The cool night air of Pewter City did little to soothe the absolute boredom radiating off Odin. He had just stepped out of the hidden Rocket base, the heavy metallic doors sealing shut behind him into the shadows of a back alley. It was well past midnight. He stretched his arms, a cocky smirk plastering his face as he thought about the massive payload of Team Rocket points currently sitting in his account. That Dugtrio had been a goldmine—well, technically a diamond mine. He knew finding a Pokémon on the verge of breaking through into perfect, flawless Diamond potential would turn heads, which was exactly why he handed it over. Higher-ups meant bigger rewards, and bigger rewards meant he could spend more time slacking off.
Suddenly, the harsh, shrill ring of his Pokégear shattered the quiet night.
Odin flipped it open, bringing it to his ear with zero urgency. "Yeah? Who's this?" he drawled, his tone dripping with his usual jackass indifference. "Unless you're calling to deliver a pizza or give me a massage, you're interrupting my beauty sleep."
There was a brief, freezing silence on the other end of the line before a sharp, commanding female voice cut through the static.
"Watch your mouth, Grunt. You are speaking to Executive Ariana," the voice snapped, radiating an authority that would make a normal grunt drop to their knees in terror.
Odin's eyes blinked, the smirk on his face faltering for just a fraction of a second. An Executive? Damn, the bait worked better than I thought. He knew he had to play this a little smart. He didn't want to get executed in an alleyway, but he also wasn't about to start kissing her boots. He adjusted his posture slightly, toning down the blatant disrespect, but keeping that playful, borderline-arrogant edge right on the absolute limit of what he could get away with.
"Oh, an Executive. My bad, ma'am," Odin said, rolling his eyes in the dark, his voice a smooth, mocking drawl. "Didn't recognize the voice. To what do I owe the pleasure of a late-night chat from the big bosses?"
Ariana exhaled sharply, clearly irritated by his lack of proper posture even over the phone. "Quiet down and listen to me."
Wow, what a bossy bitch, Odin thought immediately, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Keep yapping, lady. Naturally, he kept that part safely locked inside his head. Out loud, he merely sighed. "All ears, boss-lady. Fire away."
"The massive amount of TR points you received for that Dugtrio is only a fraction of your reward," Ariana continued, her tone shifting into something more clinical. "The Diglett evolution line is notorious for having terrible inherent potential. Gold is usually the absolute ceiling, and even finding a Platinum potential requires exhausting, expensive breeding programs and an absurd regimen of vitamins and enhancement drugs. A natural Diamond potential? It has never existed in their history. Until today. With the specimen you provided, pushing it to maxed-out, perfect Diamond status is now purely a matter of funding.
"She paused, letting the weight of his achievement sink in.
"The Boss is very pleased with you," Ariana stated.
Odin raised an eyebrow. The Boss? He honestly had no idea who the actual leader of Team Rocket was. He didn't know his name, what he looked like, or his history, mostly because Odin never bothered to care. Ariana didn't offer a name either, likely assuming a grunt who pulled off a miracle like this already knew, or perhaps keeping it classified.
"It just so happens that the Boss is a profound lover of Ground-type Pokémon," Ariana explained. "And out of all the Kanto Ground-types, a high-potential Dugtrio was the one glaring missing piece of his collection, purely due to how ridiculously rare it is for that species to possess any real talent. Therefore, both the Boss and I have agreed to personally award you a Pokémon.
"Odin perked up a bit. Free stuff. Now we're talking.
"Though, after some very basic, kindergarten-level research," Ariana mocked, her voice laced with smug superiority, "I quickly discovered you only have one single Pokémon on your roster. A Koffing. Seriously, your data is incredibly easy to find. You should really cover your grounds more—or at least try to look like a professional. Either way, I happen to know a Pokémon that perfectly suits your taste. You fancy yourself the ideal Grunt, don't you? Well, what kind of Rocket Grunt only carries a Koffing? It's time to increase that number with an Ekans. The classic duo.
"Odin scoffed quietly. An Ekans? Original.
"And luckily for you," Ariana went on, ignoring any imagined attitude from his end, "I happen to own a terrifyingly powerful, Platinum-potential Arbok. Recently, I've been breeding her to produce high-quality Ekans for the organization. We were hoping for natural Platinum births, or at least high-Gold specimens capable of breaking through the Platinum ceiling. But alas... the breeding program has been entirely unlucky. The best we obtained were standard Gold potentials with zero capability to break through. It left us quite heartbroken, so the program is going into a temporary shutdown.
"She let out a small, humored sound over the line. "But I hear you are quite the lucky goose, Odin. It seems you are fortunate. Someone blessed by fate itself. Therefore, the Boss and I want to give you the very last egg obtained from my Arbok. Something tells us that if this egg hatches under your care—under the luck of someone who pulled a Diamond out of the dirt—it will become a natural-born Platinum Ekans. Perhaps even one with the capability to breakthrough into Diamond potential. Only time will tell. Of course, if it hatches and the potential isn't to your liking, we can negotiate a different high-potential Pokémon later.
"Odin's interest was definitely piqued now. A high-grade Ekans egg with a shot at Diamond potential? That was a serious upgrade.
"Now that that's settled, let us move on to the second topic," Ariana's voice hardened, leaving zero room for argument. "This one, you have absolutely no say in. I don't care about your opinion, and the Boss doesn't care either. As of right now, you are officially promoted to the rank of Team Rocket Officer. Do not mistake this for Elite Officer, but it is a substantial leap."
Odin frowned. Wait, an Officer? But being a Grunt is the perfect cover for being lazy!
"We know you fancy playing the part of a lowly grunt," Ariana said, as if reading his mind. "But the Boss and I refuse to let someone of your utility slack off. Tomorrow, once you reach the base, report directly to Center Number 4. Update your TR card, log your new information, and retrieve your official Team Rocket Officer uniform. You are strictly forbidden from walking around in a Grunt outfit anymore. Do not disgrace yourself, and definitely do not disgrace us. What would people think if they saw someone so useful and capable walking around in a basic grunt uniform? They would think we don't reward good work, or that Team Rocket is stingy and broke! Or worse, that we don't value talent."
Odin groaned internally. More responsibilities. Fantastic.
"Anyway, that's about it," Ariana said, wrapping it up. "Oh, right. One last thing. You are forbidden from leaving the Pewter City area until I personally deliver your egg. I will be arriving at the Pewter City Rocket base tomorrow afternoon—or rather, this afternoon, since it's already past midnight. You are free to do missions as you please, provided you stay in the vicinity and are back before or during the afternoon. Do not make me show up to find you missing. I will seriously kill you, even if you are our new golden goose."
Odin narrowed his eyes. Threatening me? Cute.
"Now, lastly. Truly this time," Ariana added, her voice softening just a fraction, dropping into a tone that sounded almost manipulative. "This is a request you are allowed to say no to. You don't need to do this. But if you do, I will personally remember the favor. If you plan on doing any missions today before I arrive, I have something specific I want to test. I want to know if your absurd luck is limited only to finding high-potential Pokémon, or if it extends to finding useful items... such as a Moon Stone."
Odin's ears practically ringed at the words Moon Stone.
"If you accept, I am assigning you to Mt. Moon. It's right next to Pewter City," Ariana explained. "Accepting this will also be the only way I forgive you if you happen to be late or missing when I arrive this afternoon, or if you don't return until evening. Besides, I will be crossing through Mt. Moon on my way to Pewter anyway, so we might even cross paths. Your task is to collect as many Moon Stones as possible. I know they don't grow on trees, and they aren't as common as pebbles on the road, but Mt. Moon is your highest statistical chance. There is no strict quota. Just collect as much as you can. Your reward will be evaluated based on the quantity and the overall quality of the stones you bring back."
Odin didn't even hesitate. He shrugged, a nonchalant smirk returning to his face. "Sure, whatever. Consider it done, boss-lady. I'll get you your shiny rocks."
He was already planning a trip to Mt. Moon with Lucy today anyway. It was literally killing two birds with one stone. Plus, with his literal System capable of scanning for hidden items, finding Moon Stones was going to be a walk in the park. It was basically free real estate and extra brownie points with an Executive.
The only truly exhausting part of this entire interaction was how much this bitch kept yapping. Seriously, does she shut up? What a absolute mouthful of a lady, he thought, suppressed a yawn.
Ariana sounded genuinely pleased on the other end. "Excellent. I look forward to our first meeting this afternoon. Do not disappoint me, Officer Odin."
The line went dead.
Odin lowered his Pokégear and slipped it back into his pocket, letting out a loud, dramatic sigh into the empty alleyway. He looked up at the night sky, crossing his arms.
"Hmm... I always wanted a pet snake," Odin muttered to himself, thinking about the egg. Then, his face twisted into a look of sheer, annoyed disgust as his thoughts drifted to his current partner. "Ugh. Let's just hope the kid doesn't end up like a total simp, just like Koffing."
He shook his head, remembering how utterly pathetic his Koffing acted whenever Angel was around. It was embarrassing.
"Koffing's simping for Angel has left him completely emasculated," Odin complained out loud to the empty street, throwing his hands up in mock despair. "Seriously, how can I even call him 'bro' now? Simps aren't bros. It's a scientific fact. Please, whatever destiny is running my life right now... let's pray this next one turns out alright."
With a chuckle and a shake of his head, the newly minted, highly reluctant Team Rocket Officer strolled down the street, ready to catch some sleep before his big payday at Mt. Moon.
□□□□□
When Odin finally reached the house in the Pewter City slums, the building was silent. He quietly opened the door to Angel's room and found her still awake.
"Why are you still up?" Odin asked, throwing his gear onto a chair.
"I couldn't sleep," Angel said softly. "I was waiting for you to come home."
Odin began getting ready for bed, exhausted from the long trek. Angel watched him with clear admiration, her eyes following him as he moved around the room. He didn't mind the attention; he was used to her constant presence and her focus on him. Eventually, Angel patted the spot on the bed next to her, and Odin moved to join her. She rested her head against his chest, her fingers tracing absent-minded patterns as she looked up at him.
"How did everything go?" she murmured. "Did you successfully sell the Digletts and Dugtrios? Especially the high-potential one?"
Odin answered her honestly, not hiding his success. "Sold them all. We've made a significant amount of money, over a million actually, Angel. More than enough to start our relocation to Vermilion City. But first, we're moving your mother out of these slums. It's not safe here, and I'm tired of the scenery."
Angel's eyes softened with gratitude.
"We'll get her the medicine and the care she needs," Odin continued. "We'll find someone to look after her while we're on our adventure. I'll be handling Rocket business, and you'll be making sure everything else runs smoothly."
Angel let out a quiet laugh. "Well, you won't be buying a house yourself. You're a wanted man. But I can handle the real estate agents while you meet with Lucy in the morning."
"Good. Better you than me," Odin muttered. He then told her about the call he received from Executive Ariana.
The name caused Angel to tense up immediately. Even though she wasn't a member of Team Rocket, she knew the reputation of the Executives and feared for Odin's safety. Odin calmed her down, explaining that it wasn't trouble, but a promotion. He complained about the added responsibilities of being an Officer, which made Angel smile; she found his lack of interest in traditional power amusing.
He went on to explain the rewards—a high-grade Pokémon egg and the mission to Mt. Moon for Moon Stones. Angel listened with rapt attention, absorbing every detail for their future plans. After talking for a while longer, the exhaustion of the day finally caught up with them, and they drifted off to sleep.