A Journey's Link

Chapter 41 - Ignite

Ash nodded and said, "Yeah. But there's a lot I have to tell you guys." He looked around and noticed that the sun was nearly set and stars were beginning to twinkle throughout the sky. Clemont also seemed to realize what time it was as well and suggested, "Why don't we go to the Professor's Lab so he can help out?"

"The Professor?" Ash asked. "As in, Professor Sycamore?" Clemont nodded and said, "Right. He's in the city tonight working on a big project. I thought maybe he could help us with the fake Ash situation and the Serena situation you're in." Ash smiled and said, "Sure! It's been a while since I've seen the Professor!"

Bonnie squealed, "Yay! I love seeing Garchomp! She's so kind and sweet to me, even though she's got HUGE teeth!" Ash chuckled at the aspiring trainer's energy and said, "We should go now since it's getting pretty late." Both siblings agreed and they headed off towards Professor Sycamore's Lab.

[-]

Goh, Serena, and Chloe had all gone back to the Pokemon Center to finally rent a room for the night. As much as Serena didn't want to participate in the Pokemon Showcase the next day, she knew she had to push through regardless of the situation. She kissed him! She kept repeating to herself as she sat upright in her bed, unable to sleep. She kissed him and he just left like that!

She supposed she found some comfort in the fact that Ash didn't return the kiss in any way, according to Chloe, who had been trying to console Serena ever since Miette had left the group to stay at the relative's house. "See you tomorrow!" Miette had said cheerfully as she departed, almost as if she hadn't admitted that she had just kissed Serena's crush.

Chloe had already fallen asleep in the bed opposite of Serena and had done so being extremely conflicted with herself. She told herself that if she hid from Serena that Miette hadn't actually kissed Ash, then Serena would be weighed down by the lie. But on the other hand, Miette had told her to trust in her, which was looking to be very difficult at the moment.

While the girls' room was quiet and solemn, Goh's room was a bit louder. Even though Ash wasn't there to contribute to the noise, Goh was filling up the silence with countless phone calls and conversations with people he knew. "Hello? Professor Cerise?" Goh spoke over the phone. "Is there any chance Ash might be there?" Goh had been trying to call places that Ash might've gone to in hopes that he was there, but he only received negative answers every time.

After the fifteenth failed attempt, which was at the Moomoo Farms, out of all places, Goh finally set down his phone. He had admitted defeat for the time being, which was a very confusing thing for him to experience. Usually, there's some clue or pattern, he thought, thinking about where Ash could've gone. But there's nothing for me to work off of.

Since Goh usually went off of facts and analytics, this emotional situation was hard for him to solve. He had tried everything; tracking Ash's phone, looking online for any possible sightings, calling people who knew Ash, but nothing had worked so far. Ash had managed to disable his phone and stay hidden from most of the world. It tore Goh up to see his friend gone, almost to the point of betrayal.

He walked over to the bed and flopped onto it, staring at the ceiling. Please be okay, Ash, he thought to himself as he looked over at the empty bed next to him. Please be okay or else everyone here will be devastated. His mind began wandering as to where Ash could be, and he fell asleep thinking about every location they had ever been to.

[-]

Clemont knocked on the door, which was large and sleek, much like the rest of the Lab. "It's pretty late, so it might take a while before anyone answers," Clemont explained to Ash, who understood as it had gotten completely dark with no hint of the sun anywhere in the sky.