№⓭

He perked up at the possibility of another place to sleep. By this point, he was willing to sleep on top of the Absol and Carmilla, even if that meant never waking up again. If what Giovanni said about the Persian was true, those two together could probably form their own Team Rocket…

"Oh, Arceus, thank you, thank you! I had a feeling you didn't sleep here since that couch can't possibly fit you and that massive Pokemon, but I didn't want to pry, oh thank you!"

Now it was Grimsley's turn to smirk. Sure, it was a bit direct for his taste, but he had a good feeling about this. And whenever he had a good feeling about something, everything came up roses for everyone involved. Or it all went terribly, terribly wrong. In this case, it was hopefully the former.

He mirrored Will's pose, chin in his hand and everything, and looked straight into Will's eyes. Er, where his eyes were behind the mask.

This guy took over the company? Grimsley was always under the assumption that Giovanni was the only leader. How old was this organization? And why hadn’t he heard of it sooner?

He perked up at the possibility of another place to sleep. By this point, he was willing to sleep on top of the Absol and Carmilla, even if that meant never waking up again. If what Giovanni said about the Persian was true, those two together could probably form their own Team Rocket...

With the memories of his past in his mind, Will left Grimsley’s, deciding not to push things too far. No doubt the other was quite embarrassed and flustered, and it wouldn’t bode well to keep pushing. Not just yet, anyway.

"Uh, yeah, hang on, let me just... Here."

Still bright red, he fumbled around in his pocket, then pulled out a few coins and passed it to Scrafty, who shoved them down his own pouch pocket. He then straightened out his jacket and slicked his hair back. He didn't want to make his new friend seem like he was uncomfortable being visited mentally.

"And if you want to go shopping, I'm all for it! I know some great shops around Driftveil, and if you want to, we can just cross the bridge into Nimbasa for some..."

Some... Gambling? No, not that. What was in Nimbasa besides that...?

"Wow. I expected someone… Older. And nowhere near as handsome, that’s for sure! I mean, what you did was wrong, yeah, but at least you looked stylish doing it."

"I’m surprised you didn’t add shorter to that list as well", he was aware that he wasn’t nearly as tall as most men or his mother, a source of annoyance in his teenaged years, "I took over the team when I was younger than most people assume"

This guy took over the company? Grimsley was always under the assumption that Giovanni was the only leader. How old was this organization? And why hadn't he heard of it sooner?

What if Will was reading his mind the whole time? WHAT IF HE WAS READING HIS MIND RIGHT NOW?! WHAT IF HE KNEW THAT HIS MASK LOOKS FREAKING AMAZING WITH THAT CRAVAT OR WHATEVER YOU CALL THAT THING ON HIS NECK?!

However, this was not the cause for his smirk. Rather, it was the reactions and thoughts that went through the other’s mind.

As the reality of his psychic abilities set in to Grimsley, a devilish gleam appeared in Will’s eyes, covered by his mask. Now was time to have a bit of fun.

His face turned redder than a sunburned Magmar and he pictured himself in a cravat-or-whatever-you-call-that-thing-around-Will's-neck, which would look quite cool if he had a suit more like Will's. His normal one/the only suit he owned was a little too minimalist for such a fancy accessory, but a second suit could lead to some interesting outfit combinations. He could also pick up some fancy underwear, too, if they were going to go shopping... And maybe some socks, too.

He was legitimately shocked. When he read up on Team Rocket's activities in Shauntal's library, most of the parts about Giovanni made him sound like a stereotypical mafia don, not this guy whose office he somehow wound up in.

"Carmilla? Really? That book was great! Kind of short, but I liked it. Also, I’m Grimsley Roche. Pleasure to meet you~!"

"It is interesting, isn’t it? There’s a gym leader in Johto who inherited his gym from his father, yet another example of the family business thing~" Said gym leader was also competing in this tournament. "Yes, Lance is our Champion after giving up his position as head of the Elite Four. He’s not a bad boss, but he’s way too serious sometimes," Will said, pulling a face. Too much work made one a killjoy. "Agreed. His cousin, Clair, runs the gym in Blackthorn City." And she, like her cousin, was quite intimidating and scary at times. However, Will enjoyed her company. "She is easily on par with us, to be honest…"

It was then that Will noticed the pokemon dropping sodas off to him, causing Will to smile. He had not seen such a pokemon before and wondered what type it was. As it sat next to Grimsley, Will knew it was a dark type of some fashion, but he couldn’t help but think it was part fighting as well. He wondered if Bruno would like having one.

Deciding that he wanted to put on a small show, Will levitated the bottle into the air, his eyes focusing intently on it as the soda bottle obtained a light blue glow around it. Soon after, the cap began to unfasten itself, falling to the table with a ‘clink’ shortly after.

What if Will was reading his mind the whole time? WHAT IF HE WAS READING HIS MIND RIGHT NOW?! WHAT IF HE KNEW THAT HIS MASK LOOKS FREAKING AMAZING WITH THAT CRAVAT OR WHATEVER YOU CALL THAT THING ON HIS NECK?!

"Carmilla? Really? That book was great! Kind of short, but I liked it. Also, I'm Grimsley Roche. Pleasure to meet you~!"

Seeing this betrayal, Grimsley sat down on the floor and fell onto his side.

He grabbed the Luxury Ball out of his pocket, and sent out his Absol.

He grabbed the Luxury Ball out of his pocket, and sent out his Absol.

"An Empoleon? I haven’t seen one of those around."

He tapped his chin in thought.