(A quick note on Gengar, again; Olivia was actually about three, four months old when Roger left. Her memory was unconsciously registering all that had happened, which is why she remembers her father's Gengar. Gengar being nearby coupled with the Johto Madness led to a recalling of the memories.
The memories are vague, but they're there, and they will come into play eventually...
This might seem like it's going by quick, but after this third badge, things are going to slow WAY down, so don't worry.
Ooh, look, another glitch! Name this one, and get a cookie! I don't own Pokemon; I own my OCs. And I changed the song in the chapter titles! What song, you think?)
It was quiet and cold in the Resistance Order Headquarters. Red was out, along with the other Original Dex Holders, and the only few left were Dia, Pearl, Berlitz, Ruby, and Sapphire. Sitting at the screen of a larger computer, Sapphire frowned.
"Strange... it looks like the S.S. Anne is getting some unwelcome guests. But we didn't send any out there... and the uniforms look like New Order League standard issue... Hey, Ruby! C'mere and see this!" The svelte black-haired boy leaned over her shoulder.
"Weird. You think they're there for Liv and the others? I mean, if they're NOL..." Sapphire shook her head. She pointed to the screen displaying a list of guests.
"Look! The Champion and his kid are on the ship! So the Champ wouldn't order an attack of the ship he was on..." They sat in dumbfounded silence, unsure what to do. The phone lines were down; nobody could warn the group that there was an attack being planned.
So they waited.
Back on the ship, I had sat down finally, discussing battle tactics with Roger and Anna. Silver and Gold were off being themselves, and our Pokemon were wandering around aimlessly.
The party would end soon; then, Roger and I, along with the rest of the Trainers, would probably leave to go get the third badge.
But for now, it was peaceful. Pity, that it couldn't have lasted longer.
A storm of men and women burst into the room, bringing both music and conversation to a screeching halt. They had removed the NOL outfits, and were now wearing Team Rocket uniforms.
Dun dun dun.
Silver and Gold, hearing the commotion, had rushed out, and Silver, spying the uniforms, concealed himself in the shadows so as not to be recognized.
The clear leader brandished a gun. "We're here to take every last Pokemon on the ship. Hand 'em over now, and you won't get hurt." The terrified younger children, to their credit, held on to their Pokemon fiercely, and, if not for their terrified and cowardly parents, would have probably died for them.
I was touched.
The adults... maybe they had adjusted to this world, but the children hadn't. There might just be hope...
My hopeful thoughts were interrupted by a shy, skittish Grunt, who quietly stammered, "Uh... give us your P-ppokemon... yeah!" I rolled my eyes. I took out Santi's Pokeball, and chucked it in his face, then recalling it quickly.
Morgan had watched calmly until now. But I suppose there was some shred of fatherly feelings within him for me, and he now stood up, eyes blazing. "That is quite enough. Gengar! Arcanine!" The two Pokemon were called out. I fled to him, quickly recognizing Gengar not only from my memory retrieval...
...But from a hazy memory of my own, where I was perhaps a month old, where I had played with a friendly and mischievous Haunter... did he remember me? Gengar eyed me with amusement, and licked me; shivering, I took that as a yes, he remembered.
The Grunt's terror was evident. "Zap Can—" I shrieked, "NO!" Just as Giovanni walked into the room, strolling like he had all the time in the world.
"Olivia! Are you hurt!?" He seemed genuinely stunned. "And where's Si—" I shook my head viciously, and he got the point.
Morgan frowned—but just as quickly, he smiled. "My dearest old friend... how are you?" I blinked. Surely, I must've missed something. Morgan was the reason Giovanni must've attacked the ship, right? So...
Giovanni frowned. "So, you take to calling me friend, even now? Even after what you've done?" Morgan kept grinning. Giovanni continued. "You abandoned your child, Morgan." I almost gasped. Giovanni knew about me!? Was I the only one who didn't know who my dad was?!
Morgan's grin faltered, and he snarled, "In case you hadn't noticed, so did you!" He screamed, voice rising to a temper pitch. Giovanni sighed, and shook his head, smiling sadly.
"...And I regret it each and every day of my life. The difference in our acts is in our intentions, Morgan. You had no reason to leave Livid the way you did." Morgan knew exactly who he was talking about.
Morgan snorted, nostrils flaring like an enraged bull's. "So, I take it yours were so noble that they overrode the fact that your child got kidnapped!?" Giovanni shook his head.
"No. It's not just that; it's that my child has forgiven me. I don't think yours has." Morgan snapped his head in my direction, the eyes that were so much like mine blazing with a cold fury.
"We'll see!" He snapped. Rounding on me, he asked, "Well? Do you forgive me!?" I looked at him, and his eyes... they scared me. Terrified, I hid in Gengar's shoulder. Giovanni frowned. I took a breath, and my shoulders shuddered.
"...I don't know!" I screamed, turning away and pressing myself into the corner. "I DON'T KNOW ANYMORE!" I kept myself glued to the crevice of the corner, praying that they'd all just go away. Giovanni shook his head.
Morgan made a disgusted face, and reached for me, but—
"Keep away from Livvy!" Jack had come exploding out of his Pokeball, and he stood there, all foot-and-a-half of him, fur standing on end as he growled ferociously at Morgan. He continued, in a deadly serious squeaky voice. "You're being mean! Leave her alone!" His fur was fully fluffed, and he was baring his teeth.
Giovanni found this oddly funny, but Jack was so deadly serious that he restrained from laughing. I freaked. "Jack! Jack!" He stood his ground, and glared up at Morgan. Morgan stared at him.
He turned away, and stormed back to Roger. Roger was gazing at the entire scene with a terrified glaze in his eyes. Giovanni sighed.
In a shaking voice, as Morgan left the room, I called, "Daddy." And he turned to me.
And he smiled. "Princess..." He might've said, softly, so quietly I barely heard, but he called out an Alakazam, and ordered, "Teleport!" Roger waved goodbye as they all disappeared.
I burst into tears. Jack leapt up into my arms, snuggling himself against my chest. I buried my face in his fur, and just cried for a few minutes. Giovanni stood away, ordering the Grunts to give the poor kids their Pokemon back, for Mew's sake. I couldn't help but smile at this.
Silver, Gold, and Anna rushed out from the corner. "Dad, I—" Giovanni grasped Silver in a hug so tight it was a wonder either of them could breathe. "I'm so sorry." Giovanni gasped. "So sorry..." Silver just stood there, feeling slightly awkward.
"It's... okay. I mean, you're sorry; so I forgive you..." He said, face turning red. Gold snickered, but kept it quiet after a look from Anna.
I sat down at this, looking up at the ceiling.
...Morgan had started this. He was the one responsible for the awful overhaul of this region, but...
He was my father, too. And I just...
I put it out of my mind. The entire mess was for another day. Gold broke the silence.
"So." He said, looking a little edgy, "Morgan Kent, the evil badass boss dude we're trying to bring down... is Liv's dad." I nodded.
"That about sums it up." Gold shrugged in a 'whatever' motion. That gave me a rush of sheer relief. He made a 'bang' motion with his billiard stick.
"Feh. The sins of the fathers don't apply here; you've already proven that." As refreshed as I felt by those words, I still worried.
Giovanni looked around. "...Well. I suggest you go." Most people had fled the room, but the fact that they'd seen him was enough. We all nodded. "Dad!—" Silver hugged him quickly, and before anyone could register, he had torn like mad out of the room.
"Sufficiently awkward?" Gold said. I nodded.
"Hellz yah."
We all sighed, and departed the ship, but as we left, I noticed a lonely pickup truck just idling away by the ship. It looked ancient; dirt was practically breathing on the truck. I shrugged.
"Well, let's go see what's inside..." I figured maybe there'd be something interesting in an old truck!
"Mantaro!" Gold called, hopping on the aquatic flier. He took us all over quickly, and once we got there...
"Well, now what?" Anna asked. I shrugged. I didn't exactly have a game plan. Silver glanced down. "It looks like there's something under it! C'mon, let's push the truck!" We all grasped the end of it, and pushed—
A Pokeball lay in the dirt. It was a clear, crystalline thing, perfect and unmarred by the dirt surrounding it. I shrugged, and picked it up—
A white light filled the entire area, and we all must've blacked out... but before I did, I saw a flash of pink.
-Jack's POV-
The Pokeball seemed to glow in Olivia's hands. I was worried, but I had no time to warn her, as my entire line of vision was filled with blinding light.
"Hola, little chico! Como estas?" It was... Mew. I gaped. "I think you just insulted someone's mother in Spanish." I snickered. Ignoring me, she looked gleeful, and floated upside down, looking me right in the face with her beautiful cerulean eyes. "So! Your friends found my Pokeball! That's cool... I guess." Mew shrugged. I gasped.
Mew!? Had a POKEBALL!? I voiced this out loud, I suppose, because Mew nodded. "A very long time ago, I was caught by a strange Trainer from far away... she was raised in the Dragon's Den... like your Trainer, right? Well, anyways, she caught me, but released me, hiding the Pokeball far away, where she thought no one could get it... I mean, seriously! This wasn't supposed to happen!" That, I admit, confused me.
What? It slid out so easily for Livvy and the others... I asked her, "Do you know why it happened?" She shrugged.
"Nope. But anyways, how's it going with Liv?" I frowned. "Well... Santi evolved into a Charmeleon. And I still haven't evolved. Which sucks, I guess. But I stood up for her on the S.S. Anne, and I think now she likes me a little more. I'm still working hard on evolving!" Mew nodded sagely.
"Oh, and the Pokeball; you need to keep it. Jack, if you ever need me, I can be summoned with that ball. It'll need to stay with you. Out of sight. It'll get smaller, and you can hide it under your fur; loop it around a string." She look up at the sky.
"I wish I could stay; but now there's an urgent meeting, 'cause my Pokeball was found. Be careful. Don't let anyone have that thing. You got me?" I nodded, and as she disappeared, I felt the white fade away.
-Olivia's POV-
What just happened? I honestly don't know, but I'm holding that crystal Pokeball again, and it's just sitting there innocently. I shrug, and as everyone orients themselves, I shove it in my bag.
Jack got out of his Pokeball somehow, and is staring at me with big, innocent eyes. I sigh, and pick him up. He nudges the Pokeball, and his emotions blaze, 'I need to keep it.' Shrugging, I shrink it small, and give it to him. He clenches it gently in his teeth. He gestures to a string hanging off my skirt, and I get the message. Yanking the string free, I knot it around the button in the center, cinching it tight, and tuck it snugly under his ruff.
"So, I guess that Pokeball must've been ancient, huh?" Gold muses, as we speed back to the harbor. I nod, and check again to make sure it's safe. Jack is holding onto it like a love letter. I smile a bit, and pick him up.
Santi, Grimwald, and Lev all are called out, and they walked with me, Grimwald once again taking a place on my shoulder.
I walked past the harbor, and looked up at the Gym. There was a giant tree in the way of the entrance. "...Uh. So, anyone have ideas—"
"SATANIC HEAD BITEY!" Grimwald solved the problem, and, further proving he had Raticate blood somewhere, began gnawing on the tree. Lev thought it looked quite fun.
"NOM NOM NOM!! I EAT TREE!" He roared, banging his head into the tree, gripping it with his teeth, and pulling it out again in a process he found quite amusing.
The tension I'd been feeling suddenly evaporated at this display, and I began to laugh, nervously at first, then getting louder and louder. And though I didn't quite register it, everyone was laughing along with me.
The tree was eventually knocked down, and we daintily stepped over it to the gym. I looked up.
"Well." I muttered. "Here we go again."