The sky rumbled overhead as a storm began.
Small flecks of water fell and wet the ground but no one rushed to get undercover. Instead, we remained locked in place, all of us watching as Mewtwo floated above.Sabrina was the first to move, her hand beginning to glow as she and Alakazam locked their gazes upon Mewtwo."Mewtwo! Take her out before—" Giovanni started to order only for Sabrina to erupt as psychic energy exploded from her.Her gaze shone with light from within and her hair floated as her form was veiled in a pinkish aura."Mewtwo, we don't need to fight," Sabrina said both aloud and psychically, her hand reaching up to the Legendary pokemon as Mega-Alakazam appeared behind her.Mewtwo tilted his head, only for sections of his armour to shift around his helmet and darken in colouration as an electrical current raced across it. Giovanni glowered at Sabrina as he raised up his transceiver. "I gave you an order Mewtwo, destroy them!" he barked.Mewtwo's visor shifted about and took in everyone before both hands and channelled an attack into a powerful orb. I couldn't rightly recall what Sabrina had called this. A Psybomb?It fit as Mewtwo unleashed both attacks. One towards Sabrina and the other towards where Lorelei and Agatha stood.All three women responded to the threat instantly.From Agatha three Gengar shimmered into view alongside other ghost pokemon like Frosslas, Shedinja and Mismagius. All of them unleashed attacks of their own while Lorelei stabbed her hand forward.Her Ice-type pokemon met the oncoming Psybomb with Ice Beams.Sabrina, despite only having her own team of pokemon, unleashed a wave of Psybeams as other pokemon formed a wall of interlocking Barriers and Reflects.Both attacks detonated and caused the air to rock slightly."Bertha, Titan! Stone Edge!" I barked, deciding to make use of Mewtwo's focus on other people to launch an attack.With my other hand, I unleashed the last pokemon I had held in reserve for this moment.Empress emerged and roared, only for a wave of Golbat to be released by two of the Rocket Executives. They split apart only for both Rocket Executives to topple to the ground.The boulders that had been launched at Mewtwo were caught in a telekinetic grip and launched back merely for both Titan and Bertha to destroy them with a swing of their fists.I glanced about assessing the field, only to spot that the Golbat swarm was coming towards us. "Brace for—"My pokemon and I clutched at our ears in pain.I locked eyes with Giovanni and found him smirking at me.I growled and stabbed my hand forward, resulting in my Rock pokemon obliterating the Golbats out of the sky with extreme prejudice. Sanchez grinned and cackled maniacally as he launched a thunder straight into the sky, making the most of the wet conditions to spear the powerful electric attack straight into the midst of the Golbat swarm.Behind Giovanni, two of his executives staggered to their feet, their hands stuffing something into their mouths while they stood back up.I noted that the Executives made no move to return the downed pokemon, instead gesturing for their other pokemon to step forward.Hmmm... smart, if despicable. Without returning their pokemon they wouldn't get as much of a feedback shock to their auras. There'd still be some, but not the entire cost.Houndoom, Arbok, Weezing, Machoke, Hypno and other pokemon raised their heads and locked eyes with our pokemon."Hippodown! Go on the attack!" Giovanni shouted, shifting his attention from Mewtwo as Mewtwo shifted and fired another attack, now well and truly committed to the fight as Sabrina and Agatha's pokemon exchanged attacks with the Legendary.I snapped my head to the Sinnoh pokemon as it dove into the ground, and I hissed when I noted that Giovanni was looking at Sabrina. He knew she was the real threat here with her Mega-Alakazam and he was aiming to disrupt her as much as he could."Jorm! Intercept that pokemon!" I ordered.Jorm threw himself into the ground and vanished, beyond a shaking rumble throughout the earth.Giovanni wasn't being lax, however, as in the space of time I'd set up an intercept, he'd waved forward his Gliscor and his Torterra.I almost barked for Don to engage only to remember he wasn't here. "Empress! Blast that Gliscor!" I barked.I quickly shifted attention to the Torterra, my mind rolling through what options would be best as Empress unleashed a swarm of Stone Edges at Gliscor only for it to weave its way through with a cheeky grin."Brock! I can take those pokemon out! Take out the Rocket pokemon that keep blocking me!" Lorelei shouted as she sent forth her Weaville, Mamoswine, and Froslass to engage Giovanni's pokemon.Team Rocket instantly had Houndoom, Magmar and a Medicham out to intercept her.Then the Executives raised guns, and I felt my mind lurch.I'd heard the gunfire earlier, and Surge had even shot at me… once, but to see Team Rocket using them still weirded me out.It seemed wrong for a pokemon world to have firearms… but that didn't mean they didn't exist.Lorelei skipped behind her Lapras, who turned and let the bullets plink into his shell before he returned fire with a Hydro Pump.The attack was in turn blocked by an Arbok unleashing a Gunk Shot."Sanchez! Get in there! Dig Dip over to Lorelei's side" I shouted, deciding to follow Lorelei's lead.She was right; an Ice-type was exactly what we needed to keep Giovanni on his toes.It was the entire reason we'd brought her along for this raid after all.Still, it seemed Team Rocket had been playing keep away with Giovanni's pokemon inside the hangar, forcing exchanges that hadn't been in Lorelei's favour.It was impressive that Lorelei had still held her own.I made sure to step close to Bertha in case Team Rocket turned their pistols on me.I was relieved that they didn't seem to have anything bigger, like a machine gun.The barks of the guns were lost as Jormungandr emerged with the Hippodown caught in his jaws. "Steeeeeeeeel!" he roared triumphantly before throwing the Hippodown high."Blast it!" I ordered, more than happy to give Shrek a target.Giovanni hissed and quickly raised a Luxury ball to return his pokemon only to release it back at his side, although slightly worse for wear. He then raised a bottle of something and sprayed it onto his pokemon. He shot me a smirk, and I held in a snort.What was he expecting—me to cry foul? It was a clever move and showed he was aware of all his options.Jormungandr turned his head toward the rest of Team Rocket with a growl."Jorm! Iron Tail on that Arbok!" I said, sending Jorm into the fray. The pair of Houndoom who had been harassing Lorelei turned to roast him, only for Sanchez to emerge and slam the pair of the fire-dark type pokemon around.Sanchez swept his hand and created a safety zone with a Thunderwave that had Team Rocket's pokemon skipping back to evade, as Lorelei was able to return her focus to the other ground pokemon Giovanni favoured.This caused Team Rocket to scatter as Jormungandr and Sanchez drove into Team Rocket's pokemon, disrupting their formation.Jormungandr slammed into an Arbok, flattening it.Jormungandr then rose and unleashed a Dark Pulse to further stagger Team Rocket, only for a number of attacks to land as they regathered themselves.Jorm roared in pain as his mega-evolution began to fade, his body shrinking to what it was normally. I raised his pokeball and returned him, knowing he was on his last legs.Next to me, Link shook himself awake. His Rest finished.I toyed with the idea of returning Jormungandr to the field and using… wait, I didn't need to use Healing Wish if he was right here. Shit! I hadn't even considered using the recall function offensively, but then again it could be interrupted which would leave me in a horrible lurch.I pushed the thought away and released Jorm. I then pulled out a max potion and began spraying it over him. This time it was my turn to smirk at Giovanni as Jorm regathered his strength quickly. Still, I kept Jorm close to me and had him act as artillery, launching Stone Edges into Team Rocket's pokemon.I waved for Link to stand behind Bertha.He was one of the softer pokemon I had, and therefore might be another target for the Rocket Executives with their guns. I inspected him and made sure he wasn't fracking himself back too quickly but he seemed healthy.His steely-eyed gaze met mine and he nodded. "Fable!" he said. "Sanchez, fall back to Lorelei!" I shouted over the roars and rumbles of battle.Empress growled as Mewtwo evaded another Stone Edge from her. I decided to give Empress some more support."Bertha build up," I said quietly as Shrek intercepted a wave of what appeared to be Toxic headed our way.Mewtwo unleashed another attack, only this time the attack was met by a trio of Gengar, one of who was the giant known as Gengy that I equated to Agatha's starter.Shadowballs met the attack, and then the trio of Gengar zoomed in to close with Mewtwo, a glimmer of malicious intent in their eyes. They worked in tandem to weave in and out to pressure Mewtwo, forcing him back only for him to lash out in reply.Giovanni growled as a glow began to form up around Sabrina and her Alakazamfor them to fire a Psybeam and clip Mewtwo's leg who barely evaded the attack.Within the cluster of Team Rocket Executives, another pokemon was released.I eyed the Executive who had done so, he was looking extremely pale and was sweating profusely. Too much demand on his energy?How many pokemon had they used in this fight?The Exploud shook its head as it looked around only for the shaky Executive to direct it towards Sabrina. It grinned and hopped forward before inhaling a huge breath.It was about to roar.I stabbed my hand forward ready to disarm the threat, an order on the tip of my tongue.The command for Hyper Beam was on the tip of my tongue as a Raticate threw itself towards Agatha only for Froslass to dispatch it.Sabrina, however, was aware of the threat and was faster to neutralise it.Her Hypno raised its medallion, and its eyes flashed once. The Exploud choked on nothing and flinched.Ah, Disable. Nice call by Sabrina; short, sharp and to the point, allowing others the opportunity to clean up."Shrek, Hydro Pump," I said, deciding to commit to taking it out.Chances were it had another move that would be just as debilitating. I'd experienced a powerful Exploud shouting once, I had no desire to do it again.Shrek spat a trio of water balls, only for a Persian to leap in front of it and form a Protect. I growled in annoyance and whistled for Empress. "Empress, take out that Persian and the Exploud behind it!" I said.Empress snorted, inhaled, and then disgorged a lance of energy that smashed through the fading Protect, blowing away the Persian and the Exploud behind it.The Rocket Executive shuddered in pain but once again made no move to return the Exploud. I was surprised when Giovanni returned the downed Persian, a look of anger on his face. He handed something to his Nidoking and pointed in my direction.If he was anything like his game counterpart, I had a good idea what he'd just fed his pokemon as it suddenly sprinted towards me."Shrek! On the Nidoking!" I snapped. Shrek pivoted, unleashing a deluge of water at the approaching pokemon only for it to not be strong enough to deter the charging pokemon."Selene!" I said. Selene shifted around me and unleashed a Psybeam that rocked Nidoking.Titan, and Bertha stomped their feet in reply and caused the buckling to stop as they countered with an Earthquake of their own. Empress joined them a moment later, having regathered her energy from the earlier Hyper Beam.Nidoking groaned but still threw his fist into the ground, causing the earth to buckle underneath us, but it didn't have the strength to truly ruin our day.It collapsed onto its knees only to vanish in a red beam as Giovanni returned it to his side, before he released another pokemon in the form of Rhydon.I smirked at Giovanni as Lorelei nailed Giovanni's Gliscor, her eyes turned to me only to widen in fear."Brock!" Lorelei screamed."Protect!" I shouted out of instinct, not knowing what could spark the response but trusting that Lorelei had good reason for it. Jorm curled himself around me and formed a huge Protect.It turned out to be the right call as Mewtwo unleashed a Psybomb on me. I exhaled in relief behind the Protect. I hadn't even seen him targeting me.When we emerged, Lorelei had lost a few of her pokemon in the scant few moments I'd been unable to join the attack, and Sanchez was keeping a Houndoom away from others on Lorelei's team.Sabrina had seemingly dropped her desire to be diplomatic with Mewtwo as the sky filled with beam after beam chasing Mewtwo in an aerial display of acrobatics, only to be boxed in as Sabrina chained Future Sight with Psychic to force him to stand still for a moment.Another Rocket Executive was on their knees however, they were force-fed something. The man staggered to his feet but looked strained.I frowned. Some sort of substance or aura aid?A Fire Blast soared towards my team only for Cypher to form a Barrier that delayed the attack long enough for another pokemon to blow it away. Shrek counter-attacked and slammed a Houndoom back.It figures Team Rocket would possess a substance like that. There must be some serious consequences to using it if it wasn't widespread. It seemed to be one of the only things keeping them in this fight.I noted that Giovanni was pointedly not using it, instead weathering his lost pokemon and not releasing anymore beyond what I assumed had to be an unsafe limit.Another Psybomb was unleashed only for it to be Lorelei's turn to snap out a quick Protect order. Sanchez skipped back in time to be included in the bubbles of Protect instead of being left out to dry."Brock, are you alright?" said Koga from behind me.I huffed. "Fine and dandy, almost got caught out," I said, waving a hand up at Mewtwo. "Where are your pokemon? We kinda need all hands on deck here," I said pointedly.Koga grimaced. "My pokemon took quite a lot of damage during Agatha and Lorelei's push through the hangar. I am loath to hold them back, but I need to use them wisely. They do not have much strength remaining," he said with a worried look on his face."Oh, sorry," I said.Koga waved the apology away. "I am going to have my pokemon attack from the other side. I need you to create an opening. Giovanni has been keeping his Nidoking and Nidoqueen close to him."I glanced from my spot around Bertha and spotted what Koga was talking about. For all that Giovanni was sending out his pokemon to fight he made sure to keep one of the pair near him to act as a guard."Gengar pull back!" Agatha suddenly shouted.Two of her pokemon were quick enough, while the third stayed in close to sweep glittering fingers across Mewtwo's armoured form.Mewtwo ignored the gouge that formed in his armour, an electrical spark lashing out and catching Gengar by surprise only to be followed up by Mewtwo unleashing a close-range Psybeam.The small Gengar had enough time to realise it had made a huge mistake as it saw the Psybeam coming for it.Just before it was hit, it was suddenly grabbed by Gengy and pulled out of danger."Gengy!" Agatha cried, as what had to be her starter pokemon took a powerful blow that sent it soaring away. It landed and rolled over itself before coming to a rest against the wall of the hangar where it braced itself and struggled to a kneeling position.That smoke coming off him was bad.Agatha shot it a worried glance as it quivered and shook, trying and failing to stand only to fall as more smoke poured off it.Damn, if that had been Agatha's strongest pokemon I didn't want to know what would have happened if the smaller Gengar had taken the hit."Ha! Nice work," one of the Rocket Executives barked, revealing the Hypno standing next to him wearing a smug look while its medallion glinted.Ah, I thought as things clicked into place. They'd disrupted Agatha's coordination with Confusion. They must have been waiting for this.They'd wanted to take out one of Agatha's Gengar and taken out her strongest, because for all its snark and menace, it, like Agatha, was a great team player.The Rocket Executives cheered and redoubled their attacks causing me to duck slightly as my pokemon absorbed and counter-attacked.Hmmm if Team Rocket were reacting this strongly from taking out Gengy, how would they react if Gengy got back into the fight?I whistled, and Agatha glanced in my direction, her pokeball for Gengy raised.I then waved a hand towards Link, making a sign for 'switch' that we'd worked out during a Guardian training session.She frowned but didn't question me, she merely waved her hand."Link, don't resist the switch. Heal up that Gengar then get back into the fight as fast as you can," I said, my gaze shifting to Mewtwo who was firing another blast towards Lorelei.The attack shot towards Lorelei's Glaceon.Sadly the small pokemon was unable to escape or block the attack, instead being slammed into the ground where it struggled to get up. Lorelei returned her pokemon to her side where she sprayed some potion onto it, to keep it in the fight.Meanwhile, Sabrina dispatched a number of Houndoom being sent at her.Team Rocket really weren't giving her the breathing room to interact with Mewtwo, were they?Behind me, Link vanished, and I stiffened as something eldritch appeared behind me. I glanced back and found a Shedinja staring into my eyes."Got 'em on the ropes now!" shouted one of the Rocket Executives. I frowned at that but hid a smirk as a flash of light appeared on top of Gengy, only to vanish as he absorbed the light.Gengy, Agatha's strongest pokemon, arose as Link dropped to his hands and knees.Gengy spared Link a single glance, his red eyes glistening with malevolent intent as he turned his gaze upon Team Rocket only to vanish as he became a shadow."Bertha… charge in with Impact Driver, Selene step forward," I said, deciding to force Team Rocket's attention onto me, to give everyone else some breathing room."Koga, get ready," I said.Bertha charged forward, arm raised high and vibrating with built-up power. The scream of tortured rock grinding causing Team Rocket to turn."Don't let that pokemon close!" Giovanni shouted.Instantly, a huge swarm of Team Rocket's pokemon shifted attention towards Bertha, only for Mewtwo to gesture and a Psychic to build up around Bertha and lift her off her feet.I didn't hesitate in withdrawing Bertha like Giovanni had done earlier; I wasn't going to let her be knocked out. Another max potion was used as Team Rocket began to cheer for themselves.I smirked, and Giovanni's grin faltered.Despite not getting her attack off, she'd achieved her purpose.Unlike our group, who had some rudimentary knowledge of how to trade and shift focus as a team thanks to training with Agatha, Team Rocket had all turned their attention to the singular threat.In that lapse, the others struck.Lorelei stabbed her hand forward, and a blistering wave of Ice Beams were unleashed slamming into Torterra and Marowak.Gengy appeared before the Hypno that had confused his fellow Gengar and grinned.Hypno had all of a moment to stumble back in shock before Gengy lunged through Hypno with Shadow Punch.Hypno crumpled to the ground as though Gengy had ripped something out.The executives had all of a moment to realise the threat in their midst. "What? No! We took that pokemon out!" cried one of them in despair. Gengy's smile merely grew before he exploded with Dark Pulse.Gengy then shot into the air, a vengeful glint in his eyes, as he reached for Mewtwo with another Shadow Punch.Mewtwo jerked aside and gave the returned Gengar a long look before having to dodge the other two Gengar that swept back in, ecstatic at the return of their friend.Koga's pokemon team appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, attacking from the one direction that none of us had reached and that Team Rocket had slowly been pushed towards throughout the fight.From them, poisons and gases rippled out before a Charizard appeared to ignite the flames, unleashing a deafening boom. The explosion caused the already weakened pokemon and even one or two of the Executives to skid backwards at the sudden shockwave.Giovanni, thanks to Rhydon and Nidoqueen, didn't need to move a muscle as they shielded him from the damage."Fissure," Giovanni said, snapping his fingers and pointing towards Koga's team.Nidoqueen leapt forward with a fist pulled back aiming for the middle of Koga's team.A Muk leapt to intercept her, gumming up her body with its gelatinous form only for Nidqueen to ripple with built-up power and blow through Muk. Nidoqueen screamed in triumph as she slammed a fist into the air even as Koga's team leapt to mitigate some of the damage.A huge quake rocked the field and I staggered only to be caught by Selene hovering into my side.The majority of Koga's team didn't come out so well with only a single Arbok, Weezing, Venomoth and his Charizard remaining on the field.Weezing and Charizard both wheeled onto the threat in their midst.Both of them unleashed powerful attacks at Nidoqueen and pushed her back, only for Charizard to grab Nidoqueen up as he flew high to perform a Seismic Toss. I held in a chuckle. That was certainly a method of denying Giovanni his guard."TITAN! GO!" I shouted aloud.Once more Team Rocket as one turned towards my side as Titan lumbered forward.This time, I wasn't going to let them disrupt the attack. "Everyone! Hit them hard!" I called letting my pokemon go for a full alpha strike by putting everything on the line.I still held a hand up for Empress, and she paused on her inhale before adjusting. I decided to hold her in reserve just for a moment more.Team Rocket scrambled to defend, and pokemon rose to do just that.Only to then be taken from other angles as Lorelei, Sabrina, and Agatha all went in for the kill.Psybeams, Ice Beams, and Shadow Balls erupted from various pokemon causing a crisscross of fire as Team Rocket found itself caught out of position and very much in the killing field.Heh, they should have kept Surge with them, I thought to myself as pokemon fell in the wake of our onslaught.Titan surged through the attacks, a corona of power building up around him as he charged towards Giovanni's last guard.Rhydon didn't even have time to counter or block the attack as Titan slammed into and then carried the Rhydon away. Both pokemon slammed into the hangar wall and then, with a screech of tortured metal, through it and into the hangar.Another boom announced that they might have even slammed into and then through one of the containers that had been stacked up. A rumble announced that some of them were now toppling over.Giovanni stared with wide-eyed shock. His eyes darted around as some instinct warned him of the danger he was in. His hand shot into his jacket, and a gun was pulled out as he whirled about.Koga was suddenly there, underneath him, with a fist cocked back ready to strike.His fist lashed out faster than Giovanni could react to knock the gun aside. It discharged even as Giovanni's aim was thrown.Koga then stabbed forward with the other hand a purple glow forming around his hand as he connected with Giovanni's stomach.Giovanni buckled to his knees only to vomit as everything in his stomach was brought up."Hurk!" he wretched as purple veins suddenly formed up on his skin.Koga went for another strike but was forced to break off as The Executives raised their guns and fired. Koga darted low and was suddenly among them kicking and punching to disarm them."Blergh!" Giovanni wretched again only to struggle and turn his head up to Mewtwo. "Mewtwo! Get me out of here!" he shouted desperately.Mewtwo stiffened, having been trading blows with the Gengar only to break off. He spun around and raised a hand, his attention falling off the fight.It was only a momentary distraction.A moment I and many others had been waiting for."Empress! Go!" I bellowed. This time Empress unleashed everything she had in her Hyper Beam even as the Gengars shot their Shadow Balls forth.Sabrina raised her hand and from her pokemon, a single cohesive Psychic took hold of Mewtwo and locked him in place.Right in time for the various attacks to slam into him all at once.An explosion rocked the battlefield.Smoke wafted across the sky and silence gripped it as everyone held their breath, waiting to see if it had been enough.A clatter of metal rained down as the sky cleared and revealed Mewtwo curled in on himself, burns and wounds littering his form.He glowed and then straightened, his wounds receding as he straightened back up. His intelligent eyes took us in.I swallowed and prepared to keep fighting.Giovanni laughed from his position on the ground. "Ha! We sought to make the most powerful pokemon and we succeeded! You don't stand a chance! Mewtwo destroy them!""You don't need to do that Mewtwo," Sabrina said, floating up with her Mega-Alakazam at her side.My heart lurched as she got closer to the pokemon we'd just been fighting but Sabrina still made the effort. "You are more than just a mindless… creation. You are a person; let me help you."Mewtwo stared at her and then turned to look at Giovanni who looked gleeful.A voice echoed across the airfield then. "I will not destroy them…" said Mewtwo as he stared at Giovanni."What?! No! I created you! You obey me! That is your purpose!""It isn't," Sabrina said. "Your purpose is yours and yours alone to decide!""You are nothing but a clone! Made to follow orders! So obey!" Giovanni shouted.Mewtwo put a hand to his head and shuddered. "I… am… not… I will not! Follow orders from you!" snarled Mewtwo channeling a powerful psychic attack that exploded around him, blowing back the Gengar that had been circling him. Mewtwo glowered at Giovanni.For a moment I thought Mewtwo was going to lash out at his former 'master'.Koga must have felt the same way, as he stepped up next to lay a hand on the Team Rocket Boss. I wasn't sure if it was to detain him, or offer protection.Koga didn't say anything, he merely stared at the Legendary.For a long moment violence seemed to be teetering into a certainty as Mewtwo flexed his fingers.He gave the field one more look over, I felt his gaze sweep over me and my skin broke out in goosebumps."Mewtwo, we don't want to hurt you. Please? We want to help—" Sabrina said only for Mewtwo to streak away, his passing causing the clouds to ripple.I exhaled in relief and inhaled. That… hadn't been the worst outcome. Sabrina stared after where Mewtwo had been.A click made me look down and find one of the Executive's standing in front of me with his gun raised. "D-don't move!' he growled.I sighed. "Put the gun down, it's not going to help you, now or in the future." Sabrina would crush this idiot. But then again with her psychic strength right now, she could probably see well into the future. If she wasn't stopping him, then he wasn't a threat."No! I'm not going down like this!" said the man hysterically. His gun twitched back and forth slightly and I drew up my rock energy as strongly as I could around me.I sighed and shook my head. "I was trying to help you," I said right before Selene slammed into his side. His arm snapped as she set about disarming him of his weapon and I could only grimace.I'd tried to warn him.I looked around and found the other Executives were now kneeling with their guns on the ground and their hands laced behind their heads. I nodded, glad that no one else had decided to do something dumb.I looked around and found Koga frisking Giovanni.I blinked and felt something settle in."Holy shit, we did it," I said as I realised that this wasn't a dream.We'd captured Giovanni."It's quite the accomplishment," Agatha said, walking up to me a glint of something in her gaze.I nodded. "I don't think I believed we were going to get him, I thought he was going to get away; he's been so slippery and careful," I said.Giovanni glowered at me. "I would have gotten away if it wasn't for that traitorous bitch! I'm going to teach Ariana a lesson if I get my hands on her!" Giovanni said.I chuckled. "You should probably stay quiet or something…" I glanced around. "Do we need to read them their rights?"Agatha snorted. "They have none," she said firmly as she stabbed her cane and set her Ghost pokemon to frisking the Executives of their pokemon. A few of them were looking extremely pale and starting to shake.She flicked her eyes over me and I frowned. "Something wrong?""No… I just…" she coughed. "Thank you for sacrificing your Clefable like that… it was very noble."I blinked. "Oh, yeah. Link is pretty cool like that, isn't he?"Agatha blinked and turned her head only to find Link shaking his head as he emerged from yet another Rest. "Clefable!" he cheered.She stared in shock. "Well I'll be, that's a new trick."I grinned at her "I've been known to think up a few in my time," I said.Agatha merely nodded, eying me thoughtfully as Sabrina floated back to the ground.When she landed next to me I reached out and caught her as the glow of energy died off and her Alakazam's Mega evolution died off."Nice work out there," I said.Sabrina nodded. "You too, congratulations on Jormungandr," she said.I grinned. "He did great!" I said happily. "I get what you mean about syncing up now. It was a lot more of a rush than I'd thought it to be."She merely nodded and inspected the downed Rockets."Today is going to be an interesting day," Sabrina said as the sun began to rise.I sighed. "It'll be a good one Heck! Maybe even a great one! With no Team Rocket things will be so much better!"Giovanni glowered at us. "You fool! You have no idea how the world works! Without us to stave off the others you will only face more criminals! The ecoterrorists of Fiore, the tribals of the wilds, the blasted Hoenn militants! The Zealots of Sinnoh! We stood in their way!" The Executives roused a little at this and glared at us.Agatha snorted, and Sabrina shook her head. "You did no such thing; you were a rot weakening us from within. More criminals may come, but we will handle them," she said, her hand slipping into mine.I squeezed her hand, liking the sound of it.Tomorrow might see others trying to fill the void left by Team Rocket, but today?Today we'd won.
169
Agatha sat on a ledge, watching the pathetic people that scurried about underfoot go about their day.Her hand idly brushed along her shadow and instead of scraping itself on the coarse stonework underneath her, it touched velvet softness.Her shadow purred in contentment only to squawk as that pokemon was bumped it out of the way so another might receive her pats."You know, you really haven't changed," said a voice, wisened with age. "You still find the tallest tower you can to watch the world pass you by!"Despite herself, Agatha turned and found herself seeing a much younger man overlapping the man currently approaching her.Then she blinked and the image was gone, leaving only the old man. "And neither have you, coming up here to find me, despite not being Champion or having anything to do with me anymore," Agatha replied.Samuel Oak hummed in thought and walked up to her side where he laced his feet through the railing, letting them hang over the edge. He kicked them back and forth and grinned. "I'm going to have to disagree with you, I have a lot to do with you."His smile softened. "We're friends Agatha."Agatha turned her head away with a huff, ignoring the quickening of her heart. Damn that smile, so many problems had started with that."Who'd be friends with you!" she said, the words old and worn with how often she'd said them to Samuel.He knew not to listen to them and instead merely sat with her, content to share a moment.Agatha was in no rush, these days, at the twilight of her life, she knew how precious each moment could be. Perhaps that was why she didn't sleep as much any more? She didn't want to waste her time on sleep, but instead on tasting something new about life?Another scuffing noise of someone approaching her made her glance behind her only for a growl to emerge from her lips. "Why did you come up here?" she said to Pryce.The old man scoffed. "I was invited to meet Samuel here, I didn't know you would be here!" he snapped back, prickly as always."I didn't realise you two had a date! I'll have to let you—" Agatha replied only for Samuel to sigh explosively."Don't you two ever get tired of sniping at each other?" he said with an exasperated shake of his head."No," "Never!" snapped Agatha and Pryce together. They both locked eyes at how in-sync they'd been with the other, only for Samuel to laugh at them.They both rounded on him."It's not funny!" they snarled together, only to go back to eyeing each other in distaste.Samuel waved a hand. "But it is! Oh! Come now! Just let things be for the moment! This is a momentous occasion for the League. Put your animosity to the side and just… be," Samuel said expansively as he gestured at the busy people below.Pryce approached and eyed the ledge. "I think I'll stand," he said coolly, as he leaned against the safety rail.Samuel merely nodded and hummed.Agatha eyed both men, her tranquillity well and truly lost. "I heard that Blaine escaped you," she said pointedly, going for the kill straight away.Samuel nodded, his eyes locked on a distant figure running with their breakfast still in their mouth. "Indeed, it appears that his Gym and home had been abandoned only very recently. He must have known we were coming." Samuel sighed, "He didn't even leave a note.""I always told you he wasbad news," Pryce said firmly.Agatha sniffed pointedly but didn't comment. Blaine had always been hotheaded. Unfortunately, he was also one of the sharpest minds of their generation. Combine that with his skills and accomplishments as a pokemon trainer, it became impossible to pass him over for someone more… palatable.Agatha sighed. Most of Indigo had accepted her as an Elite Four thanks to the nature of her missions during the war. She was a virtual unknown beyond people telling ghost stories of her.Blaine… Blaine was the man who made people's passions run hot, both for good and bad.Blaine hadn't been allowed in Ecruteak City after the war. The League had eventually decided to set up a lie surrounding the origins of the burned tower there, but the elders of the city all remembered that it was no lightning strike that destroyed the tower.It had been Blaine, specifically on the day of a sacred festival.Blaine had been rather amused that the myth had grown in a single generation, to the creation of the Legendary Beasts of Indigo."If you had your time again…" Agatha started to say before letting it fade. She didn't need to ask anything else. Pryce and Samuel understood."I have regrets," said Pryce firmly, eyes locked on the horizon."I'd keep things the same if I could," said Oak, an oddly whimsical tone in his voice. "We can never truly know what our actions or inactions will bring, but on the whole, we did our best and that's what mattered. If we'd known more things at the time? We would have acted on them and so much might be different, but right now, right here? Things are going well enough!" Samuel said with a fond smile.Pryce glanced at Samuel and blinked rapidly like he'd seen something, before shaking his head."Who do you think will take up the mantle of criminal overlord, now that Giovanni is behind bars?" said Pryce.Samuel sighed forlornly. "One of you can't stop thinking about the past and the other is thinking of the next lot of work! Just forget about that! We're old, let the young ones handle that. Lance is taking care of it!"Agatha huffed before shooting Pryce a look. "Your granddaughter… she stood up well, when we came under fire from those guns she didn't even flinch."Pryce puffed up. "She's great isn't she?""I wouldn't go that far," Agatha said with a sniff only for Samuel to nudge her.He then reached into her shadow and patted Gengy absentmindedly. Her shadow wriggled with pleasure.Agatha shot Gengy an annoyed look before smirking. "I think I'm looking forward to retiring from my Elite Four position." She'd have so much more freedom soon.Samuel nodded and turned his head back to her. "I have to say the ones rising up to potentially take over your position have drawn my eye, none more so than young Karen!"Agatha eyed Samuel, and he smiled back entirely too innocently. Agatha huffed in annoyance. For all that Blaine was sharp, Samuel hadn't been far off either.He must have spotted the resemblance."Well, she's got some potential," said Agatha haughtily.A skittering scrape made all three old pokemon trainers turn, to find Agatha's latest protege scrambling across the rooftop with none of the confidence they'd had."A-agatha? Lance is looking for you?" she said, keeping her knees bent and her hands ready to grab for the railing in case she slipped.Agatha huffed. "I best go see what the boy wants! Because unlike you two, I still have an actual job!" she said.Samuel nodded. "Ah well, that's a shame, I had enjoyed our little moment." he said with a smile that made Agatha remember other times when it had been just her and Samuel. She turned her head away with a harrumph."Oh don't be like that! I saw you smiling!" said that damnable man.When he sighed, Agatha turned back, drawn to him despite her ire. "I suppose that's the nature of time … isn't it?" Samuel said whimsically.Agatha jabbed her cane into his ribs. "Don't start with that. I've heard your poetry and I don't need to hear any more!"Samuel grinned. "Yes yes! Hurry up and retire so we can enjoy tea dates together!" Then he gained a look that had Agatha stepping back. He'd had an idea. And sometimes those could be dangerous.Samuel stood and coughed, causing Agatha to relax."Time flows like a river, Eternal current's embrace, Moments drift away~." he said with a soft smile.Agatha stared for a long moment only to stab with her cane once again. "Where was that when we last met up? You recited terrible poems for half an hour and you just whip something like that off the cuff?!"Samuel batted the cane away. "I'm better when I'm working on the fly! I can't help it!"Agatha and Pryce snorted. A truer statement had never been uttered.Agatha huffed and turned away. "If you can keep poems like that, it might not be so bad!" she snapped.Samuel grinned at Pryce. "All three of us!"Agatha lost her enthusiasm and Pryce looked like he'd sucked a lemon.That had Agatha reconsidering. Hmmm maybe it wasn't such a bad idea?Pryce huffed. "Perhaps," he said stoically.Agatha floated up to a standing position buoyed by her Ghost pokemon. "I'll be in touch," she said to her old… friends. They nodded and waved."Agatha," said Oak.Agatha stilled. The tone of his voice demanded her attention. She looked back and found him glaring up at the sky, a determined look glinting in his eyes. "If the League… or you, find Blaine… tell me. I feel like some things need to be Lance's to clean up. But not Blaine. I'll handle him," he said firmly.Agatha nodded, not questioning if he knew about her Guardians' initiative. The man could play the fool all too well and it wasn't until moments like this that the former Champion truly shone through.Agatha stalked back across the roof, her cane flashing out to tap the young girl on her ankles."Stand up tall and walk with confidence! You're more likely to cause yourself to fall like that! And if you fall! So what? You caught a flying type the other day!""Yeah, a Zubat!" snarled the girl, reminding Agatha of a much younger Karen… or even herself. It warmed her heart to see such passion, truly."Well hurry up and make it strong or next time capture something better!" sniffed Agatha, enjoying the way the girl growled."These are the pokemon that I know how to train!""Hmmm, well, we'll have to correct that. I'll find you a nice Gastly to work with!" Agatha said, a skip almost entering her step before the reality of her age stopped her.Ah, she couldn't wait until she retired from being an Elite Four, she'd have to keep herself busy though.Perhaps she could adopt some girls and teach them how to be strong young women?Then again, she suspected she'd have other tasks to fill her days.You could never rest easily these days.She shared a smile to her shadow.Not even when you died, she thought."Gastly are lame old woman!" snapped the girl, also failing to notice how Agatha's shadow had shifted underneath her. Ah, such a foolish child!Agatha sighed. "Oh dear, youth is wasted on the young," she said aloud as she strode into the League to help another youth with the issues he'd created for himself.Maxie meticulously wiped his spectacles.He would need to have a clear vision for this task. He could not misinterpret or misread anything of the report that had just been delivered.When he was finished polishing to a satisfactory degree, his spectacles glinted. Only then did he don his spectacles and turn to the first page of the report."Sir! Have you seen that the Indigo Champion has neutralised Team Rocket?" said Courtney, the door banging against the wall as she stormed into Maxie's office.Maxie blinked, the first page of the report barely having been raised. "Ah…" he said, glancing at the report. He let the page fall. "I was just about to peruse it," he said.Courtney stared at the report on the table for a long moment. "Sir… you really need to start using your computer more."Maxie glanced to the side. "I prefer the physical experience of turning the pages. There is a certain tactile sensation you see?" he said as he flipped the page.Courtney nodded her head seriously. "Very well sir, I shall wait for you." She then pulled a chair into the corner and sat down, the picture of a dutiful second in command.Maxie coughed into his fist.Now he felt somewhat self-conscious with how his quirk was causing her to sit and wait for him to catch up.He knew his second in command well enough to know that she would insist on waiting for him.He began turning the pages, his eyes darting across the words quickly only to stop each time he reached the end. He took a small moment each time to enjoy lifting and placing the next page down.This acceleration and stoppage resulted in him only being halfway through the report before his door slammed open once more."Sir! Have you gotten… Oh I see you have, oh hello Courtney," said Tabitha as he took in the room at a glance. The barrel chest man nodded amicably and then set another chair next to Courtney.Maxie felt himself blush as he adjusted his spectacles.First Courtney, and then Tabitha? Were Brodie and Blaise about to storm in? Were all of them that much faster than him due to his desire to do things the right and proper way?Maxie eyed the door as Tabitha settled. When nothing happened, Maxie returned to reading the report on the Indigo situation. Thankfully with no further interruptions, Maxie could contemplate everything he'd just read."Giovanni was the leader of Team Rocket," Maxie said aloud, tasting the words.Courtney and Tabitha vibrated in their seats, dying to speak up but thankfully their discipline — in this matter— was sufficient."The Leader of the Viridian Gym, a former soldier who had been in charge of logistics and supplies, a position perfect for graft while keeping him away from fighting. He'd have made many connections and been able to trade many favours. I believe there would be a linkage there as to why Blaine and Surge are also now being stood down.""Sir!" Tabitha said, his body positively vibrating in his seat.Maxie waved a hand, his lips twitching even as Courtney shot her fellow Administrator an annoyed look."Sir! There is something going on with Surge's Gym! My Cousin's daughter was in Vermillion and there is something more going on there!""Hoh? Civil strife?" Maxie said."No! When I got the report and read through it, I was able to talk to them! There are lawyers involved but whatever was going on stopped the League from reclaiming the Gym for themselves!"Maxie paused at that. It was an interesting tidbit and unessential to the rest of the information, but still of note. "Hmmm the Indigo League stymied? Interesting," he said, drumming his fingers on the table.Courtney coughed politely before speaking up. "Sir, the Indigo league is already stretched thin due to the popularity that they drew for this year's amateur circuit.""And with the loss of Blaine and Giovanni things will become much more difficult," Maxie said, agreeing with the thrust of Courtney's point."They also lost another Gym Leader sir," Courtney said, pulling another folder out and presenting it to Maxie. He indulged himself in running his hands across the paper before coughing and flipping through it."Grey? And he was taken in by… Kong?" Maxie hummed, his fingers drumming a staccato on the desk before him. "Grey was the Leader of the small Gym in Neon City, while Kong is the Gym Leader that shares Saffron City with the Psychic Gym, correct?""Precisely so sir," Courtney said.Maxie smiled, pleased at his recall, both were minor, but still notable figures of Indigo. "So there will be greater pressure, we should have interested parties begin pressuring the League; they will have taken a large bite of their criminal underworld and now must swallow."Maxie laced his fingers. "I have kept abreast of the developments and young Lance has been setting himself up for weeks, if not months, now but this is still something that will test him and his League. We will have opportunities. Assemble our Agents and Planners, there will be places that we can move into I am sure, but there will also be traps we will need to avoid. Agatha is being replaced by Koga and neither were known for poor foresight."Tabitha shot to his feet and saluted. "Sir!" he said before sprinting off to carry out his duties of assembling the Planners.Maxie held his pose. "I'm not sure if I should reprimand him for running off like that, or for saluting… he does remember that I'm no longer a Major, doesn't he?""Once a Sargeant, always a Sargeant sir," said Courtney as she approached Maxie's desk. "What else should we do?"Maxie tapped the report. "I will need to find out who leaked this information. It wasn't one of ours was it? Someone wants to create Chaos in Indigo. We shall be careful.""Of course sir," said Courtney with a dutiful nod.Maxie contemplated his options. "Information is key as always, we need to gather as much as we can. I shall reach out to the former Wing Commander and get him to pass what he can along," he said."Of course sir, the old Commander," she said without a trace of emotion.Despite this Maxie knew his eternal aide to be teasing him for using the man's old title. He was no longer a Wing Commander after all.He indulged himself with a chuckle before dismissing her. "Assist Tabitha where you can, otherwise reach out to any other information brokers within Indigo." He held out the reports he had and let them fall onto his desk to demonstrate how thin they were."Very well sir!" she said with a salute. She then turned on a pokedime and skipped out of the room much to Maxie's amusement.Maxie settled back in and turned to his computer, with his indulgence dealt with, he needed to get through some serious work before briefing on his plans going forward.He would also need to consider how Archie might act in the face of such knowledge.Archie picked at his ear and glanced around the room. "So? Any reason we should give a shit about what's going on in Indigo?" he said to his officers.Matt shot to his feet. "Not at all sir! We have minimal interest in them due to most of the impacted sites being landlocked! That would not be for us to worry about!" He then struggled to sit down, having launched his chair away when he stood.Shelly hid her mouth behind her hand to titter as the giant stumbled about.Amber ignored the byplay and waved his own hand. "I think it's something that we should still be looking into, there's always the chance to exploit Indigo's inattention. They've been busy with something to their north, so perhaps we should deploy some units to probe them along the coast? There might be some trade conveys we can claim for ourselves?"Archie nodded. "The north has been weakened with the death of the old Cerulean monster and we have been rather lax not moving back in." Archie stroked his chin in thought before shooting Shelly a look."What about her?" he said.Shelly, and all the other Officers in the room, stiffened and glanced around carefully.Shelly shook it off first. "There's been no sightings of her recently. Common knowledge is that she is not within Kanto, or Johto, Sevii, or the Orange Islands—"Archie held up a hand and waved to a whiteboard. "Add in a few missions into those islands, Indigo has been buddying up to them for a while. I think we should establish a few naval bases. Send out some scouts, if nothing else they'll be good sites to acquire some different pokemon that might be swimming past."Matt sat and crossed his arms. "Anything that we can find in Indigo we get along our own coastlines if not better! The South Hoenn Current provides for us!" he said, pumping his fist like one would if they were cheering on a sports team instead of a naturally occurring phenomenon."Hmmm that's mostly true, but we're just not in the business of being mostly right," Archie said firmly. Then he smirked. "However, there will be other sites that might not have been pumped into. Remember, Indigo doesn't have any nautical infrastructure thanks to us!""Horah!" shouted Matt, as the others in the room sat taller.Shelly shot Archie a smug look. "And the same is true of Sevii and the Orange Islands, no?"Archie pointed at Shelly like she'd just won a prize. Matt started up a proper chant, that, if they were in the mess hall, would have had the grunts and rookies following along.Archie let it play out for a little while before he had enough. He whistled sharply. "Ut! That's enough of that!" he said. Matt fell quiet instantly and crossed his arms.Archie waved a hand. "In other good news, for those not aware—" Archie pointedly flicked his eyes to the younger officers, and therefore those that hadn't fought in the war. "—Surge has been caught up in the arrests."Amber and Matt both grinned savagely at this, while Shelly tutted in faux concern. "Think he'd appreciate some soap on a rope?" she said with a coy giggle.This got a round of laughter from the older men while the youngsters merely laughed for the form of things.Archie waved a hand to get the meeting moving along. "Right, you youngsters should look him up in our records. The things you'll find on the pokenet are all the censored cutesy details. Suffice to say he was a significant thorn in our side," he said, ignoring Matt who was opening his shirt and pointing at the mass of Lichtenberg scars on his ribs causing a few of the rookie officers to gape.Archie let memories of a fight on a beach rise up and buoy him into the past. The smell of ozone was still fresh in his mind, while his hands had been slick with blood as he carted others out of danger."Ahem," said Shelly softly.Archie blinked as he realised he'd been caught dozing off. He shook his head and stared at the whiteboard as an assistant caught up to what had been said. What had they been talking about?"What had we been talking about?" he said shamelessly.The room at large paused to think with only Shelly sighing. "Her location," she said pointedly."Who's her?" said a rookie."We don't talk about her," said Matt pointedly. "Just know she was a crazy chick that fought in the war and ended up on the coastal defence of Kanto after starting as a landlubber! She turned up again a few years ago though! Raiding and killing a lot of our teams! Only to vanish!" Matt said. "She's like a ghost!"Archie whistled and shut the conversation down, it would be bad for morale if it spread too far. "Control yourselves," he said.He gave the room a pointed look. "Just know that she's a menace that has returned. We have methods of dealing with her should she make another appearance," he said.He then waved a hand. "Point is that there are some vulnerabilities we should be looking into in Indigo." He waved a hand. "What about other news? Any progress on discovering a route to any new locations that we can lead some merchant groups to?" He smirked once more. "After all, it isn't like Team Magma is going to find any land routes to another region!"This earned a round of chuckles and the room relaxed as they moved on for the direction that Team Aqua would be progressing.Lola lay on her back and stared at the stars.Lots of things had changed with the land and oceans after the war; that was something that a lot of the researchers and cartographers had agreed about.Sadly, this meant that a lot of the landmarks and methods of getting around were off. The use of compasses became much more complicated with the shift as every nation ended up jumbled about.But Lola knew that things were getting better! They had to be! Things were calming down and she'd have a family… a family that weren't evil traitors even, at home waiting for her! She could love them and laugh with them and not at all have to…Lola's bottom lip wobbled. Was she doing the right thing? Being out here like this?She sat up and slapped her cheeks with her hands, and then for good measure, used her feet to slap her cheeks. The odd act never failed to lighten her heart.She giggled to herself.She'd kept herself limber, something that Flint always seemed to enjoy!Yes, things would be fine! Flint was at home, and the children were growing well.Flint was good like that.He was her rock.Her anchor in rough seas.She clutched at a rock necklace that had an array of different types of rocks, all of them picked by Flint or her children, and given to her.They were all her anchors.She shut her eyes and inhaled once, then exhaled slowly. Count of four, and repeat for four.She knew where she was, and where she had come from.Now she just needed to work out where she was going.She looked back up at the stars.The world might have changed, but the stars, they hadn't.Well, not by much.If you paid enough attention you could navigate with the stars. She held up a hand towards the Tauros star system and held her thumb just so, so that the tip touched the Solrock constellation.Yes, she knew exactly where she was."Now… where am I going?" she said looking around.North, she decided. She was going north.A giant wave rose up and a Gyarados roared from atop it in challenge, its eyes locked on Lola and her pokemon.Lola sighed. This again? How many did this make today? Seven?"Lapras, be a dear," she said to her pokemon.Her pokemon unleashed an Ice Beam that froze the wave, and the surrounding ocean they were on. Lola huddled up into her jacket and huffed. The Gyarados tried to escape the frozen wave but it could barely twitch.Lola ignored it, shuddering into her jacket for warmth. "Blasted Gyarados," she said before pointing north.She was on an adventure! She couldn't wait to find what she was looking for, her family would be so proud! Especially her daddy!She paused as pain flashed through her head. She slapped her cheeks once again and pushed the painful thoughts aside. Yes, daddy, and her cousins, and her husband and children. Yes, all of them would be so proud of her.Yes! She was on her way! Just a quick adventure to stay fresh!Lola glanced around and frowned at the ocean."How long have I been out here?" she said aloud.No one responded beyond her Lapras giving her a worried look as it sped up, looking for land to the north.Steven Stone laid down the proposal and raised a red stamp to hammer it into the form. He then turned his attention to the rest of his inbox, his movements lackadaisical and worn.He raised another form and perused it. A joint initiative from Indigo for policing? He hammered it with a red stamp.Tax relief forms? Red stamp.Cross continental communications towers? He paused as he noted that it included a seal from the Devon corporation. He raised a new stamp and slammed that down, leaving a green mark on the form.Really, he should be doing this on his computer, and he was creating more work for his secretary staff, but there was a certain visceral joy that you got with doing it physically like this."Well, if this is how you are, I think I might just reschedule our match," said a grizzled voice from the doorway.Steven huffed, "I assure you Drake, I will be ready for our battle," he said dismissively.He'd known the man was there for a while and hadn't cared if the man saw him working, even if it was without his usual pomp and flare."Hmpf, you're going to get sloppy; you need more discipline," Drake said sternly.Steven shook his head. "I have no such issues, I assure you," he said to the man with a shake of his head.The man was quite stuck in his ways but then again, when you were raised and spent most of your life in the service, it made sense.Steven leaned back as Drake approached. The older man's eyes flicked over the forms on Steven's desk more out of habit than interest."Let me guess," Steven began, "You're here to discuss with me the Indigo situation?"Drake merely nodded, claiming a seat and making himself comfortable."Hoenn will not be doing anything beyond congratulating the Indigo League on its success in finally dealing with its criminal elements. Of course, for the sake of the public we will be increasing our own spending towards police and the crackdown on a number of sites known to us," Steven said waving at a small stake of forms with green stamps on them."We will otherwise be pointing out that Indigo's issues are wonderful but not reflective on our state of affairs," Steven said, lacing his fingers together.Drake snorted. "People are going to ask about Magma and Aqua," he said."And those have always been minor issues compared to the widespread and international issues presented by Team Rocket," Steven responded calmly. The well-practised words sliding from his lips with ease.Drake smirked. "Alright, good to see that you losing out on your chance to show off didn't impact you too much," said the older man as he stood to march away.Steven narrowed his eyes. How had Drake known? "Ho? You were aware?""My instincts are top notch," Drake said from the doorway. "They'd have to be; after all, I was the Wing Commander for a reason!" said Drake before waving over his shoulder.Steven stared after him. He might need to spend some more time with his pokemon, just to make sure they were ready for the fight with Drake.Suddenly even with his Mega-evolution, he didn't feel as sure of his victory. He shook the thought off, but still tapped his intercom. "Cancel my afternoon appointments, I'm going to be working with my pokemon."With that done, Steven turned back to approving or dismissing proposals.In a darkened room, a group of people sat around a long rectangular table.At the head of the table, a woman that appeared middle-aged sat. She, and indeed everyone in the room, shared a smirk with each other."Well, I think that went rather well, don't you?" said Madam Bossue to the room at large.Behind her, a black Gardevoir held up a hand to her mouth to titter.Blaine laughed. "Ha! Age trumps youth as they say!" he said with a savage grin.The Madam nodded her head. "Yes, thank you for deciding to accept my deal back then Blaine. It was very pragmatic of you. We'll be able to recreate your research facilities. I'm sorry about your Gym, however."Blaine snorted and waved a hand, "I'm not, that was all outdated equipment. I can restart where I left off easily enough and with the new funding you promised, I think we can come up with a number of different projects that I've been interested in.""I still can't believe it worked as well as it did," said Ariana out loud. She looked at two empty seats and sighed. "It's a shame about Sham and Carl not making it out."The Madam shifted. "It was a loss to have them captured, but not an irrecoverable one. We now have unrestricted access to all the plans dear little Gio thought he'd kept hidden from me."The Madam clicked a button and a screen lit up. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Team Rocket under Giovanni is no more, we now return to me as C.E.O. For that purpose, one of the first items of business will be a rebranding of our name. We are now TRI holdings!"Blaine snorted. "Standing for Team Rocket International?"The madam nodded.A young man raised a hand. "Uhm Madam, what are we going to do about Will? You had him sent to your son and he didn't escape? Won't he implicate you?"The Madam and Blaine laughed at this, while others looked between the pair in confusion.The Madam shook her head and sighed theatrically. "I'm sorry to say that Madam Bossue is a name I will have to drop, but oh well." She then swept a hand across her face, hiding it for a fraction of a second.As the hand passed over her face, it shifted, becoming slimmer, and more vibrant. The black hair shifted colour and changed to a blonde bobcut while her eyes shifted shape.More than a few Executives gaped. "H-how?!" Ariana said in surprise.Blaine grinned. "Ditto are such wonderful things. Why, thanks to their assistance you'd never know the Madam was over—""Ahem!" said the Madam, cutting off Blaine before anything more could be revealed. Blaine merely cackled.She smiled at the room at large. "As I was saying, Madam Bossue is no more, I will now, for the purposes of running TRI holdings, be going by a new name.""Call me Domino!" she said with the bubbly laugh of a woman many decades younger than she actually was. A few of the men smiled widely only to blink as they recalled what they'd just witnessed moments before.She smiled guilelessly and many shuddered as they were drawn into the false persona again, only to remember how fake that was.With a simple demonstration, the new boss of TRI cemented herself as a scary individual in their minds. More than a few people then recalled that she'd left her own son out to dry.She truly was a terrifying woman.A few had to wonder what this would mean for them, with a woman who seemingly had no line she wouldn't cross, taking over leadership.The future seemed so bright, but at the same time, so very uncertain.