#gorocketshipping

There's a lot of fun in Arlo having a fucking Time Of It because of his raging superiority complex and having to be subordinate to anyone in the first place, but his ego not being able to stand that the acknowledgement of his efforts as an employee is at most perfunctory

If he gets a "good" that's wild praise

Giovanni is only generous to his pets (whether that's human pets or pokémon he sees as worthwhile, like his persian)

If he wants anything more than a disinterested feedback of "adequate performance, do not disappoint me" he would have to be a pet admin and not just an employee

With a particular focus on Giovanni/Arlo because I want to mess with Arlo

In the game, one of Giovanni's lines is "I'll remind you and your pokémon of your place." And I'm like, ahaha let me tweak this to fit in my Scenarios.

Giovanni reaching a hand down to tip Arlo's chin up to look at him while Giovanni's being a smug bastard about it, saying "you've finally learned your place in the world" after Arlo swallows enough pride kneel before him and admit he wants the pet treatment (rather than the lukewarm at best acknowledgement he gets as an employee)

Arlo getting his hair stroked and he's scowling fiercely but leaning into the touch

(I keep generating ideas)

An idea regarding Giovanni/Arlo, with Arlo being ruthless about one of his researchers who incorrectly thinks he isn't loyal to Giovanni:

I was imagining somewhere down the line one of the researchers working under Arlo makes the fatal mistake of misinterpreting his tsun tsun brat bullshit as being not content in his position and privately goes to him with the suggestion of splitting off to form either a rival organisation or commercialising the shadow Pokémon technology.

Arlo is pretty ambitious, surely he can't be happy just leading one wing of Team Go Rocket after all. And he has to give the most powerful pokémon to Giovanni instead of keeping them, which he wouldn't have to do if he was in charge.

Unfortunately said researcher is like, several years too late. If it was near when Arlo joined, that might have worked, the guy is incredibly self-centred. But this Arlo is a collared pet and pretty pleased with his position (not that you'd be able to tell most of the time because his default expressions are sour or smirking) and contemplates the idea for all of about five seconds before saying he's not interested.

Then he notes the researcher's name and either deals with the researcher himself mafia style or rats the researcher out to Giovanni, who gets some grunts to do it. (That's kinda dark for pokémon, but it's the pokémafia.)

Arlo gets to be the goodest pet that month and is very smug. This is an evil but also well trained twink.

Previously I had considered having Giovanni not Do kisses because it's too much like emotional intimacy, but then decided Giovanni does actually kiss the admins but only rarely as a reward for good behaviour. This would be one of those occasions.

And they could be three different flavours of pet, too. Flirty pet (Sierra), devoted and grateful pet (Cliff), and tsundere pet (Arlo).

On a side note about their outfits. They're all wearing like. Stupid slutty tactical thigh holsters too.

I generally headcanon Cliff as a bottom but if he's doing so at Giovanni's (or Sierra's) request he will top. Vers sub who is vers because he's that much of a sub.

The world is out of balance

There's only one single Giovanni/Cliff fanfic on Ao3

Gotta add it to my to-write after Brought to Heel chapter 9 list

Roles/positions-wise I have

Dom/Top Giovanni

Vers/Switch Sierra

Sub/Switch Cliff (bottom leaning, like if he tops it's generally because he's following a command)

My curse as a non-binary bisexual is even when I would read a M/F ship I don't want to read it written heteronormatively