Proton looked in annoyance through the dirty glass of the window of the old building where he and some of his team's soldiers were sheltering from the rain. The rain had been going on for a couple of hours and the incessant sparkling sound of water against the ground was beginning to bother him. The sirens of the patrols could be heard in the distance, he hoped that his partner Ariana was doing better than him. After arriving the day before in Viridian city, they had separated to move with their teams and attack two key points for Team Rocket, one was the center where Giovanni's office buildings and the gym were located, and the other was the south area where many of their warehouses and hideouts.

After the attack on the hideout that was outside the city and where Giovanni was wounded, Cipriani managed to seize many of their territories since boss Rocket sent most of his soldiers to Celadon and Vermilion. Preferring to lose control for the moment and not have more casualties. Only a few teams were left to monitor and report from the shadows.

Giovanni's orders were clear and precise. They were to move quickly through Viridian and fully reclaim Team Rocket's territories. They knew that Cipriani was in Pewter City and starting riots in Viridian would get his attention, which they would take advantage of to move Delia and Ash and try to rescue Eric Phillips.

Proton moved south with his team to drive Cipriani's subordinates out of their territories. He ran into a Black Knights commander who gave him some trouble with his fire and electric type pokemon but managed to beat it after some unconventional moves.

Proton used to be called the most twisted of the Rocket executives and had a maniac reputation that Commander Delion of the Black Knights met upon meeting his unhinged laughter and fiery gaze from him. Proton enjoyed not only give him a beating in pokemon combat but also tying him hand and foot and then hanging him from a tree when Viridian's police forces made an appearance.

After meeting the Black Knights south of Viridian and fleeing when the police appeared, Proton and some of his men hid in an old abandoned building. It was a building with high red brick walls and large windows that had previously been a textile factory. It was a large place full of ancient machines that now remained dusty and cobwebbed. There were also some large wooden boxes that at one time served as shipping boxes.

One of the Rocket agents close to Proton remained in radio contact with the other teams that were still mobilizing in other sectors of the south. The police continued to receive reports of riots and pokemon battles that caused fear in the citizens. So they began to unfold their police teams around the city to try to calm the situation. For that now had Proton stuck in that dusty building to avoid a frontal encounter with them. But that suited them, surely the situation would attract the attention of Cipriani as Giovanni wanted.

Ariana was less discreet than her partner and directly attacked a warehouse building in the center of town. A Rocket team bombarded the facility that was previously a hideout for their own team and was now used as a communication center for Cipriani.

That caused total chaos. People ran in terror through the streets of Viridian trying to get away from the area. The building shook with the attack and the Black Knights came out of hiding. Soon the electrical installations caused a fire and the sirens of the fire trucks and the patrols going towards the place did not wait.

Ariana watched everything that happened sitting behind the desk in Giovanni's office in his building in the center of town. That place where, the Rocket boss used to be a successful businessman. An anonymous report advising the police station that a Black Knights' rat nest would explode prompted its officers to mobilize. Cross-legged and playing with her red hair as she watched Cipriani's men rush out of the building to be caught by the city police, Ariana smirked, satisfied with her day's work.

The rainy night in Viridian City would be long. Its inhabitants fearful of being in the middle of Team Rocket's fights with the Black Knights, locked themselves in their homes waiting for the police forces to bring peace and calm. Local media began broadcasting special reports of the unrest taking place in Viridian throughout the region. The sirens of the patrol cars, fire trucks and ambulances began to flood the atmosphere of the metropolis. People ran scared trying to find a safe shelter. Everything was utter chaos. A building was on fire, the streets were the battlefield of the Black Knights and Team Rocket. The rain did not stop, the strong wind, the thunder and lightning gave this situation an anarchic touch.

"Boss, we've got news", A Rocket agent approached Proton, radio in hand.

"What's the matter?", Executive Rocket raised an eyebrow, he was sitting on some old wooden boxes.

"Apparently Mrs. Ariana managed to get a lot of attention in the center. The local news is doing live broadcasts of the warehouse fire that the Black Knights were using as a communication hub"

"She's a diva", He muttered as he jumped from where he was sitting. "Get ready, we'll move again"

"Yes sir!"

As he walked towards the exit warehouse, Proton, he let out a mocking laugh.

"I won't let you have fun alone, Ariana!" He declared with a fist in the air as his team followed.

In Vermilion city the rain was also falling hard. The sea was churning fiercely, the boats rocked strongly tied to the docks. The pokemon remained sheltered in their burrows and nests. There was a terrible cold that seemed to herald the arrival of bad news.

That afternoon Ash had been informed by his father that they would have to part again. That saddened and alarmed the little boy who refused to be without him again. But Giovanni had been clear, they had to separate and Ash had to be strong to take care of his mother while they were alone on the trip. Now the little black-haired boy remained in the room he occupied with his mother in the huge Vermilion mansion. He watched, standing in front of the window, as outside the water fell in torrents and the lightning illuminated the sky darkened at night and the storm clouds.

Ash wondered what the place he and his mother would go would be like. She reassured him that they would have fun and have a good time together and that his father would catch up with them when he finished his work. The chocolate-eyed boy knew that his mother was trying to cheer him up and although in those days he tried not to ask too many questions about his situation and about what happened in Pallet Town, now he felt anxious. He returned to the bed and crawled under the warm blankets. He snuggled in as he turned up the volume on the television. Archer had gotten it for him after dinner. Delia and Ash had been watching movies, until the programming was interrupted by a special report from Viridian City. Delia changed the channel shortly after Team Rocket was mentioned. She asked him to watch television while she went out to see Giovanni. Ash now awaiting that his mother would return to the room soon, he did not like to be alone there.

Oblivious to his father's criminal activities, Ash thought that his mother's worried face was due to the sheer empathy that characterized her. Surely she was worried about the poor people who lived in the city where his father was a gym leader and where she once lived with him.

Delia broke into Giovanni's office unexpectedly. When the door was opened without warning, both the crime lord and his loyal executive, Archer, looked from to her in confusion and surprise.

The chocolate eyed woman had a mixture of anger and frustration on her face that did not go unnoticed by both men. After seeing the news of the riots caused by Team Rocket in Viridian city, she hurried out of her room to speak with Giovanni.

In those days many emotions and feelings had flooded her mind and heart. The pain of her lost home, the feeling of betrayal brought by the confession of her husband and the fear for the future. However, some of his words and actions made she believe that there might be hope. Now know that the one who caused all this chaos in Viridian, was that same man she called her husband made her feel disgusted.

"Something happens?", Giovanni asked getting up from his executive chair behind his desk.

"You, tell me", exclaimed his wife, emboldened. She walked into the office without taking her eyes off him.

Archer stood silently on the other side of the desk as he held his digital tablet to his chest. Before Delia appeared he was informing Giovanni of Ariana and Proton's movements in Viridian, as well as the great attention they were receiving. Which benefited them if Cipriani caught the hook.

Giovanni glanced at his wife and then turned to take a quick glance at his subordinate who hurriedly nodded and left the room. When Archer silently disappeared, Giovanni spoke.

"Delia…", He said in a calm tone of voice.

"You ... are you the cause of this chaos in Viridian?", She questioned hastily, pointing at him.

Giovanni looked at her for a moment in silence cautiously. He came around the desk to stand in front of her. He was surprised that she showed up like that in his office, her annoyed expression and her accusing tone of voice. His ever sweet and quiet wife now faced him decisively. He knew he had a time bomb in front of him, if he didn't handle the situation carefully it could explode in his face and complicate everything even more with Delia.

Denying the accusations of his wife was not an option at the moment so he did not avoid her questioning and he looked at her seriously.

"It's true", he answered in a firm voice. "It's necessary, dear..."

Giovanni watched his wife's expression, who seemed for a moment to want to cry. But instead she moved a little closer to him. Delia's hand slammed into the face of her husband who froze. This action had taken him by surprise.

Delia put her hand against her chest after slapping Giovanni. Tears welled up in her eyes and she pressed her lips together in frustration. She never imagined that she would do something like that. But she did it without thinking, in a flash of what she could only describe as anger and pain. She wanted to believe that this man in front of her was still that loving and caring husband that she knew. However, his actions without remorse only showed her that she did not know him.

Her husband was silent. He wasn't looking at her, he was with his face inclined, and he still seemed stunned by what happened.

After what seemed like an eternity to the woman, he raised his face a little. His deep, dark eyes stared at her like never before. Delia thought there was fury in them that he struggled to keep under control. Which made her take a few steps back until she ran into a chair.

She remembered the articles that talked about her husband, the calculating and cold city gym leader Viridian. How he instilled fear in his opponents and how they described his dark gaze. She was always said that those who wrote those articles were exaggerated people who did not know him and did not know about the tender and loving side of him. She always felt lucky to be able to enjoy that side of Giovanni.

Now as his piercing eyes rested on her and stared at her with fierce she felt self-conscious. She never in her marriage went through a situation similar to this. She and Giovanni always enjoyed their time together and she never felt unprotected when she was by his side. But now that she knew what this man she called husband was capable of, she suddenly felt scared. She was scared of his actions, of his impudence and of his gaze that seemed like a dark and bottomless well, where she could easily disappear.

"I, no…", she muttered nervously. Her hands were clasped in front of her belly.

Giovanni's fists were clenched at his sides and he seemed to be holding back. Without giving her time to react, he held her tightly by the shoulders. Delia's eyes looked up at him with fear.

"It was necessary, Delia," He told she trying to keep his tone of voice as neutral as ever.

The gym leader's expression had changed and now he looked more pained. He no longer seemed scary.

"Giovanni", Delia murmured. She had never seen him this way and she did not seem to understand what was happening.

"I'm doing it for you, I must keep you safe. I don't care what I have to do for that", His tone of voice was strong and clear and he was looking at her with determination trying to convince her that his actions were justified.

Giovanni hugged her tightly against him, wishing he could erase from her heart the fear, anguish and sadness that he had caused those days in her. Delia shifted in his arms and pulled away from him gently.

"I don't know who you are anymore", Her chocolate eyes looked at him sadly.

"Delia..."

His wife said nothing more and she started walking towards the exit without looking back. When the door closed behind her Giovanni felt for a moment the ground at his feet move. He leaned against the wooden desk in his office and raised a hand to the head trying to reprimand the headache that was beginning to set in.

It was a hard night for everyone. Delia locked herself in her room with Ash after confronting her husband. That left her feeling disoriented, she just wanted to go back to the quiet days. The days where she and Ash enjoyed the countryside. She wished everything that happened was just a bad dream. She wanted to wake up and be with Giovanni, with the man she believed she knew and loved. The honest man, the respected gym leader, the loving father and husband. As she caressed the face of Ash who slept against her chest, her face was drenched in salty water. She couldn't stop the tears from escaping from her eyes, from her heart.

Giovanni didn't have the courage to talk to her anymore and just stayed in his office to keep in touch with Proton and Ariana at Viridian. Archer was with him for most of the night, but then he had to leave to prepare the final details for Delia and Ash's journey.

Left alone in his office listening to the sound of the water and the wind hitting the window, observing the intensity of the light caused by the rays, he thought there was no turning back for him and his family. Before he wanted with all his might to fight for a future by their side, but now remembering the sad face of his wife that night he believed that the best thing was to get away from them forever, let them be happy, allow them to live without fear, without pain. His wishes to stay by their side were selfish and he was now looking at it clearly.

As the sky began to clear for the morning, Giovanni he got up from the chair in his office where he had spent the night awake. He moved slowly to go to the office door. He felt tired and in pain physically and emotionally. Now he had to prepare to leave for Pewter City.

The sun was shining high in the sky and there were no signs of clouds. The heavy rain from the night before seemed like it would not return that day. The blue water of the sea shone brightly. It was a quiet day in the beautiful city of Vermilion.

An icy wind ruffled the hair of Ash who was next to his mother.

"Mommy, won't Daddy come?", The boy asked looking up at the huge mansion.

"I don't think so, dear", Delia arranged her son's hair.

They were waiting for Archer who told them that they should leave for the airport early. The little boy hoped to say goodbye to Giovanni before having to part. That morning he did not have breakfast with them nor did he appear in their room to greet them as he did on other days.

Archer appeared with the car that would take them to the Vermilion city airport. They both boarded and Executive Rocket accompanied them. As the car pulled out of the property, Ash wistfully watched as they drove away.

"Will Dad see us at the airport?" He asked Archer shyly.

"The lord had to leave before you, Ash"

Ash's face grew even more despondent and he snuggled against his mother for comfort. Delia felt guilty that her son had not had a chance to say goodbye to his father. Still, she hoped they would be out of harm's way soon and then she would do her best to make Ash feel better. As she stroked the hair of her adored child, she wondered if Giovanni had really gone before them without saying goodbye to they.

The night before, Looker was flying to Vermilion City when reports of incidents taking place in Viridian City began to arrive on his phone. As he reviewed the information, as well as the photographs and videos of what was happening at that time, he thought about Giovanni and how these actions were surely related to him.

He arrived in Vermilion city at dawn, eager to meet the gym leader again. After resting for a while in a passing hotel he headed towards the direction of Giovanni's mansion.

Before he could even approach the road that led to the place, he was intercepted by a group of armed guards who demanded that he identify himself, claiming that he was entering private property.

"I'm an international agent", he explained showing his badge. "I need to see Giovanni, Viridian's gym leader"

The guard looked at him doubtfully, but then turned away from Looker's car to radio the mansion. Normally they would send intruders flying away if they approached that road, but with the current situation it was better to contact the boss first.

A Rocket soldier interrupted the crime lord while he was talking to Ariana on the phone.

"We'll get back to you later", Giovanni said, hanging up the call and directed his attention to the subordinate waiting near the door.

"Sir, the surveillance team intercepted a car on its way here"

"What happened?", He asked with interest.

"This is a man who has identified himself as Looker, an international police officer"

Giovanni frowned in annoyance. After a moment of meditation he looked at his agent.

"Okay, I'll receive him"

Looker looked at the armed guards surrounding his car. Then the one who had questioned him came back making some gestures with his hands that made the other guards walk away.

"The sir is waiting for you", he just told him as they allowed him to continue on his way to the mansion.

Looker was greeted by an agent at the residence's front door who led him out onto a large, elegant balcony with ocean views. Giovanni waited for him there while he drank coffee.

"Officer, we'll meet again", he greeted him with a handshake.

"That's right", Looker replied with a challenging smile on his face that did not go unnoticed by the gym leader.

Giovanni pointed to a comfortable chair.

"You want something to drink?" He offered him, sitting down as well.

"Like this is OK, thanks"

Then Agent Rocket who had guided him there looked at Giovanni and then left, leaving them alone. It seemed to Looker that the gym leader's face was different from when they had seen Viridian. He had dark circles under his eyes, and he had a tired face.

"It was quite a surprise to hear that the agent was coming", The Team Rocket leader wore a dark gray wool vest over a white shirt. His black jacket rested on his shoulders.

"You never believed he would find you here, did you?"

"Frankly, no", Giovanni snickered. "It's the first time someone has come to see me here"

"Don't you wonder why I'm here?"

"I understand you paid a recent visit to Pallet Town", Giovanni glanced at Looker as he sipped from his Victorian china mug.

"You are very knowledgeable. I made some interesting discoveries there"

Looker expected to see a reaction to those words, but there was nothing in Giovanni's expression that would give him away.

"Tell me about it", he told him as he set his mug on the round little table on the balcony.

"I know about his wife and son. Where are they now?"

"Detective, you have uncovered my biggest secret", Giovanni leaned forward putting his elbows on the table and intertwining his hands, with a serious face. "You will know that the privacy of my family is very important to me, and I hope that you do not disclose it"

"You haven't answered my question", Looker told him, leaning back in his chair.

"They're on vacation, my wife and son went out this morning"

"May I know where?", Looker looked at Giovanni.

"I'd rather not tell. I like to keep some things private to avoid bad times"

"I understand", The gray-eyed agent stood up. "I know a man like you is prone to attacks, like in Pallet Town, right?"

A lopsided smile crossed Giovanni's face, he too stood up and leaned against the balcony railing.

"It was just a visit from friends that got out of hand"

"You have very interesting friends, sir, The last days in Viridian city have been difficult, I think you must be aware of the bad night the city had"

"A tragedy, I hope to return to help there"

"Tell me, do you know anything about that? It is your city after all, you must know its context well"

"I'm sorry I can't be of any help, Agent, but I don't know more than you"

Looker looked annoyed at Giovanni, he felt that it was the same as his previous visit to the gym. Giovanni just played along and got nothing out of that conversation, so he decided to be direct.

"Do you know what I think?, I think you really know more than what you say. I also think that your disappearance from the gym, your house burned down in Pueblo Paleta and that your family had to 'go on vacation' are all your fault. And I also think that you are related to the attacks last night on Viridian city"

Giovanni stepped away from the railing and approached the detective.

"Detective, I think you have a very good imagination", he said seriously, "I'm not related to what happened in Viridian"

Looker reached into the inside pocket of his coat and handed Giovanni the photographs of Delia, Ash, and Gary. The same ones he showed Professor Oak in Pallet Town when Giovanni took them in his hands looking at them he did not seem surprised.

"I found these photographs while investigating the sighting of some Black Knights soldiers. I may be wrong about you, Giovanni. If you and your family are being threatened by them or Team Rocket about something, I can help you"

Giovanni looked for a moment at the image of Ash and Gary playing in the water of a river, and Delia in her garden. Those moments of peace and fun that he had stolen from them. Then Looker's words made him look at him with a crooked smile on his face. The detective was wrong, he was not an innocent victim. However, he wouldn't let him think otherwise.

"If that's so, how you could help, detective?", He asked, handing him back the images.

"Team Rocket has brought trouble to the region for years, ending their organization is my priority. And now with that new group, the Black Knights taking on them are making things even more complicated. I just want Kanto to be a safe place for everyone"

"It's a difficult target, detective, you are an honorable man wanting to bring peace to this region. If in the near future I can do something to help you or inform you about something relevant I will"

The detective seemed pleased by that answer. He put the photographs back into his coat and watched Giovanni put on the jacket he had previously worn over his shoulders.

"I hope to have that in the future", he said, shaking his hand. "You already have my contact card, I will retire now, I will return to Viridian city to help"

After Looker's visit, the crime lord contacted Archer, that he was already at the Vermilion city airport with Delia and Ash.

"Don't worry sir, there is no danger. We'll be leaving for Dewford town in a moment. When they are installed I will inform you"

"Make sure they're safe, Archer"

"So be it, sir. I have sent the last report from the group that watches Cipriani should already be in your mail. Good luck in Pewter City, sir"

"Well, we'll be in contact"

After his call he went to his office to review the report that Archer had told him, then he would go to Pewter City, his priority now was to find Eric Phillips.