Chapter 4: A Tour & Babies

After being introduced to the mansion's girls and falling for one, Ash joined Touya and the cousins on a tour of Brunhild. Yumina held Kohaku while Sue had Pikachu join on her shoulder. They reached a market where there was plenty of business going on. "Boy, this place can be busy at times," Ash hummed.

"We don't mind their productiveness," Touya giggled. "Brunhild has a lot going on." They reached a structure with a cut-out of a crescent moon over the door. "Like here, the Silver Moon Inn. It's where I stayed for a while before I was given the mansion."

"This included Yae, Linze and Elze," Yumina added. "This was before Kohaku and I joined." Ash nodded in understanding before he turned to Sue.

"What about you?" he asked.

"I didn't join," Sue admitted. "I stayed by Mom and Dad to make sure Mom was still okay."

"I can understand," Ash accepted. "I'd probably do the same for my mom as well." Sue giggled to the shared relation. They entered where they viewed a young redhead woman wearing a pink apron over a yellow shirt and brown skirt.

"Touya, what brings you here?" she greeted. "Is the mansion flooded?"

"No, nothing like that, Micah," Touya laughed. "Actually, we're guiding a new friend over." Ash and Pikachu emerged to see her.

"Oh, she runs this place?" asked Ash.

"Well, she's the branch manager," Touya corrected. "Originally, she was the only employee working before I got her members to work." Ash and Pikachu awed the work while Micah scooped the Mouse Pokémon.

"Sue, where did you find this cutie!?" she cooed. She giggled before hugging Pikachu. "Oh, I wouldn't mind giving you a room for free!" Pikachu nervously giggled to the offer.

"Pikachu's not mine, Micah," Sue denied. "He actually belongs to him." She pointed to Ash who nodded.

"Oh, it's yours?" realized Micah. "And this is Pikachu?" Pikachu squeaked to confirm.

"Micah, this is Ash Ketchum," Yumina introduced. "He's with us to show around."

"Oh, really?" realized Micah. "Are you from Belfast?" Ash had a nervous giggle of his own.

"No, a long, long way farther than Belfast, I'm afraid," he replied.

"I was gonna say," Micah snickered. "Probably where you have those clothes from, right?" Ash itched his head nervously while a tall redhead man with a goatee emerged. He wore a gray shirt under a green apron and brown slacks. He also wore a black bandanna.

"What's this about someone from father than Belfast visiting us?" he voiced. All turned to the new man.

"Touya was introducing me to his new friends he found, father," Micah pointed out. The father awed the tidbit as he turned to Touya and Ash.

"Dolan, how's it hanging?" greeted Touya.

"Oh, I've been doing so well that I won some money with your Shogi game," Dolan briefed. Touya sighed nervously, his hand itching the back of his head.

"You've been anteing the game up, huh?"

"Nothing wrong with a little wager now and then." The laugh made Ash and the cousins sigh. Seeing Ash, he approached. "Oh, who's this?" Ash chose to come forward.

"I'm Ash, Touya's new friend," he introduced himself. The two shook hands.

"I see," Dolan smiled. "I also see how this little girl is close to you." Looking, Ash found Sue.

"Sue and I caught on with each other pretty quick." The reply made Micah giggle.

"I do wish you and Micah be cordial as well."

"Father, not like that!" snapped Micah. Dolan had a belly laugh from his daughter's reply. After a few more moments, the group left the Silver Moon. Pikachu looked to have been dreaming while on Sue's shoulder.

"Pikachu likes being kissed," Sue giggled. Pikachu squealed happily as the onlookers continued to look at the Mouse Pokémon with curiosity while children wondered if they could have a Pikachu of their own.

"By the way, Touya," Ash voiced. "What's Shogi? Is that some sort of board game?"

"Yeah, something else I can teach you," Touya promised.

"Oh, sure," Ash understood as they came across the shop Touya came from when he and Kohaku first encountered Ash and Pikachu. "Isn't that the shop you came from when Pikachu and I first got here?" Looking, Yumina knew of Ash's first moments.

"Yes, he was checking in on the shopkeeper's wife and how her pregnancy was progressing," she replied. "It's going to be their first child." Ash and Pikachu awed the news.

("Wonderful!") cheered Pikachu.

"Speaking of child, aren't you anxious to be a big sister, Yumina?" wondered Sue. Ash and Pikachu gasped when they glanced back at Yumina.

"Are you serious!?" irked Ash. Yumina giggled to Ash and Pikachu's reactions.

"Even more, they offered Touya to be my new sibling's godfather," she added. Smiles formed on Ash and Pikachu.

"Wow, congrats!" he praised. "I can't help but be happy for you guys." As that happened, Touya felt a vibration from his smartphone. He looked to it, a message from "GOD" appearing on the phone.

GOD OF LOVE WANTS 2 KNOW ABOUT THE NEW BOY. STOP BY ASAP.

Touya put the phone away before escorting the people along. His group entered a new building where more people glanced to Ash and Pikachu. "Don't you feel weird that you're starting to be the center of attention?" warned Yumina.

"It doesn't necessarily help that I'm not wearing the same things you are," Ash admitted. "And Pikachu isn't as familiar as you are."

"True, not a lot of people know about your clothing," Kohaku understood. "Fortunately, we sent the measurements to a special tailor in town to help you fit in."

"At least," Sue smiled.

"Anyway, this is the Adventurers' Guild," Touya informed. "Here, you can get details about jobs such as hunts or escorts." Ash and Pikachu irked to the word of hunting.

"Hunts, huh?" repeated Ash. "Why do I have a feeling these 'hunts' aren't the same as back home?" Touya and the cousins were curious.

"Could you… clarify what you mean?" wondered Sue.

"Sure," Ash accepted. "As a Pokémon Trainer, I do hunt for Pokémon, but when I find it, I can battle to train my Pokémon and see how strong the opponent is. You saw what I brought my other Pokémon out with, right?" He unhooked his ball and showed it to them. "I use a Pokéball to capture them. That way, I can train them to be strong and help out whenever there's a need." The cousins awed the explanation.

"That does sound more humane than our hunts," Touya compared.

"Imagine what Misty and I go through during our adventures," Ash pointed out before looking to the posters. His face became confused. "Okay, what's with these letters!? I can't read any of this!" Yumina and Kohaku sighed to Ash's quick fluster.

"Don't feel bad," Touya assured. "I had the same difficulty when I first saw it. Linze and Elze can help when we return." Ash smiled, knowing there was help.

"Um, Ash?" spoke Sue. Ash turned to his crush.

"What's up?" he wondered.

"You mentioned Misty just now. Are you and her… you know… uh?" The question made Ash realize about the past.

"Oh, no, no, no, no… Misty and I… We're so not a couple… and believe me, I have absolutely no interest in asking her out whatsoever." The reply made Sue hopeful.

"So… she's not your girlfriend?" A shake of Ash's head made her sigh in relief. "Thank goodness." A quick thought came in her head. 'That means I still have a chance with him!'

"And besides, even if I was interested in Misty, there's definitely no chance now." The others were curious.

"What do you mean?" asked Yumina.

"Was she seeing someone behind you?" guessed Touya.

"Not really," Ash denied. "As a matter of fact, it happened right before Pikachu and I came to Belfast. See, I was calling Professor Oak about how Heracross was adjusting with some of my other Pokémon at his ranch that included my 30 Tauros when Misty told Nurse Joy that she's with me after what happened on my first day as a Trainer when her bike was destroyed as I tried to get Pikachu help. She even added that I 'wouldn't know what love is,' only to add how I'm blind and stupid. I thought we were just friends, but to be that passionate about who I was…" Touya, Kohaku and the cousins couldn't believe that Misty would say such things to him while he was in earshot. "Then, Team Rocket came at us like always before a storm kicked in and… well, here we were."

"She really said all that about you?!" gawked Touya. Ash slowly nodded. "Ouch…"

"That's what I said, myself," Ash shrugged.

"To be fair," Kohaku spoke up. "She wasn't afraid to voice her opinion about you."

("I wanted to zap her for that,") Pikachu growled. Yumina huffed in a fit.

"The nerve of her!" she snapped. "How dare she say such awful things! She should be ashamed of herself!"

"And she's supposed to be your friend!" added Sue. "What a rude girl!" Touya sighed to their anger.

"Your feelings didn't get hurt after hearing that from Misty, did they?" he asked. Ash gestured pinching air between his index finger and thumb.

"A little, I'll admit," he admitted with a shrug. "I'm okay. Still though, she didn't have to be that vocal about me."

"She most certainly didn't!" scowled Yumina. "Mark my words: if I ever meet this Misty, I am going to have a strict word with her!"

"Count me in too, cousin!" added Sue. "She's not going to get away with this!" Ash and Touya sighed at the girls' anger. After their stop at the guild, they proceeded onward to a boutique.

"This is Fashion King Zanac," Touya announced. "It's a boutique that sells the latest fashions." That's when a grown middle-aged blond man appeared, wearing a lavender ascot over a blue blazer and slacks.

"Touya, my boy!" he greeted, his mustache fluffing up under his breath. "How are you doing?"

"Just fine, Zanac," Touya greeted. "Did you get Leim's message?"

"I did and went right to work. I was applying the finishing touches to it when you arrived."

"Wow, you're fast!"

"I'm not the Fashion King for nothing." That's when he saw Ash and Pikachu. "And I see why. Those are indeed rare clothes."

"And handmade by my mom," Ash added. "Though, my Trainer's cap stays with me. I worked a lot to get it."

"Don't worry, I won't buy it from you," Zanac laughed. "Though, I would like to examine it to understand its functionality." Thinking there was no harm, Ash handed his cap to Zanac who took a closer look. "It's very lightweight, and this must block the sun from reaching your eyes. It's possibly not a good helmet to use for long adventures with monsters such as dragons." Ash sighed to the descriptions.

"So, do you wear that everywhere?" asked Yumina.

"I do, and my cap has helped on a few occasions like during rain or if I'm feeling a little emotional," Ash admitted. "I even had Pikachu wear it a few times." Pikachu squeaked in confirmation. Zanac chose to get moving.

"Anyway, let's get you fitted," he offered as he led Ash to the back. Sue held Ash's cap before she tried it on. She turned to Yumina.

"How do I look?" she asked. Yumina and Pikachu giggled to the sight.

"No offense, Sue," Kohaku mewed. "It looks better on Master than you." Yumina giggled to Kohaku's point. A short while later, Ash emerged wearing a navy blue tunic with a diamond-shape cutout by the collar and matching cargo trousers.

"Hey, looking good!" praised Touya as he flicked a thumb up.

"Oh, yes!" agreed Yumina. "He does look very handsome indeed!"

"Nothing against Mom, but this is actually a lot more comfortable," he compared.

("That's for sure!") cheered Pikachu.

"What do you think, Sue?" questioned Yumina. There wasn't a response. Yumina looked to Sue when she heard nothing from her. "Sueshie?" Everyone else turned to Sue who had her eyes widened. She saw Ash standing stoically and confident.

"She's starstruck," Kohaku joked. Sue snapped out, but her cheeks were red in embarrassment. That's when Ash pulled out a jeweled case.

"On top of that, he allowed me to have my badges in this case for when we return to Misty and Brock," he added. Touya and the cousins were curious to the new item.

"Badges?" repeated Touya.

"Yeah, here," Ash allowed as he opened the case. Inside were six cufflink-sized, button-styled pins. One looked like a silver hexagon in shape of wings with the bottom missing, one was a ladybug, one had a gold four-sided diamond inside a silver diamond, one was a navy blue balloon with two ghost-like eyes, one was a bronze circle with a tiny one by the side to look like a fist and one more was a silver octagon.

"Those are badges?" wondered Sue.

"Yep," Ash confirmed. He started pointing to each one, starting with the winged piece. "This is the Zephyr Badge I got from Falkner in Violet City…" Next was the ladybug. "The Hive Badge from Bugsy in Azalea Town…" Next was the gold diamond. "The Plain Badge from Whitney in Goldenrod City…" Now was the ghostly pin. "The Fog Badge from Morty in Ecruteak City…" Up next was the fist. "The Storm Badge from Chuck in Cianwood City…" Last was the octagon. "And the Mineral Badge from Jasmine in Olivine City." The cousins looked confused to the badges.

"How do these badges work?" wondered Yumina.

"See, I challenge Pokémon Gyms in cities that have them," Ash started. "When I defeat the Gym Leaders, I get their badge. If I win eight of them within the region, I can participate in the region's conference." Intrigue grew on everyone.

"Conference?" guessed Touya. "Why would you want to compete for some big meeting?" Ash snorted a giggle.

"No, not that kind of conference," Ash replied. "A conference back home is a big tournament featuring other trainers who also got their eight badges where we compete to see who would be the region's champion."

"Ooh, okay. Something like that sounds thrilling."

"Trust me, thrilling is the tip of the iceberg." Yumina and Sue looked closer at the badges.

"So, these are like keys in your trek to your greatness," Yumina believed.

"Pretty much," Ash smiled. After getting the exchange done, Ash joined the rest stepping out. Pikachu was fitted with a tunic of his own. This time, the girls and young women awed Ash and his new look. They came and surrounded the pair.

"Handsome!" some of the girls cheered.

"I want to pet his creature!" another girl wished. Ash and Pikachu felt surrounded by the city's girls who wanted him. Touya and Yumina became gradually worried while Sue started to steam, jealousy growing. There were flirting girls tugging on Ash's arms.

"Master, it's time," Kohaku announced.

"Do it!" agreed Touya. Kohaku was aglow before she morphed. When she stopped glowing, she was a full-grown tiger that stood taller than Ash before she let out thundering roar. Her green eyes and large teeth were revealed. The girls became frightened and backed away, mostly running out of fear. Ash and Pikachu breathed a sigh of relief before turning to the fully grown Kohaku. Pikachu became frightened at the sight of the transformed tiger.

"Kohaku?" trembled Ash. The tiger bowed.

"I took this form to protect you two from the onslaught of their slew," Kohaku growled. "We do not want you to be forced by those you know no one of." Ash understood and petted Kohaku. They soon returned to the mansion where Leim and Renne saw the group coming.

"Ash, looking good!" she approved.

"Yeah, but no one's getting my cap," Ash smiled.

"I also take it Zanac has your other garb that you traded?" wondered Leim. Ash nodded.
Inside the mansion, everyone but Leen seemed to approve of Ash's new look.

"You and Touya look like brothers," Linze complimented. Ash and Touya giggled a little.

"For sure!" agreed Lucia. "Ash, I like this look of yours. Don't get me wrong, but the whole short-sleeve jacket over the t-shirt ensemble is a little too warm."

"I don't mind what he wears," Leen scoffed. "He could be wearing something close to my wear, it won't mean a thing."

"You don't have to be that hard on someone you barely knew for a day," Yae dismissed. "He looks nice. I now want to see him in a yukata."

"True, and how about Pikachu?" awed Hildegard. "He looks even cuter in that." Leen had a small giggle.

"Indeed, he does," she noticed.

"I think everyone likes this new wardrobe you two have," Elze spoke for everyone. Ash and Pikachu smiled with nods. Yumina tapped Touya on the shoulder, causing him to turn and see her with Sue.

"Can you Gate us to my home?" she requested. "Sue and I want to see our parents to talk about Ash." Touya sensed the cousins' intent.

"Sure, I can Gate you there," he accepted. Sue came to Ash.

"We're going to visit Yumina's and my parents for a bit," she briefed. Ash nodded, understanding the idea.

"Okay, did you want me to come?" he wondered. Sue shook her head.

"I'm gonna tell our parents about you before you come by. We want to set them up for that moment."

"Gotcha… Hopefully, it won't be a long visit." A smile came from Sue before she picked Pikachu up.

"You watch over Ash, okay?" she promised. Pikachu squeaked to agree, prompting her to kiss his cheek. Pikachu let out another shrill. Touya had his hand out.

"GATE!" he chanted. The Gate opened before Sue and Yumina passed through. Ash picked Kohaku up, back in her tiny form.

"Now that I've seen how you're a Divine Beast, I'm a little eager to see the others," he wished.

"Of course!" agreed Kohaku. Ash and Pikachu were having an interesting time here in Touya's mansion. There's so much to learn.

TO BE CONTINUED...