*~~*Chapter Twenty-Five: Bait or Benefit?: Silver's Viewpoint*~~*
The contents of my apprentice's folder continued to bother my mind as I pulled her away from a crowd of admiring grunts and headed towards my private battlefield. My apprentice knows the Champion of Johto? Of all of the people in the world this mouse could know, she knows that guy? A sudden grin found a place on my face as we continued to walk down the hall to the elevator.
Your apprentice has higher connections, eh? The small voice returned, whispering in a shaded corner of my mind. What a pleasant surprise this is. You can use this to your advantage, Silver. This is one of the best things that could possibly happen when you took in a lost Meowth.
Think of the possibilities! I stopped abruptly and jabbed the call button for the elevator as the voice gained an excited tone. My apprentice was currently babbling behind me, retelling her battle and going on and on about the girl she faced in battle. Her perky voice proved to be reduced to muffled background noise as my inner thoughts took centerstage.
You could use her for ransom if this doesn't work out for you. That brat's team of Pokémon is quite a prized collection of beasts, not to mention powerful. Or, if you require keeping the female brat behind you, you may use her as bait to lure the Champion out of his throne room and straight into your clutches. With that boy out of our way, regional and continental domination is a breath away!
"Sir?"
I jolted out of my thoughts as my apprentice tapped my shoulder. Feeling slightly irked by the contact, I whirled around and shot her a glare. "Don't touch me. That is the one thing that I cannot stand. Touch me again, apprentice," I sharpened my eyes into a glare as she looked up with wide eyes. "And you will soon learn the full extent of my wrath."
"Y-Yes sir," I mentally relished in the way she quivered and shrunk slightly at my threat. Unfortunately for me, some habits of the past leader had rubbed off on my own personality during my own apprenticeship. "But..."
"But what?" I spat out the words with hands tightened into fists. She gulped before pointing over her shoulder. I spun around and was quickly taken off-guard by the open elevator waiting for us. I straightened my tie with a clearing of my throat. I stood tall before waving her on with a sharp flick of my wrist.
"Well, get moving, apprentice. We don't have all day to just waste with trivial conversations and messing around." I dug my shoes into the floor of the machine with a frown as I scanned the elevator's long rows of numbers. My apprentice let out a quiet agreement before scurrying inside of the elevator doors and standing beside me. A sharp exhale escaped me as I located the seventy-fifth button on the control panel. I gave the small surface a quick stab.
The familiar chime rang out and soon the doors slipped shut in front of us.
This could be a great thing for you, Silver. The voice cautiously returned to speak once again as my apprentice rocked on her heels. You did well in taking in such a small, cowardly mouse into your organization. The girl may just prove to be police fodder for some later operation, but for now, she can be used as leverage against that dreaded Champion and his band of followers.
But she may turn out to be much more... A much quieter, more timid voice somehow found a place beside the venomous voice. I raised an eyebrow as I found the voice to somehow ring as familiar, but not so much as allowing me to place the voice. Familiar or not, the higher pitch continued to talk. This girl could be a great member of Team Rocket, Silver. If you give her a chance and train her, she could become one of your strongest operatives.
The elevator's doors unfolded to give us access to my personal wing once again, cutting off both voices before the stronger one could shoot back with a searing retort. I simply shook the mental warfare aside and slipped out of the doors with my apprentice on my heels.
No matter which way things turn out, My own voice rang in my ears, giving myself full control of my mind once again. This apprentice will be useful to me. Whether she proves to be bait or a Rocket, I will still come out on top.
I pressed the keypad to my personal arena and the doors eventually granted us access. With a quick glance over my shoulder to make sure that my apprentice was still following me, I headed straight inside of my beloved room of complicated machinery.
I will win either way, and that is what I want most of all.
Author's Note: A short chapter? Coming from the Illusion Of Insanity? Whoa, that's very unexpected, isn't it? Well, it was originally the beginning of the next chapter, but I quickly realized that the content worked better as a separate chapter rather than an introduction. Still, the next chapter will hopefully be done by the end of the week.
Ah, I'm dropping hints left and right and yet I still see no signs of recognition from you guys. /smirks evilly/ Remember how I warned you to keep an eye out a few chapters ago? Yeah, keep your eyes peeled. Review chapters if you must. There's a few hints (one of which is right under your nose) that I've been leaving that will point to something very big that will happen shortly. /patiently waits for someone to figure out that things are gonna go down very soon and hopes someone tries to figure stuff out in the reviews section/ (Man, I feel like an evil mastermind right about now with this one!)
What's this? Silver has a little voice in his head? That's a tad odd, no? Still, you might recall this one from Chapter Four: To Decide the Fate. Remember that little voice that gave Silver the good points of taking an apprentice under his wing? Yup, that's the same voice. We shall learn more about this voice later. As for the other one, the tiny voice in his head, we'll get a bit more on that further down the road. For now, your opinions and theories are what I live for!