This chapter obviously took way too long and the reasons as to why are long-winded and most are not worth your time. Unfortunately, I had to pick up a second job to attain financing I need for making the next step in my life whether it's one plan I have or another, and that has eaten into my weekends and what not. A few other mistakes were made that significantly ate up my life and my position at my job that I'm now moving off from was leaving me every day with a major headache that made it very difficult to write and my weekends were bereft of free time very often. I could have given up time at the gym, but I'm tired of putting my health second in my life and opted not to.
The other aspect of this – which is far more relevant – is that I was initially inspired about this chapter and mulled over a lot of the dialogue I was excited to put to paper. But when I began hashing it out I watched it turn into something I certainly did not want it to be as I continued typing. I had to scrap about 4 thousand words because I kept writing thinking the problem would fix itself as I went along but I realized the trajectory and rethought the approach from the beginning of scene 2. Then I became extremely worried about falling off the horse a second time and was probably overly critical of myself leading to slow output.
Anyway, it's here. Finally. Trying my best to establish and keep an atmosphere for this chapter. I hope it paid off.
Before you begin this chapter, this is where a character of the day I hinted at comes up. Please see episode AG076 "Me, Myself, and Time" information on Bulbagarden for a refresher or you may want to watch it. I've had the idea to include this character since the early conception of this fic a decade ago. I think she's going to play a decent-sized role in the larger plot and I enjoyed writing her.
Chapter 5: ...Start of a Nightmare
The ticking of an old and large hickory grandfather clock was the loudest sound in the room of a study comprised in Regency decorum. Incandescent lamplight scattered about the chamber to provide just enough to be dim, but not to be mistaken for the day. An ornate desk exponentially older than its current occupant was littered with open books, papers, a laptop, and a chart very few would have made much sense of.
The private study of Steven Stone, the only occupant besides an aron asleep on the couch.
He checked the time on the clock and compared it with an atomic clock website he had pulled up. It was only off by a few seconds but he made a note to fix that later. He grabbed one of the open books and ran his thumb over a specific line.
The general theory holds that our world appears as solid to us as possible, but there are in fact gaps utterly invisible to our perception that are thinner than the air between our fingertips.
He had read that line over several times now, he was still coming to grips with it. He had another book open on Maxwell and the theory of the electric universe. A debate among scientists that as much as he looked back seemed to have been discarded practically on a whim because of the fascination with gravity as the explanation for what "held" the universe together.
He heard some cryptic noises and he turned his head over to some of his instruments on another surface. An archaic device of spinning wheels and spheres. One of the spheres above the bottom-most began to spit very fast, followed by the bottom one picking up speed as well.
He put the book back down and turned back to the chart on his desk, It was a layout of the known metaphysical universe, or the Time-Space Axis. His instruments on hand weren't entirely what he wanted at this precise moment, but he hoped the map in front of him, his laptop, and the device he had would suffice. Lines were all about between the sphere of Time, Space, Reverse World, Earth, and Arceus's Realm at the center, lined with old runes of civilizations past he had been pouring over books in the past few months to grasp at what they were trying to communicate.
He checked back over to his instrument at the far desk and both spheres were beginning to slow down now, but kept pace with each other. He checked the time on his laptop again.
He wrote down on his notebook, the exact time and date, down to the millisecond.
He then opened his email and started a new message. The to form quickly populated with the address for IceCreamRaider with the following message:
The Conjunction has begun, come to Slateport as soon as you can.
The empty paper cup of espresso bounced off the metal ring of a trash can before it made its way into the plastic abyss. The girl – who had until just then been using it – rubbed her eyes with her free hand. The sun was peeking between thin spots in the blue-cloud-filled morning. A drizzle lighter than mist fell from above; eliciting no need for an umbrella, though the red-haired girl had slipped her most important belonging – her laptop – within her satchel bag into a separate one of plastic before she left her apartment that morning, she had learned this lesson the hard way once.
It was cool, and the wind was mild, carrying the salty air in from the sea inland across the streets of Rustboro. A perfect morning, but she failed to adequately get enough sleep the night before to enjoy it as she might have. She was cutting it close, but she knew an expedient way to get to her work, though it meant she had to skip breakfast.
She couldn't help herself; she had been deep-diving into some stuff some would call her crazy or obsessed for and the internet's trove of information last night only tugged more at her curiosity. It was still on her mind even now, and the helpless side of her was itching for the day to be over so she could get back to it when all was said and done.
An addiction she knew she needed to kick, at least for a while.
In the meantime, she looked up to see the opening in the brick wall that surrounded the edge of Whiterock Academy, a prestigious boarding school that she had managed to land a student-teacher job with in the history department. Despite how heavy her eyelids felt, the look on her face as she passed through the gate would have told a different story. She took in the familiar beautiful site of the ornate buildings in classic Victorian style reminiscent of the Galarian Empire's influence. It was arranged in a square that surrounded a central yard with a beautiful chapel guarded by oak trees as old as the cornerstone. The many students of the academy were waking up at this hour, some in their well-pressed uniforms were walking the cobblestone pathways, cutting through the center as they did.
Calista checked her phone and noticed the time. The bells would soon begin to ring for 8 o'clock. She stopped and looked up, allowing herself a moment to enjoy their resonating music, as a dance of pulleys and steel began.
Then she saw... something.
Her whole body flinched. Touching one of her eyes after witnessing… the bells – there was no better word for it – glitch.
They were silent as they should have rung out for one swing, the largest bell's shape warped into a ball for what must have been a twinkling of an eye. Then it reverted back to its original shape and it resounded again.
She looked around to see if anyone walking past her had noticed it, eyes scanning the students, but no dice.
"There's no way that I…" She looked back at the belltower again. "No, I definitely saw it. I heard it. Or maybe, I didn't hear it. What the…"
The melody completed, and the bells began to ring out the hour. She watched every movement precisely and listened for any oddities.
Nothing, everything was as it normally was.
She kept her dark green eyes on the bells, what was to say they needed to move to act up like that again, anyway?
Calista put a hand to her head, suddenly wondering if her headband might've been a little too small for her head as she pulled it away for a moment. She tried to feel for a sense of newfound blood flow but nothing of the sort came.
So that wasn't the cause.
"Then what was…" She looked up one more time, watching the still instruments idle in the crisp wind for a few seconds more than she felt was reasonable. Eventually she took a short breath, shook her head and finally turned away. "Weird."
She could hardly believe no one else had noticed it, or at least no one she could see. Was she weird for watching the bell tower? Maybe, she was used to being considered weird, so that wouldn't have been at all surprising. But the… whatever it was… that happened was certainly weirder still, if it actually had happened.
"Lack of sleep," She mumbled to herself. That was a good enough answer for now. After all, there were more important things than hiccups in reality to worry about at the moment; she had a class to instruct. Between that major concern occupying much of her thought processes and the rest being taking up by what she could only hope was a hallucination, the student-teacher was unaware of a certain set of eyes looking at her from behind, which soon after began following her.
She made her way off to the building left of the church and was walking in at the same time as some students she would see later that day.
"Good morning, Ms. Bywater," one of the boys said, with a polite smile and wave as the other pulled open the doors.
"Good morning, you two. I hope you're making good progress on your projects?"
"Uh… yeah, totally," The other boy lied like he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Well, see you later!" He said before the two of them rushed down the hall. Calista rolled her eyes with a short giggle, this was a constant with those two, and she tried to get some humor out of the situation when she could afford to.
She walked down a few hallways until she came upon Room A151. The desks were largely full now, with proper young gentlemen-in-training. The actual homeroom teacher hadn't arrived yet, so the boys remained seated and talking among themselves or catching up on sleep they failed to get the night before. A luxury the young professor looked upon with envy.
She had just enough time to open her materials and power on the computer before a man in his late 50s with graying-black hair entered the room.
"Good morning, Mr. Renwald." Calista was first to say, stifling her nervousness in front of her senior. As she did, all the boys stood up, and repeated the greeting.
"Good morning, everyone," he said with a smile that could only be emitted from the kind of man who reveled in getting a full night's sleep and a well-balanced breakfast. Calista could learn a lot from him.
All the students sat down after giving a customary bow and he turned his attention to the only girl in the room. "Calista, let's begin by reviewing yesterday's lesson."
"Yes sir." She nodded before turning to face everyone. "Okay, so who can tell me from where the first settlers of Nijiyama came from?"
A boy with blonde hair in the rightmost desk in the third row's hand shot up.
"Yes, Brody."
He stood up. "The steppes in central Asahni, they were mounted archers."
"Fantastic," she said as Brody sat down, "and what pokémon can we confidently say exists in many places across Nijiyama as a result of their arrival?"
A black-haired boy with hair down to his chin this time.
"Yes, Tyler?"
The sound of a chair moving back. "Ponyta and Rapidash, which the earlier species was their main calvary pokémon."
"Excellent," She smiled as he sat down, "we can only speculate that the species still found in the steppes are perhaps closer to the original species than Nijiyama's own. Though when we consider the many great powers that arose out of that region over the course of history, we have no certainty as to what that original pokémon was like."
Then Mr. Renwald spoke up from his chair, "and who can perhaps tell us, what was the name of the first settlers to Nijiyama?"
Calista realized she had forgotten to ask that as a brown-hair boy was called on.
"James?" Mr. Renwald said as a brown-haired boy stood up.
"The Eino."
The hours passed with the lessons in the same way they always had, faster than she had expected, making it both a blessing in that her day did not drag on despite her failure to get some sleep, while simultaneously meaning she failed to get to implement some of her lesson prep. The girl still had a few assignments to tackle this week for her own classes.
She rubbed her right eye with her hand that was propped up by the desk. The only light in the classroom was coming from cloudy day outside. She looked at the stack of assignments she had to grade over the weekend and let out a sigh through her nose.
"No more nighttime dives… for… two weeks," She declared to herself. The red-haired girl quickly typed on the sticky note app reminding her to buy a web blocking application she had been eyeing to ensure she kept herself to that. The bright spot in all of this was the assignments were, mostly, multiple choice and short answer questions.
Her stomach grumbled so loud she swore it echoed in the room. Her mind rushed with the thought of going for a panini at a local favorite, her tongue poked out to lick her upper lip so discretely before vanishing. They also made a good salad there, so she thought of one-meal-a-day'ing her trip.
"Let's go, Calista," She invoked herself to action she as she closed her laptop. She then grabbed her folder of assignments to grade. Zipping up her bag, she began to affix her hair again and reached for her headband.
And she grabbed air.
"Huh?" The Bywater glanced in the direction. Sure enough, it wasn't there. "Where did I…" She let her hair fall back down around her as she began to search with her eyes and hands.
"mbika." A voice. Off to her left. Sounded muffled, like it had something in its mouth.
"Huh?" She said as she leaned over the desk and saw it.
A pikachu, with her headband, affixed between his teeth.
"Hey," She exasperated, "how'd did you get in here?"
"mBi," The mouse type said as he stepped back, dodging her attempt at her headband.
"Hey, c'mon now," Calista remarked, "That's mine. You can't just take it."
"mBika, mBikabika mbikachu."
The Student-Teacher picked up that the tone was off if this pokémon wasn't simply being a thief for no good reason. To Calista's experienced ear with her Baltoy, it sounded far more like concern.
"Look, I really don't know what your reason is but you can't just-"
The mouse pokémon interrupted her by turning around and taking off.
"Hey!" She barked as she slung her satchel bag over her shoulder, "get back here!"
The pikachu jumped at the door handle and used his own body weight to turn it open. He then sprang from the door and ran down the hall. Calista slammed a free forearm to push it back open as she made chase. Grateful she hadn't chose to wear heels that morning as she trailed the runt through the ornate halls of the academy. She somehow managed to keep up, but never gaining ground.
The school was mostly empty now with only a few stragglers who were surprised at the scene as she ran by. She almost reached for Baltoy's pokéball but decided against it.
Unless this continues outside… She thought. Then all bets are off.
The pikachu darted around another corner and she knew what she was to do as she yanked at Baltoy's pokéball from her pocket, holding it without expanding as she blasted through the outside door.
The girl focused ahead for a moment and soon realized she couldn't make out the yellow mouse. She turned to look left, scanning the trees in the pathways. Nothing.
"Were you looking for this?"
A voice off to her right caught her attention before she had a chance to look that way. Her head jerked right and saw a most unexpected sight.
A dark boy with messy coal-black hair pinned under a cap. In one of his gloved-hands was her white hairband. She immediately made the connection.
"Ash?!" The girl's voice came out uneven. "Ash Ketchum?"
"Hi, Calista," He said, standing at six-foot-one, he towered her with the top of her head being even with his shoulders. His tone was flat, with an effort of a smile, however faint. "Sorry about that, I hope I didn't inconvenience you too much."
"Oh, uh… not so much so," She said as she hesitated for a brief moment before taking her headband back with two fingers and fastened it on her head. "But, uh, what are you doing here? I mean it's… It's been a while."
"It has, hasn't it?" He answered her rambling as Pikachu climbed up his backside and onto his shoulder. "You know I asked you to be discrete, buddy."
"Pika…" The mouse pokémon's ears fell. But Ash didn't let him stay sad as he rubbed his head.
"I wasn't understanding him, sorry," The red-haired girl reflexively answered, her right hand moved to tuck her hair behind her ear. "So… uh," she mulled, "Why'd you come to Rustboro? Or here specifically."
Ash sighed, "it's a long story, and if you got time, I'll tell you."
"Oh, certainly," she lied without hesitating, "did you want to get something to eat? I'm famished, myself."
The young man nodded. "Yeah. But uh…" He put a hand to the back of his neck. "…any chance we can go somewhere… quiet? Discrete and all."
"Oh, yeah." Calista smiled as they began to walk. "They don't make paninis, but I know a good place."
The young man's eyebrows raised. "Paninis?"
Calista blinked a few times. "Did I say that out loud? Sorry, kinda craving one bad."
"Did you want to get one?"
"No, no. I mean, yes, but it can wait."
"I really don't want to inconve-"
"Ash, it's fine," She interrupted, waving her hands in dismissal, "honestly, I'm just having a hard time believing you came to see me. I had been meaning to attend an event you were competing in, I've just been wrapped up in college."
The black-haired boy chewed on his lip just enough to go unnoticed before forcing a smile. "I'm glad to see you're doing well. You'll need to tell me all about what's happened since we ran into each other that day."
"I can do that," Calista said as she stepped forward before turning with her hands clasped behind her. She stared back at him with her dark emerald eyes. "So, let's go somewhere quiet."
The cloudy sky finally made good on the threat of rain it had been teasing all day, just as Calista and her newfound companion had been making their way through the streets. Luckily for them both, the girl came prepared with a small umbrella that was tucked into her bag she always kept on her person. The relentless tapping of raindrops on the lacquer proved the wisdom of such a simple action.
She gestured Ash to join her under the cover, which he hesitated before obliging her. He reached for the handle and took control so he'd be able to fit under it. At such proximity, Calista really couldn't stop herself from taking in the man she was seeing in person for the first time in ten years. The TV cameras didn't insult him, but they also didn't do him justice.
She was snapped out of her observation when he spoke up.
"I've forgotten how much rain Hoenn gets," He remarked looking out to the street ahead, "really made journeying difficult when we had to wait out so many storms."
"Yeah, but it makes the best ambiance for studying," Calista remarked, "I have so many memories of being stuck by a window in the library with downpours identical to this one."
Ash shook his head. "That sounds like torture to me."
"Far from it… well for someone like me, of course," She giggled. "Though for every book I probably finished, I imagine you made a new friend."
Ash gave her a sideways look. "How fast do you read?"
She smirked back at him. "450 words per minute. In human speech, I can finish a 500-page book in six hours if I care enough to. And I walk away comprehending most of it." She added in her boast.
"Eh…" Ash shrugged with his shoulders. "You almost beat me."
"Sheesh." The girl rolled her eyes before looking out to the street ahead of her, realizing they were closing in on the place she was taking them, it just then occurred to Calista something, someone, was missing.
Her mouth moved as she went to ask and then caught herself. She looked at him with a slight turn of her head as if hoping to scan something from his expression. When he seemed to noticed she looked away, and felt her face heat up.
"Is everything alr-"
"Perfectly fine," She said without looking at him. Her index finger on her right hand tapped the back of her left pinkie in quick succession. "Hey, looks like we're here."
The place was some hole-in-the-wall restaurant with an awning allowing for about 5 tables of outdoor seating, of which 1 was occupied by one person who was shuffling between their food and whatever they were looking at on their phone, paying no attention to either of them. The place itself, called Fresh Start gave off Unovan vibes and – upon entering – was evidently a 24-hour breakfast place with a retro-style from some earlier foreign era of checkerboard floor and ridged chrome-trim to the red-leather-cushioned seating.
Ash was immediately caught by the smell of bacon, sausage, and pancakes as they walked in. Calista, on the other hand, knew she most certainly wanted more coffee; neither of them would be at a loss.
Calista pointed to the please seat yourself before beckoning Ash, the two turned towards the right where a separate room bereft of any other patrons was found.
"This place will be busy in a few hours." She gestured to the vacant bar. "They serve good burgers and all, but for now, it's just what you asked for."
Pikachu leapt from Ash's shoulder and stood upright on the bar before parking his butt. "Pika pika."
"I'll make sure to ask," He said to him before he followed Calista, who was walking to the booth furthest to the back and subsequently closest to the kitchen door.
The young man sat down across from her as the two eased into the cushions and feeling that well-beloved sense of newfound relaxation upon experiencing restaurant seating. Even sitting, Ash towered over her, though slightly less so.
She was about to say something, when their attendant had come by.
"Good afternoon, Calista, don't ever see you in here with anyone," The waitress with bright blonde hair in a bob cut and not much older than either of them said as she passed them both menus.
"Hi Rebecca," She answered her, "this is a friend of mine who came to visit. Figure I'd show him around since it's been a while."
Rebecca turned to look at Ash with a standard smile she had for everyone. "Well, nice to meet you, Calista knows the best restaurants in this city, she's probably studied two evenings in all of them at this point." She pulled out her notepad. "Anything I can get you both to drink?"
"Coffee, and I'll need creamer," Calista responded instantly.
"Water will be fine," Ash began, "Oh and, do you guys have something simple for Pikachu over there?"
The waitress turned to the direction of Ash's finger and saw the mouse half-napping on his side. "So cute." She touched her cheek before turning back to Ash. "I can get him some fries. Would that be alright?"
"Perfect." Ash nodded. "And some ketchup, he'll want that."
Rebecca giggled. "I need to get me one of those." She finished jotting on her notepad and left them alone for the moment.
Calista felt the air stiffen around her as she looked back to Ash. Her realization earlier was manifesting in her fingers tapping again.
Ash didn't say anything. He wasn't looking at her. Was he waiting for their drinks first?
No, no. And what did that matter?
Calista slapped her hand on the table. A bit harder than she probably intended to.
"So, uh, Ash. Umm…" Calista looked away as she forced her mouth to move. "Sorry if this is weirdly put, but I was wondering where umm… where is she?"
Ash then looked at her, making eye contact with her unsteady gaze.
The girl suppressed a chill.
"Who do you mean?"
"Well… umm…" Her mouth struggled to move properly. She then coughed, straightened herself and put her hands on the table. Ash waited in silence.
"Despite my claims about being buried in books, I have been following your career. I watched your performance in Hoenn that year we met, I even had the matches taped so I could go back," She dry-laughed. "I then saw your performance in Sinnoh as well. Your match with Paul was like nothing I'd ever seen. And I've re-watched that more times than I care to admit…"
Rebecca then interrupted the two of them as she slid the refreshments on the table along with a basket of toast. Calista jumped just slightly.
"Still deciding?"
"Uh I think so?" Calista's eyes shifted towards Ash.
"Actually, I think I'm good for this." He pointed on the menu and the waitress leaned over.
"Good choice, we have some of the best bacon you're going to find in the city here." She jotted down some notes before looking to Calista. "And how about you?"
"Umm," Calista flipped the menu open and found the sandwich section and found her winning breakfast toasted egg and cheese melt with tomato and bell pepper. "This'll work."
"Of course." Rebecca gave Calista a knowing look before grabbing their menus. "Should be ready shortly, you guys came at a good time."
Calista found herself manually breathing through her nostrils. She turned back to Ash and attempted eye contact, only to find he was taking the liberty of grabbing one of the toast slices. He took a bite and then looked at her with an easy enough gaze that she managed to keep.
"I'm glad you liked that battle," Ash picked back up the conversation, "I've gone back and watched it a few times myself."
A sense of warmth radiated in the girl as her dark green eyes focused on her friend. "Is it weird, watching yourself? I've wondered about that."
"Used to not bother me." He took another bite. "Totally does now though."
Calista chuckled. "That's a weird development."
"Yeah, I feel like I'm kinda full of myself when I do."
Calista started pouring the creamer cups into her coffee. "Well, consider it from the perspective that you've gotten so good at battling that you're worth re-watching for yourself." Calista then reached for the sugar. "But anyway, I should get back to the point."
As she said that, still her she felt Ash's hand touch her wrist, causing her to go silent. Her breath stifled as she turned to look up at him. "You actually don't need to explain further, Calista. I know what you're going to ask me."
Calista's mouth went – all so slightly – agape. "Oh, umm, you do?"
"Yeah," His voice went soft, "how'd you know about us?"
She blinked a few times in silence. "Ash, you two are basically a celebrity couple," Calista said like it was obvious. "I've seen you two on covers of tabloids when you've been spotted in places together the past few years."
Ash looked away, shrugging with eyebrows as he went for his water. He finished and remained silent as his thumb and index finger ran down his chin. His eyes shot up to Calista's and back down.
"Ash…" Calista uttered confusion.
He let out a breath he had been holding. "I'm sorry, I'm just…" He bit his lower lip, rather intensely even. He then looked up to the girl, his expression worsened.
"Hey, we don't have to talk about it right now," Calista remarked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."
"No, it's not your fault. If anything, it's mine."
The girl double-blinked. "How is it possibly your fault?"
Ash was the one to break eye contact this time as he went for another sip of his water. The gulp was audible.
The silence that hung was could be described as painful to the girl who was trying to fill in the blanks in her head.
She watched him close his eyes with his right hand pinching the bridge of his nose. "There's no easy way to say the next thing. This was honestly the wrong place to have this conversation."
It was then that Calista saw his left hand on the table and reached for it with her own.
"Hey," She spoke softly, "if it's the wrong place, then you don't have to say anymore about at it this moment. I don't need to know right here and now."
She lied to herself, but the change in his expression made it worth it.
"Thanks Calista, but I think I need to just say it at this point." He leaned forward, and she involuntarily responded to do the same.
He inhaled a quick breath and then spoke just above a whisper.
"Serena died, nine days ago."
The red-haired girl gasped first, and then a hand went to cover her mouth.
"Ash, I'm so sorry, I-"
Ash lifted a finger to make a hush gesture. "You have no reason to be sorry. I came to you because I need your help."
She blinked a few times. "Huh? How can I possibly help you with that?"
He didn't respond immediately, but leaned back in his booth seat, his expression unchanged.
"The baltoy civilization, have you been back since the time we met?"
"On occasion, though I haven't told anyone about it besides my older brother who got me to understand why I was better off not telling Mom and Dad. Why what's the co-"
Her eyes widened.
"Oh… oh I see…"
Ash nodded. "Have you tested it yourself."
"Well, yes actually." She looked off towards Pikachu. "But nothing significant, like, I traveled back two months once and another time just a few days. I had even considered if it could somehow be used to help me get in more studying, but it doesn't really work that way."
"No, time is linear and corrective."
The girl's mouth went slightly agape. "How do you know that?"
"I've been through some things, Calista. I'll tell you later, but let's keep it short for now, considering…" He gestured a finger in a half circle.
"You're right, you're right." She nodded.
A new set of eyes than the ones Calista had only moments ago fell upon the boy across from her. Consequently, breathing came easier and her heartbeat stabilized.
She would splash her face with cold water later for thinking of him as a potential boyfriend that fell from the sky not even fifteen minutes ago. A miniscule punishment, but she wasn't masochistic.
"What did you hear about us?" He asked her, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Well, you two were first seen dating about four years ago in public. Serena was sometimes asked for comments on your relationship, and she only ever had glowing things to say. The Azure Idol and the Red Trailblazer was how you two were referred to."
"Red Trailblazer?" Ash faintly smiled.
"I guess they were trying to come up with a title for you, they made sure the photo they used for you was one with one of your red hats."
"They're all red," he stated, "Do you remember any of the things Serena said about us?"
"It was glowing, as I said. Things like that she had every intention on making it work between you two, that she had liked you for a long time and was waiting for her chance to come clean with you about how she felt. That she had a hard time finding things she didn't like about you and hoped you felt the same. I guess she didn't think you'd read the articles."
She stopped herself as his expression worsened.
"Ash…"
"No, I want to hear it," He managed to say, "please continue if you have more."
"I don't really," She spoke a half-truth, "I'm sorry Ash, I… I have no idea what you're going through right now."
"I'm sorry I only came to see you to ask for this," Ash said with his voice getting quieter. "I feel awful, like, I'm only using you, but I really don't-"
Calista got up and leaned over the table to grab his hand he was almost about to bury his face in.
"You have no need to apologize for this, Ash." She looked into his eyes of bright amber. "I'm not entirely sure yet about the specifics but there's no reason to have any guilt over this."
Ash looked back at the red-haired girl with her green eyes and found himself calming down, despite everything.
"Thank you, Calista." A smile, one bigger than any he managed yet today, not much better than his previous best, but it was one all the same.
The sound of footsteps approached.
"One toasted egg and cheese melt and one biscuits, eggs, bacon, and gravy," Rebecca announced as the first plate slid onto the table in front of Ash. Calista quickly backed off and felt her face heat up realizing what the two of them must have looked like they were doing just then.
"And I have the fries for Pikachu." Rebecca commented on the last thing on her tray. "Anything else I can get you two?"
"Umm…" the seated girl shot a glance up to Rebecca. "No, I think we're good."
The blonde-haired girl winked at her. "Excellent, hope you both enjoy your meal."
The girl was left by the waitress to inwardly groan. She watched her go back before she did the very thing she just made a fool of herself getting the boy to not do as her fingertips ruffled her bangs.
The urge to go and tell Rebecca it wasn't like that was almost more compelling the sandwich in front of her.
"You okay?" The boy across from her asked. Seemingly oblivious to what had just transpired.
The redhead girl looked up, uncovering her face. "Yeah, just a bit of… oh never mind."
Calista was the first to pick up her sandwich, her sense of embarrassment fell away as the sensation of cheddar on dark-yellow eggs and buttered toast with some fresh tomato and green bell pepper made her tastebuds sing.
Ash picked up the first biscuit and dipped it in the gravy. Calista watched him and noticed how cold his expression was, he closed his eyes while taking a bite but his countenance remained unchanged.
Calista looked away from him, finding it difficult now, knowing what he was going through.
But I still hardly know anything about it all. She thought to herself. The image of Serena, the poor girl.
"On second thought," Calista remarked. "Why don't you come back with me to my apartment and we can discuss the rest? My couch is a fold-out if you and Pikachu need a place to stay too."
Ash stopped his quiet eating. "Are you sure about that? I'm already asking a lot from you."
Calista just found herself smiling. "It's been a long time since I've seen anyone other than family, Ash. You'd be doing me a favor if anything."
He didn't respond to that verbally, but she saw the faint edges of his mouth tug upward.
"Just tell me everything," Calista added, "if we… actually go through with what I think you're asking, I need to know the full story, for a number of reasons."
"Hmm." Ash nodded more noticeably this time. "I promise to tell you everything I know."
Calista beamed but said nothing. She had said enough for now.
The blue clouds had long since departed and in their place were ones of dark grey make which rained with intensive fervor. A creaky door swinging sound and the flick of a switch and Calista's apartment lit up with two shaded lamps at opposite ends of the living room space. The couch – a grey-stitched three-seater – was looking out to the window with the blinds currently drawn; no TV in sight.
The girl took the umbrella and shook it out before leaving it in her bin near the doorway. "Make yourself at home, anything in the fridge or pantry is free of charge, I'll get you some pillows."
Ash looked around at the girl's humble abode, surfaces scattered with loose papers, folders, and other materials related to college or her job. Her sink was visible from the doorway and it was bereft of dishes aside from a few utensils out of sight at the bottom, and beside it is what looked to be the dishes she had used the last time she ate still in the drying rack. The doorway to her bedroom was left open as she walked through it.
"Pikachu," The pokémon remarked.
Ash didn't respond, the electric-type hadn't said anything out of turn or needing an answer. In scanning the kitchen, his eyes fell upon red apron with gold buttons.
He stared at it, and his thoughts were that of a blonde-haired girl in a similar one, with her hair pulled upwards as she finished preparing breakfast many summers ago now. Something she made a habit of doing, something he loved about her.
"Pika." his friend tapped him on the neck. Taking him out of his thoughts.
"I know." He said as he took off his shoes and walked over to the couch. "I know, buddy."
Pikachu jumped off his shoulder before he sat down on the couch. A quiet hung over both of them for at least a minute before Ash stroked the pokémon's head. His partner cooed in response, but like every time now, Pikachu sounded different than he did two weeks ago.
Still, Ash felt his heart lighten as he consoled his friend. It was hard to not feel better at the sight of Pikachu, especially when he managed to be so adorable at something as simple as being petted.
Calista came back in the room, a comforter and a single pillow over her arms.
"Sorry, had to dig a bit in my closet. Been a while since my parents came to visit."
Ash took the blankets and pillow from her and placed them on the other side of Pikachu. Calista plopped down on the other side of the young man, near the window, and fumbled for something in her pocket.
"Hey, you don't mind if I smoke, do you?"
Ash turned to look at her, a little wide eyed.
"You smoke? Really?"
"Yeah, but not much," She said as she pulled out a sky-blue pack from her fumbling. "Dad always had this stuff imported from Unova, it's nothing but the plant and water. Not really sure if it's all that much better for you but it's really the only thing I ever do to make time for myself."
She tilted the pack and the one not covered by her thumb slid out halfway before she finessed it free and put it between her teeth.
"I usually step outside for this, but given the rain."
"It's fine." Ash said. "It's your place, anyway."
"Well, there is such a thing as being a rude host." Sparks crackled from the girl's lighter as she ignited her cigarette. A few puffs and the smoldering end began its slow burn before the girl inhaled.
Ash watched in curiosity as the girl sank into her couch just a bit as she let out a long breath.
"I thought I'd have some better way of broaching the topic again once I had a moment," Calista said, "but let's pick up where we left off."
"Right." Ash nodded. "Where was that?"
"Well…" Calista said, "how'd it happen?"
Ash looked away, before leaning forward to rest elbows on his thighs as he folded his hands.
"I'm sorry Ash, but if-"
"I understand, you don't need to keep apologizing," He said with some semblance of assurance in his tone. "But I need to apologize to you really, I left out a detail at the restaurant."
Calista exhaled as smoke rolled out of her mouth. "What was it?"
Ash didn't turn to look at her. "Serena didn't just die, she was murdered."
The couch creaked as Calista's frame shifted. The only other sound that could be heard for those seconds that hung was the rainfall on the roof as the girl's breathing stifled.
Ash took a breath as he wiped his dry eyes.
"We were at my Mom's house, in Pallet Town. We had just gotten back from running errands for her and I was worn out. I went to lay down on the couch and Serena followed me."
His voice croaked on those last words. Calista watched him intently.
"I complained in a joking way that she was suffocating me, she laughed it off and just hugged me. We were like that for a bit, then I forgot I needed to put some of the cold stuff we bought while we were out away. So I got up. And then…
"… I think I was knocked out. Or something, I fell asleep while I was in the kitchen and woke up with a pounding headache. My Mom found me on the kitchen floor and shook me, she was crying. I was confused, until I saw it for myself."
Ash did his best to suppress it, but his breath shuddered.
"You…" Calista interrupted, "you found her dead?"
"Yeah," He managed to say, "she was scarred, all over, like someone used an energy-based pokémon attack on her. Though I couldn't identify it."
"Arceus..." Calista said with exasperation, "what happened next?"
"A lot," Ash continued, "but I didn't stick around. I thought if I could identify anyone who had seen the killer, or the vehicle they drove, I could find them on my own. That didn't work out. So, I got away to contemplate somewhere quietly what my next step would be, and then I remembered our adventure that day."
Calista took another inhale of her cigarette with that, slowly exhaling and allowing the smoke to exude from her nose partly in the process. The girl looked away, out the window that was pelted with rainwater and obscuring her view of the outside world.
"How'd you find me, anyway?"
"I remembered your name," Ash said without turning to look at her. "I figured if you set out to make your dream happen then you'd naturally show up somewhere at a college in Hoenn. So, I did some digging and realized that college student name lists weren't exactly public but I was made aware of sites with name lists and basic address information. Not long after I found your picture on the website for Whiterock Academy staff."
"That sounds like it didn't take any time at all."
"I'm not too good at this kind of stuff, it took me a few days," Ash remarked. "I arrived in Rustboro first thing this morning, I was originally in Petalburg, I remember we crossed paths around there."
"Yep, my parents are actually doctors there. Surprised you didn't just go to them."
Ash smiled a little. "Well, I didn't learn your last name until the other day."
"Right, right." Calista rubbed the side of her head as she used her free hand to hold her smoke still before taking another whiff. "Thanks for letting me do this now. I know it's my own place, but this is helping a lot." She then turned to look at Ash. "You want a bit?"
He looked at the cigarette and looked back to the pretty girl offering it with a genuine look of sincerity in her expression.
"Thanks… but I'm not sure."
"Oh, I totally understand," Calista said, "sorry I was just thinking how I could help in the immediate and-"
"Don't worry," Ash cut her off, "I appreciate the gesture."
"Heheh," Calista giggled, "well, if you change your mind, you get a free one on me."
The two sat in silence for a bit as Pikachu crawled up on Ash's lap. Calista reached over to give him some attention. They were like that for a bit, it must have been at least five minutes, both tired with a lot on their mind as the rain kept up outside, a white noise that filled in for the lack of conversation.
"So…" Calista began again, "you've traveled back in time before?"
"Yeah," Ash said, "twice."
Calista turned to look at him squarely. "How did it happen?"
"Well, believe it or not, one was caused by Dialga."
Calista took a sharp draft and immediately began coughing. "Seriously?!" she managed to get out between fits.
"Seriously," Ash remarked, "we had to prevent an event involving Arceus so he wouldn't want to destroy humanity. So, me and a few friends were sent to ancient Michina Town."
Calista contained her excitement as best as possible but her eyes gave it away. "It worked?"
"Yeah, we're still here, aren't we?"
"Hah!" Calista laughed awkwardly loud at that. "Fair enough, what about the other time?"
"It was a local incident where a rotom who lived in a hotel sent us back to help his master."
"Hmm," Calista remarked, "guess that wouldn't be helpful for this. Unless you have a rotom that's been living in your Mom's house."
Ash shook his head.
"I've heard about that other one happening time to time. Not really sure how they manage to do it, it's been said by others they're not entirely sure if the rotom know how they do it either. Like it's something akin to an adrenaline rush." Calista took a moment to get another draft, blowing the smoke out through pursed lips like a steam valve. "So that leads us to now."
"I know I'm asking a lot of you, Calista," Ash said, "but I don't have a choice."
"I understand," she uttered as loud as two whispers, "believe me, I want to help. I just need to think on it for a bit, and consider the ramifications if we do this."
Ash nodded to her and exhaled. Calista looked at the guy who was just a year or two older than herself and, once again, saw him in a different light than she had earlier that day, but thinking no less of him.
She had an idea, and with it came a warmth in the girl's chest.
"Ash… what was she like?"
A profound pause before he turned back to look at her again, the two of them making eye contact for the first time in a while. His eyes were like an open book; there was so much pain, and yet, there was a glint of light in them now that hadn't been there before. A sign she hadn't made a mistake.
"It was so strange at first. Even as I finally came around to the idea of liking girls, Serena always seemed untouchable. Not in a bad way, of course, just too good for such a thing. I didn't realize that many of the behaviors she exhibited towards me that made me think that way was actually because she liked me.
"When we started dating, it was like she only became more of the sweet and caring girl I had already come to know. She would wake up before me to have breakfast ready for when I came down. She'd be so upset if she messed anything up; like burning the toast. Whenever I got injured, she'd suddenly break out into a worrying fit trying to help me, and would obsess about me putting any strain on it until she could confirm it was okay. Regardless of how much I told her it wasn't a big deal."
"So, she's exactly what the tabloids described… well, some of them," Calista said with a hint of not expecting a response. Though one came anyway.
"She was like dating an angel," Ash said with exasperation. "There was that time she tried to teach me how to dance while we were vacationing in Kanto. It was supposed to be for some festival that night. I gave her so much trouble and I know looking back I was simply embarrassed at looking stupid in front of her." He took a breath and turned to stare off towards the window. "But it didn't bother her in the least. She gave me that reassuring look that told me she simply wanted to spend time with me, and this was the way she was going to do it. I still remember the exact look on her face…
His voice trailed off, the light never left his eyes, but Calista noticed he suppressed a shudder in the pause.
"I still remember the one she gave me, after she made it obvious how she felt about me," Ash remarked. "She looked at me that same way several times after…"
He then turned his head to make eye contact with Calista. As she found herself staring into his gaze, she felt like the couch had a grip on her that left her immobile.
"I want to see it again, more than anything else in the world."
Despite the warmth from the smoke in her lungs, a shiver ran through the poor girl's body. Silence came over the both of them as Calista found it difficult to look away. She wasn't entirely sure how long the span of time was, with the smoldering end of the cigarette and the rain continuing to be the only gauge of time.
Ash then seemed to realize what he was doing and broke eye contact, turning his head downward and away. "I'm sorry, I-I… I shouldn't try to guilt trip you-"
"No, Ash." Calista quickly shook her head, as if coming out of a stupor, "I'm glad you told me. And… I wanted to know, I asked you after all." Calista looked away from him as she reached for her cigarette again. The rush of nicotine was exactly what she needed as her nerves calmed, slowly exhaling as she adjusted herself to sit closer to the edge of the cushion. Her eyes darted to look at the boy from the edge of her perception before looking away again.
Ash let out a breath he was holding, looking around for a moment as Calista turned to watch him without him catching on. She nibbled on the tip of her tongue as she did so.
The young man reached for his hair with his right hand and tried to massage his scalp through the mop of coal-colored threads. He then groaned before speaking up, "I guess we haven't talked about you yet, have we?"
Calista's laugh lines came back, "Well, you know some of my story by now. I mean, you're in the middle of it." She adjusted herself to face him better. "It's not really that interesting, a lot of books and tests involved."
"It's interesting to me." Ash shrugged. "I don't know anything about that."
Calista took another draft but made sure to blow the smoke away from her guest. "Well, I kinda told you already about the rest of the day we met. I told my brother about the ruins and the whole story and he naturally thought that I made it up. I dragged him out to the entrance and made him see it for himself. He was… well, impressed, naturally. I told him we should show it to Mom & Dad and they'd totally see I was destined to be an archaeologist but he didn't agree. He listed off a ton of possibilities of how they'd actually react, the ones involving reporting the site to some other institute and stealing my claim had the most impact. I yielded to his thinking and instead opted to use my new motivation to drive my efforts instead."
Calista breathed for a moment, choosing to leave her cigarette alone as her thoughts stirred. "You can kind of put the rest together, I just studied, a lot. I passed up making friends just so I could read and learn more. Mom and Dad saw my passion match my output and I eventually won them over. I skipped grades twice; enrolled in college at 16. I already finished my bachelor's and midway through my master's now."
"You're 21 now, right?" Ash asked.
"Yep." Calista smiled. "Mom and Dad offered to pay for everything, though I couldn't miss the opportunity at Whiterock Academy despite the responsibilities that came with it. So, money has never been an issue, but often I'm utterly scrapped for time."
Ash's eyes went shifty as he looked from side to side before back at his host. "I hope you aren't today."
"I'll survive," Calista didn't bother with lying about it again. "Grading my student's assignments isn't difficult, at least the ones the instructor leaves for me to do, it's just repetitive. And my college courses at the moment are interesting so my paper shouldn't be hard to write."
She had hoped that would have made the young man reassured, and it did, though not seemingly by much.
"Well…" Ash fumbled. "Maybe I could do some things for you that might make up for the time I've lost you anyway. It'd make me feel better at least."
Calista stifled a laugh. "You really are hopeless…" She took the moment to take another draft, her cigarette still had about half its length left from being packed so tightly. One of the good things for how expensive they were. "But I'm not too proud to turn down your offer. Are you sure?"
Ash nodded. "I told you; I didn't want to inconvenience you. At least, any more than I am."
The girl looked to the doorway to her bedroom, then back to the kitchen without moving her head, before back to Ash. She cleared her throat. "Okay, wait here."
Calista got up slowly from the couch and walked around the bar to her kitchen where her fridge was located, yanking a list on yellow college-ruled paper with pen scratch, she examined the list and grabbed a pen from out of her bag she left on the floor and circled a few of them. The red-haired girl then slid open a pull-out drawer and grabbed the notepad the paper was from to rip off a new piece and write the contents thereof in a slow and precise fashion to be legible to someone other than herself. Upon finishing that, she opened her fridge and a finger bounced between the items within, her tongue making a light click every so often before closing it and adding a few things to her list. She stopped in the middle of making that list to look back in her fridge again before jotting down a few more.
"The post office is going to be closing first, so that should take precedent, then the library. Save the groceries for last. I have a cooler bag around her somewhere too…" Calista finished adding groceries and opened one of her cabinets to find a green stitched bag with white inlining flattened against the wall with a myriad of paper bags that went unused. Calista ran off into her room to grab a stack of hardback tomes with transparent plastic covers and some vanilla envelopes and put them in the bag before returning to where Ash – now standing up with Pikachu on his shoulder – was.
"You'll need to buy some stamps at the Post Office before you drop them off, I always forget," Calista said as she handed him the bag. "All the addresses for where you need to go are on the note."
He took the piece of paper from her outstretched hand and looked over it with curiosity for what he just managed to sign himself up for. Pikachu leaned over to examine the contents for himself.
Post Office, send off letter to a friend at the Orebugh Mining Mueseum.
Library, return these books and pay the late fee, then check out "The Horsemen of Asahni" and "The Ships from Kan: Arrival of the Hanu to Nijiyama".
Pick up dry cleaning at The Aroning Board
Groceries I need:
The list was over 10 items, and some of them certainly were more of wants instead of needs, especially the brand-specific ice cream bars.
When he turned his eyes up to look back at his host, he noticed her head was tilted a bit down with a little grin across her face. Ash felt a similar grin tug at his own lips as he rolled his eyes.
"Want me to hand you the cash now for everything or when you get back?"
"When I get back is fine," Ash said, "But not a big deal either way."
"Don't you even think about paying for all of that." Calista began to raise a hand in protest before letting it fall back to her side. "But thank you, Ash. This really helps."
He nodded at her, a small grunt escaped from his throat before he turned around with the bag in one hand and the note in the other. Folding the paper to half its size between his fingers, he slipped it into his jacket pocket before grabbing the umbrella from the basket near the door.
The sound of the deafened rain became loud and clear along with a rush of cold air as the door swung open before he stepped out and closed it behind him. Calista stood there, watching his silhouette pass by the window as he headed towards the stairs.
"Of all the things…" She mumbled to no one as her voice faded, her thoughts picking up where her mouth left off. A headache that was long overdue came forward and began to swell in her forehead, causing her to instinctually reach to massage the sore spot.
She looked at her satchel bag where her student's tests were and sighed. Taking a bit more time to herself, Calista leaned against the kitchen bar that lacked stools as she reached for her smoke again. She observed once more what was left of it, and surmised that she'd need a few more after it as well.
I wanted to come up with an arguably better ending for this chapter, but I couldn't think of anything and I'm not delaying the chapter any longer than it already has been.
As part of my brain's insistence for categorization and keeping things tidy, as you read, "Japan" in this setting is being referred to as Nijiyama, which was suggested by a friend and means "Rainbow Mountain" which works for a name for Pokémon Japan for a number of reasons. The details about horse archer tribes is based on the historical ancestry of the Ainu Japanese who were presumably descendants of Scythia, and are the reason the Japanese are a distinct people ethnically from the Koreans, as most Japanese today are a mix of Ainu (also known as Jomon) and Yayoi (Korean). If you ever visit Japan and want to see Ainu, go to Hokkaido.
I will do my best to attend to Chapter 6 shortly.