Giovanni gestured toward the screen. "They won't report to you. Not yet."
He keyed a second command, and a subsection appeared.
All the different tiers of ranks and their authorities. With tier one obviously being Giovanni.
-----
Tier 1 - Boss
Title: Boss
- Giovanni
- Silver (Future)
Tier 2 - Executive Command
Title: Executive, Admin
- Controls one of the four departments
- Ariana (Internal Logistics)
- Archer (Inteligence)
- Proton (Enforcers & Security)
- Petrel (Propaganda & Business Operations)
Tier 3 - Division Commander
Title: Commander, Director, Head Agent
- High-level authority over sectors or multiple squads
- Trusted with independent operations
Tier 4 - Field Captain
Titles: Captain, Enforcer Captain, Tactical Lead
- Mid-level Officers with authority over squads (4-10 operatives)
- Often leads missions, raids or patrols
Tier 5 - Specialist Agent
Titles: Enforcer, Specialist, Senior Agent
- Operatives with high battle skills or strategic value
- May act solo or are the underlings of Tier 3 - Division Commanders
Tier 6 - Agent
Titles: Agent, Grunt, Handler
- Standard trained operative
- Used for basic missions, raids or fieldwork
- Mostly support role and the fodder underlings of Tier 4 - Field Captains
Tier 7 - Initiate
Titles: Recruit, Rookie, Trainee
- Lowest Tier
- New member under evaluation
-----
One thing that stood out was that my name was already in the Tier 1 section. Which was all the better for me, who doesn't want power at this point. It's just scary knowing the league's lineup if we actually get in trouble.
'Hey, I'm not taking the downfall if Leon, Cynthia, and Steven, barge into headquarters.'
Maybe I was captured by Team Rocket at that point...
Tie myself up.
I'm the one in distress here guys.
Ignoring that the hierarchy was huge and I would digest the rest of the information later.
Watching Giovanni walk back to his desk, he takes out a phone and hands it to me. It was my own encrypted device for the black market, team rocket and call commanders like Archer in a safe way that no one can intercept.
Taking my time to navigate I found my profile.
-----
Commander: [***ver]
Status: Tier 3 - Division Commander
Acting Liaison: Tyson (Tier 4)
Members: ? (Tier 5)
-----
"That's yours," Giovanni said. "You're liason will listen to all your commands, but for now rest and digest this information. You can choose your four members later."
I scanned the details thinking about how I could possibly use them. Send them out on a mission immediately?
"Why this?" I ask a bit apprehended.
"You're the only one I trust. Didn't you want to adventure to other regions? Then expand our influences there." He says like it was obvious.
Hearing this a bomb goes off in my brain.
I could expand team rocket as a side quest to saving the world against other terrorist groups. A thought for later.
Like how would I enjoy this life if Arceus deleted the world. Or if someone else controlled legendary Pokemon.
Absurd!
Giovanni turned back to the console, fingers hovering for a moment over the shutdown switch. But before he closed it, he added, almost as an afterthought. A subtle shake in his body as he proceeds to mention their name.
This quickly brought me back to reality.
"Admin Ariana. She's the only Executive that would listen to you... If you need help then just call her anytime."
My eyes narrowed at his words. "Do I know her?"
"No," Giovanni replied too quickly.
Then, without looking back, "But you will."
The screen flickered dark.
'She's definitely my mother.' I thought without hesitation. Hopefully, we meet sooner rather than later.
...
POV - Omniscient
Back in his own room, Silver sat at his desk, the briefcase open before him.
Inside were things he'd never had access to like encrypted Rocket signal codes, forged League IDs with alternate names, an emergency pass to enter Silph's private labs, and a discreet Rocket command channel. Giovanni wasn't exaggerating. If he activated this network, mid- and high-level Rocket units would obey.
No questions.
This wasn't a gift. It was a weapon.
And maybe a test?
What was there to do anyway...
Right now he was preparing to visit and he needed a nickname.
[Time Skip - 1 day (Location: Rocket HQ)]
Tyson was already waiting when Silver arrived at the lower transit bay. The crimson-haired boy didn't look like the description. Now dawning a mask, with the futuristic technology of the Pokemon world it was able to change his hair colour and cover his face.
He was escorted there by a helicopter from the mansion.
Silver's liaison stood with military stillness, arms behind his back, eyes sharp beneath his dark fringe. He wore the standard black coat of Rocket field captains, but he was unzipped, casually revealing a deep crimson shirt.
"Commander Ego," he said, saluting with two fingers to his temple. "Welcome to Rocket HQ."
Silver eyed him.
Yes, Ego was going to be his nickname.
Tyson was young, maybe eighteen but carried himself like someone twice that. His stance didn't waver even under scrutiny, and his posture was all quiet discipline.
It was a little unnerving to Silver who had never seen a person like that before.
"Relax," Silver muttered, stepping off the vehicle. "No need to act stiff. Just show me around."
Tyson dropped the salute without protest. "Understood. I'll give you a small tour, then back to the boss."
Silver followed without another word, hands in his coat pockets as they walked through darkened corridors. The underground base wasn't flashy. Just plain steel-reinforced barriers, and dimmed red lighting. Operatives moved in precise formations, each knowing where to go and why.
Rocket may have been painted as a cartoonish villain to the public, but here it was clear. This was a machine. And he had just been handed a command lever.
With their resources anything was possible.
As they passed through the central observation hall, Silver paused at a raised glass pane overlooking a training gym. Inside, recruits paired off in controlled combat drills under supervision. There were barked orders.
Dodged attacks. A flash of electricity. A heavy Iron Tail cracked the floor.
No one looked too interesting here.
'I wonder when the iconic trio get recruited...' Silver thought to himself knowing their untapped potential.
...
The return to Giovanni's office was quiet. Tyson escorted Silver through one of the less trafficked corridors, a more secure path that connected the command level directly with executive quarters. Red lights pulsed slowly along the walls, creating a rhythm that matched Silver's slow, deliberate pace.
The liaison stays at the door, not daring to even look at Team Rocket's leader, lest he gets himself killed.
Giovanni was already seated at his desk when they arrived, his chin resting lightly on one hand. He gestured without looking up.
Silver stood before the desk, face unreadable behind his newly selected mask. It gleamed slightly in the low light, reflecting a stylized silver sheen and obscuring every inch of his true features.
"How does it look?" Giovanni asked, folding his hands. "The base."
Silver considered the question, voice calm. "Everyone knows their place. They move like gears in a machine. It's a well-oiled system. Intimidating too. Half of them looked like strong trainers."
Giovanni allowed a faint smirk. "You're not wrong. We've survived this long for a reason."
Silver's eyes narrowed slightly. "They respect you. All of them."
"Being charismatic matters," Giovanni replied. "Fear can erode, hate can be weaponized. But respect? It roots itself."
He leaned forward. "Have you thought about the type of agents you want? The ones who'll follow you?"
Silver took his time before answering. "I want four. That was the plan. But I want only one for now. A personal agent for myself."
Giovanni's brow lifted. "You want a right hand."
"Exactly," Silver confirmed. "I want someone who answers only to me. No conflicting loyalties. No long history with Rocket politics. Someone clean. From scratch. Someone who can grow into the position."
Giovanni leaned back, thoughtful. "What are the requirements?"
Silver listed them out in order, like a checklist he'd already prepared.
"Extreme background checks. Zero known family. No records of betrayal or manipulation. Preferably someone young, someone adaptable. Orphaned would be ideal. If they come from nothing, then they'll understand loyalty when given everything."
Giovanni rubbed his chin slowly. "Like Matori."
Silver nodded. "Exactly like her. Quiet. Clean. Disciplined. Someone I can trust with my life, and who understands what it means to protect a secret."
A low silence fell. Giovanni finally tapped his phone. A single encrypted message.
Moments later, the door hissed open, and Matori entered without expression. She bowed to Silver, then passed a sleek black tablet to Giovanni.
"Candidate profiles as requested," she said.
"Display them," Giovanni ordered.
The main screen behind the desk lit up with four files, side by side. Three photos. Three names. Three young initiates. Tier 7. Recently recruited.
-------------------
INITIATE PROFILE: Code Name - CL12
Age: 15
Hometown: Pewter City (Outer Zone)
Tier: 7 (Initiate)
Pokémon: None
Background: Abandoned young and raised in Pewter's group shelters. No registered name. Entered Rocket's orphan pipeline at age 13 after breaking up a mugging. Attended internal orientation and requested field duty.
Traits: Quiet, watchful, highly obedient. Precise memory. Doesn't start fights but won't retreat. Craves direction. Shows no loyalty to Team Rocket yet but responds well to strong, clear leadership.
--------------------
INITIATE PROFILE: Codename – CL38
Age: 16
Hometown: Lavender Town
Tier: 7 (Initiate)
Pokémon: None
Background: Survived a house fire that killed her parents. Lived in an orphanage before getting kicked out at 14, then moved to Vermilion to work warehouse tech. Detained after bypassing PokéMart systems and rerouting supplies. Recruited for her tech aptitude.
Traits: Analytical, quiet, independent. Prefers observation over talk. Values honesty and respect over commands. Potential tech and infiltration specialist.
--------------------------
INITIATE PROFILE: Codename – CL52
Age: 14
Hometown: Saffron City (South District)
Tier: 7 (Initiate)
Pokémon: None
Background: Grew up in slums. Known pickpocket and smuggler. Caught by scouts during a stolen Pokéball operation and recruited before formal charges were filed. Choose Team Rocket over reform centres.
Traits: Fast-talking, bold, and impulsive. Good under pressure. Distrustful of authority unless earned. Has leadership potential but only respects power.
---------------------
Giovanni turned to Silver. "Well?"
Silver didn't hesitate. "The first one."
"Not a bad choice," Giovanni quickly agreed seeing his background and traits.
"Does he have a Pokemon?"
Matori who heard this quickly interjected and gave some information. Initiates didn't have started and were still doing menial tasks so people like CL12 still were sweeping the floors.
Oh well.
"I want to give him a Pokemon personally and recruit him. Do you have a Nidoran male?"
Giovanni hearing this got a glint in his eyes realising what his son was trying to do. What would be better to get loyalty than personally putting a word in? "I'll have Matori get one from the new batches..."
Silver said nothing, but the slight dip of his head was enough.
...
Later that afternoon, Silver followed Tyson through another wing of the complex. Unlike the rest of Rocket HQ, this area looked almost sterile. A training centre for new initiates. No insignia. No rank markings. Just white walls, soft lighting, and the quiet sounds of drills.
Tyson stopped at a windowed observation bay and pointed toward a sparring room.
Inside, a thin teenager with shaggy black hair was methodically folding uniforms beside a laundry cart. Despite the mundane task, he moved with care, double-checking every crease and fold.
"That's him," Tyson confirmed. "No friends. No alliances. He doesn't speak unless spoken to. Refuses to accept handouts. Cleans the room every night without being asked."
"Perfect, tell him to come."
They met in one of the empty Rocket prep rooms. Low light, metallic walls, nothing but the hum of power flowing behind the panels.
The boy stood still, back straight, hands at his sides. He didn't look nervous. Just… waiting.
Silver studied him. Short black hair, thin from undernourishment, eyes shadowed by tired skin but sharp. Very sharp.
"Initiate," Silver asked.
The boy nodded once. "Yes, sir."
"I'm not your 'sir.'" Silver reached into his coat, pulling out a black Poké Ball. "My name is Silver."
There was no reason to hide his name as it will be known in the future. Unfortunately the boy said nothing.
Silver stepped forward, close enough to see every scar on his knuckles. "You have been with Rocket long?"
"Three weeks. Orientation. Cleaning duty. Watching training drills."
"You like watching?"
"I remember everything I see." He responds, which caught his interest with the memory skill.
"Good." Silver held up the Poké Ball. "You want a starter?"
There was a pause, the boy's eyes flicking to the ball, then back to Silver. "I wasn't cleared."
"I'm clearing you."
He pressed the button, and with a hum of red light, the Nidoran appeared, small, and alert, its violet hide scarred from previous sparring. It flared its ears, glancing between the two boys.
The boy blinked.
Silver didn't say anything more. He simply extended the Poké Ball toward him.
The boy hesitated. His hands trembled just a little as he reached out and took it.
"What's the catch?" he asked, voice barely audible.
Silver looked him dead in the eyes. "Be mine. My shadow. No questions. No betrayal. You work in the dark, for me, always."
The silence stretched.
Then the boy did something unexpected. He straightened taller. Not much, but enough to show he understood.
"Yes," he said. After a second he gets on his knees as mutters. "Please."
The 15-year-old child almost begs saying the latter word, tears threatening to leave his eyes.
A moment passed. The Nidoran stepped closer to its new partner, sniffing his leg. The boy knelt and touched its head gently. It realised its situation and didn't resist at all.
"Do you have a name?" The kid just shook his head,
"Well, you do now, I'll give you a name. It will be Phil, Phil Coulson."
'Son of Coul,' Silver thought in amusement.
The boy no, Phil Coulson now nodded slowly, the smallest flicker of something human in his otherwise flat expression.
A light in his eyes.
Now with a name of his own.