What's this? Another chapter? The plotbunnies have blessed me! Then again, don't get used to it, I guess I just wanted this chapter out of my system before I get back to work or something.
Hope you all like it!
It's been another hour and no one's come by yet. Ash is very bored and annoyed now, not even Pikachu can bring a smile to his face with his antics and god, spare him from another asshole making some rancid statements. Unfortunately, there's a nice echo inside this building, so he's not spared from the ramblings of an entitled woman who claims the nurse is being rude to her and that she 'wants to speak to the manager'. Ash isn't even sure the nurses have a manager but he does know the lady behind the counter there has a no-nonsense supervisor. He hopes she calls him out, that'll be way more fun than listening to the screaming woman.
He'll never know what happens next because somehow, he sees professor Elm run through the door. He's in a terrible hurry, it seems, he even skids a bit when he comes at a halt in front of the check-in point, where a befuddled woman recoils a bit when he suddenly appears in her vision. Ash has an inkling the man might be there because of him but for a regional professor to suddenly come over at a whim? Arceus, what happened to Lance?
He's right, the professor turns to look at him and Ash can only grin sheepishly and wave when their eyes meet. Thankfully, the man doesn't sigh or look annoyed but he does come speeding walking over. And yes, it looks absolutely ridiculous.
"Ash, I'm so sorry I'm so late, it's such a pain to cross the border, I had to get papers and everything, holy moly, I got here as fast as I could," the man says quickly, despite being out of breath.
"It's okay, professor, please, breathe."
"Hah," he pants, leaning heavily on his knees as he bends over a little. "I didn't think you would understand, I-"
"I won't if you keep putting your foot in it," Ash says because his patience is running thin.
Professor Elm seems to notice it as he straightens and grins at him. He, however, doesn't make a move to give any sort of explanation as to why Lance couldn't make it, instead choosing to struggle carrying all those bags. Ash appreciates it, he can hardly keep himself upright. Walking is all fine and dandy as long as it's on concrete but he's having troubles walking on the parking lot. It's titled towards the water conducts too so that doesn't help at all and professor Elm just had to park in the grass.
"Don't worry about the mud," the man says when he sees Ash halting at the edge of the grass. "I'm going to have to clean my car anyway."
"I will slip, professor."
"Oh?"
The teen raises his pant leg high enough so that professor Elm could see the see-through calf of his prosthesis. The man stares at it for as long as Ash keeps his pant leg up. As soon as he drops it, it snaps professor Elm from his reverie.
"Ah, okay, I understand," he wheedles sheepishly, holding his hands up in surrender. "I'll drive off the grass first."
"Thank you."
Ash watches the bright green car reverse off the grass and he slowly gets in it.
"I'm really sorry, Ash, I wasn't told what happened to you, I just needed to pick you up," the professor says, starting the car.
"It's fine."
The teen's stomach churns at seeing the state of the car from the inside. He quickly looks outside but now he's stuck with the memory of his mom crying about how she couldn't afford a car… and seeing the professor's electrical and not at all cheap car covered in very dubious substances… well, he would have hoped the man would have a bit more respect for it. At least the seat is comfortable.
" So… How euhm… are you doing, Ash?" the man asks.
Honestly? His bum is still tingling uncomfortably, he's got a bit of a headache forming and his body feels like lead. This is the longest he's spent out of bed recently too, it's been a whopping four hours since the nurses had put him in the lobby, along with his stuff.
"I'm fine," he says.
"Really? I would imagine having a prosthetic limb would be a bit of a hassle."
"It beats having only one leg," Ash quips because of course nothing but the obvious can be wrong with him, huh? He should've guessed the man would hone into his prosthesis and only focus on that.
"Well, yes, of course, it does. What does it feel like?"
'Hell' comes in his mind but the teen feels like that wouldn't do the feeling justice. Burning hell would be better, especially now, since the tingling feeling in his bum is starting to spread down his legs too.
"Not good," he offers because he can't explain it just yet without sounding ungrateful. But it still beats walking with crutches.
"I bet it takes a long while until you can fully get used to it, huh?"
"Longer than the week I've had it, yeah, I guess so."
Ash can see professor Elm's face go through several stages of grief before settling on an expression that kind of looks like pity.
"I really wasn't told anything," the man utters quietly.
"Nothing?"
"No, professor Ivy just told me to come get you."
"And you thought I was perfectly okay despite being sent to a hospital to pick me up?"
"… I'll confess I didn't think about it until I was inside the hospital and saw you, Ash. But then again, it seemed insensitive to ask."
The teen quietly decides that the world has become too used to pokémon. It's astonishing how quickly the man-made his assumptions about him, deciding it was somehow better to ask him about a prosthesis than about his health? It's like the professor forgot how communication worked, too used to needing to guess because pokémon didn't talk at all. Well, some did, but professor Elm's speciality was baby pokémon and not even Psychic-types could do that from such a young age.
"So you didn't speak to Lance at all?" the boy asks instead of focussing on the man's lack of tact.
"No, though I know professor Ivy is at Lance's house. I believe there was a pokémon she was interested in but I'm not sure. Either way, she sounded terribly urgent, so I thought it was wise not to test her patience and just get going."
Ash gets the feeling though he believes that's where the similarities between him and the professor end. Looking at him now, the man looks terribly nervous, though he's a good driver. The thing is, not everyone is and by the looks of it, professor Elm's only short-coming on the road is that he's a foul-mouthed road rager.
"Did you get your driver's license from a cereal box, you twat!?" the man cries out at the person whose car is standing right next to them, having come to a stop in the middle of the road, while also having been going the wrong direction of the road.
"Calm down, professor, it's just an old lady."
The professor doesn't listen and Ash can see him growing redder by the second when the car is successfully blocking them from going forwards. It seemed like the old lady was trying to turn around to start going the right but yeah, she didn't have to do it right in front of them or the middle of the road.
"Oh my god, woman! I've got places to be!"
The lady doesn't seem to care, she takes her sweet time and professor Elm gets some good use out of his horn. When she finally pulls out in front of them and goes, the man floors the gas pedal, passes her and speeds off.
'That was definitely an illegal pass,' Ash thought because there's a full line in the middle of the road and they had been on a hill.
Again, not the best spot to suddenly start turning around either so it's not as if the old lady wasn't at fault but professor Elm could have reacted a bit better to it. Still, he's not going to speak up again, the man is silently fuming as he drives on. He's completely hunched over and his knuckles are white as he's got a firm hold on the steering wheel. It would've been comical if only Ash had a bit better relationship with him. He's not sure what's changed because he remembers a time where he was alright walking into any stranger's house and trust them to be nice. Maybe it's got something to do with the fact he feels exactly how mad professor Elm really is.
"Are you alright, professor?" he asks because he's worried the man might burst a vessel.
"I hate people trying to placate me when someone's in the wrong."
'Great,' the teen thinks. 'Now he's working it out on me.'
Two can play that game, he's still annoyed he had to sit there the entire time too but it seems he's the most mature out of the two of them. Still, he lets the man stew in his annoyance, he's got other things to think about. Ash allows his mind to wander about, he's pretty sure the professor won't speak up again and even if he does, he doesn't want to hear it. The teen looks at the passing scenery instead and he smiles a bit at the idea that Lance might have a pretty nice garden, with some awesome pokémon running around. Maybe he can even pick up some tricks, in case Gible ever gets over the scare he's gotten. Yeah, it might get interesting, if, of course, Lance still wants anything to do with him.
Ash snaps out of his daydreaming when the car halts briskly. It seems like professor Elm's car met with a sturdy post but seeing it's one from a parking spot, the teen figures they are at their destination. He doesn't wait for the man to finish his colourful string of words either, he doesn't even care if the professor parked in the grass again either. If he slips, he'll get back up. But he doesn't slip, these shoes dr. Knight got him are very good on uneven surfaces, it seems.
"Where are you going?!" the professor yells.
"Garden," he answers simply.
There was no way he was going to stick around to receive a bit more verbal abuse from the upset professor. Besides, what would he do? Stand there and watch the man struggle? It would only make the man more upset and it would make him feel even more useless than he already was.
"I don't have a key to get inside!"
"You think I have?"
"… Ash, you and I, we need to talk."
"About what? The fact my mother and father are such bumbling idiots they lost custody of me? It's not something I like to talk about, I miss them a lot. I just got to meet my dad and he's already left within a month of meeting me."
"I don't think… that it's your fault at all, I… can biologic parents even lose custody of their children?"
"Apparently so."
"What did they do, Ash?" the man asks, suddenly super concerned as he followed the teen into the grass.
It was at that moment the boy lost his footing and slipped, just like he had predicted. Those shoes were worthless, after all.
"Ash!" the professor cries out and moves to help him up.
But Ash holds out his hands in surrender and sighs deeply. He's fine where he is and he tells the man that much. He doesn't want to move, he's had it for now. The lawn is the best place he could be right now, it seems like that car ride and its soft electronic humming had taken their toll on him.
"I'll… go and see whether I can't find Lance somewhere, yeah? Or professor Ivy?"
"Sure."
"I swear to god, you and your fascination for strange pokémon are going to be the death of me," Lance hisses as he peeks around the corner of the door to spot if their assailant is still around.
It's pitch black inside the house so he can't see very well. He just wishes he had a pokémon with him but as per usual, this was one of the rare days where he had them out in their spot in the garden, just because he had been expecting to have a sensitive teen with him. Even with Ash's apparent love for every pokémon, most of his dragons are all teeth and anger so it could have well been a mess. Still, he could always count on his cousin to make the mess for him.
"How the hell was I supposed to know it could fry the electric network?" Clair hisses back. "A Dratini isn't supposed to do that!"
"It was yellow, though," professor Ivy pipes up and she's not making an effort of trying to leave the room, she's fine where she is.
"I thought it could be shiny."
"Shiny Dratina are pink. And they don't fry people's electricity!" Lance growls because this is going to be a heavy cost for his insurance.
God, this is going to be a pain trying to explain that a Dratini did this. Because honestly, he had a couple slithering around here and they certainly didn't do that. They might chew a cable if it was laying around but that would fry the Dratini, not the other way around. Honestly, leave it to his cousin to find such a pokémon.
"Alright, alright, I get it, it's not a normal one. I still think it's cool, though."
"But out of your control," the professor says. "And that makes the pokémon very dangerous too."
"… Do you think I should give it up?"
"Perhaps try and see if it can act friendly. There are always pokémon who are better left in the wild than trained."
Lance rolled his eyes at that and sneaked outside. He felt like a burglar in his own damn house, goddammit! He nearly loses it when he walks into a pillar.
"That's it!" he explodes. "Dratini or not, I need light or I'm killing something today!"
He stomps through his house and a helpful window lights his way so he can at least find his front door. However, as he pulls it open, he finds the more than startled professor Elm stand there. Lance has kind of had it with professors and pokémon today, though and he's not pleased to see him here. Not today.
"What are you doing here?"
"… What? I… I was told to go pick up Ash," the man answers, befuddled and clearly intimidated. "Professor Ivy called me."
Lance runs his hands over his face, he had almost forgotten about the kid! Now he's going to have to thank professor Ivy for being the only level-headed person in the room. However…
"What time is it?"
"Around four?" the professor offers.
"And you just got here? Where's Ash?"
"Euhm, yes, we arrived here a couple of minutes ago. And Ash is in the lawn. Resting, I believe."
"Right… okay. Well, I would invite you in but it's awfully dark inside."
"I can do a bit of electrics, if that would help?"
Probably yes, but there's a murderous little pokémon hiding somewhere in the building and he's pretty sure his insurance won't cover fried regional professors. Now that he's outside, though, he can whistle and call Flygon. Just as he wants to put his fingers in his mouth, a small face comes out of the doorframe, scaring the living daylights out of the man.
"Dreepy! Don't scare me like that! Honestly, everyone's out to get me today."
"A Dreepy!" professor Elm says and approaches the dragon in all the right ways. "What a fascinating little guy you are, coming through the door like that?"
Praise is always a safe way to go when talking to a dragon so Lance is at least put at ease that he can trust the man to remain a bit professional. And Dreepy might come in handy, if there's ever a difference in a separate Ghost- or Dragon-type and a dual Ghost/Dragon-type it's that the pokémon has the character of a dragon but the abilities of a ghost. So it listens to him and phases through walls, unseen. Perfect when you're looking for a rogue Dratini, if you ask him.
So he takes Dreepy and professor Elm down to the electric network's centre and yeah, the man does know something about electricity because he fiddles a bit, flicks a switch and suddenly, there is light again. Lance is over the moon though knows he'll have to get a specialist electrician to do a run down over the professor's handy work. Safety above everything, he doesn't need a shortcut to set the house on fire while they're all asleep in bed. The thing is, as Dreepy searches room upon room, even the room professor Ivy and Clair were in, the little Ghost/Dragon-type can't actually find the pokémon they're looking for and it's more worrying to know that's something isn't there than to stand in front of it, somehow.
"I hope it hasn't run," Clair says.
"It would if it desires freedom," the professor says but she doesn't seem to care an awful lot. "I'm glad to see you, professor Elm, I hope you were successful in retrieving Ash?"
"Oh, yes, I was, he seemed happy to see me. At first and then ah… I euhm…"
"Let me guess, you yelled at him."
"… I'm sorry."
"One day, I will understand why you can forgive children making the most awful mistakes but can't do the same for adults." Professor Ivy sighs as she shakes her head.
"What is this about?" Lance asks.
"Road rage. He screams at people when he's stuck in traffic or just on the road," she answers while the other professor looks guilty as charged.
"You better not have screamed at Ash, professor Elm, he's not good at dealing with negative attention from people."
"I didn't scream at him, I just said he needed to leave me be… I'm sorry, I noticed he suddenly got a lot less happy. He's in the garden, though, he's fine."
"Or so you say," Lance huffs, mood dropping again. "Fine, then I have two missions. First, I need to find this Dratini and secondly, I got to see Ash."
"Didn't you say Ash was really good with pokémon, though?" Clair piped up. "I mean, you told me there were loads of pokémon moving into the garden and onto his windowsill."
"… I'll first go see Ash, then," the man decides and nearly has a heart attack when he sees the bright yellow Dratini lay in Ash's arms.
He can see it from where he's standing, his nephew didn't make it too far into the garden but it looks like the teen is aware that there's another pokémon on him. Well, multiple, his 'field of attraction' already drew in a couple of Furret and they're around and on top of Ash.
"Professor Ivy? Do you still need evidence that the Dratini can behave normally?" he asks and he sees the woman come stand next to him from the corner of his eye.
"That is kind of extra-ordinary. Do you think those are wild pokémon sleeping next to him?"
"Probably. That or they followed him all the way from the hospitalised."
"I see."
Ash wakes with a snort and winces when he feels a cramp going through his leg. He knows he's probably been sleeping in an awkward position but his clothes feel a bit damp too. He feels the grass under his hand when he straightens but he's very bewildered to see a yellow Dratini snuggled against his leg. Not the one with the cramp, no, it's leaning against his prosthesis. Must be why he didn't feel it, Ash doesn't think a Dratini weighs much and this one in particular seems a bit on the smaller side. It must not have been a threat at all, Pikachu would've reacted to it if it had approached him with ill intent. And there's Furret around him again and yeah, there's a pink one there. He remembers having seen one in the hospital garden too, which is kind of funny.
"Ash?" he suddenly hears, from a distance.
He turns to see his uncle stand in the doorway of the… side of the house? Now that Ash has got a visual on it, he can see his uncle owns a big house. Way bigger than professor Oak's laboratory even.
"Yes?"
"Come inside, it's going to get cold outside soon."
That would explain the dampness but as he straightens, he automatically grabs something yellow and gosh, the world spins for a second, so Ash closes his eyes. When he opens them, he sees Lance suddenly stand a lot closer and he's confused because he's pretty sure he had stood still.
"Are you okay?" the man asks and he's already got a good hold on him, Ash can feel his hands support his back.
"Dizzy," he answers. "Sorry, must've stood up to fast."
"You're cold," Lance remarks and before Ash knows it, he's in the man's arms.
Gosh, he likes being carried like this, it's like a sideways hug, he couldn't get any closer to his uncle like this. It's a nice feeling, very warm too…
"Why is it so cold?" the teen asks softly, as he's being carried inside.
"It's Winter, Ash."
"Huh? But it was Spring when I came back to Kanto?"
"It was, yes."
Ash frowns deeply and he's not too sure he's alright any longer. Is he still in his uncle's arms? He doesn't feel like it, in fact, he gets a bit scared because he can't feel the ground under his foot. He grabs at the yellow on his lap out of habit but as his hands touch smooth skin, he frowns again.
"This isn't Pikachu," he says.
"It isn't," Lance agrees. "It's a Dratini."
"Why is it yellow?"
"Because it's a weird little thing."
He was a weird little thing too, Ash feels for the pokémon. But it makes him wonder where Pikachu is. When Lance jolts, he doesn't just get the confirmation he's still in the man's arms but he gets a face full of fur too. This definitely is his Pikachu, he's woken up to this kind of fur-to-the face situation often enough to recognise his buddy by fur.
"Hiya, buddy."
"Pika prrrr~"
The purring makes him feel even fuzzier but Ash doesn't feel tired. He's confused, yeah but not tired. So when Lance offers to take him to his bedroom, Ash declines. He would rather sit somewhere nice so he can try and clear his head. Next time he sees Riley, he'll ask him if certain technology can have this kind of draining effect on him because Ash can't think of anything else. Well, nothing except the usual exhaustion he gets when leaving from such a long stay in the hospital. God, had it been so long too? He never even witness Autumn…
"Good afternoon, Ash."
He looks up and sees professor Ivy has joined him in the couch. She looks strangely at home but he remembers her as a kind of chill person.
"… Oh, hello, professor Ivy. I didn't expect to see you here."
"I was willing to wait until you got inside."
"You wanted to see me?" he asks, confused.
"I'm worried, yes but mostly because of there is a Delta pokémon on your lap. Let me assure you that I'm not aware of anything within your medical file."
"Delta pokémon?" Ash asks, even more confused now. "What's so different about it other than the colour?"
"I believe it's typing is Electric and its behaviour was erratic, to say the least. At least until you seemed to have calmed it down."
"I didn't do anything, though."
Professor Ivy tells him that it didn't matter, that it's likely his presence that is calming the pokémon down. That Ash understands, even Dialga calms down when it's near him. Nevertheless, this tiny Dratini could hardly be such a threat than Pikachu, right? Especially if it's got a trainer-
"I can hear you thinking, Ash," the professor says and she's looking awfully amused. "Let me just say that Clair treats a Dratini like the Dragon-type it is and she did exactly that with this one and it overstimulated Mahogany's entire electric network."
"... How do you treat a pokémon like a Dragon-type?" the teen asks, looking at her strangely. "I bet that Pikachu would do a whole lot worse if you hurt him, if that's what you mean by treating it that way."
"She was rude, that's all," she assures him. "Clair would never hurt a pokémon."
"Weird that it didn't attack her then. As far as I know, pokémon tend to attack what's scaring or hurting them. That it went for the house is just a sign it didn't want to hurt her, which is more than a bit impressive for a pokémon who just got yelled at, if you ask me."
Professor Ivy looks at him and she smiles a bit.
"Perhaps so, yes. I'm more impressed that you're not the slightest bit taken aback you have a rare and possibly dangerous pokémon on your lap, Ash. I don't know if it's sensible to do so."
Ash wants to groan, the poor thing is just there, for goodness' sake.
"It shouldn't even have been like this, if Clair had been a bit careful, none of you would have considered it dangerous, to begin with," he snaps. "I suggest letting go of the fact it answered to being treated badly and see how it reacts when treated with a bit of respect. Like right now, for example."
"Sore subject, hm?"
"No pokémon on this earth's plane is evil."
"Are you this annoyed because I doubt it… or are you annoyed because you doubt it, Ash? Because if the latter is the case, I suggest not to react badly to professor Elm's road rage in the future either, you are working this out on me too."
His eyes twitched.
"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't believe in it," he snaps. "And if your only defence is to call me a hypocrite, go ahead but I've seen enough to the world to know that no pokémon does anything bad by nature, not until a person has got their hands on them."
"Is that so?"
"If I have to explain this to you, then it reveals something about what kind of a pokémon professor you are," he says and he means it.
The woman seems hurt but he's not budging. He's absolutely sure that pokémon won't do bad things unless a person's involvement with them. Even a kid can ask a pokémon to steal some candy and sure, it's just a kid but stealing is bad. In all his years of travelling, he's never met a group of pokémon who started criminal groups on their own volition. And no, even his Squirtle, who had been in a gang, was only following the example of the people he and his friends had seen. That was the whole point with city pokémon, wasn't it? The only ones of the pokémon world Ash knew tended to go a bit criminal, it were Psychic-types, who were especially influenced by their surroundings. He fears the day where he'll meet a Dark/Psychic-type because that pokémon has all the right characteristics to be a criminal. But even so, he won't judge until he's seen it.
Professor Ivy leaves and he doesn't care much. Not until he can hear her talking to someone and yes, it's about him and his absolutely shitty social skills, apparently. She had said it herself, though, it was a sore subject and yet she still put her entire foot in it by comparing him to professor Elm. And then he wasn't supposed to be angry, huh? Go figure.
"Ti?"
The pokémon on his lap gives him a curious look and Ash can only sigh because there's not much he can say to defend Clair. If the Dratini had attacked out of the blue, if it hadn't been Clair fault, yeah, then you could try and teach a pokémon to have a few manners. But this one went as far as to not even punish her, it was a kindness Ash admired. So he gently takes a hold of the Dratini and kisses it on its big nose.
"She didn't mean it, buddy. You're perfect as you are."
A strange noise comes from the Dratini but Ash knows it's probably just its peculiar way to show affection. Just like Pikachu's noise that sounded a bit like the pokémon had a little engine inside him, producing the soft rumble. Though the teen had already heard that it was actually coming from his buddy's mouth and it always looked like Pikachu was chewing whenever the sound came out. It doesn't matter much but he knows he enjoys it very much. And the Dratini's noise just becomes a bit more prominent when he hugs it close. Exactly the signs of a loveable pokémon right there.
Lance isn't sure what to think when professor Ivy approaches him with the statement that his nephew will fit in great with his dragons. He's never truly seen Ash in such a bad mood before but after a bit of prying, he gets why the boy would have given her such answers. At least the professor has the decency to look ashamed when he reveals to her the reason why the teen had been in hospital for. He doesn't tell her what injuries he had, or why he's here at all, just that it was a pokémon that had attacked him.
"Then, why is he so absolutely sure pokémon aren't evil?"
"He thinks he is the reason why the pokémon attacked him, professor. He won't even consider that the pokémon has a volatile nature."
The woman gets a very wry look on her face and he understands why.
"I'll have to apologise to him," she says.
"Don't."
"I won't be a second professor Oak, I refuse-"
"Please, don't. You don't understand, if you go back right now, it'll look like I made you apologise. Don't be fooled, he will hear us talking right now, he won't know what we're saying but he's so used to be the problem, he'll assume he is by default," Lance explains and he has to grab her arm to stop her from leaving. "Best thing you can do is act as if it never happened. He'll understand that it never was a problem to begin with, he'll forget it if you don't make any trouble around it."
"… That can't be a healthy way of living."
"That's why he's still receiving help. Trust me, professor, I'm just here to help him and the last thing I want is for you to get mad at him for something he or you can't help."
She still looks torn and his pleading look isn't doing much. It's not until Clair comes back in, followed closely by professor Elm that she gets distracted. Not for long, though, professor Ivy goes straight towards his cousin.
"Clair, I'm so sorry. I might have said things to Ash that might have given him the idea that you hurt the Dratini," she explains and the woman looks like she's going to cry soon.
"Then I'm just going to need to prove to Ash that I didn't, right?"
Lance is glad that he's got such a steadfast cousin, she's not easily scared away from something and she knows Ash already. He just hopes she isn't counting on some lenience because he knows from the way professor Ivy is acting, that he's not forgiving on those he's met before. He can't say he wasn't warned, he's heard the tone the boy spoke to the therapist and he can only hope he's never going to give Ash a reason to use that kind of tone towards him or there's going to be an accident. He can stand a bit of rudeness but Ash had gone straight for whatever insecurity dr. Knight had and that's his weakness too.
"Don't stand there on ceremony, Lance, I'm going to need your help if I do underestimate Ash's mood."
He's quick to follow her because she's right. Lance does hope he'll never lose the way the teen looks up to him, he doesn't want to be someone who'll upset Ash on sight. Still, the teen seems pleasant enough and he knows he's right. Whatever issue he's had with professor Ivy, he's most likely already forgotten about it. Or at least, he's kept himself busy with coddling the small Dratini, which might have been exactly what the little pokémon needed. Clair takes it in stride to, instead of greeting Ash at all, she goes straight for her pokémon, apologising to it and explaining just exactly why she had reacted that way.
It's impressive and Ash is quick to hand her the Dratini, mostly because he's got a peeved looking Pikachu sit right next to him, looking jealous as hell of the other pokémon. His expression changes the moment he's in the boy's hands, though.
'He's going to be perfect for Dreepy,' Lance thinks as the pokémon is so young and playful while he absolutely doesn't have the time to play with any of his pokémon.
The man does wonder how quickly he's changed his mind about his nephew, though, first he thought it was going to be dangerous and now he's already making plans on taking the kid on as a babysitter for his young dragons. It's probably got everything to do with how Clair suddenly has no issues dealing with what she had assumed to be a killer Dratini before.
"He told me Dratini was kind for not having attacked Clair," professor Ivy whispers to him.
Lance rolls his eyes and he really doesn't want to deal with this any longer.
"It's resolved, professor. Let it go."
She clearly looks uncomfortable but when Clair loudly thanks Ash for his help, there isn't much she can do. All Lance is seeing is a bit of mutual respect because hell, wouldn't he have liked someone to sort out his pokémon when they weren't feeling good. He's not going to use Ash that way, his pokémon are pretty much stable but if the kid wants, he's free to work his magic now. Whatever doubts he had were gone now and honestly, he did have to thank Clair for that. He's not going to, though, he's too prideful to admit he even had doubts. It doesn't matter, his cousin wouldn't know what to do with the information anyway and he's just glad he's landed himself in a situation he can handle. Minus the overly sensitive professors, though.
Oh, Lance is pleased with how everything has been going so far. Ash is doing very well, he's adapted perfectly to living here, he doesn't sleep in but he does sleep, he's more than happy to talk to Clair about pokémon and whatnot, he's even changed her mind on throwing out young challengers. The boy told her how difficult it was to navigate through cities when you're young and totally not used to being outdoors, or even different regions and somehow Clair accepted it from him. Even though he's been telling her the same damn thing, that these kids don't know any better, she never listened up until now. And she kept word so now she's even getting a bonus from the pokémon league, as Mr. Goodshow is relieved to not need to deal with complaints from the challenger's parents.
The teen is also dead-set on getting used to his prosthesis, Lance is a witness to his nephew's frequent walks through the garden, armed with a nice, thick coat and a scarf, as well as some nice, waterproof mittens because he still tends to fall and it's never nice to walk around with wet hands. According to Ash, it's already bad enough to walk around with wet pants after falling so he doesn't need wet hands to leave marks all over the door handle and walls. Lance appreciates his small attention to details but to him, this sounds like a teenager who had been ordered around a bit too much because he's pretty sure he didn't care much about the state of his parent's door handles at Ash's age. Nevertheless, he's not going to complain when the kid is doing everything he can to get back on his feet, literally and figuratively.
Dr. Knight is very positive about the influence he has over the boy, though it's also pretty clear that, if Lance has a bad mood, Ash won't say a word and will even go as far as to shush Clair when he has the opportunity to warn her. As much as he appreciates that no one is egging him on deliberately, he also feels bad about stopping a kid from being a kid whenever he's stepped out of bed with the wrong foot. The therapist says it's not that deep and that he should know it's just the way the boy works. There are worse things in the world and alright, it's perhaps not a healthy response to anyone having a bad mood but it is a nice one and if you approach the kid in a normal way, he's a very nice person altogether. Approach him with a pokémon and he's absolutely wonderful.
"You can't blame him for liking pokémon when they were the only ones taking him seriously in a certain period of his life," dr. Knight tells him when he's just finished talking to Ash. "Let's not make him feel bad about being good with them either, he has a way with them and it's just going to be our job to make him like us. It's not that he hates people at all but admit it, sir, there's no reason why he should trust anyone when most people walk around with faces like they have a plate of poo right under their noses."
Lance remembers having laughed at that very well because it's true. Personally, he doesn't think the facial expressions have anything to do with Ash's refusal to go up to people, he will do it if prompted but he's just going to need a good reason to. And he knows the difference between a scowl of annoyance of a fleeting bout of anger and a real bad mood. The physiotherapist, Brandon, knows everything about that, his 'mean' face he uses when patients don't listen to him doesn't have any effect on Ash. Instead, the first session had consisted of the man trying to get to grips with the fact that his colleague has somehow managed to create a miracle and the teen asking if he's okay and generally being worried when Brandon winces when he bends down.
Ash never got an answer to his questions but again, forgets about it a little while later, instead being more curious about his plate suddenly moving around on the table. Seems like Dreepy has taken a liking to him, alright and is trying to see how far he can go. The little pokémon will have to mind his manners though, the boy might not be using those special abilities of his often but he will when his plate of food is somehow sliding out of his reach. Dreepy should have known better than to mess with Ash's food, even if Lance discovers he's terribly lactose intolerant, the boy is an eating machine and loves food. The man doesn't know where he puts all of it, as Clair is more than happy to cater for the kid but he's glad that isn't a problem.
Riley comes by as well, sounding a bit upset because he had been expecting a message from the teen. He doesn't get much time to be upset, though, Lucario is quick to push his nose onto Ash's cheek and sniff his way up in a way of greeting, or so Lance figures. It renders his nephew into a giggling mess, Lucario's short but many whiskers tickle with every movement.
"What's gotten you all huffy, then?" Lance asks as he guides them all into the living room.
"I thought I could at least trust a teenager to deal with technology but alas," the man sighs ruefully.
"His transceiver broke, though."
"What excellent timing."
For Lance, yes because this was an excellent opportunity for him to get a transceiver for his nephew as a Christmas gift. Ash hadn't complained much, it had been Clair who had commented on why he wasn't talking to any friends that prompted Ash to tell him about it. The teen had told them about the fatal update and how he didn't want to be bothered right now, he was thinking and not in the mood. The message had been clear enough and perhaps his nephew didn't want a new transceiver at all but Lance would feel better if he had some ways to contact the boy. Thing was, he had work to attend to on the twenty-fourth but he had plans to take Ash with him as Clair needed to come in for work too and he was not going to leave the kid unattended.
"Lucario, behave," Riley suddenly says when the pokémon almost makes Ash lose his balance. "Don't push him."
The pokémon straightens but he gives the man the stink eye from the corner of his eye.
"Don't give me that look, put that nose of yours at his left leg and then tell me why I don't want you pushing him over."
Lucario doesn't exactly bend down but his nose twitches and the pokémon whines a little. Ash doesn't like it, though and he goes to hug him, consoling him that it's fine, that he'll stand up when he falls and that he can sniff him as much as he likes. But he also adds that he should listen to Riley though because he really doesn't like falling over, especially not when they're in the living room. He has fallen here already and he would like it if the bruises from that time heal before he makes a couple of new ones.
"Well, there you go."
The pokémon huffs and Lance is never sure whether Riley can actually talk to the creature or if he's just good at guessing but it's clear Lucario said something Riley didn't like.
"Right, well, whatever man," he says. "You don't mind, right, Ash?"
"Mind what?" the teen chirps.
"Lucario?"
"Nope, I told you, I like him."
"He likes you to. Go on then, you big goof, go sit next to him and try to make a connection with his Aura. I want to see if this will work."
"What will?" Lance asks. "Also, you don't mind me being here?"
"No, it's not like you'll see anything," Riley answers as he settles down in the couch opposite to where Ash is sitting on the ground, the Lucario dutifully next to him -though there's a playful shine in the pokémon's eyes- as well as Pikachu but then again, the pokémon is always somewhere around his trainer. "I mean, I'm trained in this stuff and I don't see anything."
"Alright, don't mind if I do, then."
Lance goes to settle down in a couch too, there's plenty of space where he won't disturb these three in their business.
"Okay, so I want you to focus real hard, Ash. I don't know if you've ever meditated before?"
"Only outside and even then it's hard to not think about something. I can't do it inside."
"How do you sleep, then?"
"I daydream until I get tired, I suppose," the teen shrugs. "I can actually sleep at this house without any issues too, I like that."
"Please do the same thing you do to go to sleep, then," Riley says. "Lucario, you know what to do, right?"
The pokémon nods seriously and closes his eyes. For a good moment, it's silent and Lance is sitting there, watching the three sit there with their eyes close. After a good five minutes of absolute silence -except for the rumbling of his stomach, which somehow always has this wonderful timing to sound out whenever it's dead quiet- Riley opens his eyes, leaving the man to admire the nice, deep turquoise coloured Aura in them. His old friend isn't looking at him, though, he's looking at something Lance will never be able to see. And he knows Riley sees something by the way the man's mouth forms a little 'o'.
"Dear god…" he utters and this somehow makes Ash laugh, breaking the connection they had.
But Riley's seen enough and he's still gaping at the teen, who smiles widely at him.
"Did you see it?" he asks and the man nods dumbly.
"I have never ever seen anything like that. Your Aura… It's not even a pool, it's a world!"
"You know, I had this dream a couple of days ago," Ash says with the most delighted smile on his face. "Your remark just made me think about it because everything inside this dream was this electric pink but wasn't a solid colour either, it was darker at some spots and it had this same golden shine on it like on my Aura. Do you think I was walking inside my own world of Aura?"
"I-I… I don't have a clue, I know of certain Aura users who can see their pools of Aura but… Were you floating? Or could you touch it?"
"I was walking in it. There was wind and air too, the leaves of the trees rustled and it was really peaceful. Don't think there was a large source of light, it just all seemed… iridescent. Like everything was giving off light already. If that makes sense."
"Kind of," Riley says as he looks a bit lost. "I'm sorry, I thought that everything would become more clear if I saw you Aura but it's only causing more confusion. I've never seen anything like it in my life and I've had so many students, met so many Aura users in my life… Oh, Lance, you really should involve this Lore keeper of yours. I know it'll pain you, I'll even call the man myself if I have to but I really need a second opinion on this."
"Do you?" Lance asks sourly as he doesn't want to contact Scott this soon after their initial kerfuffle.
"Please, I need to have his opinion too. Tell him I have a firm suspicion I've found an Original."
"What's that?" Ash asks.
"It's… the forgotten trades, kiddo," the man answers, still sounding impressed by what he's just seen. "There's very little known about them, I doubt Brandon knows everything there is to know but we can work something out, the new trades came from the old ones, so we can see what works out best for you. But I'll need to confirmation because it would make you incredibly special, Ash."
"Useable special?"
"Not exactly, no, it'll be of use to you, of course, the fact you can solidify your Aura should have told me enough but for an Aura user to need the help of a pokémon to see your Aura… Ash, I'm one of five Aura users who has such a bond with my Lucario that allows me to see what he sees in deep meditation. All the others are scattered over the regions, in secrecy because there is still some prejudice in certain areas of the world but at least they're not hunted any longer. Just… know that no one other than the purest of Aura users can bond with their partner pokémon. They can't have any sin whatsoever on their conscience, they cannot do any evil wilfully or the bond disappears."
"So I can be pretty sure someone with bad intentions won't even be able to know what I am, huh? But, is Brandon one of these people? Who can see my Aura?"
"No, he will never experience that sheer delight. Love was his sin because he left it behind, for no other reason than Aura itself. It's why he's so jaded, Ash, don't test him. But, he knows enough. Just the display of your Aura will be enough for him to judge."
"He can't tell me I'm a muppet just because he's had a bad day?"
Lance stifles a laugh at the face Riley makes because he knows Brandon would do that if he does have a bad day. Chances are he won't even look at Ash if he doesn't want to.
"Lance, could you tell me if you're going to see him? I will come. I can show him what I've seen and Brandon knows I'm without sin."
"I will, don't worry."
"And what if he tells you to bugger off too? Or is there something magical stopping him from messing with you?" Ash asks.
Riley's face twists and he sighs and shakes his head.
"I'll have kittens when he does react like that, I swear."
The reaction makes Ash chuckle but Lance isn't looking forward to the call he's going to have to make. God, he hates it when he needs to back down after having made a scene, no matter if it's justified or not. Scott is going to sound so absolutely smug, the mere idea of that gives him a foul taste in his mouth. But, it's for Ash and there's little he won't do for his brother's son. He knows that, should anything irreversible happen to Ash, it'll absolutely destroy Red. He might not be in the picture right now but Lance knows the man cares a great deal. And he still loves his brother too, despite everything… so he'll do it. He'll call Scott. For Red and Ash.
There's silence in the car when they drive towards the pokémon league building in Kanto, the largest one of the Indigo league, or so Lance told him before they left. Nevertheless, Ash is pleased as punch to have his two favourite people in this wonderful car and he's so happy Lance takes care of this vehicle. He still shivers as he thinks of how much mud was in professor Elm's car, it was absolutely disgusting.
Also, he's enthusiastic because he's not only going to see the entire Battle Frontier -Lance might have some issues with them but Ash sure doesn't and he's delighted to see them all again- but it's Christmas Eve! Lance promised they were going to buy presents later on and he's excited because he wants to buy everyone some gifts too. He might not have spoken to his friends in a while but he hasn't forgotten about them at all. He just… wanted some space and perhaps wait until everyone's misery and anger settled down a bit.
He smiles widely at Riley, who returns the smile but he still seems a bit nauseous. Apparently, it's been a while since he's been in a car and even before that, he was never too good at dealing with car rides. Lance has brought a bucket with him, just in case everything goes south all of a sudden. Ash just learned something new today, though, it seems like Riley's willingness to show up at Christmas Eve has everything to do with the fact he doesn't celebrate Christmas at all. He a 'pagan' apparently, though Ash quickly assures him he was raised like that as well as his mom did kind of decorate the house and did go along with some of her carolling friends and baked cookies… but as far as the gift-giving tradition went, he never noticed much of it. In fact, Lance had to explain to him why he was so dead-set on getting gifts today and initially, Ash thought it was a Johto tradition. But then the man assured him that his mother had been cheap-skating her way out of the gifts, so there was that to digest.
Neither Riley nor Lance seem happy at the fact he's never received a Christmas gift but he's also pretty sure that'll be rectified soon. So Ash isn't too worried, he hopes he will have a good time in the pokémon league building, if anything, he'll get to see one of Lance's fight up close. There seems to be some kind of arrangement that friends and family of the trainers can go sit in a special area, which apparently has an awesome view of the battlefield. He's all for it, it's feels like it's been ages since he's last been near an arena and he can't wait to feel that exhilarating thrill of a battle again. However, as they arrive at the pokémon league building, Ash can't help but feel… like something awful is going to happen.
It makes him halt in front of the large glass doors and it's Riley who picks up on his discomfort.
"What's the matter?"
"I just… It feels like something's not right."
"Keep that idea in mind and be vigilant. Maybe you can spot what's wrong before something happens."
Ash likes the vote of confidence but what's he supposed to do, huh? He can't even run and yeah, they figured out that he can do a bit of Aura stuff but it's all small and not really enthusiastic. He's still nervous to use this entire world full of wonderful pink and gold, even in front of Riley because he doesn't want to scare the man off. Then again, rejecting a student is apparently also a sin, especially if the rejection is based on a bad reason or no reason at all, so there's little chance of that happening but he's still got his doubts. He always has so Ash guesses he'll just have to deal with that as well.
"You good?" Lance asks as it seems he's not looking all too well.
"I… guess so. Sorry, I don't know what's wrong."
"It's okay, I'll be sure to keep an eye on you and when I can't, I'll have a couple of friends be near you. You can trust them to listen to you, in fact, with how well of an impression you've left on everyone here, I bet they would've listened to you anyway, even if they didn't know my link to you."
"Thank you," the boy says gratefully.
He's glad no one's telling him he's just being silly or that he's bonkers, like they had done in Pallet. It had never mattered that he had told them the tide was going to come in too high, that some of the buildings would flood, they would never listen. Even if the weatherman told them about the heavy rainfall and that people living near water should need to be careful. Again, Ash won't bother anyone with something he's not sure of. That's why he's not telling Lance that he feels like there's going to be an accident. He gets an awful taste in his mouth when he steps inside the lobby of the building and when he looks at the tile he's on, Ash gets the distinct impression that someone will get very hurt whilst standing on this tile. It's very jarring and it makes him a bit dizzy as well, hence why he is startled to find his uncle stand so close all of a sudden.
"What's the matter?" Lance asks, grabbing him by the shoulder this time.
"I feel like the security should be upped," Riley answers for Ash. "There's an unhealthy vibe in here. I didn't notice it until I was told… but it's here."
The man gives the other a hard look but he turns back to face the boy.
"I need you to start being honest with me about those feelings of yours, Ash. I know you're special and that you won't lie to me but I would rather raise security for nothing than ignore you."
Ash nods slowly and he can't help feeling a bit tearful, he's starting to feel a bit sick too. It gets better when he moves away from the tile but then he trips on something.
"Ah!"
Thank heavens for Lance's quick reflexes, the man grabs him before he hits the floor. Ash is bewildered because there had been nothing but tiles before… Now though, there seemed to be a content Espeon rubbing its head against his prosthesis. There's no way he could have known that but maybe that's why his uncle doesn't tell him to be careful. The pokémon goes to sit next to him and Ash feels like he's met it before.
"… You're Anabel's Espeon, aren't you?"
"She is, yes."
Ash turned around, the bad feeling of that tile completely forgotten as he saw Anabel stand there, looking at him with a smile. It took all his willpower to not grab the girl like he had done with Misty and Brock, despite wanting to do it so badly. She seemed to notice, the girl held her arms open and it was all he needed to hug her. He's not sure if she can feel just how relieved he is to see her again, that she was one of the friends Gary somehow hadn't been able to fool as he knew better than to involve her in the mess that was his world. And yes, here she is, despite everything, still nice to him.
"I've missed you, Ash," she says after a while and she still holds him close. "I've missed you so much."
He can't do much but hold her a bit closer, he knows damn well know that she knows exactly how he feels. Ash doesn't like how he is relying on her empathy to tell her what he's feeling like but he's still such a sucker for hugs and he's still not got the right words to convey some of his emotions.
"I'm sorry that I didn't contact you earlier," he says instead because he means that too. "I wish I could have but it was all such a mess, I didn't know who to trust not to get angry at me and there's only so much pity I can take in a day. I've already had two friends blubbering all over me, I don't know if I can handle more, that's why I never… I'm so sorry, Anabel."
"You know how I feel too."
Does he, though? He gets a lot of impressions and he's often not sure if he's just making assumptions or getting information from somewhere unknown. Well, not exactly unknown but he's still not sure on how a powerful psychic he really is. Still, he makes an effort and holds on for a second.
"… You're hungry?"
Anabel chuckles but she nods.
"That too," she says and separates from the hug. "It's nice seeing you again, Ash but I guess you would understand why."
"I guess I'm just returning the favour."
"That's still something no one else has done for me, no matter what."
"I think you ought to find other bigots-I mean, friends to be around, then."
As Anabel giggles, Ash notices that Riley is giving them a strange look. He cocks his head to the side in question, urging the man to speak up. It's got no use being silent near Anabel anyway, even if he's a trainer Aura Guardian. There's not much that can stop an empath, it's one of the reasons why no one wants to be near Anabel. She's told him before on how she's sad why she had been shunned because she's one of the rare empaths who don't need to touch people to know how they're feeling. At the time, he had nodded in sympathy but it's now that he understands just what it entails. He's had so much luck that the doctors and nurses at Celadon Central hadn't rejected him despite all the trouble he's put them through but he feels like that's got everything to do with professionalism. The outside world, though… something told Ash that he was going to have some issues getting people to understand him too. Without somehow managing to creep them out, too.
"What language are you kids speaking?" the man utters, looking from Ash to Anabel.
"I'm an empath," she clarifies and the teen finds it hard to believe the girl has never met Riley before. It's possible, though but he admires how confident she is… though he knows that, as she turns to look at him, she's only confident because he is here.
He suddenly feels ten feet tall but Riley still doesn't seem to understand.
"She can feel your emotions," he clarifies.
"Yes, alright but that doesn't explain why you were speaking alien as well."
"Alien?" Anabel repeats in disbelief but she's clearly amused by the statement. "Oh, Ash, let's keep doing it. Talk alien to me."
"In the end, there's not going to be much difference," he answers with a grin.
"All it's going to take is a bit of patience, though."
"Of all the things in the world, that's what you pick? Why not habit? It's easier."
Riley looks like he's going to get a heart attack but Ash understands Anabel perfectly. He's just answering what she's telling him and it's a hoot. He's never felt this kind of kinship with anyone and he really enjoys the feeling. It seems she does too and he supposes that's what you get when you put the weird ones together. He's got no claims of being lumped together with someone like Anabel, though. Of all the kids he's met in the world, she's the only one who hasn't become angry at him at all. Perhaps a bit frustrated but Ash has been often frustrated with himself too so he can hardly judge her for it.
"You kids are unbelievable," the man sighs and it's around about that time when Ash notices Lance isn't there any longer.
"Where did my uncle go, then?" he asks, looking around but not seeing the man anywhere.
"Off. Said he was going to follow your gut feeling and raise security. He told me to go to the stands, he's not going to come back before the match ends."
"Oh, alright, I guess that's fine."
"I'll leave you be, then. I'll be seeing you, though, I was told you're going to meet with Brandon? You as well, then I suppose, sir?" Anabel asks, looking at Brandon with a very cheeky smile.
"… Yes?" the man says hesitantly, definitely not liking the look in the girl's eyes.
"Wonderful," she says. "I'll see the two later then. See you, Ash, sir."
The teen smiles at her as she leaves and when he turns to Riley, he can't help but chuckle at the dubious expression on his face.
"What's wrong?"
"I thought an empath was supposed to only be able to feel the emotions of something or someone they are in contact with?"
"Not Anabel, she's special. She doesn't need to touch you."
Riley's face changes as if he's got a piece of Iapapa berry in his mouth. It makes Ash chuckle again, he likes the effect Anabel has on the man, he gets a whole lot funnier when he's confused.
"And you. What were you reading minds for?"
"I wasn't reading minds, I get impressions."
"Same thing," the man says. "What's all that about, you didn't tell me any of that when I told you what you could do with your Aura."
"But I don't need Aura to do that. See, when I got admitted to the hospital, there was a whole lot more wrong with me than just the leg and it's believed that a pokémon found me first. A strong Psychic-type. And it healed me but it's healed it like it thinks it should be like."
"… Like a Psychic-type," Riley says and his expression gets a whole lot more dubious all of a sudden. "So you're basically a psychic?"
"Somewhat yeah. I can close doors and stuff like that. Floating plates, you know?"
"I don't like magic," the man says as he stuffs his hands in his pockets.
"It's not magic," Ash giggles. "You said it yourself, it's enhancement."
"It goes beyond that, you can take me for the fool I am but I'm not actually a fool. I'm not going to mess with a psychic."
"I can't read your mind, Riley. Please, trust me."
The man doesn't answer, he stands there for a little while, staring at the teen until Ash grows self-conscious about it.
"What are you doing?" he asks and baulks when Riley eventually answers.
"Yeah, you can't read minds. You would've gotten angry at me if you know what I just had in mind."
Ash doesn't like that and besides, he can kind of guess what the man had been thinking about anyway. He doesn't need to read minds to know what can make him angry. Riley's not really that mysterious either, he knows damn well that it would upset him if he were to up and leave right now.
"You're not a sinner, though," he says and the man's face crumples.
"No alien."
"It's alien in the way how you can't understand what I'm saying, yeah."
"I'm not going to play mind tricks with you, kiddo. I'm not doing myself a favour by asking you to dumb down your sentences either but we could talk fine before you met the empath."
"The empath is called Anabel. You can call her by her name, she's not going to magically appear next to you if you say it out loud."
"I'm not taking my chances," Riley says. "I'm not joking when I say I don't like magic."
"… So… If I am like… magic, you don't… like me?"
His feelings aren't fake, he's taken aback because no one has ever told him they don't like him as blatantly as that. As Riley splutters that he doesn't mean it like that, Ash does realise the man means it too but it still hurt. It's not until the man tells him how the Aura community suffered because their assailants were magicians that he somewhat understands his feelings.
"You would know I would never hurt you or anyone else, Riley," Ash answers. "And trust me, I've not seen Anabel for years, I was just happy to see her. And her response was just delight, you're really funny. We weren't bullying you or anything."
"I never said that. All I said was that I don't like magic."
"Neither Anabel nor I are magic. We're both psychics. And if you've ever read the pokémon league book, it has a couple of pages with describes all the pokémon types and it's clearly stated that the acts of psychics need to come from an extraordinary ability to use the mind in a way that can influence a physical object without the use of any other object or guide or can reach the mind of another with their own through invisible means. In no way is that magic, I can't make a broken light work but I can flip a lightswitch without needing to touch it. I'm not a magician."
"… I guess so."
"You don't need to, I've just told you."
Riley doesn't seem convinced at all and it annoys the heck out of Ash. It's why he doesn't speak up again, despite the man making some comments on the seats and the state of the arena that did deserve a response. Ash just wishes the man would realise what he had done by making those claims, by not believing him. He knows nothing good is going to come from ignoring him either but what is he supposed to do? He doesn't have Lance by his side, he doesn't have anyone to support him, other than a person who's insanely biased on his abilities.
"I'm sorry, Ash," Riley says, out of the blue, completely against the boy's expectations. "I don't want you to feel bad, I suppose… you not getting healed at all would have meant you wouldn't even be alive, huh?"
"Dr. Martin says I had a black mass in my brain," Ash answers quietly.
It takes a while for Riley to say something after that but he repeats how sorry he is and grabs the boy in a sideways' hug. Nothing truly matters to the teen other than the promise that, no matter what, he would never leave or reject him.
"I'm just an old fogey, I need time to digest things," the man chuckles. "And I suppose I can hardly condemn you for something you didn't choose."
"Anabel didn't either. She's got massive issues sometimes, not a lot of people get funny when they're confused. And sometimes, after that confusion, they get angry and aggressive. For someone who can feel that change, I imagine that can be very scary."
"… Right, I'll just deal with the alien, then."
"Thank you, Riley. And I'm sorry too."
"Just remind me not to get on your bad side, okay? I mean, a powerful Aura user with unknown traits and the capacities of a psychic? It's a bit overkill, isn't it?"
"You're responsible for what you teach me, Riley, I'm not powerful right now. And as for the psychic thing, I can make the plate float, if I throw it at you, you could probably catch it before it even reaches whatever part I was aiming to hit. It'd be faster and harder if I just flung it at you with my hands."
"Oh."
"The impressions aren't handy either."
"Well no, it's… just that those two things could work well together, you know? That psychic thing and the Aura? If you manage to master Sight and add that with the impressions, it would tell you when and what would happen whenever you feel like something is going to happen."
"You think I can do that? I'm not really powerful."
Riley quickly assures him that he'll teach him as well as he can and that there's always a possibility that one or two trades just aren't for him but there are many possibilities he could choose from. So he shouldn't worry, there's an awful lot of things he can teach them and the one is more useful than the other, yes, but not necessarily useless. Ash feels a bit better now that this situation has been cleared up too but as he sits there, in a seat of the arena that definitely feels better than the ones he's used to -that's probably got everything to do with the fact he's suddenly been acknowledged as direct family of Lance- he suddenly feels a very strange sensation in his head.
"The power is there, the control needs to be thought. Forget not that I promised to teach you. I just thought it was better not to do it in a hospital where everyone was already walking on eggshells around you."
'Oh boy,' the teen thought and he could feel the sensation pull out of his head.
As strange as it was, he did kind of appreciate the idea that Mewtwo was here, with his kind of luck to attract bullshit and whatnot, it was better to have plenty of eyes on him. But the idea that he was going to have to remember everything his two teachers told him and not confuse the one with the other… It was better if Riley never knew about Mewtwo but then again, he will probably realise. Ash doesn't understand how the man can dislike magic when he's literally not ageing like everyone else is but okay. He's just going to need to do his very best, that's all.
End of chapter eleven