𝒵
"We're hooooome!"
The front door of Bianca's home swung open, letting in a breeze of cool evening air and a pair of giggling fools. Bianca didn't even have to look up from her book. She knew Ash and Latias were here, caught up in some rapturous joke or story one or the other was telling.
"Pikapi, pikachu-pi, pikaka pi!"
"Right! And so I said, 'Are you by any chance the oddball in your family?'"
"Oh my— Pffhahaha!" Latias, still in the form of Bianca, hunched over with laughter, holding onto Ash's shoulder for a good few moments as her giggling petered to a stop.
The sight of that, of Latias so carefree— Bianca couldn't help but smile as she turned from her spot on the couch.
"Welcome back! You three have been out fooooor, oh, twelve hours?" Standing up, Bianca announced her presence, making Latias jump and squeal in delight. In one instant she was a human girl at Ash's side, in the next, she was the familiar red dragon orbiting at Bianca's.
"Bianca! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh— We had so much FUN!" Latias didn't need any prompting. She immediately went into a long-winded ramble, recounting detail after detail of her day with Ash without a hint of hesitation, or a pause to breathe.
To most people, the unending chattering might be annoying. To Bianca, it was an honest delight. A wide smile took her face as she let Latias tell her stories, happy to see her friend up and active once again.
And she wasn't the only one.
As Latias fell into another side tangent, Bianca caught a glimpse of Ash. He was still standing there, by the door, with an expression not unlike hers. In fact, it matched it to a tee. Ash was just as happy as she was to see Latias like this.
The two shared a moment of eye contact, and then, a moment of understanding.
"I'ma let you guys catch up! Me and Pikachu need to make a call, anyways." Motioning to the door in the corner, Ash quickly made his departure, exchanging a goodbye with Latias before walking off.
"Okay! See you soon!"
"Heh, see you soon." With that, Ash closed the door behind him. It was just Latias and Bianca now.
"So, looks like you two had a lot of fun today." Immediately, Bianca pulled Latias's attention back, resparking her friend's energy with a question. "Wannaaaa, tell me about it?"
"YES! Oh my gosh yes. We did so much! We had ice cream for breakfast and we explored the whole city and we talked and talked and— Oh my gosh can he talk and—" Latias was taking full advantage of the fact she didn't need to stop to breathe. "—and oh! He showed me a battle! There was this mean guy with a Rhydon and Ash has this adorable little Pokémon who I swear feels just like—"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down girl. You're gonna whip up a tornado if you go any faster!" Bianca laughed, nearly caught up in the whirlwind Latias had summoned whilst flying in circles around her.
"Heheh, sorry. I'm just so excited!" Latias explained, throwing her hands into the air to make her point. "Ever since he came back, I've just been so floaty."
"No kidding." Muttering, Bianca let that comment pass under her breath, before she shook her head and focused back on Latias. "But hey! Look at you! You've been out and about all day. Doesn't seem like it bothered you at all!"
"Oh no, it was terrifying!" Latias's response came without a hint of change to her tone. "I thought I was about to get caught pretty much every single minute I was out there—!"
"Wait, wha—"
"Really the only reason I haven't completely collapsed is because I was just so excited to see Ash again! And who knows how long that'll— Oh there I go." Just like that, Latias began to careen out of the air, forcing Bianca to jump in and guide her over to the couch.
"Latiaaaaas." Bianca snorted, before falling into a straight laugh as she sat down at her friend's side. "What are we going to do with you…"
"Spoiling me would be a good idea I think." There was only a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Sarcasm, and a note of exhaustion. Tucking her arms in, Latias settled into her spot on the couch. "I want ice cream for breakfast for a month."
"Did you actually make him get you ice cream for breakfast? You haven't done that in years." Leaning back, Bianca thought over the implication for a moment, to the image of Latias and Ash with their ice cream from earlier in the day. Her gaze stretched off to the door Ash had stepped out through. "So. What did you two talk about? Anything in particular come up?"
"Oh just so many things! He told me about everything he's been up to over the years, all these friends he's made, and—"
"Did he mention why he's back?"
The insistence in Bianca's voice seemed to bring Latias pause, as she went quiet at the word. After a moment, though, she hummed in thought.
"Not particularlyyyy. He said he needed some time away from where he was!" Latias didn't seem to dwell much on that answer. She just proceeded to hum to herself with a pleased look.
That just left Bianca, Latias's explanation staring her down as she stared back. She had the option of wrestling with it, or letting it be.
Bianca was never one to let such things be.
"It makes you think, huh?"
"Hm? What does?" Snapping back to attention, Latias focused in on Bianca, even while she still held her gaze to the door.
"About Ash. It makes me wonder… What made him leave, wherever he was."
𝒳
"Okay! See you soon!"
"Heh, see you soon." With that, Ash closed the door behind him. It was just him and Pikachu now… in a closet. He couldn't help but laugh. "Right, bedrooms are the other door. Ah well!"
"Pikapi? Pi-pika, chu!"
"Duh, what's it sound like? We gotta catch up with Serena!" The closet was chokingly cramped, what with the hanging coats and vacuum cleaner poking into his side. Still, there was more than enough room for him to sit down and start digging out his phone. "Damn, we missed a call from her and Clemont last night too."
"Pika…"
With a few clicks and swipes, Ash got his gift from Clemont chugging along, starting up a group video call with Serena and Lumiose Tower. After a few quiet moments of ringing, Serena's feed popped up. Guess Clemont and Bonnie must be busy.
The familiar green of forest trees filled Ash's screen, coming in and out of focus until the camera locked onto its subject.
"Serena!"
"Ash! There you are!" Serena, as fashionable as always, stood center frame, fiddling with both her phone and her appearance until she was satisfied with both. In her hand, Ash could spot a journal tightly held, whilst behind her, Fennekin was resting. Ash could tell she was a bit dirty, but no worse for wear. Serena spoke up. "Why didn't you answer your phone yesterday!"
Serena paused then, before a realization dawned on her all at once.
"Time zones."
"Hehe, yep, time zones! I was gonna call back earlier, but, well, time zones." Ash laughed and scratched his cheek, as Pikachu leaned into the camera to speak.
"Pi-pika! Pikachu, kachu, pi!"
"Awww, hey there Pikachu! Trust me, I've been missing you guys too." Picking up her phone, Serena quickly relocated to another part of the forest clearing she was in, settling down somewhere with a boulder at her back. "So! How did your travels go! Arrive in Alto Mare okay?"
"Ah, you know, missed my flight, got arrested, typical Ketchum stuff." Ash gave a wiley, humorous grin, one that seemed to imply he was joking, as Serena merely laughed rather than panicked. Smooth one, Ketchum. Smooth. "But hey, forget me— How about you! How did your match against Viola go!"
"Aha! Haaaaa." With an awkward, stilted laugh, Serena scratched the side of her cheek. A bright redness seemed to grow on her face. "Not greaaaat. I'll admit, that Surkit of hers kicked our butts."
Ash wasn't surprised, unfortunately.
"Figures! Viola's Surskit gave us a whole lot of trouble too." Glancing to Pikachu, Ash made note of how his partner shivered at the memory of that match. The cold chill of an ice beam was going up his spine. "That ice field—"
"It's so hard to deal with! We can't even stay in one place to try to attack!" Serena sighed as she completed Ash's thought, before she opened her notebook on her lap. With a flick, she began to flip through it. "Still, I think we have a plan to counter it."
"That's great!" This was exactly what Ash wanted to see— Serena, facing a great challenge and taking it head on! He had to resist the urge to bury her in advice or praise. Instead, he went with a question. "Any chance you wanna share with the class?"
"Heh, not yet. We're not even sure if we can do it yet," Serena confessed, pausing at a page before she continued. "We've been practicing out here in the forest for a few days. That, and collecting a couple things."
Serena stopped, and for a moment, Ash caught a glimpse of what her journal contained. Rows and rows of neatly written notes met his gaze, before disappearing with the turn of a page.
She was really giving this her all, he realized.
"Want a bit of advice?" The question made Serena pause, before she immediately answered.
"Desperately." She laughed but very much did not joke.
"I don't know what you're planning, but I can tell you this, anything worth doing, is worth overdoing!" A fiery grin took Ash's face, matching his advice to a tee. "Whatever you're cooking up, give it 110%!"
"Pika!" Serena was struck by the sudden fervor that came from Ash and Pikachu, but very quickly joined in. The pair's excitement was growing in her eyes.
"Okay. Okay, I will!" With a fist, Serena made a promise to Ash and to herself, right there and then. "I'm going to give it my all! Just you wait!"
"That's the spirit!" With a laugh, Ash leaned back, familiar energy coursing through his veins. It was like he was still in that battle from earlier. He basked in that feeling for a moment, before sitting forward. "And hey! You better spill the beans soon! I can't wait to hear how you kick Viola's butt!"
"Pika, pika! Pikachu-pi!"
With their enthusiasm on full display once more, Ash and Pikachu brought Serena to a laugh.
"Trust me, I can't wait to hear how I do it too," she said, a content smile on her face as she closed her journal. "So, how have things been going with you? Have you had any luck, finding what you've been looking for?"
"Well, I'll admit—" Ash was brought to a pause by that one, silent at the face of the question before he laughed it off. "Heh, I haven't even started looking yet."
𝒵
It was soon time for dinner.
Between Ash and Pikachu and their team, the light family meal Lorenzo had in the works quickly went out the window. A veritable feast was needed, one with the chops to both feed the sudden influx of six guests and welcome them all the same. Before long, the house was filled with the gorgeous smells of crisped crostinis, roasted vegetables, and buttery risottos.
Yet despite the wonderful dishes on display, the lively dinner typical of the home was nowhere to be found.
Latias sat in silence, barely through her second course as she found herself toying with her food. She turned her fork silently in her clawed hand, drawing random patterns in her risotto until the plate had become an incomprehensible mess. Only then did she take a bite, before flattening out the mass of food and starting again.
Lorenzo's risotto was one of her favorite foods. Today she could barely muster the appetite.
Her mind was on other things.
Glancing up, Latias took a quick look across the dining table. Sure, she was quiet, that was understandable. But what about the rest of the table? Dinner was usually such a lively, loud affair. Most of the sound she could hear now, however, came from the living room behind her, where Ash's Pokémon were talking.
Bianca, despite her silence, seemed to be eating normally, if a bit hurried. University had kept her on a tight schedule, leaving little time for the long, slow meals she usually had at home. Her eyes remained locked straight ahead, only occasionally flickering over to their guests of honor: Ash and Pikachu.
Pikachu, for his parts, seemed to be doing well. Compared to everyone else on the table, he was lively and all around enjoying his food.
Ash was a different story. He ate, of course. Absolutely nothing was keeping him from a delicious homemade meal after the long day he'd just had. Yet, there was an undeniable sense that something was off. His gaze seemed distant, unfocused, like his mind was on something a thousand miles away from there. It was funny actually.
Latias's mind was somewhere in the distance too.
She hadn't given it much thought before, when Ash had told her he needed some time away. In her mind, she was just glad he'd finally come back. Yet, a touch of doubt was now nipping at her. Was that it? Did he only come back because he needed time away?
She dwelt on the thought of when Ash would need to leave again.
Between all the silence, and thinking, and furrowed worrying, it seemed almost no one was actually enjoying the grand meal Lorenzo had put together. No one noticed that more than Lorenzo himself.
Sighing, he turned to his guests of honor.
"So Ash, tell me. Where have you been all these years?" The question split the silence in two, as Ash, Bianca, and Latias all tuned in to listen. Ash seemed surprised to be addressed, which is why it took him a second to put together an answer.
"Ah well, all over the place! Tryna become a Pokémon Master means me and Pikachu gotta meet as many Pokémon as we can!" he explained, dropping his fork and putting on a more electrified voice. "We've been to Hoenn, to Kanto, Sinnoh, Unova, took a bit of a side trip in Decolore—"
"Pikapi." Pikachu bumped Ash's elbow to catch his attention.
"Oh, right, and we were in Kalos last before here!"
"Ahhh, Kalos! A beautiful region indeed. Our family has a few cousins who live down in the southern countryside." Rubbing his chin, Lorenzo began to wax nostalgically, surely reminiscing about some old familial tale or memory or another. Soon though, he set that aside and looked to Ash again. "I must ask then, what brings you back here?"
In an instant, the table was left silent. Latias snapped to attention, the question on her mind now fully in the open. Either Lorenzo was a mind reader, or she was worse at keeping her thoughts inside than she thought.
Either way, she was about to get an answer.
"That's, a great question, actually." Ash's response didn't inspire much confidence to start. The energy in his voice had faltered, hesitation clear in the way his eyes flickered back down to the plate in front of him. Bianca seemed to notice too, as she kept her gaze trained on the boy. "You see…"
Latias felt a breath hitch in her throat. Come on Ash, say it. Say you're back to see the city, to see the water races, to see her. Latias had so many hopes for what she wanted Ash to say, and yet so many fears of what he would say.
Please don't just be because you needed to get away.
As quickly as Ash began to struggle with the question, he pushed through. It took a breath and a shake of his head, but soon his confidence returned to him. With a proud smile that made Latias's heart skip a beat, he answered.
"I left Kalos because I was having trouble. Because I was missing something I needed to continue my journey. But—" The 'but' practically froze Latias in place, leaving her riding her hopes on his next few words. "—I came back here, because I wanted to see you guys again!"
There was his answer, clear and true. Ash was back because he wanted to see them, because he wanted to see her.
It was exactly what Latias had hoped to hear.
"Aaaaaaash!" In an instant, Latias flew over the table, nearly knocking over her plate as she went into an orbit around Ash. "That's so sweet!"
"Whoa!?"
"Latias!? Your table manners!" Lorenzo could only groan and sigh while the quiet, stilted dinner table devolved into its pure opposite. Ash was laughing, Latias giggling as she flew circles around him, before pulling him into a hug. All the while, Pikachu and the rest of Ash's Pokémon were chortling at Latias, who was seemingly impressed by the tiniest sentiment.
Latias didn't care, however. Ash was here, back to see them, to see her, and there wasn't a doubt about it. All her worries had been swept away in an instant, and she was going to celebrate.
Pressing her cheek against Ash's, Latias giggled, facing the table for the first time since she began. Lorenzo, though disapproving of her antics, wore a comforting smile. Pikachu, in contrast, was giving her and Ash a side-eye, a cheeky grin on his lips as he nibbled on another piece of food. That just left Bianca.
Latias wasn't sure why, but Bianca's expression was nearly blank, with just a small furrow of her brows.
It looked like she was thinking.