Pokémon Legacy: Come Back to Me

Chapter Two

Ash woke the next day after a restless sleep. The things Serena said to him were on a loop in his brain. He couldn't handle it. Ash needed to scream. He grabbed his key card and opened the door, closing it gently behind him as he went to find roof access. He opened a few doors until one had a staircase going up.

Ash followed it all the way to the top of the hotel, coming out of a small room on the top of the roof. He put a rock between the door and the frame so he didn't get locked out and wanders towards the edge. He could see all of Lumiose from up here. It was as good a place as any. Ash walked to the middle of the roof and looked up at the early morning sky. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, opening it to scream as loud as he could.

Bird Pokémon were startled from their nests, flying up into the sky from the trees. Somewhere, a Furfrou howled, followed by many others. After his breath was gone, he felt a little better, but still he sank to the ground, knees and palms hitting the gravel. He stayed up there, staring at the gravel between his hands, until Pikachu and Gary found him an hour later.

"What in Arceus name are you doing up here?" Gary shouted once he caught sight of a figure on his hands and knees. Pikachu ran over to his trainer, weaving its way between his arms.

"No idea." Ash muttered, grabbing Pikachu in his arms and standing up, going to the edge of the building to sit down and dangle his legs. Gary joined him.

"That didn't look like nothing." Gary pointed out. Ash gave a frustrated sigh.

"I came up here to scream." Ash said. To his surprise, Gary made no jokes.

"It's that girl isn't it?" Gary asked.

"Hmm?" Ash replied. He was absentmindedly stroking Pikachu's back.

"Serena. Something happened between you two, that's why you never watch TV and you never wanted to come back here." Gary stated. He took Ash's silence for an answer.

"When she was up on stage, that day in Hoenn, was that the first time you had seen her since you left Kalos?" Ash nodded.

"And I made things worse by screaming that she was hot." Gary winced.

"No you were fine." Ash replied.

"What happened between you two?"

"I ripped her heart out, then realized when I left Kalos, I left my heart here. On the ground, as dirty and shattered as hers was that day."

"Wow dude."

"She was most of the reason, but there was another. A smaller part to play in me never wanting to come back here perhaps, but still there."

"The thing about the vine that Sycamore mentioned, huh?" Ash nodded.

"Team Flare. Kalosian bad guys. They were trying to harness the power of the legendary Zygarde in order to destroy the world and create a new one. They were going to kill everyone who wasn't Team Flare or their 'chosen ones.' Pokémon too. There would no longer be any Pokémon left in the world." Gary was absolutely silent, so Ash continued his story. "They abducted me, and tried to use me and Greninja to help them destroy Pokémon and mankind. They shot a ray at us, mind control, trying to trigger the bond that connects Greninja and I and harness that power to destroy everyone."

"Before they could get their hands on Zygarde, they had gone after the Kalosian Legendaries: Xerneas and Yveltal."

"The picture." Gary muttered quietly.

"They woke Yveltal and it started destroying everything. It had a move called Oblivion Wing. Yveltal shot Oblivion Wing in long bursts, and wherever it touched, things petrified and turned to stone. I almost lost Pikachu that day. He was right in the line of fire, and Serena jumped on him and rolled away, getting up and running as fast as she could. I couldn't protect her. She got hit and—" Ash took a shaky breath here. Gary glanced over at his friend, alarmed to see the death in his eyes. They were completely dry and blank, no emotion whatsoever.