Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Don't Give Me Diamonds ❯ Chapter 28

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Don't Give Me Diamonds

Diamond 94: Give me Reliability

In the parking of the Viridian City gym, Ash's Charizard had just landed near Giovanni. Ash was still on the pokemon's back as he revealed the unexpected dilemma. "Mom's been kidnapped! It was some guy with red hair; I couldn't get a good look at him. He moved so fast, it's like he wasn't even human! I lost them in the forest."

The description fit perfectly, Ash had probably seen number ten. He had been taken by Iblis and might think of Delia as his target, even if he was more wild than rational. "I'll find them," just as Giovanni took his little Rocket cell phone, it rang in his hand. "Is this about Delia and ten?" He immediately asked, then listened to the report from the hidden cameras in the forest. "Don't let him get away!" Another call interrupted, Giovanni noticed on the cell phone screen that it was from Comet, marked as urgent.

xoxox xox xoxox

The crew wagon of the Antilles Oceanus train was quite comfortable. It was large and had plenty of space for the crew's belongings, snacks and so on. It had a couple of tables in the corner with cushioned booths to sit at. Pixel was taking the train to attend a conference in Cerulean City. Misty had boarded with her to return home. She was allowed in because of the link the Waterflowers now secretly shared with Team Rocket. Either way, the cargo of the above ground train held no secrets.

Coincidentally, Jessie and James were on the train as well. They were heading back to Saffron City so they would remain on board past the Cerulean City stop. They would have to wait for the crew to take care of business with the cargo at Cerulean, but it didn't really matter. They had come armed with a handheld videogame, a deck of cards and enough snacks for the journey. Besides, it was free transportation and free things were not to be wasted.

Laiki had gone off to visit Rex and Comet had decided to take a walk around Viridian City before returning to headquarters. He saw the bridge at the edge of the city under which the train would soon pass. He heard the engine as the train started moving out of Viridian City. It wouldn't fully speed up until it was out of the forest area. Coming from the thick forest, Comet spotted a most shocking sight. A man with red hair, holding some significant physical resemblance to himself was running with an unconscious Delia thrown over his shoulder. She had hit her head on a low hanging tree branch during number ten's get away.

Number ten froze upon seeing Comet running towards him. There was something about that particular human that seemed too familiar and it frightened him. Normally, his first instinct would be to destroy, but the woman he carried... there was a mental order telling him to take her to someone, except he didn't know where. The remnants of Iblis' attempt of hypnotism were blurry. Then there was that man running towards him, there was something different yet familiar about him. Number ten didn't like it, he had to get away. He jumped off the bridge and landed on top of the passing train below.

xoxox xox xoxox

Outside of the Viridian gym, "I found ten, he had Delia, they're on Gallade," Comet's voice came from Giovanni's cell phone sounding as if he was running as he spoke. The name of the train was the Green Gallade.

"Don't lose track of them!" Giovanni urged, "I'll be there soon." He sent a signal for his agents to head to the location.

"Did they find mom? Are they getting her back? Where is she?" Ash questioned. It was odd to think of his mother as being safe if she was with Team Rocket.

"Not too far from here," Giovanni released Flygon from his pokeball and jumped on his back, "let's go."

"Right!" Ash followed Giovanni and Flygon on Charizard as they headed towards the train's tracks, following them to the train ahead.

xoxox xox xoxox

In the forest-like area surrounding Giovanni's mansion between Viridian City and Victory Road, Purry and Persian were facing the legendary Bloody Killer. After so many years had past, he no longer possessed all the power he became known for, even if he was still a very deadly opponent. The being growled and went on the attack again. Purry didn't think twice before jumping at the mutant creature with her claws bare. If he managed to push her away, she would get up and fight again.

'This is insane, what is that thing?' Persian was really regretting having gone out for a walk. He would find a way to communicate what had happened to his father. When he found out he would have all of Team Rocket out there to avenge him.

Upon thinking about the situation further, Persian remembered certain things he overheard while half paying attention to the conversations Giovanni was having. That thing was one of the monsters Team Rocket was trying to capture. While the scruffy servant pokemon kept that creature busy, Persian would go and get help. More importantly, he would get someone to prepare a bubble bath for him and sponge off all the filth that stuck to his fur as a result of his annoying little adventure.

With that plan in mind, Persian was about to follow his earlier decision of locating the mansion and running towards it as fast as he could. His dash was interrupted by Purry being thrown several feet away from her opponent, in front of Persian's path. Persian looked back at where the Bloody Killer was wiping away the blood that had fallen in his eyes from the scratches on his head. He seemed unable to completely open one of his eyes.

'Why are you still here?' Purry hissed, getting up once more despite her bruised state. She stumbled upon realizing that one of her hind legs was broken.

Persian shook his head, 'undignified uncivilized-'

'Move!' Purry tackled Persian out of the way of the Bloody Killer's charge.

'Get off,' he growled, one more look at the wild creature that came towards them again was enough to make him stop arguing and climb up the nearest tree.

Purry followed him up the tree, using mostly her front paws to get herself up. Number three was beginning to show signs of fatigue as he tried to climb up the tree and slipped back down. 'Look, we can see the mansion from up here,' she pointed at the portion of the structure's roof that was visible amidst the trees. 'I'll distract him and you can make a run for it.' She paused and glared, 'and I'm not a servant pokemon.'

'Of course you are,' Persian spoke smugly. He wasn't used to being in danger. The situation felt unreal, since he was accustomed to always being by Giovanni's side. Persian thought of his father as the most powerful human in the world, with many humans and pokemon at his command. He was always safe. 'Why else would you be doing all this?'

The Bloody Killer charged at the tree as if trying to knock it down. The tree, which was not one of the thickest around, shook every time the mutant collided with it. It's not like the two pokemon had time to be picky about which tree they climbed. Seeing the blood lust in the mutant's half closed glare, Persian could almost feel his strong grip again. The feeling of danger returned to him and he could no longer push it away. He was always safe with his father, but his father wasn't there.

'Because I... um... I kind of like you,' Purry admitted. This wasn't what she wanted. She was supposed to have evolved into a beautiful Persian before her beloved saw her. There she was, stuck in a tree, looking her worse, with a murderous monster trying to kill them; that was certainly not a romantic setting.

'Don't be ridiculous,' Persian growled as he moved through the branches, looking for the best way to jump to a different tree. He saw a steady branch and walked onto it, then jumped to a neighboring tree. That tree was larger and much sturdier than the first. 'I'm a high class pokemon, my father is the boss of Team Rocket, you have no right to say something like that.'

'Maybe not,' Purry jumped from the relatively small tree to the larger one, trying not to further damage her broken leg. She winced in pain, but refused to cry out, quickly regaining a serious face. 'Right now, like it or not, I'm your only hope. I'm not doing this because I have to, I don't have to and no one can make me. I'm helping you because I want to, no matter how much you may not like it, someone is having mercy on you.'

It didn't matter anymore, even if by some miracle she evolved into a beautiful Persian, he had already seen her at her worse. He would not forget this, he would always think of her as a monster. She felt her eyes water, but this was no time to cry, it was time to fight. Maybe she could allow herself one last indulgence before she accepted the reality, she would never have him. It was just one last little pleasure, one that he would never forgive her for.

Persian's eyes traveled to the growling creature at the base of the tree, trying to climb up. Number three climbed a considerable distance, but slipped off the tree and fell. As he hit the ground on his side, his arm twisted in an unnatural angle, adding to all the mistreatment it received when the mutant was ramming into the other tree. The creature growled and tried to pop his limp right arm back into place to no avail.

Persian shuddered, distracted by the monsters doings below. Then when he least expected it, the scruffy little servant pokemon was too close for comfort. He was about to harshly protest and criticize her for the invasion of his personal space. Perhaps he would even push her away despite the limited space of the tree branch they were on. However, none of those actions could be carried out fast enough. Before Persian knew what in the world was going on, Purry kissed him, then leapt off the tree.

Purry landed on three paws, keeping her broken leg from getting further damaged. The mutant stopped trying to fix his arm and went on the attack, while Purry skillfully dodged, despite the pain, even getting a few extra scratches in. Up in the tree Persian was shocked. He finally recovered enough to start yelling at the top of his lungs about the uncivilized, impulsive unworthy creature and her unforgivable actions, for which his father would certainly make her pay.

Persian's voice called the mutant's attention back to the tree. He momentarily ceased the attack on Purry and tried to climb the tree again. However, all hope of accomplishing the task had already been lost when his right arm became immobile. Number three glared at the Persian up in the tree and growled at him one more time before turning his attention to the Meowth on the ground. She wasn't where she had been a second ago.

The Bloody Killer spun around looking for his prey, only to have her jump on his head from one of the branches above. She had made good use of the distraction to climb up another tree and get ready to attack. 'Go now!' Purry hissed.

Persian knew it was his only chance to get back home and away from this mess. He would never run off on his own again. He jumped down from the tree and gracefully landed on his feet. He looked back only once, wondering why in the world that Meowth fought so hard. She should know she was a low ranked servant pokemon and that she would be so, no matter what she did. It didn't make sense to him that she would try so hard if she claimed she didn't feel she had to, why would she want to? What did she hope to accomplish if he had clearly already rejected her? He decided not to try to make sense of that stubborn Meowth's strange behavior and just get out of there. He ran in the direction of the mansion as fast as he could.

After Persian was gone, Purry had her paws full with the fight. The Bloody Killer was clearly tired, his left eye remained closed and his right arm didn't move. None the less, he kept throwing punches and kicks desperately, as if he rather rip himself to pieces than let all of his prey escape. He had already lost one of them and that was too much. The mutant's right fist collided with the base of a tree as Purry dodged the hit. He tried to kick her and succeeded in reaching her as she dashed to the side. She was thrown several feet back out of breath with a few broken ribs.

The momentum of the hard kick was too much and the mutant stumbled to the ground, his head hitting a rock. He took the bloodied rock, not caring about his injuries, and threw it. Purry rolled out of the way of the rock and further damaged her ribs with the sudden movement. The mutant was trying to get back on his feet. His ankle, which he had twisted earlier when he fell off the tree, finally gave in and broke as he placed his weight on it while trying to get up. The creature screamed loudly and panted heavily. He would have his prey even if it killed him.

xoxox xox xoxox

Not too far from the battle of mutant versus pokemon, Rex was searching for Persian. If Giovanni found out his precious pokemon disappeared from the mansion, the entire staff would be in big trouble. He didn't exactly disappear though, he was caught by the security cameras jumping over the fence and leaving. That new PorygonZ that began to inhabit the system for additional security let him go, understanding that the master's favored pokemon was free to go in and out as he pleased. The PorygonZ, codenamed Quartz, informed Rex of Persian's departure by showing him the images on the screen when the butler inquired about it.

There were also other PorygonZ that had recently begun to inhabit the Rocket security systems for constant live monitoring against hackers and viruses. The idea was inspired by Prism, who was currently a Porygon2 partnered with Pixel. The main PorygonZ of the Viridian Rocket base was codenamed Ruby. Ruby, Quartz and all the other Rocket system PorygonZ answered to the leader PorygonZ, Diamond. Diamond's color was predominantly blue were PorygonZ were usually pink. The pokemon was constantly trained and given new data to keep it ahead of all other technology outside of Team Rocket. Diamond inhabited the main Rocket satellite in orbit.

"Persian! Persian!" Rex called out as he searched the forest area surrounding the mansion. "Persian, please come back!"

Laiki had gone to visit Rex and arrived to find the mansion staff in a panic because Persian was out on his own. Annoyed that her date was ruined, she joined Rex in the search. "He's not a baby," she insisted, trying to soothe his seemingly purposeless panic. "Persian's a big boy. He can go for a walk on his own and come back on his own just fine. He was probably fed up with everyone getting in his face all the time."

As Laiki was trying to calm Rex, Persian bolted towards them from between some bushes. "Persian, he's injured!" Rex rushed towards the pokemon followed by Laiki.

"He's not injured," she concluded after a quick examination to the precious pokemon. "He's just a bit dirty and a little bruised and scratched, but not really what I would call injured. I'm sure he'll look a lot better after a nice warm bath."

Loud noises were heard from near by, "that sounds like a fight, do you think it was wild pokemon that got him into this state?" Rex inquired and Persian hissed, saying something in his own language.

Laiki interpreted Persian's attempt at communication in her own way, "I guess so and it looks like someone wants vengeance. Hitmonchan could use some exercise." Laiki released her pokemon from his pokeball and pointed forward in the direction from where Persian had come, "charge!" She ran ahead followed by Hitmonchan, who was quick to catch up and take the lead.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Rex followed them, along with a vexed and curious Persian.

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Purry had been fighting the mutant the entire time Persian was gone. The urban legend just didn't give up even if he was clearly exhausted. His breathing was harsh and labored and his movements were getting clumsier. Even so, he was still strong, but Purry was determined to win. With a final burst of power, the Meowth glowed brightly as her body began to change. She was larger though still slightly smaller than Giovanni's Persian. All her pain and injuries were gone and her bones had somehow mended.

Purry had feared that evolution wouldn't turn her into a refined creature and thus unconsciously held back. Now she had nothing to lose, evolution or not, she had already been rejected as she was not born high classed. She had nothing left to fear and let the power surround her in a burst of energy and light. After spending time with Peachy, Purry had mastered a few electric attacks. With a bright light and powerful atmosphere, she released a massive thunderbolt that finally knocked out number three.

Some rustling in the bushes were heard and a Hitmonchan arrived. A voice called out, "wait for me," alerting Purry that a human was approaching. Neither the pokemon nor the human were strangers to Purry. That Hitmonchan was Laiki's pokemon, so it must be her who was following after him. Maybe Persian was with her, but Purry didn't want to face him again, she had resolved to give up on him.

The next one to emerge from the vegetation was Persian himself. As if answering to her well practiced secret stalker reflexes, Purry immediately ran for cover. He saw her as she dashed away and she thought she heard him say something, but she didn't stop.

Laiki arrived at the scene, "don't run off without your trainer like that, Chan," she was about to say something to Persian who had also run ahead, but stopped upon seeing the unconscious mutant on the ground. She was already on the phone with headquarters when Rex caught up to the group.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile, Jessie, James, Misty and Pixel were in the crew wagon of the Antilles Oceanus Cargo train, Green Gallade. "Is it just me, or are we going backwards?" Misty asked as she felt the shift in movement.

"Maybe they forgot something," James offered. None of them rode that train regularly, no one except the crew did. Thus it was hard to tell if the occurrence was normal or not. Yet it seemed out of place that they would forget something and have to go back for it.

Suspicious noises were heard overhead, as if someone was running on the train's roof. "What's that?" Jessie looked up instinctively, though her eyes could add nothing to the apparent presence that her ears had perceived.

"I'll go ask," Pixel got up and left the table where the group was sitting. She headed to the control cabin and found that the conductor looked rather nervous. "Is something wrong?"

"It had to happen now," the conductor muttered.

Pixel had noticed a few crew members coming and going through the train's wagons, but thought little of it until those noises became more noticeable, closer. "What's wrong?"

"He's out there," the conductor whispered, his uniform was the standard forest green of all Antilles Oceanus employees, regardless of if they worked on land or the sea. The sea was the biggest trade route, with a train on each region that distributed the cargo that was not picked up at the ports. "A dangerous enemy of Team Rocket known as number ten. No one knows who or what he is, except of course the higher ranks. We were warned about him and recently received communication that he was here, right on top of this train. We're staying in the forest's cover until the situation is resolved. It just had to happen now when we have such an important guest on board. I'm sure you already know this, but Misty Waterflower is Ash Ketchum's fiance. He's the son of Delia, whom the boss is dating."

One set of footsteps stopped on top of the control cabin and another kept approaching, then stopped suddenly, a little further back. There was a voice and some growls, but it was too muffled by the train's structure to be understood. The train came to a full stop in the middle of the forest. "I better go out and help," Pixel went back to the crew wagon along with the conductor.

The conductor was quick to apologize, "I'm sorry for this delay, we're having a few small technical difficulties. Please don't worry; we should be on our way to Cerulean City again soon."

"Right... Jessie, James, since we're in Team Rocket and all, we should go give them a hand," Pixel hinted.

"Wait a minute," Misty found the entire situation to be very suspicious, "what's really going on?"

Jessie and James looked confused, so Misty looked at Pixel for answers. The blue haired girl thought of her options for a moment then shrugged, "what's to stop you from going out and taking a look? You're on our side anyway. Have you ever heard the legend of the Bloody Killer? There's someone similar on the loose and we need to catch him. I'm off to the battle field." Without further explanations, Pixel exited the train.

Jessie and James didn't seem to know much about the situation, but remembered receiving a warning to be on the look out for a supposed criminal that was apparently on Team Rocket's black list. "Let's go, this will be our chance to do something big!" Jessie was full of determination as she rushed out of the train.

"Wait for me!" James called after her and quickly followed.

Seeing that everyone was going out, Misty rushed out as well, ignoring the conductor asking her to stay inside the train. She was still confused about the current occurrences, but came up with her own theories. If the one they were trying to capture was similar to the horrific urban legend, then that would mean he was a serial killer. She had heard about gangs being protective of their territory. Maybe he committed a crime in Team Rocket's territory and that's why they were trying to capture him. If he really was so bad he had to be stopped, it didn't matter if it was by Team Rocket or the police.

Outside of the train, a man with red hair stood atop the motionless train's engine. A few feet back was Comet. Misty gasped as she realized who the woman the criminal was holding hostage was, "Delia!" To further add to her worries, Delia seemed to be unconscious.

Giovanni spotted the train among the thick vegetation of the Viridian Forest. Flygon hurried towards the engine and stopped next to Comet. Ash followed on Charizard, stopping on Comet's other side. It seemed they were at a stand still with number ten threatening to break Delia's neck. The mutant twitched occasionally as if it was difficult to maintain his focus.

"He's losing it," Comet quietly warned, he could see it in the mutant's eyes. What little perception the creature had of the world around him was slowly fading away.

"Iblis' hypnotism must be wearing off," Giovanni reasoned. He understood that the knowledge of being surrounded would do little to tilt the situation in their favor. Giovanni's cell phone rang, causing number ten to growl.

Ash kept trying to reason with him, telling him to let his mother go. His words were lost to a being that couldn't truly understand them.

xoxox xox xoxox

Diamond 95: Give me Tranquility

At the Viridian Forest, the Green Gallade, a cargo train belonging to Antilles Oceanus, had stopped. There was a dangerous hostage situation on top of it, with number ten threatening an unconscious Delia. Giovanni and Ash had just arrived on Flygon and Charizard. Jessie, James, Misty and Pixel, who had been riding on the train, were there as well as Comet, who had followed number ten. The train was surrounded by Rocket agents and pokemon, but number ten didn't seem to care.

Giovanni received an urgent message on his cell phone from Luke, 'Dude, Giovanni, Binks like kept saying he like had to like help, you know?' Even in cases of emergency, Luke's speech and writing remained the same, he was so used to it, he simply couldn't communicate in any other way. 'He like says we have to like make ten like go to sleep again, man!' Not focusing on the possibility of Luke being on his way with Binks, instead Giovanni thought of the other piece of information. Noticing the commotion, the bug pokemon of the forest under the command of Queen had surrounded the train as well. The loyal Beedrill flew near Giovanni awaiting his orders.

As Ash watched the scene before him, his mother being held hostage by that unknown, yet familiar looking man, he could almost see something else in his mind. He didn't go find his father; instead he desperately searched for his mother, even if he somehow knew it would be easier to call for help in the search. He had doubts, he didn't know how to face his father, he didn't know if he could trust him. Then by chance he saw the kidnapper with Delia and chased them on Charizard. The timing was different, they were outside of the forest, it had taken him longer to find them. The train was moving away from Viridian City at full speed. Ash's plans to meet Giovanni had been different, the Rocket leader was not there and neither was Comet. The timing and location of several people had varied by seconds, causing an indirect chain reaction like a scene from an alternate timeline that was overwritten.

Ash approached the kidnapper hastily because of how much he wanted to save his mother. Then something in the creature snapped. He threw the unconscious Delia in front of the train and the collision killed her. The mutant then relentlessly attacked Ash and his Charizard. Ash was horrified as he tried to get by the creature and to his mother. The train had stopped, but her body was several feet away, thrown far by the impact. She was dead, killed by an enemy of Team Rocket, killed by a train of Team Rocket's allies, killed by a creature that he knew than and there wasn't human. She died because of Team Rocket. Then as if that pain wasn't already too much to bear, Charizard was gravely injured trying to protect him.

Ash snapped awake and tried to hold on more solidly to the present, to reality. He didn't know where that vision came from. He didn't understand the anger, frustration, pain and distrust that he could sense within himself for a moment, before it all faded into nothingness. He did trust his father to sincerely wish to save his mother, to truly care about her. Was that vision what would have been if he had not gained that trust? Had that mysterious Persian truly changed history? It was as if that vision of the horrors that could have been was something he saw due to his special aura, even if it was something that never happened as far as the current history went.

A soft breeze was felt, but unlike a natural one which came from a set direction, that soft current of wind seemed to circle around in the air. Ash noticed that they were being surrounded by sleep powder. The powder was all around, rather than directed only at him, so number ten didn't realize right away he was being attacked. His pursuers kept the same distance so he didn't react soon enough and began to give into sleep.

"The air currents of the forest..." Ash softly whispered, he was fascinated by the fact that he was surrounded by sleep powder, but at the same time it remained far enough from him to not affect him. The soft air currents around them were enough to create a sort of protective bubble of gentle wind, shielding the Rockets from the sleep powder. "I didn't even know this was possible." Then a thought occurred to Ash, of course the forest would be heavily guarded with well trained pokemon, it was like a shield protecting Viridian City, where the gym was, the gym that truly belonged to Team Rocket.

"I'll keep him distracted, sneak up on him," Giovanni's voice was barely audible and he kept his eyes on Delia. He gave Queen, the Beedrill leading the pokemon army, some more quiet instructions.

Ash jumped off the train, seeing that the bubble of air remained around him. He noticed a younger Beedrill following him; it was Prince, Queen's son. He walked around the train to the front as the mutant fell to his knees and began to lose his grip on Delia. Ash took back his mother and jumped backwards off the train to the ground below.

Ash heard the mutant growl, but he was already too tired and fell asleep, almost slipping off the front of the train. "Delia," to Ash's surprise, Giovanni, who had been on the other side of the wagon not long ago, had already joined him in front of the train.

"It's Zoroark!" Jessie called out suddenly, directing everyone's attention to the approaching pokemon. The Rockets were quick to surround her.

"Wait!" Ash insisted loudly, "don't try to catch her, let her come over here."

Giovanni observed the Zoroark with puzzlement, "that pokemon comes and goes in the fall almost every year. She's very hard to catch and has managed to escape every time."

Ash left the unconscious Delia with Giovanni and approached the Zoroark, who was now only a few feet away from them. "There's something different about you. You're definitely not like other pokemon." It wasn't simply the unusual violet coloring of her mane, where normally Zoroark would have red. It was something about her energy; it was different, similar to the energy of a human. The Zoroark looked towards Delia and continued approaching. "I think she wants to help," Ash walked with her back to Delia and Giovanni.

"What could a pokemon do? We need to get her to a doctor," Giovanni was confused by the pokemon's behavior, but he wasn't about to entrust Delia's health to her.

"It's okay," Ash insisted. "We should let her try, I can't really explain it, but there's something very special about this Zoroark."

Giovanni looked at the pokemon again; she did indeed seem to have a distinctly familiar presence. It wasn't simply because she had escaped from him before, this was something else entirely, something that had been all but forgotten, "alright."

The Zoroark placed her right paw on Delia's forehead and emitted a soft glow that surrounded her. Delia's breathing turned deeper and more even, as if she was sleeping rather than knocked out. The Zoroark stepped back, indicating that she was done.

"Delia?"

"Mom?"

Delia slowly opened her eyes to find that she was safe with Ash and Giovanni. She blinked away the remaining sleep and fully woke up. "Ash, Giovanni, what happened? I remember being taken from Pallet Town and through the forest, then I hit my head, but it doesn't hurt anymore."

"You're okay!" Ash cheered, "dad and I came to get you and Zoroark healed you," he smiled, truly relieved that his mother was alright. "Team Rocket captured the kidnapper, it's okay now."

"You both came to save me together?" Delia couldn't help it but to smile at the thought, her previous worries disappearing for that moment, "thank you." It wasn't just for being rescued, but for Ash and Giovanni to have been able to work together.

It seemed that things were calming down after all, so Misty finally looked at her cell phone that had been insistently vibrating in her pocket the whole time. The call originated from the Cerulean gym. "Hi, I was just on my way back home, but I might take a bit longer."

"Don't come," Violet's worried voice insisted, "all the pokemon at the gym are like sick. The symptoms came slowly and we didn't like fully notice what was going on until now. They're all sick, it's just like in Lavender, Saffron and Vermilion, Fuchsia too, Cerulean is becoming like that."

"Then the epidemic reached that far?" Everyone had been hoping for a cure, some going as far as saying that it was the same epidemic from years ago with some minor changes and that a new version of the same antidote might work. However, the research had thus far proven fruitless. The moment of relief was cut short for Misty by the terrible news.

To make matters worse, number ten suddenly snapped awake, growling loudly. After experiencing being awake for much longer than ever before in his existence, he didn't want to give into unconsciousness again. His angry growls caught everyone's attention as the Rocket agents that were taking him prisoner were harshly thrown several feet away. "Don't let him escape!" Giovanni ordered.

The Rockets that had gathered released their pokemon in a bright display of power. Several different elements crashed against the rampaging mutant, fire, electricity, poison, water, ice, beams of light and darkness. Yet nothing stopped him as he struggled against the elements, breaking free of the nets that were shot at him from bazookas. In the middle of the chaos, number ten spotted his genetic twin. No longer afraid, the mutant ran towards Comet filled with hatred and jealousy. Comet didn't try to step out of the creature's path, instead ready to put up a fight, however, Zoroark jumped in front of him.

Number ten paused and stared at the mysterious pokemon at the same time that Luke and Binks arrived. "Don't be so hasty, Comet," Binks advised, "a human cannot fight a monster alone, being human is both our greatest strength and our greatest weakness."

Luke observed the mutant, he immediately saw the resemblance between him and Comet, "is it like really like our choice..." to say who is human and who is not? He didn't finish his question.

Among the attacks, the chaos, the confusion and the tension, Zoroark stepped forward and in a fast, nearly imperceptible movement, she snatched the mutant by the throat, squeezing him tightly. Seeing their target immobilized, the Rocket pokemon got ready to launch what they hoped was the final attack combining their power. "Wait," They paused upon their leader's voice, "capture number ten, but don't hit Zoroark." He voiced what Delia, Ash and several others would have spoken in seconds had he not given the order first.

Casting one last glance in Binks' direction, Zoroark disappeared; she vanished into thin air, teleporting the mutant away with her. No one was expecting her to do that. The chaos seemed to be over for the time being, but it left behind a feeling of approaching danger and confusing helplessness.

xoxox xox xoxox

For the next few days, nothing was known of the whereabouts of number ten and Zoroark. Binks insisted that Zoroark was the key to ending the new epidemic that affected pokemon. "First you said the cure was with Aayla and now this?" Giovanni clearly had no more patience left for Binks as the group headed away from the train and back to the Viridian Headquarters after their encounter with number ten.

"Zoroark is Aayla," Delia finally stated after a long silence with more certainty than she herself thought possible. "When she healed me I could feel it, she's the same person." Her memories went back to an old program she watched years ago late into the night when she couldn't sleep. Ash had just left in his journey and she had not yet met Mimey. It was a rerun of an old unsolved mysteries show.

That particular episode spoke of a strange creature that resembled both a human and a pokemon, being spotted in several locations at different times. First it was Cinnabar Island, then the area near Fuchsia City. At later dates other locations were mentioned, but the so called evidence was extremely blurry at best. Only the enthusiasts that were obsessed with proving the existence of the mythological part human and part pokemon creatures known as gijinka paid serious attention to such findings. It made Delia wonder if the rumored gijinka was Aayla during the time when she was undergoing her transformation.

Needless to say, Ash and Misty, who had returned to the Viridian gym with Giovanni and Delia, understood little about what was going on, though Ash remembered his mother mentioning Aayla in her stories of the past. Little was explained other than the possibility of Aayla being Zoroark. It was incredible, but with all the unbelievable things that Ash and Misty had seen in their journey, they took the prospect with an open mind. Jessie and James were given some additional instructions to stay alert and sent on their way back to Saffron City for the time being.

Ash and Misty remained in the above ground guest area of the Viridian Gym, while below ground the scientists ran around trying to figure out how to more efficiently fight the illness. Their studies and research had been going on for quite some time, but had so far yielded no definite results. Giovanni was informed about the capture of number three, which remained a secret from most others except Delia and a select few Rocket agents, including Comet and Pixel. Though the doctors in service of Team Rocket tried to keep him alive for research, number three's body had already aged too much, too fast, and could never recover. With his passing, another dark secret of Team Rocket died.

xoxox xox xoxox

The overall atmosphere settled into routine uncertainty, yet there was a certain frightening calm to it. The world seemed to be quiet, but not a peaceful quiet, it was more so similar to the silence of death. It was not the relief of a solution, but the tranquility of resignation. The feeling was not shared by everyone, certainly not by Ash. On a quiet fall afternoon, as the change in seasons began to truly be felt, Ash sat on the edge of the bed in a guest room at the Viridian gym, watching Misty sleep. She had not gone back to Cerulean City, as it was her sisters' and Brock's insistence. She wanted to go and help take care of the pokemon, but dared not risk infecting those that had a chance of escaping from the illness in her current team.

With Givan and Dia gone, so was their influence, thus the cure that could spread much like a virus, was no longer there. As for Aayla's version of the cure, though more powerful, it didn't spread by itself in its current state. Furthermore, Aayla could not muster the energy to call upon her healing powers more than a few times every day. Wherever she may be, as her whereabouts were still unknown, there currently wasn't a lot she could do.

Ash gently brushed a strand of red hair away from Misty's face, softly tracing the line of moisture left by her unconscious worried tears. Regardless of how much power and influence Team Rocket had, what good was it if they couldn't save the pokemon? Plus there was still so much he didn't understand. There were so many missing pieces of the puzzle that he realized he couldn't yet begin to reach a conclusion about what the final picture would be like. He looked at Pikachu and nodded, prompting the yellow pokemon to jump on his shoulders as he left the room. Misty's sleep had been quite uneasy and she was overdue for that afternoon nap. It was her choice not to speak of the situation in Cerulean City to anyone except Ash. She thought it would only bring worries that could not be solved. Everyone already knew how bad the situation was, pointing out that her family was so directly involved in it would only make things worse and summon stress that would not help the situation.

Ash made his way around the upper floor of the gym, hearing his mother's voice down the hall. She held a little black cell phone with a red R as she spoke. "Please try your best there. The communication channels have been set so you can share results with the personnel over here. Let's hope a cure is discovered soon." She must be talking to Professor Oak or Gary, Ash concluded.

Binks, that thin scientist from Team Rocket had gone to Pallet Town. The minds of Samuel and Gary Oak were added to the research team. Though they would not work side by side with the Rocket scientists aside from Binks, the laboratories would be in constant communication sharing results. It was done in hopes that the comparison of two separate and diverse investigations would reveal something that either one alone could not.

After ending her call, Delia noticed Ash standing quietly in the hallway with a somewhat lost expression. "Ash? Are you okay?" She knew he wasn't, no one was feeling okay, but she needed to know how he was handling everything. She thought he would be resting with Misty for a while longer.

"As okay as I could be," Ash honestly replied, "Misty fell asleep, she's exhausted. I've been hearing rumors and news about this now and then for a while," he was referring to the new epidemic. "We never really talked about it much, there was a lot going on and it was such a sad topic. Not talking about it doesn't make it go away. It's ironic when we think that bad things only happen to other people. They could be good people and it could be very sad, but it's different when it hits so close to home, when it happens to someone dear."

"Ash..." Delia hugged her son with one arm, holding her baby Swablu in the other. "Never lose hope, that's been life's biggest lesson to me. Never ever lose hope no matter how bad things may look."

Ash leaned into his mother and allowed her to console him like when he was a small child. She gently caressed his wild dark hair. "It's hard to wait. If I could do something I could at least be kept busy with trying. It's strange, everything is so quiet, but it's not calm, it's..." it's dead, "it's as if everyone is losing hope, I won't..."

"That's right, we need to stay strong," Delia encouraged. She read something in her son's eyes, a mix of curiosity and uncertainty. "Were you looking for your father?"

Ash nodded, "things have gotten so busy that we haven't had the chance to talk more than a little. I understand and I'm glad Team Rocket is doing something about this. I just wish I could help the situation too."

As Delia and Ash were talking, Giovanni appeared at the end of the hallway, heading towards his gym office on the other side. Delia, who was facing in his direction, saw him first. With a few seconds of eye contact she seemed to convey a message that a thousand words could not. "We will all do anything we can," her words were left ambiguous, yet carried a lot of meaning that left room for thought. That was what not losing hope was about, to do all that one could. "It's Swablu's snack time now," with those words, Delia excused herself, giving the father and son time to talk. "Do you want to come too, Pikachu?"

"Pika," the loyal electric companion nudged Ash, who petted his soft yellow fur. He then jumped on Delia's shoulder and left with her and Swablu.

As if following a silent agreement, Ash and Giovanni walked to the office and sat down on the couch. It was the same place where Delia had sat when she returned after so many years. She had given him pieces of a confession and left Giovanni to come up with all sorts of wild theories. Though that time wasn't too long ago in comparison to the distant past of their youth before Ash's birth, those years from long ago somehow felt closer than the time of confusion that happened more recently. He had began to trust Delia again at some point, just like before, or perhaps he gave into the knowledge that deep down he might have never been able to truly forget her. They were together again, but like many times before, new challenges stood in front of them.

There was also the uncertainty and curiosity of Ash. The young man shifted in his seat and observed the office, taking in every tiny detail of it, as if he were trying to memorize it. Giovanni suddenly got up, which made Ash's eyes go from exploring the office, to focus on his father. "Are you busy?"

Giovanni was reminded about how Delia asked him if he was busy. Even if she had things to say, even if she wanted to spend time with him, she would still often first ask if he was busy. "I'm always busy, but you can say what's on your mind." He opened up a tall drawer that looked as if it could contain an assortment of folders. In truth, papers had become rare over the years as technology grew and Giovanni's business ventures became further digitalized. The Viridian gym leader took a red item out of the otherwise empty drawer. The item was not immediately noticed by Ash, the only other current occupant of the office.

Ash considered his words. He knew he wanted to speak to his father, but had so many questions that his thoughts jumbled up into a mess that couldn't be translated into words. He stared at the floor in intense concentration. His train of thought came to a full stop when something was placed upon his head. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Giovanni take a seat on the couch next to him again. Ash almost reluctantly reached for the item on his head and brought it into his view. He smiled at the familiar old red material with white in the front and the old Pokemon League symbol, which had been since upgraded over the years. He found the will to smile sincerely once more and saw immeasurable hope in that small detail, "thank you."

Giovanni couldn't help it but to find a certain fondness in the scene. "You really are a lot like Delia; the smallest things seem to cause such a big change."

"You kept my hat safe for me; you took care of something that was important for me even if I know you don't really like it all that much. I'm happy because that means you thought of me," Ash returned the precious hat to his head. He was feeling comfortable, as if it had an almost magical effect over him. He leaned back on the couch and let out a breath, closing his eyes for a moment. "I just remembered, I haven't thanked you for the car yet, it's really cool. The design is different from other cars I've seen. It's almost like it could be a secret spy's car in a movie."

"Almost," Giovanni agreed, "but your mother would disapprove of I had left the missiles in it, so I had those removed. The mechanism is still there, just without the ammo."

Ash paused, examining Giovanni's expression. The young man blinked twice before his surprised uncertainty turned to knowing amusement. "Can we load it up with fireworks?"

"That's an option," Giovanni agreed, though he knew there were other more important things that Ash wanted to talk about. He seemed to be enjoying the small talk, but that would only cause him to be distracted and not say what he truly meant to say. Ash would leave it for later like Delia or just bottle it up like him. "What was it that you wanted to tell me before?"

"A lot, but at the same time no specific thing," Ash confessed. "I guess I just want to know more. I got to know you as the gym leader first, then as the secret leader of Team Rocket. Both are only a portion of who you are and there's a lot more I still don't know; I can sense it. I feel it, a strong ambition it's something..." Ash paused, looking into his father's eyes wondering if he should go on. Giovanni nodded, prompting him to continue, "it's something mom told me to watch out for. I don't know why I didn't sense it before. Maybe I focused so much on the part of you that you were showing, the part I wanted to see more of, that I missed all your other aspects. Or maybe... maybe it all depends on which part is directed to whom."

xoxox xox xoxox

Diamond 96: Give me Affection

Ash and Giovanni were alone in his gym office. It was a strange sensation unlike anything Giovanni had ever felt before. Delia had her ways to make him talk, an inexplicable charm that made it difficult to keep secrets, as if he longed to feel her understanding without realizing it. Her gaze was soft, almost hypnotizing, delicately tugging at his defenses until the doors opened with the most gentle push. Ash's eyes seemed to carry a certain fire in them that spoke of a curiosity much more impatient than Delia's. It was an intensity, hidden beyond a curtain of caring understanding, that could knock the door down like a thousand hyper beams. Delia asked to look into his soul and somehow always managed to be granted passage. Ash seemed to possess the key to look into anyone's soul without having to ask. "What are you doing?" He couldn't look away from his son's eyes.

"I wanted to see," Ash replied in a whisper. "Sorry if I'm being a little invasive, I just wanted to see it, the color of your soul. It's not really a color in the usual sense; it's a feeling, a sensation. It's hard to explain. It's a mix of many aspects, many different characteristics and sides. I know that you won't give up on accomplishing your goals by any means. I also know that not everything is black and white; I think I understand like mom does. One similarity can be stronger than ten differences at times and different paths may overlap just enough. Does that sound strange?"

"Not at all," Giovanni admitted, "I just didn't expect you to say something so... deep. Some time ago I researched many legends looking for rare pokemon and new power. That led to certain discoveries, though they didn't all really take off. I remember a legend about the Aura Guardians. I never really looked too deeply into that one; it seemed to be more myth than reality. Just now I remembered that, I'm not sure why."

"That's what it is, but I never really formally trained so I don't consider myself to be an expert," Ash revealed. "Sometimes when I focus and let my energy flow, I can sense things, see beyond what I normally see. There are times when it helps me understand and times when I end up with more things to be confused over, feelings and thoughts that might not immediately match the given situation, words and actions. Later, it slowly falls into place and it's easier to understand. They say every person is a whole world, I think this might be what they mean."

xoxox xox xoxox

Giovanni's Persian had been returned to his trainer after the symptoms of the mysterious illness disappeared. The humans were unaware that it was Aayla who had healed him. Instead of sitting next to the gym leader as he usually did, he had taken a walk through the underground Viridian Rocket base to satisfy his curiosity. He peeked into the infirmary, where three Rockets were entertained by their conversation as well as doing various things simultaneously, such as playing handheld video games and looking up celebrity gossip online.

A female Pikachu with a blue bow on her left ear, approached Persian at the door. 'Are you looking for someone?' She asked curiously while holding a bowl of chocolate ice-cream with marshmallows on one paw and a spoon on the other.

'Of course not. why would I be looking for anyone among you servant pokemon?' Persian huffed; he didn't understand his own curiosity to know if the odd Meowth who had helped him was alright. She simply disappeared. As for the female Persian he saw for a split second, she was too far away to be recognizable, moving too quickly and disappearing among the vegetation. He had no idea who she could have been and was beginning to think she was only a dream. It had been quite an exhausting day, which fueled the idea of the mysterious female Persian being only a figment of his imagination and nothing more.

Peachy pouted, 'we're not servants! If you're mean I'm electrocuting you!'

Persian threw his head back in superior indifference, 'you wouldn't dare.' No sooner had those words, spoken in pokemon language, left Persian's mouth; a blast of electricity collided with him at point blank. The heat from the electricity quickly melted the ice-cream. A portion of melted chocolate ice-cream flew from the bowl propelled by the aftershock and landed on the classy pokemon's face. 'You!' He hissed.

Peachy hissed right back, "chu!"

By then the humans were well aware of the happenings and Pixel tried to interfere. "Peachy, you shouldn't pick a fight with the boss' pokemon; you'll get me into trouble." The blue haired girl picked up her pokemon and held her away from the Rocket boss' spoiled pokemon. "Come sit over here and finish your ice-cream, it's already melted, unless you don't want it..."

As Peachy was placed on a chair, she held the lime green bowl protectively. "Pi!" There was no way she would turn down delicious food. She resumed her meal, shoveling away the melted chocolate ice-cream and static-filled marshmallows. Ironically, though she ate quickly, she was somehow perfectly neat and not a single drop of melted brown landed on her pristine yellow glossy fur.

Persian remained dissatisfied with the disrespect and approached Peachy looking for revenge. "A word of advice," Comet warned, "don't make Peachy mad. She's all sweet, cuddly and friendly, but if you get in her bad side, she's deadly."

Persian bared his claws and hissed at Comet. 'This is none of your business!'

"Don't go showing me your claws mister, or I might have to pay you back for last time," Comet petted the top of Persian's head, messing up his fur just to bother him.

"Last time?" Laiki curiously and nosily asked. "What do you mean last time and why haven't I heard about this?"

Comet stepped out of the way of Persian's lazy slash, with which the classy pokemon wasn't even trying to hit him. "It was years ago," the young man pushed his hair back, running his fingers through it in search of something, "right there." Barely perceptible under his red hair there was a cut-like scar that anyone would have trouble seeing unless they knew exactly where to look for it. "It's one of life's earliest lessons, one of the first few things I vividly remember. I was still small back then, dad went to Giovanni's office to discuss something," probably about keeping him out of the lab and raising him as a son, rather then an experiment. "I didn't really understand what they were talking about. Either way, my attention was on Persian, then a Meowth. He was the first pokemon I ever saw as far as I remember. I pulled on his tail and he scratched me."

"Picking a fight with the boss' pokemon, you were such a little trouble maker." Laiki laughed as she kneeled down to clean Persian's face. "There, there, your majesty, all clean."

Persian huffed in indignation as a response. He glanced around the infirmary deciding that he would ignore the humans and the Pikachu. She was having the audacity to ignore him after all, as if drinking a bowl of melted ice-cream was so much more interesting than him. There was a Charmeleon in the room too, though he remained sound asleep with a pair of headphones upon his head, playing music and blocking out all other noises. Peeking out of a more spacious section of the infirmary, there was a Gyarados, he was awake, but didn't seem to be in the mood to do much else than lie there until something that caught his interest occurred.

A young Absol, still basically a baby, was playing with a yellow tennis ball, batting it away with his paw against the wall. The ball bounced off the white surface towards the small Absol, who sent it flying against the wall again. There was also a Scyther, a young adult like the other pokemon present. Prism was also there, but she was in Pixel's computer where she liked to spend most of her time, thus out of sight. "Are you looking for Purry?" Rykros boldly asked.

Persian didn't reply, instead giving him a look of confusion and annoyance upon the insistence that he might be looking for someone. He was indeed looking for her, but he wasn't about to admit it. Besides, if he had ever heard the name, he had not thought of it as important enough to remember, if he even knew it in the first place.

Rykros elaborated, assuming Persian didn't know who he was talking about. "A fiery Meowth that looks like someone no one would want to mess with, with a charm as sharp as a scythe."

The description fit perfectly and Persian knew right away who the Scyther was talking about. "Are you having an affair with her or something?" Chan, Laiki's nosy Hitmonchan piped in.

Persian gave Chan a death glare and retaliated, half tackling and half pushing the Hitmonchan away. Chan hastily went into a defensive stance, thus minimizing the impact as much as possible, though it was still enough to make him stumble backwards. 'I was just curious if she was dead or alive that's all. That Meowth has nothing to do with me,' Persian hissed.

"I knew they wouldn't resolve things peacefully," Laiki pouted, distressed at the prospect of the pokemon making and mess which she would be stuck cleaning up.

Peachy finished savoring her snack and jumped into action. Before she could initiate a battle royal, Shenron, the Gyarados, voiced a peculiar revelation. 'The Meowth you speak of is no more. She is fated never to return.'

The news made an expression of shock suddenly cloud Persian's face. He involuntarily stepped back, sadness barely visible in his eyes. 'I see...'

Realizing that her opponent no longer possessed the will to fight, Peachy paused and observed the situation. She didn't understand why the thought of evolution was so shocking to Persian. What Shenron had spoken was completely true, Purry the Meowth was no more, she was indeed fated to never return. Though strange things sometimes happened regarding evolution, it was extremely unlikely for a pokemon who had already evolved to go back to the way it was before.

'I just wanted to satisfy my curiosity, that's all,' Persian voiced with a hint of something unknown bothering him in the back of his mind. So the scruffy servant pokemon lay down her life fighting off a fierce creature for his sake. It shouldn't matter to him, it was her duty and she should have been honored to bravely fulfill it. Then why was he so bothered by it? He was not one to express gratitude except to his human parents, but never to anyone else. He shouldn't need to tell her he appreciated what she had done because a servant pokemon required no appreciation. 'There is no reason for me to be here,' Persian finally stated and without further ado, he dashed away from the infirmary.

"I wish I could understand pokemon language," Laiki sighed. "I feel as if I just witnessed an intense soap opera style dramatic scene, but I have no idea what the characters were saying. It's like watching a crucial episode of your favorite series in a foreign language you don't understand. You know there's something big happening right in front of your eyes, but you don't know what it is. It's so taunting it's frustrating!"

xoxox xox xoxox

After leaving the infirmary, Persian made his way to one of the rooms at Viridian, where Delia was sharing some snacks with Pikachu and Swablu. He hopped on the couch next to her and had to do nothing more to get her attention before receiving a welcomed scratch behind the ears and pleasant soft strokes on his head and back. "Aw, have a snack honey; maybe it'll make you feel better."

Persian slightly lifted his head and took the gourmet pokemon cookie his mother was offering him. He wasn't sure why she was assuming that he wasn't feeling well. Glad that the small Swablu going off to play with Pikachu made room on Delia's lap, he rested there being petted and cuddled.

"What is it that hurts you, sweetie?" Delia gently whispered soothingly. "Are you worried about your pokemon brothers and sisters?" The term of siblings was used in a metaphorical sense to refer to pokemon in general. "Don't worry, Team Rocket is working really hard to solve the problems and make everyone all better. I'm sure things will work out." Delia petted her pokemon son some more, trying to decipher what was on his mind. "It's something else that's bothering you, isn't it? Are you suffering from a broken heart?"

Persian snorted at the possibility. A broken heart over such an unworthy creature that should produce no reaction from him with the exception of disgust? No, never, absolutely not!

"You're as proud as your father," Delia couldn't help it but to laugh. She gently cupped his face in her hands, lifting his gaze to meet hers. "Tell mommy what's wrong. Are you missing someone?"

Persian shook his head, hoping that his mother would get the message and stop asking. He also noticed that Pikachu and Swablu had ceased their playing and were staring at him. It all infuriated Persian and he glared at the other pokemon, warning them with his eyes not to further annoy him.

"If you don't want to talk about it, maybe making a wish will help, hope can be quite powerful," Delia advised. "A small quiet prayer can go a long way. Never give up and the right actions will be revealed, then you'll know what to do."

Nothing was making sense to Persian lately and he had enough of it. He didn't understand the assumptions of the Rocket agents and their pokemon. He especially didn't understand what his mother was getting at. He jumped off her lap and left the room.

xoxox xox xoxox

Persian made his way to a small interior garden below the gym. It wasn't too large as such decorative places were bigger and more abundant at the mansion. It was only a small place to take a breather in a calming scenery. Persian walked to the small pond in the center of the garden. The water was crystalline, its blue bottom making it look as if it reflected the sky. The ceiling was painted in the colors of the day's sky with a few fluffy white clouds on the light blue. The walls were surrounded by bushes that reached to the ceiling with roses wrapping around its branches. Daisies were scattered on the soft grass that had been planted on the ground resting on the floor.

Persian looked at his reflection in the pond and felt as if he was being watched. It gave him a sense of deja vu, but he disregarded it as his imagination. That fiery Meowth, Purry, was gone, killed by that monster that was drawn to her because he had to run off and take a walk. He felt completely silly about it, absolutely ridiculous, but he decided to follow his mother's advice anyway. Ignoring the feeling of a familiar presence that had to be imaginary, if not the wondering spirit of a fallen pokemon, he took a deep breath and looked around. When he was certain that he was alone, he spoke a small prayer as a means to help himself relax and let go of a past event he shouldn't have glanced back at in the first place.

'Rest in peace, Purry.' That alone didn't quite satisfy him, thus he continued, 'you weren't so bad, for a servant pokemon I mean. It's too bad that you died, since you were dutiful and all. You probably already got some real prayers from your friends, you know, some that actually regret your passing, not that it's any of my business and... why am I even talking to myself?' Even if he said that, he felt as if he was being heard, as if Purry's uneasy spirit was being appeased. 'Anyway, if it were my choice, I would have decided that the creature didn't kill you, but I guess it's not my choice,' he frowned at having so little control over the situation. Reality hit him like a Golem falling on his head. He couldn't have anything he wanted because there were things that no one could change. The realization was both enraging and frightening.

Persian lay down and closed his eyes. He felt movement somewhere in the room, but assumed it was the artificial breeze running through it, if not his recently overactive imagination. He remembered the unknown female Persian he saw before. Whoever she was, she was very fast. A cold chill went down his spine as he considered the possibility that the mysterious Persian was the evolved ghost of the fallen Meowth, not a ghost type pokemon, but an actual wandering spirit. Had she returned to haunt him for his ingratitude and perhaps indirect cause of her death? Yet she didn't feel like a vengeful spirit, more like a protective presence.

'Purry? Are you here?' He felt especially ridiculous, but was compelled to continue voicing his thoughts. 'If you are, you can rest now, your spirit doesn't need to wander around aimlessly any more. As a ghost there's not much else that you can do now except rest in peace.'

Unable to resist any longer, Purry remained hidden as she spoke, 'I'm not a ghost, I've evolved.'

Persian bolted to his feet, his head turning in every direction it could. 'You're alive? Those pokemon said that you...' he paused and thought about the Gyarados' words. He said that the Meowth was gone, but he didn't use the word dead. He must have been referring to evolution all along while being ambiguous, perhaps purposely confusing to summon his guilt. Persian huffed in frustrated anger, wasn't anyone going to respect him anymore? 'Stop following me!' He growled, 'why are you hiding anyway? Evolution or not, you can't be worse than before!'

There was a long silence until Purry sorrowfully declared, 'I am worse than before, a hideous freak with a face that would give you nightmares. Evolution has been my worse curse.'

'I see...' Persian felt an immeasurable relief in the fact that she was alive, though she was obviously miserable. 'Well you're probably already used to being hideous so that's not so bad.' A pebble flew from the bushes in Persian's direction, though he dodged it. 'What was that about?' He hissed, even the one who he thought would be unconditionally, perhaps stupidly, loyal to his authority had suddenly decided to be disrespectful.

'A warning,' Purry hissed from her hiding place in the bushes. 'I've already given up on you so don't make me mad.'

'What is it with everyone being so disrespectful today?' Persian exclaimed in frustration. 'Even if they know who I am, they don't understand.'

'You're just being a spoiled brat,' Purry argued.

'You're being infuriating,' Persian hissed in return. 'I know you're there.' He looked right at the spot where Purry was hidden, 'I know where you are and I know you can see me. Stop being ridiculous and come out, whatever it is you look like, it can't be any worse than before. It just bothers me to feel like I'm talking with a wall, even if you seem to have enough stubbornness to have the understanding of one. Look, I'll even close my eyes and you can go away and leave me alone.'

'I was here first,' Purry hissed, menacingly coming out of the bushes like a wild untamable pokemon stalking her pray. 'If you want to be alone then you leave.'

Persian's eyes were already closed as he had offered and he didn't see the fury that stood before him. 'My father owns this place, you can't tell me to leave!' He hissed in accumulated anger. 'You should just continue your duties as normal. If you insist on guarding me like a knight to a prince, then so be it, but quit spying on me, it's creepy! If you're really that much more hideous maybe the humans can fix you a bit, I can't have unworthy guards. Not that I need guards and I certainly don't want your presence. In fact, as soon as there's an opportunity I'll be the one to battle. I wasn't feeling well, but I'll show you how powerful I am, you'll be impressed! Not that I care if you're impressed or not.'

When Persian opened his eyes to glare defiantly he was shocked. He had mentally prepared for the hideous sight that Purry claimed she had become, worse than before. Instead he found a female Persian with perfect glossy fur that had grown back in full and a fit elegant body worthy of the most high ranked pokemon shows. When the impression faded to give way to reality, he was angered. The ruby on his head was at the center of the conversation of many humans. Its purity, quality and size made him the subject of admiration. After seeing her broken charm he would think her gem would be chipped and cracked. Instead the evolved Purry had a horn of the purest ruby coming from her forehead. It was perfectly polished, both beautiful and deadly.

'Stop staring,' ashamed, she tried to cover up the shiny red horn to no avail.

'You!' Persian hissed. 'How dare you have a gem like that, no one has a gem of that size! The humans, they admire it greatly. If father sees this... No, he would never care for another pokemon as much as me, I'll still be his favorite, I am his son after all.'

Purry blinked at the growling and grumbling that Persian was making about her gem. She tilted her head curiously to the side. She was technically a freak to be scorned by other Persian, Meowth and pokemon in general, save for those who were open minded enough not to judge by appearances. However, this particular Persian was very different. His standards had transcended those of pokemon and were based on what pleased humans. Her appearance was not something that threatened a human's sense of authority questioning their right as master as the ability of speech would be perceived. Despite her condition being a deformity of nature, it was something that humans would be fascinated by, cataloging it as beautiful.

'Are you... could you actually be...' Purry couldn't believe what she was about to ask, 'are you jealous?'

'Don't be ridiculous!' Persian hissed immediately. He didn't want to leave room for doubt in his reply, though the envy was all over his expression. 'Humans will still admire me more because I'm... I'm...' Stronger? Faster? More refined? The last one for sure, at least. 'Because of my father, so there!' He finished.

'Speaking of your father, maybe I should go and report to the boss.' With those words, Purry dashed out of the small garden room.

Persian's eyes went wide and a million thoughts passed through his mind in the split second before he hurried after her.

xoxox xox xoxox

Ash and Giovanni were still at the gym office, talking about various things. Ash wanted to get more of Giovanni's point of view in regards to how he met Delia and their story of earlier years. "So you were planning to propose but had to delay it because of the volcano being attacked. Then when mom sunk the S.S. Lapras you didn't want to wait anymore?"

"It was bad timing and I was interrupted by an explosion," Giovanni admitted, remembering that he never got an answer. He thought he saw Delia wearing the ring he had no doubts she would still keep. He wasn't sure, since she was holding her baby Swablu, so it was hard to see her hands beyond her cloud-like wings. "Even so..." Giovanni was surprised at himself about how easily he would admit to such things. "There was something special about how she went out of her way to sink a ship for me. She was trying to stop a confrontation that I would have won anyway, but still." Perhaps all those years without Delia really did make him see her in a new light when she finally returned. With that light, the world itself might change, maybe only a little, but just enough. "She's always found a way to be helpful, even if we were having a disagreement."

"I know what you mean," Ash agreed. "I was too excited to notice back then, but looking back on it, I think mom was really worried about me going on a journey. I should have noticed how uneasy she was the day before I left when I was all caught up on looking forward to it. She still saw me off with a smile."

The father and son moment was interrupted by a female Persian with a horn shaped ruby bursting into the office, followed by a familiar male Persian. The two pokemon ran around leaving chaos in their path until Giovanni managed to grab them both by the fur on their backs and drag them to a corner like misbehaving pets. He let them go as they seemed to have gotten the message from his stern look that no more chaotic running around his office would be permitted. He examined the ruby horn the unknown female had, petting her soft fur.

"That's so cool!" Ash joined the examination, curiously looking at the new Persian. "Is she yours too?"

"She is now," Giovanni decided, which caused Persian to protest in worry. "Stop making such a fuss, I already told you, your girlfriend can come live with us."

Persian's jaw dropped, 'my what?!'

Purry blushed scarlet, but she still had the energy to try to get some payback. 'I had already given up on you before... Not interested...' She proudly walked away. She was indeed still very interested, but she made a perfect impersonation of Persian's usual proud and indifferent expression.

Used to being admired, Persian felt indignation at this display of indifference from one's whose loyalty he would never admit he was glad to think of as permanent. He watched in shock as she threw her head back in disregard, much like he often did, and dashed out of the office. 'Wait a minute! You're supposed to admire me without question, come back here!' He dashed after her in a strange turn of events in which the chaser somehow became the chased.

Comet and Pixel, followed by a nosy Laiki, appeared at the office door from which the two Persian departed. "Did Purry cause any trouble?" Comet inquired, wondering what annoyance she might have caused the boss with the possibility of getting him, or Pixel, or both, into trouble for allowing her to run wild.

"So she was yours, she's a little wild, but nothing too bad," Giovanni didn't feel like making a fuss about it, given that his own Persian was misbehaving just as much.

"They're in love," Ash declared as if he had made the wisest of discoveries, though one with no research or base other than a random hasty guess.

To be Continued

Disclaimer, I don't own Pokemon. Classyalleyshipping FTW! (That's PersianxPurry BTW.)