Chapter Ten: Titanium
Ash knew that what he was doing is stupid and dangerous. He shouldn't have left the campsite, despite carrying his team, Pikachu perched on the hybrid's shoulder, something just felt amiss. Almost like something wasn't meant to be there. Ash took a deep breath and ignored it, and kept walking along the path back to Lumiose City.
It was pitch black out, making it difficult for a normal human to see. That is when Ash mentally laughed, he has slight night vision abilities that his Pokémon half blessed him with. Dodging tree roots, rocks and other trip hazards were a breeze, which he wished was the same for his fishing abilities.
What happened to that? He used to do it in his mother's pond in the back yard, she had to stop purchasing new fish, as Ash would keep fishing them out. The memory brought a smile to his face, why couldn't he have been acting like a hybrid from the start? Was it really as bad as he thought? Come to think of it, he realized that humans tend to fear what they don't understand.
Who could blame them? Ash is very different, but shouldn't they at least give him the time of day? But at the same time, should Ash even care at all? They are strangers after all, why worry about them accepting him, when he should be worrying about changing for the better for himself, not for others? Isn't his happiness just as important?
He knew he was selfless to a fault; he would help anyone in need, no matter what their ulterior motive would be. It was a blessing, as well as a curse, Ash could try to be selfish, but no matter how hard he tried, selfishness evades him. Not that it was horrible, but Ash would like to not worry about others so much, just so that he could focus on himself for once.
'Pikapi, chu ka pi?" (Ash, are you ok?)
"Yeah, buddy. I'm fine, just thinking about things."
"Chu pika?" (Like what?)
"What I have done in the past, wondering if I made the right decisions."
"Pika pi pika chu ka Pikapi." (The past is past, Ash.) Pikachu squeaked, leveling its tale to remain perched on his master's shoulder, "Pi ka chu chu ka pikachu pi ka cha." (It doesn't matter anymore.)
"I know it doesn't, buddy. But… I realized what I was doing is just as wrong as what others have done to me."
"Pi ka?" (How so?)
"I'm changing me, because they'll accept humans. But they're still not accepting me, and I think it is because I am changing me." Ash explained, "If I change myself, I won't be happy. They won't be happy either." Ash sighed, "I think it's time for me to stop forcing myself to change for them. I need to accept myself, who I am, and what I am."
"Pika pi pikachu pi pi chu chu ka, Pikapi?" (What about the league, Ash?)
"I know the risks. I know that they could revoke my license, they could catch me and experiment on me, I also know that they could take you all away from me." This made Pikachu's fur stand on end. Take him away from his master? Why would they do such a thing?
"Chu pi?" (But why?)
"Because to them, even though I have some human in me, I am a Pokémon. Pokémon can't… they can't be trainers, it's socially unacceptable." Ash shook his head, "It just comes to show just how different humans and Pokémon really are. I'm surprised that you even wanted to stay my Pokémon… my partner."
"Pikachu cha pi kachu, Pikapi." (You are different, Ash.) Pikachu spoke, "Ka chu, pika cha chu pi pikachu." (Besides, you looked very lonely.) It wasn't a lie, when Ash stepped in front of Pikachu to protect it from the flock of incoming Spearow, the yellow mouse saw the sincerity and loneliness in his voice, posture and his eyes. Pikachu was lonely too, it was also an outcast, just like Ash was.
When Pikachu was part of its little Pikachu clan, his fellow Pikachu saw him as dangerous. Pikachu are very gentle, and definitely not supposed to like battling. But Pikachu would train every day, to make itself stronger. It got to the point that poor Pikachu was abandoned by his clan, leaving him alone in Viridian Forest. After a few days of travelling, and running from trainers, he ran into the Oak enclosure, and hid beneath the lab. He was then found by an old man, who was looking for something that was interfering with his electronics. Of course, Pikachu was hungry, and sapped of electricity, so chewing on wires was a solution for the time being. He was then caught against his will, by none other than Professor Oak.
Now, don't get the mouse wrong, he doesn't hate the Professor. Maybe at the time, but now he was glad the old man had caught him, for if he hadn't, Pikachu wouldn't have met Ash. He wouldn't have been able to traverse the world, battle powerful foes, meet legendary Pokémon, and making their unbreakable bond even stronger than before.
"Well, I still want to thank you." Ash replied, "Out of all my friends, you are the one who stuck by me, through my good and bad days." Pikachu squeaked in happiness as Ash scratched beneath its chin, "Now, let's hurry to Lumiose, so that we can get back to camp as soon as possible. Besides, you don't want to keep Serena waiting."
…
The sun has just begun to rise when Ash and Pikachu arrived at the edge of Lumiose City. The sunlight radiated and reflected off of Prism Tower, giving off lights of many colors. Now that he thought about it, Prism Tower is a prism; an object that transforms simple rays of light to a spectrum of hues, a rainbow. He had to give it to Clemont, he had designed it to be this way.
"Ready to head to Prism Tower to meet Serena and the others?" Ash asked his partner, still on his shoulder. Pikachu gave an eager nod, and the two then made their way down the never sleeping streets and to Centrico Plaza, and through the automatic doors of Prism Tower. And just as he entered the tower doors, he was met with a harsh tackle to the ground by a little blonde girl, "Ashy! You're back!"
"Hey, Bonnie." Ash coughed. Pikachu, who had slipped off of his master's shoulder when Bonnie had tackled him, sat next to his head, ears twitching in confusion. Bonnie was then pulled off of the hybrid by her brother, "Bonnie, I said not to do that."
"But I missed him, big brother!"
"Clemont, it's fine. She just got excited." Ash said, standing up and dusting his jeans off, "Is Serena here yet?"
"Not yet, she called and said she needs to run to the store for supplies." Clemont answered, "While we wait, why don't we go to the waiting room? It's a bit more private there, and I am not expecting any challengers." Ash nodded for Clemont to lead the way.
"So, Ash, what made you call Serena so early this morning?" Bonnie asked, Ash suspected that her brother has yet to tell her. Ash smiled and said, "You'll see when she gets here."
"Is it a good thing?" She asked, which Ash answered, "A very good thing." He then sat down on the couch and removed his cap, allowing his ears to move freely. Once he did, he patted his lap for Bonnie to climb on. Ever since Clemont went to train for his and Ash's gym battle, Ash considered Bonnie as his own little sister.
"Okay, Bon-Bon, what's been going on since I left?"
"Well, nothing much, we got a challenger yesterday. His name was Alain, he had a very strong Charizard that can Mega evolve."
"Really?" Ash asked, more to Clemont than to Bonnie. Clemont nodded, "Yeah, he wiped my team with just his Charizard."
"Wow, must be really strong." Ash muttered, "Man, I should have come sooner! Maybe I could have asked for a battle with him!" Ash exclaimed, "Oh well, I'm sure that if he is collecting the gym badges, I am sure to meet him sometime."
A beeping noise came from Clemont's cell phone, "It's Serena, she says she is on her way now. Do you want me to tell her that you're here now?"
"Sure, why not?" Ash said, and just as he did, his own cell began to ring. Strange, he didn't think he gave anyone his cell number, with the exception of a few people. He dug through his bag to read the caller ID, seeing Gary's name on the screen. He quickly answered the call, "Hey Gary, I see you must be up."
"Ash, where are you?"
"Um… you know…"
"Ash, don't make me repeat myself."
"I'm at… um… I'm at Prism Tower."
"You are in Lumiose City?" Gary yelled, "Why did—how did you—why are you there?"
"I had an errand to run."
"You couldn't wait until the rest of us got up? We could have come with you."
"Okay, the truth is, it is a surprise. I didn't want to spoil it for you guys." Gary then paused for a moment, "A surprise?"
"Y-Yeah. I'm with Clemont and Bonnie, and Serena is coming too. And don't worry, they'll walk me back to you guys. Does that make you feel better?" He heard Gary sigh through the receiver, "Just be careful, okay?"
"I promise, I will be careful and stay out of trouble."
"Alright, call if something happens— "
"I know, Gary. See you later." With that, he hung up.
…
"Sorry, it took me so long to get here." Serena apologized, dropping the bags from her hands. Ash shook his head, "No worries, Serena." His look then turned to one of tenderness, "I can't thank you enough for this, Serena. I know this is last minute, but, I feel that I need to do this."
"Oh, Ash, you know I would do anything for you."
"I know." He brought her into a hug, "But still, thank you."
"It's no problem, Ashy." She wrapped her arms around him in return, making Bonnie exclaim, "Aww! They're so cute together! Too bad you two aren't."
"Bonnie, I told you this already. It isn't up to you."
"I know, but can't you see, Clemont? They're adorable!" Ash laughed, pulling back from their embrace, "I do admit, Bonnie's right." This made Bonnie's expression lighten, "Bonnie, I do love her. Just, not in the way that I had thought."
"And I am the same way," Serena began, "Besides, this made us much closer than we were before!" She then grabbed the bags from the ground, "Alright, Ash, ready to get started?"
"Sure!"
…
Has Ash ever told anyone that he absolutely hated being fitted for clothes? Well, he does, and as he stands there with his arms outstretched, his mouth holding onto Serena's pink sewing needle cushion, clad in red fabric. Currently, Serena is trying to get Ash's correct measurements to ensure a good fit for the jacket.
"Ash, you need to hold still, or else I could poke you." Serena ordered, sewing the arm of the jacket to the body. Ash whimpered, "I've been standing all day…" Somehow, Serena managed to understand what Ash said, for it was muffled and slurred by the soft object in his mouth.
"I understand, Ash. But you're the one who came to me. I can't do anything about it until I have the jacket parts sewn together, otherwise it wouldn't fit properly." Once she finished sewing the arm to the jacket, she tied then cut the string, then placed the needle on the cushion, which still resided in the hybrid's mouth.
"Alright, once I sew on the other arm, I can get the jacket off and you can sit down, okay? Just a bit longer, Ash." She giggled as she saw Ash instantly relax, but refrained from dropping his arms, or else the temporary stitching would come undone and they would have to start all over.
"Hey you two." Clemont called, catching the attention of the hybrid and Serena, "Hey, Clemont!" Serena called, "I'm almost done with the jacket, just one more arm, then I can do final stitching to keep it together."
"That's good. By the way, I am about to run to the market to get things for lunch. Any requests?"
"Um… How about something that we can share? It is cheaper that way." Serena suggested, lining up the other arm to the jacket and began to pin it together. Clemont nodded, "That's a great idea, Serena."
The two heard mumbling from Ash, and thankfully, Serena removed the cushion to allow the boy to talk, "How about something simple, like sandwiches?"
"I think I know where this is going." Serena chuckled, and saw the child-like look in the hybrid's eyes, "Can we?"
"BLTs it is." Clemont laughed, "Alright, I will be back in a few minutes."
…
With the jacket now fully sewn together, and jeans now tailored for his tail, Ash stands in front of Serena to allow her to see her handiwork. The red jacket, which is very similar to that of the jacket that he had worn when he had first started his journey, fit his body nicely.
"I've got to hand it to your mom, she really makes easy-to-read patterns. And her suggestion of red is perfect! It suits you."
"Thanks, Serena. My mom insists on making my clothes, she says it keeps her busy."
"So, does she have a job?" Serena asked, "I mean, what does she do when you are traveling?" Ash's smile dimmed down a bit, which caused Serena some concern, "Ash, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, Serena." Ash began, "My mom did have a job, until she found me. She became a stay-at-home mom, while my dad was the one bringing in the money."
"I see; what did your father do?"
"He was a painter, as well as a pianist. Sometimes, he would travel with a small symphony all across Kanto to perform." Ash smiled at the memory, "He was very talented."
"Is he still around?" Serena then regretted asking, as Ash became silent, "Did he… leave?"
"N-No, he didn't leave." Ash stuttered, "He got really sick, he died when I was still pretty young."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's alright, I'm passed that. My mom and I managed."
"How does she get the money to… support the two you?"
"Well, she gardens, so vegetables aren't a problem. My mom sometimes helps out at Professor Oak's lab, and he pays her for her work, even though she insists she he shouldn't.
"She has always wanted a kid. She has told me that she has tried to get pregnant a few times, and had a miscarriage. Ever since her miscarriage she couldn't get pregnant, and her doctor says that it happens, and that sometimes the eggs can turn out to be 'duds,' or…" He coughed, his cheeks red in embarrassment, "Y-You know…"
"It's okay, I understand. Continue." Serena spoke, allowing Ash to speak further, "Anyway, one day, my mom found me just outside of the Oak laboratory enclosure when a Mareep jumped the fence. I was still an egg, she said that she has never seen an egg like mine. When Professor Oak gave the okay for my mom to keep me, she took me home. I hatched not long after, and she raised me like a human child ever since."
"So, what does that have to do with her not having a job?"
"She wanted to raise me, she wanted to be a mother. And I gave her the chance to be one for me, same goes for my dad. My mom, ever since my dad died, she has been so independent, she dislikes to rely on someone else for help. Sometimes, I help her without her knowing."
"How?" Serena asked, making Ash smile once more, "Doing small things, like doing groceries, weeding, I sometimes do my laundry when she isn't looking."
"I see, you're afraid that she is going to overwork herself."
"Yeah, she works so hard for me, and wants nothing in return. The least I could do is lend a hand." From his right, he heard a loud yawn come from Pikachu, who has been taking a nap on one of the lounge chairs.
"Hey buddy, I see you're finally awake." Ash spoke to his electric mouse, who squeaked in acknowledgement. Ash then turned back to Serena, "What time is it by the way? I promised Gary that I would be back just before supper time."
'The last thing I need is to have a worried friend go nuts.' Ash thought, as Serena replies, "Almost 11:30, Clemont should be getting back soon. The market isn't that far off from here."
…
It was just after 12:45, and lunch has just been eaten and cleaned up when another phone call rang from Ash's cell. He dug through his pocket and saw it was Gary… again.
"Gary?" Serena asked, which Ash confirmed with a tired nod, "I'm going to answer it. I will be back in a minute." He then walked out of the waiting room and into the lobby; which, luckily for him, was vacant. He then answered the call, "Gary? What is it?"
"Ash, why aren't you back yet?"
"Gary, I am fine, I am still with Serena, Clemont and Bonnie."
"I know that, but why aren't you back yet?"
"Things just took longer than expected." Ash answered, "I won't be much longer."
"If you're not back by 3, I swear to almighty Arceus—"
"Okay, Gary, I understand. I will be back soon, okay?" His tail twitched in annoyance, he just wished that Gary would trust him a bit more. Why is it so different now? Gary used to allow him to run after Team Rocket, even when they're armed.
"Just remember to watch your back, you never know who is watching." Gary muttered, "Please, be careful. I… I can't lose you too."
It was just then that Ash remembered his situation; he was being hunted down, by a crazed lunatic from the past, just because he is a hybrid. Anxiety rushed through his body; what was he thinking? He went silent, the world around him muted, when he thought he was doing something good for himself, he made himself more vulnerable, more noticeable.
What was he going to do now? With his old clothes transferred over to his mother to be tailored similar to what he is wearing now, Ash had nothing to hide in. Ash can no longer hide. He can't hide.
"Ash?" A voice yelled through the receiver, Gary's voice, "Ash, calm down, what's wrong?"
"I… I…"
"Did he find you?" Worry filled the brunette's voice. The hybrid's voice shook, "I think… I made the worst mistake in my life…"
"What do you mean?"
"I… I'm so stupid!"
"Ash, what's going on?" The memory of that nightmare flooded his brain, the knife, the gun, the crazed look in Lysander's eyes. It was all coming back, anxiety turned to terror, Ash dropped his phone, forcing it to hang up on the unsuspecting brunette.
"Oh my god… Oh god… What have I done?" He leaned against the wall, and sunk to the floor. How was he going to hide from Lysander now?
"Ash, is everything okay out there?" A voice called, but Ash didn't care, he couldn't hear anyway. He was stuck in this reality of terror, knowing that it would be easier now for Lysander to spot him.
"Ash?"
"Ash, are you okay?"
"Ash, answer me!"
"Ash, what's wrong?"
And just then, his vision went black.
…
"Ash?"
'No, please, I don't want to wake up…'
"Ash, listen to me."
'Olympia?'
"You have no need to fear, Ash. The gym leaders all over Kalos are aware of the situation, we and your friends will protect you."
'Why? Why protect me?'
"You are too important, Ash." Ash opened his eyes to indeed find Olympia. However, reality has been shifted. Or, has it even shifted at all?
"This is your psyche, you're currently unconscious. This is why I can contact you this way."
'What happened?'
"You had a panic attack, and you collapsed from the stress." Olympia explained, her cape flapped through the air, as if there was an imaginary breeze that blew through. Olympia smiled, "You know, your psyche is also called the dreamscape, you can make this area turn into anywhere you wish to go."
'Like a dream?'
"Exactly, young hybrid. Why don't you try it out?" Ash then focused his mind on a location, a very important location. The dreamscape began to shift and transform, trees sprouted from the ground, as grass began to spread across the floor. The sky was then peppered in stars, a full moon sat peacefully above them. And finally, a large lake appeared beside them, Olympia instantly recognized the spot, "I see, this is lake side by the Indigo League. Is this place important to you, young hybrid?"
'This is where Gary and I talked things out, and became friends again.'
"Well, to Gary, you were always his friend. Was he always yours too?"
'Of course, Gary has always been important to me.' Just then, an image of Gary flashed through his thoughts, thus materializing within the dreamscape. The brunette stood at the lake side, looking out at the surface of the water and to the hills and mountains that border the lake. Ash stared at him for a few moments until Olympia spoke up, "You must love him a lot."
Ash turned beet red, and no longer relied on thought to speak, "W-What do you mean? I-I just admire him, and-and I—" Ash then felt something warm and comforting run through his being, it felt like he was in control, like he has all the power in the world. Where did this come from?
Olympia gave Ash a firm smile, and began to fade from Ash's dreamscape, "Ash, let yourself be happy. Don't let fear hold you back, for if you do, you will regret it."
'What do you mean?'
"You have to be strong, like titanium. Your friends need your strength, and so does your family, as well as the world. We believe in you, Ash."
…
"I put him on the couch in the waiting room." Clemont informed, "I got his cell, I'm going to call Gary." Serena, who has been in a small state of shock, nodded, "Okay, I will go and watch over him."
"Can I come too?" Bonnie asked, pulling on Serena's sleeve, "Of course, I'm sure you'd make Ash feel more relaxed." When Clemont left to the office room, Serena and Bonnie left to the waiting room. When the doors opened, they saw something that shouldn't have been there… or rather, someone.
"Um… Gary? What are you doing here?" Serena asked in confusion, didn't Clemont just go to call him? Gary couldn't have made it here so quickly, could he?
"What are you talking about?"
"Clemont left to call you on your cell, how did you get here so fast?"
"Serena, what are you going on about? I'm not, Gary!"
"S-Serena?" Bonnie stuttered, "Where's Ash?" Come to think of it, the couch was rather unoccupied, "W-Where's Ash, Gary?"
"How many times do I need to tell you? I'm not, Gary!"
"Um, did you hit your head or something, Gary?" Bonnie asked, "Because you certainly look like, Gary."
"W-What?" The brunette looked to his hands, "W-Where's a mirror?" He then ran to the restroom and there he saw it, "Oh my god… what—how—why—." Spikey brunette hair, green eyes, he has also grown a head taller. What was going on here? He brought a shaky hand to his face, feeling the smooth skin, confusion wrought through his being.
"Are you okay in there, Gary?" He quickly ran out and accidentally bumped into Clemont, "Oh, hello, Gary. I didn't expect you to get here so quickly—."
"We're here, where's Ash?" Gary ran into the lobby, just as the lookalike ran out of the restroom, "What in the mighty world of Arceus is going on here?"
"Gary, I know this looks bad, but please believe me!"
"Who are you? Why do you look like Gary?" Misty growled, reaching for a pokéball from her belt, "Wait, it's me!"
"Who?"
"It's me, Ash!" The room went silent, but Brock wasn't buying it, "Look, we don't want to hurt you—."
"Please, you've got to believe me! I'm Ash, I don't know what's going on, all I want is to go back to normal, please believe me!" Pikachu, who had now just joined the group in the lobby looked on with interest, and gave a sniff to the Gary-lookalike, and shouting, "Pikapi!"
"Pikachu, what are you doing?"
"Pikapi!" The yellow mouse then rubbed his red cheek against the lookalike's, making him chuckle, "Hey buddy, I know this is must be confusing."
"Pi pikachu ka, Pikapi." (No worries here, Ash.) At this display of affection, Gary instantly recognized the behavior of the lookalike, "Ash, is that really you?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm just as confused as the rest of you… I don't know what happened." His smile weakened, "I woke up to Serena and Bonnie thinking I was you, and when I went to go check it out, I totally freaked out." Ash replied, "Not that being you is a bad thing, Gary, but— "
"I understand, you want to change back." Gary interrupted, "But first, we need to figure out how you did it, in order to make you change back."
"So, what exactly happened?" Brock asked, "Maybe if we retrace your steps, we might be able to solve this."
"To be honest, I don't really remember." Ash began, "All I remember was getting a call from Gary, everything after that goes fuzzy…" Green eyes looked to the ground, but quickly flashed in realization, "I… Wait, I think I had a conversation with Olympia. We were in my dreamscape, I-I remember seeing you, Gary."
"You mean, you were dreaming… about me?" Ash's—or rather Ash-Gary's face went deep red, "W-What, n-no, not like that! I-I was told by Olympia that I can change my dreamscape to wherever I want to go, and the placed reminded me of you, and you just magically popped up there too."
"I got it!" Clemont shouted, "I think, when you thought of Gary, your body must have transformed."
"I get it! Ash, you learned your first attack, transform!" Gary exclaimed excitedly, "This is so awesome!"
"So, judging by what we have just heard, imagine your normal self, you should transform back." Brock advised, "Just try not to push yourself too hard, okay?"
"Alright, Brock." Ash-Gary then took a deep breath in, closing his eyes in concentration. He released his breath, and the others saw what seemed to resemble a blur. It hurt their eyes to continue watching, so they looked elsewhere until the blur disappeared, revealing the hybrid, back to his normal self.
"You look normal now," Misty spoke, "Do you feel normal?"
"Sort of… I kind of feel like I have so much energy, or power." He coughed, releasing a red ember in its wake. Ash's now brown eyes stared at the ember in shock as if glided down to the ground and dissipating. Ash looked back at the others, who show the same level of shock, "W-Was that— "
"Ember? What the hell is going on here?" Misty exclaimed, "At first you say you have no attacks, now you have two?"
"Ember and transform. Although, when you transform, ember will be pretty much useless, since you will be gaining the traits of the Pokémon you transform into." Brock informed, rubbing his chin in thought, and was about to say more when Gary spoke up, "Ash, what happened to your clothes?"
"Oh… Well, surprise?" Ash said embarrassingly, giving an awkward smile, "I wanted to do something that will make it easier on all of us. I… I decided that I am—ahem—was ready to stop hiding." He swallowed the lump in his throat, "I thought I was ready, but it hit me that I wouldn't be able to hide from Lysander or Team Flare."
"I see. Then why don't you just get back into your old clothes, and then we can get going." Gary stated, but Ash gave a halfhearted chuckle, "About that, I kind of sent them to my mom, I won't get them back until probably next week. She is tailoring them for, you know, my tail."
Gary then stared at the tail that now waves freely in the air. This was the surprise that Ash was talking about earlier? Gary smiled, "I think you are doing the right thing, and you learning transform couldn't have come at a better time!"
"Why is that, Gary?" Serena asked, taking a sip from a water bottle that she grabbed a while back from the waiting room.
"Simply put, if Ash feels threatened, or needs to hide for whatever reason, he can use transform and hide literally in plain sight. No one would know that it is him."
"Wait a moment." Misty interrupted, "I thought that Pokémon could only transform into what they see. Why can Ash transform without seeing them?"
"Well, hybrids are half human, which makes them much smarter than Pokémon—no offense, Pikachu—so all Ash has to do is imagine them in his head, that is enough for his brain to react to it." Brock explained, "I'm sure that Professor Rose could go into more detail."
"Professor Rose?" Serena asked, "Who is that?"
"She is a professor who specializes in hybrids and their importance in the world." Ash explained, and Gary continued, "She has a whole lab full of them."
"Wait, really? There is more than just Ash?" Bonnie asked, Ash nodded, "A lot more. Professor Rose says that hybrids are actually more common than we think."
"Well, unless you are in Ash's case." Gary added, "She said that it is incredibly rare for hybrids to be hatched from an egg."
"So," Ash began, "Should we start heading out? We were supposed to fish today."
"Fish?" Clemont asked, "What for?"
"Professor Rose advised for Ash to start fishing by hand." Misty explained, "He was having a really tough time yesterday— "
"Hey, I said I was rusty! Try fishing by hand after a few years." Ash huffed, crossing his arms and a flick of his tail, "You have to remember, I have been trying to be human for a long time."
"I know, I know. But I think that we should try again tomorrow." Misty suggested, "I mean, from the phone call Gary got from Clemont, we heard that you passed out."
"Yeah, about that," Gary began, "What was wrong? Why did you freak out like that?"
"Like I said earlier, I got scared. I thought that I made myself more vulnerable."
"Well, now we have no need to worry about that." Misty smiled, "I guess when you passed out, your brain must have unlocked something…"
"Wait, I did feel something when I was in my dreamscape." Ash informed, "I think Olympia unlocked it for me."
"Is that even possible?"
"Well, I don't see how it wouldn't. I mean, she was in my brain."
"So, do you think that maybe she 'unlocked' your fishing ability? Because that could explain why no matter how hard you try, it always ends in failure."
"Failure is a harsh way of putting it, but it could be." Brock muttered, before reaching and patting Ash on the shoulder, "Well, I'm glad that you chose something for yourself. You made a decision that is very difficult and scary for you. I am proud of you, Ash."
Proud; that was a word that he has heard a few times, mainly from his mother and Professor Oak. He has heard it from Brock a few times, but it still made it special for Ash. Brock has been a father figure to Ash ever since the two met; Brock would care for him, help him back up if he was down, and push him in the right direction. Still, Brock was proud of him, and it made Ash struggle from forming tears in his eyes, "Thanks, Brock. It means a lot to hear that from you."
"I know, but I have always been proud of you. I'm sure Misty, Gary and the others are too."
"Brock's right, Ash." Gary added, "Despite feeling scared of what the outcome might be, you still went for it. Despite what you say about yourself, you are incredibly brave, Ash."
"Gary is telling the truth." Serena hugged Ash from behind, "You are the bravest person I know." Misty, Clemont and Bonnie nodded in agreement, smiling fondly as the hybrid couldn't contain it anymore, "I-I'm sorry. I'm just—" He rubbed his eyes, removing the tears that collected in his eyes.
"It's okay, Ash. You have been so willing to help us when we are down, the least we can do is to do the same."
…
"Do you really have to go, Ash?" Bonnie whined, grabbing hold of Ash's arm. Ash chuckled, "Yes, but I will be back soon, okay? I will be sure to call every time I get to a Pokémon center, okay?"
"Okay!" Fortunately, that was enough to make Bonnie happy and released her hold on the hybrid's arm.
"You four be safe, and try to stay out of trouble." Clemont said, Ash nodded in acknowledgement, "Of course, but you know me."
"Can't make that promise, I know." Clemont smiled, "But still, you are always welcome back here if you need anywhere to hide at."
"Thanks, Clemont."
Serena gave Ash a hug, "I'm going to miss you."
"I know, I'm going to miss you too." Ash responded, hugging the girl back, "I promise, if you tell me where each of your performances are at, I will be sure to be there and cheer you on!"
"Thanks, Ash." After giving their farewells, our heroes left Prism Tower and back into the forest for which they had come from, "So, Anistar City is next right?"
"Yup, I am going to need to train as much as I can!" Ash smiled, allowing his tail to swerve happily, "I can hardly wait!"