"Do you suppose we'll be getting our own lab coats?"
"I would look rather nice in a lab coat."
"We have a literal supply of them for disguises! Why would you need one?"
"I want to feel authentic! Buying one doesn't have the same feel as owning one!"
James sighed and pushed Meowth and Laura apart as they bickered. "That's enough, you two. Besides…" He posed dramatically. "I look far more dashing in a lab coat than the both of you!"
The cat and android glared at him. "No, I would!" They then glared at each other. "No, me!" They pushed each other around in the Meowth Hot Air Balloon, shaking them around in the air.
Jessie gripped the sides of the basket, feeling her legs nearly give out, before shouting, "Stop shaking the basket, you two! For once, I would like to go a week without plummeting from the sky!"
Meowth and Laura, in the midst of pulling each other's fur, shot the angry redhead blank stares, then smiled cheekily. "Sorry!" they apologized before letting go.
"Guess we're a little excited to be working with the boss' top secret scientists!" Meowth explained. He held his chin with a smug grin. "Those scientists should appreciate being assisted by such a renowned genius like myself! That machine they're constructing must be important if they require my expertise."
James crossed his arms. "Meowth, we're just acting as assistants. I don't think we'll have a hand in the construction."
That killed the cat's mood pretty quickly. "Darn," he grumbled.
Laura snickered. "Say what you will. I'm just looking forward to getting paid. These are supposed to be the boss' top scientists for his super-secret work. Before we head back to Unova, I want to take my new liberties the only way they should be: bragging rights!"
Jessie smirked. "Well, I can't argue with that." She rubbed her hands together wickedly. "Wait until that loser, Cassidy, sees that I've gained the boss' respect over her!" She threw her head back and laughed haughtily.
"Haven't she and Billy Bob worked on more secret projects than you jokers?" Laura teased behind her hand.
Jessie shot her a fiery glare. "I can and will kick you out of this balloon!"
"Not if I do it first!"
Meowth peeked over the basket and pointed ahead. "Look alive, folks! Team Rocket HQ inbound!"
The team peered ahead and saw the hidden, mountainous base coming up them. James grabbed the air balloon controllers and started their descent onto the HQ rooftop. Rocket grunts flooded onto the roof, standing by as they landed.
"Jessie, James, Meowth, and robot Pikachu," announced one grunt as he stepped before the balloon. "Giovanni is waiting for—AAH!" He recoiled as Laura leaped from the basket and stood on his chest, gripping his collar.
"First off, it's Laura. Second off, I'm an android! Call me a robot again and I will break your—!"
James rushed over and plucked her off the cowering grunt. "Err, sorry about that." He placed her on his shoulder, where she pouted and let her arms hang loose. "You were saying…?"
The grunt recovered his composure and straightened. "A-As I was saying, Giovanni is waiting for you four in the underground lab. Our scientists are in the early stages of construction. Giovanni will be handing out your assignments once you meet with him."
Jessie grinned. "We're getting paid for this, right?"
"And vacation time?" James added.
"All questions on the assignment must go to Giovanni." He turned and gestured them to follow along. The team shrugged and followed the grunt inside.
It hadn't been that long since the team was last at Team Rocket HQ, not since the events of Operation: Tempest with the three Genie Pokémon. Giovanni was recovering during then, and they decided to get the drop on the twerps while their guards were down. That was, unfortunately, where their little expedition with the Forest of No Light started. More so Meowth's and Laura's. Giovanni was thankfully unaware of their involvement helping the twerps destroy the forest, though perhaps a part of him was grateful it was gone. He seemed to resent its existence.
It still weighed heavily on their minds. How long has it been? A couple of days? Meowth still had the sores over himself, and Laura only recently got her parts and fur layer replaced. They allowed themselves to relax and forget about the nightmarish week, though their minds constantly wandered back to the two Darkmon they longed for.
Laura could forgive Meowth's longing since Chloe was a decent Darkmon, though she felt disgusted with herself that Dark remained on her mind. He tried to destroy her, kill her family even, yet he was still on her mind. She hadn't even gotten rid of the medallions he gave her, made with a crystalized jewel from his own life force. She wanted to destroy it, but she couldn't. Something about it just made her refuse giving it up. Meowth advised her to, anyway, but didn't push the subject.
It didn't matter. All of them wanted to forget about that experience, especially Laura. For now, she wasn't going to let anything hold her back.
After taking an elevator down, the grunt led the team down a metal hallway, where Team Rocket scientists and their Pokémon roamed. Despite Team Rocket's known experimentation on Pokémon, it was always strange to find some of those genetically enhanced Pokémon walking alongside the very scientists that tested on them. Always a bit of strangeness when it came to Team Rocket's dealings.
The grunt stopped before a mechanical door and pressed a button, opening it up. "This is where Giovanni is waiting for you."
"Thank you!" they exclaimed before walking in. Laura gave the grunt the stink eye, causing him to recoil. She snickered and followed her friends in.
The door closed behind them upon entering. They looked around the sterile, white metallic walls and the different types of equipment laying around, some of which they didn't recognize. It was a wonder why Giovanni wanted them to assist the Rocket scientists, but who were they to complain? At least they were being trusted with looking into that new faction of Team Plasma when they get around to it. It's amazing how much they've shaped up since their early days. They haven't even blasted off in a while, save for…well, the incident they chose not to speak about.
They ceased their eyeballing once they spotted the boss himself talking to one of the scientists. They also spotted some blue cat creature they've never seen before. It had white stripes, two large ears folded over each other, and curious teal eyes. It was fiddling with some mechanical orb when it noticed their staring. It blinked at the group, then returned to working.
Giovanni noticed the group, dismissed the scientist, and approached them. "Excellent. You made it on time."
The four saluted. "Yes sir, Giovanni! Reporting for duty!"
Giovanni closed his eyes. "I'll make this brief. With the recent happenings and failures of Operation Tempest, I've decided to reinstate one of our previously scrapped projects. Of course, this was supposed to be carried out about five years ago, so I do not have the available labor I require anymore."
"Sir!" Meowth spoke up. "May we ask what this secret project is about?"
"It's called Project: Perfect Storm, and that's all you'll need to know. I'm having my scientists construct the machine as we speak. You four will not be partaking in that."
James blinked. "Then why are we here?"
"One piece of equipment tied to the machine is in the testing phases. I assume you four remember PsychoWear?"
Jessie nodded. "Yes, we do. You asked us to send you a higher tier version of it."
"We've been reengineering it as of late. It's crucial to getting Project: Perfect Storm up and running. You four will be assisting an old acquaintance of mine for the next month testing the upper limits of this PsychoWear. We're trying to see what the upper limits of a Pokémon's body and how much strain they can take."
Laura's eyes widened. "Wait, you want us to test it on our Pokémon?!"
"No. Your Pokémon are far too pitiful to get adequate results. You will be working with the Pokémon we have on standby to test the PsychoWear. You are to monitor their health and make sure in proper condition before testing. I chose you four because, of all our other agents, you have a better track record when it comes to Pokémon handling. I would've hired extra hands, but we need to get this project underway soon."
Meowth glared. "How will these tests be examined, though?"
"Questions regarding the tests will be taken straight to our head scientist. Just be sure the Pokémon you're assigned to look after are properly cared for." Giovanni headed toward the door. "I shall see if he's ready for you now. Wait here until I get back."
"Yes sir!" they exclaimed.
Once the door shut, Laura groaned. "I wondered why he wanted us to send him that expensive piece of junk. So, he was experimenting on PsychoWear."
Jessie glared. "What do you suppose it's for?"
"I'm more concerned about whatever Pokémon he intends to strap to it," James said with a shudder.
Meowth hopped onto a table and said, "Don't let what the old guy said get to you. We're still Team Rocket, here and now."
"I know, but I can't help thinking about what the boss has been doing in secret. I knew Team Rocket had secrets, but…after what happened a few days ago—"
Meowth looked away with a scowl. "We agreed not to speak about that ever again."
Laura frowned. "Still beat up about Chloe?"
"I said don't talk about it!" Meowth turned away and huffed. "Look, we knew what we were getting ourselves into joining Team Rocket. Let's not pretend we didn't know the boss was a conniving mob boss. We all went into this business solely to take over the world."
Jessie sighed. "He makes a point."
"(Um, excuse me.)" The group turned and saw the blue cat approaching them. He tucked the sphere under his arm and smiled at them. "(Hello there!)"
Jessie blinked at the cat. "James, what is that?"
James pulled his cards out and shuffled through them. "Hmm, let's see…AHA! It appears to be a Meowstic."
"Meowth's fantastic? That's a filthy lie," Laura joked.
"Hey!" Meowth yelled.
James shook his head. "No, no, a Meowstic, from the Kalos region. This one appears to be the male variant by its blue fur. Females are the ones with white fur."
"The Kalos region, huh?" Jessie hummed before gasping. "Oh! I've heard of Kalos!" She grinned. "A girl's dream come true, diving into the rich, fashion-filled culture of this drab world! Ahahahahaha!"
"Uh yes, well…" James put his cards away. "What's a Meowstic doing here?"
Meowstic smiled. "(I'm actually the assistant Pokémon entrusted to oversee you four.)"
"Assistant Pokémon?" Meowth translated. "I didn't know we had one of those running around."
"(Well, due to Team Rocket's unfortunate history with the International Police and certain branches of it, they've employed the help of exceptionally talented Pokémon such as myself to oversee the labs and assist in any way we can.)"
Laura scratched her cheek. "Sort of like how that Shadow Agency runs itself. Huh."
"(I'm Optic, by the way.)" He held his hand out to them.
Laura smiled and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Optic. That's Jessie, James, and Meowth. And I'm Laura."
Optic squinted at her and moved closer. "(Ah, so you're the android I've been hearing so much about.)"
"Finally!" Laura exclaimed. "Someone who gets it right!"
"(Whoever built you must've been remarkably talented.)" Optic lifted her arms and checked the weight. "(Light and flexible, though there's a noticeable squeaking going on in the joints.)"
Laura sighed. "I can't count how many times I needed parts replaced."
"(I'm amazed an android is capable of developing emotions. How is that possible?)" Optic wondered aloud.
Laura scoffed and shrugged. "Ask the jerk who built me, I guess. It's apparently some kind of glitch."
"(Strangest glitch I've ever witnessed.)"
Laura shrugged again. "It's how I was built."
"(If you don't mind, I would love to take a look at you later,)" Optic offered. "(I'm quite handy when it comes to working with machines. In fact, I'll be assisting you during the data testing for the upgraded PsychoWear.)"
Laura raised her brow. "Oh, really?"
Optic nodded. "(You could say I'm good at gathering intel for these sorts of tests. They don't call me Optic for nothing.)"
"Why exactly do they call you Optic?" Meowth asked.
Optic stuck his tongue out playfully. "(You'll have to wait and see.)"
Jessie and James glanced at each other. "You have any idea what they're talking about?" Jessie asked.
"Not a clue."
Meowth sighed. "I'll fill you two in later."
Laura smiled. "So Optic, who's this famous scientist we'll be working with? Must be impressive to earn Giovanni's respect."
Optic chuckled. "(The good doctor is a master of machines himself. My stuff's pretty good, not to toot my own horn, but he's an expert on weapons and robotics. That man can build some amazing machines. It's basically an artform to him.)"
Laura grinned. "Perhaps I should ask him about an upgrade."
"(I don't see why not. He might take an interest in you.)"
"Looking forward to it."
The lab doors slid open. They turned and saw Giovanni waiting for them in the hall. "He's ready for you. Hurry along."
"(Ah! Give me a second!)" Optic ran over to a cabinet and grabbed a few things. A metal pack with spheres resting in the on the outside and a visor headset. He strapped the pack on and joined their side. "(Can't forget my gear.)"
The team followed Giovanni to the main testing chamber. Upon passing through a few doors, they came upon an observation deck with a glass window running across the wall. On the other side, they could see the training ground, which resembled that of the standard battlefield for Pokémon battles. Through the windows, they saw the control center, along with a man standing by the controls.
"That must be the scientist," Meowth muttered.
Jessie squinted. "Looks kind of old."
Giovanni sighed. "I advise not judging him for his age. This man could match Dr. Zager's intelligence alone. He was one of the four who helped with the original plans for Project: Perfect Storm, alongside Zager and Namba."
Laura raised her brow. "So, who was the fourth?"
Giovanni's brow furrowed. "I prefer not to speak of that one."
They reached the control room and entered. Laura occupied her attention on the controls and computers while the humans, Meowth, and Optic approached the scientist. He had stark white hair that fell to his shoulders, messy and unkempt with hairs sticking out. A pair of spectacles with rose-colored lenses sat on the bridge of his nose. Apart from the lab coat, he worn a simple pair of black pants and a teal sweater. He clicked the heels of his black boots on the floor as he worked on the controls. He had obvious wrinkles in his face and hands, but they were modest.
The scientist glanced at the group, huffed, then turned his attention back on the control panel. "These are my assistants?"
Giovanni nodded. "You'll find them exceptionally useful for the tests."
"Whatever, so long as I don't have to be around any more of those mangy creatures."
Giovanni turned to the Rocket group and gestured to the scientist. "Allow me to introduce you all. This is the brilliant roboticist, Dr. Thomas Waltz."
Jessie, James, and Meowth froze up, looks of surprise in their faces. Optic and Giovanni stared at them confused by their reactions. "(Hey, you three good?)"
"Have you met Waltz before?" Giovanni asked.
"They haven't."
A horrible grinding sound gathered their attention. Waltz turned his head, then raised his brow. Laura, with her metal claws extended, scratched along the control panel. Her body shook. Sparks shot from her eyes. Steam sizzled from her cheeks. She lifted her head and scowled up at them, eyes glowing red.
Waltz straightened up and slid his hands inside his pockets, glaring down at the android Pikachu.
Laura bared her teeth into a tight snarl. Of all the people in the world to be working with Team Rocket, why…why did it have to be him?!
Waltz took off his spectacles, wiped the lenses with a handkerchief, then set them back on his face.
"Didn't I sell you for scrap, robot?"
