Gary looked at the fainted Misty.
"Let her sleep for a while." The dark-haired man advised him.
"Yeah, I guess that's for best. Anything new happening."
"Since Sabrina died? No, not much new. At least as for the Gym leaders dying, if you consider only that." He drew a remote control from his pocket, and aimed it at the giant screen in the back of the room. A map of the world appeared, from which Gary knew one could use the various satellite of Team Rocket to get a photography of any given spot less than a day old.
"And you consider more?" He phrased the question carefully. His friend had changed a bit, growing more secretive since he had taken command of Team Rocket.
"I work with the basic assumption that everything unusual is linked. If I can't find the link, then I start thinking about whether or not there is a link."
"In other words, you play it safe." Again, Gary nodded.
"Yes. Care for anything to drink, old friend?"
"I'll take a glass of water." He smiled. "It's been a while Ash."
"It has. But we've both had our jobs, haven't we?" The dark-haired twenty years old leader of Team Rocket shook his head. "You, trying to keep the league from going haywire, me, trying to keep Team Rocket from going back to Giovanni's ways."
"Yeah."
It had been what, four years ago already? They had been given no choice then, fight against Team Rocket to the bitter end or die. Ash's mother had already been killed, as well as Gary's own sister, and they hadn't dared to ask any of their friends to help in fear of losing them. Of course, Giovanni could have ordered these friends killed anyway, but that hadn't occurred to them. The only help they had received overall had been from a pair of Rocket agents who had decided to side against their boss.
Somehow, against all odds, it had been enough.
Somehow, it had shattered their lives, too. Gary had rapidly recovered, ascending to the title of Viridian gym leader with little opposition, as many believed Giovanni was not truly dead and would not dare to take the task of Gym leader while he might still be around to take revenge of them. Knowing what Giovanni's revenge was like, it was not exactly a surprise that they would have felt that way.
Ash had not even been given the chance to return to normal. Or perhaps he had, but the cost of doing so as they had been told was too high to consider it. Team Rocket could not be disbanded, and with Giovanni dead a new leader would rise from the ranks and shape the Team in his image - an image of evil, more than probably, as it would take a great deal of ruthlessness to take command.
But if instead the one who had defeated Giovanni in single combat against all odds was the one who took command, then he would be accepted, because the rules of Team Rocket were set to respect strength first of all. And if that one was Ash, he would be able to shape the Rocket in his image - give them a new goal, new ways.
Given Ash's personality, no one who knew him and knew of the events taking place instead of the underground headquarter had been surprised by his choice.
"What are those strange events that might be linked?" He turned his mind back to present matters.
"Lots of troops movement. Johto and Kanto are preparing for war." The answer was short, to the point - and utterly chilling. There had been no war in the region for years, but now it seemed as if the two countries were getting ready for battle...
And who else could they fight against, but each other?
"How so?" He felt his voice going weak.
"Three missile cruisers - State of Saffron, State of Lavender and State of Cerulean left Vermillion just yesterday to take station of the Cinnabar coast. The sixth armor division moved west, and two armor divisions are apparently getting ready to move as well. The subs are on the move as well, and the Marple is on the move."
As Ash reported the events, Gary watched, stunned. The league would have been consulted normally for such troop movements...what was happening now?
"I didn't hear the least bit of that." He shook his head, puzzled, worried. "I mean, that..."
"Executive order. Direct command from president Blackthorn to all units, bypassing standard command circuitry. Lance knows something we don't." That explained much, but wasn't the Aircraft Carrier Marple outside of the units available to receive such executive orders? Unless a Defense alert has been released...which could be done with an executive order...
"Look that way, doesn't it? What's happening in Johto?"
"The submarine docks at Kogane are empty as of two hours ago. We have a satellite that's supposed to give a flyby to the two main fleet bases at Asagi and Kikyou. I don't think there'll be much to see there, though. Last we have the fleet - those units not already at sea - was getting ready to sail."
"That's not good. What do you make of it?"
"Both sides think the other is going to attack. I think there is unreleased information about the death of the gym leaders. Information that put the blame on the other side."
Gary only nodded silently. It made sense that Lance would keep that much secret for now, especially if it was unconfirmed. The fewer people that knew of such suspicions, the fewer that would see a reason for war with Johto, and, even more important, the fewer that would ask for it. If war could be avoided, it was for the better.
"Let her sleep for a while." The dark-haired man advised him.
"Yeah, I guess that's for best. Anything new happening."
"Since Sabrina died? No, not much new. At least as for the Gym leaders dying, if you consider only that." He drew a remote control from his pocket, and aimed it at the giant screen in the back of the room. A map of the world appeared, from which Gary knew one could use the various satellite of Team Rocket to get a photography of any given spot less than a day old.
"And you consider more?" He phrased the question carefully. His friend had changed a bit, growing more secretive since he had taken command of Team Rocket.
"I work with the basic assumption that everything unusual is linked. If I can't find the link, then I start thinking about whether or not there is a link."
"In other words, you play it safe." Again, Gary nodded.
"Yes. Care for anything to drink, old friend?"
"I'll take a glass of water." He smiled. "It's been a while Ash."
"It has. But we've both had our jobs, haven't we?" The dark-haired twenty years old leader of Team Rocket shook his head. "You, trying to keep the league from going haywire, me, trying to keep Team Rocket from going back to Giovanni's ways."
"Yeah."
It had been what, four years ago already? They had been given no choice then, fight against Team Rocket to the bitter end or die. Ash's mother had already been killed, as well as Gary's own sister, and they hadn't dared to ask any of their friends to help in fear of losing them. Of course, Giovanni could have ordered these friends killed anyway, but that hadn't occurred to them. The only help they had received overall had been from a pair of Rocket agents who had decided to side against their boss.
Somehow, against all odds, it had been enough.
Somehow, it had shattered their lives, too. Gary had rapidly recovered, ascending to the title of Viridian gym leader with little opposition, as many believed Giovanni was not truly dead and would not dare to take the task of Gym leader while he might still be around to take revenge of them. Knowing what Giovanni's revenge was like, it was not exactly a surprise that they would have felt that way.
Ash had not even been given the chance to return to normal. Or perhaps he had, but the cost of doing so as they had been told was too high to consider it. Team Rocket could not be disbanded, and with Giovanni dead a new leader would rise from the ranks and shape the Team in his image - an image of evil, more than probably, as it would take a great deal of ruthlessness to take command.
But if instead the one who had defeated Giovanni in single combat against all odds was the one who took command, then he would be accepted, because the rules of Team Rocket were set to respect strength first of all. And if that one was Ash, he would be able to shape the Rocket in his image - give them a new goal, new ways.
Given Ash's personality, no one who knew him and knew of the events taking place instead of the underground headquarter had been surprised by his choice.
"What are those strange events that might be linked?" He turned his mind back to present matters.
"Lots of troops movement. Johto and Kanto are preparing for war." The answer was short, to the point - and utterly chilling. There had been no war in the region for years, but now it seemed as if the two countries were getting ready for battle...
And who else could they fight against, but each other?
"How so?" He felt his voice going weak.
"Three missile cruisers - State of Saffron, State of Lavender and State of Cerulean left Vermillion just yesterday to take station of the Cinnabar coast. The sixth armor division moved west, and two armor divisions are apparently getting ready to move as well. The subs are on the move as well, and the Marple is on the move."
As Ash reported the events, Gary watched, stunned. The league would have been consulted normally for such troop movements...what was happening now?
"I didn't hear the least bit of that." He shook his head, puzzled, worried. "I mean, that..."
"Executive order. Direct command from president Blackthorn to all units, bypassing standard command circuitry. Lance knows something we don't." That explained much, but wasn't the Aircraft Carrier Marple outside of the units available to receive such executive orders? Unless a Defense alert has been released...which could be done with an executive order...
"Look that way, doesn't it? What's happening in Johto?"
"The submarine docks at Kogane are empty as of two hours ago. We have a satellite that's supposed to give a flyby to the two main fleet bases at Asagi and Kikyou. I don't think there'll be much to see there, though. Last we have the fleet - those units not already at sea - was getting ready to sail."
"That's not good. What do you make of it?"
"Both sides think the other is going to attack. I think there is unreleased information about the death of the gym leaders. Information that put the blame on the other side."
Gary only nodded silently. It made sense that Lance would keep that much secret for now, especially if it was unconfirmed. The fewer people that knew of such suspicions, the fewer that would see a reason for war with Johto, and, even more important, the fewer that would ask for it. If war could be avoided, it was for the better.