Well, my winter semester's finally picking up and I won't be able to update as often as I'd like, not that I've been updating anyway. Usually I update on random intervals or on days I can find with significant meaning, such as the birth dates of both my Stardom series stories. Next update, I predict, would be around… my birthday. That would be after this chapter, of course.
So now, please enjoy…
"It's been a while, Delia…"
A cold silence fell upon the Ketchum residence. Sharp winds passed through the house without care or concern. Ritchie and Sparky watched the confrontation of the two adult figures at the front doorway from behind the fence, seeing the man he regarded as his mentor speaking so casually to Mrs. Ketchum as though they were or used to be long time friends. He noticed that Delia had a neutral look, which was strange and foreign to the young Trainer as far as he knew Ash's own mother back in the Indigo League nearly six to seven years back. She was not smiling at Silver's greeting, nor did she seem incensed upon his sudden intrusion into her humble home; she was the type that was difficult to anger. When she did ever get angry, it was usually for a strong reason.
"So…," Delia finally spoke, the tone of her voice straightforward without the usual kindness and hospitality that accompanied it. "It looks like the prodigal father has finally returned. We should celebrate by calling in the whole family and have a great feast."
F-Father?! Ritchie thought, his eyes along with Sparky's widening upon the revelation. In the same time he was surprised, he calmed down; it all started to make sense to him now. So then that means… It all makes perfect sense now… And how he treated me as we trained together, it's because he almost saw me as… Whoa, I wasn't sure until now, but I never asked Silver since I still valued living over finding out the secrets of his past.
"You're frustrated about me, Delia, I see that," Silver surmised, sighing at the difficulty of the reunion. "I know that I left you and him to continue my journey, but you didn't say anything to stop me."
"Even if I tried pleading, your obsession to finding your ultimate challenge was just greater than being with me, right?" Delia replied, a rare moment of coldness covering her tone. Silver looked away to the side, having known that she would indeed be upset once he returned. "You do now realize what you've also missed out on aside from Ash's first words, do you?"
"How is he, Delia?" Silver asked offhandedly.
"Showing concern over your only son's well-being; I guess now's the time for you to be a real father, huh?"
"Delia, you know that I was only pursuing my dreams," Silver reasoned, attempting to keep his cool as he conversed with the immovable obstacle in front of him. "I did not want to settle down until I found and battled Moltres at its greatest power."
"Which was why Ash and I had to stay with my adopted family the moment I chose to leave my old home behind, the Ketchum family mind you," Delia added, her expression gradually becoming cross and dead serious. "You know all I wanted in life are the simple things, which were to learn about Pokémon, raise a family, and among other things, have peace of mind. I can't even speak about my old life, which involved training to become a subservient Aura Guardian to serve the queen of Rota; I hated it!" She screamed with an extremely seldom venomous tone, even startling Silver to trip several steps back. Delia shook her head, calming herself down as she resumed her somber mood. "Even when I married you at our young age, I was hoping that would be enough to convince you to stay. But even when we had Ash, that was not enough to stop your pursuit of Moltres, which was why I had to let you go while changing my name back to 'Ketchum' so I wouldn't receive too much attention."
"Delia…," Silver mumbled, having been rendered speechless for the third time in his life; the first two times involved meeting her for the first time and falling in love with her. Delia walked toward him in a mechanical fashion. Silver was about to step back further until the woman threw her arms around his upper body, pulling him close to her in a rather strong hug. "I… I'm sorry for having done this, Delia." Delia shivered as she buried her face into his well-toned abs, her emotions reaching a critical point. Silver knew she was crying so he gingerly wrapped his own protective arms around his neglected, brunette wife.
"I couldn't stop loving you, even when you did leave to follow your dreams," Delia's muffled sobs explained, embracing Silver even tighter, much to the strong man's chagrin that his blood and oxygen circulation was starting to be cut off. "However, I couldn't bear to tell Ash the truth that his father left him because of his own goals. My precious child didn't deserve to hear it; instead, I told him epic tales about how you were out there somewhere becoming the best Trainer, a Pokémon Master. It was then he wanted to find you and show the world that he was the son of a Pokémon Master, by becoming one in his own name. It was really you to thank for his youthful dreams. He's just made me so proud… I… I…!"
"But you never really held it against me, did you?" Silver inquired softly, caressing Delia's slender back and easing her emotional pain the best he could; there were times that he was capable of sympathy, but it just did not look too good for his current reputation as a powerful and violent man.
Watching from behind the house fence, Ritchie and Sparky were left agape as Silver and Delia's past was playing out right in front of them. They had enough courtesy to keep quiet and ask questions later once the mood would stabilize and hopefully no hard feelings would linger after this complicated confrontation. He exchanged a quick look with Sparky, which decided what they would do next. With a quick shift of his eyes, Ritchie had directed the Mouse Pokémon to Professor Oak's laboratory just nearby. They left their hiding spot inconspicuously, deciding to pay Professor Oak a visit for simply their own interests.
"You are who you are, Silver, and I loved you because you were a simple man with a simple dream of becoming the best," Delia replied, her quivering sobs slowing down. Silver could have sworn that he heard a genuine giggle escape his long-time beloved's precious lips. "Only you could be Ash's father, darling, no one else."
"I see," Silver mumbled, keeping Delia secure in his arms. "Anyway, you don't have to tell me what he's up to know. He's trying to play the big hero after that awesome final match against Sinnoh Champ Cynthia and having accomplished the greatest Trainer of his time. I also heard that he trained for a bit in the aura arts. I'm surprised that you allowed him to do so…, sweetie." He felt Delia's head nod against his chest.
"He's in the Orre region with his own sweetheart and powerful rival to keep him in shape as they take down those bad people that interrupted his Master coronation," Delia continued for him. If she had looked up, she would have noticed an uncharacteristic grin spreading from ear to ear on Silver's face. "As for his aura training, there's nothing that forbids him from learning about his own heritage. I can't help him since I severed the ties, not him; he had to figure it out himself or through others willing to help him discover his heritage. He's free to pursue whatever interests his precious heart. I just hope he doesn't do anything reckless that would cause him to lose sight of who he is."
"Well, since I'm his father, there's a possible chance he might do something rash that might endanger everyone around him," Silver suggested somewhat lightheartedly; his hard face was on the unwitting end of Delia's swift hand. He did not notice her action until a stinging sensation burned upon the left side of his face in the form of an open hand. "Ow! W-What I mean is that he'll probably make mistakes, b-but fix them as soon as possible! There! Happy?" He grinned sheepishly while Delia shook her head.
"What will I ever do with you, Silver?" Delia sighed, shrugging before facing him again with an indisputable smile of her own. Silver smirked back, folding his arms across his buff chest, ruffling the sleeves of his tan coat.
"You know, I also seem to remember meeting an equally reckless, but beautiful young girl with a zest for life when I came to Pallet Town for the first time," Silver admitted, chuckling gruffly in his throat. "I remembered that she had started studying about Pokémon under one Professor Samuel Oak so that she could try out as a Pokémon Trainer someday." Delia's eyes widened from the recognition of his statement, only to laugh it off rather awkwardly before putting on a daring face.
"Oh, really?" Delia asked rather teasingly, furrowing a brow at her determined husband. "And just what did this spunky, cute girl do that was so reckless that you just had to bring up?" Silver's smirk grew, showing off his strong white teeth that held back a good-natured laugh.
"She fell in love with me and took a chance to start her own family by conceiving a brave son that inherited only the best qualities from both parents," Silver answered, bearing a victorious smirk on his hardened face. Delia broke out into a small giggling fit, unable to contain her amusement from their little playful mind game. She lightly waltzed herself into his arms as though she was dreaming, ending up with Silver catching her with a bemused look.
"Alright, you win that round seeing as I've given you much hard time for you to realize the consequences of your actions, mister," Delia said, looking up to Silver's face with a softened gaze of renewed love. "… I really missed you, you know."
"And I'm really sorry for putting my own goals above my personal happiness, Delia," Silver replied as gently as he could have; his excessive efforts on being sensitive for the sake of people closest to him had actually made him a rather likeable guy. No matter how intimidating or fierce his true personality gave off, Delia was one of the few people able to see through the fiery conflicts of his heart. It was only her and his own parents; the latter before his heated, yet foolish falling out at the start of his journey caused him to sever his ties to them.
It was at the moment as Silver continued to stare at Delia that the distance between their faces was closing, measured from the tips of their lips longing for the deep physical contact they once tasted from each many other years ago. Despite the years they were apart, the two of them looked as though they were just engaged, filled with youth, love, and happiness. Their ages did not matter as their physical appearances had contradicted them; it was almost as though they had not aged at all from around the time they found comfort and true love in each other. They were reaching closer and closer, leaving their fate to chance as they peacefully closed their eyes.
"Silver! Help!" a voice of a familiar young man shouted, having come from the direction of Professor Oak's laboratory. Silver and Delia looked over the distance after stumbling out of their intimate positions from the initial shock, discovering Ritchie and his Pikachu running towards them in a panic.
"Oh, Ritchie, what brings you to Pallet Town?" Delia asked amiably, quickly dismissing her earlier experiences. Silver, on the other hand, looked extremely agitated.
"Half-pint… What in the world are you doing here?!" Silver demanded, hissing through gritted teeth as Ritchie went to them, completely breathless from the run.
"'Half-pint'? Just like you were when we first met before puberty granted you those luscious muscles?" Delia jested, giggling lightly as Silver continued to silently fume over his luck before a strange thought came to mind. "Wait a minute, how do you know Ritchie in the first place, darling?"
"Uh, we met at the Sevii Islands while he was searching for Moltres and he agreed to take me in to train me in becoming a Pokémon Master, Mrs. Ketchum," Ritchie answered before Silver could have gotten a word in.
"Took you in…," Delia mumbled to herself; her eyes jolted in shock before narrowing into an enraged glare upon the surprised Silver. "So, you couldn't be a father to Ash, but you took in Ritchie instead to fill the void. How could you?!"
"Delia, I swear it's not like that!" Silver retorted immediately, feeling himself shrink under his wife's anger. "It was just that when I bumped into Ritchie, he reminded me a lot of myself at his age and had much unlocked potential… Then again, that wouldn't be surprising as both of them… were… pretty… similar?"
"…"
"Delia, I know it's not the same, but I felt like I needed to teach and guide someone," Silver continued explaining, even though it seemed to be in vain as Delia's irate stare did not disappear as easily as the first time he came face to face with it. "Ritchie just happened to be there."
"You…!"
"Mrs. Ketchum, please wait," Ritchie intervened quickly, gulping before going through what he knew was going to be wrong: lying. "I have no idea what you two are arguing about, but there's trouble at Oak's lab. When I first entered, there was a red-haired maniac trying to beat up some old scientist with a big mustache. I think I saw him before though… Samba, was it?"
"Oh, no! Professor!" Delia cried, trying to run to his lab to help, but her arm was held back by Silver.
"Let me handle this," Silver proposed gruffly, looking intently into her eyes. "I'll evict this maniac; after all, I already know what it's like to be evicted from public places." Delia gazed back into his powerful eyes, a feeling of comfort and assurance warming her heart. She nodded and was released. "Ritchie, let's go."
"Silver, please don't do anything reckless," Delia pleaded just as her husband and his protégé began sprinting off to Oak's laboratory. She saw that Silver looked back, grinning that familiar grin widely. She smiled back, hoping he would see her confidence in him as she clasped a hand upon her heart. "Like father, like son, I suppose. Oh, well…"
"You freaking liar!" Kamon hissed, mercilessly throwing a right jab into the side of Namba's face. The swift punch left a rather unsightly bruise on the ex-Rocket scientist. Namba quickly shuffled back on his feet, cowering away from the enraged son of his former boss.
"I swear that this is the truth, Kamon, my boy!" Namba cried, desperately waving his hands in front of his face as an attempt for protection from his young man's wrath. He was backed into a corner within Oak's laboratory, unable to fend for himself due to his own old age and withered strength in comparison to Kamon's unbridled fury. "That was what Master Giovanni had truly thought of you. I swear!" Kamon stopped in his tracks, fuming intensely as Namba cringed even more.
"I'm dealing with a member of a disbanded organization that lied, cheated, and even murdered to get where it was now," Kamon growled, his piercing red eyes flashing death. "And you expect me to believe you, a pathetic failure in a pathetic team that failed my foolish father?!"
"Kamon, this is going too far! Please stop this!" May pleaded, attempting to stop him, but her arm was held back by a resolute Zoey.
May, Zoey, and an unconscious Drew were relegated to the sidelines once Kamon unleashed his anger upon the old scientist; none of them had the strength to stop his rampage. Brock went home to Pewter City to ensure his family's safety while Professor Oak, Tracey, and Gary had some business to attend to outside of the lab, which only left Zoey and Drew to watch over it while Namba did more research to help stop Reverse-Cipher. However, the peace did not last very long once Kamon stormed in with May ecstatic to seeing her friends and rivals for a while now, unaware of the former's violent intentions. Once the brutal interrogation had begun, Drew immediately tried to hold him back on his own, sacrificing himself for the sake of the young women. However, Kamon had easily overpowered him with one punch into the stomach and having been thrown straight into a hard, cold wall. Apparently, Zoey did not want to see any of her friends injured and nearly rendered comatose like her green-haired boyfriend was.
"May, this guy you followed from Johto is far too dangerous to be with," Zoey commented, having noted Kamon's dark and conflicted personality the moment she laid eyes upon him. She tenderly placed a hand upon Drew's sleeping face, feeling some of his warmth returning into his form yet his pale skin was still considered somewhat cold to the touch. "Why did you let him come here anyway?"
"I didn't know he was going to do this, Zoey! Honestly!" May cried, holding herself close to her red-haired Coordinator friend as they watched Kamon grab Namba by the collar of his shirt.
"You despicable piece of scum, my father never loved me; love was a sign of weakness," Kamon growled at Namba's practically bloodied face close up before sending another punch his way. "The moment that a person begins to love, all of that person's strength is drained up by it and thus would be completely useless. A broken tool! That's what I was to him! That's what my dead mother was to that bastard!"
The angst-ridden, hot-tempered redhead slammed Namba several times into the wall, releasing more and more of his rage as final thoughts over Giovanni swirled in mind like a relentless storm. Kamon came to seek out secrets his father might have left behind to the only known living survivor of Team Rocket before news about Ardos and Reverse-Cipher's betrayal had declared him officially dead to the world. When he finally reached Namba to learn more about his father, the old scientist claimed that he knew the true reason of why Giovanni abandoned him over seven years ago. Believing on how his father operated, Kamon initially thought that he was useless to him as a weak child and listening to the blasphemy Namba blathered about was a complete mockery of his past.
"Choose… what you… believe," Namba groaned, scrapes of his blood sliding down his wrinkled face. "Your father… wanted you… free… Kamon…"
"Just shut up already! Shut up!" Kamon snarled impatiently, raising his tightened right fist high above his head, charging power and momentum for the final impact to end Namba's stubborn nonsense. "Hyyyyaaaaa—What the…?!" The red-haired Trainer felt some sort of rope snare his right arm, preventing him from throwing the final punch. He quickly discovered a thin, but resilient green vine binding and restraining the moment of his raised arm.
"Excellent work, Chikorita," a new, deep, and rough voice commended heartily. The active company present in the room, which included Kamon, May, Zoey, and the battered Namba, saw that standing by the entrance doorway of the room was a tall, muscular man with long dark-silver hair in a long brown coat accompanied by a young man that seemed to be almost a clone of Ash as his green attire nearly resembled their friend's and that he had a Pikachu with a messy tuft of fur sticking out from the top of its head riding on his shoulder. They all discovered that the Vine Whip had originated from the Chikorita casually staying on the strong man's left shoulder.
"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Kamon demanded, struggling against Chikorita's restraining vine, but to no avail, could not free his arm. The older man merely smirked at the frustrated Trainer's anger.
"The name's Silver, short-fuse," Silver greeted nonchalantly, grinning. Hearing the name had somewhat struck a nerve in Kamon's system as the dark redhead could here Namba chuckled weakly in his grasp.
"'Silver,' eh? Looks like he shares your nickname with you, boy…," Namba pointed out, briefly pausing from a bad cough due to the injuries received from Kamon. "But unlike you, I learned from Cassidy and… Biff, I think… that it's his real name, not a symbolic alias of the sort to lead a separate life." The decrepit scientist was viciously silenced for now when Kamon slammed him into the wall behind him, having let go of him now that someone else dared to get in the Trainer's way for answers.
"Listen, Silver," Kamon hissed coolly as he faced the strong man, robustly tugging on his Chikorita's vine. "I'll give you until three for your Chikorita to let go of me right now."
"Or else what?" Silver added, smirking widely at the young man's predicament as well as his tenacity for issuing out demands in his current state. Kamon sneered back at the dark-silver-haired man, using his free left hand to slowly reach into his pockets.
"One… Two…," Kamon muttered, time slowing down into a cold stop as his fingers found the Poké Ball he wanted inside his pocket. His piercing red eyes jolted wide in anticipation, the countdown coming to a close. "Three…!" His hand was pulled out of his pants pocket, revealing a Poké Ball enlarged to release a powerful Pokémon to assist him.
"Chikorita, restrain him again with Vine Whip," Silver whispered quickly to the Leaf Pokémon.
"Chi-ko!" Chikorita yelled, swiftly sending in another vine from a side green bud from its neck at the partially immobilized target. Its reflex and attack was quicker than Kamon's counterattack.
"Feraligatr, battle—Aah!" Kamon growled as Chikorita's second vine had not only caught his left arm, but was also used to restrain his entire upper body as well. Feraligatr's Poké Ball dropped out of his hand and onto the floor, yet it did not open up and release the Big Jaw Pokémon since the spherical containment device was not activated properly. It had lain inert and helpless on the floor, just like its Trainer.
"You shouldn't have considered me dumb enough to let you release your beast in this fragile, but vital Pokémon operations lab, now did you?" Silver taunted, keeping a cool, yet arrogant tone at the furious young man.
"Damn you!" Kamon roared, flailing against his green bindings as he inched towards Feraligatr's Poké Ball on the ground. "You have no idea what I've been through; in the past, I've even trained my Pokémon to kill if necessary! You're pushing me up to that point now." He hastily bit down upon one of Chikorita's vines as another attempt to free himself.
"Chi-ka!" Chikorita yelped from the sting, fighting the urge to reel back its increasingly painful vine for Silver's sake. Silver patted the Leaf Pokémon on the head, calming it down enough to ignore the pain. However, if Kamon was not subdued soon, the vine would eventually snap, especially considering the rate of redhead Trainer's obstinate and wild mindset.
"Kid, it's over now," Silver announced, his taunting façade replaced with that of grim severity. It was strange to Kamon at first; the sharp features of the older man's face reminded him of his own father's strict and businesslike personality. "What do you hope to accomplish by allowing your emotions to control you like this?" Kamon spat out the vine he was gnawing on, looking away from the group in grief.
"What's it to you, old man?" Kamon mumbled despondently, falling upon one knee as Chikorita's vines had practically disabled him. The others cautiously crowded around him as his deep and rather soft-spoken voice was barely audible to him. "Why would any of you for that matter care about what happens to some strange, useless child like me? Because of certain failures my father's organization had faced in the past before I was even of Trainer age, I was tossed aside like a pathetic, broken tool. I was of no use to him, just like his team of failures."
"Maybe you're right, kid," Silver spoke up, his unsympathetic agreement surprising everyone. "Maybe your father did not want you around…" Though his tone was indifferent and cold, Silver secretly saw the pain within Kamon's past of abandonment from his father, reminding him of his own remorse of leaving behind his loved one and her son as he went to pursue his own goals. "But nobody can be considered 'perfect' in this world, one way or another. This is why we fight and battle, to find ourselves and make ourselves known throughout the world of who we are."
"Please, it's not like you had a falling out with your father or anything," Kamon scoffed, ironically making the older man in the brown coat tense up and repress the urge to throttle the unruly kid. Before Silver could have done anything else, someone quickly brushed between him and Ritchie, embracing Kamon right in front of all to see such dramatic tension. They had all witnessed the brown-haired young woman sporting the green bandanna deeply hugging Kamon for all her worth.
"Don't say such cruel things anymore… please just don't anymore," May whispered in his ear. Kamon was left confounded by her actions and emotions towards him. No matter how many times he tried to push her away in order to prevent her from entering his cold world, she bounced back and continued trying to warm his heart and free him from the nightmares of his past. "No one deserves to torture themselves with such abuse, not even you. Just let it go already!"
"I already told you that I've learned my lesson about treating Pokémon and such from losses against Lance himself… and from someone I've actually considered to be my greatest rival and best friend," Kamon replied as gently as he could. He could hear May's shivering breathing; he still could not believe that someone could actually care about him this much. "My personality and self are a different story." It was at that moment that he felt May's arms squeeze him even tighter, pulling the confused young man closer to her. Why do you care so much? Why?
"You just needed love, Kamon; everyone needs it," May surmised kindheartedly without hesitation. Such an emotion had remained foreign to Kamon for far too long. The only time he was sure that he felt love was when both of his parents were still together, when he was still a young toddler and before his delicate mother had passed away. Kamon looked at the sweet Coordinator embracing him, her warmth making him calm and at peace.
Hmph, it's funny, but she almost reminds me of her, Kamon thought; his expression remaining neutral. The longer he stared at May, the attempt of holding back the corner of his mouth from slightly curling into a smile weakened.
"Kamon, it might have been a complete shocker to you when Namba told you that your father left you out of love, but I really think he was telling the truth," Zoey added in, standing over May's shoulder for him to see with a semiconscious Drew hanging onto her shoulder for support. "Since we all know now that your dad was the big boss of Team Rocket, it would have been possible that he did not want you to follow him down the same path. Since he had already decided his fate, he must have tried to spare you from following his dark path by abandoning you."
"But why did he do this without even telling me of his plan?" Kamon asked.
"Be… Because you were just like him when he was young," a crusty old voice intervened, revealing that the weakened Dr. Namba had finally regained consciousness. He crawled on the ground close to Kamon and May, struggling to give out his own input on the matter; he did come to the old scientist for answers and Namba was not about to go back on the deal. In a way, he still held some form of respect for Kamon despite him severing all ties to Giovanni. "Despite your rigid and serious faces, you both completely treasured over the people you cared about. When Master Giovanni's wife passed away, the man was utterly devastated and took out his hatred on us by making us commit more elaborate crimes for the dominion over the Kanto region."
"I'm not surprised."
"Hold on, I'm not finished yet, boy," Namba wheezed, coughing harshly over the injuries he still had from before. "I worked with your father for many years, even before he met the love of his life. I knew that it could have been worse, but you know what I think? It was because he still had you, Kamon, as the surviving reminder that Master Giovanni was truly not the calculating, heartless man many of us perceived him to be." Though he had tried explaining this to Kamon before, Namba saw a reaction from the red-haired young man that was different than his earlier angered attitude; this was one of unexplainable incredulity. "Please listen… to what I have to say next…"
Seven years ago…
Inside his office standing at the highest floor below the rooftop of the Rocket Headquarters, Giovanni gazed through the wall of glass that separated him from the tranquil environment outside with his Persian napping on top of his comfy leather chair. A small flock composed of Pidgey and Pidgeotto flew across the blue sky, exploring areas of the vast world they lived in as they desired. A young Dr. Namba, with a head covered in the stereotypical messy and spiky salmon-pink hair resembling that of a mad scientist along with a mustache that declared his seniority over the lowly, younger members of Team Rocket, was called into the Boss' office to finish sorting out the last of the paperwork that involved his latest explorations in Pokémon evolution and how their organization's collected Pokémon could thrive from his experimentations.
"Lambda, do you have a second?" Giovanni asked before Namba finished piling up his papers within a thin manila pocket folder.
"It's 'Namba'!" Namba shouted, his outrageous burst causing him to throw the folder in the air and scattering all of his papers that were rigorously organized in place. "Argh! What rotten luck! Boss, could you have at least some decency to call me by my right name?!"
"You're right, sorry," Giovanni muttered; Namba gaped.
'He's actually sorry…?' Namba thought disbelievingly.
"Anyway, I have a personal question to ask you," Giovanni resumed, facing away from the glass wall and looking upon the bemused scientist. His face remained obdurate and impassive, but even Namba could see that he was serious about this matter. "What matters to man the most? Obtaining power through any form or shape possible? Or is it to ensure the life and happiness of those he cares about?"
"Oy, vey, how would I know anything about sentimentality all of a sudden? And why would YOU, of all people, care about such things?"
"Hmph, fine, just go ahead and dismiss what I had said earlier," Giovanni grunted, shrugging casually and turning around to face the outside through his transparent glass wall. Namba sighed and was just about to walk away with his neatly arranged papers once again, but not before falling over upon the next set of words that left Giovanni's mouth. "It's about Kamon. He's coming of age."
"Sir, he's only just turned eight-years old," Namba pointed out heatedly, quickly putting his papers back into place within his file for the third time in a row. "I'll assure you that he'll be a fine soldier for Team Rocket once he reaches ten. After all, have you seen the current incompetents we've hired recently?"
"Hmph, I know," Giovanni grumbled, lowering his head down. 'I've seen their constant failures for far too long. Would I subject Kamon to this kind of pitiful life? How would she react to this if she were still alive?' The Team Rocket Boss had chosen to make the effort, simply out of greed, to create an organization to rule the world and gain authority over all living beings. However, with idiots like Jessie, James, and Meowth running around and screwing everything up, such as their pathetic attempts at capturing a simple Pikachu, Giovanni could not help but imagine how Kamon would feel if he were to inherit the criminal organization once his own time had come. "He doesn't deserve this unnecessary stress and pressure."
"Pardon?" Namba inquired.
"My life's been set the moment she passed away," Giovanni stated, turning around to face Namba with his cold, hardened look. "I've got to finish what I've started and lead Team Rocket to glory. Kamon, on the other hand, does not have to."
"But if you're finally done with Team Rocket, who will be the successor that would continue leading us to world domination?" Namba asked rather irately. "Kamon's a strong child, no doubt from a strong father like you."
"And what kind of father would I be just to subject him to this punishment?" Giovanni retorted. Namba was left speechless, unable to even pick up his last paper for his file. "While it's true that I want to rule the world with powerful Pokémon, it should be done in my time. That's another thing to add. But with the current failures I have now, I'll be done with this sooner than you think. After all, I won't be as young in the next few months if this keeps up."
"But then what of Kamon and his future?" Namba queried. "If you don't want him to follow your footsteps, then what will you do about him?"
Giovanni sighed heavily, looking down upon his desk in humility. The only decoration that stood out on his desk aside from important documents, several black-inked pens, and a bobble headed Exeggutor was a simple picture frame of him, his beautiful, delicate wife, and a small red-headed child in their arms that radiated of pure joy and happiness. This was completely unlike a man of his stern and uncaring caliber to have such an object, but if anyone were given a single ounce of sentimentality, this old photo was the only memory Giovanni kept to keep him sane. No one else knew of it or saw the front of the picture frame, not even his closest admins. Giovanni thought about it over and over; which sacrifice would worth it in the end? Allow Kamon to take over Team Rocket or let him go?
"That's it then," Giovanni spoke up, facing up and away from his desk. He placed a hand over the top of the picture frame. "From this point forward, Kamon should be free from my corrupt influences. If it's any consolation, I'll do what it takes to get him to leave. I can't have these circumstances hinder me like this any longer. I've already chosen my destiny as this world's future ruler, and I can't have these things get in my way any longer." He abruptly slammed the picture frame face down, concealing his inner happiness from the entire world.
"That will be difficult, sir, as Kamon sees you as his hero for being the big, strong man you are today," Namba pointed out, his tone slightly sarcastic. "A son only wants to be acknowledged by his father for doing what he believes is right."
"Then I'll have no choice then," Giovanni sighed, growling at his own emotions for holding him back. 'This is for the best… for the both of us…' He felt a sharp pain pounding at his heart, a pain he last experienced when his wife died. It was only since then that his hardened heart was unable to be wounded, that was until the matter of Kamon's future emerged all of a sudden. "I'll have to shatter his image of me by being a complete bastard, throwing his pathetic self aside because… he's not good enough to serve me!"
Namba stared at him incredulously, his callous words reverberating in his ears. He knew that was not true as Kamon was quite proficient with handling Pokémon at his young age, but if Giovanni wished to be rid of him once and for all, who was he to stand in his way? The scientist knew that he would be losing a future valuable member of Team Rocket, but he also knew better not to go against the Boss' decisions. His word was law in the organization. It had to be done.
"Alrighty then," Namba shrugged, sighing as he picked up his last paper and finally left before the door. Just before he fully exited Giovanni's office, he could have sworn that he heard a whispered apology, almost like a prayer, inside the office.
"I'm sorry, my son… I failed you."
"I was the only witness to his remorse that day, Kamon," Namba concluded, feeling fatigued from the entire explanation. "Though Master Giovanni moved on to watching over the progress of Team Rocket, I secretly kept tabs over you as you went out to become a powerful Trainer under the alias 'Silver,' though at some point, I had to discontinue it out of fear that he would discover me."
"You poor, tragic soul," May whispered to Kamon, continuing her warm embrace on the restrained redhead. He could practically see that she was on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry that it had to happen to you. I wish there was another way to spare you from such heartbreak."
"There wasn't," Kamon stated as plain as day, his voice devoid of any emotion. May immediately glanced at him, her round blue eyes shimmering in melancholy. "Now that I look back at it, I wouldn't have left my father for anything. I blindly worshipped him. I guess if abandoning me was the only way to separate me from Team Rocket, then I would have done the same." He lowered his head down upon May's shoulder, which only encouraged her to hug him tighter. For some reason, he felt warmth from his heart making its way up to his face; if anyone could have seen Kamon's face, he was practically blushing for the first time. What is this girl to me…?
"You just didn't have the patience and maturity to look at it that way," Namba added, smirking slightly over the fact that Kamon must have realized his own petty, narrow-minded perspective instead of trying to determine how his father had truly looked at it. "He was saving you from the fate of being part of Team Rocket, which was a wise decision considering where Team Rocket's now at: at the bottom of the Sinnoh ocean thanks to those traitorous ne'er-do-wells from Cipher."
"I have to agree with you on that one, Namba," an elderly voice concurred. Much to the entire company's astonishment, Professor Oak, Tracey, and Gary had finally returned to the lab.
"Wow, this must have been some party only for us to miss it," Tracey remarked, analyzing the current condition of the entire room. "After all, we only went to the Indigo Plateau a while ago since the Pokémon League Committee wanted Gary to substitute as the Viridian City Gym Leader until a new one could be found."
"What in the world happened here?" Gary inquired, noticing May hugging a bitter-looking, red-haired man tied under a Chikorita's vines with a bruised and bloodied Namba lying on the floor. "Zoey? Drew? What happened here while we were gone?" The Coordinator couple exchanged quick looks before facing the young impatient Researcher.
"Okay, see it's like this," Drew began, regaining feeling in his legs as he slowly stood on his own two feet. His body had managed to heal the majority of pain inflicted by Kamon earlier. "Zoey, take it from here."
"What?! Fine," Zoey pouted, glaring at the sheepish, yet still recovering Coordinator. As much as she wanted to give him a piece of her mind, he needed to be at full strength again so it would not feel as though she had given him a cheap shot. "May had come back to the Kanto region to visit us after stopping by to see Brock, but it also turns out that she was accompanying this guy named Kamon, who she told us was the former son of Team Rocket's boss. Kamon sought out Namba for his father's secrets, one of them being the real reason he abandoned him at a young age. After that, well, he went ballistic over Namba, calling him a liar and started beating him up like crazy!"
"Okay, but then what are they doing here?" Gary asked, pointing out the appearances of Ritchie and the strong man with the Chikorita; he recognized the former from the Indigo League Conference when he once competed in it along with Ash.
"We stopped by Pallet Town and I went to see if Professor Oak was here out of curiosity," Ritchie explained, accompanied with a nod from Sparky. "That was when we found about this incident and I got Silver to stop him." Gary mused over the news, approaching the two of them with several more questions in mind. He looked up at Silver, who only smirked back lightheartedly.
"Why do I get the feeling I've seen you before, but so long ago?" Gary commented, examining the details of Silver's face.
"Yes, why indeed," Professor Oak commented, walking towards the three of them. He looked at Silver, a solemn line forming from his mouth. "Why are you back here?"
"If you're worried about her, then don't," Silver replied in the same curt tone. Gary did not know what his grandfather or this strange man was talking about. Ritchie and Sparky kept quiet, knowing that this was none of their business. Drew, Zoey, Kamon, and May glanced over at them; they were curious as well as it was part of their nature to know. "I'll admit that our reunion was not the most joyous of them all, but we managed to patch things up, more or less."
"I see, especially considering how your timing could not be any more impeccable," Professor Oak added, his serious stare not having broken off from Silver's. "If you've done what you've said you did, what will you do now?"
"With all due respect, Professor, I believe I must take my leave now," Silver answered, bowing as politely as he could. With a brusque nod of his head, Chikorita retracted its vines from around Silver's body.
"Silver, what about Kamon?" Ritchie asked, concerned of what would happen with the irritable red-headed Trainer now free.
"I think she's got that covered, half-pint," Silver grinned, looking over his shoulder to see Kamon still locked within May's caring embrace. "Let's go, Ritchie. We have more obligations to attend to now."
The vicinity of Sendoff Spring was calm, yet tense. Within the mysterious fog, the being in hiding that created the fog itself had revealed its true identity; this was the first step for unveiling his true intentions for luring Angie to the Sinnoh region's secret fourth lake, considering the risks involved. For one thing, they were at a location were the line between this world and the next was said to be at its weakest, merging the two dimensions together. It was also because of this strange phenomenon that Ghost-type Pokémon could also be seen across the lake, inhabiting the cave where dimensions were distorted. These risks were taken only for one goal: to help save the world.
"I am Mewtwo," the powerful Psychic-type Pokémon admitted, his large brown cloak removed and true body revealed before Angie, Shinx, Looker, and the surviving Team Rocket trio.
"Mewtwo? That name still reminds me of an important character from a movie whose prequel I just can't remember," James remarked, trying to recall possible links of encountering the Genetic Pokémon before while trailing Ash and his friends.
"Quiet!" Meowth hissed, startling the blue-haired male. "Dis powerful Pokeymon definitely has somethin' important ta say."
"Mewtwo, what is it that you want from me?" Angie asked, the tone of her voice polite, yet impatient. "What makes me so special that you tricked me into coming here? My parents are going to be so worried!" Mewtwo calmly stared at her before strangely floating down before her and bowing.
"I apologize for my deception, but this sacrifice was the only way," Mewtwo explained, standing back up to full height. "You see, after learning about the foolishness of Team Rocket joining forces with an organization with darker intentions than theirs, it was time I put myself to the test." The Genetic Pokémon floated around on top of the spring's surface with his long tail casually skipping across the water. "For years, I've travelled around the world to search for my life's meaning. I used to have an intense hatred for humans, thinking that they were nothing but weaker life forms that knew nothing else but greed and selfishness."
"That's kind of scary to hear that from you," Angie commented, frightened by the thought that this powerful creature before him hated humans like her. "W-What are you going to do to me if you hate humans?"
"You misunderstand; that was before he showed me the true value of life, clone or no clone," Mewtwo clarified. "It was thanks to him that it was time for me to search for my own definition of life. How was I to appreciate life, even as a Pokémon created by selfish humans? You see, I was considered by them as an all-powerful creation, cloned from the legendary Mew itself." Mewtwo noticed the frightful, astonished expression Angie had been displaying, but he knew that it was in her nature to receive temporary shock to such revelations. He saw her nod despite her speechless look, showing that she was still listening to his every word.
"Mewtwo, I believe it is time now for you to explain why she is here," Looker suggested.
"I understand," Mewtwo replied with a curt nod to the agent before resuming his attention upon Angie. "Angie, even until now, I've been searching what my purpose in this world is. Even traveling here to the Sinnoh region, I have not found a true reason of my existence, but I have yet to give up on such a quest. And now with these dire worldly scenarios unfolding before my eyes, such as Giratina of the Distortion World captured and corrupted by even more despicable humans, I've come to learn that life is precious to all who are earnest in finding their own purposes in it." He floated closer to the shore in front of Angie, his aura exuding protective benevolence that ensured the Solaceon caretaker that absolutely no harm would befall her. "I'm convinced that my purpose here now is to help the one who changed me save this world."
"Okay, but I still don't get it; who do you mean by 'him,' Mewtwo?" Angie asked cautiously. Much to her and the others' surprise, they all heard a soft echoing chuckle from the Genetic Pokémon. A small smile formed from his tightlipped mouth.
"You should know him, too," Mewtwo replied cryptically, retaining his rare smile. "After all, he saved you from being trapped in the spirit world before Dusknoir solved the problem with the demon that lured to there." Angie's eyes widened drastically upon the hint. It was no surprise that he managed to read her memories considering his great psychic power, but the person he spoke highly off was a greater shock to her than ever before.
"No… way…," Angie gasped. "Ash… He's the one?" Shinx became worried from looking at her stunned condition, but one glance from Mewtwo assured the Flash Pokémon that she was in no real danger.
"You probably think this is all a dream," Mewtwo began, beginning his somber explanation for Angie's assistance. "Dreams are what motivate living beings to hope. Hope is the light that leads to faith. Faith is the power that drives them to action. You're here because you and he share many of these traits despite your different lifestyles. You're here to help me lend my power to him."
"W…What?"
"Relax, Angie, for what I have in store, you will not be the one in risk. You see, I have recently developed a new skill that I believe to be beneficial for Ash in his confrontation against the corrupted Giratina. For this new power to work, I needed to find a medium to regulate my powers through in order for them to reach him and give him strength to fight on. The medium needed to share his spirit in all aspects of it: personality, attitude, and so on. The name of this newly created technique is the 'Dream Bond.'"
"And you think that I'm the perfect medium?" Angie inquired, pointing at herself with a bewildered look on her young face.
"Indeed you are," Mewtwo nodded, frowning dourly upon thinking upon the explanation of the Dream Bond's second effect. "However, because I would have to concentrate on creating a copy of my powers through the medium's soul, my body will be left vulnerable, unable to attack or defend. One fatal hit could easily end my life and destroy the process, which would then also kill the one I'm lending my power to." Angie, Shinx, Looker, and Team Rocket simultaneously gasped in horror; the risk of Mewtwo's move sounded just too great to follow through. "This is why it's called the Dream Bond. If our dreams come true, we succeed. If they don't, then we both fall. The medium, however, is not at risk of death if anything should happen to me."
"What?! But if you lose your life through this, then Ash will…," Angie trailed off, the thought of a close friend like him losing his life in the process becoming too unbearable for her to comprehend. "No! I can't do this to him, not while he has other people who love him as well!" Angie knew in her heart that he was already taken by the Salon Maiden of the Kanto Battle Frontier, meaning that she had no chance with him aside from being a long-distance friend. However, as his friend and as someone who held some sort of attraction to him in the past, she wanted him to be happy.
"She is right about this matter, Mewtwo," Looker advised. "If you attempt this, then there's no doubt that the Ghost Pokémon living nearby would be tempted to attack you while you are unable to fight. If we lose him now, then the world will lose its remaining hope to survive."
"Wow, to think that the main twerp could go out just like that," Jessie mumbled, sadly glancing back at her teammates. "If that actually does happen, then our complicated pursuits in trying to capture his Pikachu would have been all for naught."
"True, but then again, there's no longer a point for us to try to catch up to him and steal his Pikachu this time," James added, looking around the Sendoff Spring to emphasize his point.
"So like dat Mewtwo, our lives are empty," Meowth sighed.
"You three and Looker, on the other hand, I don't require your services in this," Mewtwo announced, glancing at the four of them with sharp eyes. "I'd recommend that you leave this place as soon as possible."
"Why, da noive of dat cat!" Meowth growled, aggravated by the offhanded way the Genetic Pokémon dismissed him and his teammates like that. "Why I oughta…!"
"That is enough, Mewtwo is correct," Looker intervened, coming before the confused, unemployed trio. "I have my own duties to follow through as well. They involve further investigation on the Giratina case. I'm moving on to the museum in Eterna City to research any possible information to stop its rampage."
"Please take us with you, Boxed-Lunch Guy!" the Rocket trio immediately pleaded before him on their knees. "We are forever in your debt for your delectable kindness!" Looker nodded calmly, much to their exaggerated joy.
"If you wish to help me in these matters, you are welcome to join this investigation of mine," Looker replied nonchalantly. The trio huddled together, discussing all the possible benefits they could reap from helping the International Police agent.
"This is so sweet!" Jessie exclaimed. "Not only do we get to help him out, but we might get paid for our services as well!"
"We're talkin' about da big bucks in saving humanity and all dat jazz," Meowth concurred, smirking rather greedily. Much to both of their surprise, they heard James sigh rather profoundly.
"Is trying to become rich through these odd jobs and deception all worth it right now?" James mused, his expression seemingly forlorn.
"Okay, what's up with you?" Jessie asked.
"It's hard to explain, but it's something like this, Jess," James sighed, staring into space. "After listening to Mewtwo's pursuit of life, I've been thinking about what I should do with my life now that Team Rocket's gone and Pikachu out of our reach."
"Simple, Jimmy, my boy, we help Boxed-Lunch Guy look fa clues to help save da woild!" Meowth proposed, only to be shot down by a gloomy shake of the blue-haired male's head.
"What will be there for us then?" James asked. Jessie and Meowth found themselves thinking about his question as well. "The reason I joined Team Rocket was that I could no longer tolerate the life of a high-class millionaire where everything was provided for me. It's strange, but I did not really find happiness from such wealth, only when I actually worked for it did I feel deserving of it."
"Dat and ta escape dat rich dominatrix and James' bride-ta-be, Jessiebelle!" Meowth added jokingly. Jessie looked at him inquiringly.
"Who are we talking about now?" Jessie queried, utterly confused by the constant twists and turns their conversation had been taking up.
"All in the past now, but what we have for our futures is what we choose to do," James explained. Out of the three of them, he always had the stronger morals and emotional sensitivity having grown up from a wealthy, sheltered lifestyle. He recalled many past experiences where he and his teammates and friends came to an impasse regarding their futures together. At one point during the Hoenn region, the pure adoration of a ditzy young woman from a simple village convinced him to do good deeds, a possibility he greatly valued, but regretted to take up. But even though he knew that working for Team Rocket would be considered as bad, it gave James a chance to work for building his own self, criminal or not. He had the chance to be the voice of reason, yet his submissiveness often got the better of him and allowed him to follow Jessie's and Meowth's convoluted plans instead. "As for me, I will still join the investigation in Eterna City, but after that, we're parting ways. I believe that there's an old friend waiting for me there as well."
"Da breakup from da Boss must have been harder on him dan we thought!" Meowth surmised, ridiculously tearing up that his close friend announced his breakaway right into his ears. Jessie, on the other hand, remained composed and approached her longtime teammate.
"Listen, James, I know that we've shared many experiences, both the good and bad, together from the moment we graduated from Team Rocket Academy, but please know this," Jessie requested earnestly, having taken into consideration that his sagacious proposals did shed light on what she could do with her life. "Every little thing that has led up to this point has made as strong. We protected the world from devastation in the past. We denounced the evils of truth and love. When we were together as Team Rocket, we felt invincible as we finally found where we belonged, twerp or no twerp." She suddenly brought James close in for a hug, only to slightly kiss him on the cheek, much to his sheepish embarrassment. "James, it was… a blast to work alongside you."
"I feel the same way," James whispered back softly, only to be pulled out of a heartwarming hug into a nearly fatal strangle by his female teammate. "Uh, Jessie…?"
"If you tell anyone else about this, I will hunt you down and give you the punishment of a lifetime," Jessie threatened with a venomous tone completely opposite from her earlier behavior. James nodded vigorously out of fear, to which Jessie calmed down and smiled back contentedly. "Boxed-Lunch Guy, I think we're ready."
"Very well then," Looker nodded, waiting for them to catch up to him. As they were about to leave, they felt Mewtwo's power flare up from behind them.
"You should know that the moment you leave this area, your memories of my existence will be erased as a failsafe for my own personal protection," Mewtwo warned, his sharp eyes glowing; the thickness of the fog covering the surrounding forest increased in conjunction to his power. "You are otherwise free to live your lives the way you want to."
"We understand and we thank you for giving us the hope to saving our futures," Looker replied, genteelly bowing while gesturing the Rocket trio to bow alongside him. "This is good-bye, Mewtwo."
"Have a nice life!" the trio called out as they went into the mist-covered forest, waving back to the Genetic Pokémon and Angie.
"You know, I was wondering why you didn't just simply teleport them out of the Sendoff Spring," Angie remarked. Mewtwo shrugged unconcernedly.
"They didn't ask," Mewtwo replied simply. "But to more important matters, the Dream Bond is the only way to help give Ash the further strength to his own. Risks must be taken, young woman."
"But then, won't I be partly responsible if something happens to him?"
"The moment he had set foot in the Orre region, his life was already placed at risk," Mewtwo explained sternly. "This must be done. I feel it as my responsibility to lend my strength to him, to help guarantee the survival for all living beings building their individual purposes. At least here, I feel that my life does have real meaning after all." Angie and Shinx were left astounded. His dedication to life was strong, if not passionate. To believe that someone once cold and misanthropic as he was proved capable of such judgment and decisions, they felt that they owe it to him for making it this far in this life. Unlike his existence, that was no secret.
"Mewtwo, you can count us in," Angie affirmed at last, a daring grin forming on her face. "If someone does try to attack you, then Shinx will scare them off."
"Shinx Shinx!" Shinx barked readily, sharing Angie's confidence.
"It shall begin very soon," Mewtwo concluded, the psychic glow of his body radiating and lighting up the entire Sendoff Spring. "When the final confrontation comes, my power within him will awaken and guide him to victory."
And there you have it. I'll admit that it was rather fun writing up this chapter at my free time. It's funny, but whenever Kamon/Silver comes to mind, I always imagine his rocking theme song playing in my head. I'll admit that he does have good taste in music. And just to clarify, Kamon is fifteen to sixteen years of age, making him two years younger than Ash. For some reason, though, I'm not too worried about chronology. Ash's venture into Anabel's mind can wait another chapter. You will know what that day will be when it's posted.
As for why Mewtwo's newly developed power is given its name, it's mainly due to the fact that this process involves Angie, who I concern to be a rather perfect resemblance to Ash; that and I couldn't think of anyone else to fill that role. Their pairing name, MorpheusShipping, is partly the inspiration of Mewtwo's power as Morpheus is said to be god of dreams. And sleeping in class or not, I used this favored pairing of mine the most that I could have gotten out of it.
Aside from those, I have made more subtle references to the main anime, the Pokémon Chronicles season, and the upcoming Heart Gold and Soul Silver Versions. Try to find them for a good laugh.
I hope that you will find the time to review this chapter. What are your thoughts, questions, and concerns about it?
Ciao!