Disclaimer: My name's certainly not affiliated with Pokémon –not unless I want to be sued .
Story: Modern world, hybrid AU. Ash Ketchum was a Persian hybrid that worked at a crazy café with her crazy boss Colress. She really didn't want to get entangled with the likes of Giovanni, Cyrus, Maxie, and Archie in their bid to create as many chaos in her life as they could.
Set as an AU.
Spoilers: Nope.
Warnings: Perverts, raunchy humor, weird humor, craziness, etc…
Pairings: BurntLedgerShipping

Kitty Claws
Chapter One: Kitty Kat!

Ash grumbled to herself, hating how the time seem to whittle away slowly. She was going to be late to her job. Again. Damn it all.

And to make it worse she had to use the bullet train to get there.

If anyone told you that the stereotyping of perverts around trains was just that –a stereotype –they're absolutely lying.

Her ears twitched in aggravation and the thought made her tail curl around her waist. She'd only been groped like 10 times over the past days! She swore she'd deck the next person that did it; and she meant 'person' too. Women could be just as bad!

Especially that crazy Purrloin hybrid that took this same train –Jupiter Hollister or something.

Honestly, Ash couldn't remember when she was too busy trying to escape from the purple-headed menace's grip.

Looking at the watch on her wrist, she knew she was just in time for the Japan Railway Yamanote Line's train to come in. She'd get on and then be on her way to Shinjuku, where her job was located.

The bullet train came in and she hurried in with the rush of the crowd, grumbling to herself at the press of bodies pushing up against her at all sides. She protectively curled her tail around her waist, and tried to not be jostled around too much.

She glanced around quickly and sighed in relief at not seeing the usual Purrloin stalker. However, the other quick stares (and some disgusted glances) made her cringe and slightly curl into herself.

Not only did she have to deal with the crowded train, but she also had to deal with those prejudiced jerks too…

At a particular jostle, she stumbled back and hit her shoulder against the side of the train. Mewling under her breath unhappily, she was surprised and wary when a hand touched her other shoulder. But whoever it was only helped right her, and when she looked up and saw who her helper was, she blinked and stared.

He was a foreigner, she was sure. Tanned skin and dark eyes, brown slicked back hair, and wearing a suit like almost everyone else on the train (meaning he was probably a salaryman). He was definitely taller than her, but that wasn't hard for anyone to be. She was stupidly short and she didn't care if she constantly pouted about that.

"Watch your step," he murmured, and she nodded quickly, her ears pressing down on her head.

Still, her fur rose in anxiety by his close proximity, and she spent the majority of the train ride being bothered by his presence.

Near the end, figuring she was home free, she had almost relaxed when suddenly a hand heavily landed on her head. She slowly turned her head and saw the man from before gazing out the window, but his arm was clearly stretched out and it was definitely his hand that was on her head.

"What are you –"

Before she could finish her incredulous questioning, his hand moved and then she realized he was petting her.

Worse still? She started purring. Of all things that had to happen then, when he started petting her head, a rumble started from her chest and then moved up, and then she was starting to purr.

She was embarrassed as all hell.

And clearly so was he, by the hint of red on his cheeks. Thankfully, the train stopped and she realized she had to get off then. When the doors opened, she rushed out of there, with a red face and refusing to look back.

Why did she have a feeling this day was going to be one of the worse days in her life?

Ash rushed the rest of the way to her job, knowing that if she slowed down she'd be late. Her legs burning, she managed the last push and rushed through the doors of the café.

"You're late," Misty, a Vaporeon hybrid, told her dryly.

"Nuh uh!" Ash stuck her tongue out. "I am not!"

She looked at her watch and started to pout. She was late by five minutes, damn it! She could've sworn that she was making good time on her way there.

"Is my kitty cat here?" a familiar voice asked excitedly.

Ash rolled her eyes and took a step back, just as the owner of the café tossed himself at her, missing her by inches and landing on his front on the floor.

"Aw, Ash-kitty, that wasn't nice~" her eccentric boss sighed.

"Colress!" Misty slapped her tail against his blond head. "Will you quit it already? And quit bothering Ash especially!"

"You're mean, Misty," Colress smiled widely, before turning to Ash. "Ah, sorry, sorry. You know I'm always happy when my favorite Persian hybrid comes."

"I'm the only Persian hybrid in Japan, or at least in Tokyo," Ash said in amusement. "I'm sure I'm the only one you know."

"Which makes you special," Colress finally got up from the floor, patting himself down. "Go get dressed in the back. You already have a customer, even though I told him you wouldn't start your shift until around now. He's been waiting for around 15 minutes, I think?"

Ash looked at him in surprise, but nodded. "Okay, I'll get dressed. Could you tell him to wait for a little while longer, so I can get dressed in my uniform?"

"Of course," Colress reached out and fondly patted her head. "Do good work today!"

Ash beamed happily at him. "Okay!"

She walked passed him and headed to the back, where she found her dressing room. One of the great things about this café was that it was able to afford dressing rooms for every hybrid working there.

Currently, there was Misty, who (as a Vaporeon hybrid) had glistening blue skin, the scales winding up and down her body in swirling patterns. There was a dark blue spiky ridge going along her spine, meeting from her neck to the end of her tail. She had a white ruff around her neck, as well as a ridge on her forehead. Her tail actually ended in a split fin.

There was also Dawn, who was a Piplup hybrid. The penguin-like girl had a smooth beak, with light blue feathers lining her arms and legs, as well as dark blue feathers mixing with her dark blue hair, and then moving down her neck and looking like a cape, and then further covering her back.

Ash also was friends with May, a Torchic hybrid, and Iris, an Axew hybrid who had started a little after Ash had at the café (although Ash had been one of the first hired).

May was also avian-like, with a mix of orange and yellow feathers, with a particularly noticeable tuff on top of her head and around her brown hair.

Iris, on the other hand, had more reptilian grayish-green skin, almost scaly. There were two small tusks protruding from the sides of her mouth, and a tall, curved horn near the top of the back of her head. She also had a short, rounded snout for a nose.

The last of the workers there was a newbie who had just started working that week -a Fennekin hybrid named Serena. Her large yellow ears were pointed and resting nicely on top of honey brown hair, with dark orange tuffs of hair nestling in the inside of them. Yellow fur lined her body, and her nose was pointed and black, elongated from her face and on top of a white muzzle. From her cheeks, white hair lengthened to the sides.

They all had different personalities, but Ash liked all of them and made friends with each girl. It was lucky enough to find so many hybrids in one place, more so that they could even find work and work together at that.

Knowing she had limited time, Ash grabbed her uniform and quickly changed to it. The French Maid outfit was silly, but part of the job description.

After all, one doesn't just work at a cosplay restaurant without cosplaying.

Started 12/9/14 – Completed 12/9/14 (Part I)
Started 12/11/14 – Completed 12/11/14 (Part II)

A/n: Eh, this was originally two parts, but Google Docs lies about word count so I had to combine the first two chapters to make it longer. It's still not long enough for my standards. Oh well. Anyway, this is an branch story for the IPI collaboration part. I hope every enjoyed the beginning, and please leave a review!