Author's Notes
Well, dang. We're in the 70 range in Fated now. WOOOO!
Now for some news! This could potentially be the final chapter of the year. (But I'll try to upload)
The reason for this is cuz I'm gonna go for my internship... in Japan! How wild is that?
Seriously though, I'm excited to be in Japan for 3 months and during that time, I may not be able to find time to upload, let alone write. So fingers crossed on that.
Onto the chapter:
From the title, it's obvious enough what's gonna happen here. But because TRio is now 'da good guys' (which they've always have been in canon, let's be real), we're pulling some changes in the second half as well as showcase some powerlevels between Ash's Pokémon. More specifically, the new and the veteran. Also, some additional functions from one of Ash's arsenal of weapons.
Now onto the reviews!
From starff2432:
ok not gonna lie but I think I am getting confused as some parts of the story just went from my head . I didn't understand what happened
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That's totally normal, my guy. It's a lot to process after all. If you read it without absorbing it, which I tried once before upload, it felt like a fever dream.
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From Rajiv A. Rajaram:
Truly a chapter of lore here and lots of info to unpack. I was expecting E to be the end game boss tbh and well the sword and shield along with the DLC legendary was obvious so far. I'm assuming Cynthia's is the big G cause that's the one who's not spoken about. As for the king and witch, if I'm supposed to relate them to a Pokémon, I'm deffo drawing a blank as of now. Besides that though, I enjoyed the backstory as well of the big war from the past. Fantastic chapter!
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Thanks for another review, Rajiv! Yeah, its really alot to process. Eternatus being endgame boss is a given since Fated was written during SwSh.
Cynthia's G is ironically the big G, that's obvious. The King and Witch part should really be obvious too since they defeated Eternatus.
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From Corrupted1:
You know, with Zacian being involved this early and that Masters 8 was the hypest thing that Ash did in the anime, makes sense that Galar is the last region.
I knew Mew was referred to as Ratatoskr but it wasn't till here it fully clicked... and I'm damaged. Now all I hear is Ratatoskr from God of War mixed in with Mew and I'm losing it.
"STOP WITH THE STUPID CHIME!... Mew~"
No idea on the actual lore of Norse but if that one bit is correct on the squirrel, does Mew have different versions of it running around based on its personality? If so, then I guess the one that faced Mewtwo was the real cause in the words of the good Count Dooku "Sometimes, things are just that important."
So with the lore drop that across the multi-verse, the Creation Trio (least I think Giratina too) are the only ones, no duplicates, and that I just learned that the villains of Sun and Moon are a team-up of villains from different universes, does that mean different versions of Team Platinum are running their scheme at the same time? Because that insanely funny in that Fated!Platinum gets their prize while everyone else is just raising their arms in full confusion in what went wrong.
But that also add the horrific implication that because the trio (or at least Dialga and Palkia) are the only ones, that while they're trapped or distracted, they won't be able to attend to things that could be happening.
So apparently Arceus was so stunned that it couldn't defeat the other awful god but these two wolves being fueled by human hope and protection, that it was just "begone freaks". Gross simplication but just...that's funny. It couldn't beat its dark equivalent but when these two lessers did, it got rid of them from I'm assuming history, because it was afraid... because if they could beat Eternatus, then they could with it? Like it just doesn't want to take any chance for the phrase "If you make God bleed, people will cease to believe in him" from ever happening. Despite how they literally used that power to save everyone in the first place instead of aiming for its neck at any point. (Maybe, wrong but with what's shown here, all I got.) Like okay dude. Apparently God has both an ego and a case of "if I don't see it, it doesn't exist". Or maybe shame too.
Speaking of the trio and Arceus, since Paldea won't be the last region, but Galar is, I almost feel that Paldea should occur either after Sinnoh, or at least a region or two after, just because it seems to be connected. Know why, but narratively speaking, am I the only one that finds it odd how Dialga, God of Time (and Palkia, to an extent) or perhaps even Celebi, don't appear at all cause man, humans messing with a time machine and making things a mess, seems like something they'd want deal with.
Not just that but at least for this fic, Paldea just opens up so much to work with. Paldea a school system so works with the students though that's not anything new, Teal Mask DLC isapparently a place that a school could take a trip too so there's that, and then there's Blueberry Academy, a school in Unova. Mean you once mentioned how Serena and Ash would just miss each other while in the same region, now its just Ash on the mainland and her in the ocean, both just busy dealing with their own business to notice.
Like I don't know, seems like something that could build up to Paldea, I guess. Or at the very least, a whole separate story arc for the students that would lead into an aspect of Paldea when Ash gets there. Granted, no idea how the second DLC will eventually grant us or builds into our new crystal turtle, but guess that'll be seen soon enough.
There's so much more I want to get into but just in case the DLC hasn't been played yet, won't say anything story related.
Only thing I will say now that I've finished it is, the mascot of the DLC is cute as hell and that I'm partial to the fact that if Serena went to that area, then I'm imagining her trying out the kimono/jinbei, calling or sending pictures to Ash and he just pulls a Josh from Drake & Josh: "Running off my desires."
And man, when amping up Eternatus' role in the story, I instantly was thinking of dread cause the descriptions made me think of King Ghidorah from King of the Monsters (Godzilla nerd) and then you said it: "The Fragment" and instantly am like "AM I RIGHT?" Cause I was instantly thinking of "Exodia, the Forbidden One" shit in that either on this world or across the multi-verse, there are like 4 others parts to Eternatus because his Gigantimax form is literally a clawed hand. And that by the end perhaps, it's all going to come together and everything's just a going to become a living hell.
Either way, good shit, as you can tell, very hyped.
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Thanks Corrupted! This is quite the insightful review that I'm more than happy to explain so let's go through it one by one:
Ratatoskr:
Yep! Ratatoskr is Mew's 'other name' like how Zygarde's 'other name' is Jörmungandr.
Ratatoskr was referenced back in M01 and made a comeback in 69. That's my favourite part of writing where I love reminding the readers about stuff from previous chapters and making it relevant. Mew's ability to clone itself like GoW (another inspiration for Fated!Kalos) is something within canon's capabilities and another thing that likens it to Ratatoskr. 'Stop it with the stupid chime!' is definitely happening in the future.
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Creation Trio:
Now, this is some trippy shit to explain so buckle up!
Yes, there are only 1 of each Creation trio in the multiverse (Fated canon-certified fact). However, remember the wording of HOW Giratina got basically abracadabra'd into the shadow realm. The Creation Trio needs an 'avatar', or a vessel, to interact with each world. (Giratina's case however, caused everything to boom boom)
Now, think of it like the Heroic Spirit summoning from Fate. The original hero is in the Throne of Heroes while the Servant version is a nerfed copy of said hero.
See where I'm going with this?
The Big 3 in Fated are merely inferior copies of their originals: Time, Space and Antimatter. They are Concepts so they theoretically don't have a form.
If one of them were to, idk, come to Fated's universe in their 'true' form, the story ends there. Boom. Everyone's dead. (Arceus' Alter-Egos, btw)
So TLDR, even if Dialga/Palkia's 'avatars' are captured in Earth-1 for example, it doesn't affect their avatars in Earth-2. So, the villains can do their shit without it affecting other worlds. (Also, divine intervention probably, who knows?)
...God, I hope this makes sense.
Arceus is an even larger being that even Zygarde can't understand. What does that mean?
Well, Zygarde in Chapter 69 is an unreliable narrator when speaking about Arceus' role in the grand scheme.
It's not a single avatar that governs an universe. It's a single avatar governing an ENTIRE MULTIVERSE.
So imagine an OMNIVERSE instead of multiverse when thinking about Arceus. The original one is that big. (Azathoth is one of its inspiration after all)
And guess what? This isn't even the most mind-breaking twist yet.
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God being salty:
Yeah, Arceus being salty isn't really its character. But from the above description of Arceus, you can kinda see the angle I'm going for.
God has multiple 'arms' that govern each multiverses, one of them was bound to go cuckoo at some point. Kinda like a glitch if you will.
As for why its salty, let's just say its waaay deeper than some wolves defeating its nemesis.
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Paldea:
Phew... This is one sensitive ass topic ever since I said Galar's endgame. It's not you, Corrupted, don't worry. The next review is the one I'm talking about so make sure to read that one.
Serena in Blueberry is definitely something I'm cooking so if many others like that idea, I'll do it. But for I'm planning... it's gonna a different kind of 'miss' between Serena and Ash.
As for the Professors doing their thing without Dialga or Palkia showing up, I know right? That's one of the reasons why I couldn't really get into Paldea's worldbuilding despite the character writing being so good. It's like they specced everything into the characters and 0 in the region. It's just a pet peeve, don't worry about it.
As for the Teal Mask: Damn, Carmine racist as hell. Kieran being some yandere for Oni-gal was definitely the highlight of the story (definitely Carmine's fault btw).
Ogerpon's story was really fascinating and I really enjoyed the fakeout of the 3 retainers being the true villains as well as the irony of Retainer Pokémon as their classification.
With the crystal turtle story, we'll see. Can't wait for the lore since its based on the World Turtle after all.
Also jinbei Serena will definitely make Ash IKZ.
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Eternatus:
I see what you mean with Eternatus being Ghidorah and 4 other body parts coming into play in the future.
But nah, fam. 1 hand is more than enough. With the amount of lore-amping Eternatus got, Fated's universe would be obliterated if the other 'parts' learnt of the art of jumping JJK style. So yeah, no Exodia. Right Arm of the Forbidden One is waaay too much even for Fated's world.
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From blueJJay0:
So regarding Galar now being the final region and Paldea coming before it, wouldn't that have to be rewritten in Ch. 53: You Reap What You Sow where you wrote the order of the regions that Ash will go to?
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Thanks for the review, man. To answer your question, nah.
The order of regions is WHAT ITS SUPPOSED TO BE. Y'know, Gen1 to 8 and all that. Plus, its the order for chauffeuring the GS Ball.
But I did mention that the story is actively trying to screw Ash over, didn't I? NOTHING goes to plan in the later parts.
So what does that mean?
Mwahahaha~
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Now, for some context, this next reviewer has shed some light on my pro-Galar views and what I wrote below is some of my personal feelings when starting Fated and my main goal for making Galar (great again, lol) a better region because seriously! Galar deserves better, man.
Jidorima:
This turned way longer than I expected. I apologize in advance if it becomes too much to go through.
Well, that's ridiculously unfair, to say the least. I mean how you're putting down Paldea's story while in the same breadth exalting Galar's one.
Paldea's story is very clearly still incomplete, you can really tell they only told half or three quarters of it and left a bunch of open questions to answer in the DLC. The structure is different. Call it greedy from GF if you like, specially so since the first DLC was just basically glorified set-up for the second DLC, but I digress.
The Professor plan not making any sense at all is exactly the point. They're were completely deluded egocentric assholes who all but abandoned their son for the sake of chasing an obsession they weren't even sure was real. And all they got was being killed for it. And even after death they put safeguards in place to keep their plan running because they're were just THAT obsessed. Hell, half of what the AI says is that Professors were absolute and complete madmen who should've been stopped.
Perhaps you've not heard of it, but there's the imagination theory going around. As in, it's no time machine at all, but rather whatever power is the Tera Crystals making up people's desires come to reality. Terastalization is linked with the Time Paradoxes through Tera Crystals. Both are happening through the same source. It's why the "time machine" is even capable of functioning in the first place, because it's fueled up by the desires of the Professors.
They even mention a few times that it is impossible to create something like the AI the AI Professors with the current technology but if you slap some Tera Crystals in now "it just works".
The "time machine" was not time machine at all, it was just Sada/Turo fakemon making machine fueled by his desires from reading Heath's book.
That's why Paradox Pokemon exist. Because they couldn't have possibly have existed in Heath's time since the "time machine" didn't even exist yet but exist now in the present only when they were brought into the present by the Professor. It's why you see all the Paradoxes on the Occulture magazines which are mentioned to be very dubious magazines.
It's why the Paradoxes Swords of Justice and Legendary Beasts even exist at all too. Literal fakemons drawn on the book that came to life someway somehow.
I'm missing a bunch of details here since it's been a while but I think you get the gist of the idea. There's even a lot of foreshadowing on the first DLC that desires and wishing are a key part of everything weird that's going on.
At this point we know Terapagos exists, and it was on the book too, and we know it is directly linked to Tera Crystals and Terastalization.
Now, how exactly? How does it all work? Who knows! Play the DLC2! (if they even give a direct answer at all...)
It really rubbed me the wrong way because if we're gonna talk about incomplete, nonsensical, rushed, and even downright bad stories then Galar is at the forefront without even trying. Sure, you can say it had potential, but you can say that of about everything out there. It's really not much of a praise or defense, really.
I mean, like half of Galar's lore comes from the DLCs too. Sure, it's a different structure but I think the point still stands.
I kind of rambled, but my point is that the mystery and connection is yet to be revealed so saying it makes no sense is kinda... you know... Anyway, my point is that Paldea's story is incomplete at the moment so it's unfair to judge it "fully" at the moment.
All that said, that's only in regards on the Tera and Area Zero related matters. Because otherwise I wholeheartedly agree in that Paldea completely and utterly fails in terms of Region-building. If you asked me about any memorable places, cities, landmarks, etc I wouldn't be able to use all the fingers of a single hand. The wilds are extremely same, the cities extremely small and extremely barren, the gyms might as well not exist, and so on.
More about Galar and its role in the story and it being endgame...
Well, I won't lie. This really really REALLY sucks for me since I seriously cannot stand Galar for the sake of my life. As I mentioned once before, I really really love this story and really like how you write. How you've expanded things and added Type Moon inspiration to be mix. How you're drawing from all Pokemon media. Everything. Stuff.
You once mentioned that you'd still make Leon the strongest just like the anime did, and even on this chapter you mention how you believe he canonically is the strongest, something I heavily disagree with but whatever, so I was doing my best to just not think about it much plus thinking it couldn't be helped since you're clearly drawing lots of inspiration from the anime so I guessed you didn't want to change certain key things. But now seeing how much much more important Galar as a whole is gonna be it felt like being stabbed in the gut. It's like all my fears came true all in one whole single go.
Reading this chapter it seriously feels like Masters 8's Leonwank 2.0 All of Galar Edition. That everyone jobbed to Eternatus and a gorillion years after are still feeling the hurt but the Galar legendaries somehow managed to beat it just feels like more of it. Galar being wanked to the extreme to the detriment of everyone and everything else. Everyone just serving as props to elevate it.
The worst part is, as someone who's also a Type Moon fan, that I actually understand what you're trying to do with the wolves there. I think. You're basically using them as a not-human order thing and the Gods failing to defeat Eternatus totally not like Sefar but the wolves fueled by humanity hopes and stuff as a not-Age of Gods ending and a not-Age of Men thing starting. Or something like that. So I can get and see where you're going theme wise, and how you're equating it to Fate and Type Moon as a whole. Maybe.
But it's Galar. I still don't like it. Ugh.
Despite that, I actually agree with you in that I would have greatly preferred a basic and normal Galar anime rather than Journeys. Yes, despite not being a big fan of Galar. That's how much of an awful Journeys ended up being that when you get to it that I would have preferred a Galar anime. A self-contained normal season would have actually turned out in my favor considering certain things in all honestly. I wouldn't quite as annoyed and bitter towards it as I am now towards it.
Plus there's also how, to use your own words, shafted it was, it really really could have used the anime to expand it with filler cities and traveling and what-not.
Goh certainly was a massive mistake, I can wholeheartedly agree with you there. So was the globetrotting format. Seeing Ash and Goh just taking plane tickets to any place just like that, on top of homogenizing the locations, also really really takes away a LOT of the sense of wonder and mystique of the Pokemon World where there's brand new adventures, new people, new Pokemon, to be discovered at any random place. The exploration and discovery. And honestly it fails even on a meta sense since now one of, if not the biggest purpose of the anime aka showcasing the Pokemon, fell completely by the wayside. The amount of Galarian Pokemon that didn't appear at all is unbelievable. And even now I think there's quite a few that haven't had proper appearances because I refuse to count all those background appearances they started to shove into the last few episodes of Journeys as proper appearances.
The whole thing just runs counter to the whole mythos of Pokemon itself.
In regard of the the other more gameplay-y things of the games...
The problem with Leon there, is that you really cannot separate the in-game logic with the outside-game logic.
Sure, Leon is doing his job and all, it makes sense, it's logical, all true, but at the end of the day this is a videogame. It's kinda crappy to see how what happens instead of you doing stuff is that you're being sent away while this other dude is playing the game for you and all you hear is about how cool, awesome and amazing he is for doing stuff that in the previous games you'd have been the one doing or being involved alongside with other people. All for the sake of yet another layer of wanking Leon while you slowly trudge through the Galar hallway of non-exploration.
It could have easily been solved by just having Leon telling you to go alongside him here and be part of the thing. He does a part. You another. Presto. Now you can have your cake and eat it too. An extremely easy fix.
It's why Lance, Steven and Cynthia worked. Lance because you both were part of the raid together, and Steven and Cynthia since they joined you, guided you, but were mostly off-hands because they knew you were MC-kun with the powers of plot and so capable of handling everything yourself.
The lack of customization in Gen 9 is a complete and total tragedy. I would have gladly done away with the face customization everyone so much raves about when it's really nothing at all in the end in exchange for actual clothing variety.
I still abhor and hate and cannot believe how XY, the first games to feature customization. to this day are the games with the best, most varied and most fashionable player customization of them all, but the in-lore reason is that you're a student so you've gotta be a good boy and wear the uniform at all times. Of course we all know the real reason is that GF is either lazy or incompetent and so didn't bother with it and likely came up with the uniform excuse to cover that. And there's also the trying to avoid up-skirts while riding the raidons, in the same way you were made to wear a safety outfit for toddlers that ruined all the hours you spent dressing up when using the Pokerides in the Alola games or riding the bike in Galar. And why you could only wear pants or shorts in Arceus.
How has GF not discovered the wonders of camera angles or black voids it's beyond me. Well, actually not. Sadly.
I perfectly know that at the end of the day this story is your story and my own issues are mine to deal with. I tried to talk about other more neutral things and things I agree with you with so that it's not all negativity, whining, negativity, bitching, negativity.
I'm not sure what else to say. I'm sorry if this comment comes of as too whiny or too bitchy or too aggressive. It was not my intention at all. If anything I greatly admire your writing ability and imaginative prowess and wish I could even do a tenth of how much you're capable of doing. Maybe that way I wouldn't end up immaturely complaining about how an story is not turning out the way I'd like it to turn out like this.
... (Kinda an emotional response down there so fair warning)...
Woah, that's a lengthy review. And its full of valid criticism! Thanks, Jidorima.
All your passionate criticisms were really eye-opening, Jidorima! I really really like it since it proves you really like this 'crackfic'.
After watching the Teal Mask DLC as well as scouring some theories, I can unashamedly say: I WAS WRONG!
You're right that Paldea's DLC isn't over yet and there is so much more to be revealed. I was too quick to judge it so that's on me. My initial words on Chapter 69(heh) about Paldea was that the story was flawed as well since it truthfully did not make sense to me. But now learning that it was supposed to be, it got me rethinking again with the imagination theory you wrote. Again, I have no beef with Paldea; in fact, I wholeheartedly agree that its amazing with its characters! It's just the worldbuilding in Paldea that bugged me. But that is something we agree on.
Another thing is that I may have not stated clearly on my stance on Galar so let me be clear:
SwSh is waaay more flawed than SV. That much is common knowledge. What I absolutely despise was the bastardization of Galar, Pokémon Britain of all places!
That's where my childhood hero (and waifu)'s legend began and ended, damnit! Galar was a goldmine of lore and Gamefreak really said: 'Nah, bruh.' It's why, as I've mentioned in the past, why I made Fated. It's a VERY personal 'Fuck You' to Gamefreak and wish fufillment on the Amour part.
You're right that 'it had potential' is a phrase that can be applied to every game, but Galar is, to me at least, the poster child of 'wasted potential'.
Another mistake I didn't make clear is Leon. Man, I've already got two readers, including you, Jidorima, worried about Leon so that's my bad.
The point of Leon being too hand-holdy is something I have to agree. Thinking about it now, a 'do your thing and I do my thing' approach would've been better like Cynthia and Steven. Realistically, the adults would take care of it but y'know what?
Screw it, we anime/fanfic! Anything's possible!
So, that argument is your win, Jidorima! I like that answer!
Now, as for Leon's 'wank', no. I am not wanking Leon in this fic. Journeys has ruined more than enough of Galar and I'm not gonna write this dude into some Messiah-like battler. So, let me be clear:
Leon being the strongest is CANON, meaning there's no way to change it. Believe me, Cynthia's the one who should be the strongest. But since Fated is mostly adhering to canon as much as possible, I can't change that.
But even if its canon, there's a way to make him both the strongest and not wanked:
Actually make his opponents competent. Holy shit was the Masters 8 infuriating to watch. Leon steamrolling Champions was honestly so revolting I had to replay Ash vs Paul multiple times to get over it. It was so bad. Like holy shit. Lowkey wanted to bleach my eyes.
So my plan now is: Leon = strongest (canon, not wank) plus EXTREME DIFF (down to the wire levels) against other Champions but he comes out on top.
CHAMPIONS ARE GONNA JOB, BUT NOT BEFORE THEY ABSOLUTELY MAKE IT HELL FOR LEON!
I REFUSE TO LET THAT MAN EVER GET AN EASY WIN!
Eternatus. Sefar/ORT/Fate's endgame boss or whatever.
Now this is gonna be a complicated way of it making sense so buckle up, Jidorima. It's VERY meta.
The reason why Eternatus is the final boss is because currently to this day, its the only Pokémon to ever reach stats of 4-digits! Granted its in its Eternamax form, but still, its technically the strongest Pokémon ever created. In a meta sense, it makes sense that Eternatus is the last boss. (It's also an alien, which is where Fateverse rules comes in, bringing it to another level of overpoweredness)
As for the two wolves:
I dunno if you noticed but pre-SV, both Zacian and Zamazenta, in their crowned forms, were 720.
Okay, so what? - some random dude asked.
I'm glad you asked! Guess which Pokémon has stats equal to 720?
...Arceus!
Now think of it like this: Two heroes (not gods in any way) in their prime rivalled GOD itself. The story just writes itself!
It's not wanking the wolves. It's literally there. Now, of course, the wolves have been nerfed in SV but that just adds to the flavor metawise:
God was so scared of the damn wolves (Zacian mostly) that it metaphorically weakened them by -20 (next game).
You see where I'm going with this?
It's a meta representation of GameFreak's balancing, believe it or not. Zacian was banned from competitive (you can kinda say by Arceus since GameFreak is God in a way) because of its brokenness, similar to Fated's little history lesson on Chapter 69. It's how I justify Galar being the endgame because it thematically makes sense.
If this still doesn't sit right with you, that's okay. Fated is its own canon, despite following canon if that makes sense. Some stories have things we don't like and that's okay. I don't blame you for hating Galar, hell, I actually think its justified. It's just that I personally can't ignore Galar. SV was decent at worst and great at best. With the new DLC and the second one on the way, I have no doubts it will rise even higher.
...So what about Galar? What about the Gym Leaders that were forgotten by the anime and their character developments?
Marnie, Hop, Bede? Hated as they are, they could be rewritten better.
Galar deserves a second chance. And as much as readers might hate me for it, I still stand by it.
SV do not since they were already good games to begin with, though it wouldn't hurt. (Seriously, Geeta. WTF is with the child labour?)
Another game that deserves a second chance would be XY. That game wasn't as flawed as SwSh but it really needed a Z to complete it.
ZYGARDE DESERVES BETTER!
As for Gen 9's customization: I know right? Black voids and the anime-certified censor lights could've been the solution for upskirting weirdoes.
I would've been game with Carmine romance... if our player characters weren't actual children. That'll just be weird af.
Curse you, Gamefreak!
So yeah. That's about it for my side of explanations. Hopefully, you like it, Jidorima.
If you're still unconvinced about Galar being endgame, I'm not gonna change your mind. Because I also agree with you.
Your review did not come off as bitchy or aggressive because I can sympathize with them. It's fine if you dislike the way Fated's gonna end.
Galar being endgame could be removed by having Ash go on an endless adventure just like the anime, meaning Fated could technically go forever as long as more games come out in the future. But I'm just one writer and even a story needs to end.
That's why Galar is dead last. It's going to be the culmination of my writing skills.
Every region before it is my training arc to fix the most disgraced and despised Pokémon game of all time: SwSh.
I might fail, but hey. At least I can say I tried unlike GameFreak.
Galar is very personal to me. That's why despite the valid criticisms and the hate for it, I cannot ignore it.
And I'll say this: No one will be left to rot for Galar, everyone has their part to play.
Sorry if it was whiny, but yeah. I wanna give Galar a fair redemption and if you don't like it, that's fine. I'm not petty enough to scorn my readers for disliking my story. You guys are the reason why I update this story, giving me the OK to post more of my interpretation and ideas on the Pokémon world mixed with Fate elements. I have no right to tell you to leave or berate you. Everyone has different tastes, after all.
So thanks, Jidorima! You gave me an opportunity to write about my personal feelings on a game that could've been amazing, would've been amazing and should've been amazing. SV is the better game and story, its just I can't bring myself to shun Galar. Really, thank you.
Hot take: Goh is everything wrong with Journeys. Change my mind.
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So yeah. That's why I left Galar for last. It's thematically an 'End of days' scenario and Ash's final journey. It's the most fitting end to an Ash fic.
Ash's guardian being Zacian plays into both the themes and his powers. Shirou being his Fate counterpart just makes sense.
Even you hate it, that's fine with me. But I will never change Galar being last. Everything builds up to there, after all.
Chapter 70: The Chikorita Rescue
It had been a few days since Serena's tussle with Kalos' evil organization. The cold weather had arrived as the year approached the end. With the honey blonde safe and sound, Ash felt comfortable to travel again as he prepared to depart from Cherrygrove City.
"You done?" Misty carried her red drawstring bag, revealing a new outfit.
The redhead was now wearing a white jacket with blue stripes, eliciting a relieved smile on Ash's face as he packed his tent into digital space.
"Ya look great. Luckily Brendan's great at picking out outfits," Ash complimented.
As the chilly weather emerged, the raven-haired boy had noticed that both his companions' clothes were not suited for the cold. He could take it but after remembering how Daisy used to fret over him due to his abnormal resistance to cold, Ash decided to take them shopping.
'That was the worst experience I've ever had…' he chagrined, unable to hold his boredom of cycling through clothes for his companions.
Thankfully, Brendan came to his rescue as his fashion sense was leagues better than the raven-haired boy, much to the latter's relief. It paid off when the white-hatted boy found Misty's current jacket, complimenting her looks as well as her expertise of a Water type specialist.
Even Ash, someone who was considered 'fashion-blind', agreed that Misty was stunning.
"Hm… Well, at least your flattery is passable," the redhead smirked much to the raven-haired boy's annoyance.
"I don't flatter, that's lying to me. Ya really look nice with that," he huffed away, scoffing at the idea that he would sweettalk.
Without realizing, Misty coughed into her hand as she blushed at the genuine remark. The redhead was immensely pleased but as someone cheering for Serena, she felt obligated to chastise the boy for such a comment.
"Listen here, Ash. You can't go around saying that to other girls, okay?" she chided to a confused Ash like an elder sister to her brother.
"Ehhh? What's wrong with what I said?"
"You'll give other girls the wrong impression," she answered flatly.
Now Ash was really confused. As the raven-haired boy pondered on it, he was sure that being genuine prevented misunderstandings, meaning there was no way he could miscommunicate his feelings on matters. So Misty's sudden mini lecture got him at a loss for thoughts.
"Haaah… Nevermind, you dense boy," the redhead sighed, patting the boy on his shoulder.
'Okay, that got me ticked off,' an anger vein popped on his forehead.
"Kiek!" a proud shriek called for Ash.
"Oh, Heracross. Thanks for the help!" the raven-haired boy grinned as he patted his newest teammate while taking the tent poles and rolled sheets from the Pokémon gratefully.
"Kiek," the beetle chirped before returning to play with Pikachu and Froakie.
Pikachu was the sociable one as he made quick friends with the blue beetle while the frog followed the mouse's lead as he usually kept to himself with the exceptions of Pikachu and Charizard.
"Oh! Morning, Ash, Misty!" Brendan came running out of the Centre, ready to go.
"Yo, morning. Now then, let's get going," Ash stretched his back before carrying his Bag.
Hearing his announcement, the two shoulder-mates perched onto his shoulders while Heracross returned himself into his Ball on his Trainer's belt by pressing the button.
"Hey, Ash? Is it really alright?" the white-hatted boy asked, referring to his red and black themed winterwear as well as Misty's jacket.
"Hm? Oh, yeah. Don't mind it," the raven-haired boy waved it off.
The redhead frowned as she felt indebted to the boy as he was the one who paid for the clothes for both his companions. Knowing that Ash was not a liar, she surmised that he was in a good financial spot. However, someone younger than her taking care of her did not sit right with the Water specialist.
'I'll repay him for this,' she noted to herself, wondering what she should get for the boy.
'I'm waaay too loaded anyway. Those clothes didn't even put a dent on my account balance,' Ash mused, slightly uncomfortable with his passive income thanks to Pikachu's marketing.
Finally, the trio set off for their next destination: Violet City.
.
.
.
Route 30, Johto Region (Days later…)
The trio took a mountainside path due to the snow beginning to pile up below. Although it was not steep and the road had plenty of space, they were careful to stick close to the slope.
"Wouldn't wanna fall down there," Brendan commented.
"You bet," Misty nodded.
In the front, Ash gave a slight smile as he noticed his companions were not shivering terribly in the cold.
"Say, Ash. Are you sure that vest is gonna cut it?" the white-hatted boy asked.
"Yeah. This weather's practically made for me," the raven-haired boy replied.
His blue vest was made of breathable fabric so in a sense, Ash was supposedly feeling the full brunt of the chilly snow. But being abnormally cold-resistant, it was a walk in the park for the raven-haired boy.
Ash's bloodred eyes drifted to the pure white snow below, drawing out a nostalgic feeling from the colour.
'…How pretty,' he thought to himself.
For some reason, the boy could feel a pleased smugness emanating from his 'dimensional storage' if what Nimue said was true. Or more specifically, from his dematerialized Sword.
"Chik!"
A sudden cry snapped him from his musings as he turned to his mountainous path, only to find a Pokémon standing in between them and their way.
"A Chikorita!" Brendan and Misty exclaimed.
The raven-haired boy recognized it as well, attributing it to a previous encounter with Casey's own Chikorita.
"What's a Chikorita doing here in the middle of the snow?" he tilted in confusion.
It was quite a jarring sight seeing a Grass type surrounded by the cold.
"Chik!" the wilful Pokémon cried out.
"Oh… I got it!" Ash realized with a grin.
The Chikorita got into battle stance as Ash picked his capsule from his belt.
It was time to do battle.
"Charizard, I choose you!"
The capsule erupted into fiery tongues as instead of a bright flash of white, an inferno of flames manifested the boy's trusty dragon to his aid.
"Roooar!"
"As flashy as always," the raven-haired boy chuckled as he caught the flung Ball back into his hand, not minding the heat emanating from it.
"Grr," Charizard retorted.
"Yeah, yeah, it's my bad for not choosing most of the time."
Meanwhile, Misty and Brendan were bewildered at the boy's choice, watching as he arm-stretched with an excited grin still plastered on his face. The Pokémon on his shoulders disembarked as they jumped onto both Brendan and Misty so as to not get in Ash's way.
While he prepared, Ash unequipped his Bag and placed it aside, not wanting the Egg instead to be harmed.
"Hey, Ash? Don't you think this is kinda overboard?!" the redhead worried as she carried Pikachu in her arms.
"Yeah, man. It's just a Chikorita, y'know?" the white-hatted boy was in agreement with Froakie on his white hat.
Hearing that from Brendan, the little sauropod glared as its face twisted in anger, offended by the other boy's innocent yet condescending words.
"Huh? What do you mean 'overboard'?" the raven-haired boy asked them in another bout of confusion.
Answering his confusion was their own confusion as they wondered if Ash was really such a cruel person. Luckily for them, the boy answered before their impression of him lowered.
"That Chikorita is strong. Of course I'm gonna respond in kind," he said nonchalantly.
This took the two by surprise.
"I mean, I dunno about you guys but that Chikorita isn't weak at all. I can tell…" he continued as he glanced at the opposing Grass starter.
'It has quite the air around it,' he finished his thoughts.
"Besides, not taking your opponent seriously is something I hate doing; at least to me."
Chikorita blinked in surprise at the genuine compliment from the human boy, earning him a small 'hmph' from it in return.
'At least this human boy has eyes' was what it thought, impressed by Ash as it thought of it highly…
…Before taking another interested look at his bloodred eyes closer.
"Alright! You ready, Chikorita?!" he asked aloud, prompting a curt nod from the starter.
1 second was all it took, and they were off.
"Start off with a [Flamethrower]!" Ash began.
The orange dragon obliged as he blasted a raging breath of flames towards the Grass starter. The fire approached but Chikorita showed no fear nor hesitation as one of the buds on its neck transformed into a grappling vine rope, coiling around a nearby snow-covered rock. As the flames drew nearer, Chikorita lunged towards the cliff and jumped away from [Flamethrower]'s vicinity.
"What?! It jumped off!" Brendan startled in panic.
But instead of falling off the mountainous trail, the Leaf Pokémon was swung in an arc thanks to its [Vine Whip] acting as a swing, reappearing next to a surprised Charizard and similarly, Ash as well.
'This guy…! It used [Vine Whip]!' Ash finally noticed the coiled rock.
Although surprised, he had seen the move used in such a manner before as he had bore witness to both Blue and Drake's own Venusaurs. But what happened next was truly shocking for the boy.
Chikorita landed in front of a bewildered Charizard, setting up its next move swiftly as if it had practiced it multiple times. The buds around its neck were now simultaneously using [Vine Whip], creating a dense tangles mess of vines.
'What's it—'
The Leaf Pokémon gave the answer in the form of [Vine Whips] spiralling their masses together, converging and transforming into a shape that got the humans and their Pokémon flabbergasted:
It was a huge fist made from [Vine Whip]. Although it had the outlines of fingers, everyone could tell it was just an imitation. A huge ball of vines, disguised as a human fist, created by Chikorita's idea of a human punch.
"CHIIIK!"
With a battle cry, Charizard was punched cleanly on his face.
BAAAM!
The sudden mass and weight felled the orange dragon as the Flame Pokémon came crashing down onto the snowy ground.
Misty and Brendan watched, slack jawed. They could not believe that the Charizard from the Grand League was bested so easily. However, Pikachu and Froakie maintained a composed expression.
"Ha… Hahaha!" Ash laughed suddenly.
The little sauropod, shocked by the human boy's laughter, retreated its vines back into its buds hastily before increasing the distance in defense.
"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to offend you," the boy clarified to the confused starter.
"It's just… you're really strong, Chikorita!"
"Roooaaar!"
A jet of flames erupted from the orange dragon's snout as he stood back up with an excited grin on his face. Pikachu and Froakie followed up with a snicker.
"I know right? This guy's amazing, right, Charizard?!" Ash exclaimed in delight.
"Roar!" Charizard bellowed gleefully.
The Flame Pokémon had thought there would no longer be any wild Pokémon capable of challenging him after his battles against the toughest Trainers in the Grand League as well as Drake's Dragonite. Now, facing the wild Chikorita, he was more than happy to be proven wrong.
"Let's do this, Chikorita!" Ash grinned.
"…Chik!" the little sauropod broke into a smile.
"Time to show ya my specialty—" Ash recalled his newest creation.
"[Air Cutter (Fake)]!"
The Flame Pokémon's wings growled like an engine as [Acrobatics] was held in them before sharpening them with [Wing Attack]. Slashing through the chilling wind, Charizard blitzed towards Chikorita with unnatural speed, surprising the latter.
However, as a wild Pokémon with numerous experiences with human Trainers and other Pokémon, Chikorita barely managed to dodge it with enormous effort thanks to its wild instincts.
'Its reflexes are amazing!' Misty widened her eyes at the unnaturally strong Pokémon.
'What kind of Chikorita is that?!' Brendan was alarmed at the thought of such a strong wild Pokémon.
Meanwhile, both Charizard and Ash were having the time of their lives as the former spun to a halt before flickers of ember coated his fist, aimed towards the bewildered Chikorita.
'Combine [Fire Punch] with [Flame Burst] for more speed and force!' Ash exhaled.
"[Mach Punch]!"
'Affix: Fire!'
BOOOM!
A great explosion of flames burst from the ground with a cloud of smoke accompanied after it. But the aftermath that followed had the injured sauropod falling off the cliff due to Charizard's tremendous power.
'Wait, damnit! I got too excited!' Ash snapped out of his excitement.
Charizard was blinded by the smoke he created. Misty and Brendan had stepped back a few paces, meaning Pikachu and Froakie would not be able to reach in time.
All that was left to save the falling Chikorita… was Ash himself.
"Chikorita!" he dashed towards the edge instinctively.
His body was in agreement, wasting no time as it had moved even before his rational side finished processing.
"ASH!" his two companions screamed at the raven-haired boy, but it was too late.
Ash proceeded to jump, propelling himself quicker downwards with a forceful push of his feet. The downed Chikorita peeked from its fall, surprised to see the human boy it was battling against reaching towards it at full speed.
"Gotcha!" the human boy grabbed onto Chikorita both gently and swiftly.
Normally, Ash would have thought of a plan on the fly but this time, he was prepared. As the two descended, the raven-haired boy held the Leaf Pokémon on his left arm while his right hand reached for the back of his belt.
'You're up, Carnwennan!' Ash unsheathed the umbral fang-like dagger from its leather cover and stabbed it into the cliff's wall.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
"Grrrrhhhh!" Ash bared his fangs at the shrieking rocks as Carnwennan began to halt his descent.
The Dagger was weaker than the Sword but since it was unbreakable, it was more than enough to do the job.
"Phew…" Ash sighed in relief as his fall stopped with Chikorita rescued.
"Chik…" the sauropod groaned weakly.
"Sorry about that. We got too excited."
Chikorita did not mind in regard to the battle. Seeing such a strong Trainer taking it seriously was more than enough for its satisfaction.
"Hm? Oi, you're really hurt! Damnit, I didn't notice it sooner!"
The Leaf Pokémon saw the boy clicking his tongue after seeing its wounds, wondering what kind of human Trainer would blame himself for injuring a wild Pokémon.
'What a weirdo' was what it thought.
"Charizard, get me up!" he shouted to the top.
Within a single moment, the cloud of smoke above was sliced into pieces as Charizard rushed to his Trainer's aid without hesitation.
"Roar!"
"Thanks!"
Ash pulled out Carnwennan from the cliff as he rode on his Fire starter's back, sheathing it back into his belt. With that, Charizard rose back up with the two in tow.
Tmp!
"Thanks, buddy. Hey, we gotta go!" Ash called to his companions as soon as he landed, getting his Bag and returning Charizard without a moment's waste.
"You just jumped off a cliff and you're acting like its fine?!" Brendan exasperated.
"Meh, been through worse. C'mon, Chikorita's hurt," Ash replied nonchalantly.
Pikachu and Froakie returned to Ash's shoulders, no longer bothering to yell at him since it was considered tame compared to his previous hijinks.
"Welcome to the team, kiddo," Misty deadpanned as she followed after the running boy.
Brendan stood for a moment before breaking into a sprint after the two.
'What kind of crazy dude did I end up adventuring with?!' he bemoaned internally.
.
.
.
After some time, the mountainous route ended with a Pokémon Centre nearby. A glimpse of the building was more than enough to cause Ash to dash faster towards the healing centre.
"Excuse me, is Nurse Joy in?!" Ash barged in, his yell loud and firm.
The other people in the Centre watched curiously at the new addition of the building as he strutted towards the counter with an injured Chikorita in his arms.
"Oh dear!" Nurse Joy exclaimed as she examined the wounds.
"Is this little one yours?"
"Nope," Ash replied without skipping a beat.
The nurse quirked a brow at the boy's reply.
"We got into a battle," Ash explained.
"But still, why didn't you try to catch this little one?" Nurse Joy asked.
"…Y'know, that's a good question."
Ash felt embarrassed all of a sudden, earning a fit of giggle from the healer.
"Wait right here, I'll fix her right away."
"Thanks, Nurse Jo… Wait, 'her'?"
Just then, his two companions arrived at the Centre, tired from the sprinting as well as the resistance from the snowy ground.
"Can you… stop… and wait for us? Is that… too much to ask?" Misty wheezed.
"Um… sorry," Ash apologized sheepishly.
Brendan immediately made himself comfortable on one of the Centre's numerous seats. His Pokémon summoned themselves from their capsules, in shock at their Trainer's state.
"I haven't run this hard since I was a kid…" the white-hatted boy ached as he felt his legs burn.
"…Again, sorry," the raven-haired boy apologized again.
Though he would rather not exert himself, Brendan could not help but admire Ash's willingness to help a wild Pokémon. He could have caught Chikorita and strolled towards the Centre without worry; but after getting to know the boy's character, he had an inkling it was second nature for Ash to go above and beyond to help Chikorita despite not being his Pokémon.
"Well, since we're here, might as well heal our Pokémon too," Brendan commented.
"You're right. Charizard needs his rest too, right?" the redhead agreed.
With the three in agreement, they left their Pokémon with Nurse Joy. Pikachu and Froakie stayed behind since they were still healthy.
"Oh, and Mr Ketchum? What about that arm of yours?" the nurse pointed towards a reddened part of the boy's arm.
Ash looked at his arm again and sure enough, there was a bite mark on it. It did not take a genius to know who its creator was.
'That's weird. I didn't feel anything,' the raven-haired boy thought to himself, eventually chalking it up to adrenaline.
"Nah, it's fine. It'll heal up in no time."
Now, it was just a matter of waiting for Chikorita and the rest to heal up. Ash sat beside Brendan, who was playing with Pikachu and Froakie alongside Misty. Finding some time to relax, he scanned the surroundings as many other Trainers were similarly waiting for their friends to return.
The Pokémon Centre was not one of the Towns nor Cities, the biggest indicator was the customized walls of aged logs and wood-themed amenities. Even the seats and tables were made of tree trunks.
'I know they have these types of Centres in Kanto as well,' he mused internally.
'What were they called, Route Centres? But I can't remember if I've ever been into one…'
Unpleasant memories of his visits to Kanto's Centres came back in full force, eliciting a frown on his face.
'Man, I really worried Blue back then…' he sighed.
'That was probably the last time I entered a Centre before Rocket's disbandment. Now that I think about it, that place was a…'
Bloodred widened in remembrance as he stood up, frozen in place.
"…Route Centre."
BOOOOOM!
"What the hell?!" Brendan shouted.
Screams of terror engulfed the Centre as the explosion behind the building was followed by an escaping nurse Joy, coughing from the smoke.
"Nurse Joy, what happened?!" Misty asked the healer.
"Men… men in black uniforms invaded the healing stations and took all the Pokémon!"
"Lucky!" the nurse's Chansey cried in alarm.
'Black uniforms… Could it be?!' the redhead gasped.
"Did they have an 'R' on their chest?"
"Yes! They did!"
The worst-case scenario had begun. But before Misty could think of a plan, Brendan came rushing towards the Gym Leader frantically with a worried Pikachu and Froakie on his shoulders whilst carrying the Bags containing the Eggs.
"Brendan? What's u—"
"Ash is gone!"
The Cerulean Gym Leader's heart sank as her face paled. Ash's disappearance as soon as Neo Rocket appeared could only mean one thing:
The boy was already on the hunt.
.
.
.
A black truck vroomed away from the damaged building with three people in black sitting in the front. They cackled as they roughly held the singular Pokémon without a capsule: Chikorita.
"Ahaha! What a haul, amirite, Al, Harry?!" one from the trio laughed gleefully.
"You said it, Ken!" the one named Al snickered as he steered the wheel.
"What's more, this little thing's got no Trainer!" Harry grabbed the weakened Chikorita by her large leaf.
"Chik!" she groaned.
"Shaddup, little shit! Be glad, for you'll be one of our Pokémon real soon~"
"Team Rocket's making a comeback, baby!"
"GAHAHAHAHA!"
Disgusting laughter erupted between the three as Chikorita bit her lips in lament.
'How did this happen?' was what circled her mind.
The sauropod recalled back to her past.
Her memories of her group of Chikoritas came to the front, their ferocity and willpower burned into her mind.
Once, they were famous in their area by Trainers as stubborn and relentless in battle. But that all changed when the humans of black came.
They pillaged her friends. Took them away to be used as soldiers, all under the humans' command.
The fist she conjured with her vines… It was a copy of the strongest image of violence she had.
"Chik…"
.
.
.
The hills were turned into snowfields. Pokémon around retreated into their burrows, away from the cold weather.
Tweet! Hoot! Chirp! Trill!
Noises from bird Pokémon echoed around as they began to hibernate.
However,…
…
The sounds stopped. Dropped dead without so much as a warning.
There were only two possible inferences for such an event:
One: The birds had somehow simultaneously decided to preserve their energy in the cold.
Or two:
A pair of bloodred streaks slashed through the winter snow.
Ragged breathes clamped shut as gleaming canines reflected in the moonlight.
There was a predator nearby.
…
"To think one of the Admins gave us a tas—"
"Al, look out!"
CRASH!
From above, something had lunged itself onto the windscreen, breaking it as a pair of bloodied hands dug into the fragmented glass, unwilling to let go.
"Yo."
The three Neo Rocket members bulged their eyes at the identity of the 'thing' blocking their view:
Raven black hair.
Bloodred eyes.
And finally, a pair of lightning bolt-shaped marks.
Every Rocket member knew those features. How could they forget?
"Long time no see, assholes."
It was the evil organization's very own living nightmare.
The one who defeated their former boss.
"THE PIKACHU BRAT?!" they screamed in unison.
A savage grin plastered onto the insane expression on Ash's face as his eyes pierced the cowering Rockets.
Al was the first to snap out of it, deciding to skid the truck to throw off the boy in front.
"Go to hell, brat!"
The raven-haired boy glanced backwards momentarily. With quick decisiveness, he opted to get off the drifting truck before landing harmlessly on a pile of snow.
"Argh! We're losing control!" Harry yelped.
"Hold onto something!" Ken grunted.
CRASH!
The black truck felled on its side, flopped and unable to go any further. Seeing no other choice, the trio crawled out and faced the awaiting raven.
"You got insurance for that?" Ash smirked as he bit out the small shards of glass from his hands.
Seeing the angry expression on the members' faces gave him a sense of ecstasy, causing him to wonder when he had developed a sadistic streak.
'Guess seeing Rocket— whoops, Neo Rocket, squirm in defeat never gets old huh?'
"So you're really here, Pikachu brat," Ken sneered as he squeezed the leaf atop of Chikorita.
As the man's grip got tighter, the air around Ash grew colder as his eyes turned duller. The emotions within them drained as he took a single step forward.
"Charizard," he called out.
But there was no response.
"Heracross."
Again, no response.
Ash knew his Pokémon were in the fallen truck, he could sense them, after all.
'What's going on?' he narrowed on the trio.
"Haha! Serves you right, Faker!" Al mocked the boy.
"Say hello to our Capsule Disrupter!" Harry pulled out a satellite-like device.
The raven-haired boy's expression shifted subtly to one of surprise before returning back to neutral. The trio caught sight of this and capitalized on it by taunt him.
"Now then, what's a kid fresh outta the womb gonna do?!"
"Gonna cry to your mama?!"
"Either way, It's 3 of us against 1 of you, shitstain!"
.
.
.
A Capsule Disrupter?
Getting a closer look, its appearance looked like a mishmash of a phone and a satellite dish.
Judging from the name… it's a no-brainer.
It was a PokéBall jammer. Hazarding a guess, it probably had to do with locking the summoning mechanism.
So Charizard and Heracross are out, huh?
My two friends were unable to battle, meaning it's up to me to face these clowns.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three Pokémon exited the truck:
Hypno, Machamp and Gengar.
All of them were familiar to me. However, it never hurt to check the Dex.
]=[
Hypno, the Hypnosis Pokémon
Hypno holds a pendulum in its hand. The arcing movement and glitter of the pendulum lull the foe into a deep state of hypnosis. While this Pokémon searches for prey, it polishes the pendulum. While it is an extremely dangerous Pokémon, people who are in need of a good, sound sleep call it their savior.
]=[
Where was this guy when I needed him?
]=[
Machamp, the Superpower Pokémon
Machamp has the power to hurl anything aside. However, trying to do any work requiring care and dexterity causes its arms to get tangled. This Pokémon tends to leap into action before it thinks. It uses its four powerful arms to pin the limbs of its foe, then throws the victim over the horizon.
]=[
I vaguely recalled Bruno's own Machamp during the Grand League. From what I'd seen, I'm inclined to believe the entry.
I don't need to see Gengar's entry.
"What now kid? It's a 3v1," one of the bastards goaded.
"You've ran outta luck, Pikachu brat. You now face us…"
"The Neo Rocket Elite Trio!"
Elite? Did their rankings change since Kanto?
It didn't matter.
I was gonna beat them up anyways.
"Chik…" the Grass starter groaned louder.
"Chikorita!" I cried out.
"Haha! You abandoned your Pikachu for this little shit, brat?"
"For someone who beat our former boss, you sure are stupid!"
"Coming here all alone without any Pokémon! What a riot!"
The bastards laughed and laughed. It was grating on my ears.
As I stood unmoving, I admitted one thing to myself:
They sure know how to push my buttons.
If I'm gonna be fighting Pokémon on my own, I need AURA.
But if what that red piece of shit said was true, I still needed a mental image.
A mental image to activate it.
I still don't have one. And I can't rely on it since it's unreliable as hell.
…Which left me to turn to one last person.
I glanced back at Chikorita… and closed my eyes.
…Can you hear me? I need your help.
Of course, dearest.
I'm always with thee.
"Thanks for the present, by the way," I whispered to myself.
Oh, hush. Tis was due for a long time.
"But still…"
.
.
.
A swirling energy of midnight blue erupted from the raven-haired boy's body.
The Elite trio were stunned by the unnatural showing from Ash as the latter glared of them with glowing bloodred eyes.
"Thanks, Zacian," he grinned.
ARRRRROOOOOOOOOOOO!
Like an engine, something within Ash howled with might, empowering the boy.
Zacian's howl activated his AURA, completely bypassing his need for a mental image. The boy did not like relying on her, but this time, he had no choice since it was to save Chikorita.
The Projections in his mind locked and loaded, prepared to be conjured.
Reinforcement flooded his circuits, strengthening his body.
Bloodred eyes whirred with brighter light as they glowed ominously towards the shivering trio.
"3 against 1, huh?"
"Then this won't be terribly difficult after all!"
Crack!
Digging into the earth, Ash shattered the snow into a superhuman blitz towards the Elite Trio's Pokémon. The creatures reacted too late as they did not expect a human of all things to suddenly display otherworldly strength.
"Sorry about this!" Ash pulled back his fist as he apologized.
Tis unwise to express regret towards thy opponents, Tonelico.
WHAM!
An off guarded Machamp took the punch head on, sending it flying towards the white dirt behind its Trainers, barely missing them.
'Yeah, but I don't like hurting Pokémon…' Ash frowned.
Thou art adorable, Tonelico. Naivety and all.
'I get the feeling you're making fun of me.'
As insightful as ever. Now focus on thy duties.
As the punch connected, the raven-haired boy's step oriented itself towards the stunned trio, or more specifically, towards an awed Chikorita. And with one burst, Ash snatched the wounded starter from the Rocket's hand, skidding to a stop as he crashed into the dented body of the truck.
Crash!
"Ow…" Ash deadpanned, feeling no pain but groaned for familiarity.
However, his vicinity had been surrounded. The Rocket trio and their Pokémon circled him as they began snickering.
"Nice tricks, brat. But you're surrounded now!" Harry started.
"Haha! You gave us a fright but that still doesn't change the fact that you're outnumbered!" Al stated.
"Give it up!" Ken finished.
"You guys sure like running your mouths," Ash grinned as he held Chikorita close to him.
The Grass starter turned upwards, seeing the determined expression on the human boy and began to wonder what his motivations were. For what reason did this human named Ash save her.
"…I don't need a reason to save someone."
Her thoughts written on her face, Ash took note of it and answered her.
"If someone's in need of help, I'll do it without hesitation," he said.
"Never until its over."
Despite knowing the boy for not even a day, Chikorita could already tell something was terribly disturbing within the boy's words. But as he smiled towards her, she felt a sense of safety from him.
"Give it up?" Ash addressed the trio.
"Sorry but my thing's the opposite of that."
A cheeky Ash showed a device in his hand: the Capsule Disruptor that he snatched alongside Chikorita.
"That's—!" they choked.
"What was that about 3 against 1?" Ash smirked as he smashed the Disruptor onto the truck's body.
WHAM!
The pieces of metal fell to the snow, neutralizing its effects. Within mere moments, two explosions burst from both sides of the grinning boy.
BOOM! / BOOM!
"Let's even the playing field, you damn Rockets."
Charizard and Heracross glared at their opponents.
"Gengar, [Shadow Ball]!" / "Machamp, [Karate Chop]!" / "Hypno, [Psychic]!"
The ghostly sphere was shot towards Charizard by a snickering spirit while an open palm was brought down towards Heracross.
'Normally, I'd be hard-pressed right now…' Ash noticed a wave of Psychic energy coming for him.
'…If I was still the same as I was in the Grand League.'
"Charizard, deflect it with [Dragon Tail]! Heracross, counter with [Aerial Ace]!"
The two Pokémon nodded as the flaming tail was coated with shining purple while the beetle's limbs shone bright white. Together, they proceeded to bat the [Shadow Ball] back to Gengar and weave around [Karate Chop] before unleashing a deadly blow to Machamp respectively.
Meanwhile, [Psychic] was inches away from Ash, who had not done anything to protect himself. The only thing he had done was to shield Chikorita from [Psychic].
'Alright, we got the brat!' the Rocket Elites cheered internally.
However, their faces fell flat as they paled at the sight of Hypno's lilac energy ripped to shreds as it slammed onto Ash, revealing himself to be unharmed.
"Sorry but [Psychic] of this level doesn't work on me," the raven-haired boy chuckled as his bloodred eyes narrowed towards them ominously.
'This guy's not on Mewtwo's level after all,' he shrugged at the quaking Hypno.
Machamp and Gengar had been injured, but still raring to go as they glared at their respective opponents. Hypno, on the other hand, was wary of Ash after he had completely negated [Psychic].
"How is the brat so fast?!" Al snarled after witnessing Ash's quick commands.
The raven-haired boy caught that seething comment and merely shrug at them, causing them to get even more riled up.
'I endured hell on Kumquat with Miss Luana for my Double training. This is nothing,' he thought to himself.
AURA was beginning to fade as Ash had to finish up as soon as possible. AURA Rotation worked overtime as he prepared to engage with his Pokémon.
"Let's go, you two."
"Roar!" / "Kiek!"
The three exploded towards the Rocket Elites and their Pokémon, causing one of them to blabber out in panic.
"Gengar, [Dark Pulse] on that little shit!"
A malefic whorl of energy blasted towards the prowling boy as the bloodred eyes widened in surprise.
Parry the darkness with Carnwennan, Tonelico.
'You got it!'
With a flourish, the umbral fang was equipped onto Ash as he blocked [Dark Pulse] with it. Shockingly, the Dagger seemed to absorb the blackened whorl, devouring it like a famished wolf.
'What the…?' Ash was weirded out.
"Did that kid just eat [Dark Pulse]?!" Ken spluttered out.
But they had no time to be amazed as a fist of dancing flames raised behind the orange dragon. The tongues of fire mocked Gengar while the blue eyes of the Flame Pokémon shimmered in the heat, paralyzing the purple ghost.
[Flame Burst] exploded on the Fire starter's elbow, rocketing his fist into a crescent arc as Charizard roared his attack onto the ghost that dared to harm his Trainer.
With a mighty swing, Charizard unleashed his flames onto Gengar, sending it flying with his blazing uppercut.
"Gengar!" one of the villains exclaimed in horror.
Meanwhile, Heracross was flung back by the Machamp. He did not have enough experience under Ash and was thoroughly defeated by the quad-armed foe.
"Kairi!" the humanoid hyped itself.
"Heracross!" the raven-haired boy cried out to his Pokémon.
"Finish it off with [Focus Blast]!" Harry called out.
Ash's mind went into overdrive as his brain began to process much faster, trying to get out of this predicament.
'Damnit, I forgot Heracross isn't as experienced!' he scolded himself.
'Gengar's out and Hypno can't really affect me which means it's probably gonna gun for Charizard.'
He took a moment to exhale, piercing his concentration momentarily. That one exhale charged [Focus Blast] about 50%, almost causing Ash to panic before calming himself down.
Ease thy heart, Tonelico. Think things through carefully.
The gentle voice chiming pleasantly in his mind soothed him, restarting his thought process.
'…Right now, I need to protect Heracross and Chikorita!' he decided finally.
The boy wasted no time as he sprinted in-between his downed Heracross and the charging Machamp, Chikorita in tow.
"Kiek!" the blue beetle screeched in worry.
Pompf.
The green sauropod landed harmlessly into Heracross' arm as she watched in horror towards the raven-haired boy, now in direct line of sight of [Focus Blast].
"Take care of her, Heracross!" Ash shouted behind him before brandishing his Dagger.
"Release it, Machamp! Kill that brat!" the Elite yelled.
Without hesitation, Machamp unleashed a devastating beam of light towards the armed boy.
"Roar!" Charizard bellowed to his Trainer after defending himself from Hypno's interference.
Once more…
The bloodred eyes were aflame like stars.
Now, Tonelico. Wield Carnwennan's second release.
"CARNWENNAN!"
A frontal bisecting slash was the condition as a shadowy portal swirled into being, eating up [Focus Blast] greedily.
"WHA?!" the Neo Rockets gasped.
The wispy portal whorled shut before reappearing far above Machamp to reach before showering it with its own attack.
BOOOM!
Machamp was finally defeated with its eyes swirling around after getting a taste of its own medicine.
"Haaah… Haaah…" ragged breathing from the boy erupted.
'Damnit… I'm out of AURA…' he clicked his tongue.
"Now then, how're we gonna discipline this twerp?" Al chuckled evilly at the tired boy.
"Of course, Neo Rocket's favourite pastime!" Ken giggled.
"Hypno, [Hypnosis] on the brat! See ya on our side, brainwashed shitstain!" Harry ordered.
The remaining Pokémon of the trio began to fire off hypnotizing waves onto the raven-haired boy. However, due to Ash's innate resistance to Psychic, Hypno was forced to enter deeper to connect the [Hypnosis] and accidentally peered into his min—
Oh?
The surroundings changed.
Hypno had found itself alone in an unnatural space.
It had landed itself in a world devoid of nothing but blades.
Did thoust try to brainwash my godson?
A throne of swords.
Vicious black and cyan lances stabbed into a line on both sides of Hypno appeared, jerking it to kneel unconsciously.
An air of hostility wafted in the mental landscape as a pair of ominous cyan eyes glared from the throne.
Thou art fortunate mine patience is greater than most.
For this transgression, I will forgive thee once.
There will not be a next time.
The menacing wave of bloodthirst slammed into Hypno. As a Psychic type, this sort of mental attack was increased a thousandfold as the humanoid Pokémon was about to pass out from such an overwhelming lust for blood.
Know thy place, whelp.
.
.
.
"HYPNO?!"
The Hypnosis Pokémon frothed at the mouth, completely down for the count.
The Elite trio were beginning to be fearful of the raven-haired boy, who had placed his back on the felled truck, recovering with Rotation.
"Grr! If that's the case…!"
"We'll just…!"
"Kill you ourselves!"
At this, Ash merely chuckled.
"Slow your horses for at least 5 more seconds, Neo Rocket."
The bloodred eyes still focused on the trio, not even flinching away even as Charizard flew low to protect Ash.
And suddenly…
"Go, my steady! Starmie!"
A blast of freezing ice washed over the trio and their Pokémon, immobilizing them once and for all.
"Told you. 5 seconds," Ash smiled to himself.
Whack!
"What the hell were you thinking?! Running off like that?!" Misty screamed in his ears.
"Oi! This ain't how ya treat an injured!" Ash shot back.
"Oh yeah?! I'll make sure you're 1 step into the casket, you suicidal brat!"
The redhead came to their rescue.
Chapter 70: The Chikorita Rescue
All for the price of Ash's eardrums.
Author's Notes
Betcha guys thought Ash was gonna slaughter them, huh? Nah. At this point in the story, Ash is just not able to compete with AURA alone. That's for the future Ash!
Also also, new powerup revealed! Carnwennan with the assist.
Now, Carnwennan's epithet back in M02 is Little White Hilt of Shadow-Treading. Ash first use was cloaking himself in the shadows like in the IRL myths, though not as outlandish. But the real kicker is the Shadow-Treading part. If stretched to its absolute limit, you could call it 'shadow walking'.
And in FGO, Artoria Caster gave me the perfect use for Carnwennan: Shadow Portals go brrr.
So that's my reasoning for giving portals to the Dagger since its an utility weapon.
Also, Sukuna reference by Zacian in the end (hehe)
And that's about it. Again, may be the last chapter for this year so hopefully, I get some time off during my internship to write.
That being said, thanks for reading! I really appreciate you guys! See y'all in the next chapter!