Ash rubbed his hands together nervously, refusing to look at the person sitting in the chair. He kept his face as calm as he could as he mentally shit himself. Pikachu had been let out to run around with Persian, apparently getting a tour of all the best places to annoy people.
Giovanni watched him carefully, totally expecting this reaction and slightly having a mental breakdown of his own. Persian had suggested he act like nothing had happened, that was harder to do than he had thought it would be. He checked his phone before looking back up at Ash "ok, so you've been here almost three weeks".
Ash glanced at him "really, it's been that long already".
The rocket boss nodded "yeah, and I'v been getting complaints about having you uselessly lounging about the building".
Ash spoke up hesitantly "is that why you've been tired-".
Giovanni cut him off "drop it, that's my business not yours, anyways people think you should start pulling your weight around here".
Ash thought for a minute "wait like... working for team rocket".
Giovanni nodded "basically, more specifically, working for me or under me or whatever".
Ash nodded "oh... so what do you think".
Giovanni shrugged "I think I'm a bit low on staff ever sense different teams started popping up and you started getting my grunts arrested".
Ash grinned sheepishly "sorry, they kinda attacked me first though".
The other boy nodded "fair enough, anyways, do you do desk work or hands on stuff, I know you can do mechanical from helping JJM but I don't have a bunch of that kinda stuff for you to do".
Ash shrugged "I can do anything really".
Giovanni nodded "good, let's go, come on". He stood and tapped the door, signaling the grunts outside to open the door.
Ash stood too, checking his pokeballs "you want me to start now, since when do you give in to peer pressure anyways".
Giovanni rolled his eyes "this is a bit more than peer pressure kid". He left the room and started down the hallway.
Ash walked beside him "woah, you're calling me kid now, we're almost the same age you can't call me kid or I'll start calling you old man".
The rocket boss winced "I get your point, however you are younger than me so that means I can call you kid".
Ash scoffed "not that much younger, how old are you".
Giovanni glanced at him "you know, a lot of people would be offended by that". He pressed the button for the elevator and stepped inside, getting first floor.
Ash grinned "not you right, far to egotistical to be offended by age".
Giovanni rolled his eyes "yeah sure, that's it not the fact that I'm young too, couldn't possible be that".
Ash pouted "well by the way you're avoiding the question anyone would think your older than you look".
Giovanni folded his arms, waiting to get to the first floor "fine, how old do you think I am".
Ash studied him "maybe twenty-five, possible early thirties".
Giovanni scowled, stepping out of the elevator "now I am offended, I'm twenty-four asshat". He ushered the, into a relatively small room for what it was.
Ash looked around "no way, I don't believe you, you're definitely older than twenty-five, and... is this your office, I expected bigger and flashier".
Giovanni went to his desk, pushing a few papers to the side "I'm definitely twenty-four, the bigger flashier office is on the top floor, this is my work office and it's far more practical".
Ash nodded "very practical, I didn't actually expect that from you".
Giovanni looked at him "are you actually trying to make me want to kill you, cause I kinda want to right now".
Ash held his hands up "chill, your a dramatic jerk who used to wear a completely orange suit for the fun of it, what was I supposed to expect".
Giovanni groaned and put his head in his hands "oh dear Arceus please don't mention that suit, I was literally high every single day I wore that, that is the only reason I wore it".
Ash laughed "wait, you actually were crazy when you had that thing, I thought it was just my imagination".
Giovanni shook his head "no, that's enough, no more talking about that or you're getting grounded to your cell with no visitors". He sat behind the desk, gesturing to the seats in front of it "pick one and sit, we need to get you busy before you think of other dumb stuff".
Ash sat, propping his elbows on the desk "fine, give me something to do".
Giovanni shifted a small stack of papers his way, adding a notepad and pen to the top "go through that and make a list of the pokemon caught if you would". He pulled out a computer, flipping it open and typing in the password as the screen flickered on.
Ash started working, moving over the first paper and writing as he spoke "I hope these aren't stolen pokemon or that would make me an accomplice".
Giovanni started typing up a few notes and researching things and answering emails "maybe that's what I'm trying to do".
Ash stopped, looking up at him "is it".
Giovanni grinned "no but it's a good idea, I just needed people to shut up for a bit and help with this stuff is always appreciated".
Ash started working again, flipping the page to get to the next section "so you've been swamped with paperwork recently".
Giovanni laughed dryly "more like always, for some reason running a business and an underground team of evil is a lot of work".
Ash grinned "really, who would have thought". The sarcasm that drenched his words managed to drip enough to get Giovanni's attention.
Giovanni looked at him, face so terribly done with his sarcasm "thank you for your lovely opinion, now shut up and work". He went back to checking his emails, sending notes to higher thought of grunts or lowly thought of admins who needed to do something or other.
Ash flipped another page "fine, fine, I get it". He scanned the page, eyes stopping as he read a paragraph. He read.
'The three starter pokemon have so far evaded our grasp. Sources say that, while rare, an area near Pallet town has become home to them. Awaiting further instructions on how to proceed. A possible source of information has been found, going by the name of Samuel Oak.'
Ash's eyes widened as he looked over the text again, trying to process everything it could mean. First off, Giovanni was trying to capture Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander in bulk. Giovanni also wasn't having any luck doing this. Professor Oak was also probably in danger. Ash glanced up at Giovanni, the rocket boss was still busy on his computer, face lit up by the screen.
Ash debated with himself before slowly holding the paper up "you sure you want me reading this stuff".
Giovanni's eyes darted to him, fingers stopping above the keys "why, what's on it".
Ash held the paper out to him "see for yourself".
Giovanni took it, scanning over the page quickly. He read the paragraph carefully before glancing up at Ash "oh, I can see how this might lead to questions".
Ash nodded "probably ones you don't want to answer right".
Giovanni grimaced, dropping the paper on a stack of ones for him to look over "definitely ones I don't want to answer right now, probably ever".
Ash studied him "why, what's so important about a handful of starter pokemon". He suddenly thought of something else "and if you're looking for them why did you give mine back, I have all three starters".
Giovanni sighed "do you not understand the fact that I'm not answering your questions right now, probably that I will never answer them".
Ash nodded "yeah, I got that, it's still natural to ask anyways".
Giovanni rolled his eyes "you know, curiosity killed the Meowth".
Ash raised an eyebrow "and satisfaction brought it back".
Giovanni waved a hand dismissively "yeah yeah, whatever, just get working". He sent another email, checking his spam to receive any incognito messages. After he had finished checking he wiped the rest and set the code to erase any bugs or hacks.
Ash went back to his listing, going more carefully to read what the messages actually were. Every time he found something that seemed a little more important than normal he would hand it over to Giovanni without a word, then move onto the next page.
Giovanni would give each page handed to him the smallest once-over possible before dropping it onto the slowly growing pile of papers he had to deal with. He finished with his emails and moved onto checking police reports online, including the program he had made specifically to find reports about any teams in any region. On the side, in a smaller window he had open, he worked on the business side of his life. Checking stock he owned and seeing which investments would work and which should be dumped.
They stayed in that routine for about an hour, coming to a very peaceful silence as they worked. The thing that changed it was Ash's pile of papers, which eventually ran dry. He looked up at Giovanni, fingers tapping on the now empty space "ok, so what should I do now".
Giovanni glanced up, holding a hand out "let me look over your notes". Ash handed them over and Giovanni eyed them, mentally filing away the information "did you check all of these".
Ash rolled his eyes "I'm hurt, you think I'm not capable of doing my job, of course I did".
Giovanni ignored his comment as he pulled up a new file, typing everything in far more quickly than Ash would have thought possible "alright, next". He ruffled through the papers on his desk and grabbed another stack and a map, dropping them in front of Ash "I want you to go through these and mark on here about where the different things mentioned are, you know like pokemon, trainers, caves, anything you find in the papers".
Ash nodded "so basically I'm adding more detail to the map".
Giovanni nodded "exactly, when you finish a page just drop it on the other ones you finished". He stood up, stretching his stiff muscles "you need a drink".
Ash glanced up at him, already starting on a page "yeah I could one, water if that's possible".
Giovanni walked toward the door after locking his computer "yes, I am a millionaire, genius, businessman, who owns a team of mass danger, there is no possible way I can get you a single water bottle". He grinned over his shoulder "don't mess up my office idiot".
Ash huffed, Giovanni had already disappeared through the door "jerk". He looked around the room, dropping the paper and pen he had been holding. He stretched his arms over his head and got up, walking around the desk to peer at the computer. He chuckled when he saw the lock screen, it was Persian looking extremely grumpy with bold black words beside him 'Fuck Off'.
Ash ignored the command and sat in front of the computer, tapping the mouse to bring the password screen up. Now Ash was no genius, not even close, but he had an amazing amount of luck when he tried things he was supposed to be bad at. He started typing randomly, anything Giovanni might use, starting with money and business things and moving to darker, more Team Rocket, things. Ash frowned at the computer, still locked and taunting him, before glancing at the door. Giovanni would probably be back soon. Ash took a breath and tried one more thing, typing in 'Persian'.
He stared dumbly at the screen as it unlocked and showed its contents to him. He quickly scanned everything, ignoring the business stuff and anything that would take a few minutes to figure out. A small chat window popped up in the corner, new message received. Ash opened it quickly 'No, he's mad because I told him he sucks ass at fighting'.
Ash was, of course, completely confused. He scrolled up the chat and started reading down from the top.
Gio: Got your message yesterday, meeting as usual, what happened?
???: I got in a fight over something stupid with precious.
Gio: Please dear god don't tell me you ate the last cookie again.
???: SHUT UP, no that's not it.
Gio: Sure I'll believe that when I see it, we both know you have a sweet tooth.
???: I swear I really hate you right now.
Gio: Oh, too bad I don't care. Anyways, what did happen?
???: Well... we kind of got in a fist fight with someone.
Gio: Are either of you hurt?! Do I need to send someone down?!
???: No, we're both fine, hardly a scratch.
Gio: Then why are you two fighting? He didn't try to chase them alone did he?
???: No, he's mad because I told him he sucks ass at fighting.
Ash started understanding by the end of it, wondering who the second person was and how he could talk so casually to Giovanni. 'Maybe he doesn't know who it is' Ash mussed. He jumped when he heard voices close outside the door, scrambling to lock the computer and get back in his seat. He had just grabbed the paper and pen again when the door opened.
Giovanni walked in backwards, still talking to the grunt in the hall "no you useless moron, you can't just demand that people hand everything over, you look like a fuckign child you git, no one will listen to you, god you're all idiots".
Ash turned around, trying not to look guilty as he looked at Giovanni "another useless grunt I'm guessing".
Giovanni had a water and a pop in one hand, rubbing his face with the other as he kicked the door closed "I swear I'm forever plagued by idiots".
Ash rolled his eyes "yes, how unfortunate, I was definitely praying you had a line of smart ass grunts but to bad".
Giovanni hit his head lightly with the water bottle "thank you for that lovely batch of sarcasm, I was definitely missing it while I dealt with the captain of sass out there".
Ash grinned at him, smiling innocently "always happy to help". He grabbed the water and turned back around, looking over the paper.
Giovanni looked at the paper too, also studying the map, Ash hadn't gotten much done. He shrugged mentally and went to his seat, unlocking his computer. He kept his face carefully neutral as he looked the screen over. He almost wanted to smile, Ash was better than he thought, not great but better. The boy had, however, forgotten to close the message window, leaving evidence of his presence. Giovanni was extremely relieved that he had decided not to put a name to any of his contacts, Ash would have been in for quite the shock.
He clicked the reply box.
Gio: Well he does doesn't he? Why should that upset him?
???: EXACTLY, he is genuinely terrible. He, however, thinks that his fighting skills are the shit.
Gio: ... Did you just say the shit... please tell me that those are his words and not yours, I did not raise you like that.
???: yes those are his words, and what do you mean you didn't raise me like that? I have heard you say that exact phrase at least seven times.
Gio: I was undercover that doesn't count.
???: How did you put it that one time?
Gio: YOU LITTLE SHIT, YOU BETTER STOP RIGHT THERE.
???: I believe it was "these suits are the shit" wasn't it?
Gio: I actually despise you.
???: "This drink is the shit".
Gio: I will poison your candy.
???: "My car is the shit".
Gio: I'm leaving asswipe.
???: Geo...
???: Giovanni?
???: Oh my god you actually left, your such a dick, I actually have news.
Gio: What news?
???: Oh just that I know how to get you to drop the silent treatment. >=]
Gio: I fucking hate you.
???: Sure ya do. I have to go, precious is getting bored with ignoring me and wants to do something. Talk to you later Giovanni, you should come down sometime.
Gio: Oh yeah, I'm sure everyone in pallet town would love to see me.
???: Ha ha ha smart ass, you know some of them would.
Gio: Fine, I'll come down sometime. Now go be with precious, I'm sure he's dying to do something with you right now.
???: Tell Ash I said hi. See ya.
Gio: Bye.
Giovanni clicked out of the conversation and stretched, checking the time. They had been going at it for a few hours overall and the room was getting hot and stuffy. He looked at Ash, who had managed to get through quite a large portion of the paper stack. He tapped the desk to get the boys attention "hey, wanna take a break".
Ash looked up at him, pen hovering over the map "I wouldn't be apposed, my butt is totally numb".
Giovanni laughed, standing up as he closed his computer "yeah I guess you're more used to walking".
Ash nodded, dropping paper and pen as he stood "definitely".
Giovanni grabbed his pop as he went around the desk, he hadn't even opened it yet. Ash looked at the drink "you know, I'm kinda surprised you didn't get a water or something, you seem like the kind of person who would be a health nut".
Giovanni scoffed "please, I like my fast food as well as the next person". He opened the door, looking around to make sure he wouldn't be bombarded with dumb questions. He leaned back in the room, turning on the AC so it would be cool when they came back. He went out the door, looking back at Ash "unfortunately there is a whole hoard of people who wouldn't stand me letting you out for a bit without me present, it's back to the cell for you".
Ash groaned "it's so boring in there".
Giovanni rolled his eyes "I gave you a book, read it, if you need to move them exercise".
Ash sighed, following the rocket boss as the walked down the hall and toward the elevator "fine, are JJM still gone".
Giovanni nodded, stepping into the already waiting elevator "they fucked up again and Archer is pissed so I sent them somewhere out of the way".
Ash smirked "aww, you do care about their health".
Giovanni folded his arms, reflexively placing himself in the corner of the metal box "I told you, I'm understaffed and need all the extra grunts I can get".
Ash smiled, stepping out as the doors opened "sure, that's definitely it".
Giovanni lead the way back to his cell "I swear I could kick you right now". He swiped his key card over the lock and opened the door, stepping aside for Ash "I'll be back later to get you again, I've got some other things to handle right now".
Ash slipped past him, smiling over his shoulder "see ya". He turned to the room as the boy closed the door, hearing the electronic lock click. He went to his bed, grabbing the pokeballs he had been told to leave behind. He let everyone out, greeting each one with a grin "ok, so here's the problem, I'm totally bored and I want to move around, who wants to play a game".
Every single pokemon raised some type of appendage.
Ash grinned and rubbed his hands together, this was probably a bad idea, but it would be fun anyways.
AN
Like holy fuck, I'm so sorry. I swear I'm the worst person ever, I'm so bad at updating. Anyways, here's the new chapter and all it's idiotic glory. A QUESTION FOR YOU TO ANSWER: who do you think GIovanni was talking to??! They will come in in later chapters and I dropped so many hints as to who they are. Again I'm sorry for the slow updates, you can kill me later I swear. So, read, comment, love your precious, you know what I mean. Bye *golem hops out*.