Chapter 7: Attacking Princess
Ash, Peyton and Pikachu explored an oasis in the middle of a desert. Fletchinder flew freely around, seeing the trees from above. "This seems to be a good vacation spot if I do go back home and back here again," Ash awed.
"I know, right, bro?" agreed Peyton. "Mipediam Oasis does look relaxing but don't get too comfy. You don't know when someone like Biondu or Dibanni can attack." They continued through when a green lizard with strange purple tattoos on its chest and black hair tied in a ponytail jumped from the bushes. He wore purple knee wraps and a red loincloth.
"This is my home, puny humans!" he roared. "Leave before you're jerky!" Peyton gulped to the lizard.
"Lanker!" he named. Lanker slashed but Ash rolled away with his scanner out. He pressed the button and got a scan of Lanker. After popping up on his scanner, Ash remembered in the air.
"Flame Charge, Fletchinder!" he called. Fletchinder flew out of nowhere before landing a flaming tackle at his chest. He fell in pain before Peyton had a retreat option.
"Let's port back!" he yelled. Ash nodded, recalled Fletchinder and joined Peyton on the way back. Lanker recovered before wondering what hit him.
"Was that an Overworld creature that human brought?" he wondered. "Never heard of a Fletchinder." A day had passed since Ash and Peyton's trip to the Mipediam Oasis. The PortCourt was like any other day when a robot flew by Tom's table. All four looked to the robot and wondered as it traveled upstairs.
"Is it visiting Ash?" questioned Kaz. To Tom, there may have been a reason.
"I'm guessing he's got a match scheduled to play out," he guessed. The robot connected to a socket as Ash came out of the bathroom, refreshed with his Pokémon inside and eating. He got his jeans around his waist as the robot entered.
"Now really, Pokéotic!" it buzzed. "You need to move your derriere! Your match at the Amzen Drome starts in ten minutes!" Ash struggled to get his shoes on while the robot became anxious. "Seriously, you don't want to stall your match, do you!?"
"No, but can't you wait a minute!?" he struggled as the robot swooped in. "I need to-"
"YOU DON'T HAVE A MINUTE!" The robot dragged Ash out of the room and eventually, out of the PortCourt. "YOU NEED TO GO!" With only his scanner on hand, Ash was shoved to a monorail before it left to a new drome. Reaching, another robot shoved Ash to a Drome which was yellow and patterned "V" downward, and threw him inside. Once inside, the door closed.
"Wait, I didn't get a-" Ash felt defeated when his plea fell on deaf ears. "Geez, this is embarrassing." That's when he sensed someone new.
"Well, hello there," a young woman voiced. Ash shivered at the tone of the voice. His bare and rather muscular chest exposed, Ash turned to see a young tanned raven-haired woman wearing a purple vest over a lilac shirt and green pants. His nervousness grew at her red lips and emerald green eyes.
"Oh boy…" The new teenager took stock of the sight of Ash's topless body. The men in the PortCourt gasped in shock and excitement, including Tom, Kaz and Peyton.
"It's Shinwan!" they cheered. Cheers had gone out for Shinwan with her name.
"Perim!" they chanted. "Princess! Perim! Princess!" Shinwan decided to introduce herself.
"You must be that Ash Ketchum guy I've been hearing about: the one with the amazing animals like that yellow mouse of yours?" Ash tried to stay focused but nodded to the woman's questioning.
"I am…"
"I'm Shinwan, AKA PerimPrincess." Shinwan giggled to Ash's rather unique physique. "It's, uh… nice to meet you." Ash soon lost his nervousness and smiled back.
"Of course. Back at ya!" Shinwan's laugh got to Ash, making him curious. "What's up?" Shinwan calmed a little before explaining.
"Sorry, it's just… That's a nice chest you have." Ash blushed to the comment.
"Oh.. thanks, I guess…" Back at the PortCourt, the girls cheered loudly to seeing a topless Ash. The screams got so loud, Tom, Peyton, Kaz and the Pokémon covered their ears.
"Great… all because the robot wouldn't let him get dressed," Kaz winced.
"It was Ash's fault that he didn't get ready in time," Peyton groaned.
"Then, I'm the one to blame!" cried Tom. "I told him to freshen up!" Sarah didn't cover her ears. She smiled to Ash's bod.
"I gotta admit, he looks good," she sneered.
"Looks good!?" a teen girl gawked. "LOOKS GOOD!? Try bonafide hunk!" Krystella scoffed to the girls' sudden interest to Ash's body.
"Everyone's after a kid with a muscular chest," she snorted. "Guess expectations of a good man are extremely low." The horde of girls snarled upon Krystella.
"That's because you don't know how to respect a good man!" one yelled. Ash and Shinwan set their cards.
"PLAYERS, LOCK YOUR DECKS!" the drome announced. Both players hit their buttons and showed diamond-like formations. Ash caught Intress in Shinwan's lead as well as three other Overworld cards with some Mugic.
"Intress to start things off?" he sneered.
"Hey, you've got your Tangath Toborn, Overworld General in the rear with your mix bag," she pointed out. The drome's computer registered.
"POKÉOTIC, DUE TO YOUR… NICE CHEST," it computed. "YOU WILL BE THE FIRST ATTACKER. SELECT USING THE LOCATION RANDOMIZER." Ash gawked to the advantage.
"That's got to be the most ridiculous reason to give me first go," he mulled. Still, Ash spun the wheel and a land emerged.
"THE LOCATION: THE PITS." The card showed what seemed to be a dungeon.
"Pyrithion attacks Intress!" Both hit their cards and transformed. Shinwan's now Intress and Ash became a red cobra with arms. In a flash, Shinwan's Intress journeyed around the cages. Pyrithion slithered around in hopes of scoring the first attack.
"Now I have you," he hissed. He reached the floor where he began the attack. "Emberwhip!" Reacting, Intress spun for her own attack.
"Wind Slash!" she shouted as she kicked out a blade of pressurized air. Pyrithion was too close that not only was he caught by Intress' attack, but his own Emberwhip wrapped and burned him. He hissed in pain while Intress used a Mugic. "Echoes of Empty Hands! Relieve the serpent of his fangs!" After a seven-note tone, a beam struck Pyrithion. It didn't do much. However, he did feel upset. At the PortCourt, Peyton looked to his scanner.
"Well, that was a letdown!" he reported. "Echoes of Empty Hands removed Dractyl's Scales from Pyrithion." Feeling no effect, Pyrithion lunged at Intress. She dove away.
"Viperlash!" she called before a swarm of snakes wrapped around Pyrithion's legs. She threw Pyrithion into the bars of a cage, breaking through before falling into a fire geyser. A splash of code erupted before the drome emerged. Intress roared in victory before reverting to Shinwan. Ash shook his head, feeling the pressure. Tom irked to the sudden finish.
"Ironic that Shinwan used a snake move to beat a snake," he pointed out.
"I wouldn't be too sure of calling it 'ironic'," Kaz corrected.
"But that is still wrong on several levels," Peyton gulped. Ash faced Shinwan, ready to continue.
"That was good, Shinwan!" he complimented. "I know a few trainers who've used my speed strategy against me." Shinwan giggled to the praise.
"Thanks, but my target's still that Tangath," she warned.
"You still have a wall to cross. Let's go!" The drome's computer agreed with Ash.
"PERIMPRINCESS, IT IS YOUR ATTACK," it buzzed. Without another word, she spun the Location Randomizer. It soon stopped. "THE LOCATION: GLACIER PLAINS."
"Hope you like to cool off after that trip to The Pits," Shinwan sneered. "Psimion attacks Siado!" Both touched their cards before changing. Shinwan turned into a blue monkey with several eyes as Ash turned into a reddish-brown lizard with green shoulder guards and a crown-like head. The scene changed to a frozen wasteland. The lizard got a good look to his cold surrounding.
"Not exactly a sound strategy with this place," he hissed before stepping… and slipping. He caught himself before he fell again. "So that's your plan: strip me of my ability for quick attacks."
"Then you know victory for you slipped away!" roared Psimion as he leaped high. Siado ducked and dodged Psimion's attack. The monkey wasn't done. "Rock Wave!" Psimion kicked up a wave of rocks. In Siado's head, Ash grinned.
'I'll be be taking a couple of those,' he thought. Siado jumped before catching two rocks with his feet.
"Thank you!" he praised as he converted the rocks to skates. He skated around the ice, finding space.
"Slick use, but it'll take more than a little hockey to win," Psimion snarled before bringing out the single-wheel motorcycle and drove across the landscape, the spikes digging into the ice. He searched and searched, not finding Siado anywhere. "Where's that Mipedian?" Suddenly…
"Surprise!" With a dagger that looked to have pieces missing from it, Siado stabbed Psimion to burst code from him. Siado breathed a sigh of relief before reverting to Ash.
"Now, we're even!" he grinned. Shinwan's grit came out to Ash from the loss. The girls in the PortCourt cheered as Peyton knew the ordeal.
"Siado's Special is Surprise, and he found a way to win that one!" he informed. "It especially works against those who can't turn invisible: a Mipedian trait!" At the drome, Shinwan gathered herself. Three creatures each…
"If it helps, I've faced a lot of strong women so don't feel bad about it," he tried to ease. "Besides, it's still early, and you have three more creatures." Shinwan nodded, knowing Ash wasn't wanting her to quit.
"You always want those to do their best," she realized.
"INDEED, POKÉOTIC," the voice of the drome agreed. "ESPECIALLY IN DROMES LIKE AMZEN AND HOTEKK. NOW, IT IS YOUR ATTACK!" Ash spun the wheel and this time, it landed on a land of jagged mountains and mines. "THE LOCATION: MOUNT PILLAR." Ash plotted now for a strike.
'I'll save Siado for someone else,' he plotted before eyeing the match-up. "Odu-Bathax attacks Intress!" Again, both activated their cards as they appeared on the board. Shinwan became Intress again as she explored the mountains.
"Your idea with an Underworld against me before didn't work against me," she reminded. "What makes you think Mount Pillar and a Danian would fit this time?" That's when a heavily muscled gray bug emerged with a green shard on one of his four arms.
"Change of creature," he roared. "Change of strategy!" Intress brought out a thorn whip and swung it at Odu-Bathax. The thorns dug into the arm but the shard on his arm broke some of those. Odu-Bathax grabbed the whip, puncturing his hand. "Rustoxic!" He spat out corrosive water that nailed the whip, hardening and dissolving to destruction. Some hit Intress where she reeled from the rust when Odu-Bathax charged.
"Wind Slash!" Another pressured air attack hit Odu-Bathax but he shrugged it off.
"Pillar Quake!" Odu-Bathax stomped the ground to start an earthquake. Intress lost her footing before some of the rocks fell on her. She screamed but it was useless as her crushed body became code. The girls cheered as their topless player had a lead. Even Ash's Pokémon cheered in delight. Shinwan's game needed fixing… and soon.
"PERIMPRINCESS, IT IS YOUR ATTACK!" the drome's voice said. Shinwan spun the wheel. This time… "THE LOCATION: KIRU CITY." Ash knew this became interesting with her spin.
"Kinnianne attacks Siado!" she declared. The drome shifted to Kiru City where Siado searched around the streets.
"I have a funny feeling that I'm in trouble," he scented. Suddenly, he vanished as a light brown female fox in a red cloak emerged.
"I know your trick, Siado," she grinned. She took a whiff before bringing out a squirt gun. Turning, she fired a stream. It caught Siado in the back. Siado fell but turned as she wove her hand. "Riptide!" The water from her gun suddenly grew before Siado spun around.
"It's not-" Before he could clear, the water smashed code out of him. The men cheered in the PortCourt. Shinwan had evened the match back up.
"Perim!" they chanted. "Princess!" They repeated the chant, including Tom, Kaz and Peyton. In the drome, both players smiled.
"I'm actually having a lot of fun in this," Ash admitted. "My favorite opponent yet."
"Likewise," Shinwan agreed. "It's even already, but it's not like you'll use Tangath Toborn, Overworld General until you lose Odu-Bathax."
"If it comes to it…" The drome's voice came back on.
"IT IS A GREAT TIME WHEN THE PLAYERS ARE HAVING A GREAT TIME," it teased. "SOON, THIS MATCH WILL END. POKÉOTIC, IT IS YOUR ATTACK." Ash spun the wheel. "THE LOCATION: Mipediam Oasis." Ash prepared to make his move.
"Odu-Bathax attacks Kinnianne!" he announced. After a flash of touching the cards, Ash once more took the form of Odu-Bathax. He journeyed around, hoping to turn things around.
"Not exactly how to start this round, especially when I lost Siado," he grunted. Kinnianne lurked around the trees.
"Since I'm a Mipedian Ambassador," she tasted. "I can voucher for that setback." Suddenly, a counter above Shinwan's card moved. "Fanfare of the Vanishing! Hide me within the light!" Odu-Bathax heard Kinnianne before a seven-note played. He looked around before an idea emerged.
"You may remove my sight, but you cannot hide forever." Kinnianne wasn't standing around as her gun was cocked.
"Who's hiding?" Kinnianne fired her weapon, exposing where her location was. Odu-Bathax avoided the blow before shooting his shard. The beam flew into the air. Kinnianne emerged behind her opponent. "Shadow Strike!" A shadow slipped under Odu-Bathax before a ball of black bashed into him. Then, Kinnianne flashed a few kicks and floored the Danian before leaping up.
"Ash Torrent!" Odu-Bathax flung ash into the air before Kinnianne dodged with a spin.
"Torrent of Water!" She threw a blast of water that filled Odu-Bathax's lungs to code him with an explosion. The boys cheered, ready to see Shinwan win the match.
"Ash only has Tangath Toborn!" realized Tom. "Shinwan had him beat from the start!"
"Chill, bro!" eased Peyton. "You've missed out on a few of Ash's drome matches. He defeated three creatures with only his Tangath Toborn in one. I'm sure he's got this in the bag." Shinwan was ready to end the match.
"You may have that Tangath Toborn, Overworld General, but two creatures will end it for your winning streak," she believed. Ash kept his mouth closed.
"PERIMPRINCESS, IT IS YOUR ATTACK," the drome's voice computed. With a spin, a location was determined. "THE LOCATION: DRANAKIS THRESHOLD." Shinwan smiled to the spin.
"Get ready, Ash… Kinnianne attacks Tangath Toborn, Overworld General!" In a flash, the location took shape around a cliff leading to a road of broken rocks floating to a platform in the air. Tangath looked to the road. He knelt before looking down to the trees from hundreds of feet high.
"If not for the trees in place of the ocean, it would take me back to my early stages," he believed. Pikachu nodded back in the PortCourt.
("Butterfree,") he recalled. Sarah wondered what Pikachu meant when Hawlucha picked up Ash's Dex. Pikachu took it and began to work in his finding.
"What do you have to show us?" asked Kaz. Soon, the Mouse Pokémon showed on the PokéDex a purple butterfly with a blue nose, large ruby red eyes, armless hands and feet. Sarah looked at it with awe.
"It's a cute butterfly!" she cooed.
"Butterfree, the Butterfly Pokémon, and the final evolutionary form of Caterpie," it registered. "Coated with water-repellent dust, Butterfree's wings allow flight in the rain." To Tom, Ash had a Butterfree.
"I'm guessing he released a Butterfree long ago," he concluded. Tangath began scaling the floating rocks when Kinnianne emerged.
"It's an honor to face you, Tangath," Kinnianne sneered. On Tangath's arms were the Gauntlets of Might. "Now, let's do it!" She leaped high into the air as Tangath watched. "Fearocity!" She launched several embers at Tangath but he leaped clear onto another rock. Tangath decided to strike.
"Power Pulse!" he roared as he punched several fists into the air. Kinnianne dodged the first few but other flying fists tagged her. She fell onto the rocks as Tangath climbed the floating rock bridge. Kinnianne recovered before giving chase. Her gun out, she fired rounds at the rocks ahead. Tangath dug his claws into the rocks to avoid slipping. Ash saw into Shinwan's plan.
'I've heard of giving me the slip, but not in that fashion,' he thought. Regardless, Tangath continued to race on before an idea clicked. 'Alright… Two can play this game.' Kinnianne fired one more shot and splashed water on the next step.
"Here's my Lucky Shot!" roared Tangath before punching the water. It splashed and caught Kinnianne in the eyes and feet. When she landed, her heel lost traction before falling between the spaces. She began to fall. "Vine Snare!" Tangath fired vines from his fingers which caught Kinnianne before she fell out of reach. This caught her off-guard.
"This is a drome match!" she warned. "No need for chivalry, it'll get you code!" Tangath pulled Kinnianne up despite the advice.
"Perhaps, but I'd rather code you on your feet rather than let you fall." Back on the bridge, Kinnianne finished drying her eyes. The girls in the PortCourt awed Ash's demeanor while the boys cheered in the player's act of kindness.
"Nothing wrong with that!" one young man praised. "Pokéotic with a heart of gold!" Kinnianne took a breath before another heptagon flew from her card to a yellow shape.
"Song of Recovery!" she called upon. "Reset the health I have lost!" A light flashed on Kinnianne for a little while before she and Tangath continued to race and reached the platform where she jumped to the air again. "Flash kick!" she called before charging at Tangath with a glowing foot. Tangath cocked his arms back.
"Emberwhip!" he yelled before catching Kinnianne with the whip, disrupting her attack. She felt suspended and open for an attack. Arm cocked, Tangath fired one more punch that his arm stretched and blasted Kinnianne into a giant stone tablet. The impact knocked code out of her. Tangath roared back in the drome before reverting back to Ash. The girls cheered once more.
"I bet if Ash battled Sarah, he'd do the same thing," Kaz assumed. Sarah sighed while feeding Fletchinder some seeds.
"He wants a fair fight," she smiled. "How often do you see those in Chaotic?"
"Not enough, that's for sure," Tom shrugged. "Now, Ash has Tangath Toborn and Shinwan's got Eremia left!" In the drome, Shinwan sighed that she lost Kinnianne, but smiled to Ash's respect in the match.
"Ash, the chivalrous youngster," she teased. "No wonder you get a lot of attention from the girls around here. Sure, Sarah's not one of them…" Ash giggled to the claim.
"I'm just me," he shrugged. "I could've let you fall and win but I'd rather win the right way, not the easy way." Shinwan seemed touched.
"Say, after this last round, can I see those creatures you brought?"
"Of course! Pikachu, Froakie… I'm sure they'll like to meet you."
"Thanks…" The drome's voice came over the two.
"THIS MATCH IS ALMOST OVER," it buzzed. "THOUGH, WOULD IT BE INTERESTING TO SEE YOUR CREATURES BECOME THESE CREATURES, POKÉOTIC?" Ash irked to the thought.
"That would be weird," he urged.
"YES, PERHAPS. BACK TO THE ISSUE… IT IS YOUR ATTACK, POKÉOTIC." Ash nodded before the last spin. It stopped… "THE LOCATION: EVERRAIN." This was it for Ash and Shinwan.
"Tangath Toborn, Overworld General attacks Eremia!" With a flash, the drome created a forest where water dripped from above. Tangath stepped in the puddles of the forest. Suddenly, he eyed a white female ermine wearing brown for a top with shoulder guards and a brown cloth around the waist. She also wore leg guards.
"Maybe I should start the end," she teased. A heptagon flew to the "Prelude of Protection! Save me from the elemental torture!" A light was cast on Eremia. A deep breath later, she stared down Tangath with a green shard around her neck. She waived her arms out. "Riptide!" Waves formed toward Tangath who leaped ahead of the splashing. He punched through the water.
"Mirthquake!" he roared. The punch rattled the trees, water falling onto Eremia. A barrier formed around her. Eremia had to counter.
"Torrent of Water!" She rose her arm up, making the water rise from the floor. To Tangath, it was an open opportunity.
"Force Strike!" Another clap and a swipe caused lightning to merge before striking the water. Some of the lightning found Eremia which electrocuted her. He came in with a claw strike, causing her to explode into code. The drome reemerged and Tanagth roared in triumph. Ash appeared from Tangath before falling to a knee. Shinwan sighed. She lost.
"THE WINNER: POKÉOTIC!" the voice declared. Ash stood and pumped his fist.
"Alright!" he cheered. The girls also cheered to Ash's win as Shinwan clapped her hands.
"Nice win, Ash," she smiled as she made her way to him. "I had fun in our battle, and you're definitely deserving of Tangath Toborn." The two shook hands.
"Thanks a lot, Shinwan. You were awesome as well. Kinnianne is incredible, being able to use Fanfare of the Vanishing and Song of Recovery."
"Right? Kinnianne may be an Overworld creature but she can cast Mipedian Mugic due to being an ambassador for their tribe." This intrigued Ash about who to look out for on his next ScanQuest.
"Really? I gotta see if I can find and scan her sometime."
"She's a creature to look out for. Now, your creatures… Are they in the PortCourt?"
"They are, with Tom and his friends."
"Ah, I'm sure Tom and Sarah can allow me to pet them. We should get back to the PortCourt… but first…" Ash became suspicious to Shinwan's addition.
"First?" Reaching Ash, Shinwan's sneer appeared. "What's with that look?" Instead of saying anything, Shinwan's hand palmed his bare chest. She felt around his rather muscular torso with her soft hands. Ash's cheeks bled red. Shinwan giggled to his reaction.
"Realx… I'm just getting a feel. The drome and I did say you have a nice chest. I'm just impressed that it feels this good." Ash gulped, nervous to Shinwan's ploy.
"This… isn't wh- what you had in mind, right?"
"Nope. This is!" She then kissed Ash and held her lips to his, her tongue scrapping gently inside his mouth. The PortCourt had a freak-out moment. Tom, Kaz, Sarah, Peyton and the Pokémon gawked to the kiss showed.
"He got a kiss from PerimPrincess!" snapped Peyton.
"No fair!" shouted Brad.
"We need a turn!" cried Lulu. Sarah laughed to everyone losing their minds to the kiss.
"That was awesome!" she cackled. Shinwan removed her lips from Ash's, savoring the flavor.
"That's one taste I'll never forget. I'll see you at the PortCourt. Don't wait up!" She left the drome, leaving a stunned Ash to wonder what that was about. In the PortCourt, Ash returned to his room and completed dressing. Shinwan met with Ash's Pokémon, Pikachu enjoying her petting.
"Must feel good being petted by a princess," Peyton guessed.
("It does!") the Mouse Pokémon chimed in delight.
"At least you don't have to worry about getting electrocuted like Peyton did," Kaz pointed out.
"That's no problem," Shinwan giggled. "Besides, I might have more fun if I had a Pokémon of my own. Maybe not Pikachu, but something close like what that little girl has on her head." Looking back, Sarah saw Ash with the question since she still held Ash's picture of Geosenge Town.
"There you are," she called down. Ash reached the group.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Ash, Pikachu is a real cutie like you are," Shinwan teased. "Though, I saw that picture with some other Pokémon. I wanted to know about that." Pointing to Bonnie, Ash knew Shinwan's interest.
"Dedenne, huh?" he identified. Froakie handed Ash his PokéDex and looked up its name before giving it to Shinwan.
"Dedenne, the Antennae Pokémon," it computed. "The whiskers help communicate with others via electrical waves." Shinwan cooed to the sight of Dedenne.
"Even cuter than I believe," she laughed.
"Indeed," Tom agreed. "Though, the match really got to everyone. They'll believe you and Shinwan are the pair to succeed." Ash looked to see the upset faces of about everyone. Ash may have received the royal treatment but could the princess win out?
TO BE CONTINUED…
