Ron the True Fan: I'm back, bitches! (Gibles happily rest in the scorching sand) The Gibles are still enjoying their Gib-cation, but a LOT of their friends decided to take their place.
(Fins breach the water as ALL kinds of sharks do their thing)
Takeshi Yamato: Jeez… I guess Gible behavior is more common than most would think.
Ron the True Fan: From the nurse shark to freaking GREAT WHITES. If you pet them, they love you. The real reason is backlog, though. I've been a BUSY little Gible. That said, if this feels a tad bit rushed…it is.
Ranseian High Command - 1615 hours local time - Day 255 of Ash Ketchum's Pokemon Journey
The worst part of the job of commanding most of Ransei's armed forces was paperwork. Paperwork during wartime, even worse. But Hiruzen was used to it. Still, the near-martial law conditions were helping somewhat.
Still some of the decisions coming from the Royal Palace were not making much sense. The old man needed clarification. The last thing he needed to do was throw men into a pointless meat grinder. Then the phone on his desk rang, a notification indicating it was from…Kyoji?
Eager to know what the hell he was up to, he quickly picked it up. "Akamura, where the hell have you been? The Guard's been-"
"Sir, with all due respect, shut the fuck up and LISTEN." Kyoji cut off, piquing the general's interest. Kyoji showed respect at all times to him - helped that he was the only commander to NOT treat him like shit - so doing that made him wonder. "The Empress and Crown Prince allowed the assassination attempt to happen to bypass the decree. Ash is going to try and stop them and you need to keep the military the FUCK away from him! Do not engage! …Sir."
The old man mulled over the information he was just given. Given the extreme security lapses, it was kinda obvious they had help from inside, just not THAT high up the Xatu pole. And given Ash Ketchum was clearly proven to be the Chosen of Arceus, he who restored the balance…
He wasn't going to be stupid enough not to listen to someone informed. Good leaders listened to their subordinates when it came to important matters like this and knowing what Ash did THRICE OVER to powers greater then the Ranseian military, including one where the combined forces of the newly reconstituted United Region of Nihon lobbed several thousand metric tons of high explosives at something and did jack and shit, yet Ash took it down…
Well, he didn't need to be convinced too much. "Thank you, lieutenant, you just saved thousands of lives." the general said. "I will issue the stand down order and furthermore order them to FALL BACK from the capital and not to engage. I'll have to consult with the Emperor as to what the hell medal to give you." With that said, he hung up and starting making a LOT of calls that we will not be covering in their entirety. However, they all can be summed up as thus:
'Get the fuck away from the capital and if you see Ketchum, DO NOT ENGAGE.'
There was a fine line between loyalty and stupidity. If getting rid of the Empress, who was not exactly popular with the court outside of bribing the fuck out of them or…accidenting people she didn't see as useful to her purposes…was better for Ransei, so be it. Ketchum was known to not have any imperialistic tendencies. Hell, the boy was more interested in wandering the earth then building an empire.
And pity the idiot that forces him to do his divinely appointed mission. …Actually, weeping for the stupid was a bad idea. You'd be crying all day.
Yakasha Province - 1621 hours local time
"Well, at least the army's not going to get its' ass kicked." Misty snarked.
Kyoji gave her a level look. "There's a term for what would happen, Misty and it's MAD." he said.
Iris was visibly confused. "Mad?" she asked. "Attacking Ash is mad, but-"
Neesha patted her on the shoulder. "It's an acronym: Mutually Assured Destruction." she answered/cut off. "It's where both sides kill each other off, most of the time pointlessly. It's why nukes are a thing, at least until it was discovered Pokemon had something to say about that."
"And the Servii Islands are still uninhabitable, why?" Misty asked.
"Because people aren't as hardy as Pokemon and we die REAL easily to radiation poisoning." Kyoji answered before the dex pinged. The connection was cleared.
"Oh shit." he muttered. Ash was DONE. "We need to get to Aurora. NOW."
Aurora Province - Royal Palace - Same time
"Once Ferrum is fully pacified, we should focus on Kalos. I don't trust Diantha to honor anything." Sayaka said, fanning herself. "Then restore Unova's rightful monarchy, with a caveat of loyalty to Ransei by dismantling their armed forces and reorganizing them for absolute loyalty to Ransei."
Komuahito glared at the map, where the ancient enemy of Rota was displayed. "And Rota?" he asked, slightly impulsively.
"Once your sister is fat with Ketchum's brat, they will have no choice but to obey our commands, especially after we assassinate his siblings." his mother said, an evil grin on her face. "And once the child is raised properly, the Kingdom of Rota will be reduced to a province. Ransei's banner will never be darkened by night."
Ransei's power was once global in the Age of Damos. If her husband had a brain, seizing Unova's nuclear arsenal 20 years after the Cipher War and using them to obliterate any remaining governments that would resist the march and return of the rightful heirs to the world. Isolationism only served to preserve their strength. Nothing was stopping General Hirotaka's predecessors from sending the ninja-trained members of the special forces - some of which were trained PERSONALLY by that stoic bitch! - from nuking the remaining political centers, then letting the army mop up any resistance.
Instead, he didn't bother doing anything but recon!
It fell to her to do what her weak husband would not.
An advisor from one of the local defense militia ran into the solarium, panting. "Y-Your highness, I'm sorry to intrude, but-" he started.
"But what?" the prince demanded before the man handed over a small tablet, which started playing a message.
From Ash fucking Ketchum.
"This is a message to anyone willing to listen. I am Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, a visitor to your home." he said, omitting his title. "Your Empress and her son allowed people to try and bomb her husband out of existence, solely to take power over Ransei."
Sayaka growled, furious at the Rotan Prince's interference.
"I'm not here to take over Ransei. I came here because I was invited by the Emperor, to rest, relax, explore, to learn more about your home.." the recording continued. "But tired or not, I will not stand by and let someone ruin lives for greed and hunger for power. I am coming for Empress Sayaka and Prince Komuahito. Anyone who thinks to defend them, I will run you over to get to them. If you attack me or my Pokemon, it will be a mistake you WILL regret. If you don't engage…I will leave you alone."
Sayaka's fan snapped shut, breaking from the force her rage put it through.
"And to the ones responsible for this, for forcing me to do something I shouldn't have to do…" Ash's image glared into the camera. "Do the right thing. Surrender without a fight. I don't want to bludgeon my way through people that you've brainwashed into following you blindly."
Sayaka turned to the attache to the militia. "Find. Him." she growled out. "AND KILL HIM!"
"Mother…" Komuahito started. "We need him ALIVE."
"DEAD OR ALIVE! NOW!" the empress ordered before there was an explosion outside, near the massive mountain of a city.
Ketchum came to them. But where the hell was the army?! Surely at least one battalion could stop him!
Parrots squawked as they finished teleporting the group in, Kyoji hitting a wall as he lost his footing.
This was due not to imbalance, but to the shaking of the ground as 30 Tauros stormed down a street, running over Ranseian militiamen and trainers…which sounded kinda like bowling pens getting knocked over.
"Natu." 'Sorry, that's on me. It's funny.' the parrot said, unrepentant about trying to make the idiots in Ash's way of saving the region falling as comedic as possible.
Kyoji's Pokedex/pokegear pinged, making him pull it out and activate it.
"All Ranseian military and militia personnel, this is General Hiruzen." came the voice of his commanding officer. "Do not engage Ash Ketchum. The Empress and Crown Prince have attempted, via outside proxies, to assassinate the Emperor. Ash Ketchum is preparing to deal with them. He is a Champion-grade trainer. If you face him, you are going to die. And Ransei will NOT weep for the stupid."
"Such a way with words." Neesha deadpanned.
"Well, he has a point: anyone fighting Ash is going to get their asses handed to them." Serena said, a LITTLE too happy about that. "Though he'll just humiliate them."
Misty gave her a look. "He was SHOT in Silph Co. His Pokemon are not going to settle for humiliation." she pointed out, Serena's face going dark at that. "Either they give up or they're getting turned into mulch. Literally."
Kyoji did not like the fact that Serena nodded approvingly.
…Then again, weep not for the stupid. They usually bring it on themselves.
Charizard ducked under a Hyper Beam from a ill-trained Gyarados, who was pushed back from the effort.
No attempts at bracing, no backstop, no nothing! Pidgeot used a Gust to deal with the recoil! Weight wasn't everything!
Ransei's trainers were clearly not suited for anything other then brute force tactics. So reliant on their advanced tech they lost their train of thought for Pokemon tactics.
Ash didn't. Sure, he let them loose, but when he saw something they didn't…
Charizard barely dodged the next beam, making him realize that he should be paying attention. Dragonfire left his throat as he torched the Gyarados, before dropping to the ground and using Dragon Claw to smack the sea snake unconscious. The militia trainer pulled out his weapon, but the dragon Pokemon gave him a glare.
He tried it, he would be ash on the wind.
The idiot grew a braincell and rushed towards his Gyarados to care for her. Charizard took to the air, looking for another target. A Skarmory rushed at him from above, but the fire-type rolled his eyes.
He was not impressed.
Dragonair wasn't exactly impressed with the Dragonite he was facing.
They were simple-minded and blunt, rushing in, easily telegraphing their attacks. Nothing like Professor Oak's friend. He was unpredictable in battle! Telegraphing a punch before huttbutting, fake charges to hire a ice or hyper beam charging in his mouth, things like that.
Ransei's trainers and their Pokemon were unimaginative. And as he wrapped up the Dragonite and rapidly spun him around like a string unwinding around a top, making the big orange brute spin out of control and into a building.
The cooling air made him realize many ice-types were being mobilized to fight him, firing ice beams and using Blizzard to generate a small snowstorm to hit him, deciding in a move of actual brains that containment was the only real option, Dragonair struggling to avoid them before six slammed into him…but he felt no pain, just…power.
On the ground, the newly-evolved Tortera and Goodra marched on the position, rain pattering on them before Goodra tanked ice beams and other attacks, Hydration making him all but unstoppable before returning their pain twice over, his body pulsing with power before a Bide equal to an overcharged Hyper Beam took out the ad-hoc anti-Dragonair force, the beam sweeping up and out, tearing up the ground and part of the forest.
"Tera." 'I hate my life.' complained the tortoise Pokemon.
"Goo." 'Look at it this way. I'm protecting you, you're protecting me. Plus you're an unstoppable force.' the dragon-type said, barely paying attention to a very moronic Geodude that he just Dragon Tailed into a building. "Dra-dra." 'Doesn't matter if you're slow. We can work on that. You KNOW Ash will work on it.'
The land turtle nodded reluctantly at that before Energy Balling a Tropius in the face, which, while not doing any damage, allowed a followup from Goodra in the form of Dragon Pulse. Slow and steady and all that.
"Goodra!" 'Hey, Dragonite! Get your head out of the clouds!' called the snail to his skybound counterpart.
Who WAS just floating there, though he didn't realize that he had evolved, triggering just as the ice-type attacks made contact, which were then countered by the two ground-bound Pokemon.
"Tera." 'I don't think he knows what happened yet.' the Sinnohian grass-type deadpanned.
The snail dragon facepalmed to the best of his ability. "Goodra!" 'Dragonite, get down here! We don't have time for you to get used to your new body!'
The thing that most of the new captures didn't believe was just how… skilled the old guard were.
Fearow barely believed it himself at times. Then he watched them at work.
Greninja was an assassin when off the gym battlefield, knocking out any Pokemon standing in their way. Pidgeot was a goddamn aerial nightmare, sotrming in, using her raw speed to counteract the recoil of the Hyper Beam strafes she made to break up any other flights, leaving them open to the other fliers.
And him? He was spotting. Fearow was an old Pokemon, more of an adviser then a battler at his age. But his experience in combat was useful in training them all for the future. Cyrus had to be dealt with and not a single one of them were ready to deal with Team Galaxy.
This would be something of an early rehearsal of sorts, the old bird noted.
A shame he was no psychic. Fearow were uncommon, but not rare in the wild. He would be perfect in the role of… what was it that human book on the history of war called it? AWACS?
Oh well. Being the old coach would have to do, seeing Dartrix making bug-types flee for the hills.
It helped that few if any knew Ash had a Fearow.
The term 'nightmare fuel' was all the trainers in the Ransaian Defense Militia could use to describe these… MONSTERS.
The Charizard continued to rip through their forces like a near-molten blade through melting butter, with a Golem being thrown by this monster into another formation of trainers.
The ninja frog was just too damn fast, hacking through their reserves like it was nothing, sowing discord and general paranoia.
But there was only one Pokemon they feared more then the Charizard or the Greninja or even Ketchum's Pikachu, which had yet to take to the field and doom anything that wasn't a ground-type in one bolt of lightning.
At least then they could try to take them out. Fail, yes, but try.
No, the nightmare was the pink death kept aloft by a Swellow chewing on a chesto berry.
"Jigggggggggypuuuufffffffff~" sang the Balloon Pokemon, the strange area of effect on her use of Sing compared to others lulling everything to sleep. Of course, she couldn't float and sing at the same time.
Ivysaur knew this as well as Ash, so he came up with a solution: berries. If Jigglypuff was ever unleashed, everyone would get a chesto berry to prevent them from collapsing.
"Swell." 'You know, if you didn't have that issue about your singing talent being weaponized, you could hold a concert.' admitted the bird.
"Puff." 'No kidding. I didn't freaking know I was using the move every time!' she complained, pouting. "Jig." 'And I thought no one could recognize my singing abilities.'
The puff ball was not happy when she learned her singing prowess was tied to the attack AND it was AOE instead of directed. At least she was informed of it now and stopped drawing on everything because they fell asleep.
"Swellow!" 'At least we can enjoy it in this! Keep up the song of sleep! The less we have to fight, the better!' the swallow Pokemon called, preparing another orbit. "Wellow!" 'Ash apparently has a plan and needs us at full strength!'
Jigglypuff had a bad feeling about that. But given she was still on parole after the facepainting in the first timeline and stopping Anabel's heart as a Shadow Pokemon in this one, which nearly killed her, she had to win their trust.
The marker thing they forgave her for, after beating the Shadow out of her. Anabel's cardiac arrest thanks to a Thunder Punch? Not so much.
Ranseian Royal Palace - 1832 hours local
In two hours, Empress Sayaka had gone from angry and vengeful to terrified and desperate. Ketchum's grasp of Pokemon warfare was terrifying, as no one was able to stop his Pokemon.
They also happened to be unnaturally powerful.
"Damn it, what are those fools doing?!" her son snapped. "Where the hell is the army?! Surely they realize this is a coup attempt!"
The Empress knew her son was dimwitted, but seriously?
"That traitor Nagama ordered them to stand down." his mother snapped. "When this is over, I want him executed!"
A hyper beam smashed through the wall, a very angry Salamence storming in, looking a tad bit happy to be rampaging. On its' back was Ash Ketchum himself, his Pikachu hanging onto his right shoulder.
Sayaka only had one thing to say. "Fuck all the ducks." she dralled.
Salamence roared before Ash got of its' back, pattign him reassuringly where the shoulder met the neck, making him look back at the trainer. "Thanks, Salamence." he said, firmly, but gently, calming the monster before looking at them. "Well, you're in for a bad day."
"Boy, when we're done with you, they will sing songs about your agony." Komuahito spat, Salamence growling at him. Ash put a hand on Salamence's shoulder, rubbing it… comfortingly? The monster looked at him in confusion, but Ash made a light, comforting smile at him.
"I know what you've been up to." the prince said. "But it won't stop with you. Just… another symptom of a larger problem. Ransei is out of balance."
Sayaka scoffed. "And you want to correct it? Your arrogance matches that of my husband." she spat. "A shame the Ferrans didn't kill him."
Ash didn't react beyond narrowing his eyes. "You let it happen." he said, knowing it to be true.
"Why deny it? No one's going to believe you after you murder us." the Empress said mockingly. There was no way in hell they could stop him. The Royal Guard was not equipped to kill that Salamence and there was no illusions they could move quickly enough to kill the rodent. "Of course, those fools from Violight would probably hang my son for his habits."
Komuahito snorted. "Only thing those things are good for is their fins." the Ranseian admitted.
"But no one's going to believe a goddamn word you…" Sayaka paused as Ash started smiling. It was not a kind or reassuring one. It belonged on someone plotting to murder his parents for trying to kill him, not this brat!
He reached into his pocket, retrieving a red device that looked disturbingly like a…Pokedex… "No one would believe me. They might not even take the word of your governors who can see into the future and talk to the dead. But they will believe you."
Komuahito sputtered for a moment. "R-Recording it will prove nothing!" he shouted. "They'll claim you made it up!"
Ash snorted, a light glow in his eyes. "A Unovan man once said it best." he said, shrugging. "We'll do it live."
He was BROADCASTING IT from the GODDAMN POKEDEX! Wait, the military would prevent it from going through: it was a foreign device, it had no connection to the local internet!
Sayaka smirked, reaching into her kimono, retrieving a small deringer kept nestled between her sizable breasts and aiming it at him, Salamence growling. "Call off your attack animals and surrender. Ransei will need you to ensure our control over Rota, after all." she said cruelly. "The one use my rebellious bitch of a daughter has is taking your blood and tying it to our will."
Ash's smile dropped off his face. "I have a Porygon, you arrogant bitch." he said calmly, with a hint of pure, poisonous rage in his voice. "He's IN the Pokedex. I'm no computer expert, but I'm pretty sure he's made sure everyone in Ransei heard every word you just said."
The gun dropped out of her hands. This… inexperienced brat… outmaneuvered her.
"Also, you just… proved you REALLY deserve what's coming to you." the prince of Rota said, almost sad. "I really hoped just talking to you would convince you to change. To be… better. But you chose not to." Ash retrieved a Pokeball, releasing a Natu. "But I'm not going to be your executioner."
A distorted and corrupted cry caught their attention, Komuahito fleeing the throne room before Ash gave the Empress an apologetic look and teleported out, seconds before a black stream of plasma rushed through the hole the Salamence made, Sayaka screaming before she was vaporized by the corrupted Aeroblast, her eyes boiling away before her skin and flesh turned to ash and her bones turned into vapor.
Shadow Lugia's call echoed throughout Ransei. Cipher's Folly had come to make itself known.
Entry 115: Shadow Lugia
XD-001 is perhaps the most powerful artificial Shadow Pokemon ever created, so corrupted, it took on the colors of the First Shadow Pokemon, Yveltal.
Created as a result of Cipher's second reorganization, XD-001 was created by Lovrina from a Lugia captured near the Silver Islands, then forcibly tortured for months on end.
The events of the Second Fall of Cipher are well documented, with Michael successfully catching XD-001, but the purification process was estimated to take a full two decades.
He did not have that time as Cipher returned and purged all resistance, returning XD-001 to their 'care'.
The Shadow Lugia was recently seen near Shamouti Island, fighting against the Guardian of the Islands.
Entry 116: Hunter J's Salamence
Hunter J's Salamence is often regarded as her favorite and is theorized to be her starter, though that Pokemon has been missing since before her attack on the RMS Germanic.
Recently, though, it has been confirmed that the Pokemon is now in the hands of Ash Ketchum, who has been slowly rehabilitating the pseudo-legendary. It is slow going, however, preventing him from seeing battle in the regular circuits.
Ron the True Fan: As if she was going to die to anything less. Ash wasn't going to kill that bitch. But he'd bring her executioner!
Takeshi Yamato: Because when you want to make sure someone is dead but not kill them yourself…
Ron the True Fan: Believe me, ending that haughty bitch was at the top of my list. But we debated how before going with the option that seemed best. That being AEROBLAST TO THE FACE. But Ash doesn't have a Lugia, so we're fortunate XD-001 is still loose.
Takeshi Yamato: Yeah. And it probably is seeking Ash out as the Chosen of Arceus. Hence him showing up at the palace plants a big old bull's-eye right on it. Of course, the Prince… we have something else in mind for him.
Ron the True Fan: Eye for an eye…
Ja Ne!