Who I Am - Lightning99

Chapter 7:

The Start of Another Adventure

He was back in that night.

Everything was dark. The Hyper Beams cutting the sky had frozen as if stopped in time. One beam loomed over his head, fluctuating between black and an evil purple, choking him with anticipatory dread. The world was somehow paralysed, and he was too, a consciousness trapped within an immobilised body.

They were there again, scrutinising him, and Ash relived his torment. Misty hovered a step to his right, leering. May and Drew were sprawled over one another, entangled, desperately clawing for closeness, grinning. Oak loomed larger than usual, shadowing Ash's already black world. Clemont and Bonnie were walking away but not moving, their recurrent steps an incessant replay of their betrayal.

Ash was spared from experiencing absolute darkness by an angelic, cylindrical tunnel of pure-white light, like a halo, that descended around Serena's body, shielding her from the all-encompassing darkness. He knew the light was a façade, but Ash walked towards Serena automatically, against the wishes of his head and heart that begged him to leave. In his futile effort to stop himself, his knowing heart cried while his eyes, which were forced open and should have been, were unable to.

Why couldn't he control himself? He didn't want to go to her – he knew what was going to happen – but he couldn't stop himself.

His right hand tenderly stroked her cheek when he stopped, their lips a breath's centimetre apart, his other hand resting on her waist. The twinkle in her eyes seeped into him, liquidising his heart. He knew it wasn't real. He knew it, so why couldn't he stop?

"I love you, Serena," Ash's voice innocently said, but he had not said it. It echoed around him as if a second, invisible, omnipresent version of himself spoke rather than the one trapped in and conforming to the mechanical movements of whatever controlled his body.

No! Not again! Ash thought, trying to prevent listening to the response he already knew. He couldn't shield his ears with his hands – they were trapped to his sides. He couldn't walk away – his feet were fixed to the spot. He had to listen even if his eardrums burst.

"I love Calem," Serena said insouciantly, running from under the halo's protection to grab Calem's arm and walk away, leaving Ash to drop onto his knees and cry again. He knew what she would say, yet the malicious statement remained shattering, possibly even worse than the first time. Then the others spoke, and whatever torturous entity that controlled him released their invasion, allowing Ash to throw his head back and scream.

Ash awoke with a gasp, his bedsheets pasted against his skin by the sticky heat of the room and the slippery, frigid glaze of the sweat coating his body. For a few seconds, his body remained motionless instead of the whiplash he had expected, and fear struck Ash, his heart beating like a Horn Drill against his chest.

When his movement returned, Ash catapulted himself forwards, fighting out from the claustrophobic restraints of the sheets he had somehow tangled himself in.

When he was free, he threw the sheets and his legs over the bedside and jumped to his feet. They were shaky, but he started pacing anyway, and their strength gradually returned.

Only after his heart had slowed and his breath returned did Ash properly collect himself and realise what he just saw had been a nightmare and that his body not moving must have been some form of sleep paralysis.

Ash breathed through his clenched teeth and a tightened jaw and knocked his fist against the wall in an uncharacteristic outburst of frustration. He was annoyed he couldn't forget that even in sleep, the one time his mind could be outside himself, he couldn't have peace.

"Oi! Keep it down, twerp! Some of us are trying to sleep!"

Ash didn't reply to the familiar term. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked out the window. It was raining that night, a rapid vortex of water piddling the windows. There was an odd beauty to the rain, and it helped to settle his nerves, to think. He dropped his head back to look at the ceiling and wiped both hands on either side of his face. They slipped over his sweat-soaked skin, so he slapped them dry against his shorts.

Ash then looked across at Pikachu's undisturbed smile at the edge of the bed. He wondered how he had stayed asleep despite his brawl with the blankets. Though, he was glad Pikachu had stayed asleep. That meant he was peaceful.

Everything seemed so repetitive now. He would think about the events, become depressed, then need to forget somehow. How could he get himself active enough to convince his mind to forget that harrowing experience?

Ash had a sudden epiphany. He picked up Infernape's Pokéball and exited the room, gently closing the door behind him. He descended the Poké-Center's steps and left through the back door that opened onto a battlefield. A lantern's lucent glow illuminated the should-be darkness, allowing Ash to see past the weak artificial white light from inside.

Stepping onto the battlefield – which had a shelter covering it – and listening to the pleasing rain patter against the cover, Ash let Infernape out and requested one thing: "Infernape, can you help me train for a little while?"

Infernape agreed immediately, his chimp's grin as wide as the time he had masterfully defeated Paul's Electivire. It looked to Ash that he was glad his skills were respected enough to be used to train from.

So far, Ash had trained by battling with his Pokémon. While it was effective, it did not get Ash working as hard as he wanted to be. If he could include some exercise, maybe he could feel even better. It was like when he swung through the trees with Greninja, training alongside him. But this time, rather than purely for training, he just wanted to focus his attention on anything that was not his dream.

Ash started by giving Infernape instructions, moves to use, the standard basics. Then he joined in, fighting Infernape hand-to-hand, who taught him small, simple moves: blocking and exchanging punches, all while bouncing on his toes. It was exhilarating to be in his Pokémon's shoes for once, and he wanted to learn more from Infernape than he had anticipated. It became more than a distraction.

When about midnight arrived, the puppy Pokémon Ash had seen Pikachu with at the festival crept out from the bushes, yelping relentlessly at them. Ash wondered if it had followed them.

They stopped training to see what the puppy wanted when Ash suddenly realised something. He had understood Infernape flawlessly during their training. He only realised as much because he could not understand the new Pokémon's cries. He wondered if there was more to his ability than he had initially thought.

Before he could say a word, the small Pokémon unleashed a Tackle at Infernape, who raised a large palm and simply blocked the hit. The dog bounced back and charged again. It kept on attacking, and soon Infernape was sparring with it. Ash smiled and joined in too. The small puppy was an interesting Pokémon.

Their tutoring spar continued early into the morning. Afterwards, before Ash retired at about two o'clock, confident he would sleep unhindered until after dawn, he gave the grey-furred dog some berries to heal up, and it affectionately rubbed its collar of rocks against Ash's leg. Ash climbed the stairs back to his room, but the wild Pokémon didn't leave, so he allowed it into his room for the night.

Far away from Alola's heat and comfort, Dawn sat in her girly-blue bedroom in Sinnoh's chillier climate, her scarf wrapped around her neck for comfort despite being indoors. It was only just morning, about nine o'clock, just after the news, and Dawn felt a blend of shock and sorrow.

After waking up at sunrise to some Starly tweeting outside her window, she had skipped downstairs in her Glameow slippers and routinely prepared some breakfast. She had walked into the living room, greeted her mother, and turned to the TV. The bowl in her hands that had been brimming with Shell'o's cereals and milk had slipped and shattered onto the kitchen floor when she had read the headline that emboldened the TV's blaring red banner.

"Previous Sinnoh League competitor, Ash Ketchum, found dead after Pallet Town catastrophe…" she had read aloud with a quavering voice, the tremor of her lips vibrating down to her knees and legs, and she staggered at her mother's side. Dawn had not been able to hold back when she glanced at her mother and saw her sympathetic, shocked eyes. She had run upstairs, collapsed on her bed, and sobbed.

That was an hour ago – or was it two? Her teary reverie had alienated time from her. However long it had been, she hadn't stopped crying. How could she? Ash was her best friend and the person who had changed her life in heroic ways, that person that had aided her in becoming a more accomplished trainer and coordinator and a nicer person. They even called each other once or twice a month, late in the evening when Ash was at a Poké-Center.

When he told her that he was coming home in their latest chat, she had immediately packed a bag to go and visit him. The bag was still in the corner of her room, overflowed with tops and skirts and shoes, and ribbons she recently acquired and yearned to pridefully present to Ash after congratulating him on the Kalos League.

But now, she couldn't present them to him. Ash was gone.

What made it even worse was that Professor Oak called her a few days after she had established her idea. He had countered her friendly plan with a villainous scheme, pitched like a salesman whose campaign aimed to ruin Ash's life. She had promptly hung up before he attempted persuasion or coercion and called Brock, who was just as angry and heartbroken, having received a similar call. Gary had called her later that night, furious over his grandfather's idea. He had vented for nearly an hour.

Her plans changed then. Alongside Brock and Gary – the latter originally wanted to go home because of his father's return but later because of Ash too – she planned to intercept Ash at the airport. After all, pinpointing a time he would be at a Poke-Center in Kalos to call him would be impossible, and they had already spoken that month. Brock was to lie in wait in Viridian because his job was stationed there, and the night before, they would all fly over to greet him the next day. But it appeared he had come home early without telling anybody. And now, he was gone.

Dawn didn't hear the door to her room rustle open nor her mother's slippered feet scraping the carpet. The bed tilted as Johanna sat down. She tapped Dawn's shoulders, and Dawn slowly rolled over from her face-down position on her bed, her head snuggled between her pillows, to face her mother. Her expression was grave and blemished with smudged tears. Johanna hugged Dawn tightly.

"Sweetie, some people are at the door for you," Johanna softly said.

Dawn didn't reply for a moment. When she did, her voice was meeker than a Joltik's cry.

"Ash is gone, mum…"

"I know, I know," Johanna rubbed Dawn's upper back, just behind her bed-head blue tresses. "It's going to be hard, especially for Delia. We should call her to see how she is. But before that, you should go and see whoever is there. I saw one of them. He's a very handsome boy."

Dawn refused. She didn't want to see anybody, not in that state.

"Please, Dawn? I'm sure you will feel a bit better."

Dawn refused a few more times, but her mother didn't relent. She sighed. There was no winning against her mother when she was determined.

"Ok. I just need to clean up."

"That's my girl." Johanna rubbed her daughter's arms affectionately. "It'll all be ok."

Quickly washing her face to clean away the tear streaks and morning fatigue, brushing her hair, and changing into a more appropriate outfit, Dawn half-heartedly descended the stairs and opened the door. Gary, Barry, and Paul stood on the other side of the wooden threshold, almost skittishly jumping as Dawn popped into view.

"Barry? Paul? Gary? What're you doing here?" Dawn asked, shocked, scanning them with her eyes. They all looked sad and sympathetic. They knew.

"We saw the news. I bought four tickets for in a few days – couldn't get 'em any earlier. We're going to Kanto if you want to come," Gary said, and immediately, Dawn agreed.

"They want to meet me at Kukui's Lab? How come?" Ash asked as he zipped up his bag after stashing his Pokémon inside. He stood from his crouch, stretched his arms, and slipped the bag onto his back. Pikachu jumped onto his right shoulder, and the small puppy he had encountered last night jumped onto his left.

Lillie swished her hat from the Poké-Center's seats and adjusted it onto her head.

"I'm not sure. Umm… Professor Kukui said, 'Hey there, Lillie! Bring me that great new trainer. Woo!'. I think they want to talk to you about the Island Challenge. I would have been here earlier, but I got lost on the way over."

"It's alright," Ash said, struggling to suppress a laugh at Lillie's imitation of Kukui.

"If you don't mind me asking, when did you get a Rockruff?" Lillie asked, eyeing the small dog, taking a step away from Ash's side. "That one looks familiar."

Ash shrugged. "I haven't, really. I think it followed us home from the festival last night. We trained a little last night, and I let it stay over."

"I see," Lillie said. "Uh, come on, then. I'll lead you there if you'll follow me."

Ash walked beside Lillie into the vacant street. Just as the doors smoothly slid to a close and they turned to the marketplace, Ash spotted a Meowth slouching down the stairs with a male and female trainer tiredly flanking it on either side. Ash sighed, suddenly wishing that they were Team Rocket and, for the first time, wishing that the rag-tag villains would emerge from the seas or forests of Alola, just to imbue his new life with some normalcy. He found it hard to admit that some part of him missed them.

But how could they be the same group? How could they find him so far out in the world, especially given the haste he had escaped Kanto and the fact they were still in Kalos?

"It's umm… it's this way," Lillie said, leading him back towards Iki Town but turning the opposite way, down onto a small bay in front of a charming for-sale lodge.

"If you don't mind me asking, this time," Ash said as they walked through some long grass, "how did you become Professor Kukui's assistant, Lillie?"

"O-Oh, I've been – imposing on the Professor for a little while now. I offered to become his assistant to pay him back for his kindness. It's the least I could do," Lillie nervously answered.

Lillie stopped in front of a large wooden shack with a messily patched up roof and a small decking in front of the door. A steel tank on the back of the wall poked up like a chimney, and a crooked sign attached to the front of the roof read 'Kukui's Lab'.

Ash was surprised. It looked meshed together randomly, a lot more shambolic than the dwellings of other Professors he had met. Oak's now rested in a heap of ruins, but that was beside the point. Besides, Ash felt that was a small victory. He preferred the messy appearance of this lab. There was something honest about it, and from what he had seen yesterday, it suited Kukui perfectly.

Lillie entered the house first, and then Ash followed. Kukui greeted them at the door.

"Hey, Ash, Lillie! Oh, and you've got Rockruff with you, nice one! I wondered where he'd got to. And, hey, it seems to have taken a liking to ya," Kukui said and coaxed them all inside and to the settees. Rockruff bounded to the corner and curled up.

Opposed to the patchwork exterior, the inside was nicer even than Oak's lab had been. The small living room and the kitchen were that of a normal house, but a small tank housing an aquarium of water Pokémon stood down the hall, opposite two other rooms, and a ladder led into a loft at the back of the living room. Stairs led into the basement, which glowed with white light only countless computer monitors could emit. That was probably where Kukui did his work.

"Is Rockruff yours, Professor?" Ash asked, dropping his bag and hat by the door.

"Nah, it's wild. I found it in the forest one day, injured. Brought it back, healed it up, now it comes back every time it gets hurt or wants food, the cheeky guy!"

"Good morning, Ash," Hala, who sat in the living room, intervened, offering him a snack. Ash politely declined, adjusting himself into his seat beside Lillie, who allowed Nebby to mingle with some other Pokémon frolicking in the corner. Ash did not recognise any of the species again.

"First things first," Hala said, "I want to give the stones back to you from yesterday. After the festival, I spent the evening carving out the large stone, and I was correct. It seems Tapu-Koko has presented you with a Z-Ring."

Hala handed Ash the stone, which remained intact, yet it had been modified. The jagged stone that had covered sections the engravings had been chiselled away, leaving the Z complete and the hole in its centre clear. A wristband had been attached underneath, as black as the stone itself. Ash slipped it onto his left wrist. He flexed and twisted his wrist, feeling happy with it: it fit him perfectly. Hala then gave him the other stone.

"Here is your Z-Crystal back."

"Thank you. Is this the device you told me about last night, Lillie? The Z-Ring?" Ash asked, still inspecting it.

"Yes, that's right," Lillie answered.

"To use a Z-Move, yeah, you need to first fit the stone into the engraving on the ring," Kukui instructed. Ash looked down at the ring, then slotted in the Z-Crystal. "From there, you've gotta have a deep bond with your Pokémon, and you've gotta strike a few poses to synchronise yours and your Pokémon's movements and generate energy," Kukui said with a grin.

"Strike some poses?"

"Yep, kinda like a dance!"

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Ash muttered, imagining something like a hula dance given the tropical settings.

"You'll get used to it, don't worry, Ash! Hoho!" Hala said, chuckling. Taking that as an inference that Hala performed those dances to pull off Z-Moves, Ash's mind automatically pictured Hala hula dancing, and he almost begged Pikachu to shock him with his most powerful Thunderbolt for it.

"So, uh, we've gotta have a close bond?"

"Correct, cousin! It's Alola's speciality, y'know!"

"I see," Ash said.

"While owning a Z-Crystal is incredible having not started the Island Challenge," Hala interjected, "we are not here to talk about that. Ash, we want to talk to you about the Island Challenge itself."

Ash dropped his adorned arm to his side to politely focus on Hala instead of his fascinating acquisition. "Sure. What do you want to talk about?" he asked.

"Frankly, we want to urge you to take part in the Island Challenge," Hala said, his voice firm and unyielding. "After watching you battle against my grandson, I knew you had to take part in the challenge. You battled expertly. I can see real talent in you, Ash, and Tapu Koko seems to see it too. It was curious about you, took an interest in a trainer, something it hasn't done in sixteen or seventeen years. That, in itself, is a reason I believe you should embark on the Island Challenge. If I had to state another, I'd say just the curiosity of an old man, hoho!"

"You think so?" Ash asked. Having learned more about Alola, the Island Challenge sounded exciting. Still, Ash doubted whether he could muster the energy to take it as seriously as his previous adventures at that moment. He did not want to disappoint anyone's expectations.

"Sure do! It's an awesome journey, one both Hala and I completed in the past. Not only is it different from the Gym Challenges, yeah, but it tests your abilities as a trainer in more ways than one. You gotta battle, overcome unique challenges, and most importantly, make decisions for yourself. With Gym Challenges, you have one goal to reach, but you can get whatever you want out of the Island Challenge! It's a journey every trainer should go on here in Alola, even if you are only visiting," Kukui explained, lounging back into the soft settee.

"It's that impressive," Ash distantly muttered.

"Nearly every child to take part has said it has been an amazing experience. So much so that countless trainers every day want to take part. Just this morning, we handed out the Litten and Popplio Hau didn't choose to two twins, a boy and a girl, both eleven years old, eager to start the challenge," Hala continued.

Ash was convinced. After everything Kukui and Hala had said, he couldn't think of a reason to decline. It could only benefit him immerse him back into a familiar environment. And it could provide enough activity to leave him little time for thinking about things he'd rather not consider.

"Ok, I'll give it a go," Ash said.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried his agreement, clearly eager to adventure once again.

"Aww yeah, cousin! That's awesome news!" Kukui shouted, stepping across the room to slap Ash's shoulder. "All we need to do now is get a starter Pokémon from Alola for you and present you with an Alolan Pokédex and an Island Challenge Amulet to signify you're taking part! The starter may be an issue since we just gave away our last two."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about a starter. I mean, Pikachu's my partner," Ash said.

Nodding in satisfaction, Hala gave Ash an amulet, a small yellow keyring attached to a brown loop of fabric with a few coloured beads attached to it. Meanwhile, Kukui disappeared downstairs.

"This is the symbol of an Island Challenge participant. Have it on you at all times, and you may reap some rewards. You never know. People think highly of the challengers."

Ash thanked Hala and fastened it to his bag.

Kukui returned to the living room with a Pokéball and a Pokédex. He handed Ash the red, oddly shaped dex.

"This, Ash, is the latest style, brand-new, fresh-off-the-shelves Pokédex, one of few! It's what is known as a Rotom-dex!"

"A Rotom-dex?" Ash asked, looking at the dex then turning to Kukui. It did look somewhat like a Rotom. Kukui smirked and opened the Pokéball. A Rotom popped out, zipping about immediately like electricity through a wire.

"You see, there has been a new development lately, yeah, by Aether Paradise," – Ash suddenly saw Lillie fumbling with her dress – "that is power-efficient and all-natural, to save Pokémon habitats. So, instead of machinery or electricity, they've given Rotom a new purpose and made a dex they can fit into! When in the dex, they record and download all the data for everything and are your new best-travelling buddy! Pretty great, right?!" Kukui explained.

"Umm, as you might know, Rotom's body is made up of electricity, giving it the ability to take up residence in different machines. Because of this and their mischievous nature, Rotom can be troublemakers. That is another reason that giving them this job is such a good idea," Lillie shyly said.

Ash recalled that one incident in the Sinnoh region and cringed. He, Dawn, and Brock had had one bizarre day at the Old Chateau.

"It's a new way for people and Pokémon to communicate, woo!"

Ash didn't think it wise to admit his newfound ability. He was probably the only person who could communicate that way.

Kukui held up the Pokédex, and Rotom dived right in. It came to life, exploding with a brilliant blue-ish glow. The Pokédex dashed into the air in front of Ash's face, two electrical eyes blinking and the once static metal arms waving up and down.

"Hello-zzt! I'm your new Rotom-dex, Ash! I'll record and tell you about any Pokémon you encounter in the Alola region-zzt! Nice to meet you!"

Somewhat baffled he was talking to a Pokédex, Ash responded awkwardly, "Nice to meet you too, Rotom. I'm glad for your help."

"There you have it, Ash," Hala announced, "even without a starter, your Island Challenge has officially begun!"

Ash looked at his Rotom-dex, then at Pikachu – Rockruff looked at him in the background – and smiled. That was the start of another adventure.