Chapter One
Perception in Meeting

It had been nearly two weeks since the loss of her parents. Val had made it to Celadon City without too much trouble. She had set up camp in the farthest reaches of town. Behind the big buildings and along some back tree line. It was pretty secluded; no one ever came back that far. She made sure that it was like that. And when she strolled around the town she didn't see and faces that she knew. It was good all and all. The Game Corner in the city had also caught her attention a few times, but she didn't have the money for a Coin Case or the coins. It just didn't want fit into her very tight budget. And funds were down to almost nothing now.

She rummaged through her backpack for the third time that morning, as if expecting to find some food that she misplaced or overlooked. But of course, it was all in vain. She sighed as her stomach growled. She looked at Varric, who was laying down, alert and watching for anyone that might come along. She was sure he, along with the rest of her Poke'mon, were also hungry. But Varric would never show it or tell her. She looked in her pocket; there was a little money left. Val put her poke'balls in her pockets of her sweatshirt and stood up. Varric looked at her and got to his feet. She could afford a little food, but not nearly enough. The had gone almost three days without something to eat, but anything was better than nothing.

"Where are we going?" Varric asked.
"To get a little food," she replied.
He nodded and seemed to walk at a faster pace than normal. She knew he was hungry and she did feel guilty. He wanted to come with her and this was how they ended up. Without a home and without food. What a life they were living. They made their was to a small restaurant near the Game Corner, where a burly man in a chiefs hat and apron greeted her with a smile. Val looked at the days menu; all she could afford was one large bowl of some meat and noodle soup. She ordered that and asked if he could put it in six to-go bowls. He said he could, disappeared into the back, and came out with six, very small looking Styrofoam bowls with plastic lids. He gave her the grand total and she reached into her pocket, knowing that she didn't have near enough. She gave one bowl back and he told her the new price, which she was still a little bit short. After a long sigh and handing another bowl back, she was disappointed but she had enough. She handed over the money to the chief and gathered the four bowl, proceeded to turn around to leave when the guy called out to her.

"Here," he said handing over one of the bowls, "On the house."
She smiled and thanked him, waving goodbye as she left. Five bowls was always better than four. She returned to her campsite, the soup still warm in her hands. She set them down and separated them, taking off the lids. The soup was still steaming and smelled really good. She passed one over to Varric, who sat patiently until the others were let out. She released the four others from the confines of their balls. They all stretched, happy to be out. Her Houndoom, Ren, was the first to smell food in the air. He barked happily and soon the others were making joyful like noises as well.

"It's not a lot, but it's still something," she said as she passed the remaining bowls to each Poke'mon.
Soon they were all chowing down, thankful for the bit of warm meal that was brought to them. Midway through eating, Varric suddenly realized that she had given all the food to the Poke'mon, and left none for herself.
"You're not eating," he spoke up, "Why didn't you take some for yourself?"
"Because it would have been less for all of you. It's more important that you all eat. I know I'll be okay," she said and smiled.
He stared at her, confused by such a selfless action. Varric nodded to himself and nudged the half full bowl over to her. He had never done anything that selfless in his life. But Val shook her head at him.
"No. That's for you to have."
"I'm... Sharing with you. That way you also have something in your stomach," he replied back to her.

"And if I don't?" she said a bit sarcastically.
"Than it sits there and spoils," he responded just as sarcastically.
Val let out a big sigh and reluctantly agreed. Varric, happy that he won the debate, trotted to the tent and fetched her the silver spoon she brought along. She thanked him and started eating slowly, savoring the small meal that, in the end, was happy to have in her stomach.
"I'm... Happy," he finally managed to say.
She smiled an put an arm around him. The four others were settling down for what seemed to be a nap. Val cuddled up to Varric and lay her head on his shoulder, sure to doze off in a few minutes. And she did. Varric smiled to himself, making sure to keep still and keeping guard.

A few hours later, Val woke up. She stretched and yawned. Looking at Varric, she smiled again. She had grown to really enjoy his company the last couple of weeks. The sun had just set and a warm breeze blanketed the city. It was going to be another nice night. As much as she wanted to let her Poke'mon out, she put them back in their poke'balls. All except for Nexis, the Furret. Although stealing wasn't in her nature, it seemed like it was going to come to it. And Nexis was good at finding things; especially shiny things. Which would be good if it would be coins or something. She needed the money, not just for her, but for the Poke'mon. Varric knew what she was planning, it was evident by the Furret still being out. And he wasn't planning on stopping her. If it meant possible good for her Poke'mon, she was determined.

"Come on, Nexis. Let's go find some shiny stuff," she said in attempt to encourage the Furret.

It churred happily, seemingly liking the idea. The poke'balls went back in her pocket. She turned to Varric, "Are you coming or staying behind?"
"You think that I'd let you go out alone. In the dark. In this city?" he answered.
Val chuckled and shook her head. Of course he wouldn't. But it did make her feel safe. They took off, creeping in the shadows. By now everyone was in their homes or gone; the shops had closed up. It was now or never.

They walked along the sides of the buildings, Nexis on constant look out for whatever he could find. But there just wasn't anything that was left to find. They were just about to round a corner when she spotted a darkly dressed male entering the Game Corner. Was it the owner? She didn't know for sure but decided to wait a while to see if he would come back out. What seemed like a long time later, she pressed forward. The man hadn't come out. But maybe he left the Game Corner open? There would be a good chance they could find something valuable to sell there. She got to the door and hesitated. What if he was still inside and would catch her? That was a risk she was just going to have to take. Val checked the door and sure enough it was unlocked. She took a deep breath and slowly pushed the door open. Once inside, she looked around. The man wasn't there, which confused her. If he didn't leave where did he go? Or did she miss him exiting the building?

Nexis suddenly took off, running down one of the isles and to the back of the room. Varric and Val chased after him, in hopes that he had found something. They caught up to him and found him jumping up, trying to get at the poster on the wall. Surely the poster wasn't worth anything at all. Not to mention, it was the only thing hanging on the wall so it would immediately be detected as missing. She put her hand on the poster and looked at the Furret.
"What could you possibly want with this?"
She leaned against the wall and felt her hand push something in. She stood up straight, afraid that she had broke the wall or something.
"Look over there," Varric said and motioned to the right.
The wall had opened up to reveal a staircase leading downward. The Furret jumped up and down and twirled around, obviously excited that he had found something. She reached down and picked him up.
"Good job, Nexis."

With Nexis in her arms and Varric at her said, they descended the stairs. After a few steps though, the door closed behind them. Nexis shivered and she looked at Varric, visibly a little scared.
"There must be another way out," he said reassuringly.
They continued until the stairs gave way to a small opening that had another staircase leading down and a couple of hallways with a lot of doors in the wall. It looked like a giant underground hotel. The all stared in awe at this place. But footsteps broke the short silence and Val grew even more frightened. There was no were to hide and the footsteps were getting louder. She did the first thing she could think of; bolt down the stairs. Which turned out to be just as bad an idea as coming here in the first place. The second floor looked just like the first, except the man they saw walk into the Game Corner was standing in the hallway, food raised to his open mouth, and a look of pure surprise on his face.
"Oh sh.." Val started but was cut off by Varric jumping in front of her, lowering his head and making growl-type noises at the guy.

"Hey! You! Don't move!" the guy yelled as he dropped his food.
She shrugged. It wasn't like she was tying to run away in the first place. The guy took out a walkie-talkie type thing and held down a button.
"Boss, we have an intruder."
There was a static over the speaker and than a voice, "What? How did they get in? Never mind that. Just... Bring them to me."
"Okay," the guy said and let the button go, "Follow me."
She decided that it would be best to just go with the guy instead of running around a building that she didn't know and possibly getting in even more trouble. Varric took the lead behind the guy, keeping as ,much distance as possible between the two humans. A short walk later they were in front of an elevator. He ushered them in and swiped a card key in a slot to get the lift running. He pushed the 4F button and they began there slow ride down.

"How did you get in here?" he asked nervously.
"The door was unlocked," she said curtly.
He looked worried. Knowing he was the one that left the front door open would almost certainty mean repercussions.
Four floors down, Val wondered if anyone else knew of this place. The elevator dinged and opened the door. It lead to a medium-sized hallway with three doors on the left and two on the right. And one directly at the end. The guy lead them down the hallway and to the last door. He knocked twice and Val heard the same voice that was over the speaker tell them to come in. They entered what seemed to be a large office area. There were a couple of couches, some plants around the area, and bookshelves in the back. Almost center of the room was a large desk, seated behind the desk was a stocky, yet well built man in a crisp, black suit. The pocket bared a capital R in red. The man had short brown hair and piercing dark eyes. His completion was a bit sickly, but all in all, he looked well. He was slightly ginning at them as they came in.

"Welcome. Please sit," he said and pointed at one of the couches.
She sat down and Varric seated himself beside her. The brown haired man looked at the Absol and his grin broadened a bit.
"Excuse my manners. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Giovanni. And you are?"
"Valerie. Val for short," she squeaked out and cleared her throat quietly.
Giovanni chuckled, "No need to be afraid. I just have a few questions for you. First and foremost; how did you get in here?"
She answered the same way as she did when the first guy asked her the same question, "The door was unlocked."
"I assumed that," Giovanni said and glared at the man who caught them.
He shrank back and looked at the floor.
Giovanni looked back at Val, "Maybe I should have been more specific. How did you get further than the above floor?"
"I found a button on the wall. Well, more like he did," she said and shifted Nexis to a more comfortable position. He was now asleep as she cradled him in her arms.
"Ah. Lucky you. Do you have any business that you're trying to accomplish here?" he said a bit more sternly.

"No. I was just... Poking around," she said and averted her gaze to the floor.
"Good. Do you live around here?"
"Sorta," Val said and shrugged.
"So, homeless? Traveling? A runaway perhaps?" he pressed on.
She remained quiet and stared at the floor. Giovanni frowned at her silence.

"Do your parents know you're running about at night?"
Val didn't answer and tried not to cry. Varric sensed her increasing sadness and answered for her.
"Her parents passed away recently."
Giovanni leaned forward in his chair, a look of surprise and curiosity on his face, "What... just spoke?"
Val picked her head up and turned to Varric, "He did."
"Speaking through telepathy. He must be talented. And powerful," Giovanni said, with emphasis on the last word and leaned back in his chair, "So I'll assume my answer to the previous question would be homeless. I am correct?"

She nodded slowly. Giovanni took a good look at her. She was an odd one indefinably. Her waist length silver hair shined brilliantly under the lights. The black baggy sweatshirt had the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and was open, revealing a corset like top that showed a bit of her slim stomach. She had black short, tight shorts with a purple X on both sides, along with large holed fishnets and black furry leg and arm warmers that had a bit of a purple tint to them. The black collar was an interesting accessory to the outfit. Her skin was a creamy, pale white color but the thing that struck him as most beautiful about her were her eyes. They were a crystal clear shade of lavender.

"Do you have any more Poke'mon?" he asked finally.

Val nodded, "Three others: A Houndoom, Noctowl, and a Marowak."
He smiled appreciatively, "Strong Poke'mon. Well, I believe that you could be a powerful tool to benefit my team. And considering your current situation, I think I could help you out as well.
I can offer you a safe place to stay, a warm bed, and plenty of food."
At that word her stomach growled. Varric became restless; even Nexis lazily opened one eyes.
"For me and my Poke'mon?" she checked.
Giovanni laughed and grinned again, "Of course! So how about it? Will you join me?"
Without asking any more questions, she agreed. The prospect of having food and shelter for her Poke'mon was too good to pass up. Giovanni smiled an actual smile and stood up, walking towards Val with an outstretched hand. She stood up as well and tried to shake his hand, but it was a bit awkward with a sleeping Nexis in her arms still.
"Welcome to Team Rocket! Ned," he said and looked at the guy standing by the door, "Show her to her room. The first door on the right. This floor."

Ned looked like he was about to protest but a sharp look from Giovanni silenced him.
"Yes, Sir," Ned said grimly and motioned for her to follow him, yet again.
"And Ned. Please bring food for her and her five Poke'mon. Be generous with it," he added.
She was just about to exit the office when Giovanni spoke up one last time, "Oh, Val. Should you need anything, just knock."

She nodded and was shown to her room. It was even bigger than the one in Lavender Town and it even had an attached full bathroom to it. The second door on the right side lead into the bathroom, which she locked right away. The room was furnished with a dresser, a small bookshelf, and a night stand with a lamp. Also, a big comfortable looking bed, complete with a big fluffy red blanket, was there. Nexis immediately jumped out of her arms and curled up on the bed and cooed in delight. She sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Varric.
"It seems nice here."
He nodded in agreement. Soon after they settled in the food was delivered. It was more food than she had ever seen at one time. She brought out the rest of her poke'mon and everyone had their fill, leaving nothing left. Val turned out the lights and curled up on the bed next to Varric. That night, everyone slept warm and securely and complete with full bellies. The only one that didn't fall asleep immediately was Varric. He nudged a sleeping Val's cheek softly. She smiled as she slept and unconciously, but lightly, grabbed his neck fur. Varric smiled and, for the first time in a long time, slept soundly the whole night. Everything seemed almost too good to be true at this point.