Exotos: And here's the third chapter! After meeting a million half-siblings and going skinny dipping at the lake, what's next for Chloe?!
Cross: We'll find out at least. Oh, and seeing as we have a FFNet review to ask to the guest reviewer I'd say that Kukui and co had the option to be invited but had to decline like Troy and Trey. If the next reunion is, say, hosted by Zilant and Pannonicia/Wicke at Aether Paradise that would be a much easier trip.
Exotos: And consequently, a lot more boring. But hey! Sequel bait!
Cross: Probably not. That would just be this story, but a Chloe who isn't in as much of a confused state and more Lusamine. A sequel isn't impossible, but hey maybe if the big thing for next chapter is a giant hit it would drive it more than Lusamine in a swimsuit that Lillie probably disapproves of.
Exotos: She doesn't have the body type to show it off, though.
Cross: Lusamine looked like Lillie when she was younger, see that old Aether image (AKA 'Wicke without the hips to kill'). The two could probably share clothes when Lillie is fully grown. Oh dear I think the anime Lusamine might actually do that….and hey as Chloe put it Lusamine has legs.
Exotos: Well, THAT'S an image. XD
CHAPTER START!
"A naked pinata bashing over a terrible man huh….I almost feel bad your father's nothing of the sort. I've never wanted to beat him in effigy for some chocolates to spill out of him. Well I suppose the fun is in the group as much as the catharsis…"
"Mom!"
How did that one slip out in the call!? Really, why had it slipped out!? She just wanted...answers not the full story being told before she even got to that part.
"Still a bit of natural swimming all au naturel….its been years since your father and I that one time in Kalos…."
"La la la la!" She tuned out her mom's nostalgic tone as loudly as possible even as her mom laughed.
"Anyway, before we go back to the topic of you, things have been boring here. Your father's doing fine at work, work's going great for me, and Parker hasn't tried to attack Goh yet, though Goh did mention he felt like he was being watched by a malicious presence the other day. Though it turns out it was just Yamper watching him in case he went into your room."
Yamper was a good boy. Her secrets were still safe.
"He's eating alright?" Chloe asked about the electric type.
"Not the best, but he's the one person in this house who could stand to drop a few pounds so I think it'll work out. So, about your adventures."
Chloe didn't like the emphasis on "adventures" one bit.
"Before you panic, I'm still a virgin."
Talia could be heard snapping her fingers. "Shit, now I owe your father a soda".
Given how this week had gone that bet could have been something far more in theme than a beverage.
"Also I wouldn't panic. Panic is for grandkids."
Of course it is.
"So mom….I met some fans of yours…." She was sure that her mom thought she was changing the subject. Oh she wished she was….
"Oh, they like my illustrations. It is always nice to hear-" Talia beamed, fully believing that it was what was going on.
"They're fans of your pornographic work."
Talia fell silent.
"When, exactly, were you planning to tell me that you also drew lewds?!"
"If I remember correctly, somewhere between last week and… never."
"...Why!?"
"Well not to prevent you from having a moonlit adventure with some cute boys I assure you. I'm sure you know that my job is mostly for fun as your father pays for things on his own. It's just...well sometimes fun goes in a different direction….."
"Like Cherry Poppers?!"
"Yes, like Cherry Poppers."
Chloe didn't know what was worse: the fact things were going like one of her mother's porn works, or Talia's calm response.
"Sometimes you simply want to do something different, and sometimes you want to have a bit of fun. You should never be afraid of having fun Chloe."
"...You really want to win the bet with dad don't you?"
"More like I don't want you to have regrets about your choices. Don't avoid doing things because you are scared of them, though do please be responsible. I want to be at least 50 before I have any grandkids. Though if you lean more towards the sisters over the brothers that shouldn't be a problem."
"Are you speaking from personal experience?"
Oh...oh….why did she just ask that? Why couldn't she stop asking things like that?!
"Oh actually yes. Before I met your father I met a girl from Pallet Town. She was around my age and was in Vermillion for a photo shoot for a magazine cover. Poke Pals swimsuit edition, their biggest release every year.. It was only for a brief bit and she left far too soon, but she was amazing. Like I said Chloe, don't avoid doing things because you are scared of being rejected or judged, especially when you are in the vacation part of your working vacation. Though speaking of, you haven't seen any auburn haired women around my age around have you, maybe a bit older or younger than I am by a year or two?"
Chloe's mouth dried up. Oh no, oh no, oh no…..
"Her name was Delia and her last name was something that started with a K…." Talia blinked, having noticed her look of horror and quickly connected the dots.
"Oh, it was Ketchum. She's the one hosting you isn't she. Wow, isn't that a coincidence. Small world huh Chloe?"
"..." She bit her tongue. No more questions.
…
"Oh, your Talia's daughter! I can't believe I never noticed!"
She had chopped on so many berries for pancakes that she needed to rest her hands. Fortunately those who worked to feed the masses did get breaks, and as she was food prep and clean up for breakfast she couldn't quite go off and had a break room to use for breakfast. One that was happily provided by Delia personally as she thanked each and every person who was working. This was a good thing, except now. Now it was a bad thing.
"...I mean my mom had a different last name then and it makes sense." Chloe hoped this would not be too disturbing a conversation.
"Talia Burgundy….now that takes me back. Ash mentioned to me once that you often write. Your mother's still an artist I believe, and she was good at drawing even back then, I think I still have that 'Kalosian Girl' drawing of hers. She had an artist's fingers…."
Do not scream in horror at your employer who brought you two sandwiches and toast. Do not scream in horror at your employer who brought you two sandwiches and toast. Do not scream in horror at your employer who brought you two sandwiches and toast. Do not scream in horror at your employer who brought you two sandwiches and toast.
Delia placed a large cup of berry juice meant for her breakfast down as the older woman sighed.
"Glad to see she found someone permanent. Your father's a lucky man Chloe. Wish I was that lucky…"
"Your son's got enough championship trophies to make a fort out of. He's got enough money to host this giant party, so you're never going to need anything. I think you're pretty lucky yourself."
In hindsight Chloe was fortunate that Ash's general resistance to her snark seemed to be a paternal and maternal trait, seemingly absent only in Vedia, unrelated by blood. That line could probably have been taken badly by someone else.
"I've done well for myself, but that's not always the norm. I was lucky to have a safety net and my parents, not everyone does. Though even then, it's been Ash and I alone for most of our lives, and the funny thing is I've had Ash for half my life now."
"A pretty woman who can cook and whose son's famous. Guys aren't all over you?"
Delia laughed at that idea.
"Oh….I only wish. You listen to the townsfolk and I'm the prettiest lady here twenty odd years running, but you try to get any of them to want to date and you'd have better luck getting a little boy to clean his room."
Chloe felt a desire to both laugh at the image of kid Ash acting like Parker and snarking about men. It kind of balanced the two impulses out so her face was probably a kind of strange mess right now. Delia chuckled again, possibly picking up on her split reactions and changed the subject.
"So how is Talia anyway? I'd love to see her again sometime and I can't believe I missed her at the opening."
Chloe hoped she meant an interest in seeing her again platonically.
"She's fine… though I only learned about her….side projects yesterday."
"I'm not surprised. She usually drew cute things. I think I still have a folder of little chibi mes somewhere."
Did Ash's mom know about stuff like Cherry Poppers or was she thinking of something more innocent. This entire Raboot hole meant she'd never trust her mom drawing things at the dinner table ever again.
"...Meanwhile in a completely different topic my father's….fine. He's a dad, he means well and I probably could be nicer to him, and my brother Parker's fine too, though he actually doesn't like Ash that much. It's kind of silly, but he seems to think he'd take me away from him. He doesn't feel that way about Goh though…."
"Well ten year old boys do silly things. I can speak from experience."
She would not mention how Parker could be a bit more than 'silly' at times.
"Also my parents are happily married, so I'm afraid you aren't going to get a rebound with my mom."
Fortunately her blunt snark again failed to cause any problems. It only made Ash's mom chuckle to herself.
"Oh don't worry Chloe, I'm no homewrecker. I was raised better than that. I'd rather tango than break."
"Tango?" Chloe asked in dread. She didn't mean….
"Oh it's just a little thought. It probably would never happen, but I've had a few fun surprises. I've had some very good times with a certain Alolan Professor and his wife…."
"I'm starting to see why Ash has six girlfriends." Chloe felt like that bit of snark lacked an edge. She couldn't quite make her words as sharp as she wished. Especially as she did sort of….bring that information out because she had to joke. And she didn't need to.
"Oh no that's all on him. I didn't teach him anything, though for the record I did it first." Delia winced playfully. Urghhh.
…
"Ash, please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks we're trapped in some sort of cheap ecchi comedy that wants to screw with me."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ash answered while somehow shirtless. Oh wait, that actually made sense. She had been asked to do some cleaning up at the regular lake, and Ash had offered to help after the other person assigned to help her had taken a fall. Nothing serious, but Delia had put them on rest for a few hours to be safe. He was at the lake, so not having a shirt was kind of expected.
If he was at the other lake he'd still be overdressed.
"...Secret lake parties." She quipped. She could have also added that she was pretty sure that Lita was trying hard to seduce her….which was weird not because she was doing that but...she wasn't going to lie she wasn't entirely sure why she wasn't jumping on it more. She didn't just talk about getting laid around her father just to screw with him….but she wasn't entirely sure what was going on with that. And she was like that before she learned far too much about her mom's history for her own liking.
Ash shrugged as he folded a few soggy towels fairly poorly, before he tried to wring them out. He was helpful but...she was going to guess that he was the one who lifted the 50 pound bags of rice and peanuts and not do any of the fancy work.
"Life's rather diverse Chloe. It's not like a story that is always one type of story or something like that. Sometimes you go from scary to comedy to adventure in a single day." Ash said that like he could go through all those extremes in a single day. Which, maybe he did. She was not going to ask.
"Plus I'd think you'd have liked it that way. You seemed rather interested in going to something like that." Anabel, who was also helping, was doing a better job. Of course she had three brooms and dust pins doing the work for her via telekinesis, so it was easy for her.
"...I don't…." She tried to fib.
"Yeah, sorry….I do talk to them about stuff. You know, healthy communication and stuff." Ash apologized, scratching the back of his head nervously.
Curse healthy relationships. Because of those everyone knew things she wished they didn't, and she heard her parents at night sometimes. She was happy to know her parents had a stable and healthy relationship, but she didn't need all the audial evidence.
"...I didn't think it would actually happen." Chloe grumbled. It was just…
"Be careful what you wish for?" Anabel suggested.
"Probably not….that's a motif for a different thing….I don't know…..it's something else…." She wasn't sure how to phrase what she was feeling.
What was her problem!?
"So….about that development thing. I don't know...you looked like you had some….you'd have never had a secret lake party like that before. It's a lot more outgoing than you've been before, spontaneous and stuff like that. Maybe you are…...progressing as a person." Ash had some very obvious word pauses, as if he was swapping words out. She'd guess personal development and growth for the words taken out, which given the nudity could have meant something Ash had not intended.
"And it does sound like you are making a friend with Lita. I don't think Ash ever mentioned you talking about anyone who wasn't family or Goh." Anabel added, with no sign that she had to replace words.
Did she have a response to that? Those weren't….wrong. They weren't wrong at all.
"Plus you've been here two and a half days and worked a lot. Nothing happens overnight. It's all built on. If you find someone you really like, it isn't going to happen in just two days." Ash assured her. "And if you need more time than being here that isn't the end of it. If you make a friend or meet someone special and want to see them, you can ask to borrow Dragonite or Charizard and see if they can take you to see them."
"Or maybe ask for a teleport. It's a bit faster, even if you might have to plan it a bit more in advance." Anabel also offered.
"Really? You'd do that?"
"Sure! All you have to do is ask!"
Ash and Anabel had to leave for that Battle Festival thing shortly after and she had more work to do, but it did leave her with things to think about.
...
Maybe she was led to the idea by Ash and Anabel after the jobs at the lake and elsewhere were finished. Maybe she knew Lita would be there and felt like supporting her. Maybe there was nothing to do until her afternoon job that didn't add to her sense of self-confusion as she had been put on cleaning duty instead of lunch. Regardless, as much as it was very much against her nature, the Battle Festival Challenge was where she ended up next.
"Chloe!" Lita greeted. "I'm so happy you could come!"
"Work wasn't as bad as I expected." She kept Lita from knowing….how odd this was for her. "So, how does this thing work, anyway?"
"Well, you know those tournament arcs in manga? It's kinda like that."
Chloe grimaced. "Like one of those long ones that take forever to get interesting, or those that go by so quickly you wonder what the point of it was?"
"Eh, it depends on the tournament and who's in it. It's a big surprise!. Heck you aren't removed from the Battle Festival if you lose and can just battle again and again until it's over or you leave the Normal Class."
That answer was somehow worse than if it had been one thing or the other. Though she wasn't a huge fan of manga that tended to have tournament arcs so it wasn't quite her thing. What was her thing was, however, a worry she had for Lita.
"Aren't you worried about losing in front of everyone?" She asked Lita, who had made it clear that she was still pretty new to traveling and stuff. Chloe wasn't sure if that meant she was also a new trainer or had just trained for five years before her mom would be able to let her leave. "You said it yourself, you could battle again and again, and lose again and again."
"Nah. You lose sometimes and that sucks, but no one worth being around would mock you for it. Especially here, it's all family, and the random townsfolk but mostly family."
The fact that was a legitimate point was more than a little disturbing to ponder for too long.
"...I wish I was that brave." Chloe admitted as Lita wrapped a supportive arm around her.
"Hey, if you weren't brave you'd have run last night."
That was twice skinny dipping had been used as a compliment today and it had nothing to do with 'you are hot'. How odd.
...
"Welcome, Pallet Town and visitors alike, to the very first Pallet Town Battle Festival Challenge! Goodness, this is the first major event we've had here in quite a many years, so let's give it a round of applause worthy of our happy little town." Professor Oak, looking as much as an old man as he ever was, was apparently the MC and he managed not to wince as hundreds of town folk on bleachers and benches and trucks and tents let out a sound that sounded like they were making up for lost time.
How did Professor Oak not flinch at how loud it was!?
"The World Coronation Series is meant to bring the world together in a tournament that spreads to the four corners of the earth! Now today's tournament is for just the normal class participants, all a million of them, so you'll be seeing quite a few of our young and upcoming trainers participating today so be sure to give them a huge round of applause!" The Professor added as a yellow rotom drone popped up behind the old man and projected a giant screen showing a pyramid set up of rankings.
The blue part of the pyramid that was '10,000 and beyond' was flashing blue, while the parts above it were '99,999 to 10,000', '9,999 to 9' and the tiny '8-1' .
"Completely contradictory to those bits of information I just said, we have several exhibition matches set up to really get us all hyped! Also the internet is buffering again and slowing down the sign ups for the event….but that's just life! Fortunately we have some special guests to get us through the faulty internet connection we shall only be cursed with for a month more. First up is our hometown hero, the pride of Pallet Town, Ash Ketchum!"
The cheers that came out struck like physical blows! How could human beings cheer that loudly!
"Matching him in our first opening match is a trainer worthy of him….."
"Red!" Someone shouted in joy.
"No actually, we want a casual match not a full on battle to the finish. So instead give it up for Vermell Arcer!"
Shortly afterwards a big battle started up with a giant steel serpent and a dancing giant blue reptile that was to last for five minutes. She didn't pay the most amount of attention to it, noting just how it ended without a victor and Ash sought her out after it while Lita went to get some final registration stuff sorted out.
"We need one more person or there will be a vacant slot constantly shifting around. I'm too high ranked in the WCS to have fun so…." Ash gestured as the second exhibition match started up, with it being John Lenot and the pretty prince-looking Duke from the lake..
"Ash, why are you looking at me like that?" She was very much not a trainer and Ash knew that.
"Because everyone else I can think of is Great Class or higher."
"Your mom!"
"Great Class."
"Wicke!"
"She's from the ranger nations."
"Carl!"
"No."
"Yeah, that was on me," Chloe shook her head. "I honestly don't know what I was thinking either. So...I guess I'm the only other option?"
"Yep."
She'd believe that Ash had done so. He had been here for a while before she had come over after the lake chores had finished up and maybe he had just noticed her and found a solution.
"First things first, though; you're gonna need a Pokémon."
"Color me stunned! I need a Pokémon to participate in a Pokémon event?!" Chloe gasped, only for her tone to turn dry as she added. "I never would've imagined."
"I could call Professor Cerise and have him send Yamper over." Ash offered. Chloe's gaze went over to the battle between a Machamp and Nidoking from the two brothers she'd met yesterday, whose clashing punches made the air itself shake and the crowds cheer in excitement at each air breaking punch.
"...maybe Yamper isn't quite cut out for this," Chloe confessed. "I mean, he doesn't look like it, but he's a family pet; he's more up for cuddles than fighting."
"And I'm going to guess you'd rather fight with a Pokémon of your own, rather than one you're borrowing?" Ash asked, earning a nod from the redhead. "Then there's only one other option: go out and catch your own Pokémon."
When in Pallet Town, do as the Pallet Towners did. Or at least the ones who shared a parent.
"So into the jungle to fight the hordes of death?"
"Are you fine with the woods and fields outside of Pallet? It's a lot safer than the hordes of death."
"Yes, I'll take those any day."
…
Pallet Town was surrounded by forests, fields, and flowing rivers and streams. The descriptive term was added to keep up the F alliteration in her head.
"So….." Chloe asked her guide who had come along as 'help, wisdom, support, and other such things', 'do I just do a Goh' and call it a day?"
"Do a Goh?" Iris, who was her guide as Ash wasn't able to slip out, questioned.
"You know, throw a ball at something, catch it, call it a day." Chloe was pretty sure that was what Goh did.
The sound of flapping drew her attention to a nearby tree, where a bird Pokemon with a red feathery head and brown wing feathers had landed. Who was that Pokemon? Spearow!
She wasn't Goh, but she wasn't that ignorant.
"Okay, so I just catch….."
"Row!" The Spearow suddenly shouted before suddenly swooping down at her with talons looking ready to rip her face off! She covered her face with her arms, but the sound of surging energy and then a blast of purplish energy flew past her just by her shoulder before striking the Spearow.
It fell to the ground in a twitching heap, no longer trying to take her face.
"The Spearow around here are unusually aggressive. I would catch something else." Iris, who was rubbing her lips with a finger like that energy attack had come out of her (and it probably did), suggested.
"Yeah…" Chloe agreed, wondering what the Spearow's deal was. She flinched when she saw its leg twitch with just a bit more energy than before. It was already recovering, while she was sure if she had just been blasted like that she would not be. "Let's look somewhere else.'
…
There were certainly a ton of Pokemon she could try and catch. They were in the air and the grass, in trees and in the streams.
"...Pidgey and Beedrill and Poliwag and I don't even know where to start." Chloe wondered aloud.
"You are looking for a long-term companion, friend, and ally. You should think it through if things do not just happen on their own." Iris mused. While Chloe would bet she wasn't thinking of Goh, she knew enough about what Goh got up to that his collection was half captures and half 'hey you want to be my friend'.
What did a 'this Pokemon will be my friend forever' moment look like though?
"So, Iris, any suggestions on what I should catch?"
"That, my dear friend-"
"When did we become friends?"
"-Is not something I can tell you. You and you alone have to decide what Pokémon you'll choose."
"Translation: you're on your own. Thanks, I totally needed to hear that."
"You are not on your own. I am here to make sure you do not die." Iris didn't quite seem to get where her snark was aimed.
Iris was an odd ducklett.
The grass near the two of them rustled, and Chloe tensed, ready to run if it turned out the grass was hiding a Rhydon with a thirst for blood. A horn did pop out of it, but it was not made of stone but fur. Slowly a tan, upright Pokemon with a long, thin tail appeared out of the bushes, sniffing her.
"What's this thing?"
"That's a Smeargle. She seems to like you."
Chloe looked back at the Pokémon whose tail ended in a paint brush, right before they hugged her leg.
"Smeargle!"
"Iris, this thing's creeping me out, what do I do?"
"Well, Smeargles are super rare around these parts, so if you take her with you-"
"Her?" Chloe repeated. "You can tell its gender just by looking at it?"
"It's not as hard as you make it out to be."
This wasn't going to turn into a 'when a trainer wants to know if their Gardevoir matches their orientation' was it? Because she wasn't sure she'd want Iris to explain that. She didn't think Iris had a filter and she'd probably learn horrible things.
"So….why does this Smeargle seem interested in me?" Chloe stepped away from the other subject quickly.
"Ash said you are from a family of artists. I think Smeargle sees you as a kindred spirit." Iris guessed.
"I write, my mom draws."
"And writers and artists work together: the artists make pretty pictures, and the writers give those pictures substance by adding dialogue." Iris mused.
Okay, was she going crazy, or did Iris, Miss "I was raised by Pokémon and like to swim naked" herself, speak eloquently and bring up a good point?
"I guess I'll bring her with me," Chloe rolled her eyes. "Not like I have many options, anyway."
...
"I just hope I can get at least a few good hits before going down…" Chloe admitted back in town, nervously watching a battle. Sure, it was hardly the air shattering ones from earlier with a Squirtle duking it out with a Sandshrew, but it was still something that was a bit out of her wheelhouse.
"Don't worry Chloe, you're in a class that's half rookies, half casuals, and half people aiming to seriously ascend the ranks." Serena assured her.
"That's one too many halves."
"You have very good odds of not being canon fodder." May didn't correct the extra half.
"Plus, you have a Smeargle!" Acerola assured her "Unlike everyone else you have the advantage of getting stronger while you watch."
"I do?"
"Smear!" Smeargle seemed to get it. As did Serena it seemed, who looked ready to explain it.
"Oh yeah, Sketch. Oh, let me explain how that works before they call you for a battle…"
A quick explanation on what Sketch did came shortly after...
…
And it was so quick, in fact, that next thing Chloe knew, she had just won a battle. She thought Smearlge had copied a move, then used it, then copied a second move that her opponent had used, but the details had been lost in a blur of excitement, and shock, and maybe jumping up and down in the air holding Smeargle in her arms.
"Did I seriously just win a fight?!"
"Smeargle!"
"Ohoho, I'm taking you back home with me!"
"You want a Pokeball?" Ash asked.
"Yeah duh!"
And after a brief break to heal, officially catch Smeargle, have Lita compliment her on winning after the girl herself had gone two to one with her battles, and feel good about herself a bit longer, Professor Oak announced:
"It's time for Chloe Cerise's second battle ever! Give her some Pallet Town love folks!"
The townsfolk and reunion guests cheered her merrily and loudly. They knew her, they liked her, they wanted her to do well. Yeah, she and Smeargle would….
"And her opponent! Her first opponent in the World Coronation Series! Give it up for Jinx Evren!"
Her opponent…..was terrifying. She was clearly an older sister of the family, joining Ash Betty and Belladonna in the mid six foot compared to Lita's mere 6 ft. However, unlike her sisters this girl was muscular. Real buff. And rather scary looking.
Her bare arms were clearly the result of hard work, being built up and thick with visible strength greater than Ash or Dolomite. Her shoulders each had skull tattoos and her arms below had many sharp looking scars from claws or blades. Under her tank top (which read PAIN) Chloe saw well built abs to match her arms and the faintest hint of what looked like a dragon tattoo atop of said well built abs. Her pant clad legs seemed good for chasing someone down, and under her short cut green hair were sharp red eyes like that of a predatory flying Pokémon staring down a Wurmple or some other prey.
She could probably have just said 'Amazon' and saved a lot of time, but you know… reasons.
"Ash…." She harshly whispered, "why do you have a scary Amazon sister!?"
"Same reason I have ninja ones." He replied like he was asked why he had whole wheat bread instead of white
That's not an answer to a question, that's a setup for one!
Any hope that she only looked tough and used something like a Cleffa was soon dashed as their doomed battle was called like it wasn't going to last 30 seconds.
..
What separates her following defeat from a massacre was Smeargle refusing to give up and her having a novel idea that bought her about a minute of battle before the crushing force of defeat caught up to her.
"Goodbye undefeated record...guess I jinxed it huh?" Chloe sighed as Ash's shiny Chansey healed Smeargle from her injuries.
"Smear…."
She patted Smeargle on the head reassuringly. She had been the one to jinx them so...
"Jinxed it?"
Chloe flinched in fear as Jinx loomed over her, her fearsome eyes looking down on her as a Pidgeot did a Magikarp.
"Y...yeah I said it…" Oh, oh she didn't even think about how many times that must have been said. It was such an easy joke to say that it was probably the most tiring thing in the world. She had 'monster lover', Jinx had 'you jinxed it' and every combination of the term. 'Jinx, you owe me a soda', 'Jinxed it', 'jinkies!' Okay maybe not the last one, but surely the very scary older girl was going to get very angry at her.
"Explain." Jinx demanded in an inquisitive tone as she started to breathe harder in panic.
"You….you see, to say something is jinxed means that it is a curse of misfortune or bad luck on someone," Chloe explained, trying her hardest not to crap out some bricks. "I was being a little sure of myself, maybe arrogant too, so I got jinxed. If you say something at the same time that's bad luck and people say 'jinxed, you owe me X'. It's a play on your name, but before you had the name."
A strange ripple was visible under the girl's tank top, her abs and dragon tattoo rippling as something seemed to be stirring in her gut. Oh no she was so angry she was going into a brutal fury! She was going to chase her down for her hide! She was going to punch her! She was going to tell her to bend over….
"Ha ha...ha ha…..ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Or...not.
Jinx was laughing uncontrollably, like she had never heard a funnier joke. Her terrifying gaze had softened into something far less intimidating, even if her skulls and scars were still quite visible. It wasn't rage that she had seen stirring, but uncontrollable laughter.
It took the scary girl minutes to stop laughing.
"I have never heard that one before." Jinx said completely seriously.
"That has to be impossible," Chloe turned to the older Trainer. "Ash, tell me that's impossible!"
"That's impossible." Ash said to the tune of 'say something. Something.'
"LIAR!"
Jinx laughed some more.
"You're a really funny girl. Green like a freshly born Caterpie, but funny."
"...Yep…." Chloe nervously grinned as the muscular girl went to her next battle, laughing all the way.
"Huh.. she was nicer than I expected." Chloe was expecting worse after losing like she did, and then making an unintentionally bad name pun. Though she still had many questions she'd like answered.
"Ash, there are ninjas here!?" Like actual ninjas? Those were still a thing!?
"Yep. You haven't noticed?"
"Yeah, because they are ninjas! Second question, where did you find Jinx!? Are Amazons still a thing too!?"
….
In the following battles she had several more wins, and several more losses. Nowhere near as one sided as against Jinx, thank Arceus, but losses just the same.
Unfortunately, one of those losses was with Vedia. Who said she didn't enter just to best her and Ash did confirm Vedia entered before they needed one more but…..
...
"...So I'm a trainer now huh…..well not a really good one."
It was night, and with work done and the secret lake more or less off limits tonight, what was there to do? She didn't exactly have the fullest idea of sleepover etiquette beyond what Parker and Jinny got up to after all.
"No one starts off as a great trainer Chloe."
"Not even Ash?"
"Nope. Hard work, luck, and skill is what separates the Leons from the Carls….I mean I think he works. No one seems to like the guy." Lita mused in that somewhat sage like way she did sometimes.
"No one seems to like him at all, and who knows why. So...have you ever had a sleepover with anyone?"
"No, mom moved around too much for work. Funding here, grants there, give some lectures or temporarily split your research with another team for rent money somewhere else." Lita admitted without bitterness.
"Me neither. My school….er…..well just no."
Lita looked worried about her skirting around the topic, so she quickly changed the subject.
"But I'm sure I can think of something we can do. Like sleepovers usually involve hitting someone with a pillow right. Just...er….." Chloe quickly realized that a pillow fight with a girl much larger than her might go badly. "...okay maybe not that. Gossip's a thing right?"
"It is. Though what do you want to gossip about?"
"….I think magazines are a thing that comes up."
Fortunately the inn had a reserve of a bunch of the things, and after a quick ask and grab the two of them now had a stack of magazines in front of them.
"Okay so we have magazines….what do we do with them?"
"Read them, I guess."
Chloe held up a magazine advertisement for an upcoming film enthusiastically.
"I want to catch this movie when it comes out! It's an adaptation of one of my favorite books and the writer is working closely with the crew so it isn't going to be ruined! Probably. Though...you….might not have heard of it. It's kind of...niche."
"Looks spooky, you like horror?" Lita asked, not in a 'ew that is weird' way. It was actual curiosity, more towards the idea of never having met a horror fan than wondering why horror fans exist.
"Technically it's a dark fantasy series with some horror elements… which more or less means the same things nowadays, so yeah."
"So what's it about? Not sure what to make of the title 'Endless Trail'. Sounds like a way to get tired." Lita asked curiously.
"It's a story about people getting stuck in a winding road they can't get off of and having to walk it through all sorts of strange and freaky stuff until the road either lets them off or they die."
"That sounds creepy. Where did the author get the idea from?"
Chloe shrugged. Sometimes authors get inspiration from the oddest of things. Surely it wasn't from personal experience or something.
"My favorite character is 'The Skitty', who was a really strange talking pure-white Skitty shady businesswoman."
"That sounds just about right for someone connected to a Skitty," Lita squinted her eyes. "I tell you, their smiles hide the most devious intentions."
"That's why I love that character. She's entertaining and you can't tell where or what she'll do next. I can't wait for the movie to come out."
"Can I catch it with you?" Lita asked. Anabel's offer of help in keeping contact replayed itself in Chloe's mind, but there was a matter of greater importance.
"No, you need to read the book first!"
"The movie is a fateful adaptation though, I don't think I need to."
"You do! You won't know what is different then!"
"But if I read the book won't I get spoiled? If I see the movie completely fresh it'll hit me harder."
Chloe was going to see if the magazine she had grabbed had anything to change the subject before Lita got angry with her, but Lita beat her to the punch with a different magazine set.
"Oh hey some Pokemon Pal Swimsuit issues! Girls and Guys!"
"No thank you," Chloe stated. "I don't wanna come upon a picture of Ash's Mom in lewd lingerie."
"You say that like you wouldn't want to see it? Also it would probably be a string bikini at worst…"
"She fucked my mom!"
Lita blinked in surprise.
"Oh."
Yeah, 'oh'. The fact that Ash's mom was very attractive and her mom's teenage fling who may or not may not have interest in catching up with her made her feelings rather complicated.
"Well, I think I heard she modeled years ago and in a different piece than this issue. So you wouldn't see her anywhere. It's safe, just famous trainers in swimsuits."
"Great, I can't wait to feel self-conscious about-mother of Arceus, who is this beauty?"
The page that Lita had stopped on after a montage of 'your mom's fling isn't here' was a woman with beautiful dark hair a different shade than Ash, Lita, Belladonna, or the other dark haired siblings.
Her face was like a masterfully made doll, with a timeline feeling of something carved. Her eyes were large and made her think of a pool she could dig in.
Chloe couldn't quite describe the swimsuit that she was in, it was something between a bikini and a spiderweb, but she could see the woman was beautiful. Her skin was like shiny marble, her legs were elegant works of art, her breasts were just the right size for her body.
"So you like Kalosian Fairy-type Gym Leaders huh Chloe?" Lita snapped her back to reality.
"Stop wiggling your eyebrow at me like that!? She's...just….well she caught my eye is all!"
"Girls talk about people they find attractive in magazines with each other right? So seeing as we found someone you like…" Lita teased as her gaze lingered on the woman. She snapped out of it just long enough to fold the corner of the half of the article with words to find later and turned the page.
"Next page!"
She turned onto a page and grinned at Lita. She showed said image to the girl, who started to slowly blush.
"You said you like redheads, so here!"
"Yeah…." Lita said in interest.
"Her name is Flannery. She's a Fire type gym leader. And the fact her name is a Fire pun is either a coincidence or her family being terrible."
"Flannery's hot!"
"Lita, you could have said any other word…"
"She's smoking."
Chloe, done with the puns and Lita's grinning red face turned the page to the next gym leader who was Lt. Surge the local electric….
More puns! Just with guns instead of hot buns! And now she was rhyming…
"Actually, now that I see him, I haven't seen Lt. Surge at all back in Vermillion City," Chloe remarked. "Do you have any idea where he could've gone?"
"I think he went to fight off another war." Lita shrugged.
"We have wars?"
"No."
"...So what is he doing, other than posing for a magazine cover?"
"Training….probably for more things than posing for swimsuit issues."
And so, the reading continued.
"Hot damn, Bea's got some abs!"
"So does Jinx."
"Yeah….well Bea doesn't look like she'd eat me."
"Neither does Jinx." Lita was untraumatized despite also losing to Jinx.
Not being interested in debating that, Chloe flipped the next page to another Galarian.
"Nessa? Well, she works as a model, so that makes sense." Chloe had heard of Nessa the model before her other profession. The dark-skinned bluenette's bikini wasn't as remarkable as her pose, which looked like something from her mom's yoga classes but on an entirely different level. She had both her legs behind her head and wasn't screaming in pain!
"Those legs though….I wish I had legs that could bend like that." Lita admitted. "I hate to admit it, but I'm not the most flexible person around."
"Can't be any worse than me."
"You have cute legs, I have a large butt."
"I mean the flexibility. Our butts have nothing to do with that. Besides, you say that like you're fat. You just come from a family who hogs all the sex appeal from the rest of us."
"Your cute butt makes it easier."
"My butt isn't cute! Also you do not have a big butt, you just have large hips."
"Those are different?"
"Yes!"
Somehow that turned from a discussion of butts to a flexibility demonstration. Probably a 5 out of 10 in the Ketchum weirdness meter and an odd way for her occasional participation with her mom's yoga to show itself useful.
"Wow Chloe, I can't get my leg that far!" Lita complemented after wincing from the pain of trying to push her leg as far as possible. The taller girl didn't seem to notice the fact her face was strained.
"Yes I can touch my shoulders but don't take a picture of it or I'll scare the children!"
Lita obliged, and went to the next page as Chloe put her leg, and thus her face, back to normal and no longer in pain.
"No Leon image because 'he got lost on the way to getting to the shoot huh'. So Chloe, what would you say if this was your grandfather?" Lita asked as she showed her a photo of an intimidating looking, buff old man with facial hair that looked like a second jaw, posing with a Haxorus to say 'I look this good at age dirt-old, you can too' in a pair of plain swim shorts.
"No old man should ever be that ripped." Chloe snarked.
"What happens to kids that mess around on his lawn, you think?"
"Probably death. By flexing his abs. That would scare anybody to death."
"Except the grandmothers. They'd be excited to death."
"And you just made it weird, next!"
And it was then that Chloe got an idea that would hopefully keep them from going back to that topic ever again… especially as she had peaked at who was the next person in the magazine.
"Let's take a bet on who we see in this thing next." Chloe offered as Lita got a somewhat devious look on her face.
Perhaps too devious. "I bet you a thousand dollars that Ash is in this magazine."
"I bet you a kiss that he isn't."
"Hey, that's not fair. How's a kiss comparable to money?"
"Do you even have a thousand dollars?"
"Okay then, if we find Ash I kiss you."
"That's not a bet Lita. That means something happens no matter what."
"Well what else can I bet? I mean what am I supposed to bet, the clothes on my back?"
"Yeah, because that's a bet. If we see Ash I kiss you and if we don't you have to go commando the rest of our time here." Chloe snarked as Lita got an inquisitive look on her face, as if considering such a bet.
Oh no…..curse her snarky attitude!
"Do you mean no panties or nothing at all? Because a lack of a bra would be a bit of a hiccup…." Lita genuinely asked.
"The bras can stay if there is no Ash!"
"Okay."
And Lita turned the page, not dejected at all at how the person was not Ash. It was some older lady named Drasna with giant dragon fangs as earrings.
"...Oh my, grandma, what hotness…."
"Lita!" Chloe cut her off as Lita laughed.
"What, I can't make a joke?"
"Not with old people in swimsuits, especially the hotter ones….crap." Chloe realized what she just said.
"This Drasna chick kept herself in pretty good shape for someone who's probably….old. Though I can't say that I am into cougars…"
"Same!"
"But you know, she does look like a sweet older lady. 'Hello, I'm Drasna, these are my precious grandchildren. Make them cry and I'll blast your face off with my legion of dragons!'" Lita mimicked grandmother's sweet tone of voice.
"...At least she's wearing a one piece swimsuit." Chloe grumbled. Curse the drive to have more varied representation in your swimsuit magazines….
And then, her phone rang. After two old dragon people in a row, she was happy to take a quick break and see what it was. It sounded like a text., and it was.
GoMewGoh: Wow Chloe I just checked it out! You are the highest ranked student at school in the entire World Coronation Series! That'll show them for being a bunch of jerks!
Goh….Goh…..GOH! Lita could clearly see this message!
"...Your schoolmates are that bad?" Lita asked as their magazine time was interrupted by Goh….
GoMewGoh: Because I only just found out...because I am very socially awkward.
And I don't go to classes that much. But mostly because I am socially awkward and for no other reason at all.
GoMewGoh: Yeah you are totally better than Sara and Yeardley now! You always were, but now you have an international tournament to say so in a court of law!
"Who are Sara and Yeardley?" Lita asked the question as Goh stopped.
"..."
"I've never really been in a school long enough to know, but I'm going to guess they're bullies. Your bullies."
"Sara more so than Yeardley. Honestly, I think the latter's too oblivious to know he's doing anything wrong. He's still annoying, but she's worse."
"So what's this….Sarah like?"
"Sara, no H. She's…."
"Yeah?"
"She's… complicated. That's the only way I can describe her. Like, on the one hand, she acts like those stereotypical bullies you see on TV, the only thing she lacks is a posse. But on the other hand, I feel like most of her attitude is… fabricated."
"Fabricated?"
"As in, her malice feels forced. That's not to say she's not malicious, there are times where she has too much fun being a bully. But most of the time, it feels like she's just acting like a bully to distance herself from people. Like she was afraid of people getting too close to her, so she drives them away by being an asshole. People respect her, they fear her, they tend to agree with what she says or who she says is wrong, but I would never say they love her. And also, she's very judgemental: no matter what anybody does, she always has a criticism for it. Especially if you are different because of stuff you choose to like or do."
"People won't hurt you for having a difference in anything here. What, were you worried I'd get mad at you for saying I'd have to read the book first or something?"
"..."
"Chloe…." Lita said in grave concern.
"I'm weird. I like monsters and the wrong things."
"Well good thing you are among 'monsters'. Liking monsters is a good thing in my book." Lita assured her with some odd edge to it. Not aimed at Chloe, but somewhere else.
"...Who, Vedia and Jinx? Jinx is just intense and Vedia...I don't know she's Edric with small boobs and no metal limbs. "
"Not sure who Edric is, but there are plenty who'd call people who can shoot electricity monsters. I could have the same thing if I was too open about myself too, just with adults and the law and not just schoolyard jerks. I guess...maybe that's why everyone's so relaxed here. Because they can drop a lot of that concern for a few days, especially if they are out in the hills." Lita mused, leading Chloe back to how Lita had been cautious about letting anyone see her powers charge Chloe's phone, or how the town didn't know that everyone here was here for a reunion. "And I'm sure if you asked, there would be people who know that better than I do. I just knew it could happen, and saw enough hints that it would if my mom and I weren't careful."
"So, go ask Vedia about her tragic backstory. Not sure I want to do that. I don't like talking about my own problems to most people."
"Do you like talking about it to me?"
"...I wish it didn't come up, but saying it to you...it isn't that bad."
Lita hugged her, and she tensed at the embrace of the larger girl. She eventually relaxed though, and just soaked in the comfort for a bit.
Eventually after a bit in Lita's embrace the girl reached for a magazine and opened it up to a new page, perhaps seeing if the night could end with something a bit less heavy.
"Huh, Ash was in here after all. Though seeing as it's all kind of serious right now…"
Chloe kissed Lita on the cheek. For more than just the bet. And Lita held her, not using the kiss as a set up to tease or push for more or anything else. Just comfort.
END CHAPTER!
Cross: For a quick bit of Word of Goding, and to clarify what I am sure will come up in reviews, 'Endless Trail' is in fact based on the author going to the Infinity Train. The author of said book-to-soon-be-a-movie went on the train well before the internet and thus a veiled but still clearly I.T book was the best way of coping/sharing the experience. Anyone who met 'The Cat' would clearly see her in 'The Skitty' and would know to talk to the author. Also the reason it was 'The Skitty' mentioned is because she happens to be the one I.T character who'd definitely be around pre internet other than One, who is hardly going to be met by anyone as this would certainly be pre Amelia.
Exotos: I bet the movie's gonna become Cerise's favorite movie when it comes out, but will be planned by critics.
Cross: Also since I am here, while Orange Lily elements would exist in the backstory I am quite sure that Lillie never had her 'bitch phase/reverse-Misty phase' and Gladion thus never went on the train. Mallow may have, may not….not entirely sure. Though hopefully as this Mallow was probably older when the 'Alien Space Venom' kicked into full gear maybe she realized that, if it ever did come up, those around her would believe her about alternate dimensional kidnapping trains. Sigh….the character in Blossomverse I hate the most with a reason is Parker, the one I hate for petty reasons is Hop, and the biggest idiot who needlessly made it worse is Mallow….
Exotos: Parker I can see, as well as Mallow to a lesser extent, but Hop?
Cross: As I said, petty reasons. The whole 'I got on the Infinity Train in part because Ash was getting Leon's attention and not me' soured me a bit on him. It's an extension on the slight idea of 'Ash and Leon hurt people by being too good and not constantly apologizing for it' that sometimes comes up. When I co-write stuff with Bede, I referenced Tall Poppy Syndrome for a reason.
Exotos: Crap, I forgot that. Then again, he's meant to be a male counterpart to Chloe…
Cross: Chloe, for all I do gripe on her, is surprisingly fun as a foil dynamic with Ash and co if she's filtered out of some of her bigotries and delusions. Not sure if Hop has quite the same effect.
Exotos: We'd also have to consider how he and the Train are related in this story, and that's the last thing we need.
Cross: But hey, as we said at the start, that's spinoff territory. Until next time!
Exotos: Bye!