"Your attacks felt personal. I don't ever recall Team Rocket ever making a move on you."
"I heard it from Oak. That was my son you impaled on rock spikes you fucking bastard!"
"Your son...? Him?! That… makes a lot of sense now."
Grimsley shut his eyes and forced himself to take a deep breath as the memories of his battle with Giovanni resurfaced against his will. They had done it, they had found Giovanni and they had rescued his son from his grasp. He had help, of course. The help offered by Mewtwo and the little Vera girl was invaluable in allowing him to have his son back.
He could remember when he finally managed to call Mewtwo to the battlefield. Mewtwo was unable to locate Jayce with its psychic powers and he finally knew why when they found the Rocket warehouse at Five Island. The walls of the entire building were coated in a special substance known as Darktycin, an extremely rare element capable of blocking all psychic transmissions in and out of it, allowing an area to camouflage itself from psychic scans, so to speak.
The answer to dealing with that was obvious. The moment he had confirmation that his son was in there, all he had to do was to blow a huge hole in the building and called Mewtwo over telepathically the moment there was an opening in that "camouflage". With Mewtwo around, the tides of the battle immediately turned to their favour.
"You can't fucking run now."
'Indeed, annoying one. Stand still and let me skin you alive.'
"I wasn't planning on running."
He could still remember the grin on Giovanni's face. Battered and injured as the man was, he was still standing despite fighting against an Elite Four and a legendary pokemon by his lonesome. That look in the man's eyes is one that had accepted his fate but also those of a man on a mission, a determined man that wouldn't go down without going out in a blaze of fire, a man that will fight for his beliefs down to his very last breath.
He tensed when Ariana joined Giovanni's side but he is still confident in taking them on because Mewtwo is his ally.
"Your son is a good man, Grimsley. Take care of him."
"Don't need you to tell me what to do."
"Jayce, his name is Jayce. Jayce Dandolos… Hm, sounds fitting."
"Oh? Did I miss something, dear?"
"Yeah, Jayce is apparently Grimsley's son. Even when he is now in a coma he still never fails to give us surprises. How typical of him."
Ariana's eyebrows rose ever so slightly, her gaze darting between her husband and Grimsley.
"Maybe we should have expected it," She commented before looking back at Grimsley. "His life should not be in any immediate danger, if you were wondering, but you will have to keep an eye on him. If he ever invokes Mega Evolution one more time, nothing will be able to bring him back. His life will really be forfeited."
She tossed a thumbdrive at Grimsley which he caught in reflex. He gave her a silent look to prompt her to explain what is in there.
"Everything you need to know to keep him alive, including the drugs he has been taking to prolong his already shortened life."
'That fool, reckless as always,' Mewtwo snorted.
"Indeed," Ariana agreed. "And before we have to go, I will say, you turned out very differently from how I imagined you to be, Mewtwo."
'Thou shalt be disappointed if thou expects thee to follow thy ways of the annoying one,' Mewtwo remarked before its eyes narrowed a little. 'Now that Jayce's safety is ensured and is out of this horrid place, I'm not going to hold back. I've been dreaming about this day for ages, annoying one, have thou prepared thyself to be captured?'
"Unfortunately, that will never happen," Giovanni answered as his golem launched an unexpected Stone Edge, creating some distance between them. Grimsley's eyes widened at the device held in his hand and there's no mistaking that it is some sort of remote. Whatever that remote is supposed to trigger, it cannot be anything good.
"Tell him this for us. Despite everything that he had done, despite his betrayal, we never blamed him. None of us will. Tell him that we are sorry too, for everything we and Team Rocket had done that scarred his life."
"This entire hideout is rigged with bombs. You have five seconds before it gets blown sky high with us," Ariana chirped merrily as she held hands with her husband, the only warning Grimsley and Mewtwo were given before they immediately turned tail and ran. He and his pokemon might really have perished there too if it wasn't for Mewtwo teleporting every single trainer and pokemon on their side out with a quick Teleport.
Bringing his thoughts back to reality, Grimsley's eyes wandered back to the figure lying on the hospital bed just an arm's length away. He had never moved an inch from his son's bedside ever since they returned from Five Island and got him admitted to the best hospital Indigo has to offer, located right at the Indigo Plateau. His ward is heavily guarded, because while the top brass of the Indigo League, interpol, and the foreign Pillars now know that Indigo's secret informant is in actuality his son, it does not change the fact that he had also committed many horrible acts as a terrorist. Jayce needs to be guarded, not just from anyone that might try to do him harm, but also to guard against him because nobody knows if Jayce might turn on them or not the moment he opens his eyes.
Personally, Grimsley doesn't fucking care because even without his presence, there is Mewtwo, and he is grateful that the psychic is on Jayce's side. Mewtwo had excused himself, saying that he does not need to be physically in the room so he will keep watch from elsewhere using his psychic powers. Grimsley didn't bother to argue, he's already very grateful for all the help and information Mewtwo had divulged to him about his son.
The only thing that is constant in this room is the slow beeping of the machine that his son is hooked up to, the only thing reassuring that his heart is still beating. He had found him, he had finally found his son. It's obviously too late, but he can take solace in the fact that it is better late than never. There is still a chance for him to make up to his son, to make up for twenty two years of lost time. He's bringing Jayce back home, back to Unova the first chance he gets, fuck anything Indigo and the pesky Champions might say. The Dandolos family may have appeared to have fallen to ruin in the past few decades, but they still hold significant influence out of sight of the general populace. The Dandolos name is widely feared by all for a reason, even Alder would not dare to provoke him carelessly.
He had failed to protect his family thrice. From that fire that consumed his parents-in-law and separated him from his son, to losing his wife from an incurable illness, then Asher to Team Plasma just recently. He will not fail a fourth time, he will sooner kill himself than to experience loss again.
His coarse and wrinkled hands gently held onto his son's as he rested his forehead against it as though in a prayer. He had never been much of a religious man like most Unovans are, a Dandolos would flip the finger at the mere concept of trying to believe in Gods, but at this moment, he still found himself praying, praying that whatever deities there might be in this world, be it Zekrom, Reshiram, or even Arceus, that someone, anyone, can wake his son up. He would give up anything just to have a chance to make up for everything that had happened, for everything his incompetence in protecting his family had resulted in.
Just one chance, that is all he asks for.
He felt the soft nudging against his leg and he knew even without looking that his liepard had sensed his emotions and was trying to comfort him. A soft croak from upwards told him enough that greninja is still keeping watch from where it is sticking itself up on the ceiling and concealing itself with Camouflage. Spiritomb should be somewhere here too, hiding out of sight. Truthfully, he is starting to feel the toll on his body. He hasn't slept for more than twenty four hours and that is an optimistic estimate. He knows that this is not wise, but he really wants to watch over his son until he finally wakes up, whenever that time may be.
But maybe, he should just go ahead and catch some shut eye. He knows that his pokemon would watch over his eldest in his stead. They have lost too much and they will not repeat their mistakes, not this time.
"Watch over him for me," He whispered as he rested his head on the edge of the bed while still sitting on the chair beside it, knowing that his pokemon could hear him over the silence. Throughout it all, his hand never let go of his son's.
Liepard's soft purr and greninja's croak was all the assurance he needed to finally relax and close his eyes.
For a moment, I had thought that my wish was heard and that I had finally reached the afterlife.
Unfortunately, I knew that was too good to be true when I heard the familiar annoying beeping and smelt the unique smell that I would only hear and smell in hospitals.
My mind feels groggy, my body hurts all over, I'm too weak to even move a single finger and somehow I found myself cursing the world to hell and back within the confines of my mind. Was it not enough? Had I not suffered enough? I just want to fucking die in peace, is that really so hard to ask for?
I really freaking fucking hate my life at this point. Nothing ever goes right.
Despite wanting to just fall off the nearest rooftop and die in a splatter of blood right now, my first instinct was to let my eyes remain shut and check my surroundings using my other senses, trying not to alert anyone nearby, if there are any. With practiced ease honed from years of experience, I controlled my breathing and not let it fluctuate wildly in order to give off the impression that I am still asleep. Even in my weakened state I can easily sense three dark types near me, all of them just within five meters of me by my estimate and they are definitely not mine. One above me, one below me, and one just loitering around on my left. I can feel someone holding onto my left hand and whoever that may be is definitely asleep judging by the soft and slow snores I can hear.
'Welcome back to the world of the living, my dear friend. There's no need for pretence, you are safe now. Our fight is over.'
Mewtwo?
I opened my eyes immediately. My vision is blurry at best but I can still see the faint psychic shine that signals the arrival via a Teleport. Just a blink later, Mewtwo is hovering above me with a smile on his face as my vision finally starts to clear.
'Are you feeling well, Jayce?'
'Hell fucking no. I wanted to see Jane the first thing I opened my eyes, not you.'
'Ouch. I see that I hold no importance in that black ugly heart of yours. I'm so hurt.'
'Quit being dramatic, you baby. What happened? Where the hell am I?'
'You want the long version or the short version?'
'Congrats, you had successfully annoyed me within the first ten seconds of my awakening. Just get on with it. The sooner I get the story, the sooner I can start planning how to die once again.'
'Maybe you can start reading that story by looking to your left, if you can still muster the strength to turn your head. You will recognise him. His pokemon would have woken him up the moment they felt you stir but I told them I want some alone time with you before then, they agreed.'
I did as Mewtwo told me, albeit with some difficulty because I feel so weak now. Whatever trace of drowsiness left me the moment I recognised the man.
'Why is he here?'
'He knows, the results of the blood test came out some time ago. In fact, every single member of the top brass of Indigo now knows, along with some of the important people in this world who need to know about how your existence contributed to Team Rocket's downfall.'
'Fuck me.'
'Excuse me, I am not into pokephilia. I am not one to judge anybody based on their sexual preferences but I will have to inform you that even if you are telling me that you have that sort of kink, I don't have that sort of fetish, and I don't even have a vagina or a penis for us to do the deed in the first-'
'You are annoying.'
'The annoying one is dead,' Mewtwo informed solemnly. 'He made his last stand at Five Island. He and Ariana blew the hideout sky high, and along with it, their very lives.'
That truly shocked me. I had been expecting Giovanni's downfall, but I never thought that this is how he will go.
'He asked us to tell you that they never blamed you, and that they are sorry too, for everything.'
I heard what Mewtwo said, but the meaning behind those words didn't really register until a few seconds later. That gaping hole I felt in my heart widened once more, that contorted twist tightening so painfully that I can only force myself to shove and compartmentalise those emotions, filing them away until I am able to deal with it at a later date.
They really treated me as one of their own, the people who would not hesitate to lay down their lives for me despite the things that they did, and I betrayed their trust when I stabbed them in the back.
'What will you do now?'
'Question of my life,' I gave a mental grunt as I closed my eyes once more. 'What is Indigo planning to do with me?'
'They are in a dilemma from what I could eavesdrop on. People like Samuel Oak and Lance are trying to argue for your case, saying that you are the only reason why Indigo is still standing today. There are also skeptics, of course, because not everyone is willing to trust a complete stranger, especially someone like you who has proven to be incredibly dangerous. They don't know where your loyalties lie, they don't know the kind of person you are.'
'They can all go fuck themselves.'
'That's what I said. The only reason why the guards are standing outside instead of inside this room is because Grimsley and I wouldn't stand for it. They reluctantly complied because I am a fearsome being capable of making his point extremely clear, as you might have already known.'
'Yeah, a fearsome being whose favourite pastime is to marvel at miltanks' teats. How fearsome.'
'I see no wrong in that. You couldn't possibly enjoy those delicious moomoo milk without those teats, can you? On a side note, should I wake Grimsley? It's better to get this over with sooner than later, don't you think?'
'He is in for a nasty surprise if he thinks that this is going to be a touching reunion.'
'Oh I've warned him that much. Ready?'
'Stop that pretence. I know you are planning to wake him up with or without my permission, you annoying baby.'
'Alas, you still know me best. Well then, it's time I take my leave and give you two some privacy for your father-son bonding session. I will see you again, Jayce.'
'Wait,' I called out to Mewtwo before he could disappear.
'Yes?'
'Do me a favour and check on my pokemon, if they are still alive.'
'They are in good hands. They are in your father's possession now, in fact. He was adamant on it.'
I let out a soft sigh of relief at those words. They are still alive. My pokemon are still alive.
They are alive.
When I opened my eyes once again, Mewtwo was already gone. I felt Grimsley stir and I know that there is no avoiding this. Mewtwo clearly wants me to talk to Grimsley whether I like it or not and while I know he has my best interests in mind, I had never wanted to meet him.
What should I say? What should I tell him? That I am sorry? For what? Being a disappointment? Tarnishing his image? Staining his reputation? Killing countless people for almost two decades? That it is inevitable that I am going to die before him?
I saw how Grimsley lifted his head. The area around his eyes look sunken and his skin is in a slight unhealthy shade of yellow. He had obviously not slept much. He looks just so weary and tired and I couldn't blame him for that. He is a man that has lost too many and too much.
I saw how he looked in my direction. I saw how his entire body froze when he saw that I was looking straight at him, now fully awake. His mouth opened in shock, obviously trying to say something but not knowing what to say, so I decided to just take the initiative. I just want to get this entire thing over and done with.
"Hey."
It was only when I opened my mouth to speak did I realise just how dry and parched my throat is. My voice sounded not any better than a hoarse croak.
I can see how his throat moved, how his body shook and how his eyes seemed to glisten. It took a few seconds, but he did give me a reply.
"Hey son."
"You look like shit."
The man who I know is my father by blood in this universe stared at me for a few short seconds before hacking out a choked laugh.
"Yes, I guess I do," He admitted, his expression a weird mix of relief and happiness and… perhaps regret? He calmed down soon enough.
"So… Jayce? Or if you have another name you want me to call you by..."
"Jayce is fine," I told him. "I… I don't know what to say, I never planned to meet you, but Mewtwo obviously wants us to speak to each other, so... "
"You made a great friend in that pokemon," Grimsley agreed before going silent once again, his hands had never let go of mine the entire time. "I… Look, son, I don't know where to start. I… You… Just… Look, I'm sorry-"
"Don't be," I cut him off before he could apologise. "You owe nothing to me. Whatever that happened, none of it was your fault. Life just sucks and I still hate my life, but I never blamed you or my mother, even when I found out the truth."
Seeing that my father has not one clue on how to continue this conversation, I decided to switch the topic of discussion.
"So… what three pokemon are in this room? I can't see anything from here."
Grimsley looked at me in mild surprise before he understood what I was talking about.
"That's right, your affinity with dark types," He muttered under his breath. He gave a look downwards, and the face of a large purple feline popped up and rested its large head on the side of my bed. The liepard gave a lazy silent yawn in greeting.
"My starter, liepard," My father said with a smile as I weakly moved my hand to try and touch it. Liepard caught the cue and made things easier for me by leaning its head forward, closing its eyes at my touch and clearly enjoying how I scratched it behind its ears.
"He helped watch over you for us ever since you were born, you know? Almost to the point of never leaving your side."
"Is that so? Thank you," I thanked the liepard as it gave a soft mewl in response. My gaze then went upwards to the ceiling where I knew another dark type was hiding from view. My father understood.
"Greninja, spiritomb, you can show yourselves now."
A greninja suddenly came into view on the ceiling above while I felt movement underneath my bed before the appearance of a spiritomb manifested just beside Grimsley. These are pokemon that not many trainers can get their hands on, especially the spiritomb.
"These two belonged to your younger brother, Asher. They've been following me since…"
Grimsley's words ended there, obviously still unable to walk out of that loss.
"I know. I read the news when I was doing my research about you."
Silence greeted us once again as my eyes studied the two pokemon out of habit.
"I never met him, but I know enough at a glance that Asher trained them well. Not many can claim to tame a spiritomb."
A soft smile finally reappeared on Grimsley's face once again at my mention of Asher.
"Yeah. I'm proud of him."
"What was he like?"
"A total history nerd. Always unable to tidy his room. Your mum and I had to keep nagging at him for it."
"... I heard it was Team Plasma. The Lacunosa Invasion."
Grimsley's grip on my hand tightened ever so slightly.
"I will make them pay."
"We will make them pay," I corrected his words, then decided to simply add on. "If I somehow manage to get out of Indigo, that is."
"They won't touch you," Grimsley said with a fiercely protective tone. "I will see to it personally."
"I am Executive Plague, the Rocket's Exterminator, one of the highest ranking members of what was possibly the biggest and most powerful terrorist organisation across the world in its history. I don't want to implicate you."
"And you were also Indigo's spy, Operative 2046, who risked everything to deliver crucial information to Indigo that allowed Indigo to remain standing today," Grimsley argued. "Not to mention that you were illegally kidnapped and brainwashed by the Indigo President himself. The nerve of that bastard…"
"Don't tell anyone else about it, but he's dead. I killed him, it was so very satisfying and I regret nothing."
Grimsley stared at me in disbelief before choking out another dry laugh once again.
"Of course you did. Your secret is safe with me, son."
"My pokemon, they are with you?"
"Yes. Don't worry, they are alright. They were also there to rescue you back on Five Island. They looked uninjured, but I wanted to be sure, so I had transferred them back to Unova for the time being where people I trust will take a look at them. I don't trust anyone here to do it. Don't worry, the folks back home will look after them."
"They will go crazy without me around, especially hydreigon. He's nuts, I'm not kidding. He's dangerous to everyone without me around. Sometimes I still wonder how I tamed him."
"Yeah, Mewtwo gave me the heads up, and I saw it for myself when he ran amok on Five Island. Don't worry, although not everyone in our family turned out to be a Dark Specialist, our family still has a long history with dark types, we know how to handle them," Grimsley reassured me as his other hand gently stroked my head as though I am a five year old child. "You feeling alright? Want me to call the doctor over?"
"I freaking hate the hospital," I replied immediately. "And… there are places that I really want to visit, alone. Can you get houndoom and gengar back for me, at least? Zoroark too, if possible. They need closure too."
"There's a story you are not telling me."
"If you know about my identity as Operative 2046, then you should know about my partner."
"Samuel Oak's granddaughter."
"Her name's Jane," I informed my father. "She… We… We were close, very close. She was the only light in my life, my only reason for living, and… I killed her. Houndoom and gengar belonged to her."
I thought I would cry once more at the thought of her, but no tears came.
"Mewtwo told me that the war is over, that Giovanni and Ariana are dead and so is every other Executive, Team Rocket officially disbanded, but I still have trouble trying to come to terms with everything, you know? I have been fighting for this very outcome for as long as I could remember and then when it's finally over, I... I suddenly don't know what to do."
"I will bring you home. We will figure something out. In Unova, you can be anything and anyone you want. Trust me."
"Where is our home? Like, specifically?"
"Lacunosa. Our family has been living at Lacunosa for generations, although there are branches of our family spreading out and settling down elsewhere. They don't necessarily take on the Dandolos name so people keep thinking that we are the only ones left, but they are still members of the Dandolos family nonetheless."
"I should probably pay Mum and Asher a visit too."
"They will love to meet you," Grimsley said with a smile, obviously reminiscing about happier times. "You have your mother's eyes, you know that?"
"I don't, but now I do. Do I look more like her or you?"
"Her."
"Good. At least now I know that if I grow old I won't be as ugly as you."
"Cheeky brat."
"No, seriously, you should really go catch some sleep. You really look like shit, old man."
"And whose fault is that?"
"I blame Mewtwo. When in doubt, just blame him. It's always the correct answer."
'Excuse me, I can hear you both, you know?'
'It's meant to be heard.'
Grimsley gave me one last look, obviously not wanting to part from me.
"I'll be fine. I have a legendary pokemon looking after me, and also them as well," I weakly gestured to the three dark types towards the end of my sentence. "Just go get some sleep and get my pokemon back for me in the meantime. I really do miss them."
"Alright," Grimsley agreed with obvious reluctance. "Alright, I will get some sleep. I will arrange for your pokemon to be sent back here as soon as I can."
'Get that fool a doctor too. If one is not enough, get two.'
"Please, no."
"And a doctor," Grimsley decided to follow Mewtwo's advice instead of mine as he finally released my hand and stood up from his seat. "Anything else, son?"
I continued to stare at the man who is my father. I still have no idea what to feel about him, but at least our first meeting went well.
"Thanks, for everything."
There's an unreadable look in his eyes. He continued to stare back without a single word, as if not knowing what to say.
"Get some rest," He finally replied as he turned to make his leave. "The sooner you recover, the sooner we can go home."
The door closed shut with a soft click.
'Now I know where you get your awkward and anti-social behaviour from. Must be Grimsley.'
'Do you ever shut up?'
'My mouth has never moved, I have not been talking, I am thinking. So to answer your question, yes, my mouth has always been shut.'
I sighed and closed my eyes.
I'm too tired to deal with his nonsense.
The next time I woke up, it was to familiar presences near me. Even without opening my eyes, I knew who they were.
I reached out my hand in the direction where I sensed houndoom is, and I knew I was right when I felt the familiar touch of his snout.
"Hey guys. It's over now."
I opened my eyes, easily spotting houndoom who is now gently nuzzling its face closer to my hand, mindful of my current fragile state of health. Gengar is floating above, ninetales is pacing about excitedly upon seeing me awake and I know it is taking all of her self control to not pounce on me in her excitement. Zoroark stood on the other side of the bed, giving me a soft purr to announce his presence to me.
"Sorry, we lost. It's my fault," I spoke softly, referring to the result of our battle against Giovanni. "But… It's over now. Our fight is over."
We basked in the silence that came after. There's really nothing else to be said.
It's over.
"And… I think it's time to face the music," I spoke, turning to face houndoom and gengar.
"It's about time we help Jane return home, don't you think?"
I had seen them on TV, in the newspaper, on most forms of social media due to their fame and influence. Seeing them in person, however, is a first.
"Professor Oak, Elite Four Agatha," I greeted the moment I spotted them entering the ward that I am in. I had asked Mewtwo to help bring them here. There are things that we should talk about, alone. There are things that I have to come clean with them. I owe it to Jane.
The two elderly trainers paused their steps for a short moment upon hearing my greeting before walking up to sit by the chairs beside my bed. An alakazam followed right behind Professor Oak and I am sure that ghosts of countless varieties are currently hiding in Agatha's shadows.
"Jayce," Professor Oak returned the greeting. Even in his old age, he still exudes a presence that subconsciously pricks the back of your mind despite his grandfatherly persona, warning you that he's dangerous. "It's good to see you awake and well."
"If I have a choice, I'd rather remain slumbering forever, Professor, but that's not what we are here to talk about," I replied. "I will get straight to the point, if the both of you don't mind."
"Just call me Agatha, and him Samuel," Agatha interrupted. "And yes, we'd rather get straight to the point. Jane, we know that the both of you knew each other before she died."
Whatever we wanted to talk about was interrupted when the door opened with a loud bang at that very moment. A man around my age stomped right in with someone else calling after him from outside.
"-lue, you cannot just- BLUE!"
"I'm getting answers, Daisy!"
If his appearance wasn't obvious enough, then the name had already given away the man's identity. The man who I know has to be Gary Blue Oak shouted back as he marched up to stand right behind his grandparents, glaring daggers at me which I pointedly ignored. I heard footsteps from outside and my eyes instinctively looked towards the door, just in time as a familiar figure walked through in exasperation.
My heart stilled, everything went silent, it's like the entire world doesn't matter anymore.
"Jane?"
Jane's alive. I don't know how, but she's-
Alive
I can only watch in disbelief as Jane walked to stand beside her brother. I knew she had heard me calling her name, the look in her eyes told me so.
But the look in her eyes when she saw me wasn't one of recognition. It's like she doesn't know who I am, her partner, the other half of her Twin Js. I saw how the look in her eyes went from confusion, then to understanding, and then I suddenly realised that Jane couldn't be alive. She's dead.
"My name is Daisy, Daisy Yellow Oak. I am her twin."
Her words sent me crashing back to reality immediately. Yeah, that's right, she couldn't be Jane. I killed her a long time ago.
She's dead, had been for a long time now.
"Breathe, Jayce. You need to calm down and breathe."
It was only hearing Professor Oak's words that I realised that I was on the verge of hyperventilating. I did manage to do what he said in the end, to calm myself down, but my gaze never left Jane- no, Daisy.
"You look just like her," I cannot help but whisper, still not taking my eyes off her. This is the exact same face I kept seeing in my dreams, be it good ones or nightmares. Even their voices sounded exactly the same. The only difference would be their height and the hair colour. Jane's hair had a slightly darker shade to it and Daisy is obviously taller given that she had grown into an adult while Jane died in her teens.
"I know, I saw her pictures in the files released on SKIPedia," Daisy gave a soft nod, her voice just as gentle as I heard in my dreams. It seems that she had wanted to say something else, but that was all lost on us when houndoom just nudged its head at her legs in a longing manner, his voice reduced to a grieving whine, obviously unable to help but see her as Jane too just like how I did. Gengar did not make a sound, but she did not disappear from view in the presence of strangers as she would usually do, but instead kept staring at Daisy without blinking even once.
"They…"
"They belonged to her, they've been by her side even before I had met her," I answered Professor Oak's unasked question while I watched houndoom and gengar grieving in the only way I had seen them do just once when Jane left us that fateful day. "They followed me after she died. They miss her, badly, and… You just look exactly like her. Even your voice sounds the same, you two really are twins."
If Jane is still alive, I think even I would have problems trying to tell them apart.
If she's still alive. It still hurts to think about the impossibility of that possibility.
Daisy's lips quivered slightly as her hand hesitantly went to accept houndoom's touch. I can tell that she is trying her best to control her emotions as she slowly knelt down to get a better look at houndoom, her hands gently holding onto the sides of houndoom's face.
Houndoom let out another soft whine as he gently licked at her face and it was finally what pushed her over the edge. She hugged houndoom as she buried her face into the fur of his neck and sobbed silently, her long and silky smooth hair covering the sides of her face messily. Houndoom whined as he gently nudged and licked at her face in his attempt to cheer her up, but all it did was to cause Daisy to cry even harder.
"Sis," Gary bent down and put a hand on Daisy's shoulder in a gesture of support. Everything that he wanted to convey was conveyed in that single action.
"I-I'm fine," She choked out, still hugging houndoom and hiding her face from view.
"No, you are not. None of us are," Gary disagreed before he went back to glare at me. "And you. I want to know, everything."
"Where do you want me to start?"
"Wherever it first started."
I closed my eyes and took another deep breath, recalling my very first memories of her.
"She was already there with me in my earliest memories. She's a cheerful little tyrant, always dragging me around with that heart of gold. The place where we grew up is not kind, it's the kind of place where any innocence you might have gets snuffed out quickly, but she has to be the oddball. She always had been too kind for her own good, too naive for her own good. She's never suited for that kind of life we were forced to live."
I opened my eyes again. Daisy had finally lifted her face to look at me, her eyes now puffy and red. I now have the Oaks' attention.
"I didn't have a name because I didn't have a known name when I was abducted and neither did the organisation deemed it necessary to give me one. All we needed were our assigned numbers and codenames. She didn't like that, she said that I needed a name so she came up with a name for me, a name that only the both of us would know."
"Jayce," Daisy whispered.
"Yeah, that was entirely her idea," I cannot help but smile wistfully at that memory. "Said that my name has to start with a J because her name starts with J and so we would have matching names. She called us The Twin Js, saying that we are partners for life, and said that she's not accepting any objections. It's her favourite phrase, you know? I'm not accepting any objections. It's part of the reason why I call her a tyrant, she always makes sure that things get done her way."
My smile widened just a tad bit more at the memory.
"She loves to sing, her dream was to start a band. She said that she would be the singer, I would be the accompanist, guitarist, her sidekick, whatever role she had in mind for me. She wanted to travel the world and sing to her heart's content, to let everyone hear her voice, that was our promise when we finally freed ourselves from our prison. Obviously, it didn't happen."
"How did she die?"
Gary's question made me recall her death in perfect clarity. This is the moment that I had been dreading, but I know that I have to face this. I have no idea why I'm still alive, but since I already have been deemed worthy by some twist of fate to cheat death once again, I should use this given chance to finish what she could not. I should bring some closure to her death.
"I killed her."
Even without looking in their direction, I could feel their shock, almost tangible enough for me to taste. I decided to carry on.
"It was quick and painless. A quick slit to the neck. She didn't suffer for very long, I made sure of it."
I barely had time to blink before I was forcefully lifted by the shirt by a furious Gary Blue Oak. If looks could kill, his would. I also know for a fact that he would really strangle me with his bare hands if it wasn't for ninetales using her pyrokinetic powers to hover a mini fireball right between our faces. If Gary did so much as move another inch closer towards me, ninetales will not hesitate to burn a hole through his skull, no questions asked, Gary's relationship to Jane be damned.
"Stand down, girl."
Ninetales growled in defiance at my order, her tails already spread out menacingly, her body tensed and crouched low to the ground in an act of aggression. Agatha's shadows are swirling and Professor Oak's alakazam is now starting to visibly glow with psychic power humming audibly. Zoroark had already vanished from view in preparation for another assassination and even gengar had moved to float beside Gary with a paw touching the side of his head in a silent warning. Houndoom is unable to move because Daisy was hugging him and he doesn't want to hurt her with sudden movements, but his teeth are bare and his long tail already tightly wrapped around Gary's leg, a low growl continuously emitting from his throat.
"Gary, let him go."
"He killed her," Gary growled in response to Agatha's words, his fists clenching around my shirt even tighter.
"Yes, I did. Her death by my hands was how I earned Archer's trust and how I finally wormed my way into Team Rocket's inner circle. From becoming an Elite Officer, then Executive, and finally seizing the chance to orchestrate the war between Team Rocket and Indigo to end everything, everything was only made possible thanks to her sacrifice."
"YOU BAST-"
Gary wasn't allowed to continue as in an impressive show of strength unexpected from someone so old, Samuel Oak had somehow physically freed me from Gary's grasp and then slammed Gary face first into the ground.
It's all him. No pokemon were involved. I didn't even catch a proper glimpse of how he had done it.
"I have been telling you ever since you were a boy, you should always listen to your grandma."
"HE-"
"YOU WILL SHUT UP AND LISTEN OR I WILL MAKE YOU LEAVE THIS ROOM!" Professor Oak raised his voice even louder than I thought possible. He obviously had enough. "YOU READ THE FILES, YOU KNOW THE HORRORS YOUR SISTER AND JAYCE AND EVERYONE IN PROJECT ILLUSION WENT THROUGH! YOU KNOW ABOUT THE BRAINWASHING THEY WERE SUBJECTED TO, AND I HAD MADE IT VERY FUCKING CLEAR TO YOU BEFOREHAND THAT WE ARE HERE TO SIMPLY KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO JANE, NO MATTER HOW UGLY IT WAS! IF YOU CANNOT KEEP YOUR PROMISE TO ME AND YOUR GRANDMA THAT YOU CAN KEEP THAT STUPID TEMPER OF YOURS IN CHECK THEN GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE ROOM!"
The two males stared angrily at each other in silence for a short while, neither of them willing to back down. I decided to break the silence. I have no idea if I would ever have the chance to talk to them again, so I want to tell them everything and this might be my only chance.
They deserve to know.
"She was the first to realise the Hypnosis being used on us, but she never told me about it. She even succeeded in freeing herself from Kain's hypnosis and tried to do the same for me, but I cannot remember a single thing about it."
That drew Gary's attention.
"But Kain found out about her plan too soon. Jane's action had already jeopardised Project Illusion and his ability to remain on his seat of power and it is not something he would allow. When he arrived she was still trying to free me from his control but she just didn't have enough time, so her efforts were only partially successful. That part of my memories are lost on me, they can never be recovered. All I did remember was that I never saw Kain's hypno ever since. I kept thinking that it passed away from old age, but it turned out that Jane killed it so that Kain can never control another person again. Kain never got a suitable replacement for his hypno. It was only about eight years later that I discovered the effects of Kain's brainwashing on my mind and took steps to free myself from his influence. The only reason why I could detect the presence of Kain's brainwashing and eventually remove it from my mind despite my memory loss was because of her. Without her, I would still be acting as Kain's little puppet."
"If your memories of that period are truly lost, then how did you know?"
"Kain told me towards the end just to spite me."
The look in Professor Oak's eyes sharpened at the very mention of that bastard's name.
"Where is he?"
Gengar very cooperatively gave a loud burp. Whether the ex Indigo Champion could get the hint is entirely on him, I am not going to reveal anything more than this. My vendetta with Kain is personal, and the satisfaction of knowing how he met his end is something that I would like to keep to myself.
Ignoring Professor Oak's question, I decided to continue my story.
"She could have left me behind and run the moment she was freed. She didn't, all because she wanted to save me too. I killed her, in more ways than one. She would still be alive if she had left me alone and escaped. I killed her, that is the truth that you are seeking for. I was the one who personally slitted her neck and watched as she drowned in her own blood. I was the reason why she couldn't escape. I am not seeking for anyone's forgiveness or understanding and I will never hope for them to be given to me. There's only one reason why I wanted to speak to you, because you are her family, and it is only right that you are the ones to bring her home."
I reached out for the note I had written before the Oaks entered my room and passed it into Agatha's trembling hands.
"This is…"
"GPS coordinates. It is the exact location where I had buried her in the Viridian Forest, somewhere she can rest undisturbed, in peace, but she cannot stay there forever, she needs to go home. She needs a proper place where she can really be laid to rest. She had never liked to be alone, she didn't deserve to be left all alone in a silent forest."
I turned to look at houndoom and gengar, then to Daisy.
"They know where she is, we visit her often. Get them to bring you there."
"Thank you," Agatha replied in a shaky voice as she slowly stood up before dragging her feet towards the door in a daze. Right now, there's no way I can see her as the fearsome Ghost Master as described by her reputation. Right now, all I can see is a grandmother grieving for her granddaughter that she will never get to meet. Gary immediately went to hold onto Agatha's arm to support her and escort her out of the room, his concern for her easily readable. Daisy and Professor Oak remained behind.
"Go with them. Bring her home," I told houndoom and gengar. Houndoom whined as he lifted his upper body to rest his weight on my bed to get closer to me and nudged me with his head, clearly not wanting to leave me. I can tell that gengar feels the same way as well.
"You two should go home too. Keep her company for me."
Houndoom whined even louder, his cry wrenching my broken heart.
"Go."
That whine turned into a growl.
"Go home, houndoom. There's no point in following me after today."
Houndoom bared his teeth and bit my hand lightly, not enough to draw blood, but enough to get his point across.
"Someone needs to take care of Daisy for Jane and you know about my condition. I'm dy-"
Houndoom barked, a loud and fierce bark. This is the very first time that he openly disobeyed and went against my direct order.
"Denying the inevitable is not going to change anything. Go home, I'm not able to take care of you anymore, you know this. You guys are better off spending the rest of your lives with her family, they can give you so much more than I ever could, things that I can never provide you guys. Go home, buddy."
Houndoom barked.
"Go home."
Houndoom barked.
"Go home."
Houndoom barked.
"I'm not going to repeat myself. Go. Home."
Houndoom barked, and barked, and barked, and barked. He just wouldn't stop and so I did the only thing I can think of to stop him. I recalled houndoom and gengar back to their pokeballs even before they could protest.
"Take care of them for me. It's time they go home too," I told Daisy as I passed them into her hands, my friends and comrades that had stuck by me for so long, my family. I would be lying if I say I can bear to part with them but it's time for them to go home where they rightfully belong.
"Are you sure?" She asked softly as she held their pokeballs with great care.
"It's the right thing to do. They will probably try to search for me the moment you release them later, but they will accept and understand my intentions eventually. I had been planning to do this for quite some time now, to return them back to where they came from."
"The state of your body, we know about it. Alice gave Grimsley the information we need to find a cure just before she…" Professor Oak could not continue his sentence, but I understood the meaning behind his words. Alice and Giovanni had decided to die on their own terms rather than to surrender, I had heard about it from Mewtwo.
"We will find a cure, I promise," Professor Oak eventually spoke.
"Don't bother trying to give me hope, I know my body best," I cannot help but let out a dry laugh at the thought of a cure being found. "I would be very lucky if I can even live for another five years, just enough time for me to find suitable homes for the rest of my pokemon before I kick the bucket."
There was a stinging pain on my cheek and I spent the next three seconds in a daze trying to comprehend what just happened.
Daisy had slapped me.
"You said you killed her," She said with a quivering voice. "You said you owe your life to her. If so, then don't insult her sacrifice by making your life sound so cheap. Live. Live, dammit, because my sister would have really died for nothing if you died too! So live! Live to enjoy, to wallow in sadness, to atone! To… Whatever! I don't care! I don't care what you plan to do with your life from now on but live! Live it like you mean it or I will never, ever, forgive you! I… I'm not accepting any objections! You hear me?! I will say this on my sister's behalf! LIVE! I'm not accepting any objections!"
Even the way she got angry is the same as her. It hurts just to look at Daisy because all I can see when I look at her is Jane. I keep seeing Jane. Her every move, every action, her every word, I just keep seeing Jane in her.
But she's not her, and that is what stung the most. The pain I felt is not the slap Daisy inflicted on my face, it's the sting from reality that despite the person in front of me looking like an exact copy of her, she is not her, Jane is truly dead.
That is the kind of pain that is truly hurting me right now.
"She said everything that Agatha and I wanted to say to you," Professor Oak spoke in a soft voice as we watched Daisy stomp out of the room without hiding the tears streaming down her face. "We don't blame you, truly, so please don't be too harsh on yourself. If anything, we are the ones who have failed you. If we had handled things better, Kain wouldn't have started Project Illusion, Giovanni wouldn't have fallen into the deep end, Team Rocket wouldn't have been created. If it's anyone's fault, it's us old timers."
"And sometimes I really hate you guys for it. Born for the very purpose to clean up your messes, and when I finally think that I can finally catch a damn break and die you tell me to man up and try to live. My plans in life just keep getting screwed over. Nothing ever went right."
"I'm sorry."
"I don't need your apology, or anyone's for that matter. Just promise me something."
"If it's within my abilities, I will."
"Promise me that you will do something about the state of Indigo. I don't want to see another Team Rocket emerge. I don't want to see more Janes and Jayces running about living the life we lived. Everything ends here, promise me that, because I'm not accepting any objections, because I don't think I can endure the thought that our sacrifices were in vain."
I felt an aged hand giving my shoulder a slight supportive squeeze and at that moment, I truly felt as if the mission Jane and I had been embarking on since we became Kain's operatives was well and truly over. Mission completed.
"I promise."
For what seemed like the first time in forever, I finally smiled from the bottom of my heart. It's really over now.
It's all over.
Mission completed.
Name: Jayce Dandolos
Age: 22
Pokemon Team:
1. Ninetales, female
2. Exeggutor, male
3. Weavile, male
4. Honchkrow, female
5. Umbreon, male
6. Hydreigon, male
7. Drapion, female
8. Zoroark, male
9. Bisharp, male
10. Shiftry, male
11. Porygon-Z, (Nosy), genderless
