Very happy New Year, everybody!
It's all thanks to the unwavering support of my dearest reader that's tempted me into writing again. I will be honest, I didn't think I would ever get to updating again, instead of writer's block, I think that my job pushed me to a burnout which I thankfully evaded, somehow. It's almost unimaginable for me to realise that one stranger on the internet is the sole reason why I didn't stop something that felt like it was dragging me down.
So thank you to every single person who has given this story attention, given it the traction it has received. I owe you all one and I'll do try and update a bit more frequently, let that be the promise I'll make to all of you for the year 2022. Yes, even to the reviewer who got so excited by the idea of my story they completely forwent the idea to check that yes, the story is listed drama and thus, got so disappointed they called it a trash story in total and said it was drama overload. Now, to many of you, this might sound like a useless and mean review but to me, it's proof that I am a successful drama writer.
Much love to all of you and the best for the new year! Let's get this show going once more, with many more updates!
Lance feels woozy and a bit disoriented but he knows that this is because he woke up at such a silly time and ended up falling asleep at a far too late hour -yes, he considers five in the morning a far too late hour to go to sleep again. He curses himself for having been troubled by thoughts about Ash. About the kid's uncanny abilities, including the one that manages to scare Ghost-type pokémon and calm him down. Needless to say, his heart nearly stops when he sees that the bed next to him is empty but Lance reminds himself that the teen is early to rise and that he can trust him to not leave the hotel.
Steven will also be awake by now, it's unlike him to sleep after eight in the morning too but here he is, still in bed and feeling like going to bed again. That's not an option, however, and so he drags himself out of bed and into the bathroom to get ready for the day. When he exits it, he nearly trips over a yellow blur and he blinks in confusion. If Pikachu is here, surely Ash must be back too, right? However, when he looks up from where he's nearly had an unfortunate meeting with the floor, Steven's right there, face far too sunny for his still sleep muddle mind.
"Huh?" is all he can muster.
"Good morning," Steven says hushed and points to the bed. "Don't talk too loud, they've knackered him out."
He must still be asleep, Lance can't make head or tails out of the situation but he can see Ash lay on the bed. If the kid is asleep or not, he's not sure but Steven seems pretty sure about it, even when Pikachu's excitedly running laps around the room. Silently, that is but it seems like whatever tired Ash out, didn't have any effect on the small pokémon.
"What the heck is going on?" he asks, tired of being confused about something that's probably not a big deal.
"You know how this hotel is known to let trainers work for them for a decent reward?"
"… Yes?"
"Well, Ash might not have volunteered like most trainers waiting in line do but it seems he wasn't in the mood to say 'no' to anyone this morning. I think you can already imagine what happened."
"He was put into service? They didn't notice his massive limp or… And Ash succeeded in doing it successfully?"
"Absolutely. The kid is as determined as they come, after all. Surely you realise that?"
Yes… Yes, Lance realises that all too well but what had this hotel let the boy do to tire him out that way? He gets his answer when Ash gets down about half an hour later. The teen seems wary, not because he's tired but because of the people who somehow recognise him and greet him merrily. To his merit, Ash greets them back but he's not looking overly happy when he does so and ducks into his seat, right in front of where both he and Steven have been sitting, having breakfast.
"Please don't tell me they let you take everyone's order?" Lance asks.
"Take them? Bring it to them, you mean," Ash bristles, but he's not angry, more annoyed. "Gave me a name tag and everything."
"No wonder you wanted to sleep some more."
"I didn't, though. I laid in bed, stewing a little," the teen sighs. "I'll be careful going into the lobby of any hotel from now on."
"This is the only one who allows trainers to help out, don't worry about it happening at any other hotel, Ash," Steven chuckles and Lance doesn't see why the man is so amused.
Also, being annoyed about helping people, even if it's by accident, doesn't sound much like his boy at all. So he's pretty sure something else is going on and is determined to find out what's happened. He waits until the perfect moment where he has Ash alone and he gets it when Steven leaves to get a coffee refill.
"Are you still tired?"
"Mm? No, never was."
"Then why did Steven tell me they knackered you out?"
"Did he? Well, he's lying. I didn't mind delivering that food and stuff but they wrote my name wrong in the name tag they gave me! The man asked me what my name is and I told him that it's Satoshi by habit and the idiot wrote it down as Sashi," Ash grumbles and ducks away when a couple enters the bar, possibly recognising them and hiding before they saw him. "I didn't bloody notice it until people recognised me at the cafeteria and called me Sashi."
Lance covers his mouth with his hand to hide his own amusement at the explanation but ends up snorting anyway.
"I'm sorry-" he starts but Ash interrupts him.
"You're not, you're laughing as well. But laugh it up, I don't care as you are going to be the man who's related to the weird kid called 'Sashi' who drops off towers and disappears halfway. And I've only been here for less than a week so be prepared for the questions you're going to get when I'm finally done with this place."
"Can't wait," Lance quips but as the teen huffs in response, he figures that this response comes from having lived in a town where a lot of people called him all sorts of names. "I'll call you Ash, though. Or Satoshi, never anything else."
"… Thank you."
And that's when Steven returns with his coffee, so the moment they had together is broken. Ash's mood seems to have lightened up, though, he doesn't refer back to the event and much rather talks about the next Gym Battle, where he makes an appointment through the app.
"Two in the afternoon can work, right?" he asks, looking up from his phone.
"Sure, we can take the bullet train there," Steven answers. "It's the fastest way to get to places but you would know, seeing you've already got one badge in the short while you've been here. It would've taken at least a week on foot."
"For me, it would have taken even longer on foot, hence why the train," Ash counters and the remark is all Lance needs to realise that the boy is still annoyed beyond the point of not working it out on someone else.
Steven knows darn well why he's not going on foot, so repeating it for him is just rude and Ash trying to fire start. If his boy were to be in the right mind, he would never say so… meaning that Grant is going to be facing a bothered trainer. Wonderful. Thankfully, though, Steven doesn't take the bait.
"So what will you be doing with all that free time, hm?"
"Dunno, what do you do all the time other than following people around?"
Shots fired, the man shuts up and looks at Lance with this look that conveys he's just realised Ash's mood now too. Very wonderful.
The man settles down in the participant side of the Gym and sighs once he's comfortable. Steven is right next to him when he looks up and gives him a look of sympathy.
"It's not always the easiest to deal with teens, is it?" he says, though he's more looking sad than cheeky.
"Yesterday will have been on his mind," Lance sighs, again. He's been sighing a lot these days.
"Oh yeah, the ban on that video. I didn't think it would bother Ash that much but if he's irked about it still, I guess the ban is rightfully placed on it. I mean, it's not the nicest event to be reminded of, the idea of it still gives me chills," Steven answers and shudders. "Can you imagine if Ash were to be a completely normal boy and ends up falling down such a height?"
"He is, thankfully, nowhere near being a normal boy."
"True."
Ash has also somehow guessed that Grant had a set of elevators ready for participants who wouldn't -or couldn't- face the challenge of climbing the wall the Gym leader installed as a mini-challenge. Grant seems to have been startled by the directness, the boy blatantly ignored the invitation to climb the wall. And if anything, Lance knows that the teen isn't often like this so they're up for a treat.
"I hope Grant realises that Ash isn't in the mood to hug his pokémon, though," Steven remarks and Lance can't help it, he laughs. "Why are you laughing?" the man adds indignantly.
"Ash hates that effect so much, he would do anything to avoid it happening."
"… Is that so?"
"Yes, and we were the idiots who told him to talk to his friends about it, thinking they would think it was as cool as we thought it was. But they didn't and that's what's bothering Ash so much."
"He does seem to dislike a lot of things about himself, doesn't he?"
"Blame his childhood, there's nothing likeable about anything in Pallet."
"Come now, professor Oak might be a bit of a stingy, old coot from time to time but I'm sure there's a part deep inside him wanting to come out and be different."
"Or worse," Lance quips and it makes Steven sigh this time around. "Don't bother, you can't change my opinion on Pallet, I see what it's done to my boy."
"Yes, I suppose it's quite hard to see things differently when everything you encounter proves your opinion. Maybe that's why I can't understand Ash all that well."
"The two of you couldn't have been raised differently, Steven. Don't try to sympathise with his situation, there's nothing you can do for his past. We can change his future, though and that's exactly what I'm planning to do, even if it'll be rocky from time to time. Like right now."
"Right… No greater gift than today, that's why they call it the present."
Lance stares at Steven's growing grin but the slightly younger man raises his arms in surrender.
"It was just a joke."
The man turns away from his current source of annoyance. If anything, he disliked people who could turn any subject into a joke. He can't phantom how someone can lack the sympathy to know which situation to leave be and Ash's situation, even his current one, is nothing to laugh about. Lance is seriously considering having his boy see a therapist here too, to let out some steam near someone who knows how to deal with it. But he's always stopped himself when he remembers how long it took for Ash to trust dr. Knight, a man who has been so patient and nice to him, always having had his back.
His attention goes back to the field when he sees Ash enter the field, face like thunder and his shoulders still and square. On the way here, the ride had been completely silent for the sole moment where the teen asked him if he was still allowed to use Pikachu in battle, being a Pokéhelp and all that. Steven had confirmed it, though reminded the boy that, if Pikachu were to get hurt, he would have to remain in the pokémon centre for as long as Pikachu needed to regain his health. Ash hadn't answered that statement, he had just thanked Steven for the information and that was that.
Lance knows that Pikachu is a risky choice for a Rock-type Gym but is it really, though? Grant makes the first mistake to look disappointed that Ash calls out two, small pokémon, putting his foot right into something the teen's sensitive about. Namely discrimination.
"You wanted a battle two against two," the boy answers fatly.
"Yes but still…"
The man can almost feel his nephew roll his eyes and he fears the kid will have an aneurism, when Grant calls out two, just as small pokémon as he has called out.
'Hypocrite,' Lance thinks and knows that Grant isn't ready for this.
A Gible and a Pikachu might seem an odd combination but heck if he wasn't there to see those two working together in perfect sync for as long as Ash has lived with him. Not to mention that Gible is on his best behaviour near Ash and that it's Pikachu who becomes an absolute terror when his trainer is in a foul mood and oh, is the boy in such a mood right now? And that's when Lance remembers, Ash must've already decided on using Pikachu beforehand, that's why the pokémon ran around the room in excitement.
And the battle… doesn't take long. It's formidable, though, Ash takes the first move with Gible using Draco Meteor, which hits and K.O.'s Grant's Geodude when one of the large stones hit it. But to him, the most amazing part is the non-vocal command to Pikachu to hit one of the stones into the mouth of the much quicker and stealthier Tyrunt. Grant doesn't get the chance to call out any move other than to try and beg for his pokémon to dodge but Pikachu's accuracy and speed are unmatchable. At least, when compared to a Tyrunt, that is. One Thunderbolt on Grant's last pokémon and the battle is over.
The Gym leader is left standing there, a little bewildered when he realises it's over. The dust created by Pikachu's last attack has cleared a while ago and it's Ash who lets out a frustrated groan at Grant's lack of care. He goes over to the whimpering Tyrunt, who has woken up from being knocked out already, and gently pries the meteor from the pokémon's mouth as it was unsuccessful in doing it itself.
"There, you'll be okay," the teen says and gently pats the pokémon's head.
And the Tyrunt, who is so used to challengers being little shits, soaks up the attention and now Ash has another little shadow lingering around him when Grants finally pulls himself together.
'I… I'm sorry," the man utters. "I was told you were coming but I thought-"
"Wrongly," Ash interrupts and Grant falters.
"Yes, clearly so," he sighs. "And yes, you still care so much about the pokémon?"
"It's not Tyrunt's fault it lost. It's because you didn't think I was good enough, didn't think my pokémon were good enough to face you. And that's the kind of jerk move that sets me off and once I'm pissed, so are my pokémon."
And if that's not how Lance knows his boy to be, huh? But everyone has a weak moment and Grant obviously was expecting a scary and big, foreign pokémon against him, which would pump up Tyrunt's mood and cause it to fight harder. But no, another strategy Ash saw through if only Grant hadn't messed it up himself by giving Ash a reason to be pissed. The real issue is that his boy doesn't seem to think that his battles ending in his favour are actually victorious and Lance has to admit, the kid's pokémon are strong but that's never been illegal. Gym leaders are meant to know about it, Grant admitted to knowing Ash was coming so what was the Gym leaders' issue?
He's not sure but he decides not to bother with it, they'll end up facing Ash, after all, and depending on whether or not they leave a lasting impression on them -good or bad- they could get an awful lot of backfire from the rest of the pokémon league, who do tend to like him enough not to stand for slander. Ash doesn't seem to be bothered by this battle either, which is odd but he lets that go too. There isn't any reason whatsoever to open up wounds when they're healing, after all. Yet Lance gets an inkling on why the teen isn't making such a show over the Gym fight, or even why he got annoyed at the hotel. He's leaving back to Johto and that is what's bothering Ash so much. It reminds Lance again how much he's depending on him and he wonders if the boy will be okay, all by himself. Because Steven won't be sticking around the teen either, having such a presence hovering near the kid will only draw in negative attention and that's the last thing Ash needs. Steven knows, that's why he doesn't console the boy by saying he's still there for him.
He is, though but often not physical. Just like Lance himself, he's only a call away but that will require Ash facing his own weakness and thus, doesn't think the child will ever call him of his own volition. And it's got nothing to do with feelings, as shown right now, Ash does like him an awful lot.
"I'll miss you," he admits so softly Lance almost misses it… but fortunately, he does not.
"Of course, I'll miss you too, Ash. But you know where to find me, call me when you don't feel okay or if you want to talk."
"How do I know I won't worry you to the point you take the wrong aeroplane again?"
"Because I now know that it bothers you just as much as it bothers me. I'll pay attention next time but don't forget that you have other people who you can also talk to," he says and pats the teen's wrist, where the shiny white device is looking terribly new and unused still. "I know you don't trust them but they can't repeat what you've told you and honestly, even my shoes have more sympathy than your mother and the whole of Pallet combined so don't think they'll blow you off."
"Okay."
"Promise me, Ash, that you will call them when you don't feel good."
The look the boy gives him would have nearly melted steel, Lance didn't think this innocent promise would call out such strong emotions. But all the more reason to tempt the teen to talk to someone.
"How do I know it's serious enough?"
"The fact you think something seriously bad needs to be going on for you to seek help is bad enough. Just call them, it can even be on a whim, they care about you, they care about everyone who calls them and not just because it's their job."
"But what do I say?" the boy whines, clearly uncomfortable as he starts fiddling with the large clip keeping Pikachu's vest attached to his. "And how do you know they won't blow me off? They can be busy talking to someone else…"
"They can't, just like you have your pokémon to care for, they care for you. Not doing it is not something in their nature, thus they will always answer the phone and be kind, the person on the phone gets help talking to you too. Don't worry about it, Ash, the device on your wrist isn't public either, no one else has this number, it will never connect with a busy line."
"Oh."
"Promise me, kiddo. Please."
"'kay," the teen says but he doesn't seem happy with it. "I promise."
"Good. Now, why don't you go and have a look around Lumiose? You can always go wherever you want later, you've got plenty of time to do all sorts of things. Kalos is known to have many side events and attractions."
"'kay."
Somehow, as Ash slinks off after their goodbye, Lance feels like he's just asked the teen to drop his Pikachu down a cliff or something similarly heartbreaking.
"You good?" Steven asks and the man sighs again.
"This boy can make me feel like the biggest jerk on earth just for being reasonable somehow."
This time, he doesn't say anything when Steven laughs.
"No one said it was going to be easy."
"Quite," Lance agrees as he picks up his bag, ready to go.
He doesn't feel like leaving either but he knows that shielding Ash will only end up failing whatever he's envisioned and that will only make the teen more miserable. Besides, he won't always be there either, the boy needs to regain as much independence as he can possibly get but that's not what Lance feels is important. Ah, he'll have other things to worry about soon, he's left Johto in a hurry and he'll have to tell his colleagues and friends something, right? The man's going to have a bit of a moment to think about what he's willing to reveal to them but he's sure they know enough already. And at the very least, Ash had a successful Gym battle, that would have gone okay if only Grant kept his mouth shut. Lance knows that his boy can deal with rude people as well so he has no doubts that Ash will think twice about Grant's battle, which is sad when you realise that Gym leaders need to leave impressions.
There is nothing Lance can do for Ash in that department, it's crossing a line that he doesn't want to breach. He can ask Diantha to talk to the Gym leaders but what will her force them to be nice do for the teen? Viola seemed to have left a good impression on Ash, at least she seemed acceptant and impressed by his abilities. Grant, on the other hand, didn't give Ash a chance and as such, something like this happened. Not his or Ash's problem, as far as Lance is concerned and thus, he leaves Kalos, figuring he can trust Steven to keep his boy out of danger this time.
Ash looks up from his phone, there's a young lady chattering at a man who doesn't seem catered by her talking. He doesn't mind, if he were in the man's place, he would listen. People would say the most important things on a whim, it made it easier to know who they were by the little habits they displayed, the words they used. Apathy is a devil, he's long decided on, which is why he's reached out to Brock again, who seems oddly apologetic. What the teen did was wrong, especially since Ash believes Brock is the smartest out of all his friends… but as it seems now, also the dumbest one. All because they weren't paying attention to him.
He feels sad, today has been eventful, leaving his uncle is possibly the worst thing he's done since arriving here at Kalos, including that thing that happened at the Prism Tower. Ash starts to understand why his mother stopped caring about him, seeing he's always left… but did she really mind, though? He shakes his head, he doesn't want to think about his mom right now, not today. Not after the promise he's made to Lance. Or else he'll be on the phone with someone real soon.
Adults are rubbing off on him, though, he's been sitting here, in one of the seats of a patio he's randomly selected. The person who came up to him to take his order was nice enough and Pikachu got a free ketchup sample too. But he's stuck here, for now, there is no reason why he should leave. Ash realises he can't keep sitting here forever, he's hogging a space another customer can use but there's a man at the corner who has been sitting there before he even sat down so it doesn't seem like this bar cares too much.
Sometimes, though, he'll stand up and head into a pokémon centre. He'll ask the nurse where he can find a place he can train at and if there is no other option than outside of the city, then he'll head outside of the city. He'll make a plan so he knows what targets he needs to get at before entering a new Gym challenge. But today is not that day.
"Can I come to sit next to you?" someone suddenly asks and Ash, who feels fluffy and slightly dazed, almost says 'yes' before he's seen who's at the table. When he sees a familiar face, the 'yes' comes naturally.
"Good to see you," the teen says, finding his smile again as he's glad to see the blond boy. "How are you doing?"
"Heavenly, thanks to you."
"Me?" he asks. "I find that hard to believe, what did I do, then?"
"I don't think you understand what giving that pokémon meant to my sister."
"Sometimes, there's a difference between a child seeing something and wanting it and a child seeing something and really wanting it."
"I obviously can't tell the difference."
"If she went as far as to nab a pokémon off my shoulder, I think it was kind of obvious," Ash quips but is still all smiles, Pikachu hasn't even looked up from the pack of ketchup but his ears are up so he's heard Clemont. "Tell me, how is she doing with Dedenne?" he asks, leaning his head on his hands as he leans on the table.
"Good, she's obviously not stolen another pokémon, for something so small, Dedenne asks a lot of attention but Bonnie is happy to appease it," Clemont explains, a lot calmer and less guarded then before. "I'm still surprised by how much she's changed with having the tiny ball of fur around her, she grooms it every day, always has a toothbrush ready and a treat somewhere in her pockets."
"Sounds like that Dedenne will be spoilt and be weighing a ton by the time she's the right age to be a trainer," he chuckles. "Still, it's good to hear she's been behaving much better, you seem much calmer too."
"Getting arrested for something your family has done kind of gets on the nerves."
"They caught you with Pikachu in your hands, though."
"I'll admit that but I had rubber gloves on and my sister didn't. And the Pikachu was looking murderous so I did the next best thing."
"Admirable. I feel like you like your sister a lot."
"I take it that you don't have a brother or sister?"
"No," Ash answers but feels that this is a good thing. If his mother wasn't able to care for him, what would have happened to a younger sister or brother while he was away? Couldn't have had an older brother or sister, his mom was but fourteen when she got him…
"Well, it's hard to explain but yes, I guess you can say I like her. But no one can make me see red and feel like murdering someone like she can, though."
The teen chuckles in amusement, figuring he's best at not having siblings at all, then. He wonders why Clemont sought him out and where the boy's sister is but this far, he's quite content with the company. The blonde boy seems determined to stick around too, something Ash appreciates too. He orders a drink too when the nosy server comes asking if they want something to drink as well and they sit there, talking about future plans. And that's when Ash notices that he might not have the strongest and most efficient future plans but Clemont has none. He's got nothing to look forward to, he's absolutely not ambitious when it comes to pokémon battles and seemingly fears pokémon somewhat. Why carry rubber gloves with you when you don't get in contact with pokémon at all?
"So you're not doing anything?"
"No, I've hit some sort of a mental block or something. I keep mulling over the same issues and it scares me. I don't know what to do."
"Then, why don't you-"
"There you are!"
Ash turns around, startled. His hand automatically finds its way on top of Pikachu's head and the way the pokémon's ears are turned, mean that he's but a mere shout away from firing an attack. But as he takes note of the girl who is standing there, pointing an accusing finger at him, he might just let go of Pikachu and let him do his thing.
"How about you sit and calm down a little?" he suggests, pushing the chair at his other side from under the table per invitation.
The girl takes it and sits down briskly. Ash notices there are twigs in her hair but he refrains from reaching out to her to get them out of there. Right now, this little lady is looking a little… demented, the way she's sitting there. Clemont's response isn't welcoming either, his nose is wrinkled in disgust like he's just seen her appear out of the sewer but the expression disappears when he sees Ash looking at him.
"So, what's your damage?" he asks and the girl turns to him and slams a napkin on the table.
Ash stares at it for a little while, coming to the conclusion that this napkin somehow isn't a napkin but a handkerchief. It also has his mother's skilfully stitches in the corner of it, A.S.K., it spells out, which are his initials. He remembers this piece of cloth, though, his mother never gave him another one after he lost this, saying he didn't have any respect for the things she gave him but if Ash remembers correctly, he had given it to a girl who had fallen down and hurt herself. His mother wouldn't listen, though and it caused a huge row too…
"You're the girl I helped get up after falling down, right?" he asks, blinking innocently at her as he doesn't see how she could get mad at that and thus, doesn't understand why she's acting this way. "From the summer camp with professor Oak?"
She stares at him and then cries. Ash doesn't know what to do and gives her the handkerchief again. Part of him wishes he could go and push it in his mom's face and show her he did take care of his stuff but what good would it do? This girl clearly has better use for it, anyway.
"I can't," she mutters and pushes his hand with handkerchief away.
"Please, I don't have any use for this. You do, please use it. It's yours."
She takes it this time and Ash turns to Clemont.
"I don't suppose there's somewhere we can sit in peace and talk? This seems kind of… public."
Especially since people are already staring and the girl chattering all over the place from earlier? She's casting dark looks at this girl and Ash can't have that. Something has upset her and instead of talking about it, something needs to happen. Nothing will happen on its own so he's glad when Clemont nods even though he still looks a little wary of the girl.
"My father won't mind if some friends come along," the boy says so Ash snakes his hand around the upset girl's arm and gently pulls her to her feet.
"Come along then, you'll be alright," he tells her but she's started sniffling again so he just keeps his mouth shut, as talking to her only seems to upset her more.
Clemont lingers to his other side, casting some concerned looks at both him and the girl. Ash figures they are making quite the scene, he's never enjoyed it when people cried but he'll be damned if he becomes the one to just call someone a crybaby and not check what's making the person crying upset. It's happened to him far too much before to suddenly turn a blind eye to a situation like this. And just like Clemont said, his father doesn't seem to be bothered by their visit, though Ash sees a bit of surprise in the man's eyes. He doesn't comment on it, much rather focussing on sitting this girl down somewhere and getting most of the twigs and leaves out of her hair. This seems to calm her down and it takes a little while for her to not cry when he speaks.
"I'm sorry," she utters, scrunching up the handkerchief. "I went to look for you after I saw what happened at the Prism Tower and I couldn't find you. I went to professor Sycamore, he told me you went to Santalune so that's where I went but when I got to Viola, she told me you had passed by already so I went back and asked professor Sycamore where you were and he said Cyllage! I couldn't believe my ears! It's only been two days since the accident, you travel by light speed!"
"But, to have followed me, you would also have needed to travel that fast."
"I'm a Rhyhorn racer, I went straight through the trees, of course!"
"Hence the twigs, then."
"But you were right here in Lumiose!" she continues, as if she doesn't care about the impression she made on the two of them. "Sipping a soda!"
"It was iced tea," Ash corrects her.
She looks at him and shakes her head.
"I can't believe you, how can you sit here so calmly, in the very building you fell from-"
"How about you stop reminding me about that? It was as much as an accident as I wanted to avoid it happening," he huffs. "I don't even know your name."
"You don't?" she says, her enthusiasm faltering.
"Didn't have a good time, as of late. And it's been a while, surely it won't hurt you to remind me?"
"… It starts with an 'S'."
"A lot of words start with an 'S'," Clemont remarks, as if he's reading the teen's mind, as that's exactly what Ash had been thinking. "Like snake. Or serpent."
"Snake…" she repeats dryly. "Really now?"
"Wait, wait," Ash says. "Serpent…?"
"You too?!"
"Isn't your name Serena?"
"How did you get that from serpent?!"
"The first three letters match."
The look she gives him is priceless, Ash wishes he could have a picture of it to hang in his room. Her determined stance has withered fully, she's left sitting there looking sadly at the untouched glass of water in front of her.
"Serena?" he asks softly.
"Yeah?"
"You good now?"
"I was just worried about you," she confesses, looking at him for a moment before turning back to look at the glass. "I didn't think about what I was going to do when I found you, I just… wanted to see you again."
"Well, you found me so congratulations. I take it that you're a trainer too?"
"I got my first pokémon from professor Sycamore the day after the accident with the tower," she answers.
"… And the first thing you did was find yourself a Rhyhorn and barrel through the woods with it in search for me?"
"Basically."
Ash blinks in surprise, this is a first. Usually, people try to avoid him or act like they're following him for the sole purpose of trying to get back something he's unknowingly or accidentally taken from them. For this girl to plain out admit she was looking for him is new. And welcome, it makes him feel fuzzy, at least something he didn't manage to screw up from a young age on if she still remembers him.
"But this is new," she says, carefully tracing her index finger over the scar going across his face. "What happened?"
He thinks about it for a moment, thinks about whether he's ready to unload all that shit and skeletons in his mind on her… and concludes that no, he doesn't want to tell her that. She might have a change of heart when she hears it and that's not something he's willing to deal with, not today, at least.
"Accident," he answers and looks away, though doesn't pull away from gentle touch when she pauses to search his face for a lie.
"You seem to attract a lot of accidents."
"Trouble," Ash corrects her. "I attract a lot of trouble. But this was an accident. That's… different."
"Alright. A risky place to get hit at, though."
"Yup."
Especially since it didn't just cut through the skin but ah, he really doesn't want to think about it. He much rather focuses on how silent Clemont has become and how Serena has no right to care so much. She hones straight into his insecurities and he's got a faint suspicion she'll somehow piece things together by herself. He's screwed from all sides, that's what he is.
"Does anyone want something to eat?"
Meyer's voice cuts through the silence and it successfully startles Clemont, who sits with his back towards the door the man's just appeared out of.
"Sure," Serena pipes up. "Thank you, sir."
Ash doesn't know what to make out of the situation, he feels like something isn't right here. Normally, he would not have any issue talking about anything and see what he's doing here, huh? Shutting up with the smallest prying, would it have been so bad to say that a mad pokémon did it? Coming from a kid who voluntarily went up to a Garchomp, it doesn't sound farfetched at all. But he couldn't deal with it, couldn't let her into his life because he doesn't want to pull her in the shit show that is his feelings and life.
"No," he says and it causes the two teens to turn to him. "I'm sorry, I got stuck thinking again, that happens from time to time."
"It's… okay?" Clemont offers.
"Thanks but we've all got a problem, haven't we? We all don't know what we're going to do now that we're sitting here."
"You don't either?"
"At the rate I'm going, I'll have all my badges at the end of this week, doesn't sound much like a journey at all, does it?" Ash says and finds the two agreeing with him.
"No, at the lighting speed you're going, it doesn't sound anything but like a race," Serena says. "I'd like to see how you do it, though?"
"Next Gym is in Shalour City, isn't it? Heard it's not very accessible via public transport," Clemont adds.
"What do you mean, not very accessible?"
"As I said, no public transport whatsoever."
That… sounds very bad for someone who depends on it. He tries to keep calm, he might as well ask one of his pokémon to bring him to Shalour but that's the damning thing about a journey, isn't it? His uncle is right, he's absolutely so not ready for this… but he's already here.
"Is there some sort of issue you have with walking?" Serena asks.
"Yes, I'm not mobile at all. I can do stairs and walk for a certain distance but not for long."
"Sounds familiar," Clemont says and he doesn't seem pleased.
"Yeah, but is that because of lack of practice or another issue like Ash?"
"Dunno, I probably wouldn't impress you as much as Ash did so I don't expect any kind of grace from the likes of you if that's what you're aiming at?" the teen says, giving her an indignant look at the stab.
"Guys, don't fight," Ash sighs and holds up his hands in surrender. "I'll come clean, I only have one leg left, the other is a prosthetic limb and that's why I don't walk long distances."
"I'm calling my mom," is all Serena says to that and leaves the room promptly, leaving the teen to look at Clemont in confusion.
"I take it that it's a recent thing, then?" the teen asks and Ash shrugs.
"Been walking with it since November last year."
"… And you're here?"
"Clearly," he answers dryly.
"No, no, Ash, I'm sorry but I don't understand, how is it that you… That's only four months? How is that allowed?"
"I'm being monitored."
At the mention of that, Ash raises his sleeve and shows Clemont the blinking device. The teen watches it with growing fascination and that's when Serena comes stomping back in the room, her phone still in hand.
"So, my mom has a couple of ride pokémon she's willing to lend out to me for you to use," she says as she sits down again. "But she needs to see you before she will trust us with one so we'll have to go to the care centre she works at."
"I-I… that's an option?" he utters, eyes wide because has she really decided to do this for him as quickly as that? Unprompted and just… doing it out of kindness?
"Of course, she introduces kids and adults to ride pokémon all the time and on occasion, someone who needs guidance can lend one out. She'll probably give the pokéball to me but you will be the one to ride it."
"Serena, I… thank you so much, I don't know what to say."
"Is the care centre easily accessible, then?"
"Sure, I've always been able to take the bus there," the girl says but eyes Ash warily. "Are you okay? You look like you're going to cry."
"I've rarely encountered someone who had the best of intentions towards me from the start," he admits. "Except for my uncle and some friends."
"Really?"
"Mm. Didn't have a good time as of late either, I'm not… very normal either. Some people tell me that the accident I've had was something I… well… deserved. Some friends did it too, some just don't care and some use it as an excuse to make me feel worse."
"I'm hardly considered normal either and that's why people expect so much from me," Clemont answers. "But you definitely need better friends if they're pulling that kind of stunt on you. Also, no matter what kind of a person you are, an accident is never deserved. That's why it's called an accident, it's something that no one has any control over. Whatever happened to you was a stroke of bad luck, nothing more, nothing less."
"I'm pretty ordinary," the girl admits but the way she shrugs shows she doesn't care much about that fact. "But I agree, you definitely aren't responsible for an accident, no matter whether you're hurt or not, it's never anyone's fault."
Ash swallows hard, it's only been half an hour he's met Serena and over an hour that he's spoken to Clemont for and yet they have a better understanding of the meaning of an accident… and understanding of him too. They phrase their words differently, Serena hasn't mentioned the Prism Tower by name after he's told her he doesn't like to be reminded of the accident and she calls it an accident too… while his friends, who have known him for longer, tell him that's he's attracted the trouble.
"The trouble has been there all along, we have told you that. And the 'stroke of bad luck' as per mentioned, consisted of the trouble passing by the moment where you were at your weakest. It has never been your fault, dear Chosen."
Oooh, he's going to cry any minute now, if it isn't for his brave face, he would be bawling like a child. But he's reminded of how these kids have no clue how their 'not-being' normal isn't anywhere near to his normal. Necrozma would be sitting next to him if he would sit here alone and it would be normal for Ash. The creature who is called a nightmare by most researchers is a better sight than his own mother to him.
"But I'm really curious about what the two of you mean by not being normal, though," Serena says, sitting back comfortably as she looks from Clemont to Ash and back. "If you're ready to talk about it, that is. I would like to know what I'm dealing with."
"I excel at technical knowledge, I entered a prestigious school here very young and completed it successfully. But things happened and I burned out when I showed the slightest bit at pokémon training, which ended me as being the favourite candidate to become the Gym leader of Lumiose, which I didn't want to become," Clemont sighs and shrugs as well. "I've burned out so much, I spend most of the time outside or inside watching movies."
"And you?" she asks, turning to Ash, who fidgets with the hem of his shirt.
"I err… It's difficult to explain," he answers, bringing his hand to his face to nibble of his finger in a worried manner. "Pokémon like me a lot, like a lot a-and yeah…"
"A pokémon did that to you?" Serena asks as she points to his face, at the scar.
"They're not sure it's a pokémon," he admits and her face changes drastically, her hand becoming lax as it just hangs there as she listens to his bumbling explanation. "And I'm not even sure whether I fear the creature more than I've started to fear myself."
"Because you've prepared for it, just in case it happens again?"
He nods, not really knowing how to explain it. Ash never meant to reveal too much of himself when he said he isn't normal, it won't take long before they agree with everyone else if they spend some time with him.
"That's a perfectly normal reaction, though," Clemont pipes up. "You shouldn't feel too worried about it."
"I'm a menace, Clemont. I might not look like it but if something happens, you'll know."
"We'll see it when we get there," the teen replies dryly and that's when Ash realises they don't believe him. "Let's stop this depressing talk and let's go watch a movie. I have a lot of them, you can pick."
In the end, it's Serena who picks this one movie from an entire series but the boy feels like he won't like it much. Anything about any kind of war isn't his cup of tea but he keeps his mouth shut so the others can enjoy it. Meyer seems to enjoy having some company over too, he brings over a plate of food and softly -yet loud enough for Ash to hear- informs Clemont that Bonnie's returned from her shopping trip and that she's in her room if he needs her. And that's when the movie starts, so he tries to concentrate on it, all the while suffering from his regrets of not being brave enough to show these kids that he isn't joking.
Ash decides he's halfway into being an actual Jedi, when it comes to the abilities, at least. And while he's still not a fan of 'war-related' movies, this one was alright, he guesses, if only he now realises that Clemont will at least not mind his skills to make things move without touching them. But the moment to explain himself has passed, before he knows it, he's had dinner with the lot of them and plans have been made to go and get himself a ride pokémon tomorrow.
And the night itself… Well, the boy has one of those nights where he feels dead tired and closes his eyes only to open them again to see that it's time to get up again. Needless to say, he's not in the best of moods when he finds himself at the table that has a rather magnificent breakfast displayed on it. This is more than enough food for five people so he watches Meyer make himself what looks to be a very luscious sandwich.
"Not hungry?" the man asks, having seen him watch him.
"Confused," he answers because he feels like he's got no right to feel so at home here.
Last night, when he was wedged in between Serena and Clemont, who were both watching the movie in fascination, he has never felt so comfortable since the accident. And perhaps even before that, his memories are foggy at best, possibly due to the accident. He remembers enough, though… enough to know that his uncle and dr. Knight were right. His mother never cared enough, if the care provided by the father of a boy he's not known for more than a day is more than what he's received from his own family. She would never ask him if he's not hungry when he's not responding to a table full of food, she would tell him he's ungrateful and call him all sorts of names.
"If you need someone to talk to, I'm free," Meyer says and Ash looks at him, bewildered by the offer.
Not three days ago, this man looked at him in fear and responded defensively because he had the power to hurt his children. The power to rip his family even more apart than they already were.
"It's complicated," he answers and shrugs, feeling like he's been using that gesture far too much recently. "I don't think Clemont realises what his blind acceptance of everything I am means to me. Or Serena, she has no idea what she's done for me, even if it's her mother's job to work with ride pokémon, to decide that she wants to do this for me, even though she doesn't know me."
"I think you underestimate how much you wear your heart on your sleeve."
He blinks at the man.
"Look, Ash," Meyer sighs and puts his hands together. "I will do anything to keep Clemont safe and happy. He doesn't have many friends, you may have guessed why, if not, you might find out."
"Because he's smart in a way I'm not?" Ash asks and this time, it's the man's turn to blink at him. "I'm a lot of things but I'm not the jealous type."
"Maybe so but you still need to maintain a level of awareness around him at all times."
"That should be a respectful way to act around everyone, sir. Feelings may be my own kryptonite perhaps but I will always listen to anyone telling me about their interest. There's nothing more fascinating to me to hear what excites them in their passion, anyway. I've listened to friends wondering what they should wear to look cute for their contest, or what to make their pokémon look like and despite the fact I don't give a hoot about looking cute and would rather be caught in a wildfire than to dress my pokémon in some kind of clothes for the sole sake of them looking good, it doesn't mean I'll be rude and dismiss them. My own interests should never mean that others aren't allowed to enjoy something else."
"But listening to a girl talking about clothes doesn't need a level of understanding of a certain level of knowledge, Ash."
"Perhaps not but you value your son too low if you think he won't try and explain what I wouldn't understand, especially not when I'm honest about it."
"You're a doll, Ash," Meyer says, a large smile appearing on his face. "Let me make you a sandwich, yeah?"
"Go ahead."
It's all becoming a little too odd for him, especially when Bonnie gets downstairs and greet him like she expected him to be there, all excited and happy to see him too. Serena ends up coming down still half-asleep and with her hair in a less than stellar state but he knows better than to comment on his. His hair won't listen to reason since ever so who is he to judge? Oftentimes, his bedhead is his usual look and he gets away with it so why won't she?
"Morning," he says and gets a grunt as a response, one that amuses him enough to grin. "Slept well?"
"Like the dead. I feel like over half of me is still asleep," she answers and yawns. "My dreams were filled with spaceships and lightsabers, I'm never watching one of those movies before I go to bed again, I swear."
He snorts at that, he doesn't even feel like he's slept at all but he guesses he's better off than feeling heavy and ready for bed worse than he is already. Clemont, however, comes down all sunnily and awake, a big contrast from Serena, even though he's also clearly dreamed about the same movie. He's enthusiastic and happy but Ash feels like that's got something to do with what Meyer has just revealed to him. And it's information he's not sure what to do with. Has his mother taken his friends to the side and talked to them too? Surely not?
"So, what are the plans for today?" the man at the middle of the table says, looking around the table, though his look ends when he meets his son's eyes.
"We're going to get a ride pokémon for Ash," Clemont pipes up and turns to the girl who seems to be slowly falling asleep over her cup of hot cocoa. "Right, Serena?"
"Hmmm?"
"You good?" Ash asks, putting his hand on hers to get her sleepy attention.
"I'm just not much of a morning person," she admits and yawns once more. "I'll wake eventually, don't worry about it."
"If you say so."
He's still going to keep an eye on her, though, no matter what she says. Also, Ash has noticed that he's the tallest one in the group this time around. Chances are that he's the oldest teen here too and it makes him feel a little odd… though Serena… If she was at the same summer camp as he was, she can't be much younger than he is, right? And it bothers him enough to ask her when she's woken up a bit more.
"Hm? Oh, I'm thirteen," she answers.
"And you just got your first pokémon?"
"I told you I'm pretty ordinary," Serena admits with a shrug. "Even my mom thought so, said my 'emotional development' didn't happen fast enough to trust me on my own," she adds and looks up to see him staring at her. "I mean, she's not wrong, I'm not…"
"Don't finish that sentence. It's okay. As long as you feel like you're doing the best you can, it's fine."
"Is it, though?"
"Yes."
She watches him and eventually smiles a little, so he smiles along which she seems to appreciate. In the end, she tells him that she much rather likes One Punch Man than Star wars, even offering to get him one of the books to read. Ash sheepishly admits that, outside of Pokémon, he's not very much into other subjects but that he would like to see what she's talking about. He can't help but feel like these teens' interests will make it much easier for them to accept his more freaky abilities. The young man is pretty sure his left hand can one-punch someone, with his legendary Pokémon blessed Aura in that side, aiming to destroy and repel. And his previously latent psychic abilities will be straight-up Jedi-style, so that's where Clemont's interests lie.
And Meyer… he gets something else to stress about than his apparent 'friendless' son, as he offers to make them all a couple of sandwiches to take along while they try and get a ride pokémon from Serena's mother. It starts innocently enough, asking what everyone likes but he, of course, has to halt with Ash because he's not from Kalos. And no, he's not sure what's available here or what to compare his favourite tastes too but he'll try.
"I do like spicy things, I have no issue eating fire noodles and kimchi but I don't know if you know what that is because I know it's not easily available outside of Kanto and Johto, where people do eat it more often," he says and Meyer's eyes widen.
"I can find fire noodles but are you sure you like that, Ash?"
"I've eaten a spoonful straight out of a tabasco bottle and liked it. Why wouldn't I like fire noodles?"
"Why the heck have you eaten a spoonful of Tabasco?" Clemont asks and it's a good question, honestly.
His answer is backed up by visual evidence too which Ash can call out on command as he knows where to find the mukbang he's done for the Orre fundraiser. As Clemont recoils in horror when he sees that the claim of eating a spoon of a very spicy sauce is not a lie, the teen wonders how the region he's done it for is doing, whether the money he raised made a difference.
"Isn't it bad for a Pikachu to eat it?" Serena asks but Ash just smiles.
"He likes to burn the roof out his mouth with spiciness too. My mom used to joke that I started to resemble Pikachu more than Pikachu resembling me," he chuckles. "One time, I made a treat for Pikachu that made professor Oak's glasses steam up, that spicy it was. And it's a treat he'll always beg for."
The pokémon buts his head against Ash's cheek in a loving manner and it makes the boy smile even more.
"See? Just mentioning it makes him feel good."
"Huh…"
"Alright," Meyer sighs. "I've got quite the task with that, I'm not familiar with using any kind of spices like that. You'll see that my kids like ordinary food like this much more than spices."
"Oh but that's okay, you don't need to go out of your way to buy special food for me, sir, I'm quite alright eating whatever you have available, I'm not picky at all. I never found anything using the spices people use in Kanto and Johto, in Unova, they are more fond of using ginger, cinnamon, anise, fennel and liquorice. And those are spices I'm not at all fond of so if you don't know what you're doing, I would rather have you not experimenting at all," he admits sheepishly. "I was kind of desperately looking for stores which imported foods from other places when I was in Unova and I have no idea what is typical for Kalos so I'll leave it alone for now."
"Cheese," Clemont answers dryly.
"And ice cream!" Bonnie adds merrily.
"And little desserts that look like they belong in a museum but will give you diabetes in one bite," Serena says.
"Oh dear," is all he can say because out of all three suggestions, only the middle one sounds good.
"Don't worry, there are a lot of things I think you will like, I'll have a see at what kids in Kanto like. Or Johto. Is there a difference?" the man says after chuckling at all their responses.
"Marginally, more religion and language-wise. They are neighbouring regions, after all, connected through very rough terrain which the pokémon league likes to send trainers in as a preparation to get to the Indigo league building."
"And you live in?"
"Johto, with my uncle."
"Oh? But isn't professor Oak from Kanto?" Clemont asks.
"Yes, I'm Kantonese too. But I live in Johto. Since November."
"Ah."
Meyer looks from one to another as if he expects there to be an explanation but Ash isn't giving it. He's said enough, after all, if the man wants to know something, he can ask him directly or ask his son. It's not that hard but there is no way he will be telling Meyer anything in front of Bonnie or Serena or Clemont, even. Talking about his mother will bring out the worst in him, he's so angry at her and he can't help it, having now faced a man who has more fatherly feelings towards him than she, his own damn mother, had motherly feelings for him. Fuck, it makes him so upset, he's glad that the group starts moving -though Bonnie stays behind, for now, she claims to be tired and wanting to stay at home with her father, so he respects that- and that he gets some air. One of these days, he swears, he'll come clean on everything to these kids if they want him to but for now, he'll just try and compose himself and be grateful for both Serena and Clemont, for their patience and understanding.
The road towards the care centre, though it looks more like a ranch to Ash, is nicely paved and indeed, easily accessible. He's glad that neither teens walking next to him are athletic, he wouldn't be able to keep up with them if they were. Though Serena is walking steadily next to him and Clemont has linked his arm with Ash's right arm, his most innocent side. And tell him he's looking too deeply in this as often as you want, the boy will always venture to the right side of him and Serena doesn't have any qualms going to the left each time.
"How big is the chance of you falling?" Clemont then asks.
"As big as the chance of you falling all of a sudden, I think. Push me and it'll be a hundred percent, though."
"Well yes, duh but are you sure you don't need… extra assistance?"
"Is that why you're holding onto me?"
"… You don't mind, do you?"
"Nope. Just mind your step, if you fall, you'll drag me with you."
"I can do that much."
Brilliant, seems like Clemont has actually latched onto him and for once, Ash doesn't mind. He's not sure why, these kids haven't lied to him once and they've been nice to him from the get-go too. Even if they didn't seem too fond of each other, especially the boy hasn't been overly nice to Serena but that's seemingly evened out.
"Right, this is it," the girl pipes up and it makes Ash look forward.
He can't help but smile, it does look like the ranch he's envisioned it like but he never suspected seeing a field full of little pokémon he doesn't recognise. It's one and the same pokémon, though, there are just several of them all over and it's cute to see. He, however, doesn't think a little pokémon like that will be able to carry his weight for long. But they don't get to a field, apparently, Serena's agreed to meet her mother outside but the woman is nowhere in sight. Ash, however, is the only one brave enough to go snooping inside the sole building on the terrain, the one that actually looks like a ranch. There are stables on the side but he figures there's little to no chance Serena's mom will be in there.
Leaving his friends to fruitlessly search for Grace, as the girl's mother is called, the teen walks inside and relies fully on his Aura to find some life inside this building. He quickly hones into a room that smells suspiciously like coffee and as he checks his phone, it's around ten in the morning so it's a time where he knows adults enjoy a cup of coffee. As he approaches it, he can hear voices and even if Ash never has the intention to listen into the conversation, not a single door he opened was anywhere remotely closed, so if they didn't want him to be there, they ought to have done so.
"- have an appointment."
"She's found her lover boy, then, has she, Grace?" a woman says and to Ash, it sounds like this person is making fun of both Serena, him and Grace.
"It's not her lover, she just looks up to him, that's all," Grace defends herself but it doesn't sound like a valiant attempt to him. "I just wished she would see reason, I hope that boy doesn't give her any ideas to become a trainer, after all."
"She's not even close to being a good Rhyhorn racer either, though, better let that one good before she gets in real trouble."
"It's because she's not motivated to. That's why I let her go on her journey, Clarice."
"In the hopes that she will come back crying because she fails so hard in that?"
"Honestly, why don't you just keep her home, Grace?" a different woman asks and the teen can tell by the tone she uses that she's not any better than 'Gladys' from earlier.
"Moira, you don't have kids, you don't know what it's like when they have their mind set on something."
"If I ever have kids, I would set them straight. Trainers aren't everything and more often than not, they fail young and if they don't, they fail when they're older. If you don't have some kind of family member pulling you forwards into a comfortable position somewhere in the pokémon league itself, there isn't any other way a kid can get access to any kind of popular spot otherwise."
If that's not the biggest loud of pure crap Ash has ever heard but it gets even worse when Moira's redundant opinion is shared by Gladys. But if he remembers, one of his mother's most bigoted friends shares this woman's name. So his expectations of her opinion aren't high.
"Too true. And to add insult to injury, the boy she's looking up to is invalid. Honestly, Grace, what will you do if she falls in love with him and comes back to you pregnant?"
"I'll love her and care for her and never come back to see any of you lot ever again," the woman answers and the teen knows that this is his cue to leave.
The official exit of the ranch must be a slower one than his, he's out of the building before Grace is but he used the time he had to keep his face as neutral as possible. Ash doesn't want to be questioned on why he's so unhappy right now, he wouldn't be able to tell them the truth without getting so angry, possibly foaming at the mouth at the mere thought of these women making fun of a situation that happened to his mother. They're making fun of an absolutely dreadful situation that spanned out into such a drama years later, something that can only be described as a pear-shaped disaster. And he finds it horrible that Serena's mom responded so calmly to such slander, he would've been so mad. Granted, he's biased but how bad a person do you need to be to make a whore out of a thirteen-year-old girl who doesn't have high self-esteem?
If Serena was his daughter and someone made a claim like that, in front of him, for no good reason than to mess with him? He'd be arrested for murder shortly after, that much is sure. But he's not her father, he can't be angry about something no one knows he's heard… but Ash will be salty about it, especially when Grace isn't the slightest bit honest to her daughter.
"Oh, darling, you're already there," she says, though the boy can feel that she knew what time they would have gotten here.
"I texted you that we were coming, though," Serena answers.
"Ah, I don't have my phone on me, my mistake."
Another lie, he can see a phone-shaped bulge at her back pocket.
"Well, it doesn't really matter does it?" Grace then says and seems oddly cheerful all of a sudden. "So, who is the one who needs the ride pokémon?"
"I do, Mrs.," Ash answers as if he's not wearing the black vest with the big, yellow letters stating that, yes, he's the invalid, with a Pikachu tied to him who also is wearing an equally bright vest with black letters.
"Oh, manner and everything. Good, good, how are you with pokémon?"
"I love them like the way I dance, Mrs.," he answers and that doesn't seem like an answer she expected.
"Oh?" she repeats. "In what way?"
"With a groovy kind of love, Mrs. Grace."
"Oh… oh, but that's nice," the woman says. "How old are you?"
"Fourteen, Mrs., I'll be fifteen in May."
"No wonder, I haven't heard many children describe their relationship with pokémon so nicely."
He simply nods as she tells the group she will show them the ride pokémon available and no, he doesn't even consider the tiny pokémon that barely reaches his knee. As they go into the stables, they pass a door that's bolted shut, with heavy chains going from one side to another, so naturally, his interest is piqued.
"What's in here, Mrs.?" he asks calmly, though the idea of a pokémon being locked up like this raises demons in his mind that he would rather have stayed silent.
"You don't want to know."
"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know, Mrs."
"… It's an aggressive creature that doesn't like people much," Grace answers and Ash believes her, he wouldn't like people much if they locked him in like this either. "It was brought here to be trained as a ride pokémon but it dislikes children and doesn't have much patience to deal with training, so it never got far. Anyway, you don't want him, we have many other pokémon available for you."
He sniffs at this response but follows the woman anyway. It's not fair of him to make Serena's mom responsible for the vile opinion of her friends, she clearly showed some love towards her daughter and he ought to cherish that. But she doesn't seem to realise how much this situation is bothering him as they pass stables full of nice creatures that almost make Ash forget. There are Skiddo happily skipping past them and for a moment, the teen forgets they're there for a ride pokémon and manages to make a couple of these Skiddo's day as he now also know how they show their pleasure for his ministrations.
He doesn't know that he's accidentally touched one of the sensitive Skiddo's horns, doesn't know what actually happens when feeling beyond normal sadness do to the little pokémon, which will always be followed by its kinds. Ash's feelings are also usually a mystery to him and he will never be able to foresee what happens when he's not actually involved in it. And while the creature behind the heavily armed door never truly leaves his mind, he's looking forwards to seeing if he will find a suitable ride pokémon. He'll need a special one, that much he knows and the teen's not sure if Grace is up to the challenge... or if he is up to the challenge of walking all over these stables that are much bigger than he imagined. Only time will tell, though he's only got the best in stock for everyone involved in this quest, including Grace. But only because she's Serena's mother and that she's not shying away now from showing she loves her daughter right now.
Honestly, some people make Ash feel like it's not at all surprising criminals exist. And he hopes for all hopes that Grace is nothing like his own mother, or he'll explode.
End of chapter twenty-seven