Rocket Queen

I, Ariana, am an Executive of Team Rocket. A queen once exiled, I have returned to reclaim my throne, and I will crush all those who dare stand in my way. Team Rocket is a kingdom that will stand to times indefinite. (Associated with The Hall of Fame.)

[rowanassistant-blog]

Dark Alleys on Dark Nights

[rowanassistant-blog]

Lucas could only watch in confusion as the strange woman not only saved him, but also defeated those two men single-handedly. Of course when the Vileplume started to spew out its spores, he quickly held his breath and covered his mouth for good measure.

So he sat there, a bit stunned and still confused over the matter at hand and the hasty events that had occurred  As the lady started to walk away, Lucas scrambled up to his feet and chased after her, “E-excuse me! Ma’am? I just wanted to thank you for helping me—”

Wait, didn’t she say something about them waking up? He shut his mouth quickly and turned to look back at the knocked out thugs. Definitely didn’t want to wake them up any time soon.

Reaching out, he tugged at her sleeve lightly, “Ma’am…I was wondering if you could help me navigate around this city? You seem so sure with your bearing. I-I can pay you! I would just like to find my way to a Pokemon Center please!”

Hopefully he didn’t come off as over bearing. Maybe tugging on her sleeve was too much? He was seventeen after all…

[rockets-queen-blog]

Why did she even do that? Ariana asked herself when she turned away from Lucas.  It wasn't exactly like her to randomly help some kid she didn't even know. Perhaps she had too much to drink, but that Milos Island iced tea was just too good to leave unfinished. 

Usually she would be annoyed at some child tugging at the sleeve of her fur coat, but instead her motherly side found it kind of cute. Yes, it had to be the drink talking. 

Ariana paused when Lucas grabbed her sleeve and turned to look at him. Those red eyes of hers could easily be intimidating when she wanted them to be but that wasn't the case this time, they were more tired than anything else. 

"The Pokemon Center?" She looked around to get her bearings. "Oh, it was back that way." She pointed in the direction they had come from. "...We'll have to take a different street." It wouldn't be too bad of an idea to go along with him. She could pick up her Flygon from the PC for a shorter trip back to her place.

"What's a kid like you doing wondering around the city at this hour?" She asked as she lead the way.

[rowanassistant-blog]

Dark Alleys on Dark Nights

Dark alleys are not the best habitats to find an assistant in, unless of course that assistant was from Sinnoh.

And if he was terribly, terribly lost in the city of Castelia.

Somehow Lucas has made his way past the thugs snickering under the single light post. Their leather jackets are littered with studs and depictions of some crocodilian Pokemon. That’s what the blue-eyed boy is here for anyway, further research of Pokemon in the region. But the shifty glances they give and the occasional low chuckle is a bit…disconcerting.

Shoving his hat lower on his head, Lucas carefully walks around the men, giving them wide berth before breaking into a brisk pace (one could almost call it running).

 “Thank goodness I—” the words barely escape his mouth when he trips over a nearby trashcan, the lid rolling on the cluttered pavement, almost sounding like a Magnezone crashing into a mountain of aluminum cans.

The thugs look up, their bald heads shining under the light of the bulb. Somehow when they are brought back into reality, the men are able to hold a glare.

“I-I’m s-sorry…I’m…I’m just going to…” Lucas points to a door conveniently a couple feet away, lets out a noise somewhat close to a mewl, and attempts to duck inside.

Someone pulls on his collar and the boy stiffens in fear.

[rockets-queen-blog]

"This isn't a place for clumsy boys." Hissed a voice as Lucas was brought up onto his feet.

"Nor is this a place for defenseless women." Called out one of the thugs as they began to advance towards the two.

The woman chuckled at that. "Defenseless? Far from it." There were two beams of light and by her side appeared a Vileplume and a Honchkrow. "Take care of them." She ordered to the pokemon.

The Vileplume shook its petals, causing spores to puff out. While the Honchkrow flapped its wings to blow the powder at the thugs who tried in vain to keep themselves from inhaling the sleep powder. Within seconds, the men were out cold and snoring.

Ariana looked back at Lucas. "You should get going before they wake up." She said, then began walking further down the alley. Compared to Lucas, it seemed this woman knew where she was going.

[strongerallbymyself-deactivated]

[rockets-queen-blog]

Belated Birthday

[strongerallbymyself-deactivated]

Adventuring? What could she have gotten?

Silver looked up at his Aunt by his side, before turning back to the table and pulling the box closer to him. He’d never really received a gift before. Even on past birthdays when he was still with his father, Giovanni treated birthday gifts as more of a formality. The man would simply grumble, “Happy Birthday,” shove some cash into the boy’s hands, and walk away. The money was certainly appreciated, but the sentiment never was. And of course, he’d never received a Christmas gift, since his birthday was Christmas Eve itself. Just the thought that someone actually cared enough to give him a real gift was enough to bring tears to Silver’s eyes.

Oh Arceus, you’re such a baby! It’s just a gift. Pull yourself together, Silv!

So he finally pulled the top off of the box and gasped. He pulled out the backpack, boots, and the scarf and gloves. From what he could tell, everything seemed high quality (he would know quality; he’s stolen from a variety of fancy department stores). Immediately, his mind began racing.

I can’t believe she remembered my birthday, or that she even got me a gift! Oh no, how much did this cost? I can’t wait to show everyone. (Those burgers smell good.) Damn, these gloves look comfy and- 

Then he turned to his side and hugged Ariana. 

“Thank you so much, Auntie.”

[rockets-queen-blog]

Ariana watched the range of emotions on Silver's face. She understood how much getting an actual gift meant to him, and she was glad it was well received.

She hugged him back, "You're welcome, Silver." After she let him go she moved back over to the dinner table. "Now, let's eat. Have you ever had a Cinnabar Volcano Burger? They're a little spicy, but they were one of my favorite things to eat when I was growing up in Kanto."

Kanto. That word triggered something in Ariana's mind, a mental note that she had news to tell Silver... But that was going to have to wait, she didn't want to ruin the boy's birthday by telling him that his father was here in Unova. Giovanni knew that Silver was here, and that made Ariana wonder if he was going to come looking for the boy. 

However, for the moment, they would just enjoy themselves.

[rockets-queen-blog]

Belated Birthday

[strongerallbymyself-deactivated]

After Ariana announced that she was leaving, Silver had spent almost the whole day playing with his Pokemon. 

Taking care of Ari was quite a task for the boy. She wasn’t particularly whiny, but she seemed to be always hungry. At one point in the day, Gengar had left and returned to Silver’s room with a mysterious horde of assorted foods. The group had concluded that he had stolen everything, but the ghost himself wouldn’t divulge any details. Nonetheless, the treats were appreciated and they would hold the puppy off for the day. 

Unfortunately, she also liked to bite Silver’s ponytail and tug with all her might. This caused quite a few mishaps throughout the day, like when he had tried taking a nap. The puppy jumped onto his bed, bit, and pulled. The boy slept, slept, and screamed.

She was small and clumsy, so every step she took was a cautious one. Every time her paws hit the floor, Silver and all of his Pokemon would watch intently, being sure not to let their baby girl fall. 

She was spoiled, but thank Arceus she was no brat.

He was still playing with Ari when Silver heard the Houndour’s namesake call him from downstairs. He had no idea she had even come home! He opened the door, but turned around to look at his family of Pokemon for a moment.

“Don’t trash the place.” Feraligatr grunted in agreement, and began to play with the puppy.

And with that, he ran downstairs to see his aunt working hard in the kitchen.

“I’ve been somewhat preoccupied with the puppy. She’s a lot of work… Ari doesn’t whine much, but she’s always hungry. It’s a lot of help having all the guys around though,” he said, thinking back on Gengar’s previous actions and all of the help his Pokemon had been providing. “So, uh… what’s up?”

[rockets-queen-blog]

Ariana was standing by the set dinner table when her nephew came down to join her.

"That's how babies are. They're such a handful, but that's good to know your other pokemon are helping you." 

When he asked what was up, she moved a rather large box into view. It was white, with a red bow stuck to the center of the lid. 

"I know I'm late but... Happy Birthday!" She quickly moved over to his side and nudged him towards the box. "I wasn't quite sure what to get you, but I hope you like it. Go on, open it."

Ariana always preferred to give practical gifts, things that served a purpose besides sitting there to collect dust. This gift, or rather gifts, were no different. Inside the box was a sturdy trainer's backpack, a pair of high quality hiking boots, and a set of warm winter gloves and scarf. These were all things any adventuring trainer needed.

"I know you probably won't use them right away now that you have the puppy to take care of, but this is for when you go out adventuring again."

[rockets-queen-blog]

Belated Birthday

After Silver had told Ariana about why he had named his new Houndour after her, she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten something VERY important. The boy's birthday! Oh, how could she have forgotten? She had been so caught up in getting her business started that the day flew past her like a Fearow with Tailwind.

She left the apartment in a rush with little explanation besides the confession she had forgotten to give him his present. She did remember to buy one for him ahead of time, but she felt it was necessary to make up for the fact that it was late by doing something else for him. 

When Ariana returned she had a couple of grocery bags in hand and made a B-line for the kitchen. She busily worked to prepare homemade Cinnabar Volcano Burgers, and regular ones too in case Silver didn't like spicy food.

"Silver!" Ariana called out from the kitchen. "Come down to the dinner table. You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

[rockets-queen-blog]

I know it's stupid, but I named Ari after you because you're one of the only people I... Uh... sorta care about.

Isn't that sweet? I don't mind it at all, Silver.

Just be sure to take good care of her. I don't want her making a mess in my home.

Oh! I almost forgot to give you your birthday present!

Just a moment and let me get that for you.

[sweetspringofmay]

[rockets-queen-blog]

Who is the one person you'd want for Christmas?

I think it goes without saying who I would like for Christmas.

The question is, does he want me for Christmas too?

[geologychampion]

[archerapollo]

A distant memory :: Ariana/Archer

[archerapollo]

Archer was not the type to gaze off into the sunset, to lose himself in scenery or even daydream. He always seemed alert and poised to attack in these days his steely blue eyes almost constantly narrowed in a state of disapproval as if laying judgment on every person around him. That being said he had seen the attractive young woman approach him from behind, dark crimson hair with a set of matching vivid eyes..yes she was indeed striking and an interesting comparison to the icy blue color palette of her new partner’s hair and eyes. He listened to her little act and closed his eyes giving an huff having no intentions of acting. Instead the first words out of his mouth were a snappy correction.

 “What are.” His voice had a distinct Johto accent. He had only been  in Kanto for Giovanni a few months and compared to the future where the accent was nearly unnoticeable his A’s took on a ‘Awh’ sort of pronunciation in fact his entire diction was slightly muddled. This was in fact the reason he became a stickler against the use of colloquial speech, simply because his own accent was less noticeable when pronouncing words formally. Over the years as he became assimilated to different accents and his own became less noticeable this little quirk of his would become more of a compulsory act.

 Archer opened his eyes once more fully intent on just dismissing her. He had never any real interest in woman at this point in his life. He only cared about amassing his fortune and pushing himself forward to success.  In truth it was her Oddish that caught his attention.

 He was aware that his partner would be a rising star in the ranks of  Team Rocket just as he was, they would have received a special Pokemon..one unheard of in the grunt ranks but less uncommon in the higher ranks. This woman’s Oddish fit the bill, Vileplume of course being a strong standard to executives. This Pokemon seemed almost too content with her though which caused him to remain reserved about divulging any information to the stranger.

 “Awaiting an associate. yourself?” His hand rose up to graze his right temple one of the many incognito signs they had been taught to identify another member. “Such a  lovely day to visit Mt. Silver.” Ah there it was, another – albeit more obvious quirk the grunts had developed to recognize a common ally. Of course it was never a lovely day to visit Mt. Silver it was notoriously terrible, yet that was what made it the perfect cue, it would hardly ever be said in conversation by mistake.

His steely eyes watched the woman for recognition, his lean frame turned three quarters of the way toward her.

[rockets-queen-blog]

Ariana was more interested in his accent than his correction. A Johto kid, huh? Once they were closer and he turned towards her she gave him a quick once over. Hmm, not bad.

She caught the movement of his hand and her suspicions were confirmed when he spoke of Mt. Silver. A smooth smile appeared on her face. "Yes, it's a lovely day to visit Mt. Silver." If she had been anyone else, they would have asked if he was crazy to say such a thing. Ariana stepped forward to stand beside him so that they wouldn't have to speak loudly to hear each other.

"My name's Ariana. I look forward to working with you." It was going to take some time before she caught on to Archer's insistence on formal speech.

[rockets-queen-blog]

World's Bakery

[consummateprofessional-blog]

“Right now?” There was a long drag from the cigarette, followed by a short train of smoke that disappeared into the crisp evening air. “Opening new networks. I’ve not spent much time in Unova, but decided now was a good time to change that. There’s a bustling economy here, I’m sure you’ve noticed, but not a lot in the way of criminal competition.” A hand reached into his coat, taking out a newspaper clipping he’d apparently saved. “Some time back, another organization rose and fell like ours did. People calling themselves Team Plasma. But from all my research, they were a joke. Out to relieve people of Pokemon, but not stealing them, no trading them away. No smuggling, no protection fees. It’s practically criminal in and of itself to have access to those kinds of resources and not know what to do with them.”

He rolled the cigarette between his fingers, contemplating it briefly. “So I’m here networking. To start filling in gaps, connecting people to the things they need. We can use the fear Plasma stirred up to sell ‘security’ to the helpless, peace of mind to the frightened. It should be an easy sale. I’ve got a crate of ‘extra strength’ Pokeballs hitting shore within a few days, and I’ll be distributing them to my vendors across the coast. Nobody will have to worry about their Pokemon breaking free of their own accord, and for only a thirty percent markup from a normal Pokeball. How reasonable.” He chuckled to himself, nursing his cigarette again. “I originally came here to Black City to talk to any potential ‘customers’, but finding you again was a comforting bonus.”

[rockets-queen-blog]

Ariana took the newspaper clipping Giovanni held out and quickly read it over as he spoke. His words were given more of her attention than the printed ones, but she got the gist of the article. "Making people release their pokemon, but not even taking them for yourself?" That was indeed mind boggling. "I understand wanting to disarm the enemy but... there are much more efficient ways of doing that." She shook her head and scoffed before handing the paper back to him. "Agreed. Good riddance to garbage like that."

"Reasonable indeed. That's quite clever. I'm surprised no one else has thought up of something so simple." She looked up at him. Oh, a bonus. How... nice... That made it sound like she was just an afterthought. Ariana quickly turned her head to look to the sidewalk ahead of them in order to hide a twitch that curled up a corner of her mouth. That wasn't a smile, it was more like the beginning of a snarl that threatened to furrow her pretty face. The anger she should have felt earlier had finally caught up with her, and Giovanni had managed a poor choice of words to trigger a negative response from her. But she knew how to channel it into an underhanded move that Archer would have been proud to see.

"I was not sure when I would tell you this, but I suppose now is as good a time a any." Her voice was calm, but had a slight edge that was Giovanni's only hint he had said something wrong and was now going to pay for it.

"As an added bonus: your son, Silver, is also here in Unova."

[rockets-queen-blog]

ロケットだんかんぶ | スズキハヤセ [pixiv] 

[archerapollo]

A distant memory :: Ariana/Archer

A much younger much different man stands at the head of a slow moving cruise ship. Unknowingly to the regular customers there is a large stock of stolen Pokemon hidden on the lower decks. Giovanni had used a cruise ship to smuggle Seels, he planned to skin them for profit: A highly prohibited act, The use of Seel skin had always  been frowned upon yet in  recent years the population had dropped dramatically due to demand. Legislature was passed to stop the poaching of the water type Pokemon, this had however skyrocketed the price of Seel skin creating a vast black market opportunity for malicious salesmen.

The blue haired man was certainly different in his youth, Only twenty  here he had only just begun his career at Team Rocket after catching Giovanni’s eye by trying to swindle the very man himself.

He wore the standard rocket grunt uniform still, the customary black cap hiding his eyes. He waited for his partner for this endeavor, all they were to do was keep things under wraps until the ship got to a designated port. This was his first time in control of a situation yet the expected nervousness was nowhere to be found on the stoic man. His fingers drummed against the railing as his eyes remained sharply trained on the setting sun, he and Ariana had come on at different stops to avoid suspicion they were supposed to meet up at sunset so she wasn’t late, the blue haired Rocket had just shown up twenty minutes early as she would soon grow accustomed to.

Archer shifted in his jacket that covered his uniform, his fingers wrapped around the Pokeball of the freshly received Houndour that Giovanni had gifted him for his excellent performance on the last mission. Archer hated the pathetic pup, he had wanted something substantial, an Arbok or a Weezing..not a small fire type with its baby teeth still intact. This was Giovanni’s own humor at work, to the boss the Houndour had represented Archer perfectly, optimum potential yet no experience, Archer still had his ‘Baby teeth’ To Giovanni yet this shipping job was certainly a step up from the dregs of usual dreg work.  

Archer sighed closing his eyes with a scowl as he heard the chatter of vacationers behind him. If he wasn’t supposed to be laying low he’d have the little runt ‘Vulcan’ set fire to the chairs that the vacationers sat in.. Now where was that woman? He glanced around out of the corner of his eye, maybe it would help if he knew what she looked like.

[rockets-queen-blog]

There were two kinds of people who got on these cruise ships: those who were on vacation and could afford the fancy suites, or the trainers who only had enough cash to pay for a tiny room with a tiny bed and a tiny trash can. 

Ariana was not at that point in her life when she could be counted among the former, but was currently part of the latter. It was no stretch for her to look the part of a ragged trainer while keeping her Rocket uniform hidden underneath. She had left home with the dream of making it big in the fast lane by joining Team Rocket. Part of her was already regretting that decision once the truth of their situation hit home: making it big in Rocket was going to take an awful lot of hard work.

"I should have just stayed home." That nagging voice of her thoughts said. "Mom wanted me to continue my musical training. Maybe I could have made it big that way, as a singer. Along that line, there could have been a career in Coordination if I evolve Oddish into a Bellossom." She sighed. Ariana had already invested quite a bit of herself into Rocket, and it wasn't like she could just bail in the middle of a mission anyways. She was still young. Maybe if this Rocket thing didn't work out in a year or two she could go back home.

However, at the moment she had to put her focus back on the task at hand. Ariana was supposed to meet up with someone for the mission of keeping an eye on the hidden cargo of this ship. The only thing she was told was to look for "a guy with blue hair." In a world where bright hair colors were the norm, that wasn't exactly a very helpful piece of information.

She glanced around the deck as she casually walked around with her Oddish 'Demeter' held in her arms. The little pokemon was happy to be out of her ball and enjoying the sea breeze. It certainly was a better pokemon to have out than the Ekans she had received from Team Rocket. Ariana didn't really like having a snake pokemon, but she had no say in the matter.

Finally, something caught her eye. A man was standing alone, doing his best not to draw any attention to himself and in so doing drew her attention. His black cap was familiar, and she saw a hint of light blue hair peek out from underneath it. She was going to have to take a chance and see if this was the guy. She casually made her way towards him.

"Hey there. What're you doing here all by your lonesome?" She asked once within easy listening distance of him. She had decided to play the act of 'girl-interested-in-the-mysterious-loner-guy.' At least until she confirmed if this was the man she was looking for.

[rockets-queen-blog]

Dare: I dare you to kiss anyone from Johto, anywhere you want~

"The classic "dare to kiss someone." It just wouldn't be Truth or Dare without one, would it?" Ariana chuckled.

"Someone from Johto?" It didn't take long for that someone to come to mind. A smile crossed her face. "Ah, I know just who~"

---

It didn't take long for Ariana to find her target. Ever since their reunion they stayed in contact with each other. It was nice to have a familiar face to rely on while in a foreign land. 

"Archer," said Ariana once she located the quiet man, "good to see you, as always~" She drew close to him, and felt quite giddy in that moment, which caused her cheeks to blush. Really, it was like she was a young girl again with this Truth or Dare game. She wasn't going to back down at the last moment though. Nor did she give Archer the chance to step back. She didn't want to scare the man away with what she was about to do next, and chose her actions carefully.

Ariana had to stand up on her tip-toes to reach him, and her hands rested against his chest as she leaned in. She decided to kiss him on his left cheek, but it was tantalizingly close to his lips and lingered for a half-second longer than one would expect for a kiss for a little game. It was a kiss that was both innocent and not, retrained but leaving an invitation that it could be taken further if wished. A light mark from her red lipstick was left behind on his skin as she slipped away from his face. 

"I hope you do not mind." She breathed out in a whisper, the scent of her breath held the lingering scent of warm spices from chai tea.  "I was presented with a dare to kiss someone from Johto. I could think of no one else but you. You may think it foolish to play such a child's game, but I could not resist."

[mengercubed-deactivated20131218]

[rockets-queen-blog]

When did you first meet Silver?

Hard to believe it was so long ago, but I remember that day fondly.

As it was often the case, I was in my office tending to my work. In an effort to make the time go by a bit more pleasantly, I had picked up the habit of humming or singing softly to myself.

Archer appeared in the doorway, and had news that Giovanni wished to see me in his office. Archer's demeanor wasn't grim that moment, so I had the assurance it wasn't bad news. That's always a good thing when you're called up to see The Boss.

Sure enough, there was Giovanni, sitting behind his own desk when I arrived. He told me that he had a special task for me, something that was better suited to me than any of the other Executives. 

The boy was quiet, and hidden from my view up until Giovanni stood up and nudged him out. Silver was shy at first, as some children are at that age.

I was honored to be given the task of having a part in caring for Silver, and I gladly accepted.