Oof, not a happy time for me these days and I'm pretty sure it's gonna show in this fic, ahaha. But yeah, at least I made it fit the story so no worries :)
Hope you all like this chapter!
Lance isn't happy at all and Ash has to explain to him that it's just an experiment and that he doesn't need to use it. The phrase 'aren't you happy that I've got a way to call for help, at all times, without fail?' gets the man's blessing on the bot though he's still dubious about all the rest. The boy's stomach drops when he sees the harness, he was right, he gets one too. Just one that loops around his neck and shoulder -the left one, ironically- but it's still something that adds to his uneasiness. He wonders how long they've been keeping an eye on him because Pikachu does still prefers to sit on that side above the right.
Dr. Knight tells him it's alright, that these are just measures to take care of him but heavens, he'll never forget Pikachu's face when he puts the harness on him. Not to mention the leash… Tch, he's not going to clip it on that often, in fact, if he is ever forced to do it, he would rather take the leash and strangle the person with it instead of clipping it on his buddy. It's all quite sad and even a rail/sea/flight pass doesn't make it feel right to him. His trainer card looks more like a clown outfit too and he's quick to stuff it away. Dr. Knight clearly sees his mood drop, the number of comments the man makes to get him to smile increase dramatically but he's not pleased with this situation at all. Still, Ash smiles for the sake of not making anyone uncomfortable and quickly takes the harness off Pikachu before it makes him cry.
Pikachu's upset too but he's upset because his trainer is feeling the same way. Ash is pretty sure his buddy wouldn't mind wearing this, it just enhances how fluffy he looks by the way the straps digs a bit into his fur but… it makes him feel bad. The last thing he would actually do to any pokémon… he's doing right now. Even when he caught a pokémon, he never intended to trap them anywhere, they were free to go at any moment, just like they were free to stay with him for as long as they wanted. So now he's in his room again, in a real rut this time, he can't stop his tears from falling or his muffled hiccups.
He can hear the door open but he's too lost in emotions to notice. A pair of warm arms surround him and Ash leans into the hug, though he can already tell that it isn't Lance. No, this is Lucian and he's much softer in build than his uncle. Must be the drinks and the lack of training, or something.
"It's alright, kiddo," the man says. "Let it all out."
And he can't help it, he cries like a baby and Lucian just holds him as he does. It takes a long while and while he feels a little bit relieved, he's feeling helpless again and he hates it.
"How are you feeling?"
"Bad. How can they do this to me… or Pikachu?"
"It's meant to protect you… and not just you. It's a crime to take a pokéhelp away from the person who needs their help. Usually, the pokémon league assesses the pokémon they hand over to the trainer and they take big pokémon that aren't easy to just take away. But even if Lance picks up Pikachu with the vest on, he could get charged with a criminal offence. Trust me, things aren't just skin deep when the pokémon league is involved."
"Really?" Ash asks and he feels even worse now because Team Rocket will never get that they're now going to be in so much more serious problems if they manage to take Pikachu this time around. And they will still try it, no matter how often he'll explain it to them, he knows that.
"Mm-hm. You're just enforcing your right of freedom too, would Pikachu go anywhere you won't go?"
"… I guess not."
"And do you go anywhere Pikachu doesn't follow?"
"… The loo?"
"Other than that, I mean. Not inside the house."
"Not really, no."
"Well, then what's the difference if he's on your shoulder or the ground, following you around?"
"It still gives him a choice. And if something happens to me, Pikachu gets dragged into it too. He wouldn't stand a chance, Lucian."
"And what chance does a pokémon who lost their trainer has?" the man says and the brutal truth hits Ash like a brick. "You know that pokémon don't live long after their trainer has left them even if a new, loving home is found for them. I'm sure Lance would keep him here, just for the sake of keeping his memories of you intact but Pikachu would suffer greatly without you, you know that, Ash. So why not keep your buddy close to you and spare him of that kind of suffering. Even better, when nothing happens, you can still laugh about it here, when the two of you are free."
That sounded alright enough but to think he had assumed his uncle's reaction to the news of these league regulations would be the worst thing about that entire box… God, he could be so stupid sometimes.
"It's still so cruel, though."
"What do you think?" the man asks and it takes Ash a moment to realise he turned to Pikachu.
The pokémon gives him a doubtful look before hesitantly smiling and flexing an arm as if to say that he was strong enough for the job. Then again, Pikachu wasn't a bodily offensive pokémon, if anything, the strength was in his tail so it did make the teen smile for a little while.
"See? It's not all that horrible, don't judge something before it happened. I know it goes against your morals but freedom isn't everything either."
"Mm," the boy hummed, his eyes still fixed on Pikachu.
"Are you okay now?"
"Yeah, I think so. Sorry, I didn't mean to cry all over you."
"It's fine, kiddo, there are some things you don't need to do on your own, we could all see you were upset."
"… Then why were you the one who came upstairs?" Ash asks because he knows he would've calmed down by himself eventually and Lance should know that too. Still, it was a good feeling to have a shoulder to cry on… but it's is such a crying shame he only realises this now.
"Lance started arguing with your therapist that taking action wasn't necessary but his opinion got chopped to pieces when both the doctor and Cynthia told him the opposite was needed. You hiding away is a sign you're not feeling well and alright, maybe you want to be alone but you have a mouth, you can tell us when you want to be alone or not. Just now, you didn't want to be alone, did you?"
No but he didn't really need anyone aimlessly telling him things were going to be 'alright' when hell was exactly what was going on. That Lucian somehow understood his feelings made his presence here valuable for him but anyone could have held him as he cried.
"I'm glad I met you, Ash, you have a unique view of the world," the man says all of a sudden. "I don't know a lot of trainers who would get upset by putting a leash on any of their pokémon so the fact that you feel this way tells me a lot about you. And you're right, I would have never guessed that by your ability so that you for teaching me that."
The boy ducks his head and silently -as well as a bit red in the face- accepts the compliment.
"Will you come downstairs to say goodbye to us? We're going to leave soon, the snow's melted enough for us to go back."
He nods and follows the man down the stairs, only to get grabbed by Cynthia who hugs him close and tells him that she wouldn't have left if only her bills weren't still running for a house she's not even living in. Ash understands all too well and he's surprised their departure doesn't actually change anything in his daily rhythm. He had adapted to them living here just as seamlessly as getting used to them not being there at all.
What has changed is Lance's empathy because if one thing becomes clear to Ash now, it's that his uncle loses a whole lot of his bravado when Clair isn't there. She's leaving too, she also has a place of her own and while she promises to come 'round, it'll still be different. Ash doesn't know whether he'll be able to get used to her not being there, the woman's stayed here ever since he got here a good half a month ago but he knows he can live without her often rude comments. Despite the fact Clair has apologised for them every time, it still stings. His mom used to do that too, for no good reason so he's secretly a bit pleased it's him and Lance again. Maybe it'll work out a bit better this time, Ash would very much try and get back up to his feet to start travelling again too.
His phone rings one early morning, a couple of days since a comforting silence has dawned on the house. Ash is confused by the call, he doesn't think any of his friends would call him, they've been terribly silent since that row on New Year's Day.
"Hello?"
"Good afternoon, Ash," professor Brunet's voice says calmly.
"It's very early in the morning, actually," he corrects her, hoping to leave a hint at why his uncle might have blown up at her a couple of days ago.
"That would explain certain things," she says, clearly having gotten the hint. "I hope I didn't wake you up."
"No, I was awake."
Surprisingly so but Ash has an inkling Riley's coming back to Mahogany.
"Good, in that case, allow me to switch on my screen, I believe you would like visuals with the explanation of my current research."
He can hear a bit of rustling in the background and suddenly the woman's face appears on his phone's screen. She can probably see him now too, there's a green light at the top of his phone and she's smiling. Despite him having been awake, it doesn't mean he was already up and dressed. Well, dressed in his pyjamas, yes.
"Good to finally see you, Ash," the professor says amicably. "I want to apologise for the trouble I might have caused you, Lance is a very sensitive person and I failed to take note of that before it was too late."
"It's alright, professor, we've talked it out, it's fine. Thank you, though."
Professor Brunet seems startled by this for some reason but a wide smile appears on her face shortly after. She's got no qualms sharing her research about the mysterious pokémon this time around and despite his curiosity, he's not at all ready to see pictures of the creatures who had attacked him. She does mention that the encounters with people are split between them just hovering around, not being a menace… and well, direct, unexplainable attacks that leave the people either dead or traumatized after the encounter. Ash swallows hard, his hands are shaking and his throat is so unbelievably dry.
"Do they have names? And are they pokémon?" he asks softly.
"They do have names, two for each creature," professor Brunet says and lists a series of names with visuals. "And as for the question if they are pokémon… we're not too sure about that. They are creatures from another dimension, we stumbled upon Nihilego for the first time during the Dream Radar project and they had very different abilities from the pokémon we know and understand."
"Oh…" the boy sighs but then notices something strange at the corner of his room.
He turns to look at it but there's nothing there. Nothing but the odd feeling he's getting from that certain spot that is. His bed suddenly feels very cold, though and the teen can't help but huddle a bit closer to his still sleeping pokémon. It's not comforting to know they're not up and attentive. Even Pikachu is still snoozing though he knows that his buddy will rouse the moment he moves.
"Ash, are you okay?"
"Hm?" he hums, having already forgotten he was on the phone. "Oh, sorry, I'm fine. I thought I saw something."
"You are safe, yes?" she asks and Ash finds it strange she takes his discomfort so seriously.
"Yes, I-"
A blue light flickers in the corner, he's seen it this time and he's whirled his entire body to face it. It's the same blue light he's seen in the hospital, just after that argument with his mother!
"Ash?" professor Brunet asks again but he's too busy looking at the occasional flicker of blue.
"Professor, are you seeing this?" he asks as he turns his phone around to face that very suspicious corner of his room.
"… I am. Ash, leave the room, right now. Go find your uncle."
"It's six in the morning, professor, he will kill me if I wake him-"
His phone's screen gone black all of a sudden and pushing the power button isn't doing anything. Ash blinks in confusion, for as long as he's had the phone, he's never had any issues with it and it still had half of its battery power available when professor Brunet called him, surely it couldn't have been that it drained that fast?
His phone isn't working, that much is sure but then he turns back to the corner, fully expecting to see another flicker of blue but he doesn't. Instead, there is a massive, black pokémon levitating there, all shiny and dark at the same time. His heart races when the creature doesn't move, instead choosing to gaze at him with it's huge, prismatic eyes. Or at least, Ash assumes it is looking at him, these eyes don't seem to have anything to focus on.
Something pokes directly in his head, the teen winces but that doesn't stop it from advancing. He realises that the creature is trying to communicate, it's obviously a Psychic-type or something related but why does it hurt so much?
"Stop!" he exclaims and it rouses all his pokémon.
A head-splitting kind of pain hits him straight afterwards and it leaves him dazed, his senses are all tingling before…nothing.
Lance is ready to breathe fire when his phone rings and sees it's professor Brunet again, calling at such an early hour. Well, almost because he gives her a chance to talk before going off on her this time around. And he can also see how distraught she looks, even as he's furiously rubbing his eyes to get to wake them up along with the rest of him.
"What is it this time?" he growls and despite wanting to give her a chance to speak, he can't help feeling annoyed. And it shows, apparently.
"Lance, I'm sorry but you need to check up on Ash, the call disconnected and-
He's already jumping out of his bed at that part of her sentence, though he's not stopped listening to her.
"- there was a strange phenomenon going on. You need to brace yourself, take a pokémon with you because I think Necrozma is in there with him."
Next to his worry, a tiny part of him wonders who the hell this Necrozma is but figures it can barely be any worse than a bloody Deoxys scaring the living daylights out of him. But he forgets about it soon enough, his phone doesn't work either and he's got an inkling that little Dreepy who's followed him out of his bedroom, isn't going to be enough to face whatever's keeping his nephew hostage. Yes, hostage because he can't get the door open.
This scary bullshit isn't stopping him, he's got the emergency services on speed dial and seeing they're neighbouring with Ecruteak, they're used to all kinds of strange things happening. Not all Ghost-types are playful, after all. Three medics and a team of policemen arrive shortly after and it doesn't take long before one of the men's Machamp has taken care of the door. What is very strange, is that the massively strong pokémon takes a step back and growls before charging.
Both Lance and the police get a glimpse of something eerily big and black shooting out of sight but their attention is on the twitching boy on the ground. The medics are at full attention and they bar Lance's way to get to Ash, saying he's having a seizure. One of the men asks if he's got a history of them and it pains the man to tell them that, yes, he does. It's not going to end well with that information, he knows it and the third medic has the boy's file open and it adding information to it.
"He's going to travel?" the man asks, in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Yes, he got the ambition to do so."
"And the pokémon league wants to have him under surveillance?"
"… Yes, I believe so."
"I will have a call with them, then. A bot will not be satisfactory in this situation."
Lance bites his lip, he knows what's coming and that Ash is going to hate it. But it's not important now, he needs to know if his nephew is going to live to actually hate it. The medic quickly assures him that he's okay, even when all life seems to flow out of the boy's body as he lays limply on the floor, in an awkward position.
"This is normal, sir," the man next to him says and lays a hand on his shoulder as if he expects a need to hold him back.
He just nods and remains where he is. Ash eventually wakes up a couple of minutes later, though he appears dizzy and confused. The medics have a hard time trying to pick him up, Gliscor is suddenly very protective over the boy and the Machamp needs to hold the pokémon back for the two men to put the teen on the bed.
"… What happened?" Ash eventually asks. "Who are you?"
"I'm a medic," the man says. "And you had a seizure."
"A seizure?" the teen repeats and his face scrunches up in a frown, causing the medic to start explaining what it is.
"I see you have a Pikachu. Have you ever seen the result one of its attacks has on a computer?"
"… Yeah?"
"It shuts down for a bit, to allow the burst of energy to pass, like an update or some other sort of huge energy surge," the man says, making some interesting motions with his hands to show just how large the amount of energy needed to be -at least Ash seems impressed by it. "The same thing happens when you have a seizure, a large burst of energy is released, making your brain shut down for a bit. It feels a little weird but now you're all up to date again."
The teen stares at the man for a long time, even though the medic seems pretty pleased with his explanation. Lance knows Ash just reacts this way because he hates being treated like the child he is, not to mention that this person just treated him like he's younger than he is. Nevertheless, the boy appears to be fine and that's when Lance is taken to the side to arrange the 'Convenience' bracelet's arrival, which gets there quicker than anticipated. In fact, one of the medics installs it on his befuddled nephew's wrist shortly after they had checked his vitals for the last time.
"What's this?" the teen asks as he stares at the snug-fitting bracelet which has an interestingly green light pulsing from the left to the right and back again. It's already got Gliscor's attention, the pokémon is watching it with lots of intent, eyes following the pulsing light.
"It's an emergency measure, it's called a Convenience bracelet because it checks your vitals twenty-four hours, seven days."
"All the time, then."
"Yes. We've checked your file, you have had seizures before so it would be safe for you to have this on at all times, there is a chance it might happen when you're not under supervision, in a different region."
Lance watches the boy look at the bracelet, twisting his arm to all sides. He was probably checking whether he could take it off because it had sounded like the medic had given an option to take it off. But no, it had a special lock that required a key only medics had so unless it was an emergency, there was no way it would be taken off.
"What happens if I turn it off?" the teen asks, apparently having found a power button.
"The emergency services will be contacted, it will generate the same response as if you would be in a life-threatening condition. So I would advise you not to do it unless you're in immediate danger."
"… Does it know my location?"
"Yes, hence why the pokémon league has been notified not to install that bot-project of theirs on your pokédex. It seemed redundant to have you tracked so heavily while you're not obviously ill. There is always a chance your seizures were triggered by something too but that's a risk this bracelet will register for us."
"Thank you," Ash just says and now Lance is interested because it appears that the boy remembers what happened. That's about the only time he'll suddenly shut up about a subject, after all, just like right now.
So when he's finally able to usher the police officers and three medics outside -after they repaired the door in a joined-effort, Lance makes a point out of coming to sit next to Ash. And he waits, with a small, tender smile on his face because he knows the boy probably got a big scare. His nephew wouldn't be sitting here so silently if it was one of his actual big, pokémon friends coming to see him.
"Did professor Brunet call you again?" the boy asks softly, as he's petting Pikachu's back while looking at Gible, who's now also discovered the light. They're not making any sign of approaching it, though.
"She did. She told me to go to your room, that there was a pokémon there."
"… So it was a pokémon, after all," Ash murmured and then straightens, looking startled. "I'm so sorry, uncle, I didn't mean to cause trouble again-"
"Stop, stop," Lance says and holds up his hands. "Unless you've willingly called it here to cause you that seizure, I don't want to hear any excuses coming from you."
The boy sits back, giving the man a silent, apologetic and kind of guilty look. He doesn't say anything, though and Lance hates how he feels relieved because of the lack of comment. The last thing he needs is for his nephew to have a masochistic streak next to his good Samaritan one.
"You're a victim here, Ash, something came in here and hurt you."
"I've seen it before, though."
Lance huffs.
"Not the black, shiny pokémon, though, the blue light. It was back in the hospital, I saw it there too, I had a seizure there too. I don't think it means to cause them, though. Did professor Brunet say anything about what she thought to have seen? Did she know the pokémon?"
"I've forgotten the name," the man lies because he doesn't want Ash to worry about shiny, black, seizure-inducing pokémon any longer. "All I know is that you need a couple more pokémon around you, hence why I'm going to call professor Oak and we're going on a ride this afternoon."
The teen's face lights up like a Christmas tree and all worries seem to be forgotten until-
"Is it that scary that you want to bury me beneath pokémon to be safe?"
"No, I want you to be happy."
"Oh, yeah, that would work."
Lance rolls his eyes, his nephew is still a bit out of it, it seems so he tucks the boy in again. Ash could use this well-deserved rest and this time, he asks Dreepy, Flygon and his Gible to guard the room, just to make sure there's enough fire-power to eventually deter any creepy pokémon. He leaves his Gible outside the door, though, he doesn't need his feisty one kicking up a row with Ash's barely tolerant one.
"Will you leave a note on the table in case Riley comes back when we've left, uncle?" the boy asks, just as he about to leave to let him rest. "I think he's coming back."
"Err… yeah, sure."
'What else am I going to witness with this kid,' the man thinks as he gently closes the door behind him.
He's pretty sure Red would've been way too weak to handle this, even if he hadn't been such a fool and overdosed his kid, losing the potential to ever have sole custody of him. Lance likes this, though, he's been born in interesting times too, it's so refreshing to have someone like Ash live with him. It keeps him on his toes and that's exactly what he likes. That the boy's presence suddenly requires him to contact professor Oak from time to time is less enjoyable but well, it's hardly a sacrifice.
Ash almost bounces out of the car when they reach the laboratory, of all times, Lance chooses to visit the laboratory during the best time ever, the sun was high in the sky and while it was a bit chilly, it was really nice weather all the same. While the weather itself didn't give him the best of memories, the sight of the laboratory did. His enthusiasm did kind of wither when he slipped on a patch of water at the entrance gate.
"Careful," Lance says as he straightens him again. "You don't want to break either of your legs right now."
"How am I supposed to know there's water here? There isn't a single puddle anywhere else," the teen answers as he gives the patch of water an accusing stare. "Pallet is just out to get me, that's what."
"Let's make this quick, then. Professor Oak wasn't happy to see my face and you better brace yourself too, his grandson's home and wanting to speak to you."
"Oh, joy," Ash sighs ruefully. "It's a small offer to have a couple of my friends with me, though."
"Are you going to change pokémon?"
"Gliscor's getting a bit antsy, yeah, so I think I'll be switching him out. Gible's staying, though."
Yes, of all scenarios that could have played out between the two Gible, friendship was the last one he expected to happen. Most Gible were extremely territorial and yes, both Gible here were male so Lance didn't understand what was so special about it that his pokémon suddenly tolerated another Gible while he barely could stand any other pokémon around him. On some days, the feisty little thing would try and fight him too so to know there was someone who he could use as a diversion could come in handy. Then again, if Ash left, he would probably be taking the Gible with him.
Lance wonders if he's got that kind of close relationship with each of his pokémon, neither of his pokémon ever left him alone, either they followed him or they travel along with him in their pokéball. It's very strange to him, his pokémon aren't that needy of hugs… though he notices Flygon is a lot more touchy-feely with Ash. Has he been doing it wrong? Maybe he'll try giving his Salamence a go, he's got the least chance of getting bitten, he's quicker than the pokémon.
"Oh, it's you," professor Oak says as soon as he lays eyes on him. "Ah, and Ash. Good to see you, my boy."
"Hi, professor!" the teen chirps and it helps Lance from snapping at the man that he's not happy to be here either.
"Come in, come in," the professor says and actually cuts in front of the man, separating him from the boy.
Ash lingers, however, it's clear he's not going anywhere without Lance and it's so comical that he can't be bothered to be nasty to the professor.
"Don't make me feel too welcome, I'm only the sole reason Ash still is here, after all," he says sarcastically and the older man grimaces.
"Do you want to come to see my pokémon, uncle?" his nephew says, suddenly all innocent happiness.
"Sure," he says and slides past the professor. "Lead the way, I'm sure you've taken this route countless times."
"I do but professor, you're going to need to open the door, it's locked."
The man squints at Lance because Ash never even reached the door to try to open it. Why professor Oak's chosen to look at him is beyond him but he won't bother, he's promised himself not to make a scene, just for the boy's sake so he'll do the utmost not to. It's hard, though because Gary's mug comes 'round the corner the moment his nephew sets foot in the hallway. Lance has to fight the urge to pull Ash away from him, he really thinks this kid is dangerous. But the way the teen straightens and looks at Gary tells him he's in a better mental state than the other teen and well, Ash usually has the higher ground when it comes to communication. This time isn't different.
"There you are, you silly bugger," the boy says. "I honestly thought I was going to have to pull you out of your bed or something, what have you been hiding for?"
Gary just looks at him, before slowly dissolving in tears.
"I'm so sorry, Ash," he hiccups and the teen closes the gap between them, watching the other curiously. "I never meant to do this."
"Yeah, you did, you're just sorry you got caught."
"I am sorry for what I did to you!" Gary exclaims. "I just don't know how I can make it right!"
"You can't because you didn't destroy anything. You just… Look, Gary, you had diamonds on the soles of your feet and you still choose to walk through mud with them. How many times did you think it was going to work before someone would find out what you were doing?"
"I've been punished enough for it," the teen sniffled. "We've been through too much."
"Look at me, Gary. Look," Ash commands when Gary did the utmost to look everywhere but at him. "I don't know what happened but I know that some part of you wants me to be angry at you but I'm not. I was once, yeah because I had friends collapsing on me, crying their hearts out, all because of a silly little lie you told them."
"I'm really, really sorry, Ash, I should never have said that but I wasn't allowed to come to visit you any longer, I thought you really were died because no one wanted to tell me anything and when I went to the hospital, the nurse told me she didn't have anyone with your name in that ward…"
"I… changed wards shortly after, I believe."
Lance nods in confirmation, depending on the timing, his nephew must've either been in Intensive Care or the silent ward. Non-family members are never allowed to visit in those cases, so there was no chance for Gary to check up on him, see if he really was alive or not.
"Why not go to Delia, though?" he asks, giving Gary an intense look.
The teen shrinks under the attention and it's professor Oak who answers the question.
"She was an outright hellion towards us those weeks. When she found out about the fundraiser, I almost called the police, she was livid."
"With all due respect, professor, what response would you have expected from her when finding out someone was organising a wake for her very hurt but still alive son?" Lance asks and gets no response from the ma.
"Are you still so hurt?" Gary asks, very silently and shyly.
Ash just holds out his left hand, the sleeve of his coat slides up far enough to reveal the bracelet and for a moment, the teen seems mesmerized by the green light but then he gently takes a hold of the hand.
"Can I help you with anything?"
"I want to pick up some pokémon and there's still a risk of me falling or tripping, so if you could help me get around, that'd be great, actually," the teen says cheerfully.
"F-fall?" Gary utters. "How?"
"I have a prosthesis," he answers and points to his left leg. "It's a cool one, though. But it's risky, has it been raining yesterday? I nearly slipped in a puddle out front."
The teen is pulled into a hug but he doesn't struggle, despite the fact Gary's a bit bigger and he's not in the best position. His arm is all tingly when the other lets go of him but he appreciates that his friend is still the same silly person he remembers. Everything he had heard, from his mother's claims to Lance's absolute refusal to have anything to do with the kid, was all connected to this one, tearful and clearly sorry person and yeah, Ash has already forgiven him a few months ago.
"Alright?" he asks as he looks up at Gary, who nods meekly. "Let's go then."
"Yeah, 'kay."
Thanks to the extra support, Ash makes it over the soggy patch of grass and oh, he gets snuggled from all sides. His pokémon do push him over but he's leaning against Snorlax now so he's safe. He's enveloped in a purring mess and it's heaven. And then there's this very random Mew that suddenly making its way into the hug but the teen doesn't mind and hugs it along with all the other pokémon. It's all such a mess that the adults at the side don't even notice the Mythical pokémon and you bet Ash is taking it home with him.
He's picking very strategically too, this team is the one he's going to take to Kalos with him and he knows exactly who he's going to take along… Only, Ash is picking up some very weird vibes from his pokémon, he's not used to them being so attentive to what he's doing. They would never turn their backs on anyone yet now… He's not bothered by it, though, he's elated to be with all his friends and even Charizard is there, he's not making a single move of attacking him either.
"I'm so taking you along," Ash says happily and the pokémon responds by rubbing his chin over the boy's head. "Oh, that's new. I like it a lot more than the Flamethrower, though."
He's talking too soft for the others to hear, they're too far away, his pokémon pushed him way back into the Coral now but he doesn't mind, he's very happy to be surrounded by them. In the end, he settles for a team of five because one of the pokémon league's measures act as a huge advantage to him. See, he had Pikachu as a pokéhelp and he really didn't count as a battle pokémon. And to make sure he was safe and secure, he could have up to ten pokémon with him so that left him with five pokémon to pick here and five spots to catch pokémon in Kalos. It was perfect.
"Ash? Do you want something to drink?" Professor Oak asks when he's finally coming out of the sea of pokémon.
They follow him for a bit, Bulbasaur is right at his feet and Ash needs to be careful not to hit it with his prosthesis. The 'Ditto' was now a Joltik, nicely hidden away in one of his pockets, though he's seen it crawl into it so he knows where the Mew is at.
"Can I?" the boy asks, on to which Lance shrugs.
"Coffee, Lance?" the man asks and again, the man shrugs.
"We don't have lots of time but I guess a cup of coffee won't hurt."
It's silent in the room at first, Ash's attention is on his phone because Gary's sent a message in the group chat, about how they reconciled and that they should get off his ass about being a coward. The teen's not happy how his friends are so easy to judge, though in the mass of responses, he notices Max's request to change his username. Ash figures the boy wants the skull gone, he didn't think it would bother anyone that much but seeing no one but Max asks to change his username, he does exactly that. It's now 'FIESTA!' with every letter in a different colour and every single confetti emoji he could find added next to the word.
May's response is telling but the 'Oh, God…' is the last message he can read because Gary's psychologist has arrived. Professor Oak is doing everything in his power to make the man believe he shouldn't pay much attention to what's being said by him and Lance looks ready to spit fire again. Ash lays a hand on his uncle's arm and smiles warmly at him. He's not going to be riled up by this, not when people have been underestimating for the largest portion of his life. So when the professor tells the man not to take him too seriously, an evil plan unfolds in the boy's head.
"So you're a friend of Gary?" the psychologist says calmly after their initial introduction.
"Yup, have been for years," Ash chirps.
"Still? Despite what he's done, you still consider him your friend?"
"Honestly, the only wrong assumption Gary made was that I would stay dead," he chuckles and he doesn't miss the look of horror on professor Oak's face.
Though the psychologist seems uncomfortable too.
"I see," he says simply. "I see you're very lenient towards him, that's very nice of you."
"He's always nice," the professor says quickly. "Though a bit too much on the phone these days, apparently."
"Ah, do you like my phone?" Ash asks and perks up deliberately, he's planning on playing his part right. "It's my first ever Christmas present."
The silence is the room is deafening and through a nicely placed mirror in the kitchen, the teen can see Tracey stand behind him. Good.
"Yeah, that's the reaction I get every time I say this but do you think my mom's not that great a mother either, professor?"
"I-I… I do not condone that kind of behaviour, Ash," he splutters. "You know that."
"Then why didn't you do something earlier? If you knew it wasn't okay?"
The professor comes up empty but Ash doesn't miss the look of interest on the psychologist's face. Professor Oak's eyes are begging him to shut up, though he's not planning on doing that. He doesn't take kindly to people badmouthing him while he's there to hear it and if the professor thinks Lance is a strict guardian, he's very wrong. His uncle wants justice and that's exactly what Ash is trying to make happen.
"This thing with Gary… You're the same, aren't you? Gary's only made these mistakes because you weren't looking."
"I can't be there all the time, Ash. And I really thought I could trust him."
"Trust? You don't trust him. This isn't the result of lenience, this was ignorance. You were never planning on checking up on him, you couldn't be bothered to."
The look on Gary's face is heartbreaking when the man doesn't answer. It's clear the thought that his grandfather was partially to blame for this never even occurred to him and it seems like the psychologist has caught onto it as well. Good.
"So far for not condoning that kind of behaviour," he huffs as he pushes his chair away from the table, fully planning on leaving this time around. "Lance, can we leave?"
"Of course," the man says smoothly, downs the rest of his coffee in one go and stands. "Ready when you are."
"I've always been ready to get out of this fucking place, you know that."
Ash turns around and sees Tracey's shocked face. He walks up to him and lays a hand on his shoulder.
"Run while you still can," he says and leaves the room.
Professor Oak isn't done, though, Ash hears the sudden scraping of a chair and he's not surprised to see the man jump out of the doorway.
"Why now!?" he growls. "Why now while you knew what was happening all along?!"
"Because you all made me out to be the idiot and with so many people claiming it, I believed your sorry asses. It only took a couple of amazing people to make me realise you all really are the assholes I thought you were. But you can be proud of yourself, professor, you were well on your way to ease this shitstorm back into your comfortable, familiar life, not owning up to your mistakes and letting everything calm down to start over again. I won't let you, though, I'll never forgive you for making me feel even worse by letting mom get away with this for fourteen years. You have your good moments but your bad ones are really bad, professor. I can't even recognise the boy you once were!"
Professor Oak is nailed to the floor and Lance gently pulls his shoulder to try and get him to come along. Ash is stewing in anger but he follows nonetheless. He stomps his right leg all the way outside too, he's not happy at all, how dare the professor attempt to do the same thing like before? To act like he's not worth listening to!?
"Calm down, kiddo, it's done," Lance says and it relieves the boy a little. But not enough.
"I don't wanna hate him but how can I not when he's the one who needs to apologise but he won't? He just acts like nothing happened? His grandson was sent to prison and he just acts like this wouldn't have scarred Gary for life?!"
"Calm down," his uncle repeats. "You've done enough, there's no way that psychologist could've thought you were a liar when professor Oak acted like your stole his fame from him with every word you said."
"Fame," Ash repeats venomously. "That's all he cares for, he should never have been a father to Gary. The world should've known better."
"And they will. Trust me."
He trusts his uncle, alright but it's professor Oak who's proving to be a piece of rice skin stuck between his teeth that he couldn't get out for the life of him, despite not wanting anything more than to just get rid of this. The man's a slippery, misguided person and he'll blatantly lie to save his sorry ass. It brings a foul taste to the teen's mouth and it's starting to taint the good memories he's had left from Pallet. Seems like he's lived his whole life in one of professor Oak's lies, after all…
Lance is worried for the teen, he's been silent ever since they visited the laboratory and despite making a promise to himself to never return to Pallet Town, no matter under which circumstances, he feels like this had been good for Ash's feelings, you know, venting all those hard feelings could be a relief, right? But this behaviour is worrying so he goes ahead and rents a room in the pokémon league so that the teen can do this thing he's planned for Orre over there, were they can keep an eye on him.
Ever since that evil man coming here, he's gotten antsier and antsier about leaving the kid at home alone so this time, he's decided to take the boy along to work. His colleagues are curious to see the teen again, after all and he feels like an afternoon with Agatha could do Ash a world of good. There's no better person to hate on professor Oak with anyhow and while his nephew clearly doesn't hate the professor, he knows the woman would sympathize with the boy by default.
Seeing that the fundraiser thing appears to be serious enough to momentarily pull Ash out of his funk, Lance tells him about the office he's rented a week in advance so that the teen can make his preparations. So when the day rolls by, Ash is armed with a team of five pokémon -that Charizard was really looking for a fight with his dragons, it was unbelievable- his Pikachu on his shoulder, proudly wearing the Pokéhelp vest, as well as the boxes of candy.
"Ready?" the man asks and after a nod, he starts the car. "Are you happy with the pokémon you've brought along with you, Ash?" he asks, just to start a bit of a conversation, as it did seem the teen had let all his energy out last week.
Even dr. Knight had seemed confused by his downcast mood and while Lance doesn't doubt that his nephew gave a detailed report of what had happened, his funk seems to have lasted beyond what the therapist could do. His physiotherapist had somehow managed to get a smile on his face but then again, the man was a bit of a clown and Ash was indeed getting better and better at walking. Heaven forbid the day the teen got it into his head to start practising his running skills again.
"Oh yes, I love that I've got them with me, I've been dying to see them and I just can't stop hugging them. Would anyone mind if I called them out in that office?"
"It's the pokémon league, Ash, it's actual blasphemy to get annoyed if there are pokémon inside it. All you need to remember is that they might walk around and get in view of the camera."
"That's fine, I don't think a lot of people will be watching and even so, they will have seen all my pokémon before. I've used all of them in official matches so it's not like anyone will get to see a pokémon they don't know yet. Yeah, if they don't watch my battles but then I don't think they'll be looking at my charity stream in the first place."
"Is it one of your battle teams, then?"
"Basically, yeah and they all love to fight against each other too. Charizard likes fighting with Glalie, Glalie likes fighting with Sceptile, Sceptile likes to fight with Krookodile and Heracross will fight all of the lot of them with plenty of gusto and glee. These five keep each other busy."
"… Are you going to be okay in that room?"
"Sure, they won't do anything if I'm there."
Lance just nods, he figures he can trust his nephew with the pokémon. Though the hugging didn't really go well on his part, Salamence is still looking at him weird every time he passes. He's not giving up, he'll try to hug it another time, the pokémon has to learn to allow contact, Salamence is having issues maintaining himself and Lance does want to groom the dragon but that didn't mean the pokémon allowed him to do it. The hugging would make him get used to the contact and while it felt a bit weird, it was an alright experience for him.
What was very surprising was that his other pokémon started trying to make bodily contact too, in fact, he had found Flygon in his bed last night, snuggled against the rolled-up part of his blanket at the end of his bed. Lance didn't mind it one bit, he noticed it made the pokémon and Ash happier so yeah… He just rolled with it. Maybe it would help his nephew to make contact with the rest of his lesser social dragons, like Dreepy. For all the pokémon was playful, it was insanely shy.
"Hey, Ash?"
"Yes?"
"Have you ever met Dreepy?"
"Who?"
"The little dragon with the glowing eyes. It likes to phase through walls."
"Oh, yeah, I have," Ash answers as he looks up from his phone. "It likes to check up on me in the evening, just before I go to sleep. I haven't been able to touch it but I figured it's more of a nocturnal pokémon and that it wants to play but I don't want to risk it. I'm not that playful at eleven in the evening. And if I start, my pokémon will too and I doubt you would enjoy anyone barrelling down the hallway at that time a day."
"… Right, no, I don't. I just thought Dreepy was shy."
"Nope, it's just a tease. Don't worry, I'll have a burst of energy one day and when I do, that Dreepy's getting hugged for all it's worth."
"I'm sure it will enjoy it," Lance chuckles. "Having any success with your stream announcement?"
"Yup, there's a queue of about ten thousand people and it's growing."
"That's nothing to sneeze at," he says and can't help that he sounds impressed. "How are you raising the money, then?"
"I've contacted the official pokémon league fundraiser, they gave me a link I could add the stream to. So everyone who wants to watch my video will have to pay ten pokédollars and then they'll be given access to my stream."
"So you've already collected a hundred thousand pokédollars?"
"Yes, and I haven't even started yet," the teen grins. "It's going better than I expected but I guess a lot of people are just interested in seeing me suffer."
Yes, the black box looked like death in a container to Lance too but his nephew could handle his spices very well so he's pretty sure that those people wanting to see him suffer were going to be disappointed in the end. He's proud of him, though, there aren't a lot of people willing to do something out of their comfort zone for this event and that his nephew was one of the few people who did was heart-warming. Hence why he took part in something he feels he's going to regret very soon too but well, you only live once, right?
"You'll be okay, kiddo. If not, it'll be something to laugh about later."
"I know," Ash chuckles. "One of my friends pre-ordered your addition to the fundraiser too."
Lance can feel his cheeks heat up, he had signed up for the calendar thing just after Ash's visit to professor Oak's laboratory. His emotions were all jumbled up at the time and well… major regrets.
"They have a thing for champions then, do they?" he says dryly.
"Especially nude ones, or so she says."
"… Not because of me, I hope?"
"Well, it's not because of Wallace, she's met him personally and he wasn't wearing much at the time either, there's nothing she hasn't seen… Unless he actually strips to his birthday suit, that's not something she's seen yet but then again, I don't think that's the kind of calendar you'd make for a fundraiser, is it?"
The man grizzles with the idea itself, he really doesn't want to see Wallace any more naked either. The thought of seeing his close friends naked makes him feel a little sad, really. He values them more than that, anyway.
"I hope you don't mind?"
"Oh no, I think it's great, I'd love to see the result. You really look good in pictures too, I'm sure the result will turn out great. And really, it's a bit more dignified to have a picture taken of you instead of stuffing yourself full of candy but I don't take well on pictures," Ash says and pulls a face as if he's just remembered something annoying.
"That's nonsense, you look perfectly alright in photographs," Lance says. "Maybe I ought to take me with you when the picture's about to be taken."
"Don't think a lot of people will buy it if I'm in it," the teen murmurs. "Nah, it's fine, they're expecting Champions in that calendar, not me."
The man is still worried, he can't bring his head around why his nephew still thinks people don't like him. Granted, he's nice and he's still a bit of an unknown character but Lance is bracing himself for the day a criminal, or rather a villain like Giovanni presents themselves in front of Ash. He's seen what happened when Riley scared him, that mixed with the anger will have such an explosive reaction… And he doesn't think that, if it happens, it will remain unnoticed.
"You'll get there eventually, kiddo," he says and pats the teen's leg. "I wasn't very popular when I was fourteen either."
Ash just nods and focusses back on his phone. While he's glad that the boy's enjoying his Christmas present, Lance can't help but wonder if he's just imagining it or whether his nephew is indeed spending more and more time on the device. With the incident at professor Oak's laboratory still fresh in his mind, he really feels like he should call dr. Knight and ask him to talk to Ash about it and perhaps raise the teen's self-esteem a bit in the process.
The boy seems alright, though, which makes it all a bit stranger but then again, he could be wrong all along. Maybe this silent Ash was the real one. Maybe the teen had figured he would get more attention if he was loud and that he was now a lot calmer and silent because he got the attention he wanted. Lance isn't sure but he sees a confident teen walk alongside one of the official fundraiser organisers, who welcomes the two with open arms.
Yeah, today's the day he's getting the picture taken too and he's not at all looking forwards to it. Still, it's for a good purpose, isn't it? He's just going to have to manage and take an example on how Ash isn't even the slightest bit stressed. Then again, he's suffered through a great deal more embarrassment than this.
'Get over yourself, Lance, it's just a goddamn picture,' he thinks and it somewhat helps.
His nephew seems to notice his worries, though.
"Hey, uncle?"
"Yeah?"
"Just remember the 'murder' strut and you'll be fine."
The man stares blankly at the boy who walks away with a small smile on his face, looking pleased as punch. He fumbles with his own phone for a bit before remembering that he only got admiring stares from his male and female colleagues when he was out to catch a criminal. And yes, the murder strut came automatically whenever he felt threatened.
'Well, you've been watching me just as closely, haven't you, Ash?' he thought, a grin spreading over his face. 'Maybe I can help your case a bit too.'
And with that, he sends the link of his nephew's stream to each and every connection he has.
His uncle sent him a message saying where he needed to go after he was done with his stream so that's exactly what Ash was doing at the moment, though he's not very good at making his way through any kind of building. He's often gotten lost and he lets out a relieved sigh when he gets to the lobby in one go. He spots a plaque on the wall with an arrow pointing towards the destination Lance mentioned so he heads in that direction.
'Third floor, room three…' he thinks as his eyes scan the hallway.
He is just about to knock on the door when he notices it's not even fully closed. As such, he hears a snippet of what sounds like mischief about to happen.
"Come on, Agatha, you can do it, you're just only seventy."
"Not a lot of pep talks start with 'you're only seventy', so I feel I need to see this," he says as he enters and smiles when he sees his godmother, along with a surprised-looking Lorelei.
Her expression quickly changes to delight, though and she comes over to him with her arms open.
"Hello, Ash! It's been ages since we've last met, how have you been?"
She hugs him before he can answer her and Ash can't help but smile at being welcomed so warmly. Her question seems to just have been decorum too, Lorelei is already talking as soon as she lets go of him.
"Lance isn't back yet but you're more than welcome to spend some time with us."
"I would love to," he says.
"Come take a seat, my boy," Agatha says as she motions him to come to sit next to her. "I heard you ripped old Oak a new arsehole and I can't wait to hear every detail about it."
His mood drops, he doesn't like being reminded of it and it gets hard to keep the smile on his face. The two women, of course, notice right away and Lorelei ushers him to the seat.
"Did I say something wrong?" Agatha asks, looking worried all of a sudden. "Are you okay, Ash?"
"I'm fine," he sighs as he sinks on the chair. Pikachu jumps on his lap not a second later and snuggles into his stomach, as per usual. "It's nothing but a crying shame that it had to be me pointing out what his flaws were… if they were flaws, to begin with. I don't even think he knows what it's like to love… He likes plenty but he keeps everyone at arms' length, even his own grandson."
"What happened, dear?" she asks and rakes a hand through his hair, a very nice and loving motion that cheers Ash up a bit. "I'll have his hide if he hurt you, let me tell you that."
"He didn't. He just allowed others to hurt me, that's all. Stood there and watched… only to act like a bloody hypocrite when the time came to own up to his mistakes. He told a psychiatrist I was a liar, that I shouldn't be believed… It made me so angry, I didn't mean to call him out like that but I'm done being walked over, it's not fair."
"Well, a righteous sense of justice does run in the family, so don't feel too bothered by it, Ash," Lorelei says and lays a hand on his shoulder to give it a comforting squeeze. She doesn't pull her hand back either, it remains there, gently kneading his shoulder. "I haven't seen you so serious, I feel like this issue needs to be addressed. Are there any legal instances involved in this?"
"Lance gave me his word that it would be okay."
"Ah," is all she says.
"I still do not enjoy talking to him to this day. How many mistakes will this man make before he finally owns up to them?" Agatha sighs and shakes her head. "As long as you remember not to carry his sins around, my boy, it will be fine."
Oh, he knows and he hasn't. If no one reminds him of the man, he forgets him. Ash knows what times to call to avoid getting professor Oak on the phone, he's sneaky enough to ask Gary or Tracey to be near the phone if he ever needs to change pokémon. He knows that being smarter than everyone assumes is an advantage as much as being underestimated is annoying. He's learned how to deal with it, his mom never knew about the things he did behind her back, the stories he never told her. Her loss, Ash thinks his life is pretty fun.
"Let's not talk about him, then," Lorelei concludes with ease and Ash let's out a hiccup straight after. "… You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." He says because he knows he always gets the hiccups after eating too many spices.
The woman looks like she's about to question him further but his uncle comes to his salvation. Ash isn't embarrassed by the stream he's just done, he's actually quite pleased, he managed to eat everything without too much issue but not without the proper reaction. God, he cried a lot with that sour box, it was insane. His pokémon suffered along with him too, they always wanted to try what he was eating. Charizard had been very upset that he couldn't eat the same spicy chips, though but even the first stage of the spicy box had left him gasping and hiccupping. The real reason why the teen didn't want to talk about his fundraising event was that he had so much fun, he hadn't at all been paying attention to how many people had actually been watching and as such, didn't know how much money his effort had generated.
Lance, on the other hand, seems to have cooled off a lot too now that the photograph was taken. And he hands him a folder which Ash accepts with a befuddled look. As he opens it, though, he sees that it's filled with the photographs that were presumably just taken. The teen pushes the folder closed and holds it against his chest, a delighted smile appearing on his face. It's clear that this was the reaction Lance had been going for and while the boy hadn't gotten a good look at the pictures, he's going to study them later today. He's also very relieved that the fundraiser thing is done, he's done whatever part he could play for Orre and he hopes it was enough. It's at least one of his New Year's resolutions he's fulfilled and it feels quite good because this means he's at a straight line to go and travel again.
This fundraiser had been the only thing keeping him from dreaming about travelling again so now the road towards Kalos is beckoning him. The idea brings a smile to his face, though he doesn't miss how nice they are treating him. Lorelei is hovering around him, he doesn't get the chance to slip, she's right there to keep him straight, apparently knowing when a hazard poses itself. She must know this building quite well and honestly, maybe wearing heels is a bit like walking with a prosthesis, or at least, they share the same risk of falling over the hazards. He appreciates the help immensely but when he catches her looking at his bracelet, he feels a bit exasperated.
People in Kalos would probably notice it too, the pulsing light is too bright to keep covered and there's no way he can keep this covered. He'll have to prepare himself to get questions but then again, it hardly is the end of the world. And if it made everyone act like Lorelei, why, he would introduce the bracelet from the get-go. Might get some benefits out of it while he was at it, eh? Still, he doesn't think the woman is just worried about him, she must have had plans on coming with them from the start. Or did she get hypnotised by the light? She's in the car, alright but so is Agatha and he doesn't think she's seen the light.
It's very cosy, though, sitting here with three people he very much likes. Agatha is making comments on the colour of the cars they pass and Ash suddenly notices that she's right, there's an awful lot of black cars on the road.
"Don't think too much of it," she says with a touch of amusement twinkling in her eyes when she catches him looking at her. "It's just the basic colour that gets offered as the cheapest by all the companies. Cheapskates exist in every form and size, no matter where you go."
Ash chuckles at the comment but then again, Lance's car was black too. The man ignores the jab at his expense though Agatha seems very pleased with herself too. He doesn't understand why she would say it like this, his uncle is anything but a cheapskate and his car isn't cheap either. He's not on top of how pricey cars are but this is a very nice one, it runs smooth, makes very little noise and looks daunting enough to scare little pokémon off the road. Ash likes the car a lot and it doesn't bother him in the slightest.
"She likes to tease me, don't worry," Lance says softly when they get home and have a moment to themselves. "She's not called the 'Old Witch' for nothing, believe me."
The teen giggles and goes to the living room, though halts when he feels something in his pocket. He pulls out the Joltik and smiles at it, he didn't think it had travelled along with him. Or rather, this pokémon has been with him since last week and it's not nearly as affectionate as all the others he's met, in the way that it doesn't need to be hugged or in contact all the time but the Joltik's been hiding somewhere in his clothes when he's out and about.
He thinks it's very funny but before he can stuff the Joltik inside his pocket again, a Mew is floating in front of him. It floats upwards and twists, so now it's hanging in front of him, upside down.
"Mew?"
"Hi, buddy," he grins and brings out a hand to scratch the pokémon's head.
A soft, high pitched purr comes from the Mew but it squirms away after a couple of minutes. His fingers seem to fascinate the creature and it plays with them for a minute before diving back into his pocket, changing in the Joltik once more on its way there. All because Lance comes up from behind him, though Ash just smiles at his uncle in order not to betray the pokémon's presence. He knows the man wouldn't be surprised to find him waiting for him, after all.
He approaches the living room but he's in no mood to just sit around, the amount of sugar he's eaten recently makes him fidgety and unable to sit still. His attention is piqued when he sees something pass in front of the mirror, signalling there's something out in the garden. Ash grins at the prospect of a game but he notices that the adults are seemingly wanting to discuss something without him. Lorelei's already moved towards the back anyway so he figures they won't mind if he leaves for a bit.
"Uncle, can I go play in the garden?"
"Sure, be careful, though."
"I will!" he calls out and darts out of the door leading towards the garden.
The house is such a maze to him he only remembers what doors lead to the places he actually likes and the garden one is one of the easiest to find. It's situated in his favourite corner of the house, the one he had snuck away in when he hadn't wanted to speak with Lance or Clair for a bit. It has a great view of the garden too and now that the snow's gone, the view on the lush gardens of the neighbours was clear. They did look a little dreary, though, it had been raining earlier -must have happened while they had been inside of the pokémon league- and the winter cold is never gentle towards plants.
It's something Ash doesn't like about this season but he guesses that nothing lasts forever and that, if plants were to bloom every season, they will get tired and wither away anyway. So it's better to leave them be while they're resting, he doesn't like being woken up either.
"Huff."
Ash blinks and a smile reaches his face before he even realises it.
"You guys wanna play?" he asks and chuckles when the three pokémon run towards him, snuggling against his legs.
Pikachu, on the other hand, is holding on pretty tightly but then again, his buddy's never been that good at dealing with super enthusiastic pokémon. Ash doesn't mind, Pikachu's safe where he is. He soon finds a branch to play fetch with, though and as he's having plenty of fun with the pokémon who do actually like the game, the three adults are talking about something they didn't want Ash to find out.
"Think he knew we didn't want him to hear it?" Lorelei asks and she bites her lip.
Lance knows she doesn't like to keep people in the dark but he doesn't think his nephew had seemed uncomfortable at all.
"Nah, must've been the sugar he's eaten a while ago. Just because he's gotten injured, doesn't mean he doesn't get his bouts of energy once in a while," he says. "Besides, he shouldn't hear this, you can ask Clair, she witnessed Ash's response to hearing he could ask a person to come with him. That we're going to check up on him from afar isn't going to make him happier."
"I thought you would try and not make it too obvious?" Agatha asks and raises an eyebrow. "Or is Ash that hard to fool?"
"He'll know."
"How, though?" the younger woman asks as she crosses her arms in front of her chest. "We're all pretty free to go wherever we want and so what if a few of us want to go to Kalos too?"
"That'll work a couple of times, he won't think much of it but it'll only work around Lumiose. What business would any of us have in the smaller towns?"
"Steven would ruddy well go and dig for rocks anywhere, you know that much."
"… True, I guess," he sighs. "Still, it would become old really soon and I do think Ash wouldn't… Well, we'll see, I'll get feedback straight away if he notices it anyway."
Lorelei snorts at that, it's clear she doesn't believe any of the talk that's involved Ash and has been going around the pokémon league. He wonders how he can convince her that she should be careful around the kid, to make sure she knows not to underestimate him but well, she's definitely got a mind of her own. There's no helping her when she has made her mind up about something…
Though there's a change very soon after he's just given up on trying to change her mind, the woman is already bored with the conversation and moves to look outside the window. Her stance changes enough for Lance to know Ash's playing with some of his 'friends' again. He wonders who it is this time around.
"Lance, is this…?" she starts but then shakes her head. "Never mind."
"Found some friends, has he?"
"… You know?"
"Mm, I do. Met one in the hallway last week, just before New Year's day."
"They come inside?" the woman asks, turning to him with a look of disbelief.
"I feel a bit left out," Agatha comments dryly. "What are we talking about?"
"Ash has an uncanny ability to make some friends that don't quite fit inside the house, more often than not. So far, I've not had an overly negative experience but it's still a worry nonetheless. It's something everyone will have to take into account if they're going to visit Ash in Kalos too. Unless, of course, the legendary pokémon in Kalos are very small and can go unnoticed… like that tiny Joltik he's got with him," Lance answers simply.
"He doesn't have a Joltik, does he?" Lorelei deadpans.
"I don't think so. I do have to admit that professor Oak was not in the mood to talk when we met again so I can't be sure but then again, Ash has never mentioned the pokémon and it's a little odd."
"… Legendary pokémon?" the elderly woman asks. "And professor Oak still treats him like dirt? Does he know?"
"Ash willingly talks about them, it's jarring and impressive at the same time. Ask him about it, he'll answer you, trust me."
"I will, then," she says and Lance is quite pleased this went so smoothly.
Lorelei stills seems to be deciding whether she likes this news or not but she's not burst out in tears yet so all's good so far. The man knows his nephew won't care too much if she doesn't like it either but that's not his main concern. He wants his nephew to be safe and he needs people he can trust. If Lorelei proves to be unable to offer him that trust, he won't bother her any longer, she will be free to go and he will never approach her with any subject that has to do with Ash ever again. And yeah, he knows she'll hate it, which was probably why she's silently debating on what stance to take.
He leaves her be, his worried side is already wondering what Ash is going to say when he hears they've been talking about him. Nevertheless, the sounds coming from the outside -the 'Stop, stop!" followed by infectious laughter- tell him his nephew got pushed over in the wet grass. He won't reprimand the kid, he'll just go and grab a towel for when he gets back inside. Just because he doesn't have a biological kid of his own, doesn't mean he can't treat Ash like he is, right? It would mean the world to him if… well, he'll have to hand over the boy back one of these days but until then, he'll do the utmost to make the teen feel at home and ease with him.
Even if it means telling all his friends to back off and keep their mouths shut, he'll do it if that's what Ash needs. He feels like he should be the one to show the boy what being a father figure is, so that he at least has some kind of example to follow, should he ever want to have a relationship later. It wouldn't do to let him grow up surrounded by hatred, Ash is such a kind kid. Gosh, the world could be so cruel, he'll have a nice cry about the day he'll have to let go of the boy but for now, he just goes and fetches the towel, figuring that he can take care of the simpler issues in life just as well as the big ones. Just like his father had done for him.
End of chapter sixteen