Chapter 13
Giovanni. The leader of Team Rocket, and later Rainbow Rocket. A man who had managed to take on some of the most powerful trainers in the world and taken them down. A guy who had a small army of idiots working for him… but also had some legit dangerous men and women under his control. A few with legendary Pokemon.
Oh god… Mewtwo. He might have Mewtwo. A Mewtwo with a Mega Stone.
I could feel Alakazam in my mind as he girded himself. We knew, for a fact, Giovanni was dangerous. Insanely so. But Mewtwo… There was footage of Giovanni and Mewtwo going toe to toe with the Alolan Champion and several others. I did not feel up to taking on that level of psychic power.
I'd made a mistake. I should have taken my chances with Deadshot.
"Before we begin," the most infamous man in Pokemon history said. "I believe Mr. Lawton, you mentioned that Kahu Kiaʻi's Pokemon had sustained injuries?"
I had yet to sit. Neither had Deadshot. Kalini did, making sure he was behind me, though he seemed to have lost his appetite. Giovanni, in the meantime, was casually dining.
"Yes. If that's what the dinosaur and the construction worker are," Deadshot said without a hint of emotion.
"Well. Can't have that, can we?" Giovanni reached into his coat and pulled something out. A large bottle, the kind you would use for hand sanitizer. He placed it on the table and gestured. "I imagine a potion would help with that."
"...How much of that do you have?" I asked.
Giovanni smirked. "More than I need, less than I want. But we'll speak about my resources, or lack thereof, later. For now, why don't you bring out your Tyrunt and Gurdurr."
I stared at him. Then I reached for my belt. If he wanted my Pokemon dead, they would have been dead. Poisoning them in front of me would do nothing. Just in case though.
"Mind cutting your thumb and-"
He didn't hesitate. He grabbed a steak knife and sliced it across his thumb, blood dripping onto the balcony floor. He showed me the cut, a deep one that had lacerated into muscle, then spritzed the cut with some of the chemicals in the bottle. He rubbed it for a moment, then lifted his thumb up to display it.
"I'll be damned," Kalini whispered.
I took my pokeballs out and snapped them open. Tyrunt and Gurdurr came out and looked around. Their eyes landed on Giovanni, and they stared. Tyrunt's jaw slowly lowered. Gurdurr's hands tightened on his I-beam.
"Well!?" Alakazam said in my mind from wherever he had hidden. "Ask him questions!?"
I grabbed the bottle and sprayed some of the potion into my hand, lowering to rub it across Tyrunt's various wounds. He winced at the feel of the chemicals slightly burning, but relaxed as he began to heal.
"How are you here?"
"The same way you must have, I assume. By the benefit of a higher power," Giovanni said. "Would you like to hear the story? I'm quite interested to tell it."
We met eyes for a moment.
"...Yeah. Yeah, I want to hear it," I said softly.
"Wonderful," Giovanni leaned back. "I'm curious. What is the last thing people in our home know about me? So that I'm not repeating myself when I tell this."
Our home?
"He thinks you're a native of our world," Alakazam whispered. "I assume. His mental defenses… I cannot read him."
"Then just analyze him with my eyes. Memorize every bit of his body language. We'll figure him out," I whispered.
"Which version are you?" I asked. "Are you the Giovanni who fought and was defeated by Trainer Red? Or the one that created a multi-dimensional army and tried to take over mine?"
Giovanni grinned. "Ah. So that's where you're from. Yes. I was the leader of Team Rainbow Rocket.
"Was. Not is. Curious," Alakazam whispered.
"You fought the Alolan champion and his allies to try and keep a hold of the Aether Foundation. And you disappeared in a flash when you got beaten."
"Oh?" Giovanni chuckled, pouring himself a glass of wine, watching as I rubbed potion across Gurdurr. Tyrunt's mouth had closed, and he was beginning to growl. Giovanni was unimpressed. "Then I will tell my story from there."
"I left that world. And I travelled to others. I visited worlds of such beauty as would put tears in the eyes of the most hardened of men. Places that would make nightmares cower in fear," he casually sipped at his drink. "Before I eventually was pulled, against my will, into a world I had been avoiding. A world where time did not exist, where physics had no hold."
Giovanni sipped more wine. "Where I was trapped. For what must have been months. I walked in that horrific darkness. In that… hell," he shrugged, drinking more. "Until the warden saw fit to kick me out."
I thought quickly, trying to figure out what he was talking about. "...Giratina? The Distortion World?"
"Ah. You understand," Giovanni placed his glass down and looked at Kalini. "Tell me, you are Kalini ʻŌpūnui, correct?"
Kalini looked at me. I nodded, finishing my healing of Tyrunt and Gurdurr. He looked back at Giovanni, though his eyes flickered at Deadshot, who was standing there… menacingly.
"Yes. Yes, I am."
"Let us say, like me, you had just released one of your finest friends and employees, allowing them to live their dream. And your reward for that, is to be pulled into a world you had only some knowledge of, and forced to survive in that desolate world. Months in hell, feeding on scraps, hunting for a way out, only creatures like these," he gestured to Tyrunt and Gurdurr. "As your friends and allies. And when you are released, instead of going home. A being of immense power and influence decides to force you into another world. What would you do, Kalini?
Kalini stared at me. I ignored him, instead thinking.
Damnit. There were differences. But I'd have to be blind not to realize the similarities between our situations.
"I'd probably try to find a boat," Kalini said. "Get back to my business."
"Ah. Very nice. And please, eat, all of you," Giovanni laughed, a big belly laugh. "This is too much food for me and Mr. Lawton, and I'm afraid he never removes that mask when working."
Deadshot didn't agree or disagree. Only watching everything.
"...Tyrunt, Gurdurr. Eat as much as you can," Tyrunt looked at me, confused. Then at the table. Then a dinosaur was on the table happily shoving piles of chicken into his mouth, grabbing portions of spicy pork as well.
"We must be subtler, Mahmoud," Alakazam warned me. "Being confrontational won't-"
"Do you have Mewtwo?" I asked, Alakazam sending a pulse of annoyance at me. I sent back my reasoning very quickly, but stayed focused on Giovanni as I did.
"I do not," Giovanni watched Tyrunt eating quickly and savagely. "But then, I suppose you have no need to believe that, do you? It seems my bad reputation has spread rather quickly, hm?"
"Blame fake news," I said, making a joke ahead of its time. "Giovanni. You came to this world. I'm guessing, based on your approval of Kalini, that you're back to your old tricks."
"Only some," Giovanni looked me in the eyes. "Let me ask you something. Do you believe me to be a fool?"
"Huh?" I asked, surprised. Oh shit, did he know about Alakazam?
"I have been in this world for some time. Travelled through it, studied it. And I know well what my attempting to return to my old business would bring upon me. I cannot beat the League and their allies," Giovanni shook his head sadly, though he was still weirdly smug. "All those foolish 'villains' currently fighting a losing battle for scraps of non-existent power. What idiots."
He waved at Deadshot. "Mr. Lawton knows the type well. Those who lose themselves in grudge matches and moronic displays of machismo. And fail to obtain any real power."
"Not exactly my wheelhouse," Deadshot said drily.
"So what is real power, to you?" I asked.
"Freedom," Giovanni leaned back in his seat and looked out at Honolulu. "The ability to make any choice I wish and have the world bend to allow it. I won't sacrifice that for reasons as vague and immaterial as sadism, pride, or simple stupidity. So, in this world, I am the successful businessman, Giovanni Giovanni."
"Giovanni twice?" Kalini asked, befuddled. He was also chomping into a big chunk of meat as he spoke.
"My mother was a fan of repetition," Giovanni said without a hint of humor.
I thought on that. So the reason he claimed he wasn't going all, 'I will complete my evil schemes!' was… pragmatism? He didn't have the resources or overpowered Pokemon he'd had in our world. So he decided to instead just become a normal businessman.
I could almost accept that explanation. In the world of Pokemon, the strongest trainers made the big decisions. Strong Pokemon allowed you to go wherever you wanted, to get money off battles or any other way you wanted. It took a specific mindset to have the dedication to actually train a Pokemon to that level of power, but anyone who did would find a life of wealth and power.
But in this world, there was only one thing that gave you that equivalent level of power. Money. People might think it was metahumans and super-science, but those things weren't helpful on their own. They were much better for building money. Lex Luthor, for example, had a massive amount of power, more than most countries. In fact, his attempts at supervillains were the greatest risk to his power. When he stopped being a supervillain, and focused on being an amoral businessman and scientist, he ended up in a much better place overall.
On the other hand, Killer Croc and Captain Cold, examples of people who used meta power and science tech for villainy never seemed to find themselves anything but temporary pleasures. And when they did, a spandex wearer took them out.
Considering all of that, Giovanni actually made a lot of sense. Back in the other world, having strong Pokemon was the path to power, and a person with loose morals would find it easier to just steal them.
But that still left a couple questions.
"So how are you making money then?" I asked Giovanni.
He quirked an eyebrow. Then he looked at the bottle he'd left on the table. The bottle that, in our world had stuff capable of healing anyone, Pokemon or human, as long as you applied the correct amounts. Granted, it was possible to overdose on it like any other medicine, and it didn't cure literally everything. But the medical profession in the Pokemon world was a whole lot easier thanks to miracles like that.
"The simple potion. In our world, a common and easily reproducible product. Here? Well, it took some time to find the scientists who could reproduce it. The capitol to begin making more. But once I did, hospitals seem to love it," Giovanni smirked. "And the FDA, as they call it, is an absolute joke to work around."
"You're selling potion to hospitals," I said, deadpan.
"Brilliant, isn't it?" he bragged. "I may not have had the resources of my organization, but I had the time, and I had the ingredients, depleted as they were from my months in the Distortion."
Berries, then. All the top trainers had a bunch of them. I'd run out, but Giovanni likely had a whole farm's worth when he came here.
Damn. It was simple logic, but it WORKED. Sell the weakest version of potion to hospitals. Make a fortune. Then, if you needed more money? Sell burn heal to fire stations. Sell the upgraded super potion to militaries. Sell antidotes. He had an entire centuries worth of advancements in medicine from the Pokemon world, and he could milk the DC universe as much as he wanted.
"...Ask him the big question," Alakazam whispered.
"Why are you even telling me all of this?" I said at last. "I doubt you wanted me here just to brag."
"I actually do like bragging," Giovanni said, smirking at the little look I gave him. "Young man, I am very proud of all I've accomplished. I see no reason to be humble about what I've gained and lost. To this day, the only loss I've ever accepted was from those young Alolan trainers. And I'm quite proud of them for the prize they gained in my loss. The only person I've been able to speak to about this is Lawton, and I'm afraid he is harder to impress than you are."
I didn't know how to take that.
"But no. That is not the reason. Nor are your Pokemon. While fine specimens," he looked at Tyrunt and Gurdurr. The fighting-type was leaning against his I-beam, listening closely to every word. Tyrunt was digging through a pile of meatballs and chomping happily into the meat, absolute joy on his face. "I have no need for them."
He didn't have Mewtwo. But he still had Pokemon. Likely fully-evolved, extremely well trained. Footage I'd seen on the news in Sinnoh had shown a Nidoking that had shaken apart a building with an Aqua Tail attack. Not Earthquake. Aqua Tail.
Earthquake had been worse.
"In fact, I would have loved to ignore you," Giovanni smiled at my glare. "I don't wish to seek out conflict. But your arrival, the people you have contended with. They draw questions. Questions I wish to ask."
"...You know, I might answer those questions."
"Kid," Kalini said dangerously. I held up a hand for him to wait a moment.
"Giovanni. I want to ask one more thing first," I said, leaning forward to look at him. He watched silently, thought his eyes narrowed. "Whatever you want to ask. Do at least one of those things constitute a service to you?"
"Oh?" he pretended to think about it. "Possibly."
"Ask away then."
His lips flickered in movement. He drummed his fingers against the table.
"How were you sent here?"
"Arceus pushed me through a portal," no need to tell him I'd been hunting his idiot subordinates.
"Arceus, truly?" Giovanni's eyebrows lifted. "Now why would the creator of our universe decide to waste time on you?"
"I have a way with people. Next question."
For the first time, his smirking smile disappeared. I felt a slow chilly trail come down along my spine, goosebumps following it. Then the smirk came back.
"So Giratina exiles me here. Then Arceus pushes you in. I wonder… Well. You appeared in this world, and eventually came into conflict with the Silicon Dragons. Deadshot here tells me there is quite a bounty for your death. Why have you gone against them?"
"I didn't do it on purpose," I scoffed. "They just ended up in my way twice. Seriously, this last fight with them was the only time they actually came after me."
"Far luckier than I am, then," Giovanni looked over at Lawton. "I've been dealing with them for long enough that I've had to hire Mr. Lawton simply so they will be forced to back off."
"Dealing with them?" I asked.
"As enemies," Giovanni shook his head. "They are… persistent. Obsessed with their strange 'honor' code."
"How exactly did you end up making an enemy of them while selling medical supplies?" I asked pointedly.
Just as pointedly, he responded. "I imagine when they realized what a huge advantage even a bit of potion allows in battle. And organised crime always tries to influence businesses that make money. Something that, I'm sure you know, I have some experience with."
...Fair. As a tried and true master of the 'spam full restores and revives until you win' method of battle, I knew the value of a healing item. And gangs loved having a hand in businesses. All sorts of ways to take advantage of the right connections.
"Wait, are you okay with Lawton and Kalini knowing about all this?" I asked as though it had just occurred to me.
"Uh, kid," Kalini said nervously. "Maybe we can just forget that I'm here?"
"I'm afraid I can't, Mr. ʻŌpūnui," Giovanni said. "You know of this young man's… unique qualities. That makes you a person of interest. For multiple reasons. You knowing anything about me is negligible by this point," he chuckled. "You should be proud, Mr. ʻŌpūnui! You're privy to information few on this planet have any idea about."
"Ah… well, fuck me," Kalini sighed.
"As for Mr. Lawton, he is a professional. As he put it, as long as the information, or lack thereof, I give him does not bite him in the buttocks, he does not care, is that correct, Mr. Lawton?"
"I said ass, actually."
"Indeed. As long as it doesn't bite him in the ass. And honestly, he is my most prized business associate and bodyguard. What I know, Mr. Lawton knows."
Now wasn't that just adorable?.
"Now. Kahu. What do you plan to do from here on?" Giovanni asked me. "Will you allow the Silicon Dragons to continue chasing you? Hounding anyone you associate with?"
"...You want me to take them out," I said darkly. Tyrunt growled. Gurdurr clenched his I-beam tightly in his fist.
"It would be of benefit to me, yes," Giovanni admitted. "But that doesn't mean that it doesn't help you."
"Why me then?" I asked. "Why not have Lawton take them out from two miles away?"
"Because I need Lawton at my side," Giovanni said. "As for why you? Because you have Pokemon. You have a power I understand, a power I can help you with. I need someone like you, Kahu. You've had a habit of disappearing after every battle, which means you have some skill in staying somewhat hidden. But I've also seen how you and your Pokemon fight. I've seen powerful Pokemon, powerful trainers. But not many as vicious or willing to get their hands dirty."
That would be the pissed off adult inside me.
"If I aid you, provide you with the tools and weapons you need," Giovanni leaned forward to meet my eyes. "Then you can take care of a thorn in both our sides. In some ways, you would be taking care of a thorn in the sides of Hawaii in general. Help the people of this land, Kahu Kiaʻi."
"...Dude, seriously?"
"Too much?" Giovanni smirked. "My apologies. I've only recently gone legit. I'm not great with these sorts of speeches."
Legit my ass. Maybe he was following the laws of this world, but I doubted he was some moral paragon.
"...Okay. Let's figure this out then," I finally sat down, my legs thanking me. I reached for a lobster and cracked it apart, digging in for the meat. "You're right. I don't want the Silicon Dragons chasing me or Kalini around anymore. And I do need resources. But if you want my help, we're gonna have a fucking contract."
"I'll have a notary of the public come to join us," he said jokingly. "A contract, really?"
"Not a real one. I just want to make sure there are defined lines in this little endeavor. Maybe you're on the up and up. Maybe you really do just want to shut down a bunch of dickheads and are using the sudden weapon that dropped into your lap. Maybe your plan after this really is to just say goodbye and go about your business," I narrowed my eyes. "But if not, well… We'll make our amends in the end."
Giovanni stared at me. For a moment, just one, things got tense. Lawton's eyes were focused on all of us. Kalini swallowed as sweat beaded on his forehead. Tyrunt chewed slowly on a chicken leg.
"...Then let us make a deal, shall we?" Giovanni said levily.
"Part one is done," Alakazam whispered in my mind. "Now we'll need to prepare for the next. When we begin to confront the Silicon Dragons directly."
That was when Lawton spoke up. "You gonna have that alien on the roof join us now or what?"
I stared at him, shocked. Before I could answer, Alakazam spoke. "Ah, so he finally decided to say something."
Alakazam sent me a flicker of amusement when I sputtered. "You knew that he saw you!?"
"He's a very observant human."
My Pokemon are so damn weird…
------
Author's Note: There were going to be other perspectives. And then, all of a sudden, Giovanni demanded to speak. He's one of those characters where writing him is kinda addictive. It just ended up with me having the others respond to his presence, rather than Kahu overtaking him.
Which, honestly, just kinda makes sense. People think charisma is about being so nice people can't help but like you, but anyone with a bit of thinking will realize that it's more than that. It's the ability to dominate any social setting. Whether that means being nice, mean, tough, gentle, real charismatic people can control a room with just the emotion and words that fit the audience and the situation best.
Hopefully I made that clear.
Chapter 14
In Honolulu, a woman watched several screens within a small room. The room was large and open, with padding within the center, and a boxing ring in the corner. The woman was wearing tight black workout pants and a thin green t-shirt made to be easy to move around in, her long black locks gathered behind her head by a green strip of cloth. Her left eye was chocolate brown. Her right eye was a deep emerald color. She made for a striking figure.
She was looking at six holographic screens, each as large as a flatscreen tv, eyes flickering between them at immense speed, so fast it was hard to believe she was paying attention to any of them at all.
On one of them was footage of a man sitting in an office, reading files and making changes to various documents. Those who had watched the news recently would have recognized him as Samuel Mokoa, an FBI agent. She stared at him with a blank expression on her face before her eyes flickered to the next screen.
There sat a series of graphs displaying various numbers, some climbing, others lowering. Another screen below showed a calendar and schedule. She barely glanced at those. Instead her vision moved to the last three screens.
On one sat footage of a small blue creature. Mudkip, though she did not know his name. She watched it display super-strength, speed, and control over water and ice. On another, Mimikyu controlled the shadows to destroy a van. And on the last, the half-naked form of Kahu Kiaʻi, as the media called him, was throwing a man into the harbor.
She slowly smiled as she watched the screens before her, teeth flashing. She almost seemed to dance in place, eyes filled a sort of innocent joy.
"My lady?"
The woman looked over her shoulder. A man was standing there, wearing a pink polo shirt. He stood at attention with the discipline of a soldier.
"Tye," she said. "Have you seen such wonders in your life?"
The man quirked an eyebrow. "We live in an age of… similar, wonders."
"Not in Hawaii," she looked back at the screens. "Not in direct opposition to us. A being of such strength and power… And we face three."
"They are a problem we must deal with, I agree."
"A problem?" she blinked, as though the thought hadn't occurred to her. "Ah, Tye. Such a pragmatist."
"It is why I was hired," he moved until he was about a foot behind her and to the right. "What do you see then, my lady?"
"A chance for the Silicon Dragons to come out of our rut," she shook her head. "We have, ever, been only as strong as the enemies we face. But in my lifetime, we've never been forced to rise to our full potential. Always holding back, always made to limit ourselves. Like a katana used to cut vegetables."
"I would rather we weren't forced to bring more attention than we need upon ourselves," Tye said slowly.
"We will see if that becomes necessary," she reached a hand out, pressing it upon the image of Kahu roaring. "...Tell our people to begin accessing our superhuman assets. Find a way to allow our people to combat this threat directly. Our resources at the aquarium should have a line on that."
"It will be done, my lady," Tye said respectfully. "One of our hired assassins intercepted a report that someone is attempting to capture Kahu. Either he will succeed, or Kahu will defeat him."
A win either way then. "Who is the assassin?"
"Sidearm."
"...Wait, who?" she turned to look at Tye, befuddled.
"I think he's an old friend of Bobby? Very confident at least."
She thought about that, then dismissed the thought. Either it would work or it wouldn't. In the meantime…
"Grab a staff, Tye," she strolled over to the center of the room. "I wish to train."
Tye sighed overdramatically, taking off his polo shirt and walking over to grab a bo staff off the wall. She stood and waited. He ran for her, spinning the staff like a baton and aiming for her face. She ducked it, then sidestepped another blow, front flipped over another to land on his head, and backflipped away when he tried to shake her away.
Tye swung the staff at her as she landed. She chopped her hand forward at a point just in front of his hands on the staff.
Crack!
She grabbed the half of the staff that flew upwards as Tye stumbled, kicked his feet out from under him, and brought the staff around to hit him in the temple with brutal force. He lay there, insensate, as she sighed.
"No challenge," she looked at the screens again. "...Will you change that, Kahu?"
Then she looked over at Sam. Someone had opened the door to his office. Well, what was happening there?
Sam Mokoa
Sam, unknowing of the camera currently watching him, blinked at the man who had entered his office. "What?"
"Kahu, he took down another gang," the man said. "I just heard from my vice guy. I texted you the address."
"God damn it!" Sam spat out, standing quickly and ripping his suit jacket off his chair, grabbing his badge and phone as he ran. "Thanks, Matt!"
Sam went to his car, thinking furiously. One day. Less really. Last night, he'd taken down a group. Today, another group? What the hell was the kid doing, trying to destroy all of Hawaii's gangs in a week?
He took his phone out in his car and took a look at the details. Police officers had cordoned off the warehouse and arrested several suspects, one of which had been wearing a super advanced armor of some sort. Which had exploded into smithereens one minute after it had been taken off of him, thankfully only destroying the vehicle it had been placed in.
Sam's car took off from headquarters at high speed.
------
On arriving at the warehouse, he almost sighed in relief at the lack of reporters. Why he couldn't just solve cases and put away criminals without dealing with the media, Sam didn't know. Every PR person Sam knew, knew he was bad with the media. So why did the same PR people keep having him talk to reporters? Or worse, getting ambushed by reporters.
At least today, he could focus on his work. He parked his car and stepped out, looking around. Just a simple warehouse. Nothing too crazy, besides the dozens of police vehicles parked outside. He walked up to the yellow tape at the door to the warehouse, taking out his badge and holding it out. "Sam Mokoa, FBI."
The officer guarding the door glared at his badge for a moment, then relaxed, nodding and lifting the yellow tape. Sam leaned under it, walking in. The second he was inside, he could see what had happened.
The place looked like a truck had been driven through it. Metal shelves and equipment were strewn about in pieces, enough that it crunched under his shoes as he walked. What the hell had happened here?"
"Hey," a man in a black suit walked up quickly to him. "You're Sam, right?"
"Yeah."
"Thank god," the man held out his hand, shaking Sam's. "I'm Detective Bris. I gotta tell ya, I'd usually be mad about a Fed taking my case, but I'm glad someone else is taking this bullshit off my hands."
"...Wonderful for you. What have you got?"
"Like I said. Bullshit," Bris turned and walked, Sam following him. "This place was bought by a shell corp of a shell corp, standard practice for guys like Adam."
"Adam?"
"Mid-tier criminal. Not exactly Al Capone, but he was the guy other guys go to for new identities, fake documents, connections to other bad guys. Nothing we could really nail him for, but we all kind of knew what he was doing. This though? This is nothing we would have expected from him."
They reached what must have been the center of the warehouse. There was a filing cabinet with a big melted hole near the top, a desk that had been shattered to pieces, a kitchen sink just randomly sitting there.
"We found a bunch of guys with illegal weapons there, there, there," Bris pointed at yellow markers across the room, going over how many people had been there. "All alive. Oh, and one guy there," Bris grinned. "Who squeaked that he was willing to tell us everything if we took him to the hospital to treat his coconuts first."
"Genital trauma, got it," Sam said, Bris' smile falling at the lack of humour in Sam's voice. "And the man with the armor?"
"The stubborn maniac? Yeah, that guy just keeps on saying his name is Sidearm. He also talks like a damn comic book villain. All, 'we'll rue the day!' and crap like that. We can't find his real name anywhere, and it looks like he's a relative unknown. We've sent his image out to try and get him identified. As for his tech…" Bris sighed. "We aren't trained for this kind of thing. I know Gotham, Metropolis, other cities, they've got procedures for how to deal with unknown tech. But we almost hurt our guys today from an explosion. We just aren't equipped for sci-fi shit."
Sam looked over at him. And saw some of the frustration that had filled him once before, a long time ago. The frustration of knowing that something was going on that you didn't know how to deal with. That your safe little world had been intruded on.
"What did they say? The prisoners? Description of the superhuman? Of the animals that help him?"
"Kahu Kiaak?" Bris said, mangling the last word a bit. "Yeah, a bit. Sidearm ain't talking, but Adam and his boys said a few things. A kid, spoke some Arabic, medium build and height, maybe sixteen? They described new animals though. An ugly and short gray man with a big nose carrying an I-beam. And a baby T-rex made out of rock. Uh, we checked them for drug use. They were clean."
...There were more of them.
"But they also knew the guy that Kahu came in with."
"What guy?" Sam asked. He felt a bit of hope rise in him.
"A guy named Kalini ʻŌpūnui," Bris smirked. "He has an apartment. And you won't believe where his boat is docked.
Bris explained. Sam listened. And after a long moment, he began to smile.
Finally. A lead.
------
Mahmoud Schahed/Kahu Kiaʻi
"...You seriously look like the alien version of a Chinese kung fu master," Kalini said, staring at Alakazam with wide eyes.
"I'm sure you mean that as a compliment," Alakazam said pointedly, his spoons floating around him.
"I just-" Kalini shook his head. "I'm gonna go back to eating."
"That may be for the best," Alakazam said.
As Kalini tried to eat his shock over Alakazam's sudden appearance, Gurdurr had the floor. He spoke confidently, explaining step by step what he needed to Giovanni. "Gurdurr. Gurdurr. GURDURR. Durr," he sighed. "Gurdurr."
"I'm not sure I can guarantee all of what you're looking for," Giovanni said while leaning back in his seat. "But at the least, the power tools and various materials are feasible. More so than his, at least," he said with a thumb towards Alakazam, who smirked at that.
"Wait, you understand all that?" Kalini asked, picking up some barbequed pork and dipping it in gravy.
"Pokemon language is actually really easy to understand after a while," I told him. "It's mostly body language and inflection. Keep in mind, Pokemon don't automatically understand English, but they can understand what we're saying because of our natural body language and inflection as well."
Huh. Wonder if Cassandra Cain was born yet?
"Interesting, the things you three are requesting," Giovanni said, looking between us innocently. "As though you're not simply trying to survive, but rather building a base. One of some size. With interesting power requirements."
"I'm Doomsday prepping," I said, holding back my hysterical laughter at the thought.
"And I don't suppose you'll tell me where you're building this base."
Alakazam, Gurdurr, and I all stared at him. Giovanni chuckled. "Such a hostile young man. Has anyone ever told you that you're quite paranoid for a young man?"
"Has anyone ever told you there is a four-eyed demon out there trying to impregnate a woman to create an apocalypse kid?"
I think, for the first time, I'd actually said something that surprised Giovanni. He blinked at me. Then he looked at Deadshot and Kalini. Deadshot didn't reply, while Kalini just looked at me.
"No. I can't say anyone has ever said something like that to me," he said slowly.
"Well that's somewhere in the mid-tier of things I'm worried about in the world. So forgive me if I keep a couple of secret bases. Also, you should do the same," I said, thinking I might as well throw him a bone.
"I will keep that in mind," then Giovanni looked off to our right. He smiled. "Ah. Back from your exercise, are we?"
We all looked over in the same direction. A panther walked over to us. Well, it looked like a panther at least, or a lion, somewhere in the middle in terms of size and build. He was a few inches shorter than Gurdurr actually. His fur was luxuriously soft looking, a pale desert sand color. Each side of the feline's face had three long thick whiskers. And in the center of his forehead, just above two red slit eyes, was a large red gem that seemed to glow with it's own inner light.
"...Persian," I said, watching the cat stroll around. "I didn't know you had one. You didn't use it against-"
"Elio and Selene?" Giovanni held out a hand, Persian pressing his head against the man's palm. "Well, Persian was home, relaxing. I felt no need to force him into battle. Perhaps, if I had brought him, I wouldn't be here."
Not likely. Even if he had beaten the Alolan kids, Red would have chomped at the bit to take him on. But still… this wasn't good.
"Alakazam," my psychic-type whispered softly.
Persian lazily looked around. Calm and relaxed. Like he wasn't the strongest fucking thing in Honolulu. This Pokemon was powerful. Strong in a way only a few Pokemon I'd ever seen matched. Strong enough to withstand and return blows with Legendaries.
"Persian?" he said slowly. Then he gave me a slow, smug, smile. He looked over at Gurdurr.
Gurdurr met eyes with the normal Pokemon, a Pokemon of a type he had a natural advantage over. Then he looked away.
"Ty," Tyrunt growled.
Deadshot was bad enough. Persian was a trained and experienced fighter, way above the level of my team.
We needed to train. To get stronger. Because I had a feeling that if this was how powerful Persian was, strong enough for me to feel it like a glance, any other Pokemon he had would be the same or worse.
"Gurdurr, was that everything you wanted?" I asked.
"...Gur," he mumbled. His knuckles were tight on his I-beam.
"Per?" the feline mocked. He let out a small sound like a laugh, raising a paw to lick it as he eyed Gurdurr.
Gurdurr grit his teeth at the blatant insult. I placed a hand on his shoulder and focused my gaze on Giovanni. "We need training."
"Oh?" he chuckled. "Is that so?"
"You want us to be your 'Heroes for Hire', taking down the gangsters you point at? We need to be strong enough to fit the role," I said. "That means my Pokemon and I need to get stronger. I want a teacher in martial arts, weapon usage, that kind of crap. And they need resources to keep at the top of their game."
Giovanni rubbed his chin with his left hand, his right rubbing Persian's neck. It was like watching a Bond villain pet his mountain lion. I knew what he was going to say before he said it.
"I'm not sure how much I want to help you get stronger. After all, you've made it clear you only want to work for me in the short-term. To help deal with a problem we both have, and obtain the resources to deal with that problem," he raised an eyebrow. "But you are requesting help with something much more… shall we say, long-term, than I may want to help with. I will need extra incentive for all my generosity."
"...Well? You gonna say it, or keep being all mysterious?"
"I'm tempted to keep my mystery," he said with a smirk. "But very well. I want your permission to use your image."
"What?" I asked, honestly befuddled now.
"Your image," Giovanni said. "Kahu Kiaʻi and his monsters are becoming quite popular. As time goes by, any person who owns the rights to your image can sell merchandise. Do you know how much money people make off superhero merchandise and licensing rights?" Giovanni chuckled. "Honestly, some seem to waste it. That Wayne fellow seems to use the money from the Justice League's merchandise for some charity or another. But giving me the rights to your image will help mitigate the costs of aiding you quite a bit. Maybe I'll even make a profit. In fact, I can give you some money in royalties!"
He laughed boisterously after that, Persian chuckling along with him. Quite a pair, those two.
"I'm tempted to say no," Alakazam said in my mind. "But we don't have the resources to take advantage of any image like that. And we do want his knowledge and money. It's a more than fair trade."
"Fuck it," I said as though I was making a rash decision. "Sure man. I'll sign whatever you need to make that happen. Just need my fake ID first."
"Kid, are you sure-" Kalini said.
"Actually, he's my manager," I said, Alakazam pushing the suggestion towards me. I pointed at Kalini. "So I want you to make sure any money I get goes through him. I want Kalini to be a rich bastard, got it?"
"My favorite kind of bastard," Giovanni looked at Kalini, positively tickled at the look of shock and awe on Kalini's face. "Ah, young man, you're more fun than I expected."
"You should invite me to parties," I said as dryly as I could.
"I'll take you up on that," Giovanni smirked. "Then I suppose this is the beginning of a partnership. Let's not kill each other in the meantime gentlemen," before we could respond to that, he took out a business card from his suit pocket. "In the meantime, this is my address in Hilo."
Hilo!? He'd been living that close this whole time? ...Arceus had incredible aim.
"If you end up not being able to find me," he said, passing Kalini and I a card each. "Then just look for the tallest building in the city."
"The Restaurant Royale!?" Kalini yipped. "I love that place!"
"I appreciate it. My staff and I work hard to make it the cream of Hilo's crop," Giovanni said with all the modesty of the Persian currently in his lap. That is to say, none. "Dinner will be on me. Shall we say, tomorrow?"
"I uh," Kalini rubbed his chin. "I think I can make it there. Might take a bit."
"If need be, you can take my helicopter."
Kalini looked like he'd been hit with one too many shocks in one day.
"Yeah, fine. See you at your place with whatever lawyers you need to make this official. Have ID for me if you can," I said with a sigh that came from deep in my soul.
"Of course. I am a man of my word."
"In your Pokeballs, now guys," I said across the mental link.
Gurdurr disappeared in a flash, though Tyrunt took a second. The little dino glared at Persian. Then he raised his claw to point them at Persian, then roughly at his eyes. "Tyrunt."
Persian and Giovanni blinked. I hid a proud grin. And Tyrunt disappeared into his Pokeball.
"Defiant little one, isn't he?" Giovanni said, an amused smirk on his face, while Persian was more annoyed.
"He's a spunky kid, yeah. Come on Kalini," I looked at Deadshot. "See you Lawton. Hopefully not on the bad end of a rifle."
"We'll see."
Scary fucking-
Kalini and I rushed out of there.
------
Kalini and I entered his car later.
"Kid… he-"
"Kalini, get us a mile away, please, and I'll talk while we move."
"On it," he started driving, glancing from me to the road. "So that guy. He's an alien like you?"
"Yeah. From the same world. But I'm a chump. He's one of the most famous criminals in the history of my world. The kind of guy who gets taken down by my world's equivalent of the Justice League."
"What does that make you, Junior League?" Kalini mumbled.
"No, it makes me the average tough guy on the street," I sighed. "Well, maybe a bit tougher. But the kinds of guys who Giovanni would take on were way above my level. Even if he doesn't have his strongest asset," images of Mewtwo ripping me in half filled my mind for a moment. "He's a powerhouse."
"...This is good then."
I looked up at Kalini, surprised. "How so?"
"Look, I know he's a bad guy. Maybe really bad. He ever kill anyone? Rape anyone, anything really horrible?"
"No. He's got power, but he's more a thief and corrupt businessman, bit of a Mafia Don too. Any physical fighting was always, well… I mean, he would push around innocent people, but he never tortured anyone. He's bad. But he's not Gotham bad, if you get me."
"Oh, I do," Kalini shuddered, before returning to his point. "But kid, maybe you're looking at this the wrong way. He's bad. But I know the Silicon Dragons. And they have some real evil fucks working under them," he said sadly. "And I know you don't trust this guy. We don't need to trust him though! We need a common enemy! We've got that!"
I thought about that, which Kalini seemed to take as reason to continue. "I don't know about you kid, but I don't want to run from the Silicon Dragons my whole life. If you do the hero thing, with this guy backing you up, maybe we won't have to run. Maybe we can win."
"Win, huh?" I whispered to myself. Work with Giovanni. Not trust him. But work together, against guys who had been causing us both trouble. And use his resources to begin the portal project. That had… appeal.
"Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense."
Still. Might be good to begin preparing. Just in case Giovanni decided to turn on us.
------
Kalini ʻŌpūnui
Kalini sighed as he walked down the dock towards his boat, the sun long since gone. It had been a hell of a day.
God. How was it possible to get in trouble for being too generous and too greedy? When he'd first seen Mackmon, he'd thought he was another tourist kid, way in over his head. So he decided to help. And maybe get some money out of it. Sure he'd fleeced the kid a bit, but only a bit! He'd still gone out of his way, even taking the kid fishing!
And now he was managing a superhero about to engage in a war with the Silicon Dragons.
All he wanted to do was sleep now, but he had to rush to Hilo. He'd offered the kid a ride, but Mackmon said he had other plans.
Hilo. Weird, how the place where all this started was where he'd go back to. The god's messing with a poor native boy, that's how his mom always put it.
As he approached his boat, ready for a long night trip, something a smuggler like him had done a few times, a light suddenly hit his face. Kalini staggered back.
"Hey! What the hell!?" Kalini said, raising his arm to block the brightness.
"Kalini? Kalini ʻŌpūnui?" a voice that sounded like it came from a throat used to gargling gravel said.
"Yeah?" Kalini said hesitantly. Oh god. Was this the dragons?
The light lowered. And Kalini suddenly wished it was the dragons instead, as a very familiar badge flashed.
"Sam Mokoa, FBI," a gruff man said. He looked very unfriendly. As did the six SWAT guys and girls carrying big guns behind him. Kalini felt, rather than heard, a few more cops come up from behind him. "I'm afraid I need to take you in for questions."
"...And if I said, warrant?" Kalini said weakly.
Sam smirked, the expression unsettling on his gruff face, and lifted a slip of paper.
"Well officer, I guess I'm happy to cooperate," Kalini said as happily as he could, holding his hands up to the back of his head.
As someone came up to him and took out handcuffs, telling him his rights, Kalini mentally sighed. The kid, thus far, was not worth the trouble he brought. But then, this was his fault. Too greedy and too generous.
------
On a rooftop half a mile away, a man watched through a red scope as Kalini was taken in by an excessively armed number of cops. While he was pushed into a van, he touched a finger to his ear, a ring coming through before it was answered.
"Mr. Lawton," Giovanni said.
"No Dragons Boss. But the cops hauled off the fat man." Deadshot said. "Want me to get him out?"
Giovanni was silent for a moment. Then he chuckled. "No. No, I believe I'll go a different route. But watch over them. I'd rather the dragons didn't take advantage of his incarceration for an easy kill."
Deadshot nodded. Just as he did, he noticed something. Someone was looking in his direction.
Not quite. But the FBI agent, Sam Mokoa. He was staring in the general area of Deadshot, spanning his eyes across the buildings tops with a deep frown. With another scowl, Sam turned away.
"Huh. He's good," Deadshot mused.
"I'm sorry?" Giovanni asked.
"Just assessing possible threats sir. Same as always."
------
Author's Note: Hope having a glance at other perspectives was fun for you guys. Next chapter, a look at how Kalini and Sam's first meeting goes, as well as a deeper look at Sam's past, then Kahu gets more annoyed at Giovanni. Soon enough, a solo adventure for one of the members of this narrative.
Chapter 15
Sam Mokoa
Sam entered the interrogation room. Kalini looked up at him, a donut in his hand. Sam stared at the donut. Kalini stared at Sam.
"...I asked really nicely for this," Kalini said at last.
Sam decided to ignore it, instead slamming the door behind him and moving to sit down.
"You sure came in quick," Kalini said with a friendly smile. "You don't run on Hawaiian time?"
"I despise the concept," Sam said immediately. "And I have a case to solve."
"Yeesh, you really aren't the friendly-" Sam ripped the donut from Kalini's hand, then tossed it in the trash. Kalini sighed sadly. "-type."
"As I said, I have a case to work on," Sam said with a glowering glare. He took out a folder and opened it. "Now, you are Kalini ʻŌpūnui. You've been accused of several different crimes since you were a teenager. No violent offenses, beyond a case of assault when you fought a clown at a birthday party."
"Usually people smile when they say that part," Kalini said without a hint of shame.
Sam didn't even look at him. "Now, the fact is, you've done your time. I'm sure you're up to something illegal, considering you have a file thicker than my forearm, but I don't care about you. I care about the vigilante."
"Guys like me don't tend to hang out with vigilantes," Kalini pointed out. "Hey, like you said. I'm a career criminal. I hear vigilante and I start worrying about ninjas attacking me! Hahaha!" Kalini laughed, a deep belly laugh.
Sam looked at him. "Really. How unusual. Because, you see, there are two things that work against you. First, the group of people at the first appearance of that vigilante and his animals-"
"Kahu Kiaʻi?" Kalini asked.
"The vigilante," Sam said with a sound like bones being ground under the heel of a giant. "Was seen with a man of your description."
"Jolly overweight Hawaiian man?" Kalini chuckled. "I hate to say it, but I fit a stereotype."
"Yes, you do. You were also named at the latest appearance of the vigilante. By men who have shown up in your files as acquaintances. One man, by the name of Adam, said, and I quote, "He's working for that crazy bastard with the dinosaur and the weightlifter."
"That doesn't sound like me," Kalini said.
Sam, however, noticed the slight bead of sweat on Kalini's forehead. His information had Kalini pegged as a small-timer. Smart enough to keep from getting arrested too often, but he was no hardened criminal. He wasn't going to stand up to the long hours of interrogation in store for him. Perfect.
"I'm not planning to hurt the vigilante," Sam said sternly. "But you've worked with the Silicon Dragons. You know what they're willing to do," Sam took out a photo and placed it on the table. It was an image of Sidearm. Then he took out another photo. Of a man covered in bleeding wounds.
"It starts with low grade superhumans. And then it explodes from there," he tapped the photo. "This is a cop who took down one of the Silicon Dragon cells. One of the few times they ever escalated a conflict to the point of insanity. He took out one of their assets by blowing up a torpedo in close range. Nearly died. All to stop one of the worst offensives they ever implemented."
Kalini stared at the image. If one looked closely, they could see bone shining from the massive cuts, shining pale white under the blood. He looked like he'd been torn apart by a wild animal. Shrapnel shone from some of the wounds. "God… is he alive?"
"He is. His team wasn't as lucky," Sam pressed a finger into the photo, his hands thick with calluses similar to boxers. "This is what happens to people who force them to escalate. I'm working on taking them down carefully. Knocking out their supply lines, taking out their lieutenants. But now? This kid has forced them to bring their A game. And it's going to be worse than it ever was."
More images. Of a man in a blue suit unleashing waves of ice on a crowd. A group of gangsters using lasers to rob a bank. Supervillains and goons with advanced technology and powers terrorizing others. "You're going to be in the crosshairs of this conflict. Even if you don't care about the people of Hawaii, you've got to care about yourself. This kid is going to get in a lot of trouble," Sam leaned forward. "That trouble isn't going to care about collateral damage."
One more photo landed on the table. A laughing clown stared up at Kalini. He held a knife, stabbed deep into the throat of a heavyset man with dark skin, blood pouring over pale white gloves. And all the while, the clown was laughing. One could almost hear it, the insane cackle of glee.
Kalini swallowed.
"Superheroes don't want to bring trouble… But they do. And it attracts more. Hell, maybe the kid wants that? Maybe he's looking for a good fight?"
"He doesn't want this," Kalini whispered, staring at the images of death and destruction. Then he stilled, realizing what he'd said.
Sam held in a smirk. "He doesn't? Then maybe you can help me understand him. Understand what I can do to keep us all safe."
"...I'd like to speak to a lawyer," Kalini said firmly.
"That's perfectly fine," Sam collected the photos. "We'll arrange that. In the meantime, please consider what I've told you. The kid might be honestly trying to help people. Maybe he has your sympathy somehow. But if he does, you need to remember one thing. The last time you tried to help him, you got shot at, and a man with multi-armed armor tried to capture him. He may be bullet resistant. But you aren't-"
The door sprung open. Sam looked over at it. His jaw dropped, the papers in his hand slipping just a bit.
"That's enough," the woman at the door said. She strode into the room with confidence, coming alongside Kalini. "Mr. ʻŌpūnui? I'm here on behalf of my employer. I'll be your representative on this case."
"Uh…" Kalini took the woman's hand, looking over at Sam as he shook it. Sam ignored him, staring at the woman.
She was a short woman, wearing a dark pink business suit, skirt, and heels. She had blonde hair tied elegantly into a ponytail on top of her head, light makeup around her eyes, and the legs coming out of her skirt were much more muscular than one would expect. She had bright blue eyes that sat on Sam's face, a hint of sadness within them.
"Hello, Sam," she said softly.
"...Mrs. Leech," Sam said with a rough growl.
"Roxy, Sam. It's always Roxy," she said in a long suffering way.
"Wow, look at that," Kalini said with a nervous chuckle. "Somehow the murder pictures were less awkward than this."
The little joke got an enraged blast of air from Roxy. "Murder pictures?"
Sam glowered. "Can I speak to you outside, Mrs. Leech?"
"Absolutely," Roxy strode out, ignoring Sam and almost hitting him with the door on her way out. Sam slammed the door behind him, leaving Kalini alone.
"...I'll wait here then," Kalini said weakly.
------
"What the hell are you doing, Roxy?" Sam said. A FBI agent nearby shuddered at the growling intonation of his voice and quickly walked away, shuddering in fear. Roxy, on the other hand, glared up at the much taller man.
"I'm doing my job. Defending a client."
"A criminal," Sam said.
"Even if he was guilty of any crime right now, he'd need a lawyer."
"And your employer put you up to this?" Sam asked pointedly.
"My employer doesn't matter," Roxy said.
"Oh, I beg to differ. That damn mobster…" he growled, raising a hand to his face to rub his eyes.
"You mean the guy who sells medicine to hospitals?" Roxy had a very smug look on her face.
"The guy who keeps testing every law against gambling that we have, yes," Sam glared at her. "The guy who appeared with almost no warning with a revolutionary new medicine, somehow manages to slip past every known law that forces years of testing on such medications to sell them years early?"
"Yeah, that guy, who has broken no laws," Roxy pointed out.
"Officially."
"And that's all that matters. The official things you can prove or disprove. You taught me that."
"I also taught you to do the right thing!" Sam snarled. "Not start taking lessons from your dad!"
"You son of a-" Roxy stopped, taking a deep breath. "Okay, that's enough. I would like to speak with my client."
"Giovanni waiting outside?" Sam said with a glower.
"Kalini is my client, Mr. Mokoa," she said with a voice far darker than her appearance would have implied. "Giovanni is simply footing the bill. And you can speak with him, on our terms."
Roxy brushed past him, striding quickly. Sam stared at the wall for a moment. Then he cursed and spun around to look at her.
"He's withholding information, Roxy!" Roxy froze. He continued. "On the vigilante. If he can help us find him, we can take the kid in. Make sure he stops antagonizing the dragons. If they try to match a superhuman and his animals… We're going to end up with a lot of people dying. You remember what happened the last time they were forced to go so far."
Roxy didn't look back at him, but she didn't walk away either.
"Tell your client to give up the kid," Sam implored. "If he doesn't… We might have a war on our hands."
"...Do you ever get tired of letting them dictate what you can and can't do?"
"What?" Sam asked, surprised.
"The dragons. You always hold back when it comes to them. You can't help yourself. You take down what you can, but… Sam, you've been at war with them for years," Roxy looked over at him. "You can't let fear of what they can do make you into a coward."
Sam's eyes widened. His fists tightened. "Roxy-"
"Sex slaves. Drugs. Guns," Roxy whispered. "Hell, Giovanni, the guy you hate so much? He's had his trucks attacked three times in the last month by them," she smiled sadly. "Sam. I know you're worried about the people. You want to keep everyone safe. But you aren't keeping people safe. You're just prolonging a problem."
Before Sam could speak, Roxy sighed. "I'm going to speak to my client about cooperating. But if he does, maybe you should think about how you want to deal with this 'vigilante' you're so worried about. Because I'm tired of being worried that someone else I love will get killed by a dragon."
Sam and Roxy met eyes. Then, on an unspoken agreement, they turned and walked away from each other.
------
Mahmoud Schahed/Kahu Kiaʻi
"I can't pronounce my new codename," I mumbled, staring at the screen in front of me. "There's something ironic about this."
I looked over at Mudkip. "Yours is easier. Mako."
Mudkip grinned smugly at me, which I returned with a smile of my own before looking around the group.
Gurdurr, Tyrunt, Mimikyu, Alakazam, and Slugma were gathered around us as I sat at the table, waiting for the time we'd be heading out. All of us.
I didn't want Giovanni to have any advantage over me that I could help. I'd take whatever I could from him, but the second he turned on me I wanted to be ready for it, it was a possibility any smart person would at least keep in mind after all.
I pushed the thought of my codename away and began writing again. "He's got to have at least one of the Nido royalty. Poison/Ground, so they'll be your responsibilities, Alakazam and Mudkip. If he has Rhyperior, then I want Gurdurr and Tyrunt on them. Since you've apparently hidden the fact you had Ice Fang from me all this time."
"Tyrunt!"
I sighed at the very obvious smugness Tyrunt had in his voice.
"Slugma, I know you have a weakness to most of the Pokemon he's been seen using, so you're on debuff patrol. Mimikyu, you deal with Deadshot if we have to."
"We may not be able to win," Alakazam pointed out solemnly. "Type advantage is important, but skill and experience will be on their side. And Giovanni knows the weaknesses of his own Pokemon. He's likely fought at a type disadvantage multiple times and won."
"Sure. But even a weakness you know about is a weakness. And we don't need to win," I continued writing on the computer, typing a long list of everything we might be able to do or prepare for. "We just need to escape. If we have to, I'll send an email to Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Barry Allen, anyone and everyone else in the League."
"Mudkip!?"
"I know, I know," I sighed. "I wanted to stay away from the League. But if I'm forced to fight Giovanni and Deadshot, or hell, anyone else they bring in, then the trigger gets pulled. I'll set up my email to have a message scheduled to head out to them in a week. If we die, then the email will go out to them."
Well, I said my email, but it was one I'd made for just that purpose.
If we died, then a week later, every hero with a public email I could find would get a long message full of information about them personally, and about the DC universe overall, as well as a list of my possible killers.
Better to be paranoid after all. Actually, people were out to get me, so it was really just caution.
"Dugtrio is the same as everyone else," I mumbled to myself. "But Kangaskhan… if he has one with a mega stone, we might be boned. Same with Gyrados. Exeggutor is yours, Slugma. Persian will be up to Gurdurr and Alakazam."
"Do you believe he only has three Pokemon as he said?" Alakazam asked.
"As far as we're concerned, he has a full team, three others, and a bunch of Mewtwo's and Doomsday's under his command," I snapped somewhat tersely. "I'm leaning for the side of 'plan for the apocalypse, be happy with a kitchen fire'... Okay. We'll keep working on this on the way. But we're going to meet with him. As a full team."
"Mimikyu?" the small ghost asked.
"Gurdurr," he sighed. "Gur."
Yeah. Persian really was that powerful.
"We'll deal with it," I sighed. "But right now, Giovanni is a possible ally. Unlike the Silicone Dragons."
"Silicon," Alakazam corrected me.
"Right, that. They're a threat that is actively trying to kill us. Hiring assassins even."
"Tyrunt!"
"No, it's not a compliment, it's a threat."
He did not look convinced.
"Okay. So. The dragons are after us. And Giovanni was telling the truth. His company, Rocket Unlimited…"
All of my Pokemon were giving me a deadpan look. Even Mimikyu looked like she didn't know how to take that.
"Look, I know how it sounds, but that really is what he named his company! Anyway, they've had three of their trucks attacked in the last month, all transporting products to hospitals. So we'll just agree we've all got somebody we hate more than each other, and work together. But we're taking everything we can," I chuckled. "Make your requests boys and girls. In the meantime," I closed the laptop. "We've got a meeting to get to."
------
"Welcome to the Restaurant Royale!" a very friendly man with pink hair said as I stood there. "How can I help you?"
"..."
His smile faded slightly. "Uh, sir. Are you okay?"
"No. It's not your fault though. I'm just trying to deal with instinctual hatred."
He stared at me, befuddled. I stared at his uniform. Then the uniforms of everyone else working there.
Team Rocket. They were all dressed like Team fucking Rocket.
The restaurant was weird. In my time in Hawaii, I'd gotten used to a certain ascetic. The islands were beautiful, and very much in love with it's tropical and relaxed style. Whereas Giovanni's restaurant looked like it was right out of Las Vegas, all ostentatious lights and marble pillars. At first, I thought it was just the outside.
But on the inside, there was so much more than that.
On one wall, were a bunch of those… I don't know, those machines with a lever that you pull? I'm not a big gambling guy, so it took me a second to remember they were called slot machines. People would go up to them, pull a lever, and giggle when they landed on certain images. Instead of coins, they would get a slip of a paper and rush into the dining room, handing those papers to the waiters. The tables looked like various versions of gambling games, including a roulette wheel, blackjack table, and poker game.
"I thought gambling was illegal in Hawaii," I mumbled to myself.
"Oh, it is!" the friendly pink haired waiter said with a nervous smile. On a second look, he was around my body's age. So still a teenager. He was very slim as well, and kept glancing away from my eyes. "That's just the theme of our restaurant and hotel! We don't have any real gambling, but we have fun games you can play for your meal! You haven't been here before?"
"No. Giovanni invited me," I said grimly, looking him in the eyes.
"Giovanni," he didn't hold my gaze for long before looking away. Then he looked up nervously and bit his lip.
Man. Weird seeing the awkward teen thing again.
"As in the boss? Are you sure-"
"Of course he is, Danny," Giovanni strode up to us with the confidence of a king, Persian at his side as he smirked at us. "But I suppose I may have forgotten to inform you."
"Mr. Giovanni, sir!" Danny swallowed nervously. "I didn't-"
"You are quite all right, young man," Giovanni chuckled. "As I said, I didn't think my guest would be arriving so early."
"Yeah, well, I'm a motivated guy," I said with a glare. "Let's take care of business."
"Indeed," Giovanni turned, waving a hand. "Follow me."
I looked over at the waiter, looking him up and down slowly. His Rocket uniform was bringing up old memories of punching Rainbow Rocket members. Then I sighed slowly. "Nice to meet you Danny."
Danny, who had been blushing the entire time I'd looked him up and down, nodded quickly. "Y-You too!"
I turned and followed Giovanni, glaring at his back.
"Seriously. Rocket uniforms."
"Is that a question or a statement?" Giovanni smirked at me. "Yes. The uniform of all my employees is the same in this world as it is in all of them. Is that such a surprise?"
"Not as much as the casino look."
"Did you know gambling is illegal in this state?" Giovanni sighed sadly. "What a shame! The joy of gambling, the risk, the reward! The sorrow of a luck running dry, the adrenaline of a streak that will never end! Honestly, if they want to make gambling illegal because of its dangers, they might as well do the same to surfing. Far less people die from gambling than they do from surfing."
"Surfing isn't proven to be addictive."
"You clearly haven't surfed before," Giovanni hummed to himself, looking back at me. "Hawaii sacrifices many things in an attempt to be seen as a wonderful island paradise. What sort of paradise has such… authoritarian rules?"
"I'm going to be as polite as possible about this," I sighed. "I don't really have strong opinions on gambling as a whole, beyond that most casinos are literally built to shaft the people who enter them. Past that, I'm not the kind of person you want to talk to about this."
"A lack of strong opinions is often a lack of strong will."
"Then it's my strong opinion that I give less than a fuck."
"Ha!" Giovanni chuckled. Persian laughed alongside him. "Very well. Oh, and you may release your Pokemon if you wish," he entered through a pair of double doors. Beyond was a small dining room filled with food. Kalini and a blonde woman I didn't recognize were sat on one side of the table. On the other side was a muscular caucasian man with a tightly groomed mustache. He wore a black suit. But despite everything, I recognized him immediately. Lawton. "No one beyond these doors will say anything."
"Including the hot blonde woman?" I said, walking over to Kalini and the blonde woman in question. I sat next to Kalini.
"Well, aren't you cheeky?" she teased. "You flirt with every grown woman you meet, kid?"
"I don't flirt with anyone," I said with a sigh. "I'm just stating facts. Who are you, why does Giovanni trust you, and how's the shrimp?"
"Bacon wrapped!" Kalini answered my last question happily.
The blonde woman blinked at me, looking at Giovanni, then at me. "Well, I'm Roxanne Leech. Kalini's attorney, and Giovanni's legal counselor. I'll likely be your attorney as well if you end up arrested. Kahu Kiaʻi."
"Still can't pronounce that," I tried to hide my reaction to her name, but Deadshot was giving me an odd look. I must have revealed something.
Roxy Leech was a character in the DC Comics. A young woman somewhere around 18, who worked as a model while helping her dad, a get-rich-quick sleezy type who hid some actual character under that greedy demeanor of his. They'd been important characters in Superboy's life.
This Roxy looked very different. For one thing, while she wasn't old, she wasn't a teenager. She looked about twenty-five or so. A grown woman, rather than a young girl still finding her place in the world. And a lawyer, rather than a model, or even the cop she'd later become.
Well fuck it, all my meta knowledge was useless. Darkseid was probably the good guy in this universe.
I pushed those thoughts aside. "Well, Ms. Leech, it's a pleasure to meet you," I held out a hand, which she shook with some bemusement.
"You're a lot younger than I thought you were. Have you even passed high school kid?" she said skeptically.
"Doesn't really matter, does it?" I shook my head. "I'm in the middle of a gang war now. And wars have always been the job of young men to fight on the behalf of old men," I said with a small glance at Giovanni.
"...Well, you don't talk like a kid at least," she was staring at me like she had no clue what to say.
"How fantastic to know we're all getting along," Giovanni said with a smirk. "But we have something else to deal with. Your ID, as promised."
"In a single day?" I asked, taking a file from Roxanne.
"It wasn't easy, I will admit," Giovanni said with a smirk. "I gained it through some expensive, discrete, and perfectly legal channels."
"Perfectly, huh?"
He read my skepticism with ease. "Oh, maybe only on a technical level. But what was I to do?" he sighed dramatically, pressing the back of his hand to his forehead. "A poor and beleaguered young refugee, looking for a home and a mentor? Ah, the story simply tugs my heartstrings."
"..."
"You gotta hell of a glare, kid," Roxy said to me.
I ignored her to open the folder. My name was listed as Mahmood 'Amir Baz. Huh. Wonder if Simon Baz is kicking around somewhere. Still, the name would work. He'd listed me as eighteen, which, thank god. It was likely because dealing with things that came with teenagers was more annoying. There was a passport, a social security number, all sorts of nice stuff.
"Thank you very much," I said at last. "And really, you don't have a problem with any of this?" I directed the last at Roxy.
"If it means we can take down the dragons, I'm in," she said firmly. Then she looked between us. "Also. You guys are aliens?"
"Isn't everyone on the crazy place we call Earth? Everyone is an alien to someone, ya know?" I said without a hint of humour. Then I took out my Pokeballs.
First was Slugma. She wiggled as she appeared, looking around and giving everyone a cute smile.
"A lava… slug?" Kalini said while cocking his head to the side.
"Slugma?"
"Okay, I guess so. Do they all just say their own names?"
"Some of us say much more than that," Alakazam said as he came into existence. "I assume we are here to brainstorm our plan of attack."
"To say the least," Giovanni was looking at Slugma, who looked up at him curiously. "If I'd known you had a Slugma, I would have requested some sort of metallic treadmill brought in for her. Maybe some minerals for sustenance. As it is, I cannot allow some errant employee to walk in and see that the new Hawaiian superhero has an association with me."
"Mudkip," my starter said, hopping onto my shoulders. He narrowed his eyes at Persian. The cat smirked back, unperturbed.
"Yes, I suppose so," Giovanni watched as my Pokemon finished popping out. "Well. Now, we are gathered."
"Not bringing out yours?" I said.
Giovanni and I eyed each other. The tension in the room rose. Gurdurr strode over to stand beside me.
Then he raised a hand and snapped his fingers. Two flashes of light came from his waist.
They were massive. Not in height, as they were only around my height, but they had large and thickly built limbs like tree trunks, covered in thick plate armor. Their ears twitched as they crouched on either side of Giovanni, long tails waving. Deadshot stiffened as the tension in the room came to a head, and Giovanni and I kept our eyes on each other.
A Nidoking on his left. The purple-scaled Pokemon ran a tongue along his lips, looking at Mimikyu, Tyrunt, Gurdurr, then stopping his gaze on me. His fangs flashed.
A Nidoqueen on his right. She was less adversarial, simply sitting on her haunches and looking around the room with calm and peaceful eyes. Her blue scales glittered rather prettily in the light.
"Good, we're all here," I said.
Persian hopped into Giovanni's lap, while Tyrunt and Nidoking had a staring contest. Roxy swallowed nervously, clutching a bag to her chest. Kalini leaned back in his chair, looking like he was about to run.
"Time for a war council. Let's plan out how to kill an organization."