Ron the True Fan: I'm a quick little Gible, aren't I?
Takeshi Yamato: That's what happens when you have a lot of YouTube backlog… though given my focus on other things I kinda wish you weren't as quick as you are…
Ron the True Fan: Promises were made. I have to keep them.
Pallet Town - Oak Laboratory - 1319 hours local time - Day 271 of Ash Ketchum's Pokemon Journey
Asuka Nagisa was no stranger to being stared down. Her mom glared like a boss.
But Delia Ketchum and Samuel Oak were no pushovers. What hurt, though… was Bell.
Her lover. Her… soulmate. It burned to have her glaring at her.
But Akamura was clearly enjoying her discomfort. And Ash looked SMUG.
"Ok, I know you're enjoying this… but why?" Kyoji asked Ash. "She's done nothing to you."
"She LIED to Belladonna." Ash retorted as Pikachu grabbed a ketchup bottle. "She lied about where she was from, lied about everything. She deserves to know who she's dating."
"You lied to Misty for a while." Kyoji pointed out, remembering her mentioning the Olympic once.
Ash gave him a look. "I wasn't dating her and I tried to get her to go back home. In case you forgot, I don't consider myself the best option for Misty, Serena-ANYONE really." he replied. "I know you're going to call me an idiot-"
"And you ARE." Kyoji deadpanned.
"Proving my point, Kyoji. But I think they deserve BETTER. You might not believe that. THEY might not believe that, but I believe they deserve better then me and I'm never going to stop trying to find the right match for them." Ash continued. "But Bell's not beholden to my vows. She does, however, deserve to have a love life based on knowing who her lover truly is. And Asuka lied to her the entire time they were together."
Kyoji snorted. "So a mix of being a little brother screwing with his big sister, protecting her and trying to make someone happy with something you don't want because you don't think you deserve it." he summed up. "The first two, I get. The second one, I approve of. The last part-"
Ash held up a hand to stop him. "I know. I'm an idiot." he finished for him. "I'd rather get the whole thing in the open. She DOES love Bell. THAT she didn't lie about. But the foundation for their relationship is built on lies. That's not healthy."
Ash would know. Misty started falling for him before the imprint showed up based, to a point, on a lie. Serena never had the chance to get some story because she was told within hours. Iris was the same.
So he felt like a sham. Something to bring up with Gaffery, he supposed.
Still, Kyoji was going to enjoy Asuka being on the receiving end of the most terrifying woman on the planet.
"…So you know you're gonna have to-"
"Kyoji, I'm aware I'm going to be bedding them. That doesn't mean I stop looking for someone that is better then me for them." Ash cut off. Clearly, he still believed there was someone better for the girls then he was.
He was wrong, of course, but again, daddy issues from the other timeline. Gaffery would deal with that.
Kyoji turned away from that to focus his attention on Asuka getting the worst 'meet your girlfriend's parents' moment ever.
Seeing as, you know, Delia KILLED A FREAKING HO-OH.
"You're going to tell us why you're spying on Delia and Belladonna." said Oak. "I presume I was included in your orders, too?"
Asuka sighed. "You were… a lesser priority. You retired, but considering your past…" she said. "I'm not an assassin."
Delia huffed. "I was told that." she said. "But spies and assassins always work in concert. Team Plasma tried to kill me for years after I put a bullet into Ghetsis' head. So you can guess how I feel about YOU right now. How ALL of us feel."
Asuka looked at Bell apologically. "Not all of you." she said before facing Delia again. "But I was sent to Kanto to keep an eye on you. Nothing more."
"Nothing more." Oak repeated, somewhat unbelievingly.
"I have my doubts about that." Delia deadpanned.
Asuka stood up, uncaring of the dangers. "The professor's a retired Champion married to an Elite Four member, you were an Elite Four member that was practically the Champion without a title and you decapitated the Shadow Ho-oh that killed your husband!" she said, trying to impress on them why her job was necessary. "Don't you think people would want to keep an eye on you to make sure everyone knew where you were so they could AVOID you declaring war on them?!"
…Well, it was hard to deny that logic. Giovanni knew that, but he knew where Delia was at all times.
"And what about me?" Bell asked her. "Was it a lie?"
That stung.
"…I thought being your friend would make it easier at first…" Asuka answered honestly. "I just… didn't expect to fall in love with you because of your honesty, your charm, your sarcastic wit and just… you period. Hell, my mom, who also happens to be my boss, ordered me home. I'm still here. So no, my love for you isn't a lie." She then gave an impish smile before unzipping her jacket slowly. "Want me to prove it~?"
The older adults just vacated the area.
Ash left the second Asuka undid her sweater. He did NOT want to see what they were going to do.
"Pika." 'Kyoji's not wrong. You ARE an idiot.' Pikachu said, getting Ash's attention.
"Pikachu, we've been over this-" Ash started before Pikachu scoffed.
"Pikapi." 'Ash, I get it. You don't want to be the son of a bitch half of your Pokemon want to stomp into the dirt.' Pikachu cut off. "Pika." 'That's admirable and I FULLY support that…so long as you DO what he didn't and stick around your kids and the mother of your children!'
"That's impossible with me being unable to sit still for more then a day!" Ash retorted. "Look how far we are from Pallet! A mile in five minutes! Most track runners would be happy with that, I think!"
"HEY! WHOEVER YOU ARE! SHUT UP!" came a female voice as a head of blue hair started entering view from just below the rise of one of Pallet's hills. "We're trying to… set up… Oh fuck."
And she was wearing the uniform of a junior member of the Rotan Royal Guard. This was the LAST thing he wanted to deal with. "Great." he muttered as Pikachu cackled.
"Your Highness, I am so sorry I didn't know you were there I-"
"PLEASE stop." Ash cut off. "Who are you, please?"
The young woman - older then Ash was - bowed at the waist. "Umi Katsuragi, my lord, assigned to your sister's guard!" she declared formally. "We were ready to be assigned to her, but a Xatu kidnapped her from the palace three weeks ago-"
"That was my mother's Xatu and she brought her home." Ash cut off. "Get going, the ranch isn't too far and the Pokemon won't bother you." With that, Ash walked into the woods.
"Pika." 'You don't want to use Attract on her?' Pikachu said, smirking.
"She's lesbian." Ash said flatly, making Pikachu whiplash to look at him.
"Pi." 'What.'
"The respect was out of fear of me firing her. I am technically her boss." he said. "She's interested in my sister. I could hear it in her voice."
Pikachu blinked. "Pika." 'You spent WAY too long honing the skills from Aya.' he said.
"I also spend too long dealing with liars like the TRio to get that practice in." Ash retorted. "Blame them."
"Pikapi." 'Ok, let's entertain your… insanity for ten seconds, Ash. Drew for May.' Pikachu suggested.
"Ok, no. He would be a friend at best. He's an arrogant little bastard that took being showed up a few times for him to be friendly to May." Ash said. "He'd probably tire of her after a few months or become abusive. Do I LOOK like the kind of guy that would let that happen, Pikachu? Just because I don't feel worthy of her doesn't mean I don't love her. I WANT her to be happy."
A fair point. Pikachu wasn't arguing with that much.
"Pika." 'And Dawn?' he asked.
"There's that… what was her name? Zoey? She's a lesbian." Ash suggested.
"Pika." 'For a second I thought you'd suggest Paul.' THIS… was a mistake.
"Pikachu, I would rather shoot him in the knees, lop off his arms, rip out his tongue and toss the son of a bitch off of Mount Coronet before I let him touch her," his trainer snarled. "THEN I'd rip out the bastard's eyes-"
"PIKAPI." 'HOLY SHIT, ASH.' the mouse squeaked. He knew Ash was protective, but DAMN.
Ash stopped and agreed. Holy shit indeed. "Sorry. I think my temper ran off." he said before something latched onto his back.
"Hi!" cheered a somewhat familiar female voice as she hugged him and sent him flying into the ground.
"GET OFF ME!" Ash yelled, normally not minding a hug, but thinking about Paul even putting a single finger on Dawn put him in a VERY bad mood.
The unknown hugged tighter. "No. You're mad and I'm not letting you go until you're happy," she said. Ash cranked his head to look at her and saw… Cynthia?
She sure as hell LOOKED like Cynthia, including that ridiculous bang over her eye. …No. She was too young.
And a LOT more well-endowed.
"…Who in the-"
"Sphyra!" came Kyoji's voice as he entered the clearing. "I thought you were back at the cabin near the lab!"
The girl let Ash go and jumped at Kyoji, glomping him and knocking him to the ground, his gible sighing.
"Gible…" 'Great. Her again.' the land shark groused.
Ash sat up, looking at Kyoji. "Friend of yours?" he asked dryly.
Kyoji chuckled at the question. "Uh… remember the Celebi thing?" he asked.
"I vaguely remember being pissed off at you for what happened to Brock and trying to kill you." Ash deadpanned. Not his brightest moment.
"Yeah, while that was going on, I kinda… well, jumped into another timeline…" Kyoji started.
Oak Lab - 1328 hours local time
Belladonna's one gripe about Asuka was even when she got… ROMANTIC, shall we say… she never took off her pants, socks, shirt or gloves. If she didn't like Asuka for her personality - outgoing, bubbly-but-not-stupid, a go-geter for lack of a better term - she'd've dumped her long ago.
NOW she was insisting, prying off her jacket and felt… metal instead of flesh on her shoulder?
Bell broke off a kiss to look at Asuka's face, who turned her head away, ashamed.
"Asuka." Bell started. "Don't hide it from me. Just tell me. I'm not going to judge the woman I… well…"
Asuka blushed before taking off her jacket completely, revealing her limbs were, in fact, completely mechanical, with a special connecting joint at the shoulder. The motors were almost silent, but the long sleeved shirts and pants muffled the rest.
"No wonder you like steel-types." Bell said silently. "What happened?"
"…there was an accident." she said. "I lost my arms and legs, but my mom… my mom went 'no, you don't get to be a quadraplic, you're going to walk again'." She skyly glanced at Bell. "My first fight after getting these was with that guy in a training match."
"Kyoji?" Bell asked. "…That explained the smug look on his face. You beat the crap out of him."
"He punched me in the boob." the Ranseian said. "I took it personally. I'm proud of my girls. ALL natural from before the… accident. I almost killed him before my mom stopped me."
Bell couldn't exactly blame either one for that. Kyoji hit Asuka in a place no girl wants to get hit and she beat the living shit out of him in response. That said… it was a training match, if Asuka wasn't lying.
Asuka pouted at the look of 'you better be telling the truth'. "I messed up and mom told me as much. She only criticized him for not following through and punching me in the face." the busty blonde said before moving her left arm. "They're detachable, so I can maintain them…" she then looked at her lover with a smirk. "But if you want to experiment… I'm willing to-"
The door barged open. "PRINCESS BELLADONNA!" came a loud feminine voice before a pretty redhead came in. "I am Hikaru Nara of the Rotan Royal Guard, here to protect-"
All three STARED at one another, Bell and Asuka being half-naked on the floor while Hikaru stood at the door. A bluenette and blonde poked their heads in.
"Oh MY." said the bluenette at the sight, blushing.
Belladonna Ketchum was many things. Sardonic, caring for those she loved, basically a younger version of her mom with no interest in becoming Death, Destroyer of League Challengers - her brother was going to get THAT job - and more interested in becoming a Pokemon Researcher.
What she was NOT was someone that enjoyed being, for lack of a better term, cockblocked. And so she showed her displeasure in that regard.
"CROBAT!" she yelled, her starter swooping in from the attic, eyesmiling approvingly at trainer and pseudo-mate - humans were WEIRD like that - before she gestured at the intruders. "GET THEM!"
And so began the first day of their job, fleeing from their princess' starter.
Back with Ash
"…I am not exactly happy with this." Ash said finally as Kyoji explained… Sphrya's presence. "You know my policy on time travel. You don't do it."
That was a first on the rage meter, but Ash had more practical experience with it and approved of exactly zero uses of it. After all, if he went back in time to find Cyrus and put two rounds in his head, he could make things WORSE.
Kyoji knew this. Kyoji understood this. He nearly got killed when it happened!
But there was a caveat. "…What if it's unavoidable?" he asked. "You know, you got dragged along, had no choice in the matter, can't stop it…?"
Ash stared at him, the Sakai anger only abetting slightly at the idea of if you have no say in the matter, it's not your fault. "…Do nothing. Hide until you can get back home. Do absolutely NOTHING to influence the timeline. Doesn't matter what your intentions are, you might and probably WILL make it worse then it already is!" he exclaimed, gesturing with his hands wildly before they fell to his sides limply.
Kyoji blinked while Sphyra tilted her head in a very familiar way.
"I'm done. Just… try not to do it again, please." Ash asked, resigned and tired.
"You need sleep." the Cynthia-like woman said. "You haven't been."
Kyoji smirked. "I know just who to ask!" he said before Ash felt a sudden weight on his head.
"Natu!" 'Natu-port in right the hell now!' squawked the parrot before Ash disappeared for his… Serena-mandated nap.
And the blonde woman started snuggling against Kyoji VERY suggestively. Sabrina was gonna kill him.
Oak Ranch - 1337 hours local
Yellow Ketchum watched the Pokemon in the woods, avoiding Ash's team on one of their training binges (less intensive today, more conditioning then violence) before seeing fins.
Three of them. One purple, one yellow… one red?
"What the…" all three sharks stopped at the sound of her voice before they all poked their heads above ground.
A regular Gible, a Ranseian Gible…and a red Gible smaller then the other two?
While she was mentally a lot older then she looked - Mimey had something to do with that - she was not immune to cute. And while the seeming lava shark was weird…he was cute.
"You land sharks are getting weirder all the time." she said, the red one burping out fire as if offended, almost hitting her hat and setting it on fire. Yellow glared at him. "Did I say that was a bad thing?"
She then picked up the little guy, holding him like a baby… which he was. Cue an eyesmile from all involved sharks as she pet the base of his fin.
After a minute, she put the shark down. "See you later, lava Gible." Yellow said, the sharks returning to their… swim?
What WAS the technical term for that?
Entry 120: Asagi Hirotaka
General Hirotaka takes two prizes in Ransei: being one of the most beautiful women in the armed forces - also looking like she's in her early twenties instead of her actual age of 39 - and being one of the few people to outrank even General Hiruzen Nagama, who is generally in command of all military personnel.
This is due to an evolution of the personal ninja guards of the Royal Family who only answered to said family, having even higher authority then the shogunate, loyal only to the Emperor or Empress.
ASagi has led many numerous - and highly classified - operations in her life, the only reason she did not attack Ash during his brief war was because the Emperor did not order her to. Crown Prince Komuahito and the Empress Sayaka were clearly highly corrupt and she had no interest in being tried by the Emperor as a traitor. Those punishments are so bad they are too grisly for this record.
Entry 121: Asuka Nagisa
At 19, Asuka Nagisa is not only one of the youngest kunoichi in the service of the Ranseian crown, but also one of the most beautiful, with pinups being a common item in the possessions of teenage Ranseian boys. Adopted by Asagi Hirotaka when she was 15, she suffered an accident at age 17 that made her a quadraplegic. She was fit with experimental robotic limbs to restore her mobility shortly after.
It has been revealed that she has been on longterm observation to keep tabs on the Ketchum Family, as Delia quite famously beheaded Wes' Greatest Error, the Shadow Ho-oh of Orre. Logically, people would keep an eye on that sort of thing.
Asuka then joined the Kanto League. It has been revealed that she befriended, then began dating, Belladonna Ketchum.
Artists with access to photos of both have started making art of the two. Some of a less then savory nature.
Ron the True Fan: …Is it filler? To a point. But since WHEN do I make filler that has zero ties to the rest of the story? Who do I look like?
Takeshi Yamato: Not the people who wrote the story of the anime, that's for sure. Or that hack Kurtzman.
Ron the True Fan: Before I get into the anger, let's get onto the message: you know how to truly show your support. The more YT subs, the more vids I make. The more vids I make, the more time for chapters.
Takeshi Yamato: Indeed. And Ron's closing in on 700 Subscribers, and has a special set of vids planned for that milestone. He's still figuring out what he wants to do for 800, though.
Ron the True Fan: Already done. Just need to get started.
Ja Ne!