Alright. This is the last slow chapter, we have new developments, old names, enemies, etc... The foundation is built so next week we will dive into the plot. For now, enjoy Layla being a normal person and then a look at the hint of our bad guy line up.
The next morning, Layla wakes up feeling refreshed and ready for her day. When she's not working, she sees a little more time in bed scrolling through her pokegear to catch up on what she missed. It lets her delay the inevitable of having to get up and do the financial planning for the Daycare for Camden.
That's really the biggest project on her to-do list; the other things being grocery shopping and cooking for Eusine before he leaves again.
She puts her pokegear away after some scrolling and slips off her bed to get ready. Music plays from her pokegear as she dresses comfy, and goes through her morning routine. Breakfast consists of a simple ham and veggie omelet and some Johto coffee, a gift from Eusine.
She gets her laptop out on the little dining room table and gets the files Camden gave her and spreads them out in order as well. It's been a couple months since she took on this task of getting things in order. The owner of the Daycare thought someone was stealing and Camden was desperate to remain in control so he appointed Layla to do, as if she would fall victim to his whims.
It's not as bad as he made it out to be, sure there are so many numbers, all of them what she wishes her bank account looked like but she didn't get his jokes about the missing money being something of a human error. She spotted the discrepancies right away and the missing money got found.
With her coffee cooling beside her, Layla takes her seat and dives into the world of numbers, doing her best to be thorough and patient. The kinds of clients coming into the daycare precedes the money they make. She's almost offended she's not making more, same with the others.
The first time she saw all those commas, she was sure there had to be an underground part of the daycare. Money laundering or something; but one look at the client's on their websites and she knew it was real. They were some of the most powerful people in the city, and they paid for excellent care at the daycare.
After that, she kind of saw the value of her work, and then just how undervalued she is in comparison to the others. If she's supposed to be in Camden's position, she should definitely be making more. Even if the position is not as medical as she expected it to be; she gets to work with some rare pokémon and that satiates her appetite. It also makes swallowing her underpaid job and overworked hours much easier.
Excuses, Eusine's voice plays through her head and she leans back in her chair.
Her mug of coffee still steaming in front of her, she recounts her time in Celadon.
Why is she still here?
Nothing's tying her down to her apartment, she could end the lease she has easily and move to Olivine with no hard feelings between herself and Eusine's mother. She doesn't have too much stuff, she could pack up pretty easily and move to Olivine no problem.
Money?
Yeah, rent isn't cheap on the coast. With what she has saved up, she could make a security deposit and first month's rent, but would be eating cheap ramen for weeks after that. She wants to live comfortably while working at the center. She'll be devoting almost all her time to furthering her education and getting the experience she craves. If she even gets the job; applications haven't opened for the next year and it's a grueling process.
Layla knows better than to give up now, she knew all this information when she applied to Nursing School. It's just after all that work, it's a lot more effort to get the job she wants. Whereas the Daycare she got in with her skills, no issue and she gets to care forPokemon of any type.
She and Eusine live a good life here together.
He goes off to investigate the legends of Johto from the stories his Grandfather used to tell him years ago. there haven't been sightings of Legendary pokemon in either Kanto or Johto for years. Trainers have scoured all over both regions, including the islands, and still nothing. It's interesting the ways they can hide, Layla wonders if there are any even left after all this time.
Eusine wants to uncover the truth, mainly about Suicune, and so he studies legends, myths and other leads in the hope of finding them. It's been his goal since he got out of school, after his grandparents passed away and his mother divorced his father.
Now they're neighbors, taking on the world together, day by day...
By early afternoon, Layla finishes up the accounts and makes good on her promise to Pocha. There's a pond not too far from the complex, open for water types to swim in for as long as they want. Usually, she goes to the pool with him, but she's not in the mood to get her hair wet, and she has a lot on her mind she'd rather be above water to think about.
Pocha does a happy dance and waddles after her after she's changed into some casual leggings and a sweater and slipped on her sneakers. She grabs her keys, his pokeball and heads out on the city.
Celadon is as busy as ever, bustling with cars, trucks and taxis to take people anywhere they want to go. Since Team Rocket's fiasco years ago, the casino has since been renamed and has become a popular attraction once again. The strip where it's located is a tourist trap, meant to draw them in, suck them dry and spit them out the next morning. Gambling spots, clubs and other nightlife favorites dot the main strip of the city. Followed by famous and overly expensive restaurants meant to draw in the wealthy.
Layla often feels plain and underdressed walking by the strip at any time of the day. Men and women dressed to the nines inhabit the streets, their jewelry gleaming in the sunlight, their rare pokemon lifting their chins to the commoners. Sometimes, she sees a client and the pokemon will break away to greet her, an occurrence that makes her happy but also horrifies her.
Outside of work her look is akin to a Grimer, in her opinion. Sweats, loose clothing and her curls loose framing her face. Not the professional refined looked she wears in the daycare at all.
"Okay, have fun," she urges her Prinplup as they come up on the pond to find it void of other pokemon.
Her water type chirps happily and dives in without a second thought. His form disappears beneath the watery depths and Layla smiles, knowing he's content with his life with her. She settles on the grass near the edge, leaning against a tree to watch the clouds float by and listen to the voices of passers by.
"- the battle today?"
Layla perks up, remembering the tournament and Lance's battle, so much for watching him on her TV. She strains against the tree to hear the details, though there's no doubt in her mind he won.
"Of course, he won! He's the strongest of the strong," the other friend sighs dreamily. "I think he misses Serena and makes it hard so a worthy challenger will take his spot."
"You think so?" The first friend poses.
"They totally had a thing. Did you see the way they looked at each other? Or how Lance dedicated everything to her? He's totally in love."
Layla smiles at that, remembering the gossip sites marking every instance those two could be in a relationship. It was interesting to say in the least, during their conversations though, Layla never thought to ask about it. She supposes if it was sent to one person, it could easily leak... But still, Layla would love to know.
"But she's off somewhere now!"
"Yeah, but I bet that makes their sex better... what I would give for a taste of that-"
Layla stops listening, unable to hide her snickers at the friends gushing over Lance, the Champion. At this point, she swears everyone does, there are so many clients that ask about the best places to spot him in Kanto or if he'll be visiting the gym that day. He has grown considerably strong over the past two years, his first year was rough, but he made it through.
Then there's the question of Serena. Her old friend from camp, they haven't seen each other in years. She received an email letting her know she's going to explore the world and to keep messaging her for updates. Though it's been months since she's last heard from the brunette...
"Prin!" Pocha leaps from the water. He lands a little ways from Layla and shakes himself out, showering her in cold droplets.
"Ugh, Pocha!" She glowers at her pokemon, though there's a smile on her face. He chuckles, leaning forward to rub his beak on her arm, she reaches up to pet his soft feathers with a sigh. "I know, I know. I'm thinking too hard about everything. I really need a vacation."
He nods, seeming to agree with her words before gesturing for them to get moving. Tradition calls for a stop by the ice cream shop at the edge of this little park before they head home. A couple laps around the pond keeps his stamina up and gets his skin the moisture it needs to keep healthy, so their trips are never dreadfully long and Pocha tends to be a bit on the lazy side. He does what he needs to keep healthy, but longs to nap in the sun at home.
"Okay!" She laughs, getting up at his urging. "Let's get some ice cream and head back then, bud."
OoOoO
Archer was annoyed the second he laid eyes on the dilapidated building that was once one of Team Rocket's main bases of operation. What once was an immaculate building hidden in the trees away from prying eyes, is now overtaken by the undergrowth. Broken windows gape at him, rusted metal dares to stab him as he and Ariana traverse around the back path to the back door.
"Two years and it looks like this," he swears under his breath, swiping at the plants blocking the keypad. "Luckily, the G-men haven't found this place yet."
He stabs at the keypad, an old number burned into his memory so he could one day bring Team Rocket back from the ashes for Giovanni. It's been two years since their leader abandoned them suddenly. The Sevii Island project got trashed by that damn boy, leading to their official disbandment. It was a heartbreaking day for Archer, everything he'd been working for had come crumbling down in front of him.
It was a mess.
"What are you hoping to find?" Ariana questions as they enter the building, finding the inside intact but hidden under a thick layer of dust.
For a second, Archer ignores her, stalking over to the front desk where a computer sits along with some files scattered atop the desk. He gestures for her to flip on the lights, they take a few minutes to actually illuminate the room, and rounds the desk to sit at the chair. The computer takes several minutes to boot up, requiring a multitude of updates to do so.
He uses this time to answer her. "We need to find Giovanni, I think a good way to flush him out is to bring back Team Rocket. To do that we need money, we need followers, and a goal."
"What are you thinking?" she sits on the desk, arms crossed and dark red eyes scanning the room.
"First, money," Archer scours the desk to see what he has on hand. He pulls out a pad of paper and a pen. A cloud of dust floats up from his movements and he grumbles waving it away. "We're going to need the grunts we have to do some clean up. Petrel and Proton should be at the other base near Saffron."
"What are they supposed to find?" she scoffs, slipping off the desk to look through the cabinets behind him.
"Files, Ariana," Archer growls, losing patience with her endless questions. "We need people, they're searching for them. We have allies across the regions, no matter what happened two years ago, they'll come back. You and I are to look for ways to earn money."
At that point, the computer's main screen finally comes up and Archer opens the database to find their accounts hidden along Kanto and Johto's smaller cities. The accounts have a fair amount left, most made from store fronts, illegal gambling rings, illegal trades and what not. Archer writes down the larger accounts, feeling gleeful they have enough to get the bases up and running. Not enough to fund research from other rocket members, but that will come in time.
The accounts that are losing money due to being withdrawn, catch Archer's eye and he feels a bit of rage rise up inside him. The account holders were some of Giovanni's trusted members outside the circle of executives Archer is in control of. These are men and women who swore their allegiance to their leader and he feels disgusted they would steal from them as though nothing would happen.
"It seems we have to reinstate Team Rocket's position as a powerful organization in Johto and Kanto," he gestures to the screen.
Ariana peers over his shoulder and laughs. "What are you thinking? Making some visits and leaving a trail of blood?"
"Of course," he responds. "It's the Team Rocket way."