Chapter Text
He stood at the edge of a steep, lifeless cliff, looking at the vast, calm sea. He watched the waves roll in and slowly return, stretching back into the endless turquoise ocean. The sun shone brightly, making the sea glisten with numerous colours, masking the horrors underneath its shimmering waters. He watched it, and he felt the ocean glare back at him with hatred, with fear. It was right to fear him. He leaped off the cliff, feeling the freezing wind hit him in the face hard as he fell. He heard the earth itself rumble and groan behind him in response as if it were stretching its muscles and waking up. And then, he was falling no more. He stood proud and tall as the cliff followed him, the water now licking the stone polished by harsh winds. He stepped forward, and the earth rumbled and stretched again, following his step. Enraged by his newfound talent, the ocean roared, its hatred now even more apparent than ever. An enormous wave formed before his eyes, but he was ready. The earth was ready. He stretched out his arm adorned with burning hot symbols and…
“Aah! What the-?!” Maxie yelped when he felt something as hot as coals hit his hand as he awoke from his dream. His whole hand was covered in steaming hot coffee he had made a little while ago. Swishing his hand around, trying to cool it down somewhat, the scientist stumbled into the bathroom attached to his dorm and plunged his whole arm into the sink, the dream now completely forgotten. The scientist felt some relief only after quickly turning on the cold water, feeling it cover the blistering burns he had inflicted upon himself. Maxie knew he had probably made a huge mess with this less-than-graceful awakening. Still, he decided to worry about it later, letting his hand bask in the chilling tap water for now. He looked in the mirror above the sink to discover a scrawny redhead glaring back at him with clumped-up hair, bags under his eyes, and a scowl ever-present on his face. At least his glasses were looking slick and modern despite the bulky square-shaped look and thick lenses. They were, in more ways than one, his only saving grace.
His thoughts drifted from his unflattering appearance to the task he had on his hands. He stayed up all night, re-reading precious Hoennian folklore, trying to squeeze out more knowledge of the legendary orbs from the limited resources he had access to. He needed to know the location of these precious stones with their respective owners, and the records were no help. The records were collected from all over the region of Hoenn, ranging from primitive drawings on cave walls to ancient texts written on bark and whole statues constructed in what local archeologists declared were once worshipping sites. It was hard to pinpoint the location of the deities and the period during which they were still “awake” due to their sheer presence throughout the early years of Hoenn. Some records claimed they were seen battling near the lush forests near Route 111, while others claimed they were present around the area where a city called Mossdeep now stood. Maxie had to visit the island in person to investigate on his own and try to locate the slumbering gods. Still, it would be no easy task since he would have to start from step 0.
Although, if he really thought about it, it wouldn’t be a complete step 0. He still had his notes, writings and findings to go from. Wait. Maxie glanced back at the door leading into his room. Oh no. Quickly turning off the water and grabbing a towel for his soaking hand, he ran back into his room. How could he proceed with his research if his notes could be damaged by the accursed drink he knocked down in his sleep? He was already on a deadline way too tight for his liking! Hurriedly taking off the soaked lab coat, he gently lifted the papers and torn-off pages of his notebook from his table to look closer at them. Sadly, the paper did sustain minor damages. Drying the pages and making extra notes later to clarify the blurred words should do the trick. Spreading out the wet paper and turning on his fan would be the fastest and safest way to start drying the precious knowledge that he captured on paper. The only problem was that he now needed to clean his table.
What a mess. The table was wet and full of food wrappers and one-use coffee cups, which now held copious amounts of pencil shavings instead of the intended drinks. With a deep and embarrassed sigh, Maxie started to collect the garbage. As he cleaned, his mind wandered off elsewhere once again, thinking about… Well, everything, to pass the time. This project he took on was taking way too much out of him. The Boss gave him a hefty task. Retrieving ancient artifacts and smuggling them from one region to another was no joke. He would be fine if not for the laughably small deadline of 1 week to prepare for the long journey.
He placed a humming incubator with an egg inside it atop the pages to hold them in place as he turned on a cheap fan he bought recently at a second-hand store. With his papers now drying, he was out of things to do. How could he continue his research if he had nothing to write notes and reminders to himself on? Plus, he was so close to being done anyway. Giovanni will not fire him if he gets a little shut-eye. Tiredly, he walked over to his bed and plopped down, immediately regretting it. The stiff springs of the mattress creaked under him as if they were begging for mercy as they stabbed him in his chest. With a groan, he rolled over onto his back and closed his eyes. Just a little bit of sleep. An hour or so…
He closes his eyes for a second and gets comfortable. Just as he dozes off, he hears the doors to his dormitory hiss open. He sits up, sleepy, weak, and not at all refreshed. He sees a blurry red and white blob, and after picking up his glasses from the bed (how did they get down so quickly?), he sees it’s Ariana.
“Knew, I shouldn’t have trusted you, you liar,” she pouts as she invites herself into his room and sits on his chair. She holds a container in her hands, filled with something good if the faint smell is anything to go by. Maxie stretches upwards, and his body protests immediately, sending sharp pain into his hands and back.
“What do you mean?” he croaks out as he tries to settle back down. His body feels like it’s full of tiny needles, pricking him from every side. He really needs to sleep. To lay down longer than a few minutes...
“What do you mean “what do you mean”?” She furrows her brow and pops the container lid open. A sweet aroma immediately fills the stuffy room, tickling Maxie’s nose and waking him up a little. “You offered me lunch yesterday, remember? You’re lucky that Gio wanted to share some with me; otherwise, I would be starving now.”
“Is it lunchtime already?” Now he’s fully awake. He glances at the alarm clock on his table and sees that it is, in fact, lunchtime. Apparently, a few hours of sleep felt to him like a few quick minutes. That can’t be good. He adjusts his glasses, more out of nervousness than need. “Oh. Sorry. I just fell asleep, and...”
He is interrupted by Ariana’s laughter. “Aah, fell asleep, hm?” She shakes her head and mixes something in the container with a fork. “Honestly, I should’ve guessed at this point.” She scoops up the food with a fork and immediately puts it into her mouth. From what Maxie could see, it was just some plain rice with some sauce on top. How could it smell this good, then? She gulps her food down hungrily as Maxie gets up and stretches again. “How are you evfen alivfe anywfay?”
He cringes and hisses, “Can you PLEASE not talk while eating? You know how that irritates me.” When he receives a condescending laugh, he understands she’s doing it purposefully. “And anyway, my sleeping habits are none of your concern. Better tell me how the work on the boat is coming along. The deadline…”
She waves her hand dismissively. “You and your deadlines, Max. Relax.” She scoots the chair closer to his bed. “We have everything under control. We already have the route and have the best boat for the ride. Boss also found someone who can help us with this project. They are a pro at sea navigation and can even read stars! That is some nerd stuff right up your alley! I wanted to introduce you to them today, but…Max, are you listening to me?” She snapped her fingers in front of his face.
Maxie blinked and realized that he was not listening to a word she said. His attention was focused on the food she held in her hands now that he could see it better. Rice, slowpoke tail and kingler claw, all generously drizzled with sauce that smelled of honedew berries. He had to pry his gaze from the meal made by Arceus itself. “Where did you get the money needed to make something like this? Slowpoke tails cost a fortune, even with the employee discount!”
“Max, I just told you how I got this meal, wake up,” she snickered. “Gio shared it with me. He saw me being all sad and lonely in the cafeteria and decided to help me out, like the gentleman he is.”
Bullshit. Giovanni never in his life would go into the cafeteria. Considering his family ties and numerous connections around Kanto, he has to have personal chefs on call. Maxie was, however, way too tired to call her out on her lie. Arguing with Ariana was a lousy decision in the first place, whether you were her subordinate or even her brother. “And you haven’t even thought of grabbing anything for me. You never fail to disappoint me, thank you.”
“Any time,” she teases and closes the container, understanding that Maxie focuses more on the food than herself. “Anyway, you’ve heard me. I am going to introduce you to our newest crew member.” Before Maxie can object, she interjects, “No is not an answer. You haven’t been out of this room of yours for a bit now. I know Gio did not give us too much time to work with, but this is ridiculous behaviour.” Without waiting for her sibling to respond, Ariana swipes her card on the card reader on the wall, and the door to his dormitory hisses open.
Maxie wasn’t going to object anyway. He rolls his eyes. “Fine. But first, I am grabbing myself something to eat. I am starving”. He exits the dorm and starts heading towards the cafeteria. Ariana closes the door and catches up to him quickly. “Great idea,” she finally agrees. “I need to finish off my lunch too.”
Going to the docks always made him uneasy, even when he was a lowly grunt. The docks were far from the main base, so getting there involved traversing many elevators, underground tunnels, and multiple sub-bases scattered around Kanto. He and Ariana arrived there in the early hours of the evening. He knew they were getting close now since the tunnel they entered had multiple thick metal pipes intertwining and stretching endlessly into the distance. The air surrounding them also felt damp and reeked of salt and water pokémon droppings, initially making him slightly light-headed.
Before they arrive, they both start hearing voices. At first, they are quiet, but with every new step, they become more apparent, although they remain muffled, as if they are behind a wall. “The docks must be lively today,” Maxie comments absentmindedly. “Are they shipping off the slowpoke tails?”
“Nope.” Maxie hears a snicker and looks at Ariana. “The docks are now always lively when our new crewmate is around. Archer couldn’t stop whining all about it when he was assigned to work there for a day.”
“They are lively... why?” Maxie raises an eyebrow. He hopes their new teammate is not some hooligan who is loud and crass like most of the grunts are.
“He is quite popular with the people there. Not only does he work hard but also parties hard, as the kids may say.” Ariana chuckles and shakes her head. “Arceus, I am getting old.”
Maxie can’t help but slightly furrow his brow. “Sounds like a horrible crewmate if all he does is throw parties near the docks. How is he going to help us when we are in the middle of the ocean?” Maxie adjusts his glasses and carefully presses a hidden button on the bulky frame. He hears the tiny mechanism quietly come to life near his ear as he and his sister arrive at the rusted metal doors leading to the docks.
“Well… You’ll see why Boss decided to string him along with us.” Ariana grabs a metal valve plastered onto the door, huffs, straightens herself and rotates the thing like it’s nothing. While Maxie is shocked by her strength, she dusts her hands from the bits of rust and pulls the door open. “Phew... He’s a good guy. Surprisingly smart, too.”
Inside of the docks remained relatively the same since Maxie saw them last time. Boxes, barrels and moving equipment were everywhere the eye could see. The smell of salt and wet Pokémon fur was now overwhelming, and it took Maxie a good few seconds to adjust to the stench. The voices were now loud and clear, too. “Come on, we have to meet our guy,” chirps Ariana as she turns a sharp corner before him, disappearing behind boxes with fake company logos plastered onto them. Maxie huffs and follows her reluctantly.
They come to a small opening free of boxes or moving equipment. The second they arrive, Maxie feels out of place. The place is bustling with life, the grunts hanging out, chatting and drinking something most likely alcoholic in nature from a medium-sized metal barrel. Moonshine perhaps? When did they have the time to make it? Hardly any grunts are working, and most are focused on drinking and talking. “What is happening here? This is... On the job?!” He hisses into Ariana’s ear. “Do something!” “Not my department,” shrugs the red-headed tomboy. “Plus, I’ve heard that this is a tradition here. There is nothing left to do in the evening, so people... do whatever they please. It looks like today they decided to throw a party of sorts.” she starts going through the crowds, Maxie trying to stay close.
They soon arrive dangerously close to the water near the docks, and immediately, Maxie sees the heart of the party. A young man, probably in his early twenties, is engaging in some seemingly light-hearted conversation with numerous Rocket grunts surrounding him. He cannot make out what is said, but when the man stands up and stretches, the whole group erupts in excited screams.
“Show us the carvanha!” one girl shrieks. The man laughs and throws a Pokeball into the air, letting out a small fish-like Pokemon Maxie has never seen before. The Pokemon sploshes into the waters and starts swimming laps excitedly, chasing around any unlucky magicarp that made it into its line of sight. And then, unexpectedly, the man dives into the waters after his Pokemon, as if it’s something he does every day. Maxie cannot help but cringe at the sight. Does he not care for the safety rules plastered everywhere on the walls of the docks? It would be a gruesome sight if a ship decided to enter the bay.
The man dives back up, lifting his ferocious fish out of the water and holding it above his head with one hand. As if on command, the creature loudly snaps its jaw and produces a stream of water out of its mouth, aiming it at the crowd back at the shore. Everyone on the surface seems to love it if the excited screams are anything to go by. The man gazes at the crowd he has amassed proudly, but then his gaze stops when he sees Maxie and Ariana standing there. Ariana, the light-headed fool she can be, waves to him. “There ya are!” The man lowers the Pokemon into the water and swims back to the dock. He climbs up using the metal ladder attached to the side of the wall and shakes his head to get rid of the water. Maxie tries unsuccessfully to shield himself with his hands as the water droplets still make their way onto his warm coat. “It took ya a while to show up here, Ari.” the man nods to Ariana and looks at Maxie. “Name’s Arcie. Pleasure”
Maxie scoffs and ignores the greeting outright by looking at his sister. “This is the man that Boss wants us to go with? Him? Are you sure?”
Ariana nods to Archie and looks at Maxie. “Yes, he’s our guy. And please, try to be polite. At least with him.” Maxie catches her looking at Archie apologetically and huffs.
“Well then.” Maxie adjusts his glasses, proud that the secret recording has caught his new so-called teammate in the act of breaking simple rules. This might serve as some good blackmail material in the near future. “Archie, was it?” he looks at the man, who is seemingly unfazed by his unfriendly demeanour. Maxie hates to admit it, but it irks him a little. “I hope you are well equipped for the soon-approaching journey. I slightly doubt this, considering your inability to follow simple rules outlined by the higher-ups.” He tilts his head towards a sign on the wall, one of many at least, depicting a stick figure falling into the water, where the blades of a nearby boat are waiting for him underneath the waves.
Archie simply laughs at his snide comment, “Lighten up, glasses. Ye only live once, right?” he smoothes his wet hair back with his thick, dark hand. The girls behind him start whispering among themselves at the sight. Maxie scowls a little more, seeing that his remarks did not impress anyone, while his newly found rival simply exists and receives recognition. How annoying. “An’ besides, my buddy here,” he points to a bloody spot on the water with barely visible magicarp whiskers floating nearby, “needed a little snack and a stretch. Can you blame him?”
Maxie is about to speak, but Ariana cuts him off by clapping her hands and getting all of the attention onto herself. She is seemingly trying to ease the tension (that is felt only by Maxie). “Well, both of you are right in your own ways. But we are not here just for idle chatter. Archie, could you show us the boat we were assigned?”
The walk to the boat was filled with Archie and Ariana discussing the route they needed to take to arrive at their destination in the shortest way possible. Maxie was simply an idle listener, absorbing all the information they had to say and remembering it for the future in case he needed to confirm something. Then, Archie stopped beside a boat docked right near the entrance to the ocean. “Here she is.” he jumps down, and the ship rocks underneath him. Archie, somehow, remains unbothered by it, retaining his balance despite the wobbly boat. “She is a beauty. Fast, light, and perfect for travels between regions. The only problem is her tank. She loves to devour her fuel quickly.” Ariana lowers herself into the boat carefully. Maxie simply rolls his eyes. He can be as cool as Archie... In fact, he is just as cool, if not cooler. He is not going to go down an easy route. He is Maxie, for Arceus’s sake.
He grabs his glasses and jumps into the boat, much like Archie did, without a second thought. What he did not expect, however, was for the ship to rock underneath him with the strength that it did. When he saw Archie do it, it looked effortless to keep your balance. He was wrong. As he landed and as the boat rocked underneath his feet, Maxie immediately lost his balance with a yelp. He braced himself for impact instinctually, but instead of the cold floor, he felt himself stop as something gripped down on his forearm, hard. He opened his eyes (when did he shut them?) to see Archie holding him with a smile. “Easy there, sailor. That is one quick way to earn yourself a nasty concussion.” Maxie quickly straightens up, and Archie lets him go as he does. “I was simply testing your reflexes,” huffs the redhead. “I had everything under control in the first place.”
The embarrassment he felt. Oh, how he wanted to jump into murky waters below where that thing... Carvanha, was it? Would devour him whole and never let him make a fumble this bad ever again. But did not let it show. Instead, he brushed his coat off from non-existent dust and listened to Archie continue describing the boat as if it were his beloved pet.
When Archie finished praising the boat, Ariana nodded enthusiastically. “That sounds fantastic! In that case, it looks like we have everything ready to go. The research is air-tight, the course is set, and the boat is ready to sail.” She glanced at the two men before her with a glint in her eyes. “Let’s make Team Rocket proud. We will sail out in two days. Be sure to prepare well, you two.”