The Bachelor: Italia Amore! [Pokemon Fanfic, 2017 PKMNWatties]

Champion of Love

"I can't believe this," Ash muttered.

"There's...something strange in the fact you've become more or less someone's probation officer," Giovanni said in amusement.

"It's not funny," she said shortly, eye twitching.

"It kind of is," Meghan laughed.

"We should be leaving soon for the Orange Islands," Wesley told the Unovan police officers. "How long is this going to take?"

"He just finished being processed and is being released as we speak," Officer Jenny said.

Ash sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Honestly, she had actually become good friends with Colress and had even kept up contact with him after he'd been arrested and she continued on her journey through the rest of Unova (and then onto Kalos and beyond), but this was just ridiculous.

Okay, maybe she wouldn't have minded so much and would have gone along with this in amusement, if this wasn't being filmed and everyone was there.

"Ash!" a familiar voice said and then suddenly she found herself being glomped and a head full of blond hair obscured her vision.

"Colress, I can't see."

Colress sheepishly moved away, before clearing his throat and becoming serious. "Thank you for agreeing to this and taking me along."

Giovanni coughed obviously, drawing attention to himself. The two of them looked over to him and Ash could see his frown and the forming glare towards Colress.

"Colress, this is Giovanni. Whom I'm dating. On a reality show. Yep," Ash scratched the back of her neck in awkwardness. "Giovanni, this is Colress, former Head Scientist of Team Plasma."

"Hello!" Colress cheerfully said, waving at Giovanni and not even blinking at what Ash said. "Pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you," Giovanni replied wryly, giving a side-look to Ash.

Colress looked around Ash, having caught sight of a familiar face. He opened his mouth, but Ash vehemently shook her head. She did not want to talk about how Pikachu had found and dragged N into the show, recruiting the poor young man into being his deputy.

Archer appeared, whispering into Pikachu's ear, who nodded and smiled cutely at the man. Then Pikachu chattered quickly to N, who nodded in understanding.

Frankly, Ash didn't know whether she felt better that Pikachu was causing chaos there rather than at Pallet Town. She was also ignoring that she tended to encourage that chaos normally.

"Alrighty then! We're set and ready to go to the Orange Islands," Zachary clapped his hands.

For a moment, Giovanni brushed by her side, his fingers briefly touching against her hand. She would have dismissed it as an accident, if he hadn't glanced back at her with unreadable eyes.

It left her feeling like a gang of Butterfree were flying around in her stomach.

~*~*~

It didn't take them long to reach the Orange Islands, despite the fact they'd traveled from Unova. Courtesy of Giovanni of course, they had taken a private airplane that smoothly but quickly flew them to their destination. Now the five of the last ladies left were settling into the hotel suite that they shared.

Ash looked around, seeing who was left. Janelle, Rue, Meghan, Leigh, and then...Ash. Just a handful of them were left to vie for Giovanni's affections. Hell, the man didn't really want them to, but there they all still were.