Chapter Text
No.
His feet took a few steps backwards, as if anything would save him from the sight in front of him. The person in front of him. The place that they’re both in.
Not now…
His lungs were aching, as if he stopped breathing a long time ago. He probably has, considering what had happened. He felt way too light all of a sudden. His ears were ringing.
(You can’t escape from a Trainer’s battle!)
Of course. Of course.
“Um. Hey, dad?”
It was everything and it was nothing at the same time.
This whole situation was honestly very confusing for Ash as it was right now (in which, yeah, we’ll get to the real confusing part later).
Clemont was all stiffened up beneath him, more stonier than a Golem, with Bonnie playing the role of a Lickitung very convincingly. It was funny to see, and he would’ve poked fun at that, except those words still echoed in his head.
‘Son’. ‘Dad’.
Just who did he travel with?
“—And don’t ever do that again, okay? Oh, I missed you so much. I’m so sorry that you felt that way. I’ll do better, I promise.” Lyn was embracing an older version of herself, their tearful reunion only broken up by the cheerful Pichu in between them. Pikachu was naturally curious, of course, standing next to his smaller pre-evolution. So was Dedenne. Ash hadn’t even noticed how empty his shoulders felt.
What is this supposed to be?
“Huh?” he found himself saying, as he turned towards the man that had helped him find Prism Tower. Meyer, his name was. That man now looked vaguely uncomfortable now, as if faced with a possibility that his usual jollity and come-what-may attitude could not handle. He followed the gaze to Clemont, his friend beside him, and saw an expression he did not expect.
Fear.
Just what was happening right now?
“Hi, papa…” Bonnie said, hands and fingers twisting around each other as she put herself between her brother and her father. Her father. Not even the silver winds of Johto could blow him away this thoroughly. “Nice to see you again!”
Meyer didn’t pull his gaze away from Clemont, looking entirely too focused on the inventor. As if one blink would make him vanish. “So you’re… actually with Ash? Since, what, the incident? At Prism Tower?”
Bonnie waved her hands in front of them in a flurry. “No! Not… exactly, not at all! We were, uh, just outside! But of course we’d know Ash, right?” She turned to give a half-pleading, half-annoyed face at Clemont before stepping back and (not so subtly) kicking his shin.
The inventor yelped before he refocused once more. “Uh, yeah! Of course we’d know…” He looked downwards, unable to meet anyone’s gaze.
The conversation quickly fell flat.
Serena stepped forward, looking none too pleased about what she was about to do. “So. Are you—” And she made a general wishy-washy movement— “Family?” she finished. She was so much more braver than Ash for the actual fact that she actually asked the real question, but still; it was an awkward affair no matter how one put it.
“Yeah!” Bonnie’s smile was way too bright, way too cheery, at odds with everything occurring. The younger girl gestured to the man first, then Serena and Ash. “Guys, this is our papa! And Papa, this is Serena and Ash, but I guess you already knew who Ash is.”
“Yeah…” Meyer turned to Ash and gave him a sheepish smile, all signs of intensity vanishing (as if it never existed, but it did, right?). “It’s nice to meet you formally, Ash. Although, I guess we did just meet before. At the park.”
A retort was on his tongue, a flimsy attempt at washing away any thoughts regarding the weakness that the man had found him in back then, but he swallowed it. Forced himself to say, “Yeah, well, I didn’t expect you to have already recognised me.”
“That’s what happens when you do anything big in Lumiose. Just ask my son over here.” Ignoring Clemont’s yelp, Meyer then faced Serena and gave her a nod. “And it’s a pleasure to meet you too, Serena. I hope you’re both doing okay with my children around.”
“Oh, we’ve been great!” Serena’s voice was too high-pitched, but Ash didn’t correct her as she hurriedly explained her reasoning, “You know, they’ve both been such a great help for us, it’s more so the other way around. Like, we definitely would been in so much trouble on the ro—”
“Hey, Papa!” And Bonnie slid in with that smile once more, holding up Dedenne as if he was a peace offering. Her sides expanded and contracted as if she had just bolted over, and even Dedenne looked confused as he pawed at his ears and cocked his head in thought. “Look at the Pokémon I’ve got!”
The younger girl pulled at Meyer’s overalls, almost but not quite forcing him to crouch down to appreciate the sight of the tiny mouse. “It’s another Electric Type,” he finally said, voice a little distant, before petting the girl and the Pokémon both. “Well, I know that this little one will be in good hands as long as it’s with you.”
And then her (their) father turned to Clemont.
Clemont turned away, glasses obscuring his eyes as he gripped the straps of his bag.
The man stood up, dusting himself off, before saying, “I need to… talk to my son for a while, if it’s okay with you all.” It was a voice that threatened world-ending change. It was a voice that echoed with depths that stewed in the void. It was a voice that ached with distance too expansive to map.
And it was a voice that brooked no arguments. Like father, like son.
Ash shrugged and Serena glanced away and Bonnie stood in the space between, all of them complicit in the meeting that no one wanted to have.
Meyer gave them all an appreciative once-over glance before checking around them. “Are you fine with waiting out here? We’re just going to be a moment.”
“It’s fine,” Serena said, sounding unsure. It was as good as a confirmation could get, to be honest.
Ash tried to see Clemont, but his back was turned away. He couldn’t even get a word in edgewise before a bigger arm clapped the latter’s back and walked into the crowd, their visages disappearing right before them.
Well. That was something.
The Kantonian let himself fall to the ground, letting his behind crash onto the pavement as if his strings were cut. That bubbling feeling was itching beneath his skin, and that familiar need to fill the silence somehow expanded in his chest. “Wow. If I knew that I bumped into your father today…” He turned to Bonnie expectantly, expecting some sort of dig, but she was trembling in place.
There was a squeak and Pikachu ran over to Ash’s side, looking just as lost as his Trainer. The two sisters and their Pichu must’ve left, evidently. Serena reached forward towards the younger girl but then retreated back to herself, rubbing her arm as she bit her lip. Somehow, at some point, Clemont must’ve recalled his Pokémon because there was no sign of them, no sign of him at all, and the only thing they had was Prism Tower and the receding group of people surrounding them.
“Well, that’s certainly eventful!” Serena piped up instead, not looking like she believed her words one bit.
Ash turned to her, flashing her a smile that was certain and strong and ultimately just as empty. “I know, right! So, heard you sent the video in at the nick of time. Pretty lucky, huh?”
She gave him an appreciative look before setting her gaze towards Prism Tower, standing resolute against the bustle of the daytime. “Yeah, it was. Couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help though. …Even yours.”
“I feel like you’re playing with me there.”
“No, it’s true!” she burst out, before realising the teasing tone in his voice and huffing in response. Ash laughed at her realisation and stood up, stretching before beholding the same sight.
Prism Tower. The first place he aimed to start his journey at, as soon as he heard about it. The Gyms in Kalos certainly were interesting, if anything else. He could only hope that if he got all four badges this one would open its gates to him as well.
Serena noticed where his attention laid and walked over to him, letting out a curious hum. “You said… something about being kicked out of here. Does that usually happen?”
He let out a derisive snort, breaking eye contact with the building in front of him as he kicked at the ground. Pikachu chirped from his position on the ground, standing still as the excitable Dedenne ran circles around him— the former’s tail standing stiff as if remembering that sensation of free-falling. “Not in my years of travelling,” he answered truthfully, still feeling cheated somehow. Ignored. Judged, even though no one had truly seen him in battle here.
Just a non-descript screen and a voice. “It was so strange. I was at the door to the Gym after going up the elevator, you know, because it’s at a higher level—”
“That’s some fun wordplay.”
“Huh?” Serena shrugged and Ash continued. “And this guy just, he just tells me that I can't battle! Because I needed four badges or something. And when I tried to talk to them, they just shocked me with a massive bolt, two of them actually, and tossed me out right there.”
“Oh.” Serena chewed on her words before saying, “That sounds… dangerous.”
Before Ash could reply, the doors in front of them opened and three people stumbled out, one of them limping in between his two friends as he scowled at the ground. “Stupid Gym,” the middle one muttered as they made their way out, looking anything but triumphant.
Both Ash and Serena exchanged a look before walking forward towards the newly exiting group. Before they could reach them, though, Bonnie suddenly moved in front of them and shook her head, her checks still splotched with colour. “Don’t follow them!” she cried, hands out in front of them as if it would stop their curiosity. “It’s not true, I promise!”
Serena opened her mouth but Ash beat her to the punch, crossing his arms as he said, “Okay, so what’s not true? Because it seems like those guys went to the Gym and I want to know what it’s like in there.”
Bonnie shook her head resolutely. “They don’t know the Gym… They’re weak, I know it!”
“Are you speaking about us?” One of the guys, the one on the right, gave them a dirty look, and Serena stepped forward to wave her hand around in a show of peace. “How about you two both cut it out,” she hissed underneath her breath, but the Trainer in the middle had his eyes locked on Ash.
“Hey, you, trying to get to this Gym? Well, don’t bother. It’s rigged.” He adjusted his grip on one of his friends and narrowed his eyes. “Worst experience ever. I already got four Badges, just like they asked, but then that robot totally overpowered me and my team! And not only that, but shocked us too before throwing us out like garbage. I was lucky enough to have my mates with me, but still, this place is super violent. It’s not worth the experience at all.”
Ash’s mouth hung open as the group then walked by them as if what they said was completely casual advice, moving past the crowds that were certainly thinner than they were before. Bonnie’s arms slowly fell to her side, her cheeks bunched up in the same way as her fists, before she turned to them and glared. “Why did you talk to them?”
“We didn’t exactly talk to them…” Serena started before Ash shook his head.
“Why shouldn’t we talk to them?” he challenged, looking Bonnie in the eye.
The younger girl’s gaze bounced everywhere before she spat out, “Because they’re wrong!”
“How?” He threw his hands up in the air, finding a delirious giggle trapped in his chest. He still felt like falling, sometimes. “Getting kicked out like that sounds pretty standard to this Gym to me.” And Ash came here to be strong, and he was discarded before he could even start.
“That’s… not supposed to happen,” Bonnie muttered before frowning at him. “But it doesn’t matter.”
Serena was staring at them as if they became strangers right before her eyes. She wasn’t too far off. Ash was burning up with that need for battle again, being so close to a place that had barred him before, and Bonnie was stopping him from getting answers. And Clemont was gone, and a Gym Challenger had evidently failed, and the Gym was so close.
Only a few steps.
Level 5.
Past the door and into the battlefield.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Ash said, and it’s true that in that moment he was a stranger to everything but the call to fight. To tear through illusions and barriers to get at his goal, wherever it was. “What are you really hiding, huh?”
Bonnie was standing strong, arms still slightly out as if she were about to lunge at him (and maybe it was true for her, too, that all she was seeing was a stranger in his stead). “Nothing!” she yelled, all conviction and no doubt. “There’s nothing for you there!”
“How could there be nothing—”
“Clembot isn’t even the real Gym Leader, you know!”
Ash paused, voice disappearing that very second. Shock, very real and very strong, bowled over Bonnie that moment and she squeaked before ducking down, curling in on herself. Both Pikachu and Dedenne shot the Kantonian a sour look before running over to the girl and nuzzling her knees.
There was something there, an actual clue, and Ash’s curiosity wasn’t close to being satisfied yet. He took a step forward, but Serena blocked him, her usually cheery face now holding an uncharacteristic frown. “Ash, I think you should stop.”
“Stop?” Why was his voice so distant? The pieces were slotting together, and yet there were some empty spaces that still needed filling. He was so close to understanding, and wasn’t that half the battle?
Serena glanced down at Bonnie, before nodding to herself. “Yes. It’s… It’s gone too far. We can wait for Clemont and talk to him, but leave Bonnie out of it.” She thought for a few seconds before saying, “You’ve pushed her enough.”
Pikachu was still a little mad at him, judging by his stance. That had to mean something. Ash went down to his knees, but Serena shook her head. “Leave her alone. Give her space.”
“Then what am I supposed to do?” It was childish, he knew, but it was all he had at the moment.
Serena shrugged before looking up. “Wait.”
He waited.
(The answers were in the palm of his hand, so, so close.)
“Let’s stop here,” Clemont said before anything.
His father paused, looking guarded, before conceding to his request. They weren’t too far from the Gym, of course, but even still Clemont found himself torn. Being close risked being found out. Being too far meant that he couldn’t control the situation. There were entirely too many variables to keep track of, one of them being the man in front of him, and his promise still twisted in his chest.
He needed to tell someone. But not his father.
The outer edge of Centrico Plaza was far enough for their talk. His talk. Clemont wasn’t going to say anything. Just take it and leave. Simple enough.
“So.”
“It’s nothing,” Clemont bit out, already on the defensive, already breaking his first rule. He couldn’t dodge. He promised that he wouldn’t, and he knew that he couldn’t do it anyways (see: too many variables). But he never promised to his father, you know, and his father was here, and there was nothing that he could do.
No way out. The inventor with no tools. What a pitiful sight.
His father sighed as he pinched his nose. “I didn’t say anything yet.”
He stayed silent.
His father shook his head, crossing his arms. “Okay, if that’s how you want it to be.”
The air was silent.
“…What do you want?” It came out broken, it came out cracked. Already defective. Clemont just wanted it to end. Leave and then give it up.
His father gave him a disbelieving look. “I want you to be safe? I want to know if you’re still alive? You know I haven’t heard from you in months, Clemont. There was a Pokémon attack at Prism Tower and one of the news stations just managed to catch a picture of you. And… that was the only time I’ve seen you in those same months as well.”
“Well, I’m fine now.” And he really was, too. More fine than back then, anyways. “Can I go?”
“Can you…?” And then his father shot him an expression that felt like a mixture of emotions, something too much for Clemont to break down. And it was a good thing too. If he had to break it down, he might break down himself. “Why are you in such a hurry to leave, son?”
Clemont was at the edge of the corner, ready to turn tail and walk back to the others, never truly crossing the boundary. He thought over his words before realising that he didn’t have much to lose. It’s not like his father knew of his plight (and it was all going to end soon) (it was going to end now). “I need to get back to my Gym,” he said simply, and that was true, too.
An easy answer. Barely any lies here. Maybe that would appease Bonnie, if she was around to hear it.
He started to walk back, footsteps vibrating in his chest as he found Ash and the others waiting for him (and the Gym was waiting for him, too, wasn’t it?) and he swallowed the saliva at the back of his throat (and were the stairs this short?) and at the end was his nadir/apotheosis.
And Clemont heard his father take in a breath, a sharp sound still sounding so blunt against his head. “Would it hurt to visit just once, though?”
And Clemont knew, okay? Knew what his father was going to say (even if the words were different and the situation was different the question was always hanging around to assert itself, loathsome and demanding).
And his father said, with just as much grace as a Wailord on a small island, “I know I’ve told you this before but…” He closed his eyes, as if wondering if it was worth repeating. Clemont’s heart was in his mouth, and he couldn’t speak even if he wanted to. Couldn’t sway the outcome even if he tried. “Being strict on Gym Challengers is fine. But there’s more to being a Gym Leader than strength, you know? And I'm sure you know it too.”
“I… I…” His throat was so dry, it could’ve been a desert. He’s been to a desert, once. It was infinitely less stifling than this place was right now. The sign they passed by was so much more interesting to look at, even if it couldn’t hide the reflection or the towering figure beside him. Anything other than what was in front of him.
“Just… think about it, alright? I know you’ll make the right decision, for all of us. The Gym Leader of Lumiose is the pride of our city after all.” His father gave him a wink and ruffled his head, letting him go back. Back to his friends. “See me today, if you’re busy now. But please, just come around. I won’t bite.”
Clemont faintly tasted bile. “Alright,” he said, still staring ahead (he had to face ahead). Serena didn’t meet his eyes. Ash looked like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
All of a sudden, so clearly, it seemed like everything was falling to pieces.
(Bonnie made eye contact from her curled-up position on the ground. Clemont tried to give her a slight smile.)
Ash spoke up first. “Clemont, do you… know what’s at the Gym?”
“Huh…?” His sister gave a meaningful look at the tower, and at the doors specifically. The doors where challengers would come in and out of. “Oh,” he finally said, feeling awfully faint.
He had to muster up the courage somewhere. He had to say the words someday.
But now? Today?
“I’ve been, uh, meaning to tell you something.” He licked his lips, trying to steady himself. “And I know…”
They were both staring at him, waiting. This secret that he had held on for so, so long. Longer than he expected. Longer than he thought he would care to.
But this journey… it has given him so much. And he didn’t expect to stay. He didn’t expect them to stay either.
And now they were here.
“The truth is, I’m the Lumiose Gym Leader.”
And now, it was said.
(He didn’t mean to stay. After all, all Trainers do is leave, right?
…Couldn’t even get that one thing right.)
Serena was stuck playing peacemaker for the last hour, which sucked, considering today was supposed to be a celebration.
“You’re the Gym Leader? You… That’s your Gym?”
She sighed loudly, sitting on the bench beside Bonnie as Ash and Clemont stood in front of them. Following the revelation was an attempted exit (no matter how Clemont had tried to phrase it when he was caught), followed by a request to take their questions to somewhere more private and the ensuing slew of exclamations from Ash, many of them strange and others sharp, while Clemont had just… took it.
“I thought you said that you only had one Pokémon. And… I thought the Gym specialised in Electric Types. And…”
The Gym Leader. Serena hadn't met many of them, to be honest, and from her limited experience they were usually very showy. Loud. Boisterous. In their element.
“Why would you lie about it? What… happened?”
The one in front of her looked anything but.
“…”
Serena wasn’t mad. She was confused, sure, but it wasn’t a negative feeling. It was more akin to… understanding, in its own way. If Clemont wanted to hide this aspect of himself, then he must’ve had a reason.
“Ash,” she finally said, deep-seated tiredness in her voice. The Kantonian turned to her, eyes wild, and a part of her didn’t recognise the boy who had been so nice to everyone around them, ever since they were kids.
But she steeled herself. Followed it up by looking at Clemont and saying, tone infinitely softer, “Gym Leader Clemont. Has a nice ring to it.”
The Gym Leader shook his head, biting his lip as he faced away from Prism Tower. “It’s really not as grand as you would expect.” His voice was so quiet, it was easy to miss.
Ash didn’t miss it though. “Why?” he repeated, plaintive and weak.
Clemont shrugged, still not lending any eye contact. “It’s a long story. And I wouldn’t know how to start.”
“I know.” Everyone’s attention turned to Bonnie, who was staring down at her pouchette. “It’s easy. You made Clembot to help with the Gym. One day Clembot used the Pokémon to run us out. And ever since, we’ve been trying to get back inside.”
“It’s not that simple,” he argued, but there was no ire behind it. Just tiredness. They were all tired, weren’t they? “We can’t get in, no matter what. I’m sure you’ve heard of the four-badge rule—” And he turned to Ash, who stared at him steadily— “It’s impossible to get in without fulfilling that requirement. And I know. The program is corrupted but…” He stayed silent, mulling over his thoughts. “Clembot hasn’t changed in that regard, at least.”
“Okay,” Ash said, sighing. “So you’re locked out of your Gym, huh?” He thought to himself, eyes closed, before popping them open and giving everyone a resolute nod. “Then let’s just get in there and take it back right now! It is right over there, right?”
“Ash, he literally just said that they were locked out. It can’t be that easy to just get it back.” Serena put her hands on her knees, pondering over the issue herself. Looking over at Clemont, she asked, not unkindly, “Couldn’t you just… ask four Gym Leaders to give you their badges? And then sneak in?”
Clemont’s cheeks pinkened as he replied, “Believe me when I say that’s a bad idea.” Bonnie nodded without adding anything further to the remark, a rare kind of agreement.
Ash cocked his head. “But it does sound like a good idea…”
“Look, I really didn’t want to tell you who I really was before, and one of those reasons is this.” Clemont shook his head and stepped back, regarding both of them with concealed eyes, glasses practically glowing. The sun shining on him like a spotlight, he continued, “I get that you're trying to help me, but… It’s my mistake. And I wasn’t ready. I’m still not. I have no Pokémon because Clembot has all of my partners, and the ones that I have now are still inexperienced. And I’ve poured over the maps and video feeds enough to know that Clembot virtually has no weaknesses. He’s always on the battlefield. He’s always prepared. And he’s strong too.”
“We’re strong,” Ash countered, putting a hand on Clemont’s shoulder, gaze strong.
The latter shook his head. “Gym Leader strong. That’s what I programmed it for. And it hasn’t gotten any weaker. Just… let us keep moving. Or you can keep moving. Away from here. It’s better that way, for everyone involved.”
Ash tried to retort, starting with, “And leave you alo—” but then Serena said, “Do you… like Prism Tower?” and then everyone quietened down.
Both Ash and Bonnie stared at her as if she was crazy, growing a second head, or both. But Clemont’s eyes widened under his glasses as he looked downwards, or perhaps inwards, thinking in the question. The one she said and the one that was left unsaid. Do you want this role back? “I used to. I still do, I think. It’s just…” And his gaze turned to Ash before jumping away, as if burnt. “I thought that… being there would help me grow. Before. Now all I’m certain of is that I can’t let Clembot have custody of the Gym like this.”
And Serena won’t pretend to understand his thoughts. She really didn’t. She never was a battler, and the idea still tasted like dirt in her mouth.
But in that short time that they’ve spent together (making a camera, dealing with a ninja, helping a Pokémon get back home safe and sound), she’s learnt a lot about him. Small things, but things that count. That matter. That are intrinsically Clemont, at the end of the day.
And so that’s why she stood up and said, “Well, I don’t know about you, but I think we’re ready to do what we can. So, Clemont,” and she made sure to give him eye contact, to put her own hand on his other shoulder, to beam at him with the trust accumulated within late nights and early mornings, “Let’s go reclaim your precious Gym.”
Clemont’s cheeks regained their colour once more as he looked at her, somewhat awed, before Ash called out, “She’s right, you know. Let’s reclaim that precious Gym that helps you grow!”
Bonnie hopped out of her seat to grab his hand tightly, giving him a resolute nod when he looked at her. Outvoted and path clear, it was all Clemont could do to mutter, “I guess…” as everyone surrounded him, standing, ready for the cause.
Whatever it may be.
(Because they were travelling together. Because she wanted to help them, just like they helped her.
Because at the end of the day they were friends, and that was always worth it, always.)
Of course, the resident Gym Leader wouldn’t let them in without a battle plan.
“Simple. We just say that we have four badges—”
“It will ask you to present them at the door,” Clemont quickly shut Ash down, staring at the map of the Tower he brought out on the picnic table they were on. Still a bit further away from the Gym than they would’ve liked, Serena had suggested that if they were going to plan they might as well restock their energy. Bonnie was squatting on the ground with a doughnut in her mouth as Dedenne tried to grab it, Pikachu shaking his head goodnaturedly.
Clemont was still stressed, his fingers impatiently tapping the table. It was his idea for them to go this far. So that they, and Ash quotes, ‘don’t get found out’ (why does he keep hiding, even now?) (why was he still so scared, more than before?). “We can’t lie to Clembot in any meaningful way. It has sensors to detect any biological signs, such as heart rate, and will be able to tell if we’re experiencing stress. Then we’ll be easy pickings with its ruthless program.”
“It won’t… hurt us that badly, right?”
“Don’t worry. Well, maybe a little worry. You’ve heard about the electric shocks and the trap door by now, I assume.” Not even reacting to Serena’s blush after her question was answered, he let his finger drag up to where the Gym was located. “Which still confuses me. I didn’t design it with that in mind…”
Ash groaned before standing up, rubbing the crumbs off his mouth. “Geez, you weren’t kidding about the ‘tried every option’ thing, weren’t you?”
“Of course I wasn’t.” Clemont’s mouth was a harsh line tilted downwards as he squinted at the map. “This Gym is the pride of the city. It has to be.”
Serena looked at Ash, who frowned mid-stretch. It was hard to reconcile what he knew of Gym Leaders: confident, strong, and most importantly, a Gym Leader at first sight, with what he knew of Clemont. It still is. All that nervous energy Ash usually put into battles were now conflicted at the image in front of him— a displaced battler, a worried friend, a timid Trainer.
It was entirely too much to handle. If Ash didn’t actually know Clemont, well, he still would’ve helped. But probably not like this.
“Hey,” he said, trying to inject some positivity into his voice. Clemont looked up, and Ash pushed down that feeling of wrongness in him (that this was a friend that this was an obstacle). “Look, we can try planning everything under the sun, but we won’t know until we try. So let’s just go to the Gym—”
“I already told you—”
Ash put a hand up, pausing (the traveller one if the strongest) Clemont’s words. “—Why don’t we go to the Gym and see what we can do from there. Whatever happens, well,” and he gave him a self-assured grin, “We’ll deal with ‘em as they come!”
Clemont looked down at the map and gripped it, eyes zipping by it in a frenetic manner. “I— I can’t,” he said, voice broken.
“Okay, why don’t you tell us the worst of what Clembot can do.” Serena was all no-nonsense now, looking ready to march up to the Gym itself as she adjusted the bag on her back. All that tenseness inside her vanished as soon as they sat down and talked, and even Ash had to bow down to her resolve. “So then we can plan for that accordingly.”
“I can’t!” The Gym Leader’s voice burst out forcefully, an expulsion of air too hot to handle, and he jumped to his feet as he stood away from the seat. Pacing around, he muttered, “Clembot changed too much; its AI is evolving since I first made it. Had been evolving. All this time, in fact. I’ve tried to pinpoint the boundaries but with the code busted and with no way of viewing it for myself, I’m fresh out of luck. I’ve tried, okay? I’ve done… everything I can.”
“Not everything.”
“What?”
This is a Gym Leader. This is supposed to be someone to beat, and yet all Ash could see was someone beaten down himself. His heart ached (he knew this feeling too well). “That’s it? You find a roadblock and you just give up? Does it really mean that little to you?” Do we mean nothing? “We can do this, and I know you know it.”
Clemont didn’t react. Bonnie perked up and removed the doughnut from her mouth, chiming in, “What about the Master Recognition Battle mode?”
“The what?”
Clemont hurriedly looked between Serena, who asked the question, to Ash, who was still standing in front of him, looking grim. “You know I don’t have the code,” he hissed towards his younger sister, who shrugged.
“But it is one way of getting in.” At Serena’s questioning glance, she added, “Clemont added that in case of emergencies like this, but… He’s right on that.” She then stuffed the doughnut between her teeth before bobbing down once more, situating herself out of the conversation again.
Ash’s mind was whirling with too many ideas. The Gym Leader, the Gym, the imposter within. Countless locks and obstacles to go through. And then… And then… “You know, I meant what I said.”
Clemont huffed. “You don’t know what you said. I don’t blame you for thinking otherwise, though.”
“I’m with Ash on this one.” Both of them turning to Serena, she shrugged. “We’re just going to sit here forever catastrophising at this point. Sometimes… it’s best to go for broke.” She noted the look Clemont was giving and put a hand up. “We’ve got to walk to the Gym before anything else. Let’s just talk until then.”
And just like that, they were off. Bags packed, pace set, eyes on the road.
It was a winding path. They probably went further out than expected. Although since it was Clemont’s idea…
Ash bit back the vitriol on his head. It’s not his fault. It’s not his fault. Clemont wasn’t the one who threw him out. He wasn’t the one who looked down at him with disdain. It wasn’t his fault.
(Some of it was, though.)
“Why did you become a Gym Leader?” he forced himself to say, sounding light.
The Gym Leader stiffened, before readjusting his grip on his bag. “I wanted to master Electric-Type Pokémon.”
“And that’s it?”
Bonnie added, “Here in Lumiose City, they call him the Electric-Type prodigy. He used to study them at this school-place-thing, and then afterwards he graduated and took on the Gym. He’s always getting better, my brother. He’s strong, too. It’s too bad he can’t see it, though.”
“Bonnie!”
“Yes?”
“You must really like Electric Types, then,” Serena murmured, looking intrigued. Clemont ducked his head into his collar at that, pretending to not hear.
Ash thought about their journey then. Short-lived as it was, he still learnt a lot. About inventions, about ingenuity, about trying something new. Wasn’t Kalos supposed to be something different? Wasn’t his heart yearning for the same?
“How many Pokémon are at the Gym?”
“Three.”
(a stranger a strange- (moment that caused their paths to collide, didn’t it?))
“When we get it back, won’t you have five Pokémon? That’s almost a full team, bro!”
“…Yeah, I guess so.”
(there’s danger he’s danger(ous to your dreams, isn’t he?))
“You know, that Master Recognition Battle, uh, thing does sound a lot like you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“It’s the naming, obviously.”
And yet, even with all of it, there was still the blond teen with round glasses lagging behind with long fingers that tapped at his bag straps and a mind that overthinks the slightest things, in battles or with machines or even in conversation. Using big words and getting flustered when interrupted. Arguing and staying stubborn to his viewpoints, based on whatever data he miraculously collects that he never shows.
Just like before.
Ash softened, finding his muscles loosening up, his vision becoming clearer. His thoughts and his resolve as well.
Because all of that… felt more like Clemont than anything.