A/N: Edited all spelling errors!
The Innocent and the Guilty
Chapter 8
The innocent and the Guilty- Giovanni
The phone rang, not the visual phone but an old fashioned voice carrying phone. A woman picked it up, blinked at the strange voice on the other end. Ask no questions. That was the rule here, don't remember who called after telling the Boss about it, that was the rule. But this strange request on the other line would stick in her mind for a while. She knew all who called, recognized the voice to be able to put the person through the proper line, but for once she didn't recognize the voice or even who the man was asking for.
"Is there a problem Miss Aru?"
She jolted in her chair, she'd been dithering, openly panicking, and like the few times this had happened before he saw it and came out of his office. She shivered, despite being dressed in a warm orange suit, despite being one of the most handsome men she'd ever seen, the man before her made her shiver. It might have been the control he radiated, the cold expressionless mask that served as his face, it might even have been the fact that she'd seen him physically overpower a Trainers Machoke when it had gone wild and started attacking him instead of Giovanni's Pokemon. Whatever the cause she always shivered when he looked at her, and cringed back when he spoke, though he had hardly said a harsh word to her, had never rose his voice at her while she had worked for him. Gathering the remains of her courage she put a muffling hand over the phone and looked to her employer.
"Sir... do you know a Leonardo? It looks like someone transferred a call through to you when it was supposed to go to someone else."
"Put him through to my personal line, I'll sort this out on my own." He paused, watched her flick a few switches and the phone in his office began to ring. He let it, watched her with cold black eyes for a long moment. She'd dealt with men who looked at her in lust, challenged such men, but there was nothing of that in the man's eyes. There was no passion in him, none at all.
"Miss Aru, cancel all my appointments for the next seven days, take a... weeks vacation if you will, I imagine I wont be needing your services again until that time has elapsed. You may leave after you finish those cancellations."
Then he was gone, he ducked into the office and the shrill cries of the ringer went dead.
She frowned, that was strange for him to suddenly up and cancel a day's appointments much less a weeks. She wondered, for just a few minuets what was going on, but the first rule of her job came back to her.
Never ask any questions.
So she didn't, he paid her well enough for her to kill any of her natural curiosity, she kept quiet and just did her job.
X
"Samuel," Giovanni paused his greeting long enough to close and lock the door behind him. He cursed a bit under his breath as the phone's line tangled with the Persian shaped paperweight on his desk, fought it free and went to his chair. "I take it they've arrived?"
"Yes," There was a hesitant pause. "Gary is here, and Ash is supposed to be here some time tomorrow."
"Thank you, I'll be there in three hours."
"Leo, that girl sounded terrified."
"She's an on edge woman Samuel, and it doesn't help that it's her first week at the job. I need to get going." Giovanni then hung up, cutting off Oak's sputtered protests, then ripped out the cord out from the phone. He knew Samuel all to well, in his anger at Leo's high handed treatment he'd call back to pry a fuller explanation out of him. If there was no line, no way to get through however Samuel would give up, eventually. He stepped out of his office, pulled out his cell phone and even as he walked out the door was putting in a familiar set of numbers.
"Miss Aru."
He could feel her shaking, but did not bother to look up, he pulled out a pair of shades that would hide the dark rings around his eyes.
"If that man calls back seeking to speak to a Leonardo Giovanni, tell him there is no one under that name working here."
"Yes sir."
X
If arrogance was smoothed out of that voice it might be pleasant. He stared at the adolescent who recalled his Arcanine, watched, waited. No excitement stirred his ice blood, this was as all the others had been, boring, plodding. The boy was predictable, calculating, and obsessed with setting up the right odds so that he would win. An Arcanine, a Rydon, both defeated with only a few barked orders and a few second's time. This wasn't a challenge; this wasn't the one he sought.
"Your grandfather gave you such high credentials." Giovanni said, watching the brown haired boy's expression through his screen of shadows. "You have done nothing more so far then slander his name with this... show of ineptitude."
"Hump, it's not over yet old man."
Leo looked over to the side lines, Samuel's lips were twitching up a storm. Obviously the boy was getting his just deserts, his ego was too over inflated and this stinging defeat is what it needed and hadn't gotten in so very long.
"Hold it." He put a hand up, the boy hesitated from releasing his third and final Pokemon. "I'm going to give you a bit of an edge boy, don't waste it. Nidoking, return." He pointed his Pokeball at the creature and there was a flash of red light and the poison type disappeared. "Persian, let's go."
Sparing a second to rub the leg of his pants Persian trotted forward and then sat facing the young trainer.
"I can only use two Pokemon, to recall is to surrender, we are now on even footing."
"Your crazy old man. A normal type huh? Alright, Machoke let's go!"
Persian spared his opponent with a bored glance, yawned into an upraised paw. Leo smiled, the boy sputtered in rage at the show of arrogance on both their parts.
"You think your something else huh? Let's see how you take this. Machoke, hyperbeam!"
An orange light surrounded the fighting type; Giovanni nodded to his Persian then stepped out of the direct line of the attack. He didn't even need to give the order, they'd seen this too many times before.
Like a silver bullet Persian shot across the clearing, jumped over the entranced Machoke. Ignoring the child's cry of disbelief that the Persian could run so fast, Giovanni found a large rock and sat down. It was over, all over before it had even began, and he was deathly bored of it all.
Claws sank into the Fighting type's back, screaming the Machoke staggered forward, his head thrown back in it's primal expression of agony. The orange glow around it's mouth became a beam, that beam arched into a monochromatic rainbow and ripped up only a small span earth and the rest of the energy slashed into the sky startling Pidgy and other flying types into taking to the heavens. Samuel flinched, was probably wondering how many of them were going to be shot down by more hyper beams. There wouldn't be enough time for that. Glee sprang into those blue eyes, grinning Gary ordered his Machoke to grab Persian and perform seismic toss. Strong arms snatched Persian, claws flailed, the pearl white Pokemon left lines of red across the face, the arms, and the thick chest of the Machoke. Grimacing in pain, too loyal to let go, the Machoke gripped Persian's mid section and made on sharp turn on it's heal. They spun once, twice, a parody of dancers; it became less like a dance and more man throwing a disk. The Machoke let go.
"You gunna call him back before he falls?" The boy sneered.
Giovanni did not bother to reply, watched as Persian made a sharp twist in his hips and forced a sharp turn, another particularly painful looking wrench that only the fluid feline specie could manage and even as he was flying backwards he was facing the stunned Machoke and trainer. Paws hit earth, claws scraped against the ground, leaving small furrows and ripped up clumps of grass and soil, the hind paws dug in, and fighting the considerable force behind the throw Persian threw himself forward.
"Cross chop!"
Charging the Persian leapt into those descending arms, took a hit that threw it back to the earth. Giovanni winced in pain as Persian smashed into the ground in his side. Claws scrambled against the soft ground, ripped the natural carpet of grass, and on it's side it scrambled out of the way of a descending foot that would have stomped the pearl white creature into the next life. Taking a second to get to it's paws so the pads were touching the ground rather then the side, Persian darted out of the on coming foot. Wormed his way between the large feet and shot between the legs.
"Behind..."
Persian let out a deafening scream, a shrill cry that cut to the marrow of bone, and to the center of the heart. The sound rolled over the Machoke, unthinking the creature clapped its hands over its ears. Gary was yelling for all he was worth, giving orders, giving orders to the unhearing. The sound rolled over Giovanni, he took the attack without flinching, even as Oak and Gary were squirming and they were merely clipped by the sound waves. Claws slashed across the face, teeth burrowed into the flesh and ripped, tore. Untouched by the sight of blood Giovanni watched as the boy recovered from the Screech, still calling on his Machoke to fight, until the unfortunate creature staggered back from one particularly hard slash and they could all see the extent of the injuries. It didn't have much of a face, the natural red lines that rand down the arms were lost in the crimson striped that raking claws had left, the belly and shoulders sported a handful of gapping wounds that were left by razor sharp teeth.
"Good God! Machoke, enough!" Lining up the Pokeball with the bleeding fighting type there was a flash of red light, and it was gone.
Leo stared into those shimmering blue eyes, there was no passion in him, years and years of calculation, of living by the odds had turned his blood to ice. Gary cradled the Pokeball in his hands, stared at horror at the red that ran across the field, and at last looked at him.
"You didn't stop... why in God's name didn't you stop? You saw what that monster of yours was doing and you didn't stop!"
Persian plopped down on the cool grass and proceeded to groom himself, to clean off the blood, indifferent to the child's cries. Giovanni stared at Gary for a long moment, his expression still as a dead man's. Having seen a fair number of dead in his life he knew and respected the stillness the dead could offer.
"The failing is not mine, I am attuned to my Persian, if he were hurt I would have called him back. Do not expect me to keep my eyes on my Persian and have anything left to spare for your... pets."
Gary ignored that, did not respond for a long moment.
"I did... everything right."
"If you had, you would have won." Leo responded calmly. "If you had done everything right you would have won, it's that simple."
He relaxed against the embrace of the stone, watched Persian clean himself with only minor interest. If Gary did or said anything else Giovanni didn't pay it any heed, the boy had lost, and had lost in such a way that made him no more memorable then any other trainer who challenged him. He wasn't what he was looking for, was an insignificant arrogant brat that unfortunately shared the same blood as Samuel.
"Come on Gary, I'll tend to Machoke in my lab." Oak stood, looked to Giovanni, the younger man could feel those eyes bore into him. "Do you have a place to stay for the night?"
"Yes," Leonardo did not look up from watching his Persian, "don't I always?"
"I'll see you tomorrow then."
X
"That was harsh, but... necessary I think." Oak said as he sipped from a cup of tea.
"It amazes me he didn't learn something so elementary when he was earning his way into the league." Giovanni replied, he put a generous glop of sugar and honey to the mix, not able to stand it plain.
"We might sound like two old men pattering away over a spot of tea grousing about the good old days, but the gym leaders have changed, and in my mind not wholly for the better."
"Hmm..." Giovanni watched the noon sun stain the tree's leaves gold. He was sick of gold, sick of green, and weary of crimson. "And the reason we sound like old men pattering away over a spot of tea might be because we are?" Giovanni tossed the remains of the cup down in one swallow, ignoring how it scorched his throat. "So your grandson, he went on another journey?"
"Yes, and I think he has his priorities shifted around a bit. It wont be so much an effort to make this a string of victories and cover himself in glory as it will be to learn what he did wrong, what he's doing wrong." Oak smiled, albeit apologetically. "I'm sorry I used you somewhat to ram that lesson home, words just weren't cutting it."
"When someone is given everything they ever really want and need, when they are intelligent, and have not tasted the bitterness of loss, betrayal, or, foul chance, they tend to turn arrogant." Giovanni said philosophically. "And better me then someone who would really hurt the boy, if he learns it now, well and good, if not, that's his problem not mine."
"Compassion and indifference in the same sentence are a strange combination Leo."
"Not so strange for a Giovanni, Samuel, not so strange at all."
X
"Hey Tracy, have you seen Professor Oak?"
Both men winced, as the boy's question was yelled and it was highly probably everything in a five mile radius heard it. There was a pause, someone else probably giving directions, then a chirped.
"Thanks!"
"And at last your late pupil arrives." Giovanni looked up from studying the bleak rock choked terrain.
"Ash is always late." Oak chuckled. "They day he comes early I'll know the world is ending."
"Interesting name, he favors fire types then?"
"You'll find Ash is... different then Gary and most other trainers." Samuel replied, a playful glimmer in his eyes. "He favors all types of Pokemon."
Giovanni rose an eyebrow but Samuel had said as much as he was going to it seemed.
X
"Hey Professor Oak, how are you?"
"Well enough Ash, thank you for asking."
Giovanni sized up the child; probably fourteen, fifteen at most, he had black hair, and black eyes. The boy wore a hat of some type, a hat suiting some sort of sporting event, not too knowledgeable of sports he did not recognize the logo. The boy, Ash, sported a normal t-shirt and pair of jeans, both were rumbled, stained, showing signs of travel and hard use. The boy practically bubbled with energy, and the Pikachu on his shoulder was much the same, offering Samuel a enthused "Pika pika!" in greeting even as the boy's cheer washed over the aging professor and seemed to take some of the years from his eyes.
"Ash, I want you to meet a friend of mine, Leonardo Giovanni." Samuel pointed him out at last, not that the boy hadn't seen him and was curious about his presence but someone had rammed the basics of manners down the boy's throat so that he waited until Sam introduced him before cheerfully offering his hand.
Gingerly Giovanni took the hand in his own, allowed the boy to grip his hand. The child's grip was firm, dry, and somewhat warm, but then the gloves might have had something to do with that.
"I'm Ash Katchem, just call me Ash!"
"I prefer to be addressed as Giovanni."
"Oh and this is Pikachu."
He introduces his Pokemon? Leo almost laughed at that, but by the look on the boy's face he expected him to respond. Giovanni nodded politely to the Pokemon, all too aware that Samuel was smiling and that this was going to be the beginning of a new line of jokes aimed against him. Wonderful.
"Pi pikachu!" A small yellow hand reached out, a mimic of the boy's gesture.
Leonardo managed to not cringe as he let that small paw wrap around the first two digits of his hand.
"Professor Oak said you were interested in a battle." The boy said brightly.
"That I am." The man replied coolly, "Oak has told me a bit about you and I am interested to see how much of it is true."
Ash blushed just a bit then only said. "I'll prove what I can."
See, what did I tell you? Samuel's gaze seemed to say.
"We shall see," He said, as much to Samuel as to the boy. "We shall see what you have in you."
X
Black tinted gold in the sun, it rained down, poison tipped needles from the horns were deflected by a storm of green. Summoning vines from its side the animal plant hybrid pushed off the ground, threw itself backwards away from the rain of needles. Roaring, the purple behemoth of stone with poison for blood charged forward; snatched the thin vines that were trailing behind its smaller foe. The creature who had summoned them, who was a part of those vines yelped in pain, then managed a loud cry as its earth armored foe dragged the creature down to the earth. Gasping in pain it summoned a flurry of green, a hundred thousand leaves to slash, rip, and tear. Most were turned aside by the thick skinned Nidoking's armor, those that hit home were ignored, as the Master spoke and must be obeyed. Up went the vines, a green arch, the end of that arch wailed and was smashed like a living tip of a whip into the hard earth. Again and again this was done, each impact with the earth made the boy flinch in pain, flinch at the cries.
"Bulbasaur, use solarbeam!"
A green glow streaked with gold engulfed the small creature. Even as another violent jerk of the vines brought it up, and threatened to smash it down. They spent a moment gauging the light, the golden green light. In a heartbeat it poured down tip of the bulb that jutted out of the creature's back, which was warning enough.
"Let it go!"
Hopefully that would lessen the accuracy of the attack. Yes, even as the creature was sent into the light it would speed up the spreading of that powerful attack, but that was a sacrifice that they were going to have to make.
"Ice beam!"
Steam formed around Nidoking's jaws, white clouds. Those jaws parted, and a rain of ice and snow poured out from those fangs like a winters gale from the mouth of a cavern. Howling cold cut through summer touched air, and from above imbued by the essence of golden life and spring sun came the heavens. Bitter cold met gentle warmth, as winter's touch bows the green to brittle red and garbs it in trains or white death does the green break through the blankets of ice and defy it to become life. Death met lift, like two hands the beams clasped. The silver blue cold beam sank down a few inches the golden green beam rose, and they touched, brushed each other...
Nidoking roared as the light pierced his sensitive eyes, as it snaked between thick scales and made the nerves under burn in agony, as light burned away the shadow touched poison that was necessary for life...
Bulbasaur howled as his lungs were filled with stinging cold, howls turned to coughs as the air was sucked out of him, as life became a little harder to cling to. Limbs fell heavy tangled, vine withered and twisted with tangled confused limbs.
A speck of green fell, it was insignificant, his Nidoking staggered, eyes glazed in pain, still the Pokemon stubbornly refused to cry out in pain past his first roar, shook his head and looked up with unseeing eyes for a foe that was not coming.
"Enough Nidoking, return!"
"Bulbasaur, I gotcha!" Ash ran back, leapt, and smashed into the earth, the pale shaking grass type in his arms.
"Bulba..."
"Hey you did the best you could... uh oh that looks bad."
"Bul?"
"Pika?"
Threads of green, threads of silver blue writhed in the air; beams had become a twisting pulsing orb that writhed as the conflicting energies strived to overcome each other.
"Bulbasaur, return!" Ash decided that for now the match was over, he dove behind a boulder.
"Pika!"
He covered Pikachu as much as he could with his own body, faintly aware from what felt like a world away of someone else crouching besides him, putting themselves between him and the flashing lights.
X
The explosion set the flying types in the area to wing, and from his sanctuary from a cluster of boulders Giovanni felt the temperature drop violently then rise. One second he could see his breath, the next it was scalding hot. He held his Persian in his arms; put himself between his oldest friend and the ragging chaos beyond the thin screen of earth. There was silence, punctured by the soft whisper of sand tapping against the earth; it stretched until his nerves could no longer tolerate it. He stood, staggered out from behind his sanctuary, and stared at the world about him. It was touched with the madness that only extreme contradiction could bring. Icy veins ran with the blood of green. A digit thin, yet bursting within its confines was vitality, life. The vein's of ice were on his side, they spider-webbed out until they reached a roughly circular span of unchanged rocky ground. On the other side were rolling spans of green, blue lines cut through the life, a mark of death upon the back of spring, that thinned until it met the sharp jagged rocks.
"Pi?" A small yellow head poked out from behind a boulder that was covered in green, the creature spotted him standing besides an ice covered rock and made a few excited cries of "Pi pika! Pika pika!"
"Owww..." Slowly Ash crawled out and joined his Pokemon, looked at the world around him and stopped breathing.
"Ash... are you alright?"
"Fine." It came out as a whisper.
Shaking, pale, Samuel stepped out from behind the boulder, brushed dust from his white lab coat and stared at the battlefield. He didn't breath for a long moment and his eyes nearly doubled in size.
"Tracy would love to see this." Samuel said at last.
"You can fetch him to gawk after we are done, if you will be continuing boy?"
"I've fought in weirder places." Ash said quietly.
They all stood, stared at the strangeness of the world around them. It's contradiction, of life and death, yet the beauty in both. Giovanni felt a slight flash of guilt, if they fought with all they had this place would be destroyed. Guilt did not kill a man however, had that been a truth he would have died long ago.
"A change of the rules, we finish this as a one on one battle."
Ash nodded, that would spare the terrain somewhat, and it seemed as if this rash and passionate child wanted that as well as Giovanni did. They had an understanding of sorts in that.
"Samuel, if you would leave now. I will be by in at most an hour to fulfill my promise, as we agreed those years ago."
"Leo... what game are you playing?"
"A final one, go on Samuel, I'll be by in a bit."
"Pika?"
"Persian, let's go."
"A Persian huh..." Giovanni rose an eyebrow as the Pokedex was pointed at his Persian. Not liking the thing the pearl white Pokemon hissed, and flexed his claws into the ice covered ground. Information on the specie, type, and habits of wild Persian's rang out in the dullest mechanical voice he had ever heard. "So it's a normal type."
"His specie is vulnerable to fighting types; if that's the information you want."
"Nope, that's not what I wanted to know, it's the first Persian I've seen so I figured I should put it in 'Dex for the professor. Pikachu, let's go."
"Before we begin, Mr. Katchum." Giovanni stared at the child. "I believe you should know who I am in full besides being an old friend of Professor Samuel Oak. I am the Gym leader of Viridian." Ash's mouth opened but before he could say anything Giovanni met those warm black eyes with his own dead ones. "I am also the highest ranking member of Team Rocket, the top and final one of its generals."
"Pikka!"
"What!"
"This battle will decide... many things, most important, what happens to the Rockets. Prepare yourself boy, and hold nothing back, for I will not."
"There's no way I'm going to lose to you!"
"Pika pika chu!"
Giovanni's lips curled in a slight sneer, the expression which his Persian wore. Scorn. Mocking bitter scorn, for the enthusiasm, the cries for justice. There was no justice, only power and manipulation. But if that was the truth, then why must he prove it over and over again, why must he beat a hundred, thousand such young enthusiasts to bloody pulp if his way was truth? There was no time for seeking that answer, the boy's anger seemed to pour into his rat anger became electricity and electricity fueled power.
"PIKA!"
Searing hot yellow light smashed into the ice, sent shards of it flying. Those shards caught the light of the sun, of the lightning, and blinded his Persian. He however was not so weakened.
"Hard right!"
Claws scrapped across ice. With an interesting mix of scrambling and pushing off the earth the feline managed to get out of range of the second attack.
"Pikachu, save your electricity, quick attack!"
An arrow of gold slashed across the grass, left a trail of dust across the rocky earth, and upon the ice the speed increased even more, but for speed was sacrificed control. Paws slipped, and on it's belly the creature went across the ice. Turning to face the wail Persian lifted his right fore paw, his claws were black points that raked down and drew four lines of red across the face. The real force behind the attack, the swing where the claws gained the speed to rip through skin and bone however was blunted. Not by skill, or a well placed dodge or blocking paw, or even a toughened hide, but by the terrain. The paw pushed off the Pikachu, pushed both combatants apart and set them spinning across the ice. Shaking his head, squinting up his eyes in pain Persian hissed, dug his claws in and standing on the tips of his claws managed to stop spinning. The Pikachu squeaked as it spun, fought to get to its paws and lost them due to his wild motions.
"Oh man..." Ash cringed seeing the blinded Persian slowly stalk after the Pikachu, by the way the creature was licking its lips there would be no repeat of the misplaced slash. "Pickachu, push off with you tail, and swim like Lapres does!"
"Pii... ka!" Squealing with delight the yellow rat managed to get the push done well enough, the paws however scratched at the ice and only made him spin. "Ka!" There was only one rock on that field of ice, and the rat hit it head first. Hearing the thump Persian turned; felt his way across the ice coated ground to his prey.
Scrambling up on the rock the Pikachu looked down at the Persian, a slow smile curled that chubby face, a smile that found its way on the young boy's face.
A wreath of small hissing bolts of electricity surrounded the creature, then like a pulsing electric sun they spread out. Unlike a sun they gouged the earth, like the sun their touch turned ice to water. Smiling, for he had expected something much like this Giovanni gave out a string of orders, guided his Persian away from the ice to the island of rock. Not one to let the Persian walk out of a potential trap the boy predictably called out for his rat to cast a bolt of thunder as Persian all but crawled to the sanctuary of the earth.
"Bubble beam, arch it!" Giovanni roared.
A stream of water, of bubbles, poured from Persian's mouth, surreal was the amount made, no enthusiastic group of children with a soapy water could make as much. The electricity veered from Persian, was drawn to the water and snapped across the arch, even as it did so Persian was in full retreat. Predictable so far, but not above employing uncommon strategies, Giovanni smiled slightly, this was defiantly going to be a harder fight then the last.
"Now!"
Kicking off the rock, jumping, small yellow paws hit the ice, jumped again, right into the arch of water and dissipating electricity. Steel became the tail; steel caught the electricity and like a blazing sword brought it down. There was no way to dodge. Persian hissed in pain, staggered, and then sent his assailant flying back into the violent riposte. Black claws leading they sent crimson lines across the belly of his foe. For a long moment both opponents looked at each other, both trainers stared at each other, gauging each other's expression in hopes that it would reveal something about the fight, a glimpse into strategy, into the mind. Giovanni offered nothing, had stared assassins down without breaking a sweat, without giving anything away. The boy was a mess of conflicted emotion, admiration for his opponent, respect for his opponent, yet the knowledge of who he faced brought in the greatest conflict. Under that emotion, which was so easy to read, there was nothing, no plans, only a hope and determination. Nothing useful in that, they both looked away and it was with a hint of humor in him that Giovanni saw that the rat and his Persian were doing the exact same thing.
Perhaps Oak wasn't as crazy as he thought with that human mannerisms rubbing off on tamed Pokemon theory.
Hissing the rat found its paws, rubbed the cut on its belly with an almost numb dazzlement, then sharply shook his head. Persian snorted, flicked an ear and stood watching as much as his burning eyes allowed waiting, and showing nothing of the pain he was in.
"Make him come to you." Giovanni hissed, his eyes slits as he studied the angry rat before him. "It's the boy's move now."
Persian bared his impressive teeth, the tip of his tail flicked back and forth as he waited. Had it been in the boy's head to think he could have let off a thunderbolt, Persian could not have dodged that in time. Not to say that dodging was the only answer, there was always a counter, always a way out. Perhaps the boy did think, just in a different way, did not dwell on obliterating his foes in waves of screaming bolts of lighting, but fought in different ways. One word, not expected, but easily planned for. Leaping up, tail leading, tinted silver under the power of the attack the Pikachu aimed the strike at the back of Persian's head. Rearing up on his hind legs Persian blocked the tail with his forepaws, shoved them apart and that final shove brought Persian off the ice and onto the rocky sanctuary. Dropping his dignity for a moment to gloat Persian... well he purred and patted the nice solid, not slippery, section of earth with a paw.
Snapping a few annoyed "pika"s the animal found its paws and stood right in the center of the icy expanse.
"Ha, now you can't get Pikachu and your Persian's a sitting duck in the open like that!"
"Really, how little you know. Persian, if you would disillusion the boy."
Persian let loose a scream that cut through all defense, set the skull to reeling in pain. Giovanni stood through it, the yellow creature less then five feet away from him curled into a tight ball as waves of agonizing pain slammed into his skull. Smirking the Gym leader did not flinch, refused to show his pain no matter how bad it got. He stroked the onyx band, slow lazy strokes, there was something however different to his touch. It was subtle, the boy did not see it, he imagined though Samuel would see it before he left and perhaps understanding would come to him in the darkest hours of the night. By then however, all would be irrevocable.
He stood in silence, the pain his only companion.
X
"Come on... just a little more... there!" Taking a deep breath the Persian stopped it's screech, flexed it's claws into the ground. It was less then a second's pause, but it was enough. "Now, charge it!"
Staggering, shaking off his pain even as he ran Pikachu slipped on the ice, spun forward but veered to the side. The screech only clipped him, he was able to keep running and sliding forward. Yellow paws hit earth, the Persian hissed, claws tipped in red sprung out from the white velvet fore paws. Now on even footing, now both stood on the solid earth, and they looked at each other ears slicked back, teeth bared in equally determined growls.
I can't believe this guys a Rocket, I've fought Rockets and the only one's whose Pokemon are kinda loyal are Jessie and James. You don't shrug off pain, you don't listen when you're in pain, unless it's to someone you trust. He trusted Pikachu, trusted his friend to know when enough was enough, to surrender if he needed to. It was absolute trust, unbroken loyalty, just as Pikachu trusted Ash to come every time no matter what to save him when anything bad happened Ash turned to Pikachu when the going got tough. Somehow, through miles and battles and more days spent getting lost then going in the right direction they managed, and most of the time they managed to win too. But it wasn't the winning, only a few times was winning the goal, it was the experience, for the fun of it all.
Just to see where the next bend on the road went, to see the top of the next hill that was lure enough to get them going.
But with the Rockets it was money, destruction, and defiance. The lure was always profit, the mark of their passing always destruction. The goal, victory, no matter what the cost.
Such things made no trust, allowed no friendship, and yet hidden there were glances of respect from crystal eyes, an instinctual trust and obedience even when in pain.
"Pikachu... tail whip!"
From across the field, he could have sworn the man in orange's lips twitched, just for a second.
Confused, but trusting, Pikachu turned on his heel and swishing his tail back and forth singing out a few mocking notes that traveling with Ash he'd heard all the time.
The Persian looked at the yellow butt waving only a few feet away, then looked at it's master who made a slight gesture. Out came the claws.
"Turn around and bite!"
A blur of white hissed through the air, white teeth sank into a white paw, the response was expected.
Howling in pain Persian whipped its paw up, pulled it out from the downward arch and snapped it up. Pikachu squeaked in shock, lost his grip and went flying up in the air.
"Now, thunderbolt!"
"Persian, give it a taste of its own medicine!"
Two jagged lines of yellow met. One rose from the earth, the other fell from the heavens. There was an explosion and dust went flying everywhere. Coughing Ash squinted into the cloud of dust, it settled and there, both panting, staring at the ground in utter exhaustion, stood Persian and Pikachu.
"Persian, quick attack!"
Hissing the Pokemon became a blur of white, and before Ash could even tell Pikachu to look out his friend was smashed into and sent flying to land on the grass. Grunting Pikachu hit the ground, rolled across the grass and with a weak "Pi" managed to get to his paws.
"It's over boy." Giovanni barked, "Give it up, you can't win."
"Pikachu, it's your call."
The man stared at him, was waiting for a response, but he was too far to have heard the Ash's words. Shaking his head Pikachu forced his legs to stop trembling. He stared up at the man who called himself the leader of Team Rocket.
"PIKA! Pi Pikachu! Pika pikaa!"
"That's our answer!" Ash snapped, "We don't give up, not till it's over."
Ash was too far away to hear Giovanni's response, he was aware that the man's lips moved but it was too far for his ears to catch. But not for Persian, or even Pikachu's. The evolved Meowth purred at whatever he heard, and Pikachu blinked in surprise. Then there was no time to wonder, no time for questions.
"Qui-"
Not this time! "Agility!"
X
Defensive, aggressive, this boy was balanced in using both tactics and making up a few while he was at it! Giovanni shivered as a thin thread of interest and anxiety mixed with his ice blood. This wasn't a fight just about power and routine. It was intelligence, luck, power; it was as it had not been in twenty years. It was uncertain, the outcome was uncertain. He had confidence that Persian would be fine, that he could take care of himself should things become too hot, the fire too intense, but his confidence that they would come out of this victorious was now gone. It was a good feeling. He allowed himself to slip a little, allowed a slight smile at the juvenile antics of the tail whip. He had lowered his guard and they both had paid for that bout of stupidity.
"You were right Samuel; there are still challenges in the world."
He stopped caressing the ring, turned his full attention to the fight, where it for once, justly belonged.
Hissing, whirling around Persian was trying to follow the rat's movements.
"Patience, wait it out" He barked, and that was enough, Persian sat on his haunches and at another order closed his eyes.
"What the? Perfect, Pikachu quick attack!"
Eyes still closed Persian hissed, using his ears he heard the attack, swung his paw and smashed it into the Pikachu's skull claws fully extended. Screaming in pain the Pikachu hit the ground, rolled. Blood fell into its eyes, gathered around the ears, crimson blinders and a crimson halo. Shuttering the Pikachu found its paws, shook off the hit.
"Finish it, bubble beam!"
"That's it, Pikachu thunder!"
X
"Pi... Ka... Ch.. cha?" Pikachu cocked his head to the side as no sparks gathered around his checks. He rubbed them, tugged on them, but nothing was making the electricity come out.
Oh man they were out of electricity, this was bad!
"Persian, bubble beam!"
The Persian hissed... then cocked his head to the side and made a low chagrined sound in his throat.
Out of water, out of electricity.
Both trainers shifted uncomfortably, considered their respective Pokemon. Unable to do special attacks meant that the Pokemon was running out of energy. Both weighed the options, considered what was left and what was right. No longer being ordered to fight, the two Pokemon sighed and sat wearily in the grass, panting, showing their exhaustion. They'd get up, like they had several times before this and keep fighting, but it was getting harder for them to do so.
Enough was enough, he had all the badges he needed for the League, the old badges didn't expire or anything so he didn't need anymore, and he already had the Viridian badge anyways. There wasn't any point. The whole thing had started out as a friendly challenge and his anger had pushed it way too far.
"Pikachu, enough."
"Pi?"
"We're going home. It's over Giovanni, you win." Ash walked across the field, picked up his weary friend and cradled him in his arms.
"Pika..." Sighing in relief Pikachu closed his dark eyes, rested his head in the crook of Ash's arm.
Giovanni said nothing, watched him, and Ash paused on the road home.
"I don't care what you say, you aren't a Rocket. A Rocket wouldn't have let me give up, wouldn't have offered me a chance to back out when things started getting rough."
He did not turn, did not pause to hear if the man had something to say. Ash knew the truth, his truth, and that was all he needed.
X
"Well?" Samuel all but pounced on him, demanding information on the fight.
"It went… well…" Holding Persian in his arms Leo stroked the silken fur, he took a chair and pulling out a bottle poured the potion on Persian's side and rubbed it into the wounds. "He fights in a different style then most trainers."
"You are being evasive." Samuel growled, crossing his arms in front of his chest and favoring him with what he thought of as a fierce glare. Giovanni did his best not to laugh; the 'fierce' glare was more comical then vicious.
"Yes, I am being evasive." Leo smiled for a heartbeat, then dropped the smile. "Take a seat, I've tended Persian long enough to be able to do so and talk, and we have much of that to do. Or rather, I do, I will only ask you this once to remember your oath to me, no matter what I say, do not forsake me. Not like everyone else…"
"I promised, a promise is a promise." Samuel said simply and at that Leo chuckled.
"We shall see."
X
Samuel trembled, stared at Leo, not believing, not wanting to believe.
"You killed your father?"
"Persian did, he poisoned him while Raphael was torturing me."
Leo sipped on his tea, now gone cold long ago, but he didn't taste it, was hardly aware of the world about him at all.
"At that point there was no turning back, not that there was any chance to break away on hand. Raphael kept me under constant surveillance, various Rockets would approach me, harass me, all in an effort to toughen me up. Any I traveled with were attacked, so I learned to tend to myself and avoid other trainers. It was a Rocket who had been assigned to watch over my Mother who told me she was dying. At that point I abandoned my journey and went to her, she begged me to not get involved with my Father's work, but at that point, I decided I had no choice. I became a Rocket grunt at thirteen, sent reports to them on and off, picked up the various tools of my trade. Pick pocketing, picking locks, that sort of thing, I was good with my hands, and with Meowth there was little chance any would sneak up on me. While taking the odd and end jobs I continued with my journey, that's the real reason it took so long for me to get all the badges, because I couldn't run from town to town like others could, I had duties to attend. I had to be transferred from town to town carrying out assignments all the while I was training for battle, hunting down wild Pokemon for my own collection, and Raphael was there every second slowing me down, trying to dissuade me from continuing, trying to get me to give up playing both sides. He was right on one count; life would have been easier had I just stayed with the Rockets and not done both."
"Why?"
"Kill the old man and get out; that was my plan. It's not how I went. I became even more tied to the Rockets after his death. They knew me, Raphael had been subtly grooming me to be his replacement, had been so damn smooth about it that even I didn't think about it until years later. By the time Raphael was done flopping around on the floor I knew there was no way I could live as an honest Gym Leader. When you kill someone, there is a line you cross that can't ever be re-crossed. The knowledge that you are capable of killing; it becomes temptation, seduction, because life and death, that is the ultimate power. And you know how much I cherish power."
Samuel shivered, looked away.
"I assassinated all of my Father's old allies, broke down the very structure of the Team, and rebuilt it, dropping more of the brutal practices. You may have noticed a change in the reports, valuables being taken instead of lives. The rapes, senseless murders, those I stopped, the rest… Well Team Rocket is at heart a criminal organization, that's where it gets its power." Leo stared at the bookshelf, could not make out the titles if his life depended on it.
"You were trapped?"
"I gave you my circumstance; do you see a way out?"
"I don't see a safe way out, but there is always a way out."
"The only way out Samuel, is death, and for whatever its worth I still value my life. I warned you, almost all my life I told you over and over again. I am a cold, calculating, bastard who cherishes his life over that of most others. I am capable of murder, capable of torture, I may not enjoy those things but the ability is still very much a part of me, they are weapons in my hands that I have used before and I may use again."
"Who?"
"Who have I killed personally, by my hands?" Samuel nodded and Leo shrugged. "What good would their names do? Would you sent funds to those they knew and are still living to sooth your guilt? My decisions have been mine, not yours, not anyone else's. You are not party my deeds, I've taken a hell of a lot of pain over the years to keep you out of this." Seeing the look of stubbornness in his older friend's eyes Leo sighed. "A few disobedient Rocket grunts, the whole staff that my sire picked out of a lot of murderers and torturers. In one case a group of police officers during a gun fight, and there was a child who got in the way during a different gun fight. That was when we were fighting off Magma's first advances on the Jhoto continent. Then of course Raphael, there was Raphael."
Oak shivered at the cold empty in which Leo used to talk of killing.
"It's a shock, how easy it is, and the eyes, you may close them but they never really close. You once told me… a man who can not sleep soundly is not an innocent man. I rest with a gun in hand, have rested armed for years."
"Was it worth it?"
"No, such a life is a wasted life. You delude yourself; allow the opulence to numb the senses, to slave the guilt never knowing it is acid until it begins to burn. Yet even as it poisons, it is addictive, you partake in the strongest opium laced with the slowest working venom. Sweetness turns bitter, until it becomes only bitter and the sweetness becomes a forgotten memory. You step out in the street and dodge bullets of slander and steel; you can tell yourself it is the thrill of living on the edge. But living on the edge becomes living in desperation. And as before the blood stains your hands, even before it stained my hands, there is only one way out."
Samuel leaned weakly into his chair, stared at the man he thought he knew.
"You made a promise, unwitting of the consequences; I won't hold you to it." Leo stood, set the cup aside.
"I've already contacted the police; it will spare you and the boy some trouble if you keep quiet about what you know as it will all be handled by the time the week is out."
"What are you going to do?"
"What I should have done." Leo whispered. "Take care of yourself Samuel, I won't be coming back to save you if things go as they planed." Leo pulled off the black ring with the crimson letter in it's heart. "Don't wear this, don't let anyone se you with this, just hold onto it for me, just in case things don't go as planed, and don't forget what I said last time I came. The last part, it comes in effect now."
Leonardo smoothed his orange vest, adjusted his tie. He was capable of walking himself out, and considering Oak's current color would have to do so. Before Leo had gotten to the door though, Samuel spoke.
"I made a promise I will keep it, and I have."
Giovanni did not turn, did not seem to hear even as Oak was certain his lips had not moved to say those words. But he had spoken, and perhaps, perhaps Giovanni had heard.
X
"Professor Oak, I'm sorry I just got caught up in doing some sketches and…" No response, Tracy frowned in worry. He dashed around the house, Oak wasn't in his lab, wasn't in his room, eventually Tracy went to the study and found the Professor there. The older man was lying in a chair, eyes closed, his hands clenched around some small item that set black tinted flashes of light between his fingers.
"Tracy." Oak's voice was thick, he lifted his head from it's slump.
"Professor, are you hurt, are you alright?"
Smiling a sad bitter smile Professor Oak whipped the now dry tears from his eyes, shook his head.
"No, I am not alright, I need you…" The silver haired man took a deep breath. "To tend the reserve for me, can you do so?"
"Yes." Tracy considered calling the ambulance, but so far as he could see nothing physical was wrong.
He was as transparent as glass, as easy to read as a book and Oak smiled fondly at the young man.
"It's nothing that a doctor can tend my young friend, I… need to make a call and then I will rest."
"Alright, rest well Professor Oak."
Samuel paused at the door open door where Leo had walked through not too long ago. He leaned against the frame and sighed at nothing in particular.
"Tracy, has there ever been… something you regret not doing. And because you hadn't done it, you knew that something horrible had happened to someone you cared for?"
"No… I've never… but if you need someone to talk to."
"No Tracy, I'm sorry my friend, so sorry, but... I can't tell you about this, and you can't help me. I have to come to terms with this on my own."
X
"Ms. Katchum." Oak smiled wanly at the young woman, she was auburn haired, warm, compassionate, and seeing his pale face that compassion manifested itself in mother hen nattering. He sat as she ordered, took a deep breath as ordered, and he knew that if she had some way to hop into the screen and be at his side a thermometer, blanket, food, and medicine, in hand she would. "May I speak with Ash please?"
"He's sleeping, he came back from his match awful pale, so I had him go to bed."
"When he wakes up... could you tell him that I'd like to see him? It's very important that he come to my lab as soon as possible."
"I'll tell him your message, but you Samuel Oak should be in bed, you look almost as bad as he did."
"I'm headed there right now Delia Katchum don't play mother hen to me too." Oak chuckled, putting his hands in the air in mock surrender.
"If you'd show just a bit of sense and take better care of yourself." She scolded, a smile curling her lips. "Maybe I wouldn't have to play at being Mother to two sons, now go to bed."
"I'm well over fifty Delia."
"As if that matters, boys will be boys Mr. Samuel Oak, and you're worse then any boy I've ever met when it comes to taking care of yourself." Some of the play left her, a line of worry marred her face. "Samuel, what happened today? I've never seen Ash act so distant, he was troubled and he wouldn't tell me a thing."
"It's something a friend of mine said, he can be very cold to those he doesn't know personally and he tends to disturb people who aren't close to him. I'll help him through it, don't worry, just don't forget to feed him before he comes over. He'd attack the Snorlax's here if he isn't fed and my refrigerator is still recovering from the last visit."
"Of course I'll feed him." Her eyes twinkled. "And I'll try not to over do it so you don't have to roll him back when you're done."
"Thank you, good night."
She frowned, concern in her eyes when he did not laugh at their joke, she was going to say something, but he rather rudely hung up on her. She would hopefully understand and forgive him.
Resting in his pocket, with a mind of its own was his hand and a ring that he rolled between his nervous digits.
He wondered if he was worthy of that forgiveness, considering what he knew and kept silent about, he worried that he might no be worthy of any forgiveness ever again.