- Soul of Steel -

Chapter 32: More Room On The Dance Floor

Artwork courtesy of Koinuawoo on 'X'.

- - - - - Underground Bunker, beneath Five Isle Meadow, Hoenn - - - - -

- - - Office of Executives - - -

Sounds of foot traffic and quiet murmurs follow a small secular group of people as the dim lighting encases a room with a sickly pale yellow that is only matched by the growing tensions of the people that march into it. One by one, a group of white and black uniformed-wearing men and women with a red 'R' printed on the front. As they all went to their allotted seats, one of them remarked that they hope for good news.

A single clap causes a quadrant of lights to illuminate the administrators at one end of the table. "Good morning everyone. It's so relieving to know that despite everything...Team Rocket still is around." spoke a gentleman wearing a more regalia-class of uniform and blue hair. A nametag of 'Archer' is on his breastpocket. He glanced to the others and was smiling at all the filled seats. To his sides were fellow administrators named Petrel, Proton, and Ariana. Filling the rest of the seats were other notable agents for the gang.

"Huh." A gruff man wearing a TR issued cap and thick muscles had his arms crossed. "You don't have to act strong on our account, Archer. You can be honest with how poorly things are going."

Archer appeared amused. "Cliff of our GO Rocket initiative. That you are able to cut right to business is just...so 'you'. But you're not wrong. Things are grim right now."

A gentleman to his side bearing a garish looking set of goggles and ponytail handwaved his comrade's commentary while grimacing. "We of Go Rocket were too busy fighting off these punks who have been showing up to our operations to comment, but remind me why it's taken YOU LOT SO LONG TO DO A DAMN THING!"

"Arlo. You'd know best to shut your arrogant mouth when your seniors are talking." Ariana said, snapping back to him.

Arlo shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Oh, and NOW the woman who wishes she was Giovanni is going to try and hold some authority!"

A purple hair man with a Meowth and his long redhead female companion raised his hand to try and intervene. "Sir, if it's worth anything-"

"IT ISN'T!" Almost everyone said right back to them.

A pair of paws slapped on the table. "Honestly, we get beat by a group of Pokemon trainers one time at your headquarters, evacuate who we can, get more than half of ourselves arrested, and after spending all this time licking our wounds, only now we're bothering to figure out what to do?" shouted the surprisingly eloquent Meowth.

"Who invited you guys anyway? Do you honestly think we'll get anywhere listening to you?" Said a blonde who had her feet and arms crossed in annoyance. As she eyed the trio from across the table, the Meowth just hissed.

"Look, Domino, Jessie and James and I get clocked all the time, and you don't see us moping about it!" He shouted.

"Wobuffet!" their Wobuffet who wanted to pipe in exclaimed, as if to finish Meowth's statement.

"Meowth is right! Have you guys no shame?!" shouted Jessie, pumped up by her comrade Pokemon's words.

Petrel stood up, but winced when Archer extended an arm and fanned his hand downward. "Listen. It's true. Operation Critical Hit, as it was called, was very devastating to us. So many talented former and current Champions and Champion-level trainers blindsided us. If not for a last minute evacuation to move some staff and prisoners we were holding at the time, we'd be in a less than ideal spot. Sure, we may have lost one of our more valued 'experiments' because the Ranger Union caught wind of that before those in 'OCH' showed up to rescue them, but not all is lost."