The Lunch Hall B was bristling with the life of the other grunts. Conversations about the mundane and the utterly exotic were happening while pokémon chattered with a canopy of noise around them.

Ferris was the one who claimed a table with a near slam of his food tray. Some of the other grunts cast them a careful look and a subtle scooch away from the angry teenager. Claire grabbed her plate full of vegetables or something similar, staring into the liquid with chunks on the right side of her plate. What even was that?

She was doomed. Toto could sense her mood beside her and nervously nosed his kibble in front of him. They had little areas for pokémon to eat and mingle, but all four of their pokémon stayed around them. Garnish was making a face at Toto whenever the little guy knocked some kibble out of his bowl.

"So, what will we do if Captain has us doing the same thing tomorrow?" Samuel asked, stabbing one of the pieces of asparagus on his plate.

Ferris was too busy fussing with his pidgey to answer.

"We can't defeat her ace or even land a hit on it at our level," Samuel said further. "Which means we have to keep failing or figure it out."

What would Team Rocket do with her meta-knowledge? Claire barely knew shit, honestly, but she did have knowledge about various legendary placements like secondary knowledge to her. Like how she knew the names of Picasso's paintings, or that Lyra's favorite

trainer was Connor Winters.

Did her knowledge even matter? It probably didn't apply to this real world, but Claire was still a freak of nature. She was also a murderer now, thanks to Team Rocket.

"We have to do what she says," Hill said, calmly putting her carrots on her pokémon's plate. Ferris' pidgey finally snapped at him with a peck and wiggled out of his hands. She glared at him before she turned to her own food. Ferris sighed and looked at them with contempt.

"You can't be serious," Ferris said haughtily. Pidgey chirped in agreement.

"What do you suggest then, Talon?" Hill said without looking at him.

"That we get the fuck out of here," Ferris suggested with a lowered tone. Garnish growled but Samuel swatted at her quickly.

"Ferris!" Samuel whispered loudly.

"What? Look, I didn't join this shit group to get my pokémon fucked up. I joined to get my starter back." Ferris snapped, eyeing the people eating around them. "If I'm stuck with you guys, we need to find a way to get out of here."

Thank god someone saw through the madness. The pure relief of one of her teammates having the same idea as her was a bit overwhelming until she then realized that they were, in fact, in a very populated area full of other team rocket grunts.

The lunch hall was packed with so many people they didn't really pay attention to them. There were sounds of pokémon eating and people talking to each other enough to be background noise. Claire still felt like she was being perceived by eyes everywhere around her.

"Talon, you will get us punished talking about unloyal things like that," Hill said with an even tone. Was she trying to speak normally to hide suspicion? Samuel had a sour look on his face.

"We can't talk about this in our room. They probably have cameras or that asshole's pokémon watching us." Ferris pointed out.

This conversation was making Claire's anxiety worse. Totodile nipped her hand, and she pulled him into her lap to hug him. He nudged his snout into her shoulder, and she fiddled with his red spine scales. She had no idea what she would do without him.

"There are no cameras, Talon. And we are not going to keep talking about this." Hill said again. She looked as impassive as stone. Her mareep was eating the pokémon chow for herbivores.

"Stop calling me by my agent name, Hill. You sound ridiculous, fucking stupid. Like a brainwashed mankey." Ferris hissed out; the last two words punctuated.

"It's protocol, Talon," Hill responded simply.

"We shouldn't argue, we'll get in trouble-" Samuel had a nervous edge to his tone.

Claire thought about when they had started sparring in training, and Hill had surrendered to her. She tried not to think about those battles because they created a dense feeling of uneasiness inside her, but she recalled how timid Hill had been then.

Those moments had created a permanent hatred for Team Rocket for Claire, in the pit where her pokémon was beaten near to death. The ellipsed moments were when she watched Commander Fern strike Hill to the ground. Claire will never forget how Hill looked so defeated, her coiled hair limp, and how she had clenched her mareep to her chest like a wounded cat.

"Fuck protocol. We gotta look out for us, not that you have a self-preserving bone in your body apparently-" Hill looked up at Ferris as slow as molasses.

"There is no we, Talon; the only 'us' between all four of us is our designation," Hill leaned forward and pushed her plate to the side to get in Ferris' face. "If you keep talking like this and get us punished, I'm going to electrocute you and your bird." She looked like she was about to stab him with the fork and Claire leaned back.

Ferris' face twisted, and he left without saying another word, looking furious. His pidgey swooped around him and landed on the boy's shoulder as he prowled away. Claire hugged Totodile tighter, and the jaw pokémon peered over her shoulder to stare at the leaving figure push his way through the lunch rush.

Some of the other grunts gave them weird looks for the action, but Hill gave no inclination that she heard them at all. The girl kept eating and pushing on like she didn't just threaten their overly angry teammate.

All with an annoyed look on her face.

"Agent Gold, keep eating," Hill said and Claire did it on default. Probably some leftover learned behavior from Ethan's nagging mother and from the past few months she had been listening to constant demands from Commander Fern.

"Are you going to report him?" Samuel asked. Claire tried to ignore her stomach flipping over and the nauseous feeling overtaking her again, but Samuel pushed on.

"He's just upset," he said. "There wasn't a reason to snap at him like that."

"There was every reason to snap at him like that, actually. If this conversation was heard by anyone in this room, do you have any idea what would happen to us?" Hill replied in a low voice, eating more of her food.

Samuel answered that with silence.

Damn, that didn't go well. By Toto's cautious muttering, he agreed with her.

"Our teammates are so volatile..." Samuel whispered to her, and Claire wanted to smack him for saying anything after Hill's demonstration. Who the fuck said volatile anyway?

...

Claire was not, in fact, kidnapped or dragged into some dark room to have her mind cracked open for its secrets. After the awkward and tense conversation in the cafeteria, all three of them followed after a long-gone Ferris to their assigned shared area.

Claire wished she was anywhere else than in this room with Hill.

She could barely focus on the other girl before her as she warred with the urge to pace. Claire was so fucked if the guy had really realized she had metaknowledge, they were going to bust her brain open. Then, even if she was starting to like Hill, now she knew how seriously the other girl across from her swore allegiance to Rocket.

"Do you have to brush her often?" Claire blurted out. At Hill's dry stare, Claire felt she had said the stupidest thing in the world and rapidly looked away. Was the fact that mareep needed to be brushed common knowledge?

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Ethan was so young that even with Claire's joined knowledge, practical intellect, and her own experience here there were lapses in his common knowledge. Shit, Claire didn't even know the celebrities besides the faces of some poke-action actors and trainers she or Ethan had seen before in photographs. Like that seven-movie marathon Lyra forced her to watch about a ludicolo and a dance master before Claire got yoinked into Team Rocket.

Claire looked around minutely, desperately trying to get her mind off the encounter earlier. The space was just as empty as Claire's room with Samuel was. Except for some reason, it looked far more practical and methodical. It was in the details, Claire guessed. Such as how her bed was made straighter than how they had received it and all of her mareep's care tools lined up on the lonesome dresser.

"Yes, I brush her wool every few days. Mostly to help it look neat. Regent likes it."

What kind of name was Regent? Although to be fair, Claire didn't even name Totodile before the name Toto got stuck on him like slime.

Claire tried to swallow her anxiety or come up with any topic, but she just failed. Eventually, Hill took pity on her and handed her a book she had stashed away, with Claire not sure how she got the book at all.

The Architectural Review of Pre-Great War Kanto, the title of the book read, and whoa-

Claire opened the books to see photographs bordered by descriptions of many places spread throughout Kanto. The names were familiar to her, distantly, but the book focused on grand buildings.

A beautiful aviary built for birds caught her attention, or Claire should say bird pokémon, that arched and was designed to have perches nestled in its sharp angles. Reaching and reaching, practicality and a calling; reaching for the heavens and imposing all at once. Totodile was taking a nap beside her, and Claire let herself be distracted despite herself.

...

Claire didn't sleep well. Of course, it was her second day, but she thought she might never sleep well in this base.

Claire kept thinking about Artemisia and what she had done. She had pushed what had happened in the killing room behind her and tried not to think about it, failing, but now it was all she could think about. Her stomach flipped, and she sat up when her dreams were permeated by that helplessness. That same feeling of moral turmoil and guilt.

Artemisia had been so small in her arms, and she had used her blood and body to supplement her pokémon.

That inevitability of what she had been forced to do or sit and starve in an empty room. Over and over, it played over in her head.

Because if Claire was going to get caught for who she was anyway, what was the point of sacrificing Artemisia to survive? Would it not even matter? Claire had been hiding behind the notion that she would be able to honor and redeem Artemisia, and by the fact she was forced to do it, the entire time since the trial itself. That she could shed the pain and misery and let it drift off her like a ghost. Just like how she had been doing... Before.

Now, it was like she couldn't hide behind that lie anymore. She had murdered a pokémon, a living, breathing thing that didn't deserve it. She could blame Team Rocket all she wanted, whatever god that placed her in Ethan's body, and even just the situation but-

It didn't change that she did it with her own two hands. Now it was going to stain her for the rest of her life. Toto was curled in the crook of her arms from where she was laid on her side. He was sound asleep, not bothered at all, making her feel worse.

Artemisia, wherever or whatever you became after I killed you, Claire thought, I hope it is beautiful for you.

...

"Get up." Someone roughly shook Claire awake, and she slapped the hand away when it started to get painful. Toto yipped and Claire heard a harsh shush to quieten down.

"Agent Gold, you have to get up." It took a groggy moment for Claire to realize that it was Hill, who Claire sat up to realize looked out of order. She was in her pajamas with a cap on and a weird look in her eyes.

"We are getting reassigned. We have ten minutes until it hits the hour to get ready to leave."

In the middle of the night? Claire thought. Then she felt unnerved further by the realization of what Hill said.

"Reassigned?" Claire questioned, throwing the blanket off her legs to throw her stuff into the provided bag. All she had was basically her two uniforms, one dirty from yesterday getting her shit rocked by Captain Featherfrow, her extra set, Toto's grooming stuff for his scales and teeth she hadn't used yet, and the book Hill had let her borrow.

"I don't know," Hill said, hurriedly changing into her uniform without caring that Claire was there. Claire avoided her eyes but she still saw the expanse of Hill's smooth dark back.

"I'll change when you leave." Claire blurted out, and Hill eyed her in annoyance.

"I'm turned around, just do it now," She snapped and started to pack her mareep's stuff into her bag.

Well, time to suck it up and deal with it, Claire thought. This wouldn't be a problem if she wasn't stuck in a little boy's body.

She changed as fast as possible to avoid thinking about that further. Totodile was yawning and nipped her shoes when she started to put them on.

"Stop that, Toto," she said and pushed Toto away with a gentle shove.

She heard the zip of Hill's bag and leaned back as Hill smacked her lips in irritation.

"Stop being so slow," she said and rushed to make her bed for Claire. "Go meet with the others in the living area if you are done."

By the time Claire had gotten all her shit together and coaxed Toto into his pokéball, they were all waiting for her.

"Come here, Agent Gold. I will update your squad on the situation as we walk to the transportation vehicle." Captain Featherfrow physically looked tired, but her face was hard. Her tone was as quiet as it was yesterday.

She led them out of the room before saying anything else. Claire got a look at the other's faces and it made her think about how young they all were. Even if Claire was only a few years older than them all... Before.

"You will all be reassigned to a different area since a request opened that fits your squad's description. You are going to be part of a protection squad in Eggseter." She said as she closed their door.

Captain Featherfrow gave them a moment to process that before motioning them to follow her.

"Even though your training with me is incomplete, it will be assigned to another Captain stationed there. When you arrive, you will be updated on your full duties." Captain Featherfrow informed them as they walked through the Team Rocket base.

What the fuck was Eggseter, or where the fuck was Eggseter? The walk to the moving trucks was tense but surreal because it must have been earlier than yesterday. There was barely a hint of any life in the base.

Claire tripped over her feet wondering if this sudden change was because of her or if she was being paranoid.

"The journey to Eggseter takes two days, so don't give your driver trouble at the rest stops."

They made it to the loading and shipping area, and Captain Featherfrow opened the back of the truck like it was nothing. It was a bit like an army vehicle to carry soldiers.

"Come on, let's load you guys up. We are trying to get you out of here before weekend morning traffic hits. Be glad you all were not here long enough to see that stupidity."

Captain Featherfrow waited for Ferris to get into the back before throwing a package at him.

"I grabbed one for each of you from the storage room. You will get more supplies there, but you can never be sure with the rural outposts."

Claire's foot slipped as she tried to climb in the back, because it was so fucking tall, and Captain Featherfrow caught her before helping her in the back.

Was Claire really that small? She looked back to see Captain Featherfrow and saw the woman's heart drop.

"Remember what I said about what makes great trainers, kids." Her face twisted, and that was the only time Claire saw any conflict on her face. She turned her heavy gaze off Claire to address them all. "A bit off the books here, but I'll give you some advice since you were supposed to be my squad."

Claire was frozen still. Some foreboding feeling crept into her despite the quietness of the early morning.

"You can only trust each other. I wanted to go slow with your squad because you are all so young. However, where you are going, you will have to adapt, or you will get swallowed whole." Captain Featherfrow's voice dropped low.

"Where are we going?" Claire asked and then recoiled back at the fact she spoke at all.

Captain Featherfrow's face softened but quickly recovered to the stoic expression the woman maintained in the short time Claire had known her.

"You are all dismissed." Captain Featherfrow said and then she disappeared from the opening of the back of the truck to shut the door behind her.

...

She was born in the gases of a leak meant to be hidden from eyes, harmless and amongst the lazy gesture of 'I'll report it and move on'. On the cusp of being poisonous enough to care about and then not. What kind of person looks at a poison leak and decides to deal with it later? The leakage site was in the wall and minor enough to be flagged.

But that doesn't matter, not really.

What matters is the means to creation. The compilation of hatred and last breaths. In and out. It doesn't matter how she was killed, how they were, at least not fully.

What is someone who was born to die? What she remembered the most was the act of living and dying. She had been forced to accept her death since she was born. A continuous consensus of you know what.

You were made to die; her brothers had told her. The runts always get sent to the killing room. It didn't matter what she had wanted, that she had dreamed of being a trainermon whenever she could get away with it. In between feedings and fighting for a spot in the sunning spot of the breeding den. Those visions were always there. She would have been the most loyal pokémon any trainer would have.

She would've been demure, a voiceless 'mon up for anything. She would have allowed a human to twist and destroy her into something unrecognizable. Anything besides the waste she had been forced to live as.

By the time she had been put in the killing room, she had become a being full of jealousy. All her brothers had left to be pokémon for the humans. They had gone to become whatever they wanted.

And she, small and unwanted, was sent to the killing rooms. She had clawed, begging like the other baby pokémon writhing to the nursing mothers, but what did it matter? What did it fucking matter?

She still ended up tied up, like all the other runts in the litters before her and sedated so that she became listless.

The same phrase ranted in between the void of her mind.

I don't want to die.

She didn't know how long she sat there. Numbed out to even her own fear and misery. She heard a voice speaking, a masculine but young voice speaking on and on. She couldn't focus on it, not until the drugs started wearing off, but she tried.

Over and over again, she would fight the effects of the drug to just hear the gentle rambling of the young human in front of her. Was this what it felt like to have a trainer? Questions she didn't dare let herself think of before rose inside her.

Paintings... what objects were those? She was often confused about what she heard the humans say, but the way the human spoke Paintings sounded like Acreus themselves. She wanted to see them, just another want digging at her. They sounded beautiful, and she would never see them before this human gave in and killed her.

They sedated her again and again. When was she going to finally be put down? The hesitance was giving her hope.

Then the human grabbed her, and...

Even though it spelled her death it was the closest she had ever gotten to some sort of pleasure. She fought to hear what the human was saying, the words swimming in her ears.

But the touch, the touch was so gentle and soothing that she was caught in a stasis.

No one had ever touched her like she was something worthy of it. But this human, even with the looming intent of killing her, gently brushed his fingers through her fur.

It was like a drug.

Then the human gave her a name. She was nameless before then, something not to be called and forgotten about, but now-

Artemisia. Artemisia. Artemisia.

She was named! She couldn't move her body but her soul danced like a flying pidgey her brothers would tell her about.

Then, the inevitable happened. The kind hands wrapped around her neck and twisted. Her frail body gave way to the immortal hands of death.

The void was everything she thought it would be.

Then, however, Artemisia became something else. Something mixed with the agony and suffering of the killing rooms. The loss of innocence and the sinister nature of murder, all the runts that had fought the drugs and wanted to be named mixed with a vaporous small leak of poisonous gas. All the pokémon who had wanted to live gathered in an energy that created Artemisia anew.

...