them in no longer looked quite as orderly as before. Training marks covered the floor, several target dummies had been damaged beyond repair, and empty containers of pokemon food and supplements sat neatly stacked near the wall.
At least they had cleaned up after themselves.
That alone already placed them above many Rocket grunts.
Jessie was directing her Teddiursa through footwork drills while the female Nidoran practiced Poison Sting accuracy nearby. James was working patiently with Zubat and Nidoran, correcting positioning and rewarding small improvements with snacks.
Meowth trained alone in the corner. Again and again, his claws flashed with dark energy as he practiced Foul Play against a reinforced dummy.
Silas watched quietly for several seconds.
They had not wasted the time he gave them.
Using their mission funds, Jessie and James had purchased training materials, pokeblocks, and even a few technical machines to improve their teams. They were still far from elite, but the difference from when he first recruited them was already obvious.
They were beginning to look like actual trainers.
Silas released the new pokemon he caught during his trip.
Excadrill, Rhyhorn, & Mankey.
All three had already been tamed and accepted Silas to some degree, so introducing them to the rest of Spartan caused no serious issues.
Excadrill simply folded its claws and watched everyone with quiet calculation. It was intelligent enough to immediately assess the room, the pokemon present, and the group hierarchy.
Rhyhorn stomped forward cautiously, snorting occasionally as it examined the unfamiliar environment.
Mankey, however, immediately ran toward Jessie.
Jessie blinked in surprise as the little fighting-type circled her curiously.
Then, for reasons Silas could not begin to understand, Mankey allowed Jessie to pick it up.
"Silas," Jessie said with genuine delight, "this Mankey might be one of the most adorable pokemon I've ever seen."
She hugged it like a doting mother squeezing a child.
Mankey looked completely pleased with the treatment.
Silas stared curiously.
Mankey were known for their aggression and incredibly short temper. Their willingness to attack almost anything for almost any reason.
Seeing one happily accept cuddling from Jessie made the decision obvious.
"You and Mankey are perfect for each other," Silas said. "If Mankey agrees, I'll let you have it."
Mankey immediately nodded eagerly.
Then, adding insult to injury, it walked back to Silas, grabbed its own pokeball, and personally handed it to Jessie.
Silas felt a brief flicker of jealousy. Not because he desperately wanted Mankey for himself but because being abandoned that quickly still felt offensive however the feeling quickly passed.
Jessie was his subordinate. Her strength was his strength by extension. If Mankey grew well under her, then Spartan grew stronger.
Rhyhorn also seemed to take a liking to James, though not with the same instant enthusiasm. The armored pokemon seemed calmer around him, perhaps responding to James' gentler demeanor.
Silas handed James the pokeball without hesitation. James looked genuinely touched.
"Are you sure?"
"You need a frontline pokemon," Silas replied. "Zubat and Nidoran are useful, but Rhyhorn gives you weight."
James held the pokeball carefully.
"Thank you."
With that, both Jessie and James finally had respectable beginner teams.
James now had Zubat, Nidoran (M), and Rhyhorn. Jessie had Teddiursa, Nidoran (F), and Mankey.
Once fully evolved, those teams would be dangerous.
A Crobat, Nidoking, and Rhyperior combination would provide James with mobility, power, and durability. Jessie's future Ursaring, Nidoqueen, and Primeape would give her brutal offensive pressure and solid battlefield control.
More importantly, the teams suited them.
James could develop into a steady tactical trainer. Jessie could become aggressive, bold, and overwhelming.
Silas was satisfied.
His gaze moved toward Meowth. It's improvement were even more impressive.
Meowth had reached level 27, and his potential had stabilized at C rank. That meant Meowth could realistically reach the advanced class with enough work and resources.
For a pokemon that started at F potential, this was remarkable. The greatest thing about Meowth remained his intelligence. He thought like a human snd that translated extremely well in battle.
Before leaving for Cerulean Cave, Silas had splurged and purchased the tricky TM Foul Play for him. It had cost the remaining thirty thousand Rocket Points available to Spartan, but the investment had paid off.
Meowth had already mastered the move to Rank C.
At that level, he could replicate roughly seventy-five percent of a target's physical power as long as they remained within the same level tier. That was huge.
It allowed Meowth to threaten stronger opponents by turning their own strength against them.
Silas was proud of the decision. Money and points were valuable, but only because they could become power. He would never hesitate to spend resources when the return justified it.
Watching Jessie, James, and Meowth grow, Silas felt even more convinced of something he had suspected since his previous life.
These three were never truly incompetent, they simply lacked someone willing to nurture them early on. Nobody wanted to invest in them for some reason.
In the original timeline he remembered, Giovanni seemed to tolerate them and even occasionally treat them with strange leniency, but he never truly developed them.
Silas would not make that mistake.
"Silas," Meowth said respectfully, walking over, "we also completed the task you assigned us."
He produced several technical machines.
Silas' eyes sharpened.
Before leaving, he had told them about a pokemon contractor living near the gym. Contractors like that often used Machop, Machoke, Diglett, and similar pokemon for construction work. It was lucrative, and because many of them worked with valuable machines, they often possessed useful TMs.
From the games of his previous life, Silas knew that particular house contained resources worth stealing.
He had instructed Meowth to infiltrate. The plan had been simple. Meowth would pretend to be a lost and friendly wild pokemon. Then he would form a bond with the contractor's young daughter. He would then disappear with whatever valuables he could find at an opportune time.
Silas expected a few Dig TMs based on the game events. He did not expect Meowth to get away with so much.
Meowth proudly displayed their haul. He stole HMs Strength and Cut. For TMs, 2 Dig TMs, 2 Rock Slide, 2 Protect, 3 Bulk Up, 2 Bulldoze, 1 Earthquake.
Then came the true shock. Meowth had gotten his hands on some Diamonds and not just a few, a whole pouch of them worth roughly 100 million pokedollars.
Silas stared silently.
Suddenly the chaos in Cerulean made sense. Axel Stone's rage and the police checkpoints were all products of such a massive heist.
It had been Meowth. Silas looked toward the small pokemon with genuine disbelief.
"All I asked for was a few TMs."
Meowth grinned.
"I found more."
Clearly.
This was a small fortune in resources. Almost everything Meowth stole could be considered items people would kill for.
The TMs alone were valuable. The HMs were nearly priceless. Unlike normal technical machines, HMs could be used repeatedly. People who possessed them were usually wealthy businessmen, elite league members, or powerful organizations.
Silas quickly realized one thing. This had to remain secret. If the Stone family traced the theft back to Spartan, they would be hunted viciously.
Fortunately, Meowth had smartly remained inside the base since the robbery. Until the investigation cooled down, he could not be seen wandering around Cerulean freely.
Still, the contribution was immense. Meowth had single-handedly acquired more resources than multiple official missions combined.
Silas immediately rented a tutor machine and used one of the Dig TMs on Monferno. Dig was essential for the upcoming mission.
Excadrill had already been a lucky boon due to its natural mastery of the move, but Monferno learning Dig gave Silas another layer of mobility and surprise.
After confirming the move had been learned properly, Silas turned back toward Meowth.
"You did extremely well."
Meowth straightened proudly.
Silas took out one of the Life Orbs from Cerulean Cave and handed it to him.
"This increases power in exchange for damaging the user over time. Use it only as a trump card to end battles quickly."
Meowth accepted it with trembling paws. The Life Orb would be one of his trump cards in the future. Receiving something like this meant more than simple reward. It signified the trust Silas now had in him.
"Boss," Meowth said after a moment, "can I make another request?"
"Meowth, you contributed more than enough. Anything within my power, you can ask for."
Meowth took a breath.
"I want to learn Iron Tail, Thunder Wave, Thunder, Water Pulse, and Psych Up."
These moves would complement Meowth perfectly. Silas took notice of the consistent trainings Meowth put himself through within being prompted. Ambition was useful when paired with effort.
"Give me time to gather the moves," Silas said. "I'll get them to you as soon as possible."
Meowth's eyes shined.
Silas understood leadership well enough to know rewards mattered.
In his previous life, he had always been fascinated by business leadership. The CEOs he admired most were not those who squeezed workers dry while offering nothing in return. They were the ones who understood that well-rewarded people produced more, stayed loyal longer, and gave far more than required.
Silas intended to apply that principle to Spartan. His subordinates would receive whatever they needed to grow.
When they performed well, they would be rewarded generously. When they created value, they would share in it. That was how loyalty became real.
Meowth said nothing more, but Silas could see the change in his eyes. His loyalty was no longer truly to Team Rocket.
It was to Spartan. To Silas. Wherever Silas went, Meowth would follow.
For a brief moment, Silas imagined a future version of himself standing like Giovanni, with Meowth evolved into a powerful Persian at his side as a guardian companion.
Then he dismissed the thought quickly.
One step at a time.
Silas gathered all the pokemon under Spartan afterward.
Everyone capable of learning Cut or Strength was taught the appropriate HM.
That was the true value of HMs.
Unlimited use meant a comprehensive rise in combat utility across an entire faction.
Even pokemon that never used the moves as primary attacks still benefited from the physical conditioning, energy control, and field utility.
After the distribution was complete, James stepped forward.
"Silas, there's something else."
His tone was serious enough that Silas immediately followed him.
They walked deeper into the base until reaching one of the holding cells. Inside sat a young man tied to a chair.
He wore nothing but shorts, socks, and a sleeveless white undershirt. His face was bruised, and his expression carried the exhausted fear of someone who had been through an interrogation.
"This is Officer Patrick," James explained. "He gave us information regarding the upcoming event."
Silas looked at him calmly.
James continued.
"The most important detail is that the event is a trap."
Silas' expression didn't change.
"Go on."
"Lorelei of the Elite Four will secretly be present. She'll be monitoring for large-scale criminal activity."
Silas slowly smiled.
"So we give them what they want."
James blinked once before understanding.
Silas had never believed the League would leave such an important event purely to chance. There had to be some level of security in place. Lorelei's presence complicated matters, but it did not ruin the mission.
It simply meant their operation required a sharper distraction.
This was an important mission, but Silas was not the true commander. Executive Petrel held overall authority. Silas was merely one useful piece.
James spoke again.
"Don't worry. I already notified Petrel of this development. They're sending additional manpower to distract her when the time comes."
Silas glanced at him with genuine approval. James was becoming competent quickly.
In a short time, Jessie, James, and Meowth had completed two missions flawlessly and produced greater results than originally expected.
This was exactly why Silas invested in people.
"Who are they sending?" Silas asked. "It would need to be someone with high tier executive-level strength."
James hesitated briefly.
"Someone called the Iron Masked Marauder."