Author's Notes (12)
.
Heyo! Back again with another chapter.
So, some things to note before you guys read this:
This was supposed to be a light-hearted chapter with little to no action. But then, I realized I could make this chapter waaaay more interesting than usual with some foreshadowing and rather confusing events in the latter half. With the chapter title and what happens near the end, you guess can probably start piecing that SOMETHING BIG is going on here.
So I went from a peaceful chapter to LORE chapter... Great.
With that, enjoy!
Chapter 56: Divergence
"Giovanni's out…" Ash could hardly believe what he had heard.
'Oi, oi, oi! Isn't this bad?! That geezer's gonna come after me now!'
The raven-haired boy's paranoia was cranked to 11 as his leg shook violently as he was anticipating the crime boss to show up any second. Plus, he had the GS Ball to protect so that was an additional worry for the boy.
"Don't worry, Ash. Giovanni's under surveillance in his house and rather helpful with the police's investigation of the newly revived Team Rocket," Officer Jenny chuckled at Ash's anxious expression.
Ash blinked in response before letting out a wave of relief wash over him as Pikachu sighed on his lap.
"That's a relief… Wait, why's the geezer helping the good guys?" the raven-haired boy inquired as it made no sense.
"Unfortunately, I have no idea since I'm the only Officer Jenny staffed with protecting this reserve so I'm not as up to date as the others," the policewoman answered apologetically while rubbing her swelled foot.
Luckily, the Rocket trio provided the reason thanks to their blabbering mouths.
"As if da boss would work with Johto's Neo Rocket!" Meowth exclaimed angrily.
'Neo Rocket? Seriously?' Ash cocked a brow.
"Yeah! That Masked Man just returned out of nowhere and took control of the whole organization!" James provided with exasperation.
'Masked Man? That dude who created the GS Ball?!'
"But not us! We're loyal to Boss Giovanni!" Jessie proudly declared.
Ash gave a small 'Uh-huh' as he now knew the current situation. Apparently, his scuffle with Mewtwo drowned out the emergence of Neo Rocket in Johto and was only finding this out since news don't really travel as quickly in the Orange Islands. Feeling somewhat responsible for Neo Rocket's revival, the raven-haired boy prepared to leave first thing tomorrow, trying to complete his Orange League as soon as possible.
"Alright, that should en—"
Ash and Officer Jenny turned back to the trio, only to find a lasso cut cleanly by something sharp.
"Ahahaha! So long, twerp! We'll get your Pokémon next time!" a smug James cried out from a Meowth hot air balloon above them.
"…[Thunderbolt]," Ash deadpanned, unable to believe the trio would try escaping at this timing.
"PikaCHIIIIIIII!"
BOOM!
"We're blasting off againnnnnnnnn…!"
Ding!
'…I really hope this isn't gonna be a pattern in the future,' he dreaded.
Somehow, Ash really doubted it.
.
.
.
Pikachu slept peacefully within the tent his partner set up as the raven-haired boy was starting to get jumpy after being in the Centre. Meanwhile, the raven-haired boy was just outside cleaning the stone Sword with extreme care. Ash's arm had been healed and taken out of the cast, seeing for the first time how his wounds regenerated for the first time.
'…This is kinda creepy to look at. Even my healing is done by swords…' Ash grimaced at the rather amazing sight.
Azure blue blades of light sewed themselves on his wounds, realigning the bones and regenerating the blood. The raven-haired boy spent a good minute marvelling the beauty of the Sword's healing properties.
'Not only that, but I also think my body got stronger as well… No, no, Yellow's still number 1! I refuse to fall for a sword!'
Shaking away that disturbing thought, he opted to read up on the book Riley gave him to learn more about his powers and to distract himself.
'I wonder if AURA comes with a manual or something?' he wondered to himself as he read each page with laser focus.
"AURA, on… Yeah, no."
'Thing's bugged out as usual,' he commented mentally.
…
The planet's life energy is known as AURA.
The Earth had been referred to as a living organism from the beginning of time. The World gave its body fresh life by using its lifeforce. But throughout its existence, Pokémon as well as humans with the capacity to use that lifeforce were born. The World then took action to manage the Wielders.
The ability to feel and deploy AURA naturally became exclusive to the Lucario line while AURA Wielders got more and more difficult to find as time went on. This established equilibrium because if it did not, human nature would quickly drain AURA and wipe out the Earth, as shown by the ancient wars.
But in the modern era, AURA had multiplied exponentially and filled the skies and the seas. AURA covered the entire Planet. There was nowhere it could not go.
…
"Damn, this is some heavy stuff…" Ash muttered softly as he continued towards the Projection section.
…
AURA Projection is a practice involving the materialization of objects, in accordance to the caster's imagination, through the use of AURA. The most common and arguably only object being [AURA Sphere].
The concept behind this is rather simple, to shape AURA into the material composition and design of an object that is being imagined by the Wielder.
It is a spell that rouses imagery within the caster's heart as pseudo-matter; to project the world within to the outside world, a precise understanding of both the caster and of others is needed.
However, the Projection is not everlasting, as it is recognized by the World as an illusion given form that doesn't belong in the natural world, and it will be erased as an inconsistency. The better the image in the caster's imagination, the more stable and longer lasting the object will be, and it can be further improved by having technical knowledge of its construction, such as a blueprint, or having materials to overlay the desired shape upon.
…
'I kinda get why a sphere is more useful since it's a shape that doesn't require much imagination. Plus, it doesn't need to stay materialized for long since it's something of a bomb,' Ash nodded absently the book's content.
'…Then why are swords easier to Project for me? Hell, I didn't even realize that swords were even an option until Nimue gave me the hint. Do I really understand them that much better than an actual sphere?'
Another thing that bugged Ash was the fact that his first ever projection of Caliburn gave him every piece of information about the blade. Everything from the activation of its offensive strength to even retaining some of the swordsmanship imprinted within the sword. It was as if the raven-haired boy was able to recreate even the history of the sword, leaving him completely confused even further.
'I'm pretty sure I didn't know how to use a sword before Mewtwo… What's up with that? How did I get decent all of a sudden?'
The raven-haired boy had much more questions than answers after reading the book but since it was getting late, he shrugged to himself before turning in for the night with Serena as his guide to dreamland.
.
.
.
Pokémon Academy, Kalos Region.
"I don't get it. Why're ya' so interested in Red, Kimia?" Blue asked with genuine curiosity as someone who truly knew the numbskull.
The chestnut-haired girl had completely dropped the formalities as she spent some time talking to the Azoth princess. The two hit it off splendidly due to Blue, the extrovert.
"Don't you think he's rather charming? His sharp features make him look very knightly and his red eyes…" the princess illustrated dreamily.
"They're very beautiful."
'…Who the hell is that?' / 'Who in the world is she talking about?'
Gary and Blue both deadpanned as the Ash in their head wore a goofy expression with a lazy grin as opposed to the red-eyed knight in Kimia's delusions.
A complete opposite from what they were used to.
And to everyone's surprise, the honey blonde gave a completely different response from what they were expecting.
"Umu, umu. You have great taste, Kimia," Serena nodded in agreement with a proud smile.
"Yes. It's a shame he's already claimed. You're very lucky, Serena," Kimia sighed regretfully.
Luckily for the honey blonde, the princess of Azoth got the message pretty clearly after everyone told her about the two childhood sweethearts' story. It appeared that the raven-haired boy was obliviously unaware that he was dangerously close to starting a civil war.
"Travelling around the world just to reunite with the one he loves… That's the epitome of a romance novel!" Kimia squealed as she was a connoisseur of such novels despite being royalty.
"Compared to them, our story seems kinda bland, don'tcha think?" Shauna nudged Calem.
"Yeah. But I'm the happiest with you, though," the black-haired boy shot back with a surprise attack.
"C-C-Cal…"
The two entered a realm of their own making as the rest proceeded to ignore them until they were dispelled form their little flirt bubble.
"Getting back on track, the examination for the starter Pokémon begins tomorrow, no?" the princess started.
"That's right. But I don't think Blue and I will be participating even if we get top 3," Gary supplied since both he and the chestnut-haired girl already had their own teams.
"Same goes for me. Kirlia is my irreplaceable partner," Kimia nodded as she caressed her partner's capsule.
Although the orange-haired boy was modest with his statement, he was positively sure that both him and Blue would earn the top spots due to their extensive study sessions when they took their Professor Oak's test for the right to travel at the age of 10. Even Ash who was arguably the weakest of the trio was actually in the 99th percentile, albeit in the lower end but within that percentile, nonetheless.
'The only reason Red struggles is cuz of the general questions,' Gary recalled as the raven-haired boy's common sense was 'wack' in his words.
Just as he finished his thoughts, Sycamore entered the class with three Pokémon in tow. Namely, the Kalos starters.
"Bonjour, class! As you are all aware, tomorrow is the day of the examinations for your starters! So as motivation, I have our marvellous starters here to greet you all," the Professor said as two of the starters immediately fled from the man.
…And proceeded to greet Serena with happy expressions.
"Fou!" / "Kero!"
"Hi, you two!" the honey blonde exclaimed as she picked Fennekin and Froakie up and snuggled them.
The class were surprised at the two starters' behaviour towards the Queen, but after seeing her softened expression, they were silently envious of the fox and frog.
"Well, Serena. Looks like you're already set with two choices," Sycamore laughed.
"Oh, and for Gary Oak and Blue Leaf," he suddenly called the two Kanto natives.
"Your uniforms are here."
Pokémon Academy dress code had a colour system that indicated which Year the student was depending on their uniform's colour. The colours followed the order of shades in the rainbow:
Year 1 (Age 10) = Violet
Year 2 (Age 11) = Indigo
Year 3 (Age 12) = Blue
Year 4 (Age 13) = Green
Year 5 (Age 14) = Yellow
Year 6 (Age 15) = Orange
Year 7 (Age 16) = Red
Gary and Blue put on their new indigo blazers as they fit nicely and complemented their appearances. They would wear their trousers and skirt the next day respectively.
The Academy was not strict on their dress code. As long as the blazer stayed on and anything else underneath was appropriate, it was fair game to put on even a hoodie.
"Not bad. I should wear a shirt too," the orange-haired boy commented.
"I feel like a student now!" Blue nodded enthusiastically.
After days since their enrolment, the two Kanto natives felt a sense of belonging after wearing their blazers. Gone were the few days of wearing their Kanto clothes since the Grand League.
Some of the students were excited at the prospect of choosing their starters while others who already had their own Pokémon prior were waiting for their provisional license instead.
Calem was the most excited of the bunch as he was itching to go on an adventure with Shauna chuckled at his exhilaration.
Then, a student raised his hand.
"Um, Professor Sycamore? Is Pikachu an option for a starter?" the girl asked timidly.
"Pikachu? Why a Pikachu?" he asked.
"It's just that… that Red dude's Pikachu was so freakin' cool!"
Sure enough, Pikachu's popularity skyrocketed into the stratosphere after his showing in the Grand League and had spread across the world with Kalos being the electric mouse's highest percent to date.
Serena thought about it for a moment and proceeded to nod with a little 'I get you'.
'Can't deny that. Red and Pikachu were so cool,' the honey blonde mused in agreement.
"Haha… Unfortunately, Pikachu's not considered a starter," Sycamore apologized.
'What a shame…' everyone sighed collectively.
Serena stared outside the window, taking in the bright sunny day as she wondered what the raven-haired boy was doing. Last she heard of Ash was that he was going to make his way to Navel Island for his second Badge. The honey blonde frowned slightly since she was going to be busy for the next few days and lamented not being able to see his accomplished and endearing expression.
'Why do you have to be so cute…' her ears blushed red.
.
.
.
"Wooooow. Imagine my surprise…" I drawled sarcastically as I took in the welcoming sight of a horizon of swords.
Well, it's not a big deal. I get to fiddle with these babies.
Ever since my first Projection of Caliburn, I found myself harbouring a deep fascination of swords. Or rather, the admiration was always there but now, it was dangling on a rope that separated healthy admiration and unhealthy obsession.
…Pretty sure I'm falling to the latter.
"Since I'm stuck here for the entire night, might as well go through with Mew's remaining memories," I exhaled sharply, not minding being within my 'world' as that annoying Nameless called it.
Seriously, that jerk really pisses me off for some reason.
After that day of frantically sorting through the gigantic size of Mew's memories, the mental burden had lessened since I'd grown accustomed to it by now. Then, I realized that I could convert the memories as material for the swords in my mental landscape.
It's just like the book said. The Projection requires something like pseudo-matter to manifest so if I use Mew's fragmented memories…
Schwing!
I watched as a new sword stabbed itself into the iron-coloured earth with a vindicated grin.
I can use anything within myself to create swords! Memories, even desires and wishes… They all count as materials for my Projections!
I held the urge to jump and punch the air in excitement. I felt like a child who just witnessed a bottle landing upright for the first time in his life. Finally, something was going my way.
With that, I sat down on the iron-coloured earth and meditated like how I was going to if it wasn't for AURA not activating.
Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing!
Thousands of blades made themselves at home within my endless horizon of weapons. Right now, I'd probably converted out around 80% of Mew's memories, much to my surprise. With each memory appraised into blades, I retained their information like a sponge.
Really, I felt like a supercomputer.
"Huh, didn't know Mew lived in Rota," I said to myself as I saw the huge tree where the pink feline resided within the memories.
Though, what the hell was that snake thing around the roots? Mew's roommate?
As I tried to figure out what the green snake was, I felt myself waking up.
Man, it felt like a short time. If only my AURA wasn't… broken…
.
.
.
"Piiiii…" the electric mouse stared at his partner's sleeping face.
"Pikapi."
A tiny paw massaged the raven-haired boy's cheek. Pikachu felt a stir of playfulness as he used both his paws to knead Ash's face with a coo.
"…You're having fun," an ambushing hand gently scratched the electric mouse's chin.
"Chaaaaaaa~"
The raven-haired boy rose from his slumber as he stretched his unnaturally strengthened body. His body was refreshed but his mind felt like it had skipped the night. Justifiable, since Ash spent his entire sleep cycle within his world of blades.
'When in doubt, blame AURA,' he yawned as he found the source of his powers to also be the source of his problems.
After his morning exercises, Ash took a shower and wore his dried clothes that had been cleaned from the laundromat. And with breakfast finished, he prepared to leave since Pinkan Island was not really a public spot for him to loiter around.
"Thanks for everything, Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny!" Ash grinned at the two women who came to see him and Pikachu off.
"I should be thanking you, Ash. Thank you for saving me," the policewoman chuckled as she massaged her swollen feet.
"I am curious as to how your injuries healed overnight…" the nurse narrowed suspiciously on the animated arm that was just broken yesterday,
"Ahaha… Magic, I guess?" the raven-haired boy looked away, technically telling the truth.
Ash learnt from the book that although the word aura was closely tied to spiritual energy within the body, AURA was able to perform feats akin to the mystical, involving even the Planet, so calling it 'magic' was not far off either.
"See, you did it! I must be the greatest wizard of all time."
The raven-haired boy found it funny that he turned out to be some kind of wizard after all since he wrapped that handkerchief around Serena and chanted away.
After a few goodbyes, Ash along with Pikachu summoned Lapras and surfed off to their next destination.
"Let's get our second Badge, guys!"
"Pika!" / "Kyuu!"
.
.
.
Pokémon Academy, Kalos Region
The air around the classroom was tense as the students braced themselves for the examinations. The only ones who seemed excited were the Kanto duo, their vibes completely different from their peers.
"Green, Green! We're gonna take a test!" Blue exclaimed excitedly.
"Well, I guess that this would be our first time taking a school test rather than Gramps' custom papers," Gary remarked.
Calem, on the other hand, had eyebags from his last minute cramming and was hyper focused, running on pure desire and willpower alone. He had waited for the day to choose his starter for a long time, and he was not going to fail his one chance.
"Begin!" the teacher announced.
.
.
.
.
.
With the teacher's Pokémon, Alakazam, marking everything with lightning speed, the students immediately got their scores written on the board via [Psychic].
The Psi Pokémon's IQ was said to be 5000 according to the Dex, but Gary had always found the encyclopaedia entries to be, in his words, 'bullshit'. But although exaggerated, the orange-haired boy had no problems believing that Alakazam was still above the human intelligence by a fair margin. He had one in his team, after all.
'Its real IQ probably lies around 500 instead of 5000,' he mused to himself, not really affected by the results since he had no stakes in it.
Then, the levitating chalk was let down to Alakazam's Trainer. The teacher thanked her Pokémon for its hard work before returning it as she marvelled at the top scorers:
.
Gary Oak: 100
Serena Yvonne-Gabena: 98
Blue Leaf: 97
Alain Storm: 97
Kimia Azoth: 96
Calem Xavier: 89
Trevor Trovato: 88
Shauna Éclat: 84
Tierno Martin: 80
.
"Woah! Someone managed to beat the Queen in the top placements!" one student wowed as he thought he was seeing things.
"Good game, Serena," the orange-haired boy grinned to the honey blonde.
"Man, Red was right. You're really good in academics, Gary," Serena shot back but satisfied with the results, nonetheless.
"Hey, at least you took it better than that blockhead. That competitive goof kept screaming for a rematch when we were kids," Gary smirked, eliciting a laugh form the honey blonde as she imagined a small hard-headed Ash demanding a retest.
"As expected of the Tactician…" another student commented.
'Hold on. The what now?!' Gary spun to whoever gave him that nickname, demanding the source of that cringe-worthy epithet while Serena and Blue broke into a fit of laughter at him.
"You didn't know? The Pallet trio got nicknames on the Battlers Board*, including you," Calem provided helpfully before celebrating his highest score to date with Shauna, who was equally happy.
(*Website for ranking famous Pokémon Battlers.)
'Of course, it had to be the resident battle nerd who knew,' the group unanimously figured, much to an unaware Calem's obliviousness.
"Hey, hey! What about me?" Blue sparkled in curiosity, waiting for the black-haired boy's response.
"Blue… Ah, if I remember correctly, you're Little Witch."
…
'It's cuz of Espeon…' Gary and Serena nodded to themselves.
'Espeon, right?' Shauna understood immediately.
'Definitely Espeon…' Tierno and Trevor chuckled nervously.
"But I'm not 'Little' though…" the chestnut-haired girl muttered with a pout as she stared below.
Rumble…
Gary came to her rescue as soon as her mood dampened. Before the topic could change, he wondered what his rival's epithet was.
"Then what about Red?" the orange-haired boy asked.
"I'm surprised you don't know, Gary. Y'know, since you were the one who coined it during your… rampage. No offense, man," Calem remarked with slight apprehension.
"None taken," the orange-haired boy waved it off as he still felt guilty of his actions in the Semi-Finals, even after Serena's retribution.
"So, it's probably 'that', huh?"
"Yep. It fits Ash perfectly."
Rumble…
Serena listened in as she recalled the term Gary called the raven-haired boy by during their final match.
'…Faker, huh?'
The honey blonde smiled contently to herself as she closed her eyes and wondered how her sweetheart was doing currently.
'Doesn't suit that dummy one bit.'
Rumble!
"Eh?"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
.
.
.
Navel Island, Orange Islands
"Whew, Team Rocket sure are annoying…" the raven-haired boy commented as he disembarked from Lapras and returned her into her capsule.
Hours ago…
Ash had stopped briefly after noticing a Nurse Joy on a kayak as he rode on his trusty plesiosaur. Seeing her struggles and being the impulsive and altruistic child that he was, the boy lent a helping hand towards the tanned nurse without hesitation.
The nurse was taking care of the wounded Pokémon without rest as she rode her kayak tirelessly to bring them back to the Centre of a small island. Ash watched as the tanned nurse worked herself to the maximum as she healed the Pokémon with a smile on her face. Then, rinse and repeat. Every single day.
Then, Team Rocket happened and impeded on Joy's work so, Ash had to step in and unleash Pikachu's fury upon the trio, blasting them off sky high.
'The Nurse Joys are really amazing…' the raven-haired boy mused as he gained immense respect for the pink-haired healers.
'And I got to see her giant Magikarp evolve into that massive Gyarados. Looks like there WERE giant Magikarps, after all.'
"Pikapi!" Pikachu squeaked from his shoulder, catching his attention.
"Hm? Woah, that's a huge mountain," Ash took in his surroundings as he turned his heads upwards, looking at the ever-distant peak of the colossal mountain.
Then, a sailboat came into view as an auburn-haired man hopped out. The man wore a dashing smile as he approached the raven-haired boy who stood there in confusion.
"Hi there! You must be the one Cissy told me about. Ash, right?" the man said politely.
It was then the raven-haired boy knew who the man was.
"And you're the Navel Island's Gym Leader," he nodded while flashing a grin at the man.
Straight to business. The man was fascinated by the strong-willed raven-haired boy who seemed to be relishing his upcoming Challenge, the opposite of most Trainers that went through Cissy's trial first. And yet, Ash showed no signs of fear, only elation.
"Yes. I'm Danny of the Orange Islands' Gym Leader."
'Ash Ketchum, the Finalist of the Grand League. Let's see how you pass my Challenge.'
Danny urged the boy to follow him to the base of the mountain and without wasting time, Ash followed closely behind with Pikachu squeaking in delight at the view around them.
"I heard that you managed to beat Cissy's water skeet Challenge using loopholes. I really wished I could see the look on her face," Danny chuckled to himself as he imagined the flabbergasted expression on the auburn-haired woman.
"We tied, though. But she was surprised, I think… I didn't really get the chance to see since I was busy running through the ranges," Ash replied sheepishly as he scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Hahaha! Yep, that would really set her off!"
The two conversed on their way to the mountain base with Ash enjoying their chat as he found the man to be a pleasant presence. If he were to draw comparisons, Cissy would be akin to the raging seas while Danny would be like a calm flowing river brook.
As the two reached the base, the man issued his first Challenge to Ash.
"Alright, Ash. For the right to challenge me, you must scale this mountain to the snowy peak," Danny said with nonchalance.
The raven-haired boy blinked and did a double take at the outrageous task given to him just for the right of Challenge, as did Pikachu. He craned his head to the snow-covered peak and slowly traced his eyes back to the ground.
'Oh wait! I forgot he's still a kid! Maybe we can skip this one instead,' the man realized as he backtracked his Challenge, not wanting a child to go through such a demanding physical task that was more appropriate for the older Trainers.
"I'm just pulling your leg. There's no…" Danny tried to laugh it off before getting surprised by Ash's next words.
"Do we have a time limit? And where's the goal?" Ash asked as he began stretching his limbs, eager to start.
'…Of course. Cissy wasn't kidding when she said this kid's a tough one.'
"No to your first question. The goal isn't as high as those snowy peaks," Danny pointed a thumb at the highest snow caps before moving it significantly lower towards a smaller snow peak with a tiny flag stabbed into the snow.
"That's the goal. And all you must do is to follow my lead and no Pokémon can assist," the Gym Leader finalized while he gestured to a building near their location.
"If you're really not up for it, the cable car's always available."
"Hear that, partner? Guess you're gonna get a free ride," Ash snickered at the pouting electric mouse who swiped the red cap from his Trainer's head.
An attendant of the cable car made her way to the two and with instructions from Danny, the woman picked up the electric mouse and ensured the raven-haired boy that he would be waiting at the top for him.
"Does your Pikachu hate being in a Ball?"
"Yeah. It's a long story."
"Then I won't pry. But it does make your Pikachu quite the character."
'A ketchup addict, that's what he is,' Ash gave a mirthful smile, keeping that to himself.
With that, Danny and Ash ascended the mountain with the latter following the Gym Leader's lead.
.
.
.
Danny was an expert when it came to climbing Navel Island's mountain as it was part of his daily training back when he first started as a Gym Leader for the Orange Leader. Since then, he would use the workout as a pretext for the right of Challenge, much to his previous challengers' chagrin.
However, the auburn-haired man peeked below him and was surprised to find a rather energetic Ash still climbing without pause and right on Danny's tail. A stark contrast to his usual challengers.
'Kid's got stamina and the guts to boot,' he praised mentally as the boy did not seem to be afraid but rather focused and disciplined.
With Danny going at his pace and Ash climbing faster than expected, the two reached the goal in no time.
"Phew, you're a lot better than my previous challengers, kid," Danny commended the raven-haired boy.
"Ahaha… I guess I'm a natural at climbing," Ash replied with a snicker.
The raven-haired boy then took a moment to enjoy the beautiful view that painted before him:
The never-ending blue sky was sprinkled with cottons of white and flocks of Pidgeots, illustrating the dazzling reflection of the sparkling sheet of azure waters below. The sight was gorgeous as it reflected within the bloodred eyes. The ocean breeze caressed the boy's face as the winds gently tickled his skin. The smell of the seas was intoxicating for his senses as Ash wished for someone else to experience such a view alongside him.
'Yellow…' he longed for the honey blonde as he continued gazing at the beautiful sight, remembering the promise he made to her.
"When we're older, I'll take you to see the ocean."
"You like it?" Danny inhaled a bout of fresh air.
"This view is what I look forward to everyday when I climb the mountains. The difficult trial was paved with hardships but at the end of it, the reward for our labours will always be worth it."
"…Yes. I think so too," the raven-haired boy agreed as he paralleled his journey with Danny's words.
'That's right. The dream is still here.'
The boy clutched his heart.
'And when I finally reunite with her…'
That fateful day signalled his beginnings.
'That'll be the end of the dream.'
Ash's lips curled upwards as he looked forward to the finale of his dream.
…
Twin geysers blasted from the ground as Ash joined Pikachu at the goal. The raven-haired boy wondered if his Challenge had relations to the erupting water before him. As if reading his thoughts, Danny announced his challenger's next task.
"The first part of your Challenge will be to freeze the geyser into a pole of ice. Of course, this would be a timed race against me with one Pokémon each."
'The rules are simple. But because they're simple, there's no loopholes I could pull out,' Ash frowned slightly.
"I can tell you're let down by how simple it is," Danny gave a mirthful chuckle.
"Can you read minds or something?"
"You get used to it when you do things like this for a while."
The raven-haired boy immediately summoned Lapras to his side with the latter chirping in joy as she was seeing more use in the Orange League.
"Sorry for relying on you so much, Lapras," Ash scratched his cheek sheepishly to which the plesiosaur shook her head and pounded her chest with her fin, as if to say 'Leave it to me!'.
"Thanks, girl."
Lapras was very happy indeed.
Danny, on the other hand, chose to summon a large bipedal blue behemoth that startled Ash, Pikachu and Lapras before realizing what it was and calming down.
"Whew… It's just a Nidoqueen," Ash sighed in relief as he expected a purple and meaner Drill Pokémon instead.
'I was not looking forward to another Nidoking.'
"Pika…" / "Kyuu…"
The two Pokémon shared their Trainer's sentiments. His luck was atrociously abysmal, after all.
"Ready?"
"Ready!"
And they were off.
"Nidoqueen, [Ice Beam]!" Danny called out.
"Lapras, [Ice Beam]!" Ash called in a similar fashion.
Energy blast of frigid ice froze the geysers from its base and travelled to the top of the springing water. What the raven-haired boy did not expect was the rate at which Nidoqueen was going as the female Drill Pokémon was quicker than even his affectionate plesiosaur. Rather, it reminded him of Lorelei's Dewgong, who could create the 7 ice shields in an instant.
Clunk.
"Looks like this is my win, Ash," Danny smiled.
Clunk.
"Yeah, I didn't expect Nidoqueen to be that fast," Ash gave a defeated smile.
Lapras was saddened that she did not finish first, but her disappointment was quickly turned into annoyance as she glimpsed at the Drill Pokémon's haughty expression.
"Kyuu! Kyuu!" she bellowed in rage.
"Woah there! Lapras, it's okay, girl!" the raven-haired boy sweatdropped.
"Ahaha… Sorry about that. My Nidoqueen's quick in a lot of things but somehow picking fights is the one she excels at," the auburn-haired man apologized.
The two returned their Pokémon and thanked them for their hard work.
"It's fine, Lapras. Don't let it get to you," Ash held the wiggling Ball with a raging plesiosaur within.
Lapras mad.
"…I'll make your favourite onigiri Berries."
Lapras happy.
The raven-haired boy was a bargaining genius, though now he had to resist the urge to puke.
'Seriously, why does she even like those? I made it once as a failed experiment, but I didn't think she'd like it that much,' he shook his head as he failed to understand the Transport Pokémon's preferences.
Right now, the two Trainers had two similarly crude frozen blocks of ice before them, courtesy of Lapras and Nidoqueen. Then, Danny had a schematic of a polished sled for Ash to see.
"Huh. That's a practical design," was all he could say.
"You flatter me, Ash."
"Again, flattery is considered lying for me. I mean it."
The raven-haired boy gripped the cold icy block and moved it away for space. Danny did the same, although he had to take his hands off a few times since it was too cold for his liking.
"I notice you're not really bothered by the cold, are you?" Danny observed the boy's nonchalance.
"Nah, I actually like the cold."
Ash's next task involved sculpting the block into the sled given in the blueprints, which seemed difficult at first glance but since Pokémon were allowed to help this time, it would take less time.
"By the way, Mr Danny," the boy raised his hand as if in a classroom.
"Can I chip in as well?"
"Sure. In fact, I encourage you to work with your Pokémon! That's what the Challenges are for," the man beamed in approval at Ash's willingness.
Ash nodded to the man as he called upon the stone Sword in his Bag's digital space and summoned both Marowak and Charizard as well. Danny quirked a brow at the peculiar sight of the sword-wielding boy, thinking why the child even had that and how it was a strange tool to use.
"Charizard, [Flamethrower] on the Sword and Marowak's bones."
The orange dragon grunted and spewed hot flames at the Sword as well as the bone clubs before sulking at the corner for some reason.
'Hmm? Is Charizard mad or something?' he pondered before resuming his handiwork.
Danny was already halfway there with his Scyther, Nidoqueen and Machoke helping him carve the sled.
"Alright, Marowak! Let's do this!" Ash grinned as he brandished his white-hot heated Sword.
"Ga-ra!" Marowak nodded while brandishing his twin burning weapons.
'Combine both [Slash (Fake)] and [Bone Rush] and you get…!'
"[Aerial Ace (Fake)]!"
"Ga-ra!"
With lightning speed, the skull warrior slashed his club into the ice block. Moments later, a piece of ice slid down into the snow and left behind a clean flat surface with smoke emanating from the face.
"Looks like it worked!" Ash beamed as he took a deep breath.
The raven-haired boy did a similar stance to Marowak as he brandished his Sword. He felt his eyes getting hotter and yet, he was too focused in copying Marowak. The chamber in his head clicked as his imitation loaded.
The revolver fired. And bloodred orbs momentarily radiated brighter.
'Set: [Aerial Ace (Fake)]!'
Slash!
The raven-haired boy imitated his Pokémon's attack and gave a similar result. However, unlike Marowak's clean cut, Ash's cut was jagged and rough to the touch.
"It's like a degraded version…" he muttered to himself before remembering he was in a competition.
'Oh shoot! We gotta hurry!'
Just like that, Marowak got to work on the front while Ash worked on the back. Meanwhile, a red-capped Pikachu bounced to his old friend, Charizard, and sat with him.
"Pikachu?"
"Grr…"
"Pika! Pikachu…"
The electric mouse agreed with the Flame Pokémon as the two enjoyed each other's company while they watched Ash and Marowak's hack-n-slash montage.
…
"Woah… You really went all out for this, huh?" Danny widened his eyes at the near-perfect replica of the sled detailed in the schematics.
"The back's a bit crude though," Ash chipped in as he returned his Sword to digital space while scrutinizing his handiwork.
Marowak's craftmanship on the sled's front was flawless as the polygon-like shape was easily achieved by his clean slashes via [Aerial Ace (Fake)] while his Trainer frowned at the unevenness of the sled's back, his own craftmanship.
"I think it's fine. Well done, Ash. You and your Pokémon managed to beat me in the sled-making Challenge."
'Is it rude to tell him it looks more like a space shuttle instead?' Ash resisted the urge to speak his mind.
Finally, the last part of the Challenge came. Both the boy and Gym Leader would have one last race with their sleds to the beach below. Winning the race would give Ash his second Badge. The raven-haired boy had Pikachu snuggly tucked in front of him.
"You ready?" Ash asked to which he got an affirming cry from his partner.
BEEEEEP!
And they were off.
.
.
.
"How the hell do you steer this thing?!"
A blood-curdling scream echoed around the mountain as the raven-haired boy and his Pokémon were panicking at the incoming trees that grew larger in their sights as they accelerated downhill at great speed.
Danny could only watch as Ash desperately evade the trees by using his favoured blade as a steerer as he navigated through the thick foliage. Pikachu hopped onto the Trainer's head and prepared to unleash a barrage of lightning upon the approaching trees.
"PikaCHIIIII!"
BOOM!
Bolts of thunderous energy eviscerated the wooden trunks as the frozen sled passed with no damages. Ash gritted his teeth as he took out his weapon again to do his share.
Even if the stone Sword was blunt, Ash's physical strength was enough to break the incoming trunks forcefully with aid from the blunt blade as well as the downward force from their sled's descent.
BAM!
'Owwwww! My arms got numb from just one hit?!' the raven-haired boy twitched in pain from the shock travelling across his limbs.
BOOM!
Meanwhile, Danny was manoeuvring his sled with precise control and since he was familiar with the area, he knew the best route to take. Although, the multiple explosions and bone-shattering creaks from the forested area beside him had the auburn-haired man worried for the boy.
BOOM!
BAM!
'What is he doing over there?' he wondered apprehensively.
BOOM!
BAM!
Poof!
'Poof?'
A mechanical arm swooped towards the auburn-haired man and snatched his PokéBalls on his person with blinding speed. The sudden turn of events caused Danny's sled to spin out of control and halt to a stop. The arm retreated upwards towards its creators, two people wearing uniforms with a 'R' and a cream-coloured cat.
"Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples 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!"
"That insignia… Are you people Team Rocket?!" Danny exclaimed in shock.
"Mmm, mmm! It feels so good to be recognized after getting disrespected by that Red twerp," Jessie stuck her nose up proudly.
"Hey, look you guys, da twerp's not here!" Meowth squinted his eyes at Danny's appearance and noticed a lack of a child with his Pikachu.
And right on cue, loud explosions could be heard coming closer from the forest and a blitzing ice sled made its appearance along with its two riders as they were face to face with the trio. Bloodred orbs widened as they saw the Meowth air balloon with its occupants.
"Geh!" Ash irked in annoyance as if he had stepped on rubbish.
"Pika!" the electric mouse gave a stink eye as well.
The two were still mid-air in their sled before Ash noticed the mechanical arm holding Danny's Pokémon within their capsules. With no hesitation, Ash and Pikachu shared a glance.
"Chuuu-pika!"
[Iron Tail] shattered the metallic joints of the arm while the raven-haired boy swiped Danny's falling capsules into his arms. The two partners needed no words to communicate as the electric mouse hopped back onto the boy's shoulder while Ash disembarked the flying sled since it was too volatile to steer clear anymore.
"C'mon, I don't ask for much but—!"
Ba-bump!
'What the—?!'
"AURA…"
'This voice…!'
"On."
AURA surged within Ash's legs as the raven-haired boy felt something within his heart resonating at the sudden disembodied words. And the chant spoken…
Was not his voice.
'…Worry about that later.'
Ash glared at the trio's balloon and promptly Reinforced his leg, priming it on the sled and aiming it towards the balloon.
"Eh? What is he… Oh no!" James panicked.
And the raven-haired boy kicked the ice sled, blasting it at high speed towards the balloon, destroying it in the process.
BOOM!
"We're blasting off againnnnnn…!"
Ding!
'Those idiots! Coming and going as they please… Oh wait, I need to land,' he thought as he channelled AURA again with glee as he was savouring every moment he got with AURA activated.
"AURA, on!" Ash chanted as his legs were Reinforced in an instant.
The dexterous raven-haired boy landed safely on the snowy white ground as he used the forest trees as platforms to lessen his descent, leaving behind broken branches in his wake.
"Oof. You alright, Pikachu?" the raven-haired boy asked his partner to which he got a nod in return.
The Gym Leader came into view as he approached the boy hastily in worry.
"Oh, Mr Danny! Here you go, I got all your Pokémon back," Ash gave a goofy expression as he returned the spherical capsules back to the auburn-haired man.
"…You seem really nonchalant about beating Team Rocket."
"Meh. I guess you can say I'm something of a janitor when it comes to them."
.
.
.
Pokémon Centre, Navel Island.
.
"Huh, that went by fast…" Ash studied the Sea Ruby Badge in his possession.
Danny had awarded the raven-haired boy's actions with the Badge after they reached the end together. Apparently, Ash's sled had been rocketed towards the goal already, courtesy of his Reinforced kick, though when they reached its location, it had already shattered into melted ice.
Seeing no problems with Ash's accidental win, the easy-going Gym Leader declared Ash the victor of their race despite Team Rocket's meddling in the middle.
'I really hope this isn't a running gag when I do the Challenges,' Ash sighed as he wanted a fair battle for once without the trio ruining everything.
Suddenly, the TV in the Centre broadcasted loudly, startling the raven-haired boy slightly as he whipped his attention towards the TV.
Nurse Joy came out afterwards with an energetic Pikachu and 4 other PokéBalls. The tanned nurse called out for the boy, who was unmoving from his standing position as he remained glued to the screen.
The electric mouse sprinted towards his partner with a happy squeak before coming face to face with the boy.
"…Pikapi?"
Ash's face was devoid of positivity as his complexion was drained of blood, paling and sweating as his bloodred eyes trembled in horror at the breaking news.
{ KALOS SCHOOL EXPLOSION! WORK OF A TERRORIST?! }
"…Yellow?"
.
.
.
"C'mon… c'mon…"
His hands shook violently as he waited with hyperventilation in his breathing at the loading call displayed on the PC.
"C'mon…! c'mon…!"
Every second that went by had the raven-haired boy's internal turmoil grew larger exponentially as his true nature began to leak out.
"HURRY THE FUCK UP, YOU SHITTY MACHINE!"
Beep.
"Red?" a worried Serena stared in confusion.
"…Yellow?"
"Yellow! Are you alright?! Are you hurt?!"
"Yeah, I'm okay. If this is about the school attack, we were actually safe… somehow," she explained to a relieved Ash, appearing rather perplexed at her own recounting.
"Red? Are you crying?"
Sure enough, the raven-haired boy touched his cheek, only to find a single droplet contacting his trembling finger.
"…I'm sorry. I was so scared…" he quickly rubbed off the tears in his eyes.
"You had a scary look in your eyes as well. Were you that scared?"
"Yeah."
"Well, don't worry about me. I can take care of myself, Red," she smiled, appreciating just how much Ash cherished her.
"I'm really regretting taking that oath right now…" Ash pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Well, you reap what you sow, dummy. Oh, that's right!" Serena beamed suddenly as she went off-screen.
Meanwhile, the raven-haired boy was beginning to grow suspicious of the current events as some things were vaguely connected with the thinnest line of reasoning.
'That 'AURA, on' timing aligned with the school's explosion… What's more…'
'It was that asshole's voice.'
"Say hi, Fennekin!" Serena returned with a yipping fox in her arms, snapping Ash out of his musings.
"Fou!"
"Fennekin?" the raven-haired boy repeated the fox's name.
"Yep. She's my starter Pokémon!"
'I wonder if I should tell him about those?' she wondered as her eyes locked onto the strange creatures:
Two green blobs with a red and blue core respectively.
Hours ago…
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A gigantic explosion bloomed from the school's field, the resulting force impacting the school building's glass and shattered them with a deafening shriek.
"Cough! Cough! Is everyone alright?!" Sycamore cried out as the classroom was filled with obscuring smoke.
'What happened?' Serena coughed into her hand before realizing someone was holding her by the shoulder.
"Eh, no way!" Blue exclaimed in shock at the view before her.
Serena's seat was blown to pieces from a stray rubble since it was right next to the window, but instead of the honey blonde's tragic demise, a 7-petalled shield of lilac.
"…A larkspur flower?" Serena recognized the design.
"Correct."
A smooth baritone voice affirmed from behind the honey blonde as she realized she was being held firmly by a familiar ashen-haired man with slicked back hair and bronze tanned skin.
"You…! From before!" Serena pointed while squirming from his grasp.
The honey blonde now had a more detailed look on his appearance. The ashen-haired man wore a black body armour with a red coat that covered both his muscled arms with a metal brace to hold them together. What's more, his black trousers were adorned with multiple straps, highlighting his toned legs with a red mantle around his waist adn to complete his look, a pair of steel-plated black combat boots.
"Me," the man in red smirked, causing an anger vein to pop on Serena's forehead at the smug man.
In an instant, the flower shield dissipated, and the ashen-haired man released his protecting arm from the girl.
"Umm… Who are you?" Sycamore asked the unknown man as the students all witnessed the same person who saved them all from the sudden explosion.
"Just a passing do-gooder. Although, my boss might be crossed with my actions on this Line," the man shrugged cryptically.
"Evacuate the premises. I'll try to handle this with what remaining time I have."
Nameless glanced at his hand, noticing his body fading into blue motes of light. But instead of grimacing at his disappearing body, he let out a relieved smile towards the honey blonde.
"Thank goodness… Thank goodness, I made it this time…" he muttered softly with only Serena hearing his confusing words.
"Hey! Who are you?!" she demanded towards the lavender-eyed man.
"I recall a rude girl demanding the same thing. I believe I already gave a suitable answer, rude girl," Nameless lazily waved off the honey blonde, regaining his obnoxious demeanour.
"Also, here. Keep those things safe," he tossed two green blobs towards the honey blonde.
As the man in red prepared to launch himself towards the epicentre of the explosion, the honey blonde heard his last words before evacuation.
"████... ██."
And he disappeared.
"After all that, the Professor had us evacuate to his Lab and what do you know? This girl immediately jumped onto me," Serena explained, choosing to omit the ashen-haired man's appearance.
"So, she's your starter? Cool!" the raven-haired boy grinned at the fox.
"Nice to meet you, Fennekin. Can I ask you to keep Yellow safe for me?"
"Fou!"
"Thanks."
And Ash began to tell the honey blonde about his hectic day for his second Badge.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
A laboratory was in shambles as an orange-haired man glared at the intruder:
A smirking ashen-haired man in red and black clothing.
"Who are you?" the orange-haired man demanded with a growl.
"Still as arrogant as always, Lysandre. Then again, you were always quite the persistent bastard in every single one of my deployments," the intruder sneered at the glaring man.
Suddenly, the ashen-haired man felt a tug within him as he suddenly turned towards a certain direction.
"Hm? This resonation… Tch, I ended up helping that fool again," he irked to himself.
"WHO ARE YOU?!" Lysandre demanded again, his patience dwindling.
"…Hmph. Someone who just rectified something he couldn't in his own time," Nameless finally gave an answer, albeit a cryptic one.
"Do you have any idea what you have—?!"
"Project ████████."
Lysandre widened his eyes, gobsmacked at the stranger's knowledge of his plan.
"I am aware, Leader of Team Flare. All too well, in fact," the man in red suddenly materialized twin short blades of black and white.
The swords were patterned with yin and yang as they gleamed beautifully even in the blaring lights of the emergency alarms in the lab.
"You were about to use the Academy as your test grounds with the Cores. Frankly, I'm barely holding myself back from cutting you down where you stand after you tried to murder people I care about in that school."
An intense bloodlust radiated from the ashen-haired man as his glowing lavender eyes were devoid of life. What made Lysandre step back in fear was the markings on his pupils:
A golden cross-like wheel in each lavender eye, giving the man an eldritch presence.
"Right now, I've probably pushed your plan back by like, 5 years? Give or take," Nameless smirked.
'Yes... That boy might stand a chance in this Line now... Though, I wonder if he'll manage to overcome the Pruning.'
"Those children would be the foundation of our immortal salvation. The greed and overpopulation dilemmas… All would have been solved if this project succeeded!" Lysandre argued.
"Hahaha! This is rich. No matter the Line, it's refreshing that you would never change, Lysandre!" Nameless guffawed.
"Your project will never succeed. Not as long as the Quantum Time-Lock abomination in Galar still sleeps beneath the Earth," Nameless gritted his teeth in anger, not knowing his puzzling words had leaked from his thoughts.
"Name… What is your name?!" Lysandre demanded for a third time.
"…Don't have one. Tch, already?"
Nameless' body began to fade into blue motes of light as he sighed to himself.
'Well, I didn't think I would last this long either...'
"Apologies,it appears that I have been caught by my llama of a boss for interfering with this Line. Though, I could maybe loophole my way to another deployment if Lawrence is gonna show up…"
Click, clack.
"If you have no name, then what are you?!"
The gears in his skies turned.
The man took a moment before giving a decrepit smile and fading completely.
Chapter 56: Divergence
"The Monster."
Author's Notes (12.5)
.
Oh yeah. We lore-ing!
That last segment should probably clue you in on the open secret of who the resident man in red really is. There are some keywords that he uses and since this is also a Fate/stay night element story, you can probably guess what he's talking about. Plus, the QTL event Nameless spoke of is somewhat of an endgame story plot as it is the Lostbelt 7-equilavent of Fated.
All of these set-ups, all these foreshadowing...
...Prologue 0. Especially Prologue 0. You could say that the story truly begins there. When does it take place? I'm not telling.
All this is just the prelude, the context of Ash's eventual reunion, if you will.
Everything was planned from the beginning... except for the middle parts, those are work-in-progress. But the major events and arcs are all planned properly. Now all I have to do is to fill in the blanks.
What makes this funny is that this chapter wasn't supposed to be this lore-heavy.
.
Oh, and the names for our students:
Serena, Blue, Gary and Kimia already have established names.
Alain Storm = Storm is derived from the Japanese 'ran' in his name trivia, plus it's edgy enough that I could actually see it as his surname.
Calem Xavier = You already know.
Trevor Trovato = Basically Trevor in Italian, but it means 'discover' in past participle and since it fits, why not?
Shauna Éclat = Sana means brilliance in Arabic which sounds nice so I changed brilliance into French which gives = Éclat.
Tierno Martin = Tierno's a tricky one since his name means gentle or tender. So in my frustration, I just gave him an original name: Martin.