Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Don't Give Me Diamonds ❯ Chapter 30

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

Don't Give Me Diamonds

Diamond 100: Give me Possibilities

At the Cerulean City gym, the good health of the pokemon gradually restored the sense of hope and peace of the humans around them. Ash looked down at the pool from the diving board where Misty floated below, along with many of the pokemon who were fond of water. Her eyes were closed in relaxation, almost as if she could fall asleep on the water's surface, flowing gently on her back. She looked up, her eyes meeting his. "Come on in, the water's fine."

Ash grinned as if mentally adding 'so is the view,' before he jumped into the pool like a cannon ball with a big splash. Misty's peaceful floating was interrupted by Ash's dive, which started a playful battle of splashing each other between the couple. They kept playing until Ash's cell phone, which had been left at the edge of the pool, began to ring. Thinking that it might be his mother calling about something urgent, while hoping that it wasn't anything urgent, Ash went to answer the call. "I'll get you back, this retreat is only temporary."

"Swim away while you can," Misty teased.

The one calling Ash was not Delia, it was Gary. The young researcher had received a supply of antidote which was very welcomed, but also very suspicious. He couldn't hold his silence any longer and pretend he believed the excuses he kept hearing. He had to know the truth. "Ash, I need to talk to you in person." That way it would be easier to read Ash's expression and not so easy for him to escape.

"Is something wrong with the pokemon?" Ash asked in worry.

"No, it's not that," Gary reassured. "The pokemon are alright now, I received a sufficient supply of the antidote. None of them are in danger. There's just something I need to talk to you about," something that his grandfather seemed to be somehow aware of, but kept in stubborn silence. "It's about Team Rocket."

Ash fell silent before finally voicing as casually as he could, "what about them?"

"Come to Pallet and I'll tell you," was Gary's reply before ending the call. He knew that if Ash was hiding something, he would head for Pallet Town right away.

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At the Viridian Rocket headquarters, Delia was looking for Giovanni. He had gone to a meeting with the executives earlier and disappeared afterwards. He mentioned he would be busy with work, but she wondered where he could have gone. Heading in the opposite direction down the hall, she saw Luke. "Delia, everything is like going so well now, you know?"

She returned his smile, sincerely relieved that the illness problem had been solved. "I'm very relieved, but it seems Giovanni is busy again, not that I'm surprised." Her Rocket cell phone beeped, signaling the arrival of a text message. Delia curiously glanced at it and there was a warmth in her eyes.

"Is it like from Giovanni?" Luke guessed.

"Yes," Delia confirmed, "as I thought, he'll be busy today, but at least he remembered to text me. It's good to know he thought of me."

"He's like always busy, you know?" Luke agreed, "but he like loves you, we can like tell, you know?" We referred to the executives and long time elite Rockets who had known Giovanni for years.

The text message was simple, a reminder that Giovanni would see Delia that evening. At first she didn't read too deep into it, then suddenly every mental alarm in her system went off. He would see her when he returned from New Island.

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Giovanni had gone to a place he had not visited in many years, New Island. Pixel was managing the equipment in the large helicopter, consisting of various scanners that could create a digital image of the New Island ruins for easier navigation. Comet would go into the ruins to capture videos and explore, to hopefully find some clue of what was missing. The mission was expected to be difficult since they weren't sure what exactly they were looking for, but the suspicious sights began to appear right after landing.

"The sensors finished constructing the 3D map of the ruins. It looks like some areas will be impossible to reach without considerable excavation. This area here has a tunnel leading to it and it's pretty big, it requires minimal excavation so it might be a good place to start. Even so, the entire ruins are noticeably unstable." Pixel reported. "According to the data, this area has had seismic activity due to recently active undersea volcanoes. The pressure sensors should warn us of possible earthquakes, but only within a few seconds of them."

"No worries, I'll make sure not to get trapped down there," Comet checked that all his equipment was ready and that his earpiece was working, before exiting the helicopter. Pixel would remain there to serve as a guide with the maps and sensors.

Comet, Pixel and Giovanni were the only ones there, with Giovanni having piloted the helicopter himself, focusing in arriving at the destination as soon as possible. He also didn't want many agents to distract him from bringing out whatever was in the back of his mind. He kept thinking of New Island, but he didn't know why. It was as if his subconscious knew something that was fighting to appear at the surface of his thoughts.

The Rocket leader, who had exited the helicopter immediately after landing, returned and picked up some equipment. "The landscape doesn't match. The only thing left of the data of this lab are the blueprints for the building. Use that with the simulator and see if you can get a match with the landscape. Run the program both ways. If the lab was destroyed and something else was built here, I want to know what it was."

"Yes, sir!" Pixel began with her assigned task. With the advances of technology, simulations could be run to predict the state in which a structure would be left when exposed to a certain intensity of damage. It was mostly used to calculate how reinforced a structure needed to be with the expected conditions it would have to withstand. Though it was mostly used by architects, it was also useful to know how much of a mess a certain type of attack would leave behind, among other uses.

With the data collected by the sensors, the program would compare the actual ruins to how the ruins of the lab should look like. It would also use the data from the ruins to determine how the structure looked like before it was destroyed. Archeologists of all regions had rejoiced at the commercial release of the program. That particular function was rarely used in Team Rocket. The portable sensor mechanisms were released upon their arrival to New Island. They were small and had varied appearances. Some looked like miniature cylinders with helicopter-like propellers and others looked like mechanical Surskit. The strongest sensors were in the atmosphere under the command of Sapphire, a PorygonZ that resided in a powerful satellite. Sapphire was in communication with Diamond, the PorygonZ at the top of the command chain of the Rocket digital systems.

While Pixel ran the programs and Comet headed below ground, Giovanni stood outside the helicopter, contemplating the ruins of New Island for a moment longer. A strange black structure, thinner near the end, lay in shambles as if a tower had stood there before, but there shouldn't have been a tower there. Debris of violet propeller-like blades similar to pieces of a windmill lay scattered about, which didn't belong there either. After Comet disappeared into the darkness of a cramped passage to the ruins below, Giovanni went his own way underground without an earpiece. He wanted to focus by himself and see what he could uncover.

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To say the area Comet was exploring was cramped, dusty and dark would be an understatement. There was hardly enough room to move and the air was thin, though just enough to breathe without needing an oxygen mask. "Are you getting the video feed, Pix?"

"In high definition," Pixel's voice replied from Comet's earpiece. "The architecture programs are loading up possibilities; so far we have no matches. It looks like the boss was right. Something else was probably built here in place of the lab. I'll have the program convert the possibilities into the most likely aspect. So far it looks like some kind of tower with windmill-like propellers."

"Weird," Comet wondered why something as attention grabbing as a tower would be built in a place that as far as he knew was supposed to be secretive. It was true that ships seldom went close to that area anyway, but Giovanni seemed to have more of a liking towards hidden underground laboratories for his works of secrecy.

"That's what the simulation shows," Pixel asserted. "It's also why we're here, to find things that don't seem to make sense," it was Giovanni's order for them to watch out for such things.

Comet spotted some strange transparent pipes tinted in green and orange. They were crushed, as was everything else in the underground ruins. A control panel was near by, obviously it was completely incapable of functioning. Comet removed one of the side covers of the device and pointed his flashlight at the mass of broken wires inside.

"That looks promising," Pixel commented, "I doubt the main drive is intact, but maybe we could get something out of it."

"I'll try to get it out without damaging it more," Comet replied, pushing wires and connectors aside.

"There it is," Pixel saw what they were looking for on the screen, from the small camera attached to Comet's flashlight. "That metal box should contain the hard drive. Did you remember to bring a screwdriver?"

"You bet," Comet looked for the proper tool on the utility belt he had brought along. "This belt has more gadgets in it than Batman's. The only thing it doesn't have is a Zubat, Golbat and Crobat trio of sidekicks." Just as he reached for the screwdriver, Comet noticed a pokeball that was not his and looked into the semi-transparent top at the reduced pokemon inside, it was a Crobat. "Actually, it does come with a Crobat," he put it back on the belt since he didn't need any assistance from it at the moment. He had to wonder how many Rockets had used that Crobat in missions. Its pokeball seemed to be handed out to whoever was using the rest of the equipment on the set.

The exploration of the New Island ruins continued in a similar way, until Comet had gathered sufficient data from that area and headed to the surface to deliver the recovered hard drive along with another interesting thing he found. The item appeared to be similar to a pokeball, made of metal painted black, its color chipped and scratched in time. It was broken in two pieces that fit together over each other, both cracked. One piece was pure black and the other had three gray lines on top. Where the pokeball's button should be, there was a mechanism similar to it, shaped as a yellow eye with a red pupil.

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When Comet returned to the helicopter, Pixel had a peculiar display on the screen. It was the result of the programs that analyzed the ruins. It was only an approximation of the structure's appearance, but no matter how anyone looked at it, it was definitely different from the blueprints of what should have been there. A tower had supposedly stood at the island at some point, with a windmill at its peak and a few smaller similar towers surrounding the main structure. The underground deeper levels of the laboratory had become mostly flooded passages with the rise of the tides over time, but had been spacious in the past.

"I got a call from Ariana," Giovanni had instructed Pixel on the way, to forward the processed data to headquarters. "She was doing her own investigation and was intrigued by our findings. She mentioned that she would call for another meeting with the executives, so I've been forwarding the data to them. I didn't hear the full story, but apparently there are some strange contradictions that no one can make sense out of."

Three of the executives had been gathered in a conference room, Archer, Ariana and Proton were there trying to reconcile their contradicting theories, memories and evidence. It was as if they couldn't even trust what they remembered and if they thought too hard, things got blurry. It was something that they unconsciously ignored in the back of their minds until it was brought to their attention. Petrel was missing from the conference and claimed to be attending some important business with Delia and Luke when he was called.

"It looks like there really is some kind of hidden secret here. It all seems so suspicious," Comet voiced. "Do you think someone remodeled and used the facilities in the past before they were destroyed again?"

"Looks like it," Pixel mused, "the question is, how did they manage to get away with it? What were they trying to accomplish?" Another theory emerged, "do you think that it was related to Neo Rocket, a group of traitors covering for each other? Did they even exist back then?"

"It seems a bit early for Neo Rocket to have existed, but I wouldn't set aside any possibility right now," Comet looked at the image of the tower on the screen. It looked like a 3D model for the beta version of a video game. "Is the boss still walking around the island?"

"Yes, I've been buried to my neck in data processing and he didn't want any interruptions anyway." Pixel glanced at the time display on the bottom right of the main screen in the back of the large helicopter. The flying machine had two blades to be able to gain altitude. "He's been gone for a long time, maybe you should check on him from afar while I start working on squeezing some data out of that hard drive."

"I'll make sure he doesn't see me, I wouldn't want to break the boss' concentration when he's so focused on something." Comet left, making his way through the surface of the ruins as quietly as possible. He would go back to the helicopter, grab a snack from the supplies and get ready to explore the areas of the ruins that needed more excavation to get through.

In the mean time, Pixel continued gathering clues, which she would forward to the executives. "Ready Prism?" She dismantled the hard drive's box carefully, as her PorygonZ appeared on the screen with an affirmative answer. "This might be tricky." Pixel placed the disk part of the drive into a scanner. It was scratched and cracked, but hopefully some data could be extracted from it, even if they weren't complete files.

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After some time passed, Comet returned to the helicopter, where Pixel was, with no news of Giovanni. "I searched all over the island's surface and I couldn't find the boss anywhere. He might have gone underground by himself."

"That's bad, when you came back to get the digging equipment, I was going to tell you not to go down there for a while," Pixel warned in alarm. "The sensors detected an increase in pressure. The undersea volcanoes are active again. The effects will be minimal in the sea, but there can be earthquakes and that could cause a cave in at the ruins."

"He didn't even take an earpiece along," Comet recalled.

"I'll try calling his cell phone," Pixel attempted to do so, but the result was a sound originating from a compartment at the cockpit which contained Giovanni's cell phone. "One thing is trying to disconnect himself so he can focus better, but this is not a good time to do that. The boss can take care of himself, yet somehow, I feel as if we should have kept a better eye on him." She checked the sensor's volcanic pressure reading again. "The pressure is increasing; at this rate it's almost certain there will be an earthquake soon. If I change the scanners settings I might be able to track the boss' heat signature, but the undersea volcanoes are giving me a lot of interference."

"I'll go have a quick look around," Comet decided, "if you get the sensors to work and find him, you can guide me there."

"I'm working on it," Pixel agreed, "be careful down there."

"I will," just as Comet was heading out of the large helicopter again, another helicopter landed nearby.

The newly arrived flying vessel was smaller than the first, possessing only one blade. It was clearly made for quick transportation for a few passengers rather than to carry heavy equipment. Delia, Luke and Petrel exited the smaller helicopter and quickly made their way to the larger one. "Comet, is Giovanni here?" Delia asked.

"Here as in on the island, yes," Comet replied.

"Where is he?" Delia looked towards the large helicopter, theorizing that Giovanni was inside.

"Somewhere on the island, in fact, I was just on my way to get him," Comet grinned as if trying to lighten the atmosphere before the discovery of news that those present didn't want to hear.

"Dude, is he like down at the ruins, or like something?" Luke correctly guessed, to which Comet nodded just as there was a light earthquake.

"Did you feel that? This is no time to be under a pile of unstable ruins!" Delia worried. "Where's the radio? I have to tell Giovanni to get out of there. I'll tell him about the ruins if it'll keep him out of danger."

"Wait a minute, you know about the strange mystery we're trying to solve?" Petrel dramatized. He didn't expect Delia to be so well informed when she literally ran into him at the hall while Luke hurried after her due to her running off so suddenly. He wasn't there during the time when the executives lost their memories as they directed squadrons of Rocket agents to capture the clone pokemon, providing background support to Giovanni's operation. Instead, he was caught up with plenty of work at the Orange Islands. "I'm not going to miss out on things this time; I want to go underground too!"

"No one should be underground right now!" Delia firmly insisted, while Comet attempted to sneak away. "Stop right there young man! Giovanni doesn't have a means of communication on him, does he?" It would explained why she had not seen or heard anyone making an effort to call him so far and instead Comet was sneaking off to get him. "I'll have to go get him."

"Maybe I should go get him," Comet offered.

"I want to come too!" Petrel pouted, feeling left out.

"We could like all go, you know?" Luke suggested unsure.

"I don't want anyone to be in any unnecessary danger," Delia argued.

"It's coming!" Announced Pixel's voice from inside the large helicopter. Not even five seconds later, an earthquake, much more noticeable than the last, was felt. The shaking didn't last long, but it was strong. The ruins shifted and some of the debris on the surface collapse on itself, blocking the tunnels to the areas below, where the damage was probably far worse.

"Giovanni!" Delia ran towards the center of the island, where a large pile of ruined material was, as the shaking stopped. She looked around it for a way in, but found only a tiny tunnel, far too small for a human to fit in. Then the ground shook again, it was a gentle movement, but it was almost constant.

"What's going on?" Petrel shouted, as if upset that the ground was shaking without Team Rocket's permission, at such an inconvenient time for them. He rushed to the large helicopter in search of an explanation, "who said there could be an earthquake now?"

Pixel adjusted the settings of the programs on screen, "one of the undersea volcanoes is erupting. If it doesn't stop, it might trigger the others to erupt too."

Comet received the update via his earpiece and ran to shore. "I'm not sure how much of a difference this will make, but try to cool off that volcano Shenron, use blizzard!" He released his Gyarados into the sea. The pokemon immediately noticed the water's hot temperature. It was uncomfortable, but not bad enough to burn. "Come back if it gets too hot."

Shenron swam deep under the sea, approaching the affected area as much as possible. The water was black, the thick smoke refused to dissolve even in the liquid. The powerful Gyarados released a blizzard with all his strength, trying to cool the area and calm the volcanoes.

As Comet stood at the shore watching the water and the light smoke rising from it, a Charizard landed near by with an unexpected arrival. "Ash?"

"What's going on?" Ash asked as he jumped off Charizard and recalled him into his pokeball, thanking him for the ride.

"Right now I'm trying to cool off some undersea volcanoes," Comet explained, "Shenron is using blizzard to cool the water."

"I'll help, go Glalie!" It was one of the pokemon Ash had switched into his team from a PC at Cerulean City. "Ice beam!" The pokemon promptly froze Ash in a block of ice. The ice twitched until it broke, to release a shivering Ash. "Not on me, on the volcanoes under water!" After being given a specific target, the mischievous Glalie dove into the water to help cool off the volcanoes.

Delia and Luke had joined Pixel in the large helicopter where the equipment was. As of yet they were unaware of Ash's arrival at the island. "We have to dig him out!" Delia worried.

"It might be dangerous to dig before things stabilize, it could cause another cave in and make things worse," Pixel warned.

"So like what can we like do?" Luke inquired with urgency.

Before anything else could be said, a loud noise was heard from outside. Giovanni emerged from the ruins with three of his main team of pokemon. Persian had stayed at the Viridian headquarters for the time being. Rhyperior, Golem and Machamp opened the way for the Rocket boss to escape the ruins unharmed. He was received on the surface by Delia, who hugged him tightly in relief. "Let's go home," though she said that, Delia herself wasn't sure where home was to her anymore. Was it her beloved town of Pallet? The Viridian gym, or Giovanni's personal residence at the edge of Kanto near Victory Road? "I'll tell you about the ruins, just be careful in the future and don't do anything rash or..."

Giovanni looked at Delia with puzzlement; he was close to uncovering the secret that was bothering him, the memories that were buried deep inside. He saw something like a dream, an image of an unknown pokemon that he felt he should know. The being had white and purple fur, but the details were blurry. It was akin to looking at a painting that had been submerged in water before the paint was dry. "You know about this?"

Delia nodded, "I thought there were certain things best left forgotten. This is something I haven't really thought about for a long time. I should have realized it before, when you told me about your experience in that mysterious world and what it made you begin to remember. I should have known it was this."

Still shocked by the revelation and the certainty that there really was something going on, Giovanni recalled his pokemon and went to the large helicopter with Delia. The shaking had stopped, as detected by the sensors. Ash and Comet called back their pokemon, thanking them for their help in suppressing the undersea volcanic activities, at least temporarily. They returned to the large helicopter and it was then that Ash saw that his parents were there and they saw him.

Simultaneously, the broken pieces of files that the system was analyzing were finally processed. The program popped up to the surface of the screen above the other applications. What was contained in the recovered hard drive, among other things, were video files taken years ago. The full files could not be restored from the damaged storage device, but a few scenes could be saved. The screen was flooded with a collection of screen shots of different people that were at present over a decade older than in the images. A boy with black hair wearing red, a slightly older boy with brown hair wearing blue, a girl with brown hair and a pokeball necklace.

There were also pictures of many different pokemon, but the one thing that caught everyone's attention were the pictures of a boy who looked a lot like Ash. He was in the company of two others, identifiable as Misty and Brock. Giovanni looked at the pictures in puzzlement, "those pictures."

"They were... in a hard drive from the ruins," Pixel quietly replied, feeling the tension building up in the air.

After looking at the pictures for a moment longer, Giovanni looked at Delia, who seemed worried. Then he looked at Ash, "why are your pictures here? What was here? What do you know about..." The blurry image of the white and purple pokemon resurfaced in his mind, becoming slightly clearer. "What do you know about Mewtwo?"

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Diamond 101: Give me Harmony

At New Island, Giovanni, Delia, Petrel, Luke, Comet and Pixel stood in silent suspense as they waited for Ash to answer Giovanni's question. A hard drive was found in the ruins of New Island in bad conditions. However, a relatively small amount of data could be retrieved from it. The processed files revealed screen shots of Ash from an incomplete video file taken over ten years ago. It was a very suspicious finding, which the Team Rocket leader was set on unraveling.

Ash stared at the images on the screen. He guessed that the images must have been recorded by Mewtwo, maybe before he made the choice to invite him to New Island. He had no idea such files existed and it was even more shocking that they would be found after so many years. The past was something that could never truly be left behind and had to be faced. Ash's memories had been unlocked faster after his trip to that other world, thanks to his aura abilities. He could remember everything from New Island with the clarity that the events would have if his memories had not been locked.

Ash tried to say something, but found himself unable to find the words. He thought that after the problems with the virus were solved, things would be calm. He would get to know his father as someone more than just the leader of Team Rocket. He would be optimistic and look at the positive side of each situation, the side his mother noticed. He didn't want a conflict to arise, he didn't want to be placed against his father, he didn't want to think of Giovanni in that light. He wanted to see him as the gym leader, as a skilled trainer, not as the man who used pokemon for power.

The large screen displaying the images suddenly went black. Taken by surprise, Pixel tried to make the computer system respond, but the keyboard was dead. "What's happening? Prism, are you okay?"

The words 'intruder alert' flashed red on the screen and the machine screeched as the main CPU began to overheat.

"Prism, what's happening, respond! Sapphire, come in Sapphire," Pixel's voice was cut off by the sound of the computer short circuiting. The electric shockwave pushed those gathered there away, towards the front of the spacious helicopter. An unconscious PorygonZ, Prism, was thrown out of the computer and materialized outside of the cyber space.

When the unexpected technological problems quieted, the computer system was surrounded by a stream of smoke, completely fried beyond functioning. All the portable sensors that had been released outside were deactivated and unresponsive. "The data!" Giovanni knew that Ash had more answers than what he could obtain from the scraps found at the New Island ruins, but he still wanted that data to have another perspective to look at.

"I was transmitting it to headquarters, it should have been saved there," Pixel made a quick call on her cell phone directed at Ariana, who wondered why the stream of data had suddenly become disconnected. At least she could confirm that the data which had been recovered thus far was safely delivered to the Viridian headquarters databases. The strange incident that caused the malfunction and the apparent invasion of an unknown hacker was being investigated.

"Looks like there's even more things than we thought going on," Petrel commented on the unexpected occurrence.

"Let the executives take care of this mystery, I have another mystery to solve," Giovanni decided. "You can all return on this helicopter. Even if the computer server is clearly out of order, it's separate from the flight controls, so this won't be a problem for transportation. Ash, Delia and I will return on the smaller helicopter." It was a final choice that left no room for argument. The three of them exited the large helicopter and headed towards the small one. Both flying machines were painted black; the big one had a red R on its side, while the smaller one had a green leaf, the symbol of the Earth badge of Viridian.

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Though Giovanni had begun to ask his questions in the air, Delia insisted that they should talk calmly when they landed. Even if he was impatient to know, Giovanni took Delia's advice, given that he was currently piloting the helicopter. Besides, Ash didn't look like he could say anything at the moment even if he tried.

The helicopter landed not at the Viridian gym, but instead at Giovanni's mansion near Victory Road. The trip went by in silence, save for a small sound from Ash's cell phone when he received a text message from Gary pressuring him to hurry to Pallet Town. Ash replied with a simple 'not now' text message that conveyed a world of emotion. He knew that somehow, Gary would understand that he had a lot to deal with and he would be there as soon as he could.

When Rex received the three arrivals to the mansion he couldn't help it but to wonder if someone had died, since their expressions seemed so solemn. There was also an underlying frustration in Giovanni's eyes, worry in Delia and an intense look in Ash's eyes that went from sad, to frightened to completely lost, depending on which thought currently ran through his head.

As they made their way into the mansion to find a quiet place to sit and talk, they didn't even hear Rex mentioning that the Viridian mayor had stopped by and was still at the mansion. Rune was about to leave when he found Giovanni, Delia and Ash on his way out. "You're back! I was just talking to your staff about a party. We could have it at the gym. It will be a celebration of the antidote and the health and peace that it will bring, an oath to prosperity and an excellent campaign closing! I know Kenobi is the official new candidate, but you know I can't seem to stay away from these things. Between your home staff and mine, all the food can be easily prepared. Some delicious custom made recipes would really stand out. I'm sure we can also find a way to integrate a forest theme to it, what do you think? It will be grand!"

"Rune," Giovanni growled with unparalleled fury. For a moment, mayor Antilles thought the Rocket boss would hit him again and that time he wouldn't live to tell the tale. Thankfully, no physical violence occurred, as Giovanni finished with his usual, "shut up!"

"Yes, sir!" Fearing for his life, mayor Antilles ran out in a panic. He concluded that this was not a good day to talk to Giovanni about parties.

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Meanwhile, at the Viridian Rocket headquarters, the unexpected technological difficulties experienced at New Island were interpreted. Archer, Ariana and Proton were joined by Petrel at a conference room. The agents who were present at the time of the event on New Island were there as well, which included Luke, Comet and Pixel.

"It has been determined that what happened to the equipment on New Island was no accident, nor was it directly caused by an enemy. It was our own Sapphire who, with the help of Diamond, rendered the equipment useless," Archer seriously explained. Sapphire was the satellite inhabiting PorygonZ in charge of the sensors and espionage equipment, while Diamond was on top of the digital command chain and supported the security of each individual PorygonZ in the digital domain of Team Rocket. "The PorygonZ acted in such a way due to an intruder trying to take control of Sapphire. The intruder was traced back to New Island, to the Team Rocket equipment. Agent Pixel, what do you have to say about this?"

"The intruder was obviously using some kind of cover up, it wasn't me," Pixel was annoyed not to have noticed such a thing.

"The hacking did indeed have its origin elsewhere," Ariana confirmed. "However, we have no solid proof of this or a way to pin point where it started. The only reason we know this is because, given the speed at which you were sending us processed data, you must have been pushing the equipment's CPU to its limits, running various instances of the architectural simulation programs in high precision mode. For the data to arrive here at HQ at such a rate, it is the only explanation. Taking that into consideration, you would not have enough system resources left to do the hacking. Make sure such things don't slip by in the future."

"Yes, ma'am..." Pixel's mind was elsewhere, thinking of what could have happened and why neither the system's security, nor Prism, nor she, noticed it.

"Luke, it's time for you to be integrated to your new duties," Proton had a hint of annoyance in his voice, though it was directed at the situation rather than Luke. "While you're training pokemon and playing war general with an army of rookies, I'll be buried in this investigation. You're probably too nice to really mess with the rookies, what a waste," Proton made an exaggerated annoyed face, which far from proving a point, only served to amuse all those present.

"That's like totally awesome, man!" Luke didn't even try to feel sorry for Proton and his participation in a long and arduous investigation. He was too focused on looking forward to his new assignments.

"That's all for now, you may return to your duties," Archer announced, which prompted Luke, Comet and Pixel to leave the conference room.

After they were gone, Petrel observed Archer's pensive state and inquired, "what is it?"

"That girl is friends with Delia. If it turns out she's a traitor, it will make things difficult. She is also close to Comet, who is among our best agents. He's Luke's son and Luke just regained Giovanni's trust after pursuing that goal for a long time," Archer voiced seriously, his face stern with concern in his eyes. "I believe in Luke's loyalty and his son has been raised on the principal of loyalty to Team Rocket. However, Pixel is an outsider, recruited from an entirely different environment, an environment from which one would not guess a Rocket agent would come."

Following her husband's train of thought, Ariana continued, "Comet is young and has the same carefree attitude of his father. Though he was raised to be a loyal Rocket, I wonder if his optimism will be his betrayal. Would he take her side if she's a traitor, believing things will somehow work out and she'll change into a loyal Rocket? They are a couple after all. If Comet joins her, then what will Luke do? He's loyal to Giovanni, but is clearly very attached to his son."

"Aren't we going too far?" Petrel voiced. "Pixel could be innocent; the set up might have really just slipped by. With the earthquakes, finding those files at the ruins and worrying about Giovanni being trapped underground, it was a pretty distracting atmosphere. She probably didn't notice she was being used as a cover up. We at least know that she wasn't the one doing the hacking on Sapphire's satellite, right? Besides, who would be stupid enough to do something traitorous when Giovanni is so close by? One would think a computer geek is smarter than that."

"So it would seem," Archer accepted the point. "There are too many questions related to this incident. The PorygonZ satellite project is a key step towards world domination, one that must be firmly established and tested beyond a doubt. There might be someone out to ruin everything and we need to make sure that doesn't happen. To top it all up, there's also the matter concerning New Island, which is Giovanni's main focus right now."

"So it's up to us to hunt down the culprit for the Sapphire incident and defend the satellites. At least we know Sapphire and Diamond's security is working, even if the programs haven't been fully integrated. Such an important step..." Proton's face turned serious. "We'll have to be extra careful. Whoever gets in our way will regret it. Giovanni made it pretty clear, he's got his own battle, this is our fight."

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In one of the top security underground laboratories, Binks was working on a few experiments. He had become far more active, focused and capable since Aayla returned to headquarters. In a sea of shades of gray, the fluorescent colored liquids in the small glass vials stood out. Binks added green and blue liquids from glass vials into a clear beaker and set it aside for the moment, allowing the colors to mix oddly and become a metallic silvery substance. He looked over at the lab's corner where Aayla was curled up sleeping. He had tried to find a more comfortable place for her to rest, but she ignored him and stayed there. "You're grieving, aren't you? You don't fully remember, but somehow you know." Binks looked at her sadly and let out a hollow breath. "At least Secura can rest in peace and her curse didn't overtake the world. We can have some time of peace now."

Aayla had in truth been awake and listening. Her ears moved slightly as she looked at Binks and shook her head. "Do not assume what you do not know and doubt what you do." For the first time Aayla spoke the human language, proving that she did still have the ability to do so, even if she had been out of practice. "There are those who are created by nature and those who originated as a consequence of humans. Be it by consequence or nature, they exist within the mysteries of life. However, those who were made by the hands of humans with a purpose and not as a consequence or natural phenomena are different, for now. They will have to join us, they will have to live with us, or else they will not live at all, merely existing."

Binks felt as if he was frozen. He didn't understand what Aayla was talking about, but it sounded both significant and cryptic. "What does that mean?" Binks managed to push out the words.

"Time will tell, it is not something that science can heal. To grant life, that is something that we may ask for, it is something that we may attempt to trigger, but in the end, the choice of granting such a wish belongs to another." Aayla once again closed her eyes and rested her head on her paws. "I am only here to see how the unfinished business will end," she muttered quietly before drifting off into a heavy slumber.

"Please explain!" No matter how much Binks urgently insisted, Aayla did not speak of her strange interpretation any more. However, it was a confirmed fact that Akira had indeed passed away. Perhaps her words were a reference to the existence of an immortal soul, or maybe they weren't directed at Secura at all. What if she was denying his assessment that a time of peace would come? Binks tried to turn his attention to the experiments again, but found himself overwhelmed with worry and confusion. His hands trembled as he tried to set the vial he picked up back on its holder, but his reflexes were terribly clumsy. "I don't want to lose sight of reality... I don't want this..." He finally managed to place the vial where it belonged and stumbled away from the table.

His loyal Raticate was by his side as usual, looking up at him with worry. Binks picked her up and held her in his trembling arms. He approached the resting Aayla and sat down on the floor next to her to wait for the inexplicable shadows that his mind conjured to leave the room and let him be. In the end, though he had improved, he had no hope for a real cure, no hope for medication to free him completely. Frightened beyond reason, despite knowing there was nothing to be afraid of, he waited for the worst to pass. He looked at Aayla and his sadness surpassed fear. "Why must I do what you say, even if it hurts me so much to think it will hurt you? I don't want you to carry this pain."

With the removal of so many blood cells to conjure the main ingredient of the antidote that brought forth Pokerus, Aayla was left weak. It was at her insistence that her blood was taken, as she did not possess the energy to heal all the affected pokemon faster than the terrible epidemic could spread. However, mass-producing the antidote with just a tiny sample of her blood cells, a few drops diluted in a bottle of chemicals, was enough to end the epidemic. As her healing blood was removed, when her body recovered, the essence of Pokerus would weaken and more blood cells would be required for the next batch of antidote to be made. The antidote was not infinite, but Pokerus could spread from one pokemon to another after the antidote was administrated, hence a relatively small amount of antidote could make a big difference by its side effects of spreading its healing.

Aayla's power would still be weakened as a consequence of the lack of Pokerus concentration in her system, which her body had become accustomed and even dependant to. She could no longer teleport and the illusions that she created were easier to break. Her movements, though still relatively agile, were also not as fast as they were before. She slept more often, surrendering to an exhaustion that seemed to remain with her even after hours of sleep. It was her choice none the less to spread the cure as quickly as possible; it was her personal mission which she convinced Binks to help her with in taking the sample from her.

xoxox xox xoxox

At the mansion, Delia, Ash and Giovanni were in one of the many sitting rooms. This particular one had a circular couch as the centerpiece with a round gold plated table in the middle. The area where the black leather circle opened to allow people to sit within it, was adorned with a pair of statues on either side, both also covered in gold. The statues were detailed, though their similarities to the pokemon they represented, Lugia and Ho-oh, were left in theory in many ways. The carpet was a neutral gray, which made the gold stand out further.

Triangle shaped topazes lined with golden frames formed a majestic chandelier overhead. All in all, the room seemed far too fancy for a simple place to talk. The round table could be used to host a fancy dinner and most other activities seemed out of place there. However, the three current occupants of the room had other things to think about. Giovanni faced Delia and Ash, which made the atmosphere of an interrogation invade the room even before the first words were spoken.

"Let him go..." Ash whispered so softly that his voiced seemed to be lost into nothingness. "Please, just let him go."

"You do know where Mewtwo is," with every passing moment, Giovanni felt as if his memories became clearer. He saw himself in control of Mewtwo, then fighting to recapture him.

"Not exactly," Ash truthfully replied. He didn't know, and wouldn't say even if he did, what Mewtwo's exact location was, but he had an idea.

Seeing that Ash had falling into a long silence, face downcast, Giovanni addressed Delia. "What do you know about Mewtwo?"

"You used him to battle, but that wasn't the whole of your plan, it couldn't have been." Delia spoke softly, trying to keep her voice even and calm. "He escaped and you tracked him down. You tried to catch him by force. You should just let him go, he's a living being!"

"Mom..." Ash's soft whisper interrupted as Delia's voice had become upset. "Let me... You should... I really think you should stay here. You've done a lot of good, more than you might realize, I can feel it. Please stay here. I'll be the one to go."

Delia's eyes widened as she perceived the hidden meaning of her son's words. Ash knew that this argument would run deep; he knew that he might end up having to separate from his father for some time. He was asking her to stay by Giovanni's side. He could feel her influence on him, even if it was a slow and gentle process that would take a life time to fully take effect. Even so, it was significant and it was something only she could do. "I can't, I..." Delia closed her eyes and breathed, her heart was already racing. She had always chosen Giovanni, she chose him over herself, over justice and over her own family with the exception of her son. Now her son was asking her to stand by his father's side even if he couldn't.

"Please," Ash insisted, lifting his gaze for the first time since his arrival, to meet his mother's eyes. "This is what's best, so please." Pikachu remained quiet by Ash's side the whole time.

With tears starting to form in her eyes, Delia accepted Ash's request. "I trust you."

"Thank you," Ash stood and looked at his father in all seriousness. "I know what will happen if I tell you about Mewtwo and you know I'll try to stop you if you pursue him. We'll decide in a battle. Show me your full power, if I can't win, then I'll tell you everything I know about Mewtwo."

From that point on, everything became a blur to Delia. She followed them outside to witness their battle, but was sent back. It wouldn't be safe to get too close. She would watch from the window while they battled behind the mansion. The structure was equipped with a state of the art security system to protect it from pokemon attacks. The system recently underwent considerable upgrades. As she watched from the window, she recognized the pain in her heart. It was the pain that came when people dear to her stood against each other. She had felt it before, but this time it was more intense than ever. It reminded her of another occasion when she also felt as if she was caught in the middle and at the same time wasn't there at all.

xoxox xox xoxox

Years earlier, when Giovanni had just recently become the gym leader... At the police station, Jenny let out a defeated breath as she gathered her things. It was time for her to retire though she was still of age to keep working. She felt as if she had done enough, let her cousins do the rest until it was time for her daughter and nieces to step forward and keep up the family tradition of working towards upholding law and order. She might wear a law enforcement uniform again, but only as a privately hired guard, since she was still too young to retire completely.

She didn't feel right about handing in her badge, but she didn't feel wrong about it either. She knew the truth about the new Viridian gym leader, Giovanni. After losing a battle to him, her own battles felt insignificant by comparison. She hoped that the facet of his persona who believed in his pokemon would overpower the side of him that was too ambitious. At the time, from her perspective, it looked as if he was just barely balanced.

Jenny heard some quiet but firm footsteps approaching and instinctively looked up in mild curiosity. She didn't expect to see anyone procuring her, let alone him. "Is it true?" A man noticeably older than Jenny, with graying brown hair inquired. "Is it true that you're leaving us?"

"Superintendent..." she breathed, "yes, I'm afraid so. It seems my heart just isn't in it lately."

"Our battle is far from over," the police superintendent spoke sternly, his voice a mix of disappointment and grief.

"I feel as if I'm only a bystander," Jenny admitted. "If that's what I am, then I might as well stand back and watch."

"I'm going to expose him," the superintendent's voice was determined and unbreakable. "Everyone is opposed to the idea; they speak of the consequences of picking a fight. Some even see Team Rocket in a positive light because they defeated the other gangs that used to plague Kanto. That was something that the police force couldn't do. I was overwhelmed just trying to clean the force of double agents and small gangs. They even did that for me. During their operation the corrupt officers stepped into the war and were ultimately processed thanks to their involvement against Team Rocket. They were ironically finally doing their job in a sense when they were at last exposed and arrested."

"Then maybe Kanto really is better off in his hands," Jenny quietly spoke.

"Never!" The superintendent slammed his fist into the desk with a loud noise that made all eyes in the station land on him. He cleared his throat as if telling everyone to mind their own business. The officers continued working, pretending they were unaware of the superintendent's conversation. "If we leave justice in the hands of someone who is more so a villain than a vigilante we will regret it."

"So you'd leave it up to a vigilante then?" Jenny challenged, knowing all too well what the answer would be.

"Absolutely not," the superintendent frowned sternly.

Jenny sighed, she was younger than the superintendent and thus in theory less experienced, but it looked to her that he was throwing a tantrum because someone did his job more effectively than him. The superintendent was usually an understanding and kind person, albeit today he was clearly frustrated. He was an honorable man who would do anything for justice, to defend the innocent and protect the good. None the less, he was only human, a human who commanded little power despite his position.

The superintendent was expected to clean out the corruption from the police and rid Kanto of its dangerous era of gangs. The era had seemingly ended, though by someone else's hand and at a price that would truly be revealed in the future. "It's time to reclaim Kanto."

Jenny set the box she was holding with her belongings back on the desk. "Maybe I should stay for a while longer, if you don't mind."

"All honest officers are welcomed and appreciated," the superintendent excused himself with those words, leaving Jenny to reorganize her desk.

Jenny still didn't feel as if her authority could do much, but she wanted to see what was to come up close and maybe act if the opportunity came. She stood not for the law or the police; she would stand for what she thought was best for Kanto, regardless of what that entailed.

"Jenny, is it true you're leaving?" A male officer, slightly younger than her, though certainly not a rookie, inquired.

Jenny smiled as if the thought of quitting had never crossed her mind. She tugged away the envelope with her resignation letter in her pocket. "Of course not, I'm just cleaning my desk."

As her coworker left, she noticed that a name plate had been placed on the desk that used to belong to the chief of the station. The chief had been put into trial after conspiring with some of the gangs which Team Rocket later disbanded. At least the police force could start anew; thinking about that, Jenny became a little more optimistic. She read over the name plate that sat on the chief's desk, it looked like the superintendent would act as the Viridian police chief himself.

Then a thought occurred to Jenny, the superintendent had been very busy with the internal affairs of the police, it was only natural that he had no time to keep up with the news. He only knew the basics about what had happened, he only knew about Giovanni. He had not heard about the lady that stood by his side. Jenny bit her lip and shook her head. She finished organizing her desk and sat down to go over some reports. Before immersing herself completely in the written works, she glanced at the name plate on the chief's desk one last time, but chose to remain silent.

xoxox xox xoxox

Diamond 102: Give me Fortitude

Kanto was beginning to feel the change of most of its gangs being put behind bars. It was a chance for prosperity and growth in many ways. Viridian City had a new gym leader and a new mayor. The citizens were quite pleased, as both men appeared to be capable and dedicated. Naturally, the mayor would often socialize with the gym leader, as he felt it was his duty despite thinking the gym leader was a little scary. That socializing would lead to an alliance, which would pull another important figure to Team Rocket's side. All in all, things were looking up.

The panorama at the police station was quite different. The superintendent was stressed and very behind in his work. He had settled into his desk and finished most of his paper work. The documents were mostly about the trials that the officers affiliated with gangs would have to go through after being discovered. Team Rocket had been a relatively small gang with no connections to the police. In theory, it was due to Madame's interference. Apparently, she always made things backfire for her son when he tried to establish convenient connections with the police. It was perhaps her own way to push him into doing things on his own without assistance from double agents in the authorities and thus become stronger by his own skill, but most simply assumed she hated him.

Letting out a breath that seemed to carry all his stress, the superintendent wrote his signature in his last piece of paper work for the day. The sun had set a while ago and the day time shift had ended, giving way to the arrival of the night time officers. He tidied his work station and put away his confidential papers in a locked drawer before glancing at the photo in the corner of his desk. A slight smile appeared on his face despite all the stress he was in. He was doing this for them, for his wife, may she rest in peace and for his daughter, may she live happy and safe. It had been a long time, but he would see his daughter soon. He was anxious to hear about what she had been doing and how her pokemon studies had progressed. He felt guilty to not have kept up with her properly, but he trusted his good friend Professor Oak to guide her in his place when work kept him away.

xoxox xox xoxox

At the Viridian City gym, the second Giovanni stepped into his quarters, with his loyal baby Meowth on his shoulder, the sweet scent of perfume greeted him along with a pleasant sight. Delia was putting the finishing touches on her outfit with some light makeup that brought out her natural beauty. She wore a royal blue dress that was long enough to be formal, but short enough not to be a ball gown. The dress hugged her body nicely, without being too showy. She had her hair down, parted to the side with a sapphire hair clip and matching earrings. Her eye shadow matched her jewelry's color and her lips glowed with clear gloss.

This was exactly what Giovanni wanted to return to after a long day of catching up with his new gym leader duties, political socializing and managing Team Rocket. He could picture what would come next, a delicious romantic dinner from Delia's incomparable home cooking, a relaxing atmosphere and...

"I'll be going now, don't wait up for me," Delia picked up her purse, gave Giovanni a quick kiss, petted Meowth and headed for the bedroom door.

Giovanni felt as if a pokemon had used water gun on him. "Wait a minute, where are you going at this hour, dressed like that?" Needless to say, he wasn't pleased.

Delia sighed; she should have guessed he would forget. She smiled, still in a very good mood, "I told you about it yesterday. Tonight I'm going to meet my father for dinner. He hasn't had time for me lately and wanted to catch up in a nice restaurant. I would invite you, but this is kind of a father daughter reunion and I don't think dad wants to share my attention with another man tonight. I'll make plans for all of us to get together in another occasion so you can meet him, as the gym leader, I mean... since he's with the police."

"Your father is a police officer?" Giovanni received yet another shock, which felt like being hit by an ice beam attack.

"I told you this weeks ago," Delia reminded. You replied, and I quote, "does that mean you're an undercover officer here to seduce me into turning myself in?"

"You know I wasn't really listening!" Giovanni admitted what he felt was obvious, watching as Delia smiled and giggled.

"We have a lot to talk about, I haven't seen my biological father in ages," Delia explained.

"I do remember you saying you spent most of your time studying with Professor Oak," Giovanni recalled. Delia had told him about how her mother passed away when she was very young due to an illness that she, fortunately, did not inherit. Her father was always buried in work and often left her with her teacher, Professor Oak, who raised her more so than her own father. "So you're going to see your father, who you're not even all that close to and is a police officer no less, instead of spending time with me?"

"That's all the more reason why I should see him!" Delia insisted, then reassured, "at his age, he's no doubt a step away from retirement." She never imagined that as things stood, her father had no intentions of retiring until he was physically unable to continue working. "I want to take the first step to become closer to him. I want him to know he can count on me and that I understand that he had to take care of his career to support me, even if I would much rather have a lot less growing up if it meant spending more time with him. That aside, I knew he had good intentions and he made sure I was always well looked after. Professor Oak was like another father to me and I never felt neglected." She took a deep breath and finished, "so you see, I really have to go see him. We have a lot of catching up to do so we might stay up late talking. You should get some rest and we'll spend some time together tomorrow. You don't even have to tell me anything about secrecy; you know I won't breathe a word."

"I trust you," Giovanni assured, "it's just surprising..." It wasn't all bad if he thought about it in the right light. The police didn't seem to represent an obstacle at the moment, even more so because they were understaffed after their internal clean up. Yet the fact remained that Jenny and who knows how many more officers, knew of his secret identity. "What if he knows who I am? What if he just wants to take you away from me?"

This was a whole other side to Giovanni that rarely showed, the side of him that was protective. Delia stayed comfortably in his embrace for a while. "I won't say a word, I promise." Delia felt a little guilty to hide the truth about her boyfriend from her biological father, yet with Professor Oak's acceptance of the relationship, though he certainly wasn't thrilled about it, she felt as if she could face anyone's disapproval or ignorant bliss with a straight face. That man was her biological father, but she would be lying if she denied feeling that Professor Oak was the main parental figure in her life. "No one is going to separate us."

xoxox xox xoxox

The police station was a short walk from the Viridian gym, but Giovanni insisted on driving Delia anyway. He didn't need to hide as the gym leader and dropped her off without incident. The police superintendent and current chief of the Viridian City police station, Davin Ketchum, exited the building just in time to see a young woman getting out of a car and the car driving off. He met the lady at the door, taking a moment to recognize her. "Delia?" He spoke unsure, barely above a whisper.

The young woman smiled, looking even more like her mother had in her healthier days. "Hi, dad." She went to hug the man she had not seen for a long time. He looked noticeably older than when she last saw him. He had lost some weight and had sleepless bags under his eyes, plus his hair had become grayer.

"Look at you, my little girl is all grown up," he spoke with a hint of sadness at having missed most of that process, though he still managed to make himself smile. "You look so much like your mother. But let's not talk out here," he began to lead her towards his car, "we'll have a nice dinner and talk until we catch up on everything."

xoxox xox xoxox

The atmosphere at the restaurant was elegant and peaceful. After the waiter left with their order, the father and daughter began to catch up on the happenings of each other's lives. "How are your studies with Professor Oak going? I haven't really spoken to him in a while," or to her. "We've both been busy; me with the police and I can only imagine how busy the epidemic has kept Samuel and you. At least the antidote is finally out there." Davin was aware of Team Rocket's involvement in that process, but chose not to mention them.

"Everything is fine now." The conversation was barely getting started and Delia already felt as if she hit a wall. "I actively participated in the research process to find an antidote." It was paraphrased, but it was still mostly true if the term research was used loosely. "I'm really glad it was finally discovered. Right now I have another job as a..." how could she define what she did for Giovanni while making it sound like a regular job? "A pokemon training assistant and secretary."

"Then you're not researching anymore?" Delia's father tried to mask the hint of disappointment in his voice. He had hoped she would become a pokemon scientist, doctor or nurse. However, as long as Delia was safe, he would be okay with the career she chose. "What do you do in your new job?"

"Lot's of things," Delia smiled and willed herself to act natural. "I help train pokemon, tend to them and take care of some business related things on the side."

The description was too general and short for Davin's liking, but he understood that his daughter might not be ready to talk as if they saw each other often, because they didn't. He blamed himself for the invisible wall between them and knew the process of bringing it down would be a slow one; so slow perhaps that it could not be done alongside his job. Yet he had to build a good world for his daughter, he found justification in that mission. "I've had some changes in my career too," Davin ventured off to speak a little about himself in hopes of building a familiarity that would encourage his daughter to tell him more about her own life. "I'm the police superintendent now." After those words were spoken, the waiter returned with their meals, setting the plates and cups on the table.

"What?" A worried expression overtook Delia's face. Her father took it logically and assumed she worried about the possible dangers of his job. He reminded himself that she was no longer a little girl, thus was more aware of the less pleasant happenings of the world.

The waiter thought the expression was directed at the food and with the most apologetic look he could muster, he asked, "is something not to your liking, my lady?"

"I'm sorry," Delia laughed quietly and tried to lighten the atmosphere. "I was simply surprised by my father's news. Dinner looks delicious, thank you."

"I am glad you think so," the waiter was visibly relieved. "If you need anything at all, please let me know and I will be happy to get it for you. It is an honor to have you here with us, Lady Roketto."

All color drained from Delia's face as her father's countenance turned red in anger, "what did you call her?" The police superintendent demanded furiously.

The waiter bowed regretfully, "my deepest apologies, I will use more discretion in the future."

"This isn't about discretion, what do you know about the Roketto? Why did you call my daughter that? Do they have connections in the police? I will clean the force of double agents if it's the last thing I do!" Davin glared in enraged frustration at the waiter, who seemed to be at a loss for words.

The outburst brought forth the attention of several other customers, as well as the restaurant manager, who rushed over to calm the situation. "Go back to the kitchen," the manager sternly sent the waiter away, then faced the angry man and the distressed young lady. "I apologize if you were offended. I will assign you a new waiter and your meal shall be on the house." They were aware of who Giovanni was through the connections the establishment's owner shared with the mayor.

Enraged to seemingly be counted as an ally of the mafia, Davin was about to angrily reply, but there was yet another interruption. "Delia!" Rune Antilles' loud voice bellowed from across the elegant dinning hall, adorned in gold and green. He hurried to the other side of the restaurant taking his young son's hand to make him dash along with him and signaling for his wife to follow. While Rune clumsily made his way towards the commotion, dragging a confused young Kenobi along, who only wanted to finish his barely started dessert; Naberrie Antilles, who sometimes chouse to go by her maiden name of Naberrie Coruscant, wife of Rune and mother of Kenobi, made her way over in a slow and regal fashion. She possessed grace that made her husband's occasional ineptness seem far too mismatched for her.

"You are the newly elected mayor," Davin recognized Rune and further wondered what was going on. There were rumors about the new mayor forming an alliance with the gym leader, even if no proof could be found of any wrong doings. The fact remained that the mayor and the gym leader seemed to be good friends in the public eye and that was suspicious enough.

"Yes, yes I am and I am quite pleased and ready to keep my promises of making Viridian City a better place!" After his brief acknowledgement to the man who he didn't realize was the new police superintendent and Viridian police chief; Rune directed his happy outburst towards Delia. "It's so wonderful that you're here. Perhaps you'd consider joining my family's table after you are finished with your business? We would be so honored. Oh, yes, this is my son, Kenobi." Rune finally released the boy's hand, remembering that he had dragged him over with the purpose of introducing him to Delia.

"Kenobi, greet the lady properly," in the span of time that had passed, Naberrie had since caught up to her husband at her own composed pace. Her voice was sweet yet commanding. The color of her hair and eyes were nothing like her son's who at first glance seemed to take completely after his father with black hair and green eyes. However, if one set aside her sky blue eyes and her hair which seemed to be an eternal debate between purple and crimson, it was possible to notice some of her features in her son. Her angular thin nose, long shape of the eyes and pronounced facial features made their appearance in her son in a more boyish manner that was a definite contrast to his father's nearly square head and full cheeks.

At his mother's voice, Kenobi bowed like a gentleman of times passed asking a noble lady to dance. He took Delia's delicate hand in his small one and placed a kiss on it. "I am Kenobi Antilles Coruscant, at your service dear lady."

"And I am Naberrie Coruscant of Antilles," the lady added. "It is fortunate that we have met."

"Coruscant?!" Davin was further angered by the mention of the name of a mafia family, though it was a name of the past. The Coruscant clan was no longer as big as it used to be, some said consumed by the Roketto and others theorized sabotaged by one of its own members.

"My name is Delia Ketchum, I am pleased to meet you both," Delia replied formally while throwing a worried glance at her father, who was feeling utterly ignored and disrespected.

"Should I find a bigger table for everyone?" The restaurant manager could feel the tension in the air and wanted the situation to settle down as quickly as possible.

"My husband and I have already dined and were only waiting for our son to consume his dessert. However, I believe Lady Delia's dinner yet remains untouched. Perhaps she would enjoy dinning under the stars, let us move to a table on the roof." Naberrie's elegant and commanding voice once again left no room for argument. Her young son discreetly tugged on the skirt of her dress, the smooth fabric an undecided color between dark purple and black, depending on the angle and light. The boy's silent message was answered by his mother's hand briefly resting on his head. "We would also like for our son's dessert to be moved there as well and do prepare some coffee for my husband and I." She did not have to specify which kind because they already knew what to get for her.

"This is an outrage!" Davin exploded, "I know who you are." He pointed accusingly at Naberrie, who merely chuckled in indifference.

The elegant woman twirled her long hair around her fingers, accentuated with dark crimson nails that matched her lipstick. She allowed her hair to fall over one shoulder, the other bare in her elegant dress. "Delia, darling, you have much to learn about controlling your business, they are a double edged sword after all." She began to walk away placing a friendly arm around Delia's shoulder and leaning in to whisper things the other woman didn't understand as they walked away from the scene.

Delia, confused beyond reason, allowed Naberrie to lead her away towards the luxurious stairs. Kenobi cheerfully followed walking beside his mother. Rune was the last to react and scurried along after them, not before telling the frustrated superintendent, "we should go," still unaware of who Davin was in more ways than one. Rune had learned that when Naberrie spoke everyone was to remain silent, especially him, as she often pointed out that he had the most vexing ability to say the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Visibly fuming, Davin followed the group to the roof of the restaurant, intending to resolve the conflict of confusion that overtook him and find out what kind of connection those dreadful people may have with his dear sweet daughter.

As soon as they were on the roof, away from prying eyes and ears, Davin demanded to know, "what is the meaning of this? Do you people intend to threaten my daughter?" As he threw out the accusation, he pulled Delia away from Naberrie and reached for his police gun.

"That was a most unwise move," Naberrie's icy glare chilled the atmosphere, no one could ignore her strong presence. The click of a dozen sniper rifles being readied echoed through the silence as Davin released his gun into its holster and left it there. He knew it would do him no good to try to defend his daughter against such terrible odds. He could barely see the silhouettes of the hidden guards in the darkness.

"You planned this, you somehow knew that I would be here," Davin was frustrated for taking so long to react. He wanted answers in relation to his daughter's apparent recognition of the mayor, who turned out to be the husband of a lady of the mafia. He should have known Delia must be utterly confused; they must be strangers to her, whom she politely humored because she recognized the Viridian mayor's face. "Leave Delia out of this, she's innocent!"

Unable to stand it any longer, Delia finally spoke, "enough of this. I would like to know what's going on. What business do you have with my father?"

"None what so ever, my dear, sit, eat, your dinner will become cold," Naberrie took a seat at the table, signaling for Delia to do the same. "Do not feel threatened, friend, the guards are here to protect you as much as they are here to protect me."

"Delia is not your friend!" Davin tried to stop his daughter from sitting down, but could not.

"Father, please calm down," Delia spoke as evenly and urgently as she could while suppressing the alarm in her voice. "Sit, eat and relax. I will take care of the situation."

Davin sat down next to Delia, but did not touch his meal. Kenobi sat between his mother and Delia, closer to Naberrie, absorbed in the enjoyable process of eating his cake, slowly and properly. Rune sat at Naberrie's other side, silent save for the quiet thanks he offered the restaurant manager when he brought coffee for him and his wife.

Taking a deep breath, Delia tried to sort the mess that lay before her. "First of all I must clarify that I am here to have a nice quiet dinner with my father, I am not conducting any business."

"I see," Naberrie observed, her eyes focused on a point beyond the table as if staring off into the distance in superiority. "Though you both had the name of Ketchum," she spoke of Delia presently counting her as a Roketto, "I had assumed that the title of father was something you reserved for Professor Samuel Oak of Pallet Town."

Delia stiffened; the last thing she wanted was to add something hurtful to the already nerve-wrecking mess. "This is not the issue at hand," she neutrally spoke. "Davin Ketchum is my biological father and I appreciate him. If you know about Professor Oak, if you know so much about me, then you must be will informed about my purpose for being here tonight."

"Indeed," Naberrie confirmed. "No more charades, I will go to the point and tell you the story, but that man's determination is a hindrance so I would rather he not hear it. Fear not, he will not be harmed, I just want him to leave for a short while." With a discreet nod, Naberrie called two of her armed guards, who stepped forward to escort Davin away.

"Go with them, it'll be okay," Delia assured, though she was uncertain of it herself. What she did know was that she felt frustrated. That frustration evolved into anger and her seldom dried patience ran short. As soon as her father was out of sight and thus presumably out of earshot, Delia spoke as bravely as she could. She could feel the invincibility of a vigilante once again, but there was something dark about it. It was as if the vigilante, though still powerful, had been corrupted. She pushed the worries away and stayed strong. "If you are so well informed, then you must know who I am beyond a name and face. You must know the power of the Roketto." She glanced at Rune, who seemed far easier to intimidate and far less intimidating then Naberrie. Then with her best impression of an angry Giovanni, Delia dangerously warned, "if what you have offered the Roketto is a false alliance..." She purposely trailed off into silence, her glare unbreakable, leaving a nervous Rune to picture all the horrors his imagination could come up with.

The mayor began to sweat and shift uncomfortably in his seat. Kenobi was enjoying the last portion of his slice of cake while ignoring the grown up talk and Naberrie remained unfazed. "On the contrary," Naberrie's sweet voice pierced the atmosphere with the strength of a thousand knives. "This is the proof of our true alliance." Naberrie paused and glanced at her son, who had finished his dessert and sat quietly waiting. "Kenobi, would you like a chocolate shake?" Offer a child sweets and regardless of the amount of food recently consumed, the child will gladly agree, Kenobi was no exception to the rule.

"I would love one," Kenobi smiled with the true innocence of a child.

"Rune, why don't you take Kenobi downstairs and get a chocolate shake? Delia and I will stay here and talk woman to woman," Naberrie smiled, her face serene yet somehow still commanding.

"Yes, darling!" Rune was all too happy to get a breather from the tense atmosphere. Kenobi paid the guards no mind, as his mother had told him they were present to keep them safe and it would be impolite to stare at them. Rune never truly got used to his wife's way of life, which he considered to be excessive in terms of danger.

To be Continued

Disclaimer, I don't own Pokemon. The semi-transparent pokeballs are from a manga. The video files found at New Island are from the start of the Mewtwo Strikes Back movie.