The next few months were grueling, the clones made to fight various Pokémon, Giovanni seemingly taking Cassie's last words to heart.
He made them fight strong, but much weaker Pokémon than his normal collection, a strange relief going through the two men.
The Rocket leader even allowed the clones to remain in the same room as them, than forcing them into cages.
It was quite obvious how close they were with their creator and with the younger scientist. Trying to forcefully separate them, especially now, would only lead to devastating results.
It only increased when seeing exactly how powerful they are, Sebastian acting as their trainer, guiding them in battle. There have been a few times though Joel would take his place if to busy, showing the level of bond the two Pokémon held with both men.
Beta's Aura Sphere was destructive, if the Pokémon weren't as powerful as they had been trained, they would've been killed.
Omega's Future Sight, while taking a while to fully activate, it leaves scorches in the ground as if a bolt of lightning actually struck. Very few Pokémon are capable of that, not even Giovanni's strongest psychic types are capable of such destruction.
And this is while they're still young, not fully matured…
The Rocket leader could only imagine how much stronger they'll be when they are fully developed, their powers fully matured.
But until then, they are useless for any real battles. They wouldn't understand, and even if they did, both would resist.
If he had been able to keep the gym, he could've used them to battle against various trainers for experience.
If only those bumbling three hadn't destroyed it, revealing it had been under Rocket hands, he would've been able to do more.
He would have to think of another plan to ensure they continued getting proper training, making them into perfect weapons for his goals…
Sebastian walked down the halls, reading some notes he and Joel had taken, to see if there is anything to find regarding the blank stones.
The younger scientist was retrieving the twins, their training session almost over, knowing they'll be tired and hungry.
Arriving in the cafeteria, he collected various things from the buffet, far more than he would normally take, but not all of it was for him.
Careful not to drop the notebooks or the trays, he sat down at a table, ironically noting it was the same one he used to sit with Fuji.
Just as the memories of his time spent with the late doctor formed, as hot tears began to sting his eyes, it stopped when he saw familiar faces. More so as two ran to him, nearly knocking him over, mewling happily, their exhaustion ignored by their sheer joy over seeing their creator.
Both were sad by lack of play, having to fight so much, the battles no longer fun, yet they still found a reason to smile.
They clearly loved the professor, harboring no ill feelings towards him, not even towards Joel by how they would affectionately nuzzle and paw at him.
There weren't as many Rockets present in the cafeteria, many had gone to Unova following several rumors that could lead to their favor.
One was regarding some odd meteorite or something, but it had proven to be a bust, the thing having energy, but unable to harness it.
It had been sent back to Kanto for further studies, though its previous tests had nearly demolished it as did the travel here.
Other rumors related to some artifacts that could lead to controlling certain legendary Pokémon. As for whether it's true, Sebastian didn't care. He partially hoped that if it was true, it is so heavily protected that Giovanni and his men end up getting killed trying to get it.
The latest rumor was regarding Team Rocket's greatest enemy, Caitlin Panthera, hearing she was supposedly spotted somewhere in Unova.
The professor knew how much Giovanni hated that woman, wanting her dead, but it seemed far more than it should be.
Sure, she's ruined a lot of his plans, but so have others and he's practically letting them off scot free.
What makes her so different compared to the rest?
Why is he so hell bent to see her dead? To watch her fall?
Is it because she's captured legendary Pokémon?
That she raises Pokémon that should be weak, probably put down, having them stronger than his own healthy collection?
He couldn't help but admire her strength, willing to put herself in danger for others sake, protecting what she felt was right.
He hardly has that kind of courage…
If he did, he probably would've done something sooner, far sooner to get out of this mess. He would've been willing to spend a few years to life behind bars if it meant getting Giovanni to join him, possibly sent to the chair.
His thoughts were broken when hearing a snort, turning to see Namba staring at his clones, making him scowl.
"What do you want?" he spat, the other now looking at him.
"I've been hearing so much about your work since they arrived, I wanted to have a look," the balding man stated. "But seeing them now, they're pretty damn pathetic. I'm surprised Giovanni's even bothering with them."
"You wouldn't be saying that if you saw them in battle."
"Is that a challenge?"
"No, they fought enough today, they're exhausted. Any more and they could get seriously hurt," the professor stated, petting the clones.
"I don't know what happened, but ever since Project R's failure, you've gotten soft," the other spoke harshly as he walked off.
"Asshole," Joel sneered, biting into his sandwich.
"He's right though, I have gotten soft. But it was sooner than that, he just doesn't remember," Sebastian sighed as he began to eat as well.
"R-remember?" a soft voice echoed in their heads, both looking about.
"You hear that?" the younger man asked, seeing the alarmed look on the other.
"A child's voice?"
"Yeah… Wait, was it one of you?"
Joel looked between the Pokémon, seeing Omega staring intently at them, Beta far too busy trying to chew through a piece of tougher fruit.
"Remember? Remember what?" the voice echoed, the Pokémon looking between them, showing it was her who spoke.
"Someone we knew a long time ago," Sebastian sighed, giving a small smile of how far these two are coming along.
Already he's seeing they're getting bigger and bigger, their muscles developing, their skills sharpening. And now, they're beginning to communicate with telepathy, showing just how far they've come.
"Who was it?"
"A special man, he was the one who found you two, your DNA to be precise."
"Is he like a papa?"
Eyes widening, feeling tears beginning to form at the edge of his eyes, he blinked them away, giving a sad smile.
"Yes, that's exactly right. You could say he was your father. He may not have directly made you, but if he hadn't found you, had the knowledge to make you as you are now, neither of you would be here."
"Where is he?"
"He passed away a long time ago."
"He made you happy, didn't he?"
Before he could stop them a second time, a couple of tears fell, nodding slowly than voicing it, feeling her brush his face with her paw.
Despite her age, she was so much more mature, far more aware of her surroundings, but she was still so very kind.
"Why didn't he make us?" a different voice asked, the two figuring it was Beta.
It was confirmed by how she looked up, having finally won her personal fight against the fruit, the juice all over her muzzle.
"He was making another, a very special one, a big brother," Sebastian answered as he used a napkin to clean her face.
"A big brother? There are more of us?"
"Yes, but he's on a very special vacation and won't be back for a very long time."
"But if we have papa, does that mean you're our mama?"
The question made the professor nearly choke on his coffee, Joel unable to suppress a chuckle by how red his face became.
"I don't know if he's really mother material, but he's got the right instincts," the younger man teased, ignoring the scowl sent his way. "He loves you two very much, you know it and he knows it."
"Of course I love them, they're like…"
"Like daughters?"
"I…I guess…they are, they really are."
Turning back to the twins, watching as they continued to eat, it made him wonder if he really was more like a mother.
When his daughters were born, he was so happy and cried so much when they were taken away, where he couldn't see them, know how they're doing.
He was willing to do anything and everything for them, not to buy their love, but show them how much he loved them, was willing to protect them.
While he never got to raise his daughters, it was almost like given a second chance, raising the clones.
They weren't human, yes, but they were still alive, bore very human emotions, are very much children.
They looked up to him, relied on him for food, a warm place to sleep, hug them when scared. But most of all, he had given them plenty of love and affection that they both deserve and need, and continues doing so.
It didn't help that in his past fantasies of Fuji, he not once thought of himself taking control, letting himself be controlled instead. Even before meeting him, when he had been married, he wasn't as dominating as he probably should've been.
He was not a leader, didn't matter if he was left in charge, it didn't mean that he was an actual leader.
He's used to taking orders, looking to others stronger and smarter for guidance and in some ways, for protection.
A gentle nudge grabbed his attention, turning to see Omega nuzzling him gently, a smile on her face.
"I don't care if you're a papa or a mama. You've been raising us, you and Joel together. You're our family. If our other papa was around, we'd love him too, but we would always love you most."
"Thank you, Omega," he smiled, "you don't know how much that means. You don't know how lucky I feel having been picked to watch you two grow up."
"After watching you two grow from a clump of cells into two loving and kindhearted Pokémon… It really has been a blessing," Joel added, leaning on his elbows, a warm smile on his face.
Feeling much better, Sebastian drank his coffee, taking bites of his lunch until all of them had their fill.
He continued to dote on them, ignoring stares and comments made by others, encouraging them as they continued battling, tend to them when injured.
Slowly word came back that Giovanni and his men were returning, hearing from those who returned sooner about their failures.
Not only was Panthera not in Unova as they had hoped, but whatever artifact they searched for nearly drove the leader insane. He was in rough shape, having been bedridden for several days, the professor catching a glimpse.
When they first returned, even if it took a day or two to by plane, the man was in awful shape he almost pitied him. The leader was pale, nearly carried to his private chambers, mumbling something that could be a dream or disoriented orders.
Whatever had happened, it must've drained him tremendously, and knowing the stubborn bastard, likely held up a façade that he's okay. Either way, his pride is wounded and will need time to recover until then.
And it was very much like that, once he recovered, giving orders out to various Rockets, there was a strange change.
Certain orders seemed normal, namely to specific teams he uses, specifically one group that has been traveling about the world.
Yet there have been times where he became much crueler, reviving some old plans that failed, usually due to the three aforementioned.
And with Panthera in some far off region, she wasn't here to stop him as he began to gracefully take over.
What more, Giovanni, his identity as the leader of Team Rocket still unknown finally reclaimed his position as gym leader.
He fabricated a lie about having been held hostage, even having his more talented agents fabricate the right kind of evidence to make it appear so.
It was a rather excellent plan, when it made the news, the professor catching a glimpse as other Rockets watched.
Seeing him with a fake smile, looking somewhat sickly as if starved for some time, it was rather pitiful and sickening.
Sebastian couldn't believe how gullible people were, yet couldn't help but pity them too, seeing just how much of an actor Giovanni really was. If he hadn't known the man as well as he does, he would've fallen for it too.
How he managed to pull it off, he wasn't sure nor was he interested, partially listening to the leader speak with absolute joy of being found.
Hearing him talk how grateful he was for such loyal friends not once stopping to find him, the professor couldn't help but feel sick.
Once he returned, the façade he put on for the news, for fellow gym leaders was gone, replaced with the same look as always. It was as if he were two different people trapped in one body, one who wanted to do good, the other wanting to do harm.
Sebastian almost jumped when called to the leader's office one day, leaving the clones with Joel to watch.
Arriving at the office much sooner than he would've liked, he stopped when hearing him talking to someone inside.
Unable to resist, he stood just close enough to listen, the door cracked enough to make out what was being said.
"You don't realize how much in debt I am to you for getting my gym leader position back," Giovanni's voice spoke, clearly thankful to whoever was with him.
"It was nothing, a human's mind, even these psychic Pokémon are rather pitiful and easy to trick," a woman's voice, clearly not his secretary's, chuckled. "The only ones that were a tad more challenging were the girl from Cerulean and the boy from Pewter, somehow knowing your identity."
"Yes, I'll have to find out how that happened…"
"Tread carefully, Giovanni. You're lucky Panthera doesn't know your identity."
"I know," he growled softly at the name before calming down. "Give my regards to your sister, and anything she wants, Team Rocket will give full support."
"Of course, you'll get to rule this world and she gets to rule everything else. And I'm sure if you make her exceptionally happy, you may find yourself ruling more than one world."
"What the hell?" Sebastian wondered, feeling his heart racing, unsure if what he heard was correct. "Is this woman some sort of demon?"
He knew demons lived in their world, but they were extremely rare, almost reclusive, hardly ever seen. There's only a small handful that are known or rumored to be demons, the most notable being a trainer who's strength is on par with…
"Oh, and your orders are to not only find Panthera and her children, but kill them as well. I hope you haven't forgotten."
"You have nothing to worry about. Panthera's been a thorn in my side for quite some time. As for killing her children, they'll just be the icing on the cake. It'll simply be finding them, Panthera especially, that is troubling."
"It is of no surprise, being who and what she is, she would be difficult to trace regardless of her popularity status. But I'll give you a hint, if you manage to find one of her kittens and make it known; I know she'll come running. Family is everything to her; she would trade her very existence to keep them safe."
"I'll keep it in mind, thank you, Eclipse was it?"
"That's good to hear."
Hearing footsteps, Sebastian squeezed his eyes shut, believing she was walking out, find out he was listening in and kill him.
She had to be a demon, she had to and the very knowledge terrified him.
Not hearing the door open fully, he slowly cracked an eye open, seeing the empty hall, wondering if they were discussing some more.
"Professor Sebastian, I know you're there," the Rocket boss' voice spoke, making the other nearly leap out of his skin.
Swallowing hard, he just barely composed himself, walking into the strangely chilling office. It wasn't necessarily cold, but it felt it, as if someone was there, sizing him up, someone who isn't the man sitting before him.
"How has your research on the Mega Evolution gone?"
"Stupendously, a lot has been discovered and I've made several theories regarding it. However, until Hun returns with a Key Stone, I won't be able to test those theories out properly. A simulator and equations can only do so much before an actual field test becomes necessary."
"Of course, of course," he smiled, making the other break out in a sweat.
Why was he so scared?
The demon was obviously not here, having taken some other route to leave, avoid being seen.
Or was she really gone?
She could be hiding, the office is large and there are other doors, visible and hidden, a window disguised as a mirror even. He knows, there have been a few times he's stood behind it to study if a particular meeting is held.
"Those stones you collected? Have you found out anything about them?"
"Not much I'm afraid. They carry an unstable energy and there is no current piece of technology that could be of help. The closest would be having one or both make contact with a Pokémon while in battle and record the patterns as they change into Mega Stones. Even then, I can't be certain, despite how many years it's been present, study wise it is still very new."
"Why are you so nervous, Shiranui?"
He felt his breath hitch, having never heard the man call him by his name, only his surname and title.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You seem rather anxious, are you worried about my previous meeting?"
"Other meeting?"
"Don't play dumb, it's clear that you heard."
"Just the part of you having to take out Panthera, but that isn't new. You hate her for ruining many of your plans as often as those kids three of your men chase after."
"Ah, yes, Caitlin Panthera, did you know she's not even human?"
"I wasn't aware…" Sebastian answered softly.
Of course, he's held some suspicion, having seen her photos and televised events relating to her.
From the years she began to current dates, she's barely aged if at all. So her not being human makes sense, though what she is, he couldn't be certain…
"No, she's actually a creature from the stars, another world, dimension to be precise. Yet she's here, meddling in our world."
"She is? I know there are rumors of life beyond our world, mainly through research done on Deoxys…"
"Yes, but she's far more special than Deoxys."
"Is there something you want me to do regarding her?"
"Yes, I'll be sending some of my best agents to try and find information about her, including who her family may be or people she is closest with."
"But if her children are young though, why kill them? They could simply be taken and made into more operatives…"
"Rather cute how you seem to worry about children even though yours have already aged into adults. You try to hide it, but it's obvious you do care about their safety. It explains why you never once sent orders to kill those brats who freed Raikou and destroyed the Miracle Crystal. Nor did you make any attempt to kill the brats who participated in the destruction of Project R."
He didn't like how Giovanni was acting, how sickly sweet he was, it was obvious he was toying with him.
The look on his face was evident, even the way he spoke…
What sort of game is he playing?
"You really miss your daughters, don't you?"
"Of course I do. If I didn't, you wouldn't be using them to keep me here."
"That's right, such a good father you are. Even if you never saw them once, you never stopped thinking about them. You staying here, it was all for them, to someday meet them, reconcile with them, wasn't it?"
"Yes…"
Was he going to let him see his girls, or did he do something to him?
"It's that kind of love that may very well help locate Panthera."
"What?"
"You two have similar personalities, willing to do just about anything to see your family safe from harm."
"So you want me to find her and befriend her? But being that she isn't human, she would likely see through such a ploy."
"Not befriend, but try to think like her."
"I don't understand, why me?"
"As I said, you two are similar when it comes to family. If you can think of how she may act, learn more about her, it may make tracking her easier. And if not that, find out who her children are. If we can get even one, we can use them to draw her out in an appropriate trap and kill them both or all if we're lucky enough."
He about to argue, to refuse such a cruel job, but the glare sent his way made him silent, knowing that if he rebelled, his daughters would suffer. And not just them, but the clones, Joel even would suffer.
"He's using my love for my daughters to kill someone, to kill a mother," the other mentally shuddered, squeezing his eyes shut.
"I expect some sort of report by the end of the month."
Professor Sebastian now has to use those same parental instincts to help locate an enemy of Team Rocket, either by locating one of her children to use as a hostage or find her, herself.
Think it'll be easy for him, or simply make things much harder for himself emotionally?
Note:
Those who don't know Panthera, she is an OC who has appeared in other pieces and is the same, having a skill to travel dimensions. More info will show up down the road, a possible bio being made later up on Deviantart under the same name as here.
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