Archer set his book down, gave a small nod, and didn't bother elaborating further on the subject.
"If you ever need anything, just go through Null and ask directly. As long as the request isn't completely unreasonable, the organization will approve it."
It was a generous offer, and Sieg felt himself relax slightly at the words. Then Archer's tone shifted without warning.
"But I need you to understand something. You can't have it both ways. Make sure you know what it is you're actually doing."
Sieg nodded quickly, and a faint cold sweat had already broken out along his forehead before he'd even fully processed the words.
It was obvious. Archer's warning made it plain that he already knew exactly what Sieg had been quietly angling for.
Sieg had claimed his efforts were entirely in service of expanding Team Rocket's foothold in the Hoenn League. But the truth was that he'd been looking to profit from both sides of the fence at once, drawing benefits from Team Rocket and the League simultaneously. That kind of double-dipping had clearly left Archer less than pleased.
Archer was an Executive and an Elite Four-level powerhouse at that. Reading the people under him was second nature. He could generally figure out what his subordinates were thinking without much effort at all. He'd simply chosen not to say anything before now, because up until recently, Sieg hadn't been worth the conversation.
That had changed. Sieg was on his radar now, which meant it was time to set some boundaries.
Still, it was only a warning. What Sieg had been doing up to this point was still within tolerable limits.
The carrot, then the stick. It was a simple management technique, nothing sophisticated about it. But it worked, and that was what mattered.
At the very least, it knocked some of the wind out of Sieg's sails. He had to admit that things had been going almost suspiciously well lately. He'd crossed paths with Steven Stone and Cynthia. He'd gotten his hands on a legendary relic tied to Kyogre. He'd even managed to build more than a few meaningful connections along the way.
He could acknowledge it. He'd gotten a little full of himself.
But standing in front of someone like Archer, an actual Elite Four-level fighter whose strength dwarfed his own by every measure, that small creeping pride snuffed itself out in an instant.
He still had a long way to go.
"I saw you in the papers yesterday," Archer said, shifting the subject and easing off the pressure. "Sounds like things on the League side are going pretty well for you."
Sieg answered with a carefully measured tone, part explanation and part defense.
"I believe that having a solid public identity is genuinely necessary if we want to expand our operations in Hoenn, sir. The higher I climb within the League's official structure, the more support I can funnel to the organization from both sides. Openly and quietly at the same time."
He kept his head down after saying it, waiting in silence for Archer's response.
What came back was a long, heavy sigh.
"If you'd said that a while ago, I might have agreed. But unfortunately, the organization has already decided to pull back from Hoenn. It won't be long before I'm recalled to Kanto."
Archer delivered the news flatly. Sieg put on an appropriately surprised expression.
Internally, though, it didn't really catch him off guard. Based on his memories of his previous life, Team Rocket had never truly dug its roots into Hoenn. Their real territory had always been Kanto and Johto, and the surrounding waters. Hoenn had always been something of a stretch for them.
"I'm sure you've noticed the atmosphere in the black market lately. Organization members are being pulled out in waves. As for you..."
Archer's gaze settled on Sieg with a long, measuring look, like he was quietly working through how best to handle this particular piece on the board.
Sieg's own thoughts were running fast beneath his composed exterior. If he had any choice in the matter, he wanted to stay in Hoenn. Every contact, every connection, every relationship he had built up to this point was here. Walking away to Kanto on short notice would mean starting from scratch, leaving everything he'd worked for behind.
That wasn't something he was willing to accept.
And beyond that, there was something else waiting for him in Kanto. An unknown threat. A viper he hadn't fully accounted for. He'd been the one who'd gotten rid of Rose's lover, and as discreetly as he'd handled it, if that truth ever found its way to the surface...
If Rose decided to come after him over it, she could crush him without breaking a sweat. Against an Elite Four-level opponent, Sieg currently had exactly zero capacity to fight back.
"Sir, I'd like to stay in Hoenn. I'll give everything I've got for the organization." The words came out quickly.
Archer stroked his chin and appeared to weigh it. His original plan had been to bring Sieg back to Kanto and develop him properly as a core asset. But it seemed like this one wasn't interested in leaving.
Still, someone needed to stay behind in Hoenn. Team Rocket couldn't pull out completely. A few small bases would remain, and those needed eyes and ears.
"Fine. You'll work under Null going forward. The organization won't be actively expanding in Hoenn anymore, but we're keeping a few small bases in place. Talk to Null directly for the specifics."
Sieg had caught Archer's attention, but not enough to make the man truly regret the arrangement. There was no real sense of loss in letting him stay.
What Archer did feel was a quiet thread of curiosity.
He'd put considerable effort into grooming Null. Whether that investment would hold up under the tangled, unpredictable conditions of Hoenn remained to be seen.
And as for this "Shadow" in front of him, just how far could he go walking the League's official path?
It was something Archer found himself genuinely curious about.
When Sieg stepped out of the room, he wasn't alone. Null walked out alongside him.
Archer's most trusted subordinate had apparently been in the room the entire time, completely concealed. Sieg hadn't detected him once.
The man's ability to hide his presence was at a masterful level. That much was undeniable.
"The organization has encrypted your identity. A standard Elite Four member wouldn't be able to dig it up. Archer put in serious effort to get that arranged for you. Don't waste it."
Null's face was its usual blank slate, cold and unreadable. But something in it shifted, just barely, as his gaze moved over Sieg with a quiet, appraising look.
He had to admit it, even if only to himself. This was a genuinely talented kid.
At seventeen, Null had still been scraping by in a Team Rocket training facility, just trying to stay relevant.
Sieg understood the dynamic clearly enough. Archer was technically his superior, but Null was his direct boss, and your direct boss was the one who actually counted day to day.
He let a touch of warmth into his voice.
"Congratulations on taking charge of Hoenn operations. This is your stage now."
Null knew full well he was being buttered up. He let himself feel a small flicker of satisfaction anyway. However hollow the flattery, this assignment was clearly Archer's way of testing him. Pass the test, and his name would leave a serious mark on Team Rocket's record. It was one more step on the road to Executive.
Sieg wasn't just flattering him, of course. He was also fishing for information at the same time, and it paid off.
For instance, the reason Archer was being pulled back so urgently apparently had to do with a large-scale operation underway within the organization, one that had drawn heavily on manpower from across the board and left the Kanto divisions stretched thin. Archer had been specifically recalled to a facility called the Lake of Rage Base, near Mahogany Town. The transfer orders had already come through.
From what Sieg could piece together, over eighty percent of the personnel at the Aster City base were being recalled to Kanto, including the entire research division he'd crossed paths with before, and the weapons researcher known as Dr. Shirano, who had been developing specialized equipment for Team Rocket.
"So the Red Gyarados Project is already in motion."
He filed that away quietly.
Once the Pokémon League Conference is done, it might be worth taking a trip to Kanto. There were things waiting for him there, opportunities he remembered from his previous life, and it was time to start thinking about how to make them his own.