And we're off to Kalos... After a bit of an introduction, of course, some things needed closure before Ash went away. For those happy that he's finally leaving on his much-deserved journey, I agree... but I hope you don't think I was going to leave Ash be happy for long, did you? *evil grin* If so, you are wrong!
Hope you all enjoy this chapter as well!
Ash isn't sure what happened, he's pretty sure he felt something just now but he's so confused because… he's in a foreign bed. With strangers surrounding him and one particularly tall one looming over him, with a bright light shining behind his back, making this person a completely dark tall figure looming over him.
"Can you hear me?"
"… Yes?"
"Can you tell me what your name is?"
"Who are you?" he asks, voice full of contempt because he's still not in the mood to play with strangers.
"I'm the emergency doctor on service right now."
"Oh no, not another doctor-"
"Please tell me your name, I need to know if you are not suffering from amnesia."
"My name is Ash Satoshi Ketchum Tajiri and no, I still don't remember what happened."
"Tajiri?" the doctor says. "Are you perhaps related to Mr. Lance, the Champion of Johto?"
"He's officially my guardian."
"Ah."
Ash is left alone after that, he's pretty sure that they will go and call Lance, if only to come to get him. He frowns heavily but calms down a bit when he feels Pikachu nudge his fingers. It's then that he notices he hasn't got a pillow and is laying really flat on the bed. Is he injured? Ash doesn't want to move right now, he's confused and nobody is saying anything to him.
"I don't understand," one of the nurses says, from a bit further away in the hallway, probably not realising that the teen could hear her. "Such a bad accident and yet nobody is severely injured."
"It's a miracle," another, much deeper voice from another nurse answers. "The worst injury is the bloody nose on professor Elm."
They move away too far for him to hear the rest of the conversation but Ash frowns even harder now, trying to remember what had happened. He remembers getting out of the pokémon league and meeting up with a terribly frazzled professor Elm. The man had tried to explain that the situation he thought would only take a couple of minutes would obviously take a lot longer so Ash had been busy with his phone until the man was finished. The professor had actually gone and grabbed a sandwich for him, while he had been immersed with his phone and never realised it was already way past noon. The way the poor man looked so apologetic did calm him down a lot, Ash remembers having smiled really sweetly at him which ended up draining a lot of stress out of the professor.
It had been around three in the afternoon when the man finally got his papers, leaving him a bit bothered and stressed because he had other things planned for today, not having expected to need to take a half-day off for this kind of thing. Ash remembers having told the man that, if there was anything he could do to help, he could always call him, he could delay his leave for Kalos with a week but professor Elm assured him that his problems could be solved if he worked a bit harder, that he could catch up with the delay in his work if he did his best a bit more. They had gotten into the car but that's as far as his memories went. Oh no… he didn't jinx it, did he? He had thought about them getting into an accident, after all.
"Fortunately for you, no."
Ash blinks, wondering when Necrozma has started following him around much as Mewtwo has.
"I am right here, are you alright?"
The teen peers to his right and smiles at Mewtwo's worried face.
"I'm fine, no worries. I don't know why they laid me as flat as this but I suppose it's got some sort of purpose," he answers and shrugs. "I don't suppose you could tell me what happened?"
"You will get to know about that very shortly, your guardian is coming soon. Are you sure you are alright?"
"Yeah, I don't feel anything out of the ordinary. Was I in an accident?"
"Hm? Oh yes, you were. But that is not what I meant, I meant your Aura. Is it still feeling okay?"
"… Yeah? Is it not supposed to?"
He's pretty sure Mewtwo would've answered him if it wasn't for Lance storming into the room, completely out of breath, tears brimming at the edges of his eyes. Ash goes to sit up instantly when he sees him and smiles as brightly as he can manage through all this confusion, hoping it will calm his uncle down. It doesn't miss target, that much is sure, the man deflates like a balloon.
"Arceus almighty, I thought you were hurt," he sighs, looking very relieved as he drags himself to the bed. "They didn't tell me anything on the phone, just that you were here, oh Ash, it nearly gave me a heart attack."
"I'm okay, Lance, I'm sorry they worried you like that, I would've called you if I still had my phone on me. I think they put my jacket to the side but yeah, I wasn't awake for a while, I think."
"You sure that you don't have a concussion, then?"
"He is perfectly alright," the doctor says, trailing into the room after Lance, with a small smile on his face. "Hello, Mr. Lance, Ash. How are you all doing?"
Lance doesn't look very sociable right now so Ash answers instead.
"A bit confused but I'm alright, yeah."
The doctor smiles, the boy realises that this is the same man who had been looming over him some time ago. One thing is sure, this man looks a lot better when he's face to face with him but then again, Ash has never liked adults being like, super tall anyway so maybe that has something to do with it. Still, the doctor explains the situation to Lance who frowns heavily when hearing that his ward had been in a serious car accident and came out unscathed.
Apparently, someone thought it would be funny to stop in the middle of a highway at the height of the daily commute. The doctor called it brake-checking but then Ash remembers. He remembers having had a death grip on the handle on the side of the door, Pikachu still firmly in his arms, despite professor Elm driving very patiently and properly. He must've pulled the handle straight off the door when the car in front of them suddenly braked really hard but the professor must've been paying great attention to the road, he actually successfully stopped without hitting the car in front of them. But alas, the car behind them wasn't paying attention at all, Ash remembers having seen a phone getting thrown through the windows of the car they were in and it wasn't his rose gold one, that much was sure. This caused the car to jolt forwards, crashing into the car in front of them and activate the airbags.
He remembers having scrambled to get Pikachu from under it, not wanting the pokémon to get smothered under the airbag. Professor Elm got hurt, though, he remembers having seen the man's nose bleed really badly and it actually looked a bit bend… Why it suddenly was deemed to simply be bloody nose by the nurses was really odd, it's like Clair's accident all over again, where he's actually seen that the injury on the hurt person is way worse than what the doctors and nurses thought it to be. Ash really hopes the professor is okay, though, he was already behind on his work, to begin with so to be stuck in this hospital would cause an even bigger delay, one he isn't sure the man could ever catch up with. Heaven knew if the professor didn't have any meetings planned or had little sick pokémon to check up on, his expertise in baby pokémon causing him to be the only one able to help these little kiddie pokémon.
"Ash?"
The boy looks to his right, again, confused because it's not like his uncle to snap him out of his thoughts like that.
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay? You spaced out for a little bit," Lance says, and Ash's heart squeezes uncomfortable at the worry on the man's face, he's so done with getting in trouble right now.
"I remembered the accident, I… was it really just a bloody nose on professor Elm?"
"Ah yes, you were in the car with him, weren't you?" the doctor muses. "That's right, there were a couple of veins that had burst, causing the massive bleeding you saw, which always makes an injury seem worse than it is. Head injuries tend to bleed a bit worse than others, more often than not."
"Don't I know that," his uncle mutters darkly, making the boy aware he must've seen him in the bad condition his mother actually started to lose her marbles at. God, why is nothing ever simple with him? Couldn't he just accept the diagnosis of these skilled medics? Why does he always need to put his foot in this?
"Why do you ask?" the doctor then asks and Ash shrugs a bit uncomfortably.
"You're right, there was a lot of blood. But… it seemed like his nose was actually really badly broken to me."
"I assure you, no such thing happened to the professor, you will see him shortly, I believe so you can see that he's perfectly okay."
Ash can feel Lance's eyes on him but again, all he can do is shrug. He doesn't remember having healed professor Elm as he did with Clair, with the airbag holding him firmly in place until it deflated, he could never even get his arm to touch the professor so how the heck would he have managed it this time?
"It's funny how you also manage to have seen graver injuries on your loved one, many have reported that too," the doctor says and the teen can feel his hairs stand on end. Surely not?
"What do you mean?" Lance asks, interest peaked -of course.
"I feel like we are dealing with some sort of mass hallucination, the accident is indeed far less bad than it looks and that might have alarming enough for people to believe that they should be badly injured while they were, in fact, not at all. Like yourself, Ash, you don't have a scratch on you."
"Professor Elm isn't a stellar driver. I probably ripped the handle straight of the door when the car behind us connected," he answers dryly. "Is it actually possible, though? Is mass hallucination a thing?"
"Yes, strangely enough, it is," the doctor says. "There is no other explanation for everyone making the same, untrue claim, after all."
"Oh."
Ash leaves it at that, the last thing he wants is to hallucinate without medicine but he still has this niggling feeling in the back of his mind. Both Necrozma and Mewtwo being there, with the latter asking him about his Aura and the former ensuring that he had nothing to do with the accident… He knows both pokémon wouldn't come on a whim, had he done something subconsciously? He still doesn't remember every detail, he might have fainted or something, he knows he can't deal with emotions like that very well, his mind much rather giving up that process them like a mentally healthy person's mind would.
Lance doesn't seem to feel much for the mystical mumbo-jumbo and just takes him and the professor home. Professor Elm is even more apologetic, possibly fearing retaliation from the man for endangering his nephew. His uncle, however, isn't deterred by the slightest, he probably knows more than the professor does and honestly, even Ash can't find fault in the man's driving this time around, it's not his fault some jerk decides to mess up everyone's day. Lance actually drives the professor to the laboratory but goes to speak with him privately, leaving the boy in the car, again with the A/C on.
"You are still feeling alright, friend?" Mewtwo asks, from somewhere Ash can't see.
"Yeah, I mean, did I do something without knowing?"
"You most certainly did. It was not a mass hallucination, Ash, surely you would not believe in something as that?"
"I don't but I'm not going to tell that to a doctor's face, they went to school for a long time to make up those bullshit stories. There's no way they'll listen to me, in their eyes, I'm just a kid. And aren't I lucky? I don't want their attention on me, how would you think they would react if they knew I was somehow responsible for the lack of injuries on the people involved in that accident?"
"I never said you should be taken responsible for it."
Yeah, okay but still, if he didn't want to believe in it, he would never keep his mouth shut. It was either believing it or ignoring it for all it was worth. Ash had chosen for the latter, he would've made his uncle uncomfortable if he started arguing with the doctor and besides, he doesn't really know what he did. He hopes that Mewtwo and/or Necrozma will still be around to explain a bit to him because he's still confused. Sure, he knows he could have damn well-healed them all but then why didn't he feel anything?
Ash sighs and looks at Pikachu, whose ears perks up at the sound of his sigh. It makes him smile so when Lance comes back, he isn't the slightest bit suspicious.
"All good?" he asks as he ducks and gets in the car.
"Yup."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"No premonitions or Arceus help me, malfunctions with the A/C?"
"What the heck would be wrong with the A/C?" Ash asks, frowning as he's feeling a 'what the hell' moment but gives his uncle a dry expression when the man turns to look at him weirdly. "What?"
"Professor Elm says his car stopped working when you called out for him to stop. In fact, he says it suddenly became deadly silent from that moment on."
"You think I did that, huh? While I just told you I don't remember that part."
"Awfully coincidental, if you ask me," Lance just says as he slings his arm around the back of the seat next to him and reverses out of the parking spot out in front of the laboratory. "Anyway, from today on, you're staying at home and I'm personally putting you on that plane to Kalos so I know that you'll at least arrive there in one piece."
"If you're telling me that I've somehow influenced that idiot to commit suicide in the middle of a highway during rush hour, you're wrong."
"Oh, I know that. I do have my firm suspicions that you somehow did influence all the rest of what happened in the middle of that highway during rush hour because this is the first time that out of a collision with over seventy cars, only ten have material damage and those involved not terribly hurt."
"And you're mad about that?"
"I'm not angry, Ash," Lance says in a tone the boy hasn't heard before but it sounds awfully strange for not actually being angry. "I'm beyond myself, you saved three pregnant ladies and a regional professor, not to mention a couple of kiddos coming home from school as well as their parents. But that's beside the point, are you sure you can blame Riley for being scared of you, when you can do this?"
"Would you rather have me dead, then? To have me predict absolute madness and unable to do shit about it? Are you actually scared of someone who loves life so much, they would do everything in their power to save others, even when they're not aware of what's happening?"
"I'm not angry, nor am I scared. I want you to realise that your actions leave consequences, Ash. Ones that will shape the opinion others have on you. And that some might choose not to be around you for who you are and what you do. I know for a fact Riley is a good friend to have but you seem to feel some kind of anger towards him and I… I think I understand the both of you but I'm not… going to drop my friendship with Riley just because you don't like him."
"You can have him," Ash says dryly. "I don't care, you're not friends with my friends either, Lance. Have him over, I don't care."
"What I'm trying to say is that you could lose a couple of friends over this too, Ash."
"… So? It's friendship, not a blood bond. I've not set up a binding contract between my friends, they're free to live their own life, with or without me mingling in it. It's fine, there's bound to be a couple of people who think I'm pretty cool for, you know, being able to save people even if I don't realise it and if not, a butt load of pokémon will. I'm fine with that."
Lance shuts up after that statement but Ash is fine with it. He won't realise the full extent of what he's done until Necrozma points it out for him but for now, he'll be cosy at home, being supplied a steady income of hot chocolate -a drink he's recently started to connect with his uncle- with a man who's clearly at ease with him, despite all he's said so far. In the end, it won't matter, not really anyway. Lance should just be happy Ash has the powers he has without suffering much backlash from the ability itself. Which he is, somewhat but for a mortal to understand powers beyond their recognition, it will always be a bit of a battle so even Mewtwo, who has little patience with humans, thinks. With a flick of its tail, the pokémon goes off and waits until Ash has enough of the hot chocolate and will move to his room.
Mewtwo will have to wait a bit until Lance feels comfortable leaving Ash out of his line of sight. He wasn't kidding when he said he nearly had a heart attack, like, can the kid have half a day without any incidents? It truly feels like, the moment he leaves the boy out of his sight, things happen. Granted, Ash isn't to blame, it was Charles who is the main instigator, if the man had pulled his head out of his butt for once, there would have been no reason for his nephew to ever even need to go to the pokémon league. But well, it happened, just like everything else and Lance feels like things are also going to happen in Kalos, whether or not Ash wants it to or not. He's pretty sure the boy wouldn't have wanted to be in an accident with professor Elm either, even though his nephew displayed concern for the professor's wellbeing. Lance didn't know why he would think the teen wouldn't like the man but he's been proved wrong. Ash must just have been a bit crouch then, which was his good right to be.
So far, there have been no complaints from the boy, despite his bumbling way to tell him to be careful who he trusted with these amazing abilities. Lance wants nothing more than to hold this child close, tell him he's amazing but he knows what kind of effect that could have on Ash, who isn't used to getting compliments and might start to act brashly. As he's sitting there, quietly sipping his hot chocolate while watching a documentary on prehistoric pokémon, Ash is displaying a kind of calmness he's not seen in the boy yet and now he's not sure whether the teen is thinking of something else, like the things he said to him or actually watching the show.
"Saw anything good?"
"Yeah, I didn't know there were so many but like also very little. There's like twenty or so now but there's no way these could have been the only pokémon around at the time. What if the original pokémon we know now appeared like their Mega evolved state, instead of being a completely different, fossilized pokémon?"
Right, it's clear the teen had been watching the show, he's completely blown away by the question.
"Could be, I mean, it would explain why some can't Mega evolve too," Lance answers and shrugs.
"Maybe it's only pokémon who appeared during a certain period or something but still, there's not a lot of pokémon who can Mega evolve either, not enough to fill a place as big as this earth. Hmmm… Really weird," the teen says and takes another sip of his nearly empty cup. "This is really good, by the way, thank you, uncle."
"Oh, you're welcome, kiddo. Tell me if you want me to make you some more, anything to make you happy, you know that."
"Anything?" Ash then asks and it gives Lance the chills, he maybe shouldn't have worded it that way, should've known the kid would pick up on that. "If that's true, then why would you tell me I wouldn't be making any new friends by being my freaky self?"
"You're not freaky, kiddo."
"That's not the point, is it?"
He's saved by the doorbell, even though Ash looks peeved at being disturbed. Lance knows he really didn't approach the kid from the right angle earlier today and he's going to have to make it right one of these days but he's still too relieved that the boy is alright and somehow managed to save all these people. He would want nothing more than to place the teen on a pedestal but he can't do that, he's seen what it did to his half-brother. Red willingly threw himself in the line of fire just because he thought he was invincible through all the praise he got. And when it turned out he was not quite so invincible, he was dropped like a brick, labelled unstable and 'dangerous' to live without proper guidance.
Lance sighs heavily when he approaches the door and stares when he sees nobody in front of it as soon as he opens it. Out of pure habit, he looks down and it's good that he does because there is a little Wingull sitting on the bottom step, looking quite expectant. Don't ask him why but the pokémon looks familiar and it becomes apparent that he has met this creature before, it has a box in its hold that had professor Elm's address on it. But it is actually addressed to Ash so he takes it after having given the pokémon a couple of gentle pets on the head which causes it to fly off with a happy chirp.
"Ash?" he calls out as he approaches the living room again. "There's a package for you."
"Oh? I didn't order anything, though?" the teen says, making no move to get out of the couch.
"I think it's a gift."
"Not a bomb, I hope."
Lance pauses and watches the small box that only filled the palm of his hand. If it was a bomb -though he doubted professor Elm would send anything like that to the teen- it would not be very harmful. Even if it was filled to the brim, it would only get the living room and maybe a bit more but it certainly wouldn't get the house to collapse but no chance of that, he's lifted a bomb before and this box isn't weighing nearly enough to have enough explosive to even detonate.
"I doubt it, it comes from New Bark, Ash. Here, open it."
The way how Pikachu lends his dainty nails to open the tape at the edge of the books gives Lance an idea to try that out for himself but one look at Gible already makes the creature raise its lip in a silent growl so yeah, that's clearly not going to work for him.
"Ooooh, it's a necklace," the teen says and drags out a pretty long chain with an…
"Ash, that's a Mega stone at the end of it."
"It is? Do you know who it's for?" he asks as he shows the pearlescent opaque pink orb with a darker pink and blue centre dangling from the middle of the black chain.
"Not the foggiest, you should take that up with professor Sycamore, Ash, he's the expert in it. I've certainly not seen it before and that's saying something because Steven does collect them. That being said, sending a picture to him is only going to end up with him trying to convince you to either trade it for something or him to buy it from you."
"I'm not getting rid of it," Ash says and possessively pushes it against his chest. "It's a gift, professor Elm says he's thanking me for the… hey, how does he know how my Aura looks like? I've never shown it to him."
"Ash?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you know what happens when you have a seizure?" Lance asks and tries his best to keep his face straight when the boy looks at him with a very bizarre expression that's a combination of curiosity and confusion. "Your Aura released during the seizure you had at his laboratory. Riley told me that the entire floor was pink and glittery seconds before you woke up and got upset at the hole in the wall. Professor Elm has most certainly seen your Aura, Ash."
"… Oh. Well, this is awfully considerate of him," Ash says, not the slightest bit bothered all of a sudden. "Seems like I've found a person who thinks I'm pretty cool, after all."
"I think you're pretty badass too, you know?"
"You do? I thought you didn't like mystical mumbo-jumbo?"
"The thing that makes your abilities a lot less mystical is the fact that there is a human brain and heart behind them. I don't think that an unfeeling power on this planet would have cared to save all these people from some terrible injuries."
"'Kay, right, then I have a grand total of two people who think I'm cool."
"Probably more, though, I bet you could grow three heads and Cynthia would still love you to death."
"Good, I think she's cool too," Ash says, looking a bit smug all of a sudden. "In fact, I usually think that any adult who doesn't scream at me and you know, doesn't try to overpower me with some kind of control is pretty cool."
"Oh? Is that a reference to something I should be aware of?"
"Mr. Goodshow tried to scare me into obedience by claiming he could suspend my trainer account if I didn't listen to him."
Lance is pretty sure he looks a bit sour about that but there is no way his expression could correctly convey just how sour he was actually feeling about this. That this old man thought he could control this boy was foolish, Ash isn't born yesterday and he has a lot more experience in keeping overly interested people at bay. But the gull of the man, holy moly…
"Please don't go scream at him? I think he won't take you seriously."
"Ash? Will you promise me you will behave in Kalos so I can focus on raising absolute hell in the pokémon league?"
"Sure," the boy chirps happily. "If you want me to start a bit of talk about him, I have dirt to throw on him now. I've done nothing wrong and to suddenly be threatened to have my trainer account suspended because an old man is unhappy that things aren't going his way."
"You devious little thing, you. Don't get caught in the line of fire, I'll just show them that they should take me seriously."
"Oh, in that case, you'll be fine."
The vote of confidence comes unexpected but the man takes it in stride and lets the teen go off to his room. It's almost bedtime anyway and he knows Ash wants to go and put the strange necklace in his bag. He guesses that his boy is completely ready for Kalos, then… Ah, if only he was sure that Kalos was ready for Ash too, that would be great. But he figures he's best off letting the teen do his thing, there's no use in trying to control him as it would only hold him back. And he's not going to continue where Charles left off, oooh, he's going to have a little think on the way how he can screw the man over for a good while. It'll be a good way to ignore how silent his home will become when Ash is gone, anyway.
"Dear Chosen, you have exceeded my expectation."
Ash glows, he's happy to hear the praise from someone like Necrozma. He feels that this powerful creature will know good from evil and he knows that his display of Aura was the reason why both Necrozma and Mewtwo showed up.
"I was aware of your prowess, that you would not back down easily but you have a love for life that is very befitting for your stature as Aura user, soon to be Aura Master."
"Master?"
"As soon as you are to enter your Aura on your own accord, you will have successfully mastered all there is to master in Aura. That being said, feel free to experiment if you find yourself bored on your journey, life is not always exciting and many facts and lessons I have taught you come from other talented people just having figured it out due to experimenting and luck."
"I will have to be careful, though, I mean, it lights up and I don't expect people to like it."
"Whatever you feel comfortable with, do not forget to be at peace with yourself and then all should work out."
"I'll keep it in mind. Quick question, though, what did I actually do? Just heal everyone?"
"Your left stands for safety and healed people… but not before your right that stands for destruction acted and stopped the mechanics inside the vehicles, causing them to come to a brisk standstill. Not have you used both sides effectively, you used them at the same time. And that, Chosen, is a sign of nearing Master level. Even if you do not remember, it was most certainly you and it was the most wonderful thing I have ever seen a human being do."
Ash is already impressed just hearing about it, he would love to remember actually doing it, though. But maybe that's not as important as knowing that he can do it because he will do it again if it means helping people. Lance said that there were pregnant ladies involved in the accident, right? And small children that could have possibly survived but have lost a parent? Yeah, he would most definitely do whatever he did again, no matter the consequences.
Necrozma, however, doesn't seem to care much for the results of his interference, more interested in the effect it has had on him. Especially since it becomes clear that there is a chance he won't be able to master going into his Aura before tomorrow. He somehow ends up in the Distortion World and while Giratina catches him and takes him back to his room -after a quick snuggle- it's not a good sign. The second time he attempts it, he ends up in outer space and isn't he happy that Dialga finds him as quickly as he does? Space isn't designed for humans to live in, he can't breathe but he's back in his room before he can even start to choke on the lack of oxygen.
Dialga is more than happy to remain near him too, perhaps it's just worried about him but honestly, even Ash is bewildered. Why does he keep appearing in these places, when he's supposed to be so familiar with his own Aura? He's been inside it a lot these past days, every day, these whole two weeks and yet… Necrozma approaches him and carefully extends a claw, gently caressing his cheek. It's one of the most gently touches he's ever received from any pokémon yet and it causes Ash to watch his teacher with big eyes.
"Could it possibly be that you do not like yourself, child?"
Necrozma's words touch upon a raw part of himself, a deep sense of doubt he has always had. The idea that no one would like him, that it is justified for people to not like him, for some reason or another… Ash has always felt like he's not worth the attention, that he somehow deserved a mother like his. That his father ran from his family just because of him. It's a part of him that his mother has actively helped create.
"I do but…"
"Focus on what you like in yourself, child," Necrozma says calmly, its claw remaining right next to the boy's cheek. "If your heart only feels for others then use your head to think of yourself. Surely there must be something you do enjoy about yourself?"
Oh, absolutely, he enjoys his own curiosity and perseverance. The way he manages to overcome what others think should be the end of his career or at least his drive to continue. He'll never back down from a challenge and he'll be damned if he lets himself get overpowered by the idea that someone is more than him in no matter what quality or ability. So he focuses on that and yes, it gets him exactly where it's supposed to take him this time around. The third time is the charm, apparently but Ash can't help but feel like his Aura feels a lot more… welcoming than before. Even though he can see his anger -which still has its corporal form and is suspiciously starting to look like him but with red glowing eyes and sharp fangs- peer from behind the trees but it doesn't come any nearer.
Maybe it's Dialga's presence that's deterring it from coming closer and well, the pokémon is suddenly full-sized and is proving to be perfectly fit to fly around in his Aura. It gives Ash a good idea of how large his Aura world actually is, Dialga disappears for a good couple of minutes before coming back, seemingly very happy.
"Well done, Chosen," Necrozma says and its claw finds its way around his shoulders -one of them is already big enough to surround him. "Very well done. I am proud of you."
Ash gives the pokémon a watery smile, he doesn't know why but the statement strikes a sensitive nerve. He feels like he's finally achieved something and he's actually pretty proud of himself. The idea that he can actually keep pokémon safe and happy here gives him an excellent plan B, just in case something happens.
"Can I ask you something, Necrozma?" he asks, suddenly getting a bit of an epiphany.
"Yes, Chosen?"
"Can I determine where I actually come out of my Aura?"
"Yes, that is something you will have to experiment with. You seem to have no issues bringing creatures into this world and the moment you will ever enter your Aura somewhere else, it will take you to a different place here."
"That's… pretty handy, isn't it?" Ash mused and figures he might as well go to various places in the world… but it also means he's going to have to learn what these places look like and more importantly, finding the way to the spots to get out of his Aura at.
He's really not the best pathfinder and he more than often gets lost. To think he now has his own world to navigate in scares him a bit and he wonders if he can actually get lost inside it.
"Not quite lost, no. You will always be able to exit, it will most likely just be a random spot in the world. Then again, be reminded that a large percentage of this world is made out of water and that you could end up drifting in the middle of a sea at any given moment."
"Thanks for telling me that," Ash chuckles, figuring that, in his next visit to a pokémart, he will most definitely buy a packet of inflatable life vests, just to be sure.
You never knew if he needed to drag someone in his Aura before he actually had the time to get to know his way around this humongous place, it would be his kind of luck to try to save someone and end up making 'em drown somewhere. Also, trying to explain what he was doing in Kantonian waters when the accident he tried to run from happened in Unova would be a conversation Ash would try to avoid. Still, he gets back to his room just in time before Lance's check-up -yes, the man tends to come and see if everything's alright before he goes to bed himself- and as Dialga and Necrozma leave, Mewtwo comes in, looking terribly sneaky.
"You have a good look in your eyes, friend," it says, smiling at him.
Knowing Mewtwo and its strange preferences, Ash jumps up and takes his phone. He doesn't have a mirror in his room so his camera will just have to do… and yes, he sees what the pokémon means. In each of his eyes, a crescent shape of the colour of his Aura has appeared. It shows pretty clearly, in fact, he thinks that these additions to his eyes will actually light up. Whether his uncle or anyone will see them in daylight remains to be seen but his nightlight isn't bright and thus his bedroom isn't lit properly. The shape of the crescent is actually really thin, though, it's a nice touch but it looks a little eerie, nonetheless.
"Right, I suppose this is a sign my Aura's pleased or something?"
"Of course. Even the Aura guardian told you that it would eventually show up. Now that you have mastered it, it manifested on both your hands and in your eyes."
"Wait, hands?" the teen repeats and stares at his hands with a bewildered look… and yes, there they are, the same, thin crescent shapes going from the space between his thumb and index finger to approximately a little underneath his pinky, the same way they are positioned in his eyes. "… At least they're symmetrical," he adds dryly.
"I think it is beautiful."
Ash doesn't really hold Mewtwo's sense of fashion very high but he remembers how Riley tried to tell him that, if symbols appeared on his hands, they would serve a certain function. Just because the man doesn't want to teach him anything any longer, doesn't mean he can't try and figure out things by himself, right? Necrozma did say that he could experiment, right? As he brings his left hand to his face, with the back towards him, he turns to Mewtwo… and smiles.
"Yep, you're gonna be here for a good while."
The pokémon stares at him for a long while and Ash feels a little uncomfortable so he lowers his hand in shame.
"Did you… just check up on my health?"
"Euhm, yeah?"
"Are there no limits to your kindness? Of all things, you check up on me? If I am alright?"
The teen ducks his head, he had chosen his left hand for the sole reason that he knows it is his caring side. He isn't sure what he would see if he did it with his right but he guesses that it will have something to do with feelings… and he isn't quite ready for that brutal kind of truth.
"Ash, friend… the fact that your brain became as big as your heart has not affected my feelings towards you and it will never deter me from you. Left or right, it is the idea behind it, the nature of the meaning that will always show your kindness behind it."
He smiles at the pokémon, hoping that he can help find this uncertain soul its place in the world. Ash is still lost of what to do to prove that Mewtwo has always had a place here on earth but he still hasn't lost the determination to eventually look for something… But he feels like he's still a bit of a bad joke, with all of his ideas and hopes. What if he never finds something?
"I would not think any less of you, I myself have been looking for over half a decade and have not found anything that links my existence here. None other than the laboratory I came from, that is."
"I still don't think it's right, though."
"The sad thing, friend, is that life carries on, whether it is right or wrong," Mewtwo says. "That is why I offer you my continuous assistance, should you wish to have it, as you are travelling."
"You are asking if you can keep following me around?"
"I figured it was only right to, so that I would not be imposing on you."
"Follow me as long as you want, anywhere, any time. I don't mind, Mewtwo, no matter what happens, I won't change my opinion either."
The pokémon pushes its head against his arm and Ash wastes no time to start petting it, knowing that Mewtwo liked it. That was the sole reason he hadn't touched Necrozma, he didn't know the pokémon well enough. He knew that its powers rivalled that of Arceus which basically was enough for him to wait for the pokémon to set its own boundaries.
"If you want it to do that, you will have to ask it," Mewtwo says. "You are the first human it's taught, after all."
"Really? How did it learn to speak, then? And it was really patient with me too."
"Just because it has not spoken to humans before does not mean it will not have heard speech, Necrozma has been alive for a long while and there are others like it. Also, there is no reason to be patient with you, friend, you have set an awful expectation for any following student for Necrozma, it will become very angry should the next student not have your capabilities… and I am afraid that will only be evident."
"I don't think anyone here would've ever called me a stellar student."
"Recounting what is written in a book and forgetting all about it afterwards is barely considered useful among us," Mewtwo answered. "And perhaps Necrozma is a good teacher and maybe every human teacher you have encountered has not got the right touch to teach you. As far as I see it, though, all this has very little to do with you and more with the teacher."
"Hah, yeah…"
Mewtwo seems to be trying to purr his doubts and while it kind of works, it would take a lot more pokémon and purring to fully cast this niggling feeling of him not being quite enough for the task of whatever was expected of him out of his system but Ash appreciates it all the same. He's getting butterflies in his stomach, he can't believe he'll be sitting on a plane in less than twelve hours now! If he's right, his uncle will drop him off at the airport at noon-
'Oh hell, I better get some sleep,' the teen thinks and plainly drags the purring pokémon with him in bed. 'I totally lost track of time!'
Lance must've not have come by yet but the man's kind of a night person and on occasion, he could even come by around three in the morning but still, it's already two in the morning and he's not even had any sleep so far! Mewtwo doesn't seem to be bothered and just lays with him, still purring and can you honestly blame him for falling asleep quickly after that? It does help that Mewtwo is still going to be there when he wakes but for now, the teen will have peaceful dreams about the day he has been looking forward to.
"You have everything?" Lance asks, giving the boy a look over but Ash sighs ruefully.
"This is a really bad time to ask me this, we're already at the airport. Besides, you were there when I triple checked my bag, so please don't make me doubt myself?"
"I'm sorry, I can't help but worry," the man says, eyes straying over the pokéhelp jacket. "You look sharp in this, Ash, I bet no one's going to know what it's for."
"They're gonna know."
"How could they?"
"It's literally written on Pikachu's vest, uncle. But don't worry, I'll wear it at all times. I get it, you've only told me about the importance of it over a hundred times," the teen says with a sigh, getting a bit upset because he wants to go already but he knows he's going to miss this man a lot already.
"Okay, okay. You have your transport card, yes?"
"I do."
"Don't forget to use it at all times, the last thing you want is to burn yourself out and hurt your leg. Also, you can make appointments with the Gym Leaders so you won't end up in front of closed doors and it'll also enable you to have a bit of time with them."
"Oh, that's cool, I didn't know about that. Is it on the app you made me install this morning?"
"Yes, it'll also show you the right order or rather, what level they expect you to be at. Wouldn't want to enter the Lumiose Gym when they at least require a couple of badges, huh?"
"I take it they don't accept foreign ones?"
"Nope, they don't. And honestly, I don't appreciate the typical sense of humour in Kalos and I don't think you will. So claim your rights and use them properly, Ash. And also, don't forget to have some fun and if something comes up, know you can always call me, at whatever hour and if you feel like I can't help, you have the buddy system, okay?"
"I won't forget any of it, Lance, I'll call you anyhow, I'll really miss you. I mean, my mom, she never did any of this, never dropped me off, never cared how I got there… she just… you know?" Ash says and shrugs helplessly when Lance gives him a sad look. "So thank you for everything, uncle, really. I can't tell you how much this means to me."
He's a bit startled when the man grabs him in a tight hug and kisses him on his forehead.
"I love you, kiddo, I swear to Arceus, I'll move heaven and earth on your say so."
"Even with all the mumbo-jumbo, you don't like?"
"When it's you, I can tolerate it," Lance quips and successfully brings a smile to the teen's face. "Also, I know that every elite, every Gym leader and even the Champion and regional professor are all about special abilities so if you feel comfortable asking, don't hesitate to ask them to use it during battle. They have the benefit of fighting on familiar terrain, knowing all its strengths and weaknesses, so you should be able to use that fantastic bond of yours during a battle with them."
"They are? Really?"
"Kalos is the only region that agreed to house and protect the old Aura families. You may have heard from the Kalos Badlands?"
"Oh yeah, Krookodile wants to go there."
"The houses there are from an old settlement of Aura users. While tragedy struck in the unfair form of a deliberately released illness in the settlement, there might be some things you could learn from it. That being said, I don't think you should go inside the town, there are tales of it being haunted and there could be quicksand or holes you could end up getting trapped in. And while this," the man says as he taps the bracelet around Ash's wrist. "-will automatically know if you're in danger, if you get trapped in the sand without air, there's no way they'll ever be fast enough. So go deep enough to let your pokémon play in the sand but not too deep. Take someone who knows the neighbourhood, if you need to."
"Okay, I'll keep that in mind. I bet there is some sort of beach Krookodile can play in too, right?"
"Of course, you should be able to find beaches on the entire West side of Kalos."
"Right, I think I'll go there. It's not a good year for holes, I think."
"That's alright. I trust you, kiddo, don't mess it up."
"I won't. I'll do my best, I promise, Lance," Ash says earnestly because he really doesn't want any crap this time around.
"Good, that's all I can ask of you. Go off then, make me proud."
The teen smiles widely, hugs his uncle one more time and goes off towards where a nice lady is smiling at him and promptly asks him for his boarding pass. He's somehow treated a lot better, he doubts if it's got anything to do with Lance being there -he waves at the man until he round a corner and loses visual on him- because there are a couple of people who have no idea he even came in with the man.
"If you need anything, you can push the green button," another, very nice lady explains after she's guided him to his seat. "If you don't feel well or if something is going wrong, push the red one. Either way, someone should come and assist you straight away."
"Thank you, miss," he says, filing the information in the back of his mind because he's not planning on making a scene here.
He's glad Lance got him a window seat, he always likes to have an aerial view of the region he'll be landing in shortly so consider Ash pleased he gets to do that without needing to bother anyone. The seat next to him remains empty for quite a bit longer while the plane starts filling up but a lady takes the seat next to him without much of a fuss… and considering the language of the books she's holding -even though it's a picture book- he figures she is a Kalos native. Ash isn't exactly looking along in the book, he's starting to feel quite nervous because there is no way back now. And isn't it typical that his leg starts to hurt a lot? It's during a wince and his hand reaching for his left knee that the lady suddenly speaks up.
"Are you okay?" she asks, giving him a weary look.
"Oh, euhm, yeah, I'm good," Ash chuckles, a little nervous because he's not too confident that the news of someone his age having a prosthetic limb will be well-received.
"Are you a traveller?
"Yeah, this'll be the fifth region I'll visit."
"Oooh, that sounds nice. But you look a little nervous to be a seasoned trainer. Or do you not enjoy going by air travel?"
He smiles a bit wryly at her, he doesn't know what he's supposed to tell her and honestly, her accent is kind of cute and distracting.
"No, no, I'm not nervous, it's just a lot at once. No worries, I'll be fine," he chuckles and eventually finds the courage to actually smile at her.
"Ah, but that is already a much better look."
The lady then introduces herself as Alexa, the sister of the Gym leader he coincidentally will need to face first. Unfortunately, she isn't very into training and only knows that making an appointment with her sister is a much better idea than just showing up because she likes to wander. She tells him a bit about Kalos, that he shouldn't be scared to try the food there because they apparently have a very good 'cuisine' as she calls it. Seeing the food has always played a large part of his experience in a journey, consider Ash intrigued but yeah, this lady knew what she was doing, she talking through the entire flight, he never even realised they landed until the pilot tells them that it is sunny outside and that it is very pleasant outside.
Despite Alexa's efforts of keeping his mind away from his nerves, his stomach still twists uncomfortably as they are starting to leave the plane. Somehow, all the rude people shove their way in front of him until Alexa just as rudely cuts someone off and allows him to continue. Ash doesn't know what to make of the situation, especially when nobody says something about it. If these are typical manners of the Kalos people, he's going to beat the snot out of someone really soon. His violent thoughts are forgotten when he exits the plane, a warm breeze hits his face and the sun is indeed shining brightly in the sky.
It's a bit weird to see the clock tower in the distance, it's a little after noon right now and that while he left at noon in Kanto. Something in the corner of his eye catches his attention, Ash thought he just saw a Blaziken jumps from somewhere but it didn't look right. Maybe there are really huge Blaziken in Kalos? He pays it no mind. Pikachu nibbling the cable connecting his vest to the pokémon, however?
"Gah, stop chewing that," he chides as he pries the cable from his pokémon's teeth. "You have sharp tenth, you could easily snap this and we'll be in real trouble if this breaks."
"Pichu pi, Pikapi…"
"It's okay to be nervous, buddy, tell you what, first thing I do when I get to either the professor or a pokémon centre, I'll ask if they don't have something for you to destroy. That way, you can chew that instead of this."
"Chu."
Satisfied, the teen carefully walks down the metal stairs, paying close attention to what his left leg was doing. He doesn't want to trip and hurt himself, Lance will have an aneurism if he somehow gets hurt on the first day he's here. Suddenly, there's a hand on his arm and it really startles him pretty badly. The hand, however, belongs to a flight attendant who looks as shocked as him but is much quicker to compose herself.
"I'm sorry," she says, looking really earnest. "You looked uncomfortable while coming down the stairs. I wanted to help."
Ash bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from being rude, it must be a culture difference because honestly, grabbing someone who clearly wasn't aware you were there isn't done, neither in Kanto or Johto. All she actually helped him with was nearly getting a heart attack but yeah, Alexa is still behind him and he's not going to make a scene.
"Err, yeah, thanks. I'm fine, though."
The lady keeps her hands to herself from that point on but that suits Ash fine. He gets off the stairs successfully, though he can hear Pikachu nibble the cable again.
"Pikachu…"
The nibbling sound stops, along with a huff. The teen just rolls his eyes and figures he's best of behaving as normal as possible. Pikachu's nervosity is probably his fault anyway, something he's doing is setting the pokémon off…. But what is he supposed to do when he has no idea what's wrong? Ash isn't feeling bad at all, maybe a little nervous but not the bad nervous. Although… as he walks into the airport, he knows there is something about this region that isn't really as it should be. Maybe it's the same with all regions, this is the first time he's travelled with his foresight completely active -though he really doubts he actually has had foresight before, he's more convinced that it was his shitty kind of luck but whatever- but no… No, something isn't right about Kalos. Or at least, this town has a really odd vibe.
"Are you okay?" Alexa asks. "Not too startled still?"
"Eh? Oh no, I'm fine, no worries," he chuckles, holding up a hand as if it would stop her from asking him the question again.
"If you're sure," she says and Ash is kind of glad she's dropping the subject. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Are there criminals in Kalos?" he blurts out and god, her face drops instantly.
"What an odd question. What could you possibly want to achieve by knowing that?"
"There is something under this city. Something evil."
She watches him warily but shakes her head.
"It must be very deep under, then. There has been no criminal activity other than the common thieves in Lumiose. I do suppose you will have pickpockets in the region you come from?"
Ash smiles wryly, his questions must've rubbed her the wrong way but he needed to know. Whether or not she deliberately didn't answer him with the right kind of information, he's pretty sure Alexa isn't comfortable talking about it.
"Anyway, I wouldn't be too worried, with the Pikachu on your shoulder looking so ready to fire off an attack, I don't think a thief will come for you."
"That's the pokémon league's fault," he answers. "They took his freedom to run around and gave him the freedom to determine what would be harmful to me and attack it."
"I know what it means to be a pokéhelp, Ash," Alexa states calmly. "I wonder if you really need one."
"That's not up to you to determine. I'm not always as good as I am today anyway," he says and maybe he feels a bit bad about setting his boundaries this quickly but he has made up his mind a while ago.
He's not here to end up in a Lorelei 2.0 situation, there is no reason for Alexa to doubt something a lot of people agreed on and she is not entitled to the sensitive information that ended up shaping him into what he's become today. Mind you, in the past, he would've totally become mad at her, Ash has never liked people doubting him even if he was just doing what another adult told him to do but yeah, he's not sure whether this reaction would make a difference.
"You're right," she says and she actually sounds surprised. "I'm sorry if this city is giving you bad vibes, perhaps I can make it a bit better by showing you one of the pokémon native to Kalos?"
"Pokémon always make things right," he chuckles but oh, he loves the look of the little pokémon Alexa releases.
Sure, he's getting weird looks as he's coddling with the creature but a delicious purr erupts from it, causing the woman to bend down and looks straight in his eyes.
"You are sure something else," she says, looking very serious. "Heli's never made that sound before and he's so very hard to please."
"I have been a trainer for some time. And I might be a jumpy wreck but let's just say that this is my redeemable feature."
"I think you have a lot of features that would redeem whatever caused you to be jumpy. And a wreck, you most certainly are not. I am a photographer, I've been watching and capturing moments since I was young. I notice things most people don't and I feel like Heli just likes you a lot because your face is a completely open book."
"Good," Ash says as he continues scratching the pokémon behind the ear. "Heli's a nickname, isn't it?"
"Yes, Heli's a Helioptile. They live near electric plants."
"Oh, so it's an Electric-type? Cool, I really like you, Heli, you're so nice."
The pokémon possibly isn't even listening, it seems very busy trying to claim as much of his hands as possible. Maybe Alexa got a bit jealous or figured the creature was bothering him but she takes him off his hands pretty soon after the Helioptile crawled onto him completely.
"Does professor Sycamore know you're coming?"
"Should he? I mean, I was told I was best of making appointments with the Gym Leaders but it that necessary for the regional professor too? I didn't see his name on the app."
She seems confused until she smiles at him again, she does really have a beautiful smile.
"No, no, I just have a feeling someone would announce your arrival, you seem important."
Ash snorts at that, he might be a bit special but he's got no need for a cavalry to tell everyone he's coming. They'll notice he's there soon enough, though it seems he's caught Alexa's eye, she doesn't seem inclined to leave him alone for long. She tells him to have a seat while she calls her sister, she apparently doesn't believe in the app's usefulness. Funnily enough, Alexa doesn't leave Heli with him, she most totally be jealous.
Alexa, however, has a completely different feeling about Ash and it's not anywhere near the teen figures. As she calls her sister and patiently waits for her to answer the phone, the woman has a bit of a meltdown over what she's supposed to do. Little does she or Ash know that the entire Kalos league is aware that he's arrived.
"Oh, you mean Ash Ketchum, right?" her sister, Viola answers merrily.
"You know him?" Alexa asked, floored because how could the teen not know of his own importance if everyone already knew about him?
"No one but his uncle does but yeah, I knew he was coming. Didn't think you would end up meeting him, though."
"He's erm… waiting for me. Or at least, I told him to wait."
"Whatever for?" Viola giggles.
"I… I'm worried. You know I watch people and he was dying on nervous when I first saw him. He was entirely taken to what I was saying, he certainly has the right manners but I've never seen anyone close off completely at the simple question of 'Are you okay?' as quickly as he does."
"Don't pry, sis, you don't want Lance up your ass."
"… Lance?"
"Champion Lance? Ash is his nephew. Or rather, due to some circumstances, Ash is completely under Lance's care, making him take up a fatherly role. And we all know what happens when Lance is bothered."
"Dragon tantrums," Alexa answers dryly and despite knowing that a tantrum is just that, she never expected that the feelings she got from the teen were because of that. In fact, she doubts it, Ash is something different by himself, she never made the connection to the Champion either.
"Yeah but in light of that, look at the battle video he posted recently. I don't think that, when it comes to Ash, it'll just be a tantrum. Watch your back, sis, better let Ash go."
"But I worry."
"Sure, you can but you don't have the right to hold him back. Also, I don't know which one he has but I know for a fact that Ash has a Mega stone."
Alexa presses her lips in a thin line, Mega evolutions are a big deal over here and dealing with them was a pain in the ass in many aspects. But if anything, she feels like that's still not what's making Ash catch her eye. Still, her sister made her point clear and yes, she might have been blind before, Ash definitely has a Mega activator, around his neck. The choker looks quite good on him, in fact, it looks pretty inconspicuous to her, she might have missed it if her sister didn't make her aware of the 'danger' around Ash.
"She's not in," she says when she returns and sees the teen look at her expectantly.
"That's okay, it'll give me time to explore Lumiose a bit," Ash answers, not sounding any different at all. "Any tips on what I should go see on my way to professor Sycamore's laboratory?"
"The Prism Tower is a given, you can easily see it from afar too."
"Sounds good. See you around?"
"A-ah, wait!" she says as the teen's already turning around to leave.
"Huh? What's the matter?"
"That choker… you have a Mega stone?" Alexa blurts out.
Ash's eyes widen and look confused until his hand goes to his neck, where the Mega activator is, then he seems a bit bothered.
"I have two," he answers plainly. "I just don't know what the other one is but I suppose professor Sycamore can help me with that."
"O-oh…"
"Bye, Alexa."
The woman nods, feeling a bit lost as she watches the teen walks out of the airport. As soon as he disappears out of view, the feelings she felt surrounding the boy are gone. She's not sure, he's not quite the menace but on the other hand, there most definitely is something odd about the teen. Maybe her sister could shed some light on that.
Ash still feels like something could suddenly shoot out of the pot holes in the street but he tries to ignore it. He can see what the book meant when it said that seeing the city would be a shock to those from rural areas, it's basically all asphalt. It's clean, don't get him wrong but the plants contained in massive pots feel a bit ironic, especially since the pots are strategically placed to stop drivers from speeding. This city is the complete opposite of being rural, they even use nature to keep the inhabitants in line. As interesting as it is, it doesn't stop Ash from gaping at the massive tower he spots in between the alley he's currently in front of.
He decides to enter the somewhat small alley and gets to a much wider area, right in front of the Prims Tower. The landmark justifies its name, it looks absolutely radiant and oh, the people living here have the best view from the whole city. He's not jealous, he's not actually a city person. Now that his Aura is much closer to his skin, Ash can feel it reject his surroundings, though finding solace in the small spots of nature dotted around the place. For a place Lance claims to have been acceptant of Aura users, the teen feels like they might not have fully understood what power these people they welcomed in held.
In the end, the intentions overpower the means, the people on the run from the world must've been glad to find a place where they could catch their breath. To live in a forest where you were hunted every single day must've felt worse than a full-fledged Aura user living in a city of asphalt and concrete. The mere idea makes Ash's skin crawl, his pretty sure his anger is raging in his Aura again but it's better that it has a right place to do it. Becoming really angry right here must be very jarring for people watching him. And yes, they are watching him, they must think he's either a tourist or a trainer and admiring the landmark… but his thoughts are racing.
'It's a Gym,' he realises, as he sees a couple of people trying to pump themselves up before entering the building. 'I would get kicked out, the cities where the planes land usually don't have the easiest Gyms either.'
Ash still remembers Celadon and Erika who still held number one in his most dislike encounters with a Gym leader. Not just because of her ideas and morals, she brewed his mortal enemy, perfume. He wonders if he will like the Gym leader of the Prism tower more than her, it's likely, he doesn't interact with them too much unless they follow him around and join his adventures. But then they stop being Gym leaders for him, it's then that they become friends.
"Aww, shoot," he huffs, noticing his lace has come undone on his left shoe.
He needs to be careful as he bends down too, his prosthesis always ends up making this weird angle and the joint has a delayed response to being bend, he's been hit in the chin more than once. So he goes about it very carefully, no one bothers looking at someone trying their shoelaces weirdly, right? His knee accidentally touches his Mega activator and Ash is a bit confused, Alexa called it a choker. He'll have to look it up at some point, he's not on top of fashion and he doesn't think Steven's enthusiasm would've allowed him to look beyond the fact he has an activator at all.
A pull to his left alerts him that Pikachu is, yet again fiddling with the cable, so he sighs.
"Seriously, you've got to stop doing that. I have no idea what to do if it breaks."
There's no answer, though there isn't any motion or pulling on his shoulder, which makes Ash believe that the pokémon has stopped. But still, a reply would've been good but heaven knows what's gotten into Pikachu. He sighs as he straightens and he is already lifting his hand to put it on his buddy's head, to console him… but Pikachu isn't there. In fact, there isn't any sight of the cable that should've kept the pokémon in place. A spike of panic makes him look around, hoping to still see his pokémon somewhere and a deep dark fear settles into his stomach… Surely Pikachu hasn't run, right?
Ash doesn't know what to do, he's looking and looking but he doesn't see anything so he moves. He has no idea where his pokémon could be and hell, the people who look at him weirdly aren't the slightest bit useful.
"Sir, Mrs, could you help me please-"
"Quoi?"
He looks at the two bizarrely and waves them off.
"Fuck this," he utters, panic taking control off him as he approaches another, younger woman.
"Please, Miss, could you-"
"Quoi?"
Ash can't take it any longer, he turns away from her in desperation. He always gets the same answer, everyone he addresses gives him the same, stupid 'quoi'.
"Why the hell are you all turning into ducks!?" he all but screams in frustration when no one is giving him a sensible answer.
The statement, however, draws plenty of attention and it doesn't take long for someone to call the police, recognising panic and anger beyond a language barrier Ash is completely oblivious of. Officer Jenny approaches him with caution and holds up her arms in surrender… but she isn't ready to see the relief on the boy's face at seeing her.
"You… you can speak English?"
"Yes?" she asks. "What seems to be the issue, sir?"
"M-my name is Ash Ketchum and I've lost a pokémon, someone must've taken it-"
"We'll report the incident, though I have to tell you there is a change it could return to you normally, pokémon usually do."
"I'm not from around here, Pikachu doesn't know the way back a-and I moved, I wanted to look if I could still see him anywhere but now I don't know where I am either."
The officer sighs, not ready to deal with this. Foreigners usually make a big deal out of their pokémon going missing but in a city like Lumiose, people get lost all the time. And usually, they don't get so pissy about it either.
"I'll file the incident, sir, don't worry."
"I don't understand," the teen laments. "I was told that the disappearance of a pokéhelp would be recognised as an issue globally, why are you taking this so calmly? Is it because it's a Pikachu?"
Officer Jenny's blood goes cold when she hears the statement.
"The Pikachu… is your pokéhelp?" she repeats slowly.
"Yes. Or do you think I would wear this," Ash answers, making an aggressive motion to the black and yellow vest. "-for fun and giggles?"
Her world stops, for all she wished today would be a slow day, it doesn't seem like it. And her lack of enthusiasm could damn well get her to lose her job too.
'Well, shit,' she thinks and phones in for assistance.
End of chapter twenty-three