Life runs fast in Team Rocket. What happened one minute ago meant nothing in an hour. Two days ago equaled a lifetime. For Yellow, it had forced her to forget the raid incident until she spotted several agents carting out sheared metal pieces.
Memories ran deep when Rocket remembered, however.
"She won't bite me, right?" One of Luka's junior trainers asked, eyeing her during a Pokemon training session.
Nasty reputation Yellow had gotten. If it wasn't being a dumb forest child, it was her biting. If it wasn't her biting, it was her failure to get with the program. If it wasn't her failures, it was everything else.
"I only bit two people." Yellow said, feeling Luka pull her hair back. "Ow!"
"They cleaned her teeth and you're up to date on your shots." Luka carried on, ignoring her head rubbing. "I don't have time to fool around with this girl today. I have Lancelot's aptitude tests to observe. Make sure that girl turns to face her opponents. Staple her feet to the damn floor, I don't care."
Once again, the waging of wars for Pokemon battling. Yellow refused to turn around, withdrawing into her shell right when the battle started. She tried to think of moves that would prevent harm befalling her Pokemon—hologram or real—but it was difficult. It was a hill she will die on, but Team Rocket wasn't interested in going with that idea.
Ariana had punished her, but not even the brilliant woman could make her do it. It was going to go up to Giovanni, and nobody wanted that.
"You got a stapler?" A question that made Yellow alarmed.
"Don't do that!"
Luka shot her a look. "Shut up. Ozzo. Do what you need to."
Yellow's face fell as the junior agent smirked at the order. Something about his demeanor made her feel off, as if she should be careful. It was like a heavy axe waiting to come down her neck and once the rope loosened...
"Consider it done." The junior trainer said, making Yellow swallow at the sound of his enthusiasm.
"Head Trainer Luka, uhm, I don't…" Yellow turned to Luka, trying to signal discomfort. "Uhm, I don't want to be—"
"Put it in a comment box. I have to go." Luka cut her off, throwing away her chance of freedom. "She's all yours, Ozzo. Don't make me come over here if she bites you so keep away from her mouth."
Yellow's legs stiffened as Luka left. Her alertness rose to new heights. Somehow, she wished that she could have taken more of Luka's berating instead of being alone. Between the lesser of the two evils, being verbally abused was preferable to...whatever abuse laid in wait.
"Come on, kid." His hand shot out to touch her back. "I got things to do. Let's move on."
Yellow flinched, stepping backwards. The junior trainer winked as if charm would thwart her paranoia. He leaned over to kneel, and every part of the recruit's mind sensed malicious intent. Her knees buckled, and all the air disappeared through her toes.
"Don't tell me you're afraid of me?" He teased, throwing a thick coat of misdirection over her senses. "You just met me. We can be nice to each other. I think that's your only option now, isn't it?"
All of her boisterous courage flared up as she narrowed her eyes. If Yellow had to bite somewhere…
"Let's make this easier on you. Why are you so worried? I'm a nice man."
Was Yellow overreacting? This agent didn't say it outright, but the gnawing feeling was there. Her throat tightened, knowing that more outbursts would earn her another lashing. After Ariana's punishment for speaking out against Giovanni, Yellow would do anything to avoid that again. And surely, Luka would not put her in some place where she would get hurt.
Was it more important to be safe or more important to be obedient?
"Agent Ozzo." A cold, clear demand came out of nowhere. "What are you doing with that girl?"
In a blink, the junior trainer straightened up as if he was fleeing a crime. He threw his head back, smiling away as if nothing was wrong. Yellow could spot a familiar face from morning training—Lixue, but in what appeared to be her normal Rocket uniform.
Tailored, black uniform with white boots and gloves, similar to Yellow's. However, on her gloves were black stripes to show her captain rank and a red stripe along the edge of her collar. Tied to her upper left thigh was a red silk cloth.
"Elite Captain Lixue. I'm glad to see you. I thought after that raid two days ago, you would be too good to cavort with us agents. Heard you and Archer made a good double tea—"
"Ozzo. As I asked. What are you doing with this girl?" Lixue interrupted, coming to Yellow's side. The girl felt more relieved, watching Lixue's icy stare break the junior trainer. Lixue wasn't buying his bullshit, no matter how charming he was.
"They assigned me to her for training." He said. "Giving her a little pep talk."
Yellow could see Lixue hold back her tongue. After a couple of seconds, the captain waved him off and turned to the young recruit.
"Tell Luka I will handle her training today. Consider it a personal favor." Lixue said, keeping her back to him. "And I don't want to see you coming back with your tail between your legs, Ozzo."
There was more hemming and hawing than expected. "Really? What am I going to do—?"
"Beat it, Ozzo. Or you're going to find out."
The junior trainer threw his hands up, grumbling about the bitchy behaviors of the women and women-like. Lixue watched him disappear into the locker rooms before nodding towards the silent observer.
"Are you alright? I saw him try to touch you." Lixue said, keeping a watch out for others. "I can't believe Luka. Enough girls have complained about Ozzo. Throwing you to him like that is—"
"I'm okay!" Yellow brightened, trying to ease Lixue's concerns. "He was strange. I like seeing you! I haven't seen you in a while! I never see you here! Your uniform is pretty! Can I have—"
Lixue didn't seem impressed. "Don't be. If you are, they'll know. Yellow. I can't keep running after you to make sure you're not... hurt. Start figuring out how to avoid these situations, starting with doing what you're supposed to do. If you do what you're supposed to do, you can be safer. "
Yellow slumped at the scolding. "I hate battling. The Pokemon—"
"I don't want to hear it. Be strong. You've seen that weakness doesn't work here, and you've seen that you don't have anyone to sweep you off your feet to rescue you. So stop looking for them and start doing this yourself." Lixue reprimanded her, throwing a well-placed sigh. "Please tell me you at least know how to defend yourself by now."
A blank look followed by a "With... a Pokemon?"
"Good grief. Alright. I'm going to talk to Ariana. She's overwhelmed with Giovanni's priorities. Keep your mouth shut and head down for now." Lixue said, exhausted. "I'll tell Theros to handle the assignments tonight. Come on. Let's go."
Assignments? Yellow felt a swelling guilt of butting into Lixue's plans. Lancelot had mentioned that he only slept four hours a night; did Lixue have less time than that? Upon closer inspection, Yellow could see some tiredness and darkness under Lixue's makeup.
Was Yellow dragging everyone down with her? Even those trying to help her?
"Lixue, you... don't have to." Yellow stepped away, twisting her ponytail around her finger. "I'll be fine by myself. You don't have to."
"Don't be stupid. These men will tear you apart and—" Lixue snapped before blinking, aware of her words. Her throat bobbed as Yellow's face crushed into sorrow. "I mean. You're not stupid. You're... you're fine. It's been a rough couple of days. I wouldn't do this if I didn't want to."
"But—"
"Yellow. Us women have to stick together. Promise me you'll do what I ask."
In a second, Yellow felt her head nod. Baptized into being a woman, and that was something she'd have to carry for the rest of her life.
x
Yellow didn't turn around. After twenty minutes and every threat she could think of, Lixue handed her circular accessory.
"Here." She said, "Watch through the reflection."
Distraught at her own incompetence, Yellow ran her thumb over it. The design was stained marble, with grey and pink colors swirling throughout. On the inside of the lid was an etched picture of a Liepard in a crouched position, ready to pounce, and a small mirror. She could see her small face stare back at her.
"It's pretty!" Yellow said, forgetting her task. "I want one! Where do I get one? What does it do? How come my picture is in it?"
"Compact mirror." Lixue said as the recruit made silly faces in it. "Someone gave it to me."
"They must be really nice!" Yellow said, giving an exaggerated smile to tease her reflection. "Nobody ever gives me presents here. I used to get them from Mother Forest, but those were apples. Oh, and Uncle Wilton! He gave me presents. I—"
Her words trailed off, seeing Lixue grimace. Yellow looked down at the etched Liepard, cocking her head.
"You... don't like it?"
"It's a nice gift, Yellow. I'm not sure the man who gave it to me is so nice."
"...He must be. People who are nice give gift—"
"You'd think, Yellow. You would think. That's not always the case."
Yellow looked at her reflection again, seeing worry. Why was Lixue upset about gifts? When could a gift possibly be bad? And didn't boys give gifts to girls so they could be friends? Lots of stories had that.
"How come he gave it to you then?" Her question burned away at Lixue's stoic expression. "If it's not supposed to be nice?"
Maybe Yellow blinked, but she could have sworn she saw Lixue glance at the door as if someone would appear from thin air. Lixue's voice dropped low, mixed with exasperation and fear.
"Because he knows I'd have to accept it. And it all plays into his fantasy of taming difficult women."
Yellow still didn't understand, but Lixue waved the conversation away.
"Let's focus. Keep the gift."
x
There was someone new waiting outside the training room.
It was an older boy with green hair. Older than Lancelot, but not as old as Archer or any of the men Yellow had seen before. His uniform was remarkably similar to Lixue's, except he had a purple bandana tied up to his upper arm.
After what happened with Ozzo, Yellow kept her distance. Her feet pedaled backwards into the training room, bumping into someone.
"Yellow! Watch where you're going!"
It was Lancelot, thank goodness. He looked exhausted after his proficiency and, judging by the grimace on his face, not thrilled with the results. However, he pushed the girl aside and headed towards the door.
"Can you move it along? You're being—"
"There's a boy out there." Yellow interrupted, holding her books close. "He's waiting. I don't want to go out there."
"Boy? What…?" Lancelot trailed off before ducking his head back into the training room. "Did he have green hair and a purple bandana?"
Yellow nodded. The other student cursed a streak under his breath, shoving his body against the wall so nobody could peek in to see him. Worry had crossed over his brow, flushing out whatever grumpy mood he had been in.
"I thought he…" Lancelot said. "He must have come back after the raid. This is bad."
"What's bad? Who is it?" Yellow felt vindicated that her worries were right, but seeing Lancelot shaken wasn't good either. "Someone you know?"
"It's Proton. Elite Captain Proton. He's on Master Petrel's team." Lancelot said, looking out towards the hallway again. "I thought he was out on field maneuvers for weeks. Just shut up and keep a lookout."
"Why are you worried?"
"Anyone who is anyone worries about Proton." The boy snapped, his emotions getting worse by every second. "He's a real mean Rocket. Real mean. And scary."
Mean? Scary? Two of Yellow's least favorite traits in anyone. "How come he's waiting outside?"
Lancelot poked his head out again, trying to see the infamous captain. "He's waiting for me. And I can't run to Master Archer again or everyone will think I'm weak. You're going to have to see if he's out there so I can make a run for it."
Yellow stared at her peer before the boy glared back. She knew this was the "payback" for all of Lancelot's favors for her, but she did not want to encounter this scary man either. But judging by the other Rocket child's posture, Yellow had the receipts to pay out now.
She stuck her head out, seeing the man gone from his leaning spot. Holding onto her breath, Yellow stepped out to test the waters. After a minute of nothing, the recruit shrugged at Lancelot to show she didn't know where the infamous Rocket agent went.
"Do you hear a Zubat?" Lancelot asked. Yellow cocked her head, shaking it. She heard nothing.
Lancelot gathered up what he could and bolted out. However, he got two strides in before running smack into Zubat circling him. A stifled shriek later, and the green-haired boy appeared again from nowhere.
"Well, there you are." A pleasant croon. "If it isn't my favorite little kid. How are you, Lancelot? Still yapping like Archer's little puppy?"
"Look at him go!" The Pokemon cackled, peppering him with love bites with each approach. "He looks like a spinny top!"
Lancelot swatted at Zubat with no luck. "Proton, leave me alone! I did nothing to you!"
"Oh, that's not true." Proton circled his finger at the kid. "You did a lot of things. You walked out here like you owned the place and tried to avoid me like a little coward. You also ratted me out to Archer when I locked you in the closet for a few hours. I was even nice and left the light on for you, but good deeds don't go unpunished."
Yellow froze in place. Who was this boy? Why did he have it bad for Lancelot? And why was Lancelot getting locked into closets? A dread washed over her. She might also face the same fate if she stuck around here.
Where were the Masters when she needed them?
"Master Archer heard me!" Lancelot said, throwing his book at the Zubat. The hardcover bounced off the Pokemon's wing, making it relent. "Master Archer told you to stay away from me. Master Archer said you can't talk to me!"
"Master Archer, Master Archer!" Proton mimicked, grabbing Lancelot's collar and lifting him against the wall. "Nobody cares what Archer thinks. Besides, he won't get here in time to save you from getting shoved in the trash compactor. And you're going to tell him you tripped and fell, aren't you, kiddo?"
"Master Archer, Master Archer!" Chortling of the bat. "Master Archer, Master Archer!"
Yellow clenched her books. Should she call out for someone? She eyed the training room. Run in and go get Luka. Or someone.
Lancelot steeled himself, trying to make his body deadweight. However, Proton finally noticed Yellow standing there in shock. He pointed to her with his other hand, making Lancelot follow it.
"Who's the chick?" Proton asked. "They get another one of you for backup? Is she your little girlfriend, Lancelot?"
The Zubat circled around, excited at the prospect of fresh meat. "She smells good! Taste better than Lancelot's blood! Hey, I wanna chew on her ponytail and yank out her brains!"
Yellow frowned at the bat. Ponytails don't taste good, and they did not attach it to her brain. This Pokemon must not get out much.
"Her name is Amarillo. She's Madame Ariana's student." Lancelot mumbled. "She's not my girlfriend."
"Cute. Hey, little girl. You might wanna beat it." Proton tossed his suggestion towards Yellow's way, making her stiffen. "You don't want to see Lancelot shoved headfirst into a pile of trash. It's not pretty—trust me, I've seen it plenty of times."
"He smells bad after it!" Zubat chortled.
Maybe it was hard for Yellow to see Lancelot get bullied. Maybe it was all of her own trauma and getting pushed around that was too much. But she knew she couldn't stand there to watch or walk away from Lancelot. Older or not, Proton would not get away with it.
Lancelot was the only nice person she knew besides Lixue. He didn't deserve to have it thrown back in his face. Especially not a jerk older boy.
Yellow mustered up her courage. "Put him down! He did do nothing to you!"
"Or what? Whatchu got for me, cutie? A little pout and some pissy attitude?" Proton teased. "Lancelot. Tell your girlfriend to hit the bricks. This is mano y mano , you know. Don't have girls fight for you. It's just sad."
"Just go, Yellow." Lancelot said, more exasperated than terrified now.
She had the receipts to pay out. Lancelot didn't back down from Archer's Houndooms, so Yellow would not back down now. She straightened up, putting on her best "battle" face and stormed up to them.
"Let him go." Yellow said, pulling at Lancelot's pant leg to hold on to him. "You can't put him in trash cans. He's not trash, so he doesn't belong there! He's my friend!"
Lancelot looked like he would rather be headfirst into a trash compactor now. Proton found her proclamation hilarious, stretching his grin into a wicked and sadistic glee. Yellow painted on a baleful glare, but that seemed to further the older boy's amusement.
Even Zubat was mocking her now. He flitted around Proton's head, snickering at Yellow's attempt to square up.
"Now this is adorable. Did you think of that all by yourself?" Proton wagged his pinky finger at her. "Why don't you walk away and try again tomorrow?"
Yellow puffed her chest out. "Leave Lancelot alone!"
"Will you shut up?" Lancelot grunted out, embarrassed. "I don't need your help."
"I didn't know you had friends, Lancelot." Proton said, patting Lancelot's cheek and ignoring her. "And it's a girl willing to stand up for you! You've become a ladies' man since I left, haven't you? You know what, I'm going to do you a favor."
"Don't." Lancelot seemed to know what was coming.
"Do, do!" Zubat screeched.
"I'm going to sic Zubat on your girlfriend and carry her screaming down the hall so she won't see you get your ass kicked. That sound good, kid?"
Yellow's face dropped. "Huh?"
The next few minutes were a fast blur. Before the recruit knew it, a cackling, shrieking bat flew her down the hall. Yellow wriggled hard as she struggled to get free, but whatever was holding her was too strong.
"Let me go! Let me go! Put me down!" She screamed, kicking the air under her.
"Your funeral." The Zubat said, dropping her from the tall ceiling.
Ba-umph! Yellow's tiny body tumbled to the ground, landing on her shoulder. She covered her mouth to stop from crying, forcing her body to sit up. Her other arm cradled her shoulder to comfort herself but all she could see through hot, welling tears was a Zubat zooming back towards where it came.
"You bully!" She called out. "Stop hurting us!"
Useless. Both were long out of earshot by now.
x
The pain in her shoulder went away after a few hours, but Yellow saw Archer drag Lancelot down the hall after dinner. Judging by his uniform being caked by rotten food and a fresh cut on his bottom lip, Lancelot had spent his evening sitting on two-day old trash.
She thought about going to see him when he cleaned up, but Yellow decided against it. Uneventful sleep was what Lancelot needed, and it was the only luxury he got here.
But there was a hope in the darkest part of her that Proton wouldn't turn his gaze on her, lest she would be in the same position.
x
Yellow saw Lancelot at morning training the next day, getting tossed about by the older and more experienced men. It was clear he was moving slower from his beat-up yesterday, but that didn't matter.
Besides, Yellow had little time to dwell on it. She had her own set of issues.
"What, you can't get the lead out?" Luna snapped, keeping Yellow in a headlock. "This is the third time in a row. Move faster or I'll make you move faster."
The poor girl couldn't breathe, tapping frantically on her trainer's arm to be let go. Luna let her drop to the floor and get some air, but Yellow struggled to get back up. A cough brought up some hard spit and Yellow wiped it away from her chin.
"You're bigger than me." She said, withdrawn. "It's not fair."
"Aw. Are all your opponents going to offer you tea and cakes?" Luna mocked her, pushing her aside with her foot. "Pokemon can only get you so far. And from what I hear, you don't have that down either."
Yellow rubbed her shoulder. Hurt.
"Be moody. I don't care. You're going to do it or you're going to get hurt."
That was getting old, but Yellow was still getting the jump.
x
Yellow limped to her tutoring. Her injuries were making the situation worse, causing more of a delay. But the thought of sitting down all day gave her both relief and restless aggravation. Why couldn't she go back to her room and sleep this off?
One warp tile pressed.
"Ow. Ow." She rubbed her shoulder. "Why are these books heavy?"
Yellow went a little further. Another warp tile.
"I don't even like learning math."
One more tile and she'll be near her classroom. Yellow scooted her feet towards another warp tile, pressing whatever her hand could land on. The familiar whoosh made her feel dizzy, but she had to keep pressing forward.
"I wonder if Lancelot has to do homework if he was in the trash."
Yellow took several strides forward, looking out for the tutor. However, after several minutes of going one direction, something told her to stop and look around. Wait, where was she? This didn't feel right.
And it was two minutes before arrival time.
"Uh oh." Yellow said.
Maybe it was better to keep going. She'll get somewhere. Her feet carried her some more down the ways. Left, right, left. This way? That way? Every hall looked the same. No markings, no signs, and no indications of where Yellow was.
The dizzying sameness overpowered her senses, driving her worry and panic to new heights as the clock continued to tick away. Two seconds to arrival time. Same, same, same, over and over again.
"I'm late. I'm late." Her gasps were hard and short. "I can't be late."
Frenzy was the next emotion before pure denial came after it. Yellow shot her hand out towards another warp tile. And another one. Soon, she was twisted and turned all the way around. The base stopped becoming the base and morphed into a terrible nightmare.
The walls grew twenty feet high, towering over her. All the lights blurred and seared at the top of her hat. Dark corners grew under her feet like a thick carpet. Right to left and left to right, from the upside down and downside up.
"Help." Yellow forced out, knowing nobody would hear her. After all, only monsters lived here.
Books slipped. Assignments scrambled. Yellow thought her head would fall right off and roll down the hallway. She took one more step before a dramatic darkness blanketed her vision. Her feet shifted, and the young recruit could feel her weight topple backwards.
"Hey there! Be careful! I got you!"
Two hands lifted her back up to her feet, and Yellow bolted right out of their embrace. Her feet carried her to the nearest corner, trapping her like a rat. Her arms squeezed around her books as if they could protect her, making her shake with fear.
"You okay? I think I know ya! You're the newest little kid! You shouldn't be alone this far!"
Yellow lifted her head, seeing a lanky purple-haired man hunched over towards her. Out of all the Rockets, he looked out of place. He had a strange hairstyle that looked like fluffy feathers with a funny looking beard. A dark mark was on his lower face, accentuating the long and curved jawline.
She became fixated at the sight of his hair. He looked like a Pokemon! Yellow wondered, in her panic and curiosity, if she could pet him. Pokemon enjoyed being petted, so maybe he would too. But her body refused to listen, falling back into protective measures to keep her alive.
"Oh, hey-hey, don't be scared!" He said, holding up his hands. "I just saw you walkin' around! I ain't gonna hurt you. What's your name?"
Yellow blinked. Her brain couldn't pick up any Pokemon thoughts, but she could see some Pokeballs on his belt. Men were bad here, Lixue said so. She shouldn't be alone with men. Places like these were prime pickings. Saying things like "I'm not going to hurt you" was definitely showing they wanted to do that.
At least, that's all she experienced so far.
"Do you, uh…" The man paused, trying to enunciate. "Kn-ow ho-w tooo ta-lk? Talk? I, uh, think I got a...book about this somewhere…?"
His hand rubbed the back of his head. Yellow stiffened, hoping she could keep it together so she wouldn't cry.
"You wanna see my Pokemon?"
That did something. Yellow cocked her head. A real Pokemon to see and talk to? In a flash, a giant buck-toothed rat appeared. It cautiously sniffed the girl, making Yellow see the little nose run wild with thoughts.
"Food?"
Yellow stuck her nose back at it. She could feel the hot air hit her cheeks.
"Foooood." The rat repeated, puffing their cheeks up a little. Yellow giggled, mimicking the puffing cheeks.
"I don't have no food." She said. "Can I pet you?"
"Okay. I'm Crackers." The rat agreed, extending its head towards her.
"I'm Yellow."
"What are you doing here? Food?"
"No." She trailed off, scratching behind his ear. It had been so long so she made friends with a Pokemon. "I'm not looking for food. I got lost."
The man spoke up. "Is he hungry again? Sheesh, I just fed him. That rat could eat a buffet."
Yellow giggled, forgetting how afraid she was. "He's hungry!"
"Raticates usually are. C'mon, Grimwald. Back into your ball." He said, motioning to his Pokemon. Yellow looked thoughtful, staring back at Crackers. Who was Grimwald? Did he really think the Raticate's name was Grimwald?
Crackers sniffed the air. "Master calls me that, but I only do it 'cause there's food."
"How come?" Yellow asked, eyeing the man who was observing them. "You didn't tell him?"
"I dunno. I guess I told him. Does he have any food?"
"He says his name is Crackers." She corrected the man haughtily as she turned back to him. "How come you call him something else? That's not his name."
"Crackers?" He stroked his beard. "I nicknamed him Grimwald."
"Well, his name is Crackers." Yellow repeated, stubborn. "You should ask him what his name is next time. You wouldn't like it if I changed your name."
He laughed. "Giving me a right good scolding! I guess I should ask next time before getting a Pokemon. Alright. I'll call him Crackers. Not like I haven't heard worse. We should get you back to the main area. Someone has noticed you went missing."
Yellow nodded, keeping her books held as he returned Crackers to his Pokeball. The man guided her towards another warp tile, pressing it to envelop them. He knew where to go, but strange how he listened to her.
"You're Amarillo, right? Ariana's student? I thought so. Lancelot is the only other one like you in all of Team Rocket. That's a neat power you got there." Her companion remarked, making her nod. "You use it a lot, I bet. Lancelot doesn't even warm up to Pokemon that fast."
"I lived in the forest." Yellow stated. "I knew lots of Pokemon."
"I heard. My crew talks about you all the time. You bite people?"
Yellow stomped her foot. "I only bite two people! I don't bite people all the time!"
"Sorry. I think some people should get bit. Anyway, you're real far out. What were you doing out in field operations?" The man escorted her down the hall, keeping her close. "That's a long way off. Ariana wouldn't want you that far. It's dangerous for kids."
She looked down at her books, expecting another berating lecture. Instead, he grimaced and patted the back of her shoulder.
"Don't worry. I'm a nice guy. I guess Ariana and Archer already put you through a ringer. It's hard to adjust. Gods above, I know Lancelot gets it more than he should. I keep telling Giovanni to let you kids run around and be kids for once, but no , Archer has something to say every time…" He trailed off, sighing. "Not like Lancelot even knows how at this point. Kid is a robot and just follows commands. He wouldn't know imagination if it bit him in the butt."
Yellow felt flustered at the blatant release of gossip. She didn't want to get Lancelot in trouble again, so she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.
"There's something on your face." Yellow said.
He blinked before bursting out in laughter. "No kiddin'! I think I had it since I was born! Ah. You're a cute kid, Amarillo. You still haven't told me why you were out in field operations. You know I gotta tell Ariana."
The young girl's eyes watered. "Please don't! I got lost! I got hurt by a mean bully's Zubat yesterday and Lancelot got shoved into trash and I got hurt in training and I don't want to get hurt again."
"Bully with a Zubat? You don't mean Proton, right?"
Yellow nodded before remembering that she could get into trouble. She recoiled, but he rubbed her back.
"I'll handle him. He's a riot case, that's for sure. Incredible agent, but he has his power trips." He said, making her wince. "No idea what he has against Lancelot. Surprised Archer hasn't torn him to bits. Guess his work is more important."
"I didn't…"
"That's okay, little one." His voice was shockingly reassuring. "It's been a rough couple of days. Raids and getting lost. These bases are real confusing! Takes time to remember where to go. Don't play with the warp tiles too much. Gets more confusing when you do."
"How come it's confusing?" Yellow said, seeing him press another tile. Whoosh! Off they went.
"Like what happened with the surprise raid. Prevent people from comin'." The man said. "Who's the tutor? Adara? Seismo?"
"Prima."
"Oh, Prima. Hm. I thought she would've transferred to Ariana's team. Must have really loved that demotion." Every part of his words sounded like popular gossip waiting under the surface. "I guess Lixue said no."
"I like Lixue."
"I do too! Lots of people do. Smart, beautiful, and talented. Ariana wants her to be the fourth Executive. That would be nice. Archer would rather get tied and lashed than let Lixue be an Executive." The man agreed. "Of course, I'm gonna throw in my agent to be an Executive when the picks get presented."
Yellow frowned. "Can I choose an agent?"
"Sure, if you're an Executive like me."
Executive? "Huh?"
"Oh! I don't think I told you my name. I'm Executive Petrel. Have you heard of—"
In moments, the books hit the floor and Yellow bent over to bow as far as she could. Her body trembled in shame and fear, wondering when the strikes for disobedience would come. Every part of her strained against her shock as she kept her head down.
"You're a Master! I didn't know! I am sorry, Master Petrel!" Yellow groveled. "I didn't mean to bother you! I won't ever, ever, ever—"
"Hey, easy, there!" Petrel said, shaking her a little. "It's alright. Just breathe. I'm not one for all that. You gotta do it in front of others, but right now, just breathe."
Yellow cringed. "Am I in trouble?"
"I'm not gonna get you in trouble. Pick up your books and forget it." Petrel said, making her flinch. "Amarillo. That's an Executive order. Do you know what an Executive order is?"
"N-no, Master Petrel."
"It means that unless Giovanni gives a different order, it's to be followed at all costs. Regardless of how you feel, want, or think. So I'm giving you one right now. I order you to pick up your books and forget about getting in trouble. Nothing is gonna happen." Petrel stated, his words firm and calm. "If you don't follow the order, I can get Team Rocket to punish you."
Yellow's bottom lip trembled. Like what? What could they do to a little girl like her?
"Like make you eat Archer's socks or something. You don't want to do that, right?"
An eruption of giggling and Yellow picked up her books. Petrel smiled, pointing to the end of the hall.
"That's my girl. We're almost there. And you're ten minutes late, which is my favorite time to show up to a place." He said, letting her follow him. "It's perfect timing of lateness and coolness if you ask me."
Yellow felt happy, something she thought she couldn't feel anymore. She hugged her books, thinking about how funny that was. Nobody made her laugh in this place. Everyone did everything they could not to make anyone laugh.
It was odd, in all places, that she would run into someone like that.
"Master Petrel, would you really make me eat Master Archer's socks?" Yellow asked, watching him chuckle.
"Nah. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Archer is a pill, to be sure, and twice as hard to swallow. Surprised he didn't pop up just now. He usually does when you say his name enough." Petrel said. "Must have a hidden Abra up his butt."
Yellow giggled again, making him cock his head.
"Eh, you like my jokes? That's good. Nobody ever laughs at them. I think we're gonna be good friends, Amarillo. Is that what people call you?"
"Mean people. I'm called Yellow." The young recruit said.
"Alright. I'll call you Yellow."
They arrived, and Prima looked annoyed. However, she changed her tune as Petrel came into view, throwing her head down in a bow.
"Executive Petrel! Has my tutoring student bothered you? I would have looked for her…" Prima glared at Yellow when she pulled her head back up.
"She's all good!" Petrel winked at Yellow. "Executive business, Agent Prima, with Amarillo. You can carry on."
With those two words "Executive business" being uttered , Yellow didn't get into an ounce of trouble for being late. She didn't even get into trouble for dropping her books. As if Petrel had magic words to make everything better.
Maybe Petrel was magic. Yellow promised she wouldn't use his presence often, but she vowed to make sure she could use them when she and Lancelot needed them.