Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Don't Give Me Diamonds ❯ Chapter 25

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

Don't Give Me Diamonds

Diamond 85: Give me Healing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Stop it!" Delia yelled.

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

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

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

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

"New Island," Binks gasped.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Delia's heart ached with each revelation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xoxox xox xoxox

Diamond 86: Give Me Bonds

At the Viridian rocket base... "He's dead!" Laiki wailed at the top of her lungs, so loudly that Giovanni and Delia clearly heard her as they ran down the hall towards Comet's room. Laiki had seen her fair share of deaths, mostly pokemon and a few humans. Though she did her best to save them, there were times when her medical help was too little too late. She never panicked like that; she just shook her head and sent the victims away to be turned to ashes. This was different, she had no connection with any of those deceased beings, Comet was like a brother to her.

"Clear!" Before the nurse could panic further, Pixel pushed her away. She released Peachy from her pokeball, the Pikachu landing on Comet's still form. "Thunderbolt him back to life!"

"Pikachu!" The room was filled with electricity, some of it catching the two young women and Luke. He was panicking on the phone, despite Giovanni having already hung up.

Comet's blue eyes opened suddenly, he was only without a heartbeat for a few seconds. The pain of the shock woke him from his unconscious state as his heart started to beat again.

"I told you he's not dead," Pixel firmly insisted, "people don't die instantly when their heart stops beating. You can still revive them in the next few seconds, I'm not in the medical field and even I know that."

Laiki was beyond the point of responding to words. Her piled up stress had pushed her to a nervous breakdown. It didn't help that she was convinced that Comet would inevitably die due to being a clone.

Comet began to close his eyes, the tiredness evident in them. "Stay awake!" Pixel ordered, she was clearly the only one with a grasp on her reasoning at the moment. Laiki was choking on her sobs and Luke was begging for help on a cell phone that wasn't transmitting his voice to anyone anymore. "If you fall asleep, Peachy will shock you and make it painful."

"Ka! Chu!" Peachy was ready to follow the plan if needed.

Giovanni and Delia suddenly entered the room. Giovanni took the needle from the bag, clearly Laiki was in no conditions to apply it properly, but he had no experience. "We need to get someone to-"

"I'll do it," Delia interrupted, taking the needle. "I've done this before with pokemon," she took Comet's arm, searching for the proper place to inject the antidote and did so. She waited for what felt like an eternity looking into Comet's unfocused blue eyes.

Comet blinked; his eyes gaining focus. He muttered something too quiet to be perceived. He took a deep breath feeling the contradiction of hot and cold he had been feeling leaving his body. The lifeless exhaustion melted into normal tiredness and he felt much more alert. "I'm okay now..." He had no way to know, but whatever medicine they gave him was certainly making him feel much better fast. His vision was focused enough to see normally, he noticed Delia's tearful face and her slightly red eyes. Giovanni looked like he had a multitude of thoughts running through his head, none of them pleasant judging by his expression. He could hear his father's voice behind them, mixed with Laiki's sobs while Pixel tried to calm them down. He smiled a brilliant smile, looking like his usual carefree self.

Delia's breath caught in her throat and she felt in her heart that he really would be alright. "You can rest now, you're cured," she brushed his red hair gently with her hand in a motherly fashion. She thought she heard him mutter a sleepy thanks before he closed his eyes again, his chest moving with the rhythm of his steady breathing.

Delia and Giovanni exited the room, leaving Comet with Luke, Pixel and Laiki. They walked down the hall to find a quiet place to talk. They both knew they had a lot to discuss and it could not be left for later.

xoxox xox xoxox

It was night time in Pallet Town, but Misty knew Ash wouldn't mind. She exited the yellow taxi in front of the Pallet House and paid the driver. She approached the house, but before she could call, Charla opened the door for her. The fire pokemon had long chocolate colored waves cascading from her head. Misty blinked, "hello," she saw several of Ash's pokemon out of their pokeballs around the house, some wearing wigs.

Ash thought he heard a car outside and went to see what that was about. He saw Misty, his face immediately brightening, despite his racing thoughts. "Misty, you're here!" He didn't want to throw his stress at her, but he had been wishing to see her.

They embraced each other in a tight hug before their lips met, as if they had not seen each other in years. They were reassuring to each other in many ways. After they parted, Misty explained, "my sisters and their chick flicks were driving me insane. I had to get out of there, Brock seems to be enjoying it though."

"Good for him," Ash smiled, "do you think he finally found a steady relationship?"

"I hope so, I would be upset if he ended up heartbroken after he's been spoiling Lily so much," Misty sighed, "I just hope he learns to tone it down a little."

"That's Brock, he always tries so hard," Ash laughed. He almost fell into the familiarity of being with Misty, but it wasn't long before his stubborn worried thoughts returned.

"If I didn't see your own hair peeking out from under this wig I would think you bleached it," Misty adjusted the blond wig on Ash's head, if only to make sure beyond a doubt that it was indeed a wig. "Why are you wearing that?" As she asked, Pikachu walked by in the background and she added, "why does Pikachu look like Elvis Presley?"

"It was pretty random actually," Ash and Misty sat down at the living room, his face returning to a smile as they talked. "Skye, Gary's helper, thought I was being stalked by fan girls. He brought over this collection of wigs he borrowed from Professor Oak to help me disguise myself. The pokemon started playing with some of the wigs too."

Misty couldn't help it but to laugh at the revelation. Her voice was clear and refreshing to Ash. Yet he couldn't help it but to feel guilty because she didn't know the truth. What would she say? Even if he wasn't supposed to tell her, he had to.

"What's wrong?" Misty's laughter faded and she caught on to the turmoil in Ash's eyes. "You know you can tell me anything."

Ash nodded and took a deep breath, his face serious, "what if I told you that I'm more... involved in the..." he paused, the word feeling somewhat odd and coming out as a whisper, "mafia, than I thought?"

"What do you mean?" Misty couldn't imagine how Ash could be more closely linked to them than her with her sisters' situation. She immediately started to wonder if Ash was in some kind of trouble.

He read the worry in her face and shook his head, trying to clear it and find the way to phrase things. "I'm not in trouble, this isn't even something recent. It's something that's been true for as long as I've been alive, longer even. I just recently found out, mom told me."

Misty immediately recalled the events that happened at Lando's mansion and an infinity of theories floated in her head about Delia, Giovanni, Ash and the mafia. She imagine sweet Delia being kidnapped, she imagined a battle between Giovanni and someone from the mafia. It all played out in seconds in her mind like in the cheesy movies her sisters had been watching. Another theory was about a young hero who falls in love with a lady, which lands the lady in the middle of a love triangle. She makes her choice, though the man who was not chosen still loved her. Then one day a terrible villain steals the life of her beloved and the other man, who had sincerely tried to save his own rival for her sake, can do nothing more than console her. Pushing the theories away along with the images of a bittersweet embrace in a sunset cliff near the ocean, she breathed, "you know you can tell me. You don't need to hide anything from me, I'm here for you."

"I know," Ash felt comforted and suddenly, the idea of keeping everything a secret from Misty was unthinkable. "Everything makes sense now. Mewtwo's enemy, the leader of Team Rocket, his resemblance to Giovanni, it was all true."

Misty's eyes went wide as she remembered their conversation with Brock after the tournament at Viridian City. Brock had been the first to point out how similar the Viridian gym leader was to the Rocket boss. "Than Giovanni is Team Rocket's leader? He's playing both sides so easily." Kenobi's involvement in the mafia made a lot more sense. They were trying to hide Giovanni's identity so that he could continue the good gym leader act. "The good gym leader is the mafia lord, it's so ironic, and yet, I wonder why no one can see it." As the pieces fell into place with the force of the revelation, the idea went from unthinkable to obvious.

"He has a lot of influence, I guess," Ash's confusion clouded him again. He honestly didn't know how to face Giovanni, but it had to be done.

"I bet the police knows, but Team Rocket is too powerful so they have to let him be," Misty reasoned, then the image of sweet Delia, kind, motherly, gentle Delia, entered her mind. "My goodness, Ash, your mom."

"She knows more about Team Rocket than I ever would have guessed. She knows their history from the very beginning," Ash looked into his fiance's eyes, "she was there, Misty, she was there from the start, ever since Team Rocket was a street gang. She was... she joined..."

Misty took in a big deep breath as if the extra oxygen was needed for her brain to continue functioning with more simultaneous thoughts than what a normal person should have.

"Have you heard about the epidemic from years ago? I've heard stories about it, but it was hard to imagine. She saw it all, the Tempest of the past was the cause and Team Rocket ended up finding the solution. That just makes me believe it even more, that Team Rocket wasn't all that bad, it couldn't have been. Mom was there and... and my father, Giovanni, he had to be different. Maybe there's some of his past self still left," Ash fell silent as he observed Misty's face.

The red haired young woman paled, it wasn't until that moment that Ash had directly pointed out that Giovanni was his father. He wasn't part of a triangle as they had initially thought. "All these years..." her voice came out as a quiet whisper, but there was some edge to it.

"He didn't know," Ash was quick to reveal. "Mom broke up with him. She left to raise me in peace. She never told him she was pregnant, he didn't know about me until recently."

"She was protecting you," Misty concluded, "she wanted to keep you safe, she must have seen what Team Rocket was turning into, she must have..." Overcome by emotion, Misty felt her eyes water. "It must have been so hard."

The couple held on to each other tightly in a warm embrace. "They were in love, I know they were. I think they are again, I'm pretty sure they are. I don't understand it really; they're so different, even if I barely know him. It's... it's strangely comforting, to know they care about each other, to know they can care; to know they love each other." Ash held on to Misty and closed his eyes, burying his face on her shoulder as she gently caressed his hair. The blond wig had fallen off at some point neither cared to notice and sat on the couch next to Ash.

"It's all so big, so unexpected..." Misty whispered, "at least you know and there is hope. Maybe everything has a reason," after seeing what Team Rocket had done over the years, Misty had trouble believing her own words. She wondered what else happened that she didn't know. She feared for Ash and for Delia, she didn't want them to get hurt. Then Ash's words rung out in her head with such certainty, ' they love each other,' his mother must have assured him no doubt, for Ash to be so convince, he must have seen the truth in her. There was a lot Misty didn't understand and she knew it must be troubling Ash terribly.

"We were at Giovanni's house when mom told me," Ash confessed, his voice slightly muffled by the closeness to Misty. "I ran away, I left a note saying I had to think. Mom called me as soon as she found out; I worried her I'm sure. I insisted that I was okay, that I was not angry at my father. I tried to reassure her and convinced her to give me some time to think. I didn't know how to tell you, I'm really glad you came."

"It's going to be okay, things will work out," Misty quietly assured, though she couldn't know for sure. "I'm here for you." What could she do? She couldn't change the past, plus it was a past that should not be changed. If Delia had loved Giovanni and Ash was the result of that, Misty could only be thankful. If they had rediscovered those feelings, how could they stay apart? If Delia found it in her heart to welcome Giovanni it was her choice, her judgment, but would she be hurt because of it? Would Ash be hurt?

"I wonder if he hates me," Ash looked into Misty's eyes; the fear in his eyes shocked her. He had always been brave and determined, always willing to face anything. "I ran away leaving behind nothing but a note, just like mom left him with a letter. Maybe the reason why mom didn't insist in coming here was because she needed to stay with him. What if he hates me? What if he thinks I hate him? It's ironic really," Ash laughed bitterly, the fear still present in his eyes. "I've always secretly wanted a father, but accepted not having one. Then when Giovanni came into the picture, I wondered if it was similar to having a father. I wanted that with him. I wanted to get to know him, to have the kind of father-son experience I never knew. I was happy, he wasn't replacing anyone, there was no one to replace. He was just filling a hole I never fully realized was there. Then I found out he really is my father and instead of being happy, I'm so confused and so afraid." Ash was almost trembling, which made Misty hug him tighter, "I don't know how to face him, I don't know what to say, I'm afraid I'll get caught in the moment and say something terrible. I'm afraid I'll anger him, I'm afraid I'll hurt him, I'm afraid he'll give up on mom and me, I'm afraid he'll give up on mom because of me. She already gave him up once for my sake, I know it hurt her to leave to raise me. They have a second chance to be together, I have a chance to have a father, but Team Rocket is in the middle of everything and... and..."

"Shh... don't say anymore," Misty softly placed her finger upon his lips, then kissed him gently and wiped away the moist from his face that he didn't even notice was there. "He can't hate you. How could he possibly? Maybe he's worried too. Maybe he's wondering what you'll think of him, but I'm sure he can't hate you. If your mom can still care about him, then no matter what he's done over the years with Team Rocket, there's no way he could hate his own son."

xoxox xox xoxox

At the Viridian City gym, Giovanni and Delia were in one of the rooms. The door was locked and no one would interrupt them. The conversation would not be easy and there was no way to make it so. Delia had taken a moment to wash her face and try to calm down. She splashed cold water on her face, then looked up from the sink to the bathroom mirror. Her face made it obvious how much she had cried. She took a soft towel and gently dried her face.

Taking a deep breath, she headed out of the bathroom and into the connecting room. Giovanni was there, sitting on an expensive couch that she didn't care to admire. Her eyes were locked on his, but after a second he looked away. She approached and sat down at his side, searching for his eyes with hers. He was lost in thought and didn't breathe a word. With a deep sigh, Delia began, "what happened to Aayla's daughter?"

The conversation was barely starting and it was already taking a dark path. "She's dead. I was informed she passed away a few hours ago." He had received the call when he was on his way back to the mansion.

"How?" Delia kept her question simple; she feared that her voice would turn increasingly shaky if she spoke too much.

"Poisona stole her blood, the virus, and spread it. By the time we took her into custody it was too late. She was alive, just barely. We tried to keep her alive, but it wasn't enough. She was in a coma, clinging to life by a thread without most of her blood. Her body wouldn't accept normal blood for long. The doctors struggled to keep her alive but couldn't. She needed her own blood, but that was impossible to recover. It had been put in food, human food. Countless people consumed it and acquired the virus. They're out there, they don't know it, but to pokemon they are like poison. The virus was stretched thin and not very effective at first, but it grew, it's becoming unstoppable. I've managed to keep the base mostly clean, but it wasn't Team Rocket that Poisona was aiming for. She aimed for Kanto, for those who didn't expect it. Many of the nurse Joys are suspected to be infected, killing while they try to heal," after the confession was finished, Giovanni once again fell silent. His voice was paused with force neutrality. His expression hid discomfort and his eyes reflected thought.

Delia took in all the information. She had felt so much, so intensely, that she didn't know what to feel anymore. "What happened to the third survivor?" She referred to the three clones, no, the three boys, who had survived such terrible trials years ago. One of them was an urban legend, the Bloody Killer. The other one was a loyal Rocket, Comet. The third was still a mystery to Delia. She remembered Binks mentioning him, calling him number ten.

Giovanni didn't reply right away, he wasn't sure what Delia meant by her question, "survivor?" He finally inquired, his gaze still lost to hers.

"Comet's brother," Delia clarified, though she didn't know if she should call him that. Comet was different, he had no modifications. When they met as she ventured into the Viridian gym, she didn't see anything that could indicate he was different from a normal person. Regardless of his origins, he was indeed human. She remembered wondering about who was Comet's mother. She remembered wondering if she still lived. A cold chill went down her spine. She left the topic of number ten on hold and asked, "what does Comet think about his mother?"

Giovanni had to pause for a moment before replying, "he doesn't know he never had one." The very mention of Comet's name brought that image to mind. The memory of the young boy asking his father questions that Luke, out of mercy, didn't want to answer. Then the memory would turn into a figment of his imagination and mold into something else. The boy's hair was no longer red, it was black. The one he was asking was someone else and the question was about his father. The shadowy figure became clearer, he was asking Delia. Giovanni could feel the urgency in the boy's voice. Then the boy turned around, expression saddened, he was Ash. "He must have assumed she died. He must have assumed Luke was too sad to speak of her." Did Ash assume his father was dead in the past? Did he believe Delia had locked away his memories in sorrow?

Delia struggled to find her voice before finally speaking, "he needs to know. I know it sounds cruel, but he needs to know. He has the right to know. When things calm down, I'll talk to Luke." When things calm down, later, not now, it all felt too familiar. "No, after we're done talking, I'm talking to Luke. The more he waits, it'll just get worse. I'm not letting him continue making my mistakes. Every person deserves to know where they came from. I believe that not knowing hurts more than the truth. No one deserves such uncertainty." Determined, she took a deep breath and returned to their previous topic. "Tell me about the third survivor please."

"Number ten was here," Giovanni could feel Delia's upset eyes on him at the mention of a number. He knew she could never consider those experiments to be experiments and nothing more. After Comet became a Rocket, he was another agent and a competent one at that. Giovanni had all but forgotten his origins. Luke cared about him so much; he cared as a true father would. Not that Giovanni felt he could know. He didn't have a father, just a mother who saw him as a hindrance more often then not, as far as he could remember from his late childhood and teen years. He couldn't speak from experience either. His thoughts kept going back to Ash over and over.

"What happened to him?" Delia prompted Giovanni to continue after a long silence passed.

Giovanni tried to focus on the present instead of on his own thoughts. He didn't know what was wrong with him. He had done so much. He wasn't bothered by such things before. Why did his son's apparent rejection, though Delia had tried to excuse it, bother him so much? Why couldn't he get Ash out of his head? Why couldn't he focus like he used to? "I don't know where he is," he finally answered Delia's question. "He disappeared one day, no one knows how. There were suspects but..." he paused as if remembering a detail, his face contorting with anger.

"What is it?" Delia insisted that he voiced his thoughts.

"Iblis," the name was spoken with absolute hatred. "Looking back on it, the pattern fits. The so called suspects were set up by her. She must have stolen number... the other survivor. They're not like Comet. Comet wasn't altered. The others are different. They were altered; they're inhumanly strong, but also traitorous and unstable. The third survivor was in a coma, he woke up on occasion but he was too aggressive to let him go anywhere. He barely responded to words. It was strange, it was as if everything terrified him and the only thing he knew how to do was destroy it. Anything that moved or made a sound, he wanted to destroy it, anything that lived, he wanted to kill it. He's out there, it's the only explanation. He's out there."

Delia couldn't imagine such a miserable being ever existed, one that was created from Luke's DNA as the base. Comet was the only one who was spared, the only one who received a chance to live as a human. Was the third survivor going to become another Bloody Killer? Delia became pale as she remembered a conversation she had with Ash. He had told her about how he and his friends heard a horror story about a serial killer, as they passed through a town in Johto. They had camped out that night and stayed up late telling horror stories, trying to see who was the bravest.

Delia thought it was all fiction. It was too terrible to be real. As Ash repeated some of the stories she even laughed at how exaggerated they sounded. Who would believe that? It had to be something purposely made to frighten people, not reality. The first survivor became a legend. The Bloody Killer was out there and possibly another one, but that other one could be being controlled by Iblis.

xoxox xox xoxox

Diamond 87: Give Me Reassurance

At the Pallet House, the atmosphere had quieted. The occasional murmurs and playful laughter had faded as the pokemon gathered to listen to Ash.

"Life has a lot of twists and turns, doesn't it?" Misty voiced softly. She and Ash were still close together, as if they had melted into one.

"Yeah, it's pretty crazy," Ash breathed a little easier after letting out his bottled up confusion. "If a few years ago someone told me we would be so involved with the mafia, there's no way I would believe them. Maybe things really will work out," he tried to be optimistic.

"We'll make things work out," Misty tried to stay positive as well. This time the situation was far more complicated than a battle against an opposing force. This time, it all blended together and such different people needed to coexist.

Ash took his cell phone, which was all but forgotten on his belt and look at it with indecision. He opened it and looked at the contact list, pausing on his mother's new number.

"Call, if it will make you feel better, call her, she won't mind," Misty encouraged.

Ash nodded, then went back to staring at his cell phone. "I was thinking about sending him a message, a voice mail through mom's phone. Am I a coward?"

"Not at all," Misty soothed, "you can talk face to face when you're ready.

Ash pressed the button to bring up the options and chose to record a voice mail. "Hi mom, it's me Ash... but you already know that from the number and because you're hearing me," he stopped, he didn't mean to ramble. He deleted the recording and tried again. He took a deep breath and began, "mom, could you let dad listen to this message?" Dad, the word felt so foreign. It was as if he was speaking in an unknown language he was anything but fluent in, unsure of what his words meant. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry for running off, I hope that didn't disappoint you too much. I just needed some time to think, but I want to talk to you in person soon." Ash summoned all his courage, this was more difficult than any other challenge he had ever faced. "I'll return tomorrow evening, I promise." That was the entirety of the message. He sent it before he changed his mind and watched the confirmation on the screen.

Misty gave him a reassuring smile, which made Ash smile back. He gave himself some extra time to think, giving his parents some time as well. He made a promise so he wouldn't run away again, to keep his will strong.

xoxox xox xoxox

At the Viridian gym, though Delia tried to stop it from happening, as she sat there alone with Giovanni, she saw it in her mind. She saw the dangers that were more than just urban legends. She pushed the images away and told her imagination to keep quiet. She enjoyed horror movies, though more so about mysteries and ghosts and not about gore. The reason for that was that it amused her how far the imagination would go; she didn't believe any of it.

To think that such events could be real sounded absurd, but it wasn't, not as long as he was out there. It was sad, that killer never decided to be a murderer, he never decided anything. He was turned into a being driven by instinct, it was as if his will had been stolen from him and he was condemn to suffer. "Look at me," she finally spoke.

Giovanni noticed then that he had been indeed avoiding her gaze. He expected to see her upset, angry and resentful, maybe even horrified and afraid. When he looked into her eyes, he found nothing but endless understanding and it confused him. "Delia..." her name escaped him as nothing but a whisper.

"You don't have to look away from me. You can tell me everything; you can tell me your mistakes. I won't hate you for it, just please, don't keep it all bottled up. Please, allow me to try to make it better," she hugged him tightly with full trust.

He returned the embrace, "you're too forgiving." He honestly expected her to at least scold him. She had scolded him for less in the past, though she was always forgiving in the end. She was always willing to put their differences aside and let things go after she spoke her disapproval. This time was different and he didn't know what made her react that way, as if she could see he simply didn't have the energy to argue. Did he look that exhausted, that troubled?

"I love you," her voice was so sweet and tender; he had to stare at her for a moment, taking in every detail of her expression. Supporting, loving, understanding, sincere, beautiful in so many ways.

"I love you too," their lips met, slowly, sweetly, gently at first. Then with a turmoil of emotion, their bodies locked in a tight embrace. For a moment, all was serenity amidst the chaos.

The moment was interrupted by the sound of a cell phone receiving a message. Though it was different from the insistent sound of an incoming call, Delia's mind went to Ash and she slowly pulled away. "Let me see if that's Ash," she examined the little cell phone's screen to find that it was indeed Ash sending the message, it was a voice mail.

xoxox xox xoxox

Hours passed and the night gave way to morning. The day promised to be eventful. There were several enemies still on the loose that could make a move at any moment. Then, in the evening, Ash would return to meet his parents at the mansion. Giovanni wasn't sure what he would say to Ash, but had a feeling that he would find out soon enough. He expected Ash to have thought of his questions by then, he had a lot of things to answer.

Though Delia didn't elaborate too much upon it, she said enough, "let's show Ash the better side of Team Rocket." She didn't want more tension and distance to be created. She certainly didn't want true anger to emerge.

It wasn't until that morning when Delia went through with her determination to speak to Luke. She smiled at Giovanni as cheerful as she could manage without being forceful of her expression, "I'll take care of giving Luke some advice." She set her mind on optimism and the thought that things were on their way to improve. The only unresolved aspect that still plagued her mind was the virus. As for Iblis and the clones, or as she called them, the survivors, she believed it was within Team Rocket's grasp to solve those problems if they really tried. It was about time Team Rocket stopped turning away and took responsibility.

While Delia was gone, Giovanni occupied himself with some Team Rocket work. After a while, he found he couldn't concentrate and his mind wandered into the battle field. He couldn't precise why, but that moment during the tournament at the Viridian Stadium, when his eyes met Ash's, resurfaced in his memories. He remembered seeing how Ash guided his pokemon; he remembered the trust between them that somehow seemed to amplify their power. He wanted to battle Ash and wondered if Ash wanted to battle him too. He knew it would happen one way or another, perhaps that particular destiny had already been decided the second their eyes met. He couldn't help it but to anticipate it and prepare his pokemon.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile, Delia and Luke had found a quiet spot in one of the gym's above ground conference rooms. Luke had gone on and on about his relief that Comet was healed. "So he's like back in training, you know? He like took like a lot of sick days and like wasted his break, you know? Comet like never really had like trouble staying in shape so I like think he'll do fine. He like got a lot of medical tests, you know? They say he's like perfectly healthy, man! I'm like so relieved, dudette."

Delia smiled sincerely, "that's wonderful, I'm so happy Comet is alright. Shouldn't he take some time to rest though?"

"Nah, don't like worry," Luke sounded sure of it, "everything's okay now, you know? It's all like good, like more good things will like come, I'm like sure, you know? We have to like totally stay positive, dudette."

"Yes, you're right, we really need to stay positive," Delia agreed then paused. She didn't know how to address the subject and Luke was giving her a confused and curious look. "The truth," she finally began, "have you considered telling him the truth?"

Luke was speechless for a moment. He stared at Delia, at the wall behind her, at the table, at his fidgeting gloved hands, then back at Delia. "Like why?"

"Because if you don't, he'll always have doubts," Delia pleaded. She expected convincing Luke would be difficult. Furthermore, some sort of proof might be needed or Comet might have even bigger doubts. She wouldn't run off to tell him herself, that was something his father had to do. "Doubts are painful; you should tell him the truth. The sooner you tell him, the better, right away if possible."

"Alright, I'll like totally tell him, you know?" Luke nodded with determination and maintained a smile.

"What..." Delia began to ask, her voice fading into nothing. She opened and closed her mouth like a Magikarp, eyes wide with questions.

Luke's smile never faltered, "I like trust you, you know? If you like say it's like best to tell him the truth, then I'll like tell him the truth, you know?"

"You trust me that much," Delia voiced softly, her surprise evident.

"Like totally!" Luke's smile grew, "you have like never given me bad advice, you know? I like totally trust you, dudette. I'll like totally like tell him right away, man!" With those words spoken, Luke got up and exited the conference room.

With her shock still frozen in her face, Delia bolted from her seat to see Luke jogging down the hall and disappearing past a corner. Unable to find her voice, she could do nothing more than to run after him. This was Luke, he talked funny, he wrote funny, he could be a little impulsive. Delia called out, "stop the elevator!" And dashed into the enclosed space where Luke was.

"Dudette, are you like okay?" Luke seemed surprise that she would run after him after he had promptly left to do what she suggested. Wasn't this what he was supposed to do?

Delia took a deep breath and nodded, "you need to phrase it properly." This was Luke, cheerful carefree Luke, but he wouldn't underestimate the consequences, would he?

"You like don't need to like worry, you know? Giovanni like gets annoyed when I like write like this, you know? But he like doesn't like mind like so much when I like talk like this, you know? Comet like understands, you know?" Once again, Luke's smile never faltered through his whole explanation as the elevator carried them below ground.

"I'm not talking about grammar, or verbal grammar," Delia tried to explain herself, wondering how it was possible that Comet didn't pick that up. Maybe Giovanni was so annoyed by Luke's reports that he made sure someone taught Comet how to speak and write with more clarity. They exited the elevator and walked towards a... subway? The underground train was black with red Rs on its sides. Its surface was polished and glossy as it sat elegantly on silver rails.

Rockets of various ranks came in and out of the train Luke was heading towards. Amazed by the sight, Delia followed him wordlessly. It was as if Team Rocket was a whole different society with its vast underground city. She knew about it, but seeing it was different, she never tried exploring this far before. Some of the Rockets looked at her curiously, recognizing her as the woman whom their boss was dating, but no one dared to say anything to her.

Some seats were coincidentally free right ahead as they walked through the wagon. They sat down and Delia took in the atmosphere. Some Rockets looked energetic and others a little tired, faces still flustered from their training sessions. Some had damp hair as if they had been swimming or had recently taken a shower. Some carried bags, varying in size.

The automatic train stopped on several occasions with a recorded voice reminding the passengers of their location. Upon hearing the announcement of "Aquatic Circuit XL" Luke got out of the train along with Delia.

She breathed deeply as she followed him through the training facilities. "I'll leave you to talk to Comet in private, just be tactful." Luke nodded and Delia's worries subsided, "I know you'll do fine. Comet will appreciate it, I'm sure of it."

Luke was about to reply, but he was interrupted by Laiki's loud squeal of "Delia!" The blond girl was wearing a rather small green bikini that matched her eyes. She walked with two men, one at each side, their arms linked with hers. Their faces hinted that they were still new to Team Rocket, as their surroundings still had them in awe. Furthermore, they were surprised by the casual tone Laiki used to refer to Lady Roketto. "Welcome to paradise!" She let go of her conquests and rushed towards Delia. "Have you come to partake in the awesome activity of man watching? If you have, I won't tell the boss, I promise!"

"Actually," Delia shifted somewhat embarrassed, "I just walked over here with Luke because we were talking. Now he has to go talk to Comet." She had been so focused on the situation with Luke and Comet, that she didn't really took notice of the multitude of people in swimsuits of varied sizes and styles all around her.

"Dudette, do you like know where he is?" Luke inquired naturally. He grew up as a beach loving surfer; there was little he had not already seen. The atmosphere all around them felt very natural and not at all awkward to him.

"He's getting ready for the race, it should be fun. Let's go watch from up there!" Laiki excitedly pointed at a balcony above their heads, stretching out from the wall above the entrance.

"That sounds fun," Delia automatically agreed, though she was honestly curious about the race Laiki mentioned. The area identified as Aquatic Circuit XL was a vast tunnel that stretched out left and right, with people coming and going walking along the pool.

From that level, Delia could see a pair of long pools side by side, with some space between them. They must be extremely deep underground, since the ceiling was so tall and Giovanni wouldn't risk the facilities being discovered. The structure was made of silvery metal, it was the same strong seismic proof enforced material used in other areas of the headquarters. The large square lamps on the ceiling would at first glance appear to be a sort of sunroof in a very sunny day, but they were artificial lights.

Delia, Luke, Laiki and her two admirers used an elevator to go up to the balcony. Laiki had not stopped talking the whole way there. "So I told Pixel, you have to come and see Comet race, he's really good at it. Do you know what she told me? She said she had some studying to do. I mean come on, at this rate they'll never get together if she keeps picking codes over him, not that his fan girls would mind. Either way, Comet doesn't like clingy girls. He likes a girl who picks violent video games over romance movies and mystery meat pizza from the cafeteria over a candlelit dinner." Not to mention she would probably add chocolate syrup to it, because Pixel would add chocolate syrup to anything.

Laiki continued after pausing to take in a deep breath, "speaking of which, I never thought he'd find one to suit his taste, but he did. Pixel is so unromantic, but then again, Comet wouldn't know romance if it punched him in that handsome face of his. I keep telling him, listen Comet, I know you're hot but fan service can only get you so far. Did he listen? Of course he didn't! Then I told Pixel that her geekyness was a turn off for guys, but did she listen to me? No she didn't! They even have that in common, they don't follow my advice! Then she's suddenly all buddy-buddy with Comet, even if she hardly said hello to him the first time they met. They became friends over video games and action movies and you can practically smell the attraction."

With another deep breath, Laiki proceeded, "did you know Pixel's been here for a while? I used to call her rookie because she was like a rookie, not having found her place in Team Rocket. It's not like that anymore; she's really on track now. The point is, that they've known each other long enough to know they like each other. I told Comet, I told him, you listen here, you're never going to find a girl who's as dismissive of monthaversaries and other such occasions as this one. She's the only one who's not even going to notice if you happen to forget one or all of them. She's the only one that is most likely to laugh at sweet talk instead of appreciating it. She's the one who will actually like to hear things simple and direct. I told him to go for it, I really did!"

Laiki's incessant rant continued, her words came out at an almost inhumanly high speed. "Do you know what Pixel said? She goes and says that she's only into guys that are older than her. Then she makes it sound like three years are three hundred! I've dated with a seven year difference on both directions and it went just fine! So I dared Pixel to come over here and watch Comet race. Maybe she just needs some fan service to motivate her that they really are perfect for each other."

"Then they can have their unromantic relationship and discuss virtual weaponry while hunting down alien pokemon in a simulated world. They can continue acting as if they're just friends and the world can remain oblivious to what happens behind closed doors. Because you know," Laiki paused to wink, "unromantic people are still human after all."

"Laiki," the familiar voice of Pixel interrupted Laiki's rant, as the other young woman made her arrival known. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, "too Torchic to come watch, am I?"

"You came!" Laiki cheered.

Delia's unvoiced thoughts were 'not a moment too soon.' Luke was too dizzy to think at all, he gripped the railing to avoid losing his balance. Delia wanted to lend an ear, she really did. After all, Laiki had grown up without a mother. She had Binks, but he was troubled, plus he was a man and she clearly had the necessity for girl talk. Still, she had to question how healthy it was to listen to this girl go on and on about her friends. Laiki's two admirers had fled, unable to follow her quick words and afraid they would be pushed to insanity.

From the balcony, Delia could see that the two long pools were actually one gigantic oval shaped pool. At the starting line, there were several Rockets riding on water pokemon. Pillars came up from the bottom of the pool, rising above the water. The mechanism on the pillars activated, splitting them into two hexagonal hoops, one above the other. Comet was at the starting line with Gyarados. His opponents were a brown haired man on a Tentacruel, a blond woman on a Milotic and a blond man on a Blastoise.

Rockets were free to sign up for a variety of events as many times as they wished, or had time for during the week. These events, albeit viewed by many as recreation, served as training and were lucrative to Team Rocket through bets and entry fees. Most of the time it was the fans who purchased entry tickets for their favorite contestants, in hopes of seeing them in action again. The prizes, aside from bragging rights, consisted of Rocket points, which were received or lost depending on one's ranking and record. Those points contributed a bonus to the rank score, sometimes being enough to make the difference between one rank and the next. The rank in turn decided certain benefits that included, but were not limited to, the type of mission assignments and payment. Of course, there were also missions that had special requirements aside from rank.

Once a week, four contestants would be chosen for the championship race. They would be: the contestant with the fastest racing record over all, the fastest record for the week, the largest total number of wins over all and the largest number of wins for the week. If one person held more than one of those titles, the runner ups for the titles that were repeated would face off for a chance to fill up the open spot. If any of those titles were held by two or more people, there would be a tie breaker race to determine who would go to the championship. If the holder of any of those titles could not be present, the title would not be lost, as the reason could be something more important, such as an official mission. However, for that week, the runner up would fill in the empty space. Tie breakers were in order if more than one runner up existed. The weekly championship wins were counted separately from the regular victories.

"The Electric Ring Race weekly championship will no longer be taking bets," the announcer sounded a lot like Jango. He had served as the referee in the Viridian Stadium tournament. "Let's get ready to race! Back for a rematch, we have Tyson riding on Tentacruel. He posted the fastest time of the week. Tyson came close to winning last week's championship race, giving our next contestant quite a challenge. Attila is a fierce competitor who joins the races very often. With his Blastoise, he holds the record for most wins overall."

Jango's voice came from seemingly everywhere, "enjoying a winning streak, we have the beauty of the Aquatic Circuit, Domino. Riding on her elegant Milotic, she had the most wins this week. Finally, after being absent from last week's championship, we have the return of Comet, riding on Gyarados. Comet holds the fastest time overall and is tied with Attila for most championship wins."

Jango then made a quick recap of the rules, "both the pokemon and the trainer need to pass through each of the seven sets of circles. You do not need to stay in your initial lane. If you miss a ring, you can't move on until you succeed in the jump. On your marks, ready... Go!" A loud sound reminiscent of a gunshot rung out, though it was only a recording.

To be Continued

Disclaimer, I don't own Pokemon.

To clarify, number three is also referred to as the Bloody Killer and the first survivor, since he was the first one to be "awakened" from the three clones that survived out of the original twelve. He was altered to grow up faster and be stronger than a human.

Number seven, who was ironically expected to be the "weakest" due to not being modified, turned out to be the only one capable of rational thought. He is known as Comet, the second survivor, as he was the second to awaken out of the three who lived. He wasn't genetically modified.

Finally, there's number ten, who was in a coma most of the time, thus never truly fully conscious. He was the third survivor, the only one that Binks didn't elaborate about before. He was modified to be stronger, but he aged normally.

I wanted to give Luke and Comet some differences in terms of appearance, so that their similarities would be noticeable but not shocking. It would be out of character to dye their hair or have them wear contact lenses, so other than the age and having different haircuts, the sun made the difference. Luke is tanned from being out in the wilderness looking for strong pokemon so often. Comet is not tanned because his missions mostly involve sneaking around at night to steal, blackmail plant evidence, etc. thus he's not out in the sun much.