#pika's musings

[pikatrainer99]

My first video clip edit (it's just text though 😅)

Branch's autistic traits and moments in a single scene of episode 1 of TrollsTopia because I relate so much!

"Always talks with his hands" is just there on the bottom the whole time because I was lazy and didn't wanna splice that one up. He does always talk with his hands though so I hope it's fine.

Yep, this is my headcanon for Branch! Both movie and TV show Branch, but ESPECIALLY TV show Branch. I'll make a post going more in-depth on this headcanon hopefully sometime soon but for now I hope you enjoy this little video.

[queenharumiura]

[ shelter ] sender uses their body to shield receiver from danger

[Original] ||Accepting|| @skarletchains

Haru has requested for Kurapika's protection services off and on for a few months time now, and more times than not, it was mostly a peaceful affair with nothing much happening.

The Vongola may be Mafia, but the current boss was more of a vigilante type- much like the first generation boss. They tried to protect the common folk and didn't want to get involved with things too fishy and inhumane.

While the common folk may be happy with them, there were bound to be their fair share of enemies too. Most wouldn't dare act against the Vongola famiglia in fear of earning their ire, but they also had powerful allies in other famiglia as well.

That said, Haru had decided on her own that she wanted to use the resources available to her to pull strings and gather intel. Tsuna gave her the OK considering it only felt right to reunite someone with members of his family. May he be able to lay them to a peaceful rest.

That too, would garner attention from people, particularly the collectors. Haru had invited him out casually as thanks for being available any time she felt she wanted extra protection around. (Really, she was just being a busy-body and was hoping this would get him to relax some. Everyone needed a small break every now and again)

It all happened so fast, and Haru felt arms around her and push her down before she could hear what may have been gunshot sounds.

'Who is insane enough to fire rounds this deep in Vongola Territory?' One of the guardians, Hibari, always kept a close eye on the happenings within their turf, and he was probably already alerted to guns being fired off. The sounds of chaos around them was to be expected, since this was a civilian area.

Someone had violated the taboo of endangering the innocent, and the Vongola never took that lightly. "Pika-kun? Are you alright? You weren't hurt were you?" She worriedly nudges his shoulder, trying to struggle out of his hold to check on his condition.

All she wanted was for him to enjoy a peaceful day out in good weather and it's all going down to shambles. Whoever this rude person was, they were going to pay for that.

[yamujiburo]

Ketchum vs. Ketchum! Showdown in Cerulean City!

Woo! Finale time! I wanted to make this final battle feel special and give it more substance than I could do with just a comic. So! I got the help of @cyberwulf to write out this ending in fanfic form! Check it out here on AO3 if you prefer! If not, the journey continues below the cut~

prev / END

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / [X]

James Sidestory / Meowth Sidestory

A lot has happened since our Poké Moms began their journey. After a rocky start…

“*SQUAWK*”

…they’ve managed to catch some new Pokémon…

“Run! Run! Run!”

…in their own way.

“What a cute baby! You know, I have a son, too!”

With their month on the road almost up, Delia had just one more thing she wanted to do…

“I want to beat the Cerulean City Gym!”

But little did Delia know, there was a surprise waiting for her in Cerulean City!

“MOM??? JESSIE???”

“Let’s have a double battle! You and Ash versus Jessie and I!”

“You’re on! But I’m not going easy on you just cuz you’re family!”

“…What’s going on?”

Poké Mom Adventures

EP009

Ketchum vs Ketchum! Showdown in Cerulean City!

The water of the Cerulean gym battlefield glistened in the sunshine streaming through its crystal glass roof. Both teams gazed at each other with steely determination (and some lingering confusion, in Misty’s case) as above them, the Drone Rotom announced the rules.

“This will be a double battle between Gym Leader Misty and Champion Ash, and the challengers Delia and Jessie.” It projected a holographic image of both teams. “For today’s battle, each trainer may use two Pokémon. The battle is over when all of one team’s Pokémon can no longer battle.”

“All right!” Misty declared. “This is an official League battle for the Cascade badge!”

“And bragging rights!” Jessie added with a smirk.

“We’ll see about that!” Ash retorted. Misty glanced at him, taking in his clenched fists and gritted teeth. She’d seen Ash determined before, but… there was something here that she was missing. However, with the Drone Rotom hovering expectantly overhead, finding out what that something was would have to wait.

“Come out – Corsola!”

The Coral Pokémon landed on the rock in front of her, eagerly crying its name.

“This is a water-themed gym, so I’ll go with a Water-Type,” Ash remarked. “Oshawott, I choose you!”

“That’s the spirit, Ash!” Misty exclaimed. “It’s the job of a Gym Leader to help trainers learn type advantage and weaknesses by specialising in one kind of Pokémon, and around here that’s Water-Types!”

“Water, huh?” Jessie frowned as she considered the three Pokémon she had on hand. “Well, I don’t want my delicate little Ziggy to get her fur wet.” With a flourish, she tossed a Pokéball high in the air. “Go, Venomoth!”

The Poison Moth Pokémon emerged, hovering over the water.

“It’s a shame we don’t have any Grass or Electric-types,” Delia mused. “I guess we’ll just have to do our best with what we have.” Pushing her bangs out of her face, she called, “I choose you!”

Ash and Misty’s jaws dropped as the light from Delia’s Pokéball coalesced into a very large, very stern-looking Kangaskhan.

“I didn’t know your mom had such a strong Pokémon,” Misty whispered.

“Neither did I,” Ash whispered back. Movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention and he looked down at his starter Pokémon. “Something wrong, Pikachu?”

“Pika…”

Pikachu gazed across the water at Kangaskhan, ears and tail up, alert to… something. But before anyone could figure out what had caught his attention, there was a small cry.

“Kangaskhan!”

The baby squirmed, spooked by the glistening water lapping all around the rock. She buried her face in her mother’s belly and cried again. Cradling her young protectively, Kangaskhan gave Delia an apologetic look.

“Oh, of course!” Delia exclaimed. “I’m so sorry. Kangaskhan, return.” Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called across the battlefield. “That doesn’t count as one of my Pokémon, does it?”

“Of course not, Ms. Ketchum!” Misty shouted back. “Please choose another Pokémon!”

“If she’s got one,” Ash said with a confident smirk. “I’m betting she’ll send out Mimey.”

“I choose you… Clefairy!”

“Looks like you bet wrong, Ash,” Misty laughed as Ash stared in surprise at the Fairy Pokémon.

Above them, the Drone Rotom moved into position.

“Begin!”

“All right, Oshawott!” Ash called out. “Open up with an Aqua Jet!”

With a determined cry, Oshawott blasted a jet of water across the field, hitting Clefairy square in the belly and knocking the Fairy Pokémon off the rock and into the water.

“Ash Ketchum!” Delia exclaimed reproachfully. “That wasn’t very nice!”

Thrown off-guard, Ash gulped. “S-sorry!” (Oh man - I can’t believe I’m actually battling my mom!)

On the opposite side of the battlefield, a wet and bedraggled Clefairy clambered back up on the rock ridge, scowling at her attacker.

“Shake it off, Clefairy!” Delia urged as her Pokémon did just that, sending a fine shower of water droplets flying from her pink fur. “Use Disarming Voice!”

With a deep breath, Clefairy shot a vortex of pink hearts towards Oshawott, taking the Sea Otter Pokémon by surprise and knocking him into the water.

“Good work, Deerling!” Jessie shouted triumphantly. “Now it’s my turn!” She pointed at Corsola. “Venomoth, use Poison Sting!”

Venomoth hovered uncertainly for a few moments, then looked back at her.

“It doesn’t look like Venomoth knows that move, honey,” Delia remarked.

“Well, Dustox knew that move!” Jessie protested. “Venomoth should know it too, aren’t they both Bug-types?”

Venomoth just blinked at her.

“You really don’t know what moves your Pokémon knows?” Misty asked incredulously.

“Of course I do, just – just let me think!” Jessie spluttered, clenching her fists. “All right, Venomoth – use Gust!”

Venomoth didn’t move.

“Whirlwind!” Jessie tried. “Psybeam! …Tackle?”

Venomoth looked back and forth between Jessie and the battlefield as it fluttered about agitatedly, utterly confused by the barrage of unfamiliar orders.

“This is just sad,” Misty muttered, getting a nod of agreement from Ash. Raising her voice, she called out, “Corsola! Use Spike Cannon!”

Corsola glowed, and a split second later a shower of glowing white spikes slammed into Venomoth, driving it backwards towards the trainer box.

“Oh, no!” Delia groaned in dismay, wringing her hands. “Maybe we should’ve practiced with our new Pokémon before coming here!”

“We’re not giving up!” Jessie snarled, clenching her fists. “Venomoth! Get back out there!”

With a trill, Venomoth shook off the spikes, and floated towards its opponents again.

“Corsola!” Misty called. “Hit it with another Spike Cannon!”

Corsola began to glow.

“Well don’t just hover there!” Jessie barked out. “It’s about to attack again!” Venomoth looked back at her, and Jessie gestured angrily towards the battlefield. “Just do something! Anything!”

Once more, glowing white spikes shot towards Venomoth. This time, however, Venomoth dove towards the attack, sweeping its wings in front of itself at the last minute. Blue blades of light cut through the barrage of spikes, one hitting Corsola and driving it back.

“That’s Air Slash!” Ash exclaimed.

“Air Slash, eh?” Jessie shot her opponents a triumphant smirk. “Venomoth! Use Air Slash on that pitiful pink Pokémon again!”

“Hang in there, Corsola!” Misty called as her Pokémon was driven back for a second time. “Use Recover!”

“Don’t let it recover, Venomoth!” Jessie yelled. “Air Slash again!”

As her Pokémon geared up for another attack, she noticed Delia gazing at her in rapture.

“You’re so ferocious when you battle, Smoochum,” Delia remarked dreamily. She lowered her voice, waggling her eyebrows. “It’s kinda hot.”

Jessie blushed and giggled. “Baaabe, not in front of the twerps.”

Misty wrinkled her nose in disgust. “…Smoochum?”

“Freak out later, Misty!” Ash yelled. Venomoth was bearing down on Corsola, and the Coral Pokémon didn’t have much left. “Oshawott! Use Hydro Pump on Venomoth to protect Corsola!”

Leaping high into the air, Oshawott sent a powerful jet of water directly at Jessie’s Venomoth. With a cry, the Poison Moth hit the floor between Jessie and Delia, bounced once, and fainted.

“Hey, no fair!” Jessie bellowed, stamping her foot. “I was distracted!” She recalled Venomoth with a scowl. “I ought to ground you for making me look bad!”

“This is really weird,” Misty mumbled.

“You have no idea,” Ash sighed wearily.

“All right, you big blue blob,” Jessie growled to her faithful Patient Pokémon, “get out there and let’s win this thing!”

Saluting, Wobbuffet waddled forward, straight into the water. Jessie pinched the bridge of her nose as Wobbuffet awkwardly clambered up onto the protruding rock.

“Wobbles can’t attack unless he’s attacked first,” Delia murmured to herself. “Oshawott is strong, and Corsola can use Recover to gain back health. That means I’ve got to make this next move count!” She looked to Clefairy, wet and winded but not out of the battle. It was risky, but…

“Clefairy! Use Metronome!”

“Metronome?!” Misty exclaimed as Clefairy began to move her fingers hypnotically back and forth. “Now anything can happen!”

“Hold tight, everybody!” Ash called, just as the Fairy Pokémon’s fingers turned white.

Razor-sharp leaves whipped through the air, striking Oshawott and Corsola. The Grass-Type move was too much for the dual Rock/Water Type, and Corsola collapsed into the water, fainted. Oshawott was driven back against the rock ridge, and Ash held his breath, but the Drone Rotom only counted Corsola out.

“Oshawott! You hanging in there, buddy?”

With a grimace, the Sea Otter Pokémon gave him a determined nod. “Osha!”

“Ha!” Jessie cried triumphantly. “Now we’re even!” She clenched her fists, calling tauntingly across the battlefield. “Who’s next, twerpette? Togepi? Psyduck?”

“She sure is cocky for being down to just Wobbuffet,” Ash muttered.

“Not for long,” Misty replied with a smirk. She plucked her second Pokéball from her hip.

“Go – Gyarados!”

Delia’s eyes widened and Jessie took several steps back as the gigantic Pokémon appeared in the water. It glowered down at both trainers, making Delia swallow hard.

(Now’s not the time to lose my nerve! Gyarados is just a Pokémon like any other. All I have to do is-)

“Hey!” Jessie exclaimed angrily. “No fair using such a powerful Pokémon! What, are Staryu and Starmie at the Pokémon Centre or something?!”

Taken aback, Misty gaped at the former Team Rocket member in disbelief. “Since when do you care about playing fair?”

“Since you decided to use that monstrosity on a first-time trainer!” Jessie retorted with a shake of her fist. “That’s cheating!”

Misty paused, almost second-guessing her choice of Pokémon, when she remembered who she was dealing with. Squaring her shoulders, she shot back, “You’re not a first-time trainer!”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Ash muttered.

“I heard that!” Jessie bawled.

“It’s okay, honey,” Delia murmured, placing her hand on Jessie’s shoulder. “We can beat them. We just need to use strategy!”

“Gyarados!” Misty called out. Jessie may not have been the best trainer, and her track record with him was hit or miss, but Wobbuffet could reflect almost any attack. It might just have been luck, but Clefairy’s Metronome had taken out Corsola and left Oshawott just barely hanging on. There was only one choice of target.

“Use Hurricane on Clefairy, now!”

Rearing back, Gyarados shot a powerful blast of air directly at the Fairy Pokémon, sending her flying back to the trainer box.

“Oh no!” Delia cried. She knelt by her stricken Pokémon’s side, but it was obvious even without Drone Rotom saying so that Clefairy couldn’t continue. “You did a wonderful job, Clefairy.” Recalling her Pokémon, she rose, pushed her bangs out of her eyes, and called her second Pokémon.

“Mimey, I choose you!”

Ash clenched his fists. No more surprises – he knew what Mimey was capable of. Oshawott was tough, but he’d taken a lot of damage. If the Sea Otter Pokémon only had one move left, then Ash had to make it count.

“Oshawott! Hit Mimey with Aqua Jet!”

“Mimey, dodge it!” Delia cried out.

The Barrier Pokémon leapt high in the air, leaving Ash to watch, powerless, as Aqua Jet splashed harmlessly on the ground between his mother and Jessie. But before he could call out another attack –

“Now, Mimey, Focus Punch on Oshawott!”

There was no time for Oshawott to get out of the way. Mimey dove straight down, fist outstretched, and scored a direct hit. Both Pokémon vanished underwater. All four trainers held their breath. After a few seconds, Mimey burst out of the water, effortlessly leaping onto the rock. A moment later Oshawott floated to the surface, fainted.

“Good work, Oshawott,” Ash murmured as he recalled his Pokémon. He turned to Pikachu. “Looks like my mom’s a tougher trainer than I thought. You ready, Pikachu?”

The yellow mouse nodded, one tiny fist raised. “Pika!”

“You be nice to us now, Pikachu!” Delia cheered brightly.

Jessie was less optimistic.

“Babe, this isn’t looking good,” she murmured urgently. “I’ve been beaten by that Pikachu a zillion times! And that Gyarados looks strong. And mean! I don’t know if…”

She trailed off as the other woman took her hands.

“Now you listen to me, Jessie Ketchum.” Delia gazed into her eyes, a look of fierce determination on her face. “A zillion battles. A zillion losses. Against that very Pikachu. And you never gave up. So you’re not gonna give up now! Okay?”

Jessie stared back at her. Time seemed to stand still. Delia’s fingers were warm on her own as her words of encouragement hung in the air.

“Jessie… Ketchum?”

With the briefest of nods, Delia turned to face their opponents.

“Ash honey, don’t you hold back just because I’m your mom!” she called. “We’re going to give it our all, even if we lose!”

“She’s a lot like you, Ash,” Misty laughed. As Ash tugged the brim of his hat down to hide his blush, she raised her voice and called to the challengers. “You’re doing great, Ms. Ketchum! I’m really impressed by your abilities as a trainer. Now show me you’re worthy of the Cascade badge!”

“Hey!” Jessie yelled indignantly. “What am I, chopped liver?! My Venomoth pushed your Corsola to the brink!”

Misty grimaced. This was all still too strange – Jessie was a good guy? Jessie and Ash’s mom were… partners? She struggled for something positive to say about Jessie’s performance so far.

“Uh – yeah!” she managed. “It was, uh, really great how you figured out that one move.”

Jessie put her hands on her hips. “Ugh, could you sound any more insincere?!”

With a growl of impatience, Ash cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled across the battlefield. “Hey! Are we gonna battle or what?”

“Oh, we’re battling, twerp,” Jessie shot back. “And we’re gonna win!”

Ash grinned. “You ready, Pikachu?” The yellow Pokémon turned to look at his trainer. Ash pointed. “Quick attack!”

“Ha!” Jessie scoffed as Pikachu zigzagged along the rock ridge. “Wobbuffet, use Counter!”

Pikachu leaped forward…

“On Mimey!”

Delia and Jessie gasped as Pikachu pivoted and went straight for the Barrier Pokémon. Taken by surprise, he took the full brunt of the attack, losing his balance and hitting the water.

“A fake out!” Delia exclaimed. She beamed at her son with pride. “That was so smart of you, honey! You had us completely fooled!”

“Baaabe!” Jessie hissed. “I get that you care about him – I do too – but right now he’s the enemy!”

Delia tapped her fist against her head, grinning nervously. “Oh, right!”

“This is hurting my brain,” Misty groaned.

“How do you think I feel?” Ash grumbled.

Delia took a moment to centre herself and assess the situation. Pikachu didn’t have a Type advantage, but his Electric attacks were powerful – not to mention that Mimey was still wet. Of course, using them ran the risk of electrifying the entire battlefield, including Gyarados, but only one Pokémon needed to be left standing in order for that Pokémon’s team to win.

“Mimey!” she commanded. “Use Psychic on Pikachu!”

“Mr Mime!”

Mimey fixed Pikachu with an intense stare, his eyes and hands glowing blue. Blue light enveloped the yellow mouse as he was lifted into the air. Pikachu strained and struggled, but couldn’t break free.

Ash groaned in exasperation.

“Misty, go for Mimey!” he called. “If you weaken him, maybe Pikachu can break free. Plus, he’s a lot stronger than Wobbuffet!”

Misty nodded. “Right!”

“Hey!” Jessie objected. “Just because it’s true doesn’t mean you have to say it!” She shook her fist at them. “I raised you better than that, Ash Ketchum!”

“Wha – ” Ash took a step back, flabbergasted. “You didn’t raise me at all!”

“The heck I didn’t!” Jessie retorted. “Who kept an eye on you while you twerped your way through eight regions, huh?!”

Misty rubbed her temples. The whole situation was giving her a headache.

“Gyarados!”

The Atrocious Pokémon stirred itself and looked her way.

“Use Crunch on Mr. Mime, now!”

“Oh no, not Crunch!” Delia fretted, as Gyarados reared back, a sinister purple aura swirling around its fangs. “That’s a Dark-Type move!”

“Wobbuffet!” Jessie barked. “Get between Mimey and Gyarados and use Counter!”

Saluting, Wobbuffet leaped in front of Mimey, his body outlined in orange light. Crunch hit, hard, and bounced back twice as hard. Both Gyarados and Wobbuffet recoiled from the damage.

“Wobbles!” Delia cried out, as Mimey caught Wobbuffet in his arms.

“Don’t you quit on me now, Wobbuffet!” Jessie shouted.

Wobbuffet saluted weakly as Mimey pushed him back onto his paws. The distraction worked, and Pikachu dropped back to the rock, freed from Psychic.

“Keep the pressure on, Pikachu!” Ash yelled. “Use Iron Tail on Mimey, now!”

“Quick, Mimey!” Delia shouted as Pikachu somersaulted through the air, tail glowing white. “Use Reflect!”

Pikachu hit the invisible barrier and flew backwards, landing in the water.

“Gyarados!” Misty commanded. “Use Crunch again!”

“Mimey, keep using Reflect!” Delia shouted. “Don’t let them in!” She had to think. Poor Wobbles, he didn’t have much left – one more shot from that big Gyarados and that would be it. Not to mention that if Crunch hit Mimey, the battle would be over! She’d completely forgotten Gyarados could learn that move! Oh, maybe she should’ve used Zaggy instead…

Mimey obediently continued to use Reflect as Gyarados and Pikachu attacked from either side. Slowly the invisible barriers began to box them in, till Mimey and Wobbuffet were crowded together on the rock.

“Babe!” Jessie urged. “We have to do something or we’re gonna lose!”

“I know!” Delia groaned. “I just…” She cupped her face in her hands, pulling down on her cheeks. “…I don’t know!”

“Ms Ketchum!”

Delia lifted her head.

“You can’t let us back you into a corner!” Misty called. “Use your environment to find a way out!”

Ash shot her a glare. “Hey, whose side are you on?!”

“It’s my job as a Gym leader to help trainers to learn,” Misty explained with a smile. “Did you forget?”

“You didn’t help me when I battled you for the first time!” Ash replied indignantly, poking his thumb into his chest.

Misty glowered at him.

“That’s because you still owed me a new bike, Ash Ketchum!”

“Aaagh!” Ash placed both hands on his head, tugging his hat down. “Can’t you let that go already? It got repaired, didn’t it?”

While their opponents bickered, Delia had taken Misty’s words to heart.

“Use the environment…” she mused. There was only one place Mimey and Wobbles could go – but first they had to do something about the double attacks coming their way.

“Jessie!” she hissed, beckoning her partner to come closer. “Can you have Wobbles use Counter?”

Jessie looked at Wobbuffet, sweating nervously as he stood behind Mimey. She nodded.

“Okay,” Delia replied. She whispered quickly in the other woman’s ear. Jessie grinned, then straightened up.

“Wobbuffet! Use Counter on both those attacks!”

Without any hesitation, Wobbuffet moved in front of Mimey, body once more enveloped in an orange glow. Crunch and Iron Tail came back double on Gyarados and Pikachu, sending the two flying backwards. Both Pokémon landed hard on the rock, Gyarados almost wrapping around it with the force of the blow.

“On your feet, Pikachu!” Ash called. “It’s not over yet! …Huh?”

He blinked at the empty battlefield. Mimey and Wobbuffet had both disappeared. Ash tensed as he scoured the water for any sign of the enemy Pokémon, but the surface was still settling from the last bout of attacks. The sunlight streaming through the roof didn’t help either – it made the rippling water glitter.

Misty spotted movement a second too late.

“Look out-”

In tandem, Mimey and Wobbuffet burst through the surface, taking up positions either side of Gyarados and Pikachu, trapping their opponents between them.

“Good work, you two!” Delia cheered. She pointed dramatically. “Now, Mimey – use Psychic on both of them!”

Once more, Mimey’s eyes and hands glowed. Both Gyarados and Pikachu rose into the air, enveloped in blue light.

“Great strategy, Ms. Ketchum!” Misty called, earning a dirty look from Ash which she ignored. “There’s no point going for Wobbuffet – he’ll just Counter our attacks again.”

“Right,” Ash agreed. “We’ve gotta take out Mimey!” He raised his voice. “Pikachu!”

Misty did likewise. “Gyarados!”

Delia grinned. “Just as I thought.” She looked at her partner. “Get ready with Mirror Coat!”

Jessie blinked in confusion. “…Huh?”

“Thunderbolt –”

“Hydro Pump –”

“On Mimey!” both young trainers yelled in unison.

“Mimey!” Delia called, just as both Pokémon charged their attacks. “Drop them, use Light Screen and aim at Wobbles!”

“Aim at WHO?!” Jessie exclaimed.

There was no time to explain. Everything turned on a split second. Pikachu and Gyarados began to fall through the air. Several volts of electricity and a powerful torrent of water hit Mimey’s Light Screen and barrelled towards Wobbuffet.

The diabolical beauty of Delia’s devious plan suddenly caught up with Jessie. That pair of pathetic Pokémon were in for a –

“Now, honey!”

Jessie almost fumbled the command.

“M-Mirror Coat!”

Wobbuffet glowed, shrouded in a reflective aura. Everything seemed to slow down. The attacks hit. They bounced back at Mimey. Pikachu and Gyarados fell. Ash’s mouth opened in a silent noooo.

The timing was perfect.

Gyarados and Pikachu fell in front of Mimey, taking the full brunt of Thunderbolt and Hydro Pump, doubled by Mirror Coat. The sheer force of the attacks drove them along the surface of the water, causing huge plumes of water to rise into the air either side of them. The battlefield disappeared in a shroud of surf and spray.

“Pikachu!” Ash cried out.

All four trainers held their breath as the mist began to clear.

Jessie cried out in dismay on seeing Wobbuffet floating belly-up in the water. Ash groaned on spotting Pikachu doing likewise. Draped over the rock, Gyarados lifted its head weakly, then dropped it again.

Delia scanned the water, a smile spreading across her face as Mimey swam to the rock and clambered up, standing tall with a cry of, “Mr. Mime!”

“Wobbuffet, Pikachu, and Gyarados are unable to battle,” the Drone Rotom declared, as Ash sank to his knees. “The winners are the challengers, Delia and Jessie!”

“I… I can’t believe this…” Ash moaned.

“We…” Jessie couldn’t stop staring at the battlefield, Drone Rotom’s words ringing in her ears. “…we won?” She looked to Delia, and the joyful look on her face confirmed it. “We WON!!!”

Delia shrieked as Jessie caught hold of her and lifted her high in the air, doing a twirl before setting her back on her feet and peppering her face with kisses. “Hahahaha!” She turned to their opponents, pulling down on one eyelid while sticking her tongue out. “Suck it, twe – I mean, Ash and Misty! I knew this day would come sooner or later!”

“Jessica, I know you’re happy, but don’t be a bad winner,” Delia chided gently. “Magnanimity in victory goes a long way.”

“But baaaabe!” Jessie whined. “I’ve never had a victory this magnificent before!”

Delia just smiled and gave her a peck on the lips. “I think poor Wobbles wants you,” she remarked, nodding to the battlefield. “We’ll need to get him to a Pokémon Centre with Venomoth and Clefairy.”

Jessie nodded and went to haul Wobbuffet out of the water.

“Come on, you,” she grunted as she dragged the Patient Pokémon back onto dry land. Briefly she removed her cap and wiped the sweat from her brow. Fine, so she couldn’t taunt the twerps any more. Victory still tasted pretty sweet.

In her arms, Wobbuffet stirred and smiled weakly up at her. Jessie couldn’t help but smile back.

“How about that?” she murmured to him. “You’re a winner, Wobbuffet. I bet you can’t wait to tell the others.”

He managed a salute and a quiet “Wobba…” before Jessie recalled him to his Pokéball.

Ash, meanwhile, remained on his knees in the trainer box. “I can’t believe we lost to my mom.”

“You gotta admit, that last strategy was a thing of beauty,” Misty replied with a smile. She’d made her way out to the rock and was cradling Gyarados’s head, absently rubbing its crest. The big Pokémon opened its eyes and let out a quiet rumble. “I guess now we know where you get your battling skills from, champ!”

Stepping out of her sneakers, Delia carefully negotiated the slippery rock and fished Pikachu out of the water. A couple of vigorous rubs from his head to his tail, and the Electric Mouse Pokémon opened his eyes.

“You were great, Pikachu,” Delia murmured. She tickled him under his chin, getting a weak “Chaaa” in response. She made her way back to the side of the battlefield to find Ash, Misty and Jessie waiting. “You were great too, honey.”

Ash managed a smile as she handed Pikachu to him. “Thanks, Mom.” He gasped as he was pulled into a hug.

“That was such a fun battle!” Delia exclaimed. She loosened her hold just enough to look at him. “I can see why you like this so much.”

“Watch out, Ash,” Misty teased. “You might just have a new rival on your hands!”

Ash let out a distressed yelp.

“Oh no, I don’t have time for that,” Delia assured him with a wave of her hand. As Ash sighed with relief, she cupped his cheek and tilted his head up to look at him. “But travelling around this past month and battling with you today… it’s made me feel a little bit closer to you.”

Ash blushed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Aw, Mom,” he mumbled with a grin.

“Ahem.”

Ash and Delia turned to see Misty holding out a Cascade badge.

“This is yours, Ms. Ketchum,” the Gym Leader declared. “You made the battlefield, your Pokémon and their moves work to your advantage. I’m impressed!”

“Oh, you’re too kind, really,” Delia replied, blushing as she accepted the badge. Its blue surface seemed to glitter in the sunlight streaming in from the roof. “I’ll treasure this, always. Thank you.”

“That’s how you win a badge fair and square,” Misty teased, shooting a wink Ash’s way.

The Champion rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

All three turned to see Jessie holding out her hand.

“What about me?” she demanded. “The perfect Pokémon battle partner? Trainer of vicious Venomoth and wild Wobbuffet? Where’s my badge?”

Misty sighed. Jessie had been on the winning team, and she had won a badge fair and square, but the whole situation was still bizarre.

“I’ll give you a badge if you explain what all…” She waved her hand between Jessie and Delia. “…this is about.”

“Delia and I dating,” Jessie scoffed with a shrug. “It’s not that complicated.”

“I got that part,” Misty shot back irritatedly, “I just…” She looked from Jessie, standing with her arms crossed, to Ms. Ketchum, who had one hand on Jessie’s hip, to Ash, who looked like he was hoping the floor would open up and swallow him. “…you know what, never mind.” Reaching into her pocket, she took out a second Cascade badge.

“I can’t believe this is happening, but… you earned this!”

Jessie let out a little cry of joy as Misty put the badge into her hand.

“Oh, Deerling, look how pretty it is!” she gushed. “Do you think maybe we could just get the prettiest Gym badges?”

“I don’t see why not,” Delia replied. “With James to run the restaurant, I can take vacations more often!”

“James is –” Misty glared at Ash, who pulled the brim of his cap down and giggled nervously. “We’re going to the Pokémon Centre and then you’re telling me what’s been going on, Ash Ketchum!”

“Let’s all go to the Pokémon Centre,” Delia suggested. “Our Pokémon battled hard today, they deserve a good rest.”

It wasn’t long before Nurse Joy’s tender care had Venomoth, Corsola, Oshawott, Clefairy, Wobbuffet, Gyarados and Pikachu feeling like their old selves again. Delia squeezed Jessie’s hand, murmuring “that’ll be you one day, Smoochum” as they watched Joy work.

“Well, we should get going,” Delia declared once they had their Pokémon back.

“We were going to stay and have dinner, Ms. Ketchum,” Misty said. She eyed Jessie reluctantly, but made the offer anyway. “…You’re welcome to join us.”

“That’s sweet of you, Misty, but we’ve been away long enough,” Delia replied, to both kids’ relief. “It’s time we headed home. Thank you both so much for such an amazing battle.” She hugged Ash tightly. “Don’t stay away too long, honey.”

“You know I won’t, Mom,” Ash replied, blushing. He shot Misty a grin. “I’ll be home right after I kick Misty’s butt in our rematch!”

“Then I’ll see you soon,” Delia murmured. She let go of her son and gave Misty a quick hug and a wink. “Try not to beat him too badly!”

“Hey!” Ash exclaimed indignantly.

Delia stepped back, joining her girlfriend near the door of the Pokémon Centre. She gave her a look and nodded to both kids. With a sigh, Jessie trudged up to Ash and gave him a stiff hug.

“See you at home, kid,” she mumbled. Letting go, she turned to Misty. “Thanks for the battle and the badge, I guess...?”

The two gazed at each other for a few awkward moments, then Jessie took a step closer, slowly lifting her arms.

“Aah!” Misty hurriedly moved back, holding her hands up in front of her. “I don’t think I’m there yet.”

Jessie dropped her arms with a huge sigh of relief. “Great! Me neither.” She offered her hand instead, and the Gym Leader shook it.

Ash and Misty stepped outside the Pokémon Centre to see them off, their goodbyes ringing in the air as Delia and Jessie got on the road. Jessie slung her arm around her girlfriend’s shoulder.

“Happy, babe?”

“Yes and no,” Delia sighed. “I’m sad my journey’s over, but I couldn’t be happier about how it went. I made three wonderful new friends, foiled a nasty poacher, and that battle today –” She clenched her fists in front of her. “ – I never felt so alive! I can’t wait to tell Professor Oak and James and Meowth all about it!” She slipped an arm around Jessie’s waist. “I’m so glad you talked me into this.”

Jessie preened. “Oh it was nothing, babe, I –”

She broke off as Delia took hold of her hands.

“Thank you for making my dreams come true,” the other woman whispered. Jessie’s heart caught in her throat as she saw tears shining in Delia’s eyes. “Not just today, but every day we’re together.”

Jessie smiled, warmth blooming in her chest.

“It’s the least I could do,” she replied. Delia deserved more, so much more, for putting up with her, believing in her, loving her. Not to mention all she’d done for James and Meowth too. Maybe one day –

- but before Jessie could continue the thought, Delia leaned up and pulled her into a tender kiss.

THE END

“Oh, I can’t wait to get home to our nice comfy bed!”

“Ugh, me too. I hate sleeping on the ground.”

“…who said anything about sleeping?”

[seecarrun]

It was snowing in Pallet on Christmas Eve, because of course it was.

Pallet Town, the perfect little romantic backdrop to Misty’s entirely unromantic holiday season, was being lovingly dusted in a fluffy blanket of white while the Christmas lights glowed warmly in the windows and the log crackled in the fire, while Misty was bundled up in a warm sweater, drinking hot chocolate, and smelling Mrs. Ketchum’s famous sugar cookies baking in the oven, just as painfully single as she had always been.

Bah-humbug.

“Any progress?” Brock asked, his reflection looking amused and—ugh, pitying, in the window.

“Does it look like there’s been any progress?” she snapped, probably a bit too harshly, in response, but Brock knew her well enough after all these years to not take offense, and plopped himself down next to her.

“It looks like Ash is outside having fun with his pokemon in the snow, and you are inside sulking about it.”

Misty glared at the scene outside, Ash laughing jovially as Pikachu and Bayleef teamed up with Gengar and Snivy to pelt him with snowballs. It was adorable. “I’m just watching in case he slips on some ice and falls on his ass,” she told him dryly. “Figured that might cheer me up.”

Brock snorted, but threw a comforting arm around her shoulders. He was warm and safe and she allowed herself to lean against him. “He’ll come around someday,” he said, trying to seem optimistic.

Misty had been telling herself that Ash would ‘come around’ for years. Every Christmas, every failed attempt to get him under the mistletoe, or give him a heartfelt present, or brush her pinky against his hand while hanging ornaments, all led to exactly this: Misty, alone, admiring Ash from afar.

Psyduck, all bundled up in a hat and scarf and little webbed foot-shaped booties Daisy had gotten for him after the time he managed to lock himself out of the gym in the dead of winter like the dense little duck he was, had waddled outside to join the party, Pikachu welcoming him with what looked like a very enthusiastic “Pika!”

Ash beamed at him as well, seeming to greet him excitedly, and then immediately looked around hopefully, like he expected someone else to be out there with him.

Next to her, Brock smirked and nudged her with his elbow. “I think he’s looking for you.”

“Oh please,” Misty sniffed. “He’s probably just wondering how Psyduck got outside.” Which was a good question, actually. Delia probably let him out, or at least that was what she was going to tell herself.

Ash frowned, turning back to Psyduck and asking him something. In response, Psyduck turned his head over to the window and pointed one of his pudgy little wings, directing Ash’s attention over to her and Brock in the window. A little, mischievous smirk began to take form on Ash’s lips, and he bent down to start gathering up some snow into his fist.

“What’s he up to?” Brock mused, just as a flying snow ball smashed into the window with a loud, dramatic ‘smack!’ scaring the ever-loving shit out of Misty, who yelped and nearly fell out of the chair, spilling her hot chocolate in the process. Back out in the yard, Ash was rolling with laughter.

“That asshole!” she cried, stomping over to the door and yanking her coat off the coatrack. She smashed her feet into her boots and threw open the door, pointing dramatically at Ash while simultaneously pulling on her mittens. “You think you’re funny, Ketchum?!” she yelled, marching out the door and slamming it behind her.

The slam of the door knocked the snowball stuck on the window back to the ground, just in time to see Misty pelting Ash relentlessly with snow, as he laughed and threw snow right back, looking as if all his wishes had come true.

Brock smiled. It was looking like Misty was making more progress than she realized.

Good for them.

[devilruin]

【 Please note! 】 ⎯⎯⎯ Please remember to look at each author's do not interact criteria and blog rules before interacting with them! Also, please check each work for specific tags!

if a link to a piece is :

⛧ ⋅  italicized ― it contains explicit content

⛧ ⋅  bold ― it contains dark content

⛧ ⋅  italicized and bold ― it contains both dark and explicit content

✧ @smalltasteofhoney ― biscuit radiates this warm and fluffy kind of energy, and her words flow like honey (hehe...), i love seeing her pop up on my dash sm! whenever i read a piece from her, i always wonder 'how did she know they'd do that?'

personal picks : yandere vil thoughts (a crooked crown really does look so pretty on him) , "you just don't know what's good for you" with vil (ouch, right in the feels...) , which twisted wonderland characters would babytrap their darling? (not pictured: me nodding me head and going "oh yeah, he'd do that") , what to expect in bed with the twisted wonderland boys? (adore all of these and completely agree!) , yandere gojo thought (i bet his darling rejoices while he's gone) , and some lilia brainrot (why is it that whenever he smiles, a chill runs up my spine?)

✧ @sugoscurry ― i love sugo's characterization so much! her lilia makes me absolutely feral and i think i've reread her alizarin series at least a few dozen times... she's got a great sense of humor too, and i have found myself wheezing at her author notes more than a few times (dios mio chicos always gets me)

personal picks : alizarin with lilia (the og lilia fuckers bedtime story) , alizarin crimson (sorry reader, i think you're doomed) , alizarin crimson hue (poor reader... i told you so) , petplay oneshot with crewel (bark bark woof woof) , explicit staff headcanons (best idea, take them all on) , general yandere staff headcanons (did you know that power and control go hand in hand?) , explicit disaomnia headcanons (maleficent sure knows how to pick them) , milf-maker with childe (he'd do anything to get his prize) , “you’ve been so good lately, my pet. don’t make me have to punish you.” with crewel (immediately wagging my non-existent tail at supersonic speed) , “you don’t even know how lucky you are. I protect you and provide for you. don’t act so ungrateful.” with crowley (well eXcuSE me then) , yandere incubus malleus (the only dream demon who i'd wake up for) , and who in nrc has a virginity kink? (corruption tastes so perfect late at night)

✧ @uvobreakmylegs ― if i could bottle up the sun and gift it to pika, i would. unfortunately i cannot, so i must settle with simply singing my praises about their superb writing. the setting of the scene, the interactions between characters, the descriptions of every twinge of emotion, everything is delicately crafted with their skilled hands, and all i can do is stare in awe.

personal picks : set pattern with hisoka (pure trashy clown behavior right here, it's perfect) , right place, right time with illumi (featuring the troupe is such a fun touch, i love the witty banter and mind games between illumi and chrollo!) , last day out with chrollo (goodbye sunlight...it was nice while it lasted) , hypnagogia with illumi (i can just imagine him letting out a breath of relief once he sees darling alive, only for his expression to immediately change to an eerily blank slate) , with greatest care with pakunoda (she's both cloyingly sweet and bitterly dark when it comes to her darling) , and the sixth floor game with shalnark (this honestly feels like it could be a real game and just the thought of playing it gives me the chills)

✧ @wri0thesley ― nat is a lovely person and deserves the whole world (with some free clothes of their choice) ! i come back to their works all the time, and love reading some of their longer works before bed! their writing sucks me in and makes it difficult for me to pull my eyes away from my screen!

personal picks : midnight musings with dottore and pantalone (all the trouble with double the pleasure) , dead & young & fair with diluc (another absolute top-tier vampire diluc work, i love how reader's relationship with diluc evolves through the piece) , dottore torturing diluc's captured wife (he would be this nasty, wouldn't he?) , pierro age gap (i'd happily turn into a sinner for this man nya) , everything that a big bad wolf could want with toji (brb gotta reapply my lip balm and fix my bunny dress) , kaeya with a hand and choking kink (the idea of there being a difference between the feel of his more calloused sword hand and his smoother non-dominant hand is sending me) , kaeya with a clumsy maid darling (don't mind me i'm just twirling my hair and giggling at the idea of going "oops, i sooo didn't mean to drop this plate in front of you" to him while bending over) , pulling on diluc's hair (i bet it would be so soft...) , wedding rings with toji (third wife status never looked so tempting...) , the machinist and the faerie with gojo (grade-a gojo right here! plus the faerie lore! the world-building! the characters!!! everything is put together so well, i really adore this piece) , and favorite (so far) with toji (do you hear that? it's my corruption kink popping off the walls)

✧ @wyvernne ― wyvernne is an absolute beast (in terms of both quantity and quality) when it comes to writing! when i first stumbled upon her vampire diluc work, i read it all in one setting, and it took me over an hour to finish (and i'm a fast reader!) it was totally worth all the tears and missed sleep!

personal picks : [links are to her works on ao3] for reasons wretched and divine with diluc (imho, this is THE vampire diluc work) , sometimes, all i think about is you with childe (he's such a fucking tease, the little shit) , and black hearted angels sunk me with kisses on my mouth with kaeya (he's so cruel and yet so lovely)

✧ @yandere-romanticaa ― ana is a collector of all things yandere, and her blog shows it! i love her red + black color scheme, and her aesthetic is always on point! she's a wonderful person and i have a hard time not falling in love with her lovely personality (especially when paired with her jokes!) sadly she does not have a masterlist, however just scrolling through her archive (with tags filtered) works too!

personal picks : yandere malleus draconia (who knew a pouty lizard could be so cute) , some thoughts on kaeya's flirtatiousness (i also agree that he's pretty damn guarded) , lilia vanrouge's yandere alphabet (gotta love me an ancient fae that can't cook to save a life!) , and yandere diluc headcanons (blushy, stuttering, yandere mess diluc!)

if you would like to be removed from this list, please let me know!

© 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧 — 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝟏𝟏-𝟏𝟑-𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

[detective-bulbasaur]

What If: Greninja stayed with Ash

Chapter 1: Combating the Neo Flame

[…] = Squishy’s mental dialogue

{…} = Greninja’s bond dialogue

After saying their goodbyes to Goodra at their wetland home, our heroes trekked through the Kalos forest towards Lumiose City. Serena had her Pokédex out and was looking up information about the Lumiose Airport.

“Say, the airport’s up and running again,” Serena stated.

“Yeah,” Ash mused, “Guess when we get back to Lumiose City, I’ll fly home.”

“I guess that means our journey’s almost over,” Clemont lamented, “it’s kinda sad you know.” Bonnie and Dedenne looked at each other solemnly. Clemont was wrong. It was not kinda sad. It was most definitely sad.

Greninja was resting within his Pokéball, listening to the conversation. Greninja was sad about leaving Kalos too. Afterall, Kalos was his first home. It was where he hatched, where he trained, where they evolved from a Froakie into a Greninja. Most of all, it was where he found his family. He was going to miss traveling around with Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, and their Pokémon. He would miss watching Serena practice for her performances, watching Clemont build his latest inventions, which would eventually blow up, and playing with Bonnie. However, Greninja was also excited to travel to Ash’s home region of Kanto with the rest of their family. Ash shared many stories about his travels through Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova. He loved hearing about Ash’s gym and league battles, the evil teams he and friends took on, and the many teams he trained with. Greninja leaned against the walls of his Pokéball, trying to get more comfortable. This chapter of his life was over, but that meant it was time to start a new one.

…

[-inja!] Greninja sat up with a start. He looked around the grey walls of His Pokéball, trying to find out where that noise came from. It sounded like someone calling for help. He sat silently to see if the noise came from Ash or the others, but the only sound they were making were their footsteps. Greninja shook his head and laid back down. It must’ve been his own imagination. He's probably still a bit antsy after everything that happened after the league. They all just saved the world after all. Greninja once again closed his eyes and tried to relax.

…

[Greninja!] Greninja shot up again. He definitely heard that. It seems that Ash heard it too, or at least felt it, as he felt Ash stop walking.

“Something wrong,” Serena asked.

“I’m not sure,” Ash shrugged. Greninja felt that they knew that voice. He released themselves from their Pokéball.

“Greninja,” Ash gasped, “What’s going on?” Greninja held up a hand, motioning for everyone to be quiet. He stood up and closed his eyes, focusing solely on his hearing.

…

[Greninja! Please, can hear me?] Greninja’s eyes shot open as he spun around to look at the others.

“Ninja,” Greninja exclaimed. Pikachu and Dedenne squeaked in shock. Pikachu had to communicate with the others about what Greninja just said. He leapt off of Ash’s shoulder and landed in front of the group.

“Pikapi,” Pikachu sputtered, “Pika pikachu pi!” Pikachu began to gesture wildly and changed his face to look more like Squishy’s. Bonnie gasped in worry.

“Squishy,” she shrieked, “did something happen to them?”

“You can hear Squishy,” Serena mused, “What are they saying?”

“I don’t know,” Ash breathed, “I can only sense them a little, but it looks like Greninja can hear them.” Ash looked up at Greninja and met his eyes. Greninja brought a fist to his chest, right where his heart was, and nodded to Ash. Ash nodded back; he read Greninja loud and clear.

“But soon, I’ll hear Squishy with Greninja. Greninja, let’s do this!” Ash and Greninja closed their eyes and reached their spirits out to each other. They could feel the power of their bond building within their hearts. The moisture in the air formed a torrent around Greninja as their bond energy reached its peak. The torrent formed a large water shuriken on Greninja’s back while his side fins turned black, his middle fin turned red, and his chest matched the pattern of Ash’s shirt. Their bond phenomenon was complete; they were now Ash-Greninja. Ash approached Greninja and stopped at his side. Greninja spoke to Ash through their minds to close his eyes and focus with him.

{Listen closely.} Ash and Greninja focused their energy and tried to connect to Squishy. Each second felt like hour as they reached out across the land to find Squishy.

{Squishy, are you there?}

“Can you hear us,” Ash thought with Greninja.

…

[Greninja! Ash!] Ash and Greninja straightened up when they heard Squishy’s voice. It was loud and dripping with worry.

In another part of the forest, Squishy and Zygarde were in their 10% forms sprinting between the trees. They were collecting their cells as they ran through the foliage. They stopped their pace once Squishy heard Ash’s voice along with Greninja’s

“We’ve got contact with Squishy,” Ash relayed.

“You do,” Bonnie shrieked as she rushed to their sides, “Are they okay? Are they hurt?”

[Wait! Is that Bonnie? Are the others with you?]

{Yes, they’re here. We were on our way to Lumiose City.}

[Hang on, I believe one of my cells are nearby. I’ll be able to see you soon.] Squishy focused his mind and reached out over the forest to their cells. They quickly checked the sight of each cell until it found the one near Ash and the others. The cell was resting on a nearby tree branch, camouflaging itself.

[I see you! Listen carefully, you must get out of the forest as quickly as you can!]

“Huh, why,” Ash probed, “What’s going on?”

[Ash, please, you need to get Clemont out of there! He’s coming!]

{He? Who’s he?} Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to violently shake. Everyone gasped in shock and worry.

“Now what’s going on,” Bonnie squeaked. Pikachu quickly glanced around the forest, trying to find the source of the sudden quake. Their eyes stopped at the path behind them and could see a large shadow quickly approaching them. Pikachu shrieked in shock, alerting the others to the unknown threat. The quake began to get stronger and faster. Suddenly, two large, bright lights emerged from the path, revealing a gigantic black and red truck. The strange vehicle barreled towards the group, as if it intended to flatten them.

“LOOK OUT,” Ash screamed. Ash grabbed Pikachu and Serena and dove out of the way of the truck while Greninja did the same to Clemont and Bonnie. The truck barely missed them as it screeched to a halt. The air was now polluted with kicked up dirt from the truck’s tires. The group picked themselves back up and stared at the truck. Squishy’s cell suddenly felt a strong psychic energy pull on it. A blue outline wrapped around it and lifted it off the tree branch and canceled out its camouflage. It flew above the group’s heads and headed towards the truck.

“Hey,” Ash exclaimed.

“It’s a cell.” Clemont declared.

“It’s one of Squishy’s friends,” Bonnie yelped. Two shadowy figures emerged from the truck’s roof, along with a strange cylindrical device. Squishy’s cell flew into the cylinder as the mysterious figure began to laugh with malicious glee. The two figures stepped forward and revealed themselves as Xerosic and his Malamar.

“It’s you,” Clemont growled.

“We meet again,” Xerosic boasted.

“Clemont,” Serena gulped, “who’s he?”

“Xerosic,” Clemont fumed, “Team Flare’s scientist! I battled him, but I thought I …” Clemont was swept up into a flashback where he confronted Team Flare at his gym alongside Clembot. He was able to eject Xerosic via a trap door.

“Yes, I lost to you back then,” Xerosic scoffed, “but I’m miraculously back, and I’m now in the process of creating Team Neo Flare!

“Team Neo Flare,” Serena shuddered.

“What are you going to do,” Ash challenged.

“Give back Squishy’s friend RIGHT NOW,” Bonnie demanded.

“Oh, I can’t do that,” Xerosic taunted, “I’m going to get every cell and obtain Zygarde Complete Form! Lysandre’s ambitions will then be able to come true!” Xerosic belted out a menacing laugh, imagining the immense power he would have with Zygarde under his full control.

“I’m never gonna let you get away with that,” Ash hissed, “Greninja, smash that thing! Water Shuriken!” Greninja grasped the giant shuriken on his back and threw it towards the glass cylinder.

“Stop them with Signal Beam,” Xerosic commanded. Malamar lunged forward and unleashed a quick signal beam that collided with Greninja’s water shuriken. The collision caused the water shuriken to evaporate and covered the group in a thick fog, blinding them.

“Clemont, they took it,” Bonnie cried.

“And I know that cell is Squishy’s friend,” Clemont fretted. Suddenly, a blue light enveloped Clemont and lifted him off the ground. Clemont yelped in horror as Malamar used Psychic on him and pulled him into their grasp.

“You’ll be coming with us too,” Xerosic grinned. Xerosic and Malamar pulled Clemont into the bowels of their truck and quickly sped off into the forest.

“Clemont, no,” Ash and Bonnie cried.

[Clemont!] Ash and Greninja gave a slight jolt. They almost forgot that they were in contact with Squishy.

[Ash, you must rescue Clemont and our cells at all costs! Xerosic is trying to revive the Kalos Crisis! I shudder to think of the horrors Xerosic will put them through!]

“We will,” Ash replied before turning to Greninja, “You can catch up to them. Do it!”

{I’m on it!} Greninja gave a quick nod before sprinting off in chase of the truck.

[I’ll try to pin point their location from the remaining free cells. I’ll collect as many as I can to keep them away from Xerosic.]

“Okay, I’ll send out my other Pokémon to search the skies,” Ash asserted, “We’ll catch up with Greninja. Good luck Squishy!”

[Good luck Ash!]

“Talonflame! Hawlucha! Noivern,” Ash called as he threw their Pokéballs into the air. With a quick gong, the three flying types landed in front of Ash.

“Listen guys,” Ash declared, “Xerosic kidnapped Clemont and is stealing Squishy’s cells. I need Talonflame and Hawlucha to fly after the truck and help Greninja. Noivern, I need you to scope out the forest and find Squishy. Help them collect and protect their cells.” Talonflame, Hawlucha, and Noivern all cried in determination before leaping off the ground and into the air. Talonflame and Hawlucha fled off in the same direction as Greninja while Noivern flew higher into the sky. After his Pokémon took off, ash turned to Serena and Bonnie.

“Come on,” he urged, “We need to catch up to them!” Serena and Bonnie quickly nodded and sprinted off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xerosic felt triumphant. He had already captured five of the Zygarde cells and now had the genius inventor, second only to himself, and Lumiose City gym leader in his clutches. He felt that he had all that he needed to pick back up where Lysandre started. The five cells were trapped within the glass cylinder while Malamar restrained Clemont with psychic. Clemont struggled against Malamar’s psychic grip, but any effort to move was fruitless.

“What are you planning to do with me,” Clemont demanded.

“Your scientific knowledge will be useful,” Xerosic grinned, “You will join us of course!”

“I’ll never help you!”

“Oh, I don’t need you to agree. If I use my control system on you, you’ll do as I say. Just like Zygarde did. You’ll be an enhanced human.” Clemont growled in anger. There was no way he would be Xerosic’s enhanced human. He wouldn’t let Team Neo Flare reshape the world. His angry thoughts were interrupted when Malamar stopped using psychic and dropped Clemont hard on the ground. Clemont groaned in pain as he tried to straighten up.

“Prepare to use the beam,” Xerosic bellowed.

“Wait,” Clemont pleaded, “Please don’t use the beam!” Clemont began to silently panic. He felt his heart begin to pound within his chest and his breath began to catch in his throat. He had to think fast. He had to find a way to resist the control system. If only he … Wait!

“I have one request,” Clemont shuddered, “May I clean my glasses first?”

“That’s all,” Xerosic snickered, “But of course,”

“Thanks very much.” Clemont pulled out his handkerchief and quickly wiped his right lens. He faked a sigh of defeat and acceptance as he placed his glasses back over his eyes. The control system began to whir as its nozzle pointed at Clemont.

“Now ready,” Xerosic taunted, “Let’s begin.” Clemont’s eyes were unreadable, and his jaw was tense. He didn’t know how the beam would feel, but he prayed that his last-minute defense would pay off. If not, he hoped that Ash and the others would find him soon. Clemont clenched his fists and prepared for the blast. The machine whirred louder as a ball of red energy formed at the tip of the nozzle. The energy ball grew larger and larger until it burst into a thin beam. The only sound that could be heard in the truck now was Clemont’s pain-filled screams.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“WHEN I SAY ‘NO’ I MEAN ‘NO’,” Jessie barked as she pointed at the laptop, “My close up should be right here!”

“It should be when I give Inkay my command,” James insisted.

“Please,” Jessie scoffed in response.

“Now hear this,” Meowth snapped, “It’s gonna be when I was flying the news copter, capiche!” Jessie, James, and Wobbuffet cried “what,” as they pounced on Meowth, trying to pry him off of the laptop.

“The point of editing this is so that it looks like we destroyed Team Flare and not the twerps, you twit,” James scolded.

“What will we do if the boss finds out,” Jessie screeched. Much like Ash, Team Rocket’s journey through Kalos was nearly finished. They too were set to return to Kanto and report back to Team Rocket Headquarters and present their Pokémon to Giovanni. However, they stopped in the exact same forest as our heroes to create a glowing video presentation on their involvement in stopping Lysandre from reaching Anistar City. Of course, the video was a clear fabrication of their events, painting them as the sole line of defense against Lysandre and his giant rock. The team was now bickering amongst themselves over who deserved the most screentime in the presentation. Their intensifying struggle was so deafening that they did not hear the nearby rustling of the bushes in front of their stump. Squishy and Zygarde lept out of the bushes and over the heads of Team Rocket. Team Rocket’s squabbles ceased as they noticed Squishy’s and Zygarde 2’s shadows soaring above them. Squishy skidded to a stop once they noticed Team Rocket.

“Why are you stopping,” Zygarde questioned. They got their answer as they noticed Squishy’s glare pointed at Team Rocket.

“Wait, is that,” James whispered.

“They’re the Pokémon that Team Flare used to create those crazy vines,” Meowth gasped.

“And you’re the band of crooks who are constantly targeting my family,” Squishy snarled.

“I take it you know these people,” Zygarde guessed.

“I do,” Squishy replied, “They call themselves Team Rocket. They’re a group of petty Pokémon thieves who have stalked my family all throughout Kalos! And here you are, no doubt trying your tricks to ambush them and steal their Pokémon again!”

“PETTY,” Jessie raged, “Our tricks take a lot of planning and have loads of class you slimy dog!”

“And we’re not up to any tricks,” James added, “We’re just video editing before we go back to Kanto!”

“… Actually,” Meowth snickered, “Yous two showing up is just the last hoorah we need before going home! Unlike those posers in Team Flare, the boss can actually rule the world with you two under his command!” Jessie and James grew a pair of wicked grins on their faces as Meowth’s idea set into their heads.

“Indeed,” James chuckled, “With you two under Giovanni, Team Rocket will finally take its rightful place as rulers of the world!”

“You’re not just petty, you’re stupid,” Zygarde growled, “We are two legendary Pokémon! Do you really think you have any power that can match ours?”

“You forget,” Jessie taunted, “You are not even close to your complete form! We also outnumber you six to two! Let’s get them Gourgeist! Use Shadow Ball!”

“You too Inkay,” James shouted, “Use Psybeam!” Jessie and James tossed their Pokéballs into the air and with two gongs, Gourgeist and Inkay were released. Gourgeist and Inkay quickly readied their attacks; Shadow Ball growing bigger with purple light while Psybeam glowed cyan blue. Squishy and Zygarde quickly charged up a dual Dragon Pulse to counter the attacks, but Gourgeist and Inkay quickly released their attacks before their charge could finish. Squishy and Zygarde 2 braced themselves for the impact, only for a powerful channel of sound to cut off the attacks midair. The channel caused both attacks to burst, kicking up loose dirt and temporarily blinding Team Rocket and their Pokémon. As the villains coughed away the clouds of dirt, Squishy and Zygarde looked to the sky to see where the mysterious sound blast came from. They soon got their answer as a large winged shadow ascended from the canopy. Zygarde stared at the figure in confusion while Squishy beamed.

“Noivern,” Squishy thrilled. Noivern happily screeched as they descended from the canopy and flapped their wings slowly, swishing more dust into Team Rocket. Team Rocket gasped and sputtered as they fanned away the curtain of dirt that cloaked them. Noivern landed in front of Squishy and knelt down to their level, gently headbutting them.

“I’m so glad you found us,” Squishy chuckled as Noivern playfully nudged their head.

“And not a moment too soon,” Zygarde exhaled, “These nuisances have wasted enough of our time. We have to find our cells before Xerosic does!”

“You’re right,” Squishy agreed, “Noivern. Please help us give Team Rocket one last blast off.” Noivern cheekily squeaked and the three dragon-types leapt back a few feet. Squishy and Zygarde once again charged up Dragon Pulse while Noivern prepared Boomburst.  The tan dust cloud surrounding Team Rocket began to disperse as their coughing began to die out.

“That came out of nowhere,” James coughed.

“But what I’m asking is, just what was that,” Jessie gulped as she squinted her eyes open. Jessie received her answer as she and the others heard the whirring of energy being built up. Team Rocket peered into the thinning veil of dust to try and make out the source of the sound, only to be met with the red, blue, and violet hues of two Dragon Pules surrounding the channel of a Boomburst hurdling towards them. Team Rocket only had enough time to clump together in shock as the three attacks collided with them and thrusted them off the forest floor. Team Rocket shrieked in surprise as they and their gear flew into the sky.

“What I want to know is what was that,” Meowth squealed as he tensed from the impact of the moves.

“Wabba Wa,” Wobbuffet bubbled as they held up the video camera that was, surprisingly, untouched by the attacks.

“You recorded the whole thing,” Jessie gasped.

“Inkay Inkay,” Inkay chimed in as he and Gourgeist held up the team’s laptop.

“And you two saved the laptop,” James thrilled. Team Rocket quickly huddled together and clutched the technologies close.

“Yous guys are real troopers,” Meowth cheered, “Now hold onto those tight!”

“CAUSE WE’RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN,” they screamed as they rocketed through the air and disappeared into the horizion. Zygarde let out a ‘humph’ as the three watched Team Rocket’s blast off.

“Good riddance,” Zygarde grumbled. Noivern gave a quick grunt in response, agreeing with Zygarde 2.

“Now that that’s out of the way,” Squishy sighed, “Noivern, use your sonar to locate our cells from the air. We’ll follow you from the ground.” Noivern gave out a confident cry as they spread out their wings. Noivern lept up into the air and gave a mighty flap of their wings, soaring up to the canopy. Once above the trees, they closed their eyes and emitted a broad soundwave into their surroundings. Noivern held its breath as the high pitch ring of the soundwave drew quieter as it flowed out. After a few seconds, the ringing returned, along with an image of the forest ahead. A few hundred meters ahead of them sat one of the cells nestled within a tree’s branches. Noivern alerted Squishy and Zygarde towards the cell and flew in its direction.

“They found one already,” Zygarde praised, “quickly, after them!” Zygarde dashed off after Noivern, weaving through the tree trunks. Squishy bounded after them, leaping over roots and rocks.

“I hope Ash and the others have caught up to Xerosic,” Squishy hopefully thought as they caught up with Zygarde.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xerosic’s truck continued to barrel through the forest, not caring when it pushed over trees or nearly ran over wild Pokémon. Greninja was able to keep himself hidden from view by hiding in the dust cloud that the truck continuously kicked up behind it. Greninja would occasionally update Ash on where Xerosic would turn in the forest so he and the others could catch up to them. Greninja could feel his blood boil after his last update to Ash. Xerosic was destroying parts of the forest and putting innocent Pokémon in danger! Greninja could feel his legs burn from the lactic acid, his heart beating fast and hard, and his lungs ached from overworking. He hissed to himself, wanting the truck to stop already, or at least slow down. He got his wish as the truck suddenly screeched to a halt. Greninja nearly tripped over his feet from the sudden stop but was able to regain his footing and dart behind a nearby tree. He crouched down along the tree’s trunk for a few seconds until he heard shaking leaves behind him. Greninja readied his Cut attack and spun around to meet his attacker, only to find that it was Talonflame and Hawlucha perched on lower branch. Greninja let out a sigh of relief and canceled out the Cut. Talonflame and Hawlucha quietly glided down to the forest floor and crouched next to Greninja. The three Pokémon couched lower once they heard the collection chamber being raised up to the truck’s roof. They dared not move a muscle as they watched the side door of the truck open, allowing Xerosic and his Malamar to stroll out of the truck.

“My dear cell,” Xerosic mused in a sing-song voice, “where are you?” Xerosic activated his goggles and began to scan his surroundings, looking for the nearby cell.

“Talon,” Talonflame mouthed, asking Greninja if they should get closer.

“Ninja,” Greninja nodded. He pointed to the large tires at the back of the truck, indicating that they can stay out of Xerosic’s sight from there. Greninja motioned for the two flying-types to follow his lead, followed by a quick nod between the three. Greninja, Hawlucha, and Talonflame carefully crept along the tire treads, staying as low to the ground as they could. The three stopped a few feet behind the large, grey tire just as Xerosic and Malamar began to stroll towards the forest. The three Pokémon leered at Xerosic, quietly growling under their breaths.

“Hawlucha,” Hawlucha whispered, saying that Greninja should contact Ash. Greninja nodded and focused his mind, reaching out to Ash. His vision began to cloud over for a few seconds until he finally managed to reach Ash.

{Ash, we found Xerosic!} Ash let out a soft gasp and stopped in his tracks once he heard Greninja again.

“Greninja just found them,” Ash declared and Serena and Bonne stopped beside him.

“How’s Clemont,” Serena worriedly asked.

“Well,” Ash lilted as he closed his eyes to help him focus on Greninja’s vision, “all I see are Xerosic and Malamar.” Pikachu gave a worried “Pika” from Ash’s shoulder.

“Think that you can sneak inside somehow Greninja,” Ash probed.

{Let’s see.}

“Talon,” Talonflame whispered as they pointed their wing towards Xerosic and Malamar. The two had their backs completely turned on the truck, giving the team a chance to search for an entrance. The three Pokémon crept closer to the truck, hoping to find a way in. Meanwhile, Xerosic and Malamar had entered a small clearing along the forest barrier, having followed a signal from Xerosic’s goggles.

“Oh, there you are,” Xerosic grinned as he finally located the camouflaged cell, “Malamar, use Psychic.” Malamar’s irises began to glow cyan blue as they initiated Psychic. A similar blue hue enveloped the cell as it was peeled off from the tree trunk it was hiding against. Xerocis watched with wicked glee as the cell was flown through the air and was deposited into the holding chamber with the other collected cells. Xerosic released a pleased and arrogant laugh, confident in his progress. All the while, Greninja, Hawlucha, and Talonflame inched closer to the back of the truck, looking to find a door to sneak in through.

Snap

Greninja froze in shock as he stepped on an obscured twig; the audible snap blowing their cover. Xerosic and Malamar jerked their heads towards the sound and growled at the sight of the three Pokémon. Ash, who was still seeing through Greninja’s eyes, felt a cold jolt run down his back once seeing Xerosic’s angered eyes fixated on his Pokémon.

“Oh no,” he cried as he and the others hastened their pace.

“Grah,” Xerosic raged, “What are you doing here? Malamar, use Signal Beam!” Malamar levitated up high into the air and charged its psychic energy into a powerful, large ball. With a loud cry, it trusted the energy towards the three Pokémon in a thick beam. Greninja, Hawlucha, and Talonflame leapt into the air themselves, barely missing being hit by the beam.

“Greninja,” Ash commanded through their bond, “Water Shuriken!” Greninja reached towards his back once again, grasped the giant water shuriken, and flung it towards Malamar. Talonflame began to unleash a barrage of Razor Winds, increasing the speed and power of the Water Shuriken. Malamar could only brace themselves as they were directly hit by the Water Shuriken and Razor Winds. At that time, Ash, Serena, and Bonnie had finally caught up to the Pokémon and had stopped on a ledge above them.

“There they are,” Bonnie exclaimed.

“You give both of them back,” Ash demanded.

“Hmph,” Xerosic grumbled, “Retreat for now. Alright Malamar, use Psycho Cut!” The tips of Malamar’s tentacles began to glow as they brought them together. With a quick thrust of the tentacles, a sharp wave of purple energy shot forward and towards the group. Hawlucha quickly leapt in front of Greninja and Talonflame and spread out his wings. His wings began to glow, and he swiftly brought them together in an x shape, unleashing an X-Scissor. The two moves collided and caused a mini explosion, kicking up the dust around the Pokémon and temporarily blinding them. The explosion gave Xerosic and Malamar enough time to retreat into the truck and begin to speed off. The trio coughed hard and tried to fan off the dust that enveloped them. Greninja was able to clear out the dust from his eyes first and noticed the truck barreling away. Greninja let out an enraged cry as he chased after the truck. There was no way he was letting that monster get away! Greninja unleashed a powerful leap and catapulted himself in front of the truck. However, the truck increased its speed and thundered straight at Greninja. Xerosic smirked in malicious glee while Ash and the others screamed in horror as the truck bulldozed through where Greninja landed.

“NO,” Serena cried as she covered her eyes, “It can’t be!” Bonnie hugged Dedenne close while Talonflame shook their head in denial of what they just saw. Hawlucha covered his eyes with one of his wings, trying to fight back the tears stinging his eyes. Hawlucha shuddered as he tried to lower his wing back down, afraid to see the fate of his sibling. With a hard swallow, Hawlucha forced his wing down and peered towards the tire tracks and saw … nothing?

“Ha-hawlu,” Hawlucha faltered, drawing everyone’s attention to the lack of Greninja.

“Wait,” Bonnie wondered, “Were’s Greninja?”

“They’re fine,” Ash revealed. Serena looked towards Ash in confusion, but then realization as she noticed his focused stare. Ash’s vision transitioned from the road ahead of him to an upside-down view of a truck’s underside racing through the forest. Ash could also see Greninja’s webbed hands clinging to the underside of the truck.

“Greninja’s fine,” Ash sighed in relief, “They’re hiding underneath!” Serena, Bonnie, and Pikachu let out their own sighs of relief while Talonflame and Hawlucha chirped in joy. Ash refocused his mind and reached out to Greninja.

“You are okay, right,” Ash probed.

{Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry I scared you. I thought I had more time to …}

“No, no it’s okay. I’m just so glad you’re safe! Just … just hang on, we’ll catch up to you.” Greninja slightly snorted at the pun, but also felt a comforting warmth in his heart from their trainer’s joy in them being okay. He eased up on his link with Ash to focus on clinging to the truck as it continued to barrel through the forest.

“Okay,” Ash exclaimed, “Let’s go!” Ash, Serena, and Bonnie raced off to reach the forest path while Talonflame and Hawlucha took off into the sky to track the truck once again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Greninja felt like he had been under the truck for hours. Not once has it stopped after they nearly avoided being flattened. Greninja’s hands and feet began to cramp and the heat from the engine was nearly burning them. Greninja craned his neck to see the forest ahead of the truck, trying to find some clue as to where Xerosic was headed. He squinted his eyes to prevent any dirt from flying into his eyes. Through his squint, Greninja made out a large grey jet-like device in the distance. It looked like Xerosic was planning to fly out of the forest! Greninja quickly reached out again to Ash and updated him on Xerosic’s intentions. As the truck came closer to the device, it began to greatly decrease its speed and Greninja prepared himself to release his grip on the truck.

“One … Two … Three,” Greninja counted. Greninja’s finger and toe pads peeled off the underside of the truck. He turned his body so that he would land on his hands and feet. His hands and feet slightly stung as they planted onto the forest floor. Greninja crouched lower as the truck passed over him. Greninja snuck over to the right and crouched in the bushes as the truck drove onto a loading pad. At that same time, Talonflame and Hawlucha caught up to the truck and noticed Greninja’s release from its underside. The two flying types swooped towards the forest floor and approached Greninja’s hiding spot, quietly calling out to him to not spook him like last time. Greninja motioned for them to crouch beside him, only to be taken by surprise by a tight hug from Talonflame. Talonflame stepped back and began to look over Greninja, checking for any injuries. Greninja felt a twinge of guilt in his chest, they must’ve been terrified after the truck tried to run him over. Greninja turned over to Hawlucha and was immediately met with a swift Karate Chop to his forehead. That twinge of guilt was replaced by a throbbing pain.

“Haw! Haw! Hawlucha,” Hawlucha hissed, essentially warning Greninja to never do something like that again.

“Gre. Ninja-gre,” Greninja groaned while rubbing his forehead. He winced while the pain slowly faded and looked back towards Hawlucha. Hawlucha’s glare was intense, but it began to morph into a worried grimace. With an apologetic and relieved cry, he hugged Greninja with Talonflame. Greninja hugged them back, apologizing himself for frightening them. The three Pokémon were then jolted out of their hug by the sound of hydraulics. They turned towards the truck and noticed the strange contraption lowering onto the top of the truck and latching on. The four vents on the back of the device whirred to life and burned a bright orange glow. Xerosic was preparing for takeoff! Talonflame pointed towards the right wing, stating that they could hang on to the outside, so they don’t lose Xerosic. The three Pokémon charged out of the bushes and rushed towards the wing. Hawlucha and Talonflame dug their talons into the wing’s sheet metal while Greninja stuck his finger and toe pads to the surface, securing themselves onto the wing. The newly jet-powered truck blasted off of the ground and into the air, causing the trio to tense and flatten their bodies onto the wing to secure themselves more. Greninja reopened his eyes to keep track of where they were flying but was taken aback once he saw a forcefield of some kind envelope the truck. Greninja growled in anger once he realized that it was an invisibility shield. All the while, Xerosic engaged the autopilot of the truck.

“Alright,” Xerosic sighed, “it looks like I’ve gotten away. By now, that thing should be finished.” Xerosic sat up from his chair and strolled towards the center of the truck to check on Clemont’s progress. Realizing that Ash and the others would no longer be able to see them from their own perspectives, Greninja refocused on his bond with Ash to let him see through his eyes.

Meanwhile, Ash, Serena, and Bonnie continued to race through the foliage to keep up with Xerosic. All three were silent, each occupied with watching the area ahead and within their own thoughts. How does Xerosic plan to revive the Kalos Crisis? How many cells did he already capture? Where does Clemont fall into that plan?

“I - I just don’t get it,” Bonnie stammered, “Squishy got rid of all the vines and that big rock! How can Xerosic bring them back?” Serena had been pondering that too. She had been playing back her memories of Team Flare’s attack, trying to figure out what else Xerosic could be after in order to achieve his twisted goal. Her mind skipped between the scenes of the vines tearing through the streets, her fighting off Team Flare’s goons, and watching Ash fend off the giant rock to keep it from reaching Anistar City.

“… Anistar City,” Serena gasped. Ash and Bonnie snapped out of their thoughts and turned their attention to Serena.

“I think … I think I know what Xerosic plans to do. The Anistar City Sundial! It has the same power as that giant rock they used to control Squishy and Zygarde! Xerosic could actually restart the crisis if they take control of the sundial!”

“Then we’ll just have to catch him here,” Ash declared. The trio slowed their pace once they arrived at a large rock pillar. Ash came to a complete stop once he received Greninja’s vision.

“I can see them,” Ash began, “Up there!” Ash pointed towards the top of the pillar. Greninja’s field of view showed the truck soaring atop of it.

“Let’s go,” Ash stated as he dashed off.

“Right,” Serena and Bonnie replied as they followed close behind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in the dim lit center chamber of the truck, Clemont stood with his back towards the glass cylinder containing the Zygarde cells. His composure rivaled a statue. His expression was unreadable, and there was bright light reflection in his glasses that hid his eyes. The door leading to the pilot’s chamber opened with a soft swish and Xerosic strolled through.

“So,” Xerosic probed as he stopped in front of Clemont, “how are you feeling now?”

“I feel great,” Clemont answered with monotone, “thanks to you Xerosic, leader of Team Neo Flare.” Xerosic let out a pleased squeal as he spun around.

“That has such a nice ring,” Xerosic sang.

Meanwhile, Ash, Serena, and Bonnie grunted and groaned as they climbed up the rocky side of the mountain towards the top. Ash gave out one last rough grunt as he pulled himself onto the top’s floor.

“We’re here,” Ash exhaustedly declared as they ran towards the center. They began to look around the sky surrounding the mountain, hoping to see the scene that Greninja saw in his last connection to Ash.

“I know Greninja, Hawlucha, and Talonflame are flying around here,” Ash breathed, “Though I can’t see just where.” Ash reconnected to Greninja and looked through his eyes. All that Greninja could see was the wing of the plane and the side of the mountain. He had to get a new view!

“Greninja,” Ash announced, “we’re here! Up at the top of the mountain!” Greninja lightly pushed himself up from the wing to help get a better view. He turned his head towards the mountain top and quickly located Ash, Serena, and Bonnie. Greninja quickly shared his view with Ash.

“I see them,” Ash notified, “I should be able to reach them if I jump! I’ll hop on that plane!” Serena and bonnie gasped in shock. That was absolutely crazy, even for Ash!

“Not from here,” Serena shrieked.

“What happens if you fall,” Bonnie stuttered.

“I can’t let them escape,” Ash avowed as he turned to get a running start, “I gotta do it! I’m going!” Ash knew that if he didn’t get on that plane, Xerosic would take Clemont, his Pokémon, and the Zygarde cells to who knows where. He wouldn’t be able to protect them if Xerosic got away! Ash adjusted his cap and turned towards Pikachu perched on his shoulder.

“Okay, are you with me,” he asked Pikachu.

“Pika pika,” Pikachu replied with a clutched fist, signaling that he was with Ash all the way. Serena joined Ash’s side, taking his hand into her own.

“I’m going too,” She declared.

“Me too,” Bonnie added as she took Ash’s other hand, “We’re always a team, right?” Ash smiled at them, glad to have them at his side.

“Alright,” Ash asserted, “make sure you do what I say.” The three tightened their grips on each other, anticipating the moment they needed to jump. Greninja kept a close watch on Ash and the others, relaying to Ash where the plane was flying. Hawlucha and Talonflame perched next to Greninja, ready to help him pull Ash and the others onto the plane’s wing. Ash braced himself as he sensed the plane coming closer and closer, until came the best moment.

“Now,” Ash ordered, “let’s go!” The trio took off towards the mountain’s edge, gradually picking up speed. The three pushed off from the edge and began to soar into the air. The three yelled in determination and worry as they began to fall along the mountainside. Ash forced himself to silence his scream as he pushed all of his focus to his bond with Greninja, letting his Pokémon know where they were falling. Greninja felt a pang of panic in his veins as he saw the trio pass the plane’s wing. Greninja quickly uncoiled his tongue from his neck and thrusted it towards them. It tightly wrapped around Serena’s wrist and began to pull them up back towards the plane. The three yelped in surprise as they seemed to disappear into thin air, all thanks to the invisibility shield. Greninja quickly yanked them onto the wing where Hawlucha and Talonflame caught them and helped them cling to the wing. Greninja re-wrapped his tongue around his neck and let out a “Ninja” of relief.

{Thank Arceus you’re alright!}

“You did it Greninja,” Ash thanked before turning to Hawlucha and Talonflame, “and thank you too for catching us!”

“Yeah, thank you,” Serena added.

“That was a close one,” Bonnie gasped, “but how do we get in and save Clemont

“Hawlucha,” Hawlucha answered. He was pointing to an emergeny escape hatch along the body of the plane.

“Great spot Hawlucha,” Ash praised, “Now let’s get inside!” The group began to crawl their way towards the latch with their Pokémon keeping them secure along the plane’s surface. Talonflame pulled ahead of the group and used their talons to pry open the door. Our heroes quickly pulled themselves into the walkway behind the door and shut it closed. They then began to trudge down the walkway until they reached the inner chamber of the plane. One by one, they climbed down the ladder that connected the exit way to the chamber.

“Clemont,” Ash pondered, “where could he be?” Ash began to step nimbly across the floor, not wanting to step on anything that would alert Xerosic. He and Pikachu scanned the room for any signs of Clemont, Xerosic, or the cells. Ash turned towards his right and came face to face with the stoic stance of Clemont. Pikachu gasped in surprise as Ash and Bonnie called out to Clemont. Bonnie began to approach Clemont to check on him but stopped in her tracks as a menacing chuckle entered her ears. The group turned towards the laughter and came face to face with Xerosic and his Malamar and Crobat.

“I welcome you all to the unveiling of the enhanced human,” Xerosic sickly greeted as he strolled over to the group.

“What did you do,” Ash growled.

“Give me back my brother and Squishy’s friends RIGHT NOW,” Bonnie demanded. Xerosic could only guffaw in evil glee at their demands.

“Your brother is currently being mind controlled,” Xerosic taunted, “and has become Team Neo Flare first enhanced human!” Bonnie gasped in horror upon hearing that her brother was under Xerosic’s control. She turned towards Clemont in disbelief, scared for her brother.

“Yes, Xerosic sir,” Clemont emotionlessly replied.

“CLEMONT,” Bonnie shrieked.

“It can’t be,” Serena shuddered.

“Clemont, snap out of it,” Ash blurted.

“Pika,” Pikachu cried.

Unit One,” Xerosic ordered, “your first job is to CAPTURE THEM ALL!”

“Right, as you wish,” Clemont complied. He raised his arms ahead of him and began to advance on the group, swaying like a zombie. Hawlucha and Talonflame leapt in front of the group and spread their wings, trying to block Clemont from coming any closer.

“This can’t be real,” Serena stammered.

“Clemont,” Bonnie faltered.

“Pika pika,” Pikachu squeaked.

“There’s no way Clemont could be that weak,” Ash spat. Ash knew Clemont; there was no way that he would’ve given in to Xerosic. They both knew how twisted and flat out crazy he was. He would’ve found a way to resist or fight back; use that big brain of his to outsmart him somehow. The group watched in tense anticipation as Clemont continued to sway towards them and Xerosic chortled in sinister victory.

“He’d never give in to your mind control,” Ash declared, still confident that Clemont did something to resist Xerosic. Clemont came to a halt just in front of the group, his head was hung low as he flatly laughed. Suddenly, Clemont raised his head in triumph and beamed at the gang!

 “Thank you for having faith in me Ash,” Clemont grinned. Everyone within the room gasped; our heroes in joy and Xerosic in shock and disbelief. Xerosic felt a pang of panic in his chest as the group and their Pokémon turned their attention onto him.

“You know I’m an inventor,” Clemont smirked, “The future is now, thanks to science! CLEMONTIC GEAR ON!” Clemont pulled a small disk from his left temple.

“After what happened before,” he continued, “I invented this multi-electromagnetic wave blocker! I call it ‘Jamming Unit One!’ I inconspicuously attached it while pretending to wipe off my glasses!”

“UNBELIEVABLE,” Xerosic choked.

“That makes twice you failed against one of my inventions,” Clemont boasted, “This device and my Clembot should prove whose inventions are superior! Time to admit you’ve been defeated!”

“M-my inventions are inferior,” Xerosic quavered, “THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE! CROBAT, USE AIR SLASH! NOW!” Crobat fluttered above the group and prepared their attack; their top wings glowing bright as they crossed.

“Chespin,” Clemont called as he threw their Pokéball, “Pin Missile!” Just as Chespin was released, Corbat had thrusted its wings apart and fired three Air Slashes. Chespin unleashed a battle cry as their head quills began to glow. They ducked down as five Pin Missiles fired from the quills and collided with the Air Slashes. The collision of moves resulted in a mini explosion that gave Ash and Serena the chance to stand by Clemont.

“Clemont, Serena,” Ash asserted, “let’s get them together!”

“Alright,” Clemont conferred.

“Let’s do this,” Serena urged as she released Braixen from her Pokéball. Greninja, Hawlucha, Talonflame, Braixen, and Chespin formed a wall, separating Xerosic from their trainers. Each Pokémon cried in determination to defeat Malamar and Crobat and stop Xerosic here and now!

“Alright Malamar, Signal Beam,” Xerosic commanded, “and Crobat, Wing Attack!” Crobat flew up towards the ceiling while Malamar quickly shot out their Signal Beam.

“Braixen,” Serena ordered, “block it with Flamethrower!” Braixen grabbed her stick from her tail and lifted it towards Malamar. A thick stream of fire erupted from the end of the stick and collided with the Signal Beam, creating a thick cloud of smoke blinding Malamar and Crobat.

“Chespin, use Tackle,” Clemont shouted.

“Hawlucha,” Ash added, “use Flying Press!” Chespin released their vines and wrapped them around Greninja’s left arm. Greninja spun his body around and flung Chespin towards Crobat, hitting them point blank with their Tackle. This stunned Crobat and stopped them from unleashing their Wing Attack. Meanwhile, Hawlucha charged towards Talonflame who cupped their wings together. Hawlucha leapt onto the wing and Talonflame thrust Hawlucha into the air. Hawlucha spun their body and struck Crobat with a full force Flying Press. Hawlucha slammed Crobat into the ground and leapt back to rejoin the group.

“You pesky, little,” Xerosic growled, “I’m not going to let you annoying brats ruin my PLAN OF PERFECTION! Now Crobat, use Air Slash!” Crobat picked themselves off from the floor and shot back up into the air. They crossed all four of their wings as they glowed a bright white. They quickly uncrossed their wings and shot out four Air Slashes.

“Greninja, Water Shuriken,” Ash interjected, “and Talonflame, Razor Wind!” Greninja and Talonflame recreated their Water Shuriken-Razor Wind combo and unleashed the attacks at the Air Slashes, destroying them. The combo move powered through the collision and struck Crobat, knocking them out.

“Crobat, return,” Xerosic grumbled as he recalled Crobat to their Pokéball, “This is not acceptable! As long as I have my ideas and my genius mind, I’ll be able to recreate this world! Defeat is not an option!” Xerosic’s voice was panicked and his composure was crumbling. He believed that his plan should have been foolproof, but was outsmarted and overpowered by four children and their Pokémon! As much as it killed him, he had to admit that he was no match for the group when he only had Malamar left. If he was going to win this war, he was going to have to lose this battle. He and his Malamar made a beeline for the hatch on the truck’s side with Ash and Clemont giving chase.

“Come back,” Ash demanded. Xerosic slammed his fist against the touch panel; the side door opening with a swish.

“Malamar, return,” Xerosic stated as Malamar was pulled back into their Pokéball, “We must meet again sometime! I’m not finished yet! See you again!” Xerosic thrust himself from the truck door and into the air, freefalling towards the ground.

“YOU WON’T GET AWAY,” Clemont barked. Clemont planted himself at the base of the door and activated his Aipom Arm. The Aipom Arm quickly extended towards Xerosic and grasped his coat by its flare emblem, successfully catching him before he could activate any escape measures. Xerosic flailed aggressively, trying to break free from the grip of the robotic arm.

“L-let go,” Xerosic stammered.

“You’re gonna pay for all the awful things you did,” Clemont chastised, “And from now on, you need to invent things that help humanity!” Xerosic tried to fire back that his plans would help humanity, but instead turned away from the inventor and his friends. He tensed in the grip of the arm, stiff with shame and defeat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After reigning Xerosic back into the truck and restraining him, Serena was able to contact Officer Jenny of Lumiose City. Serena informed Jenny of Team Neo Flare, Xerosic’s kidnapping and cell-napping escapade, and her theory about the Anistar City Sundial. Officer Jenny directed the group to a large clearing near Lumiose City where they could land and transfer Xerosic over to her and release the cells back into the forest. Within the hour, Clemont took control of the truck and piloted it over to the clearing. As Officer Jenny was directing Xerosic into the back of her patrol car, he stopped to turn towards Clemont. Before he was carted off to prison, he had to know Clemont’s secret. He had to know why he was so powerful with inventing and battling.

“Tell me something,” he pleaded, “You’ve got a lot of strength, but why?” Clemont grew a soft smirk on his face as he adjusted his glasses.

“Honestly,” Clemont disclosed, “I wasn’t that strong before. But my time with Ash and all my friends, and all that we’ve experienced, that’s given me the strength I have now!” Xerosic gasped; it was as if he just had an epiphany.

“Your friends,” he whispered.

“Now get in,” Jessie interrupted. She didn’t want to wait for his booking any longer; the sooner he faced justice for what he’d done, the better. As the group watched the patrol car cruise along the dirt path towards the station, its siren dissipating as it drove along, they wondered about Xerosic’s response to Clemont’s answer. Whether he realized that true strength and harmony comes from the bonds of love, trust, and friendship people make with each other, or if he twisted Clemont’s words to fit with Team Neo Flare’s haunting goals was uncertain.

“Glad that’s over with,” Serena sighed. Bonnie sighed as well, but quickly turned her attention away from the patrol car and towards one of the released calls that was by her feet.

“Hey,” she murmured, “you know Squishy, right? Squishy’s your friend.” The cell only laid flat on the ground in response. Bonnie looked on in worry, wondering if Squishy was safe, along with Zygarde 2 and Noivern. She was broken out of her thoughts when the cell she was watching, along with the other four cells, began to glow a bright green. The five cells floated off of the ground and then shot into the foliage behind the group. Everyone turned towards the foliage, ready to run after the cells, but stiffened when they noticed the bushes shaking. Their Pokémon stood in front of them, ready to fend off whatever was heading their way. They watched and waited for the threat to show themselves, when out from the bushes leapt out Squishy in their 10% form. Upon seeing Bonnie, Squishy stopped and reverted back to their core, their cells dispersing behind them in strands of green light.

“BONNIE,” Squishy cried. Serena and Clemont slightly jumped. They’ve never heard Squishy’s telepathy before. Ash and his Pokémon beamed upon seeing Squishy safe and sound. Bonnie stared at Squishy starry-eyed as a huge grin spread along her face.

“SQUISHY,” Bonnie squealed and she sprinted towards Squishy. Bonnie knelt down and scooped them up, gently nuzzling them against her cheek.

“I missed you,” she gushed, “Feeling better now, my little Squishy?” Squishy happily chirped in her arms as she hugged them again.

“I am so glad you’re all safe,” Squishy sighed as they cuddled closer to Bonnie, “I was so worried that Xerosic escaped with Clemont or that he captured all of you!”

“We’re fine,” Clemont chimed as he and the others gathered around Bonnie and Squishy, “Xerosic has been taken into custody and the cells he captured have been freed.”

“I can’t thank you all enough,” Squishy babbled, “You stopped Xerosic and saved our cells again! I … I couldn’t have asked for a better family!” The group beamed as they huddled around Bonnie and Squishy, enveloping them in a big hug. Squishy quietly sighed as they closed their eye, happy to be reunited with their family once again.

… Family.

“Oh, that’s right,” Squishy gasped as they wiggled out of Bonnie’s hug and turned towards the group, “I split off from Zygarde and Noivern to try and find you when we collected over half of our cells. They are waiting for us in a glade not too far from here. Follow me!” Squishy bounded into the foliage with our heroes trailing behind them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sky transitioned from a light blue to a golden amber as the sun began to set over the horizon. The dense canopy was bathed in the golden sunlight that was able to beam through their gaps. Our heroes were mesmerized by the sight as they trekked along the forest foliage. The ground beneath them became more uneven with rocks and small hills until the group stopped in front of a small stream. The group gasped as they noticed Zygarde in their 50% form with Noivern at the other side of the stream.

“Zygarde! Noivern,” Ash gasped. Noivern turned towards Ash and chirped in joy as they flew towards them. Noivern wrapped their wings around Ash and his other Pokémon, ecstatic to see them.

“Ha ha, I’m glad to see you too,” Ash giggled as Noivern nuzzled his head. Pikachu, Greninja, Talonflame, and Hawlucha crooned as they embraced Noivern.

“My friends,” Zygarde began, “I am glad to see you again. I never got the chance to thank you for freeing us from Team Flare’s control. Before meeting you all, we believed that the world and its people were corrupt; that it was filled with selfish beings who cared only about power and control. However, Zygar- … Squishy’s time with you showed us that the world is also filled with kind people who care about others.”

“During my travels with you all,” Squishy continued as they thought back on their time with the group, “you displayed human kind’s potential for bravery, compassion, and unity. You all accepted me into your family after just meeting me. You took measures to keep me safe, healthy, and comfortable. You and many other humans risked your lives to save the people and Pokémon of Lumiose City when Team Flare managed to take control of us and when Lysandre tried to reach Anistar City.”

“And now,” Zygarde added, “You once again stopped Xerosic and rescued our cells. We are forever in your debts. I am glad that I was able to say my goodbyes.”

“Goodbyes,” Serena questioned.

“Yes,” Zygarde explained, “While Xerosic has been taken into custody, and we have collected our cells with Noivern’s help, there may be stragglers of Team Flare still hiding around. I plan to hide myself and our cells away for the time being.” A saddened shadow fell on Bonnie’s face as she knelt down towards Squishy.

“I … I guess this means you’re saying goodbye too,” Bonnie fretted.

“Bonnie,” Squishy comforted, “I’m not saying goodbye, I’m coming with you.”

“R-really,” Bonnie stuttered.

“After all the time we’ve been together, I wouldn’t want to be apart from you. You treated me with such kindness when you first found me in your bag. It was your love encouraged me to stay and travel with you all. It was that same love that helped me break free from Team Flare’s control. You never gave up on me, and I could never give up on you. I want to stay with you, travel with you, and be your partner with Dedenne when you start your own journey! So that’s why I’m transferring my cells to Zygarde so I can go with you!” Bonnie squealed in delight as she scooped Squishy up into her arms and hugged them tightly. Dedenne crawled out of their pouch to join in the cuddle. The rest of the group looked at the trio with large grins on their faces, succumbing to the bubbling warmth of the sight. Zygarde sighed in content and turned towards the sky, noticing the sun setting further.

“I’m afraid our time is running short,” Zygarde announced, “It’ll be dark soon, so I suggest we say our goodbyes before then.” Our heroes agreed and released their other Pokémon to say farewell to Zygarde. Squishy transferred their connected cells to Zygarde and shared a heartfelt goodbye to their other half.

“I will reach out to you often, my friend,” they declared, “and I hope to see you again soon.”

“Thank you Squishy,” Zygarde replied, “I will miss you.” Zygarde bowed towards the group and began to stroll deeper into the forest.

“Zygarde,” Bonnie called, “don’t worry about Squishy! I’ll take good care of them!”

“I know you will, Bonnie,” Zygarde chuckled, “Until we meet again, my friends.”

“Take care of yourself Zygarde,” Ash exclaimed.

“Hope to see you soon,” Serena gushed.

“You’ll always be welcomed at my lab,” Clemont chimed in. Our heroes’ Pokémon waved to Zygarde and offered their own goodbyes and best wishes as Zygarde disappeared into the foliage. Soon after, everyone turned back to the trail and headed to Lumiose City.

Our heroes’ trek back to Lumiose City may have taken an unexpected turn, but it allowed them to help Zygarde one last time and reunite them with Squishy. With their journey in Kalos almost at an end, what other adventures await our heroes before and after their departure? The answer lies ahead, as the journey continues.

[antielevator]

@dojimakaichou sent: ‘ ASLEEP. ’ - [ my / your ] muse sits with [ mine / yours ] while they rest. ( x )

Right away, maybe in his first month of work, Sebastian came to the conclusion that the rules in place were stupid. They were too rigid, too inconsiderate of the circumstances of each individual, and he'd taken enough social science classes in university to learn that equality and equity were two different things. What was important when dealing with people who "got in trouble" with the law was to listen, to understand their positions-- Daigo Dojima, for example, was a frequent visitor at his precinct, but never really did anything bad except refuse to grow up.

They usually go to diners whenever Daigo agrees to go to breakfast with him, but today was different. Daigo's injuries from the brawl he'd gotten into the night before were more visible than normal (they were all over his face, even, and Sebastian had made it a point to tend to those before he even started cooking), so Sebastian hadn't wanted to subject him to any particularly hard stares in a public place. With his roommate out for the weekend with his girlfriend, their small but cosy apartment had felt bigger, somehow-- less so now that Daigo's here, though.

Sebastian meant to wake him up once the food was ready. The spread was just bacon, eggs, and some waffles shaped like the Millennium Falcon (courtesy of a novelty iron his roommate had), and it didn't take very long to make at all. But when he moved from the kitchenette to the living room and caught Daigo asleep on the couch he'd left him on, he didn't have the heart to do it. He never saw the man outside circumstances brought about by work, sure, but Daigo seemed to be the type to often get into shitty situations. More pressing, too, was the fact that he was also the type to exacerbate those shitty situations. The dissonance between the angry, banged up guy that Sebastian always had to write up and the snoozing young man on his couch faded rather quickly into fondness. Regardless of what Daigo's been through, Sebastian's certain he could use the rest.

So now he sits on the floor between the (cheap) coffee table and the (relatively more pricey) couch, watching Saturday morning cartoons and crunching on bacon. It's been maybe half an hour since he decided not to wake Daigo up, and by now Sebastian's stopped paying attention to any mumbling, snoring, or other minor noises the guy might've made. It's surprisingly comfortable just sitting here with him, even though Sebastian would usually be crawling into bed by now. It makes him wonder if this might have happened if they were friends the way normal people became friends-- if Daigo would have also ended up under a crocheted blanket from his abuela that Sebastian put on him to keep him warm.

He's stirred from his thoughts, though, at a noise that sounds less like an involuntary sleep sound and more like waking. Sebastian brings the volume to the television way down almost immediately, turning Pikachu's high-pitched pikas into silence.

"Morning, sleeping beauty," he says, turning to look behind him at Daigo's groggy, beaten up face. "You got a bit of drool there."

[pikapeppa]

Hey so... Witcher 4 coming soon... Chamomile and Gwent 4? 👀👀👀

HAHAHAH! This is such a flattering question and a very reasonable one too. I honestly don't know at this point! It will still depend on what the game gives us in terms of plot, timeline, etc. I have been known to return to pairings years later (I'm currently writing a ship that I hadn't written for a couple of years), so it is possible! We will see where the muses take us!

Thanks for the ask! I'm so flattered that you would think of me when you saw the trailer 😭🥰🙏

-- love from your friendly neighbourhood Pika xoxo

[alloglossia]

Lexember 3 (/1)

Pandaremer /pɑndɑɾ'ɛmɛɾ/

From Middle NL pantaremhel (pantara 'village' + emhel 'pika'), whence also Ost pandarabir—like most compounds from this period, disharmony between morphemes is permitted. It is thought that the compound refers to the social behaviour of marmots, who typically live in colonies of 20 to 30 members.

noun; singular and plural forms ambiguous

1. Marmot; 2. Lightly derogatory: a many-membered family.

Fensu a deo pandaremerþi muse pendere 'nna. boy det.abs dist marmot-GEN.PL uphill village.GEN cop-NPST 'That boy belongs to some marmots from up from town.'

[pikatrainer99]

Can I just say that I really really like the metaphor for depression and hopelessness that the Trolls franchise uses??? Like, having the color literally drained from you is just so clever! As someone who has struggled with recurrant Major Depressive Disorder since I was six years old, I can confirm that it really does feel like the color is drained from you and the world around you as you become numb to everything and find yourself just going through the motions...that's how it feels to me, at least...and I was like that for 16 years in a row (my entire school life). Anyway, point is, Trolls literally turning gray when they lose their happiness is a great metaphor for depression and as someone who lives with those feelings like 99% of the time, no one can change my mind on that.

[splicedskies]

@silentchamp - Liked for a Starter!

"I'm actually surprised more people don't know this.." Altra mused, he had a few berries out Infront of him. He'd been busy working a few into simple salves to use for himself and his Pokémon, and figured.. that it wouldn't hurt to also show Red.

It was a skill Altra had to learn, considering he was effectively homeless.

"Sure Potions are.. great? But they're so damn expensive, and what if you run out in the middle of a trail.." He had both Sitrus and Oran Berries out on a cloth Infront of him. Working on mashing them up into different pastes that he'd use later.

"Most just feed a Pokémon a berry flat out as treats or to help them, but.. I've learned combining the pulp of both makes something better. And easier to get a hold of." He smiled, also having the juice itself saved.

"Kinda like how people make more fancy berry treats. It's sort of close. But then they add a bunch of sugar, cook it down, and it removes the beneficial effects." He offered at least the juice to both Pika, and also his own Zorua who was sitting by his side; watching.

It seems the teen was using the pulp of both berries to make what looks almost akin to a green-ish like paste that one might see used in herbal medicines.

"They just don't.. taste the best." He chuckles, looking back to Red.

[savebatsartedition]

Birthday Battling (Late Yellow birthday fic.)

Summary:

Yellow has a happy birthday.

Notes:

Hehe this is almost a month late for Yellow but only a little late for my sister, who loves Yellow, so I decided to make it for the two of them. <3 Also, you know me, there’s a little Jadeshipping in there. I tried to hint at all of the main Kanto ships but that one was the biggest haha. (Enough that I tagged it.) Cws: Implied eating pokemon (off screen), one mildly suggestive joke from Green Words: 3,731

Ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54834730

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

Yellow hummed as she kicked her legs, heels just grazing the clear blue surface of the stream as she watched Chu Chu roll across the moss with Pika. The two Pikachus had been playing on the pebbly stream bank for quite a while now. Yellow giggled, feeling her Pokeball drag through the water as she corrected its position. Clearly she wasn’t the only one excited about seeing her friends.

“Oh Chu Chu,” Yellow laughed, feeling her hair lift with static electricity as the two Pikachus chirped and chased each other along the stream, “Don’t waste all your electricity! We’re going to need all you’ve got if we want to beat Red later!”

She turned back to her fishing, still laughing. 

“Do you think he’ll go easy on me because it’s my birthday?” she mused, “Probably not, right?”

“Yeah,” Red suddenly echoed her, “Probably not,”

Yellow jumped about a foot in the air in surprise, flinging her fishing rod right out of the water and whacking Red in the face with the (still unoccupied) Pokeball that had been on the end of the string. She jumped to her feet, stammering out an apology, though Red laughed and dismissed it as fine, “he deserved it,” for sneaking up on her it seemed.

“Is it time to go back to the house?” Yellow asked, brushing a stray piece of blond hair behind her ear. In her embarrassment, she had somehow forgotten that she was the one in charge of timing, a fact which she only remembered when Red laughed and answered her.

“I dunno, you tell me!” he slapped a hand to her shoulder and she smacked a hand to her forehead, “It’s your birthday!”

Yellow looked up at the sky to find the time, and then yelped when she saw how far the sun had traveled since she had last looked. It seemed that she had spent far more time on her (mostly unsuccessful) fishing venture than she had planned to. (All for only two small Magikarp, which she quickly stored in a bucket for later.)

“Time to go?” Red asked, laughing again and very kindly taking the bucket into his hands, “Your face says it’s time to go,”

“Yep!” Yellow replied, winding the string around her fishing rod and beckoning ChuChu over, “It sure looks like it is!”

ChuChu hopped onto her shoulder (and Pika quickly bounded over to Red) as Yellow bent down to pick up her tackle box. She hadn’t fished much using that method today, as she’d mostly stuck to just a Pokeball, but she was interested in getting into it. Speaking of which…

“Is Green still there?” Yellow asked, though she probably should have known that, given it was her birthday, Green was certainly still there, “I want to thank her for this box,”

Red nodded as the two started off into the woods, “As far as I know, yeah,” he smiled and elbowed her lightly, though she was so off balance from her tackle box that the small tap was enough for her to stumble slightly. She giggled. “Pretty funny timing on her part right?” Red continued, “You think she forgot your birthday was so soon?”

Yellow shook her head, a smile glowing on her face, “Nope!” A week or so early is even better!”

Red gasped in mock horror, pausing in his step dramatically, “You’re saying my gift isn’t special??”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” she said, sounding exasperated though she was not.

“I know,” he grinned and elbowed her again as soon as he caught back up, “Anything from me is special to you, huh?”

“Red!”

“Sorry, sorry,” he said, continuing to smile. He paused thoughtfully, “Though I don’t think I remembered to actually buy you anything… sorry?”

Yellow giggled. They both knew that gifts were the last thing on a Pokemon trainer’s mind when they met with their friends and equals. Because, as any person could tell you, meating eyes meant preparing for a fight, an experience most trainers found more rewarding than any gift could ever be.

Now, Yellow was not “most trainers” in that regard, but in her own way, she supposed, she found her own meaning in the day. With the exception of her nice new tackle box, Yellow didn’t tend to find too much value in gifts, at least, not compared to the value of time spent with her friends. And, if they and their Pokemon wanted to battle, it was a battle they were going to get.

She squared her shoulders and raised her chin confidently. Just because her friends were some of the top trainers around didn't mean squat. She was sure she could do this. On her shoulder, ChuChu’s pelt sparked with electricity, and Yellow nodded in approval. Clearly the little rodent was picking up on her determination and reflecting it with some of her own, with a match up like that, what could ever go wrong?

Before her, the trees began to thin, and before she knew it she and Red were in the clearing around her house, wide and decorated with strings of shimmering silk that she and Kitty had put together the day before. (It was good that they were almost there, she realized, because her hand was starting to hurt from carrying her box. Maybe Green had gone a bit overboard on it in the end.)

“Hey Blue!” Red called, raising his free hand in the air to wave at his rival, “Hey Green! I finally found the introvert!”

“Am not!” Yellow retorted, reaching her porch and letting the tackle box find a resting place in the corner (Red quickly followed her lead with the bucket of Magikarp), “I just got a little wrapped up in fishing, thank you Green, by the way,”

Her senior smiled and her and brushed a clump of brown curls out of her face, “Did you manage to catch anything good,” she asked, causing Yellow to blush. Two small Magikarp? No she had not.

“No,”

Green shook her head in fake sadness, “Guess I should have gotten you more bait then,”

Yellow didn’t want to tell her she had hardly even used the box, so she just shook her head appreciatively and changed the subject. “So!” she said, clapping her hands together as her three fellow dexholders stood before her, “Who wants a piece of me first?”

Green raised an eyebrow and smirked, “In what way?” She started, “Because if it was up to me-,”

“Clearly not like that!” Yellow stopped her, though she could already feel that her ears had flushed red. She forced a frown and an exasperated sigh, “I meant a battle, but if no one’s up to the challenge…”

“I’m up for it,” Blue said calmly.

With perfect timing, his Charizard (which was apparently up and about) roared, so loud that ChuChu jumped into Yellow’s hair in alarm. (And Yellow would have lied if she had said she hadn’t followed the Pokemon’s example a little bit as she drew her hair around herself.)

“Can it be a two Pokemon battle?” she squeaked, knowing that Charizard could and would sweep her team if she let it. (She didn’t want her entire team knocked out in one go.) “You pick one, I pick one, we see what happens?”

Blue laughed (hopefully not connected to the way Yellow hurried to smooth her hair back down), and called Charizard over with a wave of his hand, “Sure birthday girl,” he said, “Whatever you desire,”

She blushed and fumbled for Omny’s Pokeball. (If anyone had a chance of beating that charizard, it was Omny.) While she had simply doubted that Red would go easy on her for her birthday, she knew for a fact that Blue wouldn’t. She knew for a fact that Blue wouldn’t. She could almost hear him in her mind, “A good learner never begs their teacher to be more gentler,”

And she wouldn’t.

She could do this!

Narrowing her eyes, she stepped off the porch and onto a pre-burnt battle ground in her yard, littered with rocks due to recent training with Gravy, and still signed from her last battle with Blue. She gulped. That had been months ago.

Cheering, Red and Green settled down some way off the battlefield, though they were clearly smarter than to give up their guard entirely, as Red’s hand on a Pokeball, and Green’s already puffed up Jigglypuff proved. ‘That’s good,’ Yellow thought, ‘Now they won’t get hit with pieces of Omny and me when we get blown up,’

“Ready Yellow?” Blue asked, already smiling as Charizard clomped onto the field, shaking the ground with every stomp of his massive feet. Despite the fear, Yellow couldn’t help but smile back. It was nice to see Blue actually battling for fun, for once.

“Ready!” She called back, already finished stringing Omny’s Pokeball onto her fishing rod (that way she could get the best throw). She readied her mind, feeling Omny’s determination join with her own as the Omastar braced itself inside the Pokeball.

“Okay!” Called Green, holding her arms in the air like she was about to drop a puck, “One!” Yellow swung the rod back, “Two!” Blue bent his knees, prepared to run, “Three!” Yellow inhaled, “Go!”

Yellow swung her fishing rod, letting out some sort of battle cry as Omny released from the Pokeball, sailing through the air and just missing an easy crunch from Charizard. Expectly, Blue had prepared for her to try and land behind Charizard, but thankfully her throw had been far enough to just barely miss his defensive offense.

“Quick!” Yellow yelped, at the very same time as Blue gave his own command, “Hydro Pump!”

“Fly!” Blue yelled, already circling the pitch to get a better angle of the fight.

Instantly, a cloud of dust and smoke blew up from the ground. The loud slap of Charizard’s wings filling the air with it. Yellow winced as the majority of the Hydro Pump missed Charizard, that had been her surest attack, if that had failed… “Again!” she called, point up in case Omny had gotten turned around in the cloud of smoke and dust from Charizard’s take off, “Shoot for the stars!”

This time the dragon was too slow. Too high to have heard her well, and probably unable to see Omny through the remaining cloud, the dragon roared in surprise when the water hit him in the wing.

At its height in the sky, it wasn’t even knocked off course, but Yellow still cheered. She had gotten a hit in!

“Charizard!” Blue commanded, not struggling at all in the blur of dust, “It’s towards my voice, fire a wing attack!”

That was a pretty risky move, but risky moves were what Blue was known for, after all.

Before Yellow could even process a defense (partially because she was coughing in the smoke) a huge blast of air smacked into her, sending her quite to the ground. Behind her, Red gasped in his respect for the strength of the move.

Yellow struggled to her feet, seeing the air once again clear and the exact moment Charizard made contact with Omny. In the split second before the attack had hit, blue had somehow moved across the entire field, leaving Omny vulnerable for attack.

Yellow yelped and quickly directed a counter attack. She could tell that Omny’s spikes had done some damage to the dragon, but she could also tell it had been nothing compared to the strength of that wing attack. (Any wing attack that cleared the air like a gust hit hard. Even if a Pokemon had a thick shell, like Omny did, that had to hurt.)

“Hydro pump, again!” She called, though the strength of the last one had been enough that she might have to worry about water storage soon.

Thankfully this time she didn’t have to worry too much about range, and double thankfully, the attack hit Charizard clear in the stomach, shoving the dragon back a few steps. Yes. A wing attack that strong did some real damage, but landing one of those without a pause before going back to flying could be equally damaging, so long as your opponent could hit back in time.

Blue cursed, though Yellow could feel that he and the Charizard were in no danger of losing any time soon. “Charizard,” he called, not even giving directions to attack before the thick orange tail slammed into Omny, this time missing the spikes entirely and sending the little Pokemon flying across the yard and into a tree.

“Omny!” Yellow called, already aware that she had already lost. She ran over to her friend.

“Whoops,” Blue said, walking over to his Charizard and running his hands over the orange scales of his wings, comforting him. “Is Omny okay?”

“Omny’s fine,” Yellow said, kneeling by her Pokemon as she began to heal it, drawing the woosh of the breeze and the scent of the trees into a calmness that blanketed the two of them. Once she was done, she picked up the small Pokemon and turned to smile at Blue, “They say that they had fun,”

Green laughed from her spot on the hill, and Red smiled down at the two. Clearly their worries that they wouldn’t get to fight her (Yellow had sensed them earlier), had been put away.

She pulled Omny into the Pokeball (first feeling that that was indeed it's want, first of all), and then punched a fist into her palm like she had just showcased some really tough skills. Now that she had seen that Omny had enjoyed the exercise, she was beginning to taste the allure of battle on her tongue. “So?” she taunted, as Green continued giggling, “Who’s next?”

Red quickly scrambled to his feet, raising Aero’s Pokeball into the air before Green could volunteer herself and Blasty, “Me!” he cheered, “I demand a sky battle!”

Yellow smiled, Kitty was pretty known for holding its own against Aerodactyl’s, (she chose to ignore that it had been Red’s Pikachu, Pika, who had actually dealt the finishing blow to Lance and his Aerodactly, “You’re on!” She called, and then put her fingers into her mouth as she whistled for Kitty.

As expected, the pretty Butterfree wasted no time in fluttering over to where she stood, and though Aero’s shiny rock sides were scary and almost sure to crush them, Yellow could feel the Pokemon’s contagious excitement fizzing in the air.

“Okay,” she said, as Blue and his victorious Charizard cleared the field, letting Red and Aero take their places, “You ready?”

“Ready as ever!” Red responded

Honestly, part of Yellow still wondered why they didn’t all just cut to the chase and declare Red the winner before the match even started, but an increasingly large part of her was beginning to understand why this was such a good birthday gift, especially among friends. 

“Kitty! Sleep powder!” Yellow yelled, finding it hard to keep the excitement out of her voice even as Aero smoothly evaded the cloud of dust.

“Too slow!” Red grinned, though his smile quickly disappeared when she and Kitty easily anticipated and evaded the Defog that Aero used to send the powder back at them. 

“Ha!” Yellow laughed, “Too slow~”

Red grimaced, but was soon smiling. “Yeah, I should’ve expected you’d see that one coming, but eh, good to try?”

Yellow was about to respond, but Red was already giving Aero his next command, one that sent the shiny rock dragon shooting up in an arch into the sky.

Thinking fast, Yellow pointed after him, “String shot!” she yelled, “and don’t let go!”

Kitty obeyed, and in a split second the string was wrapped around Aero’s hind leg as the dragon dragged the butterfly up after it. (For something that looked so thin and shiny on the trees, the stuff was strong.)

“Shoot!” Red yelped, much worse at hiding his emotions than Blue had been (though Yellow highly doubted that she was actually the one in control here, “Bite!”

A low level move (comparatively), but almost certain to catch Kitty as the butterfly’s thin wings struggled to find the arch of the air. Yellow cringed as a shower or powder shook from the wings of her friend as Aero hit a direct shot. Kitty shook its head, but was clearly too dizzy to retaliate, which Red took advantage of as he pointed Aero to the ground.

Still, the string stayed attached to Aero as he dove back down towards the clearing, but being dragged at breakneck pace through the air was no help to Kitty if it couldn’t shake off the bite.

“And now!” Yelled Red, as if he had planned the match down to the second (which he most likely had), “Hit ‘em with wing attack!”

“Kitty!” Yellow panicked, “fall!”

This was no difficulty for the still dizzy bug, who probably would have fluttered to the ground even without her command. 

Aero quickly adjusted to try and hit its opponent, but the string wrapped around his wings, and though it snapped, the confusion of the moment allowed Kitty to just barely slip under the blast of air.

Yellow chanced a glance at the health of her Pokemon and sucked in a breath. Either that bite had done more damage than she had first expected, or Kitty had taken some damage when it was foraging for flowers in the woods. Yellow cursed. She had forgotten to heal her friend before the battle. If they hadn’t had a chance before, they little bug definitely didn’t have a path to winning now.

But, as Yellow looked on, she could still sense that spark of fun in the air. She was glad, she didn’t want this to end. (And, as she could still see that excitement glowing on Red’s face, and she was certain that she too was grinning, she could guess that she too was adding to that feeling.)

“Kitty, try a gust!”

Yellow felt her strength join with Kitty’s and the butterfly flapped its wings with newfound power, sending Aero spiraling up again, screeching in annoyance more than pain, but still missing his second wing blast, which flew off into some poor tree. Yellow cheered, though Aero quickly found his wings again, firing back at Kitty, but not finding its mark as Kitty dodged to the side, sending an explosion of dust up into the air.

Kitty flew up to avoid it, and fired back, but by then Aero had seen it coming, expertly riding the wave of wind over, across, and right into its opponent. Now it was too close to dodge, and red cheered as Aero’s final attack hit Kitty, depleting the HP of the bug type as it crashed to the ground.

Yellow raced over, but Red was already there with a spray potion. “I could have done that,” she murmured, but he just smiled up at her, shaking the extra drops out onto Aero’s wings, which had lost some stone shards in the strength of Kitty’s gust.

“I know,” he said, “But I don’t want you getting too tired on your birthday,”

He elbowed her, and Yellow shrugged, “I only have one more battle, right?” she looked over to Green, who was already shining Blasty’s shell on the other side of the pitch. Blue, at her side, was checking the canons.

“Hey Green!” Yellow called, “Are you getting ready for a battle or a beauty contest?”

Green blew her a kiss and waved Blue away, who speedwalked back to Red to congratulate him on his win. Yellow blew a kiss back to Green, and before she even knew it, ChuChu was at her feet, squeaking to get in the fray. (She’s been excited to fight all day, Yellow was starting to feel bad that she wasn’t going to get to.)

Yellow chuckled and looked down at the Pokemon, “Good choice ChuChu, this time we’re not gonna be at a type disadvantage,”

“Hey Green?” she called, “Let’s not do any megas, huh?”

Green slipped the ring off her finger for a few seconds, and smirked at her while holding it out, “What? You want my ring for your birthday?”

“No,” Yellow stumbled over her words, flushing red despite being a hundred percent aware that Green flirted with her opponents to catch them off guard, “You can keep it,”

“Of course my love,”

“Oh Green, shut up!”

Green laughed, and the battle exploded into a start.

…and an end.

A hydro pump that quickly became electrified with a thunderbolt, leading to ChuChu taking the blast to the face and Blasty roaring in shock as the lightning reached into its cannons. All of a sudden, much to literally everyone’s shock, both Pokemon were very low on health. Behind her, Yellow could hear Red gasp and whisper to Blue how smart the thunderbolt was. Getting the lightning into the water storage was very clever, apparently. Yellow did her best to pretend it had been on purpose.

“Shoot!” Green yelped, “Rapid spin!”

ChuChu jumped into the air, but was only able to avoid the giant turtle for so long before she cried out as the attack finally hit its mark. By the time the dust cleared, the battle was already long over. Yellow gasped and quickly ran over to ChuChu, who had flown clear out of the bounds of the battle.

In no time, the Pikachu was up and squeaking excitedly, but Yellow still felt a bit bad for losing so quickly. The match had hardly lasted a minute.

“Oh boy,” Green said, jogging over to her, “Sorry about that,” she laughed and leaned down to ruffle Yellow’s hair. Blue and Red moved towards them (though Red paused to give Blasty a potion, maybe he’d gotten a deal on them or something.)

“It’s okay,” said Yellow, who could already feel herself smiling again. (ChuChu could be very persuasive in her joy.) “That was really fun!”

“Now…” she turned towards her house, where she could still see the bucket of Majikarp sitting still in the shade, “Does anyone want Majikarp?”

Green laughed and kissed her on the top of the head, and Yellow’s blush had not yet disappeared by the time Blue was pulling her into a hug, crushing her face into his chest, now had she stopped laughing when Red did the very same. Yes. This was going to be a birthday to remember.

End Notes:

OUT OF CHARACTER NOOOOO Comments appreciated! :D

[savebatsfromscratch]

No.4 Shocked out of his mind.

Ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/50575372

Words: 1,133

Cws: Electrocution, being unable to think, a sort of implied non-con right at the end.

Notes: I’ve actually written a bit of this scene before. (Scratch Writing Camp for the wing!!!) But I’m waiting on finishing it to post it here. That being said, this isn’t really a “scene rewrite,” as I haven't read this book in a while.

Prompt: No. 4: “I see the danger, It’s written there in your eyes.” Cattle Prod | Shock | “You in there?”

The room was dusty and empty, but it still gave Red the chills as he pulled himself shakily to his feet. “Where-?” he asked the still air, “Where am I…?” 

On his head, Pikachu chirped a soft warning, but Red ignored him as he looked around the room, taking in pale walls with suspicious wire coating. He didn’t know what would happen if he touched one, but for whatever reason, the hair on the back of his neck stood up at the thought. He looked up for the trapdoor he had fallen through, wondering if it was close enough for him to climb to and out, but as he watched, it slammed shut with a very final BANG!

Red jumped, and then stood shivering in the now dark room. That didn’t seem to be an option. “Okay…” he murmured, unaware of his defensive stance as he studied the tiles, wires, and singular closed door, squinting to see through the darkness.

His heart was beating fast, but he did his best to stay calm as he listened for anything that might clue him into where he had fallen in the building. He and Blue had run through a decent amount of the building together, but they had not passed through this room. Red felt panic rising in his chest. Since he didn’t know where he was, he wondered if it might be a better idea to stay in the strange room than to leave through the mystery door with the wires on it.

In fact, the only parts of the room that weren't covered in wires were the floor he stood on and the ceiling above his head. He felt a shiver pass down his spine. Something had to be seriously wrong here, especially since Blue wasn’t following him down into the room. Red glanced nervously back up at the now closed trapdoor. Had Blue closed him in? Was he in trouble too?

Red found himself leaning back, unsure of what to do in the situation he found himself in. Unfortunately, his clouding brain prevented him from remembering his own warnings about the walls, and a jolt of electricity zapped through him as he got a little too close to one of them. The room lit up with a yellow glow, and Red shrieked in pain, and Pika gripped tighter to his head as Red yanked himself away from the wall.

As soon as he was no longer touching the wall, the room became dark once more, though Red had seen enough through his pain to tell that every wall in the place was electrified, so bright they had glowed when he made contact with them. He put a hand to the unfortunate shoulder he had touched the wall with, finding himself still shaking as a strange numbness blurred through his arm and back. 

Yes, this was powerful electricity alright, and if he was right, he had felt the exact same shock before. It was unlike the static electricity that built up around feet brushed on carpet. Yes, much more painful. And yet these electrified walls were also unlike Pika’s electricity, which, while definitely still painful, was more of a “one and done” kind of deal. 

This was numbing. This was something that could stick with you for a while. But who did it belong to? Unfortunately, before his musings could get very far, Red’s vision lit up with yellow light as a Pokemon launched itself at his face, seemingly out of nowhere. 

Like any reasonable person would, Red screamed and ducked to the ground as several Electrodes and Voltorbs bounced off the ground around him. Thankfully, none of them made direct contact, but the electricity that tore the air between him still hurt as they brushed past Red and Pika.

Yeah, he remembered now, the Gym Leader Pokemon smuggler back in Vermilion city, the one who tried to drown him. Red turned just in time to see the door on the other side of the room slam open to reveal the massive villain that he would be fighting. Think of an over six foot, muscular, blond guy dressed in military camo, and then make him even more ripped.

Red’s breath caught in his throat as he struggled to control his breathing. The aftershocks of the Electrodes still zapped through him, and, in his numbness, Red found it nearly impossible to reach for his Pokeballs. If this guy was here…

He didn’t even have to finish the thought as the Gym Leader laughed and slammed the door behind himself. He stepped into the center of the room, and Red’s eyes caught on a belt of Electrodes and Voltorbs wrapped around the man’s chest and into a huge weapon that he had slung over his shoulder, where it nestled next to some poor Magneton.

“Lt. Surge,” he introduced himself, “Team Rocket commander, pleased to make your acquaintance,” he smiled horribly, but though the hair on the back of Red’s neck stood up, he did his best to hold his ground. A gym leader who was a member of Team Rocket, why wasn’t he surprised.

“I messed up your plans last time Surge,” Red hissed, doing his best to hide both his terror and his numbness, but probably failing at both. Pika hissed helpfully, but Surge only laughed.

“Well,” he smirked, “This time I won’t let you!”

Quick as a whip, the man fired another Voltorb at Red, and this time he wasn’t able to dodge. In fact, the blast was so quick that Red barely had time to scream as the Pokemon tripped him backwards into the wall, sending painful shocks of electricity all through his body. It was so painful that Red only registered that Surge was even speaking again a few sentences into his sadistic monologue. As it was, he had to physically fight the numbness in his brain as two Magnimites continued to hold him tight against the wall, keeping him shivering and confused involuntarily as the electricity threatened to control him fully. 

Quite honestly, he could hardly even get his mind on topic enough to even see the swimming walls around him, let alone to listen as Surge taunted him about this and that. Red couldn’t think, and his eyes streamed with painful tears as he tried to breathe without biting his tongue off at yet another surprise blast of electricity.

He had to think, but somehow he couldn’t.

Every time any plan tried to materialize in his mind, it was swept away by another wave of agony, and if it wasn’t, giving himself any chance to think only gave way to panic as Surge waltzed ever closer.

Hands were in his hair, on his throat, at his chest.

But he had neither the mind nor the strength to fight it.

[sykilik101]

Just a small dosage of Pokeshipping, all ‘cause I wanna practice something.

Ash slumped down onto the log stationed by the campfire, his hair still damp and skin sensitive to the late-Autumn night. He thrust his hands towards the open flame, flinching as a log collapsed and shot sparks into the air. He held still, for a moment, waiting to see if the fire’s temper had subsided. A gentle gust nipped at him, dissolving his hesitation and reaching out for the fire’s warmth once more. Almost immediately the numbing of his fingers evaporated, and his sigh of relief came out as a small puff of air.

Bathing in the chillier months of the year was, as he would always maintain, a necessary evil.

“Pika pi?”

Tiny paws with a familiar weight landed on his shoulder, and Ash’s lips meandered into a grin despite the chill. He sacrificed the ember’s comfort in favor of stroking his best buddy behind the ear, and the nearly imperceptible mewl he received in response did a better job of warming him than the fireplace. “Did you already eat, Pikachu?”

“Pika pika.”

The electric mouse nuzzled his cheek against his trainer’s before leaping towards the campfire, curling into a ball as his tailed wafted up and down. Watching his body rise and fall in time with his breathing, a soft giddiness bubbled within Ash. Pikachu had gone above and beyond in their battles today, and Ash’s chest had lost little of its puff even as the sun had already fallen below the horizon.

In reminiscing the day’s events, he’d been oblivious to the footsteps behind him, but the weight of a blanket being wrapped over his shoulders ripped him from his musing. He cocked his head back, and he’d only just barely registered Misty’s viridian eyes gleaming in the firelight before her lips touched his cheek.

“Did you make sure to get behind your ears?”

Ash rolled his eyes, knowing he couldn’t hide his exasperation but wondering if the glow of the flames would conceal his reddening cheeks. “Yeah, Misty.”

“Good.”

Her jubilant tone belied her strictness as she took a seat beside him, lifting up the blanket so she could settle herself inside it. The smell of her shampoo wafted into his nose and his hand, reflexively, searched out hers. As if reading his mind, her fingers immediately interlaced with his, and Ash didn’t care if she noticed this grin.

“Misty? Is Ash back?”

Brock’s voice emanated from their tent, and before the girl could respond he’d already waltzed through the flap, grinning as his eyes landed on Ash. “I guess that answers my question.”

“Yeah, that water was freezing. I hope we get to a Pokémon Center soon.”

Misty tenderly shoved herself into him, sending more of her scent his way and upping his heart’s rate once again. “Cold water is good for bathing, Ash. You’re the only one complaining about it.”

“It’s not just me. Right, Pikachu?”

The infancy of their small argument hadn’t been enough to wrest Pikachu from his relaxation, a single eye opening up to examine the two before closing again. “Piii-ka.”

Ash’s shoulders sagged, his gaze turning over to the breeder who’d taken his place on the opposite side of the fire. “Brock?”

I’m sorry was written all over Brock’s grin as he waved his hands dismissively. “I happen to think the water feels fine after traveling all day.”

“Some help you are,” Ash mumbled under his breath, but Misty’s proximity meant she heard every word. Her mouth once again rested against his cheek, though she held it there just long enough that Ash swore she could feel its rise in temperature.

“If it makes you feel better, Ash, that’s why I had this blanket handy.” She beamed at him, her fingers affectionately tightening around his. “Aren’t I the sweetest?”

Old habits insisted on meeting her words with sarcasm, but as he’d decided that his now-girlfriend deserved kinder replies in these cases, he settled on planting his own kiss against her temple. “Yeah, Misty, you are.”

Misty’s smile was infectious, though it was Brock shaking his head out of the corner of Ash’s eye, smirk and all, that caught his attention. “I still can’t get used to this. Seeing you two not argue as much is wild.”

“I thought you’d be happy to have us not arguing all the time, Brock.” Misty leaned against Ash further, and he in turn opted to rest his hand on Misty’s waist. His fingertips ran across the bare skin of her waist, and he was doubtful that her shiver was from the weather.

“That’s great and all, but when you guys have done it almost daily for so long, it’s different, you know?”

Ash turned to Misty, and she glanced at him sideways before turning to face him. How eyes of water could house so much fire was beyond him, but its hypnotic effect was potent just the same. Even in spite of their confessions to one other, even as the group dynamic had adjusted ever so slightly, things were still the same between all of them.

Mostly.

“Yeah, Brock. I know what you mean.”

[silvery-bluish]

Unusual muse associations

Tagged by @astarien and @sidestepping , thanks for the tags both of you!

I’ll go ahead and tag @rosaindomitus, @the-cooler-sidestep, @dogueteeth, @cigarettesandinevitablebetrayal, or anyone else who sees this and is interested, if any of you would like to :)

Arsinoe Becerra (Fallen Hero)

SEASONING: Rosemary

WEATHER: The overcast/dark/windy just before a thunderstorm actually hits

COLOUR: Bright teal Dark green, greys

SKY:  The slow brightening of the sky just before sunrise actually begins

MAGICAL POWER: Telepathy

PLANT: Thistle, maybe?

WEAPON: Their mind. Failing that, anything they can get their hands on.

SUBJECT:  Programming. Linguistics.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Never.

MAKEUP PRODUCT: Whenever they get back around to it, nail polish.

CANDY: Chocolate-covered espresso beans

FEAR: Being unknown. Being seen and judged.

ICE CUBE SHAPE:  Spherical ice cubes

METHOD OF LONG-DISTANCE TRAVEL: Does legs count? They’d prefer to stick with running.

ART STYLE: Modernism

MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURE:  I’ve got to say ghost. Echoes of memories, the past-gone-by, all that. Haunting and haunted.

PIECE OF STATIONERY:  Notebooks. So many of them. No unifying theme in the design of their covers.

THREE EMOJIS: 👁️ 🏃 🤲 (with a shout-out to the surprised pika emoji I can’t do on tumblr)

CELESTIAL BODY: Stars