Be steel my heart

By RocketFAN

Disclaimer: Pokemon and its characters are property of Nintendo and I, sadly, do not own them

Chapter 1: First impressions

A tall, bulky man with messy blonde hair walked through the door of the Team Rocket headquarters. He was recently awarded the status of Team Rocket field wrangler and was about to meet his new partner. He stopped at the door of CEO, Giovanni and slowly reached for the knob. He was a little nervous about meeting his new partner after what happened to his last one.

"God . . . ," he said softly as he turned the knob.

"Ah, Attila, we've been expecting you," Giovanni said as he turned his exquisite chair to face the large man.

"So, who's the lucky broad this time, boss?" Attila asked him while folding his arms.

"It wasn't easy finding you a new partner, Attila. Not after what happened with your last one," Giovanni said while stroking the head of his premium Persian.

"But you did, I assume?" Attila replied while noticing a slender figure standing behind Giovanni's chair.

"Indeed, I did. Meet Hun," Giovanni said while introducing him to his new partner. Attila looked curiously at the person Giovanni presented. He dawned an unusual variation of a Team Rocket uniform with a white crop top over a navy blue turtleneck that sported the signature red "R" that declared him a class "B" member, and wide flare pants. He had sky blue hair styled rather elegantly to frame his delicate face.

"Hey, wait a minute! Aren't I supposed to be paired with a girl?" Attila asked while studying his new partner who was clearly offended by his question.

"Uhh . . . Hun is a girl," Giovanni said awkwardly.

"Pleasure," Hun said sarcastically to Attila. Her voice was soft and feminine, yet fierce and obviously irritated.

"Oh . . . uh . . . sorry," Attila said while blushing slightly. Hun scoffed and folded her arms across her rather flat chest.

"Well, not that you've gotten acquainted, I have an assignment for you. I want the two of you to meet up with Team Rocket's head scientist, Professor Shiranui. I have arranged transportation for you. There is word that the legendary Pokemon, Raiko, has been spotted in the area around the outskirts of Saffron City. The professor says he has an extraordinary invention that will harness the power of the Pokemon and be able to turn it against it. He will explain it further tomorrow when you meet him. Until then, you may return to your quarters," Giovanni concluded. The two new partners turned and left the room. Attila held the door open for Hun and smiled at her as she walked passed him. They walked down the empty hall with an awkward silence.

"So . . . you want to grab a bite to eat or something?" Attila said finally, now noticing Hun's very feminine features at a closer glance. "You know . . . get to know each other a little?" He said with a small smile. Hun still seemed upset about his earlier comment. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings," he continued gently. Her hardened look softened dramatically and she finally looked him in the eye.

"Okay," she said softly. The two walked down the hallway to the bar/mess hall and sat down at an empty table.

"Sorry. Uh . . . what was your name again?" Attila asked her with a rueful chuckle.

"Hun," she replied with a small smile, the first one he had seen from her since they met. "So . . . Giovanni tells me you had a little "problem" with your last partner," Hun continued with a raised eyebrow and a light laugh that lit up her lovely face. She glared at him tauntingly until he confessed.

"I... I... Uhh . . . wouldn't call it a 'problem' exactly," he said nervously while starting to blush.

"Well then, I would hate to hear your definition of a 'problem'," Hun teased him further. She could tell that the subject was making him uncomfortable and decided to let up. But not before stifling one last laugh.

"Let's just get some food already," Attila said irritably.

"Okay!" Hun laughed. They stayed for a little while after they ate and talked about their previous experience with Team Rocket. Hun had been a member for almost five years and Attila, four. He found out that she was a few years older than him as well. Attila walked Hun to her quarters which were a little bit out of the way of his, then headed to his to prepare for their difficult first mission as a team.