Singularity F - Fuyuki 2004
The acrid stench of burning rubber assaulted his senses, which caused Ritsuka to cough as the pollution entered his lungs.
He looked around and saw a scene straight out of an apocalyptic movie. Asphalt roads were in disarray, uprooted from their normally uniform and flat surface. He looked up and saw a jagged skyline that reminded him of a shark's teeth, the crimson horizon painting a grim image that unsettled him. The skyscrapers bore shattered windows, and nearly all had a dull orange glow emanating from inside them. Many of them looked ready to collapse at any moment.
He observed the cars on the road, and they fared no better than the surrounding buildings.
Looking at the symbols written on the signs and the design of the blackened truck near him, he could immediately tell he was in Japan.
How was he in Japan when he was in Antarctica just a few moments ago?
[Guy_1n_Desert: What in the name of Arceus happened here? ]
[HippityHoppip650: This is horrible. ]
[Did Gudao get teleported? ]
[Hmm, that seems to be the case. Though I will admit, the unexpected lightshow caught me off guard. ]
"Fou!!"
Ritsuka blinked, looked down and was surprised to see Fou nestled in his arms.
[OMA, FOU <3<3]
[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD): There's no need to fear! Fou is here!! ]
[Gible_Archeologist: I'm just glad Fou is ok. ]
[Speaking of Fou, I got my Fou plushie!!! ]
[Me too!! Now we can all have a fou!! ]
[Instant delivery too!! ]
[IliekQTthings: I got Four!!! ]
[No Fair! Leave some for the rest of us!! ]
[MalasadaMayhem: Guys!! What about Mash?! ]
[Who? ]
[MalasadaMayhem: Wow. We literally saw a poor girl bleed to death, crushed under a massive boulder of rubble and you guys already forgot about her because "oh look I got a cute thing." I'm disappointed in you guys. ]
[I just joined stream. Idk who Mash is. (╥﹏╥) ]
[MalasadaMayhem: …sorry. My bad. I'm just a bit high strung after everything that's happened. ]
Ritsuka stopped reading the rest of chat when they brought up Mash. He swung his head around, looking for the cute girl who he had been comforting in her last moments just a short while ago, but she was nowhere in sight.
Ritsuka felt his heart ache at the memory of finding her crushed under that huge piece of rubble. The logical part of his mind knew she was gone, but he didn't want to make assumptions and leave Mash to die alone in this place if she was still breathing.
"MASH!!"
No answer.
She wasn't here.
What his ears picked up on instead was the sound of radio static in the air.
Ritsuka looked around in confusion, wondering where the sound originated from, and after focusing on it for a second, he was able to pinpoint the point of origin, his left arm.
He lifted the appendage up and pulled back his sleeve to get a better look. There was a dull gray wristband attached to his wrist, the same wristband that Lev and Romani had been using to communicate like a phone. How come he hadn't noticed he had this on until now?!
Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Ritsuka decided to press a few buttons to see if he could get the static to stop. After a second of fiddling, he stopped when he heard a familiar voice.
" "Rit..su…ka…alive?.... "
"Dr. Roman?"
Ritsuka felt a weight of stress leave his body when he heard the comforting voice of someone he knew.
" So…rry, there…'s…interference on… my side…. Ah there we go." "
"Ah, I can hear you clearly now." The radio static was still there, buzzing in the background, but it was something he could ignore.
" "Oh that's good…. Wait, now's not the time!! Ritsuka, you have to leave immediately!!" " Romani sounded frantic and desperate, did something happen?
"Romani? Is everything alright?" Ritsuka looked around at the surrounding landscape as he talked to Romani.
Then, his eyes landed on something.
He saw a giant, hulking shadow wearing a white mask, crouched like a gargoyle on a building in the distance.
Ritsuka felt fear rise from his throat, which he struggled to swallow due to the intense bloodlust emanating from the shadow who was staring right at him.
[That is the beefiest duskull I've seen in my life. ]
[__Red__: :Ash Duskull Mask emote:]
[It's-ALWAYS-Pikachu: y'all are wrong. That's definitely a pikachu. ]
[Heart-of6old: In what world is that a pikachu?!! ]
[JigglyWiggly: I don't like the way its staring at us. ]
[Ranger75: Well, at least it's far away. GTFO there while you still can, Gudao!! ]
" "We detected a hostile signature in your area. RUN!" " Romani yelled over the radio in his wristband." "
Ritsuka saw the giant suddenly shoot upwards into the sky.
His gaze followed the being as it reached the apex of its jump and started to plummet towards his location, its massive fist cocked back and ready to smash him into a red paste.
Ritsuka's breath hitched.
His brain was screeching in terror, causing his heart to pump adrenaline-infused blood across his body.
His muscles moved before thoughts could even form in his head.
He heard Romani desperately call out to him, despite not being able to make out what he said due to the buzzing in his ears. Even so, his body still obeyed the words that Romani had said.
" Run away! "
The Thing violently crashed into the ground where Ritsuka had barely stood a moment ago, cratering the asphalt and dirt under itself, and with a loud bang that caused the buzzing in Ritsuka's ears to swell into a piercing ring.
He nearly stumbled and fell on the ground from the impact, but Ritsuka righted himself before that happened, and with Fou nestled in his arms, he ran as fast as he could, away from the danger behind him without looking back.
His Twitch camera, however, did not have that limitation.
It caught the massive shadow unnaturally jerk its head in Ritsuka's direction, its ominous mask unchanging, but the emotions emanating from it were enough to convey its lust for blood and death.
[Ranger75: What has Gudao gotten himself into? ]
✦✧✦
Ritsuka ran faster than he had ever run before in his life. He didn't recognize where in Japan he was, despite having visited his aunt for years with his parents in the past.
He knew Japan's streets were always clean and well taken care of, completely the opposite of the mangled hellscape he was running through.
Romani was saying things to him, but he could barely pay attention to what he was saying as his heartbeat thundered in his ears.
His senses were heightened to the maximum, yet he could not hear the sound of footsteps following behind him, but his instincts knew that if he slowed down or stopped to look back, he would die.
So he ran.
He ran until his legs started to scream at him to stop due to the buildup of lactose, forcing him to seek a place to hide and recover.
He saw an abandoned mansion that was luckily not set on fire, and seeing no other place to hide, he went inside.
The place was surprisingly well intact despite the chaos raging outside, which did relieve his anxiety for a moment, but it returned with a vengeance when he heard the clanking sounds of bone hitting rock echoing behind him. Taking a peek through the peephole in the door, he could see silhouettes of skeletal figures marching in front of the house.
Ritsuka looked away from the peephole and tried his best not to make any noise from where he stood, even after the inhuman march had become a distant echo to his ears, he refused to make any loud movements. A beat of silence passed before he deemed it safe to move further into the house.
He didn't bother to remove his shoes, as he saw no point in doing so when he was in a life or death situation. He was sure the owner would understand and forgive him for dirtying the carpet in their home.
" Did you catch that Ritsuka? "
"Sorry, Romani, I wasn't paying attention." Ritsuka whispered to Romani, since speaking normally during this time would have been dangerous.
" Well, I can't blame you for it. Sorry. You're running for your life yet here I am info dumping on you about stuff you probably thought were fairy tales just a day ago. "
"It's ok Romani, there's no need to apologize. I'm sure that whatever you told me is critical information. Though I would appreciate it if you could repeat what you told me."
" Very well, if you insist. I'll keep the magecraft lesson brief. To summarize: You were transported to the year 2004 in Fuyuki, Japan using a form of magecraft called Rayshifting. Do you remember Mash's brief explanation on projection that you told me about?"
"Yes… I do…" Ritsuka's heart still felt heavy from the memory of Mash, but it was more muted now due to the fear of death that clung onto him.
" Good. Normal Rayshifting does utilize projection magecraft as well, except, it projects your soul into the past. "
Ritsuka furrowed his brows, "Wait… since I am a projection, does that mean I'm going to go 'poof'?!"
" No. You won't. Ray shifting requires specialized equipment to send you to the past. Those coffins, the tubes you saw the other Master inside, are like Schrödinger's boxes. They fool the world into believing that you're still "here" in the present, which allows us to send your soul into the past.
"
"Oh."
So apparently time travel was a thing in his world. If he had not encountered his stream before getting here, he would have been more shocked to learn this, but he knew the Pokémon world existed.
He wasn't sure if the humans in the Pokémon world developed time travel tech like in the games, nor could he confirm if the legendary Pokémon like Celebi or Dialga were actually real, especially since he knew that their world had been told Team Galactic had been stopped by the efforts of Cynthia, the Elite Four, Gym leaders and Interpol working together to stop Cyrus from achieving his ambitions.
But the idea that it could exist had always been something that was planted in his mind since the very beginning. A lot of his chatters liked to deny it, but he always attributed the stream's connection to be the work of a certain llama shaped legendary Pokémon, but due to the limited information he had access to about the actual history of their world, he couldn't confirm it.
Still, just because he believed something could exist did not mean he was still not surprised to see it in action, because it's one thing to know something exists, and the other to experience it with your own eyes.
" Now, what you did is not the normal way of Rayshifting. You were outside the box, so your very flesh was converted to spiritons and transported into the past. "
That didn't sound good.
"Is that bad?"
" It means you got lucky. The odds of surviving Ray shifting outside a coffin are very low. "
He wanted to ask what would have happened had he not been so lucky, but decided against it, and instead he decided to take a moment to read his chat now that he was in a relatively safe location.
[Junior_Researcher:If I understand this right... Gudao had his body converted to energy and sent back to the past. Time travel aside, It's a similar process to how Pokémon and items get transported across the GTS.]
[Does that mean Gudao is a pokemon? ]
[But… where the pokeball?]
[Junior_Researcher: No, he's not a Pokémon. @It's-ALWAYS-Pikachu and NO he's not a Pikachu either, so don't start. ]
[It's-ALWAYS-Pikachu: (◞‸ ◟) ]
[Why does it have to be so… complicated? Why can't it just be going from point A to point B? ]
[I'mJustABill: yeah… time travel will ALWAYS be complicated no matter the circumstance or explanation, in real life and fiction.]
[Lanette34: In any case, the humans in Gudao's world are truly more advanced than we gave them credit for. To think they had been hiding a method to transport people across space AND time under everyone's noses!! Truly, whoever invented this "Rayshifting" deserves one of those coveted Nobel Prizes Gudao's world gives out! ]
[@Lanette34, they can't. Magecraft CAN'T be revealed to the public remember? ]
[Lanette34: oh… right… how annoying. (¬⤙¬ ) ]
[I'mJustABill: you and I are in agreement Lanette. Such a marvel of technology Is wasted being hidden from the wider world. Even if it's not nearly as impressive as my Time Capsule, it's still an ingenious piece of technology that deserves praise! ]
[??? ]x1000
[Your what now? ]
[I'mJustABill: My Time Capsule… you know, the time machine that allows people from the past and future to trade and battle pokemon together? ]
[Wait… we invented TIME TRAVEL?!! Since WHEN?!! ]
[I'mJustABill: Oh, about 20ish years ago? ]
[(⊙︿⊙) ]x1,000
[Lannette34: The FUCK BILL?!! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?! ]
[I'mJustABill: Ah right, I forgot my invention got seized by the Indigo Government and is a classified piece of tech. Oops? ]
[DragonMasterLance: Bill, what the fuck?!! ]
[I'mJustABill: @DragonMasterLance I mean, is it really that big of a deal? The cat is out of the bag now anyways thanks to Romani. So it should be fine. ]
[DragonMasterLance: You and I will have words later. ]
'Well, that answers one of my questions.' Ritsuka was not the religious sort, but he still offered a silent prayer wishing for Bill's safety. When he was done, he focused back on the task at hand.
Survival, or rather, his rather miraculous survival from his unexpected time travel. Taking a moment to reflect on what Romani told him, he felt a weight of depression sit on his shoulders.
Why did he, of all people, get a second chance but not Mash? If there's anyone who should have gotten another chance to live, it should have been her.
Ritsuka shook his head and then slapped his face with his two hands.
'No. Get those thoughts out of your head. Mash would not have wanted you to waste your second chance at life sulking.'
"Romani… I might still not get what is going on, but thank you for your help. I will make sure I try my best to live, for your sake and for Mash's."
Romani seemed to pause for a moment over the magic intercom at his words, before he responded with a thankful hum of appreciation.
With that out of the way, Ritsuka decided to face the music. How the heck was he going to get out of this mess?
" "Fujimaru, enemy signature approaching! Hide!" "
The screech and groan of metal being ripped apart caused him to freeze in place.
The violent crash of the door as it slammed into a wall nearly caused him to piss himself.
Ritsuka looked at his surroundings and inwardly cursed at himself when he saw that he was inside a room with a massive glass sliding door that didn't provide ample places to hide. He had gotten complacent, and now it was too late to find a better hiding spot.
Ritsuka swallowed the dry saliva down his throat and slowly lowered himself to the floor, his back facing the transparent sliding door he was at. He knew that this was one of the worst and most moronic places to hide, but he wasn't going to risk moving and drawing attention with his footsteps.
He brought Fou closer to his chest and closed his mouth with his other hand.
Ritsuka heard the floorboards of the home loudly creak due to the immense weight of the Thing as it walked through the halls. It was meticulously checking every room for his presence, going inside each room and flipping furniture over, opening closet doors and occasionally smashing something before it moved on to the next room.
Then, after a few minutes of footsteps traipsing about all around the house, they suddenly stopped.
His heart thundered in his chest, becoming so loud he could hear it in his ears.
Was that thing gone?
A chill ran up his spine.
He jumped to the side from his position, just in time to avoid a massive fist crashing through the glass and collapsing the section of the tatami he was sitting on into splinters.
Ritsuka saw an opening and dashed outside the house.
He needed to get away.
He needed to get away.
He needed to-
All hope of him escaping with his life came to an end when, out of nowhere, a lanky, dark figure, wearing the same mask as the other creature, fell from the sky and landed right in front of him.
[GroundHippowdon: OH SHIT!! ]
[DragoonRuleZ: NOOOO!! HE WAS SO CLOSE! ]
[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD): (ᗒᗣᗕ) ]
"No way."
That was all he managed to say before the figure came into his personal space and landed a sharp kick to his ribs.
Through some absurd feat of strength and acrobatics, the thing was able to hook his foot on the side of his gut and launch him towards a nearby shed.
His body crashed through the door with enough force to splinter and break not just the solid wood door, but the rest of his ribs his assailant hadn't broken already.
The very same bones that had evolved to protect his vital organs had now become hazardous weapons that ripped him up from the inside.
He felt a strong iron taste in his mouth; the sheer force of the kick had forced the air from his lungs with a wet croak. When he tried to take a breath, he felt like he was drowning and coughed. To his horror, red liquid splattered onto the ground.
[Gible_Archeologist: Gudao Noooooo!! ]
[Ranger75: He's dead. ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: Shut UP!! he's not! ]
[Ranger75; The fucker kicked him with enough force to smash through a solid wood door. Alive or not, the trauma his body has been subject to is enough that he would be incapable of running away now!! ]
Ritsuka tried his best to get up, but the sheer agony his chest was in at the moment sapped away all his energy.
He could hear Fou calling for him in worry. Sadly, he could not reassure him by stating that he was alright, because he wasn't.
While he was groaning in pain, the two creatures stood together in unity. Their inhuman masks facing directly towards Ritsuka as they moved towards the shed, ready to finish him off.
Chat's camera was currently facing the door, so they could see death coming for their beloved streamer.
[SeeDotbyTheSea: I-Is this it? Game over already? After all we've been through?]
[JigglyWiggly: It would seem so. Gudao is in no shape to run away from these superpowered freaks.]
[FairyTypePrincess: My heart aches hearing Fou like this. Poor little guy is going to be trapped in a hellscape with these monsters.]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): Everyone!! There's something up with Lev! Psychic types and trainers, do NOT touch Lev's Mind!! ]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): wait… Gudao?!! What… what happened?!! ]
[Well, look who FINALLY decided to show up. ]
[Moostache, where the hell were you?!! ]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): My trainer was hurt. She read into Lev's mind and the bastard hurt her. I had to take her to the hospital. I was too distressed to join back in chat.
Once the doctor gave the all clear, I came as fast as I could. ]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): but seriously!! What is happening?!! ]
[Well, I'm sure you'll be glad to hear this, but Lev's dead. ]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): …what? ]
[And so is Mash, and Olga… you don't know the other but she was his boss. ]
[Gudao got isekaid to another place, then he immediately got jumped the moment he arrived. ]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): What?! ]
[He ran away and hid in a mansion, but that muscular, Duskull looking bastard caught up to him. He tried to run, but that string bean Duskull bastard kicked him through a wooden door. Now Gudao is hurt, and these bastards are going to finish him off. ]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): ….AS IF I'D ALLOW THAT. ]
The creature stepped into the shed, and as soon as it did, it froze when it heard movement nearby.
It got into a battle-ready stance when they noticed the shelves in the room shaking violently. Using its impressive bulk, it swung its arms in a circular motion, the shockwaves caused the shed around him and his victim to scatter into debris.
His action caused the shaking to stop, but the creatures were still wary of the unknown phenomenon.
Its eyes scanned the newly cleared area while bracing itself, as it could still feel an attack aimed at it.
Then, just before it thought it was in the clear, it was met with an aluminum can to the face.
The can ungracefully plunked to the ground, its attack completely ineffective.
The Duskull-looking monstrosity stared at the can for a moment, looked behind at its companion, who responded with a shrug.
Seeing the attack amount to nothing, the massive Duskull man continued its hunt, crushing the aluminum can into a flat disk beneath its feet as it made its way towards Ritsuka.
[PsychicMoostache(MOD):Curses! Even with the gate weakened on my side, it's still not enough!!]
[Welp, you tried. You've done more than all 50,000 of us combined.]
[And it did Jack SHIT. ]
The large creature was now standing over Ritsuka, his shadow looming over the slumped form of the Last Master of Humanity, who looked like he had accepted his fate.
The creature slowly raised his massive fist into the air, his gaze dead set on crushing Ritsuka's body into a red smear on the floor.
This was it.
This was the end.
[JigglyWiggly: Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's been an honor. ]
[Ecruteak_Gal: I-I don't know if I can watch anymore…. ]
[MalasadaMayhem: Not like we have a choice, this is Gudao's last stream. ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: Please leave him alone! He doesn't deserve this!! What did he ever do to you!!? (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞ ]
[KicksYouIntheFace193:I swear upon Arceus that Machamp and I will find a way to cross dimensions and crush these assholes for killing my disciple. ლ(ಠ益ಠლ) ]
[DragoonRuleZ:Let me come with! My Mega Gyarados would like to have words with them. ]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): I am an elite level Pokémon. One who has faced many powerful opponents in battle and one of the most powerful psychics in the known world. And yet… I have never felt more powerless in my life. I'm sorry Gudao. Truly. ]
[The-Undefeatable: And to think we were all just having a fun time playing minecraft before this shitstorm happened. ]
[GroundHippowdon: Fuck, I'm going to miss you, Gudao. (╥﹏╥) ]
[Mighty1Oak: It was an honor knowing you, Ritsuka. You brought so much joy to not just myself, but our entire world for the past 3 years. I-I'm sorry we couldn't help you. ]
[__Red__ : :Ash cry under shadow of his hat emote: …so long my friend, I'll miss you. ]
[Red actually sent a message instead of just an emote. This really is the end of the line… ]
Just when all hope was lost.
Hope had returned.
The striking image of an angel arrived with a bang.
It was Mash, and she was wearing a more daring outfit, but that detail fell to the wayside as she was now wielding a massive fuck-off shield.
A shield that she had used to bash his would-be killer with enough force to launch the it into the air and land with a thump a dozen feet from where it had been standing.
Ritsuka's eyes widened in disbelief. The person who he thought had died, the cute girl who he was having his final thoughts about, had just arrived to save him.
Mash was not done yet as she dashed towards the creature's shellshocked companion and slammed her dense metal shield into its lanky figure.
Its body did not survive the high velocity impact from the metal shield, but even if that hadn't killed it, its corpse rag-dolling through several houses and fences would have definitely finished it off if it was somehow still alive.
To Ritsuka, seeing Mash in her new form left him in awe, while his chest fluttered as he witnessed the gentle moonlight cascade over her body.
[She's alive?!!! ]
[Junior_Researcher: HOW?!! ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: I don't care!! She just saved my Oshi!! ]
"I suppose I should make a proper introduction now." Mash said as she looked down at him, not in condescension or as a superior looking at a lesser, but with the warm, kind smile someone was relieved to see he was ok.
"Senpai, or rather Master. I am Mash Kyrielight. Your servant."
✦✧✦
[What does she mean by "I'm your Servant?!" ]
[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD): MASH KYRIELIGHT! Kinky play?! Really?! At a time and place like this?! I'm disappointed in you, young lady!! (๑/////๑" ) ]
[Don'tTouchMyBuns!: I never knew Mash had it in her. ]
[It's always the meek, shy, quiet ones who end up being the freaky ones ]
[ShortShorts_QUEEN: I want to say it's not like that, but her new outfit and calling Gudao "master" refutes any arguments I could make in her defense. ]
[Now the title of "Master Candidate" makes sense. ]
[Obviously, it means that she's his maid now. ]
[Gible_Archeologist : Guys. Gudao is still laying on the ground, bleeding and in agony. Focus. ]
[What's the point? We can't do anything to help. We've tried, but every attempt to do so just ends up with the channel getting new emotes. (◞ ﻌ ◟ ) ]
[^this. Seriously, if we could help him, we would. It's not as if I can just wave my hand and cast Heal pulse on Gudao. ]
"Mash, is that you? What happened?" Ritsuka tried to get up, but his body was still in shambles, so he didn't have the strength to do so.
"I'll explain later, Master, but first don't move; I'll heal you in just a moment." Mash took a scroll from her shield and tossed it. The scroll flew towards Ritsuka, wrapping itself around him and, while emitting a bright light, healed his wounds.
Inside his body, fragments of bones returned to where they belonged and mended themselves whole once more. Damaged, bleeding flesh regenerated, while his newly invigorated body extracted the blood from within and outside his body and channeled it back into his veins. The blood that could not be recovered was replenished by his bone marrow, which had gone into overdrive to meet the demand his body had for new blood.
Ritsuka felt the pain from his injuries fade into dull aches. With a newfound strength, he stood up as if he was completely fine.
[( •͈૦•͈ ) ]x1,000
[That piece of paper just healed several lethal injuries in a matter of moments!! ]
[0ffDoodyJoy: My goodness! Even with our level of technology, such injuries would still have taken at least a few weeks to a month of recovery and physical therapy to completely heal! Magecraft truly is a wonder to behold! ]
"I apologize if this is sudden, but it isn't safe here. We need to move".
"Lead the way, Mash."
"About that, Master…" Mash was doing her usual nervous fidgeting whenever she talked to him, "Since I achieved my new form, I am already beyond normal human capabilities. So you won't be able to keep up with me."
Ritsuka's smile dropped, a feeling of guilt washed over him, "Sorry, Mash, I've become a burden for you."
"No, no, it's ok. While you can't follow me… that doesn't mean we still can't leave this area quickly." Mash said while she nervously pressed the tips of her fingers together.
"But… how are we going to do that?"
Mash looked at Ritsuka, a faint blush coloring her cheeks, before she shook her head and marched right toward him.
"Uh… Mash… What are you…? WOAH".
He felt Mash sweep his legs with one of her arms, while the other supported his back. Ritsuka had abruptly closed his eyes during the motion, then when he opened them once more, he saw Mash looking at him with stars in her eyes.
She was standing proud as she carried him in her arms.
[I never knew I needed to see Gudao held like a princess up until this very moment. ]
[Mash is not a tramp, or a delicate flower, she is a knight in shining armor!! ]
[This is a dramatic shift in their relationship power dynamic!! I approve 100% ]
[Sorry Hex, but I ship Mash and Gudao now. ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: I don't need your approval! She might have saved Gudao, but he's still my one true love! I won't give up! (￣^￣ ) ]
"Now, hold on, master…"
"Mash?" Ritsuka felt Mash crouch low to the ground, her legs tensing as they built up energy for what she was about to do next.
At the same time, inadvertently causing her boobs to touch his arm;however, Ritsuka would be unable to dwell on his perverted thoughts as he felt his heart drop when Mash shot high up into the sky.
Ritsuka looked around and gulped when he saw the glowing lights of the ruined city before him.
[PerfectlySanehex: Σ(°ロ°) ]
[Woah!!! ]
[So cool. ]
[Mash is now my favorite pokemon!! ]
Mash was scanning the area around them until she found a place suitably far enough away from the danger they were in, "That place should be good."
Suddenly gears materialized behind her, and in a maneuver that defied gravity, her black heels stuck onto the magical constructs. "Fixing shield in space to the rear, deploying shield catapult. Hold on Master!!"
"Wait, Mash my heart is not reaaaadyyyy!!"
The same shield she had used to smash the Duskull men earlier materialized where the gears were.
She kicked the shield with one of her feet and blasted herself off towards the location she was aiming at.
Meanwhile, Ritsuka was stress testing his newly regenerated lungs by screaming at the top of his lungs in absolute fear.
[(O_O)! ]x1,000
[৻( •̀ ᗜ •́ ৻) ] x1000
[PerfectlySaneHex: Σ(°△°ꪱꪱꪱ) ]
"Master! Please close your mouth! You might accidentally bite your tongue off and die!"
Ritsuka heard her warning loud and clear, and closed his mouth, but even with his lips sealed shut, he couldn't stop screaming as Mash's body accelerated to the ground.
Mash landed on the asphalt road, both Ritsuka and Fou's eyes were spinning from the sudden stop she did.
She carefully placed both of them on the ground,
Ritsuka was dry heaving by this point, and he was trying his best not to puke in front of the girl he likes so much.
Suddenly, Ritsuka hears a loud whistle in the air.
His face morphs into horror when he remembers watching a military documentary that one time. This was the sound artillery made when it was flying through the air.
His suspicions are confirmed when a singular streak of red light in the sky splits into hundreds of small arrows.
Before they even had a chance to get close, Mash stepped between them and her master, with her shield pointed in the same direction as the attack.
The attack hits Mash's shield.
She grunts as the bombardment of arrows slam into her shield, doing her best to make sure none of them hurt her beloved senpai.
[Geez, Can't Mash and Gudao get a break? It's been nonstop attack, after attack, after attack. ]
[TheIcePryce: Humph. In war, there's never a moment of rest. You have to stay on your toes or else it will lead to your early death. This inappropriately dressed lass has good instincts. ]
The dust clears, showing Mash and Ritsuka standing unscathed on top of a platform of smooth stone, but the same could not be said about the surrounding ground, as it had been pounded into dust.
Mash glared in the direction from where the attack came from.
"M-Mash… What was that?" Ritsuka looked mortified at the sheer devastation the attack left in its wake.
"I will be sure to properly explain later, Master, for now, please stand behind me. There are more attacks coming!"
"Huh?!" Ritsuka heard the whistle again, and this time he scrambled closer to Mash.
Another volley of arrows rains on them, but Mash held string and was able to block them once again.
[Wow… what is that shield made of?! It's tanking all these pokemon level attacks without suffering a single scratch!! ]
[I dunno, maybe Mash-sensei will give us a lecture about it in the future? ]
[That's assuming they survive this attack. ]
Suddenly, chat gets a surprise shift in scenery.
They are now overlooking the city of Fuyuki from a high vantage point.
[What the? ]
[Where's Gudao and Mash? ]
Then the scene shifts once more, this time showing a mysterious white haired red archer overlooking the city. More specifically, he was staring at the dust cloud where the volley of arrows had fallen on Gudao and Mash.
[Who the heck is this guy? ]
[Oh wow. Just look at the definition of those muscles. <3 ]
[That bow looks so fucking cool… ]
[I don't recognize that material… ]
The red archer focused on the figures of Mash and Gudao, once again completely unharmed by his attacks. He let himself smile at their struggle for survival, "Well, well, they survived. I'm surprised."
[Oh my A even his voice is hot! ]
[Wait a minute… this guy… he's the one who's trying to kill Mash and Gudao! (◣_◢) ]
[(◣_◢) ] x1,000
"Well, let's see how well that shield blocks my next attack, Miss Shielder."
The red archer extended his hand and a sword materialized out of thin air, catching everyone in chat off guard since they are still not used to people having Pokémon-like powers.
Then he did the unexpected. The guy took the sword and loaded it on his bow like an arrow, and drew back the heavy metal string as if it were nothing.
[Uh, does this guy know what he's doing? ]
[Ecruteak_Gal: His kyudo form is surprisingly perfect, in fact it's the most perfect, textbook example of what the archery clubs teach in our schools in Johto. There's also the fact that he's drawing a heavy metal string bow with barely any effort, which indicates that he clearly has had decades of training and practice using a bow. If it were not for the fact that he was using something absurd like swords as arrows, I would have called him a master bowman, but after seeing this, I can only assume he's been inhaling too many spore attacks from the local mushroom populations.]
[DragoonRuleZ: Lol, he thinks he looks all cool with his sword bow. But he looks like a dork. ]
"I am… the Bone of My Sword… "
Then, much to chat's shock, the blade morphs into an angry red arrow.
[Ecruteak_Gal: Σ(°ロ°) ]
[DragoonRuleZ: Ok. I take it back. He actually looks fucking cool. But murder is still not ok, OKAY?!]
[No way, is he going to shoot from this far?]
[Arceus… ]
[I don't think my Decidueye could even fire his arrows from this distance… ]
The bowman released his shot, However, just as he loosened his fingers, he clicked his tongue in annoyance and jumped away from the crane he was standing on. He narrowly avoided a dark ball of energy headed straight at him.
At the same time, the arrow was thrown off course, overshooting Mash and Ritsuka's location.
Unlike the previous attack, this one did not split into multiple pieces. Instead, it exploded into a massive blue hemisphere of energy when it touched the ground.
The buildings in the immediate area were incinerated into atoms, the sheer force of the blast reduced the buildings that were further away to rubble and the wind generated from the explosion swept through the streets and causing a cloud of dust in all directions.
[(⚆ᗝ⚆) ]x1000
✦✧✦
The shooting suddenly stopped, which allowed Mash some time to grab Ritsuka, this time like a sack of potatoes, and away from danger.
[WE HAVE RETURNED! ]
[GUDAO! READ US! WE HAVE INTEL! ]
[Gudao: What are you guys on about? ]
[The camera changed angles, and we could see the enemy!!]
[There was a red boner guy standing on some crane miles away who was shooting projectiles from a bow that turns swords into arrows!! ]
[El_Kukui: Actually, it looked more like he was the one turning them into arrows, not the bow. ]
[Gudao: Red boner guy? What kind of name is that?]
[The guy who was shooting at you was a red archer. He was going on about something being "the bone of his sword". Hence the name, "Red Boner Guy" ]
[Gudao: are you guys trolling me? There's a time and place for that, and this isn't it. 😡 ]
[We are NOT!! The Red Boner Guy is real!! ]
[Frisky1ntheFlowers: 🤣 You guys are a riot! I am saving that one for later use! ]
[Gudao: Frisk?! Is that you?! ]
[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD): You know him?!]
[IliekQTthings: YOU KNOW THIS ASSHOLE?!! ]
[Gudao: yeah. He was one of the 11 viewers I had back before I met you guys.]
[(ʘᗩʘ') ] x 5,000
[Frisky1ntheFlowers:Alola, hello and Bonjour Gudao! You've gotten quite popular since our last meeting haven't you? ]
[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD): HEY. THAT'S MY SHTICK FRISK! GIT YOUR OWN!!! ]
[Frisky1ntheFlowers:Sorry I left abruptly, My internet reception went wonky, and I couldn't stick around. ]
[Gudao: For 3 years?! ]
[Frisky1ntheFlowers:Yes.]
"I want to say that I'm surprised, but I'm not. Never change Frisk. Never change."
[Frisky1ntheFlowers: Ehe. :teehee emote: ]
Ritsuka shook his head; it was rather nostalgic to see Frisk again, but now wasn't the time.
Hearing his voice, Mash turned to look at him for a moment.
"Master, who are you talking to?"
Ritsuka then remembered he wasn't alone when he was talking to his chat.
"Oh. It's nothing. Just… talking to myself." He couldn't see Mash's face, but he wouldn't be surprised if her face showed emotions that she didn't believe him.
Before she could press further, the universe threw him a bone.
"Kyaaaaaaaa!!"
A girly shriek had interrupted Mash's sprint, forcing her to stop and look to the side, where the source of the noise came from.
"Master. Your orders?"
Ritsuka had to take a moment to adjust his senses, but even after he regained some of his bearings it took him a second to realize Mash was talking to him, it was awkward enough to respond to her when she called him her senpai but hearing her call him master was something he doesn't think he'll get used to. Even so, the situation required that he adapt.
So he did.
"Someone is in danger, we need to go help!"
Mash gave a nod in approval, "very well, hold on, I'm going to use a bit more speed."
"What? No, Mash, wait, you can go ahead; just leave me—"
She sprinted forward, and Ritsuka's stomach lurched forward once again. The sudden acceleration caused his stomach to move inside his body in ways it was not designed to move.
The sudden stop was worse, as he could feel the g-forces cause his eyes to spin in circles, however, even in this state of disarray, he could still spot a girl being cornered by a group of shadows and skeletons.
[She's alive too?! ]
[Do people in Gudao's world not die when they are killed? ]
[Well, if ghosts specialists are to be believed, our world is no better. ]
[IliekQTthings: Oh no! A damsel in distress! Go forth and rescue her, fair knight Mash!! ]
[ShortShorts_QUEEN: She's no damsel, she's a bitch. ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: Agreed. But please still save her, Mash. ]
[ShortShorts_QUEEN: Well, Duh! Just because I don't like her doesn't mean I want her dead! GO MASH GO!! ]
Using every bit of his strength, Ritsuka gave the command, "Go, save her, Mash!"
"Yes, Master!"
She gently placed him down in a safe location, then in a burst of inhuman speed, she launched herself toward the shadows and skeletons.
Ritsuka, seeing Mash was no longer looking at him, decided he couldn't handle it anymore. He violently retched on the broken asphalt.
[Ew. ]
[Can whoever is controlling the camera PLEASE look somewhere else? ]
The camera decided to show some mercy and shifted away from the gagging form of Ritsuka, to the relief of Chat.
The camera zoomed in on the shadow person with a Duskull mask as it was about to kill Olga Marie.
"Save me Lev!!!!"
Lev did not show up, but Mash did.
She crash-landed on top of the assassin, breaking its spine and killing it in the process.
Then, using her shield, she bashed another into a streetlamp.
Mash didn't stop and continued to take down the enemy targets.
[Damn. Look at her go. ]
[Ikr? I never expected the shy and reserved Mash to be such a badass! ]
Mash finished off the assassins, then she let out a roar as she swung her shield in an arc, cutting down the remaining skeleton mooks who were accompanying the shadows.
Mash sighed as she noticed she had defeated her enemies, and she momentarily let her guard down.
"Enemies neutralized. Are you hurt, Director?"
The director, Olga Marie Animusphere, was kneeling on the ground, her golden eyes red and puffy from the tears she shed after being chased. She stared at Mash with a look of recognition, but her eyes lingered on the different appearance she now presented herself with. This cause Olga to hesitate when calling her name.
"Mash, Is that you?"
Mash was relieved to see the Director was unhurt and smiled, "Yes, it's me. I know it may be hard to believe, but I am now a demi-."
"Why?" Olga's voice interrupted Mash's explanation, which caused the self-appointed kohai to pause in surprise.
"Huh?"
"Why did you succeed now of all times?!" The director was glaring daggers at Mash, which made Mash feel insecure about what she would say next.
[ShortShorts_QUEEN: Ugh. I can't STAND this ungrateful, no good nepo baby! She should be thanking Mash for saving her life,
not scolding her! ಠ益ಠ) ]
"Ah, it was because when the master of this servant died, the servant decided to make a contract with me before I died as well. Then, I made a Master Servant contract with my Master… over… there?!" Mash finally took notice of Ritsuka motion sickness, and without warning she rushed to his side, much to Olga's displeasure.
She crouched down and started to rub his back.
Olga stared at the person who Mash was comforting and looked aghast when she recognized it was the public applicant who had fallen asleep during her briefing.
Meanwhile, in the shadows, a figure lurked.
Olga was too preoccupied about the implications of a no name nobody being a master while Mash was too busy helping Ritsuka and completely unaware of the shadow lurking near her.
The only ones who noticed were the people watching the stream.
[Hey, uh you guys see that right? ]
[Yeah, that Duskull fucker is trying to sneak up on Mash ]
[MASH! TURN AROUND. ]
Chat was doing its best to get Mash's attention, but no matter how many caps lock words they typed, their warnings did not reach her ears.
[Damn! She can't see the danger or hear us!! ]
[Gudao!! Stop puking for a second and warn her for us!!! ]
[Gudao: :Gnome Puking Rainbows Emote: ]
[Damn it!! They are gonna die for real at this point! ]
[If only we had some way of letting Gudao and Mash know of the danger!! ]
[Frisky1ntheFlowers(MOD): Ok, I think you guys have been blueballed enough. Here, go nuts! (｡･ω･｡)つ━☆ ✶⋆.˚ ]
[GudakoBot: TTS ENABLED. Please be responsible, or else you might hinder Gudao's journey~ ]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): @Frisky1ntheFlowers(MOD)HUH?!! (⊙_⊙) ]
[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD): @Frisky1ntheFlowers(MOD) Of course, you can make yourself a mod. "(ノ _ <,, ) ]
An abrupt and loud ping caused everyone, even the assassin lurking in the shadows, to jump in surprise.
[TTS: "KicksYouIntheFace193 donated 100 bits." ]
[TTS: "MASH! TO YOUR LEFT! ENEMY!" ]
"Eh!?"
Mash let out a cute gasp in confusion due to the sudden disembodied voice, but she quickly composed herself when she processed what the comment said.
She barely managed to turn around and raise her shield arm fast enough to block a dagger aimed at the back of her neck.
"Cheh." The Black Shadow Assassin said after it saw his attack fail to land.
It quickly adapted and readied itself to kick off Mash's shield to get away.
Unlike last time, however, Mash anticipated this and tilted her shield in a way that prevented the shadow from having stable ground to move how it wanted.
The shadow's foot slipped due to the uneven surface.
It attempted to recover its momentum by using its other foot to kick the shield instead. But due to the awkward angle of the shield, it sent itself crashing on the ground instead.
It tried getting up but did not get a chance to flee as Mash slammed the sharp edge of her shield through the man's torso.
Metal cut through flesh, bone and made a clunk sound as it dug into the asphalt below, effectively bisecting the shadow in two.
Then, she tore away her shield, causing the masked man to let out a groan of pain as the only thing holding its body together was violently ripped away.
Blood sprayed from both halves of the man, staining Mash's shield and one of her cheeks with blood.
The creature let out a final groan before it died and quickly vanished into a flurry of light particles that were swept up by the wind.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
New Usernames:
I'mJustABill: Inventor of many groundbreaking technologies. He more infamously known for developing the pokemon storage system, which made him the eternal enemy of every clan from every region who owns pokemon pastures for renting out to trainers.
It took him years to prove pokemon storage in PC was not pokemon abuse via implementing creature comfort upgrades and the like to his tech.
Lanette34: Bill's colleague in the pokemon storage system.
DragonMasterLance: The current champion of Indigo. He was defeated by both Red and Blue and is now considered the third strongest in Kanto, much to his annoyance.
TheIcePryce: The former Pokemon League Champion before he was dethroned by Lance.
He now serves as the Ice type Gym Leader of Mahogany Town.