Summary: After a bad deal, Giovanni finds help in an unexpected place.
Damn! He thought as he tentatively touched the growing wet spot just under his rib cage.
It was a setup; there was a snitch in Team Rocket, and that was why he was bleeding out.
Fuck. He needs help and fast.
Giovanni felt himself slipping; just keep going...
Route one was dead this time of morning.
Wait... humming.
A trainer, perhaps...
Delia Ketchum did what she had done every Saturday morning since her son started his Pokémon journey: go for a jog.
Before she got married, she was an avid jogger; she and the other mothers started a group so they could jog.
But motherhood, marriage, and death got in the way, but now she had free time and a jogging partner in Mimey, and she could do something with all this pent-up energy.
A simple jog to Viridian City before sunrise would be the perfect way to start the day.
Mimey trotted beside her faithfully; she hummed her favorite song-
'Help.' Called a voice as a tall figure lunged at her.
She tried to dodge, but the figure grabbed her by the hair, taking them both to the ground.
She screamed out in both terror and pain as she crawled away, Mimey shielding them with a barrier. 'Don't. Go.'
It was a man; Delia saw that now he was reaching out to her, blood on his face.
Despite her better judgment and Mimey's protests, she crawled over to him. He was face down, had blood on his face, and was on the ground pooling around him.
He looked pitiful as he tried to touch her face; Delia rolled him over, and he cried out in pain.
She went to check for identification or something, but the R on his heart told her enough.
R as red as the blood oozing out of him.
She decided that she didn't want to know more.
'You're a part of Team Rocket.' Delia said in a disgusted voice.
Even though Team Rocket was a monster, he didn't deserve to die in the middle of nowhere.
She would drop him off at the Pokémon Center in Viridian City; after that, he would be alone.
He remembered someone crooning over him, a suffocatingly soothing voice and soft hands wiping the blood from his face.
And chocolate brown eyes, judgmental but caring, and mahogany-colored hair that looked red in the sunlight.
And the scent of peacha berries.
Ariana and Archer handled Rocket, and Proton protected the gym.
He was fine, he was fine; he was just a little spacy at times, especially when during sunrise and when he smelt peacha berries.
The grunts thought he lost his mind and the admins were no better, especially Ariana.
She was the only person he confided in about her.
'You need a hobby!' Ariana screamed. 'You're obsessed with a figment of your imagination.'
Not a figment of his imagination, he had a lock of hair.
Sleep together a couple of times, and she's the boss.
She was right about getting a hobby...
He always did like drawing before his mother went on an I have no son rant.
The lock was the proof he had.
'Boss, Jessie and James are here.' A grunt groaned.
'Send them in.' Giovanni cleared his throat, shoving the lock in his pocket. 'What tales of failure do you bring to me today.'
They begin their incessant chatting and the annoying twerps and the magic Pikachu.
Giovanni found himself thinking about her eyes. Was she off saving and judging other men?
'Boss?' Jessie's voice brought him back. 'Are you okay?'
Her voice was not as soothing as hers, but it was enough for now.
Everyone is treating him like an invalid...
'I'm fine, Jessie.'
'Did you find out who the snitch was?'
'Not yet.'
'Dang.'
'I'm feeling generous, so I'll give you all another chance.'
'Anything for you, boss!' James exclaimed.
'Miss Ariana is worried; I think she's crazy, but I gotta live with her, you know.'
James shot a glance at Jessie and nodded. 'Yes.'
'I need more security-'
'We'd be happy to help!' Jessie said.
'Great. Now, I need you to go to the art store. I've decided to take on a hobby.'