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.

47. Trailblazer (Part One)

Enjoy~

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Alright, Ash made a mistake as he had confused the starting hour of an actual day of school with the first one, leaving him with an hour and a half to spare, after having stood here for a good half hour, watching time pass. It's half past eight now and feeling stupid, the boy trails towards the pokémon centre, to see how it looks on the inside of it since he has nothing better to do. And he hadn't seen the pokémon centre before since he had called the nurse as he'd been studying, just to make sure he didn't waste any time.

The nurse is busy, or rather, talking to someone she seems to known quite well but the boy's attention is pulled towards the counter, where a particular brand of grooming combs is displayed. They aren't normal ones, they look heavy duty and have a lot of different options, looking like a brush and a comb put together but he can't reach the display as it's standing on the inside -probably for security measures- so he pulls out his phone and researches these combs, finding that the one that caught his interest would actually be perfect for Gabite, as it's specifically made for pokémon with really rough skin, such as Sharpedo. There's also one that interests him, that looks soft but is an exfoliating one, which would be perfect for Meep. And then there's a couple for short and longer hair, as well as a de-matting brush.

"Can I help you?"

He briskly looks up from his phone, startled that the nurse is suddenly in front of him.

"Oh, euhm, yeah, I'm interested in those brushes."

"Alright, would you like to see a couple up close?"

"I'd like to get five, actually."

"Great!" she says enthusiastically, apparently happy with the fast sale as she darts across the counter, where the brushes probably are stored. "Which ones would you like?"

She's clearly not sold a lot of them and something ugly crawls into his stomach and curls up there when he sees that these combs/brushes come with a lot of extras, which makes him believe these combs will be fucking expensive and that this is the reason why she hasn't sold any of them. He'll take the L, though and out of pure habit, slides his trainer card over to her.

"Oh, that's a special one," the nurse says, eyeing his card with really big eyes. "Let's see how much it'll knock off the price, then."

"Will it?"

"Sure, this is a pokémon company product and they like trainers a lot."

That's nasty, he's sort of buying a big sign above his head with this too then and he's got no other option than to take them along to school as well because he'll be late if he goes home to drop them off. The nurse clearly has a lot of time on her hands and she's unbothered as she happily completes the sale.

"That'll be ten pokédollars, then," she says as she hands him back his trainer card.

"For real?"

"That's the special price for brave trainers like yourself," she answers and smiles as she accepts the pristine ten pokédollars -it's a Kantonese habit of his to carry this sort of clean, unused money around, he can't help it. "You're the one who called to ask about the parasites, aren't you?"

"Yes, I wanted to know the risks of staying here, I'd be too upset if something happened to me or my pokémon when I could have done something about it."

"Smart," she says and hands him the bag. "Let me know how the brushes worked out for you, okay? Also, the de-matting one, do you have a pokémon with matting in their fur?"

"Yes, I recently befriended a Litten, she has this clumpy fur on her belly and a little in her neck. I'm hoping it'll brush out so I don't have to shave her."

"The little bottle that comes with the de-matting brush is a spray specifically to entangle hair so spray that on before you start brushing. It's a leave-in conditioner as well, so you don't need to wash that out, though I would also suggest you wash your Litten before attempting to start brushing the matting out, it's better to get most of the grease and dirt out, simply because you don't know where the pokémon has been or what conditions it was living in before you met."

"Oh yeah," he chuckles. "Thank you for the advice, I'll probably make an attempt later today, after school."

"Perfect, I wish you the very best and good luck in class too."

"Thank you, have a good day yourself."

Well, that ended up being really merry and whatever nerves Ash had earlier today, have become a dull feeling of anticipation instead. He's clearly not doing anything wrong today and also, hurray for his trainer card, looking at this receipt makes him a little dizzy. No wonder she still had so many brushes left, his trainer card knocked off ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred ninety pokédollars of his entire order, meaning that one of these brushes was twenty thousand pokédollars each. These better be doing miracles for the people who the pokémon company doesn't nearly like as much, oof, that's a pricy brush but he's pleased he managed to snag these peculiarly interesting ones. Because Charizard and Frogadier will also like that exfoliating brush and well, Pikachu needed a new brush anyway so this came in at the perfect moment. The nurse Joy also put the brushes -along with the add-ons- into a drawstring bag with the logo of the brand but it's a classy one so he'll likely get some use out of the bag as well.

He's still at least three-quarters of an hour too early for school, though and by now, Ash has figured that there's no way he'll be in a class with people his age. He'll be lucky if the other kids will be around twelve, they really need to be at a certain level of intelligence but his uncle did say that this was an advanced school so maybe that's the thing? Doesn't that just mean he's going to look dumb in the class of younger kids, though? Well, whatever, people back in Pallet always called him a baby face and Ash has a sneaky suspicion that the proof of him having grown, through the needed change in the prosthesis he wears, wasn't going to be enough to change their mind but whatever, he's far away from them. Not as far as he would like but far enough.

As he passes this playground again, Ash does see a teacher linger around so maybe he's not even supposed to go into the building and wait in the hall but then again, how is he supposed to know? Anyhow, he still has some time and he wants to check out his recent purchases so he walks onto this nice-looking, grassy area and finds himself this tree stump to sit on. Looking up this school only confirms his suspicions, age here apparently is just a number and with his high score, he wouldn't have needed to even be in this class but then his uncle did want it on paper. Ash is willing to bet that principal Oak is lenient enough to suppress some of his habits and manners for him but to write a degree he hadn't been in class for? Nah, that's a bridge too far, it's fraud too so no, he'll survive these few months just fine, even if it's just the weather that's doing the utmost for him and the now dull aches in his left leg that had been annoying him in the cold weather in Johto.

"What did you just say?!" a voice suddenly sounds out and Ash slowly turns to watch what's happening as he's not in the mood to get involved in an argument.

"You're nothing but enabling her to keep being afraid! YOU are the one at fault here, not Lillie because at least she tried! All you did was grab her and start screaming at everyone close to you! How's that helping anyone, huh?!"

"So I'm suddenly at fault here?! Not her getting it in her head to approach a mad Tauros head-on for no bloody good reason?!"

The teen isn't impressed by the argument, he's hearing two kids trying to mimic their parents but not without understanding they're talking next to each other instead of to each other. He wasn't going to put his foot in it but as he turned to watch the histrionics of this shirtless kid arguing with a vivid green-haired kid, Ash didn't miss how badly the girl sitting at the side cringed. So next to this entire situation being unnecessary, the green-haired girl did mean well but hasn't considered the fact she's shaming the girl she's trying to help in the process. Meaning that neither of these kids, despite their intentions, are helping her and instead thinking about how they think they can help Lillie. A little backwards, if you as him and frankly, taking a good look around, at the Tauros meandering around and not looking mad at all, Ash is pretty sure that these pokémon don't have an evil bone in their body. Also, if they were so pissed like the shirtless kid said they were, the school wouldn't have them near these young kids anyways.

Now, he's also got some experience with Tauros and the comment of approaching a Tauros head-on confuses him. There is only one side he would never approach any pokémon from and that's the back, if only got the natural response of… well, shit coming out of the rear. It's as stupid as looking at a Bird-type from behind, that's just someone waiting to get shat on, right? Either way, he's ready to condemn those two kids and leave them at their histrionics but he's not ready to do it at the expense of this little girl, silently crying as she tries to take up as little space as she possibly could.

"Mbreep."

"I know," he sighs and well, he's pretty sure that the girl in the lily-white dress, ironically called Lillie, isn't going to be so happy to have her arms full of a truly, well-meaning pokémon. "We'll see how it goes."

Socialising has been hard for him ever since his head and heart agreed on pokémon having the best in stock for him so approaching her does feel like a fight or flight reaction but Ash isn't a coward and he's pleased to see that she isn't either. But that makes him wonder, why is she so scared of pokémon, then?

"Hi," Ash greets as he reaches out a tissue he'd snagged from his backpack and she manages a little smile through her tears.

"Thank you," the girl says as she takes the tissue. "I'm sorry for this mess."

"Don't be, they're just arguing for the sake of it. So your name is Lillie, right? I'm Satoshi."

"It's nice to meet you," she says, though glances at Pikachu on his shoulder. "You're going to follow classes here?"

"Yes, with professor Kukui."

"O-oh, that's my class," Lillie admits and she seems so embarrassed. "I'm so sorry, they've been out of sorts ever since, I really don't know what's gotten into me."

"It's okay, I understand why you would want to touch a Tauros. And greenie is correct, it wouldn't have attacked you."

"Green… Oh, you mean Mallow? You think so?"

"Sure enough, bet principal Oak wouldn't let malicious ones roam around as freely like that."

"… That makes sense," she says as she looks around, probably looking for a Tauros but it's probably already time for class and Ash doubts whether the pokémon are truly as free-roaming as he had previously assumed.

"Are you scared, though?"

"Hm?"

"You don't seem to care much about being near them, I mean, there's a couple closely next to you so I wonder why these histrionics are even necessary."

"I'm not scared of them, it's just… touching them. That's an issue."

"Do you perhaps care for a premium chance of petting the fur of a Pikachu belly? I've gotten some new brushes so he'll only be getting fluffier from here on."

Pikachu doesn't care, he glides down in Ash's arms in a practised by-time manner and once the pokémon is comfortable, the girl hesitantly reaches out her hand to ghost against Pikachu's fur. And she definitely touches it, he can tell by the look on her face because she lights up completely.

"Even fluffier?"

"You bet," he chuckles as he gets a small tuft of yellow fur from a gentle pull at Pikachu's side. "He's shedding, it's a change in climate for them."

"Kachu," Pikachu huffs as the pokémon climbs back onto his shoulder.

"Hey, people shed too, you're just out of luck that you're covered with hair from top to bottom."

"Chu."

"And it's not like you don't enjoy a good scratch."

Pikachu just pushes his head against Ash's cheek but well, the teen is merely curious as to what magic these expensive as heck brushes will do. At that price, he'd almost expect them to crawl out of the box and start brushing the pokémon themselves.

"You must be Satoshi," someone then says and while he turns to watch this newcomer slowly as he really can't be bothered to be unnerved today, Lillie jumps.

"Oh, no, professor Kukui, are we late?"

"No, the both of you are exactly on time," the man says and Ash can barely believe a complete, adult stranger manages to smile as warmly at him. "Ready for this first day of the new semester?"

"Yes, professor," Lillie answers and Ash?

Well, this is going to be his first day of school ever so he's not sure. All he does know, is that he appreciates how the professor doesn't mention the pokémon he's got out but Ash remembers his uncle specifically mentioning this to be one of the reasons why he picked this one in Alola out of all schools. Still, he's uncomfortable as he follows Lillie and the professor who is… pretty tall, actually. He's in no rush to grow up since he's still remembers what sort of pain he was in when he started walking crooked and that's exactly what a growth spurt would cause again so no, not looking forward to that but as he enters the class, he's star-struck to see how open it is. Ash didn't know he was feeling antsy to be sitting in a closed room for hours on end until he sees the balcony and smells that nice, sea breeze he loves so much but still isn't exactly the way he remembers having grown up in -maybe for the better but only time will tell.

"Alola, class," the professor says as Lillie quickly darts to her seat, looking way better than before and she even has this tiny smile on her face that makes Ash proud because it was his pokémon being cute that put it there. "Can I introduce you to our newest student, Satoshi Tajiri?"

"Are you a trainer?" a pretty young-looking boy asks. "Because I've never heard about you."

"… Thank you," Ash answers, only slightly taken aback. "But yes, I am a pokémon league trainer have been for almost five years now. Pikachu here was my starter and he's also my pokéhelp as of late so please wait for my consent to touch him or pick him up, he is allowed to hurt you. You'll get to know Meep and the Litten in my backpack later on anyway but Pikachu's a no-go to touch."

A pretty loud silence falls but the professor isn't deterred.

"You're all the way from Johto, aren't you?"

"Yes, professor, though I'm actually Kantonese. I've been living in Johto with my uncle for almost a year now."

"Oh, I travelled through Kanto when I was younger. Got all the way to the elite four too."

Ash doesn't take bait, he's aware that professor Kukui got all the way to the elite four, all the way until he got to Lance and he's not sure if his uncle is regretful of telling younger Kukui off or not but looking at him now, the boy doesn't think he did a lot of damage. There's only so much someone can say that can change what a heart desires so unless Lance put his foot right in a sore spot, something younger Kukui was already doubtful of, well, there's no way Lance could have known that. In fact, if he's got the chance, Ash is very much going to set these two up for a chat because they both sound hung up on lingering feelings.

"Me and Big Mo look at a lot of battle accounts, I swear I've never heard that name before," the kid persists.

"Sounds like a you-problem," he answers.

"Ilima is going to call you out on it if you're a poser."

"Good for Ilima, I guess."

"Alright, alright, that's enough of that," the professor interferes. "You can go and sit at the empty desk there, Satoshi. Let me know if anything is unclear, okay?"

"Will do, thank you, professor."

And that's it. The introduction class doesn't take at all long but it does seem that professor Kukui has a keen eye because he deliberately keeps him in class until all these kids have left because all of them, except for Lillie, had been looking at him very intensely.

"… Is everything okay, sir?" Ash asks, a little confused because he can take on a couple of kids.

"Judging where I found you, I figure you're aware of the… issue in this class. And I don't want you to get too involved in it, not while you seem to be prepared to help Lillie."

"Is this really about Lillie still or are they just having some teenage feelings emerging there?"

"Mallow and Kiawe are two of the oldest in class, outside of you, that is. And they both have their own fortes but they also have a clear opinion on everything."

"So I heard," Ash answers dryly, as they also have a clear opinion of each other.

"As for what Sophocles said, he does look up battle profiles."

"Good for him. There are only two trainers who I'm aware of who have a Pikachu on their shoulders, which are Ritchie and me. And I'm willing to bet all the hairs of my Pikachu on it that this boy hasn't heard from Ritchie either."

"… It is uncommon for international students to show up here," the professor admits. "But that doesn't mean you're not welcome, I, for one, would love to get to know you better. As for the class, you seem to be able to talk to Lillie very well so if only they hadn't started arguing between each other…"

Histrionics, Ash understands big feelings well enough to know that these kids are just frustrated. And it's not as if he doesn't know what being helpless feels like. Either way, he thanks professor Kukui for his thoughtfulness and then makes his way back down, steering clear from the official exits because he can tell one of these kids is going to try and push their opinion on him. It's typical in argument, it's why Ash avoids them like the plague as the truth is always somewhere in the middle of the things they shout at each other so is this still only about Lillie or are they taking this chance to get out any frustrations they have for each other, which they would never have voiced if this didn't happen? His mother used to do that too, she'd yell about the things he was so scared of happening, like taking Pikachu away, selling the house and moving somewhere and leaving him behind. Maybe that's why he had troubles with his feelings in these recent years, the house indeed got sold and Lance hasn't mentioned a chance to go see his mother ever since he'd moved into the house in Johto.

Don't get him wrong, Ash loves his uncle dearly but why is there a rule in the universe that either gives him a motherly figure in his life and not a fatherly one? Only to take the motherly figure away as soon as a fatherly one is introduced to him? And on top of that, he needed to find out that the love he felt for his mother was built on nothing but rose-coloured feelings from his side? That she confirmed through his father that he was an afterthought in everything she did? He'll have a good cry about that later, these kids are raising demons he'd rather have forgotten but professor Kukui better be aware that if they start arguing in front of them, he's going to interfere because he didn't come to Alola to sit and listen to little kids trying to mimic their parents. It's not as if there aren't histrionics in Johto and damn, don't even get him started in Kalos, he did get a message from the Lumiose conference league that, since he had all badges now, he could participate in the tournament in the next coming months. Ash feels sour he can't send a middle finger emoji at them for that disrespect, his uncle would never forgive him for it since these people have nothing to do with Diantha or professor Sycamore… or Clemont and his helicopter dad.

However, he's got a Litten to clean and just to make sure she doesn't fully freak out by the approaching tray of water, Ash tries out his newest purchases on Pikachu -since he wants to prove that, yes, a nicely groomed Pikachu is one of the softest pokémon around- and Meep first so that the Litten sees there is nothing to be afraid of. His caution wasn't necessary, he's got to stop her from putting her head in the soapy water since she doesn't understand she can't butt her head in appreciation into the water without getting her nose full of it. Still, this tray of water gets murky real soon and Ash isn't proud of it but he's got to ask Gabite to help him get a new tray of water since his uncle isn't home. As funny as it is to see Gabite dutifully carrying the tray towards him, uncaring if it's full of water or not, it's not funny to see the absolute crap that's coming out of the pokémon's fur. He's almost expecting to find that his Litten is white with all the dirt that's coming off her, but no, her black coat was just hiding all of this… this mess.

"I let you sleep in my bed, looking like that," he says, very much judging her for being so dirty and she doesn't care, not even pausing her purring or batting an eyelid at him. "I better check my bag too, it's probably full of dirt now too. Heck…"

'The woman warned you, you indeed do not know where it has been living,' Mewtwo pipes up.

"None of my pokémon were so full of dirty when I got them," Ash huffs, gently massaging the pokémon's belly that's releasing even more gunk, he manages to pull a couple of twigs out as well. "Thorny bushes, hm… This must have been so uncomfortable, Litten, why didn't you tell me you were hurting?"

She just purrs and he settles for it. Maybe she didn't know any better or figured this was something she would carry along for the rest of her life… And who is he to tell her off for being so dirty, maybe she's just being so happy for the salvation of this mess. Gabite has to help him out a couple of times too, it takes five more trays before the water stays clear as he's gently massaging and squeezing her fur all over, checking if he missed a spot. Litten is being a very good girl as she doesn't mind being blow-dried and she stays on the toilet seat as she watches him clean up the fur tornado that had spawned as soon as he had turned on the blow-dryer. Yes, she needs a good groom and as Ash manages to stop her before the Litten starts swatting at the ball of fur he carefully collected, so that neither he nor his uncle get tiny, dark hairs all over them as soon as they step into the bathroom, he makes sure to wrap her in a towel before he's covered in loose fur as well.

And that's how Lance finds the boy, meticulously passing the special de-matting brush through small parts of the matting he desperately wants to save. The man looks at him for a good while, eyes finding the spray bottle and then noticing the strange brush his boy is utilising.

"That's new," he comments and Ash looks up.

"Oh, hi! Yeah, I mistook the hour school started and trailed towards the pokémon centre."

"The pokémon centre?"

"Yeah, I wanted to see what it looked like from the inside."

"Didn't you go in there when you got your pokémon vaccinated against those parasites, though?"

"No, I went through the back. And I was going to ask what to do about the matting anyway, before I noticed the brushes behind the counter."

"Oh. Is it working?"

"I think so, I'm being really careful, I don't want to hurt her."

The pokémon's still purring very loudly, the little dragon lingering around seems jealous of the position the Litten is in but Lance can tell Ash has groomed Meep as well, she's nice and shiny. Either way, he doesn't think his boy is morally capable of hurting that Litten but well, Ash's self-esteem issues are just one of the many worries he has about his kiddo. As he sits here, Ash isn't letting out a single peep about his first day of school either, except to admit in some backhanded way that he was nervous because he'd gotten there too early.

"Hey, uncle?" the boy pipes up and Lance is all ears. "Do you think Diantha was so quick to punish professor Sycamore at the time he'd held me accountable for the presence of that Darkrai because of their personal history?"

"… Probably," he answers, knowing better than to underestimate his boy's feelings, especially his suspicions. "Where does this come from? She hasn't reached out to you, has she?"

"Hm? Oh no, the only contact I had was for that Lumiose conference participation," Ash answers, which already peeves Lance because Mr. Goodshow had promised him that this wouldn't happen. "It's just, professor Kukui has a class split on an enabler and those wanting to call out the enabler but not caring about the girl the enabler is… well, enabling. That girl is also the one I met in my dreams, she's called Lillie and I really feel like a jerk because I think I made her approach that pokémon they're all so butt-hurt about but is anyone going to believe me as soon as I mention 'dream'? Also, Lillie, she doesn't seem to remember me either, so what proof do I have that what I say is real?"

"You make this sound complicated."

"It is while it's not. I'm going to think about what to say to them to get them to understand that screaming at each other isn't helping anyone but I need to tell them in such a way that it'll shut them all up at once."

"Good luck with that."

"Thanks, I'm going to need that in this class. There's this kid who doesn't even believe I'm real in my class, all because he can't find me on his battle app."

"What?"

"Satoshi Tajiri isn't a trainer. Ash Satoshi Ketchum Tajiri is but they don't know that."

Lance already wasn't in a good mood to begin with, he'd fallen asleep on the couch which didn't do his back any favours, had slept through his boy leaving for his first day of school -and now discovering Ash had been nervous about it and he hadn't been there to help him-, then getting woken up by frantic calling because Steven had almost burned down the kitchen which Wallace now barred him from going into on his own, then going on a walk that absolutely didn't ease any of his worries, now needing to sit and listen to how an argument in school had reminded his boy of a mess in the past -the invitation to that cursed tournament surely not helping- then hearing that the people Ash met in his dreams are real, for as rare as he encountered them, only for one kid to tell his boy he's not real? He hopes he managed to keep his face straight but Lance needs to have a chat with some people. The creator of that battle app, in the first place, the man is befuddled but Lance makes his demand perfectly clear and thus, as he looks it up himself, Ash's profile shows up no matter if he looks up his full name or the name Delia and Red had decided on before professor Oak found it too much of a hassle to write down Satoshi and settled on Ash, which, Delia -the bloody mollusc she is- agreed with, thinking the threat of Team Rocket was worthy of hiding this young boy's real name for way too long.

And then it's Mr. Goodshow's turn to receive some flack, Lance has it on paper that no one would be contacting Ash without passing through him so to hear that the second he leaves Johto, his boy gets that damning e-mail which he was promised never to be able to exist, let alone being able to get sent to his boy? Nah, he can't have that, not today.

"Ah, Lance-"

"This isn't a social call, Charles. You promised me Kalos would leave Ash alone. I have your signature on the paper where I have the agreement on it and today, I hear he was contacted to participate in a Lumiose conference on a later date, of which we both know he's not looking to join."

"… There is no Lumiose conference for the next two years, Lance, what are you talking about?"

"Do I really have to ask my boy to share the message he got?"

"I'm afraid so, I too would love to know who sent that to him. You should know I would never hide a tournament from anyone, Lance."

"Ugh, give me a second, he's outside, grooming his pokémon."

"I can wait," Mr. Goodshow answers. "Tell him to send it to my personal number, if you could be so kind?"

The man is lucky Ash isn't aware of Lance's feelings or he would never comply like this, he'll probably have a chat with his boy about all of this later but damn, this all couldn't have happened at a worse time. At least the Litten is free of her matting, Ash decides to call her Lucha because she'll look like a luchador when she reaches her final evolution and the purr coming from this pokémon as the boy expresses his wish of performing Darkest Lariat with her, man, Lance is only glad that he's such a wonderful kid but hell, does he have issues? That a couple kids arguing got him to think about Kalos is not a good sign so while Ash complies with Mr. Goodshow's request albeit slightly confused, Lance persistently sits next to him again.

"S how was professor Kukui?" he asks.

"Oh, he's great, very supportive. I think he likes how I've been able to get Lillie to touch Pikachu, she's afraid to touch them so that's a big deal, right?"

"It is but remember, buddy, this shouldn't become a chore for you, okay?"

"I doubt it, as long as you've got good intentions and slightly warm hands, any pokémon would like to be petted. And it's sad to see a world full of pokémon and just constantly fear one is going to jump you, even for someone who isn't phobic of a pokémon's touch, it's a big thing to get a pokémon jumping on top of you and it happens a lot. Some don't even know their own strength and I don't want Lillie to fall victim to that sort of thing."

Lance tries not to sigh, this approach clearly isn't working.

"Okay, as long as you like helping her out, don't forget about the pokéhelp thing, though."

"No, no, I put that boundary down from the get-go, you should have heard that silence," Ash chuckles. "Think you could help me foam up some soapy water? I'm going to groom Gabite with the neat, new brush I got specifically for pokémon with the Rough Skin ability."

"Really? That does sound neat," the man answers, impressed but not forgetting why he's here and yes, he'll foam up all the soapy water in the world as long as he can get his boy to understand that people aren't entitled to his amazing abilities, extra-ordinary ones or not. "Do you think there are cameras around the property of the school? To record battles and so on?"

"More for safety reasons, I think. Why?"

"It's in the administration I signed that you can tell them not to use video footage so whenever something happens that you know isn't 'okay', remember that. They can't tell you 'no' because that's against the rules, if they do refuse, call me because that's a big issue."

"Even if it's like, a pokémon following around that's able to communicate? I mean, DuckDuck would be able to do it but I've heard professor Kukui refer to a Rotom dex this morning and I believe that will just be a living pokédex which will be able to record, if a pokémon possessing a machine like a pokédex."

"Yes, exactly, that pokémon isn't allowed to share recordings without your consent, no matter what."

"I wonder how much control words have over a Ghost-type, though. I mean, I've got my ways and Meep is going to be really scary for a Rotom anyway but if you say so, I'll pay attention."

"I do say so. And pictures or video footage, even if it's footage you've already shared online, no one can use it without your consent and if you do, ask for payment. Anyone just wanting to 'use' whatever talent displayed in the footage, needs to be put straight."

"So like, if professor Elm wants to do something with one of my pokémon, he would have to ask permission first?"

"Yes. And he would have to compensate it with some sort of value, most professors offer certain titles that would have favourable benefits to trainers as compensation. Now, your trainer card is pretty much the best one out there but professor Elm is big on pokémon care and he'd likely put you on a subscription list to receive items for free for as long as his project takes or even longer than that."

"… Professor Oak never did that."

"No," Lance chuckles and he shakes his head. "No, he certainly didn't do that. Now, to be clear, most will just offer you money so don't be surprised if that happens. But even so, if you don't trust the person asking you to sell whatever they're interested in, follow your gut feeling."

"Okay, I'll keep it in mind. I didn't know that was a thing."

"It is and that's a part of why I limit the contact between you and professor Oak."

"And my mom? Why did you limit contact between me and her?"

"She's… one thing one day and someone entirely different another. I didn't want you to feel like this is your fault or that you could have done something to avoid it when she lashes out to you or cries and then tells you to fuck off the next minute," Lance admits. "You can have contact, if you like, I thought it was better for you to find your comfort first because she's… she's unwell and not just mentally so."

"This accident must have really hit her hard," the boy answers dully, his shoulders sagging as he does so but the man shakes his head.

"I've seen the report from CPS, buddy, something was already going on way before that accident. You know there was, I know why thinking about her always makes you unhappy too, you always know a bad habit or feelings through something that's happened from your past and that's telling. You can't tell me your childhood was problem-free and still be able to relate to what sounds like abuse in some way or another. You know the difference, I know you do so there's no reason to delude yourself into thinking you've got anything to do with it. And sure, the accident didn't help but her condition could have worsened or lessened one day or another and you would be none the wiser, beating yourself up for no reason when even your mother can't help herself."

"Is she really a lost cause?"

"In my eyes, yes," Lance answers and he bites his lip. "You don't listen to someone telling you to hand over your parental rights, no matter how important they are. No one has any say over your right of guardianship and yet, she did. Without skipping a beat, you claim there was a loud silence when you told those kids about what a pokéhelp means, well, you should have heard the silence when she just shoved the paper towards your caseworker, as if it was just another deal of the day, like she returned something to a store. Your caseworker sat there, stunned and I was none the better, and the shithead next to her laughed at me because I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed. I was waiting for a shit storm but it never came and that's why CPS made it a done deal like that."

"… She did that…?" Ash repeats hesitantly, pausing Gabite's grooming for a minute -the pokémon doesn't care, though that one eye locked in on him makes Lance uncomfortable, Gabite isn't deaf either.

"She did. She couldn't have put a bigger sign on the wall that something wasn't okay, though, they admitted her to the institution straight after and ever since, she's not been able to give a clear answer about whether she regrets letting go of you or not."

"So who was the shithead next to her?"

"… Old Oak," Lance admits. "It's why I enrolled you in the name he refused to accept, it would have kept you safe. And principal Oak isn't very close to him, he's aware that his cousin did something to you and I never even told him. So all I can imagine is the professor having called the principal to complain but any ordinary person would call it insane and entitled to complain when he just brought this on himself."

"Would explain why the principal even sucked his belly in," the boy says dryly. "Well, good to know that all the empathy of the whole of Kanto was dumped on this region. How expensive is the housing here?"

"Reasonable, let's see how your time in this school is but honestly, if you like studying and get good grades here, we could move to Unova for a little while and then you could follow classes at Blueberry Academy."

"There's an academy in Unova?"

"Yes. And you like Unova, right?"

"Yes… yes, I do. Whether Unova will like me like this, that remains to be seen but they're nice there. And it helps Ghetsis got eaten by Kyurem."

"Well, let's keep this in mind, okay? It's always better to look forwards than backwards in life anyway," Lance says and hands the boy a handful of bubbles. "Just know that, no matter what, I'll always be proud of you."

The boy turns to look at him but that tiny smile on his face is genuine, though not comforting because his silence is only because he's mulling over what he's learned today. And Ash is talented in finding himself as the reason for all of this madness which Lance doesn't agree with, even CPS was worried for him only to find that even the therapist had to use steel pliers to pull his feelings out of him, figuratively speaking. Putting a stranger in front of that kid wouldn't have made an ounce of an impression and Ash would have closed up quicker than a Clampearl, so that's why Lance finds it important to be able to talk to him as freely as this… even though he's aware of the boy's long-suffering tendency to see himself as the bad guy, he will repeat to his boy that he's not until they both get tired of it and then some more. It's unreasonable, Lance is still so mad about what has happened, under his very nose too… Oh, if only Red had told him that he had a kid but then Blue died and well, things snowballed so quickly that he never thought twice about the woman Red had left behind. Putting pressure on his half-brother wouldn't have worked either, Red is a lot like Ash in that way but gentle swaying does the trick but how was he supposed to know? Delia must have been pregnant before her wedding day anyway and he hadn't even been there, not having been made aware of the arrangement until Red reappeared in his life, in a war he absolutely had no right being in the thick of it.

Ugh, Lance is bothering himself with this, he's being a hypocrite by focusing on the past like this when he'd just told his boy to look towards the future. And it's not like Ash has frozen up, he looks like he's thinking, sure but his attention is on Gabite, who seems to enjoy that new brush. It's a good sight to see, Dragon-types are always a little huffy and not easy to please but there is one heck of a pleased Gabite sitting not too far from him.

"After lunch, let's go out for ice cream, okay?"

"Oh yeah, there's one not too far from here," Ash says and perks up. "They have a lot of weird tastes but I saw they had sorbet too."

"That's a deal then. Need some more foam?"

"Actually, if you could hand me that towel, that would be great."

And Lance does so, figuring that if Ash has any questions about what he's learned today, he'll probably hear about it later, when the boy has finished trying to fish out every possible scenario of what could have happened instead. Though he hopes that, this time, Ash will be truthful about his feelings, though he knows that it'll likely take a while before it hits him. Especially thanks to those arguing kids.

---

Someone in Kalos will be having a ringing ear for a good while but hell if Siebold didn't deserve to get Tinnitus after that stunt. Even Mr. Goodshow got annoyed that the elite trainer justified himself breaking the contract they had signed by claiming he found Satoshi too interesting as a trainer, that he couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask. So no one was very amused that Siebold had done this, not even Diantha who sat there very silently but condemning one of her elites for getting her in this position all the same but well, she's still the Champion of Kalos so she had to be there when Mr. Goodshow got someone to trace where the e-mail came from. And also, as he's going through everything that's been bothering his boy, Lance valiantly goes to find professor Kukui, willing to try and explain why he will and can make the man's life difficult should his boy come home so silently once more.

"… Lance?" the professor asks and the man smiles, albeit not so kindly.

"Hello, Kukui. Can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Oh, euhm, yes, go ahead. How can I help you?"

"I just want you to know that, next time I hear my boy say that someone thinks he's not real, I'll be flipping my shit."

Professor Kukui seems stunned for a moment but Lance doesn't move an inch, he's making himself as clear as he can without actually getting upset.

"I… I'll see what I can do."

"And as for those arguing kids, do you want my boy to tell them they're being ridiculous or are you going to step up and do it?"

"I don't know what to tell them."

"That they're being stupid. You can stop an enabler and someone telling that enabler off, you're their teacher, you're a very important person in their lives so when you say they need to stop and talk it over, they ruddy well will."

"This isn't Kanto," the professor bites back but again, Lance isn't having it.

"Don't delude yourself, you know what you mean to them. And you better don't hold my boy accountable for this, he didn't even complain but I found an issue with what he said so if you want to complain, I'm right here."

"I won't, you're probably right. But acting like this, you can't get mad at anyone calling you a papa bear."

"Right now, if you call me stupid, I'll turn around and prove that I am, no matter what history we have between each other. And sure, I'm sorry if what I said all those years ago hurt you but any feelings coming from that, should be aimed at me, if you have something to say, say it to my face, I'm here and I can take it as well as I can dish it."

"… You were right then too. I'm sorry if I made you feel like you hurt me, I may not have enjoyed hearing it at the time but I'm in no position where I can claim I ended up somewhere unhappy because of it."

"Glad we talked about that, then. Also, whenever something bothers you about Satoshi, come and tell me, don't tell him because he automatically makes assumptions I rather not have him think about."

"Agreed, I'll keep it in mind."

"Wonderful. Then I hope that our next meeting will be by chance," the man says and curtly nods towards the professor, to then promptly leave.

His boy went to have a nap because he had woken up too early and Lance doesn't want him to wake up to discover he's not there. And heck, there really isn't anything he's got to say to professor Kukui and he hopes that his boy remembers not to let anyone take advantage of him and that what he told him sticks but well, this region should not be testing his patience, Lance has had it up to his neck with all these shenanigans. He's in luck, though, the house is blissfully silent, meaning that Ash is still asleep. Which is good, he wants to cook something nice for him for dinner and prepare a bit of lunch for tomorrow so that his boy can take some to school with him.

With all this trouble far behind him, Lance finds himself in a comfortable position, having some faith that a school would act accordingly but it's the professor who doesn't like trouble who hesitates to go to principal Oak to talk about it. However, he's unwilling to be on the receiving end of Lance's outbursts so that's why professor Kukui picks up his phone and calls the principal, who seems a little surprised.

"Oh? A complaint, from you?"

"Look, the new student, Satoshi, I do think he's going to be the best person to help Lillie and he's willing, he approached her already but I don't want him to get scared off because of Mallow and Kiawe's arguing. Even less willing to have him involved in the argument."

"I figure Lance came around to see you?"

"So what if he did? I would not have called you if I wasn't fed up with it either."

"Alright, I will go ahead and spook the kids but I need you to tell me if it worked because what I'll be using to spook them could become a scary reality if they persist," the principal says. "Your class was rather tight-knit before this incident, wasn't it?"

"Yes, they were all friends before. It's sad that this is what we need to resort to but I see no other way than to talk to them."

"I will, don't worry, I will keep you up to date so keep an eye out for the e-mail I will send you, there's a chance I'm going to need a reply but I'll let you know. Is that all?"

It is all, but even so, it all worries the professor enough to go and see his wife, to give her a hug and find some comfort because today has turned out be have been unpredictable in many ways. And bless his darling, she knows when something is up but doesn't say anything. There isn't much she can do or say that comforts him more than just letting him hold her anyway.

"Is everything okay?" she eventually asks and he sighs.

"I'll know it when the principal lets me know, I asked him to intervene with the issue of Mallow and Kiawe's arguing."

"You did?"

"… Why do you sound so surprised?"

"It's not like you to ask for help, I'm proud of you for having taken a stand but… where did this come from so suddenly?"

"… Someone reminded me that I have no business standing by the sidelines, watching. Not when I have the power to do something about it," he answers and she watches him with wide eyes. "I figured that notifying principal Oak was the best course of action here."

"Oh, absolutely, I fully agree. I didn't know it bothered you so much either but thinking about it now, you weren't at all excited about the start of this new semester, were you? It makes sense now… So are you just worried about how those two are going to react or the final result of this?"

"It's not as if the principal is going to be able to keep an eye on them all the time," he says and she chuckles.

"Isn't Sophocles the biggest sucker for rules in your class? He'll make sure he'll remind them of whatever's hanging over their heads."

"I don't know, my newest student, he's… been making an impact and I'm not pleased with how Sophocles responded to him either. It's not like he knows how to write Kantonese so he might as well made a mistake but outright telling someone they don't exist because he can't find them on his app? Even saying he'll involve Ilima, to then call a licensed trainer a poser? Does Sophocles think that the principal or myself wouldn't have checked? I'm going to have a personal sit down with him too, I'm taking fifteen minutes of his lunchtime away for it."

"Going right for where it hurts the most, eh? Maybe having a chat with Molayne about manners might help, you know how Sophocles looks up to him."

He nods, that too might be a good call but his wife isn't done thinking.

"A Kantonese transfer student, though, how did they end up here?"

"Beats me, I think it was his family's decision and that he just went with it. I don't mind, he's kind and only quick to answer when it comes to… well, jabs towards him. He didn't seem to care much about the threat of needing to face Ilima either, nor did he seem too impressed by anything Sophocles said either but I'm not taking the risk and letting another situation happen. It's not as if Ilima isn't going to see that the real deal is in front of him but embarrassing Sophocles won't have a good effect either, I don't want to make any of the kids feel worse either. But when they don't act properly, I'm well within my right to correct them."

"Of course, you'll know him better than I would. Just because I've seen them a couple of times doesn't make me any more familiar but well, I feel for the Kantonese kid, being from Unova got to be a bit of err… 'feedback' on my appearance so he'll likely look a little different too, won't he?"

"Nothing that would throw anyone off. He's tanned as well, he's from the Kantonese seaside, I believe. He seemed a little too relieved at seeing the open classroom too."

"Oh, that will be alright, then. I hope this works out for you, though, you know I hate seeing you upset or worried."

And as she snakes herself nicely around him, the professor smiles. He just hopes it all works out but wonders why his wife got too interested in someone from Kanto. He's aware she had this encounter, something to do with a child in trouble a good while ago but she's been kid-oriented ever since, which is weird by itself but well, what are the chances that this is about Satoshi, huh? He seems pretty great, getting Lillie to touch that Pikachu and the pokémon itself seems to have a good character as well, not to mention the Dragon-type who was solely invested in what the boy did and certainly not snappy towards anyone else? That speaks of talent and he's not blind since he too was a trainer at some point and his pokémon were only controllable when they liked it. It took him way too much time to get his in order so to see someone so young, so in control? Sophocles has some ways to go if he wants to be a professional in recognising trainers, if he treats someone like Satoshi like this and frankly? The lack of reaction surprised him, the boy might just be the sole trainer who didn't get mad at not being recognised but maybe that too has its reasons. He's not sure, all he hopes, is that he's able to get to know the boy a little better… and hopefully, he might find the trailblazer he needs in order to get Alola on Mr. Goodshow's radar.

---

The boy yawns widely, feeling woozy and not really in control. And looking at the clock, he's not even been asleep for so long but to him, it feels like he's slept through the whole of today and into tomorrow. His uncle wouldn't let that happen, though but maybe it's because of that weird dream he had. It didn't feel like all the other ones, where he had been in control, no, this felt like he was just seeing what was happening somewhere else, where he could only watch and do nothing… but also knowing that he wasn't there. Is this really just a dream or did it mean something? He had his phone with him again so why did it feel so different? Also, what was that? Ash can't recall having ever seen anything like it and now he just sits here, a little dazed and unsure of what to do.

Until his uncle enters the room, though he can tell the man is surprised to see him awake but that frown… he's troubling Lance again.

"Weird dream," he says, before the man can even say anything.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Euhm… I don't know… have you ever seen an electric… like… a power plant?"

"Yes, I have seen a power plant before."

"Well, imagine it being built by people who have never seen one before, that's exactly- Oh!" he says, suddenly getting an epiphany. "I remember where I saw those things before, that wasn't a power plant, those were Ultra Beasts! Why were they so huge, though?"

The boy looks back at his uncle but the man isn't looking pleased.

"… Uncle? What's the matter?"

"I don't like how you're suddenly dreaming about Ultra Beasts."

"It's not like I can control it," he answers and glances at his phone, innocently laying on his nightstand. "Do you perhaps want to see the pictures I took?"

"Oh, it was one of those dreams, huh? I do hope you didn't touch one of them?"

"No, I don't think I was really there. It just felt… like I was watching. Observing them. Which, if I think about it now, seems super creepy but I don't think they knew I was there, they didn't seem disturbed."

"Well alright. I'd like to see what you saw, Ash. If only to realise what you must be feeling like," Lance answers and the boy smiles.

There's no way his uncle would ever believe him if he said he wasn't scared of those Ultra Beasts. Not yet, at least, these ones hadn't been one of the three who hunted him down, and hurt him so badly but his phone didn't do the picture much justice, the creatures he saw were huge, there was this humongous one right in the back, it was so unimaginable big, just the idea of getting that one's attention on him does unsettle him a little and his uncle? He just sees the ones Ash thinks are normal in size and he's already frowning.

"Ash, this is creepy."

"Well… They live there."

"It's still creepy."

"Do you think this would interest professor Brunet?"

"Remember when I told you not to sell your abilities cheap?"

"Oh… So… Is that a no?"

"It's not a 'no', think about it for a while. I think you're still a little sleepy, take your time, I'll be getting a snack ready, okay?"

"Sure, thank you."

And while his uncle leaves, looking bemused, Ash is still frazzled, mostly because of how unreal that dream felt and looking at these photographs just brings the discomfort back. Mewtwo has been silent for a while, though it said it was mad because of what Lance said, that the behaviour of his mother angered it and that it was better for the pokémon not to give his opinion because it knew it would only upset him, while now, Ash understands. His mom isn't the one he's created in his memories any longer and it's upset his uncle as well and the man only kept them separate because he knows that, as someone special, Ash would automatically assume he had done something. His mother had always been quick to upset whenever someone mentioned some sort of disease or disability near her, linking it to him, she hated the idea of anything being wrong with him but that didn't stem from care, no that was something purely narcissistic, according to dr. Knight. And he would know, he's spoken to Delia as a professional therapist and he came to the conclusion she had mastered the art of deflecting, nothing was ever her fault and sure, not everything was her fault but she was never truly innocent either but she refused to see it. At the time, she hadn't really gone around the bend either but to hear professor Oak was responsible for convincing her to give him up?

Ash won't even consider ever forgiving him for that one, he almost hopes Gary will call him or contact him, he'll absolutely fling that shit show back in his face because neither Gary nor his grandfather had ever been his friend. They knew him, yes but would someone who liked him, cared for him, ever done the things they did to him? He doesn't need to think that one through, Gary can go to hell with his vague pity parties, they never were the friends he thinks they were, the sucker. And now, after everything, he should be the bigger person? Nope, not the case, he'd rather go and sit amongst those Electric-type Ultra Beasts than go back to Pallet and treat the professor and his grandson as if nothing happened.

"Ash?"

Oh, right, the snacks! He jumps from the bed but lands badly on his right leg, his ankle gives way and he lands in a heap on the unforgiving tiles with a lot of noise.

"Ash, are you okay?"

"I'm okay," he answers because he is, he's just… "I'll be right there!"

Today is not the right day for his right leg to suddenly fail him but well, at least he hasn't hurt himself. It'll be a hassle getting up to the classroom with his crutches too and ugh, he needs to be careful, Miss Eleanor did say that this prosthesis wasn't as sturdy as the one he used to have but he hopes she'll have a replacement ready soon enough, before he gets too used to how light this one is.

"Mbreep?"

"I'm okay," Ash says, hastily getting his shoe back on. "I'll be right there, no worries. Come one, Meep, Pikachu and- whoa!"

Well, Lucha is all ready to go, he had nearly tripped over here but no, she's lovingly butting her head against his prosthesis, not a care in the world. He's not mad that she's happy or that she's accepting of his disability but he'd rather not have her where he was going to put his foot.

"Come here, you cuddle monster," he says as he picks her up. "Let's see what Lance has out for us, hm?"

And she? She just purrs and he smiles. Some pokémon, they just have this ability where he can look at them and suddenly, nothing seems that complicated any longer. Oh, he loves pokémon so much and he couldn't be happier that they decided to return the favour… even if that had required him to change to the point where he barely recognises himself.

---

Come morning -his uncle had made this super delicious lunch for him which he's proudly got with him- Ash doesn't feel so tense any longer. He's not sure why, Lance had been up, ready to hug him as if he was trying to compensate for sleeping through his first day of school so that was good but he's not looking forward to sitting in that silent as-heck class where he could cut the tension with a knife. But no, he's feeling alright, he'll probably be rolling with the punches but the first difference from yesterday, is a distinct lack of screaming. All he's hearing is playing kids-

"Oh, you're Satoshi, right?"

He blinks, he hadn't seen her stand there, she's a lot shorter than him but he wasn't paying attention anyway.

"I am, hi. Lana, right?"

"Yep! I'm glad you remember my name, we didn't have a chance to talk, I euhm… I wanted to apologise for Sophocles and Mallow's behaviour. They're sort of upset? I don't understand, Lillie is smart enough to know the difference between a mad pokémon and a nice one, she's smarter than Mallow and Kiawe combined so they have no right being so mad at each other but Sophocles, he's just been in the middle of them and he's really fed up."

"Okay," Ash says. "You do that a lot, apologising in someone else's stead?"

"… Sometimes?"

"Please don't? I can tell you mean well but it doesn't feel so genuine if the ones causing trouble aren't the ones apologising."

"Even when I didn't speak in your favour?"

"What's the worst that could happen now, though?"

"Euhm… Ilima is a pretty strong trainer and he didn't sound happy when Sophocles called him yesterday. He called you rude."

Ash smiles, good to know that at least the guy is aware of that before they meet. It also means he doesn't have to give any excuse but damn, can some people jump to assumptions here? He's not that different but at least he doesn't always voice it but when it comes to talking bad about himself?

"Oh, but I am. Don't worry, there's not much anyone can say I haven't heard yet, Ilima can do his worst, I don't care."

"You don't?" she asks, pulling wide eyes.

"Nope. I bet you didn't speak up when Mallow and Kiawe went at it either."

"Hey, don't… Kiawe doesn't believe a thing I say and if I had said something, he would have chewed me out. If this thing hadn't happened, he would have automatically started badmouthing me before I got to meet you so don't judge me that quickly."

"Oh? What caused that, then?"

"So I fish and I did catch a Kyogre, I hauled it up… but no one believes me."

One look at those noodle arms and he can sort of understand why they wouldn't, in fact, the only part he doesn't believe is that she hauled it up. It's more likely that this was a hungry Kyogre that saw a snack and jumped up as soon as she reeled it in, not about letting the snack go.

"You must have had some good bait out but yeah, I believe you."

"You do?"

"Sure, look around you, look how beautiful it is here. Why wouldn't a legendary pokémon like Kyogre be around this kind of paradise? And besides, I have it on picture, right here, on that beach over there. So yeah, I believe you."

"You… you have it…?" she stammers. "You're kidding me. They've been calling me a liar for all that time and yet…"

"I mean, same, I have a very rare feather, I literally had it in my hand and they called me a liar when I said I encountered that pokémon but you know what? They still don't believe me but I'm also still alive," he says as he grins. "You're alright but do you think going 'hah, I told you so' is going to make Kiawe any friendlier?"

"… Probably not, huh?"

"But I like you, I like that you are a fan of a Kyogre. One question though, what sort of weather was it when you caught it on your reel?"

"Well, it was a beautiful day but it started to rain a little. You know, that sort of light rain that soaks you to the bone?"

"A drizzle, you mean?"

"Yeah, that. I hate that, I packed up my gear and I left, it would only attract Dewpider and Surskit at that point so there was no use in sticking around."

"No creepy crawlies for you?"

"Heck no, have you ever seen a Dewpider? You don't want them climbing on you, they're tiny but it stings so bad when they crawl up an arm, it's like tiny needles, it really gives me the ick."

"I haven't but I'm sure it'll rain someday so I probably will. I'm not worried."

And he isn't, especially not since Lana isn't half bad, she's a little unsure of how to act but Ash also remembers how he felt at finally being believed. His uncle has been his rock in that but then again, it's not like his issues are hiding, Lance might not be able to follow him in his dreams but thanks to his phone and the camera that is slowly becoming his favourite gift he ever received, the man could still see it. Funny how he judged those Ultra Beasts due to the link the name has to his accident. Ash thinks the ones he saw wouldn't be able to hurt him too much, especially not if he has Pikachu near him, who would draw the electricity away from him time and time again.

"Lana!"

The vivid green-haired girl comes running towards her, leaving Ash a little awkward, lingering by the side like that.

"Lana, the principal is going to kick me out of the class if I don't stop arguing!" she cries. "What do I do?"

And Lana, who is looking at Mallow with wide eyes, turns to look at him, for support and he shrugs.

"Maybe stop arguing?" he suggests and the girl turns to him now.

"Huh?"

"They can't kick you out if you don't argue any longer, right?"

"So I just have to let Kiawe walk all over me?"

"Who says Kiawe wasn't threatened with the same punishment?"

She blinks.

"You think so?"

"I mean, you can argue with yourself but it was just the two of you butting heads."

"So who do you think was right?"

"None of you. You would have helped Lillie a lot more if you had kept your mouth shut and told her your opinion about Kiawe's overreaction in private but now, you made it into a spectacle, when I got to school yesterday, Lillie was so embarrassed, she looked like she wanted to get swallowed by the grass under her and you didn't even notice how much worse you were making the situation. Kiawe, on the other hand, he needs to learn that school would never let easily angered and aggression prone pokémon anywhere near students, if that Tauros had been huffing and puffing, then it was the same histrionics the both of you were doing. All bark and no bite. So yeah, I think you should apologise to Lillie, I know you wanted to help and probably, in some strange way, so did Kiawe but both of you need to back off and just say sorry at this point."

She's still looking at him, he can see the cogs turning in her head ever so slowly.

"That's what principal Oak said too."

"I bet he did. You screamed loudly enough for him to probably have heard it too. In fact, maybe even Kahuna Hala heard it."

Oh, now he has her attention, she straightens instantly.

"You think so?"

"Yes."

"Oh no… Oh no, that's why. I'm so sorry, Satoshi, I didn't realise that."

"You don't need to apologise to me, it's no skin off my back that you were going to face consequences, really. I'm relieved you starting to realise what you did… even if it took a while and a scar punishment to get you to that point," he says and shakes his head. "I don't know if this is going to kill a part of you but how about taking the high road and apologising for screaming to Kiawe too?"

"But-"

"It doesn't matter if you were right or wrong, it's about the principle of it. Do you like it when your family argues?"

"Well no but that's different."

"Is it? So you like being yelled at, for no good reason? Or do you like it, when an argument happens, someone cries? Even if they're wrong or right?"

"… No?"

"Then please, apologise to Kiawe too. Maybe he will explain why he tried to make Lillie even more phobic of pokémon than she already is. And for the slight chance of him also apologising to you, wouldn't you like to hear him say he didn't mean to hurt you either?"

"I guess so. Should I?" Mallow asks, turning back to Lana, probably wanting her to say 'no' because well he was just told no one believed her, especially Kiawe.

"Yeah, go for it. You could surprise him with that and it's a nice thing to do," the girl answers, smiling a little cheekily.

But Mallow's face changes drastically and she only looks half as peeved as Ash would have been but she nods valiantly.

"Alright, I'll do it then."

Oh, he can't wait to see that but he's not allowed inside yet, apparently, professor Kukui isn't nearly as happy as he was yesterday and is now with those three inside of the room, Ash is waiting until he opens the door. Lana is looking everywhere except for the door and Sophocles has this little smile on his face like he secretly farted but the boy doesn't need any special ability to know that the kid is hung up on the idea that this Ilima is going to be able to say or do anything to him. He's faced Tobias in battle so what is going to be worse, huh? A battle gimmick he doesn't know much off or a legendary pokémon? He knows which one he absolutely is willing to fight, it's always better to find a worthy opponent than to try and be a bully.

Anyways, he pulls out his phone because he doesn't like standing here so aimlessly as they're taking their sweet time inside there… and sees that the clip with the balloons he put on the Smile app got a lot of traction. People really like the clips he put up, as well as the pictures so maybe he can go and wander around later today, he'll let his uncle know and then see if he can't catch some cute pokémon in action or something. It's not like they'll give that much homework that he won't be able to walk around a little, right? But it all remains to be seen, the door opens shortly after, with the two who had that punishment hanging over their head looking very tame.

"Sophocles, I also need to speak to you but I will do that during lunch," the professor announces and the boy pulls a face as if someone just told him birthdays were cancelled.

But after that, professor Kukui jumps straight to the lesson and it's hard, it's advanced battle mechanics and he's talking about pokémon Ash has never seen before. His head hurts after two hours of this, he's made a lot of notes but oof, he probably wrote the pokémon names completely wrong and resorted to writing them down phonetically in Kantonese. Still, the lesson itself made sense so he's not worried but he could do with a break, though he's only halfway through the first class of today. Ugh, it's not comforting to see he's not the only one sweating but the professor seems to have this out as a punishment for all of this but heck, collective punishment is a war crime but then again, is it a crime if this was material professor Kukui was meant to teach anyways?

Anyways, the break is thankfully received, Ash is a little taken aback that they have a full hour for it and even more when the professor says they can leave the class.

"Professor?" he asks and the man turns to him. "Does that mean I can leave the school too?"

"Yes, as long as you're back on time."

"Okay, thank you, sir," the boy chirps, more than happy to have his lunch on the beach.

He's not aware he's being a little too chipper right now but Ash needs a breather, he was prepared to study but he likely won't have any time to go and roam he's not sure if the professor, in the mood he currently is, won't have a quiz about it tomorrow. It's not like he has any experience with school but he's heard about pop quizzes enough to know that students often complain about them so he's not taking the risk, he will study about this, he needs to be ready because histrionics or not, his uncle wants him to be successful so he's going to do his best for this.

The smell of the ocean and the sound of the gentle waves rolling back are doing a lot for him, he's a lot calmer now and his lunch is making this experience worthwhile, in fact, he's at ease and his mind wanders, back to those Ultra Beasts and the strange world, or should he say, dimension, they lived in. He's pretty sure the creatures he saw didn't need air, it didn't look like they had a face and all that gave him an idea they were some sort of entity, were their flexible arms and legs, as well as the tuft of white fur on top. What did interest him was how slow they walked, he's not used to Electric-types downplaying their own abilities or maybe they're only speedy when in a battle, that they're on energy-saving mode when they feel at home? Ash isn't sure and looking at the static pictures on his phone only reminds him of how weird and detached he felt waking up from it.

He also finished his lunch quickly, sadly enough, he feels like he could have eaten more but well, he's not about to eat the container and going to get something else just feels like overkill. So instead, he goes for a walk, he keeps his eye on the time but loses sight of it when someone walks up to pass him and they likely wouldn't have come towards him if he hadn't been staring.

"So what are you looking at?" the man huffs.

"You sort of look like an Ultra Beast," Ash answers and this person's expression shifts very quickly.

"Oh yeah? Do I look what like I'm supposed to know what that is? Do you want to fight, kid?!"

"Sure-"

"Alright, let's go, Golisopod!"

This big pokémon appears and well, they're in the middle of the road so Ash isn't sure if he's breaking any rules here but well…

"Okay, Pikachu, you wanna have a go?" he asks and of course, Pikachu is more than happy to fight, pokémon don't care for human rules anyway. "Use Thunder!"

And oof, it hits, Ash isn't even too impressed when it one-shoots the pokémon he's not seen before and the man stands there, in disbelief.

"How the hell did that even hit?!"

"Wella Volcano makes for a wonderful environment for Electric-types," the boy answers, actually having looked that one up and now the stranger baulks.

He doesn't even say much, he just messes up his hair as he mumbles something, sounding frustrated with himself and moves away, leaving Ash and his Pikachu still ready to fight behind. Seems like the man is a sore loser but did he use a super-effective move on that pokémon? It's not like Pikachu is rare here, there's an entire island of them apparently so did he get lucky? He feels eyes on him so he turns around to see someone looking at him but he's not going to be rude so he tries to do the Alola gesture his uncle still says is 'cute' as he can't manage that well but the person just smiles and greets him back so he likely isn't in trouble, having just fought in the middle of the road. Also, Pikachu's attack did some damage to the floor too but well, there's no one showing up to cuff him or demand money for the repairs so he leaves, trailing back to school as he's not sure if he had said something rude to this man but heck, he does look like that Ultra Beast. And it's not as if it's ugly, it's unique. In fact, Lillie looks a little like an Ultra Beast too but seeing how that man responded to it, he's going to keep his mouth shut.

With professor Kukui already peeved, Ash doesn't want to create any more issues, he doesn't know any of these kids well, he's assuming at this point but so far, none of them have been proving him wrong… And well, they're kids, his expectations aren't high. Especially since they seem to want to gauge just how far his boundaries go and Ash isn't anywhere as lenient as he used to be, this could get ugly very quickly. He too will be pickled if Kiawe doesn't believe him and he's petty enough to call out the legendary pokémon the kid doesn't believe in right there and then but well… that wouldn't help his relationship with professor Sycamore either, had it? Caring for Yveltal seemed like the final straw for the man to consider him a hell-raiser, Ash will try and be more careful of what he says and does this time around. No matter how hard they try and force his hand. This is why he goes back to the class like a good boy and is back in his seat well before everyone else comes, though professor Kukui approaches him a little too quickly.

"I apologise, this book was meant to be in the package you received but didn't make it in time. So here, you might want to look into that."

Ah, that was what he was missing, this is what this entire lesson earlier today had been about and well, he's not that sort of student to study in advance but he would have liked to have looked through it. Though he's confused, this is a Kantonese-style book? It's back to front, like the books he remembers from his childhood but at least he doesn't need to translate all the names of the pokémon now, they're right there, with their Kantonese name and normal, pokédex entry name, which is cool. He also finds the Dewpider Lana mentioned earlier and yeah, it's small but it looks cute. And the Golisopod Pikachu had a KO at the first hit, that's the evolved version of the Wimpod he's met at the beach. Talk about a glow-up, huh? But apparently, they're cowardly, Wimpod are introduced as pokémon who only lightning-fast trainers can catch and Golisopod's ability is a tricky one but well, it hadn't done much for it, Pikachu's pretty strong, they had trained a lot and it paid off. And it didn't help that Electric-type attacks are super effective on Golisopod, like Ash had assumed but nevertheless, he's happy to have this book, it'll save him from the hassle of looking up everything he wasn't even sure he had heard correctly.

Also, he finds the page on the battle gimmick from this region, it's called Z-moves and this time, he's got the explanation of it too… It looks pretty impressive but apparently, he needs to approach Kahuna Hala in order to perform a Z-move? Ash just isn't sure if it's better than Mega-Evolution, though but Darkest Lariat is the move he really wants to do with Litten, he'd promised her they'd do it together. But if it's true that these Z-moves need a true, proper bond between pokémon and trainer, Ash and Pikachu will likely cause a lot of damage together. Or Meep. Or Charizard. Oh, sheesh, Gabite would likely drill a hole in the other side of the earth with that ground Z-move, the pokémon is already so powerful. Also… can a Mega Evolved pokémon also use a Z-move? Because if so, he can't wait to blast someone with it, someone who really deserved it… Like Giovanni or Hunter J, if he ever finds those two. Maybe Colress, the fucker who gave him the only nightmare that's still plaguing him so badly, having created that machine to turn a trainer's pokémon against them. Or maybe even Zinzolin, who gave that crazy scientist the tools to mess Kyurem up even more, who unfortunately didn't get eaten by said pokémon but deserves it still very much.

"Alright, class, so normally, I explain the lesson from earlier today and let you do exercises but someone felt the necessity to undermine my lesson plan and invited a trainer here today, in this afternoon," the professor says and as the boy looks up from the book, he can spot Sophocles ducking his head out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh, god, Sophocles, are you for real?" Kiawe sighs, not even mad, all Ash hears is exhaustion. "How can you not tell he's a trainer?"

"I couldn't find him, I still can't," the boy persists.

"You could have approached me or principal Oak with your questions, there was no need to put another student on the spot like that," the professor replies sternly and again, Sophocles ducks his head down.

Ash makes no move to interfere, he's genuine or else he couldn't even have joined this school. He hadn't taken offence in someone calling him a poser, anywhere else in the world where he knew he wouldn't be told off for asking someone to battle for it, he would have challenged Sophocles and set Gabite on that Electric-type of his but now? Sure, the guy who challenged him hadn't gotten him in trouble but are impromptu battles a thing here? Anyway, Sophocles got what he asked for and Ash is pleasantly surprised to see the one who had witnessed that fight from earlier walk into the room.

"Ah, it's you," the young man says, instantly locking eyes with him.

"Oh, hello. If I knew it was you, I would have come to say 'hi' much earlier," Ash responds and he's all smiles since this means someone has witnessed him being a trainer.

"You've met?" professor Kukui asks and Ilima nods, turning towards him.

"I saw him defeat Guzma's Golispod."

"What?!"

"I was impressed, so Sophocles, you could have just admitted you got his name wrong from the get-go," the young man says, putting a hand against his side.

"I… I'm sorry, Ilima."

"You should be. And you better apologise to Satoshi too."

"I'm sorry, Satoshi."

"It's okay," he says, still all smiles. "When class is over, I'll send you the link to my battle profile, my Smile app's profile is also linked there so you can check all of it out."

And Sophocles just nods at that, not even making eye contact. Is he embarrassed? Well, if that's the case, he should have come to him first and not called him out for something in front of the class. But now that there's a trainer in front of him, one from Alola, Ash might as well ask what the deal is with challenging people here.

"Hey, Ilima? Are there certain rules for pokémon battles here?"

"Roughly the same as the pokémon league's rules, I'd say. Why?"

"Roughly, you say but who determines wrongdoing or right? I mean, Alola isn't technically into the pokémon league so the rules don't need to be adhered to so that means I can send out a pokémon and… well, attack you, for example. Right?"

"Err…"

"I mean, it's a bad idea to attack a trainer because that aggravates their pokémon but still, some pokémon can't fight without their trainer's commands so they'd be left stranded, right?" Ash asks.

"Ilima's Eevee would attack you too, you can't underestimate the special Z-move they have together, if you get hit by it, the same would happen to your pokémon," Kiawe answers and the teen grins.

"My pokémon would protect me, that's the luck of having the first shot, I suppose. Also, I like how you defend him but I've just read a Z-move only works between trainer and pokémon so if the trainer is eliminated, there is also no Z-move and there will just be a regular Eevee, at the mercy of my pokémon."

Silence.

"Any part of unfairness is possible, though, like sending out multiple pokémon against one, or even attacking without using turns or even using more than four moves, that's all frowned upon here, despite not being illegal here?"

"A pokémon can't learn more than five moves, Satoshi, I'd know, it's my research," the professor answers, not even answering his full question either.

"Professor, have you considered that pokémon who are out of energy, still struggle, which is a damaging move but still considered a move? Or when a Smeargle copies a move using Sketch and does it four times, that's still five moves used in one battle. And for real, if you teach a pokémon with big teeth nothing but defence-enhancing moves or status moves, you think it's not going to bite you to defend itself, effectively using the move 'Bite'? That's why the pokémon league describes this rule by saying pokémon can only 'use' four moves except for certain conditions… Like the Z-move here, which, if the pokémon uses all, legal four moves in one battle and then does the Z-move, which technically is a strengthened version of a move it already known but still considered a separate move nonetheless, that it still uses five legal moves in one battle? I know it's technically not correct but the pokémon league dictates the use, not the knowledge. I know for sure Pikachu could come up with at least six different moves right now, no doubt."

The professor just stares at him, while Ilima seems amused enough to speak up.

"Didn't seem to take you that long to come up with that comment, you sound really aware of what you can do wrong in a battle too."

"The Underground fighting system exists pretty everywhere in the world, Ilima and whenever one of those trainers is caught, their misdemeanours are widely spread all over the news. Now, they haven't been able to catch many but I remember what the ones arrested were arrested and judged for," Ash says as he shrugs.

"Satoshi, do you have that sentence of the pokémon league rules in writing?" professor Kukui asks and the boy chuckles.

"I sure do, how is your Kantonese?"

"Well enough, please show me."

Good thing he carries the league regulations around everywhere he goes, he even has a separate space for it in his backpack so he knows where to pull it out from and what page that sentence is on. This well-loved book was the only one he had been reading from age eight up, on professor Oak's demand so he does know a lot of it from the top of his head. And if this amazes anyone near him, he doesn't care, this is how boys and girls are groomed to become trainers. Now, Ash doesn't think he would have been talented enough to do anything else but a lot of people have things to say about how regions push the 'amazing trainer life' propaganda into kid's faces until they're starry-eyed and so in love with the concept, that the parents don't have a choice any longer as telling a child not to become a trainer is a misdemeanour in Kanto and Johto. He's not sure about the other regions but he wouldn't be surprised if they had some sort of control over it too.

"Hot damn," the professor utters, as the rather old but still up-to-date book supports Ash's statement. "I completely misunderstood how this was defined."

"Could have happened to anyone, really. I wouldn't take it personally, I bet there's still a lot to be said about Z-moves. I mean, the power of the bond between me and Pikachu, that'd be calamity, professor."

"Are you that close?" he asks, looking up but Ash just tilts his head a little, raising an eyebrow and he would bet all of the money on his account that Pikachu mirrored his expression and actions completely, which, judging from how the professor's face changes so quickly, the pokémon probably did. "Oh, damn."

"I was also wondering, has anyone ever tried to combine battle gimmicks, professor?"

"What do you mean, combine?"

"Well, there's Dynamax and Gigantamax at Galar, Mega evolution in Galar and Z-moves here. It would be like a Dynamax or Gigantamax doing a Z-move or a Mega evolution Dynamaxing… or a Mega evolution performing a Z-move."

"That's… I have no idea, I've never encountered someone who could one or the other. There are some people here who can do the Z-moves but none that can do the other two," the man answers. "So I'm not sure who to ask but where did that question come from?"

"Oh, simply curious. I come from a region where it's pure strength and strategic planning that wins a battle, where cunningness prevails over cheating. Battle gimmicks seem a little overkill to me so if I would ever use one, why not try two? I dunno, it could be fun."

"Or dangerous," Ilima pipes up. "That Pikachu is not weak. And you're lucky too, having been able to land Thunder."

"Wella volcano helps the accuracy of it," Ash answers. "I read somewhere about its constant activity and the fumes it excretes daily, filling the atmosphere until it's at a perfect density to allow lightning to form naturally. Adding the moisture levels of being on an island with it and it's perfect for landing hard-to-hit Electric-type attacks. There's also a handful of Electric-type Pokémon in Alola too, more than I'm used to and I think that's the reason why there are so many too. All this humidity and static make for perfect surroundings for them and that includes my Pikachu. I bet, if there's ever a thunderstorm here, it'll be ballistic too."

"… I'm beginning to understand what you mean by strategic planning and cunningness."

"But you're right, I was lucky, I had no idea that electricity was one of the Golispod's weaknesses, I had never seen that pokémon before either."

"And yet, you didn't shy away from battle. Also, with Guzma, of all people."

"I'm a trainer, I'll never say 'no' to a fight. And I've never met that man before either so was accepting a battle with him a mistake? It didn't feel like it at the time, and still doesn't now," the boy says, not really caring whether it is either. "This is the first time I've studied for anything in any region and I've visited several before. I'll be the first to tell you that weakness doesn't mean a winning battle, type-advantage is nice to have but it's not a guaranteed win."

"Then what do you think is a guaranteed win?"

"It never is, I don't always know who my opponent is, it's not important. But when I see a pokémon turn towards their trainer before a battle, that's a guaranteed pain in the ass battle, that's all I take into account. People with big mouths don't mean that they're good trainers either, making an opponent upset or angry is a strategy too since very few people start to think any more clearly when they're pissed. I just think that type advantage is overrated, it's one thing to put an Ice-type in front of a Dragon-type but they better make that first move count because it's all they have. Ice-types, they're often glass cannons and Dragon-types, they're offensive, hormone-driven beasts. Same with a Fairy-type, it's one shot and there's a couple who manage but a Fairy-type, anyone that pops on the top of your head, is going to struggle against the evolution line of Garchomp, especially a properly trained one. It's experience that makes a good trainer, which makes for a good battle. Any other assets like being a rage quitter or a sore loser, that sucks, just like someone who starts crying, someone who makes you feel guilty for having won is also sucks but I'm at the point where I'm not picky when it comes to fights. I can only learn from this point on so anyone can bring their worst, I'm confident I'll even give stronger opponents trouble too but never will I ever let a book determine whether I'm a good trainer or not."

"So it's the bond between a pokémon and a trainer that's pretty much what gives the best chance at being victorious, huh?" the professor chuckles. "That sounds like a textbook nonetheless, Satoshi, no offence."

"None taken, just because it's in a book doesn't mean it's wrong either. I just won't let a book dictate what I do," the boy answers. "Especially not when it comes to those battle gimmicks."

"Why do you keep calling Z-moves a battle gimmick, Satoshi?" Mallow asks and she's frowning. "It's a tradition of ours so calling it a gimmick isn't nice."

"I mean no disrespect, I'm used to fighting without, I never grew up thinking about them so it is a gimmick. To me, it would be a strategic move to either avoid getting hit or disable the pokémon from using a Z-move. I'm not wrong to assume that a Z-move can only be done once, right? Because frankly, if none of you have ever witnessed Mega evolution, just know that you're fucked, okay? It takes a special trainer who's fed up would Mega evolve from the get-go but most trainers use it after a while and it's a real boost. So while the stamina of your pokémon is depleting, your opponent suddenly gets a power-up and it's not a one-off either, it sticks for a couple of turns and it's spooky, some change into dual-typing too and well, you never know if someone is going to do is since there's several pokémon who can do it and they can hide the stone the pokémon needs to hold pretty well too. I once saw someone who hid it in the belt of their Machamp, if you weren't paying attention, you would never see it either. So in comparison to Mega evolution, Z-moves are a gimmick to me and I'm sorry if that offends you, I'll try not to call it one any longer but I hope you understand why I did it."

"Oh…"

"Also, Mega evolution demands a good bond between pokémon and trainer too so then why was the supervillain in the whole of Kalos able to perform it? Let me tell you one thing, this 'bond' isn't researched well enough, no one has ever been willing to see that a pokémon so starved for affection will jump through flaming hopes with acid dripping down of them in order to get the slightest of compliment which they know they won't ever get, even if they did a perfect job? Pokémon grappling with the idea of how this is how their trainer is despite there not even being a flicker of affection anywhere, so much so that they even consider the barking of an order, just the barest of attention a good thing?"

"Aren't you being a little dramatic here?" professor Kukui asks, even if he looks a little unsettled, in fact, Ilima shifts a little uneasily.

"If it's just me, then why does a Buneary, who evolves by how much it hates its trainer into a Lopunny, also have a Mega evolution?"

Silence, again.

"Call me textbook all you want but I know that if I ever be writing a book about this, I won't be leaving out the messy, bad side of life no one seems to be willing to acknowledge."

"I would read it," Ilima says. "And frankly, you've given me something to think about but now I'm wondering, how would you try and avoid someone using a Z-move?"

"Status conditions, of course."

"…"

"You can look as lively as possible but if my pokémon was able to freeze your Eevee solid, have fun doing that Z-move on your own, Ilima," Ash chuckles. "I know I would want to see that one."

"I'll be honest with you, everything I've heard you say so far is making me want to avoid fighting you, I… I don't think I'm ready for it, I'll have some training to do."

"If you can dish it, you need to take it too. As if you weren't ready to try and be imposing and now you're retreating because you can't handle my bark?"

"It's the way your bark comes from how bad you can bite, kid, you talk about that trainer whose pokémon turns around to look at them, well, I think that's you. And I won't fight a losing battle like that one without being ready for it."

"Man, and you're the trainer these kids look up to? I wasn't exactly born ready to fight but getting chased by Team Rocket sure as heck helped getting me ready and I've never had the luxury of meeting the people I was going to fight in advance."

"Yes, well, I try, I haven't had anyone help me train either."

"… Help? Who said anything about help? I wish someone had helped me, and told me the things that I was going to realise later down the line, it could have saved me from making some costly mistakes and I'm not talking about money here. I didn't even get the regular starter classes and my hometown still only loves to see the back of me, what help are you talking about, Ilima?"

Ash is pretty sure he's not doing the best job of being nice to this young man but then again, hadn't he been here to chew him out for being rude to Sophocles? And that Ilima had changed his mind purely because he had seen him fight that Golisopod, well, that's a stroke of luck but he's impressed him. Professor Kukui does tell Ilima that trainers are left to their own devices in certain regions, that he too went to Kanto and that he was stunned to find how little guidance there was, how he had gotten lost in the Victory Road for days before finding the exit which ended up being where he had entered the cave system.

"So you're a strong trainer, huh, Satoshi?" Lana asks and the boy blinks at her. "Does that mean they can draft you?"

"Draft me?" he asks.

"Yeah, whenever there's a problem, the pokémon league goes ahead and drafts strong trainers to help fix it."

"The G-men and the police do that whenever a Gym leader or another elite trainer notices something but when it comes to issues, no one needs to draft me, I'm usually already there," Ash answers dryly. "Also, I'm sorry if I was rude, Ilima but I've had to swallow countless comments about how uncool I was for being a pokémon trainer but I hope, if shit goes down, that this teacher will notice that I will be there to defend her… not that I wish shit goes down but well, since Sophocles mentioned your name as a threat, I thought you might have shared her opinion."

"Ah, no wonder. I'm sorry for not having clarified that either, though I do have to say that not a lot of people share that opinion here. If anything, I would say they're more inclined to like what you stand for instead but it's not ideal to have had that introduction. But I like you, you say it like it is and I appreciate it. So while I don't think a battle between us is in the future but if you ever feel like talking, let me know, I'm down for it."

"I'll think about it but thank you," Ash says, amused because well, of course, it's only the talking, isn't it?

He's aware he's still overthinking but as it stands now, he's not sure if any battle is in his future. And also, if they're already butt hurt about him calling their precious Z-move a gimmick, fighting one of them won't be as fun as he had imagined. Also, do they fight each other? Because if they don't, none of them will be able to get their Z-move in, he might defeat them as easily as this Golisopod so yeah, he'll just focus on his classes. After all, professor Kukui likes what he heard, Ash can tell since he's a lot less moody and happily continues his lessons as if nothing has happened. Was this what was meant to happen, was that why the professor was so pissed because he'd wanted Ilima to piss off, as the young man had just done, tail between his legs since Ilima also got a little spooked that Sophocles hadn't just called him for nothing but also realised that he was in someone who wasn't a doormat. As if Ash was going to let himself get told off by someone who blanches at the idea of being challenged all of sudden, man, his uncle could have told him about that one, he must be looking like an aggressive asshole to everyone, not shying down from fighting and defending how ready he is to beat everyone in the ground.

But that's not what every trainer does, Ash does it because he's still mad at what's happened to him, still upset because he couldn't have done anything different than watching everything fall down and fail around him until someone finally gave a damn and rescued him. He knows he can't make his heart feel something it can't but… he doesn't miss his hometown, and he doesn't miss his mother, he had asked Lance why they couldn't have contact out of curiosity, it was merely a question that jumps in at night when he's awake at three in the morning but he doesn't… he doesn't need her. Is that fair play still? Is he allowed to be mad at her for what she did, despite him not remembering if he'd suffered or not? Despite him not having taken offence at the time she did all the things he always realised weren't right but was powerless to do anything against since his mother had the entire town of Pallet behind her and he didn't have a single soul vouching for him?

Not to mention those Ultra Beast, he doesn't know if his dreams won't take him to where the ones who hurt him live, he doesn't know if he'll have a worse reaction to it than he had today, seeing those Ultra Beast slowly making their way around their dimension, not being threatening in any way. Ash doesn't have any feelings he didn't have for any other pokémon for it, he wouldn't react out of bounds near it… but he can't tell if he'll faint at the sight of one of the beings that ripped his life apart or become steaming mad instead, scaring every single sole in this region instead.

He's sure of one thing, though… There's no way he'll ever tell anyone they look like an Ultra Beast again. Even if it was meant as a compliment, the creature still looks way better than this Guzma person, anyway.

---

End of chapter forty-seven