Chapter 8

"The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it."

Moliere

"We've been working with the building's security, and no one has noticed anything out of the ordinary," Domino said, following Giovanni through the towering glass doors into the busy casino. "Still, 006 and I have been doing perimeter checks every couple of hours. No sign of any Gold Rockets."

"Good," Giovanni replied. "I don't think anyone has caught on to the change in plans for the meeting, but keep doing the perimeter checks just in case."

Domino nodded. "Yes, sir."

Giovanni sighed as Domino slipped away into the crowd. The past two days had been a nightmare. First, Delia and his officers had been attacked on the same night. Then only hours later, he received a tip that security for the meeting he planned to hold in Goldenrod City had been compromised. It had been a major headache to modify everyone's travel arrangements in a way that wouldn't draw Manieri's attention, but he finally managed to relocate everything to the old Team Rocket base in Celadon City.

"This way," Giovanni said to Persian, who hesitated uncertainly at the entrance to the crowded casino floor.

The Eclipse Hotel and Casino had long been a cornerstone of Team Rocket's profitability. Madame Boss had built it in the heart of Celadon City's gaming district as one of Team Rocket's primary legitimate business ventures. Giovanni had largely abandoned the Team Rocket base hidden on the casino's grounds in favor of his more modern headquarters, but the hideout still remained operational in case of emergencies.

The chiming of the slot machines and the clinking of poker chips filled the air. Giovanni pushed through the throngs of people surrounding the gaming tables. His officers would be waiting for him inside the headquarters itself, but they could stand to wait a little longer. He had other business to attend to first. He and Persian entered one of the sleek glass elevators at the back of the casino and rode in silence to the eighth floor. Giovanni located the room he was looking for at the end of the hall. He knocked lightly and only had to wait a few seconds for Delia to answer the door.

"Thanks again, I – " Delia's voice trailed off as her eyes met his. "Oh, hi. Um, sorry, I thought you were Domino. She was going to bring by a book for me to borrow."

"I told her I'd bring it up to you." Giovanni pulled the book out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Were you not going to open the door if you knew it was me?"

"No, it's not that! I just wasn't expecting you is all. Obviously, or I would have bothered to change."

It was true Delia didn't look quite like her usual polished self. She had evidently just come from the fitness center down the hall. A faded t-shirt hung loosely on her petite frame over a pair of running shorts. Her long hair was gathered into a messy ponytail on top of her head, and her face was still slightly flushed from her run.

"There's no need to change on my account." Giovanni wanted to tell her she would be beautiful in anything, but he quickly reminded himself that he had not come here to flirt. "I just got into town, and I wanted to see how you were doing. May I come in for a moment?"

"Oh. Sure." Delia hastily stepped aside to let him enter.

Persian followed Giovanni into the room. Delia set the book on the end table near the door and bent down to stroke the Pokemon's head.

"I think she remembers me." Delia smiled as Persian gave a contented purr.

"I imagine she would." Giovanni folded his arms across his chest as Delia turned to face him. "Domino said you were all right after the incident in Pallet Town, but I wanted to make sure you weren't injured."

"I'm fine. I was just a little shaken up afterward is all," Delia assured him.

"You're certain?" Giovanni reached out and gently tilted her face upward to inspect the cut on her cheek.

Delia's flush deepened. "It's just a scratch, really. You don't have to worry about me."

Her skin was soft and warm beneath his fingertips. Giovanni reluctantly released his grip. No matter how badly part of him wanted to hold on, he reminded himself there was no point in trying to stir up a past that was best left undisturbed.

"If you say so. I trust the accommodations are suitable?"

The room wasn't necessarily the most luxurious one the Eclipse offered, but it was open and airy. The decor consisted of tasteful neutral colors, and the large window let in plenty of light while offering a picturesque view of the Eclipse's expansive pools and gardens. Persian jumped up onto the bed and immediately settled down for a nap.

"It's a nice room," Delia said. "Thanks for letting me stay here. I don't know where else I would have gone."

"I'm glad I could be of assistance."

An awkward silence fell between them. After all the years that had passed and all the things that had changed, they couldn't exactly pick up where they left off.

"How's Ash?" Giovanni finally asked.

"He's doing great. He reminds me a lot of you, actually. He's already an accomplished Pokemon trainer for being so young. Last month he got a trainer's visa and a special invitation to go compete in the EU's Pokemon League." Delia beamed with pride. "He and his friends are challenging some of the local gym leaders, and then they'll be competing in the league championships. But you already know where he is, don't you?"

Giovanni smirked. "What makes you say that?"

"You expect me to believe that it's just a coincidence that some Team Rocket agents have been following Ash around ever since he got his first Pokemon? They're in Europe with him now, aren't they?"

Giovanni hesitated for a moment, tempted to claim no knowledge of what she was talking about. Then he decided there was no point in lying when Delia had likely already guessed the truth.

"I may have approved a request for a couple of my agents to travel to Europe. They insisted it was a necessary part of their long-standing mission to capture an unusually valuable Pikachu."

"So much for having no contact with either of us," Delia teased. "Were you always planning on making an exception to our agreement so you could keep an eye on him?"

"No. In the beginning, it was only a coincidence that my agents stumbled across Ash. When I realized who's Pokemon they were trying to steal, I took a risk and kept them on his trail," Giovanni said. "The benefits outweighed the potential danger. These particular agents are too dull-witted to wonder why I want a single Pikachu so badly, but they're loyal. If there was any Gold Rocket activity in the area, they would report it to me. It was an easy way to make sure Ash was safe."

"I always figured they were tailing Ash on your orders. It made me feel better to know that someone else was looking out for him when I couldn't be there. Even if it was by having him stalked and trying to steal his Pokemon."

Giovanni shrugged. "I would have given the Pikachu back in the unlikely event that my agents were successful. Besides, some extra battles and obstacles in his way have only made him a better trainer."

"I guess you have a point." Delia smiled up at him.

She crossed to the window and looked out over the garden. As much as Giovanni tried to help himself, his gaze kept drifting to her legs. The were long for her height and shapely, and they still seemed to have the same effect on him as they did when they were twenty.

"It looks like a beautiful day," Delia said.

"What?" Giovanni wrenched his gaze off of her legs as she glanced away from the window. "Oh, yes, it is. You should get out later and do some sightseeing as long as you're here."

"Maybe," Delia said, but her tone suggested she wouldn't.

"What's wrong?"

Delia sighed and turned back to the window. "I don't know if I feel safe enough to go anywhere. Domino told me that Manieri has no idea I'm here, but after what happened in Pallet Town, I keep expecting to see that horrible officer following me."

"That's understandable," Giovanni said gently.

A slight frown crossed Delia's face, as though she were thinking hard about something.

"Is this what it's been like for you?" she suddenly asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you have to be scared every time you go outside knowing that Manieri's people might be waiting? Domino said they've tried to kill you before."

"Several times, actually." Giovanni said. "You get used to it after a while."

"You get used to people trying to kill you?" Delia was incredulous. "And you've never been afraid?"

Giovanni was silent for a few long seconds, trying to choose his words carefully. After so many years of hiding anything that could be considered weakness, talking about anything so personal didn't come naturally to him. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Of course I've been afraid," he finally admitted, "but after a while the fear just becomes a part of you. You forget what it was like to live without it, and it becomes easier as you go."

Delia leaned against the windowsill, gazing up at him with her warm brown eyes.

"Don't look at me like that," Giovanni said after a few moments, smiling slightly in spite of himself.

"Like what?"

"Like you feel sorry for me. This was the life I chose, remember?"

"I know. It just sounds kind of miserable."

"Really, it's not so bad," Giovanni assured her.

It wasn't all a lie. Being rich and powerful had its advantages at least.

"In any case, it should be perfectly safe if you want to go out," Giovanni continued. "There's no indication Manieri has figured out that I've moved my operations to Celadon City, and even if he has, there's no reason for him to believe you're with me."

Delia didn't look entirely convinced. "I might head out later if I get bored."

Judging by her expression, she was already bored. Two days in the same hotel room was bound to make anyone go stir crazy.

"Well, if you need something to do, Hector should be here later. He's doing some research for me, and it's the sort of thing you're good at if you felt like giving him a hand."

"Hector's coming?" Delia brightened.

"He's supposed to arrive in a couple of hours. I'm sure he'd be happy to see you. Unless you're still upset with him for hiring people to watch your house."

Delia laughed. "No. Since you apparently knew what you were talking about, I'll let it go. As long as you aren't mad about me breaking into your gym to yell at you."

"I would expect nothing less from you."

"Are you insulting me?" Delia said with mock indignation.

"No, it was a compliment."

"I'm not sure I believe you, but thanks." Delia's eyes sparkled with amusement.

For a moment it seemed as though the gap between them created by time and distance evaporated. At the very least, they suddenly didn't feel like strangers. That was how Giovanni knew it was time to go. He had already put Delia in enough danger as it was. He wouldn't endanger her further by getting too close.

"Well, I'm glad you're all right. I should be getting back to work," Giovanni told her, suppressing his reluctance. "I'll tell Hector to drop by your room as soon as he gets in."

"I'll be waiting."

Delia remained by the window as Giovanni turned toward the door. Persian leaped off the bed to follow him. His hand was on the doorknob when she spoke again.

"Giovanni?"

He turned back toward her.

"Yes?"

"We're still friends, aren't we?"

"Of course," he assured her.

She smiled as the door fell closed behind him. Back out in the hallway, he tried to force Delia out of his mind. It wouldn't serve to get distracted now, especially when there was so much at stake.

With a sigh, Giovanni returned to the elevators and inserted a key into the slot below the buttons. Instead of stopping along the way, the elevator went straight down, past the ground floor and even past the basement level utilized by the hotel's staff. The doors opened to the second basement, a long, dimly lit corridor that few employees of the Eclipse even realized was there. The winding corridor passed beneath the Eclipse's gardens and ended in a stairwell that led up to the plain, windowless building at the rear of the property. The building was so bland and unassuming that no one would have guessed it was one of Team Rocket's headquarters buildings, hidden in plain sight.

Giovanni entered the hideout, nodding a greeting to the handful of agents he passed on the way to the main conference room. The long mahogany table inside had enough chairs to comfortably seat thirty people, but it was currently deserted except for Holiday. The senior officer sat at the head of the table with a large collection of paperwork spread out in front of her.

"Hello, sir," she said cheerfully, glancing up from her work as he entered.

"Good afternoon." Giovanni kept his expression neutral, but he cringed inwardly when he saw the ugly bruise on the side of her face that served as evidence of her encounter with Manieri's agents. "I thought the doctor's recommendation was to rest until you had fully recovered from your concussion."

Holiday made a face. "I tried, but it was so boring. Doc said a little work was all right as long as I quit when I got tired. I just wanted to read through the files we got from Manieri's lab to see if there was anything useful."

"Have you found anything interesting?" Giovanni pulled up a chair beside her.

"Well, it's obvious you were right about Manieri contracting with the lab for research in genetic manipulation." Holiday brushed one of her dark curls out of her face. "It looks like he's sticking to his usual strategy of copying whatever the real Team Rocket does a few years too late."

"Yes, but what Manieri and his people lack in originality they make up for with malignity," Giovanni said. "Can you tell what kind of experiments they're working on?"

"To some extent. From what I've read, Manieri contracts with the research center in Viridian City to provide scientists for his own personal laboratory. We don't have complete records of the experiments he's commissioned, but we have enough that we can piece together what he's doing," Holiday explained as she shuffled through the stack of paperwork. "The good news is that Manieri's resources for funding the research aren't as extensive as ours were. From what I can tell, he has no way of creating anything like Mewtwo."

Giovanni's tense posture relaxed slightly. The possibility that Manieri might unleash another overpowered monstrosity of a Pokemon on the world in an effort to compete with Giovanni was cause for many sleepless nights. Although Giovanni's first-hand memories of Mewtwo had been erased, he had found sufficient information in Team Rocket's databases to know what he had created. He knew enough to realize that his ill-conceived experiments were too dangerous to replicate.

"Are you sure?"

"Reasonably so," Holiday replied. "There's some DNA in here that doesn't look like any Pokemon I've ever seen, but it's lacking the characteristics all powerful Pokemon tend to share. Whatever it is, it looks pretty harmless."

"That's the first good news we've had in a while," Giovanni said.

"According to these documents, Manieri's research focuses on fairly common Pokemon," Holiday continued. "His scientists appear to be using genetic modification techniques in conjunction with an aggressive Pokemon breeding program to create specimens that are more powerful than their average counterparts in the wild."

"Have these experiments been successful?"

"It's hard to tell without access to more in-depth files, but the information we do have suggests they've had some success. They've bred at least a few specimens that are significantly larger than average and seem to be able to learn new attacks faster than normal."

Giovanni nodded. "It could be a profitable endeavor. There are plenty of trainers who would be willing to buy an unusually powerful Pokemon rather than catching an average one in the wild and expending the extra time and effort to train it."

"I imagine it could be a good business to get into as long as they're able to keep the cost of the breeding programs down," Holiday agreed.

"Luckily for us, it seems as though Manieri having some extra spending money is the biggest threat to Team Rocket for now. I don't see how his experiments could do much damage beyond that."

"That's my assessment too." Holiday linked her hands behind her head and leaned back in her chair. "However, something tells me you aren't just interested in Manieri's research for the sake of curiosity."

"No. If we're going into Manieri's laboratory, we need to know what we're up against."

"So you found it then? That's the reason for everyone meeting here?"

There was little humor in Giovanni's smile. "For now, let's just say that Manieri has been on the offensive long enough. It's about time we pushed back."