Professor Oak

The sound of fingers sifting through paper was the only thing that could be heard from Professor Oak's office, the weathered middle-aged man smiling wryly as his eyes narrowed.

The coffee in his mug sloshed from side to side while he concentrated.

(Professor Oak POV)

 'The cost is going down but it's still a little out of our comfort zone'

A lengthy exhale escaped my lips as I looked at the Institute's Expenditure Report, the sum souring my expression.

'I guess it can't be helped

The development of multiple extremely advanced Bio-Domes that simulated the ideal natural habitats of Pokemon was understandably expensive, that much was obvious, but the amount of energy used to keep all the ecosystems running was nearly triple what all initial projections had indicated.

The Electric Habitat was supposed to make the Institute sustainable, sourcing power from the activity of Electric Pokemon yet the dent it made in energy costs wasn't nearly as significant as I wanted it to be.

It was true that the development of the Institute had helped usher a number of breakthroughs in various fields but the excess remaining after all the expenditure was really too small, my own salary affected.

If a freak accident or disaster occurred where even a minor part of the Institute was damaged, there wouldn't be enough funds to for proper repairs.

'And then I have to allocate more headspace to those Team Rocket bastards'

I had just learned the hard way that there was a hole in our operations, the schematics for the extremely experimental PokeSync Gauntlet somehow slipping into their hands.

This wasn't the first time something like this had happened either, Team Rocket ripping off the Institute's Rotom Phone with their own "Rocket" Phone, something that was basically a one to one copy.

'I just hope their scientists aren't completely full of it'

Another soft exhale escaped my lips as I tucked the Expenditure Report into a folder, alarmed slightly as the door to my office swung open.

The intruder was a 5'6 pink-haired young woman with bright blue eyes, a long-flowing white lab coat clinging to her petite body, a frazzled expression on her face.

"How can I help you Rose?" I said, a hint of irritation in my voice.

Rose grimaced, sensing my annoyance but swallowed her discomfort.

"You've got to see the latest PokeDex entry, it's incredible"

I furrowed my brows.

"Well now you've got my expectations up," I said, whipping out my Rotom Phone.

I opened up the PokeDex App, tapping on a new alert that popped up.

My expression changed.

'What on earth is this?'

It was the most odd Pokemon design I had ever seen, the most concise way to describe it being a fusion between a dragon and a futuristic motorbike, giving it a very peculiar appearance.

My eyes widened.

"Are these stats real!? Am I being pranked!?" I said in disbelief.

"That's not even the half of it, the kid who submitted this Pokemon is a brat who works for Team Rocket," Rose said excitedly, barely believing her own words.

"What!?"

Rose grimaced, visibly flustered at how loudly I had screamed at her, causing me to clear my throat.

I tried to maintain my composure.

"From what I could gather, he was only interested in the Registration Bonus and he hasn't actually caught it either, he's somehow managed to befriend it"

My mind spun, trying to understand what I was hearing.

"Don't tell me you let him go?" I said, my tone getting sharp.

"Of course not," Rose said quickly.

"He's currently in the Pokemon Training Chamber with Miraidon and despite only being there for a few hours, we've already hit maximum electrical capacity"

"This can't be real," I said with caution, this whole situation too good to be true.

Chloe appeared baffled, her face reddening as she tilted it to one side.

"P-Perhaps you would like to see for yourself, a handful of the other off-site professors are also making trips from around the globe, wanting to see this thing for themselves"

I closed my eyes, thinking for a second.

"This kid, what's he like?" I asked curiously.

"He's quite the looker, he's tall and well-built with a strangely calm demeanour, despite working for Team Rocket, he approached with a weird kind of confidence, clearly aware of the firestorm his Pokemon would cause"

I furrowed my brows.

"Go on"

"I don't really know if it matters but he was also very polite, his behaviour not living up to the stereotype you'd expect for a Team Rocket kid his size"

"Well-"

"Oh!" Rose said loudly, suddenly remembering something.

"He did make a comment about Giovanni, when he saw the stats of his Pokemon, he said he was going to become a powerful pokemon trainer and show him who's boss," Rose said slowly.

"How interesting," I said gently.

I closed my eyes again, organizing the various thoughts that were spinning through my mind.

"Thank you for making me aware of this Rose, you're dismissed," I said politely.

"No problem Professor," Rose responded, gracefully leaving my office.

'We need to keep contact with this kid at all costs'

This Team Rocket brat was useful for a number of reasons, the first of which being his Pokemon seemed to single-handedly be the solution to the Institute's energy problem.

In terms of output, Miraidon single-handedly put every other Electric Pokemon to shame, the gap not even close.

Moreover his link to Team Rocket was actually a blessing in disguise.

Like most of their members, the brat probably didn't even like Team Rocket, only sticking with them out of necessity. The underhanded tactics they used and their general treatment of him probably also put a bitter taste in his mouth.

So if the right incentives were put in place he would definitely turn on them.

'A double agent with deep ties to Team Rocket would be an extremely valuable resource'

He could even report back to Team Rocket, spreading misinformation and baiting their criminal activities, potentially provoking them into a move that could land Giovanni behind bars.

'It seems like things have gotten really interesting'