Project: Titans -- A Pokemon Story (OC x Piers)

Epilogue

Giovanni was not a patient man.

It had been three weeks since Special Operative G's return date had passed, and the mafia boss was not amused. Despite how challenging her missions got, Gia had always been back when she said she would.

"Sir?" a voice interrupted Giovanni's train of thought, and he paused where he was petting his Persian. "Yes, Captain G?" he asked, standing as Persian leapt off of his lap and followed him as he walked to his waiting son. "Sir...we have reason to believe that Special Operative G has..she has...well, she's gone MIA, sir."

"Missing in Action, hm?" Giovanni hummed as Persian rubbed against his legs. "And what makes you say that, Captain?" Griffin shifted uncomfortably under the unwavering stare of his father. Gia always handled his piercing gaze better than he did; probably because they shared the same cutthroat glare and merciless persona. Griffin had gotten neither; soft brown eyes and hair to match. Though he did appreciate the height he had inherited from Giovanni.

"Sir, before X was...erm, disposed of, he had access to the security cameras installed by Macro Cosmos around Wyndon. Recently, I had our best hackers tune into the feeds to see where Gia had been, and...well, I think you should see for yourself." Griffin held out a black USB drive, barely the size of his pinky finger.

Giovanni snatched it up, walked over and plugged it into one of the ports below the giant screen behind his chair. He reclined in the soft leather, letting Persian curl up on him once more as he watched the feed. He watched as some rag-tag band of punk rock misfits clad in leather and denim, wearing their hair in pixie cuts and--he shuddered--mohawks.

He watched as they set up a stage, as a crowd gathered around it and a man with striking resemblance to a Galarian Zigzagoon climbed onto it and started singing. "Zoom in on that person there," he said as he noticed movement by the edge of the stage. Griffin audibly swallowed as he fiddled with the buttons on the screen's remote.

The video zoomed in tenfold to reveal Gia--definitely not on the train bound for the airplane to Kanto--in the arms of the strange Zigzagoon Man, hugging and being affectionate before the group disappeared into a bunch of Flying Taxis, taking Giovanni's daughter with them.

Giovanni's jaw clenched as he processed what the video had just shown him. Rage bubbled up from the deepest part of his subconscious as his fingernails drew blood from the fists his hands were clenched in. His daughter, the child he had raised and cared for and provided for the last seventeen years, had the nerve--no, the audacity to try and disobey him.

"Sir, there's something else you should see," Griffin said slowly, making sure to keep a safe distance lest Giovanni lose his usually controlled temper; yet another thing he shared with his daughter. He'd wrecked his office on more than one occasion out of anger before, and if the scar running from Griffin's left cheek to the bridge of his nose was any indication, the results were never pretty.

"Very well," Giovanni forced out after a minute, while the entire time Griffin was holding his breath and ready to make a run for the door. Tentatively, he approached his father to wind the clip back to three months. It was nighttime in Wyndon, the lights of the city brighter than the stars in the sky above them. Two people were walking down the street; upon closer inspection, Giovanni recognized them as the Zigzagoon Man and Gia.

"I've seen this before, Captain G," Giovanni snarled, and his Persian darted off of his lap as he stood suddenly. "There's no reason to watch it again."
"Father--" A steely glare fixed him. "I-I mean, sir...please. The hackers found something they thought should be brought to your attention."

As Giovanni watched the video over, eyes analyzing the film as Shelgon evolved into Salamence, how he flung the wreckage off of Gia and her monochromatic companion, and how joyful his daughter had been. He let out a small chuckle of satisfaction when the billboard fell on the Zigzagoon Man, despite how Gia crumpled to the ground in agony. Then, something caught his eye.

As the video zoomed in on Gia's form, desperately tugging on the billboard with her back turned to the two Team Rocket operatives, Giovanni noticed the air rippling around her. His rage cooled into fascination and into a malicious grin as he watched the white feathers racing across Gia's skin before becoming a flurry that blew away into the night.

"Sir?" Griffin asked tentatively, Persian cowering behind his legs. "Are you..alright?"
"Call Dr. Hadassah to my office immediately," Giovanni barked. "Tell her to get her best scientific team to analyze the video and tell me what's happening." He turned back to the video, gently touching the paused screen zoomed in on Gia's face. "It appears our little experiment wasn't such a failure after all."