Ash kept talking with Aman for a bit, just to build an alibi, he didn't reveal anything and kept everything just vague enough to answer questions without having to worry about repercussions.
After a few minutes, Ash felt his watch vibrate twice, Ash told Poregon to do that after everything was ready and he was sure that nothing would be traced.
So Ash excused himself giving the excuse he had an Egg he needed to go tend to, so he picked up the Meowth that was sleeping by his feet the whole time and left,
After Ash walked out immediately The Four Musketeers came out of their hiding spot and looked towards Aman.
Aman looked confused but greeted them starting with Sayoko, "Admin Sayoko what can I do for you?"
"Commander Aman, well me and Owari were looking to learn more about our rising star grunt, those two were just following us like lost puppies." Sayoko gestured over to Enid and Jay.
"Hey! X2," both Enid and Jay said before Owari went over and punched both of them on the head.
"Don't talk back to your superiors," he said coldly
Enid rubbed her head and glared at Owari, 'Just you wait you may treat me like this now but soon I will make you kiss the ground beneath my feet.'
"Annyway~" Sayoko continued, "We were looking to learn more about him, and you seem to be relatively close to him, so would you mind helping us?"
"I mean I don't know if we're relatively close per say, I just talked to him normally, you'd probably get more from him if you just asked."
"No, no, that would make sense, what do we look like amateurs." Sayoko rolled her eyes.
"…For my own safety, I'm going to say no."
"Great now you're with us now, we need to follow him, he's already getting away, " Sayoko said with a cheerful expression but Aman has been here enough to know better.
"As for you two," Sayoko looked at Enid and Jay and waved her hand, "You can go, or follow I really don't care."
Enid and Jay were both visibly annoyed but lowered their heads since Owari was glaring at them and followed quietly.
With their quadruple becoming a quintuple they quickly caught up with Ash who now inexplicably had a bag with an Egg inside it. They didn't question where he got it and just followed out of pure curiosity.
Ash could obviously tell he was being followed, which was annoying since he wanted to meet up with Aki and talk about how much he'd get, but now he had to change his plans, but that's fine he'll just set them on a wild goose chase.
And that's what he did, he just walked around and did some shopping for supplies, only stopping by the cafeteria to get some donuts and Tea.
The only thing that really did was make them wonder how he ate but that was answered when he would break off a piece and throw it over the scarf into his mouth so he never took it off. He would also break off pieces and give them to Meowth.
After about an hour of nothing the quintuple was starting to wonder why they bothered following Ash around so much, even Enid was considering this to have been a stupid idea.
"I told you guys you wouldn't find anything, seriously what did you think you were going to find," Aman said, leaving behind a nearby wall.
Sayoko just gave a playful shrug, "Nothing really, I just needed something to do since I was bored, can't say the same thing as those two." Obviously, the people in question were Enid and Jay.
"Look I just followed Enid since she owes me a rematch, then I followed out of spite since you said I couldn't." Jay shrugged as he sat on a nearby table.
Enid looked away, she thought about what to say after all she couldn't reveal her goal to gather information against Ash to make him an obedient servant, and to find out the mysteries surrounding this side character.
Just as she was going to say something they heard Owari speak, "You might wanna see this, things just got interesting."
As they looked back they saw Ash surrounded by multiple older-looking grunts all looking at him like a money cow.
Ash's renown was heard that he delivered multiple Grimers and sold material back to the shops meaning that he had a lot of stored-up credits, meaning more than a few People were aiming to try and take this fat sheep.
But obviously, they always came in a single fire line so Ash would take care of them and take their credit. But this time it seemed like they banded together.
The one in the front approached Ash as the ones around brandished some type of weapon, "Hey kid, you've been beating us down pretty hard recently, and all you needed to do was hand over everything but instead you forced our hands."
He put his hand on Ash's shoulder as Meowth hissed but he remained confident with a cocky smile, "You know normally we would just kill you, but you know we're nice people so we'll let you off as long as you hand over everything."
Then he stuck his fat finger into his nose, "And since we decided to spare you then you have to bring us 1000 credits every week and a half of whatever's left, so how about it," as soon as he finished he took his finger out and rubbed it on Ash's shoulder.
Ash remained quiet as he took off the bag and put a hand on Meowth indicating for her to stand down, he walked to a nearby corner and set it down with Meowth inside.
From the side, Owari shook his head, "Once again nothing changed, those who are too incompetent to do their jobs steal the rewards from others."
"Wait, we need to do something," Jay said
"The kids right," Aman agreed, "Those grunts are forcing him into stupid demands and if he refuses they're probably going to Kill him."
"It looks like they either don't have Pokemon or they are just so weak that they are more confident in themselves."
But before they could spring into action Ash walked back up to the man in the front of the group who was smirking, "Nice egg you got there I think we'll take that too-" but he was cut off when Ash's fist punched straight into his nose and breaking it, sending him flying back onto the ground.
That caught everyone by surprise leaving Ash an opening to rush forward to the next closest grunt and punched him in the stomach.
At that point they snapped out of it and started rushing him, Ash used the keeled-over grunt and threw him over his shoulder distracting the next 3 as he ran forward to another grunt and kicked him in the stomach, then he punched him over the head sending him down.
At that moment another grunt came rushing in and tried to kick him, but Ash took a step back as he noticed another one running at him, he ducked catching the runner over his shoulder and threw him at the one that tried to kick him.
But then from the side 2 came at him from both sides, one was aiming a flying kick at him and the other had a bat and wanted to hit him over the head with it, Ash just rolled underneath the first one avoiding both and kicking the one with the bat away.
The one that tried to kick him came back and tried again but Ash grabbed him by the leg and pulled him into a gut punch, as he fell to his knees letting Ash stomp his head into the ground.
One came running at him with a pipe held over his head so he delivered a high kick to his face, then turned and used that momentum to spin around and kick two more guys that were behind him.
At that moment about 5 more came at him at the same time so Ash came at them with a running start and jumped, then he used one guy's face as a platform to jump over the five and get behind some of the other ones sending a kick to 2 more on his way down.
As another started rushing him he tried sending two jabs at Ash which he sidestepped both but he managed to grab onto his scarf, so in reaction, Ash grabbed him by the collar and delivered a headbut knocking him down.
After he was free he ran towards another grunt and sent a side punch sending another one down and used another one as a table to kick two more and sent the one to the ground head first.
While he was down another Grunt tried to take the opportunity to grab him but Ash went into a handstand and used his legs to kick his teeth out. Then she spun around Sanji style and kicked three more giving himself the momentum to get back to his feet and punched another one in the jaw.
Just then the one with the bat from earlier ran forward again and aimed for Ash's head, but Ash caught the bat and used it to pull the guy into an elbow to the face, then he threw the bat like a spear hitting one of the grunts with a pocket knife.
But that wasn't the last of them, 3 more bat welders were running towards him like madmen. Ash kicked the first one in the chest, sending him back as he hit another with his wrist, then he ducked under the next guy and punched him in the chest, taking the bat and throwing it at another Grunt.
Next, he saw another Grunt aiming to roundhouse kick him so he caught his leg and spun him around to be used as a weapon taking out 2 more. Then threw him into the wall.
From behind one grunt managed to grab onto Ash and raise him above the ground, but Ash elbowed him in the face twice then threw him over his shoulder at one of the grunts charging at him.
Another grunt with a Hammer ran towards him but Ash caught his arm and twisted it forcing him to release it then he kicked the blunt end into the genitals of another guy as she sent the one he was holding slamming on the ground.
By then there were about maybe 5 left standing, so Ash sent a menacing stare at them, "Do you want to keep going…"
Immediately they all stepped back in fear and those who had a weapon dropped it and started running away.
Ash released a heavy sigh as he patted the dust off his clothes looking down at all the grunts that were either unable to get up or just unconscious, he's gotta admit having combat expertise is nice, but it won't stop him when he breaks Surge's arm.
Ash picked up his bag and Meowth and checked the Egg which was fine, so he went ahead and started taking his prize.
From the side everyone was shocked after seeing Ash take down all those grunts himself, they were ready to jump in but in the end, they just stood in the side like side characters, only Enid thought that last part.
Owari whistled, "Not bad, I guess he wasn't lying when he said he was a part of the military, he is at least capable in hand-to-hand combat"
"I suppose there are more things we don't know about him," Sayoko said as she focused her 'eye' on him, "Maybe I should send him off to another mission soon."
Aman and Jay just looked at each other, "Yo that was awesome, he was like *pow* then *Bam* and with a *kablam*!" Jay said excitedly
"I know," Aman nodded along, "I didn't think the kid had it in him, I mean I know he could fight, but not fight-fight!"
Enid was the only one to remain quiet as they watched Ash put away the cards and started walking again, walking over to the 'leader' using him as a carpet and taking the hat to use it as a rag.
'Although some side characters are destined for greatness, you are different, but what makes you so different is that you're stealing my glory as the main character. Just you wait, soon I will have you kissing my feet.'
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