Pallet Town Ketchum Residence - 0706 hours local time - Day 92 of Ash Ketchum's Journey
The last two weeks had been somewhat productive, Ash mused as he planned his match against Giovanni. In short: no mercy.
He would not spare the son of a bitch an inch, packing the most powerful Pokemon he had for this. Pidgeot was in: she didn't like Team Rocket and much like almost everyone else, she wanted payback for the last round at Indigo. Gible (or Gib-chomp, as Kyoji nicknamed him) wanted payback for all the hell they put Ash through. Ash allowed him to give him a headbite in exchange for letting the more anxious to evolve Sliggoo go instead. He was getting closer: then again, he trained as relentlessly as Charizard normally did.
Speaking of Charizard… despite his stupid fight with Grovyle, now Sceptile, he was still in. He was back to the way he used to be, at least as far as Indigo went, especially after all those days he spent in conditioning. At least, Charizard claimed he was: Ash remembered that embarrassment when Charizard refused to listen and the referees (probably paid off by Team Rocket) didn't bother rescheduling the match in account of the TRio stealing Pikachu in the middle of the match, which should have raised a warning flag or fifty.
Bayleef wanted payback as well, expressing a desire to make Giovanni pay personally. Totodile made it clear that he was coming along as well.
"Had enough of avoiding us?" Ash froze as he heard Misty's voice from behind him, her tone sounding like she was not happy as he turned around, finding her, Anabel, Serena, Iris, Janine, Sabrina and Kyoji approaching him from behind.
"You are INVENTIVE," Kyoji said, shaking his head. "Janine couldn't find you. I couldn't find you in that Ranch. Pissed everyone off, too."
Ash chuckled nervously, Serena looking like a scorned lover. "Well, I didn't want Serena doing anything to me in my sleep." he said, making her give him a look of indignation.
"I wouldn't've done anything like that!" she cried before pouting and looking away. "We're not married yet."
"Well, your happy yell when Red showed you your rooms made me pick the safer option." Ash said, cringing a bit. Serena hung her head, realizing Ash had a point and a reason to be worried. "Anyways, sorry."
"Just don't do it again," Misty snapped. "Besides, she needs to get used to you being there."
Ash felt guilty for that. Creepy or not, Misty had a point.
"Can I at least hope to not have anything weird happen while I sleep?" Ash asked, Serena sighing.
"I swear on the Duchy of Vanille that I will leave you unspoiled until the day we are wed." she said, putting her hand over her heart. "Part of me wants to… but it would drive you away if I did."
"Ok, heartwarming but creepy moment over," Kyoji said, changing the subject. "Viridian City?"
"If you even think of singing that Arceus-forsaken song, I swear we will hit you." Anabel said, rubbing her left temple. "I don't care if it fits the situation."
Kyoji tilted his head in confusion. "What song?" he asked.
"The one where someone's singing about going to Viridian." Misty said. "Pop music from that time was grating."
"…I don't think I've heard that one?" Kyoji questioned. "Remember, I'm not exactly from around here… if it's a modern song, I probably haven't even heard it yet, I haven't exactly been poking through for tunes…"
Ash rubbed the back of his head, slowly backing away to the road before getting his head glomped.
"RIolu!" 'No one expects the adorable inquisition!' said the adorable Emination Pokemon. Ash had a feeling he wasn't going to be leaving him behind this time.
There were no Spearow this time, the flock being either dead or gone thanks to Pikachu almost three months earlier, so they kept up a slow, relaxed pace to the city in question.
"Kanto's pretty tiny." Kyoji said, looking at a map of the region. "Not much bigger than home."
"Johto's bigger," Ash said, remembering that it took nine months to get around the region, not including the times they got lost. This time, he was NOT getting lost.
"I think I lost count of how many times we got lost back then." Misty said, looking skyward, making sure there were no insane flying-types trying to kill them. "I mean… What's the proper term for that? We haven't done it… but we have… and…"
Ash looked over his shoulder, back at Misty, understanding her confusion. "Celebi told me a while back that human languages and time travel don't mix." he said. "…Actually, it was back in Viridian Forest. She's been visiting a lot."
Kyoji looked at Ash in disbelief. "For THREE MONTHS." he said. "On and off."
Ash put his hands behind his head, looking upward. "More or less."
Jessie and James, hiding in a tree, watched as the shinobi had to process this with more fanboyism.
"Please don't use the rhyme. I mean, we're together, but… we're not doing it." James begged as he looked skyward.
Well, you're not kissing at the moment. And Jessie kicked her double in the face when she claimed your blue haired ass.
"Well, thanks for confirming it for the readers." Jessie groused before the pokeball containing Wobbuffet opened.
"Wobbuffet!" cried the punching bag as the tree branch began to creak ominously.
"You just hate us." Meowth said as the branch started snapping.
Can't kill you, but we CAN make you suffer.
"Aw, Fu-" Jessie said before they fell out of the tree.
Viridian Gym - 0958 hours local time
"Can one of you please hang onto Riolu?" Ash asked, the jackal still attached to his head.
Iris looked at him questioningly. "Why? Riolu's not hurting you, is he?" she asked, reaching out and petting the Emanation Pokemon, making him eyesmile.
"No, but even if I'm going to be beating the living crap out of that asshole, I want to follow the rules while I do it. And I have six Pokemon on me." Ash said. "Riolu isn't fighting yet," That made the blue and black Pokemon smile: there was a 'yet'.
"Dad, you're allowed to have more then seven Pokemon on your person at once. You can only have six Pokemon in an active battle." Sabrina said, making Riolu beam. "Even if Riolu's not fighting, he can be with you."
Ash blinked. He forgot Sabrina knew the rules. "Alright." he said before looking at Riolu. "You're not fighting here. Maybe at the League."
"Ri!" 'I can wait. I have nothing personal against this Giovanni person anyways.' Riolu replied before Ash opened the doors to the building, the simple dirt and rock field being the only thing visible in the gym, the lights being off.
"This guy rolls out the welcome wagon." Kyoji muttered sarcastically before the lights kicked in, momentarily blinding them.
"Welcome to the Viridian City Gym!" cried a happy woman, making Ash's eyes widen as they adjusted to the light.
Standing below Giovanni's little balcony was his mother, Delia Ketchum, dressed in a very similar outfit to his own, his elder sister sitting in the stands, snoring.
"Mom?!" Ash cried, Kyoji looking to Ash, then at Delia. "THAT'S your mom?" the shinobi asked. "She doesn't look a day over 20!"
"Aw, thank you young man," Delia smiled, "And you're…?"
"Oh, umm… Kyoji Akamura, Ma'am," He bowed respectfully, "I've… been traveling with your son and his friends for about a month now… he's a hell of a trainer, you know..."
"I did teach him everything he knows." She shrugged, "But it runs in the family, you see." Delia said cheerfully.
As everyone gawked at Delia standing next to Geovanni… Kyoji simply sighed "Well, I certainly hope someone picked up that phone…" he muttered.
"Huh?" Iris asked, "What do you-"
"Because I, fucking, CALLED IT!"
"This doesn't prove anything," Ash hissed, before he looked up. "Mom… why are you here?"
"Oh, I'm here to make sure everything's nice and legal. No cheating from either of you and all that." Delia said, cheer fading as fast as it came. "After all, my brother has MUCH he needs to pay for…"
"...Aaaand like that, your reasoning for ending your father's legacy has up and died," Kyoji exclaimed. "Hallelujah, holy shit!"
"You're awfully gloaty today," Sabrina mused.
"I've been acting as this guy's wingman for about a month now," Kyoji deadpanned, "Dealing with his asinine excuses for not engaging in a relationship with a literal harem of women who love him! Let me have this, please!"
"Pardon?" Delia asked, raising her brow at that.
"…wait, you didn't know?" Kyoji asked, "You're son's got it in his head that Giovanni was your husband, his father, and he was refusing to date any woman because he flat-out refused to continue Giovanni's bloodline."
Delia blanched. "One, that's disgusting." she said.
"His words, not mine," Kyoji stated.
"I wasn't finished, dear." she said, an edge creeping into her voice.
"Sorry ma'am," Kyoji took a step back, bowing his head.
She nodded in acceptance. "That being said, I CAN understand where he got it. I mean, I don't show it all that much, but the temper's a family curse." Delia said. "That and he and his father both have the same shade of black Giovanni has."
Ash gave up on the 'Giovanni=dad' theory. He was man enough to admit he was wrong. "Ok. That's still not good enough. I'm not being an absent dad." he said.
Delia sighed. "I was hoping never to tell you what happened. I WAS content to let you think your father just left." she said, walking to the pokeball painted on the gym floor. "But you clearly need the truth. It can wait a bit longer, though." she looked at Giovanni, sitting on his little throne. "Is the gym leader ready?"
Her elder brother, Ash's uncle - and wasn't THAT a joy to consider - sighed as he pet his Persian. "I am ready, little sister." Giovanni said.
Delia looked at Ash and his group. "Everyone that is not the challenger, clear the field immediately." she ordered, Kyoji vacating faster than everyone else. She was SCARY.
They all got onto the stands, climbing up to the seats, Misty poking Belladonna in the shoulder.
"FUCKING PLASMA FUCK!" she screamed before looking at Misty in confusion. "…Daisy?"
Misty's eye twitched. Belladonna shook her head, focusing her eyes. "Wait, your hair's shorter." she muttered. "You related to her?"
"My name, you-" Misty ground out before Sabrina put her hand on her shoulder.
"Hello, Aunt Belladonna." she said, guiding Misty to sit down as Delia stood in front of the stands.
Giovanni looked down at Ash from above. The look in his eyes… Giovanni was not facing a boy, nor a teenager.
He was facing a man in a child's body, filled with rage and hate towards him and all he led.
"I believe my sister has made it clear that you are my nephew, not my son," Giovanni said as he withdrew a Pokeball. "But that will not make me take it easy on you."
Ash glared at him. "I don't expect you to do anything but throw everything you have at me." he said. "And when I destroy everything you send at me, I will finish off your fucking organization. You are everything that is wrong in this world and I will see you BURN for it."
Giovanni actually took aback at Ash's statement. Proton and Archer did a number on him, it seemed. But that only made him more impressed. Enough to actually take this seriously from the start as he stood up.
"You wish to destroy me?" Giovanni said, amused. "To rain ruin onto Team Rocket? To make all I've worked for to naught but ash?" He grinned. "Then prove your worth, grandson of Madam Boss!" with that, he tossed out a Pokeball, unleashing a Pokemon he used to confuse opponents.
It was also a gift from his sister-in-law. Ariana proved her loyalty in so many ways.
"Honch!" cried the Big Boss Pokemon as he landed, glaring at Ash.
For his part, Ash did not look impressed, withdrawing a Pokeball. "Go, Pidgeot!" he called, sending out one of the emblems of the kingdom he inherited from his father's side. Giovanni knew damn well it wasn't from his mother's, otherwise he'd be the King of Rota. He touched that damn staff himself.
And once the bird materialized, she locked eyes on Giovanni.
"…Pidge." said the raptor, absolutely PISSED at seeing him.
She knew him. She knew who he was. And for her, this was personal.
"Dark Pulse!" Giovanni ordered, using power against Ash's own flyer as Honchkrow spat out white-lined dark-type energy, almost akin to Hyper Beam.
"Hyper Beam, then Aerial Ace and Steel Wing!" Ash ordered, Pidgeot charging a ball of plasma in her beak, somewhat slower then normal for a Hyper Beam, then firing into the dark pulse, the two attacks colliding, fusing and exploding.
Giovanni hmmed. Hyper Beam drained a Pokemon of their stamina, which they recovered swiftly, but while they were down, they were open to attack. "Dark Pul-"
The smoke then cleared from Honchkrow's left, Pidgeot's wings a steel-glow before slamming into the Big Boss Pokemon's skull, breaking the avian bones on contact.
"How?! That's impossible!" the leader demanded before the evolved form of Murkrow hit the floor, coughing as his beak was dislocated, spitting out blood as Pidgeot landed, nearly collapsing on herself, but only merely exhausted.
Giovanni had to admit. That was new. Pidgeot's slower charge up was her readying Aerial Ace to follow up immediately, Steel Wing forming in the middle of the attack, using speed and steel to break his Pokemon's skull. Not enough to kill, but enough to disable.
Enough time to allow Pidgeot to recover as Honchkrow snapped his beak back into place.
"Well played." he admitted. "Very well played, nephew."
"I don't care for your approval, Giovanni," Ash replied venomously. "I only care about one thing: breaking you."
Giovanni felt familial pride in someone that wasn't his son for the first time in nearly eight years. That Sakai rage was alive and well in the boy.
"You have yet to finish the job." Giovanni goaded. "Air Slash!"
"Dodge with Aerial Ace!" Ash commanded as Pidgeot sped away from the pressurized air, then beat her wings for her own Air Slash, slamming into the grounded dark/flying-type.
This was more like a veteran trainer than a three-month newcomer. How the hell was he doing it?
"He… is mad." Iris said quietly as Pidgeot and Ash used what looked like pure hate as one, coordinating the downfall of this hat-wearing bird.
"It's personal for them," Misty said, looking at the grudge match. "This is revenge that's long overdue."
"He's also probably venting over how frustrated he is that we were right," Kyoji shrugged, "Hopefully once this is over, he'll chill out a bit more…"
"This has nothing to do with him being wrong," Sabrina said, pointing at the roof. "Those three idiots have been after him for almost seven years for dad. On Giovanni's orders. Every kidnapping attempt, every attack on him and his traveling companions and all the nonsense those three did to him is all on Giovanni's shoulders."
"…Three idiots?"
Misty looked at Kyoji in confusion before nodding, as if coming up with an answer. "Right, you haven't met them. Jessie, James and a talking Meowth." she explained. "They've been trying to steal Pikachu since pretty much forever."
"…why?" Kyoji asked, "I mean… Pikachu's cute and all, but… it's not like they're super rare. Isn't TR's modem operandi to capture very rare Pokemon, like Lucario, Lugia, Ho-oh, Darkrai, Entei… you know, big names that get recognition?" He then blinked, "Wait, a talking MEOWTH?!"
"Yes, a talking Meowth. He never got the story as to why he could do that," Misty said. "It's because Pikachu blew them out of the Viridian City Pokemon Center. Cue six years of them constantly stalking him."
"…wait, if a Meowth could talk…" Kyoji looked to his Gible. "…could Gible talk too?"
"We would have to know how Meowth learned to talk and I am not looking into the minds of those morons." Sabrina said, putting her hand down. "They give me a headache just being on the roof." Then Sabrina looked where her hand was resting.
On Kyoji's.
She blushed and looked away, pulling her hand away from his. "I'm not looking in their heads." she said.
"Didn't ask." Kyoji said quickly, his own face bright red. 'You made a promise to Arceus. You made a promise to Arceus.' He kept repeating in his head - trying to omit thoughts of Sabrina. 'Help Ash, help Ash, help Ash.'
Pidgeot was much faster then Honchkrow. The bigger, fluffier bird was deadly, but that bulk slowed him down. Murkrow were scared of him.
Pidgeot, on the other hand, was too pissed to really give a damn as she slammed another Steel Wing into the big bird's head, cracking it just below the orbit.
"That's enough." Delia called, giving Giovanni an excuse to return Honchkrow before Pidgeot decided to aim for soft tissue instead of a hard skull. "I don't entirely approve of how Pidgeot ended that, but round one goes to my son."
"Pidgeot!" 'Was there any doubt?' Ash's giant raptor said before jumping back in front of her trainer.
Normally, Ash would agree with his mother. That kind of injury wasn't his thing. But he had to break Giovanni. If that meant beating the living shit out of his Pokemon, so be it.
It would not be their proudest moment, but anything to get his uncle, bastard that he was, off his back.
"Ruthless, practical, efficient. You may not have the name, but you are Sakai to the core." Giovanni said, intending it to be a compliment, but to Ash, it was an insult. "You will go far, indeed. But you will not gain victory in one battle!" Giovanni then tossed out another ball, unleashing a blue, bipedal horned Pokemon much taller than Pidgeot, covered in armor plate.
Ash stared down the Nidoqueen, then looked at Pidgeot. "Want to tag out?" he asked, knowing she was tired and needed to recover.
"Geot." 'No. I'm good to go,' she replied, taking back to the air, hovering in place.
"Hyper Beam." Giovanni ordered, Nidoqueen charging the attack.
"Do the same, Pidgeot!" Ash countered, Pidgeot not bothering to do it slowly to use another attack afterward, charging the plasma ball as quickly as possible to match Nidoqueen's attack.
Both released their beams of plasma at the same time, meeting just forward of the center of the field, a miniature sun briefly forming before the lack of mass forced it to implode, then explode, making Pidgeot be pushed back from the explosive force, psychic screens barely holding the force back from hitting the watchers in the stands and the battling trainers.
That being said, while Pidgeot was roughly 320 kilos, Nidoqueen weighed just over one metric ton. She was blown back, while the Regal Pokemon recovered from the hyper beam much faster, charging at Pidgeot.
"Thunder Punch." Giovanni ordered, Nidoqueen emerging from the cloud of sun-smoke with an electrfied fist.
"Air Slash!" Ash ordered, Pidgeot wondering why before just doing it,beating her wings to strike back, the thick plating of the Nidoqueen preventing any real damage until she realized something.
Ash knew she wasn't going to win this one, but she could make the next Pokemon's life easier if she hurt the one-ton bitch before she went down. No matter what, Giovanni was NOT winning this.
She could live with that, even as the punch slammed into her head,sending her slamming into the psychic screens, breaking them before she slammed into the front wall. Ash left the designated challanger's box to check on her, to see if she was worse then just unconscious.
Delia gave Giovanni a look to keep his mouth shut from where she was standing: being worried and checking if they were alright did not mean 'void match'.
Ash returned her after seeing she was merely knocked out, returning to his place on the painted challanger's box on the field. Nidoqueen huffed, mocking him.
Ash's response was simple. "Go!" he called, unleashing the dragon snail of Kalos.
Outside the Gym
"Are you actually sure he's in there this time?" Kyril asked Rin as they approached the toughest gym in Kanto.
"I installed a camera over the door. He's in there." Rin replied as something exploded inside. "…We're not going in there."
"…Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyeah, we'll just stay out here," Kyril replied. "Depending on how things go, this might be Cinnabar all over again."
"He caused a miniature eruption with that Seismic Toss stunt! Granted, it went out to sea and Blaine reported that it would have hit the island, but still!" she said, shuddering at the idea that Ash unintentionally made Cinnabar BIGGER with that stunt.
They were not going in there.
Inside, Sliggoo faced the massive poison/ground-type. Ash knew he couldn't see, but that wasn't the point as the Soft Tissue Pokemon glared at the Drill Pokemon, preparing for combat.
"A gift from my future daughter-in-law, I presume?" Delia asked, making Serena cheer happily at being acknowledged as such.
"Sliggoo." 'She really needs to have her head checked,' the snail said before focusing on the fight.
"Deal with the snail. Ice Punch." Giovanni ordered.
"Rain Dance!" Ash countered, a rain cloud forming over Sliggoo as the armored poison-type hit Sliggoo, frost forming on his soft skin which vanished with the rain, right before Sliggoo acted of his own accord, using Dragon Pulse to force Nidoqueen back, the same-type attack bonus boosting the amount of pushing power the attack had, acting like a fire hose pushing someone back.
"Get back up! Use Ice Beam on that damn snail!" Giovanni ordered, clearly pissed off about that happening.
"Hit her again with Dragon Pulse, then Ice Beam!" Ash cried, Sliggoo spewing out the beam of dragonic energy, not pushing back this time, but to force Nidoqueen to flinch.
He got half his wish: she hit the wall just below Giovanni's little balcony. That left her open for the Ice Beam to hit, freezing her in place.
"Got anything I don't know up your sleeve, Sliggoo?" Ash asked, Sliggoo smirking.
"Sli?" 'Do I?' he said, before the gym grew colder, snow forming in the gym. "Slig!" 'Taste the snow, bitch!'
All dragons had the power to influence the weather. Some had to be taught. Some had to learn the power from within.
Sliggoo learned from a snowstorm. Its' gift was teaching him how to do Blizzard, which, while not as powerful as one used by an ice-type, it was enough to take Nidoqueen out of the fight, freezing her into a small block of ice.
"I don't think I need to say it." Delia said, Giovanni returning the frozen Pokemon to her ball.
"Your Pokemon have been training well, it seems." Giovanni said, swallowing his pride. Ash's Pokemon were on par with Brock's 5-badge team, with Ash making up the difference with his cunning mind. Eventually, they would match Delia's and a hell of a lot sooner than Giovanni would like: two years, maybe three if they kept up this pace. And there was no doubt they wouldn't.
Ash still had to save the world from Cyrus, after all.
"But you have not earned the Earth Badge yet." the Rocket Boss said, withdrawing another simple Pokeball. "And now you will learn the might of the earth itself!" he threw it, the energy going under the ground before surfacing.
"Dug, Dug, Dug." 'Ok, boys, let's kick whatever the hell's-what in the name of Arceus is that thing?' said a Kantoan Dugtrio, looking at Sliggoo in confusion.
"Sli." 'For that, I'm kicking your triplicate asses.' Sliggoo growled.
"Earthquake!" yelled Giovanni as Dugtrio went underground, the ground beginning to shake under their feet.
Ash hadn't seen Earthquake in use since Hoenn. After that, it just… vanished. Same with Fissure.
Regardless, he knew there was no dodging it. Conventionally. "Use Dragon Pulse on the ground!" he said, Sliggoo giving him a curious look before obeying, the force actually propelling him upward somewhat as the ground began to fracture, rock fragments going everywhere, hitting reapplied psy-shields, hitting everything above-ground.
Sliggoo didn't get out of the attack untouched, but the scratches he had gotten from small rocks hitting him was nothing compared to what would have happened if he was completely on the ground.
There was a problem: Dugtrio was still underground as Sliggoo landed on his… foot.
"Fissure!" Giovanni barked, the ground shaking before a crack formed in the ground, heading towards him.
"Sli-" 'Son of a helixian-' Sliggoo said before the attack hit him, followed by curses so fowl, they did not warrant repeating in the tongues of men, Pokemon, elves or dwarves. (WHACK!)
"Dug." 'Not a water-type, not a weird grass-type…' one of the dugtrio heads said as Sliggoo renewed the Rain Dance, restoring his health.
"Sli." 'Fucking DIE,' said the now VERY annoyed Sligoo before belching out an Ice Beam, hitting the right forward head, freezing it solid. This freaked the hell out of the other two, leaving them vulnerable to another, longer Ice Beam, sweeping over the other two heads.
"Remind me not to piss off the snail," Giovanni snarked as he returned the triple Diglett to his ball. "If it's not my sister's, it's her son's."
Ash and Sliggoo both looked at Delia. "I have a Goodra." she said simply. Ash decided not to question it as Giovanni withdrew an Ultra Ball. The new ball choice did not sit well with him.
"Where I differ from you is how I treat my Pokemon," he said. "Most of the time, I could care less about their emotional state, only that they can fight. I only truly care for two of them. One is my starter." the Persian sitting beside him puffed out its' chest in pride. "The other… is this." he tossed the ball, releasing a Pokemon that was not very… Giovanni.
It was, in fact, two Pokemon: one massive, with a pouch on its' chest. The other, smaller, in the pouch.
"KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNN!" roared the Kangaskhan upon materializing.
"Ok. Just putting this out." Ash said, looking at the Paterental Pokemon. "That is not a Pokemon I think of when I think of you."
Giovanni grinned. That was a bad thing. "There's a reason." he said, revealing a cufflink on his right arm, with a small, rainbow-colored gem.
Ash's eyes widened in horror before seeing a stone on the Kangaskhan's tail, right as Giovanni pressed the stone. Both glowed, the normal-type roaring as power was shared between trainer and Pokemon, quickly allowing her pouchling to jump out, ready for battle.
That… was new. Usually, there was energy going from the Key Stone to the Mega Stone. Now? Quick and to the battle at hand.
"Ice Punch, both of you! I want that Dragon out of commission!" Giovanni ordered, Sliggoo intensifying the Rain Dance to counteract it.
Sadly, Mega Evolution was not overcome so easily, with first the child, then the parent, slamming their steaming fists into Sliggoo, his watery insides starting to freeze up, forcing Ash to act, recalling Sliggoo from the field.
Ash glowered at Giovanni until he glanced to the stands. Serena was waving at him, reminding him of better days.
It drove a point home: he would not become Giovanni. He would not let anger be his defining emotion.
He quickly drew another Pokeball. "I choose you, Bayleef!" Ash called, sending out the Leaf Pokemon, who saw what she was facing, then stared it down.
"Bay!" 'come and get me!' she called, stomping with her forelimbs.
"A grass-type? Nephew, you disappoint me." Giovanni mocked. "Mega Kangaskhan will make short work of that thing."
"That's what you think." Ash said before putting his mind to work. "Body Slam and Sweet Scent!" Bayleef, showing total confidence in Ash, charged at the parent, emitting a honey-sweet smell that distracted the child, allowing Bayleef to slam into the larger normal-type, knocking her to the ground. It was only then that the younger of the two noticed, rushing at Bayleef.
"Countershield!" Ash yelled, Bayleef using Razor Leaf to form a dome around herself, the younger Mega Pokemon slamming into the sharpened leaves, instinctually keeping away, even if he could get through them.
"They are leaves! Burn them!" Giovanni ordered, the older Kangaskhan using Flamethrower, torching the grass-type with flame, Bayleef flinching and backing away, the Razor Leaf Countershield fading away as she was forced to jump, allowing the smaller one to jump on her back, throwing a tantrum with repeated uses of Pound.
Bayleef grabbed the small Kangaskhan with her vines and threw him at his mother, knocking them down, giving her some breathing room.
But while she had been training, she had spent more time as the family medic then fighting. Her stamina had suffered for it and she began charging up Solar Beam while the two were down.
"Get up!" Giovanni ordered, the two stunned Pokemon realizing what happened, then getting up for battle. Only to find Bayleef fully charged and preparing to fire as they got to their feet, meeting concentrated solar energy as soon as they got up, the heat of the sun slamming into their hides as the moderate aura of the two Megas faded, returning them to normal.
Bayleef grinned before falling over, exhausted but satisfied. She won.
"A tie. With a Pokemon that wasn't fully-trained for fighting a Mega Evolution?" Giovanni chuckled at the result. "Underestimating you was a mistake. It will not be repeated."
"I'll take that as a compliment." Ash retorted, returning Bayleef as Giovanni did the mother and child Pokemon. "Go ahead, uncle. Send out your next Pokemon. I'm ready."
The Rocket Boss tossed out another Pokeball, unleashing the opposite of Nidoqueen, the royal purple Nidoking, who roared at Ash.
Ash nodded at that, before glancing at Pikachu. "You want this one?" He asked.
Pikachu grinned. "Pikachu!" 'Let me at 'im!' He bolted forward - jumping up and landing on the arena.
Giovanni outright laughed at this. "Nidoking has been specifically trained to deal with Shadow Pokemon. Your Pikachu will not be exiting this place alive." he said. "Team Rocket has a law about those: if you can kill a Shadow, kill it. If you can't, retreat."
That explained why Jessie and James ran off from the PMC three months ago.
"This is a League match, brother~" Delia sing-songed. "If you kill Pikachu, not only do I make your life hell, Ash gets his badge AND one of your Pokemon as compensation. Perhaps Nidoking will do."
Aforementioned male Drill Pokemon glanced at Delia in mild horror, like he couldn't live without Giovanni commanding him. What did Giovanni DO to this guy?
"Try not to use any Shadow moves, Ash." Giovanni said, Ash glancing up at him. "I know you love your self-imposed challenges, but this is one of mine. If he uses Shadow Bolt, I reserve the right to call the round."
Ash looked to his mother, as if to as if that was a thing. "He's got the right. Most of the time, a condition isn't imposed, but it does happen." Delia said. "I hope Pikachu can control himself."
"Pikapi." 'If it means I have to avoid one-hitting this oversized Nidoran, sure,' Ash's starter said, readying himself for battle.
"I accept the conditions. Let's do this, Pikachu!" cried Ash, before Pikachu sparked, ready to fight. He wasn't the Destroyer of Rockets for nothing.
"Fissure!" Giovanni snapped.
"Tail jump and use Thunderbolt!" Ash said, Pikachu getting airborne before the ground cracked, Pikachu using the Thunderbolt not on Nidoking, but to give him more air time, the bolt creating a mild magnetic 'bubble' that Pikachu used as a way to dodge the Fissure, 'bouncing' over the attack.
Needless to say, Giovanni was not happy. Nor was Nidoking, as he used Drill Run without orders, rushing at Pikachu.
"Pika." 'Try harder.' Pikachu mocked as he used Quick Attack to sidestep the attack, Nidoking slamming into one of the psychic barriers, cracking it, but not destroying it.
"Stop trying to hit that damned rodent and HIT the damn rodent!" Giovanni spat. "Earthquake!"
"Iron Tail! Aim for the horn!" Ash said, making Giovanni look at him.
"That won't do anything!" the Boss cried in annoyance before Pikachu lept, tail shining with steel before slapping the horn. As expected, it didn't do much.
Except allow Pikachu to latch onto Nidoking's head, swinging and repeatedly hitting the Drill Pokemon in the head. Nidoking reached for him, but Pikachu was too small and the poison-type's arms too bulky to bend in the ways needed to get Pikachu off him, even if he wasn't constantly moving and smacking him with Iron Tail.
The only thing keeping Nidoking from falling was the thick armor covering his head, but that wouldn't last forever as Nidoking thrashed about, Pikachu dodging attempted grab after attempted grab.
But while Pikachu was doing damage, it was not enough to knock the ground-type out. Fortunately, Nidoking made a mistake, slamming into a psychic barrier.
This forced Pikachu to jump off, Nidoking staggering before Pikachu charged Iron Tail once more.
And combined with Quick Attack.
It worked with Onix. It would work here. And as Nidoking turned, raw speed translated into kinetic force, steel cracking bone as Nidoking's armor finally failed, sending the Drill Pokemon to the ground with a concussion.
That in no way made this easy: Pikachu was out of breath and hurting all over. "Pika." 'Remind me… to join the conditioning sessions when we get home,' Pikachu said as he slowly made his way back to Ash.
Giovanni was annoyed. Ash did not feel guilty. "You are beginning to test my patience. Few, if any, challengers use only one Pokemon to defeat my own party." the boss said as he drew one last ultra ball. "This one, however, will end your winning streak." with that, Giovanni opened it, unleashing a Pokemon more dangerous than Nidoking.
"PER!" roared a massive Pokemon Ash was only somewhat familiar with: Rhyperior.
This was very much a Giovanni Pokemon.
Well, only one way to deal with this one, as he picked up Pikachu and pulled out a newer Pokeball.
"I choose you, Charizard!" Ash yelled, sending out the Flame Pokemon, with a very.. .special surprise clipped onto his tail, hidden by his flame.
"Charizard? Are you doing this just to screw with me, boy?!" Giovanni yelled incredulously, before Ash withdrew something from his pocket.
"I don't like it. I never saw the point in getting my hands on one," he said before his expression turned from musing to serious as he looked at Giovanni. "But honestly? I'm not going to bother complaining." the object in his hands glowed, a glow then emanating from Charizard's tail.
Giovanni's face turned from angry to somewhat horrified as Charizard began glowing, his arms growing winglets and gaining a central horn.
Ash knew that while he had both Charizardites… the X one reminded him too much of Alain. Besides, Mega Charizard Y was more of a challenge for them both.
Kyoji looked at Ash's mom "Do I have permission to play Charizard's theme song?" He asked.
"Char?" 'Wait, I have a theme song?' Charizard blinked.
"…play it first," Delia said.
Kyoji grinned as he pulled out a speaker out of his bag, connected it… and hit the play button.
BGM: "Through the Fire and the Flames" by Dragonforce
As the electric guitars blared, Charizard felt a surge of energy in him - and as his body morphed into that of Charizard Y, as the guitars and drums pounded… Charizard let loose a feral grin. "Chari-ZARD." 'Fuck. YES!'
"Proceed," Delia winked at Kyoji, "May the final fight BEGIN!"
"Charizard, Dragon Tail!"
"Rhyperior, Megahorn!"
The two Pokemon charged at one another, as Charizard's tail swung forward - and Rhyperior rushed in with its horn as the two clashed - the impact sending shockwaves across the stadium as an explosion erupted between them.
"Charizard, Dragon Breath!" Ash ordered, as Charizard unleashed a breath of draconic energy right into Rhyperior's face - the force of the impact sending him sliding backwards, digging into the dirt of the arena.
"Rhyperior, use Stone Edge!" Giovanni called out, as Rhyperior roared as he charged back towards Charizard, slamming into the earth as it rumbled.
"Dodge!" Ash shouted, as Charizard leaped into the air - narrowly avoiding being caught in a burst of sharp jagged stones shooting out of the earth.
"Keep firing until you hit something!" Giovanni yelled, stone shards continuing to fire off, but half the reason for them picking Charizardite Y was because Y was faster. And Charizard spent five days practicing with his new body.
"Char!" 'You suck! Try harder!' Charizard said before closing in, winglets turning to steel. It wasn't exactly the right place, but Metal Claw was Metal Claw.
And Rhyperior's face still took a hit from the sideswiping Charizard did, even if Solid Rock prevented him from getting knocked out of the fight. Charizard was fine with that. It was a fair fight.
"Rock Blast!" Giovanni ordered, Rhyperior raising his arm-cannons to fire at Charizard, massive rocks rocketing out.
Charizard had seen worse from Pikachu. Dodging rocks was nothing compared to dodging literal lightning bolts, especially with Sliggoo using Rain Dance to make it more accurate.
Rhypereior did not appreciate this distinction and just got angrier, firing more and more.
"Char!" 'You know what, I'm getting fucking tired of dodging.' Charizard said before taking in a deep breath, wisps of plasma forming in his mouth. "ZAR!" 'EAT PLASMA, ASSHOLE!' With that, Charizard stopped, firing a flaming beam of plasma into Rhyperior.
Type-effect-wise, it would do very little to hurt him: he was a rock/ground-type.
Psychologically, it would make him flinch.
Physiologically, it triggered nerve receptors in his skin. In other words, it didn't injure him, but it still hurt like hell. And not even Giovanni could remove pain receptors.
And that was all he needed. Other than Ash giving the word.
He SO wanted Ash to give the word.
Ash growled, as he looked up… and noticed a hole in the roof. "Charizard!" He shouted, "Focus Punch and Seismic toss!"
Charizard blinked, before glancing up… and if looks could kill, the grin on Charizard's face was down-right lethal. The pseudo-Dragon darted towards the Rhyperior, and delivered a focus punch right into its chest - sending him flying into the air… but Charizard didn't stop. He hit him again… and again… and again as the large Rock/Ground Pokemon was sent higher, and higher, and higher into the air with each punch.
Everyone watched as they went up higher and higher, almost to a point that they couldn't even be seen. A look of realization however came to Kyoji, as his eyes widened. "Hey, uh… Sabrina?"
"Yes?"
"…I'm not an expert at math and science…" He began, "But judging from how high they're going… and combine that with a Seismic toss… what are the odds of Rhyperior and Charizard coming down faster than terminal velocity? Because that…" he pulled out a set of binoculars as he looked upwards. "…if I didn't know any better, it looks like they're going all the way to the Kármán line…"
Fun fact: the Kármán line is the literal edge of the atmosphere: 80 to 100 kilometers above the surface, depending on who you ask. For consistency, the Kármán line here is the higher number.
"Charizard was thinking about taking him as high as he could go… and Mega Charizard can survive at that height for… hours…" Sabrina trailed off. "I think we need to get the hell out of here. Where's Ash's Natu?"
"Read my mind!" Kyoji nodded, as he popped out his own Natu as well.
"Natu." The Natu said, before it glanced up, and its two eyes widened. "…Natu…"
"Yeah, we need to GTFO please!" Kyoji said urgently. "Initialize emergency evacuation plan Natu-Twelve!"
"NATU!" cried the bird, even as everyone looked at him weirdly before they Natu-ported out.
"Seriously, we should stay out of there." Rin said.
"There are psychics putting up barriers, Rin. We're going to be just fine-" Kyril said before a Rhyperior flew out of the roof, which slowly fell before a Mega Charizard - the rarely used Y, at that, seriously, everyone was OBSESSED with the X subtype - flew out and continued punching the stunned Drill Pokemon, going higher… and higher… and higher…
Rin pulled out a pair of binocs, paling as they slowly got out of range. "Uh… they're 20 kilometers up. And climbing." she said. "Quick… ly… Oh, shit."
"What?" her boss/boyfriend asked as she lowered the visual aid.
"He's going higher and higher. And those things regularly go to the Kármán line when Mega Evolved." she said.
"What the hell is the-"
"The edge of the freaking atmosphere: one hundred kilometers!" she said before dragging him away as fast as she could.
When Rhyperior fell from that height, they reentered at Mach 5.8. Someone measured it before the Cipher War.
It wouldn't KILL the poor bastard… but he was not getting out of the ER ANY time soon.
Charizard punched Rhyperior again, feeling the air grow thinner.
Perfect.
Rhyperior flailed, obviously scared out of his mind. Charizard was about to make that fear valid, as he grabbed onto the giant rock-type.
"Char!" 'Welcome to pain, asshole. Your trainer's got a lot to learn about FUCKING WITH MY BROTHER!' Charizard yelled before beginning the spin that would end this once and for all.
Charizard used Seismic Toss.
Rhyperior fired rocks, the small boulders burning up as they reentered thicker air. Charizard just cackled as they began to go faster, reaching terminal velocity in less than a minute, but Charizard forced it to go faster with a well-applied use of Blast Burn to act as an engine to increase their speed.
Plasma thrust was not to be screwed with.
The gym soon reentered his line of sight. Charizard had zero intention of going with Rhyperior, so it was a very good thing Seismic Toss wasn't just tossing someone into the ground. The normal version was like a wrestling move. Charizard, when he wanted something hurt that wasn't him, used the version where he allowed all the fighting-type energy to bleed into the victim.
And so he let go at about 15000 feet, Rhyperior falling at Mach 3.4 as he made a fly-by of Viridian, reaching Pallet in a matter of minutes as he burned off the excess energy.
He only heard the explosion when he turned back. He was pretty sure he destroyed the gym.
It was super effective.
The world shook. His eyes opened as the liquid surrounding him fell away, rocks and things like rock falling towards him.
He stopped them with a raised hand, even as the building collapsed around him.
He… was alone. Where were they? His sister, his brothers… where was Amber?
He reached out, looking for them.
There was no sign of them. Where…?
His psychic senses detected nothing. Nothing but greed, a desire to dominate… and something that he instinctively avoided.
Humans. Stupid, greedy humans. They created him. Made him… to be their tool…
They would get nothing but pain in return as he teleported out of the ruins.
Humans were not worthy of this world. And he, Mewtwo, would cleanse it.
To say the gym was gone would be an understatement.
The building, the area surrounding the building, everything within 250 meters was gone.
Kyril just looked on in shock, from where he and Rin had run to after first seeing Charizard fly up with Rhyperior. That… that was NOT something you see every day.
"Well… that's going to leave a mark." Rin said, understatement radiating from her words. That caused a small earthquake.
Few would notice it: Kanto was prone to minor earthquakes thanks to Cinnabar.
Footfalls from running feet got their attention, both turning to see Ash Ketchum, a riolu hanging from his neck, a Natu on his head and his Pikachu sitting on his shoulder, a rather large group of young women hot on his heels.
"…Is the league going to make me pay for this?" he asked, even as the last remaining wall collapsed into the ruin.
"Doubt it: Lance said something about Giovanni's gym needing remodeling anyways when I last ran at Indigo." said one of the girls, with frizzy black hair tied into a ponytail. The birthmarks on her face matched Ash's, so that made her Belladonna Ketchum.
Finally. He spent two weeks waiting for this brat.
"Hey," Kyril said, waving. "You know, you're a hard man to find, Ash Ketchum."
Ash looked at the man in the suit, immediately glaring at him. "Who are you and how do you know my name?" he demanded, Riolu jumping to the ground, paws ready to strike.
"…Yeah, could have said that better." Kyril said, straightening his tie. "Kyril Pernon. I think you've heard of me."
"No, I haven't." Ash answered, making him blanch.
How did he not know who he was?! He was the head of the largest industrial conglomerate on the planet since the Cipher War!
"Wait, you own the Olympic, right?" said a redhead in what could be said was a very… revealing pair of shorts and a tanktop. So much so that Rin had to glare at him to get the point across not to stare.
"…And about fifty other liners, cargo ships and more…" Kyril said, somewhat annoyed that Ash didn't know his name.
"Ok, not that this is important and all… why were you looking for me?" Ash asked.
"Because, Mr. Ketchum, I remember the name of someone who saves one of my ships," Kyril replied. "You are a very interesting young man. That said, given all that seems to happen around you on what seems an almost daily basis, you're also quite the enigma."
Ash shrugged, a feat not easily done with the four-kilo Pikachu on his shoulder. "I thought that was just normal." he said, as if he didn't care.
"...Normal?" asked a purple-haired girl in a more...tight version of his own suit. "NORMAL?! You MINDWIPED Sabrina, got shot, had a pokeball melted onto your hand and this is NORMAL?!"
Ash just shrugged again, Kyril processing this.
He spent three months fighting Team Rocket and getting into the strangest shit the corporate head knew of… and this was NORMAL?
"I should be more annoyed." said a man older then Kyril, dust covering his own fancy suit with a Shelder under his arm. "You destroyed my damn gym."
Giovanni Sakai. He should count himself so lucky that he didn't bring his other suit given that he was all but confirmed to be the Rocket Boss. Then again, the last time he tried to kill a major criminal, he distracted the ones that nearly finished her off. Hunter J was still out there, still active.
"Oh, brother…" said a somewhat-older looking woman with brown hair and eyes, making Giovanni look at her in a mix of terror and curiosity. "Just so you know, you deserved it. And Ash saved you a great deal of money in destroying the gym: cheaper just to build a new one."
So this was the infamous Delia Sakai-Ketchum, undefeated Elite Four and the most terrifying person that wasn't an official champion.
Kyril suddenly started wondering if his mother was going to kill him before Giovanni flicked something at Ash.
"That's the last badge I am ever handing out," Giovanni said in something of a tired growl. "I'm retiring from the Gym Leader business, and if Team Rocket ever forms up again, I'm going to be FAR from them. I'm done with all this shit."
And there went Kyril's hopes at killing Giovanni. A retired gym leader was harder to kill than an active mafia oyabun. It hurt his already-negative press.
"Do try to avoid another Shadow Legendary, nephew!" Giovanni called as he walked away. "And try not to die like your father did."
Ash blinked before holding his head, Kyril noticing blood dripping from his nose.
"And for the love of the Creator and his children, get laid already!" the man yelled for the last time before leaving his line of sight.
"HA! Even Giovanni says to-"
"Do not finish that sentence, Kyoji." Ash said darkly. "Do not."
The only other black-haired man looked at Ash. "Seriously? You really need-"
"I need to process the fact Giovanni just told me my father is DEAD and I still have a very big gap in my head." Ash said, interrupting him.
"So you could say… there's a hole in your mind?" 'Kyoji' asked with a smirk.
Ash just fixed him a look.
Pernon sighed. Ketchum wasn't someone with a world-ending agenda. He was just insanely unlucky. He had nothing to fear. With that figured out, he motioned to Rin just to leave.
It wasn't like Ash was going to start a war.
Viridian Pokemon Center - 1227 hours local time
"Pika." 'It has been a LONG time,' Pikachu said as they entered the Pokemon Center, the local Joy almost jumping in fear at seeing Ash and his mother.
"Don't worry, dear: once my son has his Pokemon in your care, I'll be going back to Pallet," his mother said before approaching Ash and giving him a hug. "I'll see you back at home, Ash. I need to check on your brother and sister, anyways: they bribed Xatu to teleport them home."
"Natu?" 'Your mother has a Xatu? I guess you were destined to get me.' his Natu said before Delia rubbed her head, making her coo.
"I'll see you later, Ash," Belladonna said before giving Sabrina a weird look and leaving with her mother.
Ash sighed and approached the counter, with the less-terrified Nurse Joy almost saying the usual line. "Nurse Joy, I promise I'm not going to blow another hole in the roof," Ash said. "Mind giving my team a check-up before I head back home?"
The pinkette nodded furiously, Ash supplying her with the Pokeballs and Pikachu jumping off his shoulder before Kyoji grabbed his shoulder.
"Mind if we talk in private?" he asked.
Ash sighed, knowing where this was likely going to go as he nodded. "We'll be right back!" Kyoji called back, as he lightly dragged Ash away into an isolated room of the center.
When the door closed, Kyoji took a deep breath. "So… you know what I'm probably gonna bring up," he began, "So… do you wanna go first, or shall I?"
"Look, I get it," Ash sighed, "You're trying to hook me up - but I'm just not interested. Yes, Giovanni isn't my dad… and yes, I'm glad that's not the case, but there are still reasons why I can't get into a relationship with any of them! I can't-"
SLAM.
Ash jumped slightly as Kyoji punched the wall… very, very hard. His back was still turned away from him. "…I respect you a lot, Ash… the shit you've done and all…" he muttered. "…but you're a selfish piece of shit, you know?"
The trainer visibly recoiled at that declaration. "Excuse me?"
"…remember back… when I was talking about how Yakuza in Ransei worked?" He spoke up, "Wonder how I knew how they worked? My family… they used to be part of one of the big Yakuza families, basically helped run their shady deals, covered for them… the Akamura family were the go-to dirt dealers… we were liars, cheaters, thieves… whatever the Yakuza wanted us to be… so naturally, no one fucking trusted us."
"So… when you try to leave the family… it doesn't really go so well," He continued, "Having that same damn family name weighs you down in life… everyone thinks you're nothing but a piece of shit liar, thieve… murderer even. You get blamed for all the troubles in the neighborhood just because of your damn bloodline… "
Ash was silent, listening to Kyoji - the Ranseian's fist clenching. "You try to make friends… but the don't trust you," he went on, "Oh, they act like they do, but the moment trouble comes up, they backstab you, throw you under the bus, or worse... even break your fucking heart, and shred it into confetti…"
"And then… you do something, something… amazing," He chuckled, "You actually help take down your corrupt, worthless family that everyone compares you to, get them arrested… some even getting killed… burn all your bridges with the family, just to prove to everyone that you're not the bad guy they think you are… and you know what? ...it didn't… fucking. Matter. Because they still looked at you as a piece of shit… only now, they think you don't even care about family bonds."
"So… here I am… a guy no one trusts, everyone ignores or avoids like the goddamn plague… and then, you get that chance to join the Imperial Air Force, leave the past behind… so that's what I did, took what little I had, my Pokemon - the only people that have ever trusted me, and enlisted… eventually got recruited for a long-distance recon & scouting mission… but, heh, then again, maybe they just wanted to get rid of me?"
"I land… and I find a young man, about… my age, who literally everyone trusts, that they have complete, and unconditional love for this person." He looked back at Ash, "So much that they'd walk to hell and back for him ...and he turns them all away, thinking 'oh, I don't want to spread my bloodline' or 'Oh, I don't want to bother with traveling with a family' or whatever fucking reason you try to tell yourself at night… and oh yeah, he can talk to Pokemon to! Something I always wanted since I could talk!"
He let out a harsh laugh "When… when you told me all that shit you've been through in the past… I fucking laughed later, ya know?" He shook his head. "You… have everything I ever wanted… recognition, love, poke-talk abilities… its like Arceus is trying to mock me or something, for all my failed attempts to gain some fucking trust. But, you failed to acknowledge it, so I thought: 'You know? Maybe this is my calling - to help this guy get with his girls, to succeed where I was apparently doomed to fail. Promise to Arceus that you'd be this man's fucking wingman! Even giving up my own dream of having that kind of relationship with anyone, with Arceus as my witness, just to help this guy'. Even though she's clearly been testing my resolve lately."
His eyes then narrowed, and his gaze hardened. "And now I realize… it might've been for nothing, because… you're just a selfish piece of shit," he growled. "Oh, you keep telling yourself you're doing it for 'them'. But they clearly don't want it! All you do is think for yourself, think about how you feel about about this, how you feel about their feelings! What about their feelings, huh?! How do you think it feels to have someone you love to the deepest core of their heart, constantly shove you out?! And for what? 'Oh, I don't want to travel with a big family' or 'Oh, my father might have been a gangster, so I don't wanna continue his legacy.' That's as fucking selfish as you can get, Ketchum!"
"Now hold-" Ash began to say, but Kyoji wasn't done yet.
"Your friends - and hell, sometimes even your enemies help you save the world like, what? Ten times? Eleven? More in your past life?" He ranted, "Oh, they could've turned tail and run, nothing was stopping them, but no! They stayed right beside you to the very end, because you didn't just earn their respect, you earned their love! And all you do to thank them is brush off their feelings like it was nothing!"
"So I'm just here, wondering, how the fuck you - this selfish, little brat who has no idea what he's been given - being the prince of a fucking dormant superpower, with a harem of women who adore you and all you've done for them - and don't you fucking dare call it hero worship - basically becomes the goddamn chosen one of Arceus!" He shouted, "And meanwhile, here I am, fighting tooth and nail to gain even the slightest bit of respect, of trust or a hint of love, desperately looking for a purpose in life, and barely have jack-all to show for it!"
"Was I even in your last universe?" Kyoji suddenly accused, "Was there even a Kyoji Akamura there? Or was I just another fucking nameless face? Another nobody that gets no recognition, no praise, no love, while you get to go around the world, being the fucking Messiah, treating everyone lucky enough to travel with you like… like the background characters of some kid's show!"
Kyoji just stood there, panting as he glared at Ash - tears coming from his eyes. "Fame… respect… loyalty… love…" he muttered, "...why do you have all the things I dreamed of having… and just… throw it all away like it was yesterday's trash? While all I get… is a mission to a far-away land, where the people back home will be more happy to never see my face again?"
"...I made a promise to Arceus," Kyoji said, "To be your goddamn wingman, even if it fucking kills me… and like hell I'm going to break that promise now…" he let out a bitter chuckle. "I mean… it's not like anyone is gonna miss me, here or at home… maybe if I die saving the world like you… people will think I'm a hero for once…"
"...I didn't ask to be sent back." Ash said, his voice low from shock. "I just went with it because it happens to me. I wasn't a prince in the last timeline, my mom wasn't some scary trainer...I was just a normal guy from Pallet Town."
"And what about them, huh? Don't tell me that-"
"I'm not worthy of them, Akamura!" Ash spat. "I have competed in SEVEN leagues and LOST six of them, the only one I won was the Orange Islands and they're not even official. The first three? Indigo, I got screwed over by Team Rocket stealing Pikachu and all my Pokemon were too tired to fight. Charizard didn't listen to me back then, so I was disqualified."
"...That is stupid." Kyoji said. "Clear interference from a bunch of criminals should've gotten you a redo for the fight."
"Then Johto. I got curveballed by a Pokemon from Hoenn. That was more reasonable." Ash continued. "Hoenn, I handicapped myself with only using Pokemon from Hoenn. I got far, but not the finals. Sinnoh was just BULLSHIT."
"What, handicap yourself there, too?" Kyoji snarked. "Then I got no pity for you."
"Oh no. I decided to stop messing around and pulled out my more experienced Pokemon." Ash replied, a mocking smile on his face. "But some asshole named Tobias shows up with a FUCKING DARKRAI and steamrolls his way through."
The look Kyoji gave him said it all. It WAS bullshit, pure and simple. "Legendaries...don't...compete in leagues." he said. "That just screws everyone else over."
"It took FIVE Pokemon to knock that thing out and what does he do?" Ash said, Kyoji waiting for the answer. "Pulls out a Latios and knocks it and Pikachu out of the fight."
"So that's why you feel unworthy? Because you kept LOSING?" Kyoji said. "Sinnoh aside - because you're right, that is complete and total bullshit - that is incredibly immature. Even I know better then that."
"It isn't that!" Ash said. "I KNOW what's coming this time around. The other times, they were just dropped in out of the blue without a chance to say 'no, we're not getting involved'. I might be Arceus' personal problem solver, but I do NOT want to risk the lives of the people I love."
Kyoji pinched the bridge of his nose. "And if they want to risk it, too?" he asked, making Ash take aback. "That's what I thought."
Ash just sighed. "Is it selfish to just see them safe and happy, even if it breaks my heart to see them with someone else?" he asked. "Is it?"
"You're assuming they can find someone else," Kyoji shook his head. "They love you - and only you. You've seen some of their mental states - Misty is near catatonic with anyone but you or the other girls, Anabel is paranoid of being hunted by more Psychics like old Sabrina, Janine is sworn to be yours - and trust me when I say that rejection or you dying could result in her committing Seppuku in shame, and Serena has a multiple personality disorder - one of which includes a full-blown obsessed Yandere that will likely kill everyone around her, and them herself if you died! I'm just doing everything I can to help them get together with you - because right now, they need you just as much as you need them!"
Ash looked at Kyoji. "And what about Sabrina?" he asked suddenly, making him blush. "I might play the fool a lot, Kyoji, but I'm not as blind as you think."
"First off, she's your adoptive daughter," Kyoji said, "Don't want to make you angry. Second she's psychic and probably disgusted by what goes on in my head. And third: I promised to Arceus to help you - I literally exchanged my pursuit of happiness to help in yours. Mine wasn't going anywhere - you still have fucking hope. And no one in their right mind goes back on a promise they make with Arceus, who gives them a response!"
Ash blinked. "I don't know about the response, but Sabrina's a grown woman: she can do whatever she wants." he said blankly before holding his nose. "And I am REALLY sick and tired of this happening. Whatever Celebi did to put my mind in this body, she REALLY needs to work on."
"Stop avoiding the subject." Kyoji said, now thoroughly annoyed. "You need to stop avoiding them. Those two weeks at the ranch? Sure, Serena was a bit creepy, but you need to spend time with them. If only to get Serena somewhat...less crazy. But you can't ignore them."
"I know...but Cyrus-"
"FUCK CYRUS!" Kyoji roared, causing Ash to flinch. "He's a fucking psychopath that already ended the universe once, but now we know what he's gonna do, and together we are gonna track his ass down to the ends of the goddamn world if we have too, and kill him before he has a chance to do it again! And you know for a fact that no matter what you do or say, those girls are gonna want to be right beside you through it all to help you take him down!"
"They'll be in danger!"
"They're already in danger!" Kyoji exclaimed, "Cyrus is trying to end the universe, you think you can do this shit on your own?! If you fail because you decided to go in solo, Cyrus wins and everyone dies again anyways! If they stick with you, then your chances of kicking Cyrus's ass increases dramatically! They're not a bunch of snowflakes that will just melt away into nothing at the slightest hint of heat - we live in a world with hyper-lethal creatures that could kill us at any given moment! How could you think so little of your own friends?!"
Ash made no reply. He didn't want to coddle them: he wanted them SAFE. And he was a disaster magnet in the last timeline: here, he actually got people and Pokemon killed just being there.
To say nothing of what happened at Mt Moon, the Olympic, hell, Sabrina and Silph Co rated high on the list of things he was not proud of happening.
"You literally have an army to call upon," Kyoji stated, "Not just all the Pokemon you have, but all the Pokemon your friends have, plus Sabrina and her Pokemon, your mom - who could probably get the Elite Four to jump in too - and that's not even counting the fact that Rota would probably be glad to support you - I know you hate the whole 'prince' thing, but that is a resource that you shouldn't just ignore because you don't want to be associated with the title, or worry about 'settling down'. You have all these friends and allies to call upon, willing to work together to put Cyrus down to the dirt once and for all… so why, oh Arceus WHY are you ignoring it, when the fate of the goddamn UNIVERSE IS AT STAKE?!"
"Because I've never HAD them!" Ash snapped, finally losing control of his temper. "I had ONE long-term traveling companion! I kept getting others region to region, but I could never call on everyone to stomp a threat into nothing! I had what was ON HAND! I'm USED TO THAT! Having everything at the tips of my fingers isn't what I usually have to work with! And I was ready to make due AGAIN. And with the world how it is…" his rage faded away. "Maybe Shamouti will be more dangerous. Greenfield could get someone that isn't ready killed. I nearly died more times than I actually have and… I don't want to lose them."
"I'd call you selfish… but that's human." Kyoji said, answering. "That doesn't excuse you ignoring them or your own bullshit."
Ash chuckled. "Brock and the others never tried talking me out of it. Five years is… a long time to do something." he said. "Altomare… Arceus, I hate Altomare."
"Hmmm…" Kyoji shook his head. "Look… Whoever this Brock guy is, I'm not them. But I am going to do everything in my power to help you… but you need to realize, whether you like it or not… you're not alone here. It's hard to do new things, taking that leap into something new, foreign and unfamiliar… but if there is one certainty in life… like Pokemon themselves… we're all destined to evolve at some point, to change from who we were before. Sure, your Pikachu may not change on the outside… but can you honest tell me that your Pikachu from when you first found him, is the exact same as he is today? You can fight it as much as you want, but in the end… it's inevitable that you, your pokemon… all things evolve eventually. It's how we respond to those changes that matters. Because as Darwin made pretty damn clear… those who don't change with evolution, are destined for nothing but death."
"So, Ash… let me ask you this," he leaned forward a bit. "Do you want to fight the change, even if it kills you and irreparable damages those around you? Or… do you want to actually accept it, and change with your Pokemon, and your friends… and maybe become a better man in the end?"
Ash wanted to curl up into a ball and die. But he was better than that, or so he thought. "I miss my old timeline." he admitted. "The only problem I had to worry about was Team Rocket. But I can't go home again. It's just hard to change an ingrained habit."
"Yeah, Gible would know all about that. Just…" Kyoji said, wincing. "TRY to not push them away. They love you and-"
Something beeped in Ash's pocket.
"Damn it, that ruined the moment!" exclaimed the Ranseian before Ash pulled out the Pokedex, seeing a new notification before sighing.
"At least I didn't attract anyone in Alola," he said. "One of them would demand my hand for not bringing him along."
Pallet Town - Oak Ranch - Roughly 15 minutes earlier
Bulbasaur had no idea how it started. It could have been an insult made by that antlion the Sinnoh/Hoenn party brought back. He wouldn't recall it later.
All he knew was he had a Trapinch trying to chew his bulb off. And NO ONE chewed his bulb off.
"Bulba!" GET OFF!" he snapped, Vine Whipping the Trapinch, making him dive into the earth.
He was pissed off. And now the antlion would learn the price of pissing off someone like Bulbasaur. He was slow to anger, but he was pissed off enough to deal with the annoying pseudo-bug, spewing spores, Stun, Sleep and Poison, into the air, making it all but impossible for the bug to surface without breathing them in.
He couldn't fry the little bastard out: Solar Beam was powerful, but the ground could endure worse then anything the sun could put out.
The only move that could take out the bastard was Frenzy Plant. And while he knew the basics, he wasn't a Venusaur.
This made him think back… back to so long go when he went through his 'phase' of trying to not evolve for the longest time… but, now that he thought about it, with Gible able to go back-and-forth with Eviolite… what was really stopping him from Evolving anymore to begin with?
"…Bulba." 'Fuck it.'
He was always on the cusp, anyways: back when he met Ash in the old timeline and when Ash caught him again. Melianie deserved to see him bloom. But she wouldn't get the chance.
Meanwhile, Trapinch was digging towards him.
"Inch!" 'Gotcha, bitc-' THUD! Trapinch didn't learn his lessons on evolution, it seemed, as his jaws clamped tight on a glowing figure. "Traaaaaaaaaa-" 'Aw, fuuuuuuuuc-'
The glow stopped, then a whip smacked him into a tree, making him doozy for a minute before he was wrapped again.
"Saur." 'So… what do I do with you?' asked the newly evolved Ivysaur, his flower having bloomed fully.
"Inch?" '…not maim me for saying ill of the old man?' Trapinch suggested, reminding Ivysaur of WHY he was mad.
Oak was an old man on the verge of going senile, but he was still a friend of Ash's family. No one spoke ill of him and went unpunished.
"Ivysaur." 'Why thank you for reminding me. Now how about I do you a favor and get you closer to Flygon?' Ivysaur 'suggested'.
Trapinch's day went straight to hell after that.