FicWad

There are many things happening simultaneously in different places, but it will all come together in the end.

Don't Give Me Diamonds

Diamond 53: Give me Truth

In an undisclosed location, at an unspecified time... The boy looked at the pictures on the screen. There were nothing but bits and pieces left to be discovered. These particular files were deemed useless for the purpose of his mission. He was still curious and wanted to look at those files, to learn their destiny. He had been told the files were not recordings of history, merely agent profiles. He wanted to learn about the organization's past so he opened them.

The screen became black with a red R and a semi-robotic voice was heard, "I don't recognize this system, you must not have authorization to view these files. Goodbye!" The screen went blank.

"What? There was a security virus on those?" The boy tried to restart the futuristic computer but it didn't work. He was amazed that such an ancient virus would render his technology useless so easily.

"Brat boy, what did you do?" An angry female voice called from a different room in the underground base, "the system's locked up!"

"Oops..." The boy glanced at his pokemon. "I think this is a great time to go out and train, don't you?" He hurried to make his escape.

xoxox xox xoxox

On the road to Saffron City, in the present time. Akira lay on the back of a yellow mini-van feeling pained and sore all over her body, especially her left leg. Despite that, she drifted off to sleep.

She had been taken away by the police and the paramedics they called. She received first aid, though the paramedics were curious and unnerved by the unnatural color of her blood. They thought it was due to some kind of drug. In truth, it was the color it had been for Akira's whole life. She never tried to get any kind of lab tests for it, she was afraid to find something terrible.

When she was with the paramedics, she pretended to still be lightheaded. She had woken up completely shortly after her bleeding stopped. She acted as if she couldn't move to make them lower their guard. Then she made a hasty escape from the ambulance as soon as it entered Pewter City.

The ambulance was being escorted by the police, but it didn't matter. Several people on the streets recognized Akira and were quick to help her, even if they didn't know what was going on.

Akira jumped from the back of the ambulance to the top of the police car that was following it closely. The car stopped immediately, so the impact was not too hard when she fell off. She struggled to her feet, leaning on her good leg and calling out for help. Those who recognized her rushed to her, pushing the officers away. One person called another and as they made their get away, the number of fans that gathered grew.

The police officers were able to detain many of them with charges of helping Akira. She was accused of murder, but she escaped. The yellow mini-van driven by her fans would take her to Saffron City, to her informant. For the time being, she could rest.

xoxox xox xoxox

Silence had once again invaded the little underground room in the ruins of the old Team Rocket hideout. Confused by the situation Giovanni found himself thinking of various things. Perhaps it was a distraction to escape thinking of Delia and the effect his false accusation had.

Binks had a brilliant mind on occasion, but more often than not lately, he lost himself to his hallucinations. Even so, he had made many discoveries over the years. Giovanni was convinced that the Mewtwo experiment had failed when the laboratory exploded. Many scientists died on that day, but Binks and a few others were rescued barely alive.

Binks eventually recovered. The only ones who knew of his existence in the world of the living were Giovanni, Laiki, and those who worked directly with him. All of them were to keep it a secret. Binks' experiments were slow at times, though they brought great medical discoveries. Overall it was best if no attention was directed at him. It was convenient to be able to pretend he was dead.

Maybe seeing Delia would awaken Binks' consciousness. She could be a reminder of good memories of the past. Perhaps then Binks would become more productive. At the rate he was going, he would succumb to insanity completely and a valuable resource would be lost. "Binks is still alive," Giovanni tried to break the silence with good news. "When this is over, if you want, you can see him. You can visit Luke too and I'm sure Archer, Ariana, Proton and Petrel will be happy to catch up with you." Delia would need a reminder that not everyone's story had a tragic ending if she was going to help deal with Binks.

"Binks' sister, Laiki, is a Rocket. Luke's son, Comet, is in the team too. He was the one who brought us breakfast at the gym. I'm sure you must have seen the resemblance. You can see all of them when this ends, if you want." Giovanni didn't know why he assumed that Delia would want to stay. Subconsciously he didn't want her to leave again. He kept telling himself to focus on Team Rocket and Delia's possible contribution to it. If he focused on that then the sour thoughts akin to guilt might stop pestering him.

"Of course I want to!" Delia exclaimed. One thing didn't make sense though, "Binks has a sister that's a Rocket too?" What she really wanted to know was why Comet told her that Binks had died. She tried to get Giovanni to elaborate about Binks without revealing that Comet had spoken to her earlier.

"Yes, her name is Laiki and they're nothing alike," Giovanni replied, "Binks isn't very social so I wouldn't be surprised if people don't think that he's in the team anymore. He communicates with his sister often though." Most of the time, she was the only person whose name he could remember for more than a few minutes.

"I want to see them all when this is over," Delia didn't think Comet had lied about Binks on purpose, maybe someone lied to him and Laiki never clarified. Maybe she was the one who lied about her brother. It made Delia think about what could possibly be happening with Binks.

"You can," more than ever, Giovanni would need business to run smoothly after the mess was cleaned up. It would take a lot of time and effort to recover. A new medical discovery from Binks would be useful. He needed a new medicine to sell, something to appease the business relation with Ackbar. In part Giovanni didn't want to trust Delia with anything concerning Team Rocket, but at the same time he knew he could as long as certain key points were kept quiet. "I've told you a lot of things," his curiosity about Ash surfaced again.

"I appreciate it," Delia knew that meant that Giovanni wanted her to give him some information too. She had promised she would. "Also, thanks for offering to introduce me to everyone later." Delia could see the faded light of hope again and at the same time the alarms went off in her head. "Are you sure you want to do that? I mean, are you sure you want me around. You only wanted me around for information before." Delia stopped herself; she didn't want to get into an argument. She didn't want to feel hurt again.

"Your return was sudden," Giovanni reminded, "isn't it only natural that I would find it suspicious?" He reasoned, "I know now that it wasn't like that. Can't you just forget about that?"

Delia sighed, "I suppose I could forget about it. I can't blame you for suspecting me after the way I left and suddenly returned." She wanted to stop herself from saying things she deemed to be unnecessary, but she couldn't. "It really hurt, I was being stupid, but I thought you actually wanted me back. I waited in Pallet Town for so long. I kept hoping that you never came because it was for the best. At the same time I hoped that you came looking for me." Delia tried to calm herself, "forget about it, that's not what I came to tell you."

Unexpectedly, he hugged her, he was sure he would never forgive her for leaving. He was certain that he was only doing what he thought was best for Team Rocket. That was all that he thought about. She would help make Binks productive. She would help train his pokemon like she used to. She would be perfect in the process of fixing his good image. Let them be seen together, he didn't care if they talked about him as long as they weren't talking about Team Rocket. With that in mind, he would make sure she stayed. He thought that was all there was to it, yet he wasn't entirely convinced. Other thoughts floated in the back of his mind. They were thoughts about having missed her, but he pushed such troublesome musings away.

"Stop it," she tried to sound angry but found she could not. "Let go, I know... I know you don't love me anymore. I believe you used to. I'm really sorry I left like that."

He didn't let her go and she stopped resisting, "it's alright now," she didn't believe him, but he didn't let go. "I want you to stay with me."

"I will," she shouldn't have agreed, he wasn't asking her to stay for the right reasons and she knew it. She hoped that whatever reasons he may have would change in time if she was patient enough.

xoxox xox xoxox

While many seemingly individual, yet connected events occurred all over Kanto, Comet was out investigating. He had left shortly after Giovanni returned to the Viridian gym after locking Delia in his mansion. His investigation of the events that occurred in Vermilion City had led him to discover unexpected things. However, he was conscious that what he had found was only the tip of the iceberg. There was much more left to be uncovered.

He knew there was trouble at headquarters. Giovanni had previously told him to continue with his mission even if for some reason communications ceased. Comet followed that order and continued investigating. He thought about gathering information from a group that conducted illegal pokemon tournaments. They took bets for their extreme battles. He suspected that the group was linked to the false Rockets that attacked the donation ceremony at Vermilion City. The group was based on Saffron City. To seek more information, Comet had left Vermillion and gone to Saffron.

Comet's suspicions grew when he saw someone in a Team Rocket uniform talking to one of the tournament managers. He followed them out of their battle area in the basement of an apartment building. The basement could only be entered from an alley. A dark long coat covered Comet's Team Rocket uniform. He followed the suspects like a detective in a movie.

The false Rocket put on a jacket, zipping it up to hide the red R on his black shirt. The other man, involved in the illegal tournament business was wearing normal clothes, nothing about him really stood out. The enemies noticed they were being followed, but continued on their way.

Finally, the enemies reached the Saffron city hall and went inside. There were rumors that the Saffron City mayor was involved with the group conducting the illegal tournaments. The mayor was a very mysterious person who remained solid in office despite the lack of public appearances. That group, though not an official ally, was in good terms with Team Rocket. Maybe it was all an act.

Comet followed the suspicious men into city hall where they openly faced him. They made it clear they had been aware they were being followed all along. "The lady will see you now, Rocket grunt," the man from the illegal pokemon tournament group spoke bitterly.

Comet knew it had to be a trap, but he couldn't let this opportunity pass him by. He refused to run away, retreating like a coward. He walked past the secretary who paid him no mind. He made his way down a hall with abstract paintings lining the walls. He followed the two men, until they reached an elevator. The false Rocket removed his black hat. His dark green, near-black hair was cut very short. He tossed the hat and the jacket on the couch of a small lobby. The room was empty of people save for them. The door to the mayor's office was in front of them. Comet didn't know what to expect to find behind the polished dark red wood.

The false Rocket sat down, "you take care of business first. I'll go in with the report later," his cold bronze eyes glared at Comet.

The manager from the illegal tournaments grinned cruelly, "this won't take too long," his bright yellow hair reached down a little beyond his shoulders framing his handsome face. His gray eyes were just as cruel as the other man's gaze.

The door to the mayor's office suddenly opened. The color red predominated even more inside, in much brighter shades than the dark reds of the lobby. The lobby was furnished with maroon couches and plastic potted plants in near-black, red-tinted pots. A man and woman exited the office. They appeared to be around the age of Comet's father and they looked surprised when they saw him. It was as if they recognized him, but Comet was certain he had never met them before.

The man's hair was a pale green to match his eyes, while the woman had lavender hair and stunning red eyes. She whispered, "too young," to which the man nodded and pushed away whatever thoughts had caused him to look surprised.

The older man glanced at the two younger men, "take care of your business here and continue as planned," he headed towards the elevator with the woman.

Comet wondered what that was about. He soon focused on his current situation when he was called inside the office and told to sit down. The carpet and furniture were red and the office was dimly lit. The false Rocket had stayed out in the lobby and the manager of the illegal tournaments stood beside Comet watching him closely.

"Leave us," the woman behind the desk commanded. She was shrouded in shadows and her face was hard to see.

The blond man opened his mouth to protest. He wanted to point out the danger of leaving her alone with this intruder. Yet he was unable to find his voice in her threatening presence.

"Go now, there's no need to worry about me," as if to emphasize her point, she released a Ninetails from a pokeball. The majestic pokemon stood beside the woman behind the desk. The Ninetails was proud and strong, glaring at the young man sitting in front of her.

The blond man nodded and exited the office, closing the door behind him.

"You're a brave one coming in here like this," the woman grinned. She folded her hands on the desk in front of her a little out of the shadowy spot where she sat. Her nails were long and crimson.

"You're brave to let me in here like this," Comet retorted. He had his Gyarados to count on against that Ninetails. As for his Meowth, Purry, she had run off again. It was as if she wanted to conduct her own investigation. Comet was used to her coming and going on a whim.

"If Giovanni has done nothing, I can only conclude he doesn't know the true identity of the group managing the illegal pokemon tournaments here in Saffron City. To think they even appear to be on good terms with Team Rocket," she laughed and twisted a strand of long hair around her fingers. "I think Giovanni suspects something about that group's present and perhaps about me. Surely he doesn't realize how their past is linked to his. Either way he has no proof." Comet squinted at the darkness with curiosity, but still couldn't see her face.

"You didn't exist back then. A long time ago, Team Rocket had a rival called the Tempest Gang. By the time you came into the world they were all locked up in jail. Years later they were released. Giovanni doesn't care; he doesn't consider them a threat. There are other groups though. There is a group of traitors in Team Rocket who want the organization to themselves. If they banded together even then they wouldn't be able to take Team Rocket easily. Even so, they could do some damage, especially if Giovanni gets cocky and lowers his guard. He's always been too overconfident for his own good. I fear that one of these days he might get himself killed."

"What are you getting at, lady? What are you planning?" Comet was getting impatient; he knew he had stumbled upon something big. This mysterious lady was the secret mayor of Saffron City. Everyone knew she existed but no one ever saw her. She was obviously a figure of great influence behind the scenes. She seemed to assume he didn't know anything about Tempest. Comet knew about them because of the stories his father told him.

"I brought the two groups together. The remnants of Tempest who got out of jail started to round up allies. I protected them here in Saffron City and set them up to meet with Neo Rocket, the traitors that want to take Team Rocket for themselves. They are planning to replace Giovanni. Or rather I should say they want to kill Giovanni, then replace him," the lady smiled mischievously. "Ah the things I know, the connections I have. I could be quite troublesome if I wanted," she laughed.

"Are you one of them too? Are you from the original Tempest Gang?" Comet demanded to know.

"Does it really make a difference who I am? What will you do? You're surrounded, I have my darling Nien," she glanced at the Ninetales, "and my men are right outside. Do you think you can take them all on? Oh, but you're a smart boy, aren't you? You know what's good for you. I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse. Neo Rocket and the Tempest Gang are negotiating to become one. I just spoke to the leaders of Tempest and the leader of Neo Rocket will step into this office soon. I'll have to talk him into accepting the name of Tempest when they merge. That was one of the conditions," the lady chuckled.

She paused, observing Comet's relaxed expression. She appeared to be above being affected by anything, but seemed to be amused by everything. "The world is full of deception. What you think you know may be something else entirely. Sometimes sacrifices must be made and bridges burned, sometimes before they are even built and sometimes after years of existing. Even so, no matter what, it seems some traces can never be fully erased." She was speaking in riddles as if mocking the whole city because they didn't know who she was. "Join us, leave Team Rocket or die. As insurance that you sincerely wish to join us, I expect you to provide me with information."

xoxox xox xoxox

All the secrecy that had been kept for years was about to be broken in the ruins of the old Team Rocket hideout. Delia took a deep breath, still remaining close to Giovanni. "First of all, let me clarify again that Ash is not involved with any of this chaos and neither am I. My timing was only an unfortunate coincidence. For the longest time, for his whole life, I kept Ash wondering about the answers until he seemed to accept the lack of answers. At least that's what I thought. I realized that he really did want to know and I promised to tell him."

Giovanni listened in silence, still puzzled about where Delia was going with all that.

She continued, "a lot happened after that promise. There was the tournament with all its surprises. Soon after he left the stadium, Ash got engaged to Misty. She's the redhead young woman who was with him that day. With all that was going on, I guess he decided to leave his questions for later. He must have recognized you, I'm sure he did. On the day before the tournament he saw a picture of us together from many years ago. He knows we used to be together, but I'm sure he knows of nothing beyond that. He's not aware of the truth, he would have said something if he was."

"What is that truth?" Giovanni asked; he couldn't hide his need to know any more.

Delia took a deep breath; her speedy heartbeats were so loud she could hear them. "Ash is the reason why I left all those years ago. It was so he could live a peaceful life. Ash is our son."

To be Continued

Disclaimer, I don't own Pokemon. The group that bets on pokemon battles was mentioned on Diamond 48. The scene in the beginning will be explained later.

If you're into mystery stories check out "Sanctuary" the updates are slow for now, but will speed up after I finish this story. Sanctuary is a Clue-style mystery with the cast of Harvest Moon, but even if you're not familiar with the characters it's easy to follow.

The basic concept is the story of a young man who is framed for murder and must hide in the mansion of a troubled young woman. For her own reasons, she also wants to uncover the murder mystery. For the time being she gives him the benefit of the doubt and they must work together to discover the truth. The beginning is an introduction to get a feel for the characters, after that it's about gathering clues and forming theories with a side of romance and triangles.