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FINALE PART VI
Blessed Defiance
Chapter 51: Do Unto Others
"Rita is a fascinating woman. She and I are to be wed in a week. And while I admire her spunk and energy, others seem to criticize her. They think she's nothing more than a gold-digger who's only marrying me for the wealth and spotlight, as well as the publicity of being a Pokémon Master's bride. Unlike them, however, I happen to see the good in people. And I also happen to think people can change if they really want to."
—Clint Ketchum, Journal Entry No. 422
All that remained of the clone was Marlee's Pokéball, which was left sitting on the damp concrete in the spot where her master had dissipated only minutes ago. Slowly drawing away from Gio's arms, Delia wiped away the last of her tears, reached for the lone Pokéball, and placed it cozily in the depths of her bag for safekeeping, so that they'd always have a piece of Kyden's legacy with them to treasure.
At last, Gio moved, his arms enveloping her once more, her own wrapping around him so that they melded together seamlessly. They mourned Kyden one last time throughout their embrace. Then, finally, the rose to their feet in unison. Gio tightened his grip on Delia's hand, receiving an answering squeeze in reply, and whispered: "Let's go home."
At an arm's reach distance; Jareth, Spencer, Samuel, and Meowth slowly gathered around their grieving friends and remained still at their side, poised beneath the descending moonlight of dawn. Morning was drawing closer. However, as the last of the storm clouds adjourned, the group of heroes arched their heads and spun around as the sound of a couple's footsteps clapped against puddles of the rooftop.
Rita and Kade approached the huddled six from behind, side by side, their faces plastered with false expressions of forlorn and infelicity. They had watched the tragic scene unfold from afar...and now, with Metsuma's death sanctioned just as they had hoped, it was finally their time to step out from the shadows.
Gio noticed their approach and he gently released Delia from his arms, a hint of suspicion rousing in his burning gaze as he stepped forward to meet the pair. He seemed so calm compared to the state that he was in, with a ripped shirt, blood smearing his face, and his hands and legs cut. But even in the aftermath of Metsuma's defeat, he needed to be alert and attentive, especially around the scheming minds of his mother and her faithful lackey.
"Oh, my heart just aches for the loss of such an innocent soul! My condolences, truly!" Rita poured her heart out in a laughable effort to show sympathy. But then, her face became stern, and she folded her arms across her chest. She gazed towards Gio. "However, with Metsuma gone as well, that seems to leave you in quite a bit of a dilemma, now doesn't it?"
Gio squinted at his mother warily. "What are you talking about?"
"We're talking about you, the new heir of the Rocket Empire!" Kade clarified rather loudly, stepping in front of Rita to capture Gio's baffled focus. "Technically, Metsuma and your mother never legally divorced, which makes you, my crowned prince, the beneficiary of Metsuma's assets! You are now the new leader of the Rocket Empire!"
At that moment, Gio felt a shudder ripple down his back, a thrill of both fear and prestige. And to think that this turn of events was no offer, but a given fact; he was now in control of the very thing he'd been striving to destroy for endless months. Oh, the irony! And he could do nothing but stand there, wide-eyed and mouth hung agape.
Rita knew what his expression meant. In fact, she had counted on it. But she couldn't afford to let him know that. "Why, whatever is the matter, Gio?" she played dumb with a soothing and motherly voice.
"A lot is the matter!" Delia cut in before Gio could speak! Anger now contorted her graceful features as she took a daring step towards Rita! "Gio doesn't want this!" However, when she didn't hear him acknowledge her words, she turned to look at him with stunned eyes. "Right, Gio?"
Gio stood motionless and expressionless. He tried to call on the answer within him... but it too was frozen, too torn to make a proper judgment call. Honestly, he couldn't imagine himself taking this opportunity. He'd be playing right into Metsuma's vision and that was the last thing he wanted. However, beneath the layers of disgrace, there was some kind of... appeal that drew him towards the idea of finally having the power to have anything and everything, though not necessarily for evil purposes. It was too obscured, the possibilities, to see or know for sure. And that wasn't enough for him to go off of.
All eyes were on Gio, Delia being the closest to him. "Gio—" she whimpered gently to him. "You... you aren't actually considering this, are you?"
Mollified somewhat by Delia's sensible and pragmatic attitude, he shifted his gaze and tilted his head. "No," he spoke his answer in one labored breath. "I'd be a hypocrite to stoop to Metsuma's level." He didn't even know if what he said was totally true, only that somehow, someone was using him to speak for them, making him feel detached.
Rita could only do so much to keep a triumphant smile from appearing on her glossy, red lips. "Oh. how unfortunate," she continued to feign empathy before swiftly turning to Kade with a knowing glimmer in her eye. She smiled at him and proceeded to drag out her performance. "But wait! Kade, what happens if Giovanni refuses to take command of what's rightfully his?"
"I'm glad you asked, Rita," he gleefully returned her rehearsed lines with his own. Reaching into his prison uniform, he pulled out a written document that was, in fact, the Project Rocket contract. Luckily, when they were skulking about the third floor, hours earlier, he had just enough time to nab it from Metsuma's office. Holding out the deposition for his eyes to see, he began to read. "Ehem!" he first cleansed his throat before continuing: "Should the beneficiary choose to decline the inheritance bestowed upon them, they must immediately hand down the leadership to the person of their choosing!" Lowering the document, his impish eyes met with Gio's. "But the both of us know that the only honorable selection would be someone of your kin, correct?"
Rita nodded, also turning her sights to Gio again. "Yes, and I'm the only family you have, it seems."
Gio bared his teeth in a mirthless grimace. He was beginning to understand just what his mother was getting at and what she was bound on accomplishing.
However, just before he could voice his refusal, Rita flashed an item of her own; a scroll, which appeared to be only a few years dated, given the lack of crumpled marks. With a delighted smile, she held it towards Gio, offering it to his reach.
He palled. Gradually, he took it, though never taking his eyes off of her. "Wh—What is this?"
"The deed to the Viridian Gym," she replied as if it were no big deal. "I plucked it from the repository shortly before the ambush."
"You're... giving this to me?"
"Of course!" With much inner detest, she forced herself to inch towards her son and pull him into a hug. She looked down lovingly at him, her fingers threading through the thick spiky curls pressed against her shoulder "You're my son, and we both know how badly you've been aiming to become a Pokémon Master! In fact, consider this an early birthday gift, if you'd like."
Repulsed, he jerked away from her arms and growled: "What's the catch?"
Glancing to Kade for a brief moment, the madame Ketchum sighed and, once more, folded her arms upon her chest. "Well... there is one teensy tiny string attached," she began. "All I want... is leadership over the Rocket Empire!"
"Figures," he snarled.
She merely rolled her eyes. "Do you want the Gym or don't you?"
His reluctance to respond left Delia appalled. She gazed to him in some helplessness, a way of telling him that she wouldn't be making this decision for him, no matter how much he might have wished for her too. She wasn't his mother, and he needed to take a stand on this one by himself.
Samuel tensed behind his torn friend; though not pressuring him, he decided to give him some counsel. "Consider this carefully, Gio. Think about the causes and effects of any decision you make."
"Meow..." Meowth agreed with the professor, uttering a groan at Gio's feet.
Heeding Samuel's words, Gio delved deeper into the calling of his thoughts. Surprisingly, he saw no severe negative outcome in accepting this compromise. For one, with Metsuma out of the picture, the Rocket Empire wouldn't be nearly as threatening as before, considering that his mother had no stake or interest in what Metsuma was trying to achieve. Secondly, his mother was right about one thing: he had always dreamed of becoming stronger, ever since he first began his Pokémon journey three years ago. And having earned all of his Gym Badges in both Kanto and Johto, he felt that he was finally ready to make something of himself instead of chasing after adventures for the rest of his life. That was no career. That was his childhood. And in just a week, he'd be eighteen. An adult. A man.
Both Rita and Kade stood before him, their faces upturned, watchfully intent, waiting for his answer. And they weren't the only ones.
Gio jerked his gaze back to attention. And after one last quick but thorough evaluation, he breathed out a sigh and nodded his consent, shocking those who aligned behind him. "Deal." Swiping a pen from Delia's bag, he signed the dotted line beneath his mother's sloppily printed signature.
Following his cooperative action, Rita thrust the contract from his grasp and neatly folded it away, doing so with a grin of sheer evil. "Excellent!"
Before anyone could say anything else, the sound of helicopter propellers rumbled overhead. Kade, among the others, jerked his head skyward to find a Briskomy Helicopter, something he hadn't seen in many months, appear from the grey clouds and begin to descend onto the fortress rooftop. "Ah, Miyamoto's arrival could not have been more perfectly timed!"
The noisy chopper landed just behind Rita and Kade's heels. The cabin door slid open, revealing Miyamoto herself, waving to the group with one hand and holding her daughter snug in the other! "Looks like I missed out on all the action!"
Not wasting another minute, Rita and Kade piled into the chopper, leaving the others to chase after them.
A slight smile blossomed from Delia. "Well, at least we can go home now—"
But just as she and the others prepared to board, the chopper, now carrying only the pilot and the four passengers, lifted off into the sky before Gio and his friends could climb in! Jumping to his feet, Gio glared up at the ascending aircraft that was now leaving without them! "Wait, what about us!"
The trio of villains cackled down at them from the cockpit before simultaneously chanting: "Do unto others is our golden rule!" Purposely not finishing the verse, they laughed some more, Rita having the last farewell: "I hope your corpse knows how to run a Gym because you've got about only two minutes to go until that nutty professor's bomb detonates! Later, losers!" And with that, the Briskomy helicopter soared away into the distance, leaving the others stranded on an island that was just minutes away from annihilation.
A fierce scowl marred Gio's features and he held a fist towards the sky! "Son of a bitch!" Slamming his foot the ground, he spun towards his other companions. "I.. I could have stopped them—"
"Never mind them," Jareth silenced him breathlessly, bearing in mind the grave danger they were about to face. "The bomb on the fifth floor, it's going to detonate in less than two minutes and we need to find a way off this island before that can happen!"
Nodding, Gio let go a deep sigh, his formerly tense muscles relaxing as he let go of the feelings he'd needed to keep himself at a fever pitch of rage. He let his mind skim through ideas and glanced to his friends, who were looking on to him in wait, and then back to Jareth. "Flying-Type Pokémon!" he answered promptly. "We'll use them to flee the island!"
At that moment, Samuel and Spencer acted in haste, releasing Charizard and Pidgeot onto the open space in front of them. They instantly mounted their Pokémon but stilled from taking flight. However, knowing the maximum capacity that his Pokémon could carry, Samuel gulped and turned his head towards Gio. "Charizard's strength is at is minimal, due to today's efforts. I'm afraid... I can carry only one more passenger with me."
Spencer nodded grimly. "Me too."
It was then did Gio understand that only two of the three of them still standing upon the rooftop could escape the island unharmed. He swung his head to Delia, about to tell her to go forth and fly away with one of them.
But Jareth abruptly cut between the couple. "Both of you, go!" his voice quaked to them. "I'll... I'll stay behind—"
"No!" Delia cried out, launching herself into her brother's arms and refusing to let go, tears trembling on her lashes before falling over and blazing a path down her cheek. "No, Jareth! I won't lose you again!" She sobbed into his chest! Images and dreadful emotions chased themselves through her head, her heart rate increasing and more tears pricking at her eyes! "We've already lost so many people today! And I won't lose you too! You can't do this!"
Gio watched miserably from behind. He hated to see Delia so divided. He knew the feeling all too well. But... her safety... her life... rested in his hands now. There was no time for sentiment.
Gliding a tender hand behind her neck, Jareth gently pulled her head up so that her tearful eyes could meet his own. "Delia," he whispered, his gaze intent on hers while he bridged the short gap between them. His arms wrapped around her and pressed her close, molding her body against his. "You need to trust me. I promised I'd keep you safe for as long as I could. And, in doing this, I will have."
Delia could no longer hear the sounds of her sniffling above the pounding of her heart and thought, for a few brief seconds before she had all but lost him, finding herself torn away from his arms by Gio. "No!" she screamed to the top of her lungs as Gio lifted her struggling frame into his arms and carried her towards Samuel and Charizard. "No, let me go! I won't leave him! I can't!"
Jareth watched motionlessly and in cold silence as Gio hoisted Delia onto Charizard's back, and watched the professor and his dragon safely carry her off into the night, her outraged cries and screaming fading off into the distance. Holding back tears of his own, Jareth closed his eyes, mentally sorting through his varied collection of emotions. Then, he reopened them, Gio now locked in his sights.
And just as he and Meowth were about to climb up on Pidgeot behind Spencer, Gio sent the hunter a grateful nod. One that was thanking him. One that was indebted to him after all he had done to keep Delia safe up until his arrival.
And with that, they lanced into the sky and scurried off after Charizard, leaving Jareth alone with his final thoughts. Looking off the side, the young hunter found that Crissela and Articuno were no longer present. He hadn't even noticed them regain consciousness and vanish from their detection, though that was only because he and the others had been so caught up in grief over Kyden's death. So, now, he truly was alone, only seconds away from being lost to a nuclear holocaust that would swallow the island whole.
Ten seconds.
He could feel it.
Nine seconds.
He could sense it.
Eight seconds.
Delia would at least be spared.
Seven seconds.
The wind felt sensational against his neck.
Six seconds.
He could smile to the moon and boast his pride.
Five seconds.
He was ready to meet his end.
Four seconds.
He had fulfilled his task.
Three seconds.
He had again realized who he truly was.
Two seconds.
But there was no escape from this fate.
One second.
Unless...
From afar, Delia attained her last glimpse of the island before clenching her tear-soaked eyes against Samuel's coat, listening to the massive explosion sound in distance. "Jareth... why?"
Then, the current of the rushing air finally filled her ears. And before she realized it, they were already miles away from the island, skimming across the ocean vastness to flee those painful memories... best left forgotten.
Residing on the most western part of Sinnoh, Canalave City was a large port city, similar to Vermillion, and it overlooked both Savile Island and the more obscured Everbud Island from afar. Patrolling the shoreline, the local Officer Jenny and her Growlithe strode down the boardwalk, meeting a female coastguard officer halfway across.
Jenny smiled at the other woman, leaning on the walkway rail. "You on a break?"
"I'm on the night-shift," the coast officer laughed. "Every night is my break! Nothing ever happens this late, at least not around these parts."
Jenny just rolled her eyes and sighed. "Speak for yourself."
"So, you think Metsuma's anarchy plan is going to work?" the other woman asked to initiate small talk. "You heard about all that pandemonium the Rockets are causing back in Kanto and Johto, right? It's scary, isn't it? If I didn't know any better, I'd—" Her voice broke off beneath the thundering noise of what sounded like a massive plane crash! And it was coming from the ocean!
"Whoa, what in the world!" Lifting her binoculars to the sea, she peered into them and her mouth dropped when she spotted an enormous mushroom cloud of smoke and fire rising from the barren island, lighting up into the sky in a mighty, nuclear blaze. "Th—That's no ordinary explosion!"
Nodding to the coastguard, the panicked Jenny snatched her walkie-talkie from her waist and held it to her trembling lips. "Lieutenant, we have a major crisis on our hands! We're going to need the city's entire police department and coastguard to set sail immediately! Ready our speedboats! This could be big! Over and out!"
The Briskomy helicopter whirred over the ocean expanse, steering through the clouds of dusk at a rather slick pace. Rita stood out the Cabin Door with both feet placed on the skids, watching the island's explosion from a distance, which had likely cost her half her overall number of available infantry. Stepping away from the aperture, she turned to her two trusted accomplices and sighed. "There goes half my military strength."
From the passenger seat, Kade nodded with a witty grin, a glass of Chablis in one hand. "Not to mention your son."
Leaning against the door, she sighed again. "It's for the best," she explained. "With both Giovanni and Metsuma out of the picture, that leaves me in command of the Rocket Empire! That is, what's left of it."
"My dear, we're going to have to account the destruction of our fortress as a major defect," he warned her, knowing that it would indeed serve as an extensive setback on their expense, both financially and on a militant significant scale. "I think our days as a military of terrorists are over. With only half our forces remaining, the Rocket Empire is going to have to go underground for a while, at least until it can rejuvenate itself for even an ounce of noticeable glory."
Rita pondered with what she could compromise with. "Fine," she muttered in agreement. "First order of business, we have to drop all of this anarchy nonsense." Holding her frigid finger to her dark-skinned henchman, she began to deliver her first set of orders as the new Rocket Boss. "Withdraw what's left of our armies from Johto and Kanto's cities and command them to rendezvous at our secondary hideout."
Kade nodded and carefully set down his beverage. He then stood from his passenger seat and scurried off into the cockpit to access the radio.
Only Miyamoto remained in Rita's presence, cradling Jessie in her arms as she confessed her concerns in the politest way possible. "Madame... do we even have a secondary hideout?"
The dominant villainess chuckled, waving her hand as if brushing the question aside. "Well, I don't know about we, but I do!" When Miyamoto eyed her with intrigue, she continued to further detail. "A while back, I took a private loan from the banks and invested it into some private property. I knew I'd never have to pay the funds back once Project Rocket was complete!"
Miyamoto smiled thinly. Her eyebrow was arching as she commended her employer for her surprisingly clever thinking. "Well played, Madame. Then... I suppose we had better set a new course and send those coordinates to our units scattered throughout the dual regions."
Savile Island was all but rubble and smoke now; a nuclear wasteland. All that survived of the fallout were scraps of metal scattered about the ashen rock, while everyone and everything else had been liquidated by the immense blast. Fires riddled across the remains in narrow streaks. Smog and leftover radiation practically choked the air beyond repair. And once again, the domain was just as lifeless as it had been before the Torino settlement.
A thick patch of smog sundered apart at the gust of icy wind. General Crissela, mounted rigidly upon her Articuno, gently descended onto the center of the island, looking around to the blazes and damages that overran what was left of the Rocket refuge. Metsuma was no more. Kyden was no more.
"Oh, Kyden..."
Just like the clone's legacy, she sustained a tragedy of her own; she had discovered how to love and care about someone again... but she had discovered it too late. "And now he's gone from my life forever. The one good thing in my life, just... gone." For a few seconds, she waited, anger welling up and spilling over in tears and frustration. Her turbulent emotions were surfacing and she cringed at the almost too familiar feeling. "Kyden was right. I realized who I was too late. And now I've lost everything. I have nothing left to salvage."
In the distance, police-boat sirens rang beyond the crashing waves, drawing towards the shore of the burning island to investigate what had occurred.
Crissela promptly detected their arrival and acted in haste to make herself scarce before the authorities could spot her. Momentarily abandoning her thoughts of hopelessness, the former general spurred Articuno skyward, vanishing beyond the thick layers of smoke that loomed over the scarred island.
Hours later, in the far reaches of the ocean, sunrise was just creeping over the horizon, coloring the sky with various hues of blue and orange. Aboard a large freighter ship, bound for the port of Vermillion City, Delia stood frozen at the rail of the cargo vessel, looking out to the graceful tides of the sea with an expressionless demeanor hung on her emotionally shattered visage.
They had boarded the hefty ship not long ago, knowing that as long as it was sailing for Kanto, there was really no need to expend the energy of their Pokémon as the alternative. Luckily, they were well obscured amidst a pyramid of cargo crates on deck, which the crew rarely cared to inspect.
Deciding to give Delia and her thoughts some space, Gio and Spencer leaned comfortably against one of the crates nearest to the balustrade, looking on to her from afar with pained gazes. Folding his arms over his rising chest, Gio forced his eyes shut, somewhat still sensing her lingering resentment towards him for having to abandon her brother the way they did.
"Gio, you were thinking about Delia's safety, so don't feel guilty!" Spencer admonished his friend, resting a warm hand on his shoulder. "Besides, Jareth WANTED to stay behind."
"I know. And... I think that's what hurting Delia the most." Gio lowered his head and stared blankly at the polished floor of the deck.
At that moment, Samuel rounded the corner, returning from his nurturing of the Pokémon. "Meowth and the Pokémon are resting well," he reported with an uplifting grin. "They should be bright and chipper by the time we reach Vermillion City."
"Thanks, Sammy," Gio acknowledged in a spiritless monotone. His eyes never left his feet. They just hung ever so dolefully.
Samuel couldn't help but peer anxiously into his pupil's shying face. "Is... is everything alright, Gio?"
"It's Delia," Spencer sighed an answer for the other boy.
That was perfectly understandable. And, being the keen and insightful professor that he was, he also deduced why Gio had been caught up in the heat. "The loss of her brother requires tender care, Gio," he spoke with much eloquence yet sentiment. "If you wish to talk to her, approach her with kindness, an open heart, and the willingness to listen to what she's feeling. You're her boyfriend, after all."
Gio just stood there, pondering for a moment. He knew Samuel was right. He'd never know what Delia was feeling by avoiding her. Lifting his head, he exhaled out a fresh breath to the morning air. "You're right," he muttered, bringing a slight smile to his lips. "Thank you, Sammy. You always are the best when it comes to giving advice." As the professor chuckled lightly, Gio gathered his courage and slowly paced across the deck, approaching his love from behind. He swallowed nervously. "Delia?"
Delia did not stir. She simply continued to gaze out to the begetting horizon, her hands tightly grasping the rail that rimmed her slender waistline. And while she was as still as a statue, her insides were in a ferment of conflicting emotions, her thoughts a jumbled confusion of images, many of them overlapping recent events until she hardly knew what was the past or the present, what was illusion or reality.
Hoping his loving touch could inspirit the moment, Gio tried to lean forward over her shoulder and kiss her, but she turned her head to thwart him, her body shaking as she fought for control. Silence fell over them. Not entirely sure of what to do next, Gio just blurted out his apology on the spot, wanting her to just forgive him already if he had truly hurt her. "Delia, I... I'm sorry about your brother but please, you have to understand—"
"It's not just that," she muttered, her eyes still heavily averted.
Curious, he slowly crept to her side, leaning forward against the rail as he slowly tried to catch a peek into her stagnant eyes. "Then... what is it?"
"Everything!" she spewed in one labored breath. For a moment, Gio said nothing... until, finally, she rotated her head, meeting his gaze for the first time since their escape from the island. "Things... just won't be the same when we get back."
He wasn't quite sure he fully understood. "But you're finally going home, where you belong!"
"But it just won't be the same, Gio! Not after everything we've experienced and everything we've been through! Don't you get it?" Fear warred with anger at the senseless waste, the air starting to crackle around her as her emotions collided inside of her, a war within. She didn't blame Gio nearly as much as she blamed the situation as an entirety; part of her regretting ever venturing on the journey she had taken with him through Johto. It would have spared her the change. The hurt. The pain. The suffering. The losses. The sacrifices. These experiences had grown on her, like an addiction. And like any addict, she simply wished she had never sampled it in the first place.
He was beginning to understand what she was trying to say. Fortunately, he wasn't totally offended. With a nervous tone, he asked: "Do you... not want to go back?"
A flare of alarm darkened her eyes. "Of course I want to go back! I just... wish I could go back with a smile on my face." Delia frowned to herself as her thoughts took a turn away from what she'd always contemplated, in her naivety, as the ideal future for herself. "But how can I? Jareth's gone. Kyden's gone. And... you'll be as good as gone too, won't you?"
He immediately knew what she was referring to; his mother's gift to him. Pulling his arms around her, he gave her tender but serious lock of the eyes. "Delia... I never said that I'd definitely take my mother's position as Gym Leader. I just... needed to get out of the position she put me in, so I choked—"
"But it's what you want, isn't it?" She saw how much her sudden words had baffled him, yet at the same time, opened his eyes. "You've always dreamed of becoming a stronger Pokémon Trainer, right? So, why not just take the opportunity?"
Another silence pervaded between them as Gio thought on this. Pushing his curiosity aside, he decided against reflection. It would bring him to more internal conflict and he had no desire for it. At last, he moved, his arms enveloping Delia, her own wrapping around him so that they pressed together reverently, interlocking their hands with one and other. "I don't have to leave for Viridian City if you don't want me too," he told her with a promising smile. "You come before anything else, including the Gym."
"You're putting me before your future?" A slow smile curled her lips at the corners, the smile echoed by Gio until his widened to an almost blinding grin. "Well, I guess that's one thing that hasn't changed."
"You are my future," he replied in a whisper. "At least, I hope," he quipped, coming to face her more intensely, his stormy eyes fully intent on her face. His heart skipped a beat. "Would it be so bad... to marry me?"
Delia felt her body suddenly gain weight and substance, her eyes snapping open and her knees weakening at the suddenness of what he had just requested of her. She could feel her cheeks heat up as she tried to voice the question that was just begging for an answer! "Wh—What are you saying, Gio?"
He still held her hand in his, her fingers now pressing against his chest over his heart, its pounding felt through the layers of muscle and skin. And when he answered her, he did so in the most soothing delivery he could manage. "I'm saying I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
Delia watched him, her eyes fixed on his, her fingers curling the fabric of his torn shirt. "Maybe... I want that, too." However, as she had said, too much change was more than she can handle at one time. "Gio, before we make any hasty decisions, let's at least try and take this one step at a time. I know we're not kids anymore, which is why we can't rush these things... okay?"
Appallingly, he understood completely. Actually, he had expected her to say just that. "Uh, yeah, of course!" he played dumb for the sake of preserving his maturity, giving her a quirky smirk. "Psst, I knew that! What, you think I'd be stupid enough to take things too fast again?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and, naturally, she giggled. "See, I knew I could put a smile on your face!"
Her arms no longer immobile, she quickly wrapped them around his neck, her response to his kiss all the more intense, having only seconds before wanted to ignore him, but now could only melt against him and give herself up to his eagerly plundering mouth.
He pulled away, allowing her to rest her head against the basking warmth of his chest. Swallowing hard, he held to her resolve and lifted his head another notch, propping it gently above her head and whispering: "I love you... more than anything."
Hearing those words, it cleansed her of all conflict. And for just a moment, she let every other burden slip from her mind, choosing to relish the moment for as long as she could. Without realizing it, she pulled him closer to her, not noticing Samuel and Spencer watching on in silence but with wholly relieved grins. She felt completely safe, all the confusion and terrors of recent events forgotten in the surge of sensations firing her nerve endings and making her flush with heat from her scalp to her toes, loving this nearly forgotten feeling of closeness and intimacy. "Maybe it won't be so bad, taking things one step at a time."
In the distance, a cannonade of booming fireworks sparkled across the skies of Kanto, signifying the defeat of the Rocket Empire. Balance was restored, making room for new beginnings. And society, too, would soon enough find itself on the verge of a healthy reestablishment... one step at a time.
Once daylight had come and passed, the hour struck nightfall on the southern outskirts of Viridian City, an area wholly populated a forestation of trees. Located in the center of the wilderness' only clearing, the new Rocket Hideout resided, dissembled as an abandoned military foundry. It was indeed the perfect cover and the most suitable shelter for Rita's most prominent Rocket forces. While not nearly as immense as Metsuma's fortress, it was still sizable enough to house the depleted numbers of the crime organization; a tall white building, its exterior infrastructure extending somewhat outward on either side, with a few security satellite dishes fastened at the rooftop.
The moon shone brightly in a cloudless night sky, bathing the lair's massive courtyard in a silvery glow. After a quick inspection of the premises, Kade Sorhagen, now a Rocket Executive, strode back towards the building entrance. He held a proud and elegant posture, cresting his new and distinguished tuxedo suit attire with a capital 'R' printed upon his vest pocket.
Two burly Rocket agents, Kade's newly awarded personal bodyguards, appeared and hastily escorted him through the sliding doors.
He smiled thinly as he strolled the glistening white halls of the new headquarters, each corridor sprawling with Rocket grunts, many of which were among those that had cooperatively pulled out from the city sieges. Finally, after taking one of the building's elevators to ascend to the top floor, he entered Rita's office on the far side of the main corridor. Inside, the lights were all but dimmed, which seemed to blear most of the room's features. He approached the desk where Rita herself sat behind; wearing a professional-looking red linen skirt and top, her face mostly hidden the shadows, with Miyamoto stationed at her right side, cradling Jessie back and forth in her arms.
Rita shifted her disquisitive gaze beyond where Kade presently stood. Suspended above her office door was a large television screen, which was now displaying live footage of the remains of Metsuma's fortress on Savile Island. Rita sat back in her seat and watched the news coverage intently, both Kade and Miyamoto mimicking her interest.
The female correspondent, Kathy McCalister, was reporting live from the site of the disaster, speaking through a station microphone as she delivered the breaking news. "... very likely and authorities are now confirming that this was indeed the long-searched-for fortress of Metsuma Rocket! No bodies were found, due to the intensity of the nuclear blast. However, it is believed that Rita Ketchum and Kade Sorhagen, two of the prisoners logged in the compound's computer database that was recovered by investigative technicians, had perished in the blast, alongside hundreds of Rocket soldiers! As for Metsuma Rocket, he seems to have disappeared without a trace. The last of his forces, which had been stationed inside various cities of Johto and Kanto, have also vanished and are assumed to have retreated into hiding."
Turning her head from the screen, Rita smiled glowingly to her two loyal sidekicks. She was just pleased that the press had confirmed her to be dead. Now, no one would ever come close to uncovering her identity as the new Rocket Boss.
Meanwhile, Kathy continued with the coverage, now exempting a smooth and relieved tone of renewed hope. "All day today, people and Pokémon across the globe have been celebrating this major victory, believing it to be a sign of hope that the nation's system can finally restore itself, even after the fall of Dual City! One thing's for certain, a bright future is ahead for all of us! I'm Kathy McCalister, signing out—"
Having heard well more than enough, Rita snatched the remote from her desk and switched off the television screen. She leaned back in her chair and sighed, her legs crossed and propped neatly upon her desk. "Well, at least they think I'm dead. It'll be easier to run what's left of this organization without having to worry about my identity being exposed."
Miyamoto turned to face her employer with a wry expression. "The public doesn't appear to see us as a threat anymore, madame."
"And they shouldn't," she answered right back in a vital and more imposing tone. "This isn't Metsuma's game, anymore. I'm running things now!"
Kade took his seat at the opposite side of the extensive desk, sending Rita a warm smile before plopping down in his chair. "And what shall be out first order of business, my dear?"
Touching her finger to her chin, she thought for a brief moment... before letting an enthusiastic smile overtake her grace. "For starters, we need to rename the organization." Both heads shot up to her again, this time with even more intrigue clearly emanating from their expressions, yet she proceeded to explain. "The Rocket Empire sounds so... besotted! We're not even an empire anymore! We're a clan of thieves, for God's sake!" Once they nodded their approval, she caressed her chin some more, mentally browsing through some ideas for names... until one managed to stand out among the rest. She flicked her shadowed gaze to her two cohorts. "I've got it! How about Team Rocket!"
Kade shuddered delightfully in rhythm when the fetching name bounced from her tongue. "Oh, it definitely has style!" he applauded with a wide grin. "I could see that catching on!"
"Good," sighed Rita, yet again. "Now we can save a fortune by maintaining our organization's logo design."
Kade nodded obediently. "I'll see to it that those orders are taken care of, my dear. But as long as we're on the agenda, why not issue some... other changes?"
At that, Rita jumped from her seat excitedly, slapping her hands to the desktop! "I thought you'd never ask!" She waited a moment, providing Kade a moment to gather a pencil and notepad from within his luring vest, and then, once he was ready, she began to list off her amendments and desires for the criminal syndication. "First, no more rifles! Too gory. For every profit we make from a Pokémon sale, we're just going to be blowing it away in manufacturing those loud and messy machines."
Again, Kade nodded repeatedly, writing every word down. "No more murderous weapons. Got it."
"Second is proper attire," she addressed next while pacing back and forth behind her desk. "No more expensive helmets or protective armor! We're not fighting in a war, we're Pokémon bandits with a simple mission! And if we're going to act like bandits, we need to dress like them too!"
He jotted it down to the exclamation point. "Very good, my dear. Anything else?"
"No more underground tunnels! Those damn drills are going to suck my pockets dry! Less killing of the people, more stealing of the Pokémon! After all, the more Pokémon, the more money! We steal Pokémon for profit! We exploit Pokémon for profit! All Pokémon exist for the glory of the Rocket Gang!"
He looked up briefly. "You mean Team Rocket?"
She shrugged. "Yeah, same thing."
"Of course, my dear."
Off to the side, Miyamoto could only giggle to herself as the pair went back and forth for countless minutes.
Finally, when Kade had run short of lined space to print, he threw Rita an admonishing glance. "My dear, I only have room left to write down one more thing."
Settling back down in her chair, she nodded and smiled maliciously. "Perfect, because there's only one thing left; my identity needs to be concealed, even from our own kind, so I'm going to need a new and permanent alias to work with."
"How about just Boss?" Kade suggested almost immediately. "It's customary, my dear."
"I say we stick with Madame," Miyamoto argued his proposal, lifting a chipper smirk to Rita. "Besides, I'm already so used to calling you that!"
Kade merely rolled his eyes to her in distaste. "Oh please, Miyamoto, don't be so whiny! It should most definitely be Boss!"
"No, it should be Madame!" growled Miyamoto!
"It should be Boss!"
"It should be Madame!"
"It should be Boss!"
Hesitating only a second, Rita snapped her fingers with bliss and leaped nimbly to her feet in the midst of her companions' altercation, having come up with a compromise. "I've got it!" she squealed ever so brightly. "From here on out, I shall be referred to as Madame Boss, supreme lady lord of the Rocket Gang!" Rita laughed ominously, twirling in circles before stopping to preen under their approving gazes. "Brilliant, no?"
But before either of them could voice their opinions, little Jessie, still coiled in her mother's arms, stole the spotlight upon speaking her FIRST words, shocking everyone with the adorable little quip she'd one day undertake on a daily basis:
"Pwepare foh twuble!"
(Cue 'Team Rocket: Double Trouble' music track.)
TO BE CONCLUDED . . .
Next Chapter: The next chapter will serve as the story epilogue and I'll post it just as soon as it's finished. Here's a sneak peek: "I've shamed the Ketchum name. Better it be forgotten than slandered..." In the meantime, I hope you all enjoyed the finale.
