Welcome back everyone to the reunion chapter! Finally, after several chapters and close encounters, our boy Aaron finally meets people from his past. I actually wrote this chapter the day after I published the previous one. It all just "came" to me, and I did 99% of it in one day. Been looking forward to this one for a while, haha. I didn't post this chapter as soon as it was done though because I wanted to give it a few days for editing and such. Can't screw this one up :)
Anyway, see you at the bottom!
Sometimes it's easy to forget how much you miss people until you see them again
Colleen Hoover
Saturday morning
Aaron was never exactly a morning person. Sure, he could get up when he had something he needed to do, but any other day? Good luck. This Saturday morning, despite having to work at the restaurant, was one of those days where Aaron had to struggle to get up. He groaned at his alarm clocking ringing over and over again, having already pressed the "snooze" button twice, and his back cracked when he stretched on his bed. Despite sleeping for several hours, Aaron still felt like he hadn't rested at all.
He knew the reason. It was no secret anymore. His night was plagued with dreams of the adventures of his past. This time, almost all of his dreams seemed to be traveling through the region of Sinnoh with his friend Brock and a girl named Dawn. Brock was himself, like usual, but Dawn was someone he was unfamiliar with. She was feisty, to put it one way. But she was determined, funny, and caring. In his dreams, like a supernova explosion, Aaron felt a wave of emotions when he saw himself giving Dawn a high five. Dawn was someone he seemed to bond greatly with, and the journey through Sinnoh likely would not have been the same without her. He may not remember his entire journey through Sinnoh, but it looked like it was a great time. Unfortunately, his dreams remained as such: dreams. They were memories just playing in his head, and he didn't actually remember them. As Dr. Carter said, that would come with time.
His thoughts focused on what Dawn and Brock were up to during his absence, Aaron stood up from his bed with another stretch, and opened the blinds on his bedroom window to let some of the autumn morning sun in. What greeted him was a sliver of orange poking through a sky full of gray clouds, and snow lightly falling. Aaron smiled to himself. He always liked the snow. It reminded him of his time with Frank up in the mountains of eastern Kalos. Aaron looked at the snowfall for a few moments, remembering when Frank taught him how to forage for food in the winter, before taking a deep breath and walking to his kitchen.
Determined to start his day off right, despite his difficult time waking up, Aaron set about getting ready for work in a flash. He still had plenty of time to get to work, but still felt the need to get ready quickly. He felt like today was going to be a good day, and was determined to make it so. Opening up his balcony door, Aaron shivered at the chilly breeze that greeted him. Setting out the small bowl of Pokémon food for his fletchling, Aaron closed the door as quickly as he could. He didn't know where his bird Pokémon slept during the colder months, but he hoped it was somewhere warm.
After getting ready and making sure he was presentable in the mirror, Aaron set off on his walk to Restaurant Le Yeah. Deciding to wear his heavier jacket thanks to the cooler temperatures, Aaron found that he was sufficiently warm during his walk, despite the snow. Looking up at the gray sky for his fletchling, Aaron was disappointed when he didn't see it.
"Must be off doing bird-things." Aaron said with a shrug. He quickened his pace. Maybe if he got to the restaurant earlier than usual, he could get started on his tasks quicker. Chuckling to himself, Aaron narrowed his eyes and broke out into a jog. Today was going to be a good day, and then tomorrow, Aaron was going to go see his friends at Prism Tower! The thought made him nervous, but also excited. While he was disappointed that he couldn't see Brock and Misty, as he knew they likely had left Kalos already, he was certain that he would see them again. Once he reclaimed his memory, of course.
Turning around a corner and dodging a few people that he almost ran into, Aaron quickly saw Restaurant Le Yeah's sign getting closer. Breathing a little heavy from his jog, Aaron did a quick stretch before he grabbed the door handle, a small smile on his face.
He pulled the door open, and what greeted him was absolute chaos.
Talia and George were both talking to each other animatedly, arguing about something, it seemed. Albern and Yannick were discussing something loudly in front of the kitchen door, and even poor Jack was running around, sweeping the floor and dusting off pictures on the wall. Everyone looked over at Aaron when the bell above the door rang, and Yannick quickly walked up to him.
"What's going on? Did I miss something?" Aaron asked just as Yannick got close enough.
Yannick straightened out his black suit, his eyes teeming with anxiety. "Aaron! Good thing you're here early! The Kalos Queen herself announced just a little bit ago that she's coming to the restaurant for lunch today!"
Oh.
Aaron sharply inhaled, and rubbed his hand behind his head, looking down at the ground. "She did?" He asked.
Yannick put his hand behind Aaron's shoulder and began to guide him towards Albern, who held a smug smirk. "Yes, yes! This place must be absolutely spotless and ready for when she gets here! We cannot screw this up! I want everyone to act their best today!"
"So much for seeing her tomorrow…" Aaron thought to himself just as he got up to Albern. "I guess it was going to happen eventually. Might as well make the best of the situation."
"Bet you weren't expecting that kind of news, were you Aaron?" Albern asked, his voice light and playful. "Believe me, we weren't either."
"Not every day does the Kalos Queen announce formal visits!" Yannick added, straightening his posture. "That's why this place must be perfect!" He looked over at Jack, who was staring at the floor during a pause in his cleaning. "That means you, Jack! Get back to work!"
Jack jumped at Yannick's booming voice and nodded quickly, resuming his dusting and cleaning of the walls.
"You think you'll be good today?" Al asked, worry creeping into his eyes. "Don't want you passing out when you meet your girlfriend today."
Aaron rolled his eyes, and briefly glanced at Talia, who was snickering and walking with George behind them to the kitchen. "Whatever Talia told you probably isn't true. Serena isn't my girlfriend. I can barely remember who she is."
Albern laughed. "Doesn't matter, lad. I saw the way you were looking at her back at the showcase. You can't hide this stuff from me."
Aaron groaned and shook his head. "Now you're against me too?"
"Contrary to what you think, I'm actually on your side." Al replied, and then he shrugged. "Still though. Can't have you passing out today. Whether or not she's your girlfriend, try to keep your head in check. I'm going to need a lot of help today with how busy this place is going to be." He clapped his hands together and lead Aaron back into the kitchen. "When the Kalos Queen calls, her people follow. Prepare for a busy day, Aaron."
Smiling to himself, Aaron went over to the sink and retrieved his chef's hat. "I look forward to it." He said with a determined gaze. Just as a precaution, he removed the plastic baggie from his pocket and immediately swallowed a few of the pills. He wasn't taking any chances. Today was going to be a good day. He was going to make it so.
Albern wasn't lying when he said it was going to be busy. Apparently, years of working in the kitchen prepared him for every type of situation, because he seemed to be the only one not stressed out of their mind when the restaurant opened. Yannick was power-walking miles around the restaurant, looking for things that could be improved upon. George and Talia were nearly overrun with customers within the first hour, but they were not deterred. Like Aaron, they seemed to have fiery determination to have a good day, no matter what. The Kalos Queen coming to the restaurant was undoubtedly good for business, and everyone wished to see the business succeed.
Jack, between washing dishes, was coming up with a list of pickup lines to use on Serena as soon as she entered the building. Aaron found this amusing, and would periodically go back and ask Jack how many he had come up with whenever he had the chance. George overheard Jack reciting one of his lines to Aaron once, and threatened that if Jack so much as left the dish room for a restroom break, he would punch him.
"I'm not about to be embarrassed by your lame pickup lines today of all days, Jack!" He yelled as he left the kitchen in a hurry, a platter of water glasses in his hands.
Aaron and Albern simply laughed, while Jack grumbled to himself, resuming his attempts to get grease off of a pan.
As for the two cooks, they were keeping up with the steady stream of customers. Aaron wasn't hungover like yesterday, and his determination to have a good day seemed to be influencing his work as well. He was speedy in everything he did, and Albern even remarked that if Aaron was like this every day, then he might make head chef in no time at all.
"In your dreams, Al." Aaron replied, chopping greens for a salad. "I could never replace you."
"We'll see about that. I'm old, and you're still young. I can't keep up with that kind of speed anymore!"
Time went on, and the customers kept coming. As the customers came, the cooks worked harder. Aaron was starting to break a serious sweat, and Albern had to stop for a minute to rest his weary arms. He complained of his back problems too, something that flared up whenever he worked extra hard. Aaron picked up some of the slack to make it a little easier for his friend, and the added stress only made his head hurt a little bit. He truly had made good progress, despite yesterday's episode. Everyone had their bad days, right?
Despite how busy it was, Talia and George had made one specific table off-limits, per Yannick's instructions. This table was the one closest to both the office and the kitchen, and was decorated with a fine white cloth and the best dinnerware that the restaurant had. Aaron would glance at the table every once in a while as he walked past the door, knowing that in a short period of time, it would be occupied by the person who it was reserved for. The table had two seats set out, which confused Aaron slightly. Serena was bringing a guest, it seemed. Aaron wondered who it was briefly, but didn't spend too much time on it. He had more important things to occupy his mind with, like the pile of orders in front of him.
"You know she's going to be here soon, right Aaron?" Albern asked as he and Aaron walked by each other, switching stations. They tried to divvy up the work whenever possible.
Aaron nodded, even though Al probably couldn't see him. He pulled at his collar, the heat from the continuous cooking in the kitchen beginning to get to him. "Yes, I know that."
"How do you feel about that?"
Aaron plated some chicken breast, added the final garnish, and thrusted two finished plates at George, who thanked him with a nod. "I'm okay, I think." He replied. "I've been telling myself that I was going to see her for a while now. I think my headaches are getting better. I mean, it hurts a little right now, but it's a lot better than it was in the past."
"Good." Al said with a smile, turning some pork over on its other side to cook. "Like I said earlier, I don't want you passing out again."
Aaron chuckled. "Will I ever live that down?"
"Probably not." Talia answered as she walked by to grab clean glasses from near Jack's dish room.
Jack peeked his head out of the dish room, likely to add his own two cents to the banter going on, but was interrupted by Yannick bursting into the kitchen.
"She's here!" He yelled over the noise, making everyone look over at him with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. As if by reflex, George and Talia straightened out their clothes, and Jack glanced at himself in a mirror to make sure he looked presentable, despite George's previous threat to stay away. Aaron, on the other hand, was frozen in place.
Albern seemed to know immediately what to do, as he likely discussed it with Yannick earlier. He patted Aaron on the shoulder and walked towards the kitchen door. "I've got to go meet her with Yannick, lad. You can handle this until I get back?"
Aaron briefly glanced at the mountain of orders to his side, but smiled and stuck his fist out, determination from earlier written all over his face. "You can count on me."
Yannick pointed his finger out and slid it across the kitchen, pointing at everyone. Everyone, that is, except for Jack, whom he conveniently didn't point at, much to his dismay. "Albern, as head chef, and I will meet her before she orders her food. After she is done eating, then you all may see her."
Jack opened his mouth to respond, but Yannick quickly silenced him with a wave of his hand. "No, not you, Jack. You're staying here."
Jack groaned and slinked back into the dish room, while everyone else laughed. With that, Aaron watched as Yannick and Albern, who had just finished washing up, exited the kitchen. George and Talia resumed their waitering duties, while Aaron had to continue cooking. As everyone left, Aaron was now alone in the kitchen, save for Jack in the dish room, whom Aaron could hear grumbling to himself as he worked.
He attempted to concentrate on his work, but he only succeeded in that for about four seconds before a storm of flashing lights shown in the window of the kitchen door. Unable to curb his curiosity, Aaron stopped what he was doing and walked over to the door. Taking a deep breath, Aaron prepared himself for what he was going to see, and peeked through the foggy window.
Standing at the entrance of the restaurant, surrounded by paparazzi and their flashing cameras, was the Kalos Queen herself. Aaron gasped upon seeing her, unable to believe his eyes. Yannick and Albern partially obstructed his view of her, as they were doing formal greetings it seemed, but they stepped out of the way to allow her to walk towards her reserved table just outside the kitchen door.
Aaron was unable to absorb all the information in front of him at once in such a short period of time. The seconds seemed to slow down as she walked closer and closer to her table. The first thing that went through his mind that he could understand amid his shock was that she looked beautiful. She wore a ruby red overcoat, which was promptly taken by someone in her entourage, and a light pink knee-length dress underneath. Her hair, which was a little below her shoulders, was the same color as Aaron remembered, and her azure blue eyes shone with her radiant smile. Aaron was nearly too distracted by her, when he came back to reality and saw who she was with too. Sitting on her shoulder was none other than the yellow mouse Pokémon from his past, Pikachu. He was blinking rapidly and covering his eyes, attempting to shield himself from the bright flashes that were nearly in his face. But it didn't stop there. Next to Pikachu, awkwardly waving at the cameras, was Clemont. He looked the same as when Aaron last saw him, but he was wearing newer-looking blue coveralls. It didn't have stains and dirt all over it like the last one, so he must have been hoping to appear cleaner when next to Serena.
Aaron would have continued staring, but the ever-increasing sound of sizzling behind him broke his trance, and he raced back to the stove to attempt to save his meal from burning. Laughing quietly to himself as soon as he realized what he had gotten himself into, Aaron saved the food just in time before it burnt, and he went back to fervently cooking.
"Is she out there?" Came Jack's voice as he poked his head out.
"Yeah, she is." Aaron replied, doing preparations for the next order as he was finishing up the one he was working on. "She's with my Pikachu and an old friend of mine, Clemont."
Jack grumbled to himself for a moment, saying things Aaron couldn't understand, before he peeked his head out again. "Is she pretty?"
"Unbelievably." Came Aaron's reply. He said it so fast that he surprised even himself. Shaking his head at his response, as if to mock himself, Aaron continued his cooking just as the door shot open and Albern raced off to the sink to wash his hands.
"Did I miss anything, Aaron?" He asked from across the kitchen.
"Nope! Just Jack lamenting the fact that he can't leave the dish room, is all!"
Al laughed. "Good. That's what I like to hear."
"You guys are always out to get me, I swear!" Jack said.
"Sometimes you deserve it, boy." Albern replied. He finished washing his hands, put a new apron on, and went over to help Aaron.
"Looks like you barely even worked on anything!" Albern said, peering over the line of orders.
"What did you expect?" Aaron replied, stirring some of the soup. "You were only gone a few minutes! I can't finish stuff that quickly!"
"I guess I figured with the speed you had earlier, that you'd be able to finish a few orders!"
"That's not how that works and you know it, Al" Aaron said, shaking his head.
Al did not reply, and they went back to work. Talia and George both appeared a few minutes later, looking very excited. George handed Al an order sheet that was carefully kept from bending in his hands. "This is the order for the table of the Kalos Queen and her guest." He said. "Yannick said to put it to the front of the list, and to start preparing it immediately."
Al looked down at the order with a smirk. "Perks of being famous, I guess. I expected nothing less." He squinted down at the paper though, as if re-reading something. "Does this say at the bottom here, "1 bottle of ketchup"?"
Aaron laughed as both Talia and George shrugged. "It's for the Pikachu, I guess." Was George's reply.
"Pikachu does love ketchup." Aaron said, grinning. "Good to see that hasn't changed."
"Is that your Pikachu out there, then?" George asked.
Aaron nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I recognized him as soon as I saw him. He used to sit on my shoulder like how he is to Serena's."
Talia shot him a smirk. "I see your nerves from yesterday have decided not to make themselves known today?"
"Oh no, trust me. I'm nervous." Aaron replied. "I just told myself that I would have a good day, and it seems to be working. Nothing can get me down! Plus, my headaches have been getting better. I'm only a little sore!"
"That's good to hear, Aaron." Al replied. He pointed at the station next to him. "Continue what I was doing while I work on this special order."
Aaron mock-saluted. "Will do!"
Everyone returned to work, just a little bit faster than before. The excitement within the restaurant was almost tangible. Aaron was churning out food faster than he ever had before, and Albern was talking to himself as he was finishing up the special order. Glancing over, Aaron had never seen Albern so concentrated on cooking and presentation in his entire career at the restaurant. He understood, though. Not every day does a middle-ranked restaurant get someone as important as the Kalos Queen as a guest. Albern was putting all of his considerable skill into his task.
When he was ready, Albern personally put the two plates on a platter and began heading for the door. Noticing that he had forgotten one of the most important parts of the meal, Aaron called out for him.
Smiling, he pointed at the pantry when Al turned around with a surprised look on his face. "You forgot Pikachu's ketchup."
Nodding once in understanding, Al put the platter down and went to grab their freshest bottle of unopened ketchup. Putting it on the platter, he wasted no time in walking out into the dining room to a storm of flashes from the cameras. Aaron attempted to get a peek out at the table again, but the door closed too quickly and he had work to do.
Albern appeared a few minutes later in the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. "I now know I could never be famous." He commented. "Too many cameras. I don't know how she does it."
"I think you get used to it." Aaron replied. Albern did not answer. Instead, he went back to work, attempting to continue with whatever Aaron was leaving him. They worked together like they had countless times before, shifting stations when needed and prepping and finishing meals when required; all without words. They had grown so accustomed to each other that they had no need for verbal communication. They only spoke when they felt like they needed to.
Time passed painfully quickly for Aaron. He was nervous for his meeting, which was whenever they were done with their food. After cooking a few meals, Aaron knew that the time was getting closer and closer with each passing second. Soon enough, while he was right about to plate up some more food for another order, Yannick entered the kitchen.
He sent his calm smile over at Aaron first. "Talia and George have already met them outside, and that leaves you, Aaron. She is waiting for you."
Gulping, Aaron stole a quick glance at Albern, who gave him a nod and smile of encouragement. Removing his hat slowly and walking over to the sink, Aaron washed his hands, attempting to keep his breathing steady. With a slightly shaky hand, he reached into his pocket and took out his bag. Swallowing a few pills just for good measure, he removed his apron, leaving just his white chef's jacket and his black work-pants.
Walking over to the door, Aaron tried and failed to keep his emotions under control. He knew what was about to happen. He was about to cross the threshold. The final barrier between his new life and his old one. Out that door were his friends, and for the first time in who knows how long, he was about to meet them. What would that bring? Who knows? There was only one way to find out.
Taking a deep breath and shaking himself to try and get the nerves out, Aaron walked up to Yannick, and gave him a short nod. Yannick bowed his head slightly, obviously somehow understanding the significance of this event. Albern must have told him at some point.
With a gentle push, Yannick pushed the door open. In a great show of mental fortitude, Aaron pushed past his slight headache and nervousness, and took that first step out into the dining room.
She gasped.
He gasped.
He gasped.
Aaron was frozen.
There were no camera flashes like with Albern, as Aaron was not some important local figure. Instead, there was total silence. The entire restaurant seemed to have quieted down to see who was emerging from the kitchen, and his reaction to seeing the Kalos Queen. What they got was Aaron staring, mouth gaping, at Serena, Clemont, and Pikachu.
Serena and Clemont's former casual smiles immediately fell when they locked eyes with Aaron. They looked like they couldn't believe what they were seeing, and Serena even looked mildly afraid. Her wild blue eyes shone with tears that she looked to be fighting, and Clemont adjusted his glasses, as if he was checking to see if what he was looking at was real. Aaron feared the worst. Perhaps he did leave them on a sour note. Perhaps they didn't really want to see him. Perhaps it was a mistake to reveal himself.
Aaron took one step backward, unable to stare at Serena's eyes any longer in the silence. Their reply was one that he, or perhaps anyone, did not see coming at all.
Serena and Clemont both shot out of their seats so fast that their chairs went flying backwards.
"ASH!" They both yelled in unison.
"PIKA-PI!" Pikachu yelled, joining the two humans. He had the advantage of being small, and jumped off Serena's shoulder onto the table with unbelievable speed, launching himself at Aaron.
Aaron was almost too shocked to respond in time. "Ash?" He repeated in his head, just as he reached his arms out to half-catch, half-prevent Pikachu from colliding with his face. "That's my real name?" Oddly enough, it felt right to him. Like finding something that had been lost for a really long time. "Aaron" was what he had used since Frank had named him, but "Ash" had a ring of truth behind it that was unlike anything Aaron had ever heard in a name before.
Aaron—no—Ash managed to catch Pikachu, who wasted no time in thrusting his face against Ash's, nuzzling up against him with the understandable force of one who hadn't seen his best friend in years. Ash only barely managed to stop himself from falling over because the force was so strong. In no time at all, Serena was sprinting up to him and grabbed him into a tight hug too, and then Clemont was there, wrapping his arms around everyone.
The cameras went wild.
"Ash?" George repeated, before immediately smacking his forehead in realization. "Ash!" He yelled out, looking at Talia and holding onto her shoulders. "Aaron is the person that Professor Sycamore has been looking for! I've heard that commercial on the radio every morning for a week now! I can't believe it!" He and Talia both broke out into fits of laughter, as everything started to piece together.
Briefly, Jack's voice could be heard complaining in the background. Ash didn't catch what he was saying, but it sounded like complaints that someone other than him was getting all of Serena's attention. The voice was quickly silenced though, as the sound of George chasing him off was immediately heard.
Ash didn't know what to think. Here he was, enveloped in a crushing hug by two of his friends, and his Pokémon. He didn't know what he expected when he took that first step out of the door, but he didn't expect to welcomed like this. Missed like this. It warmed his heart, honestly. He only wished he could remember everything.
"Ash…" Serena repeated into his jacket. Her iron grip on him tightened. She looked up at him, fear burned into her tearing-up eyes. "I missed you so much! I'm so sorry…"
Ash was confused, and it must have shown in the look he gave her, as she immediately followed it up with: "I'm sorry for what happened in the Winding Woods all those years ago."
Ash sent her another confused expression, but this time he found his voice. "What do you mean?"
It was Serena's turn to look puzzled now, her grin shrinking to a hesitant smile. She loosened her grip on Ash for a moment, backing up a few inches. "What do you mean "what do you mean"?" She asked. Pikachu and Clemont were both looking at him with confused expressions too now. "I know the saying is "Forgive and forget", but I—we—haven't seen you for four years, Ash! We didn't know if you were dead or not, and I—" She paused then, composing herself. "I thought I was the last person to see you alive. The guilt made me realize that I should have been there for you when you needed me, like how you were there for me when I needed you. So don't tell me that you've forgiven me so easily! I have years to make up for!"
Ash looked down at her and gave her the saddest smile he could make. Trying his best to snake one of his arms free, he hugged her a little tighter then. "Serena…I have no idea what you're talking about…" Before she could respond with more protests, he continued. "You see…I lost my memory four years ago. I had some bad head injury over by Snowbelle City, and I woke up in a cave high up in the mountains with no memory of anything that happened before that."
Every word seemed to be a knife in her heart. She stared up at him, eyes wide, and a look of horror on her face. When Ash finished talking, she was shocked for a few seconds. Several emotions ran across her face, before she threw herself back at him, hugging him tighter than before. Pikachu and Clemont both did the same, with the Pokémon snuggling hard into his left cheek.
"It's all my fault…" Serena said, muffled, into his jacket. She looked and sounded absolutely devastated, and that broke Ash's heart.
"I'm sure it's not." Ash replied. He ran his arms across her back in an attempt to calm her.
She did not remove her face from his chest. "No, it is! I-I yelled at you after you got mad at me and I threw those snowballs in your face, knocking you over!"
Ash could not help but chuckle, despite himself. "Serena…I know it wasn't snowballs that gave me amnesia. I do remember waking up in the cave, and let me tell you, my head hurt really bad. Like, really bad. Snowballs couldn't have done that."
"So you don't remember anything from before four years ago?" Clemont asked, looking like he was about cry himself.
"Actually, there's a therapist down the road who specializes in memory retrieval. I've been going there for a few weeks now, and I've started remembering some things. I've been making steady progress, according to my doctor."
"Do you remember us?" Serena asked. "Do you remember me?" She added, much quieter.
Ash sighed. "No, not really…" He said, looking away from everyone. He didn't want to see the looks on their faces when he said that. "I've been having dreams lately with you two in it, and I found out from Dr. Carter that those are memories replaying in my sleep of our adventures, but other than that, no. I don't "remember" you, you just seem familiar. It's really hard to explain. I'm sorry." He looked at Pikachu then. "I do remember pieces of our adventure before coming to Kalos, Pikachu. I remember all of Kanto and Johto now, and some bits of Sinnoh came back this morning. Other than that though, I'm just waiting for more memories to come back."
Pikachu recoiled away, and both Clemont and Serena looked unable to say anything. They all just stared at Ash in silence, likely processing this new information. Ash hated to imagine what was going through their heads. Obviously, they were overjoyed to see him again, but they immediately found out that he didn't remember them, and now their joy had turned to sorrow.
Ash was about to say more when Yannick awkwardly cleared his throat, directing everyone's attention over to him. "I know you have a heartfelt reunion going on here, but…" He looked hesitant. "Aaron—I mean—Ash, should get back to work. We have a very busy day ahead of us."
Ash looked down at Serena's face again, as it realistically was the only one he could see the entirety of. She looked heartbroken, and her eyes seemed to do all the talking for her. "Don't go" He read, looking into them for a moment.
He sighed, nuzzling his head back into Pikachu and squeezing his two friends. "I'm sorry guys. He's right. I still have a job to do. I do get off soon though, and I don't work tomorrow? There is plenty of time for catching up later. How does that sound?"
Reluctantly, Clemont and Serena both nodded and let go. They backed up a few steps, not taking their eyes off of Ash for even a second. Pikachu nuzzled Ash's face one last time, before hopping over back onto Serena's shoulder. Ash thought his shoulder felt oddly light now. He didn't realize how much he missed feeling his best friend next to him until he was gone. He wondered if that's what Pikachu felt when he disappeared all those years ago.
"I'll see you all after work, okay?"
Clemont nodded again. "Yeah, Ash. There's a park nearby. Meet us there?"
"Yes. I'll see you soon." Came Ash's reply. With that, he took one last look at Serena. She looked to be fighting back tears again, and was rapidly failing. Ash wanted to hug her again, but he knew that he couldn't. Not yet, at least. He gave Pikachu one last look and a small nod. Sighing, he waved, and turned around, heading back for the kitchen. Attempting to ignore the flash of cameras, Ash pushed the door open, not willing to turn around again and see the sad faces of all of his old friends.
The reunion was like one giant rollercoaster. At first, he was nervous. And then he was afraid because he thought they didn't want to see them. Then, he felt a joy he hadn't experienced in a long time when everyone was hugging him. Things felt right for the first time in all of Ash's short memory. That quickly turned into sadness when he saw how heartbroken they all were when he revealed that he didn't remember their adventures. Now, as Ash was walking into the kitchen, he felt determined once again. Determined to make it up to them somehow. He didn't know how he was going to do it, but he would certainly try. He didn't like seeing them so sad, and felt like he owed that to them at least. Especially after four years of being missing.
He had learned that his name was actually "Ash" instead of "Aaron". It would be weird for a while going by that name instead of "Aaron". But it was something he could get used to.
Ash walked over to his station and tapped Albern on the shoulder, attracting his attention. Al looked him once over, before returning to his cooking. "How did that go? You guys getting married?"
Ash chuckled. "No, Al. I'm not getting married. May have broken all of their hearts because I couldn't remember them though."
Al shrugged. "It'll come with time, Aaron. You all just have to be patient."
"That's what everyone keeps saying. I just hope it comes sooner rather than later."
"Everyone keeps saying it because its right." Al said as he adjusted the heat on the stove.
"Also, I found out something," Ash said, smiling. "I found out that my name is actually "Ash", not "Aaron"."
This made Al stop what he was doing to look over. "Really?" He asked, a little dumbfounded. "Huh. I guess that makes sense, now that I think about it. I have been hearing Professor Sycamore on the radio talk about an "Ash" character for days now. Didn't think it would be you though."
"George said that same thing. I really should start listening to the radio more."
"Hard to listen to the radio when you don't own one and walk to work every day, pal." Al replied. "I guess I'll have to remember to call you Ash from now on. Don't fault me for making a mistake though! You know I have a hard time remembering names!"
"Yeah, that's true." Ash said, before walking over to the sink and washing his hands. Despite Pokémon being an integral part of the world, people still didn't like their hair in their food. And with all the rubbing Pikachu was doing against Ash's body and face, he figured there must have been a lot of fur on him. Grabbing his hat and apron again once he declared himself sufficiently clean, Ash went back to work, eager for the day to end so that he could go and meet his friends again.
A few minutes later, Talia came back into the kitchen. She wiped a stray tear from her eye. "That was so sad, Aaron." She quickly looked surprised for a second. "Ash, I mean. Sorry. Still gotta get used to that."
Ash shrugged. "It's okay. I have to get used to it too." He looked down at the ground. "I hope I remember everything soon though. I don't want to disappoint people like that again."
"I'm sure it'll all be worth it in the end." She replied. Ash then saw a small twinkle in her eye. She nudged his arm playfully. "I saw Serena hug you though, and I saw how you two were looking at each other. You totally had a thing for her at one point. Prepare to finally admit that I was right!"
Ash groaned, turning away. "I'm not preparing for anything other than this food I have to cook. So give up on that quest, Talia!"
"We'll see." She replied. "Once it does happen though, know that I support you." She looked down shyly, avoiding Ash's gaze. "It may sound weird coming from me, but…I only wanted to see you happy. And if she can make you happy, then I support it."
"Talia, please." Ash replied, unable to stop his chuckle. "Like I said, I don't know anything yet."
"You're so dense." Talia replied, laughing. "Get with the program, man! Everyone can see it but you!"
"I can't see anything." Came Jack's quick reply from the dish room. "I actually think she hates him!"
"Shut up Jack." Ash said, shaking his head with a smile.
The remainder of the day passed quickly, thankfully. Ash was kept very busy keeping up with orders, and thankfully, it seemed to slow down once time went on. Business became a lot more manageable once Serena left. Their meeting gave him conflicting feelings. The "odd" feeling in his chest whenever he thought of her was still there, if not stronger this time. Ash didn't know what to make of it. Without a doubt though, he did know that he never wanted to see her look so heartbroken ever again. He didn't know how he was going to make it up to her, but he knew that he was going to at least try. As for Clemont, he seemed to be a much more rational and logical kind of person, if Ash's dreams were anything to go by. So, he likely knew the ins and outs of amnesia. He was probably calming down Serena at the moment anyway.
Pikachu's devastated face when he found out Ash didn't remember most of their adventures was what got him the most. He remembered how fond he was of the mouse Pokémon, and he hoped that he would find it in him to forgive his trainer for all those years where he was missing. If he remembered Pikachu correctly, then he knew their friendship was not damaged in the slightest. But a lot could happen in four years, and even more could happen in the years that Ash didn't remember. Who knew how he would accept him now?
Either way, as the crowds cleared out and the kitchen was cleaned, Ash was still just as determined as he was when he started his day. He was determined now to make up for the time he had lost, in addition to having that good day he promised himself. Finally, everything was cleaned, and Ash made a break for the door. As he turned the corner out of the restaurant, he broke into a run towards the park. He couldn't contain his own excitement, all the nerves from earlier gone in a heartbeat. He had friends at the park who were waiting for him. And they had waited long enough..
And that's that. Finally, the reunion occurred. Unlike the last chapter, I'm actually pleased with how this went. It wasn't perfect, but I think that I did it well. This chapter was a bit shorter too, since instead of taking place over the entire day, this is only half of the day. The other half of the day will be next chapter.
So, Aaron is now Ash. I'll be honest that the transition of referring to him as "Ash" instead of "Aaron" was a bit difficult at first. I've been calling him "Aaron" for so long now, that I have to get used to calling him "Ash" again. He will henceforth be called Ash for the rest of the story now, I believe. How will his park meeting go? When will he get his memories back? What will his friends think of the life he's made for himself? Where's Bonnie? What will happen to him and Serena? Who knows? Well, I do. But who knows? All these questions will be answered in time.
Thanks to everyone who has made it this far! And a special thanks to those who have reviewed/favorited/followed. Means a lot to me. See you next chapter!
Twilly