At the beginning of the year, Lance and Giovanni had agreed to work together.
Lance would provide Giovanni with news of Silver and serve as a bridge of communication between them.
In return, Giovanni would help him wipe out the Pokémon Hunters. The two had hit it off immediately.
It wasn't that Giovanni hadn't tried contacting Silver, but Silver left him on read every time.
Clearly, Silver still hadn't entirely worked through his issues and had yet to give Giovanni any response.
But that was already a decent outcome.
Silver used to talk about destroying Team Rocket. At least now, he was taking a fresh look at Giovanni and Team Rocket.
Previously, Silver had expressed a desire to become an Investigator.
However, Lance had told him that becoming an Investigator wasn't so simple. He would have to pass an exam.
Lance also wanted to use this to test Silver's resolve and see whether he was suited to being an Investigator.
The result was clear.
Capable and possessed of a strong moral compass, Silver was a natural fit for the job.
His past experiences had also made him exceptionally good at disguising himself.
After careful consideration, Lance had chosen to let Silver join the Investigators.
Lance hadn't sought Giovanni's opinion on the matter.
Before Silver was Giovanni's son,
he was his own person.
He should decide his own path in life.
Perhaps Giovanni had realized this too, because he hadn't said anything about Lance letting Silver become an Investigator without consulting him.
July 13.
Jubilife Breeding Center.
The night before, Li Wei had received word from Lance that Hunter J might be about to make a move.
In the time since the incident at the Solaceon Ruins ended,
the Investigators led by Lucian and Falkner had partnered with Team Rocket