The auction stall had several Pokémon for sale, but none caught Silas' attention during the first few rounds.
He watched quietly from within the crowd.
Pokémon of different species were displayed in reinforced cages while buyers examined them like merchandise.
Some looked angry.
Others looked frightened.
A few had already given up resisting entirely.
Silas felt a degree of pity for them, but he wasn't delusional enough to believe he could save every unfortunate Pokémon he encountered.
There were millions of Pokémon in this world.
Unless one genuinely interested him or he had another reason to intervene, he wasn't going to spend his money rescuing everything in sight.
That changed during the third round.
Another cage was wheeled onto the stage.
Silas' attention immediately sharpened.
Numerous blue vines covered the Pokémon's body.
Tangela.
For a moment, Silas felt an unexpected wave of nostalgia.
Tangrowth immediately came to mind.
His expression became more serious.
He activated his scan.
Tangela — Level 25
Ability: Regenerator
Potential: C+
Moves: Rank C Bind, Rank C Ingrain, Rank C Sleep Powder, Rank C Growth, Rank C Confusion, Rank C Vine Whip, Rank C Poison Powder, Rank D Mega Drain, Rank D Leech Seed, Rank D Shock Wave
Silas stared at the scan.
C+ potential.
Regenerator.
And most interestingly, Confusion.
Silas knew enough about the Tangela line to understand what that implied.
Confusion could only be inherited if one of Tangela's parents was an Exeggutor.
That meant the Pokémon possessed a natural affinity for psychic energy.
Silas almost laughed.
What are the odds?
Of all the Pokémon he could encounter today, he had stumbled across a talented Tangela with psychic capabilities.
It felt almost like fate.
The auctioneer raised his voice.
"This Tangela possesses the rare Regenerator ability!"
That immediately drew additional interest.
Several people began bidding.
Silas joined without hesitation.
"200,000."
"250,000!"
"300,000!"
The price continued climbing.
Silas remained patient.
"400,000."
Someone countered.
"450,000!"
Silas didn't even hesitate.
"500,000."
Silence followed.
A few potential buyers exchanged glances.
Tangela was talented, but eventually everyone had a limit.
The auctioneer waited several seconds.
"500,000 once!"
No response.
"Twice!"
Silas crossed his arms.
"Sold!"
After completing the transaction, Silas approached the cage.
Tangela stared at him warily through its vines.
Silas didn't immediately try touching it.
"Relax."
He produced a Great Ball.
"You're leaving this place."
Tangela continued staring at him before eventually allowing itself to be captured.
The Great Ball clicked shut.
Silas stored it away. He would deal with introductions later. For now, he had other matters to handle.
As Silas walked away from the auction area, he immediately sensed several greedy gazes following him.
He had just casually spent half a million Pokédollars.
Apparently, that was enough to attract unwanted attention.
Silas continued walking as though he hadn't noticed.
It didn't take long.
A man stepped directly into his path.
"This must be your first time here."
Silas stopped.
The man looked him over.
"I don't remember you paying the entry fee."
His eyes briefly moved toward the Great Ball Silas had stored away.
"I can see you clearly have enough money."
Silas sighed.
"Why bother me?"
The man laughed.
"Haha! Your weakness is a sin."
Several people nearby glanced toward them but quickly looked away.
Nobody wanted involvement.
The man extended his hand.
"Blame yourself."
His smile disappeared.
"Just pay the fee, and we'll be on our way."
Then his voice became colder.
"Otherwise, this will be your grave."
Silas stared at him then he laughed.
"Haha, really?"
His expression sharpened.
"Let's see who'll really be orchestrating a funeral."
Without warning, Silas released a Pokémon.
Light flashed and Zangoose appeared.
This was the leader of the Zangoose group he had brought back from the Trial Continent.
After continued training and recovery, it had reached level 53
The man's expression changed.
"Zangoose."
Silas didn't give him time to respond.
"Use Thunder Wave."
Electricity flashed.
The man's body instantly seized.
He collapsed to one knee as paralysis spread through his muscles.
Before he could recover, Zangoose appeared behind him.
One sharp claw rested against his throat.
The biker froze.
A single movement could open his neck.
His confidence disappeared.
"Do you know who I am?"
Silas remained silent.
The man swallowed carefully.
"Do you know whose territory this is?"
Silas looked bored.
"I don't give a fuck who your sad little boss is."
Suddenly—
Silas sensed danger.
His body moved before he consciously processed it.
He leapt sideways.
CRACK!
Several jagged stone spikes exploded from the ground where he had been standing.
Silas landed several feet away.
His eyes narrowed.
If he had reacted even a moment slower, those stones could have skewered him.
Footsteps approached.
A tall man wearing black biker clothing walked into view.
A Golem stood on one side of him.
Rhydon stood on the other.
Around a dozen additional bikers emerged behind him.
Silas' scanner immediately activated.
Both Pokémon were at level 50.
Silas looked slightly surprised.
That was better than he expected.
Unfortunately for them, both possessed only C potential.
Compared to the Pokémon Silas had been fighting recently, their foundations were mediocre.
Zangoose could handle them.
The tall biker stared at Silas.
"Do you know what your mistake was?"
The surrounding bikers laughed simultaneously.
Silas looked toward Zangoose.
Their eyes met.
No verbal command was necessary.
Silas communicated telepathically.
Go.
Zangoose vanished using Quick Attack.
A white blur tore through the group.
One biker's head separated from his body.
Before anyone fully understood what had happened, Zangoose changed direction.
A second flash.
Another cutting sound and a second head fell.
Then a third and fourth.
Blood sprayed across the tunnel. The bikers' laughter instantly stopped.
Zangoose truly resembled a grim reaper moving between them.
"RHYYYYDON!"
The level 51 Rhydon finally reacted.
Its arm became covered in Fighting type energy.
It was charging up a Hammer Arm.
BOOM!
The massive strike caught Zangoose from the side and launched him across the tunnel.
Zangoose twisted in the air before landing on all fours.
He slid backward several feet, claws carving lines into the stone floor.
The atmosphere completely changed.
People screamed.
Ordinary trainers abandoned stalls.
Merchants grabbed valuables and ran.
Several people left entire carts behind.
Within barely a minute, the once-crowded section of the Underground had emptied.
Only Silas and the biker gang remained.
The tall man stared at the 4 headless corpses.
His face twisted.
"You know, I was going to let you off."
Silas raised an eyebrow.
"We were just going to take all your belongings and Pokémon."
His voice became murderous.
"But now you have to die."
Silas sighed.
"Can we skip the weak threats and get straight to the action?"
The biker glared.
"I'm on a schedule."
Silas gestured toward the corpses.
"You'll be joining those 4 anyway, so let's make it quick."
"You talk tough."
The gang leader reached for more Poké Balls.
"Let's see if you really have the ability."
Every biker moved.
Poké Balls flew through the air.
One after another, Pokémon appeared throughout the Underground.
Silas calmly counted them.
6 Sandslash, 4 Nidorino, 1 Nidoking, 3 Primeape, 4 Beedrill, 1 Arbok, and 2 Venomoth.
The gang leader released 2 more Pokémon of his own.
Aggron and Rampardos.
Silas' expression finally showed some interest.
Those 2 were different, they had B- potential. Their strength was clearly above the ordinary Pokémon surrounding them. They exuded genuine pressure.
Silas smiled.
"Wow."
The bikers frowned.
"So you guys have a little bit of skill."
He nodded.
"I'll give you that."
The gang leader sneered thinking this was a sign of fear.
"It's too late to back down."
Silas' smile widened.
"You never should've come to the Underground."
For several seconds, Silas simply stared at him.
Then, his expression changed to a sinister one.
"Hahahahahaha!"
The bikers exchanged confused looks.
Silas reached toward his Poké Balls.
"You people really have terrible luck."
He threw several simultaneously. Light flooded the tunnel as 2 Poliwrath appeared.
At first the bikers showed no fear but then Silas released a dozen additional Zangoose and 6 Seviper.
The bikers' expressions slowly changed.
The Underground suddenly felt much smaller.
Zangoose flexed their claws and Sevipers hissed. It was a rare sight seeing their species cooperating instead of fighting bitterly.
The 2 Poliwrath stood at the front like armored guards.
The gang leader's face went pale.
"Who the hell are you?"
Silas smiled.
"What did you say earlier?"
He tilted his head.
"It's too late for regret?"
The horror on Ricky's face deepened.
Silas finally used his name.
"But I'll be kind and tell you."
He stepped forward.
"Ricky."
The man froze.
"I came here specifically for you."
Silas spread his arms.
"Don't you feel special?"
Ricky finally understood.
This wasn't a random wealthy trainer he had tried to rob.
This man had entered his territory looking for him.
"Team Rocket…"
Silas' smile confirmed everything.
Then the battle began.
Unfortunately for the bikers, calling it a battle was generous.
Silas' Pokémon overwhelmed them.
The Poliwrath smashed through the center of their formation.
Zangoose tore into anything that attempted to isolate itself.
Seviper flooded the battlefield with venom and poison.
The gang's Sandslash attempted to create defensive formations, but coordinated Zangoose broke through with Crush Claw.
Beedrill rushed from above but the Sevipers intercepted them.
Nidorino charged but Poliwrath sent them flying.
Primeape attempted to swarm 1 Zangoose and immediately found themselves surrounded by 3 more.
The tunnel became chaos.
Blood covered portions of the stone floor.
Silas barely needed to intervene.
His Pokémon had survived the Trial Continent.
They had fought opponents stronger, faster, more experienced, and significantly more dangerous than these bikers.
The difference showed.
Aggron and Rampardos put up the greatest resistance but 2 strong Pokémon couldn't reverse an overwhelmingly unfavorable battle.
Eventually, even they collapsed.
One biker dropped to his knees.
"Please!"
Another followed.
"Spare us!"
Silas looked around.
Most of the gang had already been defeated.
Some were unconscious. Others would never wake again.
"You fools betrayed Team Rocket."
His gaze settled on Ricky.
"And you, Ricky."
Ricky's breathing became frantic.
"You dared steal from us."
Silas walked toward him.
"Did you think Team Rocket was a joke of an organization?"
According to the mission report, many of these gangs had once been affiliated with Team Rocket.
Ricky consolidated them and convinced them to betray the organization.
That decision had finally caught up with them.
Silas' original mission only required Ricky's death but the assignment had another condition.
If he successfully eliminated the entire gang structure, the reward would increase.
Silas saw no reason to leave any loose ends anyway.
By the time he was done, Ricky's organization no longer existed.
Silas surveyed the aftermath then he activated his system space.
Bodies, blood, weapons, pokeballs, etc all disappeared when he touched time.
Anything worth taking was stored away.
Silas methodically cleared the battlefield.
By the time he finished, very little remained to indicate the scale of the violence that had occurred.
News traveled quickly through the Underground.
A Team Rocket operative had entered Ricky's territory.
Ricky and his entire biker gang had disappeared.
Anyone who had witnessed the beginning of the confrontation remembered 1 thing above everything else.
The operative had been ruthless.
Rumors began circulating.
Some claimed Odin had personally killed dozens.
Others claimed he commanded an army of Pokémon.
Still others claimed Ricky had offended the wrong Rocket Executive.
Silas didn't care, let people talk. What mattered was the reward.
Between the Rocket Points from completing the mission and the points he received from exchanging the defeated Pokémon, equipment, and recovered resources, his debt dropped substantially.
He now owed approximately 1.65 million Rocket Points.
Silas looked at the number.
Unfortunately, most of Ricky's Pokémon had mediocre potential.
Had their potentials been at least B, their exchange values would have been dramatically higher.
Silas might have erased half his debt in a single mission but there was no point complaining.
The debt would disappear eventually. He was in no rush.
Later that same night, Silas walked along the path behind the daycare center base.
The area was quiet.
Trees lined both sides of the path.
Moonlight passed between the branches.
Silas appeared relaxed but reality was different.
For several minutes, he had sensed someone following him.
Finally, Silas stopped.
"You can come out now."
Nothing happened.
Silas looked toward the trees.
"To be honest, I sensed you in the crowd earlier."
Silence.
"But since you didn't attack, I didn't force the issue."
A laugh came from the darkness.