Author's Notes
FATED AUTHOR, BALEYGR-07, SPEAKS ON [NEW CHAPTER]!
Using [NEW CHAPTER] consecutively isn't anything amazing. Though it is difficult to produce more than twice per month.
It doesn't matter if you update your fic from boredom or laziness. Once an author lands a [NEW CHAPTER], they enter a state known as '3AM CREATIVE TIME'.
There's a sense of omnipotence, like whatever they think of will translate seamlessly in their writing, making them feel like some kind of god...
That might be a good way to put it.
My current record?
Sigh... It's 3 chapters per month.
I just got lucky.
[NEW CHAPTER]!
Ahem! 3rd chapter of the month, lezzz gooooo!
As you can see from the title, this whole Cianwood Gym is gonna be a whole mini arc from the amount of content I can generate from this.
I'll be adding a (1) on the previous chapter so gonna update that too.
Now disclaimer!
There are some shippy situations in this chapter between Eri and Ash. BUT!
Ash does NOT view any girls in a romantic light, except for Serena (debatable since this dude dumb).
Cynthia? Understandable ngl but also no. But understandable.
Why dis disclaimer?
Cuz some Amourshippers are weirdoes (not my readers tho, luv u guys), let's not kid ourselves.
Also, some wacky shit gonna happen at the end so better buckle up.
Now, though I wanted to try for a 4th chapter before the month is over, I sadly will be spending 28th August 2024 on a... certain Vtuber.
I am fucking sad man... The onion's live graduation stream gonna bring back Coco PTSD. (6 years is a good run tho)
(I love Minato Aqua)
Aight, time to look at some reviews.
Tainan republic:
Let's goo! 2 chapters a month, and you cooked as always, lets the ingredients of this dish
System? Check, wonder how it's gonna go
Typical anime cliche? Check( r.i.p. to ash's neck o7)
Typical ash unknowingly adding more girls to "the list"? Yessssssssss…(this is one of my favorite running gags in this)
Hints about some things(team star)? Yes and this is gonna pay off a lot in the future
Deaths like jjk? Ehh….., well it's your story, but pls don't break our hearts too much, pls I beg of you, don't dog on the characters like Ingris did in the anime cuz the amount of disrespect is enough to make me feel bad for sung in the fight
Imma just say, this fanfic is peak literature and its among one of the best fanfics I've read across all fandoms and I'm honored to be one of the readers watching it grow and being to interact with the author, its truly an honor and keep cooking bro, you got it!
Thanks again for the review, Tainan!
CHAPTERS:
2 chapters this month? *Gasps*
Lemme fix that: STRONG NEW CHAPTER!
Here you go, another chapter! Have a nice day!
SYSTEM:
Yeah, this thing isn't gonna be the same as manhwas or manga. If anything, Ash's System does LESS, which I think is more balanced.
ANIME CLICHES:
Bruh, you haven't seen nothing yet...
DA LIST:
God, I love this gag too.
TEAM STAR:
Boy, you're gonna love the end of this chapter...
DEATHS:
Nah, Igris was wildin' that episode. I have never seen a man get packed up by the mid-boss that hard before.
Jin Woo basically had to trick him with the dagger to the chin and I don't blame him. (Fuck fighting fair)
As for Fated deaths (see what I did there):
It is inevitable since right now, we're at the happy fun times like I've said before.
Ash has been through some stuff... So I'm gonna put him back in the suffering builds character cycle, aka the Yuji cycle.
Thanks for your kind words, Tainan. Calling this peak literature is a bit of a stretch tho lmao.
And me too. I'm also excited to see how much Fated grows in the future.
perseusdiangelo007:
I saw the last 2 updates but I was on vacation, and later started uni again, so I didn't take the time to read before today. Still, seeing 2 updates on the same month excited me and the chapters didn't disappoint. I'm kind of sad that I couldn't do the review for Movie 3 when it came out and right now I couldn't manage to do it as I would like, but at least I can make another long review for this last 2 chapters!
Chapter 81 had Ash and Brendan growing closer, while Serena gained a really interesting power up. The different aspects of Zacian are interesting and I wonder if each of them get a different name and/or title. Having Ash inherit the 3 aspects and developing diverse personalities is an interesting concept. I do laugh thinking if he has one personality solely devoted to Serena or if his love/obsession is just spread through his personality and it could be what is able to "ground him" in a sense.
I also really enjoyed the Academy no Extra! about how Cynthia is kind of like an older Serena and everyone just accepting that if Ash and she met, he'd get a crush on her. I think I said it before, but I'm really excited for them to meet although it's still a long way off (at least not as long as him reuniting in person with Serena). Really interested in that future meeting and what Ash, Cynthia, Zacian and Giratina could do.
Chapter 82 was good setup for the next few chapters. Introducing the characters and the training they'll do (Ash both irl and in his dreams). Confusing dream cycle aside, I'm excited to see Ash upgrade his fighting abilities against both Pokemon and humans. As much as I love gamer tropes it can get overpowered really quick so I'm glad it's basically limited to his dreams. Although, if it ends up leaking out into his real life, I'd still trust you to making it so Ash isn't so overpowered so (like Dawn says) "There's no need to worry". Ash is truly the greenest flag in how he treats girls, although you did nail it mentioning that his mind is a problem. As I said at the start, really glad to see 2 updates within a month and excited for the next chapter.
Thanks for the good read, Perseus. I enjoy reading your reviews.
Hell, I enjoy reading more than writing if I'm being honest.
A review of M03 would be most welcomed! However, I rather my readers don't feel too pressured to write reviews so take your time!
ASH X BRENDAN:
Oh yeah. Their relationship is carrying over to Hoenn (where some insane shit is gonna happen) so it was a good time for them to bond more.
ASPECTS:
Ash having 3 Faces from Zacian is an amazing deduction! Even the part where his love for Serena is what grounds all of them is spot on!
As a reward, let me give you and the readers some tidbits:
It isn't clear now, but current Ash is a 50/50 of two Faces.
One of them is when he goes "..." and emotionless like in the Grand League. (Unofficially called 'Red')
Another would be his sunny personality which is simply called 'Summer Child'. (The most important Face)
Both of these names aren't official and are subject to change since it's a WIP and I didn't think someone would figure out where I was going with this.
The Third Face is a spoiler tho.
ACADEMY NO EXTRA!:
Lmao. Ash definitely would fall for Cynthia... if they had met like 10 years earlier.
But this ain't a Rayshipping nor a harem fic so sucks for anyone wanting that to happen. *shrugs*
Physically, Cynthia is definitely an older Serena.
Character wise? Nah, Cynthia and Serena are too different. But our honey blonde will pick up some of her mannerisms since she IS the best example for a mature lady.
Mainly, Fated!Ash's preference is just really like I've said before: A light jab at the blonde women in Pokémon because GODDAMN! ALL OF THEM ARE A 10 OUTTA 10!
(Cynthia's a 20 btw, Glacia is a personal favourite since I grew up with RSE)
MEETING A, C, G, Z:
Bro... Ash, Cynthia, Giratina and Zacian are the dream combo in Fated. GOD, I WANNA WRITE GIRATINA AND ZACIAN INTERACTIONS!
Lemme tell you guys, Ash and Cynthia are gonna have some of the most best moments in Fated with what I have planned.
ARES! FAST FORWARD MY FIC TO THAT PART AND MY LIFE IS YOURS!
TRAINING:
Yeah, we bully Ash around these parts.
Get this: This dude is written to be a sore loser just like canon OS-XY Ash.
And now when he's awake, he trains. Asleep? Train.
There is literally nothing stopping him to rest. But knowing him? HAHAHAHAHA!
Some guy: Author, you sick fuck! He's just a kid!
Me: Yeah?! And I want my Yuji cycle!
OVERPOWERED ASH:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Oh, that's funny. Nah, like I've said: his System isn't like those manhwas or mangas.
What I meant by LESS in Tainan's review is that Ash... doesn't have stats.
Literally. There's no stat window. Nothing to see or even increase stat points.
Why? Because I hate that part of the gamer trope in manhwas.
It doesn't feel as... 'earned', y'know? And speaking of which, imagine winning cuz you have better stats than your opponent.
That's some P2W message right there.
So don't worry.
Ash isn't getting overpowered soon. Definitely not Johto.
His System is basically an answer and exposition machine.
Zacian isn't that sweet. She's the tough love kinda person.
GREEN FLAG ASH:
We stan a green flag king.
And that's about it! Gonna cry my eyes out on Aqua's final stream so see you next month!
Chapter 83: Training Quest (2)
It had been some hours since the training began. Since the time started, Ash was now on…
ATTEMPT #59
As soon as the challenge began, the raven-haired boy ducked down to avoid a near-instantaneous beam to the head.
This was the bane of Ash's experience since starting, as he needed 20 attempts just to react to the sudden attack.
'Now I'm certain! Her attacks never change patterns!' Ash jumped backwards.
A Reinforced leap back was able to barely avoid the gigantic fangs of a shadowy wolf with glowing cyan lightning for eyes as they collapsed upon the boy.
CHOMP!
Sword of Selection, grant me strength!
Cleave the wicked!
Caliburn!
|Golden Sword of the Victorious|
A ray of bright light beamed towards the wraithlike lupine, banishing it as it was reduced to wisps of black.
'I get it now! The first attack was [Moonblast] while the second was [Crunch]!' Ash landed on the ground before darting around, never stopping.
'But I've never seen those moves utilized like that before!'
[Moonblast] was commonly used as a large orb of moonlight that blasted to the opponent. [Crunch] was an attack that coated the user's teeth with darkness or in some cases, manifest a pair of fangs outwards to bite down.
However, the Rain Witch seemed to take those moves and upgraded them into truly unbelievable feats.
"Hey, System! How is she doing all those?!" the raven-haired boy demanded as he ran for his life.
I==============I
ANSWER:
ALL POKÉMON MOVES REQUIRE AURA TO ACTIVATE.
AS THE RAIN WITCH POSSESS AN ABSURD AMOUNT OF AURA, SUCH POWERFUL REPRESENTATION OF THE MOVES ARE POSSIBLE.
I==============I
'I see, no wonder my Pokémon got stronger after linking my AURA with them,' the raven-haired boy understood now.
"Alright, I've survived 2 minutes now!"
This was the longest Ash had endured since the beginning.
'The [Crunch] was a pain in the ass to figure out but I sorted it out in the end. Still irks me that all it took to avoid it was to jump back in Reinforcement…'
The Dark Type move took some time to solve due to Ash's habit of engaging the blackened beast. What had the raven-haired boy completely floored was the fact the Rain Witch's use of [Crunch] was not a one-time attack.
No, it was closer to a summon. The black wolf birthed from [Crunch] acted as if it was a living being. Because of its raw power and sheer size, it took Ash the remaining 38 attempts to overcome.
Even then, the answer to defeat the wolf was activating Caliburn to end it with one shot as well as a step back. For someone who preferred the aggressive full-frontal tactics like Ash, he felt a shameful sting in his methods.
'Now then… what's the next move?' Ash got ready to dodge.
…Or so he wanted.
The Rain Witch pointed her ashtree staff at the raven-haired boy.
And unleashed a calamitous tempest of invisible cuts.
"Hu-"
His body was instantly ripped to shreds, leaving nothing behind except his weapons.
…
The raven-haired boy found himself standing still, staring at the interface that read:
WILL YOU START ATTEMPT #60?
"..." Ash stared dumbfounded.
"...Just let me sleep."
And so, his first night ended with failure to complete the first hurdle.
.
.
.
"Hey, you alright, man?" Brendan looked in worry at his friend.
"Did you not get enough sleep?"
"Nope. Had a nasty nightmare about getting cut into atoms," Ash glared at the morning sun with a pouting expression.
"Uwah, disgusting."
"Indeed."
Despite the arduous survival task he was given in his slumber, the raven-haired boy's body was well-rested and his condition was superb. The only thing that carried into the real world was Ash's mental state, which was at an all-time low due to the unfair attack that ended his last run.
'Hey, System. Can you show up here too?'
Sure enough, the window appeared before him. More conveniently, it seemed that it was only visible to Ash himself.
'The hell was that last attack? It doesn't look like any move I know of,' he complained.
I==============I
ANSWER:
IT IS AN ORIGINAL MOVE CREATED BY THE RAIN WITCH.
THE MOVE IS KNOWN AS [STORM SLASH].
I==============I
'[Storm Slash]? An original move? So it's like [Volt Tackle] and [Extremespeed],' the raven-haired boy held his chin.
'...Hey, who is the Rain Witch?'
I==============I
IT IS THE YOUTH OF THE ADMIN.
A MIRAGE CONJURED FOR ASH KETCHUM TO SURPASS.
THE RAIN WITCH IS A DUPLICATION OF THE ADMIN THAT INCLUDES EVERYTHING RANGING FROM SKILLS TO PERSONALITY OF THAT TIME.
I==============I
'So it's a younger Zacian, huh?'
'Strange. Unlike my Zacian, why does she feel human?'
Ever since their meeting, Ash knew the snow-haired woman was not human. Even so, he did not find her repulsive but rather enjoyed her company. If he had a question about her, it would be about her race.
'She never did tell me what she was.'
All these mysteries piled on, threatening to fall upon Ash as they get higher.
.
.
.
Cianwood Gym, Cianwood City
Ash, Bea and Eri sat along with other students as they prepared for the morning training with Chuck.
As an outsider, only the raven-haired boy was not wearing the karate gi uniform. Instead, he was the one standing out by wearing a simple black T-shirt with a winking Pikachu print.
'Cute,' Bea thought to herself.
'Cute…' Eri stared at the boy.
'Why are they staring at me?' Ash yawned.
Misty and Brendan had left since the latter already earned his Badge. They decided to spend the day wandering around with the Pokémon.
Ash was only left with Heracross as his only Pokémon since he was required as the sole Fighting Type of his Trainer.
"Sorry, Heracross. You could've been having fun right about now…" Ash whispered to the beetle's capsule.
The capsule wiggled, signalling Heracross' enthusiasm for training.
"That so?"
CLAP!
"Alright, settle down. We have a new fellow in our midst," Chuck addressed sternly.
"Well? Introduce yourself."
The raven-haired boy stood up, walking to Chuck as he stopped next to him. He faced the students, catching the sight of Bea and Eri nodding encouragingly to him with smiles.
"My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and the future Pokémon Master. I'm here as a temporary student in this dojo until I can beat this old fart!" he declared audaciously.
"Nice to meet y'all!"
Hearing their teacher being called an old fart froze their students' blood but before they could blink out of fear, Chuck began to guffaw heartily.
"Wahahaha! As you can see, this brat's got guts! He may be your junior, but at the very least, try to emulate his brazenness!" the Gym Leader ruffled the boy's raven hair, making it messier then before.
The students processed this for a moment before clapping, welcoming Ash into their dojo.
Ash stared unbelievingly at Chuck who seemed more amused than offended. He wondered how thick-skinned someone could be and found himself somehow inspired to be like his new master.
"Hey, wait a minute!"
Of course, not all were happy with the new blood.
"Sensei, isn't this just preferential treatment?!"
A teenage girl with desert coral hair protested against the raven-haired boy. She wore her hair with two short pigtails and had deluge-coloured eyes.
Even though Ash's addition was being resisted, the boy felt a small sense of relief that someone was acting 'normal' by his standards.
After all, it was not every day that Chuck, a prominent figure in the karate world, took on a stranger as a student.
"What qualms do you have, Terri?" the man questioned.
"I bet that kid hasn't practiced karate a single day of his life, and yet HE gets to be your disciple?" the teen named Terri continued.
"What about Kyle?! He trained for so long and so hard just for a chance to enter your dojo!"
Ash glanced at the guy next to her, looking away in embarrassment.
The teenage boy was Kyle Hamm, the son of Saffron City's sensei, Master Hamm.
'Wait a minute, isn't this just putting that guy in a difficult spot?' the boy arched his brow.
"Kyle's a lot better than this scrawny kid and even that giant over there!"
Eri faced away in shame, feeling as if she did not belong there. She had faced such criticism before from the same teenager who berated her for half-heartedly taking karate.
"All she has going for her is that big body for hers! Without that, she has no talent at all!" Terri shouted resolutely.
At once, the atmosphere of the dojo froze over. A coldness began to take hold over the uninvolved students.
They traced the sources to two characters who were glaring at Terri in contempt.
Bea was furious. Her expression was still unchanging, but the disgust in her gray eyes was obvious. Ash, on the other hand, was less subtle. He was practically piercing the criticizing teen with his sharp bloodred eyes. They were both itching for a fight.
"What? Cat's got your tongue? You're not saying anything cuz I'm right!" the desert-haired girl huffed away.
"...I don't care if you insult me. But…" Ash's canine flashed.
"Apologize to Eri before I make you."
"Tch, just because you're the Faker… Has the fame got to your head?" Terri sneered.
"You claim your boyfriend poured out blood, sweat and tears just to be the old man's disciple?" Ash ignored her words.
Right now, he was losing his patience.
"How about a bout? A Pokémon battle or a spar, I don't really care."
"If you win, I'll gladly quit this dojo and grovel at your feet. Your boyfriend can be Chuck's disciple too."
The raven-haired boy turned to his master with a confident smirk.
"That good for ya, ossan?"
"Hah, you little squirt! I like that attitude! I accept!" Chuck agreed.
Terri stamped her feet as she pulled her boyfriend up, catching everyone's attention.
"Alright then! A Tag Battle between me and Kyle against you and that big girl! I'll be generous and give you two a week starting tomorrow to prepare!"
"Wha-wha-wha…" the large girl stammered.
"Fine, I'll have you screaming in frustration!" Ash cackled in response.
"Ashhhhh!" she quivered.
And just like that, the raven-haired boy's first day started with a declaration of war.
.
.
.
"Heracross is unable to battle! Machamp wins!"
"Oi, oi! We've been over this, brat!"
"AGAIN!"
"Yessir!"
Ash and Chuck had their Gym match to finish the day. The current record was now 0 to 20.
Heracross got up once more, unwilling to give up.
"Begin!"
Ash and Heracross synchronized. Their bodies mirroring one another.
[Cross Chop] from above and [Dual Chop] from below. The four palms sliced the incoming beetle.
Judging by their trajectory, the moves would converge at a singular point where Machamp thought Heracross would attack: his chest. However, Ash had anticipated the moves.
"Now!" "Kiek!"
Channeling [Focus Punch] into his fist, Heracross switched stance as he sunk his fist down before letting it rise into the attacks.
"[Sky Uppercut (Fake)]!"
BAMMM!
[Cross Chop] and [Dual Chop] were cancelled as the Fake move disrupted their motion.
Despite [Focus Punch] needing time to charge, Ash used an Exchange to reduce it by sacrificing the attack's power. Even though his intended effect worked, it was still a gamble.
There was no guarantee that a halved [Focus Punch] could stop Machamp's two moves. However, Ash and Heracross did not care. If there was a chance for victory, they would take it and ignore the risks.
And that was something Chuck and Machamp liked about them.
"This isn't over yet!" Chuck reminded. "[Mach Punch]!"
Four attacks came rushing back into the fray as they aimed themselves onto Heracross.
But Ash merely grinned as the ferocity of battle took hold of his mind.
"Ya think we'd fall for the same trick twice?!" "[Upper Hand]!"
The blue beetle's eyes reacted with extraordinary speed as he deflected and countered the [Mach Punches] almost simultaneously.
The loud smacks echoed across the dojo, earning the four-amred humanoid's surprise as he flinched.
Taking advantage of the flinch, Ash and Heracross wound up their fists as they got ready.
"[Close Combat]!"
Ever since his first battle against Chuck, Ash's subsequent matches against him always resulted in a [Close Combat] finisher. This was due to his bullheadedness of wanting to defeat Machamp in close quarter combat.
And as if responding to his wishes, Machamp reacted in kind.
"[Close Combat]!"
A flurry of punches ignited the battlefield, contacting each other and producing unnatural sounds akin to gunshots.
But with a physique like the Superpower Pokémon, the blue beetle was quickly overwhelmed by the extra fists.
"Kiek!" Heracross was flung back.
But despite losing the head-on [Close Combat] clash, the beetle stood his ground, ready for more as he raised his clawed fists up.
"This is great! Both Trainer and Pokémon are just raring to go!" Chuck grinned joyously.
Both Ash and Heracross were the type of characters he was fond of. As a martial artist, there was no greater joy than finding a student with such willpower.
'Yes… this kid… He reminds me of that Sinnoh girl all those years ago!'
"As thanks for showing such strength of will, I'll show you my original technique," the burly man got into his stance.
'Original technique? Is it something like Misty's Variation and my Fakes?' Ash instinctively put up his guard.
"As if we'd let you! Heracross, [Giga Impact]!"
A full-body charge erupted from the side, blasting towards Machamp who stood unmoving.
'What? He's not reacting?' Ash noticed.
.
.
.
"Burn this into your mind."
Machamp took position into the karate's long forward stance. As Heracross reached his strike zone…
He was met with a powerful fist to the face.
"1st Stance: [Black Turtle's Fist]!"
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
A gigantic shockwave exploded, causing Heracross to be shot backwards by the air pressure.
But before he could crash onto the floor, his Trainer reacted quickly and broke his fall by catching him from the blast.
"Rrrrrggghhh…!" the raven-haired boy gritted his teeth as he felt the scorching friction heat ripping his feet.
And finally, the two stopped.
Heracross had fainted while his Trainer collapsed onto the floor, numbing the pain on his feet.
"Haah… Haaah… Haah…" Ash's ragged breath struggled to calm.
"Ash!" Eri rushed towards him. "Heracross…" he uttered out. "He's okay, just fainted," the large girl assured.
"Phew… Then it's fine," he let out a sigh of relief.
The Paldean girl stared at him worryingly after he said that. Most people would care more about their well-being first than others. But Ash's clear disregard for himself was plain as day.
"Your feet," Eri tried to help him get up.
"Nah, it's fine. They're already healed," Ash smiled as he stood.
True to his words, the friction burn had disappeared, leaving behind only healthy tissue underneath.
"Eh?" the girl gasped.
"Thanks for caring, Eri," he grinned.
'Can't tell her about Caliburn's healing…' he thought to himself.
Returning Heracross into his capsule, the two walked back to Chuck.
The raven-haired boy could feel stares piercing him as he wondered what was so fascinating about someone who got thrashed so one-sidedly.
"Hahaha, I guess I was too strong that you got thrashed so badly!" Chuck rubbed his head sheepishly.
'Then there's this guy…'
"What was that move, sensei?" Ash asked.
"Ah, it's a technique I created using karate and Pokémon prowess. It's a kata I named Secret Art of the Four Guardian Gods."
'Long! And people say my naming sense sucks!' Ash retorted in his head.
"A kata? It means 'form', right?" he asked again. "No way… Can Machamp transform like T*me Sh*dow?! Can he say 'Chr*no Ch*nger'?!"
"Hahaha, I wish! But no, it doesn't mean that. It means a detailed pattern of movements. That's how we practice karate and refining it with basic movements."
"I see… Then that Black Turtle attack?"
"The first stance out of four of my technique. However, it is a pain to use," Chuck said proudly. "How so?" Ash tilted his head. "Well, for one thing, it's a counter move. Unless the opponent attacks, the stance can never be used."
"Then why not use the other 3?" Ash asked again.
"That's another limitation of my technique. I can only use them in order, otherwise the final attack doesn't work," Chuck replied.
The two went back and forth, leaving everyone around them bewildered towards the boy.
He was defeated quite badly and yet, he was still discussing with Chuck about their battle as if nothing happened. Their teacher was also an oddball who casually revealed his technique's limitations to a challenger.
All in all, both were equally odd in their own right.
…
The day was getting late. Ash and Chuck sparred for another 10 rounds before calling it a day.
Heracross was tired and battered but felt the refreshing aftermath of a hard battle. Machamp suffered minimal damage but was still good to go.
The two Pokémon shared a look of acknowledgement each time they fought with the four-armed humanoid feeling pride towards the beetle's improvement.
Like teacher, like Pokémon.
"Alright, let's stop here for today," Chuck announced.
"Tomorrow is a rest day, so enjoy yourselves!"
Ash was the only person who stood next to Chuck since he was not technically a karate student so he was exempt from sitting. Because of this, he saw the eyes of the desert-haired teen glaring at him.
Although a provocation like this would usually not affect him, the accumulation of exhaustion caught up to him and unintentionally loosened his filter.
"...Heh."
He shot back the smuggest smirk he could muster at her, infuriating her even further.
'Wow… Messing with people might be fun after all. No wonder Green does it all the time,' he mused.
Knock.
The burly man lightly tapped the boy's head with his knuckle.
"Stop antagonizing the girl, Ash," he lectured.
"She started it…" the raven-haired boy grumbled defensively.
"Haaah… Sometimes I forget you're a kid."
A child's grudge was quite potent.
.
.
.
"I leave you for one day…" Misty facepalmed.
After dinner, everyone except the adults retreated to their room to discuss the events of the day.
"To be fair, he didn't start anything," Brendan came to his friend's defense.
"I know, I know. I can't blame Ash this time," Misty rubbed her temples.
The redhead turned to the jet-haired girl with a piteous expression.
"Eri, I know you're a soft-spoken person but you need to stand up for yourself," she advised.
"I know…" Eri looked down.
"And you-" Misty turned towards the raven-haired boy, who quickly hid behind Bea.
"…I haven't even said anything yet."
The gray-haired teen pulled him to the front gently, earning a betrayed look from the boy.
"Man up. Take responsibility for your words," she encouraged with a reassuring smile.
"I'm on your side."
'She's so cool!' Ash exclaimed mentally.
"Ahem! Um… I don't regret challenging them to a Battle but at the same time, I should've considered Eri's feelings so… Really sorry, Eri," he apologized.
The redhead was pleased. Seeing Ash acknowledging what he did right and wrong brought a sense of sisterly pride in her heart.
"Good job. Looks like you're growing up nicely," she nodded to herself.
Brendan sat on the sidelines with the Pokémon as they clapped and rejoiced.
The large girl quickly accepted it after seeing the genuine kowtow from the boy and urged him to get up.
"I understand where you're coming from, Ash… And I agree, I think it's best if I settle this. But…" she blushed heavily.
"But?" Ash repeated. "It's a Tag Battle… and our opponents are a couple…" she squirmed. "Ah… I see," he realized.
'Oh? He got it?!' Misty and Brendan turned towards Ash in shock.
'Pika?!' / 'Kero?!' / 'Chik?!' / 'Yog?' / 'Kiek?!'
The Pokémon were equally shocked.
Their Trainer being able to recognize social norms? Unheard of.
They were witnessing history her-
"I see… But you're my girl friend as well," he said.
...Nevermind.
"Eh?!" she yelped.
"See? Girl," he pointed to her. "Friend," then to himself.
Everyone else slapped their foreheads, including the newborn Larvitar, though he only followed their actions because it looked fun.
'How can he be this stupiddddd?!' Misty screamed internally.
'This kid's a riot,' Bea struggled to hold her laughter.
'OH MY GAWD, THIS GUY! WHAT'S WORSE IS THAT THIS GUY DOESN'T THINK ANYTHING'S WRONG WITH THAT!' Brendan ranted to himself.
He took one look at Ash's innocent expression, confused and pure, and returned to his thoughts.
'LOOK AT HIM! I UNDERSTAND NOW! NO WONDER SERENA'S CRAZY FOR HIM! THIS DUDE CAN DO AND SAY THE MOST EMBARRASSING THINGS WITHOUT SHAME!'
"But I've never done a Double Battle with someone else though…" Ash said.
"Ahem, if it's two Trainers versus two Trainers, then it's no longer called a Double Battle but a Tag Battle," the tanned teen corrected.
"Oh, is it?"
"Yeah. It's a Battle where you need to coordinate with your partner Trainer. And since those two definitely know each other well, I'm afraid you and Eri are going to have a hard time."
The raven-haired boy put on his thinking cap for a moment while Eri was clearly despondent. And in no time at all, the boy got an idea.
"Basically, we just need to know each other better, right?" Ash summarized.
"Yeah, that's the general idea," Bea nodded.
"You got a plan, Red?" Brendan was interested.
"Yeah! I'll make Terri regret giving us a whole week!" Ash grinned in return.
"Eri!"
"Y-yes?" the large girl was surprised.
Clasp!
The raven-haired boy held the jet-haired girl's hands with his own, earning audible gasps among the others.
"Let's go on a date!"
"E-E-Eh?! D-D-D-Date?!"
"WHAT THE HELL, ASH?!"
From outside, Chuck and his wife overheard the situation with the man sweatdropping at the conversation.
"How is that boy so clueless?" he sighed, somehow amazed at the boy's talent to .
His wife giggled next to him.
…
After some lecturing and quietening, the others found themselves surrounding a sleeping raven-haired boy.
For some reason, he told them that he had a 'revenge match' to go to. Before anyone could ask him to elaborate, he went to sleep like a baby.
"Look at him. So adorable when he doesn't open his mouth…" Misty commented sarcastically.
"You don't have to feel embarrassed, Eri. This idiot prob… definitely doesn't mean it that way."
"I understand. Ash is a bit hopeless, isn't he?" the large girl giggled.
"Yeah. This guy may… definitely has no shame threshold but he does mean well. What Red meant was likely hanging out to know each other better," Brendan interpreted.
"Yes, I understand that now. Though…" the large girl stared inquisitively.
"Why do you call him Red?"
"Ah… that. It's his childhood name which he only lets people close to him address him as. Mine's Ruby if you prefer, I don't mind," Brendan answered.
"Then why doesn't Misty call him Red?" Bea questioned.
"Well, I don't know if he remembers but I once called his sweetheart by her nickname and he didn't respond*. I guess I'm scared that if I call him Red, he'd ignore me," the redhead chuckled nervously.
(Chapter 28*)
The Paldean stared at the sleeping Kanto boy, silently wondering if this sweetheart was the Serena girl he mentioned before.
"...Does he always sleep so… angrily?" she watched as Ash frowned in his slumber with Pikachu poking his Trainer's cheek.
"He looks like he's swearing in his dream or something…" Brendan commented.
Little did they know, the white-hatted boy was right on the money.
.
.
.
.
.
"GODDAMNIT!"
Ash found himself screaming into the void.
ATTEMPT #91
"That [Storm Slash] is some BS! Carnwennan's power can't even eat all of the slashes!" Ash complained to no one.
On one of his attempts, Ash finally gained enough experience to act a second earlier than normal. With that singular moment, he used Carnwennan's ability to devour as a means to deal with [Storm Slash]. But even that was not enough as the accumulating slashes tore the shadows apart before ripping apart the wielder.
"I'm going crazy… I don't even feel the pain of dying," Ash mumbled to himself.
"Hey, System. Can you make a description for [Storm Slash]?"
I==============I
[STORM SLASH]
A phantasmal cut which commands an army of slashes, resulting in a tempest of instantaneous slices.
It is a slash which grows stronger after each use.
I==============I
"Who pissed my godmother off so much that she created this monstrosity…?" Ash paled at its description.
'Wait a minute…'
"System, what's the reward for clearing this again?"
I==============I
( REWARD )
COMPLETE LEARNING OF BLADE MOVES
- ALL KNOWN MOVES THAT PERFORM SLASHES
- KNOWLEDGE TO CREATE NEW SLASHING MOVES
- [STORM SLASH] WILL BE TEACHABLE TO SUITABLE POKÉMON
I==============I
"..." the boy paused for a moment.
All of a sudden, he was very motivated.
"Alright, let's do this!"
.
.
.
.
.
The next day…
Ash was standing outside the Gym, waiting for a certain jet-haired girl. His wardrobe remained the same as he felt it was fitting, though the cap was in Pikachu's possession.
'If I remember right, the other students either booked the Centre rooms or the nearby dorms. No wonder it was so packed when we came,' he mused to himself.
The boy was in his thoughts for some time before noticing approaching footsteps.
"Um… hi," a feminine voice greeted shyly.
The large girl wore a hoodie with a Primeape's colour scheme and a black skirt.
It was a simple outfit that was the epitome of casual.
'I wonder if I look weird…' Eri fidgeted, awaiting Ash's comments.
"Yo, Eri! Is there anything you wanna do?"
Of course, the raven-haired boy failed to do any sort of praises.
"O-Oh… How about we walk around?" the jet-haired girl suggested.
"Sure! Let's go!"
And off they went.
Followed closely behind was… 3 suspicious humans with an entourage of Pokémon.
"Tch, minus points for no comment on the clothes," Brendan judged harshly.
"Zero idea planned ahead of time: minus points," Misty followed.
Bea, on the other hand, acted as a spectator.
The Pokémon were also curious about Ash and followed along.
Chikorita was fuming the whole way.
"Chik, chik!"
"Pikachu…"
"Keroro."
Everyone followed the pair.
…
As they entered the heart of the city, Ash and Eri found themselves facing a crowd of people.
"Hm? There's a lot of people," Ash looked around.
"It's the street market. It happens when the ships carrying goods arrive," Eri replied, already used to it.
"I see. Then let's hold hands," he offered.
"W-W-Wha?!" Eri stammered.
"I mean, you're not hard to spot from the crowd but I rather we stay close, y'know?" Ash explained, wondering why she was shyer than usual.
…
Kanto's custom of intimacy was ingrained in every native, including their aversion towards hand-holding unless it was from a close person.
Ash inherited this value as well.
The problem was… he was used to it. Too used to it.
As a child, he usually held Serena's hand for almost all the duration of the summer camp.
And as he grew older, Daisy would usually ask him to accompany her on 'dates' which only reinforced his hand-holding gestures, finding it more practical rather than romantic.
This was also the reason why he was nonchalant with 'dates' as he had underwent so many of them that it was more of an outing to him.
Long story short: It was Daisy's fault.
…
"Achoo!" a certain Oak sibling sneezed.
…
"Then… Please take care of me," Eri gave her hand.
"Sure, leave it to me!" Ash grinned.
The jet-haired girl pulled up her hood as she was led by the smaller boy, painting a rather amusing picture for the locals.
The raven-haired boy glanced back, finding the shy girl with her hood up.
"..."
With that, they traversed the crowd while holding hands.
Meanwhile…
"Hand holding this early on?! I've underestimated him…!" Brendan knelt to the ground, holding his chest as if receiving damage.
"Wait till Serena hears about this!" Misty's eyes peeped from her fingers.
'These two are hilarious too,' Bea eyed the two companions.
.
.
.
An adorable squeak silently emitted from Eri's stomach as they walked.
'Maybe I should've eaten something befo-'
"Are ya hungry, Eri?" he turned back.
'Eh?! He heard that?!' she panicked.
The alley around them was bustling with people, noises from people and Pokémon alike.
Her squeak was silent, almost impossible to catch even if there were no one around.
And yet, the boy picked it up.
"Did you hear…?"
"...Hear what? I didn't hear anything. I'm just reaaaally hungry," Ash's eyes swam around.
"Ahhh… I'm sooo hungry. You wanna grab a bite?"
Misty's words back then came to Eri's mind.
"Listen, girls. This magnet for trouble never lies, believe me."
"He would rather die, like he literally cannot lie to save his life."
"Pft…! Mm, let's eat," the jet-haired girl scoffed with a light laugh.
'What a bad liar... It's cute,' she thought.
For the first time on their 'date', Eri pulled him along.
"I know a place here. Let's go to that one," she flashed a smile.
A far cry from her usual shyness, Ash could not help but return another smile back.
"Yeah, lead the way!"
.
.
.
The two entered an establishment and found a table next to the window as they looked through the menu.
"A famiresu, huh? Haven't been to one in a while," Ash commented.
"Fami… resu?" Eri tilted her head.
"Ah, a family restaurant. It's just a shortened term combining the two words."
"Is that how Kantonians call it?" she asked with interest.
"Not only Kanto people. Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh also use it," he replied.
"Wow… The Oriental dialect is quite fascinating," she awed.
As they talked, a waiter came over.
"Yessa," a dark purple bipedal hummed, ready with a notebook and pen.
"Ohhhh, a Pokémon I've never seen before!" Ash's eyes lit up in excitement.
"Yessa!" the bipedal smiled as it twirled.
Taking out the Dex, he scanned the Pokémon.
[=]
Indeedee, the Emotion Pokémon
This Pokémon picks up on the positive emotions of other creatures via its horns and uses those emotions to fuel itself. These intelligent Pokémon touch horns with each other to share information between them. They diligently serve people and Pokémon so they can gather feelings of gratitude. The females are particularly good at babysitting.
[=]
"Woahhh… From the horns' position… are you a girl?" Ash asked politely.
"Yessa!" Indeedee nodded.
"Haha, that's sounds like a Unovan 'yes'!" he laughed.
The jet-haired girl watched as the boy interacted with the Pokémon. He showed such fascination and joy over the Pokémon, it made her a little jealous at how much he loved Pokémon.
'He really likes Pokémon a lot…' she found herself smiling.
After that, they began to order. Before leaving, Indeedee showed them their order to confirm.
The raven-haired boy eyed the paper, slightly taken aback by Eri's order.
As soon as the Pokémon left, Ash left for the restroom…
.
.
.
Their servings came with Indeedee placing them on the table with [Psychic, ending with a bow from the Emotion Pokémon.
"Thanks, Indeedee," Ash grinned.
"Yessan," the Pokémon bowed.
With her leave, Eri was stunned at the amount of food spread around the table.
"A-Ash?"
"Don't worry, I got the bill already," Ash assured with a thumbs up.
"Thank you but no, I mean, this is too much…" she began to worry.
At this, the raven-haired boy chuckled and gave an encouraging tone.
"Eri, I know how much you eat," he said, remembering the other night.
"When I saw you getting just a sandwich, I almost stumbled from my seat. Don't worry about it and just enjoy yourself. This future Pokémon Master has got it all covered!"
"But… I don't want you to think I'm a big eater… I'm a girl after all," Eri trailed away shyly.
"What's being a girl gotta do with this? Eri, you may look big but proportionally, you're rather slender. You gotta eat more!" Ash motivated, pointing at her slim waist.
Hearing Ash fussing like an old man managed to get Eri to giggle.
"Then I won't hold back," she nodded.
"Just so you know, I'm a big eater as well. Wanna race?" Ash joked.
On the opposite side, the others watched with shocked expressions at the two.
"10 outta 10," Brendan concluded.
"I have no complains," Misty had to admit.
"Can I have the chocolate tart set please?" Bea pointed on the menu with Larvitar on her lap.
"Oh, and the deluxe dessert set for these cuties."
The Pokémon cheered in delight as the tanned teen kept a straight face while petting the baby Pokémon.
"Yessa!" Indeedee nodded happily.
.
.
.
After finishing their meals, the two sat at their seats as they drank their drinks.
"Thanks for today, Ash," Eri sipped on her glass of horcata.
"No need. I should be thanking you for going along with my selfishness," Ash blew the steam from his green tea.
"I need to. It's been some time since I felt 'normal'. I could never feel that in my school…"
Ash stopped his sipping session, frowning at the mention of Eri's school.
"Is your Academy that bad?" Ash asked.
"Bullying is rampant there. And the girls do find me the best target," the large girl admitted sadly.
"I took a year to focus on wrestling and entered Frutas this year with a scholarship. Because of that, everyone thought of me as the 'class queen'. My peers started calling me the most beautiful and strongest Trainer in the class… But all I felt was that I'm… different."
"That's just painting a target on your back! The heck are the school teachers doing?!" Ash exasperated.
A clearer image was beginning to reveal in Ash's mind.
There was a reason why he was attached to Eri and this only made him recognize it even more.
She reminded him of a certain chestnut-haired girl.
"Yeah. The former queen, Carmen, didn't take it too well and… the rest, you know," Eri finished.
"...What did they do?" Ash asked.
"Ash, it's fi-"
"What did they do to you?" Ash asked again.
A swirl of rage built into the boy's bloodred eyes. Bullies were a kind that he was all too familiar with. After all, a misfit was like manure to those flies.
Eri stared at him, slightly terrified at first but quickly realized what was happening:
The raven-haired boy was angered on her behalf.
"Then, before I answer that… Can I ask you a question?" the jet-haired girl steadied a smile.
"Why do you care about me so much? We've known each other for about 3 days only and yet, you seem to understand me quite well."
Her genuine curiosity awaited an answer.
Ash snapped out of it, slowly digesting her words. For a moment, he was lost in thoughts before returning her smile with a slight frown.
"...Back in Pallet Town, there was a new kid who entered the neighbourhood. Her parents weren't around often, so she was mostly by herself," the raven-haired boy started.
"It wasn't long until every kid heard that she wasn't a Kantonian, but an Unovan by blood. Because she was different… she was bullied."
"Getting drenched by a pail of water thrown into the bathroom stall, scribbles of hateful words scattered around the desk you study, name-calling, pelted by sharp stones, hair pulling, a game of witch hunt… Even bullying via Pokémon, she told me everything that happened."
Eri could hardly believe a word she was hearing. The jet-haired girl could only imagine how much the girl in question had suffered.
"But despite that…" Ash's expression changed.
He gave the large girl a warm smile.
"She could still smile. Even if all the cruelties aimed towards her, she could still find the will to smile. Not a fake one, but a genuine one," he continued.
"Heck, that's probably why my rival fell for her in the first place."
The image of the chestnut-haired girl appeared in his mind, radiating positivity.
"What happened to the bullies?" Eri asked.
"Oh, we kicked their asses until they knew not to mess with her. Well, more like they got scared of me getting up like a zombie every time but eh."
The sudden joke blindsided Eri so hard, she could not help but snort out a laugh. A very loud and genuine laugh.
"Hahaha! I'm sorry, I'm sorry… I just didn't expect you to be the punching bag in this story. I thought you were the hero," Eri apologized.
"What can I say? I wasn't exactly good at fighting back then," Ash shrugged, unbothered while drinking his tea.
They continued to talk in the restaurant for quite some time.
…
"Is this her?" Eri stared at the picture taken in the Dex.
The picture showed a freshly-recovered Ash with Gary and Blue, right after his coma. The chestnut-haired girl posed a peace sign while the orange-haired boy and raven-haired boy pinching each other's cheek to force a smile.
"Yeah, Blue Leaf. Because of her Unovan name, she felt ostracized. That's why I named myself Red while this ugly mug over here named himself Green," Ash grinned.
"I see… Is it because of your eyes?" Eri guessed.
"Yeah. It fits, right?"
"It does."
The jet-haired girl focused on Blue's carefree attitude.
"I wish I can be like her. The way she doesn't care about anything, it's like she's free," she said without thinking.
Hearing this, Ash took a moment before finishing his drink.
"Hey, Eri? Wanna do something crazy?" he grinned.
An idea popped in his head.
.
.
.
.
.
.
A week later…
Terri and her boyfriend waited for their opponents as the students gathered to watch.
"Hey, Cerulean. Did the boy chicken out or something?" Chuck whispered to his fellow Gym Leader.
"We don't know too. After their 'date', we rarely even see them. The same goes for you, right? Ash has been skipping spars after all," Misty replied, similarly confused.
Ever since that day, the two were nowhere to be seen. The day after their outing, both Trainers and their Pokémon had already gone.
Knowing that Ash was with Eri, the others were not really worried.
However, when they did not return even after so many days, the worries began to flood out.
As the minutes ticked by, Chuck sighed and decided to call it.
"Ahem, since the other side, Ash Ketchum and Eri Barguest, are a no-show… I'm afraid this match i-"
Drip.
The karate master's declaration was interrupted with sounds of dripping water.
The dojo's ceiling was leaking as the water slowly poured onto the battlefield. Brendan caught sight of a small creature hopping around while dripping an orb of water.
'No way…' he realized.
Crackle!
Thunder boomed around from the same ceiling as it struck the water, vaporizing it into steam that clouded the building.
"What's going on?!" Terri shouted.
And from the clouds of smoke… came a deranged laughter.
"KEHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHA!"
Two figures shadowed by steam approached the other side.
'This girly voice…!' the redhead gasped.
"Ash Ketchum? Who's that?!" a familiar voice cried out.
"Eri Barguest? Never heard of her!" another one rang out.
The second voice caught everyone off-guard. They knew who it was but with her voice now loud and proud, most of them truly believed it was a different person.
"Your opponents for today… HAVE ARRIVED!"
A green sauropod with face paint swept the field rom behind with her [Razor Leaf], an application known as [Defog (Fake)].
The smoke cleared to show two incredibly distinct Trainers, surrounded by Pokémon with face paint on them.
First to catch the audience's eyes was the tall girl:
She had platinum blonde hair, though it was obviously a wig. Her clothes were a completely white outfit with knee-high legwarmers and boots underneath, but anyone could tell it was a work-in-progress due to the numerous stitches and crumpled parts of her costume.
The girl had also painted her face, though it could not be described as likening to anything. It was fierce. An avant-garde of colours with fangs and sharp eyelashes.
She looked as if an oni wrestler had invaded the sacred dojo.
"Is that…" Bea was visibly shocked.
"BEHOLD!"
"THE SUBJECT OF YOUR TORMENT REBORN IN HELLFIRE!"
The Pokémon around them cackled as well, especially a yellow mouse and blue frog with face paint.
"PIKAKAKAKAKAKAKA!" / "KERORORORORORORO!"
"I give you… THE INFERNAL ERRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"
The wrestler girl stood proud, her arms crossed as she gave off an aura of strength and ferocity that overpowered her opponents.
"What is this?!" Terri shouted.
…
During the week…
"Training while learning to be more confident?" Eri repeated.
"Yeah, so let's go camping outdoors near the coast until that day," Ash nodded.
"I'm not sure if that would help…" the large girl said honestly, though she was not opposed to a camping trip. "Training, yes. But about my confidence…"
"Eri, you envied Blue for being free, right? So let's go all out!" the raven-haired boy spread his arms.
"All… out?"
…
The announcer revealed himself from the steam, showing a black caped individual.
"Argh, what do you think you're doing, Ash Ketchum?!" the desert-haired girl screeched.
…
"From what I've noticed and your story, you've been unconsciously trying to live up to the expectations set for you," Ash observed. "You being a scholarship student and the class queen are burdens you're carrying. So…"
The raven-haired boy stared at the rolling waves near their campsite.
"There's no one here to hear. Shout as long as you want!" he yelled. "Tell your bullies to screw off! Shout it until it reaches Paldea!"
…
"KEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"ARE YOUR EARS BLOCKED, PIGTAILS?!"
"Wha?!"
"Who is this Ash Ketchum?! Here to assist the Infernal Eri…"
"The shortest way to gain confidence?"
"I AM THE IMM*RTAN ASSSSSSH!"
"That's easy."
"MISS BULLY AND MISTER SPINELESS BOYFRIEND!"
"Just go nuts until it feels natural."
A painted face of blackened claw inks grinned.
Chapter 83: Training Quest (2)
"I AM YOUR REDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEMER!"
...
Brendan and Misty turned away out of embarrassment.
"We... We don't know that guy..."
They cut him off immediately.
Author's Notes
OMG DID AUTHOR PUT A MAD MAX REFERENCE?!
YA BET YA SWEET BIPPY I DID!
More accurately, it's a double reference of Mad Max and the manhwa I Killed an Academy Player which references Mad Max
(IMMORTAL LOCH! IMMORTAL LOCH!)
Now, this whole chapter could summarized as a 'date' but really, it's an explanation on how Ash really feels about Eri.
Ash sees Eri as another Blue.
Which ties in the prologues of Blue being bullied and the situation of the current SV school bullying.
Both scenarios have joined up and Ash is the connection between them.
When I said Ash could potentially kickstart Team Star, I was not kidding.
The Mad Max reference just highlights how insane this kid is willing to go just to up Eri's confidence into the one we know.
In short, Ash, I mean Imm*rtan Ash, is Eri's hypeman for the next chapter.
Also, this will be where the Infernal Eri makes her debut.
Eri's costume right now is basically a really poor cosplay of SV Eri's costume.
The quality is... Imagine Kitagawa Marin with her Shizuku cosplay BEFORE she met Gojou. Yeah, it's that bad of an outfit now. (Which my boi Atticus will fix in future chapters)
STORM SLASH:
When I said Fated is taking Pokémon from ALL media, I was not playing around.
We reaching TCG now.
[Storm Slash] is a move taken from Zacian V (Celebrations 16).
So don't be surprised when TCG exclusive moves get added in the future.
BLACK TURTLE:
OMG IS THAT A GOD OF HIGHSCHOOL REFERENCE?!
Yea boi! Full Contact Karate makes an appearance!
Han Daewi's techniques fit extremely well with Chuck so why not?
What's that? What about Jin Mori's technique?
Oh boi... Remember: Ash will have monke.
HEHEHEHE.
TERRI:
Jesus Christ, another bitchy female character? Does Author hate women?!
I'm not a misogynist, I swear! I'm not Zenin Naoya, I promise!
She's the girl from that one episode of the Saffron City dojo.
Kyle Hamm's the boyfriend and if you remember the plot, then you know what's gonna happen.
ERI:
Remember when I said some characters in Fated are based on Fate characters, or their expies?
Yeah, Eri's surname is a dead giveaway for who she's based on: Resident best doggo Fairy Knight wooooo!
And that should be it.
I don't know if there's anything needed to be addressed so let me know if you guys are curious!
End note: Fated!Ash is a Timerangers fan. Or more really a tokusatsu genre nerd.