Chaser and the Silver Shadow

Chaser and a Proposition

The next day started bright and early for Goh, with Grookey smacking him in the side of the head with his stick in his sleep. At least he saw that the sun was up when his eyes cracked open. He turned over in his bed and looked over the side to see if Ash was still asleep in the bottom bunk.

Sure enough, Ash was sprawled out over his mattress, his blanket tossed carelessly into the floor. Even attempting to slip out of his own blanket made Goh shiver at the early autumn chill, but he knew himself better than just about anyone, so he did eventually throw the blanket off, wondering idly how Ash could sleep like that, uncovered, but given what he knew about Ash's life before he became a research fellow, he chalked it up to being something he simply got used to while traveling.

Goh grabbed a clean change of clothes from his part of the dresser and left Ash sleeping in bed, slipping out to head into the shower before he could. From his experience, either the sound of the shower would wake Ash up, or the scent of whatever Mr. Mime was making for breakfast would lure him out of bed. The banging on the door while Goh was showering told him that the shower had won out.

After finishing his shower, brushing his teeth, and changing into his fresh set of clothes, Goh was sitting down to breakfast, with Ash right behind him. While he, Ash, Grookey, and Pikachu ate breakfast, Goh scrolled through the notes he had made on his phone about the test he had at the end of the week. There were a few pictures taken among them, including pictures of Chloe's own notes taken during class. He stared for a few minutes at her loopy, flowing handwriting, wondering if the notes he tried taking during class in his blocky, scratchy penmanship were even worth looking at.

There were a few more pictures taken in his phone, snapped by accident after Grookey snatched the phone in a bout of mischief during the study session. Most of them were blurry shots of Ash and Goh trying to take the phone back, but there were a few of Chloe just rolling with laughter. Having the look frozen in time for him to appreciate was definitely better than hearing it as he struggled to get the phone back from his Pokémon. Looking at it, though, he felt like he would get in trouble for getting caught staring, so he quickly moved on to the next page of his own notes, typed into the phone.

He heard the door at the front of the manor-turned-laboratory open and shut, and the familiar pitter-patter of Yamper's paws against the wooden floor, which heralded the arrival of Chloe into the kitchen. She was once more dressed for school, though today it was obvious that Goh wouldn't be joining her. Still, she entered the kitchen with a smile on her face. "Hey, guys!"

"Hey Chloe!" came Ash and Goh's shared response, complete with a wave from both of them.

Chloe approached the table and took a glass of juice from Mr. Mime as it was handed to her. "Sorry about my Dad today," she said, taking a seat next to Goh as she began glancing at whatever Goh had on his phone.

"Why's that?" Ash asked before Goh could ask the same thing.

"Well, as soon as he sat down after getting home, he fell asleep," she explained. "Mom was able to get him to go to bed but even so, he almost overslept this morning. I think all this research is taking its toll so he might not be at his best today."

"This is definitely not going the way we all thought it would, is it?" Goh asked. "Even I expected there would be some lead we could chase, even if Ash and I had to go on location to find it."

"All the same, try not to push him today. I don't think there's enough coffee in the whole city to undo all the stress he's been putting himself under."

Ash snorted. "Almost sounds like you're the parent and he's the child," he said.

Chloe giggled. "Well, I'm used to looking out for people who push themselves too far," she joked. "Speaking of which, wow, Goh! You're actually studying for this test and it's not even today!"