Welcome back. Sorry for the delay. I really do have the best intentions on updating. I even know where the story is going in details that would bore most people. I just get swept away by my job. Not to say no one else has this issue but at the end of my teaching day, all I really want to do is play my farming game and solve puzzles. Thank goodness for Spring Break the week after next (no promises though I'll try). Enjoy for now.
"Our actions define our legacy."
October, 1984...
Holding his smirk internally, Giovanni escorts his brown-haired prisoner up to the porch of the mansion he shares with his mother. After dropping off the Pokémon at the base along with Doug and the other three, he knew what he wanted to do next right away. Besides wanting to see his Persian again (whom he was forced to leave behind), he wants to introduce his mother to the pesky one he was forced into helping. (He had enough good sense about him to ask for her name on the drive over. The surname Ketchum sounded familiar though he didn't know why. Her first name he liked more, anyway. It was rare.) He was never allowed to have any friends before although he did get to meet one kid his own age when he went to a boarding school near Vermillion for a semester. The friendship was short-lived, however. Bringing home anyone is frowned upon, especially if it were ever a girlfriend. She is far from that to him, but his mother doesn't need to know.
For her part, Delia is unsure of how to act. It was a rash action, her insisting she come to protect the Pokémon. Even if he didn't have it planned to take her with him, she still would have stupidly gone. The professor will be so worried as will her mother when she doesn't check in from the Pokémon Center in Viridian this evening. With all of those gruesome deaths in the forest, it will crush them. Protecting Pokémon is always important, but sometimes, other things are more important.
They reach the front door and he stops, only to open it. He taunts her with a sarcastic 'after you', taking pleasure in her annoyed glare. He comes in after her, making sure to shut the door loudly enough that his mother will definitely hear from down the hall. Persian, who was waiting in the wings, rubs up on his master's leg before taking the opportunity to smell the newcomer. His cold nose against the bare skin of her leg makes her jump, and again, Gio is secretly amused.
"Giovanni, is that you?" comes her voice finally. Both can hear her heels clacking on tile, meaning she is very close. In an instant, the older woman is in sight. "You were supposed to have been back hours ago. Don't you know how dangerous that place is at night?"
"I didn't know you cared, Mother." She finally notices their guest. Tilting her head and placing her hands on her hips, she addresses the stranger.
"And just who are you?"
"Her name is Delia, Mother," Giovanni supplies so that she won't have to. The more she talks, the more likely she is to screw this up for him.
"And why is she here at our house?"
"I know how you hate the idea of me dating, so I kept it from you until today. I thought I would chance it since I brought in such a good haul." Delia almost wants to say something, to make fun of him for only getting low-level pidgeys, weedles, and caterpies. All Pokémon are to be respected, of course, but they are hardly anything for a trainer to brag about in the manner he is. She stays quiet, though. Madame Boss cocks an eyebrow.
"Oh, really? Where did you two meet?"
"Last month, when you sent me to Cerulean City, we ran into each other at the gym. I mean that literally, too. She was such a klutz." Her elbow connects with his side, and he grunts. Trying to quickly recover, he puts an arm around her waist and pulls her closer. Having never been close like that to any man before, let alone a crime boss's son, she blushes. "Hey, no need to be embarrassed at that. Your ankle healed pretty quickly."
"And just how have you two been keeping in contact?"
"Carrier pidgey. I knew you would be suspicious of any strange phone numbers so we wrote notes."
"Show them to me."
"Sorry, Mother. Aside from that being an invasion of your grown son's privacy, I burned them to get rid of any evidence."
"You're just full of answers, aren't you?" She studies them quietly for a few seconds. She certainly looks uncomfortable for being his supposed girlfriend, but girls these days are rather prudish. Back when she was young, it was much easier for women to pursue what they wanted without judgement. Alas, society seems to be regressing on that front.
"She's also Professor Oak's student. You can understand why we would keep it quiet." That name piques her interest though she doesn't show it.
"His student, eh? Then she must be young. Why, she looks no older than sixteen."
"I'm actually eighteen," she finally pipes up. Madame raises her other eyebrow, and Delia clears her throat. "I mean, I'm eighteen, ma'am."
"Well now, that makes it just barely legal then." If it were possible, Delia would flush even more. "But it's nice to see you actually have a voice on you." She looks to Gio. "I suppose she can stay for dinner. It's waiting in the dining room, dear son. Enjoy."
With one more up and down look of the young woman, Madame Boss leaves the trio alone once again. Giovanni immediately lets her go, and she puts more space between them. She wants to say something, but he gestures for her to shut up. As soon as he hears her study door shut, he knows he is in the clear.
"What is it?"
"Why did you lie to her?"
"Because she's an evil bitch who I love to screw with."
Not used to such language, Delia doesn't respond. He starts walking towards the dining room with Persian in tow, and she automatically follows behind him. Once there, he sets about dishing up food for them both. His mother usually has servants for that, but Gio never cared for them. This is such a simple task anyway.
"Are you ever going to tell her the truth?" He goes to grab two glasses as he is done dishing up two plates.
"I don't know. I guess it depends on how long you stay."
"And how long will that be?"
"Hadn't thought of that, either."
At the fridge, he grabs two bottles of sparkling mineral water and comes back to the island in the middle, where he left the plates and where there are stools to sit and dine. He unscrews the bottles and pours one into each glass.
"What I do know is that you are allowed no outside contact while you remain with me. In exchange, I'll ensure the safety of those Pokémon I caught today."
"But what about my mother? And the professor? They'll be worried sick."
"Not my concern." He slides a glass over to her, and she instinctively catches it. "This is what you asked for earlier, was it not?" She doesn't answer, this not at all being what she intended. He of course knows this, but beggars can't be choosers and all. He holds his glass up as if to toast. "Welcome to Team Rocket, Delia Ketchum."
Marcellus stares quietly from his place in the doorway, looking for any trace of a reaction. He just revealed something shocking and unexpected so he would expect nothing less. Then again, he also does not know the woman he is staring at very well. One thing Delia was always good at was being calm and collected in the face of things that would leave others in need of the old-fashioned smelling salts. Who she initially speaks to is not him, however.
"Mimey, please tell Misty I'll call her back." With a simple 'mime', he scurries off to the phone, says something too fast for Misty to understand, and hangs up. Not wanting to waste any more time, Marcellus decides to be forward.
"Forgive my manners, but may I please come in? There is much to talk about."
"Of course." He quickly does as finally invited, and she closes the door behind him. As is traditional with any guest, Mr. Mime sets off to the kitchen to make some tea. He has a feeling it is going to be a long night.
Rather than sit and talk in the living room, Marcellus follows her into the kitchen. They can speak face to face on level ground there, is what he guesses her intentions are. It is only fair, after all, with everything he is about to dump on her. This should have been done long ago, but he will make amends going forward with everyone he has wronged with his selfish and cowardly choices.
"You're head of Hakubi Industries, aren't you?" she starts calmly. He chuckles and folds his hands on the table, thinking about his wife.
"I'm sort-of just the figurehead. My wife is the genius behind most of what we do."
"Six months ago, you were caught dumping toxins off of Cerulean Cape."
"That was my wife's idea. I had no idea until Samuel Oak's grandson and the Cerulean gym leader conducted their investigation." Delia takes note of how he does not use their first names. For his part, Marcellus feels he has no right to. That would imply more of a connection than currently exists. Thanks to him, there is none, even if Gary's grandfather was his best friend in college and a few years beyond.
"Pokémon were maimed and dying, and you say you didn't know? Your company didn't even face criminal charges. You paid a fine and were done with it." He has no come-backs for that. She's right. His wife used her familial connections in law to get it to go away. He's faced the anger from the public before. Delia's words are nothing new. "I guess complete disregard for life runs in the family." That strikes a chord with him, however.
"I am nothing like my son or his mother."
"No, you're just a coward who left him alone with that woman."
"Says the one who ran away herself." Right when it leaves his mouth, he regrets saying it. He did not come here to argue or guilt or shame anyone. He came here to rescue his grandson and bring him back to his mother.
"Get out," she says, sounding even colder than his ex when he left that morning.
"No, I apologize. I shouldn't have said such a thing. I can't imagine what it would have been like to be in your position." He sounds like he knows more than he is letting on. But how could he? She never even told the professor the entire truth. "Please, I meant it when I said I've come to get Ash back."
Mr. Mime chooses now to bring the tea over and set it down to serve. Marcellus wordlessly allows the clown Pokémon to fill his small cup and adds a teaspoon of sugar. He pours one for his master as well, but she has no interest in the beverage. The older man blows on the cup before taking a sip, grateful it does not burn his tongue.
"Do you know where he is?" she asks, hoping against hope after over five years. If he is screwing with her, then he will regret it in ways that would make Giovanni proud.
"Yes and no." He sets the cup down. "I know he is alive and well, and I know where he's been. I just don't know where he is currently. It seems like he was taken this afternoon along with the professor."
"How do you know about that?"
"My lovely wife. Before you go hurling insults at someone, you might want to hold off on judging. She's actually quite remarkable and the only reason I know what I'm about to tell you."
Despite his words, she still silently looks down on the woman. Anyone who could justify hurting the innocent deserves all of the condemnation coming at them. He clears his throat and begins.
"I left my family when Giovanni was four and a half. It was selfish and cowardly, but I honestly didn't know what else to do back then. By that time, most of our communication was through yelling, and I couldn't ignore what she was turning our business venture into anymore. I wasn't planning on staying with my parents back in Sinnoh for too long, but the politics of the time kept Kanto tightly closed off. I couldn't return, and she stopped taking my calls. Even if I wanted to fight for Gio and take him away from her, I would've lost. Aside from everything else, I knew she would keep him safe no matter what." He pauses here, silently remembering one of the more violent episodes from their past. It cost the life of their business partner among other things. That was when he stopped trying to pretend everything was okay, and it was the beginning of the end. "I eventually remarried and adopted her daughter as my own. She's eleven years younger than Gio. As my parents' company began returning to its former success, my new wife Katherine was concerned about Gio wanting some of it. He was an heir, after all. I never signed anything giving up my rights or responsibilities. Even if I'd wanted to, I'm sure Minerva would have prohibited it. I assured Katherine she had no need to worry about him. He would have been too prideful to take anything from me by the time he was old enough. I tried to keep in contact with him, but he shut me out though I never blamed him."
"That's a lie. You never tried to talk to him."
"Ah, I guess his mother intercepted my attempts. Figures." Rather than dwell on it, he goes on, which is a bit irritating. This was his son, after all. "Anyways, my wife still watched him regardless. She was especially intrigued when he decided to take on the leadership of Viridian Gym. That was at your urging, was it not?" She looks down at the table, remembering that conversation all too well.
"Yes. I tried to convince him to be his own man."
"That worked out well, back then." The looks she shoots him clearly says, 'hardly', but he only chuckles. "Well, he was skilled and extremely competent, at least."
That part is true, but just how does he have that information? He made sure to keep his identity a mystery despite the urging of the League. There was nothing barring someone from withholding his or her name at the time. So long as they passed the background check and inspection, played by the rules, and upheld all other duties, it didn't matter back then if the public knew who held leader titles. She tried to convince him to own up to his accomplishment, but it fell on deaf ears. Marcellus can tell the question she had and continues.
"No matter how discreet you two thought you were being, my wife's men were able to spy and keep tabs. The police really were pathetic in the search for you. But you didn't exactly want to be found, did you?"
The answer to that would eventually come to be a no. In retrospect, she should have sought out her mother at the very least. In the beginning, Giovanni wouldn't have let her, but a few months in and she could have changed his mind. The woman died not knowing what happened to her only daughter, and after losing her husband, it was probably too much to fight the illness that claimed her life finally. But they always say hindsight is 20/20.
"Once you left, my wife still watched him and you as well. She didn't know if you would be returning or not, and she still wanted to protect our assets. She got extremely anxious when it became apparent you were expecting what was likely Giovanni's child. It took everything I had to convince her that even if you did know who I really was, you wouldn't come calling. After all, you left him for a reason. Why entangle yourself and your child with me? Minerva, though, was worried of the same thing, that you would come back and try to collect from the family. That's why she paid off Samuel Oak in secret."
As that is the most shocking thing so far, she has no words. Surely he is mistaken. Samuel would never stoop so low as to take money from a criminal like her. Sure, when she returned to Pallet, the economy was doing poorly as was his lab. He applied for all sorts of funding opportunities and finally was granted something four months after her leaving Team Rocket. At least, that's what he said. The older man who was essentially a father to her wouldn't put her and her son into such a debt, would he?
"She knew him from university. It was where we all met. In fact, he fell for her before I did. Obviously she didn't return the sentiment, but he did find someone else. She was a wonderful woman. I can see why he crumbled when she passed. That was also just before you returned, correct? I wonder, was it the same illness that took your mother?" She answers with a quiet yes.
At the time, a virus was spreading from person to person and even amongst Pokémon. That was what made it so strange. The physiologies of humans and Pokémon are so different that no disease had ever claimed lives in both populations. Team Rocket was one group working for a cure (it would have made tons of money, after all), but they were beaten by a rival firm. Come to remember it, it was Hakubi Industries. Marcellus takes another sip of his tea.
"That cure put us back on the map after I managed to run things into the ground when I came home," he breaks her thoughts. "That's what made Katherine so protective over our daughter and finances. I apologize for her spying. I was weak-willed and didn't do enough to put an end to it. Even now, she's been watching you and Giovanni. That's how I know where Ash has been."
"Where is that?" The anxiousness is beginning to overcome her, but she tries to remain calm.
"With his father."
Those words make her blood run cold. The one man she tried to protect him from is the one who has had him all along. That means each time she visited or called, he lied. With a straight, cool face, he told her he had no use for the boy. He was nothing special, having his first few badges just handed to him. Trying to compete at Indigo with severely under-leveled Pokémon. Sure, he won that league in those pokey islands, but that was not an officially sanctioned league anyway. He knew what those words did to her, that Ash's disappearance was tearing her apart. He was keeping their boy hostage against his will. But then again, there were never any attempts on his part to get away or contact her or his friends. Surely he would have been trying to do so.
"Ash doesn't know who he really is," comes his voice, seemingly again able to sense her next question. "This is where the intel is less complete, but he apparently used some experimental techniques in mind control and false memory implantation. Then he kept him hidden away and only allowed him to journey around in disguise. Five of his agents had run into your boy enough times and would catch on quickly so he was closely guarded. That girl who revealed your secret five years ago suffered the same fate. She's now his Rocket partner."
"Can it be reversed?" He sighs, knowing she will not like his answer.
"I don't know. We would have to retrieve him first."
He waits for a violent outburst, but nothing comes. He expected more anger. Then again, what good would that do at this point? Once Ash is safe again (or maybe before that, depending), he is sure Giovanni will face that wrath. Meanwhile, all sorts of names for the man run through her mind though she doesn't let any of them out. This is exactly why she left him. If he was willing to allow his scientists to do those awful things to the Pokémon they had hatched and were raising together, if he participated in it himself, then nothing would stop him from trying to groom their child the way his mother did him. Without a word, she pushes her chair back and stands up.
"Where are you going?" he asks, already having a good idea.
"Viridian." He stands up as well.
"He's not there. They went to Johto looking for an escaped experiment. My guess is that he'll take the team to Goldenrod and plan from there." Funny, that's where Misty and the other teens are…
"Then I'm going to Goldenrod."
"Let me take you. I flew on my private jet here and parked on the outskirts of town. It'll be much faster. I know how to find him. My wife also was able to get ahold of his personal cell."
"Fine. Let me grab my coat and purse." He agrees and watches her leave the room. Her tone, the look in her eyes, and her pace all alert him to the fact that she is out for blood. Not literally, of course. He only hopes it doesn't lead to anything hampering their chances of getting Ash back in one piece. He knows how strong a mother's will can be.
August, 1985…
From his place in the doorway, Giovanni continues to watch her in silence, his arms crossed as the frame helps prop him up. He'd simply come to check on her, not spy and be nosy, but something about the way she is do deep into her task has left him transfixed. He knows she enjoys the research (that is how they met, after all), but it had become less of her identity since coming to Team Rocket. There was not much she could do without risking being exposed and found not to be missing at all, which would break her part of the deal.
That was nine months ago now that she came with him, bringing what she working on with her. Giovanni scoffed at it at first, thinking any work she had completed would be useless. Sure, she was Professor Oak's student, but she was also young, inexperienced, and annoyingly naïve. As if she was going to be able to contribute anything to the pandemic taking human lives as well as Pokémon ones. But then he took the time to look at her data, to really analyze it. It was good, something he never outright told her He convinced his mother to have her scientists take a look, which they did. After all, medicine was always big money and what their organization was founded on. They took her data and did more with it than she could have, which was actually fine. All she cared about was that someone found a way to help.
But then the news reports started coming in, reporting places of increased disease activity. They started out at the ports like Vermillion and the tourist traps like Cinnabar. It would only be a matter of time before other hotspots cropped up as people and Pokémon, vectors for the illness, moved around and took it with them. Her hometown was an up and coming port in a bid to drive the economy in a positive direction. That brought disaster, however. Pallet was next on the news stations, and it quickly devastated the small town. All goods stopped being shipped there in order to control it, which only made the town worse off. Then many Pokémon at Professor Oak's ranch began to fall ill. His wife and research partner followed shortly after. It was all over the channels when the League shut his lab down temporarily, and it became news again a week later when Robin Oak succumbed to the disease.
Delia went back to her data to see if there was something the Rocket scientists had missed. She was the one who observed and recorded it, after all. Maybe she would see something they could not. It was limited to only a few types with the majority of it on bugs, but models could be made to fit others, including humans. He left her to work alone most of the time, occasionally checking to make sure things were okay. It was one of these visits, just a few weeks after Oak's wife died, that an obituary appeared in the local paper. This time the loss was much closer to home. Her own mother must have contracted it from the Oaks, but it took a much faster toll on her. Like so many others, she lost the fight.
That was just four days ago, when he had to be the bearer of the worst news in the world. She didn't cry or mourn. Rather, she spent most of her time in the Rocket base, using the better technology his mother had invested in. Computers were still sluggish and clunky, but it was a step up from doing everything by hand. At first, he had no problems letting her be as he had been doing, but now he was starting to get concerned. He never mourned for his father leaving him (granted he simply ran off and did not die), but he was not the type who needed to let his emotions out in such a way. She is not like him. She should be letting those emotions not, not hiding glued to a computer screen and keyboard.
Uncrossing his arms, he finally leaves his spot and crosses the room. With a quick movement over her shoulder, he shuts the monitor off. He barely moves his hand back out of the way before she turns around in the chair, obviously annoyed at him.
"What are you doing?"
"You need a break," he says matter-of-factly. He can tell by her expression that she disagrees with him.
"I'm fine." She turns back around, but he puts his hand on her shoulder. This action keeps her from turning the screen back on. What he says next she knows is true, but giving up was never her style.
"There's nothing left in the data to figure out. Team Rocket's brightest went over it several times already. And before you yell at me, I'm not saying you aren't capable. I know it's your original work, but there's nothing new to take from it."
In quiet resignation, she finally agrees. She'd known all along, but throwing oneself into a task to avoid thinking about other distressing things always blinds someone. Maybe if she had stayed out in the field longer, if she had not foolishly jumped into the pit to save Numel, she would have collected more, better information to work with. Of course, then she would not be here, and that is not something she would change despite other circumstances. It may be selfish, but it's the truth.
She tried willing herself to be angry at him because it was his original condition that she have no contact with anyone outside the organization, but it was pointless. If she asked, if she really pushed the topic, he probably would have at least let her call home. But then she would have had to make up a story about where she had been and why she would still not be coming home. Telling the truth, even if he would have been okay with it, would have only brought more worry to the older woman. It was the potential judgement that was really the main motivator, however. Her only daughter, joining up with a criminal syndicate and taking up company with its heir would have been a major disappointment. Her parents raised her to stay true to what was right, to always fight for it, even in the face of opposition. Wherever her father is, he too would be shaking his head.
"She died alone," she says finally. He doesn't say anything, but he is well aware of her past. While he is closed off, she is more of an open book (at least, when she comes to trust someone).
As it was relayed to him one evening after a close call mission (he seemed to have more of those with her around), her father Devon went missing when she was only eight. He was a native of Pallet Town who had left with his family when he was a boy. They went to Almia, where he learned all about the Ranger Union. Training Pokémon never called to him, but he realized how useful they could be and how people could be their partners in a different way that maintained the creature's freedom. When he returned to his native region, he traveled the land, earning gym badges because he knew at the time, the only way to get anywhere with Pokémon was to be a great trainer. He proved himself worthy when he helped stop some poachers around Mt. Moon. It just so happened that the champion of the time and some undercover League agents were also on the scene. Along with what they witnessed and the recommendation from the professor back in Almia, he was inducted as an undercover agent himself.
He had already started to date Delia's mother (they were friends since childhood), and once he landed his new job, he wasted no time asking her to marry him. Three years later, their daughter was born. He continued to work undercover, and she devoted her time to raising their only child. They were the epitome of a happy family until he never returned from an undercover mission in Johto. No trace of him was ever to be found, so there was always the hope that he was out there somewhere. As Delia got older, she secretly gave up the idea though her mother held steadfast to it. Aside from her daughter and the restaurant she opened to keep them both afloat, it helped keep her together. Now the woman has died, not knowing what happened to either of her loved ones. It is a terrible fate.
Giovanni is not one who is good with words, and he has never been the comforting type. Up until she came into his life, he also never concerned himself with the feelings of others. Now, he feels like he can offer something, as limited as it is.
"The funeral is tomorrow," he starts. She could ask how he knows that, but with agents at his disposal, it's not surprising. "We can go, if you want. We'd have to be in disguise, of course-"
He doesn't get a chance to finish his sentence before the chair is suddenly vacated, and he finds her arms around him and her face in his neck. He returns the embrace much less tentatively than in the past and runs through in his mind the follow-through of his proposal. Although it is August, tomorrow is set to bring rain. It will be easy to hide in coats and under umbrellas in what will no doubt be a decently sized showing. Melia Ketchum was loved by all in the town. He cannot offer much as his mother will take any chance to get rid of her, and if her cover is blown, that will be the perfect reason in her mind. For now, it will have to be enough.
TBC...