Chapter 98: Hidden Heroine
[Ash is a little angry.]
Seeing the illustration of Morgan pouting angrily on the game screen, Eikou was left speechless.
"Aiya, looks like you've pissed off doctor Ash,"
Gawain, who was watching, said,
"Sir Eikou, you need to quickly increase your affection with her, otherwise your adventure later on will become extremely troublesome!"
"?"
Eikou thought to himself, why the hell do I have to grind affection with her in this game, isn't this supposed to be a Pokémon knockoff, not a damn Galgame?
"Then what happens if my relationship with her gets worse?" – he asked curiously.
"Consequences? You have to know, in the game's setting, doctor Ash is an extremely persistent woman, capable of instantly returning every bit of humiliation she receives, and will haunt that person for life…"
Gawain said with a serious expression,
"If you anger her, she'll not only confiscate your Servant dex, but also send her subordinates to constantly harass you. If pushed to the edge, she'll even forcibly summon the legendary Divine Beast, Cernunnos, to personally stop you from becoming the League champion!"
This isn't Professor Oak's role anymore, this is clearly the leader of Team Rocket instead!
This doctor Ash was completely designed based on Morgan's real-life persona!
"..."
Having heard that much, it seemed best to increase her affection a bit after all.
Eikou moved the joystick, choosing the option to appease her.
[Ash is a little angry.]
[But under your patient words, her mood improves slightly.]
On the screen, Morgan's illustration smiled again, and the affection bar above her head rose higher.
Like Pokémon?
No, this is clearly a galgame!
Ash: [I have forgiven your previous rude behavior.]
[Saber, Lancer, Archer… those three weak Servants are unworthy to be your companions, so I'll be confiscating those Holy Relics.]
"Great, none of the three starters are available to me, so what kind of Master am I supposed to be? Am I supposed to go fight the Gym Leaders barehanded or something?"
Eikou complained while staring at doctor Ash in the game.
[Don't worry, I will still grant you a Caster Servant far stronger than them!]
Ash suddenly spoke in a very serious tone.
"What now, there's another route beyond the three starters?" Eikou asked blankly.
Everyone watching him play clapped their hands in unison.
"Congratulations, Sir Eikou, you've unlocked the hidden route without checking the guide!"
"Hidden route?"
Gawain narrowed his eyes and explained, "As long as you raise doctor Ash's affection to a certain level, she'll let the player choose an additional Holy Relic, allowing them to enter the hidden heroine route — a path completely separate from the three starters. That's right, it's the girl from Fuyuki who's never appeared as a heroine before—"
Wait a minute, could it be the legendary hidden heroine, Caster Illya?!
Eikou was genuinely shocked to his core.
He truly couldn't believe it — a shabby Pokémon-style game like this actually had the abandoned Illya route from FSN, this was a miracle even Kinoko "GOD" Nasu himself wouldn't dare dream of!
"That's right, she is——"
Gawain solemnly declared,
"Jaguar Man!"
Wait, that's not Illya at all?!
"Gawain, what's wrong with your head, Jaguar-sensei is a Lancer, and honestly, I don't think she's qualified to be the heroine anyway…"
"But if we're talking about a hidden heroine, it should obviously be Mrs. Irisviel, right?" – Tristan interjected.
Stop longing for another man's wife, you Lancelot!
Eikou looked speechlessly at his friends, then turned back to watch the in-game dialogue.
"But still, this kind of development really has a great atmosphere, it reminds me of the very first episode of Pokémon."
In his memory, the protagonist Ash missed his chance to choose the three starter Pokémon because he was late, but Professor Oak gave him a unique Pikachu instead — that kind of different setup truly suited the righteous, adventurous spirit of a young boy.
Moreover, having Illya — someone outside the three starters — as his companion gave him the ultimate feeling of a "chosen destiny"!
[That's right, the Caster Servant who will accompany you on your adventure——]
Ash pointed to her own cheek, smiling confidently,
[Is me, ASH!!!]
"?"
[Take my Holy Lance, and together we'll reach the title of Champion of the Holy Grail League!]
"Wait a minute!!!"
It wasn't Illya, nor Fujimura Taiga, but she herself was joining the battle?!
This is way too special! Not Pikachu, but Professor Oak personally going on an adventure with Ash?!
Eikou instantly selected the dialogue option, "Something feels off here?"
[What, you managed to notice this strange feeling so quickly…?]
Doctor Ash appeared with a surprised expression.
"Well of course! Any normal person would realize something's wrong the moment they saw this!" – Eikou shouted.
[Alright, I get asked about this a lot…]
After a while, she finally decided to tell the truth:
[Someone asked me why my current class is Berserker. The truth is, I was never a Caster to begin with.]
Who the hell asked you that? This woman's brain is clearly on a completely different wavelength!
"Sir Eikou, how in the world did you do that,"
Seeing the scene, all his friends stood up straight, showing deep respect.
"To start your journey alongside doctor Ash herself — this is the hidden route that no one has ever managed to unlock before!"
"Is a weird hidden route like this really something worth unlocking?"
Eikou sighed.
He already knew — whether in real life or in a game, there was no escaping Morgan's black-hole-like gravitational pull.
[Ash looks at you with eyes that wish to become companions…]
[Do you accept her as your companion?]
[Agree or joyfully accept]
Alright, so there's literally no option to refuse.
At this point, Eikou wasn't even surprised anymore — might as well just continue the story.
[The two of you have formed a contract.]
[Shake left… shake right… shake left again…]
[Very good, you've been caught by Ash!]
"So I'm the one being caught?!"
[After forming the contract, it's Ash's turn to name you.]
What the hell, this part is completely reversed — normally, it's the Trainer who names the Pokémon! Are they seriously treating me like the one being captured?!
But fortunately, the game still allowed him to enter his own name.
Reasonably guessing, this must be the tutorial section where players input the protagonist's name.
"Mochizuki Eikou…"
He typed in,
"Nickname's Eikou, just call me Eikou."
A heart symbol appeared in Ash's eyes: [My husband!]
The naming section was completely ignored!
"I entered a nickname and she didn't use a single word of it, skipped it entirely and just called me 'husband'? Is this woman in the game to compete for the Holy Grail League Champion, or to play matchmaker?!"
...