Masked Man's POV

"Hmm. Finally, I've been waiting for this very moment." Giovanni took his hands out of the pocket very gently. His voice was croaky. He seemed quizzical yet radiant. He had questions which were unanswered and I wanted them to remain like that. As much as I knew coming here was a terrible idea, a part of me wanted this meeting. I wanted to meet Giovanni, after what he did.

"Me too." I replied with a grim. I did not trust this man and had a feeling that we weren't alone. I knew Giovanni too well and in that case, he didn't come alone. Team Rocket grunts must be all over the place, just to catch me.

I rolled my eyes around the area. It was too dark to point out a person in the bushes or on a tree branch. There was no sound as well, only the wind could be heard, whispering softly in the ears. The winds were cool, reminding me of the coming winters, I realised that I had wasted yet another year plotting on Giovanni.

Yes, I was very much against that man. I have a history of myself that I'd love to narrate but now wasn't the time. Only if I could somehow get through this meeting, which I was sure wasn't gonna happen.

"Who are you?" Asked Giovanni, sardonically.

"I thought there was some real meaning of this meeting rather than asking already-asked questions."

"Yes, there was." Said Giovanni, looking at the ground. "But now." He looked at me. "The only meaning is - you answering all my questions."

"You can ask me anything but my name."

"Is that so?" Said Giovanni. "I want to see your face." He grinned. "Well, you yourself said - anything but your name. I want that mask off."

"And what if I deny?"

Giovanni gave me roguish look. There it was, I was once again correct, my intuition has always been loyal to me. He lifted his black hat off, followed by loud footsteps of several people. I looked around only to see that I was surrounded by Team Rocket Grunts.

"Surprised?" Asked Giovanni with a victorious grin. "Not yet?" He gestured his fingers to call one of the grunts from the darkness. A grunt walked forward and his face was revealed.

I was shocked, I thought I was the only one plotting against someone but no. Giovanni made a story for himself, to get into the good zone. Out of police's reaches as now people believed Team Rocket was disbanded.

"Charles?" I said. My voice was taut with confusion. Many things were coming together and I finally understood the meaning of Giovanni's grand plan, at the same time, more things fell apart, which would mean half of the information that I was given, was false.

"At your service." Said Charles, smiling.

"Charles is rather a great actor, isn't he?" Said Giovanni. "Last year I made him incharge of Team Rocket, so that I could finally clear my name. He continued doing the things I asked him to do. Meanwhile, to confuse you and others, I asked him to act like he wants to kill me. And guess what, you believed. So you started taking his side. When Charles told me that, I started doubting you. Then I ordered Cassidy to kill that kid, Red. But you saved him. Then, I had my doubts clear. You wanted him alive for something, why were you saving the kids? I was so confused. But then I thought, who's the person who'd want to kill me and get any kind of profit? Why would you hide your face? Who are you? Then finally, you obviously are older than me and that voice is kind of familiar. Then, I was sure, I was sure about who you were. Just a matter of lifting the mask off, brother. Just remember our plan, and stick to it. Remember why we made Team Rocket. We have to avenge it. We have to avenge what happened to us. We didn't deserve it, brother. Lift the mask off and come with me. There's still time, we can win, together."

He was calling me brother again and again. Giovanni gave me the biggest secret of his life, that he had a brother, with whom he didn't have any kind of communication. But obviously he knew how he looked like, I wasn't in a position to remove the mask. Revealing my identity would just ruin everything, years of planning wasted.

I had to get away from them and go back to my safe house. I had to think of something to say otherwise he'll know I'm not who he thinks I am. But what?

"Come on, A-" Said Giovanni, interrupted by me. Darn it, he was going to say his brother's name. I could've just waited.

"I'm not against you, Giovanni." I said, breathing heavily but still controlling my voice somehow. "My plan is just greater than yours."

"My plan? Or ours?" He said.

"Yes ours. Let's just look at it again, and you should call your grunts down. Let them relax." I said, hoping he'll ask them to clear the area.

"C'mon guys, didn't you hear him?" Said Giovanni. "Go home."

The grunts walked towards Giovanni. Charles looked at Giovanni and he gave him a signal. Charles walked away, followed by all the other grunts.

It was the perfect time for me to make a run. I stared into Giovanni's eyes, it seemed like he was just waiting for me to unmask myself. Which was the last think I would ever do.

"Now!" I shouted, signalling at Giovanni. Politoed hopped out of the bush behind me and used Hydro Pump.

I sprinted away, calling back Politoed. I ran down the hill and towards the city. If I could just run deeper into the Vermillion City, I could easily lose them.

I looked around. I wasn't being followed. There was no grunt behind me, not even some black car with foggy windshield.

I took off my mask and put it on my coat. Then I removed my coat and carried it in my hand, while I slowly walked to the Vermillion Port.

I took a speedboat towards my safehouse.

Giovanni's POV

"Are we just gonna ignore the fact that he is gone for more than four hours and you're doing absolutely nothing about it?" Said Charles.

"Charles, come out of your character, know your place. And no we're not ignoring anything." I said. "You're forgetting who I am. I mistook his identity, I won't be doing that anymore."

"But still, you gave him a valueable information that you have a brother. And very soon he'll know your plan if he gets to know of your family background through him." Said Charles.

"Except for you and your little army of executives, no one knows about my brother. I don't even know where he is or what's he doing." I said. "So chill about it. And coming back to this masked guy. Here is his location, he's been there for the past one hour."

"So you did chip him?" Asked Charles. "He is in Sevii Islands? Well, I can ask the grunts at the warehouse to go for him."

"Do whatever you want, I want him here in Celadon by the morning." I said.

"Aye aye captain."

Masked Man's POV

Beep beep beep beep...

I woke up in the middle of night, my phone rang continuously without any intentions of stopping. A ringing phone may not be weird for you, but it was definitely for me as I didn't get much calls, or maybe that's also the case for you. Ugh, I don't even know why I'm narrating everything.

I reached under my pillow and grabbed out my phone. The name on the screen was more shocking for me. Why is he even calling me? - I thought.

"This is not the right time." I answered the call. "What is it, Looker?"

"You're surrounded by Team Rocket Grunts. I can't tell much as the surveillance camera I installed outside your so called safe house, does not have night vision." Said Looker.

"You what!" I snapped. "Well, I can't argue, but thanks. I'll do something."

I hung up the call and threw my phone on the ground. Then smashed it using my foot. The first thing I had to do was close the curtains and get my Pokeballs.

"Dan, escape sequence 02. Implementation code - 0808." I whispered.

"Escape sequence initiated."

A hatch opened next to my bed and I jumped in. The hatch closed back and lights turned on. "Go! Go! Go!"

The glass sphere in which I was, started moving at high speeds through the tunnel, just like a train. It took me 6 years to build place, can't believe I somehow revealed my location.

"Dan, you there?" I asked.

"Always, sir."

"Scan me for any foreign element." I ordered.

"Scanning." Said Dan, the A.I started scanning me and beeped. "Sir you have a transmitter on your wrist."

I looked at my wrists. The right one had a small chip stuck to the flesh. I forced it off my body and placed it inside a container next to where I sat.

The sphere slowed down, I was almost at my destination. "Dan, destroy the chip." I said. The container closed and was ejected off the sphere.

The sphere came to a rest. I stepped of the sphere and looked around for a ladder. It was too dark to spot anything. Finally I found the ladder and climbed up.

I took a deep breath in, looking at the whole Pallet Town in a distance from a hill. I slowly walked through the town filled with nothing but silence.

I looked around to confirm I wasn't being followed and checked for any other chips on me. I couldn't believe I messed up everything.

I stopped outside a house and placed my thumb on the handle. "I hope this still works." I said, my heart was beating fast, I wasn't sure if it was the right place to go.

"Fingerprint recognised." Said Dan, the door opened and I walked inside.

I quietly went upstairs inside a room and locked it from the inside. I somehow had to hide myself from everyone. I did not even have my mask on.

I sat on the bed and looked at a photograph hanging on the wall in front of me. A photograph which reminded me of my past.

A photograph of me and my son, when he caught his first Pokemon. I smiled.

"Red. I hope you're fine."

_____________

It's been quite a journey, completing Book 2. I did not expect it to take this long. Let's summarise the Pokemon Teams :-

Red : Ivysaur, Charizard, Blastoise, Pidgeotto, Pikachu, Nidoking, Hitmonlee, Gyarados, Lapras, Ditto, Kabutops, Snorlax, Articuno, Espeon.

Lyra : Bayleef, Furret, Togetic, Flaaffy, Marill, Quagsire.

TO BE CONTINUED...