Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon

Summary: He'd stay by his side, fight and learn and find out all his secrets, until the day he could eventually be his equal.

Warnings: Spoilers for episodes 1-6

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Clemont was a boy of logic. Certain things did this, other things did that, and (as long as you didn't mess with it) things went smoothly. People were people, Pokémon were Pokémon, people could only do so much, Pokémon could only do so much, one side helped the other, worked it out together, problem solved. Clear and simple.

Don't get him wrong, he liked to mess with logic. He was a scientist, it's what he did. Push and push until he learned something new. So what if things blew up in his face as a result? Logic stated that if he kept trying, eventually something would work. And logic was almost never wrong.

But there was nothing logical about Ash from Pallet Town.

It wasn't very obvious when he first met him. He looked like your average trainer. Sure, it was strange to see someone with a Pikachu perched on his shoulder, but to each their own, right? Pushing that aside, he was like every other trainer he'd met: Adventurous, and itching for a battle. But at the same time, he was so much more than that.

If Clemont was logic, than Ash was emotion. A mood ring, per say. If Pikachu was hurt, Ash was hurt. If Ash was sad, Pikachu was sad. They read each other so well it made Clemont wonder just how they managed to forge such a bond at such a young age, because it wasn't every day you saw someone turn to their Pokémon and talk to them.

All trainers talked to their Pokémon. After all, communication was an essential past of battle. But when Ash was talking to his Pokémon, they talked back. He and Pikachu chattered non-stop, and Clemont sometimes found himself wondering if Ash actually understood what the mouse was saying. But humans couldn't understand Pokémon, right?

But this was Ash, so their was a good chance of it being entirely possible for the strange boy.

And Bonnie was starting to see it too. Her respect for his Pokémon was slowly starting to shift towards the trainer himself, and for the first time ever, he (a scientist!) was starting to feel threatened for his little sisters respect.

But who was a better role model than Ash? Tough, strong, respecting Ash? Not many would willingly fling themselves off a building to protect their Pokémon. He was so kind and caring towards his Pokémon that Clemont realized he wasn't his equal. Not even close.

This was someone who'd lost many battles, who'd fought important battles and didn't win, someone who wasn't afraid of dying.

So he'd stay by his side. He'd fight with him, learn from him, find out all his secrets and all of the pain he'd been through. And, eventually, he hoped to finally get so strong and trusting and brave that he could be his equal. The day he could stand beside Ash and not feel less than him. That day, far into the future, that he was more than prepared to be with him until it came.

After all, it was the only logical thing to do, right?

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