Silas wanted his subordinates to grow strong but he didn't want to be too involved so he had to be careful.
He wanted to help but still allow them to have their own achievements.
For Abel, the approach was simple.
He needed just needed a consistent environment and time to grow.
Silas made sure both Abel and his Pokémon had enough nutrition and material support to train diligently without worrying about someone taking everything away from them again.
Sirius was more complicated. His Kadabra remained the center of the problem. The Pokémon's mental condition was serious.
At times, it possessed power befitting its tier but it would randomly suffer a mental collapse.
The solution itself was relatively simple in concept but the only execution was another matter.
Kadabra required a massive and constant flow of psychic power.
Silas did possess a way to provide it.
He had Porygon or more specifically, Atlas' energy-storage capabilities.
Unfortunately, accumulating enough psychic energy would take time.
Hermes estimated at least another 2 months before Silas could safely attempt what he had in mind.
Repairing a Pokémon's damaged psyche was no small feat. The process required an enormous amount of continuous energy.
Silas' plan was to flood Kadabra with psychic power until the energy completely saturated its body and mind.
Then, while maintaining that state, trigger its evolution.
Silas hoped that the transformation into Alakazam would restore and stabilize the damaged portions of Kadabra's psyche.
Its mind wasn't completely destroyed. It was more like portions had become blocked. That difference gave Silas confidence that recovery was possible.
Sirius understood.
He had spent enough time trying and failing to help his partner to know there would be no instant solution.
At least Silas had provided him something he never possessed before, hope.
The days leading toward the 1-week deadline passed without incident.
The 3 new recruits trained diligently every day.
Their trust in Silas was still limited but Silas expected that. Trust couldn't be bought with a few Pokémon and food. It would take time.
Their desire for strength, however, was unquestionable.
For now, that was enough.
Everyone's TR devices suddenly activated. It was an immediate summons to the field house.
Silas' expression became serious.
The entire group quickly got ready and headed out. They weren't alone. Rockets emerged from buildings throughout the base. Small groups flowed toward the same destination until a large crowd formed.
When Silas and Spartan finally arrived, everyone was instructed to stand in long orderly rows.
Silas looked toward the center.
Viper stood there.
Beside him were 2 men with similarly imposing appearances.
Silas recognized one immediately.
It was Ebon, his newest benefactor.
The atmosphere felt different. Nobody was joking. Even the more unruly Rockets remained relatively quiet.
Viper stepped forward.
His voice carried across the entire field house.
"As you can all see, your numbers have dwindled significantly since the trial began."
Nobody could deny it.
Silas had already noticed how empty the base felt.
"We started with 2,800 participants."
Viper paused.
"Now we barely have 500 of you."
A murmur spread throughout the crowd.
Silas remained silent.
Hearing the number spoken aloud made the losses feel different.
"Our regular staff numbers have taken similar hits. Unfortunately, that's part of the job."
Several people looked uncomfortable.
"We were ambushed by a foreign force with little to no intelligence on who they were or what they were capable of."
Viper clenched one hand and his voice got much louder
"However, Team Rocket can bend but we shall never break."
The murmuring died down as Ebon stepped forward. His reputation was that of a powerful but unpredictable person.
"Many of you have participated in numerous battles concerning this new group."
He looked over the crowd.
"The Luminary Court. The fighting force they brought here was terrifying."
Everyone's face darkened. Ebon didn't attempt to sugarcoat it.
"Although we inflicted far more damage on them than they did on us proportionally, the problem is their sheer numbers."
Silas listened carefully.
"The losses we suffered have crippled our ability to act here as we please."
That sentence visibly bothered many people.
Team Rocket members weren't accustomed to hearing their leadership openly admit weakness.
Ebon continued anyway.
"So as frustrating and embarrassing it is, we must consolidate to survive. We cannot take revenge if we are dead right? Remember, bend but never break."
Viper stepped forward again.
"What Ebon means is that we will remain here and maintain control of the beach area for the remainder of our time on this continent."
He paused.
"The trial itself is over as of right now."
That caused an immediate reaction.
Several people began whispering.
"As a reward for passing, everyone remaining will receive 50,000 Rocket Points."
The crowd became lively.
"And for your first purchase after returning to the outside world, you will receive a 50% discount."
That announcement caused even more discussion.
Viper allowed it for several seconds before raising his voice again.
"So essentially, we dig in here. Their forces are far too numerous to continue fighting recklessly."
He glanced toward Ebon.
"Especially with the golems they've taken control of. Although, we do control Zapdos and Moltres. So the Luminary Court must think carefully before attacking us directly."
Viper's gaze swept across the room.
"But remain on high alert, we can easily be attacked. Nothing is guaranteed."
The field house erupted in conversation. This wasn't the outcome anyone had expected but the facts were undeniable, too many people had died.
Between trial participants and Team Rocket members assigned as staff, the organization had lost nearly 5,000 operatives.
The organization itself had a little less than 100k members altogether.
So losing 5,000 was staggering. Worse, roughly half of those people had been advanced tier trainers. They weren't disposable grunts.
Advanced tier trainers formed the backbone of Team Rocket. Some among them would have undoubtedly become executives or even an administrator in the future.
An entire generation of potential leadership had been devastated. People capable of becoming major figures within the organization.
Silas listened in growing horror as the recent events were explained in greater detail.
One revelation disturbed him more than the others.
The ruins.
Aside from Silas and Andra, nearly everyone dispatched to investigate the mural sites had been killed. Other members had disappeared as well. The incidents happened rapidly.
Silas suddenly felt something click into place. His knowledge of the original games returned to him.
Team Rocket had always been dangerous.
Giovanni was undoubtedly powerful. His trusted admins were powerful. There were capable executives as well. But beneath that upper tier?
The organization had often seemed strangely lacking in genuinely powerful personnel.
Silas had previously assumed that was simply because the games couldn't properly represent an organization of Team Rocket's actual size.
Now another possibility appeared. What if this was why?
Silas' expression became increasingly serious.
Perhaps this event had always happened. He felt it was likely that originally, every Team Rocket member participating in the trial had died.
Silas immediately identified the biggest difference between this timeline and the one he remembered.
Himself.
Silas survived his first encounter with the Luminary Court.
More importantly, he warned Team Rocket that a second organized force was operating on the continent.
That single warning changed everything, creating a massive butterfly effect, giving Team Rocket a fighting chance.
Team Rocket had still suffered devastating losses but they hadn't been completely annihilated.
Silas' butterfly effect had given them a shred of hope.
His mind continued working.
Team Rocket probably hadn't been destroyed by a single event in the original timeline.
That would have been too simple.
More likely, the Luminary Court had quietly targeted their growing talented members and eliminated a large portion of those future elites before Team Rocket even understood there was a problem.
Combined with disasters like the Mewtwo project and repeated operational failures.
The humiliating fact that a child repeatedly ruined with their plans was the final straw. Giovanni disbanded Team Rocket and disappeared.
Silas had no intention of allowing that future to happen again.
The survivors here would return and they would report everything they knew. Team Rocket would finally understand that the Luminary Court was a seirous existential threat.
Silas knew one thing for sure about Giovanni. He wouldn't tolerate being targeted like this.
His retaliation was inevitable.
Silas found himself completely agreeing with Viper and Ebon's strategy.
There was no reason to throw away more lives now.
They needed to make sure the survivors made it back to Kanto and inform the organization so Team Rocket could respond properly.
The meeting eventually ended.
Everyone returned to their living quarters.
Silas and Spartan trained for a while before heading toward the dining hall for dinner.
Every conversation around them revolved around the same subject.
The morning announcement had shaken everyone. Team Rocket members were accustomed to aggression.
Now their own leadership had essentially ordered them to avoid unnecessary conflict. For many, that was difficult to accept. Yet eventually, people adjusted.
Everyone was exhausted. Months of constant battle had taken their toll. They'd all experienced ambushes, deaths, and betrayals during the trial.
For once, even Team Rocket members seemed tired of fighting. Something strange happened over the following days.
There was peace, actual peace.
Possibly for the first time during the entire trial, Team Rocket members simply trained and minded their own business.
Old rivalries remained. Grudges couldn't be resolved that easily despite the common threat. .
People who hated each other still hated each other but everyone seemed to collectively agree that now wasn't the time.
Viper and Ebon regularly patrolled the surrounding territory while riding the legendary birds under Team Rocket's control.
With that level of deterrence nearby, the beach base was about as secure as anywhere on the continent could be.
The Luminary Court never came. Training continued uninterrupted for weeks. Slowly, the atmosphere changed. Everyone understood what was approaching.
They'd soon be returning home.
Before Silas realized it, their time on the continent was over.
The environment itself began changing. Spatial and temporal energy started swirling throughout the sky. The phenomenon grew increasingly unstable. Emerald light occasionally flashed overhead. The air itself seemed distorted.
Everyone gathered inside the base then the shaking began. The entire facility trembled violently.
Tables shifted, equipment rattled, the walls shook.
For several moments, it felt as though Groudon itself was standing directly above them using Earthquake.
Then, everything stopped in complete silence.
Silas looked down at his hands. Emerald light covered his skin. The same glow spread across everyone around him and throughout the entire facility.
The base transformed.
Its structure shifted until the massive installation resembled an enormous ship.
Outside, space tore open. A gigantic spatial rift appeared.
Emerald energy swirled violently around its edges.
Silas watched silently.
After everything that had happened here from the fierce battles with the Luminary Court to growth of his faction and even his near death experience, It was finally over.
The giant base moved forward. Then, surrounded by emerald light, the entire structure passed through the spatial rift.
Destination: Kanto.