Hoh, this was a close one, nearly didn't make it to publish a chapter on time but anyhow, here we are :p
P.S.: I do read you guys' suggestions and I appreciate them but I can't guarantee anything.
Hope you're ready for this. Enjoy!
The evil man had become a very prominent part of Ash's nightmare last night. It certainly didn't help that Riley was apparently just as scared of the fellow as he was, judging from the stories he's told him. Apparently, they're some kind of zombies who need life in order to live. Due to some kind of sin they've done, their Aura turned against them so now they continue their life of sin by sucking it out of the oblivious. It's creepy and Ash is definitely unsettled by the idea that doing something wrong could turn your own ability against you. His teacher assures him that the sin needs to be unforgivable, such as taking another life using Aura or doing something much worse. However, despite Riley's insistence that they won't come to find him again, as travelling takes too much effort out of them and how they won't follow such a loose lead on a whim again, he spends the entire morning spooking him with stories. And at noon, just after dinner -where Ash hadn't eaten too much, the fact the evil man could have done exactly what had happened in his dreams was not comforting- he sat him down and began teaching him methods on how to deter these 'Fallen' in case he encountered them.
"How many of them are there?"
"Five."
"All in Kanto?"
"No, they do move around and about. Trust me, the crime scene they leave is anything but nice. It's how I got to know Lance, you know?"
"… Did they kill a student of yours?"
"It was an accident waiting to happen, I could see him turn against me anyway. That he was making active contact with the Fallen was his own demise. There was nothing I could do to save him when he had readily agreed to meet all five of them at the same time. There… wasn't much of him left so I knew what had happened but still, I would like to save you from that fate."
Ash remembers how quickly he could feel this man approach and honestly, he doesn't think he could meet all five of those suckers without either hurling or exploding. Either way, he had plenty of time to run but also…
"You're very insistent that they would have found me. Even though you assured me that only the good Aura users with the help of a pokémon could find me."
"I did say that and I still stand by it… but I'm just not willing to take the chance, Ash," Riley persists. "I'll sleep better at night when I know you can deter them from coming too near to you, they need to make body contact, after all. Don't underestimate how persistent, no, desperate they can get, they're always hungry, parched, itchy, in pain, they'll do anything to get the slightest bit of Aura."
"Sounds cosy," Ash remarks dryly but he's creeped out. He gets it, it must've been bad for Riley to see his hard work go to waste and it's never nice to lose something you can't replace… but scaring him goes against better judgment.
He's one story away from screaming and he's not going to be held responsible for it. Not when his teacher is being the personification of a very horrible Halloween evening. The fact that Riley is so distraught that he doesn't notice his discomfort is bad enough, he really doesn't want to practise any exercise right now. All Ash wants to do is to curl up with his pokémon. Speaking of which, they seem to notice his mood pretty well, even Lance's Flygon has come closer than ever, perched right next to the couch he's sitting in front of, looking on with watchful eyes.
"I'm going to need you to learn how to push," Riley says and he somehow doesn't even realise how weird it sounds.
Ash barely has any control over his Aura, he's never been taught that. All he can do is meditate and the moment he tries it, the dream of the evil man resurfaces and his peace of mind gets disturbed. It doesn't help that the man in front of him starts to look desperate when he keeps failing but he can't help it! How is he supposed to do something he's never been learned how to do?
"I'm going to approach you with my Aura now. Maybe that'll help."
It didn't. As soon as Ash feels the slightest sensations of something, it could have well been Pikachu's fur brushing against his arm, he lost it. He did push and it made such a racket he knew he had done it wrong.
"What's going o-ooooh, holy shit, what happened here!?"
Clair comes flying down the stairs and Lance's footsteps are quickly approaching the living room too. Ash almost didn't want to open his eyes but he's not a coward so he does it… and sees he's just buried Riley under furniture. He can't even see the man and he hates the idea that he could have hurt him, what if his Aura takes offence to it, oh no, what has he done!?
"Riley?!" Lance shouts. "Can you hear me?"
A groan comes from under the pile and Clair just has to turn to look at Ash to make him cry.
"Did you do that?" she asks, clearly annoyed by the situation, if not angry.
"I-I'm sorry," he sobs, wiping at his eyes with his sleeves. "I didn't mean to, I-"
"Go to your room," she orders and it hurts him so much, he was getting blamed again while they knew he couldn't control it, they knew! "We'll talk about this later."
He scrambles to get up, he can't take any of this any longer, it's wasn't just his fault and yet all he gets is dismissed, they won't let him explain! In his haste, Ash accidentally trips over Flygon's tail and falls hard, not having had any time to brace himself. It only makes him feel worse because it hurts and he doesn't want to get on Lance's bad side for having harmed his previous pokémon. He hurries to get up, he does hear someone say something but he doesn't hear it. All he wants is to get up those stairs and into his room.
When he finally gets there, Ash goes and hides in the closet. He's had enough arguments with his mom to know that being in bed isn't an ideal spot to be in, she used to open his bedroom door and fling whatever the argument had been about at him. He still had a dent in his left lower arm where a can of expired beans had hit him out of nowhere. That wouldn't work now, this was a sturdy closet and Gliscor moves into it too. However would open the door would only see the clearly peeved pokémon, so it works out in his favour.
He can't stop crying but knowing that no one will hear it makes him even worse. Something about 'big boys don't cry' always rubbed him the wrong way but still, here he was, silently sobbing while holding Pikachu close to him. Gliscor is gently purring but Ash is too upset still to calm down because of it. It hurts to hear the pokémon stop, possibly realising that their efforts are for nought. Everything hurts now and the teen wants nothing more than for this to stop.
Downstairs, Lance worriedly gets his old friend from underneath the closet he's trapped under. Not too worried, he's seen heavier pokémon fall on top of Riley so he knows the man will be a bit bruised but otherwise fine. It's the entire situation that worries him, his friend's meek behaviour gives him the impression that Ash wasn't the only one responsible for this accident.
"What was all this about?" Clair asks angrily. "Look at this mess."
"I… I did tell him to push. I think… he just used the wrong ability," Riley answers softly and he sounds a bit upset too.
"That means you must have upset him. He would never do this kind of thing without being spooked," Lance says and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Don't tell me you've been talking about that man the whole day?"
"… I need him to understand."
"I think he does, actually. Look around you, Riley, see how badly he wanted to get you away from him. You slid eight meters away and you landed against the door. He would've flung you further away if he could but the thing is, there's clearly no malice in his actions or you would have gone through that door, or even the wall."
The man clearly feels guilty and Lance accepts it. Ash is a sensitive kid and if you're not paying attention, you won't notice him being on the verge of snapping. What he won't tolerate, is Clair's meddling with his nephew. She's not his main caregiver and she has no authority over him whatsoever. As he turns to tell her exactly that, he sees Ash's Gible bare his teeth at her. A vicious growl comes out of the creature's mouth, she apparently standing too close to him or something but what worries Lance is that Flygon is making no move whatsoever to tell Gible off. In fact, his pokémon is giving Clair a dull stare, something that's not a part of his usual behaviour towards her. And then he sees it.
"Clair…? Clair, don't move," he urges and his niece hears the urgency in his voice, she goes ramrod straight.
It's better if she doesn't turn around now, there is a huge, black shadow behind her and the two red eyes are looking straight at her. This is Giratina and it's not looking happy.
"Riley? Riley, do you know where Ash is?"
"In his room? That's what Clair ordered him to do, isn't it?"
The man isn't sure if it's going to be that easy but he goes upstairs anyway. They'll clean the mess up later, now he needs to make sure Ash is okay. At the moment, he doesn't really care if Giratina is there either, it cares and the way all the pokémon in the house behave is very… worrisome.
Lance storms up the stairs but he calms himself down enough to walk towards the child's room. If Ash is scared at the moment, the last thing he wants to do is to give him an even bigger freight. Honestly, what was Riley thinking, trying to scare the boy into taking him seriously? Hadn't he heard from the therapist the house had disappeared? As much experience as he already has with Ash convinces Lance that one of his big friends had come in to help him. Meaning the teen had a pretty good idea on how to recognise danger way before it actually found him. Whether or not he likes the idea that these big friends will come to bother them if they say something wrong is something he doesn't want to think about.
"Ash?" he calls out, before he enters the room. "Ash, can I come in?"
It's futile, Lance remembers having been a kid himself and the last thing he would've done is respond. So he goes in and is confused that he can't see the kid. He goes to check under the bed but there's nothing there, other than a bit of dust. The man frowns heavily and looks around the room, trying to spot something out of the ordinary. There's nothing strange nor is there any sound.
It worries him a lot, he knows Delia didn't raise Ash to be open with his emotions and the fact he hid them so well is not comforting. It's something he will have to mention to dr. Knight next week but right now, he needs to find the kid asap. His eyes search the room and they eventually land in the closet, it's certainly big enough for a pokémon or two and he knows his nephew will squeeze into anything if he's hurt or scared enough. That too is something he remembers doing as a kid.
"Whoa!" he exclaims when he opens the door and gets Gliscor's face into his.
The pokémon makes a very odd noise, it sounds like a huff and a sneeze at the same time. He's not sure what it means but he's got an inkling the pokémon isn't happy. Well, good, he's not feeling great either.
"Where's Ash?" the man asks and the pokémon's eyes twitch downwards for only a second before focusing back on him. It doesn't matter to Lance, he pushes the Gliscor's wing to the side and sees his nephew and-
"Blood!" he cries out and his instinct cause him to scoop the kid out of the closet the instant he sees he's injured.
It doesn't seem to be too bad, Ash probably hit something whilst falling that caused his lip to split and honestly, facial injuries always seem to bleed the worst in his experience. However, it's a spooky sight and it's gotta hurt too. The teen still looks upset so he goes to sit on the bed with him. At first, Lance doesn't know what to say to the boy, he's not sure what Clair said to him or what happened to make him this upset and he doesn't want to put his foot in anything still sore. Riley comes to his rescue, though bursting through the door in a hurry.
The man looks a lot more excited than before, for a moment Lance thinks the piece of furniture might have left some more damage than first assumed but then his face changes as soon as he lays eyes on the miserable-looking child. His enthusiasm is gone and he very slowly comes towards the bed.
"Ash? Why are you sad?" he asks as he gently puts a hand on his shoulder. "Please, talk to me."
The teen hiccups once and says that he knows he's done something bad despite knowing he was going to get punished for it and now he's done it willingly and he messed things up for everyone, all while he wanted nothing more than to please everyone and yet… Riley hushes the boy after that statement and gives Lance a meaningful look before going to sit on the bed as well.
"Just because I underestimated this magic of yours, doesn't mean you did anything bad, Ash," he says. "In fact, I should have known, you do your best every time, don't you?"
"I didn't know what to do…"
"But you did it alright. Sure, there's a bit of cleaning to do but let me tell you, it's the least of your worries in all the situation where you can use this handy-dandy eject button of yours."
"… Really?"
"Absolutely. Also, since you've successfully completed my first lesson, I will be teaching you something I know you will be getting some good use out of. Seeing you love pokémon so much… what would you say on how I teach you how to Aura bond with them?"
"What does that mean?" the boy utters, still looking upset.
"It will enable you to communicate with pokémon. Not in words, though, it's mostly impressions and feelings. But it's wonderful for anyone with such a great love for pokémon to know they feel the same way about them."
Lance knows where this is going and he likes the idea of the boy just sitting with his pokémon a lot more than having him stuffed into a closet, fearful of his own abilities. Talking about pokémon, he wonders whether the Giratina is still there or whether it's already left, leaving his niece to stand there for nothing. He does hope it hasn't eaten her, that would be unfair towards Clair. But still… how was he supposed to tell such a pokémon to give her back, hm?
"Come on, then," he says when he sees Ash's expression lighten up a bit at the prospect of that lesson. "Let's get you cleaned up okay?"
"'kay."
Ash still isn't feeling well when Lance carries him down the stairs. He doesn't remember having told the man anything about his leg hurting so he doesn't know why Lance does it. He's confused about a lot of things now, was his uncle ever even mad at him? And Riley was totally fine too, is that why Lance didn't say anything about it? But that doesn't make sense because Clair had been upset and she had told him they were going to talk about it and he's not looking forward to that conversation. Because she doesn't know, she doesn't want to, he's offered to explain his abilities to her several times but Clair always responded with the same answer, that she wasn't interested in that kind of stuff.
But will she still feel the same way about his 'stuff' now that she's seen what he can do? Ash didn't know he could do something like that, he hadn't meant to… Clair sure did seem to care an awful lot when she gave him that heated glare that made him hurry to his room. Mistake number two, in his honest opinion, he's pretty sure his lip isn't the only thing bleeding. It's defused the situation though, that injury so maybe it was okay that he had fallen. Flygon is fine too, he comes over for a sniff and settles down next to him on the couch this time around. Ash would have assumed that the pokémon would've been startled because of what happened but it seems he's overestimating how little everyone is impressed by this. God, if his mom would've been in either Lance or Clair's shoes… Just thinking about it makes him even less happy to have been carried downstairs, straight to his possible doom.
"Uncle?" he asks hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"… Will you stop Clair if she starts yelling at me?"
"She's not going to yell at you," Lance says.
"Thank you," Ash answers because he takes this as a 'yes'.
"You don't understand, I don't have to stop her from yelling at you, she's not going to."
"… She said she was going to talk to me about what happened, though."
His uncle pulls a strange expression, one he's already seen a couple of times already. He can't link it to anything else other than the other instances where he's said something he thought was normal but…
"She's not going to yell at you, Ash, trust me."
"… 'kay," he says.
"Why don't you go talk to Clair for a bit while I introduce Ash to an actual lesson in Aura? I promise there will be no accidents with this one," Riley pipes up.
Lance agrees though he seems to hesitate for a bit before leaving the living room. Ash didn't know where Clair was but his teacher catches his attention when he goes to sit in front of him. Now the boy has to look down to see him, which is a first.
"I understand you have a way to tell if people are lying to you or not, yes?" Riley asks and the teen nods in confirmation. "I figure that might stem from a natural talent towards what I'm about to teach you. You see, a Source is empathic in nature but not in the way that they can receive feelings from anyone. They choose to care and that's why some Sources seem to be very hard to deceive, if not impossible."
"Really?"
"Mm-hm. I don't think you will have any issues doing this exercise either, you already have a good bond with pokémon."
"Is that necessary? I mean, pokémon belonging to people with bad ideas listen to them too."
"Listening to someone or liking them are two different things, Ash. Pokémon listen to me as well… but your command over them goes a little deeper than that, don't you think? Surely you must have noticed it too."
"Sure, I attract a lot of them but I feel like most leave after they know I'm okay."
"… Do they?"
"Yeah, uncle Lance's garden was filled to the brim with pokémon in the first weeks and when I went out to warn them for the dragon pokémon, most of them had a sniff at me and left."
"No wild pokémon has come up at me to check if I'm okay, though?" Riley says. "There's no predicting wild pokémon but be honest, you like every single one of them, right?"
"I do. I do like all of them a lot. They've done a lot for me without knowing it, I… I do owe them a lot."
"Oh?"
"Well, for starters, they were my ticket out of Pallet. They were also something to dream about and then later, when I encountered a bunch of them, something to dream off. I also met a whole lot of different people because of them and I've found friends of my own. Not ones who tagged along with Gary and then me because there was no one else available and who silently thought I was a loser," Ash sighs. "There's a lot they are responsible for… even the ones who attacked me, they also, somehow, made my life worse but also a better one. If it wasn't for them, I would have probably never met you again."
The man gives him a thoughtful look before nodding in understanding. His eyes glance at the Flygon next to him and a mysterious smile appears on Riley's smile.
"How about you try this exercise with Flygon, hm? Maybe you understand what I mean after that."
"… if that's okay," he says and gives the pokémon a doubtful look. "Can I?"
Flygon bobs his head with a short huff and shuffles a bit closer. Ash isn't sure what to do other than to listen to Riley tell him to touch the pokémon. He gently takes a hold of Flygon's head and nothing happens for a good while, other than the purr escaping the pokémon. He knows he's got warm hands and any pokémon, other than, you know, Fire-types, are suckers for warmth. However, something does happen when his teacher tells him to close his eyes and try activating his Aura in his hands. It's a niggling feeling in the back of his head first but as he focusses on it, he gets several impressions he assumes coming from the Flygon… as well as some memories.
Ash sees his uncle as a very young boy and judging from the angle, Flygon must've still been a Trapinch. He sees how Lance rescues him and the feelings the pokémon has for the man. He also knows that Flygon is very pleased that he likes the man too, now they have something in common! And then something unexpected shows up, he sees Clair look at something but there's a very large shadow behind her, it can't possibly be hers… It's Giratina!
He's bewildered and he wonders when this happens when Flygon shows the accident from earlier from his viewpoint. It's a lot more impressive seeing in from a different perspective… and it's obvious that it's left a mark on the dragon. He doesn't get any images any longer but he does get words of some sort. Ash has a hard time making sense of what he's hearing, though he's sort of hears 'beacon' and 'the lords'. Ash hears a lot of words he doesn't understand, though but overall, he thinks Flygon likes him.
When he opens his eyes, he looks straight into the pokémon's eyes and he can't help but smile. Flygon looks so pleased with himself, however, Ash can't focus on it long before Pikachu pulls his sleeve, asking attention.
"Did it work?" Riley asks, smiling widely.
"I… think so. A lot was going on that I don't understand, though."
"Maybe you can try it with Pikachu this time."
He looks at his partner pokémon and initially, he has no qualms about trying it, Ash trusts his buddy with his life and more, he doesn't even have any secrets either. There's nothing they don't know about each other, they've been together to witness everything first hand. They know what they dislike, what they love… Everything. He doesn't know why he's hesitating either but Pikachu doesn't bother reaching out for his hands either. He's already made himself comfortable in the teen's lap, gently purring in his own peculiar way.
"I think he was just jealous," Ash chuckles sheepishly.
Riley snorts at that.
"How long have the two of you been together?"
"Four years now."
"… Just? Huh. And yet, still such a deep bond."
"We've gone through some stuff, I guess that helps."
"It does," the man says. "Good job, though, Ash, you're a natural talent."
The teen ducks his head, abashed and a bit embarrassed. He thanks Riley anyway, he doesn't want to seem ungrateful and he does appreciate a patient teacher. Though, he does wonders what's so different, the man hasn't made a move to 'expel' him and yet professor Oak had enough of him after three lessons because he couldn't keep still. Considering he's thrown Riley through the room, his first thought is lenience but his teacher is also very human. Maybe there's a large part of his patience due to sympathy. Whatever it is, Ash feels like he's become a better person than he was yesterday, despite having made such a mess of things.
That being said, he still feels like a failure because he can't clean up this mess. He can fling furniture around but he can't straighten it out again and it bothers him because he used to be able to fix what he had done wrong. To realise that he's become a bigger issue than even he can solve is hard on him.
"Then, allow me," a voice says and judging from the fact that Riley doesn't suddenly shoot up from his chair, Ash figures the man didn't hear it.
As if by magic, the furniture straightens and even slides back to where it stood before. It's impressive but the teen already knows who's responsible for it. That's why he barely reacts to Riley's statement on how he likes his magic a lot more.
"It's not magic," he persists. "It's psychic abilities."
"All the same to me."
"Look, I met a magician once and-"
"You don't need to remind me why I don't like magic, kiddo," the man says and holds up his hands as if he wants to apologise for cutting him off. "I don't think I need to remind you of the fact that special people attract special situations?"
"There's no way Aura is responsible for that."
"Well no, unless you've felt it steer you into a certain direction, no but I was talking about the way we live, Ash. What are you going to do when you see someone in trouble?"
"I would want to help, so I would go to them. I'm shit with directions, though and if my Aura is relying on one foot to get the job done, I feel like it's in for a bad time-"
"Hands, Ash. It's called lending a helping hand. That's where your Aura is the easiest to activate, isn't it?"
The teen gives his hands a dubious look and he sincerely doubts that they can somehow be responsible for his 'interesting life'. Maybe Riley is so used to living outside, without much human contact that he somehow feels like his eyes are saving him from every trap possible, even if it's just because he's a naïve bum about everything modern.
"Is it though? I've been through enough to know there's only so much you can do when a situation has like a billion different outcomes and none of them is ever the only right answer."
"If you realise that, then why wonder why Aura is responsible at all?"
"You could've just said 'no' and get it over with."
"Ah, but what's life without a little bit of mystery?" Riley chuckles but he's the only one amused.
"… I still feel like you have a reason to point out that thing about my hands, though? Is it important?"
"No flies on you, hm? Tell you what, I'll leave it for tomorrow. Our next lesson is going to have to happen early in the morning, there's this party I absolutely don't want to be here for. So I'm going on a walk and I'll come back next year."
"That's fine by me," Ash says. "I guess I'll see you next year, then?"
"Absolutely."
In the meantime, he still feels a bit dejected at his own realisation that's he more trouble than he's worth. It makes him flee the room when Clair comes in, he remembers this 'talk' they promised to have but he's not ready for that, if he'll ever be. What are words going to do for him now, huh? Ash isn't sure whether she'll just forgive him, though, maybe she's going to check if there is damage or something but for now, he's still confused and hurt. His head is starting to ache and he doesn't need to have someone preaching on how he's not supposed to throw furniture at anyone, which he's aware of, actually.
Dinner had been silent and it makes Ash flee back upstairs. It's probably because of Clair, who tells him he looks horrible with that split lip, which is totally her fault but okay. So now he's sitting in bed, silently stewing on his own misery.
"I still feel like you are angrier than you let on, even if you have perfect control over it."
"I told you I realise that, no need to put your foot in it," Ash huffs.
"Are you not happy that I can to help you?" Mewtwo asks and the teen hates he's the reason for the hesitance in its voice.
"Yes but I… I'm not sure you can understand, I'm annoyed that I couldn't do it."
"… Pride?" the pokémon offers.
"More like being completely useless but whatever."
"You are not useless, Chosen, anything but. I feel that the word you are looking for is 'helpless'."
"Is there a difference?"
"Absolutely," Mewtwo says. "May I sit?"
Ash scoots over instantly, a bit too far even but the pokémon goes to sit rather daintily.
"Did you know there is a city in the world that is sinking due to the weight of the buildings on it? That there is a dimension heating up so badly because the people on it cannot control their own greed and cannot understand what they are doing wrong? Several professors are wondering what was so different about the prehistoric pokémon and how they have changed in time without understanding that the pokémon of today will also be fossilized one day and that there will be no one to unearth and revive them."
"… Why are you telling me this?"
"To make you understand that there are worse problems than just a small boy accepting the help that is offered to him," Mewtwo says and the teen sighs deeply.
"I know that. I'm just… I don't wanna just use you guys."
"Why not?"
"It's difficult to explain, Mewtwo," the boy says and he shrugs. "What's the point in only making friends to use them?"
"What is the point of having friends when you refuse to use their gifts to you?"
"… I dunno."
"It is not the slightest bother to me, I hope you realise that."
"Maybe… Maybe it'll help if I… show you?" Ash asks hesitantly. "I've learned something on how to make a connection with Aura, it'll… Well, I hope it'll be less intrusive than you just looking into my mind."
"I am willing to try it, I trust you."
Ooooh, the boy likes it a lot and Mewtwo is still as soft as he remembers it being. The tiny hairs make touching the pokémon quite the experience. And Mewtwo does have the nicest purr of all the sounds he's heard coming from pokémon, though Pikachu is a close second. He focusses for a bit and tries to recreate the feelings from earlier, when he connected with Flygon. It works perfectly only… it feels different. It's certainly less nice and fluffy, it's almost like… Mewtwo isn't happy at all. There's a change, though, there's a lot more pink emerging and Ash suddenly get a rush of information flow through him. The pokémon is looking for a forever home, where it belongs, a future, a purpose. Team Rocket stole that from it and it wants it back. The teen is sure if he can help but he sees how Mewtwo still visits Team Rocket laboratories, destroying their research and building.
It doesn't seem like the pokémon kills anyone, it feels too good for that sort of thing, though Ash knows it'll be pleased enough to scare people half to death nevertheless. A recent attack on a Team Rocket laboratory shows up and the teen gets tingles all over his body, he can read the research, he now knows that they are researching strange pokémon, he sees a list of names on the contact form and some are highlighted and categorised as 'risky because of loyalty to the pokémon league'. There is a professor in there and Ash makes a mental note to check out that name, he's never heard from this person before but maybe they know all about strange pokémon, like the ones who attacked him. And maybe they could answer his questions.
If anything, this constant persistence that it isn't real makes the teen worry about Mewtwo, it is real but how is he supposed to prove that to it? He knows that Team Rocket made it but they must have had a guide. It's pretty clear that it's not a clone of Mew at all and just because of Giovanni's lack of creativity to find a better name than Mew The flipping Second, doesn't mean they have much in common. Maybe that also has something to do with the difference in upbringing, Mew has always been free, whereas Mewtwo has only spent a short while out of human control. Ash doesn't want to do that to the pokémon either, he knows what catching a creature does to them and it's not a fate he would like to lay on any legendary pokémon.
He knows he's hard to hurt and that he will live a prolonged life but it's not comparable to how the Kyogre who created the sea and the Groudon who created the earth are still the same. He won't ever be that old and it would sadden him greatly to ever needing to let go of any of his friends. What if he's not able to ever release them from their pokéball ever again? What if he has an accident and these amazing pokémon ever get stuck in there? No, he makes a vow to himself that he'll never try to catch-
"Friend, that is very noble of you but have you forgotten you have never officially released any pokémon? You have never broken their pokéball not your promise to them."
"… oh."
"Continue at your own pace," Mewtwo says and closes its eyes again.
Ash is bewildered but somehow, they've just spoken up through the Aura bond and as soon as he closes his eyes, he sees another, peculiar memory of Mewtwo. It's joined by other pokémon, they are looking for… 'beacon'? The teen doesn't make the connection to who that is until he sees it. Those three damned-
"Calm yourself, I am sorry. I did not wish to remind you of it."
Tears are rolling down his face and he can't stop himself from getting upset. Not because of the way he saw himself getting attacked, no, he had just felt the emotions of everyone involved in it and he can't even start to believe how much they care about him.
"You know what you have done to deserve this kind of love, friend," the pokémon says.
"I know," he hiccups. "But I've had so many people turn their backs on me even though I've always tried to do my best and I never understood either side. I never knew what the difference was, why the one acted so nice and the other so nasty. Why? Why?"
"I cannot speak for the others but I cannot start to phantom what I would have done without you. It would not have ended well, that much I know but I could not have lived a life this nice without you."
He knows Mewtwo wants him to stop crying but Ash can't, he's feeling too many emotions at once to decide whether he's got a reason to stop crying or not. Something tickles his cheek and when he opens his eyes, he can see Pikachu licking the tears from his face. He wonders how he suddenly was laying down until he sees Mewtwo laying down as well.
"Would you like me to teach you the control you wish to have over your psychic abilities, friend?" it asks.
"Would you? It would mean the world to me, I love you guys so, so much but I would hate to rely on your help all the time. When you are there, I want to be there for you, I don't want any reason for you to be here, you can appear at your leisure. I… I want you to know I can keep myself safe even without you."
"Do you have something you will not grow upset at if it breaks?"
Ash didn't need much time to produce one of his Aura ping pong balls again. It grows a bit bigger than he intended on making it but Mewtwo seems pleased by it.
"Your teacher is doing you justice, friend. This is a very nicely sized sphere. And it is perfectly round too, wonderful. It is giving me a lot of sensory pleasure and I like how you choose something that cannot break. Would you mind if I took this with me?"
"Eh? No, I can make more," the teen says and smiles. "You like it?"
"Absolutely. Look how vivid it is," the pokémon answers and the boy understands what it means when it holds it against the light of his lamp. "Did you know that pink is the colour depicting the love of life?"
"I didn't, no. I do like living a lot."
"And you will be for a good while. I wish to spend it right next to you."
"A promise?" Ash asks hesitantly and holds out his pinky finger.
Mewtwo grabs it with one finger and nods.
"A promise for life," it says, a determined look in its eyes, which suddenly gets a lot more playful when it turns back to the boy. "Now, let us play."
Riley sneaks down the stairs, he doesn't want to wake anyone up, though he knows Clair is already busy preparing things downstairs. He's heard a bit of movement down in Lance's room but his friend is probably sleeping a bit too wild. Ash, on the other hand, is always awake when he is and the man knows their Aura have linked to each other. It's typical for a Source to do it but it makes little sense on how connected his student is to him, in the way their habits are syncing. It doesn't bother Riley at all, he likes the boy a lot and he hopes the feeling is mutual.
Seeing Ash smile at him when he enters makes his morning, though because it pretty much tells him everything he needs to know. The teen pats his bed and even if he's sitting on it, he's still dressed in his pyjama's, looking terribly cosy.
"Had a good night?" the man asks softly.
"Amazing, how about yours?"
"I've not slept for long but that's fine. I was thinking, after all, and it still gives my body the rest it needs."
"That works too?"
"Oh yes, as long as you don't stress over being awake, it doesn't harm staying awake at night. I do prefer laying down but I guess sitting in the dark could be nice too. Little window open, a glass of water next to you, sounds absolutely wonderful to me," Riley says and smiles widely. "Enough about me, though, I promised you I would tell you about this gift you have due to your Aura focussing on your hands so that's what I'm going to do."
"All I know is that pokémon really like my hands."
"They are very warm," the man says as he takes a hold of one of Ash's hands. "But it goes a bit deeper than just liking, or at least, that's what I think. You see, a helping hand is pretty rare, always have been, no matter what some people say. There have always been overly greedy and entitled people complaining about why no one wants to help them but a really helpful person isn't just someone to give you good advice and intervene at all the right times, they are just there for whoever needs them. With these pokémon suddenly latching onto you, I think that it's just all part of the attraction you have on pokémon in general. But as an Aura user, having your hands as the main attention point is pretty nice… but it's also a sign that you feel like defending yourself. Any Aura user who hasn't met you and just gets faced with you, all angry and mean, won't even try to come near you."
"Oh yeah, because I'm angry and mean so often, aren't I?"
"It's possible, though. Just because it's not common, doesn't mean it'll never happen, remember that. Nevertheless, it's a sign of anger all the same but combined with your gentle nature, it's an unhappy combination that obviously leaves room for some creativity, wouldn't you say?"
"In what way?"
"I remember a very angry man, who also had his Aura in his hands, use them to see through things. There used to be one who could just stop machinery at all, out of their hate for technology and progress. The more forceful the anger is, the worse the effect will be… but the more compassionate the character, the more useful it becomes."
"Looking through things? And eww, technology is already one of my weaknesses…" the teen whines. "I hope I don't get any worse with any of it and that it doesn't make me any more creepy than-"
"Creepy?" Riley repeats and he notices he doesn't sound happy at all, less than he intended to sound like, anyway. "Who told you that?"
"It's the general idea I've got ever since I've been showing any sign of abilities at all. And well, that's basically what Clair straight up told me too."
The man rubs his temples for a little while, thanking Arceus for the fact direct people exist but heavens, Clair needed to be more careful with her honest nature around a boy who took everything to heart. How was he supposed to feel good about himself when people disliked his abilities which were very much another part of him? He's not going to tell Ash about the woman's statement on what a bad omen it was for injuries to be eternalized on camera during New Years' Eve, Lance had told her to shut up about it too so he knows he's not wrong about his student's sensitive nature.
"You're not creepy at all, you're a young boy who is only just learning how to control new gifts. I want you to understand that you're entitled to your mistakes, Ash, even if you feel responsible for the wildest of things. Like yesterday, for example, I know you felt guilty but you treated me like I deserved, I scared you and you can show me exactly how you feel about that. Instead, you still listened to me, to the very end and I find that a sign of courage, which isn't creepy at all. Of course, with all this anger inside of you, your psychic ability is your first line of defence and I understand because you somehow get how little your Aura can actually harm people."
"Of course I do, I don't want to hurt anyone so my Aura won't either. My head, though… I'm not always proud of what I'm thinking off."
"That's your full right. If something makes you angry, you have the right to respond. I trust you to know right from wrong by now."
The boy nodded and Riley knew his student was smart enough to get what he was trying to tell him. There was rarely another chance to react naively when faced with someone who was out to hurt you and yes, despite all the years that have passed since the hunt on Aura users, there are still those who respond way too aggressively. The only escape from them was to retaliate and then use the effect of surprise to run from them. With the teen unfortunate accident ruining his chance of running -or at least, for now, that is- it was better for him to show that he wouldn't stand someone messing with him. The combined smartness of a trainer, along with the psychic abilities and the uncanny bond of friendship with all those powerful pokémon could make Ash a terrible opponent to have.
He's glad he's met the boy before the knowledge made him bitter and hardened, Riley's seen so many people turn away from humanity and he's not pleased to realise that Ash saved him from withdrawing into his own, comfortable bubble called life. Not that he doesn't appreciate the sheer effort the boy is taking on trying to understand and be patient, hell, the kid showed him how to use a toaster and he knows not a lot of people have the patience to deal with someone who doesn't know how a one-buttoned device works.
"So… how do I know what to do with this ability in my hands? If there is one in there?"
"Try things out. I'm sure you're creative enough to try a couple of things out. And if you don't know for sure, you can of course try and replicate any of the things I've just told you."
"Oh, alright. I… suppose I can do that."
"And remember, there is nothing unnatural you can learn. There's no reason to fear your own desires."
"Even if I want to hurt those who hurt me?"
"Are you sure you want to hurt them, Ash?" he asks and smiles when the teen sighs and shakes his head. "You just want to scare them, don't you?"
"With my hands?" the boy asks and he pulls a face as he looks at them. "I hardly think people are going to outright attack me and I'm not going to prepare for a war either, I refuse to become a pawn only to be used and left behind. I won't follow in my father's footsteps this way, I don't even want to tell people I've got any ability at all, not if I can help it. Friends and family, yeah, that's different… But what makes you so scared to try and teach me these things? Do you think I need them?"
"For your own sanity, I feel like it would be a good call."
"Oh…"
"Think about it for a while," Riley says and he smiles as he gently pats the teen's knee… only realising he's just hit the boy's unprotected stump that remains of his left leg. "Hell, I'm so sorry, Ash, I didn't mean to do that."
"It's fine, it doesn't hurt at all."
"… No?"
"No, it's fine. Walking around with my prosthesis hardened the skin around it a lot more so it's not that sensitive any longer. The first days I wore it, though, ho, that's a different story."
"Leave it, I don't like hearing talks about injuries," he says and he's already getting a bit uncomfortable.
Riley isn't sure if Ash is being honest or not but surely the lack of response would be telling, right? Either way, the magic of the moment is broken and he feels like his moment to leave has arrived.
"Surprise me, won't you? When I get back?"
"I'll try but how do I know when I've found something?"
"You'll know," Riley says because it will be a very obvious thing. He's not at all convinced that Ash will find one or any abilities for his hands in a day but he enjoys making his students come up with their own ideas. "Have you thought of a name for you Aura, though?"
"Beacon," Ash answers and the man feels the hairs of his neck stand on end in excitement.
"That sounds wonderful," he gushes. "Where did you get it from?"
"That's what some pokémon call me."
"How fitting, I love how Aura Beacon sounds. Good lord, it's amazing. I won't even ask for a second opinion on it, Ash, good job!"
"Aw, thank you," the teen says and ducks his head, abashed. "It's someone else's idea, though."
"I doubt they link it to your Aura, more rather, I feel like it's you as a whole they're referring to. But I still feel like it's a perfect title for your Aura."
In fact, the man feels a lot more optimistic now that he knows the teen is learning to use the lessons he's been taught on other pokémon. He doesn't believe for a moment that Ash heard that name come from another trainer's pokémon, one who seemed only ready to get into contact due to the fact it accidentally caused the boy to get injured, making it's trainer upset. No, his student used it on a legendary pokémon and that makes him feel all tingly and excited because there is so much the boy could learn from any of them. It only remains to be seen if Ash can actually communicate with them and ask all the right questions… but he leaves the room with a spring in his step and the idea that his student can handle himself quite fine is more than a relief. There's only so much he can teach if the person he's teaching doesn't even put in a bit of effort to push their own boundaries, after all.
Ash, however, is left wondering if Riley has an idea he's just walked out of his room with glowing blue eyes at five in the morning. If Clair, who has been stumbling around in the bathroom -she's not that good at walking around in the dark and she's admitted to having a weak bladder- walks in on him looking like the spectre who just left his room, her scream will wake up the whole of Mahogany. Nothing happens, though and the teen figures the man has left the house through a different exit because he can hear Clair go back to her room shortly after Riley's left.
It sucks how he somehow wakes up whenever Riley does, though because now he's awake with very little to do. Although… Ash sneaks towards his desk, so he doesn't alert his pokémon he's left the bed -yep, they do drag him back in bed when they think it's too early. He finds his smartphone relatively easily, it's a good size and it's awfully shiny, though already covered in his fingerprints. The boy squints as the harsh light from the phone blinds him and he dims it down a little, just for his own comfort, before doing a bit of research on the name he's remembered from the memories Mewtwo's shown.
Professor Brunet appears to be an actual pokémon professor and it worries the teen because well… Team Rocket isn't to be trusted with anything. Even if this professor is kind, her research is obviously leaking and is usable for some nefarious purposes. Part of him finds himself responsible to tell her about it, while another part is curious if she can tell him about the mysterious creatures that had attacked him. Judging from what he finds about her online, she's living in Alola -another region he can't wait to go to but that's for later- and it's about noon there, so honestly not the worst time to call someone… He wonders what he should ask her, though because straight up asking her about mysterious pokémon isn't the best introduction.
Her Dream radar research is impressive though and it's way too complicated for any Team Rocket member to understand, though Ash has an idea how it works. It basically tells him that, if she doesn't know what these creatures are, they're not even something from another dimension. However, as he digs a little deeper into her research, he can also find a link to the phenomenon called 'Shadow Pokémon' and he smiles to himself. An innocent looking teen asking about them just because he's heard news about Orre isn't nearly as shady as someone straight out asking information about it, right?
So he almost dials the professor's number until he realises he's still wearing his pyjamas and his hair was still in its bedhead state. Not that his hair usually behaved but it looked better when he combed it so that's exactly what he did. He grabbed a jacket to pose as if he was actually awake for a while and opened the curtains ever so slightly to allow some of the natural light inside. It wasn't much, it was winter and it was still early in the morning but to Ash, it was enough. Besides, the less she saw of his face, the better.
This time, he actually calls the professor and his heart jumps when she personally answers. Or at least, the woman looks like the picture he's found on the internet. Oh no, had he dialled her personal number?
"Oh, hello," she says amicably. "I don't think we have met."
"A-ah, no, we haven't, I'm sorry to bother you, professor."
"It's no bother at all. Can I help you with anything?"
"Ah, I… I was curious to know a bit more about Shadow pokémon and euhm… whether you've also found pokémon that don't appear here on earth."
"From the Dream Radar project, you mean?" she asks. "Honestly, the more we looked, the more obvious it became that the pokémon in other dimensions are very similar, if not exactly the same as the ones we can encounter here. So I'm not sure what you mean by pokémon that don't appear here, though I can definitely tell you about Shadow pokémon. Can I know your name, though? I don't like talking to strangers."
"It's euhm… Ash. Ash Ketchum," the teen answers and he curses a bit because his hesitance must've made her think he was lying and giving a fake name.
"Nice to meet you, Ash," she says and doesn't look like she's going to call him out on anything. "I suppose your curiosity about Shadow pokémon comes from all the publicity it's been getting, hm?"
"Yes, I'm planning on doing something for the charity event too but it'll be online and I'm not sure if there'll be questions but…"
"Ah, I understand."
The professor sounds nice enough about it, even though her explanation creeps him out. Apparently, people without the right gear can't see if a pokémon is caught in a Shadow state. To some, it's just pokémon who attack other pokémon and even people out of the blue while it is probably a Shadow pokémon. Upon seeing his worried face, she ensures him that no Shadow pokémon has been spotted in any other region but Orre, seeing they aren't interested in destruction at all. The professor explains that someone called Ein created a process that locks the hearts of the pokémon and basically makes them unreasonable, unfeeling creatures that will attack everything within view.
She does add that it's not impossible to befriend a Shadow pokémon, though, catching it and spending time with it can automatically purify it and Ash nearly lets out a sigh of release. Nearly because he knows now what Team Rocket is interested in.
"Is there another way to make those Shadow Pokémon purify? And how sure are we no one is trying to, you know, make these pokémon unable to purify?"
"Oh yes, there are other ways to purify them, of course. As for your other question, we can be quite sure, such research takes time, money and a lot of assistants and equipment. Orre is currently under reconstruction, most of the people living there have been evacuated to Oblivia and Almia, which are the neighbouring regions."
That didn't sit well with Ash at all, especially not when he remembers her name had been in Team Rocket's files that Mewtwo had found. He's not sure when the pokémon had seen this file, though but it doesn't matter. Some people have the patience to sit and wait for years… and most criminals have the timing to do their bad stuff right when he's involved with it.
"Oh, okay," he simply says. "Thank you, professor."
"No problem, I'm glad I somehow managed to help you. Though I'm curious as to why you thought I was the best person to tell you about Shadow pokémon?"
"I don't have anyone else to ask, I thought…" he shrugs and he's not sure how to explain it. "I guess I was just desperate not to get shooed off and be told to mind my own business."
"Ah, yes, I understand. It's very clear that there are regions that have put Orre and its situation in a bad light. Worse than it actually is. Though I won't deny that the situation in Orre was dire, it took a lot of hard work to finally uphold this generally peaceful state its currently in. Do you have a family member who was a part of the voluntary group that helped, Ash?"
"… Yes, he was. My uncle played a part in it, I believe. He doesn't wish to talk about it."
"I'm sorry, I hope I managed to answer some of your questions."
"You did," he says and he thanks her again… even though she hasn't answered his most important question.
To him, it's a sign she does know what he's talking about but that it's something she doesn't want to tell him. In a way, it's her full right but Ash doesn't like how she thinks ignoring it will make him forget. Nevertheless, he's not going to press the matter, he wishes her a happy New Year and ends the call, unhappy with the results he's gotten. But Ash is wiser now, he now knows what his uncle is afraid of… but he isn't. Professor Brunet had been clear, the purification could start by befriending a Shadow pokémon and that was his speciality! He's not going to be afraid of any Shadow pokémon, not that he knows they've been forced into this mess. God, why can't people leave other living creatures alone for like, two minutes? Do they always have to mess something up?
One thing is certain now, he's not going to get any sleep at all now and so it's no use going back to bed. But Gliscor is already staring at him with a look that tells Ash he's got a couple of seconds before he's going to get dragged back in it, so the teen closes the curtain and goes to lie in it. He quickly grows bored, though and figures he might just try out a couple of tricks Mewtwo taught him.
Just to be clear, Mewtwo is not at all a good teacher and as a pokémon, it's got very little regard for materialism and whatever else stops any other human from making their entire bed -pokémon and all- float up. Ash just copies whatever the creature shows and so he's just about turned the entire bed upside down while all his pokémon are looking peeved as he does. It's also the time Clair walks in and she can just stare as the boy, bed and pokémon float there, looking very surrealistic.
"… At least I can't tell you to stop making a racket," she deadpans. "Mind putting the bed back where it was and coming down?"
"This early? Is everything alright?"
"There have been snow warnings for Johto so some of our guests left their home earlier to get here on time. It's not snowed thus far, though, so they'll be arriving earlier. I figured you would have wanted to be awake and dressed for their arrival."
"Oh, sure," the teen says and he doesn't turn the bed around and back on the floor until he's on the ground first. "Who's coming?"
"A couple of people, Cynthia, Lucian, Steven, Wallace, I think even Palmer and Argenta are coming over."
"Frontier Brain Palmer?" Ash asks in delight because he might finally figure out what's up with Barry too.
"Mm, it's been a while since we've met so I figured this was going to be a good opportunity to catch up on things."
… Or not. He wasn't going to bother anyone, whether it was the day of New Year's Eve or not. Ash hadn't known Clair and Palmer to be friends but okay, that was fine. He could still talk to Barry on his own, right? And oh, he still needed to talk to all his other friends! The boy felt compelled to at least talk to each of them before New Year's Day so he would have his hands full if this party ended up being a grown-up talk show kind of thing. Usually, adults didn't mind him sitting somewhere around their general vicinity so he figures he might as well get ready just like Clair asked and take his phone downstairs as well as Pikachu. Gliscor follows too and Gible is returned to his pokéball, unwilling to be left alone and also unwilling to move. Whatever.
Lance appears nervous about something when Ash sees him enter the kitchen and he's on edge that very moment. His questionable look is answered with a small smile which does little to calm him down.
"Are you okay?" the teen asks.
"A bit worried. You would be okay with attention, right?"
"Sure, I don't mind," he says because he preens in the limelight. "Why?"
"People of Sinnoh have the habit to bring gifts for children on New Year's Day. Cynthia is not known for being subtle, she might bring a lot of things or just one, expensive thing. That being said, everyone coming has been told about you, Palmer told me he's bringing Barry along, though asked me to tell you to be mindful of what you say."
"He is?!"
"… I didn't think you'd be that excited by the prospect."
"I'm burning with curiosity to find out why he's being bothered by everyone, I called out two of my friends for being massively rude but I don't know what they're so angry about. Next to that, Brandon tells me that he wouldn't have even wanted to see me if I so much as acted like Barry and I think Scott is at the edge of a burnout because of this."
Lance and Clair glance at each other but then the man nods.
"I've also got a strange phone call early this morning," his uncle says. "How do you know professor Brunet, Ash?"
"Wha?... Hell, she really doesn't trust someone asking questions about her research?"
"Not someone asking about what I'm desperately trying to avoid, no."
"I wanted to know without bothering you!" Ash whined. "I thought I was doing a good thing."
"You could have waited to ask."
"There's no way you would've responded positively to me asking about that place and I didn't want to ruin today for you. I thought it was okay…"
"Kiddo, there's nothing you can do about it," Lance sighs. "But if it counts for something, she's going to call you back. Initially, the professor just wanted to know what was up with you asking about mysterious pokémon who aren't sighted on earth or registered in the pokédex."
"Did you tell her?"
"I figured it couldn't hurt, so yeah, I did. You obviously want to know and I'm not going to stand in your way but for goodness' sake, I almost a heart attack, getting a call from her. She was right there next to me in Orre, Ash, she knows."
"I'm sorry, she probably just… I dunno what she or I was thinking. I'm not even sure if I was thinking at all, I just… sorry."
Lance easily accepts the apology, he goes as far as to say the teen's got nothing to be so sorry about, that he just wanted to mention the fact he should be careful who he speaks to. Clair gives him an 'I told you so' stare and it infuriates Ash to the point where he clams up and goes to sit somewhere on his own. His mood is spoiled and he refused to condemn himself for wanting to know the truth. If he had to live with the explanation Lance had given him, he would have to live in fear, while now he knows that he could work his way around the issue by just being nice to the pokémon. This still doesn't mean he's going to look for Shadow pokémon on his own, he doesn't even need to ever meet one unless it's necessary and if he's the only one around in miles to do the job.
He goes to sit in the little nook just behind the couch, it gives him a good view of the grass outside, which always soothes him. The clouds heavy with snow pass by and a single snowflake makes its way down to the ground. It melts, of course, one little thing won't cause a mess as great as a real snowfall… A snort comes from behind him and Gliscor's wings fold around his arms.
"Hello, buddy," he chuckles, despite knowing everyone would be able to see him now that he's got the large pokémon leaning on him.
A loud rumble follows when he gently rubs Gliscor's head and he can't help but smile. Pikachu's now curled up on his lap but not asleep. He's got one ear up and it makes the fluff between his ears stick up.
"Pi," the pokémon says when he sees another snowflake float down towards the ground.
"Yup. I hope for Cynthia and the others they'll get here soon enough or they're going to get snowed in."
He's not wrong, the following half-hour is filled with snowflakes and soon, the dreary green of the grass disappears underneath a blanket of white. Not that he witnesses it, Gliscor is doing the utmost to lull him to sleep and the teen allows it. He doesn't think he'll be good company to anyone now and he knows he's deprived his pokémon of their early morning snuggle. Now is as good a time to make up for it so he closes his eyes and drifts off, while his hand is slowly rubbing circles on his purring Pikachu's back.
End of chapter fourteen