Who I Am - Lightning99

Chapter 55:

The Third Phenomenon

The first thing Ash felt as his consciousness clambered free of the Dark Void it had been plunged into wasn't the ache his entire body seemed to have become. It was a gentle pressure on his left hand, as soft and warm as a Swablu's fluffy wings. He forced his eyes open, tilting his head toward the source. His vision was one hazy, unadjusted blur, but he could make out the overabundance of white that fell into his vision. He deduced that Lillie sat beside him, that it was her hand holding his.

Ash squeezed his hand as best he could. He heard a distant gasp and felt Lillie flinch. She said something that sounded like 'He's up' if someone had tried to say it underwater, then more colours invaded his vision, and Ash's senses started awakening.

His hearing returned first. The first complete, whispery sentence he heard was, "Oh, thank Arceus."

The second was a slightly unsure, "See? Didn't I tell you he'd be ok?"

Then Ash's eyes started to adjust. He saw everyone more clearly. He sat up and looked around. They were in his and Lillie's room, and he could tell it was still dark out despite the drawn curtains. Lillie, as he had guessed, was sat to his left, Mallow, Dawn, and Clemont were leaning over him at the foot of the bed, and Brock and Kiawe were to his right, the former sat in a chair, the latter pacing.

Ash shook his head lightly, but that turned out to be a bad idea, for the world started to look like he was staring into an Extrasensory. He slammed his right hand onto the mattress, so he didn't collapse again.

"Ash, are you alright?" Brock asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah," Ash said, nodding. He blinked a few times, clearing a few final splotches of blurry vision. "Yeah, I'm alright. It's not the morning yet, is it?"

"Why? You think you can still get in some training before the sun comes up?" Dawn asked, folding her arms.

Ash laughed, then coughed, his chest stinging with each heave. Brock reached across him, patting his back.

"No, nothing like that. Just glad there's still time for you all to get some sleep. You've been up the whole time, haven't you?"

"Did you really expect us to sleep, Ash?" Kiawe asked.

"Not at all," he said. "How long has it been?"

"Only a couple of hours," Clemont said, then he looked back at a screen projected in front of him.

"'Only', he says," Kiawe said, shaking his head.

"Longer than the last time?" Ash asked.

"Last time?!" Mallow asked, looking alarmed.

"Yes," Clemont said, nodding to Mallow, though that did nothing to clear whatever the look in her eyes was. He turned back to Ash. "You remember what happened, then?"

"I do," Ash said. "Why do you think I was out longer this time?"

"If I had to make an educated guess, Infernape took about as much damage as Greninja did but in a much shorter timescale. I think that's part of it. If it helps ease your mind, I don't think being unconscious for longer is bad in this case," Clemont said.

"It could also mean that your ability is getting stronger," Brock suggested.

"What are you talking about?" Kiawe asked.

"What ability?" Mallow asked at the same time.

"Ash… are you ok?" Lillie asked.

"Sorry, yeah," Ash said, smiling at them. "I'm ok. It's nothing to worry about, just a bit of exhaustion."

"You fainted, Ash," Kiawe said.

"I know. As Clemont said, it's not the first time." Ash paused and glanced up at the ceiling. "I-I'm not sure how to explain this, uhh–"

"Why don't you start with what happened in the forest? With Gladion. That's something that none of us knows anything about," Brock said.

"You know who he is?" Ash asked.

"I told them while you were unconscious," Lillie said.

"Right," Ash said, looking about the room. "Where is he now?"

"We're not sure," Dawn said. "He kind of froze after you fainted, then walked away while Brock started carrying you back."

"I see…" Ash said.

He recounted everything he felt was necessary: seeing Gladion yesterday afternoon, their chat and battle after Gladion came to the Poké-Centre, and that they talked about Lillie. Lillie seemed to have guessed that they had talked about her because of his outburst. However, Ash didn't mention Gladion's reason for being there.

"I thought I was getting through to Gladion until–"

"Until your Lycanrocs started going out of control," Brock deduced.

"Yeah. I don't know what happened. My Lycanroc… I've never seen him so angry before. I just – I don't know what happened," Ash said. He looked about the room, but the only Pokémon he could see was Pikachu, who was asleep at the foot of the bed. Ash almost laughed. "Where is Lycanroc?"

"He's been sitting out on the balcony this entire time. I can't understand Pokémon like you can, Ash, but even a novice could tell he's upset and sorry for what happened. Infernape is out there with him. I can only hope he's getting through to him."

"That's good. If anyone can get through to him, it's Infernape," Ash said, thinking back to the Flame Pokémon's own explosions of anger. "Is Infernape ok? And Lycanroc?"

"They're fine," Dawn said. "Brock and I asked Nurse Joy to look at them as soon as we returned. Everything's fine."

"Good, good," Ash said.

"About your Infernape," Kiawe said. "That was Blaze, wasn't it?"

"It was," Ash said.

"It was incredible. I have never seen a Blaze as strong as that before. Nowhere near, even, and I've been around Fire-Types my entire life. How does he do it?"

"Wait," Mallow said. "First things first, since when do you have some of your older Pokémon with you?"

"Uhh…" Ash looked away, tapping his fingers together awkwardly while wearing a sheepish grin. "Since I arrived?"

Suddenly, Kiawe was in his personal space, and Ash had to lean backwards to avoid a headbutt knocking him out a second time.

"And you didn't think to show us?!" he asked.

"I – kinda forget. I had so much going on…"

Mallow yanked Kiawe back, swatting at him.

"Continue," she said once she had suitably reprimanded Kiawe.

"My Infernape's Blaze is unique. I've never seen anything like it, either. Even I don't fully understand it. I know it's so powerful that it used to send him into an uncontrollable rage."

"What changed? He seemed in complete control today," Lillie asked.

"Our bond. He used to ignore me, just as Lycanroc did, but we worked through it and forged a bond stronger than his feral instincts," Ash said.

"That's not something many people can do, by the way," Brock said.

"Last year, I think I finally realised why I was able to connect with him. I've told you about the Bond Phenomenon before, right?"

"With your Greninja? The unique transformation?" Kiawe asked.

"Yeah. I thought it was unique to Greninja, but after helping stop a crisis in Kalos, I realised I could understand Pokémon. Even though I don't hear anything different, I can tell what the Pokémon closest to me are saying, even feeling. Clemont and I have been doing tests, and we've found traces of this Bond Phenomenon in all of my Pokémon, things like our heart rates moving closer together, even linking up. It's strongest in Pikachu, which is why his lightning became red that one time Lillie, and now in Infernape, too. What you saw today basically confirmed that it has something to do with the Bond Phenomenon."

"Ash, that's… wow," Mallow said, looking as bewildered as expected.

"That's incredible," Kiawe said, adopting a curious expression. "And you believe this ability is getting stronger?"

"I'd say so," Ash said. "Clemont?"

"I agree. Brock woke me as soon as you returned, and I took some readings. They show extraordinary results, but the fact that you fainted is telling enough."

"What do you mean? The two situations are connected?" Lillie asked.

Ash looked away.

"Ash?" Lillie asked.

"What aren't you telling us?" Mallow asked.

"Because I connect so closely with my Pokémon during the Bond Phenomenon, not only do our hearts and minds connect, but – we feel each other's pain."

"W-What?" Lillie whispered, sitting back a little.

"You mean – all those hits Infernape took…" Mallow muttered.

"Yeah…" Ash said. That was all it took to hit the room with a verbal Thunder Wave. Luckily, Brock was there. He stood up before the silence fell too deep, the shock too paralysing.

"Let's let Ash sleep. He's definitely going to need it, and we probably do, too," Brock said.

"You're right," Kiawe said. After some hesitance, some resistance, everyone gave their goodbyes and headed for the door. The door closed, and Ash realised Lillie had still yet to let go of his hand.

"You're really ok?" Lillie asked.

"Yeah. It's nothing serious, just exhaustion. It fades away pretty quickly," Ash said with a smile, but he saw in her expression that he should have kept the shared pain to himself.

"Ash… What did you and Gladion talk about?" she asked.

Ash paused for a moment. Like Lillie and her secrets, Gladion had hidden the reason for his mission. Was it right for him to let that secret out without Gladion's permission?

"As I said, it was about you," Ash said. "He was asking why you didn't want to see him, and he had it in his head that I was the reason. I tried telling him that I wasn't, but he just wouldn't listen, which is why I shouted that I care about you when you arrived. I didn't tell him anything about your situation. I – didn't think you would want me to."

"I'm sorry, Ash. You shouldn't have had to go through that," Lillie said.

"Nah, it's alright. He may be your brother, but you can't control each other."

"And… thank you for keeping my secret."

Ash smiled, nodded, and squeezed her hand again. She returned the gesture, which was their last proper interaction before heading to sleep.

Lillie lay facing him that evening, and even though she probably thought he couldn't see her, he knew she was watching him and probably wouldn't get much sleep. And it was all his fault.

As they were leaving, Brock waited at the door to Ash and Lillie's room for everyone to step through, then he pulled it closed.

"Sorry, can you all wait a second?" Brock asked, looking over the small group in the dim light. They all turned to him mid-retreat, none of them looking too cheery after Ash's final revelation.

"Is something wrong?" Kiawe asked.

"No, not especially. But – do you think you can all keep an eye on Ash for me?" Brock asked.

"How do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know how to explain it, but just to make sure he's ok and not pushing himself too hard. You know about the effect the Bond Phenomenon has on him now, so I'm considering that, too. I know it's a lot to ask, but…"

"Not at all," Mallow said. "I'll definitely keep a closer eye on him."

"I intended to do the same," Kiawe said, and the others all chimed in their agreement.

"Thank you," Brock said, bowing. "That's all I wanted to say. Goodnight, everyone. See you in the morning – later, I suppose."

They each wished him a good night and departed for their rooms, the depressive mood around them not lessening in the slightest. But Brock didn't move from the doorframe. He simply stood there, staring down at the floor, because there was still one thing that he hadn't mentioned to the rest of them, one thing he had noticed.

Ash was and had been, for as long as Brock could remember, so reckless and devoted to people and Pokémon that he would disregard his safety if it meant protecting them. Brock needed only to think of any normal day during their travels to find an example. But today, it had been different.

Yes, Kiawe could have gotten hurt by Accelrock. Yes, Lillie could have gotten hurt by Rock Slide. Yes, Ash had protected them, but something about how he had done it this time didn't quite sit right with Brock. Maybe he imagined it. Maybe he wasn't used to Ash's recklessness after so long apart. Still, something about it bothered him.

Brock first wondered if it had been Ash's eyes during the event, which had held a strange look in them. But that was too ambiguous, so he wondered if seeing Ash get hurt had just had more of an impact on him after the scare of his falsified death.

He sighed.

What was it? Was it anything?

For the first time in longer than he could remember, Gladion felt three things, and they hit him all at once: overwhelmed, confused, and guilty.

Unbeknownst to anyone, he had been listening to Ash's explanation through the door to the room. Eavesdropping had been a by-product of why he had followed them and the door and walls had heavily muffled their voices, but the hall had been silent at two o'clock in the morning, allowing him to hear enough. Bond Phenomenon, Blaze, the sharing of pain – Gladion had left the Poké-Center before anybody could have seen him, and no matter how far he walked, he couldn't seem to understand any of it.

No, he knew that wasn't quite right. He understood what Ash was saying. Whether or not he believed any of it was the issue. But he paid that specific issue little more mind than his initial interest because something else Ash had said bothered him: that he didn't know Lillie. That was what he couldn't understand.

It was a ludicrous thing to suggest. He knew Lillie, how kind and caring she was, how much she loved reading and learning, and how she wasn't too great at socialising. It didn't matter that he hadn't seen her in a few years: her nature was such that nothing could ever taint that shining goodness. Of that, he was certain.

Why, then, he asked himself, did he think that Ash was right somehow?

Gladion looked up and realised he had walked to Team Skull's little hideout. He spotted two police officers, one magenta-haired, the other periwinkle, with a Kantonian Meowth beside them staking out the place and turned around. He headed towards the room he had booked at the Route 8 motel instead, but not solely for that reason. As much as he wasn't in the mood to deal with police officers, he was not in the mood to deal with Team Skull's grating voices and angering comments either. He didn't want the hassle, especially not tonight.

It had been his fault.

Gladion reiterated that to himself as he stepped out of Heahea City. The entire thing. His overwhelming loss, his Pokémon getting hurt, the Lycanroc losing control, Ash fainting. And now Ash knew about his goal. He could tell Lillie about it any time, which would only jeopardise his plans. But Gladion realised something else: he didn't necessarily mind Ash knowing about it. A part of him was, in fact, strangely glad that he did.

He kept replaying the scene of Ash leaping in front of a large boulder to protect Lillie in his head. It was proof enough that Ash hadn't been lying, that he truly did care for her. Gladion knew he had just been too stubborn, too angry, too blind to see it, to believe it. But now that he knew and had seen how strong Ash was when he was serious, he was somehow content that Lillie was with him.

Gladion stepped inside his room, shut the door, sat on the edge of his bed, and continued pondering. And he decided that even that reassurance wasn't enough. He couldn't just hand Ash his responsibilities, mainly because protecting Lillie was only half his goal.

He had sat there and watched as his mother had neglected Lillie. He had seen her become shier and shier. He had watched as she became terrified of Pokémon, and he had been there that day in the lab. She didn't remember why she was terrified of Pokémon, but whether she had suppressed it or been young enough that she didn't remember, it didn't change that he had been there. He had seen that strange Pokémon. He had seen his mother's obsession. He knew why Lillie was terrified of Pokémon.

He was the only one who knew. Lillie didn't, so Ash couldn't possibly know, which meant he couldn't leave his job to Ash, no matter how strong he was. Her being with him was a considerable relief, but he was the only one that could stop something like the lab incident from happening again. He was the only one who could protect her, and he was the only one who could hope to return their mother to who she once was.

And yet, Gladion still felt it: that doubt Ash had instilled in him. Ash didn't know why Lillie was terrified of Pokémon, yet he still claimed he didn't know Lillie. What, then, did Ash know that he didn't? What had happened to Lillie in their time apart?

What was he missing?

Lillie did eventually fall asleep, but it was not until an hour and a half later. Ash, on the other hand, didn't even try to sleep. He wasn't the slightest bit tired; lying unconscious for several hours tended to do that to you. Even if he had been tired, he had too many thoughts floating about his mind for it to rest. They mainly concerned Lycanroc.

So, when Lillie's breathing softened and her eyes – that were still watching him – closed, he slipped out of bed. He left the room, ensuring he kept quiet this time and headed straight for the balcony.

Lycanroc and Infernape were still out there, the former lying on the thin banister, looking up at the moon, the latter leaning against the nearby wall, arms crossed, eyes closed, his head nodded against his chest.

Ash saw Infernape peek one eye open as he appeared, nod, then close it again, and as he did, Lycanroc looked around too. He stood as if to attention, jumping down from the banister. When Ash smiled, Lycanroc padded slowly towards him with his head dropped.

"It's ok," Ash said, meeting Lycanroc halfway. He crouched, petting his head. Lycanroc gave a weak bark, followed by a whine. "You don't have to apologise. I'm ok. I'm not angry."

Ash sat cross-legged, brushing his hand through Lycanroc's coat. He gave it a few minutes, for approaching the issue straight away didn't seem like a wise choice.

"Lycanroc," Ash eventually said, "what happened out there?"

Lycanroc stiffened. He shook his head, slowly lying down, resting his chin on Ash's knee.

"You don't know either, huh?" Ash frowned. "Can you try and piece it together? Is there anything you do remember?"

After a moment of contemplation, Lycanroc started talking. From what Ash could understand, he had wanted to battle as soon as he had seen Gladion's Lycanroc, hence his unintended appearance. Everything had been normal at first, but as soon as that Counter had hit, he claimed he just felt something in him snap, then he was waking up in the Poké-Center with only red flashes of memory from the latter half of the battle. Fighting Gladion's Lycanroc, attacking Ash and his friends: he remembered pieces, but not all of it.

"So, your anger became so much that you couldn't control it?" Ash asked. When Lycanroc nodded, Ash looked over at Infernape, whose eyes were now open. "Infernape," Ash said, "could you go and grab Rotom for me?"

Infernape nodded, disappearing inside. He reappeared around a minute later, Rotom zigzagging around his head.

"Hey, Rotom, sorry if I woke you," Ash said.

"Not at all-bzzt," Rotom said. "Did you need something?"

"Could you check what Lycanroc's ability is, please? I realise I haven't looked just yet," Ash said.

"Of course-bzzt. Analysing," Rotom said, a rotating cog appearing on his screen. "Analysis complete. Lycanroc's ability is Tough Claws. Tough Claws: Powers up moves that make direct contact."

"I see," Ash said. "It doesn't work like Blaze, Overgrow, or Torrent, then?"

"It does not-bzzt."

That meant it couldn't be the same as Infernape's Blaze-induced rage. He couldn't be sure since he didn't have much experience with Tough Claws, but the nature of the ability wasn't the same.

"Lycanroc, why did you want to battle in the first place? You said you wanted to as soon as you saw Gladion's Lycanroc, but why?" Ash asked, looking back down at Lycanroc. But Lycanroc had his eyes closed and looked to be asleep.

Ash frowned. He couldn't help thinking that Lycanroc was pretending to sleep, that he had omitted some important information. He decided not to pry. If Lycanroc wanted to keep it a secret, he would let him. It would come out eventually. It was just a matter of time and a matter of trust.

Finally, Cherrygrove City appeared through the winding undergrowth. Red had only recognised that Cherrygrove was their destination when he saw a particular apricorn bush along the path. He was glad that at least one landmark was the same among the rest of the changed route. He and Delia had assumed they had flown further into Johto than that, but Cherrygrove had a route to the sea, which was all that mattered.

Red and Leaf stepped into town while the rest of the group shuffled along the forest's periphery towards the beach to ready their Pokémon for take-off. Their job was to gather some last-minute necessities – potions, snacks, a few oddities for the road. Or, in their case, the skies.

They headed straight to the mart. Luckily, there were no grunts on the way there, and they entered practically undetected. Leaf headed for the medicine section, and Red raided the food aisle. He picked a bit of everything – snacks, fruits, vegetables, some things cookable over a campfire. When his basket was almost full, he pulled a packet of rice balls from a shelf, revealing a pair of grunts dressed in black on the other side, muttering.

Red ducked away from them, his heart suddenly pounding. He leaned against the shelf, ensuring he was silent.

"How long are we going to keep looking? My husband is at home with the kids, and only Arceus could predict how much of a mess they'll make," one grunt said, their voice deep and tired.

"Tell me about it. I gotta feed my Skitty," their associate replied in their higher voice, sighing.

"Oi now," a third grunt said, joining them, sounding dutiful. "Just be glad that you're on this job."

"Says you, who isn't even in a relationship," the second voice said.

"Neither are you!"

"I'm in a relationship with my Skitty."

"That… that doesn't quite sound right, I hate to tell you," the first grunt said.

"Oh, you know what I mean!" the second said, and a slapping sound indicated they swatted at their associate.

"Why should we be glad we're stuck out here? All the excitin' stuff goes on elsewhere," the first asked.

"Me and a few of the Johto crew were back at the main base, and we listened in on the higher-ups' meeting. Our mission was for nothin' since they sent a message to everyone anyway, but it turns out the main forces are heading out soon. Didn't you see it?" the third said.

"Nope, lousy connection out here," the first said. "Where they goin?"

"No idea," the third replied. "But since we're here, we're staying here. We won't find these Kanto runaways, so you'll probably be free to go home soon enough. Now imagine the trouble your family'd get into if you headed overseas for a while."

"Don't even want to," the first grunt said.

"We get some off time? Great! Gives me time to play some video games," the second grunt said, and that was all Red thought he could risk eavesdropping on. He slipped away down the aisle, hearing some laughter as he went. He found Leaf at the tills, rushed through the self-checkout, and back into the street.

As they headed for the others, he relayed everything to Leaf via a text.

"So, they're moving? Do you know where they're going?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"This can't be good," she said. "That just means they're planning something, doesn't it?"

Red nodded again and typed out another message.

I'm worried, but we have other priorities right now. We can figure out what they're doing later.

"I agree. C'mon."

They quickened their pace and arrived at the forest near the beach. Red distributed the items to everyone to pack away in their bags. After Leaf explained Red's information to the others, Blue tried guessing where they were heading, but it was almost impossible to tell. Knowing that the coalition was on the move was enough for now.

Soon after, they headed onto the beach and took off among another small group. They thanked the group for camouflaging them and split off, finally starting their journey to Alola with nobody on their trail.

Hallo!

This was supposed to go up last night, but I completely forgot to post, so here it is this morning! Typical me :P. Thought I'd include a little interlude chapter here after the heatedness of the previous one.

Until next time, I hope you're enjoying the story!