Author's Notes
We back again! It's a few days late but... Happy Birthday to Fated! Wooo!
Been 3 years and... we're still at Johto... FUUUUU
Eh, better slow than rushed, right?
Anyways, this chapter is gonna be JJK-heavy so do take note. Don't worry, Fated's not turning into a JJK based story.
It's just JJK is weirdly compatible with Pokémon for some reason.
And good news: M03 will be on Chapter 79!
There's some things I wanna say at the bottom so be sure to read it.
Reviews!
f46adpg:
It's just a suggestion but I think that explaining legendary "shinies" by time nexuses and samsara and loops would be a very good explanation where "change" or events are not just limited to people and their actions but how they do it too. In this way, "the birth of legendaries" can also vary a lot.
On that topic I would advise you to look into the different shades and meanings of time in mythologies too. If we are going into the tank and describing authorities by *how much they can control a certain aspect* or element then the different shades of time may help you to deal with associating or assigning certain authorities too. Namely I'm mentioning three main ones which are Kairos, Aion and Chronos but you may also break it into more parts in which case comes 1.) the time after an event happens which is the shade of death in time , 2.) the opportunistic time or the time in which a certain event happen which cannot be avoided which Fate fanfictions generally like to use to explain the different timelines and also time loops. If you want a little more detail on this then I could expand on this. And lastly the flow of time which intertwines with memories and stuff which is responsible for creating that loop in different timelines which "remembers things".
It's just a recommendation and you may not want to invest time on it so ignore it if you don't feel like it but I felt like that could help in a better world building overall so I recommended it.
Another thing is the different celebi and I would advise you to look into Istaroth and the thousand winds and wind spirits from Genshin if you want to keep it close to the scene of thousands of Celebi appearing and helping Ash in the movie but again this is also a recommendation.
The chapter was again very engaging and good I genuinely did not feel bored for a second and the Larvitar scene was so Cute!
On the topic, have you played Kingdom Hearts by any chance?
*searches up time nexuses*
Ohhhh. The only nexus I know is from LoL. These are some very nice explanations for the weird 'interactions' since it provides a coherent logic to these sorts of timey-wimey BS I'm writing. However, since this is based on the Fate series, the angle I'm going for are 'loopholes' since that franchise ABUSE it so much.
Basically, in YGO terms:
Poplar activates effect, Baronne de Fleur negates Snake Eyes Poplar and is about to destroy it, but Linkuriboh in the GY uses effect to tribute Poplar, negating the negate while Poplar is still able to use its effect since it was never negated in the first place, meaning Baronne wasted its effect.
But it's a cool read too. Never read of nexus points before and my head kinda hurts a little from understanding it.
Kairos, Aion and Chronos: I cannot believe I had to study AGAIN after graduation, this some crazy stuff to do just for this crackfic.
However, from what I understand, Fated's timeline uses Aion (cosmic time) since that allows causal loops, or stable time loops. Basically, cyclic loops (Shit's gonna be crazy).
The explanation for 'remembering things' or unconscious 'deliberate actions' will be explained in M03.
Celebi: The theory Oak proposed in the last chapter was actually my own interpretation of 1 Celebi existing in multiple places at once. Also known as: Marty McFly if he didn't listen to Doc at all, except big Time God is there to clean up the causality.
Istaroth: I have read about her and what is essentially her 'moment' powers which is really the power of retconning (broken af)
Taking a 'moment' of planting a seed in the present and by sending it to the past and future, the tree is 'already there'. That's... really scary to write. It's just begging for plotholes.
Otherwise, enjoyable read! This is one... lecture about time that I never knew, so its really good to know!
Executing it is really hard though so it's shelved for now.
And no to the Kingdom Hearts. I like the story though. Donald Duck using Zettaflare will never get old.
Wissper0:
Will Larvitar stay with Ash or not?
Thanks for the review! As for your question, it will be revealed in this chapter.
Tainan republic:
Didn't expect for a second chapter this month, yet You delivered.
Larvitar's cute, like I can see it waddling like a penguin with its stubby little feet and the stubs for arms, tldr: cute as heck. And if noibat isn't in here for the kalos arc, I might riot, cuz he's just so cute and he's pretty much ash and Serena's child In Pokémon form
The lore, oh boy the lore just adds more and more, and I feel like matpat when he's cooking up a theory. Though I would suggest that you add some references from other series like a certain shadow monarch with a stupidly
memed chins and that says "arise"
Maybe have some chapters dedicated to past lore, like flashbacks so that you can hype it up a bit even more
(These are all suggestions btw)
Keep up the good work and congrats with finishing school
We're back in kalos!
(Pokémon legends:az)
This is a add on for my other review
Again, thanks for the review, man! And thanks for the congrats!
Larvitar: Haha, it does paint a cute image and don't worry about Noibat, he's definitely here. But the Kalos arc is gonna be WILD.
Lore: Obligatory Thank You MatPat. As for the references, Sung Drip Woo's drip is something I've been thinking of adding for Ash, but right now, it's just gonna be forced and edgy so that's shelved for now. The future's a different thing though.
Flashbacks: That's a great idea, building hype is never a bad thing.
Krion64:
But the absolute MOST likely reaction to see a Rayquaza would beOh fuck, is that Rayquaza!"
lmao
bansalarina:
you said the end of the story is confirmed but you don't mean it'll end this soon right? we will be getting through all the regions despite the necessary timeskip right? please say it's not ending too soon o
Thanks for the review, dude.
Yes, the story ending is confirmed but the story isn't ending. Would be real weird to end Fated on Johto of all places.
C0rrupted1:
...how did it take so long to realize that Celebi is an onion... or at least looks like one.
Oh I'm not dismissing the Darkrai fight as a whole. Ash went out swinging and Sceptile was awesome, but still so dumb of the writers to just insure Ash couldn't become champion or more honestly, winning the league. The other losses before weren't egregious as this one like again, a mythic and legendary? You'd think something more would come from it, maybe hear more of Tobias, build him up prior, but no. Just gone, cause writers just needed someone to beat Ash. Just frustrating writing wise.
Now that I think about it, weird that the Lati siblings come in multiple. Like the same people, but just more of them running around. Though be interesting if it changed the dynamic. Like one pair, older brother, second pair, older sister. Actually never mind, could be like Mothra from the old films where there's multiple and it's technically a reincarnation/memory transfer thing going.
Narratively speaking... yeah, no fair enough. That wouldn't make sense for shiny legends. That only just came up because you have Horizons be like 'Hey look, a shiny Rayquaza.' While you have original Rayquaza flying about. Which I'm still usure if in alternate universe, but just going to say probably less proven otherwise.
I guess in a way, glad they didn't push the issue, but it's kind of funny how Misty and Brendon were shocked on the idea of someone not praying. Like, sure, religious regions, but you can't be that surprised that someone isn't willing to pray. Granted, Ash's is a bit more...tense, but still. Probably since Pikachu and Froakie prayed, which guess they're more religious than Ash since they clearly didn't get it from him.
Misty being a teacher is such an oddity. Makes sense, older/gym leader, just so used to the anime version of her where not really the case. Or not as often if I remember.
Guess cause in the show, Mewtwo is just doing own thing, keeping to self, so it's neat to see that the other legendaries are aware of it's presence to a degree that they would see it as strong as a legendary just man made.
Probably the most unhinged thing to see in the morning:
Friend cares for Pokemon to an insane degree, SEES BURYING ALIVE POKEMON.
Probably the only reason Misty didn't descend fists on him when she saw that in the morning. And oh god, can't wait for Serena to get on with the whole idea of Larvitar is Ash's son and how she fits into the equation.
"Celebi is able to travel across our world's timeline..." "...ranging from B to Z"
So close. With the reveal of the next Legends game (absolutely did not expect that to be the next one) as soon as my friend told me then watched it, literally thought of this fic. There a chance that it would be included into the fic or is things to set in stone to make alterations? Granted a year to wait to see what it is, but still.
Nothing but a tangent follows:
Partly why I procrastinated was I found myself going to flea markets/retro stores (least whatever I could find). Ended up getting a GBA so that I could finally play my copy of Gold I've been holding onto. Had a save that had a lvl 100 Furret that was my Ace cause of Morty's BS. Turns out, saves gone. Very upset cause I lost my boy to the aether after thinking I had it all this time.
Though thinking cause it would be funny, considering running a nuzlocke in correlation to the fic. Like following based on gym locations, so would need to get up to Goldenrod to fight... Whitney. Great.
On a comedic note, now trying to gather games from childhood for GBA. Lost an ebay auction by 10 SECONDS! (seethed so much) for a game I really enjoyed.
Another great review, C0rrupted!
Darkrai: Yah, I see your point. Would be nice if Tobias was fleshed out more... *Wink wink*
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Lati duo: Unfortunately, it's canon that there's multiple DIFFERENT Lati s roaming around since Aim to be a Pokémon Master shows the Latias visiting Alto Mare, which showed movie Latias. Dang, the Mothra cycle would've been good too...
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Black Rayquaza: Don't be worried about that. I've got an explanation ready to go for that Shiny dude. Remember when I said that the movies are canon? And guess who appeared in that one disappointing Kalos movie?
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Not praying: Ash not praying in this context is a pretty big deal since Asian culture practically has religion ingrained in it. Of course, Japan isn't that religious, but in-universe, we have Gods running around that it's kinda hard NOT to pray to them. So Ash giving the middle finger to deities is unnatural.
The reason for that is it has to do with something Zacian said as well as a little tidbit from M02 that Ash questioned.
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Larvitar: Chalk that up as an out-of-context scene with Ash burying a literal baby in the dirt. As for the Serena-Larvitar dynamic, that's explained here!
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Legends ZA: YEEESSS! LEGENDS ZYGARDE! LEZZZ GOOOO!
...*looks at fanfic roadmap*
OH FUCK, LEGENDS ZYGARDE?!
Aight, blame Gamefreak for this. Fated's timeline is in jeopardy now due to this! Fuck, at least be Legends Gray or something! It's Kalos of all places!
I mean, I'm happy but FUCK!
Back to the drawing board... *sobs uncontrollably*
Tangent: Oh boy, you're gonna love this chapter if you're at Whitney.
perseusdiangelo007:
I wanted to get up to date before leaving a comment about the story since I started a few days ago but I read the answers to other comments, and I just had to say this before I even began reading the chapter. Serena with an Absol is also hilarious when considering that Absol is stated to predict disasters and who better for that than Ash's sweetheart considering his luck. An idea for having Serena catch an Absol is to wait until some point in the story where Ash is gonna be involved in something CRAZY (aka a regional endgame plot or a movie event) and have Serena get a bad feeling about Ash while meeting said Absol. I'd say it has to be, at most, until Hoenn since that's Absol's og region, but it can happen during Johto if the school takes a field trip to Hoenn or she finds it during a regular field trip in Kalos. I want to continue with my thoughts on this story but I'll leave it for later or tomorrow when I catch up to the rest of the chapters.
So (after a break from reading and going to class) I finally managed to catch up to the latest chapter, this being both a blessing and a curse. I have scant knowledge on the fate series but what little I know makes me confident that whatever is implemented into Fated is going to be great (which it certainly has been so far). I have enjoyed basically everything in this story so it's a bit hard to choose which topics to touch in this comment.
First off, my reason for even beginning this story, Amour. When I started reading, I definitely wasn't expecting their reunion (at least the physical one) to be so far away; however, I am very satisfied with both the in-world reasons and your own personal reasons. The in-world reason is perfect because of Ash and his stubbornness to fulfil his promises, while the other reason of having them both grow separately and making the eventual reunion much more fulfilling is great. I specially enjoy the dual story perspectives given between them and how us the readers can experience this pokemon world from different angles at the same point in time.
The world building and foreshadowing has been a delight, as a One Piece fan it's something that I truly enjoy when reading long stories. Something we seem to have in common is a dislike towards the AOT ending and the forced romantic implications between Eren and Mikasa. I had a preference towards Eren and Historia but even if I wasn't hoping for that, the ending made a mockery of Eren. It was going well and "From You, 2000 Years Ago" was an incredible thing but after that? Truly fell off hard.
The concept of incarnations and how legendaries work is very interesting, and I'm also excited to see more incarnations in the future. I don't know much about the concept of origin but the idea that has been explained so far is intriguing. I know that Cynthia's epithet is getting saved up for some special moment, however I'd love to know if that's happening when it's time to go to Sinnoh (aka not happening in a while) or before Sinnoh but with the Kalos gang. Another question regarding epithets is if they're given only to league winners (since I think something about that was mentioned) or if strong trainers can get their epithets even if they end up as a league runner-up for example (thinking about canon Ash in Kalos and maybe even Sinnoh although he lost in the semifinal). To finish this comment, I wanted to suggest having the Fated: Grimoires of Knowledge as another story instead of leaving it in your profile so that we can still read it in case you decide to add something before an update to the main story.
Oh? A new face! Thanks for the lengthy review, Perseus! (Great name, Greek names go hard af)
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Serena and Absol: Lmao, someone gets it. Absol being a disaster sensor plus Ash's bad luck is just comedy gold.
As for the capture, you're pretty much right on the dot that Absol's coming at Hoenn since it's from that region. And believe me, Hoenn major events are gonna be bonkers. Absol's working overtime when Ash gets to Hoenn, believe me.
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Amour: This is amazing motivation for me since I know quite a lot of readers are itching for the reunion. The best I could do was the dual perspective and since you are enjoying it, that's great for me.
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World building: Thanks for the compliment, but I don't think Fated's at the level of One Piece. The foreshadowing in OP is actually nuts since G5 is foreshadowed from Skypiea to Wano, a total of around 600 chapters! That's insane, and Fated will never be that goated.
AOT: THANK YOUUUUUU! FINALLYYYY, A NORMAL HUMAN BEING!
It's fucking crazy how people could defend that shit that it loops back to being amazing.
Historia deserved better, Mikasa's only redeeming point is that her voice actress is Yui Ishikawa (I love her)
The moment the final season part 69 or whatever removed the scene of Armin thanking Eren was the moment I knew the people who hated the ending won. The Fumbling arc was trash and the only redeeming part about the ending was the extra pages, where Paradis was bombed anyway. Armin didn't do shit, as expected.
Fuck I hate every single of them. (Not Jean though, he was the only sane one who kinda got gaslighted to join the Alliance) (Why the fuck was Jean not commander?!)
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Incarnations & Legendaries: I'm glad it's interesting since it is both a ORV and FF16 reference.
ORV's characters are referred to as Incarnations while FF16 relationship between Eikons and Dominants are basically Fated's version of it.
Don't worry, more Incarnations are coming later in the story. As for Origins, think of it as your life's path (that's the most apt description I can give)
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Cynthia's epithet: For the Pokemon fans, it's probably a headscratcher but for the Fate fans... Oh boy, it's a title drop.
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Epithets: Alrighty, let's explain this.
Epithets are earned when a Trainer officially wins a League, meaning the Conferences.
Of course, since Ash didn't win the Grand League so he has not received his official epithet.
The Faker nickname he has in actually an unofficial epithet he got from Battler's Board, an in-universe Reddit-like website about Trainers.
Those powerscalers and 'um, acksually' users are on there so they give them the nicknames if they feel like the Trainers deserve it. I would know, since I use Reddit.
As for what Ash's official epithet is gonna be... It's VERY similar to Cynthia's.
Hell, it's the opposite for Ash in that Fate fans might not get the epithet but the Pokémon fans are gonna be hyped as hell.
Ash and Cynthia are VERY connected in a way. How? ...C'mon, I'm a writer, not a spoiler.
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Grimoires: That's a good idea since after writing the first entry, I kinda got bored. Making it into a book might gimme some motivation to actually write so thanks for that. It's probably gonna happen after M03 though.
lolwhatno:
I absolutely love what you did to this story. Your story never fails to to give me a fresh dopamine rush, especially with the imagery you add with the highlighted words. And the battles, oh, the battles. I'd love to see a batshit crazy Ash with arrogance reaching the sky. One thing I need to know is if the Pallet trio and Serena are gonna be traveling together or not. I can already imagine the crack fic we'll get in the filler scenes if we do get that. Your story is the best I've ever read! Since I like to Imagine a lot while reading, your writing style boosts up my mood even if I'm only revisiting a scene. Thanks a lot for making everyday better with this.
Aww, thanks for the review, man. It really means a lot to me.
Batshit crazy Ash was asked for. And in this chapter, you're getting him again.
Pallet trio and Serena travelling together is something I kinda wanna write since its the OGs hanging out. (Lemme just write that down real quick...)
Filler is happening only after the timeskip since we gotta keep moving to THAT part.
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In fact, lemme just say... Ash isn't actually the crazy one in the relationship, despite how I describe him.
In the most basic sense of the word 'insanity', that goes to Serena. (Insanity is doing the same time over and over again)
Serena's the crazy one. But then again, Ash is also insane in the mental sense. ARGH!
Both of these lovebirds are actually insane.
Serena being 'the one who waits' for about around 7 years now in-universe and NEVER forgot about Ash is kinda messed up if you really think about it.
That's why, although I hate it, some Amour fics that has Ash attending school while Serena is already in a relationship before the former gets her back kinda get it right.
It is unrealistic to hold onto a fleeting crush after nearly 7 years, and it's normal to love someone else and forget about it.
The fact that Serena was willing to wait (probably forever if it ever took that long) is just mental.
So yeah, TLDR: Our favourite Amour couple consists of two VERY crazy people.
Rajiv A. Rajaram:
So we finally see Larvitar and we ofc get the sad flashback thanks to Zacian that shows the pain he went through as an egg. As always it's the damn TR bastards! As always I don't really know the Fate terms cause I haven't dived into that series as yet but I do plan to sometime soon. Congrats on finishing school btw! You should be very proud! Looking forward to the next chapter to see where we go from here.
Thanks again, Rajiv! And thanks for the congrats!
I find that Team Rocket is a very easy explanation for bad things happening to people so I like rolling with it.
The sad flashback from Zacian serves as an explanation on how Ash managed to see Pikachu's memories back then.
(Slight spoilers but both Pikachu and Larvitar's memories actually has one single constant)
That's right. She has always been there with Ash. The Sword just made it easier for her to communicate.
And that's it! Enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 77: Clutch Critical
Goldenrod City, Johto Region
A few days later, the group had arrived at their destination for the boys' Badge.
"It's hoooome!" Brendan cheered exaggeratedly.
The white-hatted boy was glad to be back in his homeplace.
Meanwhile, Ash surveyed the city with interest while Larvitar was placed in a makeshift baby carrier on his front.
"Pika…" / "Kero…"
The two Pokémon on the boy's shoulders watched in fascination at the device Larvitar was playing for entertainment.
'Man, if it wasn't for Exceeding's conditioning, ain't no way these 3 are making me budge an inch…' Ash quipped to himself, slightly impressed by his own strength to carry 3 Pokémon by himself.
Larvitar giggled in his carrier, his tiny legs swinging in delight as he played with the device Ash gave him.
"You find it fun?" the raven-haired boy tickled the baby.
"Yogu!" the green reptile nodded.
"Looks like the console's still working."
As it turned out, Ash had given Larvitar his old handheld console so that he would not get bored on the road. The reptile was incredibly enjoying the game booted onscreen.
"Let's get going, I wanna go home!" Brendan exclaimed.
"Yeah, let's get going," Misty agreed with Ash nodding as well.
While the group were ambling the streets, an impressed voice came into Ash's mind.
Fascinating…
'The game?' Ash relayed his thoughts.
Right now, Larvitar was playing a game featuring a turn-based Pokémon game.
Aye, tis rather an interesting one. What in Gaia's graces is this… 'game'?
'Ah, so we're starting from there…'
'It's a form of entertainment recorded inside the cartridge and the console's the one that displays and runs the game.'
Hmm… And what is the little one doing now?
Ash turned to see what was happening on the screen and understood what he was doing.
'Ah, he's looking at stats, basically their status window,' he answered.
'Though, how does he already know min-maxing? He's only a few days old…'
The child was learning at a frightening pace.
A 'status window'… Dost it shows the recorded data of an individual in numeric or alphabetic values?
'Um, yeah, something like that. I'm surprised you even know the word 'data'.'
Art thou calling me old and wizened, dear?
"Nothing of the sorts!" he suddenly yelled out before covering his mouth.
"Ash?" Misty and Brendan raised their brows at his reaction.
"Ahahaha… Oh look, something else to change the topic! Let's pay attention to it!" the raven-haired boy pointed in a panic.
The novice Trainer shrugged it off before continuing to lead the way to his house while the redhead lingered a little longer at the darting Ash with a suspicious gaze.
Still, a board that allows one to view their information, is it?
How convenient…
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Brendan's home, Goldenrod City
It was a humble abode. Nothing too fancy.
The house was similar in appearance to the ones in New Bark Town.
'Huh. I wonder if those 3 kids' house are like this,' Misty thought to herself.
Just then, the door swung open to reveal a woman with short khaki brown hair. She took one glance at Brendan and immediately rushed towards him, embracing him in a loving hug.
"Brendan! Oh you made it!" she squealed with swelling pride.
Larvitar watched as the mother-son duo conversed, silently looking down with a hint of sadness.
Pat, pat, pat.
The green reptile felt 3 hands patting his rocky head, all of them differing in size and shape.
The newborn spun upwards to identify Ash, Pikachu and Froakie as the participants for his uplifting. The 3 did not say a word nor did they glance at him, but they were taking care of him, nonetheless.
"Yogu…" he closed his eyes, affectionally digging his head deeper into their palms for their warmth.
"You two must be the ones Professor Elm talked about," Brendan's mother greeted with a smile.
"Yes, ma'am. Nice to meet you," Ash bowed in a polite manner.
"Oh, don't be so stiff," the woman laughed.
"My name's Mitsuko and do come in. It's been a while since I've had visitors due to the move."
…
The group sat in the living room while the Pokémon gathered on the carpet, enjoying the food Ash had prepared beforehand the previous night.
"So you're Ash. It may be belated but congratulations for Top 2 in the Grand League," the mother beamed.
"Thanks, ma— I mean, Mitsuko…san. Been a while since then," Ash chuckled sheepishly.
"Oh right! You participated in the Orange League as well, didn't you?"
"Yeah. Drake was really tough, I barely edged out the win."
Remembering how Ash snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, the raven-haired boy had no doubts that even if he were fit to battle in the Grand League Finals, he would have lost badly against Lance. Embarrassingly so.
The humans conversed while the Pokémon ate. And before long, new guests arrived.
"Mitsuko, we're here!" a familiar voice called out.
Misty and Ash widened their eyes as the new group of people showed themselves, sending the raven-haired boy into an excited frenzy.
"Bill!" the boy exclaimed.
"Ash! It's good to see you!" the older man replied in kind.
The two had not seen each other since the Grand League and were glad to reunite again.
"How're ya here?" Ash asked.
"Goldenrod's my home, didn't you know?" the older man grinned.
"Is Daisy with you?"
"Nah, but we're gonna meet up soon since she's coming here from Kanto."
As the two did their catching up, Brendan and Misty greeted the others.
"Professor Elm," they bowed.
"Ahaha… I feel awkward if you did that. Please, act normally when I'm here," the researcher chuckled nervously.
And last but not least…
"Hey, it's Ash!" a pompous voice shrieked.
The raven-haired boy turned to the sound, only to find the children he met in New Bark Town tagging along the adults.
"Ethan, Lyra and… Silver, right?" he fumbled at the last kid's name.
"Hehe, fancy seeing you here," Ethan snickered.
"Hello, it's been a long time…" Lyra bowed shyly.
Silver merely nodded.
Apparently, ever since Elm offered to help Mitsuko pack due to Brendan's absence, the woman got familiar with the children and adored them very much.
While Ethan and Lyra interacted with the Pokémon, Ash sat on the couch as he drifted into his thoughts.
Plop.
The red-haired child sat next to the raven-haired boy, causing the latter to switch his attention swiftly.
"Hey, Nii-san?" Silver started.
"Y-yeah?" Ash stuttered.
"Why don't you like my Dad?"
'And here it is. A pain in the ass question…' Ash kept it to himself.
"…He's not a bad guy," the child defended.
"I don't know the guy that you hate. But my Dad is the greatest guy around."
"Pft."
Ash failed to apply his filter, accidentally letting out a scoff in return. Silver widened his eyes at the Trainer's reaction, slowly letting anger replace his expression. But before he could yell, the bloodred eyes stared deep.
'That scum who lets his grunts kill Pokémon for the sake of profits? Yeah, right,' he balled his fist.
"Then let me throw your words back at you," Ash glared.
"I don't know the guy that you like. But Giovanni will always be my enemy whether you like it or not."
It was childish to argue with Silver, and Ash knew that. But he did not care.
He just wanted a scapegoat to vent, and poor Silver just happened to be the perfect target.
"Ash."
A sharp pain bit into the boy's ear, eliciting a yelp.
"Ow, ow, ow! Misty, give!" Ash tapped out.
"Keep quiet and move over there. Shoo, shoo," she waved the bot away.
A small grumbled protested but the raven-haired boy relented anyways.
"Sorry about him," Misty smiled cheerily to the young child.
"Is it true? That my Dad's a bad person?" Silver questioned softly.
The Gym Leader pondered at the child's question before patting his hair of red.
"Your father, Moroder Giovanni, was someone who Ash… didn't see eye to eye," Misty tried her best to put it lightly.
"Actually, scratch that. None of us saw Giovanni eye to eye with what he had done in the past. So in our eyes, he was undeniably evil."
The red-haired child scrunched up his shorts, frowning at the revelation.
"But…"
He looked up in surprise.
"I believe people can change."
The Gym Leader gave a warm beam as she gazed at the troubled child.
"Seeing you defend your father so heroically tells me so. That's why even if I can't trust Giovanni…"
Her dainty finger poked Silver's forehead playfully.
"I'll just hafta trust your words then."
Silver had to turn away quickly from Misty's glowing expression, lest he exposed his burning face.
…
The raven-haired boy took a seat outside the house, trying his best to collect his thoughts from his angered state.
Thy anger was misplaced, Tonelico.
"I know… Damnit," Ash scratched his head of raven in frustration.
The sins of the father must never be placed unto the son. Tis an unwanted burden.
Zacian drove home her point to which even Ash understood.
"Has anyone told ya that ya don't mince words?"
My predecessor for one. As well as a certain obnoxious mage who chases skirts.
'Nimue, huh? Yeah, she's definitely the type to say what's on her mind…'
"…Y'know, I really wanna know more about you."
Fufu. Thou will… in time.
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Goldenrod Gym, Johto Region
It was finally time for the boys' next Gym, namely Goldenrod Gym.
And waiting for them at the entrance…
Was a bubbly teenager with pink hair.
"Heyo~! You two must be the ones Professor Elm and Bill told me about!" she addressed cheerfully.
Seeing her unique look, Brendan whispered to Ash.
"Hey, Ash?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm starting to know how to spot Gym Leaders."
"Eh, you get used to it."
"And from my appearance, you can tell which Type I specialize in!"
The two boys drew a blank.
"It's Normal Types, sillies!"
'How the heck are you normal?!' Ash and Brendan retorted internally.
"I'm Whitney, by the way! And I'm the Goldenrod Gym Leader!" she grinned.
]=[
ATL Entry: Whitney Rubia
The Goldenrod City's Gym Leader. She specialized in Normal Types and was considered a rare gem among Johto due to her prowess despite her age. She was the granddaughter of the owner of Moomoo Farm, located in the outskirts of Goldenrod City.
]=[
"And also… Goldenrod's Incredibly Pretty Girl!" she winked at the two.
The adults behind them watched as the winking stars floated towards the boys.
Crack!
And immediately shatter upon impact.
"Woah, you two sure are resistant to my charm, huh?" Whitney twirled around the deadpanned duo.
'…I think I blacked out at the Incredibly Pretty Girl part,' Brendan held his tongue.
'…What Pretty Girl?' Ash held the urge to roll his eyes.
There was only one person the raven-haired boy would be dazzled by, after all.
"And since I'm a Pretty Girl, I also like beautiful people!"
'God, is she just gonna keep talking…?' Brendan's eye twitched.
"Such as you!"
Clasp!
Whitney instantly grabbed onto Brendan's hands with sparkling eyes.
"You have such a handsome face, it's a shame you're wearing that hat!"
"Lady, please move away!" he pulled down his hat, not wanting it to come off as he backed off from the teen..
Meanwhile…
"…"
"Oi, she just flat out ignored me, didn't she?" a vein popped.
"Pikapi…" / "Kero…"
'Zacian, I'm at least above average, right?' Ash turned to his godmother for help.
…
'She just straight up abandoned me!'
The raven-haired boy went up to the redhead to get a second opinion.
"Hey, Misty, can I ask you a question? I'm not that bad looking, aren't I?" he asked with a desperate tone.
All it took for Misty to answer was a scrunched-up expression of displeasure.
'Damnittttttttt!'
Even if Ash was not one to care much about appearances, the redhead's reaction still hurt.
.
.
.
.
.
"Man, what a mess…" Brendan commented off-handedly.
"No kidding. Kanto's Gym Leaders are more tolerable than her," Ash agreed.
"Yoguuu~" Larvitar cooed as he slurped his bottle of juice, courtesy of Brendan's ApriBlender.
"Chuu~" / "Keroo~"
The two others were enjoying themselves as well while the human boys talked.
The rest had entered the Gym before the two challengers with Whitney prohibiting them from entering.
"Hey Ash?" Misty called out.
"You're ugly," the raven-haired boy immediately answered without remorse.
"Uwah, you really carry a grudge, huh?"
She had informed them of a surprise when they enter on Whitney's command which had them nervous. With that, she went back in.
"Speaking of which, I heard quite some rumours when Whitney became Gym Leader," the white-hatted boy chatted.
"Apparently, she has a disgustingly strong Miltank that just decimates novice Trainers…"
'A Miltank… And judging by her specialty, that's really a huge problem,' the raven-haired boy determined.
Just then, Bill exited the Gym and beckoned Brendan to enter while he joined Ash.
"Well, see ya later!"
"Good luck."
…
"Here you go," Bill plopped the raven-haired boy's Bag in front of him.
"My Bag?" Ash quirked a brow, wondering why the man had brought it.
"I left it in Brendan's house though."
"Yeah, and since I made it, don't I have a right to fiddle with it?" Bill replied.
Ash could not argue with that logic, though he was slightly nervous that Bill might have accidentally noticed the GS Ball.
"As its creator, can I say something?"
'Does he know?' the boy gulped.
"Yeah?"
"Ash…"
"Why are you carrying an anvil?! Goodness, the Bag's Storage System can barely fit all of em!"
"I didn't even think that was possible!"
The scolding from Bill elicited a sheepish scratch on the cheek from the boy.
"But now…" Bill patted the Bag.
"Meet Bag 2.0!"
'Lame! His naming sense sucks!' Ash sweatdropped.
From what the Storage creator said, it was a vast improvement from Ash's previous iteration as it now held an even larger Storage space, meaning the raven-haired boy's portable forge was now a mere tenth of the overall space.
"And the best part…!"
Beep!
A small button pressed. The Bag's front compartment whirred open to reveal a miniature PC, stunning the boy.
"…Bill, this is…" he gasped.
"I'd heard how you hate entering Centres and while I think it's good for you to get used to them more, I would rather you have something like this to fall back on," Bill explained gently.
Ash's mouth turned upwards into a beaming smile before hugging the man with joy.
"Thank you, Bill! Really!" he laughed.
"Haha, don't mention it, kiddo," Bill returned the hug.
The researcher urged the boy to use it since Brendan would take a long time.
Using the Bag's PC, the boy's fingers glided across the keyboard, giddy at what he was about to do:
XYZ-047
Connecting…
"Red!"
His shining star came in the form of a honey blonde shimmering onscreen. It had been quite some time since he had seen her due to their trip through Ilex Forest.
"Yellow!"
As the two began to drift into their own little world, Bill and the Pokémon stepped away silently with Pikachu and Froakie holding Larvitar's hands. However…
"Yogu…" Larvitar frowned before shrugging off the two.
The newborn wanted to stay with Ash, waddling back to the raven-haired boy and gluing himself to his blue vest.
"Hey… You wanna stay?" the Trainer smiled as he cradled the baby Pokémon.
"Red?" the honey blonde tilted her head.
"Oh, right. Lemme introduce you…"
…
"I see. It's nice to meet you, Larvitar," Serena beamed.
"Yo… Yogu," the reptile nodded back shyly.
After getting briefed on Larvitar's situation, the honey blonde began to coddle the newborn even more. Luckily for her, Larvitar enjoyed her presence very much.
"Yogu! Gugu!" he giggled as Serena babbled cutely to the baby.
"Goo, goo! Hehe, you're such a cutie!"
"Hahaha!"
Ash joined in, laughing away as he basked in the moment between the 3 of them.
He held his gaze towards Serena, who was busy playing with the excitable Larvitar on the other side of the screen. Rummaging his mind, he recalled all the memories of summer camp; more specifically, the straw hat girl that resided in them.
The images blurred into one single clear person. The Serena he gazed upon:
So close, yet so far.
Absentminded, he reached out to the Bag's screen, catching the attention of the honey blonde.
Although her expression conveyed some degree of surprise, Serena decided to play along as she inched closer to her screen. As she did, it looked as if Ash's fingers were grazing gently on her soft cheek.
The raven-haired boy watched as Serena stared back with a content smile, returning it back with a gentle chuckle as they stayed there for quite some time, never breaking eye contact.
Pikachu and Froakie smiled, glad to see their Trainer so quiet and comforted while Bill looked in amazement at Ash's expression.
'Wow… He really likes… No, that word doesn't do that justice,' the researcher mused.
"Yogu?"
Larvitar had asked who Serena was to his Trainer, to which Ash gave a pat on the head.
"She's the star I'm searching for."
"You sure have a way with words, huh?" Serena smirked.
"…Yo," Larvitar pointed towards the honey blonde.
"Eh?! Mother?!" Ash panicked.
'Does he really see me as his dad?!'
He was terribly unprepared for this, but thankfully, his saviour spoke out with a gentle yet forlorn smile.
"Larvitar," she said hushly.
The green reptile listened intently.
"As much as how cute you're calling me your mother, I can't."
"Yogu…" he whined.
"Your real Mama is still out there. And I can't replace her."
"…But you have Re- Ash with you. So take care of him for me, okay?"
"Yogu!" the baby nodded enthusiastically.
"You really have no faith in me, huh?" Ash groaned, playfully holding his chest as if he was hurt.
"Pft, says the bad guy who worries me every day," Serena shot back, equally as playful.
"Oh? Now I'm a bad guy, huh?"
"Am I speaking to anyone else?"
The two continued their teasing banter, leaving a turned around Bill biting his lip in frustration.
'Just start dating already!'
"Pika…"
"Kero…"
The two Pokémon agreed as if they had heard Bill's turmoil.
.
.
.
"Ash… It's your turn," Brendan came out from the Gym's side entrance with a weary expression.
'Woah, he looks like crap…' the raven-haired boy noted his haggard appearance.
"Must be tough," Ash snickered.
"You've got no idea, man," Brendan grumbled.
"Her Miltank was really scary! I won, but I'm never battling her ever again!"
"Goldenrod's Gym Leader… Is it Whitney?" Serena asked.
"Oh, Serena! Wait, when did your Bag double as a PC?!"
.
.
.
.
.
Goldenrod Gym, Goldenrod City
The raven-haired boy entered by himself, Pikachu and Froakie took little Larvitar to the audience seats.
The reason stemmed from Brendan's words about Goldenrod's Gym; that before any challengers gained the right to battle the Gym Leader, they had to pass a trial to see who was worthy.
'I see. No wonder it sounded familiar,' Ash mused to himself.
'It's basically the Orange League Challenges.'
What greeted the raven-haired boy at the entrance was a claustrophobic room made of mâché walls. Right at the middle was a podium with a piece of paper:
The Goldenrod Labyrinth.
Complete the maze to get a little peek at this adorable me~!
It took every ounce of willpower for Ash not to rip the paper into shreds.
"Haah… I'm guessin' ya watching me now?" he said with his question echoing into the air.
{ Hehe! You guessed right! }
'A PA system?' his bloodred eyes traced the sound to the loudspeaker at the corner.
{ How did you know I was watching? }
Whitney's tone was genuinely curious, and Ash answered back with nonchalance.
"Brendan didn't tell me about a labyrinth and since these walls are light, this is probably an impromptu challenge made by you," he explained as he knocked on the rather thin walls.
"Cuz this is an improvised challenge, ain't no way ya just gonna leave me alone, right?"
{ Wow! Well, you're right about that. }
{ FYI, your friend's challenge was to herd the Miltanks I brought from my Grampa's farm! }
'Talk about easy mode…' Ash sighed.
{ I got the idea from the Turffield Gym in Galar. I'm smart, aren't I? }
'…Hm?'
"Wait, so why do I get a labyrinth? Why not just gimme the herding challenge?"
{ Well, you see… You do remember what the prize is for completion, right? }
"As stupid as it sounds, a peek at you?" the boy deadpanned.
{ Yep, I can't refuse any Gym challenges, but I can delay them like this~ }
"…And why would you do that?"
{ Because I don't like how you look, silly! }
"…"
{ Toodles~! Do your best to fail, kay? }
A deathly silence screamed around the raven-haired boy, his fist clenching in boiling rage as he muttered a single word with a strained grin.
"…"
"Bitch."
.
.
.
Back at the stands, the group were peering above the battlefield where Whitney was smiling perkily as well as the labyrinth that included the path to said field. However, due to the ceiling of the labyrinth, the people could not see Ash, effectively trapping him within.
"This girl…" Elm facepalmed with a sigh.
"How is she a Gym Leader?!" Misty snarled with frustration.
"It's not anyone's right to give an impossible trial just because they don't wanna see them!"
Brendan's mind weighed the scales in his head. One side was his Badge he received from Whitney and another, Ash himself. The white-hatted boy did not even hesitate to favour Ash, having an overwhelming tendency to throw away said Badge.
"How could she do this…?!" he grinded his teeth.
And next to him… a Bag PC showing an angered honey blonde exhaling sharply.
"Hey, are Johto people this punchable? No offense, Brendan."
"None taken. This gal pisses me off too."
The two were in agreement while Pikachu and Froakie nodded. Thankfully, Larvitar was too absorbed in his handheld console to listen, courtesy of his two caretakers.
"Yogu?"
"Oh, it's nothing, sweetie. Oh look! You're about to level up!" Serena tried to distract the green reptile, who happily nodded and returned to his game.
The honey blonde was quite taken with the baby and vice versa.
"Oh right, I forgot! Alrighty, there's no rules for my challenge but since I just got done with that pretty boy over there…" Whitney started talking again, making sure Ash could hear through the loudspeakers.
"The only rule will be if you don't make it out of my labyrinth within 3 minutes, you're immediately disqualified for the day, no, make it a week!"
"Pikachu, Froakie, get her ass!" the honey blonde exploded.
"Pika!" / "Kero!"
The two Pokémon were in agreement towards the unfairness of the situation. They were truly in disbelief as to how the pink-haired teen was even a Gym Leader in the first place.
'What a fickle girl!' Bill and Elm thought simultaneously.
"Eh?! So that means Ash won't be able to battle for a whole week?!" Ethan howled in surprise.
"Ethan! You can't assume Ash Nii-san won't be able to pass!" Lyra chided, unbefitting of her timid nature.
"But I can't see any way for that guy to make it in 3 minutes…" Silver muttered.
Everyone watched in anticipation as to what Ash would answer with. Normally, they would expect the raven-haired boy to object to such a disgustingly biased trial. And so, Elm and Bill were already prepared to defend Ash, their bodies slightly inching forward.
However…
{ …Haaah. }
{ Oi, kuso-onna*. }
(Shitty woman*)
The voice was as sharp as a blade, pointed directly at Whitney, who jittered slightly at the change of tone.
{ If the only rule is a 3-minute time limit… }
{ May I request it to be changed to 1 minute? }
That demand shocked everyone involved, including Whitney.
"Ehhh? Are you trying to lose on purpose?" the pink-haired teen drawled, bordering on sarcasm.
"Well, I guess you can save face with that! Okay, then! See ya next week!"
A devilish grin widened on the boy's face.
READY.
"What's that brat thinking?!" Misty clutched her head.
GET SET…
"Your friend isn't going to make it, dear," Mitsuko fretted.
"Mom, you don't know Ash," Brendan watched intently.
"That guy's a crazy dude."
GO!
…
BOOM!
At once, a loud crack could be heard at the entrance.
CRACK!
Another bang echoed.
BOOM!
CRACK!
BOOM!
All the deafening sounds…
BOOM!
CRACK!
BOOM!
Were coming from one single direct line.
BOOOOM!
The labyrinth's wall burst open with dust clouds diffusing into the air as the entity behind it walked out:
A raven-haired boy with bruised hands ambling towards the battlefield with a deranged grin plastered on his face.
'Did he… break through the walls?' Whitney blinked.
'They might be mâché but it's not something a normal person would punch through…'
"RED!" a voice from the Bag cried out.
The loud cry was enough to catch Ash's attention as he looked up to the stands, reverting to his easy-going smile.
"I'm fine, Yellow," he waved back with his bruised hand.
Hastened steps closed as a white-hatted boy rushing towards him with a first aid kit. Pikachu and Froakie nested on his shoulders as well.
"You're really crazy, you know that?" Brendan sighed.
"Green and Blue told me that quite a lot," Ash laughed cheekily.
His new bandages wrapped up both his hands nicely, giving the boy a vibe similar to a martial artist.
'But I'm technically a knight class, right?' he pondered after being subjected to watch Larvitar gaming for quite some time.
The RPG terms had begun to return to his tongue.
Thou art a mage, Tonelico.
'But I use swords, tho—'
Thou art a mage.
'…Yes.'
Zacian was uncharacteristically adamant on that part, as if she had some grievances regarding knights.
Misty came down with his Bag in tow, Serena's visuals shown on the screen still worried.
"This ain't nothing to me, Yellow. Don't worry about it," Ash flexed his arm with a confident grin.
'This is why I call you a bad guy, dummy…'
"Okay… But don't go overboard, okay?" Serena requested with dewy eyes.
'Gosh, she's so cute!' his heart lurched.
"Yeah, I'll be—"
"Hey, hey. You ready or not, Faker?" Whitney interrupted again, still carrying a smiley expression.
Both Ash and Serena's veins popped angrily at the ditzy teen, who looked confused as to what she did wrong.
'Wait a minute, could she be a…?' Ash narrowed.
"…I take it back," the honey blonde glared.
The raven-haired boy turned back to the Bag's screen, finding an aloof Serena nodding to him.
"My dear Red?" Serena asked, slightly shifting gears into a queen-like manner.
'Oh, so we roleplaying now, huh?' Ash thought with amusement.
"Yeah? I mean, yes?"
"Come closer."
His face inched closer to the screen, lending his ear to Serena. He was so close that he could hear the soft breathing of the honey blonde, causing him to gulp.
'Damnit, Bill. Why's the sound quality so good? This isn't needed…' Ash complained.
The boy was lying through his teeth.
He was ecstatic. Cloud nine, even.
Smooch.
The pleasant sound of a kiss snapped Ash towards the screen in alarm as he witnessed the mischievous smirk on Serena's face.
"Only for today… Teach that woman a lesson."
Her voice was like honey, yet her words were venomous.
Ash shivered as he awaited his orders, heart pounding madly as he awaited her command whilst failing to contain the warped smile on his face.
A coquettish whisper:
"Go wild for me."
Snap!
There went the boy's line of reason.
"…Heracross, I choose you."
The blue beetle materialized from his capsule, flexing his arms as he got ready to—
"No. Carry my Bag back to the stands."
The raven-haired boy's eyes were shrouded by his bangs.
His tone was even and plain.
"Froakie," he addressed.
"…Ke! Kero!" the blue frog grinned.
As the others save for Ash and Froakie left, Whitney finally spoke.
"Since it's the Faker, I'll go with my Level 2 Pokémon as requested by Professor Elm," the Gym Leader said.
"But since your vibes are reeking, let's go for a 1v1. Don't wanna stay too long."
"Wha?! What kind of Gym Leader does th—" the redhead objected.
"Sure," Ash agreed immediately, silencing Misty.
"Wow, at least you're a fast thinker," Whitney whistled.
Hearing this, the raven-haired boy broke into a laugh.
"Nah, I'm just wondering…"
The Water specialist had a wave of déjà vu, akin to the time against Falkner.
"How much of a sore loser you'd look like when you lose."
A demonic grin stretched on the boy's expression, crazed eyes locking in.
The deranged and arrogant Ash was back.
.
.
.
"Standard or Unrestricted?" Whitney asked.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Ash smirked back.
The pink-haired teen retained her bubbly expression, but the air around her gradually shifted into hostility.
'Don't even need AURA to know she's pissed,' the boy thought without a hint of cautiousness.
"Kero," Froakie croaked.
"Yeah, there's a reason. Next to Pikachu, you're the strongest one I have now," Ash grinned.
"Since Yellow brought you to me and has given me permission to go all out, who better than you, Froakie?"
"Kero!"
"Ya ready to go, brat? It'll be an Unrestricted 1v1," the Gym Leader asked.
"C'mon then. Run the ones, genki bitch."
Both ready like gunslingers in the West, they called out their Pokémon to the field.
"Froakie, I choose you!"
"Let's start pretty, Ditto!"
The blue frog was face to face against a familiar blob, widening Ash and Froakie's eyes in surprise. However, instead of a pink colour, the Pokémon had a light blue body, sparkling in the process.
From the stands, the children watched with interest as Froakie and Ditto squared up.
"A Ditto!" Ethan recognized.
"That frog's so cute!" Lyra squealed.
"A Shiny Pokémon!" Silver exclaimed.
Meanwhile, Misty was freaking out.
'Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.'
Seeing Ash on his high horse was conflicting for her. On one hand, she was glad that the boy could go all out. On another, she feared the consequences of a ruined battlefield as well as the humiliation if Ash were to lose.
"Don't worry, Misty," Serena assured from her screen.
"Red's going to win this!"
Just then, a yellow fox hopped onto her lap, peeking through the screen to see Froakie on the battlefield.
"Fou, fou!" her eyes shined brightly at the sight of the Kalos starter.
"Yeah, it's Froakie," the honey blonde lifted the Fire starter on her lap for the latter to watch.
"Let's cheer for them."
"Fooouuu!" she yipped.
…
'A Shiny Ditto,' the boy observed, remembering Professor Ivy's lecture on identification.
The blue frog trained his eyes on the light blue blob but allowed a smile on his face when he heard the familiar yip.
"Make a move. [Transform] for all we care," Ash shrugged.
"Hah, I don't know what that little girl on that screen did to you, but being so cocky might be your downfall, y'know?" she warned sarcastically.
"Ahaha… Try me," he goaded.
"Ditto…" she prepared her first move.
As Ash anticipated the Ditto's incoming transformation, his mind began to formulate his imaged scenarios.
'Never thought of a mirror match against Froakie but we can definitely wi—'
0.13 seconds elapsed.
Ziiiipppppp…!
A sharp tentacle slithered blindingly towards the unaware Froakie, nearly getting hit if not for the sudden callout from his Trainer.
"DODGE, FROAKIE!"
Crack!
A backflip evaded the blitzing tentacle, prompting both Froakie and Ash to let out a held breath as they watched in bewilderment towards their opponents.
'If I didn't shout, Froakie would've been cooked immediately…' he gulped.
"Heeeh… You can see it," Whitney smiled jovially.
'What the… Ditto didn't [Transform]?' the raven-haired boy noted the appearance of the unchanging pink blob.
The extended tentacle retreated back, returning back to Ditto as if nothing had happened.
'Wait…'
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me…" Ash broke into a feral grin.
"That's right. My Ditto doesn't [Transform] but uses its body's properties instead!" the pink-haired teen revealed while sticking out her tongue.
A Ditto that did not use the move [Transform], but instead relied on its biological freedom to battle. It was something Ash had never seen before.
And he was elated.
"This is getting fun! Right, Froakie?" Ash grinned.
"Kero!" the blue frog readied his needle of light.
Recognizing her surprise copied [Quick Attack] did not work, Whitney got into stance and started her move first.
"Ditto, launch into the air!"
The light blue blob polymorphed itself into a spring before bouncing into high up into the air.
"Jump and [Cut]!" Ash called out.
The blue frog collected all his might into his legs and leaped into the air, brandishing his needle.
"Now squash him!" Whitney cheered.
Ditto instantly switched gear, morphing now into a gigantic rotund sphere as it prepared to crash down onto the ascending frog.
"Khh! [Double Team]!" Ash thought fast.
Knowing his Trainer's intentions, Froakie summoned a single clone, earning the confused look from the Gym Leader.
'Ehhh, only one? Did he panic?' Whitney placed a finger on her cheek, acting cute.
However, what followed next answered her puzzlement.
"Kero!" the clone croaked as it kicked the real Froakie away.
SQUASH!
The bouncy Ditto landed, crushing the clone while Froakie was still mid-air from the hurtless kick.
"Woah, you can do that?! Looks like you're more interesting than you look, Faker!" the pink-haired teen praised condescendingly.
"And your heart's the opposite of your skin colour!" Ash shot back with a sweat falling down his cheek.
…
The audience watched with hitched breath as they beheld the match below. A Ditto that did not [Transform] against the Kalos starter.
In two moves, Whitney had already snatched the upper hand while Ash and Froakie could only respond back.
"This isn't good. That Ditto's too unpredictable," Misty observed closer, biting her nail in the process.
"I've never thought about it, but I can get why Ditto using [Transform] is a double-edged sword," Bill caressed his chin.
"Why, why?" Ethan clamoured for answers.
"If Ditto were to [Transform], it would become Froakie, but it would just even the playing field, which Ash would win in the end," the researcher explained.
"But by utilizing its unique biology, Ditto is effectively confusing its opponents while simultaneously gaining the advantage with its attacks."
Brendan watched in worry as the blue frog could only defend himself while Ditto's everchanging state brought more second-guessing.
The only reason why Froakie and Ash were barely hanging on was Mind's Eye. And due to their peculiar syncing, the blue frog could react as well.
But even a novice like him knew it was only a matter of time.
"Fou, fou! Fooouuu!" Fennekin yipped, trying her best to cheer on her friend.
"Don't give up, Red! You got this!" Serena mirrored her Pokémon.
Elm watched in silence with Silver and an anxious Lyra.
Pikachu and a summoned Chikorita began to do their cheerleading number for Froakie while Heracross twiddled its claws.
And Larvitar… watched Ash closely…
Especially the bestial grin on his face.
…
"Had enough yet?!" Whitney taunted.
Ditto turned the sides of its light blue body into gum-like fists. The barrage of punches narrowly missing the weaving frog, who was visibly high on adrenaline.
'This is it…' Ash thought to himself.
'This is the first Gym match in Johto that's ever cornered me like this!'
Elation did this boy no justice as his excitement broke the limit before locking onto the light blue blob.
"Froakie, those are all targets!" Ash cried out.
The blue frog immediately conjured his needle of light and as he evaded each punch…
Shhrrk!
He used [Cut] on the extended arm. Each and every time.
"Back off, Ditto!" Whitney commanded.
As its Trainer's order, Ditto withdrew its gummy fists as it revealed its body with some light lacerations.
"You're not bad, Faker!" the pink-haired teen commended, genuinely this time.
"I figured it out," he caught his breath.
"Whitney, you're at least a Talented, aren't you?"
]=[
ATL Entry: Trainer Scale
There existed a scale whereby a Trainer's abilities were measured by battle potency. This scale was used to gauge how much potential a Trainer had.
In ascending order:
Average, Talented, Natural, Genius, Gifted, Savant.
]=[
'Judging by how she battles, she's at most a Natural,' he mused.
'I know how strong a Genius is, after all.'
Somewhere…
"Achooo!" Gary sneezed.
"Ahhh, the Trainer Scale? You're a bit off there," the Gym Leader laughed.
"I'm a Natural actually!"
Ditto resumed its assault with Ash and Froakie beginning to fight back.
"Froakie, [String Shot (Fake)]!"
The blue frog nodded as he threw a rope made of Frubbles heading for the gummy Pokémon. Whitney saw the attack and ignored it, believing it to be a feint.
"Your Fake moves really live up to their name!" Whitney grinned.
"Really? Cuz I was lying!" Ash beamed, finally able to trick someone.
The Frubble rope expanded, revealing a weblike shape that trapped the surprised Ditto.
"[Spider Web (Fake)], courtesy of Bugsy!"
Now trapped, the blue frog dashed at high speed, charging a [Water Pulse] in his hand.
"Eat this!" / "Kero!"
But it went awry immediately.
Before the sphere of water could connect, the morphing blob changed its form once more, into a small rubber ball, squeezing itself out of the web and dodging the [Water Pulse] simultaneously.
Ash witnessed this with widened eyes as the light blue blob bounced behind the Kalos starter, ready to counterattack.
"Ditto, [Slam]!"
The little rubber ball extended its tentacle, changing it into a wrecking ball before smashing it onto Froakie.
BANG!
"Ke…!" Froakie grunted.
CRASH!
The blue frog was flung back, creating a dust cloud as he collapsed.
"Froakie!" Ash cried out.
"See? This is what happens when you're too overconfident," Whitney beamed, uncaring about her challenger's state.
As luck would have it, Zacian made her presence known.
Ho… What a troublesome opponent.
'Zacian?' Ash watched as Froakie struggled to get back up.
Thy opponent's Origin might prove difficult for thee, Tonelico.
'Origin? What's that?' he continued to help Froakie fend off the incoming onslaught of sharp tentacles.
Tis one's defining concept. The path of life in which one walks.
The raven-haired boy could tell it was abridged somewhat but he got the idea anyways.
'And what's her Origin? Does it affect her battle style?'
Aye. The lass' Origin is Whimsicality. She may not be aware, but she is remarkably in tune with it.
Taking what he had learnt about Origins and the implications of Whimsicality, Ash could picture what it meant for his current match.
'…This isn't good.'
…
'This isn't good…' Serena watched with uneasiness.
After being trained by Cynthia for so long, the honey blonde had developed a feel for Battles. With everything gathered currently, she knew Ash was at a gradual disadvantage.
'That Ditto is too unpredictable. No matter what Red does, it can escape or negate it,' she pondered.
'I get what Brendan means now. [Transform] is a bait and trap for Ditto Trainers to rely on. What Whitney is showing is the full potential of a base Ditto!'
"Fou…" Fennekin gazed anxiously at Froakie's desperate deflects, knowing he was operating close to his limits.
…
The barrage of spikes came to an end as Ditto was finally feeling exhausted.
Froakie had taken significant damage from the wrecking ball-shaped Ditto as well as the stray hits from the earlier barrages.
"You're good… Faker," Whitney grinned as a bead of sweat arced down her neck.
"Looking how mentally drained you are now… I can definitely see some sort of attractiveness."
'Huh?' Serena twitched.
"And you're not as annoying as you look anymore. You should try being serious more often, brings out some charm to ya," Ash smirked.
'Et tu, Red?!'
The boy was too tired to implement any sort of filter and so, he spoke his mind without discretion. It got to the point that both Trainers were grinning ear to ear, enjoying the match thus far.
But unlike Ditto, Froakie was an exact mirror to his Trainer.
"Kero…" the blue frog wiped his sweat.
"Hey… Faker…" Whitney huffed.
"What…?" Ash replied, similarly lethargic.
"Ever heard of… phagocytosis?"
The raven-haired boy had heard of it before, an expression of recognition washed on his face.
'Isn't that when a white blood cell gets rid of—'
"FROAKIE!" Ash yelled out at the height of his lungs.
"Too late! Get him!" Whitney commanded.
Promptly, the Shiny Pokémon expanded across the battlefield, covering it as the Transform Pokémon was about to consume the stunned frog.
Adrenaline ran high as Ash's sense of time slowed, similar to the experience he had in the Grand League.
'C'mon, think, think!' he gritted his teeth.
He knew this. He was aware of the position he was in.
But unlike the Granda League, Ash was made painfully aware that his trump card was not available.
'AURA's not activating!'
It had been a long while since his mind had taken notice of his peculiar powers; and yet, it was still as unhelpful as always.
'Am I… Am I gonna lose?' he furrowed his brows.
'In front of Yellow? Right after she told me to go wild?'
But no matter how much Ash tried to think of a way out, his Fakes could only do so much.
The Faker was finally at his wits end.
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Calm thy heart, dear.
I widened my eyes once more.
But I can't win, Zacian…
Nonsense. Thou art merely cluttered with unneeded thoughts.
It clouds thy judgement.
I began noticed the slowed time around me, decelerating even more.
What's happening?
Tis not my doing, but thee.
The information surrounding me flowed into my brain like water in a cup. I felt my heart that was once pounding turning into drumbeats that threatened to escape my ribcage.
The sense of omnipotence.
Her answer was clear. I wondered to myself if I had felt such feeling.
Such feeling of overwhelming strength.
It was weird.
The irony before me was my defeat, and yet…
I feel like I can take on anything…
As a great boon, I shall tell you of a hint.
A hint?
Froakie's [Cut]. What doth thou visualize?
My eyes watched in fixed shock as an illusion of my godmother walked towards Froakie, her face still unseen by the black veil.
The needle.
And what doth the needle looks in the hands of thy comrade?
…A sword?
Excellent. Now, my hint to thee…
In an instant, the ghostly visage of Zacian seemingly teleported beside me.
I caught a trace of a smirk beneath the veil.
I understood: She was testing me.
I understood: She was helping me.
What is the use of a sword?
…I understood: Her hint.
And do note, Tonelico.
Hm?
Thou art beaming enjoyably.
That's right.
A realization came over me.
I had not stopped grinning even in the face of defeat.
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.
.
"THIS AIN'T ENOUGH TO BEAT US, WHITNEY!"
A madman laughing maniacally, echoing throughout the battlefield.
Goosebumps raised among the audience as they witnessed the raven-haired boy's facial expression:
A demon relishing the heat of battle.
"Is he actually going crazy?!" Misty shouted.
"Now of all times?!" Brendan chimed in, visibly terrified.
But one stood her ground.
"It's fine," Serena declared firmly.
The light blue blob closed in, ready to devour the blue frog and crush him from within.
"FROAKIE! WE'RE DOING THIS!" Ash's expression twisted more in mad elation.
"KERO!" the blue frog smirked, an exact replica of his Trainer.
Froakie got into his stance, holding the light needle he created with both hands as he pointed it to the Ditto above.
"Crush him, Ditto!" Whitney commanded.
The bloodred eyes flickered. AURA was still inactive, yet he felt a connection.
Ash's vision warbled, seemingly flickering even more.
It went from his normal view… to him staring upwards at the Shiny Ditto whilst holding a weapon of light.
And unbeknownst to anyone…
Froakie's eyes flickered as well. From his black pupils…
Shifting to bloodred.
"JUMP!"
The Kalos starter took off, closing the distance against the incoming blanket of light blue.
Ash recalled the hint Zacian had gave him.
What was the use of a sword?
[Cut] and [Slash]. Those moves were within its capabilities.
And yet, Ash broadened his view.
'I get it, Zacian. I totally get it now!' he could not stop the thrilling sensation electrifying his body.
Fufu… I may be watching over thee since the beginning, but does thou recall when I began appearing before thee?
Only one thing came to mind.
'The Sword.'
What can a Sword do?
He realized his sights were too narrow. He was thinking within the confines of traditions.
But not anymore.
With his freedom from conventional thinking…
Ash cried out his new move.
And Froakie enacted it.
"[PIERCE]!"
At once, needle of light extended, boring a hole onto the sky of light blue.
PWSSHHH!
"Ditto!" Whitney's face fell as a large hole was present on her Pokémon.
It was significant damage to the Transform Pokémon. If it were any other attacks, she would have commanded Ditto to willingly make a hole to evade it as it was within its power to do so.
But Ash's new move, [Pierce], was too sudden and outside of her wildest imagination to happen. And yet it did.
As Ditto began to shrink back, it found some of the tentacles it anchored on the field to be stuck.
The blob turned downwards, finding its body parts glued to the ground with Frubbles. Then, it hit Ditto.
It had lost sight of Froakie.
Fwoosshh!
A sudden breeze blasted through its holed body.
Taking a slowed glance behind…
Ditto found Froakie with a [Water Pulse] swirling around his fist.
Whitney and Ditto froze, a mistake they made by their momentary shock.
Ash and Froakie's shadowed expression now revealed themselves.
There was no longer a crazed look on their faces.
It was total concentration. Their eyes matched as they seemed to be in a trance.
Their fists mirrored each other.
Expression neutralized; they brought it down with all their might.
.
.
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.
.
ZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!
BAAAAMMMMM!
A fist of aqua, accompanied by black lightning with red outlines.
The power of the lights of dark warped, bringing down an even stronger force.
"GRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
"KEERRROOOOOOOOOO!"
And within a blink of an eye, Ditto's alternate-coloured body fell and shrank, exploding onto the battlefield in defeat.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
It was done. Ditto's eyes were swirling as Froakie landed, visibly tired.
The raven-haired boy gasped for air, but his focus never waned away from the opponent, even in their defeat.
"Huff… huff…"
"It's done! The winner is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!" Bill announced.
That was what broke his concentration, bringing the boy down to his knees as he wheezed for air.
Froakie laid down on his back, recoiling from that experience.
"Pikapi!" / "Kiek!" / "Chiiikkk!"
His pokemon gathered around him.
"Red! Are you okay?!" Serena anxiously called out.
The Bag was carried by Heracross as he brought it next to his Trainer.
Hearing her voice, Ash turned towards her with a relived grin.
"Looks like… we got too… wild…" he joked.
"Pft! You think?" she giggled, hiding her trembling hands.
"…Sleep now. You did amazing."
Like a switch flipped, Ash promptly closed his eyes before collapsing on the floor.
"Kero…" the frog croaked next to the boy.
Pikachu and Chikorita carried Froakie to their Trainer before sleeping next to him, drained from the battle.
The children were in shock at the massive power the little frog had shown. They were incredibly starry-eyed at Froakie, the one defeated the massive Ditto.
Larvitar cheered from his seat, happy for the two's victory.
Elm and Bill placed their hand on their mouths, unable to believe what had just happened.
"That was…" Elm muttered in fascination.
"A Clutch Critical," Bill nodded.
]=[
ATL Entry: Clutch Critical
An extremely rare phenomenon that happened when both Trainer and Pokémon were synchronized, drowning in the feeling of omnipotence. It could only happen when both had delved into a state of 'flow' or 'in the zone', and even then, required total concentration to pull off.
Fundamentally, it acted like a critical hit. However, a critical hit merely doubled the damage, a multiplier of 2.0x. A Clutch Critical was significantly more powerful as instead of multiplication, it squared the damage by 2.5.
As an added bonus, any Pokémon that experienced Clutch Critical would therefore perform at 120% of their maximum potential.
]=[
'Application of a Clutch Critical is no joke. The Pokémon must apply its attack's power within a one-millionth of a second,' Bill observed closer.
'Then again, what was that move? [Pierce]?'
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The next day, the group gathered at the Pokémon Centre as Ash finished up his goodbyes with Serena.
"Please, pleaaase be careful, okay?" the honey blonde whined.
"I got it already. So please don't worry," the raven-haired boy chuckled.
Larvitar was back in his baby carrier whilst playing with the Plain Badge that Whitney gave for the boy's victory.
"…"
Ash noticed Serena twirling her hair, fidgeting slightly in her seat.
"Hey, Red? Do you know what month it is?" the honey blonde asked.
"It's gonna be Alomo* soon, right?" the boy answered nonchalantly.
(March*)
"Mmm…" the honey blonde pouted.
"Oh right, gotta go, Yellow! I'll call you soon!"
Just like that, the call ended.
The honey blonde flopped down her bed, rolling around in miffed grunts.
"Waaahhhh! He doesn't remember my birthdayyyyy!"
She wailed with sniffles, downed by small tears collecting in her eyes.
Her cries carried off into the air.
…
"You ready to go, Ash?" Misty asked.
The group were converging together as they decided to travel together to a certain location for a break.
"Actually… You and Brendan go ahead first," Ash said.
The raven-haired boy decided to be alone for a while.
"Pika?" Pikachu squeaked.
"Kero?" Froakie croaked.
He urged his two human companions to go with Elm and the others as he had something to do.
"Why?" the redhead asked.
"Secret. Anyways, I have the location saved so I know where to go."
"Dude, you suck at finding your way…" Brendan retorted.
The reason why they were supposed to follow Elm, Bill and the children was to meet up with Professor Oak since the latter had not seen the raven-haired boy for quite some time.
Additionally, their destination coincided as they were heading to the same place:
Greenfield.
After much convincing, Ash waved farewell to the van they were on as they drove off.
"Been a long time since I was alone," Ash said to himself.
The deadline was a week before he had to reach Greenfield, so he immediately got to work as he strolled around Goldenrod City.
"Let's see… Froakie, keep an eye out for…?" the raven-haired boy tried to remember the name.
"Keroke?" the frog reminded.
"Ah, right. The Department Store."
And with that, only one singular goal resided in his mind.
The reason why he stayed back was something he wanted to make.
'Everything's in place…'
Break through common sense.
'The blueprint's in my head clearly.'
The sparks of black.
'Let's forge it now.'
Chapter 77: Clutch Critical
With that, he headed for the final piece.
Author's Notes
Hello there at da bottom!
A sudden thought came to me as I wrote this chapter: 'Wouldn't it be fucking hilarious that the Normal Type Gym Leader is actually crazy?'
And so Whitney happened.
Normally, I like to give characters a second chance to redeem themselves like Giovanni for example or Falkner since he might be a dick in the anime but in context of Fated, it makes sense why he'd act that way towards Ash.
(Giovanni's full name in Fated is Moroder Giovanni, named after the Italian composer)
But Whitney? Nah, I'm unapologetic for her. She's the worst character so far in Fated.
In the canon games, this bitch really started Pokémon battling just because it was the latest trend back then. I'm not joking.
Actual quote: Hi! I'm Whitney! Everyone was into Pokémon, so I got into it too! Pokémon are super-cute! You want to battle? I'm warning you-I'm good!
Like ain't no way this bitch was in my nightmares since I was a kid... just because she FELT LIKE IT? Naaah, the disrespect is real.
I try my best to be neutral to characters but not Whitney!
.
On another note, Black Flash! I mean, Clutch Critical!
It serves as a hype factor for Battles in the future and explains Pikachu's [Railgun].
Remember Clutch Critical being a rare phenomenon? Yeah, Ash cheated by using AURA to unlock a guaranteed Clutch Critical.
Clutch Critical was also mentioned before by Lance, calling Pikachu's C.C against Dragonite a pseudo-one.
.
And Whitney's Ditto.
I said I don't wanna give Whitney some redeeming things, but a Ditto that doesn't transform is too good of an idea NOT to use.
Basically base Luffy vs Froakie. That's the jist of the battle.
The versatility was so good that halfway through the battle, I actually pulled a Isayama. I wrote myself into a corner, and so I had to use C.C to write my way out.
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And [Pierce].
This is something I was kinda annoyed about in the anime. Since it's not like the games, the anime has a lot more freedom using moves.
So [Pierce] is my answer. It's not a Pokémon move, it's not an official move.
It's just that. A stabbing attack.
It's so much more freeing to write attacks for Ash's Pokémon since he himself in the story is not confined to common sense.
And as much as we meme on "Dodge it!", it makes sense in-universe context. No sane person would willingly let their Pokémon get hit.
To top it all off, it's actually close to Misty's Variation technique. That's why she's so important to Ash, since he can learn more from her.
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And that's about it. See ya next time!