Who I Am - Lightning99

Chapter 64:

Reunited

"You're okay…"

"You're alive!"

Ash heard both voices at the same time. They left him dazed a moment, thinking, strangely, how such similar statements could sound so different, one whispery, one a shout. He felt the arms hugging him, the squeeze and the warmth they emitted. He felt a pain that wasn't his own: stinging in his chest and on his hands, aches all over his body.

Then the moment passed, the world sped up, and suddenly, voices were banging against his head on the outside, and the truth of the situation bounced about his head from the inside.

"Are they gone?!"

Greninja was here.

"What was that?!"

He had just fought off what were probably two Ultra Beasts.

"That was an awesome battle! Who is that guy?!"

Lillie was hugging him tightly, head buried in his chest.

"Is he ok?"

Serena was here.

"We're safe! They fled towards Mt Hokulani."

He needed some space. That was the first coherent thing Ash registered in his mind when the wave of rapid-fire thoughts ended. He needed some space, but he couldn't shrug just Lillie and Serena away.

A heartbeat later, Lillie's head rose, and she jolted away from him. Ash assumed she had either felt Serena hugging him, seen her, or just become too conscious that there was a crowd around them. He decided it was either of his first thoughts because as she stepped back, her eyes were wide, her lips ajar, and she looked at him as if he had become one of his Pokémon. He hadn't, of course, but a stray thought of his mused that he may as well have been just now.

But that stray thought was blown away by Lillie's stare, what it so clearly meant.

Serena was hugging him while Lillie was watching. Dawn, Clemont, Mallow, Lana, Kiawe, Sophocles, Kukui, and probably everyone else around them were too, and all of a sudden, he wanted to be anywhere else in the world. He needed that space. But Serena's arms were still around him. All he could do was twist around and look to see if he wasn't experiencing some lucid, adrenaline-fuelled hallucination – that he hadn't completely made it up.

It was the hardest movement he had ever performed – and it still would have been if she hadn't hugged him. He practically heard his bones creaking as he twisted ever-so-slightly, ever-so-slowly, creaking like a plate of metal would if a Machoke were to bend it. Serena's honey-coloured hair, now shoulder length and brushed stylishly, fell into his gaze, confirming it. That was Serena; she was there, and she was still hugging him.

"You're alive…"

The second time Serena said it, there was a lot less vigour to it; it sounded more like she had just grabbed something she had been longing for. In a deep part of his heart that had long since changed, Ash wondered if that were the case. She looked into his eyes with her sparkling blue eyes, the tears still spilling from them and onto her rosy cheeks, and then she widened them. She looked to either side of him and pulled away from the hug. Ash just stood there, staring at her, a single word starting to fall, in a silent breath, to his lips.

"Serena?"

For a moment, Ash thought he had said it. It had been there, waiting to quiver from his lips and meet the air. But Serena looked past him, and Ash followed her gaze to Clemont, who was a step ahead of everyone else, brows furrowed but eyes wide. In the background, Ash could see strangers watching him.

"What're you…? How did…? You're here?" Clemont breathed.

Serena nodded, and then she caught Ash's eyes again. He flinched when she did, feeling another desire to run. To run far, far away. To find somewhere, anywhere, that she wasn't. But that, too, was a fleeting desire that soon faded to a single, all-encompassing realisation.

He had no idea what to do.

"Ash?" Lillie's voice whispered from Ash's other side, and he immediately looked towards her. She still wore that same expression – eyes open and round, lips parted – but there was something else there, too, in the crease of her eyebrows, the forward tilt of her head, the hand on her chest. In the way she looked like she was drawing back into herself. Ash took a deep, shaking breath.

"Serena…" he said, his voice a little hoarse and strained, a lot more whispery than he had intended. He cleared his throat, removing the hoarseness and the whisper. "What are you doing here? I-I mean… Is everything ok? What's going on?"

Ash wished he could have spoken more coherently, but the words tumbled out exactly as his thoughts entered his mind.

"I umm…" Serena started, wiping at her eyes. When she reached to her side, fiddling with the blue ribbon he had given her, Ash felt as if one of those creatures had hit him directly. "After the news and after I learned the truth… I had to see you. And I wanted to bring Greninja to you."

Ash glanced at Greninja standing beside Infernape, scraped and scratched. Greninja nodded at him.

"I guess I should say we wanted to see you," Serena added, gesturing behind her.

Ash hadn't even seen Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor behind her, eyeing him and everybody around him. They each greeted him in their own ways.

Still, Ash had no idea what to do.

Then, a hand fell on Ash's shoulder, and he saw Serena take a tiny step back. Dawn's navy hair brushed his shoulder from how close she was to him. The look on her face was indecipherable; she wasn't glaring or smiling, nor were her lips a neutral line. It was something in between them all. Serena seemed to understand it.

"Ash, are you ok?" Dawn asked.

Ash looked up and around at everybody but saw them for the first time. Lillie's eyes were more concerned now. Kiawe, Lana, and Sophocles just looked confused. Mallow seemed to be both concerned and giddy.

Clemont stepped up to Dawn's side, still eyeing Serena somewhat warily.

"I… yeah."

"Care to introduce us properly?" Dawn asked in a way that made Ash understand her eyes a little better.

"Right," Ash said, nodding, and despite the retuned desire to run as fast as he could, he did just that. He started with Dawn, then moved along the Alolan group, pointing out each person. Then he came to Lillie, and he hesitated. He didn't know why he hesitated, but he did, and when he finally said, "and this is Lillie," he felt a surge of warmth in his chest, somehow pleased to have introduced her.

Then, Ash flipped it, introducing everybody from Serena's group, ending with Serena herself. When he introduced her to everybody, claiming she was his friend, he stumbled on his words more than once. Given their expressions, everybody there knew exactly why his voice had faltered. Ash felt his heart hit a deeper pit than it ever had when Lillie looked at her feet, her smile from their pictures nowhere to be seen. And then everything became much more surprising when Mallow leapt forwards, brushing past his arm.

"Oh, Arceus! You're Serena Yvonne! The famous Poké-Vision star!" Mallow squealed, stopping so close to Serena that she had to flinch backwards.

"Oh. Umm, yes, that's me–"

"I'm such a huge fan!" Mallow looked past Serena, squealing again. "Shauna, too?!" Taking Serena's hand, then Shauna's, Mallow skipped towards the nearby building, dragging the pair with them.

Only when Mallow looked over her shoulder, shooting him a meaningful glance, did Ash realise what she was doing.

As Mallow led the two away, and Trevor and Tierno followed, Ash allowed himself to breathe. He staggered a little – not simply because of the pain in his chest and arms – and Lillie was there, holding his arm, her other hand on his back.

"Are you ok?" Lillie asked, helping to straighten him up. Clemont was on his other side, his hands a few inches away.

"In some ways," Ash answered without thinking. Dawn laughing at that was so out of nowhere and yet so needed.

"That's her, isn't it?" Lana asked. "The girl you… were in love with once."

Ash inhaled, gently removed himself from Lillie, and promptly flopped back onto the grass, lying flat on his back. As soon as he hit the grass, he blew his breath, saying, "Yeah."

"I figured," Lana said, fiddling with her obi. She set off towards the building, too. "I'm gonna go back Mallow up. You'd better thank her later."

"Trust me," Ash said, "I will."

Clemont muttered something about handling the situation and followed. Sophocles joined him, leaving only Kiawe, Kukui, and Lillie behind.

"I know there are bigger things to talk about," Lillie said in the most timid voice Ash had heard her use in a while, "but thank you, Ash. If it wasn't for you, those… I don't know what they were, but they would have gotten to my bag, my egg and Nebby."

Ash smiled as genuinely as he could. "It's no problem. I think they were after Nebby."

"Nebby?"

"Yeah. From the look of them… It's just a feeling I get, is all." He certainly had more opinions on the matter than that, but for now, in public, that wasn't exactly the best time.

"I see."

"Ash," Kiawe said, arms crossed so tightly his forearms tensed, frowning so harshly his forehead creased. "While I admit that watching you battle earlier was a spectacle, I have to ask. Why did you refuse my help yet again? Lana's, too."

Ash looked away from him. "I… It was dangerous. I didn't want anyone to get hurt."

"Get hurt?" Kiawe asked, his voice rising. "Look at you! You're exhausted, and it took using four of your Pokémon to take them down! You would have been in trouble had your Greninja not arrived, too! I could have–"

Professor Kukui patted a placating hand on Kiawe's shoulder. "He fought to keep everyone safe," he said, "let's commend him for that. For now, yeah, he needs rest. You can continue that conversation later."

Kiawe looked away, breathing deeply. "Alright," he huffed, and with that, Kukui led Kiawe away.

There was a pause.

"A-Are you really ok?" Lillie asked.

Ash sighed, placing the backs of his hands over his eyes. "I don't think so."

"Is it Serena? Or was it the Bond Phenomenon? If I am not mistaken, it activated, didn't it?"

"You could tell?"

"Yes."

Ash chuckled, sitting up slowly. "Both. I took some damage, and seeing Serena is … I have no idea what to say. At least it doesn't hurt as much as it did before."

"As much?" Lillie asked.

Ash smiled up at her, offering her his hand. She smiled back, taking it and helping him to his feet. Ash was sure she didn't miss how they let their hands linger together a little longer.

Then, Ash stepped towards his Pokémon. He looked at them all one by one: Pikachu, Shelgon, Infernape, then Greninja. He crouched down to Shelgon first.

"Awesome work, Shelgon. I'm sorry we can't celebrate your evolution right away, but we will soon, alright?" Ash said. Shelgon nodded, slow and carefully, much unlike he had been as a Bagon. Ash patted his shell, then returned him.

He looked up at Greninja, who looked like he already knew what he was going to say.

"Same to you, buddy. It's awesome to see you. We'll have to catch up later. Amazing work in that battle. It looks like you've still got it." Greninja raised his head, folded his arms, and grinned. Ash laughed, turning to Infernape.

"You too, Infernape. Amazing work. Take a good, long rest." Ash returned him to a comment his brain translated to 'I need one', which made him laugh again.

When he looked at Pikachu, he nuzzled up Lillie's cheek. Ash chuckled and patted Pikachu's head, deciding he didn't need to say anything. But then he reconsidered.

"That was one strong Thunderbolt," Ash said. Pikachu cried out, nodding. "I wonder what's happening. I guess we'll see, huh?"

Then, finally, Ash looked over at the building.

"I'm stalling, aren't I?" he asked.

Lillie shook her head. "It's alright if you are. This, umm, must be difficult for you."

Ash looked at Lillie, whose eyes were downcast again. "Is… Is it difficult for you, too?"

"H-Huh?!" Lillie asked, her head flying up, her cheeks turning red. Ash chuckled, and she swatted at him with her free arm.

"It is difficult, yeah," Ash said. "There's a lot to unpack. I don't even know where to start, and I… I don't know what she expects. Our relationship is already so rocky. I don't want to hurt her."

The unsaid words probably made Lillie's shoulders deflate, which Ash hadn't realised had been so tense. There had been far too many unspoken words between the two of them tonight. He wondered, with his new revelation, when they might become spoken.

"Shall we?" Ash asked, gesturing towards the building exactly as he had the door to their room earlier.

"We shall," Lillie said, and they joined up with the rest of their friends, happening upon a completely random conversation they were having about Poké-Vision. Yes, Ash thought to himself, he did need to thank Mallow.

As soon as Ash arrived with Lillie at his side – given how her eyes widened, Serena clearly saw that Lillie was holding Pikachu – the conversation stopped, and everyone looked at him. He hadn't prepared himself enough for this. So, he took a deep breath and asked the only thing that came to mind.

"Do you all have anywhere to stay?"

"And there you have it – two double rooms. You were lucky we had some rooms available, given how busy the festival has been today," Nurse Joy said, bowing to Serena on the other side of the desk.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy," Serena said, bowing back. She re-joined the group, which, Ash realised a while ago, was very awkward. He darkly mused that it wouldn't be so if he weren't there. A lot of them had things in common, after all. Kiawe and Tierno liked dancing, Trevor was more on the techy, nerdy side of things like Clemont and Sophocles, and Serena was basically Mallow's celebrity crush.

That awkwardness increased about a hundredfold when they all reached their rooms, and he and Lillie turned to go into the same one.

"You're… sharing a room?" Shauna asked.

Ash realised, at that moment, that he was definitely not prepared for this. Especially not today, while his muscles and bones ached. Thankfully, Dawn gave a helpful explanation about convenience and how that was just how things were. Then she added, not so helpfully, "They've gotten pretty close."

As soon as Lillie pushed their door closed, Ash's face hit his bed.

"I suddenly have a headache."

Lillie giggled, moving to sit on her bed. She untied her hair, and Ash watched it tumble like a waterfall of gold down her back.

"You are taking seeing Serena surprisingly well," Lillie said.

"Considering…"

"T-That wasn't what I…" Lillie just trailed off.

"Honestly, I'm pretty surprised myself. I froze up for a while there, but somehow actually seeing her is a lot less," – Ash paused to find the word – "terrifying than I thought it might be. I dunno. Maybe it's because I've had so much time to think about it."

"That could be it," Lillie said, placing her hand on her chest. "Do you think the inevitable talk will be ok?"

"I dunno… Today has been one crazy day."

Lillie nodded. "I agree. A lot happened. But despite the bad things, I enjoyed it. The festival was amazing."

"Yeah," Ash said, smiling over at Lillie. "Me too."

He didn't even need to wonder if he was the reason why she had enjoyed it so much.

Following that comment, Ash lay on his bed for a while, letting the softness of the mattress mould to his body. When he felt his eyes falling closed, he didn't even try to keep them open.

After the day she had had, Lillie had been too happy for words. Sitting beside Ash while fireworks illuminated the sky had felt magical like she had entered a dream. It reminded her of the day they met, of all of the times since then. Of how far their relationship had progressed.

And then the man named Guzma appeared, the attack happened, and the girl Ash had once loved showed up, who was Serena Yvonne and more beautiful in person than her videos did her justice, and Lillie had seen Ash stiffen and freeze, and she had watched him stare at Serena for so long that it didn't feel normal. She didn't know what to do.

At least, she thought, Ash hadn't broken down as he might have once. He really was taking this better than she thought he might have. A little part of her hoped she might be one of the reasons for that.

She, on the other hand, didn't think she was taking it quite as well. As much as she had tried to keep it from showing, she knew she hadn't concealed how much seeing Serena bothered her. She couldn't help it – she could only hope that Ash hadn't noticed the signs. But, in truth, her reaction to the ordeal was mixed.

When Ash finally chased off those two creatures, all she had wanted to do was reach to, to ensure that he was ok. She had seen him gripping his chest and staggering on his feet during the battle. It was obvious that his Bond Phenomenon had activated. So, when she had finally put her arms around him, she had let her body relax, knowing that he wasn't unconscious and was still strong enough to stand. But then she had felt someone else, and the moment she had stepped back, she had felt two conflicting feelings.

The first was a surprise that slowly morphed into a dispiriting realisation. A random girl that none of them knew had suddenly thrown her arms around Ash. Lillie's mind had quickly flipped through all sorts of scenarios – Ash might have saved her, he might have saved someone she loved – but then she heard her claim that he was alive, she saw the tears and the desperation in her eyes, and she knew differently. She knew this was her: the girl Ash had loved. And that was when her chest had started to ache.

Oddly enough, the second feeling was being star-struck because as soon as her chest started to ache, she had realised who was hugging Ash. Serena Yvonne, a young lady both she and Mallow had been fawning over on Poké-Vision not that long ago. Lillie agreed with Mallow's views on Serena, that she was an inspiration, that she was beautiful and talented and admirable for her confidence and devotion to her passion. She was so many things Lillie wasn't, and seeing her in person might have left Lillie like a passionate fangirl, flustered, grinning, and as energetic as if she had been on a sugar diet all week. But she hadn't been. Not in that situation. Not when both of those feelings blended to bring to the surface the predicament Lillie was in now.

Without meaning to, without wanting to, and without reason to, she couldn't help wondering how she, an average girl whose understanding of the outside world was lacking, who was self-conscious and quiet, could compare to someone as confident, talented, and beautiful as Serena. Lillie knew she was smarter than most her age, but who would like that when Serena was beside her?

Lillie sighed, shaking her head to try and throw the thoughts away. Thinking that way wasn't good. She and Serena weren't enemies; she didn't want to be at odds with her. They didn't even know each other. She was letting her mind wander because of how crazy a day it had been.

Deciding to put all of that out of her mind as best she could, she turned and looked at Ash, who had long since fallen asleep. She smiled and lay down in her bed, still keeping her eyes on him, and suddenly, their adventure around the festival resurfaced in her mind, and she wasn't so worried anymore.

Besides, it was Ash's choice. And after everything she had seen lately, she could only hope the hints she thought she was seeing were real. Answering Ash's phone on his behalf helped distract her for a little while.

Brock bolted upright as soon as his vision returned, and the first thought of 'what just happened' sprung into his mind. He looked about himself, but all he could see were lab coats, a white wall's scattered remains and some fractured glass. He saw his Steelix above him, shaking rubble off his head, and he nodded up at him in thanks. He didn't want to think of the state he might be in now had Steelix not appeared.

Then, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" a voice asked.

"Yes," Brock said, taking the woman's hand as she pulled him to his feet. He dusted off his clothes. "Yes, I'm ok. What about everybody else?"

"Some people are still unconscious but don't have any serious injuries," she said. Brock sighed, nodding. Then, her voice adopted a sterner tone. "This isn't your department, is it?"

Brock shook his head. "No. I heard the explosion and came down here to help. I didn't get far before the wall blasted out on me," he answered, wondering why that was her priority.

"Did you see anything?"

"No." Brock visualised the flash of red he did, indeed, see. "The wall just blew out."

"I see. Well, head on over to the medics so they can take a better look at you. Then you can head home. A boat is waiting."

"Thank you," Brock said, and the woman moved on to examine another woman lying on the floor inside the broken room.

Instead of heading to the medics, however, Brock returned his Steelix and, after carefully looking around, snuck into the hall where the elevator was. There were a few people around, so he made for the elevator and took it before anybody could get on it with him. While riding it, he tapped on his Pokégear, and it started ringing.

Ash picked up on the second ring.

"Ash, we have a problem," Brock said. He stopped. "Lillie?"

"Hello, Brock. I'm sorry, but Ash fell asleep, so I picked up on his behalf."

Even though she couldn't see it, Brock nodded. "Thank you, Lillie. I didn't want to wait to tell anybody about the situation."

"That's alright. You said we have a problem?" Lillie asked.

"Right. I've been unconscious for what I think was a few hours."

"What?!" Lillie asked, her voice rising. "Are you ok?! What happened?!"

"I think I'm fine, thank you," Brock said. The elevator reached the dock, so Brock moved to a quiet corner to wait for the boat. "I was on my way home when I heard an explosion. So, I went to one of the secret labs to see what was happening. Something blew through the wall. It was red and fast, and–"

"I-I think Ash just fought them," Lillie said.

"Wait, what? Them? And Ash fought them?"

"Yes. It was the strangest situation. We had just finished watching the fireworks when this creature appeared. Ash fought it off with Infernape, and then another appeared. That is why he's sleeping right now. He didn't say it directly, but I think Ash believes they are Ultra Beasts. Were they Ultra Beasts?"

"If they came from here and nobody recognised them, then most probably."

"I thought so too."

"What happened next?"

"Umm…" Brock frowned, waiting a few moments for Lillie to continue. "Ash's Greninja appeared and helped him fight the second one."

Brock frowned. "Greninja?"

"Yes," Lillie said, "he…umm… came with Serena."

Brock paused.

"Oh."

"Yes."

"Oh."

"I know."

"Is Ash ok?"

"When he was awake, he was holding up surprisingly well. I think part of it is because of how tired he was, but he has yet to talk to her properly."

It wasn't hard for Brock to guess that that conversation might not be immediate. "I see. In that case, I'll call him tomorrow when he's awake to make sure."

"I think that is a good idea, yes."

"We also need to discuss what happened properly. For now, I'll think on it some more."

"Ok," Lillie said. "Thank you, Brock. I hope you are ok."

"I hope you are, too."

Serena didn't know what she had expected to see when she finally found Ash. But seeing him fighting two giant, muscled red creatures, a large group of people around him, and a girl hugging him definitely hadn't been within her speculations. She had expected him to make some friends, and some of them were old friends, but it was still a larger group than she had ever seen him with. And one of them was even more of an adult than Brock – or so she assumed. She hadn't gotten a too in-depth look at Brock, having only met him briefly back in Oak's lab.

Serena wrang out her hair with a towel once more, then walked into her and Shauna's room, sitting on the edge of her bed. She sighed, and across the room, Shauna laughed.

"That sounds like a mix of jet lag, boat sickness, and utter confusion," Shauna said, "because that is exactly what I'm feeling right now."

"The jet lag and the sickness, I understand, but what part are you confused about, exactly?" Serena asked.

"How about everything?"

Serena stared up at the ceiling. "Yes, that makes two of us."

"I mean, really, just what in Arcues' name is going on here?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Serena said, dropping her towel over her thigh. The dampness of it was, somehow, soothing.

Shauna shuffled around on her bed until she was facing Serena. She lay on her stomach, her legs in the air.

"Well, let's break it down." Serena chuckled and shook her head but turned to Shauna anyway. "First, Ash is fighting some crazy-looking Pokémon that are definitely not normal."

"I bet he's gone and gotten himself involved in a crazy event or something. They weren't normal," Serena said.

"I was thinking the same thing. From everything you've told me, he finds problems as easily as he catches Pokémon. That's one point down. Now–"

"We don't necessarily know we're right."

"Just go with it," Shauna said, waving her hand. Serena laughed again. "Point two. He's got all of these friends around him now."

"That one is the least surprising."

"You're right. He makes friends as easily as he catches Pokémon."

"You already used that–"

"I know, just go with it," Shauna said.

Serena laughed yet again. "Ok. So, he's involved in another crazy event. He's made a lot of friends, and…"

"He might have a girlfriend."

"No!" Serena exclaimed, her eyes wide. She felt she had lost control of her voice for a moment. "I… I know. That's how it looked. But…"

"I'm just being pessimistic, but they're sharing a room, Serena."

"They said it wasn't like that. That's just how the arrangements happened. And… I hope this doesn't sound selfish, but Brock said Ash loved me. I… can only hope he hasn't gotten over that yet. I don't know…"

Shauna sighed. She shuffled again, sitting on the edge of her bed. She reached over, patting Serena's shoulder. "After everything that happened…"

Serena shook her head. "I know…"

Shauna didn't say anything for a few moments.

"Did you catch her name?"

"Whose?"

Shauna rolled her eyes. "The blonde girl that hugged Ash. And who was hugging his Pikachu very comfortably afterwards."

"I didn't," Serena said. "I didn't catch any of their names. Except for Mallow."

"She sounded like your number one fan," Shauna said.

"Yeah," Serena said. She looked at the ground, falling quiet for a moment. "She's beautiful."

"Who, Mallow? I know, right? She's–"

"I… Yes, Mallow is beautiful, but I didn't mean her. I meant the blonde girl."

"Oh, yeah, she's beautiful," Shauna said, nodding enthusiastically. "Her hair is gorgeous, and her eyes, and how cute she is–" Shauna stopped, then. Serena felt a weight on her other shoulder. "Sorry, Serena. That's probably not helping."

Serena lifted her head. "You don't have to apologise. It's true. It's just… I came all this way hoping to make up with Ash, but I didn't even think he might have moved on. I didn't expect any of this. I didn't…"

Shauna wrapped her arms around Serena.

"Don't get too disheartened," Shauna said. "I've been pretty blunt because I didn't want you to ignore the possibilities, but we don't know the situation. You need to talk to Ash. Only then will we know what's going on. Only then will you know how he feels."

"Yeah," Serena said. "You're right. Thank you, Shauna."

"Anytime."

Hi!

In light of a sudden desire to just do it, I'm uploading a double-feature today! Two chapters, back-to-back. Maybe I was that blown away by the response to the previous one :D. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

But first, I can't upload this chapter without mentioning the recent episode of the series. I won't go into spoiler territory just in case, but man, the animation, the music, the emotions, the battling... It was amazing. If you haven't already, watch it. 10/10 episode for me.