It's about to get serious...!
Chapter 13
"…HE'S THE ROBOT?!"
Clemont barely notices the exclamation or the stunned silence that follow it. All of his attention is on Ash. Pikachu isn't affected by those waves in the same way Magneton and Heliolisk are, even though they're all electric-types . There must be a limitation of some kind on how far the waves can reach... if I can just get Ash away from here, he'll be out of danger!
"Ash, come on," he says urgently. "We need to retreat for now." Ash stumbles a bit as Clemont tries to push him towards safety, only for the robot to dig in his heels and refuse to move.
"No!" Ash insists, gritting his teeth. His face is still set in a grimace of pain, but his eyes are determined as they meet Clemont's. "I won't give up as long as I can still fight!"
"Ash, it's dangerous!" Clemont protests.
Ash shakes his head stubbornly and pulls his hands away from his ears with effort. "That doesn't matter, I won't gARGH!" His hands slam back over his ears and he hunches over again. "I don't want… to…" Ash's voice trails off oddly and he falls still under Clemont's hands.
Clemont waits a moment, panic steadily rising every moment that Ash remains silent and unmoving. "Ash?" he asks uncertainly. For a second, he thinks that Ash has started shaking again until he realises that it's his fingers trembling upon Ash's still shoulders. "Are you alright?" Please answer me, tell me you're okay.
A low growl rumbles at the edge of Clemont's hearing but he barely has time to register what he's hearing when Ash looks up and Clemont jerks backwards in surprise with an undignified yelp because Ash's eyes are glowing red. Before he even has time to process that, something shoves him hard in the chest and he falls, sprawling backward across the hard ground of the Gym with a cry.
"Ah! Clemont!" Bonnie calls from behind him, echoed by Bunnelby as the Pokémon hops up beside him looking worried. He sits up slowly, wincing and rubbing his chest. "Are you okay?"
Bonnie's voice is getting closer; he can hear her hurried footsteps making their way towards him as well. "Don't come closer, Bonnie! It's too dangerous!" he calls back. "I'm okay, just winded."
"Thank goodness! Is Ash okay?"
Clemont's breath catches in his throat as he raises his eyes to meet Ash's. No matter how hard Clemont searches, there's no sign of the warm brown he's so used to. Ash's eyes are cold and hard and Clemont flinches away from the harsh red glow. "…Ash?" he asks tentatively. "Ash, can you hear me?"
Ash continues to stare at him without blinking once. The small, tentative hope that maybe this is just overload, not any kind of sign that Ash's coding has been changed – that Ash is being controlled like his Pokémon – fades at the lack of recognition in glowing red eyes. "Ash, it's me, Clemont," he tries again, voice pleading. "You know me. Can you tell me what's wrong, please?"
Still no response. Clemont feels his fingers scrape against the ground as they curl into useless fists. "Please, Ash!" he cries desperately. Please tell me you're alright! Please tell me you're not – you're not – His eyes squeeze shut as he fights back tears.
Laughter breaks through the silence and Clemont glares up at Team Rocket, who all look entirely too smug. "Sorry, twerp, he's part of Team Rocket now!" Jessie crows triumphantly. "He belongs to us now!"
"He doesn't belong to anyone, least of all you!" Clemont yells back, his voice shaking. Ash is Ash. Maybe Clemont is the one who had made him – was it only months ago? – had given Ash the base to start from, but Ash is truly his own person now. He continues to surprise and impress Clemont every day and Clemont was so, so proud of Ash. Has he ever told Ash that? Will he ever get a chance to now, with Ash staring him down so coldly with a face void of all of the usual overabundance of emotion? "Give him back!"
"Sorry, no can do!" James sing-songs. "It was difficult, but we hacked into its programming and now that robot is ours!"
"I still can't believe that annoying twerp is the robot we were looking for," Meowth grumbles.
"Me neither," Jessie comments, folding her arms.
"Wobbuffet!"
"Yes, but this makes it even easier to catch Pikachu, right?" James points out. "That pesky Pokémon won't have the twerp to back him up!"
Clemont barely hears them, still staring up at Ash as his friend stands over him with those cold eyes. We hacked into his programming. The words echo in Clemont's head. We hacked into his programming. Ash's code is what makes Ash who he is, growing and learning all the time as he experiences the world and not even Clemont dares to touch it anymore for fear of damaging Ash. Yet these three have forced their way inside Ash's head and made him into this cold, silent shadow of his friend and Clemont isn't sure if he can get Ash back. What if – what if they've damaged something permanently? What if the bright and cheerful boy Clemont knows is gone forever, overwritten by this bizarre nightmarish Ash?
The awful possibility that he might have lost Ash even if he manages to defeat Team Rocket by himself squeezes at his lungs and heart, making it hard to breathe. I don't know what to do, Clemont thinks desperately, feeling his fingers tremble against the ground. The sight of Ash standing against him together with Team Rocket, the very people who have hurt Ash once before, makes Clemont's blood run cold and he is frozen in place, unsure what he should do and terrified for his friend.
Through the terrified fog clouding his thoughts, he hears Bonnie call out. Pikachu scrambles over Clemont's shoulder to plant himself directly between Ash and Clemont, leaving him blinking in astonishment.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu calls. "Pika pikachu pikapi pi!"
Ash's blank stare drops from Clemont to Pikachu and Clemont holds his breath in hope. However, after long moments it's clear that Ash doesn't recognise Pikachu either. Clemont reaches out towards him. "Pikachu –"
Pikachu ignores him, raising his voice. "Pikapi!" the small Pokémon demands, taking a step towards Ash only to dart backwards again when Magneton and Heliolisk leap forward to defend the robot. Pikachu rebukes them in an irritated tone, sparks flying warningly from his cheeks.
"Clemont! Are you okay?" Clemont drags his gaze away from the confrontation in front of him as Bonnie kneels beside him.
"Bonnie! It's too dangerous for you here!" he exclaims in concern.
"Then it's just as dangerous for you and Ash and Pikachu too!" Bonnie retorts stubbornly. "Besides, you told me to stay with Pikachu!"
"Yes, but…" Clemont trails off lamely, lacking a proper counter-argument to his sister's words.
Satisfied that her brother is unharmed, Bonnie tugs on his arm. "Come on, Clemont, we have to rescue Magneton and Heliolisk!" she urges, turning to face Pikachu and Ash. "Go Ash! Show Team Rocket why they shouldn't mess with us!"
"Bonnie–" Clemont starts, heart clenching at the realisation that Bonnie has missed everything that has happened in the past few minutes, that she doesn't know about Ash –
There's no spark of recognition in the robot's eyes when he looks down at his three closest companions. Clemont shivers at how utterly blank Ash's face looks – just like a real robot, he thinks, slightly hysterically. Ash has always been a whirlwind of movement and energy, always wearing his metaphorical heart on his sleeve. This Ash stands as silent and still and expressionless as a stone.
Clearly, the change in Ash is not lost on Bonnie, as she presses closer to Clemont instinctively. "What's wrong with Ash…?" she asks, worry creeping into her voice. "Why's he just standing there and ignoring us?"
Clemont closes his eyes briefly. He doesn't want to tell her – not so much because he wants to shield her from the distressing truth, but because if he speaks the words aloud it will make things real in a way that Clemont doesn't want to accept. Still, Bonnie loves Ash just as much as he; she deserves to know the truth.
"Ash is…" His eyes meet glowing red for a second and he flinches away, looking at Bonnie instead. "He's not himself, Bonnie. Team Rocket's machine has done something to his code; he's being controlled like Magneton and Heliolisk."
Bonnie gasps, her eyes wide with horror. "That's awful! Poor Ash…" Her grip on his sleeve tightens and a glint of determination appears in her eyes. "We can't let them have Ash! We've got to get him and the Pokémon back!"
"I don't know if we can," he whispers, feeling hopeless. All we have are Magnemite, Pikachu and Bunnelby… and Pikachu and Magnemite are at high risk of getting controlled the same way as Magneton and Heliolisk, not to mention that Bunnelby's already worn out. I'm not sure we can win a battle under these conditions… and even if we did, there's no guarantee Ash will go back to normal either, not if they've messed with his coding.
"We still have to try!" Bonnie insists. "Ash is counting on you! Come on, Clemont, don't give up til the very end! Isn't that what Ash is always saying? Pikachu's giving it his all too, look!"
She points. Clemont looks at the small yellow Pokémon in front of him, still trying desperately to get the robot to remember them. Even when Ash turns away, Pikachu keeps trying, not willing to give up on somehow getting Ash back to normal.
'I won't give up as long as I can still fight!' Ash's last words before succumbing to Team Rocket's machine echo in Clemont's mind. Ash had tried so hard to fight whatever Team Rocket had done to him up to the very last moment, but in the end Ash is still a robot and still subject to his code. Even Ash can't fight that.
Then again, Ash seems to thrive on never doing what's expected of him; he never lets limits hold him back. No matter how hard or impossible something seems, Ash tries and tries again until he succeeded. That stubborn determination has always been something Clemont admires about Ash and it's something the robot came up with all on his own – Clemont had certainly never programmed anything like it into Ash's code. If anyone could do the impossible – if there was a robot that could defy its own code – it'd be Ash.
No . I refuse to believe that the Ash I know isn't still in there somewhere! A spark of determination lights his eyes and he looks up at Ash. Even if you can't fight any more, I'll fight for you! "You're right, Bonnie," Clemont says, slowly getting to his feet. He squeezes her hand and gives her a small reassuring smile before turning his gaze on Ash. "I won't give up on you! Please, Ash!"
"Pikapi," Pikachu pleads, ears drooping. Ash's eyes slide between all three of them, but there's still no sign of recognition, no spark that Clemont recognises as his Ash.
"Well, this is all very touching," Jessie cuts in. Clemont doesn't take his eyes off Ash, but he can practically hear the smirk in her tone. "But we really need to be off, so why don't you make this easy and just hand over the rest of your Pokémon?"
"Why don't you make things easy and just give everyone back so we don't have to beat you?" Bonnie counters, sticking out her tongue. Clemont smiles inwardly at his little sister's bravery.
"Why you little –" Jessie splutters. She turns to her companions, pointing a finger at Clemont and Bonnie. "Do something about them!" she demands angrily.
"Ah, right away!" James replies, quickly tapping something out on his laptop. In front of them, Ash cocks his head to the side as though listening to something. After a moment, the robot's gaze slides towards Clemont and Bonnie, focusing on them properly for the first time since he'd been overtaken. Ash turns to look at Magneton floating beside him; his movements have nothing of the fluid grace that Ash usually displays. This is not Ash.
"Magneton." It's the first words Ash has spoken in minutes and Clemont shivers at how flat his voice sounds. Ash without his usual spark is… unsettling. Horrifying. "Use Thunderbolt." Alright, 'unsettling' is much too mild of a word to use!
Unsettling or otherwise, Ash is also dangerous in this state as well, Clemont realises a beat later when a Thunderbolt heads his and Bonnie's way. "Watch out!" he yells and grabs Bonnie, rolling them both to the side. It's not a moment too soon either; Clemont flinches as a bolt of lightning scorches the ground close by. That was close!
He pushes himself off the ground with a groan. "Are you alright?" he asks Bonnie, checking her over for any injuries.
Bonnie's eyes are wide, but there is a smile on her face as she reassures him, "I'm fine!". She springs upright with ease as Clemont clambers to his feet more slowly beside her. He spots Pikachu and Bunnelby sprawled a few feet away and breathes a quiet sigh of relief that the two of them seem unharmed from the unexpected attack.
Clemont turns back to Ash, a shiver running down his spine when he meets that unsettling, blank-eyed gaze. Even so, Clemont refuses to back down. I have to get through to Ash somehow!
"That was dangerous!" Clemont scolds. On any other day, such a reprimand would have had Ash sheepishly apologising; Ash's apparent inability to understand the concept of danger will turn Clemont's hair white one day, he's sure of it, but the robot would never put anyone in danger deliberately.
Or so Clemont had thought. This version of Ash merely shrugs, uncaring. "That was a warning shot," the robot replies, his voice flat. Clemont grits his teeth. What have they done to you…?
A sharp cry of "Pikapi!" splits the air and breaks the staring contest between inventor and robot. Pikachu darts forward and repeats insistently, "Pikapi!"
Ash shakes his head. "Not me." Pikachu looks startled for a moment as Ash turns away. Surprise turns quickly to anger and Clemont and Bonnie both yelp as an irate Thunderbolt zigzags towards Ash.
"Watch out!" Clemont yells. It's a useless warning; the Thunderbolt strikes true but Ash shrugs off the electricity with ease, unfazed by the attack.Of course, Clemont remembers belatedly, I made sure electric attacks wouldn't harm him.
Team Rocket laugh triumphantly. "Haha! It's even better than we thought! There's no way your puny electric attacks are gonna do a thing against our robot!" Meowth crows gleefully.
"He's not yours!" Clemont snaps back at him, hands curling into fists. The fury inside him at the way they act like Ash is merely an object to be owned clashes with the fear that Ash will be lost forever if Clemont can't break through Team Rocket's mind control. I can't give up! he thinks, clenching his fists tighter to stop them from trembling. I have to –
Out of the corner of his eye, Clemont spots the furious look on Pikachu's face just as sparks starts to fly out of his cheeks. "No, wait!" he shouts, diving at the electric Pokémon and scooping him up before Pikachu can loose another Thunderbolt at Ash. Pikachu twists in his arms, trying to break free, but Clemont manages to hold onto him. "That won't work, Pikachu!" he tells the squirming Pokémon desperately. "Electricity won't affect him, you can't wake him up like that!" Pikachu's struggles slow until he sits unresisting in Clemont's arms, ears drooping in misery.
"Pikapi…"
Clemont rests his forehead against the top of Pikachu's head for a moment, exhaling a quiet breath of relief against the soft fur. Even knowing Pikachu's attack wouldn't do anything, the thought of watching Ash get hit by another Thunderbolt makes his blood run cold. Nor does he want Pikachu to look back on this later and regret attacking the person he trusts most in the world, even if Clemont knows Ash wouldn't blame Pikachu for doing so. "We'll get him back, I promise," he whispers. Pikachu looks up at him, gaze turning determined.
"Pika!"
"Aw, how sweet," Jessie drawls. "But it's useless! Meowth!"
"On it!" Meowth hits a button on the side of the machine and the radio dish swivels around to point towards Clemont and Pikachu.
"Alright, Pikachu's turn!" Jessie announces, pointing at said electric Pokémon. Clemont feels Pikachu twitch in surprise against his arms and his grip tightens in worry. "With the twerp on our side this should be even easier! You wanna be with him, right, Pikachu?"
What does she – oh no!
Clemont realises their plan a second too late; he can only watch in horror as Meowth twirls a dial gleefully and Pikachu immediately claps paws over his ears, shaking his head with a distressed whine. "Hold on, Pikachu!" he says desperately. "Please, you have to fight it!" You can't leave me too!
"Chaaaaaaaa!" Pikachu's voice is pained as he squirms, trying to burrow deeper into Clemont's arms to escape the waves being emitted by Team Rocket's machine.
I have to get him out of range!
Clemont leaps to his feet and takes off, heading for the stairwell at the other end of the Gym with all the speed he can muster. "Please hang on, Pikachu," he begs the Pokémon struggling in his arms. He isn't very good at running even at the best of times, let alone while he's still recovering from a bad cold – he can already feel his fear-driven strength starting to falter. "Don't give uAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHH!"
Pain rips through his body and he collapses to the ground barely halfway across the battlefield, Pikachu tumbling out of his arms. He can dimly hear Bonnie yelling his name as he groans and tries to push himself up off the ground with shaking arms. What happened? Did I trip over? Clemont wonders, reaching out blindly for his glasses and hissing a bit in frustration. Ah, come on, where are they?
Luckily, his glasses haven't flown too far and his hand closes over the familiar curves soon enough. Clemont snatches them from the ground and jams them on his nose, looking around wildly for Pikachu. I have to keep going and get Pikachu out of here…!
Piakchu appears uninjured by their fall, already on his feet by the time Clemont spots him. Relief soon curdles in Clemont's chest when he takes a closer look. Pikachu is on his feet, yes… with his tail raised and electricity sparking warningly from his cheeks. The electric Pokémon watches Clemont warily, like Clemont is once again the small Pokémon's enemy.
He hadn't tripped after all. That had been a Thunderbolt coursing through his veins.
"No…" Clemont whispers, breath catching in his throat at the sight of Pikachu's glowing red eyes. Eyes the same as Ash's, as Magneton and Heliolisk. I couldn't protect him either…?
"Pikachu!" he begs, holding out a hand. Pikachu takes a step back, eyes narrowing. Clemont lets his hand fall, trying desperately not to let rising terror overcome him. I've lost them all… he thinks, eyes starting to burn with tears.
'I won't give up as long as I can still fight!'
'Come on, Clemont, don't give up til the very end! Isn't that what Ash is always saying?'
Ash and Bonnie's words echo back from memory and Clemont realises that they're right. If he gives up now, neither Ash nor his Pokémon will ever go back to normal. I can't give up now! Clemont thinks, rubbing away unshed tears with a sleeve. If I'm the only one left to fight for them, then that's what I'm going to do!
"Clemont!" Bonnie skids to a stop beside him. "Clemont, are you alright?"
"I'm okay," he reassures her, accepting the hand she offers to help pull him to his feet. He sways a bit once he is standing – despite his words to Bonnie, he's starting to feel a little light-headed – and Bonnie looks skeptical at his repeated reassurances. She keeps a steadying hand on his arm as she turns to look at Pikachu and recoils against him with a gasp of dismay.
"Oh no, not Pikachu too!" Her grip on Clemont's arm tightens. "Poor Pikachu…"
He rests a comforting hand on the top of her head. "We'll get them back, Bonnie." When she tilts her head back to peer up at him with worry swimming in her eyes, he smiles. "I promise, okay?"
Bonnie stares at him a few moments longer before her brother's new-found determination bolsters her own courage. "Right!" she agrees with a smile.
Without warning, a Thunderbolt slams into the ground at their feet and sends them both stumbling backwards. "Pika pika chu!" Pikachu yells angrily, sparks flying from his cheeks. Recognising the warning signs, Clemont pushes Bonnie behind him just as Pikachu looses another Thunderbolt, this one aimed directly at them. He braces himself for the hit as lightning arches down –
– but it never comes. Instead, balls of mud come flying over his shoulder to smash into the Thunderbolt, deflecting its path as Bunnelby lands beside Clemont.
"Thanks, Bunnelby, you really saved us!" he tells the Pokémon fervently and Bunnelby grins in response before turning a determined gaze towards Pikachu. "Pikachu's being controlled like the others now, so be careful!"
"Bun!" Bunnelby acknowledges, hopping forward and planting feet squarely in a battle-ready position. Pikachu scowls back, electricity crackling wildly in the air around it. Both Clemont and Bunnelby watch carefully, waiting for the electric Pokémon to make the first move.
"Pikachu! Come here!" Ash calls from behind them, breaking the stalemate. Pikachu takes a few wary steps backwards, the electric Pokémon's gaze watchful. When they make no move to attack, Pikachu finally darts away, giving their small group a wide berth as he heads back towards Ash.
"Pikapi!" the Pokémon cries happily, leaping onto Ash's shoulder and nuzzling against the robot's cheek. Ash's mouth quirks upwards in a movement that is barely a smile and his blank expressions softens just the tiniest bit as he scratches Pikachu's chin in response. "Hey, Pikachu."
"Ahahahaha that was easy!" Team Rocket crows in unison. They start dancing around in triumphant victory as they sing "We captured Pikachu~ We finally captured Pikachu~ A robot and some Pokémon, all for us!"
Bonnie's cheeks puff out in indignation. "We'll show you!" she yells at them. "Right, Clemont?" When her brother doesn't reply, she looks up at him and finds him staring towards Ash and Pikachu. Bonnie nudges him in the side. "...Clemont?"
Clemont blinks, realising that an answer is expected from him. "Ah – Right! Of course!" he replies automatically, but he can't look away from that almost-smile, his mind whirling. We hacked into his programming. That's what Team Rocket had gloated about, that they had overwritten Ash's code to make him into their puppet. That's what he had assumed, when Ash refused to respond to or even recognise any of them. That maybe his Ash has been overwritten, wiped out by this horrible facsimile. But there's something in the voice of the Ash in front of them right now as he talks to Pikachu and smiles that almost-smile that makes Clemont think that maybe, just maybe, his Ash isn't as far gone as he had dreaded. Hope blossoms in his chest and a plan begins to form in his mind. I will get you all back!
He turns to Bonnie, who is still glaring at Team Rocket as they boast their victory. "Bonnie…" She turns to look at him questioningly when he kneels down to look her in the eye. "There's something I need you to do." Bonnie inches closer so that she can hear his whispered request.
"Hey," Ash calls, cutting across whispered discussions and victory songs alike. "Are we gonna battle or are you just gonna stand there whispering all day?"
Clemont can't help the smile that quirks his lips for a moment. Even mind-controlled, there are some things about Ash that apparently just can't be changed , he thinks to himself wryly. "Bonnie, do you understand? I need you to get to safety," he says aloud instead, his voice urgent.
Bonnie's confusion lasts only for a few moments before it turns to fierce stubbornness. "No!" she insists, glaring at him. "I can fight too!" Clemont opens his mouth to argue, but she speaks right over the top of him. "I want to help!"
Clemont closes his eyes. "I know, Bonnie, but please. I can't – I can't have anything happen to you as well."
Maybe there's enough truth ringing in his own words that she hears, because all of a sudden Bonnie darts forward and wraps her arms around him in a tight hug.
"Go get 'em, bro!" she whispers fiercely in his ear. "Good luck!" With that, Bonnie lets go of him and darts off behind him, heading towards the stairs at the back of the Gym.
"You really think you can beat the four of us all on your own?" Meowth taunts from behind him.
Clemont turns back to face Team Rocket, pushing his glasses up to sit more securely on his nose. "There's no way that I'll stand back and let you steal other people's Pokémon!" he replies, although his attention is on the machine under Meowth's feet. Destroying that machine is still the best way to stop them controlling all of our Pokémon. There's no guarantee that destroying it will bring Ash back to normal, but at least they won't be able to control him anymore.
Unfortunately, to get to the machine and destroy it, he'll have to get past Ash and his own Pokémon, not to mention Team Rocket themselves. I only have Bunnelby on my side, and he's already exhausted from all the Gym battles Ash had earlier. It would be better if I could avoid battling where I can…
"So, let's battle then!" Ash calls. Pikachu leaps down from the robot's shoulder with an enthusiastic "Pika!", looking ready to fight. Bunnelby follows Pikachu's lead, adopting a battle-ready stance.
"Wait!" Clemont interrupts. There's one last thing he can try, even if it is a wild gamble. "Activate the Master Recognition Battle mode!" If Team Rocket changed his programming, then maybe I can re program him… or at least tell him to shut down for now. I'm sorry, Ash. I only ever wanted to treat you like a person, but this might be the only way!
Ash folds his arms across his chest and Pikachu mimics the pose in front of him. "Activating that requires the voice code," he tells Clemont, seemingly unimpressed.
I have a bad feeling about this. "I know! Um – wasn't it something like –" Clemont wracks his brain frantically. Come on, come on, what was it…? "Sandwich!" he finishes triumphantly.
"Nope," is Ash's deadpan response.
Clemont blinks, taken aback. "What do you mean, 'nope'?!"
Ash shrugs. "That's not the correct code. Sorry."
Clemont suddenly remembers the locked file he'd tried to access all those months ago and the voice code denial he'd gotten back then too. Not this again! he groans inwardly. "I'm telling you, it's 'sandwich'!" he complains. "That's what I set it as!"
"Nope." Ash tilts his head to the side, still looking bored. "If you don't have the code, you can't activate that mode. We can still battle, though."
Clemont huffs a laugh – of course Ash still wants to battle anyway – and throws his hands up in frustration. "Ash, come on! Since when do you ever do anything according to your code?!" Ever since Ash had opened his eyes, ever since their first battle here in the Gym, Ash has been acting outside anything that Clemont ever programmed into his software. "Why now, of all times?!"
Something flickers in Ash's expression, but it's gone before Clemont barely has a chance to catch a glimpse. The robot sighs. "Can we battle now?" Without waiting for a response, Ash calls, "Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" and Pikachu leaps into the air, readying lightning to strike.
Just as I thought! "Bunnelby! Use your ears to throw up sand and block it!" he calls. The Thunderbolt slams into the sand and discharges with an explosion that sends smoke and sand flying everywhere, forcing Clemont to shield his face with an arm. When the smoke clears, both Bunnelby and Pikachu are still standing strong. "Alright! Now it's our turn! Dig!"
Bunnelby dives underground with a sharp cry, disappearing in moments. Pikachu looks around wildly, trying to spot where the other Pokémon will resurface. Ash's eyes flick over the ground between Pikachu and Clemont and orders, "Pikachu, run! Let's confuse it with speed!"
Clemont allows himself a grin as Pikachu starts to dart around the battlefield. Pikachu is fast, faster than all of Clemont's Pokémon save Heliolisk, but that won't put a halt to Clemont's plan. Across the field, Ash is frowning, having noticed the smirk on Clemont's face. "What makes you think we're after Pikachu?" Clemont asks. "Bunnelby, now! Destroy Team Rocket's machine!"
"What?!" Team Rocket exclaims in unison, looking at the ground under their feet. "Hey, that's not fair!"
"Heliolisk! Bulldoze!"
What?! Clemont thinks in shock as Heliolisk slams a foot down on the ground at Ash's command, sending shockwaves coursing through the ground. Bunnelby is tossed from the ground with a cry, sailing into the air with the force of the attack.
"Now, Pikachu!" Ash calls. "Electro Ball!"
Clemont's eyes widen as a ball of lightning begins to gather at Pikachu's tail as the small Pokémon leaps up into the air after Bunnelby. Electro Ball! Pikachu knows a high-level move like that?! is followed quickly by the realisation that Bunnelby can't dodge an Electro Ball in mid-air. "Bunnelby!" he cries, heart in his mouth. Clemont isn't sure if Bunnelby has enough health left to take a hit that strong.
Luck is on Clemont's side for a change, however. Pikachu's leap is off-balance thanks to the ground still quaking from Heliolisk's Bulldoze when he jumped. The Electro Ball narrowly misses Bunnelby and slams into the ceiling instead, sending pieces of concrete raining down. "Bunnelby, are you alright?" he calls out as his Pokémon lands.
"Bun!" Bunnelby calls back, raising a paw. Clemont breathes a sigh of relief. That was close!
More to the point, what is Ash doing?! That Bulldoze hadn't been anything Team Rocket had commanded, not when they'd been panicking so much. That had been Ash – except Ash has never tried to cheat in a Pokémon battle before. "Hey!" Clemont yells, suddenly angry. "Two against one is cheating!" What have they done to his robot's code to mess it up so badly? If there is anything Ash takes completely seriously, it was Pokémon battles.
"What?" Ash replies, sounding confused.
"You can't use both Heliolisk and Pikachu!" Clemont scolds, hands on hips. Bunnelby punctuates this statement with an emphatic "Bun!". "This isn't a double battle, so two on one is against the rules of this Gym! Aren't you supposed to be a Lumiose Gym Leader?!"
"I…" Ash looks away, a crease forming between his eyes as he frowns. "…Gym Leader…" The robot touches a hand to his temple and winces. "I… I am, aren't I…?" Clemont's heart leaps as the red glow of Ash's eyes flickers and dims slightly. "I'm… the Gym Leader robot… of Lumiose Gym…"
"Yes! That's right!" Clemont says encouragingly, hardly daring to hope. Ash doesn't seem to hear him, however; the robot has turned his head to look at Magneton and Heliolisk.
"The challenger's right," Ash tells the two Pokémon. "You guys… I can't battle with all of you at once, sorry. It's against the rules of this Gym."
"Rules, smules! Who cares?" Jessie interrupts, flapping a hand at the robot.
"That's right!" her partner adds. "All you have to do is beat that glasses-wearing twerp over there and then you don't have to worry about any of those silly Gym rules!"
However, it seems that Ash isn't really paying attention to Team Rocket at the moment either as he unclips the two Pokéballs on his belt and holds them out. "Magneton, Heliolisk, return!" Twin beams of light shoot out and return the two Pokémon to their Pokéballs despite Team Rocket's protests. Ash continues to pay no attention to any of them, directing an apologetic look at the Pokéballs in his hands. "Sorry guys, maybe next time. Pikachu's got this one."
With Heliolisk and Magneton safely back in their Pokéballs and out of reach of the waves from Team Rocket's machine, Clemont no longer needs to worry about having to battle them as well. However, the relief that his friends are safe pales in comparison to the giddy realisation that the Ash he knows is definitely still hiding somewhere amongst all the changes Team Rocket has made to his code – the Ash who loves to battle; the Ash who cares for his Pokémon; the Ash who loves being a Gym Leader but still wants to travel around Kalos and become a Pokémon Master.
Ash, who still hasn't given up fighting, even when he's helpless against his own programming, because Ash from Pallet Town doesn't give up until the very end.
His Ash.
I have to get him to remember who he is!
Across the field and oblivious to Clemont's thoughts, Ash continues to look puzzled as his still-red eyes flick between the two Pokéballs in his hand and Pikachu standing in front of him. "Hang on, I've only got two Pokéballs… Pikachu, where's your Pokéball?"
Pikachu twists around to look up at Ash and shakes his head. "Pikachuuu."
"You don't have one?" Ash replies, looking even more confused. "Then… you're not my Pokémon?"
"Pika! Pikapi pikachu!" Pikachu replies, waving his paws around emphatically. For once, it seems like Ash doesn't understand what the electric Pokémon is trying to tell him, if the robot's continued confusion is any indication.
"That's right, Pikachu isn't your Pokémon. He's your friend." Ash's head jerks up at the sound of Clemont's voice, finally registering that Clemont is still standing there. Clemont persists, flinging an accusing finger towards Team Rocket, who jump back in surprise. "You rescued him when he was injured by those three thieves over there! Don't you remember?!"
"I…" Ash trails off as he puts a hand to his temple again and squeezes his eyes shut. "I don't…" He trails off again, shaking his head like he's trying to clear it.
"Ash, can't you see?" Clemont pleads. "This isn't you!" He moves forward, wanting to offer Ash comfort as the robot clutches at his head because Clemont never wants to see Ash scared or in pain ever again. Before he can get more than a few steps, however, Pikachu jumps between them with an angry cry. Red eyes glow fiercely as sparks fly from Pikachu's cheeks, the electric Pokémon warning Clemont not to come closer. Clemont backs off, his hands held placatingly in the air as Bunnelby jumps in front of him protectively. Pikachu eyes him suspiciously as he moves away and calls a concerned "Pikapi?" over his shoulder. Clemont decides to try a different tactic.
"Do you know who I am?"
"Huh?" Ash looks up at Clemont through his fingers. The red glow behind them is even dimmer than it was before, eye colour flickering haphazardly like a broken light bulb between crimson red and Ash's own warm brown. Come on, Ash! Keep on fighting! I know you're in there! "You're…" Ash hesitates, eyes unfocusing in that peculiar way they do that always means Ash is accessing his memory banks. "You're… also a Gym Leader… of Lumiose Gym?" The robot ponders this for a few seconds, his eye colour still wavering back and forth. Red. Brown. Red. Brown. "That means… you're the one who made me?"
I may have built you, Ash, but you made yourself all on your own. "I'm more than that!" The force with which the words burst out of Clemont surprises him, but he's so close. Come on, Ash, please! "I'm your friend!" he declares, hand splayed across his chest. "We're family! Please, Ash! Please remember!"
Ash squeezes his eyes shut again at Clemont's begging and buries his face in his hands, starting to shake. Although Clemont can't see Ash's eyes anymore, he knows that right now they are flicking between frozen red and warm brown with every rapid beat of Clemont's heart that he can feel under his fingertips. I won't give up until you remember us!
There's a loud snort from behind Ash. "Oh please, spare me the mushy talk!" Jessie says derisively. "Robo-twerp, finish him off already!"
Clemont flinches at the direct order, but Ash doesn't move to obey the way that he would have only a few minutes ago. A frown crosses the Rocket member's face and she turns to her companions with a scowl. "Why isn't he doing anything?"
Her partner presses a few buttons on the screen in his hand, frowning at whatever data it reveals. "I don't know. Everything looks like it should be working…"
"Well, obviously it's not!" she complains. "Maybe it's just broken. Do something!"
"If it's broken, then there's not much I can do…" James mutters, quietly enough that Jessie doesn't hear him. He turns to Meowth. "Alright, let's increase the radio waves!"
"Roger that!" Meowth says cheerfully, twisting the dial on the wave-emitting machine even further. Ash immediately claps both hands over his ears and hunches even further in upon himself. Every shaky, agonised gasp that escapes the robot tears at Clemont's heart. Not again, not again, not again!
Ash's cries of pain are echoed by Pikachu, still sitting at his feet. The electric Pokémon's ears are pressed flat against his head, but Pikachu still manages to call out a concerned "Pikapi!" as Ash sinks to his knees beside him.
"Ash!" Clemont cries, dashing forward. A flash of lightning that nearly strikes his foot has both Bunnelby and himself stumbling back almost immediately. Pikachu's back is pressed hard against Ash's leg, red eyes narrowed almost to slits as the Pokémon lets out a high-pitched whine. Lightning flails indiscriminately around, Pikachu apparently determined to make sure absolutely no-one can come near his friend.
Clemont's hands hurt from how tightly his fists are clenched. He whirls on Team Rocket. "Stop it!" he yells in outrage, echoed closely by Bunnelby. "Can't you see you're hurting them? STOP IT!"
"Friends…" Ash's voice is barely a croaky whisper, but it cuts straight across the angry retort Team Rocket look set to make. It wouldn't matter even if they did say anything; all of Clemont's attention is now locked on the his robot, still kneeling on the ground.
Ash's head is bowed, staring down at the ground like there's nothing else in the world that catches his attention. "Friends…" he repeats, voice still scratchy and painful but gaining in volume, "…are like – like family that –" He breaks off with a gasp, a shudder wracking his body before he continues, "– that you can… choose…?" Ash's voice raises higher questioningly at the end, as though he's not sure of the meaning of the words he's saying. He looks up and meets Clemont's gaze with eyes red and no longer flickering – but also no longer blank and dull. Awareness is slowly rising in the depths of crimson. "People… that you know and, and trust?"
'Friends are like family that you can choose.'
'So we're both, right? Friends and family?'
Clemont's lips part in a trembling smile; he can feel the burn of relieved tears in the corners of his eyes. There's my Ash. However, now isn't the time to be crying – later, when Ash and Pikachu are safe and Team Rocket is gone, that's when he can let out all the fear and the worry that's been building up inside him. He's fairly sure that Ash won't mind if Clemont cries all over him after all of this, no matter how embarrassed Clemont feels about it. "They help you and you help them," he replies, quoting Bonnie from that day long ago in the flower garden.
"And…" Ash tilts his head to the side, one hand dropping from his face to rest on top of Pikachu's head. Pikachu turns under the robot's hand, foregoing lightning in favour of burying his face against Ash's thigh. "We're friends?"
'So we're both, right? Friends and family?'
'Of course!'
"Always, Ash," Clemont replies truthfully, his smile growing joyful. "We'll always be friends no matter what." Beside him, Bunnelby makes a noise of agreement and the corner of Ash's mouth twitches up into that almost-smile from before.
"Hey, stop messing with our robot!" Meowth cuts in, annoyed.
"Yeah! Inkay, Psybeam!" James orders.
"Mud Shot!" Clemont counters, Bunnelby swiftly leaping into the air to launch the attack. Mud and psychic energy collide in an explosion that sends smoke billowing across the entire Gym.
"Argh, you're really starting to get on my nerves!" Jessie growls with a stamp of her foot. "Wobbuffet! Get in there and make yourself useful!"
The blue Pokémon hurries forward, arms flailing. Clemont spares a quick glance towards Ash and Pikachu, but neither of them seem in any state to be battling. That just leaves these three and that wretched machine to deal with , he thinks, eyeing the new arrival. From what I saw of Ash's Gym battle with them, Wobbuffet doesn't have any offensive moves; it'll wait for us to make the first move. His gaze shifts to Bunnelby beside him standing ready to battle, but he can see the signs of exhaustion in the lines of the small Pokémon's body and the way Bunnelby is breathing heavily. Bunnelby's getting tired, though. I don't know if it'll be able to dodge an attack from Inkay. I guess the only option now is to attack first and take out Inkay before Wobbuffet can start deflecting our attacks…
"Bunnelby, please use Mud Shot!" Clemont calls.
"Wobbuffet! Reflect it straight back at them!" Jessie counters.
The familiar rainbow barrier of light begins to swirl over Wobbuffet's body, growing faster than Bunnelby can form his own attack. Clemont tenses. Here it comes!
"Hey!" calls a voice, right before something small and round and red smacks into Wobbuffet's head and bounces off, rolling to a stop at Jessie's feet. She stares. Wobbuffet blinks, putting an arm to his head in confusion.
It's an apple.
"What – " she starts to ask, but the rainbow shine of Mirror Coat is already melting away from Wobbuffet's form, the blue Pokémon unable to maintain concentration after being clonked on the head. Bunnelby's Mud Shot slams into Inkay, driving the squid-like Pokémon backwards. Team Rocket cough loudly as smoke surrounds their side of the field.
"Yes!" cheers Clemont, although he knows that Bunnelby's attacks have grown weaker as he gets more tired and thus that Mud Shot is unlikely to have knocked Inkay out.
"Wait, what happened?!" Jessie demands, trying to clear the smoke away from her coughing companions with angry swipes of her arms. "Wobbuffet, why didn't you block that attack?!"
"Wobuh!" Wobbuffet picks up the wayward apple and holds it out to Jessie, an apologetic look on the Pokémon's face. Jessie snatches the fruit from his outstretched paw, looking furious and ready to unleash that fury on someone with a sharp word – except she doesn't get the chance, because another apple sails through the air and collides with her face before the Team Rocket member even gets a chance to open her mouth.
Clemont traces the apple's flight path back towards the top of the stands behind Team Rocket and finds Bonnie waving at him cheerfully from the top step. "Bonnie!" he calls out, relieved to see her at last. He'd been worried she had gotten lost.
"Bonnie… There's something I need you to do…"
Bonnie moves closer so that she can hear him better. "What is it, Clemont?"
"We need to destroy that machine to stop Team Rocket being able to control Ash, Pikachu and the other Pokémon," he explains, glancing quickly towards Team Rocket to make sure they can't hear him. Surprisingly, Ash is watching them as he scratches Pikachu under the chin, but the robot says nothing and Clemont quickly averts his gaze, not wanting to see those glowing red eyes any more than he must. "I don't think Bunnelby and I will be able to get anywhere near it though. I need you to make a diversion and distract them."
His little sister nods determinedly. "I'll do it! What do you need me to do?"
"If you head back up the stairs towards our rooms, there's a turn-off halfway up that leads to some maitenance hallways that run around the Gym," Clemont tells her, quickly drawing a map out in the sand. "Go down the one on the right; there should be a door about two thirds of the way down that will bring you out right behind Team Rocket, at the top of the stands. See if you can distract them once you're up there, and Bunnelby and I can destroy that terrible machine while they're distracted.
Bonnie studies the hastily scribbled map for a few moments, blue eyes serious. Clemont reaches out and rests a hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention. "There are lots of risks, so please be careful," he warns her. "If things start getting dangerous, I want you to get to safety, alright? Promise me that you will."
"But, Clemont – "
"Please."
Maybe she hears the tremor in his voice, or feels the way that his hand trembles upon her shoulder; either way, she gives in. "Okay, I promise."
Clemont releases a breath he hadn't even realised that he was holding. "Thanks, Bonnie. Let's do our best!"
"Yeah!" Bonnie agrees, placing a hand over her heart. "Leave it to me, bro!"
Ash finally grows bored of waiting for them to finish their whispered conversation and calls for them to hurry up, directing Team Rocket's attention towards the sibling duo as well. It's time to put their plan into action.
"Okay, let's pretend you're leaving for now, okay?" Clemont whispers, before raising his voice and telling Bonnie to get to safety.
"Sorry it took me so long, Clemont!" she calls back, hands cupped around her mouth to make her voice carry. "I had to make a detour!" He's about to ask, what detour, when her hands disappear into the pouch at her hip and emerge clutching two shiny red apples that he vaguely recalls seeing on their kitchen bench earlier that morning – was it only this morning that everything was normal? he wonders briefly. It feels like days have gone by.
"Ah! Jessie!" James exclaims worriedly, noting his teammate's shoulders shaking as he moves cautiously towards her. "Are you alright?"
He reaches out a hand to touch her shoulder, but regrets it when she turns around with a dark glower on her face and an aura of sheer fury that burns brighter than the red mark on her forehead. James – although he will deny it to his grave – all but shrieks a high-pitched "Eeeeeek!" and leaps backwards, stumbling against Meowth.
"Uh oh! Jessie's on the warpath!" Meowth exclaims, clutching onto James – whether out of concern for keeping his friend upright or out of fear for his life is unclear.
While the two male members of Team Rocket vie for position behind each other, Clemont and Bonnie watch in mute fascination as fingernails dig tightly into the apple in Jessie's hand, making the skin dimple, before the whole apple simply shatters into pieces. "How dare you," she growls, dropping the ruined apple to the ground. Clemont takes an instinctive step back as the redhead clenches her hands into fists. "How dare you ruin this beautiful face!"
Bonnie looks taken aback for a second before she pokes her tongue out in response. "Nyah~"
"Why, you –" Jessie starts angrily, before cutting off with an 'Ack!' as another apple comes flying down.
"That's for hurting Ash and Pikachu!" Bonnie calls. Clemont's not sure how much his little sister saw of his exchange with Ash while she was looting their fruit bowl and sneaking around the back of the Gym, but it's not hard to see that Ash is still in pain when he and Pikachu are still huddled together on the ground.
Another apple sails down – Clemont's impressed with Bonnie's aim – and manages to clonk James in the head as well, drawing a surprised 'Ouch!' from the man. "And that one is for Magneton and Heliolisk!" Bonnie declares.
More fruit begins to rain down upon the hapless trio, who begin to panic as they dance around trying to avoid being hit. Wobbuffet tries to take shelter behind Jessie, but she pushes him out in front of her with a furious "Don't hide behind me! Deflect them or something!"
"Wobbahhhhhh~" Wobbuffet wails, waving his arms emphatically. Ever loyal, the rainbow gleam of Counter begins to cover Wobbuffet's body despite the Pokémon's obvious misgivings. But an apple – or an orange, Clemont notes, as one sails by – isn't a Pokémon move and thus can't be reflected by either Counter or Mirror Coat. Wobbuffet's misgivings are soon proven right when yet another apple donks against his head. "Wobbuffet!" the Pokémon cries, giving up and simply settles for shielding his face with his arms as he heads for safer ground.
"Ah, geez, quit it already!" Jessie yells in exasperation. "Come on, James!" she orders over her shoulder as she starts dashing up the stairs towards Bonnie.
"How much fruit has that fun-sized twerpette got?" Clemont hears James mutter to himself. The flash of pride at Bonnie's handiwork is quickly swallowed by his fear for Bonnie's safety, especially when James calls "Let's go, Inkay!" as he follows his teammate up the stairs.
"Bonnie!" Clemont calls, half in fear and half in warning, but his little sister has already spotted the Team Rocket members making their way towards her. She dashes off across the walkway at the top of the stand, lobbing a pear over her shoulder for good measure.
"Inkay! Psybeam!" James calls. The blast of psychic energy thankfully misses Bonnie, much to Clemont's heartfelt relief, but the force of it slamming into the wall sends her tumbling over and out of Clemont's sight.
"Bonnie!" he yells, panicking. He starts towards the stairs but before he can get more than a few steps Bonnie pops up again from the wall she'd fallen behind and waves at him frantically.
"I'm ok! Now's your chance!" she calls, pointing before taking off again.
Clemont blinks and swings around to look at Team Rocket's wave-emitting machine and realises that Bonnie is right – other than Meowth, the machine is wondrously, gloriously unprotected now that Bonnie has drawn them all off.
A fierce grin spreads across his face. "Bunnelby, Mud Shot!" he orders. " Destroy that machine!"
"Bun!" Bunnelby agrees, leaping into the air and firing off the balls of mud with a matching ferocity. The Mud Shot slams into the wave emitting machine, pummelling the metal until finally it caves in. There's a high-pitched screech like a whistling kettle that's followed by a flash of light that has Clemont and Bunnelby covering their eyes. With a loud blast of noise, the machine explodes, sending smoke and sand flying everywhere. The entire Gym shakes with the force of the explosion.
"Yes!" Clemont cheers loudly, hearing Bonnie echo him from halfway across the Gym. Finally, finally, it's over.
Well, not completely over. They still need to deal with Team Rocket, but there's no longer any chance of Ash and Pikachu – or any of Clemont's electric Pokémon, now safe in their Pokéballs – being controlled against their will. He can hear Team Rocket wailing over the loss of their trump card and the rumbling of the ceiling above them; is vaguely aware of Bonnie making her way down the far steps to come and join them, but all Clemont has eyes for at the moment is the figure still sprawled on the ground, silence reigning where pained cries had ruled before.
There's no tension in the lines of Ash's body. Quite the opposite, in fact – Ash sits slumped like a puppet whose strings have been cut. The lack of any signs of life is making Clemont nervous. What if something has gone wrong? What if destroying the machine wrecked something in Ash's code? Is Team Rocket's code still there? What if, what if? Clemont moves closer until he is kneeling in front of the unresponsive robot, clutching to the hope in his heart that Ash will be okay.
"Ash?" he asks softly. His robot doesn't move and Clemont bites his lip in worry.
Although Ash is unresponsive, the sound of Clemont's voice is enough to snap Pikachu out of whatever daze the electric Pokémon is in. Pikachu uncurls from a tight ball, blinking owlishly at the world with black eyes that hold no trace of a red glow. "Pipika…?"
Clemont smiles, a small grin that grows and grows and grows with dawning joy. "Hi there, Pikachu."
Pikachu blinks and then suddenly seems to remember just who he is sitting beside. The electric Pokémon twists, shaking Ash's leg frantically. "Pikapi! Pikapi!"
Ash twitches. Pikachu raises his voice, demanding. "Pikapi!"
A full body shudder runs through the robot, a movement that Clemont recognises as something Ash usually does after a full system reboot. Ash must have shut down out of shock when the machine had blown up – or perhaps had shut himself down to quarantine any dangerous code. Either way, Clemont's heart skips a beat when he hears a mumbled, "…kachu?"
"Pikapi!" Pikachu exclaims in delight, leaping onto Ash's lap. There's a hesitant chuckle – Ash sounds out of breath and Clemont notices that he's moving more slowly than normal when Ash wraps his arms around Pikachu in a hug. Clemont can't help beaming at the two of them, tears of relief as much as joy threatening to fall as Pikachu makes happy noises at being reunited with his friend. He's so busy trying not to let the tears fall that he's caught off guard when Ash releases Pikachu and looks up.
"…Clemont?" Ash breathes. His eyes are a warm chocolate brown and lit with that inner light that Ash seems to carry with him everywhere he goes. Clemont sniffs pathetically; the joyful smile spreading across Ash's face takes on a tinge of wild-eyed alarm. "Aw no, Clemont, it's okay, it's okay, please don't be sad, I'm sorry." He reaches out for Clemont and tugs him into an embrace that Clemont falls into gratefully, relief suddenly sapping all of the remaining energy left in his body. He buries his face in the crook of Ash's neck and clutches the robot tightly. If it were anyone else, he'd worry he was hurting them – but Ash was, after all, a robot with a carbon-fibre skeleton and besides, Clemont doesn't think Ash really minds, given that he was hugging Clemont back just as tightly. Ash's shirt is soaking wet and Clemont realises he's lost his battle to fight back the tears now streaming down his cheeks. "It's okay, it's okay," Ash repeats over and over, rubbing Clemont's back soothingly. "You saved me, Clemont. You saved me. You and Bonnie saved me, and Pikachu. Thank you. Thank you so much, being like that was…" Ash trails off and Clemont feels his friend shiver violently under his arms. "Please, don't be sad."
Clemont chokes back a sob as Pikachu reaches across Ash to pat his cheek, the electric mouse chirping his own thanks. "'M not sad," he mumbles. "These are happy tears. And of course we'd save you. Family, 'member? You and Pikachu both."
"Family," Ash repeats, the smile evident in his voice even if Clemont can't see Ash's expression from his place buried against his friend's shoulder. "My family." Ash draws back from the hug much too soon for Clemont's liking, but any protest dies in his throat when Ash grins brightly at him. The warmth and the care and the sheer amount of life in his eyes – so different from the blank automaton he'd been before – makes Clemont's heart swell.
Ash glances at Pikachu, the electric Pokémon reclaiming his perch on Ash's shoulder. "We're really lucky, aren't we, Pikachu?" he asks, still beaming.
"Pika!" Pikachu agrees happily, nuzzling against the robot's cheek with a contented sound.
"Bun!" Bunnelby hops up beside Ash, peering up at him worriedly.
"Bunnelby!" Ash exclaims, reaching out to ruffle Bunnelby's ears. "You did great too! Thank you." Bunnelby ducks his head bashfully at the praise but still reaches out with one of his ears to return the high-five that Pikachu gives him. "All of you guys deserve a good rest after all this for all your hard work!" Ash continues, his eyes sparkling at the two Pokémon's interactions. "Hey, Clemont, where's Bonnie? I remember she was here before with you…"
Right on cue, they hear Bonnie's voice calling out to them as she jumps down the last of the steps and dashes towards them. "Clemont! Are you okay? Is Ash okay?!"
Clemont hastily rubs the tear tracks from his cheeks with his sleeve and finds his voice. "We're both fine, Bonnie!" he calls back. Beside him, Ash raises an arm and waves energetically at her as extra proof of Clemont's words. The two of them share a smile at Bonnie's answering whoop of glee, smiles which quickly turn to laughter. It feels good to laugh, the sound washing away the tension that has been sitting heavily in Clemont's gut ever since Team Rocket revealed themselves.
So caught up in the heady relief that Ash is alright – that he is himself, as far as Clemont can tell without checking over Ash's code with a metaphorical fine-toothed comb – that Clemont almost misses the deep rumbling sound echoing around the Gym amongst the sound of their mirth. Laughter fading away, Clemont sits up straighter, looking for the source of the noise. "Did you hear that?"
When he glances towards Ash, he finds the robot frowning up at the roof of the Gym. "Hey, Clemont," Ash asks slowly. "Has the roof always been cracked like that?"
"What?" Clemont asks blankly, following Ash's line of sight. Sure enough, there are several large cracks beginning to race each other across the roof, spreading outwards from the large gouge left by Pikachu's Electro Ball earlier. Tired as he currently is, it takes Clemont a few seconds to piece together the fact that the rumbling he can hear is the sound of stone splintering high above them. It takes a few more seconds to realise that the roof is cracking and that means they're in danger. "Bonnie –!"
With the ceiling's structural integrity compromised by the growing network of cracks, it can hold itself together no longer. With a sound like the crack of a whip, part of the ceiling starts to crumble.
Right above Bonnie, still running toward them.
Oh no... nononononoNONO – "BONNIE!" Clemont screams, surging to his feet in absolute horror as giant shards of stone fall towards his sister. He stumbles when he makes it to his feet and starts to run but he's too slow, too slow, Bonnie –!
By some miracle, Ash is already up and sprinting towards Bonnie within an eye blink of the ceiling beginning to crumble, the robot's movements almost a blur. As Clemont draws on all the speed he can muster, he sees Ash dive –
– just as the broken pieces of ceiling crash into the ground, piling atop the spot where he'd seen Bonnie and Ash last –
"BONNIE! ASH!"
Uh oh D:
Thanks for reading!