Brave to Dare
A/N: Okay, this one might not be as good as some of the other chapters, but I'm willing to give this a shot.
Let's get on with Chapter 9! Roll it!
Chapter 9
Meeting Again
Ash suddenly felt like he was being constricted inside once the door was slammed closed. He went over to a side entrance and opened the door a little bit. The rain was pouring outside and there were a few officers outside.
"Mayor's orders." The chief said that wasn't Jenny. "Post a guard at every door. The boy is refusing to come along quietly by claiming sanctuary, and there were some charges for extreme vandalism pressed against him. If you see him outside the building, arrest him."
Ash groaned and slammed the door shut. Mayor's orders. Yeah, right. More like Serena's orders. He thought to himself as he stomped out of the spare room, followed by Pikachu and Espurr.
"Don't worry, guys." He said. "If that stuck-up wannabe diva thinks that she can keep us in here, she's dead wrong."
"I would be a little more cautious about Serena if I were you." A male voice said, catching Ash's attention. He turned to the side and saw Clemont and Bonnie wiping down the elevator doors and buttons, cleaning them to a pristine shine.
"You made quite a show at the Exhibition." Bonnie said. "We saw it all on TV."
Clemont smiled briefly at his sister before turning to Ash. "It's not a good idea to make Serena even more angry." He said.
"She may seem like a pretty little flower on the outside, but on the inside, she's a monster." Bonnie added.
That much, Ash can certainly agree on. "You both saw what happened at the Exhibition." He said. "That girl being humiliated in front of everyone, and no one doing squat about it! I thought if just one person could stand up for her, maybe-" He abruptly stopped his rant before huffing in disdain. "What do people have against those who are different?"
Clemont and Bonnie only shrugged as they came over to him. It was definitely an age-old question, and it hasn't been solved fully even after all this time.
"People are just afraid of what they don't understand." Clemont answered as best as he could. "Besides, you can't fix everything wrong in this world by yourself."
"Well, no one out there is gonna help, that's for sure." Ash said, jabbing his thumb towards the main doors of the tower.
"Well, maybe there's someone in here, besides us, who can." Bonnie suggested. "If anyone wants to go head-to-head with Serena, they need an army."
"Or someone who can reveal her greatest weakness." Clemont added. He and Bonnie then headed towards a different part of the first floor. "Feel free to explore the tower." He said. "This place is now your haven."
Then the two of them went off into a hallway, leaving Ash and the two Pokémon alone in the main foyer.
Ash knew that he was stuck here, and he intended on getting out. But how?
"What do you think, guys?" He asked the Pokémon next to him. "If we look around, maybe there's a way that we can get out of here."
Pikachu and Espurr voiced their agreements. Then, they followed Ash into the elevator.
Hiding in one of the rooms on the top floor of Prism Tower, Iris was weeping, quietly and uncontrollably. This must've been the worst day ever. She blew her chance to get some acceptance and respect, and now, she felt like she could never step out of this place ever again.
Just then, there was a loud crash coming from outside the room. Iris stopped crying and quietly peeked out of the room. She slowly went out of the room and started to investigate.
There was a rumbling sound coming from one of the other spare rooms. Iris took a quick look inside and saw Ash trying to open the window. After a few more seconds of struggling, he threw his sore hands up in frustration.
"Come on!" He exclaimed before sliding down to the floor, hugging his knees. "How is there not one freaking window unlocked in this stupid tower?"
Pikachu and Espurr went over to them and rubbed their faces against his legs to comfort him. Immediately, Ash felt a lot better better, and he petted both of them on their heads gently.
"Thanks, guys." He said. "At least I'm not stuck here alone."
Iris watched the touching scene with warm eyes. This was also cheering her up as well. But when she looked a little further out to get a better look, she lost her balance and fell face-first on the floor.
Ash and the two Pokémon slightly jumped up when they saw her. Iris felt her face flushing and she quickly left the room.
"Wait!" Ash called after her as he started to follow her out of the room and into the many hallways. "Hang on, I just want to talk!"
From in Iris' room, her Pokémon were listening to the ruckus that was outside. Emolga decided to glide around and see what was going on from the ceiling. She soon spotted her Trainer running away from a male Trainer, followed by a Pikachu and an Espurr.
The Electric and Flying type was a little confused about her Trainer's actions. Why would she be running from such a handsome human boy like this one? If this was an idea of playing hard to get, then she is trying way too hard.
Eventually, when Iris stopped to catch her breath, Ash finally managed to catch up with her. "Whew. I was afraid I almost lost you there for a second."
Iris whirled around to look at him. "Yeah, um…. Look, I have a lot of stuff to do, so, I, um, have to go. I-It was nice s-seeing you, a-again." She stuttered. She turned away and started running again, mentally hitting her head against a brick wall. Real smooth, Iris. She thought dryly. Above them, watching the awkward scene, Emolga slapped her paw against her head.
"No, wait!" Ash called, continuing his chase. "You don't have to run. I was the one, who…." He trailed off when he realized that he had chased Iris into a room that looked like someone was living in it. Despite the many shadows against the walls, the setting sunlight drifted through a window, allowing some natural light in.
"You live here?" He asked aloud, hoping that Iris had heard him.
Iris shyly peeked out of her hiding spot behind some crates. "Yes." She answered.
Ash curiously looked around. "You know, for someone who lives alone and who is my age, this place is actually pretty nice."
Iris felt her scarred cheeks heat up again. "You really think so?" She asked.
"Yeah." Ash replied. "For someone who sometimes has to sleep in a drafty cave, I've learned not to take places for granted. It may not be a hotel room, but it sure beats sleeping on a hard stone floor."
Iris slowly came out of her hiding place. "You must've had a lot of experience to know that." She said.
Ash shrugged. "Well, experience is something that changes people." He responded.
Just then, Emolga swooped in and handed on Ash's head, making the raven-haired Trainer laugh. "Well, hi there!" He greeted cheerfully.
Emolga returned the greeting just as cheerful. Ash raised a head and began petting the little Pokémon behind her ears. "This Emolga yours?" He asked Iris.
Iris nodded. "Yep, she is." She answered.
Emolga then jumped off Ash's hat and landed on one of the crates. "What other Pokémon do you have?" He asked Iris.
"I have an Excadrill." She said. "And you already know Axew and Dragonite." Ash nodded.
Just then, Axew and Excadrill came out of their own hiding spots to greet Ash. The 17-year-old boy laughed and began introducing himself, Pikachu and Espurr. Iris smiled at the scene that was unfolding in front of her. Ash then turned to her.
"You're really an interesting person, Iris." He said. Iris felt her face go warm at the thought of him remembering her name. "Not to mention, lucky." He gestured to all around him. "All this space to yourself."
"Well, it's not just me." Iris said bashfully. "There's also my Pokémon. If you like, I can show you around."
Ash smiled. "Sure, why not?"
Iris returned his smile. "Come on, then. I'll give you an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of Prism Tower." Then both teenagers headed out of the room, with their Pokémon followed suit.
Iris never felt this happy in her life. She showed Ash all the vents that she used to sneak around the tower, whether to get food or for another reason. Ash had asked why she had to be secretive, but he quickly realized why. Iris looked like she had been abused, and she didn't want to cause a ruckus all over her since she was a shy and secretive person. But the more he got to know her, she seemed to open up more.
Finally, they had reached the very top of the tower. "I've saved the best for last." Iris said, no longer shy, even going as far as taking Ash's hand, not that he minded. She seemed like she really needed a true friend after being alone for so many years.
Iris guided Ash to the railings and they both looked out to the horizon. The setting sun turned the sky red and orange, with a tinge of purple. All the other buildings looked so small from their position.
"Wow." Ash whispered, breathless. "I bet only Flying types have a view like this." He said. "I can stay up here forever."
Iris turned to face him. The sunlight was lighting up his face, making his eyes and skin glow with a brightness that only an angel can possess. Now it was getting darker, it looked like his wild raven hair was even darker than the night sky itself.
"You could, you know?" She whispered. She certainly wouldn't mind if Ash stayed here with her.
Ash turned away from the railing. "No, I can't." He said. "I have a home, back in Kanto."
Iris' spirits sank. She mentally kicked herself for being selfish for even a few seconds. Of course he had a home! And it wasn't here.
"But you claimed sanctuary here, right?" She asked.
Ash nodded bitterly. "Only so that Serena would leave me alone."
Iris raised an eyebrow. Serena forced him to claim sanctuary? "Serena wouldn't do that." She said. "She's my friend."
Now it was Ash's turn to raise his own brow. "Serena is your friend?" He asked. "How can such a stuck-up girl like her be friends with someone like you?"
"She may seem full of herself, but she's really the only friend I've ever had in my life." Iris explained.
Ash only nodded, understanding why Iris is defending her. Serena was the only friend she ever had beside her Pokémon and himself.
"Besides, everyone at school thinks I'm a freak." Iris continued as she too moved away from the railing and walked towards the building wall. "Now everyone knows why."
Ash came over to her. "I don't think you're a freak." He said, making her look up at him with wide eyes. "I think you're a pretty cool person, and it doesn't matter that you look different."
Iris blushed pink when she continued listening to Ash. "Back home, I was thought that I was weird, too. A lot of the kids made fun of me because I wasn't the brightest student in school and that I preferred hanging out with Pokémon instead of other kids my age.
"But then I realized something while I was on my journeys." He said. "I learned that it doesn't matter what other people think of me. What matters is what I think of myself. I learned that I can be stubborn, reckless, rash, but I care about my friends and my Pokémon." He then looked at her directly in the eyes.
"What about you, Iris?" He asked. "What do you think of yourself? Who are you, and who do you want to be?"
A/N: I think this is a good enough cliffhanger. What do you think?
Okay, I gotta go now. Until Chapter 10, I'll see y'all! Please leave a review about what you think.
Got to fly! ;)
