Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Don't Give Me Diamonds ❯ Chapter 18

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Don't Give Me Diamonds

Diamond 64: Give me Radiance

The gentle breeze of the night blew at the world's edge. From the cliff, the ocean could be seen. On its side it had a deep indentation. The area looked to some like a giant mouth with stalagmites and stalactite teeth. It was as if those who fell from the world's back would be swallowed up by it.

In one swift motion, Bollux reached for his gun, its smooth surface reflecting the moon. At the same time, Giovanni and Proton made the same movements. All three weapons were revealed, two pointed at Bollux and one at Giovanni.

Bollux's right index finger slipped from the trigger to the base of his gun before he hesitated to lower it. "Give it up," Proton taunted, "even if you shoot one of us, the other will kill you. The boss doesn't fear risking his life. Do you fear losing yours?" Proton's expression was dark and fearless, as if he was above death itself.

Giovanni saw the doubt and fear in Bollux's pale green eyes. The so called leader of Tempest trembled; he was not a true leader. The scene made him think about the other person that he expected would show up, Poisona. Proton's investigation revealed that she was supposedly Tempest's second in command, but sometimes acted as the leader. Where was she? What was she planning? "I'm still interested in having a battle," Giovanni reminded, his face was full of confidence even beyond that of Proton. The full moon shone brightly in the skies, large and unreachable, as if shining upon him alone.

"You leave me no choice," Bollux tossed the gun a few feet away, where Proton picked it up. He reached for one of the pokeballs on his belt. Though trainers often preferred pokemon native to their homes, interregional trading had become more frequent in the recent years. In Bollux's case, he thought an 'unknown' pokemon would be a shortcut to power. What was from his perspective new and rare, seemed powerful in his eyes. "Gliscor!" Watching the pokemon emerge from the red beam of his pokeball, Bollux regained a little of his confidence. He still remained slightly doubtful, though that changed when he saw Giovanni's pokemon.

"Golem!" The red beam from Giovanni's pokeball revealed his long time pokemon. Even Proton seemed surprised. Giovanni had been switching his pokemon more often. He had not used his original team in a long time. He always seemed to be dissatisfied with his pokemon, searching for something they didn't have. Giovanni himself wasn't sure what he was looking for. All his pokemon were powerful, but something was missing.

Giovanni wanted to feel the guarantee of a victory. He didn't want to simply know the outcome of a battle because he knew of the difference in power. He wanted to sense that he would win; he wanted to believe it beyond logic. It was a sensation he had not had in a long time as he became more disconnected from his pokemon. Persian was an exception, but Giovanni never sent Persian out to battle, instead treating him as a spoiled pet. After watching his original pokemon battle at Cerulean, he began to rediscover that feeling of certain victory.

"A Golem? That's such a common pokemon!" Bollux made the mistake of underestimating Golem. His expression was flooded with undue relief. He almost threw his head back in laughter.

Golem observed the situation. He was angry at the opposing trainer who underestimated him. He didn't want to be seen as weak, though in the past he had times when he lost the will to fight. Delia returned; she was the one who truly took care of him and his companions. Plus the situation felt different. There was one other ally besides his trainer, wearing the uniform of Team Rocket. Golem didn't perceive the presence of other agents hiding anywhere. Giovanni didn't look like he had been pushed to a corner, he stood confident. It felt like the past had returned. It was as if once more Giovanni was willing to rely on him. The feeling was bittersweet to Golem. It reminded him of the day he evolved.

"Boss?" Proton couldn't help it but to give Giovanni a curious and somewhat puzzled look. Why Golem? He paid no mind to Bollux's foolish assumption that pokemon from other regions were strong simply because they were rare in Kanto. Even so, this was not the pokemon Proton expected Giovanni to choose.

"These pokemon fought strongly last time," Giovanni referred not only to Golem, but also Rhydon and Machamp, whom he also brought for the battle. 'I guess they just needed a break from battle,' the thought made little sense to Giovanni. From his perspective, training pokemon hard was the only way to make them stronger. 'All that matters is that they're strong again,' he told himself not to look too deeply into it. They were pokemon, they had power; there was little else to know.

"Such a common pokemon can never be strong!" Bollux argued. He glared at Giovanni's confident look. Bollux wasn't as brave as Poisona, but he wouldn't be underestimated. "Gliscor, poison jab!" Bollux felt as if he was standing face to face with his worse nightmare, then suddenly he found hope.

Gliscor went on the attack, but Golem didn't move. He was in no danger and he knew it. Giovanni was aware of that as well. The power difference between the two pokemon was very noticeable, especially to an experienced trainer. Bollux had spent too much time locked up and bitter. He was out of practice, not that he was too skilled to begin with. During his time with Venom in the past, he relied on the illegal power ups the Tempest Gang was known to use. Gliscor's tail collided against Golem's hard rock body with no effect what so ever. Gliscor barely brushed the surface of the solid stone, not being able to inject any poison.

Bollux stared in disbelief, disturbed by what he witnessed. A mere Kanto pokemon was standing up to his 'super rare' pokemon very easily. Without Poisona to guide him, Bollux was foolish. It was apparent why she never left his side despite her wish for her leadership of Tempest to be kept relatively quiet. Bollux was a leader in name only. "What is this, some kind of trick? I see, you've done something to power up your pokemon." Bollux glared bitterly, "how ironic, it was Tempest who used to do that in the past. We've lost our interest in such things lately. How ironic indeed. You saw that our way was the best and are using it against me now," Bollux's words were full of frustration. Poisona didn't want to bring too much attention to their group too soon. She decided that using power ups like Venom used to do would make them stand out too much, thus she forbade it.

Bollux had obeyed Poisona, believing Venom's sister to be the rightful new leader of Tempest and the best guide to follow. He had helped her organize Tempest with the few previous members who were willing to participate, plus new ones. He thought of nothing more than vengeance while he was in jail. He and his comrades had taken the blame for the crimes of both the Tempest Gang and Team Rocket.

"You fool!" Giovanni snapped, "your pokemon isn't as rare as you think. Besides, even if it was, you can't just get a rare pokemon and expect it to fight at its best. You have to train it." Giovanni's definition of training was different from what many would consider proper. None the less, the Rocket leader felt that there was a hidden irony in his words. Perhaps he should be taking his own advice. He disregarded the thought. Pokemon needed training, that was true, but they had to be strong to begin with, that was what he believed.

xoxox xox xoxox

While Giovanni and Bollux battled atop the cliff, Ariana and Delia approached their location on the road. The people and pokemon on the cliff were still little dots in the distance. None the less, they could tell that there was a battle going on judging by the rapid movement of those remote dots. The occasional flash of red light came and went when a defeated pokemon was called back and another was sent out to replace it.

Looking out the car's window, Delia noticed someone flying high above, riding on a pokemon. The pokemon lost altitude as it approached the cliff, as if wanting to sneak up on the people there. The flying pokemon aimed to land on the large cavern on the cliff's side. "What's that?" Delia searched through the equipment Ariana had in her car for a pair of binoculars.

"Friend, foe or a random passerby?" Ariana inquired, "my guess is on the second." She had not been informed of any reinforcements.

The electronic binoculars zoomed in on the target. It was a person with long lavender hair. The pokemon was something Delia was not familiar with. It was from a far away region that she had not visited in years, "is that a Mandibuzz? They can't be found in the wild in Kanto."

"Let's investigate," Ariana took a sharp turn and sped down a connecting road. It was narrow and not in great conditions in comparison to the main road. She stopped where they road ended, the trench ahead could not be crossed in a car, "go Honchkrow!" The flying pokemon stood with his wings slightly spread, searching for a battle target. He looked at Delia with distrust, "she's on our side," Ariana assured. "Let's go," she climbed on the pokemon followed by Delia.

The two women headed for the bottom of the cliff where the flying pokemon landed within the large indentation. They were hidden from being seen from the cliff above. The person riding the pokemon noticed the two others and stood ready to face them.

Ariana and Delia got off Honchkrow after landing in the cliff cavern. Giovanni, Proton and Bollux didn't realize they were there. It would be beneficial to take out Team Rocket, though that was not Poisona's true plan. The new Tempest was needed because she needed minions to do her bidding. The alliance with Neo Rocket also proved to be useful in Poisona's real plan.

Madame Boss and who she was in the past had been all but forgotten by most. She was a nameless shadow that commanded a modest portion of power in the underworld, but was not too involved. She was a shadow with no true alliances, a strategist who used those around her. Poisona was aware of that. She knew that Tempest and Neo Rocket were being used. It made no difference.

Poisona had made Tempest's situation look better than it was. Her plans were not to take over Team Rocket, Kanto or the world. It was something else entirely. She really wanted to kill Giovanni, but it didn't matter. When her plan was realized everything would end.

"I've seen you before," it was a long time ago, but Delia still had the recollection of that time among the chaos.

On that day, Delia had been rushing back to the original Team Rocket hideout with Giovanni. They had recently visited Pallet Town and received an urgent call on their way back. Their haste led to a chase through the Viridian Forest. Finally, they made it to the mountains between Pewter and Cerulean. A column of smoke could be seen, the hideout and the warehouse were on fire. The Tempest Gang was still fighting Team Rocket. Delia only looked at the flames for a short moment before she watched the battle. Tempest's pokemon were furious, yet lost. Everything happened rapidly from that point on, but Delia remembered it all.

"You were there when Tempest burned down Team Rocket's hideout and warehouse all those years ago," Delia realized. "You were there during the battles; you were there at the Viridian gym." Delia could almost feel the strength of Poisona's grudge.

"That's right, I'm Poisona, I'm sure you must remember my brother, Venom, since you and Giovanni murdered him," Poisona glared with unparallel anger.

"That's not true!" Delia desperately argued. "Venom experimented on himself. He mutated into a strange creature. The pokemon he tortured in his experiments attacked him," the memories were very unpleasant for Delia. Even if sad events came to mind when she thought about Team Rocket, she tried to stay optimistic when she remembered the past. She had many precious memories, even if she had long since awakened from her dream.

"Those creatures," Poisona looked at her own pokemon with disgust. "Humans should be the only living beings in the world. These creatures have no use for power. It's only natural a human would desire such power; it is only humans who can use it." Her red eyes seemed lost and empty, "That day, burning everything was my idea. Venom wanted to take the loot; he wanted to take every pokeball in the warehouse. I burned them all along with the pokemon in them. They all burned to ashes!" She screamed with a pained and psychotic expression. The breeze blew her lavender hair, it flew in front of her face, but she didn't seem to notice. Her eerie red eyes glared from behind the waves of lavender.

"How terrible!" Delia felt that she was reliving all the sorrow of that day. That time she had been caught in the moment and driven by the adrenaline of battle. Afterwards she tried not to think about it too much. There was a lot on her mind at the time; she had other things to focus on.

Ariana searched for a hint of purpose in Poisona's words. She felt as if there was a lot that remained hidden. "Is that your reason for causing trouble for Team Rocket again? You blame us for your brother's foolishness?"

"If pokemon didn't exist to tempt us with their power..." Poisona's mind went back to a time long ago.

xoxox xox xoxox

In Poisona's memories, she was at her house with her parents and brother. It was a cozy little house on the outskirts of Lavender Town. The white picket fence had been freshly painted and the garden was taken good care of. The area was a little lonely and some would call it solemn. The charming little house stood out in the unfitting atmosphere. From its light yellow walls to its pale brown triangular roof, everything about it was soothing.

The white front door was opened and two children stepped outside. The boy was the oldest; he had cyan hair and red eyes. His younger sister had identical eyes and lavender hair. The front yard was filled with flowers that some would think were impossible to grow in that area. The boy threw a pokeball and from its red beam emerged a little Charmander. The children played together with the small pokemon until the sun started to set and they were called inside for dinner.

Those were happy times from long ago. It was on that fateful night that everything changed. There was a fire in the house, flames consumed it all. Only the two children made it out alive. The girl's faded memories contained images of standing in front of a burning house, watching the flames consume it. She felt helpless and weak. She couldn't save her brother or parents.

Help arrived and in the end the boy made it out alive. He was hospitalized for a long time having inhaled too much smoke. After the boy was released from the hospital, his sister was all he had in the world. His Charmander had died on the night of the fire.

The girl would always blame her brother's Charmander for the catastrophe, though no proof of the accusation was ever found. The official police records remained a mystery to most. She hated pokemon. She considered them to be dangerous and stronger than they deserved. She followed her brother in his quest for power. If he obtained the power of those creatures, he would keep her and their new friends safe.

She took on the name Poisona. She always found pleasure in watching her brother's experiments. Her purpose was different from Venom's. What she wanted was something far more sinister.

xoxox xox xoxox

"Confuse ray!" Poisona snapped into reality at Ariana's voice. Honchkrow attacked Mandibuzz with a powerful confuse ray. Mandibuzz tried to resist it but could not.

The bits and pieces of faded memories were thrown into the back of Poisona's mind and buried there. She fell silent for a moment before her expression turned psychotic, "goodbye," she took what at first glance looked like a pokeball from the belt over her Tempest uniform. She pressed the button on the red and white circular item. Instead of opening it and releasing a pokemon, she quickly threw it. The pokeball shaped grenade collided with the cave wall near Ariana and Delia. It exploded on impact with a bright light and a loud noise.

The explosion caused the entire cliff to shake. The noise and vibrations alerted those atop the cliff of the danger, but they couldn't see what was happening in the cavern below. The avalanche of falling rocks rained on Delia and Ariana. Surprisingly, Mandibuzz protected them along with Honchkrow in her confusion. The impact left Mandibuzz terribly injured after taking the worse part of the avalanche. Honchkrow made it out with only minor bruises and scratches. "You useless creature!" Poisona yelled in fury at Mandibuzz's actions. "It doesn't matter, I have no time for this," she released an Ariados from a pokeball. "Get me up that cliff," she climbed on the Ariados back. Ariados began to climb the cavern walls. He carefully made it to the side of the cliff and prepared to pull himself up with his web.

Delia and Ariana struggled to get out from under Mandibuzz, Honchkrow and the rocks. "Why did you protect us?" Delia reached to try to comfort her, but quickly retreated when Mandibuzz tried to peck her.

"Be careful, we can't trust her," Ariana cautioned. "She only helped us because she didn't know the difference between her own trainer and the enemy."

"She's hurt, we have to help her and stop Poisona," Delia didn't want any more sacrifices to be made.

Ariana was about to reply but stopped, something in the distance caught her attention. It was a man riding on a Braviary, "there's no time for that. Hurry up and stop Poisona. Giovanni must know something's going on after all this noise, but you could still help out. I'm going to stop that guy." Ariana jumped on Honchkrow's back and took off in pursuit of the Braviary.

"We can't just leave Mandibuzz!" Delia called after Ariana, who didn't stop. A loud bang pierced the air. It came from somewhere beyond her view. "Go Kingler!" Delia quickly released one of her pokemon. "I'll be back for you," she assured the injured Mandibuzz. She then looked at Kingler intensely, "this is going to be a challenge, but I know you can do it. Help me climb up the cliff, if you can grab on with your pincers, I know we can make it up."

Kingler started to climb up the cliff as Delia instructed. She held on to him and they progressed up the cavern towards the cliff side. Kingler buried his pincers into the rocks with a strong grip and climbed.

Poisona and her Ariados came into view on the cliff. "You should have stayed under those rocks!" She tried to shoot Ariana and Honchkrow, but missed. She wasn't paying attention to Delia and Kingler, who made their way up, hiding behind the protuberant rocks on the cliff side.

"Be careful Kingler," Delia whispered, "now aim carefully at Poisona's weapon and use bubble!" Kingler released a multitude of bubbles that effectively knocked the gun out of the enraged Poisona's hand.

In the night sky above, Honchkrow and Braviary performed all sorts of aerial maneuvers to try to gain the advantage. The man riding on the Braviary was Solo, who came armed with a bag full of grenades. He threw one of the explosives at Ariana and Honchkrow, but they quickly dodged it.

"Weavile!" Ariana released another of her pokemon. Weavile emerged from her pokeball, riding on Honchkrow along with her trainer. "Get ready Weavile. Honchkrow, get as close as you can. Weavile, jump on Braviary as soon as you get the chance."

The two flying pokemon circled each other in the air. Unfortunately, Braviary was faster than Honchkrow. Because of that, Weavile was having trouble following Ariana's plan. To make matters worse, Solo kept throwing grenades at them.

Delia and Poisona were still hidden from view from the top of the cliff. Giovanni and Proton saw Ariana fly up to battle the man with the grenades on the Braviary. "That Braviary is too fast," Proton realized, "go Crobat, flight right into that Braviary's face!" Crobat hurried to do what his trainer commanded. He skillfully avoided the incoming grenades and lashed on to the larger pokemon's face. Braviary flew wildly, in discomfort.

Solo fought to get rid of the pokemon that prevented Braviary from seeing were he was going, while trying not to fall off. By the time he managed to pull Crobat off, he saw a Weavile standing right behind him on Braviary's back. Braviary continued flying wildly, trying to throw Weavile off his back. "Weavile, night slash!" Ariana called out.

Weavile didn't hesitate to attack Solo. She slashed with her sharp claws ripping the green T on his shirt in half. The attack knocked him off Braviary and he fell to the ocean below. Before he could hit the water, Braviary dove after him. The flying pokemon caught the back of Solo's belt with his claws and held him in mid air.

Weavile threw the sack of remaining grenades over her shoulder and jumped off Braviary onto Honchkrow, who flew near by. Ariana received the sack of grenades with a mischievous grin. Solo was still dangling from Braviary's paw by his belt. He looked at Ariana fearfully.

Ariana threw a grenade at Solo. Simultaneously, Braviary's claws cut through the leather of his belt as the pokemon gripped it too tightly. As a result, Solo was sent falling into the ocean again. Braviary gained altitude to dodge the grenade, which passed between the flying pokemon and his falling trainer.

Below, the cliff was shaken by a violent earthquake courtesy of Golem. Giovanni knew there was someone hidden behind the curve of the cliff but he didn't know who. "Hold on Kingler!" Kingler's strong grip proved to be effective.

Up on the cliff Giovanni heard Delia and recognized her voice. If Ariana was there, he should have guessed Delia wouldn't be too far away. Ariana's mission was to keep her out of trouble, though the executive gave it her own interpretation. The Rocket leader looked at Bollux. He was down to his last pokemon, Linoone. "This battle has already been decided," Giovanni declared, "I'm going to get Delia, keep an eye on him, Proton." Giovanni released Machamp from his pokeball, "let's climb down, don't fall." Machamp looked surprised, but nodded slowly, shocked but happy to be trusted. He used his multiple arms and strong grip to climb down the cliff with Giovanni on his back. It was too slippery for a human to make it down without the proper equipment.

Bollux felt defeated and afraid, "don't talk about me as if I'm not listening," he choked out the words as he fell to his knees. "Linoone do... something!"

"You really are pathetic, you know that?" Proton laughed. He couldn't help it but to think they were completely missing something. Then again, maybe without Ariana and Delia things would have been a little different. Then the grenade throwing little cheat and whoever else was hidden in the cliff might have taken them by surprise. "It seems the boss left me in charge of your fate. What should I do with you?" Needless to say, restraining Bollux and taking away all his pokemon was easy.

Machamp and Giovanni made it to the side of the cliff on time to witness the end of Delia and Poisona's fight. Kingler had one pincer wrapped up in string. He had blocked the attack to protect Delia. He held on to the cliff with his other pincer.

"It's over!" Poisona prepared to throw the last grenade she carried.

"You've caused enough damage with those!" Delia jumped from Kingler to Ariados, fighting Poisona for the grenade.

The explosive slipped out of Poisona's hand and fell into the ocean below. It was time to retreat. Poisona let go of Ariados and fell to the ocean where Solo was struggling to stay afloat against the waves. Ariana had not allowed Braviary to get him out of the water.

"Delia!" Giovanni extended his hand to Delia, pulling her onto Machamp. Ariados screeched and looked as if he would attack. But Machamp was faster, "mega kick!" Ariados was kicked right off the cliff. As he fell, Ariados shot a string to attach himself to the lower portion of the cliff below where he stayed unsure of what to do.

The weakened Braviary was having trouble staying in the air. He flapped his wings tiredly and made an emergency landing on the cliff side cavern. The injured Mandibuzz was still there and Ariados heading towards them. It seemed that was the only relatively safe area from their point of view.

Delia recalled Kingler into his pokeball. Machamp returned to the top of the cliff with Delia and Giovanni. Proton had Bollux tied up, while Persian sat regally, supervising everything. Solo and Poisona made it to the cliff, they held on to the rocks there to avoid being pushed underwater by the waves. The cliff was too slippery to climb. Ariana flew above them on Honchkrow with Weavile at her side. Proton's Crobat flew near by.

Delia breathed in relief that the battle was over. "Now we just need to get them out of the water. We also need to tend to the injured pokemon in the cavern."

"You need to tell me why you're here," Giovanni added. He didn't expect Delia to show up and join the fight, especially not in a Team Rocket uniform.

"Don't blame Ariana, it was my idea," Delia wasn't sure how to begin to explain things. "I wanted to make sure everything turned out alright. Ariana wanted to help too." Delia's version of alright' might be different from Giovanni's and they were both aware of that detail, but didn't bring it up. "Anyway, like it or not, I ended up involved with Team Rocket again." She walked to the edge of the cliff remembering the first time she stood there long ago. "With all that's happening and all that we need to talk about, I think I'll be around for a while." She looked at the glowing moon and endless horizon. She looked back at Giovanni and made herself smile, trying to remain positive amidst the complicated situation.

Giovanni watched Delia standing at the edge of the world. The breeze blew her long brown hair and the moonlight shone on her. She smiled and he saw something he had not seen in a long time. She was radiant.

xoxox xox xoxox

Diamond 65: Give me Life

Poisona, Bollux and Solo were captured by Team Rocket and kept in the Viridian Headquarters for interrogation. Slowly, the truth came to light. It had been three days since the battle at the world's edge. Giovanni and his four main executives were discussing the recent happenings. The meeting room located at the Viridian gym was large and comfortable. Its walls were a basic white, with a few paintings.

The paintings were simpler and smaller than the ones in other parts of the gym and in Giovanni's mansion. They mostly featured ground type pokemon in their natural environment. The picture frames were made of exquisitely carved wood, coated in glossy clear paint, but it was nothing too extravagant. Giovanni sometimes had legal meetings in that room, so there was no need to make it stand out excessively.

The polished surface of the light brown wood table shone reflecting the overhead lights. The chairs were made of a darker brown leather. They were comfortable and of good quality. The round table was large enough to fit a dozen people, though it was never occupied by that many at a time. On the wall opposite to the door there was a large screen that was currently off.

"I think we can all agree that this was too easy," Proton voiced. "It's true that the damage could have been far greater and we also need to take into consideration that Team Rocket is very powerful. Even so, their operation was doomed to fail and they should have known that. What puzzles me the most is how they agreed to a duel between the leaders. I know that's what they wanted because they thought they had a chance if the rest of the team wasn't involved. I know they tried some tricks out there and were defeated, but something's not right."

Archer nodded his agreement," we've already concluded that Venom's sister, Poisona, was the true leader of Tempest. The way Poisona managed things before Neo Rocket and Tempest made their presence known was different. Why was she so secretive up to that point? Why did she attack? At first glance it looked like she wanted to take the chance, but when I think about it she must have suspected Madame's interference." Archer knew that particular topic was not to Giovanni's liking, but it had to be discussed.

"Basically," Ariana reviewed, "she gave us a little, non-vital but rather helpful push. Perhaps more helpful than she realized," she admitted.

"She was just meddling," Giovanni disagreed with a stern expression. His mother had kept an eye on the new Tempest and watched their moves carefully. She pretended to protect them so she could keep them close. She had spies in Team Rocket; that was an old and likely suspicion that was confirmed. Those spies informed her of the inner happenings of the team. She involved herself with Neo Rocket so that she could keep an eye on them too. She knew all about Jessie and James, though they were unaware of who she was in relation to Giovanni.

"Tempest traded Kenobi for Akira, that's strange," Petrel pointed out the main mystery they were discussing. The shift in the conversation was welcomed by all, though Madame was still a part of it. Comet had reported what he learned while infiltrating Tempest. That, combined with Laiki's report about Akira, created more questions then answers.

"We assumed that they wanted Akira to get the press' attention so that the police was forced to act against Team Rocket," Giovanni mused. "What if that wasn't it?" He theorized, his expression analytical. "There were other ways to make a scene without Akira. She would have sped things along, but she wasn't vital to such a plan. Kenobi could have been used in the same way, plus he would be more valuable as a hostage. Furthermore, after the hostage trade occurred, everything was resolved. Tempest became less active, they took bigger risks, they apparently gave up."

Archer caught on to the meaning of Giovanni's statement, "apparently being the key word. I see where you're going with this; they might have wanted us to think it's over. Tempest and Neo Rocket might not mean anything to Poisona after all. It was Akira's blood she was after."

"About that, have the results from the lab arrived yet?" Proton inquired.

"I haven't received any word," Petrel commented.

"Thankfully, Laiki had enough sense to take an additional bigger blood sample before the transfusion so that Akira's blood can be analyzed pure," Ariana recalled. The executives and leader had already read through all the reports. "Everything makes sense if we think that Akira was Poisona's goal. Laiki's rather detailed report mentioned that Akira was originally known as Secura. She grew up in an orphanage in Vermilion, thus why that specific event was targeted makes sense. With Bane Ackbar there, he was the perfect distraction to cover Poisona's real goal."

"We were tricked..." Petrel frowned.

"To top it all up we didn't act fast enough and our investigation was delayed," Proton sounded frustrated. "The labs haven't been able to make heads or tails of the blood sample. Akira is in a barely alive coma. Our answers are slipping away. I just hope Luke brings us something."

After Akira's closeness to Mirta came to light, Giovanni called for an investigation. It was already too late. Mirta's few belongings had been reclaimed by her relatives. Any clues that she might have left behind in her possessions were in the hands of her relatives in Cianwood, Johto. At least until Luke found them and investigated if there was anything worth confiscating. That is confiscating without their knowledge.

"Mirta had to know something," Petrel reminded, trying to look at the positive side. All of the involved agents were interrogated beyond what they wrote in their initial reports in case they missed any important details that needed to be added. "That's why Akira was so angry; she missed out on the answers Mirta had."

"Which is another reason why the donation ceremony was targeted," Ariana concluded. "Poisona was not only getting Akira out in the open, she was also erasing valuable information. We don't know if Mirta left any records about Akira. The information search on her original name of Secura came up empty beyond what we already knew."

"Whatever is happening, Poisona knows it all too well," Archer emphasized. "We have another clue," his face was deep in thought as he brought the piece of information to their attention.

"About her mother being a rocket?" Proton caught on, "that's leading us nowhere. We have no clue who she was. It looks like we'll have to wait for Luke and connect the dots later."

"We don't have that much time," Giovanni finally spoke after a long silence, listening to the four executives. "Poisona took a big risk by going to battle. She could have just left Bollux to serve as a distraction while she went about her business." Giovanni was the leader of Team Rocket. He had his pride and he would leave no doubts that he did not fear them. He was more than just a leader who hid behind Team Rocket. He could face things on his own. It might have been reckless, but he simply decided he wanted to do it. Poisona was another story; she should have known she didn't stand a chance. Her plan seemed flawed because it wasn't her true plan. "Whatever Poisona wanted to do, she had already done it."

The four executives looked at their leader. Archer was the first to speak, "I agree, the reason she's so quiet in captivity isn't because she has accepted defeat. It's because she thinks she already won and is basking in it. The key is Akira's blood. That's what she was after. What did she do with it? She must have set things in motion before going to battle."

"We're just going in circles," Proton let out a frustrated breath. "At least things with Ackbar have settled down."

"Yes, about that," Archer elaborated, "most of the Waterflower sisters are aware of Ackbar's position with Team Rocket. As requested, I made sure it was clear to them that this was to remain a secret. Since the Waterflowers are associated with the Cerulean City gym, they would make a nice addition to our connections. Only the three oldest Waterflowers were present at our meeting. They were also made aware of Kenobi's position. I believe they took it well. They seem to be prepared to keep secrets, especially since they are already so involved."

"What about the youngest Waterflower, Misty?" Giovanni inquired. Whenever gym leaders had any kind of reunion or participated in special activities, the oldest Waterflowers represented Cerulean. Giovanni knew they had a younger sister, but paid the detail no mind. Though the youngest Waterflower was said to be the best gym leader of the four, she was rarely at the gym in the recent years and was never too involved in the league's social events. Things were complicated because of who the youngest Waterflower was, Misty, Ash's fiance.

"She already knew about Ackbar's involvement with Team Rocket due to Lando's big mouth," Archer looked annoyed. "It is fortunate you only ever met in person with Bane, or else your identity might have been in danger. Her sisters were instructed to pass on the message that her silence about the situation is required. I don't think Misty will talk, her sisters are too involved. She also doesn't know about Kenobi, though I think it's just a matter of time before she finds out."

There was a long pause until Ariana brought up the subject they were all walking circles around. Misty came into the conversation because of Ash. A few Rocket agents, including Luke, Laiki, Comet and Pixel, knew who Ash was. For the most part his identity was kept from spreading through Team Rocket. Jessie and James had no idea. All four executives were fully informed about who Ash was and wanted to know what Giovanni would do about it. "About Ash..."

Another long silence passed. Finally, Giovanni spoke, "that is not something related to Team Rocket. For the time being it will have to stay that way. It will complicate things unnecessarily to give him too much information. For this same reason we need to be extra careful with the Waterflowers and all those connected to them."

"You ask for a lot," Archer admitted. "The truth of the matter is that the Waterflowers are connected to too many important resources. Daisy will marry Lando soon and Violet is still dating Kenobi. From what Rune said, the only thing keeping Kenobi from proposing is that he wants to wait a while after Daisy's wedding has passed, so Violet can fully focus on her own."

"At least Violet will have a more solid connection to Team Rocket and information shouldn't spread too far beyond what it already has," Ariana offered.

"Speaking of weddings, didn't you need to go?" Petrel glanced at Giovanni.

"Yes, all the gym leaders of Kanto must attend Daisy's wedding," Giovanni confirmed. "It's customary to attend such celebrations related to other gym leaders. It's nothing official, but it would look bad if I'm not there." That meant that all of Daisy's sisters and friends would be present. That included Misty, which would mean Ash must be going too. No doubt Delia must have been invited as well. "It's alright; they don't know who I am. I don't want to make a scene, so it's imperative that Ash doesn't find out about Team Rocket until all these occasions have passed. My image was slightly damaged. There are those who dared to think that the good gym leader is actually allied to the evil Team Rocket. Going to events like that will be helpful and even necessary."

"Yeah, the tension's under control, but it's not good to push our luck," Petrel rocked back and forth in his chair.

"So," Proton began to ask the question that was on all the executives' minds. "After the weddings and stuff are over, are you going to tell Ash everything?"

The four executives watched Giovanni, waiting for his answer. He took a moment to reply, thinking it through. "I don't know," he admitted. "Delia said she would leave the choice to me, so I know she won't tell him. She said she wanted to prepare him first if I decided to tell him the truth. I know she wants to tell him at least a portion of it. I can't include him in Team Rocket," Giovanni knew that was the executives' true question. "Not unless you want this place to turn into the hideout of a band of vigilantes."

A knowing look was shared by the four executives. They remembered how Delia used to be. "Speaking of vigilantes," Ariana spoke in a light tone, trying to soothe the tension in the air. "What about Delia?"

"She'll be around," Giovanni wasn't too specific, which left the executives requesting more information with their eyes. "She won't be too involved. I was thinking about taking her to Binks, maybe she can help him. It might not work, but there's not much to lose. Other than that, she might help give me a good image."

"The press will be all over you two if you're seen together," Petrel laughed, "I bet the rumors will fly."

"It would be a good diversion tactic," Proton admitted. "It might also complicate things," he warned.

"Things are already complicated," Giovanni emphasized, "it's best to keep Delia around. She won't be too involved, but she can be of assistance."

"Not to be pessimistic, but what if she speaks. It's true that she has kept her silence for a long time, but her reasons..." Archer didn't finish the sentence. "Her testimony would be much more believable if you are known to have been involved with her recently."

Giovanni understood what Archer was trying to communicate. The reason Delia left was Ash. Even if it wasn't directly revealed to the executives, it was rather obvious when everything else was taken into consideration, the timing, the secrecy... It was for her son that Delia left. Ash was Delia's first priority and Giovanni knew it. "Let's take this one step at a time." The way things were set up, Ash might eventually find out the truth. "There's no need to rush. For now, we'll make sure those who shouldn't be in delicate situations are kept out of them."

The executives glanced at each other before giving a collective nod. They decided that it was best to drop the subject for the time being and trust Giovanni's decision. Ariana brought up the next topic of conversation for the meeting, "about Jessie and James..."

Giovanni's face changed from hidden stress to hidden frustration. The change was so subtle in his forced neutrality that only those who knew him well would notice it. All four of his main executives knew him very well. "They'll be troublesome if we keep them and troublesome if we let them go. I was informed that they are running a pokemon day care center in Saffron City. Are there any connections I should know of?" Giovanni was asking about Madame, a sour topic for him.

"I investigated and it looks like the Saffron City mayor helped them a lot when they were trying to establish the day care center," Petrel informed. "The strange thing is that she didn't get rid of them like the others she used. I guess that could be because unlike the others, those two were not really Team Rocket's enemies."

Giovanni gained a look of disapproval; he had been dealing with a lot in the past few days. "Let them keep running their day care center. We'll take them back as part time agents in the information gathering department. They will give us information but receive none. They will remain in a need to know basis. That way it will be easier to keep an eye on them without putting up with their antics. They won't have to go out of their way for this, so they shouldn't cause any trouble. I heard that pokemon day care centers tend to attract rumors like a magnet, since so many people visit them. They can probably gain a decent amount of information just by listening to their customers. Plus we can monitor her activities through them if necessary," again Giovanni was referring to Madame Boss.

Another silent agreement passed through the meeting room. "The legal process against Tempest is going according to plan," Archer paused as if going through a mental check list. "That's all we have for now," he concluded.

"Keep trying to get information from Poisona and the others. Especially Poisona, it looks like Bollux and Solo really don't know anything. We'll have to keep trying to use pokemon to hypnotize her into talking. She must have a limit," Giovanni decided it was time to check on Delia. After the battle, she returned to Pallet Town. Giovanni had not spoken to her since that night.

The executives had taken care of the prisoners while Giovanni took Delia to Pallet Town. He had intended to talk to her on the way, but they were simply too tired and in need of time to organize their thoughts. The journey was long and silent. Giovanni thought it was best if Delia didn't stay in Viridian, given the situation. He returned to Viridian City after dropping her off in Pallet Town.

"If that's everything, then the meeting is over," Giovanni officially declared. The executives went their separate ways, off to take care of various tasks. Giovanni had caught up with things for the most part, thanks to the administration work the executives did while he was gone.

xoxox xox xoxox

In Saffron City, Jessie and James were at their pokemon day care center. It had reopened and customers came and went on occasion to drop off or pick up their pokemon. Flareon and Growlie where cuddled up with their egg. The blue cushion where they were resting on had yellow stars. It was large enough to fit them both, three counting the egg. Meowth sat comfortably, resting on a purple and yellow checkered cushion near by. All their other pokemon were there as well, resting contently.

The day care center's walls were painted with colorful sceneries. They were adorned with green grass, blue skies, blooming flowers and fluffy happy-faced clouds. Big comfy pillows and pokemon toys were scattered around. The day care center gave off a cheerful atmosphere that the pokemon really liked.

The center was off limits for stealing, since it was considered Team Rocket territory as of Jessie and James' return. In the past, there was always the danger of Butch and Cassidy trying to steal the pokemon. The backyard was fenced in. Some of Jessie and James' pokemon were always guarding the day care center pokemon when they went out to play. Many trainers became regular customers because their pokemon had such a good time playing with Jessie and James' pokemon. The day care center's services also included training. The place was rather pricey, but well worth it according to the customer reviews.

"I wonder why aunty was so insistent about giving the egg such a detailed medical examination," Jessie thought aloud. The egg had turned out to be perfectly healthy. The visit to the Saffron City Pokemon Center after picking up the egg had gone without incident.

"I don't know; I've never heard about an egg being sick," James shrugged, "your aunt is nice though, she took us to dinner." Both Jessie and James were exhausted when they returned to Saffron City. Who knew interrogations could be so long and tedious? They understood why they would appear suspicious to Team Rocket, given the circumstances, but it was still an unpleasant experience. The food was very welcomed after a long drive; they had not even stopped to eat on the way. "How come you never mentioned her before?"

"Aunty is a very busy woman; I didn't want to bother her," Jessie admitted. "She's not my biological aunt. She was good friends with my mother. It's funny; she always says that she's helping me because I don't need it. She said that otherwise she would be robbing me of the chance to become stronger." Jessie adopted a thoughtful expression. "Remember when she went on about opportunities and second chances during dinner? I almost thought she knew about Team Rocket and was encouraging us to stay in it. The mysterious traitor list still confuses me. Who sent it? During my interrogation, I got the impression that the executives knew all about it."

"I know what that feels like," James recalled his own interrogation experience. Both of them were asked a multitude of questions separately. "Maybe it's just because they're so high ranked. The executives make me feel like they can see right through me. It's almost as if they know more than I do about myself," James shuddered at the thought.

"Yes, that's exactly how it feels!" Jessie agreed. "This may sound odd, but I felt as if aunty knew a lot more than she was telling us too." Her face turned thoughtful for a while, before she disregarded the possibility. "There's no sense in worrying about crazy theories. Let's just make sure to keep Team Rocket a secret from aunty. It's not going to look good if anyone hears the Saffron City mayor is somehow involved with criminals." Jessie laughed it off.

James smiled, "I can keep a secret!" He went over Jessie's words in his head again. "It feels strange to say criminals. I know Team Rocket is illegal and all, but we're not really stealing anymore. We just need to report information and we can still run the day care center as usual."

Jessie considered the point, "to say we're secret agents fits better. We're spies or maybe even vigilantes," they both laughed at the last option. Jessie looked at Flareon and Growlie peacefully napping with their egg. Meowth had already picked out the story books that he would read to the baby when it hatched. Reading was something he learned to do while practicing his speech. A smiled formed on Jessie's lips, "Remember how you used to get kidnapped?"

"I knew you would never let me live it down," James recalled his last kidnapping.

xoxox xox xoxox

That time, James was tied up on the roof of Jessiebelle's mansion. Jessie had been held back by a group of hired pokemon trainers working for Jessiebelle. Those unfortunate trainers found out the hard way that they were not paid nearly enough to deal with Jessie when she was enraged. She had enough of the constant kidnappings. She was always rushing off to rescue James. If he didn't do something to lose the stalker soon, Jessie would lose her mind.

She went up the floors of the mansion one by one, fighting alongside her pokemon and Meowth. James' own pokemon had been left behind at the day care center and they aided Jessie in the rescue mission. Even the pokemon from the day care center battled alongside Jessie as she forced her way up to the roof of the mansion.

The duel of Jessie versus Jessiebelle ended with Jessiebelle being sent blasting off again for the last time. "Why did you go out on your own? You didn't even take your pokemon!" Jessie had reproached as she untied James.

"They looked like they were having fun playing with the other pokemon at the day care center. I was going to come back soon. I just needed to go buy something," James tried to excuse his mistake. It was difficult to live thinking that he could be kidnapped any time. Jessiebelle had grown more impatient and forceful over the years.

"I'm tired of having to rescue you," Jessie crossed her arms with an angry expression. "Next time I might leave you with Jessiebelle." She would never admit that she was jealous. James was her boyfriend, but Jessiebelle refused to understand that. Jessie walked over to the edge of the roof, looking at the horizon, her back to James.

"Don't do that!" James felt a cold chill run down his spine at the thought of being left in Jessiebelle's captivity. "I really do appreciate you and everyone coming to my rescue."

"What was so important that you had to go out to get anyway?" Jessie still sounded annoyed. She turned around and gasped in surprise when she realized that James was holding a ring. That was what he had gone out to buy.

James smiled, "will you marry me?"

They got married soon after that day. It was a small and simple, but elegant wedding. Ash, Misty, Brock, Delia, Professor Oak and their friends from Pallet Town were all there. Jessie smiled at the memory. James had caught her by surprise with his proposal, but she didn't doubt it for a second before accepting it.

xoxox xox xoxox

Jessie looked at the resting Flareon and Growlie once more. Flareon opened one eye, then closed it again. It was as if the pokemon were waiting for something. "Flareon, you told them, didn't you?" Jessie's tone was somewhat amused. She knew what they were all waiting for, to see James' reaction. James gave Jessie a puzzled look. Jessie's mysteriously long trip to the grocery store the previous day had secretly included a detour to the doctor's office, "I'm pregnant."

James' expression was priceless. His face had frozen as he was about to ask Jessie what she was talking about. A red tint invaded his cheeks. "You're going to lay an egg? I'm going to be a mother? You're having a father! I'm going to be a baby!"

The amused sounds of the pokemon proved that they had not been sleeping at all. Jessie laughed along with them, "something like that."

xoxox xox xoxox

Diamond 66: Give me Links

The underground dungeon below the Viridian Rocket Headquarters had a heavy atmosphere. It was as if the air was almost too thick to breathe. The structure was composed mostly of dark gray stones. The only lights were on the corridors, with none inside the cells.

"Hypno, hypno, hypno..." The steady and soft chanting was soothing. The silver pendulum swung left and right in front of the prisoner's eyes.

At first, Poisona struggled against the chains that strapped her to the dungeon wall. Then she lost her strength and felt sleepy. Her red eyes closed and her head slumped.

"Keep the hypnotic power steady," Proton instructed his pokemon in a whisper. The yellow pokemon nodded and continued chanting gently. Taking a deep breath, Proton tried the interrogation again, "what is your name?" He started with a simple question to test the trance.

In a lost and emotionless voice Poisona replied, "Patricia Citox," that was her real name.

So far so good, but Proton wouldn't get his hopes up. "What do you hate most?"

"Pokemon," Poisona's emotionless voice answered without hesitation.

"Why do you hate pokemon?" Proton tried a slightly different approach. He wouldn't ask about Akira right away.

"Fire, burn, they all burn, it was Charmander, it had to be," the volume of her voice increased as it went from empty to psychotic. Her red eyes opened, "I'll kill you all!" She let out an ear splitting wail before passing out. The constant hypnotism and the strain of going in and out of a trance wore her out. It didn't help that she refused to eat. She wouldn't last long that way. She would have to be sedated and fed through a needle.

Proton shook his head. His underlings weren't kidding about how difficult it was to get information out of that woman. Bollux and Solo answered all the questions they were asked without hesitation after they were hypnotized. The executive addressed one of his henchmen, "run a detailed investigation on Patricia Citox's past. Don't leave anything out. Also, get the resident shrink to look at her. We need to get information fast."

xoxox xox xoxox

Giovanni's orange sports car stood out as he drove through the streets of Pallet Town. He stopped in front of a little house with tables and chairs next to it. Delia mentioned that she ran the only restaurant in Pallet. It was very easy to find in the small town. He thought about inviting her to see Binks, he could be useful if he recovered his senses enough to help analyze Akira's blood sample.

Giovanni got off his car, parked in front of Delia's house. A peculiar sound reached his ears. "Bell!" It was loud and high pitched, similar to the horrified cries of a small child, but it was a pokemon. "Bell, bell, bell!"

Ash exited the little house with a pink bundle in his arms, rocking it gently. "It's okay, its okay, don't cry anymore. Let's go get some fresh air. Look Belle, isn't it a lovely day?" Misty was in Cerulean City with her sisters. The sisters insisted on having her return for some sibling bonding. In truth they had to have a talk about secrecy. While Misty agreed to her sisters' request of sibling time, Ash took some time off at Pallet Town.

Ash tried to smile soothingly at the Bellsprout in his arms, but was rewarded with a leafy slap. "Bell, bell, bell!" She cried.

"Shh, there, there, don't cry," Ash continued his fruitless effort to comfort the wailing pokemon. A new cap covered his messy hair, which reminded Giovanni of the old cap that was still in his office.

"Persian," Giovanni's loyal companion was there with him as usual. Persian frowned impatiently, hearing the annoying cries of the Bellsprout in the pink blanket. The Bellsprout was by no means a newborn, she was older than Ash.

"Pika!" Pikachu was on the ground next to Ash. He couldn't stand to be perched on his shoulders with the loud Bellsprout in his arms. He pulled his ears down with his front paws and held them down tightly.

"C'mon Bell, you're going to scare off all the customers!" Ash pleaded. He felt his ears ringing from the constant noise. He took notice of just who it was that exited the car parked in front of the house. "Giovanni!" Ash rushed over to greet him. "What a surprise, did you take care of business already? I bet you must have been busy. At least Tempest was apprehended," Ash grinned proudly at that. He couldn't wait to tell Giovanni about how he and Misty stormed the enemy hideout. "Wow, awesome car!"

Before Giovanni could get a word in, Belle became upset that the one who was supposed to console her wasn't paying attention to her. "Bell!" She wailed so loudly that even Giovanni cringed.

"Put her in a pokeball!" Giovanni snapped in annoyance. Why Ash was putting up with that noisy creature was beyond him. The Bellsprout was rather small, light creases had formed under her beady eyes due to her age. Her pink makeup was running all over her yellow head. The pink bow she had tied around her neck was askew. She was a mess.

"I can't," Ash continued trying to calm Belle. He had to raise his voice to be heard over her cries. "Mrs. Alderaan, her old trainer, passed away recently. It's not just a temper tantrum, she's really sad." Ash gave the Bellsprout an understanding look. "Belle tried to wake Mrs. Alderaan yesterday morning and couldn't. She ran out of the house and got mom to follow her. Mom had to get in through the window. She found Mrs. Alderaan still in her room. She looked like she was sleeping, but she was never going to wake up. Mrs. Alderaan took really good care of Belle, so poor Belle is heartbroken. We tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't stop crying. Mrs. Alderaan lived a long and peaceful life, but it's still hard for Belle to accept she's gone."

Giovanni wasn't sure what to say to all that. Leave it to Delia to worry about a crying pokemon and teach Ash to do the same. The Viridian gym leader wanted nothing more but to shove that loud mouth Bellsprout in a pokeball and bury it.

Salvation came in the form of Gary Oak. Ash spotted him heading towards Mrs. Alderaan's house where a few people had gathered. "Wait just a second, I'll be right back." Ash bolted after the other young man, "Gary! Please take care of Bell for a while, alright?" He shoved the pink blanket with the wailing pokemon into Gary's arms.

Gary's expression became pained and annoyed at the noise, "Ash, wait! You can't leave me like this!"

"I have a guest to take care of," Ash excused himself. "Besides, you're the researcher; you should research ways to cure pokemon depression." He dashed across the street back to where Giovanni was.

"You'll pay for this Ash Ketchum!" Gary threatened.

"Thanks!" Ash smiled, not really taking Gary's threat seriously. He watched guiltily as his ex-rival continued towards Mrs. Alderaan's house with the crying Bellsprout in his arms.

"Pikachu..." 'Finally...' The electric pokemon sighed in relief.

"Persian, persian, per per?" Persian inquired, 'is it always like this?'

Pikachu shook his head, "ka chu!" 'No way!' "Pika pi ka chu pi," 'today is a sad day.'

The two pokemon continued their conversation while their respective trainers talked. "It looks like I came in a bad time," Giovanni observed, "maybe I should come back later." Delia would probably want to stay in Pallet Town. It might take a lot to convince her to go with him and help. Plus they still needed to clarify certain things.

"It's okay, mom is at Mrs. Alderaan's house talking to her relatives, but she'll be back soon. You came to see her, didn't you?" At that moment the general situation felt a little odd to Ash. It had not fully sunk in yet that his mother was in a relationship with Giovanni. He suspected it, he even assumed it to be true, yet it didn't fully hit him until then. He was comfortable enough before, caught in the rush of things that were happening. When it all slowed down, an awkward cloud began to form, though one without any hint of resistance or hostility. Ash dissipated it in the only way he knew. "Do you want to have a battle while we wait?"

Giovanni had been waiting to battle Ash; his face showed that he was truly looking forward to it. "Don't hold back," the confident grin the Viridian gym leader was known for overtook his face.

Ash smiled with anticipation, "I won't." He glanced a little way off across the street. "Let's go somewhere else so we don't disturb anyone, or break anything. The Oak research center is big enough to have an all out battle safely. We should go there."

Giovanni opposed no argument as he followed Ash down the street. "Is Samuel Oak still running things? I thought he retired." Giovanni had heard something about the recent discoveries by Professor Oak of Pallet Town. He wondered if that was the same Oak or maybe his son.

"You know Professor Oak?" The awkwardness that had formed disappeared after the battle challenge was accepted. The conversation flowed rather naturally afterwards. "I should have guessed you would know him, since you're the Viridian gym leader and all. The elder Professor Oak retired a few years ago. His grandson, Gary, is taking care of the research now. He's the one I just gave Belle to. Professor Oak still lives there at the lab. Has it been long since you've seen him?"

"Yes, a very long time," Giovanni truthfully replied. "It was probably before you were born."

The comment brought curiosity to Ash. As far as he knew, his mother dated Giovanni and they broke up for reasons unknown to him. Then his mother met his father. They married, Ash assumed they did, then he was born. His father passed away when he was still a baby. His mother was left in a deep sadness and got rid of all traces of his existence. Then Ash grew up not knowing his father beyond vague stories without specifics. He also knew that his mother had been Professor Oak's student in the past. Had Giovanni studied with him too? Was that how they met?

They stopped in front of the stairs within the brick fence, the gates were left open. Giovanni noticed Ash's thoughtful expression. He wondered just how much this young man knew and how much he suspected. Even if Delia had kept certain things hidden, maybe Ash figured things out on his own. "There's something you wanted to say?"

"Um... well," Ash shook his head. "It's nothing, never mind. Let's go see Professor Oak before our battle." Ash felt that he was being a little too invasive. He should be asking his mother the questions about how she and Giovanni met. It might be awkward for Giovanni, who didn't know Ash too well yet, to tell him. Ash hurried up the stairs to the front door, breaking eye contact with Giovanni. Ash felt as if Giovanni was looking right into the depths of his mind. "Professor Oak!" The young man called out from the door before opening it. After so many years of stopping by to see how Gary's research was going, it no longer felt odd to go in without being let in.

Professor Oak made his way out of the laboratory were he was reading over his grandson's latest article. The article was just about ready for publication; Gary just wanted his grandfather to take one last look at it. "Hello Ash," the greeting was cut short when Professor Oak realized just who was with Ash. "Giovanni?" He asked unsure. He never expected Ash to show up one day with Giovanni.

"It's been a long time, Professor Oak," Giovanni's tone was calm and polite.

It brought back memories for Samuel. He remembered when Giovanni came by with Delia long ago. "Ah, yes, a long time indeed," there was an edge to the elderly professor's voice, but it was hard to identify unless it was expected.

"We're going to have a battle," Ash proudly declared. "You don't mind if we battle out in the back, right? It might bother people if we're too noisy on the street. Plus we'll need the space."

"A battle," Professor Oak searched for any signs of real tension or anger on Ash's face. He looked and sounded perfectly cheerful. The stress of the previous day's discovery had since left him. He was still visibly tired from the ordeal of dealing with Belle, but otherwise alright. Professor Oak correctly assumed that Ash had no idea about who Giovanni was to him. "Yes, of course, go on, have fun." He forced himself to smile as casually as possible. As soon as Giovanni and Ash were outside, he would call Delia.

Giovanni and Ash made their way through the peaceful atmosphere behind the laboratory. The large portion of land was covered in lush green grass with trees, bushes and flowers scattered about. Giovanni's attention had already been caught earlier. He needed to know of how much Ash was aware of. "Just say it," he tried to keep his voice calm so as to not discourage the truth. "What you were going to tell me before."

Ash was caught with a thoughtful expression. Again he felt as if Giovanni could read him like a book. He quickly came up with something else to say, "I was going to tell you about Tempest. I saw the news and it said the Saffron City police caught them." Ash pouted, he felt a little cheated at the official version. "I guess the police needs the credibility and all, but Misty and I were the ones that did most of the battling." He paused; he didn't want to sound like a show off. Both his mother and Misty always reminded him not to get too confident whenever he slipped up.

The revelation quickly caught Giovanni's interest and he let his expression show it. "Tell me all about it. I want to hear the details." He already knew about this from the reports, but he wanted to know why Ash felt the need to bring it up.

The request pleased Ash, who smiled cheerfully. He began his narration, "Misty and I heard some suspicious rumors about Tempest being in Saffron City. We went to investigate and saw the Meowth that stole my hat. I'm sure it was the same one from Cerulean City. We chased her down an alley and she led us to the Tempest hideout. From there on it was a great battle!" Ash merrily went over every detail of the battle.

The story took a very interesting turn when Ash explained that he had mistakenly been taken to the police station along with the Tempest members. "Thankfully, the Saffron City mayor showed up and cleared everything up."

"The mayor?" Giovanni wasn't happy to hear about his mother again. "Did you talk to her?" That part was not included in Comet's report since he left with Akira while the battle was still raging.

"Not really, she just came and ordered the officers to let us go," Ash thought back to the mysterious meeting. "Jenny didn't really think we were guilty, she kept saying something about protocols and needing to keep us there. She looked frustrated, but I was too. It was so unfair to be detained for a good deed. Jenny also criticized the higher-ups, I think she meant the mayor, but I think the mayor is a good person. We left right after she made the police set us free. We didn't get to talk much."

"Did she say anything at all that seemed unusual?" Giovanni asked. A Vileplume passed by, minding her own business. She gave the humans one short curious glance before continuing on her way.

"If riddles count as unusual..." Ash recalled. "When she first saw me she said something about my eyes being like 'his' eyes, but that I had a look like 'her'. She said something about trapping those who underestimated me. Maybe she meant Tempest with that last part. I don't know about the first part, she never mentioned who that 'him' and 'her' I reminded her of were." Ash still couldn't understand what that was about. Perhaps it was some kind of profound metaphor. "After we thanked her, she said we didn't really need her help. That was kind of odd."

It was all just like her. Madame had not changed all that much. It became apparent to Giovanni that she must know who Ash is. She knew far too much. "Is that all she told you?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much everything," Ash nodded, "not that I can make any sense of it. Do you know the Saffron mayor?"

"Not too well," Giovanni lied, while at the same time remaining truthful. "I heard she's a very mysterious person, so I was curious."

"She's mysterious alright," Ash agreed. Three Rattata ran near by playing tag, focused on their game.

Persian sighed, "Persian per persian per per." 'What a strange brother I have.'

"Pika?" 'Brother?' Pikachu curiously inquired.

'I mean Ash,' Persian replied in his pokemon language. 'Giovanni and Delia are my parents, adoptive since they're humans and all. That makes Ash my brother I suppose, since they are both his parents.'

"Pi ka chu!" Every syllable came out with surprise.

Pikachu was so loud that Ash had to wonder if there was something wrong. He smiled widely as he came up with an interpretation for Pikachu's outburst. "You're anxious to battle, aren't you Pikachu?"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu flailed his arms around as he shook his head and tried to communicate his discovery. "Pikapi, pika pika!"

'He can't understand a word you're saying,' Persian reminded, of course only Pikachu understood his statement.

'I know but this is big!' Pikachu argued. 'Who is Giovanni really? Just the gym leader? Or is he really with Team Rocket. I suspect he is!' Pikachu continued.

'Yes, but it's not like you can tell anyone,' Persian taunted. He grinned mischievously which made even Giovanni wonder what kind of message he communicated to Pikachu.

Giovanni disregarded his previous thoughts about pokemon being nothing but creatures of battle, he viewed Persian differently anyway. "Meowth would be really helpful right about now," Ash mused aloud, as if he read Giovanni's thoughts.

"Jessie and James' Meowth?" The question came out before Giovanni could think of any consequences it may bring. He didn't know of any other talking Meowth. If he didn't disregard pokemon thoughts and feelings as gibberish or nonexistent so often, Giovanni might have seen the benefits of keeping Meowth around at headquarters.

"Yes, exactly!" Ash exclaimed before realizing what he was saying. "How do you know Jessie and James?" Before Giovanni could reply, Ash remembered his battle at the Viridian gym. He got an earth badge after battling Jessie and James. "Is it because they took over the gym that time years ago while you were away?" Logically Giovanni had to be away, otherwise Team Rocket wouldn't have been able to take over, Ash reasoned. Whoever was left in charge of the gym and kicked out by Jessie and James, must have told Giovanni all about it when he returned, Ash assumed.

Giovanni didn't want his connection to Team Rocket to be discovered by Ash, so he went along with that. "Yes, everything was a mess when I came back. I later heard that Team Rocket had taken over. Apparently, someone defeated them." Giovanni made the connection, "that was you?"

"Yes, Jessie and James were always trying to steal Pikachu. They kept at it for years," Ash revealed. "I'm sorry the gym was left in such bad conditions after the battle." Two Pidgey flew overhead paying the humans no mind.

The fact that Jessie and James had spent so much time and effort trying to capture Ash's Pikachu, made Giovanni realize that Ash was the one causing all their miserable failures over the years. A big part of him was annoyed, but another part was almost amused. Of course those two wouldn't be able to stand up to Ash, he was... his son. It was only starting to finally truly sink in.

"Please don't be mad at them," at that moment Giovanni understood what Ash mentioned about his mother's words. When Ash spoke of the battle with Tempest, Giovanni could see his own eyes reflected in Ash. Now his look reminded him of Delia, forgiving and merciful. "Jessie and James were really troublesome in the past, but they're not bad people anymore. We're friends now."

It was a good thing that Jessie and James, along with most of Team Rocket, still remained unaware of Ash's relation to their leader. "I understand." The simple words were enough to reassured Ash, but Giovanni's thoughts were anything but silent in his head.

"Pikapi pika pi chu!" 'Ash, figure it out!' Pikachu exclaimed as he listened to the conversation between the two humans who were actually father and son. He pouted when Ash failed to interpret the message correctly. 'I'm getting Meowth to help me tell him. He talks like a human.' An Exeggcute group stopped near by, listening curiously.

'That's freaky,' Persian huffed, 'besides, if Ash needed to know anything, mom or dad would have told him already,' he hissed. The Exeggcute hurried away, with one of them lagging behind.

Pikachu had to admit Persian had a point; maybe this was another of those complicated human things. 'Alright, I'll keep quiet.'

"We better start the battle before they start without us," Ash assumed that Giovanni would be sending Persian out to battle, since he appeared to be his main pokemon.

"Show me what an Indigo League champion can do. I expect a real battle, six on six," Giovanni decided. He had brought his original pokemon as well as some new ones he wanted to try out. He was especially looking forward to facing Ash's Charizard and Pikachu in battle.

As Ash prepared to take his position a few feet away from Giovanni, Jigglypuff peeked out from behind a tree near by. She smiled at the audience that was gathered there and looked up at the tree. If she sang from there, they would all be sure to see her. The tree was very hard to climb. Maybe that Persian could help her up, he looked like a good climber. 'Excuse me,' she persistently poked Persian's shoulder with the end of her red marker, which still had the cap on. 'Can you help me get up on that tree branch?' She asked in pokemon language. 'I want to give everyone a good show. Help me get up there, you won't regret it.' She kept poking the annoyed Persian. 'C'mon, help me up, please!'

"Persian!" Persian swung his tail in annoyance, yelling at the pink pokemon to 'go away'. His tail batted her away towards the tree.

Jigglypuff held on to the tree branch, "puff!" Her body grew in size as she pouted with an indignant 'ouch!' She let out the extra air returning to her normal size, 'you could have been a little more gentle.' Then she began to sing, "Jigglypuff, jiggly puff, jigglypuff jiggly!"

Ash had frozen in his movement of throwing out his first pokeball. "Jigglypuff!" He pointed at the pink pokemon on the tree branch.

Giovanni had been ignoring the Jigglypuff. He expected to see random pokemon running around the research area. They had been passed by a Vileplume, three Rattata, a pair of Pidgey and an Exeggcute during their conversation. "What about it? It's not... unusual..." Suddenly, Giovanni felt very sleepy. He looked at Ash. The young man had laid down on the soft grass and was slumbering peacefully. That loud mouth Bellsprout probably kept him up all night. Pikachu had fallen asleep next to Ash. Persian was sleeping too. If only that Jigglypuff would shut up. Giovanni tried to reach Jigglypuff, but he was too tired and fell asleep.

Jigglypuff finished her song to see that her audience had fallen asleep. With an angry, "puff!" She took the cap off her shiny red marker and scribbled all over their faces. Satisfied with her vengeance, Jigglypuff ran off to find a new audience that would listen to her song.

To be Continued

Disclaimer, I don't own Pokemon.