(DISCLAIMER: As previously stated, I don't own the Pokemon Company nor any of its characters/places. The only thing I actually own and created on my own here is Cassandra. And Anton. Don't ask me who those people are. I'll put up a character list... eventually. Just know that those two are my original people, 'kay?)
That evening at 9:30 pm, I received a phone call at my apartment. I answered accordingly. "Hello? Giovanni speaking. Who may I ask is calling?"
"Giovanni! Hello! It's Cassandra! The woman you met this morning?" Cassandra reminded me.
"Ah, yes, Cassandra. I take it you found my card. How are you?"
"Yes, I did. Very sneaky of you. Anyway, I'm kind of in a rut."
"Oh? What's the matter?"
"I got a whole lot of work to do at home today and I can't carry it myself and get home before 10. Would you mind giving me a ride again? I'm sorry for calling and asking so late."
"No, no, it's fine. Of course, I'll help. I'll be there in three minutes, more or less."
"Oh, thank you! You're such a gentleman, you know that? I'll have to do something for you sometime. I'll be waiting out in the lobby of the building. See you when you get here! Bye!"
"Bye," I replied, and she hung up on her end. I then put my own phone back on the cradle and headed out to my car.
The drive did indeed take three minutes. I got out of the car as soon as I was in front of the entrance way to open any necessary doors for Cassandra. Based on the box she was holding, she needed me to open not only my car door, but the front door as well. I did so and I heard a muffled "thanks" from the red-haired lady. I then unlocked and opened the trunk for her to set the box in.
"Oof. Man, I wish my boss would let up on me, just a little," Cassandra complained.
"What all is in there, if you don't mind me asking?" I inquired.
"Oh, nothing much. Just a bunch of blueprints."
"Blueprints?"
"Yeah, for some new project we're working on. And some other files that need organizing that I couldn't get to today."
"What's the project? Or can you not tell me?"
"It's for some new type of PokeBall. It's supposed to catch a Pokemon with greater accuracy than a normal one. I think they're thinking of calling it the... Super Ball? Something like that."
"Huh. Interesting. Well, could you give me directions again? I don't know where you live yet."
"Sure. Let's just get going. Sue's probably worried sick."
I raised my eyebrow at her when we both took our seats. "Sue?" I asked her.
"Don't worry. You'll see Sue when we get there. I can't guarantee she'll be too happy to see you. She doesn't like people other than myself," my passenger warned me. To be honest, I was a little nervous about meeting this... "Sue."
We got to her apartment building without a hitch. I ended up carrying the file box up to her apartment, the first one up the first flight of steps on the left. I heard the clicking of her keys as she took them from her bag to open the door. Then I heard an odd sound from the other side of the door.
"Nyaaau! Nya nya nyaaaau! Nya-nya-nya-nya-nya!"
"Yes, it's me, Sue. Don't worry. Back up from the door. Don't want to get your tail caught in it again, do you?" Cassandra asked calmly.
"-Nng-.. Now... Wait a -urf- second... Meowing? ...Tail? Are you... -ergh- trying to say that 'Sue' is a..." I began. But I couldn't finish because the door opened and my load became a little more than nine pounds heavier.
"Nya?" a Meowth that was now sitting on the box said, cocking its head to its left with a befuddled look on its face.
"Sue! Get off! Come on, girl. Down," Cassandra commanded and the Meowth I assumed was "Sue" obeyed. "You can put that on the floor of the living area," she told me and we walked inside.
I set the box down with a tired grunt. "Didn't think a bunch of blueprints and files could be so heavy!" I exclaimed.
"Hee hee hee!" the red-haired business woman giggled behind me. "I really can't thank you enough. I'm guessing, since it's so late, that you've already had dinner, huh?" she asked, a little downcast.
"Yes. But, if you were about to invite me to stay, I wouldn't mind," I added, hoping my remark wasn't too rude.
"Really? Great! I was trying to think of other ways to thank you, but I was coming up short on ideas. Feel free to plunk down on the couch and watch something. Or read a book from my shelf. Or, whatever," she told me, being the basic hospitable host. First, I closed the door behind me. Then, I took her recommendation and sat on the couch.
Or rather, sank into the couch. The cushioning must be pretty old. I almost hit one of the support boards underneath. Sue, the Meowth, despite Cassandra's claims on not liking anyone other than her, sat calmly on my lap. She soon began to groom herself, licking her paws as if something rather enticing was spilled on them.
"Huh. That's surprising. Sue doesn't usually warm up to humans. You must be pretty special! Either that, or smell like fish," Cassandra noted.
"I certainly hope it's the former rather than the latter," I told my host.
"Hahaha! I hope so too!" she laughed.
She made pancakes for dinner. She said it was the best thing she could make out of any other recipes she has. They were actually really good.
"These remind me of the ones my father used to make for me before I went to school as a child," I remarked. "They were just as delicious as these," I made sure to add.
"Your father? Not to seem rude, but, wouldn't a mother be more the one to make breakfast in the morning?" the woman sitting across the table asked me.
It was an honest question, but one I didn't want to answer. Not the way I wanted to, anyway.
"My mother..." I started, "Wasn't really home much. Not in the mornings, anyway.
"She... was hardly likable. Sometimes I wonder why my father stayed married to her after he saw what was going on between us. She probably bribed him or blackmailed him, or something. Either that, or he stayed for my sake. He wanted me to have at least one loving parent," I admitted.
"If you don't mind me asking, what did your mother do?" Cassandra asked. Again, it was an honest question.
"One word: abuse. Physical at times, but mostly emotional. If my father wasn't around, I may never have survived."
"Speaking of your father, that's who we began talking about, right? What was he like?" she inquired, knowing I was uncomfortable with the subject at hand. I was very grateful to her for realizing that.
"Well, my father is the Leader of the Viridian City Gym. His name is Anton," I stated proudly.
"Gym Leader Anton is your FATHER?! No way! That's amazing!" Cassandra said in awe of my tellings.
"He is amazing. He gave me my first Pokemon, a male Nidoran, when I was 11 years old. He did it so that I would become an accomplished enough Trainer to take his place someday. That Nidoran is now a Nidoking. And, as soon as my vacation here ends, I will be co-Leaders with him."
"That's incredible. My parents are nothing special. They simply raised me as best as they could here in Saffron. They now live retired somewhere in the Sevii Islands south of Cinnabar."
"Sevii Islands? I've never heard of them."
"Well, not many people live there yet. It's mostly a resort type of archipelago."
"Ah. I see. Now, did you have any siblings?"
"No. Only child. You?"
"Same."
"Well, that's three things we have in common!" Cassandra beamed.
"Three?" I asked, curious as to what the other two were.
"One: Sue likes us, two: we don't have brothers or sisters, and three: we both like pancakes!" she said with a smile and a laugh.
"Speaking of which, I think the pancakes are getting cold. We probably should eat them now," I replied with a slight grin myself.
"Good point," she agreed, and we ate. We finished in about 3 minutes. However, I stayed for another 10. We talked on about our hobbies, our favorite types of Pokemon, (hers is Normal, mine is Ground) and even our favorite colors.
I then noticed that the microwave read 10:12. I assumed that, due to it still being dark out, it was PM.
"I probably should go home. It's rather late," I informed my most gracious host, pointing to the microwave behind her.
"Oh! I had no idea it was past 10! I'm sorry to have kept you..."
"No, no, don't apologize. I had a lot of fun."
"We should do this again sometime."
"Nyaa!"
"Hee hee! Sue thinks so, too! What do you say? Shall we have lunch together tomorrow?"
I thought for a moment, then gave her my reply: "Yes. I'd like that."
"Wonderful! I get off for lunch at 12:17. I'll meet you in the Silph Company lobby. Sound good?" she asked me as we put our dishes in the sink.
"Yes, it does. I'll drive over there to pick you up."
"Works for me! Well, I'll see you then!" the blue-eyed woman said as she opened the door for me.
"Right. Good night, Cassandra."
"Good night, Giovanni."
We probably stood there staring at each other for at least one-and-a-half minutes. I really then took in her beauty. Her hair glowed under the porch light, her eyes glistened like some of the stars that were visible between the skyscrapers. Her complexion wasn't all that pale, but she wasn't tan, more like a pleasant rosy peach. She was a good two inches shorter than I, I noticed. But that didn't detract from her loveliness. Finally her Meowth snapped us out of our daze.
"Nyaaa!" she said, as if to say, "Come on, you know how late it is."
I then nodded, walked out, went to my car, opened the door, closed it once inside, started the engine, and looked up. She was still there, standing in the doorway. I then pulled out of the parking lot and headed back to my own apartment.
Thinking back on all that had occurred, I knew. I, Giovanni of Viridian City, was in love.
