Enjoy!
It's around two in the afternoon when Steven wakes but he can't bring himself to wake up the blissfully asleep teen and man in the couch. He just needs to get out of this couch as the kinks in his arms and legs are in dire need of release. He isn't old but also not young and the regret of not having any kind of training routine for anyone other than his pokémon is big. Very big but in lieu of putting that thought to the back of his head, Steven goes to get himself a nice, warm cup of coffee. Falling asleep was not a good option, naps, in general, are not worth it to him, he wakes up feeling worse than before but something about the teen lowers his guard. No, there is not a single hair on his head convinced he will ever volunteer to clean that super nasty dragon den again but Ash… He can't bring himself to let the boy down, he refuses to let the boy struggle by himself and also, Steven is unable to let the word 'no' pass over his lips when it comes to the teen's pure requests.
The entire house is silent, there isn't a single noise to be heard and it's jarring but nice as it means that the usually moody dragons are fast asleep and thus not at all bothered if not appreciative of the transformation of their den. It's just another thing Ash got successfully out of their system by being his mindful self and Steven respects that. Also, it's one worry less for Lance because Clair will be over the moon to report his pokémon do not miss him at all and thus, not stressed by the man's absence. Steven will still rip him a new one over the bad state of the building those dragons sleep in, though. Never before has the idea that Lance leaves his pokémon to rest in such a nasty place annoyed him so much, for the few times he visited the place, he never even saw there were lights! Good thing Ash found the switch for them and then discovered the lightbulbs, otherwise he would not have known and he dislikes that idea. Not when the teen's bedroom is directly above this den and the lightbulbs were a great risk of short-circuiting and then setting the whole house alight in flames. And sure, these dragons are resistant to some heat but Ash? Hell no, he won't stand to hear any excuse about this, this den will be kept clean without the teen's puppy eyes convincing people to clean it with him. If the boy is right, though, if Lance is going to quit one of his two jobs, he's going to have a lot more time on his hands and isn't cleaning deemed therapeutic or something? Especially when there's a thick, caked-on layer of mud and whatever is stuck on everything, isn't that called ASMR?
Steven shakes his head as he sips his cup of coffee, silently watching over the still asleep. Becoming moody over something as simple as just treating pokémon respectful by keeping their living quarters clean is righteous but Ash solved it so instead, he resorts to keeping an eye on the other victim of this 'crime' Lance unknowingly committed and the one who made all of them aware of it. But when Ash suddenly moves briskly, like he is dodging a blow, Steven intervenes. He won't let the teen suffer from nightmares while he's there to keep him safe. But it's hard to wake the boy up, only the grouchy Pikachu the man successfully roused successfully wakes Ash up but the teen stares at him as if he just grew another head right on the spot. It doesn't take a skilled eye to see that Ash is upset but he doesn't divulge it, apparently too horrified to find it's already this late in the afternoon.
"Clair will have my head if she discovers I skipped lunch."
"Ash, you were asleep. If she acts so irrationally towards you after you tell her what made you this tired, I will drag her down the den and show her just how clean it is and how the sheer effort to get it this clean even knocked out Wallace."
"I'm sorry."
The answer comes out feeble, Steven refuses to believe that the feelings plaguing the boy are linked to the fact he slept through lunchtime. Still, he allows the teen to dart past him, straight into the kitchen and by that time, Wallace awakes with a loud snort. He's disoriented and swears he didn't go downstairs, claiming he fell asleep in the hallway at the bathroom as he waited for Ash to finish cleaning up. Now, Steven will never underestimate the kid but Wallace, despite his 'diet', is still quite the hefty adult. The boy barely manages to come down the stairs on his own, the idea of him dragging Wallace down without the man waking up is laughable, it is just not possible.
"Maybe some coffee will do you some good," Steven urges and while the man walks into the kitchen, his confusion persists.
"Ash, did you carry me downstairs?" he asks the moment he spots the teen sitting at the table.
And while Steven rolls his eyes at the question, Ash merely shrugs.
"Yeah. Sleeping upright on a hardwood floor is a less than stellar sleeping experience."
"That's… very kind of you, thank you, Ash," the man utters.
"But the sleeping didn't help any of us, did it?" the boy remarks and Steven narrows his eyes, his interest is piqued. Enough for him to forget he is carrying a mug full of hot coffee in his hands.
But it remains where it is, peacefully afloat instead of making a dramatic fall towards the floor and now the man is mystified on why this mug behaves this way. He gently waves his hand underneath it, to check if there perhaps was some piece of wiring the mug caught onto, or an invisible pokémon toying with him but no, there is nothing.
"Maybe you euhm… better sit down for a bit."
The man does so but he is bothered by the floating mug he can just grab out of the air, as easily as if he took it off the table as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.
"Did you do that?" he asks and blinks when the teen nods casually. "Is this something you think Lance told me but that I missed because he made it seem unimportant?"
"Maybe, I'm not on top of whether or not Lance tells everyone things about me he barely agrees with. He rather sees me safe inside, asleep than awake and doing things he always frowns at. It's still better than Riley's dislike of the supernatural."
"Please tell me that's how you managed to get me from upstairs?" Wallace almost begs.
"Yeah. I hope you don't mind?"
"Ash, at this point, I'm flattered you're so concerned for my wellbeing but I'm more relieved that you explained it rather than letting me believe you are somehow supernaturally strong enough to lift me."
The boy watches him carefully and nods slowly, which makes Wallace frown.
"Wait, wait," Steven says and looks Ash straight into his eyes. "What do you mean, Riley's dislike of the supernatural? Aren't the two of you similar to each other?"
"Not enough, apparently."
The man sags in his seat because he's sat through countless birthday parties he didn't want to be at, needing to tolerate the stupid magic acts Riley pulls out of his ass. Next time he sees the man approach, he will ask him what's up with that because he doesn't doubt Ash's word on it, he would know. Also, Lance should be over the moon about this kind of ability, isn't he all about constant vigilance and stuff? Steven would go to some lengths to have his favourite mug watched over like just now, he always seems to break his favourite ones the fastest…
Suddenly, the door slams open and then slams close again, announcing Clair's arrival home but the volume of the act doesn't bode much good. And when she comes barrelling into the kitchen, her expression betrays just how annoyed she is. But Clair pauses when her eyes meet the teen, she squints and puts her hands on her hips.
"Don't tell me you already know."
"Euhm…"
"Do you want to see him again, Ash?" she asks.
"Could we possibly also get the download of what is happening here too?" Wallace suggests but Clair whips her head to the side, expression thunderous as she's about to snap at him but Ash is faster.
"My dad is trying to get into contact with me," the boy answers and Steven, while absolutely certain that Ash is smarter than this, feels his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach.
"Ash, answer me, please," she persists but the teen shakes his head.
"If mom is added to the deal, no. No, I don't."
"It's Red who is pushing for the opportunity to talk to you, not Delia. With Lance out of the way, I can't do anything against Red either, he's entitled to the right to see you."
Ash bites his lip and nods.
"Is it okay if you see him tomorrow, at noon? I'll be there with you, I endeavoured for that as I'm now your current guardian due to family rights."
Steven is upset still, he won't be resting much anytime soon and by the looks of it, neither will Ash. But they aren't quick enough to stop the teen from escaping into the safety of his room. A part of him really conflicts with him enough to try and follow Ash, to tell him he can tell those buggers to sod off but that will betray his feelings badly. There's a hollow sensation in his stomach, it settles there after he tells himself that it will be okay… but why does his stomach churn at the mere idea of the boy being torn from his life? And Clair is still silently stewing in whatever upset her so greatly before, Steven is sure that she's scared that Red will pull off something that will take Ash away from her, something that will hurt Lance beyond what he could stomach right now.
But Wallace catches on quickly, he sits next to him very closely and sits there in silence. It's not enough to comfort him, though, Steven does his best to keep his nerves at bay and not to cry but it's getting hard not to surrender to his feelings.
"He's got you good, huh?" the man asks softly, gently rubbing circles on his back.
"And you?"
"He's cute, I admit that but I'm not supportive of the worries he carries with such ease, it can't be good for a teenager."
"He… I woke him up from a nightmare, he ended up upset over it too, I could tell."
"Clair's exasperation at Ash was clear, the boy answered me on what the issue was between them without Clair clarifying her annoyance. So this dream that upset him was one about his biological parents, you tell me it looked like the boy had a nightmare and… that's no good. That's prophetical, Cynthia needs to be involved in this if that's the case. No matter where he stays, he needs support for that."
"I never drew the connection between the dream and the fact he answered her, oh no…" Steven utters, so close to tearing up. "Do you… would it be a good thing for Ash to go back, Wallace?"
"Let's be clearheaded about this, love," the man hushes and moves his hand up to Steven's neck, it's warm and comfortable. "It's just a talk, I saw hesitance in a boy who makes decisions without a doubt so don't panic. Let Ash be his own person, he is smart and we can't tell him to make his heart feel something it doesn't. Nothing is happening yet."
"Yet."
"It's his choice, Steven, he's allowed to think about it and as a matter of fact, he's the only one needed to make the decision, not you, me or Clair. It's his choice, whatever he decides, we will need to follow no matter how much pain it brings us, we will need to listen to what he's got to say. And honestly, after all the crap I needed to swallow through all those years' worth of meetings, I'm glad I'll be listening to someone who took the time to think about the issue and then gives a good answer rather than spewing out worries and imaginary issues."
"You're right," he sighs, admitting defeat. "I'm being unreasonable."
"You're not, you should stop worrying so much, Steven," Wallace says. "Honestly, the biggest regret of humanity must be worrying so much, all these little details, they take away so much of the joy in life! Are you going to join the millions of people who have made that same mistake?"
"How can I not? What do you expect from a teenager who life puts through the wringer, even by pokémon which he'll forgive and allow to do it again and again?"
"A lot, clearly. Allow him his peace and for you to settle down. In the very end, all of this is none of your business and you shouldn't meddle. Especially not when your interference will only confuse Ash even further. Don't be that kind of person, Steven."
The man nods but he's still quite upset. Being told not to be that way isn't helping but he hides it from Wallace. He's getting suspiciously good at it, too but ironically, he falls asleep quickly. His boyfriend's arms bring him a lot of comfort, more than the man's mouth ever did anyway.
Ash is a little creeped out when everyone is silent as he leaves. Okay, so the nightmare upset him but can anyone blame him for still being scared of what happened to him, which ended up costing him his leg and a lot of comforts he lost when he woke up from the experience? Is he supposed to forget the feeling of the Ultra Beast dragging him out of the back door, especially since it was a different creature that pulled him out of a door that suspiciously looks like the door leading into the garden of his current home? Sure, his father is entitled to seeing him, but Ash never expected him to lay low for long, the man cares a lot but he's not good at handling those kinds of feelings. But Clair doesn't have to put on the expression as if they are walking in a funeral procession and thus, Ash asks for clarification the moment he spots someone inside the building. The lady at the front door where he's about to meet his father again acts confused when he asks her if there will be any legal repercussions for his adoption after he meets Red again.
"Of course not," she says, looking a bit indignant but mostly confused. "The adoption was final, there is no way for Red to turn back the result of it in his favour, not after what he did and what happened. Even if Arceus would join him in court, no judge is foolish enough to put you back in his care. This is just the way he's legally allowed to talk to you, he's a troubled person and he admits he made mistakes but even so, Ash, if you do not want a relationship with him, that is fine. I was led to believe that you were made aware of this," she adds, looking sharply at Clair.
"Yes, I was. It's just… generally accepted I'll be moving out shortly, though."
"You're happy there, right?" the lady asks, now genuinely concerned, she even moves a bit closer as if she will put herself between Clair and him.
"Insanely. I will not voluntarily move out of this house, why would I move out of a house where a guardian lives who already is such a good person, while my biological parents will need to change dramatically, if not miraculously to be even close to being proper parents."
"But then why…?"
"My uncle isn't doing well at the moment. And when people are upset, things happen," Ash answers, eyeing his aunt who seems helpless all of a sudden.
"Ah," the lady says and then pats his shoulder. "You're alright. You can go in when you're ready, I'm sure you will be okay. But if not, there is a button underneath the table. Press it if things get out of your control or if Red makes you uncomfortable."
"Thank you."
Clair is straight up pissed she cannot enter the room, she will be giving the lady at the door the stink eye for the whole time Ash will be in there… but it's not nice to see Red sit there, looking so small and uncomfortable in this white, soulless room with cold lights making the room even colder than it already was.
"Hi," he says, smiling widely in the hope that it will make the man a little happier. "How are you doing?"
"Miserable," the man laments and he looks the part. "Your mother is nothing like I imagine, I have been caught up in lies so badly. Seeing you… I needed to see you, Ash, I'm sorry it needed to go this way but I need to see you."
"That's okay, I'm sure we can work something out so we can meet somewhere much nicer than this," the teen answers calmly, still smiling. "Why are you still involved with mom, though?"
"Not involved, I just went to visit her. A mistake on my part, she threw a glass at me and yelled at me that I caused all her misfortune. I never witnessed anything else, they told me to leave, which I did, as quickly as if my shoes were on fire," the man says, looking even more miserable as he recounts his recent history with the hysterical woman Ash barely recognises as his mother. "I sealed my faith, I failed to care for you and now I pay the price for it. Nothing but cold shoulders and lies."
"You can't take my mother seriously. When it boils down to it, everything is someone else's mistake, never hers. And that was the case long before you met her again."
"I'm sorry. I wish there was something new I could tell you."
"Please, no, that's not necessary," he says, he's not waiting for any more bad news. "Instead of that, tell me what you're looking forward to."
Hearing his father admit that he regrets most things in his life stings badly because those things were usually decided in his stead. Can anyone really tell him that those were things his father calls 'his' life? Red is not actually someone Ash would willingly call his father, he's been absent for the largest part of his life and the part he played an active role in was confusing, to say the least. But that doesn't mean he will also be one of the people to turn away from him, absence also means that he wasn't there to do anything wrong. His mom, however, was very wrong, she now also sits in her own misery in a less than cosy space and with the addition of a criminal record she's gained.
Nothing is decided on, though, the man just tries to be nice, he realises he's never going to be a father to him but he would like to try to be a friend and Ash allows that. And somehow, out of the blue, Red hands him the present he's never been able to give him for Christmas and while the teen grins in response because the man forgot about his birthday but he forgives him easily because he's given a gaming console he can take with him. As little as he will use it, the boy thanks Red a lot and that results in the man smiling from ear to ear when they go their separate ways and that's the best result, better than what he expected to get.
"I can't stand the idea he would go to this length to just… argh, it's infuriating," Clair stews, even though Red is still within hearing distance, though he slowly slinks off in the hallway, in the opposite direction.
"What else was he supposed to do, though? Show up at the doorstep? Come off it, auntie, you would've never let him in and be even more upset than you are now."
"But to suddenly make this a legal thing?"
"So what if he didn't want to get into more trouble? He didn't do anything odd, he just wanted to talk."
"Sure."
"Clair, nothing changes. I don't want to leave and since that's the case, it doesn't happen. Red is not happy, he can't give himself what he desperately needs, what could he possibly do for me? He lives in a sheltered housing complex because he can't take the stress but he is also not allowed to house anyone else in there. So he would need to find a house of his own, with responsibilities he cannot handle. My father, he's such a kind man but he's so damaged, Clair, I… how can you expects him to still be capable of doing the thing that's upsetting you so badly, all while he was the people's hero, not more than a decade and a half ago?"
Her shoulders sag and she looks away, something Clair does when there's nothing she can add in defence to her own belief. But Ash is persistent, he doesn't see any evil in Red and he needs his aunt to calm down and see the sad man his father is, not the evil mastermind out to steal him from their grip. Not when all Red did was talk.
"Also, he's lonely and upset, he's been punished enough. And what did he even do, huh? Not communicate? More than half the world doesn't know how to do that so it is really that bad for him to be around me?"
"I can't keep you from your biological parents, Ash," his aunt replies tensely. "But it's so scarily easily for your mother to go to court and take you back, hell, she can even succeed in that without your say-so, until you're eighteen."
Ash snorts and shakes his head in response to that.
"Ash, it's not funny," she insists.
"I agree, it's not but what is funny, is that my mother doesn't like me and never will and thus, will also never go to court to get me back. I lied to myself for all those years and you can't convince me otherwise, she made it clear enough, it just took me a while and without the help of my friends, I would never have recognised her behaviour for what it was. I miss her, yes, but the woman who threw a glass at my father is not my mother, I don't recognise her as such. And tell me, if Red with his PTSD can't hold a legal claim over me, why would a woman admitted into a mental facility be able to do it?"
"I see," is all she says but then surprises him. "How about we go and see Lance?"
"Yes!" he exclaims, grabbing her arm. "How is he doing, did they find what caused his heart failure?"
"They suspect it to be a burnout."
"Must've been one hell of a burnout to do that, then."
"They're not sure but Lance resigned from the G-men this morning, he's applied his resignation and due to his diagnosis with stress disorder, they cannot refuse it."
"PTSD, then? Like my dad?"
"Different, Red suffers from trauma, Lance just experienced too much pressure, too many unhealthy life choices and it's caught up to him now. It's going to linger long too, he's ignored his health for too long, in fact, if you didn't call him to go and see a doctor, Lance would never stand still long enough to realise something was wrong until his heart gave up."
"He'll need therapy, yes?"
"I'm trying to endeavour to have it at home. Lance keeps saying he wants to go home, so often that the doctor is also on board with having a live-in nurse helping Lance at home. The calm surrounding of a familiar place could do him some good."
"A live-in nurse? That's a thing?" the boy asks. "I thought they came by and then leave again."
"It is. Are you okay with that, Ash? It won't bother you?"
"Huh? No, of course not, anything to get Lance back on his feet," he answers passionately. "I'll sleep on the floor so the whole damn hospital worth of nurses moves in if it'll help him, I'll do it. I'll fit myself in whatever gap is still free in Lance's life, I'll squeeze in every free moment of his time to make sure he enjoys himself, I'll do it.
Clair smiles at him, they're now near the car but Ash gets in without issue, he doesn't want to linger on what was Red's attempt to find a bit of comfort and Lance… He's not sure what burnout actually is, can it get so bad that it ends up putting his strong uncle in Celadon Central? He'll make sure Lance won't need to worry about him or anything, it will be nice, warm and cosy inside, just like the home Ash has always yearned for.
"Tell me a bit about your mother, Ash," his aunt suddenly says and he sags into his seat, she's making no move to start the car yet.
"Such as?"
"Were you also as lovely towards her? That you were also full of love."
"… Full of something else, perhaps but not love. And it was hard to get her attention, I was never good enough, never. There was always something I could do differently and it was never her fault even if I did as she told me to," he answers ruefully. "We're probably better off not seeing each other again, there are things I can't overlook."
"Such as?"
"Keeping my father a secret, allowing others to call me a bastard more often than my own name. Red might never be a father to me but he'll be a friend and I'm entitled to know who my family is. I met you and Lance before, Clair, we were friendly but would something have changed towards me if you were aware of who I was then?"
"Absolutely. People call me a bitch more often than my own name too, now and in the past."
"I regret calling you that."
"No biggie, I should explain myself better, use my 'big girl' words, like Lorelei keeps telling me," she answers and starts the car, completely unbothered. "Maybe you'll rub off on me too, I would like to do better too, just like Lance."
"Stick around, then, I'm not going anywhere until Lance tells at least ten people to fuck off."
"Don't worry about that, I'll give him a hand when it comes to that point," she laughs. "But Lance is not in a stellar state yet, though that won't stop him from complaining to go home. It's going to be our responsibility to teach him patience, it was your appearance that spurred the complaining, after all. He's going to get to terms with his own weakness too, he might never be the same person ever again."
The boy accepts the responsibility with pride, he will push Lance back in bed with or without his consent but only with the warranty that it will do the man well. He can overpower his uncle, always been able to but if Lance acts stubbornly and goes against the doctor's advice, there will be trouble. His uncle stood at his bed end telling him to be patient and to rest as much as possible too, now, it's time for payback. But he never saw a doctor acting this way, dr. Starling is deadly serious when he crouches down and tells him that they are the only ones Lance will listen to and it hurts Ash because this means his uncle has the same trust issues he suffers from.
"Yes," the teen says. "I won't enforce your word but I will do what's good for him. Even if that goes against his idea."
"Don't stress him," the doctor repeats.
"If you do that to him, why let me do it too? Go easy on me too, will you?"
Dr. Starling smiles and nods, it's time to go see Lance but Ash sees his uncle lay there, so still and his heart bleeds. He's not letting go of his resolve but what do they expect this man to do when he's brought to this state? Even if Lance magically summons the strength to stand up, where will he go?
"Hello, uncle," the boy says softly and takes a hold of the man's hand.
Lance opens his eyes and watches him warily, it's clear he's not okay but Ash doesn't dwell on it. Okay people do not stay in the hospital, after all.
"I'm tired," the man whispers. "But I can't sleep."
… That sucks, the teen is lost on what to do and while Mewtwo tells him it can knock Lance out easily enough, Ash isn't sure whether he wants Lance to become independent of him or Mewtwo because they won't always be there. He will be there when his uncle needs him but he refuses to be tied to his waist.
"Perhaps the book will help you," Necrozma says and the boy feverishly tries to remember what the f* the creature is talking about because Aura doesn't influence, it can't or he'll become a Dark Aura user. "Charming is not influencing, friend. The spell will eventually dissipate over time but the charm itself will always remain. Or is the belief in humans so low these days?"
He's not himself right now, his uncle is driving him nuts! All he can do is sit there and tell him it will be okay, it's never enough for him, there must be something else he can do so when he gets home, the first thing Ash does is go outside and find himself a piece of wood he can carve and then charm it to take with him next time he sees Lance. And sleep he will, the boy never read a book with so much intent before and with his emotions running so high, the wood doesn't look like wood as much. It's err… a bit holographic now, it definitely looks charmed but will that matter? Ash needs Lance to trust him and this piece of not-wood but what if he doesn't?
"Ash?"
The boy looks up from the charm he's holding in his hands, it's Steven who also isn't looking too great but it's nothing compared to his uncle.
"Yeah?"
"Are you alright?"
"… No?"
"Nothing to do with Red, right?"
"Can you let go of that already? All my father did was talk to me, that's all. Nothing more, nothing less. He can't take me from Lance, my mom can't take me, neither any of the two can because they… I'm too much, apparently. Too much of a hassle, too much of things no one can handle. So, rest assured, if you're lying awake over the fact you can't stand me to be away from you, take into account you will be one of the few people who feel that way," Ash answers sourly, bothered because he let go of the idea that someone was out to take him away from this house he's about ready to call home now. "It's Lance, he's not okay and that annoys me."
"I'm sorry, I… I'll leave you to it, then."
The sound of the door closing almost makes Ash scream but he stops himself and tries to calm down a bit.
"This is the strongest enchantment I have witnessed," Mewtwo pipes up, it suddenly stands right in front of him, peering down at the not-wood feather Ash carved. "I think you found a hidden talent."
"There's a strong feeling behind it," the boy admits.
"As per usual, you always respond strongly, it is not something I would consider faulty, friend. There is nothing wrong with temperament, especially not when it is in response to a great mistake, whether you made it or someone else did," the pokémon answers. "Yes, it will take a long time for this charm to dissipate, well done."
Ash would have answered Mewtwo with a lot of gratitude for the comment if only Clair didn't barge in. Well, she didn't barge in, she knocked but didn't leave any room for him to answer whether it was okay for her to enter or not. His mighty friend doesn't need more than a second to disappear however and Clair only has eyes for him.
"How are you doing, buddy?" she asks. "Fancy something to eat? I've made cake."
"… That quickly?"
"Ash, it's seven in the evening, you've been sitting here for three hours straight."
"Oh."
She sighs and closes the door behind her.
"Today was a rough one, huh?" his aunt asks but Ash looks up at her.
"What do you mean?"
"Cleaning that den, meeting your father, the hassle that was made around that and then Lance upsetting you like that. It's not easy being you, is it?"
"Living, you mean? Being alive is hard, yeah but you know that. But I'll do all of what you just said again if needed, I don't care. I have nothing better to do right now, anyway."
"Were you studying?" she asks and the boy looks at the book he's left out on the bed, still open on the page where he learned to enchant the piece of wood.
"Err… yeah."
"It's a nice notebook, where did you get it?"
"It… was given to me," the teen answers and he has the faintest idea that Clair isn't seeing what he's seeing or she wouldn't let go of this subject so easily.
It's a big, heavy bound book, there are odd letters carved out of the thick cover and it's a metallic, blueish kind of colour. And the lettering is handwritten, it's cursive and not anywhere near similar to his handwriting. There is no way she would call this a notebook, actually so… it's a little odd.
"I'm sorry Lance's behaviour affected you so badly," she then says. "I wish there was something I could do to help the both of you."
"Well, you're not screaming so you're doing well for my part. Also, you made a cake, that earns you bonus points," Ash jokes, successfully putting a smile on her face. "Did Steven complain I told him he was overreacting to Red's attempt to befriend me? I just told him to calm down in a rude way, though."
"Oh, he's calm, I told him to calm down too in a lot ruder way, don't worry about that. But I do want to ask you something, Ash and I hope you'll answer me truthfully."
"I will. Go ahead."
"Steven mentioned you had a bad dream, he woke you up from it but somehow, he's made it all about the freight Red gave him. So was it something related to what happened today, Ash?"
He stills for a bit, chewing on his lip because it kind of did, didn't it? Being dragged out of the house he's currently in, the one place he's found peace at. Sure, it was an Ultra Beast but was it really? Ash will look up the other existing Ultra Beasts to be sure but for now, if he has to tell the truth, he nods.
"Somehow, yes. I always see those creatures in my dream but today, for the first time, I wasn't kidnapped from Pallet."
"Why didn't you say something to Steven, then? You trust him, right?"
"I do, I just…," he says, shrugging helplessly and then smiles a quirky smile. "I'm feeling so much, there's no way I can show all of it. I don't know how to do that. But then again, nothing a nice, warm cake can't fix. I don't suppose it's chocolate?"
"It is," she grins. "Come downstairs with me, then. It's still in the oven but it won't be long until it's finished."
His aunt doesn't need to say that more than once, despite not having a sweet tooth, Ash still goes for something sweet once in a while and it definitely cheers Clair up that he'll get up and follow her just for the sake to eat the food she made. It's not that deep but the boy does this with ease. And also, she's a better cook when it comes to sweets than his mother ever was so that's an added bonus.
Steven lingers around, he's not eating any of the cake and just unsuccessfully trying to look like he's not keeping a close eye on everything Ash is doing but the teen pays it no mind. If he's been thinking about this nightmare so hard to figure out the connection between that and Red's appearance, something he didn't figure out until he calmed down and sat down, it's just a way Steven shows concern. And while his response is also concerning, Ash won't encourage this but he'll also keep himself from telling the man to stop it.
He's able to eat his cake in peace, Clair's been thoughtful enough to make it so that Pikachu and Dreepy can eat it too. Although the peace is a bit overrated, Necrozma is trying to get him to see that the charm is powerful but that it won't make anyone sleep if they don't hold value to his prowess. Ash doubts whether that'll pose an issue, Lance saw things and the doctors, medics and nurses who met him also remember him clearly. Him and his freaky abilities.
"What's that?" Wallace suddenly asks and it takes the boy a couple of seconds before he spots the charm's cord dangling from his pocket.
"I… made something for Lance," he answers. "It'll help him sleep."
The silence in the room is deafening, Ash isn't sure what made them all look up at him but he must've said something wrong. Before he knows it, Steven comes up to him.
"If it needs to work on Lance, it should also work on me, right?"
"It should, yeah."
"Well then."
Ash isn't sure whether this is a good idea or if Steven is taunting him but Mewtwo assures him that the charm will not be broken, it's been made with love in mind, after all. So he tells the man to sit down on the couch, to get comfortable and then lets him hold the charm, the cord attached to it carefully wound around his wrist so that it won't hurt him if it snags somewhere. And Steven goes down like a brick, he falls into the pillow, knocked out.
"He must've been tired," the boy comments.
"He'll wake up by himself, though, right?" Wallace asks hesitantly, coming to stand by his side to look at his sleeping friend.
"It's a blessing to sleep, not a curse to keep sleeping."
"Oh."
And while they try to be silent, the ruckus Salamence makes as it comes lumbering down the hallway, wakes Steven up. He's getting slobbered by the dragon, though, possibly the only way the pokémon can show gratitude and yeah, Steven's scent is also plastered all over the den. Ash also gets a lick or two but he doesn't mind, all the drool ended up on poor Steven's face, who doesn't look awake enough to register that fact but he hands the charm back quickly.
"It's a potent little thing, isn't it?" he says before moving his hand to his face and then recoiling in disgust as he's found the drool there. "The heck?"
"Salamence came to thank you."
"Yeah… yeah, right."
The boy goes to get him a couple of tissues, though, he won't make fun of Steven, not when the man also believes so clearly in his abilities. When he enters the kitchen for the tissues, Clair grabs him in a quick hug and gives him a kiss, telling him he's a blessing but that he should be careful, that he won't be able to solve all of Lance's issues with his abilities.
"Yes? But won't sleeping be, like a major success? Won't that help out a lot of his issues already?"
"Just be careful that you don't lose yourself in the process, helping out is good but not at your own expense."
It's good advice, he'll take it but still, he's aware of his own limitations. His mother and father make his feelings dive into an uncanny valley, after all, it's easy to make them devils but they are not. They made mistakes, especially his mother but Red? Ash isn't sure how to feel about him but there's no way he'll reject him. It's still his father, in fact, if his mom still wanted to see him, he'd meet her too. He does still miss her, a lot. She was his comfort for years and now he's trying to grasp at the straws trying to feel the same way but now Lance isn't there. Clair is but she's different, Steven and Wallace are also different. He couldn't stand the idea of never seeing them again either, it's flattering to know that Red's fumbling efforts concerned Steven so much but at the same time, are these feelings true? Isn't he just being cheated into believing he's worth loving by Lance's advice not to hurt him or else…?
Ash has doubts, a lot of them. If anyone needed a charm for it, he would make an indestructible one, that much is sure. And then there's Lugia, who is slowly regaining its character too, in fact, the creature, as it's small and playfully darting over his bedcovers, calls him 'Habibi'. According to Mewtwo, the fact he's able to understand the word this time means it's true.
"What is?"
"It is a complicated notion but it is true when spoken to you. You are Habibi to us."
"Like family?" Ash asks, a little confused but smiles when Mewtwo makes an odd gesture like it's not sure how to feel.
"Yes but differently, not linked family, found family. That it wants you to be family, it considers you close and beloved enough for it."
The boy smiles at that, a fuzzy and warm sensation washes over him and he holds Lugia close to him when it comes crawling onto his lap.
"Do you feel that way?"
Lugia can't answer him as easily as before so it just nods and snuggles closely against his chest, comfortable and warm. Needless to say, Ash sleeps well that night, much better now that the pokémon in his surroundings have agreed on the fact they do love him a lot. He only wishes it was as simple with people but he has a lot of time to figure out just how he feels with so many people trying to fit into the role of his mother. Not his father, Ash suspects they don't want to step on Lance's toes because they will still be here when his uncle comes back home too. No, both Clair, Wallace and Steven are people who all have a part of his mother in them. Clair is the foul mouth Delia once had, always there to protect him when someone too mean or too powerful came on too strong. Wallace is the part of his mother that sat down with him when he had questions, gave him good advice and just be there when he didn't feel confident enough. And Steven is the care she once showed for him, when she asked him if he was okay, tried to make him smile when he couldn't manage that on his own.
All of them, they're powerful people with their own character but they don't have such bad tendencies as his mother. None of them is easily triggered into getting upset, none of them will raise their hand and most of all, they will sit down and listen to him. The older Ash got, the less his mother listened to him and he regrets not having sat down first and listen to her instead. But how was he supposed to know? Yeah, he grew up selfish because if he didn't put himself first, no one else would. He didn't know any better because no one wanted to teach him to be better. Not that anyone in Pallet knows how to be a good person, maybe he shouldn't hold that inability just to be nice against them but now Ash wonders why his father fell in love with his mom and choose Pallet Town, of all places, to settle down in.
Not that he will press Red for answers, he'll just pop his questions in whenever there's a moment of silence because his father… well, he's not bringing anything to the table, he wants and he won't give anything in return. This is also acceptable, his father is an empty man, everything he once had has been taken from him so yeah, Ash will try to give some of it back if possible. But that's not something he'll focus on, Clair is still very bothered that Red didn't just call her to ask if he could see him, no, he just had to get all the creepy official services in that made her skin crawl into the matter that didn't allow her to say anything in response. Red probably heard her being upset too so maybe he'll wait for her to cool off because making another attempt, this time calling Clair like the teen advised his father to do. While risky, his aunt will be a bit calmer now that she doesn't have to reschedule three battles to the next day so that she now has a dozen of 'bratty' challengers to face and probably be busy until late this afternoon. Meaning Ash will need to wait until she gets home to present his gift to Lance.
He tries to fill it up with the attempt to super train Dreepy but his enthusiasm draws in a whole lot more Pidgey than the little dragon can handle so Pikachu takes care of most of them… only for Dreepy to suddenly fire off an electric attack that looks a lot like Thunderbolt. It confuses Ash but then Dreepy presses her nose against Pikachu, a greeting he's seen happen between Lance's pokémon. Dreepy never made a move to do it with Flygon or any other pokémon but Pikachu, though, so does that mean the dragon likes Pikachu a lot more than the dragons? In the end, it doesn't matter but she does it with him too and it makes Ash smile because Dreepy has such a cute face and seeing it up close is even more endearing. And in turn, Dreepy makes a pleased noise when she sees him smile.
"You're wonderful," he says and while he's a bit displeased because he has no idea how many pokémon Dreepy has beaten now, he's still pleased she packs enough power to defeat one with a single bite. Or bolt, whatever she picked to defeat the Pidgey.
But Ash goes home again because Wallace promised him a nice lunch if he came back at around noon. But when he gets there, he sees a lot of foreign cars parked around the house, as well as a rusty, rickety bike he can just picture Riley riding on. Surely not, though? The man couldn't stand the sight of him before, that's why he left like his shoes were on fire, right? Or did Gurkinn say something that made him change his mind? Ash isn't sure and besides, what proof does he have to think this bike belongs to Riley?
Maybe he should have a bit more faith in his instinct, as the teen sneaks inside of the house via the backdoor, allowing him to go into the living room without being heard, he sees Riley sit there, looking about half as miserable as Red looked but now that Ash has some time to look at him without risking some sort of insult being thrown his way, he sees exhaustion on the man's face. That's not been there when they left, though, what exactly happened to Riley? His right hand tells him the issue straight away, it seems like the man is highly upset at something, so badly that his energy is cutting basic abilities off.
'I wonder if there is some way to help him,' he muses as he slinks back outside, not willing to give Wallace a heart attack by appearing behind him all of a sudden.
'Of course, there is,' Mewtwo pipes up again. 'Your feelings are an unmatched source of power, do you want me to bring the book to you? That way, you can read the part you conveniently skipped in lieu to help your uncle where it states that everything, including a state of confusion, has a counter charm.'
"I should take a moment to read the entire book," he murmurs as it appears in his hands, as heavy and thick as he remembers it. "Though, is it normal Clair couldn't see it?"
'She could, though. Just because it gives off the illusion of being harmless…?'
The boy stills and goes to sit somewhere he can sit in peace. The last thing he needs is Riley to suddenly do something more stupid than trying to upset him even further, he still doesn't get why the man suddenly turned against him. But Mewtwo is right, his feelings will one day be his doom but until then, he'll make sure they're aimed to do good. Aura, he discovers, is a powerful source of energy, the little wilted flower he used to make the clarity charm for Riley, turns into glass, no longer wilted but frozen in time in its perfect state, now filled with more energy than it ever possessed.
Mewtwo is looking over the entire project with wide eyes, if there's anything it's never been able to do, it's making objects to its bidding so it's intrigued to see the Aura in action.
"I do wonder why your Aura is not leaving a trace of colour," the pokémon muses as it holds the charm. "But it works, I can tell as much."
"Good," Ash says and nods. "Time to face the music, then."
This time, he doesn't sneak, he just walks in and now that Riley looks up at him, the teen knows he's done the right thing, making that little flower. So he hands it to him and the man's eyes open so wide, it's comical.
"Don't look at me like that. You know I've always tried to help you."
"Ash… How? Is there anything you can't do?" he utters, looking down at charm.
"Oooh, probably a whole lot of things, I don't know how electricity works, I couldn't build a house from scratch and I can't sing or dance to save my life. I mean, those aren't things I can't learn but still, there are an incredibly big amount of things I can't do. But as long as it has anything to do with my own feelings and abilities, I will be good at it, yeah."
Wallace snorts at that and the teen smiles at him as he changed the subject, as this is not what Riley meant but the man seems to have an epiphany.
"I'm so sorry, Ash," he says and stands up, grabbing him into a hug. "I've always known, you were the first to show up for me and now they've found so many others because of you."
"So you've found another student?"
He shakes his head and the boy watches his face change to an expression of deep regret.
"I've been deemed unfit because I couldn't keep you as my student, that I rejected you."
"But you did once have me as a student, it was Brandon who didn't want me at all and I don't see him being deemed unfit. Also, you taught me a lot of things before fear took over, surely that counts for something?" Ash says, feeling guilty because this is partially his doing too and Riley is not a bad teacher.
"What was I afraid of, then?"
"The unknown? Have you ever met a Life Bringer before?"
The man shakes his head again and watches the charm with teary eyes. Wallace seems unsure what to do so Ash goes to sit next to him, all smiles and gets his phone out as he goes to lay against his arm, which makes the man lift it so that the teen is now resting against his chest. Now terribly comfortable and warm, the boy sends Gurkinn a message, figuring the man has something to do with the fact Riley is being shunned. Sure, he did suffer from Riley's rejection but it's not something the man should get so badly punished for, not when there are eased circumstances. Did the man not stand next to his uncle when those Shadow creatures emerged and threatened the livelihood of Orre and its citizens? Lance may have made it out alive but is barely a decent person with all those nightmares plaguing him so who expected Riley to come out of that experience unscathed?
Gurkinn answers straight away, asking him if he's sure that he wants to forgive Riley and the boy is even quicker to answer that, yes, he absolutely wants Riley to be excused because fear, as Mewtwo once told him, is not something to be ashamed of. If the man could tell he was way out of his league while teaching him, surely there will be other students Riley will be able to teach, kids who will not make him fear for his life. Gurkinn calls him a better person than he'll ever be and while the boy doubts that, Riley jumps up. While Ash nestled himself comfortably against Wallace, he'd sat down again, tinkering with his phone. But it seems like Gurkinn isn't wasting any time, a message popped up on Riley's phone and now he's standing upright, tears rolling down his cheek while he looks up from his phone to Ash and then back. He does this a couple of times before Wallace gets annoyed and asks him why the heck he's crying.
"This boy just gave me my life back," Riley sobs, pointing at Ash. "This isn't normal."
"We are about five thousand miles past normal whenever Ash is involved but Riley, if you're still not convinced of his good intentions this time, I'm going to smack you in the face."
"No need," the man says quickly and wipes at his tears with his sleeve. "Holy crap, this went quickly. What did you say to Gurkinn, Ash? Why are they acting so quickly?"
"Just that they shouldn't let you be held hostage for one mistake, that's all."
"Arceus, that's not even what happened, I was the idiot who couldn't see who was in front of me."
"Oh, but you did," Ash grins. "Again, you don't need to apologise again, I can see you're sorry but I landed well enough after you ditched me."
"That sounds even worse," Riley sighs. "Is there anything I can do for you, Ash? Anything at all?"
"I would like you not to make the same mistake again. Actually, do it for yourself too because I won't let myself get fooled twice but that also means I won't be there when you do make that mistake again. And that will result in me being unable to help you next time."
"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me, huh?"
"Yup. So don't make a mess of it this time, Riley. Trust me, I don't want to see you unhappy."
The man nods and he leaves shortly after, having just gotten an invitation to meet a possible suitable student. Wallace, however, won't let Ash sit up and tells him to rest a bit, that Clair will be back shortly with a possible impossible bad mood and he wants to have him near.
"You think that me being here will save you from any of her remarks?"
"I want to be there to save you from her remarks," the man answers and the boy chuckles.
"Good luck with that."
Wallace rolls his eyes at that but with a smile on his face… but two in the afternoon rolls around… then three… then four… and it's half past five when Clair comes in and Ash makes her lay down because she's knackered. She doesn't even resist when he forces her to lay down, not even after he's gone upstairs to fetch a blanket and when he tucks her in.
"Wake me up before five, we still-" she starts but Wallace interrupts her.
"Sleep. Or do you want to fall asleep behind the wheel and kill both you and Ash?"
She stills at that but the boy thinks that was a courageous move, it will come back to bite him in the butt later. Clair doesn't take kindly to being talked to like that, even though Wallace is absolutely right. But Ash remains downstairs, he's looking if he can't find some sort of app that'll allow him to see the stats of his pokémon, so that he can track Dreepy's progression that way, instead of flogging down every Pidgey she's defeated. But it seems like that'll be something to ask professor Elm for assistance with because it's an additional app for his pokédex. Not today, though, Clair can have her nap and then they'll see where to go from there, whether there is time enough to still go to the hospital or not.
At least, someone who benefits from naps, Clair must be the only person Ash knows who wakes up feeling refreshed after a nap but then again, having just fought twelve young trainers who thought she still was the same angry and judging Gym leader from before was challenging enough. But the boy saw the battle videos and Clair is just glowing after he tells her she did good in ignoring those little shit's jabs at her talents, they were either jealous or clueless because she did beat all of them. Some trainers only get better if angered, after all, and it sucks to be them because Clair is one of them.
"You got your thingy?" she asks, as she puts the car in park, about to get out.
"The charm? I do, it's in my pocket," Ash answers.
"Good. I called Lance's doctor and he's… sceptic but at this point, he'll allow it because he's at the end of his tether. Also, try not to react to whatever you'll see Lance, the doctor is trying to control his teeth."
"Oh yeah, su-… He's trying to do what now?"
"His teeth."
"How the hell…?"
"Lance's gritting his teeth, it's a stress response, apparently. But he's wearing a teeth brace so try not to pay it any attention."
Ash nods, he's not going to make fun of his uncle, it sounds incredibly annoying to have something covering teeth. The teen already has the inkling of how irritated he would be, his tongue will be going to it every single time, not remembering the shape of his teeth. Dear lord, what is this all becoming? Next to needing to sleep on command and now also being stopped to bite at something, it's sounding more like the care of a young child than therapy to shield an adult from his negative feelings. But Ash is not a doctor, he will never be, though by the look dr. Starling gives him when Lance goes out like a light as soon as he's got a hold of the charm, he might as well be a witch doctor.
"That… certainly is special," the doctor muses, watching the sleeping man with big eyes but then turns to Ash. "I don't suppose you could deliver me a couple dozen of those things?"
"That'll be tricky, belief is necessary for it to work. Belief in me, to be specific."
"Ah, I see the difficulty. Still, this is impressive. How long will he remain asleep?"
"Depends, he seemed pretty tired to me so as long as we don't make any noise, I think he'll stay asleep."
"Good. Then, I hope you don't mind cutting the visit short? Lance definitely needs his sleep."
Ash doesn't mind, he's reached the target he had in mind and honestly, seeing his uncle peacefully asleep gives him a much better feeling than seeing him all messed up and confused. Now if only the charm does its thing and gives Lance the time to process whatever is bothering him, it'll all go well. But the boy knows his uncle still needs a lot of care, he's not out of the woods yet but the not-sleeping thing was a big hurdle and so now that's out of the way, the doctor has all sorts of ideas on how to get the man to relax but still, getting Lance home will be the main target but… that's still too soon to allow that. As it stands now, Ash is told that his uncle can't walk on his own, his balance is badly disturbed, not to mention that any sort of excitement can still turn into something less innocent. So maybe it's all too well that Lance will remain asleep for quite a while then, the boy doesn't like how happy dr. Starling is, that something as simple as sleep could pose such an issue.
"The thing you need to understand, Ash," Clair says, as she starts the car. "-is that someone's brain can get very upset when they're not following habits. You didn't sleep well after your accident, did you? Do you know why?"
"… Pikachu wasn't there," he admits.
"Which is a habit, I assume?"
"Kinda, we've been together ever since day one."
"Well, that's a nice habit, I don't think that will ever hurt you but still, you see that it did disrupt your sleeping pattern, right?"
"Yeah but if that's what you're aiming at, I don't think Lance has a sleeping pattern. I mean, he's had issues sleeping even before I come in the picture and while it's pretty clear Orre did its part in the issue, I don't think it created the issue. Not when people I know have been among Lance's close surroundings act so upset, guilty, even. No, Orre just added on the issue."
"You did try to fix it, in fact, if Lance had remained calm after you left for Kalos, this wouldn't have happened," Clair sighs. "But he got mad so fast, he's been beating countless trainers, unforgivably, very unlike himself and he wasn't even happy when he ended up victorious. I should've realised something was up, especially since Lance came back from visiting you a different man. He was calm, happy and hopeful before he fell back into the same pattern all over again but differently. And now we know why."
"I still think he wasn't exactly pushing for a burn-out, I think he's pushed way beyond that. Clair, please promise me that you will take better care of yourself. Please don't be him."
"Of course, I now have someone to do it for."
"You should've done it for yourself," Ash says bitterly. "But okay, do it for me then, keep it up. And maybe do it for your pokémon too, you have no idea how your absence will hurt them."
"You do have such a wonderful ability to make me feel like a jerk."
"The fact you don't even see why I did what I did for Lance's pokémon is telling enough, you should feel like a jerk."
"Yes, there's a tendency there, huh? You're being a little sandman, putting everyone to sleep."
"I've not been in therapy to suddenly forget what was being discussed at the time. And like you said, I did have issues sleeping and I've had to listen to doctors trying to explain it without confusing me. So I know, sleep is important. But I didn't think it would mess up people as badly as it somehow did with Lance."
"The more you know."
Ash shrugs, he doesn't like the idea that he's somehow smarter or at least more capable than Lance is when it comes to living but Clair, she doesn't seem to care much, she chuckles at his silence and puts on the radio, which catches his interest straight away.
- following the recent report, it's now certain that the attack on professor Oak's laboratory in the centre of Pallet Town is now under control. So far, we have knowledge that one research assistant who works closely at the professor's side has been brought to Celadon Central-
Clair sighs and turns to him after she turned the radio off.
"I guess you know who they're talking about?"
Ash, however, is already out of the door.
"Tracey," he answers. "They would've said so if it was Gary and even if he was hurt, he still would've busted a nut at being called an assistant. So it's Tracey."
"Right."
Clair doesn't question his behaviour but the nurse does when she sees them come back into the lobby, then again, once he explains the situation, she allows him to go see Tracey without issue. Ash's stay here was memorable enough, especially the beginning of it. Not only did they get a grievously wounded teenager at death's door into their emergency room but also two teens in a state of shock. No one makes an issue out of Ash approaching the room either, not even Tracey's father who looks up at him with red-rimmed and teary eyes. No one expected to see Ash but he's beside himself in worry when hearing from the boy's father that Tracey got shot. By no one less but Hunter J., who was out to kidnap the Delta Dratini professor Oak had under supervision.
So why they have the pokémon inside the room with Tracey is beyond Ash, poor professor Ivy looks rattled and she doesn't seem happy to have the Dratini near her, even while it was in a cage, looking confused… but there's an edge in its eyes Ash doesn't miss. To find Gary, of all people, praising Tracey, calms him down to an eerie level, even Mewtwo urges him to stay in control.
"You're now one of the mean kids, Tracey," Gary jokes and the teen chuckles though winces when he jostles the area hurt by the bullet.
"I've always been one, deep down."
Ash snorts at that and Tracey turns to him.
"What's the matter? Why are you so silent?" he asks.
"I'm humbled. The taste of this disappointment is familiar," the teen answers, putting his hand on Pikachu's head when the pokémon is looking for attention, possibly wanting to divert his attention. "I once was this stupid too."
"It's already nothing short of a miracle you're here," Gary shoots back, of course jumping in his defence.
"I've been in Johto for a while now, my uncle got admitted to hospital."
"Oh, so you've gotten him that far, huh?"
"It's funny how you should mention that, I actually have nothing to do with it. Turns out, you're more of a nail in his coffin than I would ever be. But I understand your reaction, you have big shoes to fill and that stresses you out but Gary, I hope, when the time comes to step into your grandfather's shoes, that you have the big, red nose to wear with it, that you've learned to sing and dance to entertain people because no one will be taking this attitude from a clown. If not, it'll be a terribly sobering experience for you and I hope we'll still be friends when that time comes because I will help you."
Gary stills for a moment.
"We've not always been friends."
"I never considered you anything else, you were the one who changed your mind about it, not me."
"So you wouldn't have caught that bullet for Dratini?" Tracey asks, despite being shot, his attention isn't clouded, he can tell Gary's fighting a losing battle.
Ash doesn't answer straight away, he points exactly where the bullet hit the boy's chest, thankfully not hitting any vital organs but being shot always immobilizes a person. Some might be resistant to it, they may have built up the experience by getting shot an awful lot but not a lot of those people exist because there are just a lot of vital parts to a body and well… Tracey's just been extremely lucky.
"See that, Tracey?" he asks, pointing at how close this bullet was to hitting his heart. "An inch or two and you would've been the meanest kid in the whole damn cemetery. All that for a pokémon Hunter J. would never have shot a bullet at, she could risk damaging or killing the Dratini, that would cost her more than it would ever gain her."
"Then why did she have a gun with her?"
"For busybodies like you."
"Oh, so I should have let her take the Dratini, then?"
"The pokémon is chipped, it's traceable even if it got buried in the deepest hole in the Kalos Badlands. But I wouldn't know where to begin to look where that bullet took you, Tracey."
"Ash, Dratini… it hurt Hunter J. very badly," professor Ivy utters.
"Of course, the sound must've startled it badly and triggered it into attacking the source. That's why you keep it in observation, though, isn't it? When nature is messed with, naturally or not, some things get lost and this one has little to no compassion for people it deems a threat. Do you think I can't tell why you have it in a cage and not coddled into your arms?"
She recoils, he must've touched on a sensitive subject but that's not important to him. At least Tracey seems to understand why Ash isn't overjoyed he'd taken a bullet for a pokémon who doesn't care if he got hurt or not. Ash isn't scared, though, Dratini doesn't make a move to bite the finger he holds out through the bars of the cage, the pokémon seems happy to have the attention and rubs its head against his finger lovingly.
"But that doesn't make Dratini any less of a pokémon. You just got to have your wits about you around it at all times."
"Could you take care of it?"
"As much as I would love to, I can't risk Hunter J. escaping and luring her towards my family," he answers as he gets up again.
"Oh…" the professor says and looks down at the cage. "I don't know what to do."
"I do. You should go find Duplica," Ash responds and smiles at her confusion. "Don't worry, she's pretty easy to find, just google her."
Professor Ivy is confused but he leaves her be, she'll find out his ploy eventually. Tracey, however, is still his main worry, it's not even been a year to find the boy in an even worse condition here and Ash hates it. Enough to use his Aura screaming at him to help this child in pain, helping him to heal the wound the bullet left.
"I still think what you did was stupid but it was brave. You didn't know any better and you're still my friend, I won't applaud what you did but that doesn't mean you should still suffer."
And as Ash lets go of the confused-looking boy's hand, he smiles, knowing this about his moment to leave. There's nothing he can do for Tracey any longer, he'll be fine and Gary's got his reminder not to mess with him again. Clair, however, has a lot of questions, including asking what the hell he just did.
"Did you actually heal the wound he had?" she asks, now definitely starting the car.
Ash understands, it's late already and she must be getting hungry.
"I did. It was a flesh wound, so that's easy but something like Lance, that's not possible for me, I'm not good enough of a healer to do that. I'm not even sure it's possible to mess with someone's head in a positive manner with Aura, there are just some things people need to keep their hands off."
"You've gotten pretty advanced in Aura by yourself, huh?"
"Not by myself, I've gotten help."
"Oh… You know a lot of people, then, who is that Duplica you've mentioned?"
"She's a girl I met, she lives in Kanto. Duplica is good at impersonations, she likes Ditto a lot. When I met her, she had two but recently, after professor Elm made such an impact with the Super training thing, I went ahead and looked up if the thing he accused me of actually happened and it sure did. But I also saw her name in the results, she took in a whole lot of Ditto from an illegal breeding facility the G-men ended up finding and disbanding the moment they did."
"And you think she's the perfect person to handle that Delta pokémon?"
"No, but she's got enough pokémon to protect her against Dratini and also, there just was an awful lot of Ditto she's adopted, over a thousand. And even if Hunter J. or any of her goons gets to know where Dratini is, I'd like to see any of them figure out which one is the real Dratini out of over a thousand pokémon."
"That's so sneaky, Ash, unbelievable. You can be so scarily smart from time to time, I don't know where it's coming from but even what you said to Gary, you silenced him and even insulted his grandfather so subtly, you're not a normal kid by any means."
"… I thought we covered that already. You can't be that naïve to call me normal when you know I healed someone. How many kids do you know who can do such a thing?"
"No… No, that's true. Still, you're a good kid and it hurt, hearing you say that you were once that stupid. I don't believe you would've jumped in front of that Dratini, you know what it wants and does too well," Clair says. "And I appreciate you not putting any of us in unnecessary danger, I know you like the Dratini and that the pokémon like you but you put us first. Thank you for that, Ash."
"You're welcome," he answers and sighs. "Lance is already in such a bad condition and you're already struggling to keep up with work and care for me, there's no way I… Mm, out of all the criminals I have met, Hunter J. is the one I could risk jail time for if I met her again."
"You would've let Dratini hurt her a lot worse, hm?"
"Among other things."
"… Right," she says, honouring the silence after his rather ominous answers. "Let's get something to eat then, yeah? Today's been an eventful day, we should rest a little while we're at it."
Ash agrees with that, he's getting tired and he's slightly disappointed still. He had hoped professor Oak wouldn't have been so stupid allowing the rare pokémon inside his old laboratory. Just because he used cutting-edge technology the day he let the laboratory be built, doesn't mean it's not over twenty years old now and that all the technology is inadequate to keep the pokémon and the people inside the building safe at this current moment. He can only pray that this incident will push the professor to update the building but as Clair leads him into a fast food restaurant he knows his mother would've cried murder about, he can see professor Oak being interviewed and being very dramatic about what happened.
"Some people never change, do they?" he sighs and Clair turns around, she's sitting with her back towards the TV but she sighs too when she notices what's bothering him.
"It's usually comforting when something remains the same over time but professor Oak isn't ageing well over time. I used to think Agatha was telling tales when she told me how entitled he was but ever since I heard how he behaved to you, not to mention what he allowed his grandson to do to you, I'll listen to her and take it as the truth because, in the end, we've all been hanging on the lips of an asshole," she says.
"Well said."
"Still, tell me if Gary takes offence in what you've told him, yeah? I have something else ready for him and his grandfather and while I'll leave it up to you to verbally murder them, I can make sure you never see hair or hide from them again," his aunt offers. "So when it gets over your head, tell Gary to ditch your number and tell me about it, I'll make sure he'll honour your request."
"Any reason why you have it out for Gary that much? Not that I don't like you're willing to support my decision to cut off someone pretty important to this society but I feel it's a risky move to do that to the grandson of a regional professor."
"You were right to call him a nail to Lance's coffin, none of us can get our heads around what that kid has done. He's caused so much grief, to a lot of people, not just Lance and he's still so blasé about talking to you like that. I would've had his head on a stake if he spoke to me like that but in the end, I enjoyed the feedback you gave him, it shut him right up. And also, professor Oak has nothing to say over me or what I do and now that you're in my care or Lance's care, he also has no say over you. So if the professor calls you, if Gary isn't as courageous as Tracey and relies on him to come for you, lean on me, won't you? You know I like to mess with him."
"If that's what you want," Ash says.
"It is," she persists.
"What makes you think professor Oak will try and contact me, though? I would assume he would know better than to listen to Gary, especially when it comes to news about me."
"He has a witness, though."
Ash bites the inside of his cheek, he doesn't like hearing Tracey would still turn against him but then again, Pallet Town… He hopes neither Gary, Tracey or professor Oak calls, he doesn't want to hear from anyone right now. No one but professor Elm, he'll call him tomorrow but other than that, he wants to be left alone.
"That can be arranged very easily, Habibi," Necrozma then says and it takes all of the boy's facial muscle control not to smile widely at the usage of the nickname Lugia gave him.
At least he can still trust pokémon to be there for him, the addition of family who will also do that is new but Clair is right, the old comfort that he can fall back on pokémon to have the best in stock for him. He'll do the same for them, though, he will always try and do good… but now Ash isn't sure whether healing Tracey was such a good idea. The mere thought that it could turn on him makes his stomach churn but he swallows the feeling of unease in lieu of not worrying his aunt, who is looking like she's enjoying her food. He tries to keep his head from messing with him but he can't shake the feeling he usually gets when dealing with someone from his past. But this time, Ash is ready to fight, he's not the weak, scared little boy who will allow others to walk over him. So whatever Gary ends up doing, he better be careful or he'll let Clair do what he suspects will involve a restraining order. Anything to keep himself safe to because his safety now also mean's Clair and Lance's wellbeing. Maybe even Steven and Wallace's well-being because they are very relieved to see both of them back.
So no, Ash will not be putting his foot in any sensitive matter, he won't take the bait and if only he doesn't want to block the rest of his friends -and Leon, who has taken it upon himself to send him memes with the excessive usage of 'innit'- he would've shut down his phone. Mewtwo then reminds him that it is keeping vigil, that it knows exactly what Gary does at this moment and that it only needs one word to stop him from doing anything… for a certain period of time. It takes a lot of convincing on Ash's part to ease Mewtwo into thinking that this action isn't necessary… though the pokémon still drains the battery of Gary's phone, 'just to be sure'. So nothing happens that night, it allows Ash to go to bed without worry. And Mewtwo sounded way too gleeful, the boy is convinced that it just broke Gary's phone.
Still, it's got nothing to do with him so that's just tough on Gary's part. He should've kept his mouth shut, it's clear that both Clair and Mewtwo got triggered by something the teen said and while Ash has gotten good at droning out nonsense, he suspects that they just didn't like how Gary implied he was the reason why Lance ended up in the hospital, one of his biggest insecurities, as he did bring along a lot of trouble along when he arrived here. But while it's something that pops up in his mind at three in the morning, like all his regrets tend to do when he's laying awake in bed, he doesn't need to hear it from someone like Gary. So with that in mind, the teen huddles among the covers of his bed, enjoying the new kind of purr Dreepy makes as she's decided to now also sleep in his bed along with Pikachu. A massive improvement that makes him feel much better, in fact, about fifteen minutes into his experience, he's already forgotten all about Gary and falls asleep a little later, happily snoozing, ready for another day.
End of chapter thirty-six