Welcome back everyone! Didn't take nearly as long as last time, thankfully. This was probably the longest one yet, although it did that weird "word addition" thing again. I added a few sentences to the document and then the website said that around 800 words were added. Not sure how that works as I definitely didn't add 800 words, but could be worse, I guess. Anyway, let's head on! See you at the bottom!
Time doesn't take away from friendship, nor does separation
Tennessee Williams
"And then I ran into her yesterday while I was doing my daily run, and you wouldn't believe how impressed she was with me!"
"Really…" Ash answered absentmindedly. He tossed the salad he was preparing and dumped it into several bowls lined up on the counter. Jack had spent the past 8 minutes and 34 seconds ranting about his several alleged run-ins with Serena over the weekend. Ash certainly wasn't counting the seconds though. Not at all.
Jack crossed his arms smugly. "Yeah, you'd better give up whatever charade you have with her, Ash. She was practically all over me, man. You should have seen it."
"I'm sure she was." Ash agreed, rolling his eyes. Albern caught the gesture just as he was walking by and laughed.
"Was this encounter with the Kalos Queen before or after you got signed for the million-dollar record deal to make music for Kalos Radio?" Albern teased, tapping Ash on the back as he walked by again, this time with two bottles of oil in his free hand.
Jack scoffed and was about to reply, but Ash beat him to it. "I believe it was after, Al. He did say that she was really impressed by his skill just a few minutes ago. The record deal must have been included in that, right Jack?"
"I mean, I think that she was—"
"Oh, and don't forget all the hugs she gave him when she came to the restaurant!" Al loudly added, making Ash chuckle. Jack, meanwhile, angrily crossed his arms. "She was practically all over you then, and not distracted by a certain black-haired cook whose name starts with an "A"".
Jack turned his nose up in the air and tapped his foot. "I don't know what you two are talking about."
"Get back to washing dishes, Jack." Al scolded, his jolly face disappearing in an instant as he pointed to the dish room dramatically. "Bother Aar—I mean, Ash—another time. We have work to do."
Jack sighed and looked like he wanted to protest but was interrupted by Yannick walking into the kitchen in his usual black suit, accompanied by Talia and George. The two waiters looked a bit tired, but otherwise in good spirits. They sent Ash a smirk once they made eye-contact. They had been teasing him all day about the "leaked" celebrity pictures of the Kalos Queen out on a "date" with the recently found Ash Ketchum, just as he predicted would happen.
"Yes, Albern, there is a lot of work to be done." Yannick said as everyone formed a circle around him. He straightened his tie. "But I've gathered everyone here for a brief discussion, so stop slinking away, Jack!" He yelled out, sending a glare at the dishwasher who was trying to sneak away. Jack stopped and took his place next to Albern and Ash, standing between them.
Yannick cleared his throat. "I just wanted to say that you all have been performing excellently over the past few months, with some exceptions here and there, of course." He sent a glance over at Ash, who got elbowed by Albern and they both snickered.
"Business today has been exploding since the Kalos Queen's visit, as we predicted would happen, but you all have risen to the challenge and done your duty. As a thanks for your past work and for your future labor, I'll be adding a bonus to your next paycheck." He paused for a moment then, allowing everyone to high-five and cheer, before he continued. "The Kalos Queen has helped us out tremendously, and if my predictions are correct, then we will continue to ride the wave of her visit for quite some time."
"That's just who she is." Ash added, his hands gesturing as everyone looked over at him. "Serena helps people out no matter how small the deed. She's got a kind heart, and I'm willing to bet that she made her visit here "official" on purpose to help out the company."
Ash felt Talia stare at him, and when he looked over at her, she was nudging George, whispering to him, and pointing at Ash with a smirk. He shook his head at her, causing the two waiters to laugh quietly.
"You're probably right, Ash." Yannick replied. "Although judging by the things I've heard from Talia and George, that statement was likely influenced by the past few days you spent with her, hm?"
"Yeah, probably." Ash admitted, rubbing behind his head. He stopped abruptly then as he registered what his boss had said. "Wait, what did they tell you?"
"Likely something all of us know to be true except for you and Jack, of course." Albern added. He turned his head towards Ash and leaned to the side. "I've been meaning to ask you but I haven't had the chance: What are you going to do once you regain your memory?"
Ash put his hand on his chin and thought for a moment. After a few seconds of internal deliberation, he shrugged. "I don't know, Al. I guess I'll figure that out when the time comes."
Al laughed and walked over, patting him on the back. "That sounds like something you would do, lad. I would have been worried if you gave me a direct answer."
"Well, with every day I've been discovering more and more about my previous life!" Ash said, smiling at the teasing looks everyone was now giving him. "I haven't thought much about it because right now it doesn't really matter to me. I've been "Aaron the Restaurant Worker" for three years, and even though I found out I'm actually "Ash the Pokémon Trainer", that doesn't change the fact that I've been living this life for years. I don't really know what I'll do when I regain my memory. I'll figure that out once it finally does happen."
"Who would have thought that us basically forcing you to go to a showcase as a way to cheer you up is what made this whole situation really start to snowball." George joked, smiling over at Ash. "I mean, you started therapy before that, but I think the showcase is really what started to get everything rolling along."
"That is still one of the worst pains I've ever had in my life." Ash said, rubbing his head from the memory of that night.
"Who would have thought that we were working with "Ash Ketchum" too?" Talia added, crossing her arms with a smug grin. "I looked you up in the trainer database. You defeated a Darkrai with a Sceptile. That's pretty cool, Ash."
"Honestly, I didn't even know that I did that." Ash replied awkwardly. "There's still a lot that I need to remember."
Talia shrugged. "Check out the trainer database sometime. They've got videos of past league tournaments from every region, and I saw you in several of them when I looked yesterday."
"Yeah, I'll have to do that."
Yannick clapped his hands loudly, attracting everyone's attention back to him. "Well, that's all I had to say. Everyone can get back to work now. We've got customers to serve!" With that, the group started to separate. Ash was right about to turn away and head back to his station, but was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Yannick giving him a sad look.
"Ash, come to my office after work today. I've got something I'd like to discuss with you."
Ash nodded without a second thought. "Will do."
Yannick turned and walked out of the kitchen doors, and Jack gave Ash a sly smile. "Somebody's gonna get in trouble…" He teased.
Ash rolled his eyes again. "You wish."
While he didn't know if he was going to get in trouble or not, the prospect of meeting with Yannick privately still confused Ash. Yannick often met with Albern after the restaurant closed and they discussed business strategies, inventory, and planned out the daily specials for the next week. Either they weren't having their daily meeting, or Ash was invited to it this time? If the latter was true, then that was a sure sign of Ash moving up in the culinary world.
The rest of the work day passed in no time at all. In the blink of an eye, Ash and Albern worked through the day, cooking meal after meal, and laughing together whenever they got the chance. Jack stopped his belligerent teasing too, and Al actually let him out of the dish room every once in a while as a reward. The three men were assaulted occasionally by the best friends, Talia and George, whenever they came in with an order or to retrieve dinnerware. They often teamed up against the cooks, looking for ways to sabotage their work in small ways just enough to irritate them but not enough to affect productivity. It was a game of cat and mouse that they played every day during the week, and for some reason, this day was more fun than usual. Everyone was in a good mood, and Ash was in good spirits.
As they were cleaning up the kitchen, Yannick came through the door and beckoned for Ash to follow him. Looking back at Al to see if he was coming, all Ash got was a small wave before the chef went back to cleaning the stovetop. He actually looked a little sad too, which immediately made Ash's nerves sharply increase. Now worried about what the conversation with Yannick was going to be, Ash took a deep breath and followed his boss out of the kitchen and into his office.
He had only been in Yannick's office a few times. He never really had a reason to go into the office, as whenever he needed something important, Al was the person he always went to. Now sitting in the chair across from Yannick's desk, Ash waited nervously for the suited man to finish ruffling through papers on his desk and begin whatever conversation they were going to have.
After several moments, Yannick cleared his throat loudly. It was something he always did whenever he wanted to say something important. "So, Ash. Have you liked working here?" He asked, clasping his hands together on the desk and sending him an unreadable stare.
Ash met Yannick's stare with one of his own, despite his desire to look away awkwardly. "Yeah! I mean, I've always liked working here, and I can't imagine how I would have spent the past few years if I hadn't come to Restaurant Le Yeah."
Yannick nodded, and processed this info for a moment before he continued. "I can tell you get along well with everyone else that works here. Is that true?"
Now confused by Yannick's questions, Ash did choose to look away this time, and glanced at the stack of papers on the desk. "They're like family to me. Since I couldn't remember my past prior to relatively recently, Albern, Talia, George, and even Jack have become like my new family."
Yannick nodded again and straightened his back. "And now that you've started remembering things from your past, how do you feel about rediscovering people that you used to know, like that blonde guy, and the Kalos Queen?"
"Oh, you mean Clemont?' Ash asked. Yannick nodded, and Ash chuckled to himself. "It's been weird rediscovering them, but I've found out that I really like them too. Despite the fact that I can't really remember them, they've accepted me for who I've become anyway, and I can tell they support me, no matter what."
Yannick smirked now. It was an odd gesture for him, since Ash didn't interact with him very much. "And the Kalos Queen, Serena Yvonne. You feel close to her too, don't you?"
Ash felt a light blush spreading up to his face, and Yannick must have noticed it, judging by the smile growing on his own. He rubbed under his nose. "Yeah, I think so. It's still pretty confusing. I don't know what went on between us before I lost my memory, but I think I'd like to get to know her more."
Ash furrowed his brow then and leaned forward. The nervousness and confusion as to why they were discussing these topics filled him, and he needed an answer. "Why do you want to know these things though?"
Yannick reached into his desk wordlessly and pulled out a binder. Opening the binder, he grabbed a pen and began writing on a piece of paper that was on the top. Ash leaned forward slightly to see if he could read what his boss was writing, but gave up when he couldn't and leaned back in his chair. After several seconds, Yannick put the pen down and creased the paper. Now Ash could see that it was a check as Yannick ripped the paper along the crease he had made.
Yannick held the check out to Ash, a small smile on his face. "This is for you."
Ash gingerly took the check from his boss's hand and looked down at it. When he saw the number written on the check though, his eyes almost bulged out of his head.
"$7000!?" Ash yelled, looking up at Yannick's smiling face from across the desk. "Why are you giving me this? I can't accept something like this!"
"Ash," He started before raising his finger. "Three years ago, I hired you in here as a dishwasher under the name of "Aaron", and you were someone that couldn't even tell me if you had any previous work history. I know now why you seemed so mysterious and unwilling to talk about your past, but I took a risk on you and hired you in." His smile grew, and he leaned back in his chair. "That turned out to be one of the best decisions I could have possibly made."
"You proved yourself quickly." He continued. "Soon enough, Albern took a personal liking to you and requested that I made you his assistant chef. I agreed, on the condition that if it didn't work out, he owed me a few drinks and a nice meal." He laughed loudly then, and Ash found himself joining him. In the three years he had been at Restaurant Le Yeah, he had never seen this side of Yannick before. The suited man was always focused on business, and Ash always thought he saw him as that: a business-only man.
"Once again, your passion for work surprised me, and you quickly learned everything Albern had to teach you. You grew close with Talia, and I watched you two develop your relationship." He grew a little awkward then, shifting his gaze down to the desk and clearing his throat. "Well, we all know how that worked out, but that's beside the point. All of my workers, including you, grew into a small family. I've known Albern since we were teenagers, and I've never seen him happier than when he was in the kitchen with you. Even if Jack drove him up a wall, and he got irritated with Talia and George going out of their way to write as small as possible on the order sheets."
Yannick took a deep breath then. "You're probably wondering why I'm telling you all of this, since we haven't really spoken much before."
"Yeah, kind of." Ash said, the check still in his hand. He was barely holding it from the edges, like it was dangerous to hold that much money on a flimsy piece of paper.
"While we haven't spoken much before, I wanted to let you know that I do care for the well-being of all of my workers." He paused then, and looked to be pondering something briefly. "You, Ash, have been one of the best workers I've ever had, and I've owned this restaurant for probably three decades now. I know Albern would agree with me if I said that you could have a bright future at this restaurant, and perhaps even Restaurant Le Wow if you set your mind to it. You have the passion, will, and attitude for great success. But I don't think your future is here."
"What?" Ash straightened up his posture. He wasn't sure if he heard his boss's words correctly or if he just didn't understand. "What do you mean?"
"I know that your memory is starting to come back, Ash. And I know that all of us here have looked up your name and seen the remarkable things that you've done." He waved his hands in the air lightly. "Your memory is coming back, you may be developing a new relationship with Serena, and you were a very talented Pokémon trainer at such a young age. Your destiny is calling your name again, Ash, and I don't think your destiny is to be a chef at a restaurant. I think your destiny lies in the next World Coronation Tournament in the future. I think your destiny lies in your old life, with your old friends."
"Are you…firing me…?"
At this, Yannick shook his head. "No, I'm not. I'm simply giving you the chance to go and do bigger and better things than live in an apartment in Lumiose City." He pointed at the check still sitting in Ash's nervous hands. "If you decide to go, that check should help you break your lease and maybe even pay for a plane ticket out of Kalos, depending on how much is left over. If not, it'll certainly help." His graying face grew a sincere smile then; more genuine than Ash had ever seen on the man, and he was stunned from it. "I'm not going to force you to go, Ash. But if you decide to leave and pursue your destiny, never forget your family at Restaurant Le Yeah. We'll certainly never forget you."
"Um…"
Truthfully, Ash didn't know how to respond. His throat suddenly became dry and he swallowed what little saliva was in his mouth to try and ease it. The weight of the check in his hand seemed to increase tenfold and he found that he was almost unable to respond. He had to think for a few moments to make sure that this moment was even real, and took a deep breath when he confirmed that it was. Yannick truly was giving him the chance to go and reclaim his old life.
That offer meant many things. Going to see all of his other friends and mom with no strings attached to a job to work and an apartment to pay for was one of them. He'd likely go back to traveling the world, capturing Pokémon and participating in leagues like he used to, and make many more memories than he could possibly imagine. He'd reconnect with his unknown past, and meet all of the amazing people that Clemont and Serena claimed he'd had in his life.
But what of his current family? The coworkers he had at Restaurant Le Yeah? For almost all the time he was an amnesiac, they were his family. They supported him, and they were the ones that made him laugh. He went to the bar with them, teased Jack with them, and dealt with busy workdays with them. Together. Even though his old life was calling the name "Ash", his new life was still loud in his ear, calling for "Aaron" to stay. Ash didn't really know what to do.
"You don't have to make a decision now." Yannick said, breaking Ash's nervous inner monologue. He pointed at the door and Ash turned to see Albern standing in the doorway. "The check won't expire, and you can stay if you want. I just wanted to let you know that the offer is there."
A few seconds of silence passed with Ash silently staring at Yannick, eyes wide. The clock ticked on the wall, and nobody made a move.
"I take it that went well?" Al said, jolting Ash's attention back to his friend standing in the doorway, a curious glint noticeable in his eyes.
Ash folded the check, broken from his shock, and stuffed it into his pocket. "You could say that." He replied before standing up. "You two ready to have your meeting?"
"You bet." Al said, walking into the office. "Just because Yannick is trying to drive you away doesn't mean that business here stops at Restaurant Le Yeah. We still have work to do."
Ash rubbed behind his head and turned back towards Yannick. The old man had a nostalgic smile on his face. "I'll leave you two alone, then." Ash said, and he took a few steps towards the door. Before he exited the room, he turned and faced the two men who were still staring at him. "I'll think about the offer, Yannick. I'll, uh, let you know soon. Don't want to keep everyone waiting too long."
"Thanks, Ash. You may go now. Albern and I have dinner plans after we're done here."
Ash cracked a smile and he waved. "See you later!" He said, before closing the door behind him. Talia and George must have already left, and Ash could hear Jack singing heavily off-key back in the dish room as he finished up his own duties. Looking down at his phone to see the time as he was leaving the restaurant, the bell above the door dinging as he closed it, he saw that he still had enough time to run home to change clothes before his meeting with Dr. Carter. It was Monday, after all.
So much had happened since his last visit that he felt like it had been weeks since he saw his therapist. In many ways, a lot had happened. He met with his old friends, realized he may have some confusing feelings for Serena Yvonne, and just got an offer from his boss to quit and return to being a Pokémon trainer, all within the course of three days. It was Monday, and his last visit to Dr. Carter was only on Friday.
Ash put a hand on his head as he realized that his life nearly completely turned over in the matter of a weekend. Truthfully, his life turned over the minute he decided to go and see Dr. Carter and he started remembering pieces of his old life. It was hard to imagine that 6 months ago, he was blissfully unaware of who he was, and didn't really care about figuring it out. The world certainly worked in mysterious ways.
He tightened his jacket around himself and continued his walk home to change. It was a cold day again, which by this point was probably going to be the norm for a few months. Fletchling was flying overhead and Ash waved to it. It acknowledged him with a glance but nothing more. Like usual. Ash chuckled to himself and turned a corner.
The walk home was surprisingly eventful. A few people stopped walking and whispered to each other when they saw Ash, but that was something that he had seen happening more and more. His story of him going missing and then turning up, according to the newspapers, "In the arms of the Kalos Queen in Lumiose", was all over the region. When the news of his amnesia came out, likely recorded by reporters who heard him explain it at the restaurant, the story became even more interesting to the public. Now he couldn't go anywhere without people staring at him.
A teenager asked Ash for his autograph during his walk home, stating that she watched him in the Unova league several years before, and she loved watching his Krookodile when it defeated Sawk. Ash didn't remember this, but trusted the girl's word and signed her hat, which looked remarkably like his.
After no more interactions but a lot more whispering and staring, Ash arrived home and changed out of his work clothes, making sure not to forget to leave the check in his apartment so he didn't lose it. This time though, he was able to add his old hat to his wardrobe, and put it on eagerly. He didn't quite know why, but his hat felt like it completed him as a person. He wasn't allowed to wear it at work, but knew that every time he wasn't in Restaurant Le Yeah, he would be wearing it. Exiting the apartment, he began his walk back towards the direction of the restaurant, this time taking a few extra turns to get to Dr. Carter's office.
He walked into the building, adjusting the brim of his hat. The usual receptionist, who had by this point become quite familiar to him, noticed his slightly changed attire, and waved at him. Ash waved back and took his seat. The receptionist nodded and signed his arrival, and they both waited for Dr. Carter to emerge from the door.
After a bit longer of a wait than usual, Dr. Carter opened the door and took a few steps out. She too noticed Ash's hat, and grinned. She beckoned him into her office as he stood. "Come in, Ash…" She said.
Ash shook his head, immediately knowing that the media had done half of the work for him in revealing his story to Dr. Carter. He waved to Alakazam, who raised a spoon at him in response, and took a seat. Dr. Carter walked over to her desk, grabbed a water bottle, and took her own seat across from Ash.
"So," She began, a sly smile on her face. "Got anything to tell me?"
"A lot, actually. Although I think you know most of it judging by the fact that you called me by my real name."
Dr. Carter clicked her pen and circled something on her clipboard, a smile plastered on her face. "Ash Ketchum is your name, as you know. I don't really have time to watch tv, with my work and hobbies and such, but the one day I chose to do so is the day I see your reunion with the gym leader Clemont and the Kalos Queen all over the news. I then found out after a little searching that you're Ash Ketchum, the Pokémon Trainer who went missing four years ago." She smirked then, looking down at her water bottle. "I remember when you went missing. It was the top story in the news for weeks. The entire world was talking about you though instead of just Kalos. I never would have expected to be seeing you four years later for memory loss."
"Yeah, it's hard to believe." Ash said, adjusting his seat. "I've found out a lot over the past few days. I talked with Brock and Misty, my old friends I remembered from Kanto, and heard my story in Kalos from Serena and Clemont. And, to top it all off, I reunited with Pikachu, my best buddy."
"And how have the headaches been?"
Ash shrugged. "They come and go. Nothing too bad. You won't believe how thankful I am for that."
"I bet not." She replied. She crossed her legs and petted Alakazam. "I also bet that this weekend has been life-changing for you. Literally."
Ash laughed. "Yeah, you could say that again! I was actually just offered a check of money from my boss at Restaurant Le Yeah to help cover the costs of leaving my apartment and a plane ticket out of Kalos if I decided to return to my old life."
Dr. Carter raised an eyebrow and wrote something quickly on her clipboard. "Oh really? That's very generous of him."
"Yeah, it was. I wasn't expecting it."
"What are you going to do about that? You going to take the offer?"
"I'm, uh, not sure." Ash said, looking down at the floor. "I mean, I want to. The prospect of traveling the world with my friends again is awesome! But, I don't know if I can give up the family I have at Restaurant Le Yeah so easily."
Dr. Carter wrote a few words on her clipboard. "I understand. You feel attached to those you've grown close to in the absence of your old friends in your life. That is perfectly reasonable."
"What would you do?"
The doctor's eyes widened in surprise then, and chuckled to herself, looking down at the floor as well. "I'm not sure either. It's definitely a tough decision to make." She leaned forward, returning her eyes to Ash. "You'll just have to think on where you see yourself in the future, and who you're with."
"Serena and Clemont told me that my dream before I lost my memory was to become a Pokémon Master. How can I do that though if I don't remember anything from before I lost my memory?"
"I'm sure your memory will return soon, Ash. Judging by how you're acting now and the decrease in headaches, you're exhibiting the signs of someone who is on the precipice of having everything returned to them. Be prepared for another hurdle or two though. You're not out of the storm yet."
"So, I'm just supposed to wait to decide until I get my memory back?" Ash responded, utterly confused. "Who knows when that'll happen though?"
"That's true, Ash, but that's not what I'm asking. What I'm saying is to think on the two paths laid before you. One of them is your true calling. That doesn't mean the other is wrong! No, just that whatever you choose, I know you'll do great in. From what I've heard about you at the restaurant and your great Pokémon training career, you'll do amazing no matter what you choose. You just have that aura about you, understand?"
Ash nodded, looking away again. "Yeah, I guess. I'll just have to see which path is calling me more."
"May I ask too about how you lost your memory?" Dr. Carter asked, writing some more on her clipboard. "I assume you know why now, since you reunited with your old friends?"
"I know most of it, I guess." Ash replied, looking back at the woman across from him. "I lost a battle pretty badly against Wulfric the gym leader in Snowbelle City."
"I've met him a few times. Nice man." Dr. Carter interrupted. "I've camped in that woods nearby. It's beautiful up there."
"That's actually where I lost my memory, I think." Ash continued, making Dr. Carter's smile drop. "Serena said that I ran off into those woods to be by myself, and she came running after me. We got into an argument and she left pretty upset, apparently. That was the last time anyone saw me, and I woke up in Frank's cave up in the mountain an unknown period of time later."
"Ah." Dr. Carter said. "So there are still pieces of the puzzle to be found out. At least you have some of the story now."
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I now have a reason as to why I over by Snowbelle."
Dr. Carter hummed and wrote a few sentences on her clipboard. When she was done, she glanced up at Ash. "And, that adds credence to my theory that Serena has something to do with your memory loss."
Ash gasped, eyes wide. "How?"
"She was the last person to see you, you said." She shrugged. "If that's true, then she may not have anything to do with you losing your memory directly, but she likely has something to do with it in other ways."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, your headaches have diminished after getting more memories back and spending time around her, right?"
"Yeah, they have. But what does that have to do with this?"
Dr. Carter tapped her pen on her clipboard. Alakazam looked to be deep in thought. "You said that you and her argued and she left pretty upset, right?" Ash nodded and she continued. "I'm going to assume that not much time passed between her getting upset and you losing your memory. Now, I've suspected in the past, and I'm not the only one to do so from what you've said, that you had unrealized feelings for Serena while you two traveled together."
"I'm not sure—"
Dr. Carter raised her hand and laughed. "Wait a second, Ash. It's the only thing that fits the bill from what you've described to me over our visits. Whether or not it's still true doesn't matter." She adjusted her seating on the chair and leaned back. "Your memory loss likely came from a traumatic head injury, judging by the description you gave of when you first awoke in Frank's cave. I'm just going to assume again now, but often times, right before people are about to die, the last thing they see is the face of those they love, right?"
"I guess so…" Ash said, feeling his face turning red. He thought he was beginning to see where this was going.
Dr. Carter's smirk slowly grew then. "So, with that in mind, I'm going to assume that the last thing you saw before you blacked out was Serena's face. But!" She exclaimed, looking quite proud of herself as she straightened up suddenly. "You didn't die. You were saved. But not without consequence. You lost your memory. You lived for years unaware of who you were, and once you decided to come and visit me, Alakazam's powers aggravated the mental injury that you already had in your head."
"I thought I did but, I'm…not sure I'm following what you're saying." Ash said, dumbfounded. He stared blankly as Dr. Carter was attempting her explanation.
Her smile did not diminish though. She took a deep breath and tried again. "You felt a lot of negative emotion right before you lost your memory, Ash. Likely guilt, shame, frustration, and anger. What else could you have felt? I'm not sure. This is all conjecture. But your mind may have associated all of that with Serena, whether or not you meant to. Alakazam's mental prodding may have brought all of those negative emotions to the forefront of your mind, making you experience them physically." She shrugged then. "Honestly, we don't know the full extent of what happens when Alakazam enters your mind. These treatments are partly experimental."
Ash looked at her with a shocked face, and the doctor chuckled and shrugged again.
"It said so plainly on the papers you signed when you first came here. Nobody ever reads those though, so that's fine. Anyway," She pointed up in the air and continued. "Alakazam's treatments may have brought all of those negative emotions forward and amplified them. So whenever you saw or thought about Serena, this person from your past and the center of those emotions, it manifested itself in physical pain! This resulted in everything from your past giving you headaches, but especially her!" She took a deep breath and gave Ash an expectant look. Alakazam looked proud of himself, but not as much as Dr. Carter did. "Make sense?"
"Um…" Ash looked away briefly, his head reeling in a spiderweb of theories and questions. "I feel like I just attended a lecture."
Dr. Carter finally leaned back in her seat and took a drink of water. "Sometimes it's supposed to feel like that, Ash. This theory of mine also explains why your headaches have gotten better over time. You've been spending time around Serena. You've been spending time around the source of your headaches, and getting used to it." She slyly smirked then. "And maybe even feeling a little more, judging by the newspaper photos of you two arm-in-arm over the weekend."
Ash then did finally feel his face turn red, the heat rising to his cheeks full-force. "That has nothing to do with anything!"
Dr. Carter waved her hand in dismissal. "Yeah right. The whole region, and perhaps the whole world now, can see what's going on between you two. "Friends" don't hug like that, or walk like that through town. But that's beside the point. With Serena, your mind gradually got used to thinking about your past and her again, and simply got used to it over time. As you recovered your memories, you banished those negative emotions manifesting themselves as pain through Alakazam's treatments. That, or you simply reconciled those negative emotions in your head subconsciously somehow. I'm not sure."
There was several seconds of silence then, and during that, Ash and Dr. Carter simply stared at each other. Dr. Carter was giving him an expectant and excited stare, while the gears were turning rather slowly within Ash's head. "Wow." Ash said, breaking the silence while blinking several times. "If I've realized anything from this, it was that I could never be a doctor. The amount of information you threw at me there was intense."
Dr. Carter laughed. "Everyone has their passion, Ash. Mine just so happens to be Psychic Pokémon and theories of the mind." She reached into her pocket and grabbed a treat for Alakazam then, who accepted it eagerly.
Ash furrowed his brow. "But what about my Greninja?"
Dr. Carter stopped reaching for a second treat, her smile dipping, and got her pen ready. "What about your Greninja? This is the first you've mentioned having one to me."
"I was in Prism Tower yesterday and had a surreal experience that's really hard to describe." Ash began. "I guess I can just say that I could see what my Greninja could see, and could feel things he felt too. It was during a memory, I think, of when I was dueling an Abomasnow at some point. When I came out of the memory, I had a bad headache, and was tired somehow. Is that just another example of my past giving me a headache?"
Dr. Carter stared at Ash for a few moments before blinking and writing down a few notes on her clipboard. "I'm…not sure, Ash." She cleared her throat then. "I mean, as we have seen, thinking about your past in general gave you a lot of headaches in the beginning, but I thought we were past that stage now." She paused and hummed. She took a few moments to think and collect herself before she continued. "The only thing I can think of is that your Greninja somehow had the same effect on you as Serena did."
Ash recoiled backward in his chair, disgust covering his face. "Are you saying that I might have liked Greninja in the same way I liked Serena!?"
Dr. Carter waved her hands in the air, chuckling nervously. "No no no no! That's not what I was saying at all!" She wiped at her eyes then. "I meant that Greninja might have also been a center of negative emotion for you. I don't know enough about it yet, and that's purely a guess, since we've never talked about it before, and I don't know anything about this Pokémon."
"Okay, that's much better." Ash said, taking a deep breath. "From what I can remember, I always loved my Pokémon, but not in…that…way."
"That's great to hear, Ash." Dr. Carter said, sitting back again after that brief scare.
It was quiet for several seconds then as Dr. Carter wrote several sentences in her clipboard and Ash absentmindedly tapped on his leg. Ash attempted to think more about the theories that the therapist had laid out for him, but couldn't wrap his head around them and quickly gave up.
Finally, Dr. Carter put her clipboard down and gave Ash a genuine smile. "I think we're done here."
"Done?" Ash repeated.
She stood then, offering her hand out to Ash to help him up, which he accepted. They now stood apart from each other. "Yes, done. I believe you no longer have a need to come to my office anymore."
"Why?"
"You've recovered far quicker than people I've seen in the past, but like I said, a big portion of these treatments are experimental. We had no way of knowing how fast or slow this was going to go." She put a hand on Ash's shoulder then. "I suspect that you are on the cusp of remembering everything. It's just a matter of time." She gestured back towards Alakazam, who waved at him briefly. "I can't have Alakazam pull specific memories out of you, as I had mentioned previously. It's too dangerous. And I suspect that you are remembering new things every day, right?"
Ash nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, I am."
The doctor's smile grew then and she withdrew her hand from Ash's shoulder. "This is compared to the beginning, when you remembered nothing without Alakazam's intervention. You've progressed amazingly, and I don't think further treatment is necessary. You'll recover on your own from now on."
"But what if the headaches are too bad, or I simply feel like I should come in?"
"My office isn't going anywhere, Ash. You're always welcome to pop by if you ever feel like you need to. I just don't think you need to anymore."
"Okay." Ash replied, allowing himself to be escorted out of the office door and into the waiting room. There was another man waiting his turn in one of the chairs. He looked up briefly and did a double-take when he saw Ash and Dr. Carter, no doubt recognizing him. Ash gave him a quick nod and turned around to face the doctor.
"About my decision…" He began.
Dr. Carter waved her hand and then leaned to the left against the receptionist's desk. "Whatever you choose will be the right decision, Ash. Even then, it's not set in stone. You could always choose to return to the restaurant in the future, or the other way around. There's always going to be Pokémon to catch and tournaments to win." She winked then. "Just make sure Serena is with you no matter what you choose."
Ash awkwardly pulled at his collar and reached his hand out towards the doctor. "I'll make sure, I guess." He said. Dr. Carter accepted his hand and they shook. "Thanks for everything, Dr. Carter. You don't know how much you've helped me."
"It's been a pleasure, Ash. I look forward to seeing you on the news, no matter what it is in. You're destined for great things, I think."
"I hope so." Ash replied. He turned around then, but not before taking one last look at Dr. Carter. In a way, she was the one who brought about his "return" to the world. She was the one who helped him in the beginning, and enabled him to figure out who he really was. He would never forget her, no matter where he went. With a wave and a grin, he exited the building then, knowing exactly where he was going in that moment. To his last stop for the day. Prism Tower, where his old friends were waiting for him, and perhaps even the answer to his decision as well.
Prism Tower.
While he had seen in a thousand times in the distance from the balcony in his apartment, it was hard to admire its beauty from afar. It really did represent the Kalos region, and as he walked up to it, Ash understood why people came from all over the world to see Lumiose City and the imposing tower. It also helped that he was friends with the gym leader who occupied it.
Ash didn't knock on the door to the tower this time; he just opened it and began walking down the long corridor. There was a bounce in his step thanks to his good mood, but within him was also a storm of confusion. The decision between staying a chef and going back to Pokémon training was still on his mind, and he didn't feel like he had an answer, and that was bothering him.
He had spent a great deal of the day since getting out of work thinking about the dilemma, and was tired of it now. Attempting to banish these thoughts from his mind, Ash finally came to the interior door that led to the large room he found his friends in last time he was in Prism Tower. Not bothering to knock once more, he opened the door with a click and stepped inside.
Except, he took exactly one step inside, before he was nearly tackled in a hug by a strong force to his right.
"Ash! Ash! Ash! I missed you so much!"
The small person ran into him so hard that he nearly fell over, and he walked several steps to the left in an attempt to regain his balance. He slammed his left foot down to brace himself, and thankfully that worked. Attached to him like her life depended on it was a blonde girl who couldn't have been older than 12. Ash recognized her faintly, but it wasn't until she looked up at him, tears in her eyes and a great grin on her face that he actually realized who she was, thanks to seeing her face in his dreams.
"Bonnie?"
Her face lit up in an instant in a way that Ash didn't even think was possible, and her grip on him strengthened. "You remembered!?" She yelled out, squeezing him tighter. "I can't believe you remembered! I thought you had forgotten me!"
Like turning a light switch, her mood suddenly changed to a dangerous-looking fury, and she let go of Ash. Turning around, she stomped her foot on the ground and pointed angrily at Clemont, who had appeared and looked very nervous.
"Clemont! You told me he had forgotten me!"
The inventor raised his hands in defense. "Now, now, Bonnie. I said he had probably forgotten you. Considering he forgot everyone at one point and is remembering people very slowly, I warned you that he might not recognize you immediately."
She crossed her arms, and a small brown Pokémon that Ash identified as a Dedenne popped out of the satchel around her shoulder and mimicked her.
"You made it sound much worse than it was. He remembered me as soon as he saw me!"
Serena came around a corner with Pikachu, no doubt hearing all the commotion, and immediately locked eyes with Ash. She grinned at him, a small blush adorning her cheeks. Ash grinned back and gave her a small wave. The memory of her action the previous night was still fresh in his mind, but he didn't want to appear like he wasn't paying attention to Bonnie, who was now angrily arguing with Clemont about the complexities of amnesia. She had already almost tackled him. He feared for what else she could do. Pikachu bounded to him and cuddled his leg before jumping up onto his shoulder again.
"Ash!" Bonnie yelled, making Ash turn back towards her quickly. "Do you remember anything about me?"
Ash looked away, now feeling the pressure the girl was putting on him. "Um." He said. "I remember a tiny bit? Most of what I remember was in dreams though, and it's a little hard to figure out what is real or not in a dream."
She looked crestfallen. "So you don't remember our journey together?"
"No…not really." Ash said, suddenly feeling worse about upsetting one of his friends. "Sorry."
Bonnie's shoulders deflated and she wiped some of the tears on her face away. At first, Ash had thought they were happy tears from seeing him, but her emotions had changed so wildly in the few minutes he had been in Prism Tower that he was unsure what they were. Clemont walked up and attempted to comfort his sister, all of the previous anger of their argument melting away. She appeared hesitant to accept it, but eventually did.
"Don't worry about them." Serena said, suddenly appearing on his left. "Bonnie's gotten older now and is torn between relying on her big brother for support and trying to be her own person. They argue even more than they used to, somehow."
"Hey! I heard that!" Bonnie answered, making a pouting face.
Ash sighed and looked at the blonde girl. "Sorry Bonnie. I'm hoping as much as everyone else that my memory comes back soon, and that I'll remember everything we did together." He offered her a smile then, and that action alone seemed to be enough to visibly cheer her up a little. "After I remember though, I promise that I'll make it up to you somehow, okay?"
"Yay! I'll remember that, Ash!" She said, smiling back at him. "I wanted to be a Pokémon trainer just like you, so we'll have to have a battle sometime! I've been training really hard!"
"You could say that again." Clemont added, rolling his eyes. Ash chuckled at his demeanor, which was unlike he had previously seen in the blonde inventor. He seemed to be sassier around his sister. "She trained from sun-up until sun-down every single day. I couldn't sleep sometimes because all I heard was crashing noises and attack-calls."
"I said that I would become the best Pokémon trainer for Ash, Clemont! He always said to never give up, and I wasn't going to let you get in the way of that!"
Instead of starting another argument, Clemont instead smiled and put his arm around his sister. This time she didn't look to want to protest this action at all. "I know, and you'll have to show Ash how good of a battler you've become when he remembers his life."
"I look forward to it." Ash challenged, adjusting his hat with a smirk.
It was then that Ash took a look at everyone in front of him. Serena was on the far left and giving him a grin. She was fiddling with her ribbon again, and looking at her made Ash's heart flutter with giddiness. He did truly mean it when he said he wanted to get to know her more, and the memory of her kiss last night only intensified that desire.
There was Bonnie and Clemont. Bonnie had grown since the version of her that Ash had seen in his dreams. From the short period of time he had spent around her since arriving at Prism Tower, Ash could say with certainty that she was an interesting girl. She had a sassy spunk, but also looked to be dedicated and passionate too, if Clemont's description of her training was to be trusted. He looked forward to remembering his past with her and comparing it to who she had grown into.
Clemont was looking at him with a proud smile, his arm around Bonnie. Clemont was a brilliant man who displayed more intelligence in a day than Ash did in a month. He also was down-to-Earth, and very helpful. Ash enjoyed being around the blonde inventor a lot, and he was the person he thought about when he attempted think about his past in Kalos, excluding Serena.
Pikachu moved on Ash's shoulder, and he reached up and petted him behind the ear. He knew his partner loved that, and he cherished being able to spend time with him again. Switching his gaze between all of his friends and his partner-Pokémon, Ash didn't even try to quell the smile that had spread across his face.
"Thanks, guys." He said with a chuckle.
"For what?" Clemont asked. Bonnie and Serena both continued smiling, but looked confused.
"For everything." Ash replied. "For helping me and talking with me, even though I don't remember everything about you. I'm sorry for worrying you all while I was gone, and I wish I could make it up to you somehow."
"It's okay, Ash." Bonnie said with a cheery tone. "You're back now. That's all that matters!"
"There's always more memories to make." Serena offered, leaning to the side. She blushed lightly then. "I, for one, am willing to make more memories with you, if you'd like. Even if you can't remember the old ones."
Ash smiled at her, not sure if he had heard the implication in her sentence correctly. After all, he didn't want to potentially ruin his friendship with her by mistaking a friendly comment for something romantic. Regardless of that, he blushed a little too, and was about to respond when Bonnie beat him to it.
"Me too! I want to make more memories with Ash!"
Everyone laughed at Bonnie's youthful innocence. The thought crossed Ash's mind that while his friends didn't even know they were doing it, he saw them as attempting to convince him to take the path of the Pokémon Trainer. Even if he didn't reclaim his memory, the thought of journeying again and making new memories with the friends with him was very appealing. He felt like he was close to making a decision.
"I missed you guys." He said, holding his arms out and taking a few steps forward.
Everyone else raised their arms as well and were coming in for a group hug. They only were able to take a few steps though when suddenly, Pikachu's ear twitched upward. Strange sounds were heard throughout the building, and everyone looked around to figure out what they were. In the blink of an eye, Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder just as a metallic claw barely missed Ash's head, clamping down right where Pikachu used to be.
Several more claws came out of nowhere, and Ash summoned instincts he didn't even know that he had. He ducked down and dodged one of the claws as it was about to grab him, and rolled on the floor to dodge another. There were screams just as Pikachu reappeared next to Ash, poised for battle, as Ash looked around worriedly.
Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie apparently weren't as successful in dodging the claws as Ash and Pikachu were, and were now pinned against the wall next to the door. Ash was frozen in his tracks, shocked at what had happened, as his friends all looked at him with fear tangible on their faces.
"Ash!" Serena called out as the other two siblings attempted to struggle out of their bonds. Suddenly her eyes widened, and she jerked her head to the side. "Look behind you!"
Ash turned in an instant and gasped at who was standing before him.
A man and a woman, both with blue and magenta hair respectfully and wearing matching white jumpsuits, were smirking at him and holding roses. A Meowth was standing between the two people, mockingly leering at Ash and holding its claws out.
Ash recognized them immediately from the memories he did have, and took a step back in shock. "Team Rocket! You're still trying to get Pikachu!?"
"Now hang on a second, grown-up twerp!" Jessie said, stomping her foot. "I know it's been a while but you have to let us do our motto first!"
"You still do that too!?"
"Quiet!" The Meowth said. Ash had almost forgotten that it could talk. All three of them dramatically cleared their throats then.
"Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all—"
"It's been how many years, and you guys are still chasing Pikachu? I can't get over that!" Ash interrupted, earning a pointed glare from everyone in Team Rocket.
James crossed his arms. "Such disrespect. We don't see you for four years and this is how you treat us?"
"Won't even let us finish our motto! How rude!" Jessie agreed.
"Yeah, twerp! Rude!" Meowth added.
"Team Rocket?" Clemont asked from up against the wall, confused. "But we haven't seen you guys in years! What are you doing here now?"
James twirled the rose in his hand and took a dramatic pose. "After we got blasted off four years ago by that pesky Greninja up by Snowbelle City, we decided that Pikachu was too weak to be worth trying to catch!"
"Who wants a sad and weak Pikachu anyway?" Jessie added, taking an equally dramatic pose that completed James's.
"Hey!" Serena yelled, narrowing her eyes. Pikachu's cheeks flared up next to Ash, with electric shocks bouncing off as he gritted his teeth.
"So we took another assignment from the boss and left Pikachu and the twerps behind us!" Meowth said, poking his finger up into the air.
"But now Pikachu is strong again since the twerp is back, so Team Rocket will have him this time!" Jessie said, smirking as she pointed her rose at Ash, who looked dumbfounded.
"Wait…" He said, "So Pikachu was sad and because of this, he was "weak", and you didn't want him anymore? What sense does that make? How did you even know I was found too?"
James scoffed and looked mildly offended. "Are you serious, twerp?"
"Yeah!" Meowth chanted. "We saw the picture of you and the Kalos Twerpette on a dumb little date from our base all the way over in Kanto!"
Ash gulped, attempting to hide his embarrassment as he rubbed behind his head.
"It was all over the news!" Jessie said. "And we knew that if you were back, then it didn't matter if you had memory problems or not. Pikachu was probably back to his usual strong self again!"
"And that means that Team Rocket is back on the prowl!" Meowth added, throwing his arms out, claws poised for attack. "Now get ready for our Rocket-return to Kalos, twerp! Hand over the Pikachu and you might not get hurt!"
Ash didn't answer, and instead looked down at Pikachu, was standing threateningly across from Team Rocket. Pikachu looked back at Ash's uncertain face and nodded once, electricity sparking off of his body. Ash nodded back, knowing what his partner was trying to tell him. He looked over then at his friends who were struggling against the claw pinning them to the wall.
Serena and Bonnie were both looking at him with pleading and worried faces, while Clemont simply looked determined.
"You can do it, Ash!" Serena yelled out, struggling again against the claw.
"You can beat them!" Clemont added, jerking his body so hard that his glasses nearly fell off. His arms were pinned beneath the claw though, so he couldn't fix them.
"Go Ash! It's just Team Rocket!" Bonnie cheered. "Beat them and free us!"
"But…I don't really remember how to battle!" Ash yelled back, his doubt beginning to surface.
"Ash!" Serena said, interrupting Ash's inner battle with himself. She looked at him with her pleading blue eyes, but then smiled suddenly. "You're Ash Ketchum. You can do anything. You're the best trainer in the world, Ash! You just have to remember that motto that you told me when we were kids!"
Ash was quiet for a second, shocked at the fierce support he got from his friends. Suddenly, the image of him and Serena, much younger in the woods in Kanto, popped into his head. He remembered helping her up, and smiling down at her tear-streaked face. Then, the golden words his honey-blonde friend had referenced came into his mind like a torrential storm, and a strangely familiar feeling nearly overwhelmed him.
"Never give up until the end…" Ash whispered to himself, surprised.
Serena must have read his lips from afar, as she suddenly grinned and leaned back, ceasing her struggling against the claw.
The memory of him and Serena in the forest was one of the first he reclaimed when he began his journey to remember who he was. Now she was using that memory to help drive him to save her, his friends, and his best friend Pikachu against Team Rocket, who still were apparently trying to steal his Pokémon after many years.
His resolve steeled, Ash clenched his fists and turned back towards Team Rocket. He glared at them, and swiped his arm out in front of him.
"You'll never get Pikachu, Team Rocket! I won't let you!"
"Oh, the twerp is gonna fight now, is he?" Meowth laughed out.
Jessie and James both smirked. "Then he'd better remember how to duel quickly!" James said, grabbing his Pokeball from his waist and throwing it out. "Inkay, go!"
"Gourgeist, show the twerp how we roll!"
"Inkay?" Ash heard Bonnie ask from back on the wall. "You mean that Pokémon hasn't evolved yet? What have you been doing for the four years you were gone!?"
Inkay looked deeply offended, and was about to enter a rage when James caught him and sent a glare at Bonnie. "I'll have you know that the incident with the Malamar back when we were in Kalos before scarred dear Inkay, and he can evolve whenever he wants to!"
"How insensitive!" Jessie said, petting Inkay as he began to calm down.
Ash wasn't really listening anymore to the idiotic banter that Team Rocket was engaging in as they attempted to calm Inkay from his rage. As much bravado as he had, he still had to admit that he didn't really know how to battle. He hadn't battled in four years, and couldn't even rely on previous experience to remember how. It had been several years since the last battle he could remember, and he didn't know if he could reliably do so again after not practicing.
He was still determined to save his friends and Pikachu though. Even if he couldn't remember how to battle, and he would surely try.
"Okay Pikachu, you ready?" He asked.
Pikachu nodded just as Team Rocket had calmed Inkay down. They glared back at Ash, and it seemed that the battle was about to begin.
"Um, okay." Ash said, a little unsure of himself. He had to rake his mind for what moves Pikachu would know to battle with. Since he wasn't a trainer, he didn't have to know any attacks, especially for a Pikachu. And the last time he remembered a battle was all the way back in Johto. Remembering something that far down the road was difficult. "Pikachu! Use…Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu charged up his attack and jumped high into the air. Ash smiled at the display, proud of himself for remembering a move of Pikachu's correctly. He began to feel excitement bubbling up inside of him at the prospect of a real Pokémon battle; something he hadn't felt in many years. With a bright yellow glow, Pikachu launched a huge bolt of lightning at Team Rocket, but they simply smirked in response.
"Inkay, block it with your Psybeam!"
"Gourgeist! Use Shadow Ball on that pesky Pikachu!"
True to what they had called, Inkay charged up a Psybeam and launched it directly at the incoming Thunderbolt. It blocked it in a fantastic display of color, stopping it midair. Meanwhile, before Ash could even react, Pikachu was struck with a Shadow Ball from Gourgeist and was thrown to the ground with a crash.
"Pikachu!" Ash yelled as the dust was clearing. Pikachu stood up with a few scuffs, but looked just as ready to battle as he did before. "You okay, buddy?"
Pika! Pi pika!" He responded, glaring determinedly back at Team Rocket.
Ash nodded and stretched his arm out. "Alright Pikachu! Let's do this! Iron Ta—"
He stopped mid-word, leaving Pikachu confused and staring at him.
"Pikapi?"
Ash felt a familiar sensation rush over him, stopping him in his tracks. It was like the memory with his Greninja dueling the Abomasnow again, except this time, it seemed to be in real-time. Power washed over him and he felt energized, like he could run a hundred laps around Lumiose City. His skin tingled and vision doubled, and he suddenly felt like there was another person there with him. When he looked around, nobody was there though. In an instant, he felt a great wave of shock, determination, and…love…wash over him, before the feeling entirely disappeared. He suddenly felt physically tired, his arms and legs aching, as he attempted to blink the feeling away.
Everyone had been watching Ash suddenly stop his attack with a mixture of confusion and fear, in the case of his friends. Ash was lost in his own world, attempting to figure out what had happened as a headache began to fill his head.
Jessie grinned, throwing her arm out and pointing at Ash. "The twerp is having trouble! This now just became even easier! Gourgeist, throw another Shadow Ball his way!"
"Inkay, use tackle!"
Seeing as how Ash seemed to be stumbling backwards, Pikachu took matters into his own paws. He gritted his teeth and jumped high into the air to dodge the Shadow Ball that was flying towards him. Charging up an Iron Tail, he brought it down with a spin and collided with Inkay, who failed to respond in time. Inkay was thrown back towards Team Rocket while Pikachu landed safely, ready for his next move.
Ash shook his head, attempting to calm his worsening headache and focus his senses. He couldn't quite shake the feeling of weariness he now felt, and it inhibited his concentration immensely. He was determined not to give up on himself and his friends though, and clenched his fists.
"Sorry about that Pikachu. Good job!" He encouraged. He threw his left arm out and pointed at Team Rocket, another attack of Pikachu's coming forth into his mind. "Now, use Quick Attack to get in close and throw them off!"
Pikachu nodded and sprinted to the left, and then to the right, with lightning speed. He was almost too fast to keep track of, but Ash wasn't focusing on that. The feeling in the back of his head was growing somehow, and no matter how much he tried to concentrate, he couldn't quite get rid of the sensation nagging at him.
"Now, Pikachu!" Ash yelled out. "Use Iron Tail again!"
Pikachu obeyed his trainer's command and his tail started glowing brightly. He spun in the air, swinging his tail around, and was about to collide with Inkay again.
This time though, James was ready. "Inkay, dodge, now!"
Inkay floated up into the air just fast enough to narrowly escape another attack by Pikachu, but Gourgeist was within striking distance.
"Again Pikachu! Iron Tail!"
Pikachu touched his feet on the ground and did a spin the opposite direction, this time making a connecting strike with Gourgeist, who flew backward into Meowth, knocking them both into the ground.
"Gourgeist!" Jessie yelled out. She turned toward James and glared at him. "Why did you let him do that! You could have attacked after you dodged! Instead you let him hit my poor Gourgeist!"
"Hey I had nothing to do with that!"
As they began to argue, Ash gasped again as the familiar feeling from earlier washed over him once more. This time when it came over him, he stepped backward a few times, almost falling over. The feeling was stronger this time, and Ash felt like he was "closer" now than before. What that meant, he had no idea. But the feeling of power and determination only increased to new heights right before everything was cut off abruptly again, and Ash was left feeling drained, his headache increasing and somehow even more tired than before.
Breathing a little heavily, he rubbed his hand over his head, feeling the sweat building on his brow. Looking forward, he could see Pikachu looking back at him with a worried expression, while his friends still trapped on the wall were watching him, terrified.
Feeling a little wobbly, Ash still felt determined to continue, no matter the odd feeling that kept coming over him. One look at his friend's terrified faces only affirmed his desire to protect them and succeed.
"Pikachu, I'm sorry about this." Ash said, taking a deep breath. "I'm not giving up though. We are going to win!"
"Pi, pika…" Pikachu said with less confidence than before. He looked at Ash worriedly before turning towards Team Rocket again, taking his battle stance.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt again!"
Pikachu braced himself and charged up his attack. He launched a powerful bolt of lightning towards Team Rocket with a loud "Pikachuuu!"
"Inkay, dodge quickly!"
"Gourgeist, you too! Use Dark Pulse and end this! This is getting irritating!"
"Send an Electro Ball towards that Dark Pulse, Pikachu! And then use Quick Attack when you get to the ground!"
Ash wished that he could have watched to see if his combo was successful, but his vision was nearly blinded by a searing headache. Groaning audibly, the mysterious power from before washed over him, and he suddenly felt surprisingly energized. This time, the feeling was different. It was more intense, and Ash couldn't help but feel like someone was getting close to him. The feeling of determination was mixed in with love as well as fear now, and Ash felt himself get a little lightheaded.
And then, suddenly he knew.
It dawned on him.
Someone was coming, and they were very close.
Ash compared the feeling he had to the one he felt when he dueled the Abomasnow in his memory. He noticed that the feelings of power were remarkably similar, as well as the aftereffect of weakness. The feeling intensified, and Ash was able to pinpoint a location of where the feeling felt the strongest.
Greninja was here.
Ash gasped and looked up, the headache in his temples flaring as he felt "himself" jump onto the outer wall of the section of Prism Tower they were in, and charged up an attack. "He" sliced a hole through the wall with a powerful Cut, and as the dust cleared, trainer and Pokémon made eye contact for the first time in four years.
"Greninja…" Ash muttered. Everyone's eyes turned towards the hole that was now in the building and gasped. Greninja was standing menacingly in the hole, letting the late afternoon sun silhouette him like a warrior sent from Arceus himself. He had the markings of the Battle Bond, which made everyone gasp in surprise. Suddenly it dawned on everyone why Ash was acting strangely.
"Greninja!?" Bonnie, Serena, and Clemont all yelled out in awe. The Ninja Pokémon didn't pay them any mind though as he stared at Ash, his gaze nearly piercing right through him.
Ash, through the "Bond Phenomenon" that Clemont had mentioned before, knew what Greninja was feeling. He was relieved, but also determined. The Pokémon saw Team Rocket standing across from Ash and glared at them. His eyes looked around, and Ash could see what he could see. He saw through Greninja's eyes that Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont were attached to the wall, and felt his anger bubbling up at the thought of his trainer's friends falling victim to another one of Team Rocket's ploys again.
Without a moment of hesitation, Greninja leapt down from the hole in the wall he had created, and ripped the giant water shuriken off of his back, throwing it with intense precision down towards Bonnie, Clemont, and Serena. The attack sped towards them, severing the claw right at the hand, disconnecting the electrical current holding the whole thing together. The claw dropped to the ground, and all three friends stretched and quickly grabbed their pokeballs from their pockets.
"Go Luxray!"
"Delphox, help us!"
"Dewott, let's go!"
Ash wished he could concentrate on what was going on, but the pain was becoming too much in his head. The Bond Phenomenon with Greninja suddenly cut off, and Greninja looked visibly surprised as he jumped down next to his trainer, who doubled over to try to catch his breath.
"I…don't think I can do whatever you're trying to do, Greninja…" Ash muttered. "It might have worked before, but…it won't work now…"
Greninja looked confused, but didn't stop and think about it. There was a battle to be fought.
"Pikapi pi pika chu…" Pikachu said over to Greninja, who nodded and stood in front of Ash, glaring down Team Rocket.
"Great, now he's here." James complained, waving his hand in the air dismissively.
"And the twerps all have their Pokémon out…" Jessie added, worry creeping into her voice.
"They're coming right for us!" Meowth said.
Serena ran up to Ash and took him into her arms while Clemont and Bonnie ran to both sides of him, standing several feet apart to allow room for attacks from the Pokémon. They both glared down Team Rocket with the Pokémon. Ash stood up straight and used his hat to wipe some of the sweat off of his forehead. Briefly, he saw Delphox run up next to Greninja, who seemed to acknowledge her with a surprised double-take. Delphox simply replied with a smirk.
"Ash, are you okay?" Serena asked, bringing his attention back down to her.
"Yeah, I'm okay. I think. Just a bit tired."
"Greninja must have used the Bond Phenomenon to find you somehow, Ash!" Clemont said, glancing over at him. "But since you have amnesia and your bond isn't the same, it's probably not working like how it should!"
"You can say that again. My head hurts pretty bad."
Greninja appeared surprised, and looked back at Ash and rubbed behind his head awkwardly, muttering something in his pokespeak that Ash interpreted as an apology.
Bonnie pointed at Team Rocket dramatically, her Dewott and Dedenne readying themselves for battle. "Let's figure out this science stuff after we get rid of Team Rocket!"
Serena looked at Ash again, and he nodded once and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'll be okay…It's nothing I can't handle." He whispered.
She looked hesitant, but appeared to trust his words. She let go of him and went to stand next to her Delphox and Clemont on Ash's left. Pikachu and Greninja were in front of Ash, and he exchanged determined stares with the two of them.
"Come on guys," Ash began, now staring at Team Rocket with all of his frustration at the situation. "Let's show all of Kalos that Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town is back!"
"Gren!"
"Pipika!"
An unfamiliar sensation washed over him as his Pokémon readied themselves. Right as he was about to call out his attack, he felt like he had somehow been in this situation before. He didn't know how, but chose to ignore the feeling and went back to what he was doing. Team Rocket suddenly looked very afraid as Ash threw his arm out.
"Greninja, Water Shuriken! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
"Luxray, use Discharge!"
"Delphox, Flamethrower!"
"Dedenne, use Thundershock! Dewott, Water Pulse!"
Team Rocket simply looked on in terror as a flurry of attacks all barreled towards them. There was almost no time to react, and even if there was, they couldn't possibly defend themselves against such a barrage. They all hugged each other as the blasts collided with them, sending them straight up into the air and crashing through the ceiling.
"Welcome back Twerp! Team Rocket is blasting off again!" Could be faintly heard as they disappeared into the sky.
There were a few seconds of silence as everyone watched the dust fall from the new hole in the building, unable to believe that they had just seen Team Rocket again after they hadn't been around for four years. As for Ash, he looked down at the ground and laughed to himself, the pain in his head still there. He was elated that they had beaten Team Rocket away, and that took precedence over his headache.
The last memories he had of Team Rocket were in Johto, and that was apparently many years before, excluding the dreams where he was in Kalos or Sinnoh. He didn't know if those were real or not though. Team Rocket had to be really dedicated to chase him for all of that time across several regions.
Everyone looked over at Ash, great smiles on their faces in light of their victory, and were about to run over to him for the group hug they were denied by Team Rocket. They were interrupted once more though by the sound of several loud cracks overhead. Cautiously looking up to the ceiling, the reunited Kalos gang saw large cracks forming in the ceiling over them. Watching as the cracks perilously spread across the ceiling above them, everyone waited with baited breath to see what would happen.
Ash saw immediately what was happening overhead. The cracks were creeping from the massive hole in the ceiling that Team Rocket had created over towards the hole that Greninja had made when he entered. The holes, especially the Team Rocket one, might have destabilized the ceiling.
He was about to yell at the top of his lungs for everyone to run out of the room, but had no chance. The dust falling from the ceiling suddenly intensified nearly overtop of them, and several large chunks of the ceiling fell down and began hurtling towards the group with a deafening crack. Luckily for most of the group, the pieces were a bit too far to the right, and they could easily make it away with just a brief jog.
Not Bonnie though.
Bonnie was frozen to the ground, staring up with a petrified face as pieces of the ceiling fell down towards her. There was almost no time to react, and Serena and Clemont were too far away to do anything about it.
Ash was close enough.
Inside of him came an instinct similar to the one he had earlier when he dodged the claws from Team Rocket. He simply acted without thinking, and raced the few meters separating him from Bonnie. For him, it was like everything was in slow motion. His limbs ached and his head was pounding, but newfound adrenaline filled him and gave him the power to barrel forward. He could hear his heart beating in his ears, and Clemont and Serena's yells as he put one foot in front of the other one, before finally leaping in one final attempt to save his friend.
Bonnie's eyes were still glued to the falling debris as Ash dove over and managed to push her out of the way as hard as he could. Unfortunately for him though, by doing that, he put himself in the path of the debris.
In the blink of an eye, he saw Bonnie finally looking over at him as she flew through the air, comprehension at what had happened visibly flooding her senses as she met eyes with Ash. He felt an odd sense of contentment at having pushed her out of harm's way, and the slow-motion he thought he was experiencing ended. The debris finally came down and struck Ash and the ground in a loud crash.
Crack
Ash felt immediately when one of the chunks of debris struck his head, as his vision exploded in a blur of colors mixed with eerie blackness. Seconds passed, but they felt like years. He could feel several chunks of ceiling covering him, and his body was a mixture of numb from the shock and flaring up in intense pain in the locations where the rocks impacted.
Voices were heard, but he couldn't understand what they were saying beneath the rubble and his deafened eardrums. He didn't know how much time passed when he suddenly felt some of the pressure being relieved off of his body, and he was frantically turned over and facing the ceiling again.
Dust fell onto his face from the new hole in the ceiling overhead, and light from the evening sky was the first thing he registered through his closed eyelids. It was impossibly bright, despite the time of day, but he could not comprehend it at the moment. He couldn't even think straight thanks to the numbness and pain spreading all over his body at the same time. It called for all of his attention, and he only hesitantly began to open his eyes to face the blazing sun that was apparently directly over top of him.
Ash opened his eyes and didn't see the bright light that he thought was hovering over him, but instead saw all of his friends gathered around with horror-stricken faces. Bonnie and Serena both had tears streaking down their cheeks while Clemont looked like he was barely keeping himself together. The colors of their bright clothes hurt Ash's numb head, and he attempted to look away, but was stopped by Serena putting her hand on his cheek. Or, at least that's what he thought she did, as he felt a pressure and was forced to look back at her
"Ash…!" He heard her say, although it was severely muffled thanks to the ringing in his ears. She was the closest to him, and he put it together that she was the one holding him up, thanks to the hands he now felt behind his head and shoulders. Ash began to feel his eyelids getting heavier, and felt a great urge to let the blackness overwhelm him. Everything was numb, and what wasn't numb, hurt terribly. Bright colors and lights all around him shifted across his field of vision, and the unknown dark began creeping up on the corners of his eyes.
He could hear Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont say more words, but their voices sounded incredibly distant, and seemed like they were getting further away with each second. For some reason he couldn't explain, he was unable to concentrate on anything other than Serena, her muffled yells not registering in his ringing ears, and Greninja, who was now standing over him with more emotion than Ash had seen from him in the past several minutes combined. He wondered where Pikachu was, but figured he was nearby. The lights were becoming too much in contrast to the creeping darkness, and his eyes focused on what he actually could see.
And then it happened.
Everything in his mind simply clicked in an instant.
Amid the conflicting numbness and pain all around his body, he suddenly felt everything return to him. Memories of his past flooded his head, and his eyes widened only slightly as his entire life played before his eyes in a split-second. Kanto, the Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and even Kalos. From Brock and Misty all the way up to Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie, who were with him at the moment. From Charizard and Pidgeot, to Sceptile and Infernape, to Greninja and Noivern. Ash Ketchum suddenly realized that he finally remembered everything at quite possibly the most inopportune time.
As Serena and Bonnie were yelling words he couldn't hear to keep him awake and Clemont was on the phone, likely with the authorities, he realized that he remembered everything about their adventures throughout Kalos. Pikachu had come into his field of vision at some point apparently. Ash never saw him come up thanks to the ever-increasing blackness coating his vision, but he was thankful that he was able to see his best friend. He remembered everything with him now. All of their adventures together.
He wanted to say something to his friends. Let them know that he was back. Let them know that he finally remembered. His mouth wouldn't move though, and it was becoming almost impossible to think. He had used the last of his willpower to come to the realization that he remembered everything, apparently.
Unable to keep his eyes open any longer as the blackness covered his vision, the last things that crossed his dazed mind were that of Serena's tearful upset face sitting over him, and of Greninja, who was attempting to shake him with Bonnie to keep him awake.
I'm sorry guys…
Then the blackness claimed him.
And there you go. A lot happened this time around. Bonnie's back, Yannick's offer to Ash, the last meeting with Dr. Carter, Team Rocket's appearance, Greninja, etc. This chapter, like the previous, went through several revisions. Going into this, the only thing I knew I had to have was the ending scene, which was supposed to be nearly exactly a mirror to when Ash lost his memory in the first chapter. That was intentional. It was supposed to be the "spark" for him regaining his memory: seeing Serena and Greninja before him, this time in person instead of images in his head right before he passed out from his injuries. That, and saying something very similar to the last sentence he said right before his fateful fall down the hill over by Snowbelle. That created a mirror of the events that led him to lose his memory, and may or may not have led to the reclamation of his memory as well.
I had the quote at the beginning of this chapter saved since the beginning. Been waiting to use that one for a long time, as well as the quote for the next chapter :)
There's only one chapter left from here. Feels weird. I've had the synopsis of this story written for months, but it has been great writing out and publishing each chapter, even if some of them haven't ended up quite like how I wanted them to. I've started the final chapter, so I'll get that out when I can. Thanks everyone who has made it this far, and I'll see you next time!
Twilly