Another update, hope all of you had a great summer! Have fun reading this chapter!
The teen arrives in Lumiose feeling so unbelievably sad. It's incredible to him how some people just can't mind their manners around him, heck, he even bought Ramos a gift which is an ordinary custom to do for the Kantonees. But apparently, the man just couldn't get over the fact that a Shadow pokémon appeared in Coumarine and that Ash is the owner of it. As if the boy still doesn't feel guilty about giving Lugia such a false sense of comfort, to make it believe everyone would be so nice to it so that it could finally fly free, while it can't ever have true freedom now that it's linked to a trainer. He does his best, of course, he does it for all his pokémon but that's apparently not enough for Ramos.
It ended up an unfair match, not in the sense that any of his pokémon couldn't handle Ramos' challenge but just so unfair how the Gym leader told him he'd throw him out if he used a type advantage. His evil side roared to life at that moment, he would have called Smog out just to mess with the man since the pokémon has a type disadvantage. But no, he called out Gible, the pokémon knew how he felt the moment the little dragon appeared out of the pokéball. To make things worse, Ramos' pokémon didn't fight full power, Ash didn't need to be anywhere close to the Skiddo and Gogoat horns to show them how he felt about that battle. They went down hard, too scared of him and Gible, the little pokémon sneered and growled for all it was worth and for a moment, when Ramos' last pokémon skidded to a halt in front of Gible, Ash thought the pokémon would evolve, that aggressive the little dragon became, zooming over to the Gogoat to sink his teeth deep into the pokémon's front left leg.
Ramos must have missed the action, the Gogoat successfully threw Gible off with a pained cry but the Gym leader ordered his pokémon to use Take Down. However, the Gogoat's leg is too damaged, it trips clumsily and ends up taking itself down way before reaching Gible. The referee didn't waste a second calling the match a win in Ash's favour, in fact, the man took the badge from Ramos and gave it to him instead. The teen wasn't sure whether that was allowed but in the end, referees for Gym leaders and battles under pokémon league rules are always affiliated with the pokémon league too so it likely isn't a problem. However, it's just another badge that means nothing to him, another video on his battle profile he's considering to blur out as it shows nothing but a bad attitude from this Gym leader. Instead of doing anything to his battle profile, the teen just removes himself from Coumarine, the train seemed to have been waiting for him so if that's not a sign he's not wanted here…
He caught looks on the train too, Pikachu went to sit on his other shoulder to glare at the people who kept staring at him. Was it such a crime to capture the Shadow pokémon that these people despise him for it? He would've thought they would be grateful but it seems to be the contrary. Not even a greeting, nothing, just blank stares of some sort of recognition but Ash never locked eyes long enough to recognise just what they were seeing. So now he is in Lumiose and wonders why, next to his sadness, he still feels some hope that it'll be different this time. Does he even have friends in Kalos any longer? Clemont doesn't answer any messages he sends him, nor does he pick up when Ash calls him. Knocking on the door has little effect, though he sees light through the tiny window… so they're just not answering him. The teen feels too sad to continue so he checks into the pokémon centre, just to curl up in the bed and try to forget his feelings.
When he wakes up, though, he hasn't forgotten but his sadness has turned into something ugly. Again, his calls and messages go unanswered and it seems like there is no need to make an appointment to challenge the Lumiose Gym. In fact, there seem to be very few people out and about but he's about had it. If Clemont calls him back or approaches him in any other way, he'll be nice, he will forgive the teen for leaving him here in the dust. But nothing will force him to spend a day longer in Lumiose City. It's not the bloody landmark, it's not just his feelings, or at least, nothing he can completely blame on his feelings. It's that voice again, it sounds hurt and lonely,… it's looking for someone to answer, it still has some hope of reaching him but Ash can't answer, the creature reaching out to him is completely foreign to him and he would have to meet it in order to speak to it so all he knows about the poor being is that it's not a Psychic-type. He hates how helpless he is, he wants to help this pokémon so badly but he can't or else he'll put himself and everyone he cares about in danger. Kozzy tells him that the pokémon is under strict supervision, and that even talking to it would be dangerous as the people hurting it are also tracking its feelings. A spike of happiness when he's present in Lumiose could have dangerous consequences, since they could link it to him.
So with lead in his shoes, Ash trails into the Gym, electricity crackling all around him but having raised a Pikachu for so long takes away the fear of a little static. He's not impressed when the robot turns to him and instantly starts throwing insults his way.
"Oh, it's you? Plan to ruin another Gym, then?"
"Just a challenger. The part of it getting ruined is completely under your own control," Ash answers, though looks at the referee, who nods back at him.
This man isn't paid enough for this.
"Control? Over a destroyer like yourself? Let me have a sarcastic little laugh over that one. What do you think control means?"
"Just because you're a robot doesn't mean you can't pick up on the social cue to shut up."
"You would love that, wouldn't you?"
"Yes? Wouldn't you?"
"I would love for you to shut up. But I guess I'm not going to be able to manage that with words. I'll let my pokémon bring forward my message."
Ash doesn't hold much value to the robot's words, he doubts that it even has any pokémon it can call its own. What is painfully clear, though, is that he recognises Clemont's way of talking from how the robot speaks and that's jarring. He's doing his best to keep himself from linking it to the boy he's gotten to know as a friend but with the idea of Clemont not wanting to talk to him, it's really hard not to believe that these occasional jabs weren't programmed into this robot specifically to make him upset. But as the robot curses and cries when Gible makes clean work of the Heliolisk, it makes a comment that reminds him of the terrible battle in Coumarine.
"Oh yes, of course, you would think you're a hotshot, only targeting pokémon with a type advantage!"
The ugly feeling comes back, full force, he can't stop it and as the robot releases their final pokémon, the evil side of him takes over fully… and he tells Gible to use Earthquake. Now, he wasn't thinking clearly but Gible was. And all the little dragon felt was the pure anger of injustice… and evolved. The Earthquake from Gible would've been nasty, the little pokémon has been trained accordingly but the move coming from a ragingly mad Gabite is something much different. How he kept upright, he's not sure but somehow managed while the robot lost footing and fell, rolling from side to side. The referee calls the end of the battle in his favour, nearly pushes the badge in his hands and then pulls him out of the tower. Looking back on it now, Ash should've reconsidered using the move but this is the first time he's fought with such a specifically trained pokémon and he couldn't have predicted Gible would evolve -even though he had a hunch, he could never truly say and he won't be caught dead asking one of his pokémon to evolve, that's none of his business. But it's done and the referee, apparently looking straight through him as if he's become transparent, shakes his head at him.
"This could have been avoided but not once has anyone thought about banning a move from a fight. That something like this could happen is just bad security control," the man says but Ash isn't thinking about that.
He couldn't give a flying hoot if the Prism Tower were to collapse, he just shakes the referee's hand and in the same dazed manner, leaves the city just like he left Coumarine. He's been walking for a while now and Ash never felt his leg give up until he suddenly found himself sitting in some grass.
"Oh no," he sighs and looks straight into Mewtwo's eyes, which at least gives him the idea that they are alone.
So when his sight gets blurry and he feels something trickle over his cheek, he lets it.
"Oh, friend. Why do you allow others to hurt you so much?"
"Why? Why is it always my fault? What makes my pokémon, my team, my friends so peculiar that I need to watch out who I use for a Gym challenge?" he cries, as Mewtwo gently pushes him against its shoulder. "Why are they telling me I can't use type advantage, since when has that become illegal? Why does every Gym leader here ask me to reconsider what pokémon I use? First, they weren't big enough and then they're too strong, too creepy, it's always something about my pokémon but Arceus forbid that they got to change something about themselves first! Goddammit, why do I always give them such control over me? Where's the time gone to where I couldn't give a damn what they said to me?"
"Those who boast with powerful abilities are always fake, they will be imposters. The universe is balanced, if the ability is powerful so are the downsides."
"It's not fair."
"Nothing ever is. The sooner you realise this, the better you will be able to respond to it," the pokémon sighs and starts to gently purr.
While it calms Ash down, he's still very upset. But as much as the universe might be balanced when it comes to his issues, it rarely justifies things that happen. Mewtwo's purring is precious to him and he would have considered not answering his phone if it wasn't for the pokémon telling him he might want to answer this call. He does so but not without letting out a loud sigh before answering the call.
"Hello?"
"Ash, what is that pokémon?" Iris asks but he's so not in the mood to be spoken to like this.
"How about 'hi' first?"
"… I'm sorry, I have a lot on my plate."
"So have I," he hisses. "It's not my fault people forget that other creatures also want to be remembered in time, no matter how old they are."
"What upset you so badly, Ash? Are you okay?"
"No, I'm not okay. I don't wanna be. I want to be left alone."
"Whoa, whoa, where are you?"
"Outside. Why?"
"I'm in Laverre City, I had some business to attend to in Kalos and I was told there was a good restaurant but it's not nice sitting here on my own. Why don't you come by or I'll meet you halfway?"
"Why would I if all you care about is just-"
"I've missed you," she suddenly says and her tone is suddenly a lot more different. "Give me your coordinates, I'll come find you."
"Goddamn, no, I… I'll come to Laverre. I was on the way anyway."
"Really?"
"I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. Now lemme calm down, I'll get there in a day or so."
"Good. I'll be waiting for you."
Ash stuffs the phone in his pocket with a groan, a growing headache forming in the front of his head. Mewtwo acts as if nothing happened but now the teen can't stay still for very long because he hates to keep people waiting. But his sticky legendary friend isn't easily deterred, if Mewtwo wants to cuddle, it will, no matter what it's got to do in order to achieve it. And if that means climbing on top of Bonbon to go and sit right behind Ash so that it can keep its head buried in the crook of his neck, well… that's where Mewtwo will be. At that point, Ash doesn't care what happens, all he wants is to get to Laverre and sleep. If she's really going to be waiting for him, she can wait until he's in a good enough mood to deal with her shenanigans. Demanding things from the get-go, what the hell… If she really missed him, she would've said something else instead of that and also, the heck is her problem if she's not even in Unova to see it? Even if Enamorus is in Kalos now, persistent in following him around like many of the legendary pokémon who have started taking a fancy to him and his likeable Aura. He can tell because the weather is phenomenal, like, the only good part of his whole life not counting the pokémon persistently clinging to him. So yeah, if Iris is going to freak out about the pokémon, she can go and tell that to Enamorus' face herself, see if she'll be as happy to be blunt as she was to him.
Diantha is going to scream! She has gotten complaints about Gym leaders before, some justified, some not quite so much but yes, no one is perfect and certainly not the Gym leaders. They've been chosen for the role because of a certain quirk they have and if a challenger doesn't like that quirk, well, then a complaint comes in automatically. Some parents also called in to file a complaint after hearing a story from their children and decided to take offence to something. Depending on whether or not the child told the truth or saddled up their parents with a bogus story, the complaint would be investigated until fixed, like any issue within the league and its system. But never, in these whole years she's been a Champion for, has she had two referees in, both filing a complaint about the Gym leader they were working for. Now, she can't say anything to Clemont, the boy hadn't been in and apparently, the boy's father left the light on in the kitchen so yeah… they came back to see the Prism Tower stabilised with iron scaffolding all over the tower. Whether it was funny or not that Clemont guessed that Ash had come by and seemed appalled he hadn't been here and then saw the missed calls on his phone, along with the teen's nothing but kind messages, Diantha still told him that the robot Gym leader created a big issue and that he's going to need to work on it and make sure that something like this wouldn't happen again.
But Ramos, oh, she isn't happy with him at all. And the worst thing of all, when she calls in for a meeting straight after the Lumiose Gym referee put in the complaint -the Prism Tower had still been swaying back and forwards dangerously when he came in, very upset- the Gym leader seemed oblivious. And that while Clemont looks like he wants to be swallowed by the chair he's sitting on, drawing looks from the other Gym leaders.
"What happened?" Wulfric asks, looking rightfully confused.
"My robot upset a challenger, they… used Earthquake in the Prism Tower," Clemont confesses. "It's… closed now, due to instability issues."
The Gym leader barks out a laugh at that statement.
"Took those kids long enough to think about using that move, as rare as it is," he then says but then Olympia turns to him, not batting an eye as she stares deep into his eyes.
"In this region perhaps," she says and Wulfric sighs as he gets what she's saying.
"So," Diantha pipes up. "I've called you all here for a meeting to discuss something very important."
"Am I going to be suspended for wanting to protect my livelihood?" Ramos asks and she gives him an even, calm look as she shakes her head.
"Of course not, there is no reason for suspension when it's clear that this is an issue that will not be fixed with some time-out. So instead, Ramos, for breaching the second most important rule of the pokémon league, I have called in for a revision instead."
Nearly all Gym leaders have a response to that news, which is normal since a revision is a ghastly thing to happen to a Gym. Not only does that mean that there will be a group of league officials watching his every move and correct or comment on whatever action or decision he makes, but it also requires the Gym leader to study the huge, newly updated yearbook and to redo their exam and there might be changes to their application if the results of redoing that exam weren't good enough. But anyone should know better than to tell a challenger they can't use a certain pokémon. No matter whether the challenger sends out the biggest hellion of a pokémon on earth out to play, it doesn't change anything in fairness unless the challenger doesn't have control over the creature. But she has personally reviewed the battle footage, the two referees told her that the multiple jabs at the expense of the young challenger were made on field and she witnessed it, seeing the boy's expression fall both times too. It's clear that Ash wouldn't have sent a Shadow pokémon out on the field either, from what she has been told, that poor pokémon was a friend of his and suffered immensely. Knowing the teen's love for pokémon, he would never have considered calling it out in a Gym fight and no, Ramos didn't pose too much of a threat to get him to change his mind. In fact, Diantha can't help but feel that the boy's fears couldn't be any different from what the Gym leaders ever could be to anyone, they're not meant to be scary or mean, just challenging. But to someone like Ash, who has experienced so many 'challenges' in his life, of all natures, it's unlikely anyone can spring anything new on him. Perhaps Ramos' left-field comment surprised him but from the sight of his face changing so drastically, along with the Gible growing highly upset, it got a whole different reaction.
"Isn't the second most important rule being disrespectful of a challenger's team? Or at least challenging the decisions the challenger made? Why am I hearing this, I've gotten so many comments about that recently too, why is this becoming a common occurrence to tell a trainer not to use a certain pokémon?" Wulfric asks, seemingly a little bothered. "It's type advantage again, huh? What's the point of the professor giving starters of Fire, Water and Grass away if they can't even help the challenger have a bit of an advantage over battles?"
"So you wouldn't grow upset over having an entire team of Fighting-type pokémon in front of you, all waiting for the opportunity to hand that opinion back to you?" Viola chuckles. "I mean, I don't have a choice but I was challenged with another Bug-type once and I didn't stand a chance either way."
"My friend once got challenged by a kid with a Squirtle," Clemont pipes up. "And so he called in Pikachu, the other of course made a comment over type- advantage but then, he just went and Iron tailed the Squirtle straight into the ocean. Or, to say it in his words 'Type-advantage isn't everything'."
Yes, whatever it may be, her decision is final and since Ramos has done nothing but look surprised over his punishment and the general vote indicates that all the other Gym leaders feel like he did make a mistake, it's a green light for her to start her paperwork and gets this thing going. However, the entire team of Gym leaders are a colourful band of people and considering no one likes these meetings -especially not these ones, it's never nice to see another Gym leader getting punished- they all want to leave quite quickly and the exit is all the same way so they're basically all walking out the same way.
"Ah, Champion Diantha!" someone suddenly says and she halts instantly, it's not common for her to see Gurkinn, not to mention she hasn't seen him this happy.
"Hello, Gurkinn. Is something the matter?"
"I could ask you the same, another meeting?"
"… There was a digression of a well-known rule, that's all," she says but can't help but look at Ramos, who pointedly refuses to meet eyes.
"Oh? So what pokémon did you tell Ash not to use, huh?" Gurkinn chuckles, honing into the issue straight away.
"A Charizard," the Gym leader says evenly.
"Huh? That's it?"
"Why, what would you expect?" Wulfric asks, always up for a bit of gossiping.
"Well, I saw him curse someone for hurting a Kyogre and then cuddle it up with a whole Yveltal shortly after, I would've at least expected something bigger than a Charizard."
"Would half an Yveltal be worse, somehow?" Valerie asks, speaking up for the first time today but Gurkinn seems to be in a good mood.
"Absolutely, especially for the people near it. See, half an Yveltal can't live so when it reaches the end of its life, it absorbs the life of everything and everyone around it."
"Oh…"
"Though a Shadow pokémon was possible too," Ramos then says.
"Tauruscrap," Clemont huffs. "I know for a fact he would've never thought of that, especially not for the likes of you. Who do you think you are to be that ungrateful? He saved Coumarine twice, once from eternal winter and the other being a Shadow pokémon."
"What are you implying?"
"Nothing. I just think you've got a funny way of saying 'thank you', that's all."
It's about then that Gurkinn catches the general mood around the group, though Diantha is glad to see some of Clemont's character come back, it's been a while since she's heard him speak up against someone's words, especially not against a fellow Gym leader.
"Well… I don't suppose you have a minute, Diantha?" Gurkinn asks, briefly glancing at Clemont but then focussing back on her.
"Sure. Follow me, please," she answers and leads him into her office not too far away.
One motion to invite him to sit down later, they're sitting in front of each other and the Champion isn't sure whether she can be of any assistance to him. Nevertheless, he reminds her of a part of history she hasn't quite forgotten but then again, the loss of a culture isn't something she can easily forget but without having a link to it, it's hard to keep it close to the heart. Diantha has heard the story of the Forty countless times and it never made much sense but to hear that Gurkinn is now looking for Ash to explain it to him, now that will stick with her for a while. And then, to make things even weirder, she finds Wulfric, Olympia and Valerie outside of the hallway where her office is and it seems like they have something to say to her.
"I… figured that the challenger we discussed would arrive at my Gym shortly. I was wondering if I should be on the lookout for something. I would hate to upset him at any given time, especially when it's clear he's so loving and compassionate to the creatures I love so much," the Gym leader says and Diantha smiles at her.
"If you are not comfortable, Valerie, dear, you shouldn't engage. I have never gotten a complaint from your Gym and I believe you can get away by just being yourself," she says. "I need you to understand that the challenger didn't complain, the referees did and while that's unusual, it speaks for the level of tolerance from his side. And the thing is, you can never please everybody but the things that were said were just cruel and not okay. There's no doubt in my mind that those kinds of things don't exist in your head, not to mention that you wouldn't say them either. And if there is a problem, you can always contact me or rely on your referee just in case it does come to a conflict. But I highly doubt it, Viola didn't have any issue with said challenger either."
"She told me, though… he's very special, isn't he? With an Ice-type pokémon too, I mean, they're not very likely to like humans at all. To think he could just… fall in love with it so badly that it felt compelled to return the sentiment, that's incredible."
Diantha can only agree with the statement, but Olympia gives her that look again.
"I would refrain from spreading tales about that boy. The consensus of him being special couldn't be any more correct but there are ears inside this building that just cannot be trusted," she says and as always, successfully creeping the Champion out.
"… I've heard that before," Diantha sighs and smiles ruefully. "Be careful, Olympia, there's nothing you won't be able to say to him that he won't know already. I can tell he will get along with Valerie for the sheer love of pokémon and with Wulfric because they have a bond of mutual respect but you… From what I have heard, he doesn't respond well to other extraordinary abilities on show."
"How shallow. I do not believe you," she flat-out says. "If anything, it will be the lack of tact and manner of all the people with extraordinary abilities he has met that makes him not respond well. But alright, I will endeavour to keep my mouth shut… But he has a right to know if I can answer questions no one else can or won't answer."
Somehow, Diantha wonders whether Olympia isn't just being a little too optimistic, Ash is a very peculiar person and she imagines Valerie's worries to be warranted. The teen didn't leave Lumiose in the best of mood, after all so perhaps the Gym leader is best off not engaging at all. While she knows that Gurkinn is looking for the teen, as well as Cynthia, who got joined by Steven who seemed to be in holiday mode but essentially also looking to join with Ash… along with Champion Iris, who visited Kalos just for diplomatic reasons, only to have left after a string of odd noises coming from her phone. The girl left quickly after their business was over, though claimed to go to Laverre, only to now give Diantha the idea she's staying there just because one person is going there too. Man, she doesn't want to be in the boy's shoes, heaven knows what they all want from him.
As a matter of fact, there would be an awful lot of people not wanting to be in Ash's shoes at the moment. Bonbon must've strayed off the road at some point and the teen didn't notice since he ended up falling asleep and then, woke up on top of the sleepy pokémon, amidst greenery. And now, he's surrounded and under attack. If it wasn't for the books in his uncle's house, Ash might not have realised but what he's seeing now is a tactic to try and overwhelm. So he's got all his pokémon out, including Froakie and Fletchling. Now whether it has to do with his feelings from before, or his panic right now but all the pokémon are very upset… and Ash sees pokémon who could damn well be Froakie's evolution but Meep is super quick to take those she's got visual on out. Only, there are so many that Glalie assists the little dragon and Gabite, his newly evolved darling, goes out next to Charizard. What follows will keep him reeling for days, no, weeks because all the pokémon who can Mega evolve at the moment do so, all together. Glalie, Charizard, Heracross and Sceptile stand proudly next to each other and slowly but surely, the number of attackers lessens. But Meep evolves into a much bigger pokémon and before he knows it, so do Fletchling and Froakie!
The only thing that sets off his Froakie- no, Frogadier from all the others is that his pokémon is bigger and much stronger… and more upset. Fletchinder now keeps near him, the pokémon isn't exactly at a disadvantage but the warmth coming from the pokémon makes him feel a little better, though he wonders if its ability is always active, meaning this slightly bigger Bird-type might need to eat a bit more. But at the very least, as his thoughts drift away for a second, his pokémon turn to him because out of the trees, appears a face belonging to a person. Yeah, fuck that, though, he gets back onto Bonbon's back, recalls all his pokémon and books it out of there. As if he's going to chat whilst also giving them a chance to regroup or something, if these people are cruel enough to approach and then attack a sleeping person, then there is no reason for him to stay here and listen to what they've got to say.
Bonbon got a big spook too, the poor pokémon runs very hard but hides in another bushy area but at least it looks like it's devoid of crazy people. So Ash tells him to lie down, have a bit of a rest and then plops down on the ground too. He listens for a while, on the lookout for more trouble but Mewtwo appears shortly after, claiming that they're on their own right now. Which is perfect, he's got a few newly evolved pokémon to have a look over and thus, he gets out his grooming set. Pikachu's ears perk up in interest and Meep, who has become a lot bigger, floats over to him.
"Have a seat," Ash says and pats the ground between his legs in invitation. "Let me get a good look at you."
Meep has no issues with that and nestles herself in between his legs so her head is resting against his stomach. Seems like she's going to want to be held the same way as when she was a smaller little dragon, which might be a challenge but he's never backed down from one and he won't start doing it either. However, his pokémon are all upset, they seemed to have come to his defence as soon as those weird and aggressive Frogadier came out to hurt them and he feels the remnant of the panic oozing from Meep. So Ash gets out his pokédex, interested to see how the pokémon's stats have become and also, to look at the name of her species. He's kind of happy he named her Meep, the name Drakloak is a bit of a mouthful and somehow, he can still see his little Meep in the larger dragon so all is well.
A good grooming session has drawn all the panic out of the pokémon's body, which is exactly what Ash was hoping to happen so seeing his plan worked out. So then he moves on to Pikachu, who stood the most valiant and, thanks to the training, seemed intent on teaching these Frogadier a lesson. All his pokémon love a good grooming, though, Fletchinder hops around happily and his newly evolved Frogadier still looks a little different from the ones all his pokémon were intent on hurting now that he's calmed down. Ash isn't sure what makes the pokémon so different but there's something telling him a clear difference and the rest of his pokémon seem to see it as well. So all is well, Gabite is his last pokémon he needs to groom but his skin is like sandpaper, the teen hasn't groomed Gabite with a brush before either since Lance's Gible groomed him all the time. The thing is, even if Rough Skin is always in action, somehow, Ash can touch him just fine. It doesn't hurt, it doesn't sting when he touches it and Pikachu can lick the dragon so honestly… it's special. The brushes, on the other hand, they suffer, even his most coarse one makes a bad noise so the teen decides to give up on the brushes and just uses his hand to rub the foam he creates from some soapy water into the dirty, sandpaper-like skin. What comes off is murky but in the end, all his pokémon stare at the purr coming from Gabite, it's prominent and it gets a big smile from him.
But the purring stops and with it, his smile disappears too. Just because his pokémon are calm, doesn't mean he can't be mad at being attacked out of the blue. Also, didn't Clemont describe Ramos as a clear-headed, compassionate person who wouldn't panic at the sight of his Charizard? What kind of a blatant lie was that!? He shakes his head, unsuccessful at getting himself together, these Gym leaders are totally out of bounds! He's glad the referees had a bit of compassion, even though the badges won't matter at this point. Sure, Clemont's send him a couple of panicked messages and the teen scrolls away as fast as he gets when he gets the image of the chips the teen's father ate. Meyer must've been blind with hunger not to notice that something wasn't right, there was mould and the boy grizzles with the idea. After having confirmed to Clemont for the umpteenth time that he isn't upset with him, the teen's got enough and stuffs his phone back in his pocket. The sky is getting a little purple already, though he's still got a few hours of daylight, thanks to Enamorus' presence keeping clouds away. The thing is, he's not sure where he is so maybe it won't be possible to get to Laverre before dark.
Ash lets Fletchinder out, the pokémon could fly up and see where the road went. Well, as long as it remained light enough but all that's important to the teen at the moment, is that he should never allow Bonbon to flee like that since he's now somewhere in nowhere. After a lot of trees, shrubs, even more trees and slightly more luscious shrubs, he sees Fletchinder dive down and considering he told Bonbon to follow the other pokémon, his ride buddy goes and follows just like he was told to do. Only to end up amidst more shrubbery and oh joy, Fletchinder has found an egg.
'Do not touch it. It needs to develop further.'
Ash blinks, that was a very quick response from Mewtwo but he also hears Kozzy hum in agreement and now he's at a loss on what to do. Or rather, how he's got to get the egg to come along with him, Fletchinder obviously isn't willing to leave it be and considering there isn't an angry pokémon barrelling towards them, willing to protect their young, he truly feels like this egg got abandoned. And while he's a professional at playing heartstrings, so do pokémon play with his, especially when it comes to abandonment. So he hops off Bonbon's back, gets his backpack off his shoulder and holds it open right in front of the egg.
"Go on then," he says to Fletchinder, who tilts her head in confusion. "If I can't touch it, we've just gotta do it differently, 'kay? I know you don't want to leave it behind, so roll it in my backpack. It'll be safe in there."
The pokémon didn't need more convincing as she carefully pushed the egg forward with her beak so that it rolled straight into the teen's backpack.
"See? Easy peasy. Now we just got to find a pokémon centre, they'll be able to tell us if the egg is okay."
Just the slight mention of something being wrong with the Bird-type's find gets them right on track. Ash figures it was worth the trouble, after all, but his mind wanders as Bonbon walks the downtrodden path to Laverre. Didn't he read a book about egg abandonment in professor Elm's laboratory? The professor had given him the book too, if he's not mistaken but he remembers that there are a few reasons why pokémon don't want to raise their eggs. Considering Mewmew told him that it needed to develop further, premature death or a bad egg could be ruled out of the possibilities. However, he feels peculiar about this egg, the placement of it seemed a little too obvious and he doesn't know of many pokémon who have their nests on the ground, in plain open spots where a pokémon like Fletchinder could see it from a great height. Maybe he's overthinking it but it seems odd, it's almost like the pokémon who had the egg deposited it there for anyone to find, may it be a trainer who would take care of the young creature in their stead… or another pokémon out to eat or just destroy it. Either way, he feels like he did a good thing, he's able to give the pokémon a good life so he takes pride in that. However, it's real dark when they get to Laverre and while it's not hard to find the glowing red roof of the pokémon centre, the blue one from the pokémart is dimmed already, meaning it's after eleven. This sucks because he's tired, his pokémon are tired and he really wanted to let them get checked over by the nurse.
Thankfully, there isn't anyone in the lobby of the pokémon centre and the nurse only has eyes on him but then again, she kind of pulls a face so he's not sure what's written on his face this time but hopes it's not any Tauroscrap that'll upset someone.
"Did you get lost?" she asks as soon as he has produced his trainer card out of his pocket.
The teen blinks at her, wondering how she got to this conclusion when she reaches over the counter and pulls something out of his hair. It's a twig, with a couple of leaves on it.
"Oh, oops," he chuckles, a little sheepishly. "There were some weird people out there, they attacked us. Is… it too late to ask for a check-up of my pokémon?"
"It's not, let me get a tray for their pokéballs."
"Err, you're gonna need two trays," he says and while the nurse gives him a bit of a side-eye for that comment, she does take two trays.
"You carry that many pokémon with you?"
"Yeah, I'm allowed to carry up to ten. Pikachu, he's my pokéhelp but he can still battle, though still doesn't count as part of how many pokémon I can carry, since I can't leave without him. Though I could carry up to eleven if you count my ride pokémon. But it's not a battle pokémon, I suppose you can tell by the look of the pokéball.."
"Ah, I understand. Did it have to run hard or far?"
"Both. It was a bit of a scary situation, I don't suppose you know of a group who own a lot of Frogadier?"
"Not that I know of, no. It's never a good idea to leave a path, however, but I suppose you've discovered just why not too long ago."
It has been long ago, though, Ash left Lumiose straight after his Gym battle and that happened at nine in the morning, ending in about five minutes. Gible sure didn't waste any time, certainly not as a Gabite either but considering it's now way after eleven in the evening, it's been a long time since he came face to face with that out-of-place war strategy. Still, this nurse seems to be serious, maybe she counted on an easy shift and he just ruined her plans entirely, since he's got more pokémon with him than any other trainer, thus, more work for her. Ash isn't sure if it's okay to walk into the cafeteria that's attached to this pokémon centre, but the light is still on and just peeking into it from the doorway, reveals a lady looking straight at him.
"Bonjour!" she says merrily.
"Hi," he answers, a little more subdued because he's getting very tired, neither yesterday nor today have been going great for his feelings and that always drains him so badly. "Can I still order something?"
"Of course!"
Oh, Ash likes this lady a lot, her French accent may be as thick as the layer of butter she smears on the toasts but he won't say anything about the service. Heck, there's no chance you won't get a big stink eye from a nurse Joy in Kanto for smiling at them as you try to check in after ten. So for him to be sitting here, enjoying the soup with the heavily buttered toast, it's worth a little 'hallelujah'. Finally, Ash finds something he really likes about Kalos! While it's as simple as just a good service in a pokémon centre, it just made a world of difference for him.
"Is there something more I can do for you?" the lady asks, after he goes and pays for his offer -'s not like he could done a dine-and-dash moment, she might not know about his disability but he is the only one here and her sole focus.
"Do you have a packet of ketchup?"
The thing she ends up producing out of a drawer seems a little too big to be called a packet but she gives it to him for free after she finds out that it's a treat for Pikachu. He can't get anything here that will please any of his pokémon but she gives him some mustard too, for the heck of it apparently but Ash isn't sure what to do with it. Ah well, he just puts it in one of his backpack's pockets and forgets about it as he trails back to his room. The nurse tells him she's done with the check-up and even tells him what a great job he has been doing, training them and taking such great care of them. He's a little confused at the sudden praise and the nurse seems to notice it.
"Or are you not taking care of them?"
"I just groomed them, they… we haven't had a good time as of late. So I'm sorry, you're the first to tell me this, it just surprised me, that's all."
"But even the Gabite with the Rough Skin was clean, you must be very good at it."
"… Thank you, I like doing it. My pokémon make funny noises when I groom them, they seem to like it too. And it's a great bonding experience."
"Naturally, there aren't many Gabite with Rough Skin, it's a very special ability to have."
"So is Cursed Body for M- Drakloak. But that won't stop me."
"And so, you can be called a special kind of trainer if you can handle the special features as well as you do. It's a sign of great care and I appreciate that in a trainer. But judging from the Pikachu… You've been a trainer for a while, haven't you?"
"Ah yes, about five years now. Why, how could you tell that by looking at Pikachu?"
"Some pokémon just never grow used to check-ups but it's a rare case to see a pokémon respond positively to a check-up and it's a whole other deal when a pokémon already knows what to do and does it without me asking it to do."
"Is it? Well, Pikachu's seen a lot of people already, I guess he's pretty sure you won't hurt him so that's alright, I'm glad he didn't give you any trouble."
"Confidence in a pokémon comes from how the trainer handles the creature," the nurse says and he nods.
He remembers how he found Charizard, a small and miserable Charmander sitting all by himself, on that rock. Ash still wished he decked Damian -the asshole- but in the end, Charizard became a force to be reckoned with after all. If the Gym leader's pokémon run from him. If Gym leaders even ban him from fighting.
"You're not very happy, are you?" she then asks.
"What gave you that idea? I'm pretty pleased, actually. I had a nice, late dinner, my pokémon are cared for, I managed to groom and feed them all and they didn't give you any problem. Why wouldn't I be happy?"
"That's not what happy means, Ash. You're just pleased nothing has been going against what you've planned. And even if it's way after your bedtime, I'm relieved in your stead. But no matter, I can guarantee you won't smile today even if the funniest joke is told."
"Well, it's not long until it's tomorrow, is it?" he grins. "It's not important, the world won't stop turning if I don't smile and besides, it might be different tomorrow. I think I remember telling you we didn't have an easy time, in fact, hearing an apology from one of the two Gym leaders would make me smile, just by how unlikely that would be, since one is a robot who really doesn't like me but hey, I'll be fine."
"I hope so. That being said, the Gym leader here is a Fairy-type expert."
"So I've read, she's got a Sylveon. I'm excited to meet it, there really aren't any limits to Eeveelutions, are there?"
"I'm sure she and Sylveon will like to me you as well. Now, how about you go and have a bit of sleep?"
At that very moment, the clock on the wall right above the nurse's desk makes a slight click as both dials are on twelve and Ash sighs.
"Oops. Didn't plan on staying out that late, but I really did get lost out there. Huh… Well, okay, I guess that's goodbye?"
"You won't stay another night?"
"Dunno. If I don't… Well, you would understand if you were me," he says and nods at her. "Goodnight, or rather, good morning to you, nurse Joy. Hope you've got an easy shift ahead of you."
So while the boy walked away, the nurse's fingers twitched towards the phone. This child hadn't smiled at all, in fact, at first she thought him to be a little weird but then there was the egg that was so nice and warm, with the pokémon all being exceptionally cared for… but then, when she pulled his trainer profile up and saw the notification of another nurse Joy, one from Santalune, who held him responsible for a rescue mission of a couple teenagers who went and did something stupid in the middle of the trees, in the pouring rain. Wulfric had been there too and that's what kept her from asking for assistance. But now she got the story about him having been attacked? And he got lost? Honestly, she's very worried, so she leaves a note for the next nurse Joy, to check up on the boy… but at five in the morning, a few minutes before her shift ends, as unlikely as it is, the teen appears next to the counter, with the Drakloak hanging from his back and the incubator with the egg in his arm, as well as the Pikachu nicely settled on his shoulder.
"Oh," is all the nurse can say, she's very surprised but still, very worried.
"Do you know anything about Drakloak, nurse?" the teen asks and she's taken aback, he sounds more awake than she does.
"A little. Why, is there a problem?"
"I was just wondering where the extra Dreepy came from."
"… All I know is that the evolution of Drakloak is a caregiver sort of pokémon line. If I'm not mistaken, this pokémon's final evolution, Dragapult, will have two extra Dreepy."
"Sounds cool. Thanks, nurse Joy, for answering my question."
"No problem. Are you okay?"
"Yip," the boy says, with a lot of emphasis on the 'p'. "I'm meeting a friend. She couldn't sleep and since I was awake, I told her I'd meet her outside."
She can't stop him from going out, it looks like it'll be nice weather outside and it sure will be smelling amazing out there… but she still leaves her note on the desk, telling her shift replacer about him too, to just… you know, keep an eye out. That she's not sure if everything's alright with him. Her colleague gives her a little smile, she might not realise it now but it could make a bit of a difference. These kiddos, especially the foreign ones, they're mini-adults but that's not a good future for children. The nurse chose the nightshift for that exact reason, her heart bleeds every time a young child comes in with a hurt pokémon, sometimes too hurt to be helped. It's such a gloomy sight and yes, children need to learn responsibility but certainly not from ten years old and not with a life-or-death decision that will take their best friend away from them. She feels like that boy just now, he's been through a lot. And that not many people were too friendly to him, he's too smooth in talking, as if getting lost isn't a big deal, as if getting attacked out of the blue isn't bad. And there was this glint in his eyes when he passed her the egg, this kid knows a lot more than most will give him credit for and that makes it so easy to tread on this kid's toes, it's no wonder he doesn't walk around smiling. He still wasn't when he reappeared here, despite the prospect of meeting a friend, which is weird since friends mean a lot to independent trainers. The nurse won't see the rest of today, though she silently wishes the teen well as she sees him disappear around the corner and hopes for all hopes that the Gym leader will be ready for this one when he decides to challenge the Laverre Gym, especially since she knows that boy will always be ready, no matter what.
The Gym leader is likely still in bed as the teen walks through Laverre, letting his phone's internet connection lead him to Iris, who is apparently sitting somewhere on a bench. Ash is lucky he installed this app, Iris holds a lot of stock to these coordinates but he didn't know what to do with them until he put them in the app and got a little map of Laverre in front of him, with a little pinpoint of where she was. Handy little thing, though he's just happy he doesn't need to let her wait for too long. In fact, Ash strongly suspects he's got that face that worries people all the time again, he knows that no matter how many times he told the nurse Joy that he was okay, she wouldn't believe he actually was. Smiling, after all, was reserved for different occasions and he's not always in control of his facial muscles. And he really was tired yesterday, yet he woke up bright and early, with the idea of someone familiar being around him. It couldn't have been Iris, though he'll be happy to see her again, he wakes up because of his Aura and thus, the familiar feeling will be another Aura user. Now, it's super unlikely that Riley is here so the only other Aura user he knows is Gurkinn but ah, just because Ash can feel his Aura so clearly doesn't mean the man is actually awake.
The teen passes the building he knows Gurkinn is at, likely still deeply asleep since the man has a totally different sleeping schedule than he does. Ash wishes he had been taught by Gurkinn instead, maybe he could have a full night's sleep for once and not be able to have the time for so many disappointments. But then again, if he had still been asleep, he wouldn't have been able to meet up with Iris so he continues his trek to what seems to be very close to a rather quant hotel. Actually, now that the teen has a map of the city in front of him, Laverre has an awful lot of hotels and there are a couple of impressive buildings out here he imagines would be perfect for shows. Surely there has to be another of these performances, like the ones Serena likes so much? Speaking of her, she also hasn't been answering his messages, unlike Clemont. Is she mad at him? He did try and keep contact but then again, things happened when he went back to Johto…
His attention goes straight to Iris when he sees her sit so slumped on the bench. He won't let himself tell her she looks horrible, this has got to be jetlag and it seems to have gotten the better of her. When he goes to sit down next to her, Drakloak moves to his other side rather quickly and he gently pulls Iris against his shoulder. The silence shortly after tells him she likely fell asleep, she must be pretty stressed out and honestly, she's a bit too young to be a Champion. Sure, she does a great job but at what cost? For people to call her and make her worry about a pokémon that flew out of the region after the plane he was in? If they are so sure that they're tracking every legendary pokémon in Unova correctly, seeming so sure that Thundurus, Tornadus and Landorus weren't near Kanto and Johto to cause that awful weather, they sure would have noticed Enamorus' quick exit too. It's also hanging around here, these pokémon have learnt to be sneaky, in fact, Lugia's unfortunate accident is a grim reminder of what could happen if they were captured, especially in a region like Kalos.
'She is very tired. You are doing her a great service in letting her rest.' Mewtwo says and Ash sighs.
'This sort of kindness is overrated, she would've flown off the handle no matter how I brought Enamorus' story if I didn't let her sleep. So all I did was act selfish.'
'Nonsense. You also do not deserve to be yelled at for no good reason.'
'If you think I wouldn't have told her that before retracing my steps and having this girl, be it a Champion or not, hauled off by the handy-dandy app I have, you're wrong. But you're right, if you're talking about Enamorus and how I found the poor pokémon all huddled up and alone in the middle of White Forest, getting yelled at for it would be unfair.'
'That is exactly what I mean. As always, I will be listening to this conversation and I will intervene. I have had it, I should have done something to that robot too. In fact, I should have been able to tell that there was no one in that tower so that you would have waited for the challenge and perhaps not have such a sour taste in your mouth now. But at the same time, I feel like even that would not have redeemed the capital city of this region. Even I have a hard time listening to the cries of that pokémon but for all our sake, it is truly better not to intervene. As cruel as that may seem.'
'You shouldn't need to do that, I survived without your supervision too. I appreciate it, of course, but you shouldn't feel responsible for my feelings.'
'But I should have known. I should have told you.'
'Maybe. I'm not sure if waiting in Lumiose would be such a nice prospect. You know that staying somewhere for a long time makes things happen around me, do you want that to happen in Lumiose?'
'That is a very good point.'
"But at the same time, I could still hide you from the others."
'Kozzy, that's not fair. It's not as if everyone can hide inside my Aura.'
"Is that so? Perhaps it is time for a little visit in your Aura, maybe the sight of the trust and faith we put in you may calm you down several notches. Also, those marbles you were given, those from the past… You should give them to Dialga and Palkia."
Ash refrains from squirming, he knows that Kozzy has a good point but somehow… why does he feel like they are all resting for a reason? He has no qualms in giving the two Rulers those marbles, he's quite curious as to what they do but at the same time, to hear it from one of his very intelligent friends makes it feel like advice and he knows only one reason why they would want those marbles… and that's to become more powerful. It's ominous, as if the hurt legendary pokémon roaming around this region are any sign of the need to be vigilant and always ready to intercept attacks. It's a gloomy realisation but Dialga did say that Giratina owns its Griseous Orb so why wouldn't he give Dialga and Palkia the same benefit of the doubt that they won't end up doing something stupid with the power-up if there is one involved?
'I find it incredibly funny everyone ignores you when you are able to make reason out of your own worries. You are a special person, friend, you very much are.'
'Oh, so I'm right?"
"Only time can tell. But one thing you should be aware of, is that we will never betray your trust."
'Thank you, Kozzy, I'm glad I can trust all of you to be sensible… even if a terrible sacrifice was needed in order for that to happen. Just thinking about it puts me on edge.'
"Good, that means it is taking up as little space as it can. I believe you can look up now."
The sentence confuses Ash for a few seconds until he feels movement against his shoulder. He looks down and sees Iris squint at him.
"How long have you been sitting here?"
"A few minutes. Why?"
"I'm cold."
"Then get up. Let's get to that restaurant you mentioned yesterday. I bet it's warmer there."
"Ugh," is all she says as she gets up but then halts. "Is that a dragon?"
"Mm? Oh yes, this is Meep," he answers and smiles as he moves his hand up to the other, innocent-looking Dreepy hovering a little above Meep's head. "And that's Meep the Second."
The joke has its desired effect, Iris smiles and snakes her arm around his.
"I knew you only could have gotten better, I'm glad to see you take training seriously."
"Wait 'till I show you Pikachu's stats, I'll have you floored in a minute."
"I heard something from Leon about you training a pokémon he gave Lance. Is that it?"
"Yep, I got her as a Dreepy, right after my uncle ended up in hospital. Told me he couldn't take care of it properly and if I could do it in his stead."
"I see it worked out fine for you," Iris chuckles and Meep seems to like how calm she's being, coming closer to have a sniff at her hands, to judge how she's going to react to contact.
But Iris is used to much bigger and burlier pokémon, even the snappier ones so to have a social one like Meep around is nothing she'll be afraid of and of course, holds out her hand for the dragon to sniff.
"I don't suppose you could give me any pointers on that way of training? Leon seems to hold a lot of merit to it and considering he's pretty successful, I'd like to know if it's anything worth my time."
"Whether it's worth it or not, it all depends on your level of patience. I know Lance is a good trainer but he failed to see how to train Dreepy and also, he's not the most patient of people."
"… How patient is patient, though?"
"Do you want to go hunt two-hundred fifty-two the same pokémon?"
Her face falls drastically.
"Surely there's got to be a better way?"
"Of course, but it all costs money that I don't want to spend. Besides, I love to spend time with my pokémon, to me, it surely was worth it because if I hadn't done this type of training with Meep, it wouldn't have learned certain things," Ash answers, still impressed that Meep learned Thunderbolt from Pikachu so quickly but then again, she's always been a smart bean, that hasn't changed when she became a bigger bean.
"… Well, that puts me in front of another problem, then," she sighs. "Just what I needed."
"I can understand why you would be concerned about Enamorus' sudden appearance but what I don't understand is why the officials in Unova thought it was a good idea to bug you about it when you weren't in Unova, not even close?"
"I'm a first point of contact, that's why. What is that pokémon, Ash?"
"A bit like a sister to Thundurus, Tornadus and Landorus, I suppose. She brings good weather around her, she used to be called the Herald of Spring at some point in time."
"Where did it come from?"
"Hm? I found it hiding in White Forest so I don't understand why you all went mad about a pokémon that's always been there, for many centuries."
"Oh…"
Yeah, oh, Ash is so sick and tired of people deciding that pokémon are dangerous when oftentimes, it's people who are far more dangerous than a pokémon could ever be. Either way, Iris doesn't bring up Enamorus again, he wouldn't have become any happier talking about it, like, what's not to like about a pokémon who brings nice weather? Okay, there's a bit more of a spiteful side to Enamorus but he'll never hurt it so he shouldn't encounter it, right? But whatever, he shouldn't be thinking about this since she hasn't said a word about the legendary pokémon since they got to the restaurant. He wondered for a good while why it was already open but when they got there, the whole place was teeming with people and Ash was under the impression that the people in Kalos have iron stomachs only to see that he may have spent being Iris' headrest for more than a few minutes but heck, it's eight in the morning and people are ordering cheese sandwiches. The teen wouldn't have ordered it if Iris hadn't told him that it was the dish Diantha told her to get but he's grizzled from the moment when he learns that it's a breakfast set. Anyone native to Kalos is going to get their mouth full of insults as soon as they say something about his warm soup from now on.
"Don't make that face, you've not had breakfast in Galar yet," Iris pipes up and he looks up.
"… Why?"
"Just saying."
Ash is bewildered about this innocent threat she just mentioned as if he wouldn't like a region for just one horrible dish. He'll tolerate the cheese sandwich, alright but it's got to be a damn good one to suddenly be the redeeming feature to make him give Kalos the light of day after this journey through it. Also, there's cheese in Johto too and while bread isn't commonly used, he saw it widely available in the store near his home so it's not like he won't be able to make it himself later. But then again, his stomach and just every organ beneath it tends to take serious offence to anything that's got milk or cream in it so even if he's got to endure the waitress pulling a face when he asks them not to overdo it with the cheese, he's got to or else he'll make a disaster zone out of their bathroom. If he ever can reach it in time, this place is packed! And still, when he gets his order, it doesn't look an ounce different from Iris' plate so he sighs and reaches down for his backpack. As if it's not hard enough he has to keep the incubator in between his legs so that it's not at risk of being kicked, they're also forcing him to take the pill that'll take the edges of his intolerance of this kind of cheesy Tauroscrap. He gets it, there's like eighty percent of these people who are just squishing the sandwich apart to get the biggest cheese pull but honestly, is it really that important to get it on film?
"They're influencers, I think?"
Ash rolls his eyes hard at that and she starts giggling.
"Don't get me started," he warns her. "Heaven help anyone who messes up their food in front of their camera but a fist full of oily cheese is just fine? Leave it, I don't want to waste time thinking about what the point is behind all this."
"Something about wanting to let people experience it and possibly luring them to come here? Isn't that what influencing means?"
"Worked a bit too well," the teen says, giving the woman who squeezes super close past his chair a dark look.
"Try to focus on your plate. Maybe that'll help."
It didn't, his mother never let him eat a lot of cheese or milk product for the exact reason why he doesn't want to eat it, since he's had it since he was young, too young to clean up after himself… and it took him a while until he reached the toilet in time too. He tries not to focus too hard on the copious amount of cheese, since he's becoming a little queasy looking at it. This is why Ash lays eye on a pretty beautiful-looking girl, or rather a lady, she looks a little too old to call her a girl so just to be polite, he'll call her that instead. She's got a yellow dress on, it's a very peculiar garment he's not seen anywhere and the little purple wings sprouting out of her hair catch his attention pretty quickly. In fact, she sticks out like a sore thumb out of everyone and somehow, she catches his look for just a split second but Ash looks away pretty quickly, deciding that he would much rather be looking at what's left of his roasted sandwich than to look at that lady's eyes again. The teen hopes that what he saw are just contacts, her very big, dark eyes scare him a little but ah, he wouldn't be himself if his thoughts didn't suddenly appear on his face, huh?
"I think you've found the Gym leader," Iris quips happily. "That's Valerie. I think the two of you could be friends, after all, she's nearly as nuts about pokémon as you are."
"What's the difference between being nuts and nearly nuts, then?"
"Well, I know you adore pokémon but she apparently wants to become one."
"That's not nuts," he says and she chuckles. "What?"
"I told you that I think the two of you would be getting along."
Maybe so. He would have liked her a lot more if she was a pokémon, that's all he's certain of. But to hear that she's a Gym leader, well, it's striking a nerve. For all he hopes that Fairy-types won't let him down in the way that they ought to at least choose a proper trainer, the fact that Valerie would like to be one only makes him believe that the pokémon like her because she'll take care of them. Which gives him no hope that she'll be a good person, just that the Gym leader of Laverre isn't a bastard who doesn't even deserve to be a pokémon trainer.
"You're thinking very hard there. Penny for your thoughts?"
"Don't ask. It's a bad place up there, better keep out of it."
"And here I was thinking I would be the broodiest of us two. May was right, you are very much inside your own head."
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asks, sounding only a little sharper than intended but Iris holds her hands up in surrender, a small smile on her face.
"I didn't mean it as an insult. I mean, there's a billion things whirling inside your head, I feel a little honoured to be one of them right now, actually but at the same time, you're always thinking and it shows because you always do the most unexpected things that have a darn good outcome. Or were you unaware that the Subway bosses resumed their work, shortly after your visit? What were you doing there, anyway?"
"… Are you trying to tell me that you weren't worried for Ingo?"
"I was but what was I supposed to do? He was crazed, he rambled all sorts of irregular things, what could I have done to help him?"
"How could you say such a thing? I just went for a social call, I took the opportunity to see how he was doing. And if you supposedly couldn't help him, what business is it of yours what I was doing there, anyway?"
"Ash, don't get upset-"
"You called him crazed, Iris, while I listened to him and I learned that it was an accident with a pokémon. And by chance, there's another victim of a pokémon here in front of you. But just because I was used to keeping my mouth shut like everyone kept telling me to do, I wasn't put in an asylum for saying crazy things. No, instead, the detectives had a blast piecing together the parts of my body they found strewn around, they had to make up their own story and if it wasn't for my powerful uncle to stand up and declare that somehow a portal to a different dimension opened up and I was the sucker those creatures thought to befriend, then the story would never be taken seriously but who was there for Ingo? Or Emmet for that matter, who has been called all the names under the sun for just caring about his brother? Do you have any idea what it feels like to have to realise that you might never see someone again? Do you still remember what you felt after Gary sent you that message, following my accident? Would you have tolerated someone calling your feelings silly? Unnecessary? Wouldn't you get upset at that, like Emmet did?"
"Of course-"
"Then why are you here and not in Unova? To eat some sort of stupid, fried, stale piece of bread you would never notice being over date because of the way it was prepared and because a Champion likes a cheese pull? Do you understand what kind of impression you're making on me at this moment? Because for all you think I'm nuts about pokémon, I'm still very attached to several people and that includes some Unovan natives, like Emmet and Ingo."
She shrinks in her seat, the people around them give them weird looks but at this moment, Ash couldn't give two hoots about what these assholes think. Also, he never even raised his voice so it's not like he did anything wrong either.
"Can you talk a little softer?" someone next to him says. "I'm trying to record-"
But before this young girl can finish her sentence, her phone makes a very weird noise but he doesn't give her the light of day at all. It's very likely Mewtwo has something to do with this and also, she never even addressed him correctly so she can go and cry over her ruined phone.
'Me? How could you say such a bad thing about me?"
'Sometimes, Mewtwo, I regret introducing you to sarcasm,' Ash thinks but shakes his head.
"Are you about done with the sandwich, Iris? I want to leave."
"… Yes. I am. And you're right, this tastes kind of stale."
The walk they take through Laverre is mostly in silence, the teen feels like Iris is deeply in thought so he doesn't bother speaking up. And besides, it's beautiful weather outside, it's much more enjoyable here than inside that stuffy room with even stuffier people inside. Best restaurant, his ass. In Laverre perhaps but even then, the lady at the pokémon centre has more talent than these posh fucks charging way too much for a piece of bread.
"Ash?"
"Mm?"
"What exactly happened to you? That accident, I mean?"
"I was attacked by what has been called Ultra Beasts, extra-dimensional creatures who I feel have some sort of communication through Aura. When they finally noticed I wasn't what they thought I was, I was dropping at Viridian forest, one leg less and really injured. And yes, I did die, for a few seconds and things changed a bit when I woke up. But I was never dead long enough for the hospital to notice, so it was never declared that way."
"Then how do you know?"
"My feelings for pokémon are mutual."
She stills again but not for long this time.
"I feel like I underestimated what a change of scenery could do to a person," Iris confesses and glances at him. "May did tell me that you were thinking a bit more but I wasn't ready for this big of a change. But, I can't say I dislike it, it's just that no one else is brave enough to take that tone with me any longer but you, you speak to me as an equal, I… I've never felt this young before ever since becoming a Champion."
"At least you're not becoming mad at me."
"For making sense? Ash, that'd be stupid, your words in that restaurant couldn't have been more right. In fact, you're the only one who made sense out of the whole situation, it's no wonder Emmet would've let you near if you became as passionate as just now."
"Not passionate, it's called being nice when you approach a person who just went through something traumatizing somewhat carefully and with a bit of an understanding nature."
'Or in your case, a little more than just understanding, more like experience.'
Ash hears the comment, alright but what can he do when Iris looks so inspired, even nodding at his statement?
"I feel like I missed a great deal because of my job and even then, things go wrong."
"Is Alder still involved?"
"Err… Yes?"
"The hell he called you for when his issue was still in Unova?"
"… He thought I should be aware of the situation."
"You sounded more than a little aware of the situation, demanding me for an explanation before even the smallest mention of 'hello'."
"I'm sorry. I really need to talk to him. After all, when I didn't step up after the news of your accident, he never called me for help either."
Ash is pretty sure that's got everything to do with respect and also, he's read that group chat by now and he would also not mess with anyone that upset, the least of all of them being Iris because she really does pose a threat. Not to him, not when there are others looking out for his safety and expecting way more evil and mad people than her. But it's clear she's not at her best, he's not sure why she came to Kalos but if it was her intention to have a bit of a vacation, he's not sure whether she'll return to Unova the slightest bit relaxed. One thing is sure, whatever went wrong between her and Alder will be resolved, she seems to have spirited by his words -while he didn't actually say anything different from what he usually says but then gets flack in return- and honestly, that's a better result than he could have hoped for. And she didn't even call him a kid once but in the end, he gave her no reason to.
But now he's left with nothing to do, the Gym's website doesn't even have a page to make appointments. Do that many trainers get stopped by Ramos and that stupid robot? Maybe they'll just give up, Ash can imagine why but still… it would make sense the Gym leader would need such a time-consuming hobby when she's not receiving any challengers but still, he got used to the appointment system and now he's got to prance in and demand it? What if she's doing something fashion-related? He doesn't imagine she would go through all the trouble to organise a show or one of those performances and then halt it because there's a trainer wanting to challenge her… but that's exactly what the ladies at the desk of the Gym tell him she will do, that she loves pokémon battles and will absolutely halt any kind of event to have the battle, in fact, the Gym leader might even add the battle into the event. So that's alright, though the friendly lady tells him that Valerie isn't in, that she's gone out for breakfast. Ash doesn't tell her that he knows that since he saw her sit there and now wonders whether she also took offence to his answers to Iris' questions or if she went to help the girl whose phone broke down. Or maybe neither, Valerie was sitting quite far from their table so maybe she didn't notice anything. Still, that gives him time to go back to the pokémon centre, to put in a call since he's got a question for professor Elm.
The man answers the phone all cheerily and the teen can't help but smile as the professor's face appears.
"Ash! I'm happy to see you, how have you been?"
"Busy, I'm apparently being a pretty quick trainer."
"Better quick to get things done than slow and just lumbering around! Anyways, what can I do for you- oh, is that Dreepy in the background?"
Meep hears it and moves into view completely now and the professor's smile becomes even bigger.
"Oh wonderful, she evolved! Good going, Ash, she'll be a powerful asset to your team!"
"I know, she's super social too, I'm really happy she evolved. In fact, she's not the only one, I also now have Gabite, Frogadier and Fletchinder."
"Oh wow, that's quick! You haven't even been away for three whole days!"
"I told you that I was being a quick trainer, right?"
"Well, I can only agree with you on it now. Now, how can I be of assistance?"
"I was wondering if you could send one of my pokémon over, I'm going to challenge the Fairy-type Gym soon."
"Oooh," professor Elm chuckles. "Are you sure that's going to be appreciated? I already know who you want to bring over but aren't those types of Gym dainty and classy? Are you sure that's a wise idea?"
"It's a pokémon battle, not a fashion show, no matter if she wants to make one out of it. And also, it's against the rules of the pokémon league to discriminate against a pokémon, they couldn't even be mad at me if I sent Smog out against her since it could be captured with a pokéball and got registered in the official system, making it an official pokémon to be used in battle."
"Someone went ahead and trod on your toes, huh?"
"Somewhat. I can imagine you wouldn't mind sending him over, right? Or do you enjoy his hugs so much that you can't miss him for a few days?"
"On the contrary, let me go get him for you."
"Thanks, professor."
The professor has a good point, maybe he'll be doing something stupid again but at the same time, those ladies at the front desk of the Gym were talking about how burly and big all the challengers brought with them and that Valerie constantly worries about the safety of her pokémon… so he'll be going to do something entirely different, that's all. She might not like the outcome of it either but there won't be any touching involved, considering nearly every Gym leader takes offence to everything he does, he might as well do nothing, right?
"There we go," professor Elm says as he appears on-screen again. "Ready to receive?"
"Always."
"Of course, you are," the man chuckles. "Alright, here we go."
It's not long before he has the pokéball in his hands, Ash is glad to have another one of his pokémon with him and realises that he's close to nearing the grand total of ten pokémon he's allowed to 'officially' carry with him. Glalie, Heracross, Sceptile, Charizard and Gabite are his first five and with Pikachu not counting, Frogadier, Fletchinder and Meep, make up eight in total. Now with his recent transferal, he will hit ten if the egg decides to hatch soon but in all honesty, it just pleasing to him to know he's surrounded by friends. Also, he's insanely curious as to what pokémon is in there… Ah, speaking of which…
"I also have a question, professor, if you don't mind?"
"Not at all, what is it about?"
"I found an egg and the way it was found is bothering me since Fletchinder could see it with ease and it wasn't hard for me to reach the open plane it was found at. So now I'm wondering if I have false hope of a healthy pokémon hatching or if something else happened for it to be abandoned."
"I see that you are in a pokémon centre, have you let a nurse Joy give it a check-up?"
"Yes, she put it in an incubator for me."
"Then that rules out a sick pokémon, those will turn into what we call 'bad eggs' and the nurse would've never let you suffer the disappointment of seeing it deteriorate in front of you, no matter how good you cared for it. So all I can say is that the egg was abandoned due to a sudden change in scenery, perhaps the pokémon found out something it didn't like about the youngster inside the egg. That would mean you have a high chance of hatching a shiny pokémon from it but then again, did you notice a disturbance in the area?"
"Not there, no. It was peaceful and nice, most of the pokémon there were Normal, Bug and Bird-types, nothing too vicious, in my opinion."
However, speaking of disturbances, Ash suddenly hears loud voices, he's not sure if they sound familiar or not but the nurse Joy flies towards the door, he's never seen a human being be that fast and honestly, he's impressed.
"Whoa…" he utters and the professor chuckles.
"Was that a nurse Joy zooming past? If it was, turn back to the camera, you don't want to get caught up in whatever she decides doesn't belong in a pokémon centre."
"They can do that?"
"Absolutely, I've heard that there are new rules and guidelines for nurse Joy's and I feel like this one was long overdue. Or do you enjoy hearing arguments up close? Possibly getting screamed at for no reason? And if you intervene, the nurse Joy could also get mad at you."
The teen sags in his seat. He's about done making people mad but his mental gymnastics trying to make sense of this new information are amusing for the professor to watch, Ash's face twists uncomfortably but then again, professor Elm knows how quickly the boy describes himself as a troublemaker. And while that may occasionally be the case that he's indeed done something, he's usually still there to fix it so it's honestly not right to call Ash a troublemaker. However, something must have happened, the nurse Joy comes over towards Ash and says something that leaves the teen completely bewildered but he hasn't heard what she told him. Yet, the boy sits there for a little while and it's not until the professor gives a little cough to get his attention that he turns back to the screen.
"What happened?"
"… The nurse told me to go take a nap since she knows I was awake early but… how does she know that?"
"Weren't you going to challenge the Gym?"
Ash shrugs a little helplessly.
"I think I recognised the voice of someone but apparently, Valerie got injured because a pokémon missed target and hit her instead. So she's out of commission for a day at most, doesn't seem too bad of an injury… But that would've been Tierno, I told him he'd be getting in trouble with his strategy but he wouldn't listen…"
"What was his strategy, Ash?" the professor asks, not wanting the teen to be dealing alone with this, he can tell something is bothering him.
"Err… He's got this Squirtle and he plays ricochet with it. I figured it was Rapid Spin and he kind of made it like a dance move… I once yeeted the Squirtle in the ocean, I've played ricochet often enough to know that Squirtle doesn't have the most optimal sense of direction after passing target but seems like that was at Valerie's expense."
"So you're worried for her?"
"Huh?" Ash utters, as he blinks towards the screen. "Dunno, I kind of am but if they let Tierno go, it must not have been too bad. I… I just wonder… my friends were with him. Why… do they travel with him and not me?"
'Ah,' professor Elm thinks as he realises the teen is having a bit of an internal crisis.
"Ah! Whatever!" the boy eventually decides. "She's right, I should take a nap. There's nothing else to do in Laverre than eat crappy sandwiches anyway so I'm better off in bed. I'll see you later, professor."
"That's okay, let me know how the Gym battle went, I could do with a good laugh."
"It'll be a cold day in hell if any of my Kalos Gym battle videos could make anyone laugh but you're welcome to have a look, professor."
"This is the first time you've asked for a special transfer for a Gym battle, though. Maybe this change of pace could make a difference."
"… Let's hope so."
"The best of luck to you, Ash. And in case any of your friends ever call you a troublemaker again, you can refer to this period in time, when they travelled with a real one."
"If I ever speak to them again, you mean? I might do that, though I don't think anyone here listens to me enough to remember what I say. But thank you for the advice, professor, I'll keep it in mind."
"Take care, Ash. I'll be rooting for you."
"Thank you, professor," the teen says smiling ever so softly. "See you later."
"Bye!"
So now that Ash is left to his own devices again, with only a few of his doubts eased, he goes back to his room. The previous nurse must have left a note or something, there's no way this one could've known about him otherwise, even if he came by during their shift switch. His pokémon snuggle against him as he releases them and he almost lays down before feeling something strange in his pocket. It's not long before he fishes out the large packets of ketchup and mustard from said pocket but he's distraught about his friends' lack of awareness still so he's not in the mood. Instead, he lays the two packets on the top of his backpack and snuggles among his pokémon, who have all become a little bigger recently but that's all just more pokémon to snuggle up with so it's all good…. For now. Ash is pretty sure Clemont only followed Tierno because he wanted to get to Laverre but Serena… She still hasn't answered his messages, nor has she looked at them.
It's all just a really sad collection of things to happen, Ash isn't sure what to do with himself now since he doesn't imagine he will sleep through the rest of today… though he would very much like to. He might pop into his Aura to go give Dialga and Palkia their marble-thingies but other than that, all the teen hopes is that nothing bad will happen. At least there isn't a pokémon stuck in some basement of Laverre City, crying out for help and making him feel even more helpless than he already felt. But maybe, if he has a bit of a rest, things won't look as bleak as they do right now, he's never enjoyed being forced to stay somewhere and also, Tierno might be in some serious trouble, depending on how angry he sounded earlier, Ash wouldn't want to be in his shoes but then again, he's not aware of what happens when a pokémon attacks a Gym leader, be it accidental or not. But it's not about him, right now, maybe that'll play out in his favour if anything ever has. Ah well…
End of chapter thirty-nine
