Restless, he stands.
Quietly, he leaves the room,
And goes for a midnight stroll.
All alone, hands in his pockets, he wanders aimlessly.
He could be taking in the magnificent sites around him.
But the beauty of nightfall in Unova escapes him.
Why?
Because by coming here, he lost his best friend.
His secret crush.
His amazingly wonderful,
Terribly straight,
Love.
Sighing, he rubs his hands through his unkempt black hair.
"I'll never abandon you,"
They'd once said to each other.
But here they are.
One in Unova, still following the dream he began long ago
Of his rise to victory, becoming the ultimate master.
The other studying medicine,
Dropping his former pursuit of becoming a master breeder
To help the ill and injured.
Honorable, yes.
But Ash resented it nonetheless.
If Brock had never turned that
They would still be traveling together.
And as much as he wishes he could get over his crush,
He cannot.
It crushes him,
Suffocates him,
Until all that is left is a husk,
Going through the motions, hoping in vain for a chance.
Even though Brock has eyes for women alone.
Looking up, Ash realized he was back where he started.
After all of their journeys,
He was stuck at square one.
Possibly forever.