Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon; Any OC's I create in this story are mine, however.
Silence filled the ambience, any outside noise or distractions being completely tuned out.
Both Ash and Amari glared at his mother, each of their expressions portraying different emotions.
For Ash, it was nothing more than anger and distrust.
It was the very woman who contributed to his trauma, after all.
The same woman who helped her husband beat the boy.
The same woman who refused to feed him for weeks on end.
The same woman who, for whatever unknown reason, hated her son as much as the rest of his old "relatives" or "familiars".
And that gave Amari fear and anxiety, his own glare being one of uncertainty.
Both Ash's Pikachu and Amari's Eevee, Tera, growled at the woman, filled with anger and distrust themselves.
Unfortunately, the silence had to broken at some point.
And even more unfortunately, it was the mother who spoke up.
"We've been looking all around for you, you know." She said, her voice sounding soft, though it seemed to be hiding her true intentions. "I think it's about time you come back home, yes?" She asked.
Amari looked away from the woman and remained silent, before finally speaking.
"M-Mom...I can't...I live with another family now..." He said.
His mother grabbed his hand, getting uncomfortably close to his face.
"Our lives being ruined because of you...you are coming with us, do I make myself clear?" She asked, her voice showing pure anger.
"M-Mom, I-!" Amari stammered, trying to say something before an arm was placed in front of him, separating the two family members.
"And who gave you the right to tell him that?" Ash spoke up, his voice filled with suspicion and anger.
The woman's frown faltered slightly, as she struggled to keep her hand on Amari's, eventually letting go.
"I'm sorry, who are you, exactly?" She asked, her voice sounding barely controlled, laced with danger.
"I'm his new brother, and a better one at that." Ash explained. "Now, as I was saying, I don't think you need to be in his life anymore, miss'." He finished, glaring at the woman once more, his Pikachu growling as electricity surrounded it. "I suggest you leave before things get ugly." He warned.
The woman completely had loss her calm attitude, her expression narrowing as she frowned.
"Amari, you're coming with me, now." She said, grabbing the boy's hand and pulling him, as she tried to move towards the exit of the restaurant.
Amari's eyes widened, as he squirmed, trying to leave the woman's grip.
"N-No! Let go of me!" Amari exclaimed, his voice a mix of fear and panic.
Yellow sparks of energy suddenly surrounded the boy, his hair and eyes also flashing a bright yellow as his panic and fear rose.
"What the-" The woman said, before she felt her hand slipping off of Amari's arm.
Ash quickly pulled the boy out of the woman's grip, moving him behind her.
"Get away from him, you disgusting freak!" Ash yelled, getting the attention of the rest of the people in the restaurant; More specifically, the staff members.
The waitress walked up with an Officer Jenny beside her.
"Is this woman causing trouble?" The Officer Jenny asked.
Amari quickly nodded, breathing heavily as he trembled.
"Yeah, she is." Ash said, turning back to the woman in question.
"Ma'am, we're gonna have to ask you to leave." The waitress said. "Otherwise, we'll have to look at what exactly is happening here on the cameras." She warned.
Amari's mother gritted her teeth.
"Ugh, fine." She said, turning back to look at Amari.
"This isn't over, you little shit..." She whispered, before leaving.
The four watched her leave the restaurant, as she got farther and farther away...
...Until she was out of sight.
"Are you two okay? We noticed that woman being a bit suspicious earlier when she walked in...said she was asking about your whereabouts." The waitress said, a worried look on her face.
"She...was asking about me?" Amari asked, his voice in disbelief.
The waitress nodded.
"Why?" Ash asked.
The Nurse shrugged.
"Beats me, but given her earlier antics, it's likely she wanted to take you back with her, Amari." She said.
Amari trembled slightly, his pupils visibly shaking, as he tried to maintain his composure.
Ash quickly noticed, however.
"Amari...you're shaking." He said.
"I-I am...?" Amari asked, a fake smile on his face as he tried to hide his fear. "I-I think it's about that we went home..." He said.
Ash narrowed his eyes, noticing the facade almost immediately.
"Don't try to pretend like you're okay." He said, his voice clear and concise.
"I-I'm not...I...I feel...dizzy..." Amari said, stumbling slightly, his breath beginning to grow heavy as he clutched his chest tightly.
Then he fell onto his knees.
"Agh...Nngh..." He grunted in pain, his body trembling badly.
"A-AMARI?!" Ash exclaimed, quickly running to the boy's side.
The Officer Jenny quickly followed, examining the boy to the best of her ability.
"Uncontrolled breathing, body spasms, sweating..." The officer murmured, as she realized what was happening.
Amari was having a panic attack.
"Miss, get me a Nurse Joy with a stretcher and a heart rate monitor, NOW!" She screamed towards the waitress, as she quickly sprinted out of the restaurant, quickly coming back in with a Nurse Joy who had a stretcher, placing Amari on it.
"Breathe for me, baby. Deep breaths." The nurse said.
Amari panted deeply, his body shaking in pain each time he breathed.
"Hurts...it hurts..." He muttered, unable to fully speak.
"I know it does, but just keep breathing." The Nurse Joy said, squeezing the boy's hand.
Amari squeezed the Nurse's hand tightly.
"Mmn...Nnh..." He groaned in pain.
The Nurse Joy's assistant, a Chansey, came in with a needle.
"Chansey bring medicine!" It spoke.
"Thank you, Nurse Chansey." The Nurse Joy said, quickly taking the needle and slowly injecting the medicine into Amari's body.
Within a few minutes, Amari's body slowly stopped trembling, his breathing becoming more controlled.
"Hah...hah..." Amari breathed weakly, finally being able to inhale oxygen again.
He closed his eyes as his body fell asleep.
"Looks like he's finally stabilized..." The Nurse Joy said in relief, the waitress, Ash, and the Officer Jenny following with their own.
"Thank Arceus..." Ash said.
"I believe me and Officer Jenny here should give you some time alone with him, as well as contact your mother about the incident earlier that led to...this." The Nurse Joy said, motioning for the Officer Jenny to follow suit.
Ash watched as the two women walked away from the table.
...
...
'...Ash.' A female voice spoke out of nowhere, startling the boy.
"A-AH-!" Ash screamed, jumping backwards. "M-Mew...?"
'Don't 'Mew' me.' Mew said, her voice displaying one of anger. 'We gave you ONE job, we TRUSTED you to watch over him! And now look at him!' She exclaimed, motioning over to Amari.
Ash frowned as he looked away.
"I...I'm sorry. I didn't expect for his mother to just be there all of a sudden...I...I panicked, didn't know what to do..." Ash said, his facial expression apologetic.
Mew sighed.
'At the very least he's alive, but it's definitely more trauma for him...' She said, pinching her temples. 'At this rate, that'll probably kill him faster...' She continued, as she floated towards Amari.
'Amari? You okay?' She asked, a worried look on her face.
"Mmn...Mew...?" Amari mumbled, his eyes slowly opening, as he sat up.
'Yeah, it's me. I...heard about the incident earlier...how are you feeling?' Mew asked.
Amari froze once again as he recalled the incident from earlier.
He frowned.
"I'm...processing everything." He said, fidgeting with his hands. "I...I didn't want think that she'd be here...it's just...a lot to think about." He explained.
Mew nodded.
'Yeah...Ash told me what happened.' She said.
"He did...?" Amari asked.
Ash went to object, but a single glare from the pink psionic feline was more than enough to tell him otherwise.
He simple nodded in agreement, since it was the least he could do.
"Y-Yeah..." Ash said.
"I see..." Amari replied, looking down towards his bedsheets in deep thought.
'Amari, she isn't going to do anything.' Mew said, already knowing what the boy was worrying about.
"How do you know that? She's already kept me locked away all my life...she'll probably do whatever it takes to get me back..." Amari said. "What if...what if she succeeds? It'll ruin everything..." He continued, his anxiety starting to flare again.
'Amari-'
"She knows where I live..."
'Amari.'
"I'm gonna get hurt again..."
'Amari!'
"I'm gonna screw everyone over-"
'AMARI!' Mew yelled, making him and Ash flinch, their Pokémon following suit.
Mew sighed as she looked at the boy's shocked and startled expression.
'NOTHING is going to happen. She's not going to get her way, not if we have anything to say about it, okay?' Mew said, a blue aura surrounding her body. 'I know you're scared, frightened, even...but we aren't going to let you suffer like this...not alone, at least.'
Amari felt a calming sensation on his body, his breathing becoming relaxed.
'I feel...calm...? Why?'
Amari looked up to see Mew using her psychic powers.
'Oh...it's just Mew...'
'This feels so familiar...but why...?'
'What was this move called again...?'
'Calm Wave...?'
Calm Mind.
'?!'
'Amari.'
Amari's eyes widened as he saw Mew looking at him, snapping him out of his deep thought.
'Do you feel better?'Mew asked.
"O-Oh...yeah...much better..." Amari said.
'That's good to hear.' Mew said, as she laid down on the boy's lap. 'No more thoughts about all of this now, okay? You're already stressed enough for one day.' She continued.
Amari nodded.
Not like he really had a choice.
To be completely honest, he felt overwhelmingly tired, especially after all of this.
He sighed as he pet Mew a little on the head as a thanks, earning a few purrs from the pink feline, before turning over.
"Ash?" He said.
"Y-Yeah?" Ash asked.
"Can you wait outside here for a little? At least until everyone else comes here?" Amari asked.
Ash nodded.
"Yeah, you got it, bud." He said, picking up his Pikachu as he left the room.
Amari watched as Ash left the hospital room, before sighing and closing his eyes, drifting off to sleep not long after.
Amari and Ash get into it with his old mother, and Amari gets more trauma because of it.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Alright, two chapters uploaded in one go!(I'm evolving!)
Took a bit more time to get this one done because writers block and family matters.
Will get to work on Chapter 13 ASAP!
See y'all then! 3