Author's Notes
Happy December, folks!
Before we begin, I would like to tell y'all that Fated: Grimoires of Knowledge just got its first entry! What is that, you ask?
Well, it's a wiki of sorts so that people wouldn't get lost reading this convoluted crack of a fic and have to backtrack for info or earlier ATL Entries/Lore Explanations. Right now, it's in my Author's Profile since I don't really use it. And, our first entry is Ash himself! It's only him for now but if there's anything you want me to add for him, do let me know. And then, I'll continue writing more entries for the wiki so it might take away some time from writing but, eh. This story's pretty ambitious so I think a wiki is warranted.
Now, Question: Would you like Grimoires to be continuously updated on my Profile or would you guys rather it be a fic itself? Of course, no one other than Fated readers are gonna read it since there's 0 context. But do tell me, I'm comfortable with anything.
Onto the actual notes!
Hoooo, boy.
This chapter, we're gonna see Ash on demon time. You're gonna see what happens to a mfker high on Serenanium.
Additionally, I'm introducing a new mechanic in Fated to spice up the battles in the future. Gonna talk about it more below.
Speaking of mechanics, I realized I haven't explain much about Clutch Critical and Aeos much so that's my bad, honestly. Aeos probably requires more explanation.
Clutch Critical is... well...
...Anyone watches Jujutsu Kaisen? Yeah.
Reviews!
Rajiv A. Rajaram:
Another chapter where you gotta feel for Ash. Dude suffers a lot especially with his need to always put himself on the line for others. The moment with Serena was deffo needed to give him some form of strength and confidence. Looking forward to the battle next chapter and some more battle crazy Ash, which is when he's at his most interesting imo.
Another entertaining read, Rajiv. You know what's the worst part?
This is just the beginning. Fated's never going to be kind to Ash as stated in the previous chapter.
The story doesn't help Ash in the sense where he 'wins' narratively. Don't get me wrong, he does win a lot; but the 'price' for that 'win' is messed up. (Remember what I said about Ash risking losing people)
As for battle-crazy Ash, demon time is happening this chapter!
Arthropod Fan:
SERENA ABSOL WHEN?
No, like actually. I fucking love that thing to death, and it's Serena's ace in every single version of events except the anime
Oh, it's happening, don't worry about that. Coincidentally, I am also thinking of how to give Serena her own Absol.
Does she get it via Egg or in the wildy?
Oh well. Gonna hit the drawing board for this one.
But even then, it'll probably happen in Hoenn since y'know, Hoenn mon and all.
And see ya below!
Chapter 73: Nearing The Edge
Pokémon Academy, Kalos Region
On that day, there was a joint class activity between Class A and B as Cynthia was preparing her material for Pokémon Battles. The other classes such as Performances were to start in the spring, meaning after the current season. So, to fill in the empty timeslots, the blonde woman decided to hold mutual classes with other students since she felt it would be nice to make friends.
"Nice to see you again, Serena," Miette greeted.
"Likewise, Miette," Serena greeted back charmingly.
The two class reps sat close to each other while the rest of Serena's group were close by.
"I wonder what we're doing today," Calem spoke aloud, wanting to train Chespin instead.
The others were thinking the same thing as they felt Cynthia was a bad teacher. They recalled most of their classes with her involved peer learning with the woman not participating in the battles herself.
However, Serena did not share the same sentiment. She too thought Cynthia was not teaching much but after living and training with her for a while, the honey blonde realized one simple truth:
Cynthia was too strong to teach them.
'She would definitely sweep everyone in the school with just Garchomp without difficulty…' the honey blonde thought to herself.
"Good day, class," Cynthia entered the room.
After getting used to her current lifestyle as a teacher, the Champion decided to change her usual getup into a more casual one.
Cynthia now wore a simple white shirt with frills and a black ribbon tied on her collar while wearing a similar black pants as her previous clothes as well as black ballet flats. Her blonde hair was now tied in a ponytail with her hairclips acting as the hair tie, though her bangs still covered one eye.
Her elegant appearance immediately had the entire class blushing minus the certain ones.
"The Sinnoh Champion…" Miette gulped with admiration.
"How fashionable. I should take notes from her," Kimia admired with a faint blush.
Smiling to the class, the blonde woman began her lesson.
"Alright, let's skip the introductions for today since everyone here probably knows who I am," she stated matter-of-factly.
"Today, we're going to be observing a Gym match from Johto that was recorded earlier yesterday."
The Sinnoh Champion too had a realization that her method of teaching sucked compared to the other instructors. So, to allow her students to learn and grow more efficiently, Cynthia felt it useful for them to observe battles between a veteran Trainer against someone their age.
'Fufu, Sere-chan's going to love this,' a mischievous glint sparkled in her platinum eyes.
"As for our special guest today…"
A few hours ago…
"Hey, Lance. Need a break?" Cynthia asked cheekily to the man in the screen of her laptop.
"Cynthia…" Lance groaned as he was filling in paperwork.
The Champions usually conversed during meetings that required their assistance such as the Shamouti Crisis so simple conversations were uncommon.
"Man, you got some bags under your eyes. Why don't you let your Elite Four do the paperwork for you?" the blonde woman asked curiously.
"Haaah… You know I can't do that."
The carmine-haired man stared at Cynthia whilst holding up four fingers.
"The Johto Elite Four has two new members and I rather not have them newcomers get drowned in this. Bruno isn't suited for this nor does he have the time for it and Will's more likely to mess it up with how playful he gets when he's bored."
"Sheesh, should I come over and help?" Cynthia offered as she pointed to herself.
"You're worst than Will," the carmine-haired man deadpanned.
"Ack!"
"Besides, don't you already have a job now?"
Hearing this, the blonde woman deflated slightly.
"Yeah… I don't have a clue what to teach those kids so I'm in a bit of a loss right now," Cynthia admitted.
"Well, chalk it up to being a bane for being so disgustingly strong," Lance shrugged.
As he finished, Lance received a notification for a new Gym match footage.
Apparently, Champions were also required to review Gym matches to gauge the challengers' strength, the Leaders' capabilities as well as observe any problems during the battle.
Lance was tired but after his years of experience as a Champion, this was nothing, clicking the footage out of reflex.
The first minute of the match had the carmine-haired man widening his eyes, noticed by the blonde woman.
"Hey, Cynthia. I think I have an idea for your next class," Lance smirked.
…
"As for our special guest today…"
A large monitor was placed in front of the students, displaying the appearance of a stern looking Lance, complete with his Champion outfit.
"Good to see you all, children," Lance began.
"WOOOOOOOOO! IT'S THE JOHTO CHAMPION!"
The students went into an uproar upon seeing the carmine-haired man, eliciting a sheepish cough from him.
"Wow, how popular, Bahamut-kun," Cynthia whispered.
"This would be you if you weren't so lowkey all the time," Lance countered.
The man turned back to the children, scanning the class before noticing the two Kanto students.
"Green and Blue of Pallet Town," he greeted.
"Nice to see you again, sir," Gary nodded.
"Same here, Mr Dragon!" Blue beamed.
'Mister… I'm not that old, am I?' the carmine-haired man sighed internally.
"Green. Have you been well?"
"…Yes, sir. I've never felt better."
"Good."
Pleased to see the orange-haired boy at peace, a far cry from his state during the Festival of Champions, Lance noticed another student close to the two, widening his eyes upon seeing her.
"Cynthia… That girl," the Champion stared at the honey blonde.
"Is she…?"
Glancing at the blonde woman and the smile on her face, Lance had his answer. Serena was left wondering what the Johto Champion was snickering at.
Lance recalled the time during the night before Lorelei's match.
"…A promise."
"My dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. It was given to me by someone very dear to me."
"She gave me everything when I had nothing. She is the reason why I stand before all of you today. I'll never stop searching for her…"
"And along my journey…"
"I'll become the very best. Like no one ever was."
"So you're his reason," the man chuckled.
"Pardon?" Serena quirked a brow.
"Nothing. I have a feeling you might be interested in today's battle, little girl."
The honey blonde was confused and slightly awkward since she had attracted the attention of another Champion. Something that did not went unnoticed by the class.
"Hey, the Johto Champion knows the Ice Queen," one of them in the back whispered.
"First Cynthia and now Lance? How do they know her?"
'That's my line!' Serena retorted mentally.
"Without further ado, let's explain what we're doing today," Lance changed the subject.
"As a Champion, we're tasked with supervising our region's Gym activities among many things, observing the matches as well as to notice any rule-breakings that were previously unseen."
The entire group of friends immediately stared at Cynthia with unimpressed eyes as the latter turned away, whistling in the process.
"Of course, this can be managed by the Elite Four so the Champions' workload will be lessened," the man threw a bone for Cynthia.
As he finished, the projector screen in front whirred on as a video was prepared to play.
"Today, we're going to be observing a Gym match of Violet City to study and learn from it."
Loading…
"And just a disclaimer…"
Playing!
"You might recognize someone you know."
.
.
.
Violet Gym, Johto Region
"Is he… good?" Brendan stared awkwardly at the raven-haired boy from the sidelines.
"Whatever Serena gave him was a bit too strong, I think," Misty smirked.
Falkner, taken aback, was able to pull himself back as he switched the two PokéBalls in his hands to the two kept in a retractable tray hidden within the Gym's wall.
The battlefield was located at the top of the tower-like Gym, as Ash correctly guessed before. The open air was chilly due to the cold, but the Trainers were unaffected, nonetheless.
"You do know what it means for a Gym Leader to use their Level 2 team, right?" the blue-haired man asked just in case.
Quickly, the challenger nodded as if he wanted to head straight into battle.
'Seeing how confident he is, he's probably sending out Pikachu,' Falkner made an educated guess.
'If you think you can with merely Type advantage, then you're sorely mistaken!'
"Fine. Then, let's begin!"
The Trainers got into stances as they summoned their Pokémon simultaneously.
"Spread your wings, Pidgeot!"
"I choose you, Chikorita!"
The Grass starter huffed proudly as she stared down the materialized great bird.
"Ash Ketchum… Are you perhaps mocking me?" a vein contracted on Falkner's forehead.
"Whatever gave you that idea?" Ash replied.
"A Grass type against my Flying type? How arrogant you are."
"Hah! A Gym Leader judging challengers for their Types?"
"Falkner. Don't underestimate him," Misty warned from the sidelines.
"Ash was still a complete newbie back when he challenged me. And guess what?"
"He managed to force a tie against my Water types with Charmander."
The pride in the redhead's words were loud and clear, shifting Falkner's attention back to the raven-haired boy, now more alert than ever.
'Forcing a draw against Cerulean with a Fire type? I guess he isn't a Grand League participant for nothing,' he narrowed.
Pokémon Academy, Kalos Region
{ Come, Mr Falkner! }
{ Her future Pokémon Master will defeat you right now! }
Gary and Blue watched in stunned silence as they witnessed a lunatic Ash onscreen, a first for them.
The arrogance. The conceited smirk.
All a first for them.
'WHO THE HELL IS THAT?!'
"WHO THE HELL IS THAT?!" their thoughts leaked.
'HAWAWAWAWA!' Serena ogled to her heart's content through her fingers on her face.
"Sere-chan, what in the world did you do to that idiot?!" Blue demanded as she shook the honey blonde's shoulders.
"Sorry! I didn't think it'd be that effective!" Serena apologized, blushing intensely at her handiwork.
Poof! Poof!
"Vui!" Eevee yipped.
"Fou!" Fennekin yipped as well.
The brown and yellow fox summoned themselves as they watched the raven-haired boy onscreen.
"You wanna watch, you two?" the honey blonde asked.
They nodded.
The two foxes were already acquainted with Ash and seeing him in such a bizarre and refreshing demeanour was curious for them.
"Huh? It's just the loser from the Grand League!" someone in the back scoffed aloud.
Instantly, the blush on the honey blonde drained as the tyrant persona came out, piercing the brazen student who dared to insult her Pokémon Master.
"Cross, that's rude!" Miette reprimanded her classmate.
]=[
ATL Entry: Axel Cross
An 11-year-old boarding student from Alola. He had spiky orange hair with cross-shaped patch of hair and brown eyes. He wore a white tank-top paired with black vest, red pants, and black boots.
]=[
"But I'm right. I bet that wimp got too scared to face Bahamut," Cross shrugged, aiming his sights on Lance instead.
"Oi, fidget spinner. You got some nerve trash-talking for someone who wasn't in the League," Gary snarled.
"Hah?! The loser who couldn't back up his high-and-mighty preachings got something to say?!" Cross glared back.
The classroom was beginning to enter a warlike state before suddenly…
{ Ash Ketchum… Are you perhaps mocking me? }
{ Whatever gave you that idea? }
{ A Grass type against my Flying type? How arrogant you are. }
{ Hah! A Gym Leader judging challengers for their Types? }
The cocky tone from the raven-haired boy caught everyone by surprise. From what they had witnessed from his battles, they collected that Ash was a battler who was excitable just to battle for the sake of it.
But now, shown with an arrogant expression, they were left wondering what had happened to him. But it truthfully took no time at all to realize the cause.
'It's her, isn't it?' the class side-eyed the fidgety honey blonde.
Violet Gym, Johto Region
Standard Battle. 2 Pokémon each.
The field was a barren one. Fitting for a Flying Gym.
It had been a while since Ash had a battle under Standard rules. Even so, the raven-haired boy could not shake away the sense of omnipotence in his system right now.
'She was so cute…' he grinned to himself.
He was totally still bathing in the radiance that was a bashful Serena.
"Stay focused! [Aerial Ace]!" Falkner made the first move.
From the bench, Brendan gasped as the large avian blitzed towards the small sauropod.
'A can't-miss attack right off the bat?!' the white-hatted boy could not believe it.
Pidgeot zoomed low, inches away from the battlefield as it primed its beak on the stationary Chikorita.
'Alright, that takes care of 1 of his Pokém—'
"Take it."
BOOM!
The ensuing clash gave rise to a cracking impact, lending its audible sound to astonish the view before the humans.
"Pig-?!" the bird startled.
As it turned out, its beak had not harmed the Grass starter at all. A small head adjustment to the side and Chikorita was instead met with a full-force slam of Pidgeot's wing. However, due to [Aerial Ace]'s energy being concentrated at the tip of Pidgeot's beak, Chikorita was given an immensely lessened damage to her body.
"Ya doin' amazing, girl!" Ash smirked.
"Chik!" the sauropod huffed proudly.
'No way! He let Chikorita take it head-on?!' Falkner was shocked.
'That small head tilt saved it but there was no way it could predict that!'
His theories led him to one possibility.
'He knew where Pidgeot was going to aim?'
"Did you know Pidgeots are known for preying on Magikarps?" Ash asked rhetorically.
The Gym Leader stared, confused as to what the boy was implying.
"Birds that hunt fishes tend to decapitate them first before digging in. It's something I noticed when I had my own Pidgeot when it was still a Pidgeotto."
The tips of his mouth curled upwards as he displayed the sharp canines of confidence.
"Something so ingrained in them, it's predictable where it's aiming for!"
'Wait! Something's wrong!' the blue-haired man noticed as he saw Chikorita's position.
Or rather, her unmoving stance.
'Chikorita didn't even budge!'
Pokémon Academy, Kalos Region
{ Stay focused! [Aerial Ace]! }
"It's over," Cross snickered as he watched the blitzing pigeon zipped towards the Grass starter.
'There's no way he's surviving an unmissable attack.'
The students silently agreed as they were wondering what on earth was Ash thinking. To send out a Grass type against a Flying type Gym was practically begging to lose.
But the group stayed silent watching, as if they were waiting for something to happen. The reason why?
'He's gonna do something,' Gary watched expectantly.
'Here it comes!' Blue stifled a growing smile.
'Show them how cool you can be, Red!' Serena beamed.
{ BOOM! }
Everyone watched in stunned silence as the dust cleared. The tiny sauropod that should have been blown away from was remarkably standing her ground, not moving in the slightest.
"I see. [Ingrain]," Cynthia smirked.
The orange-haired boy caught it as well. A handful of roots had gripped Chikorita in place, preventing the impact from blasting her away.
"That's not all. Chikorita tanked it by shielding itself with [Body Slam] so that it comes out virtually unscathed," Gary observed.
Glancing back at the surprised looks on everyone, Serena swallowed a smugness that was threatening to show itself on her face. The honey blonde was very pleased to see Ash shut them up already on the first move.
"That's impossible! Did he predict [Aerial Ace]'s attack?" Cross exclaimed in confusion.
'Oh? Looks like he's observant,' Lance noted, also wondering how Ash did it.
The answer came right away.
{ Did you know Pidgeots are known for preying on Magikarps? }
{ Birds that hunt fishes tend to decapitate them first before digging in. It's something I noticed when I had my own Pidgeot when it was still a Pidgeotto. }
"Red had a Pidgeot?" Serena asked the two.
"Long story," they answered together.
{ Something so ingrained in them, it's predictable where it's aiming for! }
"So that's it!" Trevor gasped loudly.
"Trevor?" Shauna raised her brow.
"My hobby is photography, so I get what he's saying."
"Enlighten us," Cynthia and Lance encouraged.
"Uh! Um… It's Pokémon behaviour! When you get used to it, you see the repeating patterns of each species. That's the main skill a Pokémon Photographer learns to get the perfect shot!" Trevor explained nervously whilst holding a book.
The boy's treasured book was titled 'Illumina of Lental by Todd Snap'.
{ Pidgeot, get back! }
The students heard the panic in Falkner's voice before getting cut off by the great bird's inability to move.
'When did—' Blue did a double take.
Creeping greens roped around the Bird Pokémon's feathered body as they rooted it in place. As the bird struggled to escape, twinkling stars of red sparkled for eyes as Chikorita gave a devious smirk towards the nervous bird.
That very smirk was mirrored with Ash as he looked as if he was about to have the time of his life.
{ Get 'em. }
The class watched mouth agape as Chikorita conjured a pair of [Vine Whip]-made fists above the rooted Pokémon.
{ CHIK! }
A beatdown of punches rained down on the squawking bird as the frenzied pair of Trainer and Pokémon grinned in the heat of battle.
Violet Gym, Johto Region
SLAM! BAM!
"This is wild to see," Brendan failed to peel his eyes away.
"The [Vine Whips] are still Grass type at the end of the day so it's not doing as much damage to Pidgeot," Misty sweatdropped.
'But the mass pulling it down is a different matter…' she kept it to herself.
"Enough!" Falkner growled.
The Grass starter and raven-haired boy locked eyes for a moment before the former shot out a pair of sharp leaves from her large one.
"His fourth move!" the white-hatted boy noticed.
"[Razor Leaf]!" Misty recognized.
However, as the great bird broke free from the plant chains, the [Razor Leaf] were directed towards Ash, nearly slicing his neck before spinning into the air.
"OI! ARE YOU CRAZY?!" the redhead screamed at the nonchalant Trainer.
Ash ignored her, still wearing a smile on his face, not showing any signs of surprise nor worry.
"That was dangerous, Ash! But in the end, Chikorita missed!" the Gym Leader cried out.
"[Wing Attack]!"
A pair of wings readied as they hammered down onto the rooted Chikorita.
'You miscalculated, Ash. [Ingrain] was a terrible move to be a part of your 4 moves!' Falkner watched his Pokémon's wings swinging downwards.
"...!"
The feral smile grew wider as before the wings could trample upon Chikorita…
Swish!
"Chik!"
SLAM!
Instead of [Wing Attack] hitting the sauropod, Pidgeot was instead met with a [Body Slam] to the face.
BOOM!
"[Headbutt (Fake)]," Ash announced, unperturbed by the wind pressure blowing in his face.
"How did Chikorita?!" Falkner choked before setting his sights upon the ground where Chikorita stood.
"The [Ingrain] roots were cut off!"
[Razor Leaf] was shot backwards, not as a distraction nor miss, but to increase momentum as the sharp leaves boomeranged back, aiming at the exposed roots thanks to the impact caused by [Aerial Ace].
"That's impossible! [Ingrain] shouldn't be that easy to cut off!" Brendan shot up from his seat.
'That's right. The roots must be incredibly tough to absorb nutrients within the ground to heal the user.'
But both Falkner and Brendan quickly realized why:
Chikorita still had her bruise from the first move, present and unhealed.
"Chikorita never healed in the first place," Ash explained, tilting his head with an ever-present smirk.
"I had her change [Ingrain]'s condition to merely root her in place and removed the healing function, causing the roots to become thinner instead since they aren't absorbing nutrients."
'Is that possible?!' Brendan widened his eyes in shock.
Pokémon Academy, Kalos Region
"He can do that?!" Cross sweated hard.
Serena was totally enjoying the Alolan boy's anxiety. She had 'serves him right' completely written on her face.
"Changing conditions of a move… So that's what he did before," Gary pondered aloud with his fingers interlacing in front of his face.
"Hey, hey, Green! Red's got everyone in a tizzy," Blue tugged his sleeve.
"Miss Cynthia! What did that guy just do?!" Cross demanded to know.
The blonde woman smiled, already knowing the answer.
"It looks like Ash has evolved his Fakes even more."
"To those who watched the Grand League, did you see Pikachu's performance?"
Everyone nodded, Serena most enthusiastic.
"His use of [Swords Dance (Fake)]. A supposed status move that changed into a damaging move by sacrificing the Attack buff it gives."
"That was one example of a move switching conditions. It's a difficult technique to do on the fly but seeing that boy's performance, I daresay him achieving that is natural."
'Seeing how he only used [Swords Dance (Fake)] against me, Red probably realized during Johto,' Gary counted back.
'…Heh. Just how strong are you gonna get, Red?'
{ Is that the reason why you're so confident? }
Falkner's expression was oozing with vexation while his tone was infused with stress.
{ No? I never plan for my Gym matches. Hell, this was something Chikorita and I came up last minute. }
The boy shrugged.
{ Then how? After that ordeal in Sprout Tower, how can you switch your demeanour so fast?! }
{ I had a special someone to bounce me back up. }
Ash's sudden confession caught the honey blonde by surprise as she straightened her posture upon hearing his words.
{ My confidence was rock bottom, but she gave me the words I needed to hear. There's no way I'm giving up here! }
{ I'm gonna be her Pokémon Master! }
"Red…" Serena breathed out, rosy red tinged her cheeks.
{ Besides… }
'…?' she halted.
{ How could I not feel this good after seeing Yellow— }
"WAAAAAAWAWAAAWAWAWAWA!"
Serena slammed her hands over the projection screen where Ash's mouth was, her face beet red and her vocals awry with panic. Fennekin followed her Trainer's erratic movements while Eevee shyly crossed her paws on Serena's table.
"Serena?" Shauna closed her ears.
"OH NOTHING! I JUST HAD THE URGE TO CLEAR MY THROAT! AHEM! AHEM!"
'You dummy! You're not supposed to tell anybody that!' she pouted internally while visualizing herself punching the air.
However, someone was secretly eyeing the panicking girl as well as the somewhat unhinged boy on screen.
"Hm…" Miette hummed.
Violet City, Johto Region
"Oh right. Lemme finish this quick," Ash interrupted himself as the savagery in his eyes returned.
"Chikorita! Grab it!"
Once more, the gigantic vine hands erupted from the buds around Chikorita's neck as they grasped the Pidgeot firmly.
"Tch, don't mock me! Break free with [Wing Attack]!" Falkner responded.
Instantly, the vines were ripped apart thanks to the bird's mighty wings.
'Even with all these tricks, Pidgeot's a third stage evolution so his power's on a different level than Chikorita, who's a first stage,' he summarized.
"[Quick Attack] combined with [Double Edge]!"
'That's all four moves!' Brendan gulped as Falkner revealed Pidgeot's both third and final move.
'And chaining moves to boot!'
'Chaining moves is difficult, but since they're both the same Type, it puts less burden on Pidgeot,' Falkner narrowed towards the challenger.
"Ya coming at us?! Let's do this then!" Ash laughed maniacally as he cupped his hands in front of him.
"[Vine Whip]!"
As Pidgeot charged up his body, a torrent of spiralling [Vine Whips] obscured his vision as nearly half the battlefield was covered in vines.
"Like that's gonna help! Pierce through!" the blue-haired man pointed.
"Squawwkkk!"
Tucking its wings, Pidgeot sped through the wall of vines like a bullet, rending the shredding vines to bits.
'There's no resistance? Chikorita must be weakened!' Brendan noticed.
Misty had been silent this whole time but when Pidgeot was about to reach Chikorita's location, she finally gave a chuckle.
"Really… You have talent as a scam artist, Ash," the redhead joked to herself.
The Bird Pokémon narrowed in on the sizeable shadow within the vines, his eyes strong enough to make out the Grass starter's shape.
BOOOOOM!
Tiny strands of vines burst across the ruined battlefield as Pidgeot stood victorious over its prey.
"SQUAAWWKKK!" the great bird screeched triumphantly.
"It's over, As— Huh?! Pidgeot!"
But what the Bird Pokémon had in his talons was merely stacks of [Razor Leaf] shaped like Chikorita.
"A dummy!" the white-hatted boy realized.
"[Substitute (Fake)]!" Ash revealed.
As Pidgeot got what was happening, his wings were suddenly wrapped with thick roots that pulled them down hard to the battlefield, effectively trapping him to the ground.
"That's [Vine Whip]? No… No way!" the Gym Leader could not believe his eyes.
It was [Ingrain], shot down from high above as they landed on Pidgeot's wings seemingly on purpose.
"[Ingrain] always take effect on the Pokémon's feet or whatever is touching the soil," Ash grinned as his bloodred eyes widened with excitement.
"Like electricity in a circuit, it always finds the optimal path to gather nutrients. The one with the least resistance."
'That's why it trapped Pidgeot!' Falkner understood.
After Pidgeot was hit by the roots, the latter continued growing all over the wings, snaking through the feathers as they were grounded before finally making it to the soil.
Everyone looked up as they saw Chikorita in the air, her front legs wrapped with her own [Ingrain].
"But that's still useless. With [Ingrain]'s thick roots, Chikorita's legs are just platforms," the blue-haired man countered.
"It's just a glorified tower of roots!"
"Ya think so?" Ash scoffed.
"Who said that I didn't change the conditions again?"
'…!' Falkner choked.
"Now it's reversed. [Ingrain]'s healing condition returned, meaning its roots are back to its original thickness, strong enough to trap Pidgeot's large body," the boy continued.
"And then…"
"Chiiiikkk…" the sauropod aimed herself towards the grounded bird's body.
"Remove the rooting effect for maximum elasticity and movement!"
'He's going to—!'
Falkner realized too late.
"Chikorita! End it with [Body Slam]!"
With a great pull from Chikorita's front legs, the Grass starter entered a speed far greater than she could ever accomplish on ground.
The elasticity of [Ingrain] and the additional aid from gravity.
[Body Slam] was enhanced far greater.
To top it off, Chikorita's tiny body allowed a smaller surface area, meaning once [Body Slam] hit…
BOOOOOOOOOM!
The pressure on Pidgeot's larger body was immense.
"Pidgeot is unable to battle. Chikorita wins!" Misty announced form the sidelines.
A triumphant Chikorita leapt into Ash's arms as he patted her with care.
"You were awesome, Chikorita!" he praised to her heart's content.
"Chik…" she blushed, burrowing herself into his arms.
"I lost… to a Grass type?" Falkner uttered in disbelief.
'What's more, the evolution difference, the size difference, backfired on me.'
The blue-haired man stared at the raven-haired boy, returning his Pokémon in the process.
'This is… the strength of one who made it in the Grand League?'
"So I guess [Ingrain]'s really a useless move, huh?" Ash wore his toothy grin, full of unbridled sarcasm and arrogance.
At once, Falkner finally exploded.
"Let's see if you're still arrogant after facing my last Pokémon!" Falkner snapped.
From his capsule, what Pokémon was summoned was unexpected.
Fwooosh!
'Fire?' Ash's eyes reflected the dancing flames.
The cold weather was combusted. Flaming tongues dispersed around them as a fiery bird screeched its entrance.
"SQUUUAAAWWWWKKK!"
"That's not a Johto Pokémon!" Brendan shielded his face from the emanating heat.
"A falcon… That's a…!" Misty connected the dots.
"Spread your wings, Talonflame!"
A mighty falcon of flames opened its wings, showing off its majestic feathers of embers as they rained down onto the cratered terrain.
Seeing the final obstacle left for his first Johto Badge, Ash was finally silent.
"Falkner, that's too far! That's clearly a Level 3 Pokémon!" the redhead protested.
"If the challenger is to make a mockery of the Gym Leaders, this is how I must respond!" Falkner declared, unwavering in his decision.
"…Chikorita, return," Ash said.
"Chik, chik!"
"I know you got plenty in your tank but go to Misty. 'We' got it from here."
The sauropod stared for a while before catching a ghost of a grin on her Trainer's face. With a sigh, she hopped towards the redhead.
"What's your blockhead Trainer about to do?" Misty placed the Grass starter on her lap.
"Chik…"
The blue-haired man glared at the boy as the latter took out his capsule.
"I've been wanting to face off against that Charizard ever since I saw it battling against the Witch of Frost."
At this, a loud cackle erupted from the raven-haired boy.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
'Is he still mocking me?!' Falkner popped a vein.
"I ain't mocking you, Mr Falkner. I'm just real happy you're giving me such a fun battle! To think this is just my first Gym in Johto!" the raven-haired boy continued with an unhinged expression.
"But y'know… who said anything about using Charizard?"
Pikachu and Froakie were on the bench, safeguarding the Egg within Ash's Bag as well as the electric mouse holding onto Charizard's capsule.
'That's Charizard's PokéBall? Then who's—?' Falkner was struck confused before said Pokémon made himself known.
"Heracross, I choose you!"
A flash of white manifested a blue beetle, shrieking his battle cry as he faced off the flaming falcon.
"You…! Again! A Bug/Fighting against my Fire/Flying?!" the Gym Leader barked.
"How long do you plan on mocking me?!"
"Oi, oi. Who's the guy that lost to a Grass type, Mr Flying specialist?" Ash rebutted with a smirk.
Falkner. Misty and Brendan. The entire classroom in the Academy that would watch this match in the future.
Without missing a beat, the raven-haired boy did something that shocked everyone watching:
Ash and Heracross mirrored each other, putting their fists up in boxing stances.
"C'mon! Turn up the heat!"
Pokémon Academy, Kalos Region
Everyone was shocked. They could not believe their eyes.
The students had just witnessed a first stage Grass type claiming victory over a final stage Flying type. The odds were never in Chikorita's favour and yet, she overcame them, nonetheless.
"That time…!" Gary remembered.
"Green?" Blue turned to him.
The sequence of events that led up to this battle. The previous hard-fought match that Ash partook in: The Orange League.
"You guys remembered Froakie battling against that Electabuzz?"
"Yeah?" everyone nodded.
"Back then, Froakie managed to tie against [Charge Beam] with [Water Pulse] despite having weaker base power."
Some recalled, some forgot. But Serena always remembered every little detail.
"…Ah! Did Froakie remove the confusion factor from [Water Pulse]?" she brightened.
"Yeah, that's probably the case. If I have to guess, it strengthened the raw output of [Water Pulse] in exchange, cancelling out [Charge Beam]."
'And he definitely wasn't doing it on purpose. From what I've seen, Red and Froakie were in sync that time so Red already had an instinctual feel for it already.'
Cynthia and Lance were impressed with the raven-haired boy's performance. Especially after showing the less-known functions of Pokémon moves.
"An Equivalent Exchange. How surprising," Cynthia hummed.
"Yeah. And to think he's still 11," Lance nodded.
]=[
ATL Entry: Equivalent Exchange
A mechanic that only worked on moves with additional effects. By removing one of the two outputs of the move, the base power or additional effect, whichever remained would grow in potency.
Losing to gain. That was the main function of an Equivalent Exchange.
It was not a particularly difficult feat to pull off as even normal Trainers were able to do it. However, this method was only known to those who had experimented or stumbled upon it. Therefore, only a small percentage of Trainers were aware of it.
]=[
'If I recalled, he did a pseudo-Clutch Critical against Drake's Dragonite as well…' the carmine-haired man thought.
'…I wonder how much of a monster he'll turn out in a few years.'
{ Spread your wings, Talonflame! }
"What?" Cynthia whipped her head to the screen in surprise.
"That's clearly a Level 3 Pokémon," Lance sighed.
'Falkner lost his cool. That's a strike.'
"A Talonflame!" Calem exclaimed.
"That's a Kalos Pokémon!" Tierno chimed in.
The chestnut-haired girl scanned immediately.
[=]
Talonflame, the Scorching Pokémon
Its favourite foods are Wingull and Pikipek. It attacks with a powerful kick and grasps them firmly in its talons. When it gets excited, it vents sparks from the gaps between its feathers. These unburnable feathers are used as a fireproof material.
[=]
And then, it happened.
Heracross was the final Pokémon Ash had chosen.
{ C'mon! Turn up the heat! }
Both grinned as they were about to initiate a fistfight of all times.
"He… He threw them dukes up!" one of the students clamoured.
'Batshit insane' was the most apt vocabulary running through everyone's minds as they witnessed Ash's unhinged state, complete and utter disrespect towards the Flying specialist of all Trainers.
A part of Serena was aching to cheer for Ash, but since what they were watching was merely a recording, she stayed silent. However, her crooked smile gave away her true feelings.
Violet Gym, Johto Region
"[Flame Charge]!"
Swirling flames coated the falcon as it zoomed towards the beetle at full speed.
Heracross was not a speedy fighter, only mediocre. But in this battle, he did not need to react.
"Kiek…" his oval yellow eyes narrowed forward.
And just like that…
Fwip!
Fwip!
"Wha—?!" Falkner was once more taken aback.
As if out of spite against the overwhelming odds…
"Squawk?!" Talonflame gasped.
Heracross dodged [Flame Charge] by a fiery feather's breadth.
'Mirroring! Heracross is mirroring Ash's movements!' the blue-haired man concluded.
'But how can Ash react to…'
The answer came to him naturally:
Mind's Eye.
0.15 seconds had elapsed.
"Clench your beak, Talonflame!" Ash grinned ferally as both his and Heracross' fist closed tight.
"Left hook!"
"Kiek!"
One second Talonflame was glancing to its side, the next…
PAM!
The falcon's vision blurred instantly as a powerful blow struck its face.
"Right hook!"
"Kiek!"
WHAM!
Ash and Heracross began to speed up as the blue beetle followed his Trainer's actions, rapidly punching the fiery falcon's face without hesitation nor halt. It was as if the raven-haired boy was the one doing the hitting.
"[Flame Charge]! Create distance!" Falkner commanded.
Once more, the falcon coated itself with fire as it prepared to take off. But Ash had expected that already.
Grab!
Heracross took hold of the Scorching Pokémon's talon, imitating the raven-haired boy's own outstretched grasp.
"Where didja think you're going?!" Ash bared his fangs.
Pulling the bird back, Heracross raised a straight uppercut to Talonflame's beak, immediately extinguishing its flames.
"The beak!" Falkner gasped.
'Avian Pokémon are anatomically similar to birds. And their beaks contain numerous nerve endings and blood vessels.'
"It's sensitive there, ain't it?!" Ash pulled back both of his fists.
With one push, both Heracross and Ash delivered a series of punches, chaining each previous one with a harder one.
POW! WHACK! THUMP! BANG! POW! WHACK! THUMP! BANG! POW! WHACK! THUMP! BANG! POW! WHACK! THUMP! BANG! POW! WHACK! THUMP! BANG! POW! WHACK! THUMP! BANG! POW! WHACK! THUMP! BANG!
"Those aren't Pokémon moves…" Brendan trembled as he witnessed the chain punches.
"Yes, those are just punches," Misty continued observing.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu cheered from the seats.
"Kerooo!" Froakie joined in.
"Chik!" Chikorita mixed her cries.
"Haha! We got the crowd wildin', Heracross!" Ash threw a straight haymaker.
"KIEEKK!" Heracross took his lead.
THWAP!
"As if! [Flame Charge] again!" Falkner commanded.
The fiery falcon burst into flames once more as it swiped away the beetle's final blow to create some distance.
'That wasn't as strong as I thought,' Ash noticed the lacking flames on Heracross' clawed fists.
"Kiek…!" Heracross took a knee as he let out some laboured breaths.
"…You did the same thing, didn't you, Falkner?" Ash smiled knowingly, not bothering with honorifics.
"I had heard of this before. An Equivalent Exchange, was it?" the Gym Leader all but confirmed.
"That second [Flame Charge] had its external power halved and the Speed bonus removed. All to guarantee Talonflame's Ability."
'Flame Body!' the white-hatted boy read the Pokémon's Dex profile.
The blue beetle had been Burned, halving his Attack, and severely wounded due to the Type advantage.
"With Heracross crippled and Chikorita still wounded from last time, your arrogance ends here, Ash Ketchum!"
"Talonflame, [Acrobatics]!"
The speeding falcon zipped across the battlefield; twisting and turning near-impossible angles as it spun one last time, stabbing the air as it pointed to a burned Heracross.
"Ash, look out!" Brendan cried out.
Although such duress implanted itself into the boy's mind, Ash's one-tracked mind only focused on one thing:
Serena.
Such motivation could never fail him in such dire situations as the flaming eyes ignited with Heracross grunting through the pain.
Mind's Eye, strengthened.
0.13 seconds elapsed.
[Acrobatics] neared and the beak that pierced…
SLAM!
…Was greeted by a boulder hurled at it.
"I told you…" Ash muttered before staring with trembling eyes of bloodred.
"THAT YOUR MOVEMENTS ARE OBVIOUS!"
"[SMACK DOWN (FAKE)]!"
'Again?!' Falkner scolded himself.
'I went straight for him again!'
PAM!
Not without a moment's rest, Heracross delivered a forceful jab into the Scorching Pokémon's stomach, prompting it to cough out a sizeable amount of saliva. The liquid fell on Heracross' exoskeleton before getting burned away from the amount of steam emanating from it.
"Are you kidding me?! Its Ability is Guts?!" the blue-haired man glared incredulously.
"Damn right! [Close Combat]!" Ash called out.
Now free from mirroring his Trainer, the blue beetle began to send the falcon into a near-blackout as he pummelled every last weak spot his move could find.
BAM! CRACK! SLAM! WHAM! PAM!
"Sq…uaw…k…"
'This is Guts' doing! It completely negated the debuff and instead granted the Attack stat a 50% bonus.'
"These hands aren't just for decoration!" Ash crazed, now embodying the true expression of insanity.
'Now it's just a race against time!'
"Will Heracross beat Talonflame first?! Or will Heracross reach his limit first?!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"ISN'T THIS FUN, FALKNERRRRR?!"
…
Ash was enjoying the exhilaration of the battle.
It was always there but now…
Liberated by Serena's encouragement…
He felt true freedom.
The thrill of fighting.
It gave him satisfaction and pleasure.
And all of that culminated into Mind's Eye's strengthening.
But the true realization was not noticed by the boy himself:
Origin nearing awakening…
His Origin. His true nature.
Like a cocoon entering emergence.
…
"Tch! Talonflame, get out of there!" Falkner shouted frantically.
At once, the falcon snapped out of it as it slammed away the blue beetle with its ember wings before beating them towards the sky.
"Heh!"
A demonic grin plastered across Ash's face as his bloodred eyes abruptly locked into the fleeing bird.
"Heracross, we're playing tag!"
The Single Horn Pokémon nodded as he squatted down low and rocketed into the sky, going after the slowed Talonflame.
BOOM!
"Didja forget Heracross' a beetle? Then, he must have them…!" Ash gave a crooked smirk.
Flap!
From beneath Heracross' back exoskeleton… Appeared two wings that propelled the Pokémon even further upwards.
"It's his elytra!" Misty and Brendan exclaimed.
The falcon, stunned from the beetle's sudden appearance above it, was stopped momentarily. And that proved fatal as Heracross held a boulder made from the previous fight's crater, his claws dug into it as the blue beetle raised it higher.
"YOU'RE IT!"
"[SMACK DOWN (FAKE)]!"
Like a hammer, Heracross swung the boulder down and crashed it against the falcon's beak.
CRACK!
"Squawkkk!"
"Argh! Talonflame, use—!" Falkner tried to command.
"Too late! [Lunge]!" Ash was faster.
Heracross dove down towards the falling falcon, hitting it with its Bug type move.
Slam!
"Squawk!" Talonflame glared angrily at the beetle in front of it.
Alas, no matter how strong the Single Horn Pokémon could dish out, a Bug type move could never take out a Fire/Flying. Thankfully for the beetle, his Trainer was already calling his next move.
"Airtime's not over yet! [Circle Throw (Fake)]!"
With his increased strength, Heracross grabbed onto the falcon's wings, spinning it rapidly before throwing it back into the air above.
"Alley-oop!"
Fwoosh!
"Talonflame!" Falkner clicked his tongue in anger.
'Damnit! Those Fake moves of his!'
"Faker!" the Gym Leader understood the sheer frustration Ash's opponents had to go through to battle him.
His imitations were too versatile to counter.
"Kiek…!" Heracross grunted in pain from his burns.
'Time's almost up!' Ash twisted another maniacal grin, seemingly unfazed by the thought of potentially losing.
Seeing the bruised wing, Ash called out his last move on air.
"[Triple Kick (Fake)]!"
BAM, PAM, WHAM!
Three kicks on the same side collided and Talonflame was injured immensely.
"And one last…!"
"[Axe Kick (Fake)]!"
Heracross had stubby legs, too short to perform the move but even so, he improvised.
Spreading his elytra, he spun upwards into the air…
Before dropping a downward kick onto the fiery falcon.
"Talon—!"
"That's game!"
BOOOOM!
The falcon went flying into the dirt at high speeds, even bouncing off the ground due to the shockwave.
Heracross crashed gently to the earth, exhausted and burned but still hanging on.
But his opponent was not yet done.
Talonflame snapped.
"SQUUUUAAAAWWWWKKKKKK!"
With one final move, the angered and battered Talonflame unleashed a barrage of [Air Slash] towards Heracross. Behind the wounded beetle…
Was the raven-haired boy himself.
'Shit! Talonflame's gone berserk!' Falkner panicked.
"RUN AWAY, ASH!"
"ASH!" Misty and Brendan got up.
Blades of wind sliced the air as they moved closer.
But there was no panic in Ash's eyes. There was only overwhelming concentration. With that, he raised his hand to the sky.
.
.
.
"Pikachu."
Whoosh!
From the sidelines, a twirling object was caught by the boy as well as a PokéBall thrown behind him.
The object was then revealed…
To be his Dagger, its umbral fang now brandished towards the incoming blades.
"Heracross, charge through!" Ash roared.
BOOOOOM!
Incandescent flames glowed behind the raven-haired boy as a fiery dragon roared towards the wind blades.
BZZZZZZZZZT!
A zipping gold flashed to the boy's side as electricity danced around their feet and sparked the ground yellow.
SWOOOSSSHH!
And finally, a surging sphere of water condensed from the palm of a creature beside the lightning, facing off the sharp wind.
Ash whispered to the three as he brandished the Dagger.
"Leave that one to me."
"ROAR!" / "PIKA!" / "KERO!"
Heracross blitzed with all he had and prepared one final fist towards the Scorching Pokémon.
"[Reversal]!"
BOOOOOM!
SCHWING!
.
.
.
Both collided simultaneously with the onlookers and Gym Leader watching it unfold with bated breath.
Fwoosh…
The first to be revealed was Heracross… and a fainted Talonflame.
'Ash won!' Brendan lit up before turning to the dispersing cloud where Ash stood.
Finally, from the smoke…
Ash and his 3 Pokémon were revealed:
Charizard stood behind, covering the raven-haired boy's sides with his large wings as he glared at the opponent.
Pikachu had perched himself on Ash's shoulder, sparking his cheeks whilst wearing the red cap.
Froakie stood in the front, another [Water Pulse] aimed to the opponent while his other hand, held a white light dagger made from [Cut].
And last but not least, Ash himself.
The raven-haired boy had his Dagger in front in reverse grip, light smoke emanating from it as it deflected a blade of [Air Cutter]. On his lightning-bolted cheek was a bleeding cut.
"…Announce it, Cerulean," Falkner resigned himself.
"This is… my loss."
"Talonflame is unable to battle! Heracross wins!"
Finishing the match…
"The winner is… Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"
…was Ash's arm covering his mouth whilst his thumb swiped off the blood on his cheek and his bloodred eyes sharpened within his bangs.
.
.
.
Pokémon Academy, Kalos Region
The fistfight. The aerial battle. All culminating into the final [Air Cutter].
Everyone gasped. Everyone awed. And everyone screamed as the wind blades flew to the raven-haired boy.
{ Pikachu. }
The unhinged expression he wore was no longer present. It was the aggression of a battle-ready wolf that replaced it as [Air Cutter] came near.
The Dagger caught everyone by surprise but was quickly forgotten when the next big thing happened.
Ash's 3 Pokémon, his main trio, gathered around him. They immediately went to their Trainer's side to protect him.
Pikachu passed the Dagger to the boy while Froakie threw Charizard's capsule to be summoned.
Although he was relatively safe from that point, his next command sent shivers down everybody's spine.
{ Leave that one to me. }
The events aligned and revealed the winner and his image forever burned into the students' eyes:
Ash's dominating form, surrounded by his battle-ready powerhouses, as he rubbed off the blood on his cheeks.
{ The winner is… Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town! }
And the recording finally ended.
'…That was unhelpful,' Cynthia deadpanned.
The match was too outlandish for any of the students to understand what was happening, meaning the recording served to only show how Pokémon battles could transform from a traditional one to something akin to a slugfest.
Equivalent Exchange soon became the topic to learn as everyone absently took notes, still silently reeling from what they had saw.
.
Unbeknownst to all…
The gears turned within them.
.
'Ash Ketchum… I'll be sure to remember that name,' Cross glared at the boy onscreen.
.
'He cleaned house like it was nothing,' Calem failed to conceal his excited grin.
.
'Can't really go a day without surprising people, can he?' Gary smiled to himself.
.
'Red's definitely got some screws loose,' Blue snickered to herself.
.
'…How interesting,' Miette glanced at the screen with a tinge of pink on her cheek.
.
'Why does he look so hot when he's crazy?!' Serena was blushing madly.
.
.
.
Indigo Plateau, Kanto Region
Lance stared with a disappointed gaze towards the blue-haired man onscreen.
"Falkner," he addressed.
"I have no excuses for what happened, sir," the Gym Leader bowed.
"Using a Level 3 Pokémon against in an endorsed match of Level 2 as well as losing your temper. Those cannot be overlooked…"
"But I am willing to hear your side. I know there's something up with you, Falkner."
Hearing the understanding tone from the Johto Champion, Falkner let it all out.
"…The Grand League. I wanted to compete in it… Against you, Lance," he bit his lip.
"I wanted to test myself against you. To see if I've reached the height where Bahamut stands."
A memory from the past. Falkner watched as a child where his father, Walker, fought a younger Lance.
The power and ferocity of the Dragon specialist. Falkner took it in as he was mesmerized by their majestic wings.
"That's why… It was so frustrating to lose in the Preliminaries!" the blue-haired man balled his fists in anguish.
"And to see a child, a boy nearly 2 years since he started his journey, compete and defeat even Miss Lorelei… It was so painful…"
Lance closed his eyes, absorbing what Falkner had spilled.
'I see… No wonder he lost his temper. Ash's cockiness was in the wrong place and time,' he sighed.
"Falkner. You're aiming too low," Lance answered.
"Pardon?" the Gym Leader blurted.
"Amongst the Champions, I'm ranked as the middle of the bunch. Comparing yourself to me is an honour for me, but it's not a great goal for you."
The carmine-haired man thought back to his younger years and most importantly, the Johto League… as well as his loss in the Finals:
His loss against the blonde girl from Sinnoh.
"You should be aiming to defeat those people at the top:"
"The Steel and Water juggernauts in Hoenn."
"The undefeated Champion of Galar."
"And her…"
.
.
.
Hotel Richissime, Kalos Region
"Ta-da! I made dinner for us!" Cynthia huffed proudly at herself like a child who finished her homework.
"Woah!" Serena and Grace admired the delight spread across the dinner table.
The blonde woman had made quiche and ratatouille for dinner, a feat that she was surprised to have succeeded herself.
"It's a lot different from Sinnoh's meal but it was fun to make," Cynthia smiled.
"But you couldn't even cook ric-" Serena snickered.
"Hush, Serena."
'Our gratitude for such a meal, Cynthia,' the two Cores thanked, still invisible since Grace was present.
"Fou!" / "Vui!"
"Gar~"
Garchomp ate with the two foxes as they storied about the recording of Ash's match, to which the land shark nodded and listened intently.
Grace had been invited over as the two women were incredibly close to each other, conversing in multiple matters. As a Champion and researcher of myths, she was well-versed in many topics that Serena ended up admiring her even further.
After dinner, they heard a ringing from Serena's room, prompting the girl to jerk up.
"Ah! Someone's calling me, gotta go!" she sped into her room and closed the door.
Outside, the two adult women chuckled to themselves.
"At this point, it's obvious who's calling," Grace laughed.
"That girl is sooo in love, I tell you," Cynthia did the same thing.
...
"Red!" Serena beamed at the sight of the boy.
"Hey… It's been some time…" Ash smiled weakly.
The honey blonde immediately noticed. The arrogance was no longer present as Ash had returned back to his calmed state.
"Red?"
"Oh. I was just training with Misty," Ash assured.
"Is that you, Serena?" the redhead came from behind.
"Ah, Misty! It's been a long time!"
"Sure has. You've gotten prettier since that time," the redhead complimented.
"Oi, stop hitting on her," Ash growled.
"Loser said what?" Misty put him in his place.
"Urk…"
Seeing Serena's confused look, the Gym Leader answered.
"Oh, this?"
Zephyr Badge obtained.
"I beat this brat back to shape."
Chapter 73: Nearing The Edge
"…Wat?"
Author's Notes
Welcome to the bottom! Let's get on with some explanations.
Cross:
This asshole's here for a reason. I need Calem to get stronger so that the future encounters don't get too one-sided. So, he's gonna be Calem's rival for now.
Betcha didn't expect to be rooting for Calem of all people in an Amour fic, did you? lol
Equivalent Exchange:
This takes inspiration from both JJK and Legends Arceus. From JJK, it's like a Binding Vow that give and take. From PLA, it's like the Move mastery system.
Combine both and you get Equivalent Exchange. (Yeah, I know. The name sucks. It was either this or Condition Reversal (my naming sense sucks ass))
Shockingly, JJK elements mesh quite well with Pokémon but this is a Fate-themed fic. We just haven't gone full Fate for a while.
Cynthia:
Not gonna lie, if this fic ever gets completed in like 10 years(at least! waaah~) , and I decide on making a prequel, Cynthia's the number one choice.
That's why I'm holding off revealing her epithet since it's gonna be hype.
She's the one person Leon could legit lose to, both in canon (I stand by it) and Fated, after all. Plus, she's even more broken in this fic as an Incarnation.
Ash's demon time:
Serena released a legit menace in the Gym with how much this dude disrespects Falkner.
Being arrogant for once, Ash managed to reduce Mind's Eye from 0.15 secs to 0.13 secs as well as purposely use E.E for the first time.
Almost like he's getting rewarded for being selfish... hm.
So, yeah. Ash goes full disrespect using Pokémon weak to Flying types and absolutely cleans house with them.
Falkner:
Stemming all the way back to FoC, Falkner's got some inferiority complex towards Ash, the 11-year-old who got to the Finals while he failed at the Prelims. So his attitude was kinda understandable since Ash was clowning on him even after revealing Talonflame.
Oh, right! Talonflame! Yeah, I gave it to him since y'know, falconer and all. Plus, this is a gist of what's gonna happen in the future:
Trainers using overseas Pokémon, giving them a bit of a twist so readers will keep guessing who's gonna get featured.
Chuck's next.
.
And that should be all! Just a FYI, TR's plan has already covered Lake of Rage and Slowpoke Well as referenced by Petrel previously, meaning Neo Rocket is already on the move even before Ash arrived.
As for the Grimoires, who or what should I prioritze first? The Characters or World? You guys decide!