Chapter 9: Mall-ed Over
The new morning rose. The cast for the Raiders play, including Ash and his Pokemon, watched the Indiana Jones movie as a study session. However, the Crusaders snuggled and passed out while hanging onto Ash's limbs. Twilight and Sunset woke to sounds of the Crusaders gasping. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo realized they slept with Ash as he woke as well. "What the-" gawked the three. Ash sighed to the Crusaders waking.
"I was wondering when you'd wake up," he murmured. The Crusaders didn't mind being with Ash.
"Call it a dream come true!" they cheered. The three pounced on Ash and kissed him simultaneously on his face: Apple Bloom and Scootaloo took his cheeks while Sweetie Belle scored between the eyes. Twilight and Sunset giggled to the sight. Sunset gave everyone orange juice while reviewing the movie from last night.
"So, we've concluded some of the items not in the play like smoking and any scanty moments like Marion stripping in front of Belloq," Sunset addressed.
"We're fine with us and a few other students sitting and admiring the session," Sweetie Belle added. Twilight scoffed to the movie.
"You know, Indiana Jones reminds me of Daring Do a lot, something Rainbow has been reading a lot of," she pointed out. Ash and Pikachu blinked to the name while the Crusaders got a little excited.
"Daring Do?" repeated Scootaloo. "I nearly forgot about that!" Ash recalled the visit to Equestria and the mentioning of Daring Do.
'So Daring Do's as popular as Indiana Jones,' he thought. 'It makes me wonder who's the better archaeologist.' Ash chose to maintain on topic. "I think we can work around the tomb of snakes. Does the stage have any holes or pits we could use?" Sunset nodded to the question.
"The orchestra pit can work," she replied. Before they continued with the discussion, Pikachu heard someone approaching.
"Pikachu, what is it?" asked Apple Bloom. Then, a knock on the door. Sunset ran to and opened the door, revealing Rarity.
"Morning, Sunset," she greeted. "Is Sweetie Belle awake?" Rarity entered to where those in the kitchen welcomed the white young woman. "My my, is this the morning of study sessions? I know the movie we watched was last night…"
"Well, slight updating," Sunset sneered. "We're still looking at omissions and alternatives to the play." Rarity palmed Ash's shoulder.
"One thing we can omit is Ash's hair," she pointed out. "I know a great stylist who can fix his hair to make it comforting to wear Indy's fedora." Ash shrugged Rarity's hand off.
"My hair is fine," he protested. Rarity gasped to the rebuttal.
"That hair is NOT Indiana Jones Material! You saw what his hair looks like!"
"So?! I'm sure any teacher at Canterlot have their hair however they want, why can't I!?"
"Because it's iconic! And besides, we're also shopping for material for your outfits for the play." Sunset decided to go further about the play.
"Without a haircut, they'll see you and not Indy," she added. "Perhaps do it for Principal Celestia since she insisted on the play." The promise to Celestia and Luna made Ash a bit uneasy, but there wasn't much of a choice.
"Alright, I'll go!" Pikachu squeaked in how Ash surrendered. Rarity nodded to the confirmation.
"Perfect! The bus will be around eventually. Let's go!" The bus arrived and Rarity, Ash and the Crusaders boarded to go to the mall. Ash still seemed upset at the movie playing.
"Hey, what's wrong, Ash?" asked Apple Bloom. Ash turned to Applejack's sister.
"Remember when Indy shot that swordsman?" he recalled.
"Of course, we do!" snickered Scootaloo. "That was so funny and random…"
"Come on, Ash!" sneered Sweetie Belle. "You had to have a laugh from that moment!" Ash didn't smile.
"I still remember when I had a gun in my face back in the Safari Zone in Kanto," he recalled. The girls gasped.
"YOU!?" gawked Rarity. "Absurd!"
"I don't know what I did to upset the Game Warden who pulled the gun on me," he continued. "But that steel was so close, it felt like it was touching my nose." The Crusaders moaned in sadness hearing about Ash's dilemma with a firearm.
"I see…" Rarity sighed. "So that explains your hesitation about Indy and using a gun." Pikachu squeaked to agree.
"It's also illegal to use any weapon on Pokémon," Ash added. "It's a law." Rarity wrapped her arm around his neck for a sympathetic hug.
"At least it will be a prop gun so you don't have to worry about someone getting hurt," she hummed. "Just a loud bang." The group arrived at the mall where they found Sci-Twi with some paid merchandise. Seeing Ash with Rarity and the Crusaders, Sci-Twi became hesitant.
"Oh, no…" she stuttered. Ash spotted the carrier of Midnight who picked up a book, hiding her face. Pikachu saw that as odd. Just then, Flash, Sandalwood and Bulk came by.
"There's Indy right now!" cheered Sandalwood.
"Hey, guys!" greeted Ash. Rarity and the Crusaders also greeted the boys. Flash saw Sci-Twi and her ponytail.
"Okay, not my Twilight," he sighed.
"She'll be here later," Rarity eased. "Anyway…" She tells the boys about Ash's run-ins with guns before and why he's a little hesitant to be Indiana Jones.
"I guess I can't blame you after that," Flash huffed. "So, I have an idea. There's a few arcade games that can help with the play." Ash blinked to the offer.
"You… can't be serious," he shuttered.
"Don't worry," Flash assured. "Game characters are just computer data. A new game, they're revived. What do you say?" Ash still felt uneasy. Rarity stepped forward.
"Before that, we have to uniform Canterlot's Indy," she ruled. "This way, please!" Escorted, they reached a barber shop as Pikachu made his way to Sci-Twi. They're the first to enter today and Rarity explained to the barber the style she wanted Ash to have. Then, she approached Ash. "I've known her for years and she's also a huge movie buff. She'll make sure you look dapper." Reluctant, Ash had no choice.
"Well, at least my hair will grow back when it's all over," he sighed. As Ash got going on his new hairdo, Pikachu reunited with Sci-Twi and got her attention.
"Pikachu?" she guessed. "Where's Ash?" Pikachu "clipped" his fingers like scissors to his fur. "Oh, his transformation to be Indiana Jones has started. Sorry about yesterday… Midnight's starting to come out of the shadows." Pikachu showed concern to Sci-Twi which she petted back. That's when…
"Twilight?" a girl called out. Sci-Twi and Pikachu turned to four girls in maroon school uniforms and plaid-color skirts. The first who stepped up was a pink-skinned girl with pink headphones and long green hair. "It IS you! How's it been?"
"Lemon!" gasped Sci-Twi. "This is a surprise!" She also spotted three others: a teal-haired girl with peach skin, a purple/magenta-haired with turquoise skin and magenta-haired with a sky-blue streak and yellow skin. "Indigo, Sunny, Sour…"
"A pleasure to see you too after what happened that while ago at the Friendship Games," the turquoise-skinned, Sunny, greeted. "How's Canterlot High?"
"Great!" replied Sci-Twi. "I'm learning a lot about making friends. In fact, did you hear we're doing a movie-based play?"
"We did from Principal Cadence," the pink-haired, Indigo, reported. Sci-Twi seemed at ease in knowing about information.
"P-Principal!?" she yelped.
"Yeah, didn't she tell you?" guessed Lemon. "After the Friendship Games, and reviewing the report by the school district, Principal Cinch had to resign." Sci-Twi seemed caught off-guard by the news. Pikachu didn't seem clued in. The yellow-skinned girl, Sour, heard and saw Pikachu, squealing at his appearance.
"It's so cute!" she cheered while holding and twirling Pikachu. "Oh, yes you are, little mousy wowsy!" Lemon and Sunny saw Pikachu in Sour's arms and also came over while Sci-Twi smiled. The other two of Sci-Twi's friends petted with Lemon itching under Pikachu's chin. He made a loud "CHA!" that made the girls and even Indigo coo for him.
"Pikachu certainly has that charm," Sci-Twi exclaimed.
"Looks like you're not the only one a little shocked," Indigo snickered. "He's certainly easier on the eyes than your pet Spike. No offense."
"None taken," Sci-Twi shrugged. Lemon, a gleeful face painted on her, held Pikachu in her arms while turning to Twilight.
"I can't believe this Pikachu's yours!" she awed. Sci-Twi irked to the mistake.
"You're right, he's not," she corrected. "His owner's getting himself prepared to play the lead role." That's when Indigo recalled something else.
"Canterlot found a new Indiana Jones after Flash's injury?" she guessed. Pikachu squeaked to confirm the news. At a clothing store, Rarity and the Crusaders brought Ash clothes to wear. The wild hair had been removed and it looked more of a young man's average style. He emerged wearing a t-shirt under a blue basketball jersey and baggy denim shorts. Sweetie Belle smacked herself in the head.
"Nah!" denied the other girls. Ash's second ensemble was a red tank top and tight biker shorts. Scootaloo moaned to the design. "Nah!" The third outfit had Ash in a white formal shirt, bell-bottom gray trousers and platform shoes. Rarity couldn't believe how horrendous it looked on him. "Nah!" The fourth ensemble had him in denim overalls with heavy leather boots. The girls turned to Apple Bloom with shaking heads. "Nah!" The fifth ensemble had a black leather jacket and matching trousers. To top it off, aviator sunglasses. Quickly, all four showed distaste. "Nah!" The sixth ensemble featured Ash in a football jersey and matching slacks. Again, the girls had no approval. "Nah!" The seventh ensemble had him emerge with a yellow button-down t-shirt under a black shirt and brown slacks. The girls awed the look of Ash. "YES!" Ash snickered to the positive review.
"I kinda like it myself," he agreed. "Feels like old times…" The group walked out to where more of Sci-Twi's old schoolmates found them with Sci-Twi in the back.
"There he is!" one girl shouted. The Crystal Pep girls surrounded Ash, admiring his young look and new appearance. Lemon was the first to grab Ash's hands.
"Nice to meet you!" she greeted. "I'm Twilight's old classmate, Lemon Zest! Maybe there's a time for us to be together!"
"I don't think so!" denied Sour. She roped Ash around the neck. "Sour Sweet, and I love that Pikachu of yours!" The girls swarmed onto Ash who wanted to know their new actor.
"Come on, everyone," he tried to ease the crowd. "I'm just helping with Canterlot's play."
"By playing the lead role which we want to Indy up on," Indigo summed up before everyone piled onto him. Despite makeup and lipstick on Ash painting his face, he escaped while Rarity's friends saw the mobbing.
"Okay, that's not good!" gulped Sunset. The girls found Ash before starting to pursue him. Rainbow had an idea and turned to the pink friend.
"Pinkie, distraction!" she ordered.
"You got it!" saluted Pinkie. She raced pass Ash before throwing a handful of red glitter which exploded, causing the Crystal Prep students to cover. The glitter exploded into a cascade… of balloons. Rainbow grabbed Ash by the arm.
"Hold on tight!" she advised. Before Ash could figure out Rainbow's intention, she ran out of the mall within seconds. She was going so fast, she passed a police cruiser monitoring speeders. The radar gun within the cruiser registered a speed reading 888 MPH. The officers couldn't believe what they caught on their gun. At a forest nearby, Ash tried to recover from the speed burst.
"What the heck!" he gawked. Rainbow stood upright after that run. She handed Ash a small towel.
"Crystal Prep must not get many young men to admire, or their witch of a principal has them on a short leash," she teased. Ash cleaned his face of the lipstick. "I guess this is what happens when we spread word of our play."
"If true, how come I'm the one mobbed?" complained Ash. "After all, Flash is the star. I'm just taking his place." To Rainbow, the play wasn't the reason.
"Dude, you have those Pokémon on you! How many other people do you know have creatures like that?" Ash mulled to the thought.
"Sorry, I asked." Ash now wanted to see what Flash wanted to show him. "By the way, I didn't know anyone who can move as fast as you." Rainbow scoffed to the praise.
"I'm a girl who likes to go fast. Anyway, I can tell you need to go back."
"Yep. Flash wants me to get use to having a gun to help play Indiana Jones."
"Say no more." Grabbing Ash's hand, she raced Ash back to the mall where Twilight, Pikachu and Flash waited for their return with Sunset and Fluttershy. "One Ash Ketchum delivered."
"Thanks, Rainbow," Twilight praised.
"We should be away from the Crystal Prep girls and near the arcade," Sunset informed. All reentered the mall before finding the arcades. Basketball hoops, skeet ball ramps, video games…
"This place is… packed," Ash awed. Pikachu agreed with a squeak.
"And there's the test," Flash pointed. Ash looked to the arcade game with connected red and blue plastic handguns. The title of the game was "MACHINES RULE!" and Ash and Flash got to the game. Flash loaded quarters into the coin slot with his left arm before picking up his gun. "Ready?" Ash was hesitant as he lifted the gun connected to the machine. "Now the enemies are the robots. You don't need to worry about humans in this." Ash nodded, though a little hesitant. The game started and robots started going after the screen. Ash wasn't aiming at the screen. He wasn't sure what to do as Flash sniped robots left and right with only his left arm. Ash fought to play and to use a gun. Suddenly, a projectile flew in Ash's way.
"Uh oh!" he gulped. Without another thought, Ash pointed the gun at the screen and fired. The shot found the projectile and destroyed it. Seeing the shot hit and saving health on the plus bar, Ash blinked before seeing more robots aim at him and Flash. With barely a gulp, Ash shot, scoring head-shots and saving Flash ammo.
"There you go!" he encouraged. The cheer led people to flock to the duo as Ash rained shot after shot on the rogue machines. Ash protected himself and Flash with each precise shot.
'So this is what it's like to hold a gun… to defend one's self. I can see Indiana Jones and that scene.' Half an hour leader, both Ash and Flash finished the game without spending another quarter. The crowd was astonished that the two could complete such a feat. Ash holstered the gun.
"So, how was it shooting robots and not other people?"
"Well, I can appreciate Indiana Jones a little more… and it's thanks to you." After the arcade game and more praises, Ash returned to Rarity and the rest to finish shopping. Fluttershy brought Ash and his merchandise to her home where she fed Ash and his Pokémon.
"I gotta say, that look suits you," she complimented. "You look comfortable in that. Does that factor when you're a trainer?"
"Not really," Ash denied. "After all, it's mainly focused on the Pokémon."
"I see. I'm sure everyone at school will like the new look."
"I've already made plenty of impressions… and I've already got ideas for how people and Pokémon can interact." Fluttershy snapped her fingers in knowing how the Pokémon session can work.
"That can give you more insight to how Indiana Jones teaches!" Realizing, Ash snapped his fingers back.
"Good idea!" As they converse more, Sci-Twi was back home with Spike and on her computer. She checked her inbox where she saw an address.
"EverGloriFree "
"It's from Gloriosa," she cheered. Spike came to see it for himself.
"What's up?" he wondered. Sci-Twi opened the e-mail.
TWILIGHT SPARKLE-
IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS HELPED TIMBER AND I WITH CAMP EVERFREE. I COULD SAY THAT I'VE MISSED YOU BUT TIMBER IS SO ANXIOUS THAT HE'D BEGGED ME TO COME TO VISIT AT SOME POINT. ALSO, WE'RE INTERESTED IN SEEING CANTERLOT'S PLAY YOU'RE DOING, THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK WITH INDY JONES. OH, THAT MOVIE BRINGS BACK MEMORIES. I WANT TO SEE THAT AND HOW THE PLAYERS WILL INTERACT. WE'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW.
SINCERELY- GLORIOSA DAISY
"Gloriosa and Timber will come to see this!" cheered Sci-Twi. "Isn't this exciting!?"
"Well, write back!" suggested Spike.
"Good idea!" Sci-Twi began to write back to Gloriosa as the night wore on. Ash's new look will appeal to many at Canterlot. And how will Sci-Twi's friends react to seeing the Pokémon?
TO BE CONTINUED