Ron the True Fan: And another one. You know the drill: best support's YouTube subs and all that. I think I need a nap.
Takeshi Yamato: Obligatory plug for our Star Trek Adventures supplementary material here. Tethys Shipyards, Tethys Shipyard Heroes, Tethys Shipyard Strategic Analysis Division. If you play STA, watch the vids for more material, and give us feedback if you have ideas.
Ilex forest - Johto Region - 1641 hours local time - Day 452 of Ash Ketchum's Journey
It was over.
The Age of Shadow was over.
The plague was being slowly but surely purged from the world, the United Region of Nihon was being patched together again and Shadow Pokemon were easily being dealt with thanks to the Purify Chamber's rediscovery.
Agatha and Sammy could hardly believe it when Robin told them the tale of Ash storming Orre and putting a final end to Cipher.
He even had a Meltan colony, though when asked for proof, Ash, very reluctantly, transferred in the metallic blob Mythical Pokemon. When asked…
"I know the consequences of Legendaries being removed from their place in the world." was all he answered with.
Which was understandable. It was well-documented that if a Legendary set up shop somewhere, they became part of the ecological balance of the area. Agatha was more interested in the spirit world, being a spirit channeller and all, but even she knew that Giratina did NOT want the cycle of life to end, but to continue, as death was not evil. Death simply is.
Thus why the Chosen of Arceus existed, to ensure the continuance of the cycle. And the Chosen only showed up if something was wrong, very wrong or DISASTROUSLY wrong. From what they'd learned… they were, until Ash poked his head up, in the last category.
Then Ash was proven to be of the Rotan Royal Family's line, meaning they'd gone from 'imminent planetary extinction event' to 'somewhat worrying'. The Tree of Beginning was rejuvenated - not enough to be a non-factor of worry, but enough to not actively panic - Cipher was purged and the world was on its' way to healing. Wouldn't get all the way there for decades, but it was getting there.
"So, do artist and I stick together?" Agatha asked, making Sammy wince before Kyoji cackled.
"Kyoji, don't. Please." Neesha asked as the Ranseian clearly wanted to say something. "They deserve some surprises."
"Oh, come on." complained the soldier. "Don't you think they deserve to know if they're going to survive or not?"
"Damn it, Kyoji!" Neesha snapped. "Remember what Ash tried to drill into your head last year?!"
"Other than a blade made of superheated plasma?" her boyfriend retorted dryly.
"First rule of time travel: Don't." Ash said ahead of them as they looked for the grass/psychic legendary, even as the other one sat on Kyoji's shoulder. "Second rule of time travel: if you went back in time against your will, don't change history and hide until you get home or just stay out of the spotlight as much as possible."
"Third rule of time travel: if you're literally saving the world, ignore rule two." Kyoji said cheekily, though he got a glare from Ash at that, Kyoji wincing at it. "Yeah, that was a low blow."
Agatha and Sammy noticed the look in his eyes as he glared at Kyoji. An unspoken 'don't remind me' combined with guilt over actions he couldn't prevent.
Becca was just as confused as they were, judging from her confused blinking.
"You've had a busy life." Agatha said.
"TOO busy." Ash admitted. "I know you're a Giratina miko in training - whatever the proper term is, no offense-"
"None taken."
"But can you not tell anyone about this?" Ash continued. "Because… well…"
"Don't mess up the timeline." Sammy finished. "But we do know each other, right?"
"We won't say anything." Agatha added. "If anyone asks, we'll just say we were asked to not tell anyone about… this."
Ash supposed that was as good as he'd get from a follower of Giratina, apparently, not pressing the point further.
"We do. And YES, you two stay together, but your work means both of you aren't always in the same place." Ash added. "…You have grandkids."
Sammy's eyes widened while Agatha cackled, showing that she never really changed all that much, just made her cackling… quieter. "Good! I keep teasing this moron about that, but he never GETS it!" the spirit channeler declared. "Sure, the world's gone to shit, but I WANT kids with this idiot!"
Kyoji snickered. "Oh sweet Arceus, she's basically a watered-down version of my sister." he said. "Nothing but babies on the mind."
Agatha glared at him. "I love him. I made an oath to Giratina when I started going out with him that we would be happy and have a family together, damn EVERYTHING else." she snapped. "So-"
"Stop yelling." Ash said sternly before they came across a massive fallen tree. "I think I hear something."
"Biiiiii…" 'Fucking hunter and his fucking nets. I did NOT want to go through this crap a second time…'
Ash chuckled. "Without fail." he said, beginning to climb up the massive tree's trunk.
"Wait up!" Sammy said, following him up, Agatha trying before her wooden clogs slipped on the moss.
"FUCK!" the ghost trainer snapped before Becca chased after her, the rock climber casually following him up, showing off her skills as well as provoking not-exactly-wholesome thoughts from the girls as to how her body moved.
Misty managed to tear her eyes from Becca's muscled, yet shapely, butt before looking at Serena. "You took advantage of Greenfield's little reality warping bullshit." she accused.
"I didn't do anything except give you all… upgrades. Nothing mental." Serena said, all the personalities working together. "I'm insulted you'd think I'd violate your minds like that. If I'm going to turn all of you into openly minded bisexual ladies, I'm going to do it the hard way, the RIGHT way. What do you think I am, the King of Pokelantis?"
Iris snorted. "You don't think that these-" she gestured to her larger bust, which was still smaller then Misty's - Iris learned Misty's bust were classified as 'E-cups', whatever the hell that meant, as Iris never bothered to learn for obvious reasons, which meant that Iris' were D-cups, apparently, something they confirmed in Goldenrod - to make her point. "Didn't come with any other changes? A stray thought to make it easier for us to be more attracted to girls, too?"
Serena stilled, a sign that her personalities were in conference, as it were. Then her eyes widened in horror.
"I think I did. A fleeting thought, but I thought I didn't act on it, or that the Unown wouldn't act on it." she said quietly, horrified. Any anger and outrage was tempered by the fact that Serena clearly had no idea this would happen and didn't intend for it to happen. In fact, her own terror and horror made it very hard to stay angry at her.
Serena was all about consent. All she wanted was to make them more attractive, more appealing to the eye. After all, she could tell Robin and Mei were starting to feel put out by being surrounded by more womanly-appearing girls. Even a tomboy like Misty looked more like a girly-girl with those knockers.
Iris herself wouldn't deny that being so… flat made her feel self-doubt. Ash didn't care - he had a thing for girls with longer hair, but even then, considering he was still in love with Serena post-haircut, THAT wasn't a concrete thing - but still, a girl could feel bad being plain while surrounded by a sea of beauties.
Serena probably, maybe even correctly, thought she was doing them all a favor. Iris wasn't complaining about looking like a girl in every way instead of just some. Mei might complain about her armor needing to be resized around her breasts, but she was no longer easily mistaken for a boy with long hair. Robin was learning to be… well… feminine and her MUCH larger bust, the same as Iris' own Ds, made her more fetching to the eye. It also made them more confident. They were…well, sexy.
But that was about it. 'Make them look more sexy' was the general idea. Serena did NOT want to screw with their minds. If she was going to 'flip' them, she was going to do it the hard way, the right way, through conversation and willing experimentation. Key word: 'willing'.
The idea of forcing those mental changes on someone unwilling was repulsive to Serena. They knew that. Teasing or not, she pushed to a point and never, EVER ventured beyond it.
And the idea she did it even by accident terrified her and she did not bother even trying to hide it.
"Serena… don't. Please." Anabel started slowly. "You didn't know. You thought it wouldn't do anything. A stray thought that you disregarded was picked up by the Unown."
"Still my fault." Serena muttered. "I didn't want to mess with your heads, I just wanted to make you all easier on the eyes for Ash…"
"Would you mind cluing me into what the hell you all are talking about?" Agatha demanded, reminding the girls they weren't alone. Red's little harem were trying to climb the tree and ignored their little crisis.
"Nothing you need to worry about." Misty said to the time-displaced spirit channeller before Sammy and Ash emerged from a hollow in the trunk, another Celebi in hand, just as Kyoji's flew up and examined her.
"Bi." 'Lake. Now.' demanded the pixie. "Bri." 'I'm hurting.'
"We haven't run into anything yet." Ash cautioned the pixie, referring to the Rocket that used Shadow Pokemon. He thought they'd run into him long before now.
He was disappointed in a way. Son of a bitch was on the 'must get rid of by any means necessary' list. Sooner he was gone, dead or otherwise, the better.
"Bi." 'Ball me.' said the time travel Pokemon. Ash and Kyoji stared at the original timeline's Celebi.
"What." Koyji said.
"You gotta be fucking KIDDING." Ash demanded. "I will NOT."
"Bi." 'Ho-Oh.' Celebi reminded. "Bri." 'Damn bird's been bragging about it for weeks.'
"Absolutely not!" Ash snapped. "I WILL NOT! I let that overgrown Pidgey go free! I will NOT turn into-"
"You're not Tobias." Serena cut off. "Tobias didn't believe in fair play. You do. You will NEVER be him. Meltan understood that."
"Meltan? The Legendary forced out of Ferrum and Orre by Cipher?" Sammy asked. "If Meltan wanted you to catch it, then you must be a good man."
"And what about someone with a Darkrai?" Ash demanded.
"Darkrai are mercurial." Agatha chimed in. "If someone offers them a relief from their duties as psychopomps for a time, they'll take it."
Celebi gave him a look. "Bi." 'I'm asking you. Ball. Me.' Celebi demanded. "Bri." 'You have such a hatred of time travel that I KNOW you'll never ask me for anything and I'm in the best shape for it right now.'
"Has the added benefit of keeping her safe from that asshole." Kyoji added. "Right?"
Ash sighed. "Fine. But I'm letting you out." he said, pulling out an Ultra Ball and providing it to Celebi, who bonked it and got absorbed into it.
"I'd keep her in there until we get to the lake, or preferably a Pokemon Center." Sammy advised. "I don't doubt the lake has mystic healing powers, but more people can protect Celebi from poachers until she recovers."
Agatha scowled at the idea of offending a legendary, a physical god, in such a manner, but Sammy had a point.
Protecting Celebi was more important than how she was healed.
Thudding got their combined attention. THe TRio winced at it as they prepared to run. "That's a Rocket mecha!" 'Meowth declared, making both time travelers look at him.
"Did-"
"No time for that!" Ash declared as the walking mech platform thundered into the clearing.
He wore more armor, but the helmet was the same. "Well, well, well. I thought Petel was being insane as usual, but I guess he was right." declared the Iron-Masked Marauder as he looked at the group, seeing Kyoji's Celebi flitting behind her 'daddy'. "Looks like my time isn't being wasted. Hand over the Celebi!"
"I think I speak for all of us when I say 'go to hell, asshole!'" Kyoji snapped, quickly drawing a pistol and unloading it on the armored man, forcing him to cover his face with an armored gauntlet.
"Ash, get Celebi out of here! You're the best one to keep her safe!" Misty said as Anabel sent out her Pokemon as well as drawing her own machine pistol, firing on the power-mad Rocket while Misty got her not-so-small LMG out of her backpack.
"Bi?!" 'But daddy-'
"Anabel's right! Ash can keep up with you! GO!" Kyoji said before sending out his Charizard.
"Go, Ash!" Serena exclaimed, pulling out the torque crossbow, which actually brought fear to Vicious' visible features. To be fair, a crossbow IS something no one wants to get shot with.
"You're not going anywhere, Celebi!" exclaimed the Rocket elite, pressing a button that launched three Pokeballs - Dark Balls, as Ash remembered those FUCKING things being called - that hovered using what looked to be magnets of some kind and flew at him.
"BI!" 'NO! NO NO NO!' exclaimed the younger time travel Pokemon before she glowed, grabbing onto Ash.
"NOT THIS SHIT AGA-" Ash didn't even get to finish before he, Pikachu and Celebi blinked away before the balls could make contact with the time travel Pokemon.
Time seemed to stop as they were forced to process what happened. Ash was… gone.
"NNNNNNOOOOOO!" screamed the elite Rocket, more about Celebi then Ash before tossing out three Dark Balls and retrieving a massive heavy machine gun. "SCIZOR! TYRANITAR, SNEASEL! KILL THEM!"
"RUN!" Sammy said, the combined group fleeing from the three Shadow Pokemon and their master with the 14.5mm heavy gun he was mounting on a pintle.
"Hate to say it, but we just lost our heavy hitter!" Yang declared as they all took cover, right before the madman opened fire, tree bark and soil kicked up from the rounds slamming into the trees and soil.
"Ash doesn't need to do everything!" Kyoji retorted, even as they heard the buildup of energy from Tyranitar. "HYPER BEAM! GET MOVING!"
Pure energy ripped through the trunk and shot into the forest, the group scattering from the strike.
"Ok, fuck this." Iris snapped. "Dragonite, deal with that Scizor! Misty, shadow or not, your ENTIRE TEAM has type advantage against that Tyranitar! You deal with him!"
"Gible!" 'Time to chomp!' declared the electric land shark.
Entry 133: Iron Masked Marauder
An elite Rocket hunter with grand ambition, formally working for Archer, but trapped in Johto after the seeming dissolution of Team Rocket.
He has an obsession with Celebi, viewing it as a way to take control of the world. Of course, information has come out that he was also a double-agent working for Cipher.
Ron the True Fan: Movie 4. Yes, it's abridged to some degree, but honestly, I was feeling very burned out, very tired when plotting AND writing this. S&S is actually turning into a balm in that regard. But still, you know my usual message: subs for chapters and spread the word. (Nappy Gible)
Takeshi Yamato: And Star Trek Adventures players, don't forget to check out our Tethys Shipyard Vids and all attendant sub-series!
Ron the True Fan: Please do check out Ship and Soul. I don't want to say this is on hold, but the Gible for this is very, VERY tired. And please, if you do enjoy, subscribe to the YT channel. I have a special with Jorn at 800.
Ja Ne!