-Cyclone-

Looks

The next several weeks were a blur.

Archie replaced the Poké Ball two weeks later, once all the undamaged equipment was cleaned of filthy residue. He was asked if he knew more about the situation, but feigned innocence and got away with freeing the Grimers. Due to the situation, future experiments were placed on hold by the science department, and by the time the fall semester had started, management chose to just end it. Archie was given a few slips that would serve as proof of him having participated.

In order to avoid further experiments, Archie added an extra class to his schedule. His excuse to Maxie was him wanting to catch up and maybe graduate a little sooner than he originally planned.

More letters from Lilycove arrived. Trying to explain the Grimer was hard enough, the letters were another ordeal. Maxie didn't ask too many questions as to when Archie finally contacted his father, but Archie could sense that it bothered him that he wasn't told about the call right away. It didn't help that Shelly wrote most of the letters. The girl sent him little stories about what his father was up to since she arrived. Everything the man wasn't telling him during their brief calls to one another would later reach Archie in written word.

Maxie only had a year left, which meant all the important classes and applying to for a doctorate. Archie did what he could in order to keep things as stress-free as possible. He went ahead and pushed his concerns to the side, including those he was close to putting into words.

He stared at the club roster, at the syllabus, and kept mouthing the meeting area over and over, while Maxie went through a few of his applications, checking to make sure there were no mistakes.

Archie reclined in his seat, tossing his sheets on the side. He saw Maxie stick his tongue out, pressed tight between his lips.

"It'd be pretty cool if ya got accepted to Lavaridge." Archie stretched his arms out. "It's a private university, right? That's cool."

Maxie lowered the application. "That would be nice." He now bit his lower lip, causing Archie to let out a chuckle. The man groaned. "This is important, Archie."

Archie sat upright, resting his hand on his legs. "Yer goin' to get accepted to at least one of them."

A faint smile appeared on the man's face. It was crazy, but Archie was sure there were some words he should say to Maxie. Right now. When Maxie finally placed the application on the coffee table, and sank into his seat, tired from worry, Archie felt like he should say it. More than just words of encouragement, but three very big words that had nothing to do with the current conversation.

"What do you think about me possibly leaving Hoenn?"

The excitement in Maxie's eyes told him it was something worth being delighted over.

"That'd be amazing." He meant every word, but there was a terrible pang that came right after saying it.

Maxie looked like he was ready to add something, but stopped himself, choosing instead to close his eyes and lean against Archie. "This is nice."

"Yeah," Archie agreed.

With Maxie so close to him, and that hurting in his chest, Archie thought he should bring it up. But then he saw the applications, and then he counted the few months the two of them had dated, and realized that it might still be too early. There were still a few feelings that weren't springing up, at least not without some direct stimulation. And Archie didn't want to make a fool of himself.

"Your club meeting is next week Thursday, right?"

Archie winced at the reminder. "Ugh, yeah."

He heard Maxie chuckle. "You don't sound very excited."

"It's a lot to think about," Archie said. "I made some last minute changes, and even with everyone helpin' out, it's the first meetin', and I've never done somethin' like this before."

Maxie turned. "Would you like me to miss my class and help you organize the first meeting?"

The meeting area sprung up in Archie's mind. "What? Maxie, I'm not about to ask ya to play hooky fer me." He pulled the redhead up close, wrapping his arm around the man's frame, while letting a hand slide into red hair. "Just cause yer goin' to get accepted doesn't mean you can just slack off now."

Maxie leaned against him. "I'll remember that."

Archie's head lowered, lips brushing against messy locks. "Sides, I got Matt helpin' me out. And the guys got the entire schedule memorized. I'll be fine. You just worry about classes, and graduatin' on time."

He felt Maxie turn underneath him. Archie moved, letting Maxie stare at him with his intense red eyes. Archie was positive he should say something. The Pokémon were in their balls. They were alone. Maxie was just giving him that look.

A smirk developed on Maxie's face. "I know I'll graduate on time. But your concern has been duly noted." He kissed Archie on the lips, and Archie silently counted the duration. There was nothing wrong with the kiss, it felt nice, almost too much right now, with everything that was going on, but he had to count it to make sure he wasn't overthinking this.

A few seconds later, it was over, and Archie stopped counting, and let the feelings inside of his chest run up his spine and consume his mind with anxiety.

"Thank you, Archie." Of course, Maxie would add those words, and say it in such a way that would only make him grow all the more nervous.

"Haha, no problem." Archie held on tight to his boyfriend. "I was thinkin'," he stammered, feeling his face grow hot. Why was saying a few damn words so hard? Was it because he was keeping secrets from Maxie? About the Grimer, and the Poké Ball, and the accident, and his father, the club, and feeling confused about why certain things didn't add up.

All of that in his mind, and suddenly the words were lost.

He did the next best thing and let the topic switch, before Maxie could catch on. "Thanks fer the offer. Y'know, you tryin' to skip class fer me. That's really means something, comin' from you."

Maxie squeezed him back. "You're going to do a good job." Archie blushed. "I mean," Maxie quickly added, "not as good as you would have if I was around, but decent enough. Luckily I wrote out the syllabus–"

All Archie wanted to do was cover his boyfriend's smart mouth with his hands, or his lips, or whatever, and tell him how great he made him feel all the time now. Stupid sarcastic remarks, and getting tired over applications, and smiling over small compliments mattered more when it was coming from Maxie.

But with everything on his mind, it felt wrong.

A seventeen-year-old Archie hid between the sheets of his bed, unwilling to leave the comfortable setting and face the rest of the organization.

In less than two days, he would leave Team Rocket.

It was nearly midday when he finally dragged himself out from his room, still feeling a little nauseous and lightheaded from last night's events.

The hallways were relatively empty. A few grunts were scheduled to organize and prepare the base for the arrival of elite Rocket members. Archie avoided direct eye contact from anyone crossing his path. He was sure he was getting stared at either way.

Archie wasn't sure which direction he was headed. The sound of his boots hitting the tiled floor suggested he had a direction in mind, but there was no clear image of his destination.

"Well, if it isn't Archie."

The young grunt stopped and saw Oscar standing a few feet ahead of him. The man's arms were crossed, and a smirk was spreading across his face. The exhaustion made it impossible for Archie to bring himself to attention. He let Oscar do all the work and approach him, that fowl look in his eyes alerting Archie that last night was still very fresh in the older grunt's mind.

"No cap, as usual," Oscar remarked, raising a gloved finger up at Archie's head. He then brought his hand to his chin, pouting and tsk-tsking as he surveyed the rest of Archie's incomplete appearance. "Whip seems to be missing as well. And the gun. Oh, and you've once again failed to keep up with personal grooming."

The younger grunt groaned, raising his head up and staring at the ceiling, letting out a long sigh. "What's yer point?" Archie asked.

"My point," Oscar announced in a harsh voice, "is this: I don't expect you continue this kind of behavior and get away with it. I know Nigel is easy on you, but once Margaret replaces him as head of this base–"

Did Archie hear that right? He blinked, letting the words sink in.

"–You're going to find your position going down several notches," Oscar finished before Archie could bring himself to think beyond the first comment.

"Margaret's gettin' promoted?" he asked, the shock in his voice causing the older grunt to chuckle.

He jabbed a finger into Archie's chest. "Everyone saw how poorly you reacted last night. That's weakness. And even though Nigel's got a soft spot for you, he ain't about to let you represent him when the higher-ups arrive." Archie stumbled back, not because of the force, but the sudden reminder of his freak out from last night made him go weak at the legs.

Oscar once again crossed his arms, looking as though he might be taking pleasure viewing Archie's discomfort.

"He called Margaret in his office earlier this morning."

Archie was still catching up with the news. His mind was frozen on the way Oscar mentioned his and Nigel's relationship. He wondered how many people knew about that. Oscar clearly knew, so odds were Margaret might have an inkling that something was up. And the way people stared at him before…was it really so obvious? It wasn't like he went out of his way to let anyone know he tried it out.

"Girl came out with some brand new Poké Balls," Oscar added. "She told me she was going to be made an executive."

Despite the nasty collection of emotions running through Archie, there was that small strain of logical thought that informed him that a screw-up would mean not getting promoted. The same voice then added that he might not even want to be an executive, not if it meant hurting kids. The voice of reason then told him to pay attention.

"Well?"

Archie blinked. "Y-yeah?"

The older Rocket snickered. "You understand that neither of us are going to let you get away with that slacker attitude, right?" He took another step forward, and although he and Archie were just about the same height, the younger of the two felt like he was being towered over. "I'll admit, it was a smart tactic, you sleeping your way up the ranks. But it didn't work, and once Nigel's gone you'll be on your own, and all those privileges will be out the door."

What privileges? Work had to be done, and Archie was still ordered around like everyone else. Nigel didn't treat him any different. Well, he did allow a few things, names and such, but nothing really worth calling a privilege.

Why did it have to be about ranks? If there was a way for Archie to explain why he had sex with Nigel without sounding crazy, he would have said it. But there wasn't, because now he was stuck trying to put together why he didn't feel a certain spark when he was with women or men. And the more he thought about it, it did look pretty bad to choose the boss. Why couldn't he have picked someone else out? Why did Nigel make it so easy?

Archie cupped his hands together, feeling his covered fingers rub and curl inwards. "Right," he muttered. "Well…ok then."

Archie could tell that the older grunt was disappointed in his reaction. He wasn't sure what to add on. He was upset, and for a lot of good reasons. Not getting promoted would suck, but after everything that occurred, and with everything occurring right now, Archie wasn't sure being an executive was a good thing. He knew that he and Oscar were never that close, but they worked together, and up till now there was never a sign that suggested the man harbored any negative feelings towards him. He thought the same with Margaret, and everyone else in the base.

With that, Archie glanced over and caught a few passing grunt staring at him. They had that look in their eyes. It wasn't anger or pity, but something worse. Archie knew they were thinking the same thing. Oscar really wasn't the only one who thought ill of him, and it surprised the hell out of him, because nobody ever said a thing about it.

Feeling sick again, Archie brought a hand up to his mouth, covering it and looked passively at Oscar.

"I'll go get my cap."

"See to it that you are in full uniform." The older grunt went back to smiling at Archie's visible discomfort. "Otherwise I might have to report you to the other executive in charge."

The Poké Balls with the Zubats in them were left in the room, hidden underneath a pillow. Although there wasn't proof, Archie feared he might have them confiscated.

It took a long time for Archie to dress himself. He wanted nothing to do with the weapons he was ordered to wear while in uniform. After placing them on his belt, Archie spent some time trying to think of what he should to say to Nigel.

It was clear that he would need the executive's help in order to rid of these rumors. The problem was that Archie didn't know what on earth he was going to say. Technically, there were no rumors to being with. He definitely had sex with Nigel. But he didn't do it in order to get a position as an executive. He was curious. Really, he just wanted to know if there was something there.

Unfortunately, there was no way of explaining this to the executive without sounding…weird? Bad? Crazy? How was it that there wasn't a nice way to explain how he felt?

With nothing to look forward to, Archie left his room, in uniform save for the two Poké Balls, and headed to Nigel's office.

This time he kept his head up high, and he caught sight of several lower ranked grunts looking at him, some with pity, others with confusion, and several with the same look of fear from last night.

When he got to the office, Archie stopped and convinced himself that looking around to see if anyone was watching would do more harm to his reputation. He knocked on the door, and let himself in before getting a reply.

Nigel was standing by his desk, talking with someone on the phone. Before Archie could say a word, the executive brought a finger up, forbidding him from making any unnecessary sounds. He then waved his hand at the chairs, and continued partaking in the private conversation.

Archie took a seat and waited for the conversation to end. Nigel didn't seem to have a problem with him listening. His voice never lowered, if anything, it began to crescendo as the conversation went on. Archie caught the names of several islands from Kanto, about building plans and some decrepit lab.

Finally, the executive placed the phone back on the receiver, the sound of the soft click causing Archie to stiffen up. His legs were getting weak again. This time he knew what Nigel was capable of.

The older man smiled. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better."

"Thanks." The man's kind voice almost made Archie forget about the way Nigel attacked the boy with the whip.

"I was going to have a word with you later, but I wasn't sure if you were physically capable to have a talk." Nigel pressed a finger against his lip. "It's a good thing you're awake, there's been a few changes. "

"Yeah, about that," Archie began, averting his stare from the executive's. "So, I guess everyone knows…" He nervously chuckled. This was weird. And for some reason he was afraid of the situation, of Nigel, and the weapons situated on their belts.

"Well, everyone was there," Nigel said, shrugging and not looking too surprised.

"I don't mean that." Archie tried to recline in his seat. "I mean us." He pointed at Nigel, then at himself. "That."

Nigel let out a low chuckle. "I'm afraid most of the members of the base have had their suspicions for a while." He crossed his arms. "If I recall, you complained to me about them giving you looks before, yes? You're not telling me that you're just discovering this?"

"Ha! Well, no, that's not entirely it." Archie dug a few fingers underneath his cap and rubbed the side of his head. "I just didn't think people would react so poorly to it. Like, today, I just found out about Margaret gettin' promoted–"

The executive slammed hand on the table. "Now who told you that?"

Archie's shoulder's raised. Nigel did not look happy to hear about this. Sure, Oscar was on his case, but Archie didn't want the grunt to face any sort of punishment from Nigel. "Uhm, word got around."

"Well," the executive muttered. "That's true. Shame, nobody was supposed to know about that until later. Half of the surprise is ruined."

The young grunt shivered. "Half?"

"Well, nobody knows about your promotion," Nigel said. His hand reached out and lifted Archie's head up by the chin. "Unless you've gone and spoiled that?"

When he looked up, all Archie could see were the eyes of a man who had beaten a child into unconsciousness.

"No," he answered.

"Very good." Nigel removed his hand from Archie's chin. The grunt felt immediate relief. "Then you have nothing to worry about."

Archie rubbed his chin. "I don't?"

"No," Nigel answered, grinning. "You're going to Kanto. Nobody will be aware of any past issues, including the one from last night."

Archie hand dropped. "So, I'm still going to be an executive?" His hand now clenched his leg. "Even after I messed up so bad?"

"Of course you will." Nigel reached for a small box on the table. He lifted the top and Archie spotted two Poké Balls resting inside of it. The executive grinned at him. "I did say you would become one now, didn't I?" He grabbed the two Poké Balls and offered them to Archie.

The grunt took them from his executive. "I messed up," he said, looking down at the Poké Balls. "That's weakness, ain't it?" He raised his head up when he caught the sound of laughter.

Nigel leaned against the table. "Is that what you're so worried about? Oh, Archie, if those lower ranked fools have the nerve to try and associate your past actions with weakness, then you take the time to prove to them you're not." The look on his face brought Archie right back to the night before.

As uncomfortable as he was, he still wanted to know the man's opinion of him. "But have I proved to ya that I'm not weak?"

Nigel raised a brow. "Don't let my personal feelings bother you. You have a new team, and in a few days, will be on your way to Kanto."

This wasn't the answer Archie was looking for. It didn't even come close. But it did inform the grunt that the Pokémon and new rank he received were not given to him out of hard work. Maybe he did have special privileges.

Sensing Archie's growing disappointment, Nigel spoke up. "You're going to have a lot of people ready to make assumptions about how you earned your title, be it sexual gain or not." The executive walked to the chair Archie rested in. "If you must know, I think, with time, you'll have the necessary skills required for you to lead."

Archie went back to staring at the Poké Balls, wondering what kind of Pokémon the man ordered for him. "In time?"

"Yes," Nigel answered. He placed a hand on the grunt's shoulder. "But you'll definitely have to work for it. No more caring about what sort of looks people are giving you. No more moments of weakness. What you did last night must never happen again."

So Nigel thought he might have what it takes to be a real executive? That meant Nigel thought he was capable of hurting someone.

Another hand rested on top of his shoulder. Archie noticed the shadow hovering over him and sank his head, averting his stare from the Poké Balls.

"Hmm? You shaved today." He heard Nigel chuckle, finally noticing the change in his appearance. "How unlike you." One of his hands removed itself from Archie's shoulder, and brought itself back to the young man's face. "That's a nice look for you. You really should commit to keeping a more professional form more often."

He felt fingers slide up his chin. "Nigel?"

"Yes?"

Archie felt the man press his weight against him, lowering himself and trying to get closer with the grunt. "About last night," Archie muttered.

He heard the executive groan. "What about it?"

There wasn't the slightest bit of regret in the man's voice. Archie wasn't sure why he expected there to be anything close to resembling guilt. Not after the recent conversation. But Nigel sounded annoyed at him for bringing it up, deterring this new conversation, and ruining the mood.

Archie needed to get out.

Leaving Team Rocket.

The actual process was incredibly simple. All Archie did was ask permission to leave past normal curfew, under the premise that he was nervous and needed to go out for a walk and mentally prepare himself for the upcoming meeting. Nigel allowed it, not that it surprised Archie one bit. He was told to wear his civilian clothing, to be on the look out, and to return before eight in the morning.

Nigel asked him to take his Pokémon with him, just in case. Archie pointed at the two Poké Balls on his person. The executive inquired about the two confiscated Zubats, and Archie let the man know he'd return them once he got back from his walk.

Then it got hard.

Archie was several blocks away from the police station. He hid at the end of an alleyway, holding two Poké Balls. The bag carrying his Rocket uniform and few personal belongings was on the floor.

With the sun about to rise, Archie was left with just a couple hours to come to a decision.

He could leave Team Rocket, three months shy of his eighteenth birthday, and hopefully not get arrested for all the crimes against Pokémon he committed the past four years. It would mean giving away valuable information, possibly resulting in people he knew and cared about getting into trouble. It would make him a traitor.

Archie rubbed his eyes, exhaustion beginning to sink in.

The other option would be to return, and continue working for the organization. Things wouldn't be the same as before. Now he knew Pokémon, people and team members would get hurt in the process. If he was going to be an executive he'd have to do terrible things, and risk turning into someone he knew he didn't want to be.

He could try being a nice executive. People would say things about him, but then they'd spread rumors no matter what he did. Archie remembered how angry he'd gotten from receiving a few stares. He thought about using the whip once, and looking back at it now, it freaked him out. What Nigel said wasn't too far off from one day becoming reality.

Archie released the Zubats from their balls. He didn't want to hurt people, and he didn't want anyone to be afraid of him.

He didn't want to hurt Pokémon…anymore.

"Hey." He looked at the two blue bats flapping above him. The larger of the two fluttered right up to him, its small head aimed for Archie's hand. "No," he said, pulling his hand behind his back. "Look, I have somethin' really important to say right now."

Both Zubats made little faces at him.

"I'm goin' to be turnin' myself in," Archie began, "And…I don't know what's goin' to happen to me exactly. The commercials said I wouldn't get into trouble, but I'm still pretty nervous."

The smaller Zubat head-butted his shoulder. Archie sighed, placing both Poké Balls into one hand so he could give the needy Pokémon attention.

"Uhm." Archie watched the second Zubat fly down, trying to earn a few pets of its own. "Look, guys, I'm goin' and I want you two to know that you'll never have to worry about getting whipped or attacked, or any of that. Ya don't have to worry about Team Rocket anymore, cause I'm lettin' you go."

Both heads shot up and stared at Archie. The smaller Zubat flapped up and started clicking. The larger flew around Archie, making equally unappealing sounds.

The young man scratched his head. "Yer free. This isn't a test or anythin', you can go wherever ya want."

The larger Zubat hovered right above Archie's head, whimpering and letting its tails poke him.

"You two need to hurry now," Archie said. The smaller Zubat grabbed on to Archie's shoulder and began rubbing its face against his shirt. "Seriously?" Archie blushed. "Ya guys need to hurry. Sun's coming up. You'll get burned pretty bad."

He felt a good amount of weight drop on of his head. Archie hunched, feeling the larger Zubat latch on to his messy locks of hair, struggling to stay put, but sending a clear message that it, along with its smaller companion, had no intentions of leaving.

Archie sucked up a few quick breaths, feeling his chest begin to hurt as he felt the two bats continue to hold on and cuddle him. Did they not understand that he was not the exception to the norm? He wasn't the only option anymore; the Zubats could go find real trainers to play with them, train them, and treat them right.

"Yer not Rocket Pokémon anymore," he muttered, his hand dropping the Poké Balls so that he could pet both. "And you two are makin' this really hard right now…"

The larger Zubat slipped down, covering Archie's view with its eyeless face and upside down grin.

Archie's arms dropped. "Ya know what "free" means, right?"

The Zubat nodded its, ears rubbing against Archie's face. The smaller one hummed into his shoulder.

They wanted to stay with him. Archie brought his hand up to his face, causing the larger Zubat to jump off from him. He rubbed his forehead, looking at the two Pokémon fluttering in front of him, both eager and ready to follow him all the way back home to Lilycove.

He smiled at the two. "I guess this means we're in it for the long-haul." Archie blinked a few times, testing to make sure he wasn't dreaming this all up, or that his eyes weren't up to anything. "Dang…I'm not even sure I got room back home."

Both Zubats hummed.

He laughed. "But we'll figure something out."

After picking up the balls and returning the Zubats back inside, Archie found the confidence he needed in order to face the officers. The Pokémon trusted him enough to stay, and that meant something.

He slung his bag over a shoulder and went over to the police station.

The sun was rising, and Archie could only imagine what sort of panic might arise once everyone realized he was missing. What would his execu–his ex-executive say when he entered his room, finding only the two Poké Balls he left behind? The thought almost made him turn around. Instead, he quickened his pace, practically running up to the station.

Already out of breath, his heart skipped several more beats when he walked to the desk situated at the front. A young female officer typed away at the computer, only stopping once he got close enough for her to see the fear emitting from him.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Uhm…" Archie pulled in his lips, looking off to the side, trying to concentrate on something other than the officer's concerned look.

"Is something the matter?"

"Yeah," Archie admitted, letting his bag fall off his shoulder. He carefully opened it in front of her, watching her eyes widen as she caught a glimpse of a bright red "R" surrounded by black fabric. "I need to…uhm…turn myself in…"

She stood up from her chair, no longer looking so sincere. "I understand." She pressed a finger against a small device on her desk. "This is Jenny. I need to request a room," she said into it. Archie clenched his bag. "And one other officer for an interrogation. We have a deserter."

"Right away, Jenny," a voice answered back.

Archie brought his bag up to his chest as the officer removed her finger from the device, looking back up at him.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Archie," he answered.

"Ok," she said, voice calm. Archie thought it meant he could relax, but then she walked around her desk, and he saw the handcuffs being pulled from her side. "I'm going to need you to turn around, Archie."

He stared at the cuffs.

The officer frowned at him. "You can leave your bag at my desk. We'll make sure nothing happens to it." Archie gave a weak nod. "Archie, turn around, with your hands behind your back."

He shut his eyes, trying to fight back the feeling of regret. "Y-yeah, sure." He wanted to throw the bag down. He gently placed it on the desk. He lowered his arms halfway, stopping, and then brought them behind his back.

Archie winced when he felt the cool metal squeeze against his wrists.

"Do you want to hear your rights?"

He shook his head. "Naw, I don't think that really matters right now."

"You'll be detained and processed," the officer said. Archie blinked, feeling his eyes dry up when she gave the handcuffs a small test-yank. "After that, you'll have to write out a few forms, and then you'll be interrogated for further information. Do you understand?"

"Y-yeah."

She held on to his shoulder. "Do you have any hidden weapons or Pokémon on your person?"

Archie looked over at his bag. The officer turned and pointed at it. "I have some Zubats," he said, letting a small smile form. "C-can ya try being real gentle with them? They get easily spooked."

"We'll have someone look at them."

"Oh! And can ya see if about gettin' them somethin' to eat?" Archie asked, trying to catch her over his shoulder. "I was in a real hurry…I forgot."

He caught a glimpse of her, looking up at him with a solemn expression.

"I'll see what I can do."

Golbat swooped down, plucking an empty can that was washed up by the shore. Archie ran up to it, taking the piece of trash in his hand and crushing it.

"Come on," he grumbled, staring disapprovingly at the rusted can.

"Bro," he heard Matt say behind him. Archie looked over and smirked at the larger man holding his Marill.

"We're almost there," Archie said. "Corsola Cove's just around the corner."

Matt huffed, looking down at his small Pokémon. "You really think everyone's going to go all the way out here just for a meeting?"

Archie grinned. "No," he answered. "Just the ones who think my intentions are worth pursuing will show." He heard something sloshy and saw that his Grimer had caught up with him. Archie stared at the rusted can, and then dropped it on top of the poison Pokémon, watching the crushed container sink into the sludgy body. "And those are the people I want to work with."

"Yeah, that's great." Matt then pouted at the feasting Grimer. "But don't you need a certain amount of members in order to keep the group officiated or something?"

Archie continued, letting the briny air toss his hair in different directions. "I'm not worried about that." He sent Golbat off in the direction of the cove, eyes still on the shore. He heard Grimer and Matt follow right behind him. "Y'see, Matt, I can have a really big club filled with people who like the idea of fixin' up the city and the ocean, or I can have a small group of people dedicated to actually making a change."

"I get it!" Matt ran up, letting his Marill drop from his arms and scurry ahead to pick up something that was flowing in the shallows.

"Glad you do," Archie said. "Even if it means losing the club title, I'd rather have a group of people who'd do anything to fix up this mess." He knelt down and took the plastic bag that Marill offered him. "Than people who just want a nice club on their future applications."

The two men went on, making a few more stops to collect trash left over from past beachgoers. Some of it wasn't even recyclable for Grimer. Archie held on to the bits of filth until he could find a way to dispose of it.

There were eight people waiting for them, which was half of what Archie started with. Unsurprisingly, a few of the members present were friends. Archie did the math, and saw that there were more Wingull collected around the cove than people.

His Pokémon rested on top of the rocks, and Archie, still very nervous, brought himself to the center of the small group.

"Hey everyone. What's up?" he announced. A few people laughed. Archie relaxed, smiling at the welcoming sounds. "Be honest with me," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear over the winds and splashing waves, "how many of you found this meetin' place to be well out of the way?"

A few heads turned. There was more chuckling, and a few nods of the head.

"Cause if ya don't like bein' active, then this group isn't fer you," Archie continued. He noticed a few friends staring at him. "The thing is, I need people to be willing to go the extra mile, if any of what I hope to accomplish to work."

Nobody was chuckling anymore. Everybody was staring.

"I thought I could have a really big group of people ready to fix a city. But after certain events–" Archie glanced over at the Grimer pooled by a small rock, staring up at Golbat, "–I've come to the conclusion that I need to narrow my focus."

Archie pointed a thumb behind him, in the direction of the city. "You can see that the city is pollutin'. There's the smog. And then there's the garbage, and then there's the wild Pokémon gettin' caught up in the mixture." He brought it back down. "You can see some of it, but not all of it, and what you can't see is what you should be worried about the most."

He raised his arm up, his hand gesturing at the ocean in front of him. Several heads turned and stared at the water. "You can't see it, but there's a lot going on in there. Sure, there's the trash Matt and I picked up along the way, but that's the tip of the iceberg." He raised the bag of trash he collected, and stared it. "Nobody, not even I, can see the full effects of what human influence has done to the ocean. Just the Pokémon. They're the ones who get hit first."

Heads were turning again, mostly at one another. Those who continued to stare at Archie were no longer smiling.

"I want to immediately begin focus on what we cannot see," Archie announced. "That means placing most of our efforts on the ocean, which, like Pokémon, suffer the devastating effects of pollution and exploitation before anythin' else."

A hand was raised.

Archie stopped. "Monica?"

"Archie, what would you say is the club's revised goal then?" she asked, bringing her hand down.

"The goal is still the same." Archie dropped the bag and placed his hands on his sides. "I want to improve the livelihood of Pokémon. I'm just being very serious about it. Odds are there's going to be a lot more work than anythin' else."

"With only eight members, there's a good chance this club will get dropped," another girl spoke up.

"I don't care about college credit," Archie replied, smiling at her. "And if the school doesn't want to call this a club, then fine."

"I like to think of it more as a team," Matt chimed in. He took a step forward, bringing himself to attention. "Cause it's gonna take the effort of everyone working together in order to accomplish our goals."

"I like the sound of that," a guy spoke up. "A team, instead of a club. Makes us sound more professional."

Archie looked to Matt, grinning. "Nice work."

"If our team gets unaccredited, then we'll be like that other group," a girl said to her friend.

"The one that fights for student's rights? Wow, that's crazy!"

"If we're going to work on the ocean," Jamal called out, "Can we start work by the shack? That place is just littered with cigarettes and bottles from partiers."

"We're still going to help Pokémon in the city, right?"

There were discussions going on, and while Archie couldn't catch all of it, he knew it was a good sign. People were thinking about their role in this team.

It was almost a shame Maxie wasn't here watching it take place.

Monica walked over, signaling Archie to come closer. "So what's our team going to be called?" she whispered to him. "You didn't appoint an official name, and since we're placing our general focus on the water, calling ourselves a Pokémon welfare organization might come off as misleading."

Archie was about to argue against her idea, but remembering what he wanted out of his team, chose to adapt around his friend's concerns and think up a suitable name. The sounds of waves hitting rocks in the distance brought up a certain Latin word Archie had learned in class.

"Aqua sounds cool," he said. "It pretty much covers all the kinds of waters. Ocean included."

"Team Aqua?" she questioned.

"Yeah, just like that!" Archie looked over to Matt. "Team Aqua!"

Matt gave Archie the thumbs-up. "Team Aqua, bro."

Archie clapped his hands together, feeling a rush of adrenaline at hearing the name. Now he really wished Maxie was here to see all this unfold.

"It's official," Archie said, loud enough to simmer everyone else down, and bring all the attention back to him. Normally the stares would have bothered, but now he was feeling pretty good. "We're goin' to call ourselves Team Aqua. After the ocean, where all life originates. Remember that."

He watched a few nodding heads. A few people were smiling, agreeing wholeheartedly at the new name bestowed upon their new team.

Someone raised his hand.

"Yes?" Archie asked.

"It's sounds really neat," he began. "But Team Aqua doesn't really conjure the image of us helping Pokémon. How will people know that we're trying to help?"

Archie took a few seconds to think up an answer. It was a legitimate question. Most people wouldn't bother to relate the status of the ocean to the livelihood of Pokémon. How could they, when so few were willing to take a look at the chain that connected the environment with all living things?

He nudged his shoe into the sand, twitching when it came into contact with the bag of litter. Archie peered down at the garbage he collected, and felt a tinge of heat light up inside of him. People were far too presumptuous. He stared at the surrounding sand and recalled the gigantic image of Kyogre, summoning the storm and washing away the mess people had made thousands of years ago.

It made him excited to think he was attempting something similar.

"Don't worry," he answered. "We'll let them know."