farawayplace | his story may end but his adventure continues here in ultern!!

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his story may end but his adventure continues here in ultern!!

[ROUTE 2]

[It seemed like any other ordinary day, but for some reason Ash and Pikachu could be seen standing in the middle of the road looking from left to right whilst wearing a dumbfounded expression.]

Hey Pikachu, are we...?

Pika-chu...

[From the farms, to the wind turbines, to the strong breeze. And of course, the familiar sight of Overlook Hill towering amongst everything else in the landscape. There's no doubt about it... he's back.]

[TURNBLOOM CITY]

[It felt like forever since Ash last stepped foot in this city. But there was one thing he clearly missed from Ultern, and that's the taste of Ultern's island cuisine!

So here's Ash and Pikachu sitting on a bench near a food cart, happily eating Sugar Doughnuts together.]

Man, it's been so long since we've had one of these! You don't find these anywhere else but in Ultern after all!

[The mouse Pokemon chirps in agreement.]

((OOC: For those familiar with Ash or have been keeping tabs on him, they might notice that he's actually been gone missing for a good chunk of the week. Well worry no more! Here he is back in Ultern, canon updated, sporting new shoes, and more than ready to take on new adventures! Also today's his birthday but due to timey-wimey shenanigans, he thinks it's not his birthday yet-))

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"Well, we've been talking a lot since we work at the same place, and you come up sometimes! And this one time we talked about how our worlds are kinda similar in some ways, and, uh..." Though Gold is talking casually, this is kind of awkward to ask out of nowhere, but he'd already decided he'd try and ask Ash about this the next time they met. "You know Lance, right? You battled him in the... Masters 8 tournament or something? What's he like in your world? 'Cos I met him in my world and we were wondering if he was the same kinda guy in both worlds."

Gold doesn't know Ash won the Masters 8, of course, or he'd congratulate him.

"Ooh! I know Lance, yeah!" Ash immediately raised his hand as if he were in school, out of habit.

"Well, I never got a chance to battle him since he was defeated during the preliminaries. But even before the tournament, I'd bump into him doing really cool things from time to time. Other than being the Champion, he goes around doing these missions and helping others like some kind of super spy hero! He's amazing!"

There's a lot of praise coming from Ash, but that's because he's seen Lance's battling prowess from time to time and in certain situations too. And he could tell how strong all his Pokemon are -- a testament to his skills as a Champion after all.

"So what's Lance like in your world, then?" Now he's curious...

Okay, that's cute. Gold can't help but smile genuinely at Ash's enthusiasm.

"Oh, a super spy hero..." That sort of dampens Gold's mood though, and he frowns a little, before returning to his usual smile. Words like 'hero' aren't a good sign for him.

"Oh, uh... I guess the Lance from my world is kinda like a hero too!" Gold says with a faked smile. "It's just that he's... a bit too focused on defeating evildoers! Like, um..."

It's a bit awkward saying this in front of somebody who knows and is fond of another world's Lance, especially when Gold isn't sure if the Lance from Ash's world is similar to his or not... Ash seems to like him, but Gold doesn't know how good of a judge of character Ash is.

"He's... kinda scary, like he thinks anybody who's evil isn't human? I mean that's just the vibe I got. But hey, it's good to hear your Lance isn't like that!" Gold gives a laugh at the end, like he's trying to soften everything he said.

A scarier Lance?

"Huh..." Ash hummed, then crossed his arms as he tried to imagine the Champion based on Gold's description. Although there was slight intrigue at first, he frowned the more he thought about it. "That does sound a bit extreme... I guess I can see why he can be scary."

That much he can only assume.

"Yeah... Well, I was just wondering, anyway, since I heard your world's Lance had a red Gyarados, and when I met Lance in my world there was a red Gyarados, and that seemed like a pretty big coincidence... But if he's a nice guy in your world then there's nothing to worry about! But I guess..." Gold kind of hesitates. "...If somebody's a nice guy in some world they might not be in another one, and stuff... So we gotta be careful in Ultern!"

Gold nods to himself, crossing his arms. He ended up kind of rambling awkwardly, but he managed to kind of say what he was trying to tell Ash! He doesn't want to tell Ash to be careful of his world's Lance since he might be an alright dude for all Gold knows, but a more general warning should be fine! Ash seems like a pretty naïve guy to Gold, after all, so he was kind of worried.

"Anyway, are those new shoes? They're cool," Gold says, changing the subject.

Is Gold worried for him? Because that's what it sounded like. Well at least he knew where Gold was trying to get across to Ash.

"There's people another world who'd act differently from the ones you know. Is that what you're saying?" And then he nods. "I getcha. It's not the first time I've come across anyone like them, but thanks. I'll be careful."

And he'll briefly smile at Gold before looking down upon mentioning his shoes. Did they really stand out?

"Oh yeah! My Mom gave them to me!" And he beamed. "The ones I wore back then were pretty worn out. But I liked them too though."

"Oh, okay. Good!" Gold smiles, glad that Ash is already being careful. Not that he thinks Ash can't take care of himself... Scratch that, he does kind of think Ash can't take care of himself, despite everything he's heard about Ash and what he's done. It's just the vibes Ash has!

They stand out! They're a totally different color from the last shoes, and they're spotlessly clean.

"Oh, your mom, huh? Nice," Gold says with a smile that hides some complicated emotions. Well, Ash clearly has a nice mom! It's not like Gold is jealous of that! ...And then he comes to a late realization, eyes widening.

"Wait, your mom got drifted here?!"

Ash shook his head.

"No, no she didn't." And honestly, as much as he'll miss her again, it's probably for the best that she didn't get drifted here. "It's more like... Pikachu and I somehow managed to come back home and do all the things we wanted to do."

Hopefully that's clear to Gold.

"Oh, good," Gold sighs. Good that she's not stuck here, but also Gold is relieved that his own mom probably won't be showing up here either.

"Come back home... You mean you went back to your own world?! That's awesome! I wanna do that too!" Gold pumps his fists, excited. "How'd that happen? Did you just suddenly show up in your home world or did you do something to get there? What'd you do back there?"

It's a sudden barrage of questions, and Gold's kind of getting all up in Ash's face without even noticing, he's so hyped about this!

"Woah, woah, woah! One at a time!" Ash immediately leaned back the more Gold got too close.

"...That's the thing, I don't know how!" He then rubbed the back of his head as he started explaining. "One minute both me and Pikachu were here, and the next minute, we're suddenly back to where we last stood. And not only that, it's like nothing changed after we left. And we were able to make it to my next tournament match afterwards."

He could not stress how much strange that was.

"Oh, my bad," Gold says, leaning back, trying to calm down.

He listens intensely to Ash's explanation, absorbing every detail. A grin widens on his lips as he realizes what that mean.

"So... time hadn't passed at all back there?" he asks, feeling lighter, like a rock is falling off his chest. "That's awesome... That means if that happens to me, I can get back and save my friend in time!"

He laughs and lets out an excited "Whoooo!" raising his arms in the air. His biggest worry since he arrived in Ultern, gone!!

Ash blinked for a moment as something that Gold said completely stood out. And although the other expressed enthusiasm, Ash looked at him with concern.

"Save your friend...? Did something happen to them?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess I should tell you!" Gold feels a lot more chipper about telling this story now than the last few times he's talked to somebody about it.

"My friend Silver, see, he was going to Goldenrod City last I saw him. And then I heard about how Goldenrod City got kinda taken over by Team Rocket? And Silver's really bad at dealing with Team Rocket. So I figured he's probably stuck in there and went to help him, but before I got there I ended up here in Ultern! So that sucked. But now I know I can still save him!"

Oh.

Well that sounded like a lot was happening before Gold drifted into this world.

"So there's a Team Rocket in your world too?" Ash frowned, while his Pikachu seemed to have reacted negatively upon hearing the name 'Team Rocket' as his ears droop slightly and looked tense. "It sounds like they're also up to no good either."

It must have felt awful being taken away at a rather tumultuous time. He's had similar experiences dealing with Team Rocket, and they were rarely fun anyway. However, after what Ash experienced just now having returned to and from his own home world, Gold was right not to worry.

"Yeah, there's still hope!" he reassured, "You'll save your friend for sure!"

...And a thought occurred to Ash.

"Say while you're here, you and your Pokemon should train to get stronger!"

"Yeah, I've heard they're in a few other worlds too," Gold says, kind of sobering up now that Ash and Pikachu both reacted so negatively. "You two had trouble with them too, huh?" He offers a hand to Pikachu, hoping to pet him if he's allowed.

"I will!" Gold smiles genuinely. "Now that I know I can save him, nothing's gonna stop me!"

"Train?" Gold blinks, surprised by the suggestion, but considers it. "Training, huh..."

Up until now, Gold's been battling only to earn money to live, and to get past any wild Pokemon that happened to attack, which has been enough to get through everything he's needed to get through. Actually trying to get stronger hasn't really crossed his mind, but now that he thinks about it, he probably should do that. Only problem is...

"...I dunno how to do that," he says with an embarrassed smile, scratching the back of his neck.

"You have no idea." Ash sighed sounding his exasperation, "In my case, there's a small group of 'em that keeps ambushing us and steal my Pikachu away."

They were pretty persistent, he thought to himself. But on the plus side, their presence sort of helped keep his bond with Pikachu much stronger than before.

Seeing that Gold wanted to offer Pikachu some comfort, he leaned his shoulder forward. And now that Gold's hand was in closer proximity, Pikachu quickly sniffed at first then gently bumped his head against the other boy's hand before rubbing his fur against it.

"You don't know?" Gold's answer took Ash by surprise. "Well you're a Pokemon Trainer, aren't you? What else you can do but to train and grow strong alongside your Pokemon!"

He finished his answer with enthusiasm as he pumped his fist up high. His Pikachu too cheered alongside him. Heck yeah, training!

"Really? Wait, like... They follow you around? That's... kinda creepy!" Gold makes a grossed out face, struck with a sudden protectiveness for Ash. The mental image he gets of the Team Rocket grunts he's met in his world stalking Ash is a very worrying. "They're not here, are they?"

Gold gasps at the adorableness of Pikachu, but the feel of his fur surprises him a little.

"Huh, it feels kinda different from an Ulternian Pikachu," he muses, petting Pikachu, scritching behind his ears. He's only ever pet Professor Banyan's Pikachu before, never a Kantonian one.

"Right, yeah, haha!" Gold replies, wearing a big smile to hide his mental cringe. Oof, he said something wrong, didn't he? Something so weird Ash can't even take what he said seriously. Of course Pokemon Trainers train their Pokemon and aim to get stronger, what Pokemon Trainer wouldn't do that? The way Gold's been doing things must be wrong in Ash's mind. It was stupid of him to try and ask for advice, he should just pretend he knows what Ash means. "Just kidding! Of course me and my Pokemon are trying to get stronger!"

"So far, no..." Ash shook his head. And honestly it was a nice change of pace from being constantly shadowed by them. Almost every week or so.

However, a different Team Rocket member did come to his mind just now.

"Ah! Right... I remember a long time ago, there was a different guy from Team Rocket, and he was riding on this huge robot while acting really sketchy." He crossed his arms and frowned. "He has this giant crystal that absorbs electric attacks and bounces it back."

As he recalled the memory of that time, he gritted his teeth and lowered his head, to the point the brim of his cap covered his eyes.

"He hurt Pikachu real bad."

It was frustrating, to feel helpless in that situation. But, that was long ago. He and Pikachu have grown much stronger since then and are hopefully capable enough to take on that guy again. Though whether that man was still around remained uncertain, Ash felt right to warn Gold about this too.

"I dunno if he's still here or not, but you gotta be careful."

On the topic of Pikachu, he shifted his attention to his partner who's enjoying the scritches and wagged his tail to express his delight.

"Right? I remember finding one in the wild while wandering around, and when I touched it, it was so soft and fluffy! Moreso than my Pikachu's!"

"Pika?" Pikachu wondered if he should get fluffier like them to earn more pettings from Ash.

"Is that so?" Ash wondered. Just a moment ago, Gold seemed genuinely unsure from his eyes. "...But if you need any tips, don't be afraid to ask! I don't mind helping out y'know! We can grow stronger together, and we'll even be rivals too!"

"That's good. Hope they never show up!" Gold says.

But the description of a different Team Rocket member has him looking thoughtful. He can't help but think back on the disguised probably-Rocket guy who showed up at the cafe. The guy whose identity Gold promised not to leak, who's been visiting the cafe sometimes since then, and who seems to get along with Mr. Larson well.

If that guy was the same one that hurt Pikachu... Well, Gold's still not going to expose him. Not if it has a good chance of backfiring. If Gold rats the guy out, he figures out it was Gold and attacks the other cafe workers, that wouldn't do anybody any good. So Gold will just keep all that to himself.

"That sucks... I'll keep an eye out," Gold says sympathetically, looking Ash straight in the eye. "At least Pikachu's all better now, right?" The last part was aimed at Pikachu as Gold's petting him. Ear scritches, ear scritches... Gold dares to carefully run a thumb over the red cheek, too. He knows those store electricity, but it seems safe enough to touch them, right?

"Fluffier, huh? Yeah, I get it. It felt kinda more... Furret-like?" Gold says, not sure how else to describe it. "And your Pikachu's more Umbreon-like." Gold hasn't pet a lot of Pokemon in his life.

"Yeah, um... I guess I wouldn't mind some tips from the... Champion of... something? I don't remember but anyway, you're pretty strong, right? I dunno if I've got what it takes to be a rival to you, but I'll take the help!" Gold smiles kind of awkwardly, but it softens into something more natural as he continues, "And Silver's already kinda like my rival, so I dunno if I want anybody else." It'd feel like going behind Silver's back, somehow...

Pikachu's cheeks are definitely charged, but the Mouse Pokemon has a slightly better control of releasing that energy (for Ash's sake), so all Gold could feel is a tingly sensation when brushing on it -- though if Gold rubbed on it long enough he might catch Pikachu's static. His loud "chaaaa!" in response to Gold's petting should be a clear enough indicator that he's definitely better. But Ash nodded anyway.

"Umbreon-like, huh?" Ash hummed, he's only touched an Umbreon a few times. And it is somewhat smooth-ish as far as he remembered. "Well, I'll take your word for it!"

Upon the mention of his title, that caught Ash by surprise for a moment.

"Oh! I guess someone already told you, huh? Yeah, I'm the Champion of Alola. ...And the world too, I guess!" He let out a small laugh as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. And then he smiled back reassuringly at Gold's concerns, placing both hands on his hips. "Well if we keep on challenging each other, determined not to lose and putting all that effort into getting stronger, then that's more than enough for me to make you my rival!"

And it's then Ash's eyes lit up as an idea just hit him.

"Hey, how about you take on the Pokemon League? Y'know Ultern has one! Training and taking on the Gym Challenge is also a good way to see how strong you and your Pokemon have gotten!"

The slight tingle feels nice, but Gold gets the feeling he shouldn't push his luck, and moves on to scratch Pikachu's back instead.

"Yup, it's Umbreon-like," Gold says with the nod of certainty of a kid that's pet only a few Pokemon in his life and compares all other Pokemon to them.

"Yeah, Trip mentioned it! The Alola part, anyway. You're the world Champion too? Wow, that's awesome." Gold privately wonders how much that pays.

But when Ash talks about making Gold his rival, he frowns, a bit uncomfortable with the wording.

"I said I don't want anybody else," he says with more certainty than before, looking Ash in the eyes. "I'll take on the Gym Leaders, yeah. But I... I dunno what being rivals is for me, but I..." He breaks eye contact and sighs, unable to put his uncertain feelings into words. "I feel like it's different from yours. I dunno. I just feel like Silver is my rival and nobody else."

"Haha, yeah... But if you ask me, I still see myself as a challenger." Ash replied, "Becoming Champion's just another step for me to reach my biggest dream. I'm not there yet but I will be!"

When Gold locked eyes with Ash, that startled him for a moment, sensing a swirl of emotions coming from the other trainer and immediately fell quiet, listening and taking in his reasonings. Whether that was his gut feeling or just him picking up on Gold's Aura, that's something he couldn't tell. But once Gold looked away, Ash smiled and nodded.

"I understand." There's an earnestness in the tone of his voice. "If you don't want any more rivals, that's fine by me. Your eyes tell me how you feel."

That Silver guy must have been a very important person to Gold anyway. Might as well respect his wish.

"That said, I'm still gonna challenge you from time to time!" Ash cheekily added. "Heck, we haven't even battled each other yet!"

"Huh... That's pretty cool. What's your biggest dream, then? Gotta be something pretty huge," Gold says.

The tone of Ash's voice changes reassures Gold that he was understood, and he relaxes, smiling.

"Thanks, Ash. Sorry to turn you down like that, but I'm glad you listened." For a moment, Gold was worried Ash wouldn't listen. Ash might be so full of youthful spirit it's kind of exhausting sometimes, but above all, he's a good person.

"Oh, you wanna battle me," Gold says with more than a little hesitation. "Um, I dunno about that. You're the World Champion, so you'd just win, right?"

Unfortunately, in Gold's world, the loser of a battle pays the winner, which makes him reluctant to accept a battle he thinks he can't win.

"It sure is! My biggest, hugest dream..." And he adjusts the brim of his cap, as if he was trying to look cool at Gold, "...is to become a Pokemon Master!"

Pikachu let out a cheer as Ash beamed. No, he won't elaborate further. ~~Not yet.~~

And though he does pick up on Gold's hesitance, Ash's smile remained as he tried to reassure him. "You wouldn't know unless you'd try!"

his story may end but his adventure continues here in ultern!!

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