Marril
09/12/2004, 12:02 PM
There are no witty comments to open this chapter, mainly because it's the Sunday right after school started up here. Thus, we go right into the chapter. Oh, more reference to obscure Pokémon stuff here, but nothing that'll confuse people.
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Kenneth stood stalk straight, almost exaggeratedly so. Giovanni was well aware of Kenneth’s sense of humour and as such said nothing to dissuade Kenneth from trying to rid himself of the tension of the moment.
“You overplayed your hand,” Giovanni said simply.
Kenneth nodded. Being called to Giovanni’s presence in Viridian City—the very head of Team Rocket, as it were—gave even him pause. “Hai. Yes sir. However, Schuler’s a good man, and we can’t afford to lose anyone.”
“Yes, yes,” Giovanni said, looking over his shoulder and waving his hand dismissively. “I never asked you to justify your actions. They are already justified.”
“What’d you call me here for, then?” Kenneth asked.
“First, to loosen up,” Giovanni said offhandedly. He turned to face Kenneth, putting his hands on his desk and looking across the room at the Executive.
Kenneth’s posture loosened, but only slightly. “And second?”
Giovanni walked around his desk. Persian grumbled in its sleep. “Second, is to formalize your promotion to Head Executive.”
Kenneth was visibly awed. “Why me? Juliet’s doing a fine job of that.”
Giovanni shook his head. “Politics. One look at the Elites and you see that the Executives don’t get any sort of respect. I’m not aiming to change this, Kenneth; I’m merely placing a more qualified person in the position. You have resources which Juliet does not.”
“I… think I understand, sir,” Kenneth said doubtfully.
“The main thing,” Giovanni continued, “is that genetic experiments and under-the-table business dealings can only get Team Rocket advancement. They do not stop us from preying upon ourselves as we’re showing signs of doing.”
“He’s trying to follow Madam Boss’ vision,” Kenneth thought. He then spoke, “I understand. Shall I make the announcement, then?”
Giovanni smiled. “For a man as shrewd and cunning as you are on Intelligence, you sure don’t know much about politics. No, this will only have weight coming from me.”
Kenneth suppressed a wry smile. “I understand. Shall I make the announcement, then?”
“Kenneth?”
“Yes sir?”
“Shut up. You look half as smart as you really are when your mouth isn’t open.”
Machoke raised its arm and blocked Ryan’s blow. It aimed a blow at Ryan’s midsection, but the Rocket was quicker and dodged. He came up beneath Machoke’s arms and delivered a quick one-two punch to its jaw that knocked the Pokémon staggering.
The news had come earlier that day from Giovanni. A buffoon like Kenneth, in charge of business dealings and ventures for Team Rocket? It was madness. Currently, he was working off his frustration in the workout gym.
Machoke rubbed its jaw, but showed no signs of continuing the bout.
“Good match, Machoke,” Ryan said as a formality. His mind was still preoccupied with the tomfoolery in the organization of Team Rocket.
“Choke,” Machoke nodded.
Rubbing his neck, Ryan stumbled off to the showers. He’d taken a fall earlier, pulling a muscle in his left leg. For some reason, Machoke went easier on him after that.
Throwing aside his sweat towel, Ryan stripped down and stepped into the showers. He set it to an unusually high temperature and just let the spray wash over him. Figuring that he was clearing his mind with an afternoon workout, he was disappointed to have been wrong. If anything, his mind was more focused on the wrongness of promoting Kenneth. Juliet was indeed a bureaucrat, however Kenneth was lower than that.
“I don’t get it,” Ryan muttered as the hot shower washed over him. He stared at the drain. “Every time I do something good for Team Rocket, it goes over without a second glance. Whenever that idiot says a single word, everyone hangs around to see if he’ll spew anything else.”
Ryan kicked the tile wall. “Ow,” he muttered.
Figuring he’d eventually get over it, Ryan turned his face directly into the spray and let his thoughts wander.
Yamato had little choice but to trust Rei. Rei’s insistence that he speak to Lance on the subject made the Rocket agent uneasy. Worse, his criminal activities in the past meant that Lance could have him arrested at any time.
“It’s neutral territory,” Rei explained to Yamato for the sixth time as he led him to an out-of-the-way place in Violet City. The Rockets had little influence there, and the League considered it too small and out of the way to be of much importance.
“I don’t trust meeting Lance himself,” Yamato reiterated. “That would be like you meeting Giovanni in person.”
“Lance doesn’t have anything to worry about,” replied Rei.
Yamato opened the door and turned to Rei. “I told Mikhail I was meeting a, ‘suspicious contact.’ If anything happens, they will track it down to you and Lance.”
“You don’t trust me,” Rei said. It wasn’t a question. “We’re old friends, even if we’re in mutually exclusive jobs. I’d never let you get arrested.”
Yamato sighed. “Yeah.” He stepped through the room. Lance was at a table, eyeing Yamato uneasily.
“Megumi here says you’ve got something important to say,” Lance demanded.
“Team Rocket’s usually overt in their actions,” Yamato said slowly, leading Lance along a certain path. “Often groundbreaking actions.”
“We’re familiar with Mewtwo and Orthan,” Lance retorted.
“You know that the Counterintelligence head has replaced the Genetics head as the primary Executive,” Yamato told him.
Lance kept a straight face. “No.”
Yamato held his breath. Should he name the Executives? It was a heavily kept secret. Few people outside of Team Rocket even knew that there was Counterintelligence head, let alone his name. Juliet was better known for her work outside of Team Rocket, but confirming her as one might have repercussions.
“He has. Be prepared for overt action by Team Rocket.”
“Why are you here in person?”
“You know the answer.”
Lance smirked. “Enlighten me.”
Yamato smiled. “A trust issue with someone in Team Rocket… hardly unexpected.”
As Yamato left, Lance glanced behind him. As Rei followed, Lance simply shook his head.
The door closed behind Yamato. He glanced back, expecting to see Rei. Instead, he saw Mikhail. Yamato’s gut filled with ice.
“Hello Yamato,” Mikhail said, stepping slowly away from the door and towards Yamato.
“Where’s Rei?” Yamato asked defensively; it was the first thing that came to mind.
“He’s still inside,” Mikhail assured him. “I just locked the door and jammed the lock.”
The tension hung for a few moments. Mikhail’s icy blue eyes stared at Yamato, unblinking. Yamato’s mind raced for a possible solution.
“What did you tell Lance?” Mikhail demanded, uncrossing his arms and letting them rest limply at his side. He shifted his weight onto his left leg.
“I didn’t tell him about anything sensitive,” Yamato opted for the truth.
“You realise that you won’t be walking away from here,” Mikhail told Yamato.
“Why?”
Mikhail shook his head and took a few steps towards Yamato. “You don’t get it, do you? Team Rocket operates on secrecy. The less anyone knows about us, the better. We’re professional men, and trained to stop exactly this.”
Yamato’s face was resolute, and he remained silent.
“I know you’re on the side opposite of what you normally are,” Mikhail took a step back and reached for something behind him. The yellow R on his navy blue Team Rocket uniform was prominent. “I won’t toy around with you.”
“You’re… not going to kill me, are you?” Yamato asked, fear creeping into his voice.
An odd expression appeared on Mikhail’s face.
Rei couldn’t make out the voices through the door. He figured that another Team Rocket member had found Yamato and locked him in. What sounded like a silenced shot sounded followed by the sound of a fully-grown man hitting the ground.
If he recalled correctly, there was an exit in the back where Lance had left.
“I’m just a Pokémon Counsellor,” Rei muttered bitterly, taking the exit. “I’m completely unsuited to this.”
Mikhail put away the taser and hefted Yamato’s unconscious body over his shoulder. That green-haired man who’d accompanied Yamato was sure to be out at any second.
“I’m furious,” Kenneth said, smiling. “Worked with the guy for ages and all.”
“You’re not acting furious,” replied Mikhail.
“Course I’m not,” Kenneth paced about the room. He stopped behind Mikhail. “Why should I? It’s so clichéd.”
“What are we going to do with him?”
“Haven’t right decided,” Kenneth admitted, shrugging. He opened the door and pointed outside. “Now then. You. Off my planet.”
Mikhail stood. “First Thompson and now Yamato. Makes you wonder who’s next?”
“Me,” Kenneth smiled. “Seems it’s going into fashion. Now, you’re breathing my air.”
Mikhail shrugged and left. Kenneth closed the door and kicked his trashcan off the wall. He muttered a few obscenities then straightened the dent.
“That didn’t feel nearly as good as they say it does,” Kenneth muttered.
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That's it for this week, folks. Next chapter goes up when it goes up. Until then, remember that trashcans don't handle getting kicked very well. That, and Team Rocket doesn't like you when you go meet with Lance all sekritlike and all.
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Kenneth stood stalk straight, almost exaggeratedly so. Giovanni was well aware of Kenneth’s sense of humour and as such said nothing to dissuade Kenneth from trying to rid himself of the tension of the moment.
“You overplayed your hand,” Giovanni said simply.
Kenneth nodded. Being called to Giovanni’s presence in Viridian City—the very head of Team Rocket, as it were—gave even him pause. “Hai. Yes sir. However, Schuler’s a good man, and we can’t afford to lose anyone.”
“Yes, yes,” Giovanni said, looking over his shoulder and waving his hand dismissively. “I never asked you to justify your actions. They are already justified.”
“What’d you call me here for, then?” Kenneth asked.
“First, to loosen up,” Giovanni said offhandedly. He turned to face Kenneth, putting his hands on his desk and looking across the room at the Executive.
Kenneth’s posture loosened, but only slightly. “And second?”
Giovanni walked around his desk. Persian grumbled in its sleep. “Second, is to formalize your promotion to Head Executive.”
Kenneth was visibly awed. “Why me? Juliet’s doing a fine job of that.”
Giovanni shook his head. “Politics. One look at the Elites and you see that the Executives don’t get any sort of respect. I’m not aiming to change this, Kenneth; I’m merely placing a more qualified person in the position. You have resources which Juliet does not.”
“I… think I understand, sir,” Kenneth said doubtfully.
“The main thing,” Giovanni continued, “is that genetic experiments and under-the-table business dealings can only get Team Rocket advancement. They do not stop us from preying upon ourselves as we’re showing signs of doing.”
“He’s trying to follow Madam Boss’ vision,” Kenneth thought. He then spoke, “I understand. Shall I make the announcement, then?”
Giovanni smiled. “For a man as shrewd and cunning as you are on Intelligence, you sure don’t know much about politics. No, this will only have weight coming from me.”
Kenneth suppressed a wry smile. “I understand. Shall I make the announcement, then?”
“Kenneth?”
“Yes sir?”
“Shut up. You look half as smart as you really are when your mouth isn’t open.”
Machoke raised its arm and blocked Ryan’s blow. It aimed a blow at Ryan’s midsection, but the Rocket was quicker and dodged. He came up beneath Machoke’s arms and delivered a quick one-two punch to its jaw that knocked the Pokémon staggering.
The news had come earlier that day from Giovanni. A buffoon like Kenneth, in charge of business dealings and ventures for Team Rocket? It was madness. Currently, he was working off his frustration in the workout gym.
Machoke rubbed its jaw, but showed no signs of continuing the bout.
“Good match, Machoke,” Ryan said as a formality. His mind was still preoccupied with the tomfoolery in the organization of Team Rocket.
“Choke,” Machoke nodded.
Rubbing his neck, Ryan stumbled off to the showers. He’d taken a fall earlier, pulling a muscle in his left leg. For some reason, Machoke went easier on him after that.
Throwing aside his sweat towel, Ryan stripped down and stepped into the showers. He set it to an unusually high temperature and just let the spray wash over him. Figuring that he was clearing his mind with an afternoon workout, he was disappointed to have been wrong. If anything, his mind was more focused on the wrongness of promoting Kenneth. Juliet was indeed a bureaucrat, however Kenneth was lower than that.
“I don’t get it,” Ryan muttered as the hot shower washed over him. He stared at the drain. “Every time I do something good for Team Rocket, it goes over without a second glance. Whenever that idiot says a single word, everyone hangs around to see if he’ll spew anything else.”
Ryan kicked the tile wall. “Ow,” he muttered.
Figuring he’d eventually get over it, Ryan turned his face directly into the spray and let his thoughts wander.
Yamato had little choice but to trust Rei. Rei’s insistence that he speak to Lance on the subject made the Rocket agent uneasy. Worse, his criminal activities in the past meant that Lance could have him arrested at any time.
“It’s neutral territory,” Rei explained to Yamato for the sixth time as he led him to an out-of-the-way place in Violet City. The Rockets had little influence there, and the League considered it too small and out of the way to be of much importance.
“I don’t trust meeting Lance himself,” Yamato reiterated. “That would be like you meeting Giovanni in person.”
“Lance doesn’t have anything to worry about,” replied Rei.
Yamato opened the door and turned to Rei. “I told Mikhail I was meeting a, ‘suspicious contact.’ If anything happens, they will track it down to you and Lance.”
“You don’t trust me,” Rei said. It wasn’t a question. “We’re old friends, even if we’re in mutually exclusive jobs. I’d never let you get arrested.”
Yamato sighed. “Yeah.” He stepped through the room. Lance was at a table, eyeing Yamato uneasily.
“Megumi here says you’ve got something important to say,” Lance demanded.
“Team Rocket’s usually overt in their actions,” Yamato said slowly, leading Lance along a certain path. “Often groundbreaking actions.”
“We’re familiar with Mewtwo and Orthan,” Lance retorted.
“You know that the Counterintelligence head has replaced the Genetics head as the primary Executive,” Yamato told him.
Lance kept a straight face. “No.”
Yamato held his breath. Should he name the Executives? It was a heavily kept secret. Few people outside of Team Rocket even knew that there was Counterintelligence head, let alone his name. Juliet was better known for her work outside of Team Rocket, but confirming her as one might have repercussions.
“He has. Be prepared for overt action by Team Rocket.”
“Why are you here in person?”
“You know the answer.”
Lance smirked. “Enlighten me.”
Yamato smiled. “A trust issue with someone in Team Rocket… hardly unexpected.”
As Yamato left, Lance glanced behind him. As Rei followed, Lance simply shook his head.
The door closed behind Yamato. He glanced back, expecting to see Rei. Instead, he saw Mikhail. Yamato’s gut filled with ice.
“Hello Yamato,” Mikhail said, stepping slowly away from the door and towards Yamato.
“Where’s Rei?” Yamato asked defensively; it was the first thing that came to mind.
“He’s still inside,” Mikhail assured him. “I just locked the door and jammed the lock.”
The tension hung for a few moments. Mikhail’s icy blue eyes stared at Yamato, unblinking. Yamato’s mind raced for a possible solution.
“What did you tell Lance?” Mikhail demanded, uncrossing his arms and letting them rest limply at his side. He shifted his weight onto his left leg.
“I didn’t tell him about anything sensitive,” Yamato opted for the truth.
“You realise that you won’t be walking away from here,” Mikhail told Yamato.
“Why?”
Mikhail shook his head and took a few steps towards Yamato. “You don’t get it, do you? Team Rocket operates on secrecy. The less anyone knows about us, the better. We’re professional men, and trained to stop exactly this.”
Yamato’s face was resolute, and he remained silent.
“I know you’re on the side opposite of what you normally are,” Mikhail took a step back and reached for something behind him. The yellow R on his navy blue Team Rocket uniform was prominent. “I won’t toy around with you.”
“You’re… not going to kill me, are you?” Yamato asked, fear creeping into his voice.
An odd expression appeared on Mikhail’s face.
Rei couldn’t make out the voices through the door. He figured that another Team Rocket member had found Yamato and locked him in. What sounded like a silenced shot sounded followed by the sound of a fully-grown man hitting the ground.
If he recalled correctly, there was an exit in the back where Lance had left.
“I’m just a Pokémon Counsellor,” Rei muttered bitterly, taking the exit. “I’m completely unsuited to this.”
Mikhail put away the taser and hefted Yamato’s unconscious body over his shoulder. That green-haired man who’d accompanied Yamato was sure to be out at any second.
“I’m furious,” Kenneth said, smiling. “Worked with the guy for ages and all.”
“You’re not acting furious,” replied Mikhail.
“Course I’m not,” Kenneth paced about the room. He stopped behind Mikhail. “Why should I? It’s so clichéd.”
“What are we going to do with him?”
“Haven’t right decided,” Kenneth admitted, shrugging. He opened the door and pointed outside. “Now then. You. Off my planet.”
Mikhail stood. “First Thompson and now Yamato. Makes you wonder who’s next?”
“Me,” Kenneth smiled. “Seems it’s going into fashion. Now, you’re breathing my air.”
Mikhail shrugged and left. Kenneth closed the door and kicked his trashcan off the wall. He muttered a few obscenities then straightened the dent.
“That didn’t feel nearly as good as they say it does,” Kenneth muttered.
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That's it for this week, folks. Next chapter goes up when it goes up. Until then, remember that trashcans don't handle getting kicked very well. That, and Team Rocket doesn't like you when you go meet with Lance all sekritlike and all.