Don't Give Me Diamonds

Don't Give Me Diamonds

Diamond 077: Give me Attraction

Night time fell upon Kanto and soon most of its inhabitants got ready to go to sleep. In Pallet Town, Professor Oak observed Skye's pokemon. Given and Dia were sitting on the couch and Givan was flipping through the TV's channels. 'This couch is as hard as an Onix,' Givan commented as he tried to find something worth watching.

'I know, it's so uncomfortable, but there's no where else to sit,' Dia agreed. Sitting on the floor was starting to look tempting. Since they didn't have their collars on, Professor Oak had no idea what they were saying.

None the less, the professor continued watching the pair with fascination. 'If he keeps staring at us...' Givan glared threateningly towards the elderly professor. Oak visibly shuddered at the intense look Givan was directing towards him. Yet he was too interested in his study to leave.

'Calm down, he means no harm,' Dia spoke sweetly, 'you should take it as a compliment,' she encouraged. Dia patted the empty space on the couch beside her with her paw and smiled. Professor Oak returned the expression and took the invitation to sit down.
'I don't know how much patience I can spare,' Givan growled. He stopped changing the channels at a movie that looked promising. 'I think I found something to watch.'

The flat big screen TV showed a man in a black tuxedo running through some kind of militaristic fortress. The fortress was an odd mix of medieval and modern. Its gray stone walls had a few metal pipes propounding from the structure in several places. The floor was also made of dark gray stones. The ceiling mostly matched, save for some areas where dim unprotected light bulbs hung from wires. There were also air vents with bars covering them and spinning propeller-like structures.

The man in the tuxedo had black hair which was neatly brushed back with the shine of hair gel. All but one strand of hair was in place. The single strand fell on the side of his determined face. His bright blue eyes and prominent chin were his most noticeable features. He turned a corner quickly, his breaths heavy. He pressed his back against the wall looking left and right. He took the gun from his belt and clutched it in his hand, "one bullet, I only have one bullet left," he dramatically emphasized.

He heaved a deep breath, "one bullet was all it took to steal your life away. One bullet will be enough to avenge you," the emotion in his voice was almost tangible. "This last bullet is for him, for the one who took your life." The man returned the gun to his belt.

Givan frowned, 'are you done with the cheesy lines?' He growled at the protagonist, though he knew the man on TV couldn't hear him. 'Go fight something already!'

'Shh, be quiet, I'm trying to hear what he's saying,' Dia shushed, 'maybe he wants to avenge his deceased lover.'

'Whoever he wants to avenge, he better quit the cliche and get with the action fast or I'm changing the channel,' Givan pouted.

'Don't you dare, it's just getting good!' Dia took the remote control away from Givan just in case.

The man on the TV checked his fancy watch. "It's eleven fifty," he stated dramatically. "If I don't stop him by midnight, he'll launch the missiles," the actor's expression changed to exaggerated agony, "then the entire city will be doomed!"

'Oh sure, stand there talking, announcing your presence. If I was in charge of that fortress, he would have been caught ages ago,' Givan was becoming quite impatient to see some action.

'I bet those ten minutes are going to last more than ten minutes,' Dia commented. That was how it happened in many movies; the most important few minutes took much longer to show than the length of time within the story.

"I'm coming for you!" The so called sneaky spy ran down the dark corridor. He jumped out of the darkness at the L shaped turn at the end of the corridor. His fist collided with an armored guard's face, who was conveniently without a helmet. The thug fell against the wall, instantly knocked out.

A multitude of footsteps were heard. The spy looked at the air vent above his head. Using the knocked out enemy's shoulder to gain height, he jumped and grabbed the bars covering the vent. He retrieved a small but incredibly sharp knife from his pocket and cut through the metal bars one by one. He then threw a rope with two metal balls, one at each end, at the spinning fan. He had that in his pockets too, though they didn't bulge out with the multitude of things he had in them. The rope somehow coiled itself around the fan's blades, stopping its motion. The man climbed up to the air vent and disappeared in the darkness of the small tunnel.

Somehow, the spy miraculously had enough time to perform his complex escape before the multitude of enemy soldiers arrived at his location. The minions didn't realize that the vent was open. The cut off bars that should be on the floor were not present on the scene.

The movie was interrupted by the loud voice of Skye, coming from a different room. "I don't know what words to say..."

'Then don't say any!' Givan growled loudly.

"Oh my..." Professor Oak got up and went to investigate what the commotion was.

'If the old man doesn't make Vandel shut up in ten seconds, I'll go shut him up myself. Even that guy's cheesy lines are better than this!' Vandel had his front paws over his ears, holding them down flat.

Professor Oak arrived at the site of the agonizing noise. It was one of the guest rooms where Belle slept. The loud mouth Bellsprout didn't like staying in her pokeball. "Flowers sing a silent lullaby!" Skye bellowed completely off key. It was his lullaby that should have been silent.

"That's quite enough Skye," Professor Oak gently placed his hand on the boy's shoulder to get his attention.

"Gary told me to sing to Belle if she couldn't sleep," Skye explained. He looked at the Bellsprout who was covering her yellow head with her two green leaves. She closed her eyes and stayed perfectly still. "It looks like she fell asleep. Well, that's the last of my chores for today. I really need to get some sleep."

"Ah yes, you should get some rest," Professor Oak agreed. Skye was right up there in the list of most terrifying singers along with Ash and Gary. At least they meant well. Even so, it would be disastrous if they decided to form a musical trio to sing the pokemon to sleep. That would probably give them nightmares.

xoxox xox xoxox

In Cerulean City, Giovanni was feeling glad to have the largest suite at Razzo Albergo permanently reserved for himself. He did own the hotel after all. The suite took up all of the top floor and the one below it with grand private stairs connecting them. It was equipped with everything from two spacious bedrooms, to a fancy living room, a big refrigerator, a mini-bar, a hot tub, a sauna, an office and various luxuries. With Delia insisting on letting all her and his pokemon out at once, it would have been quite crowded without all the extra space.

Gold was the predominant color of that particular suite with red being its secondary color. The walls seemed to glow as if plated in gold, but at the same time they were not bright enough to annoy. The carpet was a deep crimson, while the furniture was exquisitely sculptured and covered in real gold. A 3D TV mirror took all of one wall. The sound system's speakers were well hidden and could not be seen, but they could be heard all around.

Large bulletproof glass windows with golden frames lined another of the living room area's walls. With the red and gold curtains parted, they showed an impressive view of Cerulean City from the height of fifty floors. The first ten floors were occupied by large casinos. The casinos were constantly full of wealthy gamblers that left less wealthy than they arrived, but they enjoyed their time there none the less.

The casinos included all the classic games plus others that were not so common in gambling, including throwing darts and pool. Some of the tables took requests from the customers on what to play. They were willing to play anything as long as bets were made. Everything from poker to crazy eights and even several board games were available to gamble with. The next ten floors featured various entertainment areas such as live shows and movie theatres. Special premiers were often held there.

The pokemon were greatly enjoying their time at the hotel. Giovanni's pokemon had mostly been fighting or in their pokeballs. The experience was also a novelty for Mimey, who was fascinated. Persian seemed to be the only one who was familiar with such accommodations.

While Delia and the pokemon enjoyed the luxuries, Giovanni was focused on his laptop. He checked his messages, read a few updates and made sure things were still running smoothly. Everything was as well as it could be and there were no new reports.

As the night progressed, the pokemon fell asleep one by one. Delia was just about ready to go to bed too. She assumed Giovanni would be working late to make up for the time he would be spending at the wedding and reception the following day. She showered, changed and went to bed. He would be sleeping there as well, since the pokemon occupied the other room. The bed was certainly big enough to allow for plenty of space between the two. Without a second thought, Delia fell asleep.

She woke up some time later, hearing the faint sound of water. She disregarded it and shifted hugging one of the large golden pillows. The water stopped. There was a flicker of light as a connecting door was opened. The brightness quickly disappeared, as the light was turned off. Delia rolled closer to her end of the bed. She sleepily reached for the glass of water sitting on the night stand and drank. She set the glass back down on its cooling pad. The circular pad emitted a high amount of coldness for its size, making the water feel as if it had been inside a refrigerator all along.

"Are you awake?" Giovanni asked in such a quiet voice that it would be unperceivable for someone who was sleeping. He already knew the answer to the question.

"I'm sleeping," Delia whispered back, knowing all too well that replying gave away the opposite. Her eyes were closed, her breathing even and peaceful. She was half way to slumber land when she felt someone kissing her, someone who was suddenly very close to her. Her eyes shot open, "what are you doing?" Her voice came out louder than she intended. She hoped she didn't wake the pokemon that were sleeping in the room below. Maybe the rooms were sound proof, with all the other luxuries, it seemed quite possible.

"What do you think?" Giovanni whispered, but was interrupted by a pillow to the face.

Delia continued stacking the abundant pillows in the middle of the bed. "Your side," she pointed to the other side of the pillow wall, "my side," she pointed to her own territory, "no trespassing!"

"You don't have to be so dramatic!" Giovanni protested.

Delia peeked out from behind her pillow barricade. She leaned on the pillows and seemed to consider her options. "Oh, what's the harm? It's just a little fun, right?" Her tone of voice was unusually seductive.

Giovanni grinned victoriously, "exactly." He received another pillow to the face.

"Oh sure, it's just a little fun," Delia sent another golden fluffy projectile Giovanni's way. "Maybe for you, but did you even," she grabbed a pillow and hit him with it, "stop to," she hit him with the pillow again, "think about," the relentless attack didn't cease, "how I feel?"

"Stop it!" Giovanni defended himself with another pillow. "I told you, you don't need to get so dramatic. If you're really not in the mood, you could just say so."

"That's not the point! You're so insensitive!" Delia argued.

"What did I do now?" Giovanni honestly didn't think Delia would be that upset. For a minute he actually thought she would agree to everything being harmless fun. She didn't even get that upset when she used to call him Charmander and tell him to chill out.

"The worse part is that you don't even realize it," she held the pillow in front of her and did a pillow tackle attack. It was one of the deadliest techniques of pillow fights.

Giovanni had interpreted Delia's lowering of her pillow as a sign of surrender. He wasn't particularly experienced with pillow fights. He was taken completely off guard with a pillow tackle that knocked the wind out of him and pushed him back on the bed.

Delia had plenty of pillow fighting experience. When she was a student with Professor Oak she was the champion among her classmates. Furthermore, Gary and Ash often had sleepovers orchestrated by Delia or Gary's mother. They saw it as a chance to spend the night competing against each other. After Ash lost his first few pillow fights miserably, Delia decided to train him in pillow combat. It became the only thing in which Gary never again got close to besting Ash when they were little.

Giovanni wasn't even sure what just happened, but an upset Delia was staring down at him. It was one of those rare occasions in which her aggressive side managed to surface beyond her constant sweetness. He kind of liked it. In a split second he turn both of them over so he was pinning her to the bed, "I win," he grinned.

Delia tried to free her wrists from his grip, but found she could not. Instead she shifted her leg, "let me go or I'll knee you below the belt," she threatened.

"You wouldn't," he paused, observing her fierce glare, then finally let her go, "alright, you win."

Delia returned to her side of the bed and rebuilt the pillow wall. "Let's make a truce so we can get some sleep. Respect the pillow wall or I promise you Charmander, I'll fight dirty, nails and low kicks included."

She looked less threatening, almost amused, which only bothered him more. Giovanni huffed, "you really didn't need to be so dramatic."

"Chill out, Charmander, let's get some rest," Delia resumed her peaceful slumber, uninterrupted until the following morning.

xoxox xox xoxox

The next day, Delia woke up to find that it was ten in the morning. "Why didn't you wake me up?" She called out loudly. Giovanni wasn't in the bedroom, but the door was opened so he could probably still hear her. He was most likely in the office area working on Team Rocket related things. She was sure she had set the alarm clock. She wanted to meet everyone early that day and help Daisy get ready for her big moment. She checked the alarm clock. It was off; it had to be Giovanni's little revenge for the events of the previous night.

Delia hurried to get ready, she showered changed and stopped by the office area before leaving. "I'll be back when it's time to get ready, don't forget the wedding starts at two, but I want to be there by one." She pouted indicating that she noticed his messing with the alarm clock.

He gave her a victorious smirk, he had not done much, but something small was still something, "don't be late."

"Don't worry; this peasant knows better than to leave the great king waiting." She turned to leave whispering, "unless she finds a new date," just loud enough for Giovanni to hear.

Giovanni didn't dignify the threat with an answer. She wouldn't mess things up. She would be back right on time to get into her dress and leave to go to the wedding. There was no need to remind her to be punctual. Then why did the possibility bother him so much?

xoxox xox xoxox

Razzo Albergo was a short walk away from the Cerulean gym. Delia made it there on foot and was pleasantly received. Daisy was already beginning to prepare, though Lando thought it was too early. None the less, he was forbidden from setting foot on the second floor so he wouldn't see Daisy's dress before the wedding. He also had to leave earlier then her.

Ash thought it was too early to get ready. He was quite content snacking on some of the samples they brought over as a preview of what the snacks at the reception would be, before the big dinner. The guys seemed to be amused playing a pokemon themed card game so they could battle without making a mess.

After chatting with Ash and the other young men for a moment, Delia went upstairs to where the girls were. Time flew by as they talked about the approaching wedding and discussed the vacation spots Daisy and Lando would visit in their honeymoon.

Delia checked the time on her cell phone, "I should have brought my dress so I could get ready here. I have to go change; I'll see you at the wedding." After exchanging her goodbyes with the Waterflower sisters Delia left the gym. Lando and the men had already left to wait for Daisy at the church.

Delia hurried down the streets towards the tall building that was Razzo Albergo. She had dressed in a hurry in the morning and regretted wearing those heeled sandals, simply because they looked cute. It was rather inconvenient to walk in them, but she had been in too much of a rush to think about that.

A voice called out, "Oddish," and caught her attention from the side of the tall building. She caught a glimpse of a large Raticate carrying a little Oddish away. A woman dashed after them, "give me back my Oddish!"

Delia ran over to the action. It sounded like she needed help defending her pokemon from that seemingly wild one. She followed them to the back of the building.

The woman caught up to the Raticate and fought against him. The Raticate let go of the Oddish and ran away. "Are you alright Oddish?" She was on her knees with the Oddish in her arms. "Oddish, don't die!" The little Oddish was bleeding abundantly.

"You have to get her medical help right now!" Delia urged.

The unknown woman looked up from her Oddish, her expression full of worry. Tears were running from her eyes, her face partially covered by her thick blond hair. "I'm not from here, I don't know where the Pokemon Center is," she stammered. "Please," she began to stand up, "tell me where, oh!" The woman fell to her knees. "My ankle..."

"Oh no, you got hurt in the fight too," Delia closed the distance between them, determined to help them. "There's no time to get to the Pokemon Center, I'm sure there's a pokemon nurse at the hotel. I'll help," Delia took Oddish in her arms, allowing the woman to lean on her shoulder to get up.

"Thank you so much," the woman's frightened voice turned aggressive, "Delia." She suddenly gripped Delia's neck in her arm, locking her in place.

Delia couldn't breathe. With the bleeding Oddish on one arm, she tried to pry the woman's arm away from her neck with the other hand. "Oddish is hurt," she pushed the choking words out.

"That thing can die for all I care and so can you," the mysterious woman reached behind her back. In a split second before she could turn her knife against Delia, Delia stomped hard on the woman's left foot.

The gold plated pointy heel of her sandal was stabbed into the woman's foot. The unknown woman hollered in pain and stumbled back, the knife still in her hand, and Delia's shoe stuck to her bleeding foot.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Delia quickly turned and kicked the unknown woman. She left her sandals behind and ran as fast as she could towards the front of the hotel with Oddish in her arms.

The doorman immediately noticed there was something extremely wrong. He recognized Delia as a very important guest. She was staying at the hotel with Giovanni, their boss. He was quick to lead her to the medical facilities, while the guards were dispatched to patrol the area around the hotel.

A doctor took care of Oddish, with two nurses also collaborating. The three surrounded the little pokemon fussing in complex medical terms. They worked to save the Oddish as if their very lives depended on it. For all they knew, it could have been true.

xoxox xox xoxox

Up in the best suite, Giovanni received an urgent phone call. "Sir, there has been an incident," the hotel manager's nervous voice came from the room's phone.

"What happened?" Giovanni demanded to know immediately. It was almost time to leave for the wedding. Delia claimed she wanted to be there an hour early, she was running late. Giovanni didn't need more trouble to deal with on top of that. The thought crossed his mind that she might not return, but she wouldn't miss the wedding, she had to come back.

"A suspicious woman was in the area. She attacked the lady's pokemon." The manager's voice turned quieter and more frightened with every word. The lady meant Delia, but all her pokemon had stayed behind at the hotel. They would go to the wedding with them when Delia returned. "She is here, in the medical area." The call dropped. The manager knew Giovanni must have hung up and was on his way down. He hurried to meet him in the medical area.

xoxox xox xoxox

Giovanni found Delia at the hotel's medical facilities. She was watching the doctor and nurses working to keep an Oddish alive. His eyes went to the big blood stain on her shirt. "Did you get hurt?" If that was the case, why was the medical staff tending to some pokemon and not her? They were trained to treat both.

Delia was focused on watching the medics and didn't hear Giovanni approach. She jumped a little, startled at suddenly hearing his voice. "Oddish is hurt!" She realized he was looking at her bloody clothes, "I'm alright, this isn't mine, it's Oddish's."

The hotel manager stood quietly to the side, he didn't dare speak. Giovanni casted a glance at him as if indicating that he was not excluded from his following question, "what happened?"

Delia began the explanation. "I was returning to the hotel. There was a Raticate attacking that Oddish. A woman chased after them and saved Oddish. Poor Oddish was badly hurt. I followed her to the back of the building. She sounded really worried. I thought she needed help, so I tried to help her. She caught me off guard and attacked me. I managed to get away from her and ran inside."

"Has the culprit been caught?" Giovanni's question carried a great deal of severity.

The manager was a tall man, only an inch or two shorter than Giovanni. He had dark green hair brushed back with a generous amount of hair gel so that it wouldn't curl and look like seaweed on his head. His yellow eyes remained focused on the floor. "No sir, the security cameras in the back were deactivated at the time of the attack. We found the possible accomplice, he worked on security. We've detained him and are conducting an investigation."

"I expect results by the end of the day at the latest," Giovanni gave the manager a piercing glare.

The manager could only manage a worried, "yes, sir," before excusing himself to oversee the investigation.

Giovanni looked at Delia; she was once again watching the medics. Their voices were calmer and their motions more relaxed. "The danger has passed," the doctor finally announced, seeing Delia's expectant look. "I believe this entire situation was a set up. The cut was too deep and precise; it didn't match a Raticate's claws and teeth. I believe it was made with a knife. In any case, Oddish is in a stable condition now, but she must remain under medical watch outside of her pokeball."

"Thank you so much," Delia expressed her sincere gratitude towards the medical staff. They seemed pleasantly surprised at the honesty in her face and voice. "I will entrust Oddish to you, please take good care of her."

Delia spoke with the medics for a few more minutes before rejoining Giovanni. Everything indeed pointed to a set up. Someone had specifically targeted Delia. Giovanni had been more careful ever since the Tempest and Neo Rocket incident. Who planned the attack? What was their true goal? Was it an inside job or outside? Was it somehow related to Neo Rocket or Tempest? He thought he had cleaned that mess. Whatever it was, he would have to get to the bottom of it. He felt that someone had dared to challenge him again. The idea of Delia getting hurt infuriated him.

To be Continued

Don't Give Me Diamonds

Diamond 078: Give me Celebrations

With the assurance that Oddish's life was out of danger, Delia focused on getting ready to attend Daisy's wedding. She followed Giovanni to the elevator, which went up to their suite where the pokemon were. Delia's cell phone rang on the way up and she answered it, "hi, I was just heading up to the suite. Yes, I need to shower first," she certainly didn't want to smell like blood. "Okay, I'll see you in a little while."

The call ended and Giovanni asked, "who was that?"

"Laiki," Delia replied, she was relaxing a little more by the second, as she focused on the coming celebration. "She said her mission was to help me get ready. She seemed to be enjoying it."

Giovanni remember how that started. Since he wanted to keep headquarters clean, most medical cases were tended to in the laboratories north-east of Vermilion City. Additionally, Team Rocket had reduced its field activities and pokemon theft significantly until the illness problem could be sorted out. It wouldn't be long before it became an epidemic if things were left to progress.

All those aspects left Laiki with basically nothing to do as the local nurse of the Viridian headquarters. Giovanni assigned her to help with all matters concerning Delia. She was Binks' sister, so Delia felt a certain familiarity towards her. Giovanni thought that Laiki may not be so happy to be further excluded from the medical happenings. She looked rather bored when she reported to him. To his surprise, Laiki's face brightened when he spoke of her new mission helping Delia prepare for the coming event.

Laiki didn't mind playing the role of maid at all, she seemed ecstatic about it. Giovanni decided not to try to understand her unexpected reaction. Laiki couldn't be happier with the arrangement. The Viridian gym leader's romantic involvement with the lady identified as the Indigo League champion's mother, was the hottest gossip in Kanto at the moment. It was a nosy girl's dream to be so close to the news.

"Did she forget to pack something?" Giovanni inquired, as far as he knew, Laiki's mission should have ended when she finished making sure Delia had all the things she needed in her luggage.

"Oh no, she's here to help me get ready," Delia repeated, it apparently wasn't as clear as she thought. "It's a special occasion so it would make things a lot easier if I have some help. I helped the Waterflower sisters get ready when I went to the Cerulean gym. It's easier as a group."

"I didn't think your dress was that difficult to get into. You could have just asked for my help," Giovanni offered, a cocky grin appearing almost unconsciously.

Delia laughed, "stop it Charmander, that's not what I need help with. It would just be nice to have some hair and makeup assistance."

The elevator doors opened at the final floor. "I'd rather leave that to Laiki," Giovanni decided.

They went inside the suite where the pokemon were amusing themselves watching the big 3D mirror TV. Delia carefully retrieved her dress from their bed room closet and took it to the bathroom with her.

Giovanni was nearly ready, he had already showered a little earlier while Delia was out and only really needed to change. He finished preparing just as the sound of running water ended.

A knock on the door was heard and Giovanni opened it to find Laiki dressed in the uniform of a hotel maid instead of her usual custom made Team Rocket uniform. "Agent Laiki reporting for duty!" She saluted as she chirped cheerfully.

Giovanni didn't understand what was so exciting about her current mission. If anything, the cheerful enthusiasm would be good for Delia, so he didn't question it. Laiki practically bounced into the suite when Giovanni stepped aside to let her in. "I trust you are informed of the situation?"

Laiki's cheery face turned serious, "of course, I was having a look around. I can keep an eye on the local investigation and report. I have an odd feeling about this. Maybe it's a crazy attempt at vengeance."

It was a possibility that Giovanni had also considered. Perhaps the culprit had no goal in mind beyond Delia's death. It had to be someone who knew of Giovanni's double identities as the gym leader and mafia lord. It had to be someone desperate for vengeance, but who? It was too early to reach any real conclusions. "Yes, keep an eye on things and investigate any suspicious details. Delia is in the bedroom, she should be out of the shower by now. Don't bring up what happened."

"Understood, you can count on me, boss!" The nurse turned maid, happily bounced away. Her serious face had been restored to the excited cheer with which she entered the suite.

In the bedroom, Delia was already in her dress, brushing her hair. She greeted Laiki happily and the two began to chat. It was only small talk, though Delia made sure to ask Laiki to occasionally check on Oddish just in case. Delia got started on her make-up while Laiki worked with her hair.

The minutes ticked away as Giovanni waited in the living room, crowded by all the pokemon. He examined the fancy grandfather clock, its golden pendulum swinging from side to side in a steady rhythm. Finally, the chatter that filtered out through the open bedroom door ceased, replaced with the sound of footsteps.

Laiki cheerfully announced, "presenting her royal highness, Queen Delia!"

Amused, Delia followed out of the bedroom and into the living room with a smile. She was wearing a pale lilac strapless long dress. Shiny thin silk was layered on top of the first fabric, giving it a sparkly look that was still subtle. Her fine diamond necklace sparkled with impressive elegance. Her makeup was light, but perfect, accentuating her features. Her eyes seemed to sparkle more than the diamonds themselves. The top part of her hair was pulled back into a flower shaped bun, with the lower portion flowing down her back.

It had been a long time since Giovanni last saw Delia all dressed up like that. In a split second, the pokemon surrounded her, speaking all at once in their own language. Delia talked to them, thanking them for the compliments. She couldn't really understand what they were saying, but there were other ways to interpret the messages. One by one, all but Persian were returned to their pokeballs to be set free when they arrived at the wedding.

After the crowd of pokemon disappeared in flashed of red beams, Delia and Giovanni were again face to face. She closed the distance between them and for a moment they didn't say anything, their faces speaking volumes. Laiki had to swallow a happy squeal while witnessing the scene.

"You look beautiful," Giovanni finally spoke.

Delia's radiant smile became more so, "thank you, handsome."

For a moment they didn't even notice Laiki snapping out of her daze and hurrying to help Persian get dressed. If he was going to follow Giovanni around he would have to stand out from the many other pokemon she was sure would be at the wedding. She succeeded in getting the feline into his tuxedo top without incident. She thought he would protest, since the garments might feel odd to a pokemon, but he only walked over to the mirror and examined his reflection with pride.

Finally, Delia, Giovanni and Persian left towards the roof. The black helicopter with the green leaf would take them to the church. Afterwards, they would fly to Vermilion City to Lando's mansion.

The trip by air was very short since the destination was within Cerulean City. The city had grown over the years with less residents and more commerce. Not too far from the Cerulean gym and Razzo Albergo, there stood a majestic pure white structure. The helicopter landed in a large parking area near it. The parking was full of several other aircrafts including various helicopters similar to Giovanni's. However, the majority of the helicopters were larger, with two sets of blades to be able to fly. Those were brought over by Lando to transport the guests that didn't bring their own aerial transportation.

The church seemed to sparkle in an ivory glow under the bright light of the sun. Summer was nearing its end, but the weather was still quite warm and sunny on most days. The church had tall glass windows with several pastel colors blending into one on the glass that sparkled as a pure prism. The structure was built at an angle, slightly thinner as it went up. It gave the impression that the building was reaching out to the skies above. The tower in the center was made of a strong clear glass, culminating in an ivory cross. It looked as if the cross was floating atop a pillar of pure light.

A red carpet stretched out from within the church's long corridor all the way down its stairs, to the edge of the sidewalk. It looked like the red carpet of a celebrity awards show. As Delia walked down that carpet with Giovanni, she couldn't help it but to wonder if that was how it felt for famous actors and actresses.

The multiple voices coming from inside the church at least reassured them that the ceremony had not yet started. A man in a tuxedo received them at the entrance. "Good afternoon, friends of the bride I assume?" He recognized Giovanni as the Viridian City gym leader. All the gym leaders had been invited because the bride was from the Cerulean gym. "Do you have other pokemon with you that will be witnessing the ceremony?"

"Yes," Giovanni replied back into his gym leader persona. "Other than Persian we have six pokemon." Golem, Machamp, Rhydon, Cloyster, Kingler and Mimey.

"Excellent," the man looked pleased for no particular reason; he was simply trained to look happy about everything. "One pokemon may go with you to your seats; the others will sit with the other pokemon. That way it won't be too crowded over there. This way, please," his constant cheer was a little much, but at least he was quick to get people to their places. Delia and Giovanni released their pokemon from their pokeballs, instructing them to go sit down as the man indicated.

The church's ceiling was rounded, painted with pictures of angels and clouds. A thin unperceivable sheet of glass was place horizontally at the base of the rounded ceiling. It gave the paintings a 3D effect that made it look like the church had no ceiling and angels could be seen flying through the clouds above.

The long seats were not the hard seats found in most churches. The style was similar, long benches rather than individual chairs. They were made of wood that was polished like mirrors and had fluffy ivory cushions on the seats and backrest. The important guests such as gym leaders and those with high business positions sat close to the front, along with the closest relatives and friends. Everything was arranged for those who were known to be familiar with each other to be close enough to carry out conversations while they waited for the ceremony to begin.

Delia and Giovanni, along with Persian, ended up sitting near the front, next to Ash. Ash had been talking to Misty focused on their conversation and didn't see them coming. The Waterflower sisters were all in their bridesmaid dresses. The fabric held various shades of blue that blended together as if the dress was made of water. It was accentuated with white at the end, like an ocean wave on the shore. Misty's hair, like Violet and Lily's was done up in a nice bun, a few wavy strands fashionably falling from it.

It wasn't until Misty smiled and looked towards the new arrivals that Ash finally noticed. He looked to the person who had sat beside him, pausing before realizing who she was. "Mom?"

Delia laughed, amused by Ash's surprise, "it looks like you're so happy staring at Misty you don't even notice anyone else," she joked.

Ash smiled, with a light red tint on his cheeks. Misty did indeed look especially beautiful that day. Ash had not been able to take his eyes off her.

"I knew it, I was right," Delia teased.

"I won't deny she looks like a movie star," Ash admitted, "and you too." He almost didn't recognize his own mother, until he took a good look at her face.

Before their conversation could really get going, the ceremony was ready to begin. Misty went to stand on the bridesmaids' side with Violet and Lily. The entire church became silent. A live orchestra occupied the area beside the altar where a chorus would usually stand. They began to play the classic wedding march as Daisy entered the church.

Daisy's white dress was adorned with detailed embroidery. Though the thread was also ivory, it stood out subtly with its shine. Her long blond hair cascaded in elaborate curls, with a golden glow and small white daisies. A semi-transparent veil originated from her golden tiara, adorned with diamonds and pale sapphires. Her dress had similar jewels like drops of water. She walked slowly with a beautiful bouquet of white daisies with gold centers in her hands. All those present focused on the bride as she slowly walked towards her husband to be, her long dress trailing behind her.

Daisy finally made it to the altar where she joined Lando in front of the priest. The altar had a cross in the center with various paintings left and right of it, depicting legendary pokemon such as Arceus. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony. Do you Lando Ackbar take Daisy Waterflower to be your wife, to love and cherish for rich or poor, in health and in sickness, for all of eternity?"

"I do," the husband had a silly grin on his face as if he was about to burst with joy.

"Do you Daisy Waterflower take Lando Ackbar to be your husband, to love and cherish for rich or poor, in health and in sickness, for all of eternity?"

"I do," Daisy had an absolutely dreamy expression, as if her life had suddenly become a happy fairytale.

"If there is anyone who would object to this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace," after a short silent pause, the priest continued with the exchange of rings. "With this ring a thee wed, as a symbol of our love more endless than the ocean," the priest recited for the groom and bride to repeat.

"With this ring a thee wed, as a symbol of our love, more endless than the ocean," Lando placed the ring on Daisy's finger.

"With this ring a thee wed, as a symbol of our love, more endless than the ocean," Daisy placed the ring on Lando's finger.

"I now declare you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride." The newlywed husband and wife kissed among the applause of all those present. The orchestra played again as they walked out of the church in a rain of rice. The ceremony went by perfectly, like a dream.

The guests soon exited the church as the newlyweds boarded their helicopter. Many pictures were taken before the aircraft took off. It carried a large sign that read 'just married' with a multitude of ribbons culminating in golden bells tied to the back of the helicopter. The bells rang in the wind all the way to Vermilion City. The guests all boarded the aerial transportation and flew to Vermilion City.

xoxox xox xoxox

After landing at Lando's mansion the festivities continued. The guests were led to the large party room where there would be food, music and dancing. The guests conversed and socialized with each other in the cheerful atmosphere. The party room was remodeled in a hurry, but it was a job well done. It was cleaned and polished. The hole on the ceiling was repaired with the addition of a glass dome that showed the sky.

"You did what?" Lando whispered under his breath as Daisy made a surprising revelation to him in secret.

"I invited the people from the secret club," the term secret club was their code name for the mafia. "I thought that if we're all going to be like one big happy family, we might as well be like friendly towards each other. I had Violet ask Kenobi to contact them. I like even spoke to someone high ranked over the phone. He said that an important person from their group would be here, but I might not like realize who that person is. It could be like anyone, I suppose."

Lando cautiously looked over his shoulder, "it could be... anyone..." he repeated nervously. He took a deep breath and decided to be brave. "My beloved, you are so courageous, embracing our situation in such a way. You truly are my greatest treasure and my inspiration!"

Daisy smiled brightly, "and you are the same for me, love." The newly weds were then reminded that the music was about to start. All the guests had arrived and settled into the party. The couple could have their first dance as husband and wife for all to witness. The guests gathered around watching them dance. At the end of the song there was a vast applause and everyone was free to join the dancing on the next song.

At one of the snack tables, Jessie, James and Meowth were happily stuffing their faces. Their pokemon were having fun enjoying the party along with the other pokemon there. Daisy had only gotten to know Jessie briefly when she joined the Waterflowers for a girl's night out. Daisy had invited her to the wedding and encouraged her to bring her family, pokemon included. "There he comes," Meowth spotted Ash heading towards the snack table.

"Hide!" Jessie and James went under the table, but Meowth did not.

Ash arrived at the table, looking at Meowth curiously. Misty was talking to some guests with the other bridesmaids at the moment. "Meowth? Are Jessie and James here too? I didn't see them at the church." The reason for that was that Ash was sitting near Giovanni, whom Jessie and James were hiding from. They weren't sure how he would react to seeing them there, so they decided to avoid trouble. They hoped to blend in among the guests and not be spotted.

Meowth nodded, "yup, they're hiding under the table for no reason."

Jessie and James peeked out from under the table then went out of hiding and stood up. "When you say there he comes, be specific about what he!" Jessie scolded; she and James thought Meowth was warning them about Giovanni.

"Who are you hiding from?" Ash curiously inquired. He could think of no reason why they would need to hide. "You're not planning to cause trouble, are you?"

"Not at all, we just want to eat, dance and have fun," James cheered, while Jessie nodded in agreement.

"Yes, exactly, we sent a gift too," Jessie pointed at the big pile of presents that held a prominent spot on the party room. All the gifts from everyone had been sent in advanced and arranged in a tower. "It's somewhere in there."

"So if you're not planning to get into trouble why were you hiding?" Ash curiously insisted.

"Um... because we're shy?" James nervously replied.

"Force of habit," Jessie added nonchalant.

Ash shrugged, "I guess that makes sense," he then lowered his voice to a whisper, "if you want to battle I really don't mind. I know that's not in the program, but it'll save me from having to dance. When we were practicing I kept accidentally stepping on Misty's feet and she got mad at me. Daisy might get mad over the battling, but Misty has a bigger temper."

James shook his head, "poor Misty, I know how that feels. Jessie steps on my feet when we dance too, ow!" A pain on James' foot shut him up.

"I do not," Jessie removed her foot from James' foot and tried to look innocent.

Some distance away, Giovanni was playing his good gym leader role with Delia by his side. He thought he saw Jessie and James, but they had apparently not noticed he was watching them among the crowd. They were talking to Ash, but Giovanni couldn't hear what they were saying from that distance. As soon as he was free of the conversation, he began to move towards them. "I saw Jessie and James over there," he whispered to Delia without thinking much of it.

"Let's go say hi," Delia didn't take it as a big deal. She sounded like she was familiar with them.

"Friends of yours?" Giovanni inquired.

"Oh yes," Delia smiled.

"Those two better not be troublesome, I don't feel like dealing with more trouble today," Giovanni's patience was at its very limit.

"Don't worry, they're nice people," Delia looked at Giovanni, curiously, "I take it they're somehow in Team Rocket again?"

"Part time," Giovanni admitted, "they work in information gathering. For the most part they can continue living normally and running their pokemon day care center. They're surprisingly good at collecting rumors. Not many are more than just rumors, but it's still good to know what's being said."

"There he comes!" Meowth ducked under the table as Giovanni and Delia approached.

"Which he is it this time?" Jessie didn't sound alarmed.

James spotted Giovanni and gasped, "hide!"

Jessie realized what was going on and rushed to get under the table with James. She scolded Meowth, "why didn't you warn us?"

"I did warn you, but if I warned you by name the twerp will know who we're hiding from," Meowth argued.

"He knows now anyway," Jessie retorted, "you could have used a code name."

"You mean like saying the ultra rare bottle cap is coming?" James inquired under the table.

"Too crazy," Jessie disagreed.

"Awesome is coming?" Meowth suggested.

"I thought you were over your obsession," Jessie rejected the idea. "You should have said orange alert."

"He doesn't wear orange anymore," Meowth argued.

Giovanni decided it was time to make the fact that he was aware of their presence known. "Have you seen any suspicious people around here?"

"Not really," Ash wondered why in the world were Jessie and James hiding. The realization hit him as he remembered the events that demolished the Viridian gym in the past. "Just out of curiosity, if you won a gym battle then decided to take a break. Then returned to find that the gym has been pretty much destroyed... Would you forgive the culprit if they were really sorry?"

Giovanni thought about what Ash said. He was talking about Jessie and James, but it reminded Giovanni of Ash involvement in 'recovering' the Viridian gym from them. He found himself wondering how much of the destruction could truly be blamed on Jessie and James. "Why do you ask? Did you ever do something like that?"

"No, I was asking because..." Ash paused, how would he word things so that Giovanni would forgive Jessie and James? "Actually..." Ash realized something, "that time was kind of my fault too."

Delia observed the exchange wondering what kind of conversation would continue to flow out of it. Part of her wanted to say something and another part didn't want to interrupt.

"The twerp is taking the fall for us," Jessie realized, whispering in a much quieter voice than before.

James was impressed, "wow, he must be a better friend than we thought."

Meowth got all emotional, "how noble!"

"I don't think he really knows what he's getting into. With the new relations being built..." Jessie referred to the situation with the Waterflowers, which was still unclear to her and James. "He shouldn't be getting in the boss' bad side now... or ever."

"You're right, we can't let him," James tried to dramatically stand up and bashed his head against the table. "Ow!" He crawled from under the table with Jessie and Meowth.

The trio stood there, their presence revealed. They froze up completely and their minds went blank. Giovanni glared and they became more paralyzed. "I'm glad you decided to come out from under the table," Ash greeted, much to their dismay. "See? It's not scary out here."

"Twerp, your courage borders suicide at times," Jessie finally found her voice in a sarcastic remark.

"What are you talking about? You're not mad anymore, are you?" Ash gave Giovanni an innocent smile. "I mean you have a new gym and everything. Jessie and James are reformed... mostly," the last word was a whisper under his breath. "We didn't mean to break the gym. It was my fault too and we're all really sorry!"

While Ash confessed James whispered to Jessie, "don't you think they look alike when the twerp doesn't wear his hat and actually brushes his hair?"

"They kind of do," Jessie whispered back, their voices inaudible to anyone else.

To be Continued

Don't Give Me Diamonds

Diamond 079: Give me Curiosity

Giovanni glared at Jessie and James. He had built the impression over the years that their mere presence was enough to cause trouble. Jessie and James stood straight and silent as if awaiting orders in a line of soldiers. He decided not to say anything to them for being there.

Apparently their connection with the Waterflowers was better than he thought. If anything he could use that to get information from them in case anyone slipped up. Seeing Ash standing up for Jessie and James, offering to share the blame for the Viridian gym incident years ago, made Giovanni's thoughts about having a battle resurfaced. "I'll overlook that incident if you put up a good fight in a pokemon battle."

Ash's face was full of excitement, "right here and now?"

"No, not now," Delia interfered. "We're in the middle of a wedding party. Besides, look over there." Delia glanced towards Misty. "Misty is making a face that says 'this person is overloading me with invasive questions. Someone please give me an excuse to leave.' You should help her, go dance with her."

Ash observed Misty's expression. He stared and caught just the slightest most well hidden hint of discomfort. She kept staring back at him. "You can tell all that just by looking?" He was a little dense with subtle hints, but Misty couldn't give him anything obvious to work with at the time. "I'll go invite her to dance; I hope I don't step on her feet." He looked at Giovanni, the challenge still shining in his eyes, "we'll battle soon, I'm really looking forward to it."

"So am I," the uncontrollable desire to test his strength in a pokemon battle against Ash had resurfaced. It had to be done and soon. Once Ash was gone, Giovanni gave Jessie and James a serious look, "don't cause trouble, don't reveal anything and report on any information you hear about here."

"Yes, sir!" Jessie, James and Meowth chorused. Then their expressions turned to worry as they glanced at Delia. She wasn't supposed to know what that was about. Yet if that was the case, why did Giovanni speak so openly when she was listening?

Delia smiled sweetly with a reassuring expression, "it's okay, I know, but don't mention anything to Ash. I'm not quite ready for him to know yet." Delia felt terrible to still be keeping the secret from Ash, but that would end soon.

Jessie, James and Meowth knew that Delia was apparently dating Giovanni. Practically everyone in Kanto knew. They assumed that Giovanni kept his other identity a secret from her. They stood there in absolute shock, "stop making those faces, look natural," Giovanni urged with a threatening tone.

Jessie, James and Meowth nodded and occupied themselves eating. That was their way to look natural. They were still shocked that Delia knew about Giovanni's real career. They wondered just how much she knew. Sweet kind Delia with a mafia lord? Well, they do say that opposites attract.

Delia decided it was time to lessen the tensions and give Jessie and James the opportunity to get over their surprise in peace. "I want to dance," with that request, she got Giovanni away from Jessie and James.

Near the other end of the large party room, Lily shifted uncomfortably. "Do I have something on my face?" She finally asked.

"A lot of beauty," Brock replied, resisting the urge to take her hands in his. He didn't want to come off as too forward. He continued to stare at Lily and only Lily. If he kept his eyes on her, his gaze wouldn't wonder towards another pretty girl. There were many beautiful women in the party. At first the sight was too much for Brock, he had never seen so many attractive women in one place at the same time. He resolved his brain crash by volunteering to help make sure the pokemon were comfortable and well behaved at the church.

Lily looked away, feeling Brock's eyes still on her face. She looked back at him, his expression adoring and focused. "Stop it! You're like really creeping me out!"

Brock frowned, of course things had to end the same way they always did for him. He was so heartbroken he could cry. He tried really hard to be likable. He didn't try to take Lily's hand, or put his arm around her, or touch her in any way. He thought he was respecting her space and that if he kept doing that she would get closer to him when she felt ready. He looked at her the entire time, making sure to loyally focus his attention and not allow his eyes to wander. Nothing worked out for him. Perhaps he really would cry.

"Don't make that face, it's like you're about to cry," Lily paused, realizing just how right she was. "You really are about to cry. What's wrong? Do you like have a tummy ache?" Never before had she seen a man looking so agonized.

"You're not getting a restraining order are you? Nobody loves me!" Brock sniffled, his depression was simply too strong.

"Shh, don't make a scene," Lily smiled nervously and pulled Brock away to a quiet corner. "Like take a deep breath and calm down, then tell me what's wrong."

Brock nodded, breathing deeply. "I'm sad because I'm unlovable. I've been trying to be a good date but it's obvious I failed miserably. I tried to be loyal and have eyes only for you, but it backfired in the end. I'm cursed to loneliness."

"I have to admit, the staring was weird," Lily confessed, "I guess you're not such a bad date despite all that. It would be annoying if my date like spent the night looking at other girls. That doesn't mean you have to like completely avoid eye contact with every other female in the party." She decided she might as well make the most of her date. "Just try to relax, let's go dance for a while, okay?"

"Yes, my lady, anything you want, dear Lily!" Brock was quick to energetically agree.

"Right..." Lily still thought he went a bit far with his exaggerated attentions, but decided to view the date with an open mind.

The music and dancing continued until it was time for dinner. The guests were seated in long tables as the waiters and waitresses came and went with food. At Daisy's request, as many people as possible were invited. She wanted a big wedding with lots of guests. Because of that, Misty was encouraged to invite anyone she knew whom she thought could make it to the celebration, even if they were from other regions. Several nurse Joys were present, but there were no Jennys. Otoshi and his wife were there as well as other friends Misty contacted. Tracy had arrived from the Orange Islands just on time. Todd and Ritchie were among the sea of guests.

xoxox xox xoxox

While the wedding party was taking place at Vermilion City, the investigation continued in Cerulean City. The manager, Laiki and a few Rockets were studying the evidence in a secret basement at Razzo Albergo. Laiki watched the security videos again. The guard that had been accused of being an accomplice walked down the hall towards the camera room. He moved as if in a trance. Another guard passed by in the hall and greeted him. The suspicious guard didn't reply, as if he didn't see the other man, though he was hard to miss.

The accomplice continued towards the camera monitoring room and entered. That was the end of the significant part of the video from the restricted hallway. Seconds after the guard went inside the camera room, some of the hidden video cameras that secretly monitored the surrounding area outside of the hotel were deactivated. Shortly after, one of the still active cameras showed Delia walking down the side walk towards the hotel. None of the passer bys around her looked suspicious. Something caught Delia's attention and she disappeared behind the hotel. The cameras in that area were deactivated.

Laiki let out a breath and leaned back in the black chair. The camera room was dim, save for the lights of the multiple monitors. "I have a feeling this is going to be one tough case to crack," Laiki mused.

The strangest thing of all was that the accomplice had been found passed out in that very same camera room. After he deactivated the cameras outside he simply fainted. He had been interrogated, but apparently he didn't remember deactivating the cameras at all. His entire day was gone from his memories.

xoxox xox xoxox

It was well past midnight when the wedding party finally ended at Lando's mansion in Vermilion City. The celebration culminated with an impressive display of fireworks. The guests gathered outside to watch as the newlyweds' helicopter took off into the night. They were off to their honeymoon and would not be back for a few days. Afterwards, the guests were shown to their rooms. It was late and they had all been invited to stay at the many rooms of the mansion. Persian was spending the night with the other pokemon in their large room.

Delia recognized the luggage that had already been delivered there. "Did they ask you about the room when they were arranging everything? No one really told me about it."

"Yes, since I said you were staying with me, it seems they decided not to call you about it," Giovanni revealed.

"How considerate of you to take care of everything," Delia's sarcastic remark came out with less energy than intended. "It's finally over..."

"I take it you're not only talking about the party?" Giovanni watched her with puzzlement. She seemed sad about something, almost afraid.

"I have to tell Ash the truth after this. I've been keeping the secret for so long. At first I thought I had to, but later it came to the point where keeping it would just make things more difficult for when it was eventually known. None the less, I will do this," her voice trembled as she paused in thought. "We'll go to Pallet Town and everything will be revealed."

"Pallet Town?" The topic of what to do next had not really been discussed. "I can't let you go back there, not after what happened today."

"Pallet Town is my home; of course I'm going back," Delia insisted. "It's perfectly safe there, it has been for years."

"People didn't know you back then. I didn't expect something like this would come out of all this publicity," the publicity had been indeed good. The tensions had lessened and with the public occupied on a different topic, the inconvenient theories and rumors ceased.

"No one ever goes to Pallet Town," Delia argued. "It doesn't matter if people know me, that was just one incident. Besides, everyone knows everyone in Pallet Town and there are no lonely alleys to wander into.

Outside of the guest room where Giovanni and Delia were, Ash made his way down the hall. He thought he should at least say good night, since they had been caught up in the celebrations and not really talked much. The maid had said his mother was in the last room down the hall to the left. He stopped in front of the door and raised his hand to knock, but stopped before doing so.

He froze as he heard his mother's voice from inside, she sounded sad. Then there was something that sounded like an argument, but Ash couldn't understand the words. He placed his ear to the door and listened. He knew he shouldn't be spying, but he couldn't help it.

"You're taking this too lightly," Giovanni insisted, more harshly than he intended. "Someone tried to kill you. Don't you understand that? Either you come with me or I'll have to post guards all around your house twenty-four seven. Somehow I don't think the locals will be very happy with that."

Ash went pale; someone had tried to kill his mother? Who? When? Why?

"I don't need a battalion in my house, I have my pokemon. Last time I didn't have them with me. I'll be fine; no one will come after me. I'm not going to give up my freedom," Delia insisted, the volume of her voice rising with every word.

"I'm not saying you have to give up your freedom, just consider the risks," Giovanni was cut off when Delia interrupted.

"Do you consider the risks? You're not exactly very careful yourself and you're alive." Delia held her ground, "I'm going back to Pallet Town and I'm going to tell Ash everything!"

"What if you're interrupted by a bullet?" Giovanni argued without thinking. They both paused and an uncomfortable silence invaded the room.

"Do you think they'll go after Ash?" Delia spoke with worry, her voice shaking.

Giovanni paused and gave the situation some thought, "I don't think they know who he really is," he finally voiced, the previous anger gone.

"I wish..." Delia felt tears accumulating in her eyes and running down her face. "I wish that Ash's father was... the Viridian City gym leader, no one else. That's a selfish wish, I know. I won't wish for that anymore, I have no right to make that wish. This is what I feared, this is why I left. This is why I kept the truth from him. I have so many regrets..."

At that moment, Ash forced himself away from the door and stumbled in a shocked daze in the hallway. His heart was racing as were his thoughts. He wanted to listen at the door. He wanted to call his mother and listen to the truth right there. He just wanted to tare the door down and not leave until he had his answers. Yet he couldn't do it. His mother's past seemed to be more difficult and complicated than he ever thought.

The way she spoke gave him the impression that Giovanni wasn't his father. Was he a part of a complicated triangle which ended with a choice she later regretted? Just what did Giovanni mean by someone not knowing who he was? He was Ash Ketchum, he was the son of Delia and... a mysterious man. All the answers were in that man's identity. At least his mother sounded determined to reveal everything.

Misty saw Ash standing out in the hall looking shocked and worried. She hurried to him. "Are you alright?" He seemed to be unable to find his voice, standing there by himself. Pikachu had gone with the other pokemon. "Ash," Misty gave him a concerned look. "Did something happen?"

Ash finally pushed some sound out of his throat, "let's not talk here."

Misty nodded and they walked back to his room. Ash tried to organize his thoughts as best as he could on the way. "We're here," Misty breathed. She observed as Ash sat down unenergetically on his bed, his eyes still wide, face pale. "You're really worrying me." She sat beside him. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Someone tried to kill mom," Ash's revelation took Misty completely off guard. She was expecting something shocking judging by the state he was in, but not that. "I was just going to say good night. I overheard her arguing with Giovanni. He was saying it was too dangerous in Pallet Town because someone had tried to kill her. It couldn't have been in town, someone would know, then everyone would know. It must have been somewhere else."

"Are you sure that's what you heard?" Misty slowly asked. "Who would want to hurt Delia? She's always been so kind. I can't imagine why anyone would hold a grudge against her."

"That's what I heard," it was hard to believe, but Ash was certain of it. "It's something related to my father. I heard her say she wished Giovanni was my father. Whatever is going on has to be related to my father. Mom said something about her leaving for this reason and not telling me. She was trying to protect me, but I'm not sure from what. Just who in the world was my father, or who is he? She kept saying she had to tell me. Maybe I should go right now and ask."

"Wait, Ash," Misty stopped Ash as he stood up and pulled him to sit down again. She kept her hands on his shoulders, looking into his eyes. "I don't think you should rush into this or jump to conclusions." It was a lot to take in.

"Mom's going to tell me anyway, that's true," Ash considered that fact. "Tomorrow... I'll let her sort out the past tonight. It sounded like Giovanni already knew about it. I'll let them talk, then tomorrow if mom doesn't bring it up, I will."

xoxox xox xoxox

Back at Delia and Giovanni's room, "do you regret the past?" Giovanni asked, the question came out before he could stop himself, before he could even think about why he was asking that.

"No," Delia sounded absolutely certain. Despite her worries and tears, she smiled, "I treasure the past and I also treasure the present. I regret waiting for so long to tell you and Ash. I regret having stolen him away and kept him to myself. I regret taking him away from you and you from him. If I had stayed, I would have regretted not being able to give Ash a peaceful childhood. I would have regretted it if he didn't have the chance to see the world and explore so many lands, free and without anything to hold him back. I would have regretted the risks, the crimes, the tragedies."

Delia continued, her voice full of emotion, "no matter what choices I make and no matter how strongly I feel about them when I make them, I always end up with regrets. Maybe I want too much; maybe I try to take more than I can have. Whatever it is, it's not my choice alone, maybe that's what I haven't been able to understand. Maybe I'm just selfish, or maybe I'm just scared of facing the truth. Do you hate me for leaving? Do you hate me for never telling you until now? Do you hate me because of what I led Ash to become?"

It was indeed too bad that someone with such skill and power would probably never agree to use it to attempt to rule the world. Giovanni knew Ash's values were too solidly anchored to ever be forgotten. Ash had his priorities, so did Delia and so did he. Somehow, he found he couldn't hate her for it, seeing her tortured expression, hearing her take all the blame for herself. He hugged her and held her close. She hugged him back as if holding on to life itself. "I told you before; you can't carry the weight of the world all by yourself." Maybe they weren't so different after all. They both wanted to make the world their own place. "I don't hate you; I don't think I ever have." His denial finally crumbled as he realized he still loved her.

The last of her tears for the night escaped Delia. Her stubborn hope resurfaced again like a defense mechanism of survival trying to preserve her will to live. There was hope and there would be hope as long as those she loved still existed. There would always be hope.

There was too much to say, too much still left unresolved, but for just that moment they lived in the present, one second at a time. They kissed and it felt different than before, but at the same time familiar. There was no more pretending, there were no more doubts, no more misperceptions, no more lies. It was only them, real, imperfect, human, irreplaceable.

xoxox xox xoxox

When the next morning came the guests slowly left the mansion. Some stayed for breakfast, while others left early to return to their lives and businesses. A knock on the door woke Misty.

The knock was followed by Brock's voice calling, "Ash, are you awake? I need your advice! You're engaged, so that means you must have some good advice on relationships if you made it that far. C'mon Ash, wake up! I'm too embarrassed to ask Misty for advice. Ash?" Brock looked left and right up and down the long hallway. He was so excited and nervous he was spilling his heart out right there in the hall. He was sure he would die of embarrassment if anyone, especially Lily, happened to walk by at that moment.

Misty woke up in full, rather than the half asleep daze she was in for a few seconds. Ash was uneasy, she stayed with him to keep him calm and they fell asleep. She tried to get up, slipping out of Ash's arms. He was still sleeping peacefully, with his head on her chest, "don't steal my pillow," he mumbled in his sleep, cuddling Misty.

Misty felt her face turn pink, "Ash, wake up," she shook him awake, or almost awake.

"Five more minutes... The battle can wait for five more minutes. Tell them I'll be right there..." Ash began to fall asleep again.

"Wake up!" Misty insisted.

"The Indigo League!" Ash suddenly jumped to his feat, "I'm late! I'm late!" He ran in circles around the room before reality finally caught up to him. He looked around and found Misty watching him. She was invaded by a fit of laughter and he attributed her pink face to laughing so much. "Good morning," Ash scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed by his reaction to his nightmare. He only ever had that nightmare when something was bothering him.

Ash soon recalled what he had heard the previous night. After a night of slumber, he started to wonder if he really had misheard something. Brock's voice out the door interrupted his thoughts. "Ash?"

"Brock?" Without a second thought, Ash went over to open the door. "Good morning, come in."

Brock immediately noticed that Misty was in the room. "Misty?!"

"Ash was having a nightmare," Misty quickly explained.

"You heard!" Brock was mortified.

"Heard what?" As it often happened in all matters somehow related to love, Ash was clueless.

"You didn't?" Brock looked back and forth between Ash and Misty.

Finally Misty spoke, "alright, you might as well come clean. What's your big dilemma? My advice will be more effective than Ash's anyway."

Ash's confusion grew, "dilemma?"

Brock took a deep breath and confessed. "Last night at the party, I asked Lily if she would go out with me in a second date. She said she would think about it. That's as close as I've ever been to a second date." It took less than one full date for him to scare off most women. "Should I wait until she decides to call me and say she'll go? Should I give her a day or two and ask again? Was she just letting me off easy? I don't know how to interpret this. I really don't want to mess this up."

"First and foremost, relax," Misty emphasized. "Next, try to be friends with Lily before asking her out again. Finally, you can go back to the Cerulean gym and help me deal with the separation anxiety I know is sure to come. Sooner or later it will sink in for Violet and Lily that Daisy is married and will be living with her husband. I'll say you just came over to hang out with me so Lily won't feel stalked, then you can hang out with all of us."

"Thanks Misty! I owe you my life!" Brock dramatized.

"One more thing, try to get some sleep, you have purple lines under your eyes," Misty insisted. "Relax, that is the key."

"Right, relax, relax," Brock was trying so hard to relax that he looked more tense. He had spent the entire night tossing and turning, trying to figure out what Lily's words really meant.

"I think I missed something," Ash correctly stated. Pikachu entered the room; the door had been left open. He was followed by Ash, Misty and Brock's other pokemon. "I have to go back to Pallet Town for a while," or to wherever his mother went so they could talk.

Misty nodded; she knew Ash needed some time alone with his mom. "Call me as soon as you can." She looked at the pokemon and smiled with trust, "take care of Ash for me." All the pokemon agreed cheerfully, though they didn't know the origin of the request.

To be Continued

Don't Give Me Diamonds

Diamond 080: Give me Sincerity

"I still think going to Pallet Town is a bad idea," Giovanni insisted, displeased with the results of their argument.

"You said it was okay and I'm not letting you take that back," Delia reminded him with a victorious grin. Waking up in each others' arms that morning felt more natural than either would have expected.

"You know I didn't," Giovanni didn't count his so called agreement, "you shouldn't ask me important questions when I'm thinking of other things," he chose not to specify what other things, Delia already knew the answer to that.

"Either way, you know I would have gone anyway," Delia's mind was made up. She would talk to Ash in the peace of the home he grew up in and nothing would go wrong. They exited the room leaving the luggage behind for the staff to deliver to their helicopter.

As they walked down the hall, a maid caught sight of them as if she was searching for them. "Ah, I have found you," she smiled politely, "good morning, excuse me; I have a message for you. There is a lady named Ariana who wishes to speak with you immediately. She is waiting in one of the guest rooms. She requested to see the Viridian gym leader in private," the maid shifted uncomfortably, wondering what urgent business brought the mysterious lady to seek the gym leader.

The story sounded quite strange, but just as the one behind it expected, Giovanni had to investigate. "I'll go see what this is about, you should go get Ash. I'll take you back to Pallet Town in the helicopter."

Delia found the sudden arrival of Ariana to be strange too, but she agreed. "Alright, we'll be waiting." Whatever was going on, she should have the chance to find out about it soon. Maybe it was related to a new lead on who was behind the recent happenings.

Giovanni followed the maid to the guest room where Ariana was supposed to be waiting. When they arrived it was empty. The maid looked surprised, "I'm sure this is the right room. She looked down the hallway as if counting the doors. Another maid exited the room next door with a basket full of sheets to take to the laundry room. "Louise, did you see a lady with red hair leave this room?"

"Yes, she went out just as I came. I'm not sure who she was, a guest from yesterday's festivities, I assumed," Louise answered naturally.

"Oh, I'm sorry it seems she went somewhere else," the first maid felt a bit embarrassed, though she had no real reason, it had not been her fault.

"That's alright," Giovanni found the entire situation to be very suspicious. "I'm sure we'll run into each other soon enough." As soon as he was away from the maid he gave Ariana a quick call and got right to the point, "where are you?"

"Checking up on Johto's HQ," Ariana replied perplexed by the unexpected call from Giovanni. "Why do you ask? Do you need me to do something?"

"Never mind, keep working on what you're doing," Giovanni ended the call and hurried to find Delia. Needless to say, Ariana found the entire occurrence to be quite strange.

xoxox xox xoxox

"Delia?" A woman with short red hair approached Delia as she looked for Ash. Her large dark shades hid half her tanned face. The part that stood out the most were her thick boots, that looked as if they were several sizes too big for her. She was wearing a black business suit, but there was no red R present on it.

"Yes?" Delia didn't recognize the woman.

"Giovanni is leaving due to some unexpected business. He asked me to take you home. Please, come this way," she seemed to be in a hurry to leave.

"Where is Giovanni? I want to talk to him before he leaves," Delia insisted.

The woman spotted Giovanni at the end of the hall, coming from the direction opposite to where Delia was facing. He was faster than she expected. "There he comes, I will be waiting in the car outside, excuse me," the woman quickly left.

"Delia, who was that?" Giovanni seemed to have no idea that he was apparently leaving and someone was supposed to take Delia home.

Her eyes widened in realization. "She's suspicious, after her!" Delia wanted to end the danger as fast as possible. If she could get a clue from that woman, that might help.

Seeing Delia dash away after the unknown woman, Giovanni was quick to chase after her. Delia turned a corner and stopped. There was a fork and Delia had no clue which way to go. "She's gone, we won't catch her now," Giovanni voiced bitterly. The suspect was right there and she slipped away. "I can't bring any agents here without causing a commotion. It's best if we just leave. We're going to my place."

Delia sighed; the danger became very apparent in her mind. "Alright, for now I'll tell Ash you invited us over. Then I'll tell him the truth when we get there." She felt that she had no choice but to agree not to return to Pallet Town for the time being. She felt like she was being hunted down. She didn't want to get Ash involved, yet that was exactly what she was doing by telling him the truth. The need for him to be informed was more urgent, he had to be on his guard.

xoxox xox xoxox

Misty returned to Cerulean City with Violet, Lily and Brock, their transportation provided by Lando's staff. Ash boarded Giovanni's helicopter with his mother and the gym leader. The pokemon had all been reunited with their trainers. Most of them were in their pokeballs, save for Pikachu and Persian. The tension was heavy in the air at first. They all tried to lessen it with a casual conversation about pokemon battles. For a moment, the tension was lessened significantly as Ash and Giovanni spoke of their coming battle. Before that there was another more urgent matter to tend to that they all silently knew about.

They stopped at Pallet Town, since Delia wanted to personally assure Professor Oak that everything was alright. She knew he had been worried about her recent reunion with Giovanni and all that had been said in the news. Vandel watched the scene in secret. If Delia was with Team Rocket, she was safe; he didn't need to follow her. He wondered just when the chain of events that concluded with the great catastrophe would occur. He didn't know it had already started. He was soon called over by Gary to meet Ash.

Ash stopped by to talk to Gary while his mother went to see Professor Oak. Giovanni had decided to wait for them in the helicopter. He knew the effect of Delia's reassurance might not be as strong if he was there. Mother and son exited the Oak research lab together. "How was Belle?" Delia casually inquired; the silence that had fallen upon them after landing was too heavy.

"She's doing much better. Skye is helping Gary take care of her," Ash replied as casually as he could, but could think of nothing more to say. As they walked back to the helicopter, Ash tried to get the conversation going again so that the uncomfortable silence wouldn't return. He spotted the orange car in front of the house, "looks like Giovanni left his car there," he could think of nothing more to comment on.

"Actually, it's ours," Delia revealed, much to Ash's surprise she gave him the keys.

"Are you serious?" His worries were momentarily pushed back at the thought of being able to drive such a cool car.

"Yes, Giovanni said we could have it. You can use it whenever you want, I don't really need it much," Delia smiled as naturally as she could. Her mind was still focused on the approaching conversation she would have with Ash.

"Wow, that's really generous," Ash's focus shifted suddenly from the car to his questions. He wondered who his father was. If Giovanni had always been nice to his mother, why wasn't he chosen in their past triangle? Just who was the man who ended up winning his mother's heart? Who was his mysterious father?

The rest of the helicopter ride to Giovanni's mansion went by in relative silence. There were some attempts to converse, but the talking didn't quite pick up. Ash's questions had resurfaced too strongly.

xoxox xox xoxox

At the Viridian Rocket headquarters one of the Rocket guards was surprised to find Iblis in the underground dungeon. "I thought you were on break," he curiously stated.

"I was, but a few things came up. Before I move on, I thought about doing one last interrogation with her," she glanced over at Poisona. Alakazam and Gengar were already out of their pokeballs, standing left and right of their trainer. "I'm not sure if I can get anything more out of her, but what can it hurt to try? Can you give me a moment alone with her?"

The request was not unusual. It was best for the subject being interrogated not to have any distractions. "Sure, I'll be out the door." He unlocked the cell before leaving. Poisona was chained to the wall so there was not much she could do.

"Wait," Iblis calling made the guard return. Iblis was examining the unmoving Poisona. "She's weak, too weak, we're losing her."

"Oh man, it's because she's been refusing to eat properly," the guard was annoyed. It would be bad if they ended up with a corpse in the dungeon. He knew Poisona was supposed to be handed over to the police alive after they were done getting information out of her. "The local nurse is not around. I'll have to call someone to take care of her."

"There's no time, I'll do it. I'm not an expert but I have some basic knowledge," Iblis offered, she knew she would be in trouble if she let the prisoner die. "Help me get her to the infirmary."

"Alright," the guard unlocked Poisona's chains. She fell limply into his arms, seemingly unconscious, but twitching slightly, as if she was aware.

"This is bad," Iblis observed Poisona's state, "at this rate, what awaits her is death."

As the last word escaped Iblis' lips, Poisona sprang to life. She tackled Iblis to the floor hard. The guard scrambled to pull Poisona back. The berserk lavender haired woman grabbed on to Iblis' leg as the shocked psychologist tried to kick her off. She gripped Iblis' ankle, twisting it painfully, before the guard finally managed to bind her wrists with handcuffs.

"I'd say this one's just about ready to be thrown in a padded room. Are you going to be okay?" The guard got to work on chaining Poisona. She was unusually strong for someone so thin. It was as if her body was running on pure adrenaline and she didn't care if she tore herself apart.

Iblis cursed loudly and glared at Poisona. Her two pokemon helped her up. She kept all her weight on her right foot. Her left ankle was still strangely twisted at an impossible angle within the flexible white boot. "I'll live," she painfully declared.

xoxox xox xoxox

The helicopter transporting Giovanni, Ash and Delia landed at Giovanni's mansion between Kanto and Johto. The winged Rapidash statue on the fountain in front of the mansion reminded Ash of a Christmas decoration he still kept in Pallet Town.

Ash and Delia were given a quick tour of the mansion, since Ash had not seen it before. Ash knew Giovanni must live in luxury, but he was taken by surprise with the appearance of his mansion. It was much fancier than Ash had imagined. After they were shown to their rooms, Giovanni left to tend to some business. Delia knew he must be going to oversee the progress of the investigation and the scientific studies, along with other Team Rocket business. He was also giving her some time alone with Ash.

After Giovanni left, Ash stood beside his mother as if waiting for her to say something. Pikachu stayed on his shoulder motionless; he could feel the uncertainty in the air. Persian had left with Giovanni, following him everywhere as he always did. "Ash, I promised to tell you about your father." Delia summoned all her courage and brought up the subject. She watched as Ash silently nodded expectantly, "let's go to your room, we can talk there without interruptions."

The room where Ash was staying was different from the one where Delia was locked before. It was in a different area of the mansion and looked much fancier. It was equipped with its own living room and a large bathroom aside from the bedroom. It had a large 3D mirror TV and a potent sound system as well as other modern luxuries.

The color indigo predominated with accents of red and orange. It should have looked bright, yet it was all so well arranged, it had an elegant appearance. They sat down on the indigo couch, sinking into its softness among the red and orange cushions. Pikachu hopped off Ash and sat on the couch next to him, completely quiet.

"I don't even know where to start," Delia admitted. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I kept everything quiet for far too long. It's all somehow built up into... I don't even know what to call it."

"Just tell me everything, step by step," Ash encouraged.

"Alright," Delia nodded, "this will be a long talk." Instead of diving into the complications of the present, she started from the beginning. "There are things I've only half-told you. I guess I should start by clarifying that. I mentioned it took your father three days to get to Viridian City, but I never told you he came from Saffron City."

It was only the first bit of information and Ash was already surprised. He had thought his father was from Pallet Town. Thinking back on it, it was an impractical assumption. In that little town everyone knew everyone, if his father was really from there, or lived there at some point in the past, someone would have known. Someone would have slipped up and mentioned him. Ash realized that maybe all his assumptions about his father could be wrong. He listened with an open mind like a blank canvas for his mom to paint an entirely new picture on.

Delia continued, "I also told you that your father and I met in Cerulean City, that was true. It was also true that our first date," using the term of 'date' lightly, "was at the beach. We were interrupted when your father was attacked by a Gyarados."

Ash found himself reflecting on the similarities between himself and the mysterious man that was his father. Coincidentally, Misty was from Cerulean City and Ash's first official date with her was at a beach. Ash and Misty had let their pokemon out to play. Misty's Gyarados got protective of her, which was unfortunate for Ash. After defeating the Gyarados in a pokemon battle with some help from Pikachu, the water pokemon decided Ash was worthy to be with his trainer after all.

Delia continued her little review, "it's also true that we battled against evil pokemon gangs and rescued many pokemon that were being mistreated. We were also involved with the discovery of the cure to the epidemic many years ago. All of that is true, but I never told you the specifics."

Ash listened with attention, his curiosity building up with every passing second. Pikachu was in a similar state, his eyes also focused on Delia.

"I was doing an internship at the Cerulean City Pokemon Center," that much Ash knew, but the next part would be new to him. "One night, a gang of thieves snuck in and stole some of the pokemon from the center. I caught them in the act but was unable to stop them by myself. Your father was the leader of that gang."

Ash's jaw dropped. He tried to compose himself and urged his mother to continue with his eyes.

"The pokemon were sick, the epidemic was at its worst. I didn't know what fate awaited them in the hands of that gang. That's why I followed them and insisted that they let me join. I wasn't trusted at first. They allowed me to care for the pokemon, but that was it. I stayed at the warehouse, where the stolen pokemon were kept. I had my chances to escape, but I didn't. After I earned some trust, I moved into their hideout," Delia recalled.

A million questions floated in Ash's head. He was unable to find his voice and simply nodded.

"Things happened quickly after that with one thing leading to another. Your father must have taken a liking to me, but I didn't trust him at first. By that time I had freedom within the gang and was able to reassure nurse Joy that I was alright, so she canceled her missing person report. I also stayed in contact with Professor Oak, who had been my teacher. Your father and I went to Pallet Town to give Professor Oak some samples to research. He promised not to cause trouble for Professor Oak or try to steal his pokemon if I dated him for a week. In the end, that week turned into something much longer," once Delia started to talk about it she became calmer, remembering those times.

The question was written all over Ash's expression, even if he couldn't fully voice it. He tried to push the words out, "does he...?"

"Yes," Delia understood, even if Ash didn't finish his question. "Professor Oak knows. I don't think anyone else in Pallet Town is truly aware of this, at least not beyond a few rumors. Either way, I'm sure Professor Oak is the only one who can make the connection, no one else in town would recognize your father if they saw him." They had seen him, but they had no idea who he really was beyond his public image.

Another wave of realization washed over Ash, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions. Was his father alive? He pleaded for more information with his expression.

Delia continued her narration, "Your father and I were heading back from Pallet when our friends from the gang called to say a rival gang attacked our hideout. The place went up in flames and there were many pokemon casualties. We didn't realize it at the time, but the enemy was taking advantage of the leader's absence. It was Tempest, the Tempest of the past, the original one. The other gang, the gang I was a part of was... Team Rocket."

"Team Rocket!" Ash's exclamation was chorused by Pikachu, who spoke in his own language.

"I know it's a shock, but things were different back then," Delia tried to explain. "The epidemic was the greatest disaster and Tempest was doing some terrible things. They gave their pokemon all sorts of drugs to make them stronger at the cost of terrible side effects. Many pokemon were dying. That day, when Tempest burned down our home, your father and I rushed back to help our friends. We were chased by the police and even staged a false hostage situation where I pretended to have been kidnapped. When we made it to the hideout, it was too late for the pokemon in the blazing warehouse. All we could do was fight back with everything we had. The battle quickly turned around, it was as if having their leader with them was enough to give everyone strength. Then the police arrived and both Tempest and Team Rocket had to flee."

Ash's attention was completely captivated. He tried to imagine the Team Rocket of the past and how different it must have been. It almost sounded as if his mother was proud of the Team Rocket she remembered.

"Back then, Team Rocket was only a small gang. We fled to the south of Kanto and made ourselves at home in a beach-side cave," they were homeless, they didn't have anything, yet at that time, Delia felt that she had everything. "Tempest tracked us down and went on the attack. However, the drugs they fed their pokemon backfire and the pokemon... they didn't make it. Tempest had to retreat and we tracked them down to their hideout."

The entire story almost felt like the plot of a movie. It was amazing that it was actually real. It still had not fully sunk in for Ash or Pikachu.

"Do you remember the story I told you about when I used your father as a pokemon to battle a wild Graveler? That happened when we became trapped underground after Tempest attacked the beach cave." All the pieces of the puzzle were slowly falling into place and Delia felt the moment of truth approach. "Cloyster and Kingler were with me at that time. Cloyster was given to me as a Shellder by my friend Luke, from Team Rocket. I evolved him with a water stone to save your father from the wild Gyarados that attacked him during our 'date.' Kingler volunteered to come with me after witnessing that at the beach, back when he was Krabby."

Delia continued her story, dropping a few heavy hints that Ash took a while to catch, "your father's Rhydon, started out as a Rhyhorn he took from Venom, the Tempest leader. His Golem was the Graveler he battled. Tempest was allied to a lady called Amethyst. She was the Viridian gym leader at the time and the girlfriend of Venom. That was their hideout, the gym. Venom experimented on himself and turned into a mutant monster. Team Rocket stormed the Viridian gym one night. We fought Tempest and Venom. Your father's Machamp was originally Amethyst's Machoke. Venom took her pokemon and he... he killed her. Venom had many pokemon trapped in his hideout. They were set free and attacked Venom; that was his end."

Ash was still in shock, he needed to hear more. The infinity of questions in his head continued to expand. Added to the growing collection were questions about the Viridian gym and Giovanni's role in the story.

Delia was almost done with the story, "despite the sacrifices, we were victorious in more ways than one. We found Tempest's research for pokemon experimentation. The virus from the epidemic came from them. It was a side effect they allowed to run wild. Binks, a friend from Team Rocket who was good with science, studied the information with Professor Oak. Professor Oak knew a good portion of what happened and helped us. It was all so a cure could be produced. This was a big turning point for Team Rocket. We settled into the Viridian gym as our new home. Tempest was arrested and took the whole of the blame. Team Rocket had the antidote, they had influence, they would soon be unstoppable."

Ash was still yet to say another word.

Delia finished, "with our cured pokemon, we cleaned Kanto of other gangs. We battled and took away their pokemon. We healed them and made them our own. It would be years before any other gangs aside from Team Rocket surfaced. Throughout all of that, I had with me a pokemon egg. The egg was from a Persian who passed away when I was working at the warehouse. Your father's Persian started out as the Meowth that hatched from that egg."

Finally, all the dots were connected in Ash's head; his face was full of realization. Delia gave him a moment to process his thoughts and find his voice. "Cloyster, Kingler, Golem, Rhydon, Machamp, Persian, the Viridian City gym... all of that... it's all related to Giovanni, his pokemon, his gym."

"Yes, I already told him I would reveal the whole truth to you. Giovanni is your father, Giovanni Roketto," Delia finally revealed. It was clear Ash still had many questions. "This must remain a secret; he is not only the gym leader, but also the leader of Team Rocket. Please, don't be angry at him for not being there for you. He didn't know about you until recently. I never told him until now." Delia's regret resurfaced.

The things that Ash overheard started to make sense. His mother wasn't wishing that he had a different father; the man she spoke of was the same. It was his connection to the mafia she was talking about. That had to be the reason she was in danger. That was what she was protecting him from. Too many questions still remained. "Why?"

That one word felt like a cold stab for Delia. It was spoken without anger, only confusion. "Team Rocket took a more criminal approach to their activities, they became the mafia. I had many dear friends in Team Rocket, I still do," she admitted. "An anti-Rocket group picked a fight with us, a group that had ties to some of our friends from Team Rocket." Delia wasn't sure how much about that she should be revealing. She wanted Ash to meet Luke one day without making it too awkward for them. "Torn between family, love, friendship and loyalty, some of our friends ended up involved with the enemy's side. The battles that followed took many casualties. I saw a dear friend lose her mind and kill many, I saw another friend throw her life away for power. I saw my dear comrades suffering. It was too much. I didn't blame Giovanni and I still don't. He was involved, but he didn't cause those disasters, they were his friends too."

Delia swallowed and forced her voice to come out. She had tears in her eyes, but she didn't seem to notice. "I was almost engaged. Giovanni's proposal was interrupted and I didn't have the chance to give him my answer right away." It was ironic how much it paralleled Ash's situation. The difference was that Ash later received an answer. "I never told him, we were caught up trying to get things under control when everything fell apart. I was so close to saying yes. Even after all that I intended to stay. I still had hope. Giovanni is ambitious and sometimes extreme in his methods, but I... I loved him, I still do."

Ash was clouded by a vast confusion. If they were in love despite the situation, why did his parents go their separate ways? He saw his mother's sincerity. He saw how painful it was for her to leave his father. "Mom..." He hugged her; he couldn't stand to see her cry like that. "It's okay; you don't have to tell me everything at once."

Delia tried to even her breathing and calm her tears; Ash looked ready to cry himself. She must have worried him. "You've already waited too long to know," she insisted. "When I found out I was pregnant, everything changed," Delia decided to be honest about it. "You were a surprise, I'm happy you came to me. I'm very thankful for you," it was the one time she wasn't careful, the night of the Flame Festival in Cinnabar Island when Kanto was coated in the fiery colors of fall. "I wanted to give you a peaceful childhood, so I left. I didn't tell Giovanni about you, I left him a letter and my pokemon, then I went away. He must have known I went to Pallet Town, but he didn't know about you. He must have thought that life was too much for me, maybe he thought letting me go was what was best for both of us."

Delia looked into her son's eyes, "I'm so sorry. It was because of the choice I made that you never knew your father and he never knew you. I was only thinking about protecting you and acted on that. I don't know if I made the right choice, but I'm really proud of you and I love you so much. I'm sorry I kept the secret for so long, I'm sorry," her voice gave out and she could do nothing more than to hug her son as a rush of emotion overcame them both.

Ash and Delia's talk continued for several hours as Ash was given the chance to ask all the questions he wanted. Delia relived her past, the happy moments and the sad ones. Ash still needed some time for everything to sink in. They had some lunch and Ash took a nap. The racing thoughts that came with the truth were more exhausting than he imagined.

To be Continued

Don't Give Me Diamonds

Diamond 081: Give me Clarity

At the control room of Giovanni's mansion, Pixel was going to check the status of the security system. Strangely enough, she found a man passed out on the floor. He was wearing a standard Team Rocket uniform. She looked towards the large computer screen that glowed as the center of attention of the room. "Deactivated?"

Pixel hurried to the controls and tried to reactivate the security system. The alarms and cameras were both off. Was that man a traitor or an infiltrator? It didn't make sense that he was left on the floor, though he had no visible wounds. Maybe someone hit him with a blunt object and knocked him out. Either way he was still suspicious.

Pixel didn't know what in the world was going on, but someone locked her out of the system. Her ID and password were rejected. For all she knew, there could be any number of intruders in the mansion. She let out Prism, the Porygon, out of her lucky seven mini-laptop. "Prism, we need to activate the security system again. Actually, I'll leave you to it, there's an important guest I need to make sure is alright. I'll notify HQ just in case."

Pixel looked at the unconscious man suspiciously. She didn't want to leave him unguarded, so she released Pyro from his pokeball. "Watch this man, if he moves, incinerate him." The Charmander gave a little salute and glared at the unconscious man intensely. Pixel also released Peachy from her pokeball. "Get ready Peachy, we might have to deal with intruders!" The blue haired girl and her Pikachu rushed to find Delia.

xoxox xox xoxox

While Ash rested, Delia took a walk through the mansion. She passed by a spacious balcony overlooking a medium sized indoor pool. The one outside was much larger and had a tall diving board. On the opposite wall there hung a painting of Giovanni with his Persian. "Enjoying your stay, Delia?"

Delia turned around to face the unknown woman that stood about five feet away from her. She had long faded pink hair and olive skin. Her brown eyes seemed to carry a large amount of anger. "Who are you?"

The woman grinned, "I suppose you could call me your rival." There was nothing that truly stood out about her civilian clothing. Her boots were a bit odd, several sizes much too big for her, though they somehow stayed in place, even if she moved with a limp.

"Rival?" Delia didn't understand what she was talking about. "What do you mean by that?"

"I guess you'll never know," the unknown woman pointed a gun at Delia.

"If you're my rival I challenge you to a pokemon battle," Delia insisted.

"Fine, choose your pokemon," the unknown woman grinned wickedly. Delia released Cloyster from his pokeball. "I changed my mind, battle denied," the woman prepared to shoot; she wasn't willing to settle this in a pokemon battle. She would only be satisfied by Delia's death.

Cloyster jumped in front of Delia as a loud bang pierced the air. He had hardened his shell as much as he could. The bullet was caught in his shell, though it thankfully didn't perforate the shield to reach his vulnerable body. "Cloyster!" Delia yelled in agony, she recalled Cloyster into his pokeball for safety, "I'm sorry Cloyster, I'm so sorry!"

Down the hall, Pixel was alerted by the noise and hurried towards it. "Jump!" She called out to Delia as she threw Peachy ahead. Delia jumped off the balcony into the pool below and out of the way of Peachy's attack. "Thunderbolt!" The electric attack caught the woman off guard.

The mysterious woman was electrocuted and thrown several feet back. She dropped her gun to the floor below and banged her head against the wall with the force of the momentum. She struggled to get on her feet and release one of her own pokemon. "Fearow, razor wind!" The pokemon speedily attacked, sending a storm of cutting wind to Peachy. While the flying pokemon attacked, the woman jumped on his back to make her escape. "Flygon, Garchomp, attack!" She released two pokemon just before Fearow's attack culminated.

"Peachy!" Pixel called out to her pokemon with concern.

"Chu!" The electric pokemon was still able to battle. With Pixel's path blocked, Fearow was able to escape through a window with the mysterious woman on his back.

Delia returned to the top of the balcony and stopped Pixel before she could issue a command, "wait! Don't provoke them. Their trainer is gone and they don't look hostile."

Pixel looked at the Flygon and Garchomp. Delia was right, they were just standing there. "Why would she run away if she had these pokemon to fight for her? Why would she leave them behind?"

"She's not their trainer," Delia concluded, "they don't know her. It looks like they've been taught not to listen to strangers." She noticed them looking at the painting on the wall. "Could it be? Is he your trainer?"

The two pokemon nodded. They had been trained by both Giovanni and Luke, when Giovanni was busy. Luke taught them to recognize Giovanni as their main trainer and not to follow orders from anyone else, unless Giovanni told them to.

"Delia is the boss' lady, listen to her and I'm sure you'll see your trainer again soon," Pixel told the two pokemon. They were very strong, but relatively docile as long as they were not provoked or ordered to attack.

In a few seconds, the mansion was flooded with an army of black uniforms with red Rs. Delia was dripping wet from head to toe, but there was no time to waste. She had to make sure Ash was alright. The Rocket girl and the two pokemon followed Delia down the long elegant halls of the mansion. They reached Ash's room and Delia rushed inside.

A smile of relief formed on Delia's face as she realized that Ash slept through the whole thing. He was laying in bed in the same clothes, though he was missing his hat and shoes. He was stretched out it every direction, as if his arms and legs were reaching for the edge of the bed, which was still far from his reach. Ash had enough to think about already and didn't need any extra stress. The rooms must be sound proof. Delia turned back and left her son to rest.

xoxox xox xoxox

The area around the mansion outside was also flooded with Rockets. "I found someone!" One of the Rocket grunts spotted a figure laying on the ground. She was someone from Team Rocket and she was injured. They assumed the intruder must have attacked her.

The Rocket woman lay motionless on the ground, face down. There was blood on the back of her head, sticking to her ebony hair and a blood stained rock nearby. It had been removed from the decorative circle of stones around the tree that currently shaded the unconscious woman from the sun. She was wearing a more business-like version of the Team Rocket uniform and her left leg was in a brace. A disk was on the ground near her.

xoxox xox xoxox

Inside the mansion, after checking on Ash, Delia closely examined Cloyster. "Oh no," her voice was full of concern and worry. "Stay still, I'll get it out," She reached into his shell with one arm and held her other hand on the other side. She pushed the bullet out and it landed on her palm. She examined the hole on Cloyster's shell. "I'm so sorry. I should have thought of the consequences before calling you out. I thought she would battle, I thought she agreed to that. I didn't expect her to shoot."

Pixel quietly watched Delia tend to her pokemon. "You had to call him out. Cloyster survived that, but you wouldn't have."

Delia looked up for a moment, from checking for any unnoticed injuries inside Cloyster's shell. He was alright on the inside at least. "You remind me of when I used to feel invincible with Team Rocket. It's an amazing feeling, but you shouldn't lose track of reality."

"I know the risks, but I'm not afraid to face them. I've found what I really want to do and I've been training for it. Team Rocket isn't just my escape anymore," Pixel smiled.

"If you keep looking at me like that, your adventurous mood might get contagious," it was dangerous. Delia didn't want to fall into the excitement as she had in the past. She might get carried away and lose sight of herself. Lately she wondered just who her true self was. Pixel only continued to smile at the prospect. Thankfully, Cloyster's shell could be repaired. He would be all better soon, as if that hole was never there. He knew that Delia was telling the truth about not intentionally using him as a shield. When it came down to it, the bullet was aimed at Delia, not him. It was Cloyster who willingly jumped in its path.

xoxox xox xoxox

Later, Ash yawned and stretched. It took him a moment to realize where he was. The bed was too big and soft to be part of the accommodations of a Pokemon Center. He sat up and allowed all his newly acquired information to resurface. He was in Giovanni's mansion. Giovanni was the leader of Team Rocket, he was... his father.

Ash was completely at a loss of what to say to him when he saw him again. His mother didn't seem to blame him. She didn't hold Team Rocket against him. Team Rocket was a criminal organization. Was it truly capable of affecting Kanto in ways that were not always negative? The advancements fueled by Team Rocket came at a heavy price. Was it alright to be accepting of that? Would the good outweigh the bad if he was better informed?

His mother's values were something he was familiar with. He had been raised that way after all. She set that aside and made an exception for his father. Ash didn't fully understand that. He would keep the secret, for the time being, he wouldn't speak of Team Rocket. Until he sorted things out in his head, he wouldn't even tell Misty. He didn't want to drag her into an uncomfortable situation or danger. Nonetheless, he had a feeling that he would eventually end up telling her anyway.

Ash allowed himself to fall back into bed, turning his head to the side. "Pikachu, what are we going to do?"

The little yellow pokemon sat beside him, looking as puzzled as his trainer for a moment. "Pikapi..." Pikachu's expression changed and he smiled, "pika chu!" It was as if he was trying to tell Ash he was thinking too much and worrying too much.

"Pokemon are pretty carefree," Ash couldn't help it but to smile back. "I guess I won't rush things." He examined the fancy clock on the wall with golden numbers on blue glass. He had slept for longer than he thought. "Let's have an afternoon snack."

Pikachu agreed and hopped on Ash's shoulder. The young man put his shoes on, which he had removed for his nap, and grabbed his hat. His hair was a little more rebellious after being rubbed against the pillow. Ash adjusted his hat on his head and opened the large door of his room. There were two Rockets standing left and right of the door. Ash came close to calling out for a Thunderbolt from Pikachu, but stopped himself from falling into the habit.

He proceeded to walk down the hall in search of his mother, without saying a word. One of the Rocket grunts stayed next to the door, while the other followed him. "Why are you following me?" Ash finally questioned, with a slight edge to his tone.

"The lady ordered that you be kept safe," the Rocket following Ash replied.

Before Ash could say anything, another Rocket approached from down the hall. "The security system has been repaired and the mansion is clear. We can lessen the guard now."

Ash listened to the exchange, "does that mean I can walk around on my own?"

"Yes, sir," the two Rockets chorused.

"Um... thanks..." Ash hurried away as fast as he could. 'That was weird,' he thought.

xoxox xox xoxox

When Ash found his mother, she was in the company of another woman, who was being tended to by a doctor. They seemed to be in the middle of a conversation. Delia had since changed out of her wet clothes and Pixel had returned to the Viridian headquarters. Delia managed to talk Flygon and Garchomp into following Pixel, promising that she would take them to Giovanni.

"It's just not my day," Iblis sighed as the doctor finished bandaging her head. "First I get my ankle broken and then I get knocked out." She held an icepack to her forehead. She could feel her head pounding with frustration. "None the less, we should get to work. It's a good thing that strange woman who attacked me didn't seem to care about stealing anything." If she lost the disk with information about the investigation, it would have been quite troublesome.

Delia shook her head, "you need to rest. I'll look at the files and type up any information I can come up with," Delia paused, noticing Ash had entered the living room. "You should think about your health, not just work," Delia finished naturally, as if they were discussing some non-urgent business report. She smiled at Ash, as if calling him over, "this is my son, Ash. Ash, this is Iblis, she's..." someone who worked for Team Rocket and was injured on the job, "a friend," Delia finished, although she didn't really know Iblis well enough to truly be her friend.

"Ah yes, the Indigo League Champion," Iblis smiled, as if she didn't notice her own injuries at all. "It's a pleasure to meet someone so talented. You're an inspiration to all of Kanto and beyond. You will be participating in the next Indigo League championship, right?"

Ash was feeling uneasy because of his encounter with the Rockets, but his mood took a sharp turn upon receiving the compliments. He smiled from ear to ear, "I'll be there and I won't let you down!"

"You truly deserve all your success, best of luck," seeing Iblis being so nice to Ash, Delia felt better. She remembered her friends from Team Rocket, that was the Team Rocket she wanted Ash to know about. There was much more to them than a band of criminals.

Ash's ego trip was rather short. Just as quickly as he set aside his thoughts about Team Rocket, he picked them up again. The doctor silently left. He had a red R on the right top corner of his white lab coat. Ash's mind had focused so much on that little detailed that if someone asked him what the doctor looked like, he wouldn't really know. All that he would be able to say would be that the doctor was a person with a small red R on a white lab coat.

He wanted to have a nice conversation with his mother and her friend. He wanted to put aside his thoughts and confusion. He wanted to live in the moment and get lost in the feelings of accomplishment that came with thinking of his achievements. He knew he couldn't do that. It was only a matter of time before Giovanni returned and Ash was in no way ready to face him. As things stood at that very moment, Ash had no idea what he would say or how he would react if he saw Giovanni face to face again.

It was a strange feeling unlike anything he had ever felt before. Ash never had a father; he never had a man to look at and think 'one day I might be like him.' He had his mother and Professor Oak was very supportive as well, but it wasn't the same. When he was younger, he focused more so on what he had then on what he never knew. He was alright, though curious.

Finally, Giovanni entered the picture. Ash's buried curiosity and the feeling of missing something resurfaced without him even realizing it. Not knowing what he was doing, he unconsciously looked to the man he thought was only his mother's boyfriend for a paternal figure. Unconsciously he wondered if having Giovanni around was like having a father. He wondered if admiring his achievements was like looking up to a father. He wondered about many things.

How did Giovanni speak to him so calmly knowing who he was? How did he keep his questions quiet? Did he have questions? Ash would assume he should. The young man felt overwhelmed with a look of desperation suddenly invading his face. He simply couldn't keep up with his racing thoughts. He wanted some sort of resolution, a closure that would bring stability. He wanted to once again think he understood his life, knew where he came from and where he was going.

"Ash?" Delia's soft voice rung out full of motherly concern.

Ash searched for something to focus on, "you're hurt," he finally pointed out, referring to Iblis. It was obvious; it was the thing that stood out the most at that moment.

"There's no need to worry," Iblis smiled as she took in Ash's expression. "You have a kind heart, I can tell. Well, I'm sure you must have things to talk to your mother about." Iblis got up, "I'll speak to you later, Delia. It was nice meeting you, Ash." She left the room as swiftly as she could, aided by a crutch. She was a proud woman, who would much rather get around herself, instead of accepting help from anyone.

As soon as Iblis was out of the room, Ash let himself fall on the couch next to his mother. After allowing things to sink in, he was ready for another long talk, which Delia was expecting.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile, Giovanni was in his above ground office at the Viridian gym. He was informed about the situation at the mansion, but it looked like everything was under control. He decided to wait a little longer before going back, so that Delia would have enough time to talk to Ash after things settled down.

He had given her a quick call and was informed about what happened. Iblis had apparently gotten caught in the chaos, but recovered and intended to discuss the attempted murder investigation with Delia to build a better suspect profile. Building profiles to predict behavior was something Iblis did often, thus adding her to the investigation was only natural.

While Giovanni kept up with his work, Luke emptied his pockets, setting their contents on Giovanni's desk as he searched for something. A black wallet, a Seaking keychain with several silver keys and a pack of seasalt flavored gum, no pokeballs. Luke's only pokeballs were on his belt and those contained his own pokemon. "Dude, I'm like totally sure I like delivered them, you know? They're like not on my pokeball belt, they're like not in my pockets, they're like gone, you know?"

"I don't need to tell you how much it will bother me if you lost them," Giovanni was in a very bad mood. The only reason he didn't explode was because he knew Luke was usually careful with pokemon. He wouldn't just lose them, thus Giovanni gave him the benefit of the doubt. "Are you sure you left the pokeballs on my desk? I didn't see anyone come in here and I was only gone for a few minutes." The boy who dared to challenge him for an Earth badge was far below being a worthy opponent. There was nothing of importance in that office in comparison to the other one. It hid no real secrets, hence why the security wasn't as tight. Sometimes guests had to come in and he didn't want the office to look suspicious.

"I'm like totally sure Flygon and Garchomp like won't listen to like anyone else, you know?" Luke insisted. "If someone like took them, they'll be like totally sorry, man!"

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. "I'm busy," Giovanni replied, his mood worsening.

Giovanni was about to express his disapproval to Luke when a voice from outside his door insisted upon the interruption. "Boss? I have your pokemon with me and they're getting impatient to see you. They won't go into pokeballs unless you tell them to."

"Come in," Giovanni finally agreed. He watched as a blue haired girl opened the door and entered the office followed by Flygon and Garchomp.

"Pixel, you found them!" Luke recognized her as one of Comet's friends. He was glad the two missing pokemon had been returned.

"Actually, I didn't really need to look for them," Pixel voiced.

"Explain," Giovanni insisted impatiently.

"I'm sure you must already be informed about the incident in your mansion," Pixel began. Giovanni nodded and she continued, "when the intruder escaped, she used these two pokemon to block my path and create a diversion. At first I thought they were her pokemon and prepared for a battle. Then Delia noticed they weren't hostile. They recognized you from a painting, that's how we knew they were yours. Delia talked them into following me here; they wanted to be returned to you."

"You see, dude? I like totally told you they would like not listen to like anyone else, you know?" Luke smiled proudly. He tried to take Giovanni's attention off his little slip off leaving the pokeballs alone on his desk and towards the job he did training the pokemon. "They're like Queen, like loyal."

Giovanni allowed the happenings to sink in, "it seems you did a good job training them after all," he gave Luke some credit, then looked at Pixel, "and you helped Delia, even though in the end the attacker escaped. I was unsure if Archer's suggestion to give you another chance would work out, but it seems you've become more dedicated. I understand that it was your Porygon which restored the mansion's software." Against the odds, she had faced an armed opponent to protect Delia. The would-be murderer escaped, but Delia came out of it unharmed.

"Yes..." Pixel was taken by surprise; she didn't expect to receive any special acknowledgement for what she did. Maybe the fact that it concerned Delia was the key factor. "I'm a Rocket, that's what I do. My specialty is more about technology, but I'm not afraid to face danger."

"Pixel's like a good girl, I mean like a good rocket, you know?" Luke added in his recommendation. Pixel was currently in a relatively low rank, but she had potential. Luke knew because of how Comet spoke of her.

"Make sure you don't lose that determination," Giovanni retrieved an upgrade from his desk drawer and gave the disk to Pixel. "Continue your training and don't disappoint me." Reading between the lines, this signified a promotion.

"Yes, sir!" Pixel chirped, pleasantly surprised.

"This mystery is about to be solved," Giovanni declared, "as soon as we know who stole Flygon and Garchomp, we'll know more about who's been after Delia." Whoever it was must have some kind of inside connection that was about to be discovered. In the end, the theft might have been a blessing in disguise. It was odd that the killer would make such a bold move to steal his pokemon; it would be a costly action. "Luke, we'll speak of your promotion later, for now just stay with your usual duties."

While Giovanni spoke to Pixel, Luke had unwrapped a piece of gum and put it in his mouth. He accidentally swallowed it upon hearing Giovanni's words. "My like what?"

"You've made up for the past; I'm moving you up in rank. I know you don't like executive positions and prefer training pokemon. That's your specialty, so your new position will be related to that." He would guide the Rockets to become stronger while at the same time keeping an eye on them and assessing their loyalty. The new internal training program was still under development. "That will have to wait until things calm down; everything is too busy right now."

"That's like awesome, thanks man!" Luke cheered.

To be Continued

Don't Give Me Diamonds

Diamond 082: Give me Enthusiasm

At his office in the Viridian gym, Giovanni looked up the security videos from the gym area. There were no cameras inside the office, but there were some hidden in the halls of the gym. According to the images on his computer, only one person had been there during the time window when he was away battling as the gym leader. That had to be the thief; there was no other logical conclusion. Giovanni was very displeased and he didn't hide his expression. Of all the possible traitors, he didn't expect Laiki to be one.

She was there at the hotel, she knew where they would be, she was a good liar. She was flirtatious and could have been using the men involved as accomplices. She had enough medical knowledge to concoct a serum that would make them faint and forget after a set amount of time. It would be just enough time to get the job done. She could have given it to them in a drink or something. Just because she was Binks' little sister and seemed to get along so well with Delia, didn't make her loyal. He couldn't let such thoughts get in the way of his judgment. It could all be an act.

"Dude, Giovanni, like what's wrong, man?" Luke didn't like the angry look on Giovanni's face and neither did Pixel.

"Laiki is a traitor," he turned the screen around for them to see the image captured by the camera. It showed someone identical to Laiki going into Giovanni's office. Given the timing, she would have plenty of time to deliver the pokemon to the assassin and even join her at the mansion if she wanted. He didn't notice the missing pokemon until Luke went to ask what he thought about them later.

"This like totally can't be!" Luke was quick to defend her. She was Binks' little sister and she had been a big sister figure to Comet. "There like has to be like a mistake, you know?"

"A picture's worth a thousand words, she's a traitor. Everything fits," Giovanni was tired of all the uncertainty that had invaded his life. He felt as if he was no longer in control of anything. It was a terrible feeling, especially for someone who was used to always being in control.

"I like don't think she would like betray Team Rocket, man!" Luke insisted firmly.

Pixel looked at the two men, it didn't seem like Giovanni was listening to Luke's defense. "Excuse me; is there something I need to do? If not I'll go continue my training."

"Go," Giovanni dismissed her.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile, in the living quarters of the rocket base, Purry watched as Comet slept. He was snoring, which prevented her from sleeping because of all the noise. Peachy's soft 'chu' sounds were nothing compared to the all out unconscious attack Comet was releasing into the sound waves. She hissed in exasperation and picked up Gyarados' pokeball. She held it above Comet's face, 'I hope you like seafood as much as I do,' Purry grinned mischievously. She released the Gyarados into the unsuspecting young man's mouth when he opened it in a loud snore.

Naturally, the water pokemon was far too large to fit in his mouth. Instead, Gyarados materialized on top of Comet suffocating him momentarily and nearly crushing him. Bumping his head on the ceiling of the room, Gyarados immediately retreated into his pokeball again before the red beam completely disappeared.

"Ow," Comet wasn't sure what just happened. He saw a flash of red and blue and felt as if he was being flattened by something very heavy. The feeling only lasted a second, but it was painful. Thankfully nothing was broken. He sat up and rubbed his aching head, carefully stretching his neck in slow circular motions. He looked at Purry, who was sitting on the bed next to him. "Did you just try to feed me Gyarados?" It was simply unbelievable. He considered it being a dream, but the pain was too real.

'Who me?' Purry gave him a look of faked innocence at first. Then she glared fiercely, 'yes I did and if you don't stop snoring I'll feed you Gyarados and Scyther together next time!'

Comet had no idea what Purry was saying in her pokemon language, but she was angry. "Peace," he tried to calm her. She had let him know that she didn't like it when he snored, but he didn't think she would take such extreme actions to stop him. "I won't snore anymore, I promise." He was determined never to snore again; it had become a matter of life or death.

By strength of will and survival instinct, Comet kept his promise. Even so, Purry was no longer in the mood for a nap and left Comet to his recovery by himself. She went out of the room and walked around the base, her sharp battle senses immediately noticing the tension in the air. Pixel ran by, dashing towards the nearest exit. Curious about what in the world she could be missing, Purry hurried after Pixel.

xoxox xox xoxox

It didn't take Pixel long to locate Laiki in Viridian City. She was at a cafe flirting with one of the waiters. Looking left and right, to make sure she wasn't followed, Pixel went in and approached Laiki. "We need to go see Delia."

"Right now?" Laiki wasn't sure what this was about, but Pixel looked ready to drag her out if she didn't hurry. "Okay, just let me get his number," she winked at the waiter. However, the young man was staring at something that was not part of Laiki's person. She pouted, 'why is he staring at Pixel? My chest is bigger!' She frowned in frustration, then realized he was actually staring at the red R on Pixel's shirt.

"Team Rocket," the waiter stammered. Unlike Pixel, Laiki was not in her uniform.

"Cosplay!" Pixel loudly exclaimed, she didn't have time to change. The waiter calmed down, as did the random customers and other employees who had noticed her presence. "Let's go," Pixel began to drag Laiki away by the arm, taking her out of the cafe.

"Ouch, wait, what kind of emergency are we dealing with here?" Laiki protested as they left the infatuated waiter to deal with the bill.

"You were framed, there's no time to explain," Pixel insisted. "Drop your cell phone so they can't track it."

"Framed? How was I framed? What was I framed for? I didn't do anything!" Laiki began getting upset, which would not help their situation.

"Calm down, I'll explain things when we're in the clear. Delia will understand, let's find her before anyone finds out I'm helping you and I get into trouble," Pixel urged. The two young women hurried to Giovanni's mansion. Fortunately, the taxi driver seemed to believe the cosplay story too.

xoxox xox xoxox

Time passed and the sun sunk in the horizon, not that Ash could see it beyond the wall of trees surrounding the mansion. He did notice the light becoming dimmer as he looked out the window. Realizations were indeed exhausting. He decided to rest a little more after that second talk with his mother. His mind was tired, but his body was not. He couldn't fall asleep, though he wanted to. Instead, he thought about all the things he learned that day.

What would Misty say? She had to find out at some point. For how long was he to keep the secret? How could things work out now if they didn't in the past? It was true that his mother no longer had a baby to raise. Was that all there was to it, or was that simply the last drop that pushed the flood of choices along?

A black limousine arrived at the mansion. Ash watched from the window as Giovanni exited it and headed for the mansion's front door. He stood frozen at the window, before finally backing away a few steps. He wasn't ready for this, he wanted to think, to let it all sink in. His memories of his time with Giovanni and all the things they talked about felt nearly unreal. It was almost like a dream he had woken up from. Ash felt as if he had lost control of his life, even if the things he found out about were never in his control to begin with.

His eyes traveled to the desk in the corner of the room. There was a notepad on top of the golden lined indigo furniture. He picked up the black pen with a green leaf on it. The notepad had a faded green leaf watermark to match. They both looked like the Earth badge, the symbol of the good gym leader who was in fact a mafia lord. Ash's messy penmanship flooded the notepad with black ink scribbles. He tore off the top sheet and crumpled it in his hand, squeezing the paper into a tight ball.

Pikachu watched as Ash threw the paper ball into the waste basket and once again, put pen to paper. He had enjoyed his time with Giovanni, but his perception of the gym leader was drastically changed all of a sudden. Ash didn't know what to think, he wasn't one to hate, but he was confused. He was afraid he might make a mess of everything if he said the wrong thing to Giovanni. He simply couldn't face him yet. With his short note finished, Ash gestured for Pikachu to climb on his shoulder and hurried away silently with his other pokemon in their pokeballs.

He exited the room without making a sound and snuck towards the back door. There were less Rockets around by then. Ash saw a few Rocket grunts on his way out, but they all identified him as the boss' special guest and didn't try to get in his way. He was able to exit the mansion easily. Once outside, he released Charizard and climbed on his back, "I need to go to... home, to Pallet Town." The powerful fire pokemon took off towards the Pallet House.

xoxox xox xoxox

Delia sat looking at a laptop in one of the mansion's living rooms. She read through the reports and looked at the videos from Razzo Albergo's security system. Recently added to the collection of evidence, were the videos from the mansion before the cameras were deactivated. Only certain parts of the mansion had hidden cameras, such as some of the halls and the area surrounding it outside. The entire place had motion sensors able to identify the presence of practically anything anywhere in the large structure.

Both the men that had deactivated the respective security systems at the hotel and mansion had passed out soon after. They both looked lost, similar to zombies. They had no memory of their traitorous actions; it was as if someone was controlling them. The women involved in the case all looked different. Blond, blue eyes, white skin, red hair, unknown eye color, tan skin, faded pink hair, brown eyes, olive skin. The last two had a taste for big thick looking boots and they were all out to kill Delia. She wondered if the same person was controlling them all. The women were much more aware than the men involved.

The butler entered the living room in relative silence. His soft footsteps were just loud enough to hint at his arrival so that his sudden voice wouldn't startle Delia. "Milady, Lord Roketto has returned," his dark violet eyes seemed to scan the room searching for anything suspicious. His face looked serene, but he was still alarmed by the recent happenings.

"Thank you, Rex," Delia smiled politely as the butler bowed; a single strand of auburn hair fell out of place as he did. She closed the laptop. Nothing seemed to stand out about the files she had been looking at. She still couldn't make sense of why the third would-be assassin had said she was her rival.

Delia followed the butler towards Giovanni, who was in the main room near the entrance talking to some Rockets. The Rockets dispersed soon after and Delia approached. The butler quietly excused himself, disappearing from sight at the same time as the Rockets.

"Did you tell him?" Giovanni wasn't even sure why he bothered to voice the question. Delia's expression already gave him the news.

"Yes," Delia confirmed. "Ash is resting upstairs right now. I'm sure he has a lot of things he wants to ask you. You'll take some time to talk to him now, right?"

Busy as he was, Giovanni knew Delia wouldn't have it any other way, "yes." Besides, the executives and the high ranked Rockets could keep the organization running while he took some time off. It was something he wouldn't normally do, especially given the recent happenings, but he felt that he had to. He couldn't deny that he wondered what kind of reaction Ash had to learning the truth of his origins and his father.

Giovanni and Delia went to Ash's room. They found it quiet and empty. As Delia searched for any signs of her son, she spotted the notepad on the desk. It had been propped up against the wall at the desk's edge, instead of laying flat on its surface. That made it appear prominent and easy to see. Delia picked up the notepad, recognizing her son's handwriting. "I need to think. Don't worry, I'll be back soon. -Ash"

"So you both have a knack for running away," Giovanni wasn't sure if he should be annoyed, or disappointed that Ash didn't seem to have the courage to face him. Whatever his opinion of the situation was, he couldn't decide on it, but it wasn't indifference, it bothered him.

Delia's expression saddened, "it was too much all at once," she hugged the notepad as she felt guilt build up inside her. "I should have found a way to tell him more gently."

Delia was guilt tripping herself again, Ash had ran away, nothing was simple in Giovanni's life anymore. It had not been simple for years, but it was still rarely this complicated in such a way. All the betrayal around him reminded him of his least favorite parts of the past. "Forget it; let him do what he wants. I have other things to think about than the mood swings of some boy."

"Giovanni!" Delia could say nothing more than his name in a mixture of upset and sadness. She wished Ash would have at least spoken to her before leaving. He probably knew she would talk him into staying. She could understand his wish for some space, even if he had been waiting for answers for so long. Delia could relate; she too took some time before telling Giovanni the truth after they were reunited. She had to sort things out before she felt she knew what to say and how to say it.

She didn't stop Giovanni from walking away. She couldn't fully blame him for not interpreting Ash's sudden departure in the best way. She couldn't blame Ash for needing time either. After Giovanni had left her alone in Ash's room, Delia called Ash. She had to know he was alright, even if she was aware he knew how to take care of himself. The possibility of him being targeted by an assassin still bothered her.

"Mom..." Delia breathed in relief when she heard Ash's voice coming from her cell phone. "I'm sorry I left like that."

"It's okay; I understand that you need time to think. I won't try to rush things. Where are you right now?" Delia hoped he wasn't too out in the open.

"At home," Ash replied, he was in the little house where he lived for the first ten, nearly eleven, years of his life.

"Let your pokemon out, I'm sure you'll feel better with them around," plus they could make sure Ash was safe. "I'll be there soon-"

"Don't worry," Ash interrupted, "you don't have to rush over. You should stay there; I'll be alright on my own. I just need some time to think. Tell Gio-um... father... I'm not mad at him," or at least he thought he wasn't, he wasn't sure. Referring to Giovanni as his father still felt very odd. Ash wondered if Giovanni thought of him as a son or if he was still allowing the fact to sink in. "I just need to sort my thoughts." The situation was complicated; Ash knew that, it was more complicated than words could say. "Mom, I'm not mad at you either, just so you know."

"That's good to know," Delia tried to keep her voice steady. She was determined to keep things as stable as possible so that Ash didn't find too much drama when he returned.

xoxox xox xoxox

On her way walking down the hall, off to find Giovanni, Delia saw Iblis. "Delia, there you are. Did you have a chance to study the files? Are there any clues you could point out?"

"Iblis, I thought you went home to rest," Delia had assumed Iblis was no longer in the mansion. The injured woman really needed to take some time off to recover. "I didn't notice anything in particular. Maybe if we looked at the videos together and discussed it we could come up with something. I'm sorry, I know this is urgent, but I need to talk to Giovanni right now. Plus you need to get some rest so you can have a full recovery from your injuries."

"Don't worry about me," Iblis insisted with a smile and adjusted her weight on the crutch. "Giovanni left a minute ago. I saw him on his way to the main front doors and tried to report a few things about the investigation. He didn't seem to be in the mood to talk to anyone. He left, looking quite angry. I'm not sure where he went, perhaps headquarters. I know it's none of my business, but did you two have a fight?"

"No, it's... well, I guess a little tension is to be expected. I'm sure things will sort themselves out," Delia wondered if she should go after Giovanni or give him some time to cool off first.

"Ash?" Iblis didn't need to wait for an answer as Delia's expression gave it away. "It is only natural for a mother to put her child before anything else in the world. Even if he is a young man, he's still your son." What Iblis was hinting at was different from how Delia interpreted her words. Iblis was encouraging her to leave, but Delia was more determined to stay.

"Yes, you're right," Delia nodded, finding a little bit of hope in Iblis' words. "One way or another they'll work things out, Ash is his son, one way or another, things will be okay in the end," Delia stopped herself. She wondered how much Iblis knew about Ash. The Rocket grunts didn't seem to know him beyond being Delia's son and Giovanni's guest. They didn't know he was also Giovanni's son.

For a split second shock overtook Iblis' face. She raised a delicate eyebrow and let out a soft, "oh?" Again, Delia didn't need to give any confirmation; it was all over her face. "I didn't realize you were so well acquainted with the boss in the past," she laughed softly, as if to get over her surprise.

"Don't tell anyone," Delia quickly urged, "please." It might eventually be known, but she didn't want any extra pressure on Ash at the moment.

"Don't worry," Iblis smiled once more, "no one will know." She spoke with absolute certainty, as if she would personally make sure of it. "If you'll excuse me, I'm feeling tired. Maybe it's best if I leave."

Delia nodded in agreement, "yes, you should rest and recover, take care of your health."

"I appreciate your concern," Iblis left without looking back.

xoxox xox xoxox

"Delia!" A female voice, coming from down the hall reached Delia. She turned to see Laiki running towards her. Of all the places where she could go, no one expected her to go to the mansion of the man who had sent his agents to hunt her down. It seemed much more likely that she would run to Pewter City and hide there. It was convenient that she had carried out her plan to find a Kanto boyfriend with Rex, the young butler.

Pixel approached along with Laiki. Purry was on Pixel's shoulders looking in every direction. Persian would surely be there later. The mansion could provide her with a place to hide and watch him, accomplishing that at the boss' office would be difficult. The love struck Meowth jumped off the girl's shoulders and dashed away quiet and sneaky. She left the three human females to walk off somewhere and discuss whatever they seemed so eager to talk about.

To be Continued

Don't Give Me Diamonds

Diamond 083: Give me Enlightenment

It was one of the most elegant and largest living rooms in the mansion. It could be used as a room to have a get together if a big open space wasn't needed, as the room was mostly occupied by furniture. It was in the middle of a collection of rooms that seemed to exist for the sole purpose of housing expensive furniture. The room had three large golden double doors connected to a square hallway all around it.

The most striking feature of the room was the artistic mural occupying the entire wall that was without doors. The painting was very realistic, as if the room had a glass wall with an ocean view. Several statues of water pokemon were placed in front of the painted wall; the 3D sculptures further brought the art to life. The sand was not a natural color, but the painting matched it, in a brilliant gold. It made Delia wonder if it really was gold dust.

The carpet had a design that made it look as if it was golden dust, though it was a thick fluffy plush texture. Delia shifted on the couch, the clear material it was made of looked like plastic, but it was far more comfortable than she imagined it would be. The water filling the peculiar couch shifted with little pokemon figurines floating inside it. Goldeen, Seaking, Magikarp, Horsea and Seadra were among them.

Pixel sat rather stiffly, she wasn't used to sitting on water furniture. Neither were the other two, but Delia adapted and Laiki's mind was elsewhere. "You're not going to believe what's happening!" Laiki bounced nervously in place. Her movements caused the water in the couch to shift.

It made Delia and Pixel bounce too, in a human wave. "Stop rocking the boat!" Pixel complained.

Laiki ignored the complaint and continued her dramatics, "Maybe now I can get some answers. What am I being accused of?"

"This couch is weird," Pixel muttered as she tried to get somewhat comfortable. "You're being accused of stealing the boss' Flygon and Garchomp and giving them to the assassin. He thinks you're her accomplice."

"I know you're innocent," Delia offered, "when Giovanni returns, I'll talk to him."

"Thank you," Laiki sincerely voiced, though Giovanni's distrust still bothered her. "How in the world was I framed in the first place?"

"You, or rather someone who looked like you, was caught by the gym's security cameras in the hall," Pixel revealed. "It doesn't make sense."

"Exactly, I'm not a traitor!" Laiki emphasized.

"Sit still!" Pixel hissed as she and Delia was thrown against each other with the water couch's motions. "Anyway, that's not what I meant. I know you're not a traitor, but why would the assassin frame you specifically?"

The way she left, abandoning the stolen pokemon, was very suspicious. "Let's list off all the facts we have," Delia suggested. "Maybe if we put our heads together, we'll be able to figure this out. We'll get to the bottom of this and catch the culprit!" The two younger women nodded in agreement.

Rex entered the room with a tray of food and drinks. Laiki had met him in the hall before finding Delia and requested some snacks to calm her nerves. He paused and observed the scene before him. He had not really caught the conversation. A cold chill invaded him as he glanced at Delia. She was upset and looked very much like a lady of the mafia with the expression she wore. Her eyes seemed to say 'you'll regret making me angry.' This was quite different from her usual sweetness.

Pixel had a rather sadistic expression as she caught her right fist in her left hand. She was wearing iron knuckles attached to her black leather gloves. Laiki's expression could only be described as pure evil while she made stabbing motions in the air as if holding an invisible dagger. He felt his face becoming warm, he thought mafia girls were attractive, more so if they were a little rough.

Rex quickly served the snacks on the small transparent, nearly invisible, coffee table in front of the group. He felt the three pairs of eyes on him and shifted uncomfortably. The same stubborn strand of auburn hair that always broke lose of the neatness of the rest of his hair did so again.

"Thanks," Laiki winked, "if you don't mind, can you make sure no one interrupts? We're having some girl talk."

"Of course," Rex was quick to comply, hoping that the rush of blood to his face wasn't too obvious. The women looked like they were plotting the demise of all mankind. For all he knew, perhaps that was the very definition of girl talk. "Have a pleasant time, ladies," he swiftly left.

"He remembered the syrup," Pixel chirped in delight, as she picked up her plate with a dark chocolate and chocolate chip brownie. She began to pour a generous amount of chocolate syrup on it.

"Is that healthy?" Delia decided to eat her brownie without any additional ingredients; it was already sweet enough in her opinion.

"I'm a sugar junkie, I can take it," Pixel closed her eyes in delight, savoring the chocolate.

"I need comfort food," Laiki began to devour her brownie. She then paused and opened up the liquor bottle, serving it in the three cups. She picked one up and held it, "to... Rex and how cute he looks when he blushes."

Delia followed suit, holding up her own cup, "to... Giovanni and how adorable he looks when he cuddles Persian."

"To..." Pixel paused, holding her cup up, "I don't have a boyfriend."

"What about Comet?" Laiki teased.

"Fine," Pixel smiled wickedly, "to Comet and how hot he looks all the time." Laiki's jaw dropped and her eyes opened wide. Seeing her expression, Pixel was invaded by a fit of laughter, which Delia couldn't help it but to join. "I know you're never going to let me forget that, no matter how many times I say I was kidding. That's alright because it was worth it to see you make that face."

"You're mean, you know that? Not that I didn't already know you like him," Laiki pouted and drank the rest of the contents of her cup.

Delia had only taken a sip for the toast and Pixel had not tried it at all. As an absolute lover of sugar, alcohol was too sour for her taste, unless it was in the form of a frosting covered spiked cake.

After getting a good laugh out of their systems, the three women gained focused expressions and Delia began to lay down the facts. "It all started at Razzo Albergo, a hotel in Cerulean City. I was attacked right next to it. The first attacker's left foot was injured in the fight."

"The security cameras in that alley were disabled," Laiki added. "This was done by a man who worked at the hotel. Peculiarly, he was found passed out at the control room with no memories of his actions." There was something else that stood out about that man, but Laiki couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Delia continued, "the second attack occurred at Vermilion City, in Lando's mansion. That second woman got past his security, probably taking advantage of the many guests that were there at the time to slip by unnoticed. She intended to lead me away, but her plan failed when she was unable to keep Giovanni distracted long enough. She ran away as soon as she saw him."

"At some point before the third attack someone who looked like Laiki stole the boss' pokemon from his gym office," Pixel added. "Then the third attack happened in this very mansion. Similar to the hotel incident, a man was found passed out after disabling the security system. He too worked for the boss. The woman involved escaped after leaving behind the two stolen pokemon. It makes no sense that she would abandon them after going through the trouble of stealing them. Stealing them was a very risky move. Even if she realized they wouldn't listen to someone they didn't know, she could have sold them or gotten rid of them. We can reason that she was desperate to escape, but even so something feels off. What do we know about her motive for the attempted murder?"

"Just theories," Laiki mused, "right now the theory that stands out the most is revenge on the boss."

"She said she was my rival, but didn't say in what sense," Delia revealed.

The statement caught Laiki's attention, "that has to be her motive! She's trying to steal the boss away from you; she's your rival in love!"

Delia thought about the possibility Laiki suggested. It seemed too much like something out of a TV drama, but she couldn't entirely discard the theory. "I suppose that would be a reason to get rid of me."

"She's in Team Rocket," Pixel concluded, "if she's so obsessed with the boss, then she must have met him as more than the gym leader. That is how she came into contact with the men from inside the organization."

"So then, the third woman is the leader of the operation?" Laiki wondered.

Delia's expression showed realization, "there might not be three."

Laiki was quick to follow the train of thought. "That's right, if someone who looked like me was caught on video, she must be a master of disguise! Furthermore, if she's that possessive of the boss, she might not want to work with other women, who could betray her and steal him for themselves."

Delia nodded, "the theory fits. Their voices sounded similar, though not exactly alike. She could have just been purposely changing her tone. The first woman had an injury on her left foot, the second and third women had very large boots. They were big enough to hide bandages and even some sort of thin brace or cast. Pain killers should make it possible to walk without too much trouble. Those three might have been one."

"Additionally, she hit her head when Peachy attacked, but that was later," Pixel recalled. "Laiki, you're always in touch with the latest gossip, what can you infer?"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Laiki paused, thinking hard, "there's a nagging detail I can't quite bring out from the back of my head. I know the boss has admirers, even though he seems blissfully unaware of the fact. None of them seems to fit the profile though."

"The part about the stolen pokemon still feels off, she could have sent one of her zombie men to do that with less of a risk," Pixel pointed out.

"That's it, the men!" Laiki remembered that nagging piece of information that hid in the back of her mind. "There was a rumor going around that Iblis was flirting with them, both of them. Icy Iblis taking interest in something other than poking around people's heads is a novelty."

"Icy Iblis?" Delia repeated. "She seemed nice, but she did have an injured left foot." She didn't want to jump to conclusions; Iblis had been polite to her and Ash. "Maybe that was just a coincidence."

"Poisona attacked Iblis during an interrogation session, that's never happened before. Iblis is usually in control of her interrogations," Laiki remembered what she had heard from one of the dungeon guards. "Her left ankle was injured when Poisona went wild. She has already been handed to the police by now. They shipped her off to a mental patient facility, I think."

"Oh my..." Delia was obviously horrified by the turn of events, but at least Iblis had an alibi. "Then Iblis' injury really did have another cause."

"Don't be so sure," Laiki tried hard to remember the timing and details, "I heard something about Iblis' rotten luck. Some Rockets were talking about how her possible boyfriend from Cerulean City turned out to be a traitor and how she had been seen walking with a limp. That was before the incident when Poisona attacked her."

"You've told me about her before," Pixel recalled. "She uses hypnotism as part of her interrogations, right?"

Delia's eyes widened as she followed the connecting dots, "do you think she hypnotized Poisona into hurting her to create an alibi?"

"It's possible," Laiki nodded. "If you say she was nice then she was definitely acting weird."

"It was convenient that she happened to be knocked out near by, apparently by a blunt hit to the head." Delia was getting suspicious and she didn't like it. Iblis had been so nice; she didn't like the feeling of distrust. Was that how Giovanni felt? Did he question his agents wondering when they would betray him? He must still have some trust at least with the executives. Delia knew he had to be careful and so did she, but she didn't want Giovanni to completely lose the ability to trust.

Something suddenly clicked in Pixel's mind. The entire situation was like a video game where all the clues came together to reveal the truth. Like the lawyer protagonist, she had decided to believe in Laiki's innocence. After that, it was all a matter of putting the pieces together, like a detective. Wait, lawyer, detective... "Iblis is a psychologist, isn't she?"

"Yes, but she's more likely to traumatize her patients than help them," Laiki was always opposed to her treating her brother. Iblis was supposedly the best around in her field, so Giovanni put her on the job anyway. Binks wasn't one of the victims of her interrogations, but it still made Laiki uneasy to think that the torturer was trying to become her brother's healer. She would have no reason to hurt Binks. The boss considered him to be a valuable scientific resource. If Iblis didn't want to disappoint him, she truly had to try her best. It was those thoughts that made it possible for Laiki to deal with the prospect.

"We've stated that she is the culprit and so far everything fits. She wants to get rid of Delia, but knows it will be difficult. Even if she succeeded," Pixel certainly hoped not, "that would not mean that Giovanni would welcome her with open arms. If he has continued his past relationship, then we can conclude that he never let go of the past. Luke is in danger, that's why the executives are gone!"

"Woah, wait!" Laiki raised her hand in a sign of stop. "You lost me in your mental leap!"

"What do you mean? How do you know?" Delia wondered how everything was connected.

"Laiki, you're better informed than me, so confirm this," Pixel began her explanation, "is it true that the executives have been called to other regions recently due to several high ranking officers falling ill?"

"Yes, that is what's going through the rumor mill and I would say it's a reliable piece of information," Laiki paused and thought about it, then she made the connection. "The high ranked Rockets suffered from fainting spells attributed to stress. Ironically, they had been following a stress relieve program that included energy drinks and music. The items were sent to them by mail and were designed by... Iblis" The last word came out as a whisper.

"Ironically their stress level increased and their bodies were weakened," Pixel stated.

"Iblis is known to use chemicals to partially sedate her interrogation victims or make them hypersensitive to her convenience, she has access to such things," Laiki's heart pounded with worry as all the pieces were put together. She feared the revelation they had stumbled upon.

"Giovanni is without his closest friends," Delia realized, "with so many things going on, he must be close to a nervous break down for all we know. He's only human," Delia worried.

"She's trying to root out the past," Pixel concluded. "With the executives far away, they can't influence him. I don't know all the details, but Comet has told me a few stories about the past. When I went to Giovanni's gym office, with Flygon and Garchomp, Luke seemed to recognize them."

"Yes, he was training them," Laiki confirmed, she was in a sense, a human database of events and gossip.

"If the pokemon were stolen, Giovanni might ask Luke about it, right? The one framed for stealing them was Laiki." Pixel expressed her theory, "doubt, betrayal, stress, and uncertainty. She's trying to turn all the people that remind Giovanni of the past into bad memories. She wants to get rid of Delia and of anyone who is somehow connected to his past with her. She's tainting his memories little by little until he's forced to cast them aside, because it will just be too much to bear. The boss is strong, he's not easy to break, but she's getting desperate to accomplish it. Then, when his mind is at its weakest point, she'll find a way to mold his environment and make him think what she wants him to think. She would have the knowledge to do this if we consider her background. She's trying to brainwash him."

Laiki's face had become frozen in shock, as had Delia's. Pixel instinctively looked around the room despite not having heard anyone come in. For a second she almost expected Giovanni to be standing right behind her as she went on about her conclusions. It looked as if the other two women had seen a ghost and not of the pokemon variety.

"Binks," Laiki sobbed, her tears suddenly coming out like a flood. "She knows!" She spoke in desperation, her voice invaded by broken sobs. "She knows you've been seeing him, she has her ways to obtain information. She knows the past, she knows it. She probably forced it out of Binks early on, she's known all along. Now more than ever Binks' connection to you is obvious, she's going to kill him!"

"No!" Delia gasped. From the moment she found out the truth about Binks, she had been terrified that a mistake on her part would cause him irreparable damage. Had her help exposed him to greater dangers? "I didn't mean for him to be in danger, I don't want him to be hurt more."

Laiki tried to calm her crying, but the idea of her fragile brother being further tortured shook the very core of her being. When she was growing up, even if he was a little emotionally unstable, he was all she had until she adjusted to life in Team Rocket. "It's not your fault," she choked out, "I have to... I need to."

"I'll go," Delia insisted. "You need to stay hidden until I talk to Giovanni. Hide in one of the guest rooms here."

"Right..." Laiki nodded, still sobbing into Delia's shoulder. She had not noticed when Delia hugged her and started gently brushing her hair with one of her hands, the other softly placed on her back. "Rex is willing to help, I'm sure." When she thought of someone precious to her getting hurt, Laiki felt guilty about her multiple boyfriends. They might be precious to someone too, if they discovered her betrayal and suffered, would they feel pain similar to hers? Did they have friends and family who would be hurt because they were hurt? Laiki had to recognize the fact that she was emotionally overloaded if such thoughts plagued her. She was a natural player who very rarely felt a tiny hint of guilt. "That's it; I'm making a resolution here and now to stop being such a man addict." It was a resolution she would probably break. "I'm only keeping Rex because he's going to become my favorite after all the things I'll make him do to help us."

"I don't understand," Pixel finally voiced, she had been staring at the scene consumed by confusion. "Did I miss something?"

"It's a secret," Delia tried to explain. She stopped and looked at Laiki, encouraging her to be the one to reveal the truth. Binks was her brother and it was up to her to come clean about the situation to her friend.

Laiki nodded and tried to calm herself enough to speak clearly. "Comet doesn't know. I can't explain in full right now, but please don't tell him. Very few people know this, for now, keep it a secret." Laiki observed as Pixel nodded. "My brother, Binks, is alive. He's in a very fragile state of health and mind."

Pixel had many questions, but what stood out the most was the danger that could overtake him. "He'll need help," was all she could say, she didn't want to further upset Laiki. Pixel could doubt her own theory to reassure Laiki, but that would be a lie. She had confidence in her conclusions.

"I'll help him, I'll make sure he's alright," Delia assured.

One set of doors was suddenly thrown open and Rex rushed in. "Lord Roketto is here!"

"Go to a guest room. One that Giovanni has all but forgotten, far from his personal area of the mansion," Delia urged.

"Right," Pixel nodded, while Rex stared in confusion at Laiki, wondering what afflicted her. The two Rocket girls quickly snuck away.

To be Continued

Don't Give Me Diamonds

Diamond 084: Give me Encouragement

At the Cerulean City gym, Misty had enough of those silly friendship and sibling movies. They had watched so many that all that was left to watch were the really cheesy movies with terrible acting. Then again, they could all fall into that category, but those last few were even worse. Lily and Violet were indeed hit by sisterly separation anxiety after they returned home. Kenobi had gone back to Viridian City to take care of some business related things. Violet had been calm at the time, but it didn't take her long to explode in a fit of sibling nostalgia.

"Here's the ice-cream," Brock brought over three bowls of ice-cream, each including equal portions of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry with chocolate syrup, a banana, peanuts and abundant rainbow sprinkles. He didn't seem to be bothered at all by the frilly pink apron he was wearing.

"Thanks," Lily picked up her bowl and placed an empty little cardboard box on the tray in its place. "Could you get more tissues, this next movie is like really emotional."

Misty could feel her eye twitch. The actors didn't put any emotion into their lines, though they did make exaggerated dramatic expressions, yelling or whispering. It was not the same thing.

"Right away!" Brock had to go rent the movies, Brock had to prepare the snacks, Brock had to run random errands, Brock had to help with the gym's remodeling. Misty felt her eye twitch some more, Brock wasn't a slave.

"Thanks Brocky," Lily sniffled, though the movie had barely started. Misty also felt like crying, but only because the movie was so bad.

Brock's face was full of pride, "any time!" He skipped away to fetch another box of tissues.

Misty followed Brock, ignoring Violet when she called out, "you'll like miss the start of the movie!"

Away from her sisters, who were in the living room, Misty confronted Brock, "you don't need to do everything Lily tells you."

"I want to show her I can be loyal and dependable," Brock proudly declared. "Did you hear her? She called me Brocky, that has to be a good sign!" His face was slightly red and his head was in the clouds.

"I'm going to have a talk with Lily about this," Misty insisted, her face reflecting disapproval. She wondered if she and Ash used to enslave Brock in the past without realizing it.

"Please give me a chance, I can do this, I can prove myself worthy!" Brock looked like he was close to getting on his knees and begging. "Please, please, let me try to win Lily's heart."

Misty had no choice but to agree, "alright, I won't say anything. I just don't think it's nice that you're getting bossed around all the time."

"I don't mind," Brock desperately insisted. "If the orders come from Lily's gentle voice, I'll do anything I'm told to do!"

Misty sighed hopelessly, "oh brother..."

"Brother? You called me brother!" Brock cheered, "I knew it; I'm making progress. I have never lasted this long in a relationship before." He was practically jumping with happiness.

xoxox xox xoxox

In Pallet Town, Vandel, alias Skye, approached the Pallet House curiously. Ash had returned but there was still no sign of Delia. He decided to casually stop by to say hello and discretely ask about when Delia would return. Unless he got distracted and forgot to ask, which was a possibility Givan took into consideration. If the great catastrophe was to be avoided, Delia had to survive whatever fate was destined to befall her. Skye wished that he had an accurate version of history to go by, but he was stuck taking guesses at the time. "Ash!"

'Being inconspicuous was never his strong point,' Givan commented as he watched his trainer shout the name at the top of his lungs.

Ash looked out the window from his room to find Skye standing out on the street with a basket in his hands. Ash took a deep breath, the aroma of burgers reached his nose and his stomach growled loudly. It was dinner time and he wanted dinner. "I'll be right there!" Ash rushed down the stairs towards the front door. He had let all his pokemon out of their pokeballs as his mother advised. As a result, when dinner time came around, they cleaned out the refrigerator, leaving Ash with nothing to eat. Even the foods that required cooking were consumed thanks to the fire pokemon.

Within seconds, Ash was opening the front door with a friendly smile, "hi, do I know you? Oh well, that's alright, come in, it's always good to make new friends!"

As Vandel entered, followed by his pokemon, Givan grumbled, 'he's so gullible.'

Pikachu observed the visitors, 'is there anything to worry about? There are many of us here to keep Ash safe.' He looked at the large Persian suspiciously.

'You have nothing to worry about from us. We're not the enemy, but the enemy is out there,' Givan couldn't really share anymore information because he didn't know the specifics.

Pikachu took his words in a metaphorical sense and didn't inquire further. The Persian reminded him of someone, but he couldn't quite precise who. The Vulpix was also familiar, perhaps more so than the Persian.

Skye followed Ash to the kitchen setting the basket of appetizing scents on the table, around which they sat. "I'm Skye; I work for Gary, helping take care of the pokemon and stuff. I just thought I should come by and say hello. I've been taking care of your pokemon too, I even sang a lullaby to your Bellsprout," he wondered if he should be embarrassed about that.

"That's great, thanks for taking care of them. It sounds like you already know who I am," Ash eyed the basket. "It's nice of you to come over... so... what's in there?" His mouth watered some more. He already knew what was in the basket, burgers, lots of delicious burgers, the scent was unmistakable.

"Just some cheese burgers. I made them," Skye paused and corrected himself, "well, actually, Dia, my Vulpix, she was the one who cooked them. I just put them in the bread and added the cheese. Givan, my Persian, he... supervised," it would be more accurate to say that he complained about his trainer not adding all the condiments he liked to his burger. "We made too many," he removed the red and white checkered cloth that covered the basket. "I thought maybe you would like to try them."

Ash thought the boy would never get to that part. "Yes, please, thank you!" Ash happily exclaimed before stuffing one of the burgers in his mouth whole.

"I guess you were hungry," Skye stated the obvious.

Dia laughed, 'that look Vandel gets in his eyes sometimes reminds me of you,' she told Givan, 'but right now he seems similar to Ash.'

'Yeah,' Givan agreed, 'but if you ask him who he looks like he'll say the great Giovanni, in terms of personality, I'm not so sure.'

'Maybe he's a combination of both Ash and Giovanni,' Dia mused, 'they are both related to him after all.'

"Bulbasaur," though Charizard took a peek into the kitchen to make sure everything was okay, it was Bulbasaur who decided to stay while his fire comrade returned to the others and told them all was well. The unknown boy was apparently a friend of Ash. Their trainer had been feeling tense lately. Pikachu and the others had been talking about all the things happening with their trainer.

Ash swallowed the burger, miraculously not choking on it. It seemed the other pokemon were full, they had cleaned out the refrigerator after all. Even so, Bulbasaur could not pass up the opportunity to have a burger, he loved them. "Here you go," Ash gave Bulbasaur a cheese burger, which the pokemon took with his vine whip.

"Your Bulbasaur eats meat? I thought grass types were vegetarians," Skye observed. "I have a Bulbasaur too; it's much smaller than yours. Professor Oak just gave him to me. I tried to feed him a burger and he wouldn't eat it. Then again, it could be that he was full from eating all the salad when I let him out of his pokeball and didn't watch him closely enough. That's why there are no lettuce or tomato on those burgers."

"My Bulbasaur is very special," Ash smiled fondly as he took another burger from the basket, eating it slower than the first. "I'm really glad you came with these burgers, the pokemon ate all the food and I was hungry."

"Why didn't you just go over to Professor Oak's place?" Skye curiously asked. "He seems very kind; I bet he wouldn't mind sparing some food." If he gave away a pokemon just like that, he would definitely share food.

Ash took a big bite of his burger and focused on his chewing for a moment. He couldn't talk to Professor Oak until he sorted things out. He was aware that Professor Oak knew about Giovanni. If Ash saw him at that moment, he might ask too many questions. He wanted to let the information he already had sink in. He swallowed, actually having chewed his bite a proper thirty-two times. No one ever did that unless they were stalling. "I didn't want to bother him."

One of Skye's rare observant moments apparently occurred at that very second. "You're hiding something," he bluntly pointed out, which caused Ash to choke on his next bite. It all turned out to be a false alarm; Skye wasn't that observant, "I happen to know you won the Indigo League Championship," plus he was the son of the great Giovanni, who would be remembered by Rocket history, even if that history was close to changing. "Are you hiding from fans?"

"Something like that," Ash laughed. He took the assumption as a compliment.

"If it's troublesome, you could just disguise yourself," Skye suggested the most logical thing. "Professor Oak has a bunch of stuff you could use. It's just stashed up in the attic, so I'm sure he won't mind if you borrow something. Not that I was looking around or anything."

Ash's curiosity was captured, "what kind of stuff?"

"Wigs, lots of them," Skye revealed.

Ash blinked, why in the world would Professor Oak have a collection of wigs? "Wigs?" That was all he could say.

"Want me to get them for you? I'll be right back," Skye ran out of the house before Ash could reply. If Ash was trampled to death by crazy fans, that would not be good for Skye.

xoxox xox xoxox

At the Oak research lab, the elderly Professor watched as Skye rushed in. Gary had returned to Pallet Town earlier that day and was immersed in his research. "You seem more energetic, are you getting used to your job here?"

"Kind of," Skye nodded, then went straight to the point. "Just out of curiosity, do you happen to have something that works as a disguise? Something like, I don't know, a collection of wigs?"

Professor Oak rubbed his chin in thought. He remembered that he indeed have a collection of wigs. It was quite a coincidence that Skye had asked. "There is something like that here. The wig collection belonged to my son. His wife liked to practice hair styling back when they were still dating. She would always make him wear wigs so she could work on a different style everyday. Let's get them from the attic."

The Oak attic was similar to most attics. It was cluttered with all sorts of old forgotten things and covered in dust. Skye knew exactly where to look since he had been up there recently in his curious investigations. He conveniently coincidentally found the box they were looking for and carried it out of the attic.

As Skye was ready to return to Ash with the supplies, Professor Oak curiously asked, "why did you want to borrow something like this?"

Gary had just finished an interesting day of research and was passing by down the hall. He saw Skye holding a box full of wigs and heard his answer, "Ash is being stalked by fans, so I'm helping him disguise himself." Unable to contain it, Gary fell into a fit of laughter. Not realizing what was so amusing, Skye assumed, "he must have made a really funny discovery." Skye would have to further inquire about that particular piece of research later. For the time being, he returned to the house where Ash was waiting.

xoxox xox xoxox

Skye delivered the box of wigs to Ash, who was quite impressed by the collection. "Wow, there are so many." He didn't really need to disguise himself. The entire thing about hiding from fans was something he played along with in a desperate moment when he thought Skye could see all his truths written on his face. It was silly; Ash's origins had always been what they were. He was still the same; the only difference was that he knew a little more about himself. The truths had always been present; the truths had always existed and would always be there. Realizing that made Ash feel a little better.

Skye picked up a black wig and took off his hat revealing his brown and blond hair. He put it on, brushing it with his fingers. After being in storage for so long, the hair on the wig was quite rebellious. He put on his red hat, watching as Ash's face lit up with amusement.

"Wow, anyone would think you're my brother or something," Ash laughed. Maybe a silly little distraction would be good for him now that his stomach was full.

"Yeah, something like that," Skye laughed, they were not brothers, but they were related.

Ash picked up a blond wig from the box and put it on, hiding his black hair in it. "Do I look like a movie star?" He joked.

The pokemon soon joined in, many looking quite funny with hair. Givan didn't seem to be interested in such silly games and hissed at Vandel, alias Skye, to stay focused. Without his collar, the humans could not understand his words. Besides, Skye wasn't paying attention anyway.

Time passed and Ash relaxed a little more. When Skye went back to the guest room at the Oak research lab, he left Givan and Dia at the Pallet House. Dia was entertained playing with the other pokemon. Givan looked grumpy, but he stayed with Dia anyway.

All was quiet and still in the little town of Pallet. Skye was too relaxed and sleepy to notice the dark figure hiding in the shadows at the end of the street near the brick fence of the Oak land. He didn't realize he was in danger until it was too late. A man with a zombie-like look in his eyes and a gas mask jumped in front of Skye. The unknown man swiftly threw a small object to the ground. The item exploded noiselessly into a cloud of purple smoke.

Skye coughed, unable to find his voice and call out for his pokemon. The strange smoke invaded his senses and he felt irresistibly sleepy. His vision became a blur and his body felt weak. He collapsed and was carried away into a car that hid in the shadows of the brick fence at the turn of the road.

As soon as the unconscious Skye was in the car, the man with the gas mask collapsed. A woman glanced at the unconscious passenger that was thrown in the backseat. It was dark and she was in a hurry. He wore clothes similar to Ash; he had black hair and a red hat. She silently closed the car door and went to the driver's seat. She drove away hastily, but quietly. The man with the gas mask was left passed out on the road while the mysterious woman made her escape with the prisoner she thought was Ash.

xoxox xox xoxox

At Giovanni's mansion, from the second the rocket leader saw Delia hurrying towards him, he knew something was wrong. She had a look of absolute urgency in her eyes. "Delia, what is it?" A lot of things had been going wrong on that day and Giovanni could only assume the worse. "Did the assassin send someone else after you? Just how many enemies could we be dealing with?"

"Probably just one," Delia revealed hurriedly, "all the women involved are actually the same, Iblis. She's probably hypnotizing the men into helping her. Catching her is important, but saving Binks more so. She's going to attack him!"

The sudden overload of information was too much for Giovanni, "wait, slow down, how do you come up with all these theories?"

"They're not theories," Delia insisted with a serious expression, "they're conclusions. Let's hurry, we need to get to Binks," she started walking towards the front door of the mansion, making it clear that she was not stopping.

Giovanni was quick to follow her. "Alright, we'll go see Binks immediately. I'll call ahead to make sure he's okay, but you need to explain this to me on the way." He glanced at Persian, who was looking up at his human parents curiously and somewhat tiredly. The pokemon was starting to show signs of exhaustion. Due to the virus being spread so far across Kanto, the portions were much smaller, thus weaker. That didn't stop them from developing and becoming disastrous in time. At least they had time to prepare, but they were cutting it close. The illness was becoming known in Kanto as the pokemon deaths increased. "Stay here, Persian."

Persian protested, making it clear that despite whatever was happening, he wanted to tag along. Delia caught on to Giovanni's precaution and insisted as well, "it's best if you stay." She petted Persian gently, "we'll be back later, you should take some time to rest." Persian realized he had no choice but to agree and let the two humans go.

There was no need for a limousine, especially when they were in a hurry, so they left in the red convertible instead. After Giovanni made his call to assure Binks' safety, he glanced at Delia, before turning his attention back to the road, "I'm listening."

"First of all you need to understand that Laiki was framed," Delia was quick to defend.

"How do you even know about that?" Giovanni already didn't like how the conversation was going. A thought occurred to him, this was Delia, of course she would know. People gravitated towards her sweet persona naturally; they trusted her with information, maybe even with their lives. "You know where she is," it was a conclusion, more so than a question.

"Yes," Delia confirmed, she had no intentions of denying it anyway. She also had no intentions of revealing Laiki's location until Giovanni was convinced that she was not a traitor. She would keep Pixel's involvement in secret.

Giovanni's mind was immediately flooded with theories. "Laiki is in Pallet Town," he guessed. "You're hiding her in your house, or maybe she took refuge with Professor Oak."

Delia decided not to reply and Giovanni didn't insist upon the question. Instead she continued informing him of the urgent matter. "Iblis is..." she paused, trying to figure out how to properly phrase it. Somehow, saying it aloud felt odd. "She's trying to steal you away from me," that was not how Delia wanted to say it, but this was not the time to go in mental circles trying to form the ideal explanation.

Giovanni almost chuckled, "there's nothing between us, there never has been, I assure you."

"That's not what I mean," Delia insisted, "she's trying to steal you by taking away our precious memories. She's turning all the good memories into something tainted. She wants you to feel betrayed by everyone who is somehow linked to the past. I trust Ash will be alright with his pokemon for now, but I can't let her keep doing this. I don't want you to forget how to trust. She disguised herself as Laiki, you believe me, don't you? Think about it, would Binks' little sister truly betray Team Rocket?"

"I would never have expected this from her," Giovanni admitted. Laiki had been with Team Rocket since a young age and had never shown any signs of being a traitor. As for Luke's little mishap leaving the pokeballs in his office unguarded, he knew it was only a mistake. Other than that, he had done a good job for years. It was something he received little credit for, until Delia's return somehow put Giovanni in a good enough mood to give him some credit. He was aware of Iblis' interest, though he never returned it. He didn't expect that she would go so far in a fit of jealousy. "I'm going to have the agents focus on finding Iblis instead."

"Yes," Delia adamantly agreed, "you should do that right away." She waiting for Giovanni to call, holding his little Rocket cell phone with one hand and the steering wheel with the other. She listened as he called off the search for Laiki and ordered his agents to look for Iblis. Giovanni closed his little cell phone and speed up, they were almost to Viridian City. "Giovanni, you have competent allies, you just need to trust your judgment and not give into doubts. I know you understand and that's part of what makes you a great leader."

"Then why didn't I predict Iblis would attack?" The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Iblis was known to be good with disguises, second only to Petrel. She sometimes used disguises as part of her interrogation techniques. The entire possibility of trying to play with his head, enraging as it was, also fit her background. Ash ran away bringing out past feelings of betrayal. It was as if Giovanni expected to be betrayed and was quick to jump to conclusions when he thought he was.

"You were thinking too hard instead of trusting yourself and your mind wasn't clear," Delia concluded. She observed Giovanni's seemingly neutral face for a long moment. She saw a hint of something in his eyes that she couldn't quite explain. Letting out a deep breath as they drove through Viridian City, she gently voiced, "Ash is not angry at you. He wanted you to know that, he just needed time to think."

Giovanni didn't say anything, but his expression slightly changed. He was a little more relaxed despite the situation, almost relieved. They had arrived at the Viridian gym and quickly went in. They headed into the underground base and to the elevator that would lead them to Binks.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile, in Comet's room, underground at the Viridian Rocket headquarters, Luke watched his son with concern. The young man who looked so much like him had always been strong. Maybe Laiki's worries were correct after all. Comet was unconscious on his bed, his face reddened with a very high fever. His breaths were slow and uneven, his expression occasionally reflecting pain. Yet the thought of him never waking up was an impossibility in Luke's mind. Comet didn't remember his early childhood and he had no clue about who his mother could have been. Somehow, truths had a way of being revealed in time. Luke had to wonder if Comet would live long enough to find out.

To be Continued

Don't Give Me Diamonds

Diamond 085: Give me Healing

At the Viridian Rocket base, Delia felt as if the elevator trip down, was taking ten times as long as it should. Giovanni had called to make sure that Binks was alright and the accusations against Laiki were dropped, at least for the time being. Ash would be alright, he had his pokemon, Delia trusted him to be well. All that was left to do was to catch Iblis. Then why did she feel so uneasy?

The elevator doors finally opened and both its occupants stepped out. They made their way to the end of the hallway, adjusting from the relatively hot elevator to the cool air conditioner. Giovanni opened the door at the end of the hall and closed it again once he and Delia were inside Binks' living quarters.

Binks had been sitting on the couch with Raticate next to him. He contemplated a small vial in his hand containing a pale green tinted liquid. He stood as soon as he heard the door being opened and walked towards his visitors. "You're here for this, aren't you?" Binks motioned to the little vial he held. He was as thin as ever, his lab coat and clothing hanging off his bony body. His eyes were red and the purple bags under them stood out on his pale face.

"What is that?" Giovanni asked as naturally as he could. Despite Binks' appearance, his voice came out with clarity and not a hint of doubt.

"I was going to give it to you," Binks insisted. "I wouldn't deny him this chance. I lived this long, just so I could give him this," he sounded as if he was being invaded by a rush of emotion. "I want him to live. I don't know when it will happen, but I fear it will. How old is he now? Fifteen? Eighteen? Twenty? Twenty-five? I'm afraid I've lost the notion of time. I can't remember for my life how old he would be."

"Binks?" Delia spoke softly; so far it seemed that Binks was yet to acknowledge her presence. She didn't know what he was talking about, even Giovanni looked confused. Yet the Rocket leader also looked focused, as if he was expecting something that would confirm a vague theory. "Who are you talking about?"

"Do you know?" Binks addressed Delia with doubt, "do you know the truth?" He then looked at Giovanni again, "does she know?" Binks went back to looking at Delia, into her eyes, his expression grave. "If you knew, you would hate me even more."

"I don't hate you," Delia assured strongly. She noticed that Binks' voice came out with more certainty and clarity than before.

"I hate myself," Binks stated, his eyes traveling to the floor. "I carry so many sins, so much blood on my hands. He's my nightmare. Don't you know I see him every time I close my eyes? I see her too, I see them both, but she's better off than him. She lives, he is destined to die, but his brother is more important. His brother is... he's human!" Binks' tone became much louder at the last word. "He is, he really is, that boy, he's human, he's my nephew, please let him live!" His breathing became difficult; it looked like he was hyperventilating.

"Calm down," Giovanni urged, raising his voice more than he meant.

"It's okay," Delia gently guided Binks to sit down on the couch. She sat down next to him, gently patting his back. "It's okay, we're here to help."

Binks clutched the little vial in his right hand as if it was more precious than his own life. "Do you know?" He asked desperately, as he tried to catch his breath. Delia didn't seem to know what he was talking about. "Does she know?" He directed the question towards Giovanni.

Giovanni wasn't sure what to make of the situation except the worse. There were things of the past that Delia didn't know. There were things she would strongly disapprove of. Giovanni sat down on one of the seats near the couch and closed his eyes in thought. Binks' nephew, the one he referred to was not his biological nephew, just someone that he saw as a nephew. "She doesn't know."

Delia was taken by surprise with Giovanni's sudden reply. What was it that had Binks so shaken that she didn't know? She silently questioned Giovanni with her eyes. She wasn't sure if she should further inquire about the subject in front of Binks or try to change it. Clearly, the poor man was disturbed by the conversation. Even so, it didn't look like he could be made to drop the subject so easily.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to make her mad," Binks sobbed.

"I'm not mad," Delia gently assured, some urgency escaping into her voice and expression.

"Delia..." Giovanni paused and considered his options. There were things that he rather Delia not know, "you're not going to like this." Why was he even telling her? Why was she already giving him an understanding look when the topic had taken such a dark road?

"Should I confess my sins?" Binks looked between Giovanni and Delia unsure. His eyes finally settled on the small vial in his hand.

"I will listen," Delia voiced and prepared herself for the worse.

"It's been a long time," Binks breathed, "ten years, fifteen years, twenty years, twenty five years or maybe even thirty. I don't know how long it's been since that night in New Island. Aayla came to me and told me the truth. She wanted power and she wanted revenge on Venom. Most of all, she wanted redemption for someone precious to her. I was reluctant but could not refuse." Binks paused and looked at Delia, "do you remember her? Do you remember Aayla?"

Delia was shocked, but tried to hide it. She nodded slowly, "I remember, I will always remember." It looked like Binks had returned to the present. He wasn't sure how long it had been, but he knew that a considerable amount of time had passed. She glanced at Giovanni before looking back at Binks. If Giovanni's expression was any indication, the revelations would be grave.

"Before she joined us, before we met you," Binks spoke barely above a whisper, "Aayla was with Venom. They were lovers, I do not know to what extent in terms of love itself, but they were together physically at least. She was pregnant and he... he wanted to create something. Venom worked with his sister to create a sort of potion. Venom wanted power and Poisona wanted destruction. Aayla found out too late that she had prevailed. Her child was destined to become the bringer of death."

Delia felt her breath catch in her throat as Binks continued to stare at the little vial, avoiding her gaze. Her mind was racing with possibilities that felt too terrible to be true. Giovanni was caught off guard, he was expecting a different revelation, one related to Luke and Comet. He didn't know Binks was so well informed about Aayla's daughter. The scientist had never shared that information.

"Aayla managed to hide the child. She faked the girl's death and left her with someone she trusted. That is all I knew about the child for a long time," Binks glanced around the room, at Delia, at Giovanni, at Raticate, at the awards, at the strange painting and back at the little vial. "The child, from what I learned, was to carry a terrible virus in her body, allowing it to develop without spreading. It would concentrate in her system, becoming deadlier, mutating into something terrible," Binks paused as a few tears escaped him.

Delia could feel her heart pounding in terror at what she was hearing. She looked at Giovanni. He was surprised yet knowing. It was as if he knew only part of that information, or was shocked to find that Binks knew so much. She looked back at Binks, her hand gently on his thin shoulder. He looked so terribly fragile it broke her heart all over again.

"Along with the power, Aayla wanted the antidote," Binks revealed. Do you remember when we found all that data about the epidemic underground at the Viridian gym?" It seemed that Binks wasn't sure where he was, he didn't know that his current location was under the Viridian gym. "Don't you think it's strange that if all of that was documented in such detail, this was not?"

Giovanni's expression showed real surprise. "You knew this would happen. All these years, you knew she was out there. The files, they did exist," Giovanni realized.

Binks nodded, he took his eyes off the vial and faced Giovanni. "Aayla took the files and hid them when we were at Viridian. Later, at New Island she gave them to me with the whole truth. If I told anyone, the girl might have been hunted down, maybe even killed, to prevent this disaster. This is terrible indeed, but Aayla wanted her daughter to live, her little Secura. She was regretful. Is that not what we always do? Choose who will be sacrificed for us?"

"You have no idea what's been unleashed into the world!" Giovanni yelled. "If the pokemon die, if they are extinct, what do you think will happen? That might not even be the end of it, humans can carry the virus. It's harmless to us now, but viruses mutate, you don't have to be a science expert to know that much. This thing could very well end all life eventually. You knew and you didn't tell me? You just let it happen?" Giovanni reproached harshly, full of anger and frustration.

"Stop it!" Delia yelled.

Binks was shaking violently, his bony frame making odd noises as he moved. It was as if there was not enough meat in him to prevent his bones from rattling against each other. He sobbed and choked, his face turning purple.

Delia hugged the desperate Binks gently. She was afraid he would literally fall apart. "Shh, it's okay; just take a slow deep breath, don't try to talk. It's going to be alright. We're going to find a cure and everything will be okay."

"The cure," Binks sobbed, "the cure for the virus," he pushed out the words in a pained ragged voice, "the cure is with Aayla."

"Aayla is dead," Giovanni voiced barely above a whisper. "Where are the files?"

"New Island," Binks gasped.

"Destroyed, everything in New Island was destroyed," Giovanni was terribly frustrated. The situation looked more hopeless by the second. Binks had survived the explosion, but he was unconscious for a long time. As far as he knew, Mewtwo died there along with Dr. Fuji.

Binks shook his head, "she's alive, Aayla is alive, I'm sure of it! That's not all, that's not my only sin. There were twelve, twelve little boys."

"I've think you've said enough," Giovanni almost growled.

"Giovanni, stop; let him finish," Delia interfered; her expression was both determined and supportive. Binks looked as if his very life depended on his confession being heard. "It's true that I don't like this, it's true that I'm upset, but hiding it and keeping it bottled up won't do anyone any good. It won't help Binks and it won't help you. Let me help you carry this, I'll help you both," with her words, she extended the blame to Giovanni as well, no longer in denial about his influence in the experiments of the past. She knew it had to be about that, what else could be so terrible to affect Binks in such a way? The guilt had been eating away at him for years so strongly that he made himself believe it never happened. That's why he pretended to be in the past, because he desperately wanted to return to it and do things differently.

Binks took a deep breath. He was still shaking though much less violently. "There were twelve little boys, his children, Luke's children." It was the price to pay, other than the dangerous missions, for his past betrayal with Han. "Twelve little clones, little boys really, living beings," Binks stared at the vial once more, unable to bring himself to look at Delia. "Number three, number seven and number ten survived, all the others died. Number three was enhanced to age rapidly. Very quickly he went from a baby, to a fully grown man. We were studying genetics, trying to make the perfect Rocket agent. We failed."

Delia's tears continued to escape her in absolute silence. She couldn't stop them if she tried, though she didn't make a sound. She looked at Giovanni. He met her eyes for a moment then looked away. She looked back at Binks waiting for him to gather the strength and will to continue.

"I was testing number three's ability to absorb the knowledge pushed into him through a hypnotic trance," Binks revealed. "He was supposed to have enough of a basic education to be able to interact with normal humans. He was generally quiet, but responded well enough when spoken to. Because Fuji wanted to revive his daughter, he was not opposed to the human experiments, as his goal involved a human. We thought that if number three was exposed to contact with normal humans for long enough, he would start to act more natural."

Delia watched as Binks' face became contorted with terrible regret.

"It was my fault!" Binks cried, "It was my fault that they died, it was my fault that she lost them. It was my fault that they suffered!" He screamed until his voice gave out. "I'm sorry, little sister, I'm sorry," he breathlessly sobbed. "My mother passed away when I was young. She had a frail body that she knew would eventually give out. Time passed and my father got married again. His new wife was a kind lady and though she was not a replacement for my mother, I cared about her as a mother. I know she cared for me as a son too. They had a baby girl, Laiki, my little sister. I was visiting them when Laiki was still a child. I took number three with me and arrived when Laiki was still in school. That day, that terrible day, number three lost his sanity. It happened very quickly and I didn't understand why. Later, I realized that the formula used to advance his growth made him react strangely to certain spices. Mother loved to cook and try new recipes."

Delia knew that the story had to have a truly awful ending. Her face was wet with tears and her throat felt dry. She couldn't speak even if she tried.

"It was all a random coincidence, a miscalculation. Who could have guessed?" Binks stared at the vial in his hand once more. "He killed them; I was unable to stop him. He cast me aside. No matter how desperately I tried, I wasn't strong enough. He had inhuman strength, like a pokemon with illegal power ups, one that wouldn't die so easily. Whenever I attacked him, he threw me aside and went after my parents. He recognized me, but they were unfamiliar so they were his primary target. Laiki didn't see it; she didn't see her parents being ripped to shreds piece by piece by a mad man, while her helpless brother was simply thrown around like the worthless creature he was."

Delia's heart ached with each revelation.

"My parents begged me to run away." The nightmarish images would forever haunt Binks. "They were being ripped apart, there was blood everywhere. I can't remember much else. I reported what happened to headquarters and I guess they must have covered it up. I lied to her; I lied to my little sister. I told her our parents had a car accident while she was in school. As her closest living relative, since she was still a child, her custody was mine. I took her away from Cherrygrove City. I didn't want her to hear the rumors and learn of the terrible truth. I didn't want her to know it was all my fault."

Binks continued, "I know Laiki has made friends in Team Rocket. I know a lot of things; I know more than anyone may guess. I know there is a boy whom Laiki things of as her younger brother. It took me a while, but I figured out who he is. There were twelve little boys and only three survived. Number three was a killer, but number seven wasn't bad. The boy has no recollection of his childhood because he has no childhood. He was kept safely in his tank for a long time. He was let out eventually, without the modifications that doomed number three. I wanted to understand what went wrong; I wanted to revive my parents just like Fuji wanted to revive his daughter."

"Something unexpected happened," Binks revealed, "number seven was perfectly normal. In every sense, he was human and I couldn't deny it. Everything came crashing down and I couldn't toy with lives anymore. He made me realize it, that little boy saved what was left of my corrupted soul. Because of that little boy, I still have just enough humanity left in me to suffer for my sins."

Binks continued his confession, "I was unable to take care of number seven so he was taken away. Luke's child, who had become my little nephew, he was given to his father and raised to be a loyal Rocket. He's still out there, isn't he? He's still human, he can't be anything else. I'm not being completely honest, though. There is a mistake, but it can be corrected. He's sick you see. He is strong, a normal person could be as strong and agile as him, no doubt about it, but they would have to work for it. They would have to work hard and not neglect their training."

"Comet..." Delia's voice came out as a whisper. She knew her conclusion was correct, even if she desperately wished to be wrong.

"I was afraid," Binks cried. "I saw him in my dreams and her too. I saw what Aayla became, wild and difficult to reach. I saw what number three became, a vicious killer. I infected number seven with a virus. It is not contagious unless one receives his blood into one's own blood vessels. Of course, his medical profile, his secret medical profile, specifies this. Touching his blood is not even enough; one would have to receive a sufficient sample injected. I made sure Laiki knew. A seemingly healthy young man, O negative no less, regardless of what kind of emergency ever happened, I made sure she knew not to ask to use his blood."

"The virus would slowly kill number seven. That way if he went crazy and escaped, he would die young. He wouldn't have time to become an urban legend like number three did. All those unsolved murder mysteries attributed to the Bloody Killer; they're probably all really his doing. The police keeps them as unresolved cold cases. Not many truly believe that terrible being to be anything more than an urban legend. I didn't want another being like number three. But you know what?" Binks suddenly laughed at the irony, "number seven is normal, sane, loyal and competent. Certain tests were included along with his routine medical examinations. He's human, completely human, sane and sentient, even if he has no idea where he came from."

Binks stood from the couch and walked to his laboratory area. "This will remove the unnecessary safeguard I placed upon him." He transferred the contents of the little vial to a needle and put the needle inside a plastic bag. He held the edge of the bag with his bony fingers as he returned to the living room area. "Take it; give him the opportunity to live a long healthy life. As the human he is, he deserves that much." He held the bag in front of Giovanni for him to take.

Giovanni took the antidote and stared at it. That cure was for Comet, the cure for the virus affecting pokemon was a different topic entirely. Afflicted with guilt, Binks confessed it all at once. "You lied about this too, to me and to Luke. Comet wasn't destined to die because his body would internally degenerate with the passing of time. It was because you made it so."

Giovanni, Luke and Laiki were aware of Comet's origin, though Comet himself had no idea. When he was taken out of his tank, he was educated and raised as a Rocket. When he questioned his origins, Luke gave him nothing but excuses. Giovanni wondered if Ash had asked about his father with the same curiosity and necessity to know that he had heard Comet ask Luke about his mother. He had no mother. Giovanni wondered if maybe Ash was better off without a father.

Binks lowered his head, "I'm sorry," he sobbed with tears streaming down his face. "I'm so sorry... Please go, please heal him. It hasn't happened yet, right? He's still alive, isn't he? He's still well, he must be. Number seven... Comet. Go, go now, I will be fine on my own. I must rest, I must think. The time will soon come and I must fulfill Aayla's wish. I must find redemption for her daughter. What season is it? Please tell me this much, what season?"

Silence invaded the area after Binks' question as if those present were too absorbed in their own thoughts to reply. "Fall is starting," Giovanni finally voiced. He looked at Delia as she sat shaking. Binks went back to the lab followed by Raticate, muttering random things under his breath. "Delia..." the name was barely audible. Her tears had not ceased, he thought about hugging her, but what consolation could she gain from him? Then his phone insistently demanded his attention. He ignored it at first, then finally gave in and looked at the screen. Luke was calling; he felt he needed to answer that call. "Is so-"

Before Giovanni could ask if there was something wrong, Luke's panicked voice confirmed that there was. "Dude, Giovanni, help! He's like dying, my son is like dying, you know? He was like burning up with a fever and now he's like suddenly like totally cold, man! Help please, like save him. You're like the leader, you like make everything like okay, do something, man! I like totally beg you to like save him, please!"

In the background Giovanni could hear other voices, besides Luke. There seemed to be a woman there, or two women, one apparently much more panicked than the other. "Where are you?"

The feeling of trouble in the air and the urgency in Giovanni's voice snapped Delia out of her daze. She couldn't hear Luke's voice coming from his cell phone, but she knew whatever was happening was bad. "Comet's room," Luke choked on his words as if his very life was being drained away and running out.

"I have the cure, I'll be there in a moment," Giovanni didn't wait for a reply before leaving with Delia following him. There was no time to question Binks' cure. The unusual results of Comet's medical tests were due to the virus Binks gave him rather than his condition as a clone as most had thought. He would just have to be examined later to see if he was truly healed. For the time being, gambling everything on the antidote in the needle was the only hope.

Giovanni left Binks' living area, rushing to the elevator followed by Delia. They went up suffocated by the tense atmosphere. They didn't say anything, they couldn't. They didn't even look at each other. Things had seemingly improved for a while, then all of this came out. Giovanni himself couldn't explain why he allowed Delia to know. He didn't understand his own inaction in hiding this from her.

The elevator opened and Giovanni hurried down the seemingly endless halls of the Viridian Rocket headquarters. He arrived at the area corresponding to the in-base living quarters. All the doors were numbered in rows that appeared to stretch out endlessly. Delia didn't know where they were going and for what purpose, but it was obviously urgent and probably tragic.

To be Continued

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