Lol I hate it when I get inspired by fanart.
Enjoy this random thing. Hope they're in character.
I don't own Pokemon.
Before Archer was in Team Rocket, he was an idiot. He knew a woman, too. She was pretty and happy, and kind and caring - everything that Archer wasn't. She had a sweet smile, and she was kind to even him.
He was a silly trainer who had once been young and impulsive. He got himself into trouble quite often, and he always made the same mistakes, because he had never learned anything from them. In fact, there was a time he got into a fight, and he had gotten himself badly injured. The spectators left him there to fall unconscious. But perhaps it was better this way, because when he woke up, he was graced with the sight of concerned, blue eyes and soft, pink colors.
And then she smiled.
"I'm glad you're awake!"
He didn't respond. He only blinked. From what he could tell, she was one of the newer nurses.
"Usually, I don't treat humans, but I made an exception. Just promise not to tell, okay?" she asked, with a light giggle.
He nodded, unable to create a full word.
"You still seem pretty tired. Get some rest, and I'll be back to check on you in a bit, okay?"
The smile didn't leave her face and she was long gone before he could finish the word "okay." He finally realized that he was in a Pokemon Center, being treated by Nurse Joy. He came to them often, as did any and every Pokemon trainer, and yet, he was still surprised to be in one. There was a searing pain in his head, too, which he realized had been bandaged. He remembered the fight, too, and groaned. He couldn't believe he had lost.
Best to forget, Archer supposed, just as he had forgotten what happened after the fight.
Nurse Joy had suggested he get some sleep, though, and so he took her advice.
When he woke up, he still couldn't remember anything from the fight, but a Chansey was pushing him out of bed, merrily skipping on her way to the kitchen. And there, in the kitchen, is Nurse Joy. She smiles at him and frowns at Chansey.
"You should have let him rest, Chansey."
Not wanting the Chansey to get in trouble, Archer speaks, "No, it's fine."
The nurse smiles at him. "Well, okay," she begins, "Do you remember what happened yesterday?"
He shakes his head because no, he can't recall a thing after the fight. He already knows he lost - so what's the harm in knowing the shame that befell him afterwords?
"I was walking to work early that morning, and I found you, just laying there, unconscious. I know I'm not supposed to take care of humans, and certainly not in the Center itself, but I couldn't just leave you there. So, I took you here and bandaged you up."
She smiled, "Anyway, I'm glad you're alright now. You can stay here for as long as you like. Just don't tell the other trainers," she said, winking at him.
He smiled at her, then, and maybe thought that things could go his way for once.
He was wrong.
He found himself in a fight with some loser - pompous, arrogant, cold and cruel. Archer couldn't stand people like this boy, and so he decided to teach him a lesson or two. But then Nurse Joy comes in and stops them, with a frown directed towards Archer. She hushes the crowd and escorts the boy Archer was fighting out the door.
When the crowd has dissipated all over the Center, she approaches Archer with a frown on her features.
"I said you could stay here for as long as you like, but not if you're going to do that."
"I'm sorry..." he says, trying to apologize to himself, as well.
The frown leaves her face, and a tiny smile takes its place, "Don't get involved with that crowd, Archer. They're not worth it."
She walks away and Archer watches her intently. Out of all the nurses, she had to be the one who got him to stay.
Archer doesn't like the attachment he starts to feel to her. He's not one for this kind of attachment, and he doesn't want to start feeling it - because, before he knows it, he could fall in - dare he say it - love. And Archer doesn't want to be rooted down to it. He hates knowing that he could grow roots to the nurse, and he hates that he could hate those roots, too.
This time, Archer doesn't follow her advice.
The crowd was a growing criminal organization, or so Archer learned. The boy he fought was a new, promising recruit named Petrel, who had later smirked at him from his place in the alleyway Archer found him in.
"Come back for more?"
Archer shook his head. He felt like scoffing - Petrel was quite the idiot.
Another voice spoke up. "Petrel, don't speak to our guests like that."
The figure came out of the darkness, sleek black hair, and a suit. He looked like some kind of mafia boss, and he chuckled at the sight of Archer.
"So, guest. Who are you?"
"My name is Archer, sir. I was curious about your operations here in the city."
The man smirked, and let out a deep chuckle, "Good to know one so young is interested in us."
Archer shook his head, "I'm afraid I'm older than your... friend, Petrel."
Petrel glared, and then the man shook his head, "That's quite alright. You're still young, though, but I'm glad - young people like you and Petrel here bring promising results. Are you interested in joining us, perhaps?"
Archer takes a moment to think it through - Joy told him not to, but now, here with the man who he presumes is the boss, he is quite interested, indeed. So, he nods.
"Well, it's a pleasure to have you with us, Archer. My name is Giovanni, and I think we should have a talk about your future in my little organization here."
After joining Team Rocket, Archer doesn't return to the Center until a few years later. Nurse Joy would wonder about him occasionally, but maybe he decided it was finally time for him to leave. They had been friends, but that was no reason to get attached - all trainers stay at the Center occasionally, and none of them stay forever. Joy knew this, too, and yet, she still wondered if he was okay, and what he was doing these days.
It seemed that her questions would be answered, though, as Team Rocket had been going around town, breaking into Pokemon Centers and stealing both Pokemon and supplies. But Joy would not let the trainers in her Center have their Pokemon stolen.
Regardless of her wavering pact of protection and defense, Team Rocket made its way in. And they were threatening, too. Terrible, horrifying people and their world domination antics... And they played with weapons, now, too...
But Archer was there. And he was the one controlling Team Rocket... Maybe she had always known that that had been where he went, that he had gotten himself involved after she told him not to, but she had always hoped that maybe, just maybe, he'd have just left to continue his career of being a Pokemon trainer. But now, she realized, she had placed her hope in the wrong person...
This was where Joy had to put her foot down. She wouldn't let him pass, no matter if she knew him before or not. She stood in front of the trainers, spreading her arms out, protecting them, like a stern guardian.
"Archer! That bitch is getting in our way!"
But Archer looked at her, and she stared back. "Do what you will, but I won't let you harm these trainers."
Chansey came to Joy's defense, but then it was easily knocked out by the team's Pokemon. It didn't stand a chance, Joy noted sadly.
"You should move, Joy," Archer said, coldly.
"No can do, Archer."
They stared at each other, almost having a staring contest. It was more like a war of glares, and neither would make a move.
"Archer! Get rid of her, would ya?"
"Yeah, come on, leader! She's annoying!"
There were more shouts that Joy couldn't make out. But she didn't care. She'd protect these trainers, and she hoped and prayed that Archer had some kind of good left in him that would prevail and he'd leave her and the trainers alone.
But then, he pulled out his gun.
She took a breath. Maybe he was part of Team Rocket, but he wouldn't do this. This wasn't him, it could never be him, he wouldn't do this, not to her-
Bang.
She fell to the floor, blood seeping out of her body. The trainers screamed - oh, they were only children for christ sake, why had he done something so stupid?
His grunts got to work stealing their Pokemon, and the young trainers were too distraught by what Archer had done to fight them off. Archer felt some sense of regret, and he fell to the floor next to the woman he knew before he became the man that shot innocents in front of children.
"This... isn't you..." her voice was a whisper, sad, broken and dejected. Maybe, once upon a time, he could have been better, he could have just accepted his feelings for the generic nurse, but that was not who he was now, and that fairy tale had ended just as fast as it had started.
He pressed his lips to her bubblegum pink ones. He just wanted to know what it felt like. Really, he did.
Archer's last memory of her would be her soft, pink lips that tasted like cotton candy, and her blue eyes widened in shock.