FRIENDS?ENEMIES?OR SOMETHING MORE?
A/N: SO ASH WILL BE FEMALE FOR THIS STORY AND GIOVANNI JUST A FEW YEARS OLDER THAN SHE IS: EVEN SO THE REST IS MORE OR LESS HOW YOU REMEMBER IT. THIS IS A CHALLENGE I ACCEPTED FROM A FRIEND WHO SAW ME READING: LIKE A BOSS.
SO THIS IS DEDICATED TO THE MOST FAMOUS AUTHOR OF SHATTERSHIPPING: FELICITY DREAM!
CHAPTER1: MEETING YOU AGAIN?
Ashley 'Ash' Ketchum had blossomed over the years into a beautiful young woman and even if she still loved her Pokémon very much: after becoming Alola's regional champion she realized that she was tired of traveling and such. Even if she still loved her Pokémon she had realized that her dream of becoming a Pokémon master had just been that: a dream…
She had spoken with her stepfather Professor Oak and mother about it and decided to go to college. She was now a 23 years old hacker/software maker and she loved her job! It was strange how ruining regional teams plans had been decisive in her choice of career, but she really loved hacking into security systems and now companies paid her for it! Only to see how effective their security was…. Not very secure because she almost always ended selling them one of her making.
Ash was the proud owner of an apartment in Viridian City: her base of operations, close to pallet and her friends but not too close. Right now she was being employed again and again by GioCorps a company that gave her the vague feeling she knew from before, but as it was a multibillionaire one that didn't really surprise her. What did surprise her was that the head of security named Proton seemed to take her hacking into his systems even if she got paid by him to do so personal. She would successfully do so, get paid, offer him one of her own software's, he would refuse, create a 'new' one and everything would start again….it was just bizarre, but it paid her good so she wouldn't complain!
Right now she sat in one of the many bars the city had: something she never noticed when she saw still traveling the regions…she was so naïve back then. Her only companion was Pikachu who was drinking a bottle of ketchup while she was drinking orange juice, plain orange juice she was no fan of alcohol. She got drunk once and said never again unless it was a glass of wine with dinner or something.
"So what do you think about this Proton guy? I think he's a little weird don't you Pikachu?" Asked Ash after thinking about the man who was competing with her.
"Pi pi pika." Said Pikachu scolding her for talking about work on her time off.
"Yeah sorry buddy no work related talk when I'm off: sorry." Mumbled the trainer of the mouse Pokémon.
"Cha~" Said Pikachu rubbing their cheeks together showing Ash that he forgave her.
Ash laughed at her Pokémon's antics and didn't notice the young man entering the bar with a business suit on and a scowl on his face.
Giovanni had been looking everywhere in the city for a place where his minions wouldn't find him and to his surprise he found a small, but decent looking bar near one of the ally's of the city. He scowled when he entered because the place was much bigger than he had initially thought, but all that was fine to him.
He smiled when he saw a beautiful looking young woman with very long dark hair and a nice bell like laugh if his hearing served him right sitting at the bar: alone as far as he could tell. It's such a shame: I'm going to offer my company to her… beautiful young women shouldn't sit alone in bars. Thought the Italian before tsking once and putting a charming smile on his face before walking towards the bar he decided to give the barman his order before he sat down next to her.
"Is this place in use?" He asked as charmingly as he could.
"Huh? No you may sit there." Answered Ash without looking up wondering where she knew that voice from. This made Giovanni smile (he didn't recognize her voice) thinking that either she wasn't interested or something else: which he only took as a challenge.
"So what is a beautiful young woman like you doing here all alone?" Asked the Italian looking as good as he could until said woman turned to answer him, he knew those reddish brown eyes even if he hadn't seen them in years.
"I'm not all a….You!?" Said Ash almost falling of the chair.
"Ketchum!" Said Giovanni once he recovered from the shock: he had been flirting with his once nemesis Ash ketchum…. Even if it seemed that there was nothing left from that awkward girl that once ruined his plans…
"Ok: this is strange let's just pretend you weren't flirting with me."Stated Ash calmly before taking another drink of her juice.
"I agree!" Said Giovanni and as soon as the barman left his whiskey on the rocks for he took a drink of it: first dealing with fools and now drinking with Ketchum… where had his life gone wrong?
"So what are you doing here? I mean I haven't touched anything with an R with a flag pole in more than 4 years and if I did it was by mistake!" Said Ash as fast as she could: the last thing she needed right now was a group of rockets coming after her.
"I needed to get away from my minions for a while… And how come that you have stopped trying to stop me?" Asked Giovanni almost jealous: was she too busy stopping another team to have time for him? Because if she was he needed to step up his game: he always wanted to be the best and now that Ketchum came easy on the eyes he wouldn't mind seeing more of her.
"Ugh! Look I just seemed to be at the wrong place at the wrong moment or right place at the right moment, but after a few years stopping idiots from killing themselves and such it got old and I decided to go to college… my life doesn't move around you, you know?" Said Ash glaring him down while she wondered where her Pikachu was: because she might need him to blow the rocket boss away.
"Yeah that sounds as something that might get old soon…." Mumbled Giovanni remembering that it was the JJM unit following her around and not the other way around, but none of their reports stated her starting college: the last one was about her becoming Alolas first champion, as far as he could remember. "So we never ever got to tell each other our names…" Started Giovanni.
"That's because we only fought each other because you where a prat that was obsessed with world domination." Stated Ash interrupting Giovanni.
"That's what I mean! How about we start over again?" Asked Giovanni.
"The idiot three aren't going to follow me around nor would I need to deal with any of you minions if I agree?" Asked Ash not sure to agree: they had been fighting each other for so long, could they even start some kind of friendship? The idea of not having to fight him now that they both lived in the same city was tempting….
"You won't need to deal with them… as far as I'm concerned." Added Giovanni: because even he wasn't sure when or where he might see the JJM unit or the B&C unit or Proton or Archer or….
"And I'm allowed to kick your ass if you are about to do something that might get yourself or me killed: like when you got possessed back in Unova?" Asked Ash with a sadistic glint in her eyes, Giovanni hesitated a moment seeing the glint, but then again who wanted to be 'friends' with a madman?
"Sure." Answered the Italian.
"I'm Ashley 'Ash' Ketchum 23 years old and a hacker/software creator at your service." Said Ash offering her hand Giovanni smiled a genuine smile before taking it carefully in his own.
"Giovanni Leonardo Rocketto 29 years old, gym leader and business tycoon." Said Giovanni shaking her hand before winking at her.
"So what brings you here to this bar?" Asked Ash.
"Well Ash one of my directors is a mess because whomever he keeps employing to test our/his security passes every fire wall as if it where child play and my other friends keep going on about how I need to lay low after a messy break up…" Complained Giovanni with a pout on his face and Ash laughed.
"Please tell me that this guy isn't the security director of GioCorps and isn't called Proton." Asked Ash still giggling and when Giovanni nodded she burst out laughing and after putting two and two together he too started to laugh: who would have thought that after all those years it would be Proton who reunited them?
"I really needed that!" Said Giovanni finishing his drink thanking Ash.
"Yeah me too: could you tell him to just accept one of my own security systems and allow me to work with more companies?" Asked Ash a smile still gracing her face and Giovanni felt something strange in his chest so he just nodded.
After a while Pikachu came back and both Ash and Giovanni continued to talk about things they had done while they hadn't seen each other: they caught up until well past midnight and a little bit tipsy Giovanni insisted to walk Ash home. After they reached her apartment Ash insisted on Giovanni staying the night because she was afraid that her new friend old enemy would be unable to make it back to his home or that he would crash if he was driving…..
A/N: I'm not sure if I'm gone leave this as an open one shot or if it will have servile more chapters…. I'm leaning toward servile more chapters, but who wants to get to see the morning after? Please leave your reviews with your like, dislike and ideas!