Chapter 6: Drawing (unwanted) attention
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NOW – ALOLA
They had struggled about halfway through one lesson when Kukui decided enough was enough.
He set down his chalk and addressed his class, "Listen, how about we try some battle training instead? I think we all need a little break."
The answer was loudly unanimous and the gray-faced Ash who'd been staring at his textbook like it was laced with poison or worse, lit up like bonfire, bouncing excitedly on his seat. Kiawe grinned viciously, shooting a glance at his old-new rival.
"That's a great idea, Professor", he said, still staring at Ash, and it sounded like a challenge.
Ash's smile was as fiery as his. "Oh yeah, sounds great!"
"Well, I for sure can't wait to see how this'll go", Mallow said to Lana in a stage whisper, and the other sniggered behind her hand.
"I'm interested to see how differently you battle, Ash", said Lillie softly. "Not having all of your memories… It must be tough."
Ash rubbed the back of his neck, shrugging awkwardly. "Eh, but I do have all my memories, y'know? I'm just way too far in the future right now." He poked at his temple, indicating the mind-swap that was apparently going on, and fixed a pointed stare at Lillie.
Kukui hated he still couldn't think that sentence through without the apparently.
"Sure, pal", snorted Sophocles in good humor. "And that isn't a weird thing to say at all, huh?"
Ash frowned, snapped, "Hey, I'm not weird! What, do you think I'm lying?"
Sophocles' eyes widened, and he raised his hands up, leaning back. "Whoa, of course not! Sorry, Ash." He glanced around, looking for help. When no one offered, he went on, "But you know… You gotta admit this is strange, right? A little bit scary and weird?"
"It's not such a big deal", grumbled Ash, crossing his arms tightly. "I'm fine, and I'm sure I'll go back to Kanto soon and then you'll get your Ash back."
Kukui hated where this was going, and he cleared his throat desperately. "Hey, maybe we should-"
"Back to Kanto?" blurted Mallow, jumping up from her chair. "The last thing you remember was in Kanto? Like, were you just home with your Mom and Professor Oak?"
"No, I was-" Ash sat up straighter, confusion mixing into the annoyed look on his face. "Hold on… you know Professor Oak?"
"We all do, Ash", said Kiawe. "We visited his farm last year. And you had an epic battle against Misty, too."
"You know Misty?" yelped Ash. "Man, I hope she managed to sort out her gym…"
"Misty is awesome", was Lana's helpful input.
"Oh yeh, she's badass", agreed Mallow empathically. "I really enjoyed visiting Kanto, actually. It was such a nice trip, and it gave me so many good ideas for the restaurant, too!"
"That mega gyarados…" muttered Lana dreamily. "Wow…"
Kukui clasped his hands together loudly, drawing his class's fickle attention to him for a second.
"Right! Everyone, grab a pen and a notepad, and follow me. Let's have a little walk around the area first, and then we can find a nice place to try some moves. I'm sure Ash is excited to try his first Z-move!"
This, finally, got the kids moving, and their loud shuffling and chatter helped to drown out worst of the distressed buzz between Kukui's temples.
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They toured around the school grounds first, and Kukui started to get the weirdest feeling someone was watching them.
He glanced down from the balcony and though he saw someone stepping back to hide behind the fence. He paused to explain how the cafeteria worked but couldn't help glancing out of the big windows every once in a while, expecting to see someone looking in. He showed the class around the tauros racetrack, and could swear someone was standing in the forest, a faint shadowy shape just out of sight. It made his skin crawl – and the worst thing about it was, he wasn't sure if it was just a product of his anxiety over the situation or if he should've been getting concerned for real.
He got other things to worry about, though, when he followed his class out of the school grounds and onto the path leading to the city.
The road was blocked by a group of reporters, and they homed in on Ash the moment they saw him like swarm of very curious bees.
"Mr. Ketchum, a few words?"
"Ash Ketchum, the fresh Alola Champion and the winner of yesterday's exhibition match against the notorious Masked Royal, tell us, how are you feeling right now?"
"Champion Ash, what are your plans for next year's League? Are you planning on incorporating the island challenge into the participation qualifications?"
There were half a dozen cameras and microphones pointed at him, and Ash stood there in the middle of it, wide-eyed, mouth half open like he wanted to say something but couldn't for the life of him figure out what.
"Uhh…"
Kukui elbowed his way through the crowd, feeling way angrier than he probably should have.
"Excuse me", he snapped, voice cold as ice, stepping half in front of Ash. "I won't allow you to harass my student in the middle of a school day. Please, turn off your cameras and let us pass."
"Kukui, my man", said an all-too-familiar voice to his left, "chill out, will you? It's a huge day for Alola, and for you, too. The League was your baby, right? That's a big deal, man."
Kukui whipped his head around, his shoulders tensing under his lab coat.
"Manu", he said, voice flat. He hadn't seen him through the crowd at first, but now he could spot the small round man with his obnoxious flowery shirt and his annoying flashy little sunglasses. Kukui's blood pressure was instantly through the roof, and it was only the cameras pointed at him that stopped him from doing something rash.
Manu was a local sports reporter that had been keeping track of the Masked Royal for years now, and Kukui knew him to be a bold and nosy bastard who didn't cut corners trying to find out everything about the person he was interested in at any given time. Kukui himself had had a fair share of his unwanted attention over the years.
He really didn't need him to get interested in Ash right now.
"What's the problem here?" asked Manu sweetly. "We at Sports & Pokemon only got Ash for a few minutes after the finale, and there's been basically no interviews given for anyone yet, nothing proper, you get me? The people demand to hear more about their new Champion, Kukui. Is that so hard to understand?"
Kukui inhaled sharply, trying to tone down his building irritation. "As I just told you", he replied, carefully pronouncing every word, staring down Manu, "I am not allowing any interviews or filming during school hours. Besides, I expect you all to respect the boundaries and privacy of the Champion, and not approach him like this ever again. I'm sure we will be in contact should we wish to take part in an interview."
Most of the reporters looked like they were reconsidering their actions, and few of the cameras turned off and lowered, but Manu was still pushing his mic to Kukui's face, smiling arrogantly.
"Well well, you seem quite protective of young Mr. Ketchum, Professor Kukui. Are the rumors true, after all? Did you truly throw the exhibition match so your favorite student could win?"
That caught Kukui off guard so hard he couldn't say anything for a second, just staring at the man in offended horror. Rationally, he knew Manu had said it just to rile him up, but it worked, all too well – nothing vexed Kukui more than the theory floating around implying that he had rigged the match, or even the whole League, in Ash's favor. Like Ash (the strange, foreign Ash) couldn't have won the tournament on his own merits.
"Professor?" asked Ash from his side, and Kukui's heart leaped into his throat.
"Don't say anything-"
"Yes, Champion?" pushed Manu, speaking over Kukui. "Do you have anything to say about these rumors? I'm sure it stings to hear these awful things said about your victory."
"No comment, Ash-"
Ash had crossed his arms, an annoyed look set on his face as he eyed the reporter. "I dunno what you're talking about, but you're kinda pissing me off. I just wanna go practice Z-moves with Kiawe and the others, so I think you should go away now."
Kukui coughed, startled, and turned to stare at the boy. Manu's grin just widened.
"Ooh, snappy! I like you! Hey, whaddaya say we book us a time for a proper interview? How's tomorrow sound?"
Kukui rose to his full height, his voice an irritable growl as he said, "No, Manu. You won't do that. Now, fuck off before I break your camera, or worse."
Manu laughed, loud and coarse, but he did indicate his assistant to lower the camera as he himself put the microphone down.
"Alright, alright", he chuckled, pushing his sunglasses up the sweaty bridge of his nose. "I hit a sore spot, I get it. No need to get aggressive, pal. Anyway, have a nice day at school, Mr. Ketchum. I'm sure we'll see each other later."
Ignoring Kukui's murderous glare, he walked off, and the rest of the reporters that had been following the exchange like a tennis match scattered off too, one by one.
"Woah, Professor, what was that?" asked Sophocles into the stunned silence.
"What a creep…" muttered Lana.
"You okay, Ash?" Mallow asked Ash, and Ash huffed something in reply.
Kukui barely heard them. He was staring after the last group of reporters, a deep frown on his face. One of the men there, the tall one with the long curly hair… He didn't recognize him. And Kukui had a rather good handle on the local media personnel, for obvious reasons. So who was he?
Whatever. It didn't matter now, Kukui supposed. He took a deep breath, relaxing his posture deliberately. Manu might turn out to be a problem, but he was only a single man. Kukui would just have to do everything he could to keep him away from the Ash inside a Champion's body.
"Hey, can we go now?" whined the Ash in question, staring up at him expectantly, and Kukui was so done with the absurdity of it all that he just laughed, unsteadily, closing his eyes for a second.
"Yeah, sure, we can go now."
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They found themselves on the clear patch in the forest where Ash and Tapu Koko had faced off the first time, all that time ago.
Kukui hung back, still feeling unsettled by the run in with the media and watched as Kiawe attempted to teach Ash to do the pose for the electric Z-move.
"Not like that!" he groaned, grabbing Ash's wrists and twisting them in the right positions forcefully. "More like this. Okay?"
Ash nodded, shook his body in preparation and took the pose again… in a completely wrong way.
Kiawe rubbed the bridge of his nose, muttering, "But you were so natural before…."
"Man, I don't really get it", said Ash, frowning in frustration. "Can't I just try the move now? I'm sure I'll figure out all this other stuff better like that."
"How would you-" Kiawe started, exasperated, but paused then. He thought for a second and then backpedaled, "Actually, that's true, you figured it out all by yourself the last time. Maybe that's a good idea."
"Yeah!" cheered Ash, grinning at Pikachu. "You ready, buddy?"
"Pika!"
"Alright, so this is how it works", Kiawe began, clasping his hand on Turtonator's arm. "Z-moves require a strong bond between the pokemon and its trainer. It's only when the hearts of those two become one that the Z-move gets its full power. And not just anyone is allowed to use Z-moves, either. That's why the island challenge is there – to test the trainer and to determine if they deserve to hold this sacred power."
"Deserve to hold the power…?" repeated Ash, a blank look washing over his features.
Kiawe smiled. "Don't worry, you'll get it… eventually. Anyway, let's have this battle, then. Remember, you can only execute one Z-move per battle, and they drain a lot of energy from you and your partner, so use it carefully."
"Fine!" said Ash, excitement taking hold of him. "Let's have a battle!"
They took their positions facing each other, and Ash sent out Pikachu while Kiawe indicated Turtonator to move forward. Kukui walked to where the rest of the class was watching the exchange, intrigued despite himself. From the viewpoint of a pokemon Professor, this could turn out to be an exceptionally unique thing to witness.
The battle was quite balanced at first, like Kiawe and Ash's often were. The turning point came when Ash called out the move thunder, and it got Pikachu faltering, confused. Turtonator took the change to hit it with a flamethrower, and Pikachu was sent flying, yelling in pain.
"Pikachu!" Ash yelped. Pikachu was okay, but it threw a withering glare back at Ash, snapping something seething to him. Ash stared at it, the surprise clear on his face before it morphed into amazement. "You learnt a new move?" he asked, excited. "Show me!"
Pikachu turned back to the fight, dodging Turtonator's dragon tail and building up electroweb, throwing it at its opponent. Turtonator got trapped under the web, and Ash shouted, "Whoa, amazing Pikachu! That's so cool!"
"Focus, Ash", chided Kiawe, but he was grinning too, pumped up by the battle. "Use this chance to build up your Z-move!"
Ash jumped. "Oh, right!" He looked at Pikachu, his posture slightly unsure. "Right…"
"Pi-ka pikachu!" Pikachu whipped its tail from side to side a few times, crouching down in front of him. "Pika… chuu!"
"Right!" said Ash, firmer now. "Alright, here we go… Let's go with our full power…"
Kukui watched as he took the position, perfectly correctly this time, and the energy between him and Pikachu activated, glowing bright in the flickering shadows of the forest. Kukui held his breath, excited to see how it would go. The energy built and built, and Pikachu was trembling with it until ̶
Suddenly, Pikachu let out a startled whine, and Kukui saw all the color draining from Ash's face, the boy's eyes going hazy and distant and his face twisting in anguish. He dropped to his knees, his arms curling around his body.
Pikachu, still staggering from the aborted Z-move, rushed to its trainer's side and nudged his leg, chirping softly. Kukui shook himself out of his shock and ran to Ash as well, leaning down to look at him properly.
"Ash? What happened? What's wrong?"
Ash had his fingers curled around a broken Z-crystal, and his face was sweaty and sallow, like he was about to be sick. He looked up at Kukui, something terrible in his eyes.
"I, um… I remembered what was happening, before…" His voice faded, almost down to nothing. "It was like… when we were trying to save Mew. It felt like that. And Lucario…"
He swallowed thickly, eyes moist with unshed tears. "I think… Lucario might be dead."
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THEN – SINNOH
The room was quiet and dark when he entered it.
Ash left a pile of Nurse Joy's spare clothes on the bed and stripped his own into a dirty heap on the carpet. He shuffled into the tiny bathroom and paused by the mirror over the sink. Stared at his own face he barely recognized.
He scratched off a dried flake of blood from the corner of his red-rimmed eyes, pursing his lips thoughtfully.
No wonder Nurse Joy had been so concerned. He looked like utter crap.
He tore his eyes off the mirror and stepped into the shower. He stayed under the too-hot water, feeling only half there, until he wasn't shivering anymore, and until the water that flowed into the drain was no longer dirty red and brown.
The towel in the bathroom was almost as soft and fluffy as the one Professor Kukui had given him back at home, and he buried his face in it for a moment, inhaling the faint scent of detergent and perfume.
And it… smelt nothing like Alola did, so Ash quickly abandoned it on the drying rack and moved back into the main room. Nurse Joy had very kindly loaned him some of her own old clothes that, as she'd put it, she kept at the center just for cases like this. Where a trainer was in desperate need of a change of clothes.
It was a little weird pulling them on, but they were comfy, Ash had to admit. Soon, he was clad in slightly oversized grey sweatpants, a worn blue merch T-shirt featuring the famous Sinnoh Lakeside Resort and a soft, chansey-pink hoodie with a broken zipper. He stared down at his old clothes for a moment and sighed. They were way beyond saving, unfortunately.
After a brief consideration, he dumped the entire pile into the trash can. He ignored the weird empty feeling the action left behind, and walked out of the room, determined to not think about anything.
He'd just get food, eat, go to bed, and sleep. And only then would he be allowed to think. To feel.
"Oh, you look a lot better!" Nurse Joy called from the front desk, and Ash smiled at her.
"Yeah! Thank you for the clothes."
He trudged through the empty lobby, carefully stepping over the drying bloodstains he'd left on the floor. Nurse Joy had set up a glass of water and some bread on one of the cafeteria tables by the window, and Ash sat gingerly on the sofa adjacent to it.
Nurse Joy came up to him with a steaming bowl of something that smelled amazing, and said, "Sorry, the kitchen is closed for the night, but I warmed up some tomato soup for you! It's not much, but…"
"No, it's great!" Ash replied emphatically, reaching for the bowl. "Thank you!"
"Oh…" She folded her hands in front of her, and there was sadness in her smile that Ash didn't quite understand. "Well, I hope you'll like it! And take your time, I'll just go… tidy things up before the morning shift gets here."
Ash winced, embarrassed. "I'm sorry-"
But she just waved her hand in dismissal and strode off, leaving Ash alone with his bowl of soup and his misplaced guilt.
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It took him a long time to finish the bowl.
Between feeling faintly ill, and almost nodding off every couple of seconds, he was so out of it that he didn't notice the man walking into the lobby until he was standing right next to him.
"Hey kid, you okay?"
Ash startled so badly he almost spilled the drink he'd been idly holding all over the brightly colored tabletop. He looked up, eyes wide, heart thrumming in his ears.
But he was even more surprised when he realized he knew the young man speaking to him.
"Kellyn?" he blankly said, staring at the top ranger.
Kellyn's eyes narrowed and he leaned against the table, looming over Ash.
He spoke quietly, "How do you know my name?"
Only then did Ash realize his mistake. His shoulders twitched nervously, and he stammered, "I- I dunno, I guess we met somewhere?"
Kellyn didn't look convinced, and his eyes searched Ash up and down.
"I guess we did, then", he replied after a beat. "What's your name again?"
Ash blinked at him, his head empty of anything besides the pounding headache behind his eyes. He didn't know if he should lie or not, if it even mattered. They hadn't met with Kellyn yet, no in this timeline, and he didn't know if… Well. Whatever.
It'd probably be easier to just lie than explain all… this.
He choked out, "I'm, uhh… Tom?"
He bit the inside of his cheek as Kellyn cocked his eyebrow, asking, "Tom?"
"Uhh, yeah, Tom Ato. That's me."
Kellyn stared at him for a moment longer, until suddenly he smiled. His stance relaxed, and he slid into the booth opposite of Ash.
"Well, Tom", he began, folding his empty hands on the table. "I'm just here to check up on you. You see, I was staying the night here and just now Nurse Joy came to tell me that a kid with a bunch of injured pokemon arrived here, a kid who apparently got attacked and has no money, no backpack and no friends with him."
Ash nodded mutely, and Kellyn raised his eyebrows in a silent question.
Ash shrugged helplessly. "Um, yeah, that's me, I guess."
The ranger leaned his chin on his hand, eyes intense.
"Spearow, was it?"
"Huh?"
Kellyn's brow rose even further. "That attacked you?"
Ash jumped, remembering the haphazard lie he'd came up with earlier for Nurse Joy.
"Oh!" He quickly nodded once, and then a couple more times for emphasis. "Mm, yeah… Spearow."
Kellyn's lips twitched, and Ash wondered if he'd been convincing enough.
"That's not good, then", the man said thoughtfully. "I wasn't aware there was an aggressive nest nearby. And I should know – I'm the ranger responsible for this area after all."
Ash swallowed, his fingers curling against his sweaty palms. His head hurt. He really, really needed to sleep.
Kellyn went on, "You happen to remember where the nest was? I might go check it out tomorrow."
Ash shook his head shakily. "N-no, sorry. It was pretty dark, and I got really lost out there… I'm sorry."
"Don't be", Kellyn said, and he leaned back against the sofa, the look in his eyes softening somewhat. "Were you all alone, then? You're not traveling with anyone?"
"Well, just Lucario. And my pokemon", Ash replied through an involuntary yawn. He rubbed his eyes until he saw spots. "They're all resting with Nurse Joy now, though."
Kellyn sat up straighter, a curious frown settling on his face.
"That Lucario… It isn't yours?"
It was weird. Ash trusted Kellyn – they were friends in the future and all – but he still couldn't help feeling uncomfortable when talking about Lucario.
He fidgeted while he admitted, "Um, no. It's just a friend."
Kellyn nodded. "It's wild, then?"
"No, it's-" Ash bit his lip before he could blurt out anything else. He eyed Kellyn for a second, a budding feeling of mistrust weighing heavily in his chest. Why was he suddenly so interested about Lucario? They weren't that uncommon in Sinnoh, right? Did he know something Ash didn't?
What was going on?
When it became obvious Ash wasn't going to continue, Kellyn relented, raising his palms up. "Tell you what Tom, don't worry about it right now." He smiled, and his friendly grin was framed by sharp eyes. "Let's talk more in the morning, yeah? You seem exhausted."
"I sure am", mumbled Ash. He stood up, his shaky hand hitting the empty plates on the table, clattering them all over. He winced at the noise, said, "Um, it was nice seeing you, Kellyn. I guess I'll see you later."
"Yeah." Kellyn's gaze followed him as he stumbled out of the booth. Their eyes met, and Kellyn said, quietly, "If you're in danger, you can tell me. I'll do anything I can to help, okay? If there's someone after you…"
Ash stared at him, eyes wide. Kellyn sat back again, the look on his face grave.
"Hey, it's okay. Have a good rest. I'll be waiting for you here."
Painful tightness grasped Ash's chest and his eyes suddenly burned. He inhaled unsteadily, and it felt like trying to breathe underwater. Clenching his jaw, he turned on his heels and quickly walked away, all the way to his room. He leaned against the closed door, breathing thinly.
He pressed his palms against his eyes, forcing down the impending panic.
Get food, eat, go to bed, sleep.
Go to bed. Sleep.
He repeated it in his head, all the way to the bed. He fell on the covers, face first, and was out in seconds.
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An indefinite time later, his eyes shot open. He found himself in a lush forest, lying next to a quietly sizzling campfire. He sat up slowly, feeling yesterday's training in his sore muscles.
"Did you have a good sleep?"
He turned his head and saw Sir Aaron, sitting in just his undershirt, polishing his staff.
I did, thank you.
It was his voice, echoing in their minds.
Wait.
No, it was Lucario's voice. Ash realized then – this was a dream. Lucario's dream.
Aaron, even ruffled and dressed down as he was, looked imposing in Lucario's eyes. "I'm glad. You worked so hard yesterday, Lucario. You are improving fast. I think you'll put even me to shame, soon."
Do not joke, Master. I am nowhere near your level.
Aaron laughed. "Always so humble!" He gazed at Lucario with warm eyes. "Hey, what do you say we take a little trip, soon?"
Ash felt Lucario tipping its head curiously.
A trip, Master?
"Yeah. I'm thinking Sinnoh. Did you know that's where you are from, originally? You came to Kanto when you were just a little pup, but your roots, your family? They are not from here."
Ash could hear the wonder in Lucario's tone.
My… family?
Aaron grinned, wide and bright and joyful. "That's right! So, what do you think? Should we go?"
Lucario was smiling too, Ash knew. He could feel the excitement bubbling in its chest.
I would love to, Aaron.
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He woke up to sharp sunlight and even sharper pain.
Ash groaned, curling around his arm that pulsed with bouts of pain, and cracked his eyes open gingerly. For a blissful minute, he forgot where he was, why he was there, and just sleepily stared at the pastel yellow wallpaper in front of him.
He didn't remember the wall to be that color, in Kukui's home.
Rolling onto his back, he stared at the white, unfamiliar ceiling. A frown settled on his face, and he took a deep breath, forcing himself back to reality.
Lucario. Pikachu. Hunter J.
Kellyn.
Ash sat up, ignoring the lightheaded feeling that instantly struck him, and scrambled off the bed.
No time to laze around. He needed to see his pokemon. He needed to make sure Lucario was okay.
He was still fully dressed in Nurse Joy's clothes, so he just brushed a hand down his front, attempting to smooth down the worst of the wrinkles. Then, he reached up, flattened his hair and desperately tried to get it back into sorts, but it was a lost fight. He huffed, half frustrated, half amused, and walked back into the lobby.
He spotted Kellyn sitting by the window, the ranger's eyes following him intently, but Ash ignored him for the sake of going to the front desk and calling for Nurse Joy.
She rounded the corner, a tired smile lighting up her face when she saw him.
"Oh, good morning!" she called. "Tom, right?"
She had a tray of poke balls with her, and Ash stood up straighter, eyes fixated on them.
Absently, he responded, "What? I mean, yeah. Are those…?"
Nurse Joy nodded, setting down the tray. "Your pokemon are fully healed! Let me just fetch the lucario."
She walked away, and Ash jerked forward, hastily gathering the poke balls and fixing them back to his belt. He sighed deeply, a heavy weigh leaving his shoulders. He places his hand over the poke balls, feeling them thrumming with life under his fingers. They were safe. They were okay.
Nurse Joy was back in few minutes, a sleepy-looking Lucario trailing behind her.
"Lucario!" Ash yelped, and the pokemon rushed forward, grasping his hands with its paws. Its touch warmed up his whole body, his aura raising its head as it sensed Lucario's presence.
Their eyes met, and there was a silent question in Lucario's gaze – can we trust them?
Ash glanced towards Kellyn, who was still openly staring at him. Ash shifted, uncomfortable, moving himself between the ranger and Lucario.
He said, hushed, "Let's talk more in my room, okay?"
Lucario nodded, eyes blazing, and from behind them Nurse Joy chirped, "Would you boys like some breakfast? It's on the house!"
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A full plate of eggs and bacon later, Ash was feeling a lot more human again.
He had sat down with Lucario into the furthest booth away from Kellyn and the few rare other trainers in the lobby, and Kellyn had seemed happy enough so far to just observe them from distance. Ash knew it wouldn't last, though, not for long, and he dreaded the moment he'd have to face some truths again.
Right now, he was happy enough like this – together with Lucario, concealed in their own little bubble of breakfast food and a reassuring feeling of trust founded on shared trauma.
Well. It didn't sound that healthy when he actually thought about it.
He slammed his fork down onto the table, sitting up suddenly. "I gotta call Brock and the others", he stated, the need to see them, to hear their voices, striking him with the power and swiftness of Pikachu's thunderbolt. He looked around and spotted a phone close by and abandoning the remains of his food he quickly shuffled up to it. Lucario followed him, brow furrowing with questions left unsaid.
Ash stared at the phone. He muttered, under his breath, "Man… Where do you think they are, even? How long's it even been? I did tell them to come to Sinnoh… right?"
Lucario stayed silent. Its guess was as good as his, Ash supposed. That is, there wasn't one.
He almost jumped out of his shoes as the phone abruptly started ringing with an unknown caller id flashing on the screen. Ash took few uncertain steps back, glancing around to see if there was someone there looking like they were waiting for a call.
The only one he saw was Kellyn, who had finally slid out of his booth and was striding towards him with purpose.
"I think you should answer that phone", he told Ash, an amused look making the corners of his mouth twitch upwards. Ash turned back to the phone, and then back to Kellyn again, his heart suddenly pounding.
"Who is it?"
Kellyn came to a stop a courteous distance away from him. "Only one way to find out, yeah?"
"S-sure, I guess so."
Tentatively, he pushed the accept call button, and the screen filled up with faces he least expected, but most wanted to see.
There, a bit rough around the edges but otherwise looking okay, stood Brock, May, and Max, and behind them…
"Hey, Ash!" exclaimed Brock. "We finally found you!"
"Ash, no way!" called Max, jumping up and down and waving frantically.
"So good to see you, Ash!", said May, her arms tightly wrapped around Pikachu's petrified form. "Are you okay? We were so worried!"
"Whoa, hey, guys!" Ash was too stunned with relief to really do anything else than to stare at them, not believing his luck. "Yeah, I'm all right", he added, his voice strangely rough all of a sudden. His legs felt like noodles, and he swayed, leaning closer to the screen like that would somehow bring him closer to his friends.
And through all of it, he couldn't stop glancing at the familiar man standing behind them – with his pink hair and his cape and all. Ash shook his head, blinking. What was Lance doing here?