...
Aight, the 100kanojo anime is finally out and it's glorious so of course I had to give this story another chapter.
Just in time for it hitting 100 favs too! Thanks, everyone!
GIRLFRIENDEX
Soulmates Met: 7/100.
Soulmates Girlfriended: 0/100
...
001. Helena (XY Hex Maniac)
002. Sharlene (ORAS Delinquent)
003. Annie (BW Pokemon Ranger)
004. Nagisa (Master Dojo Student)
005. Rolanda (XY Roller Skater)
006. Monica (BW Clerk/Office Lady)
007. Madeline (ORAS Parasol Lady)
At Enamorus' Shrine.
"Alright, let's recap the situation." Astrid said. "You, Ash Ketchum, had fallen in love and confessed to 99 girls during your school life, each and every one of them rejected you, but you still kept trying to find love, so, yesterday, after your 100th confession and rejection you came to the shrine of the Goddess of Love, Enamorus."
"Sup?" She asked with a making a peace sign with her right hand.
"Who told you that you've been getting rejected because your 'Love Aura' was inverted due to you living a 'normal life', which contrasted with the lives of other versions of you among the multiverse who go around stopping the world from destruction, meanwhile you're just an average young man trying to get through high school."
"For some reason, it sounds even crazier when you explain it." Ash said.
"Continuing, after your 100th rejection, Enamorus asked Arceus for permission and she changed your love aura, but the only way she could do so was by tying the hearts of 100 girls to yours in order to nullify the negative energy caused by your 100 rejections, and now because of that you're destined to have 100 soulmates... and as if that wasn't enough of a problem, to make things worse, if any of those girls don't get to live a happily ever after with you... they'll die of a heartbreak... so, at the end of the day, the lives of those 100 girls are in your hands."
"No pressure, right?" Ash asked.
"Again, sorry, but this is the way things have to be." Enamorus said.
"You've currently met 7 of those 100 girls." Astrid kept explaining and then looked at some pictures in her Rotom Phone. "Starting with Hex Maniac Helena, Delinquent Sharlene, Ranger Annie, Master Dojo Student Nagisa, Roller Skater Rolanda, Office Lady Monica and Parasol Lady Madeline, now, under normal circumstances, finding, meeting, becoming closer and getting into a relationship with so many girls would be a problem, the good news is that we're in the 21st century and everyone post their lives online so we can get into this being somewhat prepared at least, anyway, this is what we know about them so far, according to their social media Media and school profiles."
"Helena Nozawa, Hex Maniac, 17 years old, native from Kalos, raised in Lavender Town, Class 1-3 of the Nomitsu Academy, member of the Fashion, Fantasy, Literature and Shadow clubs of the school. According to herself she possesses supernatural powers, like talking with spirits."
"So she's a creep." Enamorus said.
"Sharlene Bonnouji, Delinquent, 18, class 1-4, native from Hoenn, has skipped school more times than she has assisted, which might explain why we haven't seen her before even though we're in the same class, she spent a week in a correctional center after allegedly destroying a teacher's car while being under the influence, but the accusations were inconclusive and there was no physical evidence so she was set free, she's a member of the Art and Shadow Clubs."
"A literal baddie, huh?" Enamorus said.
"Annabelle 'Annie' Inn, Ranger, 18, native from Unova, Class 2-1, Trainee agent of the Kanto Pokemon Rangers, currently assigned to a 3-Woman Team responsible of Suki City and its surroundings, with Annie's specific area being the Hanazono park; she's also a member of the Environmental, Wildlife, Fire and Rescue; and Gardening clubs."
"A superhero."
"Nagisa Mukai, Master Dojo Student, 17, native from Galar, Class 2-1, Black Belt in Galarian Karate, granddaughter of the ex Galar Champion Mustard; and member of the Fantasy and Martial Arts Club."
"Sounds like someone with big shoes to fill."
"Rolanda Saki, Roller Skater, 16, native from Kalos, Class 1-2, she has finished as 2nd place in the annual skate regionals 4 consecutive times, member of the X-Sports and Martial Arts Clubs."
"Dang, four times 2nd place, she must hate with her guts whoever has been first."
"Monica Tororo, Office Lady, 20, native from Unova, graduated rather early from her high school, currently works at Devon Corporation and was assigned to their Suki City division some months ago so she had to move here."
"A pretty girl graduating early, eh? Not suspicious at all."
"And finally, Madeline Konari, Parasol Lady, 21, native from Hoenn, moved to the city two weeks ago, couldn't find anything about her work or studies tho."
"She could live in her parents' basement for all we know."
"Enamorus, please shut up." Ash said. "Sigh, I still feel guilty about the fact that we've been investigating them like this."
"And of course, our MC, Ash Ketchum, 16, from Pallet Town, Class 1-4." Astrid continued.
"And let's not forget the lovely Astrid Rikito." Ash replied. "17, from Kalos, Class 1-4, my best friend and right hand in this mess, what would I do without you?"
"Best case scenario, you'll never have to find out." Astrid replied patting his head. "And don't feel bad about 'investigating them', remember this is for the greater good, and who knows? One of these girls might start stalking you without you noticing... anyway, back to the point, Helena, Annie, Sharlene, Nagisa and Rolanda all go to our school, we only share a class with Sharlene, who apparently doesn't go much fo school anyway, but you can go to any of their clubs to talk with them, meanwhile, Monica works at Devon, which is only a few blocks away and is actually partnered with our school and although I couldn't get anything about Madeline, we know she is your neighbor from across the street so we have in theory easy access to all them... are you totally sure they'll all accept being in a shared relationship with Ash?" She asked to Enamorus.
"Of course... well, 99% sure." Enamorus admitted. "Like I told you, harems are very common among the Ashs of the Multiverse, but there's always a chance that things don't work out or that there might be a girl that needs a little push, but it's a reaaaaaally small chance; and even if that happens I'm sure our best boy Ash here can fix it."
"If you say so..." Astrid trailed off to then look at Ash. "Hey, are you totally sure you want to do this?"
"Yes, I am..." Ash replied. "I wanted to cancel this whole thing, but since that can't be done, I'll have to roll with it, I already made up my mind, I have to save those girls, there's no use in backing down at this point."
"So, you're gonna tell the girls about what Enamorus did or-"
"No, I think it would be the best to not do that." Ash said with a sigh. "I mean, I know I have to do this as clean and honest as possible but... as selfish as it may sound, I don't want them to love me just because they feel like they'll die otherwise, they don't deserve that."
"I guess you're right." Astrid said. "Well, got any idea of where we should start?"
"For now I imagine I should tackle them one by one." Ash said looking at the pictures of the girls in Astrid's phone. "Madeline seems like the best one to start with since she lives next to me."
"You know, Ash? I feel like you're taking this a bit too seriously." Enamorus said. "Like, yeah, I get it, the 'love or die' part does sound bad, but if you take this as a responsibility then it won't be any good, this is love at the end of the day, the idea is that you and all those girls get to be happy with each other, trust me, when you get to know them better all your worries will fly away."
"Let's hope that's true." Ash said. "By the way, you still haven't told us how the 'Zing' works exactly."
"Ah, right, well, let's see, what's the best way to explain it to mere mortals? ..." Enamorus thought before continuing. "So, as I mentioned, is love at first sight, right? Sounds simple enough, when any person is born, a soulmate is chosen for them, their ultimate love partner, the person whose Love Aura matches with theirs, when those two matching Love Auras come in contact, they lock with each other, tying their hearts together and producing a sudden burst of energy, which is what you feel as the Zing, needless to say, some people never get to meet their soulmate, which is why divorce and cheating occurs, of course you can fall in love and have a relationship with someone who's not your soulmate, but it is not 'guaranteed' to work out."
"I see..." Astrid said.
"So when a Zing happens, hearts lock and you feel that current, then you'll both fall in love so hard it hurts, something worth mentioning here is that in most cases, women tend to realize they're in love instantly, while men take some time to understand it, of course, Ash here will be the exception since you already know what are zings and how they work, but you'll still need to spend some time with them so you can be fully infatuated."
"Now, about the death thing." Ash interrupted.
"Yeah, for the sake of weighting your burden even just by a little bit, I'd rather not tell you exactly how that happens." Enamorus said. "The important thing is, that if any of those girls don't get to be happy with you, they die... and well, you in theory should die too fori that matter, but your heart has survived 100 heartbreaks so far so I think you'll be fine, just remember, Ash, everyone has to get through some-"
"Yeah, yeah, everyone has to get through some struggle to achieve happiness." Ash interrupted to then sigh. "Fine then, if you have nothing else to say we'll be leaving, we'll come back if we have any questions."
"Very well then, I'll be waiting here, I'd appreciate it if you guys inform me about your progress from time to time." Enamorus said. "Good luck, Ash, I wish you attain happiness."
"Yeah... me too." Ash said to then leave the shrine with Astrid by her side.
"So you got a plan?" Astrid asked.
"I think, since Madeline moved here recently I'll go to her house tomorrow morning and ask her if she'd like me to give her a tour around the city." Ash said.
"Sounds good." Astrid said. "Just try to get to the point, okay? Don't forget there's 6 more girls you have to get closer to."
"99 more girls, you mean." Ash replied. "Like, I might as well run into more soulmates before I even get close to the ones I've met already."
"That's why I think you should get to the point." Astrid said. "We need to make sure they fall in love with you hard enough to make them want to share you."
"I still wish Enamorus hadn't done what she did." Ash said. "Even if I said I'm okay with this now, I... I'm thinking a lot, about the fact that it is obvious this won't be fair for them, that it'd feel like I'd be playing with their feelings; and knowing I have to do this or else these 100 innocent girls will die, that it'd be my fault if that happens... it's a lot to take in, you know?"
"Yes, I know, that's why I'm trying to help you as much as I can. You know you can rely on me, I've helped you in some of your attempts to get a girlfriend before, this is no different." Astrid replied. "... Hey, that gives me an idea, you remember what we did when you confessed to Dana?"
"Uh, yeah, since she was your friend, you thought it'd be a good idea to put a communicator in my ear and give me some tips about her... didn't quite work out."
"Well, I say we try it again." Astrid said. "Maybe knowing I'm there watching your back will make you feel less nervous during the date."
"It's not like it's going to be a date It'll be just a stroll. Assuming she even accepts." Ash said. "But more help is welcome, of course. Let's hope all this works."
The next morning.
"Gumshine and Bubblesun." Parasol Lady Madeline sang in front of the mirror of her bathroom while washing her face, wearing a simple blue nightgown, while her Castform was floating by her side. "Happiness, here comes the sun." She continued until her singing was interrupted by her house's doorbell ringing so quickly finished what she was doing and walked to the front door, opening it to find Ash. "Oh, hi there, neighbor!"
"Hi, Madeline! Would you like to go out with me?" Ash asked and the girl simply stared at him in silence for a few seconds before slamming the door on his face.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Astrid shouted from the intercom in Ash's ear.
"I-I just did what you told me to!" Ash replied. "You said I should get to the point."
"That doesn't mean literally asking her out! You were the one who said this wouldn't be a date!" A frustrated Astrid shouted. "Ugh, try to be a little more subtle!"
"Alright, uh, just let me..." Ash thought for a moment before walking to the window that was next to the door, which gave him a clear view of the living room, where he could see Madeline sitting next to the wall, hugging her legs while having a blushing and confused face.
"...Hey, uh, hi, Madeline, it's me again." Ash called her from the window and she simply stayed where she was while looking at him. "Sorry about that, I think I used the wrong words, what I meant is that, uh, since you just moved here maybe you'd like me to give you a tour so you can get to know the city better?"
"Oh!" She exclaimed surprised to then look at the Castform who gave her a nod. "...Y-Yeah, that sounds great." She replied with a nod. "Just, uh, just give me a second to prepare myself, fine?"
"Sure, I'll be waiting here." Ash replied and the girl stood up to then run away being followed by her Castform. "Well, that was better."
"I guess." Astrid sighed. "Ash, remember what Enamorus told you, don't look at this as a job or responsibility, you're simply the most wonderful boy in the world asking out a pretty girl, you'll have a date, she'll become your girlfriend, then your wife and you'll have kids and I'll try to be the cool aunt, okay?"
"Thanks, Astrid." Ash said before the door opened again and he saw Madeline wearing the same yellow raincoat and yellow boots from yesterday, along with the same red parasol closed in one of her arms.
"Uh, I hope you don't mind me wearing my usual stuff." She said.
"Don't worry, you look great." Ash said. "But are you sure you should go out wearing that? I mean, I checked the forecast earlier today and they said it was going to be sunny."
"It'll be sunny for half an hour or so." She replied. "But my Castform told me that it'd start raining afterwards and I trust him a bit more."
"Well, I guess I'll trust him too." Ash said and Madeline smiled.
"Very well, is there any place in specific where you'd like to take me?" Madeline asked.
"Not exactly, it'll be just a little tour going to some important places close to here, the city is really big after all."
"I appreciate it, neighbor, but you don't have to go through all that trouble for me."
"It's no problem at all, really, it's Sunday after all, I don't have much to do." Ash said. "Besides, I wanted to somehow repay you for saving me from the rain yesterday."
"I'll follow your lead then." Madeline said to then hold onto Ash's arm, leaving them both blushing. "It's, uh, you know, for when it starts raining so I can cover us both, I still don't want you to get a cold... do you mind?" She asked with a smile and Ash stopped for a moment to get a more detailed view of the girl, her smooth and clear skin with a noticeable blush, her short brown hair, those deep brown eyes, that sparkly smile, those ruby lips-
'Quit staring like an idiot!' He shouted to himself in his mind and looked into another direction for a moment.
"You okay, neighbor?" She called him again.
"Yes!" He shouted. "And don't worry, I... I don't mind at all." He replied with the same smile and the two made their way down the streets of the city.
"So, uh, sorry if this is an appropriate question." Ash said. "But, well, you just referred to that raincoat as your 'usual stuff', like, you wear that all the time?"
"Heh, yeah, more or less." She replied. "You see, I'm from a very rainy area in the Hoenn region so most of my wardrobe is like this, of course I have 'normal clothes', but I dunno, I feel more comfortable wearing this away; and I guess you can say I just really like rain. Sometimes I'd put down my parasol simply to feel it in my face."
"I see..." Ash said.
"And what can you tell me about you, neighbor?" She asked. "Oh, wait, I'm just noticing I don't even know your name."
"Name's Ash Ketchum, nice to meet you." He replied. "And well, there's not that much to say, I was born in Pallet Town, here in Kanto, but my Mom and I moved here some years ago, though I live alone right now; and I'm a Year 1 High Schooler in the Nomitsu Academy."
"Oh, I've heard about that place." Madeline said. "It's like the biggest school in all of Kanto, it even has Junior High and University grounds, all conjoined."
"Heh, yeah, pretty crazy to think about." Ash said. "Since we're at that, continuing with the tour, welcome to Suki City, once a small town in the middle of Kanto, has grown incredibly fast over the last 25 years. There are many job and study opportunities here so people from all over the world have come to try and succeed here, like you, I imagine."
"I suppose I did." Madeline replied. "So, you came from Pallet Town to here to study?"
"Well, partly, yeah." Ash said. "But it was firstly because my Mom got a really good job offer and I also got a part-time job in which I earn enough to pay my bills myself."
"Really? And where are you working at?"
"At the Gym, you see, the leader is a friend of my family, he offered me the job when we told him we were moving here." Ash explained. "And what about you, Madeline? Where do you work?"
"Heh, yeah, that's kinda the funny thing." She replied with a nervous laugh. "I don't exactly work."
"Huh? You're still studying then?" Ash asked.
"It's... complicated." She said. "Let's just say I have a lot of free time for now."
"Hmm..." The two continued walking while Ash highlighted some places they went through, like cafes, restaurants and shops, among other things.
"And well, this'd be the Academy." Ash said while they walked past the front door, which was closed as it was Sunday.
"Goodness, this place is huge." Madeline said. "Must feel good to attend this prestigious place, right?"
"Eh, it's more impressive from the outside, when you get inside it's honestly a pretty normal school." Ash said. "How was your school, huh?"
"I don't like to think much about it." Madeline sighed to then stare at the nothingness before looking back at Ash. "Hey, neighbor... can you keep a secret?"
"Of course." Ash nodded.
"Truth is... I didn't finish my studies." She said with a whisper. "I abandoned school when I was in Year 1 of High School."
"And why did you do that?" Ash asked.
"I'm not that sure myself honestly." She admitted. "I guess I got tired of the routine, go to school, go to work, go home, go to school, go to work, go home, the only time I sincerely enjoyed was when I was asleep, I honestly had no motivation, no idea of what I was studying for, what I was working for... what I was living for... and, well, one day... I simply gave up... luckily for me, my parents have more than enough money so they've been taking care of me since then."
"If that's true then what are you doing here in Kanto?" Ash asked.
"I decided to move here because... I honestly felt guilty... they told me that everything was going to be ok, that they understood how hard life can be and they would never push me, that I could stay with them as much as I wanted to... but seeing them constantly patting me on my back for trying and failing... I didn't like it... so I decided to come here, the land of opportunity; and even then, I had to ask them to still send me money until I figured things out, so I suppose nothing actually changed, I do want to start over, but I'm not sure of how to do it... or if I actually want to do it... I hated my work, I hated studying, I hated everything... I just wanted to throw it all away... guess that's why I like rain so much, its sound helps me forget about everything... pretty pathetic for a 21-year-old, huh?" She finished her speech and looked at Ash, who simply was giving her a worried frown. "Come on, neighbor, don't just stand there, you're literally the first person I ever tell all this ...What do you sincerely think? I'm just a parasite, aren't I?"
"No that sounds a bit too rough." Ash replied. "And... Well, I know I'm a bit younger than you, but since you ask me...I think you should give it all another try. I mean, you can't just rely on your parents for the rest of your life. Of course what they did for you was good, but I feel like having everything solved after you gave up only took away the little motivation you had left. Yes, studying is hard, working is hard, but you need both in order to build a better future for yourself, at the end of the day, everyone in this world is in the same boat, simply trying to persevere, everyone... everyone has to get through some kind of struggle to achieve happiness."
"Heh, you really got a way with words, don't you?" Madeline smiled. "But I still don't know where to start."
"Well, I think I do." Ash said. "Like, It's not like I want to get into your life, but if you want my help, I got plenty of friends all around the city, I'm sure I can help you find a good job and since I'm just starting year 1 of High School, if you come to the Academy and resume your studies right now, there's a chance you might fall in my class and if that happens, I'd be more than happy to back you up there too, maybe together we could find that motivation you've lost, whatcha say?"
"... Are you really willing to help a stranger with all that stuff?" Madeline asked.
"I'm willing to help a person who trusts me enough to tell me all that you told me." Ash assured and Madeline simply smiled again.
"That sounds..."
"OUT OF THE WAY!" Someone shouted behind them and the duo turned around to see Monica running towards them carrying on her hands an office box with a huge pile papers inside of it, the two moved aside and Monica ran past them before suddenly stopping and dropping to her knees panting. "I... I'm never gonna make it." She said looking down.
"What's with that girl?" Madeline asked.
"Uh... Monica, you okay?" Ash asked her.
"What is it now?" She asked sluggishly looking up to see Ash and Madeline. "...YOU!" She shouted standing up and pointing at Ash.
"Me?" Ash asked.
"T-T-This is all your fault!" Monica shouted again holding Ash by his vest and pulling him away from Madeline.
"Uh, w-what is it?"
"Among all the cars in this God damn city, why did you have to drop just in front of mine?!" She shouted again now shaking Ash.
"Uh, do you need help with this, Ash?" Madeline asked.
"Do you mind?! I'm having a perfectly civilized conversation!" Monica said.
"D-Don't worry, I got this." Ash said. "Monica-"
"Y-You don't get to call me that!" She interrupted him again and stopped shaking him to then pull him closer leaving their faces only a few centimeters away.
"Ok... uh, Office Lady?" Ash asked. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that an Officer Jenny followed me after I almost ran over you and that skate girl!" Monica shouted. "And... well, things didn't end quite well, they took my car."
"What could you have possibly done to justify them taking your car?" Madeline asked.
"... That's not important." Monica said with a cough to then push Ash away slightly. "You! Y-You and your girlfriend ruined everything!"
"H-Hey! That girl wasn't my girlfriend, I don't even know her!" Ash replied blushing. 'Well, yet, I suppose.' He thought.
"Well, lucky me!" Monica continued ranting. "I still had work to do today! who cares if it's God damn Sunday, my boss called me last night after they took my car and told me I had to get this Snorlax-sized report ready for today! And because of you it took me hours to get to my home so I had to pull an all-nighter to get the work done, and if that wasn't enough, I couldn't even get a God damn taxi in this city today, and when I finally found one, BOOM! Traffic! What are all these stupid people doing on Sunday?! What are YOU doing on a Sunday?!"
"Uh, I'm-"
"Well, who cares?!" She interrupted him. "I was running late too, so I thought it'd be a good idea to walk the rest of the way, Mom always tells me to exercise more, well, I hope you're happy, Mom! Cause that wasn't a good idea!" She shouted to the skies, which was followed by a rumbling thunder droplet of water falling on her nose. "Uh?" She asked while black clouds formed above them and it started to rain. "AH! No, no, no, no! I'm sorry, Mom!" She exclaimed covering the box with her body.
"D-Don't worry, I got you covered." Madeline said opening her parasol to shelter the three. "Quite literally."
"Oh my god, oh, thank you so much." Monica said with tears in her eyes.
"Luckily, this parasol is big enough just for three people." Madeline said. "We'll help you get to your work, is it too far from here?"
"I-I don't know, I was following the GPS in my phone, but I honestly think I'm lost." Monica admitted with a sigh. "I'm not used to going around the city by foot."
"Don't worry, it's not too far." Ash said. "Devon Corporation is just a few blocks in that direction."
"Phew, thank goodness." Monica said. "Huh, wait a second, how did you know I work at Devon?"
"Uh... I saw it there on your ID." Ash replied.
"I'm not... wearing it right now." Monica said looking down at her chest.
"I saw it yesterday." Ash replied with a nervous laugh to then carry the box himself. "Anyway, let's get going, you don't wanna be late, right?"
"Alright, lead the way, Ash." Madeline said.
A few minutes later, at Devon Corporation.
"Mr. Steven, I'm here! Sorry for being late!" Monica shouted bursting into the Company's President's office, with Ash and Madeline following her from behind.
"Uh, Monica, what are you doing here?" Steven asked from his chair, while Monica put the box on top of his desk.
"Huh?! W-What do you mean?" Monica asked. "You asked me to bring this report today!"
"...No, I didn't." Steven said raising an eyebrow.
"How come not?!" She shouted. "You told me 'Monica, I need the report ready for the next day'."
"Monica, I told you I needed the report ready for next Saturday." He corrected standing from his chair to then check the papers in the box. "There's no way I would've called you to come today. Much less to complete such a huge report overnight, that'd be literal work abuse, why didn't you ask me if it was really for today?
"B-Because you're my Boss." Monica replied. "I-I'm not supposed to question you."
"Even then, this was worth one week of work, how did you even finish it in one night?" Steven asked.
"Lots of coffee." Monica laughed nervously. "So, to recap, you're telling me I pushed myself to the edge and came here on Sunday for nothing."
"Well, the report is finished one week earlier so I guess I should thank you for that." Steven said. "Hey, wait, Ash, what are you doing here?"
"Monica got caught in the rain and we helped her get here." Ash replied. "Right, Madeline?"
"Uh, Y-Yeah, nice to meet you, Mr. Steven." Madeline said.
"W-Wait, you know him, Mr. Steven?" Monica asked.
"Of course! Ash is a good friend of my niece Lisia." Steven replied. "Wallace and I even tried to get them together, but it didn't work out, she rejected the poor boy on Valentine's day in front of the whole school, can you believe it?"
"Thanks for telling everyone, Mr. Steven." Ash replied with a deadpan look.
"Anyway, Monica, to compensate for the misunderstanding, I'd like you to take the next week off." Steven said.
"WHAT?!" Monica shouted. "B-But why?"
"Monica, you've always been a bit too diligent with your work, I'm honestly worried about your health." Steven said. "You've been our employee of the month since you were transferred here, so consider this a little prize; and don't worry, the week will be fully paid."
"B-But I can't spend a whole week without working!" Monica shouted.
"Uh, did you hit your head or something?" Madeline asked.
"Monica, I'm serious, I want you to take the next week off, I'll make it an order if necessary."
"B-But..." Monica was about to keep insisting but Steven simply crossed his arms. "Sigh, ok." She said holding her head to then turn around and leave the office.
"Hmm... Ash, could I ask you to watch over her for today?" Steven asked.
"Uh, of course, Mr. Steven." Ash replied.
"Thanks a lot." He replied while Ash and Madeline followed her.
A few minutes later, at a cafe.
"Thanks a lot for your help, I mean it." Monica said drinking a glass of hot cocoa. "Even if it was technically for nothing, I probably would've lost the work in the rain if it wasn't for you two."
"We're glad to help." Ash said.
"Geez, you even got a free week thanks to us." Madeline said. "Hey, Ash, is that one of the places you think I can work at?"
"I'm afraid you'd have to graduate first if you want to work there." Ash said.
"Wait, you don't work?" Monica asked her. "But you look even older than me."
"Even? Ouch." Madeline replied. "So what if I'm jobless? I'm trying to start over. At least it's better than being a workaholic like you, how come you didn't even question having that assignment due overnight on a Sunday?"
"My job isn't to question, it is to do everything they tell me by the letter." Monica replied.
"Well, you handed it over before it was necessary, so I suppose you didn't do it by the letter this time." Madeline said. "And even if you had to actually get that thing done by today, what's the worst that could've happened if you were a minute or an hour later?"
"Well, unlike you, I got this little thing called responsibility." Monica replied. "Besides, I'm not going to take advice from a jobless person, much less from someone who goes around dressed with a yellow raincoat and rubber boots, what are you? A toddler?"
"I should've let you and precious work drowning alone in the rain." Madeline said.
"Yeah, maybe you should've stayed in your parents' basement." Monica replied.
"Could you two calm down a bit?" Ash asked. "Monica, listen, you're right, it's very important to work, but I think Madeline also has a point, you seem to be pushing yourself too hard, I mean, Mr. Steven's got to be one of the most hard-working people I've ever met and if he's telling you that you're working too much then that raises a little concern."
"I suppose you got a a point." Monica said. "Sorry about arguing with you, it's just... I'm really frustrated, as if what happened with my car wasn't enough... this misunderstanding with Mr. Steven today only reminded me of how much of a disaster I am, as much as I want to act like the perfect worker; when things don't go my way, I tend to freak out and my mind gets blocked, which explains why I didn't actually understand what Mr. Steven told me yesterday... and I honestly shouted some pretty nasty things to that officer Jenny, must be the reason why she took my car."
"Must be?" Madeline asked.
"Ugh; and to make the matter worse I don't have enough money to pay for the impound fees right now, but I can't just wait till the end of the month for my payment, I need my car back, what am I supposed to do?"
"Can't you just ask Mr. Steven to give you a loan or to pay you in advance?" Madeline asked. "He seems to care a lot about you."
"The mere idea of asking him such a thing would cause my stomach to rend itself apart." Monica replied with a deadpan look.
"Maybe I can help you then." Ash said. "A friend of mine works at the Police Station and since I was part of the 'incident' maybe if I go with you they'll give you your car back."
"Boy, you weren't lying when you said you had lots of friends, were you?" Madeline said.
"How about it, Monica? I think it's worth a shot." Ash said.
"Well, I guess I don't lose anything." Monica said. "Let's get going then."
Suki City Police Station.
"Good morning officer." Ash talked to the officer Jenny in the reception along with Madeline and Monica. "Is Captain Marble here?"
"Yes, I'm here, Ash." Another Officer Jenny wearing a deep blue detective coat called while approaching them. "I was expecting you to show up here actually." She said to then look at the women who were accompanying him. "Well, who do we have here?"
"A-Ash, this is the friend you mentioned?" Monica asked.
"Uh, yeah, what's the matter?" Ash asked.
"That I was the one who took her car, I suppose." Marble said.
"I-I''m really sorry about what happened yesterday!" Monica said kneeling in front of Marble.
"So, Ash." Marble looked at him while ignoring the office lady. "Like I said, I was expecting you, I wasn't totally sure since the quality of the closest camera wasn't that good to get a clear view, but you're the only person with spiky hair who I'd see jumping in the way of a car to protect a stranger."
"Huh, well, thanks." Ash said.
"So, you're here to sue her?" Marble asked pointing at Monica.
"TO WHAT?!" Monica shouted. "Y-You backstabber! I trusted you!"
"W-What?! Marble, no! That's not why I'm here." Ash said. "Listen, I came here with her to see if you could just give her car back, she didn't do anything wrong."
"Eh, she did plenty of things wrong in my book." Marble said. "First off, she left the scene of an accident; then she ran away from me and as if that wasn't enough when I caught up to her and tried to interrogate her she started shouting at me like a madman!"
"I was stressed, okay?!" Monica shouted. "It was my first time getting called out by a cop, I panicked! What do you want me to say?!"
"How about 'I'm sorry'?" Marble asked.
"I'M SORRY!" Monica shouted prostrating in front of the officer.
"...Not buying it." Marble said.
"You just want to humiliate her, don't you?" Madeline asked.
"Marble, I feel like you're exaggerating with all this." Ash said.
"Ash, why are you defending her?" Marble asked. "Like, you and that other girl could've died!"
"But we didn't, I'm fine and that girl is too." Ash said. "Seriously, Marble, it was no one's fault, the skater girl tripped and fell on the street and I put myself in the way of the car to protect her, Monica here did nothing wrong, if anything, her quick reaction saved us both me and that girl from getting rolled over and Monica instantly got out of the car to check if we were injured before leaving."
"...Well, there's one thing you can do if that's the case." Marble said. "I still haven't finished the report regarding the incident, so if you can bring the skater girl here by tomorrow night at much; and if she confirms Ash's version of the story, say, that what happened wasn't Monica's fault and that she isn't harmed in any way then the charges might be lifted."
"And how am I supposed to find that random girl in the biggest city of the world?!" Monica shouted.
"That's not my problem." Marble glared at her. "Be glad I'm giving you a chance, and that's only because Ash is here, otherwise I could've arrested you already for shouting and disturbing the order in a police station."
"B-But I-"
"Don't worry, Monica, I'll take care of that." Ash interrupted her.
"You will?" Monica asked. "But you said you didn't know the girl."
"I don't, but I know her name is Rolanda and we go to the same high school, I'll find her tomorrow and I'll bring her here."
"W-Would you seriously do that for me, Ash?"
"Of course, I'll bring her here tomorrow afternoon once we finish the school day." He assured.
"That would mean the world to me, Ash." She said. "Fine then, I'll see you here tomorrow, I'm counting on you."
"Sure, thanks a lot for the help too, Marble."
"It's fine, Ash, I'm more than happy to help you." Marble replied. "I still feel bad about rejecting you after all."
"Wait, you rejected this guy too?" Madeline asked. "Both you and that girl Lisia, you serious? Like, I've met him for 6 hours max and I can tell he's the kindest person on earth."
"I know that, but I was in love with someone else." Marble said. "And it wasn't a big deal, we're still friends, right, Ash?"
"Of course, I came here because I counted on that after all." Ash replied.
"Very well, I'd like you to fill in some papers as a guarantee tho, in case you don't succeed." Marble said to Monica and then looked at the Officer Jenny in the reception. "Lina, could you help her with that?"
"Sure. Come with me, please." The officer said and then guided Monica away.
"So, how's the crime in the city, Ms. Captain?" Ash asked.
"All under control for now." Marble replied. "Pretty minor stuff recently, nothing serious besides an attempted arson yesterday."
"Attempted arson?" Ash asked.
"Yup, a delinquent tried to burn a shrine in the Hanazono Park, but a ranger stopped her and brought her here, she's in a cell down the hall for now."
"Is that so?" Ash asked. "Uh, would it be okay if I see her?"
"What for?" Marble asked.
"I just wanna talk to her." Ash said.
"Friend of yours?" Madeline asked.
"More or less." Ash said.
"Hmmp, okay then. Follow me." Marble guided the two down the halls, walking past some cells until they made it where the Delinquent was, finding the girl laying down in the bed of the cell with her eyes closed.
"Ugh, what do you want now?" She asked without opening her eyes.
"Sharlene?" Ash called her and the girl recognized his voice and opened her eyes.
"Huh? Well, if it isn't spiky hair." She said with a smile to then get up from the bed and walk to the bars while stretching. "Nobody told me I'd be getting conjugal visits. How you doing?"
"He's doing better than you, it seems." Marble replied.
"Pfft, yeah, the ranger managed to catch up to me, so what? I won't be here for long." Sharlene replied. "But what are you doing here?" She asked and passed her arms through the bars to try and hold Ash's chin like last time, but Marble held her wrist and stopped her before she could reach him.
"Touch him and you're dead." Marble said.
"Pfft, sure." Sharlene replied pulling back her arm. "Ain't gonna answer me, Spiky Hair? You don't seem like a person who'd end up in jail."
"Uh, I'm just trying to help a friend with a little trouble here."
"Oh, I see, so you're someone with connections. I knew these cops were corrupted." She said. "Maybe you could get me out of here too?"
"Uh, W-Well, I-"
"Pfft, chill out, Spiky Hair, I'm just messing with you." She interrupted him to then laugh. "It's fine, my parents will come to pick me up in a moment, right, officer?"
"I'm afraid so." Marble replied. "They already paid the fee and you only did an 'attempt', so yeah, you'll be free to go once they come here and fill some papers."
"See? Simple as that. I've been here a few times already anyway, I can handle this." Sharlene said with another laugh. "Or what? Are you worried about me?"
"Well... yes, I am." Ash answered causing her to abruptly stop laughing.
"You... you are?" She asked.
"Yeah, I mean, you're in jail, why wouldn't I worry?" He asked.
"Cause you don't know me, perhaps?" Sharlene asked.
"Maybe not, but I can tell a few things about you from what I've seen so far." Ash said. "For example, you and I are both in class 1-4 of the Nomitsu Academy, but I've never seen you there; and aside from the class skipping and the fact that you've been in jail before, you were trying to specifically burn down a Love Shrine, that says a lot about you."
"Geez, those are quite some fancy words for saying that you liked it when I grabbed your chin." Sharlene replied to then look away. "So if I understand correctly you think I just had my heart broken and I wanted to vent it out."
"Am I wrong?" Ash asked.
"...Trust me, I've gotten used to it by now." She sighed. "But, well, thank you for stopping me from burning the shrine, I guess, had you not, I probably would've been here for a longer while."
"Oh, so you were that civilian that the ranger mentioned." Marble said.
"Yeah, Astrid and I happened to be walking by when it all happened." Ash replied.
"Hey, guys, I'm done here!" Monica called from the reception.
"On our way." Ash replied to then look at the Delinquent again. "Sharlene... take care, ok?" He said before leaving along Marble and Madeline.
"...You too, kid." Sharlene whispered.
A few minutes later.
"You guys really didn't have to come all the way here." Monica said opening the door of her apartment and letting Ash and Madeline come inside.
"It's fine, I just wanted to make sure you made it home." Ash said. "Since you still seem to have problems traveling the city by foot."
"I seriously can't thank you guys enough for all the help today." Monica said to then pull out a Poke Ball and release a Petilil. "Same as always, yeah?" She said and the Grass-Type shook his head releasing a small cloud of green powder on Monica, causing her to yawn.
"Uh, are you 'relieving stress'?" Madeline asked.
"Very funny." Monica said to then sit on her couch. "It's Sleep Powder, Petilil and I have been using it to help me rest after work, but it's been less effective these last months, it'll take me like half-an-hour to fall asleep.
"Listen, after we're done with your car, you should make the most of this free week and simply rest." Ash said placing a hand over Monica's head. "All of that work will be worthless if you end up collapsing."
"Y-Yeah, I... I'll try at least." Monica replied while blushing as Ash continued to pat her, making her blush even more. "Y-Y-You should be going to your home before it gets too late."
"What do you mean? It's like 2 PM?" Madeline said.
"Either way, we'll let you rest." Ash said. "I'll see you tomorrow at the police station then. Are you sure you don't need anything?" He asked and the girl silently nodded.
"Alright, Madeline, let's leave for now." He said to then look at the Parasol Lady who was simply giving him a frown. "Uh, something wrong?"
"...Why did you do that?" She asked.
"Do what?" Ash asked.
"Uh, i-if it's about the headpat I don't exactly mind." Monica said still blushing.
"That's not what I mean. It's just... how can you be just so kind to everyone?" Madeline asked him. "Willing to help me with my studies and work? Helping Monica get her car back and looking after her? You're even worried about that delinquent; and, adding to that, you don't actually know any of us... just, why? Why do you care about us?"
"And why wouldn't I?" Ash asked. "I guess that's just the kind of person I am, why wouldn't I want to help someone when I know I can? I know just how tough life can be, so if I can help anyone ease that burden then of course I'm gonna do it."
"... Ash ...that motivation I've been lacking... I'll try to find it, I'll make the effort." Madeline said. "I'll go tomorrow to your High School and I'll try to resume my studies... as long as you promise you'll have my back."
"You sure you want to put your trust in a stranger?" Ash asked causing her to give a short chuckle.
"I want to put my trust in the one person who told me what I've been needing to hear for a long time." Madeline said and they both smiled.
"It's a promise then." Ash said offering a handshake.
"...You still seem too good to be true." Madeline smiled before accepting the handshake. "Very well, I'll be counting on you." She said to then let go of his hand only to stand by Ash's side and take it again, interlocking their fingers and leaving them both blushing. "Shall we go home?"
"...Sure." Ash whispered looking down at their hands. Meanwhile Monica was staring at the two, blushing as well from the sight of the handholding to then extend her arm to try and grab Ash's free hand.
"Well, see you after school, Monica." Ash said looking at her.
"AH! SURE!" Monica shouted pulling back her arm. "W-Well, get out of here already, it's really late!" She said before basically pushing them out of her apartment and slamming the door afterwards.
"H-His hand..." Monica whispered. "I-I want him to... touch me?" She asked herself blushing even more while her Petilil simply gave her a weird look.
A few minutes later, at Madeline's house.
"I had lots of fun today, Ash." The Parasol Lady said at the front door. "Between the tour, the little side quest with Monica and of course, our deal... I really hope things work out and I fall into your class."
"I hope so too." Ash replied. "But even if you don't, I'll try to find other ways to help you, I'll start asking to see what job is the most appropriate for you."
"...Thanks for everything, really." She said to them approach Ash and plant a quick kiss on his cheek. "I... I'll pay for all the kindness you've been showing, sooner rather than later." She smiled at him before closing the door, leaving a shocked and blushing Ash outside.
"Well, that was... a little unexpected." Ash said to himself before crossing the street and entering his house. "No one has kissed my cheek since... Hey, wait a second... Astrid, you still there?"
"Of course I am, silly." She replied with a short laugh. "I've been hearing everything. I knew you had good speech, but you seriously surprised me today."
"Well, thanks." Ash said. "But didn't you say you were gonna help me with this?"
"I was going to, but you started handling the situations better and better, so I decided to just sit back and watch." Astrid said. "I mean, you didn't ask for my help even once. See? I told you you could do it."
"I guess you're right." Ash replied. "Thanks for the confidence boost either way."
"Pfft, not like you needed it, for real, I've got to admit that it played out better than I first imagined." Astrid said. "Offering yourself to help them with their problems was a pretty good idea to make them fully fall in love with you."
"Yeah, I mean, that was the idea at first." Ash said. "But... the more time we spent together, the more I felt like I offered to help them because I actually wanted to, I forgot about the 'love or die' thing and I... I guess I just genuinely love them too."
"So Enamorus was right after all. You just needed some time to fully fall in love with them." Astrid said to then sigh. "So I imagine the plan for tomorrow is going after Rolanda, right?"
"Yes, I'll go to the Martial Arts Club tomorrow, hopefully Nagisa will also be there so I can talk with her too."
"Well, as much as I believe you can handle it yourself, I'll go with you just in case, fine?"
"Fine. See you tomorrow at school."
"See ya." Astrid said before turning off the communicator. "He... He really loves them, huh?"
-Of course you can fall in love and have a relationship with someone who isn't your soulmate, but it is not 'guaranteed' to work out- Enamorus' words resounded in her head.
"Hmm..."
And that's it!
The plot finally kicks off, and almost unsurprisingly, this chapter turned out quite longer than the previous ones, isn't that funny?
Either way, this is where we start to see more individuality from the girls, remember that since they're generic NPCs, I pretty much had to make their personalities from scratch, with their class only giving me a few hints on how to approach them, but that's where the 100 kanojo parts of the story come to help.
For example, something that 100 kanojo does is give every girl a 'cover pair', which is a fellow girlfriend that has opposite yet similar personalities and quirks, who they tend to spend more time with compared to the rest of the harem, so we started with something simple on two work-related girls here; and we got a bit of the Delinquent too, we'll see more of her next chapter.
See you next time with Rolanda and Nagisa in 'Spin and Burst'
Reviews:
Dragonkeeper10
I like that y'all got different theories regarding Astrid, we'll find out which is true soon enough.
Switch 4 Life
You know, the first draft of this story was to use the usual pokegirls, but I decided to go with the NPCs to make it feel more unique, I was a bit hesitant at first since I'd have to write most girls from scratch but I think that it was a great decision.
Rniloy
Say no more.
Arbiter8991
Yeah, there's a female fisher with a quite good design in SwSh, we'll use her here later
Kreceir
Well, it is a silly question, but yeah, the girls are meant to be only in love with Ash, but since we're based on 100 kanojo (and KanoKano to a lesser extent) I wouldn't say we're totally free from some occasional Yuri pun.
Oakler
Or will she?
Haziq Saffari
I think I'll fully have these 7 girls join before introducing more soulmates.
KGBeastboy
Thanks for the help! now let's see.
Guitarist Billy Jo is 100% coming.
The Cowgirl is by far one of my favorite NPC designs in the whole franchise so I'd rather have her be her own girl AND have Lara Laramie in this too as a separate character, they could be a cover pair.
Kricketina also sounds like a good idea.
Some female Grunts are definitely coming (God, the Aether employee is so cute) so that G.R.A.M.P.S plot could actually work, I'll keep it in mind.
I think I'll save Domino for Fighting Dreamers, but Matori could work here.
Anthea and Concordia are definitely a good idea.
Rapp is 100% coming
Hunter J and the admins feel a bit too relevant to include here.
The spin-off girls could work, Blue eyes is def my favorite out of the ones you mentioned.
DGJabberwocky
Salvia will be perfect for this fic, since Dawn is among the girls who rejected Ash.
GIRLFRIENDEX
Soulmates Met: 7/100.
Soulmates Girlfriended: 0/100
...
001. Helena (XY Hex Maniac)
002. Sharlene (ORAS Delinquent)
003. Annie (BW Pokemon Ranger)
004. Nagisa (Master Dojo Student)
005. Rolanda (XY Roller Skater)
006. Monica (BW Clerk/Office Lady)
007. Madeline (ORAS Parasol Lady)
That's all for today.
Holdonlupin is out!