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Don't Give Me Diamonds

Diamond 89: Give me Revelations

While Vandel gave the Oaks his goodbyes, Givan was at the Pallet House. He led Ash outside, his tail wrapped around the young man's wrist as he pulled him along. "What was it that you wanted to show me?" Ash asked with curiosity. If he didn't know any better, he would think that big Persian just wanted to lead him away from everyone else.

They had finally found a quiet spot behind the Pallet House, while Delia, Misty and the pokemon were inside. Givan began to glow and anyone else would guess he was getting ready to attack. There was something about that Persian that reminded Ash of someone. It all made him so curious he didn't move. A blast of hidden power came from Givan, the red jewel on his forehead glowing brightly.

The effect of the hidden power was unusual; it caused Ash no pain as it overtook his senses. The young man gasped in surprise, his back pressed against the wall behind the Pallet House for support. He saw his mother holding a pokemon egg, she seemed younger. He saw her leaning into a volcano, when did that happen? He saw her standing on the edge of a cliff. This was more recent, but why was she in a Team Rocket uniform? He saw her wearing the dress from Daisy's wedding. Then he saw her again, in an unknown place, with a sincere expression. He heard her voice in his mind, 'I love you.' Then he heard another voice, 'I love you too,' and the visions ended.

Ash allowed himself to slip down the wall, almost breathless. "What did you do?" The images and the feelings that went with them were still fresh in his mind. "How did you do that?" He knew then that the one who Givan reminded him of was his father. It wasn't simply because Giovanni had a Persian too; it was something else, something much deeper. It was something that few would believe, even if it was explained to them. "Was I seeing what he saw? How is that even possible?" The large Persian seemed to have no intentions of elaborating on his 'message.' Ash remained on the same spot taking in the images that he saw.

"There you are," Vandel, alias Skye, arrived, turning the corner and walking towards the area behind the Pallet House. "What are you doing sitting there?" Still too absorbed in his thoughts, Ash couldn't reply. Vandel took something from his backpack; it appeared to be a collectible card. It was the one exception to the rule; this was something that he had to leave behind to avoid contradictions. "This is for you," he gave the card to Ash.

Ash had just barely woken up enough to receive it. "It looks rare," he finally managed to find his voice.

"It is very rare, one of the kind I would say," Vandel grinned. "Keep it safe, make sure you never lose it," he spoke as if the fate of the world depended on it. "Eventually, when years pass, give it to your descendant and keep passing it on like that."

Ash nodded, after thinking about it, Skye was pretty mysterious. He had an aura of familiarity around him. His Persian reminded Ash of his father and the Vulpix of his mother. It was inexplicable, especially after what just happened. Somehow, he felt that he could trust this boy and his pokemon. "I'll treasure it, I promise."

"Good," Vandel's usual grin turned more into an Ash-like smile. "It's time for me to go home. I already said goodbye to the Oaks and Delia. I don't think I'll come by Pallet Town again," at least not that Pallet Town, "but I'll always remember my time here."

xoxox xox xoxox

Some time later, far from Pallet Town and away from the road, Vandel, Givan and Dia stopped and looked back at the little town in the distance one last time. They had anonymously reported Iblis to Team Rocket, who had sent some agents to investigate. It would be an inexplicable shock to find her tied up in the little cottage. It would be something Giovanni could never figure out, but at least it was a step forward. However, number ten and number three were still out there.

"Ready?" Vandel looked at his two pokemon, who nodded. He took a futuristic looking communication device from his backpack, which he kept well hidden. He activated it, feeling the static and heat from the equipment as it strained to reach its counterpart. "Mission accomplished!" He victoriously declared into the device.

Through the heavy static, a barely perceptible female voice replied, "well done, I'm taking you home." The machinery in the future locked on to their position. Just as mysteriously as they came, the boy, the Persian and the Vulpix disappeared. Though the boy thought the capture of Iblis was the key to preventing the fall of Team Rocket, that was far from the truth.

'Do you ever wonder why we're here? I think I know...'

xoxox xox xoxox

Vandel returned to his place of origin, his own time hundreds of years later. This was not an underground base, but a grand palace. Red, black and gold covered every surface. Something that seemed out of place in the splendor, were the large hole on the ceiling and the disarray of broken furniture, shattered sculptures and ruined paintings. "He came," Vandel simply stated.

His mother, Hime, looked the same as he remembered her, save for her new expensive dress. "He did," she allowed a sigh to escape her. Then she held up the collectible card, which was in fact an information storage device. Card readers capable of interpreting the encoded message it carried wouldn't exist for years. When they did, they would recognize even the very old cards, using them for simulated pokemon battles. She was destined to stumble upon some very important information when trying to play a game. She reviewed the story she had learned from the card, "long ago a terrible disaster befell Team Rocket. Delia died due to circumstances history did not remember. As a result, Ash blamed Giovanni and challenged him and Team Rocket. Some say that eventually, Giovanni lost the will to fight. Some say that Ash found a way to cause big trouble for Team Rocket. Regardless of how it happened, the point was that Team Rocket fell."

After a pause, Hime continued, "when Team Rocket fell, the world fell apart along with it. The production and commerce of most food and medicine was paralyzed. Science took a harsh blow and a terrible virus continued to spread. They say that somewhere the cure might have existed, but no one found it. As a result, the world faced a terrible dark age that Ash regretted. Picking up the pieces was nearly impossible; the world was far too broken. Time passed and pokemon became rarer, with some becoming extinct. A few species would survive in time and begin to repopulate in the wild, but many would be lost forever."

Hime contemplated the card as she spoke, "Team Rocket, what was left of it, banded together to one day reemerge. Ash tried to fix his mistake of taking Team Rocket away from a world that needed it. The damage was done, thus an ambition was born to undo it all. It has been the duty of the Roketto to seek out Celebi and ask to use its power to change the past. Hundreds of years passed and it was finally done, though not by the peaceful means our ancestor would have wanted. However, if those disasters never happened, time traveling to prevent them would not be needed. If the time travel didn't occur, the disasters would happen. They would be erased and again a contradiction. With this information, I would know to train you and send you to the past whether you grew up as the son of a fugitive or the son of a queen. The loop of changes would be ever present and history would be changed without the danger of a paradox. I've forgotten my time as a fugitive; I've always lived as royalty."

"Lucky you," Vandel chuckled, "since I was not in my original time when the change occurred, my memories are the same. I remember the broken world; I remember why I so desperately needed to change it." He looked towards the palace's ruined state, "so Mewtwo came..."

"Yes, he took Celebi and left. I believe he was always watching," Hime confessed, "I believe that it was Celebi's wish to allow us this one change. We may be Team Rocket, and Celebi's dear friends Mew and Mewtwo are certainly not fond of us, but they respected Celebi's wishes. This was for pokemon kind as well. They allowed this to happen to save the millions of pokemon and even humans, who would have died in those dark ages. Don't be fooled by this broken throne room, this is nothing, the world is grand. Pokemon are abundant, the economy is flourishing and I am the queen of everything. Team Rocket rules the world as it should."

Vandel felt a great satisfaction upon hearing this. Dia still wished that they had tried harder to make Celebi understand their reasons to borrow the power to change history. In the end, it seemed the legendary pokemon understood. Mewtwo, a good friend of Celebi, went to the rescue, freeing the time traveler pokemon of the futuristic machines when the world was saved. The world was ruled by Team Rocket, but it was prosperous, it was undeniably better than before. For the sake of the world, Team Rocket would have to be accepted. The organization was also quite different since they had their own world to protect, rather than a world to conquer.

Vandel looked beside him at Givan and Dia. They had a whole new, much better, world to explore. "Without the fall of Team Rocket, history should be clear now, more accurate and detailed records should exist. It was Iblis, wasn't it?"

"Iblis?" Hime shook her head. "I know history well, I've read about it. Iblis Raymus was indeed an enemy of the past. However, for all we know it could have been someone else who was close to killing Delia and angering Ash. Whatever was set in motion changed history. There's no longer a way for us to know what would have happened without interference. The general records are available, but the small details of the past were destined to become a mystery, no matter how precisely the new history was recorded."

Vandel was taken by surprise. He captured Iblis, but she might not have been the key to changing history? History had clearly changed; his mission had been a success. Team Rocket, never fell, Ash and Giovanni did not become true enemies. "I see..."

"You must be tired from your travels, rest prince brat boy," Vandel decided it was best to follow his mother's suggestion and rest for the time being.

Vandel Roketto, descendant of Ash and thus Giovanni, from hundreds of years into the future, found that his chambers were indeed fit for a prince. He tossed his backpack aside and allowed himself to fall into his big comfy bed. "I still don't understand. If Iblis wasn't the problem, then I didn't change anything, yet everything changed."

Givan and Dia curled up on the bed next to their trainer. "It wasn't your duty to change it," Givan spoke as if he knew far more than he was saying.

Vandel didn't read too deeply into it, his time was safe, the world didn't fall apart, that was all that mattered. His eyes went to an old hat encased in glass, a pokemon league collectible. The world of his era was different in many ways, but he still had that hat safely kept among his belongings. He was able to learn mostly about Giovanni before, but the new Team Rocket history should remember Ash more and in a better light now.

Givan closed his eyes and slept comfortably, it had been a long journey. Perhaps the duty to change the past was his after all. Those memories of past events were truly his as well, images of another life from long ago. Dia was still there, to make sure he didn't lose his way, to support him and to remind him of what he really wanted, just like before.

xoxox xox xoxox

In the present, in the deepest underground laboratory in the Viridian Rocket base... Comet's hand went to the glass container, its coldness invading his palm. He closed his eyes and tried hard to remember. There were no memories like what one would expect from a child, no childhood to speak of. There was a cold and wet place mixed with the echo of voices. The voices were muffled and he couldn't understand them. He had not begun to live, he merely existed.

Comet had always disregarded such thoughts as nonsense and formed his own logical theories. He had to have a mother, because someone had to give birth to him at some point. She was most likely a Rocket, because his father wouldn't have been able to have a relationship with someone who wasn't in Team Rocket, given the nature of his missions and situation.

She must have died tragically, thus his father did not wish to speak of it or remember it. Comet himself might have been involved in that event that took his mother's life, he theorized. It was maybe that same event which erased his early childhood memories, leaving nothing but that faint gibberish of cold, wet darkness and muffled sounds. Maybe there was an accident, maybe he hit his head.

He sometimes tried to picture that mysterious lady he thought had existed at some point. Her appearance was always different every time he imagined her, since he could gather few clues about that based on himself, he looked just like his father. Lady Luck, he would call her in his thoughts, maybe that small number seven he had on his arm since before the true beginning of his memories was something from her, a sort of amulet. It was funny, because he didn't believe in leaving things to luck, maybe she had and that let to her unknown tragic demise. None of that was true, none of it was real, Lady Luck didn't exist, she never had.

He looked down at the number on the base of the tank, it was a seven. There were twelve of them, all empty now. They must have been used later for other beings, pokemon most likely, but he was one of the few humans who had originated in this laboratory equipment. They were originally on New Island, later moved to Viridian after the digging and construction was finalized. Perhaps it was more accurate to think he was the only human that had come out of it still human. Admittedly, his unusual origins didn't bother him as much as the fact that there were two insane versions of him out there. As he looked up at the glass again, he saw the faint reflection of his father standing behind him with Binks.

The thin man, who for many years Comet had assumed was dead, looked too fragile to truly fit the profile of a mad scientist. He didn't look like he would have the strength to laugh insanely as one would expect a mad scientist to do. Another figure further away was reflected on the glass, Pixel was busy looking around curiously. She had approached them as Comet and Luke walked to a destination unknown to Comet. Luke had decided she should come and proceeded to ask for Giovanni's permission to take them both down to the lab, stating that Delia had already approved. Giovanni had agreed, letting them be on their way. The Rocket leader was rather easy to convince and eager to be left to focus his thoughts and continue his training.

Comet turned around to face them and Luke appeared to be apologetic, "I'm like sorry I like didn't tell you like sooner, you know? It's like going to be like okay, you know?" He hurriedly added, "you're like the same as like always, you're like Comet, you can like go on living like always, you know? It's like okay, even your lover is like okay with it, man!"

"My what?" Through the stream of answers that flowed to resolve all his questions, one more question surfaced.

"Laiki like told me, you know?" Suddenly, Luke's statement made a lot more sense.

"Laiki has a big imagination," Pixel approached the others. She had been examining the lab, but also listening. "This is all really cool."

Binks observed her as if she was a strange specimen, "young lady, you are not alarmed?"

"Not really," Pixel smiled casually, "I used to live in a very lame place; stuff like this is still pretty cool to me." It wasn't exactly common in Team Rocket either, not anymore, especially not with humans. "I wish I had a story like this."

"Interesting," Binks nodded weekly, "it is not that the grass is always greener on the other side, but rather some are meant for certain shades and others for different shades. Those who know not their place will always think it is elsewhere. Those who know where they wish to be are capable of finding their place, even if it is far away from where they started." With his philosophy stated, Binks went back to staring at some beakers with fluorescent content. He mostly worked in his own little laboratory; it was nice to have some extra space to work in, even if that space brought bitter memories. The revelation of the truth and the rather calm resolution assured him that maybe the nightmare could end. Little by little, reality was less scary to look at.

"I'm glad you told me," Comet finally spoke, which filled both Luke and Binks with additional relief. "I'm going to request to be added to the assignment."

"You like want to look for like 'them' too?" Luke couldn't mask his surprise. He would prefer to stay away from number three and number ten, least they remind him of Comet and make him lose his concentration at a vital point.

"I've been taking too many sick days anyway," Comet reasoned, determination clear, "besides, it's kind of my business too. I'll help Team Rocket clean up, I'm a Rocket, it's my duty," plus he was curious to know how much he wasn't like them.

"If you're like sure," Luke presented no further arguments. He knew that Comet would go ahead with it anyway. He also had a feeling that Giovanni would allow it.

"Count me in, if there's anything I can assist with, I'll do it too," Pixel offered as she and Comet made their way back to the elevator for a long ride. Luke stayed behind with Binks for a little while, to make sure everything was okay. Comet looked calm enough and Pixel was with him.

"Hey Pix," he stopped in front of the elevator, his hand hovering over the button to open it.

"Yeah?" She chimed curiously.

"You know... the inevitable realization about life and how it shouldn't be wasted, combined with a new appreciation for what I have and all that stuff," Comet explained.

Pixel laughed, "along with some added sci-fi coolness, plus your usual 'I'm too cool to be melodramatic' atmosphere?"

"Something along those lines," he grinned and pressed the button to open the elevator, they both stepped in. "So... will you go out with me?" It was the second time he asked, the first he had received a negative answer.

Back then, Pixel wasn't sure what to expect of him. They were friends, but she didn't know if it was one of those passing friendships that would fade in time. People changed, they moved on to boring lives as 'good citizens' where she came from. They were off to slave away in a dull job and have a family simply because everyone else threw that same responsibility upon themselves. They lost their taste for fun and Pixel lost her interest in their existence, if there was ever any to begin with, which was rare. "I'm more of an indoors person..." Pixel paused in thought as the elevator doors closed and it started to move up. "In movies, I really like it when the action hero stays the action hero forever. I hate it when they make him a cheesy fluffy family man. I suppose I can rest assured that you won't become clingy or attention needy or overly fluffy."

"Nah, I'm too cool for that," Comet laughed, "besides, I'm a Rocket, I'm more like the action villain than the hero. They rarely turn lame."

Pixel grinned, "then okay."

xoxox xox xoxox

The afternoon was very calm in Pallet Town. After the mysterious Vandel, alias Skye, left, with Givan and Dia having influenced certain vital details, the town continued existing as any other day. It was a little town where events that were out of the ordinary were extremely rare and peaceful silence reigned supreme most of the time. That afternoon might have appeared to be exactly what one would expect of such a type of little town.

Delia, proprietary, manager and chef of the small restaurant known as the Pallet House, sat on one of the outside tables with her son and his fiance, their pokemon playing outdoors nearby. There was seemingly nothing out of the ordinary with that picture; no one would have guessed the topic of their conversation. "I knew you would have to tell Misty eventually. Now that I think about it, I'm kind of glad you did," things couldn't get any more complicated, Delia thought. While the truths were being revealed it was best to face them without excuses after all.

"I'll make sure not to speak of this to anyone," Misty assured. "I have to admit I was taken by surprise." Seeing Ash's mother sitting there with them, Misty found it a little difficult to picture her as having a relationship with a crime lord, let alone the most powerful one. However, if it happened and still went on, there had to be much more to him than that. Perhaps some select characteristics of the good Viridian gym leader were more than just an act.

Delia smiled with optimistic reassurance, "I hope that's soon." She gently petted the little egg on her lap and felt it move in response. "The baby..." the atmosphere stood even more still than it already was.

The sounds of the playing pokemon were replaced by silent curious looks as they gathered around to witness the egg hatching. The egg cracked as the baby pokemon tried to break free of its confinement. A tiny beak pecked at the egg shell as a blue little face came into view, surrounded by fluffy white. The small Swablu looked at Delia and chirped happily.

The group was still in awe about the baby when Delia's phone rang and she wondered who it could be. Misty automatically held out her arms, where Delia placed the little Swablu. The pokemon's eyes stayed on Delia, though she was very close by, so Swablu was calm. Delia looked at her little Rocket cell phone to see that the one calling was Pixel. She remembered that she had asked her to keep an eye on Comet. Immediately she wondered about his reaction and hoped for the best. Ash and Misty didn't even try to hide the fact that they were curious about that call. "That's wonderful, I'm so relieved!" She paused as if hearing something in the background, "that's a great idea."

To be Continued

Disclaimer, I don't own Pokemon. Hime means princess. I'm sure you already know this... Givan and Dia are Giovanni and Delia's reincarnations. XD