It just… it wasn't fair. Raticate hadn't deserved this. All Blue had wanted was to earn his grandfather's approval. Now, here he was, standing in the Pokemon Tower, staring at a grave containing the remains of one of his very first Pokemon. Sniffling, the young boy rubs his eyes with the back of his hand, only to jolt when a shadow passes him by.

Looking up, Blue scowls mightily at the sight of the Rocket walking past him. For a moment, their eyes meet… and that's enough for Blue to latch onto.

"W-What're you looking at, huh?! Mind your business! Some of us are mourning here, d-damn it!"

The Rocket stops walking and fully gives Blue his attention, which makes the boy tense up in response. But then he realizes something.

"Wait. You're the Rocket from before, aren't you? The one with the Dragonair…"

This Rocket had kicked his ass back on Nugget Bridge. And yet… he hadn't been all that mean about it, hadn't he? He'd beaten Blue sure, in a clean sweep of Blue's team that still rankled even now… but he hadn't gone too far. He hadn't done what Red did.

Swallowing thickly around the lump in his throat, Blue stands tall. He can't afford to show weakness, not here in front of a Team Rocket Member. He's not some little kid, no matter what people might say about him. He's Professor Oak's grandson, d-damn it!

"You wanna go again? I'll have ya know, me and my team are far stronger than we were last time! I'll take you on right here, right now!"

To his surprise, the Rocket doesn't reach for one of the six Pokeballs at his waist. He just stares at Blue, as if he knows Blue's heart isn't in it. And to be fair, it really isn't. All of his bravado, all of his fire and brimstone… it goes out of the kid a moment later, Blue's shoulders slumping as he hangs his head.

"Ah, heck… I don't actually wanna fight you right now. Not in this place. Not…"

The words catch in Blue's throat, and he has to swallow past them again, remind himself to be strong, again. Licking his lips, he looks up at the Rocket.

"You wanna know why I'm here, Rocket? Because… because my Raticate died. He was one of my first Pokemon. And recently, I got into a fight, a Pokemon Battle, with this rival of mine. She's this older girl, from back in Pallet Town, where I grew up."

Looking off to the side, Blue scowls.

"She's way older than me, but we left town to begin our Pokemon Journeys at the same time! So of course, she's my rival, right? Except… nothing I do seems to be enough."

Looking down at his small hands, Blue grimaces, struggling to fight back the tears once more.

"She's beaten me every time we've battled. And recently… we were both on the S.S. Anne at the same time. So, I challenged her to another fight, of course!"

The Rocket is a surprisingly good listener. He's watching Blue quietly, letting him get it all out. It's honestly kind of nice, for a criminal anyways.

"I lost… again. But this time… Raticate got hurt. Really hurt. And I tried to get it to a Pokemon Center, I really did, but there was some commotion going on aboard the ship, and I got turned around and lost. B-By the time I got back onto land… Raticate was already gone."

Saying it is what finally opens the flood gates. Blue lets out a choked sob and rubs his eyes furiously. Ugh, he can't cry in front of a member of Team Rocket, d-damn it! They were the baddest, most villainous thugs in the Region! One of them would never respect him if he-!

Blue goes still, as a hand falls upon his shoulder. Eyes watery and wide, he looks up to see the Rocket looking back at him. Those eyes of his are fierce, and strangely enough, despite there not being an ounce of pity or concern in the grown-up's gaze, Blue… Blue feels weirdly comforted. Before he can say where it comes from, his emotions are spilling forth, as he pours his heart out to the criminal in front of him.

"I hate her! I hate Red so much! And Professor Oak… he's supposed to be my grandpa! But then, why does he treat me like t-trash?! Why is she so much more important to him?! A-Aren't I enough? C-Can't I be enough?!"

Blue sobs, and the Rocket remains there, hand on his shoulder, listening. It feels good, honestly. To have a grown-up listen just this once. Staring at the ground… Blue comes to a decision, right then and there.

"I've had enough. I'm not going to live in Red's shadow anymore. I'm not going to fight for my grandpa's approval, e-either. I'm done. I'm a Pokemon Trainer! And for Trainers like me, only one thing matters. That's why… I'm going to become the Pokemon Champion! Not for my grandpa, but for myself!"

When he meets the Rocket's eyes again, there's the barest hints of a smile, on the pink-haired guy's face. It's not warm or comforting or even kind… in fact, it sends a tendril of something indescribable down Blue's spine. His instincts scream at him that this guy… he's dangerous. But not to Blue. To anyone who gets in his way.

"H-Hey… you going to the top of the tower?"

When the Rocket nods, Blue clears his throat.

"Can I come with? I won't be a bother, promise."

The Rocket nods again, and finally speaks the first word he's ever spoken in Blue's presence.

"Alright."

Feeling bolstered, both by the Rocket's listening and by his easy agreement, Blue grins. He feels… good about the future, his eyes darting over to Raticate's gravestone one last time, before he follows the Rocket up the tower.

-x-X-x-

"Gah! Damn you, Rocket!"

Blue watches on, as Cam finishes beating on the old man's Pokemon. He'd wondered what would be waiting for them at the top of Pokemon Tower. An old bald guy with a grudge against Team Rocket wasn't what he'd been expecting, but it seemed like it was exactly what Cam was expecting.

They'd talked a little bit more, as they'd made their way up the Tower. Well, Blue had talked. Cam had listened, and only spoken once or twice. Like when Blue had finally thought to ask his name, and Cam had told him that it was… well, Cam. Obviously.

Then they'd reached the bottom of the final staircase up to the top floor, and there was this really wild ghostly presence there. But Cam had come prepared. He'd pulled out this cool doohickey from nowhere and used it to make the Ghost Pokemon reveal itself. Then, he'd gotten to work with his super buff Dragonair like with every other Pokemon they'd fought on their way up the Tower.

Blue could admit it… Cam had only gotten stronger since their battle at Nugget Bridge. It made Blue wonder what the other five Pokeballs on the Rocket's belt contained, because just that Dragonair alone had to be one of the toughest Pokemon Blue had ever seen. Privately, he wondered how Cam would fare against Red's Team… but no, Blue didn't want to think about her anymore. He refused to.

Anyways, after they defeated that evil presence, they'd made their way up here, to the top floor of Pokemon Tower. Where that old man had promptly thrown a hissy fit and attacked Cam for being in Team Rocket. Not that it had gone well for him. Now he was beaten, and Cam was standing over him, victorious.

"M-Monster. Have you no shame? My purpose… my purpose here is Just, damn you! I must be allowed to calm the spirits of the murdered Pokemon here in peace!"

Privately, Blue thought that they'd been doing a pretty good job of calming the spirits of the Pokemon that attacked them on their way up the tower as it was. But he'd been doing a lot of talking up until this point, so he stays quiet.

"What do you want with me, huh? Are you going to kick me out? Kill me? Shall I suffer the same fate as all those Cubone? Is that it?! Shall my skull hang as a trophy in Giovanni's office? Would that satisfy your bloodlust, Rocket?!"

Whoa. The old man was off his rocker. Cam wouldn't do anything like that. He was different… wasn't he?

Leaning against a pillar, the old man pants heavily, and then sneers at Cam.

"He's living in the past. Team Rocket is bound to fail, and deep down, I think Giovanni knows it. But he can't help himself, can he? He's gotta cause as much damage and harm to the people of Kanto as he can in his death throes. Flailing about, ruining lives left, right, and center!"

Scoffing, the old man leans forward.

"He couldn't beat Lance with the whole of the Kanto Army at his side. And now he thinks he's going to manage it with children? How old even are you? To be doing that bastard's dirty work at your age…"

For a moment, Blue thinks the old man is talking to him and bristles, ready to tell him off. But no… the guy never even looks in Blue's direction. He only has eyes for Cam. Cam is definitely an adult. He's just as old as Red, really. But Blue supposes old people like this guy think of everyone younger than him as kids, don't they? How dumb. Cam just kicked his ass. He deserves some respect!

"He needs to get his head out of his ass, you hear me? He NEEDS to leave this town alone! I haven't been part of his little circle for nearly twenty years! I left the Mewtwo Project behind eighteen years ago, and…"

The old man's fire seems to go out of him, as he slumps further against the pillar.

"Oh… if only you'd seen some of the things I'd seen, young man. You wouldn't be so eager to do Giovanni's bidding then!"

Looking off into open air, he lets out a shuddering breath.

"The things we did… the mistakes we made. That night, when I stood before it in the Lab… 'The Catastrophe'… it should never have existed! We should never have gone so damn far! I'm telling you, we deserved to lose the war! We're better off under the control of Johto, rather than the whims of men like your boss and I!"

"Yeah? Well, that's not for you to decide, Fuji."

Blue startles, as another enters the scene. He's glad he's standing off to the side, because the new arrival barely spares him a second glance as he saunters up. Dressed in a white uniform, this member of Team Rocket is apparently way more official looking, with his bright blue hair and his swagger as he sneers at the now-named Fuji.

Honestly, it was about time someone mentioned his name! Fuji… huh, that was a little familiar. Blue wondered where he'd heard it before. Honestly, old people tended to all blend together…

Scowling, Fuji glares daggers at the new arrival.

"Archer! I should have known you would swoop in while I was at my weakest! Ever the opportunist!"

Seemingly unfazed, Archer smiles a not-so-nice-smile.

"Nice to see you too, old man. How have you been? Well, I hope. Well, as well as you can be when our rising star here has had his turn with you. Well done, Cam."

Turning to Cam, the other Rocket nods.

"I was worried I'd have to take care of Fuji myself, but look at you, you go-getter. I'll handle things from here though."

Patting Cam on the shoulder, Archer passes him by as the younger man just stands there, silent. Privately, Blue feels like the new guy is kind of stealing Cam's thunder. He's also trying too hard, in Blue's humble opinion. Cam exuded menace with every step he took because he was tough and had super powerful Pokemon.

This Archer guy though… he really had shown up after the fighting was done, like Fuji said, hadn't he? It was honestly kind of sad… but Blue knew it wasn't his place to speak up. Even if Archer was stealing Cam's thunder, if Cam himself wasn't going to do anything about it, then it certainly wasn't Blue's job to do so.

"Cute little rant, Fuji, but let's be real. You're a coward who raced to pledge allegiance to your new master the moment Oak surrendered. And Lance took it, because why wouldn't he? But that doesn't make you any less of a damn dog for giving up so easily."

Oh? That was definitely new information! And Fuji looked like he was sweating!

"I-!"

"And honestly, I wouldn't mind that quite so much if you didn't also give up all of that confidential scientific data to Lance and Johto in exchange for a fully funded retirement, old man. Your principles and your values all fall to the wayside the moment that the going gets tough, and don't try to deny it."

"You-! I-!"

But in the end, Fuji was struck speechless. And Archer seemed a little bit cooler, even as he also seemed very, very done. Glancing back over to Cam, he gives the younger Rocket a nod.

"Special orders from the Boss, Cam. He wants you back in Celadon, on the double. I've got reinforcements on the way, so don't worry about us here. Me and Fuji are going to have a long, LONG chat about his loyalties. And kid? Nice work here."

Cam just nods and walks away. So of course, Blue follows. Neither of them say a word as they descend back down the Pokemon Tower. Which… is rather normal for Cam at this point, Blue has discovered. But for Blue? Well, he's still coming to terms with everything he just witnessed! Talk about information overload! A lot of it had to do with the war, which in all fairness took place LONG before Blue was even born. Most of it had gone right over his head.

Still, it was intense if nothing else, and Blue… Blue needed a moment to truly process everything.

Only, when they get to the second floor again and Blue catches sight of his Raticate's gravestone, he finds himself slowing to a halt and stopping in front of it. To his surprise, Cam stops with him. After a moment, Blue clears his throat.

"W-Well… I guess… I didn't think I'd be seeing anything quite like that when I came to the Pokemon Tower today."

Glancing to Cam, Blue gives a half-hearted shrug.

"You Rockets might be criminals… but that doesn't make you evil, does it? You've got a cause that you're fighting for, don't you?"

"… Yes."

Blue nods, reassured in his thinking from getting a rare response from the quiet Rocket.

"Honestly, I don't know what to think about all of that. But it hasn't changed my mind. I will become Pokemon Champion. And when I do… maybe I'll make some changes around here, I dunno. I promise you this Cam, when I become Champion, I'll be a fair and honorable one! Count on it!"

Turning back to the gravestone, Blue lets out an explosive breath.

"… I think I'll stay with Raticate for a little while longer. See ya around, Cam."

There's a light touch on Blue's shoulder, and then the Rocket steps past and makes for the stairs. Blue surreptitiously watches him go, before looking back to his Raticate's grave. Cam and Red… they were similar in a lot of ways… but very different in others. Cam was quiet and scarily focused, just like Red was… but he was also a better listener than Blue's neighbor ever had been.

Blue promised himself he wouldn't forget the Rocket or what he'd done for him any time soon.

-x-X-x-

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