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Archie scoffed, crossing his arms and drawing a step or two away. He seemed to be trying to shrug this off, like it was some simple disagreement. It was much more than that, they both knew that.
Crimson-red eyes narrowed on the redhead, with his toothpick-like stature and scowling gaze. Maxie looked… genuinely upset, Archie noted. Not in the same way Archie was, either. It was hard to get Maxie this upset.
“We’ve known for years that we had different ideas, why are ya suddenly makin’ it an issue?” Archie huffed, running a hand through his salty-scented hair out of irritation.
“Because now they are coming into motion. I can’t have you getting in Team Magma’s way with your foolish ideas.” Maxie hissed, his tongue curling like a Seviper - words lacing with venom, which he never usually had. At least not with Archie .
“ My foolish ideas?!” Archie snapped, voice raising significantly. “You say that as if yers are any fuckin’ better??!”
“Archie, mine are carefully thought out. Yours are…” He paused. “... immature.”
“ MINE ARE IMMATURE?” Archie’s voice got louder, an arm raising to point to the window, the one facing the sea. “ I’m trying to give those pokemon a better life, more sea – To get rid’a the pollution WE caused! You just wanna end it!”
Maxie narrowed his frozen cerulean gaze, “Archie, the ocean is the most abundant resource on this planet. We need more land. Have you ever seen how aggressive some wild pokemon are to humans, how we cross into their territory – How we cross into their homes and use it for our own? Have you ever seen that, Archie?”
Archie remained quiet, which allowed Maxie to continue.
“We trampled their land, their territory , by taking it for our own gain. And never giving back. With Team Magma, with the power of Groudon , we can give back to them what we took. If we expand the land, Archie, we can have more for both humans and pokemon.”
“And to expand that land, Max, what would ya have to do?” Archie said, his tone blank. Unreadable. “You’d be cuttin’ off the ocean, takin’ away their home too.”
“They have plenty of ocean to live in. We can safely relocate them. They will be fine.” Maxie rested a hand on the leg of his glasses, the other behind his back.
Archie took a step back again, keeping himself a full foot away from Maxie. “An’ what if it doesn’t work like that? What if they don’t wanna relocate? They got homes there, they’ve got families. What would ya do then?”
Maxie looked down to ponder the idea. He hadn’t thought that far yet.
Archie uncrossed his arms, taking a step back and resting his hand on the handle on the door, pulling it open. “And you’re callin’ my plan foolish.” he spat, pulling his gaze away from Maxie to look outside.
Storm clouds began to roll in, rain quickly pattering against the ground.
Archie didn’t look back at him, “If yer gonna try and’ use Groudon to get yer way, I’ll just fire right back at’cha.” he said, refusing to elaborate before walking out the door and into the ongoing storm, a boom of thunder at the same time the door slammed shut.