Author's Notes
Heyo, I'm back! This time, we're entering the villains intro... on Serena's side.
Hehehe.
There are some things I wanna clarify after the chapter so be sure to read the notes downstairs to get some context.
What kinda context, you may ask? Well, let's just say that we're 'overlapping' some characters from Fate with the villains...
Now, about Ruby/Brendan. He's still a Contest nerd, but unlike Adventures, in Fated, he has no problems Battling.
If Adventures!Ruby was 100% Contest and 0% Battle, Fated!Ruby would be 50/50.
Why is he pursuing strength as well as beauty? Because of a certain someone...
Which parallels nicely with Fated!Ash's motivation.
Fun fact: There's a small cameo regarding 2 Trainers who are currently travelling with an official license in the story back in Chapter 65. You guys already know who they are.
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Chapter 67: Smoke And Fire
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New Bark Town Outskirts, Johto Region (The next day…)
The newly joined trio was standing at the entrance of Route 29 with Professor Elm giving some final gifts.
"Now for Brendan. It appears that your father has sent your starter Pokémon ahead of time."
"Woah, really? Dad's on point for once," Brendan was amazed.
'Usually, he'd be out on some routes observing Pokémon and forgetting stuff along the way…' the white-hatted boy thought.
"Unfortunately…"
"Oh, here we go…" Brendan rolled his eyes.
"He sent an Egg instead," Elm confessed.
"Well, it's better than nothing."
The novice Trainer accepted the Egg which was contained within a large cylindrical device with heating functions. The Professor called it an Egg Incubator and that it would help the Egg to hatch faster.
Brendan's Egg was coloured blue with a few orange spots.
"As for you, Ash…" Elm turned to the surprised boy.
"Hmm? I get something too?"
"Of course. Professor Oak spoke highly of you when it came to raising Pokémon. That much was evident with your current 3."
'The Professor sure likes embarrassing me…' the raven-haired boy scratched his nose.
"As such, I would like you to accept this Egg," Elm brought another Incubator with an Egg inside and gave it to the boy.
Ash's Egg was coloured green with no spots.
"This Egg was discovered by the Marine Pokémon Laboratory. Apparently, this little one was found alone on Mt. Silver all alone without its parent in sight," Elm explained with a sombre tone.
That information at the end caused Ash to widen his eyes in shock as he looked at the Incubator in his arms, staring with an indescribable expression.
"We had no luck finding its parents after quite some time. So, at the very least, I would like this child to be born with a loving person," Elm remarked to Ash.
'Without parents… This guy…'
The raven-haired boy unconsciously tightened his fists before giving his answer:
"I understand."
The double meaning behind his words went unnoticed by those around him but himself.
"And Misty. I have an Egg here for you. At first, I was contemplating keeping it but… I feel it should explore the world," Elm said.
"…Thank you, Professor."
The redhead was given an Egg as well. This time, it was a white one with unfilled shapes resembling triangles of red and blue.
With that, the trio bode the Professor and his aide farewell as they began heading to closest city to register both Ash and Brendan for the Johto League.
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"If it's the nearest, it'd be Cherrygrove City," the ruby-eyed boy remarked.
Brendan was a Johto native so without question, the two Kanto Trainers followed him without hesitation.
"So! Do you only have two Pokémon?" Brendan struck a conversation as they walked.
"Pikachu and Froakie prefer to be outside. Meanwhile, there's this reliable guy inside here," Ash replied as he showed Charizard's capsule.
"Altogether, I have 3 with me."
"Oh cool! Same," Brendan grinned.
The boy summoned all 3 of his Pokémon, introducing them to his new travel companions.
"You've already met her, but for introductions sake, ahem!"
Brendan's extravagant nature took hold as he flourished his body whilst showing off his Pokémon:
"My coolest Pokémon: Nana!"
"Arf!" Nana barked.
"Next, my cutest Pokémon: Coco!"
"Meow!" a pink feline with stumpy legs mewed.
"And finally, my smartest Pokémon: Rara!"
"Raru," a green-haired humanoid with a body resembling a white oversized dress emoted.
An imaginary spotlight shone onto the 4, causing an amused stare from Ash and second-hand embarrassment from Misty.
"Arf!"
"Hm? Oh, Nana, right?" Ash reached down to pat the little hyena.
Her snout kept hovering on his bandaged arms, eliciting a chuckle from the boy.
"It's only been a day. But I'm really fine, it doesn't hurt at all actually."
The Pokémon named Coco as well Rara looked at their fellow friend's interaction with the new human, wondering what kind of person he was.
Sensing their stares, the raven-haired boy gave a friendly smile before scanning the pink feline with his Dex.
[=]
Skitty, the Kitten Pokémon
Skitty is known to chase around playfully after its own tail. In the wild, this Pokémon lives in holes in the trees of forests. It is very popular as a pet because of its adorable looks. Skitty has the habit of becoming fascinated by moving objects and chasing them around. This Pokémon is known to chase after its own tail and become dizzy.
[=]
Next, he scanned the green-haired Pokémon.
[=]
Ralts, the Feeling Pokémon
Ralts senses the emotions of people using the horns on its head. This Pokémon rarely appears before people. But when it does, it draws closer if it senses that the person has a positive disposition. If its Trainer is in a cheerful mood, this Pokémon grows cheerful and joyous in the same way.
[=]
Ash marvelled at the new Pokémon, soaking in their information as he was always excited to meet new ones.
"Brendan?" Misty called for the white-hatted boy.
"Yeah?"
"Now that I think about it, aren't all of your Pokémon from Hoenn?"
"Ahhh… Well, these 3 were gifts from Dad, he's the Hoenn Professor, after all," the ruby-eyed boy answered.
"They've been with me for a long time since I was 5."
'5 years old… That time…' Ash began to lose his way in his thoughts.
He could not help himself revisiting those memories of summer camp.
But at the same time, how could he not?
Those memories were the happiest he had ever been in his whole life.
'It's been 6 years since then. Wait, it's almost 7 now…'
Autumn was around the corner. The weather was turning colder though it was not an issue for the cold-resistant Ash. What had his brain bewildered was the fact that the Grand League was already a few months ago.
"Arf?" Nana tilted her head at the tranced boy, snapping him awake.
"Sorry. Just thinking of some things," he stroked the hyena's chin.
Meanwhile, Pikachu and Froakie was greeting the new companions with a wave towards Brendan as well.
"Your Pokémon are so good-looking, Ash!" Brendan gushed at the two.
"If your Pikachu could wear a luchador costume, he'd look tough as hell!"
Misty imagined the electric mouse wearing it and suppressed a giggle at the imagery.
"And your Froakie! He can give Nana a run for her money with his coolness."
The blue frog was flattered but felt a hole-drilling stare behind him.
"Say, Brendan. What're these keywords you keep using? Like cool or cute?" Ash questioned, mildly interested.
"Oh, that? Those are Contest types! Y'know, like the ones from TV."
At this, Ash definitely recalled watching during his flight on the blimp.
'Those Trainers wearing cheerleading costumes?' Ash took another glance at Brendan from top to bottom.
"Well… I guess you could pull it off… maybe?" the raven-haired boy tried his hardest.
'Cheerleading costume… might not fit him. Maybe if I try a little harder… nope.'
Ash got the completely wrong idea about Contests.
"Thanks, Ash! If a great Trainer like you said so, my career's a green light!" the flamboyant boy gave a thumbs up.
And Brendan was on the wrong page.
The redhead watching the two knew what each of them were thinking. But instead of correcting their thoughts, she thought it would be funnier if she did not speak.
As she trailed behind them, Misty could not help but feel happy that Ash was smiling as he talked with Brendan.
'Having someone his age to talk with is probably the best thing for him,' Misty mused to herself.
Then, she took note of their appearances. Though they were different closeup with Brendan being considered handsome for his age while Ash was quite average; but if seen from a distance, anybody would think of the two as twins due to their similar eye colour and hair.
'I wonder why he wears that hat though? Thought it was his hair for a second.'
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Pokémon Academy, Kalos Region
As the next day rolled around, most of the students had calmed down from Cynthia's technical one-shot against Viola. However, a scant few were still wary of her.
"Now class. Today, I'm going to continue our previous lesson on Pokémon Catching," Cynthia beamed.
"Or specifically, catching real Pokémon this time."
The class clamoured into excited uproar as some were waiting for this since the announcement of the Provisional license.
"Alright!" Calem pumped his fists.
The friend group were mostly excited apart from Gary, Blue, Kimia, Alain and surprisingly, Serena as well.
'Do you not want to catch Pokémon, Serena?' Squishy asked via telepathy on her shoulder.
The Cores accompanied the honey blonde to school today, mostly because they were uncomfortable in Cynthia's penthouse as opposed to Serena's room.
'Another Pokémon, huh? I hope it's not mandatory to catch one,' the honey blonde mused.
Her reasoning was actually much simpler and child-like: She did not want Fennekin to get jealous.
'Besides, what's the point of getting another Pokémon if I still don't know what I wanna do…' she sighed.
'…Should I try aiming for the Kalos League?'
But she shook away the thought.
'If it weren't for the humans in red, we will gladly support you in that endeavour if you so wish, Serena,' Puni-chan assured with confidence.
'Pft, I'm not sure whether Legendary Pokémon are even allowed in the League. But still, thank you, you two.'
…
Afterwards, the class was brought to the nearby woods, still at the side of the school's battlefield but halfway into the forests.
There, the children bore witness to a myriad of Pokémon surrounding the foliage, even ones that were not found there.
Fennekin summoned herself from her Ball, shyly taking small steps towards a skulk of Fennekins. The skulk noticed her and to the honey blonde's surprise, they yipped happily around her.
'Wait a minute, these Pokémon are from…' she realized.
"These Pokémon… They're used to humans?" Gary knelt to pat a friendly long-bodied ferret.
[=]
Furret, the Long Body Pokémon
Furret has a very slim build. When under attack, it can slickly squirm through narrow spaces and get away. Despite its short limbs, this Pokémon is very nimble and fleet. The mother puts its offspring to sleep by curling up around them. It corners foes with speed.
[=]
"Yeah. These Pokémon are from Auggie's, I mean, Professor Sycamore's lab," Cynthia corrected herself.
"As you guys are now, they would be the perfect Pokémon for you guys to catch."
The lab Pokémon were excited as well. They were raring to meet their would-be Trainers, though they were not going to go down without a battle.
The children realized this and proceeded to challenge their desired Pokémon with their own starters.
"Oh man… who do I pick?" Calem was jittering with a crooked smile.
"Calem," Alain placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Eek?! Oh, Alain. What's up?" the black-haired boy got surprised before calming down.
"Calm down. These guys won't approach you if you're too eager," the taciturn teen said from experience.
'That's right! Alain's the Professor's aide,' Shauna remembered.
"Oh-oh, mhm! Got it."
Kimia and Serena watched as their remaining classmates began to engage in battles against the Pokémon.
Unfortunately, not all were as talented as Gary or Blue, with most of the budding Trainers making mistakes left and right, unable to whittle down the critters to catching level.
"This is so hard!" one of them complained.
But nevertheless, none of them gave up. A quality that most Pokémon approved of. A Trainer should be capable of that much, at least.
Cynthia smiled at her students. Slowly but surely, they were getting the hang of it.
"Aren't you going to participate, you two?" the blonde woman addressed the Kanto duo.
"Do you really think we'd need the experience?" Gary deadpanned.
"Fair enough. But it wouldn't hurt to raise more Pokémon, right?"
Blue was contemplating about that as well, but in the end, she decided against it. The reason was due to her not being confident enough to raise more Pokémon than what she had.
Gary himself was more than capable of raising more Pokémon as evidenced by his implication of having a second team back home. As such, there was no point for him to catch more.
…
However, unbeknownst to them…
A mysterious group was watching them. More specifically, they were watching Serena.
"Location confirmed."
"Z1, Z2."
All of them wore red suits.
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Route 29, Johto Region
The trio soon found an unusual sight on their path to Cherrygrove City.
"Chikorita! Use [Tackle]!"
They saw a purple-haired girl with a black-striped, white baseball cap with a lightning bolt on the front while wearing a pale blue t-shirt, a yellow jacket with black stripes, striped white shorts with a red belt, and brown and white sneakers.
Her Pokémon was battling a Ratatta while wearing a headband. Seeing the purple rodent, both Ash and Pikachu froze on the spot.
…
On the day they returned to Pokémon Tower…
Ash visited Raticate's grave. Accompanying him were Pikachu, Froakie and Marowak.
As they sat in front of the tombstone, the raven-haired boy took out his favourite Berry as an offering.
"Yo. How have ya been?"
Froakie watched as Ash and Pikachu smiled at the grave with Marowak performing a dance.
"This guy here's Marowak. He's gonna be keeping you company from now on," Ash grinned at the skull warrior.
"I guess you can say this Tower's both yours and his home now."
Marowak knocked on the tombstone, saying his greetings.
"Ga-ra. Ga-ra, ga-ra!"
"Sorry that you're stuck with me today. Green and Blue couldn't make it. They're at a place far away from Kanto," Ash apologized.
"…To tell you the truth, I'm also heading off. To Johto."
"But don't get it wrong, Raticate. We're not abandoning you. No matter how far we are, you'll always be in our hearts."
Froakie stared in amazement at the wistful look in the bloodred eyes.
"Though, it's your fault. Kinda hard to forget your smug ass face," Ash smirked jokingly.
"Pika, pika!" Pikachu joined in the roast.
…
Both Brendan and Misty noticed it with the latter sympathizing with the raven-haired boy since she knew of what happened during his journey in Kanto.
"Kero…" Froakie croaked sadly at both his Trainer and close friend.
"Hey, Ash? You alright?" Brendan asked.
The raven-haired boy stared at the battling rodent before showing a small smile towards the white-hatted boy.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
The redhead let out a sigh of relief, glad that Ash was fine.
"Good… Hm? Something smells nice," the ruby-eyed boy twitched his nose.
As he made notice of the scent, Ash and Misty became aware as well of the sudden aroma wafting in the air.
'Is it because of that Pokémon?' the raven-haired boy guessed.
[=]
Chikorita, the Leaf Pokémon
In battle, Chikorita waves its leaf around to keep the foe at bay. However, a sweet fragrance also wafts from the leaf, becalming the battling Pokémon and creating a cozy, friendly atmosphere all around. Its pleasantly aromatic leaf has the ability to check humidity and temperature. It loves to sunbathe.
[=]
'So it's called a Chikorita.'
"Reminds me of Venusaur's entry, now that I think about it," he commented.
'I wonder if it's the Johto Grass starter…'
But Ash's thoughts were cut short as he felt a sinking sensation in his guts. A horrid feeling like something went wrong.
'This feeling… Yel—'
"KKKIIIEEEEKKK!"
Once more, a shriek interrupted his thoughts as Ash turned towards the source deep within the forests of Route 29.
"Eek!" the purple-haired girl whimpered as her Chikorita as well as the wild Ratatta froze in fear.
"Ash, back off!" Misty commanded.
"Oi, oi! That's a…!" Brendan recognized the figure coming out of the woods.
A large blue beetle appeared and screeched at the purple-haired girl.
"KKKIIIEEEEKKK!"
Or more specifically, both Ratatta and Chikorita.
"A Heracross?!"
'Heracross? Never heard of it before.'
[=]
Heracross, the Single Horn Pokémon
It's proud of its thick horn. In Alola, its biggest rival is Vikavolt, which it's always fighting with. It roams through forests searching for sweet nectar. Although it boasts fantastic physical strength, it's not that good at flying. With its herculean powers, it can easily throw around an object that is 100 times its own weight.
[=]
'What's a Vikav— Wait, now's not the time!' Ash went into action.
His body was faster than his mind with his thoughts registering only a moment later. But by then, the raven-haired boy had found himself already running towards the girl and the Pokémon.
"Kyaaa!" the girl closed her eyes, not daring to see another second of the charging beetle.
All of a sudden…
"Charizard, I choose you!"
She felt her body carried off by a pair of warm claws.
"Eh?" she peeked.
Her saviour turned into the form of a growling Charizard, ready for battle as he glared at the beetle. Panicking, she wondered where her Chikorita was.
"Yo, rough day?"
The purple haired girl was startled by the sudden voice beside her as she finally noticed a raven-haired boy with both Ratatta and her Chikorita in his arms.
"T-t-thank you!" she stuttered.
"Don't mention it. Anyone would've done the same."
Drip, drip.
"Chi!" the Johto starter chirped in worry at the boy.
As it turned out, Ash did not come out unscathed. A line of blood was present on his left thigh, presumably wounded when he dove for the smaller Pokémon and was unfortunate enough to be cut by the beetle's horn.
"Roaaar!" Charizard roared, immensely angered by Heracross.
"Well then. You mind if I take over?" Ash asked politely.
She immediately nodded.
"Thanks, um…?"
"Casey! Casey of Little Bark Town!" she introduced in a high-pitched voice.
Nodding to her, Ash focused back onto Heracross.
Misty and Brendan were on the other side of the road, unable to cross due to Heracross blocking their path.
"Nothing like a good old-fashioned brawl huh, buddy?" the raven-haired boy grinned to his Kanto starter.
"Grr!"
"Alright. Come, Heracross!"
"I'm Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town! And you'll be my first capture of Johto!"
"KIIIEEKK!"
And the two Pokémon clashed.
…
"[Flamethrower]!"
The orange dragon made the first move as he blasted a stream of fire towards the beetle. However, Heracross dodged it easily thanks to its sudden buzzing wings that popped out of its elytra casings.
'Oh right. It can fly, just not that well.'
"KIEEEK!"
Its gigantic horn began to glow bright green as it charged towards not Charizard, but Ash.
'You've gotta be kidding me! This guy's breaking the rules here!'
The unspoken rule here being only Pokémon are allowed to battle Pokémon. Trainers were off-limits.
But Heracross was too hungry to care.
Sensing danger for the Egg in his Bag, Ash wasted no time unequipping it form his person and gave it to Casey to hold now that she was safe from harm.
"No!" Casey gasped.
"Charizard, protect them!" Ash barked.
"Roar!"
The orange dragon protested with a gruff roar. But the raven-haired boy was not having it.
"That's an orde—!"
The boy's words were cut short as the attacking horn had reached him.
'There's not enough time to think!'
Unlike before, Ash was inches away from getting pierced by the glowing horn. Seeing no real way out and AURA was definitely out of his list of options, he opted to twist his body instead.
"Gah!" he coughed.
Despite his best efforts, Heracross' horn scratched his body's flank area, resulting in a small gash. Ash was glad, however, because this was leagues better than getting stabbed.
But his gladness ended abruptly when Heracross slammed its entire body weight into him and proceeded to flip the boy into the sky, propelling him towards the forest.
'Wow, that packs a punch!' he was simultaneously in pain and amazed by the beetle.
"Roar!"
Charizard's roar grabbed his attention as his mind starting to run on pure adrenaline.
"Charizard, [Wing Attack] plus [Acrobatics]!" the raven-haired boy called out as he was getting farther away from the battle, about to fall towards the woods.
'If it works the way I think it does, then this move would be…!'
The orange dragon faced the beetle, still reeling from the charged attack and exhausted. His large wings seemingly hardened as the Flame Pokémon rocketed towards Heracross with glaring eyes.
With [Wing Attack], the blue-green wings were as sharp as swords. And with the engine of [Acrobatics], Charizard's movements increased significantly, closer to [Volt Tackle]'s initial speed.
And with a small exhale, Charizard unleashed a flurry of slashes onto the beetle:
"[Air Cutter (Fake)]!"
A physical rendition of the move.
Nearing the luscious green tops, the raven-haired boy grabbed an unused PokéBall in his pocket and enlarged it. The last thing he wanted was other people getting hurt from the rampaging Heracross.
His mind calculated the trajectory of the capsule as well as accounting for air resistance, something both Gary and Blue insisted on teaching him since his throws were in their words, 'shit'.
However, he knew even that was not enough since even those two would never think in a billion years that Ash would be catching Pokémon from the azure sky at freefall.
So, to compensate, Ash added in Serena's Kyūdō steps, altering them on the fly as he aimed the Ball.
"You're mine!" Ash grinned maniacally as he lobbed with all his strength.
Fwoosh!
The capsule was like a speeding projectile as it seemingly forced itself to propel itself in a straight line. At the end of its journey, the capsule smacked onto the hard exoskeleton of the downed Heracross and in a bright flash, the Single Horn Pokémon was captured.
'That's one thing down… Now how the hell do I land?'
"I guess I could say I'm blasting off—"
"Not on our watch, twerp!"
'…Wat?'
A pair of mechanical arms appeared as they grabbed onto the falling raven-haired boy, halting his descend into the foliage.
"You guys are…!" Ash widened his eyes in recognition.
"Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"And James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth, that's right!"
"Rocket!" Ash exclaimed in surprise.
"Nyahaha! Dat's right, tw… Huh?"
Meowth was hit with confusion as to the boy's lessened hostility towards them.
…
The air balloon landed close to Ash's launch spot, placing him down while he stumbled onto the ground clutching his bleeding side.
"Never thought I'd see the day where I'm glad you guys are here," the raven-haired boy joked to the trio.
"Oi, cut it out twerp! It's creepy when you're being genuine!" the cream-coloured cat shivered.
Misty and Brendan rushed in to help the boy, earning him a lecture from the redhead.
"Are you stupid?! What kind of idiot runs into a charging Pokémon without thinking?!"
"This one right here," the raven-haired boy raised his hand.
"Don't get smart with me!"
The white-hatted boy was a new addition to the rest, but as he witnessed Ash's tendency to act almost suicidal, he felt an uncomfortableness radiating.
Brendan offered to help bandage Ash; his hands were proficient enough that the injured Trainer noted that it was similar to Daisy's handiwork.
"You're pretty good with bandages, Brendan," Ash said, not even wincing as the gauze squashed onto his wounds.
"Oh, this? I just… uh…"
The raven-haired boy noticed Brendan's hesitation just like before; this time, he also became aware of his fidgeting on his hat, pulling it down as if to hide something.
"It's okay."
"Huh?"
"You don't hafta answer it if you don't wanna."
"…Thanks, Ash."
"That's my line," he grinned.
As soon as they were done, Ash came out with a covered gauze on his lateral area while his thigh's injury was less serious, only wrapped with a red band.
"Now then, Rocket," Ash began.
The Rocket trio smirked, ready to battle against the boy before suddenly…
"Thanks for the help at Shamouti. You really saved my butt back then," he bowed in gratitude.
The Rocket trio were bewildered by the gesture, not knowing how to proceed. Meowth was obviously flabbergasted by this while Jessie and James were shocked as if they had never had something as small as a 'thank you' offered to them in their lives.
"Bah! It's nothing, twerp," Jessie huffed away.
"It wouldn't be good on our conscience if a child got killed too," James added.
The white-hatted boy was visibly alarmed at that last added bit of information, causing his mind to go haywire trying to figure out what sort of life Ash had to warrant such a statement.
"By the way, your boss didn't say anything about you 3. What's up with that?"
"Da boss? Giovanni's here?!" Meowth beamed.
'Hm? They weren't aware?' Ash quirked a brow.
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Cherrygrove City, Johto Region
After calling for a temporary ceasefire, Ash and company went on to Cherrygrove City.
There, they parted ways with an escorted Casey, thanking them for their help and apologizing profusely towards a helpless Ash.
The raven-haired boy was at a loss before promising her that they would meet again in the League.
The beaming expression Casey gave before skipping off gave Misty enough reason to pinch Ash's ear.
"Why?!"
"You know what you did."
…
At the Pokémon Centre…
"Here you are. Brendan Birch of Goldenrod City," Nurse Joy smiled to the beginner.
"You are now officially a challenging Trainer for the Johto League."
"Thanks, Nurse Joy. Your Chansey should be a Contest star from its beauty," the flamboyant boy commented with exaggerated swagger.
"Hehe, Chansey's flattered by your words," Nurse Joy giggled at her coworker's delight.
Then, it was Ash's turn.
"Now, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. You are also officially a challenging Trainer for the Johto League. Furthermore, with Professor Elm's endorsement, all Gym Leaders are required to face you with their Level 2 Pokémon."
"Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy," the raven-haired boy thanked.
"We hope to see you again."
Now that they had registered for the League, it was finally time for Ash to greet his new Pokémon.
A bright flash of white summoned the blue beetle from before. However, after its capture, it was rather docile and sheepish towards Ash.
"Kiek…"
"Nah, it's fine. You were hungry, right?" Ash understood.
Luckily for the beetle, Ash had prepared leftover souffles from last time with additional homemade honey that he literally almost died making.
"KIEK!" Heracross shrieked happily as it gobbled up the food.
'All hail Bill! This Bag works wonders!' he praised the Storage System developer.
After some fiddling, Ash found that Items kept in digital space do not rot nor corrode, making it an amazing preserver for Ash's leftovers.
The raven-haired boy and his friends sat together, occupying a table with Pikachu and Froakie sitting beside Ash. The boy watched as Brendan asked questions excitedly while Misty chuckled away as she helpfully answered them like a veteran Trainer.
Such sights were precious to Ash as he closed his bloodred eyes, finally allowing himself a break from the troubles today.
'She's probably having a great time now…' he smiled.
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Pokémon Academy, Kalos Region
The students were successful. They had caught their second Pokémon, making them eligible for Gym Battles if they so choose. However, only a handful of them did not attempt.
"I got my second Pokémon!" Calem howled in excitement, raising his capsule to the sky.
It was a long and arduous process, causing mostly the veteran Trainers to cringe due to how many mistakes he made during his battle. However, they silently gave him props for staying in the battle and not giving up.
"Alright, come out!"
From his capsule, a small bipedal feline with pale gray fur appeared. The Kalosians knew what Pokémon it was while the Kantonians pulled out the National Dex.
[=]
Espurr, the Restraint Pokémon
The organ that emits its intense psychic power is sheltered by its ears to keep power from leaking out. Though Espurr's expression never changes, behind that blank stare is an intense struggle to contain its devastating psychic power. There's enough psychic power in Espurr to send a wrestler flying, but because this power can't be controlled, Espurr finds it troublesome.
[=]
'Yeah, okay…' Gary rolled his eyes sarcastically at the exaggerated entry.
"Pretty ironic name considering it can't control its Psychic output," Serena commented.
Shauna was next, revealing that she had caught another Espurr as well, causing Calem to grin excitedly at the tanned girl.
Then, it was Trevor and Tierno's turn.
Trevor's Pokémon appeared on his shoulder, introducing itself to the group:
A small fairy with a crown of pollen holding a red flower.
[=]
Flabébé, the Single Bloom Pokémon
When it finds a flower it likes, it dwells on that flower its whole life long. It floats in the wind's embrace with an untroubled heart. Flabébé wears a crown made from pollen it's collected from its flower. The crown has hidden healing properties.
[=]
For Tierno:
It was a red-shelled crustacean with two large pincers.
[=]
Corphish, the Ruffian Pokémon
Corphish catches prey with its sharp claws. It has no likes or dislikes when it comes to food—it will eat anything. This Pokémon has no trouble living in filthy water. Its hardy vitality enables it to adapt to any environment.
[=]
Corphish waved to the group whilst spinning with joy at its Trainer.
"I can see why you chose him," Serena commented.
"Of course! A dancer after my own heart, just like you!"
A sheepish Serena could only chuckle awkwardly.
"Hey, Green," she whispered to the orange-haired boy.
"Yeah?" Gary whispered back.
"Is this…?"
"Definitely. That's why we gotta protect our boy."
A silent vow to protect Serena was made.
"Serena? You didn't catch any Pokémon?" Trevor asked.
"Nope. Fennekin might get jealous."
"That's not very convincing with all those lab Pokémon around you," Kimia chimed in.
The honey blonde was confused as to what the princess meant before looking down. Sure enough, the remaining Pokémon that were left uncaptured had grouped around Serena, causing slight alarm for the girl.
"Wait, when did they surround me?"
"Quite some time. We just didn't want to make it a big deal," Alain said plainly.
'Excuse me, Alain? This is a pretty big deal though?!'
But as Serena looked closer at the Pokémon surrounding her, she noticed they were not really staring at her, but at the invisible beings on her shoulders.
'Say, Squishy? Puni-chan? Are you two the reason…' she sweatdropped.
'…'
The silence spoke for them.
They were considered deities, after all.
"Woah… It's like you're Snow White!" Blue snickered.
"And I take it you guys are my dwarves?" Serena deadpanned.
"Hey! I'm not that short! Besides, Alain's waaay taller than us!"
"Don't bring me into this," the taciturn commented flatly.
The group shared a laugh with Alain even stifling a chuckle.
It was peaceful. Children laughing and exuberant with their new friends.
.
.
.
Until…
'SERENA, WATCH OUT!'
…
SHHRRRNNNKKK!
That peace was slaughtered by the sudden appearances of icy thorns that engulfed the forests.
"Waaah!" one of the students cried out.
"All of you, get back!" Cynthia went into action instantly.
Blue was frozen for a moment but quickly regained her control before sending out Espeon with Gary already summoning Arcanine. The orange-haired boy recalled the feeling of dread that he faced when he was apprehended by Mewtwo, channelling that dread into action.
"Blue, take the others back to the fields," Gary instructed with a serious tone.
Just then, a blitzing draconic Pokémon with blue scales and a red head came at the fleeing students with dangerous claws. But before the claws could gash them, a lilac force halted its movements before the unknown dragon was unceremoniously flung away.
"Kyuu!" the purple feline mewed indignantly.
"As if I'll leave you alone. We're sticking together, Green," the chestnut-haired girl glared at the opposing enemy.
"…Sigh. Then, watch my back."
"Hehe~ You could've just said 'thanks', y'know?"
As the two Kanto natives prepared for battle, Alain and Kimia stepped up to control the panic. Knowing the two were more skilled than the others, they decided to guide the students instead.
"Everyone! Please do not panic!" Kimia cried out in an authoritative manner.
"Follow the path back to the school grounds and call for the teachers!"
Alain nodded to her, signalling the princess to be the students' guide.
"If you're able to, call for Professor Sycamore," he said with silent alarm.
With his wishes, Kimia nodded back as she guided the group back.
'Wait…' Alain stopped his steps as he turned back to the retreating figures of the students.
As he counted, he soon realized something horrible.
'…Where's Serena?'
…
"It looks like Druddigon failed the ambush," a voice came from the shadowy forests.
Cynthia watched the darkness carefully, her platinum eyes narrowing without a hint of panic nor alarm.
"No matter. The Cores' signals are still present anyways."
'Cores? Don't tell me…!' the blonde woman widened her eyes slightly.
"I'll just leave it to my sister."
From the shadows, the perpetrator appeared. The blonde woman stood still as she took in the sight of what she was looking at.
It was a woman with short orange hair, orange lipstick, and technologically advanced glasses covering her eyes. However, there was when anything remotely safe went out the proverbial window.
Her outfit consisted of a bloodred cloak around her with advanced armour beneath it, barely able to be seen. But what caught Cynthia's attention, or rather, the only thing that caught her attention was the foreign object attached behind her:
It was a pair of mechanical wings.
"If you wanted to show off, you could start by not terrorizing my students," the blonde woman started.
"That is in no way correlated to my orders, Sinnoh Champion," the orange-haired woman replied robotically.
Knowing Cynthia's identity was not a big deal since the woman was well-known in the world. But for Cynthia, to be revealed almost instantly while her opponent remained a mystery did not simmer down her carefulness.
"At the very least, may I have the 'honour' of your name, miss?" the blonde woman asked, adding a little sarcasm though it seemed to go unnoticed.
"Very well."
The robotic wings flared up, spreading with rainbow-coloured 'feathers' as the unknown woman revealed her identity:
"I am one of Team Flare's Admins."
"The first of the Four Valkyries"
"Codename: Gunnr."
…
As the students fled the scene, the forests began to swarm with grunts wearing red suits. Naturally, they were tasked with leaving no witnesses and so, they attacked the first people they saw:
Gary and Blue.
But unfortunately for them…
"[ExtremeSpeed]!" / "[Psychic]: Gauntlet Form!"
They picked the wrong opponents.
The grunts' Pokémon fell one by one.
They stood no chance against the two.
"Flank them! Flank th— Argh!"
"That Arcanine's too fas— Gah!"
"All Dark types, focus on Espeon!"
Such commands could be heard from the trees. The Kanto duo switched roles with Espeon acting as the skirmisher while Arcanine stepped back into defense. The red canine brought back a large branch towards them as he flung it into the air for Espeon's use.
"Roar!"
"Kyuu!"
The two grinned at each other as the purple feline leapt onto the falling branch before infusing it with Psychic energy, turning it into a witch's broom.
"Heh, so that's why they called you Little Witch," the orange-haired boy joked.
"The Tactician says what?!" the chestnut-haired girl shot back.
"Oi, friendly fire's not allowed!"
"You started it, blergh!" Blue childishly stuck out her tongue, much to the chuckle of Gary.
"Engage, engage!" one of the grunts shouted.
"Don't give them a chance to switch!" another shrieked.
As the numerous grunt level Pokémon began to gang up on the two, Arcanine crouched low. The two Trainers started by shocking the Flare grunts by getting on the canine before he leapt high into the air, causing his surrounding enemies to crash on his landing spot.
"Eat this! Courtesy of my rival—" Gary called out.
As the villains stared up, they noticed overflowing flames leaking from the canine's mouth, horrifying them for what was to come.
"—[Eruption (Fake)]!"
BOOOOOM!
A sea of flames scattered around the burning forest because of Arcanine's devastating attack. The canine landed perfectly onto the ground with both Trainers disembarking from his back and earned a scratch from a cooing Blue.
Suddenly, a few capsules of lilac dropped from the sky as Espeon returned. As it turned out, Blue had instructed her purple feline to capture the grunts using [Psychic]: Capsule Form and proceeded to chain them to a large unburnt tree using Chain Form. Their fainted Pokémon soon followed.
But it still was not over. Soon after, a new wave of Flare grunts began to swarm around the Kanto Trainers and Pokémon.
"How you two holding up?" Gary smirked.
"Good. You?" Blue smirked back.
"Not as difficult as Team Rocket. I'll live."
"Hey, hey. Eyes up front."
The two were comfortably bantering with each other as Arcanine and Espeon tore apart the area with the combination of blinding speed and telekinetic force.
While the two Trainers were busily giving commands, they failed to attend to the piercing claws that primed upon them.
"Charizard, [Flamethrower]!"
But at the nick of time, they were saved by a stream of flames above them.
'Charizard?! Is it…?!' Gary felt a twinge of surprise as he watched an orange dragon pushing back the Druddigon.
Blue was the same as her deep blue eyes swam around trying to find the person they thought was here.
'Is he here?!' she scanned.
"Are you two alright?"
Their saviour came in the form of a running Alain.
"Alain. Is that…?"
"Yes. My partner, Charizard."
Gary and Blue nodded, but in their hearts, they were disappointed.
'Damnit. She's not here,' the black-haired boy gritted his teeth after seeing no Serena nearby.
"In any case, you don't mind if I join you guys?" the taciturn glared at the grunts, shelving the honey blonde for now.
"Be our guest," the two said simultaneously.
Arcanine, Espeon and Charizard.
The three engaged.
…
Elsewhere in the forest…
"Khh…"
'It's getting hotter…'
Serena was planted beside a wall of ice, separated from the chaos on the other side. She had narrowly escaped its chilling clutches thanks to the Cores' warning.
'Thanks, you two.'
'We should be apologizing, Serena. We did not think that they could find us this easily,' Squishy apologized sorrowfully.
It had only been a little over 2 months since their escape from Team Flare. Serena had thought from time to time of the 'Red Suits' as she called them, wondering their whereabouts. It seemed after such long times of mundane days had caused her less worries and more carelessness.
"Ito!" / "Ko!" / "Ma!"
The honey blonde swivelled around to see the remaining Pokémon from the lab were safe and sound.
A Spinarak, Psyduck and Marill.
"You guys alright?" she asked with a smile.
They nodded their heads, grateful for the girl's protection. As it turned out, the reason she was separated was due to her pushing away the nearby Pokémon to safety before the frozen thorns could sweep them away.
'Still, what kind of Pokémon could make such a powerful attack?' she glanced at the wall.
"Oh? It looks like the reading was right, after all."
Her answer came in the form of a lady emerging from the other side of the frozen wall.
'That direction… Is she the one who did this?'
The woman wore similar clothing as the one named Gunnr. The only difference was her hair, which was short and green, and her goggles which was similarly green as well.
"Team Flare's Admin."
"The second of the Four Valkyries"
"Codename: Ölrún."
Accompanying her was a small Pokémon with a collar around its neck. It did not take even a second for Serena to identify the slaved Pokémon.
"An… Eevee?" she muttered.
But just as she uttered its name, a shocking sight beheld upon her as Serena watched in horror as the Eevee began to shift appearance uncontrollably.
"Vuuui!" it screamed.
'What…'
The collared Eevee transformed into a Glaceon, answering Serena's internal question.
"That's…!"
"Impossible? Oh, young girl…" Ölrún spread her robotic wings.
"Team Flare always achieves the impossible."
"Did you… experiment on Eevee?!" Serena growled, realizing what the woman was insinuating.
"Heavens no. You can thank Neo Rocket for this thing," the green-haired woman answered coldly.
"We merely… obtained it, so to speak."
The honey blonde could hardly believe her ears. The evil organization, the one that had caused her sweetheart so much pain and suffering as well as Gary for murdering his late Raticate, had spread their evil roots all the way here on Kalos grounds. The sheer thought of what mostly Ash and Gary had undergone boiled the honey blonde's blood to no end as her dainty face turned rageful.
'These scoundrels! To put a little thing through so much pain!' Puni-chan spat in anger similar to Serena.
'Fiends, the lot of them!' Squishy agreed, slightly flaring up with green energy.
"Well, enough chatting. I'll ask you once, little girl…"
The winged woman extended her hand towards Serena. Her cold exterior overwhelming the passive lab Pokémon behind the honey blonde, cowering in the woman's air.
"Hand over Z1 and Z2."
The honey blonde needed no hints as to what she was demanding from her.
But Serena was defiant.
She was their custodian, after all.
"And if I don't?"
"This is not a negotiation, girl."
The Valkyrie was obstinate.
The two knew there was no way to enter a middle ground.
They locked eyes with each other.
Serena's glaring royal blue eyes reflected in the woman's goggles.
"Then this is my answer."
What the Valkyrie saw in front of her almost caused a blood vessel to pop.
Serena pointed her middle finger towards Ölrún.
"*Va te faire foutre."
Chapter 67: Smoke And Fire
(*Go fuck yourself.)
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Author's Notes
Yep. Heracross joins the team as the first Johto capture! And further more!
Our little green baby is with Ash too! God, I love that little guy.
So, he's our second. Which leaves a third and potentially fourth cuz of Charizard in canon.
I think its kinda funny when I don't feel like writing shit about Ash's shenanigans in the notes since everyone at this point is probably: Yeah, he does that. Moving on.
But I have to add on Heracross' rampage here: This is realistically what a Pokemon encounter would be like.
I mean, a hungry Heracross with Ratatta and Chikorita covered in sweet sap is NOT a good combo.
It's to drive home how wild Pokemon are really fucking terrifying if you think about it.
And speaking of terrifying...
Shit just hit the fan, boys and girls. That's right, cue the Smash intro:
Team Flare turns up the heat!
And I bet you guys are confused as shit. Valkyries?
Imma be honest fellas, Lysandre by himself is kinda goated (if he was given proper storytelling (WHERE'S MY X2 AND Y2, GAMEFREAK?!)). But his lackeys were goddamn awful. I mean, I've never seen a Team Leader and their grunts' goals so horribly misaligned.
Lysandre: I wanna make the world beautiful! The Pokemon may die, but it will be for the greater good!
Grunts: Haha, fashion go brrr
Like wtf?
And so, I've brought in elements from Fate that could at the VERY least, make them interesting.
For the Admins: Imma bet 10 bucks NONE of y'all remember shit about them except for Xerosic... cuz he's the bastard.
Sure, you guys may recognize them, but you probably don't remember their names.
Seeing how there are 4 women with different hair colours, and Kalos' setting being Norse myths in France of all places...
I've decided to make them into Valkyries. And no, not the actual ones. They're just called that cuz of the robotic wings. (Hey, it's a lot better than Lysandre's tentacles)
So right now we've got 2 outta 4 of the Flare ladies:
Aliana (orange hair) - Gunnr (In the God of War game (yes, I'm familiar with the franchise), she's the first Valkyrie you fight)
Bryony (green hair) - Ölrún (From one of FGO's Valkyries who has green hair (yes, that's the only reason))
Celosia (purple hair) - ?
Mable (blue hair) - ?
And finally...
? - ? (Who's this? 0.0)
What do the wings do? Well, I did describe the feathers being rainbow-coloured... Like something else in Kalos that's rainbowy... (Not now though... Gotta wait)
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And finally, Vee from Adventures
I'm sorry, but an Eevee that can evolve and devolve almost at will is fucking awesome!
Adventures was on some wild shit, and I've been reading it since I was a kid too.
And as you are suspecting, yes. Fated's 'Vee' is female.
Yes, she's the Fated counterpart of you-know-who's Pokemon.
And yes, she has different forms in Fated. (Glaceon, ? and ?)
...
P.S: (GIMME LEGENDS: ZYGARDE TOO REEEEEEE)
Fun fact: The chapter title is a play on words. Smoke being slang for 'Ash catching smoke with Heracross' while Fire being Flare for Serena.
Also, incoming badass Serena. Toodles!