Chapter 23

Sunday, December 4th

Ash groggily rose up from the couch, having felt something suddenly jump off him. He heard heavy footsteps rushing off to the bathroom on the first floor, and the door was slammed shut. He raised a hand to his eyes, rubbing at them to clear his vision.

He remembered returning to his home at almost midnight, and he found Shauna drinking by herself. Shauna and alcohol were never a good combination, but she was surprisingly sober as they spoke. It was a short discussion, about how crappy their days were, and Shauna's attention returned to her drinks. Then she offered Ash one and his night became hazy from there.

Straightening up on the couch, Ash groaned and shook his head. Shauna gave a loud shout of displeasure followed closely her retching. Ash wrinkled his nose, and with a sigh, he rose up from the couch and tentatively went out to check on Shauna.

"Shauna, are you okay?" Ash asked with a knock on the door. She groaned exasperatedly and the door opened up a few moments later. She peeked out and her expression could scare off a Ghastly.

"Do you have any aspirin?" She muttered out to him, and Ash pointed to the cabinet mounted above the sink.

"It's on the top shelf. I'll get you a glass." Ash stated.

"Tha-" Before she could express her thanks her cheeks swelled and she slammed the door. Ash grimaced as she rushed back to the toilet and heaved loudly. Retrieving her glass, Ash decided to fill it as well to save her the trouble. Once he heard the toilet flush, he entered the bathroom and set down the glass on the counter. He stole a peek at Shauna and felt awful seeing her prop herself up on the toilet seat, one hand on her head as she groaned softly.

Slipping back out, Ash went to the living room to retrieve his phone. Shauna's hangover sounded far from bearable, so he opened up the internet on his phone to search for some home remedies for hangovers. Scanning through the list of cures, Ash quickly spotted a suggestion to avoid painkillers and other blood thinners.

"Shauna!" He called out, heading back to the bathroom. It was a few moments before the door opened and the brunette glared at him.

"Keep it down." She hissed at him uncharacteristically.

"Oh, sorry." He apologized, having forgotten that she was suffering from a terrible headache as well. "I just read that you shouldn't take painkillers though, did you take the aspirin already?"

"I didn't…" She mumbled out. "But I need it."

"Shauna, you're not doing yourself any favors taking painkillers. I'll fix up something for you." Ash stated to assure her that they would address this issue. The skepticism in Shauna's gaze wavered, and with pursed lips, she agreed. "But just to make sure you're not tempted…"

She opened the door a bit more for him to step in, and to her dismay, he opened the medicine cabinet to collect the painkillers that were stored away within it. On his way out, he stuck out his tongue at her, so she scrunched up her face in response.

"You suck, Ash." She muttered to him.

"That's okay. Now take a shower, it'll help you relax a bit." Ash suggested, and she agreed without any thought. Anything to take her mind off of this headache would be appreciated. As he went upstairs to get a change of clothes for her, Ash could hear her start up the shower, screeching as the hot water came through.

Arriving at his room, Ash entered quietly so as not to disturb Pikachu who had received his bed for the night. Pikachu was still curled up in the same position he had left it in, and he sighed at the sight of it. The last time Pikachu received a beating like this was the first time they fought Giselle's Cubone. It was a one-sided battle for the most part, but it was nothing like what took place yesterday. All the damage Pikachu had received battling Medicham was because of him. He had provided Pikachu with one clear command, and even that had proved to be useless. He failed his partner yesterday…and he wouldn't let that happen again.

"Dang man, that kid was trash. That battle wouldn't have lasted half as long if his Pikachu was as bad as he was."

Strengthening his resolve, Ash knew that the focus of his training was himself. Those guys yesterday had a valid point. Pikachu had held its own without him. He and Pikachu were no longer equals as trainer and Pokemon. Pikachu had progressed far beyond him. Now it was up to him to close that gap.

He had to better himself, sharpen his mind and keep it clear of distractions, as Volkner said.

Approaching his bed, Ash placed a hand on Pikachu's back and groomed his Pokemon. He would make this up to Pikachu, ten times over if he had to.

Shifting his focus back to Shauna, Ash went to his dresser to get a change of clothes for her. As he did so, he found the shirt that she had loaned to him more than a month ago. Making a face as he realized he had failed to return it to her, Ash picked it out along with a pair of sweatpants for her. He went back to the bathroom downstairs and opened it to set the clothes on the counter.

"Shauna, I left some clothes for you to change into." Ash announced.

"Thanks, Ash." Shauna replied, causing him to glance at the shower. The beige colored shower curtain concealed Shauna's delicate features, but Ash could see the frame of her body as she bathed. No doubt her body was in excellent shape since she practiced to be a performer alongside the rest of the group…Ash slapped himself mentally before his mind could wander, shutting the door to the bathroom before Shauna could make any assumptions. He would never hear the end of it if she caught him staring, and if Miette heard about it, that would be a fate worse than death.

Leaving the bathroom, Ash went back to the kitchen to begin working on something to help Shauna conquer her hangover. Using his phone, he found a suitable meal to help her out, and surprisingly he had made the same breakfast for Macy the prior morning. Oatmeal and Oran berries. The carbohydrates and vitamins would help her work through the alcohol that was still in her system, and some more sleep would help her recuperate fully.

Once he heard the shower come off, Ash put this quick meal together. Shauna came out before he was finished, dressed loosely in the clothes he had provided and drying her hair with a towel.

"Have a seat, I got breakfast coming for you." Ash said as he motioned to the table. There was already a setting for her, with a glass of water waiting. She smiled faintly at Ash whose back was turned as she took a seat. Taking of sip of the water, she took a moment to think back to the last time she had woken up to someone making breakfast for her. Back when she still lived with her parents.

Hearing Ash set down a bowl in front of her, Shauna left her thoughts and looked at the oatmeal and Oran berries. She gave Ash a small nod of thanks and picked up a spoon to take in a mouthful of the oatmeal. Seeing her wrinkle her nose, Ash felt a sense of déjà vu as he assumed about what Shauna would do next.

"Do you have any sugar? This stuff is so bland." She inquired causing Ash to roll his eyes.

"You too?" He said went to the kitchen cabinet to get a sugar container. Shauna glanced at him questioningly, waiting for him to elaborate. "Macy can't eat oatmeal without sugar either."

"Great minds think alike." Shauna said dryly, earning a laugh from Ash as he returned. She reached out to take the sugar shaker from him, but he kept it just beyond the length of her arm.

"Ah ah, you can only have a little bit." Ash said, wagging a finger at her. He then went on to sprinkle a small amount onto her breakfast. Whether it was enough for her to taste didn't matter because that would be all she would be getting. Shauna took in another spoonful and grimaced, sending a glare in Ash's direction.

"You suck." She whispered to him as he took a seat across from her. He smiled at her, propping his chin up on one hand. He waited quietly as she ate, entertaining some of his own thoughts until she finished.

"See? Don't you feel better now?" Ash asked her as he collected her dishes to take them to the sink.

"Just bury me." She muttered in response, resting her head on the table with a soft groan.

Ash eyed his friend cautiously as she made this statement, and winced as his eardrums were assaulted by the thump of his heartbeat. Wings sprouted from Shauna's back, but they were held down by multiple black chains. These restraints were stretched as Shauna's wings fought for freedom, but it was to no avail.

Ash looked away from her, knowing full well that his friend was struggling. That much had been obvious from her demeanor last night.

"Shauna…how did that talk with your dad go?" Ash inquired, causing her to lift her head. Realizing that this was a sensitive subject, he quickly added, "If you don't mind me asking, of course."

"I mean, there's no sense in hiding it." She mumbled out with a sigh. She began to draw circles with the tip of her finger, gathering all of the relevant information before she began to speak.

The conversation she had with her father the day before was hardly one she wanted to remember, but Shauna knew that she would have to recount it with someone eventually.

-X-X-

"Hey dad, how are um…things?" Shauna asked tentatively, trying to use these formalities to generate some small talk with her father.

She couldn't explain why, but a picture that hung on their fridge at her parents' house flashed in her mind. Shauna was only four at the time, and she was seated on her father's shoulders as the two of them beamed at the camera. It had always been so easy for Shauna to find comfort in her father during her childhood. But as she grew, her father's expectations did the same, and the ease with which she could approach him faded.

"Your mother and I are fine." He replied sternly, and Shauna could picture him readjusting his glasses.

"That's good. And how's work been? Did you work late last night?"

"Yes. It was a busy night, so I didn't get the chance to call you." He explained, and Shauna nodded at his answer.

"Yeah, I figured as much." She noted. A silence set in, and Shauna could sense what was coming. Her father wouldn't beat around the bush, not even for her.

"Mija, the reason I'm calling…" He began.

"Yeah?"

"I wanted an update," He continued. "Have you found any work beyond that job you told me about in the summer?"

"No…No, not yet. I mean, I've started looking for people in need of a home health aide." Shauna explained weakly, and she could hear a scoff from her father.

"This…this isn't what I sent you to medical school," Her father didn't raise his voice, but Shauna could hear the growing disappointment. "I didn't spend a fortune to help you get certified as a home health aide, mjia, I sent you there to become a doctor and support yourself and a family if you chose to have one. Not to jump ship halfway and leave yourself hamstrung with three years of debt."

A silence set in, affording Shauna a moment to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Don't you get it?" She asked him softly. "I'm not you. I wasn't ever going to be you."

"Is that some sort of excuse?" He asked in return, and Shauna felt her stomach drop.

"It's n-" Her voice faltered, and she took a moment to run a hand through her hair. She breathed deeply and gave her response when her voice returned. "It's not an excuse!"

"But this is your answer? That you don't want to experience success because you don't want to be me?" He asked incredulously as he raised his voice. "Mija, do you understand how ridiculous you sound right now? Have you forgotten how much your mother and I have worked to leave Hoenn so that you would have more opportunities in Kanto?"

Shauna knew he was angry. The pace with which he spoke had increased, and she just tell that he was gesturing emphatically as he spoke. He could never talk calmly about what he had gone through to move his family to Kanto.

"No, dad, I know you've worked hard your whole life. I'm grateful for all of that! But I know in my heart that I can't be a doctor!" Shauna explained, though she struggled to find the words to express this to her father.

She didn't have the fortitude of her father to be a surgeon. She didn't have it in her to stare at a perilous situation where someone's life hung in the balance, and calmly exercise everything she's learned to save their life. Her father was making a difference, but Shauna couldn't do so in the same fashion. She needed to find her own way to affect people's lives…and she found it through performing.

Her father sighed audibly, and Shauna could already imagine what was coming next.

"Look mija, we can't do this. Not anymore. I've put everything I possibly could into your future, and I can't sit here and watch you throw it all away!" He barked, and Shauna winced at this. "We're done! I'm cutting you off, you're on your own from this day forward."

-X-X-

Ash observed Shauna closely as she absent-mindedly fiddled with her empty water glass. She had stopped speaking, her gaze downcast and a frown on her face.

"Let me refill that for you." Ash said after getting up from his seat. Removing the glass from Shauna's hands snapped her out of her small daze, and she watched as Ash went over to the kitchen sink. Opening the faucet, he let it run for a moment before putting the glass beneath it.

With his back turned to her, Ash had the freedom to hide a frown of his own as he thought about what Shauna had shared. It was evident that she was distraught from the exchange with her father, but Ash struggled to see why it bothered her so much.

If that was him, he would've made the exact same decision as Shauna. There wasn't a doubt in his mind. Although…he probably would've done it out of spite. No, he definitely would've done it out of spite. Perhaps this was the difference between them. Shauna had been actively trying to please her father, while Ash could care less what his father thought. Was that why it hurt her so deeply?

Of course, she had some semblance of a relationship with her father. The relationship he had with his father couldn't compare to Shauna's. Due to his absence, Ash never wasted a moment to consider how his father might feel about his decisions. Shauna, on the other hand, clearly wanted to make her father proud.

"Ash?" Shauna asked, startling him. Escaping his daze, he realized that the glass he had under the faucet must have been filled a hundred times over. He apologized to Shauna who stood beside him now, wiped off the glass and presented her drink. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking about what you could do." He replied softly, and Shauna tilted her head.

"You've already done enough Ash. Just talking about it again helped me clear my head a little." Shauna admitted as she leaned against the counter. "Last night was…one huge mistake. I was supposed to be watching your sisters but I left the house after they went to bed to go get those drinks."

"Shauna, that's not all on you. I had a part in that. It wasn't right of me to stay out so late." Ash interjected, but Shauna shook her head.

"I'm still the adult here Ash. What I did was stupid and irresponsible." She said dryly. "What if something had happened to you sisters and my dumb ass was too drunk to help either of them?"

Ash hadn't considered this, or the repercussions that would follow. Shauna was a wonderful person, and Ash had always enjoyed her company since they had first met. Seeing her thrive in an older sister role to Casey and Macy really made her shine, and it was disheartening to return to her in such a sorry state last night. That didn't excuse the poor choices she had made, but Ash knew deep down Shauna would never have any bad intentions. She was just going through a rough patch, a really rough patch.

The only solution he could think of was his own simple and straightforward approach to life. Put your best foot forward, and march!

"How about…how about we skip the pity party, Shauna?" Ash suggested, and Shauna looked down at the glass of water in her hands. Faintly she could make out her reflection on the surface of the water, and seeing herself served as a reminder of the things she did behind closed doors. These 'pity parties' as Ash put it, she had these more often than her friends knew about in the privacy of her apartment. It was an easy way to escape the reality that she had made for herself.

She was already highly susceptible to alcohol, but to top it off she had developed a dependence on it during this time.

It was a vicious cycle caused by her own weakness.

She was always mindful of her alcohol intake, never more than she could handle save for special occasions. But at the slightest upheaval in her life, she would find solace in alcohol. It provided a…numbness that she needed.

After the first bottle, she'd find herself giggling as if all of her problems were like the wind. Here for a moment, and gone the next. If only it were that easy. After two, or maybe three bottles, she would be sound asleep. Perhaps she would slip in some nonsensical talk, blurting out whatever came to mind before the closest flat service invited her to rest on it. Then she would wake up sick, but above that, alone in her apartment. It was a constant reminder that this was all she had. A small home, a few possessions and a passion that her family didn't believe in.

"I know," Shauna admitted, feeling ashamed. "I…"

She stopped, but Ash gave her plenty of time to decide on what she wanted to say. It was several moments before she finally shook her head with a sigh.

"It's okay Shauna, I don't want you to feel bad or anything," Ash noted, watching her closely. He knew that Shauna had many regrets, and he had no intention of trying to add another to it. She had enough of a burden on her shoulders. "I can't say that I know exactly what you're going through with your dad and everything, but I know I'm kind of in the same boat. I'm struggling too."

Shauna glanced at him, a small glimmer in her eyes.

"The two us made a gamble on something we love…and so far, it hasn't really gone the way we planned. It sucks when you pour out your heart and soul, and no one believes in you." He looked up thoughtfully. "No, it really sucks. But I've learned that I can't really give a crap what other people say, or think about my dream because…it's mine."

Shauna's brow twitched as she listened closely.

"I mean, think about it like this. We gave up everything to follow our dream. We should be happy, but we're letting other people make us regret what we chose to do. And that's stupid." Ash stated firmly, and Shauna felt her chest swell with determination.

Ash was absolutely right!

Why was she letting other people make her regret doing something she loved?

His thoughts may have been a little disjointed, but Shauna quickly came to appreciate Ash's sentiments. She wished he had more to say, but she found him scratching the back of his neck with a furrowed brow.

"Uh, there was something else I wanted to say but it slipped my mind." He muttered, giving a weak chuckle. Shauna snorted in response, and this turned into a small fit of laughter, which put Ash at ease.

"You've said more than enough Ash," Shauna commented as she wiped her eyes with one hand. Looking back at him, Ash could see how her eyes had been refreshed, possessing a gleam of hope now. "You're right, we all struggle. And if I had to be honest, I tend to give up when things get hard. I've known that for a while now. It's just difficult not to get depressed and close myself off at times."

It was a constant battle with herself, but if she was going to break this cycle, then she would have to…

"I need to reinvent myself." Shauna declared with her new-found determination. "If I want to get away from all of this, I need to start over and build myself from the ground up."

Ash raised his brow at her statement to 'reinvent' herself. He liked it because…he needed to do the same thing.

A new foundation, one that couldn't be shaken by other people. That was what he needed!

"It won't be easy," Shauna commented through pursed lips and Ash agreed. Shauna then took a tentative glance at him, mustering her courage to keep speaking. "So, um I think it'd be in my best interests if I could call you Ash, you know when I'm feeling blue."

"Why me? I know for a fact Serena and Miette could keep a better eye on you." Ash replied. The three of them were a tight-knit circle, so Ash found it odd that Shauna would rather rely on him.

"I know they would but…I've been lying to them so much about a lot of things lately including, this…I don't know what they're going to think if I come clean to them." Shauna explained with great remorse. She wasn't sure if she could face them after that.

"Shauna, you just spoke to me about it," Ash said, placing a hand on his chest. "I'm not going to look at you any differently. So, what makes you think your best friends will?"

She looked down, guilt welling up in her heart about the assumptions she had made of her friends.

"Trust your friends Shauna. You'll be surprised how often they'll come to your rescue." Ash noted, and he shot a wink at her. It took a moment for Shauna to realize that his comment was about her, and she couldn't help but smile.

Ash had furiously been trying to make things happen on his own, but it didn't take long for him to realize he couldn't do it all on his own. Accepting support from his friends had helped him press forward, and Shauna understood that she would have to do the same.

Touched, she rose up from her seat to embrace Ash. He relaxed into her hug, patting her back to comfort her.

"Thanks Ash." She whispered to him. "I promise I'll work hard to beat this."

"We'll work hard, together." Ash corrected her as she separated from him. Seeing her smile with such vibrancy made his heart leap, and he returned her expression wholeheartedly.

Shauna gave a yawn, stretching out her arms as she did so before telling Ash she was going back to sleep. Ash remained in the kitchen after she left, leaning back into his seat as he thought long and hard about what he needed to do.

This conversation with Shauna helped him put a few things into perspective. In fact, this whole weekend had been enlightening.

Despite his growth over the last few weeks, Ash Ketchum had a lot of work ahead of him.

A firm foundation. That was the start.

Shauna opened one eye after feeling a small hand poking at her cheek. Seeing that it was Macy, Shauna rose up from the couch to get a better view of the small girl, who beamed at her. The movement from Shauna gained the attention of Casey, who had been absorbed with her phone.

"Macy, I said you weren't supposed to bother Shauna," Casey exclaimed, yanking her earbuds out. "Sorry, Shauna. Did you need something, Macy?"

"Yeah, I wanted a snack." Macy replied softly as she looked at her sister. Casey blushed, realizing she must've missed Macy's request because of the volume of her music.

"Not a problem," Shauna said as she rose up the couch, taking a moment to stretch. She felt much better than she had earlier, and with a quick tap of her phone, she discovered that it was well past one o'clock in the afternoon. She had slept long enough, now she would resume her usual duties. "Come on Macy, what would you like?"

"I want cookies!" She declared, and Shauna lowered her lips.

"Did you eat lunch already?" Shauna asked knowingly. Macy always wanted a treat, even at the expense of her appetite.

"No, Ashy's busy." Macy replied, so Shauna snatched her up from the ground and took her into the kitchen. They picked out a small bag of pretzels for her to eat, and Shauna promised to make her lunch in a few minutes. Now that Shauna was in the right frame of mind, she wanted to give Ash a proper thanks, or at least one she could remember.

Heading upstairs to his room, Shauna was greeted with an intriguing sight. White and black paint, scattered canvas, loud music, and a shirtless Ash - doing pushups. If she wasn't so accustomed to seeing Ash shirtless, she would've been embarrassed, but the two of them seemed to have a history of seeing the other in their less than gratifying moments.

Stepping into his room, Shauna focused on Ash and she could see that his arms were trembling with each action. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and he took in a sharp breath before he pushed himself up again.

"Don't you think you should stop Ash?" Shauna asked him as she stooped down in front of him.

"Fifteen…more." He responded, lowering his body to the floor again in preparation for another. When she caught a whiff of his odor, she decided to do herself a favor and give Ash his space. It was a slow grind as he worked through his final set of push-ups, so Shauna began to examine the canvas' around his room to pass the time.

She had been in his room on a few occasions now, and she could recall that he had many paintings all over his room. Shauna was flabbergasted at the sight of all of Ash's artistic work now painted white, each canvas being returned to the blank state it once was. Some of them had some information recorded on them now, though Shauna struggled to make sense of this new information.

There was a small sketch of someone's face, followed by some basic information.

Name: Volkner

Rank: 2

Title: Golden Flash

Pokemon: Ampharos

Style: Strategist

Notes: If I had to make a comparison, Volkner is like Giselle…only way, way better. I don't want to battle him honestly. It'd be a chess match like with Giselle, but he's definitely going to be a lot harder to figure out. He's patient and careful to compliment his Ampharos and her lack of speed.

Counter Measures: Pikachu's quickness is a natural counter to his Ampharos and it's probably the only advantage we have. Overwhelming them with speed is our only viable strategy, but there's no way Volkner hasn't faced a plan like that already so I'll bet he has ways to neutralize an opponent's speed advantage.

Our Weakness: We don't have a finishing move. Our only option right now would be to chip away at Ampharos, which means it would be a really long battle. To win a battle like that would require both Pikachu and I to maintain the highest level of concentration to avoid any traps Volkner might have up his sleeve…and I don't know if we can do that for an extended period of time currently.

"What are these, Ash?" Shauna asked him now that he was seated on his bottom, wiping away his sweat with a towel.

"They're bios," He heaved in a deep breath. "For the best trainers in Vermilion City."

"Why are you making them?" She asked curiously as she moved to another bio.

"Most of this information I got online. I was making these to add in that little section about countermeasures and what weaknesses I have that would probably be exploited by that trainer in particular." Ash explained thoughtfully.

"So, then what happened with this one?" Shauna exclaimed as she scanned one of the bios that offered little to nothing in terms of information

Name: N

Rank: 1

Title: Chosen One

Pokemon: Zoroark

Style: Defensive…I think.

Notes: Umm…I don't know what to say at the moment. We don't really stand a chance yet.

Counter Measures: None that I can think of.

Our Weakness: Heck, he could exploit our strengths if he felt like it.

Ash chuckled at the sight of this one, scratching at the bridge of his nose.

"N is the strongest trainer out there. Haven't seen or heard of a better trainer and Pokemon than him and his Zoroark. Right now, I'm still trying to figure out how we would even make a battle with him interesting." Ash explained with a grin. Rather than seem frustrated by it, Ash seemed delighted to have an opponent that he couldn't even imagine beating.

"Why are you so happy about that?" Shauna inquired as she set down the bio.

"It's a goal. Figure out how to beat him," Ash stated with a small grin. "And along the way, I've decided to reinvent myself like you. Pikachu spent the last month working twice as hard as I did. Now I have to start making up the difference."

Shauna looked toward him again and caught a glimpse of the focus within Ash's eyes as he rolled one of his shoulders to prepare for his next exercise.

"So, what is it exactly that you train for?" Shauna asked curiously as she took a seat on his bed beside Pikachu. Shauna had treated Ash on a few occasions for his injuries during a Pokemon battle and she had seen a few on her own, but she didn't understand what went into preparing for one.

"We have to practice so that we're…in sync. It's up to the trainer to gather all of the information during a battle and decide on a course of action. The Pokemon would do their best to follow the instruction based on what kind of information their trainer gave them." Ash explained with a matter of fact tone. "It takes a ton of practice to reach a point where you as the trainer can give out the meaningful information your Pokemon needs, and they can act on it just like you pictured."

Shauna blinked, dumbfounded that there was more depth to this than she had thought. It all seemed so simple to her whenever she watched a Pokemon battle. The trainers would bark a command and the Pokemon would go at each other for a bit, and this cycle would continue until one of them stayed down. There was much more to it than she had thought. In fact, it mirrored the kind of practice she would put in with the rest of the dance crew each weekend during the summer. The grueling hours they would spend to make sure everything was as close to perfect as possible.

She understood his frustration over a poor performance. He had worked hard and walked away with nothing to show for it. Rather than sulk for an extended period of time like she would, Ash went right back to working on his craft. Her lips curled upward as she eyed the budding young man, and Shauna found herself viewing Ash as more than just a hard-headed teenager.

"Alright!" Shauna declared, clapping her hands together. "I'll be rooting for you, Ash! Don't let me down!"

He grinned up at her, his determination now bursting at the seams.

"You know it!"

Seeing him return to his exercise, Shauna decided it was best to leave him to his work. As she left the room Shauna palmed her forehead with a mutter of 'scatterbrain,' realizing that she hadn't even followed through on her original intent of checking on Ash. It was to give him an apology for last night, but with a quick glance into his room, she saw what appeared to be a fiery aura around him. His blazing ambition.

From this day forth, they would be working to improve at what they pursued professionally, and as people.

Shauna felt her heart skip a beat, the excitement bursting from her like an open fire hydrant. She felt refreshed with a new outlook, and she was determined not only to make a second chance for herself, but do things right with it.

"Phew!" With this exclamation, Ash leaned back against the side of his bed and drew in several deep breaths. His arms and shoulders ached, but the pain came with a sense of satisfaction as he thought to himself – 'no pain, no gain.'

Hearing a soft rustling beside him, Ash caught sight of some movement from his bed. It was Pikachu! His partner stretched itself out from the position it had been locked in since yesterday and rolled onto his back. Seeing Pikachu sprawled out on his bed caused Ash to laugh as he shifted himself to sit alongside him. He began to poke at Pikachu's stomach, and Pikachu swatted at his hand in his sleep. Noting Pikachu's response, Ash felt a devilish grin break out on his face and he pinched Pikachu's cheeks as a means to wake him up.

For all the ways he had seen Macy man-handle Pikachu at times, Ash didn't expect much to happen to him. But then again that was probably Pikachu showing some restraint against a child who didn't know better. When it came to Ash, there was no reason to hold back.

Ash jolted as an electrical current was shot through him, leaving him stunned as he fell back onto the floor. The hard thud this produced awakened Pikachu completely, and he sat upright with his ears raised to take in his surroundings.

"Pi-ka-chu?" He asked, looking down at Ash with a questioning frown.

"What do you mean, 'what am I doing?'" Ash asked in return with a groan as he slowly rose from the floor. They could hear feet stomping through the hall, and not a moment later Shauna burst into the room with urgency.

"Is everything okay?" She asked as she approached Ash.

She had heard Ash hit the floor downstairs, and as tough as Ash said he was, Shauna wouldn't take his fall lightly. Not to mention when she discovered the cause of his fall, a measured shock from Pikachu, Shauna insisted that she give him a full checkup. Ash found himself rolling his eyes as she performed a reflex test on his knees, but Shauna replied to this with a 'better safe than sorry.'

"Alright Ash, it looks like you're in good health." Shauna commented with an exasperated sigh of relief. Ash raised his brow at her, and she winked playfully in response. She then excused herself from the room, leaving Ash alone with Pikachu.

Ash wanted to take some time to gather his thoughts, but the first thing that came to mind was his discussion with Valerie earlier this weekend, and how they briefly touched on the subject of communicating with Pokemon.

'It's a language of love…'

He had been trying to prepare what to say to Pikachu, but he knew that there was no need to make some great speech as an apology to Pikachu. He just needed to speak from his heart.

"Pikachu…" Ash began, and Pikachu perked up at the call of his name.

"Pi?"

"You see, I wanted to tell you that your trainer is a bum," Ash stated, though he had a few more explicit words in mind. Ash could feel Pikachu's gaze scrutinizing his statement, but Ash continued before his partner could protest. "Don't try to tell me otherwise. I was awful. We're supposed to be a team and I had nothing to contribute."

He ran a hand through his hair and heaved out a sigh.

"Pi." Pikachu cut in with a motion for him to stop. "Pi-Pika. Pi-ka-chu."

"I'm not putting all the blame on myself. But I know I had a part in why we lost." Ash clarified, but Pikachu didn't take to kindly to his response.

"Pika…ka-Pikachu." He insisted, reminding Ash of everything they had done to reach this point.

"I get all that. But what kind of team are we if we don't hold anyone accountable? We're not going to have a winner's mentality if we treat our losses as nothing and move on." Ash declared. "Every failure is an opportunity to grow, to get better. I know now that I can't let the pressure get to me. That's easier said than done, but damn it I'm not going battle like I did yesterday ever again!"

Ash's hands were clenched tightly, almost trembling.

"I want to get better Pikachu." Ash stated, and Pikachu placed one of his paws on Ash's fist. They shared a glanced and knew that the feeling was mutual.

"Pika." Pikachu replied with a nod of agreement.

They were in this together.

To the end.

"Do you feel anything Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Ka? Pi…ka." It replied, shaking its head.

The two of them sat crossed legged, attempting to mimic a posture for meditation. It had little effect on their exercise as they each opened an eye to take a peek at the other. With an exasperated sigh, they relaxed and fell back onto the floor.

This was the beginning of a new exercise that Ash had spent the day developing. He struggled to explain it to Pikachu, describing it as a more meditative exercise to strengthen their bond. However, the lack of activity proved to be a major deterrent. Neither of them could relax their minds long enough to make any sort of progress with this type of training.

Pikachu raised its head from the floor, looking toward the door as it heard footsteps approaching. Moments later the door was opened for Shauna to poke her head in.

"Ash, you got a phone call." Shauna revealed as she stepped in, extending his phone toward him. Ash raised his brow, realizing that he had completely forgotten about his phone that he had left downstairs this morning.

"Who is it?" Ash inquired as he got up from the floor. He waved off Shauna's questioning stare as she mouthed a question of 'why were they on the floor?'

"He introduced himself as Malcolm. He seems nice." She replied and Ash paled as he accepted his phone. There was only one Malcolm that would call him, and Ash knew that his next conversation with this man wasn't going to be a pleasant one.

"Thanks." He said with a deep breath, and then he focused on his phone. "This is Ash speaking."

"Ah Ash, so good to hear from you." Malcolm began. "I was a little surprised to hear a lady answer the phone. I didn't think you had time for a girlfriend."

Ash's cheeks became colored at the suggestion, and some incoherent dialogue escaped his lips in a failed attempt to come up with a response. Shauna staring him right in the face didn't help this situation either, but it was far too late to think of a way to smooth this over as Malcolm moved right on to the focus of his call.

"That aside, I was just contacted by Charles," Malcolm revealed, and Ash felt his heart sink. Word of his poor performance had already made its way to Malcolm's ears, and it dawned in him now that career as a circuit trainer could be over at the end of this phone call. "-and he told me that there have been requests coming in to battle you all day. He doesn't know who to select as an opponent for you, so he called me to assist with the arrangements."

"W…" Ash had already done his fair share of bumbling during this discussion, but apparently, he still had more to do. It took some time for everything Malcolm had just said to properly register in his mind. "Wait, there are people that want to battle me?"

"Yes. I don't know what you did, but it worked like a charm." Malcolm remarked, and Ash could envision the small smirk on the man's face as he said this. "I don't have the time to go over the arrangements with Charles, so I want you to take care of this. Get in touch with him as soon as you can and…start making things happen."

"Uh…ye-yeah, right! I'm on it!" Ash declared, and the call ended soon after. Ash then looked from Shauna to Pikachu, his mouth opened slightly.

"What's with that stupid face?" Shauna asked with a small laugh.

"There are people that want to battle us." Ash said incredulously. Why did they want to battle him though? He was terrible in his battle against Brawly!

"Well that's a good thing, right?" Shauna asked him, and Ash blinked twice. He thought about this from Shauna's perspective, and the very black and white mindset she had on the matter. In its simplest terms, this was good. Someone wanted to battle him in the Hidden Cove, which was exactly what he needed. Did he really need to think about the 'why?'

"Yeah, you're right Shauna!" Ash said with a small grin. He had to get in touch with Charles right away to get himself a debut match!

Thanking Shauna for delivering his phone, the brunette then left him to make the phone call that would mark the beginning of his new life.

"Hello, this Charles Goodshow. Who am I speaking to?" The older gentleman asked mechanically.

"Hey, it's Ash Ketchum." Ash replied, and the warmth returned to Charles' voice as he spoke.

"Ash, I had a feeling you would be calling me," Charles noted and Ash laughed softly. "So, I take it you've heard the news then?"

"That I've got a match?"

"Indeed. In fact, you have twelve." Charles stated and Ash's jaw dropped.

"Twelve!" He exclaimed.

"Twelve requests to battle you, is what I should have said." Charles corrected himself with a snort. "In most cases, I typically make the arrangements for someone's debut match because the debut trainer is usually sending requests for a match, but you're receiving them. So, I was hoping to get some input on what kind of trainer you'd like to battle."

"I get to choose who I'm going to battle?"

"Just this one time. But as I said, debut matches don't receive this kind of attention. So, I did a little digging because I thought this was rather strange, and it didn't take me long to find the answer." Charles explained, causing Ash to raise his brow. "Melissa is going to send a video to your phone with a pair of timestamps, take a look at them."

There was a brief pause before Ash felt his phone buzz. He kept his call with Charles open while he opened the message from Melissa. It was a link to the PokeHub, bringing him to Brawly's profile where his stream from Saturday had been posted. The first time-stamp took him to a point late in the stream, and the focus at the time was Ash and Brock.

Ash could hear the voice of Jerome, the young man who worked as Brawly's PR manager as he spoke to the stream, giving his first impressions of Ash.

"So, this is Brawly's last opponent for the day. It'll be starting in about twenty minutes. My first impression is…I don't know who thought it would be a good idea to let a kid into the circuit, but they're an idiot. He's going to get stomped." Jerome related as he zoomed in on Ash and Brock. The two of them went their separate ways, Ash to go through some last-minute prep while Brock joined the audience to begin spreading the word about Ash's upcoming battle.

Brock came close to where Jerome was filming, and he began to proclaim Ash's credentials to the audience.

"Alright people, you're about to see something special!" Brock declared. "This is the debut for 'Quest!' Mark my words that he's going to take the circuit by storm, and it all starts with Brawly!"

The crowd immediately became involved upon hearing Brock's pronouncement.

"Hah, that's a good joke!"

"You think some no name is going to take down Brawly!?"

"You don't believe me?" Brock snapped back at them. "He's got the biggest sponsor backing him as proof that he's good! Don't underestimate him, or he'll sweep the rug right out from under you!"

"You can pause it there, Ash." Charles cut in, speaking up over the stream Ash was watching. "Skip to the next timestamp now."

Following his instructions, Ash moved onto the next scene near the end of the stream. Ash and Brock were long gone, and Jerome was currently interviewing Brawly now that the day was over. The subject that came up was Ash.

"And Brawly, any thoughts on your last match with the kid?" Jerome asked as he readjusted the focus of his camera. Brawly took a moment to think of his answer before he looked directly at the camera.

"His Pikachu was strong, there's no doubt about that. But the trainer, I think his name was um…'Quest.' He's not ready for the circuit. Easy money…easy money." Brawly explained, shaking his head with this sentiment.

Ash paused the recording on his own this time, a few key phrases replaying in his mind. Brock had announced that he had a big sponsor, and Brawly told everyone that he stinks…

"I'm being targeted?" Ash asked, and the sigh from Charles confirmed his suspicion.

"That's one way to put it." Charles responded carefully.

Ash exhaled, earning Pikachu's attention. His expression had grown dark, and he balled his free hand up into a tight fist that began to tremble visibly. Ash felt as if he had been spurned, as if all the trainers in the underground circuit were looking at him with contempt. The thought of Morgan's twisted sneer from this past Friday flashed in his mind, and Ash could feel his body begin to shake.

How many people were going to do this to him?!

No matter what they did, they weren't going to keep him down! Ash was a raging inferno, eager to prove himself! All these fools were doing was fanning his flames, and he would show them what kind of nightmare a determined Ash Ketchum could be.

"I want the first three people who put in a request for me." Ash stated firmly.

"The first three?" Charles repeated, and Ash nodded to himself.

"Yeah. I want you to line them up for me…and just watch."

The smirk Charles wore went unseen by Ash, but the older man was glad to know that Ash was more than just persistent. There was a tenacity about him, and Charles couldn't wait to see Ash put this on full display.

"Alright. I'll give you three weeks from this coming Saturday to prepare," Charles revealed, and Ash felt his lips curve upward. "Put on a show for you me, young man."

"You've got it," Ash replied and then he ended the call. With a glance toward Pikachu, Ash saw that his partner knew what he was about to say. "Pikachu, we've got work to do!"

A/N

Kay, this was a pretty charged chapter between Shauna and Ash and I loved writing every minute of it. I spent a lot of time working on that scene between them in particular, and I hope it comes across as heartfelt. Addictions are hard to beat, but if you've managed to beat one all on you're own then you have my respect. If you're struggling, get help. There's no shame in admitting you need help, and it took me the longest time to figure that out lol.

MjrGenMatt made his usual contributions, all of which were fantastic as always. Thank you for taking some time out of your day to read this, and I hope you all have a great one. Send me a little love in the review section if you feel the urge to do so, and I will see you all at the next update! Peace!