Chapter Text
“Where exactly are we?!” Ash’s voice rang out across the meadow as he leapt up from his seat on the ground.
Goh squinted up at the sky, Lugia’s receding form silhouetted a gentle gray against the late afternoon sun. He sighed. Yeah, they were stuck.
Wait, he realized, the sun…
“Lugia took us east of Vermillion City, right? So let’s follow th—“
“This way!” Ash declared, seizing Goh’s hand and marching in a seemingly random direction, dragging Goh along helplessly behind him.
“Wh— How do you know?!” Goh demanded. Leftover adrenaline from their joyride on Lugia’s back had his heart racing and palms sweating. He hoped Ash didn’t think it was gross.
Ash met his eyes over his shoulder with a confident grin. “I can totally feel it in my gut! We’re going the right way. Right, Pikachu?”
Pikachu chirped an affirmation and Ash’s grin grew. Goh shielded his eyes. Well, they were heading towards the setting sun, so Ash had been correct. A funny feeling in Goh’s chest suggested that, even if Ash had picked a different direction, Goh would’ve followed him anyway, though.
He sighed again, smiling this time, and wiggled his fingers, hand still trapped in Ash’s as he pulled him along. Ash didn’t look back at him, somehow seemingly deep in conversation with Pikachu, but gave his hand an absentminded squeeze. Goh smiled wider.
What a strange and beautiful new friend he had made.