The Guilty and the Innocent
Chapter 6
Dark Destiny - Giovanni
Far away there was the sound of machine and hammering, men more adept then Giovanni were working to repair the floor. To add insult to injury they were ripping out the few boards that he had put in.
He had cleaned up, the mark of his labor was upon him though for while he was as clean as he could manage his clothes were not as lucky. Dust and dirt had brushed their fingers against him suit, grime covered his hands and he'd absently whipped them on his pants, add to that that he was developing a blister...
"You've become soft, if I wasn't hurt I'd probably have more done then you did." Oak was going to rib him now about this, but then it was a good counter for the Dodrio comment earlier.
And though it was hard to admit it out loud... he was at fault, he should have stuck with physical attacks instead of trying to freeze the blasted thing.
"You think at forty three you'd have cooled down a little. I can see you being the next Blane and fighting until you are in your late sixties."
"When I start losing my teeth then I'll know its well past my time to step down."
Provided he live that long, considering all his legal and illegal ties to mass wealth it brought him no little wonder that he actually lived to see each passing year. He would not tell Oak of that however, not yet anyways, the time wasn't right yet.
Provided they both lived to see the proper time, and provided they both lived to even respond to the final truths that Giovanni would hopefully live long enough to reveal.
So many what ifs, so many maybes, but uncertainty was the price of living how he did.
Samuel's eyes flicked to the ring that he wore on his left hand, black banded, with a shield like attachment made of polished onyx. One crimson letter stood out on the flat expanse, it was the ring's only mark, its only break from being pure black. He could not stand to see Samuel ask, not again, so he beat him to it.
"Not yet old friend, probably next visit." Ideas stirred in him, impractical, illogical, they would be his last schemes as a member of Team Rocket, but they could not be carried out now. "Tell me… tell me of your Grandson and this Ash boy. They are your last trainers that you have set out and I'd like to know of them."
Sam blinked, normally Leo shied away from talking of Trainers, any Trainers, even those he fought in the Gym. Oak guessed that it had to do with the traumatic battle between father and son that had occurred after getting fifth place in the League. In that he was right, partially right, it was the events after that battle that had soured his outlook on the innocents who comprised the bulk of Pokemon Trainers.
X
Lights glared down at him like a hundred malicious eyes. Shattered stone, dust held down by the weight of the broken rocks, it looked all to be natural, perhaps sculpted by the hand of some earth creature. Illusions were to be broken to any who lingered, as broken as the earth was under thrown bodies and slashing claws. Red stained a few of the rocks, brown pools were scattered along the floor, and in this room, this chamber, was the smell of iron, sweat and rot. He paced the outer edge, the thin white line of the gym, looked upon the scattered stones and planed, schemed, his Meowth was perched on his shoulders, crystal eyes coolly flicking over every inch of this small shadowed world. For though there was the light from above it fell, the rocks shadows blended together to make patches of night and glaring hot expanses of open space. He resisted the urge to pull on his collar to alleviate some of the stifling heat, heat that was coming to him from his taunt nerves then anything else.
A door opened then slammed shut and he came out sliding from shadow into light.
He wore a black suit, was well built despite coming onto the tail end of forty years of life. Muscles rippled under the black business suit, what few lines of color in his graying head blazed, as did his black empty pit eyes. A smile curled those thin lines that served as lips, a thin red slit on that comely face that was lined by what those ignorant of Raphael would call marks of wisdom and encroaching age. Leonardo knew the truth, could see the marks of greed and hate that marred this bastard's face.
"It's been six years, son."
"Don't call me that." Leonardo hissed, "Don't ever call me that."
"It's the truth."
"We all make our own truths." Leonardo stopped focusing on the area about him, no underhanded attack was coming. This was going to be an open fight then. Good, he rather liked the idea of being able to be open about something just this once.
"Welcome home." The elder Giovanni said as he spread his arms in greeting. It was a gesture the ignorant would take as an invitation to share an embrace. He was of all things, no longer ignorant.
"This is not my home, this is Hell."
"Fitting, astute, you may do me some good yet."
"That's all I was?" Giovanni fingered the gun on his belt. He would not draw it out yet, "a tool?"
"That's all you ever will be until you take your destiny in your own hands."
"What is Mother then?"
He smiled as that blood hungry expression twisted in pain that no bullet could match.
"She's dead you know." The elder hissed, seeking to strike at his son's one weak point.
Little did he know that what was once a weak point was now a strength.
"Why yes, I did know, was she remiss in sending you the information about which hospice she was transferred to? She summoned me when she was dying so that we could talk. I imagine someone merely called you up to ask what you wanted done with the body."
Raphael shivered, and Leonardo knew he could cause no more pain then he had now.
Bitter cold satisfaction welled in him, but he was disturbed to see that as the pain left him there was a dull satisfaction in Raphael's eyes.
"So you've finally become a Giovanni, it took long enough."
"Perhaps, I didn't come here to trade banter with you bastard, I am here to just fulfill my oath, so let's get this over."
The satisfaction died in the elder man's eyes.
"You still have many lessons to learn if you hold to honor boy." He drew an orb or black, he would never use the red and white orbs so he had all of his painted black out of stupid pride. "Machamp come!"
Raphael spat the last, like a master would to a servant in his ill grace.
"Meowth," Leo fondly stroked the creature's head. "It's time."
"Meowth, is that the piece of crap animal you started with?" Raphael laughed. "How fitting, it's about time it died anyway."
"Statistics aren't everything." He whispered, watched Meowth as he padded into the center of the gym, unfazed by the creature that was almost ten times its height.
"It's time to put you in our place boy… If you're cuddling to that animal still then I've been remiss in my duties. Pay close attention son this is the last lesson you'll ever get from me."
"Pay attention animal," Leo growled at his father, whose eyes widened at the hatred in his son's expression. "This is the last time the true master of Hell lays down his will."
Shaking, for at heart he was a religious man Raphael went crimson in his rage, turned to his Pokemon. "Machamp, hyper beam, crush that thing!"
"You know what to do." The young man said quietly. An ear flicked in his direction, an indication that he was heard and they would try this together. If Meowth was hit and signaled he could not continue Leo would use his gun and end this the way he wanted it to end.
It was cheating, Trainers were not supposed to step in until the Pokemon breathed their last. But what of it, after all, wasn't cheating the Giovanni way?
X
Tales of courage, valor, honor, they all rolled from Samuel's tongue. Leo absorbed the stories quietly, wondered if Samuel saw the true contents of those tales, looked beyond the events and judged the two boys by their actions and saw such things. But then no tale swayed Sam, he believed in what he could see and had seen personally and very little else.
"I wish I had been able to fight this Ash Katchem, he sounds like a truly worthy opponent."
Samuel's eyes nearly popped from his head at that, quite worth the minor humiliation he'd just been put through.
"Easy Samuel, don't die on me yet old friend." Leo patted the older man who was choking on some water that had decided to go down the wrong way. "It is not your time yet."
"Surprise me like that one more time and ready or not I won't have a choice!" Samuel gasped; his shock was dying, becoming humored amusement. "I'd never guessed you liked a good fight that much. If it ever comes between you and those two, any one of them you'll hold it off for me so that I can watch, right?"
"Yes, I will." Giovanni smiled, settled back into his chair.
"Don't get too comfortable."
"What have I broken now?" The orange clad man sighed in mock annoyance.
"Tradition. Check the time."
Leo did so and laughed quietly.
"So it seems, since you are such a master you will of course take the shadow side?"
"If I didn't you would lose every time."
"I have been doing very well for myself of late; you might find that my skills have improved."
"Who have you found to practice with the dreaded Giovanni?" The older man joked. "I would guess your customary expression would drive off all would be players."
"How have you managed to practice? I hear your over enthusiasm forces your opponents to take you on once and then run screaming when you offer to play again."
"I'll have Ash bring back his Muk."
Leo folded at that threat, and went off to fetch the chess set.
X
"Impossible! Get up you weakling!" Raphael howled, not brave enough to go over and give his pokemon the helpful kick to get it moving again. Looking up from the dying Machamp the older man scowled. "How did you do this?"
Leonardo smiled, looked into those furious black eyes with feigned innocence.
"Do what bastard?"
"I am your father and you will…"
"I will do nothing, nothing for you, never again. Your son died when you threw him out six years ago with nothing but the clothes on his back and the money in his pocket. Meowth, how are you holding?"
"Merow hisss!"
"You treat it like it's your friend, friends are worth nothing."
"We'll see your move old man."
X
"Leo… it is opening move, it can't take all that long."
"Sorry," Giovanni tried to smile but Samuel grimaced at the expression, it must of failed spectacularly for Sam to read through it. "There is a lot on my mind."
He rubbed the ring absently, let the smooth band slide under his thumb.
"Fools-mate, really Leo, you always try to pull that one on me and I only fell for it once."
"Only played the fool once… there is some saying like that, I've heard it before…"
Sam nodded, avoided the fatal move and pulled out a knight behind his lines.
"Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice shame on you…."
X
"Fool me three times and shame on us both. You dipped that thing's claws in venom!"
"You finally figured it out?" Leo smirked. "You must be slowing down bastard."
"I am your father and you…!"
"My father is not you, rabid animals aren't fathers."
"You are my son."
"And I am damned that we share same blood."
Raphael grinned; a crafty look gleamed in the abyss of his eyes. "If I'm not your father then who is? Ah ha this is rich. You sentimental fool; I should have killed that teacher of yours. He's the one who's spoiled you, twisted you, made you turn on me; I imagine watching his death would do you some good Leo."
"He'll die over my dead body."
"That can be arranged, but it won't help you. And I am your father; after all it's my duty to help you. So you'll just have to live and he'll have to die. Wont he? Tell me, does he know, what you are, does he know who we are?"
"He knows, as much as I dared tell him, he knows."
"You fool, you god damned fool! How long, how long has he known?"
"Since I was thirteen, you might be interested to know that I thwarted that little scheme of yours bastard. How uncreative can you get, poison the Pokemon and discredit him as a researcher by counterfeiting documents? You never even checked the authenticity of his notes; you never questioned the fact that he knew so much about forging. You must be getting old."
"Onyx!" Raphael howled, shaking in rage. "Let's see your little cat's claws do anything now!"
The younger Giovanni pulled out his gun.
"To my side, protect me!" Raphael howled, cringing back from the weapon.
Stone flesh, walls of flesh made of stone slid around him. Leo smirked, so this sire was a coward after all. He lifted the gun and aimed, two shots ran out, one for each eye, each ripping into the brain… Screaming the Onyx slumped over, dead, shame it hadn't crushed Raphael under its weight.
Grinning like a mad man, like the mad man he was Raphael crawled over the dead Onyx's side.
"Bravo Son, a very good fight!" He applauded like he would at some sporting event; he then went death still as the gun lined up for a clean shot between his eyes.
"Shut up, God damn you shut up!"
X
"Perrr?"
"It's not all that complicated." Leo explained, stroking the silken head. "He moves his piece, I move mine and if we take the other's monarch then whoever has it wins."
"He'll never learn it. You've talked him through our games for years and he hasn't picked it up yet" Oak grinned, patted the Persian who was like a splash of spilt milk barely contained alongside the board (the tail could be counted as a leak as it's tip constantly twitched over and swatted Oak's last priest). The head faced Giovanni the… less elegant side face Oak. Reaching out with a paw Persian snatched Oak's king and swatted it to Leo.
"You were saying?" Leo smirked; both he and Persian wore the exact same self congratulatory expression.
"You two are two of a kind." Samuel chuckled. "I wonder could I do an EGG on your Persian, he seems very intelligent and might even have elevated brain activity. I've been meaning to prove whether living outside their Pokeballs if Pokemon gain more intelligence then if they were to…"
"Spare me the details of your theories old friend, yes you may do an EGG on Persian."
"Merow?"
"No that doesn't mean you get a Pidgy egg."
"Merow!"
"I poured you some milk and you'll be getting some Goldeen slivers later tonight." Giovanni mock growled, swatting his Persian's head in rebuke. "You're going to turn into a lazy lap Meowth if you eat more then that."
"Perrr…."
"Oh, beg and act sweet now will you, but when I asked you to do something nice and easy for me like rip up some papers you threw a hiss-y fit." Samuel decided to get in on the fun and join in the teasing. "Don't fall for it Leo, he's acting all Growlithe sweet, but it's just a..."
"Merow!"
"That is enough!" Giovanni snatched Persian by the scruff before he knocked over any more pieces. "For that you'll be eating half a dinner tonight!"
"Fft!"
"Those claws slide out a centimeter and you'll regret it." Giovanni whispered in his most lethal tone. "Now go find something to do, the weather's fair, go harass some Pidgy."
"Er hurm!" Oak gave him a long hard look.
"Fine, research subjects right? Well go bother the Magicarp or something."
Oak offered his flattest stare.
"Or you could just attack the scratching post…."
"Merow rowr!" Persian nodded agreeably as those steel hard eyes bore into them both. Tail tucked between his legs Persian padded off, and Giovanni sighed at the ruined board.
"Another round?"
"Certainly," Oak turned the board around. "And since you've improved so much you take the shadow side."
"Huh, ironic that."
X
"You had me; you should have just finished me when you had the chance." Strapped down in a chair, electricity pounding in him in small spurts Leonardo shook with each shock. He could not respond, and Raphael smiled down at his son. "Stupid stupid boy, you need to learn your lessons again it seems."
Drawing a knife Raphael considered his sole offspring.
"Meowth!" Throwing itself across the room small claws slashed at Raphael's face.
Snarling in pain the elder Giovanni's hand dipped into a pocked and came up with a brass knuckle, the man punched the pokemon, and the small creature went flying across the room and hit the wall with a sickening crack.
"Disappointed Leo? I'm not as old as you like to think. I dosed myself with Nidoking and Nidoqueen anti venom before I knew you were coming. You really should have avoided that pokecenter when you came back to Pallet."
He had no words, shivered in rage at seeing his Meowth dead by this bastards hand, he'd taken everything now, there was nothing left now but a numbing cold.
"Damn you, fight me!" Leo roared, tried to rip off the binds that held him down, in response to his motion the voltage went up and he sagged weakly as the electricity roared through him.
"No." Raphael purred the word, knew how much his lack of honor, of offering his son an honorable end was hurting him. He'd break him, now that there was nothing left and had glimpsed the desperation he had a hand hold to finally break and mold him. "You are my tool, and you will die only when I dub you worthle-"
"Hiss!"
A blur of white smashed into Raphael, much larger then the Meowth had ever been. Claws blurring, ripping, tearing into the downed man's back. Teeth dripped black, slid into a shoulder.
They dipped venom…
Croaking, gasping as the poison attacked his heart Raphael clawed at his shirt, ripped it off and rolled in agony across the floor. Uncaring at the older human's distress Persian limped to his master, swatted at the mechanism that held him pinned to the chair. Leo spilled from it, no longer being supported he fell and the mess of delicate wires ripped away from his flesh leaving a mess of small burns across his chest and arms. Shivering, he could not close his eyes; he had no control and was forced to watch. From a world away he could fell the carpet press against his cheek, less then five feet away Raphael Giovanni arched, made one last gasped cry, and died.
Numb began to fad, pain took numbs place. He stared at the white Persian, white as pearls. White was the supposed color of purity. Not anymore, white was the color that awaited a crimson mark of corruption, it was nothing more then that.
"Perrr…" Bloody faced, oblivious to it Persian rubbed his face over his own, concern laced that throaty voice.
Groaning the young man crawled to his feet, stared at the visual phone as it rang; he hit the visual off button and then weakly sank into the chair by it.
No one must know his Sire was dead, not yet.
"Congratulations kid."
That voice he didn't know it, did he?
"You did good Leo; it'll be good to get to know each other later on."
"Who are you?" He croaked.
"You'll find out later. Slick shit teaching your Persian toxic like that; you've got an elegant touch. The second I hang up on you, you call the medics, tell 'em he was mad and started yellin' at you. He keeled over and died simple right? Nothing easier?"
"Nothing easier." He echoed wearily.
"First kill, you haven't lost your guts yet, we'll get on just fine. Here's the cut greenie, we'll be with them, and we'll keep any of 'em from nibbling you with questions. We'll arrange it all, he was something special to us so we like to see our mates tended the right way. You, you don't come to our little celebration, lay low for a month, then when things are smoothed out and you're on top of his legal businesses we meet face to face. Then we'll answer all questions and get to really talk. Say the lie once then take his ring and kiss 'em good bye."
There was silence; he'd been hung up on.
With trembling hands he pulled out his cell phone, his voice was shaking almost as bad as his hands.
"Nine, one, one, this is an emergency… My… My Father… he's not breathing…"
The ring, he stared at the black banded ring that was red with his father's blood, a red "R" in its heart.
"He… he was mad, angry with me and…"
"Sir, calm down."
Breathing hard Leo knelt, took the limp hand in his own then pulled off the ring and slid it in his pocket.
"Sir?"
"I'm here… more or less…" He swallowed, turned from those unseeing eyes. "He clawed at his chest…"
"We have an ambulance on the way, where are you?"
"Pallet's Pokemon Gym."
He felt cold, his heart felt like ice, he reached up, pulled out a tissue and whipped the blood from his face, walked over and pulled Raphael's table covering off the desk and threw it over the chair that had once been a device of torture.
He covered the phone with a hand, looked to Persian.
"Meet me… at Oak's a few miles from his place where the road bends."
The, his Persian nodded, those cold eyes did not judge him for this, seemed to actually glimmer with amusement that he was so shaken that Raphael was dead.
"Give me a day at most; if I don't come I won't be coming at all."
"Hisss!"
And that could have been 'if you don't come I'll come for you', he had little doubt that it was.
X
"How so?"
Oak moved, made the same taunting move Giovanni always did.
Fool's mate.
"It just is. I'll explain it some other time."
Leo avoided the move, pulled out a knight.
"A taste of my own medicine I see."
"You deserve it." Leo smirked. "Let's see if you can beat yourself."
"You memorized all my moves?" Samuel rose an eyebrow.
"No, but it makes a good taunt."
"You never change Leo," Oak sighed with mock drama. "And here I prayed that you'd be mature at your age."
Light flashed off the ring, flashed into his eyes and made him blink in pain, but still he smiled as he delivered his return volley.
"Maturity is an ever changing process,
Twists twines,
Leaves cast to sun and night,
Bellsprout."
"With practice you might become a passable poet."
"God forbid that from happening!" Giovanni gasped in horror.
Oak laughed richly at the terror in his expression –not all of it mock- and moved his piece.
"Eventually you'll grow into some one with a hint of sophisticated taste."
"Me, not sophisticated!" Giovanni growled. "So accuses the man who when he went to a science convention offended everyone present by showing off."
"The presenter was making a serious miss representation of the Mer Jaruon's theories on advanced…"
"Spare me, just go and spare me talk on your theories."
"Oh as if your theories on economics are any more interesting. You nearly bored me to death when you went on and on about selling the surplus of fruit that the various grass types grow, and how to do it in stages to avoid market inflation and reap the best prices by having a larger amount then the local supplier and being able to under cut his prices."
"You could be making quite a tidy profit you know."
"Well this is what I say to your obsession profit." Oak snatched a bishop with his Queen.
"Well this is my counter to your complete lack of practicality on financial matters." Leo used a pawn to take out the Queen.
"I felt that one deeply…" Samuel coughed. "Could you… take that move back?"
"No," Leo crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I am quite pleased with the results of it." He tossed the queen up and caught it.
"Please, increase the gloating; I need to be exposed to more of it." Oak said dryly. "Here's a trade, businessman," Samuel smiled making the emphasis playful. "I will listen to some of your economics on how to cut cost with some of my practices and you listen though a few of the more advanced theories I'm working on."
"That will take a few games." Leo admitted.
"If you don't have time…"
"I'll make it." Leo said firmly. "Paperwork can pile up on my desk without me watching it all on its own."