Helpless

by Epoxy-Resin

The disabled population is the world's largest minority of which anyone can become a part of at any time. "Peekaboo," said misfortune and jumped the already weakened boy. Ash wouldn't be Ash if he didn't try to get up again, though he's going to have to face he won't be able to do it on his own.

42. Piece of the Action

Happy -late- New Year, everyone! Please be mindful of the bolded warning near the end, it's an explanation of something gruesome -in my opinion, at least- so skip it until you see the (***) if you aren't keen on reading that sort of thing. It's just a small part, though, so no worries that you'll miss anything!

Enjoy!

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Something smooth is resting against his face… Or is his face resting against the smoothness? He's not sure and his eyes are still stuck together with sleep so he's not willing to find out either. It's probably way too early anyway, he wants to sleep in for once too, you know, be like he used to be now that he doesn't have anyone who'll start vacuuming at eight sharp to wake him up. But nope, he may not be at his old home in Kanto, where his mother refused to let him sleep in peace but while the nurse Joy of this pokémon centre doesn't give a hoot if he sleeps in or not, the rest of the world still demands his attention as his phone rings a couple of times. It's not his ringtone, though, it's the stupid jingle for messages that wakes him and his pokémon up. Or at least, the sounds he just heard but it was his burning curiosity that lured him out of bed.

Yep, he was right, it's about five in the morning right now and it's not light outside either, still dark as heck and yet, everyone and their mother suddenly found the urge to send him a text. There's about fifty or something but heck if he's going to see anything through his stinging eyes, his phone's screen lit up too bright so now he's searching for the light switch blindly. Turning on that light didn't do much for him either as he sat in bed for a couple of minutes more, trying to blink through tears as the light just burns his eyes even worse than his phone did.

"Dammit," he curses and reaches out for his crutch, ready and waiting to get him to the bathroom.

Gabite, seemingly in a playful mood, nabs it before he can get it but the thing is, Ash doesn't like being woken up so he's not feeling playful in the slightest. The pokémon wags his butt in playfulness too but he can't do anything other than sigh.

"Meep?"

The dragon raises her head from right next to him, seems like she was the smooth pokémon he ended up resting against but still, he's got her attention.

"Can you help me get my crutch back, please?"

Just one huff of enthusiasm from Meep makes Gabite panic, Ash has never witnessed him being so quick to surrender either. And while Meep settles back down into the comfort of the warmth still in the bed, Gabite meekly returns the crutch.

"Thank you," he says and pats the pokémon gently on his head. "I'll put the TV on, okay?"

Before Ash can get to the remote, all the pokémon outside of their pokéball have settled in front of the TV and he can't help but chuckle. He doesn't know what it is with pokémon and boxes of light, he's seen them circle a TV before and nearly every pokémon likes watching TV as well. He never even needed to get Mewtwo that stupid Mega stone either, it's firmly stuck in front of the device like all the other pokémon so if that doesn't prove that it was always meant to be a pokémon like all the other ones, that stone won't do the trick either. It's natural behaviour, after all, his mother used to turn on the TV to keep him calm and focus on something other than mischief so that checks out. But for now, Ash is happy that there isn't another playful pokémon out to hinder his morning ritual.

Heaven help him if Gabite tries to open the bathroom door again and venture inside. And yeah, that would be a possibility, there isn't a lock on this bathroom, just in case something happened to him and the nurse or anyone else needed to help him. But his pokémon went and outgrew the laundry basket and the bin, there's nowhere he can keep him away from the water. Well, unless he recalls Gabite but really, Ash sort of still enjoys his pokémon walking around free. Oh, if only he could have another one running behind him all the time, even if Meep sort of phases in and out of view, he's caught some people giving her ugly looks and that usually ends up with her being recalled anyway. Except for this city, no one has given Meep or him an odd look at all so that was a nice change of pace.

Ash is pleased when nothing goes wrong as he changes clothes but when Mewtwo contacts him telepathically halfway through the process of getting his prosthesis on, the teen frowns.

"What's the matter?" he calls out and the bathroom door slides open.

"There is some news on the pokémon league, I feel like you may want to see it."

Right, he forgets about his prosthetic leg for now and grabs onto his crutch to go into the main part of the room again. And yep, the TV is broadcasting some news about what is happening in Kalos. The newsreader seems indifferent enough as she explains that the tournament will not be happening in Kalos, due to unforeseen circumstances concerning the build of the Lumiose Conference but Ash's interest perks up at that.

"What does she mean, concerning the build? I thought that it was Diantha's suspension that made the Kalos league unable to happen."

Mewtwo shrugs but he understands, that if there's no one around who knows what happened, the pokémon won't know about it either. But the teen is blindsided by the curveball the newsreader announces, he must have let go of the crutch but Mewtwo caught him and is now supporting him fully, in fact, it seems more as if he's being embraced but as Ash listens carefully to the news that the entire tournament has been cancelled and that all shows regarding pokémon are cancelled as well, the hair on his arms starts to stand on end.

"Oh no," he utters. "Oh no, what happened? What on earth did Diantha do?"

"Somehow, something that ended completely out of her control. I am unsure, friend but for now, your safety is my biggest concern."

"Huh?" Ash asks as he looks up at Mewtwo, barely realising that he's only being kept up by the pokémon's cordial sense of duty wanting to protect him. "Oh, no, I'm fine, just… shocked, I guess. Can you hand me my crutch, please? I'll go put on my prosthesis."

It's an easy request to fulfil for someone as mighty as Mewtwo, he's got his crutch back even faster now and well, the newsreader has nothing but excuses for those wondering what happened so he won't get any wiser just standing here.

"I do not trust you to remain stable, friend," Mewtwo pipes up, persistently following him into the bathroom, where his prosthesis is lying all but forgotten. "And just shocked? I beg to differ, I will be here even after you start thinking and I will still be here when you suddenly find some utter ridiculous way to pin this on yourself."

"Nothing that happened here was my fault," Ash answers as he shakes his head. "Yeah, I wish things had gone differently, I remember fully well why I wanted to come to Kalos so desperately too but sure, I'll accept that this news will be on my mind for a good while, after all, we've just witnessed a historic moment. None of the other Champions ever fucked up so bad that the entire tournament ended up being cancelled so if anything, it's just pure, healthy curiosity on my end. Is that okay?"

"Of course but it is a bad day for falling."

The teen agrees, that it's always a bad day for falling and preferably, also not today because he's been hurt enough already. He's standing firmly on two feet again when he's got his prosthesis on and he gives Mewtwo a thumbs up when he's able to walk out of the bathroom but the pokémon doesn't let go of him just yet. It's fine by Ash, he goes to put his shoes on but dammit, he did think he was holding onto the cabinet but in reality, his hand slips and his thigh hits the drawers hard. If it wasn't for Mewtwo catching him by his armpits, he would've hurt himself even more but now Ash doesn't know what place to hold since he still hurt himself again, in different spots this time. His thumb ends up bent backwards and slid over the cabinet's top and his thigh will be having knob-shaped bruises forming soon.

"W-what happened?" he asks, all helpless because this also wasn't his fault.

But Mewtwo doesn't answer him, he just helps Ash sink to the floor and then disappears, only for his other pokémon's curious noses to come check up on him but he's not fine, this pain he's got running through his thumb isn't normal but he's too busy dodging Meep's nose and then try not to get himself hurt any further as Glalie tries to assist him as the pokémon pushes himself underneath Ash's hands, to cool his hand down. It's a nice gesture though Gabite is being the real MVP here as the pokémon toddles over to the red, blinking button at the far end of the room, right next to the door, to give it a nice, hard push. Also, if anyone ever asks him to put a review down on the help from nurse Joy's in the Kalos pokémon centres, he's going to rate them the max amount and then somewhat because the nurse comes flying into his room, all worried and hurried.

"Oh dear, what happened?" she asks but he doesn't know all too well either, to be honest.

"I… I thought I was holding onto the cabinet but then I wasn't," he confesses.

"Where are you hurt?"

He shows her his hand, knowing that the bruises on his thigh that'll likely start to show tomorrow will be deep purple and hurt a lot but that there is nothing to be done about the bruises. Ash just doesn't understand what happened really but when he hears the nurse hiss as she takes hold of his hand, he turns to her.

"Oh, this is broken," she says as she pulls a face as if she's hurting herself but now that Ash takes a good look at his thumb, it sort of doesn't seem like that's a comfortable position. "I'm sorry, I'm going to need to call someone to come and get you to the hospital."

He doesn't like this one bit, really, he's left alone now but he already asks his pokémon to recall themselves, since, you know, he only has one available hand left as he figures that the person the nurse is going to call won't be minding anyone else but him. For now, they're all safely tucked in the pokéballs on his belt so whatever happens, nothing will happen to them. But when he sees red and blue lights from between the blinds, Ash's shoulders sag.

"Well, this sucks."

'Your hand slipped on a card on top of the cabinet, friend, it was just an accident.'

"So was my leg, though."

'… Yes. Yes, it was. Anyhow, you will be fine, friend. I have put the card in your pocket, when you have been cared for, have a look at it.'

For now, the card is the least of his worries but as it stands, this ambulance that came out of nowhere, without a sound because it still is super early in the morning, really is reserved for him. They won't let him walk there either, they've brought a wheelchair with him and Ash can't help it, his thigh hurts so much too!

"Easy, we've got you," the medic says but the teen is full of regrets.

He's overwhelmed, first the cancellation of the tournament he just wanted to participate in to prove a point to everyone who thought he couldn't do it and now this accident that could have been avoided, like, super easy but of course it would happen to him. Ash wants to cry and while he's not successful in stopping his tears, he's at least not straight-up sobbing like he would have liked to. Glalie persistently pushes himself between his legs and his arms but it's fine this time, at least he's got something to lean against as he totally bums out about the situation he's in. The medics did wrap something around his hand but Ash never ended up putting his shoes on either so one is visibly abnormal and he hates the idea of it being in full view. Maybe the only perk about the situation, is that he ends up being the only dumbass awake to get himself into trouble.

It's not fun, the ride is stressful to him and even with Pikachu near him, he gets these odd memories from that time he was barely awake to witness being driven to the hospital in Celadon. Which is odd, he hasn't had any issues with this before but then again, he feels just as helpless as that time again and dammit, he never even took his phone with him! It'll be safe inside the room in the pokémon centre so that's not an issue but what if his uncle is notified and the man wants to speak with him? And then there's this funny moment where he has to tell them that he doesn't respond well to conventional sedation tactics and when they get his profile up from their system, it only supports his claim so now they're bringing in this big can of what seems to be some sort of gas and he's told that he'll likely experience something weird but that it'll get the job done. After all, he managed to break his thumb and lodge it into an unhealthy position and he doesn't want to be awake to witness them putting it in the right way and to feel all that happen as if it doesn't hurt enough already.

"Listen, Ash," the man dressed in a variation of blue, all scrubs and a baby blue mask over his face and funny shoe covers, says to him as he takes a seat next to him. "I'm your anaesthesiologist, I'm going to be in charge of sedating you."

"… Thanks," he says, figuring he's better off on this medic's best side.

"No problem," the man answers with a chuckle. "I want you to listen to me for a while, okay? It's normally not standard practice to give someone nitrous oxide for treating this sort of traumatic injury so I want you to be aware of some of the symptoms you may be expecting."

Getting the list including hallucination and vomiting doesn't seem much better to Ash than getting the allergic reaction to normal sedation he's prone to, since that sort of does the same, except for the hideously scratchy patch of skin surrounding the area where he got injected. But his file must've gotten more information than just the allergic reaction on it, he trusts the doctors of Celadon Central to know all there is to know about him right about now so that these medics will know all about him. They took good care of him there too and frankly, even if it's not standard practice to gas someone, Ash is still thankful that he doesn't have to witness getting his thumb twisted around, or worse, seeing someone carve through his skin with one of those sharp scalpels. He shivers a little but the man next to him gently pats his arm.

"If anything, it'll just make you unaware of something happening, there's a chance you may still feel something but you likely won't care too much."

"Ah, alright. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, let's get you looked after, hm? Are you comfortable?"

Ash shifts a little but doesn't get to answer before an oxygen mask is placed on his face. It's a children's one, that's clear as the mask is a lot smaller than the man's hand but then he sort of can breathe a bit better but he accidentally shifts again and bumps his right thigh against the side of whatever he's sitting on -he's not paying much attention to his surroundings, really- and hisses a little in pain.

"What's the matter?"

"Knob-shaped bruises," he answers, sort of feeling lofty.

In the distance, Ash hears someone ask for some ice and then there's this coldness perfectly sitting at where his bruises are so that's all fine. There's this weird numbness around his thumb now but he's just confused and doesn't think about moving his hand once. Next thing he knows, he's being wheeled through a hall but when he blinks, he's in a different room altogether and it confuses him a little. He's also still dressed but his right arm won't move, it's numb still and he's a little worried.

'Fret not, you are fine, friend.'

Well yes, he's aware of that, he doesn't have any pain or issue for the moment, other than feeling a little loopy. It doesn't take long before a nurse deems him okay enough to let him out on the prowl in the wide world once more but the teen feels a little lost since he's not quite sure where he is. Not willing to have everyone change into ducks again -even though he knows what 'quoi' means now- he goes to sit down somewhere. He sits there for a while before realising he's not wearing any shoes but when he looks down, he's wearing some odd-looking ones that he doesn't remember owning. Did he just steal shoes from the hospital? They didn't stop to demand him to give their shoes back either, in fact, these shoes are pretty comfortable and no one seems to have been following him… So he might as well just keep them.

"Hey, aren't you Ash Ketchum?" someone suddenly asks and the teen, still slightly confused turns around.

"Yep, that's me," he answers and he's approached by a group of kids who seem to have seen his fights, or at least, whatever the Gym battles in Kalos were.

"Can we get an autograph?"

Ash almost answers 'yes' before realising he sort of has an issue going on.

"I-… I'm right-handed," he says and looks down at his densely packaged hand, neatly wrapped up to his elbow, hanging down from a sling.

The group sort of looks at each other but he doesn't want to let them down because he ends up being the idiot to break his thumb trying to put his shoes on.

"But maybe we can take a picture together?" he offers and this is gladly accepted in exchange for the impossible autograph.

Ash doesn't care too much for pictures, they can hide a lot of things but he's done thinking he's doing things people can assume that he has double standards from so even if these kids hang around him for a while, it also ends up giving him the chance asking them for the way to the Anistar pokémon centre but it seems like they were on their way there anyway, to go and pack. The information goes right past Ash, he doesn't think that it's odd for them to tell him they're leaving, that's what every trainer does when they're moving cities, right?

It's a bit of a walk back to the pokémon centre and he's having a little difficulty following them. Next to the bruises, he's likely going to end up with a blister too so today isn't going too well for him. As if it's not all bad enough, he sees his phone lighting up with this yellow light he's never seen before as soon as he enters his room. Ash blinks in confusion when he sees the message coming from his trainer profile, it's the pokémon league announcing that all pokémon trainers from all regions other than Kalos native ones need to leave Kalos starting today. Now he's curious what's happened but he grimaces at the idea that, while he had such fun with Clemont yesterday, he's going to need to say goodbye to him. For all the good intentions he had with Serena, he's not going to be able to help her much now either, in fact, she's not Kalos native either, technically speaking but also not quite a trainer either.

"Beep?"

"Oh, Meep," he says, silently judging himself for calling the pokémon Meep when her evolution caused her voice to deepen but at least the 'beep' she makes is still cute. "We're really in it now."

"I do suppose you should also start packing, friend. I know it will be hard on you," Mewtwo suddenly speaks up and the teen sighs.

"Can you please help me? I don't think I can do it on my own now, they seem to have tied my arm against my chest."

"Of course, what would you like me to do?"

"Perhaps you could open the top of that bag? I can try and put my pyjamas in and oh, they're still in the bathroom, I think."

"They were," Mewtwo says dryly and Ash watches his pyjamas appear in his bag. "Anything else?"

Sometimes, as mystifying as abilities are, they're still darn handy but still, he wishes he hadn't been so… right about whatever was going on in Kalos. And when his hand finds the completely forgotten card, Ash stands still for a few minutes, wondering if he still has the chance to go see Olympia, in between the mess the pokémon league still is. Sure, he has her number but that seems so silly, she clearly stated she wanted to meet him, but just hearing his voice likely won't be enough for someone like her. He sighs, he's completely cleared the room now, thanks to Mewtwo's assistance so now all he has to do, is give back the key and he's officially forced to leave Kalos from that point on.

It's a scary thought and the nurse Joy sees that he isn't comfortable even though that really has nothing to do with being forced to leave Kalos, his right thigh is stinging really bad but there's little she can do to ease his pain or the rightful doubts about the future of this place. But at the very least, she tells him that it'll be easy for him to talk to Olympia if he so wishes, the Gym leaders have all been put on non-active as of this morning so they are basically nothing more than Kalos native trainers and thus, free to go and speak to anyone as they please. But the nurse also trusts him with the knowledge that the woman is crushed by the power of her prophecies having become the truth, that nothing she said could have helped the future of Kalos any better and that it came as an unexpected blow to her pride as she basically ended up being utterly useless. Ash nods at the explanation, that's something he can relate to but then again, he wonders if Diantha listened to Olympia too, if all they said ended up just bothering the Champion.

But the fact still stands that Ash doesn't know where to find her, the Gym building will be utterly shut this time around so it makes it impossible for him to find her in the mess that is this city he's not familiar with at all. Another sting in his thigh reminds him of the bruises and he can't rely on leaning too heavily on his left leg to relieve the sting so he goes to sit down on one of the cubicles inside the lobby of the pokémon centre. Sure, he got the message that trainers needed to come home starting today but he still has a few hours left to spare since there isn't any urgency behind the message. And Ash does know the way to the train station alright so that won't be an issue… but getting out of this comfortable seat might be. He didn't get much sleep last night, it was late enough as he came back from that wonderful day he had with his friends and he woke up very early so he's already tired from that trek from the hospital back to the pokémon centre. And well, whatever that sedation was sure wouldn't be helping.

Ash gets bored easily, though so he has his phone in his hands within a couple of minutes since he's not interested in looking at people inside the pokémon centre. If he had, he would've seen someone who wanted to talk to him but wasn't courageous enough to approach him without being able to make eye contact. But to the teen, the message his uncle sent him was too important to look up from.

-Are you okay?- his uncle's message read and Ash sighs.

As if it's not uncomfortable enough to type a message with one hand, he has to admit to Lance that he hurt himself again. But it's odd because when he asks where Steven is, all his uncle tells him, is that he should come home as soon as he's able to. Ash doesn't know what to make of all this and awkwardly stuffs his phone in his left pocket, already bothered he needs to keep using his left hand for everything. He likes the outdoors much better anyway so soon enough, he's chased outside, trying to ignore his stinging thigh. It doesn't get any better that he's actually carrying his heavy bag around, slung around one shoulder with Pikachu dutifully making sure the bag isn't sliding off.

In the distance, the house he knows his three friends will be in appears from view, no matter how dire the pokémon league makes their message, nothing can keep him from saying goodbye to them. With all the histrionics that have happened in this region, he refuses to leave loose ends and they all deserve better than just a text. But as luck would have it, there is someone slightly predominantly… purple pacing in front of the house, he hadn't seen her before but there's something about this woman…

"Olympia?" he asks and she looks so caught, her hand is already raised to shush him.

"O-oh, it's you," she says as her hand lowers just as quickly as she raised it.

"Yep. I'm sorry it came to this. I wish you wouldn't feel bad as well too, though, after all, there's only one person accountable for what happened and it's certainly not you, just someone who isn't scared easily. But I suppose you might have figured that out on your own."

She blinks and straightens, looking surprised.

"I felt you may have been angry at me but it seems I was wrong there too."

"Hm? Maybe you've seen me get angry in those visions of yours a little too often but even though I'm usually a little peeved, I'm not always angry enough to get angry. If that makes any sense."

Olympia cocks her head to the side a little but at least he got that startled look off her face as she has this little smile plastered on, all of a sudden. Still, it makes her look a lot less… threatening to him too.

"I'm not beyond proven wrong, Ash," she says. "And now I'm just saddened that I didn't see this side of you often."

"Nobody complains about good weather or good food either until it's suddenly bad weather and bad food. And abilities, while being awesome, are still really human."

"I see… What happened to your arm?"

"Me being a dumbass too early in the morning. Don't worry about it, I'm just glad that I got to meet you."

"You're not sad you won't meet with Wulfric?"

"Oh, I've met him, I'm good," Ash says and he would've waved his hand if only it wasn't bound to his chest. "How are you? And why are you pacing in front of this house?"

"I… I'm alright. I thought that you would have been inside."

He would have been if his hand hadn't slipped from that cabinet top but the short 'honk' of a car makes him turn around and hah, it's Meyer. Ash would recognise the large man stuffed in the front seat of the car from anywhere and he's just happy to see he hasn't missed them leaving.

"That'll be my cue to leave too," he says and Olympia nods.

"That's alright, I do not doubt that I will still be hearing about you for a good while. Take care of yourself, Ash, you're a special boy, I can tell."

"Aww, thank you, I'll do my best. No guarantees, though, I'm pretty accident-prone," he chuckles. "You take care of yourself too, it's never a good thing when doubts get the upper hand, especially with people like us. Also, give your pokémon a big hug for me, okay?"

"I will. Goodbye, Ash."

"Bye, Olympia."

No matter how quickly Meyer had wanted to get out of the car, his large posture still hindered him and Olympia is pretty damn quick to leave, as if she doesn't want to talk to Meyer as much as he wants to intervene.

"What was that all about?" the man asks, all flustered from the effort of crawling outside of the far too-small car.

"She came to say 'hi' and 'goodbye' in the same sentence," Ash answers and shrugs with one shoulder, though Pikachu doesn't appreciate it.

"Oh, you've seen the news, huh?"

"I got it in e-mail too, actually. Think I could hitch a ride? You're going to Lumiose, right?"

"Yes, yes, we are. We're ready to leave, I still have to get our things from the house but honestly, you can already get inside the car. Clemont was already worrying so much about missing you that I'm over the moon I still caught up to you. So hang on tight in there for me, won't you? I know Bonnie's going to want to talk to you so please humour me?"

"No worries, I'll humour you any day and I'll go out of my way to listen to Bonnie. I bet it's pokémon related too and that's my forte, I'm real happy to talk about pokémon, all the time, every time," he chirps happily and Meyer chuckles.

"Still so optimistic even with that injury, huh? Do I want to know what happened?"

"Nothing spectacular, me just being myself, that's all."

The man shakes his head with this amused look on his face but hah, Ash is still chuffed he fits in the car all nicely. He is also strategically positioned with his right leg against the door so that no one can bump into him. He awkwardly slides his backpack underneath his left leg and sighs in relief as he's able to rest his leg on his much more sturdy bag, that incubator is something strong, alright, he read the tags and he's utterly convinced that the world could explode, this incubator will be just fine, merely floating in outer space between all the crap and rubble remaining from this earth floating around it.

"Ash!"

He perks up, though doesn't move much.

"Hiya, Bonnie! I'm hitching a ride to Lumiose."

"Daddy told me, big brother is happy about it too."

"And I heard you had some questions for me."

"Mm," she says as she crawls into the car, still too small to get in it decently. "I got a pokémon."

"You did? Can I see it?"

Bonnie doesn't even answer his, she just hands him the pokéball and while he's a little confused since Clemont made him aware just how badly he's against his sister owning pokémon, he doesn't make much of a fuss about her having been able to hand him the pokéball she's not legally allowed to have. His heart skips a beat when the same, green, one-eyed squishy pokémon appears, with the only difference that the shape on its belly is blue instead of red like his squishy pokémon has.

"Ah, we match, I got one of these too," he chuckles and oh, he's happy his sense of humour ended up waking up along with him this morning despite the mess he ended up making all along it, Bonnie had been keeping such a close eye on him, as if she was waiting on his judgement for some sort of reason. "It's cute, isn't it?"

She nods enthusiastically and bursts into the story of how and where she found it and Clemont, who does seem ecstatic to see him, is forced to fill in the gaps in her story. Now, the teen is comfortable and he's glad he's near friends but to think that the pokémon retrieved from Lyssandre, who ended up in his care, ends up having a nearly identical twin who now belongs to a defenceless, little girl who could easily fall prey to another asshole who finds the pokémon 'interesting', well… well, he's happy that the kids are responsible enough to go help their father because this gives him a chance to have a word with this pretty silent, if not shy pokémon. But Ash isn't going to beat around the bush here, even though he's not exactly alone, just mad enough not to notice that Meyer is keeping a close eye on him from a little distance.

"Listen, you don't have to say anything, heck, I'm not even interested if you do have something to say. All I know is that I don't know what you are or who you are but I'm gonna find out in my own time, while I'm not at risk of being stalked or hurt because I can claim some sort of ownership over your kind. But I'm gonna need you to listen to me real close because I think you're pretty cute but if you think that's going to stop me from beating your ass from here to the nearest pokémon centre if it ever reaches me you got your trainer in trouble, it won't. And yeah, I don't know what you can do but if this huge asshole took interest in your kind, there must be something about you that has some sort of value and you better use it to protect your trainer because you let her catch you willingly and you owe her this, got it?"

The pokémon's beady eye watches him carefully but Ash is not in the mood for that right now.

"Got it?" he repeats and this time, the pokémon nods. "Good, now what is your name?"

"Zygarde. Though I am just a cell."

"You must be able to do something, though. And I don't care what it is, as long as you use it to keep Bonnie, your trainer, safe with it."

'I… Yes. Yes, I give you my word, I will protect her. It is the least I can do for the saviour of my sibling.'

"Well good, you better, because I will find you and then you can explain to your sibling if you fail to own up to your promise."

'Please also give my sibling a good home, that man did horrible things to it.'

"I don't need to know what happened to care for a pokémon but now that I know you can talk, why don't you do it and say something to Bonnie? If you recognise a pattern of abuse, you should feel the same way about the girl who could use someone to talk to. After all, you've got something to say to her too, haven't you? I think I heard your name somewhere, you're part of the XYZ trio here in Kalos, aren't you?"

'I… I will try. For you, Chosen and for her. If… if she truly feels so alone, I will teach her what I know.'

"Good," Ash says and gives the pokémon, due to the lack of another hand to pet it, a kiss on the head.

It shivers in delight, he makes a mental note to give his little one some more kisses too but if it likes this treatment, it'll be very happy with Bonnie. He does recall the pokémon because it's easier to give it back to Bonnie that way. However, Clemont reaches him first and while the hug is a little awkward since neither of them want to hurt his arm even worse, Ash did feel him relax for the first time since… well, who knows whenever he ended up all tense. Maybe Tierno had something to do with it, or the day Bonnie came to show how cute the pokémon she 'found' was that ended up introducing them… Could even be longer, maybe he's been tense since coming to Kalos. Ash understands how that feels, after all.

"Hey, talk to me," he says and Clemont sighs deeply.

"I wish this wasn't happening."

"I'm not disappearing, I have my phone with me all the time and maybe it's not what we would've both liked, we're just going to have to make do. But at least you can have the choice to make your voice heard, whatever Diantha has done, she needs to realise what her choice did to all of us. To all the people living here, to the trainers who tried to do their best here, the kids who all look up to pokémon and not to forget, the Gym leaders and her elite four. She went and flipped all of us the bird, you shouldn't let your head hang down and let her believe you agree with what she did or at least, tried to do before Mr. Goodshow stopped her."

"I will, my father isn't happy and neither am I. I might just… resign from being a Gym leader if she's not the slightest bit apologetic about what she's created. After all, if someone stopped her, whatever she had planned must've been way worse and she showed clearly she doesn't care about any of us, like you're saying. But somehow, I feel like being a major pain in the butt and just staying a Gym leader to annoy her."

"Don't risk your safety so that you don't actually get bitten in that butt of yours, though. But you've got my blessing for that plan if that's what you were waiting for."

Clemont chuckles and then shakes his head.

"You don't realise just how much you've taught me, Ash. And how much I'm going to miss you not being near me."

"Channel that into the annoyance, yeah? Makes it all feel very real to her too, after all, she knows who you're missing too. And I'm sorry, I tried to avoid whatever was happening, I just didn't realise that the one I was trying to convince to help stop the doom I felt, was helping the doom being created. And I know I'm peeved because she didn't just listen to me, which is her good right because, to Diantha, I'm just an ordinary busybody putting my nose into someplace it doesn't belong but that she even blindsided the pretty well-known Psychic she showed to trust, I mean… Even I heard about Olympia's abilities when I just got here, I mean, I looked it up but if it's online, it's commonly known, right and not some sort of secret. But no, she couldn't be bothered to listen to someone who could tell how badly she'd fuck up. And that's what I don't understand, why Diantha did something so risky. Or it must've been something valuable to her. Man, I don't know and frankly, I don't care."

"No, it's totally not our problem any longer. I just wished we had some more time."

"Remind me to send you a list of all the colour insults I can inspire you with when you decide to upgrade that robot, 'kay?"

"You bet, I will. I've got plenty of time for it anyway, try and think of a few while you're on your way home."

"No way," Ash chuckles. "I'd roast everyone I see, the way I'm feeling now. I'll think about it when I'm safe at home, with a nice mug of hot chocolate."

"In this weather?"

"It's going to be cold as heck in Johto now, though. You bet I'm having hot chocolate as soon as I'm home."

At least he could get Clemont to smile and laugh, Ash feels incredibly sad as he gives Bonnie the pokéball back and tells her to take good care of it, give it lots of kisses and hold it close, to not be scared if it starts to whisper secrets and funny things to her. Meyer, however, surprises him, telling him that he's got everything going for him, that he'll be a brilliant father when the time comes and that he's got him a gift.

"I meant to give it to Clemont when the time was right but I can always get another one but you… I think you could use it and I'm eternally grateful for what you've done for my children, especially what I just saw you do with Bonnie's pokémon."

"Oh," is all Ash says, not caring too much that the man saw it.

If Mewtwo or Kozzy hadn't said anything, hadn't warned him he was watching, then they knew Meyer could be trusted.

"So please, have this."

"Wait, is this…?" he asks, looking at the item he was just given in slight confusion.

"I may have jumped the gun but I thought it would be good to support someone capable of creating pokémon. And I know you'll take great care of your Porygon and really… there's nothing I could ever do to fully repay what you've done for me, or rather for all of us."

"Well… I'd like to see them again. But Kalos? I don't like this place a lot so maybe… if you could possibly organise that? In the future somewhere?"

"Of course, I'm sure they'd love it and maybe you can show me those death-coloured, spicy noodles of yours."

Ash grins and shakes his head.

"No way, I'm making nice noodles for you, those death-coloured ones aren't nice to eat, that's crazy people making them just to show off their tolerance for spice. It's stupid and a waste of good food. If you come over, I'll show you how to make them, it'll be nice. I like my noodles and I bet you will too."

"I'm looking forward to it already," the man chuckles. "Take care now, Ash."

"I will and really, thank you for this gift, I'm sure my Porygon will appreciate it when the time comes."

"Go for it, kiddo. Don't let anything stand in your way, okay?"

"I won't. So… this is goodbye, huh?"

Meyer nods and Ash…? He just smiles. He'll likely cry when he's got some time to himself, there's no need to create more drama than what has already happened to him but he's really going to miss these people. The region? No, not the slightest, he doesn't like how modern this all looks, it's too clean and just… not his style. Even if Mahogany is pretty much bricked over and up, it still has this rural touch Ash appreciates much more than all the evenly spaced bins.

He might've done better in calling out Bonbon as his thigh is still stinging but Ash is caught up in memories. Especially the ones when he first arrived here, how the first Kalos native's reaction to him should've made him aware something was off but in hindsight, Alexa was just bewildered about how he wasn't exactly the defenceless kid he looked like as she cleaned up her act. And well, she saw what he did in the battle he had with her sister, alright, no one would call that one 'innocent'. Even though Ash wanted nothing more than to be normal, he still thinks that this experience was valuable information and really, he's thankful for the fact Viola tried to help him understand that what he did during their battle was something precious, instead of bad like he instantly concluded.

So instead of hurrying over to the airport, he lingered, much like he did at the time he wandered towards the tall landmark now behind him. He remembers the shop where he bought his massive brush set, still remembering the face the salesperson pulled at the fact he wanted all these brushes in a different, foldable box instead of the large, rectangular one they were displayed in. He really did think, at the time, he would be having a normal journey but as he's now trailing back to where he started, all these months ago, Ash has never been so disappointed in the fact he never even got the chance to lose this tournament, if he would have lost it at all. Instead of losing the chance of holding that trophy, he went and lost the chance to keep the friends he made close to him and somehow, that stings worse than all the tournaments he went and lost.

Not to mention that Mrs. Grace ended up so annoyed and worried about her daughter, who apparently called her mother to try and find some comfort at the fact the pokémon league would bar her from doing what she loved most, she came over and picked her up before Ash even reached the house. Yeah, if he hadn't broken his thumb, he might've caught her but Serena's message makes it appear as if her mother showed up at the crack of dawn to come pick her up. She also lets him know that her mom has started to latch onto the idea of moving away from Kalos and Ash couldn't be any more supportive of that idea, especially since Kalos was not safe at the moment.

When he gets to the airport, though, Ash is a little concerned that someone picked him out of the entire waiting crowd. This persistent league worker found him in a crowd that surprised him so much, like, why are there so many trainers from different countries here? Also, where were they when he had been going from city to city?

"Hello there, I'm safely assuming you are Ash Ketchum?" the worker asks very kindly, almost a little too kind, actually.

"Err, yeah. Were you looking for me?" he asks in return, absolutely not in the mood to entertain nonsense but also not willing to mess up a perfectly nice person's mood either.

"Indeed, I am. I was told you could use some help so if you would like, I can guide you safely through this crowd onto your flight that's waiting for you."

"Yes, please," Ash answers because he'll freak out if anyone bumps into him and jostles his arm, or worse, his still stinging right thigh. "I'm a little hurt too, my right leg is also a little impaired at the moment so I'm sorry, I'm not fast at all today."

"That's alright, would you like me to stand on your right side?"

"That'd be great, thank you."

The league worker keeps up their promise but then again, people do go out of the way for this brightly white dressed person with this huge pokémon league symbol across the back of their shirt. To find this plane actually waiting for him was more than a weird experience but apparently, they were perfectly aware that he was coming anyway and they have a list of all the trainers and where they need to go so he's on his way back to Kanto before he's well aware of the fact that he's in a flight with nearly all Kanto based trainers and boy, he's utterly amazed at the number of trainers on this plane. However, he's got one seat extra, for some odd reason but he's making use of it to keep his bag with the incubator on it, not willing to have anyone near it. Ash makes sure to sit it next to the window seat as well, he's in the 'disabled' spot too so he's even got some more legroom, which he uses to sink deeply into the chair and try to get some of the rest he missed out on.

---

"Whoa, a pokéhelp? I've never seen that anywhere!" someone calls out and just before Ash can turn and tell this kid that he's never met anyone with such bad manners before either, someone beats him to it.

"Hey now, that's not polite."

"But there's nothing wrong with him?"

Man, Ash hasn't missed Kanto or the entitled brats living here by the slightest but at least he can depend on his uncle, even though the man clearly sighs at the sight of him. And yeah, he's seen himself, he looks utterly pitiful.

"When you told me you broke your thumb, I didn't think they attempted to mummify you, kiddo."

"I wasn't aware they did it, maybe someone took a look at me and saw something accident-prone there? I mean, they're not wrong but that's not actually the part that's going to stop me from creating accidents."

"Why don't we pop by the hospital to try and get you slightly more comfortable, hm? I'm sure they overreacted a little."

He's not sure if they did, though he's not going to tell his uncle just how badly his thumb hurt because one: he doesn't want Lance to worry even more and two: he's not aware of anything medically related other than all the diseases a pokémon can have since he got vaccinated for all of them by a nurse who wanted him to be aware that the pain of the injections was worth not having the any of the diseases. It's a little of a wait before a doctor Ash has never seen before can see them but he seems to have been notified by the Anistar hospital and well, the medics there underreacted. While he's not covered in gauze any longer, he gets a cast and a brace from his hand to his shoulder as his broken thumb ended up being a very complex break and will likely need a second surgery sometime in the future. The fun part, though, is when the doctor asks him if he can take a look at the bruises Ash complained about even under the effect of sedation and well… It's pretty dark outside when the hospital finally lets them go, though he's getting wheeled out by his impossibly peeved and likely hungry uncle.

"I'm sorry," he says, figuring he should really be more careful in the future.

"It's my fault, you told me that you hurt yourself badly and I refused to see how that was possible. After all, if you fell against that cabinet with your full weight, it's nothing more than a miracle you didn't break fewer bones."

Ah yes, he did go and break his thigh too. Though not completely, it has a crack in it and when he puts pressure on his leg, the crack opens and he's at risk of snagging soft tissue, veins, muscles, basically anything surrounding his bone that could possibly get stuck in between that crack when it opens and closes. And the sting Ash kept feeling all the way from Kalos back to Kanto? That was one of his muscles getting a little too close for comfort. The doctor has a good poker face and merely gave him a very tight brace around his thigh and the order to keep his leg upright and stretched out at all costs, lest he wants to cause an even greater injury to himself.

"Anything you fancy eating?" his uncle pipes up and the boy sighs.

"I'm not really hungry. Just tired."

"Ah, I'll order some soup and noodles for the both of us then, it's easy to eat. And I doubt you've eaten much in these two days either so that'll just have to do for now."

Ash just hums, too tired and still disappointed, in himself and Kalos. That Lance isn't questioning him beyond if he's in pain is nothing but a blessing, everything he would answer would just be as bitter as a Lansat Berry. But the car is nice and warm, the soft humming doesn't put him to sleep but still in that fluffy phase just before sleep and while the soup and noodles aren't unwelcome, their combined warmth and comfort put him right to sleep anyway.

So he isn't awake to see how Lance sags into the chair not too far from where he's sleeping, while the front door opens to reveal Steven, all worried. The man appears in the kitchen, looking like he has a million questions but as soon as he lays eyes on the sleeping boy, the look disappears.

"Oh," he utters and all Lance can do is throw up his hands in surrender. "Do you know what happened?"

"Accident, apparently. Lost his balance or something."

"Well, damn," Steven utters. "Dead to the world too?"

"He told me he was tired."

"No questions?"

"No."

Steven purses his lips and honestly, even if he looks a little stupid doing that, Lance understands where he's coming from.

"That's not good, is it?"

"I think it's for the best, as far as I know, no one in our whole family has ever responded well to pressure," Lance answers as he glances at his sleeping boy. "Then again, I'm not sure whether anyone is ready for the questions he's got."

"True, they weren't for my questions either. I saw red when I was told to shut up and behave, Lance, I swear. I couldn't even go back to Hoenn, Charles just demanded I came here instead."

"I was told about a risk for the general safety of flights connecting to and from Kalos, though enough flights are going to Hoenn that don't pass by Kalos at all."

"Sure, if it wasn't for a lockdown over aerial traffic all over every region. The only flights these days are those coming from Kalos," Steven sighs and crosses his arms in front of his chest. "Wallace went and got himself a boat to sail from here to Hoenn, you know how he can't miss his beauty products, right?"

"I really couldn't care less, to be honest. He's a fully responsible adult, he can do whatever the hell he wishes."

"Sure, sure. I still told him what I thought of his behaviour though, how stupid can you be to find a loophole in an interregional lockdown and endanger everyone with that persistence?"

"Look, Steven, Wallace isn't the sharpest tool in the shed but he's not blunt either. I get where he's coming from but his timing could've been way better I guess I worried too much about my boy putting up a fight about being called back home that I barely paid attention to an entitled git thinking his wrinkles are something he should be ashamed of."

"True but Ash…? I dunno if he had any fight left in him if he's this tired."

"Not right now, wait until he wakes up. Then, I get to tell him that Olympia and Wulfric both called me and offered to send over their badges because they feel 'bad' and Charles is going to need to start clapping if he will just accept that gold medal, as if there was anything to win out of this entire shit-show this year."

"… Can they do that?"

"Apparently so, I was too stunned to get the one after another calling me, acting… weird."

"Is nice now considered weird to you?"

"No, they didn't act nice. If anything, Olympia was panicked and apologetic, as if she got my boy completely wrong and that her giving him a badge was more of an apology to him than a gift. And Wulfric was pissed beyond himself, not at anyone in particular but he's giving out his badge as an act of defiance as if Diantha will somehow miss a whole night's sleep just because he gave away a badge or something."

"Oh, wow, that's not good, though. I mean, Diantha's situation is anything but ideal but to have Gym leaders revolting is bad, Lance."

"I don't care, she got carried away and I draw the line at needing to see a bomb alarm in the city they're calling everyone back to."

"Bombs…" Steven repeats dryly. "I thought she did a faulty search?"

"I'm not allowed to be involved, family member protection and all that, so I'm not told anything of value but I'm not blind, I can show you the e-mail. It was sent to me through the company of Ash's security bracelet so I was very happy to hear no resistance from him yesterday morning and to get the confirmation he was on that plane back home."

"Oh, absolutely, I get where you're coming from. Only, now I think Wallace is an even bigger idiot if there are bombs involved. Man, what the hell did Diantha do? What merit could she have had to blow up the capital city of the region she grew up in?"

"If it was her who planted them there. And if it was her who had control over them."

"Oof, I'm taking distance from that entire situation. I don't want anything to do with it, as long as all the trainers are safe and sound, I'll be happy."

"Absolutely, I agree."

"Anyhow, are you going to leave him sleeping in that wheelchair or do you want me to help you get him up to his room?"

"Impossible," Lance says and shakes his head. "The hallway isn't big enough to fit the both of us and he needs to keep his leg as straight as possible for at least a week, if not more. So I'm getting that inflatable bed thing Clair bought for me, in case I couldn't get up the stairs. Which I still find so ironic because during my entire burn-out, I could get in and out of bed, up and down the stairs in the hospital just fine but well, at least it can be of service to him."

"Ah, so he'll be staying here downstairs?"

"Yes, right across the fireplace, that way he'll be nice and warm all night long. Do me a favour and keep an eye on him while I get that thing down?"

"Sure, no problem."

Steven's job ends up very easy, the boy doesn't as much as twitch during the entire process of setting up that air mattress. He doesn't struggle when they put him up on the bed, just pulls his leg out of Lance's hold when the man removes his prosthesis but other than that, Ash is peacefully asleep. In the end, Steven offers himself up to take vigil next to the teen's bed, to make sure he doesn't jostle his leg or something and Lance, who is extremely tired after everything that happened today, thankfully accepts the offer.

So now the man is sitting on the couch just across from where this precious boy is asleep, hoping with all hope that Ash won't wake up unhappy or angry at something no one could've prevented, especially not him. Something about this entire situation isn't sitting well with him, Charles' anger is enough of a red flag Steven is unwilling to ignore. The old man got so upset at Diantha, he used words against her no one in the pokémon league would've ever dreamt to associate with the dainty champion and yet, all she did was turn her gaze down and look guilty as fuck. So she was extremely aware of what she did and the fact Ash didn't raise questions on why he needed to return home… No, this isn't sitting well with him at all, he's about ready to ask everyone to not mention Kalos near the kid because sometimes, Ash acts on pure instinct. He saw it, with Skarmory, with the big, possessed Garchomp and while he's impressed, Steven realises that his extra-ordinary ability to know things he isn't supposed to know could impact that natural instinct and so, the teen would avoid getting caught up in a storm he's not aware off until someone questions him about it.

However, while sleep eludes him all night long, the boy sleeps so peacefully it almost made him jealous. Of course, Steven hasn't been able to sleep with any of his pokémon for a few years now, Metagross is way too big, Skarmory is super sharp and Bronzong… Well, he doesn't trust the pokémon enough to sleep next to it. He likes it well enough but the fact it always, without fail, has a few tricks ready for him and Bronzong isn't very aware of just how massive and heavy it is. Some of these tricks it must have picked up when it was a younger and much smaller pokémon but Steven just doesn't think it's worth the risk and he's not convinced Bronzong actually sleeps. Skarmory, however, would be absolutely up to sleep in his bed but he's not risking the pokémon becoming upset as it's very likely that it'll cut him and poor Skarmory would be left in tears. And well, there isn't a bed sturdy enough for both him and Metagross so that's completely out of the question.

Claydoll also doesn't sleep and he's had the pokémon out before but all he wakes up to is the pokémon staring at him all night. Aggron will basically just sink through the floor or walk away from him and Armaldo is no one's friend. It snaps and bites at everything reached out to it and generally continues to be moody until Steven has Cradily out to join it and even then, Armaldo could snap at the other pokémon. That usually ends up in a fight, it really is less than ideal and yes, Ash makes him look bad, that Dragloak isn't small, neither is the Gabite and yet… Yes, Steven realises he's a bit of a coward when it comes to dealing with his pokémon outside of battle. Metagross and Skarmory are the only ones he truly trusts near other people and he has no idea where to begin to introduce any of the others to Ash.

It's worth a shot, though but he jumps in surprise when the front door suddenly opens and closes loudly. It doesn't take long to see Wallace's face appear from behind the door and sure, he might be smiling but Steven isn't when he sees Ash jump up in surprise too, woken up by the rude and loud closing of the door.

"What's this, then?" Wallace asks and the boy stares at him as if he's a ghost.

Steven, though, wants nothing more than to smack him. Not just for his carelessness but also for the fact the man is slamming doors close as if it isn't six in the morning!

"You," he huffs, ready to shout but this isn't the right time or place. "Kitchen, now."

The man cringes and quickly shuffles into the kitchen but Steven's first priority is Ash.

"Steven?"

"Yes?"

"There… Are there fireplaces in pokémon centres?"

"No?" the man answers, all confused until he realises that Ash still thinks he's in Kalos. "You're at home, buddy."

"Oh, this is the living room."

"It is. Euhm… It's still pretty early, try to sleep a bit longer for me, okay?"

"Sure," the teen says and goes to lie down just a second after answering him.

This is definitely odd behaviour but Steven has someone to argue with, especially since Lance told him some new details that Wallace should have been on the outlook for, before making such an irrational decision.

---

It's around eight when Lance trails back downstairs to find his boy alone in the living room. But at least Ash is awake, giggling silently as his Dragloak is licking his face, though it doesn't take long before the teen spots him.

"Hi!"

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Yip. If you're looking for Steven, he's in the kitchen, talking to Wallace."

Lance pauses for a second, hearing voices from the kitchen alright but while their voices are hushed, Steven's tone does not sound like he's just talking.

"I'm not looking for him," he deadpans, not willing to touch the relationship between those two -which they both publicly have been denying for years already. "I brought some clothes for you with me, I figured you might like to change."

"I do, Meep's been slobbering all over me."

He chuckles, the pokémon did indeed do a number on his outfit but it could do with a wash anyway. Lance wants nothing to do with Kalos, not even Ash's clothes which he wore there. But his boy stays oddly non-vocal, he smiles alright but there aren't any questions or remarks, it's all a little strange but he still always smiles back so that's all good. He'll still carry him upstairs to have a bath but at this current time, with his leg still so upset due to all the walking Ash did, Lance would rather have him stay still. That's why he puts the boy back into his wheelchair but hah, the Gabite decides to steer it with this super cheeky look but the pokémon is just happy to help his trainer.

"Do you think they're arguing?" Ash asks and Lance looks up.

"What makes you think that?"

"It struck me as odd that Wallace wasn't here. And Steven didn't seem happy when he saw him, granted, it was around six in the morning, I think but the way they greeted each other wasn't… something I'm used to."

"Why don't we go and see what's up with them, hm? I bought some muffins yesterday morning, do you want some for breakfast?"

"Oh, yes, please."

Lance doesn't bother knocking on the door of the kitchen, this is his house and these clowns better behave because he still is very serious about people meddling with how he takes care of Ash. And yes, they clearly were arguing but Steven shuts up the second the door opens, though he has a heated look on his face.

"Everything okay here?"

"Apparently I'm not allowed to do what I want," Wallace pipes up. "Despite everything I've already done to prove that I am trustworthy."

"But a boat?" Steven hisses. "To get your facial products?"

"Did I die, then?"

"Am I not allowed to worry?"

"What's the worst that could happen, then?"

"Actually… Was it high or low tide when you passed by the Kanto border, just beyond Celadon pier?" Ash pipes up, not even looking up as he peels the wrapper from the underside of his muffin.

"High tide, I believe. Why?"

(Author's note: graphic description start. Read with caution, keep scrolling until you see (***) which is a mark the graphic description is over)

"Ah, that's a shame. If it was low tide, you would have encountered the wreckage of the S.S. Anne."

"Would that have made a difference?" Steven asks, though his tone is a lot less poisonous as he speaks to Ash.

"Well, then Wallace could have repeated that question to the people who were on the ship when it sank. According to scientists, there is a rip between dimensions there and the drowned of the place still really believe they're alive. They're quite happy to see people too, I believe it must be quite lonely to remain in that wreck, see the water come up with high tide, feeling like they'll die while that's not possible, since they're already dead."

"There's no way that's true," Wallace utters but his voice portrays a completely different feeling.

"Well, the man standing outside, they presume he was part of the original crew, he's so bloated that his skin is almost sliding off his bones. There's also a lovely dressed woman near the entrance of the wreck, who has half her face missing and just has a hand with a little bit of arm still flopping lifelessly along it, presumed to belong to a child, in her hand. And a little further down, there are a few perfectly fine people, drinking from empty glasses and playing cards which are defying physics with every draw. With or without injury, these people's skin colour varies from green, blue or purple, or a variation of those three. I saw them, I spoke to them, you tell me again that I'm lying and I'll show you even more proof but I guarantee you that you won't be hungry for the next few days."

Wallace swallows hard.

"If there's anything you should never forget, Wallace," Ash continues, still sounding unbothered. "-is that your only limit is mortality. And yes, you have full control over that but once that limit is breached, you're at the level of the unexpected. Just one wish for your safety could land you in the care of a creature's powers, not quite dead but also not quite alive. Which is what I consider very bad because you won't be returning home. Those products you risked your life for will be in your possession but I doubt you'd have the body required to use them left when the sea and whatever creatures living there are done with you. The best option was either for you to return home, unharmed, like you've luckily managed to do and the other being to just have passed away and moved on. But the worst? I'm not sure, there's a lot of options that are already worse than death."

(***)

A heavy silence falls, Wallace now also looks a little green but Lance is not just impressed but also a little concerned. No matter if Ash made a lot of sense and gave a very good example of why the man's behaviour could be deemed incredibly stupid, these just are things no one should think of.

"You were on that ship, weren't you? The S.S. Anne?" he asks and tries his very best not to sigh when his boy nods and shrugs at the same time. "After it sank or…?"

"During. But we washed up on this beach and for a second, I thought I was in heaven. I mean, it was really my sort of heaven, pokémon larger than life? Big yes but when I saw my friends with me and Pikachu as well as nuts and bolts on those huge pokémon, I figured it wasn't quite heaven I was at. And I was right, the island was one a project for recreational purposes but while it's still there, nature took back what was once theirs."

"I take it that you've not been on a ship since?"

"Not too often, no. And before you ask, I've not had many nightmares about that. If I do, it's about water in general, though I'm not afraid of it."

"Well, I'm glad. Now, I hope this subject is done. I'd like to keep my appetite too," Lance says and Steven certainly seems done with it too.

"Y-yes," Wallace stammers. "I'm sorry too. I should've known better."

"I know you do," Steven answers. "That's why I was concerned, this was something utterly out of character for you. The skin care, yes but what you did… Ash is right, this could've ended up a lot worse for you. But he shouldn't have needed to say this for you to realise this, I'm not letting you out of my sight for a good while."

"That's okay."

"Also," Ash pipes up again and for a moment, Wallace looks so startled that it almost makes Lance laugh. "I've not needed to hear several of my friends complain they can't get skincare products from Johto and Kanto where they live to realise you could've also gone to look for alternatives in Goldenrod City."

The man deflates like a bad soufflé and this time, Lance has to stifle his chuckle.

"You sound well-rested, kiddo, I'm glad."

"I did, that's a very comfortable bed. Or a mattress, I guess. And I just was very tired, it was dumb of me to trail back to the airport on foot, I should've called out Bonbon instead of walking back myself."

"The news of that tournament being cancelled must've come as a great shock to you," Steven says and the teen nods, though also shrugs again.

"I don't care too much for it, I wouldn't have an opponent I would've liked to fight against either. So perhaps it's for the best, there are other things that I can do that won't upset me and it'll do my pokémon a lot of good to have some rest. My pokémon from Kalos also need some care, they are very confused and would've very much hurt the trainers challenging me. I should be aware of just how the connection I have with them also lets through my feelings, it's not fair to them and it'll only get the both of us in trouble. So that's something I'd like to work on… and if anything, my experience in Kalos only cemented the feelings and doubts I had before anyway."

Lance doesn't know what to make of that, he's not sure if he likes the way his boy mentioned those 'doubts' he had. Sure, Ash is good, he's a good trainer and it's likely he saw just how big of a difference between him and a trainer just starting. But the boy is still so young, and yes, Lance was already part of the G-men at his age but he doesn't want that for him. As special as he is, it would be easy for him to assume he needs to make himself useful because people ask him to help them all the time or hint that 'they could use someone like him' on occasion. But Ash already speaks like an adult, kids in Kanto don't stay kids for long but Ash is nothing but a boy still. There's still so much for him to learn, to enjoy and the fact he's already worrying about his future, makes Lance's stomach churn.

"Don't think like that, I once felt the same way, you know?" Steven pipes up and even Wallace looks up in surprise. "I wasn't such a good trainer and all people told me that I would just follow in my father's footsteps. And the more determined I was to prove them wrong, every single time I failed to do so, the thought of giving everything up for a safe future came crawling back. But when I finally did manage to win the championship for Hoenn, my father sat me down, told me how proud he was of me and said he would never have let me work in his company anyway, that he saw I had potential elsewhere and that I would just sit down and waste away in his company. And even now, some days, I wonder if that's true, whether I would really be no good or if he just said that as a joke."

"I can already imagine what face you would've pulled when your father said that to you," Ash chuckles but shakes his head. "You misunderstood, though, Steven, whatever doubts I have were rarely about what I was doing, I worried about my health and looking back on it now, I definitely wasn't prepared but if they had all behaved like decent people, I wouldn't have has the issues I encountered. Thought the Pokérus was surprising, I learned my lesson there."

"Oh, I'm sorry. But that's the thing, if you don't say anything about it, I think I can safely speak for all of us when I say that I'm not going to be aware of what's the matter with you, Ash."

"Nothing much at the moment. I'm sorry if I gave you the idea that I was unhappy about something, I definitely underestimated the change I went through but that's about it."

Steven just nods and his smile is so forced, as if he doesn't believe for a second that this is all Ash is worried about. Lance isn't so sure, though, his boy isn't always so complicated and if his journey ends up being a disappointment to him, the first thing he'll try to do is ignore it and likely avoid talking about it. Or at least, that's what he noticed when Ash first came here, the teen still has to mention his mother in any sense other than regrets.

"So those friends of yours weren't sad to see you leave?" Wallace asks and Ash looks at him all weirdly.

"What's that got to do with it? Of course, they still are and so am I. Is that also something you need to know? Or are you trying to say something different? Shouldn't I have come home at all? Did you expect me to do something else?"

"Ash, that's not what he meant," Lance says but he's done with this, they're trying to gauge a reaction from someone who doesn't have questions about what's happened so far. "But as far as I see it, if there are questions of what happened in Kalos, ask them to me and not to someone who just went there to have a good time."

"Oh, is that what you all wanna know?"

His heart almost stops.

"No, I don't-"

"Yes," Wallace says. "I think we'll feel better if you talk about it."

"Are you sure about that?" Ash asks and when he glances at Lance, the man suddenly realises that the boy doesn't have any questions because he already knows.

"How do you know?" he asks and the teen shrugs.

"Weren't you aware I was given the pokémon that I told everyone within hearing range about and said how it was locked up somewhere deep below Lumiose City? It's a lot of things but certainly not deaf."

He wants to kick himself so bad, he was told that Ash would be getting the pokémon and his initial response was to think that his boy wouldn't mind. The kid loves every pokémon and clearly found the idea of it locked up upsetting so to have the choice to take care of it, would've been a better option, or so he thought. To think that it would tell Ash all about the plans of whatever mastermind intended to harm Kalos… If he had known, Lance would've likely made a different choice.

"Ash, only tell me if it doesn't upset you."

"It will upset you more than me. I'm just happy to be home."

"Do you want to tell me?"

"No, because you'll be upset and instead, you should just thank Mr. Goodshow for what he did. He really did stop all of it in one go so you shouldn't worry, it'll never happen."

"Then, let's forget all about it."

Now, Ash's Gabite is more than happy to wheel the kid out of the kitchen so the three adults are left alone for a few minutes. Lance just has to look at Wallace to get him to throw his hands up in surrender and Steven just has a look of mixed surprise and worry on his face so he doesn't bother with him.

"No talking about Kalos, got it?" he says, for good measure.

"Got it," Wallace answers curtly. "Kid's way too good with retorts, I'm going to have nightmares, ranging from ships to tattling, abused pokémon. Wonderful."

"Then you shouldn't have asked. And I'll save you the trouble, I'm sleeping on the couch tonight, " Steven huffs.

On that note, Lance exits the kitchen. Keeping in mind how much trouble Ash's recent adventure was, he's about ready to start planning for a few nice surprises for his boy. He's eternally grateful for what Ash did for his pokémon so he'll do anything in his power to keep him happy.

---

As it turns out… it's not hard for the boy to be happy. In fact, Lance sits back contently as he sees Ash playing in the snow with his pokémon, incredibly happy to have gotten rid of the brace around his leg and being deemed perfectly healed down there. He's been home for a good while now, it's almost Christmas and Lance has seen the boy flourish. After the hard surgery on the boy's thumb, he was deemed healed enough to just have a brace around it to support the digit as it continued healing. But he will never forget how the first thing Ash did after being freed from the brace keeping his arm tightly against his chest, was to hug him. Ah, the memory of this event still warms his heart, at this point, Lance won't ever mind being called a 'proud papa' because now he knows what it feels like.

Steven and Wallace have also made up and yes, Ash was absolutely right, the skincare products here are way better and now he's got a subscription to this particular brand after he sold the boat he bought to get to Hoenn and he looks way better now that he's not being hounded by Steven's reminders of how stupid he had been. It's as if the man just couldn't let go of the fact after Wallace sold his boat, as if that was necessary to prove he wouldn't do it again. Well, Lance was absolutely sure he wouldn't do it again, Ash's story -which Wallace ended up looking up- made plenty of impact and of course, he spread that story all over the pokémon league and it horrified everyone which only ended up in Wallace being called stupid multiple times since him ending up like that would've ripped Steven's heart to shreds, if they would ever find him if he got lost at sea.

It's good to see that Ash embraces the two men at every opportunity that presents itself, they do care about him in their peculiar ways and well, Steven will likely never leave the boy alone, not after Ash went and got Agatha to teach him how to knit to which he used his newfound skill to knit the softest suit for Skarmory so that the pokémon could sleep next to the man without hurting him. And well, Skarmory loves the suit so much that it sort of keeps bobbing its head against Steven's arm to signal whenever it wants to have the suit on so it can cuddle, which is often.

And the boy's friends do indeed miss him, Ash's phone is providing much service as they introduced Ash to this app where he can make short videos and share them with the world. Naturally, he's been focusing them on pokémon and they're tooth rotting sweet, every single one of these videos gives people cavities. He gives tips on how to groom and of course, Skarmory got featured and on occasion, Lance has found his boy knitting outfits which would disappear before he could ask to see them. He doesn't know if he's doing this as a service but anything that makes Ash happy is okay and Agatha, the supportive hag she is, keeps a never-ending flow of wool coming in so in all honesty, Lance foresees something for his Gible oncoming, especially since the pokémon recently keeps snuggling against anyone or anything warm as it's been pretty cold outside.

Today is one of these days where Ash hasn't touched his phone and just spends most of his time outside like a kid should. Currently, he's sitting on top of his Glalie, zooming all around the garden, closely followed by some of his more persistent pokémon, of course, including Pikachu. All of Lance's dragons are inside, snuggling deeply into those comfy cushions they're mysteriously keeping clean as they're not happy in the snow. It's funny how Ash's Dragloak doesn't give a hoot whether it's cold or not, must be the Ghost-type in it unwilling to pass up an opportunity for mischief.

"It's hard to imagine him being who he is, seeing him like this," Wallace muses as he smiles at the sight of the teen having fun outside. "I mean, it's part of who he is but still, this is nice."

"This is how it always should have been. And it's who he always was before he went and got told not to act like," Lance says and shakes his head. "To think that professor Oak would be reaching out to me at this time, wanting to ask a favour of Ash, that's something I won't ever understand."

"He saw the videos on that 'Smile' app, then?"

"Who hasn't? And that's fine but I've seen all of them too and Ash never suggested he was open for favours in any of them. Especially not from the likes of him."

"Oof, so sour, Lance," Steven chuckles. "I bet he heard about the holiday you've been planning and that it spurred that idea of the favour. And it never hurts to ask."

"I don't get why there's such hullabaloo about me taking time off, either. And it would hurt Ash, not immediately, but in the long run? He'd start spinning stories too damn close to the truth again and I don't want that for him or me. He's fine as he is right now and I want to keep it this way. There's been enough drama ongoing and he's allowed his own thoughts but damned if anyone asks me again if he's fine after he heard something that reminded him of a past that I'll make sure won't ever return. So if professor Oak wants to have this favour done, as I told him too, he's going to need to do it officially and that means going through professor Elm. While he's sort of a joker too, I'd rather have Ash deal with him than someone who just doesn't know how to say 'sorry'."

"Lance, you've never taken a day off in your life, of course, that'll shock people," Wallace persists but Lance isn't having it.

"Yeah, and everyone knows why I'm taking up that leave all of a sudden now too so that shouldn't shock them too much. I never had someone to care for either so now I'm going to do it properly. Heaven knows Ash needs the holiday too."

"Agreed," Steven agrees. "But so do you."

"Yes, that's why I'm making the effort to make sure it'll be a holiday for the both of us. Now, instead of stating the obvious, I'd really like for you both not to mention this idea to Ash, I want it to be a surprise."

"Are you sure that's going to be possible? I mean, he's pretty damn good at guessing."

"The bad things, yes, he doesn't seem to worry about good things. If I can surprise him with cereal in the morning, I can surprise him with the holiday. And really, Steven, if he couldn't be surprised, how come he never saw his birthday party coming?"

"… Oh."

"Yes, oh. Promise me neither of you will mention the idea or the world holiday whatsoever around him, please?"

"Of course, of course."

It's an easy promise to make, Ash doesn't talk to them about that kind of stuff. The boy doesn't seem to have any expectations when he's around people either, when he's with pokémon, Ash will always come up with something to do, to make the encounter worth their while but with people? All three men have noticed how the kid will just plop down on the couch next to them and be content sitting there for a good while, not moving or suggesting anything. And it's not as if he doesn't care, he's all ears whenever someone says something but it's also very usual that he'll pull out his phone when no one bothers doing something.

Puberty, everyone tells him but Lance isn't so sure yet he makes no move to mention it. Wallace just becomes very awkward whenever Ash comes to sit next to him and does the same act of sitting there looking pleased as punch while Steven tends to just keep talking, all whilst the teen listens to every word coming from the rambling man even though it's all the stupidest crap Lance has ever heard. But then his boy went and found out how Steven doesn't think himself to be a good trainer as he remembered everything the man said and acted on it, despite Steven not realising he ever went and told the kid that. If that doesn't prove Ash cares, nothing will and Lance wants to cherish that beyond just calling him a good kid.

He can't help but smile as he sees his boy trail inside of the living room, Ash's smile lights up the entire room as he goes and sits right next to the fireplace.

"Had fun outside?"

"Yip. I made a snow Gible."

Steven doesn't make a move to get outside to go see it, he just gets out his phone and yes, Ash did post a video of it and well, it gets a smile on the man's face so all is good.

"How's your hand?" Lance asks, figuring there's only a small chance that the boy will forget his right hand is a little compromised but he's not taking the risk that he did.

"Mm? Oh, I'm fine, I didn't really use it that much. My mittens got wet too fast so I didn't use my right hand."

Ah yes, the Pikachu ones Agatha gave him all that time ago. Too bad Ash never made it to where Wulfric's Gym was, or he could've used them there too but ah, he's making good use of them now. Wallace is quick to help warm the boy's hand too, claiming they're like ice and Lance goes ahead to make him a cup of hot chocolate, not just because Ash likes it so much, it'll warm him up much quicker than the fireplace will.

But while all three of these wonderful men have the best in stock for Ash, the boy isn't… exactly trouble-free. And for once, Ash doesn't know who to talk to or what to do. All he had wanted to do, was to make sure none of his pokémon felt left behind and those who wanted to, you know, get trained the champion way like many of his pokémon are now, that he would comply to their wish if they wanted it, since it didn't change them too much but still made them as strong as they possibly could be. He saw it with Pikachu, got proof nothing changed about his wonderful buddy and thus, didn't let his emotions get in the way of his pokémon's dreams and aspirations. Everything had gone just fine, with his uncle and two, protective champions around him, it was hard to be sneaky to go outside so Dialga offered to take him to Hisui. With how much of an impact Ash had left on that area, the legendary pokémon could find it any time, with its eyes closed and everything and with the boy having nothing but good intentions, he agreed. Many of the pokémon there were good for the kind of training he wanted to put his pokémon through and with Necrozma keeping him from sight, everything went swimmingly… until he took Oshawott and Cyndaquil with him.

And now he's got a problem because they look a little different and he's not sure if that's okay. Like, he's got a shiny pokémon, in fact, if Ash counts them, he thinks he's got three, namely Noctowl, Bonbon and Porygon. The egg he's still taking care of -which apparently got rejected very early on- is likely one too but he doesn't mind that. But them having an entirely different type? Ash counts his lucky stars that professor Elm doesn't care to look at what pokémon he has, or at least, the professor did not react to him having caught Mewtwo or Lugia. And it was visible on his account, otherwise, professor Sycamore would never have come to show him just what sort of power the mega stone would give Mewtwo. Funny how the man's attitude took such a turn, as if he thought that Ash would really use that power against him.

Not to mention… the professor might not have anything to do with it but Clemont is still so mad, calling it a lucky shot for him to get his son back. Yes, Diantha had let Lyssandre do whatever he wanted since he offered her to give her son back, you know, the one both she and professor Sycamore lost custody of? What did Lyssandre want in return for her son? Well… he wanted Ash. The man apparently had caught on to something and now the teen couldn't have been happier to not have been upset at needing to return home and even more thankful that his uncle hasn't pressed the matter. Lance would burn more than a bridge if he knew about that but yeah… With Diantha being so unsuited to be a mother, professor Sycamore got full custody of his son and has apparently tried to rope Meyer in to help him, unsuccessfully, though, the man knows better now too.

So yes, Ash is a little troubled and none of the wise pokémon lingering around him have the answers to the questions he has. After all, pokémon don't care much about the looks of their opponents or friends so none of them find it odd that his newly evolved pokémon don't look like they should, or at least, according to their pokédex entry. Very little is known about alternate forms, seems like Alola and Galar are big on pokémon looking a little different but neither Oshawott nor Cyndaquil are pokémon that appear in those regions so there's no use in him trying to spin a tale about them being related to that place. And it's funny how those two evolved into a different type of pokémon, Ash had Buizel evolve there and he was perfectly happy Floatzel now. Not all of his pokémon evolve either, Bulbasaur, as per usual, passed up on the opportunity and Ash had left the choice to him. Just like he did with Pikachu, if they didn't want to, that was fine but now he has doubts… Is he going to be able to call them out for a fight at all? Does he just… ignore how they look and act a little differently than they should?

"Ash?"

"Yes?" he answers, turning to Steven who looks at him in concern.

"Are you okay? You've been staring at the kitchen door for an hour now."

Yep, no chance to be sneaky at all. Ash gets saved by Salamence's brave attempt to fit into the living room, it's a pretty big pokémon, after all, though the teen wishes the dragon wouldn't have slammed its tail on the table. Sure, the table is sturdy enough but Lance's watch wasn't. Ash wasn't aware it has such sentimental value to his uncle either, apparently, it's an expensive brand his father had passed onto him when he became a G-men and it's hard to see Lance act like he doesn't care it got broken. When his uncle throws the watch in the bin in the kitchen, Ash's first instinct is to go and fish it out again. He hadn't needed any of his pokémon's help to see how Lance glossed over the detail that this is a valuable heirloom and sure, it may be broken now. But there's this person at the end of their street who always greets him whenever they go out shopping. When Ash was in his wheelchair, the man had stopped a little longer and of course, the boy had asked him what he did for a job, just to keep a bit of conversation going and the man apparently does repairs for watches and clocks.

His uncle isn't very sociable, in fact, Lance had left him in his wheelchair to continue his shopping, absolutely not interested in what the young man had to say, so he's got no idea that there's someone able to save his precious watch living so close by. And yes, Ash finds the man's social accounts, he posts a few videos a week on the 'Smile' app so it's pretty easy to track him down to ask him if he can fix the very old Rolex watch. They do business over the week as it becomes clear that Salamence's tail is still pretty soft as it only made the glass break and jostle a bit of the mechanics inside. But the man thinks the repair is doable so Ash is pleased, he might be able to give his uncle his watch back as a Christmas present!

Ah, has it already been a year since he got his phone? The boy barely believes it but then again, so much has happened! He's made new friends, lost a couple and still, he's pretty fine all-round. Sure, there are things still bothering him but he'll be glad to finally see the Christmas party Lance organised every year in its full glory, as the weather predictions land them in pretty fine, cold but dry and sunny weather. So everyone can come around like usual! There'll be a few people he'll try to avoid talking to but according to Steven, there's a chance that there could be up to fifty people invited so it'll be super busy here. Ash is here for it, he does sort of like people and there will be a lot of familiar faces, including his wonderful godmother who wants to hear all about the outfits he's been making for pokémon.

It makes him feel fuzzy to know that she's proud of him and so happy she managed to teach him something new, something useful and a lot of people have the same issue as Steven, some pokémon just aren't built for hugging. But if the intent is there, Ash doesn't mind being the bridge to cover that distance and it has worked perfectly for everyone. To think people would be watching the videos he makes is odd but hey, he tries to be funny. There's enough trouble and sadness around in the world and Christmas is a time he recently discovered is a time for celebrating. His mom didn't believe in presents and the way she set up her decorations just meant a day full of moaning and complaining but here? In this house, he wakes up to the ceiling covered with lights and while there isn't a tree -dragon pokémon apparently take massive offence to it and with Lance's pokémon happily prancing around the living room now, they just didn't want to take the risk this year- Wallace worked his magic on the walls and wrapped the doors with ribbons and a big bow on them.

Ah, Ash can't wait until this party happens, he just didn't get any other gift as he doesn't know who will be present but he's pretty sure Cynthia will be there again since she showed incredible persistence to get here last year but what the heck should he get her? All he can hope for is that there will be peace this year, Clair will likely be here too but Lance's attitude has turned a little vicious after he 'lost' his watch and his vehement claim that 'she better leave him alone' is rooted deeply into their ears, he said it loud enough too. The boy isn't too sure whether anyone will be successful in reminding Clair of this but he's not going to worry about it. He's far too excited about this party anyway so here's to hoping that it'll go fine.

---

End of chapter forty-two.