Chapter 99: Silver’s Day of Horror
The sky was blue, the clouds were white, and the sun shone brightly, casting golden reflections on the ocean's surface.
A few Wingull cried as they soared across the sky, while schools of Goldeen and Remoraid leaped out of the water, creating ripples that shimmered under the sunlight.
In the distance, a massive cruise ship was slowly approaching.
From afar, the scene was as picturesque as an oil painting.
Onboard the ship, Silver sat in the dining hall, eating breakfast. He watched the bustling sailors and passengers enjoying their meals, his mind still replaying the events of the previous day.
He distinctly remembered boarding a plane to Unova with Archer, only to be ambushed mid-air. Their aircraft had gone down.
Archer had seemingly perished in the struggle, while Silver had managed to escape into the sea under the protection of his Gardevoir.
But his memory after that was hazy. Everything that followed felt like a dream—fragmented, disjointed images.
He vaguely recalled boarding a ship and even taking part in a Pokémon battle.
It wasn't until this morning, when he woke up in a cabin and saw the endless ocean outside the window, that he realized last night hadn't been a dream. He had really ended up on this ship.
Sitting across from him at the same table was a striking woman with golden hair and gray eyes.
"Leader, the cleansing is complete. We now have over three hundred high-integration Pokémon soldiers," reported a bald old man in a white lab coat, his appearance fitting that of a standard professor. He addressed the blonde woman with deference.
"Good. Distribute them among our Hive members according to their genetic fusion levels," the woman responded with a nod.
The old man's face lit up with excitement at her order, and he quickly scurried out of the dining hall. His agility starkly contrasted with his elderly appearance.
Leader? Pokémon soldiers? Hive members? What are they talking about?
Silver was utterly confused. He felt like he had encountered more bizarre occurrences in the past two days than in his entire life.
As he looked up at the woman, she suddenly spoke.
"This ship will soon arrive in Vermilion City. Once we dock, I will notify Team Rocket to come and retrieve you."
At the mention of Team Rocket, Silver's guard went up instantly.
"What Team Rocket? You must have mistaken me for someone else," he replied, feigning ignorance.
Team Rocket was not an identity that could be casually acknowledged. Not only were they hunted by the Pokémon League, but they also had to watch out for other underground factions—after all, betrayal and backstabbing were commonplace in the underworld.
The blonde woman smiled—a smile that radiated an unsettling sense of control.
"I know who you are. And I know who your father is. But there's no need to be afraid," she said before rising to her feet. Without another glance at Silver, she turned and walked away.
The moment she stood up, every single person in the dining hall simultaneously stopped what they were doing.
One by one, they rose from their seats and silently followed her out.
As the passengers and crew exited in an eerie, synchronized fashion, the once-busy dining hall became completely deserted.
Silence.
An unsettling, deathly silence.
Did I just board a ghost ship...?
A chill ran down Silver's spine at the thought. He wondered if his hazy memories from last night were due to being possessed by a ghost-type Pokémon.
Abandoning his meal, he bolted out onto the second-floor deck.
Below, on the ship's main deck, a crowd had gathered. It seemed that every single person on the vessel—passengers and crew alike—had assembled there.
They stood motionless, all facing the golden-haired woman at the ship's bow.
The blazing sun overhead provided Silver with some warmth, easing his anxiety slightly.
At least they aren't afraid of sunlight... They aren't ghosts.
Silver spotted the bald old man from earlier, now distributing Poké Balls to the people on the deck. Some received more than others.
Each person who received a Poké Ball quietly attached it to their belt, handling it with the disciplined precision of soldiers receiving firearms.
The blonde woman simply stood at the bow, watching in silence.
The unsettling scene sent an inexplicable sensation surging through Silver's chest. A strange impulse rose within him—an urge to kneel before this woman, to submit to her authority.
He gritted his teeth and forced down the feeling, frustration bubbling inside him.
Suddenly, the roar of helicopter blades filled the air.
A black helicopter approached from the distance, hovering above the ship.
Several figures in black uniforms, each bearing the red "R" insignia of Team Rocket, descended onto the deck via rope ladders.
Leading them was a tall, imposing man with sharp features.
It was Dray.
Silver recognized him immediately—he was one of Team Rocket's squad captains in the Johto region and a direct subordinate of Archer.
Dray scanned the scene and instantly identified the blonde woman as the one in charge.
"Excuse me, have you seen this person?" he asked, holding up a photograph.
The image showed a red-haired boy with delicate features.
"I have." The blonde woman smiled and gestured behind him with her eyes.
Following her gaze, Dray turned his head—right there, standing on the second deck, was Silver.
"Reporting in. Target located." Dray spoke into his communicator before immediately dashing up to the second deck.
"Are you alright?" he asked with concern.
Silver shook his head. Aside from the strange atmosphere on this ship, he was physically fine.
Dray exhaled in relief, a smile appearing on his face.
Yesterday, Team Rocket had suddenly issued an S-Class mission, ordering all active operatives across both the Johto and Kanto regions to drop whatever they were doing and head out to sea in search of a specific person.
S-Class missions were the highest-level operations within Team Rocket, rarely occurring even once a year. The fact that such a large-scale mobilization had been ordered meant that everyone involved quickly realized something unusual was at play, prompting a frenzied search.
Dray had spent an entire day and night combing the waters before finally finding him.
He could already envision the rewards awaiting him—perhaps a high-ranking Pokémon personally selected by the boss? Two Dark Balls? Or maybe even a promotion to head of a city division?
"We need to leave. Now." Silver was visibly impatient. He wanted to get away from this place as soon as possible. There was something unsettling about the woman on this ship, an inexplicable connection he felt toward her that made him uncomfortable.
Dray nodded and walked with Silver toward the rope ladder, watching as Silver climbed into the helicopter.
Before following him, Dray took a glance around. Everyone on the deck was eerily still, silently watching him. No movement, no reaction—just standing there like statues.
Something about this felt wrong. His instincts screamed that something was off. But now that the target had been secured, there was no reason to linger. He gave a slight nod to the blonde woman who had pointed him toward Silver earlier, then stepped into the helicopter.
Dolores stood at the bow of the ship, watching as the Team Rocket helicopter roared into the sky.
He remembered Dray—not just because he had once been a key player in attempting to capture the Red Gyarados alongside Ash in the original storyline, but also because he was one of Archer's most trusted subordinates.
Originally, he had intended for Silver to end up in Vermilion City. He hadn't expected Team Rocket to track him down so quickly.
But perhaps this was for the best.
For now, he had no intention of bringing the son of Team Rocket's leader into Hive. Instead, he planned to influence him from the shadows…
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TL/N:
Dray is Tatsumi in raws. I don't know who the hell is this guy. I tried searching but I can't find any, and I don't have time to watch that Red Gyarados episode in anime again.
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