Chapter 6: Team Rocket & a Backup Mother
A new day on the Thousand Sunny started in the kitchen. Ash and Sanji donned aprons as they prepare breakfast. "It's about time to teach you how to cook, especially with your friends back home," Sanji started. "Let's go with the basics in cooking proper breakfast with egg-base foods like omelets. The more we get comfortable, the easier and thoughtful cooking becomes."
"Okay," Ash nodded.
"However, before we crack the eggs and slice strips for meat, let me give you a taste test." Sanji had two teaspoons of salt. "You're probably familiar with this salt, right?" Ash dabbed a finger on the salt before tasting it, the sour taste registering immediately.
"That's salty, alright." A small chuckle leaked from Sanji.
"Now try this salt." Like before, Ash dabbed at the other salt. When he tasted this, it wasn't as… salty as salt. It had his eyes widening and almost liking another sample to verify this.
"What in the world… Is this really salt?"
"I know, that was my first reaction to it. That's special salt that can be found on roofs of Water 7. There's an annual phenomenon called Aqua Laguna where much of Water 7's underwater. After Aqua Laguna recedes, the sun dries the salt for scooping. While we were waiting for Franky to finish the Thousand Sunny, I came across an old geezer who uses this salt in his dishes and told me about its creation, implying the salt is from the All Blue… my goal." Ash became infatuated with Sanji's tale.
"The All Blue?"
"Right. The All Blue connects the four seas: North, South, East and West. I know it's out there." Awed, Ash wanted to give Sanji his support.
"That sounds like one heck of a place to find. If this All Blue's out there, I'm sure you can find it." Sanji smiled, believing Ash.
"Thanks." Now came Sanji's lesson. "Now as for cooking… I have a rule of thumb about it: use every scrap. You'd be surprised with what bone's calcium will provide." He lit a cigarette and breathed out a puff of smoke. The smoke began to irritate Ash. He began waiving the smoke away.
"Seriously…" His complaint was met with a scoff.
"No complaining. You're a pirate now. You'll just have to deal with it." Unfortunately, someone else dealt with Sanji's smoking. A pair of hands grew from Sanji's neck and plucked the cigarette from his mouth. The hands ripped the cigarette in half to a shocked chef. Furthermore, the hands clapped the broken cigarette out, snuffing the smoking tool. Sanji stood in shock. Entering the kitchen, Robin didn't have her smile on her while the two turned to face the elder woman. "Robin?"
"Sanji, let me lay a few rules of thumb for you," Robin muttered. "Ash may be a new Straw Hat, but under no circumstance will you be smoking around him. He's still a boy and second-hand smoke isn't considered ideal for his health." Sanji quickly surrendered to Robin's demands.
"As you wish, Robin, my love! I hear and obey your every command!" To Ash, Sanji's surrender seemed too immediate.
'That's it?' he thought. 'No fight? Just give up? Well, then again… Robin's got the Devil Fruit powers.' They proceeded to make omelets and throw in different fruits and vegetables.
"Remember, don't recklessly put item in without balance. Make sure there's enough to go around and don't throw the eggshells away. You'd be surprised with their health benefits." Ash nodded before giving his mind a picture. He proceeded in squeezing lemon juice onto strips of bacon before cooking it on a skillet while scrambling eggs. With cheese and more chopped fruit, Ash wished he had one more ingredient.
"Think Nami would give me a tangerine to use?" Sanji had an answer for that.
"I've got some in here." He offered a portion of a tangerine for Ash to chop into bits. He cooked the fruits together with some vinegar and the Water 7 salt. He chopped the cooked bacon before sprinkling it in the mix. Luffy barged in the kitchen, hungry for breakfast.
"Hey, Sanji," he greeted before spotting Ash. "Whoa… You're teaching Ash how to cook?"
"He may need it when we find a way back to his world… and he's got an imagination." He tapped Ash on the shoulder. "Leave Luffy's meals to me. You wouldn't believe how much meat he needs." Ash nodded to Sanji's request. Luffy heard Sanji's request, not liking the idea.
"Come on, Sanji! I bet he's got something yummy for his first try!"
"Yeah, with hardly any meat in it." The information triggered Luffy to recuse himself from trying Ash's first attempt.
"Never mind." Others entered the kitchen where Ash presented what seemed like a casserole of omelet and different vegetables like peppers, corn and spinach while also baking with bacon and steak. Sanji took a break from making Luffy's meaty breakfast to try Ash's dish. After a big bite.
"Not too bad for a first time. I see some potential and especially with trial and error, you'll find your calling meal." Ash nodded, knowing he's got a lot to do before he can be a good enough cook in Sanji's eyes. Others tried it, decent as the least… from Luffy of all the crew. After sometime in the kitchen, Ash stepped outside for some air. He reached the grass on the bottom when the men's door opened. Pikachu ran out with the book he found before they fell through the trap door by Misty.
"Hey, the journal!" he recognized. Handed the book, Pikachu crawled up Ash's shoulder as he skimmed through the pages. One page had a pair of large birds that had wings of planes. Arrows pointed to where colors were, one being blue and one being red. "It says here that they're Dragon Pokémon. It's like the one I found before that trap door opened."
("I'd like to know who they are,") Pikachu squeaked. Another one had an image of a four-legged creature with a large hexagonal crest on its head and flowing mane. ("That one, too.") Flipping through some more, they saw the same avian with a variety of spots of color, including a flowing crest.
"I'm still surprised these guys saw some legendary Pokémon, even ones we've seen." Pikachu would agree. That's when clapping heels alerted the two.
"Legendary Pokémon, you say?" spoke Robin. Ash seemed stunned on Robin's interests.
"Yeah… Before my Pokémon and I came here, we scavenged around an old fort by pirates back during the days. I found a secret compartment which we found several treasures including this book I found." Interested, Robin made a simple request.
"Can I see it?" Acknowledging, Ash handed Robin the booklet. She skimmed through pages, seeing avian birds of different sorts. "Legendary birds, huh?"
"And I've met them!… Well, okay, some of them." Looking inside with Robin, he found three avian birds he easily recognized. One bird had what seemed to be spikes around. "Zapdos, for one…" Another with fiery feathers. "Moltres…" One more had a diamond-shaped trident-like crest on its head. "And Articuno."
"Fascinating… This is making me proud to learn about these Pokémon. Learning about them could become useful down the road in learning about this world's history. You don't mind if I keep these?"
"Not at all." Robin took a few steps to the side before looking into the book.
"The more I'm on the Sunny, the less I regret. I've never felt so free and now even more with you around." Ash and Pikachu wondered to Robin's expression. "Back then, it seemed like I've been doing too much to suppress my feelings. I never had the chance to naturally smile."
"Never?" Pikachu seemed disturbed to the confession.
"Never… and that was long before the Buster Call devastated Ohara. I was deemed the 'Devil Child' because I ate the Flower-Flower Fruit, mistreated and teased… they saw me as a monster, that my living was deemed grounds for execution." Pikachu leaped from Ash's shoulder to crawling up Robin's head.
"Even Pikachu knows you're not a monster. You ask me, getting what they deserved by the Buster Call is egregious. They were mean and they deserved some retaliation, not become annihilated by the Marines. Furthermore… I think you should've smiled more. You have a nice smile now, I can imagine how bright that smile was back then." Ash's words sunk into Robin's heart.
"Thank you for those words, Ash. They mean a lot from you." Seeing her smile gave Ash the same reaction from the first time during the raid… and he didn't want to remain silent.
"Actually, about that smile…" Robin blinked to Ash's sudden blurt. "Remember during the raid when you gave me that smile? It felt strange. That smile made me feel… warm… good… comfortable… and nostalgic somehow… like it reminds me of someone I know. Not to mention the more we meet with that smile, it had a nice feeling." Robin started to understand Ash's view about her smile affecting him positively. Pikachu seemed more puzzled to the explanation.
"You don't say…"
"Well, it took me some time to understand it myself and I think I know who it is you remind me of." Robin and Pikachu couldn't guess to Ash's realization.
"Who would it be?" Taking a deep breath, Ash finally gathered enough courage to come clean.
"My mom." Robin and Pikachu gasped to the discovery. "I'm sorry, it's just that smile and that look when you do reminds me a lot of my mom. In fact, that face looks about exactly like hers." Robin became touched to Ash's confession, somewhat humored to what came from his mind.
"You see your mother's smile when you see me smile, is that right?" Ash bobbed his head, nodding to the guess. "I see… Is your mother…" Ash gawked to the thought of his mother's fate.
"No, she visited me recently, after I had to deal with the three legendary bird Pokémon. She scolded me for putting my life in danger… and told me that I was the world to her when she knew I was okay." Robin sighed in relief, knowing her health wasn't an issue.
"That's good to hear. Sorry to startle you like that." Ash knew Robin meant well.
"That's alright." The conversation allowed Robin to understand Ash more.
"So, I remind you of your mother? Not sure if that's convenient or…"
"Well, my mom runs a diner and knows how to cook and hasn't eaten a devil fruit." Robin giggled to Ash's point, not bothered. Ash walked to the side of the Sunny to view the ocean around. "I know she misses me when I go out on my journey to be a Pokémon Master." To Robin, he's starting to miss her as well. She gave Ash a hug from behind while Pikachu watched.
"She knows you'll be back to see her… and I think it's awfully sweet of you to think about your mother. It just shows how much you love her and how lucky she is to have you as a caring son. Furthermore, I find it endearing that you see me in such. I'm not sure I'd thank you enough for this talk, Ash." The trainer smiled back.
"Just seeing you smile, even if it's like my mom, is enough of a thanks." Pikachu squeaked in agreeing to Ash. Just as the moment ended, Franky emerged.
"Hey, Ash!" he shouted from above. Ash, Robin and Pikachu glared up to the cyborg. "We have an extra pole on hand! Wanna come fishing with us?" Robin fluffed a nod, allowing Ash to go on the upper deck to fish with Franky. Once with him, Ash, Pikachu and Franky met up with the men and Chopper by the rail. Sanji wasn't among the people.
"Come on, Ash!" encouraged Luffy. "Join us!" Ash giggled before joining and sitting by Usopp at the end.
"Where's the line?" he asked. Usopp handed one to Ash before grabbing another. Pikachu came to the edge and looked out to all the fishing lines.
"I still get chills remembering what you did at the fort," Usopp expressed. "You're what I wanted to be." Ash thought, a guess on his mind.
"Not a Pokémon Trainer, right?"
"No, I mean being a brave and strong warrior. Not to mention with only your Pokémon on hand and now receiving training from Zoro after his stint with a swordsman named Hawk-Eye." Zoro shrugged off the compliment. Ash snickered to Usopp's wish.
"It's kinda hard when your weapon is a slingshot." Luffy and Brook laughed, thinking Ash joked.
"Hey, being a sniper's not something to tease lightly!" Ash relented and nodded.
"Though, you're pretty strong yourself. Don't take my words lightly." Usopp balked to the added item.
"I know you're still a new Straw Hat but Ash," Franky started. "Usopp's not what I consider strong." Ash scoffed to the remark.
"Being strong isn't just muscle. Usopp's strength comes from his head." Luffy and Usopp blinked to Ash's answer. Chopper snapped his hoof with a possible reason.
"I get it!" he voiced. "Not physical strength but mental strength!" Ash nodded to Chopper's guess.
"I didn't think of that," Luffy admitted. To Zoro, it's nothing Luffy hadn't said.
"Sometimes, I wonder if you ever think instead of rushing into action," he mulled. Luffy simply smiled, brushing Zoro's criticism.
"Thanks, Ash," Usopp praised. "That means a lot. Still, you showed a lot more mentality back at the fort when facing the Marines and using Lapras."
"Indeed, which is why Ash is our strategy man of the Straw Hat pirates!" announced Luffy incoherently. Usopp groaned to the name his captain gave Ash.
"You mean a strategist or a tactician?"
"Right, a strategy man!" Usopp, Zoro and Chopper groaned to Luffy not getting the hint. Ash laughed to the discussion. Brook recalled seeing Lapras and how Ash rode it.
"How did you get your Lapras?" he asked. Ash thought back to when he and Lapras came together.
"After Misty and I left Brock on Valencia Island with Professor Ivy, we meant to head back to Pallet Town to deliver the GS Ball to Professor Oak to examine it but we got flown off-track. After crashing on an island, unhurt, Misty and I found Lapras being assaulted by a trio of trainers and we stepped in. When Tracey joined, we learned that Lapras was an infant." Gasps from the men told their shock.
"You mean Lapras was still new to this world?" gulped Luffy.
"Yep, still a baby. He added that a huge storm might've spooked it away from its school." To Brook, nostalgia came to his senses.
"Talk about reliving a tale," he muttered. "It's like my relationship with Laboon." Pikachu gulped from the skeleton's words. Ash didn't follow.
"Laboon?"
"Much like your Lapras, Laboon was a whale calf who broke from its pod and stayed with my late pirates when I was a member of the Rumbar Pirates. Laboon enjoyed the music and even followed us passed the Grand Line. 52 years ago, I made a promise to reunite with Laboon. Hearing he's still alive, I hope I get to see him again." Ash nodded to Brook, hoping the two would reunite.
"Laboon's waiting alright." Luffy watched and listened to Ash, intrigued with understanding the Straw Hats. Back to fishing, Ash wondered to their hopeful catch. "So, what are you fishing for anyway?"
"Easy," Luffy snickered. "Sea Kings." Ash gawked to the name.
"Seakings!? You mean you have Seakings here as well!?" The Straw Hats gawked to Ash's finding.
"You have Sea Kings in the Pokémon World!?" gasped Chopper.
"Are they big?!" asked Luffy. "Meaty?! You have something, right?"
"Now slow down, Luffy," Zoro hushed. "Knowing where Ash's from, it may not be the same Sea Kings we're familiar with." Pikachu dug into Ash's pocket to pull out a red hand-held device. Ash saw the device, acknowledging Pikachu's quick thinking.
"My PokéDex!" he named. "Thanks, Pikachu!" The praise made Pikachu happy. Ash pressed several buttons on his device. "Found it!" The Straw Hats gathered around Ash to see an orange fish with a horn on its head. The Straw Hats became less than pleased.
"Is this some sort of joke?" gulped Usopp. Luffy pressed a button on the device.
"Seaking, the Goldfish Pokémon," it computed. "Seaking is the evolved form of Goldeen. During the fall, Seaking journey up rivers to lay their eggs. The rest of the year have them make and live in their nests." Disappointed, Usopp handed the PokéDex back to Ash.
"Sorry, Ash. It's not the same Sea King we're talking about. Also, it's a different spelling. Your Seaking's one word while ours are two words." To Ash, the Sea Kings weren't little fish.
"Suddenly, I'm getting a little concerned about what your… Sea Kings are." Before he could explain, his pole began to bend. Ash retrieved his pole. "I got a bite!" All watched to see what Ash hooked. They became excited with what could be a Sea King. "It's a big one!" Pulled to the rail, Luffy, Zoro and Chopper came to Ash's aid. Chopper morphed into a muscled man. Luffy bit on his thumb.
"Third Gear!" he called before blowing up his torso, literally. The air then shifted to his arms and they became as big as Chopper's body. Pikachu gawked to how Luffy's arms became huge. The four pulled hard, the pole holding strong. With one yank, an enormous sea serpent appeared with the head of a bull. Ash looked at the catch, aghast at the hooked bull-fish.
"Holy cow!" The combined pull lifted the bull-fish to the Sunny. Luffy took charge.
"I got it! Gum-Gum… Giant Pistol!" Luffy scored a punch to the bull-fish's snout. The lights instantly turned off, the bull-fish unconscious before being caught by Luffy's big arms.
"What a catch!" cheered Usopp. "We're feasting tonight!" It took time for the boys to move the bull-fish. "Who'd ever thought you'd reel in a Sea Beast!" Ash gulped to the identity.
"Sea Beast?!" he stuttered. "Are… Sea Kings… bigger?" The sniper nodded, making Ash go pale. "That dragon in the book… might not stand a chance against a Sea King." Luffy came over to Ash.
"Say, that little device you have," he pointed out. "How many Pokémon are in it?" Ash glared at Luffy, befuddled.
"You're interested in Pokémon?"
"Yeah! Pikachu, Charizard, Lapras… I wanna know if there's one or two that I would like!" Luffy's interest in Pokémon awed Ash.
"This is new… I have my PokéDex and a handbook on how to be a Pokémon Trainer. It's got all sorts of tips and tricks on catching, training and raising Pokémon." Luffy seemed more interested with the topic. "Why, all of a sudden?"
"Well, seeing you and how strong your Pokémon are, I'd wanna have a couple on the Sunny and when I become King of the Pirates." This awed Ash. To him, Luffy wasn't as much of an idiot as his crew seemed to think.
"Okay! Let me get those." Luffy followed before Ash to the men's room before he pulled a blue handbook from his bag. "There are over 150 known Pokémon in the PokéDex. Who knows, there may be a few in there you'll like." Luffy nodded to what's in store.
"Okay, I'll be in the library if anyone's looking for me." Both left to their different directions. Ash headed back to the kitchen, ready for more cooking tips from Sanji. Nami found Ash about to enter the kitchen.
"Hey, Ash!" she called. Ash turned to Nami, thinking she wanted a hint to where he put the GS Ball.
"I know you want it but I'm not telling you where it is," he warned. Nami remembered but backed from that explanation.
"I'll find it eventually but that's not what I'm talking about. I just wanted to know where Luffy is." Ash calmed down, the topic not the same with Nami.
"Oh… He's in the library wanting to study on Pokémon."
"Gotcha…" Nami began to let Ash go… but stopped and reversed herself back to Ash.
"Luffy's… in the library?"
"He became interested in learning about Pokémon so I handed him my handbook and PokéDex." The Sunny came to a complete stop before even Sanji and Zoro dashed to the library. The Sunny came to library and like Ash said, they saw Luffy looking in the handbook and jotting notes. Disbelief came over the Straw Hats except for a giggling Robin.
"Is the world coming to an end?" muttered Usopp.
"This can't be Luffy," Nami shuttered. "It just can't!"
"He's an idiot," Sanji groaned. "What's the point?"
"Trying to prove he's not as stupid as we've already seen?" pondered Zoro. Hearing the commotion, Luffy turned to his crew.
"Hey, do you guys mind?" he voiced. "I'm trying to learn this."
"THAT'S THE POINT!" they yelled in unison. From the other side of the ship, Ash laughed.
"I think they're more shocked than I'd be from you, Pikachu," he joked. Pikachu laughed to agree. That's when more voices came out.
"How about shocked to see us?" a woman's voice questioned. Ash and Pikachu heard and turned to find two adults in white uniforms with matching red "R" emblems, a crimson redhead woman and an ice-violet man. Along with the two humans was a white cat with a curled tail and gold oval charm stuck on its forehead. They rode on a large canoe. Some of the Straw Hats turned to see the invaders.
"What the-!"
"Prepare for trouble while we ride on the high sea!" Luffy heard and stepped out of the library.
"Make it double, we see you committing piracy!" the ice-violet-haired man rhymed."To protect the world from devastation."
"To unite all people's within our nation.""To denounce the evils of truth and love."
"To extend our reach to the stars above."
"Jessie!"
"And James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth, that's right!" the cat mewed, able to speak like his human partners. Ash and Pikachu couldn't believe who decided to stop by.
"Team Rocket?" he mulled. "How in the world did you…" He stopped himself before slapping his forehead. "Right, you'd follow me wherever I go!"
"And we'll follow you and Pikachu until we get your Pokémon!" sneered Jessie. The Straw Hats arrived to see Team Rocket for themselves. The motto stoked Luffy, Usopp and Chopper.
"So cool!" they cheered. Team Rocket gawked to seeing Ash's new company.
"Who are dey?" asked the cat.
"Not sure, Meowth," Jessie itched her head. "Though, the twerp's better away from that twerpette with the Togepi." Hearing Meowth, the three awed the cat's ability to talk.
"Chopper, that cat can speak like you!" awed Usopp.
"I know, I feel jealous!" laughed Chopper. Sanji's eyes turned to hearts for Jessie.
"I found my love!" he stammered. "Jess-seagull! Take me away!" Jessie irked to Sanji's proposal. James and Meowth screeched in fear of seeing Brook.
"Skeleton!" they screeched. Jessie didn't think Brook was real.
"Get over yourselves!" she snapped. "What could that possibly do?" Brook glared up to the balloon.
"Perhaps you would like to tell me what color your panties are," he requested. Jessie snarled to Brook's question. Nami clobbered Brook on the head with her staff.
"Inappropriate, numskull!" she scolded. Seeing the behavior of the Straw Hats, James wondered how he managed to survive on board the Sunny.
"This can't be the crew you've boarded with, twerp," he gulped.
"Believe me, I wasn't happy after finding out who they were when I saved their ship!" replied Ash. "Nothing I can do about it!" Luffy, still stoked from the motto, had a request.
"You superheroes would be useful as part of my crew!" he ordered. Ash shrieked at Luffy's request, knowing Team Rocket as evil.
"Luffy, Team Rocket travel around the world to steal Pokémon from trainers! Heck, those three follow me to take Pikachu!" Luffy now realized Jessie, James and Meowth came to take Ash's Pokémon and escape. His mood changed.
"So, you're all kidnappers… Forget the invite, I'll make you leave us!" Jessie scoffed to Luffy's threat.
"I'd like to see you try, twerp!" she cackled. "After all, we've been behind Pikachu this whole time and found that secret chute!"
"Not to mention seeing remains of a ship that sunk and splintered," James added. Ash figured that the ship they mentioned was the Marines' ship the moment he discovered that land.
"Using our know-how in creating vehicles from scrap, we fixed up dis canoe and followed our noses to here," Meowth explained. The other Straw Hats finally came to help Ash. Nami saw the coin on Meowth's head.
"I want that coin, fur-ball!" she demanded. Meowth jumped to Nami's desire.
"Dis charm's staying on my forehead!" Hearing from Ash, Robin faced Team Rocket. She wasn't smiling.
"So, you three have tailed this boy for sometime like child molesters to steal his Pokémon?" she scorned. "I find that despicable, especially for two grown adults to commit such a childish act. Shame on you…" Nami had more to offer.
"Not to mention the Marines, as much as we despise them, have better fashion sense than what you're wearing!" she snapped. "Seriously, those uniforms are ugly!" Jessie snarled at the two women for speaking out.
"Hey, these are our uniforms we wear for honor and pride!" she snapped back. "And we're getting Pikachu for our boss and to get rid of our debts!" The cold stares between Jessie and Robin mounted. "It would be better if you stay out of our way, alright? Who are you, the twerp's mommy?" Robin sneered to the taunt, crossing her arms.
"I am, and I will protect my 'twerp' with my Dos Fleur!" she chanted. Arms grew from Jessie's backside and reached for her legs while Jessie's befuddled look wondered Robin's movement. The arms punched Jessie's knees, knocking her to kneel in front of the Devil Fruit user. James and Meowth freaked at the arms as it vanished into cherry blossoms before more arms grew from Jessie's abdomen. "Let's see how you like getting a mother's angry punishment. Slap!" The arms brutally slapped Jessie's face repeatedly.
"How is she doing dat?!" gawked Meowth.
"I don't know!" stuttered James. "But we gotta help!" He grabbed a similar ball like Ash's but Luffy didn't want him to get a chance.
"No way!" he shouted before he slung his arm which stretched and wrapped James, further scaring Meowth. "Gum-Gum… Spinner!" Luffy pulled his arm which caused James to spin like a top. His arm retracted while a bruised face Jessie and Meowth gawked in disbelief of Luffy's ability.
"That twerp's not human!" she yelped. Usopp wanted to shut Jessie's mouth and pulled out a red marble.
"Tabasco Star!" he shouted as he fired the marble. The slingshot's aim became true as the star entered her mouth. In an instant, her mouth was on fire.
"Water!" Not wanting anymore of Team Rocket, Luffy ensnared the three in his arms. He leaped before spinning them above him with a flip.
"Stay away from our strategy man and Pikachu!" he ordered. "Gum-Gum… Rocket!" He performed a kick with both feet that propelled Team Rocket from the Sunny and to the skies. The name made Jessie growl.
"That non-human twerp can't use 'Rocket!'" she stammered. "That belongs to us!"
"We're filing for copyright infringement on youse!" hissed Meowth. James didn't mind the departing fashion.
"We'll show those twerps once we Rocket back at them!" he whined. The launch carried them out of sight.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they cried as they left. Luffy touched back down on the Sunny. He glared at where he punted the trio.
"You know, they kinda flew off like superheroes," he pondered. Nami hammered Luffy in the head, angry at missing her chance to get Meowth's charm.
"You idiot, I wanted that coin!" she bellowed. Sanji joined in stomping on Luffy.
"And how dare you do that to Jess-Seagull!" he cracked. "I would've made her into something wonderful!" Ash coughed to get their attention.
"Relax guys," he spoke. "They'll come back, eventually." To Nami and Sanji, it meant another chance to claim the items. "They always do…" This added comment made Brook suspect something else.
"It must be a nuisance for those three to be after you just to get Pikachu," he believed. Ash glared back at the Straw Hats, a serious groan escaping his lips.
"You have absolutely no idea." This told the Straw Hats for a bigger pain than Luffy's idiocy. As the sun began to set, Sanji let himself go. He turned Ash's Sea Beast into a big feast. Steaks, beef stews, roast beef, hamburgers, filet mignon, the cook let himself go in making mincemeat out of the bull-fish. Ash exited the library after taking a bath from the room above sometime later. He glanced to the moonlit sky, the crazy day almost nearing the end. "Nami wants to take care of Pikachu again, and she's been pretty protective of him." Before he could make his way down the ladder…
"Hey, Ash!" called Robin from the other side. Ash turned to see Robin in a green nightgown. He walked across the ship to meet her and find a hammock made. "Refreshed?" Ash giggled a little. Seeing Ash topless made Robin interested. "My, that physique can't be from Zoro already, is it?"
"No, I've been an active little boy since I learned how to walk, something my mom's said."
"Really?" Again, she crossed her arms. "Dos Fleur…" More arms grew from Ash's back before they softly palmed Ash's chest. This made Ash nervous.
"Easy! I'm sensitive there!" His admitted case made Robin grin.
"Is that so…" Ash gulped to her grin. "Cinco Fleur…" Three more arms appeared around Ash.
"Oh no…" All five arms palmed Ash's torso before they started to tickle him. The barrage of fingers tickling him brought Ash to his knees before falling to the deck in laughter. Robin turned her grin to a smile at the fun of Ash. A couple of minutes later, Robin helped Ash up to relax him.
"I needed that, especially after Team Rocket's interference. Tell you what, how about you and I sleep together in the hammock tonight." Ash shot a befuddled look to Robin, surprised.
"Wait… me sleep with you?" Robin bobbed her head. Ash's face became red. "Wow… uh… this is new. Misty wouldn't let me be within a few yards while we traveled together." Robin wrapped her arms around Ash, almost a safeguard with her on him.
"There's nothing wrong with having someone sleep with you." The warmth from Robin caused Ash to feel the same nostalgia from earlier in the day.
"This warmth… So much like Mom when I was so little…" Robin guided Ash to the hammock and both laid in it with a blanket on hand. Once in, Robin kept her arms wrapped around him. The warmth from her body soothed Ash, her comforting aiding his relaxation. Tired, Ash closed his eyes and fell asleep. Robin viewed Ash's sleeping face, admiring his cute smile on him. She combed her fingers through his hair. "Mom, please…" Robin made a small gasp to what lipped from Ash.
'Ash is still so young… If I remind him of his mother this much…' She leaned in and gave Ash a kiss to the cheek. "Goodnight, little Ash…" She started to hum a lullaby while gently tightening her grip on him. About half an hour later, Nami stepped outside of the girl's room, no Pikachu with her.
"I wonder where Robin is," she muttered. She began to climb to the upper deck where she found the hammock with Ash and Robin asleep. To Nami, it wasn't a sight she believed. Robin opened her eyes to the surprised and approaching Nami. She pointed to a sleeping Ash. Studying his snoozing face, Nami cooed. "He looks so cute sleeping like this," she whispered. "Almost enough to have him sleep with me."
"I know, right? He's such a caring boy, even though it wasn't on purpose to protect us." Nami giggled, still trying her hardest not to wake him. "In fact, not long ago while cuddling with him, he said something that… made me feel welcomed and thankful to have him with us." This made Nami curious.
"What do you mean?" Robin stared at Ash's face.
"He called me… Mom." Nami gasped in disbelief.
"No way! He has his mom, right?"
"He told me that she visited him recently before his arrival here. She's waiting back in Pallet Town for his return… though, it's a unique position to be in, filling in for her at this point."
"I was gonna say, you're old enough to be his mom. I didn't think it'd go that far already." Robin giggled in agreeing.
"I wish I could keep him as a son. I can now but when we find his world, he can go back to his real mother." Nami saw how comfortable Ash looked in his sleep.
"Maybe I can have a turn with him after you're done." Another giggle lisped from Robin.
"I wouldn't mind one bit." Nami yawned, ready to crash for the night.
"I'll let you two sleep." Before returning down the ladder, Nami leaned to Ash and kissed him on the cheek, amusing Robin more. "I can't wait for my turn with you." Nami headed back to the girls' room, allowing Robin to cuddle with Ash. She joined him in sleeping. To Ash, Robin may not be his mother, but it's the kind she's snuggling him with.
TO BE CONTINUED...