Ron the True Fan: Johto. Pain.
Indigo Plateau - 1138 hours - Day 690 of Ash Ketchum's Pokemon Journey
"Sleeping pills." Gaffery said as he forced the tiny bottle into Ash's hands. "That's enough for two weeks. Don't abuse them: people die from overdoses."
Ash nodded, just accepting the fact that this was happening, otherwise he would be forced back to Pallet and his journey ended by this man insisting it be done using legal bullshit he did not PRETEND to fully understand.
"I've asked Kyoji to count your pills and make sure you're not cheeking them." the shrink continued. "…You know this is so you can sleep at night."
"I sleep." Ash replied lamely. It was token resistance and both of them knew it.
"You sleep once a week for less then 3 hours unassisted, narrowly avoiding the upper limit." Gaffery countered bluntly, referring to the longest someone survived without sleep, that being ten days, after which a person would die. "If you weren't you, I'd've suggested you be confined to a medical facility."
"But who'd save the world?" Ash asked simply. Neither had an answer: that was Ash's purpose, literally divinely given.
"As I told your mother, psychological bullshit, I can handle." Gaffery finally said before his Natu nested on Ash's head. "Mystical bullshit, not so much."
He was teleported back to Mahogany Town, just outside the Pokemon Center, the local Joy pointing him in the direction of the set of rooms his group was in before the parrot teleported away.
Waiting outside was Kyoji and Nessha, who were talking about recent events.
"-not a fan of this, either, but the last thing we need is him getting-" Kyoji said before noticing Ash walking up, bag and note in hand. "Ideas…."
"Apparently, I'm to not abuse them and you're to make sure I actually take them." Ash said to Kyoji, handing him the note. "And I've been told, bluntly, to sleep now."
Kyoji took the note gently and read it. "Hard to believe it's come to this." he all but whispered.
"Well, I'm only three days from my brain shutting down completely, so this is needed." Ash said before uncapping the bottle. "...You'll lie, right? I don't want to take these things."
"Uh, NO." Nessha snapped. "We lie about this, your mom will literally kill us. Take your meds."
Ash glared, but eventually sighed, popping out two pills and downing them, gagging slightly having not used water to ease their passage.
"Ten minutes. Go cuddle with someone." Kyoji ordered, smiling at Ash and enjoying this entire thing.
Ash grumbled before walking into the room, finding the girls…drawing straws.
"Damn it." Serena said, pouting. Apparently she lost.
"Who won?" he asked, deciding to just get it over with.
Serena pointed at Mei, who had the long one.
The shrine maiden sighed before standing up and waking over to the Chosen of Arceus, grabbing his head and shoving it, ear-first, into her chest. And just like all the girls, the steady beat lulled him into a dreamless sleep.
She struggled to maintain a stoic expression, which was undermined by her blush as she guided him to a bed, Pikachu cackling at Ash being dragged by the head.
"Lucky bitch." Serena groused.
"It is obviously not your turn." Mei retorted as she laid back, giving Ash a more comfortable sleeping position. Even Hikari looked jealous.
But that stoic exterior was hiding a whooping fangirl as… well, she was a shrine maiden of Arceus, she was cuddling with the defacto human son of Arceus.
"Besides, you're the one that broke his pledge of celibacy." Mei added. "You are his first love. That counts for something, doesn't it?"
Serena smiling happily, enough that the girls, who were used to this by now, were more then creeped out.
One summer camp, one 13 month journey.
Still the first in his heart. She had every right to gloat.
Mahogany Gym - 1345 hours local - Day 693
Pryce was an old, stubborn man. But he wasn't stupid. Ash Ketchum was a champion-grade trainer: he was going to destroy him. He would put up the best fight he and his team could, but he was under no illusions that outside of teaching the boy humility (which he didn't need: apparently, he insisted on no special treatment and tried to be humble, which was better than most younger trainers) that the outcome would be anything less than him getting his ass kicked.
He was about to be proven wrong, as the large shutter door shook from something knocking on it.
"What in the sam hell?" he demanded before opening it, revealing a wall of fur waiting on the other side, which then slowly plodded inside, approaching Pryce with no fear and total familiarity.
His frosty demeanor melted into shock. "Mamoswine?" he asked disbelievingly.
"You have NO idea how hard it was to find him." came the voice of Ash Ketchum, wearing a blue coat over his usual attire. "Frozen solid and covered in snow. No wonder you couldn't find him."
"…I thought you just left." he said to his friend, ignoring Ash. "Or got corrupted. You just got lost."
Mamoswine tilted forward in the best approximation of a nod.
…Screw the battle.
He retrieved the badge from his pocket and tossed it at Ash, who caught it reflexively. And was not pleased. "…I brought him back to prove a POINT, not to get a handout." he declared, the group he traveled with backing away.
"ESCAPE PATTERN NATU-5!" yelled the Ranseian soldier, whose parrot teleported them out of there.
"I'm not taking the badge without EARNING it." Ash declared, retrieving a Pokeball from his belt. "And there's only one way to earn it."
From a distance, Kyoji watched the explosions barely hidden by the gym's facade with some attacks breaking windows and shooting off into the distance. "He is NOT a happy Pikachu." he declared.
"No kidding. You know how much he hates handouts." Misty said, having (kinda) lived through most of those. It was confusing.
"Well, he's getting his badge." Serena said as the roof was blown off. And they saw a little Pikachu-esque rag fly out of it before divebombing back in. "…Did MIMIKYU just blow off the roof?"
"Might've been getting some tips from mine." Jessie muttered.
"…I'll send Duchess Illine the bill." Pryce said as he returned Dewgong to her ball. "You won. Happy?"
Ash returned Mimikyu to her ball before she hit the ground. "Not really." he admitted. "I shouldn't've needed to force it."
"I get it, you hate handouts. But here's a newsflash, boy." Pryce retorted. "You were going to kick my ass anyways. I'm not an idiot. Tell Lance congratulations."
"I didn't do this for him." Ash groused.
"Too bad. I'm not blind to the benefits: Shadow Pokemon captures'll skyrocket with Kantoan help." the old man said before looking outside. "…And your Garchomp's Draco Meteor obsession just robbed you of your direct route to Blackthorn."
Ash followed Pryce's gaze and found that indeed the road had been nuked into oblivion due to a Draco Meteor from the Mach Pokemon exiting the building, turning the road into a crater and causing a mini landslide.
"Gible DOES like Draco Meteor." Ash said dryly.
"There's a ferry that'll go the long way, if you don't mind a stop in Altomere." Pryce said, Ash stilling at the mention. "LOTS of Shadow Pokemon on the way, so they make frequent stops. I'd say it will take a couple weeks."
Apparently, destiny hated him. And in turn?
"I hate Altomere."
15 minutes later
"Look at this. The arrival at Altomere is the day before your birthday." Red said, Ash's glower deepening. "…Probably shouldn't've said that…"
"Gee, ya think?" Max asked sarcastically, making Yang snort.
"Not you, Red. It's on me." Ash said.
"Any reason you don't like your birthday?" Yang asked, a smile on her face. "Gag gifts? Whoopie cushions? It IS April 1st-"
"Our dad DIED on his birthday." Red cut off, making Yang RIGHTFULLY wince in regret.
"You didn't know." Ash said somberly.
"Just to be sure… do you have any OTHER traumas we need to be aware of?" Yang asked, wanting to be sure.
"You have NO idea…" Ash trailed off ominously.
Casey looked to Red, aghast. "Are ALL the members of your family this screwed up?" she asked her boyfriend.
Red sighed. "Maybe." he admitted.
Ron the True Fan: Pain. But on the plus side, I have a happy announcement: I now have, as of now, 1037 subs on YouTube.
Takeshi Yamato: Nice work!
Ron the True Fan: I am also turning a hand to modeling and texturing. Because Johto is pain.
Takeshi Yamato: True. But yeah, even MORE pain is in the works. Because it's time for Movie 5. And this timeline is even darker than what a Mirror Universe would be like. …Hmm…
Ron the True Fan: Don't give Jorn any ideas. …Oh hell, the second he reads this, he will.
Takeshi Yamato: You do have to wonder what it'd be like, besides darker… and sexier… than canon.
Ron the True Fan: I need coffee.
Ja Ne!
