Hello everyone! We are the Realuse: A group of people (now just two thought) who have decided to create their own fanfiction series based on the Pokémon anime. Our project started due to our personal dissatisfaction with how Ash is used in the anime, always between an attempted reboot in series, or character (which implies the age, not just the personality). We care a lot about the character and want it to receive the right tribute, respecting his development and growth as the original author Takeshi Shudo would have wanted.
With this we are not saying the new anime series following XYZ are bad themselves, we just don't approve of how the main character is treated and would like to give our shot for another timeline!
This fanfiction will be mainly based on Ash's adventure in a region, with the goal of continuing where XY left us, touching on a proper development that picks up on the latest events (the defeat at the league, the kiss with Serena, and the mature tones of the series). Ash will have to rediscover what it means to become a "Pokémon Master," a dream he has had since childhood but which he might look at with different eyes as he grows up, and essentially discover how his journey as a trainer can dovetail with other aspects of life: love, friends, family, and many dynamics with other characters.
This fic will be the first of a long trilogy and introduction/prequel to the real final tale of Ash's adventures! We hope you will enjoy it!
Also, we do our best to provide you with the best quality possible, but sometimes we happen to miss small typos. In case you do, we apologize and ask you to write to us privately in the message box so that we can correct them as soon as possible!
You'll find some fanarts, mostly sketches, colored or not, by Standreamy. For new clothing, character designs, important scenes and fakémons, you'll get a sketch or full drawing! Sadly they can't be added on so you'll have to check on our other socials.
This said, thank you for your attention, and we hope you have a good read!
The Pokémon world, a place inhabited by humans and fantastic creatures, all to be The Pokémon world, a place inhabited by humans and fantastic creatures, all to be discovered. There are Pokémon of all kinds, of all colors, shapes and characters… some rarer, some stronger. It's with these friends that trainers compete with each other for various titles. There are those who prefer to battle and win, those who participate in contests, those who perform...
And one boy in particular aspires to the dream of becoming a Pokémon Master, traveling far and wide, getting to know more and more Pokémon and becoming their friend. His name is Ash Ketchum, trainer from Pallet Town, who explored many different regions, always accompanied by his best friend and faithful companion: Pikachu.
He saved the world along with his friends, made the lives of many people special and helped make the world a better place, still hoping to one day fulfill his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master.
However, even for a hero sometimes determination can waver, even if it's something that has always distinguished him…
The mood with which the boy had got out of bed certainly did not match that splendid and sunny day. The main concern was that it was now more of a habit than a rare occasion. His days had become mechanical and dull, a continuous loop between sleeping and spending time with his Pokémon at the laboratory.
"Hi Mama..." he yawned, greeting his mother in the kitchen.
"Good morning honey! Did you sleep well?" his mother, Delia Ketchum, greeted him back with her usual cheery smile.
"Enough," he replied, trying not to worry her. As much as he indeed went to bed, his sleep was not peaceful and he ended up waking up totally unrested, as if he hadn't slept a wink. He couldn't tell his mother, but not even he could straight up lie; she would certainly notice.
Not even Pikachu seemed capable of lifting him from that empty state into which the young trainer seemed to have fallen. It wasn't laziness or depression, it seemed more like his mind was in a totally different place. He was distant and confused.
There weren't many trainers to challenge or new Pokémon to discover and catch, and while one might think one trip outside Pallet Town would solve it all, it was the urge to leave home that he lacked.
No one had asked the boy directly, but those who knew him felt serious concerns about the situation. The professor had imagined he would be seeing him leaving immediately for a new region after returning from Kalos, however 7 months had passed and he had never mentioned anything of such.
Tracey had tried to get in touch with Brock and Misty to get help on the matter, but the first was no longer in Kanto and couldn't be tracked down, while the other was too busy. Actually, Misty would have closed the gym and run to Pallet Town if it had been about her lone choice. But with the league around the corner, last minute trainers would shower her with challenges to get her medal in time for the tournament.
Delia had her own fair share of doubts too. She had always been the first to express the desire to spend more time with her now-grown-baby and seeing him home for longer than usual. Yet as a mother she also noticed how unnatural this behavior of his was and how unhealthy it could be.
If everything was really okay he wouldn't still be there at home with her. He would be outside, chasing his dream. But now, he seemed to act like there was no dream at all.
Growing up was not a sufficient excuse, hormones and adolescence crises did not go that far. At least they couldn't with someone like Ash, could they?
It was obvious that something had happened to Kalos. That trip had been unprecedented and she could only imagine how important it still was to the maturation of her son. His eyes with each video call shone full of ambition and determination, satisfaction and serenity.
She was sure that Ash in Kalos had been happy. He had special friends who made him feel like a part of a second family, he had reached incredible levels of power and had improved in every respect.
Of course there was the defeat in the league, the war against Team Flare, leaving Greninja and Goodra behind, the separation from Clemont, Bonnie and Serena...
She didn't think they would have such an impact on her son, after all he was used to goodbyes and rediscoveries. After digesting the first separation from Brock and Misty he had been able to accept that inevitable step more positively.
Yet a few weeks after returning home and after his seventeenth birthday passed, the changes started to emerge.
She didn't know how to deal with the matter, even though she has been feeling the need to do something for months.
Pikachu jumped onto the table to munch on his own breakfast. Normally that time of the day was the most chaotic in the little family, or at least that was how everyone got used to it. Ash would pounce on the food as soon as it was ready and it would be a contest as to who gorged the most. One of Ash's convictions was that eating a good breakfast was essential to face each day with the right amount of charge, but in that moment it seemed such morals were gone as was his appetite.
"Pikapi?" Pikachu called him, trying to draw attention to his trainer. If he couldn't succeed in helping him, as his bestest friend, who was supposed to?
He was ashamed to admit it, but even a Team Rocket attack would have been okay to stimulate him at that moment. The problem was that they too seemed to be gone and never once showed up to attack since his return from Kalos. An unnaturally long vacation on their part…
Delia put down a huge plate full of pancakes in front of Ash, seeing that the cookies just didn't want to get into his stomach and affectionately placed a hand on his head "Come on honey. I know it's not been easy lately, but if you don't eat like your usual you could get sick…" she saw his son nod with a slight smile, straining it as much as possible. Her heart settled lightly into peace as she raised her fork in a joking and threatening way and pointed it at him "Now eat or I'll have to make you swallow it by force!"
The boy let out a spontaneous laugh and began to eat. Fortunately, some motherly practices still worked.
But sooner or later she would have to find out what was in her son's head and why he seemed so absent.
Her heart squeezed once again when seeing that forced smile. In addition to taking longer than usual, he finished the portion with extreme difficulty.
"Thank you Mama! It was as good as ever." He loved his mother's food, it was extraordinary in both taste and amount of affection, but there was this annoying weight on his stomach that made him unable to get hungry.
"I'm going out for a walk, will you come with me Pikachu?" The electric mouse nodded and jumped on his shoulder, he had to keep an eye on his trainer.
"Are you heading to the laboratory?" Delia asks.
"Ah, no, not yet. I think I'll take a walk in the woods" he smiled at her as he put the cap on his head "Don't worry, I don't think I'll be away for too long" he then assured, walking to the door.
"Please don't fall from some tree again," her mother joked remembering the fall a few weeks before.
"Stop bringing that up!" he snorted a little embarrassed as he closed the door behind him.
But she didn't need to see him through the door to perceive the total change of mood that he probably assumed at the very right moment he wasn't anymore in her presence. She didn't even need to hear her son's sigh as he walked away from home.
It couldn't go on like this.
She took off her kitchen apron and went up with Mimey to her son's room to tidy up. It wasn't that there was a great disorder but the way everything was arranged showed a lack of... vitality. Her son had always been diligent when it came to keeping the room tidy, or at least making it decent. He hadn't stopped, but it was visible that he hadn't been able to get it right recently and it wasn't for lack of effort.
The bed was made but it made her grimace, with it looking like a Bidoof's den. The Pokémon stuffed animals were scattered around the room, the gym badges cases in a position that indicated he had been looking at them for hours and put them back without no real attention that they were upside down.
Another habit her son seemed to have lost, a thing that worried the woman a lot, was watching Pokémon battles on television. Ash had never been a great television watcher, since he was a young kid, he had always preferred to play outdoors or explore the environment. However, there were exceptions and those were for battles. If the television had been turned on by Ash it was for some match to follow and to learn from. Since he started traveling, when he would be home he would often seek Pokémon battles and tournaments in the various regions. Sometimes he would look at May or Dawn's Contests if he had the opportunity, or recorded fights of his old rivals.
Delia had always seen it as a kind of warning to an imminent departure.
But now it was different. He no longer watched Pokémon fights or news, the few occasions the boy had turned on the television was to check out the Hoenn region contests, often turning off after the announcement of the participants. She had guessed that maybe he wanted to see Serena's first contests, but he probably never managed to find the ones she was participating in.
Then slowly even that had come to stop, perhaps due to his resignation.
The days had passed one after the other and yet he remained in Pallet Town. He hadn't mentioned any intention to leave for a new region or participate in some tournaments, he hadn't asked if any magazines with new information had arrived and above all he had stopped talking about his adventures in Kalos, something he tended to never stop blabbering about in the first days following his return. Initially she had thought he just wanted a break from it all, but there was something downright strange about her son.
Perhaps by tidying up a bit and, sadly but necessary, snooping through his things, she would find some clues.
She made the bed first, then she reorganized the wardrobe with his clothes, finding absolutely nothing. She vacuumed, cleaned the floors and windows, removed the dust from the bedside tables and placed back the carpet, pouf and stuffed animals.
Then came the time to check some of Ash's more personal belongings. She would be lying if she said she didn't feel a bit of regret in doing so, because by now her son was grown up and had the right to manage his private things. However, to extreme evils, extreme remedies.
The badges cases were now straight as were his trophies.
Delia had certainly considered the problem to be about the defeat in the Kalos league finals. She remembered the promise he had made to her before he had left prior to his travel and he actually had come so close to keeping it. Should she have told him that she didn't mind that he didn't make it? Should she have told him more often about her constant and growing pride in seeing him give his all? That he didn't have to pay her back or prove anything to her?
Had he lost the motivation to chase his dream?
The section where he had put what had been brought from Kalos was the most untidy before she cleaned it. There was the medal given to him for saving Kalos from Team Flare, a reminder of the heart attack she had risked when she had heard on the news of the war he was participating in. Then there was the medal for second place in the league, the badges of the various gyms and then other objects. What left her mostly confused were: the different cloth bags that gave off a scent of cookies, a pokéball that probably belonged to Greninja and some photos. Several photos.
She picked up the photographs taken during his journey, most of them being just him, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie. Ash had never brought home too many photographs of his travels, perhaps because it wasn't something he paid attention to, so this was the first time she really could see a bunch. It was probably courtesy of one of his companions and Ash had acted upon it.
And they were just... everyday pictures.
Some were posed, while others were taken capturing the moment. In a certain sense it filled for her that void of not being able to see her son grow daily and experience life with him closely.
Ash looked so happy in those photos.
She wished so much he had returned with his friends like he had done with Misty and Brock. They seemed like good kids and above all they made her son happy. Unfortunately, fate had not been very kind on that matter, often leading to separations once regional travel would end. Who knows what it would have been like if Ash and his Kalosian's friends had continued the journey together in another region…
Was he hurt that he had to leave his friends behind? Was he that happy in Kalos? Should she have pushed him to stay with them a little longer? Maybe she had made him feel too much pressure to come back and been too open on missing him?
There were many options, maybe it was a mix of them all, but she had to try to make him feel better somehow.
Mimey walked over to her, seeing the human's sad smile. They knew it hurt Delia a lot to see her son like that and not seeing him happy, but she didn't have to blame herself for that. "Mi…?"
Maybe she should have made that dinner invitation official for his friends.
"Don't worry, it's going to be okay. But there are a few calls we need to make" she passed a hand over her eye, rubbing it even though no tears were falling. "What do you have there in your hand?" she then asked, pointing her finger at some sort of Walkie-Talkie with a screen. A little extravagant for a trivial phone, besides the fact that she didn't think Ash had a cell phone.
On the device there was attached a note with the strange writing: "Clemontic Call-us Gear".
She grabbed it with curiosity, maybe it was Ash's friend Clemont who made it? She knew he loved building inventions and the name of the object sounded like his. She pressed the ignition switch and after a while a robotic voice was heard "The future is now, thanks to science! Clemontic Gear, ON!"
She let out a chuckle as she saw four smiley faces appear on the screen, they looked just like Ash and his three friends. She clicked the chibi-style icon of the inventor with the glasses. Immediately the device started ringing and she realized that she had probably initiated a call. In a very short time, the face of a blond boy with glasses appeared on the screen of the device.
"Hey Aaa...!-" The enthusiastic voice became confused right away. The boy adjusted his glasses, not immediately understanding why there was Ash's mother in front of him. He recognized her, but he didn't imagine being called by someone who wasn't Ash himself "O-Oh… are you Mrs. Ketchum?" he asked for confirmation.
Delia, a bit dazed, replied "Yes, it's me, hello Clemont!"
"Ah… sorry! The fact is that the item you're calling me with is the one I gave Ash a while ago for emergencies and I didn't expect to…-"
Delia, embarrassed, interrupted him "Forgive me, I assume you expected to see him on the screen!"
"That's indeed it!" Pointed out the gym leader.
A chuckle was the only thing that carried the conversation for a few seconds. There was a moment of silence but as the slight embarrassment progressed Clemont decided to get to the point "Excuse me if I ask but… how is Ash doing? Well, why are you calling me?" He realized he could come off as rude and tried to correct himself "Not that I mind or it bothers me! But we probably all forgot about this tool when we parted, so already seeing it used amazes me, even more if it is not by Ash…"
Delia sighed "Well, to be honest I was just tidying up his room and after seeing this device I tried to use it! However, I wanted to call you anyway so I guess I could as well take this opportunity to ask you something..."
"Oh, sure, you can ask!"
"What was your relationship with Ash? And the other companions you were traveling with? In short, he told me about it and seemed very happy but I would like to know from you..."
"Well, I like to think that there is a strong bond between us... it has been a wonderful journey and we were very close!" replied the gym leader, thinking back about the journey with his friends as the nostalgia grew. "Mrs. Ketchum, I don't want to seem inappropriate, but-"
"Ask away" this time it was her who uttered those words cordially, in a motherly voice.
"Is there any problem? You seem a bit tired..." expressed the inventor in a worried tone.
Delia smiled at the boy's concern "Call me Delia dear, also you're not completely wrong…" she thought back to everything that had going on and decided to be completely honest "In fact, there is some problem regarding Ash"
Clemont looked troubled hearing those words. A problem with Ash? What could be so bad that his mother was so worried looking and even had resorted to contact him? "In which sense?"
"I know my son well enough to understand that lately he isn't… himself anymore. I think that over time you too have got an idea of how he is: always cheerful, curious, determined, empathetic... imprudent. He rarely stays put when his motivation is at its peak."
"Yes, the description seems strictly the same as the Ash I traveled with" Clemont restrained himself from letting out a chuckle. That was Ash Ketchum's main role model, a person that only a few would think badly about.
"Well, it doesn't match now" she sat down, talking with regret "At first, after returning from Kalos, he just seemed different in normal aspects; matured from every point of view. He was very happy about the time spent with you and he told me almost everything, he never stopped talking to me about your adventures! I've never seen him so satisfied! The point is... this joy slowly faded away, while instead I expected to see him leave soon after he came back, to explore new regions!"
"Wait," Lem stopped her. "Is Ash still in Pallet Town? From the way he talked when we separated I thought he would keep traveling"
"Exactly my point. Don't get me wrong, I love being able to spend more time with my son, but I don't also want to see him as a lame Pidgey who can't take a flight anymore. His gaze is lost… absent, he lacks appetite and doesn't seem interested in any way to continue his path to become a Pokémon Master. As hard as he tries to smile and I try to not let him see I'm worried, he knows very well he doesn't convince me. He looks like a Goldeen out of the water."
Looking at the screen, she saw Clemont's shocked and perplexed face, as if asking if she was really talking about the Ash they knew.
"I thought it might be the defeat in the league… but I don't think that's the only reason. I think he misses you all"
The blond put a hand under his chin, feeling equally worried. "I didn't notice all these changes when we were about to go on our own separate ways" he admitted sincerely "Ash has improved greatly, he should be even more determined to leave for a new adventure and believe in victory, find new friends... or at least that's what you'd expect from him"
Maybe the issue was more about what Ash expected from himself?
"Listen Clemont, I don't really know how to help him this time. I wish Ash would find his path without feeling conditioned by me in any way. I probably can't give an answer to his doubts, but I know that as a mother I can at least try to lift some burdens from him. Remember that dinner I told you about before Ash left? I'd love to host you and your sister for a while!"
Clemont's face lit up for a moment, but it soon turned into a muffled smile. "I wouldn't wish for anything greater but..."
Delia nodded understandingly "I understand, in Lumiose City it's still very complicate, right?"
The boy nodded, lowering his head "Yep. The mayor is very keen on my presence and I'm responsible for most of the electrical maintenance, at least until all repairs will be over. Lumiose City needs a hand to start again and everyone is depending on me. As for Bonnie, she would come over without blinking an eye, but she is helping out here at her best as well and I don't know how convenient it is to send her on such a long journey alone." He kept on blabbering.
"I see…"
"But Ash is a dear friend and I want to help him out just like he helped us all. I could sort it out! I'm sure that if I explain to the mayor and ask my dad-"
The woman stopped him with a warm smile "Don't worry Clemont. You have big responsibilities and I'm sure that the last thing Ash would want is to find out that you left behind important stuff for his sake."
"...Yeah he wouldn't like that…"
"But it still doesn't mean you care any less about him. I am sure he knows that."
"Of course we do! I'd say it's almost like Ash was a brother for me and Bonnie!" He nodded quickly, adjusting his glasses. Sadly, she was right about it not being convenient for him to leave Kalos. Not yet at least. "Delia, Bonnie and I can't come but we will definitely give Ash a call these days."
"Thank you, I'm sure that would cheer him up a lot!"
"I hope… even if I wish I could help out more…" his voice trailed off as a flash of recognition sparkled in his eyes "Wait! Maybe me and Bonnie won't be able to come, but I know someone who does. And knowing her, she has better chances in lifting Ash's spirits!"
"Oh?" Curiosity painted Delia's features.
…
Ash was walking through the woods with a calm and sober expression. He was thinking, as he has been doing for days and maybe this had sent his brain into a tailspin. Every certainty he had relied on over the years had disappeared in what had been a blink of an eye, when the doubts had probably been growing deep inside him for a long time. His hopes of being closer to his dream started wavering.
Even the very idea of his goal now sounded so uncertain to him.
Why did he want to become a Pokémon Master?
What was that title really?
Would he be able to achieve it with his way of moving forward?
So far, despite all his progress, he still hadn't been able to make it and had blown everything up again. Lately at the start of each trip he had found himself on a sort of reset. Starting from scratch, with a new team and a new desire to win, but also with the same dream and the same package of experience that he had collected in his travels. This had allowed him to improve a lot and yet...
For the first time he didn't really want to press that button, at least not quite yet.
And he had noticed it when it was too late.
All the friends he had made, the family he had built with Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Alain, Goodra, Greninja and that strong confidence about going to make it... seemed to be a closed chapter in his path.
Everything just seemed so clear when he was with them. He felt like he was reaching the highest skies, just to end up losing altitude.
They were all moving on with their lives.
Why wasn't he able to do the same this time?
He was the first to always encourage others to pursue their dreams, inspire them and to seem confident in what he needed to do to improve himself. But now he felt like instead that he was really the only one that had no clue on what he was doing, which path he really had to take.
He wondered if pressing the reset button and blindly chasing his dream like the other times would really lead him to something. If leaving his mother behind with promises of succeeding and then failing every time would be worth something sooner or later.
Don't get him wrong, he knew that nothing is a waste in a journey, every experience is a treasure that helps growing and improving.
Then why was his mind a mess? Why was it so hard to remember?
He had given his mother too much weight all those years. He wanted to make his dream come true and live the life that she had not been able to grasp to the fullest, win that title that she had not been able to chase.
Initially it was just a dream and ambition of his, but now he knew that it would never concern only him but also other people. Those who supported him, those who believed in him, who had expectations... and those who walked the same path as him.
The way he had left Kalos had been cumbersome, as if to repeat the cycle he had already done in the other regions. Arrive, experience, leave.
His not wanting to let it end like the other times had only led him to flee once again.
He had done everything too quickly and had just run away because of the confusion that haunted him. He should have stayed longer and really took time to think on how to continue his journey.
At least he would have had his friends to help him and he could have helped out in Lumiose City a bit more. Maybe he could have recovered from the big shock that was the war against Team Flare with people who went through the same thing.
It was because of the whole ordeal that he had started thinking, feeling with every fiber of his being how really the title had been useful in the big scheme of things. How winning or not the league could mean something when the stakes of the world depended on people and the bond with their Pokémon.
Realizing which strength really had a value.
Now it seemed like he had just rushed things to enter a period of hold.
Like he just had rushed into making a promise and now had no idea about how to uphold it.
The memory of a certain kiss in his fleetingness proved how forced and hasty everything had been. And remembered him about how Serena was probably working hard to fulfill her part of their promise, and he was just losing foot.
Never before, at least until that heartfelt exchange between them, he had felt the urge to make her proud like he grew to. He wanted to be worthy of being her goal. Which only made his thoughts linger back at the event that blew his mind and it meant.
If he had stayed in Kalos and their departure, would he have been able to notice something eventually? To approach the issue with Serena differently? Maybe he'd have one less thing to make his brain a chaos…
"Pika?"
Ash turned in the direction of his trusted companion trying to dampen a smile "Don't worry, I'm just a bit confused! Like… every day now" he scratched his head, giggling "Everything will be okay sooner or later. I need some time to figure it out, that's all."
Pikachu didn't like that sooner or later at all. He no longer wanted to see him like this. Already too long had passed and his trainer would get sick at that rate, worrying his loved ones too.
If only he had known that it would end like this, he would have cheered on Dedenne and his escape. He would have even helped make Ash and Serena miss the plane and force them to stay in Kalos.
Reading his Pokémon's look, Ash right away understood his thoughts "I know everyone is worried about me, don't you think I notice? Last time I didn't think about what others were feeling when I was putting myself down I got snowballs in my face" he remembered, not in a negative way though. He had a pretty sweet memory of that experience all in all.
"You want to help me but at the same time I know that I can't always let other people give me the answers to my problems" he grinned reluctantly "I can accept support of course but… I don't even know how to express all this, since it's a whole lot of different issues. I wouldn't be able to keep up a smile and reassure them, this is why I need to be alone to reflect."
"Pika chu..."
"Not that it's helping much, I can't find clarity and by now I should stop trying to pretend to be okay with my mom... but I don't want to worry her anymore" he opened his arms, letting Pikachu jump into his arms and rub his nose under the trainer's chin. "Everything remained in Kalos: my conviction to realize our dream, friends, doubts..."
He stopped walking when he found himself in front of a tree. Why was that place so familiar? He took another look at the environment around him and a sense of deja-vu overwhelmed him. Apparently his feet were connected to the thoughts that had invaded his head.
He was talking about Kalos and now he was under the tree where he had met his dear friend.
He breathed, in and out.
"I wish it hadn't been too long since we came back. That everything was still there waiting for me as I left it and time stopped" he smiled with a little bitterness.
But it was too late, wasn't it? Serena was traveling Hoenn and she was rightfully chasing her dreams, he could never get in the way. Greninja had a much greater responsibility on his shoulders and the whole Lumiose City was counting on Clemont, with Bonnie there to support him.
He lowered the visor of his hat, trying to prevent those rays filtered by the leaves from reaching his eyes "If I'm going to mope all the time I'll just be a burden and I can't ask for their lives to stop because of my own selfish desires"
The Pokémon lowered his ears in distress at the nostalgic smile that his best friend showed, while his hand stroked the surface of the tree.
"Pikachu..." his voice trailed off "What if our dream doesn't exist?"
The mouse immediately pricked up his ears and bent his head in confusion. Their dream? Ash wanted to be a Pokémon Master and as his best friend, he wanted to be a part of that goal.
And being a Pokémon Master meant…
...Being the strongest?
Was being a Pokémon Master just getting stronger? Win the League? What was that role and how would they achieve it?
By winning the league, you can challenge the Elite Four and then if you defeat the Champion you take his place. Yet that wasn't the Pokémon Master, was it…? Maybe if you then defeat all the other champions and prove you're the strongest of the world…?
Ash used to think that, but being so close to reaching one step further, going beyond the limits he met as a trainer, facing the crazy ideals of a madman who wanted his strength…
Everything was being put on a different perspective.
Was it possible that for years they had tried to reach something that was just the fruit of their imagination?
The raven haired teen shook his head, pushing what he just expressed out of his mind and distracting Pikachu from his reasoning as well. "Let's go home," Ash said with a chuckle thinking about what a certain person would have said to him if they had seen him in that state. Would they have scolded him? Or maybe this time they'd do something different? He just knew that in that moment a smile from them would do him really good.
...
"Tonight I made your favorite croquettes! And since I made a little more than usual, I expect to see the plate clean!" Delia warned as she placed a huge portion of croquettes in front of Ash.
The boy seemed almost intimidated by the quantity of the meal "A-Ah, o-ok" but also by his mother's tone. He knew better than contradicting her when she used so much conviction. He wondered if there was something behind it.
As he stared at the plate, he took a few seconds to start eating. There was only silence in the air, apart from the sizzling of the food in the sauces that were heating on the stove. "Today I took a walk in the forest near Professor Oak's summer camp," he tried quietly.
"Hmm." She answered busily, showing almost… indifference? Yet there was a smile on her face.
For Ash, that was a weird reaction. It was his mother starting conversations in the last period, so seeing her act like that the time he started one was just… suspicious. "I haven't seen any Pokémon..."
"Hmm."
At that point the teen raised a bewildered eyebrow. Pikachu copied his expression, equally confused. Delia was smiley and calm, yet she paid no attention to him. Or maybe she did it but she didn't give it much importance.
Not that Ash minded his mother was less worried about him, but if there was one thing that scared him was those attitudes she assumed when ideas passed through her head.
At the same time, if she had gotten tired of trying to get rid of this bad mood, he couldn't blame her for it. After all, as much as he was sure that his choice of not involving her in his issues was possibly the best... he was sorry to cut her off like that.
Maybe he could offer an opening? "And as I walked around I found myself in the spot where I met Serena years ago," he said with a tentative smile.
That seemed to attract Delia's attention, who just turned to her son with a slightly surprised expression. She wore a smile, seeming to want to say something when suddenly the house's phone rang. The woman's face lit up and she immediately turned off the stove, took off her apron and ran to answer "I'll take care of it, honey!" Delia exclaimed in an extremely cheerful tone.
Ash dropped his head into the mountain of croquettes and surrendered. His face was littered with crushed bits of the delights on the plate but they hardly entered his mouth.
Sometimes his mother was indecipherable.
Pikachu approached Ash, head still buried in his dinner, and began patting him on the shoulder. That stuff had to go into his stomach, not his face. But he too knew that Delia could be incomprehensible when she wanted.
The woman didn't seem to take long. A couple of minutes passed when she returned from her momentary and brief disappearance. Her finger poked her son's shoulder, catching his attention. He pulled his face out of the plate with half a croquette still in his mouth as she let out a chuckle "It's for you!"
"And just in time I would say" she thought..
Ash looked confused. Who could it be? He hadn't called anyone in the past few days and was sure if it was Tracey or Oak, his mother would have told him straight away.
Maybe one of his friends? From what he knew, however, almost everyone was very busy.
With the pre-league season Misty was buried by challenges, Brock was somewhere completing his education as a Pokémon doctor…
Clemont and Bonnie… he didn't really have the guts to bother them so he didn't call them as of recently. And they probably believed he was in who knows which region.
He didn't really think that Iris and Cilan would contact him, he hadn't heard from them for a long while.
He also had discovered that Max had finally begun his training journey, so another person kind of… M.I.A. .
As for Dawn and May, he had a call with them a while ago.
Truth be told, he had been the one who contacted the two girls, asking them if they had been through Hoenn and were up to date with the contests there… hoping to hear about Serena, as he could never see her in the broadcasts on television. However Dawn was momentarily traveling with Lyra and Khoury to Unova, while May was in Johto for a family vacation "now that her brother was off of her butt," so she joked about it.
But months have passed since then. Maybe he should have tried again recently, given the failed attempts to know something about Serena.
It wasn't that he didn't trust her, he very much did and was sure she was up to great things. But hoping to support her even a bit from afar, he could admit that he had been worried about the lack of mention of her name in the Contests setting.
Aspiring to a very public career, it was pretty anticlimactic to hear little to nothing, but he also thought it could be a bit extreme to ask Grace for information.
He was also pretty sure that if he directly called Serena, he probably wouldn't know how to properly approach that topic. He knew himself enough to know that in that subject he wasn't the brightest and would probably just embarrass both of them.
Not to mention that those weren't topics that he wanted to discuss through the phone, they were to talk about face to face.
Ash approached the phone as his mind was now convinced that his mother must have had plotted something. But if it wasn't one of his past companions, who could it be?
"Hi Ash!" a familiar voice greeted him.
The sound of it sent him haywire for a few seconds. Okay, maybe not all of his considerations were necessarily correct, for his great luck and happiness. He looked down at the screen and saw his honey haired friend smiling at him, waving her hand shyly.
"S-Serena?" He seemed too shocked to understand at that moment.
She confirmed with another sweet smile and slightly reddened cheeks.
Ash couldn't help but feel a sudden warmth spread inside his body. A heat that after days was warming his soul, like a burst of vitality. A huge smile appeared on his face, from ear to ear.
Okay, he didn't know how on earth his mother had managed to find her when he didn't, but at this rate she could have worked as Looker's agent.
"How are you-... wait what's.. on your face?" She tried to start a conversation, but the food covering his face certainly didn't go unnoticed.
Ash remembered that he had just taken a bath in his dinner and started waving his hands, wiping himself with his hands. He could hear his mother's giggles from the kitchen and Pikachu's facepalm in the background.
"Nothing, nothing! I just slipped while taking the plate to the table and-uh..." Lame but credible enough excuse "B-But what about you? We haven't heard from each other since we split up! How did you know I was still here? On a second thought, I think my mother has to do with that..." he turned to look behind him with a suspicious glare at the woman who was now smiling innocently at him in the distance.
Serena winked at him giggling "I have my sources! Let's say a Fletchling advised me to call you! But it's true… It's been a long time. How are you?"
"Here is… uhm… just great!" He could imagine his mother and Pikachu's eyebrows rising as they grimaced, but he knew Serena well; she was too sweet and selfless. Even though he knew he could trust her, she certainly had other things to worry about.
He decided to turn around the question "If anything, how are you?"
"I'm fine! I'm in Vaniville Town to visit my mom!" She offered one of her sweet and simple smiles.
"Wait, Vaniville Town?" Ash immediately looked a bit puzzled. "Aren't you in Hoenn? I thought you were continuing your journey there…?" He immediately remembered the lack of Serena in the contests on television. "Did you decide to go back right away at Showcases?"
"Not exactly" She answered, still cheery, but he could tell by her tone that something was quite off.
"Are you sure everything is okay?" he asked in a slightly worried tone.
Hoenn wasn't right around the corner and going back to Kalos during such travel didn't feel natural to him.
"I just wanted to take a break! Hoenn is very different and my mom begged me to come back and keep her company for a while. She was very worried since it was the first time that I had gone so far, so I decided to stay with her for a few days and in the meantime take a breather!"
"Oh, I understand," he smiled, trying to put his doubts aside.
"Now, what have you been up to?"
"Up to?" He giggled nervously.
"You are Ash, you always have something to do, news or interesting plans! To tell the truth, I wondered which region you were traveling in, so when the Fletchling contacted me- "
"Why not a Starly or a Pidove?" he joked, interrupting her.
Serena made an amused grimace "Really?"
"You're right, my mother is more like a Spearow." He concluded with a half grin, ending up being hit on the head by a slipper.
They both laughed in amusement "Ok, so when your mother contacted me and I found out you were in Kanto I was intrigued..."
Ash knew she would ask him eventually. "It will seem strange to hear, but in the end I decided to stay at home for a while since I also never spend much time with my mother!" He tried to play around with the reality of facts.
From Serena's expression, the boy understood that she wasn't convinced at all by his explanation. He was expecting the girl to reply and ask him for more sincerity but instead after a smile, he heard her completely change the subject "And how are your Pokémon in the laboratory?"
Ash found himself smiling. For some reason, Serena had this ability to make him always feel more comfortable if she was around. And he didn't mind that one bit.
The two ended up talking for a long while. Serena told him that she had met with Clemont and Bonnie and shared about how Lumiose City was getting up. She also informed him that she had passed by the swamp to visit Goodra and that they were doing very well, which put a sincere grin on the face of the male trainer.
Their chat went on longer than either of them could imagine. One hour? Maybe more, but seeing Ash's enthusiastic smile again, Delia couldn't help but feel her heart tighten. Hearing her son's laugh and his cheery voice again had given back a lively feeling in her. That girl had phenomenal power over her son.
"Anyway, I think you should give Clemont and Bonnie a call, they'd appreciate it a lot!"
"I wouldn't want to bother them, with everything Clemont has to do..." he scratched his head lightly, hesitantly.
"Hey..." she encouraged him "Whatever path we take, you are our friend and we will always have time for you, like you always had for us"
At those words the boy smiled sweetly, feeling comforted. "Besides, if I went to visit them in person, a call would never take away too much time!" she chuckled, thinking back to how long they were busy talking "Well, if they don't follow our example"
Ash shrugged amused "We've been on call for a while, huh?" He had never been the type to have long conversations on the phone, perhaps even too hasty with them, but this time he felt like he wanted to take all the time in the world.
"Yeah..." she replied softly but hesitantly.
There was a moment of silence. They both knew that eventually that phone call would have to end and the time had probably come, but also both were hesitant to let it do so.
It was Serena who eventually came up with the words "It's pretty late in Kanto now, right? Maybe we should stop here? I wouldn't want to keep you awake."
"Don't worry! It's not that late and my mom is a Hoothoot anyway! But you are right, you too will have your commitments!" he really didn't want to interrupt the call, but fought every instinct that tried to tell her about it. "But I was glad to hear from you, really. I wouldn't mind doing it again sometime!" He lightly scratched his cheek, trying not to look cheeky.
He didn't want to be a distraction anyway.
The girl smiled sweetly "Me too."
"Oh, and say hi to your mom from me, please!" He said, noticing that he actually hadn't seen Grace even for a moment in the background, or heard her either.
"Of course!" Serena answered, trying not to take her eyes off her friend. Did she seem nervous?
"So… Talk to you later! Good luck with your dream…" No, why couldn't he say what he really wanted?
"You too Ash, goodnight!" she answered back, waving with her hand.
He had to tell her, he wanted to ask ... "Goodnight!" but that was the word that came out of his mouth as the screen went blank.
He still remained in the same final pose, his hand raised hesitantly and his gaze faded as well as his mind drifted off.
Why hadn't he asked her if he could visit them now that they were all on Kalos? Why had he wasted another opportunity?
Why was he so stubborn and couldn't ask for help?
It took Ash a few more minutes to fully recover from his drifted off mind, but to his relief he noticed that much of his stress seemed to have subsided. The doubts remained, but now he no longer felt so anxious about finding the answers for them.
Or at least for some of them.
But he would think about everything that worried him later.
Now he was hungry.
The boy returned to the kitchen under the attentive and scrutinizing gaze of his mother who never lost sight of every move or expression of his "Could we possibly reheat dinner? I am quite hungry... " he said, rubbing his head.
His mother's eyes seemed to sparkle "Ohhh! Then apparently your friend's call did you good!" Delia noted with a smile and her hands resting on her hips.
"Let's say it is so." Ash replied a bit shocked. In the end, he didn't have much reason to worry about talking to Serena. They hadn't touched the hottest topic between them, which gave him more time to reflect. Plus, Serena hadn't insisted when Ash had used his hardly credible excuses to answer her questions.
But despite how relieved he was, the fact that Serena seemed to have totally avoided talking about their last moments together seemed almost like she hadn't even had the idea to bring it up, as if she had forgotten or discarded it.
The thought that their kiss may not have had the slightest meaning, as instead she seemed to have clearly expressed back when they experienced it, disturbed him.
"I still wonder how you tracked her down though..." he murmured trying to think of something else.
"Every mom has her secret methods!" she winked at him, taking his plate and putting its content in the oven to heat.
There was a strange silence in the air. Seeing a mischievous smile forming on his mother's face, the teen understood that there was something she was expecting from him. She wanted specific information; deets that would have put him in trouble. The trainer felt a shiver down his body.
In fact, Delia had never forgotten the words Clemont had said to her when they spoke. When he advised Serena, he showed an expression of someone who knows something specific, something that she was not aware of. When she asked what was in his mind, he had blushed comically and looked quite embarrassed. He had told her it wasn't a question for him to answer.
Her nosy mother instinct could finally ignite, she had waited years to talk about certain topics with her son. She had thought that between Ash and Misty there was some tenderness in the past but given their young age at the time it probably had faded as they grew up.
But it was the first time she had seen Ash have such new but genuine reactions.
She has had some suspicions about the way her son talked about Serena, but back then she had decided not to go straight into the Speech of the Onix and the Cloyster . In addition to the fact that he already knew a little of the subject, she did not think she should do it without having the necessary confirmations.
And Delia wanted so much some confirmation.
"Uh... what's up with you?"
"Don't you have something to tell me?"
He swallowed nervously "About what?" He was sweating cold.
"Maybe you left out some details of your journey to Kalos,-" she began, seeing Ash more and more uncomfortable. He seemed to fight the urge to spit everything out "-which maybe involves a certain friend you just had a call with..."
Ash initially thought that his mother would insist on the issue of distancing himself from his friends and his state of the last few months. So, actually hearing her touching a whole different key, in particular that one, sent his head into a tailspin "Uh?"
"You know, Kalos is the land of love ..." she said curiously, hiding the internal enjoyment.
"Absolutely nothing happened between me and Serena!" he exploded as soon as he understood his mother's insinuations, but remembering that she could not have known about the kiss and that she was probably referring to the matter in general he closed his mouth in a hurry. Damn his impetuousness, he was too clumsy in these matters.
As long as it was a question of being spontaneous, maybe he could deal well with the topic, but when he had to connect everything, that section of his brain would short circuit.
Delia then showed a toothy smile, her eyes sparkling with emotion. She knew her son too well not to take that reaction as confirmation. Ash had never replied like this aside when she had given him that speech... and every time she had tried to make innocent insinuations about the topic of romance her son would never have any exaggerated reactions. Probably because there had never really been anything founded, so her teasing did not affect him.
But this time she hit the mark. "Then something happened!" she approached emotionally begging him to come clean, but his face clearly expressed his refusal. His cheeks were just a little red and he was sweating cold.
Her son was blushing?!
"Well since I shall not know anything about it, for safety I will have to jump in the dark and repeat the speech of Onix and Cloyster..." she dared.
Ash immediately widened his eyes and mouth in panic "NO! NOT THAT!"
He didn't believe his ears. She was threatening him! He, who just wanted to put the subject aside! This was the last thing he needed.
"Ok, ok, I doubt you've gotten to that point, but maybe a repeat of the Caterpie metaphor..."
"I'LL EAT TOMORROW, GOOD NIGHT!" He escaped from the room and ran up the stairs, locking himself in his bedroom. He crawled under the covers and covered his head with the pillow, looking like a cocoon overheating.
"Pika?"
"Not a word Pikachu… Not. One. Word."
Between his grimace, an unexpected smile formed on his lips, still hidden in the darkness of the blanket. His mother could shoot the air sometimes with her teasing, but this time she understood that something had happened. She knew how to play her cards well.
His smile dropped.
But what good would it be if that kiss was just a random thing? He didn't want to think about it, he knew he shouldn't, but the constant thought that it could just be a meaningless thing gave him a bitter taste in his mouth.
He didn't want to talk about it and didn't want to think about it at the moment, it was a topic that scared him.
But he knew this knot in his heart was screwing him.
He wanted to put it all aside like the other times assumptions were made, but he knew this was not like the other times at all. And what would he put it all aside for? His dream?
The thing that brought up most of his insecurities?
He no longer knew what to do and who he was.
He couldn't have known that Delia's new planned therapy was just starting.
...
The next day Ash woke up less troubled but also more confused.
The thing that surprised him most was that he felt, for the first time in weeks, rested. He was no less puzzled but he was more… serene.
He didn't stop for breakfast, immediately leaving the house followed by Pikachu for a morning jog. He didn't know exactly where he was going, but he knew it was no longer a walk in the void.
He felt the warmth of the sun's rays on his skin but also the coolness of the breeze on his face. He stopped when his legs got tired, finally paying attention to where he was standing. They were definitely out of the village, much closer to the forest.
Dropping his body into the intense green, several flowers surrounded him. The freshness emanating from that hillside meadow was pleasant, it was calming.
That grassy field remembered him of something, even if vaguely. He felt inside this sense of familiarity that pervaded him.
The same perfume from many years ago.
"You know what Pikachu? Coming here, brings up memories..."
"Pika?"
"Serena talked about when we met, but now that I remember a bit better… that was just the start…"
"Okay kids, today for the treasure hunt you have to go look for some Pokémon from the summer camp! They're playing in the field area" Oak declared.
The children listened to him silently, but one in particular was recognizable in the group. Raven hair, dark brown eyes and a yellow and orange shirt.
Ash couldn't wait for the game to start.
"You can participate by yourself, in pairs or groups of three! Whoever finds the most Pokémon and accompanies them back to the base will be the winner of this challenge and tomorrow will be my assistant during my exposition!" the professor announced.
Ash didn't have much interest in winning the game itself, but he wanted to practice finding Pokémon and befriending them. He would have liked so much to participate in this challenge in tandem with someone or even better in a group, but unfortunately he knew that was hoping for too much.
Downsides of being fatherless. It brought upon his shoulders a very bad reputation, no matter how little it could be his fault. He could be a bit cocky, stubborn and overenthusiastic, but he was well aware of the real reasons he got bullied, more often than not.
Until a few days ago, before their silly argument over a pokéball, he had at least Gary, the professor's grandson as his friend, now he was all by himself.
"There are not many rules, the important thing is that you return by sunset and that you do not leave the campus area!" So the professor continued, illustrating the other rules of the treasure hunt.
Ash couldn't pay attention. Aside from all the kids in his school, the others came from different regions. He watched as they socialized with each other and pangs of loneliness started stinging him from the inside.
He shook his head, dismissing those thoughts. Sooner or later everything would change, he was sure of it.
Besides, he would have a lot of Pokémon as friends soon.
He turned his head to listen to the professor again when someone caught his gaze. Out of the corner of his eye he observed a young girl, many meters behind, in the back rows. Everyone else was sitting on the grass next to each other, but she was standing a little farther, all by herself.
She had long honey-blond hair, but the straw hat prevented him from seeing her eyes and the kids who blocked his view only allowed him to guess that she was wearing a pink dress.
Unlike many kids his age, having female friends didn't seem shameful for him, and well… even if she had cooties as many boys his age said, it was surely better than being alone, right?
He bent down a little to get a better look when the screams started. His eyes widened as he rushed to cover his ears. In an instant he was overwhelmed by a horde of unleashed children.
Once safe from the chaos, Ash tried to catch a glimpse of the girl, but she seemed to be gone. The young boy continued to look around for a few minutes but not finding her anymore he decided to give up. Maybe they would meet while looking around or in the evening when they would have dinner at the canteen.
For now, the important thing was to focus on finding the Pokémon "Let's get to work!"
And the hours passed.
"I haven't caught any Pokémon and there's almost no time left. Gary will surely start to brag when I'll come back empty-handed..." the boy muttered.
Just when he thought it was time to surrender, he was faced with a blue Pokémon with a white belly and a spiral on it.
"Hi Poliwag!" Ash greeted excitedly, recognizing him.
His lack of tranquility, however, immediately made Poliwag react as he fled towards the thickest part of the forest, leaving Ash behind.
The child ran in pursuit, forgetting that he was exiting the allowed area of the campus "Wait! Poliwag don't run!"
Ash tried to keep up and not to lose sight of that blue spot that was getting further and further away. Only after a while that it disappeared he finally stopped. It was getting late and he knew that this excursion would result in a lecture, both because he was out of the field area and because it would be very late for sure when he returned, even if he started walking back right away.
Should he return or continue searching at this point?
He had to make sure Poliwag was back safe and sound. After all, a Pokémon trainer took care of his Pokémon and he wanted to become one...
With that, his mind was made up and the young boy resumed thrusting his hands into the bushes.
He didn't know why but something made him look right ahead and enter the vegetation. Maybe the noises coming from that direction? Or was it just instinct?
"Poliwag? Where are you... oh?"
He certainly hadn't found a Pokémon, but something he did find. It was her; the girl with the blond hair and the straw hat!
As he had expected, she wore a pink dress and by looking at her better he could see those blue eyes of hers. The kid tried the approach in his usual attitude, offering a smile and some cheerfulness. "Hi! I'm Ash!" His eyes finally caught on about her position, sitting on the ground and looking on the verge of tears. "Hey, what happened to you?"
The young girl kept whimpering, but she answered quite easily "I hurt my knee..."
Ash walked over to check. He often got hurt in his explorations, so he'd seen a lot of cuts and scrapes. "Mmh... I see..." It didn't seem serious but if it was hurting her that much then she must have hit her scratched knee badly.
"... Wait!" He tried to calm her by pulling a blue handkerchief out of his pocket.
She looked at him confused for a moment, while the boy held it on display with a smile, after a few seconds he reached closer and wrapped it around the girl's wound "There you go! Is it any better?"
"N-No..."
Ash didn't stop smiling. It was the moment for some confidence and encouragement, just like his mom had taught him. "Now I'll take care of it! Pain, pain, disappear! Heal, heal, heal!" He hummed, waving his little hands as if to cast a spell. "So?"
The blonde tried to get up, but again the pain pervaded her wounded area, making her fall backwards "I-It's no use, I can't walk!" She whined, about to cry again.
Ash, however, was not of the same opinion. He painted a determined but still understanding look on his face as he jumped to his feet "Come on! You can't give up! You must never give up until the end!" He shouted, holding out his hand to get her up.
At first the girl hesitated and barely reached out her hand without grabbing his. Noticing her hesitance, Ash took the initiative and extended his arm more to join their hands.
The boy gave her a tug and with his strength managed to make her stand up, until she fell into his arms. He held her firmly in his embrace, holding her upright with confidence and concern.
It was a new sensation. Ash didn't understand the reason, but having her in her arms was more than pleasant. He felt able to protect someone, like a hero, and he liked it! Even more knowing that he had actually helped! The opportunity to hug someone his age was almost non-existent and he barely had the chance to be useful in this way, so managing to succeed gave him a warmth inside his chest.
It was exciting and made him feel good.
Ash looked into the young girl's eyes, showing her a sweet grin "See?" shoving the whole treasure hunt ordeal from his head, the worries of his return and the teasing, he gently held her hand high, almost as if she was a princess and he the knight.
"Come on, let's go!" he told her, encouraging and guiding her with care and attention towards the exit of the grove.
The two children, hand in hand, continued to walk feeling somehow connected, but they could not know that the bond that sparkled between them would be strong enough to make them meet again in the future.
Luckily, they also didn't end up arriving so late. The game was long over but they were back before their absence became a huge concern for adults. This also allowed them to avoid meeting other kids, even if they did not doubt that they had been seen by someone.
The girl was immediately accompanied to the infirmary by Ash, so that a nurse could treat her wound.
As the adult showed the disinfectant, Serena shivered, fearing the sting. Ash shook her hand, which he hadn't left since they'd been in the forest.
"Don't worry, I hurt myself a lot of times! It's not painful, it just pinches a little. I'll hold your hand and won't let go, okay? You'll see, it's gonna pass immediately!" he encouraged.
She nodded with a faint smile, blushing. Looking closer at her face now that they were sitting side by side, the boy could observe her eyes. He had never seen eyes so blue before and the girl's sweet and gentle smile went very well with the slight blush on her cheeks.
She was cute.
Suddenly he remembered that he forgot to do such a simple but basic thing. "I haven't asked your name yet!" he admitted embarrassedly rubbing his head with a chuckle.
The girl giggled and immediately replied "My name is Serena!"
"Serena?" he repeated listening to the sound of her name, it seemed to match her a lot "It's a very beautiful name! I like it!" Ash commented simply.
Serena became more and more red as she tried to find her voice to answer "T-Thanks... I really like your name too!"
The boy in response began to run his free hand through his hair and giggle shyly. He found it a name like so many others but he was pleased to hear compliments from someone his age, which rarely happened.
"Done!" Murmured the nurse, removing her hands from the knee, now covered by bandage and gauze.
"See? Did it hurt that bad?" Ash asked, smiling. He hadn't seen the slightest hint of pain on her face, so it had worked.
"N-No, in fact I haven't even felt it"
Ash smiled satisfied, now they had nothing else to do but get out of there and go back to having fun "H-How about we go play together? We can do something that doesn't stress your leg. There is still a little bit of time before dinner and... m-maybe..." by his tone of voice, it was however clear that he became less and less convinced about what he wanted to say.
He hardly ever received affirmative answers when asking others to spend time with him.
But a smile full of life appeared on Serena's face, leaving Ash stunned "Sure!"
"Really?"
Again she nodded "Hmm! Why not?"
"Because I don't have a dad and it's strange?" He wanted to answer, but held back. "I don't have many friends here and I thought... you and I could be?" Usually he was the exact opposite of an introvert, but for once his hopes got up and he didn't want to be let down.
Serena looked at him with bright eyes and flushed cheeks and nodded. She too seemed to express a moment of shyness. "You were very kind to me..." She slipped the handkerchief into her pocket and got off the bed. Immediately he raised his head in surprise, feeling a comfortable warmth in his body and a leap in his heart. "I would love to be friends!"
A huge grin formed on the boy's face, who immediately squeezed her hand a little more, helping her to run towards the exit of the infirmary, feeling a big wave of energy bursting out of him.
Around them there was a field of tall grass, the sun's rays gilded its threads and made them sparkle. Some Pokémon wandered around the territory and enjoyed playing with each other, jumping and playing happily. It seemed so different watching that scene in the company of someone that could share the same feeling.
"Oh, Poliwag!" The boy saw it in the distance. "Thank goodness it came back alone, I was looking for it until I met you!"
"Oh, I'm sorry if I made you lose the game..." she said regretfully.
But Ash immediately waved his hands, reassuring her "No, no, it's not a problem! I wasn't really interested in the game itself, but rather in playing with the Pokémon. Honestly I'm happier to have helped you and to have found a friend!"
Her face just blushed "I'm glad about that too!"
A few seconds of silence passed when Serena asked out of the blue "Do you want to become a trainer when you grow up?"
"Absolutely! So as to become the best Pokémon Master ever!" he declared proudly. "You?"
"Oh… I think I'd like to leave home when I'm old enough. I still don't really know what I would like to do with Pokémon though…" she replied a little hesitantly.
Ash, however, looked at her with a smile, slightly tilting his head "Well, Pokémon are friends! What you're going to do with them is something you can discover during your journey!"
The girl looked relieved at least by his words, which made a thought rise inside him "Would you like to travel with me?" he asked suddenly.
"Uh?"
"Well you're in the same class as me here at the camp, so we're the same age! When we are ten we can go on our journey together, or we can meet while we do it! We would have someone to count on and we will have fun with our Pokémon touring all the regions of the world!"
The little girl's smile became radiant, her blue eyes bright and sparkling, and her cheeks reddened. With the sunset light in her background making her golden hair sparkle, she seemed to shine even more. "Yup!" She nodded emotionally and for a moment at that scene the boy felt his heart leap once again.
He didn't care what others would say, if she was a girl and he was a boy, he wasn't ashamed of the pride bursting into his chest and wanted to keep it there as long as possible.
He had asked her to travel together and she had accepted, he had a real friend! And he wouldn't let that go for anything in the world.
"If it wasn't for Poliwag we probably wouldn't have met, so we should thank him!" she commented looking at the Pokémon in the distance.
"You are right!" The raven haired boy nodded. "Thanks Poliwag!" he shouted waving his hand up, then copied by Serena who did the same.
They both continued to wave their hands and offer their thanks while the confused Pokémon watched them. Poliwag could not have known that it was the cause of the intertwining of the two children's lives and that it would affect their entire future.
A snicker left his mouth as he recalled the simplicity with which they became friends and decided to start traveling together. As kids everything was much easier, all it needed for lifetime promises was knowing each other for not even an hour.
It still had been very important to him though.
Ash felt a bit ashamed about it, but most of the details surrounding that day had come back only with time. Hadn't Serena brought it up in Kalos, he probably would have had a hard time remembering it at all. Would he ever remember it by himself traveling with her if she said nothing.
Why had he forgotten about it in the first place? Yeah, they were very young, but if that meeting and that promise of friendship had really been so important to him, how could he have buried it so deep? Why hadn't they kept that agreement to start their journey together?
It was absurd, but he couldn't recall the day she had left to go back home.
In the end they had met, thanks to Serena remembering, but what would it have been like if they had started their journey together right away? Would his path have changed a lot if he had traveled with her in Kanto? Or what if they started from another region.
Many things had changed, he had grown up enough to understand that he could not anchor his friends to him for his own dreams.
But that desire of staying by their side was still alive.
Maybe for now that would be enough. He could just follow his friends around for once and see where it would lead.
And he just knew where to start.
"Pikachu." he stood up with a calm smile but firmly convinced of his decision. The little mouse watched the expression of his trainer with surprise, while the wind gently blew on the two.
"What do you say? Should we go back to them?" he asked his companion.
Pikachu pricked up his ears and cocked his head, very curious but not displeased. He had immediately understood who he was referring to.
"Serena is in Kalos right now and I would like to see her before she leaves again for Hoenn. Clemont and Bonnie are also in Lumiose City and since I don't really know what to do right now we could at least go and help out! Just like we should have done since the start!" he explained.
"I'm not going to stop Serena from continuing to chase her dream and I don't want to distract Clemont from his responsibilities, but now I see that standing here I won't be able to find answers, I will only worry those around me." He smiled bitterly "I don't want to become a burden for mom anymore"
"Pika chu pi" nodded sadly mouse.
"Years ago, I always found the answers behind my problems thanks to someone pointing out something for me. I can no longer expect others, especially my friends, to point the right path. But I also have to cheer myself up a bit... I have to find the energy! And what can cheer me up more than the people I feel happy around?"
"Pi!" Pikachu seemed happy with Ash's resolution, he was not yet bursting with energy and joy but it was already an improvement.
He clenched a firm fist and stood up "Let's go back to Kalos!"
"Great idea, but perfect holidays can't be repeated in the same place!"
"Uh...?"
Suddenly a mechanical arm appeared out of nowhere and with a quick movement trapped Pikachu in its grip.
The little mouse was so taken aback that he couldn't dodge it "Pika!" the Pokémon yelled.
"Pikachu!" Ash yelled in turn, surprised by that sudden attack. He tried to catch him but his hand moved too late and the momentum the jump gave him eventually made him fall to the ground.
A familiar, sadly familiar laughter reached his ears. He raised his head and saw them, those who had not shown up for months, but when less convenient finally decided to return.
"Prepare for trouble... I hope we weren't forgotten!"
"And make it double... our professionalism is not rotten!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars and above!"
"It's Jessie..."
"And James!"
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth! That's right"
"This time we hit the mark! Pikachu is ours!" Jessie yelled happily.
Ash looked at them both puzzled and at the same time furious. Ironically, during those months he had thought that the lack of Team Rocket was perplexing. Had they gotten tired of him?
Instead, just when he was feeling motivated again, there they were popping up.
"You haven't been around for months, couldn't you have stayed where you were?" He was very angry, even more than annoyed. He already had enough problems on his mind, their presence wasn't needed.
Jessie shook her head "You twerp should know us by now! Team Rocket never gives up on their target!" the woman cried ceremoniously. "We were just busy enjoying the promotion the higher ups gave us, but there was no intention of giving up on catching Pikachu!"
"It kinda hurts me in the core that despite these years together you still don't get it!" James grinned, faking a heartache. "In a certain sense we are fond of you now!"
"We will console ourselves by seeing the satisfied face of the boss after bringing him Pikachu!" Meowth chuckled.
"Pikachu uses Thunderbolt! Quick!" Ash commanded his friend.
"PIKAAA CHUUUU!" Pikachu launched his attack, pervading the entire flying vehicle, but his attack was in vain. The balloon was still in perfect shape and Team Rocket was laughing loudly.
"Did you think we didn't expect you to try that? It's electricity proof! A good way to make our comeback!" the cat theatrically announced.
Ash bit his lip in frustration and clenched fists. He knew he should have expected it, after all it wasn't the first time they attempted that. But that didn't really matter, because he couldn't stop trying.
Pikachu was one of his dearest loved ones, his closest and best friend in the world, the only one he could turn his head and always find on his side. Screw Team Rocket, they weren't going to take him away.
He instinctively put his hands to the waistband of his pants but found no pokéball. To his horror he remembered that they weren't traveling, he wasn't training new Pokémon, and at that moment, aside from Pikachu, he was alone. He no longer took Pokémon with him if he left the house, they were all at the professor's.
Besides, a Team Rocket attack was the last thing he expected on that day.
"Dammit! Apart from Pikachu, I don't have anyone else here with me!" He had to do something to make up for it and fast.
The boy started running, with the intention of reaching his objective once again with a jump. Unfortunately, he didn't even come close to the balloon and fell to the ground in a thud. It was too tall to reach by now.
Ash clenched his fists again and struggled to his feet, trying to return to the charge. He looked up and saw his best friend being dragged away, feeling the dread rising as there was nothing he could do but run after him "Pikachu!" the trainer shouted desperately.
He couldn't lose him. He couldn't leave him in their clutches.
"Pikaapiiiiiii!" cried the little mouse trying to free himself and wriggle. Ash needed him and vice versa, he couldn't leave him alone. Yet despite trying each of his moves, nothing allowed him to escape the grip tightening around him.
"This time we won!" Team Rocket celebrated ceremoniously.
Ash tried again to take a run and jump, this time managing to lightly cling to the material of the balloon basket. He felt his fingers sink into it and called upon all the strength in his body to climb up to the trio.
"Look at the nosy brat! Worse than a tick!" Jessie yelled in annoyance, wanting to get him out of the way. He was so stubborn, but nothing else could be expected from the twerpiest twerp after all.
Meowth clicked a button and another mechanical arm appeared from the basket "Now I'll get rid of it! Let's squash this annoying bug!"
The arm quickly approached Ash, who didn't have the slightest intention of giving up. He would have done the impossible to save his friend. He had failed at so many things, but this was one he couldn't afford to lose. Before he could even turn and notice the danger, something hit him hard and threw him away from the basket. He lost his grip and fell to the ground, gasping for a moment as the blow took the air out of him.
The fall wasn't a little one, the trainer was unable to move. He tried to kneel, but his aches were too strong, making him fall back to the ground immediately. Even so, with a trembling body, he kept trying in every way to get back on his feet and make even one single movement.
Ash gritted his teeth, trying desperately to gather energy, but it was like his body had taken pounds and pounds of weight. He could barely view the giant arm, ready to hit him again in the moment he had no way to protect himself.
"PIKAPI!" shouted the electric mouse, trying to rebel for the umpteenth time. He couldn't stand the sight of his trainer in those conditions. He had to do something to save him and come back to him, anything.
At that point Meowth, with a menacing smirk, clicked the button again to hit Ash and knock him out. He would have made sure that he remained unconscious for a few hours. "You never get tired, do you? But now let's finish the games! Nighty night!"
In a desperate attempt to move out of the way, Ash kept struggling to get back on his feet, but he knew he couldn't dodge the blow. No matter how much he kept trying, the ground was all his face could meet. The strength left in him was dropping so fast that he couldn't even crawl anymore.
Once again he raised his pain-soaked eyes to see his friend desperately begging him to move.
He felt so helpless, so useless. Was that the definitive conclusion to his path? Their path?
The infernal limb started moving and came dangerously close. Ash's head fell back to the dirt as his eyes closed in anticipation of the blow. He blamed himself for not being able to succeed, for being defeated like this after years of resistance. But most of all he blamed himself for leaving Pikachu in their dirty hands.
"F-Forgive me..."
"PIKAPI!"
"ASH!"
His eyes flew open.
A voice called him as the arm reaching out for him was hit by a powerful Flamethrower. The instrument ignited and crumbled in an instant.
"Never give up until the very end!"
His head turned as if in slow motion in the direction of the voice, his pupils small and petrified, hands trembling on the grass. Team Rocket also looked in the same direction in shock.
"THE TWERPETTE?!"
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