Chapter 30:XVIII. Back from the dead: My demons
Sitting in his 'room' Ash thought about the whole encounter with Steven. He didn't expect him to be one of the men he registered and who were getting dangerously close to his home. This could get dangerous. If Team Rocket will catch a word about his whereabouts than there would be a big problem. And he still needs more time. Maybe he shouldn't tell him he is named Red. That could give them another a clue. And the encounter with Steven reminded him of another situation.
Examining that damn necklace in hand, Ash was wondering what to do with it. He can't very well give it back to Steven. Not right now anyway.
And Steven probably gave up on this necklace a long time ago. Maybe Cynthia will know what to do with it?
Ash looked around the cave until he finally saw her. She was now introducing her Garchomp to Ash's Sableye. And it looked like her Garchomp isn't very pleased with Sableye's behavior.
"Anger anyone but her Sableye. Please. No pranks on her. Her Draco Meteor would be the end of this cave." said Ash through the link.
"Really?" asked Sableye.
"Yes. That's one Pokemon even I am afraid of. Especially if she has Cynthia's temperament." replied Ash.
"Well... How about we find out?" asked Sableye sinisterly as the Ghost Pokemon was preparing to do something.
"Mewtwo? Will you help me with this one?" asked Ash hopefully again through the link.
"How? Psychic attacks don't affect Sableye and I use only psychic attacks." replied Mewtwo.
When Ash looked where Cynthia, Sableye, and Garchomp once was, Sableye was gone. Ash got up, put the necklace inside his pocket inside the cloak and walked to Cynthia to warn her that his Sableye is up to no good. Hopefully he will make it in time. You never know when the purple devil will strike.
But before he reached her, Sableye, with a bucket of what looked like Muk's slime reached them and from above, dumbed the slimy, sticky and smelly substance on both Cynthia and Garchomp.
"What is this?!" asked Cynthia surprised with a disgusted face. She involuntarily inhaled the scent of the purple substance, and right after it, her pale skin turned blue and her hand pinched her nose.
"God that smells awful!" exclaimed Cynthia.
However, her Garchomp didn't have this peaceful reaction. Immediately when Garchomp saw Sableye smiling with a bucket in hand, Garchomp surrounded herself in a blue energy and jumped at Sableye with impressive speed.
But before she could destroy Sableye with a powerful Dragon Rush, another Pokemon jumped and stopped Garchomp's advance.
With two prolonged, white, glowing claws, Ash's own Garchomp stopped Cynthia's Garchomp in midair. And he had a lot of work to keep her Dragon Rush at bay. With his white claws trembling and pushing more and more, Ash's Garchomp was nearing his limit. Eventually both Dragon Rush and Slash faded and both Pokemon landed on the ground staring at each other with neutral expressions. Meanwhile, Sableye just disappeared from the scene like nothing has happened.
"How about we stop this before somebody gets hurt?" asked Ash.
"And what if I want somebody to get hurt?" asked Cynthia's Garchomp in pokespeech.
"Hey. Easy there, girl. If you want, you can have a proper match with Sableye later. You can release your frustration there." replied Ash.
"I would advise to get used to that, however. It's kinda Sableye's thing." said Garchomp with a neutral expression to Cynthia's Garchomp. All the while Cynthia was trying to get rid of the mess Ash's Sableye made to her clothes.
"Then you better get used to the fact Sableye will take responsibility for these actions. I will not be someone's laughing stock." said Cynthia's Garchomp sternly.
"To be perfectly honest, you already are." said Ash's Garchomp with a smug smile on his face.
And when Cynthia's Garchomp looked around she saw several Pokemon laughing like crazy at Cynthia and Garchomp. And on instinct Cynthia's Garchomp enveloped herself in pink and yellow energy, and was ready to gain some respect back.
"Garchomp. Stop." said Cynthia calmly, still covered in the sticky smelly substance and pinching her nose. And with a simple command, Garchomp's energy evaporated.
"Well. That was easy." thought Ash. He expected some kind of anger burst from Cynthia too, but surprisingly, now, she was surprisingly calm. Too calm.
Cynthia looked at Ash and spoke. "Tell Sableye to apologize and never to do this thing again, and we will forget this... thing." said Cynthia looking at drenched clothes.
"Hehe. About that. I... don't think that is a... feasible request." said Ash nervously scratching the back of his head.
"And why is that?" asked Cynthia with a stern look.
"Well. Sableye is... Sableye." answered Ash.
"And that is supposed to be an answer?" replied Cynthia.
"Well... It's just. It can quickly get boring inside this cave. And thanks to Sableye, there is always something to laugh at with him around. So I let these pranks of his slide." said Ash.
"Easy for you to say. I am the one covered in this mess. Not you!" replied Cynthia angrily. Ash just chuckled and replied.
"I was covered in much worse. Do you know what that little devil did to me during those three years? This isn't even scratching the surface of his creativity. You just have to expect that sometimes, you will be laughed at instead of laughing at the misfortune of others." said Ash.
Looking at Cynthia, Ash was surprised when she sighed and said "Fine". But Ash saw that it wasn't fine. She looked unhappy. Frustrated. Even without his powers activated he could see that something was still bothering Cynthia.
"What's bothering you?" asked Ash. Whatever is bothering Cynthia, it was clear that she doesn't want to talk about it. She wasn't even trying to look at him. The grassy floor beneath them seemed much more interesting to her.
Ash couldn't bear seeing Cynthia like this, so he acted. Raising his right hand he gently lifted her chin. "This solemn expression doesn't suit you. What is bothering you?" he said gently.
"Do you take me seriously, Ash?" she asked in a low tone.
"Of course I do! You are the Great Champion of Kanto!" Ash replied.
"It doesn't look like it." said Cynthia.
"Huh?"
"It's just, while I've been here, you are making fun of me. And I am OK with it. For the most part. But, when all you are doing is making fun of me, I am wondering if you care about me at all. I am trying not to change anything you have established here and I am trying to fit in with all of you, but I feel like I will never be able to fit in." she said.
"Cynthia. You are fitting in perfectly. Sableye's actions are a great example. You have been here for just 2 days and Sableye already took a liking to you. That's saying something. Even though he could choose a different method to express it. We all respect you. But we try to take it lightly here. Fighting with Team Rocket is very stressful for all of us so we try to enjoy our time when we are not fighting on the front against them." Ash said.
"I get that. But I just want to have a normal conversation with you from time to time. You didn't even tell me how the encounter with those man that came in here went. I want to talk with you about normal things and not just be teased and laughed at all the time." said Cynthia.
"If you wish to speak to me about casual things, then consider your wish granted. But with that teasing part. I don't know if I can help it. You are just so damn cute when you are all embarrassed and blushing."
"Come on Ash! You just said you will stop making fun of me!" she said angrily.
"I am not making fun of you. I am dead serious, you really are cute when you are blushing." said Ash.
There it is. That cute blushing face again. Not that she didn't look cute otherwise. But without the redness in her cheeks, she looks more... Ash didn't have a word for it. Maybe graceful? Majestic? Something on that front. Gaining respect just from the way she walks and holds her posture.
"So, I fit in here?" she asked with the redness in her cheeks slowly fading away. She was looking around the cave like she was trying to check if the words that Ash spoke were true. The Pokemon that listened to their conversation nodded in approval, which caused Cynthia to smile.
"Of course you are. The fact you are now involved in our pranks means you are no longer just a guest but one of us." Ash said sincerely.
Finally, she smiled again. Yeah, that's the expression that can light day to everyone around. Ash has to make sure she will smile a lot more.
"So you expect me to just be laughed at?!" said Cynthia's Garchomp angrily, who was watching the whole conversation. And it seems Ash will have to calm another female.
"Kinda. Next time you will be laughing at the misfortune of other Pokemon. So I think it's a fair trade." said Ash.
"Fair trade?! What about him! Who will be laughing at him!" said angrily Garchomp.
"Calm down. We are returning his favors once in a while too. It is a fair trade." said Ash.
"Trade whatever you want with him, just don't get me involved." said Cynthia's Garchomp.
"Arceus, you are incredibly uptight. Can't you have fun once in a while?" asked Ash's Garchomp.
"I guess my Garchomp isn't very pleased with being laughed at." Cynthia asked as the two Garchomps argued.
"You could say that." replied Ash. "And you are OK with it then?" asked Ash.
"As long as it is not me every day, then why not. I guess it's much funnier when it happens to the others." said Cynthia inspecting her drenched smelly clothes.
"You have no idea." said Ash as he was beginning to laugh at Cynthia covered in the purple mess from head to toe.
"So it's that funny to you?" asked Cynthia with a smirk on her face.
"Yes." replied still laughing Ash.
"Than how about I give you a big, smelly hug to show how much I appreciate that you took us in." said Cynthia as she spread her drenched arms and slowly walked towards Ash. Ash's eyes widened and he slowly backed from Cynthia.
"I believe that will not be necessary, Cynthia." said Ash as he held his hand in front of him and started slowly backing off.
"I think it is, you troublemaker." she said and chased Ash through the Haven.
"What is happening, Ash?" asked Pikachu.
"Huh?" replied Ash.
Ash and Pikachu were both now in front of a big fireplace with another Pokemon just enjoying the evening.
"I asked what's happening?" asked Pikachu again.
"Nothing. Just a lot of things on my mind lately." said Ash.
In truth, there were not many things on his mind. Only two. Team Rocket and Cynthia. And the latter was all he could think about right now. Thanks to Sableye, Cynthia is taking a bath in their pond to clean herself. Thankfully, Cynthia didn't catch him, so she is taking the bath alone.
She is just awesome. How could she think that Ash didn't care about her? Yeah, he makes fun of her, but he thought that Cynthia saw it as harmless joking. Well, it is true that he was making fun of her a lot.
He should probably consider how she is feeling. She has to have the same worries as he had when he disappeared. Like her grandmother and what will that do to her. On top of that, she is a Champion; another thing that has to be on her mind a lot. Maybe that's why she wants to talk to him in a more serious way. Arceus how he was so blind? Of course, she is stressed because of that! Thankfully he has some tips to ease the guilt she is feeling. He went through it too after all.
Still thinking, he watched the berries grow on the bushes before the pond. Why did he plant those bushes before the pond? How he wished they would be anywhere else. Maybe Ash should let himself be caught and get that smelly hug. He would have an excuse to visit the pond behind those bushes. It's hard not to think about it. She is right behind them. Naked as the day she was born and cleaning herself. Running her wet hands on that smooth, snow white skin of hers. Maybe even...
"Stop!" thought Ash.
How did Aura Guardians get the honorable reputation they got? It's so hard not to just get up and peak at Cynthia bathing. How could they restrain themselves? If not for his Pokemon, he would probably be already peeping over the bush like some pervert. Is it just him, or were Aura Guardians struggling with this too? Or is it just a puberty?
"Ash!" yelled out Pikachu snapping Ash out of his thoughts.
"Huh?" asked Ash again.
"Are you still here? You have your head in clouds far too often lately." said Pikachu who jumped on Ash's shoulder.
"Sorry." said Ash.
Minutes passed by and Ash with all the Pokemon, even Cynthia's, were eating the food which Mewtwo brought today around the big fireplace in the center of the Haven. Today's menu was pizza. And a bunch of Pokemon food for Pokemon. Some Pokemon even tried the pizza which Mewtwo brought, but most of them spit it out in disgust.
"Interesting. Cakes are OK, but pizzas are not." thought Ash.
Looking around their campfire, Ash smiled when he saw a lot of Pokemon getting along with Cynthia's.
Cynthia's Lucario and Gardevoir seemed to get along pretty well so far. They were talking about Cynthia right now and how she caught Lucario, and Gardevoir was listening carefully to not miss any part of the story.
Cynthia's Spiritomb and Ash's Toxicroak were in some kind of staring contest. Maybe even not moving context. Hard to tell from the few croaks and weird sounds that Spiritomb is making. They just stood/float opposite of each other.
Cynthia's Roserade was getting a lot of attention from Sceptile, Infernape, and Glalie. But it seemed like Roserade was enjoying the attention she was getting from the male Pokemon unlike Ash's bashful Gardevoir before. Ash even heard Roserade suggesting some naughty things to the trio which nearly caused Ash's Pokemon to faint.
Cynthia's Gastrodon was by far the weirdest of the group of Pokemon Cynthia has. Weirder than Spiritomb. Gastrodon always just slithered to one of Ash's Pokemon, stared at them for about five minutes straight and in the next second, she slithered to another one. Repeating this over and over again.
Ash had to chuckle when he saw Cynthia's and his own Milotic. Ash's Milotic wrapped herself around Kingler and was shooing Cynthia's Milotic away from them. Which was pointless and Cynthia's Milotic was still trying to get between them. Poor Kingler had no idea what was happening.
Then there were the Garchomps. It was easy to see that Cynthia's Garchomp was eyeing Sableye and was getting ready to destroy him not just by her stare. Thankfully Ash's Garchomp stopped it before the fight could even start. Which Cynthia's Garchomp did not take lightly and they start to argue again.
But all in all, the Haven was in a great mood. Pokemon talking to each other, some jokes here and there, one could forget they were even on a mission to save the world in the first place.
"It's nice, isn't it?" asked Pikachu in his pokespeech with a warm smile on his face. Seems like Ash wasn't the only one who registered the great mood in the Haven. Looking at his own Pokemon family having a great time, Ash could only agree.
"It sure is Pikachu."
But there was one Pokemon that was staring at Ash the whole time. A Pokemon sitting just beside him with a look that said something is on his mind. "Is something bothering you, Mewtwo?" asked Ash finishing his slice of pizza.
"No. But there is something bothering you." said Mewtwo still with eyes glued to Ash.
"Apart from the obvious such as Team Rocket and my left hand, no." replied Ash still not knowing why Mewtwo was so deep in thoughts.
"And what about your sleep?" asked Mewtwo.
Sleep. Those nightmares just refuse to disappear. But somehow, he doesn't feel the torture in those dreams. Well in the beginning yes. He can recall it clearly. The desperation. The longing for death to come. How he was shouting and begging Domino to kill him. But then, again, that blue aura hand made the torture painless. He was still getting stabbed, but he didn't feel it. And today, it was not just Aura hand.
"It's a little complicated in that department." said Ash, sadly. So Mewtwo knows about his nightmares. Dammit.
"Then tell me what is happening in your sleep." said Mewtwo.
No point in hiding it now. So Ash told him what he wanted. However, Ash didn't go into much detail. Basically what he said to Mewtwo was that he was tortured and somehow Aura makes the torture painless in those dreams. Sometimes.
"Do you know why it is painless?" asked Mewtwo curiously.
"No." replied Ash.
"I think you should thank lady Shirona. She is the reason why you don't feel the torture." said Mewtwo.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" asked confused Ash.
"Last night you were screaming in your sleep. You had the nightmare. We tried to wake you up, but you just refused to wake up no matter what we did. Then lady Shirona came over and with a simple touch, you stopped screaming." replied Mewtwo.
"Was that why she was in my sleeping bag with me?" asked Ash.
"Yes."
So that's the reason. Now it makes much more sense than before. He really can't give her a break, can he? Because he has bad dreams she has to stay with him throughout the night like he is some baby. "I am really pathetic." he thought.
"I think I can help you, Ash." said Mewtwo
"I don't want my memories altered or changed Mewtwo." replied Ash already knowing what Mewtwo had in mind for him.
"Why not? You know that it would ease your soul if you would not remember it." said Mewtwo.
"As much as I would want to not go through that experience, I did. It is now part of me and I have to deal with it alone." said Ash.
"You don't have to do everything alone, Ash." said Mewtwo back.
"I know. And it is tempting to forget about it all. But I had my memories wiped once by you and let me tell you, it was not pleasant. I always knew something was just missing in my head. And I could not figure out what it was no matter how hard I tried. I don't want to feel like that again. Even though I am broken right now, I am still whole. I wouldn't have that 'whole' feeling if you would wipe my memories." said Ash.
"I don't have to wipe them out. I can alter them, Ash. I know how now." said Mewtwo.
"And how would you explain the scars to me? Some explosion? Pokemon fight? Yeah, right. That would create a scar like a lightning collar on my neck. No. I don't want someone in my head again. I went through it dozen of times and I don't want to to have my head being manipulated with ever again. As one wise lady once said. "The bad memories will always be there. The only thing you can do is try to beat them with the joyful ones." And I intend to follow the advice she gave me." said Ash. And that's not the only reason.
It's barbaric, but he wants to remember what they did to him when he will make his way through the grunts in their HQ. There he will release all of his frustrations and anger. And once he does, they will know that day of reckoning has come. Just like his father promised them.
They should have killed him when they had a chance. That was their grave mistake. And his great luck. Where are they anyway? The trio couldn't get far in the massive storm. Are they OK? Did any of them of them get seriously injured? Or worse? Ash could never forgive himself if it would come to that.
"Fine, Ash. If that's what you wish. But what about your lively nightmares? We will not fall asleep with you shouting in your sleep." said Mewtwo.
"Well, he can always sleep with Cynthia. I think Ash rather enjoyed it. Am I right?" asked Pikachu trying to lighten up the mood.
"You know me far too well, buddy." said Ash and he chuckled. "But I don't want to force Cynthia, into something she is not comfortable with again. She already has it hard as it is. Just find me some cloth gag and I should be fine."
"Force me into what?" asked the gentle voice approaching the campfire.
Cynthia emerged from the bushes and she looked gorgeous as always. With a towel on her head, she approached walking through the grass in the cave, barefoot, like some lady of the Forest. At least that is how Ash saw it. And Arceus that blue bathrobe she is wearing is too small for Cynthia in certain areas. Shaking those thoughts off, Ash had to calm himself again. These inappropriate thoughts are creeping their way into his mind too often lately. What the hell is wrong with him? Ash had an important matter to discuss!
"Thank you, Cynthia." said Ash, sincerely, to which Cynthia chuckled and answered.
"Why? I didn't do anything."
"Subduing my nightmares is doing something. At least for me." said Ash. Thinking about it, why was it her touch that calmed him down? Another Aura power?
Cynthia looked surprised and she even blushed a little. No doubt thinking about how the morning between the two of them went.
"O-Ou. That? It-It was nothing." Cynthia stuttered out the answer. Yeah, just like he thought, it was pretty embarrassing for her. She really does look cute though. He will miss that face when he wakes up in the morning with a gag in his mouth instead of a scent of vanilla.
"Nonetheless I appreciate it. Mewtwo told me why you went into my sleeping bag." said Ash and Cynthia again turned scarlet.
"I told Ash that you went into Ash's sleeping bag to subdue his nightmares." said Mewtwo. And for some reason, Cynthia released a sigh of relief. "Is there something I am not aware of?" Ash thought when he saw Cynthia's reaction.
"So from now on, you can sleep in your own sleeping bag." said Ash.
"Thanks." Cynthia replied but quickly followed her thanks with a question. "But what about your nightmares? Will you still have them?"
"..."
"I take that as a yes..." Cynthia said sadly.
"I will make sure I will not disturb your sleep tonight, Cynthia. Just sleep well and do not worry about me." said Ash.
"I worry about you. Ash, you want to get your hand cut off. You... You want to die in those nightmares. I just want to help you get rid of them." she said.
"You are kind. But, I can't force you to sleep with me every time some bad dream comes up. It's not right." said Ash.
"I was heading to another Champion meeting one day. I expect the usual. Steven's flirting with Caitlin. Caitlin slapping Steven when his comments would get really naughty and off hand. Lance's stern face which wouldn't light up unless his wife was near him. And of course Tobias's creepy, quiet, presence in the room, to which I am still getting used to. But not even a few minutes into the meeting, strange things began to happen." Cynthia started.
"Cynthia. Where are you going with this?" asked Ash. This doesn't tie up to their situation at all.
"Blue aura lines and stains began to appear on my body." said Cynthia and she made her way to Ash and sat down next to him with all the other Pokemon.
"W-What?" asked Ash in a confused tone.
"A meeting was going on. Charles was talking about something I can't recall right now, when I felt a tingle in my right shoulder. And out of nowhere, a small blue cut glowed from my shoulder from right here." she said and tucked Ash's shirt over his right shoulder to reveal a stab wound from the shiv he received. She gently scraped over the wound with her gentle and soft hands before parting her pink lips and start talking again
"That was the first one. Am I right?" she asked looking Ash into the eyes.
Ash visibly tensed when she looked at him. He doesn't like talking about his wounds and the time spent in that small, dark and bloody room, but Cynthia's touch just makes all of his fears disappear. The tension disappeared as soon as it appeared. Ash just silently nodded to Cynthia's question. The nod was nervous, short and slow, but Cynthia caught it.
"Your forearm and chest were next to get cut. I know where they cut you. I know what they did to you. And I can still hear your plea. I remember your every word." she said with watery eyes.
"Help. Please, somebody. Help me. Please. I don't know how long I can handle this. Please. I don't want to. It hurts. It hurts so much. Lucario. Mewtwo. Somebody. Anybody. Please. Save me. I am not strong enough."
"And then the scream. The scream so raspy and deep I thought they were torturing a beast and not a man. I thought I was crazy. Everyone in the meeting room thought so too, but now I know otherwise. It was you." Cynthia said gently as a tear escaped her eye.
"I wasn't able to help you back then, but I will make sure that I will help you now. I will not let you go through these things in your dreams again if I can help it." she said looking Ash straight into his blue eyes.
"Cynthia. These are my demons to deal with. You don't have to do this." Ash said
"I want to. I want to help you Ash. If you will not let me in your sleeping bag, I will just lie next to you and touch your shoulder like I did in my bed. The Haven is much colder from my bedroom, but I will handle it. Now it's my time to help you. You already did too much for this world. And even a hero deserves a helping hand." she said, sitting still right in front of him looking into his blue magical eyes.
Ash could only stare at the beauty sitting right next to him. Angel in a black coat he once called her. He couldn't be more accurate.
But it is frustrating. Being weak. And useless. He is supposed to be the great savior of this world, but he can't eat properly without someone helping him. He can't cloth himself. He can't fight. And he is haunted by nightmares. It's hard getting used to this change since not so long ago, he had the power to bring an entire region to its knees. Now the world brought him to his knees. And it's really hard to get back up from such a powerful blow like this.
"Lady Shirona is right. If you don't want me to help you, then at least let lady Shirona help." said Mewtwo.
Even Mewtwo? Ash hoped that at least his best buddy will back him up, but when he looked at Pikachu, even he had the eyes that were telling him to agree with Cynthia and accept the helping hand she offered him.
"Fine." Ash admitted in defeat.
"But you will be in my sleeping bag with me. We wouldn't want your pretty face to catch a cold would we?" said Ash getting back to his usual self. Cynthia blushed again and gave Ash a warm smile before standing up and making her way to Garchomp to calm her down.
"Ash. If you won't take her, I will." said Pikachu on his left shoulder who saw the whole exchange. Ash in return gave Pikachu a hard look.
"What? She is a keeper. I am sure she would treat me with ketchup and spoil me to bits. Who wouldn't want that?" said Pikachu.
"I treat you with ketchup and spoil you!" Ash retorted.
"Hmm. True. Then what are you waiting for? Go and make her yours! The two of you together means twice as much ketchup for me." said Pikachu smugly and Ash didn't answer. He just laughed, but even though he was laughing, he couldn't help but wonder, what their life together would look like.
The black ceiling of his room was somehow entertaining to look at. Sitting on a soft office chair in his office he wondered how everything went to shit.
The grunts came back and said that they killed the Aura Guardian and Champion of Kanto. They even had photos of Champion's villa and the blood with bullets all over the room. And truly looked like they did their job. But the fact Domino was brought here unconscious just doesn't fit in.
Their stories were similar. Aura Guardian brought Domino down before a salvage of bullets pierced his and Champions body leaving them dead. That would make sense, but then the Alakazam would not be summoned to Domino if the others were there with her and she wouldn't be in danger. What exactly happened? The grunts are telling the truth. Alakazam ran through their thoughts and it all kinda fits. But the thing is, there was not a single photo of Aura Guardians body or even Champions for that matter.
When he heard that the Aura Guardian escaped, he instantly recalled the words that Red motherfucker told him. For some reason, his prediction haunted him all the time. When he caught the Aura Guardian, he thought he indeed had already won. He even made sure that he will not contact anyone and that he was in no condition to escape.
Fuck that trio. Those bird brains. How could they come up with a successful plan to escape? They were always so stupid that they couldn't even manage to capture that superpowered Pikachu they always so dreamily talked about. Idiots. When he finds them, he will make sure Domino will put them through a lot of torture. And even when they will beg him to die, he will keep them alive just so they will feel the pain.
That motherfucker is alive. He is almost sure about it. It shouldn't be that easy to kill him. Bullets never even reached him so it doesn't make sense that now, somehow he would get hit by them. Suddenly someone knocked on the door.
"Come in." said Giovanni bringing his attention from the ceiling to the iron door in his office. Because Domino is still unconscious, a brown-haired man acted as his ‚secretary'.
"Sir. I bring two good news." said the grunt kneeling in front of his boss.
"Speak." Giovanni said without a hint of emotions in his voice.
"We found a trail in the storm. If our forces will move fast, Jessie, James, and Meowth will be caught very soon." said the man.
"Good to hear. And the other news?" said Giovanni with a lack of emotion.
"The Psychic experiments are nearly finished. In a month, you should have your own Psychic who obeys your every command." said the grunt.
Giovanni couldn't suppress his sinister smile. Finally.
Psychics were an interesting bunch of people. When his men and women in the lab tried to experiment with men and give them the Psychic powers, their brains turned into a mush. Literally. What it caused he knew not, but there is some difference between a woman's and man's brain that enables women to withstand the power of Psychics and men not to.
That is how Mewtwo should be like. An obedient Psychic slave who will obey his every command. Fucking Pokemon and his need for finding his purpose. His purpose was by his side and make the whole world kneel before him. Well, he will have a better Psychic slave. And the fact it will be a woman brings another plus onto the table.
"Good. You are dismissed." said Giovanni and the man left the room. Very good news indeed. When he will have one Psychic, making of the others will be a piece of cake. And how well can one Aura Guardian can fare against an army of a superpowered people? Plus his grunts and Pokemon?
He is just unreasonably afraid. Even if he is alive, there is no way one Aura Guardian can withstand this all. No matter what Red said, Giovanni will complete his conquest. And then the whole world will know and fear the name of Team Rocket.