An Unlikely Sleepover?
Well, maybe it could, but he wasn’t gonna let it! Not if he could stop it, anyways.
Giovanni rose up from his baby seat, groaning a bit as he felt several joints pop in response. Arceus he was too old to be sitting like that for too long…
After his joints had finally settled, he looked over towards Wicke. He wanted to thank her for keeping the party as an option after all. Turning his head, he spotted her gently rousing Colress, who looked half-dead if he had to be quite honest. He decided not to stick around and make his way into his room until a small, blonde head made his way towards the pair.
Faba strode on over to the duo, his hands balled into nervous fists as he tried to keep a calm and collected look on his face.
Giovanni secretly watched as Faba crouched down beside the much taller scientist and asked him something in a low voice, his face now twisted into concern. Colress gave a surprised look as he listened to Faba, his face flushed a bit as he tried to tell him that everything was fine. The small, lanky man helped the taller blonde to his feet, still asking if he was alright.
Go get him Arcanine! Giovanni cheered in his mind as he watched them walk together, Faba bragging about much more “mature” he was than the others while Colress just looked down and smiled. He couldn’t help but feel a little proud that Faba was able to talk to him, it was almost painful to watch him stare at the Unovian earlier.
He looked back to see Wicke grinning ear to ear watching the scientist duo walk together. He smiled and waved to her as he paced.
“Hello Miss Wicke,”
“Oh! Giovanni! Good to see you!” She started.
“It’s good to see you all cleaned up, actually!” He replied back, grinning as he said it. “Hopefully it wasn’t too much trouble.”
“Ah trust me, it wasn’t. When you work with injured Pokémon it’s easy to get that messy, so you gotta learn how to clean up quick. I’m practically an expert in getting cleaned up so fast now! It’s good to see that you are doing well, I assume Archie and Maxie didn’t give you any trouble?” She smirked a bit.
“Hardly. I was actually talking with Lysandre and Cyrus for a bit before poor Mr. Scientist over there looked like he was about to collapse. But it seems that he’s starting to look a little better now.”
“Oh for sure!” Wicke replied, glancing around real quick before her voice became hushed. “They’re adorable together aren’t they?”
Giovanni choked on his chuckle upon hearing Wicke gossip to him. “You think so? I’m glad that Faba finally got up and talked to him. Did you see him earlier? It was honestly a little hard to watch. Poor fellow just kept glancing back and forth, back and forth. You could just tell he was trying to think of something to say to him.”
Wicke giggled quite a bit upon hearing Giovanni’s observations. “Oh it was painful indeed… you can just tell that Faba is head over heels with him. Trust me, I’m his best friend, and a good friend knows when a friend is in love! Ever since they first interacted he’s all Faba would talk about! You had to be blind to not see it,” she giggled more as she recalled the memories. “I’m sure you don’t want to hear about any of that though… unless you are the gossiping type?”
Giovanni chuckled and scratched the back of his head. “Eh… it depends I guess. I’m much more of a listener when it comes to those sorts of matters. It’s good to get information about others.” He smiled back at her and continued on. “What I really came here to say was thank you. I’m glad the party is still on for all of us, although you and Colress probably deserve it more.”
Wicke shook her head in response. “Oh, don’t be so modest Giovanni! You guys all deserve it after practically being forced into this mess. Plus, I know the real reason why everyone is so excited for it anyways. I don’t blame them to be honest… it’s been a wild few days that’s for sure.”
Giovanni agreed and chuckled again before speaking. “Well, I’m sure you’ve got important matters to attend to. Wouldn’t want to keep you busy. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Of course! Behave now!” Wicke waved her finger in the air before waving goodbye to the former mob boss. Giovanni waved back in response and turned towards the direction of his room, thankful that he was finally going to get a break soon. His joints needed it after all…
He turned the knob and stepped inside, bending down to scratch his Persian under the chin as it greeted him.
“Ciao Persian,” he greeted back, giving it a quick pat before getting back up and heading towards his bed. He wondered if the others let their Pokémon roam free in their rooms while out and about.
Giovanni stepped out of his shoes and put them aside. This was his day to rest! He took off his suit jacket and put it away somewhere where Persian couldn’t get stray hairs on it and ran his fingers through his hair. He needed a shower… but he had other matters to attend to first.
He grabbed the rest of the Pokéballs sitting on his nightstand and released his team into the room, still surprised on how they could all even fit in there.
His team all cried out in excitement, thankful that they had finally got the chance to roam around and spend time with their beloved trainer for the first time in a while. The last time his whole team was out like this was when he was battling the little brats that stormed the place.
When my plan got crushed to bits…
He cleared his mind of the sobering thought and gave a quick pat to all three of Dugtrio’s heads before heading over to give his Nidoking and Nidoqueen some nuzzles.
“Rhyperior?”
“Yes, Yes, I didn’t forget about you, il mio tesoro,” He cooed as he gave his Rhyperior a scratch under the chin before his Persian meowed in annoyance.
“Yes, you are my treasure as well Persian!” He grinned as his team all gathered around him, glad they were able to get out and stretch for a bit.
However, Giovanni couldn’t help but feel a little sorrowful. His Mewtwo should be there with him as well. He wasn’t exactly sure how it would behave with the others, but it wouldn’t harm them, right? If only Lusamine and Colress hadn’t of taken it, he would’ve found out.
He continued his pondering as he made his way towards the cabinets in his room, retrieving the bag of Pokéfood and bowls within them. He hummed as he prepared their meals, giving them each their favorite berries as a side treat in their bowls.
His team watched in excitement, Persian even trying to swipe a berry for itself when the Rocket leader wasn’t looking. Giovanni swatted the paw away and gave them each their food.
As he watched them devour their dinner, he sat and decompressed on his bed for a minute, finally feeling somewhat at peace.
Until a piercing screech was heard through his walls.
“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!” Maxie’s screaming reverberated throughout his room, knocking Giovanni out of his peaceful trance.
A boisterous laugh was heard after, with a panicked-sounding Archie trying to explain the situation to the best of his ability throughout the laughter.
Was that Guzma laughing? It sure sounded like him. Giovanni couldn’t help but come closer to the wall nearest to him to hear more of it. This was going to be juicy.
“Maxie it wasn’t me this time! He just wanted to see what would happen if-“
“I DON’T CARE! THAT WAS MY ROCK COLLECTION FOR GROUNDON’S SAKE!”
“Yeah! Listen to Archie here! He didn’t have nothin’ to do with it! Well maybe except for-“
“GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY ROOM!”
“Well that’s my cue ta leave, see ya Archie!”
“BOTH OF YOU GET THE HELL OUT NOW! I’M KICKING YOU BOTH OUT!”
“I’m not leaving! Where the hell am I gonna stay?”
“I DON’T CARE! I DON’T EVEN WANT TO LOOK AT YOU RIGHT NOW! NOW GO! GRAB YOUR BELONGINGS AND LEAVE!”
A shuffling was heard for a few minutes before Giovanni could hear the door loudly slam, leaving a confused Archie outside.
What the fuck was that about?
The Team Rocket leader, along with his Pokémon, stood dumbfounded near the wall, most of their food bowls still half full due to being interrupted.
Sure, the two fought often, but nobody ever kicked anybody out before. He was curious as to what happened exactly that led to Archie being kicked out.
And what the hell did Guzma and Archie do to Maxie’s rock collection? He continued his thinking as he watched his Pokémon finish their meals, cleaning up after them once they had completely finished.
In an effort to try and relax more, Giovanni grabbed the laser pointer he kept in his pocket and shined it on the floor for Persian. He chuckled to himself as he watched the feline Pokémon go nuts chasing it. Even the rest of his team couldn’t help but get excited once they saw the laser pointer.
Would a Mewtwo play with a laser pointer? Maybe it’s too “intellectually superior” for that sort of stuff…
A few knocks to the door brought the mobster out of his thoughts. “Who the hell?”
He clicked the laser off and walked over to open the door, slightly surprised when he saw a guilty Archie on the other side.
“Hiya boss.” He waved, other arm clutching a small bag that must’ve contained his belongings for the night. He scratched the back of his head nervously, the blue bandana he often wore was removed for the night, revealing his curled locks of dark brown hair, something that Giovanni had actually never seen before.
“Hello Archie… may I help you with something?” He replied, still slightly surprised at seeing him here.
“Well… do ya mind if I get a bit of shut-eye in yer room tonight? I’m sure ya know what happened, these thin walls and all. Surprised ya didn’t yell at us like you usually do!” He bashfully looked down a for second and continued. “Ya don’t have to say yes if ya don’t want me here…” The pirate trailed off a bit, letting Giovanni pick up where he left off.
“Well… I got the bits and pieces of it. I’ll allow you to sleep here for the night I suppose, but only for tonight!”
“Oh thank you boss!” Archie cheered, grinning wide upon hearing Giovanni agree. “I promise I won’t mess any of yer things up!”
“Oh don’t worry too much,” Giovanni started while opening the door for Archie. “You’ll have to excuse me for a second, all of my Pokémon are out of their Pokéballs right now. They all needed a good stretch.”
“Don’t worry ‘bout it!” Replied Archie, barging through the doorway and gazing upon the elegant decor of his boss’s room. “Maybe I can even send out my own team! Give our little guys a “play-date” if ya wanted too!”
“Ah… I don’t believe there is enough room for that Archie…” Giovanni said as he closed the door behind him.
“That’s a bummer! Figured since yer the boss you’d have a bigger room!” He put his bag down on an adjacent chair and stretched.
“Well, I had to work with what I had… you know you don’t have to keep calling me boss anymore, right?” Giovanni chuckled as he went over to pet his Persian.
“Eh, habit I ‘spose,” Archie concluded, reaching out to give the Dugtrio in front of him three pets on each head. “Quite the team ya got here! Maybe we should all battle each other one day! Like a tournament! Wonder who’d win…”
Giovanni smiled. “Well, knowing how this place is going we won’t be able to do that for a while. Hell, I’m surprised that we’re even still allowed to have our Pokémon after the stunt we all pulled.”
“Well, they did confiscate my Kyogre, but that’s the only one.”
“Same with my Mewtwo.”
Archie let out a hearty laugh. “Ha! You too? They took Maxie’s Groundon as well… guess they took everyone’s legendary Pokémon?”
“I suppose so. At least I know now that I wasn’t the only one.” Giovanni walked over and retrieved the empty Pokéballs on his nightstand. “All right everyone, time to go back in. I’ll let you all out longer tomorrow I promise, I miei tesori”
“Prrbtt?”
“Yes Persian even you! Archie needs a place to sleep tonight and I’m not going to let you use him as a scratching post in the middle of the night. Now come on!”
His Persian complied and went back into its ball along with the others. Giovanni smiled at all of them and carefully placed them on the nightstand near him.
“Does yer Persian really scratch people?” Archie inquired, now seating himself on the floor while rummaging through his bag.
“Mostly that chair behind you… or the curtains… or my leg.”
Archie let out another laugh and continued his search through his bag as Giovanni watched.
“I apologize for not having a good place for you to sleep, didn’t figure anyone else would ever come in here besides me…” Well… he hoped that Cyrus would come in here one day, but he couldn’t tell Archie that!
“Aw don’t worry ‘bout it! I brought some stuff.” He proudly held up a pillow and a bundle of blankets in his hands. “Ya got a bathroom in here?”
“Near the bed, should be a door on the wall over there. There’s a small shower in there if you need it too.”
“Yer the best boss,” Archie took the bag with him to the bathroom, leaving Giovanni alone for a few minutes. Should he ask him about what happened with Maxie? Archie would tell him, right? They were on good terms with each other after all.
“Nice bathroom, though the color scheme reminds me of Team Magma…” Archie stated as he returned, his clothes changed to a sky blue tank with blue shorts and his breath lingered with mint.
Giovanni chuckled in response and watched as Archie arranged his bundle of blankets into a shanty looking bed. “You sure you don’t want an extra blanket or something?”
“I’m alright, sleeping on the floor is good for yer back supposedly!”
How Archie always seemed so positive about everything, Giovanni would never understand it.
He glanced over the the clock beside his bed. It was almost 10:30! The time must’ve flew while talking to everyone today…
“Well, there isn’t much to do here, so it’s best to sleep now I suppose.”
Archie gave a thumbs up in response as Giovanni grabbed some clothes out of a dresser and stepped into the bathroom to change for a few minutes.
He returned wearing a plain white tank top with some black shorts to go along. He wouldn’t wear his silk pajamas in front of Archie. That’d be a little weird and embarrassing…
He climbed into bed and turned out the light beside him.
“Night boss!” Archie said, doing his best to get comfy on the floor.
“I’ll see you in the morning.” He replied, turning away from Archie’s direction and shutting his eyes.
There was no way he was gonna be able to sleep.
He tossed and turned, glancing at the clock. 10 minutes had passed already. He glanced down at Archie on the floor. Was he asleep already?
“Archie,” He whispered. “Are you still awake?”
“Yeah,” Archie whispered back. “What’s the matter, can’t sleep or something?”
“Not really.” He shifted in bed and laid his head on his hand. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“Knock yerself out.”
“What exactly happened back there earlier today? Was that Guzma back there?”
Archie let out a boisterous laugh and rolled over to face Giovanni. “Well, if you’d like to know what exactly happened… Maxie’s rock collection got put into the blender Guzma stole from the dining area.”
“What the fuck?” Giovanni couldn’t help but laugh at it. That’s what happened?! “Where did he find the time to steal the blender?”
Archie laughed even harder. “I don’t know! He probably stole it earlier today if we’re being honest. Ya know how he is. Kinda reminds me of my old pal Matt back in Hoenn. But I’m don’t wanna get off track here.”
Giovanni chuckled. “That Guzma’s a character… but still. Why was Maxie so mad at you then? Doesn’t sound like you had anything to do with it.”
Archie sighed. “I guess I kinda did. I mentioned his rock collection while talking to Guzma one day and he mentioned how he always wanted to put a bunch of rocks in a blender, “Just to see what happens,” to quote him directly. Of course, I thought it was funny at the time, but I didn’t think he would actually do it!”
“I mean, that’s still not your fault.” Giovanni started.
“I know, but I still watched Guzma do it. Though I will admit, it was pretty damn funny at first. The sound it makes… I doubt even a Pokémon could mimic it!” He laughed a tiny bit at the recollection. “Still, I feel bad about it now… he honestly has every right to smash all my ships in a bottles right now to be frank.”
“Would he do that?” Giovanni questioned.
“Knowing Maxie? He probably wouldn’t. He’s probably still seething right now though. He doesn’t show it, since ya know, he’s so “calculating and intellectual” but Maxie’s a pretty emotional guy. He’s always been like that.”
“I still think Guzma’s more at fault than you are.” Giovanni cocked his head. “I know this isn’t my question to ask but… how come you guys are still together? You two fight more than anyone I’ve ever met and yet you guys always come right back to each other when it’s done.”
Archie sighed a bit in response, sitting in thought for a tad before he answered. “I guess it’s because I’m the only person he’s got. Especially now, we both don’t have our admins with us anymore. I’m like that too I suppose. Maxie’s the only person I’ve got in this place.”
Giovanni was honestly taken aback a bit. He never really considered it. “I guess I’d never thought about that… has it always been that way?”
Archie chuckled a bit and exhaled. “Well boss, that depends. Do ya like long stories?”
“Sure. We’ve got the time, right? I know neither of us are going to get any sleep soon anyway. Tell me it.” Giovanni leaned on his arm as he listened to Archie speak.
“Me and Maxie go long ways back. We’ve been friends ever since we were around… 7 or 8 I’d say. I met him at the beginning of the school year, we were both the only new kids in our grade. I had just recently moved from Dewford Town to Slateport City, my ma had to get a new job that paid more after my dad passed. She was able to get a job at one of the hundreds of markets there, so we had to move closer to it. Maxie had just moved from Rustboro City after his father had his job relocated. Anyways, we stuck with each other.”
“That’s a lot longer than I suspected, I honestly assumed you two were college buddies or something like that.” Giovanni said.
“Nah, but we did go to the same college! But anyways, me and Maxie became quick friends. Like I said before, we were the only new kids, so we had something in common to talk about with each other. Plus, I was the only one who would listen to him ramble on about rock formations and ground types. But I was alright with that! He would listen to me talk his ear off as well.” He smiled once more before continuing.
“I was tough, even back when I was a wee kid, so I always defended him from the kids that used to pick on him. Ya know how kids are, they made fun of his glasses, the fact that he was new, ya know the drill. After knocking some knucklehead in the face for breaking his glasses one year, no one ever messed with him ever again. At least, not when I was around. Which was hard, since we were practically joined at the hip.” He let out a laugh as he recalled the memory and continued on with his story as he shifted himself onto his elbows.
“Maxie also helped me too, in a way. I made more friends farther along, but I couldn’t confide to them like I could Maxie. He was the only one who would listen to me rage on about oceans and their layers, water-type Pokémon, the history of pirates, ya get it by now. I had that “tough-guy jock” reputation all through school, I couldn’t let my jock buddies know I was just as much of a nerd as Maxie.” He let out another “Hah!” at the realization.
“The nerd was also the only other person I could vent about my dad to, besides my old friend Shelly of course, but she was back in Dewford Town and I could only call her when we had enough money for more minutes on our phone.”
“I’ve heard you talk about her before, that Shelly. You guys ever see each other again?”
“Oh yeah! She visited almost every summer once I moved. She and Maxie got along better than I thought they would, since, and now don’t tell Maxie I told ya this, he was super jealous of her. Ya had to be blind to not see it.”
“Oh? He was jealous? How come?” Oh, he was interested now.
Archie let out a nervous chuckle and sighed. “Well, I figured I’d have to tell someone about it some day. Ya don’t seem like the type ta judge, boss, so I’ll tell ya the tale.” He looked longingly to the side and began.
“Maxie was jealous of Shelly for so long because of how close me and her were. I’d known Shelly ever since I could remember, I mean, we were neighbors back in Dewford Town for Kyogre’s sake. But anyways, that was what our first big argument was about. We had little quarrels before, but it was over stupid kid stuff, like whether water-types were better than ground-types. This was different. It was what, sophomore year? Junior year? I can’t recall for sure, but it was after Shelly left to go home after visiting us during the summer. I could tell something was bothering Maxie after he saw her kiss my cheek goodbye. I kept telling him it was a platonic thing but he wouldn’t buy it! I still remember how red his face got when I pointed it out! We started arguing over it while walking back to my house, I kept telling him that it wasn’t a big deal and asking him why he even cared so much in the first place. And that’s when he burst into tears right in the middle of my room, just started blubbering. I couldn’t even understand what he was saying he was crying so hard! Finally the tears started dying down a bit, and that’s when… that’s when he confessed.”
Confessed? Oh shit-they were ex’s?! I mean, I had my suspicions…but still! This changes everything!
“I still remember him just looking up and yelling: “I’m jealous because I like you, you big buffoon!” And then he started blubbering more. I had to clean his glasses for him.”
“How did you respond? Did you like him back?” He had to know more, it was all starting to come together now.
“Ya know, when ya mention it, at the time I did. I guess I just didn’t really realize it at first. At first when I heard him, I didn’t believe it. I just told him, “Well I like ya too, Max” but then he got mad. “No! I like-like you!” He mimicked Maxie’s voice to the best of his ability, giggling a bit as he did it.
“And then he got quiet. I tried to ask him what was wrong but he just shook his head and said that we couldn’t be friends anymore. Not after what he said.”
“Well, what did you say?” Oh, he was at the edge of his seat, well bed, by now.
“Well I told him that he was being ridiculous! We could still be friends! But then he started crying again.” He mimicked Maxie’s voice again. “You don’t feel the same, you like Shelly, and now it’s going to be awkward between us, so it’s best to just drop this whole friendship all together.”
“I called him stupid.” Archie started giggling. “I don’t even know why I did that, but I did. I said he was stupid for even thinking that I wouldn’t want to be friends anymore, and then… and then I kissed him. I didn’t know what else to do in that moment! It just felt like it was supposed to happen. Apparently we were each other’s first kiss.” He smiled at the memory.
Giovanni smiled too. He could just picture it happening all dramatic, just like some cheesy teen movie. “How did Maxie react to that?”
Archie let out a guffaw and did his best impression of the red-head in response. “Y-you like me too?! Y-you stupid-“ And then he kissed me again. I was kinda mad at myself for never noticing how much I liked him, but I guess I’ve always been like that, never noticing stuff until the last minute. I can still remember during that second kiss when I thought back to all those times when I would just stare at him, or think about him late at night, or how pissed off and protective I would get whenever someone would make some snide remark at him. Big Buffoon Archie over here.” He smirked.
“We broke off the kiss and just started laughing. His face got so red and he went, “I got myself all worked up over nothing,” and I told him, “Yeah you did,” and then he punched my arm. But it was all in good fun! He spent the night that night. Ya should’ve seen him when he walked over to his car the next morning, nerd looked like he was in a whole different world.”
Arceus it was so cheesy. How is this not a movie yet?
“How long were you two together?”
“Oh for a while, I’d say until our last year of college maybe? We even lived together for a while after his parents kicked him out.”
Giovanni straightened up a bit, lifting his head off of his elbow. “They kicked him out? What for? Let me guess, they’re the type to kick you out as soon as you turn 18, huh?”
Archie sighed and frowned as he glanced down. “No, sadly. It’s a lot more… serious than that unfortunately. Apparently some asshole from school had squealed to Maxie’s parents about us and they just… flipped to put it lightly. Told him they couldn’t have a son who would tarnish them like that and threw him out. I still remember that night, I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look on Maxie’s face when he knocked on my door. Ya ever see someone angry cry? He was doing that, just threw his bags on the floor and broke down in my arms. I don’t like remembering it much.”
“I… I’m sorry to hear that, and for making you remember.” Giovanni apologized, feeling the mood start to dampen a bit.
Archie shrugged in response. “Eh, don’t worry ‘bout it boss. I was the one who decided to tell ya. Besides, Maxie hasn’t spoken to them since. Every once in a while they try to call him or write him letters, begging him to come back home, but he doesn’t. And I don’t blame him. He told me he already knows what will happen if he does decide to come back home, they’re gonna try and “fix” his “lifestyle” and it’ll go back to square one. But it wasn’t so bad when he lived with me. My ma adored him. Thought of his almost like a second son! I know that cheered him up for a bit, but still. I guess it comes back to what I said earlier. I’m the only person he’s got. Been like that for a while.”
“Huh… well then what changed?” Never in his life did he think that those two dolts would have so much history with each other. He wanted to kick himself for just assuming they were two nerds that just failed science class together.
“Last year of college maybe? We both got accepted into the same university together, which we were ecstatic about. You should have seen my ma when we got our letters! She picked up the both of us and gave us the tightest hug I’ve ever felt in my life. Seriously, I thought my back was gonna break! “ He let out a laugh at the memory, causing the melancholy mood from earlier to lift.
“I bet ya already know what we majored in, take a guess!” He leaned back, grin on his face.
“Uh… well, I’m assuming you did something with oceans. And for Maxie… what’s the science of rocks called again?”
Archie let out a howl upon hearing Giovanni’s answer. “Arceus! If Maxie had just heard ya right now ya’d either be knocked right out of your bed or ya would’ve been lectured on the “ever-growing need for the study of our earth.” It’s geology. But yeah, I majored in marine biology and he majored in geology. Typical, huh?”
Giovanni let out a small chuckle. “Hey! I may not be so well-versed in scientific terms, but I know my stuff!”
“Ya know, the funniest thing about this, is that we actually used to be on the same team back in the day.”
If Giovanni were eating something, (which he typically did at this hour) he would’ve choked on it. “Huh?! You two?” He started to laugh. “You’re pulling my leg aren’t you? Isn’t that, like, your guy’s thing? The fact that you’re on opposing teams?”
Archie began to laugh again. “No I’m serious! Back during our final year of college, we joined an environmental defense team that was starting up within our classes.”
“An environmental defense team? No offense Archie-“
“None taken.”
“But didn’t you two almost destroy the environment back in Hoenn? I was probably getting arrested when I first heard the news, but still!”
Archie stirred a bit and exhaled. “Well… we had the right idea at first. That was until me and Maxie had another argument. It wasn’t even that big of a deal at first! It was a stupid little disagreement over whether we should expand the ocean or expand the landmass. We’ve had “discussions” over that question in our team before, but for some reason Maxie just exploded that day.”
“Exploded?”
“Yeah, nerd went nuts. I’ve never been yelled at like that ever, not even by my own mother! So of course, I started yelling back at him. Then he started yelling more, I’m surprised that nobody ever came in the classroom and checked up on us.”
“How did that end?”
“Well, the fight got so involved that people started taking sides! That’s how Maxie met Tabitha and Courtney. They were on the environmental defense team as well.”
“Were they friends?”
“Who? Them and Maxie? A little. He wasn’t very close to them though, not like me, Shelly, and Matt are. He views them more of a… business partner thing.”
“I see, I suppose that goes back to what you said earlier. How you were the only person he really had.” He pondered aloud.
“I guess so. After everyone took sides, we split up and became Team Aqua and Team Magma. A future built upon expanding the landmasses for the future of humanity, or a future of expanding the world’s ocean for the future of Pokémon… the more that rivalry went on, the more radical our beliefs became. At the time, I was just mad at Maxie for blowing up at me like that, but I eventually found myself slowly starting to believe that the world I sought out was the correct choice for the future of Pokémon. I believe Maxie had become the same way too.”
“Why did he even blow up like that anyway? I mean, you did say he was an emotional person, but…”
“I honestly didn’t know at first, I just figured he was really passionate about this idea of his and the fact that I didn’t feel the same way must’ve destroyed him. But after thinking about it recently, it was probably a combination of stress from school… and the fact that his parents kept contacting him nonstop that year. They kept sending him letters just begging him, threatening him to come home so that everything can become “normal” again. Argh!” He slapped his palm to his face. “I don’t know why I didn’t say anything to comfort him earlier! Ya know how competitive we both are… everything just got way too out of hand. The plans, our rivalry. Even Matt and Shelly agreed with that… but I guess me and Maxie were just too blind and bitter to see it. I’m sorry for venting to ya like that boss.”
Giovanni gave Archie a warm smile and sighed. “Hey, don’t worry about it Archie. I’m glad that you feel close enough to me to tell me all these things. I still care deeply about this team you know, and that means caring about the needs of my members.”
Archie looked up and gave a big grin. “You’re the best boss I’ve ever had Giovanni!” He then scratched his head and wondered aloud. “Still… I understand what I did wrong, but how should I apologize to Maxie?”
Giovanni brought his hand to his chin as he thought. “Well, Maxie should apologize to you first for blowing at you earlier today. Then perhaps you can apologize to him about… all of that.”
“Do ya think he feels the same way though? Do ya think he regrets what he did? I mean… I know what I did was wrong… I almost destroyed both humanity and Pokémon with my ideals. I still play along and horse around with Maxie when he starts arguing over this, but does he still believe all that?”
“I can’t answer that question unfortunately,” Giovanni started. “But I’ll tell you this. You’ll never know unless you ask. Hell, you know what you should do? Ask him during the party! I feel like that’ll loosen everyone up a bit and make it easier to talk.”
“Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that! I’m pretty pumped about that party, we’ll all finally be able to relax and forget about this place for a while.”
“Me too… I just need a drink honestly. This place is exhausting, and it’s only the first day.” Giovanni sighed. He knew Archie wouldn’t judge him, but he couldn’t tell him the real reason he was excited. He’d finally get a chance to talk to Cyrus, he wanted to get closer to the Sinnohan man after all.
He glanced at the clock beside him. 2:17 a.m. Shit! They’ve been talking for hours!
Archie seemed to notice it too and yawned. “Well boss, it seems that its time for some shut-eye. Thanks for letting me stay with ya, and for letting me talk to ya for a bit.”
“Hey, don’t mention it. Although I do want to know… what made you what to bunk with me for the night? I just assumed you’d go with Guzma, wherever he sleeps.”
Probably on the ground outside the mansion. Giovanni shuddered at the thought.
“Nah, Guzma doesn’t have a place here actually. He goes back to his crew after the day to check up on them. He cares about them a lot! I guess that’s another reason why him and I get along, well that and our sense of humor I guess.” He snickered a bit before continuing his answer.
“I was honestly thinking about staying with him and his crew, but then I realized that I couldn’t leave. So then I thought about Lusamine, but I figured that would be weird, plus she’d probably think I’d dirty up her room. Plus, she’d probably get mad at the fact that me and Maxie were fighting again. Then I thought about Colress, but he’s too stressed at the moment so he was out of the picture. Wicke seemed preoccupied, and I didn’t want to disappoint her and tell her about the fight me and Maxie had.” He then listed off the members of Rainbow Rocket with his fingers.
“I don’t think Cyrus likes me very much because I’m loud, Faba thinks I’m obnoxious, Lysandre wouldn’t want me messing with his things, and I wasn’t even gonna consider bunking with Ghetsis. I’d rather sleep outside in the rain than even be in the same room as him.”
Giovanni let out a guffaw at that, Arceus he couldn’t agree more.
“So, that left you! I figured, well, Giovanni is a nice guy, he can’t be that busy at the moment. Now here we are! Ya practically know my whole backstory by now.”
“Well, I don’t regret my decision. Glad I could give you a place to stay for a bit.”
Archie smiled and yawned again. “Thanks Giovanni, I’m gonna go hit the hay. I’ll see ya in the mornin’!”
“Goodnight Archie.”
“Night!” He turned away from the former mob boss and was soon snoring within minutes.
Giovanni turned in his sheets and closed his eyes.
So that’s why their relationship is like that… they’re bitter ex’s still caught up in some stupid rivalry like a couple of kids!
Maybe he wasn’t the only person getting out of here after all.