"There's this girl you've got to meet."


A large, rocky cliff jutted from the ground, raised above the desolate landscape below it. The sea surrounded it on all sides—a peninsula that jutted out from the main landmass, curling around the bay. An abandoned church stood tall atop the raised cliff, dark and eerie against the dimming evening sky. The lone spire looked like a black needle above the rocky, half-collapsed brick structure it stood on. The last vestiges of evening light shone through the dim windows near the main dome, some showing through holes in the papery, tattered roofs.

Beneath the cliff that the church stood on, a dark and wide cave gaped like a toothless smile, seeming endlessly far back in the darkness of the overhanging cave roof. Barely visible was a wide iron wall, reinforced and weathered, looking impenetrable. Several feet ahead of it was a guard tower, and several hundred feet ahead of it was a long chain-link fence that wrapped around the flat, desolate area in front of the church and the cave. A sign had been posted on the fence: 'Slowpoke Restorations – Keep Out'.

Something lurched inside the cave. A motor started up and whined loudly, echoing loudly out of the cave and becoming ambient in the fields ahead. A powerful, metallic shuddering rumbled throughout the cave as the large iron wall inside rose up, the dark interior slowly becoming exposed.

From the dark interior, Archer stepped out of the cave and walked on the rocky ground, entering the dim light of the twilight sky. He walked out a few feet, stepping over thick industrial cables that ran across the dry cave floor, before stopping and pausing to look out at the landscape ahead.

A gust of cold wind brushed aside Archer's pastel blue hair as he stared out across the sea. He stared out silently with cold, gray eyes, watching the sea foam and seeing the spinning light of the lighthouse on a rock miles away at the entrance of the bay.

Reaching into the black material of his turtleneck, Archer flipped where the Team Rocket 'R' insignia had been sewn on, hiding it.


"Archer, how come you're so boring?"

Archer's head turned, looking sideways from the chair he sat in. He glanced back for only a moment to the source of the voice, thinking to himself quietly.

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Archer.


Moments later, Archer had crossed the gate and successfully cleared the guard tower, and had walked up from the expanse of loose gravel and mud that took most of the 'restoration' area's compound, heading up a ridge where the cliff of the church began. He moved quietly, keeping the crunching sounds of his boots as minimal as possible so as to not attract wild Pokemon. As the ridge reached its highest point, Archer climbed around it and hunched down by its side, squatting so that his head was level with the ridge.

As his footsteps shuffled along a mud deposit and he reached a clearing with the other side, Archer reached into the folds of his brown leather jacket, pulling out a small pair of electronic binoculars. Pressing the view-ports to his eyes, he adjusted a small dial on top of the plastic housing, focusing the central lens on the front.

Vermilion City came into view.


The room was narrow, at least four times as tall as it was wide, and then at least ten times as long. Tall glass windows reached the heights of the room at the ends of both lengths, letting large amounts of overcast sunlight into the rooms, overwhelming what simple lamps had been lit throughout the room.

A large table had been set in the center of the room, with a carefully hand-drawn map of the Kanto-Johto landmass as it was several hundred years ago. An old wooden church model had been set on the map at the edge of where the Vermilion City port was—placed when the map was originally created—in addition to several simple, plastic-molded game-piece buildings that had been marked throughout Kanto. A few modern-looking pins had been set in the papery surface, all color coded, with simple colored strings making connections between pins and showing routes that weren't marked on any other map.

A pin had been stuck in by the old church model, with a big red 'R' on a paper flag.

At the end of the large map table, a large luxurious desk for an executive or some high-ranking officer had been placed only a few feet ahead, backed against the large window showing a vista of the bay, where the old abandoned church had been set many miles away from the shore and modern civilization, up on a large hilltop. Just ahead of that desk, at the bottom of the large, bright portrait of the outside world, the chair had been taken from the desk and pulled to the window, where Archer lounged back in it, staring contemplatively.

"Is it wrong for me to put work first in ninety percent of my life?" asked Archer, his chair easing forward at the slight of his leg, where the toes of his boots were pressed up against the wall beneath the window.

Just beyond where the light of the window cast down on the desk and a large portion of the map, a new figure emerged, walking steadily in with a careful gaze fixed on where Archer was in his chair—Ajax. Tall, thin to a skeletal degree, he folded his arms behind his back as he walked, his movements unassuming. Though he was older than Archer, he was still fairly young, looking to be in his thirties. His hair, though long and seemingly unprofessional, was kept neat and in a bun at the base of his skull. His eyebrows were thick and expressive, his bony brow overshadowing his dark eyes. An ever-present five o'clock shadow covered his face, peppering his cheeks and chin with the beginnings of a dark beard.

"Not if you overdo it," said Ajax as he approached. When Archer turned back to look at him once again, he put on a smile. "You can overdo anything. You're dangerously approaching workaholic territory, you know."


Archer removed the binoculars. The lights had just come on in the town, all of them twinkling in the distance.

Opening the side of his jacket, Archer slipped the binoculars back in. He then took several steps forward, bringing himself around the steep slope of the ridge he had perched himself beneath. He then hopped forward, his boots colliding with the ground below. Getting both feet on the ground didn't mean he had stable footing, and he soon found himself sliding down, the rocky earth beneath him sliding out and sending him downhill. He hurried his pace, running down the hill towards the leveling ground where the shore was.

Archer stopped himself. When he reached the base of the slope, he caught his breath for only a moment, arms out by his side as he hesitantly trusted his sense of balance. As he did, feeling his heart race, his head turned back to look just by his side as he remembered the next step of getting into town. A large, old sewer pipe jutted from the earth, taller than he was.

A light flashed down the sewer pipe—now a makeshift tunnel—as Archer clicked on his flashlight. Though Archer knew that the pipe was only as deep as the landmass he had crossed only moments earlier, the tunnel seemed endless in what he could see. He did his best not to let the smell get to him.

As he walked, his footsteps making ambient splashes as he stepped in water no deeper than the thin sole of his boots, Archer cast the long beam of light along the right side of the wall. His eyes squinted as he searched for a door, passing decades-old graffiti on the walls.


From one of the drawers on the desk, Ajax slipped his hand inside, pulling out a small glass bottle filled with an amber-colored liquid. Just behind the bottle, he pulled out an ornate crystal glass, taking a moment to remove the stopper from the bottle and pouring a thin layer of liquid into the glass. He set the bottle aside, not replacing the stopper, holding the glass and staring down into it.

"Yes, I did encourage you to work hard for this—not that I needed to, you would've done that on your own accord. But you've earned your keep—you've earned your title. Archer, one doesn't just get the rank of officer handed to them, you of all people know that."

"Of course I know that," said Archer, staring past the bottle of liquor like he hadn't seen it. "It was never my intent to squander that."

"Some would say that not celebrating is a form of squandering it. Your right of taking on the added responsibilities that come with the title of 'officer' is, well, to enjoy some of its... privileges," said Ajax. "Besides, you didn't spend two months of running around nonstop doing nothing—hell, you've earned a small break."

Archer shook his head gently. He rubbed his temples silently, fighting back a headache that he felt coming on. "If you wanted me to go out and enjoy myself, I would've gladly done so. The question you asked, however, was whether or not I was 'boring'."

"Well," said Ajax, swallowing what little drink he had in his mouth, shutting his eyes for a brief moment as he tolerated the sensation. "I guess it was just something that I had on my mind—brought to mind by the fact that, well, I gave you your new title about an hour or two ago and the first thing I catch you doing is staring out the window in the map room."

"Is it against the rules to come into the map room when a meeting is not being held?" asked Archer, passively.

Ajax smiled. He stepped off from the desk he had been leaning against, walking up to Archer. He passed him as he walked, stepping up to the window, looking out of it and over the bay outside of it.

"I'm just afraid of what I've created, that's all," said Ajax. "I may feel a bit of guilt for pushing you so hard, that now that you've earned your title you can't enjoy it."

Archer looked on thoughtfully, thinking silently.


The dimly lit sewer walls led to one final passage, where the path that Archer had been following dropped down to a long exit way. When he reached the edge where the railing stopped him from going any further, he looked down and saw a steel door—the exit, where the old 'Vermilion City Power & Electric' insignia had been scraped away and now only said 'Vermilion City' with 'Exit' added on below in graffiti. Archer walked around to the opening in the old, rusty railing, where a ladder was waiting for him.

At the end of the ladder, where Archer made his landing with a loud clank, he turned to look down the last stretch of the secret path. The door was ahead, lit by a guarded light above the steel frame, but the entire path was shrouded by dark walls on either side—where presumably outdated, hazardous electrical panels resided. Though Archer didn't really think much of it, he looked cautious. He took the extra time to take out his flashlight, clicking it on and flashing it down the dark annals of the short hallway. As he had expected, dusty old and bare circutry resided in the shrouds and barriers of old pipes and steel supports, thick wires with exposed sections sticking out from where they had been screwed onto yellowing circuit boards.

Turning off his flashlight, Archer walked ahead a few steps, making his way to the exit. In moments, he heard another sound—something like a footstep on the steel plating behind him.

In moments, Archer had reached for the Pokeballs tucked in the inner folds of his jacket. He pulled one out, still facing the lit exit door, remaining completely still. He then pressed in on the white release button, pointing his Pokeball out.

The cramped, narrow hallway echoed to deafening levels as a blue flash came from in front of Archer. In moments, Doomap—Archer's Houndoom—had appeared in front of him, panting as was typical but instantly turning quiet as soon as Archer made a quick sound. His thin black ears turned up as he listened in the silence, realizing by Archer's mood that something was afoot.

Then, a cold clicking sound: the sound of a hammer being pulled back on a gun.

"You brought a Pokemon to a gunfight? Heh, typical Archy~"

Archer looked unamused. He raised his hands beside his head, making another quiet sound under his breath when Doomap had turned to become territorial.

"Hello, Lucky," said Archer.

"It's Kat. Now, turn around for me so I can see you~"

With a quiet, reserved sigh, Archer turned from where he stood, keeping his arms up by his head as he moved slowly. Out of the corner of his eye, when he looked to the person who had snuck up behind him, he saw the black form of a gun pointed within inches of his head, ready to fire.

Lucky Kat was dressed like any female Rocket grunt would be—simple black uniform kept neatly, red 'R' in the the center, neatly kept and raised collar, and long silvery gloves—but the cap was different. A pair of childish, felt cat ears had been sewn onto her hat with bright neon pink stitching along the edges. Her brown eyes looked pouty, annoyed, but still threatening enough to wield a gun.

Archer sighed again, the humiliation of who had captured him sinking in one step at a time. "I hadn't heard that they had posted you down here, 'Kat'," he said.

"Everyone knows it's 'Kat'. Everyone calls me that. If you'd visit more often then maybe you'd care to remember it," said Kat. She removed the clip from the gun, disarming it. She placed both the clip and the empty gun behind her, slipping it into the the belt above her short black skirt.

"I can't repeat what everyone calls you, you know that."

"Only Zuzzo can call me that, thank you~ Talk all you want, you're the one getting 'searched', eheh~"

Another deep sigh came from Archer as he forced himself to shut his eyes, remembering the balance of power in the moment. Even still, he couldn't help but cringe when Kat's gloved hands found their way beneath his arms, patting down his sides down to his hips.

"Kat, you know it's me," Archer groaned, trying to keep his composure as Kat did a 'second layer' search, running her hands over his chest and stomach for any remaining elements. "We're on the same side... What's the point of this...?"

Kat's 'scan', running her hands down over his stomach, had brought her dangerously close to the pelvic region—the knowledge of which appeared in her own wicked smile. Her hands ran up his chest against, slipping over his shoulders, her body lingering within inches of his as her face came close to make sure that Archer could see the taunt on her lips, her eyes wandering.

"I don't know, you didn't remember my name, did you~? What if you're not the real Archer? What if you're using the Decanectar Potion I read about in those magician academy books? What's keeping me from thinking such ludicrous thoughts, huh?" asked Kat, her voice hushed with just how close they were, her hands sliding over the topside of his arms, squeezing over his arms. Just behind Archer, she could hear Doomap growling quietly as she got closer to him.

Archer managed to look away from her—his stoicism keeping her at bay. "Because that sort of thing is made up, it's fiction," he said. "The more logical explanation is that I haven't been down here in several months—that I've forgotten that this passage is guarded."

"That's most certainly correct," said Kat, pacing around Archer, making her way around him—to Archer's chagrin. "I think you must certainly realize how lonely I get down here~"

"Then certainly you must have other travelers who—ackk!" Archer grunted, Kat smacking his shoulder blades as she pressed her hands to his backside.

"Other travelers? Certainly~ I'm just surprised to see someone like you who doesn't get out as often down here—I want to know what exactly makes you tick~" Kat giggled, her hands passing down over his back, feeling every little section of bone and muscle. Her head craned over his shoulder, her hat brushing against his cheek. "I can have a group of visitors down here, certainly—I had Scout Ajax and his gaggle of grunts down here not an hour ago, doing their best not to be seen out in Vermillion City as they made their way to that Rocket Hideout in some bar. But do they let me talk to them~? Do they let me thoroughly inspect them~? Noooo, everyone gets a pass because they're with Ajax. I don't get to know any of the cute boys in that group."

Archer would've responded immediately, picking out all of the flaws in her logical reasoning, but he was having a hard time focusing on the conversation. Kat's 'inspecting' hands had passed below his lower back, and were now feeling for any weapons that had been stashed in his bottom, using only the most careless effort to disguise her real motivations.

"I guess I have to settle for you~" Kat grinned.

"Guess we all have to make compromises," said Archer.

The playful look in Kat's eyes became dull, her playful smile turning into an annoyed frown. Her hands lowered, moving down to his thighs, forcing her to squat down.

"Huh, same old Archer," Kat sighed. "I guess I somehow thought that a couple months and a promotion would change you, but that would be kinda 'fictional' wouldn't it? Ahaha~!"

Archer shook his head gently. "Seems to be something that a lot of people keep bringing up. Especially today."

Kat stood up behind Archer, her eyes lingering on him for just a moment as she thought. She then walked ahead of him, a slight skip in her step as she moved on in front of him, turning around to face him with hands on her hips and a seemingly thoughtful look on her.

"Well, it's a strange thing to think about—if you think about it," said Kat, hands on her hips as she looked over Archer. "You're moving up in some shady organization, all because you follow the rules—well, the rules of breaking the rules. Team Rocket is like the most interesting group of people on the planet, and you—superstar, single guy, smart guy, moving up in Team Rocket faster than light—you're friccin' the most boring person on earth."

Archer took a solitary breath through his nostrils. "Thank you, Kat."

"No! No! It's a problem!" Kat said, sounding deeply annoyed. "That's why I'm telling you. There's a reason people keep bringing it up."

The Pokeball that Archer had pulled from his jacket moments earlier was now back in his hand, staying wielded as he walked slowly away from Kat, heading towards the door. He pointed the release towards Doomap, pressing in once again and zapping him with the red capture laser. He placed it back inside his jacket as he reached the door.

"Well, I suppose that's why I'm down here tonight, ultimately," he said. "It's time for a change."

Kat had been prepared to disappear back into her corner beside the ladder, but she hesitated. She looked genuine for a moment, looking down at the ground as her posturing caught her between leaving and staying. She eventually looked up at where Archer was, meeting eyes with him.

"For real? That's rather exciting~" said Kat, a giggling grin appearing beneath the gloved hand she used to cover it.

Archer smiled. "Yeah. In fact, perhaps you could lend to that experience. You seem very good at making things exciting."

This made Kat blush—for the first time in a long time. She stood at attention, her eyes going wider than they ever had been as she snapped a daring salute.

"Sir, yes sir~!"


Archer was still lost in thought for several lingering moments after Ajax had left his sight, continuing to stare in the space where he had been. The steady footsteps over carpet as Ajax left stayed with him as he continued to think to himself, not paying any attention.

"You know, Archer," Ajax spoke up, beginning his thought.

Archer turned his head, not changing posture. At the door, Ajax was still standing out with the door in his hand, his overcoat pulled over his shoulders and every other part of him looking like he was ready to leave—but something was holding him back and making him stay in the moment.

"There's this girl you've got to meet. She'll be at the baryou know which one."