RMS Olympic - Near Porta Vista - 0945 hours local time - Day 23 of Ash Ketchum's Pokemon Journey
The Olympic's bow was still low in the water, but not enough now to have the bottom of the ship scrape against the seabed. Four out of the nine damaged compartments were repaired and emptied of water, one more was being emptied and the forward four were still flooded. But there was nothing they could do about that.
Didn't mean a thing to Pikachu as he still did not like the feeling of climbing uphill on a ship. "Pika?" 'WHEN are they going to trim this thing?!' Pikachu demanded as Ash used the boat deck's small gym to exercise, using the rowing machine to work his arms and legs.
"When…" Ash started as he 'rowed forward' "It pulls into port." he finished as he 'rowed back', stopping the machine and getting off.
"Pika." 'There a reason you wanted to work out in here?' Pikachu asked before getting a gleam in his eye. "Pi-chu?" 'Trying to impress Misty?'
"Please don't start." Ash pleaded exasperatedly as he padded his forehead to remove the sweat from it. "I have enough problems with her knowing everything."
And he meant it. Misty went into detail about New Island, Shamouti, even a few adventures in Hoenn and Sinnoh that he never told her about.
"Pikapi?" 'Ok, Ash. WHY are you in here working out? You've been in here for two hours while we've been training on the back deck. Butterfree asked me to look for you!' Pikachu demanded as Ash grabbed his shirt, jacket and hat from a nearby bench.
"Nearly drowning puts things in perspective. I thought I could handle being underwater for a long time. Too used to being in my old self." Ash said as he remembered the most extreme things he'd done. A caber toss with a massive tree, for example. "In this timeline, I haven't gotten all that conditioning yet."
"Pi." 'It took nearly four years for you to get in that good shape before Manaphy happened.' Pikachu said. "Pika." 'And it'll take that long to get back in that good shape.'
"Yeah, but-" Ash started as the gym doors opened. To the last person he wanted to see him shirtless.
"Ash, the captain's looking for…" the redhead started before Ash just stared at her.
Misty then blushed and shut the door.
"…I hate my life." Ash declared before putting his shirt on. "Stupid mental age bullshit…"
RMS Germanic - Day 22 of Ash's Journey - 0951 hours local time
Goomy had seen things most would not believe, been part of events that would shape history.
This… was new.
"ROCKET BASTARDS!" spat Ash's Kalosian mate, wearing a far less formal version of the dress he saw her in when they saw her in Vanille Town, was pissed off and fuming. "They attacked a ship and tried to kill everyone on board and worse, they tried to kill MY HUSBAND!"
"Fenn." 'I knew she could get mad, but this is… worse than anything I've ever seen.' Fenniken said before her trainer punched a wall.
The reason was running off on the radio.
"-continuing reports from the Olympic confirm that Team Rocket and Team Aqua attacked the Olympic, but for unknown reasons, Team Aqua left the ship. Further confirmation that newly discovered Prince of Rota Ash Ketchum was confirmed barely alive after an heroic act to save the storied ocean liner-"
"Froak." 'He's only gotten more irresponsible with his own life since we last saw him.' Froakie said as it droned on, Serena becoming less and less in control of her anger.
"Serena, calm down. Take a pill and relax." her mother said before Serena looked at Grace.
"Mom… my new husband, the man I love, nearly drowned thanks to Team Rocket." she said with barely contained rage. "I want to make them pay for that."
"Good point. But we're still over three months from Kanto, so you aren't going to be getting that revenge." Grace said as she laid back on her bed. "It's his mother they'll have to worry about. Former or not, she's an Elite Four. You don't get that title from royal dowries in the Nihon regions: you bleed for it."
Serena's rage ebbed, making Goomy relax somewhat. "He is a prince in shining armor after all." she said, almost dreamily, the seeming bipolar action still unnerving the Kalos crew.
And they had to endure this for three more months?
"Fletch." 'I'm almost tempted to ask for a ball.' Ash's robin stated.
"Well, Team Rocket's got balls. Got to give them that," Rin Uzumaki said as she listened to the news reports.
"More balls than brains." Kyril said as he poured a small glass of wine, as he would, no doubt, be called to some inane social gathering once the ship left port. That and the omnipresent nuclear reactor on the other side of the lead-lined walls and glass.
"So, back to Kanto?" Rin asked as Pernon looked over reports.
"If this keeps up, the Rotans are going to get involved. And they don't like me any more then the Kalosians do," Pernon retorted. "But maybe this is a good thing."
"How is this good? If Rota starts on the warpath, it might end with unification under the Winged Crown," Rin spat, referring to the long-vacant crown of the Kingdom of Rota. "And while I doubt Ketchum is in the mood for expansion, the rest of those noble bastards want the lands they claimed thousands of years ago."
Kyril sighed, looking at a very old map of the regions of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh, most of which were swallowed up by the then-reigning might of the Kingdom of Rota. But over the centuries, Rota declined until finally the royals vanished during the war. Then began the Warring States era and the unification of Nihon. Then the Shadow War with the world still putting itself back together.
"If Ash wants to take Nihon, he might not have a fight on his hands. You've read those reports," he said before putting his monkey suit on.
"I made those reports for you to read. He's a popular and charismatic young man. All the Gym Leaders he fought sing his praises," she deadpanned. "The absolute last thing we need is him sweet-talking the Leagues into unification with Rota."
"He doesn't seem the type to try that." Kyril said as he looked back at the old map. "The rest of Rota's nobles, maybe. Not him."
"We'll see. The Olympic pulls into port tomorrow for repairs." Rin said. "And we are still three months from Kanto. We'd go faster, but you know how Shadow Gyarados like to home in on noisy, fast moving ships for a snack."
"No one wants a repeat of the Icelandic." Kyril said, remembering that tragic incident.
Oak Ranch, Pallet Town, Kanto Region - 1245 Hours, Day 22 of the Journey
Rarely was Vine Whip ever used this way.
CRACK!
Chikorita ran after her fellow Johto Pokemon, her vines cracking as they ran from her. "Chika!" 'MOVE!' she snapped in both voice and vine as Totodile and Heracross fled from her, even the bug fearing what she would do.
It was training day at the ranch and all of Ash's captures were on overdrive thanks to the news Team Rocket had tried to kill their trainer.
Blades of air hit the ground, Pidgeotto looking smug as she had seemingly perfected Air Slash. "Geot!" 'Finally.' she cooed before another Air Slash hit where she had fired hers, Noctowl looking mildly annoyed.
"Owl." 'You copied me.' he accused.
"Pidge." 'We're flying-types. Ash needs coverage. Why should you care?' the falcon asked before Noctowl started beating his wings for a Whirlwind.
Pidgeotto was aware of how the move worked. So she knew the basics, channeling power into her wings. And beating them until a tornado formed under them, just before being sent forth as a gale worthy of nature itself.
They slammed into one another, wind fighting wind until the ground began to rip apart underneath the storm, digging a hole that spat up grass, dirt and rock, then shoved the two birds aside.
Bulbasaur gathered energy into his bulb, preparing to fire a Solar Beam when he saw the unnatural tornado. "Bulba." 'Goddamn it.' he muttered before going to check on what those two idiots did this time, missing Pidove and Cyndaquil having their own version of an Aerial Ace fight, as practice.
He finally came across the two flying-types, on their backs, a massive hole between them, caused by two Whirlwinds hitting each other.
"Bulba." 'Good Lord, lovebirds. Did you have to dig up a new pond?' he asked, somewhat annoyed that the two decided to renovate without his say-so.
"Noc?" 'Lovebirds?' Noctowl asked, sputtering as he tried to get back to his feet.
"Otto." 'Fuck you, bulb toad.' Ash's first bird snapped. Their reactions made Bulbasaur have that same grin he had when he… humiliated Psyduck so long ago.
Oh, this was going to be fun. "Bulba." 'Quick to deny. Perhaps-' he started before both got up and started spewing air pressure blades at him.
The rest of the crew were getting their workout. Why not him?
Snivy's tail glowed as she practiced Aerial Ace, which she knew she could learn. Didn't mean Ash had the time (or the brains, but she blamed that bastard Cyrus for that, given Sinnoh and Hoenn) to train her.
Bulbasaur ran out from the treeline, angry birds screaming in the distance. "Bulba." 'Give them a few months and a couple more fights in a gym and we'll be seeing Pidgey eggs.' he said with confidence.
"Sni." 'They hate each other.' Snivy retorted as the two began fighting once more.
"Bul." 'Only because of third-hand accounts.' he said before doing the Bulbasaur equivalent of a shrug. "Bulbasaur." 'We told them, everyone else judged her for not coming back. Not her fault. Besides, I blame that jackass with the airship that captured the Shamouti Birds more than I blame anything else.'
Snivy snorted. "Snivy." 'Chikorita's probably going to be looking for you: said something about Solar Beam.' she said. "Sni." 'Not too many gyms left in Kanto worth sending me into.'
Bulbasaur fixed his fellow grass-type with a look. "Bulba, Bul-saur." 'You DO realize our trainer doesn't care about the type chart, right? He could easily send you against Blaine, the fire-type leader here in Kanto, and have some strategy to win.'
…Snivy could see that. He'd done crazier shit then that before.
"Sni." 'I might enjoy that.' she said, smirking. "Vy." 'Beating a fire-type gym leader would be a good thing.'
BOOM!
"Bulba." 'I'll see what that was.' Bulbasaur said before running off, leaving Snivy to ponder how to fight a fire-type like a Magmar.
Indigo Plateau, Kanto Region - 1457 Hours Local Time, Day 22
Lance Wataru was not a hard man to deal with.
Blackthorn City was once a major hub for Pokemon trainers in Nihon, but after the Cipher War, it became… well, 'hell' was a term used often. But it made him have a dream. A dream to reunite the regions as one once more.
It started with a Dratini. Now that Dratini was a Dragonite and he was Champion of the Elite Four of Kanto and Johto, a first step to reunification.
Sitting with him were Agatha Oak, the not-quite-public, not-quite-secret wife of Samuel Oak, the regional professor and his predecessor an old, no, ancient woman that was seemingly blessed by the dark gods with eternal life (not that Giratina and Darkrai were evil incarnate: THAT was a crude misconception) Bruno Siba, a Fighting Master who actually fought his Pokemon to improve himself (and usually declined using a chair, sitting on the floor or standing as he did now) and the beautiful redhead Lorelei Kanna, who made her off-League time teaching in the Orange Islands that she was native to, though less frequently now that her teacher/terror figure Delia Ketchum had now fully retired from the League scene since the...incident.
Sweet Arceus, Delia was still terrifying even now, six years into her retirement!
Lance shook his head before remembering the subject for today's conference: Team Rocket's attack on the Olympic. While the news had been blaring it for days, Lance used a radio jammer to keep anything from leaking into the League. Last thing they wanted was unsubstantiated reports and rumors. League agents had gotten all the intel from the attack and compiled it into a summary.
"As you know, the RMS Olympic was attacked by Team Rocket yesterday. I wanted to get all the information possible before we discussed the League's response." Lance said as he opened the folder on the table, containing a photo of the ship post-attack, clearly deep in the water, lists of passengers and those missing or confirmed dead. "Thankfully, Captain Hiroshi was very cooperative."
"This is not a good sign." Lorelei said as she took off her glasses to clean them. "Team Rocket hasn't been this active since the earliest days of the League when they fought in plain sight. It might be a sign of them preparing for a new offensive campaign."
"Unlikely." Agatha mused. "There hasn't been any sign of movement in areas we know are Rocket territory since the attack. Celedon, Gym or not, is their heartland. If that stupid girl Erika did her bloody job-"
"Can we move on to another matter?" Bruno asked, annoyed with the talk as though war were coming. Lance could not blame him. "The Elite Four restructuring. I do not want to be shuffled from Kanto to Johto and back again every two years."
"Bruno, I know you're tired of that, but can you give us your opinion before we move on?" Lance asked gently, trying to prevent one of the infamous shouting matches he was forced to endure between Lorelei and Bruno.
He really couldn't afford all the acetaminophen pills. The good stuff was expensive, even for the man that was technically head of the government of two regions.
The fighter crossed his arms. "If there was going to be an attack after the Olympic, it would have happened by now." he said, putting forward the simple fact. "Attacking a major target like the Olympic would only be the start. Yet there is nothing."
Lance pulled out a paper with the list of known Rockets. "Proton was on board. Someone shoved a sword through his gut. Didn't kill him, but he's not running around for a few weeks." he muttered. "And… Hmm. Archer was there, too."
"See? Two admins were on board-" Lorelei started before Lance gestured for her to stop. She glared before he finished.
"His body was found on a nearby beach. With a bullet in his head and a typed note." Lance said before retrieving a copy of said note. It read 'attack unauthorized' with a simple red Gothic-style R stamped on the bottom.
"Only one person uses that." Agatha spat. "The Boss." Lance knew why she spat that name. She personally shot the last Boss of the Rockets. Repeatedly. With a shotgun. Then she had the ghosts do their worst to the woman that would only call herself 'Madame Boss'.
"So, the attack was unauthorized." Lance said. "Explains why we don't have grunts doing mass shootings in the streets. Something has the new Boss spooked."
"Lance." Bruno said warningly. Lance nodded, getting to another folder before handing Lorelei the one on the Olympic attack. He did not want to test Bruno's patience.
"We have few candidates for the position. Will and Karen are content in Johto, therefore they're automatically out." Lance said. "We could call Delia-"
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" all three of his subordinates (in that he was champion, a higher rank than Elite) yelled.
"Delia-Sensei is to be left in Pallet with her family," Lorelei said before shuddering. "I don't want to be on the same E4 with her."
"Agreed. She could have taken champion status if not for her husband." Bruno said, equally chilled. There were reasons True Masters were not type-biased and Bruno made that mistake once. Delia… well, Agate Village after Cipher blew it up knew how he felt.
"There is always Koga. Though he has problems of his own." Agatha added. "Damned ninja is dying."
Lance nodded as Lorelei looked at the passenger lists to avoid thinking about her teacher. "Giovanni?" he asked.
"No. He's not ready and will never be ready." Bruno said. "He is too unfocused, split between Viridian Gym's upkeep, his son and hunting Team Rocket." Lance was forced to agree: Giovanni spent more time hunting Rockets then fighting gym challengers. His gym was closed 70% of the time.
"We could ask my cousin Clair. No one goes to Blackthorn Gym anyways." Lance suggested as he noticed Lorelei pale, though she always had a white complexion.
"That's as bad as asking Bruno to swap from Johto to Kanto every-Oh, what are you doing, girl?" Agatha asked before Lorelei quickly pulled out a highlighter, marking two names in pink.
One was Waterflower, Misty. Obviously the youngest of the Sensational Sisters, the so-called Wandering Siren for her beauty. Lance met her: a shy, scared girl thanks to a mental attack by two Shadow Pokemon.
She had potential. Had to come out of that shell created by those bastards her sisters turned into clouds of mist, ironically, but she could join the Elite Four one day. It was then that he saw the other name.
Ketchum, Ash.
Delia's second child and eldest son.
Delia's pride and joy.
…Kanto was going to burn.
"Fuck," Lance said with feeling as he knew damn well what Delia would do.
Come out of retirement.
RMS Olympic - On approach to Porta Vista - Day 23 of the Journey
Ash looked at the town he knew as a tourist trap and victim of a very annoyed Tentacruel attack back in the other timeline.
Here, it was still a tourist trap… but one with a repair facility for ships, mostly warships from the look of them all. But as he saw a group of Tentacool and Tentacruel help guide the ship into a dock, he was more focused on the pier, where thousands cheered and waved at the ship, some with signs bearing a crude image of his face on them.
Ash mentally screamed. The last thing he needed was a fanclub. He did not want to be Gary in Kanto, damn it!
"Wow." Misty said beside him, her hand brushing against his. He momentarily felt his fingers flex to hold it, but he consciously tore his hand away. Misty didn't judge him for it. She didn't say a thing, actually, likely listening to her… previous self.
"The last thing I want or need is a fanclub," Ash said as he walked down the promenade deck, Misty tailing him. The captain had pretty much told him that he would always have a free room on the Olympic, on any Pernon Line ship, actually, for saving it like he did. Ash declined. The captain insisted and sent a message to his boss, whose reply was 'the suite or the press'. Ash didn't like all of the attention he got from the grateful crew, so he took the suite for life option.
A loud caw got their attention as a massive black bird with a wingspan twice Ash's height flew past the ship, whose feathers looked like blackened steel, like a more… angry version of Pidgeot with a shorter beak.
Ash could not resist as he ran to the boat deck, Misty hot on his tail, smiling as he spotted the bird, while lazily orbited the ship, before looking at him and diving towards him.
Misty hid behind Ash, but Ash… wasn't scared. He… knew this bird somehow.
The divebomb ended as the bird stalled, landing on the deck before Ash pulled out his Porygon enhanced Pokedex and scanned the massive bird.
"Corviknight, the Raven Pokémon and final evolution of Rookidee. The apex avian Pokemon of the Galar Region, Corviknight serves primarily as early warning and as the primary aerial taxi in Galar." the machine said. "Note: Corviknight do not leave Galar, as they are too heavy for transregional flights. Typing: Flying/Steel. Registered to-"
The Pokedex didn't finished as the giant raven picked Ash up with its' beak and put him on its' back, before Misty screamed, then the bird took off, grabbing Misty in its' talons, screaming the entire time before flying them towards the docks, letting Misty go on the teak decking before landing nearby.
"Corviknight," said a voice Ash was half-expecting from the last timeline, but not… now. Walking towards them with a Pokeball belt and a… well, modified version of his outfit in Hoenn, but more suited for a woman and without the hat, was his mother, Delia Ketchum. "You didn't have to scare the girl. I doubt she was doing anything wrong."
"Kni!" cired the bird without a word before looking Misty over, seeing despite the fear of a giant steel bird… oh, no.
'Sweet Arceus, NO,' Ash thought as the bird nodded in approval.
Delia looked at her giant bird and then at Misty repeatedly. "By Palkia's Spire, I can't believe it!" his mother said before hugging her son. "You have a girlfriend!"
The strangled scream could be heard over the cheering crowds as the TRio left the ship.
"…That the twerp ?" Meowth asked.
"We're off-duty." Jessie insisted. "Stalking him can wait."
"And I want NOTHING to do with that scream!" James cried.
"Was that necessary?" Delia asked as she checked her ears to see if they were bleeding. "I'm just happy you-"
"Misty is not my girlfriend," Ash all but ground out. "She is just my friend. She might be a girl, she is my friend, but she is NOT my girlfriend."
"Yet," Delia said teasingly. "Besides, you're the crown prince of Rota now. And… well, you might have mixed feelings about this."
"Mom, I'm still having a hard time with that. Can you at least tell me why you're here?" Ash asked exasperatedly before he was tackled to the decking by a yellow-haired missile.
"Big brother!" cried his little sister Yellow as she clung to his left arm and upper chest, crying.
"You got all of us worried, Ash." said another voice as Ash looked up to see Red, wearing an outfit like his, only with a red jacket instead of blue. Ash had a random thought that Red always copied him, but he shook it off as he got up.
"Where's Bell?" he asked, Misty giving Ash a very jealous look.
"Bell?" she asked snappily, like he remembered.
"Belladonna. His older sister. She's back home helping Professor Oak." Delia answered. "As for why we are here, I thought I would fly over, check on you, see if you were alright, but-"
"Mime." 'The brats noticed.' said Mimey, as he mimed his way over. "Mime mime, Mr. Mime." 'I had to teleport them here. Not fun: I haven't done mass teleports since my League days.'
"Out of shape, Mimey?" Ash said before the Psychic/fairy glared, then just stared.
"Mime?" 'You understood-oh, why do I bother asking? Ever since the incident, you've always been odd.' the barrier Pokemon said dismissively.
Ash wondered what that was before just getting a headache.
"Knight." 'You are a source of constant worry, Chosen.' Corviknight said, the voice being a soothing middle-aged woman's. "Cor." 'I insisted one of my hatchlings should be your starter, but that old bastard refused.'
Chosen? …Crap.
Corviknight knew about his… status.
"Still, I better tell you," Delia said. "You remember Lady Serena Yeonne-Gabena?"
"Serena?" Ash asked, wondering why she suddenly had that title added to her name. She and him were the same age; her mother simply refused to let her go on her journey. "I remember us at summer camp a few years ago." a half lie: he tried and succeeded forgetting about her after making his little vow after Altomere. "What about her?"
"Well...after you were outed in Rota-" 'Fuck, fuck, fuck.' "I got a call from her mother, Baroness Grace." 'Fuck, fuck, FUCK!' "And she sent me a message that you and Serena-" 'No. Fuck no. Oh hell to the fucking FUCK no!' "are now officially engaged!"
Ash's mental scream could be heard in Kalos, Alola and Galar.
Castelia City, Unova Region - 0548 Hours Local Time - Day 22 of the Journey
Castelia City was the capital of Unova. One of the few things that survived the Cipher War, its skyscrapers were untouched by the conflict that sudden;y ended all those years ago.
But it was also the home of the Unovan Senate, those that governed the country alongside the champion, though increasingly, the champion's influence was waning.
"It has come to our attention, gentlemen." said Senator Irons, representing the state of Tork, "That the Kingdom of Rota has a new royal heir."
"Last thing anyone wants is Rota getting control of Nihon again." Senator Michaels of Striaton spat. "They're half the reason the Cipher War started in the first place!"
"Now, now, gentlemen." Senator Horton of Opelucid chided. "Let's not argue over history. Yes, Rota's piss-poor history with Orre kick-started this whole nonsense, but it's not like this Ketchum boy is going to rebuild the Rotan Empire. Besides, he has bigger problems. Kanto is recovering their lost industrial base and we haven't even gotten close to that yet."
"Yes, because the local Riolu population refuses to deal with those fucking Shadow Pokemon in our industrial heartland!" Michaels yelled as he stood up. "They're too interested in pining for Sinnoh and Rota, lands they weren't even born in!"
"Which will give us an opportunity to get Rota off its ass and help us." Horton said. "Kanto was never an industrial power. They relied on us for a VERY long time. What I propose is sending a delegation to Kanto. The Queen Victoria is in port. We can book passage for the diplomatic party."
"We'll need to make sure they keep that Lance boy occupied. Orre is stirring and that is never a good sign," Irons said. "We just need a few years before we're back on our feet. Then we can take the fight back to those sand-eating terrorist bastards."
"We'll need to pander to the Kantoans. Find some token minority to add to the team." Michaels said, drinking a glass of Kalosian wine. "They like that sort of thing.
"I think I have just the thing." Horton said with a mild cackle.
RMS Germanic - 1502 Hours Local Time - Day 23
"We're going to need to fund that old bastard, aren't we?" Rin asked as she looked through reports on Ash.
"Who? Oak?" Kyril asked.
"Who else? Rowen?" she snarked. "Of course Oak. Apparently, Ketchum is his apprentice of sorts."
"Well, we DO need to give him and his friends some form of ID. Pokedexes are expensive enough without the new chips and stuff."
"Which reminds me, I am pleased to inform you that the old MOS plant is back online for the first time in 57 years." Rin said as she handed him a file. "Should I tell them to start making Pokedex parts?"
Kyril thought about it. "If it endears Ash to us. Rota has… a history of tightly controlling business," he said, Rota's laws being strict when it came to business.
In short: government controlled. Kyril wasn't in the mood to have his company controlled by some noble asshole that knew nothing of business.
So whatever it took, it would happen.
Porta Vista - 620 Hours Local Time - Day 24 of Ash's Journey
Ash knew no rest that night. Strange nightmares plagued what little sleep he had, of fire and ruin.
He had been up most of the night, trying to avoid thinking of whatever that was. What had happened to him? The other him, the one whose body he inhabited and had some of his memories?
Ash knew too little and no one was willing to talk about what happened. So he sat, awake, until he began wondering the port town in the wee hours of the morning.
"Pikapi." 'Ash, this is unhealthy.' Pikachu said on his shoulder before making a Pika-yawn.
"I know. But all I get are nightmares.." Ash said. "There's so much I don't know about my life in this timeline. What causes them?"
"Pika." 'We'll find out sooner or later.' Pikachu said before he covered his nose. "Piiika!" 'The hell is that smell?!'
Ash barely noticed it before Pikachu spoke up, but now he could smell something… foul as they walked past a small tunnel, barely big enough for one person.
And something was coming out of that tunnel at full speed. Coming right at…
"Oh, shit!" Ash cursed as a wave of purple sludge covered his body, smothering him.
"Muuuuuuuuk!" 'Ash!' said the mass of sludge before noticing Ash wasn't moving. The Muk got off Ash, allowing him to breathe. "Muk." 'I keep forgetting you need to breathe.'
Ash wheezed as air reentered his lungs. "You really need to remember that," he said.
"Muk!" 'I keep forgetting.' his sludge monster said.
"Please remember." Ash said before Muk double-taked. …or at least as much as a Muk could.
"Muk?" 'Wait, you understand-'
"Please don't tell me I have to go through this song and dance every time I recatch one of you guys. Yes, I understand you: byproduct of how Celebi sent us back in time." Ash said a bit snappishly. "And I have anger problems for some reason. Kinda justified: I haven't slept at all since yesterday."
Muk paused at Ash's angry retort, but smiled anyways. Muk was quick to forgive. "Muk!" 'It's ok. You'll overcome this: you always do!' he said before trying to reach for a ball on Ash's belt. Ash backed off a bit, then pulled out a Pokeball from his backpack.
"The ones on my belt are filled, Muk. Suppose I'll have to get a second one for balls I can throw," Ash said before Muk enveloped the ball before turning into energy and being captured.
Oak Ranch - Roughly ten seconds later
Beedrill, Spearow and ten or twelve others ran from a massive gelatinous mass as Belladonna watched, pausing mid-tying of her ponytail from the building.
"He HAD to catch a Muk." she said with annoyance. "I HATE Muks."
Route 13 - 1245 hours local time
"Your family was… nice." Misty said. "Yellow kept calling me big sister though…"
"I think they want me to be your boyfriend. But you can guess why I don't want that." Ash said as Pikachu glared at his trainer.
"Yes, yes, that stupid vow!" Misty's astral self said before scoffing. "Damned fool. He's the best man for us and he knows it. He's just in denial."
Misty did not comment on her mental self's words. They just had to navigate this hedge maze. And the pollen was annoying and reminded her of fairy dust. So she was well within her rights to say this hedge maze was made of fairy dust and headaches.
Elsewhere
They were green.
They were round.
...and by Arceus they refused to blink.
"Natu."
The two birds stood their ground, radiating psychic power to protect their trainer from a major threat. They had held it off before. They could do it again.
"You can't keep doing this." said their nemesis. By human standards, she was attractive: that jacket of hers was undone, hiding a tank top that… well, some human males stared at her chest a lot. A set of psychic wristlets and anklets hung from ankles and wrists, her long green-black hair barely hiding her brown and purple eyes.
She was Sabrina Natsume, Saffron Gym's infamous Leader. She showed little mercy, she ripped the minds of her challengers assunder and no one was stupid enough to evict her.
She also happened to be the most powerful human psychic on the planet.
But these birds… these two damn round birds…
"Natu." the bird on the right said.
"I will have her."
"Natu." the left bird retorted.
"No need for that language."
"Na-Tu."
"You merely delay the inevitable. No one is going to save her. No one is going to save any of you." Sabrina spat. "Tell her that I await her for her next… lesson." with that, Sabrina left.
"Natu!"
"THAT was uncalled for!