Rapture

Trine

“I don’t believe this… I had them!” Red shouted at the table surrounded by the other generals, “Not just one gym leader but two of them! Erika the plant gym leader was with her and I still beat them both down with ease just to find out you couldn’t do your part of taking down a novice gym with half of Team Rocket’s army?!”

“HEY PUNK!” Lt. Surge shouted back, “The gym was toast! Even with the plant gym’s people there, my guys had them whooped! It’s not my fault that intelligence didn’t anticipate that level of backup arriving for them!”

“Enough you two!” Sabrina put a hand to her head feeling a migraine coming on. “Yes it was a great oversight on our part not to expect the pallet trainers to get involved in the battle. Green managed to trick her way past Koga’s troops and free Brock’s little brother, allowing the two of them to attack Koga’s unit in full force, and Blue used almost pure strength to pry through Surge and his men. This doesn’t change our goals; we now only have extra steps.”

“Indeed,” The four looked to the door as Giovanni entered and took a seat at the head of the table. “It would seem we are in need of more prep work than I originally anticipated.”

“I’m sorry sir…” Sabrina bowed her head to the man.

Giovanni chuckled, “Losing our element of surprise is not my greatest concern. However this changes things around with my plans…” the man grabbed a remote and turned on a large screen in the room. “During the last few days Sabrina and I have deciphered what exactly it is the Elite Four are up to. This has peaked my immediate interest. As it would appear the majority of our forces are in need of serious training I want you all to set up your respective forces with a strict training regiment to be followed for the next few weeks. Make sure your colonels understand how to enforce the training procedures in your absence as you all are accompanying me on a business trip to the Elite Four’s island.”

Red smiled widely, his anger apparently forgotten, and threw his arms up in the air, “Alright! We’re going on a trip!”

“The Elite Four have been tampering with a particular device originally created by our own R and D efforts. I believe you are all familiar with this device, even you Red,” clicking a button on the remote, a round yellow slotted plate appeared on the screen. “This was the Badge Amplifier we used three years ago to fuse the powers of the three legendary birds into one weapon. It was powered by seven gym badges, the four we already had in our possession from the three of you and our deserter Blaine, and the other three Red had won from the other Gym leaders.”

Red nodded remembering his badges being stolen by Green who thought she could use the device herself… ‘Silly girl,’ he chuckled to himself.

“After that same battle, the Silph Building collapsed and we had assumed the device destroyed by the falling debris. It would appear as though the Elite Four had in actuality recovered the device mostly unharmed during the cleanup of the rubble, along with the seven gym badges.”

“So basically…” Lt. Surge surmised, “You want us to storm the Elite Four’s island and get this gadget back before they can use it against us.”

Giovanni quirked a smile, “Something like that.” He reached into his briefcase and started passing folders across the table, “I’m passing you information on your specified targets. I want you to be prepared to do combat with one of the Elite Four each.” Sabrina received a file with Agatha’s picture on it; Surge got the one for Lorelei, and Koga the one for Bruno. Giovanni kept the one for Lance in his hands. Red looked at the file expectantly. “I actually have a special assignment for you Red if you don’t mind… I’ll take care of Lance myself…”

Red nodded, “OK… works for me…”

The other three looked confused at Giovanni, not expecting him to take an active role in battling the Elite Four.

“Hey boss?” Surge spoke up again.

“Yes?”

“It’s just your plan is to have just us four… err… five, storm into the Elite Four’s domain and win? I’m no wuss or nothing, but those Elites have got an army of Pokémon you know?” Surge crossed his arms trying to make sense of the plan, “It just doesn’t seem like winning odds.”

Sabrina chuckled, “We have already anticipated the battle. You see the Elite Four do not control their vast Pokémon army directly. They give more general commands for them to follow through with and then directly control only a select few of their highly trained Pokémon actually kept at their side. This was the reason we decided before that a direct assault would not be wise as it would be countered with equal strength. However, first sneaking onto the island, and challenging the Elite Four face to face will keep them from issuing general commands to their larger legions, forcing them to concentrate on single battles.”

“Right…” Surge nodded blankly.

“She means that if we go in a small group we won’t provoke their army to attack in full force!” Koga hoped that clarified it the military man.

Surge shrugged, “If you say so…” Everyone sighed not caring to explain any further.

Giovanni clasped his hands together looking over his generals, “We leave in three days, you have that long to prepare your battle strategies and get your people training, understood?”

Everyone nodded, “Yes sir.”

“Good, then you’re all dismissed, except for Red. We need to discuss your task in our efforts against the Elites.” Surge and Koga immediately left the room. Sabrina started to leave but looked back at Giovanni as if she wanted to say something but decided against it and left as well.

“So what’s the plan?”

Giovanni shook his head, “That can wait… I wanted to make sure you’re alright first.”

Red leaned back in his chair, “Yeah I’m fine, I was just upset that I took on more than my part of the plan and they couldn’t handle having one extra trainer thrown at them…” Red rested his hands behind his head.

“That’s not what I mean…” Giovanni took a seat in the chair closest to Red’s.

“What then…?” Red sat up looking confused at Giovanni.

Giovanni rested a hand on Red’s knee as he spoke softly, “Surge messes things up all the time and I’ve never seen you get that upset… Something else angered you. Yesterday was the first time you’d seen those two girls in several years, how did it make you feel?”

Red sighed, “I… I didn’t feel anything for them… I remembered the times I’d spent with them, the things we’d done… but when I saw them… I just felt… nothing… It was like battling a total stranger, someone I could have cared less either way for…”

Gionvanni nodded, “What got you so emotional then?”

Red closed his eyes, “I… I got careless…”

“Oh?” Giovanni’s interest perked at Red’s cocky attitude leaving him.

“I was beating their Pokémon so easily… They didn’t stand a chance against my basic strategies,” Red chuckled to himself, “They played right into my one move, you know the one with my flailing Tyranitar? It was great!” Giovanni laughed with Red knowing exactly which one he was speaking of.

“So I guess I let my guard down not thinking they were any threat to me. The psychic one got around my perception while I was giving orders to Spinda and got her hands on my head…” Red looked down at the floor.

Giovanni nodded understanding, “What did she see?”

Red shook his head, “I don’t know… it could have been nothing… it could have been everything… She kept jabbing at my head as if she were looking for something though… Yeah I could feel it, she wanted to find something… and then she let go when it wasn’t there…”

Giovanni smirked to himself realizing they were looking to undo the effects of hypnosis. How disappointed they must have been to realize this was no spell Red was under…

“Just the fact that she was poking around in my head so viscously though… I got angry…” Red pulled a Poké Ball off his belt, “I had Pika flood the room with Discharge, attacking even the two gym leader girls…” Red was quiet for a moment staring at the Poké Ball, “There was a plant Pokémon on the field that had a resistance to lightning. I wasn’t thinking straight and had Pika concentrate a Mega Volt on the Pokémon. Even if it was resistant to electric attacks, a Thunderbolt from Pika would have been more than enough to knock it out. I… I…” Red took a deep breath and let it out calmly still staring at the ball, “I made Pika kill that Bellosom…”

Giovanni nodded realizing now that Red’s anger, though originally spurred by the mental probe, became focused toward himself. His strong empathy for Pokémon probably wouldn’t allow him to forgive himself very easily for taking a Pokémon’s life. Giovanni pulled the boy from his seat and had him straddle his lap. Holding the boy tight to him he whispered in his ear, “It’s alright Red… This is a war… Wars have casualties… it’s not your fault”

A sigh escaped Red’s breath as he leaned his head on the man’s shoulder. Giovanni let him stay like that for a while, “Remember we’re out for the greater good… the casualties incurred in these battles won’t even matter when we’re done, so cheer up.” Giovanni placed his hand on Red’s chin bringing the boy’s face to face his own. Lowering his lips onto the boy he captured him in a sensitive kiss.

Only a second into the kiss, the door slid open, “Sir I…” Sabrina was caught off guard finding the two locked in a passionate moment.

Red heard Sabrina walk in and tried to pull away from Giovanni to save face, however the man held him in place with a strong hand behind his head. Letting the kiss end on its own, Giovanni finally turned to Sabrina, “Yes?”

Sabrina blushed realizing she’d been staring, “Excuse me… sir… we received a report from R and D that construction of the A-R57 Skyship is behind schedule by possibly another two to three months…” Sabrina choked out still not taking her eyes off of Red sitting on Giovanni’s lap.

“This is unfortunate… Have development division six postpone their Omnidrone project to aid division two with construction,” Giovanni stated calmly as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Sabrina didn’t seem to be moving though, “Anything else?” he asked calmly.

“No sir!” Sabrina turned and left the room, letting the door slide shut behind her.

Red listened as her strong clacking steps echoed down the hall, “Well that wasn’t a good thing…” Red shook his head.

Giovanni nodded, “Delaying our plans for months more than where they already are would not leave us with favorable conditions…”

Red looked at Giovanni confused a moment thinking the man didn’t understand what he meant. When a grin crossed Giovanni’s face he knew he was just being teased, “I didn’t think you wanted them to know about us?”

Giovanni shook his head, “It was bound to come out sooner or later, I just didn’t want to rub it in their faces.”

“Oh…” Red thought about it for a moment, but was shaken from it as Giovanni began to nuzzle his neck making him laugh as the man’s tongue raked against the sensitive skin.

Sabrina marched through the base storming right past her other two counterparts, “Whoa chicka, what’s up?” Surge gestured with his arms out at Sabrina’s hurriedness.

Sabrina turned to look at the man, an angry blush still flushed across her face. She thought for a moment to find the words and finally settled on, “Nothing!” not even saying anything about the “chicka” remark she continued her march down the base.

“Whoa… I wonder what’s gotten into her all of a sudden…” Surge went back to making his coffee.

Koga chuckled to himself, “She probably just barely found out what happens behind that door.”

Surge looked oddly at Koga, “Behind what door?”

Koga sighed, “Never mind…” Taking his own coffee Koga left to make preparations for his Ninja’s training schedule.

“Hey why am I the one being left out?!” Surge yelled at no one particular.

Sabrina had made it across the building to her quarters. She slammed the door hard after she entered causing the passer bys in the hall to stop and stare out of surprise. For one of the few times in her life Sabrina found herself unable to think straight. She leaned against the wall rubbing her temples being unable to pinpoint how exactly she was feeling.

Sabrina wasn’t sure why she had been so shocked… She had been picking up on subtle clues of something going on between them for the last three years… so it should have been expected by now… She shouldn’t be concerned…

Up until that point though… Sabrina realized she’d managed to ignore those signs. She had brushed off the thoughts as being paranoia and that nothing could possibly be happening there like that… Why would she have struggled so hard to think that way for so long though?

Sabrina walked slowly into her bedroom. Still with a mostly blank expression on her face, she looked around the very plainly decorated room. She had nothing of interest in her bedroom save one framed photo on her bedside. It was a photo from years ago when she had first become a general for Team Rocket. In the photo, Giovanni had his arm around her shoulder and was smiling at the camera. A half smile had crossed her lips as well when the picture was taken.

After staring at the photo for a few moments Sabrina fell to her knees by her bedside. She pulled the picture to her chest and began to actually cry into her bed. She had never admitted this to herself before this moment… but she knew beyond a doubt… that she was in love with Giovanni…

“It’s not fair!” She cried pressing her face into her pillow. Sabrina fought a hard battle within her own mind. Her rationale told her there was obviously nothing that could be done and that never would her love be returned so there was no reason to worry about it. Her emotions however demanded retribution for their rage… for their long stent of loyalty and this sudden feeling of betrayal… Her rational countered once again with the fact that Giovanni never promised her anything beyond business partnership, and that anything more was only a fantasy of her own doing.

Sabrina took a few long deep breaths realizing she needed to compose herself immediately or her mental powers would go into overdrive and overwhelm her…

Putting an end to her train of thought, Sabrina decided she needed to continue on as she had been before and just bury what she saw deep where it wouldn’t affect her work. She stood and calmly walked into the bathroom where she reconditioned her appearance in front of the mirror reapportioning her stoic demeanor and then set off to follow through with her given instructions.

The four generals trained their people to follow very different disciplines. Sabrina had her legions focus on the mind. Even those without much psychic potential would train in deciphering the subtleties in their opponent’s techniques and expose their tactical flaws. Koga trained his legions in the arts of stealth, deception, and enfeeblement believing that by weakening any opponent enough even the weakest of attacks if planned right could be catastrophic. Surge trained his people in pure brute force. In becoming an unstoppable machine they could lay waste to any who got in their way. Red showed his troops the importance of having a proper balance. By spreading focus on all the different aspects of combat they may not have especially excelled in any particular field, but it didn’t leave major weaknesses exposed either.

With the training regimented under way, the Team Rocket generals began preparation for their own attack on the Elite Four.

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