[ Kids and Adults ]

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"How long does it take for an undercover agent to blend in with the criminal organization?" That was a question often asked, never correctly answered and always falsely portrayed — especially in movies.

While it would take the protagonist thirty minutes in the film for them to get trusted wholeheartedly by the big boss, it took you four years to earn yourself the attention of one of the higher-ups. You weren't even counting the two additional ones which you had spent working by that person's side as their secretary — or even right-hand woman.

Team Rocket was an infamous name around the globe, but especially intimidating in Kanto as it was the region the criminal syndicate originated from. It and its immoral deeds sparked many different emotions and points of view among the population, but the ones you were most familiar with were the Interpol's.

Exceptionally strong Trainers or ones with talent that had yet to bloom getting scouted by major organizations that strived for the peace of mankind or justice wasn't unheard of — especially when the involved parties were the Pokémon League or the International Police. You yourself had been one of those few special cases, welcomed by the latter institution.

You had initially gone on about your life like any regular Trainer, setting out on a journey with a starter Pokémon that had been given to you by Professor Oak. But unlike those many other Trainers, whenever you found yourself in a City with the purpose of challenging its Gym, problems always seemed to pop up around you. Problems you were more than happy to get rid of if it was in your power, even it they didn't necessarily involve you.

That kind of righteous attitude attracted the attention of regional police departments until rumors about a vagabond helper reached the ears of the Interpol. You would never be able to forget their straightforward approach — it was so bold that they sent one of their most respected members, Looker, to scout you personally, giving you no reason to deny that extravagant offer.

Things only got better after you received your very own badge.

After roughly a year of having worked by the International Police's side, you were entrusted with what could be the most significant mission in Kantonian crime history — as the case was still ongoing. You were requested to do a long-term undercover investigation which required you to pretend being a member of Team Rocket.

Back when the task of tracking that gang of lawbreakers had been assigned to the Interpol by the regional police force, everything you knew was that Team Rocket had taken control of the Kanto region's underworld and was suspected of illegally poaching and trafficking Pokémon. That was as far as the limited intel went at that time.

It wasn't until Looker discovered that they were discreetly enlisting new members through propagating their goals in parks of Fuchsia City that the case was able to progress in any way. It was also then when the Interpol made its first, very risky gamble: They wanted you to try infiltrating Team Rocket's ranks, and as unrealistic as that may have sounded, it worked out in the end.

That didn't mean that things proceeded smoothly from that point on. You started out as a measly grunt who wasn't given the time of day by the more important members. Orders from above were your only, thin connection to the main target, Giovanni, and carrying those out without giving yourself away or causing considerable damage to society was no easy feat.

Hard work — even if it was accompanied by a bad conscience most of the time — was what got you where you were right now, by Rocket Admin Archer's side as his assistant. Although if someone were to ask you if those six years truly paid off, you wouldn't know what to answer. After all, Team Rocket was still to be arrested.

Team Rocket themselves was really glad to have you on their side though, especially Archer who had begun trusting you with some of the most confidential entries — one of which was keeping you up late right now.

Despite how mindless criminals on their own were represented, illegal organizations — especially large ones like Team Rocket — followed a very systemized structure in their every move. One of the easiest examples to lay bare would be the principle of dual control.

Although they did so unlawfully, ungodly amounts of money circulated through the Celadon Game Corner and consequentially into their assets. Someone had to record all of those transactions, verify them and ultimately archive them. Archer was in charge of financial affairs and was entrusted so by the boss himself, so you knew you had grown on him when he asked you to look over the documents he initially inspected.

With a deep sigh of exhaustion unattractively rolling off your lips, you smacked the pile of papers sitting in front of you with your very own name stamp after having controlled every single digit on it. Yet another week of accounting was finally behind you with a total of 148'800 Pokédollars marking this time's net earnings.

Whenever you would see such enormous sums of money, not only did you feel incredibly immoral since not a single penny was earned earnestly, but because you would need to work more than two years to get close to an amount like that one, but you were also easily discouraged. And that was when rent, everyday expenses and taxes were excluded — not that Team Rocket ever bothered to indicate any of their capital to fiscal authorities.

You looked over at the clock resting on your bedside table, pondering wether you should bring the reviewed dossier to Archer or leave that task for the next day, seen how it was already past midnight. Using the excuse of not wanting to depress yourself even more about your salary by having these papers lying around on your desk, you decided to see your job to the end and exit your room.

The base you had your offices at was the very Celadon Game Corner you had done the bookkeeping for just moments ago, only that the quarters were located on the lower grounds. The corridors were expectedly peaceful at this hour, safe for the few Zubat and Raticate that still roamed about freely.

It didn't take you long to reach Archer's chamber and as soon as you did, you knocked three consequential times in order to check if the man was in — because the chances of him already being asleep were very slim. Your assumption proved to be correct because seconds later, you heard his slightly hoarse yet stern voice granting you entrance.

"It's me. I'm sorry for bothering you this late. I thought I'd return your files since I've finished verifying them." You explained, justifying your late-night visit by waving the mentioned documents at him as you took a few steps inside his dimly lit room. His usually stiff face seemed to relax at the sight of you, even more so when you brought pleasant news with you.

"Thank you. You could have left that for tomorrow though — it wasn't my intention to overwork you." The turquoise-haired male spoke with an unnatural tenderness lingering in his voice that sometimes truly made you realize just how cunning criminals were. Putting up the necessary fronts, you told him that it wasn't that big of a deal and placed the documents on his desk.

It wasn't your intention to, but the two of you ended up steering away from the accounting-related matter and into more personal affairs, such as Archer's offer of taking you out for dinner to make up for the spontaneous jobs you had to take on for his sake.

Interest-wise you would have politely declined, but seen how that might have been a good opportunity to gather insider information, you put your answer on-hold. After all, you knew that a big majority of people would willingly or unwillingly spill secrets over a glass of fine wine.

"I'll come back to you about it." Was the last thing you said to the man before bidding him goodnight and exiting his chamber. As soon as you did and closed the door though, your eyes fell on a red tuft of hair, furrowed brows of a matching color and a pair of silver orbs that were staring daggers at you.

Your lips unconsciously curled into a tiny smirk at the sight go him, because — as contradictory as that may sounded — his presence was refreshing in a place packed with shameless lawbreakers. Even though he was the son of Giovanni, Silver himself wasn't involved in the slightest in his father's affairs. He was simply brought here from the Johtonian branch by Ariana, since she lacked the time and motivation to monitor a teen in his late rebellious phase.

Even though he was considerably younger than you — six years to be precise — nobody could recharge you after a mentally draining day as well as this stubborn red-head could.

"What were you doing in Archer's room at this hour?" Silver asked bluntly, and although his tone and expression were rough, the lack of masculinity in his voice betrayed him and his tough-guy act. You couldn't help but snort, not too certain about what the boy wanted to gain out of that question.

"And what's a kid like you still doing awake at this hour?" You threw back at him, not hiding the fact that you were mocking his inquiry. Despite the lack of lights, you could already see his usually pale face rising with heat — either because of anger or embarrassment, or maybe it was even a mix of both.

"I'm not a kid!" The scarlet-haired male protested, much like the child he claimed not to be to which you allowed yourself to chuckle. As much as you might have enjoyed teasing him some more, you really couldn't afford keeping Silver awake any longer than this. Making sure that he was in his best health and at his top behavior was also a task you had been assigned with — or rather, Ariana just blatantly pushed it onto you, but you didn't mind in the slightest.

"Come on, go back to your room. What would your dad do if he heard of this?" You urged him half-jokingly and half in all seriousness, ruffling his already unruly red hair, making it even messier. He nudged your arm away though, his face still as flushed as before, but followed your instructions anyway. "I keep telling you to stop babying me."

"Alright, big boy, show me how mature you are by heading to bed, then." Your professional facade always seemed to slip off whenever Silver was involved, and you couldn't find it within you to stop with your playful antics. You had no way of knowing for sure since the young man was far too prideful to let you catch on, but you were under the impression that Silver didn't particularly hate you acting that way toward him — it was as if he was special to you, different than the others, so he tolerated it.

* * *

It wasn't often when you got asked to do the performance reviews with some of the low-rank grunts of the organization, but it still happened more or less once a year. And that time of the year just so happened to befall today and this week as a whole, so your schedule was packed with meetings from morning until evening.

You were in the midst of bringing up all the positive aspects of this certain female grunt when the door was suddenly knocked at almost hurriedly. Seen how everyone had been informed about your tasks for the day and how you had even put up a sign that explicitly said to not disturb, you figured the matter was fairly urgent. "Who is it?"

"Mrs. [Name], I'm very sorry for interrupting your conference! It's just that... well, the boss' son..." You reflexively grew worried upon hearing the change in tone of that already muffled voice, as well as at the mention of Silver. You apologized to the female grunt you had been interviewing before telling the person outside to open the door and step inside if need be.

Having assumed that something far worse had happened, relief washed over you when you were met by the sight of a male grunt holding an injured-looking Silver upright. Injured-looking may have been an exaggerated way to phrase yourself since he only seemed to have a few scratches adorning his face and holes eating away at his clothes.

"What happened?" A hint of worry still held on to your voice when you asked, the question aimed more at your subordinate than at the red-head himself. The young man in the black uniform only shook his head in response. "I don't know. He won't talk to any of us, so I thought if anyone could bring him to speak, then it would be you."

You couldn't stop yourself from snorting at Silver's childish behavior, the male well-aware of your mockery since he clicked his tongue and averted his gaze with rosy cheeks. You looked back to the female grunt who had already stood up from her seat, understanding your request even though you hadn't put it into words yet. "I'll come by later, m'am."

Not much after that, you and Giovanni's son were left alone. You walked up to him and offered to help him move since he was using the doorframe as support for his own weight. Even though his prideful little mug insisted on being capable of using his legs perfectly all on his own, you eventually urged him to give in.

"Stop being so stubborn! Don't you know that girls find that kind of attitude unappealing?" You choked out a small laugh after having thrown one of Silver's arms around your neck. He let himself get led to your bed by you and plopped onto it almost too eagerly due to his loss of strength. "Not like I need to appeal to any girls in the first place."

"So you prefer guys?" The opportunity to tease him with that question was too perfect to pass up, and you laughed even harder when you heard him gasp quite audibly. While you went searching through your drawers for salves and bandages, Silver was busy denying your accusation with much more enthusiasm than necessary. "I obviously don't! Stop joking around!"

"Yes, yes whatever you say." You hummed dismissively, kneeling down on the floor in front of him. Despite the fact that he had repeated countless of times that he didn't need it or could do it himself, you didn't bother with his quarrelsome behavior and started applying salve to his face anyway.

After doing that for more than a few seconds straight, you ended up noticing just how close your heads were, but obviously you pretended not to. Silver grew conscious of it as well, the way his cheeks were a shade or two darker than usual giving him away entirely. He didn't say anything either though and let you replace the quietness with smalltalk. "Bother telling me what happened to your cute face?"

"I'm not cute!" His complaint came on cue as expected, and you made sure to point out that you were only referring to his face, not his off-putting personality — something you obviously meant in a playful way. "I got into a fight."

"With that idiot of a Hatcher." Silver replied begrudgingly when you asked him who he had thrown fists at and you couldn't help but chortle. Gold was a Trainer the red-head often mentioned, and although he generally spoke ill of him, you were glad that there was someone out there, willing to put up with his antics and even play the part as his rival when it came to Pokémon battles. "So you do prefer guys after all!"

"[Name], I swear if you don't drop that—" The red-head began but cut himself off with his own groan when you accidentally or not so accidentally pinched his cheek. Neither of you spoke after that exchange and the room quickly fell silent again.

"So, are you in a relationship with Archer or what?" The red-head suddenly blurted out, interrupting the pleasant silence you thought would be accompanying you until you were done treating his cuts. You raised a brow at that question, especially so since it wasn't a topic Silver usually conversed with you about.

"I obviously won't tell my father, so you can be honest..." He continued the moment he didn't receive an immediate reply, assuming you were worried about Giovanni finding out. You couldn't help but smirk when you were greeted with the bothered grimace he was pulling, the fact that he was avoiding your eyes rendering the whole scenario even more endearing. So much that you found yourself pulling the boy's leg anew. "Hmm, what do you think?"

"I wouldn't be asking you if I knew!" The red-haired male replied heatedly, drawing a snort from your throat, only to blush once he heard you laugh. You proceeded to attach a plaster to his face, on the spot beneath his left eye where he had gotten himself a slightly deeper cut. "So why are you asking then?"

"Isn't it obvious? Yesterday... you came out of his room when it was really late." Normally you would tell him to stop furrowing his brows so much since that would give him wrinkles in the future, but this time his words had caught you a tad too off-guard to do that. So that's what this was about.

"Well you see, sometimes adults just have these urges to blow off some steam and they end up doing this and that." You retorted with a smirk just barely restraining itself from controlling your lips, taking in each and every change of Silver's facial features as you fed him that lie — which when looking at the bigger picture generally wasn't that big of a falsehood. "You're just a kid, so you wouldn't understand."

"I'm not!" He spat out reflexively, and without even realizing, he had taken a firm hold of your wrist. The sudden contact come unexpected even for you, but you didn't shake off the warmth nonetheless. Instead, your eyes found their way back to his silver orbs, locking with them while getting a little lost in their beauty and uncommon color.

You witnessed him biting down on his lower lip, and felt his grip over you strengthen soon after. You had always dismissed this alarming gut feeling that would always settle within you when you happened to be alone with Giovanni's son, especially when you were so physically close. Always trying to do so didn't mean you actually succeeded, and with the way he was hesitantly but evidently trying to lean closer made it even harder to ignore.

"You're all patched up now." Before the situation could escalate to something you wouldn't be able to get yourself out of, you hastily shot up to your feet, snapping Silver out of his trance as well. Only then did his mind catch up with what his instincts had almost made him do, and the exact moment that happened was also marked by the bright red color searing across his cheeks.

"As for Archer," You began, dropping all the utensils you had used to tend to Silver's wounds on your desk next to the papers of that performance review you still had to make up for. "I'm not dating him, nor do I have the intention to. Our relationship is strictly professional — I thought you of all people would know."

Having felt that the conversation had dropped into the pits of tension, all you did after making your little announcement was leave your office, closing the door behind yourself the instant you stepped out of it.

Although you were often playful with the boy, it was never your intention to come on too strong or sprinkle wrong impressions and false hope all over him. Even though it had been the case for quite a while, it was becoming more painstakingly obvious with every time you interacted lately.

Silver seemed to be interested in you, more than either of you liked to admit.

* * *

With the season of performance reviews also came the period when you usually rendezvoused with Looker in secret, to exchange the intel you had gathered over the past month. Saying that it needed to be done discreetly was an understatement, and coming up with less crowded locations to meet in was becoming more difficult after every time.

That didn't mean the task was impossible though, because you and your coworker ended up settling for the Trainer Fan Club in Saffron City. It was a place that was easy to get to, given its connections that even extended as far as to Johto thanks to the reliable train lines, but the building you were seeing each other in was much less flashy than that.

On top of that, the people who gathered in that humble house had a habit of dressing up as their favorite Pokémon celebrities, so you wouldn't even catch anyone's attention in particular if you were to put on a mask and shades — or anything that remotely acted as decent camouflage.

And so you met up with Looker.

Although you did so tactfully, the two of you did sit one across the other at one of the tables, unlike in those criminology movies where the agents would sit one or even several seats apart to not raise suspicion. That seemed actually much shadier in your opinion, but to each his own you supposed.

Looker himself didn't have much to report since his job was mainly to watch over you and Team Rocket from the sidelines. Someone had to make sure that the Interpol would be able to get you out of the mess you had already woven yourself too deep into, in case of something going miserably wrong, and it so happened that the one in charge of that was Looker.

You, on the other hand, updated him on the latest transactions — both ones that concerned bank transfers as well as the trafficking of Pokémon. The more interesting and crucial part of your conversation, however, was when you handed him certain blueprints — the layouts of the Celadon Game Corner, the location that acted as Team Rocket's largest hideout.

Now was the time when uncountable grunts and even higher-ranked admins loitered around the main base the most — even Ariana, Proton and Petrel from the Johto region had come to annoy you since they had too much time on their hands, for crying out loud. All of that also translated into it being the perfect opportunity for the International Police to strike while the iron was hot.

After coming to the conclusion that Looker would lead a raid on the Celadon Game Corner exactly today in a week, the both of you had agreed that it was time to part ways again. You couldn't risk raising suspicion — especially at such a crucial time — although the odds of that actually happening were very slim to none.

Your colleague let you leave the Trainer Fan Club first, claiming that he would wait another thirty minutes before leaving the building to avoid anyone suspecting that the two of you had met up in the first place. People didn't necessarily know that you were supposedly part of Kanto's most dangerous group of lawbreakers, but in case you stumbled across someone who did, you doubted your capability of explaining what business someone like you had with an International Police officer.

Each and every previous rendezvous that you had held with Looker started and ended smoothly, so it was only a matter of time until the universe decided to turn against you. It did so in an unexpectedly discreet way though, and through a messenger. A messenger with hair so red that it was impossible to miss.

It was too late to pretend you hadn't seen the teen standing near the gate that so happened to be located at the junction between this city and Route 7 since your eyes had met his silver ones. And judging by the pair of furrowed brows he was showcasing, it was safe to assume that he had a rough idea of what was going on — so playing dumb wouldn't work either.

"The International Police, eh?" Silver spat out in a resentful tone that couldn't be blamed, given his background and the people he was brought up alongside. No matter what he was doing in Saffron City today of all days, he must have seen you together with Looker. You didn't know when he spotted you, how long he observed you or until where he had followed you, but he knew.

Should you have lied? Made up an excuse? Even though your silence should have been answer enough, you still found the situation hard to process. All these years you had hidden your true identity so well, only for it to get discovered in the end regardless and by Giovanni's son of all people. The red-head didn't give you much time to think about your answer though. "No one has to know about this though."

"If you can do a favor for me, I promise not to tell anything. Not to my old man, not to anyone."

Your eyes widened in shock when Silver's unforeseen suggestion reached your ears. Despite the fact that it was far too soon to be celebrating or feeling at ease, it was as if a huge weight was lifted from your shoulders. Your stomach stopped churning momentarily and the breath you weren't even aware you were holding in finally escaped your lips.

"A favor? So you're threatening me?" You wanted to slap yourself for teasing the young man even in this situation, especially when you weren't faced with his usually dramatic response. Despite your ranks in both organizations surpassing his by far, you figured you were in no position to test his patience and instead decided to continue on the path of negotiation. "So what kind of favor do you want me to do for you?"

"I... I want you to kiss me."

"Excuse me?" At first you thought you had misheard him, but by the time silence befell you and he averted his gaze with cheeks so flushed, you knew you heard exactly what he had said. Gathering all the courage and pride that was about to leave his being, Silver turned around and faced you again, bravely even if he did so while frowning. "You heard me."

"You're pulling my leg, aren't you?" Noticing the uneasiness bubble within yourself, you couldn't help but insist on something that differed from actuality. It was very evident, painstakingly so. Silver's reaction only strengthened that reality. "Does it look like I'm joking to you?!"

"I obviously can't do that, Silver." Was your instant, almost too harsh reply. Not wanting to see the pained expression you most probably planted on his face, you began approaching the gate with fugitive steps. Of course, you weren't expecting him not to rush after you. "Why not?!"

Even though you couldn't deny the feelings or at the very least the interest you felt for Silver, he was still young. A bit too young for someone with your experience and in your line of work, in your opinion. You didn't know if you would feel right about laying your hands on someone you supervised for so long just because of a silly favor he probably came up with in the heat of the moment. Not to mention the fact that he was the child of the world's most wanted criminal.

"You know precisely why. You saw who I was with, didn't you? And you're smart enough to figure out why I was with them in the first place." You spoke without ever stopping to walk and without ever blatantly saying what you wanted to get across — that you were one of them, not an actual member of Team Rocket. "Now that you know my position, you probably understand why I can't do that with a kid like you."

"For Arceus' sake, I'm not a kid! Is that really your issue with this?!" With his voice unintentionally cracking midway, Silver finally snapped and stopped both you and himself in your tracks. You had the tingling feeling that he was about to mention how he had the upper hand in the matter, your self-destructing secret resting in the palm of his hand, so you cut him off before he could even start. "There won't be an issue anymore, then."

"You can go tell your father, but it won't change my answer." You felt evil for saying such things, especially when you knew that Silver cared too much for you to rat you out like that. It upset the red-head himself as well, more than you could imagine or see, since your back was still facing him. "W-Why are you so against it?! Even if you do see me as just a kid, w-why are you acting like a measly kiss is such a big deal?"

You felt your heart squeeze at the stab which the usually cocky male's stutters delivered, and you finally turned around to get a look at what you had done. Although he wasn't crying, you could tell he was close to just breaking into tears right then and there, the way he was biting down on his bottom lip giving away that he was trying so hard to fight off his emotions.

With an expression like that slowly but surely eating away at your conscience, you really wanted to tell him the truth. Tell him that saying that he was just a kid in your eyes was simply a petty excuse to shove away your own immorality. Tell him that "a measly kiss" was a big deal for you, because he was too precious to be treated as a one-time fling and be tossed away afterwards.

You didn't though.

But you weren't as heartless as to abandon him there just like that, so you stepped closer to him and reached for the back of his head. Once your fingers were all entangled in his scarlet locks, you led his head towards you, planting his face in the crook of your neck. Trying to prevent your own emotions from spilling, you wrapped your other arm around his vulnerable form. "I'm sorry, I was too harsh."

"Let's think of something— of a different favor together, alright?"

* * *

Despite the accident between Saffron City and Route 7, you and Silver were rather quick to patch things up with each other. Maybe it was because neither of you could stand not talking to each other like you always had, or because you would both regret it deeply had that "request" ruined the playful relationship you had worked so hard to establish.

A week flew by fast, especially while knowing that a grand operation was going to take place at the end of it. And it truly did, just as scheduled.

On the big day, all doors of the Celadon Game Center were suddenly knocked down by various Interpol officers that were dressed in heavy attire and even carried weapons — every move being led by Looker, of course.

A lot of grunts were arrested, just as everyone had hoped, and even Petrel had been seized with handcuffs. Unfortunately, Ariana had the sudden urge to return to Johto out of the blue, taking Proton with her in case she needed an errand boy on the journey. And even though the man was supposed to be sitting in his fancy leather chair with his Persian curled up next to him in the base, Giovanni was nowhere to be seen that day.

Your initial suspicion was that Silver had actually gone and warned him about you, even though he had no way of knowing about the scale of things. You shoved that thought aside soon enough though, because for once, it was unlikely in the first place. And if you needed a second reason to back yourself up with aside from that, Giovanni was his father. Being on good terms or not had nothing to do with a child's wish to keep their parent out of harm's way — even if that meant sabotaging the police's hard work.

Although Archer didn't suspect you in the slightest, he did begin to grow uneasy when he realized just how much manpower Team Rocket had lost in one day. Although nothing had been said or made official, your intuition was telling you that the big shots were planning on hightailing it out of Kanto before things got too ugly. So you warned headquarters again.

You had caught on that Giovanni and Archer had been pressuring Silph Co. a lot lately, and as soon as you found out what they were trying to achieve, you asked Looker to take countermeasures.

It turned out that they wanted the company which had no stain of illegality on its name to develop a Poké Ball that could enable the 100% ensured, successful capture of any Pokémon — a so-called Master Ball. With one of those, Giovanni wanted to get his hands on the most powerful creature that roamed this planet: Mewtwo.

None of those plans came to fruition though, but it wasn't entirely because of the International Police's interference this time.

Two unfamiliar Trainers — one of which had an Eevee sitting on their head the whole time, apparently — snuck their way inside Silph Co. before anyone from the Interpol could. They had defeated so many grunts and even Archer, which granted you the necessary chaos to slip out of the building yourself. But once again, you weren't the only one who had that idea: Giovanni was as well.

Ever since Silph Co. was ridded of Team Rocket's members, Giovanni's location became unknown. It had always been a big mystery in the first place, but back at the Celadon Game Corner you were at least given the reassurance of knowing that he was in the same building as you.

Now you had no idea where he had disappeared to — no one did. No one except his son perhaps.

It was a chilly night when Giovanni was spotted sneakily leaving the Viridian City Gym by his own flesh and blood. The only thing that allowed the red-head to even make out his father's figure in the dark of the night was the light which the surrounding lamp posts provided. "Father!"

"You're leaving? You're running away because you lost to a couple of Trainers?!" Just as the boy had implied, Giovanni had supposedly returned to his Gym Leader duties after the two big arrests in Celadon and Saffron, and was slapped in the face with two consecutive, mortifying losses right afterwards. "What changed?! You said you were the strongest in the whole wide world!"

"You can't move forward if you're unable to accept defeat." His father replied in a tone even colder than the air around them. He had stopped in his tracks to turn around and face Silver who had been chasing after him in a rush. "In order to create a stronger organization, I need to be alone now."

"So what if you're strong? You can gather as many people as you want, but you could still lose to a low kid!" The scarlet-haired male had this awful habit of his voice cracking whenever he was upset that he just couldn't seem to toss away. Even though Giovanni had been far from a fatherly figure to him — something one could easily tell just by knowing that Ariana was the one who took care of the boy most of the time — Silver didn't want him to leave.

Was it really so childish of him to not want to be left alone? Then again, he had always been described as a kid by you, even if he had always denied it so passionately. Maybe you were right after all.

"Gathering a large group of people to work together will create a great source of strength. That's the power of organizations." Giovanni continued, either failing to notice the desperation in his son's voice and eyes or just blatantly dismissing it. "However, I failed to utilize my men with their fullest potential. One day, I promise, I will revive Team Rocket!"

"I don't get it! I don't understand what you're saying at all!" Silver hated admitting it, but he felt like he had no need to act prideful in front of his father. Not when he was cowering away from his responsibilities as the leader of Team Rocket and as a parent. He really felt like a child for not understanding the older man's way of thinking.

"One day, you'll understand."

"I don't want to understand! I'm not gonna be anything like you! Acting all high and mighty just because you've gathered a bunch of followers even though you're weak on your own!" Whatever restraint Silver had been holding on to when trying to convince Giovanni to stay finally snapped and so did he. "I'm never gonna be like that! I wanna be strong all on my own!"

When the red-head ran away after shouting that, his father did nothing. He didn't call out to him, he didn't chase after him. Who knows, perhaps he cared so little that he didn't even bat an eye for him.

Silver would never know though, nor would he ever find out since the place he escaped to was the vacant warehouse next to the Pewter Museum of Science that acted as a temporary hideout for the remnants of Team Rocket. His feet had brought him in front of the door that led to your quarters before he even processed it.

Since you hadn't been sleeping, you didn't fail to hear the three faint knocks that snapped you out of your trance. Not having the faintest idea of who would pay you a visit this late at night, you stood up from where you sat and went to open the door. How did Archer even trust you enough back when you had done the same to him?

"Silver? What are you doing here?" It was safe to say that you were more than just a little surprised to have the red-head standing across you, especially at this ungodly hour and with him wearing a pained expression like it was nothing.

He opened his mouth various times with the intention of telling you what happened, to pour his heart out to you only to swallow every single word right back and bite his lower lip instead. But when he finally did manage to stutter out anything at all, you had no intention of leaving the boy on his own. "Can I... come in?"

It was so rare of Silver to show himself to you when he was so vulnerable — you obviously didn't count the many times you would playfully drive him into a corner — so you stepped aside and let him enter. It was even more uncommon for someone as prideful as him to come to anyone for help — let alone the person he wanted to impress most of the time.

"What happened?" You asked in a soft voice Silver wasn't used to hearing from you as the two of you sat down on your bed. Him not looking you in the eyes and clenching his fists that rested on his lap didn't slip past you, and you couldn't fight off the urge of placing your hand on top of his tensed one. "My father... He's leaving for good."

"Even though I suspected that you'd make a move soon, I didn't tell him anything about you. He lost so many people that he's decided to just up and leave!" Silver tried unbelievably hard not to stammer and managed quite well, but not well enough to stop his voice from cracking again. Although you could only see his face from the side, you detected his eyes getting somewhat watery, something that made your chest tighten in pain.

"I kept my end of the bargain and look where it's gotten me! Wouldn't it be fair if you did as you promised too?" The red-head finally looked at you when he delivered the finishing blow to your bad conscience, the tears he had been hiding from you for so long finally rolling down his cheeks like waterfalls. He hated crying. He hated crying in front of you — because you'd just think of him as a kid again.

Everything he said was true though, and it hit hard precisely because of that. Even though he had spotted you meeting up with Looker, he never said a word to Giovanni nor any of the other admins about you being a double agent. Maybe his father wouldn't have left if Silver had warned him beforehand, and yet the boy stayed true to his promise to you.

"Silver, I don't want to take advantage of you. And with the state that you're in, I'd be unmistakably doing just that if I were to kiss you right now." You answered, your words contradicting your actions because your hand soon found its way to his slightly tear-stained cheek.

"I don't care! Maybe I want you to take advantage of me." The boy seemed to have collected himself and the mess he had made with his emotions for a moment, just so he could answer you with all the confidence he could gather in his current condition.

Even though all alarms were ringing inside your head, telling you to refuse him just like last time, you couldn't find it in yourself to reject him. Your feelings were mutual after all — the only obstacle being your police badge — and the last thing you wanted was for Silver to be in even more pain after his father's abandonment.

Wether the two of you would regret this development, only time would tell, but for now, all that mattered was the red-head in front of you. With your hand already on his cheek, you led his face to your own and let your lips hover above his, just barely not allowing them to touch.

Afraid that you would reconsider your decision at the last moment, Silver robbed you of all opportunity to pull away by lifting his chin faintly and pressed his lips to yours. With them rubbing against each other so innocently, the first thought that ran through your mind was how pure the red-head's favor ended up being in comparison to what you had pictured as your kiss together.

You couldn't stop your lips from forming a small smile despite the other pair molding into them. Your smirk only worsened when you decided to pull away, more specifically due to the disappointed look the red-head was giving you. Heat began to pool in his cheeks after hearing your next comment. "As I thought, you really do kiss like a kid."

"Let me show you how adults do it." With a sudden wave of confidence coursing through you, you brought your mouth back to Silver's, seizing the perfect moment due to him having been mid-gasp. Assuming you had been given permission to do as you pleased the instant he asked you for this favor, you slipped your tongue past his slightly parted lips.

A silent groan was drawn from his throat the moment your wet muscle collided with his, and with the way he was emitting that same, undeniably provoking sound over and over made you wonder for a second if you should have reminded him to breathe through his nose. He was doing fine though, even more than fine seen how his arms had snaked their way around your waist.

Eventually, your fingers found Silver's jaw, tracing it gently before coming to rest on the sides of his face. The warmth the two of your shared through your kiss was so intoxicating, perhaps even more than the average smooch because of the thrill — the thrill of doing something even though it wasn't seen as the right thing to do.

The red-head appeared to be getting drunk on the kiss as well, the way he had begun quickening the pace of his tongue giving away his desperation for more. You didn't think he would have had it in himself to do a thing of sorts, but Silver even tried to take your heated session a step further by slipping his hands beneath your shirt.

"Hey now, calm down." Your heartfelt chuckle made the two of you break apart from the kiss, Silver feeling a tad mortified at how he had almost gotten carried away. You stroked his hot cheek before planting a peck on the lips you suspected could get swollen by having overdone the activity that the boy wasn't used to. "This is why you're still a kid."

"I'm sorry." He muttered in apology, averting his gaze and directing it to his lap. Even though he was sure to be having all sorts of mixed emotions — what with his father suddenly leaving and the woman he loved finally showering him with the affection he craved — you liked to think that your gesture had made him at least a little bit happier. You knew it had that same effect on you.

"Let's rest up for now, alright?" You suggested, not leaving the red-head with much time to choose his answer since you had already wrapped your arms around his slightly smaller frame. He allowed himself to get spoiled by your embrace and the warmth that came with it, burying his face in the crook of your neck as he let your smell lull him to sleep.

Although you hated seeing Silver sad, a small part of you thanked Giovanni for causing him to open up to you like this — because you knew you wouldn't have surrendered to his wishes and your own desires otherwise. It gave you the last push you had been refusing to give yourself, or maybe it gave you a perfect excuse for your 'inappropriate' actions.

Whatever it was, you didn't want to know at this point. You were perfectly content listening to the boy's steady breathing while you ran your fingers through his scarlet locks. His hair had always been unbelievably soft for a male's — you had found out about its alluring feature when you ruffled it playfully for the first time — and now it was making it impossible for you to retreat your hand from it.

You were nowhere close to being tired, but you still found yourself sinking your nose into Silver's hair and taking in its fragrance. Sometimes you even placed a stray kiss on his head, some on his forehead and a few on his tender lips.

You had been so preoccupied by Silver, his feelings and your own that you had been unconsciously suppressing an inevitable realization with your temporary happiness. Giovanni was leaving. The man who made you go through six long years of undercover investigation was hightailing it — possibly out of Kanto — and yet you were lying in bed with his son in your arms, comforting him.

As much as you wished to continue daydreaming about how you wished that every day could be like this whilst hugging Silver, your mission was the painful priority. And so, you carefully retracted your arms from the sleeping boy's form and stood up from the bed, grabbing the phone that rested on the commode next to it.

With the intention of not waking up the red-head in mind, you distanced yourself towards the door but never left the room as you dialed Looker's number. Despite the unholy hour, it only took him two rings before answering the call. "[Name]? Did something happen?"

"You could say so, yeah. I've been told that Giovanni might intend on leaving Kanto for good." You didn't even apologize to the man in case you had interrupted his much-deserved sleep and instead cut right to the chase. "He was last seen at the Viridian Gym earlier tonight. If we hurry, we might be able to catch up to him."

"Hold on, you don't mean that Team Rocket is disbanding?" Looker asked, clearly baffled after hearing the news. He, just like you, didn't think that a person with such power and influence like Giovanni would just suddenly up and leave everything he's accomplished so far, for a reason unbeknownst to him.

"They might as well are." You retorted, voicing the doubt that had surfaced within you. With Archer and the other admins' disappearances, you doubted the grunts themselves would get very far without having specific orders delivered to them. "This could be the last clean-up operation we need to make in concerns of Team Rocket."

"Then that's exactly what we'll do. I'll lead the troops to the Viridian Gym myself. As for the remnants... Are they still hiding out in Pewter City?" Looker's voice suddenly got stricter but also more hopeful. It was understandable — he was the person in the Interpol who wished for Giovanni's arrest the most, after all. "Yes, in the warehouse next to the Museum of Science."

"Hang on tight then. I'll have Anabel and detective Tedesco head over to you right now. Try to stay on the low until then." Your colleague instructed before bidding you a momentary goodbye and ending the call. A heavy sigh escaped your lips as you pinched the bridge of your nose. This was it. After tonight, you will have wiped out the largest number of Team Rocket members ever recorded, and you were positive that they wouldn't be able to make a comeback from such a huge loss.

But that success led your thoughts straight to Silver who was still lying on the bed, asleep and soundless. Even if he was still young, you knew your agency wouldn't hold back on his punishment. But when thinking about the situation at hand a bit deeper, you realized that he had no punishment to undergo in the first place.

You didn't remember ever concretely mentioning the existence of Silver to anyone in the Interpol — not even to Looker —  so as far as they were concerned, Giovanni didn't have any known relatives or close family members. Which translated into them not knowing that Silver had gotten mixed up with Team Rocket's schemes along the way only because he was its boss' son.

There was still time until the squads led by Anabel and Tedesco would arrive at the warehouse —  enough time to get Silver to safety.

"Silver. Silver, wake up." It had only been around two hours since he had succumbed to sleep, so he woke up almost immediately after hearing his name being called. Your slight nudging also did its part in getting his gears to function again. "We need to get you out of here, quickly."

"What do you mean?" Although he could have seen it coming, your course of action just seemed to proceed too quickly for his mind to process. It was normal — kids his age shouldn't be having the authorities on his mind, after all. "The International Police will be here at any moment. What remains of the grunts will all get arrested tonight."

"But as far as the Interpol is concerned, you have no involvement whatsoever with Giovanni's criminal affairs — they don't even know you exist." By the time you had filled the red-head in on the newest happenings, he was already on his feet. "So I'm telling you to get out of here and live your own life."

"Wait, what are you trying to say? You're gonna leave me too?!" Silver was quick to panic at your choice of words and you detested yourself for making him pull the same, hurt expressions from just earlier tonight. The cracking of his voice momentarily had you wishing that you hadn't given in to his desperate pleas and your own temptation when you kissed him. "How can you just leave like this after... after we've finally grown so close?"

"You've always had to live hidden away from the public. You were robbed of your personal space by whatever pesky admin that monitored your behavior and every move every hour of the day." You spoke sympathetically, reminding him of his restricted way of life as if he weren't aware of it himself. "This is finally your chance to set out on the journey you've always wanted to take. You can travel around Kanto and even Johto with your Totodile, battle Gym Leaders and try your hand at the Pokémon League."

"You have your whole life ahead of you." You concluded with a genuine yet somewhat sorrowful smile as your hand came to rest on Silver's cheek. More than being upset that you were making all the decisions on your own, the boy was more moved by your words, by how much you cared about him altogether. Even if he hated his father's ways with every fiber of his being, he was grateful that he brought the two of you together by founding Team Rocket.

"But I... I don't want to leave you." Silver finally spoke, placing his own hand on top of yours that still held his face tenderly. He squeezed his fingers around yours and leaned further into your warm touch. Despite the many times when you had told him what a child he was, he was mature enough to understand that even if the Interpol didn't know about him, your current positions in society and past backgrounds would make it difficult to see each other.

"You're still young, so what you feel for me right now might just be something temporary. You'll forget about me in a few months, and you'll find another person to give your heart to." Although the words that rolled off your lips left you with a bitter aftertaste, you couldn't bring yourself to make things harder for Silver just because of your selfishness again. Of course, him accepting your gesture was an entirely different story. "I don't want anyone else!"

"Are you telling me that if I were older, you'd have given me a chance?" His sudden change in tone and the determined spark in his silver eyes caught you off guard, so much that you were the one stuttering for a change. He now had his fingers entwined with your own, giving your hand an urgent squeeze that drove your heart into overdrive. "T-That's not—"

"Then wait for me. I'll grow up, so you won't be allowed to think of me as just a kid anymore. So please, keep me in your heart while you wait for me." His uncharacteristically manly proposal left you at a loss for words with a bright red color searing across your cheeks. Silver took your silence and the deep blush on your face as the answer he needed and kissed you one last time.

It was a childish, innocent peck that stayed true to his nature.

Not much after Silver had escaped from the warehouse and Pewter City altogether, Anabel and Tedesco arrived with their troops. The grunts that were resting in the various rooms of the warehouse were all taken by surprise and successfully captured.

On Looker's end, his squad had arrived at the scene too late. During a follow-up investigation, you were all surprised to discover that Giovanni was in fact the Gym Leader of the Viridian Gym. After he awarded badges to two Trainers, he just disappeared — just like Silver had told you he most likely would.

There were rumors that Team Rocket had really disbanded, but its truth remained a mystery.

* * *

Fearow roamed the orangish skies that were slowly but surely merging into a light blue. A certain red-haired Trainer had set out at the crack of dawn and traversed both Route 26 and Victory Road by the time the sun had decided to speed up its ascent. With his hands neatly stuffed in his pockets, he took the last curve that led him to the Indigo Plateau.

What he didn't expect to see at the bottom of its staircases, was a tall man dressed in a beige coat that covered his work suit and purple tie. Just by taking an unnoticed glance at him, Silver knew that he wasn't just some random stranger. It was the same man he had once seen you meet up with, the man that allowed him to get his favor granted.

Of course, the two of them had never officially met, so just as he had been doing since receiving your instructions, Silver tried to stay out of the Interpol's way by simply walking past Looker. That didn't mean that the detective let the red-head just slip by after finally finding him. "You there, hold on a second."

"What do you want?" The red-head stopped in his tracks a few steps later, never turning around to face the older man. His voice no longer carried that slightly feminine sound and was now instead considerably deeper. Still soft, but deeper.

"International Police." Looker stated simply, fishing out his official badge from one of his pockets before holding it out for Silver to see — not that the latter made an effort to, he didn't have eyes in the back of his head after all. "Are you the son of the Team Rocket boss Gio—"

"Stop, leave me out of it." Silver's face instantly grew sour at the mention of that certain individual, and he couldn't help but cut the detective off before he was done. His uncontrolled reaction was answer enough for Looker, but he wasn't as sensitive as to drop the subject, even after being told to.

"There was an incident in Goldenrod City, caused by the remnants of Team Rocket — when they took over the Radio Tower." He continued, summarizing that series of events rather than recounting them in full details since he was more than certain that Silver knew exactly what happened.

There weren't many Team Rocket members left that weren't put behind bars after the various massive arrests, but Archer was somehow able to gather them all in one place. Together, they attempted to call back their respected boss by taking over the Goldenrod Radio Tower, only to be let down by him in the end.

"But in the end, Giovanni never made an appearance. They may have shot up a beacon of their return, but their little revival went up in smoke once their charismatic leader, and overall unifying force, failed to show up."

"It's been three, long years since Giovanni disappeared. He completely vanished, but we haven't stopped looking for him." Looker continued, not able to stop a sigh from escaping his throat. The two males had moved over to the balustrades of the Indigo Plateau, but they were still conversing back to back. "He's still out there somewhere and he's plotting his return."

"That's why I want you to tell me everything that you know." Finally, the detective turned around and sought out eye-contact, only to be discreetly denied again. His tone displayed something close to desperateness, and his bold way of investigating was the complete opposite of your unobtrusive one which drove Silver to chuckle lowly.

"Heh. The International Police seem to have a lot of time on their hands." He spited, having you in the back of his mind when he said that. He knew his statement was false because the two of you had never managed to meet up even once during those three years — and the main obstacle had always been your profession. "Well, that's just part of the job."

"The last time I saw him was three years ago." What Silver said seemed so unbelievable that Looker had to repeat his words as if he were asking for a confirmation. "Yeah. It was right after the old man had finally returned to the Viridian Gym after a long time away, and he lost badly to two of the Trainers. That was the last time I saw my old man."

"Since then, I've made it here on my own — doing things my way. Together with my Pokémon."

"So you're about to challenge the Pokémon League?" Looker asked, a small, genuine smile taking over his lips as his grey eyes followed Silver's. They ultimately landed on the Pokémon League which was amazing enough to gain a determined look even out of someone like Silver. "If you find out anything about your father, would you give me a call?"

"I dunno. I've made the choice to stay out of my old man's affairs. Likely, he's doing the same thing. Besides, it's your job to find him." And just like that, with a certain amount of playfulness having returned to the red-head's voice, the two men's exchange came to an end.

Silver wasted no time when it came to mounting the stairs, but it seemed like the world had more than just one surprise in store for him today.

At the very top of the staircases and just in front of the league's gates, you stood there as if waiting just for him — which in all honesty, was exactly what you were doing. Silver had been wearing an indifferent expression throughout the whole morning, his conversation with Looker included, but when his eyes fell on you, he couldn't stop the shock from showing on his face. "[N-Name]?"

"Would you look at how the tables have turned. Now you're the one going behind my back to meet up with police officers." You chuckled, feeling your cheeks grow warm at the sight of Silver's smile. "In exchange for a favor, I promise not to tell your dad."

"Ha ha, I see you still think that you're so funny." The red-head retorted dryly, and despite trying very hard not to, he still ended up blushing. He couldn't remember the last time you had teased him without a care in the world, and it certainly felt good to hear you do it again.

"Look at you, you even grew a mullet! So you never got out of your emo-phase, huh?" Again, another series of small chortles escaped your throat as you held out your hand and played with the mentioned red tuft of hair, gaining another few groans of protest. Aside from that, he had also gotten taller since the last time you saw him, the height he had on you even more evident now that you stood so close.

"I missed you." Silver suddenly decided to say, breaking the atmosphere of jests and replacing it with a deeper one, the golden colors of the sky aiding him a tad. As if they had been triggered by those three simple words, you felt all of your emotions resurface and take over your rationality.

"I missed you too, Silver. So much." There was no longer any harm in admitting it, and so you concluded your little announcement by wrapping your arms tightly around the young man that was now almost a head taller than you. He reciprocated the gesture, squeezing you to himself and inhaling the sweet scent he always found safety in.

Regrettably, Silver pulled away sooner than you had liked, but before you could even mentally complain about the loss of warmth, his hand was already cupping your cheek. He traced the outline of your lips with his thumb before lowering his eyelids, inching closer.

Silver tilted his face to yours and his lips finally brushed your own lightly once... twice... and then he claimed your mouth in a hungry, almost possessive kiss. Slow and sensual, your lips moved up- and downwards in a developed rhythm until the red-head stilled his own to drag his tongue over yours that were barely parted. You ended up relaxing them, allowing Silver to pry them open gently.

Your arms had found their place to rest around his neck and your fingers were all over his red strands of hair. This kiss was far more mature than the last peck he had given you to remember him by, and although it caught you off guard, you didn't bother stifling the silent hums of pleasure you emitted.

You almost didn't let go of him when Silver decided to break your kiss, a thin string of saliva still connecting your lips until the last possible moment. With your cheeks turning a deep shade of red, you grew a tad embarrassed at how you needed to catch your breath so much, but the smirk on Silver's face made it all worth it.

"Heh. Was my kiss adult enough for you?"

[ E N D ]

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My note to you:
This one was heavily inspired by the Generations episodes The Chase and The Legacy, so I really recommend watching those if you haven't already! :3

The International Police might as well be one of my favorite things in Pokémon at this point. xD

Thank You for Reading!