The 3 weeks spent at Celadon Base proved far more productive than Silas initially expected.
With access to Team Rocket's advanced facilities, the stolen data from Bill, and the knowledge contained within the Advanced Breeder Book, he was finally able to implement many of the ideas that had been accumulating in his mind.
Using the absorbed knowledge from the breeding manual and the data acquired from both Team Rocket and Bill, Silas created specialized pokemon food for every member of Spartan.
Each recipe was tailored to the pokemon's typing, growth stage, and future development path. The results exceeded his expectations.
Electabuzz became the primary focus of Silas' psychic research.
In the games, Electabuzz could learn Teleport through TMs, but that option didn't exist in this world. However, Silas remained convinced that the potential was there.
The psychic crystals from Cerulean Cave had already transformed Electabuzz significantly, granting him access to Psychic and Calm Mind. If those abilities could be learned, then Teleport should theoretically be possible as well.
The biggest issue was control.
Electabuzz had accumulated a substantial reserve of psychic energy but lacked the fine manipulation necessary to use it efficiently. Because of this, Silas designed a training regimen centered around passive Calm Mind usage.
Instead of actively entering a meditative state, Electabuzz practiced maintaining Calm Mind throughout daily activities.
Walking, eating, battling, no matter what he was doing, Calm Mind was in effect. Everything became an opportunity to refine control.
Silas often joined him. Since awakening as a psychic himself, he had gained valuable insights into how psychic power functioned. Hermes frequently assisted by analyzing their progress and offering suggestions.
Monferno's training focused almost entirely on Aura.
Silas had finally succeeded in accessing his own Aura power. The process was surprisingly similar to using psychic abilities. Both energies flowed through the body and required concentration to manipulate. The difference lay in the energy itself.
Psychic power enhanced the mind. Aura strengthened the body and spirit.
At his current level, Silas could only reinforce himself to roughly the strength of a level 15 pokemon. Combined with his combat experience and physical conditioning, he estimated that he could fight at approximately the level of a level 20 pokemon.
While that wasn't impressive compared to true trainers, it was a massive improvement over the helpless civilian he had once been.
Monferno, meanwhile, continued making steady progress.
Its control over Aura grew sharper every day. Aura Sphere became easier to manipulate while its defensive Aura reinforcement became increasingly stable. Silas was particularly interested in helping Monferno develop Aura into a true combat style rather than simply another source of power.
Teddiursa remained as aggressive as ever.
Its primary focus was improving Belly Drum and Close Combat. The bear pokemon had already established those moves as the foundation of its fighting style. Now it was refining them.
At the same time, Teddiursa practiced Swift relentlessly. The move wasn't especially powerful, but it solved one of Teddiursa's biggest weaknesses, range.
Most opponents had learned to avoid allowing Teddiursa into melee range. Swift gave him a method of applying pressure while closing distance.
Frogadier dedicated himself to mastering ghost-type energy. Shadow Sneak rapidly became one of Silas' favorite moves.
Every day Frogadier practiced slipping into shadows and emerging elsewhere. At first he could only remain hidden for a few minutes. Now he could stay concealed significantly longer while maintaining awareness of his surroundings.
The move had enormous utility. Frogadier could hide in the shadow for combat, reconnaissance, and protection.
Silas intended to explore every possible application. Excadrill and Tropius followed simpler training routines.
Both focused primarily on improving chemistry with Silas and the rest of the team. Their raw strength wasn't lacking compared to the others. What they needed was battlefield familiarity.
Fortunately, both pokemon were cooperative.
Tropius proved particularly valuable.
After taking over its diet and supplementing it with specially prepared food, Silas confirmed his hypothesis. Harvest production increased dramatically.
Fruit generation had nearly doubled. The quality improved as well.
The fruits became one of the most important resources available to Spartan. While they couldn't replace a breeder entirely, they provided tremendous nutritional benefits, particularly for younger pokemon.
Grassy Terrain also became noticeably stronger.
Tropius had grown physically larger during the 3-week period, further validating Silas' theories.
The greatest beneficiary of all this attention was Eevee.
As the youngest member of the team, she received an enormous amount of support. Silas carefully monitored her growth and ensured she wasn't pushed too hard.
Her gravity vest remained set at only 1.2x.
Even then, Eevee trained with remarkable determination. She ran alongside Silas daily.
She practiced footwork with Frogadier and learned movement drills from Electabuzz.
Quick Attack became a particular focus.
Combined with Tropius' fruit, specialized pokeblocks, and trace amounts of psychic crystal supplementation, Eevee's growth accelerated significantly.
Her Adaptability ability only increased Silas' expectations. The young pokemon had a bright future ahead of her.
Meanwhile, the rest of Spartan continued progressing.
Meowth reached level 29 and adapted surprisingly well to 4x gravity training.
Jessie and James also made substantial improvements. Both Nidoran evolved.
Nidorina and Nidorino were now level 31.
Jessie's Teddiursa reached level 28. James' Zubat evolved into Golbat and reached level 34. Rhyhorn advanced to level 32. Mankey evolved into Primeape and reached level 36.
Looking at his subordinates and their pokemon, Silas felt genuinely satisfied.
He had invested heavily into Spartan. The returns justified every resource spent. Silas sincerely appreciated all the hard work.
People performed better when given proper support. The philosophy worked in business, and it worked in Team Rocket as well.
Finally, Silas reviewed his own team's progress.
Monferno (M) — Level 42
Ability: Flame Aura
Potential: B+
Moves: Rank B Scratch, Rank B Aura Sphere, Rank B Flame Wheel, Rank C Taunt, Rank C Shadow Claw, Rank C Vacuum Wave, Rank C Mach Punch, Rank C Flamethrower, Rank D Acrobatics, Rank C Cut, Rank C Strength, Rank C Protect, Rank C Psych Up
Electabuzz (M) — Level 44
Ability: Static
Potential: B+
Moves: Rank B Brick Break, Rank B Thunder Punch, Rank C Thunder Bolt, Rank B Light Screen, Rank C Cross Chop, Rank C Thunder Wave, Rank C Ice Punch, Rank C Fire Punch, Rank C Psychic, Rank C Calm Mind, Rank C Strength, Rank C Protect
Frogadier (M) — Level 35
Ability: Protean
Potential: B+
Moves: Rank B Pound, Rank B Water Gun, Rank B Shadow Sneak, Rank C Toxic Spikes, Rank C Growl, Rank C Water Pulse, Rank C Quick Attack, Rank C Lick, Rank C Acrobatics, Rank C Aerial Ace, Rank C Protect, Rank C Cut, Rank C Ice Beam
Teddiursa (M) — Level 37
Ability: Pickup
Potential: C+
Moves: Rank B Slash, Rank B Close Combat, Rank B Belly Drum, Rank C Growl, Rank C Bite, Rank C Payback, Rank C Protect, Rank C Cut, Rank D Swift
Tropius (F) — Level 32
Ability: Harvest
Potential: C+
Moves: Rank B Grassy Terrain, Rank C Leaf Storm, Rank C Gust, Rank C Growth, Rank C Sweet Scent, Rank C Synthesis, Rank C Whirlwind, Rank C Magical Leaf, Rank C Wide Guard, Rank C Stomp, Rank C Protect, Rank C Cut, Rank C Leaf Blade, Rank C Dragon Dance, Rank C Tailwind, Rank D Solar Beam, Rank D Dragon Pulse
Excadrill (M) — Level 38
Ability: Sand Rush
Potential: C+
Moves: Rank B Hone Claws, Rank B Dig, Rank B Drill Run, Rank C Rapid Spin, Rank C Metal Claw, Rank C Crush Claw, Rank C Sandstorm, Rank C Rock Slide, Rank C Cut, Rank C Strength, Rank C Protect
Eevee (F) — Level 18
Ability: Adaptability
Potential: B
Moves: Rank D Tackle, Rank D Growl, Rank D Double Kick, Rank D Tail Whip, Rank D Quick Attack, Rank D Calm Mind, Rank D Stored Power
The progress was undeniable.
The primary goal of the training period had been refinement rather than explosive growth. In that regard, the mission was a complete success.
Even so, Silas remained realistic. He still wasn't truly at Elite Officer level.
A genuine Elite Officer typically possessed an entire team of pseudo-advanced pokemon. His strength was closer to that of a Peak Officer who had received exceptional resources.
Fortunately, the next mission promised plenty of opportunities. When Silas reviewed the operation details, he immediately recognized the event.
The SS Anne party at Vermillion harbor.
A famous incident from both the anime and manga.
Team Rocket intended to infiltrate the luxury cruise and steal the valuable cargo aboard the vessel. More importantly, intelligence suggested that the captain possessed DNA samples from an unidentified pokemon.
An Elite 4 member was scheduled to meet the ship in Vermillion City. Naturally, Team Rocket wanted the prize first.
Spartan would only be 1 squad among many participating in the operation.
The mission carried significant risks. League personnel would be present. Powerful trainers would be present.
Conflict was inevitable and yet Silas couldn't suppress his excitement.
Every League official represented opportunity.
They had powerful pokemon and potentially rare items to plunder. The rewards could be enormous.
Of course, there was also danger.
After the events in Pallet Town, the League had become far less tolerant of criminal organizations. If Team Rocket operatives pushed too far, the League wouldn't hesitate to eliminate them outright.
Thinking about that, Silas found himself reminiscing. The last time Team Rocket targeted a major event, he had been a victim.
Now he stood on the opposite side. The realization felt strange, bittersweet even.
Silas understood that he now occupied a morally gray area. He wasn't evil. At least he didn't consider himself evil. Yet he certainly couldn't call himself good anymore.
Silas preferred it that way.
Good people were often exploited but pure evil served no purpose. Gray however, offered freedom.
He could destroy enemies without mercy while still helping those he believed deserved it. The philosophy suited him.
Before departing for Vermillion, Silas decided to evaluate everyone's combat readiness.
Jessie and James battled first.
The results surprised him.
Nidorina and Nidorino fought fiercely, ultimately knocking each other out in a draw.
That left Golbat and Teddiursa remaining. Golbat narrowly secured the victory.
The combination of Tailwind and Brave Bird proved devastating. Once momentum built, Teddiursa struggled to keep up despite his raw power.
Next came Meowth and Frogadier. The battle was far closer than expected. Shadow Sneak and Cut clashed repeatedly while both pokemon relied heavily on speed and positioning.
Ultimately, Meowth claimed victory.
His experience made the difference.
At one point he deliberately accepted a Night Slash attack, grabbed hold of Frogadier, and unleashed Thunder at point-blank range.
The gamble paid off.
Silas nodded approvingly. Meowth had grown tremendously.
Over the past 3 weeks, Silas had personally taken him on multiple hunting trips to gain combat experience.
The system didn't award BP for Meowth's victories, regardless of level, but the practical benefits remained substantial.
The results spoke for themselves. Together they captured 14 pokemon.
2 Vulpix at level 24 with C+ talent. 1 Weepinbell at level 28 with B- talent. 1 Bellsprout at level 20 with B- talent. The remaining 10 consisted of Ekans and Machop with C- talent.
The sales generated a respectable 97k Team Rocket Points. Most hunters would have required months to achieve similar results.
Without a scanning system, locating talented pokemon was far more difficult.
The majority of wild pokemon possessed D or F talent. Even C talent specimens were considered somewhat rare. The efficiency advantage provided by Hermes was enormous.
Looking over everything they had accomplished, Silas couldn't help smiling.
The last 3 weeks had been extraordinarily productive.
Spartan was no longer a collection of promising individuals.
It was now a legitimate squad.
Anyone below the level of an experienced gym trainer would struggle to contend with them now.
And soon, the SS Anne would provide the perfect opportunity to prove it.