Rapture

Recluse

Red balanced the Master Ball on the back of his hand as he watched the doctors examine Blaine in the medical cell. They had been monitoring his condition for the last several hours and it appeared he wouldn’t be waking up any time soon.

“Well?” Giovanni asked impatiently to the doctor who approached with the results from the latest tests.

The doctor shook his head, “If we had gotten to him sooner… I’m afraid he’s comatose… there’s no telling when or if he will ever wake up again. The Mew cells in his body are still reacting violently. I’d imagine this can’t be near as bad as it was during the actual battle which means his body was simply pushed beyond its limits.”

Red flicked the Master Ball into the air and caught it with a swipe of his arm, “I guess I really should have taken it easier on him.” Red’s tone of voice was still completely void of remorse for the man.

Giovanni shook his head, “The worst part is that he took his knowledge of restoring Pokémon fossils with him… We are now in possession of Mewtwo, and he still serves functional to us in other ways… I’m sorry about Aero though…”

Red shook his head, “It’s my fault letting it happen… I’ll deal with it…” Red turned to leave the room and Giovanni followed close behind him.

Once the two of them were outside, Giovanni wrapped his arms around Red consolingly. Neither said a thing as Red grabbed onto the man’s arms where they rested on his shoulders and leaned back into him. A sigh escaped Red’s lips as he shut his eyes and tried not to think too much about it.

Giovanni removed Red’s cap and pressed his lips to the boy’s head. He kissed Red softly and leaned closer to whisper to his ear, “What can I do to help you?”

Red shook his head, “I’ll be alright… really… Just give me some time to walk it off OK?”

Giovanni nodded and released his hold on Red, “If you need anything at all, come to me. No matter what I’m doing, I’ll push that all aside for you, OK?”

Red smiled weakly and turned around. With a quick hop he wrapped his arms around the man’s neck and kissed him deeply. The kiss was quick but meaningful, “Thank you…” Red let go and started to walk away.

Giovanni grinned to himself knowing Red would be fine and went back to refining his plans.


After walking around the base for a several minutes, Red realized his little talk with Giovanni really made him feel better. He felt lucky having the man in his life. Something about that thought bothered him though.

Red spent about an hour in the training rooms making sure the colonel that had been assigned to him was following through on the training regiment he made up for his legions. After looking over everything and making a few adjustments Red continued his wondering about.

The psychic brigade was training at the same time Red happened to be down on the gym floor. Deciding to take a peek at their antics, Red scanned over the room observing all of the psychic, dark, and ghost Pokémon battling about. Sabrina was also in the room towards the back going over instructions with her higher echelons.

As Red’s focus fell on the psychic girl, she looked up and their eyes met from across the room. That feeling of emptiness crept up on Red again as the rest of the world blackened out. He wasn’t sure what was going on and quickly stumbled out of the room.

Trying to clear his head, Red knew this wasn’t some kind of psychic trick Sabrina was pulling on him… She was actually giving off some kind of dark, sad aura. Red wasn’t sure why, but he felt for some reason that he was part of the cause.

Red’s mind immediately flew to things he might have done to upset Sabrina. He liked the girl a lot, she was a good friend to him, and he hoped he hadn’t done something to truly hurt her… He knew she had a tendency to introvert and then blow up emotionally at times… but this was different… this was darker.

Several hours had gone by before Red was sure the training sessions had all ended. Deciding he needed to speak privately with Sabrina, Red gulped as he stood before the door to her quarters. Feeling it better not to second guess himself, Red rang the bell before he chickened out.

The door cracked open, “What?” came a voice from the shadows.

Red gulped, “Hey Sabrina, it’s me Red… can I talk to you for a minute?”

There was a faint curse from behind the door followed by, “Yes… you may enter…”

Some dim lights flickered on and Red stepped in. Sabrina had her back to him and slowly walked to the kitchen, “You may sit,” she said in a very calm voice.

“Ummm… Thanks…” Red was starting to question his resolve in coming here to see Sabrina as he was already feeling immensely uncomfortable.

As Red delved for the words to start a conversation with Sabrina, his hearing detected the sound of tearing paper from the kitchen. It was very quiet as if not wanting him to hear it.

Red gulped again and decided he needed to cut to the chase, “Sabrina… Are you doing alright?”

“Of course, why do you ask?” Came the cold reply from the dark kitchen.

“It’s just that… well… for the past several days you’ve seemed very sad every time I look at you.”

“I have?” Sabrina stepped back into the light near the living room and looked down at Red.

Red looked up at the girl and notice just a slight redness to her eyes almost undetectable in this light, “Maybe not outward… but whenever we cross paths… I see you surrounded in this… vibe… or aura of shadow and remorse…” Red blinked and considered his choice of words from the sentence he had just uttered, “Yeah that came out pretty good… I just wanted to make sure you were doing alright, because I get the feeling you’re upset about something, and that I might be part of what’s making you upset…”

Sabrina remained quiet, her eyes averted to the side as she thought about this turn of events.

Red waited patiently for Sabrina to say something. After a few minutes though he began fidgeting in his chair and dropped his arms to the side. His right hand bumped against something hard. Out of reflex he grabbed onto the object. On his finger tips he felt moisture, and his curiosity took control before his sense kicked in.

Sabrina gasped as she saw what Red pulled out. Red stared in confusion for a moment at a framed picture of Sabrina and Giovanni that seemed to have speckles of water over the glass. Red had to sit and think for a second how the frame could have gotten wet all the way over here. After looking at the picture for another moment though realization finally set in that the droplets were Sabrina’s tears.

Red squeezed his eyes shut feeling like such a dunce for being inconsiderate enough to even pull the picture out without permission. Immediately Red jumped out of the chair and bowed on the floor in front of Sabrina, “I’m sorry!” He kept his eyes squeezed shut not even wanting to know what kind of expression donned Sabrina’s face after such a personal invasion.

Still very stoic, Sabrina sighed and leaned down to take the picture back from Red. She walked over to a chair on the other side of the living room and took a seat.

Red waited for some kind of reaction from Sabrina. She was always so private… he was sure this kind of invasion would push her over the edge.

“Get off the floor…” Red slowly stood but his gaze remained fixed on the floor. A strange sound finally made Red look up. To his surprise Sabrina was actually chuckling, “You’re a funny one.

Red blushed a little, “I really am sorry though…”

Sabrina nodded, “It’s… well… I know of all people around here you won’t tell anyone.”

Red nodded, “I wouldn’t think of it!”

“But now you know…” Sabrina tapered off.

Red looked confused at Sabrina for a moment with his head tilted which actually caused her to chuckle more.

“You were wondering why I’ve seemed different lately, and now you know…”

Red nodded in understanding. “Oh… wow… I’m so sorry… I never thought about it… But it makes sense now… You’re in love with Giovanni.”

Sabrina closed her eyes and nodded in admission.

“And it was only recently that Giovanni started being a little… well… publically affectionate toward me I guess…” Red blushed remembering how Sabrina first stumbled on the two of them in the meeting room, and then Giovanni actually kissed him in front of all the Team Rocket generals and the Elite Four after he caught Rayquaza. Not to mention he held him as he slept on the submarine the whole way back.

“How long have you and Giovanni been together?” Sabrina finally asked breaking the silence.

“About three years…” Red recalled almost immediately.

“You mean ever since you first joined?” Sabrina actually seemed a little shocked she hadn’t noticed until recently if this were true.

Red laughed, “It was the reason I joined at all…”

Sabrina slowly nodded, “How does it make you feel?”

“Great!” Red answered immediately, “He loves me a lot…” Stopping to consider his words a bit more, Red finally continued, “He’s very good to me. I’d never known affection really until I was with him. He always compliments my victories, and encourages me to try harder and helps me back up when I don’t make it… It really was something I was missing from my life before.”

A sad smile formed on Sabrina’s lips, “That sounds very nice, I’m happy for you then.”

Red sighed heavily, “I’m sorry Sabrina…”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Sabrina said quickly.

Red nodded, “I’m not sorry that Giovanni loves me, I am sorry that you’ve had to watch the person you love be affectionate toward me right in front of you… that must have been hard… I know what it’s like to try so hard… to do everything you possibly can to make someone notice you only for them to act more distant or even shallow with you… And when you try to be as nice as you can for that person, do things for him that you’d never do for anyone else, and give in to his demands even when you don’t agree with them in hopes that one day he’ll see you the way you’ve always wanted him to see you.” Red squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head apologetically, “It doesn’t work out…”

Sabrina nodded, “I see… you had an infatuation then before your relationship with Giovanni…”

Red looked up at the ceiling, “I don’t really think I’d call it an infatuation… well I don’t know, maybe. I was too young at the time to know anything about that… Anyway it doesn’t matter, what I wanted to get across was that I never wanted my relationship Giovanni to ever make someone feel put off… That’s why I trained so hard, I guess I didn’t want anyone thinking I was getting preferential treatment in any way. Of all people I especially never wanted to make you feel bad, you’re a good person. Even though there’s nothing I can do to change the way everyone feels, I want to somehow help you so bad because out of all the others I deal with everyday you’re the only one that I really feel I can call a friend to me.”

Very slowly, Sabrina pulled Red close to her and embraced him. The two silently fell to their knees, Red did his best to just console Sabrina as she rested her head on his shoulder for a moment. “It was so hard…” Sabrina sighed and shut her eyes tight, “I was devastated at first. I had always had some childish hope before that maybe one day once Team Rocket accomplished its goals that he would look at me differently… But now I understand there is no possible chance… If his tastes are in someone like you then I come nowhere close to being the kind of partner he desires.” Sabrina went silent as she thought about her next confession, “I had actually been contemplating quitting Team Rocket as of late.”

Red pulled away and looked into her eyes, “What?”

Sabrina nodded, “It was becoming overwhelmingly stressful for me… I internalized it so much that you were beginning to sense the malice flowing from me even though I had no intention of directing that toward you…”

“I guess that is what got me worried about you in the first place…” Red scratched his head in thought; he most certainly didn’t want Sabrina to quit.

“But in all honesty, I am feeling better after sharing my troubles with you… You are very special. I can see what Giovanni finds so fascinating about you.”

“Oh boy…” Red laughed.

“There is no need to feel uncomfortable as my comments are merely to reflect that I admire you. You are a strong young man and quite empathetic as well. You are truly deserving of Giovanni’s affections, and… yes… I fully support your relationship with him.”

Red smiled weakly, “Thanks…”

Sabrina stood and took in a deep breath regaining her composure, “I will maintain my position as a General of Team Rocket. My abilities are at your disposal whenever you may require them.”

“And mine to you,” Red smiled widely to his peer. “And please… If you ever have anything else bothering you, come talk to me about it.”

Sabrina closed her eyes and nodded, “I would like to extend the same invitation to you as it would appear you also have many demons buried within.”

Red’s eyes widened, but quickly he averted his gaze and nodded. A smile crept back onto his face quickly though, “Thank you.”

The door to Sabrina’s room opened and Red stepped out. The two said goodbye to each other, “I’ll talk to you later!” Red said energetically as he walked away down the hall.

Sabrina smiled to herself and shook her head as she closed the door to her room.

A little ways down the hall where he wasn’t noticed, Giovanni grinned and walked away. He always loved it when problems just worked themselves out on their own.

_____________________________