Snail or not, Elisabeth had good taste in décor. It was a shame she had almost gotten Howard killed.

The recently promoted Rocket Admin did not fail to notice that he had been summoned to Underboss Fiorelli's office, instead of her casually stopping by. Being torn away from his duties of balancing Team Rocket's budget—and planning for the future—in favor his her convenience. There was a gap in rank between the two. One that would have to be respected.

Or he would suffer.

Elisabeth's office was splendid. Spending time sending grunts to fight Wo-chien gave one plenty of time to determine what type of perfume would fit the decor, Howard supposed. His office wasn't nearly as nice, even if he hadn't finished moving into it.

The scent of decay was in the air. Mors vincit omnia.

"Underboss Fiorelli. It's an honor to meet you." Howard bowed his head, before striding to take his seat. It was not a powerful stride, nor was it particularly confident. It was clear that he was not cut from the same cloth as his colleagues. The confident stride of someone who knew he was in charge was abandoned in favor of a stride in the presence of giants.

Move, or be crushed.

"You'll forgive me for not looking my best. My best clothes are at the dry cleaner. Wo-chien stains are tough to get out." His clothes were adequate. A simple button up shirt. A simple pair of pants. The only thing of note was an eyepatch. "How many I be of service?"

---

Elisabeth Fiorelli

Was this the same Elisabeth? The same one that the grunts in the breakroom complained about whenever they were assigned to a mission under her jurisdiction? She seemed relatively... harmless.

Of course it was. Howard chided himself silently as he steepled his fingers and stared back at her. People garnered reputations for a reason. History was full of people who had been given false reputations, but Howard doubted that this extended to Elisabeth Fiorelli. You didn't become one of the most powerful people in Team Rocket without a black heart.

Being locked in a bathroom with her Wo-Chien didn't help matters either.

"I must confess, the promotion was surprising." Howard admitted, eye flitting to the orchid. It looked out of place in this room, though he couldn't discern how. "I'm not particularly valuable. I make Team Rocket a lot of money, but so does a slot machine."

In contrast to his meek demeanor, his eye was bright and alert. The gaze of someone taking account of the situation and thinking about how to get out of it with minimal losses. Like a rat in a trap, considering gnawing off its own leg to escape with its life. The gaze of someone who knew more than they let on.

"Was it the report?" Howard pondered aloud, scratching his chin. "Or my performance on that island recently?"

Truthfully, Howard could think of a dozen reasons. The closest one was that someone had praised his talents. Amor Rose , maybe? The most realistic once was something Howard would never confess: Team Rocket was scraping at the bottom of the barrel.

"Thank you for your kind words, however. They honor me. My office is admittedly nicer than my room on the submarine. I don't know what to do with the extra room!"

---

Elisabeth Fiorelli

"I cannot hope to match your decorations. They're quite lavish compared to mine."

He should know. Ever since being entrusted with Rocket's financial situation, Howard was acutely aware of how much was being spent. To make matters worse, Team Rocket's supply chain was barely keeping up with the flow required to sustain such a large organization. Team Rocket had affluent members, such as Amor and Elisabeth, but their fortunes were their own.

Ensuring that Team Rocket grew financially was a tough job, even with the taxation of Sootopolis. Nonetheless, Howard had plans. He wondered if that was why he was promoted, to be a target for financial failings when things went south.

"I've omitted technology from mine to avoid data leakage, and I'm beginning to import several artifacts from my personal stash in Rustboro." Howard smiled lightly. Even if he was an Admin now, he still had a love for archaeology and history. "There's a crystal skeleton I was thinking of putting in the corner, and I've paid some grunts to transfer a few vases that belonged to an old Paldean artisan from four hundred years ago."

Paid? Grunts? They didn't need to do that. That alone was already abnormal. There was nothing stopping an Admin from ordering around lesser members of Team Rocket.

"Naturally, there is no cause for concern." Howard continued, retreating slightly. "Team Rocket's coffers will not be emptied on this. It will not cost a penny."

---

Elisabeth Fiorelli

"Stumbling is what I do best. It's best to let people think you can only stumble when you actually intend to run." Howard nodded casually, eye glinting. As the conversation continued, he relaxed slightly. He'd likely never be able to truly speak his mind with Elisabeth, but that was perfectly acceptable.

A separation between Admin and Underboss had to be maintained. It was a division built on recognition of authority, something that few truly realized. Rocket Beasts were ferocious, and could snap at the heels of Admins and Underbosses, but they could not run an organization.

They were aware of that, and thus the balance of power remained stable. There was one exception, but Howard buried it out of sight and out of mind.

"Legendaries..." Howard tasted the word. How ironic. Each time he was called to a superior's office, it was with this in mind. Amor and his Regidrago, Barnaby and his birds, Elisabeth and Hoenn's trinity. Did they think he could offer anything they hadn't already thought of?

"Groudon could solve housing crises, but it's used by a war criminal. Kyogre is stopping us from controlling the sea, and it keeps sinking our assets. Rayquaza is more useful as a symbol than anything else, and has maintained its dignity as a result." Howard drummed his hands against the chair in thought.

Legendary Pokemon were history made manifest. The fact that they were used for such petty purposes was demeaning. There was so much history that they could verify with them, but instead they got to deal with them being used in a glorified turf war. It was demeaning. A spit on the legacy of Hoenn as a region.

"They're also mentioned in Maximillion's Land, Sea, and Sky, and a thousand other texts. I could monologue, but there's too much material to sift through. Put simply, they're stores of knowledge, and they're trouble."

---

Elisabeth Fiorelli

Elisabeth's observation would warrant results. Howard's eye widened as she doled out the news of Kyogre's defection from the Pokémon League.

Defection? No. A god could not defect from anyone but the divine. The Pokémon League thought they had a god on a leash, and their wings had been clipped by Kyogre's divine wrath. It was poetic, even if it terrified Howard. If Groudon followed suit...

"This..." Howard began, fingers laced as he considered the implications of Groudon's potential ascension from the chains of humanity. "...is spectacular news!"

The archaeologist spread his hands graciously, hiding the fear building in his soul. One god roaming free, and another soon to join? This was revolutionary! History was being made! it was as if Elisabeth had given him a Wintertide present. He leaned forward excitedly. "Our position grows more secure! Any loss to the Pokémon League is a victory for us. For this one, we hardly had to lift a finger!"

With a quick laugh, his expression quickly grew somber again. Kyogre running around could sink supply ships, and each sunken ship was a blow to his supply chain.

"Yet, if Rocket's Legendary Pokémon follow suit..." Howard silently thought of a certain Rocket Beast as he uttered those words. "...it would not be good. I am a new Admin, and I am still reorganizing my existing network alongside new assets. It might be possible. How many do we need?"

---

Elisabeth Fiorelli

He hadn't known that about Groudon's Avatar. Though admittedly, he knew little about Avatars as a whole. He cared even less. Howard had fought one: Isaac Merlo. He had gotten out of that fight because Isaac had little interest in crushing him, and because Howard knew when he was beat.

It was a shame that humility was a skill that was vanishing quickly. When fighting on a battlefield of giants, it was best to avoid being stomped. Amor knew far more about Avatars, anyway. Howard knew that if he saw one, to run the other way. That didn't just apply to those from the Pokémon League, but for those within Team Rocket.

Such as the one sitting across from him.

"They want whatever they desire. They don't need to explain anything to people like us." Howard said thoughtfully. In that sense, Legendary Pokémon were strangely human. Or perhaps there was an intersection where humanity and divinity converged. "It's why every account of one has a contradictory goal. We're attempting to classify gods, and gods cannot be bought. Not by prayer, not by song."

It was cowardice, but Rocket viewed the emotion with disdain. Howard viewed it with a mixture of disgust and respect. Cowardice kept people breathing. It kept people from dying. When Howard had shed it to fight with Shred Zeppelin in the depths of that island, Howard had never felt so alive.

"Kill them." Howard said, thinking of one Avatar in particular. "Avatars are fueled by the desires of their benefactor, right? Their only tactical advantage is that they put us on the same position as the Pokémon League. If one side uses them, the other must to."

A moment later, Howard quietly chuckled.

"Apologies. I'm seeing the shadows of gods in every corner. No matter how we move, they entrap us. There's no easily solution to this, Underboss Fiorelli."

---

Elisabeth Fiorelli

"They bite." Howard said quietly, following the path Elisabeth had laid out for him. "These are not Rattatas, scurrying around and gnawing at our supplies. Even if they do that, anyways. Maybe Avatars are Rattatas, or even Raticates."

Meek and docile? Did she mean him? Was this what Elisabeth saw when looking his way? Howard drummed his fingers against the chair in thought. A meek and docile rat, scurrying about? He could live with that. Even if it came at the cost of his freedom.

That way, he could lurk beneath Elisabeth's watchful eye. Yet he suspected that his promotion would rob him of that. There were only four Admins, after all. Even the least noteworthy still drew the gaze of others.

"There's no easy way to take away a child's toy, especially if that toy is a weapon." Howard sighed. His missing eye was itching again. It always happened when he was stressed, which meant it was now happening constantly. "You're an interesting woman, Underboss Fiorelli."

His eye flicked to the orchid.

"Aren't you an Avatar? Or is Wo-chien simply there for the... décor?"

---

Elisabeth Fiorelli