Celadon's New Blossom (Pokemon AU)

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Celadon's New Blossom (Pokemon AU)

Postby KonokoHasano » Mon May 04, 2015 1:19 pm

So, uh, yeah. I recently started doing a few drawings based off this Pokemon AU idea I got. The idea originated mainly as a desire to draw more 'Ashley' art. I drew the first initial drawing that sparked me going deeper into it. So after five drawings, I've found myself wanting to do more with the idea. This led to the idea of turning it into a fanfic to work some stuff out, and maybe potentially doing comic stuff of it sometime.

But anyway, this is a Pokemon AU. Despite the fact that it is set during the original series and what was basically 'Gen I', the AU would include various aspects here and there from all gens.

So here we have the story, Celadon's New Blossom


Ash could feel a bead of sweat roll down his cheek as he looked around nervously. He had to admit, the interior of the Celadon City Gym wasn't all that bad. It was like a miniature forest with plethora of different flora, ranging from flowering plants to tall trees. He could even see many different grass type Pokemon frolicking around and enjoying their time. The air around him was a bit musty and humid, perfect for a greenhouse.

It wasn't the humidity that caused the young Pokemon master to be to sweat, though. It was his current predicament. Here he was, standing in what was clearly the most embarrassing outfit ever and catching the tail end of a story He really wasn't sure what it was about, because he wasn't focusing on that. What he was focusing on was the one reading the book. Erika, the Gym Leader of the Celadon City Gym and the one he was trying to challenge.

It still annoyed him to think that he was banned from even getting close to the gym just because he voiced his dislike of a bunch of smelly perfume. Just because the girls here owned that shop and banned him from there did not give them any right to ban him from the GYM itself. That was just unfair and cruel. He could still feel the spot where they stamped a big fat X on his face.

Thankfully, a solution seemed to have come from the latest confrontation with Team Rocket, who he had found tied hanging from a tree. He wasn't really sure why they were interested in helping him get in exactly, but it was likely due to some scheme of their own. However, Ash's mind had been blinded by irrationality the moment the trio started talking to him about his need for more badges, and their taunting of him not getting in. This left him susceptible to helping them.

The next thing he knew, the trio took him to the giant department store that loomed over many of the other buildings in the city. He had wondered just what kind of stuff he could find in the place, but didn't get the chance to. Maybe he would check it out a little more after getting his badge.

That trip to the department store was what led Ash to his current predicament; dressed as a cute little girl. The orange dress he was wearing bothered him a little due to just how flowy it was. The lack of pant legs made him feel naked, not to mention the bloomers he was forced to wear – white with a cute bear head on them – were completely alien to him and left him feeling more embarrassed than he thought possible.

Faintly reaching up, Ash brushed a hand through the long blonde locks atop his head. In addition to the dress, he sported a rather lovely blonde wig. The bangs tickled his cheeks and ears, and the length caused him to fidget a smidgen. He really wasn't sure how people could stand to have their hair long when it caused so many annoyances, not to mention how much more effort it likely took to deal with.

His plan – if it could even be called that when it was just something he thought about a moment ago – was to infiltrate the gym and instantly confront Erika, issuing a challenge before she could do anything else. That would have put the woman on the spot, since a Gym Leader turning away a challenge was frowned upon by the Pokemon League. Getting here was easy. Ash amazed himself with how well he could pull off acting like a girl and getting the other Gym Trainers to lead him here.

However, this was where things got tricky. For some reason, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu were around. If he had known they were coming here, he would have tried to sneak in with them. Surly Brock or Misty could have convinced the girls. As things were, he didn't want to reveal himself right now, because he was certain that Misty would never let him live this down. She would probably tease him about it any chance she got, and the young Pokemon trainer was almost certain she would try to find moments to dress him up in something embarrassing if she wanted.

His ego wouldn't allow for such a blemish, and so he decided to be more discreet about it. That was when, after Erika finished talking about her and Gloom, that a line was uttered by Misty.

“I wish Ash could have heard that story.”

Ash opened his mouth. He wanted to say that he heard it, but caught himself in time and managed to prevent himself from blowing his cover. He briefly wondered what could have happened if he would had said anything. Maybe they would have thought 'she' misheard the name 'Ash' as 'Ashley'. That's not something he wanted to risk, though. He had come too far to fail!

Gripping the front of his dress skirt, and holding a fist to his chin, he turned to Erika and brought forth his girl voice. “Ah, Erika!” His eyes sparkled in fake amazement. “I've heard so much about you, and you're super pretty.”

“Why thank you young lady.” Erika replied, smiling with her hands held in front of her in a demure fashion. “But I think you're very pretty yourself. I imagine you'll grow up to be a lovely young woman.” She reached out and moved some blonde locks out of Ash's face. “I'm afraid that we haven't been formally introduced. You clearly know who I am, but I have no idea who you are.”

Ash put forward a shy look. His cheeks tinged pink for a moment, mainly due to the embarrassment from what Erika had said. “I'm Ashley. I live near Celadon and wanted to enroll into your Pokemon trainer classes.”

“Ashley?” Misty piped up, causing Ash's heart to skip a beat in worry. Would she blow his cover? Maybe he should have initially chosen a much different name. “We have a friend named Ash. You should meet him sometime.” She considered for a second. “You know, I wonder if 'Ash' is actually short for 'Ashley'.” Misty laughed at the thought. “I should call him that sometime~”

A deeper shade of pink was brought to Ash's cheeks at that. “Pi Pika!” And then another skip of a heart beat as Pikachu waved to him with a smile

Erika continued with that pleasant smile, causing Brock to make a comment about her being so mature and elegant. “So you would like to become a trainer of the gym? To learn more about the wonders of grass Pokemon, plants, and nature?” She received a nod. “Well, it would be an honor to have you join.”

“Um...”

“Yes, Ashley? You can say whatever it is that you want to say.”

This was his chance! “I want to go for gym badges sometime, and I was wondering if I could have a gym match with you, Erika!” Both fists balled at his chin, eyes sparkling. “It would mean so much to me!”
Erika laughed in return. “Oh my, I should have guessed that was something you'd probably want to do, huh?” She closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly. “It would be an honor to test out the skills of the newest member to my Gym.”

A few minutes pass by as the two got ready for the match. This allowed Ash to take the moment to think. Would the battle cause his disguise to fail? Actually, how would he explain his badge win to Misty and the others? Not to mention he couldn't use Pikachu at the moment.

“You can do it, Ashley!” Misty cheered off to the side. “Don't be too nervous and do your best!”

“Pika!”

“Yeah, all that matters is that you did as well as you could.” Brock added as several of the girls cheered on Erika. Though some did seem supportive of the 'new girl'.

Erika finally piped up, pulling out a Pokeball. “We'll each use three Pokemon, Ashley.” She had briefly wondered about the Pokemon to use. Gym Leaders typically had different sets of Pokemon on hand to use depending on the skill level of the challenging trainer they were facing. Erika had been so excited to have a new member to her gym that she had forgotten to ask about Ashley's skill level. After some thought, she realized that testing the girl was the best option.

“Alright~” Ash let out in a sing-song voice. Should he use his own grass type? It'd be super awesome and cool to defeat a Gym Leader with their own type, and he definitely loved appearing cool and awesome. However, he also wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. As such, the best possible choice for this would be a fire type. “Go Charmander~”

Brock nodded, hand on his chin as he watched “Ah, so she must have chosen Charmander as her starter Pokemon.”

“That's a really good choice to make.” Misty added.

Charmander popped out of his Pokeball and gave a quick pose. “Char!” He was feeling ready for battle at the moment. Looking back, he was about ready to give a nod to Ash when he couldn't help but blink and stare. “Cha?” It was definitely his trainer, but why was he dressed like a girl? Admittedly, he did look cute in the getup, but that was beside the point.

Ash noted the reaction from Charmander and couldn't help but sweat. He hadn't thought about this part at all. “I'll explain later. I'm in disguise” He whispered quickly. “Just play a long with it for the moment, okay.”

The fire lizard Pokemon nodded, honestly wondered just what was going on. Looking to the side, he noted Pikachu on the sidelines and was about to wave, but was unsure if he should or not.

“An important rule for all trainers, Ashley,” Erika's voice piped up “is that just because you might have a type advantage, it doesn't always mean you will win. Experience, strategy, and empathy with your Pokemon also matter, which is something that you will learn here at the Celadon Gym. Tangela, go!” And with that, she lobbed her Pokeball, releasing the vine covered monster.

“You're so wise and smart, Erika!” Ash giggled out. This was so embarrassing. After today, he never wanted to do anything like this again. Noting Tangela, he quickly pulled out his Pokedex to scan it and learn a little more about it. This should be easy. “Charmander, use Flamethrower from this distance!” Keeping away was the best strategy.

“Char!” A stream of flames was unleashed from the lizard's mouth that shot directly towards the opposing Pokemon.

Much to Ash's dismay, Tangela managed to dodge the flamethrower with ridiculous ease. “Show them your vine whip, Tangela!” Several vines quickly shot out of the Pokemon in question and slammed against Charmander before Ash could order a dodge!

“Charmander!” It was very slight, but he lost control of his voice. Nobody seemed to notice this, except for Pikachu, whose ears perked up and caused him to look at Ashley and study the girl's face a little more closely. Could it be?

“Pikapi.” The electric mouse softly said, wondering why his trainer and best bud was dressed like that.

Charmander wobbled on his feet after the barrage of vines, but managed to still stand strong. He let out a small puff of smoke from his nose and looked ready to go. “Charmander, use Leer.” With that, Charmander glared at Tangela, eyes glowing.

Tangela sweated a bit as its body glowed faintly in response, causing it to stumble for a moment.

“That should do it. Now, Skullbash!”

Charmander shot forward directly at Tangela, landing a direct hit on the seaweed-like Pokemon.

Erika, however, let out one of her smiles, which filled Ash with a bit of worry. “That was some lovely strategy, Ashley. However, you made a bit of a costly mistake. Tangela, use your vines to bind Charmander!”

“Taaaa!” Tangela's vines shot out, grabbing Charmander by the arms and legs and holding him up.

Ash's heart sank for a moment, leading to a bit of panic. “Use Flamethrower!” He was up close, so surely it would cause more damage, as well as be impossible to dodge in this situation.

“I won't let you do that, Ashley.” Erika placed a hand to her chest. “Tangela, show them the power of your Energy Ball.”

As Charmander opened his mouth to let out some more flames, Tangela met him with a quick, point blank energy ball that sent the fire Pokemon flying backwards and skidding towards Ash, who was quickly by his side.

“Charmander, are you alright?!” He asked with worry, receiving a weak smile from his Pokemon. “Maybe you should rest. You did your best.” He gave a sad smile as he recalled Charmander back into the Pokeball. The latter of the two seemed a bit disappointed that he let his trainer down.

Ash stood back up, looking a lot more unsure of himself at the moment. A fire type should have made this battle a lot easier. Was there really this much of a gap between them? No, he refused to believe that he couldn't win this.

“You did well with Charmander, Ashley.” Erika smiled in a comforting manner. “Just look at each loss as a learning experience. Your problem was that you rushed head long into using a physical attack. Granted, Leer and then Skull Bash was indeed a good strategy. You show potential, and I would be happy to help nurture that.”

“I-- Thank you, Miss Erika.” Ash's cheeks tinged some at the compliment as his lips spread into a smile. He just got praise about his skill from a Gym Leader. He couldn't lose this now. Who would he use next, though? Primeape? No... that would give him away even more, not to mention he didn't feel like having a fist to his face. Bulbasaur and Squirtle would give him away as well. The next best choice was Pidgeotto, who also had an advantage over grass.

He pulled out a Pokeball and was about to continue when a familiar voice came from above.

“Motivational and heartwarming, but what is that smell?”

'Oh no, not now. I don't want to deal with them right now!' Ash thought, looking up to see the Rocket Trio in the midst of their motto. It was a complete mistake to agree to their help. What were they even doing here anyway? What-- wait, was that a detonator they were carrying?

And then the explosion.

**

“How could she have just gone in there like that?!” Misty let out as she stared worriedly at the burning Celadon Gym. “I know she was worried about Gloom, but doing that was too dangerous!” Maybe if she had more water Pokemon with her, she could have helped more in the situation. She also wondered where Ash was. If he was there, he could have used his Squirtle along with Ashley's.

Erika seemed worried as well, both for Ashley and because her precious Gloom was trapped inside as well. How could she have missed it? Not to mention the newest addition to her gym was risking her life to help her. “I just hope their both okay.”

“I'm sure they are!” Brock stated, though he had a frown himself. “Team Rocket really caused a huge problem this time.”

Pikachu's ears perked. “Pikapi!” He let out in excitement, and everybody looked to see a figure running out of the fire, carrying what was clearly a gloom!

Misty was excited, but noticed – to her horror – that Ashley's hair was on fire. She was about to yell out about it when she watched as the hair fell right off of the girl's head, and a familiar hairstyle she was used to seeing sprang to life. “... Ash?”

“... well that explains the shyness.” It was honestly all Brock could bring himself to say. He was trying to figure just why in the world his friend would dress as a girl to challenge Erika.

The woman in question, meanwhile, only vaguely registered this as she rushed up and grabbed Gloom into her arms, hugging it for dear life. “Gloom! Your safe! Oh thank you Ashley, thank you so much! However that was very reckless young lady, and we're going to-- wait a second.” Erika halted in her admonishment to take a closer look. “You're that boy! Why were you dressed up like that? A hint of disappointment filled her. She had actually looked forward to getting to know Ashley better and help her improve as a trainer. Briefly, she couldn't help but think that he looked cute in that dress, and the wig made him a convincing girl.

“... I can explain.” Ash responded, blushing furiously at all the looks he was getting. Maybe he should have revealed himself earlier.

“Pika!” Pikachu leaped up onto his trainer's shoulders and happily nuzzled his cheek, causing Ash to laugh some and pet him on the head.

**

Erika crossed her arms as she stared down at Ash. They had all moved to a smaller greenhouse area to talk in private. As Ash explained the reasoning for his disguise, she couldn't help but frown. “So what your saying is that you're partially responsible for Team Rocket infiltrating the gym, stealing a formula, and causing a fire that damaged a good deal of the greenery in the gym, putting a lot of Pokemon at risk in the process.”

Ash's mouth opened and closed in surprise. He was still in the outfit minus the wig, not having had the time to change out of it. “I... I didn't know this would happen! I just wanted to get into the Gym.”

“You're still partially responsible for the damages that have occurred to my gym, young man, and the authorities would agree on that if I told them. You'd be in a lot of trouble if that were to happen.” She watched his face, noting the various shades of distress and worry.

“Wh-- But I'm sorry! I didn't mean for it to happen. I just wanted a gym match and my badge!” Ash's face took on an annoyed look. “It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't banned me from the Gym just because I insulted the perfumes at your shop. What was I supposed to do? It was unfair to refuse a challenger because of that!”

This caused Erika to stall. Admittedly, she was at some fault for acting like that. “You... are correct, Ash. I did fail a bit in my job as a Gym Leader.” Realizing that made her feel angry at herself for allowing her judgment to be clouded by such a petty thing. It was basically a failure in her duties and towards a potential new trainer.

She proceeded to give a bow. “I am deeply sorry for turning you away, Ash. It's not something that I should have done. Can you find it in your heart to forgive this young woman for her foolish behavior?”

This reaction blindsided Ash. He didn't think he would get an apology, much less one to this degree. “Well... fine, I can forgive you for that.” He scratched his cheek, looking to the side at Misty, who was giggling a bit at his embarrassment. Brock looked a bit amused as well, but hid it better.

“So... um, does this mean we won't tell the authorities?” He didn't want to get in that kind of trouble over this. He didn't know if it would cause an issue in his goal of being a trainer. It would delay getting his badges... especially the Celadon Badge. There was also the little issue of his mother potentially finding out, and he really didn't want that. “I really need to win that badge...”

Erika observed Ash for a few moments in silence as she thought. There was definitely a deal of potential in the boy in front of her, but he was immature, pigheaded, single-minded, and a host of other things. She felt an incredibly strong desire to nurture that potential and help the boy mature. However, the population of the Celadon Gym was female, mostly due to the fact that she taught subjects like flower arranging and tea ceremony, as well as the fact that she only knew how to guide and raise female trainers.

Her eyes settled on the dress and shoes that Ash was wearing. He looked cute in it, and with that wig he had one, easily passed for a girl. 'Wait a moment.' She thought suddenly, as an idea came to her, an idea that tempted her greatly. An idea that would allow her to take this young boy and guide him to become a proper, mature trainer, as well as to teach him responsibility for his actions.

“We won't tell the authorities.” She saw the relief flash across his face. “However,” the relief gone “there is still the matter of the fact that you had a hand in inadvertently causing a horrible amount of damage to the gym, as well as allowing a formula to be stolen. Burnt items need to be replaced, plants need to be replanted. You need to take responsibility for your part in all of this.”

Ash was silent for a moment. “I... don't have much money on me right now.” Besides, he still needed to--

“That's for sure. You still owe me for my bike, Ash.”

Yeah, that...

“Hrm? What's this about a bike?” Erika asked, tapping her chin in thought. As the story of the bike incident was being told to her, her inner self was waving around a victory flag. Oh, this was even more delicious. “My my, you do need to learn about being responsible for your actions, don't you?” Clearing her throat, Erika continued. “But at this moment, I'm not talking about a matter of money.”

“You're not? Then...?” Where was this going, Ash wondered.

“In order for you to pay back what you have done, you are going to stick around the Celadon Gym. You are going to help replant things and fix up the place. As you do this, I may help you improve on your battling and knowledge. Just imagine it, a Gym Leader actively helping you get better.” She could see the gears turning in Ash's head. “And you'd get various chances to win the Rainbow Badge in the process.”

“That doesn't sound too bad! I'll do it!”

Erika placed her hands on her hips. “However, there is one rather minor condition that you must abide by.”

A blink of confusion. “What's that? It's probably not all that hard a condition. I'm gonna become a Pokemon master, so I can handle anything.” A facepalm from Brock, Misty, and Pikachu.

'Hook, line, and sinker' Erika thought as she pulled out something. “You see, Ash, this gym only recruits female members due to various activities that go on, as well as the fact that I am most comfortable dealing with other girls, and understand them better.” She puts the item on Ash's head, which turned out to be the bow that had been attached to the now destroyed wig. “Not to mention that you are actually already registered as a member of the gym already.”

Ash basically froze on the spot, eyes wide as he stared at Erika. “Wh-- you don't mean...” He saw Misty outright bust up laughing over his plight. “No way, I'm not doing it. There's no way you can make me!”

“So you don't want special training to become a better trainer, and multiple chances and priority in re-challenging me for my badge? Just think about it, you would be able to learn my secrets, and maybe even figure out strategies to try and overcome them. All you have to do is deal with some girly things.” A smile. “I'm sure a Pokemon Master to be could handle such small things, yes?”

Ash erks at hearing that. Chances to learn a Gym Leader's tricks and strategies to use against them? Free training from a Gym Leader? Also, he WAS a Pokemon Master to be, and could definitely easily handle that. Not to mention he needed the badge. She basically had him by a rope.

“Fine, I'll do it. It can't be all that hard.”

“Welcome to the Celadon City Pokemon Gym, Ashley~”
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Re: Celadon's New Blossom (Pokemon AU)

Postby talonhunter » Mon May 04, 2015 3:43 pm

Ok, so a couple questions here. First, is this going to be the opening chapter or are you going to introduce it with Ash entering the city and the whys and whatnots that lead up to his being banned from the gym and team Rocket, plot to have him distract Erika while they stole the formulas? Also are we going to see more of the Team Rocket parts? Overall it has a good read to it and I would like to see more of the background elements.
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Re: Celadon's New Blossom (Pokemon AU)

Postby KonokoHasano » Mon May 04, 2015 3:52 pm

It's possible I could incorporate Ash entering the city with the whys and whynots of things, but I just can't help but feel that aspect at the moment isn't too important. I suppose I'll think about it a little.
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Re: Celadon's New Blossom (Pokemon AU)

Postby Sunshine Temple » Mon May 04, 2015 6:08 pm

Neat. Good to see this idea fleshed out.

Seems like a good start. Can't add much detail myself as I know next to nothing about Pokemon.
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Re: Celadon's New Blossom (Pokemon AU)

Postby KonokoHasano » Wed May 06, 2015 9:23 am

Thanks. As I made more drawings and thought more about the AU, I just couldn't deny the feeling to do something more with it. ^^;
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