Laramie Ranch - 1021 hours local time - Day 60 of Ash Ketchum's Journey
Lara limped into the room where Misty and Anabel were staying, the psychic having not fully recovered but no longer needing heavy amounts of medication and not shaking as much.
Lara, on the other hand, had a broken leg and was not entirely sure how it happened. All she remembered was a rock slide on the south end of the ranch and she woke up an hour later, taking nearly as much time to crawl, then limp, to the ranch.
More embarrassing was the fact that Koga was supposed to be here already.
"You are late."
Lara jumped, falling onto the bed Misty was using to sleep on and startling the girl awake, the rancher screaming as she felt the broken bones twist.
Fortunately, Koga was not an uncaring bastard and helped her to another cot. "I didn't know you had broken your leg." he said, almost making an aplogy.
He was a ninja: in his line of work, incompetence was death. No second chances, no apologies. It was engrained.
"Rock slide." she ground out, Misty still thrashing before falling on the floor. "Took me an hour to get back. Morphine, please."
Koga looked for a medical kit, quickly finding the white metal box before walking over to it and recovering the medication in question. "I would recommend you use this sparingly." he said as he gave it to her, Lara taking it as well as a needle before getting the lowest dose needed to merely numb the pain.
"I'm ain't an idiot, Koga: I ain't becomin' a morphine addict." she said before injecting herself with the opidoid, the effect becoming apparent in moments as the pain numbed.
"Indeed. I presume you will not be attending the race this afternoon, then." Koga said before Misty got up, moaning and focusing her eyes.
"Uncle Koga?" she asked loudly.
"Do not yell, Misty." Koga said, coughing into his hand, looking at the results and frowning. "It is unbecoming of the relative of a shinobi."
Misty pointed at her ears, using sign language used mostly by the Fuchsia Clan to communicate her 'problem'.
Crudely: she didn't have it drilled into her head. A shame her mother didn't bother to do so. Fortunately, Koga could get the general idea.
"Your eardrums were burst?" he questioned before calmly signing back: 'My apologies. I was unaware you were involved in the debacle last month'.
Misty's crude signing in return to Koga's fluid response was equal to a shrug and 'I'm getting better'.
"You two know each other?" Lara asked somewhat dopily, the morphine dose higher then she thought.
"Her mother was my sister. She left the clan to become a regular trainer." he said tersely. That would have left her an exile in the old days. Koga told the old ways to go fuck themselves: she was family.
"Oh." Lara said dumbly before noticing someone missing. "Where's Janine?"
"Testing someone." Koga answered vaguely.
Janine was moderately impressed. Not two months into his journey and the boy that became the Crown Prince of Rota was both a skilled trainer and a leader. His ability to calm even the most angry Tauros down proved that.
His skills in combat, however, were… lacking. How he survived Mt Moon, the attack on the Pokemon Tech facility and the attempted sinking of the Olympic were down to simple luck. She disapproved of relying too much on luck.
And contrary to popular belief, you did not 'make' your own luck: the universe cared little for your wants. Random chance was always just that.
Case in point as Ash was on the ground, covered in dirt. "Ow." he muttered as he got up. "You fight dirty."
"The first rule of the ninja, and of war for that matter, is to never play fair." she retorted. "Stack the odds in your favor, then strike to end it quickly and efficently."
"I don't fight that way." Ash said, dusting himself off. "I believe in a fair fight, where both sides don't bother with dirty tricks just to win."
"The real world does not operate that way, Prince." she said, making him scowl. "There is always a darker side. Your Pikachu is a shadow Pokemon. If the world was the way you wanted, you would be forced to never use him. Your hypocrisy is showing."
"Do not call me that." Ash snapped, Janine's face not betraying how pleased she was that she got that reaction out of him. "Pikachu didn't ask to be a Shadow Pokemon. I didn't ask for your opinion on him. I don't even know why you're wanting to fight me!"
"Father told you: you must prove yourself worthy," Janine answered. "You have the endurance and the drive. You clearly have the skill to command and improvise. What my father wants to know is simple: can you command while someone else is trying to kill you?"
Ash glared at her and muttered something about hate and… time? What did time have to do with this?
"Janine!" called her father as he approached, looking ill as he always did in recent days. She turned and bowed in respect.
"Father," she answered, bowing at the waist.
"Do not enforce our standards on him," he said before coughing madly, blood leaking from his mouth. She moved to help him, but a raised hand stopped him.
That did not stop the boy from rushing over.
The purplette glared at him. No respect, no deference. And this was to be the king of the nation that the Fuchsia Clans had served until the Cipher War cut the line?
'No wonder grandmother bowed to the invaders,' she thought with disdain before Ash helped her father stay upright.
"My thanks," he said before wiping his mouth of that which was his life. "As I was saying. Do not force our standards on him. You have trained since you were a child in our arts."
"You said I was to test him." she said, somewhat insolently before looking away in shame.
"To see who he was," Koga said as he looked at the boy, not a year younger than she was. "I have heard of your deeds, Ketchum." Ash backed off, clearly getting ready for a fight. "Make no mistake: you made mistakes. Great ones. Many of the Clefairy of Mount Moon are dead as a result of your actions and it will take generations for them to return."
Ash did not bow his head in shame, but it was clear it weighed on him. His eyes told everything.
"Your mistakes, however, are outweighed by your intent," her father continued. "You seek to eliminate evil in all courses without going to their base level. Noble. And worthy."
Janine did not like where this was going.
"Regardless. I have a task for you," Koga said. "The annual race set up by the Laramie family to show their support for Fushcia is in two days time. Lara is injured and cannot participate."
The boy glanced up at Koga. Typical. Seeking glory.
"You want me to race for her," Ash said, knowing what he was going to ask.
"Yes. If only to prevent that birdkeeper from joining the clan." her father spat. "He seeks wealth and glory."
"I don't need a prize," Ash said. "I'll do it."
The master of the clan seemed… pleased to Janine. "I did not doubt it," he said. "Go. You will need her Ponyta to enter: to race in one's name, they must use their Pokemon."
With that, Koga gestured to Ash to go, which he did.
Once out of earshot, Janine looked to her father. "I do not mean to be disrespectful-" she started.
"In my experience, that means little, Janine," Koga quipped, Janine waiting a moment before continuing.
"But is it wise to even let him try? A word from Lara and we can end that perverted lech in a moment." Janine finished. "We are shinobi and kunoichi. We do dark deeds all the time."
"It is unnecessary in this case," Koga answered. "And I have taken his measure. The boy has but one goal: to become a Pokemon Master. A lofty, but not unobtainable goal. To do so, he will forsake anything. And has forsaken many things. His travelling companions are women, yet even when I spoke to one, she said nothing about a romantic relationship."
Janine scoffed.
"It was your cousin Misty," Koga clarified, Janine's eyes almost ballooning.
"Misty? Given her condition, she would do anything for a constant presence in her life," she muttered. Her parents were dead, her sisters were out and about all the time and Pokemon just weren't enough, especially after that mind rape incident. Misty would do anything, even debase herself, to have a constant human presence in her life.
That Ash had done nothing but be her companion spoke volumes of his integrity. She was wrong.
"I stand corrected and chastised," she finally admitted, her father putting a hand on her shoulder.
"You merely stand corrected, my child," Koga said with a bare smile. "It takes years to hone the skills required to take a man's worth in a conversation," Koga coughed once more, Janine wanting to help, but not being able. "You do not have those skills yet."
Janine could hear the unsaid 'but you will' in his voice and allowed herself to smile.
Just outside Laramie Ranch - 1547 hours local time - Day 61
Janine watched as Ash mastered the art of horseback riding, a term that had been around long after the extinction of the non-Pokemon species in question.
But she was less focused on the boy.
No, the two idiots in black versions of the Team Rocket uniform watching Ash were her primary focus, along with their talking Meowth.
"Think the twerp's gonna give it up?" the woman named Jessie asked.
"Nope. If we learned anythin' from the brat, he's relentless." the Meowth said. "He wants to do somethin', he does it. Seriously, you seen how he treats those girls?"
The bluenette nodded as he passed the binoculars around to Jessie. "If it was me, I would have succumbed already. But he just… doesn't. He avoids it."
The woman's cheeks tinged red, Janine resisting the urge to scoff before noticing an Arbok slithering into her level of the tree.
The starters of the pair had evolved a few hours prior. Something of an event for their trainers.
"You know I could have killed them any time, yes?" Janine asked the snake, the cobra giving a somewhat nod. Good. "As long as they are not a threat, they can stay."
The snake nodded once more as Janine focused on Ash, whooping happily.
Something was off with the boy and she wanted to know what.
Lara smirked as Ash rode over, rubbing Ponyta's neck comfortingly.
"You know wha' yer doin', ash. You sure this is yer first time?" she asked as Ponyta sniffed her leg, whining about it.
Ash chuckled nervously. Saying he was from a future where he did this would not be a good thing. "Well, I did attend a camp where riding a Rhyhorn was a thing." he instead said. At least that was consistent between timelines.
"Wha' like Baroness Gabena?" she asked, making Ash blink.
"As in Grace Gabena?" he countered, getting a nod.
"Woman's a bit of a legend in ridin' circles," Lara said. "Obsessed with Rhyhorn Racin'. Wants her daughter to take up the mantle. Hit her head a few times, too."
'Sounds like Grace,' Ash snarked. "I met her." he said. "And her daughter. She's not the Rhyhorn type."
Lara beamed at that. "Awesome!" she cried. "Explains how Ponyta loves ya so much!"
"Pon." 'He's nice.' Ponyta said, though only he understood her. Ash just scratched behind her ear, the fire horse liking it.
"Good luck and giv' that pervert the boot for me!" Lara said before Ash rode off, intending to get one more lap of practice in before Ponyta needed to rest.
Laramie Big P Course - 0847 hours local time - Day 62
Misty was not happy, her hearing returned, but her ears being sensitive.
She was less happy when her mental self said Ash's first kiss was not hers, but some Kalosian girl.
And that did not make her happy. Sure, Ash was the nicest guy on the planet and didn't do anything with it, but it was the principle of the thing.
For Anabel's part, she was too groggy to think about romance. Or experienced enough to remotely consider it. Her Pokemon liked Ash, though and wanted to see them together.
She would like to know what it was like, having a boyfriend, but for now, human shield was good enough. Besides, she was nervous. Ash was going to be racing. The further he was from her, the more danger she was in from someone like Sabrina. Or… the person that took over her body.
Terms didn't matter. She just wanted him close.
Ash sat on Ponyta, determined to do one thing and one thing only: win.
Koga stood on a high vantage point as the other racers, including the pervert, Dario and his dodrio.
The ninja master watched as the race went on, Ash sidestepping Dario at every turn, predicting his movements.
The birdkeeper tried everything up to and including whipping the Dodrio he rode to get an edge. Koga disapproved: while he was known to be harsh when needed, but otherwise, he treated them with respect and care. Ash Ketchum was the same, telling Ponyta they could win.
It had results as he used Flare Blitz by accident. Ash didn't do things by halves and sometimes not even on purpose. This amused Koga greatly.
Janine huffed as the flaming horse shot past a number of competitors on what was normally just a 25 kilometer course.
Some years, there were obstacles on the roads: a food challenge, fake rocks, that sort of thing.
This year was plain and simple: pure endurance. The track had been lengthened to almost 40 kilometers in an attempt to wear out Pokemon in the extreme.
Sometimes, the best races were the simplest.
But Ash seemed to have accidentally pushed Ponyta's buttons, as he was moving at a speed most flying-types would be jealous of at low level. Unless you were a Swellow or Pidgeot, it was hard to get to half the speed of sound.
Dario's Dodrio was half that fast, even if he had a two kilometer lead and was using Agility to boost his speed.
And feeding the tri-headed bird special steroids to increase his speed on the straightaways. Well, win or lose, he was still pathetic enough to cheat.
Then came the flaming horse, which shot past them at speeds only seen in the air and when a Pokemon was… about to evolve.
"Interesting," she said as the flaming comet grew bigger. The Laramie girl was going to be pleased.
Such is the nature of Aura that a source of it will empower another if willing to give of oneself.
It was how Aaron of Rota gave his life to the Tree of Beginning. It was how Ash was revived on New Island in the old timeline, with all Pokemon understanding that was not supposed to be.
It was also, unwittingly, how Ponyta was running at nearly two-thirds the speed of sound and on the cusp of evolving.
Ash knew none of this, of course, as the glowing horse grew under him, slowing only to turn a corner. Ash's only goal was to win this, not think about how.
As soon as they hit another corner, they nearly flew off the course. Such was the issue of speed: you couldn't turn sharply and get away with it.
After that corner was nearly 3 kilometers of straight trackway, right to the finish.
Ash could hear Dario screaming obscenities at them from five turns and four kilometers back as Ponyta finally stopped glowing, now a Rapidash.
He patted Rapidash's neck, the horse breaking into a mad gallop towards the finish, crossing it… then Rapidash finally fell to his knees, panting in exhaustion.
Evolution gave you one hell of a boost, but once you were done, you were done for the day.
Unless you were Charmeleon and just too angry to lay down.
A few minutes later, Dario crossed the finish line, getting off his bird with the intent to accuse. Before he could even unhook himself from his left sterup, three darts hit his neck, making him fall unconscious before slamming into the ground side-first, pulling his Dodrio down with him, the bird squawking in surprise as he fell.
Janine then jumped from a tree, going into a roll before stopping and dusting herself off.
"I would recommend you test the Dodrio for drugs. I saw him feeding the bird during the race." she said to the judges in the stands, which included Lara.
"Thanks, Janine." she said before picking up the microphone and switching it on. "Well, without a doubt, the winner of the 189th Annual Big P Pokemon Race is Ash Ketchum!"
Ash waved shyly, especially when Misty, with her noise-dampening earmuffs started cheering and Anabel made a small wave.
"Na, as you know, Ash here's the Crown Prince of Rota. Though he ain't a fan o that, apparently." Lara said. "And he's waved off the grand prize of Clan membership. But I ain't sending him off empty-handed! That's not what we do!" The crowd cheered with Lara as she made her way to the ground, using a crutch to keep her weight off her bad leg as she carried a metal case, large enough to house anything from a bomb to a small bush of berries.
Ash had no idea what was in it. He just knew he didn't do it for a prize.
She opened the case, revealing a Pokemon egg with Ponyta's coloration. "A Ponyta egg from the Laramie Ranch! This way, he can rememba his victory here today!" she declared to the crowd's delight.
Ash chuckled before shaking his head. "Sorry, I've got enough Pokemon for now." he said, making the crowd react against him.
"Egg! Egg! Egg!" they cheered repeatedly.
Ash kept waving no. They cheered louder each time.
"Take the damned egg, boy," Koga said, sudden;y appearing behind Ash, startling him. "You'll be here all day and we don't have that time."
Lara shrugged as he looked to her, Ash sighing and reaching for the egg, making the crowd cheer loudly.
"Sweet Arceus, they're just like Galarian idiots." Koga muttered, making Ash wonder what was 'Galar?'.
Ash didn't have time to wonder long before being tackled by Misty in a hug that nearly spelt the end of the egg.
Oak Ranch - 1559 hours local time
The egg was safely in the Professor's care, making Bulbasaur happy. Misty nearly ended its' life before it began.
Now they had to deal with another problem, waiting outside.
"Puff!" 'Seriously, where am I?!' cried the purified Jigglypuff as she looked around, wondering why she wasn't in Alola and surrounded by every Pokemon Ash had in Johto and Hoenn.
Kanto almost went without saying, but Charmeleon was fighting Lycanroc, so almost every Pokemon she ran into prior to returning to Kanto.
"Quilava." 'Welcome to the Oak Ranch. Those bruises on your face are the result of us beating the living shit out of you for putting us to sleep and drawing on our faces,' the Volcano Pokemon said, making Jigglypuff touch her face.
"Jiggly!" 'You don't appreciate my singing! You fall asleep, so you deserve it!' she snapped, pouting.
"Bulba." 'You use the move Sing EVERY TIME, moron,' Bulbasaur said, not in the mood to be diplomatic. "Bulbasaur, Bulb." 'If you didn't know that move puts people to sleep, you shouldn't know it.'
Jigglypuff blinked. "Puff?" 'Wait, singing is an attack?' she said. "Puff!" 'Prove it! I once sang to a Whismur and he didn't-'
'Soundproof.' everyone said. Even Jigglypuff knew that ability.
"Puff." 'Crap. But I like to sing!' she said.
"Dile!" 'Stop using the move and we'll see if you can.' Totdile said, not liking getting drawn on as much as everyone else.
Jigglypuff pouted before pondering. "Jigglypuff…" 'Wait, if I'm HERE and you're not beating the life out of me… Oh, NO,' she said as she realized something.
"Bulba!" 'Welcome to Ash Ketchum's team. We work to improve ourselves and help our trainer realize his dream of being the very best he can be while he helps us be the best we can be,' Bulbasaur said with an eyesmile. "Saur." 'We also save the world on a regular basis. I suggest getting used to it.'
Jigglypuff's scream coincided with her use of Hyper Voice.
Fuschia City - 1629 hours Local Time
Koga coughed madly, spitting up blood as they reached the outskirts of the City of Shinobi, as many called it.
Ash rushed to Koga's side to help, steadying him as he coughed, Janine huffing as he did what she wanted to do, but couldn't because her father forbade it except in the most dire situations.
"Worried for your badge, Ketchum?" she spat, worry for her father outweighed by annoyance.
"I don't care about the badge!" he said, surprising her and Anabel, Misty not hearing a word thanks to the earmuffs. "It can wait until Koga's better! He's more important right now!"
Janine once more stood corrected and ashamed. Her father gave her a look to stop.
"You may not get that chance, son," he said, shakily getting to his feet. "My health worsens every day. The doctors have claimed I will not last another month, two at most."
The look of shock on Ash's face was enough to get Misty to remove them and ask gently to have that repeated.
Her reaction was to latch to her maternal uncle and sob, Koga patting her back softly, blaming himself for the incident that made his niece a needy mess. After all, that Venomoth came from Fuschia.
Now he would die, knowing what happened was his fault.
90 minutes later - en route to Safari Zone
Misty and Anabel went to the gym with Koga, a Gengar covering for Ash's absence to make her feel better while the clan Chansey finished healing Misty's ears.
Janine forced Ash out, claiming he was not welcome until her father was ready for his battle and she wanted to know of him through Misty, who was apparently her cousin in this timeline.
The other ninja he knew from the other timeline, Aya, was just absent. Ash hoped she wasn't dead.
Regardless, he had a goal to work to in the Safari Zone.
Namely, his herd of steers.
But first, to deal with that grumpy old bastard at the gatehouse.
He never liked Kaiser. He liked to flash that revolver too much. Part of the reason he hated guns so much.
But rules were rules: check with the old man, THEN go steer hunting.
He knocked on the door, which was pulled open and Ash was forced to stare down the barrel of the revolver belonging to the old man.
"The fack you want?!" he yelled at Ash, who was not amused, but decided to be… diplomatic.
"Good afternoon, sir." Ash said, acting like the gun in his face didn't bother him. "I would like to enter the Safari Zone." Kaiser had ten seconds or else Pikachu would be zapping him into oblivion and Ash would be going in, getting his herd and leaving.
"You got clearance from Koga?" Kaiser snapped before holstering the gun, scowling in a way that reminded Ash of the Samurai. And not the overly nutty one from the old timeline: the one from this one before getting drilled (as in Bee) to death.
Ash provided a written notice from Janine, which was effectively as good as far as the old man was concerned, apparently.
"Fine. Go in there, get what you're getting and stay the fuck away from the Dratini!" he spat before slamming the door.
Ash raised an eyebrow before making his opinion on Kaiser known. "Pleasant man." he said, sarcasm dripping from his mouth like poison.
"Pikapi?" 'And you didn't want me shocking him into the middle of the next year why, Ash?' his starter asked.
"Out of respect for LAST time." Ash said, remembering the old man that just wanted to protect the Dratini from poachers.
He had a goal: the Tauros. Nothing more.
Then his hat was lifted from his head by a hand attached to a tail before the tail-hand jumped down, revealing a violet-furred monkey.
"Ai!" 'It's about time, Ash!' the Aipom said with a grin. "Aipom!" 'Where am I and why am I an Aipom again?'
Trainer and starter said it as one. "Time travel."
"Aipom." 'That explains a lot, but not where I am,' Aipom said before tossing Ash his hat.
"You're in the Safari Zone in Kanto, just outside Fuchsia." Ash answered. "Ball now or later? Sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can get you back to Dawn."
"Aipom!" 'Ball me!' the monkey said, Ash withdrawing a Safari Ball from a rack and linking it to his Pokedex, a small tray popping out to replicate the ball ad infinitum, just like the Master Ball.
He just kept the original at home at Pallet, sending it back with Lapras and frankly, was reserving it for Pokemon he NEEDED caught, like, say, the Creation Pokemon to prevent Cyrus' stupidity from ending ANOTHER timeline.
He tossed the ball, Aipom finally realizing something. "Ai-" 'Did you actually-' she started before getting balled.
30 minutes later
Ash just waited for the earthquakes to start as he wandered the plains area of the Zone, waiting for the Tauros herd to appear, walking past a pool of water.
"Just a matter of time." Ash said, Pikachu walking beside him.
"Pikapi-kachu." 'We can't stay overnight, Ash. Kaiser seems more trigger-happy then last time,' Pikachu said, walking beside his trainer for once.
"I know, Pikachu, but we can't just wander the place looking-" Ash started before something slammed into him and wrapped around him, dragging him into the pool.
His head was dunked underwater for a full minute before he managed to get his head above water.
"Dra!" 'New person!' said a serpentine Pokemon with frills attached to the sides of the head with big black eyes and an adorable-looking muzzle. "Dra! Dra!" 'New friend!'
"Pika!" 'Let go of my trainer!' Pikachu said, the snake-like Pokemon looking at the mouse.
"Dratini?" 'But friend? I want to leave! I want to be with friend!' the Dratini said, Wrapping around Ash tightly.
"Pikachu!" 'You're KILLING your 'new friend'!' Pikachu retorted, Dratini looking at Ash before letting him go, Ash choking to get air back into him.
"Dra!" 'I don't see humans that often,' the first dragon-type of the National Dex said. "Drati." 'And yours seems… nice. Like he'd help me with anything.'
"Normally, I would, but the old man doesn't want me catching Dratini." Ash said, making the dragon look at him in shock. "Yes, I can understand you. And usually you ask a name before making a friend, Dratini."
"Dra!" 'Awesome!' Dratini said. "Dra-Dra-Dra!" 'I've never seen a human that understands us!'
Ash had no time for this. Rare or not, Dratini was not what he was after.
So he walked off, heading down the path before the grass parted ahead, revealing a bouvine head.
"Bro." 'Hello, Ash,' the Tauros said, his chipped horn showing he was part of the herd.
"Thank Arceus." he muttered. "That's one. Might leading me back to the others, big guy?"
"Broo!" 'Sure. Though you're… bigger then I remember,' the Tauros said.
"We met when I was ten. This body's 14, close to 15." Ash said, the Tauros looking confused. "Yes, I understood what you said. I really don't want to do this again."
"Bro." 'Alright. Moving on then,' the Tauros said, leading Ash and Pikachu away, Dratini blinking as they walked off.
"Dra!" 'Wait for me!' he cried, slithering after them.
Outside Fuschia City - 2014 hours local time
"Fuck this." Butch Kosaburō said as he and his partner/girlfriend Cassidy Yamato (a long story involving a Shadow Ho-oh, apparently) hid in a bush on the orders of Proton.
"You think?" Cassidy asked rheorically. "The boss ordered us to fuck RIGHT off from the Ketchum brat and his girlfriends. Where are we? Getting ready to attack where his girlfriends ARE."
"I don't think the Boss would mind us leaving after this," Butch said. "Shoot just to make noise?"
"Yeah, we're not gonna piss off the Boss just to make Proton happy," Cassidy said, hooking a thumb at the head of this operation: Admin Proton.
EX-Admin, once Giovanni heard about this.
As for them, they were getting on the first ship out of Kanto. Orre sounded nice. Nice and isolated.
No Team Rocket presence. …Or real life.
Proton cackled as he loaded a bazooka with a rocket and ordered the attack.
Fuchsia Gym/Ninja Clan House - 2016 hours local time
"What is your opinion on Ash Ketchum?" Janine asked the two after some time sitting awkwardly, tea slowly cooling on the table in front of them.
The question startled the girls, her cousin rubbing her cheek nervously. Janine frowned on something so… unprofessional.
Then again, Janine was trained since she was eight as a kunoichi. Social cues were never her strong suit.
"Well… he's nice." Misty started. "And before you ask, Janine, no, he's not a pervert. A lot of times I did something that would result in a stare, he flat out ignored."
Janine was amused by this. More than she could say about most men twice Ash's age.
"And you, Anabel?" she asked the psychic, whose hands shook somewhat. A result of having had her heart stopped for some time, she was told.
"W-Well… He saved me from an insane psychic." she said, Anabel nodding, thinking she went with him out of gratitude. "But he's done nothing but help. And he… I can't tell you."
"Why?" the kunoichi asked.
"He wants to help me be a better trainer, but all I use him for is a shield. He kills psychics." Anabel answered. Janine LIKED this. "He doesn't know how to train psychic-types. I'm nothing but baggage."
"Not true." Janine said, sipping her tea, making her look up. "I have reasons to believe Ash wants to help you become something greater. You simply need to grow out of your shell before he can help you."
Anabel shrunk somewhat at that.
"I am father's successor. I know what happened at Saffron Gym. It will take you a VERY long time to reach his level. But he would not have taken you along if he didn't believe you could be better." she said before looking up from her tea. "It will take time."
A hiss was heard from outside, Janine grabbing both women and getting them behind cover as a rocket slammed into the building.
Safari Zone - same time
Ash smiled sadly at the sight before him. 30 steers, all with their own unique little quirks.
"Broo!" 'He's finally come!' one of the Tauros said, sounding exactly like the others.
"Bro." 'Took long enough.' another said before getting slammed by one of his herd mates.
"Broo." 'That's enough, boys,' the leader of the herd said, approaching Ash. "Broo." 'Time travel?'
"Celebi." Ash answered. "I won't hold it against you if-" The tauros shook his head, interrupting Ash.
"Brro!" 'We're going home! Just sic us on whatever needs stomping!' the bull said.
Ash smiled before the Pokedex produced a Safari Ball. "Mind making it hard for me?" he asked, wanting a challenge for once when it came to capturing Pokemon in this timeline.
Easy captures were not fun. He wanted to have a hard time for once.
"Broo!" 'RUN, BOYS!' the leader yelled, Ash wildly throwing Safari Balls like a pitcher.
He was one at one point.
Oak Ranch - same time
Oak's eyes widened in horror as balls dropped out of the teleporter, all with a Tauros in them.
"Bulba." 'Well, that's everyone,' the ambassador said, walking out of the lab to see everyone fighting Gligar and Jigglypuff to keep them from disappearing into the far reaches of the Ranch.
Ash might actually NEED the bat this time.
Back at the Zone
Safari Balls littered the place, but all the Tauros were caught.
"Pika!" 'That's everyone except the Kalos and Alola guys! And they're with Serena!' Pikachu cheered as he looked at the debris. "Chu." 'Lots of balls, though,'
"They'll probably teleport to the office or something. Let's get back to the gym." Ash said, waving it off.
"Dra!" 'Ball!' cried a familiar Pokemon before they looked to see the Dratini. Tapping a Safari Ball.
The two couldn't even do anything as the Dratini captured himself and teleported to the Ranch, no doubt to give Oak a major heart attack.
"Should've facking known." said an ornery old man as Kaiser walked up behind them, cocking his revolver. "They're always after MY Dratini."
"Pika." 'I think we're clear to shoot back,' Pikachu said, Ash instead picking up Pikachu and running.
"Get back here, you little shit!" Kaiser spat as he ran after Ash, firing his revolver at Ash, a Duduo catching a bullet as the old man fired wildly at the trainer.
"Pikpi!" 'Ash, will you fight back for once?!' Pikachu demanded.
"I'm not stooping so low as to kill him!" Ash snapped back as a bullet shot past his head.
"Pika!" 'He isn't the grumpy protective man from the other timeline: he's an obsessive asshole that WANTS TO KILL US! Self-defense is a thing!' Pikachu retorted.
Ash groaned as he hid behind a tree, pulling out his handgun, firing back, only aiming over Kaiser so the bullets wouldn't hit him.
"All the Dratini in this place are mine, boy!" Kaiser yelled before fire washed over his back and an egg smashed into his head, making him trip forward. Ash finally worked up his nerve and finally shot at Kaiser, hitting his knee, forcing him to fall into a deep pool.
Ash watched as the water rapidly foamed, obscuring the view of what was going on as the white bubbles turned to red until the foaming stopped, a Bacuslin surfacing briefly. Kaiser wasn't coming out of that.
"Merciful Arceus, what have I done?" Ash asked as he fell to his knees.
"Vul." 'You ended the life of a madman,' said a small red fox. "Vulpix." 'He's been terrorizing us for decades.'
"Chansey." 'I haven't been able to show myself for years,' said a form Ash knew, but was… wrong. Chansey were pink, not green. "Chan." 'A shiny like me would be in some trophy case or something!'
Well, that explained the green. Still…
"Vulpix." 'You are not to blame,' Vulpix said as she looked at the red-tinted pool. "Pix." 'The basculin killed him. You just made him fall in. Whether he survived or not was up to Arceus, not you.'
"Pikapi-kachi-pi!" 'If you want, you can tell Koga what happened, Ash. We need to get back to the gym!' Pikachu said, zapping his trainer.
Ash nodded, not taking his eyes off the pool.
"Gotta get back to the gym. Right." he muttered, getting up and picking up Pikachu before running.
The Vulpix and Chansey looked at one another. "Chan?" 'I get the feeling he understands us,' she said.
Vulpix looked at the debris of Ash's ball fest. "Vul." 'One way to find out,' Vulpix said.