Ah, I have never been struck by a lack of energy so badly. So much has happened since the last chapter, my life was turned upside down but I have landed back on my feet. So here is the new chapter, I hope you will all like it. Thank heavens for Pokémon Arceus, though, I wanted the Arc phone case in Pokémon Violet so I replayed it... and I guess it kind of shows?
Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! Happy New Year to all of you! xxx
Clair keeps a close eye on Ash but she thinks he knows that she's a little worried. He's currently in the garden, he seems to have rallied a group of Pidgey from somewhere to have a bit of training out here… where he knows she can see him. It's not that Clair doesn't trust Ash or Dreepy, the two have been doing great together and the boy is proving to be a great source of inspiration for Dreepy. Hell, she felt like taking Dragonair out in the garden to battle alongside him too, after one of his passionate speeches on how close they were to their target. And yes, she straight up forgot about the gift Red gave his 'son', she's still not sure she wants him to be a part of Ash's life but this is unfortunately not up to her choice. But Ash may be the only one who reads instructions in this household, where he once believed his father's gift to be some sort of gaming device, it's actually something that plays straight into the teen's cards. It attaches to his pokédex and then, after a small update, Ash could see the stats of his pokémon, making it much easier for him to see Dreepy's advancements, not needing to manually count and remember over two-hundred Pidgey. The little dragon seems happy, and so does the teen but she's torn, something she can't put her foot on worries her right now.
Dragons… they're unpredictable. And with Dreepy showing signs of being extremely smart, having copied Thunderbolt from Pikachu after seeing it a couple of times -though Ash told her that his pokémon often teach each other moves-, she's not sure if Ash is ready to have a Drakloak and then later, the Dragapult Dreepy might evolve in. But seeing him so happy, Clair doesn't want to spoil the happiness Ash's found. It's hard-won happiness too, Lance's recovery is going slow and the man's absence isn't making the teen any happier. So if Dreepy and this 'EV-training' can keep Ash's mind off the issues plaguing Lance, good. But to hear that Dreepy might evolve into an even more superior form of a Drakloak, stronger and faster… it's not comforting to know that a regular Drakloak can already be a menace, never mind a specially trained one.
"You look troubled," Wallace says and she jumps, startled by his presence.
"What are you sneaking up on me for?"
"You've been standing there for an hour, Clair, just looking at Ash. I'm worried about you."
She deflates like a soufflé that got pulled out of the oven too soon and sighs.
"I'm sorry. It's just… the dragon."
"Dreepy? What's bothering you about her? Ash seems to get along with the little pokémon quite well."
"But it won't stay little."
"Oh, is that what you're worried about?" the man says and he dares to smile at her. "So you think Ash will be intimidated by a Drakloak that knows him while he comfortably takes a reformed shadow pokémon on his lap and that a Giratina is looming out of the wall behind him most of the time? Is that really something that's swaying your mind so heavily?"
"They're not actually all Dragon-types, though."
"Giratina sure is. And actually, yes, you're right, they might not all be Dragon-types but their tantrums could be way worse than those of a dragon. And it's Ash who can keep them from the tantrum at all so I'm not sure why you think Ash is at risk of any misbehaving from a slightly bigger pokémon than the one he's carrying around like a baby most of the time. Also, if you think the pokémon will want to stop doing that, you're wrong. And Ash will allow it, I can already see him carrying Drakloak or Dragapult around too."
"But what if this one will turn nasty?"
"I think you should find comfort in the fact that the pokémon around him will protect him more than what you could ever do by standing here, keeping a vigil over him from afar."
"What I'm really wondering about, is where the hell Ash found all these Pidgey," Steven says and comes to stand next to Wallace, peering through the window.
Ash must've sensed all those eyes on him, though, he turns and waved at them. Only Steven waves back though but he stalks off quickly enough, shaking his head once he's far enough from the window.
"Well, that was awkward," the man sighs.
"I don't think Ash will be worried about people looking out for him," Wallace says but joins Steven on the couch anyway.
Clair just shakes her head and moves away from the window too. She knows Ash will be safe, there are only a couple of heartless beings on this earth who would want to hurt the boy -his own mother being part of that group, unfortunately- and even fewer who will have the guts to attempt it but still… It's not the fact she thinks that an evolved Dreepy will hurt Ash, the pokémon might break his heart and that's something she wants to avoid. Because the Drakloak might want freedom and she's sure her kind nephew will allow that without thought but this Dreepy has become part of a promise he's made to Lance and if the pokémon leaves before Lance comes back… Well, she just has her doubts about the whole thing, that's all.
"All good?"
She jumps again, she never heard the backdoor open.
"I guess not, then," Ash concludes when she fails to answer him on time. "I'm sorry, I don't know what I'm doing to make you so worried, Clair."
"It's got nothing to do with you."
"Funny," the teen says and smiles when she looks at him in question. "Every time someone says that to me, I usually have everything to do with it anyway."
Clair shakes her head, she's not sure what to say to Ash because he'll just become more adamant to prove her wrong, which she also wants to avoid because Dreepy might not even want to leave but it might just like the kid enough to stay, no matter how hard its need for freedom calls. It's conflicting, this whole thing but before she can even attempt to try and explain her feelings, the phone rings.
It's the doctor, he tells her that they will make an attempt to get Lance home, the man's been complaining endlessly and it's becoming a bother to his already less-than-stellar recovery process so they want to try and see if the man will heal a little better at home. Clair suddenly feels a lot lighter now, though she will need to go shopping to make sure she has everything in the house to make sure Lance will be comfortable, yet it still won't be a hassle, she has a feeling she will have a little helper who will also be willing to help.
She's happy when she goes back to the living room, she's witness to see one of the biggest yawns she's ever seen Flygon do but it's only awake because Ash sits down next to it.
"My, my, what a yawn. You must be so exhausted from all that napping you did today, huh?" he says in the typical coddle tone Dragon-types usually hate but then again Ash has a way with pokémon and Flygon is too busy enjoying being scratched under his chin to mind it.
"That's the best description I've heard of a Dragon-type," she chuckles and grins at Ash. "I don't suppose you've got a minute to help?"
"Sure, what do you need?" the teen asks and damn her and her thoughts because the boy perks up as if she's done something wrong.
How the boy somehow always makes her feel like a sucker is beyond her but maybe she needs to tone down her worrying. Ash may just be the best-protected kid in the whole world, after all, one Dreepy is not going to make much of a difference to it, evolution be damned.
"I need some stuff for the house."
"Oh?"
"Mm, Lance will be coming back in two days so we've got to make sure everything's ready, right?"
"He is?! How? Wasn't he, like, ill the day before?"
Clair just nods, Lance really isn't doing well but she also hopes that being home will stimulate his healing process. And if not, she's pretty sure Ash will find a way to make sure it does and there is nothing she can do to stop him as it's not something anyone should expect from him.
"Yes but the doctor feels like he'll do better once he's here."
"Well yeah, he likes being here so I suppose he'll feel better until he notices that it's not that different at all. I know, I thought I was saved when I came home but the hospital kinda still follows you home and you're still not allowed to do whatever you want, people dart around you from a distance while all you wanna do is hug and hold them close. It's gonna be a whole lot more jarring to him too, we might not have gotten into the hospital for the same reasons but I know that wanting to come home is a big thing but it's really not that big in the end."
She sighs and gently put her hand on his cheek, making sure she doesn't touch the sleeping Dreepy all drooping over the boy's shoulder.
"I still do think he's wanting to come home because of you, Ash."
"I'm not complaining," the boy chirps, not looking bothered by the looming doting he'll be on the receiving end of. "What does Lance need, then? Pillows? Sheets? Special stuff?"
"Special stuff," Clair agrees and as she pulls out her phone, she brings up the list the hospital just send her. "Look."
Ash blinks a couple of times, and his eyes stop at something Clair isn't too fond of either but she knows Lance has horrible nightmares. So waterproof covers are kind of a must when it gets worse. The nightmares, that is.
"It's precaution," she clarifies, parroting the words the doctor who called her told her.
"Sure. Where are we going then?"
"Celadon, of course. I'm not going to Goldenrod to come back empty-handed, they sell nothing of the nature on this list so why would I waste energy?"
"Dunno, you didn't need to elaborate either, I'm happy going to Celadon. I wonder if the big Team Rocket building is still there."
"Come again?"
"The tall building with the giant 'R' on it, that's a Team Rocket building. Everyone in Kanto knows it, it's just kind of the Mamoswine in the room no one wants to acknowledge," Ash says and shrugs.
"Why hasn't anyone done anything against that?"
"Officer Jenny has, they've gotten a lot of bills for not respecting trash collection days."
In the back, Steven snorts but Clair ignores that.
"I hope to avoid the building at all."
"It's not near the department store, no. But you can still see it as soon as you get into the neighbourhood of Celadon."
"Good."
It's not comforting to have seen the clear outline of the building Ash described, it's still there and it's beyond her to think that any of the Kanto-based officers have never caught wind of this. Still, she's lost her connection to them to ask about it but in the end, does she want to get the confirmation that all Lance and Red's efforts were in vain? That Team Rocket still isn't gone?
"Did we get everything?" the teen next to her asks, though he's already being a champion, carrying four bags around.
"I hope so, we'll see it when we get home," she answers. "Let's go put everything in the car."
"'kay!"
Clair is getting a little suspicious of the teen's chipper mood but she guesses that the news of Lance's homecoming has something to do with it. Ash catches her last glance at him, though but he's still all smiles.
"I've gotten Meep's speed stat maxed out," he answers. "And I've found a spot with a lot of Psyduck and even Golduck so I'm gonna try and lure them towards the garden."
"They all have a weakness to electricity, huh?"
"Mm? Oh, depends on what you're trying to train, like Geodude is for defence, you won't get far with electric moves there."
"I don't understand the logic behind it," she just says.
"I'm at the point where I also don't understand why it works like that but I'm not gonna let that stop me from enjoying myself. Also, Meep's fast so it must be doing something alright."
"Meep? You've called Dreepy that?"
"Yes?"
"Nothing."
Other than having a terribly strong pokémon out and about and then controlling it by the name 'Meep', that is. No one will see the threat coming but then again, the boy has a Shadow pokémon called Smog. At best, a few opponents with a bit of knowledge will assume it to be a Weezing or perhaps even the Alolan kind but no, it's a very big and brutal, so dark it's an almost black Lugia. Sure, it's all cute and nice when Ash has his arms around it but when it's not, it's a menace. Salamence has gotten a big impression from it and so has everyone witnessing the event of how the dragon wanted to come to have a taste of the food Ash was making for Lugia. Now, territorial behaviour is okay but the reaction came like lightning on a clear day. And the teeth on that creature, dear lord!
"Are we going to get going now?" the teen asks cautiously and Clair is startled, she's getting lost in thought far too much these days, they've been standing here for a while now, with the road open and free for them.
"Yes, I'm sorry."
"Maybe you can tell me what's bothering you later. Maybe I can help."
"Thank you. It's going to be hard, though, I've never known a child like you."
"See, I knew it had something to do with me, it always does. I'm sorry for setting such unrealistic bars for any future kids appearing in your life but other than that, would you rather not have me happy and a little weird?"
"I like you a lot, Ash, I would hate not seeing you happy."
"Then you'll just have to tolerate the big and trigger-happy pokémon around me because they make me happy."
"I know."
It's indeed just one of the things she'll have to come to terms with but that should be easy enough. Still, it's a little odd how easy the way home goes, she's not had to stop for a pokémon crossing the road, while she's been cursing a lot recently due to needing to stop for everything, nipping her ride home in the bud. She sees the pokémon cross behind her, she catches it in her rearview mirror and frowns. Ash is still all smiles but he's watching her cautiously and he also tells her to take a nap, that he'll pester Steven to cook for them instead and that he'll come to wake her up when dinner's ready. They still have the whole of tomorrow to get everything ready for Lance's arrival back home, after all… and she finds herself agreeing.
Steven, on the other hand, is a little startled, no one asks him to cook and while he's not a bad cook, no one approaches him with such requests. No one but Ash, that is but the teen is looking so earnest, that he can't find the willpower in him to refuse.
"Clair's overwhelmed, she was alright for the short term but it's taking longer than all of us expected and she's not ready for that. She's younger than Lance too and she never signed up as a homeowner with a family. Even with Lance, it was just him and me, never more than three people. But now, there are four of us and she gets up early and goes to bed late. That's not good, it brings out weaknesses and I just guess overthinking is more of a family trait than I thought it was."
"I didn't notice that."
"You shouldn't, you're a guest here. But for this special occasion, please, let her sleep?"
"Of course, of course, will she be awake for dinner too?"
"Yes but I'll pester her back in bed. And she'll stay there, I swear to Arceus, if she wants to change her biorhythm so bad that she stays up all night, she can sleep through it for once, it won't hurt her to have a proper night of sleep."
"She is a light sleeper, though, she'll wake at the slightest noise."
"Not if I can help it."
Steven wisely decides not to meddle, Skarmory is acting a little weird too but then he sees Ash sink into the couch, looking a bit irritated. It's a rare sight to see him this way so he quickly goes to sit next to him.
"Hey now, what's upsetting you so much?"
"Clair is worried about me and I don't understand why. I'm happy, I'm busying myself with things I enjoy, why is this bothering her? Or what part of it is bothering her?"
"Maybe she's just a little overwhelmed like you said."
"Yeah, but who isn't? Or were you expecting to put up with this when you drank your New Year's drink, then?"
"…Well no, though you won't hear me complaining. It's not easy making friends when you get older and meeting young people… it's not welcoming, maybe you will notice that you're a little different from other kids but you still grow up experiencing roughly the same thing as them and you'll relate to them that way. But what can I share with your generation, Ash?"
"Is this a 'hello, fellow kids' thing? I'll smack anyone who doesn't think pokémon are cool so unless you're from ancient times or plain terrified, I'll stand you taking a distance of them."
"That's not what I meant, Ash."
"I know damn well what you mean, you don't need to pull out the generation card, Steven. Or have you missed the reason why my big friends pop in for a little visit from time to time? Isn't that kind of your issue too?"
"… Maybe it is. Either way, Clair must never have thought to have a family to care for."
"Same, I grew up thinking no one cared and now I'm worrying about people worrying about me which is worrying other people and honestly, I'm kind of done with this," Ash says, sounding frustrated. "Also, is this okay for you and Wallace? Taking such leisure time off?"
"Unless there is a crisis ongoing, no one misses the champion," the man sighs ruefully. "That's why all of us have something else to do to keep us busy in the meantime."
"You're still welcome, don't get me wrong. But I'd hate to be a reason why you would have a mountain of paperwork just growing behind your back."
"Whatever we do is never written on paper, Ash, if anything, that's something Team Rocket taught the pokémon league."
"I'd rather perish than ever be grateful for whatever Team Rocket did," the teen says and he's really getting huffy. "Suckers do something which turns out going against their favour anyway, you can't be thankful towards anyone who just fucks up what they wanted to do to you, you'll never know their true intentions."
"I think that Team Rocket's aim was never that deep, though. Try not to worry about it, Ash."
"It'll be a cold day in hell when I suddenly start to think about Team Rocket at all, if Giratina wasn't at risk of catching indigestion, I'd ask it to eat Giovanni whole."
"… You have seen him in action, then? As head of Team Rocket?"
"I won't witness against him," Ash answer obtusely and Steven sags.
"I would never ask that from you, it's just if you had, you are at high risk. Giovanni doesn't like people who can get him to hang on the gallows, buddy, even if you won't witness against him."
"As if Team Rocket hasn't been on my ass since the first night I didn't spend at home, huh?"
Steven isn't sure what to say to the teen to make him calm down. He didn't think that Clair's behaviour would bother Ash this much to the point where he would be all angles but at the same time, it is justified. Who even believes Ash would be threatened by a Dreepy? Or the evolution of it? Still, he makes do, they have enough food in the house to make something he knows he's good at but the mood at the table is frosty, in fact, it seems like the boy in front of him silently eating, is a little mad at Clair. And in turn, the normally brash and foulmouthed woman is silent, looking everywhere but at Ash, which is very weird.
"You should stop staring at Ash, Steven," Wallace says, after the teen went upstairs, not too long after Clair announced she was going to bed again. "He doesn't like being kept an eye on so closely, not with Clair behaving so oddly."
"I know, he seems upset at something but I'm not sure even Ash knows what it is."
"He knows too much of this re-homing thing, I never even thought that the effect of it could be so short-lived and you heard him, right? He called Lance downright ill, I think none of us is ready for him to come home, not even Ash himself. So I think he's torn between being happy Lance is coming back and much rather having him stay a couple of days longer to come home not ill. And then Clair starts hallucinating some sort of weakness in him so of course, he's not happy. Ash wants nothing more than to be independent again, you know he does and now he's being watched like he's not supposed to do this, that he ought to be watched at all cost."
Steven rubs his temple, he can feel a headache building but then again, if that's really how Ash feels, it's justified for why he responded that way to his prodding.
"How do you know this, Wallace?" he sighs, feeling dumb for not having figured that out sooner.
"Because I asked, of course."
"… You did what now?"
"Ash is young but heaven knows how a child like that came from Pallet. Just so you know, he will still answer truthfully to any question asked in good nature. Maybe you should try it sometime."
"I did, he straight up said Giovanni's the boss of Team Rocket but refuses to witness."
"Good, he shouldn't get caught up in that," Wallace says. "Heaven knows what they'd do to him. Especially not when he's got something to lose now, you can tell the difference between the optimism he showed in Kalos and the way he acts now, can't you? He would never argue with you before either."
"… Should I go hug him, love? And apologise?"
"I personally don't think you need to apologise but go ahead. Your instinct has never failed you before."
Steven nods and he's quickly on his way to the boy's room. There's little to no sound in this part of this hallway… but there is a shadow at the end of the hallway and it's raising every single hair on his body.
"Ash?" he asks out, his body still as untouched water but the quiver in his voice is unmistakable.
The teen peeks his head around the door a little too quickly for his liking, it's as if Ash had been sitting at the door, waiting, that fast is he to come to check up on him.
"What's the matter?"
"Is that a pokémon?"
The boy steps out of the room and sees the shadow too. He, however, doesn't seem startled.
"I think Deoxys wants to say 'hi'. You've been living here for a while now, haven't you?"
Steven nods dumbly and before he knows it the shadow comes closer, to the point where it's not a shadow but an actual pokémon he's never seen before, not in the pokédex he thought he knew the entire contents of. But the pokémon seems docile, it bows in front of him before disappearing again, although Steven is convinced that this 'Deoxys' the teen referred to only behaved as nicely because Ash was there. Though, isn't that always the case? The only pokémon who like him have been in his possession for a while, wild pokémon never came up to him, never wanted to be touched by the likes of him. Still, the fact that the pokémon bowed to him, apparently thankful for the fact he was here just to support Ash, gives him enough courage to pick the teen up and hug him as closely as he can. The boy allows it and he hugs him back strongly too.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I'm the problem every time," the boy murmurs, though not softly.
"You've never been a problem to me. You're a precious boy that just sparks worry in the adults who have either forgotten about their own childhood or have never learnt to deal with issues that don't revolve around them."
Ash doesn't say anything any longer but Steven realises he's just called himself a child too. When it comes to issues, he's grown up in it, he was a teen at the time when that thing with the dark pokéballs happened so he knows how to deal with issues all too well. Maybe that's why his instinct on how to deal with Ash came out so well, maybe he's not a child… but he absolutely refuses to call Ash a problem in any way and form. He'd much rather call himself a child then, being an adult is just an illusion anyway. He's just an older child than Ash is, though hot damn, the kid knows how to push his buttons just a little too well, falling asleep in his arms like that.
Sue him but he just goes into the teen's room and sits on the bed, refusing to leave the peacefully asleep child alone right now. Pokémon crawl on him, a warm bird is sitting on his shoulder, and he's willing to bet his life on the fact it's got 'Warm Body' as an ability. He's getting a bit drowsy when Pikachu uses him as a ladder to get worm his way into Ash's arms and Dreepy goes to lay on the teen's prosthesis, the only cold part in the bed right now. But it's alright, Steven allows it all to happen and peacefully falls asleep, leaning his head onto the warm and fuzzy pokémon on his shoulder now playing the part-time part of a pillow.
A loud noise makes the two jump up, by now, Ash has rolled a little further away from Steven and is covered head to toe with pokémon. But that doesn't stop the teen from jumping off the bed and running into the hallway. Steven follows, a little slower but after a minute or so, when his sleepiness is gone, he'll wonder how the kid was able to do that with his prosthesis. But it seems like Clair missed a step… though miraculously is all teared up and scared while she's not hurt. Not anymore that is, Ash is watching her closely as she blubbers something that sounds like she's even less awake than Steven is.
"Can you help me get her on the couch, Steven?" the teen asks and it takes him a moment before he understands what's being asked of him.
"O-oh, yeah, yeah."
Clair seems pretty upset but with Ash having disappeared into the kitchen to fetch a glass of water, Steven is left with the crying woman. He feels for her but he's not sure how to help her.
"Tell me what I can do to make you feel better, Clair."
She tells him that they still have so much to do and that she was stupid to listen to Ash and stay in bed for so long but he stops her before she can say anything more, the teen is standing in the doorway with the glass of water and all his good intentions anyway.
"Together, Wallace, Ash and we, we lumbered over twenty big-ass pillows through this hallway. What makes you think this is something we can't succeed in? Or were you planning on doing it all alone?"
Clair falters and after a minute of silence, she shrugs.
"I guess that's all I've ever known, to do things by myself."
"Well, then it's time to change because I'm not going to let you do that. I'm not going to let you get yourself so worked up you will need hospital care too because this will just be a vicious cycle of people in over their heads. All while it's not that difficult asking for a little help, I mean, I can make a bed, I've done hotel care, it'll be first class," Steven says, feeling a little desperate but he too can't just stand by the side and watch everything go to hell.
"And I can keep the pokémon at ease, Flygon misses Lance a lot, he'll probably come snooze on top of his feet," the teen pipes up, gingerly pushing the glass of water into her hands. "Lance usually has cold feet anyway."
That comment successfully gets a smile on Clair's face, it's the reaction Steven wanted but couldn't get. Good to know he can count on Ash to be sassy in time of need.
"See? It'll work out, we just got to split the load a little, yeah?"
She nods and while Steven's suggestion to have some toast falls flat due to Ash never having had something as simple as a toast before, the mood in the kitchen seems more mellow than last night so that's something he'll take pride in. Still, he's a little bothered, sure, Steven believes in different eating habits but the things the boy tells him he's eaten a lot, are all part of the group he knows are easily reheatable. Something as easy as toast is something he's eaten a lot, every time he ended up sick, his busy father still took the time to make him some. It's healthy in the sense that it doesn't take much energy to digest but to hear that Ash's mother couldn't take the time to make the teen a little toast... Heck, Ash doesn't even recognise the toaster, he just assumed it was not his business and as such, didn't question it… which is a little sad.
But now is not the time to dwell on what's generally known -though Steven did overestimate the lack of motherly feelings the teen's mother had-, there's a lot of work to be done. A lot of it is cleaning but Wallace assures him he can teach Ash and have him help out in no time so he's left to deal with the bed, all while Clair is trying to reorganise Lance's medicine closet without making it look too empty. Steven knows better than to tell her not to worry about it, in fact, he understands why both Clair and Ash ended up so upset yesterday. The hospital staff shouldn't have needed to point out that the remainder of Lance's burn-out could land him in a depression that would tempt him to suicidal thoughts. Yes, he's seen the list, Ash helpfully copied whatever needed to be done and wrote it out on three different papers that they could take along, to make sure they got everything done… but the boy's handwriting is a little shaky, he's silent though he's hanging on Wallace's lips.
"Is everything alright?" Clair asks, stepping out of Lance's private bathroom.
"That's rich-" he answers but she stops him, she holds out her hand and shakes her head.
"I know. I'm sorry for the way I acted, I wasn't feeling like myself at the moment. But you're a good man, Steven, so answer me, please."
"I'm worried for Lance. And Ash. Those doctors and nurses aren't an ounce subtle, are they?"
"No," she sighs, her shoulders sagging. "I'm also worried over those two, I want to do right by them so badly and yet, I don't know how. Without you, Steven, this wouldn't have turned out right."
He doubts that, Ash would've done all this without complaint but with a lot of spite if needed. He witnessed the teen's dire need to be a good boy too.
"In the end, we all want to do right by each other, Clair. This doesn't involve anyone's lack of anything other than just our lack of knowledge of each other's company. We've been kind of alone and now we live together, that's not easy. And then add the fact there's a little one who misunderstands subtle messages and slight nudges in the right direction, it's a perfect recipe for disaster."
"Ash? At least he recognised it before it happened. I mean, I fell down the stairs but I've never slept past eight in the last ten years, Steven. I needed the sleep and no one but Ash knew."
"I don't think that's what happened, the boy has survived through a lot of experiences not a lot of kids have been through, let alone survive. Ash is well… woke, in that sense, I think he just saw something in you that sparked a memory. He did say to me that he's aware overthinking is a trait running down the family line."
"I think you can safely say Ash is woke in an awful lot of things. Can you keep a secret? Because I don't want to admit this to Ash."
"… Of course," Steven says but he has a feeling of dread starting to pool in his stomach. "Unless it's something that'll change the way I look at him, I draw the line at the freakiness that bows down to me in the hallway."
"Come again?" she asks.
"A pokémon, Deoxys. It bowed down to me yesterday. Before we all majorly overslept."
"Oh, you can consider that an official welcome home," Clair says and waves her hand dismissively. "It's happened to Lance too, he 'noped' out of the situation but he did tell me about it. But no, you were there when he told all of us how he felt about this early homecoming."
He watches her warily and the woman wrings her hands, looking a little uncomfortable.
"Lance's therapist called, asked me how I felt about all this and he was silent for at least fifteen minutes when I told him how Ash was taking it and told me that we could use this insight to make the experience different but that we should really bring Ash's therapist back."
"That's fine, I don't think that will hurt him any more than Lance not being okay, in fact, I think this will be for the best. You know the kid will try to make up for the things we're not doing anyway. But why did it shock that therapist? Ash is just honest, aren't we happy about that?"
"Yeah, but it was the way he said it that didn't make the other therapist as enthusiastic as you are, honesty and plain out admitting that life has been nothing but a disappointment from start to finish are two different things."
Steven thinks about that for a little while, he didn't hear the same thing as the therapist either but he's so used to Ash speaking in riddles in all honesty, he won't mull over it long enough because Ash will notice that. And the same question still stands, does he want to understand the boy's emotions to that extent? He barely scratched the surface of whatever the child's mother did to him and it still left him reeling. He'll never look at toast the same way again, it's never left him feeling quite so full either.
"We'll leave that up to the therapist."
"Yeah but the thing is, dr. Knight is out of commission," Clair says and she looks nervous. "He's had a bit of an accident with err… hot water and he's admitted to the hospital himself. So Ash will be called by a new therapist who has read his file but it's possible there could be a bit of conflict."
"Ash doesn't usually act out towards anyone who isn't part of the thing that's got him feeling bad."
"Well, we both are now."
Great, so that's what she meant, huh?
"I've gotten good at playing dumb, though."
"If you think you can play Ash that way, you don't know him well enough."
"Him or the mind-reading pokémon looking out for him?" he asks, knowing well enough that they'll leave him alone because he doesn't want to hurt Ash in any way.
"Both. Let's just take care of each other, yes?"
"Is that not why I'm here, taking care of this mess you call bed linen?"
She shuts up pretty quickly, she darts out of the room, possibly to go and bother someone else but Clair has successfully planted a worry seed in him and he can't see Ash like this. He'll have the kid up in the trees at this rate so with Lance out of commission, he's got to make sure to have everything running smoothly… and as such, goes to bring Wallace the news. At least the man has the decency to take Ash to the side and tell him the news that he'll be contacted by another therapist, that his first one had an accident. And the teen takes the news well enough if only the fact he corrects Wallace that dr. Knight didn't have an accident with hot water but with hot oil instead, which unsettles both men heavily. Ash even tells them how it happened and advises them to never bend down over a pan full of oil while balancing on a chair. Sound advice but the teen acts like he's busy so they can't see how he feels about the new therapist after his initial answer
But still, the house is in order, the pokémon around the house are behaving extremely well, Flygon is already practising being a foot warmer with the sad thing still remaining, Ash still has one foot that he'll never feel getting warmer. Clair has gotten her fighting spirit back, she's looking a lot happier now that everything's alright and ready for tomorrow.
Well… poor Clair rushed things for no reason, this storm the weather forecasters predicted has got Johto in its claws and it's been raging for a week now. The extreme winds and monsoon rain periods have caused issues in the region, some places have experienced flash floods and even New Bark is struggling with several trees toppling over. A lot of roads are not accessible, even when emergency services are doing their utmost to clear the area. But the wind is just too strong, the weather forecasters say that it might take another three days for it to lessen but even so, the trees in the region need to be stabilized before the roads open again. So basically, it'll be well into the next week before talk about a re-homing attempt will be initiated, though Ash isn't bothered by it, he's happy his uncle doesn't need to sleep in this odd weather, he's not gotten a lot of shut-eye, the howling wind sounds foreign and he's not at ease anywhere in the house.
Neither is anyone else, though, in fact, Wallace seems stressed out by this weather. He adamantly closed all the shutters outside and keeps the blinds shut, just so that nothing can come bursting through the windows. He tells Ash how another building can be torn apart by this wind and how any given beam from said building can be thrown into a random direction at a high speed. But the teen has seen the ebony shutters from up close and sure, it's hardwood but again, an impact at such high speeds as the man describes will also shatter these dainty, if not straight-up thin shutters. And now they rattle ominously all the time, setting Steven on edge as well.
TV works most of the time though the electricity shuts off for short periods and then back on. It's bothering Clair a lot, she wants to be kept up to date since Johto is in a state of emergency and as such, she wants to see the news. But Ash doesn't want to see the news any longer, not since he saw the news update about Ingo's disappearance. It was such a sad sight to see Emmet like this, not taking any comfort from the people next to him, seemingly not even feeling Elesa's, arms around him, despite the Unovan Electric-type Gym leader's best intentions. The boy's heart broke at the words coming from Emmet's mouth, he can't imagine losing family this way. Sure, he's lost his mother and father but he knows where they are, he knows that they're okay or at least, alive but Emmet doesn't have that confirmation. And now each time the news brings up the fact that the number to call, just in case anyone has seen or heard any news about Ingo, is still active and that there still has not been a single lead or trace of the man, Ash's heart breaks a little more until he simply doesn't sit in the living room any longer. He prefers listening to the ominous rattling of the shutters and blinds than hearing Emmet's words become more desperate over time.
His bedroom is where he finds solace the most but his heart goes out to the pokémon everyone keeps forgetting. Clair's pokémon are being cared for by pokémon league personnel who are now also stuck in Blackthorn, the storm raging over the city as well but Lance's pokémon don't have anyone but Ash. So Sue him, despite the wind blowing even louder here, howling as if it knows it will die soon, unable to escape impending doom, he sits with the creatures who are even less at ease here than he is. But together, they suffer a little less than alone and maybe that's why the pokémon like him a lot more than anyone else here, in fact, Salamence has managed to climb the stairs up to his room and there isn't anyone who can stop the Dragon-type from doing so because no one else fits in the hallway once the pokémon has entered it.
But Ash's heart is feeling a little cold, he's not being kept vigil on any longer, which is fine but he's pretty sure that it will happen again once this storm is over. Just when he thinks it can't get any worse, though, Clair comes up to him to ask him if he knows the pokémon responsible for this storm but no, he tells her that there isn't a pokémon causing this and then she tells him he's lying and that he needs to get over his favouritism with pokémon and that he should feel bad about how many people are suffering right now. But the thing is, he doesn't care what she says now, he knows she doesn't mean it because she's upset but he can't lie to Wallace when the man asks him what she just said to him.
"She doesn't have the right to ask that, you're not some sort of utility she can use whenever she wants to," he answers darkly.
"Please leave her alone, Wallace. She's upset."
"So that gives her the right to work it out on you?"
"No, but you know she's not doing well. Please, Wallace, let her be."
The man begrudgingly does so, though Ash wishes he made a more specific request because Wallace just waits for a different moment to bother Clair and then he poses her with the problematic question of whether or not she's being a major asshole to think she can either use a teenager for information this way or whether she thinks he's able to cause such issues and let's just say that Ash doesn't want to be there to hear the answer. Sure, he's capable of filling in the blanks but does he want the confirmation that, in the end, he's always the issue annoying or bothering someone, no matter what anyone says or does? It's always the same, if only it wasn't such bad weather outside, he would've done something because he can't depend solely on his uncle to save his butt despite the man being the only one who still has a say over him. Whether Lance will still be capable of that, though, remains to be seen. Ash now knows what a burn-out looks like, he'll be on the lookout for any kind of symptoms in anyone-
"Ah!"
"Pikapi!"
It's Pikachu's outcry that makes Ash look up, he thinks he's fallen but he's confused because the landing he expected never came. Instead, he finds himself sitting in the long, soft grass and the teen is none the wiser where he is. Certainly not in Johto or Kanto, the wild weather terrorising the two regions is nowhere to be seen, in fact, it's all feeling very pleasant over here. Until he feels something familiar… and while Ash will apologise to the world for being so angry, he will recognise these feelings a bit too often to be normal. But anger is the only part that seems familiar to him here, the pokémon he sees makes him feel like he's in Sinnoh. There's no reason why so many Bidoof, Shinx and Starly would be here, right? He's never seen these pokémon anywhere else, so it makes little sense he would be anywhere but Sinnoh… But he's walked around the region plenty of times, his mother didn't enjoy his company home at that time too so Ash made himself scarce and enjoy whatever the place had to offer but never has he seen such a rural area there. Did he completely miss this or is he somewhere completely different?
'Different but the same altogether,' Mewtwo pipes up. 'I hope you do not expect me to tell you where we are, friend, I have no idea.'
Ash almost shakes his head, he doubts if he's actually somewhere either he or Mewtwo will recognise him but it also makes him realise that there aren't any people around the pokémon can look out for. If there were, it would've searched their minds for an answer anyway but for now, Ash doesn't make an issue out of it. He's still curious why he's here, though, he remembers having gone to his room, not to some sort of otherworldly but incredibly peaceful area. Granted, the anger here makes it different from his Aura world and it's having the true colours of an actual world instead of all variations of pink gives away he's not in his own Aura. What Ash notices right away, is that he does feel different. Whether it's the super fresh air here or the subtle, warm breeze instead of the damp coldness of rain and wind, he's not sure but even stretching doesn't hurt, which is a nice change.
"Do you have any idea where the angry feelings come from, though?" he asks, figuring that Mewtwo's silence means it's still looking for something.
'I… have an inkling. But you may not like how your friends do not recognise you.'
Ash pauses.
"What do you mean?"
'Dialga and Palkia have no idea who I am, nor do they know who you are.'
That's very weird, in fact, it becomes even weirder when he can still hear Palkia and Dialga confirm they recognise him as a friend. Dialga appears next to him in a less tiny form but not as big as normal, to prove that it is still there… And Ash gets a horrible feeling all of a sudden.
"I think I have an inkling where we are," he says softly.
'Still Sinnoh?'
"Yeah… But like, a thousand or so years before I got there."
'… Do you mean that you have been sent to the past by someone?'
"Arceus, highly likely, don't you think?"
'At this point, I wish I could stop so. Ash, whatever you do, do not step out of line, you may change history altogether.'
"Can Dialga take me back home now, then?"
'… Impossible to tell. It will need some time figuring out where we are before it can take you back.'
"Well, then I might as well have a walk-about, yeah? For all we know, this Palkia and Dialga might also like me as much as they do now."
'I would not count on it,' Mewtwo says dryly and Ash knows he's being a little optimistic but he's not going to sit here and do nothing.
Besides, there's no one around so who will see him? And also, what history will he change when there's no one to witness it? Necrozma seems to agree with him but still warns him that it can feel life in this place, human life, to be exact and while they are not near, someone might still see him. In fact, as Ash gets a move on, he spots someone who thankfully doesn't spot him but he stills. He's seen the clothes this person is wearing in a museum in Sinnoh, it makes his stomach drop because he wants to be home so badly. If the storm lets up, his uncle will be coming home! What will happen if Clair, or Steven or Wallace -who Ash knows to be upset- doesn't find him anywhere? They too have security cameras and while the footage only captures what happens on the outside of the house, they won't see him leave… because he didn't leave through the outside. He fell through a portal of some sort, which brought him into a distant past, so distant that Dialga needs a moment or two to figure out where he is.
And that's when it hits him.
'Ingo,' he thinks and for once, Mewtwo makes no move to correct him. 'Why does this sort of Tauros crap always happen to me? What will I do with myself if I can't go home again?'
'You are immortal, though.'
He stills.
"Perhaps but I can live all that time and then get hit by the twice-alive sickness for more than a decade. I remember all too well what that felt like so thanks but no thanks."
'Fret not, Dialga remembers what year it was, it just needs to remember the month.'
"It needs the date? It was the tenth of June when I suddenly dropped through the floor."
'Then, I guess you have your safety to get home covered. But did you not say you were going to check out why you were called here?'
That he did but Ash figures Mewtwo found something in this strangely dressed man's memories and/or thoughts so he goes ahead and walks… and walks… and walks. Now, take in mind, the boy feels a little upset, he can't imagine what anyone at home would think or feel finding his room empty, he's not even sure if anyone saw him go up so to think they wouldn't be able to find him… Well, all the teen can think of is how Emmet looked and sounded when he appeared on TV. And Lance just having to survive that nasty burn-out, though still not completely out of the woods, getting that kind of news? His heart breaks at the mere thought of it but by the time he's finished walking, he's almost knee-deep in what looks like a swamp.
"Well, damn."
'I did not wish to disturb you,' Mewtwo answers but it sounds sassy enough to make the teen believe that it did say something before he stepped into this muddy terrain.
It doesn't help that the few pokémon here also look at him weirdly now but hey, at least they aren't running from him the way they do from the people who live in this time. He's basically a weird intruder doing even weirder things but hell, Ash's trousers and shoes are dirty anyways so he might as well continue where he left off. Looks like there isn't much else to do, there isn't a road… but there is a very big and nasty-looking pokémon giving him the side eye, in fact, if he managed to catch this creature, people in his time would be stunned! This Toxicroak is possibly higher than two metres tall and it's not looking hospitable at all, Ash strongly suspects that the fact it's not running over to attack him is as much leniency as he could possibly expect from it.
"What on earth are you doing?"
The boy looks up and sees someone dressed even weirder, they look a bit like a monk but if that monk were a hitman. Either way, the hooded person seems a little towards the younger side, in fact, they are possibly around the age of his father and mother, which is why Ash steps backwards.
"… Travelling?" he suggests when the initial shock wears off, despite not being sure what he's doing either.
"Dressed like that?"
Yes, well, it's not like he got the choice to choose how to dress, he fell through a hole in his bedroom. But Ash bites back the sarcastic remark that nearly comes out and replaces it with the best next thing. A shrug.
"Dunno, how do you normally dress to travel?"
The person watches him warily.
"I suppose not, then," they say, though the teen strongly suspects this to be a man. "You look young, though you carry a pokémon familiarly."
"I'm fifteen," he supplies. "Could you tell me where I am?"
"In the Crimson Mirelands," the person answers and it's an answer but not the best. "You are near the Diamond clan."
"Diamond clan?"
"Can I trust you to leave this pokémon from attacking anyone? I would like to present you to our clan leader before anything, I would hate to leave one as young as you out in the Mirelands at this time of day."
"Oh, yes, yes, Pikachu won't hurt anyone, I promise. Won't you, buddy?"
"Kachu!"
The person watches him for a moment before motioning him to follow. And Ash is startled to find he actually strayed pretty close to this 'camp' these people have set up, though he feels a bit tense. The diamond pattern on the diverse banners and clothes of these people makes him feel like he's seen it before and it's only when he approaches the last, biggest tent, where the clan leader apparently lives, that the boy realises it looks a little bit like Dialga. But like, when an artist makes an image of the legendary pokémon when it's not been spotted for generations. He's seen plenty of the pokémon, though and somehow, he feels like Dialga and Palkia's anger is justified… but did, whatever creature who took him to this place, think he could help calm them down? Or solve whatever problem is going on here?
"Oh?"
The leader of this clan doesn't seem too inspired to see him, though the man smiles all the same.
"Hi," Ash says happily. "I don't suppose you like Pikachu?"
"… Is this an invitation to touch a pokémon without getting attacked?" the man asks, though he straightens all the same, at the prospect of touching this fluffy pokémon.
"Yes, it is."
But the man looks oddly uncomfortable holding Pikachu, it doesn't look like he knows how to deal with pokémon at all. Pikachu doesn't have much tolerance to just hand there and thus, jumps back into Ash's waiting arms. But his attraction still works like it used to do, perhaps not on wild pokémon but he doesn't spot a pokéball at all in here so the Umbreon and Vaporeon's attention can't be explained that way. Still, they like his hands just as much as the pokémon in his time do.
"Ah, Pikachu attack me all the time, what should I do when holding one?" the man asks, coming a little closer.
"Pet it, of course, like this."
And the demonstration gets him a spot to stay the night, Adaman, as the clan leader introduces himself, wants to talk more so he's allowed to stay at the leader's tent for now. Which is good because the Umbreon follows him around and butts its head against his right leg lovingly whenever he stands still, though doesn't jump on him when he sits. And he sits, for a long time because Adaman is interested in him and whatever he knows about pokémon. Ash will answer any of his questions, though he reminds him of a past that's apparently happened before this time too. That the unease is coming from a time people were out to hunt and kill the pokémon, instead of befriending them like they want to do right now. And the man is horrified, he had no idea but then again, he doesn't know what the pokémon are or look like but surely one would never do that to a pokémon?
"Maybe the same person who angered the deity you and your clan adore so much would."
Adaman straightens.
"What do you know about Almighty Sinnoh?"
Ash frowns heavily at the sudden behaviour change.
"Almighty Sinnoh?" he repeats. "Dialga, more rather."
"Who is Dialga?"
"The Ruler of Time."
"Impossible, the Pearl clan cannot be right!" the man exclaims and he slams his fist on the table with a lot of passion and anger.
It scares Ash to the point his face portrays exactly what he feels and it brings Adaman back to earth, or so it seems.
"I-f they honour the Ruler of Time but still call it Almighty Sinnoh, they're wrong as well. Its name is Palkia."
The tenseness in the room's gotten a lot less oppressive, it feels less like he's being questioned now. Maybe it's because Adaman apologises for slamming his fist on the table, that he doesn't understand why their rivalry, which spanned at least a century, has had no merit. Ash calmly explains that they both weren't wrong but not right either, that, if Palkia and Dialga were once a part of Arceus, their Almighty Sinnoh was indeed the right name to call it. But right now, they are two different creatures, that are no ifs or buts about it, no matter how long ago this time is.
"Try and rest for now. I will talk to you tomorrow," Adaman says and as the man walks out of the tent, the flaps of fabric show that there is indeed a guard in front of the opening.
Now, this doesn't impress Ash in the slightest, he can push that guard and everyone out of his way quite easily. Not to mention that his friends might offer assistance too, he can't help but feel how peeved Mewtwo is that he couldn't even take a trip to his bedroom in safety. By now, the teen realises he won't get a single moment of rest, his thoughts are being loud and obnoxious. Adaman can't be over eighteen, he's young and possibly the one in charge of this place but now he wonders what this Pearl clan is about.
He's left alone in this tent, solely for the company of the Umbreon and Vaporeon, who may have been left here to keep an eye on him but that plan seems to have failed. They are asleep next to him, gently snoring and they are the sole reason why he doesn't get out of the bed -it's barely able to be a bed, though, it's a thin, wooden plank with a thin fabric sheet over it and then a pillow filled with straw- despite his nose's sensitivity picking up that he'll end up sneezing his head off if he gets any closer to this pillow. It must be a naturally occurring plant they dried but he has a feeling they collected this dry wheat in the fall or the end of summer when the pollen season is at its highest. So it's highly unlike he'll lay down at all but ah, he can meditate… And it's fantastic, the earth is a lot pinker, it's neon pink in this timeline, it's an absolutely spectacular sight and it's not until he feels a tap on his knee that he can draw his eyes of how magnificent the moon looks despite only reflecting the light of the brightest pink sun he's ever witnessed.
"Are you asleep?" Adaman asks, having bent down considerably but he's looking more at him the
"No," he answers but blinks at the pretty bright candlelight on the table in front of him… where a serious-looking lady is looking at him.
"In that case, can I introduce you to Irida, the leader of the Pearl clan?"
"Oh," Ash says and looks down at the sleeping pokémon. "Can you take them off me, please, Adaman? I wouldn't want to hurt them."
It's a request he doesn't think much of but when he looks up, the lady looks a lot less peeved by being here.
"I hope that whatever you have to tell us is worth me having needing to set foot in here," she says, still sounding plenty annoyed though.
"The truth? I have met Palkia and Dialga plenty of times, miss, I can recognise them from anywhere so to hear that the two of you, along with a lot of other people, have been butting heads over something as simple as just time and space, which you can experience just watching the sun go down and seeing the moon come up, also getting the option to follow both the moon and sun… Aren't those just signs that time and space co-exist way before people were even here?"
"It is not as simple as you make it out to be, boy."
"But it's also not as complicated as everyone seems to think," he shoots back, though sounds innocent enough. "It's funny because Palkia and Dialga used to have the same tenseness between them as the two of you have. Either way, what I'm really wondering about, is why your ancestors never bothered to tell you the correct information, if, of course, they ever laid eyes on them."
"So they have a name tag?" Irida huffs.
"No, they will talk to you if they meet you, miss."
She seems stunned at that, it makes the man next to her chuckle but the suggestion that he might be able to help with their problem makes Ash sigh. What's up with people always thinking he's usable like a tool? But they seem to have a bit of an issue on hand, there is a portal over Mt. Coronet and they have seen something poke its head out of it. It's scaring all the other people in the village close to it and with their Noble pokémon in a frenzy, they have no way to defend anyone against whatever threat that could come out of the portal.
"A girl, maybe twelve or so, she's called Akari but Lady Lilligant hurt her in its frenzy and now she's too scared to approach any of the Noble pokémon," Adaman sighs and shakes his head. "Maybe our wardens are right, maybe we shouldn't have counted on a child like that."
"I'm fifteen," Ash supplies happily and is absolutely unbothered by the looks the two give him after this statement. "But I've been told I'm pretty good with pokémon, I would like to meet Lady Liligant, if possible."
'By all means, it should not attack you but if it does, friend, I cannot promise you can stay here because I will hurt that 'Lady' very badly if it misplaces one hair on your head,' Mewtwo promises and the teen's stomach churns at the idea of needing to run.
It doesn't help that Necrozma promises to do the same, if not worse if anything should happen to him and… there are a few voices describing horrible things they can do to these worried leaders in front of them. To think that his Aura even calmed Palkia and Dialga to the point where they fell asleep next to each together, damn, what will happen if these pokémon do get out of his Aura world? Also, he's going to have to check how many are in there, he's heard a lot of voices and while it doesn't bother him any longer, he wants to know if they're okay in there. His Aura world may be on the bigger side but he wonders if it's big enough to house all of these pokémon in a safe way.
'And this is exactly why we will defend you until the end of time.'
Well, his plan B seems to have set up by itself, though Ash isn't very sure if hurting these people won't cause this major upsetting change of time Mewtwo warned him for but he's wary enough and trusts his senses to tell him whether this Lilligant they seem so reverent about will attack him or not. Then again, these big and upset-looking pokémon out there didn't make a move to attack him so maybe he's alright. Either way, both Adaman and Iridia -though she looks a little wary of him- take his offer to help seriously and before he knows it, he, Adaman and Mars' lookalike are walking towards the Lilligant… And Ash knows why they call it a frenzy right away, it's super fast though looks like it's dancing more rather than attacking.
'Isn't it just a little too energetic?'
'I can relieve that,' Mewtwo says, a little too quick but Ash doesn't want to take the chance.
He's been sliced once before, he doesn't need another massive scar to worry everyone so the teen lets Mewmew do its thing, while Necrozma is scanning the area for more 'energetic' pokémon to also relieve them from whatever is making them behave a little odd. But the thing is, to Adaman and the Mars' lookalike, it just looks like the 'frenzy' left without him having acted. It's all thanks to his friends, though, they shouldn't have done it but he's grateful they were looking out for him… and maybe these people's lives have just gotten a little easier thanks to this intervention. And maybe the girl who helped out will also feel better, now that the Lilligant isn't behaving weirdly any longer. Ash makes sure to look at it a little longer, he's interested to see the difference from the Lilligant he remembers from his time and wonders whether all these Noble pokémon look a little different from the ones he knows.
He doesn't need to wait any longer, these people are a little gullible but somehow, Adaman seems to believe he's the reason why the frenzy has left. And Irida seems to have lost her attitude towards him too, Ash is almost inclined to try and see if he can't get these people to meet the Palkia and Dialga of this time but he doesn't want his friends to need to intervene. Also, if fate laid it out for these two to meet their deities, they'll meet, one way or another. All Ash knows, is that he now has the chance to see the Sky Pillar complete… And yes, the thing that sticks its head out of the portal? That's Dialga but it looks weird and so does Palkia. They resemble each other a lot more and Ash feels like this shape takes them a little closer to what they must've looked like when they first split from the 'Almighty Sinnoh' the people of this time used to refer to. But at the same time, while he's all alone on top of that temple, having made sure he's had a good look at what it looked like, neither of the legendary pokémon makes a move to attack him, despite looking very mad.
"I understand," he says and smiles sadly. "I hope you'll find me later on, I'll make sure you'll never need to feel this way again, I promise."
The familiar snort Ash knows is a sound Dialga makes to entertain him sounds out and the two beings leave. He's not sure if everything will turn out okay here, it's so peaceful at this time, the air is so fresh and all this makes him feel tons better. The fact that both Palkia and Dialga came to take a look at him hasn't gone unnoticed, though but Ash's had enough, he's tired from walking, his leg hurts and he just wants to go home. He misses the scent of his home, heck, even the rattling windows are fine, it's just the weather anyway. It's not like this place will look any nicer when there's a thunderstorm or worse. Nevertheless, there's still one question he's got burning on his lips and Irida can tell something is bothering him, allowing him to ask his question.
"I don't suppose you know anyone called Ingo?"
So… to make a long story short, there is a very big Sneasle looking down at him in his bedroom while Dialga tells him it deposited the frazzled man at the only town the being remembers from one of its trips to Unova, which is Striaton City. Ash doesn't care, if Ingo is in Unova, they'll find him alright. But what the heck is he going to do about this Sneasle looming over him and Pikachu?
'It is not a Sneasle, it is called Sneasler. You do remember it ran after the man during teleportation?'
"Ah, you just came along for the ride," Ash concludes and smiles at the grumpy-looking pokémon. "You must be horribly confused."
The pokémon bobs its head but looks around all the same. It seems pretty chill now that it knows it's safe here, it's not feeling quite at home but Ash has some time to comfort the strange and tall creature before Dialga sends it back where it belongs.
"That was special," the teen chuckles, before the shutters start to rattle ominously again, reminding him of the reason why he came upstairs at all.
And yes, there are still some talking noises coming from downstairs, still a little too loud to be considered normal talking level. But he feels different, a bit empowered, so to say. He's stood in front of a duo of upset legendary pokémon who could mean the end of his entire existence, should they so wish. He's told a couple of people that the things they've believed in for centuries, which got passed down from generation to generation, that everything they knew was wrong. And Ash feels passionate about the Sky Pillar, Arceus has done a great deal of good for him and okay, the Pearl and Diamond clan had mixed things up a little but no matter what, Dialga and Palkia were still considered deities at the time. So to think that the temple for Arceus has been destroyed at some point in time makes him feel odd, like it's become his newest target to get it rebuilt. It may take time but he'll do it, even if he's got to do another event and burn out the roof of his mouth with sour candy.
There's a gust of wind that makes the house shudder, it comes very suddenly and the howl passing through the hallway is loud enough to make the talking downstairs stop in total. Ash doesn't feel the presence of a pokémon, other than the ones he's gotten familiar with though, so it's unlikely that a pokémon is responsible. Also, it's the weather, the sun comes up by itself, it's because the earth turns at a strange angle, not because some odd pokémon is holding it that way. Things happen for a reason but not always because of something, he won't stand for his aunt to make him responsible for this either but she beats him to it. Granted, Clair knocks before she enters but she still looks upset.
"Ash-" she starts but he's not having it.
"No. Of all the things that could've rubbed off on you after spending some time with Lance, it's the fact that someone always has to go to jail, that there's always someone to blame but I won't let you do it this time. Thundurus isn't here, it's just raining, Tornadus isn't here either, it's just wind but not at the strength of a tornado! And Landorus certainly not because there aren't any earthquakes. And I didn't call anyone here to cause this shitty weather, you had your eyes on me the whole time, how could you say such a thing when you put me in front of the television and in your view the entire week now? Why won't you trust me, auntie? What have I done for you to think I'd cause this kind of trouble?"
She falters, clearly not having expected that.
"Clair, please, I don't know what's gotten into you these past weeks but I assure you that, no matter what, I'll never cause this kind of trouble. I want Lance home so badly, it's not funny how much I think we can help him more than the hospital can. But not if you're like this, I don't know what I'll have to do for you to trust me but I'll do it, Clair, I swear to Arceus, you are the only woman in my life right now, please don't screw this up."
"… I wanted to apologise for asking you the… well… I'm really sorry, Ash. I'm sorry I always make you feel this way."
"It's because you don't trust me, Clair, I've not forgotten about the doughnut incident either."
"Gosh, you're not going to let me live that down, are you?"
"You went out when you knew how much your safety means to me. What do you think I'll feel like when you go out despite my warning you could get killed if you did? Do you have any idea how badly that hurt me?"
"Bad enough to assume I'd keep you from Lance at the hospital."
"Can you blame me for thinking that at all?"
She stills, her face isn't nearly as red as it looked when she came into the room but Ash doubts she came here to apologise. Clair never does it without being egged to do it so, either she lost the argument and Wallace asked her to apologise or she did it after his passionate spiel. Either way, he's not sure why she drags him in a hug, it's not doing much for his nerves. Of everyone who knows how weird he is, she's the only one acting blasé, not believing him when he says something troublesome and dire, while much rather believing he's always lying when he just answers with the truth.
"Ash?" she suddenly asks.
"Yes?"
"Why did you tell Wallace not to say anything about that question while it clearly bothers you so much that I asked it?"
"It's not his issue, is it? It's between the two of us, he shouldn't butt in," he answers. "I like how he comes to my defence but not this time, I don't like causing trouble and he made an issue out of it while it shouldn't have, while I asked him not to. You're already stressed as is, he doesn't need to be an ass putting his foot in it."
"But he's right, I shouldn't approach you with my issues."
"You can if you can keep yourself from pinning the reason for those issues on me," he says and sighs when she turns away, letting go of the hug. "Who explained my abilities to you, Clair?"
"Riley did."
That explains an awful lot, he takes his sweet time explaining to her that Arceus likes him a lot, that he always has had Aura but that his mother had a severe stress response to hearing anything out of the ordinary and that he never explored the ability because he knew she wouldn't shy away from kicking him out or doing something horrible to him. Clair looks horrified by that revelation and grabs him back in the hug.
"Tell me whenever I'm doing something that hurts you, Ash, even if it's just a simple thing, tell me. If… if you'll do the effort to be careful, I should also change."
"That's fine. Thank you for understanding," he says and finally, Clair seems to lose every bit of tenseness. "Now, did they say anything on the news about when this weather is changing?"
"It should be gone by tomorrow evening but apparently, it'll leave towards the south so maybe it'll clear out earlier. But there's no certainty, I guess they're just trying to make people hopeful."
"So… that still means the okay for Lance's homecoming could be tomorrow, yeah?"
"Oh, that's right, I did say they could go through with it as soon as the weather cleared up," she says and looks befuddled. "Gosh, I totally forgot about that."
"Wasn't everything ready at least a week ago, though?"
"Mm? Oh, yeah, it was, I just… I guess I wasn't thinking things through. Thanks for reminding me."
He's not sure how she could've forgotten about something like that, she's been so stressed most of the time because of it. But maybe Wallace took her off guard, though the howling wind brings her back. Ash isn't feeling up to being downstairs, he doesn't want to give anyone the idea he doesn't want to be there but he's tired. And if Lance is coming home, he wants to be as awake as can be. Hence why he lays down for a nap but his thoughts lead him back to Clair's response to his attitude because he's still pissed about the thing she pulled when the Lugia passed. And that's when Ash jumps up from the bed, nearly launching Pikachu across the table. Needless to say, the pokémon isn't happy about it but the teen's face is nothing short of apocalyptic.
"Mewmew?" he asks, voice quivering.
'Yes, friend?'
"How big do you think the chance is that Team Rocket captured Lugia and turned it into a Shadow pokémon because they knew how I felt about it and knew I was scared of the Shadow creatures causing death among the pokémon league at the time when an actual Orre Lugia came and nearly destroyed the Indigo League?"
'… Too big. Allow me a moment.'
Ash takes a deep breath but he shudders, feeling Mewtwo leave. A part of him doesn't want his friend near Team Rocket but another part doesn't want to be singled out by the likes of Giovanni and his goons any longer.
"Try not to think too deeply about it, you will grow upset over things long gone," Necrozma says and brings a claw around his back. "Instead, allow me to interest you in the things I learnt about Aura from the users of the past."
The boy agrees and while he's listening closely to Necrozma's teachings, he's still not comforted by Mewtwo's absence, the pokémon has been there ever since he ended up in the hospital, the idea of anything bad happening to it brings tears to his eyes. Still, as the pokémon next to him teaches him the basics of giving pokémon the power boost normal Aura users of this time can give to other Aura users, he makes a silent prayer that his close friend returns to him safe and sound.
End of chapter thirty-seven