The megalith was closing in. Pikachu and Greninja lay unconscious and exhausted. Ash stood alone in a barren wasteland, watching the megalith advance and knowing there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop it. It was going to reach the Sundial, and Kalos was going to be destroyed, and the rest of the world would follow, and everyone was going to die and it was all his fault-
Ash sat bolt upright, gasping for breath and shaking from head to foot. His heart hammered in his chest, just as it had all those hours ago when he had faced down Lysandre and Team Flare, but now all the danger had passed. He was safe, they were all safe, in Meyer's house. Lumiose City, Anistar, Kalos, was safe.
Ash let out a shaky breath, and sat forward, burying his face in his hands. The adrenaline was slowly leaving his body, leaving him sick and shaky. He needed sleep. There was still so much work to do, and he had to be rested if he wanted to help.
But when he closed his eyes Lysandre was there, and the megalith, and he didn't dare try to sleep again.
He couldn't wake Pikachu. His friend had spent the day fighting and was completely exhausted. Ash wasn't going to bother him with something this stupid. Maybe Clemont was awake, or one of the others, or he could always call his mom or Professor Oak over in Kanto; that was the one benefit to being so far away from home…
That thought was forgotten as Ash looked round realised that Clemont's bed was empty.
Ice flooded Ash's stomach. Images flashed before his eyes, a million things that could have happened, before he wrenched himself under control. Clemont was fine. He had to be. It was all over.
He looked over again, and blinked. Clemont's bed wasn't just empty, it was perfectly made up. Touching the cold sheets only confirmed Ash's suspicions, and concern for his friend pushed his nightmares to the very back of his mind.
"Ah, Clemont."
Pikachu's ear twitched, but he didn't stir. Ash slipped from the room, closed the door very quietly behind him, and went in search of his friend.
There was a light on downstairs, and Ash paused just long enough to check that the door to Serena's and Bonnie's room was closed before continuing. No need for them all to be awake. He moved silently on bare feet, and came to a halt in the doorway to the kitchen.
The table was covered in papers and schematics that Ash couldn't make heads or tails of, but he spared them only a passing glance before focusing on Clemont.
Clemont looked awful. His hair stuck up even more than usual, as if he had repeatedly run his hands through it, and his shoulders were sagging with exhaustion. There were deep bags under his eyes, contrasting painfully with the ashen tone of his skin, and Ash's heart clenched.
"You said you were gonna be right behind me."
Clemont started so violently he nearly fell off the chair. "Ash? What are you doing up?"
"I was asking you the same thing," said Ash. He took a step closer, grimacing at the cold tiles. "Clemont, it's three in the morning."
Clemont stared at him, then at the clock. "Oh. I guess I didn't realise." He pushed his glasses up his nose, and offered Ash a forced smile. "I'm sorry to disturb you, Ash. I'll be right up, I promise."
"You said that hours ago," said Ash. "C'mon, Clemont, you can't work this."
Clemont said nothing, but his lips thinned and Ash suppressed a sigh. Clemont could be every bit as stubborn as Bonnie when he wanted to be. Ash bit his lip, then slid into the chair opposite him.
"You won't fix Clembot by making yourself sick, y'know."
Clemont flinched. His eyes dropped to the papers, and he drew in a hitching breath. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to fix Clembot."
Ash swallowed. Clemont lacked confidence in himself, he knew that, but never with his inventions. Clemont stared down at the papers. "His physical body is fine," he said. "I mean, the circuitry is fried, but I can fix that. I can reprogram him just the way I did before. But his memories…"
"Clemont," Ash began, but Clemont kept talking, words slurring with his weariness.
"There's nothing I can do about those. There's no back-up, no data I can input. He knew so much, learned so much more than I ever taught him, and now it's all gone!"
The pain in his voice tore at Ash's heart. He hadn't known Clembot well, but even he had seen the changes in the robot over the past months. Clemont continued to stare numbly at the plans in front of him.
"And he knew it. He knew I wouldn't be able to fix him, but he told me to do it anyway. He told me to, but I should have done something else, I should have found another way-"
"Hey," Ash interrupted gently. "You did everything you could, Clemont."
"But it wasn't enough!"
Tears fell on the papers before Clemont buried his face in his hands. "I killed him."
Ash's own eyes burned, but he forced that away. Clemont needed him. He shoved the papers out of the way, and crouched in front of his friend.
"Clembot made his choice, Clemont. He knew there was no other way to stop them. He saved all of us." He had to take a moment to swallow hard. "We'll never forget him."
Clemont's shoulders hitched, and Ash pulled him into a hug as his control finally shattered. Clemont sagged against him, sobs wracking his body, and Ash rubbed circles into his back. He wasn't good at this, not like Serena was, but Clemont was his friend. This was the least he could do.
How long they stayed like that Ash didn't know, and nor did he care. Clemont finally drew back, face red, and refusing to meet Ash's eyes.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "All of this, Clembot and Dad…"
"I get it," said Ash gently. He squeezed Clemont's shoulder, and felt him lean into the touch. "But you've gotta look after yourself too. Clembot and your dad wouldn't want this."
Clemont nodded slowly. Ash felt tremors run through his body, and his eyes didn't quite focus on Ash's. "I know I need sleep," he mumbled. "But I'm scared of what I'll see when I do."
Ash opened his mouth, then closed it again. His own nightmares lurked behind his eyes, and something must have shown on his face for Clemont swallowed hard. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "You've been listening to me go on about Clembot, and I didn't even ask if you were okay."
"Stop that," said Ash firmly. "You've been looking after all of us since this happened, and this is much more important than some bad dreams."
Clemont frowned. "That's not how it works, Ash," he insisted, but the words were interrupted by an enormous yawn. Ash managed a smile.
"Why don't we talk about it in the morning? After you've had some sleep."
Clemont shook his head, but he didn't fight when Ash hauled him upright. "Talk about everything," he said.
"Yeah," said Ash. "We will."
He winced when Clemont stumbled into the wall, but there was no sound from Serena or Bonnie, and he shut their bedroom door with a relieved sigh. Clemont stood swaying on his feet in the middle of the room until Ash sat him down on his bed.
"Get some sleep, Clemont. It'll all look better in the morning."
Clemont swallowed hard and nodded. Ash started to move over to his own bed, only to pause when Clemont snagged his wrist. "Clemont?"
Clemont blinked blearily up at him. "Stay?"
Ash hesitated only a moment before nodding. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."
The bed really was too small for two teenage boys, but they were both too exhausted to care. Clemont passed out the moment his head touched the pillow, and Ash was right behind him.
This time, he slept without dreams.
