rocketman | IC Contact

There's no difference between that and what I did.

[it makes him feel worse, if anything. the water becomes clear around him and still-- very cold, too.]

You were fine letting him go back to doing what he did that led him to slipping that far?

It's been back to the usual hustle and bustle since then...

Spying on enemies, collecting rare and valuable Pokémon...

[He leans back on his arms in the water and Mareanie finally emerges from the depths of the lake, holding the crystal rose in her tentacles.

She hops past the two men to join Inkay on the shore.]

Why are you so interested?

I think you're better than this. I think you and your friends are better than Team Rocket.

That's why.

[This isn't the answer James expected. Nobody has ever called him or his friends "better" than anything.]

That's sweet.

[He sighs.]

I wish you were the boss of Team Rocket. That would make things so much less complicated.

[Not an opinion Meowth would share, he knows. James almost feels like he's offending his companion from a dimension away by saying it.]

I literally am the boss of my own team, y'know. If you wanted to join up, we don't take Pokémon off our members and let 'em use whatever they want.

[he sighs.]

You'd probably get on well with Shelly. She's very science minded as well...

You know I can't do that.

[He stands up and wrings water from his shirt.]

I can't leave the Team. At Team Rocket I'm somebody.

Besides, what would my chums think?

Is it really worth being somebody if it comes at this cost?

[he shrugs, staying in the water. it's nice, even if it's really cold now.]

I wouldn't stop them joining up either.

Team Rocket has resources. We're all over the world to boot!

[He looks down at Archie.]

I can be important and stay with Jess and Meowth and stay hidden.

Team Aqua can't provide that...can it?

...No. You could stay together but we're in the spotlight more than ever now.

[he sighs, flicking a bit of ice in the water, watching it bob along.]

That's no good.

Jess enjoys a stage but this thief thrives in shadows.

[James walks back to the shore as Inkay floats out and hovers over the bit of ice.

He trills happily and starts batting it around in the water with his tentacles.]

[he reaches out a hand gently towards inkay when it floats over.]

Did you hurt any of the other legendaries you encountered?

I don't hurt legendaries, they hurt me!

[His voice turns slightly shrill.]

Do you have any idea how many times I've been stepped on, knocked through time, set on fire, frozen solid or buried under rocks?

'Cause I don't, I've lost track.

I hope you understand that if that happened because you were attempting to capture them, then I have absolutely no sympathy for your plight.

...Thinking about it, I'm as surprised as you are how rarely that's actually the case.

[He rubs the back of his neck.]

I told you already, I have a knack for being in the wrong places at the wrong time.

Then I don't have any sympathy for Rockets.

[he huffs, pulling his legs closer to his chest, watching inkay.]

Like I expect you don't have any sympathy for Aquas.