Crime Sometimes Pays

by FallenKoala

Giovanni was expecting the latest experiment to provide him with powerful and rare pokemon. It ends up spitting out a strange man instead. Never one to waste an opportunity and a chance to recoup some losses, the boss puts him to work as a new grunt and test subject. Team Rocket's newest employee must find his place in the team, without screwing too much up in the process.

3. Chapter 3: Rat-astrophie

"Steal pokemon for profit. Exploit pokemon for profit. All pokemon exist for the glory of Team Rocket."

John snorted through his nose after reading the words on the silver plaque set on the wall, the engraved 'R' on the bottom left corner being the icing on the top. He stepped back and looked down at the uniform Doctor Yari had given him to wear, the black shirt and pants surprisingly well-fitted while the grey gloves, belt, and boots felt a bit tight. Thankfully he was used to wearing darker blues and black, so it had that going for it, but the large and bright red 'R' that was smack-bang on the middle of his own chest was another matter.

"Might as well just write 'Arrest me I am a bad guy!' instead," he grumbled to himself and spun his black cap in his hand, before turning around and taking another look at the boss's office in all of its cubic glory.

Aside from the plaque the flat metal walls were barren of decoration, not grey tiles like the rest of the base he'd seen so far but rather a single surface that had a silver-purple tint to it. The large and automatic double-door he'd entered through was on the wall to his right, and two smaller doors were almost hidden in the wall opposite him. The wall to his left was the most different out of all, looking more like a huge door that was split down the middle horizontally. John wondered what it was for, judging from the appearance and all the rivets that it could possibly lead to a personal hanger for a helicopter or some other craft.

'Wouldn't put it past him,' he thought while appraising the oversize room. 'Roof is about ten metres high, and there's enough space to park a truck in here.'

The generous amount of space was accentuated by a distinct lack of furnishings save for the hardwood-panelled desk and office chair that sat in front of the massive door and the sprawling, gold-trimmed red rug that covered most of the floor. This limited furniture, of course, also had the prominent 'R' logo plastered on it.

John walked towards the desk, glancing at the huge 'R' in the centre of the rug while he passed. 'At least that one is purple for a change.'

Rounding around the side of the desk he took a quick peek, although apart from a white phone, large laptop, and a few closed ports on the top there was nothing that stood out. The grey chair tempted him, looking to be large and very comfortable, but he was able to resist to sit down and spin in it. Looking around the still empty office however, taking in the scale and taste in decoration, John was unable to fight all of his urges and spread his arms out palms up in the air above the desk.

"Ah, zo good of you to join us, Mr Bond." The Russian accent was poor, potentially enough to be offensive to even the most drunken slav. "I ze that you have avoided my soviet army, however…" John pointed up to the ceiling with a finger. "Vill you have ze same luck against my krokodil-enhanced verevolf, I vonder?"

He jumped when the small door closet to the desk made a clunk sound, and he raced back around to the front of it. Not knowing where else to go, as there were no chairs for visitors, he instead took a few quick steps back until his boots were touching the Team Rocket icon on the floor. The door opened just as he did so, Giovanni strolling out with a white folder in his hand and Persian close on his heels.

"Boss," John greeted with a nod, holding his hat in his hands in front of him. He was seemingly ignored in return, although Persian flicked his tail and wrinkled his nose at him with a scowl. "Persian."

Giovanni settled down into his seat and placed the folder on the desk in between his elbows. Beside him Persian circled on the spot before sitting down, the feline's red eyes locked on John. A few moments passed as both men stared at the other, before Giovanni leaned back in his chair and interlocked his fingers over his chest.

"I see that the Doctor found you a uniform to wear now, or at least most of one." The boss's face retained a neutral expression. "The cap is also required." It took John a second to get what he was saying, and he put the hat back on his head.

"Sorry Boss, I assumed that you wouldn't want me to wear a hat in your office."

An eye raise. "Why wouldn't I?"

John answered without thinking. "Well, it's rude to wear one inside. It's disrespectful." On retrospection he hoped that the boss wouldn't pry into why he was able to remember something like that, and so tried to smile and bow his head in a nod. "You're my boss, after all."

If the ploy worked, Giovanni's face didn't show it. Instead there was another moment of quiet, Persian starting to clean his front paws with eyes still on John, before the boss replied.

"I am. From now on you are to wear the hat at all times while in uniform." Giovanni raised and lowered his crossed index fingers. "Speaking of the uniform, I should tell you that it is one for a grunt, as that is your current rank. The only lower rank is trainee, something that you'll be skipping on the advice of Doctor Yari. I assume that he informed you of the basics before sending you here?"

A nod, John recalling the quick prep talk that the doctor had given him. "He did. Black with grey boots are goon platoon, white and black are above that, and then the black uniforms with white gloves and boots are your top blokes." He gestured with a hand, towards the seated boss in his brown suit from earlier in the morning. "Ah, but of course suits are at the very top."

Giovanni replied with a nod of his own. "Correct, so far. There are other specific ranks within the organisation, but Doctor Yari will cover those in time. Has he informed you of your purpose?"

He had to resist the urge to make a snide remark at how the boss asked the question but held his tongue. Instead John just remained still and polite.

"Yes, Boss. He wants to train me up so I can go out and do stuff without failing completely, and apparently get some sick gains." He flexed an arm, which admittedly didn't have much to boast about visually. "Also wants me to try and see if I can make some pokemon friends without them having a spaz about it."

Both John and Giovanni glanced over at Persian when the pokemon let out a low growl at the suggestion, eyes still on John with his claws out. With Persian in mid-lick of the one of the middle ones, John raised his hands with palms out.

"Present company excluded, of course."

'Typical bloody cat.'

John lowered his hands and returned his focus to the boss. "Doc also said that I had some, as he put, 'abnormal' results. Nothing really unhealthy, and apparently I'll actually end up even fitter if I listen to him, but he wants to run some experiments on me at the same time. Suits me fine."

Giovanni raised his eyes. "Did he tell you what these abnormalities are?"

"You mean aside from the skin?" John chuckled, ending it quickly when Giovanni's face remained stony. "I'm heavy, I've got more energy, have to eat a bit more than normal. Pretty much said that I've got a really high metabolism and that I'm more 'dense', that was it. He said that he sent you the full report, your eyes only." He paused, not liking the way Giovanni frowned in thought. "Why, was there something else wrong?"

"No, that's all Doctor Yari reported." The boss tapped two fingers together. "Ah, apart from your initial intelligence results. They were average considering your memory problems, and the doctor seems to think that you'll learn quickly enough." Giovanni's slight frown relaxed back into his usual slight smirk. "It's of little consequence I suppose, you're now effectively Yari's underling and answer directly to him. I expect that our future meetings will be somewhat rare as a result."

Light purring began from Persian at the suggestion, John ignoring the smiling cat and instead shaking his head lightly. "I understand Boss, but I'll miss our talks." He had to fight the urge to grin. "Do you think we'll still be friends?"

The corners of the boss's mouth twitched but his expression didn't change, and he kept the lite smile.

"Careful now, Smith. Your status of guest has ended and you're now a grunt, it might be best if you ask Doctor Yari to start your education with proper Team Rocket mannerisms." He leaned forward. "While the doctor wants you to be his pet project, I'm still the Boss. I can fire you whenever I want, have you thrown out onto the street, and many former grunts can attest to it. Confident employees can do well in Team Rocket, but confidence is worthless without the results to go alongside it. Understand?"

John nodded, his smile a bit more muted than usual. "Yes, Boss. I've got a lot of weight to pull, so I'll try to do it well."

A dry chuckle from the boss. "True, but Smith, do you even know what Team Rocket aims to do?"

"I've picked up the gist of things," John replied with a shrug. "Steal stuff and creatures I don't know anything about, commit crime, bully kids for their lunch money." He gave a pointed glance down to his uniform. "Probably monologue a lot before getting my arse beaten." Another shrug, his eyes back on Giovanni. "Doc gave me a bit of a warning, but he said that missions can be pretty varied. Apparently if something can make money or be sold for money, we steal it and try not to 'get repeatedly defeated by groups of teenagers', his words."

Giovanni's smile seemed to get a little warmer at that.

"Hmm, maybe Yari will make a grunt out of you yet, Smith." He leaned forwards, hands crossing in front of him on the desk. "The notion of committing crimes doesn't bother you? Most of our recruits are already familiar with law enforcement before they join, or desperate enough to not care."

John couldn't help but scoff. "I think I fall into the second category, if just a little. Besides, I'm not squeaky clean, I'm pretty sure that I've torrented stuff in the past."

It was partially true. His record from before was practically spotless aside from a warning regarding unsafe usage of fireworks and a charge of public drunkenness that had been expunged upon hitting eighteen. A part of him knew that waking up in a new unknown world and then immediately becoming involved in organised criminal enterprise wasn't the most moral choice of career, or the smartest, but despite his boss's usual cold and sour mood John still felt like he owed the man a little for giving him a second chance at life. Even if it appeared to be more and more accidental on Giovanni's part.

Of course it wasn't just a perceived debt that was driving his choice. A second part in his mind was competing against the moral rationality. It was the part in your brain that tells you to 'go a bit over the speed limit, it can't hurt that much'. 'You know, you could probably get away with scanning those capsicums in as onions, serves them right for using self-service'. 'Yeah you have had a lot of alcohol but that guy really did just insult you to your face, and you can't look weak in front of the boys. Punch the smirk off of that cunt, and besides, everyone loves the occasional barfight'.

A little bit of excitement and curiosity mixed with a hint of narcissism and malevolent thrill, a dangerous combination.

"Also," John continued with a small chuckle. "I'd really prefer to not have to ever return to retail, and it's not like I have any school or work references at the moment."

Giovanni quietly hummed in agreement, before he nodded with a gesture of his hand. "True." His face softened with the smile not as wide but a bit more genuine. "And while you may be a failed, crawdaunt-coloured result of an experiment that has cost me far too much, you're still Team Rocket's failed experiment."

John sniffed and made a show of wiping away a fake tear. "Thanks Boss, it means a lot. Still don't know what a crawdaunt is though."

A humorous scoff from Giovanni while Persian rolled his eyes. "Bright red. Now…" The boss moved his hand behind his desk, a soft beep sounding after. "Joben, I'm ready for you now."

"Of course sir," a male voice that sounded young yet refined replied from a speaker hidden in the desk. Barely a few moments had passed before the second smaller door opened, a man holding a small briefcase walking out towards Giovanni.

He appeared to be vaguely Japanese or Korean, with short and neat black hair framing an angular face. Instead of a uniform he wore a simple but tailored black suit with matching tie, no colour save for the small red 'R' pinned to his lapel. His black dress shoes shined with the glint of regular polishing, and he walked at a quick yet calculated pace. Giovanni accepted the briefcase that was offered along with a small bow of respect, orange eyes flashing out from behind small rectangular glasses at John.

"Thank you Joben," the boss said, wasting no time and placing the case on the desk. "This is our newest recruit, John Smith. Smith, this is one of my personal assistants, Joben."

John nodded his head in greeting, but all he got in return was a calculating stare. Joben seemed to scan him up and down while he stood still with his hands behind his back, a wrinkle of the nose and a twitch of the mouth giving the idea that John had found someone else who didn't take too kindly to him. A flash of irritation rose in the larger man, John still maintaining his smile but making sure his eyes made direct contact with Joben's and that they lacked any trace of friendliness. Both men maintained the silent challenge until the shorter of the pair looked to Giovanni, the boss snapping open the briefcase a second later.

If Giovanni noticed the wordless confrontation between his two subordinates he didn't say anything, instead he gestured to the case before him with a hand.

"Some basic items for your employment, Smith." A nod to Joben, the assistant spinning the case around so that it faced John.

"Due to your specific circumstances you have been provided with a counterfeit identity, originating from Fall City in the Fiore region, that consists of a driver's licence and identification card. While these will pass basic inspection, they will not fool targeted searches and will be next to useless if you ever do travel to Fiore itself. The different culture of the region selected may also help explain any lack of pokemon knowledge if questioned, please ensure that you read the accompanying primer on your former life." A small brown wallet sat secured by a strap, open and displaying two cards with blurry and obviously faked pictures. The faces weren't a deep pink, mainly. Joben managed to foresee the critique with a slight smirk.

"Doctor Yari believes that your current colouration should fade, if not it can be explained away as sunburn. Not that a Team Rocket grunt will find themselves traveling to other regions, or anywhere else needing identification, often." His finger then pointed to other items in the case in order, the first being a large, grey plastic card with the Team's logo on it. "Your access card for the base and other Rocket facilities, normal grunt access save for your room and some medical areas." Another card, smaller and bright white with a red ball icon on the upper corner. "Your bank card, registered under your name with an account with the Kanto bank. Currently empty." The last remark was said with a smidge of smug enjoyment.

"Personal pager, watch, and associated manual." The device pointed out was a small and black ovel with a small green screen. "Two way and secure on our own network but communication will only work within HQ or in very close proximity." What looked like a deck of white playing cards was next, all with large pictures, text, and secured with a ring binder at the top. "Standard issue pokecards, for identification purposes." Then the final item, a small plain-grey book with yet another R logo on the front. "The basic Team Rocket combined manual and guidebook, required reading." A glance to the boss was met with a nod, Joben closing the briefcase and snapping the clasps shut. Then he brought it over to John, staying as far away as possible while handing it over.

John took hold of the handle wordlessly, Joben viably tensing up at the brief hand contact before retreating to stand next to the boss's desk with a straight back. The assistant made of show of reaching into a suit pocket to withdraw a small bottle, and after a squirt he rubbed his hands like it was a sanitiser or hand wash.

'Wanker,' John silently dismissed.

"Smith," Giovanni took over. "Outside you will find two grunts ready to take you to your assigned quarters near the medical centre, they were on the helicopter earlier this morning. They have been assigned to Doctor Yari to assist with his management of you and have some limited knowledge of the situation. Speak to no other grunts or agents about any specific details, if at all if able. Clear?"

"Yes Boss. I remember them well. Maxwell, Vivian, and Weave." He quickly clarified when Giovanni raised an eye. "I believe Weave was the name of the we-evil? No, the weavile. Pack hunters, you like them because they're meaner than normal."

Giovanni's other raised eye joined the first.

"I don't recall saying that I liked weaviles?"

"You didn't, but I think you do. You smiled when you told me how cruel they were."

A snort from Giovanni, John not missing how Joben sent the boss a sideways glance.

"Careful, Smith. Although I do have to award you some praise, as remembering three names for more than ten minutes already puts you above a distressing number of your fellow grunts." Giovanni shared a look with Joben, before he waved a dismissive hand. "We are done here. Remember to keep your hat on and your mouth shut. Remain in your room unless otherwise instructed, some starting leaning materials and spare uniforms have already been provided. And before you go, it is required to salute your boss and superior when they approach or leave. If you remember what a salute is."

John's smiled widened, recalling how the two grunts had saluted the Boss earlier with their hands to their heads. Unable to resist getting in one last laugh, he did as asked.

His booted heels clicked together and his shoulders went stock straight, his right arm extending out in front of him at a forty-five degree angle with the palm facing down.

"Boss, heil."

Joben didn't move, while Giovanni stared for a moment before blinking.

"What is that?"

"A salute, Boss," came the reply, John lowering his arm and relaxing. "I seem to recall it being used to salute leaders like you. I thought given your position and strong method of leadership that it was appropriate." He left it at that, still smiling at Giovanni and hoping that he'd fall for it.

He earned a short and sharp sigh for his efforts.

"It will have to do for now," the boss muttered, before looking at the double doors. "The Doctor is expecting you at seven this evening, sharp. Dismissed."

Giovanni watched while Smith left through the doors, his fingers tapping on the surface of his desk as he did so. After the door had firmly closed, he gestured with his other hand towards his assistant at his side.

"So, Joben. What do you think?"

There was a short moment of quiet. "I have to say, sir, I don't think I like him."

From his spot on the floor to the right, Persian piped up with a growling meow in agreement. Giovanni chuckled and wheeled his chair back, patting his lap and letting his pokemon jump up onto it.

"You and many others, it seems." His hand started to rub Persian along the neck, the pokemon starting to purr while he laid down across his master's legs. "I take it you read the report Yari wrote for you like I ordered?"

"Of course. Doctor Yari seems to be confident that we could gain something from further experiments and tests. His theories about the potential of the stem cell abnormality for our own research holds merit, but I fail to see how the organisation would specifically benefit from what seems to just be another grunt, regardless of personal size or strength." Giovanni rested his chin on a fist while Joben spoke, thinking to himself. "Especially if the issues regarding pokemon and pokeballs aren't resolved."

"Hmm." His other hand drummed on the desk. "You may be correct that he'll just be another grunt, but the experiments will be fairly low-cost. And, if it all fails, at least it's something to keep Yari busy with for a while." His faint smile was genuine. "The old coot hasn't been this excited for a while."

Joben nodded, his head tilting with a look towards Giovanni.

"There is of course the matter of discipline to address."

"Ha, yes." The chuckle was short and dry, his hands clapping together. "Smith does like to test the boundaries, doesn't he? That issue in particular should sort itself out once he comes to terms with his role in Team Rocket, it appears to be a coping mechanism. If not, we can always apply corrective punishment." His smile darkened. "That will do wonders for his snark."

"It always does, sir," Joben agreed with a small smile of his own. "But we should still be cautious. Before, I felt like he was considering violence towards my person. His potential size combined with the warnings about aggression from the doctor's report, could result in problems further down the line."

This concern was dismissed with a hand wave, after Giovanni thought it over for a moment or two.

"I have faith in Yari to monitor the situation," he explained. "And while Smith has shown a tendency to prod the line, he has yet to defy an outright order." An idea popped into his head, and Giovanni turned to Joben with a conspiring smile. "However, maybe we should help the doctor out with his experiments and arrange for Smith to go out on a few jobs in the near future."

Joben tilted his head and raised an eye, Giovanni crossing his fingers and nodding. "This soon sir?"

"Give him a fortnight to learn some basics but keep an eye out for tasks that require little to no interaction with pokemon. Simple grunt work, the more boring the better. If we provoke him to action we can watch the results without risking too much."

His assistant seemed to approve, a smile on Joben's face. "I think that can be arranged, sir. I'll be sure to keep an eye out. Do you need anything else?"

Giovanni, now firmly in a good mood, shook his head while continuing to pet Persian.

"Not from you, Joben, you may go. Send in Matori afterwards, I want updates on the Johto operations."

"Of course sir."

---

'…so the Pokemon League doesn't just make sure that all of our pokemon gyms and league competitions are certified and run properly, they also provide medical and support services to pokemon trainers from all of the regions! Registering with the League is one of the first steps on your pokemon journey!'

John lifted a fork and took another large bite of scrambled eggs, his eyes furrowed while he turned a page of the thick book titled 'The Pokemon League and You! A Beginner's Introduction!'. From what he had gathered over his initial week of study the Pokemon League was essentially the United Nations, International Olympic Committee, and World Economic Forum rolled into one big bureaucracy. The books he had been provided seemed to dance around the subject of just how much political sway the League held over the 'regions' of the world, but he could make a pretty good guess based upon how pokemon-mad the world was.

"Fuck tons," he muttered to himself, going in for a final bite and finishing the bowl. It was pushed aside, to join an empty plate of what used to be fish and leafy vegetables as well as a bowl that had contained a generous helping of oat porridge, in a fight for the limited space that the small steel desk provided. John picked up the last item of his regular breakfast, a massive blue shaker bottle holding what must have been two litres of protein shake, flipped off the cap and started to drink with a smile.

No matter how much he had, Doctor Yari having prescribed John more than his regular daily intake of food for breakfast alone, he always felt hungry for more at lunch. John knew that it wasn't just the supervised exercise he was ordered to do that was to blame, it was the taste of every item that graced his lips.

The fish, John not even knowing what type, was superb. The vegetables were always crisp and fresh. Even the beans and sweet potatoes, the unsung backbones of many a meal, were the pinnacle of their class. The protein shake tasted like a mix of ripe strawberry and banana combined with cream and milk straight from the cow, a delight that he would have only expected from a proper restaurant. His homeland didn't lack good quality produce and he had eaten well in the past, but this was a new level.

'Good thing the doc thinks I'll keep burning this off,' he thought, pausing his drinking and glancing around his room. 'I'd outgrow this place pretty fast.'

His assigned room with plain grey walls was pretty much like the few examples of student accommodation he'd seen, most of the space taken up by a simple metal bed with a firm mattress and thin sheets. Thankfully whoever had organised the room had put in a large (and solidly built) double bed instead of a single, so while he had to use it as his only chair as well due to space constraints, it at least fit him with some room to spare.

A small steel bedside table with drawers thankfully didn't hamper access to the room via the door, and the small space between the foot of his bed and the wall separating the cramped ensuite bathroom was filled with two separate stacks of multi-coloured books. The rightmost 'already read' pile, the largest by far, contained titles such as 'Pokemon Basics for Beginners', 'Typing with Typhlosion, Fire It Up!', and 'Professor Oak's Pokemon Observations, Volume Three'.

While they were obviously aimed at utter beginners and young teenagers, for someone completely foreign to the idea of intelligent animal-demon cockfights as a part of daily life they were a godsend. He still struggled to get a handle on it all, but Doctor Yari had promised him that the base's library had no lack of basic education materials. John's eyes wandered to the intimidatingly chunky, red-covered beast of a book titled 'Pokeball Theory 101' sitting in the small 'to be read' pile, the picture of the titular ball on the spine causing him to grimace.

'That one can wait for later, I prefer my sanity.'

He soothed the pain with another shot of protein shake, emptying the bottle with a satisfied 'ah'. He patted his gut with a hand before he stood up, the bed creaking as he did so, and navigated around the stash of books and into the ensuite.

John didn't bother to shower, knowing what his morning had in store for him, but he at least used some provided deodorant. It spoke volumes of the new world he found himself in that the smiling sunflower face on the label could actually be a living and breathing creature, but for the moment he couldn't recognise it from any of his starting books.

John squeezed out of the bathroom a few minutes later, black super-goon uniform and grey boots on and ready to go. It would have just been easier to give him a set of gym clothes to take back to his room, but for some reason Giovanni was obsessed with everyone wearing their uniforms all the time.

The beep from the pager attached to his grey belt informed him that it was seven in the morning a mere two seconds before there was a knock at the door.

"Ah John? It's time to-"

"Yeah, I know the drill Max," Smith answered, clearing all of his empty dishes off of the desk and stacking them on the steel tray they'd arrived on. The book he had been reading was left on the desk, and he pressed the button to open the door while holding the tray in the other. The door slid open with a hiss, and John stepped outside into the grey metal corridors of the base.

The pair of uniformed grunts that were working for the Doctor, Maxwell and Vivian, were waiting for him. Max seemed to be his usual self, quiet and warily watching him, while the female grunt was much more interested in the tray he held.

"They're still feeding you like a king then?" She asked while John bent down to place the tray beside the door for collection like he'd been instructed to do. "Didn't have enough on you to begin with?"

Max shot his companion a look, but John just snorted with a laugh.

"Ha, yeah the Doc seems to want to bulk me up, at least it tastes great though." He made a show of giving his belly a pat. "I think you're just jealous." The pair turned to start walking down the corridor, both checking to make sure he was falling in behind.

"Hard not to be," Vivian muttered with a shake of her head. "You haven't tasted the standard slop they serve in the cafeteria; I think it's just a ploy to get the little money they pay us back through the noodle stand."

"Haven't had a chance to try either," he answered while the group moved on through the quiet corridors. "I can't even be trusted to go to the medical centre by myself apparently."

"You might scare the other grunts if left to run about by yourself, just look at Max."

"Hey! He doesn't scare me. Much."

"Really Maxie? I think he might even scare you more than Weave does."

John just kept smiling while Vivian met Maxwell's frown with an eye raise, the blond grunt soon looking back ahead of him with a sigh. Her blue eyes glanced back at John over her shoulder afterwards, grin on her face.

"Well, maybe what the doctor is doing is working for you, you're looking less red." She returned her eyes to the front while they rounded a corner, stretching her arms out above the back of her head. "We'll have to stop calling you Crawdaunt soon."

"I'm sure that will be a bit of a blow, you'll have to come up with some new material."

He earned an amused snort in return. "I've already got a few other pokemon lined up depending on how hard I want to be on you, I'm like the Elite Four if they battled with insults instead of 'mon."

John let her have it, the grunt's smirk staying strong while they approached the medical centre. No-one seemed to be at the front desk, but all three of them had extra access so it was just a matter of swiping one of their cards on a few doors and they were in. Doctor Yari was already in his office, the old doctor being caught mid-sip in the middle of some coffee when they knocked on his door.

"Ah, good morning you three. Come in, we won't be in here long."

"Even us, Doctor?" Maxwell questioned, Yari placing his cup down on his desk and nodding with a wide smile.

"Yes, especially you two. Let John take the stretcher while I ask him a few questions. I'll be needing your help this morning and you'll clog up the corridor if you just stand outside. Come in, come in."

The grunts shared a look but did as asked, Smith following them in and sitting down on the stretcher which groaned in protest. Doctor Yari smiled at Maxwell when Vivian decided to lean up against the far end of the stretcher, leaving the male grunt standing awkwardly in the corner.

"I'm afraid I can't offer you a seat, young man. After John broke two chairs the nurses won't let me steal anymore from them, and I haven't had time to order replacements."

Max nodded. "That's okay Doctor, I'm fine to stand."

"Want us to look out for some chairs on the next job?" Vivian piped up with a smirk, Yari chuckling and shaking his head.

"No I don't think that will be needed, thank you." The tablet was turned on, the doctor focusing back on John. "Is it okay if they are present, John? The questions will just be most of the usual ones."

"Yeah, no prob."

"Great." Yari glanced down at his tablet and adjusted his glasses. "First off, any aches or pains?"

The questions asked of John were the same as the previous week. How he was going, feeling, eating. It was all fairly mundane, Doctor Yari seeming to be satisfied with the answers given. Some quick tests were done, such as bloodwork and heart rate, with Yari almost appearing surprised when he informed John that everything seemed to be going well. One of the final checks was his weight, John being informed that he had put on another couple of pounds since a few days previous.

Much to Maxwell's surprise and Vivian's amusement.

"How in the…"

"Wow, guess all that food has to go somewhere. I almost feel sorry for those chairs."

John stepped off the scales, a large contraption that took up a good portion of the office itself. Turning around to tilt his head towards the grunts, Yari tutted and waggled a finger. "Now you two, enough of that. John has a peculiar medical side-effect that we are conducting important research on."

"I have big bones, that's all," John said with an exaggerated scoff. "I don't have a weight problem, you heard if from the doc himself." He slapped his gut, earning an uneasy smile from Maxwell and a short chuckle from Vivian. Yari waved his tablet at him.

"Don't encourage them, and don't get too full of yourself." A smile. "If you weren't a research subject and surprisingly healthy for your weight and figure, as your doctor I would be recommending drastic measures." A finger pointed at the offending stomach in question. "That is certainly something that we will hopefully work on, I want that gone and replaced with muscle before the year is over."

John faked a grumble, earning a snort from his doctor.

"Okay, enough lecturing from me." He switched the tablet off, placing it under an arm of his lab coat. "On the topic of physical activity, we're going to have a shorter but more intense training session today. I've arranged for something special." Yari turned to look at the two grunts waiting by the stretcher. "I'll need you two to lend me a hand with it, I'm sure John will be thrilled."

A bubble of hope welled up inside John at the doctor's words, and he asked the first thing on his mind.

"Beer?"

Yari just gave him a look and a grin. "Better. Have you been reading your books on pokemon?"

The bubble burst, replaced with a wary unease.

"Yes?" He tried to remember what he had learned the day before. "I've been going over the whole 'types' thing. Fire beats grass and grass beats water, fire also beats steel which for some reason is weak to things punching it, I don't know." He shrugged, rubbing the back of his head with a gloved hand. "I've still got a lot to learn, doc."

"Wait," Vivian spoke up, everyone looking at her while she got up from the stretcher with her eyes narrowed. "Did you say that steel is weak to fighting?"

About to reply with 'I think so', John was beaten to the punch by Max.

"Yeah, you didn't know Viv? They teach you that in school." A glare was sent his way, Maxwell raising his hands. "Hey relax, I just thought you would have known." A wince. "Should I tell you about dark and ice?" He was forced to take a step back when Vivian lunged at him, although she stopped just short with a shake of her fist.

"Of course I know about them Max! It seems like every mission I go on has at least one do-gooder with a fighting type up their sleave!" John noticed Yari glance at him with concern in his eyes, and he could only answer him with a shrug and a smile. His amusement at the normally dominant grunt losing her cool only grew when Vivian ripped off her own hat to throw it against the closed office door while Max cowered. "I hate fighting types so friggin' much! If I could remove any type from existence for good it would be fighting types! They're just perfect!"

'Oh, I know this one!'

John cleared his throat and held a finger up in the air, Yari's eyes widening with a 'don't do it' warning being mouthed just as Vivian turned her furious attention their way. However, John was too proud of himself to care.

"Fighting types are weak to three types of attacks," he recalled almost word-for-word from one of his books. "Flying, fairy, and psychic." He looked at Vivian, her fists clenched. "From the sounds of things, you can probably just go out and catch a pigeon in a net or something."

"Pidgey," Yari quietly corrected. "But yes, aside from that good job."

Vivian however was not as proud. "I'm not going to use a mangy pidgey when I've got Weave!" She took a step closer and pointed her finger like a dagger. "And as for you, Johnny, don't start to think that you know more than I do just because you read a book or two."

"Okay, calm down." He remained where he was but showed his palms in an attempt to deescalate. "I wasn't trying to sound smart, it was just a suggestion." Once again however, he wasn't able to resist the chance to get in a final dig. Going off of how Vivian generally acted however… "I'm a little shocked Vivian, for someone who doesn't like the type you seem to really enjoy fighting." He made a show of flexing his shoulders. "If you're not careful I might bust out my wings."

Yari sighed to himself and Vivian continued to seethe with finger outstretched, while Max looked over from his position in the corner with his mouth open.

"Wait, you can fly?"

"No, he doesn't have wings," Yari answered with a shake of his head, before aiming an irritated gaze at John. "And he can't fly, either. He's just really good at making bad jokes." The doctor looked between the two facing off. "Please don't fight in my office either, this is a place of healing."

John and Vivian continued to stare at each other, the grunt to her credit matching eye contact with him without backing down. It was only when he brought his fists to his chest to make flapping motions with his arms did her façade crack, Vivian's mouth twitching while she struggled not to laugh. Then as quickly as she had started, she relaxed and crossed her arms.

"You're lucky you're as big as you are," Vivian huffed and blew a strand of black hair out of her eyes. "Or I'd have knocked you clean out already. Watch yourself, John-John." She turned and focused on Maxwell, the grunt already raising his hands. "You on the other hand, Maxie…"

"Okay, that enough," Yari stepped in, although he had visibly relaxed and was more 'old man cranky' than genuinely worried. "If you want to fight, fine. I've ensured that the indoors arena is going to be free for the rest of the morning. You'll get the chance to settle things the usual way." The two grunts looked at him, but it was John that the doctor directed the next words towards.

The grin Yari wore sent an eldritch chill down John's spine, but it was what he said next that really took the wind out of his sails.

"Why, I think it's time that John here saw what a pokemon battle is like."

---

"I don't really think this is needed is it? Can't I just be the one driving the getaway car or something?"

Vivian rolled her eyes while John argued with Doctor Yari, her arms crossed as she leaned up against the concrete wall of the indoor arena. Shaped much like an aircraft hangar it was smaller than the main training area located outside, but the sturdy walls, door, and mountain overhead ensured that they'd have privacy for John's first pokemon battle. The default concrete floor was going to be fine for the first bout, especially when it was Max that the large man was going to be challenging.

"Pokemon control and battling is an essential part of Team Rocket operations, and useful knowledge for pokemon interaction in general," the doctor explained to John, holding a small pokeball up in-between them. To the side of them, Max stood with his hand touching his own holstered pokeball. "It will be far better for you to experience this in a controlled environment like this arena as opposed to when you're working on a critical mission for the team. Believe me, I've seen the results of what can happen to unprepared grunts and their pokemon. You'll be thankful for this when you're facing down your first police-trained growlithe."

Max frowned from his spot. "Will it really?" He rubbed his right forearm, wincing at some memory. "The best way to beat a police pokemon is to run before it catches you."

Vivian really couldn't blame him for doubting it, but Yari had a different opinion as he turned to face Maxwell.

"Well, perhaps for grunts who don't train their pokemon regularly, but Team Rocket's higher ranked agents have often held their own against the police." He glanced between all three. "That is why you should all endeavour to conduct regular training with your pokemon, the boss rewards results with promotions." A smile was directed at Max. "And well-trained pokemon can stop you from getting bitten."

The grunt stopped rubbing his arm, a quiet mutter going unheard while his eyes darted towards his own pokeball.

"Now," Yari continued with a refocus towards John, who had crossed his arms. "How about we cut to the chase and introduce you to your first pokemon, a momentous event for everyone. Even if this pokemon in particular is just for training today." A single finger tap on the pokeball button caused it to enlarge in Yari's hand, John wincing when it did so. "Now don't give me that look, pokeballs are perfectly safe. You really should read that book, I specifically added it because it also delves into the background science of it."

'Pfft, imagine being scared of pokeballs,' Vivian mentally scoffed, although her smirk probably gave her thoughts away. 'Well, unless you're a wild pokemon I suppose.'

John didn't seem convinced, his eyes narrowing.

"I don't think I'm qualified to understand the science of turning creatures into energy and storing them into small expanding balls, even with a book to help," he grumbled, Yari just smiling at him.

"It's all in the book."

"Yeah, fine." A snort. "Next to the section with the magic spells and demon summoning, right?"

"Correct, chapter seven section six. Now," Yari lined up for an underhanded toss to the centre of the arena, John taking a step back from him. "Out you come!"

The pokeball was thrown through the air, the device opening to release the 'mon within. The white energy that escaped took shape into that of a normal-sized rattata, the creature blinking its eyes before looking around the artificially lit arena. Everyone waited for John to react, the new grunt squinting his eyes at the rodent ten yards away.

"Ah, I see," he nodded, Rattata looking at him with a twitch of its nose and worried squeak while he spoke. "A large, purple rat. This will stop the police from gunning me down in the street when I rob the bank."

Despite the morbid nature of the deadpan joke, Vivian couldn't help but snort with amusement. Her fellow grunt didn't seem to take it so well, Maxwell's eyes widening while Yari waggled a finger at John.

"Police rarely carry firearms, it's the pokemon teeth you'll have to worry about," the doctor informed. "If you've managed to do something that ends up in armed police trying to shoot you, then I doubt much will help you at all." A hand was gestured towards the mouse pokemon. "While rattata like this one might not seem that impressive, they are fantastic pokemon for beginners. Along with zubats they make up the primary pokemon that are issued to new grunts, and many still use them because of their ease to train."

Vivian looked over towards Max, her fellow grunt catching her smile and returning a frown. His fingers tapped on his pokeball, the rattata already released in the arena glancing at him with a tilt of the head.

"Now," continued Yari. "You've read the starter guide I gave you?"

"Yeah."

A moment of silence passed, Yari blinking with a hum.

"Yeah? No witty comment?" The doctor chuckled when John shrugged, and Yari walked over towards the rattata sitting on the floor. The pokemon examined him but preferred to focus on John, whiskers twitching whenever the large human moved. "So you know how pokemon battle, both in the wild and under trainers then?"

"They fight each other until one goes down. Or they hit each other while children yell orders at them, often for prize money and entertainment." A wave of a hand intercepted the doctor's incoming comment. "I did read the guide, it said that pokemon have 'moves' that they know and learn." He looked towards Vivian and Maxwell. "Do you really have to tell pokemon when to bite or kick things that are attacking them? Do they just stand there and take it if you don't say anything?"

Vivian grinned, still leaning up against the wall. "Well, I can't speak for Max or his training methods…"

"Oh thanks, Viv."

"…but nah, I think most 'mon are smart enough to have a little initiative." She tapped the ball at her belt, John furrowing his eyes when it wiggled at the touch. "Weave can do pretty well on her own, but she's got a few years under her belt when it comes to battles. Helps that she enjoys it, sneasel and weavile are hunters and people say that pokemon like that tend to be smarter." She shot a smirk at the rattata. "Unlike other 'mon that spend more time running away than fighting."

"Tatta!" The rattata narrowed its red eyes at her, the other three looking at it while Vivian just chuckled.

"Watch it pipsqueak, prey 'mon like you really don't want to ever meet a pokemon like a weavile out in the wild." She met the rodent's stare with her own, John glancing between them.

"It seems pretty smart," he commented with his eyes raised. "It could understand that you were insulting it."

"So what?" Vivian shrugged her shoulders. "Most pokemon can, don't ask me why. Doesn't mean they're smart, wait until you see some dumb caterpie repeatedly tackle an onyx because their idiot trainer told them to, thinking it will do anything. Yet all of them always seem to perfectly understand every insult I throw at them."

A snigger from Max. "Weird isn't it? You're usually so nice."

"Prey pokemon aren't the only ones who need to watch out for weaviles, Maxie. Dumb humans need to be careful too."

Yari didn't seem to feel the need to intrude on the conversation, the doctor smiling while he waited patiently. Vivian noticed that he seemed to watch John the entire time, his tablet tapping against his side. The rattata beside him paid him no mind, but the pokemon visibly flinched when John walked over and squatted down a few yards away with his hands crossed.

"So you're telling me," he started, eying the nervous pokemon. "That if I say something like 'Oi, claw him on the left side', a pokemon can understand it fully?" A finger was pointed at Rattata. "As in, that rat is capable of understanding the concept of 'left' and 'right'? The boss said that pokemon could mostly understand basic human speech, but that seems a little advanced to me."

"Pokemon-human communication is still being studied intensely all over the world," Yari answered. "I'm sure some professors dedicated to pokemon studies could tell you more, but it is still largely a mystery as to just why pokemon can understand human speech so well." He reached into his pocket, fumbling around to produce a white card. "But why explain it when you can see for yourself? Here, this card has information for this particular rattata. Give it a quick read and then you and young Max can try a pokemon battle."

Vivian smirked to herself while John took the offered card, the large man still looking at the purple rodent with a look of doubt. 'Can't really blame him,' she thought. 'Rattata might be good for beginners, sure, but that's because you don't give the scrubs the good stuff.' Her eyes went to Max, her co-worker anxiously touching his own pokeball and waiting. 'Still, Blondie might not be much better, but he's at least battled before. This is going to be a slaughter.' Vivian perked up at the thought, it had been a while since she'd seen a battle. Even if this one was going to be a lame rat-on-rat.

"Righto," John mumbled, eyeing the card in his hand. "Quick attack, tackle, tail whip, and something called focus energy. All normal type." A snort, and he looked to Yari. "So what, he does a little meditation and then shoots a laser or something?"

A smile from the doctor. "Not quite, that would probably be more like a solar or hyper beam. Not exactly a move known to most rattatas." Yari stepped around the waiting rattata and gestured to the card. "Focus energy is a move where your pokemon will concentrate the energy it already has, enabling it to land blows more effectively. It does take some time to focus though, giving your opponent a chance to attack."

"Align the chi to the chakras, sure."

"Tail whip," Yari continued. "A move where the pokemon will strike the opponent with a tail or tail like appendage. As you can imagine, most creatures won't like it, and so you may find it gives you some time to make a more precise strike. Quick attack is a fairly basic move, your pokemon will use its speed to attack the other pokemon. Tackle is-."

"I can figure out tackle." John scoffed. "I'm not the brightest, but I can at least figure that out."

Vivian couldn't help it. "You sure there, Little John? No brain damage?" She was dismissed with a wave of a pink hand and a pointed look from Yari, but John at least smiled slightly. Max for his part rolled his eyes at her, to which Vivian stuck out her tongue.

"Children…" cautioned Yari, before he nodded at John. "Yes, tackle is really a basic move that can be guessed by the name. Now, further down, you can read the pokemon type and weakness. This information is essential in battles, you really don't want to have your fire-type hit by a water move, for example."

John casted a glance to the rattata before he returned his full attention to the card.

"Normal type, just a normie." Then, his smile widened. "So he's a redditor."

"No, a rattata."

"I know what I said."

"Very well, moving on to the weakness." Yari adjusted his glasses with a sigh. "I have to admit I can't quite remember what normal is weak against, if anything at all."

"Ah…" John had gone still, eyes on the card. "You don't want to know." He glanced over to Vivian.

"What?" She looked over to Maxwell for an answer, but her fellow grunt just grinned at her. Vivian didn't like it. "Seriously, it's a rattata, probably weak to everything."

An indignant hiss from the sitting rodent was the only reply, until Yari circled around to stand beside John.

"Ah, that's right." The Doctor held a finger up into the air. "Normal types are weak against fighting type attacks. Imagine that."

Vivian, just about to curse, noticed the old man look straight at her as he said those words. And she swore that the old coot's smile widened.

"What!?"

"I'm afraid your hated type is also great when attacking normal-type pokemon," the doc just continued on with a shrug. "Maybe catching your own pidgey, like John suggested, would be a wise move."

Her fists clenched and Viv ground her teeth while the others smiled at her with varied states of amusement. Of particular irritation was John, his pair of shifty small eyes making contact with her own as he chuckled. "By the sounds of it, a fighting type might be my first pick for a pokemon."

"Shut your mouth." Her pointed finger accompanied her veiled threat, but the large man's smile only grew when she got angrier. "Yeah laugh it up Johnny, you've got a lot of talk for a pokemon virgin."

"Ooohhh." The reply came with an equally mocking wave of his hands. "You got me Viv. Haven't had my cockfighting cherry popped. My life has been empty without it."

"Empty like your fat and pink head."

John recoiled with a hand over his eyes, Maxwell and the rattata watching the exchange with visible confusion while Yari just quietly laughed to himself.

"Shit, are you sure you're not a fire-type yourself with all of those burns? What next, are you going to call me a bitch because I haven't stolen some twelvie's lunch money yet?"

"Language!"

The bickering pair halted, a frown from the doctor putting a hold on the exchange. Yari stepped in between them with particular attention being paid to the larger of the two.

"You're both Team Rocket grunts, and I expect you to behave like you're on the same team. John, your swearing problem still needs to be worked on. And while Miss Vivian might forget some things about pokemon, she is indeed far more experienced with them than you are." John looked away from the doc and rolled his eyes. Vivian for her part smirked with a hint of pride, however she quickly turned it into a neutral look when she caught Yari raising an eye at her.

"Just some bants Doc," John said with a shrug. "A bit of fun to keep her on her toes."

Yari circled around to the side of the arena, standing in the middle with Max and John on either side. "It may be that to you, John, but some civility would still be appreciated. If you two put half as much effort into pokemon training as you do with arguing with each other, we'd have conquered the world two-times over by now." A nod. "However, at least you managed to remember that fire-type moves can indeed cause lasting burns, so good job on your learning."

Yari's back was turned to her so he couldn't see Vivian give a few silent and exaggerated claps with an open mouth. John could however, a single word being mouthed through a smile at her in return. She couldn't make out the full word, but Vivian caught the tail end of it and scoffed as she made a guess at the insult.

'Call me a runt, huh? You've got more teeth than Maxie, John-John, but I've had tougher.' Vivian grinned to herself at the thought of her eventual triumph over the new grunt to torment and leaned back against the wall with her arms crossed to watch the battle.

"Now, what we've all actually been waiting for," Yari announced, tablet under his arm while he raised his hands. "A one-on-one battle, one pokemon each, to go until one side faints or gives up." The rattata in the centre perked up when the word 'battle' was said, Doctor Yari gesturing at it and then to John at one side of the arena. "Rattata, you will be fighting for John today. His debut bout!"

The rat pokemon looked at John with a grimace, but evidently the chance to get out of its pokeball and actually fight overrode whatever it was about him that was so unsettling, and it hopped over to sit near him with a nervous rubbing of the forepaws. Yari then looked to Max and nodded, the blonde grunt unclipping his pokeball from his belt.

"Okay Ratterick!" The ball was held out in his hand, aiming at the cold floor before him. "We've got a battle to fight!"

'Ratterick.' Vivian smirked at the name, the pokemon in question coming out from his ball in a flash of white. 'What a stupid name, never change Max.'

John laughed even while Ratterick took solid form, the slightly larger rattata first eying the opposing pokemon with a measured stare before looking to the mirthful human with a worried twitch of his whiskers. Maxwell frowned with his arms crossed while John finished laughing. Even the doctor, standing in as umpire, couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Ratterick? You called your rat pokemon… Ratterick?"

"Yeah…" Maxwell glanced down to his pokemon, before he returned his frown to John. "His full name is Ratterick the Second."

John's laughter was renewed with added force, and Vivian shook her head while Maxwell winced at the reaction.

"The Second!" John slapped his own leg so hard his borrowed rattata jumped at the sound. "Ratterick the Second!"

Ratterick seemed to deflate at the laugher directed at his name, Maxwell noticing his pokemon's hanged head. The grunt narrowed his eyes, his arms crossing.

"Yeah, so what? Go on, laugh at it. Everyone else does like they're any better, just-."

"I give up," John interrupted Max with a wave of his hand before turning to Yari with a massive grin. "I'm done. He's already won." Another laugh with a slow clap, John returning his attention to Max. "Love it. Fuc… just a perfect name, mate. Brilliant."

'Should have guessed,' Vivian thought, though she was still shocked that the man seemed sincere with his praise. 'Morons think alike.'

"W-what?" Max, also surprised by the absence of mockery, dropped his frown while his pokemon looked up with a sideways tilt of the head. "You like it?"

John managed to control his laughter, one hand on his wide chest with the other making an 'o' with his thumb and pointer finger. "Yeah, as I said its perfect Max. Always good to see someone willing to have a little fun with things." He stood back up straight, shaking his head with a smile. "Least I got a laugh out of this. You good to go? And you, Ratterick?"

A second passed before Ratterick nodded and squeaked, no longer depressed but still watching John with cautious eyes. Maxwell however had a full smile on his face, almost looking as if he couldn't believe what had just happened.

"Yeah, we're ready." He danced on his feet, limbering them up, before setting into a fighting stance. "Doctor?"

Yari, himself smiling at how things turned out, grabbed his tablet with a hand and prepared to take down his observations.

"John versus Maxwell, one pokemon each. Trainers, are your pokemon ready to battle?"

Vivian rolled her eyes when Maxwell and Ratterick shared a grin between them, the happy moment almost sickening.

"You ready, Ratterick?"

"Tatta!"

Max's pokemon dropped to all fours, focusing intently on his rival opposite and making a show of his large upper teeth. The muscles on his back rippled, hind legs flexed, and tail flicked from side to side. John just kept smiling, looking down at his own loaned pokemon with a shrug.

"I'm just going to call you Rat for now, if that's okay."

"Tatta." The reply lacked all the friendliness of Ratterick's previous, but John's pokemon still nodded and got into a low four-legged crouch of his own. Vivian struggled to hear the next whisper from where she was, but sound carried quite well in the underground arena.

"Also, I'll try my best at this 'battling' thing." An amused snort. "I'll try my hardest, so I don't have to go looking for a 'Rat the Second' of my own."

'Rat' did not appear to find the joke that humorous, Vivian spotting it mutter something under his poke-breath. Still, he didn't budge, and a few moments passed before Yari waved a hand.

"Fight!"

"Ratterick, Quick Attack!"

"Quick Attack!"

Maxwell was faster on the mark, and so was his pokemon. Vivian watched as Ratterick and Rat charged at each other across the solid floor, both moving so fast that she could barely keep up. As both came into contact however, the larger rodent's better training became apparent as Ratterick used a quick jump to spring himself to the side, as if he knew what order his trainer was about to give next.

"Tail whip!"

"Shit, dodge it like he-!"

John's order was too slow and Ratterick was too fast, Rat's eyes widening when a purple-furred tail was smacked across his snout. It upset his momentum and caused him to misplace a paw, sending him crashing down belly-first onto the solid floor of the arena. In a single practiced movement Ratterick landed on all four paws and spun around to reface his opponent, pausing for the next order in the battle.

"Nice!" Maxwell cheered with an arm pump. "Tackle him from the rear!"

"No you bloody won't!" John took a step forward, rather engaged for someone who had claimed to not be interested in pokemon battles before. "Rat, roll the fuck out of the way!"

The rattata, still struggling to get back on his paws, did as he was told just as Ratterick barrelled towards him. The larger pokemon missed his tackle by a whisker as a result, Ratterick skidding to a halt while Rat tumbled over and managed to find his footing again. Both pokemon stood and faced each other for a moment in the lull between commands, Rat puffing while Ratterick seemed as fresh as he had started.

"Kick his rear Max!" Vivian shouted out with her fist in the air. "Sink the Pink! He really stinks!"

"Fuck off!"

'Just a spot of fun,' she thought to herself with a snicker. 'Maybe we can get him to turn fully red again with rage.'

John had a frown on his face, the large man pointing at his panting rattata. "He's a large bastard, use your Quick Attack again! Faster this time! A quicker Quick Attack!"

'Genius. Team Rocket's new up-and-comer, Ladies and Gentlemen.'

If Rat doubted his temporary trainer he didn't show it, instead he tensed his body for a millisecond before springing forwards with the cry of 'rata!'. Whether he was actually quicker due to the extra order or maybe his opponent was just as amused with the attempted command as Vivian was, Rat actually managed to cover most of the distance between him and Ratterick before Max reacted.

"Ah… dodge to the left and Tail Whip!"

"Whip him back!"

Another purple and cream blur, the two pokemon meeting once again with their tails lashing out towards the other. Rat, being less experienced, missed his mark completely as Ratterick ducked under the incoming blow. However, he himself managed to jink out of the way of Ratterick's attack for the most part, his right whisker and forepaw receiving a light touch of tail but nothing more.

Both rattata landed on all fours opposite each other again, and this time both were panting due to the exertion from the previous attacks. The four battlers eyes each other off, waiting for the other to act, before Maxwell broke the stillness with his hand going to the peak of his cap.

"Alright," he said with a toothy grin. "You've fought well, but now it's serious!" Vivian failed to supress her groan when he turned his cap backwards and wound up his right arm. "Ratterick! Tackle attack!" Max brought his right arm down with a chop. "Then use Bite!"

"Thafucks bite?" John could barely glance at his info card before Ratterick leaped at his own pokemon, upper teeth glinting with a faint shimmer of black under the glow of the artificial lights. "Rat, duck!"

Rat didn't manage to duck.

A surprised squeak escaped the smaller rattata before he was caught by Ratterick's forelegs around the neck, driving him to the ground under his weight. The squeak turned into a squeal when Ratterick drove his large teeth into Rat's left shoulder, drawing bright red blood. Rat tried to thrash around to escape but it only made the wound worse, Ratterick flicking up his head and sending a short splash of red across the smaller rattata's coat.

"Again!" Max commanded with a pump of his fist. "Disable the other leg!"

Another bite on the opposite shoulder as ordered, Rat's short claws barely drawing welts on the larger rattata pinning him down as he desperately tried to break free with more shrieks. His right leg managed to scratch the cream underbelly of Ratterick with a single red line, but it was paid back by the other rattata biting down harder and shaking his head to widen the already-flowing wound.

"Jesus Christ!" John exclaimed, the meaning flying over Vivian's head while the pink man tore his eyes away from the savaging to look at Yari on the sidelines. "I thought this was a training match!"

The doctor, pausing his note taking, tilted his head. "It is. The rules are to first faint or surrender, your rattata is still capable of fighting."

"Again! The rear legs now!"

John whipped his attention back to Rat when the rattata screamed again, the sound joined by a sickeningly wet sound of flesh tearing.

"Jesu… Don't just take it Rat!" John's fists were clenched. "Bite the fucker back!"

"Your rattata doesn't know Bite," Maxwell offered from the other side of the arena, unusually calm considering the violence occurring just a few feet away. "It doesn't know how to; you've only got the moves on your card."

"That's bullshit! He's got two fucking huge teeth!"

"Language," Yari reminded while taking down notes.

"Fuck your language, I speak the Queen's tongue!" John returned his attention to the fight after his outburst. Well, it was a bit one-sided to be called a fight. It was more like his pokemon getting a front-seat experience to what a prey pokemon feels like when caught by a predator. "Bite him, Rat! Defecate isn't on the card either but I bet you can still shit regardless! Open your fucking mouth and bite the cunt!"

It could have been the pain and sheer violence of the situation, caused by large teeth lodged in Rat's right flank. It could have been a desperate attempt to survive the battle, one last try to stop the vicious assault. It could have been the combination of his trainer's shocked rage and the unending stream of foul curse words spat forth like water from a hose. It was probably all of the above combined with the initial effects of shock and blood loss, but somehow Rat managed to lift his head up mid-scream before snapping his jaws down on his target as ordered.

It was Ratterick's turn to squeal, his red-stained mouth leaving Rat's mauled flank as the smaller pokemon drove his own teeth through a vulnerable ear. He tried to shake him off but it only made it worse, Rat managing to hang on despite the larger pokemon's frantic movements.

"Fuck yeah! Give him a taste of his own medicine!"

"Ratterick!"

None of the humans managed to resist a flinch when, with a moist tearing sound, the lower part of Ratterick's left ear gave way. The resulting shriek indicated that it was far from the ideal experience, Rat being left with a cream and purple victory prize impaled on his front upper teeth. Unfortunately for him the partial loss of an ear enabled Ratterick to gain a little distance, Rat's red eyes going wide as the unordered tackle hit home.

A small red spot was left where Rat had once laid, the tackled pokemon briefly flying through the air before landing with a smack just a couple of feet away from where John was standing. A streak of blood was left from his rear leg as he slide to a stop, his eyes still open and his small chest heaving with the effort of remaining awake.

"Ratterick!" Maxwell dashed towards his pokemon, the creature in question breathing heavily while remaining focused on the fallen opponent. "Are you okay?"

"T-tatta!" The laboured answer came with a nod, despite the steady stream of blood falling from where his lower ear used to be. Max stopped just short, his pokemon resuming his crouched position on all fours with his back legs ready to propel him forwards again.

"Are you-."

"Tatta!"

"Okay, just making sure." Maxwell looked back towards John, Vivian also waiting to see what the new grunt was going to do.

"Both rattata are still able to battle," Yari announced, Rat starting to pull himself to his feet.

"Rat…" the heavily injured pokemon managed out, wincing when he put weight on his right leg. "…tatta-at." He coughed, but his red eyes remained locked on the larger rattata, his tongue flicking over his top teeth. Both pokemon waited for their trainers to give the next command, Maxwell already about to say something with the next order on his lips.

"Nah, that's enough." John got in first, a shake of his head and a wave of his hand joining his statement. He took a few steps forwards, Rat looking back at him from the corner of his eye. "We're done."

"Are you sur-?"

"Ratta!" Yari was interrupted by the loaner rattata, the creature looking behind it with a grimace at John. "Tatta-ra tatta!" The tone was forceful but weak, Rat's legs shaking while John took a knee beside him.

"No, you're done," the man repeated to the rat pokemon. "Look at you, you got pretty fucked up." Rat glanced at his own wounds and bloodstained coat, mouth closing in a wince while John waved towards the arena. "You can barely stand, and half of your blood is painting the floor. This isn't a death match, I'd rather not have your guts joining that blood, you know?"

A hand was held out towards Rat, the pokemon twitching his nose but not resisting when it moved to his head. John lightly patted him on the top, the human seeming to hold back a wince while he looked over the wounds again. "He's bigger than you, faster than you, and has the benefit of having been trained by a dude for a while. You're stuck with me for this battle, you think I have any clue what I'm doing?"

Red eyes focused on John, Rat not saying anything as the light petting continued. "Know when to walk away, this is just like a bar fight, right? He fucked you up, you took a part of his ear, they'll call it a loss but it's more of a draw in my mind." The hand stopped, remaining on Rat's head. "You did fine, mate. Now sit down."

John removed his hand and stood back up, Rat standing for a few more moments before falling back down to sit on his rear haunches. There was no squeaks or chitters, only a slight nod and panting. A glance to Yari confirmed the decision, the doctor finishing his note taking and raising a hand with a smile.

"John and Rat have conceded the match. Maxwell and Ratterick the Second are the winners!"

Maxwell beamed with joy, the young grunt sweeping his rattata up in his arms with care taken to avoid touching the injured ear. "We did it Ratterick! Not as easy as we thought, huh?"

"Tatta!"

Vivian scoffed from her spot. 'Congrats Max, you beat down a first-timer with a loaner 'mon.' Her eyes went to the loser of the match, John still looking over the rattata's injuries with a frown. 'What a sap. Can't even handle a basic pokemon fight.'

While Max laughed and twirled Ratterick around in his arms, Yari bent down to pick up the borrowed rattata's pokeball.

"A decent battle for an inexperienced pokemon," the doctor commented with a smile, Rat looking at him and the pokeball held in his hand. "I'll have to tell the quartermasters to bump you up on the list for selection, after you've healed of course." A beam of red recalled the damaged pokemon back to the ball, Yari shrinking it with a quick button press after. He turned to John, the pink man just standing there with a neutral look. "So, how do you think your first battle went?"

A moment passed, a pointed stare from John going to the numerous splotches of red around the arena floor.

"That can be fairly normal for a match I'm afraid," Yari smiled apologetically. "I suppose it can be shocking for someone not used to it but do remember that pokemon are quite robust creatures."

In reply John held up the hand he'd been patting Rat with, some blood smeared on his fingers. "Doc," he started. "This can't be what people consider entertaining around here, surely?" Yari only nodded, John looking to the still-celebrating Maxwell and then Vivian.

"Don't look to me for sympathy," she said with a shrug. "I train a weavile, some pokemon blood isn't exactly uncommon." A grin from her. "You'll get used to it, you baby. Schoolkids can stomach it, so can you." His expression didn't change, so she stretched her arms out in front of her with her fingers crossed. "As the doc said, this is pretty normal for a match, even if it was a low-tier one. You should come out with me next time I take Weave up to the mountains to let her hunt, see what it's actually like in the wild. Maxie refuses to come."

Maxwell was too busy sharing a hug with Ratterick to notice the mention of his name, and despite her attempt at a genuine offer of a friendly outing, John didn't crack even the smallest of smiles. Just a flat look from his cold blue eyes.

"I'll pass on that for now." John returned his focus to Yari when the doctor put a hand on his shoulder.

"John, I assure you that this is normal." The ball containing the rattata was held up, the large man not shying away from it with unusual restraint. "A day in the medical centre, under the care of the nurses and after a brief stint in the pokehealth machine, and both rattata will be as good as new. Well, maybe a second day for Ratterick to regrow most of his ear back, but nothing vital was permanently lost."

"Normal? Nah Doc, I'd call this whole thing pretty Mexican tier really."

"Mexican? I don't know what that means." Yari glanced at Vivian, who could only shrug her shoulders and shake her head with the same confusion.

"Dysfunctional and fucked, to sum it up."

Doctor Yari gave John a look over the top of his glasses, his hand still on the large shoulder. "Well, even if you see it that way, that's just how the world works. Pokemon and humans have battled together like this for hundreds of years, all throughout recorded history. It's natural. Trainers and their pokemon share both the spoils of their victories and the lessons of their defeats, both need each other to succeed."

"Really?" John's eyes narrowed just a touch. "Pretty sure, from what I've read and just seen, that it's more just pokemon fighting other pokemon. Don't think I'm going all animal rights activist on you, Doc, but it seems like they do most of the work. I'll consider humans to be battlers when they actually fight each other, and don't just use their pets for proxies for every little disagreement. There's no pride in it. Wasn't my skin on the line today, it was his." A finger point at the pokeball held in the doctor's hand.

Yari's following smile wasn't joyful, the doctor nodding his head. "I understand where you're coming from John, I really do. I don't make the rules so I can't really defend them, I just fix up the results. I'll make a note to maybe delay our next training session with pokemon for a bit, give you some more time to ease into how things are meant to work."

John didn't seem too convinced, a light huff of air coming from his nose. Vivian decided to leave her spot at the wall and walk over, both John and the doctor looking at her.

"It's not that hard to get," she added, ignoring Yari softly shaking his head at her. "Sure, a guy like you can probably beat the snot out of someone smaller like Max, but I'd like to see you try something when the small guy pulls a charizard out of his back pocket. Besides, pretty much every pokemon loves to battle and get stronger, it's what they're made for." She gave a glance to the pokeball Yari held. "That rattata in there got his rear kicked, by Max of all people, but that was more of a fight than what the newbie 'mons normally put up. I'm even surprised it didn't just give up and faint after the first bite."

Vivian grinned at John again, a second passing with nothing but a sigh from Yari. Then, John brushed the doctor's hand off of his shoulder and turned towards the large doors leading out of the arena.

"I'm going back to the gym," he told them, voice steady. "Going to abuse the bag for a bit. See you back in the med centre, Doc."

With that he left, not even waiting for a reply. Vivian put her hands on her hips and stared at his back, her chin up.

"What is even with him? I was just trying to help, jeez."

Yari rubbed his temple with a free hand and shook his head, the sound of the arena doors shutting announcing that John had indeed left.

"He is very new to pokemon… everything," he told her, looking down to the ball he held in his hand. "I'm almost as surprised as you are in regard to the reaction, I thought the books I gave him would have prepared him for the realities of a pokemon fight."

Vivian scoffed at that, remembering the peak at the private room she'd snuck in one day when John was still in the bathroom.

"I've seen those books, they're the ones they give out to all the kids in school and stuff, right?"

"Well yes, most of them. He is very new, and they are made for beginners after all."

"There's your problem doc." She chuckled, remembering her own education. "They tend to paint a picture of a few scratches or bruises at most, the League doesn't want kids to not become trainers after all. Seeing a cute little vulpix fighting with a broken leg or a bulbasaur catch on fire after a full flamethrower isn't really going to make little Timmy or Sarah want to be a pokemon trainer. They even try and say that pokemon eggs 'just appear' if pokemon like each other enough, can you believe it?"

"I suppose you may be right. By the time they're older, the grandeur of the Pokemon League matches and the thrill of battles probably override any squeamishness." He scratched the back of his grey head. "I have to admit I focused myself on my education rather than pokemon, it's not really my specialty outside of their healthcare. I'll make a note to provide John with some more advanced books, that should help."

Vivian nodded in agreement. "Yeah it's a start, still think he should come out with me and Weave on a day off and see how she hunts other 'mon. Maybe we'll even run into a beedrill or two on the way, after an encounter with them he'll change his tune on how poor and innocent pokemon are."

A small chuckle from Yari followed the suggestion, the doctor still looking at the doors John had disappeared through.

"That will likely not happen for a while, Miss Vivian. I wouldn't get your hopes up for it in the near future." He adjusted his glasses with a finger. "Besides, John doesn't get days off."

"Wait, serious?"

"Of course," Yari replied. "Orders from the boss himself, John is not to leave the base without direct authorisation. He's essentially trapped here while he completes his training and research duties, and that means no days off to go and attend your hunting trip." He used his free hand to pull out his tablet, turning it on and flicking through pages of notes. "However, I do think that maybe the experience would be good for him down the line. We'll have to see."

He briefly typed something in before pausing and looking to her again. "Apart from the 'discussions' you two had, I put it down as 'grunt socialising', earlier." An eye raise. "Do you have any comments on how things went, specifically concerning John? Behaviour, anything like that?"

Boots tapped on hard concrete, Maxwell approaching from behind with Ratterick still in his arms. "Uh, he seemed angrier during the match then he normally is," he said with Ratterick tilting his head sideways. "I don't think I've ever heard that many swears, at least since my uncle got drunk at my father's fiftieth."

"Yeah, he's got a tongue on him," Vivian agreed. "First time I've seen him not be able to take a joke too. He was rattled."

"I hope he isn't mad at me and Ratterick," Max sighed, his rattata nodding in solemn agreement. "Maybe we went a little hard with it, but I really wanted to win that one."

"Tatta."

Vivian held back a mean comment about the pair's record of wins or lack thereof while Ratterick nuzzled his trainer. Yari thankfully resumed speaking before she gave in however, the doctor shaking his head with a chuckle.

"Oh, I don't think he's angry at you two Maxwell. John has… some small side effects still going on that may cause him to be a little more on edge sometimes. And I'm sure that you two have both noticed that he can be a little, shall we say, rough with his words normally."

They both nodded in agreement, Yari continuing after a glance to his tablet.

"He was under a bit of stress I believe, I'm sure that he'll be back to his normal joking self after we give him some time alone to work his emotions out on the gym equipment."

"Great," a roll of the eyes accompanied Vivian's comment. "Dude has some anger issues, let's let him spend time learning to punch stuff harder and faster. That won't backfire." She pointed at the exit doors. "Adding to that, shouldn't we be escorting him there anyway? Boss doesn't exactly want him just wandering the base as he pleases. Might scare some grunts with his pinkness or something."

Another short laugh from Yari. "Now, Miss Vivian, I don't think we'll need to worry that much. I have full trust in John to find his own way back to the gym as he said. Exercise can be a very good outlet for stress and worries, there's worse ways for him to cope. Besides, he might not look like it to you, but he can be surprising rational. Let him have an hour of semi-freedom, it will do him good."

Yari turned to Max, with a sympathetic wince at a quick examination of Ratterick's ear. It had clotted quickly as pokemon wounds tended to do, but it was still a decent chunk missing. "Now, the pair of victors. Mister Maxwell, I think it would be best if you and Ratterick headed straight to the infirmary to get that ear looked at, take the runner up with you as well." The pokeball containing the other rattata was dropped into Max's outstretched hand. "Maybe let him out for a bit after the stint in the machine, perhaps even a treat or a walk in the yards if the nurses let you. A good showing, he'll serve another grunt like yourself very well."

With the ball in hand the blonde grunt beamed with a smile while the tail of his own rattata twitched with happiness. "Sure thing Doc! If that's an order than I'll be happy to do as you say."

"Ha! Consider it your task for the rest of the day then, young man. Off you go!"

The joy that Maxwell displayed as he practically skipped to the doors with his rattata in his arms and pokeball in hand almost made Vivian blurt out a snide remark, but the doc standing next to her was a reminder that it probably wasn't a good idea to start more trouble in front of higher-ups.

'Gross.' Instead she kept the thoughts silent, shaking her head as Max left the arena. 'That boy loves rattatas far too much. No normal human should be that happy around such weak pokemon.'

It wasn't jealousy at his happiness, no. Of course not. 'Guess he's at least able to be happy about something,' she rationalised. 'That's probably his first win this year after all.'

"Miss Vivian?"

"Doc?" she was broken out of her thoughts by the question, Vivian grinning at the idea of also potentially getting the afternoon off, practically. That hope however was quickly dashed against the rocks.

"I want you to find a mop," Yari continued with a warm smile and a gesture towards the arena. "We seem to have made a bit of a mess here. There should be a few in the backrooms, with soap as well. I want this arena left as spotless as we found it."

Her face fell, Vivian glancing around at splatters and spots of blood that had been thrown around, most of it already drying down into a dull reddish-brown. "Ah."

"I'd stay and help you, but I must get this report done for the boss as soon as possible." He made for the exit, tablet in hand. "Shouldn't take you too long, only an hour or so if you're quick. See you later, and thanks."

"Y… Yes Doc, sure."

Vivian was left alone in the arena, a long sigh escaping her as she hung her head.

"Least I got to see a battle," she muttered, before shuffling off to find the cleaning supplies storage.

---

The sounds of gloved fists hitting a heavy weight echoed around the spacious indoor gym, empty save for various bits of exercise equipment and a solitary man working on a large boxing bag. John, still in his normal black uniform with the only change being the normal grey gloves replaced by a pair of protective black bag gloves, laid into the target with his blows focused more on sheer force than technique. His Team Rocket hat threatened to fall off his head with each body-shaking strike, the bag gloves also sharing the same red 'R' marking that everything else seemed to sport.

Beads of sweat glinted in the bright artificial light, the poor bag swinging every time he put a fist into it. John wasn't paying much attention to the time, figuring that one of the other grunts would be sent for him regardless, but he guessed that he had been wailing on the punching bag for at least half-an-hour.

"Never going to get the hang of pokemon shit," he muttered under his breath and between thumps. "Don't know why I thought there wasn't going to be much blood, they're practically animals after all."

Now John didn't really consider himself to be much of a pussy when it came to violence and death. Sure the internet had played a large part in him becoming worryingly desensitised to the more extreme stuff, such as gore pics, war footage, or the usual 'cartel criminal cinema' vids that ended up on Liveleak or Bestgore, and before that he wasn't exactly in touch with his 'sensitive' side. He'd seen a couple of dead bodies in real life, mostly drunks that for some reason or another seemed to flock to his front yard to lay down and die in like some sort of indigenous elephant graveyard. About three, a high enough number that the surviving aboriginals considered his place cursed by evil spirits, which was fine by him as it meant his house wasn't getting broken into anymore.

Dead animals were also something John wasn't a stranger to. Like almost all men he'd helped bury a few dead pets in the backyard from an early age and had some exposure to farm animal slaughter through school camps. He'd gone out rabbit and camel hunting first with his father as a child and then with his gun-nut friends when older, as well as the time where he'd spent a week helping a local cattle station do a wild horse cull. He had even used a shovel to finish off a mangled kangaroo or two that had jumped out in front of his vehicle while he was driving out remote, something that the carload of passing German backpackers had found fascinating enough that they stopped to take pictures and chat.

Weird people, Germans. But their backpacker women were generally hotties and really hated wearing tops in hot weather, so John tended to give them the benefit of the doubt. And it was almost always hot back home, at least for euros.

Unlike the concept of barely covered German cleavage however, John still couldn't grasp why this new world's culture considered animal-on-animal violence so entertaining and even honourable enough to devote a life to. Granted back home UFC was a thing, but it was easier to feel sympathy for a fairly cute purple rat than it was to feel the same for Conner MacGregor. Rattata and most pokemon by extension seemed to be sapient, after all.

'I suppose,' John thought to himself while trying to the work on strikes with his left a bit more. 'The twink seemed to be quite chuffed with himself for winning.' Another punch, his foot stance shifting. He remembered how the blonde grunt's own rattata had acted during and after the battle, the pokemon more than keen to dish out the hurt on a member of its own species. 'Proud of himself too, even after what happened to his ear. Does it make him stronger like they said? He seemed like a tough little bugger already.'

More strikes, his breath getting heavy with exertion.

'Rat also wanted to keep on going,' more memories from the match. 'Even though it was just a training match.' The next few punches were a bit more forceful, John narrowing his eyes. 'If that is what a friendly match is like, I don't really want to see what one of those dragon-looking bastards can do in anger. Shit, they'd probably just flat out kill something like Rat without a second thought. Why would you even risk your mate for some pocket change, or just clout?'

John thought briefly of his young pet cat, the former feral having grown up to be an impressively large if somewhat retarded feline tom, thanks to the accidental pairing of a large work boot heel to one-month old kitten skull. Even if Catligula gained the ability to be able to walk off torn-off ears and large bite wounds as well as shoot lighting from his eyes, John still wouldn't be comfortable throwing him into some sort of feline fight club for beer money. Not even if he did something to piss him off. Probably.

His punches started to slow, all of the thoughts in the private space bringing John to a foreign line of thinking.

'Maybe I'm the one that's wrong in this?' He pondered what he had seen and heard. 'Even the Doc is cool with it, and he seems pretty normal. Max as well, not exactly someone giving off masculine vibes.' His mind went to Vivian, as well as to the grunt's favourite pokemon. 'Viv's got a pair on her but I don't really think she's a good moral guide.' A shockingly limited social circle, but it was all he had. 'Not that I can really shit-talk her, I'm an actually card-carrying criminal now with 'arrest-me' clothes and all.'

'Still, it's like the Romans having fun throwing slaves to the lions in the coliseum. Except we're the Romans. And the slaves are also lions.' A few last punches. 'And all of the lions can use magic powers, and then turn into stronger lions if they win.' He wound down, arms falling to his sides while he huffed and tilted his head side-to-side to limber up his neck. 'Fucking hell, all of the blood must have gone from my brain to my arms, I'm thinking stupid things. Of course I'm not the one who's wrong, it's this whole world that's wrong. Yeah...'

The sound of muffled voices was heard a brief second before one of the doors at the far end of the gym opened, John turning away from the back as a group of four grunts walked in.

"…So I thought we should at least give it a bit of a go and-"

"Hey Kongo, someone's already here."

All four of the uniformed men stopped in their tracks and stared, large eyes of various colours giving John a once over before focusing on his gloves and the still-swinging bag.

"Afternoon, fellas." He started to remove his training gloves while talking, going over his new co-workers with a quick eye scan. Not one seemed a day over twenty-one, but that could have just been down to how everyone in this new world seemed to be youthful in general. One of the grunts, an Asian-looking fellow, even had spiky and vibrant green hair that matched his eyes like a protagonist in a jap cartoon. "Don't mind me, I just finished and I'll be heading out shortly."

At first there was just blinks, and winces when he loudly cracked his knuckles, but soon the tallest grunt of the bunch spoke.

"Uh, hi. We were just looking around and planning a gym day for later." he began, looking around at his group. "Haven't seen you around the, uh, base before. Are…" He leaned back slightly. "Are you okay there? You seem a little… red."

John smiled and added in a little chuckle to ease the tension. "Yeah I'm fine mate, had a little sunburn before and I've been working on the missus for a bit so I'm a bit warmed up," he slapped the punching bag on the side and tried to think of what to say next. "Excuse the smell too, I forgot my deodorant back in my room and I can reek when I go hard at it. I'm John, a fresh transfer so I'm pretty new to the gig. Sorry if I've barged into your gym like I own it, lads."

It worked, every one of the guys relaxing their stance and with a few smiles starting to form.

"Oh yeah of course. I'm Kongo," the tall one replied with a wave of his hand. He had fairly plain brown eyes and short hair, with a small scar across the bridge of his nose. "You're even in uniform, trying to avoid having to buy your own gym clothes too, huh?" His smile grew at John's nod and grin, the others seemingly happy to let their leader talk for them. "So this transfer, you from somewhere out of region? You sound like one of those Galar guys on tv."

"Nah," the shortest of the group with his hair and eyes fully covered by his hat, got in before John could reply. "He sounds like that Unova dude, Alder. I saw a show on him the other night."

"Wrong, he's got to be Alolan," anime dude chimed in. "Unovans don't talk like that."

While they were taking their guesses, John wracked his brain for the details of his manufactured identity.

"I'm from Fiore, actually." They stopped talking to listen to him, John reminding himself to not be overly sharing. "Nice place but quiet. I've been in Kanto for a bit but, well, I've been mostly stuck on base learning the ropes." An extra detail was added as additional cover. "I'm mostly on the nightshift, so you probably won't see me much."

There was a chorus of ahs and nods, Kongo even being game enough to step closer.

"Oh yeah, I heard a bit about Fiore in school. You guys really don't have any pokemon leagues?" Thankfully a new question quickly overtook the former so John didn't have to answer, the grunt giving a low whistle upon getting nearby. "Oof, there goes my crown, you've got at least a foot on me at least. Are all guys from Fiore huge?"

That earned a laugh from John.

"Ha! Nah, I'm just an outlier." A grin and a wink. "I'm a foot taller in height too."

It flew over their heads, apart from Mr Anime who just burst out laughing a moment later. "I'll tell you later," he explained with a fist over his mouth when his friends gave him puzzled looks.

Identical beeps sounded out from all of the grunt's belts, Kongo looking down and checking what John assumed was his own pager.

"Ah yeah," he smiled. "Muster time. I could go for a mission." Looking back up as his lackeys shared their own enthusiasm between each other, Kongo tilted his head at John. "You going to go as well? Are you even allowed to be picked for jobs yet?"

John's chuckle this time was a bit more muted, remembering what had brought him to the gym and how shook he had been. A shameful reaction looking back on it, he liked to think of himself as fairly stoic.

"Ah, nah. I've been assigned to helping out around the base for the time being." Placing the training gloves on a nearby bench, he wandered over to a nearby leg press machine and sat down in the seat. "Not that exciting but it pays the bills… I think."

'I don't even know if I'm actually getting paid or not. Don't think so.'

"Gives me a lot of free time to spend working out though."

Kongo nodded, although he joined his group in glancing at the door they'd entered through. "Sweet. Uh, look John, nice to meet you and all, but we better get going if we want a chance to go out." A round of nods of agreement and similar goodbyes. "See you around later, we should do a training battle sometime or something. I've got a new move on my zubat I want to try out."

The mention of a pokemon battle soured John's mood a little, but he still maintained his outwards cheer.

"Sure thing. Good luck with the missions, fellas."

The quad made for the door with a few waves back, and the door soon shut behind them. He let his grin drop, and in his mind he wondered if it was the actual pokemon battling that worried him or if it was the fact that he was worried about the battles causing him to worry despite them being pretty mundane by the world's standards.

"Screw it," he muttered to himself with a look at the leg machine he was sitting on. "Thoughts about morals can bugger off and wait for a bit." He moved his legs into position, making sure to set the weights up to a higher level. "Might as well have a bit of leg day as well while I'm here, chase the pussy out of me with some pain and gains."

---

"Hmm…"

Giovanni closed the lid of his laptop, the machine going into sleep mode as he looked across his desk towards Yari. The elderly head of the medical department was seated in a simple swivel chair that Matori had brought out earlier, a very rare treat for visitors to the office. Even rarer than that was Persian's behaviour, the feline pokemon softly purring and rubbing up against a leg while Yari worked his fingers along his spine.

"Not a very promising display, no," Yari guessed correctly. "Battles seem to be a concept that John is failing to grasp at the moment. I have to admit that I may need to provide him with some more adult-orientated pokemon guides instead of pure beginner material, after the two grunts who participated shared their thoughts." The doctor's small frown softened. "Can you really fault a man for not wanting his pokemon to come to harm though?"

A scoff from Giovanni preceded the answer.

"I certainly can. Pokemon are at their most useful when they're in a battle on your behalf, and even the best pokemon can still get hit once in a while." He gestured to his laptop. "You were present at the match itself, even a lowly rattata can understand its purpose despite its injuries."

"True," Yari nodded. "A tough rattata that one. I'm still surprised that it now seems to know Bite as well afterwards. I still don't know if it was because the battle strengthened it or if John somehow managed to teach him during."

That reminder brought a smile to Giovanni's face. He'd heard the audio playback of the battle that Yari had collected, the new recruit's frustration at the pokemon's lack of knowledge on how to use a bite as an attack quite amusing in particular. Not nearly as funny as hearing about the normally cocky man being brought down a peg and then storming off because of it, but it was close.

"If he did, I'm sure it was through no conscious thought of his own," the Rocket Boss chuckled. "Desperate situations can bring out the best of pokemon in the most interesting of ways." He rolled his head to the side, stretching his neck muscles. "Well, he's your problem for the time being. Speaking of, I hope Mr Smith is smart enough to treat his superior with proper respect. I don't exactly trust you enough when it comes to discipline, age has softened you."

It was Doctor Yari's turn to smile, his hand adjusting his glasses.

"Oh, he's been no trouble at all," he said with a dismissive wave. "Apart from the battle he's managed to only slip up on the foul language occasionally, although he has quite the strange vocabulary so maybe I'm just lucky enough to not know more." A small laugh. "His interactions with the pair of grunt assistants seem to be healthy enough. More verbal barbs than a school of qwilfish between him and Miss Vivian, but the two of them can give as good as they get."

Yari shook his head. "No, there are no concerns on that front. He did head off by himself to the gym after the battle as reported, but he only went straight there and remained until collected. No trouble along the way, and he was back to his usual cheery self."

"Shame." Giovanni still remained smiling however, despite Yari raising an eye at him. "Oh, I'm just having some fun Yari. It is somewhat comforting that he can at least conform to some standard of behaviour under stress. Especially considering that I want him to go out on his first job outside tomorrow."

"Really? A mission this early Gio? He can't be trusted with a pokemon though, not yet."

"It's nothing complicated," the concern was waved away. "It's a simple delivery job for me, a milk run. Granted the item concerned is very valuable and obtained under dubious means, hence my decision to have it transported by normal measures, but it will serve as a good test of being able to follow orders."

He could see that the doctor was still having some doubts and was about to voice them, so Giovanni crossed his fingers in front of him and changed the topic.

"We'll cross that bridge tomorrow, though. What's this about your medical idea?"

Yari brightened, Persian arching his back with a happy yowl when the fingers intensified their scritches.

"Ah, of course!" He positively beamed. "While John's high metabolism is showing a slight slowing, something welcomed actually, the tests have confirmed that his special stem cells are as strong and numerous as ever."

Giovanni nodded for him to continue, his own smile widening thanks to his friend's good mood. "The ones that grow into other cells, yes?"

"Correct!" The doctor seemed to reach for his tablet on his lap but then reconsidered, the hand going back to petting the very happy cat sitting in front of him. "I'm considering an experiment to test a theory the research team have come up with, involving the application of pokemon healing potions and moves to various levels of wounds inflicted to John." Yari hummed. "The main sticking point for me is deliberately causing harm to him, considering we don't actually know if the potions will work or what other effects they may have. The potential results due to his cells however…"

A laugh from Giovanni, the boss shaking his head. "Yari, that is part of his employment, he agreed to medical experiments." He stopped at the slightly disappointed look his doctor gave him, his hands going up in a placating manner. "Okay, I understand that you're not very enthusiastic about the idea. Regardless, I'm sure that Smith will be more than willing to participate if you ask him." An interested eye raise. "Just explain to him the possibilities of success, he's a man that will certainly risk a little to gain a bit of power."

"Perhaps…"

The two sat for a few moments in silence, save for the purrs from Persian.

"He probably would be interested, wouldn't he?" Yari muttered, more to himself than Giovanni. "He's already taken to the physical training with gusto." The doctor's smile returned to full force, one hand leaving Persian's back to point up at the ceiling as he returned his eyes towards Giovanni. "But onto the second part!"

"I'm listening, Yari."

"Do you know Doctor Mihika by chance, in the med-science department?" The question was answered by a blank look. "She's the promising biologist from Galar, been with us for a few years now. Quiet young lady, brown skin, green eyes?" Still nothing, Giovanni shrugging while Yari sighed. "She was caught doing very illegal and unethical things in Johto, the genesplicing?"

Giovanni's eyes lit up. "I remember her now, the one with the captive feraligatrs."

"Yes, and the mareeps. Messy business, but admittedly coming from one with great talent." Yari regained some previous enthusiasm. "Her, yes. We were discussing the potion idea when she suggested a second experiment that is a bit more palatable. We're already drawing John's blood for tests, and she wants to extract some of his bone marrow as well. It has a high concentration of stem cells and we want to see if we can somehow turn it into a serum or performance booster for our other agents. The groundwork is already there in the medical field, but it is still very experimental and will require some work."

"Excellent Yari, I approve." Giovanni clapped his hands together with a grin and leaned back in his chair. "A viable potential payoff for the investment, if it works."

"If indeed."

The thought of the possibilities had put Giovanni into an uncommon but splendid mood, the boss sighing with contentment and sparing a rare thought towards the grunt slash lab-rattata in question.

'Maybe he'll even be of use as a grunt too,' he silently wondered, Yari already going for his tablet and starting to talk again. 'Now that will need a miracle to happen, for certain.'