Chapter 7: How Wonderful
"Alright, who did that?" Ash yelled angrily, jumping up from his seat. He knew this could only be bad news, and he was prepared to take action immediately in defense of his two friends on the battlefield.
Brock was the first one to stand up alongside Ash, followed soon by his classmates. This caused people around them in the stands to look at them in shock and confusion, despite their evident bravery.
From the cloud of smoke hiding the hole made in the wall of the stadium, two nets were launched towards either side of the battlefield, directly at the two sets of Pokemon occupying them. Before anyone could react, all four Pokemon were captured in those nets, and brought back towards the cloud of smoke.
"Braixen, Sylveon!"
"Quilava, Pachirisu!" Dawn called as they moved away from her, into the smoke cloud. "Alright, who's responsible for this?"
The cloud of smoke slowly began to clear up, and a familiar shadow could be seen.
The sound of a man, a woman, and another creature laughing could be heard echoing throughout the stadium.
"Look, is that a Wallace Cup final I see?"
"If the twerp goes to Hoenn, then so do we."
"On the wind!"
"Past the stars!"
"Aw yeah, we throwin' it all the way back to Sinnoh for you twerps!"
"Bringing Team Rocket-branded chaos at a breakneck pace!"
"Dashing young love and putting unfortunate circumstances in its place!"
"Stealing from two expired twerpettes makes it doubly sweet."
"We've made everything worse, so our work is complete!"
"Jessie!"
"And James."
"Meowth, now dat's a name!"
"Putting the more talented performers in their places!"
"We're Team Rocket!"
"And we're in your faces!"
"Team Rocket!" Ash and all his friends yelled simultaneously, including the girls on the battlefield. Their balloon had fully come into view now, and everyone could see the magenta and blue hair, as well as the Meowth occupying the balloon.
"How wonderful! It appears we've captured some talented performers in our little nets!" Jessie exclaimed happily.
"Don't you guys know when to give up?" Dawn asked, exasperated.
"Let our Pokemon go, Team Rocket!" Serena yelled.
"Ah ah ah, I'm afraid that is simply not going to happen. You must've learned that asking us won't get you anywhere, yes? Surely you have at least that much brain power." James said, turning to Serena. He moved the microphone away from them, so just the two girls could hear them. "And yes, before you ask, I did say young love."
"Yeah." Meowth agreed. "We saw ya in dere earlier, you and the twerp."
Serena immediately blushed a dark red in embarrassment.
Jessie pointed at Serena angrily. "Yeah, blondie! You were in there snuggling with the twerp! What's that all about?"
"That's none of your business!" Serena yelled angrily, shaking off the embarrassment.
"Well, whatever." James shrugged, moving the microphone back to its original position. "Anyway, we're off now. Toodaloo!"
"We'd love to steal all of your Pokemon too, but we simply don't have time. Buh-bye now!" Jessie said.
Before anyone could react, Team Rocket's balloon exited the way it entered, through the hole they created in the wall of the stadium, bringing Dawn and Serena's Pokemon with them.
Ash reacted first. "Quick, let's go outside and figure out which way they're headed!"
Ash's friends all nodded. "Right!"
As the big group began to run out of the stands, down the stairs and towards the exit of the stadium, Ash ran down to the bottom of the stands, hoping to reach his two friends. "Dawn, Serena!"
The two girls turned towards Ash's voice and saw him at the bottom of the stands. "Meet us outside, we're gonna track them down!"
"Right, Ash!" Dawn nodded. She turned towards the honey-blonde. "Let's go, Serena!"
"Right!"
Before they could leave, Vivian approached them, her microphone moved away from her mouth so her voice was no longer on the speaker system. "The police have been called, they're going to make sure Team Rocket doesn't get too far without giving you your Pokemon back."
"Thanks, Vivian. If they can tell us where they're going, you can leave the rest to us." Dawn said confidently.
"That's right. We've dealt with Team Rocket a whole lot before this." Serena agreed.
Vivian smiled. "You're both very driven and talented. I have no doubt we'll be able to to have our finals sooner rather than later."
The two coordinators smiled and nodded as Vivian began to relay the situation to the audience, saying that the finals were indefinitely postponed, until the situation was resolved.
Ash, with Pikachu hanging on for dear life, ran all the way down to the exit and found his friends already looking around just outside the doors. He called to them. "Have you guys seen anything?"
Professor Kukui shook his head. "We haven't seen where they went off to, but Officer Jenny is headed this way. I'm sure she knows."
Mallow looked down at Shaymin in her arms, a worried look on her face. "I hope everyone's okay."
Kiawe made a fist, gritting his teeth. "The nerve of Team Rocket…"
"Don't worry, you guys. I'm sure we'll find them in no time, especially with the police on the case. I don't really think you can just get away with interrupting the Wallace Cup in such a direct manner, no matter who you are." Lillie said reassuringly.
"Ash!"
The boy in questioned turned his head to the voice that called from behind him, finding Serena and Dawn running up to join their group. They stopped on either side of Ash, with Serena placing a gentle, worried hand on Ash's back. "Do you know where they went?"
"Not yet. But Officer Jenny'll tell us." He said, grinning at her and motioning to the policewoman stopping her motorcycle in front of them. Her partner Growlithe occupied the passenger's car.
"Dawn, Serena. We've received reports that Team Rocket is hiding out in the outskirts of the city, near the Cave of Origin. Are you all sure you can handle this on your own?" The Officer asked them.
Dawn nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
"And we'll all be going, too." Ash quickly added. This caused Serena to smile up at Ash, closing her hand and grabbing some of Ash's jacket, as if steeling herself as well.
The policewoman nodded. "Ash Ketchum, correct? I remember you from all those years ago in the Hoenn League. It's reassuring to know that you and your friends will go too. To get to where they're supposedly hiding, just run in that direction, to the far northwest end of the city. Follow the path there for a little bit until you see an opening in the rock formation that holds the city. That's supposedly where Team Rocket is hiding out."
"Thank you, Officer Jenny. Let's move, everyone!" Professor Kukui called.
"Right!"
"Well, we didn't get Pikachu, but this is still quite the haul!"
"Four twerpette Pokemon, all well-trained performers!"
"And we'll send 'em all to da boss, and they'll put on a bee-yu-tee-ful performance every day after he wakes up! I can see it now!"
"Wow. It seems like just another day here at Team Rocket HQ. I wish I had a little somethin' to spice up my mornin' before I go take over da woyrld."
"Then, our four performers come into his room, and they put on a beautiful performance for him, inspirin' him to wake up and seize the day!"
"Look at this beautiful performance! I just gotta give Meowth and his friends a huge promotion for sendin' me dese Pokemon to make every mornin' unforgettable!"
"Say it wit' me now…"
"PROMOTION! JACUZZIS! THE BOSS' LOVE! ALL THE FOOD WE CAN EAT!"
James quickly finished up his second can of ale. "We really pulled it out of the bag this time! Go us!"
Jessie threw her second finished can behind her. "You're so right! I mean, think of all the times we thought we were successful an did this exact thing only to have something go wrong!"
Meowth downed the rest of his drink. "Ah, dat hits da spot… huh?"
The three were startled by cries of anger coming from the two cages off to the side, as well as the cages being slammed into. They looked back to see Dawn's Quilava angrily slamming itself into the cage bars, trying to escape.
"Now, now, don't tire yourself out. You can't break or burn that cage, buddy." Jessie said, waving her hand dismissively.
"It's resistant to every type of attack there is!" James added happily.
Quilava fumed, with Pachirisu next to it looking worried. It hated being confined, but it didn't want its friend to continue hurting itself. Braixen and Sylveon were in the other cage, looking worried as well. They were desperately hoping for their trainer or her crush to come and get them out.
"This is it, grunts. The boss is already inside, waiting for us. This is the moment the Hoenn Division has been waiting for. Are you all ready?"
"Yes, Commander Chi!"
"Good. Then let us go. Follow me."
Team Rocket looked towards the voices, which came from near the entrance of the Cave of Origin. They peered above a bush, and saw a group of people, maybe 30 or 40, all dressed exactly the same. The men all wore pitch black long-sleeve shirts, pants, and shoes. The girls wore pitch black, long-sleeve dresses and thigh-high socks, with black shoes. The shirts and dresses all had the left sleeve colored bright red, and the right one colored royal blue. They also had some kind of patch on their chests, though they couldn't determine what exactly the patched had on it. The group was led by a man with long, slicked back, purple hair. The man was tall and built, almost like an old-school wrestler. He wore the same uniform with a slightly different patch, one that showed a hint of purple. He also wore a purple bandana around his neck. He turned around and led the group of 'grunts' into the opening, disappearing into the darkness of the cave.
"What was that about?" James asked.
"Not sure, but it looks like we may not be the only ones doing evil deeds around here." Jessie asked.
"What makes you think they're evil? They may not be." Meowth said.
"They look just like any other team we've seen. Team Galactic, Team Plasma, Team Flare… they're all just like that." Jessie said suspiciously.
"I couldn't make out what that patch had on it… I wonder what it said." James pondered.
"Yeah, maybe next time this happens, we shouldn't get intoxicated." Meowth concluded.
"There's the path!"
Ash led the group with Dawn and Serena on either side of him, and stopped at the edge of path into the woods on the outskirts of Sootopolis City. Most of Ash's classmates, as well as Brock followed close behind, stopping as well.
Ash looked at the group in confusion. "Did Sophocles fall behind?"
"Go on without us, Ash!"
Ash looked beyond his friends to see Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet helping Sophocles stay on his feet. "This was too much running for me."
"We know you guys can handle it. It's only Team Rocket, right?" Professor Burnet asked.
"Let's hope so." Ash said, looking back down the path. He then looked to Dawn on his left, then Serena on his right. The two girls smiled in response. He motioned to the path. "Well, we're not getting anything done standing here! Let's move, guys!"
Ash, Serena, Dawn, Brock, Lillie, Lana, Mallow, and Kiawe all took off running down the path that led to the Cave of Origin. It didn't take them long, maybe 2 or 3 minutes to find the entrance to the legendary cave.
Pikachu's ears suddenly perked up, and it began sniffing the air. Ash looked over to his partner. "What's up, buddy?"
"Do you smell them, Pikachu?" Serena asked him.
"Pika!" He smiled at his friend and hopped off Ash's shoulder, running off the path and into the woods.
"Quick, let's follow Pikachu!" Mallow said.
"Don't lose him!" Lillie agreed, and the group took off after Ash's partner.
It took less than a minute before Pikachu had found Team Rocket, calling out and motioning over to them. The group saw Team Rocket sitting on tree stumps, drinking something out of cans.
"Team Rocket!"
The three stopped their drinking and turned to see the group of trainers approaching them, all looking upset and ready to take back what had been stolen. "Give Dawn and Serena's Pokemon back!"
"In your dreams, twerp!" Jessie started.
Dawn squinted, sweat-dropping. "Are you guys… drinking?"
Kiawe facepalmed. "Looks like it."
"Hey, it's celebratory! It's what you do after a hard day's work! What would you know, anyway? You're not even old enough to drink!" James said pointedly.
"How do you know that?" Kiawe asked suspiciously.
James recoiled. "Um… are you saying that you are old enough to drink?"
Kiawe shrugged. "Maybe I am. Or maybe I'm not."
Jessie pointed to Dawn. "But you! You're definitely not old enough! And neither are you, twerp!"
"Please tell us you're not old enough to drink." James added quietly.
"Um… no, not yet. But I'm pretty sure I'm close." Ash confirmed. "But wait, what does that have to do with anything?"
"And besides, how do we know Meowth is old enough to drink?" Lillie asked.
"There are no laws sayin' Pokemon can't drink." Meowth said, shrugging.
"Well, I guess this will be easier than we thought." Dawn said, grinning teasingly.
"Now that's just rude!" Jessie shouted.
"We're not drunk, only slightly intoxicated! Go, Mareanie!" James called. The Pokemon emerged from its Pokeball, before going back to James and closing itself around his head. James tried to defend himself but failed, and when Mareanie let go of him, his face was totally purple.
"That looks uncomfortable…" Serena noted.
"Mimikyu, get out here!" Jessie called. It emerged and its eyes started to glow when it saw Pikachu standing in front of Ash, ready to battle.
"We won't let you get away with this! Pancham, let's go!" Serena yelled.
"Piplup, ready to go?" Dawn's partner nodded, and leapt out of her arms and next to Pikachu and Pancham.
"Serena, you're going to have to help me with Mimikyu. It really does not like Pikachu, and it battles on another level when it's against Pikachu. But if we work together, it should be just fine." Ash whispered to the girl next to him.
"Got it, Ash." Serena nodded, smiling.
"Should we help them?" Lana asked.
Brock shook his head. "I think they'll be okay."
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"
"Mimikyu, use Wood Hammer!"
Pikachu dashed towards Mimikyu, both him and Ash knowing that it wouldn't actually have any effect if it hit. Mimikyu tried to slam it's glowing purple tail into Pikachu, but Ash's partner was much too fast. As Pikachu was approaching, Mimikyu spun around, trying to hit it, but Pikachu retreated back towards Ash.
"Use Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu leapt into the air and fired Thunderbolt at Mimikyu, still on the ground in front of Jessie.
"Dodge it!"
Mimikyu jumped into the air, deftly avoiding Pikachu's attack.
"Now, Serena!" Ash yelled.
"Pancham, use Dark Pulse!" Serena called.
The Panda Pokemon fired its Dark Pulse at Mimikyu, still in the air. It had no real maneuverability in the air, and thus, no way to dodge. The Dark Pulse nailed its target, sending Mimikyu crashing to the ground in a heap, its disguise's effect keeping it from taking too much damage.
"Use Thunderbolt again!" Ash called.
Pikachu quickly fired Thunderbolt before Mimikyu could make another move, its disguise not protecting it this time. It landed another direct hit, rendering Mimikyu down for a while.
"But I didn't even get to use my Z-move!" Jessie complained. "Get up, Mimikyu!"
Serena took a mental note of what Jessie said. She didn't know what a Z-Move even was.
"Piplup, use Drill Peck!"
"Mareanie, Spike Cannon!"
Mareanie fired its attack at Piplup and the Penguin Pokemon began to rotate rapidly, flying towards Mareanie. It somehow managed to dodge, or at least, power through, all of the spikes and land a direct hit on James' Pokemon. It crashed to the ground in a heap.
"Ah! Mareanie!"
"Now, Hydro Pump!" Dawn called.
Piplup opened its beak wide and shot a powerful geyser of water towards Mareanie and landing yet another direct hit, leaving James' Pokemon down for a while, too.
"Alright, Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Ash called, grinning.
"Pika!" Pikachu dashed towards Team Rocket, but jumped and flew past them. He steeled his tail, and smashed the cage holding Quilava and Pachirisu into a bunch of small metal bars. He then did the same to the cage holding Braixen and Sylveon. Sylveon leaned down and nuzzled Pikachu in thanks. Pikachu blushed from the affection.
"Great job, Pikachu!" Ash smiled. Ash's classmates were also smiling from behind him.
"You twerps just need to learn when to quit!" Meowth yelled frantically.
"Quilava, Pachirisu! Thank goodness you're safe!" Dawn said as her Pokemon ran towards her and she hugged both of them in relief.
"Braixen, Sylveon! I'm so glad you're both okay!" Serena said as she embraced both of her Pokemon as well. She let them go and picked up Pikachu, petting his head and nuzzling him. "Thank you for saving everyone, Pikachu."
Pikachu blushed again in embarassment, nuzzling Serena back. Ash watched both of his friends with a big smile on his face. Quickly, though, serious looks crossed everyone's faces again.
Jessie growled. "That's so cute, I can't take it anymore! Mimikyu, get up, and use Shadow Ball!"
"And Mareanie, use Sludge Bomb!" James called as well.
Since neither Dawn or Serena were quite prepared, Shadow Ball nailed Pancham and Sludge Bomb hit Piplup.
"Piplup!"
"Pancham!"
Both Pokemon flew backwards from the hit, and were caught by their trainers before they could hit the ground. Ash looked angrily over at Team Rocket. Jessie was playing with her Z-Ring.
"Oh, no you don't. We won't let you! Let's go, Pikachu!" Ash made an 'X' with his arms and touched the yellow Z-Crystal attached to his ring.
Serena and Dawn watched in awe as Ash and Pikachu seemed to move in total sync, and eventually landed in an admittedly silly-looking pose, with Ash's legs spread out slightly and his arms making what somewhat resembled a lightning bolt.
"Gigavolt Havoc!"
Pikachu's power built, and it soon launched a powerful, tightly-packed lightning bolt at Team Rocket, who were all shivering in fear, unable to move. The move hit all 5 of them and they all screamed as the intense electricity coursed through them. Soon after, there was an explosion that sent everyone flying, up and over the rock formation that held Sootopolis City.
"And we were so close, too!" Jessie said.
As everyone was pouting, James seemed to remember something. "Hey, wait! Where's…"
Team Rocket looked around, looking for something. Jessie, James, and Meowth all grinned excitedly. Meowth spoke up. "Do we actually get to say it?"
James nodded. "I think so!"
They all yelled in unison. "Hooray! We're bl-"
Just then, right below them, from the middle of the Hoenn ocean, they all saw something black and pink leap up out of the water. Defying gravity, it quickly flew all the way up to where Team Rocket was and hit the apex of its jump, catching Team Rocket in its big, snuggly arms. They all looked up to see that Bewear had, once again, caught them.
Jessie sighed. "We come all the way to Hoenn, and it still manages to find us…"
"What is even happening anymore?" The three articulate members of Team Rocket said, exasperated. Bewear flew off into the distance, carrying them all.
Ash and his friends had lost sight of them before this happened, and Ash looked up towards where they had disappeared, a hand over top of his eyes, as if watching a golf ball fly off into the distance. "Good job, everyone! We got the Pokemon back!"
Everyone cheered in response, the unexpected scare now water under the bridge. Everyone began chatting amongst themselves as they prepared to head back into the city proper. It was still only the afternoon, so there was plenty of time left in the day.
Serena approached Ash and pulled on his sleeve. "So, what on Earth was that move, Ash? Was that a Z-Move?"
"Yeah, Ash, that was incredible! I've never seen anything like it!" Dawn agreed, turning to Ash for an explanation as well.
"Yeah, it was a Z-Move! It's kinda like Mega Evolution because you need a Z-Ring and a Z-Crystal to pull it off. But it's different because every Pokemon can use Z-Moves! There's one for every type, but there are some special ones too. Like Lana has one for her Primarina, who can use Oceanic Operetta, which is a Z-Move only Primarina can use. Anyway, that one was the electric-type Z-Move, Gigavolt Havoc. To actually use the move, both you and your Pokemon have to do a certain pose, but I actually don't remember why that is. But yeah, Z-Moves are crazy strong! But you can only use them once in a while, since they take up a lot of energy. Kind of like the Z-Ring has a cooldown time or something, you know?" Ash explained.
Serena nodded, intrigued. "That's sounds amazing, Ash! Do you have any more Z-Crystals?"
"Yeah! I have this one, and then ones for Normal, Grass, Rock, Steel, and Fire, and one specially for Lycanroc." Ash said.
"Wow, that's a lot." Dawn noted.
"No kidding." Ash agreed. "It's hard to keep track of them all sometimes."
"I bet it is!" Serena giggled. "And they're so small! I'm surprised you haven't lost any of them yet, knowing you, Ash!"
"Hey!" Ash yelled playfully. "I'm totally responsible!"
"Yeah, okay, Ash. Whatever you say." Dawn said, a teasing look on her face.
"The last word I would use to describe Ash is responsible." Mallow agreed, giggling, with Lana giggling as well. Kiawe and Brock were grinning as well. Lillie seemed to be on the verge of giggling, although trying to keep her composure.
"Okay, now everyone's ganging up on me, that's not fair!" Ash complained. Pikachu shrugged from his partner's shoulder, as if agreeing with Ash's friends.
"Well, maybe you should just be more responsible, Ash Ketchum!" Serena smiled teasingly, still giggling. She tugged lightly on his sleeve again, causing him to look over at her.
Ash seemed to pout, but it was easy to tell that he was trying hard not to smile. He took his hat off of his head and placed it on Serena's, pushing to brim down so the hat covered her eyes. The hat's fit was too big for her head, so it slid down easily. Ash grinned in amusement.
"Hey!" Serena pouted, lifting the hat up so she could see again. She looked up at Ash with an admittedly cute pouting face. She retaliated by reaching up and ruffling Ash's hair, messing it up.
"Hey, don't mess it up more than it already is!" Ash complained, though not attempting to move Serena's hand away. Everyone else chuckled at the playful scene. After she was done messing up Ash's hair, he did what he could to put it back to "normal", before snatching his hat off of Serena's head and placing it back on his. "Gimme that."
Serena giggled, satisfied with her work.
"Alright, we should head back. The Professors and Sophocles are waiting for us!" Brock called to everyone.
"Right!"
Serena giggled again as she watched Ash lift his hat and attempt to fix his hair again, placing it back on his head when he was done. She laid her head down on Ash's free shoulder, taking his arm in hers and looking up at him.
He looked down at her, playfully annoyed, and trying his best not to smile. Serena giggled.
"What?"
"Nothing. You're cute." Serena said playfully.
"Whatever." Ash grinned in spite of himself, a little embarrassed. They soon followed the rest of their friends back down the path, Serena still clinging happily to Ash's arm.
"How wonderful."
A tall, well-built man in all black stood at the farthest point of origin cave with a small team of scientists, researchers, and inventors. Down below them, about fifteen or twenty feet, was an enormous pool of lava, which, according to legend, held the resting Groudon.
"How is it looking?"
"All is as calculated, sir. The Blue Orb is reacting. Groudon should be awakened any moment now."
"Good." The man turned on his radio. "Epsilon. How is everything looking for you?"
"Everything is just as we predicted, sir. The Red Orb is reacting as well. Kyogre should be awakened in no time."
"Excellent." The man turned off his radio. "Finally, after all these years, I get to see them with my own eyes. My whole life I've read, I've researched, I've studied."
"BUT NOTHING COULD BE LIKE SEEING THEM UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL!" The man yelled psychotically.
"Now is the time. Soon, Groudon and Kyogre will appear before me. They will wreak havoc across the land, and I will witness it all with my very own eyes!"
"Leader Shadow!"
The man dressed in all black turned to see one of his five trusted commanders reporting with a portion of the Hoenn Division. "Chi, and Hoenn Division Segment C, reporting."
"It is good to see you, Chi. Everything is going as planned. I will need you and Segment C to work to stop any potential threats to the finalization of this experiment. Do whatever it takes."
"Yes sir!" Chi turned to his group of grunts. "You heard the man, move out!"
"Yes sir!" The group all turned and started back towards the entrance, ready to defend the experiment. The Cave of Origin wasn't especially deep, and it was linear, so there would be no fooling anyone. They decided to stay as one big group, standing about 100 yards away from the entrance of the cave, everyone at the ready.
Back at the bottom of the cave, one of the devices' alarms went off. "Sir, it's happening now!"
"Good."
Slowly but surely, the man and his scientists recognized the absolutely enormous form of Groudon rise from the lava far below them. By the time it stood all the way up, it's head was even above them. It looked down at the small group in sheer anger, as if wondering why it had been woken up from a nice nap.
"Ah!" The man's eyes widened as he observed the magnificent creature. "It's more incredible than I ever could've imagined. This is every researcher's wildest dream. And now I finally get to see the legendary Groudon with my own eyes."
The man motioned to himself. "Groudon! My name is Doctor Ivo Shadowfade. I am the leader of Team Sigma. I do not want to harm you. I do not want to control you. I simply want to observe you. Kyogre is being awakened as we speak."
The man then motioned to the wall of the cave. "Now, go, and do battle with your eternal nemesis! I will not stop you, nor will anyone. Go forth, and wreak havoc in a way that only you can!"
Groudon soon roared, causing the entire cave the shake and the group of researchers and scientists to cover their ears. Even the Sigma members at the top of the cave felt as if they were experiencing an Earthquake, and could hear Groudon's roar loudly. Groudon turned around, shattered the wall of the cave with a right hook, and stepped out in the Hoenn ocean.
Groudon was free.
So it's all finally breaking down now! Team Sigma is the team I came up with, which isn't really much more than your generic evil team, except that they will likely be a little more adult-like than normal, and might even use some adult language *gasp*. Don't say I didn't warn you.
So Team Rocket were the ones that broke into the Wallace Cup! Anyone see that one coming? I included Jessalina in the story to tease Team Rocket's involvement in the story. I also included that whole drinking thing because, well, ever since I was old enough to understand the idea of intoxication, and I saw Team Rocket drinking stuff after they successfully capture a Pokemon, I always liked the idea that they were just getting themselves drunk as a reward for finally "winning".
I also included the exchange about drinking as a way to kind of give you guys an idea of where I imagine the characters' ages to be. MatPat's Film Theory on this (which is actually a really good watch, if you're interested) placed Ash right at 20 at the beginning of the Sun and Moon series, which I think is actually pretty fair. So I decided to kind of imagine him as around 20-ish for this story, though it is still ultimately up to your own interpretation, as I won't be saying "THIS IS HOW OLD ASH IS, THE END". I want this story to be the best it can be for everyone, for every reader to imagine things in their own way.
Song is "How Wonderful" by NateWantsToBattle, a Deltarune Song about Doctor W.D. Gaster.
Highly recommend this song, especially if you're familiar with the lore of Undertale / Deltarune and get all the references! Really fun listen!
