I'm back and happy to present a new chapter! We're in Shalour and we're just at the tip of what I've got planned for this town... and I sorta ended it on a good point, I guess? I hope it's not too evil a thing to do, there is never a guarantee I'll be able to update next week...
Anyways, enjoy!
"Whoa…"
"… That is a pretty impressive Aura sphere you have there," Lugia says and Ash smiles widely.
"Apparently, thinking too much has its perks!" he grins.
"I am glad that it has some use to you. Is there anything else in this book you have mastered?"
"No, you need the blessing of an official teacher blessed by the forty in order to fully be taught, there are things that the book doesn't say that the teacher knows."
"Unfortunate," the pokémon says and curls up by his side, putting its head on the boy's lap. "Have you thought about how you are planning on stopping the girl from murdering the Aura teacher?"
"I'm not sure why Gurkinn even screamed at Korrina the way he did, it seemed like he was quite upset so I'm thinking I would rather find out why he became upset and perhaps stop him from doing it at all. If he can't scream at Korrina, perhaps she will not throw the box at him at all."
"Hmm… Yes, perhaps that will work. I feel like you will need charisma and above all, how are you planning on explaining the way you will be twice alive?"
"… What do you mean, twice alive?" the teen asks, frowning as he puts the book down.
"As I said, twice alive. Once at the camp and once in this town."
"That sounds so creepy."
"And it is exactly what is going to happen, it will not feel nice either."
"Thanks for the warning," Ash sighs and closes the book, feeling like he's not going to be learning anything from this any longer, now that he's going to end up feeling worried about this 'twice alive' thing.
"Have you heard from the time-traveller's syndrome?"
"Forgetfulness?"
"Well yes, next to vomiting, diarrhoea-"
"Listen, I don't care if my butt falls off, I'm going to help Gurkinn, no matter what," the teen says and he's feeling pretty persistent.
"Then, why not pack up and go there right now?"
"I don't have to pack up, I never unpacked," he huffs and picks the books up in the crook of his arms and starts walking. "But I'm gonna put these books back."
"This timeline will disappear, it hardly makes a difference if you put them away or not, Ash," Lugia says, in a matter-of-fact tone, making the teen stops in his tracks.
"… You're not going to disappear, will you?" he asks and Lugia quirks its head to the side.
"When did I say I was going to leave you? If Necrozma can remain near you by staying in your Aura, then so can I."
Ash frowns and puts the books on the table as he tries to understand what the legendary pokémon just said.
"… Necrozma… is in my Aura?"
"It is not as unlikely as you think."
"Is it okay in there? I mean, is there air-?"
"Has it not spoken to you over the span of weeks? Has it told you of a discomfort?" Lugia asks and continues when the teen remains silent. "Then safely assume that it is safe there. In fact, it is the safest spot for any pokémon to be."
"Even if it gets depleted?"
"A risk impossible for you, Ash, and the Aura able to be depleted will never be able to house pokémon."
"Oh…"
Ash wonders if this time-travel syndrome can make him even more confused than he is already but as Lugia disappears, apparently also now sitting cosily in Aura, he's all alone again. Well, safe from Pikachu, of course.
"Well, I guess this is it, buddy," he says as the tiny Dialga appears on a corner of the living room table, right in front of where he's sitting. "You ready?"
"Pika!"
"One week and three days?" Dialga asks, voice deep and grave.
"Yes, if that's possible," Ash answers but he's getting cold feet. "I... It's not like, going to hurt much, right?"
"No."
Well… here goes nothing, then, he actually keeps his eyes closed but when something fuzzy puts its wet nose into his hand, Ash dares to have a peek at his surroundings. And he panics because he's in the grass, in the middle of a field, somewhere he doesn't recognise! Surely he's not been sent too far back, has he? The small pokémon with big eyes and nice, chubby cheeks, goes to sit next to him and watches him fumble with his pokédex.
'Three days before you came here, the day we assume the accident happened.'
"Oh," is all Ash says and puts the pokédex back.
He can't help but sit there for a while, he's not sure if he's forgotten something but his head feels like it's stuffed with balls of cotton and he's unbothered. Which feels refreshing, for once so he takes it in stride. With a past pat on the cute pokémon's head, the teen stands up and goes towards the edge of the field. But as he suddenly hears voices and sees that there is actually a whole bunch of people standing where he intended to go, he cringes and ducks in a shrub.
'Is there a problem?' Mewtwo asks softly and Ash draws a shaky breath.
"They'll recognise me," he says.
'… And?'
"I'm not supposed to be here, Mewtwo," the teen hisses and unclips Pikachu from his jacket, earning him a confused from his partner pokémon. "Don't look at me that way, I can't wear this jacket or else everyone will recognise me on sight. How many people have you seen wearing this?" he adds as he shrugs off his jacket, making sure Pikachu doesn't get tangled.
'If that is your train of thought, you will have to hide the Pikachu too, for how many people have you seen putting one of them on their shoulder?'
Ash groans but Pikachu can hear Mewtwo just fine as well. The pokémon nods to the teen who opens the bag so Pikachu can jump in it and he's got a much bigger bag than usual too. As if his uncle knew he needed a big one so he'd be able to hide Pikachu…
'Stop thinking and start doing, or else Dialga will have to send you back again and you cannot keep gambling with your own health. You may have gotten lucky not to have too serious a case of the syndrome but that does not mean you cannot get it at all.'
"Okay, okay," he utters and scuttles out of the shrubs. "What about my Aura, though?"
'There is someone near you quite capable of blocking it and besides, has the cowardly teacher not told you how hard it is to spot your Aura? Unless you look through a pokémon's eyes, that is?'
"Yeah, yeah, I hear you but I'm not taking my chances. I don't want anyone to be able to find me."
"As you wish. I will be more careful this time so I will only block the Aura for others, not you."
'You better,' Lugia's voice says and all Ash hopes is that those two don't start fighting or else there'll be trouble.
But he's got his sights set on finding Gurkinn or Korrina so he valiantly takes a set forward but lunges forward as he stops in his tracks because Dialga, in its tiny form, is standing right where he intended to put his foot. Landing on his hands as he's arched above the small pokémon and all Ash can do is grimace.
"Sorry 'bout that," he chuckles.
"Are you feeling okay?" it asks, turning so it can put its nose against his.
"Yeah, I'm good. Lemme just turn-"
Ash sighs in relief when he's able to stand back up, the weight was uncomfortable on his left leg but anything not to step on Dialga. The small, persistent pokémon is also back, it seems very interested in him and Necrozma assures him that it isn't attracted to him due to his Aura which is blocked for both humans and normal pokémon to see, meaning that legendary pokémon can still find him.
He wonders what the tiny creature wants but figures that it'll just trot behind him until it gets tired of him so he just lets it be. And as daunting as the large group of people is, it's a wonderfully easy way to hide from the public view. Apparently, they're all enchanted with a girl dancing on a small stage a little further away but seeing he doesn't find Gurkinn or Korrina there, he moves along.
It doesn't take long before he finds the two, together and he's actually close enough to feel that same feeling come from Gurkinn as he could feel coming from the box. Surprisingly, though, he can tell that Korrina has Aura too, just not as impressive as the man next to her… but they feel similar. The teen is a bit confused because doesn't that mean they're family? Heck, does that mean Korrina killed like, her uncle or even her grandfather? He can't imagine ever doing anything remotely close like that to Lance, his stomach churns as he even thinks about the man he does miss a lot.
He's also pretty sure that this singer is good enough but he's nervous and his head is hurting a little. It takes him longer than he'd grow to expect to realise he's feeling so odd because something bad is about to happen. Must have something to do with that time-traveller syndrome Lugia told him about but he's not going to let whatever is approaching do something. But it comes faster than he expected and more importantly, he's just realised that all these people around him are the remnants of Aura he's felt all over the ghost town he's arrived in. And the man smiling all merrily but still looking like he's keeping a close eye on everyone, just looking in the wrong direction to see the evil Ash feels coming?
It's the same man who stopped Bonbon from challenging the tides, the one who told him the exact time Gurkinn ended up missing. Now that he's not sitting on his wonderful ride pokémon, though, Ash gets a good look at how huge this man actually is. Yeah, he's big at the waist but it's in proportion, he's tall as heck and built like a brick wall. And just like his body, this man has a strong, iron-like Aura, it's clear he's on alert but he must not be able to sense anything.
And he's right, as soon as Ash notices the eerie feeling that nearly ends up with him actually vomiting -and no, it's not the time-traveller syndrome, he's gotten that response when he's felt the first Dark Aura user too- Gurkinn moves as well, turning around with an apocalyptic expression on his face. Ash has to fight with his feeling to flee, he doesn't want to be here, doesn't want to see and yet he has to, he has to step in or something bad is going to happen to this village.
Gurkinn is clearly upset and by following his gaze, the teen can see the deranged looking person too. He can't tell the gender and honestly, it doesn't matter, this thing is approaching quickly and much to everyone's credit, they're ready to fight! A woman next to him tells him to be careful but when Ash searches her face, he sees nothing but determination. Her stance is a fighting one and he has no doubt she's ready to protect him. This is a feeling foreign to him but it makes him feel so loved he swears to protect these people as well.
Korrina shoots forward and it's probably the dumbest thing Ash has ever seen anyone do but also the bravest one. It, however, doesn't exactly inspire him to do the same, he's got other issues that stop him from doing so but he does think it's a kind move… but Gurkinn doesn't seem to feel this way and he understands but is it really necessary to start to discuss that in front of the threat itself? Ash is so close to this evil that he can't help but try and call out his Aura too. But he calls out something very different, before Korrina can actually order her Lucario -like, the worst pokémon anyone can send out to stop a Dark Aura user- the ground ripples and the Dark Aura user tips backwards. Giratina's ripped apart wings shoot out of the ground and they pull the evil into the same hole the wings came from.
Ash walks away, instead of feeling comforted, he's scared but not for himself. It takes him a while but he can tell Gurkinn isn't upset with Korrina any longer, they must be wondering why Giratina even came by. And while the teen knows exactly why it happened, he hopes for all hopes that the Dark Aura user didn't hurt it or else… Gah, he doesn't know what else but it'll be something he'll regret, that much is sure!
He finds the pokémon looking innocently at him in an abandoned alley and he dives into it, all worried and upset.
"Please tell me you're alright?" he asks, pleading with the creature to answer him.
"Naturally. It is not the worst thing I have eaten. Nor will it be the last," it says and tilts its head to the side rather cutely. "I wonder why I can feel you somewhere else. First, you call left and now you are right. How is this possible, Chosen?"
A soft nudge of even softer fur against his cheek tells him that he has just managed to confuse a whole lot of legendary pokémon. He must've called for help here while at the same time, he must've called a couple to get Xerneas to get to him. Great, just great, really something he'd do by accident, huh? Screw time-travelling, it's so confusing.
"Hello, Mew," he sighs and draws a slow purr from the small, pink legendary that promptly nestles on his shoulder, head firmly pushed into his neck. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that, I had to save these people, I… I'm like, from the future."
"Ah, time travel. I like your courage and you did it to save a whole town. I feel better about eating a person now, this time, the Creator will not be giving me grief over doing so if I have your reasoning as a defence for doing so."
"You're sure it's okay, yeah? It's not like, going to, like, jump back and kill you or something?"
"To be eaten by me means the end of existence for everyone other than yourself, Chosen."
"Oh… Sorry for being so nervous, I really don't like those kinds of people, they like, really scare me. I mean, I was in this town, there was nothing but remnants and I can cry just remembering that one of those tiny flickers of Aura was the woman who told me she would protect me, the one who took such a valiant stance," he says and his voice breaks.
"Hush, Chosen, it is okay. If only I could eat everything that worries you, I would, just to make you feel at ease."
"Yeah, thanks," he chuckles, though he still feels a little sad. "Now what am I supposed to do with myself for the rest of these days I'm not supposed to be here, huh?"
"I may suggest finding a spot where no one sees you," Giratina says and straightens again.
"Oh yeah, that's a good suggestion," Ash says.
"If only for the fact that we listen, Chosen. And you called for help so while Mew and I were quick to arrive, does not mean the others will not eventually arrive."
"Ah."
"I would also bring an umbrella."
Turns out, when you have nothing to do, two and a half days can grow very bored, especially when you can't be noticed or seen by anyone. Ash's had to hide from people being curious because they'd heard a noise and went out to investigate. Charizard, in particular, ended up being bothersome, he ended up responding very different to his mega stone than Ash anticipated and now he has a giddy Fire-type not quite ready to try it out yet but still happy about having it around.
And the rain… yes, he's glad he's got a rainproof tent. Mew is sticking close to him but so have other pokémon. He also has a family of what his pokédex tells him are Pyroar in his tent, the cute Litleo from before is there as well, being vigorously groomed by its mother's tongue. As for legendary pokémon arriving, Palkia has come by to check up on him and Xerneas has come by too, also very confused by comforted that he is okay. And on the morning of his release from his quarantine -one he put himself in because he couldn't care if pokémon saw him but people? Hell no- he also knows that Yveltal has stranded in a square somewhere in Shalour and people are in a right panic about it.
He can't get there directly, Bonbon is antsy and doesn't get redirected anywhere other than straight to the pokémon centre so that's where Ash goes and is told by the nurse he's got a cold. Which is odd, he doesn't feel anything but she takes his temperature and it's on the higher side so he guesses he's got a fever from out of nowhere. Maybe it's that time traveller syndrome, he still feels fuzzy but yeah, a nice shower and some rest in an actual bed will do him a world of good.
That rain might not have fallen on him but the area around the tent got cold and so did the draft whirling around. Maybe that's where the cold came from but frankly, Ash doesn't care too much. He sleeps deeply and blissfully with the recently arrived Mew and Pikachu in his hold, Mewtwo spooning him from behind and next to a tiny Dialga, he also now has a tiny Rayquaza laying on his pillow. And this one doesn't care if people see it, even as it is draped around his neck as he leaves his room.
At least it manages to make nurse Joy smile, it does look cute but Pikachu's response to it laying there should let the trained eye know that it's a real one. The people inside the pokémon centre all think it's a stuffed one, though so that's what Ash will let them believe.
"You look a lot better, love. You make sure you're protected from this awful rain now, yes?"
"I've got an umbrella," he says and points at the item sticking slightly out of the side pocket of his backpack. "Is it normal, such a rainy season?" he asks because it certainly didn't rain while he was here before.
"No, it's absolutely not. Honestly, dear, the world has gone all wrong the moment this weird person came here, a Dark Aura user, Gurkinn says, I don't believe it!" she all but gasps. "And then professor Sycamore gets suspended for at least two months and before we know it, an Yveltal strands in the middle of town, all curled up and miserable and since that day, a Kyogre washed up on the beach near the Gym. And no one is able to get rid of it."
That… was a lot of information Ash wasn't quite ready to hear. Professor Sycamore? Suspended? And here he was, thinking his uncle didn't have any power over the man, huh? But the treatment of the Kyogre worried him much more.
"… What do you mean, get rid of it?"
"They've tried everything, food, trying to fight it. One even tried to throw rocks at it, that only succeeded in it getting thrown towards the other side of the town but a powerful beam of water," she sighs.
But Ash sees red, screw Gurkinn for now, he needs to get to the Kyogre as fast as he can. Bonbon has no issues speeding through the time, they do pass the curled up Yveltal on the main square, there where Ash felt all the remnants of Aura and where the Dark Aura user struck but he will get to the pokémon later. For now, he needs to see the idiots wanting to hurt a legendary pokémon just because they mind the effect it has on their surroundings. So the plants get watered a bit, so what, huh? Is that enough of a reason to go and hurt a creature so precious?!
His anger must've fuelled Bonbon's power, his trusty ride pokémon gets him exactly where he needs to go and he doesn't care if he's pulled a whole lot of attention here, he's allowed to be here now and he can do whatever he wants. And if telling a couple of grown-ups off is needed to ensure the Kyogre is safe, then that's exactly what he'll do.
"Stop!" Ash calls out and he's just in time to stun a man for long enough that he doesn't call out his Electric-type to attack Kyogre.
"What do you-" he starts but the angry teen is much faster near him when he's on Bonbon.
"Are you out of your goddamn fucking mind!?" the teen all but screeches. "Is this how you treat a legendary pokémon?!"
"Look, kid, you don't understand but-"
"I understand a whole lot more than you think, asshole!" he cries out and gets off Bonbon, who stands in the way of him and the man.
Now, Ash isn't sure if the pokémon is protecting him from the men or if Bonbon is protecting the men from him but he doesn't care. The crooning Kyogre, that's his biggest worry and even if he's knee-deep in the water, to the point where Bonbon grabs a hold of his collar, in case he goes too deep, he needs to get near it.
"Hey now, I've got you. It's okay now."
And he sees relief in the pokémon's eyes, Ash is about to explode on these men but after he assures the pokémon he's okay, making it go away by just talking to it, he climbs back on Bonbon and goes to the square he's seen Yveltal at. This time, there isn't an angry mob, in fact, there is no one here. So he has some hope for them, they're at least not dumb enough to hurt an Yveltal. But they've crossed a line trying to hurt Kyogre, god, if he gets his hands on the person who came up with the idea to throw rocks!
The Yveltal is fine, just a little drenched but otherwise carefully happy to see him, alright and unharmed. The creature is a lot more careful than most humans are towards him and that apparently attracts attention… which Ash doesn't want. He's trying to convince a distrusting pokémon to trust his word and suddenly, he gets bothered by someone he doesn't recognise. In fact, he's not seen Gurkinn but he'd hate to have to face the man with the knowledge that he had anything to do with-
"You're an interesting young man," the man at the front of the group says and the man built like a brick wall is there too. "What brings you here?"
"People throwing bricks at legendary pokémon, that's what," he snaps and his anger spikes.
And when his anger spikes, so do that of the pokémon around him, Yveltal reacts accordingly and the man suddenly finds himself face to face with an upset legendary pokémon… something he clearly wasn't ready for.
"I mean, you know, that euhm… Yes, euhm, you know how some people are, hehe."
"Hehe?" Ash repeats, in disgust. "You can laugh at something like that?"
"No, no, I, no, of course not," the man says and he holds his hands up in surrender but Yveltal slams its claw straight in front of him and looms over him, a fitting growl accompanying the action. "I-I had nothing to do with it," he all but squeaks, cowering underneath the gaze of Yveltal's bright blue eyes.
There suddenly aren't any people behind him any longer… or are there?
"Calm down, boy," Gurkinn says, appearing from out of nowhere, Korrina hot in his heels. "There is no reason for violence and besides, what good would it do if you knew who did it?"
"I want to know who it is because then I can tell everyone not to go near them ever again."
"… Reasonable, I thought you might want to try and make him feel how a brick felt."
"So it is this man-"
"Kid, I swear, you're scaring me," the man utters.
"Look at him, Yveltal and see that evilness that wants to hurt your kind. Don't let yourself be fooled, stay away from him, like the fool he is, he could be your doom. Tell all and everyone, let no one fall victim to this ever again," Ash says and Yveltal actually gets nice and close, the man is already making a silent prayer, thinking he's going to get hurt very badly.
But the legendary pokémon pulls away and nods. The teen nods back and Yveltal leaves, off to spread the message around -though Ash doesn't know that his word is law for the pokémon and this man's own pokémon will not come close any longer, though if he did know, he'd still feel like it is a fitting punishment.
"Are you calm enough now?" Gurkinn asks, clearly on edge as the man whimpers and leaves the scene, pokémon on the square already fleeing from him, having been the witness of the spoken curse.
"Meh… how can a grown man act so irresponsible towards an innocent pokémon? It's not Kyogre's fault it has the ability to make it rain? It wasn't even hard either, it just got people a bit wet, it's so mean to think it's alright to hurt a creature if they pose an issue for a couple of people."
"Not everyone is as creative, boy. Now, what is your name?" Gurkinn asks and Ash is a bit bummed out.
Of all the things mentioned behind his back, it's not the fact he has a distinctive jacket on? And a Pikachu on their shoulder? Ash only knows two idiots who do it, he and Ritchie but beyond them, no one ever does.
"Ash Satoshi Ketchum. My uncle told me to find you but you found me, it seems."
And the old man looks like he just got slapped in the face.
"Of course, it's you," he sighs. "Mes excuses, Ash, I didn't realise. Things have grown weird around here but I… I could have guessed."
"Wait, so the legendary pokémon actually listen to you?" Korrina asks and just for the sake of appearing innocent -as he doesn't want them to know anything about him being a time-traveller- he just gives her an odd look.
"And you are?"
"Oh, his granddaughter," she says, with a tiny smile on her face. "I'm Korrina, nice to err… meet you?"
Seems like she's just as amused by his antics as he is by hers but at least he knows he's capable of handling his. It's actually a pity he didn't see how Korrina faired against that Dark Aura user, he imagines she would've just been cast to the side or something, while her grandfather and literally every other Aura user in the town struggled and almost all lost against the evil they were fighting.
"Yep," he just says. "And no, they don't listen but they like me. And I like them."
"… So they do listen?"
"No, I just don't command them to do anything. They're not my pokémon, I don't tell them to do anything outside of their best interests."
"That's the same thing, though, isn't it?" she asks and she looks so confused Ash pities her.
"Korrina, please," Gurkinn sighs. "Think about it for a while but please, stay out of this for now? Can't you see this isn't the right time to discuss this?"
They must have some sort of code between the two of them, Korrina doesn't look ready to let it go yet she just nods and follows when Gurkinn gently takes his arm and guides him to the house he recognises all too well.
"I have a room in the pokémon centre," he says, unwilling to stay here, the house still gives him the heebie-jeebies.
Ash has a feeling this building has some sort of self-awareness, perhaps Gurkinn has invested some of his Aura in the structure of it but at the time the man next to him wasn't alive, the house was barely bearable for the teen to stay at. If he didn't have Pikachu and his legendary friends with him, he wouldn't have been able to stay there for the week he did remain there. And now that Gurkinn is still alive, he can tell that the man has doubts about him because the house does not like him.
"I know, it will serve you much better to stay there, my residence won't be able to cope with your disability," the man answers but Ash halts at the door, he just can't go in. "What are you feeling? Why won't you continue?"
The teen thinks about it for a bit but he actually feels like, while he can see a doorway in front of him, it isn't actually there.
"Go on," Gurkinn urges and Ash does so, though reluctantly.
Once inside, it's not bad, it feels the same way though less sad. The teen figures that his instincts got triggered by some sort of protective barrier. It's an effective way to keep intruders out but he wonders if it will work with people who don't realise Aura is a power that can be used. He's still a little mind blown just how many Aura users have gathered here but the feeling of belonging here has passed now that he knows that having Aura doesn't mean that the person who has it will also respect the earth and the living creatures on it.
"Why did you get so mad, Ash?" Gurkinn asks and the teen gets all huffy again.
"Would you be mad if I threw a brick at Korrina?"
"… Yes but is that-"
"Yes, it's the same. It should always be the same, if you aren't willing to throw a brick at a person, you shouldn't throw it at all, no matter where you aim it, the only place the brick belongs, is the ground. Never something with feelings, never at something that can feel the pain of getting hit, the intent behind the attack. All the Kyogre did was lay there, in the water, where it belongs and some fucker got it inside his head that it somehow wasn't okay and to throw a brick at it? Be thankful that the Kyogre came to check on me, to see if I was okay or it would have killed that man, realise that much, Gurkinn," Ash answers and he's got his lip raised in disgust, that he still need to voice his feelings in order to make this old man realise that it's never okay to hurt anyone, be it a pokémon or a person. "I was raised with the idea that a raised fist was to make me obedient but I've freed myself from it and I will never listen to anyone who tries to reason with me through violence. And let me tell you, it were pokémon who taught me that, Gurkinn. So they don't take this kind of crap naturally."
"… So what you're trying to say is that you did this man a favour by making sure legendary pokémon would stay away from him?"
Ash stares at the man in question, has he really…? He can't help but start laughing, it sounds so off to him that someone can honestly think they're important enough that a legendary pokémon would actually return to face the abuser and try to kill it.
"Think of it what you will, if it ends up in a favour in his case, so be it but it was done for the pokémon, not the man," he eventually says but he can see Gurkinn has become unnerved by his response to the statement.
"You seem odd for a teenager, Ash."
"I guess so but you would have already been told that in advance. It's not my fault that you didn't take my uncle seriously."
"No, I suppose that's true. Would you like some cake, Ash?" the man asks, suddenly a lot more calmer than before.
"Sure."
The cake he remembers having shared with all his current companions ends up tasting sweeter than before. He wonders if they would feel the same way about it but he guesses not. All Ash knows for certain, is that Gurkinn is losing faith in being able to teach him, when he's not looking at him or Korrina -who has been very silent all of a sudden- he has a deep frown on his face.
"Aren't you the Gym leader, Korrina?" Ash asks, figuring he can at least show them his original intentions.
"Hm? Yes, I am. Why, did you want to challenge?"
"The Gym's closed, though."
"I'm trying to get better."
"Ah," he says, figuring he has an inkling of what she means. "Mega evolution."
"How did you-" she says but her grandfather looks up and silently silences her with his serious gaze. "… Never mind. Yes, mega evolution."
"How are you planning on going about it, then?"
"I have a target in my head."
Ash frowns but he decides not to butt heads over something like this. Everyone has their own way of training but it almost sounds as if Korrina is the one who needs to be convinced her pokémon is strong enough… and that's no good. He remembers himself with Charizard, also entirely convinced of his innocent intentions but they came over as incredibly dumb and dull with Charizard. He would advise this girl to just go out and touch grass because she's going to be lost after she gets her target and ends up being unable to mega evolve her Lucario.
Heavens, he already knows he's going to end up needing to help her, won't that be a hoot, though? Korrina looks like she wants to run from him already, there's no way they're not going to be butting heads. Man, it was such a bad idea coming here, all he wanted was help but if he's causing other people grief, he ought to leave. In fact, he's quite fed up already, he doesn't want to be the Mamoswine in the room so the teen gets up from the seat.
"Ash?" Gurkinn suddenly asks and he looks at the man.
"Yes?"
"Was your second teacher a… pokémon?"
"Did it rub off on me?" he grins but the man isn't smiling. "Yes, it is. Why?"
"Can you talk to it?"
"… Yes," he answers, figuring there's no need to be difficult, despite it being very easy to talk to anything, even a wall.
"Can you ask what drew it to help you?"
"He is Beloved."
Gurkinn's face drops like the tower of terror.
"It can talk to you too, you know," Ash clarifies. "Psychic-types like me a lot, Necrozma is no exception."
"I've never even heard of it," the man scowls. "When will I be old enough not to be surprised by things any longer?" he adds with a sigh.
"Never, you can't aware of everything in the world. I mean, there's a lot going on out there, I might be a little weird but I think I would be the least of your worries, to be honest."
"Korrina, why don't you show him the garden?"
The girl looks like she's literally going to run for the hills the moment she sets foot outside, though she must've been raised differently than him because she actually gets off her chair, despite scowling pretty badly. Perhaps that must be because of the garden, Ash has seen it and his mother -before the accident- would've bust a vessel at the mention of it being called a garden at all. There's grass, at the very least but if that's enough to call it a garden, the teen figures over half of the earth's plane is actually a garden then.
"Come on," she says and she seems eager to get away from her grandfather, as Ash notices.
"Is he okay?"
"Sure, you just don't want to be there when he's thinking."
"Oh… You've got a Lucario, right? With you having Aura and all that?"
"I do, do you want to see it?"
"Of course!"
So as Korrina has finally found a way to entertain Ash -the boy's favourite part of pokémon are the invisible things like whiskers and toe beans and Lucario, like Pikachu, has both of them so he's definitely interested- Gurkinn is indeed deeply in thought but mostly because he's been lied to. So he gets out his phone, quite ready to confront the man who told him those lies.
"Hello?"
"Riley, what did you mean about him being a menace?"
"… Who?"
"Ash."
"O-oh, he's reached you, hasn't he?" Riley sighs and the man can tell he's still bothered by the teen. "I can't help it, Gurkinn, he scares me."
"Of course, that's his defence mechanism, the way he deals with unnatural interest. But underneath that lies a hurt, young child who is just trying to cope with this bad world. And you made him think he's a monster, you ran from him and added to the hurt that he uses to scare people off. You added to his idea that people can't be trusted and when he's finally all ready to give up on us, you want me to convince him we're worth listening to?"
"Err…"
"Honestly, boy, I would smack you in the face if you were in front of me."
"But he is unnaturally angry-"
"And isn't he allowed to be? He came here and the first thing he sees are pokémon who came to his assistance being hurt by people."
"And he still came with you?"
"I never lifted a finger to any living creature and you know that," Gurkinn states indignantly. "The same can't be said for you, hurting those shadow pokémon as you did."
"Yeah well, at least now I know what Ash's anger reminds me of."
"Use whatever excuse you have to keep you warm at night, boy, this child will get the guidance he needs and I will be the one to show him how he can use that massive ray of Aura correctly."
"… Massive?" Riley repeats. "It's like a sliver of a thing, I had to look through Lucario's eyes in order to see it."
"It is quite a beacon now so that tells me that his current teacher has done a much better job teaching the boy that you have. Shame on you, Riley, honestly, you're losing your touch."
"Hey, how can I help the kids we find these days are way above our league?" the man says defensively. "I've tried my best but he outgrew me."
"And so what if the student is stronger than the teacher? It gives the teacher a reason to teach, that's all. You ought to find someone to talk to, young man, your feelings are clouding your judgement, have done so for a while now. Must have for you to think that a boy like Ash, who clearly cares much for life and doesn't even physically hurt those who do him wrong, is comparable to the monster a Shadow pokémon is."
"It just feels the same, that's all."
"Then you're exactly the kind of person Ash doesn't want to have near him. Congratulations on reaching that point."
"He's a war child, Gurkinn-"
"And so is Korrina and you don't see me comparing her to a hellspawn!" He booms and he's pretty sure the kids will have heard him but at this point, he doesn't care. "War children are here to remind us of the sins of our past, to make us aware we need to change things and not make the same damn mistakes that have happened. But you? You're too headstrong and you much rather make a monster out of a hurt boy who just doesn't know right from wrong any longer, just because you can't put up with broadening your own mind and understand that life doesn't fit in the box you've put it in!"
"Right, you're mad at me."
"I am, I should've known better, boy, than to trust your tainted instincts. If you aren't getting any help of your own volition, Riley, I will make you."
"Okay, okay, I'll go back to Rota-"
"You are going straight to a therapist and admitting to everything that has happened in Orre. And that includes the things you've been keeping from everyone."
"… They'll think I'm crazy, Gurkinn, they'll put me straight in the loony bin."
"Riley, I think that's exactly where you belong right now."
He knows it's a low blow but how can he keep unbiased when a child doesn't even cringe when stating they've been raised with a fist above their heads? The silent reference hasn't gone unnoticed and honestly, even as Riley promises him that he'll find help, Gurkinn doesn't think it'll ever be enough for Ash to reconcile with the man. If it's true, if the boy's Aura has indeed become stronger, it will only keep doing so and it will only scare Riley even further.
"… Sir?" the boy's voice says, very carefully as his head peeks from behind the door opening. "Are you okay?"
"Come in, Ash," Gurkinn says and the teen does so, though he looks wary. "Where's Korrina?"
"Playing with Lucario. He wanted me to tell your granddaughter that he wants to play with her a lot more than fight, he thinks she takes things too seriously so I told her to let go a bit. It's not Lucario who needs the training to mega evolve anyway, it's Korrina who needs to get her spirits up and believe in herself and Lucario. Just believing in the pokémon won't do, she's going to need to show Lucario she's all for it or at least be willing to experiment with failure."
"Correct, thank you for trying to help her," the man says and nods to him. "I'm glad that you've calmed down a bit."
"Oh yes, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I was upset but like, not at you."
"I won't hold it against you, Ash, come sit down."
"Do you want to see the colour of my Aura?" the teen asks, tongue slightly sticking out as he tries to climb on the barstool next to the man.
Yes, don't judge him, bar stools make his back hurt less but seeing the boy struggle getting on the chair makes him feel uncomfortable. But Ash manages eventually and he's finally looking his age, with that little, devious smile on his face.
"Go right ahead," the man says and he can't help it, that small smile is contagious.
"It's pink."
The orb indeed is very hot pink, with small flecks of another colour in it, something Gurkinn hasn't necessarily seen but if Ash is indeed the Chosen One like Riley claims, it could have everything to do with his connection to Arceus. He won't hold it against the teen, everyone can have their own belief and he is much more comfortable knowing that the teen has respect for life than having someone in front of him who worships a person and hurts every other person. But when the colour seems to fade a little bit, he frowns.
"Here," the teen chuckles and Gurkinn should know better than to touch an Aura sphere… but it's not actually an intangible sphere.
And Ash knew it wouldn't hurt him, hence why he handed it to him, again, a sign that this child isn't out to hurt him. Surely Riley would've noticed that? Also, pink Aura is a sign of love for life and the fact this feels a lot like a bouncy ball, just smaller, makes him believe there's still a playful side to this boy.
"Is this…?" he asks, trailing off as he watches the teen's smile grow wider but Ash also unclips Pikachu.
"Drop it. Pikachu will get it back for you."
And yes, it's a bouncy ball, he can't help but grin as the pokémon happily chases the orb that bounces pretty well.
"I think I know why pokémon think you're pretty fun to be with."
"Maybe," Ash chuckles but he ends up looking a little sad. "People sure don't. I can hardly keep kids my own age near me and I've had a fallout with adults and friends alike."
"Tch, some people can't even stand themselves, I wouldn't gauge my own character based on anyone's opinion, not for the life of me," the man says and waves his hands as if that would push the teen's worries away.
"But even you told me to calm down, you told saw I was too angry."
"Yes, but Ash, listen to me," Gurkinn says and bends down slightly, so he can look the boy in the eyes. "Your anger is a part of you that knows your mistreatment and abuse are unacceptable. Your anger knows you deserve to be treated well, and with kindness. It's a part of you that loves you, child."
The teen looks at him, he blinks a couple of times but eventually, he nods.
"My therapist never said it was okay to be angry."
"It is, though, it really is. I don't know what's happened to you, Ash, I have a general idea but I don't have to know it at all in order to stay by your side. I just want to help you where your previous teacher has failed and I hope it can heal some of the hurt Riley has caused."
"You know him?"
"I thought I did, yes," the man answers but smiles at the young man in front of him. "How far has your current teacher gotten you in your study of Aura?"
"Err, Necrozma said that going into my Aura was the last thing it could teach me."
"Correct, in fact, the only thing that pokémon can teach humans is stuff like that. And aren't you lucky your Aura is indeed quite enough to actually access?"
"I think that, considering Necrozma lives in it, it would have known that."
"… Come again?"
"You heard me."
"How wonderful, that the colour is actually an indication of how much life you're actually capable of harbouring, Ash. I do find it incredibly ironic that people would think you would be able to hurt something, while, as an Aura user myself, everything about you indicates that you love life very much," Gurkinn says and he's pleasantly surprised when Ash seems to think this is a compliment.
"Thank you."
"Am I wrong in saying that having the pokémon live there brings you comfort?"
"Kinda, yeah," the boy says, finally sounding his age again. "It's more like… feeling secure, more than comfort. It weirds me out but if I can keep 'em safe there, I don't care if it weirds me out, they can stay."
"They?"
"Yeah, Lugia and Necrozma."
"You've gathered an interesting couple of pokémon, Ash."
"I told you Psychic-types like me."
"… Did you have anything to do with the Darkrai?" the man asks, wanting to be sure but then the teen stills, looking at Pikachu swatting at the hot pink ball that bounces away from him soon after.
"I don't know if it stayed in that cave because of me. I attract them and that's something I can't help. But I'm absolutely sure I didn't even know the Darkrai was there and Tierno actually didn't bother me at all. I mean, not enough to send a Darkrai at him, what could it do, anyway? If I claimed actual ownership of the pokémon, which I can't because I don't own it in any way, it would've gotten me punished and it killed and if Darkrai was seen as solitary, it would've gotten hunted and killed too. I know, I've read the Kalos rulebook, it really needs an update because they'll happily allow my Pikachu to shock anyone until they've got brain damage but they'll go as far as to put down everyone else's pokémon if they do the same, even if it's in their trainers' defence."
Gurkinn stops himself from sighing, he doesn't want to tell Ash that a simple 'no' would've done the trick too but it seems stupid to make this kid feel bad for trying to defend himself. And honestly, the statement sounds very much like the boy.
"I believe you," he says and Ash nods, again thanking him for something he shouldn't be thanked for. "Now, let's start very simple, how big can you make that Aura sphere?"
"Err… pretty big, actually. 'Bout the length of your table, I think."
The man stares, he has a big kitchen table but he nods, not about to show hesitation.
"And how long can you meditate?"
"… Meditate?" the teen asks, blinking in confusion. "I don't know, not long, I think."
"Then, that's where we'll start."
All things considered, Ash doesn't feel like he's made a bad decision coming here. Granted, he stays the nights at the pokémon centre but otherwise, he's always around Gurkinn. Currently, he's sitting in a flowery field, apparently, the best spot for him to try and meditate but Ash can't say he's managed it, he can't keep himself from thinking about this place and all the mysteries surrounding it. Gurkinn says that he'll tell him all about it after being able to meditate but still, that's not making his mind calm down, it just gives him more questions. Why is meditation so important?
'Sit still for a while and think about the grass at your feet,' Mewtwo instructs and its mental statement cuts through his thoughts like a knife.
He doesn't have his eyes open but he can see. Ash sees the grass, it's not green and it's not the length he feels it is, it's short but it's pink. Pink like his Aura and he can't help but smile as he sees all kinds of pink variants around him. And the sun, dear lord, he understands why Necrozma loves it so much. It's barely still pink, it looks so hot and nice and he's lost in it, feeling the warmth of it shining down on his face and feeling the comfort of it joining his Aura.
"Ash?"
His eyes snap open, he's startled but not in a bad way… but the sun has shifted to the other side. So Ash blinks a couple of times and frowns.
"How are you feeling?" Gurkinn asks, sounding amused.
"Good," he answers and finds that he actually hasn't felt like this in ages.
He feels unbothered like after the time-travelling but without the cotton balls in his head and for once, he's not feeling his anger as much as before.
"I'm glad, that means you've been successful in doing what I asked you," the man says and he's all smiles all of a sudden. "Congratulations, you learn quick."
"… You call three full days to concentrate a little quick?"
"It's not about concentrating, Ash, meditation is about self-love and I feel like you've just realised something you actually enjoy about yourself."
"… I'm the same colour of the world," he says, though he thinks it sounds a little stupid. But Gurkinn isn't laughing at him, he's just watching him and looking pretty content. "The sun, it's a hotter pink than my Aura is but I know why Necrozma likes me as much as it likes the sun, I think. And the grass is pink, though, soft and feminine. The trees pulse in pink powers, it's all pink and it's not… distractive. It's nothing anti-masculine like my mom claimed it to be, it's life. I… I think I like pink a lot."
"I'm glad, pink is a nice colour. And now that I can look you in the eye and see the boy you actually are, I think it suits you a lot, as a colour of Aura that is. Your jacket looks nice on you too and that couldn't be further from pink."
"No, true," Ash chuckles and he rubs Pikachu's head, drawing a pleased 'Chaa~' from the pokémon. "I like yellow a lot too. Especially his yellow."
The man is still smiling, the teen finds that he likes the expression a lot and more importantly, next to the fact he feels a lot more comfortable near Gurkinn, he thinks he likes him a lot too.
"Can I ask… Why is Riley so important to Kanto as a teacher? If he contacted you, also far away from Kanto, does that mean there aren't many teachers left?"
"It's difficult to explain, Ash, especially why Riley, of all people, is the one who was brought in to care for you. I assure you he's not as much of a fuck-up as you think he is, it's just… You're the first one to have appeared in Kanto since the 'Hate wave', as we call the war against Aura users."
"… There's literally no one else in Kanto that has Aura?"
"Yes, but they were not born in Kanto. Your father, for example, is a Johto native and was brought to Kanto at a young age. So he's counted as a Johtonian Aura user, but you're the first one registered in Kanto for over five thousand years."
"Oh."
The explanation makes sense why Ash felt he was never understood. Why his friends and family think him to be an idiot when he does something that makes sense to him. If he's really the only one, right now, the only one with life at his disposal, to do things normal people can't dream of doing…
"Please tell me this 'Hate wave' wasn't created in Pallet?" he sighs but does it again when Gurkinn's expression shifts to surprise. "Don't be so surprised, I was born there, I know exactly what kind of people reside there."
"How perfectly ironic," the man says and he smiles with obscene pleasure, Ash can tell he's got a lot of feelings on the subject. "Oh, how I would love for you to be the Life Bringer of this age, that would bring Aura back to Kanto."
"I sincerely hope not. I take it that Kalos was a bit more diplomatic regarding Aura users here?"
"Oh yes, they granted us a place to live at, not named and hidden from plain sight and claimed there was no such force to be found here when the bringers of the 'Hate wave' came about. I still don't believe it actually worked."
"If they're from Kanto, you can absolutely gaslight them. You can't reason with most of them if you're contesting something they believe is right, they'll jump to conclusions faster than lightning strikes and they're all so aggressively mad."
"I'm sorry to hear not much has changed," Gurkinn sighs and shakes his head as he puts his hand on Ash's shoulder, though Pikachu looks up at the man as if to check he's not putting it on his shoulder. "You're safe now and you're in good hands. But I can't bring back the dead, I can't teach you the forgotten traditions of Kanto but I can teach you ours. I can teach you those of Johto and Sinnoh, Alola, Hoenn, Fiore and Galar. But not yours. I hope you can understand."
"… Not Unova, Almia, Oblivia and Orre?"
"Aura didn't appear everywhere. While almost everyone to this day still has Aura in Alola, Galar's numbers have dropped and that has nothing to do with the 'Hate wave', it's a recent thing."
"How would numbers have dropped during that war, though?" Ash asks and he's taken aback when the man next to him swallows hard. "Surely they didn't kill children."
"They did, Ash. If you were born during that time, you would've gotten buried alive before you could even take your first breath," Gurkinn answers, looking down at the grass. "But then again, they did a lot of stupid, unfeeling things during that time. I've noticed you have a Gible, right?"
"I… do?" the teen answers hesitantly. "What does he have anything to do with this?"
"They buried the nests of the Garchomp who, at the time, were still perfectly Dragon-types."
Ash stares at the man in horror. Right now, he has the inclination to think that Gible wouldn't mind being buried in sand at all, the pokémon loves sand and soil. He can't count the number of times he's had to pull the little dragon out of the ground… but has it really happened that all the original Gible died, from lack of air? Until a little one learned how to dig and then had babies who also learned it and that's how Garchomp has become a Ground-type too?
"That's messed up. The next thing you're telling me is that they set Charizard nests on fire, making them Fire-types."
"Good guess," is all Gurkinn says and Ash feels like he's suddenly not in such a bad timeline, after all. "People are inherently cruel, a good person can do bad things and bad people just… don't exist. They're just people with wrong ideas and most just spew hatred and make idiots do the things they say. But the real masterminds behind the hate don't do anything."
"You don't have to tell me that."
"No, I gathered as much," the man answers and he seems a bit sad.
So does Ash, though, he feels rotten, he's going to hug the shit out of Gible and Charizard… But what if all the pokémon were hurt similarly? He doesn't want to think about it, he doesn't want to think about a past where people hated everything alive so much they'd take such horrible measures to ensure they would be the only beings alive. But thankfully, they failed, life came through and isn't he the sign that, no matter how people try, life will always find its way back to where they wanted to prevent it from coming? The teen will take on this title with pride, though, now he wonders what this 'Life bringer' thing is.
"How can you know I'm a Life bringer, though?"
"Oh, that's hard, you will need to perform tasks you can't do yet and without the tests, it might take ages until the wave of young Aura users gets born. Also, being a Life bringer is tricky, you'll be attracting young Aura users and generally beings with Aura at their disposal. You're going to need to know what to do in that sort of situation and that takes a certain grade of maturity even adults rarely have because these children might cling to you and just make you feel targeted. Needless to say, even if the 'Hate wave' didn't get to this region, Aura users still seem to be a bit paranoid when it comes to being followed around."
Ash frowns at that, he has attracted people before. And pokémon… well, he's got two living inside his Aura, it is more than apparent that he's attracting them too.
"… There's a girl who seemed oddly persistent to find me," he says. "She barrelled through Santalune forest and back when she couldn't find me there, all on the back of a Ryhorn."
"What's her name? And how old is she?"
"Serena Yvonne," he answers. "She's one year younger than me."
"She lives here?"
"Yeah, but she's from Kanto, I know because we met at a summer camp waaay back in the past, just before she moved to Kalos."
"Have you seen anything extraordinary about her? Seen her Aura?"
"No but I'll admit that it was the last thing on my mind at the time, I'm… a bit moody usually."
"No matter, we'll be contacting her and her family, just to check. It would be nice to see Aura return to Kanto, at any rate, but it won't be changing anything in the way I need to teach you a couple of things before you can call yourself a full-fledged Aura user," Gurkinn says and despite the fact he tries his best to seem uninfluenced by excitement, Ash can tell by the look in his eyes that he's still very pleased by this revelation.
"So, what's next?"
"Healing, of course."
"… Isn't that a trade?"
"Trade?" the man chuckles. "What kind of trade do you need to be to help, Ash? Everyone will be able to heal, just to a certain extent. It takes a healer to treat insanely difficult to handle injuries but if they're superficial and just a way to quickly patch up someone so you can lengthen the time you have to get the injured person or pokémon to a healer."
"That's not how Riley made it out to be, he told me that it takes a certain skill set to call yourself a trade. He told me I had a lot of similarities to a Source."
"No, you're not a Source, you don't power me up and you don't actually like humans enough to do so. And that's fine," Gurkinn says, holding up his hand as if he thought Ash would interrupt him after the statement -which he doesn't. "You're just a perfectly different Aura user than what everyone is used to but that's got everything to do with how we've forgotten what the Kantonian Aura users were like. And yes, maybe we are teaching you things you're no good at but that's what schooling is for, to find your calling and at least give you an idea where your strengths and weaknesses lie."
"Do you think I'll be any good at healing?"
"Your tendency to destroy is limited so I believe so, yes. Maybe you will be more likely to heal pokémon than people and as you know, the more you practise, the better you get so naturally, you could grow a tendency to heal pokémon much faster than you will ever be inclined to heal humans. But I could be wrong in that."
"Gurkinn, if I can help where I can, I would love to heal, I can't believe that Riley would keep something like that from me, it's like the coolest thing ever," he says, hoping for all hopes that he will be able to heal people.
A part of him still doubts it, Ash can't imagine himself being able to play a supporter role in an accident, he's more likely to be in the middle of the mess creating it than by the side-lines but he thinks that will change, now that he's more helpless than before. If he falls underway, if his prosthesis fails, Ash feels like he's better off trailing behind and helping the fallen than meddling like he used to. But then he starts to doubt whether there will ever be someone so stupidly brave as him until he remembers what Korrina did.
"Good, good, I'll go call the one who's the best healer around, I myself don't excel in it but she can learn you the ropes and perhaps tell you a bit about the history of the healers too."
"Eh? Why the history of healers?"
"They were hunted a lot earlier, you may have heard about witch hunting?"
"… People are idiots."
"Have always been, don't break your head over it," the man chuckles and gently pats his shoulder. "Try and keep a clear mind, it'll make it easier to understand her."
"What's her name?"
"Leonie."
He nods and smiles, though he is still very worried for humanity as a whole. Who the hell would think it was a good idea to bury a Dragon-type? Pokémon or not, people will have seen that species adapt quickly, humans are an excellent example of that so why would they assume pokémon wouldn't do it? And of all creatures, why dragons? They're so adamant and enjoy hunting, why would they have chosen to give this kind of pokémon a reason to go after them? And the thing is, Ash wouldn't have wanted any type of pokémon to suffer through this and that's what makes it all a tad worse, to know he comes from a kind of people whose ancestors he absolutely despises.
The teen also realises that his mother's parents dropped their support for other reasons than her relationship with a known Aura user, it's possibly also the fact that they realised who her child could be. And he shudders at the idea that his close ancestors could still pose a bigger threat to these kind people living here than a Dark Aura user can. However, they're similar, Ash will never forget the small energy spots that signalled the leftover life of all these people. He cringes when he concentrates and feels the pure white energy approach, it's most likely the healer Gurkinn called for but the boy remembers he felt it near a whole lot of other spots. This lady perished while trying to help others, which tells him enough about what kind of a teacher she will be. She's going to rip his heart out, he already knows that, whether she wants it or not.
But when Leonie approaches and introduces herself, Ash feels himself calm down the instant she starts speaking. She's such a peaceful presence that he allows herself more than enough time to speak her mind and the way she's so convinced he'll be an excellent healer, that his pink Aura shows that he cares and boy, it makes him teary because how can all these people realise that when no one else does? And he can't blame it on Aura, Riley saw him as a monster, not a boy so… So why can this lady do that?
"How are you not intimidated?" he asks and that's apparently when the grey-haired and kind-faced woman sees the tears in his eyes.
"Why should I if you are already emotional because I introduced myself and my intentions?" she asks in return and Ash doesn't know how to explain it so he just shrugs.
She doesn't press on the matter, she sits down in front of him and tells him about the witch hunts and the pyres, how they were burnt at the stake or drowned. That she wouldn't have made it to the age she is today in the past and that the world has become a slightly better place. This opinion interests Ash, he watches her with interest and she notices that.
"What's your damage, then?" he asks. "Outside the witch hunt from the past that's clearly bothering you."
"… Nothing to do with my Aura, I assure you," she says. "There are just people you can't trust with anything and it's written all over their face and yet people are blind to it."
"Oof, you're sour about something."
"Yes, tomorrow, someone will come along. Gurkinn is excited about it but I'm not. I don't trust Lyssandre at all, I will not be showing. So, if you have questions afterwards, be sure to ask them today or wait for the day after tomorrow, I will not be here when Lyssandre is here," Leonie says and she actually has a magazine with her, she shows him a picture and the teen smiles.
"He kind of looks like a male Pyroar," he quips and he manages to draw a chuckle out of the bitter sounding woman.
"I would rather have my house full of actual male Pyroar than that one. I advise you to be careful, Ash."
"Mm-hm, I will. I don't have anywhere I can go but I'll be careful, I promise."
"Good boy," the woman says and she pats him on the shoulder. "Now, Gurkinn has told me of your full of life and vigour Aura, why don't you show me what he means?"
Ash does so, very happily and if he had a tail, it would be wagging vigorously, he's very pleased to be appreciated, if not complimented. And no, he doesn't get a big head, he's just glad he's not a monster.
"A monster?" Leonie asks and the teen looks at her in horror.
"… You can read minds?" he asks, hesitantly.
"You said it out loud, boy," she deadpans and Ash looks away, feeling a bit stupid. "You're not a monster, Ash. If you were, you would be the most patient, kind monster full of sympathy and I would not mind it nor would I actually call you a monster because you would be the shame over every monster out there. Look at yourself, you're sitting here, calmly listening to an old woman spouting nonsense about bigots."
"Yeah well, maybe I'm a special one."
"Or not one, at all," she persists. "You're just a boy with a very big Aura pool full of possibilities. So, instead of getting lost in your own lacking self-esteem, will you let me tap into those, to see if you have a hint of a chance of being a bit of a decent healer?"
"Go for it," he says and he thinks he will find himself lucky if he can heal as much as a simple blemish at the end of today.
There is, however, a distinct lack of injuries surrounding him, in fact, there's none so it's all theory he gets, though he does save some grass that got squashed earlier. And he makes a flower bloom so that's nice, or so Ash figures. When evening comes and he sees Gurkinn again, he gets a feeling like he's not going to like the man visiting tomorrow either but he's not going to rain on the older man's parade and even helps to hang some decorations. Apparently, there aren't many kids in Shalour and yeah, the people here definitely make use of his and Korrina's offer to help.
But the feeling of pending misery gets worse and Ash finds himself awake in the dead of night. Staring at the stars doesn't comfort him, nor does Pikachu's soft snoring. Ash finds himself thinking that he trusts Leonie's judgement about Lyssandre more than he does Gurkinn's, the man has admitted not being able to be a good judge of character, only going by the fact that he's heard of people before and in his case, Lance has told him he could trust him so yeah… But Lyssandre introduced himself, in fact, he invited himself too… exactly after he was told of there being a possible Life bringer in the town. Gurkinn actually wanted him to meet the man and seemed slightly disappointed when Ash refused. And now he's wondering if he was right doing so.
"You have a measure to check if he can be trusted or not, friend," Mewtwo says.
"Myeah but now I'm wondering if he has Aura."
"I do not think another Aura user would call another one a bigot. Those kinds of words, I feel, are reserved for the other people."
"I'll try and do it unnoticed, then."
"That would be for the best, your instinct is to be trusted, after all," the pokémon answers and goes to sit next to his legs, laying its head on top of his lap. "You seem comfortable calling us by our pokédex given names too."
"… You have other names?"
"No, as you may know, no one has stuck around any of us long enough to do so. You are the first."
"Do you want a nickname?"
"Not really, I would not want to distract from my powerful-"
"What about Mewmew?"
And despite it being pretty dark, Ash can imagine the look he's getting.
"How, on earth, did you come up with that."
"Two times Mew. Mewmew."
Mewtwo stays silent for a bit until he can hear it sighs.
"I suppose it makes sense. No one will be expecting me after hearing such a cute name either. In fact, it is a perfect strategy."
"I love you, Mewmew."
"… This will take some time getting used to."
"Take as long as you need," Ash says, as pleased as punch. "I wonder if anyone else wants a nickname."
"I would know you it is you calling no matter the name you call me, "Necrozma says but the teen can't help but feel it wouldn't have reacted if it wasn't interested.
"How about Kozzy?"
"As stated before, I do not care. But call me Kozzy if it brings you comfort."
"It does because no one is gonna know who the heck I'm talking about if I refer to either of you by your nickname."
"Sly," Mewtwo comments. "You did tell the teacher, though."
"Yeah, but he's promised me to keep it all a secret. If he talks, you can attack him."
"Is that so?" the pokémon asks and this time, it's its turn to sound sly.
"Don't sound too pleased, Gurkinn seems pretty good at keeping things a secret," Ash chuckles.
"Maybe he has gotten a bit too old. Keeping secrets is easy if one forgets about them."
"Not you too, Kozzy. He's nice."
"To you, yes. For now."
Ash just smiles and rubs Mewtwo's head for a little while, until the pokémon dozes off. With these creatures having his back, he feels like he's quite capably of standing up against a bully, if Lyssandre proves to be one. And Mewtwo's right, he does have the trick he can do with his hands as a backup, though he feels like he won't do it unless he feels threatened.
'We'll see about whether or not that's necessary when we get there,' he thinks and feels content with what he's achieved today.
A lot has happened and if Gurkinn is going to have him learn all the things Riley said he couldn't do, well, he'll be here for a good while. Good thing he's got an awful lot of time still and perhaps he can rest a bit like his friends keep telling him to do. Maybe he'll answer their messages too, now that he's calmed down a little. But that's all for tomorrow, right now, he'll try and get some sleep, to try and get ready for whatever poo storm tomorrow could possibly be.
End of chapter thirty