🇮‌ 🇼‌🇦‌🇳‌🇳‌🇦‌ 🇧‌🇪‌—

‘ forget the rules and the typical trainer belief standards , we could become a travelling group as we go on exploring the different cities of the galar region.’ not only marnie came here to fight , but she wanted it to be for fun . other sports competitors sees it as competition , but she doesn’t really mind it at all .

seeing the strange yellow rat beside ash , marnie blinked . ‘ huh, a travellin’ companion , eh? i also got a morpeko but she’s sleepin’ in my bag since she has eaten enough curry for the first match .’ opening her bag , a strange hamster like creature is sleeping .

‘ they say the weakness to the first gym is easier . but your instincts are right . if you have those pokemon on your team , it should be easy for ya. ’ marnie is all prepared for the match , excited that she’s starting out on her journey with a friend she had mine .  worrying about piers will be later since she seems to be more focused .

‘ always trust your gut and have more confidence in yerself , that’s what my brother used to say .’

Attention span still healthily intact, the young trainer perked at the mention of a new Pokémon, craned his neck to get a glimpse of the subject dozing comfortably in Marnie’s bag. “Wow, a Morpeko?” he repeated—and somehow managed not to wake her despite an overwhelming urge to poke the fluffy lump. “That’s an electric type, too, right?” Ash ventured as he cast another sideways glance to Pikachu. “Guess you got yourself a buddy!” Which, naturally, made his partner about as ecstatic as he was to have a new friend.

Before either of them could cause more of a disturbance, Ash straightened back up and met his—apparently traveling companion… right? That was decided! He met her gaze, listened to her confident words with a growing smile. “Man, you say stuff like that and you’re really getting me pumped up! There’s no way I’m gonna lose the first match; just wait and see!” Nor the second. Or the third.

After all, he didn’t come all this way to give up.

     KUBO LOOKED INDIGNANT at that confidence. It was probably a little hypocritical of him to do; a younger him, would be daring without restraint, and be foolish enough to cross without concern even with the knowledge of its unsteady nature. This was just him feeling goaded on, and ( probably ) having no better options.       His arms remained outstretched at each side, balancing his small figure. Every so often, Kubo felt his feet wobble and his stability teeter to the sound of creaking wood. To maintain his concentration, he tried to tune out the other – and flashed his teeth when the other boy yelled with joy at his own success. ALAS, the effort would prove futile.       A single misstep is all it took, for Kubo to feel one of the branches snap under his foot and send it plummeting into the dam. With a gasp, he tried to free his ankle, which was now lodged between the wood boughs, but seconds later, another portion gave and suddenly he was in the air, with the only thing holding him from the river’s touch being the vine snaked around his waist. “ AAAH! ”

     DAMMIT, DAMMIT, DAMMIT! This is what he gets for listening to bad advice! The twelve year-old trembled, hearing the river’s roar mere feet beneath him, and he clings to the vine still holding him in a moment of shock, and squeezes his eye shut fearfully.

The plan was still foolproof.

Granted, since it wasn’t exactly Ash-proof or “any trainer who finds himself following Ash’s ideas”-proof, it couldn’t have done anything but go wrong. Things maybe Ash would consider (learn from, even!) if he noticed the pattern and chose to correct it.

C’mon! He got across just fine, didn’t he? Who could say the problem in this whole equation was him?

No surprise, a situation like this happened way too fast. One second, the other trainer was carefully making the last few strides it took to reach stable land, and the next—? A series of lightning-quick events led to said trainer disappearing from view, a shrill yelp cutting through the air, and an intense tug on the vine at Ash’s waist yanking him forward along with Chikorita.

Then, it was his turn to blurt out a cracking “Whoa!” as the new dead weight pulled him and his Pokémon nearer to the edge. Instinct drove Ash to reach for Chikorita, and only when he scooped her up safely in his arms, helping her to keep their friend from plummeting, did he get close enough to look down at the state of the boy.

“Hold on!” he shouted. No time to consider all their options. Softer, to the startled grass type in his hold, Ash said, “I got you, Chikorita. See? Nothing to worry about.” Her vine had tightened around him and the trainer dangling below. “But I need you to do something for me, got it? I need you to use both vines to pull him up—can you do that? I’m not letting go.”

As if to prove their stability, Pikachu scampered up behind them and clung to his trainer’s leg. But Chikorita was only convinced through a long staredown, and Ash giving her a smile he hoped would calm the mess of nerves no doubt trembling in all of them. She unwound one of her vines, and while her trainer dug his heels into the turf, that vine stretched down to tangle around the boy like a harness.

          The  twerp  had  solid  ideas,    they  had  to  admit.      However,      James  just  wasn’t  in  the  mood  to  try  and  think  about  the  predicament  and  actually  problem  solve.      Rather,      they  felt  hopeless  without  Jessie  and  Meowth  around.      Meaning,      they  were  fairly  down  in  the  dumps  and  well,      they  didn’t  want  to  move  from  the  spot  they  were  in.      Settling  into  the  dirt  and  crossing  their  legs.      They  felt  more  like  throwing  in  the  towel.      But,      this  wasn’t  a  first  for  them,      or  even  a  second  or  third.        They  had  a  habit  of  becoming  rather  melancholy  without  their  team.

          ❝      Don’t  you  get  it?      We’re  doomed.      ❞        If  there  were  rain  clouds,      they’d  be  hanging  just  above  the  rocket’s  head.      James  let  out  a  sigh,      gloved  hands  frantically  scrambling  at  their  head.        ❝        I  should  have  never  joined  Team  Rocket.      I  should’ve  stayed  at  home  and  ran  my  father’s  company…..        This  is  bad.        ❞          But,      doom  and  gloom  wouldn’t  get  either  of  them  anywhere  and  they  manage  to  muster  up  some  usefulness  and  energy.        ❝      I  suppose….        we  can  try  edging  along  the  cliff  in  the  hopes  we  see  something  recognizable….        ❞

        Neither  of  them  really  had  a  plan  and  James  knew  it.      But,      they  rise  to  their  feet  and  place  one  hand  along  the  cliff.        ❝      This  is  when  a  pokemon  like  Scorbunny  would  come  in  handy.        We  could  use  the  fire  it  provides  to  make  a  torch….        Oh  well.      Maybe  the  others  are  out  looking  for  us….        ❞          They  sure  hoped  so….

          They  still  feel  all  doom  and  gloom,        but  for  now,      they  are  following  Ash’s  lead.        ❝      I  ahve  no  idea  where  we  are….        Don’t  you  have  one  of  those  Rotom  phones?        Maybe  it  can  tell  us  where  we  are.      ❞

The display was pretty pathetic. But then again, Ash had come to accept that when Team Rocket was involved.

He paused at hearing his companion’s incessant complaints, peered back at them with a surprising amount of pity overpowering what would’ve been annoyance otherwise. Because some part of him couldn’t even blame James for the hysterics; Ash himself wasn’t immune. If anything, he was just… better at hiding it, worse at giving up—especially when it meant finding his Pokémon and guaranteeing they were okay. Both as his responsibility and as his friends.

Ash knew the contrasting moping beside him was sparked by the same attachments. So could he really be mad—?

“Rethink your life choices some other time,” he said. Maybe he meant some other time when I’m not around, but the sentiment was never voiced. Rather, as the young trainer was about to shrug them off (it’s not like it was his problem if they chose not to follow), James finally rose to join him. And Ash looked them up and down with a firm nod: Good.

He took another few steps along the cliffside, quietly lamenting the same predicament the other chose to raise. Only at the mention of a phone did he offer his input. “Don’t you think if I had Rotom, the first thing I would’ve done is call someone—?” Ash quirked a brow over his shoulder. But the truth of the matter was that… no, he wouldn’t have thought that.

—since it took until now to realize said phone wasn’t with the rest of his things and actually...

It is quite a miracle to behold, isn't it? I'm pretty shocked myself.

‘ yeah, and if you ever encounter him, you will challenge him someday . ’ marnie is getting ready for the upcoming tournament so she can’t stick around to stick and chat with ash any longer . piers told her she will take over the spikemuth gym leader . she has so many questions about ash but it might be saved for later . ‘ eh, i dunno if this tournament allows travelling in pairs but if you’re alright with that , i’m comin’ with ya . these bodyguards will protect us from any suspicious crooks you can think of like … some goons will try to steal your pokemon . ’

fortunately for the competitor , she heard the first gym will be a grass type so marnie will be the one giving him a heads up. ‘ by the way, the first gym leader we’ll face is a grass type . if you have fire or ice type pokemon , use that to your advantage . i bet you know the weakness to every pokemon gym challenge we oughtta face later . these will get tougher . ’

raising an eyebrow at ash mentioning pallet town , marnie smiled . she knows there’s other competitors from other regions but she hasn’t seen some pokemon before in her life . ‘ kanto, eh ? i heard the gym challenges are different from what we know instead of the sporty type . i’d love to visit there sometime . spikemuth’s just wacky , you’ll be surprised how there’s more of team yell members working there for my brother . ’

Ash blinked at her suggestion. “What, you think there’d be any reason not to allow that—? Sure, we’re rivals, but.” Most cases, competition actually made for good relationships in the long run (once Ash had grown up enough to realize that). “I don’t see why we can’t also be friends,” he agreed with a resolute nod that took no criticism. “It’d be awesome to stick together! I could use someone who knows the ropes. Right, Pikachu?”

The electric Pokémon, attentive but silent until now, granted a chipper noise of affirmation, snuck in before their latest friend gave even further pointers on the first hurdle ahead of them. Almost instantaneously, Ash ran through team options in his head: the obvious type advantages to ensure his victory—or give him the upper hand to chase it. “Fire and ice,” he murmured to himself, and to Marnie directed his own suggestion: “Flying would work, too. Or bug. What’s your plan with that? I bet the sister of a gym leader knows a ton of tricks.”

Not to mention probably had a ton of great Pokémon. Ash no longer could tell if he was more excited for his own match, or to see her battle style. The entirety of this Gym Challenge felt like a Pokémon League in itself—with the roaring energy of the audience a constant backdrop to every match. He was eager to see how that environment shaped a trainer’s approach.

     she had been told that going out to see the world would be good for her, that she would find more out here then if she would staying in the garden of altomare, and when she started on her own journey there were so many twists and turns, but she would never had guessed she would run into ash again so quickly.

     however, she would be lying if she said she wasn’t pleased about it.

     when told to calm herself, she had quit circling around the trainer, but her excited demeanor never changed as she saw pikachu as well, already nuzzling up into the mouse’s cheek, enjoying the pats given from ash.

          i’ve missed you so much! and there it was, her telepathy. you and pikachu both!

She really had a way of just cheering him up immediately—no effort to it. He guessed no real thought to it, either. By simply rushing to greet him, eyes alight with that specific breed of cheer that only came from reuniting with an old friend, Ash too couldn’t help the giddy energy that sprung in his heels. And if not that, then the relief of seeing her after all this time: safe and well.

While the two Pokémon shared in a quiet greeting of their own, Ash listened to the voice he hadn’t heard in way too long to be okay. The familiarity spread warmth through his chest, up to the unfaltering grin in his cheeks. “I guess that makes two of us, then,” he agreed, and his hands cupped her face to get a better look at her.

Not much had changed. In the absolute best way.

      ARMS OUTSTRETCHED ON EITHER SIDEto balance himself, Kubo took cautious, slow steps, and second-guessed himself each time he heard the wood creak underfoot. By the time the other boy had gotten out his CHIKORITA to aid them, he was only a foot behind them, and doing his darn-dest not to wobble off of the structure. Just think of walking on the curbs of a street, Kubo told himself. At least those are narrower!       “ You think that’d work? ” There’s a bit more childish optimism, and hope in his voice at ASH’S effort; clearly that was helping him feel a little more confident in this plan, even if, in hindsight, it was far from foolproof. Kubo had the excuse of not working with grass-types–sans HANZO, who was very unique in its own right.        Now forced to wait until the other kept moving to see the other side, Kubo nearly looked down at his feet in a moment of pause. But, he squeezes his eye-shut and stops himself halfway through the action, swallowing down the urge. NO. DON’T LOOK DOWN.

        “ … Let’s keep moving. ” The sooner they get off this thing, the better.

“Of course it’ll work.” Again with that (probably misplaced) confidence. Ash made the claim without missing a beat, tone absolutely dripping in self-assurance like he’d seen the future and therefore knew not a thing could go wrong. “Chikorita’s got this. You’re not about to tell her you don’t believe in her, right?” And quite the guilt trip, if there ever was one. The young and incredibly cautious trainer probably wasn’t doubting the Pokémon here.

But whether it proved useful or not, Chikorita linked two separate vines around each boy’s waist, and—somewhat safely now—they were able to continue across the probably-not-sturdy-enough stretch of wood. Ash kept looking back, down at Chikorita trotting cheerfully between them, up to his companion to check that his balance held steady. When he reached the other side without much more than an occasional stumble or two, he stepped onto the bank with arms lifted triumphantly.

“Yeah!” Ash cheered. The sudden movement made Pikachu leap down to the grass. “See that? No problem!” For one of them. He hadn’t taken into account that his friend wasn’t on celebratory soil just yet. Chikorita continued leading him—tugging him, almost—to eliminate any distance between her and her trainer. Her other vine hadn’t yet released Ash: extra stability or mere personal preference.

@rcdflier || :DDD

first of all, just to immediately disappoint you, i don’t have a specific HC on who that happens to be. i.e., i don’t see his dad as a specific character we ever meet but i also am not against the idea.

to put it simply: ash never knew or remembers interacting with his father (so, yeah, even if he ever came across him, he’d have no idea)

now, i know some media plays with the idea of ash having a decent relationship with his dad before he left, but for my personal headcanon, ash has no relationship with him at all. the only things he knows about his dad are what delia tells him—such as his dad also being a trainer who went on a journey—but whether she’s telling the truth is... debatable, of course.

what this means for ash: he’s actually pretty neutral/chill about the situation.

it’d be different if he developed a bond with the guy and then he up and left, but since ash personally holds no emotional ties to him, the fact that he grew up without a dad was just... normal. sure, as a kid he’d sometimes get jealous hearing other kids discuss their dads, but he got over that feeling as time passed (or at least muted it enough to not be bothered by it).

i would say there’s a touch of bitterness buried deep—to the point where certain situations may make him lash out (e.g., witnessing some other dad abandoning his child affects him; he’ll direct his own saltiness at that dad instead)—but overall it’s not really a part of his life he’s constantly thinking about or concerned with.