A day late but better late than never! Thank you for all the kind reviews, they really make writing this story a lot easier and more fulfilling. Having an audience is always a good feeling. A little warning, there is a part with someone with Tourette's in the middle so please just skip it if it bothers you, it's announced well in advance. And before anyone asks, I know perfectly well what it is and what it sounds like, these are my neighbour's tics I'm repeating and yes, he's fine with it, I asked. Anyway, onwards to the story!
Hope you enjoy reading this!
Lance is very nervous when the teen goes to bed. That he needs to take this medicine just before bed is horrible because now he can't check up on the boy without possibly disturbing his sleep.
"Ash?" he asks, just before he leaves the boy's bedroom.
"Mm?"
"Will you come to get me if you're not feeling well? Or should I leave one of my pokémon out in case…?"
"A pokémon's fine. I'm not going anywhere with this cast."
'Right, nearly forgot about that,' the man thinks and sees Dreepy phase through the wall at the perfect time. "Ah, Dreepy, won't you hang around and come get me when things get a bit weird?"
The little dragon goes to check out the teen and the pokémon manages to make Ash smile by hanging upside down above him. A short 'grr' and a nod confirmed that Dreepy was up for the job and Lance feels better knowing there will be someone here he can trust. Even if Dreepy can be a bit whimsical, he cares a lot so it could work out alright. Though from the look of things, Ash's Pikachu seems ready to come and get him all the same, the pokémon's got a very odd look about him somehow.
"Is your foot still hurting?"
"Not really. Though I can't move it much with that cast on. But I can stand on it, if that's what you're asking."
"Okay. I'll leave you be, then. Goodnight, kiddo."
"Goodnight, uncle."
Despite having left the bedroom and being fully dressed in his pyjama's, Lance doesn't go to his own room. He's too nervous, he might need a cup of warm Moomoo milk to help him drift off. He's considering making an appointment to get Ash's leg looked at, he knows the boy heals notoriously fast somehow so he's trying to save his nephew from this kind of discomfort. Disabling a foot from moving isn't good, it takes time to recover the loss of muscle due to that cast and there's no need for the teen's leg to be stuck in a cast if his foot's already good to go.
As he passes the videophone, he sees three lights blinking, meaning he's missed three calls. The man frowns, not many people call his videophone but indeed, three people have called him, a formal Battle Frontier number, professor Elm and… the Cerulean Gym? The only ones he knows he can call at this time a day are the former two, he's not sure whether anyone in the Cerulean Gym is awake or happy to take a call right now. Also, he's in his pyjama's, he doesn't want that broadcasted all over, he knows the playful if not childish behaviour three of the four trainers in the Gym show far too often.
Lance is intrigued by the first call he's gotten but the mystery is lost when Flygon trots towards him with his phone deftly hanging from the strap, stuck in between the pokémon's teeth. The dragon lingers as he takes the phone and notices that Palmer sent him a message earlier this evening, asking if it would be alright if they visited tomorrow. The man doesn't know how to respond to it, so he calls Palmer, figuring the man's going to be awake anyway.
"Lance, hello. I'm sorry for the sudden request, it's just, Barry's been complaining to me about not having been able to see Ash due to the snowfall and since I'll be in the neighbourhood tomorrow, I thought it would be a good idea to come around for a bit."
"Sure, that's fine. Just not in the morning, I'll be taking Ash somewhere."
"The earliest I would be able to come by at is around three in the afternoon."
'Oh good,' Lance thinks. 'Just in time to miss dr. Knight's visit.'
"That's fine, Palmer. Can I ask for a bit of discretion if I call off last minute? Ash's started taking a new kind of medicine and I'm not sure what kind of effect it'll have on him."
"… Ah, yes, that's fine. There's a chance I won't be able to come around if Barry's got a bad day too."
"Oh?"
"Tourette's," the man sighs. "I don't mind it at all but Scott's avoiding him like the plague."
"You're joking?"
"I wish I was but no, Scott is indeed acting out like this because of a couple of tics. Mind you, my son didn't even have an off-day at the time either."
"I'm sure that Ash won't mind at all but I'll explain it to him nonetheless. I'm confused as to why it's appeared so suddenly, though?"
"Not sudden at all, Barry's always had a couple of tics but they were subtle at the time. They're kind of getting alright over time but Scott's flipping out about the fact that there's nothing they can do about it," Palmer explains.
"I'm sorry to hear it, man, if everything goes alright between our two boys, you can drop him off more often if needed."
"That's… very kind of you, Lance. I hope Ash will share those feelings, I would love for Barry to find a good friend who accepts him for who he is and not by how he acts like."
"I'm sure it won't be an issue."
"Barry occasionally says something vile from time to time, though, just so that you're aware he could… leave something Ash might pick up on."
"I don't think he could say anything Ash hasn't heard already, you clearly haven't set foot in Pallet," Lance chuckles. "It's alright, I'll tell him what to expect and we'll go from there."
"Thank you, Lance. I'll send you a message when we're on our way to you."
"Alright, I'll be expecting it, then."
Lance's feeling a bit confused but pleasantly so. He never imagined Palmer to be so nice but also, Scott's reputation couldn't get any worse, now that he knew why the man had gotten that burn-out. He's not worried about Ash's response to hearing about Barry's syndrome, though he knows the boy will be confused. Then again, not everyone with Tourette's shows tics every day and maybe Barry was very comfortable near Ash and as such, never showed much. He's not sure how well his nephew knows the boy-
The videophone rings and the man jumps a bit before he answers it. He damns himself for accepting the visual part of the call, there was no need for Daisy Waterflower to see him in his pyjama's but oh well… She's watching him very carefully.
"Well hello there," she says and wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. "Ready for bed already?"
"I've had a rough day," he answers dryly, not the slightest bit receptive to her sense of humour. "How can I help you, Miss Waterflower?"
"I have a question, actually. My little sister has become a bit daunted by Ash's new location and she's not sure whether she or any other of her friends would be welcome there."
"If they notify me or Ash about their arrival beforehand, I don't see why that should be an issue."
"That's great, I'll be sure to tell her that. How are you doing, Lance? Is Ash being a good boy to you?"
"Extremely so, there was never any need for concern."
"Good, good, I'll be in touch, then."
"I'll be looking forwards to it," he says simply and with that, the short call ended.
It's been going pretty positive so far, Lance is, once more, pleasantly surprised and maybe he won't need the Moomoo milk to let him drift off to sleep. It all depended on what professor Elm was going to tell him, though and he's got a hunch the foot-shaped hole is going to get mentioned.
"Good evening," one of the professor's assistants says and at least they don't have anything to say about his choice of clothes. "How can I help you, sir?"
"I was wondering whether I could speak to professor Elm, I missed his call earlier."
"Ah, alright, I'll go fetch him right away."
Lance doesn't even need to wait too long, the professor moves into view shortly after and smiles at him.
"Hello again, Lance, I'm sorry if I worried you, I just wanted to check whether Ash's fine."
"Oh, that's very kind of you. He's a bit shaken but fine. They didn't have good news for him back at the hospital either but it's a work at progress."
"They found the reason for the seizure?"
"Yes, a dysfunction somewhere deep inside the part of his brain where emotions are. Not too sure what it's called, all I know is that it isn't good and that it's linking the seizures to emotional outbursts. Too much has happened in a short while and it's gotten to him."
"Ah… Yes, I understand, he must have been under a lot of stress. I… couldn't help but notice his confusion either, I want him to know that I did talk to professor Oak."
"Oh?"
"Yes, Ash was adamant that someone ought to talk to him and seeing that I saw no hostility in the transfer, I found it concerning enough to check whether everything was in order," professor Elm answers. "He seemed surprised but ensure me that there were no hard feelings. Just like me, professor Oak was under the impression that the transfer of his pokémon to Johto was because of his mobility or rather, lack thereof, rather than any hard feelings. He did admit that they parted on less than ideal grounds but he said that it's not something he wanted to discuss with me ."
"I see. I'm sure that Ash will contact him once everything's in order," Lance says. "Thank you for your concern, professor, I hope the damage claim for the incident is running smoothly."
"The insurance has accepted the claim, there is no reason why they would have denied it when there is such clear proof. It's no reason for concern, at the very least, things like these are bound to happen," the man answers and shrugs. "It's not the first time a trainer took out a wall and I do not expect Ash to be the last either but at least I can claim that there was no malice when he did it."
"Quite. If there's anything you need, professor, you know where to find me."
"I do, thank you. Will you let Ash know that I called? I do really feel responsible for not having noticed his strange behaviour beforehand and I hate seeing him so confused."
Lance understands the sentiment, for how young his nephew is, the boy can take quite a bit of info and he's smarter than he's given credit for. That's what makes it hard to see him confused, it kind of makes him feel like he's the idiot for not explaining it to the teen properly. But then again, the last thing he needs is another person beating themselves up over Ash's seizures, Riley's spent the entire day moaning about how he could have been so blind not to see what was happening.
"If everything's alright come morning, it will be the first thing I'll tell him, I promise, professor."
Professor Elm seems to be satisfied with that and ends the call when his assistance is needed with a rowdy pokémon. For a moment, Lance imagines that they're panicking about a Muk trying to escape but he's not sure whether he heard the name of the pokémon right. Well, at least he's got some good news for Ash in the morning but he's pretty sure professor Oak is going to regret not telling his colleague about the dirt between him and Ash, it will come back to bite him in the ass. Professor Elm is a curious man and it's hard to shake him off when a subject's caught his interest. Lance has seen the annoyance the man displayed when telling him how the older professor denied him some more information about what's happened with Ash.
'It's for later,' the man thinks and gets up from his seat but not before deactivating the videophone. He doesn't want to risk getting another call, he's pretty sure the ringing will eventually wake Ash up and the teen needs all the sleep he can get.
However, as he goes upstairs, Dreepy comes flying towards him and lets out a 'meep' before going back to the boy's room. Considering he's never heard that kind of sound come from the dragon before, he follows and frowns when he sees his nephew's face scrunched up in pain.
"Ash?" he asks softly and even then the boy flinches. "What's wrong?" he asks even softer, barely above a whisper.
"My head hurts," the boy whimpers, so soft Lance barely heard it.
'That's it,' he decides and picks the boy up, making sure he doesn't jostle the teen's leg despite being pretty sure it's already healed anyway. 'I won't sleep anyway, I might as well move him where I can see him. My bed's big enough anyway.'
Ash doesn't seem to notice the difference and Lance gladly sacrifices a couple of pillows if it means his nephew will be more comfortable. There's plenty of them here anyway. Pikachu doesn't seem likely to claim one, its eyes are focussed on his trainer, who's looking a bit too pale to Lance's liking. The boy jerks away from his hand when he wants to check if he's got a fever but in the end, the man decides to leave him be. His nephew feels a bit warm, yes but he's going to keep an eye on him nonetheless. Better safe than sorry.
The boy wakes up and blinks blearily. He's not feeling too well, his head feels like it's full of tufts of cotton and his ears have this swooshing noise in them. The rest of him feels heavy and he has little to no motivation to move, instead focussing on the light that's coming between the cracks of the still closed curtains. It seems sunny outside…
"Ash? Are you awake?"
"Ngh?" he groans, his mouth not cooperating at all.
"How are you feeling, buddy?"
"Noghud…" is all he can say.
A cold hand touches his forehead but he's not got the energy to protest to it this time around. His arms feel like the rails of a train, heavy and lodged into place with large studs.
"It's okay, it's still early in the morning," Lance whispers as he rakes a hand through his hair, a gesture Ash very much enjoys. "I'll get you something and then you can rest a bit further."
"Mmm."
He doesn't really hear his uncle leave but he does notice that he's not in his own bed. He gives the blanket a weird look but resigns to his fate of being in Lance's bed, Ash doesn't have the energy to move anyway and he knew it would just confuse his uncle if he would move anyway. The teen faintly remembers that he might be feeling this way because of a reason he's feeling this way but it escapes him when he wants to focus on it. It's still all balls of cotton in his head too, fuzzy and fleeting.
The thing Lance said he would bring taste vaguely like something citrusy but Ash can't put his finger on what exactly it is. Maybe it's that synthetic nonsense again, he once saw this TV show where they tricked kids into eating sprouts by making them taste like strawberry. How they did it is beyond him but Ash saw those kids eat them with his very eyes and no, Photoshop wasn't a thing at the time yet. Does that even work on videos? Anyway, he's pretty sure he's been given some type of medicine, he's not sure why they make it taste like anything other than, you know, drugs but… what do drugs taste like?
"Uncle?" he whines.
"Yes?"
"What's drugs taste like?"
"Drugs? Medicine, you mean?"
"Yeh. What's it taste like?"
"Bad."
"… Really?"
"Yes, very bad. I hope you will never have to taste it, kiddo, it's nasty in every way possible."
Alright, so maybe the citrusy, synthetic thing wasn't nonsense at all.
"Try and sleep a bit more, Ash," his uncle whispers and all this soft talking is already putting him on the road to sleep.
In fact, that road seems to be made of cotton balls too…
He jumps up with a snort, launching his sleeping pokémon off his chest as he straightens. Pikachu glares at him and lets out an accusing 'Pika!' before reclaiming the warm spot on his lap. Ash, however, is feeling a lot better, if not better than he's ever felt… And somehow, he feels like it's got something to do with the tiny Dialga and Palkia sitting right next to him. It all looks very innocent but the teen knows better than to think nothing's happen. There's not one cotton ball in sight and his headache is gone. And even if Lance somehow found a miracle drug, Ash still has his doubts.
"Chosen," a deep, grave voice suddenly says. "Power has befallen you, use it wisely or you and those surrounding you shall perish."
"… Dialga?" the boy utters, feeling a little creeped out. Like, he's enamoured that they're showing all these abilities no one else has recorded but the voice is so unnatural. Not to mention that the message it brings forward is very ominous too. "What do you mean?"
"The anger inside of you is what makes you kindred to Necrozma and the dwellers of its world."
"Yeah but I've always been angry. What's the big deal about making it an issue right now?"
"Because we will listen when you call."
… Frankly, Ash didn't mind the idea of Palkia and Dialga backing him up when he meets a criminal at Kalos, in fact, it sounds very epic, if you ask him. But perhaps it makes him a bit of a target too. A target as big as Kanto, with neon arrows pointing straight at him.
"I'll pay attention to that," he says but frowns. "But… wait… You say that I was kindred to the dweller of… You mean, the Ultra Beasts thought I was one of them when they kidnapped me out of the house? Did they think I was trapped?"
"Yes."
That was… a very different perspective on what he had initially thought to have happened.
"Did you know all along?"
"No," Dialga answered as Palkia silently hovered through the room. Ash absentmindedly wondered how Lance would feel about having it check out his room. "Keep in mind that none of us is as innocent as you make us out to be, we have lived very long and have done things not even you could be positive about, Ash. That also includes Necrozma."
"… Not innocent in the way you've done something terrible without a good reason or is that lowballing your innocence too?"
"Lowballing?" The pokémon repeats and Ash is horrified that he just taught it this word. It sounds so wrong on so many levels but it's his own fault. His own damn fault.
"Err yeah, underestimating."
"No, in that sense, we are innocent. But that remains your take on it, Ash."
"Yeah well, some people still hail a person like a saint for helping the community even if all he's ever done is fraud and embezzling money for said community."
"Ah. Indeed, perhaps we think too little of ourselves too. I do care very little in what people think about me," Dialga says and Palkia lets out an agreeing grunt from somewhere in the room.
It's still a bit dark but Ash feels like the pokémon's made it on top of the closet.
"I wish I felt the same way," he sighs. "Still, do you think Necrozma did something to me too?"
"Certainly so," the pokémon says and it sounds very dainty all of a sudden. "It released your human boundary on your feelings."
"Which means?"
"That your abilities and emotions, as well as your entire body and thus your Aura are linked to each other. In a way, it is fitting for one as powerful, it has released the sole threshold keeping abilities from reaching their full potential but it always remains to be seen whether you can handle it."
"You think I won't?"
"The seizures as proof that you are struggling, Ash, it is not a jab at you or your fickleness as a human. Any pokémon would have trouble to have the connection between their head and their powers sped up by a severe amount."
"… So that's 0-1 for medicinal drugs, huh?"
"They are very helpful."
"Sooo… You just want me to be careful to what angers me or…?"
"It will channel, Ash," the pokémon says. "It will eventually become visible on you, as befitting of a display of power... But I know that humans have other ideas on how power should be displayed hence my warning."
"I doubt it would bother anyone, I mean, I see some crazy things when I'm out and about. I don't think anyone would mind."
Dialga didn't seem impressed though and Ash is left feeling a bit bizarre. He doesn't know in what way his 'power' was going to become visible but the last thing he needs is for it to be on show for everyone to see and more importantly, to understand. Looking weird is one thing but much like a good reputation that's known to all, it's something that will entice people to take advantage of. The teen doesn't really know what to make of this new knowledge but he'll keep Dialga's warning in mind, just in case. For now, going to his room and getting there without dropping will be his first target. He doesn't have his pokémon with him, he doesn't have his prosthesis or crutches. Lovely…
"Why not float? If you have the ability, you might as well just use it."
Ash is startled, that was a much higher yet just as eerie voice. This is the first time he's ever heard Palkia's voice and it raises the hairs on his arms the same way as Dialga's voice did. It's got a point, though so he tries floating over towards the door, making sure he's not touching the ground with the cast as it would make a loud enough noise to draw Lance up the stairs and the boy doesn't need his uncle to barge into the room and see him float across the float like some ghost. Nope, he's not doing that… though he's gotten the Dreepy's attention. The pokémon is staring at him but Ash has no clue how it's feeling because those big, lifeless eyes and that standard little smile don't give anything away. However, as it goes to float upside down and continues to stare at him, the teen feels like it's pretty amused by his ability. Well, if that's the case, he might as well float along with it to his room.
Lance is bewildered to find the teen downstairs, all smiles and actually friendly with Dreepy. His pokémon isn't easy to befriend at all but it seems like his little dragon has found something it likes about Ash. Good, he doesn't mind that at all, he can't have enough eyes on the kid anyway. He still can't explain how the boy has managed to get to his room without him noticing it, or down the stairs. As a matter of fact, it seems like the Aspirin he gave his nephew has performed a miracle. The man won't complain, he's more than ready to have the teen get some breakfast and then drive him to the hospital.
The doctor he eventually got a hold of on the phone didn't believe his statement, it's only been two days, after all, but still, he's got no other choice but to believe that Ash's foot has fully healed. The boy is walking on it and not showing any sign of discomfort… and he has clearly chosen to walk on the cast instead of leaning his full body weight on the side where his prosthetic limb would be taking the full brunt of it. Lance knows fully well that the remainder of the boy's leg isn't hurt and that it will just be a bit of discomfort he's trying to avoid. So honestly, he's very sure the foot's completely healed, it just the fact that other people don't share his great imagination -which in turn has gotten an upgrade because of his nephew and the strange shenanigans appearing in his wake- that's keeping him from voicing it.
Still, the man on the phone sounded sympathetic enough and plans them in for a visit so that's exactly where he's taking Ash this morning. It's funny to see the doctor's face change when he removes the cast, which causes Ash to flex his foot with a relieved sigh as well as a dramatic 'Oh, I'm so glad I can move it again' as if his foot has been in a cast for several weeks. Lance has no clue how the kid does it but they leave the hospital without the cast, much to the teen's relief. Ash is in a wheelchair, though because they didn't bring a shoe for his left foot, so he's not allowed to walk outside. The man is already hurrying down the cobblestone road when the teen suddenly speaks up.
"Oh but hey… Isn't this lucky? I've got a left shoe after all."
"What? Where?" Lance asks as he stops the wheelchair to curiously gaze at where Ash's found the shoe. He frowns when he sees the kid pull said shoe off his right foot. "You've accidentally put in on your right? Isn't that uncomfortable?"
"Well, it's not like I feel the difference on that foot, right?" the boy chuckles and he's very successful in making the man feel like an idiot.
Of course, he wouldn't feel the difference, the teen doesn't actually have a left foot, to begin with. It makes Lance doubt whether his nephew is okay, though, as far as he's ever confused his left shoe on his right foot, he barely got in the shoe. And the teen's prosthesis isn't an exact shape of a foot but it's nothing too sleek or slippery either. It must've been a struggle to get on and yet…
"Before I forget, Barry and Palmer might be coming by later today," he says as he watches the boy climb into the car.
"They are? Cool, I've been dying to talk to Barry."
"Why not use your phone?"
"I dunno, it doesn't feel right. I've been talking to my other friends too but I miss hearing and seeing them. Autocorrect erases a lot of their personality and it all goes so fast, they can't even correct whatever the autocorrect changed or they'll be way too late to answer whatever everyone was talking about a couple of seconds ago. It's just not the same as meeting them face to face."
"That's okay, I'm sure they'll come around someday," he says, knowing fully well that kids his nephew's age were persistent little shits and with his knowledge of the Waterflowers and their reputation, he wouldn't be at all surprised to find the lot of them knocking on his door in a couple of days. "I just need you to realise that Barry could act a bit peculiar and that I need you to at least be a bit respectful of it."
"… What's happened, then? I mean, you don't need to remind me to be respectful, not when his dad is going to be there."
"Nothing happened," Lance answers as he starts the car. "Barry's got the Gilles de la Tourette syndrome so I need you to be mindful of what you say or do around him. Is that okay?"
"Sure but what is the Tourette syndrome? Just to I know what to expect."
"I've not met Barry either, Ash but as far as I know you can expect some pretty rude, sudden outbursts and twitchy movements."
"… Is that why everyone is mad at Barry, then? I mean, it's kind of coincidental to notice everyone's suddenly growing a massive hateboner for him when you come up with the news he's got a syndrome that kind of sounds like keeping Barry in check is gonna to be a handful."
Lance chuckles at the boy's colourful language, the kid's really got a way with words.
"I believe so, yes. I don't know the details, though but Palmer did say that Scott's at the end of his tether with how Barry's been behaving."
"Ah yeah but Scott's a control freak. I bet he hates anything he can't control, syndrome or not. He would probably even get mad at me for having a seizure at some random moment which he could consider bad timing."
Now the man snorts, he wonders when his nephew got to know these people so well. He's only recently noticed how possessive Scott really is and to be wary of Palmer isn't the worst choice to make either. Lance is pleased, though, the kid's healthy and free of his cast, plus it seems like the medicine isn't keeping his wits from him. While the situation this morning was worrisome, he's got good hopes for the boy's future.
"Oh and professor Oak wants to talk to you too. Professor Elm did have a chat with him when you told him you were worried about the old coot."
"He does? He's not mad?"
"Do you want me to be there when you call him?"
"Yes, please," the teen says, suddenly sounding very young. "He scares me a lot, like any stranger who doesn't smile at me. I wonder when that happened, we used to be so good friends and he would listen to me…"
"Things change, buddy."
"You'll never do that to me, will you, uncle? I-I mean, I would understand but I would feel so bad."
"Never, Ash, not even if you've done something to warrant it. I trust you."
Lance didn't have to look to the side to know that the silence to his left has everything to do with the boy's emotional roller coaster taking him on another ride. He wonders if this medicine will work, in fact, talking to professor Oak might be a good test if it has the desired effect to keep him from having any seizures. The man is disappointed how big of an influence the old man is on his nephew, though, the professor is being so careless with a boy whose giving him a piece of this big heart of his. He wishes he could tell professor Oak about it but it's not up to him to start a fire about it, it's not worth his time or the drama that would ensue. Doesn't mean he won't chew the man out if he did end up being overly rude to Ash, though.
"Thank you," the teen says after a while. "I'll do my best when Barry comes by, for both your, Barry and Palmer's sake… but I hope I can just talk to him."
"I'm sure he won't mind."
"'kay."
Then again, for the short while they've been living together, it does look like the boy who seemed so independent, is starting to latch onto him for safety and comfort. Lance doesn't mind, he knows what he's signed up for the day he decided to foster his nephew. But it's daunting, taking care of Ash is basically the hardest test he'll ever face, mostly because he's very aware of what his nephew means to some very powerful pokémon. He's not scared of them, they're basically normal pokémon but while untrained pokémon usually are weaker, they've got the huge benefit of age and experience. However, they are catchable and trainable so if needed, he knows what to do. Whether he'll be able to do so whilst bearing the toll of having hurt Ash remains to be seen… but he'll accept the karma if it comes.
Palmer better hope Barry doesn't do something to his nephew either, not just will the man have to justify his son's actions to him, Lance is convinced a very angry pokémon will show up, ready to do something that'll leave a memorable mark on both. The longer he's been involved with Ash and his legendary buddies, the more he's starting to notice that these creatures aren't shy, in fact, that the Lugia had called out Lorelei like that had seemed like the pokémon had been eavesdropping on the ongoing conversation. Lance is torn on warning Palmer before anything happens and letting the man and boy be… either way, Ash could end up hurt so he feels like he'll just leave the situation be.
It's a little past three in the afternoon when the doorbell rings and Ash hasn't appeared to be nervous or twitchy at all so Lance goes to answer. When he opens the door, Palmer is there as well as Barry but the teen is looking anything but happy. He welcomes them in and takes their coat but he's very curious because there's not a single 'peep' coming from the kid. Maybe he warned his nephew for nothing but it's better than having the kid storm in and give Ash a heart attack, right? However, as he leads them into the living room, he spots a toy in Barry's hand. The kid's squeezing pretty hard on it too.
"Barry!"
Ash lunges at the teen as soon as the boy walks into the room. It's a very loving hug, though, his nephew is definitely paying attention to Barry's expressions if not feelings -he's got no idea how far Ash's talents stretch- and it seems to cheer the other teen up.
"I've missed seeing you so much," the boy sighs as he snuggles into the hug. "I've been meaning to message you but I thought you'd get mad at me."
"H-how can I?" Barry chuckles. "T-t-t-t-this is the first t-ttttime I've been welcomed like this."
"Apologies for the stutter," Palmer then says. "He's taken over the tic from someone we've met earlier."
"That's alright, I don't mind, take your time, 'kay, Barry? I'm not leaving," Ash says and Lance has no trouble believing that. You won't get rid of the kid if he's got some questions and there's been enough mystery around Barry already.
"Thank y-y-y-yyyou," the other teen stutters and takes a seat next to the boy. "What did you wwww-w-want to talk about?"
It's then that Barry makes a very weird gesture, his hands taking on the 'rock on' pose and he basically just… dabs. Ash completely ignores it and successfully dodges the hand that's flung into his direction.
"What was the row on messenger about? What did Trip and Paul mean when they said you were the nail on their coffin," he asks without skipping a beat.
Lance can hardly keep himself serious when the teen slowly answers that he accidentally cried out 'I love sucking dick' during a funeral procession where the two mentioned teens were present at. Barry does tell Ash that he's got no idea why they were so pissed, they know he's got Tourette's and that he says some weird things from time to time and that they had no relationship with the person who was being buried at the time. His nephew pipes up that he's surprised the others have anything to say about common decency and sympathy, that those two hardly resemble the epitomes of either of those things.
"What about Scott, then?" Ash asks when they've come to the consensus that Paul and Trip are just assholes and were looking for an opportunity to get mad at him.
"He thinks Barry's a bad omen," Palmer says darkly and Lance frowns. "Don't give me that look, he's said it straight in his face," the man adds as he gestures towards the sheepish looking boy. "Someone must've told him that it's a curse and now he's acting out on it."
"I-I-I've kicked out his, he's a fuuuuurrry baby, euhm phone out of his hands, mew."
"Oh no, what a bad curse," the teen deadpans. "That you managed to kick his phone out of his hands meant he was too close, though."
"I don't like, like it like that~, it if people are strange don't pay at-tttention to me."
"Does he know?"
"Yessir!"
Ash is grinning widely, clearly enjoying himself very much. Lance is pleased and it seems like Palmer's initial misgivings about their meeting have been eased too, the man's talking to him in a very relaxed manner while Barry is talking to his nephew. All seems good for a while until Palmer addresses Ash.
"What are you here for, though? Lance has never mentioned you before?"
It's an insensitive thing to ask and if the man wasn't so sure that the boy could defend himself well enough, if not better than him, Lance would have intervened. The thing is, though, when questioned, Ash tends to answer with the brutal truth and this time is no different. He tells the man exactly what's happened, from the Ultra Beasts, to his hospitalisation, the Ultra Beasts, his mother and father… everything. And Palmer squirms uncomfortably when the teen ends his story with his most recent diagnosis. It must come as a surprise to the man, there's not much visibly wrong with the teen, the only striking feature he's got left of his accident is the scar going from one end of his face, over the bridge of his nose to the other side.
Barry splutters all kinds of things when he notices the plastic, foot-like shaped end of Ash's prosthesis. The teen tends to not wear anything on either of his feet when he's in the living room so yeah, it's on display for everyone to see. Whether it's the boy's syndrome playing up or not, it seems like it's majorly uncomfortable for the teen and it's clearly upsetting Ash.
"Are you so shocked because you thought you were worse off than me?" his nephew asks and turns to look at Palmer for a bit. "Since when have disabilities become part of a game, anyway?"
"I'm sorry, Ash, I'm shocked because you… I'm sorry," the man says and he does seem apologetic but Ash isn't done yet.
"Yeah well, just because I don't have any obvious vocal cues like Barry does, doesn't mean anything. You have no idea how much work I put into appearing normal and now you're shocked that I could do it? That I could get back up from this?"
Now it's Palmer's turn to splutter.
"Ash, I-I-I'm sorry too. Oh hell no, I didn't mean, mew, to make you fff-ff-feel this way, I never knew, mew, hee!" Barry says and grabs the boy's hand really hard. "P-pplease don't do this to me, don't leave meee~, I d-ddon't wanted to make you angry o-or upset."
"I'm not doing anything," Ash answers but he sounds huffy.
The other teen grabs him in a hug but it's clear that whatever excitement his nephew felt for this meeting was gone. He doesn't push Barry away, though, much to his grace but the damage is done. Palmer notices it too and it doesn't take long before he announces that it's getting late and that they need to go. Lance follows him closely, though.
"You just had to do that, huh?" he asks, sounding a bit venomously and no, he doesn't care if Barry's there to hear it. "You couldn't wait to ask me that question in private, could you?"
"I'm sorry," is all the other can come up with.
"C-can I still come, karma, karma, chameleon~ over some time, sir, mew?"
"I'll have to talk to Ash for a bit but I think so yeah. If both of you can refrain from questioning a minor about information you are absolutely not entitled to, that is."
"I-I won't, I have a g-g-ggame, hee! I will take, mew, that next t-t-ttime, it'll be fun."
"Okay, kiddo, okay."
He's powerless against Barry, the kid is really cute and Lance doesn't feel like these tics are bad at all. Maybe the boy isn't having a bad day, yeah but he doesn't think Scott's behaviour is warranted. Or Palmer's warning. Once the two are gone, Lance lets out a big sigh and stalks back into the living room, where he finds his nephew in the same position as before, his brow frowned in quiet contemplation.
"I'm sorry, kiddo, I should've told him beforehand but I thought he wouldn't do that."
"Maybe Lorelei is right, after all…" the teen says.
Lance blinks, what did Palmer do that made the boy think about her?
"What do you mean?"
"I shouldn't have answered that question, he doesn't need to know my past to like the current me. I should've told him to fuck off instead. Why do I always do this? Why do I always attract shitheads who literally care about everyone else, except me?"
"Ash, no, no, don't think like that, buddy. Just because Palmer being a stick in the mud doesn't mean you've done anything wrong," Lance says as he crouches down in from of the boy. "You're right in saying that you shouldn't have answered, no one is entitled to that information, I've just told Palmer that too. But he does care, it's just… some people lose sight of what's important. He must be so caught up in worrying about Barry that he must've thought I was exaggerating when I said you weren't totally okay either. You look fine, Ash."
"I know and I don't mind. As I said, I've worked hard for that but I don't like the pay-out, like, did they expect me to fail?"
"You're just an extra-ordinary boy and Palmer doesn't have the imagination to even consider that."
"Barry's pretty cool too. I like how animated he is, I mean, I know he can't help it but I like how there's never any a silent moment. No matter how much I like my other friends, there's always a bit where neither of us knows what to say but Barry does. He's never silent, I like it a lot."
"I'm glad you feel that way, Barry did want to come back and play a game with you."
"Really?" the boy says and perks up at the idea.
"I did tell them I would talk to you about it but I'll tell Palmer to leave or not talk to you. He clearly can't mind his manners around you anyway."
"… That's not very cosy, right? I mean, if he's just gonna sit there and stare at me, Barry's not going to be the only one making weird noises, I can tell you that. I'll scream if he does it."
"I'll work something out for you."
"Yeah okay but you shouldn't need to do that, he needs to do better. Palmer, I mean. And I'm not gonna call him, it's already bad enough I'll have to call professor Oak and I've known him for a while now. Palmer's not someone I consider one of my adult friends, even if he's been nothing but kind to me in the past. Except for now, that is."
"I know but think of it like this, maybe he doesn't know he wasn't being nice."
"… So you're saying I'm overthinking this?"
"No, I'm saying that Palmer needs to do better."
"Oh, okay, I can agree with that," Ash says. "Should I call professor Oak now or…?"
"Later. It's enough, I don't want you to get another emotional overload. If I knew nothing else was going to happen today, perhaps I would've allowed you but I have a weird feeling about today."
"Meeting?"
"Mm, I think so. It's always the case when there's such a long silence from the pokémon league's side. If it happens, I'll ask Clair to come over, okay?"
"And what if she's needed?"
"I doubt it, if it's Gym Leader business, they would never involve me, I have no say over them. And if the meeting is for elites and higher, Gym Leaders aren't involved."
"Oh, okay."
It's exactly four o'clock when Lance gets the call to come in for a meeting and he's still got a funny feeling about leaving the house but just like he's predicted, Clair is free to come to watch over Ash. And she comes over armed with food, snacks and a couple of movies so he's pretty sure the teen will be looked after. He's had a good chat with her after the boy's last seizure too and made sure that he needs a steady surrounding and as little excitement as possible. She's willing to do better by Ash too so he's confident that his nephew will be fine.
The meeting, however, isn't something he's looking forward to. He knows that an awful lot of elites and Champions hate being called up this late in the afternoon and that some will arrive too late too, which will end up in a delay too. Clair knows that too so she's kindly given him a box of snacks too, in case he gets peckish. His mood drops when he doesn't just see the Hoenn Frontier brains but also the Sinnoh ones. Palmer is looking like he wants nothing more than to be swallowed by the floor and doing the utmost not to meet his eyes. Anabel comes closer, though.
"Hello, Lance, how is Ash doing?" she asks, pretty upfront but the man isn't bothered, he realises she knows how he feels better than he does anyway.
"He's good, he's just met Barry and he's pretty pleased. He likes him a lot."
The girl's polite smile turns very wicked all of a sudden, she turns around and holds out her hand towards Brandon.
"Called it," she just says.
The man hands her something but he doesn't look happy about it.
"Oh, a betting pool?" Scott pipes up as he appears from the small crowd that's mostly made up out of Frontier Brains. Lance bites his lip, he doesn't want to make a scene in front of people he barely knows. The Hoenn Frontier Brains are a lot more social but that doesn't mean he won't have to mind his manners around him. Anabel takes one for the team, though and she answers in a very arrogant tone.
"I know I can trust Ash to be a bigger person than you'll ever be."
"… Where's that coming from, then?"
She doesn't answer but Brandon sheepishly supplies him with the answer. Apparently, they had made a bet, Anabel had been so sure his nephew wouldn't raise hell over Barry's condition and it had been such a controversial take that Brandon had called a dare. Lance was just about to ask the man where he had found the balls to doubt an empath's opinion on a person when Scott turns to him.
"Your nephew's being a very negative influence on Anabel," he says.
The man can hardly believe the words coming out of Scott's mouth but instead of getting upset, he summons his inner demon and brings out the most wicked expression he can muster.
"Are you sure about that?" he asks and leaves this hot mess behind. There's no way he wants to deal with someone so entitled so he much rather leaves Scott behind and lets him stew in whatever's bothering him.
Lance doesn't need or owes any favours, he doesn't want to become affiliated with the Battle Frontier. Honestly, Ash has only met Anabel once and suddenly he's the issue? Scott just forgot she's got a mind of her own. Kudos to his nephew to make her understand that if he has anything to do with her sudden change of heart. He can't say the man doesn't deserve a bit of a clap back whenever he does something stupid so he's quite pleased to see the girl stand up for herself. As he rounds the corner, he suddenly feels an arm slide around his so he turns to look who's suddenly taken a hold of him.
"Cynthia?"
"Hello, my favourite person in the pokémon league," she all but purrs and it makes Lance feel a little weird. Not in the way it makes her any more attractive towards him but he remembers a time where he wasn't anyone's favourite person. And it pains him because that time isn't at all that long a time ago.
"Oh? Forgot about Lucian, did you?"
"He's my favourite man in general. But you? You take care of my youngest best friend, I extend my liking to you as well."
"Good to know," is all he says because honestly, he can't tell off the only adult who's been nothing but respectful if not incredibly nice towards Ash. A rarity, sadly enough.
She joins him all the way to the meeting room but they have to split up to take their designated seat. It's nothing too interesting in the beginning, as per usual. Lance has a feeling Mr. Goodshow is keeping the big news until the end of the meeting… but halfway in said meeting, he feels his phone vibrate and when he looks at it, he frowns. It's a message from Ash, who tells him that 'If Mr. Goodshow thinks of making a huge event out of thanking everyone for their donation, please remember that there are still these bomb terrorists running amok, plus there are plenty of anti-Orre restorers and donators inside the pokémon league as well'. It's the wisest statement he's heard all day but he is confused on how his nephew knows about this… and why he's thinking about it. Is Clair failing to amuse him?
He's not sure what to think about it but he responds by telling the boy he'll certainly pay attention to it. There's no response to that, which is good, he doesn't need any more bad news. That Charles somehow does present this grand idea about this spectacle of a show to thank every single donator sends chills all over his body. There's a vote too and he hates that people can see what he's voting for. It seems like they honestly thought he would feel like it was a good idea. He does not explain anything whatsoever, he's not the only one who votes against the idea but surprisingly Cynthia's followed his lead and she is definitely going to get targeted by the Sinnoh Frontier brains.
"Please tell me I didn't raise hell for nothing? You did receive a text from Ash that influenced your decision, right?" she asks, deftly avoiding everyone who could question her.
"… I did. How did you know?"
"Your face, it looked like he just told you the world was going to end in a couple of days."
She wasn't too far off from the truth but the way Agatha suddenly comes to guard him tells him Cynthia's telling everyone to just deal with it and shove off. All while they saw her talk to him. Well, it's not like they'll come to talk to him now, everyone knows better than to come to annoy Agatha. Her Ghost-types all knows Curse and they're vindictive when their trainer feels that way.
"How is your nephew doing, Lance?" she asks, pointedly ignoring Will snooping around.
"He's great, he's at home, probably enjoying a move or two."
"He's not suffering from what Lorelei told him, right?"
"Not exactly, though he's thinking about it. I can tell, he's referred to her recently."
"Well… If you need to hear it from me, I think he's a very good influence on you."
Lance blinks, he didn't expect that at all. Then again, all the rest of the Kanto and Johto elites had followed his lead in voting against Mr. Goodshow's grand idea. He's not sure if he influenced their decision but it's very striking that there suddenly is so much resistance to something that's supposed to be innocent. Or do they all remember the bomb terrorist? Probably not, the whole thing had been kept a secret, Riley's interference had made it seem like a simple kerfuffle, nothing more. He doesn't remember if the incident had been mentioned anywhere either. All in all, it's a bit of a miserable situation but he gets out of it without issue.
He can't wait to get home, though, he wants to speak to Ash and Clair. What was the boy doing, meddling with that business? And more importantly, how did he know? Was there one of his pokémon friends lurking around, eavesdropping on the entire room and delivering the message back to the boy? But there had been no mention of the event and yet the teen was able to tell him beforehand that something bad was about to happen. Does he have foresight now too?
Things are changing and he's not sure if he's ready for it… but he'll have to. Eventually, he will have to face Scott and his band of misfits and the rest of the ones who have something against him. And honestly, if his nephew can do it, so can he… but first he wants to know whether there's been any merit in listening to the boy's request. It's okay to respect an opinion but he's not sure whether he did well in blindly following Ash's lead. Surely there would be enough security surrounding the event? He's not sure any more, he needs a second opinion, as uncharacteristic as it might be.
"Yooo, Lance, you forgot to mention a tiny but important detail to me when you left, didn't you?" Clair says as she greets him with an overly excited smile.
"… What's happened?"
"Dr. Knight came by, apparently 'as per usual'," she says, making air quotes with her fingers. "He allowed me to sit with Ash because he's heard about his emotional dysfunction and said it was best if there was someone with him for moral support."
"Okay… Why are you so excited, though?"
"It was amazing, Ash is such an amazing kid. You never did tell him the name of the pokémon that kept him hostage in the room, did you?"
"No, for a good reason too. He might research it and feel even worse. I was just trying to protect him."
"Well, he told us it was called Necrozma and that it's a freakishly powerful pokémon that's just attracted to him whenever he gets seizures, that it comes to help."
"Why'd it lock the door if it wanted to help?" Lance asks sourly, hearing his plan backfired.
"It's a pokémon, they don't have doors. How was it supposed to know how it works, it's not even from this world."
Oh… yeah, that's sounded pretty plausible but still…
"And that girl I told you about, that Bianca? That's not a girl, it's a pokémon. It's just replicating someone it likes, the actual Bianca lives in Altomare, apparently."
"And all this news somehow made you respect Ash more?"
"Absolutely, you know I like a good mystery," Clair grinned, clearly still on her happy cloud but then her face changes. "Dr. Knight is still here, though, something happened when he was talking to me. Ash dozed off for a minute or so and he suddenly jumped up, face full of dread. He grabbed his phone and started typing like mad."
"Yes, that would be the message he's sent me. I was about to ask him if he's got foresight, honestly."
The woman watches him carefully, all her excitement gone.
"What did he do?"
"He reminded me that there are bomb terrorists and anti-Orre sympathisers and that Charles' idea for an event to thank the donators of the charity fund should be avoided because of that."
"… You should go talk to him."
"Oh?"
"Please, Lance, you need to go to him right now."
He's getting chills again as he walks towards the living room. Lance is very aware that Clair is following him but as soon as he lays eyes on the scene of his nephew, crying while being in the therapist's arms makes him see red. How dare everyone doubt him while this little boy is suffering so much? This kid owes no one anything and he still wants to help. Oooooh, heaven help the person who asks him to explain himself.
"Ash, kiddo, come here," he says and it's all the teen needs to come flying at him.
"Lance!" Ash cries as he grabs his middle. "I'm so sorry, I knew they were gonna be mad at you but I-I couldn't risk it. I couldn't let my dream get true!"
"No one's mad at me, buddy, don't worry. Tell me what your dream was about."
As gentle as he is with the boy, Ash is inconsolable as he explains that his dream. He can explain it in great detail, they apparently entered a building to participate in the event that was supposed to thank everyone who donated for the Orrean charity. Mr. Goodshow had gone all out, build a new building for it and everything, it was all televised and there had been a lot of publicity surrounding it so everyone knew and was watching. And then, when they had entered, they had been led to where all the other elite trainers were, which Lance understood all too well, Ash meant his friends. That he needed to hear that his nephew felt guilty because he couldn't save them when a bomb went off and caused the entire roof to collapse on them and him was even more of a motivation to tell everyone bothering him to fuck off.
"A-and when I woke up in that dream, I was alone. You weren't there any longer and I just, I couldn't, I needed to tell you," the teen sobbed.
"I'm sorry you needed to see that. But it's not going to happen, a lot of people didn't agree with the idea so we're safe. You're safe."
The boy sniffled loudly and didn't let go of him, which was fine to him but he's getting upset too. He can't explain this foresight, whether or not this event would have actually played out like that but he's not willing to risk anything.
"Are you okay?" dr. Knight asks and it takes Lance a couple of seconds to understand the man was talking to him instead of Ash.
"I will be when I've convinced all those bloody dunderheads that they're being silly and should get their heads back in the game."
"I see," the therapist says and nods. "I do wonder what Mr. Goodshow was thinking, I mean, Ash was not wrong in saying an event was going to be held in honour of the donators, right?"
"No, that was indeed the case."
"I feel like it is a bad idea to make such hullaballoo about that while donating to charity is nothing more than showing a bit of kindness. If people donate money to a good cause and expect to gain something from it, other than a simple 'thank you', they're not doing charity, they're buying their reputation. I can truly imagine people going to that event with the 'Oh, look at me, I've donated like, five pokédollar and I'm still here' kind of mindset and that'll only attract more idiots and jesters. And surely Mr. Goodshow can find a better use for the money he's willing to invest in such an event? Why not stick with what the pokémon league does best? I know it would do someone a lot of good to participate in a tournament."
Lance fully agrees with that, in fact, it's a great idea and even if Charles is too annoyed by his refusal to support his initial idea to listen to his borrowed idea to organise a tournament instead, he will keep an eye out for his nephew to at least check if he's capable of stomaching the emotions of a battle. Ash has a great deal of empathy towards his pokémon after all so to see them get hurt will most likely affect him too.
"I don't suppose you would mind if I borrowed this idea?"
Dr. Knight seems surprised for a moment but he composes himself very quickly.
"Not at all, go ahead. I'm sure they could all do with a bit of joy and excitement. What do you think, Ash? Would you be up for that?"
The boy nodded though didn't look up from where he had placed his head on the man's shoulder.
"Not the most enthusiastic response but it'll do," the therapist chuckled. "Well, we had a good chat and a productive session today, I'm glad I stayed a bit longer, actually. I'll see you next week, then?"
Ash hummed but Lance answered the man as well which was good enough for dr. Knight so he left. Clair followed him to let him out of the house and when she returned, she clearly found her smile again.
"Well, what do you say about some take-out, everyone?" she announces as if there are more people inside the room than the three of them but at least it drew out a response from the boy, who seems to cheer up a bit in the prospect of food.
The man isn't surprised but he can see the boy's still a bit shaken after that bad dream. He hopes it's a one-off, that Ash won't have any more of these kinds of dreams and that there wouldn't be any tragedies happening to anyone every again… but he has an inkling he's just being stupid now. He's going to have to explain to everyone what kind of an influence the boy is on him and most of all, out the teen's abilities to Charles. Even if he says someone told him the news, they'll know because he doesn't have any friends they don't. There's just Ash left, his wonderful, little mystery that no one's actually figured out yet… and he doubts whether anyone will ever succeed in doing so.
'Lord, give me patience,' he prays, groaning at the mere idea he's going to have to face Goodshow and his cronies tomorrow. 'Don't give me strength because if you do, I'll kill them all.'
Ash is uncomfortable knowing his uncle got into trouble because of him but he likes to think that he at least did his part in avoiding what could have been a disaster people would remember for years to come. He's not sure what would have happened if he had kept his mouth shut, he doesn't think Lance is a party kind of person so he's not sure whether the man would have taken him… but he's pretty sure he would've liked to go. And if he had told his uncle that, he's convinced Lance would've gone too, just for the heck of it.
He can't stand the idea that he would lose the person he's depending on, he knows it's wrong to put even more pressure on the man but what is he supposed to do? Just thinking about never seeing or hearing Lance ever again is bringing tears to his eyes. Dear God, he hasn't cried so much in his entire life, he had cried the whole night or at least, the part he still remembers. Ash feels like he's cried himself to sleep but he feels so bad… Maybe, if Lance comes back home and assures him the event won't happen, he'll feel better but for now, he's in a bit of a rut.
Not enough not to enjoy his breakfast, that is but he's bummed out nonetheless. Clair must have noticed it because she's been very careful around him, less so with the milk carton which she somehow manages to knock against the corner of the table, causing milk to go everywhere. A colourful string of words erupts from her shortly before she instructs him not to move and that she's going to get something to clean this mess up. Well, Ash doesn't move but Dreepy and Pikachu are doing their part in helping the woman by lapping at the puddle on the floor.
"Ah, jeesh, this better not be the kind of things planned for today," Clair mutters as she comes back inside with a mop and a bucket. "I don't like cleaning early in the morning."
Ash keeps very quiet as she does it, if she's feeling just an ounce like him, he feels like she'll snap at him if he moves or says something so he keeps himself busy by holding Pikachu and Dreepy from bothering Clair as she's cleaning. The little dragon phases through his arms as soon as the woman is done and sniffs the floor curiously.
"I don't suppose you want to do some grocery shopping with me?" she asks. "I can't let you be here on your own and Lance is going to be pissy if he sees there's no more milk in the fridge."
"It's okay," the teen says, knowing Clair wouldn't expect him to move fast. She's seen him walk through the house on his socks anyway and she's patient enough. And he's a bit quicker with shoes on so maybe it'll turn out alright. "I'll come with you."
"Great, we'll leave when I've finished my breakfast."
Seeing she was now eating cereal without milk, looking a bit rueful at the less than pleasant meal, Ash went ahead and put on his shoes so he was ready to leave. Clair seems to appreciate his readiness but the teen can't help but take in his surroundings as they leave the house.
"Oh, it's been a while since I've had a walk anywhere," he says, mostly talking to himself but his aunt answers nonetheless.
"Does it hurt?"
"No, not at all," he answers. "It's a bit weird still but I'm alright."
He's got his foldable cane in his pocket anyway, just in case but they get to the supermarket without difficulties. Ash is very interested, he's never been one to go shopping in large buildings like these, Pallet Town had just one grocer and that was it. You couldn't just take things off the shelves there either, uncles you wanted to anger the grocer, you needed to ask… Granted, he's been to places but he's rarely visited supermarkets at all. It's pretty loud and busy but somehow, he likes the vibe in here. Oh, and the berry aisle smells amazing!
"Tell me if there's anything you want, Lance doesn't have many snacks in the house."
"Can I?"
"Sure, you're taking some pretty hefty medicine, kiddo and you need all the strength you can get."
'Ah,' he thinks. 'She means those kinds of snacks. I already thought it was weird she would be okay with me taking candy.'
So he dutifully picks out some healthy cookies that aren't at all bad but then Clair purposely drives the cart into the candy aisle. Talk about temptation, huh?
"See anything you like?"
"… I can have candy?" he asks, slightly worried his mother is going to spawn in the middle of the aisle, fearmongering about cavities and what not. But no, his mom is nowhere to be seen.
Clair nods and even offers a bit of advice so when he does see something he likes, Ash feels very self-conscious as he holds the back of chocolate-covered caramels close to him.
"Is this okay?"
"Excellent choice. Pop 'em in the cart, kiddo."
The teen feels a bit giddy as he does it and follows the woman like a shadow. He does notice someone familiar stand in line at the cash register next to them but he's a bit confused.
"Clair? That's Morty, right?" he asks.
"Hm?" she hums and turns to the side, to see who he's talking about. "Oh, yeah, that's him."
"What's he doing in Mahogany? Doesn't Ecruteak have any supermarkets?"
"Well, go ask him, then."
"Yeah, no, thanks. He's busy."
And by busy, he means having a pretty heated conversation with a pregnant woman who has a cart filled to the brim with stuff. He overhears her statement on 'how he's so rude that he can't let a pregnant woman go in front of him' but from the looks of it, Morty's only buying like, five things tops. He's convinced the woman would've been out of this store much quicker if she had just kept her mouth shut, actually but yeah, she doesn't seem to think about it that way. Ash watches the man carefully, he's not getting upset at all, in fact, Morty's not even moving at all, he's just staring at her with a thousand-yard stare.
"You done?" the man asks when the woman is done ranting, she even looks a bit out of breath. "Good," he adds and proceeds to follow in line, let his items get scanned… and pays for his purchases in coins.
The woman looks like there's a fire right at her feet and Ash looks away, or he's gonna laugh and draw the woman's attention on him. He doesn't need that kind of attention but he can't feel bad for Morty, the man's being a bit of an asshole too. Even if it's kind of justified because the woman went from zero to a hundred like, insanely fast, Ash still thinks causing an even bigger delay is just an asshole kind of move.
"Hey, Morty, whatcha doin' back here?" Clair calls out really loudly when the man is dragging himself out of the store.
He turns to her with that same thousand-yard stare he used earlier but his entire posture changes when he notices whose addressing him. The teen watches him approach them with interest, he's always fascinated by how some people can change their entire character depending on who they talk to. And it seems that Morty's also interested in him.
"Good morning," he greets calmly. "I'm visiting a relative and staying a couple of days. It's good seeing you again, Clair. And you too, Ash."
"Hi, Morty!"
"How are you doing so far?"
"Well, I dropped a carton of milk," Clair says.
"And I watched her clean it," Ash adds happily.
"The two of you live together?"
"No, I'm just watching him for Lance. He's been called over for a chat with Charles."
"Ah. I was under the impression you lived in Kanto, Ash. My apologies, I'm rarely on top of the news."
"It's fine, I'm living with my uncle here in Mahogany now."
"Uncle…" Morty repeats. "I wasn't aware you were related to him either."
"Well, his brother and my dad are kind of the same person so yeah."
"… You are Red's son?"
"You don't need to make it sound so special, I lived with the man for a week until something unfortunate happened and I've not heard of him ever since."
"I'm glad you've found your place in Lance's family, Ash, I feel like it will do you a lot of good. And… I do agree, I don't think Red would ever have been capable of caring for a child, he's hardly capable to handle himself, honestly. Hence why I sounded a bit surprised, I promise I don't see you any different than before, I have always liked you, whether or not you are the son of a Champion."
"An ex-Champion," Clair corrects him and Morty smiles ruefully.
"Yes, sadly so. Well, if it's alright, maybe I could come by later this afternoon? I might have overstayed my welcome with my relative anyway so I might as well come by on my way back home."
"Sure, I'll make sure Lance knows."
Ash smiles as the man but he doubts whether his uncle will be pleased to see him but that all depends on how badly they will have treated him at the pokémon league. Still, he's got no say over who comes and goes in the house, he's noticed that Clair was iffy about 'Bianca' and knowing now that his uncle and aunt don't care much if there's a couple of extra pokémon in the house or not, it seemed like a better idea to just straight up confess he's not inviting random girls into the house. Funny how knowing that there was a shapeshifting Latias in the house relieved Clair more than the confirmation that 'Bianca' was actually a girl but yeah, that was the weird family he had ended up with. His mom, now she would've gotten upset at either of those two instances, he would have known better than to tell her anything… but then again, she would've passed out as soon as Necrozma showed itself. It's looking a bit creepy, unfortunately so yeah…
He wonders if Clair and Morty are friends at all or if she just started talking to the man because she noticed he was interested. Well, it didn't matter right now, Morty was coming by, whether Lance would return in a good mood or not. Ash just hoped the Gym leader wouldn't hone into his issues like everyone else had done -everyone but Barry- and that this visit would just pass calmly.
End of chapter eighteen