A Chance Meeting of Fate

Mr. and Mrs. Natalia stood outside the door to Giovanni Da Gorbio’s private office, their young daughter between them. They were the top Silver Elite Team Rocket had to offer, and were some of the very few who could say that they knew the Boss on a personal level. Domino’s cornflower blue eyes were tense and cool, but behind her veil of apathy, she could not hide her innocent fear. She was only five years old and a Junior Rocket, so Peter and Emily expected this from their daughter.

“Why are we here, Mama?” Domino asked fearfully, her formal sky blue dress rustling as she turned to Emily. “Mr. Da Gorbio’s not going to…kill us, is he?” Even at five, Domino had seen many Rockets fall under the shadow of Giovanni’s bullet. When she was a big girl, she vowed quietly that she would never end up like them, alone, weak, helpless. Now Emily’s soft, soothing voice brought her back to reality.

“Oh no, sweetheart, he would have killed all of us in front of our coworkers, that man does love a good show.” She knelt down and adjusted the black tulip peeking out of Domino’s bodice, the Natalia family flower a stark contrast to the blue dress. “I will say, however, that this is a very important meeting, so hold your tongue unless any of us grownups speak to you.”

Domino stepped back from her mother and saluted. “Yes ma’am,” she responded softly.

“Try not to be impatient,” her father interrupted. “You don’t want to tarnish your reputation if you want to be in the Silver Elite like Mama and me one day. I love you, Domino, and I want you to make Mr. Da Gorbio, Mama, and me proud.”

“Yes, Daddy,” Domino replied with a second salute just as the mahogany door creaked open and Giovanni himself emerged, running a careless hand down the back of his male Persian, his pet. Domino had seen him with the Persian by his side when he came to inspect the Junior Rocket unit and had often thought how beautiful and powerful the Pokemon was. The Junior Rockets were between five and eight years old, so they were assigned simple tasks such as jewel heists; the jewels were exchanged on the black market for rare Pokemon.

The Boss straightened his orange business suit with a cool smile, extending his hand for Peter to shake; Peter relaxed and shook it. “If it isn’t the Natalia family, the crème de la crème of the Silver Elite. Here’s young Domino, too, how are you doing?”

“I am carrying out your orders, sir, and so are the rest of the Junior Rockets,” she said in a grave tone that was unexpected for someone so young. Giovanni merely chuckled.

“Yes, and you are doing well at your tasks,” he told her before turning to Peter. “She’s quite exceptional, really, Peter. She’s certainly destined for following in your footsteps.”

“Ah, that she is,” Peter replied as he ruffled her blond curls that were so like Emily’s; Domino couldn’t suppress a childish giggle, but hushed quickly. “Always expect the best from the Natalia line.”

“After all, the Natalia family motto is ‘Never give up, never give in’ and we always stand by the family creed,” Emily added firmly.

Just then, a soft voice wafted through the open door, a woman’s voice. “Giovanni, am I going to be introduced, or are you just going to stand there talking the day away? I’m rather interested in meeting your top employees.”

“We’ll be right in, Delia,” Giovanni answered in a raised voice before sweeping into a mock bow. “Please feel free to come in, unlike most of my underlings you are always welcome here.” There was only a hint of graciousness in his voice now, and he was slowly regaining his cold, composed manner. Domino clutched her mother’s hand as they walked in, Giovanni cast a dark look around the corridor, and finally closed the door.

The office blinds were closed, with the barest minimum of sunlight filtering through the room. In contrast, the furniture was dark and elegant, giving a superior air to all who stepped through the door. Velvet drapes reached the floor and two comfortable leather armchairs. A young woman, probably no older than twenty-five with dark brown hair reaching to her shoulders, stepped toward them from behind the desk, a genuine smile on her face.

“Peter, Emily, Domino,” Giovanni began, but the woman held up her hand to stop him.

“No, no, Giovanni, please. Allow me to introduce myself,” she continued as she turned to the Natalias. “I am Delia, Giovanni’s fiancée. We’re getting married in December and I wanted to view his workplace firsthand before I move into Pallet Town. It’s quite an…ingenious operation you’ve got going on here.”

“Oh, yes,” Emily answered with a nod and a smile. “I was just Domino’s age when Madame Boss came to power; before that time, it was her parents who stood over our empire. Out of the corner of her eye, Domino swore she saw Giovanni clinch his fist at the mention of his mother.

“Emily,” he said, visibly trying to restrain himself from throwing something, “please don’t mention that…”

Emily spoke up, cutting the Boss off; she didn’t want Domino to hear the word he had been about to say. “Yes sir,” she said softly. “Anyway, Delia, let me introduce you to our pride and joy: Domino, member of the Junior Rockets. Come on, sweetie,” she said, leading her daughter forward.

“Hi, Mrs. Da Gorbio,” Domino said shyly, curtsying into a pool of sky blue tulle.

“It’s Miss Ketchum, dear, I’m keeping my maiden name,” Delia smiled. She kneeled down in front of Domino and took the little girl’s hands in hers, but Domino looked confused.

“What’s a maiden name?” she asked curiously.

“A maiden name is the name you change when you get married.” Domino glanced back at her mother, who nodded.

“Like when Mama changed her name and married Daddy?” she asked, wrinkling her nose in thought.

“Yes, you’ve got it!” She smiled again, a ray of sunshine in the foreboding office. “She’s a joy, Mr. and Mrs. Natalia, and very precocious. Giovanni, why don’t you promote her to a higher position?”

“No, she’s fine where she is,” Giovanni answered. “The Junior Rockets would fail without someone as determined as Domino Natalia in their unit.”

“I’m glad you like me, Mr. Da Gorbio,” Domino smiled.

“Just keep on following orders. My mom used to say that if something stands in your way, a Rocket should crush it instantly.”

The innocence was gone from her eyes as she saluted them all: Mama, Daddy, Mr. Da Gorbio, and Miss Ketchum. “Yes sir.”

Domino would later reflect on this meeting as a chance meeting of fate. It was fate that caused her to meet Miss Ketchum, fate that led her to meet Delia’s son at Purity Canyon. That son, she learned eleven years later during an encounter with the Boss, was the son Delia and he had conceived soon after their wedding. He had left them for an unknown reason, a reason that Domino had yet to discover…no matter how many times she found herself alone in the Boss’s office. She was no longer the sweet Junior Rocket she had been, submitting to her employer’s lustful desires due to her fear of losing her position. Her parents, long dead after being shot in an attempted robbery, would be disappointed if she lost her position as an Elite…

“Lost in thought, chick?” a gruff voice asked, pulling her thoughts out of the past and causing her to turn around. Vicious, the agent with an undying obsession over her. Although his intentions to help her were well meaning, all his romantic advances caused her to back away. “Don’t pretend like you didn’t see me when you came out of the Boss’s office.”

“How dare you pry into my affairs!” she exclaimed sharply. “I can take care of myself, thank you very much!” Even from behind his mask, Domino could easily see that he was studying her.

“You’re lying and you know it,” he said simply, the sound of his boots echoing in Domino’s ears as he drew nearer. “Tell me honestly,” he continued, gripping her shoulders, “is that man, that sad excuse for a man…doing something to you behind the door of that office?”

“I refuse to answer, Vicious, please allow me to take my leave,” she answered with cold simplicity as she pulled herself out of his arms. “I-I’m going now.” She turned and stalked off to her room at the headquarters, not daring to look back.

Vicious watched her go, then pulled out the bouquet of purple tulips he had arranged just for her. He gazed out the window for a second before turning to the deserted corridor that Domino had just walked through. “Just for a second…I thought I had you,” he muttered.

***

Three pairings in one story, wow! Even I never expected to include Vicious in the story, he just appears when I least expect him to. Anyway, Merry Christmas Blackjack, I hope you enjoyed it! ^_^ You did say you wanted to read more Commandshipping, after all…