Celadon's New Blossom Chapter 5

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Celadon's New Blossom Chapter 5

Postby KonokoHasano » Sat May 16, 2015 6:51 pm

“H-- hey, come on, aren't we supposed to be doing some training or something? Whatever it is trainers of gyms do?” Ash asked nervously as he wiggled. “Or at least do some more planting and stuff?” All around him were a bunch of girls from the gym intent on getting to know the 'new girl'. He found himself having to deal with a bunch of questions that they kept tossing at him, not to mention having his hair felt up. It didn't help that they knew he was a boy. He was sure that they were embarrassing him even more because of that.

“We do train, but not all the time.” A green-haired girl with glasses answered, a bit too close to him as she seemed to examine his skin, as well as his hands. “And taking some breaks from all the hard labor of restoring greenery keeps our spirits fresh!”

“So you're the one that Lady Erika chose to be her protegee, huh?” Another girl asked, though there was a slight feeling of annoyance coming from her. “You're cute, but I am honestly not sure what she saw in you exactly.”

“Protegee? What's that?”

“You don't even know what that means?” The same girl asked with a huff. This... boy had managed to obtain a position that a lot of other girls could only desire. Was he just lucky and in the right place at the right time? “It means apprentice. A mentee... someone who is typically taken on by a master or sensei to have knowledge, secrets, and techniques passed down onto them.”

Ash digested that information. Was that really what he was? Erika had mentioned that she felt like a sensei from a shounen anime, but was she actually going about doing that? These girls seemed to think so, and part of him felt a little smug for being the person chosen to receive such an honor.

“Aww, lay off. She's just a newbie, even if she might be that close to Erika.” An older girl stated, waving the other girl off. However, she got to thinking and tugged a little at the outfit Ash was wearing. “However, if that's true, then perhaps little Ashley here should fit the look a little better?”

“Fit the look a little better?” Ash tilted his head at that. He looked down at his top and shorts, and then back up. When he did, he noticed a few other girls get a bit of an... unnerving gleam in their eyes.

The green-haired girl placed a hand to her cheek and let out an 'oh my' in response, giving a look of fake shock. “You're right! The apprentice to the lovely and beautiful Erika simply cannot just go around dressed in the clothes of us 'common rabble'! It just wouldn't be proper.”

It quickly dawned on Ash as to just what the girls were starting to get at, causing him a little panic. “W-- wait, that's alright. I'm happy with what I'm already wearing.” He just wanted training. He didn't want any of this! “Pikachu, help me out a little, will you?”

“Piiiiiii....” Pikachu was comfortably laying in the arms of one of the girls, his cheeks being rubbed in such a relaxing manner that he couldn't bring himself to do much of anything else.
“Pikachuuuuuu.” Tears flowed from Ash's eyes at being betrayed by his best bud. Before he knew it, he was pulled onto his feet by one of the girls. All the other girls had him completely surrounded.

“Awww, don't cry, sweetie. We're going to help you look like the young princess you're supposed to be. Right girls?”

“Right!” The group answered. Perhaps it was a little awkward to know that they were now sharing their gym with a boy, but if said boy was supposed to take part and be just like 'one of the girls', then they were going to have a little fun with it. Not to mention he was a little cutie, and it would be a shame not to take advantage of it.

Ash yelled out to Pikachu for help as they dragged him away, but Pikachu just continued to lay there getting his cheeks rubbed. His trainer would be fine.

Ooooooooo

“Let's place this flower headband here.”

“This bracelet will be a cute addition!”

“Stop squirming, Ashley. You'll cause a mess if you do!”

Ash whimpered softly as the girls worked on giving him a makeover. Everything seemed to move so quickly that he had no time to parse what was happening as the girls went about treating him like he was some kind of cute little doll to play dress up with.

He knew that he was being wrapped in a light pink kimono with a light blue inner layer. A soft sea green obi kept it all in place. To his horror, one of the girls added a smidgen of makeup to his face. It went from bad to worse when a couple other girls grabbed his hands, and applied light pink nail polish to each fingernail.

“I don't want this dumb stuff! Lemme go!” If Gary could only see him now, he'd never hear the end of it. He'd become the biggest laughing stock ever. “This isn't fair!”

“Oh my, do you think this is young Ashley's first ever makeover?”

A gasp from another girl. “Her first ever? Think of all the memories we are making with this cutie! She'll always remember us for causing such an important milestone in her life.”

“For all the wrong reasons!” Ash belted out. He probably was going to remember this, but as an absolute horror that he would regret.

Eventually, the makeover finished, and the girls promptly guided Ash over to a mirror and stood him before it. His eyes, however, were shut tightly in both fear and worry. “Open your eyes and tell us what you think, Ashley.”

Reluctantly, the boy slowly opened his eyes and gazed into the mirror, staring at the reflection looking back. His heart felt as if it skipped several beats as he saw what appeared to be a cute and demure girl, looking back at him with a surprised and somewhat worried expression. Lifting up a hand, he stared at the now pink nails. Didn't nail polish take a little while to wear off? Oh god, what would Brock or – even worse – Misty say if they saw it.

“Well, 'Princess' Ashley?” One of the girls asked. “What do you think? Do you like your new look? Don't you look lovely? Did we do a great job?”

“N...” What could he say? He could immediately blurt out 'no' and 'it's horrible', which was what he normally would have done and was about to do, but there was some weird thought nagging at him in the back of his mind that in doing so, it would make them angry, or some other kind of feeling or reaction that he didn't want to deal with.

He didn't like being forced into dressing up, much less being forced to look more girly, but at the same time, he was really cute right now. He looked good and convincing, and that wasn't something he could deny. All he knew was that he was experiencing so many different feelings and emotions right now, and he actually didn't know how to feel in the slightest.

Swallowing, he decided to give his answer. “I... you all did really good. I mean, I guess you girls know your stuff. I don't know much about any of this, so... um... I gotta go!” As well as being dressed in a kimono would allow, Ash rushed away from the girls and back towards the gym area proper.

… and bumped right into Erika. “Oh! Ashley, there you are. I was looking for you. I was thinking-- oh my, you look so lovely.” She promptly notes something. “Is something wrong, Ashley?”

“Whaddaya mean? I'm fine.” Ash answered back, letting out a laugh as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I just wanted to get some fresh air.”

It was clear to Erika that the young boy was trying to keep his emotions bottled up, likely out of fear of being seen suffering from distress or fear. Her lips turned into a frown as she thought on it. She was making a 10-year-old boy go through all of this without really considering his feelings on the matter, and had been blinded by her own ambitions that she allow herself a moment to consider the weight of it all. There was a lot the Ash was going through at the moment, and Erika could tell he was having trouble letting his emotions show on the issue.

“Ash?” At the use of his actual name, Ash looked up. “Can you come with me? There is something I want to discuss with you.”

oooooooooooo

Having felt that a bit of privacy was in order for her talk with Ash, Erika brought the boy to an undamaged tea room area of the gym. It was a small, modern-looking room lit by a single window. The motif was, of course, plants and flowers. There was a relaxing atmosphere that coursed through the room with soft scents.

Erika got the both of them some tea and made sure that Ash was comfortable. As soon as she was, the woman began to explain to him, in full, her true reasons for making Ash go through with the whole Ashley thing. Her selfishness, her stubbornness, her desire to help guide the trainer, and her willingness to go so far as to put him through something that caused him a great deal of conflicted feelings.

Ash, for his part, wasn't sure how to feel about all of this. He felt furious that Erika merely used his involvement with helping Team Rocket as an excuse to get him to completely alter his life style into something so alien that embarrassed the hell out of him. Yet at the same time, he also felt a bit... excited? Excited that the woman actually did want to help him become a better person and trainer, seeing his potential.

“So...” His hands clenched and unclenched, “Why are you even telling me this? Couldn't you have just kept it a secret? Never letting me know the truth?” She had to know that by revealing this to him, she ran the risk of screwing up her plans.

Erika closed her eyes, hands on her cup of tea. Outwardly, she appeared serene and calm. Inwardly, however, she was well beyond nervous. Seeing the boy before her cycling through emotions made her wonder if she screwed up big time.

“It's... because I saw how distraught you looked at that moment after being with the other girls, Ash.” She opened her eyes and looked directly at him, and he could see softness and sincerity in her eyes. “Your makeover likely made you confused on how to feel about both it and what your life is becoming. You probably felt that you looked really good, but also felt that things shouldn't be like that. You got really scared and unsure of what was happening, yes?”

Ash looked to the side, blushing. He was afraid to answer, but he was alone with Erika and not surrounded by other people. “Yeah, I looked cute, and I was scared that thought I looked cute. I didn't like being forced into doing it, and I didn't like having the makeup forced on me. But... I guess that I did kinda like how it turned out.” He poked at his kimono. He was a boy. He shouldn't like such things. “I mean, if I'm gonna be stuck living like a girl, then it's good that I look good, right?”

“I understand, Ash.” Erika gave him a small smile. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with liking how you look. Both men and woman alike enjoy looking good and appearing presentable to those around them. Though usually under less... forced circumstances.” She shakes her head. “But what you were probably feeling when you saw yourself was a sense of pride in how you looked, yes? You didn't like the method and journey, but you liked the result.”

“I guess so.”

“There is nothing wrong with that. Perhaps you will never actually LIKE 'playing dress up', but you would still like how you look. Having pride in your appearance is an important thing to have.” She finally takes a sip. “It's probably hard for you right now, but you don't need to hide your emotions.”

“I'm not hiding my emotions.” Ash responded, blushing.

Erika continued. “Emotions are an important thing that humans, and even Pokemon, possess. They allow us and those around us to know when something is either alright or wrong. They are perfectly natural and should not be ignored.”

“But--”

“I'm not saying to just cry. Admittedly, a good cry can be therapeutic in that it releases stress toxins from the body, allowing one to feel better. No, what I'm saying is that one should be more open with their emotions and actually talk their issues out with someone. Bottling all of this up and allowing it to build only contributes in building stress, which would lead to having to release some kind of tears.” Considers Ash a bit. “Though it can often take a strong person to admit to feeling sad or distressed, especially if they grew up thinking otherwise. All in all, feelings and emotions allow us to feel human. Without them... well... it's best not to think about that.”

Ash just nods a little at that

“Admittedly, something else I was trying to teach you from this, which I noticed you seemed to be lacking, was a lesson in humility.”

“What?! You just wanted to humiliate me?” His fist clenched at this thought.

“Not humiliation, Ash, Humility. Though they can both tend to go hand in hand.” At his confusion, she continued. “You can't deny that you are a bit full of yourself, Ash. You don't realize when you're in over your head, and jump head long into trouble while thinking you're a big shot who can handle it. I'm guessing this has gotten you and your friends in a fair share of issues?”

He blushes “Um... kinda.”

“Though it may seem harsh, in teaching you humility, the intent is to humble you, make you realize when and when not to boast or talk about yourself. In a roundabout way, having you live like a girl will allow you to see things from the opposite side and learn important life lessons that anybody could use in life.” Another sip. “The trainers who strut around thinking that they are so big, and are unable to relate to others, will eventually reach an event that will cause them to crash down hard. This would then lead to them needing to take a look at their life and re-evaluate themselves.”

Ash's mind went to thoughts about Gary, and just how much the boy tried to present himself as being so big and amazing. Not to mention all those cheerleaders. Was Gary an example of this? Would he eventually crash due to ego?

“By helping you learn all of this sooner, my intention was to make it so you wouldn't have to go through such a thing later. Your experiences with me and my training were to help humble you and make you more worldly; to prevent you from blindly rushing into it later without realizing.”

Ash wasn't sure how to respond. He was still a bit annoyed at Erika for hiding the reasoning, but was also touched that she honestly seemed to care about helping him so much and getting so attached to him from just knowing him for so short a time.

“But I feel as if I may have overstepped my boundaries way too much, and I am sorry, Ash. I shouldn't have done this with such hidden intentions, and I understand if you are furious with me.” She bows her head. “If you want to end this Ashley thing and return to being Ash, then I won't stop you. You won't have to be stuck in this place any longer.”

Surprise was evident on Ash's face at this. He could be free if he wanted? He was completely his choice in the matter? No more embarrassment of being Ashley and all of this girl stuff! He was about to respond when he realized what it meant; no training from Erika. He wouldn't learn anything from the woman. No secrets, strategies, techniques, tips, or anything like that. He'd be back to square one.

Not to mention the bet he made with Erika about defeating the Champion before proving himself. The bet could be broken, but it felt kind of cheap, especially after stating it so loudly. If he broke that, then it would leave a bad taste in his mouth, as if he couldn't live up to his own expectations and declarations. A Pokemon Master should live up to his promises.

Not to mention again the training and lessons... especially those. Erika's decision to spill everything to him and confide in him despite the fact that it could ruin everything also caused a surge of... respect?

“... nah.” Ash finally replied, rubbing his finger across the bridge of his nose, looking to the side as a blush appeared. “I ain't going anywhere yet. I want all of that training you were gonna give me. I wanna become an amazing Pokemon Master.”

Erika felt a torrent of relief and disbelief at hearing that, looking up quickly in surprise. “Really? Are you sure?” She thought for certain he would choose to go back to being Ash in a heartbeat. Maybe she underestimated him.

“Besides, it's not like I can return to my previous self right now. I mean, look at my hair and fingernails. That would cause weird looks. That's not to mention Prof. Oak is already planning on sending me my new Pokedex with my new ID.” Once he got the Pokedex, he'd be able to go challenge another gym.

He blinks, finding himself enveloped within a hug by the older woman. “Thank you, Ash. I feel relieved now, and promise that I will work on being a sensei that you can be proud to tell others you trained under.”

“H-- hey now, enough with the mushy stuff, alright?” Ash's blush grew bigger as he wiggled. “I mean, if you're going to apologize like that, then how about we actually get around to training you promised? I wanna get more awesome!”

Erika giggled in response. “Yes, Ashley, let's work on some of the things I was going to talk to you about earlier.”

She guided Ash to the door of the tea room and opened it. As soon as the door opened, several of the girls of the gym tumbled into the room, including Pikachu.

“Girls... I do not appreciate having a private conversation eavesdropped on.” Erika frowned, giving a look of displeasure.

“Sorry Miss Erika!” They all yelled in embarrassment.

“Hey buddy.” Ash picked Pikachu up into his arms. “I guess you're finished getting your cheeks rubbed.”

“Chu~” Maybe he'll see if the girl can do it again sometime.

Ooooooooooo


“La la la la-- what am I doing this for?” Ash asked as he stood before Erika. One of the first things that the woman had decided to teach him was vocal training. She had him work on using his 'Ashley' voice to try and do a little singing... not that he was any good at singing to begin with. “I can change my voice just fine.”

“You can, but you do have clear issues about keeping it up for an extended period without relaxing and switching to your actual voice.” Erika points to his throat. “And if you don't decide to work on training your voice, then how long would you be able to switch voices without trouble? As a boy, your voice will eventually change and mature. That is, unless you're one of the people who manages to grow up without your voice changing too much.” She shakes her head. “But even then, taking precaution early is the proper thing to do.”

“... and the singing?”

Erika smiled. “I want to see if you can manage to sing a little. Nothing big, and I don't expect anything professional, but I think you would look cute singing.”

Ash stared at her with a half-lidded expression. “... right.”

“Pi pi pi~” Pikachu mimicked the singing and gave a thumbs up, earning a pat from Erika.

They spent some time working on Ash's voice, though eventually decided to stop for a bit. Erika expressed, however, that it was still best that Ash keep using his 'Ashley' voice, even amongst the both of them.

“Now we can have a discussion on some other things to work with. First up, I want to talk to you about empathy.”

Ash thinks on that. “You said something about Empathy during our battle.”

Erika nods, happy that Ash remembered that brief talk while in the midst of a fight. “Empathy is the capacity to understand what another being is experiencing, to put yourself in that being's shoes. This is important when dealing with Pokemon, because each and every Pokemon has a personality, desires, needs, and feelings.” She continues to rub Pikachu's head

That made sense to Ash. Pikachu and his other Pokemon were an example.

“If you put yourself in their position, you'll understand their wants and needs better. You'll be able to relate to them and know what they're going through in battle.” She let Ash sink that in. “This extends to people you meet as well. Though I admit that I am a little less suitable in dealing with humans compared to Pokemon.” She coughs into a hand, remembering her... mistakes that led to the current chain of events.

“Oh, yes, I have a few things to give you, Ashley.” As Ash watched her with a questioning gaze, Erika walked away. A moment later, she returned with several large books, having to wheel them in. “These are yours.” She hands them to Ash.

Taking each of the books, her apprentice looked over the covers. A couple of the books were basically a series of plant and nature encyclopedias. They all seemed to be in depth with lots and lots of text and diagrams on flowers, trees, and assorted flora and fauna. One book was on berries, fruits, and vegetables. Another was on herbs, medicines, and poisonous plants and how to identify them. Another was specifically a book on flowers.

There was a book on fragrances, detailing the history on the subject and the effects they can have on people. The rest of the books were on subjects such as math, history, science, and geography, among other things.

“These books will be what you use in your studies.” Ash looked outright aghast at that. “You'll be given assigned chapters and worksheets to deal with. When you are traveling on the road, you will use this.” She next hands him a tablet computer. “This tablet has digital copies of those books installed on it that you can easily look up, as well as activities to work on.”

“I... why can't I just use this all the time if the books are on it?” The young trainer shakes his head as Pikachu pokes at the books. “Why am I even doing all of this?! What's with the math, science, and even the fragrances book?!” He holds the fragrances book up, just staring cross-eyed at it.

“Math, science, and the other subjects are important to learn. Basic understanding of all of those things will help you on the road, and when you come across problems that require them. These books are basic, though, so I know just where you stand.”

Ash just stares. “What about you? Do YOU understand this stuff?”

“I actually took the time to finish my schooling.” Erika said with a hint of pride. “Even though I started training Pokemon when I was 10, I didn't go on a journey, because I realized that learning was important, and essential if I were to be the heir to my family.”

A grumble escaped Ash's lips at that. “Can't help it I wanted to get away from all that as soon as I could.”

“Did you dislike going to school that much, Ashley?”

“Well... the only thing I really liked was playing baseball. I pitched for my school's team and was awesome!” He smirked. “It's why I already have some good aim in throwing my Pokeballs.” His smirk turned into a frown. “But I didn't care about anything else. I didn't get along with the others all that well.” He didn't want to mention that a lot of the other kids tended to bully him because he never knew his father and only saw him in a photo.

Erika nodded. “I see, so instead of having to keep on dealing with others you didn't connect that well with, you decided to leave home on a journey when you hit 10-years-old.”

“I thought the day I could leave would never arrive.” At her questioning gaze, he continued. “I was born on May 22nd.”

“What-- oh!” Erika realized what Ash was getting at. Young trainers typically left home on the April after their 10th birthday. If Ash's birthday was on May 22nd, and he had to wait until the following April before he could officially begin his journey, then... “You're 11?”

Ash nodded. It was in the time between meeting AJ and his Sandshrew, and encountering the Pokemon Technical Instittue with Giselle that he turned 11. He had even made a big deal about it, and in celebration, Brock made them all a really amazing meal.

Deciding that he wanted to change the subject and get back to the matter at hand, he lifted up the book on fragrances. “Why do I have to learn this stuff?”

“Ah, remember, Ashley, Celadon Gym manufactures perfumes, and we also run a perfume shop.” She notices him scrunching up his nose. “I understand that you don't care much for perfume, but it is honestly best to learn about the various kinds fragrances. In doing so, you'll be able to identify certain aromas such as flowers or herbs. That is why I would also like to have you help work part time at the perfume shop from time to time.”

“Whaaaaat? Oh come on, why do I have to do some part time work?”

Erika wagged a finger. “I do believe we discussed having you pay for the damage to Misty's bike, right?” Ash reluctantly nodded. “While I'm not holding you accountable for what happened with the gym any more, you still have the responsibility to pay back Misty for taking her bike and causing it to get destroyed. Being responsible for what you do is something else you need to learn.”

Ash sighed out. He just wanted to train!

“There is just one more thing I have to give you.”

The young Pokemon trainer groaned at that. “What now?” He watched her walk away and return, this time with an object that that piqued his interest. “What's that? An egg?”

“Yes, it's a Pokemon egg.” The egg was a nice shade of solid green. “This is another lesson in responsibility, as well as being a member of the Celadon Gym. For all of my new trainers, I like to give them a Pokemon egg as one of their first tasks. Taking care and nurturing a Pokemon egg until it hatches, and then raising the Pokemon that hatches, helps build character and responsibility.”

“What Pokemon is it?” There was a surge of excitement coursing through Ash's body. He was getting a new Pokemon! Granted, it was only an egg at the moment, and he had to wait for it to eventually hatch, but he was getting a new Pokemon!

“Telling you would ruin the surprise. All you need to know is that it's a grass type.” She holds the egg out for him to take.

What Pokemon was going to hatch from it was all Ash could think about as he reached out and took the egg into his own hands. As the egg touched his hands, there was a very faint spark of light blue that flared, but had gone unnoticed by everyone present. As the young trainer held the egg, he went silent as a flash of... something shot through his mind. It was almost as if he could feel a sense of comfort from the egg; that it felt safe right now.

The feeling promptly disappeared, and Ash proceeded to forget about it in favor of allowing an excited and amazed look to appear across his features. “Oh man, this is so cool! I got an egg! I've never seen a Pokemon hatch before. This is going to be amazing!” He turned quickly to Pikachu. “Pikachu, look, we're going to have a new buddy!”

Pikachu's ears twitched as he stared at the egg. This meant a new companion to be able to hang around with. “Chu-pika!” His tiny hand extended out and touched the egg, and he, too, wondered what Pokemon would hatch from it.

“How long will it take to hatch?”

“That depends. A few days to perhaps a few weeks. It all depends on when the Pokemon inside of the egg is ready to break out.”
Ash nodded. “So then I need to take care of it until then.” That shouldn't be too hard. He just needed to keep it safe.

“Miss Erika.” One of the girls popped her head in. “There are some deliveries that have arrived for Ashley. Your maid picked them up and they're waiting at your house.”

“Oh, thank you.” Erika smiled, then turned to Ash. “Do you suppose that your new Pokedex has arrived?”

“... that was fast.” It had only been almost a day since he had talked to his mother. The professor must have used super express delivery or something.

Oooooooooo

Sure enough, Ash's new Pokedex was indeed waiting for him back at Erika's place, complete with the new ID in place for his identify as Ashley, as well as instructions on how to transfer the dex data on over to the new one.

What also awaited his arrival, however, was something that caused him to sweat. His mother actually had sent him clothing; several packages worth of clothing, to be precise. Different outfits of varying styles that looked like they would actually fit. They were in great condition, too, for clothes that his mom hadn't worn in well over a decade.

“I dunno about this.” He said as he looked over a white straw hat with a pink stripe and bow on it.

“Look on the bright side, Ashley.” Erika's eyes examined the clothing. “At least you won't have to worry about shopping for clothes at the moment. A couple of the girls at the gym expressed interest in taking you on a shopping trip.”

Ash shivered at the thought of being dragged around clothing stores and being forced into a bunch of clothing. Maybe this really was a blessing. He'd have to thank his mother. “Maybe you're right.” Realization dawned in his eyes as he looked back at his Pokedex. “But hey, now I don't have to worry about the ID feature, right Pikachu?”

“Chu!” Pikachu nods, wearing a cabbie hat that he found.

“Man, I really wish I can get out there and get more badges right about now!” He realized something. “That's right! I still need to get your badge, Erika.”

“How many badges do you currently have, Ashley?”

The question caused Ash to go quiet. “Well... I only have three badges right now.” He reaches into a drawer and pulls out the Boulder, Cascade, and Thunder badges. “We were on our way to Saffron because there's supposed to be a gym there, but we got lost in the forest. I guess we kinda overshot the place and ended up on the road to Celadon.” He and Misty got into a real heated argument about who was to blame for it, and were once again broken up by Brock who suggested they just continue to Celadon and go to Saffron later.

Of course, it didn't help that he felt too ashamed at his lack of badges to even attempt to talk to Prof. Oak. He'd probably tell him that Gary had all the badges already or something. Not to mention he hadn't caught many Pokemon yet, and he was certain that the professor would be disappointed in him over that. If he were to get the Celadon Badge, however, then maybe he wouldn't look like as much of an amateur.

But then, would he be ready for Erika? She hadn't gotten around to teaching him any of her techniques or training tips or anything. He wanted to get stronger before challenging her, to make sure he would be able to beat her. Maybe if he managed to watch some more of her gym battles, he'd develop some strategy to use.

In the mean time, however, he would work on getting a few more badges and get a little stronger in doing so. He could go to Saffron and get that badge, and then come back and figure out his next move.

“Erika, I want to go to Saffron.”

“Saffron? Are you sure about that? If you went there, you would be up against Sabrina.” She had to let a frown appear on her lips.

“Sabrina?”

“Yes, Sabrina is the Gym Leader of Saffron City. The Pokemon under her employ are Psychic types. She, too, has psychic powers.”

“Whoa, really? You mean she can move stuff with her mind?” Ash placed his hands to his head and mimicked being psychic.

Erika nodded. “And various other things of immense capability.” She crossed her arms. “But I do not know if you are ready, Ashley. None of your Pokemon are exactly suitable to be facing such an opponent as Sabrina.”

“Is that a challenge?”

'Still so headstrong and stubborn.' Erika thought, observing Ash as he gave her a look of pure determination. 'Perhaps this could be another lesson in humility for him. Though, this is Sabrina to consider.'

Weighing the options, she turned her attention back to her student. “Okay then, Ashley, you may go challenge Sabrina. However, there are some things you must be aware of before you do.”

Ash was celebrating in victory on the inside. “What's that?”

“As I said, Sabrina is a Psychic-type trainer. Psychic types are most effective against Fighting and Poison, meaning that two of your Pokemon would have a horrible disadvantage. They have a weakness to Bug, Dark, and Ghost types, of which you have none of right now. They do not affect Dark Types, and are only half as effective against Steel Types... of which you also have none of.”
There was definitely a lot of 'not haves' to that rundown, Ash realized.

“If you are going to go fight Sabrina, then while on your way there, you should try to find one of those types that go well against them, because Psychic Pokemon are not to be taken lightly.” She places a finger to her chin. “Steel and Ghost types aren't exactly that common around these parts, so those may be out as an option. As for Bug and Dark types, you might find one on your way there.” Her face turned stern. “I want, no, I expect you to at least find one of those types before you challenge Sabrina. Taking her lightly is not something you should do, in and out of a Pokemon battle.”

Ash felt a bit nervous now. “Is she really that dangerous?”

“She... well... Sabrina isn't really a bad person.” How could Erika explain? “How do I put this? She has issues, and many trainers who have faced her seem unwilling to explain things further. Due to this, she's been getting less and less trainers challenging her due to word of her infamy spreading. Most trainers just choose to skip her and go for some other gym instead.”

Ash was silent as he listened. Sabrina sounded foreboding, but at the same time, he was very curious. Maybe if he beat her, he'd become known as 'The Trainer Who Defeated The Infamous Sabrina'! Though that title was a bit long.

“I think I'll be fine, and I'll be careful to not get in any kind of trouble.”

“If you're sure about this, Ashley. You can leave for Saffron in the morning. It shouldn't take you too long to get there.” She honestly wasn't sure about this, but perhaps she could look at it as a challenge for the boy. To see if he could manage to overcome barriers.

“Alright! Are you ready to go face Sabrina for a badge, Pikachu?” Ash turned his attention to his Pokemon, and nearly fell onto his face when he noted that had curled up in some sheets, frightened by the story.

“Pi.” He shivered a bit. Sabrina sounded scary.


Oooooooooo

Author's Notes: So initially the story was only supposed to have one point of alteration. That being the Erika gym battle. However, I found myself considering the idea of another altering point in that Ash and co. managed to miss going to Saffron City due to getting lost on the way. This caused a time displacement butterfly effect that caused a few other changes in the way of Ash not revealing himself and some other aspects.
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Re: Celadon's New Blossom Chapter 5

Postby kalad1 » Sun May 17, 2015 12:41 am

I am curious as to what the writing rate you're going at is, like, how often we can expect to see chapters produced.
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Re: Celadon's New Blossom Chapter 5

Postby KonokoHasano » Sun May 17, 2015 10:29 am

I think it might depend a bit. Right now I'm going at a good pace because most of the ideas are in my head, and I feel a desire to get them out. Sorry if it seems like I'm spamming chapters. ^^;
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