Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Don't Give Me Diamonds ❯ Chapter 22

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

Don't Give Me Diamonds

Diamond 76: Give me Expectations

On the day after the parties, the day before the wedding, Ash, Lando and Kenobi returned to Cerulean City. Gary and Brock, who were also invited to the wedding, went there as well. The men found the interior of the gym looking messy and wet. Puddles were abundant in the street. Oddly enough, the street was also painted in bright colors. The body paints were indeed easy to wash off skin, but stuck to any other material.

The group had lunch together at a nice cafe near the gym. "Are you perchance remodeling the gym?" Lando curiously asked during their conversation.

The Waterflower sisters looked at each other and Daisy replied with a smile and a simple, "yes." It's not like they had a choice after what happened.

"I thought so," Lando smiled back. "I also noticed they painted the street in a rather original design, how very festive. Speaking of remodeling, I'm remodeling the party room. It's nothing too major; it will be ready for the reception tomorrow and I'm sure you'll like it."

"I can't wait to see it!" Daisy happily exclaimed. Without any direct references to the disastrous parties, their conversation continued casual and carefree. The wedding would be held in Cerulean City, at Daisy's request. The reception would be held at Lando's mansion in Vermilion City, also by Daisy's choice. The locations were far from each other which posed an inconvenience. However, the problem was quickly minimized by making sure enough aerial transportation was ready.

xoxox xox xoxox

That afternoon, the group returned to the Cerulean gym where Brock found a quiet corner in a guest room to mope. It didn't take long for Ash and Misty to stray from the group and investigate. "What's wrong Brock?" Ash inquired, though he had a good guess about what was going on. Brock must have been feeling lonely due to his lack of date.

Brock looked away from the wall with a desperate expression. "I asked Lily if she would be my date for Daisy's wedding party and she said..."

"She said no?" Misty asked, "don't take it so badly. Maybe I can talk to her for you."

Brock shook his head, "actually, she said yes, but only because I helped her before."

"Congratulations!" Ash happily exclaimed, "you have a date, that's great!"

"Why aren't you happy?" Misty guessed Brock would be jumping with joy if anyone agreed to be his date.

"Because it's only a pity date," Brock pouted, "Lily might feel it's her obligation to stand next to me and talk to me and dance with me," Brock dramatized, his voice rising in volume and pitch as he went along. He frowned deeply, "she might not enjoy the wedding and it'll all be my fault."

"Aw, don't think that way," Misty tried to console him, her expression supportive. "You're a fun guy, I'm sure Lily will enjoy the date."

"Yeah, you two will have lots of fun together," Ash grinned. "Maybe Lily will even agree to go out with you again."

Brock seemed to grow sadder, "I don't think she'll go out with me again. Relationships never work out for me, I'm cursed. It's going to be heartbreaking even if she does have a good time. I'll miss her more when she rejects my second date invitation."

"Think positive!" Ash urged, though given Brock's history that would be a challenge.

"Listen Brock, it's about time you learned to be smarter with women," Misty spoke in a serious tone, her eyes piercing. "When you see a girl you like, don't just tell her, you have to get to know her first. I know you're good at heart, but anyone who doesn't know you that well will think you're a superficial jerk. You also give up too easily. Take it slow and gently, pursue the same interest loyally, but without stalking."

Brock nodded like a bobble head toy. He was too shocked for words. He stared at Misty, processing her advice. Then his mind was filled with pictures of his happy life with Lily. "I understand!" Brock loudly exclaimed. "I won't give up until I win Lily's heart. Somehow I will accomplish this without getting slapped or getting a restraining order!" He ran off to put his plan into action immediately.

"Wait, Brock that's not what I-" Misty didn't have time to explain herself. Brock had already run off, from his quiet guest room corner. His footsteps faded away down the stairs. Misty's advice was spoken in general terms. She didn't mean for Brock to apply it specifically to her sister. "Lily is never going to forgive me for this."

"Who knows, they might end up dating for real," Ash thought of the possibility, but it seemed difficult. Brock really did have the worse luck with women.

xoxox xox xoxox

Far away from Cerulean City, strong winds blew as a helicopter landed in Pallet Town. The only thing identifying the black helicopter was a green leaf, shaped like the Earth badge. That particular helicopter lacked the red R most of Giovanni's flying vehicles had. It was an extremely rare event, far rarer than a car driving by, and that was already quite rare. It didn't take long before some of the inhabitants of the town gathered around the helicopter. They witnessed as the Viridian City gym leader exited the flying machine when the wind died down. He was followed by his loyal Persian, who was always by his side.

The people of the small town knew of the apparent relationship between Delia and the gym leader. Rumors traveled fast in the little town. As he walked, people stepped aside as if making way for royalty. They commented among themselves about the gym leader's 'dashing' arrival and came up with all sorts of romantic stories. Giovanni found it annoying that they didn't have the decency to wait until he was out of earshot to start gossiping.

Delia rushed out of her house to meet Giovanni. She was accompanied by her three pokemon, Cloyster, Kingler and Mimey. Additionally, she was followed by two other pokemon, a Vulpix and a Persian. The last two were Skye's pokemon Dia and Givan. "You could have been a little more discrete," Delia whispered to Giovanni. She expected him to pick her up, but not in such an attention grabbing way.

"Does it bother you that much that they talk?" Giovanni whispered back. He caught bits and pieces of the murmurs of the Pallet Town residents. They were muttering something about whispering sweet nothings. The public was composed of mostly idiots; it was something Giovanni had figured out a long time ago.

"Let's discuss this inside," Delia urged. She was feeling a little too scrutinized. Though the looks she was getting were much nicer, she was reminded of when she returned to Pallet Town expecting Ash. The looks she got back then were not nice. Now people seemed to be happy that she was with such an important public figure. They treated the situation as a matter of pride.

Giovanni, Delia and the pokemon went inside her house. Persian gave Givan a threatening glare. Givan was bigger than him, but he didn't care. He liked being the only Persian around. Givan had a look of superiority in his face. His expression was very familiar. Then something seemed to click. 'You're...' Persian glared, 'impossible! Who are you really?'

Givan remained unfazed, 'sometimes I wonder about that myself.' He began to leave and Delia noticed.

"Are you going back, Givan?" She called after him and he nodded in response. There was no need to guard Delia when she was with Giovanni. "Alright, I'll see you when I return, you too Dia."

"Vulpix!" Dia gave her goodbye and followed Givan to the door. Givan stood on his back paws, taking the doorknob between his front paws and twisting it. He exited the house along with Dia and closed the door.

Giovanni watched the scene with interest, "did you teach him that?"

"No, Givan and Dia already knew how to get around when I met them recently," Delia explained. She went to pet Persian, who was giving her an attention demanding look. "They're Skye's pokemon, he's Gary's new employee. He'll be taking care of the pokemon while Gary is away."

"Mr. Mime, mime mime," Mimey was curious about the man who was apparently dating his trainer. He introduced himself and extended his hand.

Though a handshake was a common trick, Giovanni decided to humor the pokemon and more so Delia. He returned the greeting shaking hands with Mimey. "Giovanni, Viridian City gym leader."

"Mime!" Mimey sounded happy.

Delia laughed, "he's impressed," she smiled and elaborated upon the introduction, "Mimey is my little helper."

"The one that cooks, cleans and uses a vacuum cleaner to wake people?" Giovanni remembered Ash mentioning it during his last visit to Pallet Town.

"The very same!" Delia smiled proudly along with Mimey. "I promised to take him along with everyone the next time I went away. Should we get going before the neighbors decide to coincidentally drop by?"

"Yes, it's best if we leave right away," Giovanni agreed. Getting away from the office when he was waiting for important scientific reports was not easy. Either way, he really needed to attend the wedding the next day. As for his little trip to Pallet Town, the publicity was good. His image as the good gym leader was restored quickly. Romantic gossip could make miracles and disasters for public figures.

"Okay, is everyone ready?" Mimey, Cloyster and Kingler agreed cheerfully. Delia had been making sure to give her pokemon a lot of attention so that she wouldn't lose their trust ever again. "Into your pokeballs you go, I'll let you out when we get there," Delia recalled all three pokemon into their pokeballs. Mimey wasn't used to being in a pokeball, but he didn't resist the red beam that absorbed him.

Delia, Giovanni and Persian returned to the helicopter. The pilot was instructed to take off with Cerulean City as the destination.

xoxox xox xoxox

Dia and Givan had returned to the Oak research lab. Vandel, alias Skye, was laying on the grass a few steps outside of the house. "Chores are far more tiring than battles," he complained when Dia looked at him curiously.

'Should we tell him that Giovanni was here?' Givan grinned mischievously. The expression didn't go unnoticed by his trainer.

'Van might be upset that he didn't get the chance to see Giovanni in person,' Dia warned. She could clearly picture Vandel complaining about missing a chance to obtain the autograph of the great Giovanni.

Vandel's tired eyes focused on the two pokemon. "I keep getting the feeling that you're talking about me right in front of me," he mused aloud. "I thought not having your collars would bother you more than me, but it's the other way around." He closed his eyes, "I'm taking a nap right here..."

"Skye?" Professor Oak's voice came from the door.

Vandel got mentally ready to assume his alias, though Skye's following statement required no acting, "I'm so tired!"

"You're still young, where has your energy gone?" Professor Oak got an idea and smiled knowingly. "If you're that tired you can take the rest of the day off. That's too bad though, I was hoping you could help me study a rare pokemon. Oh well, I guess I'll wait until Gary comes back and ask him to help me."

"Rare pokemon!" Skye jumped to his feet. "Where is it? Where is it?" He was suddenly full of energy.

"It's right over here in the lab," Professor Oak walked towards the laboratory area of the residence.

Skye followed him impatiently asking questions, "what kind of pokemon is it? What makes it so rare? Is it really powerful?"

The short walk to the laboratory area felt eternal for Skye. Finally, Professor Oak picked up a pokeball he had set aside on his desk and released the pokemon it contained. What came out was a young Bulbasaur and he was all green.

Skye closely observed the Bulbasaur, waiting for him to do something amazing. The green Bulbasaur backed away, intimidated. That human had a very piercing stare, plus there was a very fierce looking Persian next to him. The Vulpix looked friendly, but that wasn't enough to make up for the young human and his Persian companion. "do something!" Skye exclaimed.

The green Bulbasaur let out a loud and frightened, "bulba!" He ran to hide behind the elderly professor. He was familiar with that particular human at least. "Saur!" The little green Bulbasaur wrapped his vine whip around Professor Oak's leg, firmly attaching himself to him.

"Be careful little one, you almost made me trip," Professor Oak grabbed on to the edge of the desk for balance. "There's nothing to be afraid of, no one will hurt you." He tried in vain to calm the little Bulbasaur.

Skye was still staring at the young pokemon intensely. He didn't want to miss anything whenever that so called rare pokemon did something amazing. "When is he going to do something?" He urged impatiently.

"It's his color," Professor Oak pointed out what he thought would be easy to notice. Skye sure sounded excited about seeing a rare pokemon, so the professor had assumed he knew that much about them. "This color is quite unusual for a Bulbasaur. I'm sure you've seen light blue Bulbasaur before."

Skye blinked, "his color?" Pokemon could be digitalized into data and kept in suspended animation where he came from. They could additionally be recolored. That was an illegal practice that could result in corrupt data. The risk of the pokemon remaining in a permanent coma after they were returned to a physical state was too great. Not even an expert could guarantee a successful modification. Of course, that didn't stop people from doing it. The pokemon that survived were generally weak as an aftereffect of the procedure. They were not ideal for battle, but they were not sold to battle anyway. They were living decorations. The technology to do such things didn't exist in the era of his mission. That Bulbasaur was naturally colored differently from most of his kind. "That is rare," Skye finally acknowledged, "is he very powerful?"

"He's still a baby," Professor Oak pointed out, "a frightened baby," he emphasized. He knew Skye wasn't scaring the little pokemon on purpose, but he was still scaring him. The same went for Givan, except he seemed amused by the little pokemon's fright.

Dia pouted at Givan's grin. 'Don't be mean to him,' her words came out as a stream of "vulpix" for the humans. She walked over to the little green Bulbasaur and sweetly talked him into calming down.

Vulpix was a fire type, but she was very gentle, so Bulbasaur wasn't afraid of her. He finally let go of Professor Oak's leg. "How interesting, it seems Dia has calmed him down." It was ironic due to their types. "I think we should begin the study there. Let's allow Bulbasaur to interact with other pokemon and observe them."

"You mean we're not going to battle?" Skye pouted in disappointment, "I want to battle!" He stubbornly insisted. What he really did was sent his pokemon into battle and watch them win. Givan had already shown his strength to Gary. Dia was generally a pacifist, but she was not a pokemon anyone would want to make angry.

The little green Bulbasaur once again looked frightened at the prospect of having to battle. The big Persian looked extremely scary and he didn't want to battle him. The Vulpix had shown him kindness, but she was a fire type. Even if she was merciful, the idea of battling her was also scary. Any type of battle frightened the little Bulbasaur.

"I don't think Bulbasaur is ready to battle," Professor Oak tried to make Skye understand.

Skye looked at the small green Bulbasaur with disinterest, "he's not very brave. He's probably not very strong either. Don't you have some sort of super rare pokemon around here I can battle with?"

Professor Oak looked thoughtful; there was something about that boy that was different. He glanced at the Persian who was examining his expression. Their eyes met and a cold chill went down Samuel's spine. That Persian did indeed have a very intimidating presence. The professor brought his mind to focus on the situation with Skye and Bulbasaur.

"To be honest, Gary has already studied this pokemon," the elderly professor revealed. "I just thought it would be good for you to study him as well. This little one is ready to be given to someone to train him. I've made up my mind; I'm giving you this Bulbasaur, take good care of him."

Skye was taken by surprise; he looked back and forth between Professor Oak and the small green Bulbasaur. He didn't really want the Bulbasaur. Plus he couldn't take any pokemon other than the ones he came with when he returned home. His refusal was clear in his face, but Professor Oak was giving him an insistent look.

'Just take him,' Givan finally spoke. Skye could only hear him say "per persian," but his expression spoke loud enough.

'I thought you didn't like children,' Dia reminded.

'I don't,' Givan confirmed, much to Bulbasaur's worry. 'I just think it's a good idea for Vandel to train a pokemon from the start. We've been doing all the battling for him. He needs to learn how to train pokemon instead of relying on us all the time. He needs to become strong on his own.'

Dia thought it made sense, 'you're right, this will be good for Van. Even if we'll have to part ways, it will be a good experience.'

The tiny Bulbasaur whimpered, 'what's going to happen to me?'

'Don't worry, we'll take care of you,' Dia assured with a sweet smile. 'Van, I mean, Skye has to return home eventually and he won't be able to take you along. It's okay; we'll make the best of our time together and help you become brave and strong. Givan will help too, he's really not scary once you get used to being around him,' Dia casted a glance at Givan who grinned showing his fangs. He wasn't really trying to look any less intimidating.

Skye and Professor Oak found themselves watching the conversation that they didn't understand. Oak was determined to invite Meowth over sometime and have him talk to Skye's pokemon. That might not be so simple in Givan's case. Meowth was an open book when it came to his life outside of Team Rocket. Though he didn't specify why, he had stated time and again that he hated Persian. Perhaps the professor could get Dia alone for a moment while Givan was visiting Delia and ask Meowth to speak with the friendly Vulpix.

"Alright, I'll take him," Skye finally voiced his agreement. Later, he would have to ask Givan why he looked so encouraging. Dia he could understand, but this was an unexpected acceptance coming from Givan. It was only temporary, but Skye didn't mention that. There was no need to disclose details that would encourage an inquiry about explanations he couldn't share.

xoxox xox xoxox

The trip from Pallet Town to Viridian City went relatively fast, but for Delia and Giovanni it didn't feel that way. Delia was asking questions that Giovanni didn't feel like answering. Yet the information didn't seem too bad if painted in the right light. She had done her research about the news and wondered what happened to those who were not in the custody of the police. "Bollux was arrested and I also heard they captured Caedus," it was the name revealed by the news. She connected the events with what Ash told her about in a recent phone call. "Which leaves..."

She didn't need to finish, Giovanni knew what kind of information Delia was looking for. "Yes, Poisona is still in Rocket custody. She's alive and as well as a prisoner could be. We might hand her to the police soon. It doesn't seem like she has much else to confess."

"I do wonder about your interrogation techniques," Delia frowned in disapproval at the possibilities. "I'll be keeping an eye on the news. I know she's a terrible person, but she better be in one piece. I wouldn't be surprised if she's a little bruised, but there are still limits," she stopped, she wasn't sure just where to set her limits. She had slipped back into a tolerant mind frame without fully realizing it. It gave her a headache to go in mental circles and she didn't like the satisfied smirk Giovanni gave her remark.

Delia decided to change the subject a little. Her next question went down a similar road as the last, concerning a different person. "What about Akira? According to the news she escaped from the police on the same day she was detained. It was when... all those terrible things happened. They haven't really said anything beyond that." The sounds of the gunshots and pain were still clear in her mind.

Giovanni decided to mostly tell the truth about Akira. Technically, Team Rocket was keeping her alive, even if it was only for research purposes. Once that was done, she could spend the rest of her life in jail. She would take the blame for her own crimes and a few other unlawful acts that needed a culprit. "Comet found Akira and returned her to Team Rocket," there was no need to specify when those events took place. "She was in bad shape, almost dead, and it was not Team Rocket's doing. She's in a coma, the doctors are doing what they can to keep her alive," while at the same time studying her, but Giovanni kept that last fact to himself. "After she's been interrogated," in truth the interrogation wasn't important, the scientific studies were. "She'll be given to the police."

"I take it her list of crimes will be longer than it should be," Delia sighed. "It was just like with Tempest, they took the blame for everything. Team Rocket was doing a lot of unlawful things back then. It wasn't as pretty as I painted it," admitting it made Delia feel as if her precious past had been suddenly stained. "I should realize that and admit it," a part of her wanted to reject that truth and hold on to her precious memories as perfect pictures. She wanted to do that with at least the very distant memories, the ones of her beginning with Giovanni. The memories of a time before Team Rocket started to turn into what it currently was.

"You've matured," it was a slightly odd thing to say to someone who was well into adulthood. Yet somehow it appeared to fit. "Even so, it seems you still can't decide what you want."

"I know what I want," Delia affirmed, "I also know it's not possible to have it exactly as I want it. I'm trying to find the middle ground, trying to stretch the limits of tolerance. I'm trying to be happy with what I can have. I thought I had already accomplished that," until she decided to seek him out and he complicated things. She looked almost annoyed, "you have a grand ability to complicate things."

"So do you," he returned, almost amused by her expression.

The helicopter landed on the roof of a nice hotel in Cerulean City. After the blades slowed down and the wind subsided, Delia, Giovanni and Persian got out. "I should head to the Cerulean gym," Delia stated unsure.

"It's getting late, everyone must be busy and the gym is probably crowded. You'll be able to see everyone tomorrow anyway. Besides, I already had your things delivered here," Giovanni didn't expect Delia to oppose an argument. She didn't sound like she was protesting; it was more like she wanted to get away. It was all the more reason to keep her there. "Aren't you hungry? Dinner is waiting for us. There's no need to run away."

The thought of running away hit a sour note for Delia. She had been doing so much of that she felt sick with herself. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm just pretending to be nicer than I am. Sometimes I think I'm terribly selfish."

"You worry too much," Giovanni nonchalantly voiced. The elevator took them from the roof one floor down. Giovanni was already in possession of the keycard that unlocked the door to the fanciest suite. "We have a celebration to attend tomorrow. Even I know I should leave stress for later," running such a large organization as Team Rocket could indeed be very stressful.

At least he knew she couldn't simply make her worries go away. "Alright, I'll forget my worries and enjoy the celebrations. As of right now, until the morning of the day after tomorrow, I'll try to relax." She felt selfish in doing so, but honestly tried to let go of her worries for the time being.

xoxox xox xoxox

Diamond 77: 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.

xoxox xox xoxox

Diamond 78: 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

Disclaimer, I don't own Pokemon. In the games you can turn pokemon into data, in the anime they need to be fed and exercised. In this story the technology to digitalize pokemon is something that is developed later. The song Vandel (Skye) sings to Belle in Diamond 77 is Melphina's song from Outlaw Star. Razzo Albergo means Rocket Hotel in Italian.