Locked Away, Chapter 70: The Finale

"The champion of Kanto, Gold, is still missing, is this true?" asked a woman dressed in a gray suit. She was an interviewer who sat on a red armchair, staring at Misty, who wore a red and black suit and sat in a red armchair opposite the woman.

The interview was from a week ago, but news stations still played the information back and tried to 'read more into' the information provided.

"It is true. We are still looking for Gold, as well as the other missing individuals reported during Team Rocket's occupation."

"Do you have any plans on how you're going to search for them?"

It was Misty's hesitation at that question that the news outlets were devouring like wild dogs. Her brow scrunched, her lip curled downward, and she twisted her hands on her lap. Misty didn't give the woman an answer right away, and when she did finally spit something out—it wasn't well crafted. When Misty later told Ash about the incident, she said that she didn't want to lie by saying 'yes, they had a plan', or the truth, by saying 'they had no idea where to start and they did not have the proper manpower'. So, she stumbled over her words, and that was the portion of the interview people kept over-analyzing.

It was ridiculous, or so Ash thought.

Shuffling on his feet, Ash skimmed over the headlines that zoomed across the television screen near him and shook his head. He inhaled, stuffed his hands into his pockets. People were hyper-focused on the Elite Four and the next plan of action and Ash was still trying to get out of bed before noon.

Awkwardly, he forced his attention back to the ice cream shop where he waited in line. Half listening to the information-dump that detailed the long, egregious process of change coming to the regions.

As Dawn mentioned in previous conferences, the chief executives from each region, who ran the Pokemon League, disappeared after Lance was placed in prison, or before, it was hard to tell during the chaos. While their desertions drew massive attention, their absences did not matter. As Misty pointed out several times, they didn't do much anyway.

Clearly, because they allowed Team Rocket to infiltrate the entire league!

"Can you believe the pokemon centers are supposed to be free again…?" Voices passed Ash, who's hood was pulled over his black hair, and pikachu was incognito inside of his jacket. A little hot to be wearing the blue hoodie, but he didn't feel like being noticed.

At all, or ever again.

He sighed.

In only a few weeks, it seemed like everyone's lives went on as usual. People stepped out of their comfort zone to assist the league in propelling the world forward. In the meantime, until actual elections could be held, Misty represented Kanto and Johto, the latter of which was still mostly in a blackout. Dawn and Iris, as champions, represented what was left of their regions, and May was a spokesperson for Hoenn because Hoenn decided to abolish the hierarchy in favor of a council. The four of them made up a new 'branch' of executives that monitored the Pokemon League, which was placed under temporary suspension until the 'situation' was under control.

Ash was not certain… but he was pretty sure the fall of Team Rocket placed the 'situation' under control. Yet, the more he learned about politics, the more Ash was beginning to think all of their hard work was for naught. Nothing seemed to matter in the end, Giovanni's name was uncomfortable on people's lips—and Mewtwo? Most of the regions and citizens still didn't know about Mewtwo.

Even his friends moved on so quickly that Ash felt bad for lagging.

Ash's snail pace recovery was partially why he vacated Saffron Tower this morning and afternoon. He wanted to disappear for a while, forget about the problems. Long enough to get ice cream, at least.

"Next!" Called the man waving from the window, and Ash took a step forward behind another person waiting in line and looked up at the bright, clear skies. The smoke faded into a foggy memory, the fires a part of history, but no longer an issue. Ash exhaled.

Because of the league suspension, all tournaments, battle domes, gyms, races—everything pokemon related-was temporarily closed. Gym leaders, the ones that were left, were asked to assist trainers and Pokemon Centers. Emergency funds were provided to families affected by the closures and Pokemon Center fees were temporarily waived. While they checked the backgrounds of people who remained in seats of power, regular businesses opened, and for the first time since Ash woke up, pokemon roamed the street almost as freely as humans.

As sad and ironic as it was that half the gym leaders defected, Brock seemed more concerned that none of them attempted to riot. Misty, as suspicious as she was now, was concerned that meant they had somewhere to go. Unfortunately, they did not have the manpower or resources to track them down yet because they were focused on rebuilding infrastructure, housing the refugees, and stabilizing Kanto and Johto. Corrupt leaders were a close second thought, but not more important than providing security and peace.

With Team Rocket apparently out of the picture, hundreds of people came forward with testimonials on how they were blackmailed, bullied, or threatened by Team Rocket or people working for them. The police, judges, mayors, and other town-leaders were the most apologetic. Their truth and willingness to make accommodations allowed Kanto to act quickly with housing and employment.

Meanwhile, Ash did not play an active role in any of this.

After all, he was standing in line at an ice cream shop, for Arceus' sake.

He watched from the sidelines and offered encouragement to his friends right until he left the hospital. After his release, news anchors wanted to interview him, but he refused. Unlike Misty, or Brock—or any of his other friends, he didn't hold a seat of power, and he had no intention of sitting in front of a television to answer the same benign questions they asked over and over.

What happened?

Where do we go?

How do you feel?

What did you do?

How can you help?

The answers for those questions were all selfish, and while he ordered his regular chocolate, swirl ice-cream upon reaching the front of the line, he blocked out the mindless chatter of groups around him.

"Thanks," Ash muttered as the ice-cream man handed him a cone and an ice cream sandwich. He then placed the smallest cone into pikachu's paw. Ash handed him money, and then backed away.

Pikachu rode in his partially zipped hoodie, but since pokemon were generally out of their pokeballs, he did not garner attention. Looking around at the city now, it was hard to believe that only a year ago, Saffron City had regulations on the amount of pokemon allowed out from an individual trainer. Now, everyone seemed to have at least one. They used to operate restricted fly zones, but now people seemed to come and go as they pleased. Ash imagined that becoming an abused concept at some point, but for now, he hoped people had the best intentions.

Clouds whipped by as Ash watched the sky. He missed it, soaring… for many reasons.

Sighing sadly, Ash started his walk back to the Saffron Tower.

Since housing was a nightmare, the Saffron Tower became home for him and many others. Misty, Dawn, and Iris moved in to be near the main source of information leaving and coming into the league, which meant most of their people stayed behind with them. Misty's sisters, Brock, Dawn, and Iris' brood from Sinnoh and Unova. Typically, Kanto leaders were stationed at the Indigo Plateau, which was an idea for the future, but right now, they needed to be near the chaos to fix it. If they ran off to the safety of the plateau, they were no better than the previous Elite Four. Ash didn't mind, he liked being in the busy city. Took his mind off other things.

As he approached the gleaming Saffron Tower, Ash carefully dipped around a back corner. The front of the building was typically full of reporters with questions and today was no different. Ash turned the corner into an alley that Misty showed him, turned around another bend, and then shifted a piece of metal fence to the side to slip into the gate from the back. Truthfully, Ash had no reason to avoid them, other than feeling bitter or selfish, but he certainly did not feel like helping anyone. The reality of that feeling only brought waves of guilt through his system.

"Hey, you're back." squawked the voice of Lily, who played in a bed of flowers. Since she didn't have much to offer in ways of politics, she kept herself busy playing in the dirt. Ash related to that. Except, on his worst days, he just wanted to lay in the dirt and never move again.

"Yeah," he muttered and handed her a wrapped, but partially melted, ice cream sandwich. He finished his on the way back.

"They didn't have strawberry." He winced when he sat on the bench near her flower bed.

"That's alright. Thanks for going to get it." Lily pulled the wrapper back and glanced at him, "Did you bring any back for Misty?"

"She won't be back until later."

"Oh. She's still out with Brock and Iris?"

"Yeah, they had to check out Viridian City to reassess the damage now that the fires have totally burned out, or something like that."

"You didn't want to go?"

Ash kicked at the dirt with his shoe while pikachu hopped from his arm and took cover in a shade of a bush. They were both very low energy lately.

"…Nah, I've seen enough fire for a lifetime."

Lily snorted, "Hopefully you don't end up stranded on an island any time soon. You can't survive without making a fire."

Ash leaned back, resting the full of his back against the cool concrete bench. "Guess I'll die, then." He murmured cynically.

The sun warmed his skin, and the fresh air brought a smile to his face. The scent of smoke no longer clung to the air, so his lungs were soot free for the first time in weeks. Sighing, Ash listened to the gentle sound of the rustling trees. He enjoyed the quiet moments spent with Lily. Unlike Violet and Daisy, she picked up on Ash's not-so-great moods and tended to keep herself busy with projects, instead of bothering him. Not that they ever truly bothered him, but sometimes he didn't feel like talking. Lately, he felt like that a lot. Lily respected that, therefore, he respected Lily.

"Ash!" A voice called to him.

A strangled noise escaped Ash's mouth as he pried his eyes open. Lily snickered beside him.

"Hey! I see you over there! C'mere!"

Dawn was so loud… Ash thought as he kicked his feet over the edge of the bench. Lily met his eyes.

"You know, if you keep slumping around like that, they're only going to bother you more."

Fair point, he nodded his agreement and forced a grin over his lips before he turned to the blue-haired woman that trudged through Lily's freshly planted flowers to reach him.

"We need to talk, come with me." Dawn grabbed his shoulder, and Ash seethed internally.

"We can't talk outside?"

"Well, I mean we can, but…"

"There are people and when they see you, they want to talk. I know. Fine." Ash resigned as Dawn spun around and dragged him and pikachu back into the Saffron Tower. He waved at Lily who waved back, and like that, the quiet was gone.

"I have this idea because we've all been kind of down lately and we've been working extra hard even though we won..."

Wouldn't call that a win, he thought bitterly, but stopped himself from saying it. Ever since he found out about Charizard… no, before that. Since he woke up, he felt off. Like something in him changed. A pit carved into his stomach and left behind thorns and needles.

"-I say, we throw a party!" Only, Dawn wasn't asking.

The blue and red decorations were already up on the main floor lobby area, food was on the banquet tables, streamers flew from the air conditioning, and tables decorated the floor. It looked too much like the party the Indigo League threw a few months ago. Ash still smiled despite the churning in his stomach.

"You mean, you already started."

"Yes, duh." Dawn smiled, partially joking. "That isn't what I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?" he asked nicely, trying to shake off the growing headache.

"Voting is around the corner, and what is left of Johto and Kanto are going to vote for the next Elite Four… I really think we should put your name in."

"No. Sorry." Ash smiled and turned to leave without looking back. He saw cookies. Pikachu was already halfway there.

"Why not?" Dawn called after him, matching his pace.

"Because I don't want to."

"That's not a good reason."

Ash inhaled, exhaled, and nodded. It wasn't a good reason, but it was a reason. It was his reason. If his heart wasn't in it, he would not be any different than a puppet on strings. His face and glory were admired in Kanto for now, but he knew how quickly that changed.

Ash was content being Ash right now. Not a hero. Not chosen…. Just... him.

"Okay…" he started slowly because Dawn looked at him with expectant eyes.

Ash told this to Misty before. He told Brock, and Gary. Really, Dawn must have known, but he'd reiterate it as many times as he needed to until it stuck.

"I want to stay neutral. I don't believe that I can truly be impartial if I'm apart of the Elite Four for Kanto. I know that Misty and Brock are good fits and won't misuse their power. Plus, I trust them to pick people that will rise to the occasion… but I'm not that person. I won't go along with what's typical, or lawful, and I know my boundaries. Desks and meetings and speeches aren't my thing." Ash shrugged, and grabbed a cookie, "I'm not good at sitting around."

"But…" Dawn sighed, at least she tried. "You're right. You're a man of action."

Man, Ash internally snorted at the suggestion. He still felt like a boy most of the time.

"Besides, Misty and Brock both already asked me. Didn't they tell you?"

"Of course, but I thought I'd ask anyway."

Ash smiled but shook his head. "You thought my answer would change?"

"Peer pressure is amazing."

"Good luck with that," Ash mimed, refraining himself from commenting that if he could resist 'peer pressure' from Mewtwo, there was no way Dawn was going to break him. Realizing he was a lost cause, Dawn gestured to his clothes.

"Then, why don't you go put on something other than sweatpants for the party then? Surprise Misty by pretending that you care about all these formalities?" She threw her hands out beside her, and Ash looked down at himself.

"…What's wrong with my sweatpants?"

Without answering, Dawn laughed and retreated to her group of advisors and friends from Sinnoh. Most of them, namely Zoey, still carried streamers in her hand, and a vey unimpressed Paul, covered in glitter, stood beside her. Clearly, they helped decorate the lobby. A smile cracked over Ash's lips, at least they were having fun. When Dawn was gone, Ash glanced around at the room at the people who lingered, and they looked away as quickly as he made eye contact.

Funny how he was the hero of the citizens but the people the league worked with thought he was an anomaly. Little did they know, he thought he was one, too. Gathering a few more cookies in his pocket for later, Ash retreated to the elevator to return to his newest living quarters.

XOX

Ash was not sure he owned other clothes. He wore sweats because they were available when he needed clothes. They were easy to clean, comfortable to lay in, and for the first week, he was out of the hospital, the only clothes that didn't squeeze him too tight.

'Look nice for Misty' never occurred in his thoughts.

Misty didn't usually care what he wore. So long as he wasn't limping, she was happy. Even she mostly wore jeans and long shirts. Her sense of fashion went out of the window when she started spending her waking hours reading, writing, speaking, and helping around the region. Not to mention having to fly regularly on Iris' dragonite to go between Johto and Kanto easily. Ash was enjoying the leisure lifestyle for once in his life. For once, he had nowhere to be, nothing to do… and to be honest.

He was tired.

Ash grew accustomed to the constant challenges he faced, and the sudden flip to regular, boring life, was jarring and unpredictable. His body did not want to move like it was supposed to yet, and he was still mourning. At least, that's what Misty suggested. He deserved and earned his downtime, and he needed to enjoy it before something else happened.

Misty was certain there would be something else. Perhaps his paranoia rooted too far into her brain, but with as little as they both slept late, he wasn't surprised.

Tossed haphazardly onto the bed that he usually shared with Misty, were her pajamas from this morning. For once, she slept in and had to scramble to get herself together after a long movie night that Ash suggested since they both couldn't sleep. Nevertheless, she was so wound up after waking, Ash sent her with togetic to watch over her. If his own sleeping problems bothered him, he was twice as worried about Misty's. She had so much more on her plate to take care of, that toppled with sleepless nights, was surely going to run her ragged.

After defeating Giovanni, the panic was supposed to be over. They were supposed to be able to finally relax, take a breather—go on vacation.

Regrettably, Mewtwo threw a wrench into that.

Misty never talked about it. Mind control.

She'd talk about James, Jessie, and Team Rocket. On occasion, she talked about the Viridian fires, how she shouldn't have been surprised that Agatha not only betrayed them but vanished afterward. Didn't mean she was any less pissed off. But she never spoke about the Sevii Islands or anything that came from it. When Brock pressed the issue, she shut down. Her eyes glazed over, and her mind vacated far away. Watching her disassociate was strange because she was the kind of person who faced her problems head-on.

It worried him, but he chose not to pry. She would talk to him when she was ready… he hoped.

Ash sat on her half of the bed and laid back, inhaling the scent of her wildflower shampoo and lavender-scented soaps as it escaped the sheets beneath him. Closing his eyes, he attempted to hold onto that scent and then exhaled.

Peer pressure, Ash thought, Mind-control… What was the difference?

Even though Misty avoided the topic, her occasional withdrawals or night terrors spoke for her. Violated. Her spirit and body. She lost complete control. Fought her friends and blamed herself for so much more than she needed to. Misty convinced herself that if she didn't succumb to Mewtwo's control, a lot would have been different.

But Ash knew better. She couldn't have stopped the fires or Lugia dying, or even the fate of Giovanni. She wanted someone to blame for all the mistakes made, but rather than looking outward, she looked inward and was punishing herself for nothing.

"Pikachu-pi, chuuu?" Pikachu asked, wondering what Ash had for clothes, reminding him he didn't come in here to nap.

"Nap sounds nice though," Ash muttered and rolled over to cradle Misty's pillow.

"...Pika." pathetic. He taunted, putting his ears back.

"No, you." Ash laughed and sat up to glare at his long-time companion before pulling himself up and out of bed while pikachu reminded him of the outfit Violet bought him before he left the hospital.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot Violet tried to buy our clothes for a while." He snickered as he went for the dresser.

When Misty was handed a bundle of clothes from her sister at the hospital, she grimaced. Violet mentioned that since they were actual leaders, they needed to look the role. Sweats and scrubs simply would not do.

I miss being a nobody gym leader. Misty often whispered to Ash or Brock when she'd hear the 'you're a public figure' speech.

Brock also received a lot of the same treatment since he was the second runner for Elite Four, the difference was that he loved it and Misty resisted it. Public speaking became a very easy skill for Brock and over time they became more of a duo. Wherever Misty spoke, Brock existed to enhance the charisma when she struggled. Ash offered an escape when the cameras became too much.

Dawn encouraged the three of them by saying that it wouldn't stay like this forever. People latched on because they were worried. As the world returns to normal, their lives should mellow out again. Perhaps the reason Misty worked so hard was to reach that point sooner than later.

Honestly, Ash thought she always worked too hard and that wouldn't change when she wasn't the center of attention.

Typically, the same could be said about him.

"Does this look bad?" Ash pulled on the black jeans and blue tee-shirt he gathered from the wardrobe beneath the television, and pikachu crinkled his nose.

"Right, you don't care either way." Ash and pikachu both laughed.

Pikachu didn't care if he wore rags or riches; clothes were clothes. Fashion was last on a very long list of other important hobbies for pikachu. Ash usually agreed with him, but there was something special in his stomach when Misty's eyes brightened at the tiniest bits of effort. Any attempt was a reminder that he was getting better, and she reveled in that knowledge.

"Chu. Pika pika."

"I'm not putting my hair in a ponytail." Ash fluffed out his hair and stuffed a red hat over his hair to flatten the black spikes until pikachu jumped and flung the hat on the other side of the room.

Do it for Misty, pikachu groaned, yanking on his trainer's hair.

"You're impossible." Ash grimaced, but gathered his hair, and tied it into a low ponytail. His spikey hair pointed out in all directions regardless, but he looked less like a crazy person, and more like an adult.

"You're having way too much fun in here." Misty's voice crept into the room while Ash plopped pikachu onto the top of the dresser to keep his paws off his hair, and Ash nearly fell over when he spun.

"You're back!"

"You sound surprised." Misty smiled, "Been keeping out of trouble?"

"For once, yeah." He answered honestly, grinning from ear to ear.

Misty approached, then circled her arms around his torso, holding him tightly. No matter how often she hugged him; his heart raced at the sudden contact. He was full of giddiness when he saw her. Touch starved was one interpretation, but Ash believed it was a reaction saved only for Misty. As he drooped his arms tightly around her shoulders and buried his nose into her hair with a smile, he didn't care what the reason was that his heart fluttered.

"It looks so much worse in person." She whispered into his shoulder and Ash's breath hitched.

Happiness slipped away, and dread filled the void.

Right. Viridian City. He'd only seen it from camera feeds and videos. He was there when it was burning down, and from Sebastian's apartment, he saw the worst of the fires spreading… but he could not imagine what it was like now that the cinders were going out.

"The smell is… something else."

"…I bet it is..." He wasn't about to tell her that he could smell it on her.

Ash offered solace, but he long stopped assuring her everything was okay. She was sick of hearing it and so was he. Nothing was okay about what happened. They put on the brave and hopeful face, but the truth was everything went horribly wrong. What they wanted to prevent still happened. Of course, they were grateful it wasn't worse, but that didn't mean it was okay. They had to demonstrate progression around everyone else, but not around each other. They didn't have to be okay here.

After a few minutes swaying in that spot, Ash murmured into her hair: "Dawn's throwing a party."

"I saw," her lips formed a smile against his shoulder, "Is that why you put jeans on?"

"Dawn said I should look nice."

Misty snorted, "I question what you think nice is."

"Clearly, I think it's jeans."

"Violet bought you slacks. Where did you put those?" She retorted.

Ash countered with: "You're not wearing slacks."

"Maybe I was going to change."

"Well fine then."

Misty glanced at the clothes on the floor, strewn about between lack of sleep and missing alarms, and nearly retracted her statement. Her nice clothes were somewhere between the washroom and the closet. She had a clean suit-jacket that Violet bought her for interviews so she would look professional but she wore it once and had no idea where it went to.

"…On second thought, jeans are fine."

"See, I'm…" Ash paused for thought, then gestured with his hands, "…Fashion-forward."

"Oh, please." She laughed while sorting quickly through a basket of clean clothes she hadn't bothered to put away. "If you're fashion-forward, then Brock is Casa Nova."

"I thought he was pretty popular with the 'ladies' lately?" Ash spoke in a tone that mocked the stories Brock told them. They both knew he was flaunting, and possibly lying.

"If by popular, you mean not fleeing, then sure." She said while slipping into the washroom to change. They talked through the door for a minute, teasing Brock until Ash sighed.

"How did togetic do?"

"He did fine. He helped find some…" she trailed off, "Anyway, Brock took him to be washed while I changed."

"That's nice of him."

Ash stepped away from the washroom door as she emerged wearing a yellow tank top and blue jeans. Her red sports bra showed from beneath and when she walked past him, the nasty, elongated scar across her left shoulder glared at him. The exit wound left over from the lightning. He couldn't see the entirety of it, but he knew it spiderwebbed from above her shoulder blade, down the center of her back, and to her lower neck. Ash shuddered and the thorns in his stomach twisted. Pikachu physically turned to the door and hopped off Ash's shoulder.

"Do you have a spare jacket I can wear?" She asked, yanking open his drawers to sort through his clothing until she found a light red jacket, and immediately tugged it over her shoulders.

"That way people won't ask how my arm is all night."

"Wouldn't want that." Ash mocked on instinct and Misty shot him a quick glare.

"How is it, anyway?" he asked.

"It's there." She huffed, rolled the long sleeves up to her elbows, and fastened one of the buttons. She met his eyes with exasperation, she was tired of not talking about it. "Let's… not tonight and just go enjoy ourselves. Dawn ordered a chocolate fountain. I don't even know where she found one of those right now."

Ash bit back his response and nodded. Not tonight, not ever it seemed. She was prone to up and walk out of conversations when someone asked how her health or injuries were recovering. Typically, she didn't do that with Brock or Ash, but she didn't respond, either. Sadly, they needed to respect that boundary regardless of their concern. Pushing wasn't going to help at all. Ash resigned and held out his hand to her.

"The cookies are good."

"I see you already stole some." She nodded to the nightstand as she took his hand and they left.

XOX

There was something to be said about the Waterflower sister's ability to cheer Misty up. For a group of girls who spent their entire childhood fighting, they were a close-knit group that rarely fought now. Currently, Violet was trying to balance glasses on her head and Lily was stacking them. It was a bar trick, and it garnered some attention. Mostly, it had Misty in stitches for whatever unknown reason.

Ash thought; good, she deserved to laugh. Togetic stayed at Misty's side throughout the night, assisting her if she dropped something when her arm trembled. Meanwhile, Ash and pikachu found themselves loitering at the banquet table when they weren't being dragged around by Dawn, or Brock, or Misty.

He wasn't an outcast, he simply didn't have a lot to say lately, people were confusing that with him being upset, and after he left groups, they murmured.

Funny how pikachu heard the comments and reiterated them to him bitterly. Most of their worries were a concern for his mental health, which spilled into Misty's mental health, which spilled into other concerns and Ash was tired of hearing it halfway through the night. He was being normal! Obviously! He was enjoying the food and the chocolate fountain and generally socializing. Did he need to be the center of attention? Were people expecting him to make a grand display of destruction, again?

"How you holdin' up, champ?"

Ash spun around to face Iris' amber eyes and charming smile.

"I'm good. You? How's dragonite?"

"He's still dragonite." Iris was someone that made Ash uncomfortable. He couldn't put a finger on it, but something about her made him sidestep when she moved to lean her arm against his.

"I find everything so intriguing..."

She sounded like she was baiting him like she wanted him to respond. Ash wasn't sure what else to do, he raised an eyebrow.

"…mm?" Ash hummed, taking another step away.

"You, a regular person, went toe-to-toe with that monstrosity… how? I'll never understand."

Ash lowered the cookie he was munching on away from his lips and blinked at Iris. "…You saw Mewtwo in Unova, right?"

Maybe the Mewtwo that decimated Unova was stronger than the one he faced because Mewtwo was weakened from his living conditions when Ash found him. That 'monstrosity' was as confused and broken as everyone standing in this room. He also didn't find it worth mentioning that he did not personally end the 'monstrosity's' life. If Ho-oh hadn't stepped in, there was no telling how that match would have gone. Maybe Mewtwo would have come around to their side? Ash said none of his thoughts, he swallowed against the lump forming in his throat. The last situation he wanted to be known for was sympathizing with a psycho-murderer-pokemon.

"I saw the destruction it created, yeah. Never faced it personally, only watched it turn hundreds of dragons into stone before my very eyes." She took a sip of her drink and tilted her head. "I saw how powerful it was… and yet, I still think it's strange that while it was destroying Unova, it also destroyed Bill's lab… It's like it was two places at once."

A few pauses passed between them, the sound of distant music circling. Ash held his breath.

"…Makes you wonder if Giovanni was truly working alone." When she added that, she glared at Ash who blinked innocently.

"Guess we'll never know." Ash droned.

"Or do we? What did you say happened to those goons you were working with?"

"I don't know. I was in a coma." He answered honestly, wishing that someone would save him from this conversation. He understood why Iris made him uncomfortable. It was her constant confrontation. Living in prison for years could do that to a person, he supposed.

"Don't you think it's strange that they disappeared after helping so much? I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I've heard from Brock and Misty, they sort of made matters worse."

"They're just… misunderstood. They aren't bad."

"Then, where are they?" She countered with wild eyes, and Ash shook his head.

"If it wasn't for them, you'd still be locked up in Unova." Ash retorted, almost bitterly.

"You're right… I don't think they're smart enough to betray you… but…"

Another. Ash scoffed at that idea and shook his head at the insanity. There wasn't another person calling the shots. Mewtwo controlled Giovanni, Giovanni controlled Team Rocket and that was that.

He couldn't bear to think of anything else right now.

"You feel it. I know you do."

"That doesn't mean anything," Ash argued, but Iris shook her head, a knowing smirk over her lips.

"Where are the professors, Ash? What about your family? Or the rest of the legendary brood?" She leaned close to him, her voice low and suspicious.

"You know this isn't over. Don't try to burry that intuition." A cryptic warning. Ash swallowed and spun out of the room with pikachu following close behind. He needed to clear his head.

Yes, he thought about it.

Constantly.

He thought that not everything added up. Mewtwo's end goal was to protect pokemon from humans; that didn't align with capturing legendary pokemon. He used Lugia and Ho-oh to draw Ash in, to tip the scales; but it was to prove a point that humans were the real monsters. He controlled Giovanni, but that didn't mean Giovanni didn't have his own goals. He very well could have been working with someone else, someone who wasn't under Mewtwo's control.

Jessie and James wouldn't do that though… they were…

The rush of air embraced Ash's lungs while he flung his arms out and over a railing along the back of the Saffron tower that overlooked a concrete hill into the downtown area. Twinkling lights sparkled at him and his stomach churned despite pikachu's attempt to rub his shoulders.

That didn't include the repercussions that Ho-oh promised after the death of Lugia.

Was that the reason the pit in his stomach would not go away?

"Pikachu-pi! Pikapi…" The mouse ran back towards the door, but Ash barely heard.

His mind spun, pushing waves of nausea through his body while he tried to focus on a single pebble below to pull his thoughts together. The problem was there was no order. He prevented himself from going crazy by not thinking. It's the only reason he'd distanced himself from the problem. His mind and soul weren't ready to think of the hard questions. He still felt so much guilt, and frustration and… He squeezed his eyes shut.

For as much as he wanted Misty to 'open up', he pushed his issues down further.

"Ash," Misty's soft voice called to him. She placed a gentle hand at the center of his back and he opened his eyes to see his knuckles were pure white as he grasped the iron railing. As he breathed, he slowly let go and unclenched his teeth.

"…It's alright." She said quietly, encouraging the small unravel, Ash exhaled bitterly.

"Iris thinks that Jessie and James were working with Giovanni… or that someone else…" he blurted out and then….

Ah, there was the vomit.

Ash buckled over and the garbage food he ate that night resurfaced at the blasphemous thoughts in his head. He usually had a stomach of steel, but during his recovery, a lot of foods upset it recently. When he hacked, his ribs screamed, and his bones vibrated angrily at him to stop. Chalked it up to nerves, but it didn't hurt any less. He gagged again.

"It's okay..." Misty soothed circles into his back while he hacked over the edge. Yet, her encouragement brought a rolling laugh to his lips, and he hung his head over the railing in immediate silence. The smell was terrible.

"Do you believe that? You knew them better than everyone else…"

"…I don't know what I believe anymore, Misty. I had it all figured out, didn't I?" Ash confessed, and somehow having it in the open removed a weight from his shoulders as he kicked the lower railing.

"…I don't know what I'm supposed to do with all these thoughts or this anger, or guilt." Ash glared at the stains of bile dripping down the slope and his nose curled. "Am I supposed to look blindly for my mom and brother? What about Leaf, or the missing professors? But then… Is it so wrong that I almost don't want to? I make everything worse."

Ash winced, then added painfully: "Everything was supposed to go back to normal after we stopped Giovanni… So why isn't it normal?"

"…What good was normal before?" she questioned quietly.

Ash sneered and pressed his face into the palms of his hand while Misty stopped drawing circles into his back. Togetic bumped his head against Ash's back, offering small words of encouragement.

"Right." Ash scoffed and pressed his fingers against his closed eyes.

For every answer, they still had so many questions—so many loose ends they had no way of addressing, even with Gary searching relentlessly, and trying to use every source they could from Kanto. It seemed like the rest of Team Rocket vanished.

…what was normal now? It wasn't like the situation was any better before. After all, that was why they were trying so hard for change. Ash exhaled shakingly while Misty pursed her lips, seemingly having the same thoughts when she finally confessed quietly:

"…I pushed Giovanni."

A confession… Her voice so quiet, Ash wasn't sure that he heard her right. He peered at her; right hand pressed against his forehead. Her eyes stared up at the night sky blankly.

"…It's… It's my fault we don't have answers. Because…" She exhaled, "I knew if we brought him in, we'd have a better chance at understanding everything… but I pushed him. Didn't even think about it. I just… wanted it to be over."

Caringly, Ash touched her shoulder as tears pooled at the corner of her eyes, but did not fall.

"James dragged me out of that room and if he hadn't, I wouldn't be here." She scoffed sadly, "When I couldn't jump into the water to save you, he did… They had every chance to let us die… and they didn't. So even though they ran… Even though they weren't always helpful…" Misty trailed off, she had been furious with them in the beginning, "Iris might be right, Team Rocket might have someone else… but it's not them. Believe in that, if nothing else."

A long pause followed her words; she didn't think Jessie and James were working with Giovanni. She blamed herself for not having the answers to the many remaining questions… and she… 'stopped' Giovanni.

Ash carefully draped a comforting arm around her shoulders, and then cautiously brought his other around to embrace her, even though she didn't reciprocate. When she rested her head against his chest, he held her tightly without speaking and pressed his lips against her hair. The city lights and distant sounds of cars and sirens blared as faint noise over the damning silence.

Ash wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel right now.

What could he say?

Hadn't she just confessed to …killing… someone?

"…I wanted it to be over." She repeated behind gritted teeth and Ash squeezed tighter until she visibly wriggled.

"You're hurting me," she breathed, and Ash let her go with a quick apology while she readjusted herself to lean against the railing. He followed suit.

A few moments passed, the confession hung in the air as the party continued inside.

"I wanted change, but I never wanted this. Some naive part of me always thought that change would come without any sacrifices…"

"I know."

"We pushed forward, so recklessly…"

"Everything is clearer in hindsight, Mist." He bumped his shoulder against hers, "We did our best."

"Our best wasn't good enough." She rebutted flatly.

"…No… it wasn't, was it?" Ash answered sadly, folding his hands together while togetic and pikachu perched beside him to watch the stars twinkle aimlessly.

XOX

Misty slept in her own room for the first time since they both moved into Saffron Tower after that 'party'. Since Ash couldn't sleep that night, he cleaned up his room, which was also their shared room. He sorted his clothes and placed Misty's clothes in another pile. She wasn't upset with him, she assured him before leaving the party, she was disheartened and needed to clear her head. Ash was fine with that. He was worried and overly self-conscious, but fine.

Guilt plagued him, even so. Should he have comforted her? Did he give her enough space? Should he ask for advice? If he did ask for advice, that might mean divulging information that she didn't want to share.

She pushed Giovanni, as in, she sent him to his death. The more he reiterated the comment through his head, the more chills trickled down his spine.

Was she wrong in doing so? Ash wasn't there, so he couldn't make the call; but probably not. He couldn't imagine trying to drag Giovanni from the island in the first place, provided how badly everything went down. She made a split-second decision… but no matter how evil someone was, it was still murder. It was still taking the reigns of fate and deciding to break them. Ash fought Mewtwo, but he never actually thought about killing Mewtwo. Stopping him, yes… killing… Ash wasn't sure he could kill someone, no matter the circumstances. He couldn't understand how Misty felt in that moment.

…If Ho-oh hadn't swooped in, would he have been able to make that call?

Ash watched mindlessly as togetic and pikachu carefully pulled the sheets and duvet over the bed. Ash remembered how devastated pikachu was on Mount Coronet when they were trying to find Dailga and Palkia and he accidentally went too far. It was the same concern the mouse had when he shocked Misty and was the same one looming over him now, like a dark shroud.

…Poor Misty. Ash hummed sadly for a split second, before making a quick resolve.

This was stupid. Ash was not going to leave her alone.

He whispered for pikachu and togetic to follow him, and then at 2:00AM walked quietly down the hallway to her room, beside Brock's, and knocked on the door. She shuffled, and reached the door, but didn't open it. She knew he was standing there. No one else would bother her this late.

He needed to speak before she did.

"Mist… You don't need to feel bad about what happened. This entire situation sucked, and nothing went as well as we wanted it to, and we messed up a lot along the way… but… if we did nothing, this would have been so much worse. Please, don't disregard your attempts to make things better. You're doing the best you can, and it is enough. You keep trying and that's more than most people."

Was he saying this to make himself feel better? Ash pressed his forehead against the door,

"…I know you don't want to be alone right now and believe me; you don't have to push everyone away. No one is going to think you're a monster, you've only wanted what is best for everyone, but you were dealt a bad hand by a real monster and you can't blame yourself for that."

"…Your best was good enough." He corrected himself for his comment before.

On the other side, Misty pressed her forehead against the wooden door and chuckled despite the weight of his words. Exhaling, she popped the latch off the lock and twisted the doorknob to let him in. The lights were still on, indicating she was not trying to sleep, and he and his pokemon ventured in while she shut the door.

"Why is your room so much bigger than mine?" Ash asked as he glanced around. "And why have we been staying in mine when yours has a couch and a minifridge?"

He was joking to try to lighten the mood, but when she started crying as a response, he let the jokes fall away and embraced her. Pikachu and togetic piled in one at a time. As many times as he needed to be her pillar, he would, as she had for him so many times in the past. No one could make it alone. Everyone needed support sometimes, especially the ones who pretended to have it all together, all the time.

XOX

Usually, their mornings were sporadic, filled to the brim with Misty rushing around, trying to prepare for the day, but this morning was different. Misty didn't run away at the first glimpse of the sun, instead, she rolled over into the nook of Ash's arm, and pulled the blankets over her head.

"You don't have somewhere to be?" he asked, forcing his stiff body to cradle her beneath the covers.

"I do," she huffed.

"Should get up, then."

"I don't wanna." She whined, "I haven't had a day to sleep in since I was in the hospital, and I wouldn't consider my time there restful." She grumbled and Ash peeked with one eye at the digital clock on the wall across from them, sniffling.

"You have physical therapy in an hour."

"…mmm… don't wanna." She groaned and Ash chuckled.

"Does that mean you slept well for once?" Ash didn't. He woke up every half-hour in a cold sweat, but from his recollection, Misty finally slept through the entire night.

A blush crept up her cheeks as she remained flush against his chest. Usually, they did not make a habit of cuddling in the morning because, if they were being honest, they were both a little awkward.

"For once." Misty shifted the blankets away from her head to peer out the window, and to the clock where she exhaled onto his neck grumpily.

"I don't need to go today."

"Yes, you do. I know better than anyone the importance of physical therapy after any kind of injury."

Even if he sounded convincing, neither of them budged.

"Well, you aren't moving, either." She argued, Ash grinned with his eyes still closed.

"'Cause you're warm, and I have nowhere to be."

Misty rolled her eyes, "That's not my fault, is it? You're the one who didn't want to join the Elite Four."

"You'd get sick of me if you had to see me every day."

"Never." She chuckled and pecked him on the cheek affectionately before retreating to the crook of his neck. Heat rose to his cheeks, and he twisted his body to create modest distance from her. Thankfully, before the awkwardness festered into something else, pikachu dive-bombed between them.

"Chuuu, pikapika!"

"I agree. I say we have a lazy day and spend the rest of the day in bed." Ash concurred while togetic blinked from the perch pikachu abandoned him on. Togetic chirped at them in agreement and floated across the room and landed right above their heads.

"For a few more hours at least. I feel like I haven't slept in months." She confessed then wrapped her arms around Ash's torso and squeezed him.

"Because you haven't." He laughed.

"Shh," She whispered, "No more talking. Sleeping."

Ash rubbed her lower back gently while she drifted back into dreamland. Followed by pikachu's snores, and togetic's quiet purrs. He was envious, to say the least. When he closed his eyes, the fear of overwhelming darkness brought him back here. Staring at the ceiling, wondering where he was going, what he was doing… When he did dream, they were flooded with incoherent madness… but… he brushed strands of her hair away from her face, admiring the way she glowed in the sunlight, and then pressed a lingering kiss against her forehead.

That was a conversation for another day. He wanted to enjoy this moment.

XOX

"I'm surprised no one called," Misty declared while she took a seat on the stool beside Ash in the community kitchen.

"Maybe everyone knew you needed a day off?" Ash retorted sarcastically.

Misty playfully glared at him, then mimicked him under her breath while handing him the peanut butter and jelly sandwich she made.

"So,"

"Oh no." Ash mumbled, the dreaded 'so', conversation. Misty chuckled.

"I talked to Iris while you were in the shower."

"What for?" he asked while taking a bite of his sandwich. Internally, he wondered how she messed up a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich as he removed the two slices of bread to look inside. She rolled her eyes.

"For a favor… and if you're okay with it, she agreed."

His brows lowered, "What was the favor?"

"I asked her if she would fly us to the Sevii Islands."

Ash set his hardly-a-sandwich on the plate and retracted his hands into his lap as he stared at Misty.

"…Oh."

"You don't have to go if you don't want to… but I need to see it again." She wanted closure.

Charizard, Ash thought in unison with his pokemon, especially togetic whose wings fluttered.

"No… I want to go."

"Okay… Awesome." She said with a faint, sincere smile on her lips. Relief. "…But we should get something better to eat before she gets back."

Even though he was awestruck, and his mind was elsewhere, he smiled at her. "…How did you mess up a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?"

She grinned bashfully, and his heart swelled. "…I don't know at this point."

XOX

Since Iris started flying people around for the league, they situated dragonite with a proper harness that fit a maximum of four people. Misty was seated behind Iris, and Ash behind Misty. His hands rested on her hips for comfort, but also because it gave him some security. Pikachu rode on his lap, and Misty held togetic. It felt like it'd been years since clouds whipped across his face.

"As I said, the last time I came here, it was engulfed in flames…" Iris shouted against the wind. "I don't know what you're expecting to find this time."

"I don't either!" Misty shouted back, looking over the side and regretting it immediately. Ash rubbed her arms comfortingly. Despite flying somewhat regularly on dragonite with Iris, Misty wasn't used to it. Someday she might be, but he struggled to think of tomorrow, let alone someday.

As they neared the islands, the scent of smoke and haze flooded their visions. Puffy white clouds above them stirred with a mixture of soot and ash, and as they flew closer to the ocean to stay out of the worst of it, Ash saw how bad the fires truly were. They burned bright like an erupting volcano, appearing to swallow the main island up where the towering prison once loomed dramatically. An entire island purged by fire. The foundation was flattened to its core, and the endless black smoke forced each of them to pull their masks up as Iris slowed.

"This is probably as close as we can get…" Iris said as dragonite slowed into a glide, and less of a soar.

Iris and Misty both told him how devastating the aftermath was. However, they failed to mention that despite the water surrounding the area, the fire didn't disperse. Its bright orange and red hues pushed cold chills through his body despite the temperature. The waves of the ocean were close enough to hear them crack, but the steam rising kept them from venturing too close. The water boiled from the temperature of the rock and Ash realized he was stupid to think that anything could survive this mess. Trainers, reporters—anyone—were encouraged and requested not to go near the islands south of Kanto for their own safety, and seeing it with his own eyes, he understood why. He'd seen footage from helicopters that were forced to turn back when they got too close, heard stories from a few people that were nearly stranded when their boats started to superheat, but seeing it himself left an entirely new taste in his mouth that wasn't from the soot.

When Iris began to turn around, his voice caught in his throat.

"Can we circle around again?" Ash asked, peering at the other islands, which hadn't been completely destroyed by the fires. Patches of unwavering flames sputtered on them, but nothing compared to the mountain of flames at the center.

"Ash… it's too dangerous." Said Misty, worrying an eyebrow at him.

"I just need to see—Iris can we fly back just a little?"

Iris huffed, "I don't see why not. So long as dragonite is comfortable with it."

Iris heaved on the reigns to guide dragonite to turn around and start on another path, higher from the water, away from the smoke, and a new view of the island. The destruction was terrible, despite the angle changes from flying around the center island and steering clear of the growing flames on other islands. Dragonite growled in discomfort, and while Ash's eyes reflected the terrible fires, trying to process what he was seeing… his heart nearly leaped out of his throat when he saw a familiar shape resting on one of the smaller islands.

"Down there!" He pointed, and Iris yanked up on dragonite's reigns to pull him away from the fire, and loop around the location Ash pointed out.

"…Is that…?" Misty asked, eyes narrowing.

At the center of a smaller island, where burning fires eased upon their approach, stood a large, fifteen-foot stone statue in the shape of charizard; not fighting. Not battling or channeling aggression. He sat back on his hind legs, calmly with his wings arched peacefully. Acceptance. Ash's heart shattered in his ears, and pikachu echoed his sentiments with a cry.

Everything Ash held back the last few weeks since he woke up erupted from his stomach, through his throat, and without thinking, he nearly threw himself from dragonite, screaming. Fortunately, Misty seized him before he completely slipped off the dragon pokemon while Iris managed a crash landing onto the small island to prevent either trainer from falling to their immediate death. As they crashed, Iris threw out a multitude of swears especially when the edge of the harness wedged into her abdomen, and dragonite let out a wail.

"Ash, wait!" Misty called through the haze, but she'd lost grasp of him in the fall.

Ash disappeared into the dust cloud while Iris held Misty firm against a readjusting dragonite. Fearful that her reckless friend would lead to her demise, Iris held onto Misty until she realized that the fires around them had all but disappeared into a shroud of white smoke. Her brows narrowed questioningly as the dust cleared. For an island that had pools of fire moments ago, the rock bed was ice cold, and the soot and ash that should have been warm, chilled her. When Iris loosened her grip, Misty bolted after Ash, togetic, and pikachu. Iris made no immediate attempt to go after them, instead, she hung back a moment to assess what the hell was happening.

"Ash!?"

Misty shouted several times through the smog before she arrived at the center of the island where the smoke circled around them and did not touch the massive statue at the center. Behind her, a wall of dust and smoke twisted. For a full moment, she hesitated. Then, she saw Ash standing with both hands pressed flat against charizard's stomach, leaning against him with all his weight. His shoulders quaked and he squeezed his eyes shut. Pikachu and togetic had both curled near the base of the structure…and Misty wasn't sure what she was supposed to do.

How did this happen? Ash asked himself over, and over, and over again.

He knew questioning it was stupid, he knew how the events happened. He was there! He understood the rationality, and the reasons—he knew that without asking charizard, the fight against Ho-oh was over long before it started. Knowing didn't change that Ash wished he had been here, if not in person, then in spirit. Yet, he abandoned charizard again, to sit alone in a strange place away from friends and family… and just…die.

Slowly, Ash collapsed to his knees while staring at his palms in disbelief.

Everything went so wrong.

He knew it. He felt it. This wasn't supposed to be surprising. This was supposed to be closure. He shouldn't have been staggered, right? After all, he'd been told that charizard was probably dead. That the Sevii Islands were destroyed. Time and again, he was reminded by friends, by television. He had plenty of time to process this, should have processed this, shouldn't have felt so torn up and yet… he was. Somehow, somewhere, he still had hope.

Ash pressed his palms against his face and curled his fingers into his hair reliving those final moments repeatedly, every time he closed his eyes, every time he tried to sleep. Hope was dead now.

You'll pay, you'll pay.

Was this the repercussion? Was this what Ho-oh meant? …what if this was just the beginning…? Ash's blood ran cold when gentle hands pressed against his shoulders as Misty knelt beside him.

"Ash…"

Ash's back instantly arched, sitting upright to stare at charizard, tears in his eyes. Fearful. Heart racing and head pounding, Ash recoiled and attempted to stand, to thwart the horrible ideas that he concocted. Misty couldn't pull him from his spiral, and as Iris appeared from the smoke and entered the abnormal clearing, she grumbled.

"We shouldn't stay here, smoke inhalation his bad, you know." Iris pointed out, but Misty didn't feel the air thicken with smog, in fact, the air seemed fresh. Maybe she was going crazy, too?

Misty heard Iris, but her focus was on Ash who squatted, facing away from charizard and mumbled incoherently that he was seeing things, that none of this could actually have been happening, and that he couldn't believe it. He pressed his fingers against his closed eyes, willing the images to leave until Misty finally shook him.

Eyes snapping open, he looked into Misty's eyes, which were full of genuine worry for his sudden erratic behavior, and Ash touched her shoulder to remind himself where he was, and took in a large breath, and released it slowly.

"…You okay?" her voice cracked.

No, of course not. Why would you ask that? He wanted to respond but found his throat was dry, and his mind empty.

Least empty was better than nightmares.

"You should say your respects, and we should go." Iris encouraged, realizing that the two of them needed guidance and she wanted to leave before whatever was keeping them safe ended, and they were all burned alive.

After a minute, Ash nodded and then approached the statue slowly. He scooped togetic and pikachu, limp from their own sadness, into his arms and inhaled as he watched charizard's frozen expression, and exhaled to ease his nerves. The realization that he had no idea what to say shocked him. He planned many ways to thank charizard for always being beside him or for saving his life more times than he could count, but most importantly, for being his friend. For believing in him…and this was charizard's reward for having faith in Ash. A stone mountain on a burning island, surrounded by nothing in the middle of nowhere.

"…Over the last ten years," Iris started when she caught a glimpse of Misty's concern. "I've watched so many of my friends, and pokemon die that I've lost count. During the war. After… It never gets easier."

Ash looked at her with vacant, slightly hostile eyes, unsure of what she was trying to convey.

"Eventually, we all die… some of us have the chance to die heroes but most of us, we just… end. Without warning, without reason. There's no justifying it. Sometimes people, pokemon…" Her hard gaze met Ash's and softened.

"Charizard died a hero, protecting the people he loved and the values that he cherished. From what I know of what happened, he wouldn't have had it any other way, so cherish that memory and hold onto it. Respect his wishes but grow from this, learn from this, and keep them in your heart forever."

She stared at Ash for a long while, until he slowly turned away from her, and back to the massive statue. Both togetic and pikachu wiped their tears as they approached the statue in Ash's arms, who rested his head against the stone and inhaled the scent of cinders.

"…I only wanted the best for you… I didn't want you to always fight or… I… I'm sorry I let you down…" He whispered quietly enough the others wouldn't hear, "…but thank you."

Ash glanced up, hoping for some miracle that would break charizard out of the stone. Appear suddenly, scowling with his dark humor and telling Ash that he was acting like a big baby, but when nothing happened Ash's shoulders dropped.

"…I'll miss you, buddy."

If I never found you… you'd be fine. He thought bitterly, the feeling of acceptance not strong enough to overshadow the guilt and failure coursing through his veins.

XOX

Selfishly, Ash wanted to stay on the island. He wanted to ask for forgiveness, to wait for Ho-oh, to figure out where to go and what he was supposed to do. If it hadn't been for Misty and Iris, he may have never moved.

Ash wasn't sure how they managed to get him up onto dragonite, or when they finally broke through the smoke to begin their travel back to Kanto. For a little while, he and his pokemon vacated their minds, and the only sensation he felt was remorse and disaster. His head bobbed against Misty's back when dargonite's wings flapped, and for the first hour, the sound of nothing echoed through his brain

It wasn't until they were out of the scent of smoke, and the salty air of the ocean captured his senses.

"…It wasn't as bad as Viridian City, at least," Iris responded to something that Misty said to break the silence. The pit in Ash's stomach grew.

"I wonder what they thought was going to happen by setting fire to everything. They were monsters…." Misty grumbled, staring down at the sea.

"We're all monsters sometimes," Iris responded flatly, and the comment finally brought Ash back to the world of the living, and he straightened his back. They were nearing the shoreline of Kanto already, and once more, Ash was reminded that flying was far faster than sailing.

You okay? Misty mouthed to him while Iris continued to ramble on about how evil lurked in every corner, summarizing with:

"That anger is good. Hold on to it." She spoke clearly to both of them, without looking over her broad shoulders.

Neither Ash nor Misty asked her why because they knew this was far from over. Until every part of Team Rocket's invasive plan was revealed, and anyone with ideals that echoed the organization seized to exist. It didn't matter how long it took; they were never going to stop trying to undo the damages caused by this organization. Seeing the Sevii Islands burn only reignited Ash's own desire to find anyone else connected to the situation, and rescue his friends and family.

Ash took a bit to collect himself, but continuing on, without trying to do everything possible to help would be a disservice not only to charizard, but to every person and pokemon that suffered from this mayhem. Despite his desire for a normal, happy life, it would be a cold day in hell before Ash ever turned his back on his friends, and someone was going to pay.

Ash faced the distant flames, determination flickering in his eyes. He could still fix all of this. A shiver flowed through his entire body upon seeing the glow behind them. A distant hum rose from the ocean, and Ash turned around immediately to face Kanto.

He was ready to move forward again.

XOX

When they landed in Saffron City, on top of the roof of the Saffron Tower, Misty had never been happier to have solid ground beneath her feet. She virtually fell off the dragon while Ash laughed quietly with her. Pikachu and togetic shared Ash's determination but sighed in his arms as he climbed off dragonite's back. They were sad and had every right to be. Seeing everything in person shook something loose inside of them that simply knowing before didn't. Maybe it was because, like Ash, they had the faintest ray of hope that they clung to, that was crushed mercilessly.

Ash tried not to preoccupy his mind with the idea that his pokemon mirrored his true emotions, because he didn't have time to mope around. At least, not right now. He needed to at least get to his room before he broke down again. There was a time and a place for everything and breaking down while Iris rubbed salve on the blisters forming on dragonite's scales, was not appropriate.

"So, where do we start?" Misty asked Iris once she was able to stand correctly. She placed a heavy hand on Ash's shoulder.

"For now? I think we should start by getting some rest and forgiving ourselves." Iris glared briefly at Ash who looked away from her hard gaze.

"We won't be any good if we're not ready to move on. You," she gestured to Misty, "Especially need to heal, and eventually, we'll make sure that whatever is left of Team Rocket, whether there's more to it or not, is snuffed out and we'll end them."

"Great." Misty smiled, but there was an edge to her voice. Ash rubbed his head and shrugged off her hand. A headache was forming where thoughts were supposed to be.

"In the meantime, I think I'm going to go get some sleep." He said, compliantly.

"It's… Not even nightfall yet." Misty questioned worriedly.

"…I know," Ash pursed his lips, glanced down at togetic and pikachu, "…just feeling one more day of downtime might help a lot, as Iris said."

Ash offered her the faintest of smiles, "One last time."

"…That's fair." Misty nodded, and Ash left, unceremoniously.

When he disappeared down the stairwell, Iris crossed her arms, and her expression hardened.

"…You saw the flames grow again as soon as we left that island, didn't you?"

Misty gulped, never taking her eyes off the spot where Ash disappeared into the tower. She was trying to make sense of it herself and demanded answers from his silhouette. Nothing answered.

"…Yeah."

XOX

A week passed without major difficulties. Aside from Misty watching Ash like a hawk, he was starting to find momentum. Her concerned glares worried him, but not as much as the impromptu shunning from the rest of the residents of the tower. Even Lily, who usually sat with him quietly, giggled and ran away before he could speak a word.

Yes, Ash was going through some emotions, but he was still Ash. He'd even been better this week! Or, at least, he'd tried to be. The added amount of silence and awkwardness from his friends made participation tiresome and nearly impossible.

That's why, when Brock came to him that morning, boasting about a festival that Saffron City was going to throw to raise the spirits of the population, Ash was quick to jump on board. It was the first time that week, other than passing conversation, that anyone tried to include him in anything. Surely, shoving down any protruding negative emotions wasn't his ideal version of recovery, but he had to start somewhere, and that somewhere had to be forcing himself out of his room at some point.

"It's not an island vacation, but it'll do!" Brock shouted at Misty excitedly.

She stood across from them at the desk in her room, wearing a teal blazer over a white shirt and blue jeans. Her regular scowl plastered across her face as Brock rambled on about his antics, and Ash nodded in complete agreement.

"It's also noon—and you're getting that shit on my bed." She pushed the frothing champagne bottle that Brock opened away from her bed.

"Oh, c'mon! We promised to celebrate—let's celebrate!" Brock cheered, Ash offered a fist pump of solidarity. "They are throwing the festival a week early, it's like they knew we needed the break. So, we'll pop down there, grab some jelly-filled donuts, some rice cakes, maybe dance a little—it'll be fun!"

"The more you say it'll be fun, the more concerned I grow," Misty grumbled while Brock tugged on her arm.

"C'mon Misty, you can't hole yourself in your room working all the time," Ash said, silently reminding her that since their venture with Iris, she'd essentially moved out of his room, and back into her own and started growing mushrooms with the furniture.

"I can, and I will." She grumbled, "And this coming from you—"

"You deserve a break as much as everyone else!" Ash interrupted her by pulling on her arm; good to know they were back to their usual shenanigans.

"Please?" Ash and Brock asked in unison, smiling.

Misty threw her head back and groaned at his behavior, but finally, she relented and allowed them to drag her forward. She pretended to be frustrated because they were 'bugging' her, but Ash could tell that she was happy to see Ash actively trying to participate in the world. Right now, Ash was trying, and if Brock was here, pushing the 'fun' agenda, he wasn't going to let it slip by. They worked too hard the last few years to let themselves fall into despair.

Ash was going to need to remind himself that… a lot.

"Great—" Ash snapped his fingers jokingly, "Because, you know, we've never officially been on a date, either."

Misty rolled her eyes, but her cheeks flushed, having been caught off guard. She replied: "It's not a date, Brock is here."

"Brock…. I need you to leave." Ash jested but Brock glared at them, insinuating that this entire thing was his idea.

With one swift movement, Brock threw and arm out and wedged himself between them, then wrapped his arms around each of their shoulders as they left Misty's room.

"You'll have to figure that one out later because today we're a threesome!"

"Yippee." Misty rolled her eyes but finally smiled.

However, the smile didn't last, because she stalled immediately as they reached the elevator and stuck her hand out in front of Brock.

"I forgot my purse." She said, and then looked at Ash, her green eyes sparkling as she requested: "Ash, will you grab my purse? It has all of our information in it."

"What?" Ash groaned, he wasn't an errand boy, but he wasn't going to argue with her, either.

She blinked sweetly, her lips inching into a scowl, and a smile twitched onto his face.

"…Sure." he laughed begrudgingly, ducked away from Brock's arm, and then waved them off as pikachu and togetic jumped from his shoulders. Had Ash been paying attention, he would have noticed the teal satchel on her shoulders that she hid between herself and Brock.

"I'll be right back."

Ash jogged back to her room and threw the door open. Her room was clean which made finding stuff easy. Only her desk was messed with papers, but event hose had some organization that he would never understand… and her purse was nowhere in sight. Ash moved the chair, looked beside her desk, and in the bathroom before finally crossing his arms. He circled the room a few times and decided that he was either blind, or Misty had her purse.

"Pikachu-pi pika." Pikachu's voice echoed into the small area, informing him that Misty had her purse, and they were waiting for him. Ash huffed playfully and shook his head as he straightened his ball-cap. Pikachu perched onto his shoulder.

"Sometimes I worry about her," he grumbled apathetically, but pikachu's snicker had him second guess the scenario.

Ash returned to the elevator, and as he waited, he glared at his long-time companion. Ash crossed his arms curiously.

"Bit suspicious, don't you think?" He asked pikachu, brows raised. Misty was dressed too nice for her to have been caught off guard by their request to adventure into the world, and Brock was typically never so pushy for Ash to be active. They tended to respect his space… Ash hummed to himself.

"…Are they planning something?" he asked and pikachu looked away from him with a whistle as they reached the bottom floor.

Of course, they'd plan something. Funny they didn't tell him… or was it something that he forgot? Lost in his thoughts, he nearly missed the people standing in the entrance of the Saffron Tower. When Ash saw the group of people, any concern vanquished as he charged forward. Talking with Misty and Brock was none other than Gary Oak. A man he hadn't seen in what felt like forever.

"Gary!" Ash shouted.

Ash cleared the distance of the lobby within a minute and practically knocked over the man. Gary returned the hug with the same ferocity, but he limped a little when Ash reeled away, shaking him.

"Holy magikarp, you're here!" Ash exclaimed, "I was worried you'd never make it back from Johto."

"Yeah, well, when you have a massive injury there are limitations on planes—then when Iris came to get me…" Gary waved his hand. "It was a long flight, but look at you—you're practically back to first coma-recovery shape."

"Ha." Ash rolled his eyes, "Thanks."

As Ash pulled away from Gary, he noticed the small but intimate gathering of their closest friends, and some trainers—and a camera and Ash felt his back stiffen, looking to Misty and Brock for support.

"Uh… what's going on?"

Gary chuckled and gestured to the camera, which sent a wave of fear into Ash's chest. Hidden beside the camera was Dawn, Cilan, Iris, and May-who waved giddily. Great everyone was in on whatever was happening but him. He hated being out of the loop.

Was this what everyone was being weird about over the last week?

"We've talked a lot about you since you've returned…" Gary confessed, and Ash pressed his arms against his sides, forced a smile.

"…That's… uh, great."

Ash choked as he tried to shift away from the limelight, but when he attempted to flee, Brock and Misty stood at his sides and forced him to stay put. Gary continued speaking as if he didn't recognize how uncomfortable Ash was.

"You don't want to join the Elite Four, or be part of any real league, so naturally, where do you fit in?" it sounded like Gary was mocking him like he did when they were kids.

Usually, Ash would have been insulted, but as of late, this wasn't a question Ash was too worried about right now. Where he fit didn't matter nearly as much as finding whatever was leftover from Team Rocket's plans, and his family, and… The gaping pit in Ash's stomach expanded. If they thought they were going to corner him into joining the Elite Four because of a camera, they were wrong. Ash's jaw squared in anticipation.

"It is no secret that without your unwavering, idiotic… almost annoying persistence, we would not have been prepared to take on Team Rocket in any capacity." Gary continued his speech as Ash recoiled and tried to wedge himself between Misty and Brock, but they crossed their arms behind him. Even pikachu and togetic helped.

Traitors. All of them!

"When we were at our lowest, you continuously rose to the challenge. You never complained or stopped trying… and even when the hands of fate tried to hold you down, you stood."

Ash's gaze shifted from the exit to Gary. Finally listening, Ash tried to ask with his eyes what was going on. If they had something to say, they didn't need to do it in front of a camera. He was petrified because the last time he was on television, the world called him a terrorist.

"You are an integral example of what a trainer, a person, and a friend should be. You've put people you don't know, and pokemon above everything else. You valued peace and equality, and even when you were reckless and brash, you made those decisions because they were the morally right decisions. It didn't matter who was involved, Kanto, Sinnoh, Unova—anyone. You did what was right above everything else."

"...Ha, thanks…" Ash shoved himself against Misty's shoulder, knowing that she was the weaker block, "…But can we talk about this later? We kind of had plans?"

"Oh," Gary laughed, a light bulb turning on as he realized why Ash was so freaked out.

"This was part of the plan."

"…Great." Ash's smile faded, replaced with dread.

Gary stopped himself, and pointed to the camera Ash was so worried about.

"This isn't live," Gary explained, and a wave of relief washed over Ash's face, and his tense shoulders dropped slightly.

"It's a recording for the public for later," Brock added quietly but before Ash could ask what on earth for, Gary removed a pin and a document from a box that Dawn and Iris presented.

"I wish we could offer you something better than a self-proclaimed title as a thank you... but, it is a title not better suited for anyone, but you…" Gary smirked because Ash looked mortified.

His hands rose to attach the pin to Ash's collar.

The sound of quiet applaud from his friends faded into white noise.

Ash wasn't sure that he heard Gary right when he handed him the document with Ash's name on it and the signatures of every current, relevant, league representative.

"…Pokemon Master."

Ash's breath left him.

"We hope that in the future, you will continue to encourage all of us to make the best choices that we possibly can as a league, as pokemon trainers, and as people. Thank you for all that you've done, Ash."

Po…

Ke..

Mon…

Master…

He almost… No, he couldn't fathom the words that Gary said, and when tears burst from Ash's eyes, staining his cheeks while he wiped at them with his free hand, he was in total disbelief. He tried to stop crying, but when the gates opened, there was no going back. This was how he was going to be remembered: crying like a damn child while his friends embraced him… and he would not have had it any other way.

No… Ash hiccupped and accepted the warmth from the people he was never supposed to meet, never supposed to have an impact on, never supposed to help… people that were never supposed to exist. For a moment, Ash didn't think he deserved it, but the moment was fleeting as he wrapped his arms around the pile of bodies flooding him.

Thank you,

For showing me that every ending is only a beginning.

For the chance to escape the cage I was locked in…

… for the chance to Break Free.

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…Hopefully, they wouldn't play the first recording to the public.

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Fin.

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Final Author's Note: (written 2020-08-31)

GOOD. ENOUGH. I'm sure that there's still something wrong with it, and I'm sure there are things I will want to change no matter what, but, you know, it's gotta end at some point.

It was quite the journey, and conclusions are hard.

Thank you for reading to the very end.

(These 70 chapters are about the equivalent of 4-5 Harry Potter books)

There are a lot of reasons why this took so long to get out after the last update, but the main reason was procrastination around the idea that I never thought it was good enough, and even now, I still don't. I know this chapter has a lot of changing scenes, which is something I don't generally like to do, but I needed to show the progression of Ash 'taking time for himself' to realizing that 'he wasn't the only one affected' and then 'he's ready to move on'. With some other nuggets mixed in. It was very Ash-centered, and we didn't get a lot of other characters, but, hey. This story was about Ash's growth.

At one point, I tried to tell myself that I wanted to edit all 68 chapters before posting the final two, but that isn't happening. It's nice to see my growth as a writer through the years, even if there is so much that I want to change, and would change, if I was writing this now.

Truthfully, I think the largest reason this took four years (and some) was because I never fully recovered after losing my original outline and chapters. No matter what I wrote after losing them, they never seemed good enough.

I realize that I intentionally left a lot of stuff unanswered (then whacked the hammer on that to emphasis) but Locked Away ended in a way that wrapped up this story. The main plot and character arch came full circle, with hope drawn to someday finding answers, even if they aren't immediate. I did not want everything to be tied up with a neat bow. Life doesn't always provide all the answers, and I wanted that sense of dread laced into the final chapter.

With all that being said, I still have a sequel planned, and the outline is finished, but before I start posting updates on anything, I think I'll finish the story first. That way, all I have to do is edit, and I don't have anxiety over reviews, favs, and follows. The sequel was created to explore facets of this story that were placed on hold because the characters were pushed to 'save the world', so it is a bit different than Locked Away.

I really want to leave by asking what your favorite moment was in the story? If you had one. I'm really hoping no one read 70 chapters just to poop on it.

Despite the want to change stuff because the story is four years old, this is still my baby. It's still the longest (published) story/fanfiction that I've ever written, and while I have learned alooooooot, I'm still proud of it.

((Someone once asked me what the original ending for Locked Away was and I said I would throw them in at the end of the story but this AN is already too long, so if you want to know; ask in a review, or PM me. Same goes if you want to know more about Charizard and the results of mega-evolution, but I feel like I included enough of that in the story to suffice.))

Hope you guys enjoyed the ride. I did.

One, final thank you for absolutely every review I received, for every favorite, for every follow. I enjoyed writing this story so much, most of the time. I wish I had pushed myself to finish it much earlier, but, what can I do but learn and be better. THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR ALL THE SUPPORT.

NINT

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Personal Confessions:

Fanfiction has been the only successful outlet for stress that I've ever had that actually works. Unfortunately, I don't publish ninety percent of what I write anymore. I don't tend to 'finish' things because editing is a process that I'm not a fan of, but I'm also too stubborn to let other people edit for me. So. Vicious cycle.

So, sorry for those of you that waited almost FIVE years for this story to be completed.

Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for reading all of this. -thumbs up-