Chapter 5

Life goes on at Lumiose Tower in much the same way as before. Ash and Clemont continue to co-run the Gym with much success; thanks to Ash, Clemont now has much more free time to spend on his inventions. Some are incredibly successful, like the Solar Charger he creates based on Heliolisk's frills to store power from sunlight and turn it into electrical power to run the flashlight. Some are… less successful, but not complete failures: he's actually rather fond of the Minccino-inspired autonomous floor-cleaning vacuum he designs one day. Much to Bonnie's disappointment, who had enjoyed riding around on top of it, he has to dismantle that invention for a closer look because of its tendency to try and latch onto people's feet.

Others are complete and utter failures that manage to blow up in his face and send him coughing out into the hallway to avoid the smoke. Bonnie is pretty blasé about the consistent explosions by this point, but Ash still pops up in concern to see if Clemont is alright.

Sometimes, however, he spends his time down in the Gym just watching Ash battle. Despite still not being able to open that mysteriously locked file, Clemont hasn't had any worries about Ash' ability to run the Gym as a true Gym Leader in some time. It's nice just to be able to sit back and relax, and watch the joy that Ash takes in battling. The robot, a master of unconventional tactics and improvisation from the beginning, is improving in leaps and bounds in his battling skills – he can already win nearly 2 out of every 3 matches against Clemont. Clemont has talked to him before about the role of a Gym Leader – to put their all into a battle, yes, but above all, to test the challenging Trainer – and Ash performs it admirably. He's good natured when he loses, offering the Voltage Badge with praise; and just as good-natured when he wins, offering encouraging words and advice.

Clemont wonders sometimes if some of the challengers don't even realise that Ash isn't human. Even he has moments where he forgets about it completely as he returns Ash's enthusiastic wave after spotting him in the stands.

However, it's hard to forget when you have to spend an hour chasing down a stubborn robot to convince him to let you upgrade his code.

"'m s'ry," Clemont mumbles around a mouthful of cable as he hooks Ash up to the computer in the workshop. "I'll make it quick," he promises apologetically, once the cable is gone and plugged into its proper place. "I know you hate it, but I really do need to do this upgrade or you might end up overheating."

"I know, I know," Ash grumbles, shuffling around until he is sitting in a comfortable position. "I don't wanna melt, but it just feels weird to me." Clemont pats his shoulder in commiseration and gets to his feet with a grunt. Before he can turn away, however, Ash reaches up and catches a hold of his hand. "Thanks for doing it, though," Ash tells him earnestly. "Even though I'm complaining about it so much."

Clemont smiles as Ash lets his hand fall. "It's no problem at all," he replies, hopping down from the platform and heading for the computer. "Try not to move too much, please," he adds as he starts to search for the files that require updating. Over on the platform, Ash freezes halfway through shuffling around again, looking guilty. The sudden lack of noise makes Clemont look around, chuckling. "You can get comfortable," he tells him, "but after that, try not to move around. The cables might twist out if you move too much and disrupt the transfer."

"Oh, right," Ash says with a nod, eventually settling down into a cross-legged position, propping his chin up on his hands. After checking to make sure he isn't going to move again – sitting still seems to be a hard task for someone with as much energy as Ash – Clemont returns to the screen. Ok, so the files I need to update are this one, and this one, and those –

True to his word, he tries to work quickly, but even quick upgrades require time to integrate the new code and check that it won't interfere with any of the existing code. He can hear Ash starting to fidget, drumming his fingers against the platform and shifting restlessly. Clemont really should have thought to get Ash a book or something to read while he sits there; Ash normally spends the time looking out the windows, distracted by the city below, but today the sky is dull with clouds and watery sunshine. Sorry Ash, just a little bit longer…! he thinks guiltily.

His fingers are flying across the keys when a long, drawn-out hiss of breath from the centre of the room has him freezing mid-word, swivelling around in a panic. There's a faint grimace on Ash's face. "Ash?"

"Huh? Ah, no, it's okay, keep going," Ash says. "It just feels super weird." A shudder runs through his frame, punctuating his words.

Clemont does not keep going. How can he, when Ash is clearly in discomfort? "Can you feel what I'm doing?" he asks, heavy concern mixed with a spark of curiosity. Ash nods. Clemont files this away for further thought. Clearly, however, it's not a nice feeling; he's reminded suddenly of how doctors put people under anaesthetic when they go in for an operation. "Would you rather me shut you down for a bit while I do this?" he offers, brows furrowed in concern. "That way you wouldn't be able to feel any of it. I don't want you to be in discomfort."

Ash appears to think this over for a moment. "Nah," the robot replies eventually, shaking his head. Clemont is amused and somewhat gratified to see that Ash is still doing his best not to disturb the cables connecting him to the computer despite the unpleasant feeling. "It's still more interesting to stay awake. Besides, you said you'd be done soon, right?" He shoots a smile in Clemont's direction.

"Yes, I've only got two more files to update," Clemont confirms. "If you're sure…" Ash waves a hand at him without looking, shooing him back towards the computer. Clemont huffs a laugh. "…Well, I'll hurry up, in any case."

He's just opening up the next file when Ash speaks up again. "Hey, Clemont…" He waits for Clemont's hum to show he is listening before continuing. "Do you – do you reckon that Pikachu is doing okay?"

"Pikachu?" Clemont repeats blankly. "Oh – the one from the flower garden the other day?"

"Yeah!" Ash props his chin on his hand. "I hope he's doing okay," he says wistfully. "I can't help but worry. Pikachu don't usually live in the city..."

"That's true," Clemont agrees, continuing to type away. "Still, there is actually a large population of wild Pokémon living in Lumiose City."

"Really?" Ash asks, perking up.

Clemont nods, though he doesn't look around at Ash. "Yes, there's a lot of parks and waterways here that they can live in." He saves the file he's working on and transfers it before accessing the last file he needs to update. "So I think that Pikachu is probably doing alright," Clemont continues. "Even though he didn't seem to like humans, he must get enough food somehow, because he looked healthy enough when we saw him."

"Yeah… that's true," the robot muses. "Still, that scar on his tail… I wonder if that's why he doesn't like humans?" A pout. "I wanna be his friend though…"

"I'm sure you'd be a good friend to Pikachu," Clemont tells him, glancing over at the robot. "Though you need to take Pikachu's feelings into account as well. If Pikachu really doesn't want to be around humans, then it might not be a good idea to force him." Ash's shoulders slump, a glum expression on his face. Still, he nods reluctant acceptance. "Still," Clemont adds, not wanting to see his friend look so sad, "if you'd like, we could go down to the flower garden again sometime and see if we can find Pikachu. He might just be shy."

Just as Clemont had hoped, Ash brightens again. "Really? That'd be awesome, yeah! Thanks Clemont!"

Hiding a smile, Clemont turns his attention back to the computer. I'm not sure if we'll be able to find Pikachu, though… but then again, Ash is pretty stubborn. He'll probably search the entire garden to see if he can find that Pikachu. Hrm, I wonder if there's anything I could make to help us search faster…? He files the thought away, to come back to when he isn't messing around in Ash's code.

It seems that talking serves as a welcome distraction for Ash from the strangeness of having his code shifted around, so Clemont isn't surprised when Ash speaks up again.

"Hey… Clemont?"

"Mm?" he replies, only half-listening as he frowns at a piece of code that isn't working out the way he thought it should. In his distraction, he misses the sudden hesitancy in Ash's voice – a rare state for the robot to be in.

"I've been thinking… I want to become a Pokémon Trainer!" Ash declares. "That tournament that you and Bonnie told me about sounds so fun, and I'd love to be able to travel around Kalos a bit… not that Lumiose City isn't great, but just think of all the amazing places to see out there! And all the Pokémon! I'd get to see and battle all kinds of Pokémon, and make friends with them…"

"Mm," he agrees absently. I think the problem is in this line here… Please don't tell me it's just because I forgot a semi-colon…!

Ash seems heartened by his response, his voice gaining momentum and excitement. "I heard that the very best Pokémon Trainers are called Pokémon Masters! So I've decided, even more than a Pokémon Trainer, I'm gonna win the Kalos League and then become a Pokémon Master! I wanna know everything about every kind of Pokémon and have a lot of fun battles!"

"There, all finished!" Clemont says in relief, transferring the last file. "Hang on, I'll come disconnect you." He's out of his seat and halfway to Ash before his mind backtracks over the half-heard monologue. "Wait, what were you saying?"

"I wanna be a Pokémon Trainer and travel around!" Ash says with exaggerated patience, unable to keep the eagerness out of his voice. Clemont's hands freeze mid-reach for the cables. "And eventually, a Pokémon Master!"

Clemont forces himself to keep moving, disconnecting the cables gently as his mind whirls in shock. A… A Pokémon Trainer? A small seed of panic bursts to life in his chest. "I don't know, Ash," he says doubtfully, collecting the cables together. "I don't think that's a very good idea."

"Why not?" Ash says in surprise, twisting around to look at him. Clemont passes him back his t-shirt, which he takes automatically, and heads back to his computer desk to stow the cables away.

"Because it's too dangerous," Clemont says firmly. "Ash, you're a robot."

"So?" Ash replies mulishly. He pulls the t-shirt on, head popping through the collar. "That's not stopped me before, I don't see why it should stop me now."

Clemont sighs, his back to Ash as he stores the cables away. "It's too dangerous," he repeats. "You're not designed for hard travel, like what you'd encounter if you actually went journeying across Kalos –"

"But you can make me better suited for that," Ash argues.

Clemont ignores the interruption. "– and even if you were, what happens when you get damaged? It'll happen sooner or later, believe me. You can't just go to a Pokémon Center or a regular hospital like a human or Pokémon could to be healed. Even a simple code upgrade like this," he waves at the workshop, shutting the cupboard door to face his friend, "would be hard to do anywhere else."

"I can do without the code upgrades," Ash says, crossing his arms. "As for the rest – well – I'm not going to get injured!"

Clemont snorts. "Ash, you knocked half your fingers out of alignment the other day."

"Well, yeah, but –"

"And the week before that, you managed to put a dent in your leg." He's still not sure how Ash managed that one, considering that he'd made sure to reinforce Ash's arms and legs when he'd remade him.

"That wasn't –"

"And before that –" Clemont continues, but Ash waves his hands frantically.

"Alright! I get it!" he protests. "But none of those were serious!"

"But they could be!" Clemont counters. "And travelling around Kalos would be a lot tougher on your body than staying here in Prism Tower." He sighs. "Besides, people might treat you strangely when they find out you're a robot. You're used to being here, where everyone knows you, but Kalos is a big place, with all kinds of people. I'm not even sure if you'd be allowed to register for the League –" he cuts off, a considering look passing over his face as he puts a hand to his chin in thought. "Actually, no, you probably can, given that the League Association approved your position as a Gym Leader here," he concedes, but returns to his previous patient tone. "But in any case, you don't really know a lot about other people."

Ash frowns. "You and Bonnie have taught me heaps, though."

"Yes, but we're only two people," Clemont sighs.

"Well then, isn't it important I meet more people?!" Ash retorts, raising his voice. "How am I supposed to get to know more about people and Pokémon if the only interaction I ever have with them is in Gym battles?"

"Ash, calm down," Clemont says, holding out his hands. "I think maybe you're still a bit agitated from the code upgrade…"

"No!" Ash snaps, looking angry. It's the first time Clemont has ever really seen Ash get this worked up; he's seen Ash annoyed before, seen him exuberant, but never just plain out angry. "It's got nothing to do with the upgrade," the robot continues. "I thought you'd support me with this, Clemont!" His words are angry, but his posture slumps with disappointment. Clemont winces, the sharp accusation hitting hard.

"And I would," he insists, his voice taking on a pleading tone. Ash surely has to realise how much Clemont wants to support him? But there are a million reasons why this is a bad idea, and he wishes that Ash could just see reason. "I'd support you with anything else, but this is too dangerous, Ash!"

"This is my dream!" Ash cries.

"But it's too dangerous!" Clemont repeats.Of all the times for Ash to get reallystubborn about something… Please Ash, just think this through! He forces himself back to a calm tone. "Besides, you're a Gym Leader. You can't just go off around the country collecting badges and neglect the Gym! You've got to stay here." You belong here, with me.

"Well then, I quit as Gym Leader!" Ash retorts, storming towards the door. "I don't need your help anyway!"

"Ash, wait –!" Clemont calls, stretching a hand out. Ash ignores him, slamming the door behind him with a force that rattles the shelves closest to the door. A few seconds later, Clemont hears the front door of the apartment slam closed as well. His hand drops back to his side.

He sighs. Oh dear.

/\/\/\

Ash moodily kicks at a rock on the ground and watches it bounce further down the road ahead of him. Stupid Clemont! Ash scowls and shoves his hands into pockets as he stalks along the footpath. "I don't think that's a good idea, Ash," he mimics aloud. " It probably wouldn't go well, Ash." His scowl deepens. "What does he know, anyway? Well, I'll show him! I'm gonna become a Pokémon Master! And I'll do it without his help!" he declares, earning strange looks from the people passing by. Ash deflates and moves out of their way, leaning on a railing that overlooks one of the city's canals.

"Why is being a robot such a big deal, anyway?" he complains to himself. "So I'm not made of flesh and bone! Just because I'm a robot doesn't mean I'm not a person." At least, that was the impression he'd always gotten from his small family until now. They'd always treated him the way they treated each other. Would people really treat me that differently if they knew? Ash wonders. He doesn't know; before he started playing at being human, the only people he'd met had been Trainers wanting a Gym battle – and really, Trainers who want a Gym battle wouldn't care if their opponent is a robot or a human or a potato, as long as they have the chance to earn a badge.

He sighs.

"I thought friends were supposed to help you," Ash mutters, resting his chin on his arms as he stares down at the canal below. Not even the sight of the Marill playing in the water cheers him up.'They help you and you help them', right? I've always done my best to help Clemont – I've always wanted to help Clemont, just because I like seeing him and Bonnie be happy, not because I was trying to trade favours or anything. I just thought… I just thought he'd be happy for me. Ash sighs morosely. I thought he'd help me… or at least back me up.

Ash finds himself watching the Marill splashing around in the water happily. The sight reminds him of another bridge he'd stopped to watch water Pokémon from, the day he'd gone outside Prism Tower for the first time.

Clemont caught me before I could fall off, that time , he remembers suddenly. Despite physical activity not being his strong suit, Clemont had still acted without hesitation to drag Ash back over the right side of the railing, even though he'd been exhausted afterwards.

In fact, now that Ash was considering it, there were a lot of times just like that where Clemont's first instinct was to support him, even if he was going out of his way to do it. Take the Gym battles, for example. Alright, it was guaranteed that Ash would get to fight some of the Gym battles – after all, that's why Clemont had made him in the first place – but Clemont didn't have to share as much of the Gym with Ash as he currently did, especially when it was for no other reason than Ash enjoyed Pokémon battles and wanted to battle more. Both Bonnie and Clemont had so readily shared their home, their lives and their Pokémon with Ash and treated him like a person from the start. All those times Ash had managed to damage himself one way or the other and Clemont had just dropped whatever he was doing to fix it straight away so it wouldn't trouble Ash any longer. Not to mention making him an entirely new body for no other reason than he thought Ash would appreciate it – the amount of thought and work Clemont had put into the design was astounding.

Clemont's been helping me all along and I never really paid attention… he think as he glances down at his hands, feeling contrite. He's been helping me because he simply just wants to help me. So I guess he must have his reasons for not doing so now.

I need to talk properly to Clemont without getting angry this time around.

That decided, Ash looks around and suddenly realises he has no idea where he is. Ah, it's this way… wait, or maybe it was this way…? He spins around in a circle, but nothing in the street looks familiar to him. Ash scratches his head sheepishly. Well, as long as I can see the Tower I can make it back home from anywhere in the city, right?

Luckily, Prism Tower is easily seen from just about anywhere in Lumiose City, so it doesn't take long for Ash to locate it. Ash sets off towards it, but he's only gone a few steps, when –

'Well then, I quit as a Gym Leader!'

– his parting words to Clemont echo in his mind. The image of his friend's surprised face at his words is crystal clear in his memory. Ash's steps falter. Maybe Clemont wouldn't want to see him now, after that fight. He's probably still angry at me…

Ash stares up at Prism Tower, the structure rising over the city like a lighthouse or a beacon. Although it's impossible to tell from the outside, he knows exactly which level the Gym is – and above that, Clemont and Bonnie's apartment. He wonders if Clemont is back in his workshop and if so, what he's making now. He wonders if he'll ever find out.

The robot gives Prism Tower one final, long look and then turns away and walks in the opposite direction.

He doesn't notice the sky start to darken overhead.

/\/\/\

'Well then, I quit as a Gym Leader!'

Clemont sighs morosely, shoulders slumping. Although he had come up to his workshop to work on his latest invention in order to keep his mind off his earlier argument with Ash, it still continues to replay over and over in his mind. When he realises he's just been staring at the part in his hands for the last few minutes instead of working on it, Clemont sets everything down on the work bench and buries his face in his hands miserably. "It's no use, I can't concentrate on this!"

Beside him, Heliolisk makes a noise of concern and peers up at his Trainer worriedly. Clemont looks down at his partner Pokémon. "I should apologise to Ash, shouldn't I?"

"Heeeelio," Heliolisk replies seriously.

Clemont sighs again, letting his hands fall to the workbench. "He was so excited about becoming a proper Trainer – he said it was his dream – ahhh, I should have known saying it wouldn't work out was a bad idea, but Ash is so stubborn sometimes!" He scrubs a hand through his hair, too frustrated to realise that he's just managed to streak oil through it as well.

By this point, Heliolisk is fairly sure that his Trainer is speaking more to himself than to his Pokémon, but the lizard Pokémon still makes an appropriate sound in response all the same. Clemont blinks as though he's just remembered that Heliolisk is there and stretches out a hand to rub the Pokémon's head, much to Heliolisk's delight.

"I just – I worry so much about him, you know?" he says with a sad smile. Heliolisk nods emphatically under his hand, making noises of agreement. Clemont huffs a laugh. "Of course, you're his friend too, you must worry just as much!"

Clemont's hand stills on top of Heliolisk's head and the lizard Pokémon looks up at him. No matter how much Clemont puts on a brave face, his first fight with Ash has really rattled him. "I didn't mean to make him mad at me…" Clemont confesses quietly, more to himself than to Heliolisk. Guilt has settled in his stomach, refusing to leave him alone. "…I don't want him to be mad at me." The Gym Leader falls silent, his hand moving restlessly across Heliolisk's head.

"I'm sure he didn't actually mean it when he said he was quitting, right?" he asks Heliolisk after long moments of silence. "Ash doesn't give up on anything." It was one of the things that Clemont admires about his robot, but it was also one of the most frustrating. He sighs when he realises that this probably means that Ash won't give up on his dream of becoming a Trainer either. "Well, first things first," he tells Heliolisk. "I'll find Ash and apologise. Then maybe we can have a battle!" Pokémon battles always seemed to cheer Ash up, and it had been a while since he and Ash had had a training battle. "What do you think, Heliolisk?"

"Helio!" Heliolisk agrees, happy to see that his Trainer recover some of his usual energy. Nodding decisively, Clemont hops down from his stool and goes to find Ash and hopefully apologise.

However, Ash isn't anywhere in their apartment, nor is the robot down in the Gym when Clemont goes down there to check. He's standing in the middle of the battlefield, frowning in deep thought, when he hears Bonnie call out from behind him. "Clemont! What are you doing down here? I don't think we'll get many challengers today…"

"Bonnie!" Clemont pauses, running her last words through his mind again. "Wait, why wouldn't there be challengers?" he asks, momentarily sidetracked.

"Because! I was just listening to the TV, and the weather report said that there was going to be a huge storm today!" Bonnie says, waving a finger in the air. "No-one's gonna want to come out to the Gym on a day like that!"

Clemont has a bad feeling about this. "Have you seen Ash anywhere?" he asks.

His sister shakes her head. "No, I haven't seen him since this morning. What's wrong?" There's concern in her voice; it's not often that Ash can't be found near one of the two siblings.

Clemont looks at the ground, shamefaced. "I had a fight with him earlier –" Bonnie glares at him and he holds his hands up to ward off the look, continuing hastily, "– and I wanted to apologise to him! But I can't find him anywhere…"

Bonnie's glare softens into worry. "We should check the whole Tower! Maybe he just went exploring to calm down. I'll help you look!'

"Thanks, Bonnie," Clemont says gratefully. Two of them looking means they can find Ash faster.

"Zaaa! Za zaaaa!"

Clemont looks down in surprise at Heliolisk waving his arms energetically. "You want to help look for Ash too?" It makes sense, after all, Ash is their friend as well. "You're right, Heliolisk! We can search faster with everyone's help! Please come out!"

Magneton, Magnemite and Bunnelby all appear in bursts of light next to Heliolisk and look at him expectantly. "We need to find Ash. Please search around the Tower and see if you can find him!" Clemont tells them.

All of his Pokémon nod, making sounds of agreement. "I'll check the observation deck!" Bonnie volunteers.

"Bunnelby, you go with Bonnie. The rest of us will check the lower floors and we'll meet back here, okay?" Clemont directs. There's a chorus of agreement. Bonnie and Bunnelby head for the elevator while Clemont heads for the stairs, the rest of his Pokémon hot on his heels.

I hope we can find Ash inside the Tower , Clemont thinks, worried. If he's gone outside, I don't know how we can find him in such a big city. And if a big storm is really going to hit… Ash could really get hurt.

He hopes with all his heart that Ash hasn't left the Tower.

.

.

.

Clemont braces a hand on the wall outside the entrance to the Gym, breathing heavily. Running all around the Tower to try and find Ash is exhausting, but he has to keep searching. There's no sign of the robot anywhere, which only makes the worry in his heart stronger with every passing minute. He hopes that one of the others has had more luck in finding Ash.

The doors to his Gym swish open as Clemont nears them. It seems he is the last to return; Bonnie and all his Pokémon have gathered in the middle of the battlefield again. Ash isn't there. They all look up expectantly when the doors open, but visibly slump when it becomes clear that Clemont has returned alone.

Clemont hurries over anyway, heart in mouth. "Anything?" he asks, a tinge of desperation to his words even though he already knows the answer he's going to receive. Bonnie shakes her head, looking as worried as Clemont feels.

"No, we couldn't find him anywhere." His Pokémon chorus an answer along the same lines.

Clemont takes a deep breath, trying not to panic. He's left the Tower then. Probably right after we argued, too. It hits him then, like a punch to the gut, that if anything happens to Ash while he's outside, it'll be Clemont's fault for driving him away from the Tower in the first place. I have to find him!

"I'm going to go out and look for him!" he declares aloud. "Thank you for helping us search, everyone!" He calls all of his Pokémon back to their Pokéballs, already mentally calculating the places Ash is more likely to have gone.

"I'm coming too!" Bonnie exclaims. Clemont shakes his head and kneels down in front of her.

"No, I need you to stay here in case Ash comes back, alright?" he says gently. There's a good chance that the storm will hit while Clemont is out looking; even now, ominous-looking black clouds are starting to swirl above Lumiose City. It's too dangerous to risk his little sister going out in that. Plus, there really is the chance, however small, that Ash will come back to Prism Tower of his own accord. If that happens, Clemont wants one of them to be here, otherwise the robot might just turn around and head back out into the storm to find them.

"Okay," she says quietly. He smiles and hugs her quickly, knowing that Bonnie is just as worried as he is and that it must be hard for her to wait here without doing anything.

"Thank you, Bonnie. I'll be back as soon as I can." Clemont stands up. "I'll find him," he promises. Bonnie nods, and Clemont spins around, heading back the way he had come in.

"Take care, Clemont!" he hears Bonnie call after him as the doors swish shut.

Ash, I'm sorry! Just please be alright! I'll find you!

Oh dear D:

Thanks for reading! C: