End of a Reality

by Blue9Tiger and DarkMutatedBrock

*~*~*

Old Friend,
It is time to regain our Geminis.
Edward

--Letter Addressed to "S. O. Demoni". Archived by Pallet Town Police Department

*~*~*

Chapter 3: In the "Company" of Strangers

*~*~*

The threatening thunderheads were crying mournfully, a heavy downpour hammering against the window nearest to the door of the Team Rocket Headquarters. The engulfing darkness was overbearing outside, but inside, all manner of light illuminated the hallway where Giovanni had stopped walking. He laughed quietly to himself, not the kind of inane outburst that is drived from lightheartedness, but the very opposite. This sinsister laugh continued as he clenched the PokéBall in his hands, activating the mechanism that opened it, releasing... HIS Pokémon. Now seeing it clearly in the light, Persian widened its crimson eyes, and stared at it in curiosity, being too pampered and naïve to know true fear. His owner smirked for an entirely different reason, anxious to see the thing in plain light, where it could not hide in the darkness or the dim lights of Ivy's laboratory. Yet, this plain light was aggravating his malicious eyes......

The Pokémon indeed appeared, though instead of standing upwards, it appeared sprawled out on the floor, as if unconscious after a long, arduous battle. It had been fighting for freedom from the PokéBall, but those customized by Giovanni were specially made to tolerate that kind of abuse and had easily won over the rebel.

His face adorned with a malicious smile, the leader of Team Rocket strode foward, looking down at his exhausted, drained,.....property. It was unnerving to see how he viewed Pokémon as opposed to humans. To him, Pokémon were only at their fullest potential when they were used for destruction and chaos--at the whim of a human.

Giovanni stood, a few feet away as the "property" suddenly groaned in its bestial voice, and rolled over onto its back, rubbing a clawed hand over its eyes and forehead.

"Misty, I had the wierdest dream...." He mumbled, slurring his words together.

"Misty?" Instead of the gentle voice of the aforementioned, there was the deeper, haughty, overconfident tone of the one who had ordered this to be done: it was finding the wolf when searching for the sheep. "Who might that be?" he asked tauntingly. "One of your little companions?" How Giovanni acted now was in stark contrast to the way he had behaved around Ivy. Perhaps she was the only one who limited his authority. Everywhere else, with the exception of the big house, he held total and absolute power.

Brock opened his eyes blearily, those crimson, blood-red orbs in which no pupils dwelled, and blinked upwards. He suddenly and without warning bared his fangs as he jumped upwards to his feet. His fists clenched and unclenched at his distorted sides, his grey, almost metallic claws stretching outwards and inwards, and he snarled, stretching his neck upwards in the classic sign of predatory Pokémon aggression.

"YOUUGGHHH........" Came the growl, that reverberated in his slightly-enlarged chest and seemed to echo about the corridor's walls. While he reacted to Ivy with pure terror, it seemed as if he rathered to face this one with anger.

"Yes. Me," the man answered smugly, not flinching at the ferocity of Ivy's "creation". It was a Pokémon, after all: it was SUPPOSED to be ferocious, deadly, lethal. It had to be to SURVIVE. A docile, placid Pokémon had no chance against the fury of a merciless killer. Yet, he could not have it rebelling. The Pokémon's strength surpassed that of any normal one, and he knew it could easily destroy him--or so Ivy had warned him.

"What do you want?" Brock began to circle the other, his voice a continuous growl. The instincts infused by Ivy were quickly taking control of his actions, and he couldn't help, didn't even realize the fact that his demeanor resembled that of an aggressive male Nidoking's.

"I want you to submit to my authority," the other answered coldly, keeping his eyes on Brock but not moving away nor towards the ferocious beast. He knew that the creature would definitely not want to do this, after all the undeserved hell it had been through.

"SubMIT?!? AuTHORITY?!?!" Brock began to laugh sardonically, a cold sound quite unlike his usual self that could burn one's ears rather easily. Then again.... he wasn't his usual self. "I'd rather just kill you."

Ivy's chemicals were taking their full effect on the susceptible rock trainer, causing his tortured thoughts to swing towards violence and bloodshed. It was obvious that he was ready to rip anyone's throat out, be they friend or foe, as his chest heaved in anger and his tail lashed behind him, whipping through the air like an angered serpent.

A tail....

Wait.... Brock suddenly froze, horrified. I have..... a..... TAIL?!? He whirled around, grabbing for the long, wiry limb, and after a few futile tries, managed to catch it, holding it tightly in his claws the way that a dog might chase its own tail. THIS brought him back to his senses, as he stared at this.... THING. So strange to him, so.....

He rubbed his scale-covered hands against it, slowly, and then brought his clawed finger up from the middle and ran it down to the tip, where a thin, razor-sharp blade was stationed.

So.... inhuman.

Brock closed his eyes, his shoulders shuddering at intervals as the sobs began to rack his throat once more. Had his instincts been in control, letting his guard down and showing weakness to the enemy would have been intolerable. However, this was not the Pokémon. This was.... Brock.

This action caused Giovanni to doubt the nature of the Pokémon once more, as he watched the creature choke on a poorly-hidden sob and rest its head against the wall, as if weak from the turmoil it had gone through. Crying was not something a monster would do, at least that is what he assumed. Was it possible that it retained some humanity, and perhaps was human all along? He could not tell, but again the lust for power discarded all morality, be it for Pokémon... or humans.

"What is your decision---" He paused for a moment, wondering why Ivy had given the Pokémon the name she had. "---Gemini?"

Some more chokes. More tears. The creature had its hands up against the wall as it leaned against it, its back turned towards the reason for all of his pain.

"Why......" Brock started off in a whisper, eyes still closed as he grit his fanged teeth. "Why would I even CONSIDER joining you?! I don't even know who you are, or why you... why you DID THIS TO ME......"

Again a roar was heard, surpassing the volume and the wildness of any Pokémon cry ever heard before.

"I can answer your questions. I am the leader of Team Rocket, and I did not do this to you. Ivy did. I merely ordered it done," Giovanni said calmly.

"Ordered...... WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?!??!" The victim cried, whirling around towards the tormentor once more. His eyes were ablaze in anger, hate, shame, even as tears fell from them. "I.... I'm a..... monster....." After a moment of thinking, he realized that he was only confirming Ivy's hope. "NO!!! I.... I...... look like a monster. But... I'm still.... I'm still me....."

"You are incorrect. You are indeed a monster, and you will soon be a weapon. A weapon to wreak havoc and spread terror across the Pokémon world." It was in saying that that his purposes were revealed. However, it was a habit of the man to always become relaxed, sedated even, when speaking about immense power that was in his reach. This mentality was reflected in his actions, as brought a hand down upon Persian's head and began to stroke the puzzled feline gently.

Brock gave out a sarcastic laugh. "Weapon? So I'm a weapon instead of a monster, now? That makes me feel a whole lot better."

"It does not matter if it makes you feel better. You are a monster even as you are a weapon: you should not FEEL anything," Giovanni said slowly, deliberately, as Persian began to purr softly. The cat could care less about the dire circumstances surrounding him, as long as attention was being paid to him.

"And what if I DO?" Brock yelled back. "I can talk, can't I? I'm not meant to talk--Ivy planned that, I know--but I still CAN, if I really try..... What, do you think that I'll just bow down to you and call you 'Master' or something?!? I could probably just run out of here and tell the police exactly where this hideout--or---or---WHATEVER this place is-----is!!!"

The creature was losing its confidence. Giovanni grinned. "The police? But they would not listen to a hideous creature such as yourself. They would probably arrest you on charges of destroying the peace before you had a chance to explain anything. Therefore, if you even can employ speech by then--which I doubt--it would be unwise for you to speak to the authorities."

"I don't believe," Giovanni paused, lowering his eyes down towards the purring Persian, "..that civil rights are entitled to a monster."

The grin widened.

That name... that hateful name.....

Monster, Brock.

You're a monster.

Monster....

MONSTER......

"I'm---I'm NOT A MONSTOAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGHH!!!!!!!!!" Brock let out all his anger at one moment, and his voice, out of control, out of grasp, twisted and contorted into a tremendous roar of bitter irony. Brock halted arubtly, choking, and gasping, and gagging on his words as he looked downwards in shock and brought a hand to his throat.

That voice again.

"You certainly sound like one."

Giovanni laughed again, quietly as his usual manner of laughing was. He then let his Persian be and began to walk foward, every step conflicting with a crash of furious thunder outside, and he walked in a circle around the Pokémon, drinking in every detail. Yes... Ivy had been right. The power..... the pure ferociousness..... no discipline, but that could be.... embedded into the creature later.....

The "monster" stared downwards, too exhausted to cry, to growl, to do anything. He felt like a carcass as it was. The carcass of a being whom had once been Brock, as he stared downwards at the tiled floor as he was circled, feeling Giovanni's eyes piercing through his back, his flesh, his soul.

The leader of Team Rocket was indeed a wolf, ready to pounce upon its helpless lamb. A lamb... trapped in the lion's fur.

"You were correct in assuming that I did not think you would submit, then..." Giovanni's sick, evil grin widened even further, and there was something slightly, very slightly predatory about the teeth as he flashed them. He pointed to the door. "Go. Go see how humans react to you now that you are a monster."

Silence. Of desolation? Defiance? Defeat? Giovanni didn't care; he had already won in his own eyes, and he concluded with a triumphant laugh: "You will eventually find a solitary refuge."

More silence.

"And.... what would that be?" Came the growl. It seemed more inhuman than ever, as Brock grasped at the words, barely holding on to them as he shoved them out of his mouth.

"Here."

Giovanni brought a fist upwards and clenched it.

The silence lasted longer this time.

"You're wrong." Brock shook his monstrous head slowly, raising his saddened eyes towards the other, the HATEFUL, LOATHSOME, other. "I'm human...."

"We shall see."

Another pause. Years flew within the staggering seconds.

"No," Brock slowly raised himself to his full height... strangely.... smoothly. Majestically. "I don't need to see.

"I know."

Giovanni's smile warped into a deadly, threatening grin.

"You KNOW? We will see how you think of yourself after you visit your hometown. I am sure you will not be able to disagree with the many that say otherwise."

He pressed the button on the teleporter--a gadget that Ivy had given him to use in the case of an "emotional emergency", aiming it towards the helpless mutant.

"Hometown-----WAITRRRGHH!!!!!" Brock suddenly roared as he felt a huge pain crack through his skull, as if tearing through his mind and draining it of all energy. "AAAAARRRGHHH!!!!!" He gave out a pained scream as the hallway's lights suddenly dimmed and he was surrounded by a whirling wind of pure darkness.

"NO!!! PLEASE!!!! DON'T!!!! I'LL------AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

As quickly as it had began, it ended, and when the lights finally regained their brightness, no mutation could be seen in the hallway. It was as empty as before.

"Excellent," Giovanni declared, looking over the control in approval before shoving it in his pocket and gladly leaving the now-deserted corridor: the light was without mercy.

*~*~*

A young man of nineteen or twenty drummed his fingers atop the polished surface of his smooth office desk. There was a nasty scowl on his face which only worsened as he glanced down at his watch.

5:34.

Dammit. He growled slightly as the drumming of his fingers quickened, in tune with the soft rain that pitter-pattered upon his office windows. She had said she would call back at five.

"Hah," he muttered to himself as he brought a glass of white wine to his lips. "That's the unreliability of outside help for you."

The overweight, brown-bearded, beady-eyed superior of an elite force of law enforcers, better known for being deadly kidnappers and assasins, moved his enormous bulk through the doorway. His face was washed with crimson, and he was very upset, and at the same time, was heavily amused, by something or other.

"President Shin-Ra, a monster called a Chansey was spotted on the 13th floor! It's holding a big bomb in hands! You'd better see it quick--gyahaaa!!"

"Speaking of unreliability...." Rufus murmured to himself, arching an eyebrow as he glared over his wine condescendingly. "A 'Chansey'.... you say?"

"Yes, sir. It's giant and pink and it's holding a bomb! The Turks attacked it with everything---gyahaa, but it's still standing, holding that bomb! Gyahaaaa!!"

There was one very distinguishing characteristic that separated Heidegger from all living souls: his laugh, dubbed "stupid horse laugh" by his superior.

Rufus' eyes narrowed even further, as he let out an exasperated sigh.

"It's not a bomb, you dolt," he yawned, taking another sip of wine. "It's an egg. Have Tseng and the others escort it off the premises."

"Yes, sir!"

The bulging man turned to leave, and he eased his way out of the doorway, almost getting his girth stuck in it as he walked. He threw up his head to laugh again, giant belly vibrating as he shouted, "An EGG? Gyahahaaa! They'll escort the egg--gyaha!"

Rufus sighed, putting down his beverage and laying a hand on the phone in front of him. After a moment of reflection, he snatched it upwards and brought it to his ear.

"Yes..... get me Hojo, would you?"

The operator, who was occupied with other calls that came fast and furious, answered as sweetly as possible, though burdened with the number of rings coming into her computer: "I'm having difficulty finding him..please hold on a second, sir."

Rufus' eyes narrowed, and he began to drum his fingers once more. Why do I feel as if this has happened before.....?

After a few minutes of being on hold, Rufus curled his lip, pulling the phone away from his ear and glaring down at it disdainfully as he clicked the "end" button. He then brought up a hand, wriggling his fingers over the keypad reluctantly before he punched down the numbers "007".

He brought the phone to his ear once more. "Reno...? Yes. Could you please escort the good Professor up to my office? ...........Hojo, Reno. Gast is dead. He's been dead since before--- Wait, Hojo? Yes, he's in his laboratory... Let Tseng escort the Chansey. It isn't a problem, I assure you. Thank you."

With another sigh of exasperation, Rufus ended the call. It seemed as if he would have a parade of unreliable employees, soon enough....

He took another sip of his wine. He needed it.

*~*~*

Reno walked away from the other Turks and up towards one of the infamous laboratories of Shin-Ra Inc. It was said that many horrifying things happened there, and it didn't particularly excite him, anyway. Yet, orders were orders, and if they were coming directly from Rufus, it must have been important. He rode up the elevator, impatient for it to open and let him reach the floor where the laboratory was. In Vermillion City, it was not the 67th, but in the lower 30s. Buildings were smaller in Vermillion than in Midgar. And there were no slums to speak of. It was an overall nice place, but usually there was nothing to do. Thus; even though going to the laboratory to pick up the old geezer that was the head of Shin-Ra's science department was not his idea of fun, it was better than doing nothing. After all, there were few bars and taverns in this city, which upset him greatly.

The elevator door opened, and the Turk walked out, heading towrads the laboratory with his favorite weapon balanced on his shoulder. Maybe he could have slugged Hojo with it, but that wouldn't sit well with Rufus. A few more steps took him to the door of the laboratory, and he knocked at least twenty times in rapid succession. When there was no answer, he knocked several more times, not being the most sophistocated employee to grace the Shin-Ra offices.

However, his knocking soon halted a feral cry of pain was heard behind the door that led to the ominous--and infamous--Shin-Ra labs of Vermilion City. Whatever it was, however, was suddenly silenced as a machine of some sort whirred and there was a flash of electricity.

There was then the sound of a low, "Damn," and then the slow sound of stooping footsteps, echoing upon the tiled floor.

"Who is it?"

There didn't seem to be anyone else in the laboratory, as it was the scientists' day off, but if anyone knew Hojo, they would have realized that the man's pale skin betrayed the fact that he barely ever left the building.

"'Bout time you got here!" Reno's voice was clearly disrespectful of the scientist's age and position, but his vibrant green eyes betrayed his uneasiness at seeing Hojo in person. It was for susbstantial reason: Within Elena's unending flow of gossip, he had heard horrid tales of a Turk that had encountered Hojo and was never seen again. Reno was young and didn't want to show weakness to anything, but the veil of defiance was that he had sewn was too thin to hide his fear--especially from one such as Hojo....

Hojo's eyes narrowed, and he habitually pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a forefinger, his large forehead creasing as he looked up at the Turk. Hojo wasn't a large man--he as tall as a normal man, but with the way that he stooped whenever he stood, his height seemed to slightly diminish, giving him a short, thin air.

" 'Bout time', you say? I haven't left the lab all day."

There was an expression of disappointment about his face, as he turned his head back towards one of the cages at the far end of the room. "I was observing a specimen's reaction to a customized poison--it was designed to be immune. It didn't.... 'live' up to my expectations.... hah-haaa......" The seemingly eccentric scientist chuckled slightly at his joke as he moved away from the door, as if forgetting that Reno was even there. This wasn't comforting to the Turk at all, as it betrayed the fact that Hojo talked to himself, and people who usually talked to themselves were usually considered a bit touched in the head. Reno, in fact, thought that the old scientist was much more than touched in the head: he was probably a damn psychopath who should've been sent to the nuthouse at age two. That gave him more reason to fear him, but his youth prevented him from showing it.

"The Prez wants ya upstairs. I'm supposed to take you up there," Reno told the hunched man, his voice betraying some discomfort.

"Oh?" Hojo turned his head back towards the Turk, looking slightly annoyed. "Why didn't he call me, then?" The black eyes now narrowed in a strange sort of amusement. "Ah... but he did, didn't he?"

Before Reno could even respond, he turned away once more. "I must have not heard the rings over the squealing of 298B.....So loud, these subjects," Hojo murmured, scratching his chin. "A pity we can't administer a Silence attack...."

Again, he turned back towards Reno before the Turk could say anything, this time an eyebrow arching. "So, he's called for me, then? And he doesn't trust me to come up by myself?" A grin flitted across his face. "Very well. Lead the way."

Since Reno wasn't granted any time in which to say anything, he figured it would be pointless if he said something now, and quietly led the scientist up to the next-to-highest story in the building, staying behind him in case the short, old man tried to jump him. It was not long before they reached the elevator, and it began its brief trip from the current floor up to their destination.

35.

36.

37.

38.

The silver elevator doors opened, and he walked out coolly behind the black-haired man, traversing the hallway. The structure of some parts of the building differed greatly from the original in Midgar: thus, it was not a perfect copy of the famed HQ. However, the decorative tastes remained fairly the same, one could note when walking through the upper floors.

This architectural wonder was situated in the middle of Vermillion City, making it a centerpiece in the quiet seaport. It was not only a spectacle, but a steadily growing power. And more power meant more money. As it was, Reno was making a hefty amount of money: definitely more than the SOLDIERS, for doing next to nothing. Vermillion already had a police force, and there was nothing to kill and no one to kidnap. The day was ending quietly, with him dragging an old man up to see the president.

He knocked on the door.

A loud voice came from the inside of the office as Hojo and his "escort" drew near. "What is it, now?!?"

Rufus didn't seem to be in a good mood. But then again, when did he ever?

Hojo pursed his lips and turned towards Reno, making a mock bow. "I'm only the escorteé. I'll let you take the beating."

"Thanks for nothin'," Reno answered at the other's false show of politeness, and answered semi-respectfully, "He's here! Ya want him to come in?"

There was a pause, and then the sound of a creaking office chair and another disgruntled growl. "What do you think?"

Hojo smirked at Reno, bowing once again. "You open the cage. I'll calm the tiger."

Strangely cryptic, those words.... what were they implying? However, they were too abstract for his Reno's to decipher. He muttered, "Whatever,", and swung the finely-crafted double doors open, letting him in.

Hojo's smile continued to be exhibited as he passed the miffed Reno and walked towards the prestigious president of the monopoly known as Shin-Ra Electric Company.

"Mr. President.... So nice to see you."

Rufus looked a bit stranger than usual. First and foremost, he was sweating slightly. Secondly, there was an empty bottle of wine in front of him. Thirdly, his hair looked a bit disheveled, and if anyone knew Rufus, they knew that having two hairdressers told you something about a man.

"....Yes, Professor Hojo," was his response. His blue eyes had the look of a wind upon the arctic ice. "Now, I would like to ask you about this 'Ivy' character....."

"Belina?" Hojo's smile suddenly dimmed. "She hasn't called?"

Rufus' eyes now looked to be the color of a blizzard, as he stood to his feet. "I thought that my communication with her was strictly confidential."

"Oh... and I thought I was the one who suggested her," Hojo's smiled brightened once more until it fell again. "But she hasn't called?"

"No."

"Hmmmm," Hojo began to pace about the large office, scratching his chin. "That is not a good sign.... No, not at all."

The icy eyes narrowed. "You think she double-crossed us then?" I wouldn't doubt it.He added mentally. After all, there had been no choice as to recruiting her or not.....

"It's possible," was Hojo's ambiguous response. "However, she's probably.... doing additional tests." Hojo shook his head. "Or letting Zero-X revel in its ignorance until she carries out her vengeance...."

"Vengeance?" The blizzards disappeared as Rufus blinked. "You mean... she's doing this because of a personal grudge?"

"You could say that...." murmured Hojo. "However, she'll carry the original plans out. What I would be more worried about.... is the fact that she'll be caught up in it. She usually is."

Rufus thought about that for a moment, and then brought a hand to his hair, rubbing through it rather obliviously. "She forced me to hire her......." His eyes narrowed. "I don't believe that is a very good sign, Hojo."

The conversation between the two men created an escalating tension that was felt in the elaborately furnished room. This accentuated a well-defined wall that separated them, though both were in the same, massive company. One clearly had all of the answers, and the other THOUGHT he did.

"Forced you?" Hojo arched an eyebrow in amusement. "And however did she manage to do that?"

"Simple," Rufus clenched his teeth. "She threatened me.... gave me a toxin.... I was forced to sign her up."

Hojo closed his eyes, giving out a sigh of hopelessness. "It was a rhetorical question, Mr. President, but yes, hiring her is a certain risk in itself...."

"HIRING?!??" Rufus' eyes began to blaze once more as he slammed his gloved fist down on the table. "I wasn't even planning to hire her, once I realized that she had been RECOMMENDED BY YOU."

The sudden slam of the exquisitely-made doors slammed as they were thrust open, and a blonde-haired woman appeared in the doorway, storming in with much abruptness. She dressed very liberally for a stuffy Shin-Ra executive, but stranger things could happen. Her delicate, sensitive flesh was only covered by a ruby dress that seemed to fail to conceal anything. The scantily-clad woman waltzed right in, her hips swinging rhythmically: it seemed as if being the Weapons Department Manager wasn't her ONLY job. Scarlet glared straight at Rufus and Hojo. She was not the president, but sometimes she didn't hesitate to act like it.

"What's all this racket, boys?! I'm trying to orchestrate something, here!"

Hojo's lip curled slightly as Scarlet, (or "the blonde horror", as he called her behind her back), came walking in. Rufus seemed to be worked up over Hojo's calm responses, and just stood there, glaring at Scarlet in a rather predatory manner.

"Racket?" Hojo echoed, taking off his glasses and looking down at them as he rubbed them clean on his labcoat. "I would hardly call it that. More like a....." He then brought the glasses up to the faint light that came through the storm clouds behind the office windows, narrowing his eyes in scrutiny at them. Thunder suddenly boomed, in chorus with a crack of lightning that ripped open the sky, and Rufus gave out an uncharacteric yelp, tripping backwards onto the floor.

"Ah." Hojo put on the glasses once more, and turned his eyes towards the hidden spot behind the desk where Rufus must have fallen. "Thunder. Our mystery is solved."

"Mystery?! What mystery?! What's so mysterious about that?!" Scarlet demanded in a shrill screech, in the process making more of a "racket" than the two men.

Rufus staggered upwards, putting his hands on the back of the desk for support as Hojo responded dryly. "Perhaps the mystery of where Science Department funds are going and why upper-class citizens are suddenly attending more balls hosted by you."

"What does thunder have to do with something like that?!" Scarlet screamed in aggravation, her face shading the hue of her name.

"The only mystery......." Rufus suddenly interjected, breathing hard from the recent fall as he leaned forward over his desk, and glaring with those unique blue eyes that were so bright even without mako-infusion, ".....that I can see here.... is WHY...... MY EXECUTIVES....... SEEM TO BICKER SO MUCH!!!!!!"

"Simple," Hojo said calmly, looking towards the steaming tycoon. "You are lacking in observation skills. Had you been paying attention to your employees, you would have noticed that none of us got along from the start."

"The old shrivelled prune's right!" Scarlet seconded, crossing her arms femininely, and shooting a sidelong glare at Hojo.

"Very good, Scarlet. However... you seem to be lacking observation skills as well, seeing that I am a homo sapien, and not a.... prune, as you describe me. And about cooperation....? We all have our differences--except, of course....." He continued, his black eyes gleaming as they moved towards Scarlet. "For Heidegger and Scarlet here, whom, if you may pardon me, seem to forge more deals with your money than the worth of the paychecks with which you give them."

Rufus stared in shock as Hojo yawned, waving a hand dismissively as he turned around and resumed his hunched-over stance, his hands coming together behind his back as he walked. "But I must be going..... I still have additional tests to do before I retire for the night. And.... Ivy should be calling shortly, if I estimate her mind's workings correctly....." Additional mutterings faded away as the self-absorbed Professor made his way down the hall.

Rufus then turned to Scarlet, his eyes narrowing. "What is it that he just said?"

"Old "homo space alien" said that Ivy would call." She blinked, looking rather dumbfounded. "Who in God's name is Ivy?!"

"It is none of your concern," the ice-eyes narrowed further. "Perhaps I should rephrase my question... what was it that he said about paychecks?"

She pursed her lips, a bit jealous that she was left out of the loop. Regaining her composure, she answered,

"That Heidegger and I take your money and use it for our ourselves, and that it's worth more than our paychecks. But don't listen to the old liar! His word's worth about as much as one-half gil!" she spat defensively.

"Really," Rufus closed those eyes. "Then why is it that he happened to be the one that..... cured us of our 'ailments' after Diamond Weapon....? And Meteor, of course, but... I was in a coma when AVALANCHE did that... In fact.... isn't he the one that discovered this.... 'Pokémon World'....?"

Scarlet's eyes narrowed, furious that Rufus always had a form of retaliation. "Okay.....maybe he's NOT a liar. But we didn't do anything low with our paychecks....and, what's so good about this "Pokémon World", anyway? There's no way Shin-Ra can make money off of a pathetic little company like Silph!"

"Little to us, but it happens to be the largest institution in these secluded islands," Rufus sat down in his chair, smoothing out his hair. "In fact.... I believe it was the target of a crime lord a few years back....."

"Yeah.....then what's the smallest? Some family-owned ramen restaurant? This is a-----"
She stopped in mid-sentence. "Crime lord? This puny place has CRIME?" she inquired scoffingly.

"Yes," Rufus leaned forward, grabbing for a file lying atop his desk. He began to page through it. "A surprisingly HUGE one.... Although they prance around in costumes like children at a parade. No large covert operations, it seems... In fact...." He arched an eyebrow. "According to police records--all the officers look alike, I'll swear....--only two things are unknown."

"....And what are those two things?" Scarlets asked in curiosity, leaning sideways as she placed a hand on her curved hip. She had calmed down sufficiently, her face now its usual complexion.

"The location of their headquarters.... and.... Hmm.... the identity of their leader," Rufus murmured. He then gave a secret smile and looked back up towards Scarlet. "However, we were able to accumulate some information on this mysterious 'Boss'. He's a man, large, estimated to be in his late thirties, and he is known underground as 'Giovanni'. Hm..... Perhaps Ivy has been a good 'investment', after all..."

"Well.... THAT'S a big help." Scarlet frowned at the vague description, but there was little to suspect from such an enigmatic "parade". "I'll inform Heidegger about this.....maybe he'll get off his wide ass and flush them out."

She turned on her (elevated) heel to leave, stopped at the mention of the "mysterious" Ivy, and finally walked out of the office, her dress sweeping the floor behind her.

"Yes. Giovanni....." Scarlet heard Rufus murmur to himself as he leaned back in his chair. "Whom Ivy seems to also have classified as being named--"

All other words were lost as the doors slammed shut behind her.

*~*~*

Brock in PEWTER?! That ain't good!! And SHIN-RA in the POKÉMON WORLD?!? That's even worse!!! Will AVALANCHE make an appearance? Will Ash and Misty ESCAPE? Will Giovanni realize that hiring Ivy was about as intelligent a move as CATCHING A TOGEPI?!? Will Ivy herself continue with her EVIL DEEDS?!? Will Tracey even make an APPEARANCE??! WILL CID AND BARRET CUSS SO MUCH THAT WE HAVE TO JACK THIS THING UP TO AN "R" RATING?!?

If you wanna find out, then tune in the NEXT time we update....

THE END OF A REALITY.

(Lame, eh? Oh, well. Just REVIEW. REEEEEEVIIIIIEEWW!!!!!!!! Or else we will not be gifted with CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESE.)

TO BE CONTINUED......