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"Mime?"
Ash jolted, quickly turning around as another's presence suddenly pierced the longing silence. Relief washed over him as that presence only turned out to be the family's Pokémon friend, Mr. Mimey, or 'Mimey' as he was colloquially known in the household. Pikachu, resting on the couch while waiting for his trainer, briefly lifted his head to acknowledge Mimey's presence before shutting his eyes again.
"Oh, Mimey, sorry if I startled you, I was just getting some water," Ash explained, bringing his glass with him as he sat on the couch next to Pikachu.
Mimey shook his head from side to side, indicating that it wasn't a problem. He then gave a thumbs-up accompanied by a head tilt.
Ash knew what Mimey was asking and quickly waved his hand, flashing a weak smile. "Yeah I'm all good, just one of those nights, you know?"
Mimey didn't look totally convinced, sitting on the chair opposite the couch. "Mime-mime?"
"You don't believe me, do you?" Ash asked, already giving up on the facade.
Responding with a nod, Mimey leaned back in the chair, beckoning with his hand to explain to him what was going on.
"To tell the truth, I did fall asleep before but I woke up right after a really weird dream. And I don't usually have weird dreams, but this one was..."
Ash went silent for a second, contemplating the right word to describe what he had seen. Mimey stayed quiet, letting Ash take the time to find out what he wanted to say. Pikachu was now more awake and fully aware of what was going on. He gently rested up against Ash's leg to give him a bit of comfort.
Smiling at his friend's gesture, Ash turned back to Mimey. "The dream was something I have seen before. It was scary. Like 'I wish this was just left in the past' kind of scary. I saw the Abyssal Ruins in Unova when Team Rocket tried to harness the power of Meloetta, the mad look on their boss Giovanni's face, his laugh, Meloetta's suffering. All of that turned out good in the end, we won, but that didn't make everything...less scary?"
Mimey nodded as Ash talked, taking in the information. He didn't know a lot about what happened during Ash's journey, at least not the really intense things like what he had just described. He knew Ash tended to be a magnet for danger, but it pained him to hear him talk about things like this, things that happened years ago yet still sat in the back of his mind.
"Mime..." Mimey hung his head low before quickly lifting it back up and motioning for Ash to say anything more if he wanted to. "Mime."
"It just surprised me that I dreamt about it. I don't even remember the last time I dreamt about anything like that. I mean, sure, a lot of people have made attempts at taking over the world, or at least some part of it, during my journey. There's Team Rocket...and then there was Team Aqua and Magma...and Team Galactic, Team Plasma, Team Flare...but I'll continue to do anything I can to stop them no matter what!" Ash pumped his fist into the air, a fragment of determination filling him for just a moment. "But, it's still scary, and I guess I still haven't come to terms with it considering I still had a nightmare about it."
"Mi—"
"And all of it makes me wonder, is it me? Am I the weird one in this situation?" Ash asked out loud, much to the shock of both Mimey and Pikachu. "I don't exactly know how common it is for people in my situation to have faced so much like me, but, is this just something I should accept by now?"
Mimey wasn't exactly sure how to interpret Ash's claim. It worried him that Ash felt like this, but at the same time, he knew that for a situation like the one he was presenting, only Ash himself could answer that question and persevere above all of that. He motioned this by placing his hand on his chest where his heart would be.
Ash observed Mimey, understanding what he was trying to say seconds later. "Oh! I get it! This is about what I can do to overcome this! The responsibility that I have!"
Mimey beamed, glad that Ash was able to understand what he was talking about.
"I know I said all of this is scary, but...I've come this far! I'll answer whatever call that comes my way, no matter how dangerous! Because I know the path to becoming a Pokémon Master is supposed to be tough!" Ash proclaimed, feeling more confident than before.
He sat up from the couch and walked around the table, shaking Mimey's hand. "Thanks for listening, it really helped me!"
Mimey hesitantly shook Ash's hand. He made brief eye contact with Pikachu, who shared the same weary look. They knew that Ash didn't have the best impulse control when it came to decision-making, especially if it meant putting himself in harm's way for the sake of others.
But Ash Ketchum wasn't one to be tamed easily. It was only a matter of time before the next big danger came his way, and they could only hope to be by his side, for Ash's friends to be by his side.
The future was uncertain, no matter how certain Ash was that he could win.