Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Don't Give Me Diamonds ❯ Chapter 23

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

Don't Give Me Diamonds

Diamond 79: Give me Curiosity

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xoxox xox xoxox

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

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

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

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

xoxox xox xoxox

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xoxox xox xoxox

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

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

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

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

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

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

xoxox xox xoxox

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

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

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

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

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

"Wake up!" Misty insisted.

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

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

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

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

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

"You heard!" Brock was mortified.

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

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

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

Ash's confusion grew, "dilemma?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xoxox xox xoxox

Diamond 80: Give me Sincerity

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xoxox xox xoxox

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xoxox xox xoxox

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xoxox xox xoxox

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xoxox xox xoxox

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ash was still yet to say another word.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xoxox xox xoxox

Diamond 81: Give me Clarity

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

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

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

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

xoxox xox xoxox

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xoxox xox xoxox

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

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

xoxox xox xoxox

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

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

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

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

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

xoxox xox xoxox

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yes, sir," the two Rockets chorused.

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

xoxox xox xoxox

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xoxox xox xoxox

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Explain," Giovanni insisted impatiently.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To be Continued

Disclaimer, I don't own Pokemon.