Pokémon: The Vision of His Future Chapter 7 Conflict, a pokémon fanfic

Now

In the depths of the Dragon Cave, Ash called out, "Blastoise, I choose you!"

Released from his Pokéball, the massive blue tortoise reared back on his hind feet. Blastoise whipped out a set of jet-black sunglasses to prop across his broad, flat snout; a sure sign of his utter seriousness about the battle.

"A Water-Type. How predictable," Giovanni almost yawned.

Ash grinned to himself. Giovanni wasn't the only one who could exploit Pokémon elemental natures, after all. "Blastoise, go with Hydro Pump, now!"

Twin water cannons popped from his shell above his shoulders as Blastoise bent double. With a surge of pressure that only Blastoise's immense weight could hold back, the Hydro Pump burst forth toward Nidoking.

Giovanni stepped smoothly over to the side, lest he get washed back into the underground river by a miss. Sharply, he barked, "Use Surf, Nidoking. Ride the wave!"

Nidoking leapt feet-first into the twin streams of powerful water. Within seconds, he was balanced carefully yet firmly on the gallons of water roiling beneath him. Elated, Nidoking threw back his head to roar defiance that shook the stalactites across the roof. Blastoise's attack merely continued to chew into the rock walls behind them.

Giovanni added, "Thunderbolt!"

Ash replied, "Stop with the waterworks, Blastoise! Try Body Slam!"

Blastoise's response proved a little too slow (he was a turtle, after all). Nidoking, still riding the Hydro Pump barrage, sent a bolt of electricity riding the stream right back to its maker. Blastoise was rooted to the spot, unconsciously continuing to spew water from his cannons, as the electricity flowed across his powerful form.

Naturally, the Ground-Type Nidoking was still quite unaffected by the electric barrage.

Ash decided on a change of tactics. Seeing the paralysis was wearing off, he commanded Blastoise, "Keep Hydro Pump going…but cross the streams!"

"Blastoise!" bellowed his Pokémon. The water cannons swung toward each other, and when their beams met, Nidoking was at the center of the eruption. The purple Pokémon was blown off his clawed feet across the chamber. When Nidoking hit, the wall and floor alike cracked; but this time it all held.

As Giovanni recalled his unconscious battler, Ash took the opportunity to gloat a little. "One for one. Even odds now…Dad."

Ash was pleased to see Giovanni recoil at the word. Good. The older man wasn't the only one who could needle you to death with a sarcastic title, anyway.

As the youth had expected, Giovanni quickly reminded, "The battle is far from over, Master Trainer. Persian, I choose you." In an instant the evolved form of a Meowth appeared. Bone-white fur with creamy points on a long, graceful feline form would've been very pretty…except for the look in Persian's narrow yellow eyes. The slash cat hissed menacingly as he arched his back.

Hmmm, Ash thought, So Giovanni has more than just Ground-Types on his squad after all. Even though most Pokémon Gyms specialized in a theme, there were never any rules against it, so Giovanni was in the clear. Not that it should be a big problem in this case. Neither Persian nor Blastoise had an type advantage or weakness here. Still, it might not hurt to slow the speedy feline down. "Body Slam, Blastoise!"

Giovanni smirked, "Persian, use Thunderbolt."

Again Persian arched himself up, his fur rippling into angry spikes along his spine. And from his spine rose a bolt of compressed static electricity that rippled across the chamber, striking Blastoise squarely in the face. Ash yelped, "Blastoise, use Withdraw to escape! Hurry!"

Blastoise quickly sucked all his appendages into his wide shell. The Thunderbolt kept crackling, seeking a way in, but Blastoise was shut up tighter than a Cloyster at a pearl divers' convention.

"Save your energy, Persian," Giovanni prompted, "he can't hide forever."

Ash's mind raced, suddenly hitting on a memory of another Gym Match when his Pokémon had first learned the most powerful Water-Type move of all. "Blastoise!" he cried, "Remember how you did Hydro Pump when you were a Squirtle? Reverse your cannons and go for it!"

Blastoise did indeed remember. Before he'd fully evolved, he hadn't grown his biocannons yet, so he'd been forced to expel Hydro Pump from the limb sockets of his shell instead. In an instant the giant turtle became a water-propelled whirlwind spinning crazily through the air toward Persian.

Which would've been a very good tactic on Ash's part if the cave chamber wasn't so small.

The Hydro Pump splashed everywhere in seconds. Everywhere. Ash, Giovanni, Persian, and Typhlosion alike were all doused and dashed against the rough-hewn walls. Typhlosion's flame jets went out and with it, all the light. Blind as a Zubat, Blastoise's jet-propelled body missed Persian. The Water-Type sailed right over and crashed into the same section of wall where Nidoking had been vanquished earlier.

As Blastoise came out of his shell and wobbled dizzily to his feet, the others tried to pick themselves up from the half-flooded room around him. Typhlosion blazed light once again, but this time it had more to do with his rage than anything else. Part of the release from his jets wasn't really fire; it was pure steam, the flame shrew was so furious. Typhlosion spit and snarled at his friend Blastoise in a fashion that made Ash glad he couldn't speak Pokémon.

Blastoise could only smile and spread his hands apologetically.

Giovanni opened his mouth to give Ash a colorful opinion on his battle tactics, but was interrupted by a loud crack.

All eyes turned to a large fissure in the wall, near the edge of the river where the water had long been eroding the rock anyway, that had appeared.

Another crack. And another. The wall was riddled with spiderweb cracks, now, tracing their way up to the ceiling. A ceiling full of sharp stalactites gleamed heartily in Typhlosion's reflected light.

The group broke and ran.

Nimble for his bulk, Typhlosion had the lead going into the corridor with Ash a close second. Persian caught up and passed them both in a streak of hissing white lightning. Bringing up the rear, Blastoise fell down and belly-whopped across the smoothly worn rock toward safety. Along the way he scooped up Giovanni onto his back.

The troupe was free of the chamber, but still the Dragon Cave rumbled and shook around them. Ash kept running, hoping the distant Persian knew where he was going. Blastoise swept his master off his feet, joining Ash to Giovanni on his shell. Typhlosion leapt on too, using his wide torso to pin the humans between himself and Blastoise securely. A burst of Hydro Pump from his legs sent Blastoise racing after Persian.

All the while, the rain of rock fell steadily closer behind.

The passageway turned into a narrow path beside the raging river once more. It didn't seem to slow the crumbling cave any, but Blastoise was able to dive into the waves and pour on the steam. The sure-footed Persian was also maintaining speed as he dashed along the increasingly slim footholds along the side.

Daylight appeared around the next bend. The first to reach it by a wide margin, Persian skidded to a horrified stop, peering wide-eyed out into the sunlight. He made to turn back, but the passing Blastoise grabbed him firmly with a free hand.

Mere seconds ahead of the rock, the group flew free of the Dragon Cave in a torrent of dirt and shale.

Right out of a sheer cliff face. Into open air.

For a long, beautiful, peaceful second, Ash spit out some dust and got to contemplate the wonderful view of the countryside from up there.

Then they fell.

--Then--

Delia came back up the hallway from tucking their newborn son in. Giovanni paused his channel-surfing to watch her. She was clad only in her underwear and a bathrobe. She hadn't spared the energy for her slippers and her hair was a mess. She certainly couldn't summon up the juice for a postpartum workout yet. Still, Giovanni knew she'd lose the rest of her pregnancy baggage swiftly once she put her mind to it. But he doubted she'd lose the broader figure she now sported. Delia would always be slender by a woman's standards, but nobody would mistake her for a girl ever again.

The television provided the only light in the living room currently. Her wedding ring's jewels caught the light and bounced it around, much like her eyes. She was exhausted but very, very happy. His wife sat down, leaning her back against his chest. He asked her, "Is Ash all set?"

"Yes," she replied as her eyes drifted shut.

Giovanni laughed a little under his breath. "Shall I carry you down there and tuck you in too?"

"That would be wonderful," Delia confessed in a sleepy voice. She yawned widely as if to reinforce her point.

Giovanni put the remote down. As he did so, the home-shopping channel caught his attention for moment. "That's a nice backyard set," he observed, "Would you like it, dear?"

Delia peeled one of her eyes open to check it out. "It is nice. That would be great for picnics and barbecues, once we get that house…" Her voice trailed off so sharply, Giovanni was afraid she'd fallen asleep. She finally continued, regretfully, "But we can't afford that price."

"Who says we can't?" Giovanni reminded her, "My mother did leave me a very pretty penny, you know." Inside, he reminded himself that Delia wasn't quite ready to know the truth yet. Giovanni had never dared imagine that the very wedge he'd relied on to split Delia from Spencer would cause him so much trouble. Ten months now he'd tried to stoke the fires of want he could see in Delia's eyes over the rich, famous lifestyle. Ten months she kept refusing to be baited, despite herself. Those fools in Greenfield must've treated her even worse than he'd thought.

Delia sat up to meet his gaze squarely. "And we shouldn't waste it! This apartment, all the furniture we've got in it already! Besides, we might've paid off his birth already, but Ash will need a lot more money to take care of in the future, you know."

"It's for you and Ash," Giovanni offered, "It's no burden."

Delia returned, "There's a difference between wanting and needing, dear. Don't waste money on trinkets we can live without."

Giovanni grinned at her, recalling the look on her face a few months back. "That's not what you said on our honeymoon. I thought you were going to try and buy out every clothing store in Viridian City."

Delia's cheeks flushed slightly, but with shame, not anger. "I reined myself in. I wasn't greedy."

Giovanni reached out gently to stroke her chin. She responded to the familiar gesture as always; by twiddling some of his long hair with own grip. Giovanni added, "That you did. We did pick up a few things, though. I saw the look in your eyes, sweetheart. A few bits and pieces we left behind still have your name on them, I'll wager."

"The next step is a house. Then we can decide what to put in it." She smiled softly to take the sting out of her words.

Hopefully, Giovanni asked, "Meaning that one in Viridian we looked at?"

Instantly Delia brought up another old argument. "Oh, Vance, that's so far away! From my parents, from my friends! What about that nice place we saw up the street from Daisy's? Then Ash would have two little friends close by already. One of them just his own age, too! I'll bet he and Gary would be two peas in a pod."

It had been quite a coincidence that Professor Oak's son had started expecting a new grandchild at the same time Giovanni and Delia married. Giovanni had taken it as a good omen. At least, until Delia kept using it as an argument against moving to Viridian.

Now she was cupping his face with her hand instead. "My love," she breathed, "I know it doesn't seem like a big deal to you. You were pulled around so much when you were young." Tenderly, she leaned forward and hugged him tight. "Ash needs roots, my dear, sweet love."

"Yes, he does," Giovanni returned a bit sharply. His patience over this matter was wearing thin. "But our son deserves only the best, sweetheart. And you know he can do better in Viridian than here in Pallet. The schools, the job opportunities he'll have when he grows up, not to mention the connections he can make among our own class of people."

Well. His very first slip of the tongue with her. Almost a year since they'd met; not bad at all.

She didn't like that term in the least. She recoiled physically from it and him as well. "Our class? You mean like those snobs in Greenfield? I won't have our son becoming a empty-headed little rich boy!"

Giovanni found himself sitting up too, countering the strength in Delia's pose with his own. "You'd rather he just stay here all his life? Small town, small life, dear heart." A wave of his arm encompassed the little apartment and the meager middle-class belongings within it. "There's a whole wide world out there, and Ash deserves a better place in it!"

"All the money and connections in the world can't get you happiness!" she charged loudly, "The big city can't give you that, I've seen it! Not like family can!"

Giovanni's response was poised on his lips, but it was forgotten in the burst of sound from their son's bedroom. Delia was instantly on her feet, off to console him even as she cried, "I'm sorry, Ash, I'm so sorry! Ohh…"

He listened intently for a moment. Reassured that his son was reacting merely to their argument and not a deeper problem, Giovanni turned his attention to the television. Even as he flipped a few channels, the wheels kept turning in his mind, trying to come up with the best phrase to smooth over the disturbance. Finally he decided to just let it go for now. He'd just have to keep working on adjusting her attitude, that's all.

The squeaky wheel in his mind wondered if she would ever change hers. As always, he ignored it.

Giovanni realized he was staring at the news channel without really seeing it. It was the high-pitched howl of raging winds from the TV that finally broke through his exhausted funk. He tuned in as the newscaster remarked, "…That's right, Dan. It's almost a holiday here in Shell Rock Town, now that the hurricane has passed on toward Sternbreak Island. But that's not the only reason the townspeople are giddy. It's not every day a legendary Pokémon knocks on your door."

Intrigued, Giovanni leaned forward.

News Boy leaned backward a little, allowing his cameraman to pan around a bit. Giovanni realized it had to be a live broadcast, literally man-on-the-street. The hurricane proper had obviously smashed through the coastal town mere hours, if not moments, before. Thankfully, the rainy aftermath was far less severe. Well away over the ocean now, the storm was visible against the night only via its own internal flashes of lightning.

The reporter continued narrating, "We haven't seen any sign that there's a Mew here, Dan, but not even this downpour can dampen the spirits of Shell Rock's true believers. We'll be talking to some of them in a moment, right after---"

He got no further as his own cameraman screamed, "Look out!"

Light smeared wet streaks across the lens, blurring vision. Giovanni could just make out the side of a house appearing above and behind the reporter from the rain. Along with the rest of the heavily damaged building, it was falling apart and spilling into the street. Both reporter and cameraman tried to race away. The cameraman kept shooting, but he was backing up so hurriedly that the modern camera's automatic compensation devices couldn't keep up with the crazily swinging view.

With horrible certainty, the thick, old-fashioned chimney pulled itself loose from its moorings. It swung down like the couple of tons of brick it was upon the men. Even the cameraman screamed, blocking his own lens with an upraised arm to ward off the death descending on him. The view went black---

And then lit again, brightly.

The dropped camera had landed squarely on its back. The street was clearly visible, rain still splashing into puddles all around it. But the sky was lit by a soft pink glow, almost an aurora of gently rippling light. No, energy. Holding the bricks firmly in midair. Completely untouched, the newscaster returned to view, with eyes only for the materials suspended mere inches from his head. "What---what's happening?" he muttered aloud. Slowly, not being able to believe his own eyes, the reporter reached for the shattered chimney to confirm what he was seeing.

In that instant the bricks were shunt away. They joined the rest of the house's wreckage in a fairly neat pile back where they'd started from, leaving the roadway clear.

Again the view spun crazily as the cameraman retrieved his device. "There! Over there!" the reporter shouted, pointing. Desperately, the camera spun after his gesture, but was too late. A trail of the same energy, falling from the sky as glittering pink pixie dust, was the only thing caught on film. In seconds even that was gone, save for the memory.

The reporter stepped forward, face white and hands shaking. "It was beautiful, Dan," he whispered into the camera, "It was so beautiful. I'll never make fun of those Pokémon kooks again, I swear. Mew is real!" Then he laughed, more than a little hysterically. "They're all real! They were right all along; they do exist! Jirachi, Kyogre, Lugia! I believe it all now!"

Safely back in his studio (probably in Viridian, no less), the anchorman said firmly, "Now Steve, let's not be hasty here. Just about any Psychic-Type can lift a few bricks. That doesn't mean some extinct Pokémon came back from the grave just now."

Also safe in his living room, Giovanni snapped, "Fool. Can't you believe the evidence of your own eyes?" He pulled on his beard in thought, trying to recall Shell Rock Town's whereabouts. It was a town so small it didn't qualify for a dot on the map; so it took him a moment. Down the coast from Pallet to the east, inbetween here and the inlets leading to Vermillion City, he finally pegged it.

He was probably the closest agent to Shell Rock by far. Still, pursuit of Mew wasn't a thought entertained lightly, despite its helpful actions just now. As far as the subsequent investigation had been able to determine, Jane and her two-man team had been destroyed by Mew triggering an avalanche. Such power, combined with such ruthlessness when its neck was on the line, made Mew a fierce opponent when she was cornered.

Giovanni could appreciate that. He'd have done the same, in Mew's shoes.

But on the other hand, if he captured a living legend, one that even the indomitable Jane had failed to conquer, what then? Why, a well-earned status as a living legend himself, that's what. Not only Delia, but Madam Boss would have to see things his way overnight. He wouldn't just be restored to Rocket Executive status, oh no. Something far grander would be his very shortly.

The vision of his future that had haunted him since he'd planted those seeds in Spencer's mind came to him more vividly than ever.

He was pulled from his mental meandering when he realized Delia was watching him quietly from the hallway. Ash was wrapped up softly in her arms, finally asleep again. Quietly, she wondered, "Vance, are you all right? What happened?" Something in his eyes frightened her when she looked into them.

"Yes, yes, keep watching dear, I'm sure they'll repeat it in a moment," he patted the couch beside him invitingly. Her movements were still a little halting as she approached him, so he tried to tone his enthusiasm down somewhat. Then Giovanni noted something in the shadows of the kitchen and let out a honest sigh. "Oh, I forgot to take the trash out. Here, sit down." Letting Delia take his place on the couch, Giovanni retrieved the portable phone in one hand and the big bag of trash in the other.

As he passed her on his way out, Giovanni prompted, "I'll call the professor. Wait until you see the news, sweetheart! You won't believe your eyes!" Quite merrily, Giovanni picked his way out of the apartment, down the hall and the stairs alike, and into the parking lot. Soon he pitched the bag into the huge bins along the lot's side. Turning back toward his home, Giovanni flipped open the portable phone to dial up Oak.

And stopped at the sight of a large, jet-black stretch limousine that had silently appeared between him and the safety of the apartments. Waiting. He didn't have to look at the license plate. Somehow, he just knew. He snapped the phone back shut again.

Giovanni gulped, just a little, as he cast his eyes about. The parking lot was empty on this side; nobody wanted the trash bins' stench to cling to their vehicle. There was nowhere to hide. Setting a stiff upper lip, Giovanni advanced steadily toward the car. After standing by the passenger door for a few seconds failed to get results, Giovanni pulled it open himself.

Only then did the door opposite him open. Giovanni was shocked to see Dr. Fisher getting out and closing the door behind her. What was his mother's personal physician, a hermit if ever there was one, doing here? The doctor refused to meet his gaze, much less greet him. With her back to him, the old woman moved a polite distance from the limousine.

He got the answer as he got into the limo. Madam Boss leaned heavily against the seat, neck thrown back against the headrests. "My son," she croaked as he shut the door onto the night. Her voice was as weak as her frame; Madam Boss could barely turn her head to peer at him.

His astonishment stole his own voice from him. Giovanni could only gape at her pale skin when he took Madam's hand in his. "Mother," he replied, fear tightening his own voice, "What happened? What can I do?"

"Cancer," she replied matter-of-factly, "Dr. Fisher reports the worst is behind me." For a moment, Madam Boss summoned up a bit of her old fire. She lifted her head and faced him directly to ask, "Do I really look that bad to you? You look like you've seen a Haunter, my son."

The mention of a rare Pokémon brought to mind a thought that just might cheer her up, even in her present state. "Mother, did you see the news just now? Another Mew sighting---I can confirm it myself, it was a live broadcast!"

"Really? After all these years?" Madam's eyes narrowed as she seemed to wonder if her son was patronizing her.

"Yes!" Giovanni replied, "I have to go, Mother. I have to catch that Pokémon. First, I'll have to---uh, well, I---"

Now Madam did finally smile, ever so slightly. "You'll have to what? Introduce me to your wife? Or just pretend I'm not even out here? I suppose she thinks I'm dead already."

Mother and son now sported matching pallors as the blood drained from Giovanni's entire body, he was certain of it. He managed to ask, "How long have you known?"

"A couple of months. You hid yourself well." The effort of holding her head up having exhausted her, Madam Boss leaned back onto the cushions before continuing. "You really have become an excellent undercover agent, my son. Full of guile and cutthroat as the day is long. But consider this: I taught you everything you know; but not everything I know. Not yet, anyway." She shifted a little, trying to get comfortable, as she added, "Still, I must admit, I've looked forward to meeting the woman who could steal your heart. How cunning she must be!"

Oh boy. Giovanni's mouth dropped open.

Noticing this, Madam Boss fixed him with a gaze that grew increasingly steely after each question she asked. "Well, she is, isn't she? Ruthless? Deadly as she is strong? Beautiful as she is cruel? Merciless to any who oppose her?" Not liking Giovanni's lack of response, Madam Boss tightened her grip in Giovanni's own. "Can you trust her? Shall I take your new family back to Viridian tonight? Show her Team Rocket and what the future can be for her and my granddaughter?"

"That's grandson," Giovanni was quick to correct her.

Her face fell notably. "Hmm, false intelligence. I'll have to deal with Agent 20 later."

Giovanni tried to reassure her even as he tried to reinforce his own visions of Delia coming around to their way of life. "She's---I'm trying to change her. She wants the good life, deep inside. She wants a bright future for our boy. I know she does. She just fears the change, right now. She had a bad experience."

Recomposing herself, Madam Boss used the last of her physical strength to pull free of Giovanni's grip. Her hand flopped listlessly onto the seat as she intoned firmly, "Then it seems you face a choice, my son."

She continued, "My time is growing short. I can't wait for your bride's mind to change. If I'm to instruct you in everything you'll need to know to take my place, we must start soon." Her gaze grew dull as she gathered her strength, staring up into the limo's ceiling light emptily.

The sight of her weakness made Giovanni's heart leap into this throat. Surely she wasn't really that sick, surely she had more time than, what? A week? Two? Then his face lit up. "If I can catch Mew, she'll follow me, Mother. Anywhere. I'm sure of it. You brought your private jet here, didn't you?" She nodded; just barely.

The stretch limo was spacious enough for Giovanni to literally get on his knees. "Mother, please. I beg of you. Let me take Oak there in your plane; tonight. Give me the chance. Please."

For a moment, Giovanni feared his mother had passed out from sheer exhaustion. Finally, her eyes remaining cold and empty, she responded, "Very well. You have fourty-two hours." A strange little smile found its way to her pale, drawn lips as she added, "She must be something special after all, to make you beg." Giovanni nodded and reached for the door handle to let himself out.

Madam Boss did not move, but the quiet steel of her voice stopped him as surely as the firmest grip. "Make no mistake; the choice is yours my son, and it will be final. I shall honor it fully, no matter which path you take."

Meaning he would be disowned by his own family if he failed, Giovanni knew. In fact, Madam Boss would probably discredit him badly in case Giovanni got petty and tried to reveal Team Rocket's existence to the law. No family of stature would want anything to do with a little town nutball. Delia and Ash would never get the sort of life they deserved as part of his family.

Automatically, Giovanni pushed thoughts of failure away. "There's only the one hotel in this town," he requested of her, "Will you wait for me there, please?" At another barely perceptible nod, he took his leave of her for the moment.

On his way back to his apartment, Giovanni got ahold of Oak on the phone after all. He ended up filling Delia in on his plan at the same time as the professor, throwing a few necessities in his travel bag all the while.

Delia still had their son in her arms. Ash remained exhausted and quite asleep in her arms. Despite how Delia was still fluttering around her husband. "I don't like it, Vance. What if that hurricane turns back around? You don't know what might happen. Both of you should stay right here, where it's safe!" That last bit was delivered with extra volume to make it across the phone line to Oak's ears.

If Oak heard, he didn't give any message for Giovanni to pass on to her. Finished packing, Giovanni shut the phone off too. "Delia, sweetie, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Mew is so rare, people think they died out centuries ago! Just think what it'll mean for us---for Ash---if I, er, we catch it!" Giovanni faced her directly once more. She was discomforted by his intensity again, he could tell, but he was losing ground to Mew with each second. He had to keep moving.

"That news flash didn't prove anything," she protested as she followed him across their apartment, "Are you really going to risk your life over something so silly? You don't have anything to prove to me!" When he ignored that line of reasoning to open the door and shoulder his travel bag, Delia quickly tried another tack. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said before. Why don't we discuss it in the morning?"

Giovanni settled for giving her a quick peck on the cheek as he headed for the door. "Fame and fortune! Those rich snobs will be coming to us now! It'll be their turn to grovel; for you!" Sure that the thought would please her, Giovanni stepped out of the apartment.

Behind him, Delia called out, "Wait! I don't want money or power! Or even just stupid revenge! All I want is you! All I need…!" If he heard her, Giovanni showed no sign. He vanished into the stairwell. Leaning on the doorjamb, she had trouble picking up her own last quiet plea herself. "…all I need is you, Vance. That's all I'll ever truly need. Please, come back to me. To us."

With their son in her arms, Delia slowly retreated into their apartment.

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