Twenty Questions

Fandom: Pokémon XY (Anime)
Genre: Romance
Summary: A compilation of vignettes showing Ash and Clemont's relationship develop through a series of questions, from friendship to infatuation to something more. Fluff, drama, Diodeshipping, mostly Clemont-centric POV, equal parts Season 17 and post-XY speculation, almost all chapters rated for general audiences except where noted.
Current Rating (subject to change): K
Warnings: Dub names and boys' love

Author's Note: This story has been in the works for a long time— in fact, some of these chapters began as the very first Diodeshipping scenes I ever tried to write! Basically, I wanted to show the slow evolution of Ash and Clemont's relationship over time, and present my hopefully-plausible headcanon for how they could end up together (in a universe that is very nearly the one presented in the dub, with some minor tweaks here and there for the sake of artistic & romantic license).

This fic is still largely experimental because it represents a departure from my usual writing style, but in the end, I do hope someone out there enjoys reading all of my mushy fangirl feelings for these boys. That said, on with the show!

Initial, Part 1: Sight

"Big brother? What are you staring at?"

Clemont hadn't really heard Bonnie's question at first. All of his thoughts were still focused on the person who had just strolled confidently through the hustle and bustle surrounding Prism Tower, right into the center of the plaza.

He was a Pokémon trainer and he was here to challenge the Lumiose City gym, that much Clemont could tell— from the pack on his back to the Pikachu perched comfortably on his shoulder to the way his eyes were fixed intently on the double-wide doors leading to the very heart of the tower. Clemont had probably seen hundreds like him before (though usually under different circumstances), so at first he wasn't really sure why this particular trainer had been so quick to catch his eye. Something about his appearance and mannerisms marked him as a foreigner, Clemont supposed. Maybe it was his gait, or his clothes, or the way he swung his arms. Or maybe...

The trainer had stopped walking, just a few paces in front of the siblings. For the space of a heartbeat he stood there, straight-backed and still, sizing up the full height of the tower— as if, in that brief instant, he was considering challenging the building itself to a battle, to see which one of them would crumble first. But then the moment passed. The trainer bounded forward, running the rest of the way toward his goal, throwing open the doors leading inside...

And then he was gone.

"Clemont?"

Clemont snapped back to himself. "S-sorry, Bonnie. I was… distracted."

If Bonnie noticed the slight tremor in his voice, she didn't say anything. "You saw that boy with the Pikachu, right?"

Clemont nodded. Would it have even been possible to miss him?

"Do you think he'll be OK in there?" She looked worried, and Clemont knew she was just as concerned for the trainer's Pokémon as she was for the trainer himself.

Clemont considered this. The boy looked like he could handle himself, no doubt, but since the situation inside the tower was most definitely outside Clemont's control, nothing was guaranteed— and besides, he still had no idea how he was going to get either of them back into the gym anyway. But he could tell, somehow, that it was important for him to be here. It was important for both of them to be right here, just in case his suspicions were correct. If the boy wasn't from around here, if he had just arrived in Kalos, if he didn't have any badges to his name... Clemont was unsure about so many things right now, but after laying eyes on that trainer, there was at least one thing he knew with absolute, unwavering certainty.

There was no way he was going to let his foolish mistake break someone with such indomitable spirit.

"If you help me keep an eye out, I'm sure there's something we can do for him," Clemont said with a reassuring smile. "C'mon, Bonnie, let's go."

And so Clemont, possessed of a new purpose, readjusted his own pack and began to walk right up to the base of the tower, Bonnie trotting along determinedly in his wake.