The day began with clear skies over Viridian City, the streets busy but alive with electric energy. Market stalls bustled, flocks of Pidgey scattered from rooftop to rooftop, and the distant roar of a battle echoed from the gym grounds behind the Pokémon Center.
Yet all of that quieted as Silver stepped into the open street.
People noticed him instantly. Whispers began like embers catching the wind. His iconic crimson hair and neutral look made him instantly recognisable.
"That's him."
"The Tyrant…"
"I heard he's Giovanni's kid."
"No way, I thought that was a rumour."
"Isn't he the future gym leader?"
"I want to train a Beedrill like him!" A bug catcher says with stars in his eyes.
Silver didn't react. His jacket was neat, and his steps precise. He wasn't trying to intimidate anyone but he didn't mind the silence that trailed behind him like a shadow. A few younger trainers pointed at him with admiration, even awe.
"I want to be like him one day," one said.
Silver barely glanced sideways.
He wasn't famous in the typical sense. But the reason for his sudden popularity other than the reputation of being Giovanni's son spreading is being a part of a gym. Being a gym leader is equivalent to a local sports team back on earth.
People were nearly fanatical about supporting such individuals and with it being one person rather than a team, they are praised for being protectors.
Just imagine New York Knicks fans...
With such reputations stretching to their children and also being a gym trainer gives you many pathways towards being rich.
Silver made his way through the upper levels of Viridian's northern district, where the architecture curved into luxury modern-looking towers, manicured hedges, and polished marble paths. His destination was the Akagami Breeder's Estate, a high-end grooming and recovery centre for Pokemon. Mostly used by the rich, it had high-end service which he has been using for two years.
He had a VIP pass. Of course with his black card funding any necessary spending.
'How nice being third-generation rich kid is.'
Inside, the halls smelled of herbs and disinfectant. Attendants in pristine white greeted him by name and offered a list of treatments. He didn't bother looking.
"Beedrill and Gliscor," he said. "Give them the full suite. I'll wait."
While the rest of his team Gastrodon, Rhydon, Hippowdon, and Excadrill were strong, they were utilities. Tools. They filled gaps. Beedrill was different. Beedrill was his ace. And Gliscor…
Was adequate.
'He's proving himself.', Silver thought as he sat in the lounge, fingers steepled under his chin.
He didn't care much about birthday celebrations, but he was still aware that he was now ten. The official start of a League-sanctioned journey. Not that it mattered as he had already beaten dozens of League-tier trainers.
But now he wouldn't be in the comfort of his home.
It was now the comfort of luxury hotels...
As he leaned back, letting the quiet hum of healing machines work in the background, his thoughts turned away from the present.
Sinnoh… Cynthia.
She would become a Champion if she wasn't already in the early stages. He wasn't sure of the current League shuffle, but he knew enough about her. Lore, ruins, and myths about Sinnoh were steeped in ancient power. He could use that to create connections.
'Maybe I'll visit for a holiday. Do some light investigation. Drop some Sinnoh lore knowledge. Connect with her, offer some insight she hasn't considered…'
He kept going, flipping through names in his head.
Steven Stone. He'd be easier. He's a rock guy metaphorically and literally. If I nudge him toward fossils and mega stones, that opens things up.
The corners of his mouth twitched slightly. The beginnings of a smirk.
Leon? Maybe but he would give the least benefits other than just being a powerful connection.
Steven has money, Cynthia has a professor grandma and Lance...
Lance Wataru of the dragon clan.
Lance could work. He's obsessed with dragons. 'I could mention I'm looking into the Deino line or the Dreepy evolutionary tree, and he'll open up like a book. As it's Pokemon from other regions which he'll surely be interested in.'
A soft knock pulled him back to the present. One of the attendants bowed slightly.
"Sir. Your Beedrill and Gliscor are ready. Massage, wing buffing, toxin regulation, everything completed."
"Good," Silver said, already standing. "Bag them."
The Poké Balls clicked into his belt.
As he stepped outside, the sun had already shifted, throwing golden light over Viridian's rooftops. The estate's gates opened with a gentle hum, and Silver began the walk back to the manor.
Waiting at the front step was a box. Small. Plain. Wrapped in neutral beige cloth. No note. No handwriting. No sender.
Silver knew who it was from immediately.
He opened it.
Inside was a meticulously folded stack of napkins, custom-woven, embroidered with a single purple psychic sigil.
Sabrina.
She didn't sign it. Didn't say hi. Probably didn't want to bother with human interaction today. The gesture was odd. But not unwelcome.
A warm smile hit his face as he carried the box inside.
The manor's dining hall was empty when he arrived, but not for long. Giovanni entered precisely on time, hands in his pockets, face unreadable as always.
No one else came. No guards. No butlers. Just father and son.
"You're ten now," Giovanni said as he sat, placing a small black case on the table. "I've approved your license. You're officially a trainer."
Silver opened the case. His official League Trainer License gleamed under the light, imprinted with his name, League ID, and a metallic watermark of the Viridian Gym badge. There was also a Pokedex placed there which looked to be like Ash's design in the anime.
Giovanni then placed a Luxury Ball on the table. It was pitch-black, trimmed in silver. Sleek. Custom.
"And this," Giovanni said, "Is the starter you asked for. You don't need a professor."
Silver picked it up.
"Nice," he said quietly.
"Why did you pick it?" Giovanni asked a bit curious.
I didn't hesitate. "It'll be a monster when it evolves."
Giovanni didn't question it further. He nodded once as if that answer was perfectly sufficient. With his connections, he was able to secure quite a valuable specimen for his son.
Then he pushed over another case with this one longer, padded.
"Luxury Balls," he said. "Not standard. Advanced unreleased Silph-tech. Ten of them."
Silver ran his fingers over one. It looked almost like a Luxury Ball, but the shell had subtle marks that indicated internal upgrades. He pressed a small indentation and, for a second, an image shimmered on the surface.
POV - Silver
"What are these?" I ask, eyes gleaming at the expensive equipment.
"They are upgraded, Pokemon can see the outside, leak protective energy and leave at a moment's notice at the signs of danger." He says with a smirk. Seeing this my eyes widened, it was definitely a quality change.
Normal pokeballs while Pokemon could hear, they couldn't see and were mostly trapped without any way to help unless you gave them the option to leave at will.
But these save the trouble of them having to randomly guess if you're in trouble.
"Put Beedrill in one then tap and hold where you usually expand," Giovanni said a little eager.
Releasing Beedrill so now he was a wild Pokemon, the room was pure silence beside the hum of his wings, taking the Luxury Ball he's quickly captured.
*Click-*
"Woah," I murmur as the top half of the ball becomes sort of transparent. Beedrill was comfortably lying down inside his space.
Father seeing my reaction had his already small smirk increase in size. "Now that's innovation."
I said nothing, but other than Giovanni being close to the company, the implications were clear. Silph Co worked under Giovanni's pressure. Whether by fear or leverage probably both like the games.
"These retail for a hundred thousand," Giovanni added. "Each."
He slipped one into his belt. The weight was satisfying.
"I've told you the League starts today," Giovanni continued. "But what you choose to do next is up to you. Where are you going?"
My hesitation was clear as day.
"I'll go to Unova, half of my future team is from there anyway."
Giovanni narrowed his eyes but didn't press further.
Giovanni leaned back. "Just be careful. Not every region is Kanto. We're surrounded by competition. Johto's climbing with its trainer programs expanding. Their region is gaining ground. We can't afford to fall behind."
His voice started to become more passionate.
This was the first time I've seen him like this... Was there a grudge he has kept from the past to be this patriotic?
I didn't respond. Politics wasn't interesting, to be honest. That was my father's battlefield.
All I needed was strength and control over my future.
...
The silence between father and son hung heavy in the manor's dining hall. Not uncomfortable just full. Purposeful.
Giovanni eventually stood, the motion smooth, deliberate. He motioned for me to follow.
No words.
I understood.
They passed through reinforced doors, descending through a hallway that led to Giovanni's private chambers, places not even Gym staff had access to. A biometric scanner slid open with a soft hiss.
Inside was a sleek, low-lit war room with maps of regions flickered on holoscreens, red dots marking points of interest. Communications panels. Surveillance feeds. One screen cycled slowly through photos of Gym Leaders. Another showed a list of names under the Kanto Elite Four with open brackets beside them.
Giovanni tapped a console, and the screens flicked off. The room dimmed.
Silver stood still, hands by his sides.
Giovanni didn't turn when he spoke.
"You've earned your independence," he said. "Your license is proof. Your win record, your command, your judgment. That's yours now."
A pause.
"I kept you out of Rocket's business for a reason."
I said nothing, was he going to tell me about Team Rocket?
Giovanni finally turned, eyes sharp under the low lights.
"You think it's about hiding you. It's not. It's about shielding you. You carry my name and that makes you a target. Our enemies don't play by League rules."
I tilted his head slightly. "You think I couldn't handle it?"
"I didn't say that," Giovanni said coolly. "No child should bear this burden."
A brief beat passed. Then he added, almost too casually:
"It's easier to speak to someone who's got my blood and ruthlessness."
That landed. I didn't react visibly, but something shifted behind his eyes. An acknowledgement. A connection that was thin, but forming. With my growing power he doesn't seem too opposed to more father-and-son bonding.
It wouldn't hurt.
"You'll learn what you need to," Giovanni continued. "I'm not going to throw you into our operations. But I'll give you authority equal to your status."
He pressed another panel and a hidden compartment opened beside the wall.
Inside was another screen which was hidden.
'How fancy.' I thought.
Giovanni moved back toward the table, a half-filled glass of dark liquor in hand. He didn't sit.
"You've heard rumours. Whispers in League circles. Fantasies of what Team Rocket does behind closed doors."
Giovanni gave me a side glance. "We steal Pokémon, plunder others and do all sorts of crime to further our goal."
He took a sip, eyes locked on the ceiling for a moment as if measuring what to say next.
"Team Rocket isn't a gang. It's a power structure. A machine built to protect Kanto's interest when the League started failing. There will always be evil in this world son, so why not control it..."
This made me blink in surprise. That phrasing felt rehearsed, like something Giovanni had told himself first. Was he trying to convince himself or was it the charismatic spiel he gave to people which made them his followers?
Like Archer.
"The League worries about balance. Fairness. Quotas. We care about results. Science. Innovation. Territory."
Another pause. This time longer. He leaned against the table, resting the glass down.
"I didn't want you in it."
Giovanni's voice was lower now. A flicker of hesitation broke through his usual coldness.
"My original plans had you at least become 18 before being exposed to this because of the dangers. But with your talent, you should know about this. The sooner the better."
He looked at me directly.
"But I can't keep you out anymore. You're destined for greatness and you are the heir to this organisation and can make Kanto the strongest region." Watching the man walk over, he grabs both of my shoulders with widened eyes.
My heartbeat increased as my body slightly shook.
"Then I'll become the champion of the Indigo League," I stated which caused him to let go.
His widened eyes quickly went back to normal as he fake coughed realising he went overboard. Right after this, he gave a nod at my goals which would "Give glory to Kanto" in his words.
Moving on to the console Father pressed his thumb into a biometric scanner. The wall panel shifted again, revealing a small encrypted terminal. A secure Rocket database.
He keyed in a sequence. The display brought up a hierarchy chart with familiar names and new ones. It was the complete information and every important member of Team Rocket, and where they stand.
'Trusting this to a child, how bold father.' I thought squinting my eyes.