Second last chapter! :O So close!
Chapter 19
"– mont? Clemont! Clemont!"
Clemont startles awake, groggily looking up at the blur that is shaking his arm insistently. He gropes around for his glasses and the blur resolves into his sister staring down at him. "Wha – Bonnie? What's wrong?"
Wait… staring down at me?
He sits up with a groan, body protesting at the uncomfortable position it has been in all night. The sight of Ash beside him and his workshop around him brings memory flooding back, of his quiet confessions in the moonlight. Guess I really did end up falling asleep here then.
Bonnie makes a face at him. "Geez Clemont, don't tell me you worked all night again! And you promised, too!"
Clemont blinks, recently-woken mind still trying to process things. Worked all night…? he wonders in confusion, before realising that Bonnie had gone to bed before he'd gone to say good night to Ash, and found the key to the file that had caused so much grief.
She doesn't know , he realises, staring at her aggrieved pout. Then and there, he decides not to tell her about the corrupt file. It's better for Bonnie to keep the hope that Ash will come back to them as himself.
Still, even with that decided, he doesn't want her to worry about him. "I wasn't working," he protests, stretching. "I just came in to say good night to Ash and fell asleep, that's all. Right, Pikachu?" He reaches out a hand, ruffling Pikachu's ears.
"Pipika pika," Pikachu agrees with a mumble, still waking up. He uncurls and stretches with a whine, before bounding over Clemont and into Bonnie's arms.
She giggles. "Oh, alright, if Pikachu says you weren't…" Bonnie darts in, pressing a kiss to her brother's cheek and one to Ash's. "Good morning! Papa's making breakfast," she adds. "So make sure you come and eat!"
"I will, I will," Clemont promises, getting to his feet with a groan. "Ouch…"
"That's what you get for not sleeping in your bed, silly!" his sister admonishes. "Come on, Pikachu, let's help Papa!"
He can smell breakfast cooking as Bonnie skips out of the room and his stomach rumbles eagerly. Huffing a laugh at himself, he starts to fold up the blanket – he'll take it down to his room after breakfast – and pauses halfway through placing the pillow on top of the stack. I didn't bring a pillow with me last night… he thinks in confusion. Someone must have…
He glances towards the doorway. Thanks, Papa.
Although his father hides it well, Clemont can still tell by the way his gaze lingers a little too long, the way his hug is a little bit fiercer than usual, that his father is worried about him again. Clemont doesn't blame him. The day after Ash collapsing had been hard; last night had been just as painful… but somehow, his midnight confession to Ash has quietened some of his worries. They still linger in the back of his mind, but they aren't as all consuming as they have been until now. Ash is good at pulling off miracles – Clemont just has to believe in Ash and do the best he can in support.
Speaking of support…
He toys with his fork, unsure how to bring up the topic as his father and sister chat over breakfast. Luckily, his father seems to pick up on the fact that Clemont is not in as bad shape as he had feared and has therefore relaxed somewhat. Should I just say it straight outright? Explain my reasoning? What if he doesn't approve?
"Is everything alright, Clemont?" His father's voice breaks through his fretful thoughts.
Clemont startles at the sudden attention. "Uh, well, um…."
Pull yourself together, Clemont!
He thinks of the blueprints scattered across his workbench, evidence of redesigns that are sturdier and more durable than what they were before. He thinks of the code he's already fixed, making it run more efficiently than ever before. He thinks of a bright grin, a robot, and a desire to go outside and see the world.
'I want to become a Pokémon Master!'
Clemont straightens up, putting his fork down and meeting his father's gaze. "Actually, Papa, there's something that I've been thinking about…"
/\/\/\
Another week passes by; Clemont spends every waking moment furiously cleaning up Ash's code, stopping only when his family drags him away for meals and sleep or when his eyes start to feel sore from staring at a screen for hours upon end. Every now and then, he opens the glitched AI file in the hopes of fixing it but nothing ever springs to mind and eventually he leaves it as it is, praying that it won't affect anything else. Code aside, there's still a few minor adjustments to be made to Ash's wiring as well. Sometimes Pikachu and Bonnie stay in the workshop with him while he does them, helping by passing him tools while he works.
Today, however, is the day that all of his hard work finally pays off.
I hope, he prays.
Clemont taps the final few keys with a flourish, uploading the last pieces of code to Ash's memory backs. He sits back with a sigh, wiping a sleeve across his forehead. "There, done!" he announces to the room at large.
Bonnie and Pikachu, the two of them chatting as they sprawl next to Ash, perk up at this news. "Really?!" Bonnie gasps, leaping to her feet. "It's all finished? We can wake him up?!" Beside her, Pikachu's face is full of hope.
He grins at his sister, spinning his chair around to face her. "Yep! Just as soon as these files transfer."
"Yes!" she cheers, throwing her hands up in the air. "Pikachu, Pikachu, Ash will wake up soon! I can't wait!"
"Pika pikapi! Pikapi pika!"
The two of them dance around the workshop. Clemont chuckles. "Be careful, you two," he calls, turning back to the screen to check on the file transfer. "You don't want to make Ash worry if he wakes up and finds you injured."
"Okay!" Bonnie calls back. "Don't worry!"
Clemont makes a face at the screen where his sister can't see.Don't worry? A huff of wry laughter escapes him. I wish I could.
There was just so much to worry about and not just for his sister's safety. The worry has mostly been lurking in the back of his mind this morning, Clemont too focused on getting the last few files properly prepped. Now, however, watching the green bar creep across the screen towards completion just gives Clemont's mind ample time to consider every worse-case scenario.
What if he doesn't wake up at all what if he wakes up with no memory of me or Bonnie what if he just wakes up wrong because I've messed something up or missed something –
Stop it, he scolds himself, frowning at his trembling hands. There's nothing you can do if any of that happens! I've double-and triple-checked every single file in Ash's system, there's no way that I could have missed anything. There's only that one file I couldn't fix, but I'm not even sure it could be fixed without completely wiping it and starting again and somehow that just feels… wrong. And if he doesn't wake up at all, then there's something wrong with the boot file or the wiring, but that's fixable. It's a moot point anyway, because I ran about a thousand diagnostic tests on his hardware and none of them found any problems.
"Don't give up til the very end," he whispers, clenching his fingers. "I have to believe that Ash will be okay."
The computer beeps to signal that the file transfer is complete. Clemont leaps to his feet, apprehension jolting through his gut. Bonnie and Pikachu come to perch on the edge of the platform as Clemont carefully disconnects the cables linking Ash to the computer and seals all the panels shut. A strong sense of déjà vu hits him then, a memory of Bonnie and himself waiting for Ash to wake up after Clemont had first redesigned his body. There hadn't been the same underlying fear that time; he'd had no reason to worry about Ash failing to wake up as his former self.
This time, however, the fear is mounting with every second, twisting his stomach as he gently lays Ash back down on the platform. He settles in next to Ash, swallowing thickly as he tries to push away his nerves. He'll be okay, he'll be okay, he'll be okay…
He meets Bonnie's eyes across Ash, eagerness shining within them. She grins and nods encouragingly at him; Pikachu does the same when Clemont glances towards him. Alright, he thinks to himself, taking a deep breath to steady himself. This is it…!
"Activate!" he commands, voice clear. "It's time to wake up, Ash."
On the very edge of his hearing, there's a whirring noise as Ash's systems start to boot up. That's a good sign! His fingers unconsciously find Ash's wrist, pressing against the pseudo pulse point to feel the hum of the electricity. It's the first sign of life in Ash that he's been able to feel in a very long time.
Seconds tick by, but Ash doesn't open his eyes. Clemont's fingers tighten around his friend's wrist. Come on, Ash, come on…!
"He's not… why's he not waking up, Clemont?" Bonnie asks, her voice small. Her hands find Ash's other hand, curling around them protectively as though she wants to pull him into the waking world herself. "He should be, right?"
"Just wait a bit more," Clemont replies, heart in his mouth. "His system has to run through all of the changes to his code that I made; a full system reboot could take a couple of minutes."
"Pikapi…" Pikachu says, ears drooping with worry.
The three of them wait in tense silence as the seconds tick by, clutching their friend's hands. Every passing second is another added weight on Clemont's heart. Come on, Ash, please wake up! Please! Please don't tell me everything I've done wasn't enough…
Then Ash's fingers abruptly twitch, a split-second warning before his whole body shudders. Clemont's breath catches at the sign of a full reboot and he leans forward urgently. "Ash? Can you hear me?"
Ash's eyes remain closed, but his eyebrows furrow. "Welcome… Lumiose…" he mumbles. Clemont's heart jolts, joy at finally hearing his best friend's voice after so long dropping into gut-churning fear. That's… that's what he said the very first time I activated him, he thinks, stricken. It's a greeting that's still part of the standard coding…
"Ash…?" he asks, voice wavering. His grip on Ash's hand tightens without thinking.
The robot's frown grows deeper, mouth twisting downwards in distaste. "Nnngh… five more minutes, mmkay?"
Clemont freezes. That's not part of the standard greetings…!
His heart soaring with hope, he looks across at Bonnie. His sister is smiling widely, tears starting to shine in the corners of her eyes. With a start, he realises that his own vision is starting to grow blurry with unshed tears and he snatches off his glasses, scrubbing at his eyes with his free arm, his other still clutching Ash's hand tightly.
"Aw, Ash! You don't even need to sleep!" Bonnie scolds, her voice filled with watery laughter. "Hurry and get up already!"
Ash stills. "…'nie…?" he mumbles, one eye cracking open.
Pikachu's ears perk up. "Pikapi!" the Pokémon exclaims joyfully, leaning in to nuzzle at Ash's face. Ash chuckles, turning his face into the touch. "Heyyyyy 'kachu..." Both his eyes open properly; a confused look crosses Ash's face as brown eyes flit around, before they finally land on Clemont. Ash grins at him sleepily, eyes bright and very much the friend Clemont knows. "Clemont! There you are!" He closes his eyes again. "Was having the weirdest dream…"
Clemont beams, his heart feeling full to bursting. "Hi Ash," he says softly, tears losing their battle with gravity and starting to slide down his cheeks. He sniffs, wiping his face with his free arm. "Thank goodness, you remember us…?"
Ash frowns up at him in confusion. "Yeah, 'course I remember you guys! We're family, remember?" he adds proudly. "Like I'd forget!"
Clemont's smile is so wide that it hurts, but he can't stop smiling, can't stop the tears rolling down his cheeks. He doesn't even bother to try. "I'm so g-glad that y-you're alright!"
Ash's eyes widen. "Hey, hey, no, don't cry, why are you crying?!" He looks to Bonnie for help, only to find that her eyes are wet as well as she grins at him. "Why are you both crying?!" Ash struggles to sit up, his movements stiff and limbs somewhat uncoordinated.
"Ah, watch out! It'll take some time for your body to adjust again," Clemont says hurriedly, he and Bonnie both reaching out to help Ash sit up. "Take it easy, your body hasn't moved at all in about three weeks…"
"Three weeks…?" Ash repeats, looking bewildered. "But…"
His protests are cut off when Pikachu leaps into his lap and then launches himself at Ash's chest with a joyful, "Pikapi!" Clemont and Bonnie are barely a moment behind, flinging their arms around their friend and hugging him with every ounce of strength in their body. "H-Hey!" Ash protests, half-laughing. "It's okay, I'm not going anywhere…"
Clemont buries his face against Ash's shoulder, tears spilling out uncontrollably in the headiness of joy and sheer, utter relief. "It's you!" he half-sobs, half-laughs. "It's really you, it's really you…!"
"We were so worried!" Bonnie adds, tearful. "But you're back…!"
Ash's arms curl around them both, pulling them more closely to him. He rests his chin on their shoulders. "It's me," he agrees. "Hey, hey, hey, there's no need to cry, it's okay, I'm alright, everyone's okay… please don't cry, Clemont, Bonnie…"
"Happy tears," they remind him, voices muffled against his shirt.
"…Even if you say that, I'm still kinda worried…" Clemont chuckles against his shoulder; it's all too easy to imagine Ash's sceptical look. Even so, Ash makes no effort to move. He just continues to hold his small family as they cling to him, humming under his breath to calm them.
Eventually, Clemont's tears subside enough to leave him sniffling against Ash's shirt. Like Ash, he makes no effort to move either, content to just sit there and revel in the knowledge that Ash is alive and here with him and apparently in full possession of his memory. He turns his head to tuck it in against the side of Ash's face, nose buried in dark hair, and just breathes. Unsurprisingly, Ash smells of metal and oil, but Clemont can still recognise it all as his robot. For the first time in weeks, the great weight pressing down on his shoulders is lifted. All his hard work, all his worrying, all of his sleepless nights and missed meals, they have been worth it, worth it all to have Ash back with them again.
The three of them stay bundled together for quite some time; Pikachu is content to curl up in Ash's lap, head pillowed on his calf. Clemont is starting to drowse, stress and late nights starting to catch up with him, when he realises that Ash's humming has become quiet words. "– so glad you're both okay; I don't remember anything after the Gym collapsing, but that was so scary! I was worried that maybe you both had been injured or something, but you're okay, and I'm okay, and I'm… I'm sorry for putting you both through so much, what with Team Rocket, and having to fight each other, and the Gym….. and how much you must have done to get me back like this, I remember I was pretty banged up…"
Bonnie nods against Ash's shirt, pulling back to meet his eyes. Aside from her blotchy cheeks, all signs of her tears have faded away. "You went away again," she accuses, mouth set stubbornly. "You promised you wouldn't and you did it again!"
"Not by choice," Ash tells her sadly. "But I did, and I'm sorry. Please forgive me?"
Bonnie nods, accepting the apology. "Clemont worked so hard to make sure you were okay," she informs Ash, her voice solemn as she looks at him earnestly. "He was so sad all the time."
Clemont can't bear the crestfallen look on Ash's face at his sister's words. "Ash –"
He is cut off by Ash hugging him fiercely. The strength of the hug makes Clemont's collection of bruises twinge in pain, but he ignores them, too surprised by Ash resting his head against his shoulder. "Thank you, Clemont," Ash breathes. "Thank you for trying so hard." He meets Clemont's gaze, beaming with that bright inner light that makes him almost glow in the sunshine streaming through the windows. "Thank you."
As if there would ever be a world where I didn't try my absolute best to bring you back! Gently, Clemont rest his forehead against Ash's. "Thank you," he counters. "For coming back whole. It's – I'm so glad to see you."
Ash reaches up, brushing Clemont's cheek with a thumb. "Even though you're crying again?" Ash asks, worry in his eyes.
He is, Clemont realises with a jolt. Completely unbidden and without warning, tears are starting to spill down his cheeks again as the relief and joy inside him overflows, too much for his body to contain. It's a wonder he has any water left in his body. "I told you, they're happy tears," he smiles, curling one of his own hands around the one resting on his cheek. "I promise you, these ones are definitely happy."
"Yeah!" Bonnie agrees. "'Cause we love you!"
Clemont beams at Ash. "We really do," he agrees.
Ash brightens, his worry over their saddened state finally reassured by their words. "I love you guys too!" he laughs, hugging them both again.
His laughter is infectious; despite the tears on his cheeks, Clemont soon finds himself giggling uncontrollably along with Ash and Bonnie. When the laughter finally dies down, his sister stretches up to kiss Ash's cheek. "Welcome back, Ash!" Without waiting for a reply, she leans across and plants a kiss on Clemont's cheek as well. "And good work, Clemont!"
A sweet smile on her face, she leans over to kiss Pikachu on the head as well. "And one for you too, Pikachu!"
Pikachu blushes faintly. Still, he chirps a happy "Pipikachu!" in reply, much to Bonnie's delight and the boys' amusement.
Ash sets a hand on Pikachu's head, ruffling the Pokémon's fur. He rolls his shoulders in a very human-like, unnecessary stretch, covering an equally unnecessary yawn – Clemont has given up a long time ago trying to tell if Ash mimics Bonnie and himself consciously or not – and looks expectantly at Clemont as he sits back on his heels, reluctant to let go of Ash. "So, what now? What time is it?"
"It's nearly the middle of the day!" Bonnie says brightly. "I think Papa was gonna come back for lunch, wasn't he, Clemont?"
"Yes, that's right," Clemont says, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "There's still some time before lunch, though – Ash, I know you find it boring, but I need to run some diagnostics to make sure that everything is working properly."
Ash makes a face but nods in understanding. "Yeah, that's a good idea." With Bonnie and Clemont no longer leaning on them, Ash stretches his legs out in front of him and promptly makes another face. Clemont straightens in alarm. "Ash? Is something wrong?"
"No, it's…" Ash trails off, frowning at his hand as he flexes his fingers experimentally. "Nothing's really wrong, I just feel kinda weird, to be honest?" He glances up at Clemont and immediately backpedals at the distraught expression on his friend's face. "Not in a bad way!" he insists hurriedly, holding up his hands placatingly. "Everything just feels a bit… different, to how it was before. Kinda like when you did my last major upgrade…" Ash pauses. "Actually, that's probably why, huh…"
Clemont sighs with relief that there isn't anything seriously wrong. "Yes, it probably is," he says apologetically. "I ended up upgrading some of your hardware capabilities when I was fixing the damage from Team Rocket and the Gym." He pauses, shoulders hitching slightly upwards. "And… your software too. I had to patch it up quite a bit as well thanks to that horrible machine of theirs." Clemont looks down at his hands in his lap, his fingers fidgeting. "Actually," he confesses in a quiet voice, "to be honest, I didn't know if it was going to be – well, you – that came back when I switched the power back on…"
"Huh?" Ash asks, looking thoroughly confused. "Of course it was gonna be me, who else would I be?" His brows furrow closer together as he tilts his head. "That's the second time you've mentioned something like that. I don't get it."
Clemont's mouth twists. The memory still hurts a lot, if he's honest with himself, even with Ash perfectly fine in front of him. "Well… when I was looking through your files, one of your core AI management protocols was corrupted beyond any kind of repair that I could do – a really important file that makes up part of your personality was practically overrun with glitches," he clarifies upon seeing Ash and Bonnie's twin blank looks. "I didn't know if it would break something else. I couldn't fix it – it's still like that, I'm sorry."
He worries about Ash's reaction, but his friend merely looks thoughtful. Really, he should have been worrying about Bonnie's reaction; his sister fixes him with an indignant look. "You didn't tell me about that!" she accuses, folding her arms across her chest.
"Because I didn't want you to worry!" Clemont protests, straightening.
"But that means you had to worry all by yourself!" Bonnie counters, looking upset. "That's not fair, Clemont!"
The fight goes out of him. "I know, but I still didn't want you to worry."
Ash pats his shoulder, not looking worried in the slightest. "Actually, neither of you guys needs to worry," he comments with a smile. "I think I know the one you mean and it's always been like that."
Clemont stares at him incredulously. "What?" he asks blankly.
Ash shrugs. "Yeah, that file's always been like that, I didn't realise it was wrong," he laughs sheepishly. "So yeah, you guys don't need to worry about that at all, it's fine."
It's… it's always been like that? Clemont echoes, the words still refusing to make sense. It's been a part of his code since the beginning…?! Why did I never notice it?!
Because it was locked, he realises immediately. I couldn't get into it, the scans couldn't check it… and if it's been like that from the start, then that means it wasn't Team Rocket's machine that caused the glitches… oh my goodness, it must have been from me tripping over him that first day?! How does something like that even happen?!
"Clemont?" Ash asks, waving a hand in front of his nose. The robot peers at him with worry. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he replies automatically. The information starts to sink in; he can't help snorting as he realises something. Geez, that's just like Ash to have a glitched file as part of his core personality. No wonder he ignores so much of his own programming half the time!
His snort turns into helpless giggles. When Ash looks at him – earlier worry only intensified by the odd reaction – the giggles turn into laughter, and he buries his face against Ash's shoulder to laugh helplessly out of amusement and incredulous relief. Ash and Bonnie glance at each other; the girl shrugs. Ash hesitantly reaches out to pat Clemont on the back as his body shakes with suppressed amusement.
"I'm okay," Clemont reassures him eventually, giggles dying off. "I just – I'm just really glad that you're you, Ash."
The sound of the apartment's front door opening and closing interrupts whatever Ash is about to reply. Meyer's voice calls from the entrance. "Clemont? Bonnie?"
"Papa's back!" Bonnie exclaims, face lighting up with excitement. "I'll go get him, you two stay here!" She nimbly hops off the platform and disappears out the door. "Papa! Guess what!" they hear her call down the hallway. Ash and Clemont share an amused look.
Before too long, Bonnie reappears with Meyer in tow, tugging the man into the workshop excitedly. "Papa, Papa, Papa, look!" she exclaims, dropping her father's hand to flourish towards Ash, who gives Meyer a small wave. "Ash is awake!"
Meyer beams at the sight the three of them make when Bonnie plonks herself back down next to Ash. "That's great!" he cries, reaching them in two strides and sweeping all three of them up in a huge hug. Pikachu manages to leap away at the last second and watches everything with wide eyes. "I'm gonna cry, I'm so glad to see you awake at last! We've been so worried!"
Ash makes a noise of protest, squished up against the rest of his family. He worries that maybe he's the one actually squishing them; he's the one made of metal, after all. "Please don't cry!" It's all too easy to see where Clemont gets it from…
With a booming laugh, Meyer releases them all and ruffles Ash's hair with a large hand. "Welcome back, Ash."
Ash grins up at him. "Thanks! It's good to be back," he replies sincerely. "I missed everyone."
Bonnie tugs on Ash's sleeve, drawing the robot's attention. Pikachu deems it to be safe again to jump into Ash's lap; Ash absentmindedly begins to pet him as he replies to Bonnie. Meyer takes advantage of the other's distraction, leaning in towards Clemont. "See, I knew you could do it!" he whispers cheerfully, nudging Clemont with an elbow. Clemont flushes, scratching his cheek bashfully.
"Well…"
"No protests. You've done an amazing job Clemont, and I'm so proud of you." Meyer smiles at him, the corners of his eyes crinkling kindly as Clemont looks up at his father, startled. He ruffles Clemont's hair, giving him time to blink back the sudden tears in his eyes. I'm crying at the drop of a hat lately, Clemont thinks wryly, sniffling slightly. Luckily, Ash and Bonnie notice nothing when they turn to him, eager to get his opinion on their topic of discussion.
Meyer claps his hands, drawing everyone's attention. "I think," he announces with a sparkle in his eye as he meets their gaze, "that this calls for a celebration!"
/\/\/\
Much, much later that night, after the rest of his family have gone to sleep, Ash and Clemont sit – or sprawl, in Ash's case – on the platform in the centre, staring out the large windows onto the nightscape of Lumiose City. For a while, conversation isn't needed as they merely enjoy each other's company, sitting close enough to one another that their shoulders touch. Pikachu snoozes in Ash's lap, chest gently rising and falling as Ash gently rubs a hand over the Pokémon's back.
"The city is always so pretty at night with all the lights," Ash comments, breaking the quiet. "The view from up here is really amazing."
Clemont hums in agreement, half asleep. Ash's next words chase sleep away rather swiftly, however. "Could you tell me what happened after I blacked out?" Ash asks, after a long pause. His expression is solemn as he look out the window, rather than at Clemont. Clemont knows that Ash can feel the way he's gone stiff in the way that he amends, "Just the basics, if you want. I just… I can't believe it's been over three weeks!"
"I'm sorry," Clemont replies, remorseful. Those three weeks had been the longest of Clemont's life; he should have fixed Ash so much sooner.
Again, Ash seems to know what Clemont is thinking, because the robot bumps his shoulder against Clemont's. "Hey, I'm not complaining, it's pretty amazing that it only took you three weeks! Like I said, I was pretty banged up when I blacked out. I know you did your best." Ash sighs glumly, resting his head on drawn-up knee. "It's just… I probably missed a lot of stuff. Like what happened with the Gym? Is it still there?"
"You didn't miss out as much as you think," Clemont reassures him. "Uhh, the Gym… Papa's been looking after that, since I was – busy – but the Gym's been closed for repairs the past few weeks. I think it should be back in business in maybe another two."
"Oh, thank goodness," Ash breathes out, relaxing. "I was worried the whole thing had collapsed."
"It pretty much did," Clemont admits. Ash makes a face. "But Lumiose's construction crews are very good at their jobs; they'll have it done soon."
"Great!" Ash grins, looking eager. "I can't wait to be able to have Gym battles again." In his enthusiasm, he misses Clemont's shiver at his words. "So…" Ash trails off, fiddling with a loose thread on his pants. "What happened?" There's a solemn air about him as he looks expectantly at Clemont, as though Ash knows he is about to hear bad news. It's Clemont's turn to stare at his feet this time; he doesn't want to explain any of it, but Ash deserves to know. Ash waits patiently for him to speak, leaning into Clemont's arm. The robot's solid weight is comforting, a reminder that no matter what has happened, Ash is back with them now.
Taking a deep breath, he lays out the events of the last three weeks for Ash in short, bare sentences. Even now, the memories from some of those days still hurt when he thinks of them; while they may not invoke tears, it's hard to conjure up any sort of positive attitude during the retelling.
A thought occurs to him as his story winds down; hopefully, it will help wipe away the glum look that Ash is now sporting. Sadness never looks right on Ash. "Hang on, I almost forgot," he says, getting to his feet and waving for Ash to stay sitting where he is when it looks like he might follow. His legs are stiff from sitting for so long and he hobbles a little over to his computer desk to retrieve Ash's hat where it sits beside the keyboard. "Here you go!" he smiles, handing the hat over to a surprised Ash. His friend's eyes light up and he takes the hat with obvious glee.
"You found it!" Ash marvels, beaming up at Clemont.
Clemont scratches his cheek with a finger shyly. "Well, Papa found it," he corrects as Ash examines his hat eagerly. "I think he might have cleaned it too, it was a bit dirty…" From all the ceiling falling on it, he doesn't add.
"It's great!" Ash replies with a grin. "I thought I'd lost it… Thanks, Clemont!" He jams the hat on his head, red and white covering messy dark hair. "I'll have to thank your dad too!" There's an abrupt silence; it feels to Clemont like all of Ash's joy suddenly deflates like a punctured balloon.
"Ash…?" Clemont asks cautiously, brows drawn in worry. Ash has pulled the brim of his newly-returned hat down low, meaning that Clemont can't see his face very well. Ash hunches over, hands falling to his lap. "Ash? What's wrong?" He crouches down in front of his friend.
Ash breathes out long and hard. "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble," he says, downcast. He doesn't look up to see Clemont's suddenly stricken expression. "You and Bonnie and even Meyer… I should have guessed that those three were up to something – I've met them before! – but I was too focused on having fun battling, and you've had to spend so much of your time and energy fixing my mistakes…"
"Stop," Clemont interrupts, not wanting to hear Ash continue to blame himself. He rests his hands on Ash's shoulders, urging Ash to look at him. "It's not your fault, and don't you ever say that. Bonnie and I were there too and we didn't notice anything either. You were doing your job – you were being a Gym Leader. It's their fault for coming in and trying to steal you and the Pokémon." Ash looks startled, but Clemont isn't done speaking. He takes a deep breath. "And please don't apologise to me for needing to be fixed," he scolds. "I've told you before and I'll tell you again: You are important to me. To Bonnie, to Pikachu, even to Papa – you're an important friend to all of us. Of course I'll always fix you – no matter how long it takes or how much energy it takes."
Ash stares at him for a moment, brown eyes wide, before the gloomy expression fades into a warm smile. "…Thanks, Clemont." He reaches out, hugging Clemont around the middle. "You're important to me too. All of you are."
Clemont hugs him back with all of his strength.
"Anyway," he continues after they separate, plonking back down next to Ash again. "If you're going to blame yourself for something like that – which you shouldn't – then it's just as much my fault for not protecting you better against attacks like the one Team Rocket used."
"That's not your fault," Ash retorts immediately, mouth set in a stubborn line. "There's no way you could have known anyone would try that. Can you even block something like that?"
"There are ways," Clemont sighs. He nudges Ash with his shoulder. "But see what I mean? I could have set that up from the start, but I never thought for a moment that people like Team Rocket exist…" He scowls. "I can't forgive anyone who uses science and Pokémon for evil things!"
Ash reaches out to squeeze Clemont's hand in reassurance. Clemont sighs. "Well, it shouldn't matter now anyway." Out of the corner of his eye, he notices Ash's curious glance. "I should have done it from the start, but I've locked all of your files so that no-one will be able to access them," he explains. "Well… you can access them, of course, and the password is a voice code keyed to me, so if I really need to, I can. It's going to be a lot harder even for me to access your files now though, so I don't know how many updates you'll be getting in the future," he finishes, apologetic. It was less efficient, but much safer for Ash this way. Clemont never wanted a repeat of the last three weeks.
He feels Ash shrug. "That's okay. You know I don't like them anyway."
Clemont huffs a laugh. "I thought you'd say something like that."
"Guess I'll just have to learn things the way that everyone else does, one thing at a time," Ash muses, flopping backwards and staring up at the ceiling. "That's not too bad." Pikachu grumbles, but doesn't wake up beyond curling into a tighter ball on the robot's stomach. They fall silent for a while: Clemont continues to stare out the window while Ash still has hold of one of his hands, drumming his fingers against the back of it absentmindedly.
"Hey, Clemont?"
"Mm?" Clemont looks down at Ash. His world lurches for a second at the familiar viewpoint; for a second, Ash is lying there, broken and cold. Clemont blinks, dispelling the image and replacing it with the reality of a curious Ash staring up at him. "What is it?"
"What's the password?" Ash asks.
Clemont blinks. "You can't access that?"
Ash scrunches his face up in distaste. "Well, I could," he concedes. "But playing audio files feels weird, like they're echoing around my head. Besides, I'd rather hear it from you."
Clemont smiles. "Well, it's, ah…" He chuckles, grin growing wider. "It's 'sandwich', to be honest." Ash's brows draw together in confusion and he shakes his head, still smiling. "It's just a joke with myself, don't worry."
Ash makes a noise of acknowledgement, looking back up at the ceiling and closing his eyes. His fingers continue to tap out a nonsense pattern on the back of Clemont's hand. "Hey, Clemont… can robots like me dream?"
Clemont's eyebrows rise high. "I… don't know," he admits, surprised at the question. "Why do you ask?"
Ash's fingers still for a moment on his hand, before starting up in a slower pattern. "Well… I remember you and Bonnie telling me about sleeping and dreaming once. I know I wasn't really sleeping the last three weeks but… I think I might have been dreaming…?"
His head whips around to stare at Ash. "What?" That's impossible – not him dreaming; I never could work out if he was capable of it or not and, well, he's Ash – but his power source was damaged, his systems weren't even running in those three weeks, except when I ran diagnostics. Unless it was during those times? You dream when you sleep, you can't dream when you're for all intents and purposes dead. "What… what did you dream about?" he asks, curiosity taking over. A dream!
"Well," Ash starts, brows furrowing in concentration. "There was me, and you and Bonnie, of course, and Pikachu – and some girl I've never met before? Me and Bonnie and were playing in this giant pool of water. That was fun," he adds. "Water doesn't usually feel like that to me… I think – I think I might have been human?" Ash opens his eyes, flashing a smile up at Clemont, who is listening intently. The robot flexes his free hand, examining it. "The pool was near a Pokémon Centre and there were trees all around – it was really hot, too, I didn't know the weather could get that hot! I couldn't see, but somehow I knew there was sand past all the trees as well."
"An oasis," Clemont supplies, resting his chin on his hand, his arm propped up on his knee. "That's what you're describing. It's a spring that you find in the middle of a desert – which is what the sand probably is." I don't really know the desert regions of Kalos that well, he muses and then catches himself. Not that Ash would be dreaming of a real place he's never heard about, nor ever been to!
"An oasis, huh…" Ash repeats, a determined smile on his face. "Maybe I'll get to see it one day!" he muses eagerly.
"Was that all the dream was?" His curiosity is skyrocketing with every piece of information Ash reveals. That Ash can dream to this degree of detail… his robot certainly is a one-of-a-kind miracle!
Ash shrugs, shoulders rubbing against the platform. "Pretty much, yeah," he agrees, running a hand over Pikachu's back. Pikachu's ears twitch. "We were just hanging out and having fun. Oh! There were some Pokémon there though, um…" he frowns. "A Dedenne? It was with Bonnie. And you had a Chespin… there was a Delphox too, it must have belonged to the other girl." He grins up at Clemont again. "I think I was a Trainer," he confesses to Clemont. "All of us travelling together. What a nice dream…"
Clemont swallows nervously. Well, Ash has handed him the perfect opening to something he's been meaning to discuss with him. He hadn't intended on mentioning it the very first day that Ash woke up – there are still plenty more things that needed to be checked and done first and once Ash knows about this he'll be unable to sit still for all his eagerness – but here goes nothing anyway.
"It doesn't have to be a dream," he says softly. Almost too softly; his voice is barely audible, even to his own ears.
But not to Ash's hearing. He looks up at him, confused. His fingers freeze still on Clemont's hand again. "What?" he asks blankly.
"It doesn't have to be just a dream," he repeats, in a louder voice. "I… while you were still asleep, I made up my mind about something, although the final decision is yours." Clemont fidgets a bit, reclaiming his hand from Ash. "I know it's still your dream to become a Pokémon Trainer and enter the League so… if you really want to do it, I think you should. Go and travel around Kalos and collect badges."
"What?!" Ash bolts upright, narrowly missing colliding with Clemont's head. Pikachu tumbles off his stomach and into his lap. "Ack! Sorry, Pikachu," Ash apologises hurriedly, as Pikachu grumbles a few complaints. His head swings around to look at Clemont, his eyes bright. "Really, Clemont?! You really mean it?!"
Clemont can't help the smile that breaks out at Ash's excitement. "Yeah. I talked to Papa and also Professor Sycamore – he's the one who you get your starter Pokémon from – I talked to them about it, and it should be fine. You just need to register properly at a PokéCenter."
Ash lets out a whoop, a sound of pure joy and excitement. He leans forward, wrapping an arm around Clemont's shoulders in a hug. "That's awesome! Thank you so much, Clemont!" he laughs. Ash beams down at the electric Pokémon in his lap; Pikachu's grumbles have died down in the face of such unbridled excitement. "Did you hear that, Pikachu? I'm gonna be a Pokémon Trainer! – no, a Pokémon Master!"
"Pika! Pikapi!" Pikachu cheers sleepily, waving his arms. The announcement is less of a shock to him than it is to Ash – after all, Pikachu had been at the table when Clemont had first broached the idea of a Pokémon journey with his father.
"Ah, but wait – what about all the problems that you brought up before?" Ash asks, smile fading. "I mean, it's not like it's gotten any less dangerous for me to go… I mean, there's still no way for me to swim, or get repairs if I manage to damage myself… and, well… I'd miss you guys."
Clemont's gaze slides downwards until he is staring at the ground. "Team Rocket managed to come after you here, in your home. So maybe it is still dangerous but… that's no reason not to try, right?" He glances at Ash, to find a serious expression on the robot's face. He looks away again. "Besides, some of that stuff I've accounted for already when I was rebuilding you – your design now is a lot lighter and sturdier than it was before to accommodate for outdoor travel, for example."
"Oh, that's probably why it was feeling a bit weird to me," Ash flexes his fingers as he examines his hand. He nods. "Makes sense."
"Mm. It's not just the hardware either; I wrote some new programs that should come in handy for you as well if you decide to go," Clemont continues. "As for the rest, well…" He scratches his cheek, smiling shyly at Ash, "that shouldn't be a problem if I come along with you."
Ash blinks at the unexpected words, before his eyes go comically wide. "Really?!" he exclaims, shock and joy mingling on his face. He scrambles to hands and knees, leaning in close to Clemont. "You'd come too?"
"Well, it's the best way to make sure you don't damage yourself too much. You need me," Clemont replies, touched by just how happy Ash seems by the prospect. "Ah, and not just me," he adds. "Bonnie insisted that she gets to come along too – I don't think she intends to let you out of her sight ever again." The shy smile grows into a shy grin. "So it'd be the three of us, if you want to go."
Ash's answering grin is so bright that it's almost blinding. "Yes!" he cheers, leaping to his feet and spinning around in glee. "Yes! Hahaaa! This is amazing! I can be a Pokémon Trainer, and I get to travel with my family! This is incredible, I'm so pumped!" Laughing, Ash reaches down and grabs Clemont's hands, hauling the smiling blonde to his feet with a small yelp on Clemont's behalf and spinning them both around. "Clemont, you're the best!"
They slow to a stop. Clemont finds himself with an armful of enthusiastic robot as Ash wraps his arms around him in a hug. "Thanks, Clemont, I really appreciate it," Ash mumbles into his shoulder. "You do so much for me."
"You do just as much for me," Clemont replies honestly, warmth radiating in his chest. Maybe it's not as visible as the things I can do for you but… just having you around is worth so much to me. He rests his head on Ash's shoulder, squeezing the robot in return. "I know you'll make a great Pokémon Trainer, Ash."
"Thanks!" It's easy to hear the smile in Ash's voice.
All of a sudden, he feels Ash stiffen under his hands. "Wait," Ash says slowly, as though something is dawning on him. He pulls back to look at Clemont. "If the two of us are travelling around Kalos… who's gonna be running the Gym? Lumiose Gym can't close down for that long…"
"Of course not," Clemont agrees. "Since neither of us will be around to run the Gym – you can't, and I won't be able to – I was thinking..." He hesitates. "Well, to be honest, I was considering building another robot to take care of the Gym while we're both gone. Not the same as you!" he clarifies immediately, worried that Ash might take it the wrong way and think he was being replaced. "You're definitely one of a kind! But a robot with an AI and other functionalities that are less advanced than what I did for you."
"Oh…" Ash considers this, head tilted to the side. "Well, I know the Gym will be in good hands then!" he concludes brightly, hands on hips. "Since you build really great robots!" He winks at Clemont, not even trying to hide his wide grin. Clemont bursts out laughing, giggling helplessly into his hand.
"Ssh, Papa and Bonnie are probably trying to sleep," he says between giggles. "We should probably try to be quieter."
"Whoops." Ash has the grace to look sheepish as he lowers his voice. He bounces on his feet for a moment, unable to contain his excitement. "So, when can we leave? Tomorrow?"
"I know you're eager, but there's a lot of things we need to organise first," Clemont cautions. "You need to register for the League and organise things with the Professor; Bonnie and I need to work out what we'll need to take… I need to work out things with the Gym and the League Association too, if I'm going to have a full-time proxy stand in for me while I'm gone…." he trails off, mumbling to himself as more and more things to do occur to him. Eventually, he snaps back to reality. "Besides," he adds, amusement growing, "While I'm flattered you think I could, I can't build an entire robot in a day, you know. Just making the plans is going to take at least a day, if I stay up all night."
"No," Ash says immediately, mouth setting in a stubborn line. "Bonnie told me how you hard you worked yourself while I was asleep. No more skipping sleep! It's important for you guys!"
"Okay, okay! I understand," Clemont laughs, holding up his hands. "I'll go get ready for bed. We can figure out all the details tomorrow – and you need to let Papa and Bonnie know about your decision too." Later, he'll blame his actions on tiredness finally catching up to him after the excitement of the day, but for now he balances on tiptoe, using Ash's shoulders to steady himself as he presses a kiss to the robot's forehead like he would for Bonnie. "Good night, Ash!" He heads for the door, stifling a sudden yawn; he doesn't see Ash touch his forehead gently.
Clemont is almost to the door when Ash's voice floats up from behind him. "Hey, Clemont…?"
He turns. Ash still stands in the middle of the room, backlit by the lights of Lumiose City. Clemont realises with surprise that Ash looks uncertain, an emotion he doesn't usually associate with his friend. "Yes, Ash?"
"Can I… can we…"
Ash looks down at Pikachu, sleeping in his arms. In that moment, the robot strikes an unbearably lonely figure. Clemont's heart aches at the thought of Ash having to stay awake by himself while the rest of his family slept.
Without stopping to think about it, he holds out a hand. "Come stay with me tonight," he offers. "Even if you can't sleep, it's better than hanging around here by yourself." And I'll probably be able to sleep better that way as well.
Surprise and then gratefulness flashes across Ash's face. He comes closer, reaching out to take Clemont's proffered hand. "Thanks, Clemont."
He grins at Ash, tugging him towards the door. "Anytime."
Ash revival! Time for the sadness to end! \ o /
Side note, a Clemont hug for anyone that can place Ash's dream in the XY/XY&Z timeline lol
Only one more chapter left! :O Thanks for reading! C: