The labs aboard the Rocket submarine were much larger and more well furnished than expected. The equipment was impressive and maintained well by the main laboratory staff. It wasn’t like the facilities back in Kanto, but of course that was a moot comparison given that in Kanto they had a little more space to spare. Still, there was more than enough equipment and resources here to conduct any kind of research necessary.



Kaname was standing at a workstation, reading some notes on a clipboard while a few samples were busy centrifuging. He sat the clipboard down and crossed his arms over his chest, trying to suppress a frustrated sigh. This wasn’t glamorous or groundbreaking work, but it was necessary for him to do some menial labor if he wanted to move up the ranks.



Kaname picked up the clipboard and intended to resume reading until a voice pulled his attention away. He quickly turned to face the man who called for his attention and he stiffed a little. Zev Harcourt was the one who gruffly requested a moment of his time. Had he done something wrong? Why was a Rocket Beast approaching him?



“Of course… what can I do for you, sir?” Kaname asked, focusing his full attention on the hitman.

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The million dollar question, who was he working for? He bit the inside of his lip, this conversation could either go very well or very poorly. Kaname steeled his resolve before speaking to the Rocket Beast. If Zev felt any kind of way about the situation... Kaname could likely kiss his head goodbye.

"That is correct, sir. I've recently gained employment as her lab assistant. What can I do for you?"

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League and Rocket relations? What an odd thing to ask, but Zev probably had a reason to ask. "I wouldn't say I'm that familiar with the state of relations, outside of the fact that conflict is constantly boiling forth." That was the truth, outside of the obvious conflicts, Kaname wasn't really aware of the League-Rocket relations.

"Outside of the information necessary to do my job, I frankly do not know much. My transfer from Kanto to Hoenn was sudden and I didn't have much time to catch myself up on the status of Team Rocket's machinations inside of the region."

As Zev gestured to the centrifuge, Kaname took the chance to pull his specimens from the device and place them into racks. "Being entirely truthful, sir, I spent the majority of my time reading more about the research that has occurred in Hoenn than I did anything else. I was more concerned with trying to be a useful asset in the lab..."

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Kaname nodded as Zev spoke, picking up a vial to inspect the particulate that had accumulated at the bottom and marked some notes on his clipboard.

So the League and Rocket, at each other’s throats? Regularly at each other’s throats by the sounds of it. Kaname frowned a little at thought. His personal little gamble to expand his standing by working for Illeana Reyes just had the stakes double, maybe even triple. The idea of being caught by the League when they were at war made his stomach hurt. If the League wouldn’t kill him for treason, Rocket would to protect their assets.

On top of all that, there’s been members who defected. That was another wrench to complicate matters. “So, when you say defectors. Who are we talking about? Grunts, I assume. People who couldn’t handle what Rocket is really about?” Kaname asked, glancing at Zev from the corner of his eye.

”Furthermore… What kind of information are we racing the League for? Information on Infinity Energy? The rifts? All of it? I think it’s important to be on the same page, so I know what to…” Kaname paused and looked fully at Zev. “So I know what to prioritize.” He wasn’t an idiot, not that he thought Zev thought he was. Kaname was just trying to make things clear, for both of their sakes.

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Mostly grunts, but high level Rockets defected? That was concerning to Kaname, but he wasn’t about to voice that to Zev. It wasn’t his place.

The more important thing, the stranger thing. Avatars. Magical contracts with legendary pokemon? It sounds insane. It IS insane, or it would be if Zev didn’t appear so serious about the matter. The woman he worked for, Illeana, was one of them? Kaname placed the vial back into the rack and retrieved a different sample and inspected it. “That’s… certainly something. I’m finding it hard to imagine, honestly. How does the process work? What sort of benefits do you get?” He asked, scribbling some notes before returning the second vial to the rack.

“I can accept interdimensional rifts and travel between worlds more readily than I can… magical powers granted by legendary pokemon. The scientific community has theorized about alternate worlds and the possibility of travel between them, but Avatars? It sounds crazy, but it can’t because… you look so serious about the matter.”

Kaname paused, and turned to look at Zev head on. “I apologize for the digression. It’s just a lot to take in. I mean, what’s the Rocket protocol for dealing with such a thing- do we even deal with it?” He paused again and looked at the vials on the workstation, feeling like he's in over his head now. “I’ll hunt down or scavenge whatever information I can, sir. However, I have concerns now.”

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Underboss Gavin Merlino. Admin Felix Gallagher. These were the people to talk to about Avatars. It was a ludacris notion that such a thing could even exist and yet… it did. “Noted, I’ll be sure to follow up with them for more information.” And he would be following up with both men, in time anyway.

“You know, I don’t blame Admin Gallagher. The thought people with supernatural abilities existing, possibly unaffiliated to any organization… It's scary. Not that being aligned to one organization or the other matters, there is no one that they have to answer to, their power alone means they’re only beholden to their own whims.”

“With that said, are there any big operations in the works… things I should be aware of that will conflict with my persona?” Kaname asked, raising a brow as he looked at Zev. “That’s my major concern… I don’t want to be caught doing anything that would expose my true affiliations.”

Kaname paused and went back to inspecting his vials of precipitates. “Secondly and likely lastly… Who should I report my findings to? You? One of the Admins? The Underbosses? All of the above?”

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So he could still compartmentalize his lives, even if he participated in the aforementioned initiatives. This was good. The longer he could keep the rouse up, the higher the chances of his own personal goals coming to fruition were.

“SPECTRA, MAGMA, and URIEL? I’ll keep them in mind…” He muttered, making a mental note to look into the respective operations. The more things he could contribute, the more likely he was to interact with Team Rocket’s elite, and that could lead to him securing funding for his own projects.

“That’s everything from me, I suppose. I’ll be sure to use encrypted e-mails or burner phones to contact you for the most part. Thank you, for your time sir.” He offered Zev a polite nod of his nod. “I’ll get back to work now, if that’s alright?” He asked, preparing to inspect his final vial of liquid.

This conversation had been productive and eye opening for Kaname. The existence of Avatars and the fact his boss was plotting multidimensional suicide was shocking, but the establishment of a working relationship with one of the Rocket Beasts was a good thing. He’d be sure to ingratiate himself with Zev by bringing as much useful information as he could. ’I’ve got to make the most of this chance. Can’t fuck it up…’