BONUS CHAPTER: The power stones have been generous as of late so I appreciate the support. I've been looking forward to this chapter for a while so enjoy!
The battle had become far more intense than Silas originally thought. Seviper was far more tenacious and crafty than anticipated.
Even still, Silas could sense the warrior spirit within his Pokémon. Ending this 1 on 1 to safely subdue Seviper with numbers would infuriate Monferno.
Their bond was deep but Silas knew if he did something like that, it would surely create a rift between them.
As such he hardened his resolve to see the battle through.
The blazing poison cloud wasn't safe for either Seviper or Monferno to navigate through so neither moved until it naturally cleared.
However, Seviper hadn't been idle. When the smoke appeared, he immediately began to use Coil. His body was wrapped up like a spring, poised to strike at any time.
The problem with Coil was that it sharpened a Pokémon's instincts temporarily and boosted physical attributes. Seviper's attack, defense, and accuracy were boosted by 1 stage.
Without waiting for a command, Monferno charged flames into his fist and lunged at Seviper.
From the coiled position, Seviper launched itself at Monferno and struck using Poison Tail.
Now with boosted attack, he had the advantage. The clash sent Monferno reeling back and at the same time Seviper shot a Gunk Shot into his chest.
"Monferno, use Psych Up."
Monferno stared intently at his opponent and copied the stat boosts.
Surprisingly, Seviper didn't try to stop him. He was actually looking at Monferno with a mocking stare.
They soon learned why. Seviper released a dense amount of smoke from its mouth around Monferno and the boosts he just gained faded.
Seviper was a master tactician to employ Haze so fast. Monferno didn't even get the chance to take advantage of its increased stats before they were taken away.
"Monferno, use Mach Punch and Fire Punch together."
Monferno flashed to Seviper's side and connected with his flaming and glowing fist.
He flashed again and this time appeared on the other side of Seviper and struck with the same combination punch.
"Monferno, use Flamethrower."
Seviper sliced through the blue flames charging at it with a sharp Poison Tail.
They began to clash once again with Fire Punch and Poison Tail. Initially Monferno was losing ground but once the effects of Coil faded, Seviper began to take more damage and thus began to fall behind.
However, it wasn't a Pokémon to be underestimated.
Monferno threw a Fire Punch and Seviper slithered around it before wrapping around Monferno and chomping down using Poison Fang.
He finally broke through the aura defenses and Monferno was now badly poisoned. The battle now had a countdown.
"Monferno, stay calm. We are still in control of this fight. You can do this."
With his trainer's reassuring words, Monferno didn't let the pressure get to him and managed to keep a cool head despite the mounting danger.
In fact, Monferno became far calmer than before. Silas could sense the quality of its aura shifting and condensing.
The pressure had tempered Monferno instead of breaking him.
He erupted with an explosive outburst of power, startling Seviper momentarily.
He suddenly vanished with a loud boom and reappeared infront of Seviper and struck with a spinning Mega Kick from above. The attack sent Seviper crashing into the ground but it got up immediately and hissed furiously.
"Monferno, infuse your aura power into Flame Wheel."
Monferno coated himself in blue flames and became a wheel of flames rolling at high speed toward Seviper.
Seviper had a resolute look in its eyes. Silas noticed that its tail end was glowing purple but much brighter than before and it was slowly growing.
He realized it was building power for a destructive attack.
Seviper swung his tail and met the charging Monferno. The clash created a huge explosion sending rocks and debris everywhere.
When the smoke from the collision finally cleared, Monferno stood victorious while Seviper was unconscious and burnt.
Monferno threw his head back and roared triumphantly to the heavens.
At that moment, Silas felt Monferno's Aura begin to surge violently as white light erupted from his body.
"Shit, not now of all times."
Silas immediately recognized the signs of evolution.
While it was undoubtedly a blessing, evolving out in the open was far from ideal. It was always preferable to evolve within a secure area, but the intensity of the battle had triggered a level up.
If a Pokémon naturally entered the evolution process and it was forcibly interrupted, its level would drop. In some cases, it could even lose the opportunity to evolve altogether.
Without hesitation, Silas tossed the prepared Evolution Potion toward Monferno.
He had long since prepared evolution potions for Monferno, Electabuzz, and Frogadier.
As Monferno's Aura continued surging violently, Silas briefly found himself at a loss.
Hermes' calm voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"The incoming energy surge will be beneficial to both of you. I estimate it will be similar to when Eevee evolved into Espeon. Only you and your companion, Jason, will be able to benefit. You can absorb and assimilate the excess energy released during Monferno's evolution."
Hearing this, Silas immediately sprang into action. He hurried over and called Jason.
After quickly explaining the situation, Jason's eyes gleamed with anticipation. It was an opportunity to increase his own strength. Anyone would react that way.
Once everything was prepared, Monferno fully embraced the evolution.
A dense pillar of Aura erupted from his body.
Silas immediately had Politoed contain the overflowing energy with Psychic.
The excess energy needed to be absorbed as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the brilliant light would attract unwanted attention.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Pokémon stood guard while keeping a close eye on the remaining Seviper. Now that their king had essentially become Silas' prisoner, none of them dared make a move.
Silas and Jason desperately absorbed the overflowing energy. He could feel the dense and powerful energy entering his body and relished the experience.
It was hard at first but Silas slowly adapted to the rich energy. He soon comfortably pulled the energy into himself.
Only after an hour did the violent surge finally subside.
The remaining energy surrounding Monferno condensed into a cocoon of blazing flames.
That state continued for a full 2 days.
The Seviper were extremely unhappy but had to bear with it with Politoed and his tribe cautiously watching their every move. Outside of grabbing food, they weren't allowed to move.
During that time, Silas and Jason continuously refined the excess energy they had absorbed.
Both made serious progress. This was a tremendous opportunity for aura users. It was a pity that Jessie and James weren't compatible with aura power otherwise Spartan would have experienced a qualitative leap today.
Jason's personal strength reached the point where he could contend with Pokémon near the peak of the intermediate tier.
Silas' own combat ability advanced to the point where he could contend with early pseudo-advanced Pokémon.
With this kind of strength, he could move around with more security in his heart.
With the assistance of his various enhancements, he could push even beyond that.
Finally, the cocoon completely solidified and a moment later, it exploded apart.
The Pokémon standing in its place looked like a more mature and imposing version of Monferno.
Flames crowned his head like a living halo, flickering with fierce intent as his amber eyes burned with untamed confidence.
Infernape stood upright with a steady posture. His body was lean and muscular, covered in orange and white fur accented with gold around his shoulders and knees.
His expression remained calm.
His steady eyes quietly surveyed his surroundings.
Silas smiled.
"Congratulations, partner. You've reached your mature form. You're my height now."
"Now that I'm the strongest, I think we should trade roles. I wanna give commands too. Go Silas, use Aura Sphere!"
Silas rolled his eyes but considering the moment went along with it.
"That's not a bad idea. As long as you can defeat Politoed and his 2 guards, I can agree."
Hearing the playful joking of his new pokemon, Silas was filled with emotion.
Despite the massive boost to its power, Infernape was still the same mischievous Pokemon he remembered.
Pride filled Silas' heart. He had raised Infernape from birth and witnessed every difficult step of his journey.
Monferno, now Infernape was Silas' closest friend in the Pokémon world. Their bond was unshakable.
Silas immediately scanned his newly evolved partner.
Infernape (M) — Level 48
Ability: Flame Aura
Potential: A-
Moves: Rank A Aura Sphere, Rank B Flame Wheel, Rank B Taunt, Rank B Shadow Claw, Rank B Vacuum Wave, Rank B Mach Punch, Rank B Flamethrower, Rank B Acrobatics, Rank B Cut, Rank B Strength, Rank B Protect, Rank B Psych Up, Rank B Fire Punch, Rank B Thunder Punch, Rank B Iron Tail, Rank B Mega Kick, Rank C Fire Spin, Rank C Flare Blitz, Rank C U-Turn, Rank C Facade, Rank C Punishment, Rank C Torment, Rank C Slack Off
The evolution pushed Infernape up another level.
He now stood only 2 levels away from officially entering the advanced tier.
"Infernape, ignite your Aura. Let's see the upper limit of your power."
Blue Aura immediately enveloped Infernape's body and the flame on its head turned a royal deep blue.
The pressure radiating from him was now close to Politoed's.
Before this evolution, Infernape would have needed to fight very carefully if the two ever battled and victory was impossible.
Now, they truly stood as peers. Silas couldn't help but marvel at how far he had come.
He had only been a Pokémon Trainer for nearly a year and yet everything had changed.
Joining Team Rocket had been the best decision he had ever made.
The constant danger had forced both him and his Pokémon to grow at a pace few others could match.
His growth now rivaled or surpassed the prodigies of Pallet Town, such as Ash and Gary.
By the time this trial ended, he might even surpass them.
Whenever Silas reflected on his own progress, one Pokémon always came to mind.
Tangrowth.
Back then, he lacked the strength to avenge his fallen friend. After this trial, that would no longer be true.
Jaden and the Blade Lotus Gang would have to count their days soon enough.
A wicked grin slowly spread across Silas' face.
He had already begun planning the next phase of his journey.
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Thanks for the continued support on my first fanfic!!
Moving forward, every 50 Power Stones, I will release a bonus chapter.
I will also be releasing bonus chapters for milestones. The next ones are 300k views and chapter 200.
Finally, I will be releasing 3 extra chapters once we reach 10 reviews. 5 star reviews are appreciated but not required, I want honest feedback so I can improve.
Once again, thanks for all the support and feedback!