Punk Rocket

The executive smiled a little, before looking back at Sabriel.

"As much as my job allows me," Archer said, his voice tight, "Feuer doesn’t get much play time, unfortunately. I’ve been thinking about trying to get him a friend."

But, with whatever happened with that Victrebell, he didn’t want to risk having a yellow Poke’mon at all. Perhaps a water Poke’mon? He wanted something practical though. Houndour and Houndooms were perfect for him. Great, loyal canines that behaved almost exactly like any dog with the exception of the whole fire-breathing thing.

"For a long time all I had was my Doduo. Now I got a couple of new pokemon and they like hanging out together." Her Zubat was especially fond of the Doduo, often perching on him. Her Cubone wasn't as affectionate, but didn't mind playing with the others. "It's good for them."

Tik-Tak ran up to meet Feuer as he walked back, then ran in circles around the hound before he finally leaped up into the air. Long legs propelled the pokemon up, and if Tik-Tak hadn't been careful he would have bumped his head against the stone ceiling. The bird landed lightly, with only a quiet tap tap of is clawed feet. The bird's heads chattered, asking how high the Houndoom could jump.

"Don’t fucking call me that", he said through gritted teeth. On instinct he looked around sharply for anyone who might have heard, but it seemed they were alone. He turned his glare back to Sabriel.

Seemed she had hit a nerve, though Sabriel didn't know that Silver was worried about a different connection besides the one she had made with him and Ariana. Sabriel had only heard about, but had never seen, Boss Giovanni. So for her he was more like a shadow waiting in the darkness of the headquarters rather than an actual person. The thought that Silver was his son never crossed her mind.

She stared at the pokemon Silver released. A strange, floating... fish, eel, thing? Sabriel had never seen anything like it. Ah well, might as well get this started with her weakest pokemon, it needed the training anyways.

Sabriel took out her own pokeball and released the Zubat within it. The little bat pokemon fluttered in front of Sabriel, spinning around in search of her Doduo friend. Instead she saw the strange pokemon by the other human, and realized this was a battle. Vesper chattered noisily, and hovered in front of Sabriel as she awaited a command.

"Ladies first, hm? Start off with Astonish, Vesper!"

The Zubat folded in its wings and dove at Silver's Tynamo. Vesper pulled up in front of her opponent, wings flapping and buffeted Tynamo's face with wing slaps to flinch it.

He frowned his usual frown, looking at her a moment longer before looking down at the hound as he came trotting back, ball in his mouth and tongue lolling out from between his teeth. Feuer dropped the ball and kicked it towards Tik-Tak, staring at it. It seemed that since his old friend was alright around this woman and her companion, the Poke’mon was going to play a little nicer.

The thin tail swung back and forth, and Archer patted him on the head. 

The majority of Sabriel's life had been limited to Kanto. Even when the train station in Saffron opened Sabriel's visits to Johto were limited to Goldenrod and its northern neighbor, Mahogany Town. Now that she was free from her home, along with the freetime (and money) working with the slowed down Team Rocket had given her, it allowed her to venture out and see more than she had before.

Tik-Tak's head chirped happily as Feuer kicked the ball towards him. He stopped the ball with his foot and picked it up in the beak of one of the heads. The ball was dropped, and as it bounced up the other head caught it within its beak. The exchange happened twice more before Tik-Tak tossed the ball for Feuer to chase after.

He listened to the beginning of her argument, bristling, opening his mouth to interrupt her and say that he didn’t need those things, that he was getting along just fine living out in the woods— but the fugitive comment hurt him more than he would have expected. He deflated. Was that really the connotation this lifestyle that suited him so well had? That of a common criminal?

As Sabriel leaned in closer to him, glaring, he cringed and shrunk back away from her, as if he expected her to strike him. When she did not, he regained some of his courage.

"Maybe not, but… life always presents us with options— and choice. This decision to join Team Rocket was no one else’s but your own." He scowled irritably at her for a moment, only to suddenly avert his eyes toward the ground instead as he continued to speak rapidly. “There was a time when I had a great deal of wealth at my disposal, but it did not make me happy. It did not make my life any better. I prefer living like… ‘some kind of fugitive’. Nature provides me with what I need, and this world of mine is as real as yours! And my own ‘record’ certainly isn’t spotless, yet… I find people that accept me, people that offer me help despite my faults. I do work that suits the purpose I have found for myself."

When he had undergone a job search, he had found it inspiring to meet people that valued him for skills that had frightened and repelled his own parents. Of course, he, true to his “child of Pokemon" title, had no written record to speak of. But he thought the acceptance his employers had given him hopeful all the same.

She had a little trouble listening to N's rapid speech, but she managed to keep up.

"You're right. It was my choice." She said as she stood up, prompting Tik-Tak to stand as well. The Doduo looked between the two, an expression of worry on its faces as it whistled softly at Sabriel. The pokemon's quiet plea for Sabriel not to be upset were ignored as she continued.

"Isn't that good for you. How nice it must have been for things to go so swell for you. Lucky you." She growled. "Don't you think I've tried to get some other work? Fate, or whatever nonsense you might believe in, hasn't been so generous to the rest of us."

Sabriel ignored N's question about her other skills. "Come on, Tik-Tak, let's go. We're done here, I'm getting tired of this." She turned from the young man whose name she never bothered to learn and began to walk away.

While Sabriel didn't have any big opinions on the Executives, she did prefer Ariana over the rest. There was a bit of comfort in knowing there was a female of high rank that Sabriel could report to. If this kid really was her son, she didn't want to get on Ariana's bad side because she punched him.

"How can you bear helping them when you know very well what they do? Does it not pain you to think of Tik-Tak being subjected to the same treatment as those Pokemon?"

His tone remained forcibly calm, but the anger was evident in his eyes. “I don’t understand this value so many place on money. To think that you would put aside your values and put your partner at risk for something like that…"

But money was an objective for so many; it was just another societal concept he had been spared from. Given all those people that felt the same way, it must have been reasonable on some level. But N still couldn’t understand.

"And your father can’t force you to be anything," he added with a sudden sharpness, the evenness of his tone slipping. “Tik-Tak told me you ran away from him, so he can’t tell you what to do or be anymore. There are always choices— You could… You could learn new skills! It isn’t fair that they would judge you based on some… record— There must be something else!"

As she listened to him Sabriel felt her own anger staring to build up. This guy didn't understand. How did he not get it? Was he raised under a rock?

"You don't get it. Do you?" Sabriel scoffed. "I don't know where you come from or how you were raised, but let me tell you something about the real world. If you want to live like any other person, you need money, everyone needs money. I'm not talking to use it on fancy useless stuff, I mean just to get by. Food costs money, housing costs money, clothes cost money, everything. So unless you want to live out in the woods like some kind of fugitive you're going to need money." 

He pulled his knees to his chest and settled his chin atop them, continuing to stare forward as he tried to calm himself.

"I stand by what I said. We're partners." She placed a hand on each of Doduo's heads. "I can rely Tik-Tak, more than I could my own family. Didn't I say that already?"

"Team Rocket," he repeated quietly. He heaved a sigh and raked his fingers through his hair. He had been told over and over when he was younger that Team Rocket was a feeble organization that had been disbanded. And yet, he continued to encounter members of it.

Even worse, members of it that he allowed himself to become fond of.

"I know," he told the Doduo. “I’m not angry with you— or her. It’s only…" He looked over at Sabriel. She was a bit crass, but she was still so nonchalant; he didn’t find her very threatening at all. And there was that strong bond she had with her Pokemon…

"It doesn’t make sense," he stated. True to his word, he wasn’t angry, only confused— maybe a little sad. He kept his eyes on the woman, apparently addressing her now. “To follow and support a team that is against your own values… Why does that happen?"

"Hey buddy, chill, I'm not mad. He would have found out sooner or later." Sabriel sat up, and allowed Tik-Tak to sit down beside her and let him rest his heads on her lap.

"Feuer?" Archer’s voice drifted down the hallway.

His ears perked backwards, but he didn’t move away from Sabriel. This was their playground, not hers. His old friend approached him, standing a few feet behind. Archer sighed, staring down at his defiant Poke’mon. He was sure being a pain since they were attacked on their way to Goldenrod all those weeks ago.

"Feuer," he repeated, firmly.

This time, the Houndoom backed off, but instead of retreating to his master’s side, he circled around Sabriel to grab his ball before sitting behind Archer’s legs. For once, the executive was glad he’d dressed in plain clothes for their play date. He’d chosen an informal shirt and jeans. Nothing about him screamed Rocket, past his blue hair and temper that eluded him half the time now.

She looked up from the pokemon when she heard Archer's voice. There he was, and she felt she should have recognized him as well, but seeing Archer not in his uniform threw her off. She couldn't say she knew a lot of people with his particular shade of blue hair and eyes, but she had a hard time accepting that she just may have run into one of her superiors outside of base.

Tik-Tak backed away from the ball when Feuer moved to pick it up. It chirped and bobbed its heads, hoping the hound would be interested in playing with it.

When we went back to conversing with Tik-Tak, all hint of amusement in his tone disappeared. What kind of job would warrant anger from him? He didn’t believe Sabriel was a bad person; based on what Tik-Tak said, she was a good one… So what could it be? He tried to remind himself to keep an open mind.

Tik-Tak's heads bobbed again, still hesitant, but they did not keep N waiting. "Sabriel works for Team Rocket." They squeaked. Then they glanced at Sabriel as if to check if she understood what they said, but their trainer did not stir.

He let Tik-Tak continue, bowing his head a little in apparent shame. But at least the Pokemon was still optimistic.

"Thank you!" Said both heads in reply when N commended them.

It was then that Tik-Tak hesitated. They knew Team Rocket weren't good people. Technically Sabriel wasn't a "good person" either even if she was good to them. But she did bad things because she had to. They remembered her explaining it once, that she had to continue to do bad things because good people wouldn't let her work at their jobs. 

"Do you promise"