Pokémon Complete! A Gift fic for couch

[K_S]

Summary:

Set in his verse "a new path" it takes the perspective of Giovanni and explores his reaction to a very specific holiday that started in Viridian a few decades ago...

Ranking: Teen, for swears and off color humor

Genre: slice of life, minor diamond shipping, giovanni centric.

This will be a ten piece fanfic drabble.

SPECIAL NOTICE: As this is a gift fic and I am literally playing in coucheffects sand box (with his permission mind) all scenarios, ideas ect are free for all for him to use as needed if needed. No permission request required.

See original story here: Linkity


Part 1

When Giovanni woke up it was 4 am. He only knew the time from the red glowing lettering of the alarm clock on his nightstand. As for where he was, pick a penthouse any penthouse, all he was aware of was the fact his bed had silken sheets and the windows blackout curtains.

Psychic types with the proper alterations were a wonder. You could literally spend all day in Region A and nip to Region X and no one, not God or Copper, would ever know.

As it was why he was up was a tinny ringing. Too high pitched to be a regular caller, too familiar to be ignored.

It only took him a second to distinguish the tone he'd designated as Silver's, and though sporting bed head and only loosely dressed he rolled over and snapped the phone off from its place by the clock.

Well slapped it off the edge and fumbled to catch it before it hit the ground. But close enough.

Suffice to say it was unlocked and pressed against his ear before he'd fully woken up. In the last sane moment, he bunched up the blanket and they went along for the ride smothering any unseemly cool air leaks his efforts to answer with speed had let free.

"Hey, old man."

Only Silver could get away with calling him that. And only sometimes. And to hear it now well after Silver's adolescence, where over-familiarity and a sunny tone were the hallmarks of Silver's teenage rebellious stage....

Mainly because both traits drove Giovanni up the wall.

Dread dropped a rock on his gut. But Giovanni was both fully awake and getting up. Shaking off the last bit of sleep he shook his head like a houndoom flicking off water. He had both legs over the side of the bed, fighting his sleepwear onto secure, as he worked the now tangled blanket off.

Dread notwithstanding his son was up, and by time and tone alone Giovanni knew he needed something. He'd been a father long enough that it meant if Silver needed him was up and going to get doing whether he wanted to or not.

Even if certain less-than-legal escapades had kept him up into ungodly hours and he was running on less than three hours of sleep.

Anyone else would have got a grit out "Legends better be fucking razing cities again."

Silver just got radio silence to deduce his father's mood and the brat picked up enough to start sniggering.

Also, the background noises were... Odd.

High-pitched babbling that might have made Giovanni nostalgic if not for the legend's damned hour.

"So, do you know what today is?"

It was the day he hacked his son's payment methods to make coffee and energy drinks trigger fiscal investigations. The boy sounded far too chipper to be sane.

Still, Giovanni's wits were trickling in. He didn't need to even glance at a calendar to know it was neither his birthday, Silver's, or a mainstream Arcian holiday. He flicked the calendar app on his phone to life and winced.

The alert for Hell Day was going to trigger his alarm in two hours.

"If it's any consolation I didn't know what it was either until this.. Ah... Wonderful clutch of kids field tripping in Unova spotted me."

There was a warble of barely suppressed mortification in Silver's voice. And a few of the higher-pitched voices got shrill. Well, this was why Giovanni offered the boy security personnel. It was Silver's own fault for saying no.

"They recognized me," the hiss to line that pinned that crime onto Giovanni.
It wasn't much of one so the Gym leader poked around, sliding his feet into plush arcanine pelt slippers.

"So..." The boy's sunniness hit sugar sweet I will envenom your favorite creamer notes. The brat better not switch on visual or he'd find his assets frozen for a month and the p.r.'s bill in his inbox. "Are you up to saying "hi" to Viridian Honors Program class of..."

The brat trailed off...

And in less of a game host's voice asked to someone aside. "What year?" A mururer, some sane soul, perhaps a chaperone chimed in.

"Yeah, that!"

And all that effort and Giovanni hadn't got the date. He could temporize, would, but Silver would hear of it.

"Now If nows a bad time," as if any mistress would tamely sit through this insanity. "I can try to book it... But just so you know... I'm surrounded."

 

[K_S]

part 2


It had taken fifteen minutes for Giovanni to be remotely waded through the jubilant throng of preadolescent children. Answering questions and saying inanities back that'd make them squeal. It was also fifteen minutes of imagining Silver's stiff "polite upper crust smile". It kept him busy while he puttered around his cave-side home in Mt. Coronet.

Silver pace was abysmally slow as the boy tipped his phone to those "wanting a word", while a world away Giovanni was setting up his coffee and breakfast scone. It was a high quality but premade snack that a stint in the microwave did wonders for heat if not flavor. From what he could gather the children were in some sort of pincer formation, and were winding up. Not down.

Being surrounded by rabid fans of his father must be scarring to Silver. Sipping his coffee by a lit fire, Giovanni could see his young son in his mind's eye. The boy in all black, coat wrapped close to keep any from flitching "souvenirs", straining to keep a straight face and not flush, because Sakaki men had that special complexion that made them horrible blushers.

Mercy of mercys Giovanni was not on visual and wasn't put on it by groping hands or Silver's malice. So he wasn't required to keep up appearances.

Persian padded out of some shadows with a slinky walk and hopped into the older Sakaki's lap.

After an eternity (twenty minutes) it was over. The voices dimmed and Silver hissed "feint attack" and the static told of Sneasel saving her trainer's ass yet again.

Panting, sounding done, and surrounded by quiet, Silver groaned. "God I hope you have a bolt hole squared away old man. They are rabid this year."

Sipping his coffee Giovanni grunted. Did he? Yes. Was he allowed to use it? Not if the mayor of Viridian had any say.

"I'm going to go hide in my hotel room for say... Twenty-four hours... Order take out... Not move... But," Silver's voice cracked in secondhand horror as the realization was made.. "Mewd ti- tail... You... Don't you have a parade in like two hours?"

Had he not been enjoying his sip he would have snidely thanked Silver for reminding him.

Wherever would he be without his wonderous son?

He'd be sleeping, that's what.

Glee lightened the redhead's tone. Escape making the young man... Cheerful.

"With that monster of a float... I've seen images and Holy Mew you couldn't bribe me on that thing for-"

"One more smart-ass comment and I will have hired fangirls to stalk you for a month. They'll be scantily clad, with pompoms, and I will personally hire someone to write cheer calls that make it sound like they were hired by a crush."

Silence, beautiful, horrified, silence carried over the line. And really it made reading the early Katchem reports worth it. He'd dug so deep that he knew the going rates for the cheer squad Gary Oak had hired years ago.

Contact was little more than a call away.

"You wouldn't!"

"One call Silver and I can guarantee you'll be followed around for a month."

Silver gulped, his tone became meek and quiet. "I guess try to have a good day?"

"Unlikely, but same to you."

With nothing else to say Giovanni ended the call.

it wasn't even five in the morning and shaping up to be a hell of a day

 

[K_S]

Part 3
(An interpol interlude)

As a rule of thumb interpol did not turn on Kanto news during one day of the year. Historically it caused too many cases of gag reflexs to fail and medical didn't need that. Also, last year alone, some of the more delicate assets had breakdowns and they were still findimg damages from that incident.

Suffice to say, considering his experiences with Giovanni and Rocket, Ash was under media total blackout... Being dragged into a nonwifi zone, with suspicioisly padded walls, the young agent was all nut buried in reports, board games, card games and his team camped it out with him. Because why not?

Pikachu had already skunked them at cards too many times to count. To avoid world war four latias whisked the cards away with a thought and pulled a game out of the pile. Paper and pieces flit one way under the tug of blue light, the board unfolded between everyone with another burst of illumination.

"We know youre gunna cheat." Chu drawled, counting his chips slowly... He wasn't gloating per say. Just savoring the clicks of his winnings. As loud as possible

Latius wrinkled her human form nose. "Like using charm to shortcircuit bluffs wasn't?"

"Still..?" The yellow mouse whined.

"I dont see why i'm shenghigheed into this." Pet' snarled, sulking like the inner five year old he was.

As for Ash he really couldn't see how this was going to calm him down. Distracted, sure, keeping everyone off of everyones throats was gunna keep him busy. But this.. Especially this game?

It was a life wrecker. Gary hinged thier whole rivalry on a bad losing streak. And no it wasn't the dread Smash or Mario Party tournament that broke thier friendship... It was Monopoly, the game that broke national alliences and immortal souls.

Also... Considerong... His life right now, Lat's innocent little choice felt like a jab.

"I'm call the hounddoom rail baron." Pet' drawled.

It was the only mon piece on the board, so of course there were protests.

Latias could care less. Anabel pouted a little. Pikachu spat sparks and yowled a loud.

"Pika chu!"

Sometimes Latias' translation effort fell flat, usually during graphic descriptions of humanly impossible feats. That or the thought just embaressed her and she lost the thread of thought.

As it was Latias' human fascimilie was turning scarlet. Not blushing, but a pure red that told everyone she didn't quite have blushing down. And whatever Pikachu said had caused the psychic translation status effect to crash right now...

Which meant it was really bad...

And Ash descided he really didn't want to know. And Ash knew this was going to make him really busy, but at what cost?

 

[K_S]

Part 4

He'd protested the float from it's conception to the moment right before he got stranded on it. It was only fourty five minutes that he had to sit still, lips locked into a bright smile, standing on a floral formed platform that looked like the earth badge.

That wasn't the bad part. Had it been left as is, as he'd requested, he'd of had no complaints.

Faux onyx swept around and over his stand. The fact he didnt have onyxs on his roster (Pewter Gym limited -the most ironic name that!- had already filed a complaint at Viridian co's h.r. he'd had to field that via text and approuching the monstrosity because Flint could time jack shit right) was complaint one.

There were legalities with Peweter, not Flint but the official rep of the gym. Because, pardon the pun, the older man was too much of a stoner to deal in legalesse. Which meant Giovanni was wrangling with that.

The League called demanding he update his civilain teams nevermind nothing had changed.

One newscommenter had already made one phallic comment (he had the broadcast streaming in his earbid so he knew who and would deal with that accordingly.) And could only anticipate the madhouse social media was deteriating into.

(He'd find one tabliod outlet declairing the float was an undertable anouncment that he was doubly endowed, he'd sic Rocket on them in due time.)

Then there was the unmistakable fact that somehow the onyxs had been given googly eyes.

Suffice to say Giovanni wanted off, out, and an arson... In aproximatly that order.

Alas he had to tamely go along with the events pinned on Viridian day. Where he'd thwarted the plots of homicidal legends after the police, and Kantoian army, been flumoxed

How that equated to pardoning of the bird (they'd decked out a pidgy as moltres this year) was a mystery.

The memorial visit (hell itself, deserved, but still each name on those stones felt like a mute rebuke). And of course to publicly foreswear that Viridian Gym and Co would do its best to restore the damages (resentment flashed in his eyes at the thought, as if he hadn't and weren't) where he'd then have to mingle with newspersons and politicians. Which turned into the familiar dance of dodging barbs of how little he did, how little he was there, all wrapped in airs of respect and hero worship.

There was a timer in his head ticking down and Giovanni swore he'd kill when it hit zero to get out.

About ten minites before he would have allowed himself to unleash armagedon on these social leaches his phone rang. The familiar notes provided the perfect excuse and he flitting to some dark hallway to answer.

It wasn't Rocket, but an ungreatful offspring reaching out. Silver had called to report he'd ordered dinner for his Father from that out of the way, classless, schezuan place they liked. The boy had had it delibird delivered to a "buisness house fifteen minutes away."

And while tactless, and juvinile, it was an out if the gym leader was willing to lie a bit.

Silver pinged Giovanni's phone with the address. As well as the bill, because he was, ever at his core, a brat.

While Giovanni would never trust his food to a mere workman... He had saftey measures in place to cover. It's what grunts were for. Giovanni texted the one that he had sizable blackmail on and left the event stating "an important meeting".

"U cnt keep usin m s escape rope dad."

Silver texted, while Giovanni was in parking lot, keys in his car.

Once inside he replied, using voice to speach since he'd be driving.

"Don't you know thats the reason i kept you around. And this better not be a showing off how much you've learned in college young man."

Gio was old, but even he recognized the symbols Silver sent back were meant to be an insult.

"I'm going to ignore that, unles you didnt order my chicken schezuan lo main, then consider those girls with pom poms hired for two months."

The gibberish that came up as Silver's reply was positivly arcane, and in spirit of the day of mercy good will and dead birds Giovanni descided to leave somethings as a mystery.

 

[K_S]

Part 5
(Domino cameo)


He recognized the delivery person even with the oversized cap and shades. It was all in the set of her shoulders, and the prickling of hate in the air that made the hairs along Persian's back go up.

"Nice try, but no."

She pouted at him, recalling him to thier first encounter in long ago Kalos. The fact that she forcibly nagged her way into his eating area insisting on the signature...

Each step was silent, he spotted a familiar weapon on her person, and that was all before he even heard her voice.

"Silver already paid," the joys of reversing charges. "But you can put it on the table."

Turning his back on her he pointedly pulled out plates and utensils for one. Today of all days he did not want company.

Especially of a star struck underling.

"Aren't you supposed to in Mahogony town burying something."

Domino sulked, all the way out the door. Giving up the ghost gently this year, small mercies. But Domino had a revenge of sorts before she left. In dropping off a bussal of Rocket paperwork.

Giovanni sighed. If only Rocket h.r. were so rabid to see his writing.

Settling with food, a slew of bad preprogramed media to avoid any mention of the day, Giovanni curled on a comfortable couch and alternated between work and indulgence.

 

[K_S]

part 6

The first paper nearly set him to set the whole pile on fire. It was that bad.

There'd been a scandle via Smokescreen Cell 13. It's talking meowth had been caught running betting pools again. About, to qiote the paperwork , "which 'mon the boss had benchpressed back in the day".

For the love of- did these people not realize the Kanto birds were the size of buildings?

There'd been art (thankfully not forwarded).

Lewd art (again, not forwarded. It was one of those small proofs the world offered that there might be a God).

All courtesy of that loudmouth cat.

Seriously Jessie and James needed to get it nuetered. Or labotomized. Or both.

Suffice to say the proceedings had gotten heated, there'd been a fight, damages, but no deaths.

It was the small thing he supposed.

H.r, interdepartment relations, structural, and various grunts wanted retribution and compensation... And to that nightmare in the making he put that report exactly where it belonged. At the bottom of the pile. Returning to more pleasurable work (anything else) Giovanni spent a few hours flitching and skinning every Alola and Kalos fiscal avenue he could get his hands on.

After all Viridian co had to do it's part. He'd taken oaths and everything.

 

[K_S]

The downside with working abroad is you lose track of the certian social aspects back home.

Which was how he learned on his way out of Viridian to timbucktoo (aka Palet) that Viridian's silliness had spread well beyond it's boundaries and into a national holiday.

There were banners in Palet. Too highly stylized to be used to identify him (he was chibified, the birds more draconic than avian... Still even the sight of such... Off brand representation... Made him regret his spicy lunch. Nevermind he was near dinner.)

The preportions made him look maybe... four feet tall. At most. And that black smear for hair looked suspiciosly like late stage pattern baldness.

Children hollering made him duck into an alley. He was not dealing with mini fans here of all places. Racious voices kicked up besides him and he slinked further back. A few moment later four boys, one wearing a red shirt, the other blue, another eye searing chu yellow, the last trailing by a large lead was in a button down white shirt two sizes too big, pelted past his hiding space. Never knowing.

The boy in the sweaty white shirt was weilding a stick, demanding the bad birds slow down...

This sadly felt like a more fair represetation then the ine a conspirecy theroyist had blabbed on about on the news. And was about half of his thoughts during the zapdos fight...

Honestly, children got it right. He snorted. Watched as they ran off. A squawk, as the blue shirt boy had come back to check on thier straggler. The psuedo articuno was taken doen by a sneak attack and "caught" . and again, it was almost right.

Choking back on chuckles, it seemed the kids of Palet had decided that articuno had been benchpressed first, not moltress.

Nice to know.

 

[K_S]

Part 8

He called Delia. Honestly it was more to get a breath of sanity and because Silver had blocked him temperarily. Sulking over the reversal, because Siver was a brat. But a brat who did need some sleep nevemind how he denied Giovanni his.

He swore like he always did that the second Silver settled with a pretty bambina and gave him grand kids Giovanni would be there... Waiting to pay back every sleepless night with interest.

Delia, sadly sounded harried, but was willing to talk (aka vent) about her day.

"Do you know why in heaven's name everyone and everything wants italian food in "tribute"."

He hummed in all the right placed, as he picked his way out of hiding spot. No, Giovanni had no clue, none whatsoever why half a town was clammering for Italian.

In an empty spot of the conversation his mouth popped open before his brain could catch up. Old world training and hormones melded to encourage yet another bad life choice.

"Would a real Italian who knows his way around actual Italian food be of any help?"

Shed say no. After all what could he do, take over her kitchen? She'd say no and his odd habit of offering pretty ladies help and doing nothing at all would be scratched and he could do the smart thing.

Just go home and hide in his bedroom until tomorrow.

Maybe the day after tomorrow.

He blamed his bad luck and big mouth when Delia, taking a moment to think things over, descided to take him up on his offer with a shrill squeak of "yes" that he found horridly adorable and therefore impossible to back out of.

As a sort of middle ground, after, through grit teeth he assured her he'd be by in fifteen, he swore. Italian, Kalosian, all the filthhy swears every step of the way to Delias work.

it wasn't much but would have to do.

 

[K_S]

Part 9

He started as unofficial critic, his role slid to taste tester, and in the end he wound up kicking half the kids from Delai's kitchen because they set his nerves on edge. Thus he got dragged into actually cooking.

It was a very hands on sort of partnership as the economic head of Viridian co butted heads with the sole euntroprenuer of Palet. Though why mere negotiation inspired some of the older hands on deck to coo was a mystery.

They slid into thier roles almost by accident. Delia running the softer aspects of the personale wrangling, and the customers, Giovanni holding the whip and threatening to maim the undercook if the next batch of noodles werent al dente between hopping from pot to pan to check sauses and pasta.

The ghost of many a Sakaki rose in him that night. Tne half frazzled, half angry, ancestors who'd stayed in the kitchen over countless yakuza generations.

Only one cook cried.

The help eventually met his demanding standards. So all was well.

Until tail end rush kicked in and it went to Hell because God almighty why didn't people go home.

Sandwiches were a thing. And he was about to unleash rhyhorn among the last clutch of octarian lingerers if they didn't shuffle thier arthritic tails out...

And no, he wasn't seeing red... He was seeing in monochrome and the color happend to be red adjascent.

Part 10

Silver called him between kicking off his shoes and pouring a glass of something stiff. Slumping into a leather chair he listened to his boy natter on. Some incriminating media made it to Unova, and the data obsessed boy lifted the block to gossip.

He balmed all the babysitting stints Silver had under Ariana, the woman was a shameless gossip.

"No one died." Because Silver worried too mich about that but gio would reassure when he could. "And I'm fine"

And taking a week off , but that went unsaid.

The boy snorted, though he sounded sympathetic when he confessed.

"You sound like you did five days of mon cat walks to squeeze into a two day contest... And I swear that mewtuber's clip of you... You were channeling Great Aunt Beatruce-"

"Right before she beaned Great Uncle Sal with the masher." Gio completed the old family yarn.

"I got chills. Flashbacks and chills."

"Multitasking, good for you." Gio drawled taking a nip. "I'm sure will you survive."

"Dad seriously, I got a hundred questions about the pretty red head holding your leash during, you old hounddoom..." Giovannis soft snarl carried over the line and had Silver been present there'd probably be some wincing. Distance made the brat brave. So Giovanni descided he needed to make a call and book tjose girls for at least three months. "Buuut for the sake of not getting iced I gotta ask for you to do one thing, just for me."

Perhaps Silver would request an introduction? Thinking that his relationship with the single mother was serious? Giovanni agreed that it might be upcoming, as well as the revelation of certian aspects of his family, tactfully downplayed, criminal aspects carefully obscured... The idea of starting the process, first in introducing Silver and making sure the two at least tolerated each other... Perferably getting along. Just the possibility of that meeting and what it entailed made his shoulders tense and butterfree to swarm his stomach.

"Please, for the love of the nice saints, never cook for anyone ever again. I could see you poisoning everyone with your mind and was keeping am eye on the feed more to make sure 'king wasn't out then..."

Giovanni considered it more than fair that he hang up. Call it sanity preservation or whatever, but he was done with everything and everyone..