Who I Am - Lightning99

Chapter 42:

Separation and Preparation

After her conversation with Ash and she and Lana had left the group, Mallow rushed to Lana's house. She reached Lana's bedroom, curled up the bed, hugged a plushie Lapras for some semblance of comfort, and cried. She let loose the emotions that had been brewing within her for a short while now that had become more charged than the final stage of Bide, made more potent by her inexperience with rejection's sting. It was as if her years of immunity, of having to reject those that held feelings for her, had gathered into one extra powerful burst. That was the only way she could think to describe how upset she was.

It was only after two long, dragging hours that her tears finally subsided, leaving her eyes red and somewhat sensitive, and her cheeks equally as rosy. The release of her repressed emotions eased the tension in her aching heart, but even as she shuffled around, wiped her eyes, and patted down the tangle her hair had become, she felt just as hollow as she had an hour ago.

A few light taps on the door pulled Mallow away from whatever menial movement she was failing to distract herself with.

"Come in," she said. The shaky, hushed voice she spoke in surprised even herself.

Lana poked her head around the door frame. "Hey. How're you holding up?" she asked in a gentle voice, one more emotional and consoling than she usually displayed.

Mallow mumbled in response. That was about the most effort she could bring herself to muster because it was quite evident how poorly she was faring.

"Mallow… Can we come in?" Lana asked, and Mallow nodded.

Lana entered with her mother, a wide-hipped woman with the same style of hair as Lana, only hers was a darker shade of blue and longer, tied into a low ponytail. She was somebody Mallow had spent a lot of time around since knowing Lana, somebody that she felt was a second mother after her mother passed away. She was a lovely woman, and if you knew her well, you would understand from who Lana inherited her mischievous yet timid nature.

"Are you alright, dear?" Lana's mother asked in just as caring a voice as her daughter, and because of who she was, Mallow almost felt obligated to respond, drawn in by the motherly aura.

"Not really," Mallow answered, and she even chuckled a little bit for some strange reason. The mother-daughter duo shared a look and sat beside her on the bed.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Lana's mother asked.

Mallow thought she would have said no. She had already vented her feelings once, to Lana that day after she and Ash talked on the balcony. But she started speaking before she could stop herself.

"I don't really know how I'm supposed to feel. I've never gone through this before. I know that it hurts – I even expected it to – but I have no idea what I should do to stop it. And, even though it hurts, I'm worried that I've messed up my relationship with Ash because of all of this. I just feel like I've messed up… It's just – just hard."

"It is," Lana's mother said after handing a moment to silence. "I cannot say I know exactly what you are feeling, but I have experienced this before. I'm sure Lana has, too. Did you know that I confessed to Lana's father several times before he realised that I was serious? He rejected me every time because he was too focussed on thinking he could fish up the legendary Pokémon Kyogre and thought I was joking." At that point, Mallow had looked pointedly at Lana, who had grinned. "It hurt. I put my feelings out there and he rejected me because he was too busy chasing a myth.

"So, yes, it hurts. It did for a while, but I moved on. I moved on because of time. It feels like – like the end of Alola after you are rejected, but it passes. It was only years later, when we reunited, that the fool realised how much I meant to him. Typical, am I right?" Mallow chuckled tearily again, wiping her eyes. "What I am trying to say is that you will get over it. You may not have an ending like my husband and me, but you will be ok. I know you will."

"Thank you," Mallow said, and she accepted the hug Lana's mother offered. After a moment, Lana joined the hug. And then, appearing like a Phantom Force, two chipper young voices shouted from the doorway and Lana's younger twin sisters – Harper and Sarah – dived into the hug, knocking everyone over onto the bed. The twins' youthful laughter engulfed the room. It was contagious and forced everyone else to join in with them.

It took Lana's mother about ten minutes to get the twins to stop clinging to Lana and Mallow and usher them out of the room. When the door finally shut on the girls' pouting faces, Lana gave a soft laugh.

"They're unbelievable…"

"They're adorable," Mallow said.

"They sure are…" Lana looked from the door to Mallow. "So, what now?"

"Is it ok if I stay here for a while? I don't know if I'm ready to face Ash yet… I think I want to spend some time away from things to deal with my feelings."

"If that's what you need," Lana said, pulling Mallow into a hug.

Red breathed a momentary white mist into his cupped hands to combat the chilly air while he admired the frozen lake spreading ahead of him, its shimmering surface reflecting the deep black of the night, the stars, and the mystical green auroras adorning the sky. Even the sights he had grown accustomed to atop Mt Silver didn't compare to Sinnoh's Route 217. Despite being the end of September, it was already a winter wonderland.

Red felt a tiny tug on the long-sleeved jacket Delia had forced him to wear – he insisted he didn't need it because he had developed some Beartic-level immunity to the cold – and felt his wife lay her head on his shoulder, heard her sighing contentedly. Red glanced her way, smiling, before watching Lake Acuity again.

Their trip around Sinnoh was rather uneventful compared to Unova since the majority of Ash's Sinnoh companions remained loyal through it all. They located some of his more acquaintance-level friends and retrieved the Pokémon rather quickly using Barry's eagerly issued intel. The process was sped up even further by everyone's willingness to return Ash's Pokémon. It seemed as if Oak had forced them into their hands, a thought that was not inconceivable at that point.

With Snowpoint City and Bayleef checked off their list, their time in Sinnoh was complete. It had been a quick but pleasant trip. Their next destination was Hoenn where they were to rendezvous with May and Drew. But after sending a message to alert the Hoenn natives, Delia had asked if they could spend a day or two longer in Sinnoh. Red wasn't against it, especially with Delia's company as they sat on the beautiful lake edge, the only people in the vicinity. At some point, a little flurry of snow began to fall, enhancing the scene all the more.

They stayed there for a long time, interrupting the blissful silence for only a few short conversations when something came to mind. It was a long time later that a voice broke their silence.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" a cool voice said from behind them. Red knew who it was immediately when he turned around. The long blonde hair, black clothes, and distinctive tear-drop shaped hairclips: it was the Champion of Sinnoh, Cynthia. If he were not once a Champion himself, Red might've felt as much awe as Delia displayed. Nonetheless, seeing her was quite a surprise.

"Cynthia!" Delia gasped.

Cynthia chuckled. "Correct."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"You as well," Cynthia said. "And your names are…?"

"Oh, of course! My name is Delia Ketchum and this–"

"Sorry, Ketchum…?" Cynthia interrupted. "I know that name…"

"Oh… You might have heard it on the news."

Cynthia gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "I remember. That's right, a young boy passed away. If I recall, it was televised because of an attack in Kanto. Ash Ketchum. I remember. He was quite a gifted young trainer. Was he a relative?"

"Our son, yes."

"I'm very sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," Delia said, sharing a glance with Red. He nodded. Even if she was a Champion, they had to maintain the falsification for Ash's safety.

"I'm sorry. I interrupted. And your name was…?" Cynthia asked Red.

"Ah, his name is Red. Unfortunately, he is selectively mute, meaning he cannot speak."

"Red?" Cynthia asked. She scrutinised him then frowned, something that was a mix of excitement and an obligation to keep her cool. "That is a fairly rare name. The only person I know of with that name is listed in several different Hall of Fames throughout the regions and, if I may, you bear somewhat of a resemblance to the few photographs we have of him. But he is supposed to have died…"

Red looked at Delia. Ash's status was something he wanted to keep secret between only those directly involved, but somebody like Cynthia knowing about him could be helpful in the long run. So, he nodded. Delia grinned.

"He is indeed the very same person."

"You're joking?!" Cynthia exclaimed in an almost child-like manner. "I thought – I never imagined I would meet you! You're famous among Champions for having the most titles ever recorded."

Red scratched the back of his neck.

"But could you please keep Red being alive a secret?" Delia asked.

"Of course! Could I please get your contact details to discuss your tenure as the Champion of Sinnoh? You see, I have spoken with or researched all of the other Champions that there have been to create a sort of history, a legacy, but there is little information on you," Cynthia said, already taking out a Pokégear.

Red nodded and exchanged his Pokégear information with her.

"This is excellent! Thank you!" Cynthia said, still childlike. She shook herself out of it eventually. "Sorry, I didn't come here just to intrude. I am searching for some people. They were last spotted lurking around Snowpoint Temple, and some of Snowpoint's residents said they fled into Route 217. I saw you and wondered if you might have seen them."

Delia shook her head. "It has only been us here for a while. What did they look like?"

"Several of them have the same green bob haircut. The others have hair of varying, unnatural colours. They hide their uniforms now, but they would be quite hard to miss anyway."

"I'm sorry, we haven't seen anyone like that."

"That's no problem. Thank you anyway." Cynthia glanced at her Pokégear. "I should get back. It was nice to meet you both. If you don't mind, Red, I shall contact you when I have some free time."

"It was nice to meet you too," Delia said, waving to Cynthia as she walked away, vanishing beyond the flurry and snow-covered trees.

"Strange. People with green bob haircuts? I swear Ash mentioned something about that before," Delia said absently.

Red knew exactly what Delia was remembering. They had looked the same in his time too. And the fact Cynthia was looking for them unnerved him. For now, though, with Delia by his side and the beautiful landscape ahead of him, he made a mental note and decided not to worry about it. Ash was safe, after all.

Once again, Ash felt lost and overwhelmed by his emotions. It was as if the ordeal in Pallet Town had laid a curse on him, preventing his return to peaceful normality. Luckily, his Pokémon journey remained a Moonlight in his Dark Void. For now, he clung to that light, because that was all he could do.

Ash arrived earlier than punctual for his meeting with Olivia to distract himself for longer. Olivia was manning one of the front desks of a jewellery store Kiawe told him to visit; she was flaunting a Geo Pebble necklace to an intrigued-looking customer when he entered. It was packed with customers, one of which Ash recognised.

"I thought you said you were working an extra day at the lab," Ash said, approaching the man from the side.

"Ah." Brock turned to him looking sheepish. "I did visit, but they said that they did not need me today."

"Uh-huh."

"That's the truth. I decided to come here in my free time."

"So, you're not here to admire a certain Kahuna?"

"I am accompanying you."

"Right," Ash said, laughing. "Never change, Brock, you're one of the only things that hasn't lately."

Olivia waved at them across the store when she saw them, and she shifted almost nervously when Brock waved back. Ash still could not believe what he was seeing. She pointed to a door in the corner and raised an open palm. Taking the hint, Ash and Brock entered what looked like a staff room. They sat on one of the settees by the windows that flanked a coffee table, near which was a large TV. Olivia entered five minutes later, saying goodbye and thank you to a customer until the door slid closed. She sat opposite them, smiling.

"Hi. Ash and Brock, correct?"

"Yes," Brock confirmed before Ash could get a word in.

"Excellent!" Olivia clapped her hands. "First, would either of you like tea or coffee?"

"I'd love a tea, thank you, Olivia," Brock said at the same time Ash said 'No, thank you.'

Olivia jumped up, skipped to the kitchen area, and returned a minute or so later with two teas. She sat back down.

"Thank you," Brock said, taking the mug.

"Now, Ash, you want to request a challenge from me? That means you've completed all three Akala trials?"

"That's right."

"I see," Olivia said, nodding. She took a slow sip of her tea. "One of my duties as a Kahuna is to battle challengers. However, the Island Challenge is not only to help trainers become stronger and more skilled but to help them become kinder. That is what I believe. For that reason, I like to get a good feel from my challengers before I accept. Now, you have the benefit of having Mallow, Lana, and Kiawe vouching for you, so I have a good idea of your character from them. But I would like to see your Pokémon if that's alright."

"Oh, sure," Ash said, and he sent out his Alolan team. Olivia leaned in close, inspecting them. She leaned back only two minutes later, nodding.

"Excellent," she said cheerily. "They all look well taken care of. Even if this Stufful is a new addition."

"You can tell?" Brock asked.

"I can. During my studies, I discovered that I have an empathic affinity towards Pokémon. I can read their facial expressions and body language to understand their thoughts and feelings. I am only guessing mind you, but they are educated guesses. It is like kinesics for Pokémon."

"Reading Pokémon's body language to such a degree… That's amazing," Brock said.

"Thank you, Brock. I incorporate my ability into my work as much as I can. Whenever somebody challenges me, I observe their Pokémon first to get a good read on the character of not only the Pokémon but the trainer too. To learn how they have raised their Pokémon, the care they take when battling. I can see you care greatly about your Pokémon, Ash."

"He does," Brock confirmed.

"Thank you," Ash said.

"As such, I will accept your challenge!" Olivia said. Ash experienced a sharp jolt of excitement. "I am booked up this week, but would you be ok with next Saturday? That should give you time to prepare, too."

"Of course, yeah. Any time is fine by me."

"Excellent. Then, may I also set the rules of our battle?" Ash nodded. "I like to use double-battles in my Grand Trial, so that is what it shall be. Each of us will use two Pokémon. Apart from that, you are free to battle as you wish. Within the rules, of course."

"Got it. Thank you, Miss Olivia," Ash said, and he returned his Pokémon.

"Just Olivia is fine. I am not that old yet, you know."

After the specifications of the Grand Trial were set, Brock and Olivia chatted for a good half-hour. Ash was so preoccupied generating ideas for the double battle that he only chipped in when he was directly interacted with. The conversation ended with Olivia saying she would see them soon, and they left – Brock did so reluctantly.

As soon as Ash exited Olivia's shop, he left Brock to his plans and jogged to the cliff-edge he bonded with Bagon at. He descended to the mini beach and threw himself so whole-heartedly into training that everything else going on slipped his mind.

He spent the rest of that day practising his team's moves because most of the ones they knew were not very effective on Rock Types. Even if that were the case for some of the new moves too, a bit more power was always beneficial, so he had Torracat continue to learn Flame Charge, Rock Tomb for Rockruff, and Focus Energy for Bagon. It was unfortunate that, despite one of her dual types being Fighting, Stufful knew no corresponding moves. So, Ash drew a make-shift manual for Brick Break. It was only a few scribbles on a sheet of paper, but when he finally got her to stop interrupting the others' training with carefree challenges, she began using his drawings to practice.

Meanwhile, Ash started devising strategies for the battle. Given that his Pokémon knew no super-effective moves, status and stat-lowering moves would be crucial. Bagon knew Dragon Breath and Rockruff knew Thunder Fang, so an idea banking on paralysis was already formulating in his mind. Because Rockruff knew Sand Attack and Bagon knew Leer, Ash decided that they would be his two choices for the battle with Stufful as a possible substitute if she learned Brick Break in time.

With that in mind, Ash decided to have Rockruff re-practice Sand Attack about halfway through the day when Bagon was starting to glow with the charge of Focus Energy and Torracat could retain a shroud of flames for a decent amount of time. They made good progress that day, but no successes yet. Ash returned to the Poké-Centre, noting that there was still no sign of Mallow or Lana.

They continued the next day. This time, Ash included his older Pokémon by having them either battle each other or act as practise opponents and mentors for his Alolan Team. Talonflame demonstrated Flame Charge to Torracat, aided by Infernape – who Torracat still viewed with nervous respect; Hawlucha engaged in a sparring match with Stufful, using Karate Chop's similar characteristics to Brick Break to aid her; Heracross worked with Bagon, recalling Endure to show how much focus Bagon needed for Focus Energy to work. Ash worked with Rockruff, carefully watching his movements to see what wasn't working.

Bagon was the first to attain success. An intense orange glow gathered around his chest then pulsed outwards, outlining his frame momentarily before vanishing. Ash congratulated Bagon, but when the move's effect faded a while later and Bagon tried again, he couldn't quite complete it. It seemed his success resulted from a moment of flow, but he was close. Ash maintained his positive, encouraging attitude.

By the end of the session that day, Torracat performed his first successful attempt at something resembling Flame Charge. It was a weak version of it and there was no increase of speed as a result, but the technique was perfect. Now, it was a matter of practice.

On the third day, it was just his Alolan team again; his older Pokémon decided to train in the forest via some game they had constructed.

At lunchtime, Ash headed into town for some food and ran into Kiawe, who announced that he was finished for the day. He invited Kiawe to the beach, and after a chatty lunch, they sparred together.

Throughout the battles, Bagon finally mastered Focus Energy, and with Kiawe's Fire-Type expertise, they were able to deduce why Torracat's Flame Charge was still incomplete. Kiawe noted that Torracat's flames were slightly too small. He did not generate enough firepower to complete the move despite the wild shroud he encased himself in. Sure enough, after spending the rest of the afternoon practising to increase his fire output, Torracat started seeing more success.

With Bagon's completion of Focus Energy – Ash had him try to evolve Bite to Crunch next – and Stufful's good progress on Brick Break, things were going well. All except Rockruff, who just could not get Rock Tomb to work. So, the next day, Ash decided to get some advice from the one person that knew Rock-Types the best.

"Ash!" Brock said, looking up from the Pokémon he was tending for only a moment to see Ash enter the Aether lab. "This is a nice surprise. What brings you here?"

"Hi. It's to do with Rockruff. Since you're a Rock-Type expert, I thought you might be able to help."

Brock glanced at him pridefully. "Of course. I'm about to eat lunch. Join me?"

Ash did just that. He took the lunch that Lillie instructed him how to make – it was a simple sandwich, but he still messed it up twice – from his bag and waited for Brock on the steps into the lab. Brock joined him, and he explained his predicament while they ate.

"Rock Tomb from Rock Throw, huh?" Brock said, pondering. "As you know, there's a big difference in the size of the rocks for either move. Rock Throw requires a Pokémon to focus on spawning several rocks at once, which is why the mass of each rock is lower and they are smaller. Rock Tomb uses less, but much larger boulders. Rockruff may still be trying to expend its energy to create a lot of rocks rather than condense that energy into fewer, larger ones."

"I see… All Rockruff has known until now is Rock Throw. I told him the requirements for Rock Tomb, but it must be more difficult than just telling him."

"It is. In this case, it's like you or me trying to learn a new, complex skill. If someone just tells you to do it without anything more to go on, there won't be much progress. Now in the case of another move, say…"

"Flame Charge?"

"Yeah, let's go with that. How did you approach that?"

"In short, I told Torracat to generate as much firepower as he could and surround himself in it."

"Right. That explanation works because it is something that he can do and imagine doing. But for Rockruff, he is trying to change a move into another one. He knows how to do one, so he is using that knowledge to try and learn the other one. But Rock Tomb is difficult to learn with Rock Throw as a base. I would recommend that you have him practice making one large boulder first and then go from there," Brock said.

"Gradual progression."

"Exactly, and–"

"Ah, here you are, Brock!" a voice suddenly interrupted. "Oh, hi, Ash. I didn't know you were here too."

One of the Aether Foundation workers rounded the corner with a man walking beside her. He was a thin man dressed in a long, high-neck white coat with luminous green tubes around the sleeves. He wore white and gold trousers and a pair of white lab-style gloves. His hair was short and pale green, and a pointed beard of the same shade protruded from his chin. Resting on his nose, hiding the true colour of his eyes, were a pair of green-tinted sunglasses shaped like the eyes of a Venonat.

"Good afternoon," Brock said to his co-worker. He turned to the other man. "And nice to meet you, sir."

"Nice to meet you," Ash said.

"Indeed," the man said, twiddling his glasses, his expression looking somehow proud, "it is a pleasure. I am Faba."

"Mr Faba is the Branch Chief of the Aether Foundation. In our end of month report, I mentioned how you, Brock, have made our jobs so much easier since you started volunteering. Faba arrived on Akala Island this morning to observe our work."

"Right," Faba said. "You have been highly commended, so I am curious as to your capabilities. Of course, if I am impressed, I would like to invite you to Aether Paradise – our headquarters – to see if we can assign you some paid work for the Foundation. Somebody with such praised skill would be a welcome addition. I will bestow upon you the honour of joining us."

"Wow," Brock said, pausing for a few seconds. "Thank you for this opportunity. I am fine with volunteering–"

"And that is all the more reason to join if I recognise your skills. We are a Pokémon rescuing organisation, after all. Someone with such benevolent intentions is a must," Faba said. He gestured to the lab. "Shall we?"

"Oh. Yes, of course," Brock said. He looked at Ash, who was already shaking his head, gathering his lunch, and rising to his feet.

"No need to say anything. Thanks for the advice, Brock, and good luck. I know you'll do great," Ash said. He waved goodbye and started down the road, happily munching on the rest of his sandwich. He wasn't worried. This was Brock, after all.

For the rest of the day, Ash worked with Rockruff, training him as Brock suggested. It took about an hour and a half for Rockruff to be able to spawn one large boulder, and even then, it crumbled and cracked. Nonetheless, they kept practising, and as the afternoon turned to night, Rockruff could maintain one large boulder.

Ash had no plans of stopping even as it became nearly black outside – he combatted the issue of visibility by starting a campfire on the beach – and, it seemed, neither did his Pokémon.

Hau appeared a little while later, searching for him. Rather than return with news of his location, though, Hau joined in, and they started sparring.

Ash practised his team's new moves against Hau's Pikachu, Noibat, newly evolved Dartrix, and a newly acquired Eevee. By the end of it, Rockruff could maintain two large boulders and start generating another.

Dawn scolded them when they returned. Ash's scolding was for not letting them know how late he would be out, and Hau's was for getting roped in. Ash and Hau just smirked at one another, trying to suppress their laughter, but Ash knew Dawn's unusual care for his lateness was born from her worrying about him.

On his final day of training, Ash decided not to overwork his team. He visited the Battle Royal Dome for a few light battles. During them, Rockruff reached a four-boulder Rock Tomb. It was still incomplete, but it was beyond satisfactory for the time they had been training.

On his way home to rest, Ash ran into Gladion. As soon as the blonde saw him, he almost demanded another battle. Ash was hesitant at first, but Gladion's insistence enticed his battling spirit and he agreed because simulating a battle was the best way to train for one. He added one condition: no knockouts because of his trial the next day, something that seemed to interest Gladion.

The conditions made it another sparring match. Ash used his Alolan team and Gladion used a team of an Umbreon, Golbat, and Sneasel. It ended in Gladion's victory. Afterwards, he asked Ash how long he had had his team and when Ash replied with 'some two months, some two weeks' Gladion left with a huff and a frown, muttering something incoherent about strength. Ash shrugged and headed back feeling well-prepared for his battle tomorrow. All he needed was some food and rest.

After her talk with Lana and her mother, a strange week of gradual healing had commenced for Mallow. Being away from her friends for the first time was a horrible feeling, but that was combatted by her nervousness at seeing Ash again. Each day, the sting of the rejection had lessened, but she wasn't ready to talk to him yet. About halfway through the week, she decided she would return to her friends sometime next week. She and Ash being slightly awkward around each other didn't mean she had to leave the rest of them.

"Have a nice day, girls," Lana's mother shouted to her and Lana as they left the house to head to their Trial Captain posts. Immersing herself in that aspect of her day-to-day life had helped in lessening the pain.

"Have a nice day!" Lana's sisters mimicked.

Mallow waved to them, giggling to herself, and then jogged to Lana's side.

"Your sisters are adorable."

"You always say that," Lana said.

"Doesn't make it any less true."

As they walked through Diglett Cave, Lana gave a heavy sigh. "Is it just me, or are the trial posts getting a bit repetitive?"

"No, I get what you mean. It was eventful when I was planning the trial and setting everything up, but now that I have finished that, all I have to do is wait for challengers."

"Right?" Lana said. "I've started doing some Pokémon training in my free time. I know that real trial captains have other things they engage in while waiting for challengers, and now I can see why."

"I might do the same…" Mallow agreed. They stepped out into the sunlight of Heahea City. "Honestly, I can't wait to finish up this trial period and spend some time having fun with everyone again."

Mallow paused, and Lana understood immediately.

"You know you shouldn't avoid everyone just because of what happened, right? I get it's hard, but you don't want to isolate yourself."

"I know. I just don't know if I'm ready yet…"

"When do you think you'll be ready?" Lana asked.

"I'm not sure… You don't have to stay away with me, you know."

"I know. But I want to."

"You're the best, you know that?"

"Mallow, Lana!" a familiar voice called across the road and Kiawe jogged over. "Hi. Are you doing alright?" he asked, more to Mallow than Lana.

"Hi, Kiawe. I'm ok. Sorry we've been away," Mallow said.

"No, that's ok. We're missing your company – I think Lillie is missing you the most – but we understand."

"I thought she might," Lana said. "Have we missed anything?"

"Not particularly. Ash is taking on his Grand Trial tomorrow, though. I was hoping to find you to let you know in case you wanted to come along."

"He is?" Mallow asked, and some strange confliction toiled away inside her.

But Lana looked at her and said, "Well, Mallow?"

Hi, I'm finally back! (I feel like I say that a lot...)

It's been a while. Honestly, I've had scenes of this chapter and the next written for quite a while, but they just weren't working and neither was my writing ability, so I had to reshape them into two separate chapters. With the whole ordeal of real life stuff (I know, ughh, right?) and getting distracted playing Persona 5 Strikers, it took a lot longer than I'd have liked. On the up side, that means I've got two chapters to put out today. So not all bad... I hope.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter and the next! We're coming to a point of pause for Ash's story with these two chapters, so I'll be focusing on some other characters in a bit more depth going forward (in these chapters too, in some ways)!

Let me know what you think!