AshFan: Ya know, before the official show came out, I was trying to come up with some kind of scenario for the pilot version of the show, but never got around to it.
TaiKetch'em: … Really?
AshFan: Yeah, ya know, back then when people didn't know who Lucifer was gonna be and all. But ya know, I couldn't come up with something for jack shit.
TaiKetch'em: Huh… that's interesting, I guess. Is that all you wanted to tell me?
AshFan: Yeah, that's it.
TaiKetch'em: Okay, cool… Well, I kinda wanted to-
*Knock, knock, knock!*
TaiKetch'em: Huh? Who's that?
AshFan: I don't know.
*Opens door*
?: Hey, AF, I don't mean to be rude, but I was just wondering when my story's getting continued.
AshFan: W-what?
TaiKetch'em: Who are you?... and why do you look like Ash as a furry?
?: I'm Ash from 'A Slice into the Wolf Boy's Life' story. Did you even finish the first chapter?
AshFan: Uh… I…
TaiKetch'em: Oh boy.
AshFan: Well, see here's the funny part.
Wolf!Ash: What? What's so funny about me wanting to see my story get continued?
AshFan: Oh, I'm not discontinuing it. I don't know what gave you the idea.
Wolf!Ash: I didn't ask if you were discontinuing it, I was asking if you were gonna continue it.
AshFan: Oh, oh… uh… yeah, it's gonna get continued.
Wolf!Ash: Dude, it's been two years!… I think. I just want to see the first chapter of my story!
AshFan: Look, look, don't worry about it! I will… I will, I promise.
Wolf!Ash: You better not be lying. I swear-
AshFan: I promise I'm not lying. Look just… give me some time, I need to sort some things out. Okay? Okay.
Wolf!Ash: (Gives the I'm watching you sign… then leaves)
TaiKetch'em: …
AshFan: …
TaiKetch'em: … so… you gonna discontinue that story?
AshFan: No, but… might not… write it for… a while…
TaiKetch'em: … Right…
AshFan: Anyway, what was it you wanted to tell me?
TaiKetch'em: Huh? Oh, uh… shit that whole thing earlier threw me off.
AshFan: Dammit.
TaiKetch'em: You wanna just… start the chapter?
AshFan: Yeah, just… You want me to do this chapter?
TaiKetch'em: Yeah, go ahead.
(Pallet Town)
Ash was at the dinner table, eating pancakes for breakfast. He felt… groggy. He had bags under his eyes, his body felt sore, and his pancakes tasted off. He shook his head and grabbed the syrup bottle and started pouring it on the plate and over his food.
"Uh, Ash?" He didn't hear it at first. "Ash!" She called again.
"Pikachu." Pikachu says while tugging on his sleeve, causing him to look up
"Are… you okay?" His mother asked with concern.
"Uh…" He put his hand on his head to keep it up. "Yeah… yeah, I'm all good… Why do you ask?"
"You're pouring milk on your pancakes."
He rose a brow before he stopped and looked at his left hand. Rubbing his eyes, he looked again and saw that it was the milk jug he was holding. He looked back at his pancakes that were covered and soaked in milk, then he looked to his right, seeing a cup of syrup with the bottle next to it. He blinked for a second before looking back and forth between the two.
"Oh…" He says to himself. "That explains the taste."
"Ash, don't lie to your mother. Tell me what's wrong." Delia says sternly. "If that hotel you talked about is giving you trouble-"
"NO! NO! It's not-" Ash quickly says before lowering his head. "It's not the hotel. It's just… I've been… up late."
"Doing what exactly?"
"Just…" He says before pausing, not sure if he should tell her about the whole training with his aura. "Working on something to help the guys out. Ya know, make sure they're okay, ya know." He says groggily before rubbing his eyes.
"..." Delia sighed. "Do I even want to know?" She asked before hearing the doorbell ring and got up. "I'll get it.
Ash watched her leave before looking back at the pancakes, then yawned before his head fell limp. Pikachu sighed before shaking him awake.
"Hello?" Delia says as she opens the door, seeing some familiar faces. "Oh, Misty, Brock. It's so good to see you again."
"Hi, Mrs. Ketchum." Brock says while waving.
"It's good to see you too, Mrs. Ketchum. Is Ash here?" Misty asked.
"Oh, he is at the dinner table… eating breakfast." The woman says with slight concern.
Misty noticed her expression and raised a brow. "Is something wrong?" She asked.
"Yeah, the way you said that kinda-" Brock starts to say.
"Oh, it's nothing. He's just dealing with a few things right now and-" Delia said before they heard a splat and looked back into the house. Ash had his face lying down on the milk-soaked pancakes, Pikachu beside him with a small sweatdrop on his head. "I don't think I should speak for him."
The duo looked slightly concerned before they walked inside. Pikachu saw and waved before trying to wake up his trainer.
"Hey, Pikachu." Misty says as they stop at the table. "Yeesh, what is up with him now?"
"Hey, Ash… Ash!" Brock says while trying to wake him up.
"Pi." Pikachu says stopping them before stepping closer and putting his finger to the boy's neck. "Pika!" He then sent a small jolt of electricity through his finger, causing the boy to fling up with his eyes wide.
"AH! Wha-Huh? W-what the…?" He says before looking around with his face covered in milk and pancake pieces.
"Woah, calm down." Brock says. "You okay?"
"Wha… B-Brock? Misty? W-what are you doing here?"
"Nice to see you too, Ash." Misty says with a hint of sarcasm as the man lightly elbowed her. "Sorry. We were just coming by for a visit, and… saw this."
"What?" Ash says before rubbing his face, picking off a piece of pancake before realizing. "Oh, uh… s-sorry, I was just up late."
"Doing what exactly?"
"Well, I was training on how-" He stopped himself before he could finish.
His mother already found out by mistake and his professor had to be told as for him to not freak out from Pokemon disappearing, but it'd be hell if he were to get his friends involved. He was trying not to get anyone from his world involved in the first place, so telling them that he was training on the chance of them having to fight angels or other demons was out of the question.
"Training? Wait, for another journey?" Misty asked. "Didn't you just get done with one?"
"Uh… y-yeah. Yeah, that's it." Ash quickly says.
"I get that you like journeying, but how late did you train exactly?" Brock asked with concern.
"Uh… sometime past…"
He paused for a moment, the Dedenne stopped running in the wheel in his head. Then his face fell back into the pancakes. Pikachu gave him a small shock to wake him back up.
"Uh… should we just come back some other time? I think you need a nap, right now." Misty tells him.
"Seriously, I'm fine guys. Just… wait what time is it?" Ash says before looking at the clock. "Oh, crapbaskets." He quickly got up and rushed to the stairs, running up them. "Sorry guys, I don't mean to cut this short, but I got somewhere to be!"
"What? Where!?" Misty asked, baffled before hearing his door slam. "Wha… what's going on with him?"
"Oh, nothing. He just met some new friends and he's helping them with a 'project' of sorts." Delia explains.
"What does that have to do with his training to go on a journey?"
"Well…" The woman realized what she said before quickly thinking. "Ya know, he is preparing for both."
"Both?"
"Yeah, he's been looking for something to do before starting a new journey so… he's taken up two things at once."
"Why does that sound too much like him?"
(Meanwhile)
Ash ruffled his hair as he tried to think.
"Okay, what were today's activities again?" He says before putting his fist in his palm. "Show and Tell! Right, right! Uh… what can I take? Another Pokemon? No, I've already bought plenty there to show off. Uh…" He tapped his head on the head for a second before looking around.
He didn't know what to show. Maybe the outfits in his wardrobe showed off what he wore throughout the regions, or his Pokedex where he can show more entries of Pokemon. Then his eyes landed on something on his dresser.
"Of course! My badges!" He says while excitedly running over to a frame filled with badges and picking it up. "I haven't shown them these yet." He then grabbed and put his hat on before running out of his room. "Pikachu! Come on! We're heading out!" He called as the aforementioned Pokemon perked up.
"Wait, Ash-" Misty called as Pikachu ran after his sleep-deprived trainer.
"Sorry, I can't hang out with you guys. Next time, I promise!" Ash called back before he closed the door.
"Wait!" The orange-haired girl says before running after him and opening the door, running outside. "Ash!... Ash?"
She stopped and looked around, not seeing him anywhere in sight. She had just run out there not a second after he had and just he was gone so quickly. She scratched her head as she continued to look around in disbelief, not finding a trace of the trainer anywhere. She sighed, giving up before going back inside.
"What happened?" Brock asked, still concerned.
"He's gone. I don't know where he is. Where could he have gone so quickly?" Misty said.
(Meanwhile at the hotel)
"OOOH, YEAHH, BABY!"
TaiKetch'em: WOAH! WOAH! WHAT THE FUCK!?
AshFan: What? It's just how the episodes start.
TaiKetch'em: What do you mean how-OH! We're doing that episode.
AshFan: Yeah, we are.
TaiKetch'em: Okay, well, I'm just gonna leave you to that… I'll just… be outside 'cause I don't… really like the first half.
AshFan: Okay, you do that.
If you're wondering what the fuck you just heard, it was a video being played on the TV in the parlor where almost everyone was sitting. Pentious and Charlie looked freaked out upon witnessing it, Vaggie was annoyed, and Niffty… was on the table kicking her feet back and forth.
"Ya know, this performance, won me a 'Sex-x-x-i' award." Angel says proudly.
"It's, uh… very… honest… uh…" Charlie says before turning away and covering her mouth as the moaning and sex noises continue.
"Ugh, okay, enough of that. Angel, what the fuck?" Vaggie says while trying to cover Charlie's eyes.
"What? You said it was 'Show n' Tell' day." Angel tells her. "I'm showin' you my best film, and I'm tellin' you it scored me a win over that bitch, Tiffany Titfucker." He then says before crossing his arms in annoyance at the mention of the name.
"Ya know, not a very convincing interrogation scene." Husk says as he's cleaning bar glasses.
"Alright, dickhead, what makes you think you have any right to insult my work to my fuckin' face?"
"You really gonna sit there and act like these scripts ain't hot garbage?"
Angel gasped before saying- "Fuck you. This is classy art." Right before a slap and a moaning sound came from the TV.
"That's bullshit." Husk says as he walks over with a bottle. "You get drunk and bitch about them all the time. Everyone likes to bitch to the bartender. I know everything about you and these motherfuckers at this point. That one." He points at Pentious. "That one is an insecure buffoon whose lonely ass watches you idiots sleep!" He says as the snake looks nervous. "Princess is a bleeding heart who wants to solve everybody else's problems 'cept her own."
"What!? No, I-what? Pfff, no, no." Charlie says before turning away.
"That one judges everyone and everything because she hates herself." The cat then refers to Vaggie.
"Argh!" The demon girl groans in annoyance.
"And Niffty…" The little gremlin winked at the mention of her name as the cat turned away. "You don't even wanna know what her deal is. And I can't speak for the human kid not being here, but if you want my opinion, he's no different from Princess here." He says as Charlie perks up. "Only difference is, his pets aside, he's more tolerable than all of you shitheads combined." He then started downing his drink.
Angel then laughs hard while kicking his feet up. "Oh, you weren't kidding! Oh, wow! Kitten's got claws. Meow ~" He then says flirtatiously.
"And you! Don't even get me started. I see right through you and all this bullshit and how fake you are." Husk says in annoyance.
"Fake!? Oh, me? Fake?" Angel says while doing a dramatic pose before chuckling. "Wow, I had no idea. Guess that's why I'm an ACTOR, dumbass. And-"
Before he finished, a flash appeared next to the two of them. "Hey, guys." Ash says. "I brought-" He was cut off by the TV suddenly exploding. "WOAH!"
"HOLY SHIT!" Husk says while jumping back.
Everyone looked shocked before looking at Charlie who looked frightened as she had her hand out and her horns out. She looked at Ash before turning back to normal and laughing nervously.
"Oh, uh… the TV, eh… malfunctioned and exploded completely ON ITS OWN." She says before continuing to laugh nervously. "What a coincidence."
"Son of a-" Angel says while running over to the burning and destroyed TV. "You couldn't fucking give me a minute to get the tape out!?"
"What?" Ash asked, lost.
"NOTHING!" Charlie says as she rushes over to Ash. "Nothing at all! So-" She then dragged him to the parlor as Niffty used the fire extinguisher on the TV. "Ash, you wanted to show us something, right? Bet it's gonna be amazing."
"Well, yeah, it's 'Show and Tell' today, isn't it? What was Angel showing?"
"I was simply showing-" Angel started before Charlie turned demon and glared harshly at him. "Uh…" His face dropped before looking around and picking up one of the eggs. "This thing?"
Ash squinted at what he was holding. "Isn't that one of Pentious' eggs?"
"Yes, it issssssss." Pentious says while taking the egg back before slithering the egg.
"Ahaha, amazing." Charlie says as Vaggie sighs while shaking her head. "Anyway, what was it you wanted to show us?"
"Wha… o-oh, right." Ash says before clearing his throat and then going in the middle of everyone, holding his frame up. "This is uh…" He took a second to look at the front. "These are the badges I have collected throughout my journey in my world."
"Oooh, that's cool." The princess says.
"Charlie, no offense, but I don't think you need to keep acting so excited." Vaggie whispered to her girlfriend.
"So, do these badges do anything?" Angel asked.
"I mean… they prove I overcame the challenges to get them." Ash explains.
"Oh… lame."
"Interesting." Pentious says as he gets closer. "What do you do to earn such badges?"
"Well, by defeating the Pokemon Gym Challenges."
"Gym Challenges?" Husk asked.
"Yeah, each region has eight badges… mostly. This is only the ones from the Kanto Region, but I can bring the others."
"Regions? How many have you been to?"
"Well, over the past seven years…" He started counting on his fingers. "Five or… six?"
"I'm… not even surprised anymore."
"Eh, it's still pretty… cool." Ash says before yawning for a few long seconds.
"Hey… you okay, Ash?" Vaggie asked with concern. "You look tired."
"What I'm… I'm not tired." He says, unconvincingly.
"... Right, uh… what were you doing last night?" Angel asked, more curious than concerned.
"Just was up late… doing…" He trailed for a second. "Practicing for something."
"What is that on your face?" Charlie says while picking a piece of food off him.
"Uh, pancakes?" Ash tells her.
"How?" Vaggie asked as the princess looked around for a second.
"I was uh… eating some this morning." He tells her as Charlie slightly turns away and puts it in her mouth before silently gagging. "... with milk."
Ash trailed off before his face drooped. Then he tilted a bit before stumbling and falling into Charlie's arms.
"Ash!" She says before Razzle and Dazzle fly over to help the boy up.
"Agh… what… what was I saying?" He says, groggy.
"Alright, come here." Vaggie says before she and Charlie lead him to the couch and sit him down, Pikachu hopping off his shoulder and sitting next to him. "Whatever you did last night, you can wait before telling us."
Ash wanted to argue, but he didn't have the energy to. Angel was shaking his head before he heard his phone go off and answered it.
"Hello?" He says while walking a distance. "Uh, yeah, I'm-I'm… No, I just, I… no, I-I'm not…" The tone of his voice made the boy look concerned. "Yeah, I'll be right there." He then hung up. "Well, uh looks like Val needs me for an… uh-emergency shoot." He says with a hint of nervousness before he starts walking away.
"Uh-huh, sure." Husk says sarcastically.
"You know what? Fuck you." Angel then looked back at him in annoyance. "I don't give a shit what some drunk ass bartender thinks a' me. So, why don't you just crawl back to whatever cave you come from? Porn critic." He says while flipping him off as he puts on sunglasses and starts to leave again.
"Angel! You can't leave yet." Charlie says while blocking him off before trying to lead him back. "We haven't finished our exercises for the day."
"I'm sure you'll manage without me." Angel tried to leave again before getting blocked off again.
"There isn't much time left for the hotel to prove itself!" Charlie says desperately.
"Dollface, it's my job." Angel says while putting his hands on her shoulders before turning her back. "I know you wanna fix everything, but unless you can fix my boss, there's nothing you can do." He then leaves while slamming the door behind him.
"UGH!" Charlie then sat against the door. "Why is this so haaaard!? What am I doing wrong?"
"Well, I mean…" Vaggie says as she and the boy walk up to her. "You're the princess of Hell."
"So?"
"So, you don't really use the power that comes with that, which I love about you. But maybe you could… I don't know, command a little more authority?"
"But that's so meaaaaan." Charlie says as she sinks further against the floor.
"It's not mean, exactly. It's just… aggressive kindness."
That seemed to convince the princess instantly.
"Okay, I could be so-" She says as she stands up. "Aggressively kind to Angel's boss… that I could convince him to let Angel spend more time at the hotel."
"Sure, whatever gets you there, babe."
"Alright. I'll get ready." Ash says as he pulls out his phone.
"NO!" Both girls shout at the same time, startling him.
"Uh, no, Ash. You can't come with me. I…" Charlie got nervous and bit her lip while trying to think of an excuse. "Need you here to… keep the hotel in check or… in case we get any more robbers. I need you here to make sure the hotel is safe and sound and all."
"What? But I can also help with Angel. I wanna make sure he's okay, too." Ash says.
"Hon, it's sweet of you to wanna help with this, but I really, really, really think you should stay out of this one." Vaggie tells him. "Especially considering what Angel's job is."
"I know he's a sex worker. I can handle…" The boy started to argue before he yawned.
"Right, I also think you need to get to sleep because-"
"I said I'm fine!" He says as he turns to her. "I don't-"
He then trips over his own foot before falling, causing her to fall with him as the princess wasn't quick enough to stop them. Vaggie winced in a bit of pain as she rubbed her head before looking down, then her one eye going wide as Ash's face was planted right between her… ahem, 'blossoms'.
Her face heated up when she realized the position they were in, worried about how he'd react. Then she heard snoring before she slowly reached up and moved his head up, causing his hat to fall off, and seeing he was already passed out. She then looked at the princess who was also blushing, but also appeared… happy when seeing them.
"Uh…" Vaggie cleared her throat before she started to push herself up, standing while having Ash on her back. "I'm gonna… take him to his room."
"Okay." Charlie says before shaking her head. "I'll go try to convince Angel to come back."
With that, the princess leaves. Vaggie looked back at the rest, seeing Niffty pouting in jealousy, Pentious looking through the scorched TV as if he could salvage parts, Husk, well, being Husk, and Pikachu coming over to make sure his trainer was okay. She was mostly glad that Angel wasn't there to see what happened as she brought the boy out of the lobby.
AshFan: Yeah, as you probably guessed, I'm not doing the Valentino part of this episode so-
*SLAM!*
TaiKetch'em: Wait, you weren't even gonna do that fucking part!?
AshFan: I just don't think-
TaiKetch'em: So I left the room for nothing then?
AshFan: It's not my fault I didn't tell you I wasn't… wait…
TaiKetch'em: Well, can I at least do this part?
AshFan: What? Why?
TaiKetch'em: Well dude, you're gonna do the next chapter too. You'll get to do two full chapters in a row. Can I at least get half a chapter before then?
AshFan: I… ya know what, fine. Go ahead.
TaiKetch'em: Aight, thanks, bro.
Vaggie opens the door to the room Ash stayed in once before hauling him inside. He then proceeded to drop him on the bed. She sighed before wiping her brow as Pikachu hopped onto the bed. The Pokemon went to his trainer's side, patting his shoulder.
"It's fine. Looks like he just needs to rest." Vaggie says while patting Pikachu's head.
The Pokemon rubbed against her palm as she smiled. She looked back at the boy's sleeping face, seeing how peaceful and calm he looked. She moved her hand up to his head and brushed his hair, causing him to stir a bit, which she giggled at.
"Cute."
She pulled her hand away and was about to leave. However, she stopped as something caught her eye. She moved closer and pulled the collar of his shirt down, revealing a big purple bruise on the left side of his chest. She was surprised and also worried, tapping it for a second, seeing him wince slightly before she moved her hand away from him and then looked at him with concern.
"What were you doing last night?" She says to herself.
She looked back at his face, seeing him still as calm as ever. He was getting hurt just so that he could help them. She didn't want to see him do something like… whatever he was doing right now, but just knowing what he was willing to put himself through… she moved down and kissed him on the cheek, before petting his hair one last time.
"Keep an eye on him." She said to Pikachu who nodded.
She nodded back before going to the door, taking one more glance at him before closing the door, leaving the boy to sleep.
(Later)
After a bit, Ash sat up from the bed, yawning to himself. He straightened himself up before blinking a few times. Looking to his side, he saw Pikachu lying by him, snoozing away without a bother in the world. He petted his fur, causing him to wake up and look happy that his trainer was alright.
They stayed in the room for a little longer before going downstairs. They still hadn't seen Alastor anywhere, wondering where he truly was and what he was up to now. Considering what he saw the last time he went with the Radio Demon, he didn't know if he really wanted to know more about what he does outside of the hotel.
Right now it just seemed to be him, Pikachu, Pentious, and Niffty trying and failing to fix the TV, one of the eggs getting electrocuted from it, Husk at the bar as usual, and Vaggie coming into the room, replacing the TV all together with another. Charlie and Angel were the only other ones who weren't back yet, and he was slightly concerned, but he figured they would be alright.
"Oh, greetings young mortal." Pentious says while waving.
"Hey, guys. How often do the TVs blow up in this place?" Ash asked jokingly as he walked up to them.
"This is just a rare occasion." Vaggie says as she dumps the broken TV in the trash. "But anyway, how are you doing, Ash? Feeling better?"
"Yeah, never been better. Full refreshed." He tells her before Keekee jumps into his arms. "How long have I been out?"
"Not long. I'd say about, fifteen minutes. Somewhere around that." Vaggie then took out his badge collection and handed it to him. "Here. You're gonna want this back."
"Thanks. Sorry I couldn't get here earlier. I wish I could've shown you guys more."
"I don't think you wanna be here when Angel was showing off." Husk tells him out of annoyance. "Trust me, I wouldn't call the shit he made mediocre."
"Got it."
"So, what exactly were you doing last night?" Vaggie asked him.
"Huh? O-oh, yeah. Um… I was working on a little ability that…" He thought for a moment. "Actually, I think I'm gonna wait until Charlie is back. I don't want her to miss it."
"Oh… got it."
"Is it another Earth thing?" Pentious asked.
"Pentious, for the last time, Ash is not from Earth." Vaggie tells him.
"Can you blame me? His being human throws me off."
"Don't worry. I can still show something else." Ash says before Keekee jumps on his free shoulder as he takes out his Arc Phone. "I know I've already shown off a lot of Pokemon, but I still have plenty."
"Hey, go wild." Vaggie tells him.
"Alright, let's see." He says as he sat on one of the couches and he went through his phone. "Hmm, um… well… oh, I think you might like this one, Pentious."
"Really?" Pentious asked.
"Yeah, hold on. Give me a minute." He then tapped the screen as a Pokeball appeared in his hand. "Come out, Snivy!"
He threw the ball into the air before it burst open and out came what looked like a small green with legs, arms, and a tail with a leaf-shaped end.
The Pokemon shook its body before looking around in puzzlement. It then looked at Ash.
"Yes, this is the hotel I told you about." Ash tells it. "Everyone, this is Snivy. She's one of the Pokemon I've caught in the Unova region."
Pentious went up to the Pokemon and inspected it a bit. "Hmm, I don't get it. What can this one do?"
"Well, she's a grass-type Pokemon. I can show you what moves she knows." The boy says while grabbing his backpack and pulling an apple out. "Snivy, use Leaf Blade!"
He then threw the apple into the air and the Pokemon understood quickly. Her tail started to glow as she crouched and then jumped up, spinning as she went past the apple before landing on the ground as did the fruit. The watchers were confused but before questions could be asked, the apple fell into two slices.
"Okay, well that's kinda impressive, but-" Vaggie started to say before it separated into more slices. "Oh."
"Yeah, pretty cool, right?" Ash says as he picks up the slices before eating one. "Still fresh, too." He says as he holds out the other slices.
"I'm good. Thanks."
Pentious took two, before the boy reeled his hand back as a knife went through another, the holder being Niffty. He shook his head before offering one to Husk who didn't take any. Pikachu was all too happy to take three, offering the others to Keekee and Snivy while Razzle and Dazzle helped themselves to some, leaving one left.
He decided to hold onto it in case Charlie or Angel wanted it. Then he nearly got startled as the small gremlin bounced onto him.
"Where's Gible!? Can you bring Gible here!?" Niffty begged. "PLEASE!"
"Okay, okay! Hold on." Ash tells her as he puts her down before messing with his phone. "Give me a minute." He summoned a Pokeball as the gremlin jumped at him, causing him to hold her back with his other hand. "Okay! Calm down! Gible, come out." He says while tossing the ball up as the little shark comes out of it.
"YAY! You're back!" Niffty says as she hugs him… before he jumps and bites her head while cooing happily. "YAY! Pain!" She then giggles.
The boy just smirked while shaking his head. Husk saw, then looked to the side. He checked around him, having expected to find a certain otter climbing up his fur at some point, but it wasn't there. He sighed before he started downing a bottle, spitting up after being startled by the front door slamming open.
"Wha… Charlie?" Ash started to say as he watched the blonde run in before closing the doors. "Wha… wait." He says as she speed walks past him while covering her face.
"Charlie, hold on!" Vaggie calls as she follows her.
Ash got confused seeing his friend acting so quickly to avoid him or anyone at all. He looked at the others before he started to follow them, everyone else left puzzled in the lobby. Husk though looked at the door, noting the lack of a certain pervert.
The boy followed the two until they were in the bedroom. Looking inside, they saw Charlie in bed hugging and sobbing into her pillow. They looked at each other with worry before entering.
"Charlie, what's wrong?" Vaggie asks while sitting on the bed.
"What happened?" Ash asked as he stood at the side.
"I… I was just…" Charlie started to say before her words turned into gibberish through her sobs.
"Shh, shh. It's okay, it's okay." Vaggie says as she puts her hands on the blonde's shoulders. "Come here, just let it out."
She pulled her into a seating position before the princess dropped the pillow as she sobbed into her shoulder. Ash not wanting to just be watching as Vaggie patted her head, went up to them, and sat on the other side of the blonde, starting to rub her shoulders.
He started to wonder what made her this upset, never seeing her like this since the confrontation with the first man and his angels. Even then, it wasn't as bad as this.
As he rubbed, he hadn't noticed his fingertips lightly glowing. Slowly, Charlie began to calm down, her muffled cries slowly quieting as her breathing started to become steady. She remained on Vaggie's shoulder, barely moving.
After about a minute or so, Charlie slowly started to pull away, wiping her eyes of whatever tears were left. She still sniffled a bit, somewhat to the other two's relief.
"You okay, now?" Vaggie asked, getting another sniffle out of her before she nodded. "Okay, good."
"What happened? Where's Angel?" Ash asked.
"I… I messed up." She choked on her words for a moment. "Things were… I tripped and ruined the set then… his boss got mad and…" She paused for a moment before the boy grabbed a tissue and gave it to her, allowing her to blow into it. "A-Angel got mad and now… I-I couldn't-"
"Hey, it's okay. Don't worry." Vaggie says while hugging her again. "Just breathe."
Ash put his hand on her head to give her some more reassurance. A small second went by before Charlie wrapped her arms around Vaggie's waist and held her there. The boy sighed in relief and he was about to pull away before she grabbed his hand and pulled it back to her head.
"Please, don't leave." She mumbled loud enough to hear.
He got a little surprised before looking at Vaggie. "Just… go with it."
Her response threw him off a bit, having expected something different. However, if this was the best for her, he accepted that. He scooted a little closer, petting Charlie's head to keep her calm and soothe her sadness. He took out the apple slice he had saved and handed it to her. She looked at it, took it, then carefully ate it.
As he sat there, he couldn't help but notice how soft her hair was.
(Hours Later)
The day went by quicker than expected, but unfortunately, Charlie wasn't her cheerful and bubbly self. The activities had been cut short after the earlier day's event. Ash did call in some more Pokemon, bringing his Tauros, Oshawatt, and Charizard back and bringing another new one named Secptile in.
It did make Charlie feel a little better, but she still wasn't acting the same. At this point, Ash could only hope that she'd eventually be better by tomorrow. He didn't like seeing the usually upbeat and kind-hearted princess this sad.
Ash was sitting on the couch at the parlor with Pentious and Husk, flipping through channels, trying to find something good. Unfortunately, it wasn't easy since there were hardly any channels that had anything good or interesting.
"Boob dragon is starting!" A dragon demon in red armor says before the camera zooms out revealing demon kids who shout 'Boob Dragon' before the channel was changed.
"They teach kids this stuff?" Ash says in annoyance.
"What do you expect?" Husk askes.
"I'm sure there's something good… hopefully." Pentious says.
"Hi there, I'm Blitzo." An imp appeared on screen. "The O is silent and I'm the founder of-" He starts to say before they change it.
"It's me! Mammon!" A jester-looking guy appears on the screen. "And I'm here to announce the amazing new brand-"
"That's the last guy you wanna buy shit from." Husk says.
While the two demons were busy surfing through channels, Ash noticed something at the front door. Tilting his head a bit, he saw Angel's pig: Fat Nuggets scratching at the door. He rose a brow before looking around. Charlie was sitting with Vaggie next to her and Pikachu in her arms for support, and Niffty was busy fighting bugs, so he got up and went over.
"Hey, bud." He says while stopping at the door. "You need to go out?" He asked as the pig started scratching faster at the door. "Alright, I guess I could let you-" He says while opening the door as the pig runs out. "Wait! No!"
He ran outside, hoping to stop him, however, Fat Nuggets didn't run off. The little pig stood at the front, running a few steps away before looking around, and then doing the same to the other side. He kept making squealing noises, looking worried as he was running back and forth. Seeing it, the boy looked sad as he had an idea of what the pig was doing before walking up to it and kneeling.
"Hey, bud. I'm sorry." He says while petting the pig. "I think he's gonna be gone for a while."
Nuggets looked up at him with sadness in his eyes before snorting, then turning and going back inside. The boy took a moment to look out, starting to get worried himself. He stood up and went back into the hotel, taking another look out before closing the door, still holding out hope.
(Later that night)
Everyone was tucked in for the night at the hotel. Lights were off, and the lobby was empty with not a sound from even a mouse. However, one remained.
Nuggets sat in front of the front door, staring up at it. He remained there for some time, hardly even blinking in worry of missing something. He huffed as he sat there, only turning away as he heard footsteps behind and saw Ash walking up in his sleepwear and his backpack over his shoulder.
"Nuggets, I don't think he's coming back tonight." Ash says as he knelt beside him. "Come on, it's late. You should get some sleep."
The pig stared for a moment before making a quiet squeal as he looked back at the door. The boy looked a little sad before sighing and taking off his backpack. He then pulled out a sleeping bag and placed it on the floor next to the pig before getting inside.
"I'll stay here with you, okay?" He says before he takes out a smaller blanket and places it over the pig. "Don't worry, he'll be back. I'm sure of it. You need to rest right now."
Ash then lay down before yawning and he soon fell asleep. Nuggets looked up at the door, hoping to see Angel walk through. But he didn't. Sighing in defeat, he looked over at the boy, then snorted a bit before scooting closer to him and laying down, falling into slumber.
(Meanwhile elsewhere)
Valentino stood in the dance room of his tower, smoking before looking up at the ceiling. Then a frustrated sigh exited his lips as he put a hand to his head.
"So…" Vox says as he walks up with his screen fixed. "How'd the shoot go?"
"How do you think it went?" Valentino says back with malice. "The amount we've made today is barely enough to fucking reimburse the damage those little shit pets caused, and to make matters worse, that little bimbo of a princess came in and now I need more to a whole fucking set thanks to her."
"Right. Did she happen to show up with the kid-?"
"Vox, I do not give a shit about that human right now!" He yelled as the TV head put a hand up in defense. "It's the least of my worries."
"Right."
Angel just got into his room and locked the door, huffing before brushing his messy hair off his face as he stumbled to the balcony, looking distraught.
"At this rate, I need that lanky piece of shit working in the morning as well." He heard as he looked down, seeing the overlords talking. "I do not need your ass laying your problems on me right now."
"Heard you the first time, Val." Vox says before smiling. "Hey, we can still bounce back from this. It's not it's the end of the world after all." He tells him, before interrupting him. "Yeah, yeah, I know you're in a shooty mood and all that. I'll look for someone in the morning, okay?
Valentino huffed before looking at him. "You better not be bullshitting me, Vox."
"Hey, don't let it get to you."
"Like you let Alastor get to you?"
Vox's smile turned into a frown at that instant. "Oh, fuck off." He then turned into electricity as he went through one of the cords.
Valentino shook his head before looking up at the white-furred demon, then walking out. Angel saw and backed up before putting his back against the wall, sliding down it, and getting into a fetal position before closing his eyes.
AshFan: Damn, man.
TaiKetch'em: Hey, just cause I don't do sex scenes doesn't mean I don't know how to write.
(The next morning)
Charlie was the first to wake up, holding a snoring Pikachu in her arms as she entered the lobby. She turned on the lights as she walked down the stairs before stopping in surprise. She walked closer and saw Ash lying at the door with Nuggets by his side.
At first, she thought it was cute, before remembering what happened yesterday. She walked up to them and crouched down, first putting a hand on the pig's head, giving it a small pet. She then looked up at the boy's face which was sticking out of his sleeping bag. She knew what he was doing and was happy for him, leaning closer before kissing him on the cheek, which caused him to stir a bit, but not wake up.
She smiled as she stood up, then walked away to not ruin the moment… not before taking a picture with her camera on silent. The pig stirred and scooted closer to the boy, seeking comfort while still asleep.
(That evening)
After a while, Ash woke up, along with the others. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to get better that day. The activities were still put on hold, and Angel hadn't returned from wherever he was. The boy was starting to get worried and Nuggets didn't seem any better. As of right now, he was walking down the hall with the pig in his arms who was sad, even while he was getting pets.
He eventually reached Angel's room, staring at the door for a moment. Anticipating the worst, he closed his eyes as he opened the door slowly. After a second, he opened one eye before opening the other as he looked inside. It wasn't what he was expecting considering how Angel acts which threw him off a bit. Less suggestive or explicit and just seemed normal with a blue hue to it.
Surprising as it may be, that was the last thing on his mind at the moment. He walked inside and placed the pig on the bed, allowing him to sniff it for a moment before it curled up. He gave Nuggets another pet before he left the room.
Ash sighed before looking at his hand. He was planning on telling Charlie about his training at some point, but he didn't know if now was a good time. Didn't seem like anyone was in a good mood now to tell about it. The only thing he could focus on was-
"FUCKING ASSHOLE-AGH!" He heard a shout and thud come from the lobby.
Having hope, he ran through the hall and into the lobby, looking from the top of the stars as he saw Angel Dust rubbing his head as he pulled himself to his feet while Husk glared at him. At first, he was happy to see him back, but his face dropped when he heard what happened next.
"Ya know what!? YOU would be fucking LUCKY to get a chance to FUCK me!" Angel yelled as he threw a broken bear bottle at Husk who just dodged it. "You know how much I'm worth! Ya know how many people would kill to have ANGEL DUST come onto them!? FUCK YOU! Have fun being a lonely piece of shit!" He then stormed away nearly knocking Vaggie over.
"Wait, Angel! Where are you going!?" Ash called as he ran into the center of the lobby.
"OUT!" The demon screams before slamming the door.
"Husk, what did you do?" Vaggie asked accusingly.
"Made him a drink." Husk casually says.
"He looked… really upset." Charlie says as she walks away from the parlor.
"Ya think? It's just Angel. He'll be fine."
"I'm not so sure, especially after last night."
"Gee, it sounds like 'someone' should go after him." Vaggie says while looking at the cat… not getting anything other than a blink. "Someone named 'Husk'."
"Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me. Why don't one of you assholes get him if you're so worried?" Husk says as he pulls Oshawott off him.
"Because I'm not the one who sent him storming out. You caused it, you drag him back." Vaggie continued in a commanding tone.
"No! No…" Charlie stopped them. "Don't force him back, just… make sure he's safe. I pushed too hard before and made things worse. He'll come back when he's ready, I just don't want anything to happen to him until then." Husk growled in annoyance before sighing. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to write about 100 apology letters and a lesson plan tomorrow about, 'boundaries'."
"Whatever." The cat then leaves as Oshawott clings to his wings.
Ash watched as Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder and then started to follow.
"What are you doing?"
"Going to make sure they're alright. What else?" Ash says as he reaches into his pocket. "I don't wanna sit around and do nothing. I'm here so I might as well help." He then pulled out his mask.
As he puts the mask on, he changes into his demon disguise, straightening out his coat a bit afterward. The girls saw and were slack-jawed by the way he looked.
"Right, didn't exactly tell you two about this, did I?"
"No, you did not." Vaggie says.
"W-where did you get that mask?" Charlie asked.
"Alastor gave it to me. It's supposed to be an upgrade to my old one." Ash says before he adjusts his sleeve cuffs. "Whatever Angel is going through right now, I'm gonna go after him."
"Okay, but please be careful and please do not force him."
"Don't worry, I won't."
(Meanwhile)
Husk arrives at a bar called 'The Black Dot', looking inside he finds it just about as crowded as it could be. All the tables were taken, with just two seats at the bar counter. He looked around before hearing laughter as he looked to the side and saw Angel sitting with some random demons. He rolled his eyes before going to the counter.
"Gimme a whiskey." He says while placing dollars on the counter, the bartender grabbed a bottle with his tentacles and poured a drink before he grabbed it. "I meant the whole bottle, jackass." He says as the bartender rolls his eyes before he starts downing the drink.
"You're not supposed to be drinking right now." He heard before looking to his side, seeing Ash. "You're supposed to be keeping an eye on Angel."
"I am. Who the fuck are you supposed to be?"
"It's me, Ash."
"Wha?" He then took a closer look.
As far as he knew there wasn't much that looked closer. Maybe same chin shape, and hair, and marks on his face, and Pikachu… then he did a double take before squinting.
"Fucking hell, of course, you're here." He says sarcastically. "When did you even get time to put all that shit on?"
"It's the mask. I got it from Alastor."
"What?... you didn't make a deal with him did, ya?"
"No, I didn't. Look, can we just focus on Angel right now, and…" Ash saw the cat start drinking before snatching the bottle from him, then slamming it on the ground.
"Motherfucker, I paid for that!"
"This isn't the time to be getting drunk!"
"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu also says.
Husk didn't even bother to argue, just rolled his eyes as he turned back to the group. Angel was drunk off his ass, just spouting off whatever as the group laughed before one of the guys came up and got their glasses refilled. However, he took out a bottle and plucked the cap off, pouring a pink droplet into the glass that soon emitted a pink smoke heart.
The two noticed as the guy walked away and the cat grumbled under his breath.
"Here you go, darling." The demon says while trying to hand him the pink drink before getting pulled back, dropping both glasses.
"Don't even try it, fuckhead." Husk says before tossing him at the jukebox, crashing into it, and causing it to start some old-timing battle music… or whatever it's called.
The rest of the guys kicked over the table and pulled out guns right as Ash went over and pulled Angel away. Husk threw cards at them, chopping off the tips of the guns and causing the nets to fall on them before the three ran out.
"HEY! HEY! Knock it off! Get off me!" Angel yelled as he was yanked out of the club. "What the fuck!? Let go of me!"
"No!" Husk says as he takes over. "I'm taking you back to the hotel."
"Husk, we're not supposed to force him." Ash tells him.
"I don't give a fuck. He's clearly not gonna on his own."
"GET OFF!" Angel says he wrestled out of the cat's grip. "Who the fuck even is this chump!?"
"That's the kid. You couldn't tell?"
"Wha…" He took another look at him. "Wha… how did you-"
"I already explained this three times. Alastor gave me this disguise. Forget it." Ash tells him. "Look, that guy put something in that glass. You could've-"
"You don't think I can tell if someone spikes my drink? I do this all the fucking time."
"Wait, you knew!?"
"You just let people drug you?" Husk says.
"You think I ask!? I didn't ask for any of this shit, didn't ask to be this way, didn't ask for Charlie to save me, and didn't ask you shitmops to save me! I can handle myself!" Angel says in a commanding tone.
"Really? Cause it seemed like someone was self-destructing in there." Husk tells him. "Look, it just seems like… I don't know… you need a bartender to talk to."
"Oh… oh now you're gonna act like you give a shit about me? You think I'm just gonna talk to you after how you treated me now? Please." Angel then started to leave.
"Wait-" Ash started to say before the cat put his hand up.
"Maybe I'd treat you better if you were real, and not some bullshit version of yourself, always pushin' my boundaries." Husk says as the other demon balled his fists. "Let me tell you, NOBODY in that hotel cares who you are! How famous, how hot, how much sex you have on the daily. So you might as well just cut the act."
"IT'S NOT AN ACT!" Angel yelled as he turned around with tears in his eyes, surprising the others. "It's who I need to be… and this… this is my escape! Where I can forget about it all! How much I hate… everything…" He says as he leaned against the wall while covering his face. "A place where I can get high and… just forget… just… maybe if I can ruin myself enough… I… I won't be his favorite toy anymore… and maybe he'll let me go." He says before sitting on the sidewalk.
Seeing this Ash started to have the same feelings from earlier. Just from hearing Angel talk, he could feel the despair in his tone. Part of him was mad to know what his boss was doing, but he pushed that aside for now. He walked up and sat next to him as Husk sat on the other side. He reached for his shoulder, his fingers slightly glowing at that moment.
"I was an overlord once, you know." Husk says, stopping him before he can make contact as they turn to the cat. "And yeah, it felt nice to have that power." He continued. "But when you're dealing with souls while also being a gambler, the stakes are pretty high… and losing a few hands can be more than a little dangerous. So when you're down on your luck, you turn to anything to keep afloat… even making deals yourself."
Ash stared again before pulling away, starting to appear less surprised, though not better.
"So, yeah… I know what it's like to regret the choices made and… knowin' you can't take it back."
They all sat there for a moment, soaking up the information. At this point, Ash didn't know what to think. He knew things were bad, but very much underestimated how bad things could get. He wanted to help, but with this, he didn't know where to begin.
Then suddenly, he heard some music start and looked around with Pikachu, wondering where it was coming from. Then they saw Husk smirk before standing up with an umbrella.
(Song: Loser, Baby)
Ash and Pikachu were bobbing back and forth to the song, a little put off by the lyrics, but enjoying the vibes and that the two demons were happy at least. Finally feeling happy vibes from them at last.
Angel and Husk: A loser, baby!
Just like-
"THERE HE IS!" The song was interrupted by the guys running out of the bar. "They're fucking singing!?"
"Now people are questioning it!?" Ash asked in disbelief.
"GET'EM!"
Next thing they knew, the gang pulled out guns and shot at them as they ran behind a car for cover. Husk growled before pulling out cards.
"Stay down. I'll deal with this." He says while running on the other side of the car.
"I ain't doin' nothin' here!" Angel says as he pulls out guns as well and goes into the fight.
"Wait!" Ash called before they started killing demons left and right.
"You're a dead brat!" One part of the group approached him with chains.
He looked for any way out, but couldn't. He just huffed before looking at Pikachu, who understood and hopped off his shoulder.
"Can't believe I'm about to do this." He muttered under his breath.
One goon tried to shoot Pikachu, only to be hit with a thunderbolt that sent him crashing back. Others started going for the mouse, but he started holding his own, using his moves without his trainer's commands.
Ash started dodging the few attacks he could, but the group he was facing was relentless. Growling to himself, he made his fist glow blue.
'It's just a few…' He heard a second voice in his head as he avoided more shots and swipes. 'After what they tried to do… why am I even caring?' Ceasing his chance, he dodged one of the men who was swiping at him and reeled his fist back. 'So don't… worry about them.'
He then drove his fist into the demon's jaw, practically drilling his hand into his face before sending him flying and crashing through one of the other men, causing blood to splatter around. He took a second to recompose himself, realizing what he had just now, quickly shaking his head.
"Don't think about it. Don't think about it." He muttered to himself.
"Woah, not bad, kid!" Angel says as he looks at them.
"Yeah, that… was something." Husk says, more surprised.
Unfortunately, they had to go back to dealing with their side of the demons. Ash looked at his hands, then clenched his fists. One of the demons held a gun up, but before he could pull the trigger, the boy was right in front of him, holding the tip up in the air. Then he held his open palm out in front of him.
"W-wait, wait-!" The demon didn't get to finish as his head was blasted into bits.
Ash closed his eyes before tossing the body away, still muttering to himself. More tried to jump him, but Pikachu came in, bashing one's skull in with an Iron Tail, then used Electro Ball on another before Ash fired a few aura spheres, hitting several more in the process. More were coming, but Angel came in and rapidly fired at them with his guns before Husk threw some dice at them that exploded.
They looked around in anticipation for more… however, it seemed that there were no more. After that, Ash looked at his hands, seeing them covered in blood. Not just his hands, but also his jacket as well.
"Hey, not bad, kiddo." Husk tells him. "Didn't think you had it in ya."
"... Y-yeah, uh… no problem." Ash says with a weak smile.
"Well, that was something I wasn't expecting to see. From either of you anyway."
"Like I said, you don't know me. Sex ain't the only thing I'm good at." Angel says before winking.
"Hehe, good to know. Cause this guy…" Husk says while looking up and down the other demon's blood-stained form. "This guy ain't half bad."
Angel smiled at being called that before chuckling. "Come on, I think I'm ready to go back."
The two demons then started to leave while Ash stood by himself. He looked back at his hand once more. He wasn't surprised anymore, not even shocked by what he'd done. He just felt… numb. Like he was hardly even affected him.
Pikachu looked up at him, patting him on the leg. He looked down, then sighed.
"It's okay, Pikachu. I'm just… Let's go get cleaned up before we go back."
After that, they started following the other two back to the hotel. However, they didn't notice a certain microphone in a nearby alley, fingers tapping against it before it disappeared into the shadows.
(Later… Last timeskip, I swear you better give me a raise for this, AshFan)
The group entered the hotel as the boy took off his disguise before rubbing his face.
"He had, like, three bills and it took him like, thirty minutes to count'em. His eyes are so shit." Angel laughs.
"And this is the guy you gotta take orders from?" Husk says jokingly as Charlie puts down her papers, noticing their return.
"I know, a fucking joke, right?"
"I'M SO SORRY ANGEL!" Charlie says as she hugs the fluffy demon. "I promise I won't ever, ever, ever, ever, ever-"
"Charlie." Angel interrupted as he smiled at her. "It's fine, I get it." He then moved his hand to her head. "Thanks for… caring about me." After that, Charlie's eyes started to water before she started sobbing again before Angel picked her up. "Ehhh, I think this is yours." He says while holding her out.
"Okay, missy. Let's get you to bed." Vaggie says as she takes the princess in her arms.
"He… he said… he forgave me!" Charlie just kept crying as her girlfriend walked away with her. "It was so beautiful, Vaggie."
"Hey, how about that drink?" Husk asked with a smile.
"You read my mind." Angel says before they leave off to do their own thing.
Ash watched and smiled as everything seemed to be going well again. He looked back at the parlor and saw his Pokemon picking up and looking at the papers on the table.
"Hey, hey, don't mess with that, guys." Ash says as he came over and took some of the papers out of their hands.
He then looked them over, before going wide-eyed. Then he looked at the rest scattered amongst the table, picking up a few before placing them down. They apology letters, all of them. He whistled as he looked them over.
"Did she really write a hundred of these?" He mumbled as he looked through more, then chuckled.
Daughter of the devil or not, Charlie was something else.
He dropped the papers before sitting on the couch and looking up. He looked at his hands once again. The stains were gone, but it seemed like the blood was still there.
"Don't let it get to ya. Probably have to get used to it though. It's probably not gonna be the last time."
He recalled Husk's words perfectly as he shook his head. He hated to think about it, but he was probably right. He just kept telling himself not to think about it. Even if he did something drastic, he was able to help his friends get out alive so… was it really that bad?
To be continued…
AshFan: Wow, really dragged that out, huh? Where'd Secptile go?
TaiKetch'em: Look, I thought I could include him in the fight, but I couldn't find a good place to put him in and this chapter is already long enough.
AshFan: Okay, thank you for reading, stay tuned for the next chapter and… I'm putting these words here to reach 10000 words.
TaiKetch'em: What? Why are you gunning for that?
AshFan: I just think it'd be kinda cool if we got to 10000 words.
TaiKetch'em: I don't get it.
AshFan: I don't know I'm just bored so I-