Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Don't Give Me Diamonds ❯ Chapter 6

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

Don't Give Me Diamonds

Diamond 25: Give me Happiness

The streets of Cinnabar Island were filled with both tourists and locals, enjoying the flame festival, a celebration that honored fire pokemon, thought to be the source of energy for the island's volcanoes.

"Giovanni," Delia spoke quietly, "I'm sorry for being so grumpy before." It was simply the way she was, feeling guilty whenever she wasn't miss sunshine, even if she had a good reason.

"It's alright, let's enjoy the festival," to Giovanni, in his current optimistic mood it looked like Delia was evolving after all, beginning to handle things a little better, to realize what she had to do for Team Rocket and for his goals, which maybe she was finally starting to make her own. She was slowly reaching towards the potential he saw in her. She was unique indeed, she could charm just about any pokemon into loyally following her, she was skilled in training them and very loyal, the perfect queen.

The main street was lined with stalls selling various things, food, souvenirs and all kinds of items. Music was heard from all around and performers entertained the crowd up on a stage at the end of the main street. Two Flareon let out a line of fire up, as they stood on their hind legs, their front paws joined, the fire curved above them in the shape of a heart. The crowd continued to grow in front of the stage as two men dressed as Magmar joined the pair of Flareon. Their faces covered by masks, identities unknown, they began their act, juggling wooden torch sticks.

The costumes were not full costumes as a sports mascot would wear. Instead they looked as if they came from an ancient tribe modeled after the pokemon. They wore red capes attached to their masks that had a pair of yellow tipped horns on top. The end of their capes was cut in zigzags lined with yellow. They wore red pants to match their capes, with the same yellow zigzag finish on the bottom. Their toned tanned chests were exposed, with a long pair of thin golden ribbons tied to their upper arms, flowing in the breeze as they juggled.

The pair of Flareon threw flames up, the trainers catching them on the torches. They tossed the lit torches to each other, increasing the speed of their team juggling act as the wooden sticks continued to burn out. With the torches nearly burnt out, all eight were tossed up simultaneously. The two Flareon shot fireballs at them, causing the material to burn out completely and the flames to fade away in mid air, like miniature fireworks, before they hit the stage. The crowd clapped and cheered enjoying the show.

A woman dressed as a Vulpix walked among the crowd, her costume making her stand out. She wore a red Vulpix mask with curly red hair on top and triangular ears. Her long light brown hair flowed down her back from under the mask. Her costume consisted of a red strapless one-piece swimsuit, with six red tails, paw shaped gloves and matching boots.

"Now the lovely Vulpix will choose a volunteer to participate in our next act!" One of the men on stage announced.

The crowd was filled with a chorus of "Pick me!" "Over here!" "Vulpix!" "Choose me!" "I want to go on stage!" and similar calls.

The Vulpix woman seemed to know exactly who she was searching for, making her way through the crowd until she reached Delia, "Vulpix!" The woman in the costume spoke as a pokemon would, her true identity a mystery behind her mask.

"Me?" Delia was surprised to have been chosen, but it did sound fun to join the show, "okay," she smiled glancing back at Giovanni, who was enjoying the show as well.

With the volunteer chosen, the crowd opened a path for the Vulpix woman and Delia to get up on the stage. Delia was left to continue the act with the two Magmar while Vulpix disappeared behind the stage.

"Magmar!" One of the men, not the one who had spoken before, directed Delia to a box, large enough so she could stand inside it. "Magmar!" He tapped it asking Delia to do the same on each side to confirm it was solid. "Magmar," he directed her to go inside the box.

The set up reminded Delia of a classic magic trick involving a box being cut up by a Scyther, then the one inside, be it human or pokemon would emerge unharmed after the trick ended. She smiled and waved at the crowd until the Magmar man closed the box leaving her momentarily in darkness.

She heard the other Magmar man address the crowd, "the beautiful Volcano Princess shall now become one with the flames from which she came and reveal herself as our guardian!"

It was an old myth among the many that existed in Cinnabar Island. The man began to tell the legend, while the floor beneath Delia sunk under the stage.

"Long ago, there was a peaceful village at the foot of a large volcano in the center of this island," the talking Magmar man narrated. "Many years ago, that village, the village of our ancestors, was in danger of being destroyed. The volcano had grown upset after its lonely spirit became tired of sensing the fear people had for it. The volcano's spirit was sad and with that sadness came the wish to make it all go away, to make the village disappear, for everything to be consumed by lava... However, when the volcano roared, the villages did not abandon their home; instead they gathered around the volcano and prayed to appease its spirit. They offered their friendship and hoped for their home to be saved."

"Suddenly, the volcano erupted," the same man continued, "shooting a beam of fire straight up into the skies as lava flowed down its sides. The villagers did not run away, they instead began to sing in hopes of making peace with the volcano. Then, when the beam of fire cleared out, there was a woman covered in flames floating above the volcano, she commanded the lava to return from whence it came. The lava climbed up the volcano before it could reach the villagers and resided inside it peacefully. The woman, the spirit of the volcano, had wished to join the villagers and was sad because she knew they would fear her, but that fateful night she had become their friend and they no longer feared her."

"From that time on, when people approached the volcano they could hear her soothing voice and if they showed trust, she would appear to them floating above the volcano. The mysterious woman came to be known as the Volcano Princess. There was a man among the villagers who had fallen in love with her and would visit her every day, watching her flaming form dance above the lava, singing a beautiful song. The Volcano Princess was happy to spend time with him, but also sad because she could not join him. She was unable to leave the volcano, plus her flaming touch would surely burn him to ashes. Even so, their love was strong and true and they wished with all their hearts to be together."

"One evening, when the man return to the village after going to visit his love in the volcano, he was not alone, he walked hand in hand with a beautiful woman wrapped in a cape that resembled flames. Their love had been so strong that the Volcano Princess became human and was finally able to live in the village with her beloved. The couple was destined to reincarnate over and over throughout the years and find each other, falling in love again until eternity. It is said that the Volcano Princess lives hidden among us and that when flames consume her body, her true identity will be revealed. A fire pokemon should be able to find her and Vulpix believes she has. Let us reveal the Volcano Princess' true form!"

xoxox xox xoxox

Under the stage there was light again and while the legend was being told above, Delia found someone familiar, whom she was not expecting to find there. The Vulpix woman had removed her mask, "Leah? You're helping with the flame festival?"

"Yes!" Leah was radiant, far happier than Delia had ever seen her, "I found him, I really found him! Han was alive after all, he's up there, the Magmar telling the story of the Volcano Princess, that's him and the other one is Luke, I told him about Han and he came right away. Then I saw you in the crowd and had to choose you for the act so I could tell you right away, it's so good that you're here too."

"What a surprise, Han is really alive and you've been reunited!" Delia's happiness continued to increase and she was glad she didn't lose hope. Everything was finally fixing itself as if by a miracle.

"There was a reason why we didn't find each other sooner," Leah confessed with a hint of guilt reflected in her voice and honey colored eyes, "Luke and I blame ourselves for this, though I told them the fault was all mine. Han said we shouldn't blame anyone and that only the future matters. We didn't have a lot of time to talk, instead we decided to celebrate first and catch up after the flame festival. Luke and Han used to do this act years ago so it was fitting for their reunion. The festival committee was surprised to see Han alive and immediately let him and Luke perform their act. Most of the people he used to know are not even aware of his return yet, only a few know so far; but that's okay, there will be time for that later."

"Han is right, this is a time to be happy, not to feel guilty," Delia encouraged, her curiosity to know more shining in her eyes.

Leah read her expression and offered, "I'll tell you the story, but while I do, I need to help you get ready to go back on stage and be the Volcano Princess." Leah began to work on Delia's makeup. "After investigating around Cinnabar Island and not finding anything new, I took on an assignment for Team Rocket at Fuchsia City. I was asking around with a picture of Han until someone mentioned having seen a man resembling the picture at the port. I didn't get my hopes up too much, but went to investigate right away."

"There were several ships at port, cruises and cargo ships, as well as smaller boats. I asked around until I was directed to a small cargo ship and there he was, with the crew. I called out to him but he didn't answer, so I went over to him and asked him if he was really Han. He was surprised that someone would ask him that and said we needed to talk."

"That day in the past when the earthquake happened, the floor of the cave fell in, but the opening was too small for the boulders above to follow Han down and that was what saved him. However, many small rocks fell through; Han hit his head and was injured. When he woke up, he was trapped, in pain and confused, he had amnesia. He completely forgot who he was or where he was, it must have been terrifying. A group of Diglett and Dugtrio helped him get to the surface, but three days had already passed and Han had been assumed to be dead."

"I couldn't deal with his death so I returned to Fuchsia City and locked myself away. I heard that Luke wandered around town in denial and if anyone approached him, he became violent and resented that everyone had accepted Han's death so easily. Han told me he wandered around Cinnabar Island for an entire day hoping that someone who knew him would see him, approach him and clear things up. He noticed that people were avoiding him and keeping their distance so he decided to leave the island and got a job on a cargo ship, off to start a new life."

"If I had stayed in Cinnabar Island I would have been able to tell the difference between them right away, everyone who saw Han assumed he was Luke and avoided him remembering what a terrible mood he was in. If they had just spoken to him they would have recognized him. Unfortunately, Luke didn't run into Han. Luke and Han were never exactly held to high esteem, they had no big family business or anything and they grew up as the mischievous troublemakers of the town. No one truly cared, they just did what they thought was proper for the sake of appearing polite and that hasn't changed. Han was there and no one knew, for such a long time he lived without a past. After I found him, I told him about our time together and about his brother. I contacted Luke and the three of us were reunited in time for the flame festival."

"We had not even finished catching up when a few people saw Han and Luke together, realizing that the other must be Han. That's when we decided to help out at the festival. It doesn't matter if the town's people aren't really interested in what happened; the most important thing is that we're all together. Luke and Han practiced their old juggling act and were surprised at how well they did. It was amazing, as if they found their special connection as twins again. Even if Han didn't remember how the act went, Luke only had to explain it once and Han could keep up with him."

"We haven't told Han about Team Rocket yet; we wanted to tell him everything and started from the beginning, so we talked mostly about the past in Cinnabar Island. It's a very long story, but we'll get to the present soon, we'll fill him in on everything and even if he doesn't remember, he'll know every detail. Maybe he'll join too, then we can all be a part of Team Rocket, I know Luke likes adventure and Han liked adventure too," though Leah had doubted staying with Team Rocket in the past, if Han was there, she would be there too, then Han would have both her and his brother near.

Delia was amazed by the story, the fact that Luke and Han were identical twins played a key role in the way things turned out. It was almost as if Han had been regarded as a ghost, though he was very much alive. The physical resemblance between the two brothers was amazing, albeit the way they spoke was certainly a sharp contrast. Delia could picture Luke picking up his peculiar style of speech if only to be different and feel unique and original. "I'm so happy for you, Han and Luke. I'm sure it will be great when he joins!"

The Volcano Princess costume was now complete, the cloak over Delia flowed down to the floor, but despite the layers it didn't feel hot since the fabric was so thin. It shimmered in beautiful shades of red, orange and gold, the translucent fabric flowing as if it were on fire; that was the illusion it created with multiple shades. The light reflected off the flowing fabric, making it appear to be a different color from each angle as if she was truly burning. Delia's face was highlighted in the same fiery colors, red lipstick, golden glitters and orange eye shadow.

The final piece of the costume was a golden colored crown, with ruby rhinestones. Leah examined the costume, "looks like you're ready."

xoxox xox xoxox

"The box has been burned to ashes and the Volcano Princess has disappeared!" Han, who was on stage dressed as Magmar, announced. "The truth is that her spirit is still here, we must summon her with fire and offer her our friendship. Let's show her we want her to reappear, Volcano Princess!"

xoxox xox xoxox

Delia and Leah could hear people calling out to the Volcano Princess. "It's time, you're going to be surrounded by fire when you go up there, but don't worry; Han caught and trained those Flareon himself since they were Eevee, you'll be fine."

"Everything is going so well, nothing can scare me now, I'm ready!" Delia assured. Leah activated the mechanism to lower the platform, now the trick was not hidden by a box, but by a curtain of fire. Delia stood on the platform as it rose up to the stage.

She was encircled in flames; they surrounded her, but did not touch her. She felt as if she truly was being reborn as the legendary Volcano Princess. The fire stopped, revealing Delia on the stage and the crowd cheered.

xoxox xox xoxox

Diamond 26: Give me Dreams

Was it morning? No, it was still dark. Delia found it odd; she never woke up in the middle of the night. Her dream had been amusing though, but it was more a memory than a dream. Her good mood must have been reminding her of happy times even in her sleep.

It was a long time ago, when Team Rocket had only recently taken over the Viridian Gym. Giovanni was looking over some documents. Delia quietly snuck up behind him, but he turned his head slightly, noticing her presence and she turned away.

Meowth was comfortable on top of the TV; the little pokemon had insisted to climb up there and would not be moved, meowing loudly in protest if anyone tried to get him down. Neither Giovanni nor Delia could understand the pokemon's sudden desire to nap on the TV, but they let him be, it seemed he wanted to try out every surface he saw for a nap, appliances included.

Giovanni focused on the documents once more, he was done reading, but wanted to see what Delia would do. She snuck up behind him again, like a feline stalking her pray, ready to pounce any second. Giovanni made sure not to look, curious to know what childish yet somewhat amusing thing Delia came up with. Surely she didn't mean to cover his eyes and have him guess who she was, that was too silly, even for a curious naive country girl.

Then he regretted his choice, she was on the attack, mercilessly messing up his hair, "Delia, stop that!" She did not, "stop it!"

Finally satisfied, Delia grinned at Giovanni, her smile growing into a fit of laughter. Meowth woke up, curiously looking at his mother, wondering what was so funny, while seeing that his father's hair looked different, but humans seemed to have a slightly different appearance every day anyway. Laughing uncontrollably, Delia sat down on the bed, finally letting herself fall back, her amusement still ringing out.

Giovanni reached for a mirror, the first mirror he spotted, Delia's pink hand mirror. This was Delia's room too and she kept everything neat for both of them. Even so, sometimes he wished she would hide her pink items as he did not like the color.

None the less, the mirror served its purpose, revealing that his hair partly fell down in front of his face and flew out to the sides left and right. She made a fine mess and she dared to laugh. He stopped her amused rolling around, catching her wrists and holding her in place, lying on top of her.

"No fair, I wasn't ready, you snuck up on me!" Delia pouted, after the last few giggles passed.

"Didn't you sneak up on me?" Giovanni reminded, leaning close.

"You knew I was there," she justified, still making a pouty face.

"How would you like it if I messed up your hair?" He was so close, she could feel him breathing.

"I'll just brush it again, no big deal, now let me go!"

"Don't do that again," predictably, reaching for his hair was the first thing she did when he released her hands. "Really Delia, you're so childish sometimes," at least he found some amusement in her childish and naive ways sometimes and this was one of those times despite the messy state his hair was left in.

"Relax, I'm not going to mess up your perfect image in front of your minions, oh supreme ruler of the world," Delia was only being sarcastic, but Giovanni would have liked to make it come true, taking over the world was a good long term goal to have. "You looked stressed so I had to do something, I know it's because Team Rocket is growing so fast and is constantly being restructured, but you need to take a break sometimes and clear your head." She continued playing with his hair, "it looks shorter than it actually is, when it's-"

"Not a mess?" He supplied.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad."

"No one will take me seriously like this..."

"Fine then, fix it tomorrow, right now, you need a break, besides, no one will see you, and by the way, get off Charmander." She paused and waited, but he didn't move, "why are you grinning at me like that? What's so funny?"

"I know you're perfectly comfortable as you are," he continued to grin victoriously, he knew he was right.

xoxox xox xoxox

The images of the dream, of the memory, faded into the back of her mind as Delia cuddled close to the sleeping Giovanni and fell asleep again. She felt more energized than she had in a long time because things had taken such a great turn for the better.

Again her mind refused to remain inactive, replaying another memory in the shape of a vivid dream. It was from the time when Team Rocket faced the smaller gangs in the east of Kanto. There was one that had retreated to Lavender Town, into a strange abandoned tower rumored to be haunted.

"Dude Giovanni, these guys like totally gave up and want to join us," Luke had met up with Delia and Giovanni at the foot of the tower, Leah following quietly.

"Joining Team Rocket is not that simple, you'll have to prove yourselves," Giovanni addressed the small gang, there were only seven of them in total and they always acted together. They called themselves the Ghost Group, though ironically none of them actually had any ghost pokemon and they weren't quite sneaky enough to be compared to ghosts.

Each gang member wore a badge, brooch or pendant shaped like a purple ball with a wavy tail that became thinner at the end and angry red eyes. It was their symbol, though not all gangs had symbols. The Tempest Gang claimed not to need such a thing, but perhaps they would have adopted a symbol if they had known that it would be the only thing left behind as their memory after Team Rocket took over everything, marking Tempest's past territory with their red R.

"I understand," the leader replied, "we'll be sure to fulfill your expectations." It was clear they weren't too thrilled about joining Team Rocket, but they knew that if they did not, their gang would be forced to be disbanded and their pokemon would be taken away. Eventually, like so many others, they would get used to being part of a larger organization and enjoy its benefits.

"You better," Giovanni warned them seriously, then addressed Luke, "give them the standard test and let me know how it goes."

"You got it boss dude, I'm like totally on it!" Luke cheered excitedly, "follow me new dudes and dudettes!" Luke and Leah left with the seven new applicants.

Giovanni and Delia looked at the tower; it was their last stop for the night. The location was rumored to have become the Phantom Patrol's hiding place, however, most of the Phantom Patrol had disbanded and only two members stubbornly refused to give in, having retreated to the tower in hopes of hiding from Team Rocket until they were ready to gather more allies and strike back. Everything pointed to those two still being there. Giovanni and Delia entered the tower in search of the pair that had slipped away.

The tower was dark and surprisingly cold, despite there being no logical explanation to the change in temperature. They were aided by flashlights to light their way, but it seemed that the darkness consumed most of the light, though the flashlights had been working just fine outside a few seconds ago.

"Giovanni, do you think this tower is really haunted?" Delia asked softly, careful not to raise her voice too much.

"That's just a rumor," Giovanni didn't believe in ghosts, other than ghost pokemon, but that was different.

"Aw, that's too bad," Delia sounded sincerely disappointed, "I thought it would be cool to see a spirit or something."

"You want it to be haunted? You really are full of surprises." The long ragged curtains were abruptly blown violently, as if reaching out to them. The sudden gust disappeared as quickly as it came and the flashlight's dim light pointed towards the window revealed that the dusty glass was closed. Upon inspection it was clear that the window had been closed for a long time, the surrounding area was covered with more dust then it could have if it was open a moment ago.

"Maybe this place really is haunted," Delia became more excited.

"A normal person would worry about that," Giovanni reminded, he still didn't believe the tower was haunted, but he too was enjoying the excitement of uncertainty.

"You should talk, I can tell you want to see something supernatural as much as I do, if not more," Delia teased.

"Okay, I'll admit it," behind most legends there was some truth and seemingly supernatural events were sometimes in reality super powerful pokemon.

Eerie wails were heard, as if lamenting something terrible, as they made their way up the tower. Turning the corner of the spiraling stairs, a red light was seen as the wails became louder. Delia curiously approached, turning the round corner until a lava lamp came into view, "it's pretty; who would leave this laying around in a place like this?"

"Someone who would make a really bad horror movie director," Giovanni laughed more at horror movies then at comedies, though he still liked spy and gangster movies best, especially with a lot of action and explosions.

In the second to last floor, they were received by a black cloaked being with a seemingly bloody knife, suspiciously carrying the scent of tomatoes. "ohh.... wooo, boooo, hoooo!"

"Is this yours?" Delia tossed the lava lamp at him.

The mysterious boy caught it with his free hand, stopping his poor acting. "Are you people insane? Why aren't you running for your lives?"

"From what?" Giovanni nonchalantly inquired.

"From me!" The boy in the cloak threw the lava lamp at Giovanni, who effortlessly dodged it, then went on the attack with the knife. However, Giovanni easily caught his wrist making him drop the knife in pain. "Ah, let go!"

Annoyed with the pathetic boy, Giovanni let him go and pushed him away, to see what he would do. He began to cry in pain, muttering something along the lines of "big sis will avenge me."

"That's quite enough, brother," a woman came from the shadows. "Let the nightmare begin! Ninetails, fill this tower with fire, flame thrower!" The majestic fire pokemon came out of its pokeball, throwing fire balls all around.

In a matter of seconds, Giovanni and Delia were surrounded by the flames but didn't look worried just yet. "Cloyster!" The pokeball Delia threw did not open, "what?" Delia examined it in puzzlement, trying to pry the two halves apart. "It's stuck!" She handed it to Giovanni who tried to pull it open to no avail. Seeing as Cloyster wasn't coming out, Delia tried to call out Krabby instead, this time it worked, but Krabby was so exhausted he fainted immediately. "Krabby, what's wrong? I don't understand; he was fine before, return!"

Giovanni handed Delia back the sealed pokeball containing Cloyster, "try to open it to put the fire out, I'll take care of the battle," he sent out Golem. "Don't think you have the advantage, you have less of a chance to get out of here than we do if this fire continues."

"You cannot defeat me, Ninetails, fire blast!" The blast went straight for Golem, knocking him out in one hit.

"This is impossible!" Giovanni recalled Golem in disbelief.

"It really is a nightmare," Delia couldn't believe it, how could so many things go wrong? It didn't make any sense, then something clicked, "the Phantom Patrol, unlike the Ghost Group actually has ghost pokemon, don't they?"

"Yes, but what are you getting at?" Giovanni wondered why she suddenly sounded so calm.

Delia remembered Haunter hypnotizing Leah in the past, "this really is a nightmare, an illusion, their pokemon put us in a trance, we just need to wake up. We're the vigilantes, the heroes and they're the bad gangs so we will win!" Her realization and strong belief caused Delia to wake up from the trance. Gastly and Gengar were floating in front of them, the boy's antics had only been a distraction while his sister's pokemon casted their hypnotic spells.

Delia and Giovanni had been standing perfectly still, they could still speak, but all movements were nothing but a dream. The Phantom Patrol duo knew that if they got too close to try to take their pokeballs so soon, they would wake up. They had to be put into a deep sleep, but for that their minds had to fall victim to the nightmare.

Giovanni woke up as well, finding that there was no fire, or Ninetails, but there were the two ghost pokemon. He wondered how Delia saw through the illusions with such certainty. Was it because she truly believed so strongly that they were a force of good destined to win? He would have to ask her about it later, for the time being, he focused on finishing the battle. "You'll regret challenging Team Rocket!"

"So this is it," the woman, who was also in a black cloak spoke with her face shrouded in shadows, "I know we can't defeat you."

"Big sis, you're not giving up, are you?" The boy complained.

"It's pointless, I've seen them battle before and I've seen all those who resisted the rule of Team Rocket fall. However," she dropped two empty pokeballs on the floor and stomped hard on each one, smashing them to pieces under her black boot. "You will not take my pokemon, Gastly, Gengar, as my last command I order you to flee from this place, and after that I set you free!" The pair of ghost pokemon flew away and disappeared into the night.

The last two members of the Phantom Patrol were captured that night, taken prisoner by Team Rocket and abandoned unconscious with sleep powder, tied up in front of the police station. By the time they woke up, they were already surrounded by officers. That was how Team Rocket cleaned their territory of other gangs, one after another.

xoxox xox xoxox

Delia woke again, though she found that this time it was morning. She had quite a night full of dreams, remembering good times. She couldn't believe that she had worried that those good times would end. It was a peaceful morning and though she knew that day she and Giovanni would return to Viridian City and get back to work, her holiday in Cinnabar Island was something Delia would forever treasure.

She got ready for a day that promised to be good, finding that the room's closet was well equipped despite the fact that she didn't have time to pack anything, as the Cinnabar Island holiday came as a surprise. The day started well, the weather was ideal, breakfast was delicious and Delia was happily enjoying her last few moments in Cinnabar Island, they would depart for Viridian City in an hour.

Delia had been telling Giovanni about how much she enjoyed their holiday, cheerfully describing the feeling of excitement being surrounded by fire on the stage. They had been caught up in the celebrations the previous night and didn't really have time to talk. Then suddenly, the peace of the early day was interrupted by a loud explosion.

xoxox xox xoxox

Diamond 27: Give me Protection

The loud noise of an explosion that shattered the peaceful Cinnabar Island morning was followed by the sound of falling rocks, several small ones being thrown hard enough to fall on the hotel's ceiling. "What was that?"

"I don't know, but it sounds like a panic out there," Giovanni quickly recalled his pokemon into their pokeballs and picked up Meowth.

Delia called back her pokemon as well and followed Giovanni to investigate outside. People were running out in alarm, "you have to leave!" One of the hotel employees urged, "there are explosives up there, at this rate, the volcano will-"

Another loud explosion shook the land, more rocks avalanched down the volcano's side as sparks flew. If the explosions dug a hole on the volcano's side, lava would start spilling out, endangering the entire area.

"Giovanni, Delia! I'm like so glad I found you dudes, but I was like totally too late to stop the explosions, you know?" Luke rushed over, his expression frightened beyond what anyone who knew him would expect, even in that situation.

"What's going on?" Giovanni demanded to know, not bothering to question his presence there, maybe he took a mission involving the supervision of the construction project, no one person could keep up with every mission every member took.

"Some dude who like doesn't like Team Rocket like totally planted explosives in the volcano, you know? I like heard a rumor, but couldn't like get here on time, man! There's like no time, leave the island, but don't like take the chopper, it might be like sabotaged, you know?" Luke urged.

"This is too much of a direct challenge, I'm not going anywhere," Giovanni didn't expect anyone to so openly challenge Team Rocket, not now that they were so powerful and he was angry that someone dared.

"I'm staying too; we can't let whoever did this get away with putting so many people in danger!" Delia was filled with the same fire and determination she showed when facing the Tempest Gang in the past, her thirst for justice and her instinct to protect the innocent surfacing again.

Another explosion resounded and the volcano's wall gave in as more sparks flew, causing several of the buildings at the foot of the volcano to catch on fire. Lava started flowing down the volcano's side at a slow but steady pace.

"Dude, like what do we do, man?" Luke appeared more nervous and out of place than ever. Giovanni took note of it, but attributed it to how unexpected the attack was; perhaps Luke had grown accustomed to things working out more easily for Team Rocket lately. Delia noticed Luke's reaction as well; he had been braver than this in the past, but she determined that he was not afraid for himself; he must have been worried about his recently found brother.

"We'll find the one who's challenging Team Rocket," Giovanni started to make his way to the coast, away from the lava, with Delia and Luke following at a hasty pace.

"How do we stop the lava?" Delia inquired, holding on to the hope that it would be stopped. There had to be a way, for those on the side of good, there always was.

"There's nothing that can be done about that, all we can do is set up an investigation to find out who's responsible, we can head for Viridian City after that, until we get a lead." Giovanni concluded, giving the volcano one last bitter glance.

Delia looked back as well, though she kept following Giovanni, "yes, there is something," she stopped, "there's always something that can be done. Think about it!" Delia tried to find the right words, the way to phrase the situation that would convince Giovanni to do something about it, a way to make him see it was necessary. "If we let this happen, the attacker will think that Team Rocket is powerless to stop him and he'll keep doing things like this. Wasn't there a construction on this island that's part of the new business Team Rocket has been expanding into? It will be destroyed over and over again, because even if we catch the one who did this, more will join knowing they can do some damage."

Delia's argument caught Giovanni's attention and he saw the truth in her logic. He looked back at the lava advancing slowly and at the burning buildings at the foot of the volcano, "water, ground, flying and anything big and strong, fire would be resistant to the heat, all of them could make a difference."

"Like what?" Luke was confused and so was Delia for a moment.

Giovanni then spoke into his cell phone, setting it to target all Team Rocket individual communication devices within a reasonable range to make it in time. He sent a signal with his exact location while explaining the plan, "this is Giovanni; everyone is ordered to report to the location in this tracking signal immediately. The explosion at the volcano was a challenge against Team Rocket, but we'll turn this attack into a useless effort. The water pokemon will put the fire out and after that's done they'll help cool the lava that escaped. The ground pokemon will use the terrain to contain the lava and stop it from advancing. Any pokemon that are strong enough to climb up the volcano carrying rocks will cover the flow of lava at the opening on the volcano's side; flying pokemon will cover the opening with rocks thrown from above."

"Cloyster, Kingler, let's put the fire out, water gun!" Delia sent out her pokemon urgently.

Luke released his pokemon as well, "Poliwrath, Tentacruel, like totally water gun that fire out, dudes!"

"Golem, stop the lava from going any further," Golem focused his power in making the earth lift in a small wall, little by little in front of the lava, causing it's flow to be temporarily contained. The lava was certainly dangerous, though not too liquid so it was very slow. "Machamp, Rhydon, go up the volcano and fill up the opening with rocks."

Machamp and Rhydon ran up the volcano's side carrying rocks from those that had fallen after the explosions. The opening was big, but they got to work immediately trying to cover it up. Unfortunately, the rocks were carried away by the lava and at the foot of the volcano Golem was having trouble keeping up with the increasing amount of lava.

A team of local Blastoise arrived, the presence of the firefighters and the police made Giovanni consider abandoning the scene, but he reminded himself that he was not on the run, Team Rocket was too strong for that and he was too proud to hide. If he left after answering to the challenge, it would be the same as losing.

Several undercover members of Team Rocket arrived; releasing their pokemon and having them follow the established plan adding Beedrill, Spearow, Golbat, Golduck, Primeape and Vaporeon to the team. Along with the four Blastoise from the Cinnabar Island fire department. The flames were controlled and kept from spreading until they were put out, but the lava was still flowing slow but steady.

"Get the water pokemon up on the volcano and have them use water gun on the rocks the others put in," Giovanni ordered, changing the strategy to stop the problem at its source.

The new plan worked, with the water helping fuse the rocks to the cooling lava, instead of letting them be carried away. The pokemon continued the same process until the opening on the volcano's side was completely sealed. The rocks were held in place long enough to fuse into a solid wall with the lava's heat on the inside and being cooled from the outside to stay in place.

The final step was to make sure the lava that had escaped was fully contained, which the pokemon did, piling rocks in its path and using the same strategy to make the lava fuse them together. With the situation under control, the water pokemon focused on cooling the lava, to help it become solid faster, but the emergency had passed and the Blastoise could finish the job on their own.

"Call back the pokemon, we're done here. Everyone has the new mission of investigating who caused this," Giovanni ordered. The Team Rocket members quickly obeyed, recalling their pokemon into their pokeballs and hurrying away in separate directions. Giovanni left towards the port, followed by Delia.

The police didn't try to stop the trainers as they left, there were rumors about Team Rocket's influence on Cinnabar Island, but there was not enough proof and business was being carried out carefully, besides, they had been of vital help.

xoxox xox xoxox

As the ship left Cinnabar Island's port, Delia looked back at the helicopter sitting motionless near the coast. She wondered if it had really been sabotaged, she was looking at it, thinking about the recent turn of events, when an explosive went off on the helicopter, causing a chain reaction with its fuel tank that lead to a large blast. The ship was far enough not to be damaged, but a few near by buildings caught on fire from the flaming pieces that were thrown at them.

Delia stared at the fire while it became a small light in the distance as the ship sped towards the sea, the Blastoise from the fire department were exhausted but mercilessly fought against the flames until they were extinguished. "Someone is trying to kill us," Delia whispered in a voice so soft it was inaudible. Who could possibly hate Team Rocket enough to do this? The organization had its faults, but it wasn't that bad, at least she liked to believe it wasn't.

Giovanni was, understandably, in a very bad mood. Someone dared to challenge Team Rocket, to make an attempt on his life and had gotten so close to it. He was glad he had fully answered the challenge instead of going right to the search for the culprit. Now that had become his new priority, to find out who did this and get revenge. It would be known how dangerous it was to pick a fight with Team Rocket.

xoxox xox xoxox

Delia and Giovanni returned to Viridian City, an investigation was already on its way to find out who was behind the attack. Luke had stayed in Cinnabar Island to investigate, Leah should have been there too, but Delia didn't see her during the emergency, she hoped Leah was alright, maybe she was with Han.

Delia's cell phone rang and it was Luke according to the display, she wondered if he had found any important clues and why he wasn't reporting to Giovanni if that was the case. She answered immediately, "hello?"

"Delia, I have to like tell you something, you know?" Luke sounded more afraid than Delia had ever heard him. "Are you like alone?"

A few minutes ago she had gone off to check on the pokemon at the Viridian headquarters while Giovanni continued his duties commanding the team and overseeing the investigation despite the distance. "Other than the pokemon, yes, what is it?" The need for so much secrecy puzzled Delia greatly.

"Don't like get mad, you know? It's just that I like know who attacked," Luke was worried, guilty and terrified, he was at a loss of what to do, how to make things right, what choice to take...

"It's okay, you can tell me," Delia encouraged him, feeling the tension in his voice and trying to hide her own.

"It was like Han, my twin, you know?" Luke confessed.

"Why?" Delia was in disbelief, she expected what Luke had to say to be shocking, but she never expected this, "why did he do that?"

"He said Team Rocket is like evil, but he like wants to talk to you. Leah convinced him, you know? Dudette, you like have to come! You need to like talk some sense into Han, if he like challenges Giovanni it'll be like totally bad. Please Delia, like save him!" Luke begged.

Her eyes were wide; her face froze with open mouthed shock, her hand trembled gripping the small cell phone, "where are you?"

"We're like still in Cinnabar Island; no one like knows who caused the explosions, you know? Please dudette, like totally keep it like a secret!" Luke emphasized the need for secrecy; he knew the consequences would be dire for Han, Leah and himself if Giovanni found out.

"I understand, I'll be there," after the call ended, though she had given her word to keep the secret, Delia thought it would be foolish to throw herself into the hands of a would-be murderer, even if he was Luke's brother.

Perhaps Han was the evil twin like in a movie, or the amnesia he suffered had resulted in him developing an entirely different personality, a terrible one. Delia feared for Luke and Leah's safety. Maybe the reason Leah didn't answer the call to all the Team Rocket members in the area during the emergency was because she was being held hostage. The theories haunted Delia as she ran to inform Giovanni. He would come up with a plan, he would save them all; Delia was sure she could rely on him.

xoxox xox xoxox

The investigation team was working on compiling a list of suspects to blame for the attack, among them people who had initially been against the construction project on Cinnabar Island, people who for various reasons held a grudge against Team Rocket and current members who had originally belonged to other gangs. Of course, the real culprit was not on that list, only a few had learned that Han Eisley, alias Noel, was still alive.

"Giovanni, I need to talk to you, now," Delia was discrete but urgent, her tone sharp and worried.

"Keep working on that list," Giovanni left the investigation team to their task, following Delia down the hall, until they were away from anyone else. "This better be important."

"It is, I just got a call from Luke, he thinks Han was behind the attack, I thought it was suspicious, he might have Leah hostage," Delia revealed, "don't blame Luke; I'm sure he never saw that coming."

Giovanni took a moment to process this new information, "who is Han?"

"Luke's twin brother, who was thought to be dead, but actually had amnesia and left Cinnabar Island to start a new life. He was recently reunited with Luke and Leah. Luke wanted me to go to Cinnabar Island and try to talk Han into backing off, because he knows he doesn't stand a chance against Team Rocket. What are we going to do if he really does have Leah hostage? She was there in Cinnabar Island but she wasn't there during the volcano emergency, it has to be because Han stopped her and you should have heard how nervous and scared Luke was." Terrible theories formed in Delia's mind and her worries showed on her face.

"Stay calm," Giovanni thought about what she had revealed, it was a lot of information to receive so suddenly. He focused; his expression analytical, while the little Meowth perched on his shoulder remained confused with the conversation.

"You're right," Delia took a deep breath, "we can handle this, everything will be fine," she continued trying to convince herself of that, as she always did.

Luke had not given Giovanni the report, instead sneaking behind his back and trying to make Delia walk into a trap. That was unexpected, and unforgivable, "are you sure that was Luke who called you?"

"Positive, it was his number, his voice and who wouldn't recognize his style of speech? That was definitely Luke talking, but I don't think he's a traitor," Delia insisted, convinced that Luke was a victim to the situation.

"He tried to cover for the culprit and lead you to a trap, he is a traitor," Giovanni would not forgive Luke for this betrayal, even if he was a part of Team Rocket since the beginning, perhaps especially because of that.

"Leah might be a hostage and evil or not, Han is Luke's twin brother. He was there during the Volcano Princess act at the flame festival, Han was the Magmar who told the story and the other was Luke," Delia revealed. "Those were Han's Flareon, how could he train pokemon so well and be so evil?" Delia had always believed pokemon to be good, and if they participated in wrongful acts they must be being forced. She thought pokemon wouldn't want to willingly follow a trainer who was truly evil.

From Giovanni's point of view that didn't help make the situation appear to be any better for Luke, who had been playing at the festival instead of being out on a mission. It didn't hit him until then, the possibility of Team Rocket's size making it easy for certain members to become traitors and get away with it unnoticed until it was too late. Giovanni couldn't trust them, not the way he used to; he couldn't trust any of them.

"Giovanni?" Delia observed his bitter expression with worry, but he must be coming up with a plan, he had to.

"We'll draw them out; learn their plans, how many allies they have, as much information as possible, then we'll capture them all." After thinking about it, Giovanni concluded no one would be daring enough to attempt such an attack alone, but he also had no specific idea of who Han's followers could be, aside from the long list of people who held a grudge against Team Rocket, but there was no proof against them yet.

"Infiltration?" Delia summoned all her courage, "I'll do it!" The recent danger had been very real, but Delia was convinced she would be alright. She trusted that Giovanni and Team Rocket would protect her and her friends.

xoxox xox xoxox

Diamond 28: Give me Kindness

The evening sun sunk into the horizon in Cinnabar Island, marking the end of a very busy day. The city was tense from the recent attack, with people watching their backs and jumping at the smallest sound. The tourists had mostly fled, piling into the ferries until there was no more room and heading to the mainland of Kanto. The locals stayed in their homes, locked in, wondering if this would be a stand alone incident and fearing that it might become the first of many.

"Dudette, I'm like so glad you're here, you know?" Luke greeted Delia as soon as she made her way off the ferry, which was nearly empty of passengers, save for her and a few others. Those others were probably on the island to try to talk friends and family who had stayed into leaving.

To use Team Rocket transportation would be too suspicious, so Delia traveled as a regular visitor would; giving the impression she wanted to remain unnoticed by Team Rocket. "I'm sure we can work things out, everything will be alright."

Luke nodded solemnly, not quite believing her, but wishing he could. "Let's like talk at my house."

Delia followed Luke to his house, which was very close to the beach. It was a small but cozy little house that clearly hadn't been maintained in years, but still kept its charm. It was painted white, with blue ocean waves decorating it. The paint had started to come off over the years of being exposed to the constant ocean breeze, but rather than making it look shabby, it made it looked lived in and welcoming.

Luke opened the door and stepped in, followed by Delia; he closed the door and bolted it as soon as she was inside. "Dudes, I'm like back!" Luke called out, with less energy than he normally would.

A man physically identical to Luke emerged from one of the connecting rooms and came into the living room. His hair was the exact loud red-orange shade as Luke's and he too had a tan and blue eyes. His eyes, despite being the same ocean blue color as Luke's, held a very different look as they scrutinized Delia critically as if she were a vile creature. "So you are that man's-"

"Han," Luke gave him a warning glare, bothered by the amount of spite his brother piled into the words 'that man' and determined not to let him so openly insult Delia.

"You are, Delia, the Rocket boss'... girlfriend," Han rephrased it. "My name is Han Eisley, though I have been going by Noel, and as you know, I'm Luke's brother." He lacked Luke's speech pattern but what stood out the most was the anger in his voice. "Sit down; we need to have a long talk."

Delia wordlessly took a seat on the old but comfortable sand colored couch, with faded seashell pictures. Her gaze never left Han's face, her anger obvious in her expression at the one who had caused so much damage. Luke sat beside her, nervously biting the index finger of his white glove without realizing it, he was still in his Team Rocket uniform.

"My brother insists that I talk to you, but be assured that I have no intentions of accepting Team Rocket and their evil deeds," Han warned.

"Where is Leah?" Delia spoke for the first time since she had entered the house, her voice firm and demanding.

"Why do you want to know?" Han yelled back, suddenly losing his temper.

Delia's glare became deadlier, "if you hurt her-"

"Please like stop, dudes, both of you!" Luke interrupted. "Leah is like safe, she's here, but she's like having a hard time dealing with things, you know?"

"I want to see her," Delia insisted, her expression unchanged.

"You can't," Han denied in anger.

"How do I know you're not holding her hostage?" Delia was not following the plan to get as much information out of them as she could, but she didn't care, Leah's life could be in great danger.

"Don't put me in the same level as you Rocket scum!" Han yelled, clearly enraged.

"Stop!" Leah exited the only other bedroom in the little house. "Please stop..." She sat down next to Han, her gaze downcast, expression tortured, she couldn't look at Delia.

"Leah, I'm glad you're not injured," at least Delia could put one worry out of her mind. Her voice was soft, calm and supportive all of a sudden; it made Leah cry.

"I'm sorry," Leah whispered softly. She might have preferred to be regarded as a traitor, instead of being treated with such understanding that made her feel so guilty. She had never fully felt comfortable in Team Rocket, but followed Luke to it and stayed. Now Han was back, her lost love, but he was so different it broke her heart.

Leah had decided to return to him and though he didn't remember her, seeing the photos of their past and hearing the stories, he took her back. Still, he had changed so much it pained her to think what the old Han would say about his current self if he ever got his memories back. Perhaps it didn't matter, he had become a different person and memories may not be enough to restore him to how carefree and gentle he was before.

"It's not your fault," Delia tried to comfort Leah.

Leah didn't reply, instead crying quietly, Han took her hand, "you don't need to stay here."

"I want to," Leah refused to leave, "I have to hear this again."

Luke's frown deepened, appearing alien on his face which was always adorned by a big smile, but he didn't say anything.

"My brother told me why you originally joined Team Rocket," Han spoke, "he said you wanted to help the pokemon and allowed them to take you prisoner for that purpose. Then you ended up as one of the team and even got close to the boss. You've been so corrupted I don't even know if you can still be reasonable."

"Corrupted?!" It was true that Delia let a few things slip that she wouldn't in the past and even participated in them. It was true that she had become more open minded and accepting of the new Team Rocket, but that did not mean she was corrupted. She was simply no longer quite as naive as she used to be, she was braver and stronger. "I did not plant explosives in a volcano risking the lives of many!"

Luke ripped his glove with his teeth, biting into his finger by accident and yelping in pain. He sucked on his aching finger and noticed that no one was paying attention to his predicament anyway.

"The people of Cinnabar Island are just as bad as Team Rocket for accepting them. Team Rocket uses Cinnabar as a trade point and they're planning to establish a business here to make that easier. Everyone knows how terrible Team Rocket is and yet they let them do as they please out of fear or maybe even economical benefit. They unfairly justify Team Rocket. If they're not willing to fight against Team Rocket, then I'm not willing to protect them," Han argued defiantly.

"No one is asking for your protection!" Delia retorted with the same challenge and resolve, "all you have to do is not hurt them. Do you even realize the risk of what you've done? You seem to know a lot about Team Rocket, do you know where our base of operations is?"

"The Viridian City Gym," Han revealed with a mix of frustration and anger, "the authorities know but they don't do anything, it seems Giovanni is good friends with the mayor."

"If you know that then why, instead of involving innocent people, didn't you go to the Viridian Gym? If you hate Giovanni so much, why didn't you just challenge him to a battle directly? I'm sure he would have been happy to wipe the floor with you!" Delia yelled.

Han stood furious, "you insolent little-!"

"Stop it! Dudes please, we're like not getting anywhere like this!" Luke raised his voice beyond the other two and signaled for Han to sit down again.

With clenched teeth and fists, Han sat down; Leah beside him had her face buried in her hands. "I want to make the people of Cinnabar Island and of all Kanto fight back. They will know that if they don't stand up for themselves, they will never be free of Team Rocket!" Han growled.

"Protesting is one thing, but you need to understand that no matter how strongly you feel about something, hurting others is wrong. Besides, people are not obligated to hate Team Rocket; people are not obligated to agree with you. They can have their own opinions, even if you don't like them!" Delia had a strong dislike for those who used violence to prove a point, hindering the lives of those who were not to blame in hopes of forcing them into joining the cause.

Before Han could argue back, Luke intervened again, "Han bro, just like please tell her the story, man!"

"Fine," Han took a deep breath and began to narrate his tale, "some time ago I was in an accident which made me lose my memory. When I woke up I was underground, lost and confused in the darkness. It was a group of Diglett and Dugtrio that led me to the surface. I wandered around Cinnabar Island lost, hungry, exhausted and hurt. People looked at me, many with concern, but when I approached them they turned away and that made me think their concern was for themselves and not for me."

Han continued, "I later found out my brother had not taken the news of my supposed passing calmly. He had tried to dig me out from the cave-in, convinced I was alive and he was injured in the attempt, but would still not accept my apparent death. He wondered through the streets of Cinnabar Island and got angry at those who tried to offer sympathy, those who had given up hope. Because of that, I was not found, even if I was seen; they assumed that I was Luke. For that event I hold no grudge against my brother or the people of Cinnabar Island; it was because of this that I experienced many things. Those things were painful, but they've made me who I am."

"I made it to the main land thanks to the kindness of the captain of a cargo ship that had just made his first trip to Cinnabar Island following his newly assigned trade route, Captain Adoy. On the ship I finally received food and medical attention. Forever grateful, I set out to continue my search for my lost past in Fuchsia City, but no one on the busy streets recognized me. I later learned that Leah had shut herself in her room with her pain, so she didn't see me at Fuchsia City, I don't blame her for that either. The story was repeated all over Kanto, I visited each city, but no one seemed to know me and in the end I gave up."

"It's ironic to think people were hurting for my absence and I was wishing to be found, yet we would not be reunited until such a long time had passed; maybe this was my destiny. I returned to Fuchsia City after journeying all over Kanto and found Captain Adoy again. He asked about my story and after learning of my fruitless search, he offered me a job and I worked at his ship. I never really went far from the ports during that time; I didn't venture into the streets of Cinnabar Island again. I didn't think that was my past home, I thought that maybe I had been visiting when the accident occurred."

"When I had a vacation from my job, I decided to take another look around Kanto in the areas that I had spent the least time before. It was in Viridian City where I had my first run-in with the Tempest Gang and it's because of them that Vaporeon, the pokemon that was given to me by Captain Adoy to keep me company, was killed in battle protecting me. Desperate to make it up to the captain and to at least try to honor Vaporeon's memory, I caught two Eevee, but Captain Adoy refused to take them, instead saying I should raise them. In the end, I couldn't bring myself to evolve them into Vaporeon, the memory was too painful."

"There was a time when I saw her again, the woman who ruthlessly attacked Vaporeon with an Electabuzz. That woman with the violet hair and cold green eyes; she was wearing a Team Rocket uniform. I wondered if she had been a spy infiltrating the Tempest Gang in the past. I avoided a confrontation and ran away; I thought that my pokemon would be killed if I fought even if she didn't seem to have her unnaturally strong Electabuzz anymore, who knows what might have become of it; she had a Ghastly instead. Later I was ashamed of myself for running away and for leaving her free to cause more damage."

"I heard the Tempest Gang was defeated by Team Rocket and later I heard a rumor about New Island, news travels fast at the ports; I had to investigate. I set out on a small boat and made it there, sneaking in past security. There wasn't a whole lot of security there and not the entire place was operational. I guess that was the reason for the lack of security, it wasn't fully established yet and many areas were still heavily under construction. Regardless of that, I saw what they did in the few semi-operational areas, conducting terrible experiments on pokemon and using cruel training methods. I left before I was found, I guess it would be impossible for me to get in there now, no doubt, the security system must have been fully implemented by now."

"Team Rocket has been making a lot of illegal deals with stolen goods and controlling the market to their convenience. To top it all up, the boss even became a gym leader, staining everything the Indigo League stands for. The police are powerless, the politicians are too comfortable and people are cowards. Team Rocket is a terrible organization of nothing but villainous criminals. They steal, they lie, they threaten, they take what's not theirs and leave nothing but destruction in their path," Han finished with vast hatred and bitterness.

"It's not true," Delia whispered, "it's... it's different!" She took a deep breath, trying to organize her thoughts, she recognized Aayla as the woman from the story, the description fit and she had previously been with the Tempest Gang, doing things their way. Delia knew Luke and Leah must have realized Han was talking about Aayla as well, though Han didn't appear to know her name.

"New Island has changed," Delia insisted; she didn't want to think about the terrible things Han spoke of having witnessed there before. "It's a research facility for the study of extinct pokemon. They're only experimenting on rocks now, it's different!"

Han didn't look convinced in the least, while Delia continued, "I know Team Rocket has been dealing with stolen goods, but someone had to step in, the flow of stolen goods can't be left to continue. Someone has to set things right and put the resources to a good use. We rescue pokemon and take care of them. Sometimes you have to bend the rules to do what's truly fair. We may not be a legal organization, but we're not evil."

"The person whom you battled," Delia made sure to keep Aayla's identity a secret and only spoke in general terms. "I'm sure she found a new life with Team Rocket, abandoning the Tempest Gang's terrible ways. The Tempest Gang was truly evil, Team Rocket protected Kanto from them, we saved the pokemon and we helped discover the cure to the epidemic that threatened all pokemon!"

"The way Team Rocket had the cure first, I find it suspicious," Han argued. "What's more, they took advantage of that, abusing people's pain and desperation to be unable to save their pokemon unless they could pay the expensive price of the antidote. The bureaucracy of the official pokemon products regulation isn't much better, but the fact remains that Team Rocket took advantage of the suffering of others!"

"Without Team Rocket there would be no cure at all! You need to realize how much the world owes Team Rocket!" Delia felt hurt and angry that Team Rocket was insulted along with Giovanni, her friends and herself.

"Listen to yourself Delia!" Leah was the one to interrupt this time, surprising all those present with her unusually loud and harsh tone. "You didn't used to be this way, anyone could see it. It's true that Team Rocket's influence brought some good consequences, but Giovanni doesn't care about that, he just wanted the power, riches and the useful connections that came along with everything. Team Rocket has become like the Tempest Gang and worse. They attack the innocent and steal from them; they rule the underworld of Kanto with threats and fear. They do terrible things in New Island and the deals they make, the consequences they cause... You have no idea how many people have been hurt by Team Rocket, you've been kept in the dark, Giovanni's been sheltering you. He's using you for your skills at taking care of pokemon and your connection to Professor Oak."

"That's not true!" Delia couldn't believe this was Leah saying all those terrible things. "At first Giovanni didn't even know that Professor Oak had been my teacher, I was the one who told him that. We helped with his research, don't you remember? Professor Oak agreed to work with Binks, he agreed to give us the antidote's formula first because he knew the official testing would take too long and there was no time left for the pokemon. Professor Oak knew he was doing the right thing."

Delia continued, "my skill with pokemon is not that different from anyone else who cares about them, it's nothing unusual. I'm not being used, Giovanni appreciates me. The one who is being used is you, clinging to the memory of a man who did nothing but ungratefully force you into a dangerous situation as thanks for your devotion!" Leah was shocked to hear Delia throw the truth at her face and Han was enraged.

To be Continued

Disclaimer, I don't own Pokemon. Luke and Han's house is based on Kai's shop from Harvest Moon.