Building An Empire - Chapter 4 - Oh Traveler

This was supposed to be my house.

A small one-floor, two bedroom affair not very far from Giovanni’s mansion. Apparently this belonged to my parents. Giovanni had offered to build them a mansion too, but apparently, part of my mother’s conditions for marrying my father was that he leave behind his mother’s empire and make a man of himself.

Got them both killed, it did, leaving behind a two year old Alessandro to whom Giovanni was like a father, as evidenced by the only two photos in the house being of me, one with my parents, and one with Giovanni and Ariana. 

It was a shame for Alessandro. I could relate, I’d lost my parents young too. No child should have to grow up without at least one stable parental unit, if not the full duo. Still, it left a bitter taste in my mouth. At least Alessandro had capable surrogates, even if they were steeped in crime. 

I did not have any such luxury.

“Brings back memories, doesn’t it?” Giovanni spoke, making himself comfortable on the dining table. Ariana, on the other hand, was in the kitchen, fixing up some sandwiches. It was the perfect vision of an idyllic family. Well, it would have been, if Ariana didn’t look so comfortable with a knife, or if Giovanni didn’t lean on the table like a mob boss.

I’d take what I could get, though. This wasn’t my execution, after all.

“Haven’t been here for a while. Gotta say, I do miss it sometimes.” I commented, taking the seat across from Giovanni. The fact that I’d taken an opposing chair instead of one close to him was not missed by him. Then again, we were both dancing around the inevitable confrontation.

“Sleeping in a tent does lose its charm after the third night in a row.” Giovanni commented, putting a hand under his chin. “You’ve really packed on some muscle.The last I saw of you, you looked quite different.”

‘Saw of me’ likely implied Alessandro’s last public interview, a day before he challenged Koga for the third time. After that, the string of losses, as well as the loss of my sponsors had sent me down a spiral where the last thing the media wanted was anything to do with me.

“The places I’ve been to tend to toughen people up. Plus, I have a training-nut of a pokemon who insists I train with him.” I answered, crossing my arms in front of my chest for emphasis.

“So you did go to Mt. Silver. I’d assumed you’d have more restraint. Was coming back home truly not an option?” He asked. There was no disappointment in his expression, but a sense of… failure, of all things.

It was disconcerting. 

“Coming back would have meant admitting defeat. Did you truly expect me to do that?” I asked, genuinely curious. 

“In all honesty? Yes. Yes I did.” Giovanni spoke, leaning forward. “You were never used to hardship. I’d know, I raised you. I half expected you to return after spending three nights away from home.” he spoke, exasperated. 

“Yet I didn’t, and I think we both know why.” I replied, seeing where Giovanni was going with this.

“I had forgotten that you are just as stubborn as your father. The challenge I gave you, it made returning a non-option.” he whispered. “For that, I have to apologize.”

“Hey, I lived. Sure, it got dicey at times, but here I am, none the worse for wear.” I replied.

“Yet something could have happened. I pushed you to choose between your honor and your life. It is only luck due to which you have maintained both.” Giovanni continued. “Do not delude yourself into believing that you survived the mountain due to skill. One bad turn. One unlucky encounter is all it takes to end up dead on the mountainside, and that is without taking weather into consideration.”

“Yet here I am. All the mountain did was make me stronger. Here I am now, ready to honor our agreement.” I answered, completely undeterred by his spiel. “Though I am curious. Why do you want to go this far to make my journey harder?”

Giovanni’s eyes widened. “Are you implying that I had your sponsors pull out? I did not need to do something so heinous. Once I realized that you were dedicated, I simply decided to let time take its course. Win or lose, you’d still come back here.”

“That’s what I assumed. You know me too well to pull something like that. I assume the subsidiaries that sponsored me will no longer be a concern?”

Giovanni was silent for a second. “The way you speak. You know what I am, don’t you?”

“Yes.” I replied. “I understand what you are, I understand what you do, and let me assure you, it does not lessen my respect for you much.” I replied, locking my gaze with his own. “Because I also understand that you operate in grey areas, else my sponsors would have thought twice before doing what they did,”

“I control through money, unlike my mother, who preferred fear.” He spoke. “My mother wished for an army. I want good business. Yet, I have made enemies. Enemies that would undermine me while feeding on my own scraps.”

“If the enemies in my own house grow so brazen, then those on the outside will be much worse.” he continued, his hand grasping for a glass of whiskey that wasn’t even there. “All I wanted was to keep you away from them. You do not have the wisdom, nor the power to deal with my detractors. If you were to get into the politics of Indigo, you would be seen as an easy way to get to me.”

“So you had to make sure that were I to enter your world, I’d be at least as strong as you, if not more.” I said, “lest I end up like my parents did.”

He shook his head. “I told my brother not to step away. Under me, he was protected. He chose love over safety, and for the longest time, I hated him for it.” He sighed. “Were I to lose you too, I don’t even know what I’d do.”

Yet, I did. This Giovanni was a businessman. Yet, he was not a dominator. He wasn’t the Giovanni that stood atop Team Rocket, terrorizing the country for profit. There was no Alessandro in pokemon canon, and maybe, just maybe, his death was the final catalyst to turn this Giovanni into the ruthless criminal lord in canon.

If so, then my presence had changed canon before I’d even taken any action, and that was for the better.

“That brings the question. Why do you have so many high profile enemies? Who are they? What do they want from you?” I asked.

He shook his head. “We’ve always had enemies among the hanger-ons of the council. Now? They’re emboldened by their new champion. Lance is young, and he comes from what passes as a heroic family in Johto. Trying to fill in Oak’s shoes is no easy task, and he has been convinced that his time is best spent trying to root out organized crime.”

That made sense. The first time you saw Lance in the second gen, he was out chasing pokemon thieves. The leader of the Pokemon League should have more important things to do than cosplaying as a cop.

“A fool’s errand. You root out organized crime, you make way for unorganised crime. Oak realized this. It was why he and my mother, and later me, were able to coexist.” He continued. “All the while, new opponents have risen and grown in Johto. Now they threaten my territory, and I’m doing all I can to keep them at bay, while he’s kept blind to them.”

Another revelation. It made sense why Team Rocket was able to take over Johto. Once mobilized, a force like that could easily clean out upstart syndicates who were most likely also at war with one another. 

“The only reason I myself am not in a jail cell is because I’ve spent a lifetime creating deniability while maintaining powerful connections.” He spat, “Meanwhile there are people who have gotten bold enough to rob the pokemart in my own fucking town.”

“So yes, I would give anything to keep you away from this world, but you keep heading towards it like you have something to prove.” He finished, taking a deep breath. 

“So, knowing this, are you still going to put yourself at risk?” He asked.

Silence extended between the two of us, only interrupted by the soft thuds of Ariana chopping veggies. I took a moment to collect my thoughts, to figure out what to say that wouldn’t come off as hot air. It took a few minutes, but a plan came to mind.

“They are able to influence Lance. Yet, they never sank their claws into Oak. Why is that?” I asked.

“Oak was too powerful.Too untouchable. He was also a man of patience. Becoming champion during the war, he saw people for their worth to the nation, not to himself.” Giovanni answered.

“He never even wanted to be champion. He always had the soul of a researcher. Had it not been necessary, I believe he would have never accepted the mantle of champion.” He finished, and that finally gave me the certainty I wished for.

“What if I also do not wish to be champion?” I asked.

That prompted a laugh out of Giovanni. “Alex, it’s been your dream since you were a child. If you want to lie to me, at least make it believable.”

I shook my head. “You don’t quite understand. Being champion will only hinder me. I’m not interested in paperwork, I’m not interested in leading.”

“Then why even bother with the league?” Giovanni asked.

“Simple. The league is perceived as the gathering of the strongest trainers in Indigo.” I spoke. “I just have to make it evidently clear that as strong as they are, I am the strongest. There’s nothing more to it.”

The mirth left Giovanni’s face. “You underestimate them. If not them, then at least Lance. As naive as that boy is, he is immensely powerful. I’ve prepared my team to face him as a last ditch effort, and I am not at all happy about my chances if push comes to shove.”

“I admit he is powerful, if only by your standards.” I spoke, standing up. “He will not beat me. Far from it. If your team was built to defeat him, then me beating them soundly should be proof enough that I’m beyond you, or him.”

“Don’t write checks you can’t cash, kid. My team is not to be taken lightly.” Giovanni stated, a hint of a challenge in his gaze.

“Oh, I don’t. You have been my goal for the past few months. Plus, you have seen Bastille. Do you honestly believe even your ace could defeat him?” I asked, and was answered by silence.

“Before you say that one strong pokemon can still be whittled down by a team of six, I’ll also let you know that Bastille is not the strongest pokemon in my team. Come morning, you’ll see for yourself just why I can cash that specific check whenever I want.” I answered. 

“So, if you don’t want to be champion, but want to prove you’re the strongest, why?” Giovanni asked, legitimately at a loss for once.

“In essence, I want to change the world.” I spoke, my tone even, so as to make sure Giovanni understood that my words were no joke. “That starts with the league, with Indigo’s governance system.”

“Being good at pokemon battles is no basis for a system of government.” I spoke, gesticulating with my hand. “Just because I can train pokemon real good doesn’t mean I know jack shit about taxation rates, or crop patterns, or god knows what else.”

“The council is the council not because they are good at these things, but because they spent a decade raising Pokemon. What sense does that make?” I asked.

“It is tradition, from the days of our founding.” Giovanni countered, standing up. “Government cannot be headed by weak men, and unless you’re suggesting we start throwing fists at each other, there is no other way to prove one’s might.”

I shook my head. “I know we cannot change the system of governance. That is why my idea is to throw it all away.”

Giovanni chuckled, but there was no mirth in it. “If it were that easy, I would have done so myself ages ago. Would have saved me from losing a lot of the people I love.”

“The council members each enjoy power because the elite four keep them on. If we were to, let’s say, replace every member of the elite four in one fell swoop and their hanger-ons go down with them. then we would have complete control on who we put in places of power.” I answered, and the baffled look that appeared on Giovanni’s face was priceless.

“You are one man, Alex. You cannot change a nation alone.” He spoke.

“I am one man for now, but I know a group of young people who can fill in the voids I’m about to create.” I spoke, “In fact, I just lit the fire of competition in one of them myself. You saw it yourself.”

“Will is formidable, but he lacks confidence. When he shows up to the conference, he will have confidence, and a much stronger team.” Giovanni answered. “Was this your goal all along?”

I shook my head. “Originally, I just wanted to trash the league and go on my merry way. Now? My plans have reason to change.”

“After all, I want a Kanto where you can be an actual father to your only son.” I spoke, and behind me, I heard the telltale sound of a plate dropping. 

“You… how do you know that?” Giovanni asked, while Ariana fearfully poked her head into the room from the kitchen. 

“Is the ‘how’ really important?” I asked, “You have a son, Giovanni. You know this, but does he even know you exist? I lost my parents as a kid, and I would rather not have my own cousin live his childhood without his parents in the picture.”

“Not even my other executives know that Silver exists.” Giovanni spoke, his visage grim as ash. “If there is a leak of information, you have to tell me, Alex. I cannot let people know I have a son.”

I slammed my hand on the table, breaking Giovanni out of his reverie.

“Uncle, I will not have you be an absentee parent on my watch.” I spoke with a hiss, one that came from both me and Alessandro. Two orphans agreeing on something for once. “Go home, both of you.”

“When you next wake, I will show you just how I plan to change the world.”

LB

“Holy shit, you really are going to fight his real team.” 

I looked to the side of the arena. Of course they chose Proton to be the referee of the match. The youngest of the admins, a kid my age, and sadly, another one of my closest childhood friends, as annoying as that was.

“Since when did you become a gym referee?” I asked, trying to ignore the majority of his antics.

“Since I heard you were stupid enough to go through with this! Haven’t seen the boss this fired up for a fight since… forever, actually. Just what did you say to him?” He asked.

“I might have implied that his team’s no challenge for me.” I replied, and I could swear I didn’t know human jaws could open as wide as Proton’s did.

“Dude, do you have a death-wish or something?” He asked.

I shook my head. “I just want him to give it his all. I don’t want to hear that he was going easy on me because I’m his nephew.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’ve bet actual money on this fight.” Proton spoke. “On the boss, of course.”

“And who did you bet against?” I asked.

“Well, there’s this whole betting pool. Not really good odds on the boss winning but still, I could use the extra cash.” He spoke. “No offense.”

“None taken.” I replied with a smirk. Poor Proton, he did not know what was coming.

“If you two are done with you squabbling, we should get this started. I have other commitments later today.” Giovanni stated, moving into the trainer area across from me.

“Good luck, dude.” Proton said in a hushed voice. “I know I bet against you and all, but the boss’s main team is no joke. Things can get rough, so recall your pokemon if you feel there’s any real danger to them.”

“Point noted. Now, could you please get this started?” I asked as politely as I could through my mounting irritation.

“Oh yeah. I knew I was forgetting something. My bad.” He spoke, walking over to his spot on the sidelines and picking up the flag provided for the referees. He raised it above his head, and with ferocity I did not expect from him, started with a yell. 

“Contestants! One the count of three, release your first pokemon!” He yelled, and I retrieved my Safari Ball from my pocket. On the other side, I saw Giovanni clutch an ultra ball so hard that his knuckles were whitening. He wanted to win this.

After all, I did tell him that I’d reveal how I knew of Silver’s existence if he won, and I did not think the rationale of ‘It came to me in my dreams’ would cut it for him.

“Three!” Proton yelled, and the balls left our hands in unison.

“Go, Garchomp!” Giovanni yelled. Of course, his ‘main’ team would be his PWT team. I would have expected nothing less.

“Go, Melusine.” I spoke, as the two dragons materialized on the battlefield. Just one look at the Garchomp was enough to tell me that it was by far the strongest pokemon I had faced till date, and it wasn’t even Giovanni’s ace. 

“A battle of dragons to start with, in the Gym of a ground-type specialist. Unexpected, but interesting.” I spoke, looking past the Garchomp at Giovanni, who was also taking in the fact that Melusine was strong, stronger than any pokemon he would have expected me to raise.

Still, there was a fight to be had. We could admire each other’s pokemon later.

“Garchomp, set the field.” Giovanni ordered. In response, garchomp slammed his foot into the ground, and the quickest earthquake I’d ever seen cracked the entire field, reducing rock to sand. Sand that was quickly turned into an impromptu sandstorm by the beating of Melusine’s wings.

A strategy to counter flying types. I had to give it to him, especially considering the fact that Garchomp seemed to almost meld into the sandstorm. This was the manifestation of sand veil.

The strategy itself was interesting. It only worked because the fight was held indoors. Had this been an open arena, then the sandstorm would clear out in seconds. That, or the pokemon would simply be able to fly high enough to avoid the sand till it settled or was blown away by the wind.

Too bad for him, Melusine was Bastille’s training partner, and this fake sandstorm was a poor comparison for the biblical deluge of sand that was whipped up every time Bastille went to war.

“Melusine, you know what to do.” I spoke, and without losing a beat, Melusine flew as high as she could. The Garchomp, sensing that its strategy was holding up well, dug underground. Yet, unlike its usual quarries, Melusine didn’t panic in the air. 

Hurricane was not a terribly accurate move. It consisted of a gigantic vortex of slow-moving but deadly wind that enveloped an area. Any pokemon with enough speed could avoid it with ease. So, as Melusine launched the attack, I could see the bafflement in Giovanni’s expression. I’d get rid of the sandstorm, sure, but Garchomp was already hidden underground, and it could simply reset.

There was one problem in that plan. Sure, while the hurricane was launched, Garchomp had a window of attack, but Melusine also had one moment of perfect clarity. 

So, as the Garchomp flew out from under the ground, its claws covered with violet dragon energy, its muzzle flared in an expression of triumph, there was no way it could have known that Melusine had been in a similar situation daily for the past week.

It never saw the extremespeed coming. One moment, it was in flight, mere inches away from its prey. The next, it was embedded into the ground, with an angry Melusine standing over it, roaring in victory.

To her, this had been easier than any fight against Bastille. After all, an Extremespeed of this caliber wouldn’t even make Bastille flinch.

“Garchomp… is unable to battle.” Proton spoke, the reality of the situation finally hitting him. “Alex is up one pokemon!”

That shook Giovanni out of his stupor. Even from his experienced perspective, going from assured victory to a fully-realized loss within the blink of an eye was not normal.

“That’s enough, Melusine. Return.” I spoke, and Melusine was retrieved into her Safari ball. Again, surprising both Giovanni and Proton. For a second, I’d forgotten that pokemon swapping was not common in this world. Pivots were practically an unheard-of concept, even at the highest levels of competition.

“Go, Abrams.” I spoke, chucking my other Safari ball. The roar let out by my Slowbro was enough to slap Giovanni out of his reverie, and straight into a new dilemma.

There was not a single pokemon on his team capable of countering Abrams.

“Go, Nidoking.” He spoke, a resigned sigh in his voice. He knew that even though his Nidoking knew thunderbolt, it would not be able to take down Abrams in one hit, if it even got to.

Abrams didn’t allow for that. His eyes glowed bright for a second, and the Nidoking was sent flying into the wall at a speed that my eyes couldn’t even follow. The entire exchange happened so fast, Proton didn’t even get to interject.

This was Abram’s role. A tank, with artillery powerful enough to blow holes in the strongest of armor, all the while being able to take shots like a champ. Even if the thunderbolt was launched, the outcome of this fight would not have changed one single bit.

“Nidoking is down! Alex is up two pokemon!” He spoke, his voice was weak, as we seemed to be having a hard time processing what he was witnessing. Giovanni was in much the same boat. 

“Uncle.” I spoke, drawing his attention to me. “I think I’ve more than proven my point here. Send out your ace and let’s end it here. There’s no need to hurt the rest of your pokemon, unless you truly believe you have a way to take out Abrams.”

It was an attack on his conscience, but also on his ego. The Giovanni from the games, the crime lord in charge of team Rocket, would not have faltered. His pokemon were tools, and he wouldn’t have minded them dying were there even the slightest chance their deaths could lead to a victory, no matter how small.

He was not that Giovanni, and as he withdrew a familiar, battered pokeball from his pocket, I couldn’t help but be glad of that fact. 

“Do your best, Arrhidaeus.” He spoke, just as I wordlessly withdrew Abrams and let out my next pokemon.

The Rhyperior was familiar to me. It was my uncle’s old Rhydon, a pokemon who was - for the longest time - Alessandro’s benchmark for strength. Now, fully evolved, it was even stronger. It was a champion-level pokemon, and there was no lie in that statement.

Standing against Ashford, whose golden fur looked almost incandescent in the heat haze surrounding him, he looked disappointing.

“It has been a while, Ashford.” Giovanni spoke, an awed expression on his face. “If I am to lose to Alex, then it seems fitting that you be the pokemon I lose to.”

Ashford recognised the voice of its original owner. Of the man who had hatched him. He then looked back at me, the man who had given him his name, the man who he had saved at the worst moment of his life.

He turned back to Giovanni, and gave him a respectful nod, before leveling Arrhidaeus with a glare that would have sent weaker pokemon scampering back to their burrows. Not Arrhidaeus. He was the strongest gym leader’s ace, and despite knowing he was severely outmatched, he stood his ground, preparing for battle.

Even with the conclusion being foregone, he would fight, for the honor of his trainer, his best friend.

Till the bitter end.

LB

Silver was two.

Watching the little shit in Ariana’s arms was giving me such conniptions that I couldn’t even formulate words right. Thankfully, I didn’t have to. Just watching Giovanni and Ariana light up around the little bugger was enough to make my whole day.

It wasn’t even Alessandro’s memories. It was a combination. Two orphans, pacified by seeing another kid given the love that we wished we had when we were kids. It hit different. 

Silver was a cuddly little kid too. It took him almost no time to warm up to me. It was then holding him in my arms, that my rough-and-tumble plan to change this world evolved from a vague notion into a solid goal. 

This kid would know his parents, even if it were the last thing I ever did.

As I stood in one of the balconies of Giovanni’s mansion with the man himself, with Ariana gone to put Silver to sleep, I finally told him what was on my mind.

“Why did you even have him if you were so worried about what could happen to him?” I asked, and for a moment, all I got was silence.

“I… It’s not a stretch to say that I was shoehorned into the position of your parent. I didn’t want it at the time. You reminded me too much of my brother.” He spoke, sipping from the glass of single malt in his hand. “Yet, raising you not only allowed me to get over the death of my brother, but also taught me of the joys of being a parent. So, It’s not wrong to say that you are the reason I had Silver.”

“That, and have you seen the rack on Ariana? That woman was practically built to be a mother.” He said with a chuckle, and I almost spat out my own drink. Who knew that the feared Giovanni could crack a joke like that?

“Don’t ever let her hear you say that. She’s way too comfortable around knives to let something like that slide.” I replied.

“She worked for mother. Of course she’s good with knives.” He spoke, and the mood turned somber. “Do you know what your grandmother’s plan was, if the political climate of Indigo ever got this bad?”

I knew. Of course I knew, but Alessandro didn’t. So I shook my head, all the while making an ‘educated guess’ “War. I remember grandma. She wouldn’t go down without taking every one of her enemies with her.”

Giovanni nodded. “She wanted to make an army. An army of thieves and poachers who owed their loyalty to no one but her. To make sure that no matter who tried to stop her, the entire nation would pay.” He answered. “When I heard that your sponsors had pulled out without my consent, and that you had left for Mt. Silver, I assumed the worst. I almost went down that path myself.”

“It’s not worth it. Especially now.” I replied. The formation of Team Rocket couldn’t happen, not in this timeline, not when I’d have to stop it myself, for the sake of the world I wanted to see.

“I know. You’ve made me see that.” He spoke, a gentle smile on his face. “You know, I’ve been fighting those guys alone for so long, I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like to let someone else take the lead.”

I shrugged. “I haven’t left you much of a choice in the matter. For what little it’s worth, I’m sorry for not being able to help before. It couldn’t have been easy.”

“It wasn’t. But now, I can see an end to this, all thanks to you. I’ll drink to that.” He spoke, downing his whiskey.

“You’ll drink to just about anything, uncle.” I retorted with a why smirk.

“Get to my age and you will too.” He shot back with a laugh, giving me a pat on the shoulder. “Though I guess now that I’m going to be spending more time with Silver, I guess I’ll have to cut back on the alcohol.”

“It’s good that you’re thinking that way already. You have two years worth of love and care to make up for.” I spoke.

“That I do. And, I don’t know if I’ve said this already, but thank you, Alex. Thank you for surviving.” He spoke in a tone barely above a whisper, but it was enough to convey his feelings. 

Silver would grow up with a family, I was now free to take on the league, and I’d be able to create an Indigo where Silver could proudly say the name of his father without the world mocking him for it.

Guess that was enough to make up for me naming him ‘Asshole’ on my first copy of Pokemon Crystal.

LB

As always, join the discord for more shenanigans. Link is https://discord.com/invite/AP8nG65RmA