North of Pewter City, Kanto Region on approach to the Kanto/Rota Border - 1320 hours local time - Day 5 of Ash Ketchum's Pokemon Journey
Ash Ketchum… disliked the Kingdom of Rota.
Hate was too strong a word for the small nation. He liked Rota's people, the little tournament there was fun, but the death of Lucario and his own… temporary passing… colored his perceptions on the country. His feelings for the whole Tree of Beginning ordeal stopped there for the moment, however, on account of two things: he was alive, and had knowledge of the entire thing, therefore he could prevent all that from happening. He was going to save Lucario, and Latios, but Altomare was still a distance away. If he saw Annie and Oakley he was gonna-
Ash jumped as Misty laid a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, are you okay? You looked pretty angry."
"Bad memories." Ash said truthfully. Altomare was a beautiful city, ruined by Latios' death. Rota was a peaceful kingdom, ruined by his experiences there. Truthfully, he wanted to be as far from the kingdom as possible.
But it was either wait until the tunnel was cleared or climb over the mountains to reach Cerulean. Both, arguably, would take much longer then just detouring to Rota. And while Ash didn't want to feel like he was racing against the clock… really, he was. He wanted to get to Sinnoh before that idiot put the final steps to his universe-ending plan to work. Get the team back together, get to Sinnoh, break Cyrus' back, save the world, in that order.
That and find Misty a more suitable person to get romantically involved with: Brock and his Kanto team might've been pushing, but Ash would not let it happen.
The two-time trainer did not notice his starter shooting him a worried look. The two knew each other enough to have a good idea what they were thinking about and fill in the rest. The electric mouse knew that Ash was beating himself up over Lucario and getting angry over Mew and resolved himself not to get kidnapped by Mew.
But that was later. If the Mew popped up, they'd deal with it. If not, oh well.
"Pika." 'You've really got to work on those anger issues.' Pikachu said. "I nearly lost you here. I DIED here. I have every RIGHT to be angry." Ash retorted, fire in his voice and anger in his eyes. But Ash willed himself to calm down. Pikachu didn't deserve his anger.
Get through Rota as quickly as possible. That was the goal. He would deal with Lucario when he was damn well ready.
Ilex Forest, Johto Region - 1508 hours local time
The Johto team had, to use a human term, GTFOed away from the battle between the Shadow Pokemon and Clair, only stopping once they had a good two hours of distance between them, having collapsed tiredly.
After scavenging some food Cyndaquil started another small egg fire to try and assist Phanpy. While Phanpy would be weak and slow for a bit, after a few hours, the little ground elephant would be ready to roll.
Literally.
"Toto." 'I don't think this is a good idea.' Totodile said as Cyndaquil piled rocks around the pit. Again, forest fires sucked for everyone.
"Cyndaaaa." 'It's fineee. It's a light ember anyway. Besides, do you want to be carrying around the egg all the time?'
Totodile grunted and didn't say anything else. It made sense, sadly: a moving Phanpy was faster than an immobile egg. With the last of the fire-prevention measures in place, Cyndaquil opened fire, spraying the egg with burning embers that pooled below the blue egg.
"Cynda!" 'Yes!' Cyndaquil cried before jumping in the air and turning into a brief fireball, using flame wheel and aerial ace to hover briefly.
After a few minutes, the egg started to move, to all their surprise, indicating that the small elephant pokemon was about to hatch.
"Cynda!" 'You see that! I did it!' The fire mouse repeated the same action, jumping for joy, until they could hear a faint screaming. From inside the egg.
"Toto!" 'Damn it! I knew it!' The heat was too much for the newborn! Reacting quickly, Totodile Water Gunned the egg, cooling it off and the embers, but shattering the egg in the process, revealing a slightly burnt, and now dripping wet Phanpy.
'OW! OW! OOOOOOOOWWWWW!!' trumpeted the little elephantine Pokemon as his burns were visible to all.
"Quillllllll..." 'Oh, Arceus, I am so sorry...' said the fire badger, seeing what she had wrought.
"Phan." 'It's...fine. OW.' said the blue elephant. "Py?" '...I'm a Phanpy again. WHY am I a Phanpy again?'
"Toto?" 'Uh… Ash?' Totodile answered tentatively.
"Phan." 'I know Dad's responsible somehow! I was asking WHY.' Phanpy elaborated. Like most of his hatched Pokemon with the exception of Togepi (who kinda counted by calling him 'daddy' in regards to Misty being Togepi's adoptive mother) Phanpy considered Ash his father.
He stopped calling him 'Daddy' after evolving. Didn't change his general thoughts on the matter.
"Totodile." 'So, bring you up to speed, we're heading towards Kanto. We've encountered something called a Shadow Pokemon and picked up a Pineco in the process.'
Thankfully, Pineco and Heracross were out looking for more food and berries, so they didn't have to awkwardly explain the whole situation to their 'hitchhiker.'
"Phanpy." 'So you hatched me so we could move faster? Well, while I don't appreciate the burns…' Phanpy groaned as he fanned himself, which made the burns ache from the air flowing over them. "Py." 'It wasn't a bad idea, but you could try using Scald for Scraggy and Noibat next time.'
"Toto." 'Doesn't work.' Totodile said.
"Phan." 'Figured I'd suggest it…' retorted the elephant before he fell to his knees. "Han." 'Yeah, going to need berries for this.
Cyndaquil, feeling guilty, jumped at the chance. "Cynda!" 'I'll get it!' And darted off.
Totodile sighed. "Dile." 'She means well.'
"Phanpy." "I know she does. I just need some Rawst berries, then we can get going. Screw waiting, I want to see Dad again!"
"Chik." 'Let me patch you up first. You just hatched with heavy burns: berries or not, you're in no shape to go rolling.' Chikorita said as she looked him over, right before Pineco and Heracross returned.
"Pin!" 'New guy! ...Wait, he was in the egg.' Pineco said as he hopped over. "Co." 'So, let me get you up to speed.'
"Phanp." 'I already know.' the elephant said tersely.
"Pine?" 'You don't sound like a Phanpy. You sound like a Donphan.' Pineco said, confused. And he was right: Phanpy didn't sound like a newly-hatched, happy Phanpy, but an experienced, wisened Donphan.
"Phanpy?" "What's a Donphan?' The 'newborn' feigned ignorance, altering his tone slightly.
The bug-type blinked. "Pine." 'Huh. Maybe it's just me.'
As Chikorita went about checking and doing what she could, Cyndaquil came rolling back, arms full of Rawst, Oran, and other berries.
Giving some Oran and Rawst berries to Phanpy to eat, Chikorita mashed up the rest of the Rawsts and applied the mush to the burns, using large leaves and vines to hold them in place.
"Chi." 'You are not moving for at least another day.' the pear-shaped Pokemon all but ordered.
"Phan-" 'We don't-' "Chik!" 'You. Are. Not. MOVING!' she repeated. Chikorita was basically the family doctor.
No one was stupid enough to fuck with the family doctor.
Kingdom of Rota - 1648 Hours Local Time
Ash stared into the distance, then at the massive log in front of him. Even at this distance, the Tree of Beginning was monolithic, dominating the horizon. And, to be expected of a tree that big, even kilometers away, it's roots were massive. Some scientists even speculated some roots to extend almost to the mantle.
He couldn't help but kick it, make it and the local Mew feel how angry he was at this place, at them. Perhaps a stupid idea, as his team was nowhere near ready to deal with the Regi Trio should they be sent after them, but really, Ash wasn't thinking. He was reacting.
Misty was feeding her water-types, so she didn't notice him scowling and angry at the Tree while Pikachu was telling Charmander about the..incident.
"Charrrrrrrrrr..." 'More legendaries to defeat! I'll be a Charizard again in no time! Ash, make that Mew angry and bring them here!' Charmander demanded.
Before Ash, Pikachu or even Mimikyu could tell him how STUPID of an idea that was, Pidgeotto dove back down, roosting on the branch. "Geotto!" 'Finally! Took long enough to convince them!' she cawed.
"Noc…" 'So you're back.' Noctowl muttered. "NoctOWLL!" 'Bring your traitor flock with yOUUU!"
Noctowl screeched as Pikachu gave the owl a light shock to shut him up and a scathing glare.
Pidgeotto gave a superior look, still feeling proud. "Otto." 'It took a little convincing, but I managed to make it work."
8 hours prior - near Indigo Plateau
At least the finally stopped to roost, as the small-for-her-kind raptor finally caught up to her old flock, some of whom were sleeping and preparing for another flight. One of the lead Pidgeotto woke up as she landed on a branch.
"Pid?" '...Didn't you leave?' the slightly older bird asked, confused. "Ot?" 'You screamed something about a trainer.'
"Pidge." 'Yeah, long story, you wouldn't believe it.' Ash's raptor said. "Pidgeot." 'But that's not important. I have something that you might like!' "Otto." 'You see, I met this trainer, really good and nice trainer, who has a friend that runs a ranch and takes care of his pokemon that are not traveling with him. It's a big place with fields and trees and friendly pokemon.'
The older one blinked. "Pidgeo?" 'So?'
"Pidgeotto!" 'The rancher is offering the flock safety and a place to stay and no one who doesn't want to be caught has to!'
The older bird thought about it. They were constantly harassed by Fearow flocks, especially that insane one.
Well, it was better than the alternative. "Geot?" 'Where is it?' the flock's nominal leader asked.
Ash's bird flapped her wings in happiness. "Pidge!" 'It's just a few hour's flight away. I can take you there!"
Two Hours later
Oak smiled as he watched the flock of birds fly into the ranch, finding trees to roost and berries to eat.
A distinctly smaller one flew down to him, landing with what he assumed to be a smug look.
It confused him until he figured out it was Ash's Pidgeotto. "...try not eat me out of house and home, please: I'm not made of food." he asked when he was confronted by the flock, which was… massive.
The birds seemed to agree to the unspoken 'you can stay here as long as you let me watch you do Pidgey things'.
Well, looks like he'd be releasing a research paper on Pidgey in the near future.
Present Time, Kingdom of Rota
Pidgeotto filled the group in as they proceeded around the roots and into the small city of Rota. Once inside the medieval town, they proceeded to restock and, in Misty's case, take in the sights. Which was when Ash caught wind of something that peaked his interest.
Ash had a few weaknesses. One of his biggest ones was Pokemon tournaments. It was why he occasionally joined contests, sports competitions and other such events. It was how he got to Rota in the first place last time, thanks to their yearly tournament.
Now this tourney was not that big one, but was meant more for the locals and anyone happening to pass through and wanted to join. And Ash was going to join. Plus, it'd be good practice.
With Misty cheering him on from the sidelines, Ash tore through the ranks, usually winning despite type-disadvantages. Charmander in particular was a menace, desperate to evolve back to a
Charizard and prove himself to Ash again.
Most of the battles were not worth noting, as many of them were against trainers who, like Ash so long ago, were just starting out, only having one Pokemon to their name and were not experienced like he was. Then again, he might look like some prodigy trainer that came out of nowhere to kick some serious ass.
That was about to change as someone Ash sort of knew entered the picture.
"Well, this is… interesting. Some kinda wonder trainer." noted his opponent as she stood across from Ash. He knew she was an experienced coordinator, but…
What the hell was Solidad doing in Rota?
"I just work well with my partners." Ash replied, pushing his thoughts to the back of his mind and raising his guard. If he remembered correctly, Solidad had used a Slowbro, a Lapras, a Pidgeot and a Butterfree. But that was when he was in Hoenn, before, well, now. Would he see a one of the pre-evolutions, or her Lapras, who had a pretty effective Sheer Cold?
"You're up Pidgeotto!" Ash declared, his first bird unfurling her wings with a cry.
"Rather small for a Pidgeotto." Solidad noted before withdrawing a Pokeball. "But that just means it's young. Go, Slowpoke!" she tossed out a ball, releasing the pink creature in question, which looked less… dopey.
If Ash ever caught a Slowpoke, he'd ask Solidad how she got hers from dumb and slow to… actually viable.
Don't get him wrong, he'll use any Pokemon, but Slowpoke wasn't exactly on his top list. He'd take Snorlax over Slowpoke.
The referee started counting down. "Three… Two… One… Begin!"
"Open up with Gust!"
"Otto!" Flapping her wings hard, the raptor sent a powerful burst of wind towards the water-type.
"Counter with Water Gun and Psychic!"
Ash blinked, and watched as Slowpoke manipulated the water it shot into a thin wall around it, shielding it from the worst of the attack.
Looks like she's still training to be a Coordinator. Ash noted as the now-misted water sparkled in the sunlight, much to the appreciation of the crowd.
Ash could get why coordinating was a thing: it made you inventive. Hell, he developed the Countershield from Dawn's use of Whirlpool. Sadly for Solidad, making it pretty wasn't going to be enough.
She was going to have to back it up with power. Ash lacked it himself at the moment, but Solidad was too focused on winning over the crowd.
Ash put his mind to work, running through Pidgeotto's moveset. "Steel Wing and Aerial Ace!" he called out, the bird having learned it during their trek to Rota.
"Aerial what?!" Solidad said before Pidgeotto disappeared, followed by a whack to Slowpoke's side with a silver tint. THAT was going to hurt in the morning.
"Impressive move! Bring that Pidgeotto down with Psychic and hit it with Headbutt!"
A glow surrounded the Flying-type, stopping her in her tracks and slamming her into the ground. The Slowpoke started charging, getting to an impressive speed for what it was, preparing to ram the grounded bird.
"Redirect with Steel Wing!" Ash shouted. "Otto!" Again, Pidgeotto's wings took on a silver tint as she slapped the Slowpoke in the side with her reinforced feathers, forcing the Water/Psychic to the side. "Follow up with Aerial Ace!"
Slowpoke felt that slap, barely managing to get back on its feet. Pidgeotto gave the smaller pokemon no respite, hitting it one last time, knocking it out.
"Slowpoke is unable to battle!" The ref declared. "The winner of the tournament is Ash Ketchum!"
Solidad just looked confused, as if trying to find out why she lost. To Ash, it was perfectly clear why: she wasn't thinking like a trainer, she was thinking like a coordinator.
While technically coordinators were just trainers who decided to make Pokemon attacks look pretty and Ash would never bad mouth most of them (Harley being a complete dick and Drew wasn't much better, but they were the exceptions to the rule) a great deal of them tended to focus more on pretty moves instead of making themselves more effective in battle. Solidad fell into that trap here.
Really, though, he blamed it on them being in Rota, where there were no insane Pokemon trying to kill them, the Mew and Regis notwithstanding. She got relaxed and in a contest mindset instead of a conventional trainer's mindset. Granted, Ash hadn't done a single contest in almost four years, but he could pick it up quickly enough if he had to.
Still, by some grace, he won. So what was the prize? Honor and glory? …That sounded like something involving imminent doom.
"The Duchess will present to you the reward, young man." said the referee, who then looked at the still-confused Solidad and shook his head, clearly disappointed in her showing.
"Pika?" 'So, when do you think she'll get over it?' Pikachu asked. Ash thought about an answer, but didn't get to finish his train of thought when something knocked Pikachu off his shoulder.
"Pika?!" 'Ok, who the hell-' Pikachu started, mad as hell before noticing what was on Ash. Or rather, sitting on his head.
A blue and black anthropomorphic dog was sitting on Ash's head like he belonged there. The pre-evolved form of Rota's national Pokemon, other than Pidgeot: the Emanation Pokemon, Riolu.
…Why was there a Riolu sitting on Ash's head? Why did it seek out Ash's head like some sort of Ash-seeking missile?
And why did the bipedal jackal look so damn smug?
A Lucario approached - not the one from their memories, but another one. "Get off of the young trainer's head, young one," it said. "It isn't proper to attach to visiting trainers like-"
The Lucario was interrupted as the Riolu leapt from Ash's head, gave the Lucario a swift kick in the head, then landed right back on Ash's head, as if the whole thing had been choreographed.
Well, that explained the smugness.
The Lucario stood, shaking his head. 'Get off his head-' WHACK! Down went the Aura Pokemon again as the young jackal jump-kicked him and landed back on Ash's head. If Ash wasn't so confused, he'd find this kinda funny.
'This is not funny.' the older Pokemon said, clearly unamused. 'Get off of-' The Riolu jumped up and fired off a ball of blue energy from his paws, sending the fighting/steel-type flying.
Aura Sphere. That wasn't something a Riolu knew until they evolved. The only Riolu that could do that Ash knew of was… the one he encountered in Sinnoh.
He couldn't help but feel his rage boil. Hunter J made him mad. Before, it was just his personal code of conduct, where Pokemon weren't to be treated as tools but friends. Now, he was wanting to kill her for the countless lives she had destroyed and the Pokemon she had broken-
*poke*
The Riolu was looking him in the eye, poking his nose.
"Uh… Hi?"
"Riolu!" 'Heyo!"
'Unnatural prodiges…" Ash heard the Lucario mutter, wearily picking himself up off the floor.
Ash sighed, reaching up and picking the little jackal off his head to look at his eyesmiling face. "Hey, I'm not your trainer. Go with Lucario."
Riolu didn't listen, wiggling out of his grip and climbing up his arms to plop himself down on Ash's head again.
Lucario examined the situation, then looked at Ash, raising his paw as it began glowing. Ash could feel it over him, piercing his being before wincing. 'You have been touched by evil, young one. But…' he trailed off. 'It hasn't corrupted you. It CAN'T corrupt you.'
"Huh?" Misty asked as she was confused by the whole thing.
'You hold much anger, much guilt, but… you desire to help others. I haven't seen that since… well, before the Shadow War. You are too much for those you love that you won't let yourself hurt them…"
Lucario looked to the smiling Riolu. 'This young one senses that, your love, your strong sense of right. He knows you cannot be corrupted by the dark. I don't believe he will leave you."
Just great. Ash had enough problems without a Riolu taking over his noggin. And having Hunter J (the bitch) on him wasn't something he wanted. But even after one more attempt, he would not leave Ash's head.
Ash sighed. "Alright." he said.
"Riolu!" 'Yay!' He shouted, tossing his arms up in celebration. In an instant, the Aura pokemon scrambled down to Ash's backpack, grabbed a ball, and balled himself.
It was now when Duchess Iline arrived. Ash noticed, with a start, that she was holding Sir Aaron's staff.
"Hello there young man." The blond-haired lady greeted warmly.
Ash did not want the debacle that was the incident with the Tree of Beginning happening. If at all possible, he had to avoid going near that thing. But his experience with royalty told him there was some decorum to follow. "Your Majesty." he said with a bow of his head.
"Such a title does not belong to me, young man. My family are merely the stewards of Rota when the king is absent." Iline replied, not at all insulted. Probably a common mistake. "Of course, Rota has not had a king for the past 70 years. Not since the death of King Jaemon, sadly..."
Huh. So Iline wasn't the queen in this timeline. A little different, but nothing to dwell upon. Then again, she was only a 'lady' back in the other timeline if he remembered right...
Another nosebleed ensued, which only Pikachu noticed. "If you're not the queen, who is?" Misty asked, following just behind Ash.
"The line of kings includes Rota's greatest hero, my dear." the noble replied. Ash didn't like this at all.
"Huh?" asked the Waterflower girl.
"The throne belongs to the line of Sir Aaron, as it has has since King Rota founded the realm." Iline explained as she led them into the castle. "But I thought kings didn't go everywhere without, you know, people." Misty asked, Ash holding his mouth shut and trying to keep himself from falling over from the memories.
That staff… he wouldn't touch that staff if it meant Lucario would stay alive. He would not allow Lucario to sacrifice himself, not this time. If that Mew popped up. And for all he knew, Lucario wouldn't pop out when he touched it.
Iline continued, not noticing Ash's distress. "King Aaron had the mindset of leading by example. After all, if the king does not lead, how can he expect his subjects to follow?"
By this time, Ash had the largest headache he'd ever known. He needed to rest, to sleep...to...something. He couldn't think too much, it was so bad. And thus, he lost his footing, falling down.
While he landed on his knees, his hand touched the staff. The effect, he probably saw coming, as the crystal glowed.
"Ash!" Misty shouted alongside Pikachu, both rushing to his side. "Pikachu!" 'Damn it, not now!'
Iline too knelt down, a look of concern and… shock on her face. "You… you activated the staff."
Ash groaned, the headache making it hard for him to realize just what the Duchess said. His head felt like it wanted to explode. "Pika-pi!" 'Damn it, Ash, don't black out on me!' the mouse cried as he nudged Ash's head.
A green field surrounded Ash's head as the Lucario from before used Heal Pulse on him. 'Rest, young one.' he said before Iline offered Ash a hand up, his headache abated for now. Ash took it, Iline helping him to his feet before backing away...and kneeling.
"You… Ash Ketchum, you are… a descendant of King Aaron."
Ash blinked, his muddled mind noticing that there was no second Lucario in the room. Lucario hadn't left the staff. "I'm sorry, what?"
"This is Aaron's staff. It has been passed down through the generations. The staff only glows when one of royal blood holds it for the first time. Ketchum, you have that royal blood."
Ash blinked. Then blinked again. And again. "I'm sorry, what?"
"The Prince disappeared during the war in Johto and we presumed with his father, the line was lost." Iline explained before standing. "But apparently, he lived… and sired a child. And you are his grandson."
Ash tried to comprehend this. Aaron was royalty. Wandering royalty, at that. He did NOT like where this was going.
"What was lost has been found. A stranger came to Rota a mere man…" Iline said before bowing her head. "And will leave us a king."
Ash didn't know what to think. So he went with what he knew. "But… I'm not a king."
Iline smiled warmly at Ash. "That's fine. Most kings live among the common folk, only returning when their country needs them."
The trainer sighed. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?"
He heard the Lucario chuckle. 'No, you are not.'
Pallet Town - Oak Laboratory - 1857 Hours local time
"I didn't think Ash would go to Rota." the old professor said as breaking news rang out on the radio from Rota.
"Nearly a century after we lost our royal line, the heir to Rota's throne has returned home." the announcer said from the tinny radio sitting in the lab. "In a twist of fate, the winner of a tournament being held in honor of the end of the Cipher War turned out to be an heir to Rota's throne."
"Hey, Professor Oak!" Belladonna greeted, walking into the room. The elder Ketchum child occasionally helped out around the lab and ranch, and today was one of those days. "What are you doing?"
Oak chuckled. "Your brother's going up in the world already."
Belladonna blinked, listening to the radio herself.
"Recapping for all listeners just tuning in: during a tournament to celebrate the end of the Cipher War-" "Nothing to celebrate: billions dead, nations destroyed and a Shadow Pokemon plague all over the planet." Belladonna quipped before the radio just continued. "After his victory, Ash Ketchum, after an unexplained collapse, touched the staff of Sir Aaron, known mainly for his actions during the Warring States Period in safeguarding Rota, which glowed. While the science behind this is unexplained, the facts are facts: only a member of Aaron's family line can cause that to happen. Meaning, citizens of Kanto and Rota, the heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Rota has returned."
Belladonna blinked again. "Huh. So we're royalty. Oh man, Ash is going to hate that. I wonder how mom's going to react?"
"Probably shouldn't mention it to the littler ones." Oak commented.
"Oh, Red will hang that over everyone. 'I'm royalty, bow to me!' Or Yellow would get all the boys to carry her around and shower her in flowers."
"Oh, I doubt that very much." a voice said making them both jump as Delia herself entered the lab. "Where did that come from?"
"Uh, hi, mom." Belladonna said before turning up the radio, a Pidgey belonging to that flock Ash's Pidgeotto brought in landed on the broadcasting device. "We will continue bringing you all the latest information on the new Crown Prince of Rota, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, as we receive it from the palace." the announcer stated. "Now, back to our regularly scheduled programing."
Oak glanced at Delia. "Well, I knew we had some royal blood up the line, but not something this big." She sighed, rubbing her head to ward off an imminent headache. "Ugh, it's not like I had enough to worry about already. Media's probably going to harass all of us…"
Belladonna looked at her mother. "Huh?"
"Everyone's got it somewhere." Delia said.
Viridian City Gym - same time
Giovanni was now MORE worried than before. There was a reason for this other than Rota's righteous fury.
For reference, Rota was untouched by the Cipher War and retained ALL its' strength instead of being completely screwed over like everywhere else.
No, it was still Delia Ketchum that was the biggest problem. The reason?
Delia was his younger sister. Her maiden name was Sakai and she was five years younger than he was. She was also a much better trainer then he was.
Giovanni was arguably the best gym leader in Kanto, with little room for doubt.
Delia was former Elite Four and outside Champion Lance Wataru, she was the most dangerous member of the Kanto Elite Four to the point where no Conference winner got past her when she was active and Oak segregated her Pokemon from the rest of the ranch he owned for the safety of all involved.
Like him (and Ash, though the young man did not know it) Delia was not a type-specialist. She could take any Pokemon and bring out the hidden potential within it, just as Giovanni did. The only difference between the two siblings was the fact that Giovanni did not truly build a bond with his Pokemon. Delia did, which only made them more dangerous in battle.
'My best friend is the Pokemon by my side', indeed.
Giovanni did not want to piss her off by harming her kids. Hell hath no fury like a mother scorned, and Delia was a terrifying mother when she wanted to be. That woman could single-handedly take down the entirety of Team Rocket if she wanted to. While Giovanni could fight her for a time, he would lose.
Her skills did not erode like one would think. Her Pokemon continued to train and she… well.
Her children learned from her. A good way to keep her sword sharp.
He needed to make sure Team Rocket did not screw this up. If anyone attacked Ash, his sister would destroy him. Not something he needed.
Especially since two of his Admins knew Delia. He could split the Team. Not a good thing for him. He needed to make… emergency measures.
"But I'm not a native of Rota, I'm from Kanto!" Ash protested, yet again trying to find a way out. "You can't confirm my ancestry!"
'Aura is passed by blood.' A guardian Lucario responded. 'And the staff only resonates with King Aaron's descendants.'
"Ash, it's fine." Misty assured him. "Iline told you that you don't have to stay."
"I am not a king! I am a Pokemon trainer! I know next to nothing about running a country in any form!" Ash retorted, wanting to LEAVE. The longer he stayed, the more he wanted to...kill something.
"That was the purpose of the wandering. A king cannot just sit on a throne, passing laws with abandon." Iline said. "They must know what the people need. Thus, they travel among them, learning what must be done. Sometimes they even do a good deed on the spot."
While all good, it was not Ash's place to be in Rota. At all. "I just want to be normal…"
"Pika-chu." 'Ash, you never had a chance.'
And then, with a small flash of light, the source of all of Ash's problems with Rota appeared in front of him.
That damn Mew.
'Urge to kill… rising…' Ash thought, radiating all his LOATHING for this Mew towards it.
This Mew kidnapped Pikachu. This Mew made him die. This Mew made Lucario die. That stupid adventuring lady might've started it, but instead of just teleporting away alone, Mew took Pikachu and Team Rocket's Meowth.
Kidd Summers died with them and never did anything stupid like that ever again as far as he knew. Mew, on the other hand, got off virtually scot free.
"Mew?" 'Oh my. What have I done to earn such hate?' the pink cat meowed curiously. "Mew?" 'This is the first time we have ever met.'
'Maybe not for you.' As thought scornfully, glaring constantly at the pink cat, trying, furtively, to tamp down on his anger. Yes he shouldn't be angry at this Mew. Hell, it wasn't really in his nature to be angry. But he couldn't suppress his loathing for the Tree of Beginning's 'heart'.
And his loathing only intensified as the floating cat perched on his head. Right now, he would have really prefered Riolu.
"Mew!" 'My, you do NOT like me at all. Perhaps...' Mew mused before attempting to read Ash's mind.
This was a mistake. 'STAY THE FUCK OUT OF MY HEAD!' Ash mentally yelled, shocking both Mew and himself. Mew for the raw use of will to repulse her and Ash for cursing at all.
While Ash and Mew were… engaged, Iline, Misty and all around watched as Mew interacted with Ash. "The Mew of the Tree… I believe she wanted to see if it was true that an heir returned." the steward of Rota muttered.
Ash overheard. 'Let them have their lie, Ketchum: you know the truth.' that dark voice in the back of his head stated. Ash crushed it with the force of the ocean depths.
The Mew, though, got the idea.
"Mew…" 'I see… I am sorry, savior. I never meant to cause such pain… "
'Just…' Ash sighed audibly. 'Don't cause any problems. I'd rather not die again.'
"Mew." 'Don't worry. If I want to play, I'll send your partner back as soon as possible.'
"Pikachu." 'I would prefer NOT getting kidnapped at all. Keep away from that thrill seeking bitch.' Pikachu all but demanded. "Pi-chu." 'And leave a goddamn sign telling people NOT to touch anything or they WILL die!' While they blamed Mew for the entire debacle, Summers DID try to…
Was she trying to capture Mew? At that point, Ash didn't care: both of them deserved a smack upside the head. And in the human's case, a boot up their ass.
He might have been a nice guy, but he had limits. Dying went above and beyond those. The only thing keeping him from doing so in the other timeline was to be a good example to Max. Otherwise, much smacking would have been had.
"Well, this is a blessing. At least the royal family still exists." Iline said, smiling, happy that her family's long watch over Rota was over.
Not if Ash had any say in it. "I'm not even the oldest child: I have an older sister!" he said, attempting to force Belladonna into the place instead of him.
"While I doubt you're lying, the rules of succession dictate the oldest male child take the throne." the duchess explained. "King Jaemon attempted to have that changed to 'eldest child', but the house of Parliament was split on the bill and his death resolved that."
Wasn't Rota a kingdom? Ash's confusion showed on his face. "We adopted a semi-constitutional system a long time ago. The King's word is still law to a point, but he's effectively first among equals." Iline explained. "But there was something they DID agree on after the family nearly went extinct 500 years ago."
"Why is King-" Misty started before Iline stopped her. "Sir Aaron. It's a family trait to be humble. It's not well-known outside Rota. They all assume my family's the royal line. But ultimately, we are just caretakers."
Misty wanted to know more, if only to have something to talk about with Ash and make him feel better. "Why IS his family so important?" she asked.
"They have a relationship with the Tree of Beginning. It's… complicated, hence the only thing the parliament agreed on." the regent answered, Ash having a VERY bad feeling. 'Please no.' he thought in terror. 'Please yes!' thought Pikachu in glee.
"And that is...?" Misty asked, hints of her old tomboy attitude coming out at last.
"In Rota, the royal family is required by law to practice polygamy." Iline's maid finally said, fed up with dancing around the issue.
And that was the straw that broke Ash's back, as it were, as he screamed in frustration and a great deal of repressed anger.
Just outside the Rotan Border - same time
"Anyone else hear that?" Meowth asked as they heard something in the distance.
"It's in Rota. Team Rocket's not allowed there since… the incident." James said, shuddering at the unsaid incident.
No one wanted to talk about the incident.
Kalos Region - Cyllage City
While Cyllage was more famous for its' gym, aquarium and beaches, slightly more distant was the port of Brest, the region's busiest port and until airplanes got back into use, the only link to the other regions.
It was also currently the sight of two Rhyhorns, one dragging along a cart, running through the small town. "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!" screamed Grace Gabena, Baroness of Vanille and five-time Rhyhorn Riding champion, as she rushed towards the port town.
"Goo!?" 'I keep screaming, but no one answers me and Serena's just making happy squeals! WHAT IS GOING ON?!' Goomy demanded once more, having asked the question a dozen times in the three hours they had been travelling since Grace and Serena began rushing to pack and leave.
Serena's Pokemon weren't giving him any answers, either, but they were in Pokeballs and Grace's Fletchling was half a mile behind, so she wasn't giving him any answers, either.
A woman riding a Zebstrika was directly in front of them, not hearing the thudding of multiton Rhyhorns. "MOVE IT, BITCH!" the baroness screamed before the rider in question screamed and the electric horse bolted off in a panic into a building.
Not missing a beat, the hoard of Rhyhorn kept on charging towards the port, finally cresting a hill and letting Ash's pokemon their first glimpse of Brest, and all the ships in the port.
The port was massive, filled with boats ranging from small, personally owned cruisers, to big commercial fishing boats.
"Fletch…" 'Damned crazy woman…' Grace's robin said, landing on Goomy's head, panting. "Fletchling!" 'At least return me to my ball!'
"Haw." 'Well, you can tell us what the hell is going on, then. Between her running around in a panic and Serena squealing in joy, we have no idea what the hell's going on.' Hawlucha said, holding Noibat's egg. "Lucha." 'Mind explaining?'
"Fletch." 'Well…' The bird type huffed. 'I guess you guys didn't hear the broadcast. Rota found a descendant of their king, big thing, apparently they haven't had one since the Cipher War. And, as it turns out, the Crown Prince is Ash Ketchum, Serena's crush and that guy you all are so adamant to meet."
"Goomy?" 'Ash? A prince?"
"Flet." 'Apparently.' the bird said before resting on Goomy's soft body. "Fleeeeeeeeeeeeeetch..." 'Wake me up when we're on the boat.' with that, Grace's Fletchling took a nap.
"Goo." 'I am not a goddamn pillow.' the dragon said indignantly.
"Foak-ieeee." "Whoa. Guys, look at that!" The starter pokemon pointed towards the docks.
"Hawlucha." "That… is a big ship."
Dwarfing nearly every single ship docked at the port town, was a truly massive cruise ship. The ship ranged at over two hundred meters in length, longer than even some military ships. It even towered over the city around it, with four massive funnels sticking out midships. Emblazoned on the side in bright bronze lettering was the name Germanic.
A queen of the seas. "Fletch…" 'Big boat.' Ash's robin said before Serena became making… very disconcerting sounds.
Seriously, this was messed up: she sounded like that old letch, Alder, that the Unovan team talked about. That guy made passes on anything that moved, according to them.
"Never got why this thing still has funnels if it has a nuclear reactor…" Grace muttered. "Well, nothing to dwell upon now. To the ticket booth!" She shouted, kicking her Rhyhorn into gear
After 'acquiring' their tickets and making sure that their luggage would get to their deluxe cabin, Serena, Grace, and the Ash 'mons boarded the magnificent Germanic.
"Goo." 'This ship is old, but… still sailing? How?' Goomy asked before a knock was heard at the door.
Grace got the door, and on the other side was a man with dark brown hair and blue eyes, with a dark brown moustache. He was fairly tall, around the upper end of height for most humans, and was dressed in a black business suit. "Ladies," the man said with a bow. "I hope you're enjoying your stay so far."
"Who are you?" Serena asked, pausing from releasing her Eevee. The Kalos crew looked at him cautiously.
The last person in a suit they ran into was Lysandre, who was two steps from destroying Lumiose City and if they were right, Kalos itself.
They knew the legends of their home region, of AZ and the Ultimate Weapon. And Lysandre REALLY wanted to kill everything. So, they trusted him about as far as they could throw him.
"Kyril Pernon, my dear," he said, standing straight once again. "I'm the owner of this ship, and I make the effort to personally welcome every guest aboard it when I am, even if I can't do so at the ramp."
"Froak." 'He reminds me of that trainer that tried seducing Serena.' Froakie said. If there was anything they did not tolerate (other than Team Flare, Alain and Lysandre, who they weren't going to be nice to this time) it was someone trying a fullout charm offensive to woo Ash's mate.
Suitman was slowly and unknowingly signing his death warrant.
A long-suffering sigh drew their attention to the redheaded woman behind him. She was dressed similarly to him, only she had a fairly short skirt instead of the pants he wore, and her top was open enough to show her cleavage. "Kyril, do you really have to turn on the charm with every pretty woman you meet?" she asked.
"Hey, I'm not that bad," he tried saying.
"You are, sir. You were even worse a couple of years ago."
"Hey, it's not like I'd actually try to bed them!" he snapped. "For the first part, I can spot the ring on the Baroness here, and her daughter's much too young for me to consider for that. Secondly, I know that if I tried you'd tear my head off."
At this point, some of the Pokemon were reminded, not of the trainer that tried seducing Serena, but of some of the tales Pikachu had told them of one of Ash's first traveling companions. Brock Slate. The one who hit on everything with a skirt, only to be pulled away by first Misty, then Max, and finally his Croagunk.
"Good. She's engaged. And if he doesn't deal with you, Serena will." Grace said. "And ship owner or not, it'll happen."
"Yeah, the horde over there looks like they want to kill me…" the man in the suit said, noticing the four Pokemon giving him death glares and warning him to stay the hell away from Serena.
Unknown to them, Serena was thinking much the same thing.
'Keep him away. Ash is our prince, not him,' she thought, as if she was having a conversation with herself. Which… she was. Her mind was more than a little damaged, as you might have noticed.
'He's not being harmful… and he's got his own girlfriend. He won't take us from Ash.' thought another 'fragment' of her mind. Fortunately, they all agreed on something, that being Ash was theirs, so she wasn't foaming at the mouth insane. Just the 'take a pill' crazy.
Grace groaned in sudden realization. "Ugh. We were so rushed getting here, that it didn't occur to me that it's going to take four months to get to Kanto."
The Cipher War devastated the world, the sheer death and chaos brought on by Cipher's uncontrollable Shadows and terrorists destroying economy and trade routes. All trans-continental canals were destroyed by those pokemon, and rebuilding them would take years if not decades, leading to month long trips between regions.
While the damage was somewhat repairable, the mere fact those Shadow Pokemon existed and attacked anything and everything at random kept it from happening. Combine that with seven decades of disrepair and decay and the end result, predictably, was the loss of easy trade.
At least Cipher paid for their arrogance: the organization was nearly killed to a man by their 'pawns' and presumably didn't last long back in Orre. The cities wanted them gone for failing on their promises and the deserts of Orre were unforgiving and irradiated.
But going after them was not one of the former URN's concerns 60 years ago, as the regions had fractured into warlordism and the other regions were in no shape for a witch hunt. Cipher was dead and that was that.
"The ship doesn't leave for another day. Get what you need and charge it to my tab." Pernon said with a bit of a flirt… before the woman grabbed his ear.
"Just rent a large flying type and one of our storage caps." the woman said, dragging the CEO out of the suite before slamming the door.
"…Was he trying-" Grace started to ask before her Fletchling pecked her. "Oh, right, rent and get clothes and stuff." Grace was clearly not the normal noble. That or she wasn't being forced to act like one at the moment.
The Kalos crew did not know, nor did they care. The Germanic would be their way to get to Ash. And he needed them. They might not know how badly, but they knew he needed their help. "Froak…" 'Hang on, my liege. We're coming.' Froakie vowed.