Blossomverse Game Show
is a oneshot in the Blossomverse written in 2022 by Crossoverpairinglover and hosted by Exotos. The premise being Chloe on the Infinity Train being forced to watch Ash and Goh compete on a Charity Game Show with the intent of finding her.
In 2023 a sequel oneshot, itself a Fusion Fic A.U with another oneshot, Ash Goes Missing, was released, this time hosted by Cross himself set after the events of the titular game show. It can be read here.
This fanfic, original and sequel, contains instances of:
- Adaptational Sympathy: One of the biggest changes the game show makes to the original story is allowing Ash and Goh to tell their stories at the same time Chloe was telling hers. Since the boys were able to tell the world outright that they regretted the way things worked out between them and Chloe, and wanted to make up for it- and since the MC casually revealed that Chloe had also contributed to the fight that led to her disappearance- they came across as goodhearted, mature young men, and earned a lot more sympathy than they received in the main Blossomverse. This is most notable with Goh- for most of Blossoming Trail, Goh was ripped apart by the Internet at large as the primary architect of Chloe’s misery, and even when the hatred died down, it was mostly because “
Not even he deserved all that.” The public gets a much different view of him after he pushes himself to his absolute limits to help find Chloe and help as many missing people as possible. By the last few hours, people were literally calling into the show and paying him to take breaks so he wouldn’t hurt himself in his exhaustion. - Age Lift: Ash, Goh, and Chloe are 16.
- Ambiguously Bi: Chloe's views on the matter are a bit up for debate. In story she acknowledges that Lexi has (probably) checked her out and she's flattered, while she also is pretty quick to comment that several of Ash's female companions who are involved in the show are attractive or pretty. None of the points, however, clearly define if Chloe leans one way or another or both ways.
- Announcer Chatter: The announcer of the titular game show is as chatty as they're invested in the show, and they're very invested.
- Author Appeal: Ash catches a Ralts, a Pokemon that Crossoverpairinglover likes to give him in his stories whenever he can.
- Damned by Faint Praise: While realizing the possibility that the game show might punctuate the contestants’ victories with air horns, Chloe did not like the thought of only getting to sleep while Ash Ketchum was failing- and “also Goh, if he didn’t flail around too badly.” As it turned out, Goh didn’t have as much trouble as she thought he would- in fact, he ended up leading the competition for quite some time!
- Freudian Trio: Lexi, Atticus, and Chloe represent the Id, Superego, and Ego respectively in their reactions to the events of the gameshow. Lexi has the most raw emotional viewpoint, seeing the entire thing as a display more about the boys egos than actually helping as Chloe is impossible to find due to being on the Infinity Train. Atticus recognizes their good intentions and how they have no way of knowing they can't find Chloe, but in turn could and do help others in the meantime. Chloe is in between, feeling both the raw aggravation of seeing the two she hates so much lauded for the very things about them she can't stand, but also unable to write off the real good they are doing.
- Hero of Another Story: Being forced to watch Ash and Goh compete on the titular game show serves as an unwanted reminder to Chloe that they are actually this. Just because they were unable to help her doesn't mean that they haven't helped many other people… And just because Chloe feels that the field of Pokémon is overrated and pales in comparison to the Infinity Train doesn't mean that the entire world will come to agree with her.
- Karmic Jackpot: Ash and Goh might be appearing on the titular show to raise money and awareness for missing people, but they are still accomplishing very notable feats, and so earn the rewards that come with them. By the end credits, Goh might be dead on his feet, but he's up nearly a hundred Pokémon and obtained several rewards including new shoes and several Apricorn Pokeballs. Ash has apparently set a record for the most extreme one-day rise in rank in World Coronation Series history with ten victories, caught a Ralts, and earned multiple Z-Crystals and Mega Stones in that same time period. And none of that even touches on the unspecified prizes the show itself promised for lasting the entire 24 hours!
- Klatchian Coffee: Lusamine apparently brews a blend of coffee so powerful that Ash, having drunk it once in Alola, kept him up and energized for an entire day and somehow led him to end up on a different Alolan island than when he started after it wore off. This coffee, called 'Lusamine's Aether Amazing Experience', was made with material from a different dimension and is considered a registered substance in some territories. Goh seemingly doesn't go for it when Ash suggests trying some about halfway through to help his flagging stamina.
- Mythology Gag:
- Many of the participants who offer Ash and Goh challenges for charity are characters from the series decades long history both major (such as the Battle Frontier Brains and Drake from the Orange Islands) to minor (such as Clayton from Sinnoh and Edmund the Rain Man).
- A Car that makes the visitor sleep for a week had previously featured in Akuma Numerology.
- Tulip also had to deal with a Fart Car in the original Infinity Train show.
- The Ralts Ash captured appears to be the same one he captured in Infinity Train: Seeker of Crocus, specifically in the Oak Lore sidestory written by Cross.
- The Professor who calls in to identify Chloe's status as being in another dimension, Professor Allegro, appears to be the same person as Lita's mother from Infinity Train: Cherry Bloodlines and Orange Rose Gathering, though there is no word if Lita exists in this continuity or if she's still Ash's paternal half sister.
- Noodle Incident: Chloe references her experiences in several unseen Cars, including one that made her fall asleep for a week and one that involved farts.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Most of Ash and Goh's many achievements are out of sight as most focus is on Chloe, Lexi, and Atticus reacting to things than seeing what they are up to.
- Shout-Out: Chloe is quick to catch that the car they are in is very much based on Mystery Science Theater 3000, including forcing them to watch something on threat of gas. Chloe herself has watched the series, though has struggled to get into it properly, and experiencing it for herself as a captive audience watching Ash and Goh be awesome did not help.
- Tempting Fate: Once Chloe understands that the Car she’s currently visiting is set up like Mystery Science Theater, she’s confident that she can handle whatever’s headed her way. Whether she watched her family crying tears of remorse, or her bullies celebrating her disappearance, there was no way a simple theater could top her experiences in the other Cars she’d visited! Then Ash and Goh walked onscreen to a round of applause…
- Underestimating Badassery: Chloe assumes that Ash would dominate the Charity Game Show by virtue of being the double champion Ash Ketchum. In fact, Goh leads for the majority of the broadcast, as a lot of Goh's challenges paid out more and were quicker to do, on top of Ash often looking to meet and battle with old friends over points. Ash only won at the end when his charity match with Leon brought in millions.
Tropes exclusive to the sequel include:
- Adaptation Expansion: Several additional challenges are added, mostly set in Paldea
- Adaptation Name Change: Goh's last name is Forward in this story instead of Fujihachi.
- Demoted to Extra: While Chloe had been the point of view character in the original, she is now The Ghost, with the viewpoint being from Goh's perspective.
- Fusion Fic: One between two previous oneshots, as well as either Infinity Train: Cherry Bloodlines or Orange Rose Gathering.
- Hidden Depths: Ash is actually rather familiar with the Scarlet-Violet books and is able to explain them to Goh when he's confused by their contents.
- Kubrick Stare: Ash's Hisuian Zorua's default expression to anyone he doesn't trust. Goh even asks Ash if Zorua ever blinks.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Goh's explanation of what happened with Chloe during the game show gave the school all they needed to just expel Chloe and wipe their hands of the mess. Though as Professor Cerise notes, they were probably going to find out about the curry incident anyway, so it was basically inevitable.
