Sorry it took so long to update. I have a few different scenarios of how I want this to go and I keep going back and forth. I'll try to work on it a little bit each day.
The time had come. It was a bright sunny day and Vermillion City was even more crowded than usual. Bright decorations, merchants, and performers filled the streets.
Giovanni ascended the stairs to his gym. Today he allowed all kinds of amateurs in his arena to fight. Something about the earth festival made him feel generous. He had just got off the phone with a very influential man and was pleased with how successful Team Rocket had become. He wasn't sure if it was the Mai Tais he had just downed or the familiar excitement of premeditated murder, but for some reason, he felt truly at peace.
In a private box overlooking the stadium, Giovanni sat comfortably in his lounge chair to watch the battles. At the door were two guards. Miles and Grayson were both very loyal to him. They accompanied him to every high profile appearance. He trusted them above everyone else. The same couldn't be said about some of the other Team Rocket members at the gym that day.
Ash had never been so terrified in his life. It felt like he had a brick in his stomach. Jessie and James stayed close by, incognito as always.
The gym was filled with all kinds of trainers his age and older. He had become a bit of a celebrity, so it wasn't long before people were approaching him, asking him for tips, introducing their pokemon. Giovanni watched him mingle from the box. There he was. That little brat he had been trying to get rid of. Right in front of him in broad daylight. It was throwing off his good mood. He needed another drink.
After calling for his servant, one was swiftly brought to him by a certain clever Meowth. Giovanni was staring at Ash as he took the drink from the tray. "You know sir, this is the perfect time to get rid of him."
"What are you talking about?" Giovanni was annoyed. He hated it when his servnts tried to chat with him.
"That little brat from pallet town. If you can defeat his pokemon bumping him off will be easy. Those pokemon of his are the only reason nobody can get to him. Like I always said, if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself." Meowth said before walking away.
"Hm. Not a bad idea." Giovanni got up and headed for the sign-up table.
"Oh my gosh! Ash Ketchum? Nobody's going to want to battle him! He'd cream anyone!" A girl read through the list of challengers and noted the arrival of the region's best trainer.
"Except me." Giovanni cut in. The little girl turned around, terrified.
She gasped and ran to her friends. "Hey! Ash Ketchum's taking on Giovanni!" The crowed was buzzing with the news as Giovanni signed his name next to Ash's.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today we have a real treat you! Viridian City's gym leader himself, Giovanni, will be taking on the rising star Ash Ketchum in an epic five on five battle!" The loudspeaker boomed as the opponents took their places.
Giovanni smirked. "I don't know why you have come here. Anyway, I have to warn you that this is not a place for kids like you."
Ash choked down his fear. "We'll see about that."
Meanwhile, Silver snuck into his father's office. After prying open the lock on the door, he stood for a moment and remembered the last time he set foot in here.
"Now Silver, just calm down, you're upset. Just take a seat and talk with me for a minute. I can explain." Giovanni said calmly as his son pointed his pistol at him. Had it been anyone else he would have his guards take care of him. But he loved his son, and he wanted to let him get this off his chest. He knew Silver would never shoot him.
"How can I calm down? You know, Darren told me everything. What you plan on doing, what you did to mom, everything. It wasn't a surprise to me either!" He laughed. "Nothing you do surprises me anymore! And you know something else? Darren has been more of a father to me than you ever were."
Giovanni laughed. "Don't you see what he's doing? He's a traitor, he's trying to poison you against me! If you want to know the real story of what happened between me and your mother I would be glad to tell you. Silver, everything I have ever done has been for you, I-"
"Shut up! Just- Shut up!" Silver shook his gun with one hand and wiped his red eyes with the other. He was drunk and crying. Not his best moment. "I... I'm going to go. I'm going to turn around and no one will follow me, do you understand? You leave me alone!"
"Okay son. You go wherever you feel you need to. Take some time, think things over. I'll be here when you get back." Giovanni sat down at his desk. "And remember. I love you."
Silver sat at his father's desk and lay his jacket over the monitor so as not to throw off any light. He put a flash drive in the usb port and extracted almost 10 GB of information. If all else fails, at least he'll have this.
He heard a thud from upstairs. It was Onix. He hoped Ash was doing well. Having faced him before, he knew what he was capable of.
The battle was going quite well for Ash. In fact, he was surprised by how slow Giovanni was. His pokemon were quite strong, but he didn't have the connection with them like Ash did. Their hearts didn't seem to be in it. What gave Ash the edge in all his battles was the fact that his pokemon trained with him because they wanted to, not because they were forced to.
Jessie looked around the stadium. There were Team Rocket members everywhere, and it was impossible for her to know who was loyal to Giovanni and who wasn't. She'd just have to see for herself when the time came.
