Always fun when you get an infection in your both hands so you can't move your thumb or anything ;) At least I have Cortana to type for me so can at least take the slighest advantage of the weak sick leave I got out of it.
Hope you enjoy this new chapter!
The night shift nurses don't know what to make of him and frankly, neither does Ash. He kind of recognises their faces by now and one even remarks that she's not seen him sleep at all in the three weeks she's returned from a couple of weeks of sick leave. Ash dodges that bullet by being concerned for her, even if that was his initial reaction. So now he's stuck with the idea he's kind of a sneaky bastard too, even though he's not feigning his concern for them. He does really care but the ship has sailed and now none of the night shift nurses want to talk to him any longer because they're not dumb either. They're here to care for the patients, not the other way around.
So now he's underneath the cover of his bed, he's dragged Pikachu and Gible along for the ride and the nurses won't even see what he's doing because he's stuffed his transceiver underneath his pillow and so it won't shine through any light. He knows they know he's not asleep but they can't say anything if he's not disturbing them. And yes, apparently just being awake and looking at them as they passed was disturbing enough for them so now he figures that, if he can't see them, they won't see him. Problem fixed, in his opinion.
Besides, this gives him some time to get used to working with his transceiver too, it's been a while since he's last touched it and he already needs a moment to find the group chat, as he rather talks with each of his friends separately than all of them together. It becomes jarring if they all start talking to him in unison and the moment he gets a name wrong, it all goes to hell, as his friends are more than capable of navigating through the jungle of words. Nevertheless, he finds the group chat after a little searching but he doesn't read it. He'll do it when he's out of this hospital because he doesn't need to give them another reason to worry about him, even though he's already cooked up a much worse version of that group chat in his head.
He downloads the content of it, though and stores it away, for later. Now, he silently watches people make cute gadgets from resin. He likes the colour and he notices that a lot of these things are pink too. Not the same pink as his Aura but it's similar nonetheless. The idea that people like this shifting gold to pink colour makes him feel fuzzy and he ends up sharing it on his own, small social media page. The result isn't too dramatic, though he gets a couple of reactions nonetheless. May is the first to spot his addition and she shares it too, with a bunch of hearts and stuff. Iris is the second but her reaction isn't that cute.
-Why the hell are you awake?- her message reads and Ash can already hear her call him a little kid.
He's honest and tells her he's not tired and she goes off at him on how he's supposed to be taking care of himself. Ash belatedly realises she's not sent this to his personal chat with her, instead she did it on this blasted group chat. He doesn't scroll up to see his own dramatic death notice but he sees enough, nonetheless. He's not a coward like Trip or Paul, who had been roasting Barry for some reason or another the day before yesterday, if he's got beef with the kid, he'll call him out separately… But what was up with Barry anyway? He's heard his name pass a whole lot more than usual and he doubts it's got anything to do with his change of scenery and guardian.
Then, the cherry on the cake, Gary, of all people asks him the same thing. Ash knows he shouldn't be awake at three in the morning but he suddenly feels sassy and sends back a message on how he's dead and that he can do whatever the hell he wants. Gary doesn't answer that, in fact, there's a bit of awkward silence after his statement. Dawn comes to Ash's rescue, though and asks him why he shared that video, saying she didn't think he would like that stuff. He responds on how the video ended with the message to like and share the video of you like cookies and he very much likes cookies so that's what he did. The change of subject seems to give Gary the courage to tell him to 'go fuck himself'. Ash tells him to come fuck him himself and then Gary tells him he sucks.
-And you swallow- the teen sends back and he puts his transceiver on silent, not wanting to see another message for now.
Gary's apparently still angry at him but Ash feels like he's entitled to still act like a kid so he pastes a skull emoji next to his profile name. He knows it doesn't mean 'death' at all but it'll get the message through without being rude. Even though that ship has already sailed too, his mother would've had his hide if she knew he sent this… but she doesn't care so why should he? He stuffs his transceiver away for a bit but his curiosity lures him back to the screen and what do you know? Paul, of all people, calls him out for being rude and Ash smiles at the irony of it all. He doesn't even make the slightest effort in correcting him and just sends a smiley face, attaching the vile stuff Paul's sent to Barry a couple of days ago. Paul doesn't answer after that, rightly so.
Ash puts the transceiver away for real this time and he's extra sneaky as he gently pushes the cabinet drawer close. The last thing he wants is an angry nurse go off at him now, he's already feeling a bit antsy just having spoken to a couple of his friends. The ones who weren't awake to witness this will probably answer in the morning but he doesn't want to witness any of it. Instead, he pulls Pikachu close to him and snuggles back into the sheets. Ash makes a point in laying with his back towards the door, that way no one can complain he's staring at them.
'I wonder what it's going to be like,' he thinks as he remembers Riley's enthusiasm.
He's kind of pleased the man is enthusiastic when posed with a challenge, Ash knows he's weird and well, the Aura community has existed for a while, hasn't it? Rota looked super medieval and there were like, traditions and stuff so there's bound to be some kind of trades and things that got lost in time, right? What if he doesn't fit any kind of role of profile Riley knows? Will the man ever be able to like, see his Aura anyway? Ash doesn't mind the vice grip thing now that he's got some time to think about it, maybe his Aura had always been like that? Something must've become different but it doesn't make much sense on how every single pokémon in Kanto is apparently able to pick up on something a trained Aura person can't He's not even sure what Riley is but Ash sure as heck knows he doesn't need to know what he is to know who he is or what he's capable of.
"… Is he asleep?" he suddenly hears and he's already grinning.
"I dunno, look… the lump's shaking, he's laughing at us."
He is, he admits that and he can't stop giggling even as he hears them leave. Gosh, it must be so confusing to watch him but he can't help it, he's not sleepy or tired. Hasn't been since he's started getting annoyed at his own lack of progress. Ash wants to move, wants to go forward but people are blocking his way and it frustrates him a lot. That's why he thinks about everything except that, hence why he's already made up an entire story of how his Aura must be this small but extremely bright beam of light coming from the smallest of cracks, that this darkness that day wasn't meant to draw in pokémon at all. They can see him all just fine, it's was all to cause the people to worry and draw the big one's attention. Ash doesn't believe for a second Arceus is watching him twenty-four seven and that's why everyone caused this mini-hell on earth situation. That the sun didn't come up was probably just Dialga stopping time in total.
It doesn't matter if he's wrong, either, no one wants to talk to him about it so he might as well just believe in his own version and move along. Besides, is there anyone who knows the full truth, anyway? It all depends on the matter of perspective and this is exactly the issue Ash thinks Riley might encounter. What if he, as an adult man, is exactly the kind of person he doesn't want around him? The teen isn't used to men around him, young ones, yes… but the only father figure he ever had was professor Oak, a much older man. The younger adult men… well, the ones he met nearly all were criminals so yeah, he totally didn't want those around. Heaven forbid he would set foot on another region and draw in another asshole wanting to control him.
'Nah, I don't think that'll ever happen. Even if Dialga doesn't ever come back, there's enough trigger-happy pokémon around me. Pikachu being the fastest of them all,' he thinks and he settles down with a smile on his face.
Gosh, he does love his pokémon a lot. Ash hopes with all his heart he'll be released out of this hospital soon so he can finally give them their much-needed grooming session and some love and care. They need it as much as his other friends, they got a big scare and all they have is some sort of weird remainder of their trainer trying to compensate with the little means he had. He'll need to do better… in his new home and this hospital.
Dr. Lotus doesn't mention anything of his lack of sleep, thankfully but that might be because Ash just saw himself in the mirror in the tiny bathroom and he looks just like he did yesterday so, nothing to worry about there. The man does have a wheelchair with him but his face isn't portraying many positive emotions. Thanks to what happened with the nurses, the teen feels a bit scared to ask the doctor what's up but he gets an inkling when he's guided into the training hall.
"A package came for you this morning," the doctor says, sounding pleasant enough. "Brandon's not in today, so you're going to be working with Cindy instead. I suggest to keep the wheelchair around, you might not have the energy to walk back on your crutches."
"Okay, thank you, doctor," Ash answers, even though he's bursting with energy.
"Right… well, here you go, then. Try not to think about it too much, okay?"
That was a weird comment to make but the teen nods anyway. He's quick to turn to the young girl who's giving him a sunny smile.
"Hi, Cindy," he says. "How are you?"
"Oh, I'm great," she answers, with an Unovan accent. "How are you today?"
"Ready for anything you'll send at me."
"Anything?" she teases.
"… Except for man-eating creatures, yeah."
The girl giggles but then she turns to slide a pretty hefty looking box forward. It probably was the package dr. Lotus was talking about but Ash is none the wiser on what it could be hiding. He doesn't know anyone who told him they would send him a package either, actually. Unless…
"Is that…?" he asks, eyes wide with disbelief.
"It is," she says, nodding along. "Do you want to see it before your warm-up or after?"
"Oh, after. I wanna put it on straight away."
Whether or not she liked his enthusiasm, Cindy didn't mention it and honestly, she's a lot more forceful than Brandon. Ash hated to think he was going easy on him for some reason. She also makes no claims in touching his left leg and oh, it's a bit uncomfortable but nothing he can't handle.
"Did that hurt?" Cindy asks after an exercise that had put some pressure on his stump.
"No, I felt it but it didn't hurt."
"Good, let's continue."
She continued the warm-up way longer too, Ash is actually sweating by the end of it, which is a first. The girl compliments his stamina and she's clearly sweating too but she's not giving up. The box is her priority now and the teen is blown away by the first look of his prosthesis.
"I… It's really Pikachu yellow," he utters, face breaking out in delight because Eleanor had listened to him! She had remembered!
"Do you like it?" Cindy asks.
"I do, I really do, holy moly."
By itself, the socket and foot looked ordinary enough, they have a black, carbon fibre look but the middle part compensating for his calf… Dear lord, it's something pretty, alright. Ash suspects it's some type of resin because most of the middle part is clear, other for a couple of thunderous looking clouds swirling around in it and then, the lightning bolt slicing through the middle of it.
"Can I try it on?"
"That was the plan," the girl says.
And just as he gets the awesome looking prosthesis attached on his legs, doubts start to frown because it's not a comfortable feeling. It's not super uncomfortable but it's not nice either. In fact, it just feels plain weird… And he's not even standing on it yet.
'No,' Ash tells himself. 'Man up, you owe it to all these people. What's Lance going to say when you can't walk in these after he and Agatha did such a massive effort in asking all these people to donate for this cause? Eleanor must've put so many hours in making this, listening to your bullshit request and everything. You owe it to yourself to, you'll never be able to go home if you can't even deal with a minor setback.'
He swallows hard but he wills himself to 'man' up and tries to get up by himself. That hadn't been the reaction Cindy had expected, she scrambles up to help him stand but heavens, he stands. The first time since the accident and it almost brings tears to his eyes. Almost. Ash is a bit distraught by the feeling of discomfort at the sensitive stump. Well, it's just going to have to deal with it too, he's not taking it off out of weakness.
"What do I do now?" he asks when he's standing.
The girl watches him in disbelief but starts guiding him to this strange-looking frame. It's got a treadmill looking track running in the middle of it with two bars sticking out at the sides. Cindy lets him walk in the middle of it and it… kind of works out. Kind of. He's strong enough, he's willing enough but it's such a weird feeling and it's almost like…
'Wait a minute,' Ash thinks and stands still for a moment.
He tries to calm down for a minute and he allows his Aura to travel. He's not sure what he's doing but he can feel Cindy's gaze on him so he knows whatever he's doing is showing up. It doesn't matter, they already know he's weird so he might as well go ahead and remain that way… but oh, he feels a bit better after his Aura kind of had a little feel at it. He's still not sure whether he likes this feeling or not but he likes the idea of the freedom this prosthesis can give him. And that's what his Aura enjoys too.
"Are you okay?" Cindy asks.
"I'm fine. Is this good?"
"Kid, this is amazing. You've not complained at all, it's a miracle."
Ash preens in the attention, he likes this too. As he looks down, he feels weird to see the black foot next to his normal foot but it's kind of a look. He gets to keep it on too, he's going to have to learn to sit with it, though Cindy gives him the advice to never wear it to bed. The stump is sensitive -as if he doesn't realise that- and it needs it's time to settle down after an effort. So that happens and before he knows it, he's back in his room, the tray with his lunch in front of him. He's got his leg back, though and it's done wonders on his mood.
News of his amazing performance seems to have made its rounds, though, not a couple of minutes after the nurse came to fetch his tray, dr. Knight comes into the room with a wide smile on his face. It's a nice change, actually, usually, people come in looking a little apprehensive.
"I heard some good news," the therapist grins.
'These people are way worse than Pallet, at least it takes a day before everyone knows. It's not even been two hours,' Ash thinks but he smiles at the man.
"I walked again."
"I heard you did! Good job, buddy, you can be massively proud of yourself."
"I am, I am. Is it that rare for someone to do that, first try?"
"Not rare but kids usually end up crying. Then again, you've had a bit more time, you were supposed to already be walking. It's got everything to do with revalidation, you know? But you're a strong one, I can tell. You're sitting here, all smiles… It warms my heart, Ash, it really does. I hated seeing you so mad at me that day but do you think it helped?"
"Not really, I never counted on it to help either. I just thought you all were curious but I guess I can kind of trust you all to know what to expect from me now."
"Is that important to you?"
"You knowing my history? I guess not. Mom doesn't know half of what you know, dr. Knight and she's still alive, isn't she?"
"Alive, yes but living? Perhaps," the man sighs. "I've grown a lot of respect towards you, Ash. And perhaps you'll have a better time with your new temporary new guardian, he was here, holding your hand throughout the entire session."
"I know that. He listens too. I like that a lot about people, it shows people care. A lot of people don't and I find that sad."
"It is very sad, indeed. Have you already gotten a hold of your friends?"
"Err yeah…I have. I feel like I'm still not good at talking to people through the phone, I dunno. I mean, you can see, if you want to."
"I do, actually. I'm curious."
Ash isn't the slightest bit ashamed when he brings the group chat out on the screen, even if he can see in dr. Knight's eyes that he too doesn't like the small timestamp underneath these messages he's sent. The therapist at least has the decency to keep quiet about it but that might be because he can see what kind of reaction he'll get.
"And here I was thinking you weren't angry at Gary, huh?"
"I'm not but I don't need stupid questions from him, he lives in the same damn region, he shouldn't have been awake at that time either. He's going to have to choose between a jerk and a hypocrite, he can't be both at the same time or I'll explode."
"You're a loaded cannon, Ash," the man chuckles as he hands him back his transceiver. "But you're not wrong, he's a bit late in trying to sound concerned about you."
The teen doesn't know what to make of that, he didn't think Gary send that message out of concern. You don't tell someone to go fuck themselves if you were concerned. And it's not as if he blew him off without a good reason either, the asshole.
"Yeah well, he'll get his second chance from me, no matter what but he doesn't need to sound like my mom while I'm still sore about what he's done," Ash grumbles. "The last thing I need now is someone raining on my parade."
"It's not healthy to keep awake all night, though."
"You know what, dr. Knight? There's going to be a nice man visiting me at three o'clock, I'll ask if it could be my ability doing that. Because I don't know why I'm always awake at night, I honestly don't."
"Well, I'm not bothered, you're clearly not exhausted or anything so you do you, Ash. You're clearly doing something right."
'Oh, am I?' he thinks but he doesn't voice it.
Dr. Knight is still in a cheerful mood so he doesn't want to rain on the man's parade either. But he's bothered too, it's not like it's fun, being awake all night, unable to move because there's sensitive pokémon sleeping on top of him and they'll be real mad if he accidentally wakes them up. Nevertheless, he'll keep that question in mind until Riley comes by to give his opinion on the matter. In the meantime, he's going to sit and stare at his prosthetic limb. And once Pikachu wakes up, he'll show him the yellow and how great it is.
"You really ought to show your Pikachu that you can stand," Riley says, the instant he sees Pikachu still curled up and asleep on the boy's lap. "I think he's not too happy that you haven't been moving."
"You think so?"
"If you don't move, the pokémon won't either. Trust me, I've had Lucario on me for weeks that time I broke my leg in a freak accident. He's alright to be around but he weights a ton, I swear. And he's was on me, not next, not around, on me. Just like Pikachu."
"Well, tomorrow, then. Cindy says it's no good to tire myself out."
"Yeah, but you know, buddy, that's going to be real hard to do. You're not just a kid, you're one with a large amount of Aura. I mean, it's noticeable," the man says, motioning towards the window where a couple of Pidgey were staring into the room, on top of a snoozing Furret.
"Yeah… Is it possible that I can't sleep because of that?"
Riley gives him a long and hard look before settling down in the chair next to his bed. He starts a story about what Ash assumes is the Aura community and he does a great description of various kinds of Aura users but the teen doesn't find one that resembles his experience at all. He decides not to bother the man and let him finish his story but apparently, that was a sign that something was wrong.
"Nothing of interest to you, hm?"
"Was it supposed to be?"
"Sort of. I was kind of expecting you to go 'ah' at a certain point but perhaps you're just too different from what I… Gosh, I should've taken Lucario along, maybe he would've felt something because I clearly can't reach your Aura at all. You're not afraid of me, are you?"
"Afraid? What are you gonna do? Fling something at me? Better be quick and make it count. You're only gonna get one shot and then it's over for you."
The man's taken aback by the statement but Ash isn't going to back down. He doesn't need a teacher who's going to be threatening him either, not when he's only just getting to grips with his prosthetic issue. Anything happens to him now and he's going to scream.
"… Yeah, you're not scared of me, alright."
"Lance would've never let you near me if you could be a threat. Well, a threat beyond being an adult man taller than me."
"Noted," Riley says. "You have enhancement, haven't you?"
"Of what?"
"Thinking, I would say. Or you've been listening to adult people around you… or TV."
"A little bit of everything, I suppose. I'm sorry, I'm a bit rude from time to time, I'll try and do better."
"Yeah but see, that's also really kind. You're a bit of a game-changer, I feel. In fact, you remind me of someone."
"I do?"
"She was very dear to me," Riley says and the fond smile appearing on his face is proof he's being honest. "She was a very special Aura user too, she believed in the pokémon gods and how nature was responsible for every kind of development."
"Nature's also responsible for people and I don't think that was a good development at all," Ash says and the man gives smiles widely at him.
"She used to say the same thing."
"Then she probably saw a whole lot of misery next to the good in her life because I can't even tell where it started to become a bad development. It's like the assholes of the world have always been there."
"She went through a war, Ash. She was one of the hunted because she was very special. A Source… and it's odd you decide to speak up at this time at all."
"Yeah?"
"Do you feel connected?"
"Just in ideology, I don't think I'm very special at all in that department," Ash deadpans. "I've seen a lot of evil too, I might not have been in a war but you try enjoying yourself when criminals keep following you around everywhere you go. And the way you tell me that she was special to you, makes me feel like I'm the opposite of what she was because I'm of little use to you. You can't even spot me."
"That's not possible, you can't be the opposite or else you would have drained my Aura the moment you made that Aura Sphere yesterday. It would have made you a Dark user, Ash and trust me, you wouldn't draw pokémon to you if you were," Riley answers calmly as he folds his hands in front of his lap. "Let me rephrase myself, you might not be scared of me… but I don't think you like people very much, do you?"
"I'd lend my Aura to you if I knew how to."
"… You can't do that."
Well, he can try though, 'unable' isn't in his dictionary and it's almost comical on how Riley's eyes widen when he does feel the Aura. The teen just laid his arm on the man's too, all he needed was a connection and he was good to go. It's exactly how he got his Aura to like his prosthesis, after all, and it's not hard to do either.
"How… How can it even feel pink? Ash, what did you do?"
"Guide it into my arm?"
"It goes through your body?" Riley squeaks in surprise, voice going a bit too high to Ash's liking.
Pikachu isn't amused either, he springs up from where he had been resting with a truly murderous expression on his face. All the man can do is stick his hands up in surrender but Ash knows that won't do much good. In fact, it might still entice his buddy to burn Riley to a crisp with an excellently executed Thunderbolt, one of Pikachu's specialities.
"Hey, buddy?" he asks and the pokémon turns towards him, confused. "I've been meaning to show you, what do you think about this? Riley, can you-?"
"Sure, sure," the man says and he quickly hands the prosthesis to Ash, even though he seems a bit creeped out about it.
The teen doesn't care, Pikachu gives the leg a sniff and seems quite content with the yellow. The most important change in mood comes a bit later when Ash tells him he'll be able to walk with this and that, if he's awake tomorrow, he'll be able to witness him practising. The pokémon's cheered up and somehow stays awake now… but it's clear he's still keeping a close eye on Riley.
"That was a nice save," the man chuckles nervously. "I'm sorry, I'm just very confused."
"How do you make an Aura Sphere if it doesn't flow through your body?"
"My arm, yeah, not my entire body. My Aura's got no business being at my feet."
"Mine does."
"Apparently so. God, I need Lucario here so badly, I didn't think pokémon were allowed."
"Clearly not," Ash deadpans as he reaches out to gently pat Gliscor's upside-down head.
"… Good point. I'm sorry, something's distracting me, I'll have to meditate for a bit. It might take a while, euhm… Can I leave you my number? That way, we can be in contact."
Ash agrees but he almost changes his mind when he spots the device.
"What is that?" he asks in disgust, as there are clumps of something absolutely disgusting -is that clay or…?- on it.
"… My phone?"
"How old is it?"
"I got it when I was fourteen."
"It looks prehistoric, Riley. Like it belongs on one of those trays, full of muddy objects, freshly dug up from some sort of historical site."
"… Look, I'm sixty years old this year but that doesn't mean I'm prehistoric, Ash."
"Sixty?!" Ash chokes.
"Yes? Members of a certain branch of Aura age slower. Also, you're one to talk, you hardly look ten-"
"I'm fourteen."
"… You are?"
"Listen here, grandpa-"
"Ash, you're a mystery. One I would like to see solved but it'll take a while. Please, let me."
"I will."
"Good. Also, don't call me grandpa, that feels weird."
"Does Lance know you're that old?"
"He's known me all his life, he at least has an inkling I'm a fair bit older than he is."
Ash's mind was reeling, was he going to turn out the same way? He doesn't like the idea his friends all going to look all wrinkly while he won't look a day over twenty years old. It makes him uncomfortable and he already knows this is going to keep him up for another night. Then again, if it was his Aura, he should just learn to live with it because by the sounds of it, he either was incredibly weak with some terribly unlucky side-effects or unimaginably powerful with some logical side-effects. It would be just his luck to be either of those, wouldn't it? Either way, if he proved to be absolutely useless to people, Ash would still be pleased because he doesn't want to be used at all, by no one. Ever.
"So, send me a message someday, won't you? I'll come 'round then, wherever you are."
"So you think you'll able to find me then?"
"You're not going to be able to hide from Lucario, kiddo, you can try but you're going to fail hard."
"I won't, I like Lucario."
"Of course, you do. Well, if you don't mind, I'm going to get me something to drink and I'll return to talk a bit about the basics. Is that okay?"
"Sure, go ahead."
"Do you want anything?"
"Nah, I'm fine, just had lunch a while ago, remember?"
"Oh, right. I'll be right back."
Ash nods and watches him leave. He smiles to himself because Riley is kind of funny. There must be a world of information inside the man's head but then again, a messy attic can contain a lot of valuable contents and it can still be a pain to find something in there so it could be Riley just went to clear his head. For all he knows, his Aura doesn't really like Riley, which wouldn't make much sense but it sure wouldn't be the first or the last thing that didn't make sense to him.
"Life becomes boring very quickly when everything makes sense."
"Mewtwo!" the boy exclaims with delight -he's not even careful because he knows the pokémon would never show up if there was someone near. "What are you doing here? It's not like you to come by at this hour?"
"I am not at risk of being seen. The Aura Guardian will be able to amuse himself with the machine at the end of the hallway for a good while," the creature answers and Ash clearly hears the jab at Riley's abysmal technical knowledge. "Here," it adds and holds out a toothbrush.
"… Thanks?"
"Prepare for impact. It could stain."
'Oh, yes,' he thinks because it seems like today is going to tick off a lot of things that were on his list of 'to-do-stuff-once-I-get-better'.
Dialga appears, hovering a little over the pristine white blanket. It doesn't land until Ash holds his hands out to catch the creature and even then, the pokémon gives the dusty, black mark it just left on the boy's hands a rueful look.
"I'm sorry, Dialga, I'll make it better, I promise."
Ash doesn't even have to ask anything, Mewtwo's got a bowl from somewhere and it's already filled with soapy water. Perfect to start cleaning so the teen gets to it right away. He doesn't say much, he likes the sound coming from Dialga as it realises the cleaning isn't hurtful. Ash takes pride in it, he's not hurt any of his pokémon during grooming in a little over three years. He's not an amateur in it any longer and he does care a lot about pokémon… even though he's confused on how a toothbrush could end up hurting Dialga. There's not much the plastic bristles can do against the full steel exterior of the creature but then again, maybe there's soft tissue somewhere. Ash doesn't take a gamble and so he continues the grooming session as carefully as he had started as.
It doesn't take long either, Dialga's a very smooth pokémon and the dirt was only sticking on lightly. But it's a bit ridiculous how long Riley was taking, Ash is already finished cleaning the shrunken pokémon when Mewtwo announces that the man has finally gotten his drink and will return shortly. The pokémon teleports away with the filthy toothbrush and dirty bowl and it's only after Mewtwo's left, that the teen wonders where it had gotten the items from. It doesn't really matter but the nurses here hated the soot with a passion, the room he had exploded in still had a couple of spots where the stuff had gotten lodged into. If one of them finds this brush and makes the connection to him…? Oh boy.
"These machines are torture devices," Riley says as he steps back into the room with… several cans of different kinds of soda in his arms. "I tap the damn thing for water over eight times and all it drops are sodas."
"… There's no water distributed in that machine, Riley," Ash answers, a bit confused on how the man managed to pass by the large, white machine with the huge upside-down water bottle on top of it. "It's the white one, right next to it."
"You're joking."
"I'm not, you've got the evidence right there in your arms."
"I should've taken you along, I'm no good with machines."
"Neither am I, so don't feel too bad," the teen says even though he knows he still knows the difference between a vending machine and a regular water dispenser.
Then again, he's not sixty years old, is he?
"You're sure you don't want anything? I mean, I've got some to spare."
"You can leave whatever you don't like over there, I'll drink 'em later."
"All of them? I don't even drink soda."
"… Sure, if you really want to get rid of them," Ash answers because he's not going to make a huge deal out of it.
Riley's clearly bothered already and appears quite happy to have gotten rid of the cans of unwanted soda. It's all alright again but the man still hasn't gotten his drink.
"I don't suppose I could… lure you into the wheelchair? You're allowed to go outside, aren't you?"
"I am, yeah."
"So you euhm… wouldn't mind showing me the water thing?"
"If you don't mind taking me down into the garden?"
"Oh, sure, that's no problem at all, let me just get this thing going then."
It had taken Riley half an hour to fold out the wheelchair. The poor man had seemed so lost until a nurse had come in, to check up on her patient and noticed him in distress. The look on his face when the nurse pushed one button to fold out the wheelchair was priceless but Ash felt bad for the man, who clearly hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings for at least a decade now.
"… I think it's better if I start living in a city again," the man says as he pushes the wheelchair through the hallway, with Ash helpfully holding the man's precious cup of water. "I mean, you'll get why it's so much nicer to live near pokémon but let me be an example of what happens when you don't live in a society of people for a while."
"Will you be okay, though, Riley? It's really different from living in a house than a tent."
"Which one do you like better?"
"The house. I like the safety it gives and I can always have pokémon inside it. And it'll also house the people I like too while there's really limited space in a tent and it just… doesn't do much. It can rain through or feel icky when it keeps raining, it's scary when it gets windy, it's stuffy when it gets too warm, sand blows through it. It's good if you're travelling, then it's just, oh what was it called again? I think it was acceptation of discomfort or something. Anyway, it just doesn't feel right sometimes. I don't think it's a good experience at all, either."
"Mm," the man hums. "I think I'll have a look around, see if I can't settle somewhere nice."
"You can always try the cities that have pokémon living in them, right? Like, okay, Lavender and Ecruteak are kind of filled with ghosts but there are places like Fuchsia who have the Safari zone and those cities usually have a link to nature. It sometimes feels a bit touristic but it's better than nothing."
"I don't mind ghosts but Lavender isn't a good place to be at as an Aura user. The force of Life is better left separated from death, Ash."
"Oh… Sorry, I didn't know."
"Have you ever travelled through Lavender?"
"Yeah, even slept in the city domain itself. They didn't bother me at all, I even found a Haunter there. Funny little guy, he's keeping Sabrina company."
"Then you're a stronger person than I am," Riley says simply.
"Are you afraid of death?"
"No, but I am afraid of what I could cause if I do... So perhaps, yes and no."
"Oh yeah, people always tell me I should think a bit more of myself when I do something stupid and when I tell them I still would've done it no matter what, they always drag Pikachu in the mess too. Say I should pay more attention to my health for him. So I guess you're not alone in that."
"It's not much of a comfort but thank you for understanding, Ash," the man chuckles "Will you be okay in the garden?"
"Of course, but you're not going to leave me stranded there, are you?"
"I meant the pokémon. If they're sitting in front of your window, they're definitely going to approach you now as well. I got covered in them just the other day."
"Awesome, can't wait," Ash grins and he would've rubbed his hands together if only he wasn't holding the plastic cup. "But if you're talking about the Pidgey in front of my window, they're probably related to Pidgeot and I think they're just there to keep an eye on me. Either way, I don't care if they're going to come sit on me, I think they're cute."
"They are but aren't all Pidgeys kind of related to Pidgeot?"
"I meant my Pidgeot."
"Yours? Did it escape your regional professor?"
"No, I released him because he wanted to be free."
"Long story?" Riley asks.
"No, that's it. He wanted to be free so that's why I let him go. He loves me still, I know that, Pigeot comes by when I'm back in Kanto so there are no hard feelings between the two of us," Ash answers but frowns. "I also don't get why some people tell me I'm a bad trainer whenever I tell them this story, shouldn't everyone care about their pokémon's feelings? I mean, some pokémon love battling but some just… aren't cut out of the right material for it. It's just like people, some are good trainers and some just aren't. It's not that hard to understand, is it?"
"But it goes against everything that's being taught," the man says. "I understand where you're coming from and it's very noble of you to care that much but I don't see a new trainer bend down into the grass and ask a Rattatta to be their first pokémon."
"I can if they're bending down into the grass and asking the Rattatta to be their pokémon if they have a bit of food in their hands and show a bit of compassion. But you're right, showing emotions is bad, isn't it?"
"Emotions give a lot away, though," Riley starts but not before sighing. "Did you know that there was a particular trick used in the war to make Aura users smile? And yes, the reaction ratted them out straight away. So that's why I was told not to smile too often."
"Oh yes, the Rattatta's bound to pull a gun on you if you smile at it, I forgot," Ash answers and he rolls his eyes while doing so.
"You know that's not what I meant."
"We were talking about a young kid talking to a little pokémon. Not a trained adult to a bunch of assholes with weapons."
"How do you know they had weapons?"
"They always do," the teen shrugs. "Whether it's a stick or a gun or some fashionable taser, they'll have whatever it takes to hurt you. No matter what kind of a strong person you are, they'll know what'll hurt you because these asshole lurk. They get to know you before they face you."
The man doesn't say anything as he gently lays a hand on the boy's shoulder. Ash doesn't mind, he doesn't like understanding how Riley feels either. But that doesn't mean he needs to like how often the man refers to this war. He doesn't get how people always try and talk about their trauma, how can you even try to forget if you keep mentioning it? That's why he never talks about it, he wants to forget and he can't do it when the memories are being kept so fresh and… yeah, he hates how Riley is still suffering from this 'war' he knows nothing about. He guesses that, at some point, Aura users got hunted but unless this war is still ongoing, Ash feels like the man should let it go already and you know, not talk about it as if it happened yesterday.
He almost says something that would probably have sounded terribly rude but his attention is pulled towards the garden. They just rounded the last corner and it looks so glorious Ash can't wait to get there. He wishes he would have put on his prosthesis but remembers he was told not to walk in it today, that he should rest but he wants to get to the garden as quickly as possible. The fresh air hits him like a cold shower and he feels so elated when he sees all the pokémon turn around and look at him.
"Can I go sit in the grass?" he asks gingerly as he holds out the cup of water towards Riley.
"Sure, I'll-"
The man didn't need to do anything, Ash was quick to slide out of the wheelchair. He's still kind of careful, he's holding the tiny Dialga in one arm and he can't walk on one leg without his crutches. But he makes do, crawling works just fine too and oh, the grass feel heavenly. He flops down on it and giggles when it doesn't take long for a whiskered, wet nose to touch his cheek. It's a Furret, or rather, it's a group of them and they're all watching him curiously. Ash totally expects them to pounce on him, that's what wild, enthusiastic pokémon do… but they don't. They're just watching him and he gets the distinct impression that they're keeping their distance because of the Dialga in his arms. It's funny because Pikachu doesn't give a hoot and comes to sit on him like nothing's different about him.
"Okay?" Riley asks, sounding a bit concerned.
"More than okay," Ash answers as he's smiling from ear to ear. "It's so nice outside, it makes me feel all tingly."
A rustle behind him catches his attention and he can't be happier to see Pidgeot hop towards him. His pokémon looks glorious, he's been taking good care of himself and gosh, there's an awful lot of Pidgey looking at them now.
"You've been keeping busy, huh?" he chuckles and Pidgeot, who probably doesn't get the innuendo, chirps enthusiastically and proudly puffs up his chest.
He's happy to see his pokémon again and even though a Flying-type pokémon rarely is cuddle material, Pidgeot allows the hug. Ash makes sure not to ruffle his feathers too much, he suddenly feels tired and totally not capable of grooming another pokémon. In fact, he could do with a nap, to be honest. Checking on Riley, Ash sees that the man is too busy enjoying his cup of water to mind him, so the teen lays down in the grass and closes his eyes for a second. No one would mind a quick nap, right?
Riley straight up panics when he found Ash unresponsive. He had only turned to look at the kid when he suddenly hadn't heard any sound or movement next to him and that could well have been over an hour ago. He's always pleased to have some water but hell, Lance would have his head if something happened to his nephew while on his watch! So he did the best thing he could think of, which was depositing the kid back in the wheelchair -which was kind of awkward because Ash felt more like a bag of potatoes and was all limp and loose- and drive him back into his room.
It wasn't until he's got Ash in his arms, to lay him back in the bed, that Riley hears the soft snore coming from the boy. He still tucks him in, he already thought it to be strange that the kid had asked him if his Aura had been responsible for keeping him awake, which honestly seemed a bit farfetched if you asked him. Riley certainly isn't a stranger to weird Aura and side-effects but it works against all logic to tire someone out like this for no good reason. Unless Ash was upset enough to be stuck inside which, in hindsight, might be the reason why he hadn't slept since the day he had ended up in this hospital again. He feels bad about it and even as he passes the boy's doctor, he's lost in thoughts on what he could do.
"Sir?"
Riley pauses and looks at the man, who's watching him.
"Yes, doctor?"
"How was he? Ash, I mean?"
"Good? He's asleep now."
"Now?!" the man asks and looks bewildered. "Really?"
"I took him to the garden. He seemed happy to be there so maybe that's got something to do with it," he says and hopes the doctor takes the hint and allowed Ash outside a bit more often.
Just the mere thought of having to be stuck inside for over a month causes his hair on his arms to stand on end. It's basically the worst thing you could do to a powerful Aura user but who would have guessed a fourteen-year-old would somehow be that powerful, huh? Oh yeah, Riley knows, the pokémon in the garden hadn't reacted much to Ash being in the garden, meaning it didn't care where he was at all. They could feel him wherever he was and that was kind of odd, especially since he couldn't feel a damn thing. Unless Ash touched him, which was another strange asset of the kid.
"Is it that important to… his kind?" the doctor says hesitantly. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to sound disrespectful, I'm trying to learn but I don't know how…"
"It's alright, doctor. But yes, it is. Is there no possibility of keeping his window open for a couple of hours a day?"
"But… the pokémon."
"Is it really the end of the world if they come in, though?"
"I guess not, no," the man sighs, looking defeated, his shoulders sagging. "Thank you, sir, we'll try and do better."
"No problem," Riley answers but knows that it's not that hard to understand Ash.
He's brash enough to tell you straight to your face what his issue is and he admires the kid for it. It takes some courage to do that and it comes so delightfully natural to him too. However, enough was enough and perhaps it was around about time he went to talk to Lance. There's only so much a person can take and it could well be that Ash is at his limit. So, he takes out his ratty little cellphone and calls the man up, hoping he wasn't interrupting something. Then again, Riley uses his phone so little that it might have given lance a sense of urgency to answer because it doesn't even ring once.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Lance, it's me, Riley."
"Hey, what can I do for you?"
"It's about Ash, we've just finished… well, nothing happened, I didn't get my introduction either, he fell asleep before I could continue."
"He fell asleep?"
"It's my fault, you know what kind of an idiot I am with technology and I just wanted a cup of water-"
"Riley, you misunderstand, Ash hasn't been seen asleep for weeks now," Lance says and he sounds a bit too serious all of a sudden. "What did you do?"
"I took him to the garden. He asked me that."
"Just that?"
"Yes, just that. Listen, Lance… Don't you think it's about time you asked them about his release? I feel like he could use a bit of… you know, less disinfectant and white walls. People wearing scrubs all the time and things like that."
"I can ask, yes but it all depends on how his revalidation is going."
"Good, as far as I could notice, all he needs is a bit of urging to wear his prosthesis, a hand up and he's good to go."
"Wait, what?" Lance asks, sounding shocked. "What do you mean, prosthesis? They delivered it already?"
"It is. It got Pikachu approved too."
"And he's already walking?"
"I got the impression that he did, yes."
"… Right, yeah, I'll talk to them. He's got plenty of space at my place to walk too."
"That's what I was thinking too. Besides, I would feel a lot more comfortable bringing Lucario along to your place than here, I mean, he's not a common pokémon here in Kanto at all and I don't want a line of kiddies all wanting to pet him. You know how he is with that, he's a sucker for hands," Riley sighs.
The statement drew a chuckle from Lance but it had happened before and he would like to avoid it happening again, thank you very much. At least he's sure he's just done a good deed for Ash because he's worried for the teen. For a young boy to sound so jaded about people the whole time, it's concerning and he at least wants to make sure he's at least seen one example of a person who can care for him without needing anything in return. And the fact that Ash didn't feel the slightest bit attracted to any kind of trade from the Aura community was just another challenge for him. Maybe it all had to do with the boy's annoyance at his situation, maybe it would be easier if he met the kid in a place where they both were comfortable. Ash was kind of sharp and all angle here and he just hoped that would change with the scenery and a bit of time. He had never met such a peculiar student, after all, but he's more than happy about it. Maybe it was time for him to change as well.
Lance is nervously drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as he waits for the cars in front of him to start moving. It's always a tedious mess to cross between Johto and Kanto and the recent terrorist threats from Orre have somehow succeeded in making everything a little worse by making everyone nervous and prone to mistakes. As such, border controls started to take much longer than normal and everyone involved a lot more annoyed. He was at no risk of being interrogated or, in the worst-case scenario, arrested, he had nothing in the car and as an officer, Lance could come and go as he pleases. Doesn't mean they don't check his car on occasion and with him being this nervous, chances are they will do it this time around.
Just because he's with the G-men doesn't mean he's a saint, so if they do want to bother him, they're free to do so. His reason for his nervosity isn't inside the car yet anyway. And this is probably going the last time he'll be crossing the border back and forth this year, hopefully. A bit of a cynical sentence because it's half December but knowing his nephew, it was better to expect the unexpected. Ash had surprised everyone by bouncing back from that overdose as quickly as this, not to mention how easily the kid has adapted to the prosthesis. Granted, there still was some work to be done, the boy was still using his crutches on uneven surfaces and he was prone to falling but heck, there hadn't been a single complaint.
Nothing short of a miracle and Lance isn't willing to keep the boy in the hospital for longer than necessary. He knows well enough he's shortening Gary Oak's punishment with this as well but at this points, he's stopped caring about it. His nephew got higher priority thanks to his brother's idiocy and he's not willing to risk losing Ash over some punk with no manners. Despite CPS having assured him several times that his house is perfectly safe for Ash to stay in -he hadn't counted on them to actually come and check, you know?- even with all these dragons running around the house and the garden, he's still got his doubts. There's a large fence keeping everyone but his pokémon from their territory and he thinks he can trust Ash not to disobey him like that but for all he likes the kid, he doesn't trust him to listen.
Any teenager can be unpredictable but Ash takes the cake when it comes to pokémon. Especially now that he's gotten attacked by a couple. Lance just isn't willing to risk his pokémon or the boy's safety and made a silent deal with himself to keep the two separated for as long as possible. Clair's called him an idiot when he told her not to leave her Dragonite unattended in the house when Ash is around. She says the only risk of an accident happening is when the pokémon slithers in front of him and accidentally trips him which counts as a bad accident to Lance but alright, then he guesses he's an idiot for caring about such minor details. There's a lot of sharp edges and corners in the house and if Ash does fall, tripped or not, he could get hurt badly.
Nevertheless, the man isn't going to back down on a promise and if the kid somehow manages to crack his head open, there was no telling if that wouldn't have happened back at the teen's home either. Delia would've probably left him at it too, so he was at a greater risk there. In his house, Flygon and a couple of nosy Dratini were always around, keeping vigil, mostly on themselves but maybe, if Ash was around long enough, they would keep an eye on him too. God, what had he been thinking? Dragons were the most unpredictable, destructive and moody pokémon in existence and he just had to put a very sensitive and whimsical teen in the mix with it. He's going to be a lucky man if this doesn't blow up in his face but if he doesn't explode, Ash might and that's going to be worse altogether.
His phone suddenly rings and he feels dread pool in his stomach because everyone he holds dear was told not to call him today unless it was an emergency. They know better than to call him for a folly anyway, so he's not surprised to hear the sheer panic in Clair's voice when he answers the phone.
"A what?!... Stay right where you are, I'll be right there!"
Ash decides he doesn't like surprises any longer. It doesn't take much imagination to get what today's surprise is, there's only so much that can happen when a group of nurses starts to pack his things. Then again, their last surprise consisted of him going swimming with his prosthesis, which hadn't been at all fun because the thing weighed a ton in water and it had instantly transported him back in that underwater cave, his body sinking under the weight of the large crystal that was slowly slipping from his fingers. It was then, after the worried nurses brought him back to his room, all upset and shivering, that Ash remembered that surprises could be good or bad.
He's not sure whether he likes this surprise either, he's gotten a long list of appointments -along with a very sarcastic note from dr. Knight for him to please be at home when he visits in a couple of days- as well as a much smaller list of what medications he should take and now he's just sitting here, surrounded by his stuff. A kid is eyeing his large Gengar plush but Ash pretends not to notice it. He's not sure how long he's sat here, waiting. There's a large, white clock and he can see it tick away but he doesn't know what time he was deposited here. Yes, deposited, he's just put on his prosthesis himself, the nurse had just wheeled him here in a wheelchair and then had helped him in a chair. That's the last time he had spoken up too.
He's happy to have Pikachu with him, awake, this time, though the pokémon is enjoying his bored fidgeting with his ears. So Ash doesn't get much response from his buddy and hell, he's used to having Gliscor hang right next to him and that his little dragon was somewhere at his feet. He feels so lonely in the lobby full of people chattering, some laughing, some deadly serious. It's hard to feel happy in a room like this, no one cares that he's here, he's just another person they pass by in their life and will probably never see again. He knows better than to expect much but as he looks around, he's already started getting to know these people around them a little. Doesn't mean he's not bored out of his mind, though. But, just as he thought it couldn't get much worse, his bum decides it doesn't like being sat on for so long and suddenly the chair feels uncomfortable no matter the position he's in. And then the old gentlemen next to him started speaking up loudly and it doesn't take long for Ash to realise the gentlemen isn't gentle at all. He's a bigot.
"When I was young, we didn't do fundraisers for regions at war! Why, if only I were younger, I'd go there myself and put everything right!"
"Grandpa, don't speak so loud," the girl next to him wheedles. "You're disturbing the people here."
"Nonsense, this is a public place, I can speak as loud as I want. Besides, these terrorists are going to be everyone's business soon! All because our weak government has decided they want to give money, while it'll only fund these criminals to make worse weapons against us! Before we know it, they might have nuclear bombs ready for us but hah, don't listen to this old man."
'That's funny,' Ash thought, trying hard not to look at the man.
The last thing he knew, there was nothing in Orre. Just a couple of cities full of scared people with no way out, no perspective in life. Unless they sided with the terrorists, then they could leave… but not without a bomb belt tied around their middle. The few Shadow pokémon that hadn't ripped each other to pieces were trudging around and killed everyone on sight. Recent studies showed that the more a Shadow pokémon killed, the less chance there was for them to ever be successfully purified. As fascinated as Ash was with these kinds of pokémon, he knew they were hardly pokémon at all. Just look at what a heartless person could do to the world? Was it that surprising that a mighty, heartless pokémon could cause such destruction then?
"Grandpa, please-"
"They ought to send all the young, capable men there, see if they can't knock some sense in these people. A pokémon's a pokémon, they ought to shoot 'em if they can't handle them. Or, send all these creepy pokémon league bastards. If they're so special and got such a good connection with their pokémon. See how it works out when they're out of their comfort zone."
That stung, mostly because of what his accident had done to him. In the past, Ash would've valiantly stood up against this man and tell him that no pokémon was inherently evil… but he doubted that. And he would never speak up if he wasn't absolutely sure of it. He's lucky the kid, who had been watching his Gengar plush, heard it too and was old enough to understand what the man said. The poor boy bursts out in crying at the mention of pokémon getting killed and now Ash is ready to rip this man a new one.
"You should be ashamed of yourself," he growls.
"I won't hide my opinion," the man answers. "You ought to mind your own business, young man."
"You can't hide behind your opinion either, no matter how loud you speak up. If you've actually been in a war, you'd know there are no winners, everyone just loses an awful lot of things they can't replace. But maybe we ought to send old fogeys like you to the battlefield, see if the Shadow pokémon will eat you. Maybe you could give them indigestion with that shitty opinion of yours, that'd solve the issue too."
The old man turns a little green at that idea and turns away. Ash is still a bit angry but the kid's stopped crying as his mother had come to the rescue. She's giving the man an evil look, in fact, he's getting a lot of dark looks from pretty much everyone around. He leaves shortly after, claiming that he can't stand the short-sightedness around him but the teen doesn't care. He's full of spite and he takes out his transceiver, to see how much traction he would get if he would involve some of his followers in this fundraiser thing. His message isn't long, he just asks if people would want to bet against him in something, like, if he were to get a lottery ticket or something and see if he would win anything. His luck against the world seemed a good bet to him, anyway.
He watches some more of those resin videos and he just likes them instead of sharing them, he knows his friends just get confused if he keeps sharing them. Ash is pretty sure he's been sitting here for over an hour now and his bum still isn't liking this chair. Then again, there are a lot more videos he can watch but he can see how it's draining his transceiver's battery. But it's so boring to just sit here and do nothing! And he's gotten no response on his message either so the teen is already dejected enough to forget about the whole thing. Just as things couldn't get worse, the device tells him that it's about to install an update so now he's sitting there, watching a couple of orbs go around in circles and it takes forever. And then he gets a blue screen of doom.
"You've got to be kidding me," he utters and tries to restart his device.
Nothing.
"Oh my god," the teen sighs and he stuffs his transceiver into his bag.
"Mr. Ketchum?"
"Yeah?" he asks and he can't help how bummed out he sounds because the pokémon company just nerfed his transceiver with their damned update!
"We received a call, Mr. Lance won't be able to make it today but there will be someone else picking you up shortly."
"Oh, okay. Did you know who?"
"No, I wasn't told, just that there would be someone to pick you up."
"Okay. Thanks."
"No problem," the nurse says and walks off, still smiling kindly.
Ash doubts that Lance's inability to show up has something to do with him now he's worried something's happened to the man. He really doesn't want to go into the system either, he's already uncomfortable with the idea he's going to have to depend on family who he assumes like him. He doesn't want to even start imagining how he's going to feel when he suddenly needs to stay with people who don't know him at all. All in all, it's not a great start of his freedom, that much is sure and he's a little hurt too. Somehow, he's always the butt of the joke, no matter what happens… and he can only sit and wait until someone shows up. Without anything to distract him from his own feelings.
'Wonderful,' he thinks, getting all grumpy. 'Just wonderful.'
End of chapter ten