And like magic the job was his,

"It'd be an honor Mr. Clayton."

He'd followed the man up the steps silently respecting the preamble. When he says head engineer Miles was taken aback. He hadn't expected a position so prestigious. The darker-skinned researcher figured he'd work as a simple scientist, never in his wildest dreams did he think to become a -- if not The head Engineer of Infinity Industries.

"I believe, we'll create great things together sir." A Pokeball flies revealing Bastiodon once again jumping into the fray it's iron head would serve as a defense for Oscar's two attackers not that they truly needed one. How long has it been since he's been this motivated by a project he wonders.

While pokemon battle and Dusknoirs fall one by one. Miles offers his hand to the beast. Perhaps he's out of place, their positions are too different in Rocket, Still he offers it, to show he means business, and that this goal they'd seek together regardless of how lofty would be completed. It was a man's shake, and that in Miles' eyes meant something.

"I have a lot of work to do, but we will see that generator move Oscar. You have my word."

She agrees and minutes later the two find themselves on the way to the break room two sets of feet tapping against the sub's metal hull. "Oh? Is Lulu flint fielding personal questions, what's the occasion?" He teases, it was true for all the work they shared personal lives were rarely discussed in favor of the ongoings in rocket, and moreover their work.

And to be frank, there were few things outside of work that Miles could speak about. He could of course vaguely speak on his blossoming relationship, but keeping details hidden about Stormy Silph would be difficult once the door was open. After all, Lulu was no fool. Everything else was generally work-related. The generator was in the fine-tuning period, He'd begun studying the tree Gavin and his team excavated, and his work with secret bases had been going relatively well, even if the idea wasn't the most popular.

"Well for one I've begun tutoring the young. Ms. Eris Halla in the infirmary" He thinks on the youth and their lessons, and while getting her to focus had proved difficult the girl's intellect was unquestioned. " She's exceptionally bright despite her lack of focus, but I can hardly blame her. I wasn't the most cooperative student myself. I see a scientist in her."

"But what about you? I remember a day not too long ago where you brought a rather surprising guest to the labs. He holds the breakroom door open for his colleague.

The man is as loud as he is friendly entering the office with a more than fair share of pep, it was uncharacteristic for a rocket, but Miles prefers this to the more sullen operatives. He stands moving from behind his desk to greet the operative offering his hand.

"I don't believe we've met Priam, I'm Miles it's a pleasure." He can't quite match the Priam's energy but it's more youthful than it isn't. "I'd like to thank you for your work on Route 113, I heard the job wasn't the easiest." He'd heard from Gavin himself, in fact, a certain operative still hadn't healed and spent her days toiling away in the infirmary with a Luxray.

His setup is akin to an undersea principal's office than anything else. It began with a board filled with innumerable sticky notes, that led to a Keurig on a side table. Two chairs sat in the center neither looked particularly comfortable one on each side of a larger desk. An assortment of other research-related odds and ends lie sorted throughout the rest of the space.

"Can I offer you some tea or coffee?" He offers before getting into the nitty-gritty.

Miles can hear the glass shatter from above, he briefly glances over the side to see that gray blur swoop down at incredible speeds. He turns away calling a second pokemon out for its orb. this one, quite clearly a garchomp. "Follow Caelum." His hand rubs the dragon type's rougher skin briefly before mounting the pokemon. He can hear an assortment of footsteps and so he too was about out of time. Just as the door opens Miles is Airborn The Landshark pokemon completely defying its title as it soars in the midnight sky.

--------

Aerodactyl dives deep spiraling toward the falling elite agent before effortlessly scooping the boy up with its claws, just careful enough not to impale the brave Rocket. The momentum changes and almost like a bungee cord the aerodactyl would begin its ascent moving away from the scene of the crime. Moments later Miles and Rowan would meet face to face for the first time soaring above Lilycove.

"I have to say, I'm impressed Rowan. Your execution of the job from start to finish was flawless. You even hurled yourself into what could have been certain death on what had essentially been a whim." His gaze falls from the man to the city beneath them with its innumerable bright lights, hundreds of thousands of lives just below them.

"Would you consider those people down there free Rowan?" They don't have the record you do nor the lives we do, but I'm sure each person has their own set of struggles." He thinks for a moment. "I suppose my real question is what determines freedom?"

And there it was, the familiar shine to her. She perks up upon mention of his project, the woman never could resist a challenge.

He pulls a vial of blue sap, and a bagged piece of white tree bark. placing both on the table. "My team and I have been studying trees that have appeared across the region, they're thought to have something to do with Xerneas. I was wondering if you'd give them a look at your labs and reach out to me if you find anything."

"I'd owe you one of course." It was work, but work he figured she'd enjoy, Xerneas being one of the progenitors of life and energy in the various mythologies surrounding pokemon. Also said to be ingrained in the lore of evolution one of Aria's favored topics.

His hand falters for a moment as Chu-e crowns him, the smile it gives however is temporary as Chu-e's story consumes any warmth shared in the room. He remains silent, heart heavy as he pulls a test tube allowing the sap-like blue substance to flow freely into its new ovular container before sealing it. He follows suit with the removed bark placing it in a sealed baggy for future study, never once missing Chu-e's words.

He could never understand the pain Chu-e went through, not truly as it was so different from his own, but the person Chu-e became in overcoming those hardships and in understanding the nature of the league, there were clear parallels. The primary being they both were betrayed and let down by the powers that be, and they were both giving their lives to change them albeit in different ways.

He places his materials on a table, a soft smile gracing his features, and perhaps it's uncalled for but he pulls the man into an embrace, and he doesn't let go. Arms only loosen after tens of seconds pass.

"I'm sorry, but you're as strong as you are kind Chu-e, and I don't know if enough people tell you that." He offers a smile not out of pity, but out of pride. It confirms what he's already known about the underboss, he was a man worth working for.

"You and I aren't so different." He decides to speak on it. "My mother was a gym leader for 15 years, and despite all the work she put in, she was made to struggle for the rest of her life. As far as the league was concerned she had outlived her usefulness." he feels bile rise in the back of his throat as he recounts the life of Gloria Sharp. "When Blacephelon attacked Slateport a year ago we were caught in the blast. It took hours to get any kind of civilian aid. I can't tell you the number of rangers, gym trainers, and league officials that denied us help in favor of fighting. My mother never recovered and I lost the person I cared about the most." He moves from the underboss and back to the tree placing his hand on its trunk to stabilize himself.

"I swore to myself I'd change the league, I'd give my life to help people like us because they deserve better than what the league gives. No one should end up like us."

He feels the pulse of the tree, it's something akin to a heartbeat, much slower though almost as if it was fading.

" I worry though." He begins again slowly. "Having been in the war chambers as of late, listening to Cillian Quinn and the others speak. I feel as if we're waging war simply to wage it, waring solely to conquer." He pauses for a moment turning to meet his ally's eyes once again.

"It scares me."

What?

He'd come this far prepared to be put in cuffs, to be locked in the darkest cellar the league-owned, and it owned many. For the ruby-eyed woman to finally realize what he'd known since first laying eyes on her that night in Slateport. That she deserved better, more than he could ever provide.

She stands here at the precipice after all this, hearing his promise to kill not only her, but her cherished family. She still reaches out towards him, and through the falling rain, she says words he's thought to himself again and again.

"I love you."
He begins to break.

No longer can he resist her, pulling her body into his in a single instance. Fresh wounds burn and scream as wet bodies collide, but finally, finally he holds her -- arms glued against her back as bodies remain pressed together. It lacks the grace he's spent years honing, it's ugly and raw, but it is real. In the way, his body shivers and heaves on repeat, like drums in a song. She's become a leyline for his soul counteracting the ephemerality of his existence.

How long they remain in silence he cannot say, but eventually, his heart settles enough that he continues.

"It wasn't long after that I found myself on a job. Discontent with the world, doing whatever it took to accomplish the goals I set for myself prepared to die. I was a machine in a world that'd become a shell of itself.

In those moments, I met someone.

She was a spark at first, someone warm, easy to talk to. But in every second I spent with her I realized what I thought to be a spark was far brighter than I could scarcely conceive. A spark became a light, and a light was now an immortal flame." Even wet and cold he can still feel that fire deep in her core the warmth of her skin fighting against the frigid rain.

" In time she became my hope, what I believed humanity could be. Someone whose ideals, tenacity, kindness, and willingness to protect superseded even my own. At every point, I watched how hard she worked, how much of herself she gave to a world that never cared enough to give back. I fell in love with her. " His voice is almost a whisper now, barely louder than torrent consuming them.

I wanted... I wanted to be the arms that held her when she fell. A place to return to on the days the world she fought tooth and nail for became too inordinate. But time after time she proved that she was stronger than the many pieces she fought against and I was the one weak constantly needing to be saved.

Even now, with all my cards on the table, knowing that I am little more than a poison to her, she reaches out and she says, 'she loves me' knowing full well what that means.

But I suppose that's why." He shifts back meeting her eyes for what truly feels like the first time.

"For all I've done to try and forget I know I can't run from this. I don't want to, because whenever I close my eyes all I see are pictures of you, Stormy Silph, the woman I swore to kill, but would die to keep alive."

"Stormy, I love you and all that you are, and I'm so sorry.

She agrees and for that he's thankful.

He leads her down a path he feels he hasn't walked enough, despite confidence that he could get to their destination blindfolded.

He's left with a new question, where does his story begin? Or rather for this audience where should he start it? For his unending verboseness, a man of a million words that could be said in five he cannot decide. The irony is almost palpable.

"A year ago my life changed, but I suppose this tale begins earlier."

"My mother is the strongest woman I've ever known. She was born in a body too frail for her personality. But despite that, she was this town's gym leader for 15 years. Over the course of those 15 years, she had and raised me. Never once until she absolutely had to did she ever even consider retiring." He can't help but laugh, those days watching her come home beaten from countless battles only to have her cook, play, and love him.

"And when she couldn't she fell hard. We lost a lot when she was deemed unfit to continue the gym. The league fed us to an extent. It's how we managed to keep our home, but for the cost of her treatments on top of my educatio-" he feels himself getting lost in the minutia of his life, "Life was tough after mom retired. And her son only made life tougher. I spent my youth rebelling, doing whatever I could to escape this place. Can you imagine living with someone, your son, who hated this place? A place you gave so much of your life fighting for daily; the home that you loved unconditionally? Dealing with this petulant child who dreamed solely of grander horizons, who was so content to let this place burn and die if it meant a shot at getting him out of here, and still having to provide for him, having to love him?"

He's shaking now whether it's from the cold or anger is unknown. But somehow the rain has lightened, or at least it has on him. The umbrella covers them both now to an extent.

"But she does. She does sit without ever complaining. She makes sure he's fed and clothed so he can continue his tantrums another day. But with age comes a modicum of wisdom and slowly he begins to realize how much she's done for him, how much he cares about her. In time he dedicates himself to making it easier for her. To make sure she doesn't have to worry about anything anymore."

"But that can't happen overnight. The resources needed to become the person he needs to be are expensive. Still, for her son's dreams, she makes it happen as she always did. Years pass and finally the money spent pays off, but not without taking its toll and more. My mother grew sicker in those years. Money for medicine went towards textbooks and tuition. Even so, he was finally in a place where we could turn the situation around.

And for a while I did." Wet shoes clatter against wetter stone. They near their destination now.

"I managed a job with Devon Corp, through them I was able to supplement our income. Their benefits allowed a plan where she finally received the facilities she'd lacked for years. She'd made more progress in months than I'd seen in years, real progress." You could hear his heart breakthrough his voice. His shoulders rise with his chest as it heaves unevenly. A hand steadies itself on a nearby tree before he pushing forward.

"We got caught in Slateport during the war. When Blacephalon came it blew us apart we didn't stand a chance."

When I regained consciousness I saw two things my mother impaled by shrapne and Fernando Silph. Protected by one of the creatures we pray. Guarded by a literal deity before ignoring us to fight. I screamed out. Begged for any kind of help, any kind of assistance. But people like us, don't matter in the grand scheme of things.

I spent an hour wandering the battlefield searching for any kind of assistance, begging the league stepping over bodies petitioning for help. But all in power cared to fight. No one had time for us, we were forgotten numbers, casualties to be counted later.

My mother never regained consciousness.

Still there was a chance to save her. If I just had the money, and I was so close Stormy. I was so damn close." He grits his teeth recalling his multitude of failures.

I spent the next months gathering funds. taking on whatever project I could, extra jobs whatever it took to save my mother's life. But in the aftermath of the battle. Devon was bought out by Silph and it was decided that my research wasn't deemed worth continuing. With no means of continuing my mother's treatment that's how her story ends.

Like a candle in the night.

Betrayed by a league that didn't care enough to watch after its veterans.
Betrayed by a system that couldn't keep its citizens safe.
Betrayed by a company that solely profited from its wars.

And
Betrayed by a son too stupid, and too weak to ever make the system work for him."

Finally, they've made it to their destination, a grave in a field of graves - all indistinct. This one Read 'Gloria Sharp' in some indistinguishable gothic font. This was the culmination of her life.

"When I buried her I made two promises to myself.

The first was I'd change the powers that be. I'd save as many as possible from ending up like me. To protect those that their protectors had betrayed in their ignorance. I'd use my knowledge to help build a region safe for everyone regardless of status.

The second was to completely and utterly, destroy the Silph name. The family that only served to gain as people died, I'd show those war profiteers what it truly felt like to be powerless, by any means necessary."

He lays the bouquet of yellow and white against her grave before finally turning to face Stormy, "Thus I joined an organization that I believed could help me do that." He steps away from the umbrella now choosing to submerge himself in the rain.

" Elite 4, and Elite Ranger Stormy Silph, My name is Miles Sharp, I'm a head scientist for Team Rocket." There's no joy in the reveal. There is want, there is pain and there is love.

The story had yet to truly end, but perhaps this is all she needs to hear.

"Well someone's awfully verbose today. Any more and I'll confuse you for myself." He teases oscar arms crossed. He'd known Oscar Clayton to be a sharp man. His words were clear, direct, and more often than not a little profane. To see him like this, like a child on Christmas morning was odd, certainly, but it was an odd Miles wouldn't mind seeing more of.

There's fear in those first few moments. He lacks Lulu's unending confidence, and so his breath is held as the machine echoes in a room that feels empty in that moment. He gauges the charts monitoring energy outputs his hidden pessimism waiting for values to exceed their parameters waiting for mega stones to explode, and to console his very eager boss.

But it doesn't.

The spirals align more quickly than he thinks is possible and slowly that smile returns to his face. A hand rests over his heart and finally, Miles breathes again. It's a success. Months of research, countless nights without sleep have led to this overwhelming victory. The grin grows so wide he's bearing teeth, even Lulu looks slightly relieved and so it has to be true.


"Holy Shit, we did!" Eyes continue to watch the generator function, amazed that he's had no small hand in such a grand undertaking.

It's the pop of a champagne bottle that finally draws his attention away from their creation. Seconds later it's being poured and Miles is sure to drink his fill.

"And what forget the brilliant queen of the labs herself? Not a chance. Cheers to you Lulu, and the greatest minds in Hoenn." He looks to Oscar, the backbone behind the operation, and so naturally the last word is his.

Rain pelts him droplets sliding in and against his wounds following the grooves of his face before gravity drags each drop further down only to be absorbed into the blacks of his shirt.

He's surprised she isn't done with him, that her first instinct is concern as opposed to anger, The warrior Stormy Silph, worried about him a man who was so committed to taking away everything she loved. She reaches out to him and he resists grabbing her hand choosing to watch it recline, the hesitation is something he instilled in her. 'I don't deserve her' A thought that'd replayed between his mind and heart no less than a million times is played once again. The look in his eyes now isn't one of fear or panic both have long since left him, no there's a weariness now, a warrior with no battles left to fight but not quite willing to give up his blade.

"Hey Stormy, there's someone I'd like you to meet." The questions involving his wounds were overlooked entirely treated as if he hadn't heard him. "You'll learn everything along the way. I promise." Eyes move to the sky now as if to observe the droplets as they fell.

"You deserve that and so much more."