Don't Give Me Diamonds
Diamond 059: Give me Devotion
After Comet left the Saffron city hall, Akira arrived. She had fallen asleep on the way and taken some time to rest. She didn't mean to, but no one wanted to disturb her. She was a fast healer and her leg had recovered enough for her to walk easily. Running would still hurt, but she didn't expect to need to run. She sent her fans away to get her a few things she claimed to want. A strawberry sundae, purple nail polish, a bottle of perfume of a certain brand, some new clothes from specific stores. It was all just to get rid of them. She needed to investigate on her own.
When the Vermilion attack occurred, the mysterious Saffron City mayor contacted her to assure her it was done by false Rockets. Akira didn't know if this unknown woman was trying to stop her from taking revenge on Team Rocket or aiding her in taking revenge on the real culprits.
Akira had not gone to meet her initially, even if the mayor had requested it. Instead she tried to go on with her plans to get revenge. She wondered if she should have gone to Saffron City from the start. She wondered if this woman had known Mirta and if she knew the secret Akira so badly craved to know. What was she? Why was she different?
As a child, Akira, then called Secura, had once heard Mirta talking to someone else. She closed her eyes and picture herself as a little girl walking through the cold empty halls of the orphanage one rainy night when she couldn't sleep. She saw light coming from Mirta's small office where she kept records and paper work for the orphanage. The door was mostly closed, parted from the frame a mere few inches. "Secura is the grim reaper; we can't let her curse run free," Mirta voiced.
"I know, I haven't told anyone about her," a second female voice replied. "I know I can entrust her to you. History can't repeat itself. I have big plans; I'll obtain what he couldn't. I have someone to help me get it. This will most likely be my last visit in a long time."
"You don't come often as it is," Mirta reminded. "I know I can't talk you out of doing what you want, just be careful."
Secura was frozen in the hallway as she listened. The grim reaper? That was only a myth, she was young, but she didn't believe in such things. What could be so terrible that could be compared to death? Was she dying? Did she have a horrible illness? She didn't feel sick. She didn't dare look into the office; she never knew who Mirta spoke to that night. The little girl retreated silently into her room. She told herself she had misheard. She never dared to ask for the truth. She wanted to know, but at the same time she feared to know. The memories of that night haunted her until eventually the need to know overcame the fear, but it was too late.
Taking a deep breath, Akira made her way to the Saffron mayor's office. No one tried to stop her, as if she was expected. She opened the door and saw a world of red and shadows.
"Sit, child," there was a lady sitting behind a desk with a Ninetales at her side. The woman was covered in shadows, her face hidden. Her hands were folded on the desk, fingers entwined, nails crimson.
Akira sat down across the desk. She couldn't hold her questions in any longer. "Who are you?" Her voice was desperate. "Who am I?"
"Who you are is up to you to decide," the lady spoke calmly. "As for what you are..." She paused observing Akira's intense gaze. "You are a traitor."
"What?" Akira gasped. "Is that why you called me, to stop me from causing trouble to Team Rocket?"
"You were in the news, you're quite a troublesome one indeed," the lady chuckled. "I'm afraid I'll have to imprison you indefinitely."
"No, I won't let you!" Akira stood up and reached for the two pokeballs on her belt. "You don't know; you don't know anything! You didn't know Mirta! You can't give me any answers!" She released the two pokemon from their pokeballs. Jigglypuff and Loudred appeared from the balls' red beams.
"Two against one? That's fine by me," The lady chuckled darkly. "Nien, flame thrower!"
Jigglypuff dove out of the way and hid under the desk. Loudred was left to fight on his own. "Hyper voice!" Akira commanded.
The lady glared, but refused to acknowledge her discomfort beyond that. Ninetales howled in annoyance. "Shut him up Nien, fire blast!"
The blast of fire made the difference in power between the two pokemon obvious. Loudred was knocked out and thrown back at Akira. She fell on the carpet and called back her unconscious pokemon off her. "Don't just hide there Jigglypuff, do something!"
Jigglypuff crawled out from under the desk and hopped on top of it, "Jiggly!" She picked up a red marker from the desk and held it like a microphone, "Jigglypuff-"
"No! Don't sing, fight!" Akira screamed in frustration. She wasn't a real pokemon trainer and didn't know how to use the song to her advantage.
Angered by the interruption, Jigglypuff pouted. Her body was filled with air and she grew slightly larger. She let out the air in a huff, with an annoyed, "puff!"
"The show's over, little girl," the mysterious lady grinned victoriously, "Nien, tackle!" She pointed towards Akira. The Ninetales jumped on her and pinned her to the floor.
Akira didn't stop struggling, "let me go!" Nien growled threateningly and bit her shoulder. Akira screamed in pain, with tears rolling down her cheeks. She was crying more so out of frustration than physical pain.
The lady pressed a button on a small intercom device on her desk, "I have a prisoner that needs to be escorted to her cell."
In a matter of seconds, two men in dark red tuxedoes entered the office to take Akira away. They made sure to take away her pokeballs as well. "Her pokemon, Madame," one of the men held out the pokeballs. One contained Loudred and the other was empty.
"Not interested, you two can battle to see who will keep that Loudred later," she dismissed the Loudred she viewed as weak.
"Thank you, Madame," the two men chorused while they held Akira tightly. She kicked and screamed but could not break free from their iron grip.
Nien sat proudly beside her trainer. She watched as they took the human away. She shared the mocking pride that her trainer displayed.
The two men dragged the complaining girl out and closed the office door. Madame Boss was aware that Akira didn't recognize her as Giovanni's mother. It didn't matter if she did or didn't. Madame looked back at the Jigglypuff on the desk. "It didn't look like you wanted to fight."
"Puff, puff!" Jigglypuff waived the marker around then held it like a microphone. "Jiggly!"
"You want to sing?" Madame laughed. "So that's why you became that girl's pokemon, because she was a singer. I have no use for a pokemon that isn't good at fighting. My business is in battle, not musical performances. Let yourself out little one." On a whim, she decided to spare the Jigglypuff as a reward for being amusing.
"Puff!" Angered that her song wasn't appreciated, Jigglypuff stomped away. She left the office and city hall without looking back. Such an ungrateful audience wasn't worth singing for anyway. She kept the red marker; it may come in handy later.
xoxox xox xoxox
The tension was heavy at the Cerulean gym. Misty was very worried about her sisters. "Let's call the Viridian mayor and let him know that Violet is on her way. She might need help," Delia suggested.
"Alright, the number is on the contact list," Misty scrolled through the numbers recorded in the video phone until she found it. "It's ringing..."
A picture of the Viridian mayor with a bright green leafy background appeared on the screen. "You have reached Rune Antilles, the mayor of Viridian City. I hope to count with your vote for the next elections! I am hard at work making Viridian City a better place and cannot reach the phone right now. Please leave a short message after the beep and I'll get back to you as soon as possible."
"Hi, this is Misty, Violet's sister. I'm not sure if you already know, Violet is on her way to Viridian City. She might be having some trouble on the road," Misty didn't know how to explain things without making her sister sound bad. It could be, and probably would be, interpreted in a negative way if she said Violet was being chased by the police.
Delia placed her hand on Misty's shoulder in a silent offering to take care of the message. Her instinct told her that Rune had to be keeping track of any incoming communications given the situation. "Rune, this is Delia. I was with you and Giovanni watching the tournament at the Viridian Stadium, remember?" Delia's sweet voice shifted to a very commanding, dangerous tone, "pick up the phone right now!"
Ash and Misty jumped at the sudden change in her voice. They attributed it to stress. Their attention focused on the screen again when the picture changed to a live video. Rune was in his office where shades of green were everywhere. The wallpaper was adorned with leaves. The wooden furniture was of a peculiar design with little branches and plastic leaves decorating it. Each piece simulated a very odd kind of fictional tree that happened to be shaped like furniture. "Yes, ma'am!" The Viridian mayor squeaked in the same tone he used for Giovanni when he was told to shut up.
"How did you know he would pick up?" Ash wondered in amazement.
"Intuition," Delia replied with an innocent smile. "Besides, if he didn't pick up, he would call us back immediately after hearing that message. We had to let him know it was very urgent."
"My apologies," Rune sighed, "it's just that Violet said she didn't want to get her sisters involved. When I saw the call came from the Cerulean gym..." Mayor Antilles trailed into silence in his usual submissive nature. He wasn't supposed to say that.
"Violet is there? She made it safely?" Misty was quick to inquire urgently.
"Oh yes," the mayor looked very stressed. "I'm afraid I cannot converse for long. There is much to be done in preparation to find my son. A friend has already sent someone to help." He looked meaningfully at Delia. Giovanni must already be aware that Kenobi was missing and sent someone to find him. "I deeply apologize, I must go. I have managed to talk Violet into waiting here. She had a bit of a run in with the police over her speed- Oh no, I'm sorry, please forget I ever mentioned it. I assure you her record is perfectly clean. I saw to it myself, I am the mayor after all," he sounded a little proud that he could at least do something. The legality of it was very questionable, but no one would dare to question it.
Misty breathed in relief, "thank you. Please keep Violet safe." The use and abuse of political pressure was a topic she chose not to address.
"Of course!" Rune exclaimed, "you don't need to worry about anything. I will protect her as my own daughter. After all, perhaps someday she will be."
After their talk with the mayor, Ash and Misty could at least be reassured about Violet's safety. Delia still had her worries, Violet was very close to the heart of Team Rocket. She didn't think Violet knew about the involvement of the Viridian mayor with Team Rocket. It made her wondered for how long it could be kept a secret. Violet was dating the mayor's son, so the truth might be revealed to her eventually.
"At least Violet is alright, but there's still no word from Lily and Daisy. Things are so complicated right now," Misty would have never guessed her family would get mixed up in such complex and dangerous situations.
"Maybe we should check the news, they might be saying something," Ash suggested. He turned on the TV and changed the channels looking for a news program. He didn't find anything playing at the time though.
Growing impatient, Misty thought of something, "we should try the Kanto News website. Let me go get my laptop." Misty went to get the device and returned, sitting on the couch. Delia and Ash were sitting left and right of Misty, watching the screen. The wallpaper showed a picture of Ash and Misty on a picnic. Ignoring the posted comments and advertisements, Misty clicked on the latest video featured on the site's main page.
The news anchor, Ameda, narrated while different images were shown on the screen. "To everyone's shock this morning, all of the facilities owned by Ackbar Inc. were closed. Neither employees nor clients are being allowed in." A video of confused and worried people gathered in front of closed gates was shown. "The young Mr. Ackbar recorded a short message and sent it to our station. Let's watch..."
The image on the screen changed to Lando. The background showed an aquarium he had at his mansion. He sat on a wooden chair, carved in detail as if the material could be melted and shaped. It had sand colored cushions to sit on and on the backrest. "As I'm sure many of you know, my father was tragically murdered recently. I will not allow this injustice to go unpunished. Until these matters are resolved, Ackbar Inc. will cease all operations. Until then, I must ask for my employees and clients' patience."
When Lando's message ended, the image returned to the news studio. Ameda continued, "Mr. Ackbar has not replied to our continued requests for an interview. Ackbar Inc. is the number one producer for human and pokemon medical supplies in Kanto. The future of the hospitals and Pokemon Centers in Kanto remains uncertain. Ackbar Inc. possesses exclusive right to distribute several vital human and pokemon medical products in Kanto. Our neighboring region of Johto has decided to respect the condition and refused to sell supplies in Kanto. The other regions have had similar reactions."
"This is bad," Misty's worry grew, "what's going to happen when the hospitals and Pokemon Centers run out of supplies?" She couldn't believe her sister's fiance would go so far to pressure for revenge. "The lives of many will be put in danger if something isn't done soon! What do Tempest or Team Rocket care if Kanto collapses? How could Daisy be okay with this?"
Delia sighed sadly, "she loves him," she voiced softly. "She sees what he's doing, but from his point of view. Sometimes, when something is done for the sake of your loved one, it's easy to forget the effect it may have on the world."
Misty grew silent and tried to put herself in her sister's shoes. If someone hurt Delia and Ash wanted justice, would she let him pursue it by any means? Would she stand by him if he hurt others to uncover the culprit? Perhaps she too would be blinded by sorrow anger and frustration. "I think I understand."
"How could you understand?" Ash didn't quite comprehend how Lando and Daisy could ignore the consequences of paralyzing the medical supply industry.
"Ash, if someone," Misty paused as she felt a cold chill run down her spine, "if someone hurt me or your mom. You would want to bring them to justice, right?"
"Of course I would! That's what I've been thinking all along. Tempest needs to be taught a lesson!" Ash jumped to his feet from the living room couch. "We should be out there hunting down Tempest. They attacked mom and Giovanni. They tried to steal from the Pokemon Center. They're the ones that started all of this when they attacked Vermilion!"
"Ash, that's not what I-" Misty tried to stop him, but Ash was determined. She didn't mean for him to react like that.
"You can't just barge in!" Delia insisted. "Tempest is dangerous, you could be killed! What matters right now is that we talk Lando into resuming Ackbar Inc.'s normal operations and not picking a fight with Team Rocket."
"Alright, I understand," Ash clenched his fists in frustration. It was clear that he was not okay with accepting the inaction. He wanted to take control of the situation.
"Let's call Lily again," Misty could feel the tension around Ash building up. She hoped that her sister had at least made some progress. She hoped that Lando was getting ready to give a new message at that very moment. She hoped for the safety of all those she cared for. The video phone showed a message indicating the unit was deactivated. "Lily has her phone off. I'll try calling Daisy." Misty gave it some time, but the ringing was endless and unanswered. "Daisy must have left her phone somewhere. Let's try Lando's number," the tension and uncertainty build up every time the phone rang.
"Ackbar residence," a woman with a marked accent answered the phone. She sounded as if that was not her first language. The device was set to voice only.
"Hi, it's Misty, Daisy and Lily's sister. I really need to speak to them right away," Misty waited in suspense. She had to talk to her sisters. If Daisy wanted to, she could convince Lando to rethink his actions.
"Ah no, apologies miss," the maid replied, "the master and the ladies are not here. I take a message, yes?"
"Where did they go?" The urgency was evident in Misty's voice.
"I do not know," the maid nervously replied. The entire Ackbar mansion staff was on edge with the current situation.
"This is important!" Ash insisted loudly. "We need to talk to them right now!" He demanded.
The maid let out a little frightened yelp, "apologies, apologies, I do not know."
Misty sighed in exasperation, "it's okay, it's not your fault. If they return or contact you, tell them to call my cell phone immediately."
"Yes, yes," the maid hurriedly agreed, "call Misty, yes? I will give the message."
"Thank you," Misty ended the call and got up. "I'm going to find them." She had made her choice; she couldn't sit still any longer.
"I'm with you!" Ash announced. He was tired of waiting around for things to improve.
"Wait you two, this is dangerous. I know you have to go since Misty's sisters are in the middle of everything, but please don't lose sight of the dangers," Delia reminded, her tone was worried, almost desperate.
"Don't worry mom, we'll be careful," Ash assured. "I'll call you later. Maybe you should stay here for now. We've been in difficult situations before, not like this but don't worry, everything will work out."
"That's what I thought," for a long time, but not anymore, "it's not always like that. Don't lower your guard." Delia was reminded of the day when Ash started his pokemon journey.
Ash had called her from the Viridian City Pokemon Center after his first day on the road. She mentioned that it had taken his father three days to get there. It was true, three days of speedy get aways with Saffron City as the starting point. She tried to offer him some encouragement, but Ash didn't seem to respond too well. Her comfort wasn't enough for once. Plus the ambiguous image of a man who didn't exist beyond stories of adventures didn't have much to offer.
She had encouraged him a little more and smiled sweetly. She seemed distracted, too cheery. Then she ended the call before he could see her mask fall. She stared at the blank monitor for a long time. "Please," she wished with all her heart as a tear rolled down her face, "be safe."
The stories about the many different people Ash met soon reached Delia when he called her. His encounters with Team Rocket held a prominent place in Ash's narrations. Even so, he sounded happy. He was truly enjoying his journey and he had made good friends. He knew nothing of her past connections with Team Rocket. Jessie and James, the Rockets trying to steal Pikachu, were also unaware of who Ash truly was. Delia thought that maybe her connection with Team Rocket had finally dissolved in time. It had been over a decade, yet the connection could never truly disappear.
Delia walked with Ash and Misty to the door and watched them take a taxi. She followed the yellow car with her eyes until it was out of sight. She didn't know what to do, she couldn't simply sit and wait.
"Delia?" A sudden voice caught her attention after Ash and Misty were gone.
A red haired woman Delia had not seen in a long time approached the Cerulean gym's front entrance, "Ariana?"
"It's good to see you again; do you have time to chat?" It was obvious that Ariana wasn't referring to a simple friendly chat.
"Yes, come in," Delia had many things to ask. They went to the gym's living room and sat down with suspense in the air. "What happened? Is Team Rocket planning to do anything about Ackbar? If only Lando can understand that the Vermilion attack was Tempest's fault everything can be solved. Then Ackbar Inc. can keep functioning normally. Kanto needs their medical supplies! Where's Giovanni? What is he planning?"
Ariana raised her hands for Delia to slow down, "calm down. Don't throw so many questions at me at once."
Delia took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, this is no way to greet you after such a long time. So many things are happening; I need to understand what's going on right now."
"Archer is taking care of things with Ackbar. He might still be video conferencing with Bane's son right now," Ariana explained. "Since Giovanni is away, Arch is running things while this mess is sorted out. Giovanni said he would end the Tempest problem himself. I wouldn't worry too much, he can be reckless when pushed, but not stupid. Besides, Proton is with him."
Delia nodded, she felt relieved knowing that negotiations were taking place. "Then there will be a peaceful resolution to the Ackbar situation?"
"It depends on how you define peaceful," Ariana chuckled knowingly, "no heads will roll if that's what you're asking. They will be punished for their doubts and disloyalty, but it will be more about business control and economical resources. Team Rocket will have more control over the company now, but things should run smoothly from the public's perspective. If it makes you feel any better, we can't afford to execute anyone right now. The enemies will be blamed for the disasters and sent to jail. It brings back memories, doesn't it?"
"Yes, if all goes well, history will repeat itself in a way," Delia paused, realizing what she was saying. "That might not be such a good thing, let's say things might work out better than before."
"You're still full of hope I see," Ariana smiled as if reminiscing of the past. They had not been as close as Delia became to Leah, Aayla, Luke and Binks, but Delia was friends with Ariana, Archer, Proton and Petrel years ago. "You really put him on edge you know."
"Giovanni?" Delia looked puzzled, "he sent you here, didn't he? He told you it was alright to talk to me."
"Yes, I guess he still trusts you in his own way, maybe without realizing it." Ariana mused. "Giovanni hasn't taken matters into his own hands so directly in years. Arch thinks something happened to overload him, so to speak. He wants to get this over with and it's not simply because of Kanto."
"Do you really think so?" Delia felt a little better hearing that, but at the same time worried. "He seemed relatively calm, too calm. I tried to be patient, but a bottled up reaction is still a reaction. If my news threw him over the edge and made him all reckless, I'm glad!" Ariana laughed and Delia corrected herself, "that didn't come out right. What I mean is that maybe giving him something to think about caused him to want to rush things along. I noticed that he was curious about Ash, but I wasn't sure if he would just let everything go after a while. Maybe everything did overwhelm him, I'm glad to know he's still human enough to be overwhelmed and do something rash." Delia shook her head, "that doesn't sound right either. I'm glad he can still trust me a little. I'm glad he's not indifferent towards us, you know what I'm trying to say."
"I think so," Ariana was both puzzled and curious. She leaned back on the couch and got comfortable for a long talk. Her mission was simple, 'stop Delia from doing something crazy' that was how Giovanni phrased it. "There is something I don't understand. Who is Ash? First I hear he's suspected to be with the enemy and then we're supposed to leave him out of this. Other than a past Indigo League champion, who is he?"
"Giovanni didn't tell you?" Delia paused, unsure of what to say.
"He didn't have time for a long talk," Ariana replied, "he just told us that Ash was not the enemy and that he was to be kept out of this."
Delia resolved that it would be alright to explain things, "he's our son."
To be Continued
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Don't Give Me Diamonds
Diamond 060: Give me Insight
A dark blue limousine quickly made its way through the roads traveling from Vermilion to Viridian. Inside the vehicle, the wireless video conference system was communicating with the Viridian Team Rocket base. The screen showed Archer's image with a serious expression. "Is this offer appropriate, Mr. Ackbar?"
Daisy scooted closer to her fiance and Lily moved closer to her sister. Lando shifted uncomfortably as he tried to bravely speak. If the second in command was this intimidating on a screen, he certainly wished he never had to meet the boss in person. How did his father deal with this? "Sir, those terms are worse than the previous terms you offered."
"You seemed displeased with my previous offer and refused it," Archer reminded, his gaze was sharp and strong. "I offered new terms, are you rejecting them as well?"
"I would be powerless to have any control over the company by those terms," Lando stated, he wanted to refuse, but a worse offer might be made instead.
"Indeed, however, you would still be an ally of Team Rocket as far as the underworld goes," Archer emphasized the importance of that point with his tone. "This means that you would be able to live comfortably and safely. The dreadful happenings of Vermilion City will not be repeated without reason." You can't knock down someone who is already on the floor. Team Rocket would need to allow Ackbar to still have something, rather than nothing to lose.
Lando looked at Daisy. Her eyes were fixed on the screen, she couldn't look away. Lando didn't like that Daisy and Lily had insisted on being present during his conference with Archer. The Rocket executive had demanded that Lando went to Viridian City for the signing of a few documents immediately, with negotiations being conducted along the way. Such documents were not fully legal, but served as a way to keep clear records of agreements. Lando knew he had no choice and the Waterflowers refused to let him do this alone. "Very well, I will accept your terms," so much for war. In the end, he had to put safety first. If anything happened to Daisy and her family, he wouldn't be able to live with it.
"I knew you would see things my way," Archer looked confident, as if he had no doubts of how the situation would turn out. "I will await your arrival, use discretion." The screen went blank.
Lando, Daisy and Lily let out a collective breath. "Well, that like wasn't so bad," Daisy sighed.
"Not so bad? Daisy, dearest, I'm on my way to an unofficial early retirement," Lando frowned.
"I'm just glad they didn't like put a price on your head. Lily was right, we like got caught in the rush of the moment and acted in a dangerous way," Daisy admitted, the reality of what Lando had done finally sunk in.
"I'm so sorry to put you through all this, I'm not worthy," Lando dramatized tragically.
Daisy shook her head, "it's alright. It's over now. Don't look at it as forced retirement. You'll still be like the president in the eyes of the public. You'll still need to like take care of public relations and you'll still get a salary. The difference is that you'll have more free time!" The worse had passed and the situation was starting to stabilize as far as they knew. Daisy smiled, trying to encourage her fiance.
"Then I'll have more time to spend with you!" Lando cheered. "Maybe this really isn't so bad after all." The couple looked at each other lovingly, lost in their own little world.
Lily sighed bitterly. "It must be nice," she mused aloud. Her last break up had been very difficult, just when she thought she found the one. Daisy had found her prince charming and so had Violet and Misty. Upon thinking of Violet, Lily wondered how she was doing. "Do you think Violet is alright?"
Daisy gasped and returned to reality, "oh no, Violet. We need to like apologize; we both said some things we didn't mean." Daisy searched for her cell phone but couldn't find it. "I must have left my phone in Lando's house."
"I'm on it," Lily held up her little pink cell phone. She had it off before. She hit the speed dial for Violet and waited, but her phone was off. "She has her phone turned off. But we know she's in Viridian, she like should be there by now."
"You should find your sister while I take care of business. I don't think they'll allow you into the Rocket base anyway. It's already bad enough that you know they have an important base at Viridian," Lando looked at the Waterflowers seriously, especially at Daisy. "I don't want you to get involved more than needed.
"I don't want to like make anyone mad by being there, but I can't let you face this alone either," Daisy was full of determination. "Besides, we are like engaged to be married! Sooner or later I'll have to learn about the mafia, I'll be a part of it too."
"Daisy!" Lando gasped full of emotion. "How could I accept such a thing?" He looked into her eyes.
It was clear that she was full of determination, "don't you trust me?" Daisy's look intensified.
"I trust you," Lando firmly stated, with his face becoming serious. "I will not stop you from learning about the family business if that is your wish. I greatly appreciate your support." His serious expression shifted to moved, "oh Daisy, my darling, how I love you!"
"I love you too!" Daisy exclaimed. The couple shared a loving embrace.
Lily pouted and scooted away from her sister. "When is it going to be my turn?" She wondered.
"However," Lando continued, "this once I will handle things alone. When we get to Viridian City you must find your sister. Later, after all this chaos passes, we can think about your role in all of this. Eventually I will be able to meet with Lord Roketto in person for the first time. My father always handled such meetings in the past. I believe it is best to ask for formal permission before I tell you more. I am very sorry for keeping you waiting, but it is for your protection."
"It's alright," Daisy smiled in understanding. "Lily and I will leave as soon as we enter Viridian City. Then after the formalities are done, we can like talk about everything else. All of this will be kept in like total secrecy, so don't worry. We won't tell anyone, right?"
"Of course not!" Lily assured. "We're like great at keeping secrets."
xoxox xox xoxox
The Saffron mayor's office was just as dark and red as always. The leaders of Tempest entered the office and found Madame at her desk, shrouded in shadows as they had seen her before. Her Ninetales, was out of her pokeball. Instead of sitting regal and ferocious at her side, Nien sat with her head on Madame's lap. Madame petted the pokemon gently, as if soothing her. "What brings you here?" Her voice was authoritative, yet relaxed.
"I've heard that a certain person has been here," Bollux paused, observing Madame's unchanged face. "I am referring to the one known as Akira."
"Ah yes, quite the little troublemaker," Madame chuckled. "You need not worry about her."
Bollux cut to the chase, "we want her as our prisoner." Bollux was often seen as the Tempest leader. He was part of the original Tempest Gang. He had light green hair and matching eyes. The woman known as Poisona secretly acted as the leader, retreating into a position of second in command when she felt she was too obvious. Some said that Poisona was the true Tempest leader, but for some reason didn't want to appear as such. Perhaps it was to avoid being directly targeted by enemies.
Poisona was constantly at Bollux side, as if needing to supervise and approve his actions. It made her stand out, even if she didn't want to. There were rumors that she was the sister of the past leader, Venom. Her hair was a light tone of lavender and her complexion similar to that of Venom. Only a few still remembered the past leader, the few that still had energy to seek revenge after getting out of jail. The most notable similarity between Poisona and Venom were their stunning red eyes.
"For what purpose?" Madame inquired with perfectly faked curiosity. She assumed that their plans involved using Akira's fame against Team Rocket, since she was known to be an agent. They could be planning to keep pushing the police to take action.
"As a hostage and to use her reputation against Team Rocket," Bollux explained, while Poisona remained silent at his side. "The police seemed to back off when the entire Ackbar hiatus situation was announced. No other message has been issued from Ackbar since then. As far as we know, the medical supply industry will remain paralyzed indefinitely," Ackbar Inc. would soon resume its normal functions, but only a few directly involved people knew that at the time.
"I don't know," Madame sighed in disappointment. "All this time I sheltered you," she watched them and hindered their operations while pretending to help. "I tried to help you at the risk of my noble reputation as the mayor," she used them for her own benefit, while remaining as the secret mayor no one dared to challenge. "I even introduced you to some powerful allies who wished to betray Team Rocket." She turned the two groups into one so that it would be easier for Team Rocket to take them out at once. She knew they would be overpowered even together.
Madame didn't interfere too much; she still allowed some trouble to slip by. It would be no fun if she did everything. When things got out of hand, she sent a list to her hidden ace, Miyamoto's daughter. The list was collected by her spies inside Team Rocket. Far from causing trouble, they were loyal agents in every other aspect. Miyamoto had been a magnificent agent as well, one without equal in Madame's opinion. She shifted in her chair and continued petting Nien. "I'm starting to feel as if my efforts are wasted on you. Will you ever get revenge on that terrible man who stole so many things from me?" It was all a lie and Tempest believed it.
"We will give you Kenobi Antilles in exchange," Poisona finally spoke. Bollux looked at her in surprise and disapproval. A discrete glance from Poisona put him in his place and he tried to emulate her confidence.
Madame smiled, though her suspicions were strong. The deal was far too convenient and nothing in life came that easy. Even so, the opportunity was too good to pass up. "Very well," thus it was decided.
Poisona had come prepared; she looked at Bollux who took action. He contacted someone on a cell phone, "bring him in."
Madame pressed a button on the intercom, "bring Akira."
A silver haired man in a dark red tuxedo entered the office a couple of minutes later. He was carrying Akira who was unconscious.
Soon after, two other men arrived at the office. One had short dark green hair and bronze eyes. He was wearing a large trench coat with his hands suspiciously in his pockets fingering a hidden gun. The other looked much more like a man of high society; he was the son of Rune Antilles. Kenobi had dark hair and bright green eyes. He didn't know how important it may be to keep him alive, so he didn't take any chances disobeying his captors.
The hostages were exchanged without casualties. The Tempest members left with their new hostage. Even after they were gone, Kenobi shifted uncomfortably, not knowing were he stood in the situation.
"It's alright now, you are safe," Madame spoke.
Kenobi breathed in relief, "thank you! I will be sure to reward you for your kindness mayor..."
"You may call me Madame," she smiled in amusement watching as the young man tried to allow the notion of safety to sink in. "Now sit, I will call for some tea and cookies. Someone should be here to escort you home soon."
xoxox xox xoxox
At the Cerulean gym, Ariana couldn't hide her surprise, "your son, as in yours and Giovanni's?" She was overcome with a fit of shock induced laughter. "Let me guess? He took it relatively calm and collected, right? You know he's always like that. You used to get so annoyed because of it," when arguing about pokemon experimentation and stealing from good trainers.
"You heard us back then? Well I guess everyone did, but no one mentioned it." Delia couldn't help it but to laugh too as she remembered old times. The memories were bittersweet, but she held them dear. "That's why I said I was glad. Maybe Giovanni really does have too much to think about right now. I know I should be glad he took it calmly; it's just that it makes him so hard to read. Ash doesn't know who his father is. Things are too complicated right now, so we agreed to deal with that later," Delia revealed. "I don't know how that will be done though," her momentary cheer evaporated.
"If Ash was raised by a goody-goody outside of Team Rocket, I suppose finding out his father is the boss would be a shock," Ariana mused aloud. She honestly couldn't imagine it. "I have a son too," she revealed, he looks more like me than his father, but that was some time ago."
Delia's interest was instantly captured by curiosity, "Archer?" She gave a small smile, trying to stay somewhat hopeful despite the uncertainty in the air.
"Yeah, we're still together," Ariana smiled sincerely, but her expression soon turned sour, "our son is not around anymore."
Delia's face was invaded by sadness, "you mean he's," she dared not finish.
"Oh no," Ariana shook her head and chuckled, "I'm sure he's very much alive. He's just not in the team anymore. For some time Giovanni tried to train him to help him run Team Rocket. That boy didn't know what was good for him. He was too much of a rebel and ended up running off. He picked fights with random trainers and even with Rocket agents. He stole pokemon and other things. He was always getting into trouble. After some time passed he started to tone things down a little. I'm not sure what he's doing right now, but at least he's not picking a fight with Team Rocket anymore. I guess he eventually learned that he can't take on the world with just his pokemon. Giovanni was relatively lenient with the situation. I guess it's because Archer and I were doing good jobs."
Delia closed her eyes for a moment, taking in all the information and picturing it. Maybe Archer and Ariana's son didn't belong in Team Rocket. Perhaps it took all that conflict to make him realize what he wanted. Delia opened her eyes and breathed deeply. She had never met him, so she shouldn't be theorizing so much. "Do you miss him?"
"Sometimes," Ariana admitted, "but never mind that. It's been a long time, there's a lot of things we need to talk about," she tried to change the subject into something comfortable and casual.
"Is there something else you can tell me about where Giovanni went?" Delia brought up the question again. As much as she wanted to have a nice relaxing chat with Ariana, the time was not right.
"Something about a duel in the world's edge, but nothing to worry about," Ariana voiced calmly and Delia's eyes shone with interest. "I can't let you go anywhere," Ariana reminded.
"Shall we decide it in a battle?" Delia unexpectedly suggested. She was full of both determination and doubt. "If I can't win, then I doubt I would be able to do anything anyway."
xoxox xox xoxox
At the Tempest hideout in Saffron City, Comet was hard at work cleaning. He let out a breath and observed his work. 'Rockets are super clean compared to these slobs.' He was not well received after his apparent failed mission at the Cerulean City Pokemon Center and was punished for it. As for the mission, the mysterious Saffron City mayor gave him, it was quite simple: 'make sure they don't kill Giovanni.' She had sent him away after that, refusing to discuss the matter further. Comet had already reported everything to headquarters.
"Are you done cleaning the hide out, rookie?" The manager of the illegal pokemon battles roughly asked. "If not because the mayor recommended you, I would-"
"Yes sir, I apologize again for the failure at the Cerulean City Pokemon Center. Give me another chance, I won't disappoint you." Comet managed to look truly apologetic and resist the need to punch that guy in the face.
"You've got some nerve thinking you're off the hook already," his bright yellow hair fell over his gray eyes as he glared. The man scolding Comet was the same one who managed the illegal battles at Saffron City. He was the same who had been at city hall when Comet was first there. He was known as Solo, though no one knew anything about him beyond that. "I bet you were the one whose clumsiness caused the others to get arrested!" Solo was one of the favorite agents of the Tempest leader.
"I'm going to give you an easy mission that not even you can mess up," Solo growled, "watch the prisoner."
"Yes, sir!" Comet followed Solo down a dark corridor with many doors. Some were partially open and others were closed. The sounds of pokemon came from inside, those were storage rooms. It made Comet feel sorry for them. He liked battles, he even like the brutal battles of the secret illegal arena, granted that the pokemon fought willingly, like Purry. Hearing their cries outside of the rush of a fight didn't feel right.
"Here we are," Solo opened the last wooden door at the end of the hall with a key. The door was old and beaten, but it still held strong. A girl with cyan hair was tied to an old folding chair inside the dim room. There was only one flickering lamp directly above her. Her body was limp as if she would fall to the side if she wasn't tied to the rusted chair.
"Akira?" Comet recognized her right away. Her eyes were closed and she was motionless. She had to be alive; they wouldn't have her tied up like that if she wasn't. Ropes bounded her wrists behind her. Another rope around her waist kept her torso tied to the back of the chair. Her ankles were tied to the chair's legs.
"Yeah, the famous singer," Solo chuckled. "Surprising isn't it? I was shocked too." His expression changed back to a serious one. "Don't mess up, rookie. The boss seems to have plans for the girl. I think it was a stupid trade. I mean, she's famous, but that Antilles guy was rich too. Plus his father, the Viridian mayor, has more political power. This girl's just famous. At least she's good to look at, that's for sure."
"A trade? The Tempest boss traded the mayor's son for Akira?" Comet didn't understand the trade either. He would think having Kenobi would prove to be more beneficial. Akira was more famous, but Kenobi was a more prominent figure in terms of politics. With Kenobi they had mayor Antilles to threaten, but Akira didn't really have anyone in a high position that they could pressure. She was connected to Team Rocket, but so was Kenobi, surely they realized that. His exposure as part of Team Rocket would have been worse than her publicity if they played their cards right. "With who was the trade made?"
"With the Saffron City mayor," Solo revealed, "I don't know what she wants with Kenobi, or with us. She's one mysterious person. I'm pretty sure only the leader and his lady know more about her. They don't talk about it, but they must know something. Even they might not know too much though."
"I will guard the prisoner well, sir." For the time being, Comet would take Akira back into Team Rocket's custody. Then he would come up with a plan to find Kenobi. He was still unaware of the events that happened between Pewter and Cerulean, which resulted with Akira's injury and temporary arrest.
Solo laughed mockingly, "yeah this is about as much as you can handle, guarding an unconscious tied up girl." Solo left the dim room and disappeared when he turned at the end of the hallway.
'You keep thinking that,' Comet mused. He checked Akira's pulse. Her heart was beating regularly and her temperature seemed to be normal. She must have been given something to put her to sleep. They were in a basement so there were no windows. Tempest agents were all around so sneaking out was next to impossible. He would just have to come up with a distraction... that might be fun.
To be Continued
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Don't Give Me Diamonds
Diamond 061: Give me Help
At the Saffron city hall a man wearing a dark red tuxedo made his way into the mayor's office. The secretary paid him no mind as he went in. He had silver hair and blue eyes. The scene he found at the office was most unexpected. His investigation led him to believe there was something going on with the Saffron City mayor. He had also seen suspicious people going in and out of city hall. Perhaps he could gain some information about Kenobi's location there. He didn't expect to find a dark haired young man sitting at the mayor's very red office drinking tea and eating cookies. That man was Kenobi. Most of all, he didn't expect the mysterious mayor to be Madame Boss.
Madame smiled victoriously, "hello there Petrel. Care to join us? Oh and by the way, next time, you don't need to knock out one of my men and disguise yourself as him. You can just come right in, dear," she mocked.
"I got caught by a security camera didn't I?" Petrel took off his wig and contact lenses in frustration. "I can't believe this! I need to ask for more field missions, I don't want to get out of practice with my disguises."
"The disguise was fine, except for the part about being caught putting it on," Madame laughed.
Petrel looked at Kenobi, who seemed to be at a loss for words. "Madame saved me," he finally spoke. "She said someone would come for me soon."
"Do you know who she is?" Petrel inquired raising an eyebrow.
"The mayor of Saffron City," Kenobi initially replied, "but that's not all." He thought about it, "you know each other, but you were sneaking in. Is she our ally?" By 'our' Kenobi was secretly referring to Team Rocket.
"Let's just say the boss and his mother are not on speaking terms," Petrel left it at that.
Confusion was reflected in Kenobi's green eyes. "How is the boss' mother related to any of this?" Then the realization hit him as he caught sight of Madame's amused grin, "you are? She is?" He looked from Madame to Petrel and back again. They both nodded.
"Do you know anything about a list of traitors? Two agents that had been fired showed up with it. Doesn't that sound convenient?" Petrel gave Madame a suspicious look.
"Long ago I gave brat boy my resources because he no longer needed them," Madame recalled. "If my help was necessary and I gave it, I would just be getting in the way of brat boy reaching his potential. This time, I'm just helping speed things along towards a result that would have been the same anyway. That is all," Madame smiled. "As for the agents you speak of, they are unaware of who I am in relation to brat boy."
"I see," Petrel thought about it, Giovanni would be angry hearing Madame call him brat boy still. "Well, I guess I'll let things be for now, but I'll have to tell the boss. He won't be happy about this... interference."
"She was helpful!" Kenobi protested.
"That's really not the point," Petrel's tone of voice made it clear it was best to drop the subject. "Kenobi, we should return now."
"Ah, yes, it would be best to be on our way," Kenobi agreed. "Madame, thank you very much for your assistance."
"Too bad not everyone is as polite as you," Madame chuckled in amusement. "You're quite welcome my dear."
xoxox xox xoxox
After swiftly leaving Madame's office, Petrel reported the recent happenings to Archer. "Mission accomplished, I have Kenobi and I'm taking him back to Viridian City as we speak." The car they were in was purple to match Petrel's hair. It had a red R bumper sticker, though it wasn't too big so it didn't stand out. Petrel kept an eye out for pursuers as he drove, but there weren't any.
Kenobi was still unaware of the Waterflowers' involvement in the recent events. He hardly knew anything of what had been happening in Kanto during his captivity. He assumed Violet was safe in Cerulean City; he had no reason to think otherwise. He wondered if his kidnapping had been made public. He hoped not, he didn't want to worry Violet. It was inevitable to worry his father; he had to know he had been missing. Kenobi would think of something to tell Violet later and apologize for his lack of communication recently. He had not called her in a long time. It was best to sort things out and call when he had the time to properly talk to her.
"Good, that's one less think to worry about, I'll let Rune know," Archer's voice came from Petrel's little black cell phone, with a shiny red R. "It seems things are running smoothly so far. All that's left to do is capture the enemy, hand them to the police to take the blame and conduct some public relations here and there. Soon we will make it as if nothing happened," if Giovanni's plan worked. He intended to take care of Tempest directly.
"There's more," Petrel got ready to report the most interesting piece of information he had found. "The suspicions about the Saffron mayor being involved with the enemies were true, but it seems she was using them. She was just messing with them and possibly with us. She was the origin of the traitor list Jessie and James brought, but they don't know that. The mysterious Saffron mayor is Madame Boss."
"Giovanni's mother?" Suddenly Comet's report made a lot more sense to Archer. "Let's allow Giovanni to focus on his mission for now, we'll give him the report afterwards. We don't want to anger him and throw him out of focus. I guess dealing with this detail will be part of the aftermath clean up. Do you think she'll be troublesome for now?"
"I don't think so," Petrel replied with a hint of doubt. "She handed Kenobi over easily enough. It doesn't look like I'm being followed or anything. I never did understand Madame. Maybe Giovanni's the only one who can figure her out."
Archer disagreed, "I don't think anyone can. There's a lot to do, but for now let's focus on one thing at a time. Return to headquarters and we'll decide what to do from there."
xoxox xox xoxox
Delia and Ariana stood on opposite sides of the Cerulean gym's battle arena. The large pool was filled with crystalline water. The water was still, yet not truly calm, as if it had no room to move with all the tension in the atmosphere. "Two on two," Delia requested.
Ariana nodded from the other side of the water themed arena. She looked confident, "fine by me."
"We don't have much time," win or lose, Delia wanted to get things done as fast as possible. If she couldn't win, she would think of what to do then. If she won, she would need to be on her way. With a look of determination, Delia released her two pokemon, "Cloyster, Kingler!" Both pokemon emerged from the red beams of their respective pokeballs simultaneously. They landed comfortably in the welcoming water of the pool. The liquid shifted when the two pokemon splashed in, but soon became still again as they floated. "We'll battle with both pokemon at the same time," Delia had battled like that especially often immediately after the Viridian Gym take over, when Kanto was cleaned of other gangs.
Ariana released two of her pokemon from their pokeballs, Weavile and Honchkrow appeared. Honchkrow flew above the water out of reach with Weavile on his back. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Absolutely!" Delia had no time to doubt, she needed to believe she could win. "Cloyster, Kingler, water gun together!" The two water pokemon were unsure. Giovanni wasn't there to scare them into listening and they still had their doubts about Delia. Would she leave them again? "Cloyster, Kingler, please!"
"It looks like they won't listen to you," Ariana shook her head in disapproval. "You've been gone too long and it seems you didn't leave enough of an impression to make them listen. This battle is mine," Ariana sent her pokemon on the attack. "Honchkrow use trickery!"
Cloyster and Kingler sunk under the water to protect themselves against Honchkrow's attacks. "Cloyster, Kingler, you have to fight back!" Delia called out to them, but they still wouldn't listen. They just sunk deeper until they were safe at the bottom of the pool. Bubbles rose up from their location as they discussed something in their language. They were probably debating what they should do, if they should truly give Delia another chance or not.
"Perfect," Ariana looked victorious. As she expected, the battle would be over soon. "Keep them underwater Honchkrow, Weavile use ice beam, full power!"
"You can't freeze them in there!" Delia realized what was going on.
"I can and I will!" Ariana laughed. "It seems you've lost, but don't take it too badly. Maybe with some training you might reach the potential you used to have."
"What I need is to regain the trust I used to have," Delia argued back. "Cloyster, Kingler, I'm sorry I left you like that. I honestly thought you would be better off if you stayed at the gym. Even if it wasn't my place, I thought it could still be yours. I didn't know that you would end up so neglected. Please forgive my misjudgment, I'm here now and I'm willing to earn your trust again from the beginning."
Cloyster and Kingler were heading to the surface of the pool trying to break the sheet of ice that formed. Ariana could not allow them that chance, "Honchkrow, confuse ray, Weavile, hurry up with that ice beam!" Her two pokemon obeyed.
The beam of perplexing dark light could be seen past the sheet of ice that didn't shield the water pokemon's minds. They were already doubtful, which made them vulnerable to the confusion. Cloyster and Kingler swam around under the sheet of ice. They occasionally bumped into it and each other, pushing each other away. Weavile was starting to look tired, but the beam of ice didn't cease. Ariana's pokemon kept freezing the pool, the sheet of ice becoming thicker and deeper.
"Cloyster! Kingler!" Delia desperately called out to them. "This is hopeless," she realized. "Ariana, I give up, you won the battle."
With a cunning look Ariana refused to accept the end of the battle, "I'm not going to stop."
"I already gave up, that's enough!" Delia insisted.
"I said I'm not stopping," Ariana stood firm by her choice.
"Cloyster, Kingler, return!" The red beams from the two pokeballs reached towards the ice, but didn't go past it. "Return!" Delia jumped off the trainer platform and on to the frozen pool. She tried to use the pokeballs again at close range, but it still didn't work. "Cloyster, Kingler, I'll get you out of there!"
Honchkrow and Weavile screeched at Delia as if telling her to go away. They were trained not to stop attacking until their trainer said so. No one could get in their way. "I think you should get out of the battle field," Ariana advised.
"No way, this battle is over, Cloyster and Kingler shouldn't still need to fight. Bending the rules a little is one thing, but this is cheating," Delia argued. "If that's how you want it, I'll cheat too." She took off her shoe and threw it. The shoe hit Honchkrow on the beak. "You two back off or you'll have to deal with me!"
"You don't stand a chance!" Ariana warned, she sounded serious, yet with an undertone of amusement.
"I don't care, I have to try!" Delia pounded on the ice with all her might, trying to break it.
"So that's how it is," a real smile formed on Ariana's face. She recalled Weavile and Honchkrow back into their pokeballs before they could seriously attack Delia.
"I'm sure this ice has to break, it's not cold enough in here to maintain it," Delia kept hitting the ice. "I won't ask you to battle for me if you don't want to. If you do, I'll trust you with my very life and I'll take good care of you."
The two pokemon under the ice finally lost their confusion and struggled together to get out. The ice began to break until they made a hole in it and climbed out.
"Cloyster, Kingler, will you give me another chance?" They were willing to; Delia didn't need to speak their language to know that. "Thank you, I know this is too much to ask for, but the Giovanni we used to know still exists. Will you help me find him again?"
The two water pokemon could see that Delia's intentions and determination were true. They nodded in unison, voicing their agreement together. Delia hugged them both.
"So you're still going?" Ariana inquired, though she didn't wait for an answer. "I thought as much. You're not one to give up easily. You still have a strong determination and you're willing to break the rules if needed. Alright, let's go, Giovanni might need some help after all. You two somehow have a way of bringing out each other's wild side, no doubt about it."
"Ariana..." Delia was surprised by the turn of events. She expected Ariana to put up more of an argument. In the end, the executive couldn't stand by without directly helping Team Rocket. Delia immediately agreed, "yes, we should hurry to the world's edge."
Ariana grinned, "on one condition..."
xoxox xox xoxox
Later at Saffron City, Ash and Misty were wandering through the streets. A stream of suspicious rumors that they couldn't ignore took them there. "Do you really think we'll find out anything useful here?" Misty asked impatiently. She felt she should be trying to locate her sisters.
"There has to be a cause for all those rumors," Ash reasoned. After taking buses and taxis, it was the evening and they still haven't found much beyond rumors. "I know we're going to find something, I can feel it!"
Misty sighed. She found herself remembering the odd looks Ash got due to his messy hair. "Ash, this is a wild Farfechd chase." She finally had enough.
"No it's not, I told you I can feel that something will happen, trust me." Ash was in the middle of persuading Misty to trust his instinct when he spotted a familiar pokemon. "Is that...?"
Misty looked in the direction Ash was pointing and saw the Meowth. She was easily recognizable due to her war zone appearance. It was obvious she had been in many tough battles. "No way," Misty couldn't believe it, but she knew it to be true. "I think you're right. Somehow I feel like I shouldn't be surprised. Trouble has a knack for finding you, or is it the other way around?"
"I don't know, but I'm not letting her get away!" Ash declared full of determination. "I have to catch that Meowth and ask her where she hid my hat!" He dashed towards Purry.
Purry had gone into an alley between two buildings and headed towards a door on one of them. She was sure she saw Comet go in there earlier.
"Stop right there!" Ash yelled at the top of his lungs. If his approaching footsteps haven't already given away his presence, his voice would have.
"So much for the element of surprise," Misty sarcastically commented.
"Give me back my hat!" Ash firmly demanded, ready to battle the Meowth for it. "Did that guy from Team Rocket take it? Are you his pokemon? I don't care, I'm catching you anyway. I'm getting my hat back no matter what!"
Purry hissed ready for battle. Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulders and stood defensively between the ferocious Meowth and Ash. The door that led to the Tempest hideout was suddenly opened. Solo stood there glaring at the noisy intruders in the alley, "what's all this commotion about?" He was wearing his Tempest uniform, with a green T clearly visible on his black shirt.
"Tempest!" Ash exclaimed, recognizing the uniform. "You see, Misty? I told you we would find something. Now we can take down Tempest." Ash was excited about it.
"Take us down?" Solo let a mocking laugh echo. He didn't want to make a big scene while Bollux and Poisona were out. To avoid attracting too much attention, he invited the suspicious trainers in. He had no intentions of letting them leave alive. "Feel free to step inside and we'll decide everything in a battle."
The invitation was obviously a trap; that was something that not even Ash could miss. Even so, he wasn't one to turn down a challenge. "I accept your challenge!" He agreed without a second thought.
"Ash," Misty paused, she wanted to get rid of Tempest as much as Ash did, if not more. She knew this was reckless, she knew it was a trap. Even with that knowledge she couldn't back down. They would take on the challenge together. She looked determined, "let's win this."
Ash and Misty were led inside, where they were surrounded by Tempest grunts. Purry followed them in. She decided to look for Comet first and battle that young man and his Pikachu later.
xoxox xox xoxox
Comet was trying to devise an escape plan. He knew he would only get one chance. If he didn't succeed he would blow his cover and would make things difficult. He paced around the small underground room were Akira was held hostage. He had untied her from the chair, but she was still unconscious. After thinking about it, that was probably for the best.
"Meowth!" A familiar voice called out from the door. Comet opened it to see Purry.
Comet heard voices not too far away. Commands were being shouted and a battle was taking place. "What in the world is going on?" He went to take a look. At the end of the hall, in the large room beyond, there was chaos. Too many pokemon had been released at once. A storm of fire, water and electricity was raging dominantly above the other attacks. Battling in such a relatively small space was dangerous. "Those two were in the Cerulean Pokemon Center before," Comet recognized Ash and his friend. "Did the boss send them?" He wondered, "there's no time to give it too much thought. Purry, give them a hand, you can fight without me. I want to stay and battle, but I have to take the opportunity to get Akira out of here."
"Meowth!" Purry understood. She ran towards the intense battle, slashing away at all who got in her way. It didn't take her long to identify which pokemon were allied to Tempest and attack them.
Comet carried Akira out of the room where she was kept. He paused at the hallway and remembered the story from when Team Rocket took over the Viridian gym. Why not help out a little? It wouldn't take too long. He set the unconscious Akira down and went to release the pokemon from their cages. The pokemon ran with no specific target in mind, they just escaped through the chaos.
Dodging stray fire balls, beams of water and bolts of electricity, Comet snuck out of the hideout. Leaving the chaos behind, he dashed out of the alley. He hurried to his car with the unconscious Akira. Once safely inside the 'chocolate bar', he reported back to Team Rocket. He made sure to keep Akira's arms and legs tied up so she didn't cause any trouble if she woke up. "This is agent Comet, reporting from Saffron City, I have Akira."
"Well done," the one who replied from the Viridian Headquarters was Archer. His face appeared in the video cell phone's tiny screen. "Bring her to Viridian right away. Make sure she doesn't escape and don't let anyone follow you."
"Yes, sir!" Comet replied a little too cheerful, but it came as no surprise to Archer. Comet was a good agent despite having the same carefree attitude Luke had been known for. "Did the boss send Ash and his friend to battle Tempest?" He had to ask.
"What?" Archer was intrigued by this ne