The rain patters softly against the window panes. You lie in bed, the familiar noises of the city’s sounds muffled by the downpour, as the muted glow of the streetlights in Goldenrod City filters in through the curtains, casting long, shifting shadows across the walls of your bedroom.

Your eyes trace the familiar ceiling, the lines of the beams, the patterns of the paint. Sleep eludes you.. No matter how hard you try to will your body into stillness, your mind refuses to cooperate. It’s always like this – every time it gets too quiet, your thoughts drift back to the past.

Team Rocket.

The name itself carries so much. Once, it had been everything. The cause you believed in. The future you were moulded for. But that future had crumbled, leaving only ruins in its wake. You are the heir to it all, Giovanni’s child. Yet, the legacy had turned to ashes in your hands, and your father… he was gone. He’d left without so much as a farewell. A part of you still wonders if he ever intended to return.

Yet through all the pain and betrayal, there’s one constant. One face that refuses to fade from your thoughts.

Your eyes fall on the man sleeping beside you. His turquoise hair is tousled despite its short cut. A man who took the mantle when your father tossed it away. A man who has kept Team Rocket alive, even when it seemed like the empire your father built was crumbling beneath the weight of its own ambition.

And yet, here he is. Not the leader of Team Rocket. Not Giovanni’s right-hand man.

Just Archer.

The one person who stayed when everyone else in your life walked away. He didn’t leave when your father did. He didn’t abandon you like so many others. For reasons you can’t fully comprehend, he’s still here.

A slight movement beside you pulls you from your thoughts. Archer stirs, shifting in his sleep until he’s facing you. His arm drapes lazily over your waist, his grip gentle but firm. His eyes remain closed, but then, in a low, groggy voice that’s rough with sleep, he asks, "Why are you awake?"