Adventure's Past

Chapter 25 - Host

Alas, I watched in horror as the group that I wished to avoid appeared on the streets, coming from the direction from which they came. Stifling a gasp from my body, I drew my head back behind the building and quickly thought of what to do. Should I observe from a distance? Or do I approach them and act like Goh, who I had the memories of.

I peeked my head around again and saw the entire group gathering around a bench. I had not physically seen any of them in the six years I had been isolated in the forest, surrounding myself with Pokemon, so it shocked me to see their appearances had changed so drastically.

First, was the blonde siblings, who I had little care for. The level of genius from the older brother, Clemont, was slightly respectable, but besides that, they had little use to me. It seemed he had adopted his blue tracksuit even into his later years, never growing out of them. The younger sister, Bonnie, had grown out her hair into longer pigtails.

They sat down on the bench, fighting over the same spot right next to Goh's earliest friend, Chloe. She seemed unbothered by the fighting duo, deciding to adjust a pink flower that sat in her long hair. She had also changed her usual outfit, sporting a dark maroon shirt with yellow overalls, but had not grown at all.

Next to her was Ash's entire motivation, Serena. I did not see the appeal of her beauty, but I understood that Ash had a deep love for her. Her hair had grown out since the Cell War, something that caught me off guard. She was also now wearing a more reserved and hidden outfit, most likely to hide her identity as the Kalos Queen.

Finally, my target who would inevitably oppose me in my desire to end humanity and its infection; Ash. He was the most refined and changed out of the group, with his body being more defined and his overall presence being more mature. I didn't expect such change to occur when he left for the island, but it seemed that whatever happened there had helped him.

They all eventually sat down on the bench and began discussing their plans. "So if we just split up and search the area, we may be able to find S..." Ash had muttered at one point. I raised an eyebrow involuntarily. So they were searching for Serena's clone; but for what reason? What could that clone have to offer?

I, of course, knew exactly where she was. Before I isolated myself with the wild Pokemon, I had discovered the whereabouts of everyone who was involved in the conflict, including the clones of Ash and Serena; information that the original models would want to know about, surely.

A had ended up fleeing on foot to the wilds of Sinnoh, something he hadn't planned, but ultimately settled on. For some odd reason, I hadn't been able to detect his presence for a few years, but he was no matter; it was S who had attracted my attention.

I knew of her interaction with Serena right before the Cell War; she expressed her desire to go live a normal life on the outskirts of Snowbelle City, but she had somehow ended up in an entirely different location. Her current location was actually in Unova, as she had been drawn in by the captivating nature of the entire region.

Ash and the others didn't know this, so I assumed they would believe she would still be here. I was correct, given that they were right in front of me. Now the major problem was trying to convince them that I was Goh and that I had forgiven them for their ridiculing of 'my' attempts at finding Ash.

The entire situation was ironic; it seemed humorous. Goh was the only one truly looking for Ash, yet everyone else that had not been as interested was rewarded with his presence. Yet another aspect of humanity that would need to be removed entirely; punishing irony.

"Maybe we'll find Goh..." Chloe said from the bench. "After all, he's probably still searching for answers to find Ash." I knew then what to do to make this a believable story. I had to somehow make it look like I was searching without knowledge of their presence. With this idea in my head, I retreated to the nearby Pokemon Center, knowing that Goh had been there frequently.

{—}

Ash and the others went over the plan once more. "Okay, so Ash and I will search in the buildings around here," Clemont said. "The girls will look in the forest and on the streets, got it?" Everyone nodded, understanding their assignment. "Hopefully we find Serena's clone because if not, we'll have to come up with a new plan for finding Goh," Ash commented.

"Let's hope," Chloe remarked, taking a deep breath. "Alright, so we'll meet back here by sundown if we can't find anything?" Serena asked, to which Ash nodded. "Then let's get looking." Ash and Clemont waved at the girls as they stood up from the bench and walked away, departing ways momentarily.

"Where do you think we should check first?" Ash asked Clemont as they walked down the snowy street, the lamps turning off as the sun began to fully illuminate the sky. "Well, I guess we could just go from house to house asking if people have seen someone matching S's description?"

"And what description is that exactly?" Ash asked, rubbing his chin. "Last time we saw her it was six years ago? How exactly can we find her?" Clemont raised a finger. "You've got a point, Ash. I think our best bet would be asking if anyone has seen a green-eyed person around here recently. I don't know many people who have that trait."

"Right," Ash responded, petting Pikachu who was trying to catch a snowflake. "Ash, before we start, I have a question that you don't have to answer." Ash shrugged his shoulders and said, "Go for it. I'm not hiding anything." Clemont rubbed his neck as he crunched the snow underneath his feet.

"Do you mind telling me about Samuel; your mentor?" He asked cautiously. Ash froze up and stopped walking, leaving Clemont to turn around. "Ash, are you okay?" He asked, slowly approaching him. "I was just wondering because you spoke so much about your training on the way here."

"Please don't ask that question again," Ash stated firmly, staring at the ground. Although Clemont couldn't see his eyes, there were hints of regret and guilt laced within them. "I couldn't save him, and now you're bringing him up again just to remind me of my failures!" He exclaimed angrily.

Clemont furrowed his eyebrows. "I wasn't trying to make you feel like a failure!" He shouted back defensively. "I just wanted to know, that's all! I get that something happened with that fire that made you lose your mentor, but it wasn't your fault! The whole reason we're looking for Goh is to get him to help with finding out why Team Rocket set fire to that island!"

"That's none of your business," Ash replied powerfully. "The entire issue with those Team Rocket members was my issue and my issue only! Just because I showed up from my hiding in a distraught state doesn't mean you get to help me!" Clemont was appalled at Ash's words.

"When you're friends with someone, you do help them, no matter what," he responded quietly, his fist balling up. "Whatever, if you don't want help in finding out who caused you so much pain with your mentor, then fine. But right now, we need to find Goh." Ash gritted his teeth and nodded, agreeing reluctantly with Clemont.

"Um, guys?" A voice spoke from across the street. Both Ash and Clemont jerked their head over to the voice, staring at the Pokemon Center. There, in the open door, was Goh, standing just outside of the frame and staring at Ash and Clemont with a gleam in his eyes. "I can't believe you guys found me!" Goh exclaimed; Ash and Clemont both immediately sprinted over, unknowing of the true identity of Goh.