Chapter 15: No Need for Rest and Relaxation
A couple of days passed since Ash kissed Sasami after recovering from his fever. Everyone but Katsuhito packed up for a getaway. As Ayeka seemed set to go, she saw Sasami blushing. "Dear me, you haven't stopped blushing for a couple of days," she awed.
"I still can't believe Ash did it to me," Sasami smiled. "I think he knew what I wanted to tell him before Ryo-Ohki ruined it." Ryo-Ohki mewed somberly to the reminder. With the household all packed up, Nobuyuki was in his car.
"Is there a reason we need the car, Nobuyuki?" questioned Mihoshi.
"I figure that if there's an emergency," Nobuyuki briefed. "It would look normal if I brought one of you guys to the hospital that way." Mihoshi awed the idea.
"That makes sense," she agreed. Everyone packed up into Nobuyuki's car before Ryo-Ohki transformed into ship form. Everyone boarded Ryo-Ohki before it took off with Nobuyuki driving off. Washu stood by Ash.
"I haven't been at a resort before," she admitted. "Of course, I haven't left my lab since I reawakened from my 700 year nap." Ash shook his head to her claim.
"It'll be nice to get out of the household once in a while," he promised before he had a question. "Does Jurai have these kind of resorts?"
"Of course, Ash," Ayeka confirmed. "Why would you ask?"
"Just wanted to ask if my friends and I want to come by, if we can find Jurai when we travel through space," he admitted. They soon arrived at a large cabin-like structure where Ryo-Ohki dropped everyone off before they saw Nobuyuki driving up.
"Here we are!" he announced as he stepped out of the car. "Tenchi, Ash, get the bags. I'll go and see the hostess about the situation."
"Got it, Dad!" replied Tenchi as he popped the trunk open. Ash and Tenchi teamed up and loaded carts on a trolley. They rolled the trolley to the short and gray-haired elderly woman who greeted them.
"Tenchi, welcome back!" she smiled, wearing a white robe over hidden clothing. "And it seems you have a bit of equality with this boy… and what is this adorable woodland creature?" Pikachu hopped down and allowed the elderly woman to pet him.
"Pikachu is actually mine," Ash voiced.
"Pikachu, huh?" the elder awed. "With how young you two are, I'm sure Tenchi and Nobuyuki can explain the rules of the resort…" She gave Nobuyuki a smug. "Isn't that right, Nobuyuki?" The father sheepishly turned his head.
"O-Of course!" he shuttered. After check-in, Ryoko came to Sasami.
"I heard about Ash kissing you," she recalled to the young princess. Sasami's blushing brightened while nodding.
"I thought I would be the one to kiss him," she admitted.
"You still can," Ryoko suggested. "But I think I know a way that can be spiced up." She whispered to Sasami's ear. She flicked two nods before something else came up, her eyes widened.
"Are you sure about that!?" she gasped. Ryoko snickered to the idea.
"You are not teaching my sister inappropriate things, Ryoko," Ayeka scorned. "Are you?" Ryoko jumped up and waived her hands near her body.
"Oh no no no!" she denied. "What would give you that idea?"
"Because I remembered you exposing my body to Tenchi the last time," Ayeka mulled. "Who's next? Mihoshi?" Hearing her name and what happened last time, Mihoshi covered herself, despite still fully clothed.
"I don't want my body shown to Tenchi!" she pleaded. "I don't like what people think of my body!" Kiyone blinked to the fearful outburst.
"You had it happen?" she guessed. Tears formed from Mihoshi's eyes.
"Someone tore my swimsuit off at the beach one time and my body was exposed to some boys," she cried. "They remarked at how my chest had bumps and swollen... and everyone laughed to the method I tried covering up… it was a nightmare!" The other girls were not impressed.
"You had a growth spurt where you didn't want anyone to see, right?" guessed Washu. Mihoshi crumpled into a fetal position.
"YES!" she bawled. Kiyone held her shaking head up with her fingers. After showering, the young men entered the open-air bath with towels around their waists. They sighed in comfort.
"Have you been in an open-air bath before, Ash?" asked Tenchi.
"Yeah, back on Cinnabar Island," Ash answered.
"So, there are open-air baths in your world as well," Nobuyuki replied.
"There are," Ash confirmed.
"And I bet they also separate the males and females," Tenchi pondered. Ash nodded.
"At least until Togepi somehow activated a hidden wall," Ash added. "Brock and I pondered on Gym Leader Blaine's riddle about where to find his Pokémon Gym. When Togepi activated the hidden wall, we saw Misty… and we kinda freaked. She still wore a strapless bikini." Nobuyuki snickered to Ash's story.
"Your first chance to see what a woman has," he sneered. "I think you need to explore the wild side. Allow me." He wrapped another towel on his head, around his nostrils.
"You're doing this again!?" warned Tenchi.
"Why not?" scoffed Nobuyuki. "Some hot girls on the other side, who wouldn't want to take a peek?" He started to scale the bamboo wall. It took a minute before he reached the top. His eagerness to see the girls was about to be fulfilled. That's when Ryo-Ohki leaped out of nowhere and used her body to cover Nobuyuki's face. "Ryo-Ohki!" He lost his grip on the wall. He cartoonishly tried to reach the wall to stablize himself but couldn't, and he fell back into the bath with Ryo-Ohki hanging on until the last second where she leaped to the side as Pikachu swam to meet the cabbit. Ryoko emerged and floated, only wearing a towel around her chest and waist.
"I figured that old pervert would try that again," she sighed. Seeing the others, her disappointment became a grin. "Tenchi!" She reached Tenchi and wrapped her arms and legs like a piggyback ride. Tenchi became fearful. "I know what you want to see…"
"Not now," Tenchi denied. "Not now!" Despite his protest, Ryoko and Tenchi vanished. Ash was left with an unconscious Nobuyuki and the creatures… or so he thought as his eyes were suddenly covered.
"Guess who!?" cheered Sasami. Ash jumped in surprise as he slipped and fell into the bath. Sasami took a step back as Ash splashed the water. Pikachu and Ryo-Ohki were worried but relax when Ash stood back up.
"SASAMI!" he gasped. Sasami giggled to the reaction. "Aren't you supposed to be on the other side?"
"Well, Ryoko and Ayeka had the idea. Besides, I wanted to know more of why you kissed me the couple of days ago."
"I didn't mean to shock you that bad. After all, I wanted to give you a little something for how you treated me while I was sick."
"I did say that I did it as an apology for putting you through that."
"But I'd still do it again." The reply made Sasami gasp. "I want to protect my friends and family. It's how I lived." Sasami smiled to Ash's style.
"So, if Ryoko and Washu and Grandpa are in trouble, you'd help them?"
"Yeah! I know they're powerful, but a little extra help couldn't hurt."
"Well, no… You help to help, not help to hurt." The two laughed to the tease.
"Though, the kiss actually came from my stop in Shamouti Island during their annual festival when the islanders named me their 'Chosen One' for the event and their maiden accepted me with a kiss to the cheek. It wasn't out of love or anything… but I was surprised that I got one."
"A kiss to seal you as the 'Chosen One' to perform their tasks. So, was the kiss to me not out of love?" A shy giggle came from Ash.
"Maybe…" A sneer appeared on Sasami's face.
"It sounds like you're lying." Blushing cheeks formed while Ash turned his eyes away.
"Maybe…" Standing up, Sasami got behind Ash before hugging him.
"Maybe I should find a way to get the truth out of you." That's when she pulled Ash into the water back first as Nobuyuki recovered. He saw Sasami get up and put her foot on Ash's chest. Ash became concerned as did Pikachu and Ryo-Ohki. Sasami wriggled her toes as she patted Ash's chest softly before slipping her foot under Ash's nose.
"What are you doing?" asked Nobuyuki. Sasami caressed her foot to Ash's nose where a fruity scent soon took over his senses.
'What am I smelling?' he thought. 'It smells… so good…' His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he passed out, a sheepish grin formed on his face. Luckily, his head and shoulders were on the edge of the bath.
"Oops…" she gulped. She saw Ash's smiling face and cooed.
("He's okay, right?") wondered Pikachu. Ryo-Ohki wove a paw over Ash's face before he started returning to his senses.
"What happened?" he wondered. Sasami smiled while seeing Ash awake. "What was that?"
"Body wash lotion," she replied. "I guess the smell of strawberries and peaches got to you." Ash smiled, the scent fulfilling his mind. After their baths, everyone joined for dinner with sushi, miso soup, gyoza, dumplings and tea. Tenchi looked incredibly pale as he wore a robe as did everyone else.
"Ryoko, what did you do to Tenchi?" asked Ash.
"Oh, it's nothing that he hasn't seen," Ryoko dismissed. "Besides, it was better that he got it instead of you. The sight of a woman's body would've been too much for your eyes, anyway."
"Yeah, he's too young for it in the first place," Nobuyuki believed.
"Yes, his time will come," Ayeka believed. The hostess came to Ash as the voice returned to Sasami.
"Princess, I want to see him tonight," she voiced. Sasami remembered something about the resort and closed her eyes.
"I'm glad to know that you're having a good time at this resort," the elderly woman smiled to Ash.
"It's not like back home, though I'm not complaining," Ash admitted. "They did this after I came out of my fever. It wasn't a pretty sight."
"Not at all," the hostess acknowledged. "Besides, did Nobuyuki try to…" All Ash did was nod. "No surprise… I'll have to warn him again. After that, he's no longer welcome in this establishment." After everyone ate, it was around time for everyone to retire. Ash and Pikachu opened the door to their room by sliding it. Before they could step inside, Sasami found the pair.
"Ash!" she called. Ash and Pikachu turned to Sasami without Ryo-Ohki.
"Sasami?" he replied. "Are you looking for Ryo-Ohki?" Sasami shook her head but approached.
"I want you to come with me," she ordered. "It's important." Ash and Pikachu looked to each other, wondering what Sasami wanted.
("If it's important,") Pikachu started. Ash nodded to Pikachu's query.
"Alright, where should we go?" he asked.
"I'll show you," Sasami pointed. She led Ash and Pikachu out of the resort and down a path to a lake. Pikachu seemed puzzled to the destination. There was a full moon casting over the lake.
"Is it a friend that you want to show me?" guessed Ash.
"Yes," Sasami replied. She walked to a small dock while Ash and Pikachu stood by. Sasami stood by the dock's edge. "Ash, you're about to see someone very close to me." Ash and Pikachu pondered about this friend Sasami had. Suddenly, the lake began to shimmer. The boys looked on in awe.
("That's so cool!") squeaked Pikachu. Ash turned to Sasami but stopped. The lake's reflection of Sasami wasn't Sasami. It was a grown woman wearing a sky blue cape over a purple long-skirt gown with a white front. The collar was black that reached her shoulders with a red cloth sewn on. Her face looked like an adult with Sasami's figure, her hair darker than Sasami's. She rose out of the water, her prong-like hair almost reaching the lake's surface. Ash and Pikachu gasped to the sight of the new woman as she peered at the two.
"So, you are Ash Ketchum," she greeted. "It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Tsunami, the goddess of Jurai." Ash and Pikachu tripped at the sight of the goddess. What could the goddess want with the two?
TO BE CONTINUED...