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Ash was scared, he honestly didn’t know what he said in the chat that set off Professor Kukui so badly. Quickly sending off one more text to the Alola chat before moving to the main group chat and he started typing in all caps for the two female Champions. His feet slipping a little on the loose sand since he wasn’t near the hard packed sand.
He didn’t notice the incoming figure until he was tackled to the sand and his old phone flying out of his hands. Fear took over and his body locked up, his fingers grasped into the fabric above the person’s shoulders as his brain was pushed close to a near panic attack.
“You lolo keiki .” Ash’s attacker choked out, clutching the trainer closer as their face pressed into his hair
Ash relaxed, it was just Professor Kukui hugging him, he was fine and not in danger from getting kidnapped or hurt. His fingers unclenches and his arms slid out more behind the Professors back so he wouldn’t be so scrunched up in the mans crushing hold. It didn’t seem like Professor Kukui isn’t going to be letting go and or moving anytime soon and he was strangely okay with that outcome, Ash couldn’t remember the last time he was hugged by someone who wasn’t his mother.
“You absolutely hupo .” The Professor leaned back onto his haunches a little and pulled Ash more into his lap.
“Uh, Professor?” Ash awkwardly asked. He wasn’t used to long exposures of physical contact anymore after Sinnoh had ended and Unova began. “Not that I don’t love the hug, which I do! It’s just,” he trailed off as his face scrunched up as many emotions filtered through his brain, “Why?” He finished his question in a quite voice, and if his face wasn’t rested between his teachers shoulder and head Kukui probably wouldn’t have heard it.
Pulling back, Kukui absentmindedly ran his fingers through the strands on the back of Ash’s head where his large hand landed during the hug. The young adult in his lap looked like a skittish Sawsbuck that will bolt at the wrong words. “What you said in the chat it’s…” absolutely wrong, disgustingly horrific, gut wrenching. There’s so many words that weighed his tongue down and filled his throat with vile.
Kukui was at the office watching the Tv in the open break room with the rest of the other scientists and assistants under his care when it happened. The Tv was on a document channel because Doctor Velpher was the first one there so he was the one to pick the channel before it went to static then switched to Kalos’s emergency worldwide broadcasting system, the images on the screen sent the lab into shocked chaos before Kukui had forced them all to quiet down so they could actually understand what was going on in the neighboring Region.
The news anchor was rapidly reporting from a news helicopter above the Lumiose Gym, they were able to get patched into the surveillance system on the roof and it was shown that none other than the owner Lysandre of Lysandre Labs was the villain that was bringing Kalos central to its knees. Kukui didn’t know it was Ash hanging from the floating chains like the young trainer was stapled across a cross, but now revisiting the scene and the recorded fight made Kukui’s blood boil with white hot rage while also freezing it with panic and fear for the child under his guardianship.
Kukui just needed to remind himself that Ash was here in Alola, alive and healthy instead of the aftermath video that spread to every corner of the internet that showed a trainer with a Pikachu panting while falling to his shredded knees covered in gash’s, dust, and blood, before raising a single fist into the air and yelled a wordless cry of victory. But now that the same trainer was in Kukui’s arms he faltered.
“Not normal,” Ash spoke up with an edge of something dark in his eyes, “utterly wrong, disgustingly horrific, gut wrenching.” Shrugging, he looked away as his mouth twisted in a grim frown. His fingers clenched at the fabric that makes up his teachers lab coat as he tries not to bite his tongue figuratively and dig himself a deeper hole of self pity. “I’m sorry, I- ” god dammit , can’t he do anything right?
Curse himself; curse his emotional weakness, curse that wretched mad man beyond that bastards grave, curse curse his life choices, curse the Gods, curse then for letting him fall this far.
It’s just not fair!
Ash must have said that last part out loud because Kukui looked down on him with so much worry and guilt.
“Oh, Ash.” The Professor’s whisper was the final blow to Ash’s emotional dam and soon the boy started to cry before it turned into full out sobbing. “Come here, liʻiliʻi Hōkū ” Kukui gently pulled Ash back towards his chest and the man's heart squeezed in pain as his boarder slung his thin arms around his neck and completely let go, breaking down farther that the Professor has ever seen someone his age do.
They say there for a while. The stars glinting above them and Ash doesn’t know if it feels like the heavens are mocking him or it’s just the emotional roller coaster he’s been on for the last good half an hour.
“Lock your legs and arms around me,” Kukui muttered into Ash’s hair, the young adult was confused and was about to voice his thoughts when instead a small squeal escaped his throat as the Professor easily held him close as he stood up.
Ash couldn’t help but giggle a little when Kukui had to bend over without letting go of Ash to pick up the boys phone from the sand. He dusted it off on his running pants before handing back over to Ash.
“Let’s go home,” Kukui didn’t even need Ash to answer since he was already carrying him towards the beach house, the teen was slowly falling asleep anyways.