New chapter! I know it's been long awaited-and I have a reason for that! I'll explain why at the end. But, for now, please enjoy!
I DO NOT OWN POKEMON, OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS.
Ash breathed out a long sigh, slumping to rest his head in his hand as he watched the height of the final round. It's not that the match wasn't interesting-The crowd was going crazy over Masked Royal's signature moves. He just found it hard to enjoy when all he could think about was being upset. And, surely he looked that way, because Masked Royal glanced in his direction more than once during the match. Out of everyone in the crowd, Ash was probably the only one frowning with disinterest. And, that was even counting anyone rooting for the opposing team...
Ash sent a little encouragement his way, though, by holding up a quick thumbs-up, but it did little to reassure the man that he was having a good time. Masked Royal finished out the battle however, claiming a swift defeat before the crowd could even blink.
Wild cheers were still erupting from the stadium as Masked Royal and Incineroar made their way backstage towards the dressing rooms.
"I'll admit that wasn't our best performance, but a win is a win. Nice work out there, Incineroar!" Masked Royal smiled, patting his partner pokemon on the back. "You did well."
Incineroar gave him a hearty growl in return, then allowed itself to be returned to its pokeball.
"Get a good rest," He said before placing the ball in his pocket.
"Um, excuse me, Masked Royal?"
"Hm?" The man turned to find Ash Ketchum alone just outside of the backstage entrance. It was roped off to keep anyone but staff out. The boy seemed to shuffle in place, which made Masked Royal feel just as awkward as Ash looked. "Oh, hello Ash. What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering,... um... Can I...? Can I ask you something?"
"Um, sure," He said. "Come have a seat."
Ash crouched under the rope before they both walked over to a nearby bench, just far enough away from the noise outside.
"Is everything alright?"
"Yeah," Ash replied quietly, feeling weird without Pikachu. He'd usually pet his little yellow partner when he felt uneasy. Too bad asked Burnett to keep him.
"Oh, good... Then, what's up?"
"I was wondering,... Do you ever fight with anyone?"
"Yup, all the time, Ash." Masked Royal laughed a little. "It's kind of my job to battle, you know."
"No, no," Ash shook his head. "Not like that. I mean, fighting, like arguments? Have you ever gotten into any bad ones?"
"Oh..." Masked Royal leaned back on his palms. "I've had those before, yeah."
Ash looked somewhat surprised, "Really?"
"Mhm. I actually got into an argument earlier today, unfortunately..."
"Me, too." Ash slumped, frowning. "Did you-ever get things sorted out?"
"Well, no..." Royal let out a long sigh, also frowning. "The other person left before we had a chance to. I had to leave, too... It's kind of my fault they stormed off, though. I didn't give them much room to speak."
"Oh." Ash let his gaze fall to his well-worn sneakers as he adjusted them against the concrete floor. "I left in the middle of my fight, too... I was just so mad."
Masked Royal made a sound of understanding, "I can relate. I was angry, too."
"Someone made you mad?" Ash asked in disbelief. He couldn't imagine the wrestler being angry. "Who were you fighting with?"
Masked Royal fumbled for an excuse, "Oh, um, a-a colleague of mine. Yeah, they were doing something reckless, and I was upset that they didn't understand why I was worried about them."
"Oh, Professor Kukui said I was being reckless, too. He's who I fought with..."
"Really?" Masked Royal feigned surprise.
"Yeah, he was upset that I didn't say where I was going,... or when I'd be back, I guess."
"That makes sense."
"But, I ran into trouble while looking for Tapu Koko today. Pikachu and I were chased by Team Skull and forced to battle. That's when we were both poisoned by Toxic and Venoshock! Nurse Joy was even surprised that we made it to the Pokemon Center!" Ash huffed in frustration, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "I didn't mean to be out so late and worry Professor Kukui, or Professor Burnett, honest... I said some awful things, though... Man, tonight was supposed to be fun for all of us, but I think I ruined it for everyone."
"Ash," Royal seemed to gain a hint of realization in his eyes as he listened. "You didn't... I mean, I don't think you ruined anything for anybody. The Professor probably said some mean things, too. Even if he didn't realize it at first... You were faced with a dangerous situation, and had to deal with poison, which was obviously something that was out of your control if you had to seek help."
Ash shook his head. "If it weren't for me, he probably would have made it to the match. They were waiting for me to come back."
"I-... He had to leave, too-I'm sure."
"But, if I came back sooner, Professor Kukui wouldn't have gotten so mad at me. He could have made it to the match today."
"I don't think Professor Kukui was thinking about this match, Ash," Masked Royal said in an almost guilty tone. "He was upset because you got hurt, and that he wasn't there to stop it from happening... He worries when you go off and do things on your own simply because trouble seems to find you more often than not. And, he's-" He paused briefly to think, "...he's afraid that one day he won't be there when you'll need him most. Ash, even though you can take care of yourself, the people who take care of you will always have that fear. However, it wasn't right for him to take that fear out on you... I'm sure he's sorry. Very, very sorry."
Without facing the wrestler, Ash gave him a slow, deliberate nod. He had taken in every word and considered what they meant. "I never looked at it that way... To me it just felt like he was saying my pokemon weren't strong enough. Like, I wasn't strong enough, because we nearly lost..." He took a breath and sighed. "I need to tell him that I'm sorry, too."
Masked Royal laid a supporting hand on his shoulder as a warning chime suddenly sounded overhead. It was followed by an announcement stating that the stadium would be closing soon.
"Sorry, but I have to go now, Ash." He said, smiling warmly. "I think you and Professor Kukui will get things worked out. Now then, is there anyone I can call for you? It's a little late for you to walk home alone."
"Oh yeah, I guess it is pretty late..." Ash said, seemingly just realizing the time. "Um, can you call Professor Kukui?"
"The Professor?" Royal Mask seemed a little confused, but smiled. "Sure, follow me. I can have someone call him from the lobby phone for you."
"That would be great," Ash said as he stood to walk alongside the man. "Thanks!"
Once they reached the desk, Ask missed when Masked Royal held up five fingers as a plea for that amount of grace before the desk clerk made their call. Of course, the clerk obliged, giving him a simple nod in return.
"Aright Ash, you're all set. Take care now!" He waved, quickly leaving Ash to wait in the lobby. "See you at the next match!"
"We'll be there!" Ash waved back, leaning against the desk as the clerk flipped through a book of contacts by the phone.
Since he left Pikachu with Burnett, Ash was alone once again with nothing to do as he waited for Kukui. Even his other pokemon were back at the professor's house. Because of that, he would have to find a way to pass the time.
"Okay, Ash." The clerk spoke up. "The professor says he's on his way to pick you up. It may take a while, so you're welcome to sit in the lobby until he arrives."
"Thank you," Ash said, smiling. "But, I think I'll walk around outside, though."
Ash figured spending some time outside would help him not only pass the time, but would also help him decide how to apologize to Professor Kukui.
"Alright, but please remain closeby."
"I will." He waved, walking out of the automatic doors. Once outside, Ash began to pace the sidewalk. "Okay, let's see... How should I start...?"
Okay, hopefully this chapter was worth the wait. If not, then I apologize. Especially to Mysteryfan17.
Work and life are currently higher on my priority list than writing at the moment, so please forgive my absence. Just know that I haven't forgotten this story. I've actually already begun working on the next chapter, which should definitely not take as long as this one did, so expect that sooner rather than later.
As always, favorites and reviews are appreciated. See you all in the next one!