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Ash had never gotten used to flying.
Despite all the flights he'd taken over the years, the act remained novel. He still got a kick out of seeing the ground pass below, or feeling the wind blow through his hair.
His partner was a different story.
"Pikapi, pikachu pi." Pikachu was securely bundled up in Ash's jacket, where he could neither see the ground below nor feel the wind. If it were up to him, in fact, he'd prefer to take his chances with swimming to their destination. "Kapika, kakachu."
"Aw come on, Pikachu. Charizard offers to fly us the rest of the way, and this is how you act?" Ash let out a sigh, before reaching forward to give his other Pokémon a pat. "Sorry, Charizard. Don't mind him. He's just grumpy from all the traveling we've been doing."
Charizard let out a rumbling series of grunts and exclamations, bearing a tone somewhere between confidence and arrogance, with a hint of fatigue underneath. Ash could just about understand his meaning— Let Pikachu whine! It'll just prove how much more stamina I have than him.
"Yeah, yeah, keep saying that. See how long it takes a Thunderbolt to send us swimming the rest of the way." Ash laughed and swung his head back, as Charizard grumbled to himself. He didn't have a retort for that one. Even he knew when to pick his fights.
With that exchange at its end, Ash turned his mind back to the journey itself. The trio were currently flying over open ocean, heading south from Cherrygrove City in the Johto Region. The sun hung low at Ash's right side and on his left, he could spot the edge of night peaking up. They were at the perfect spot to watch the upcoming twilight.
Despite that, Ash's eyes were trained forward. His destination laid beyond the horizon, ahead of them. He'd soon be able to see it— Alto Mare, the city of water.
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"Rest well, Charizard! You deserve it." In a flash, Ash returned Charizard to his Poké ball, dismissing him mere moments after their arrival at the pier. As he did so, he managed to catch a few stray remarks— Something to the effect of frustration — which made Ash pause. "Sorry buddy, we really did tire you out with that trip, huh?"
"Chu-pikachu, Pikachu pi." Popping out from Ash's jacket, Pikachu appeared, a tinge of snideness in his voice as he climbed onto his partner's shoulder. Ash didn't seem to notice. "Pikapi?"
While Ash remained focused on Charizard's Poké ball for a moment, Pikachu shrugged, before turning to get a good look at the city proper. When he did, he nearly slipped off Ash's shoulder in shock.
"Pi— Pika!"
"Something up, buddy? You— Whoa." Turning himself, Ash too was struck with shock and awe.
It was apparent almost immediately how the city had changed over the years. It was taller, tighter-packed. In the distance, he and Pikachu could spot a half dozen buildings in various stages of construction, peaking above the city's skyline and pushing it higher, bit-by-bit. All of Alto Mare was stretching up and out from its little spot in the world.
Ash couldn't help but smile. It reminded him of himself.
Leaving the docks behind them, Ash and Pikachu moved to explore the city proper. Thick, bustling crowds of people filled every inch of walkable space, with no sign of clearing out even as sunset approached. Through those crowds, Ash scanned his gaze across a place that was both familiar and not.
To his right was the main canal of the city, filled with the largest shipping vessels and smallest gondolas alike. To his left, he found the edge of the city itself— Businesses and homes, offshoot canals and streets leading to distant plazas. There were dozens of paths he could take just from where he was standing, paths that snaked in between buildings and led to the tight, winding alleys Ash remembered so well.
"Man, this place has gotten huge," he said once, before repeating himself to speak over the environment. Alto Mare wasn't a loud city, but with so many people around and the main water route nearby, it took a bit of effort to be heard. "Imagine how easy it'd be to get lost this time, eh, buddy?"
"Pikapi, Pikachu, kachu, pi." Pikachu perked up from Ash's shoulder, pressing a paw to his chest as he made a declaration— One that pulled a laugh from Ash.
"Yeah, sure, photographic memory." Ash paused then, after glancing to his right. The canal, it wasn't there anymore. At some point, he must've absentmindedly stepped onto a diverging path. Looking behind him, he found naught but an alleyway extending back, and a thinning crowd of people walking in each direction. "Alright then, Mr. 'Photographic Memory'. Why don't you tell us where we are?"
"Kachu?" Pikachu stood tall and looked around, a thought ticking away in his eyes before he snapped his fingers. "Pika!"
With that, he grabbed onto Ash's head and directed him to move in a certain direction.
"Alright, alright, I'm going." Ash let out a chuckle as he began moving once more, letting Pikachu take the reins and direct him where to go. Almost immediately, the two went into another offshoot alleyway, leaving most of the heavy traffic behind them. "I'll tell you what, Pikachu. If you can get us out of here, there's a whole bottle of ketchup with your name on it."
"Pikapi, chu kachu, pikachu-pi!" There was that confidence in his declarations again, as he directed Ash to make another turn. They were deep into residential areas now, without a shop or canal in sight. At his right, he spotted a building with a bright red door. "Pika. Pikapi, chu pika— Kapika?"
That question nearly made Ash pause.
"Eh? What am I going to say when I get there? Uh, hi, I guess?" Pikachu didn't seem satisfied with his answer, as he leaned down and looked Ash in the eye. "How have you been?"
Groaning, Pikachu directed Ash to take a left, before he spoke up again.
"Kachupi— Kapika chupika, pikapi!"
"What do you mean it has to be better than that? Since when!" Ash took another turn at Pikachu's direction, passing by another bright red door as he did so. Apparently, his partner remembered this intersection. "I'd like to see you come up with something better."
Pikachu snorted and crossed his arms.
"Pikapi, ka, Pikachu-pi."
"Oh so now I'm the brains of the operation." Ash couldn't help but laugh at his own statement, the irony of saying that whilst Pikachu was leading him around setting in. "I'll say hey, how are you doing?— We'll catch up! That's what we're here for, isn't it?"
They took another turn.
"I don't know why you want me to think so hard about this," Ash said then, his gaze trawling across the tops of the buildings to his right and left. He could spot potted plants and clothes lines just barely peeking over the edge. "I'm just gonna say hi, like we always do with our friends."
"Pikapi, pi." Pikachu shook his head, the meaning in that comment clear— Your funeral. As he said that however, he paused and took a look around. "Kachu, pikachu pi?"
"Where are we? I don't know, you're the one—" Ash paused as he spotted a familiar sight, a distinct painted red door. He'd seen a few of them now… he thought. That was, until he realized the street they were on was a familiar sight too. It struck him all at once. "Photographic memory my butt, Pikachu."
They'd been walking in circles.
They were lost.
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Ash and Pikachu could name a dozen things that had changed in Alto Mare over the years— Its labyrinthine layout was not one of them.
Every street and alleyway they walked seemed to lead to five more. Every turn they took brought them to paths that were both familiar and not. It all soon began to blend together in their minds, as they stumbled around the city for nearly an hour.
The hope of finding a familiar location faded. Now they just prayed to find a Pokémon Center eventually.
"It's gonna be dark soon," Ash muttered, glancing across the canal the two were passing by. With the sun well below the city's skyline, Alto Mare had begun to grow dark. Long shadows hung over the streets and waterways, signaling the coming night. It was a signal neither Ash nor Pikachu were happy to find. The only thing they wanted to see was—
"Pika, pika!" Pikachu perked up.
"A Pokémon Center!" Picking up the pace, the pair raced to their supposed salvation, before they came to a sudden stop. Something was wrong. "Huh?"
While the building they had arrived at did indeed bear the universal sign of a Poké ball, a Pokémon Center it was not. It was a rather older-looking building, with a storefront bearing rustic, painted windows. Though the inside was dark, Ash could spot the distinct outline of workshop tables, and industrial equipment.
The Azalean Poké Ball Workshop, its front window said.
Ash scratched his head, before groaning and turning away. His hopes were dashed.
"Come on, Pikachu. We don't wanna be stuck looking in the dark."
"Pikapi— Kachu pika… Chu…"
The two made it only a few steps away from the shop before Ash paused again. Something had caught his eye— There in the alley next to the workshop. Pikachu stopped and looked himself.
"Hey. Ya having some trouble there?" On the fire escape that hugged the workshop, a large man stood, struggling to open a window that led inside. At Ash's call, the man flinched and leapt back a pace.
"I, uh. Yeeeeah. Just having a bit of trouble. Left my keys inside, you see. Gotta make sure we can, open up tomorrow." The man's eyes shot up and down the alleyway, before he returned to his work.
"Why don't we lend ya a hand, then!" Ash may have been exhausted and all-around a bit grumpy, but he wouldn't pass up a chance to help someone in need. Pikachu in contrast was less enthusiastic, grumbling as he followed Ash over to the fire escape.
"No, no— It's fine— We wouldn't want to attract—" The man stumbled back, as the entire fire escape rumbled and shook underneath him. When he looked down, he was shocked to find Ash climbing up the side of the platform, skipping the stairs entirely and just grappling up to his level. "…attention."
"Don't worry about it!" Landing on his feet, Ash gave the man a once over, pausing as he noticed his rather strange attire— A bright, ill-fitting suit jacket and a weird, crooked lapel. Ah well, Ash wasn't one to judge. "Here, lemme give it a try!"
The suited man stood back as Ash got to work, attempting to pry open the window through sheer force. After a moment though, he realized his folly.
"Ah, it's locked! Mind lending me a hand, buddy?" Pikachu chirped, before leaping up onto Ash's shoulder with his tail already glowing white. With an expert maneuver, he slipped it in between the window panes and began to fiddle with the lock.
Watching the two do their stuff, the large man could only stare and blink slowly.
"So, uh, whatcha doing in Auto Mare? You like a resident or something?" he asked, distinctly mispronouncing the city's name. His hands gripped the railing of the fire escape with a nervous sort of energy, one Ash nearly keyed in on.
"Oh nah, just visiting," Ash replied, eyes locked onto the window as he tested to see if it'd budge. "Alto Mare's got a few friends of ours we've been meaning to see."
"Pikapi, kachu, Kapika." Still in the throes of his amateur lockpicking, Pikachu let out a comment under his breath. This time, Ash did pick it up.
"Hey, I'm doing my best!" Ash grumbled, rolling his eyes as he glanced back at the nervous man. "Pikachu says I'm not thinking hard enough about what I'm gonna say when we drop in."
Now the man had a different reaction, instead of utter befuddlement or strained nervousness, he instead just cocked his head in thought.
"How long's it been since you last showed up?"
It was a genuine question, one that made Ash pause and look down. He was never the best with time. Hell, he'd forgotten so many of his own birthdays that it took him until he was thirteen to stop saying he was ten. With a moment of thought however, he had an answer.
"Uhhhh, four years, I think?"
"Four years? Well a-course you gotta figure out something good to say!" The man seemed to finally shed his nerves, as he stood firm and made that declaration. "This stuff is important ya know? Gotta make 'em know you give a toss about 'em."
"Huh." The man's words rang true to Ash, making him pause as he looked onto the window again. In it, he caught sight of his reflection, there staring back at him. A thought worked its way through his mind. "Yeah, I guess you're—"
"Pika!" With a triumphant cry, Pikachu's tail slid back the bolt of the lock. The window was open!
"Nice work, Pikachu!" Ash cheered and gave his partner a fistbump, thanking him for a job well done. "Alright mister, I think that's—"
A bright light suddenly flashed across the building, blinding Ash and Pikachu and forcing them to look away. Before they could even call out a cry, a command rang through the air.
"Freeze!" An Officer Jenny, Ash quickly realized. He could hear the familiar cry of a Growlith at her side. "You are under arrest for unlawful breaking and entering!"
"Huh? What are you talking about! We were just helping—!" Ash turned and froze, trying to indicate to the man standing behind him. All he found was empty space. Ash's eyes snapped up the alleyway, until he caught a glimpse of the man turning a corner far ahead.
The reality of what had just happened set in all at once.
"Oh for—!"
"Pika!?"
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"Look, I'm telling you. We found this guy trying to get in before us. We were just helping him!"
"So you saw a robbery actively in progress, and you decided to become an accomplice?"
"No! Just, uuuugh." Ash groaned and dragged his hands across his face, trying to choose his words carefully before he spoke again. The firm, but still empathetic gaze of the Officer Jenny stared at him as he glanced around the room.
He was currently in a cell, a small one, in what was apparently the only jail the entire city of Alto Mare had to its name. It was almost hard to believe, considering how small and casual the whole thing was. His Poké balls sat on a table behind the officer, alongside a rather miffed looking Pikachu watching the interrogation-in-progress.
"The guy told us he worked at that place. He said he locked his keys inside, and needed help getting them," he explained, finally putting his words together. The Officer's expression softened as he spoke further. "Please Officer Jenny, you gotta believe me! We came to Alto Mare to visit some friends, not steal some crummy Poké balls!"
"Pika, pika!" Finding his opportunity, Pikachu shot that interjection in, calling out in agreement with his partner. The two of them seemed to strike a convincing argument, as the Officer Jenny sighed and shook her head.
"Alright kid, your alibi tracks. But I can't just let you go." The implication of being locked in that cell any longer drew horror on Ash's face. Thankfully, his fate wasn't quite sealed. "You're a minor, so I need to release you to someone. Is there anyone in the city who we can contact?"
After a moment of silence, a small grin grew on Ash's face.
"Of course. Do you know a Lorenzo?"
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"And that's the last of them." Ash let out a sigh, the familiar weight of his Poké balls a relief after the last hour or so of questioning. He'd never liked being away from his Pokémon for too long. It was times like these that reminded him why. "Well, almost, heh."
"Pikapi!" Making his point for him, Pikachu leapt onto Ash's shoulder and let out a chirp. Despite his grumpy demeanor during the preceding interrogation, he was in high spirits now. They were nearly out! "Pikachu, chu-ka, pika Kapika?"
"Yeah, not exactly how I pictured today going either— But better this than never showing up, ay?" Ash laughed and leaned against the lone desk that stood in the room, giving the Officer Jenny across from him a glance as he did so. She was diligently standing at the front door of the jailhouse, looking out onto the street for their supposed chaperone. "Figure Old Man Lorenzo is gonna come grab us himself?"
"Ka chuuu, Pikachu?"
"Oh yeah, could be Bianca too." Ash sat with that thought for a moment, turning it in his head while he stared up at the ceiling in wait. With those few moments of quiet contemplation, another thought came to mind. "Maybe, it'll be La—"
A knock rang through the air, slow and a little bit hesitant, yet still igniting the room in an instant. Officer Jenny leapt for the door, and Ash was on his feet all at once. If the knock didn't get him standing, then who came through it surely would have.
"Kapika." Pikachu nudged his partner's head, as Ash was struck quiet for a moment.
It was a girl, wearing loose-fitting clothes and a look somewhere between hesitancy and disbelief. Ash might've recognized her as Bianca, if it weren't for one key detail he picked up on in an instant.
She wasn't wearing a hat.
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With their business at the police station wrapped up, Ash and the girl stepped out onto the quiet city streets. It was undeniably night now, the sun having long set in Ash's time under arrest. The stark contrast, that between the bustling Alto Mare of the day and now, struck Ash as he turned to his new companion.
"Man, good thing we got you now, otherwise we'd definitely get lost again!" Ash laughed even as she said nothing, merely motioning in a direction and walking off. Not one to be left behind, Ash quickly began to follow. "So, how have you guys been doing? It's really been a bit, huh?"
The air hung with an awkward silence as she didn't respond. She merely just took a turn and prompted Ash to follow. Lagging behind, Ash scratched his head and muttered.
"Man, I see why you were telling me I had to think about this harder, Pikachu." Before Pikachu could give the snide remark Ash knew was coming, the two pressed forward. Ash picked up the pace as he went to catch up with their silent company.
Turning and stepping ahead, Ash brought himself and her to a stop, putting up his hands before he began to speak again.
"I just wanted to say, it's really really awesome getting to see you again! And… I'm sorry." His words struck Pikachu by surprise and brought the girl to a pause. She looked at him with a contemplative look while he spoke again. "I'm sorry, for not dropping by sooner. I should've, especially after everything that happened, and I didn't because… I don't really have a good excuse."
Ash made a noise that was almost like a laugh, and more like a sigh. Puffing up his chest, he put on a smile and looked at her, straight on.
"But we're here now! And I hope that we can have some fun again, like we had last time! Doesn't that sound awesome!" Ash paused, hoping for a response, expecting a response, before he stopped himself, and laughed. "Right, sorry, I forgot. You're not the best at making small talk."
A moment passed, and the girl's contemplative expression turned to a snort.
"Pffft, no kidding. Neither are you."
Struck by surprise, Ash and Pikachu blinked for a second, before jumping back.
"Wait, Bianca!?"