Repairing Broken Bonds (Collab with Ray Chiu)

Chapter 6: Looking for Lillie

Ash after losing track of Lillie, rushed over to his house/castle to get help from the others, and seeing he didn't have Lillie with him, they were concerned.

"Ash, what happened? And where's Lillie?" Golly questioned with worry in her tone.

"Lillie, she knows about the de-deleted pi-pictures...then, w-w-w-we got into a bit of an argument, I s-sent her into a wall...and...she...she knows that Serena and I are dating now!" Ash started crying a decent amount, "All she was doing was trying to make me feel better and let me do things I want to, but I never once showed appreciation, and I...I just broke her heart!"

Almost everyone started to go look for her after getting raincoats on, Pikachu and Snowy, on the other hand, had some words for Ash.

"Ash, I'm gonna be real with you here." Pikachu sighed, "You have been neglecting Lillie ever since she woke you up. You were pretty much breaking her at this point despite her just wanting you to be happy...you need to apologize to her when we find her."

Ash was looking down, remembering everything that he did, asking to have time with the others and have Delia train her instead, treating her the way she didn't want to be treated mostly by treating her like a pet.

Later on, with Lillie, she's made it to Route 4 all by herself, somehow. Right now seems desperate to get control of her powers, but can't even manage that now.

"Come on Lillie." Lillie whispered to herself, "You need to make it up to Ash for making him mad. You can master your powers, you just have to try..."

Suddenly, this giant Toxicroak approached Lillie, and seems a wee bit upset Lillie had just entered its territory...and proceeded to smack her with a Cross Chop, before Poisoning her with Poison Jab!

"Ouch! Look, I didn't mean to make you upset, it was an accident!" Lillie's pleas fell on deaf ears as the Toxicroak continued to use Cross Chops and Brick Breaks to hurt Lillie...all seemed very hopeless now, now getting flashbacks...

The first was when Ash was about to head back to Kanto after Lillie found her father...

"Hey, Lillie, I know this reunion was cut short, but I'm heading back to Kanto to train for the Masters 8." Ash revealed, "You'll watch me right?"

"Of course, you're my bestie, I l-" Lillie was cut off by Gladion yelling for her to hurry up to the car, "Sorry Ash, I have to go! Now you and Pikachu go show those Champions what the power of Alola can do!"

The second flashback was after the battle they had where he had Snowy and Lillie had Pikachu. It was a tie, Lillie hoped to one day be able to touch all Pokémon and be just as good as Ash...

The third and final flashback, was the bad one, as after Lillie got turned into an Eevee. Earlier that week, Lillie was up at night seeming upset, Ash asked her what the matter was and she told him about every nightmare she had about these figures who seemed to have been left for dead begging their friend to come back, either in a collapsing building or this cold black unforgiving void.

"Ash, whatever happens. Promise me you'll always be my friend, okay?" Lillie asked Ash of this request.

"Of course Lillie," Ash whispered, "I'd never, I promise..."

Ash went back to sleep, as Lillie whispered an "I love you" to Ash before going back to bed...

Back to the present, the Toxicroak was about to use another Cross Chop to knock Lillie out cold, only for a Psychic Type Judgement to come flying in as Ash rushed over to Lillie and held her up.

Lillie's body was covered in bruises and cuts on her legs (including what used to be her arms) and paws, her fur was ruffled up badly, and she even had a bit of blood flowing out of her nose and a black right eye. Plus she was still poisoned.

"Lillie!" Ash gasped in horror, "Oh no, Lillie...it's gonna be okay, I'll get you out of this!"

Lillie could barely move, she was exhausted from the attacks, Lillie couldn't feel anything at this point. She could only look at Ash while breathing heavily. She saw Ash take a Pokéball with a heart on it.

"Lillie, I know I've messed up...just please...get inside...I'll take care of this...just get inside..." Ash pleaded as the Toxicroak approached...Ash recalled Lillie inside before going to fight the frog.

"Alright you stupid frog...you mess with me that's one thing, but mess with Lillie, and you're gonna get it..." Ash growled as he uses many Psychic moves to get the Toxicroak to back off, as Lillie passed out in the Pokéball.

Later, Ash returned home while sheltering Lillie's Pokéball from the rain, Golly and Giratina helped Ash back sooner, Pikachu while trying to look earlier is worried Lillie isn't okay. Ash soon told them Lillie was inside the ball, but she's gone through a lot and was poisoned.

They start to get Lillie in a healing thing. Ash, Pikachu, and Snowy all just sat there, looking at Lillie attached to life support. Mark seemed very irritated...at Lillie for some reason.

"Why did we have to have her be here still?" Minami scoffed, seeming to have been reminded of her times in Team Rocket.

"Minami, what are you talking about?" Ash questioned in a loud irritated tone, this was enough to wake Lillie up.

"Ash, she's only been trouble for you!" Minami yelled, "She caused you to get knocked out for a bit by the traitors because you chose to stay behind. She sucks at using moves, and she almost got you injured from that Toxicroak earlier! She's less of a friend and more of a burden at this point! I'm sure she just is using you at this point, Ash, she needs to grow up and stop being so pathetic. Just release her, she's caused more harm than help for anyone!"

She said all of this, unaware Lillie was listening, Lillie looked down, thinking she might be right, she hasn't been helpful at all for a while, and caused Ash to run into danger, heck, Lillie is on life support now, when normally a Pokémon would probably able to battle again at this point. Has she really been that much of a burden...? She looked down, knowing Ash is probably going to listen to his sister, this was it for her.

"Minami, how could you say that?!" Lillie looked up and saw Ash enraged by his sister's words, "You think she wanted this?! I've been the one neglecting her this whole time, and all she wanted was for me to be happy! If anything I'm more of a burden to her, I've ignored her wanting to do nothing more than to have things try to be like they were before even if they can't be that way! Heck, if I recall, she even gave up training and quality time with me just so I can be happy and be myself! And you have the audacity to say she's a burden, when all we've done, is boss her around, hurt her either mentally or physically, or treat her like the Black Mareep! She even told me about nightmares she's been having about one day me abandoning her, and it's been scaring her to the point she probably fears us, mostly me, having no need for her help, and leaving her! She is family now!"

"Ash...please, stop." Lillie whined, shocking everyone inside the room, "I don't want to be the reason you guys argue..." Lillie passed out from tiredness as she was still exhausted. Minami lowered her head as Delia took her to another room to scold her. Ash decided to stay with Lillie until she recovered, at least Pikachu and Snowy wanted to do so as well.