Uncrowned King (SLOW UPDATES)

Chapter 11-Lies?!

(Do note until further notice, all future chapters WILL be in Ash's POV which means that this story will be Ash-centered, that being said, please enjoy)

"Gren gren!" Greninja croaked loudly towards Ash. "You can rest you know, I'm just gonna...take a walk, yeah." Ash said hastily, fiddling with his fingers as he sucked in a deep breath and let out a sigh, forming a nice white cloud of water vapour.

It was nighttime and the rest of the gang were asleep, well except for Greninja and Ash. They decided to sneak in a few extra minutes of training, which then became an hour, then two, then three. By then, it was already 2am in the morning and Greninja looked ready to collapse.

The same could be said for Ash, but he refused to succumb to his weakness. "Gren..."Greninja shot a concerned glance at Ash, before finally tapping the button on the Pokeball Ash held out towards him, and slowly succumbed to sleep.

Ash, on the other hand, placed his Pokeballs onto the bench and jogged off. He had to get better. He had to get stronger. He couldn't continue to be a burden. He wanted a chance. He NEEDED a chance. He knows it can happen if he works hard. He wants control over the outcomes of his battle. So he trains.

Whilst jogging, Ash thinks about every thing. He considers all the decisions he made that allowed him to come as far as he did today. He felt positive, if only for a second, before the darker parts of his mind whispered out, "But what about things you didn't do? What about all those things you couldn't achieve because you were weak? Useless? Worthless?"

Ash didn't want to believe it. He tried to tuck those emotions into a little bottle in his head. Down the emotions went, enclosed in a tiny bottle that seemed like it was going to break soon. The little bottle in the depths of his mind wanted to break. The emotions in it swirling around, a mix of negativity that he just couldn't and shouldn't let out. They clinked against the glass, threatening to spill out. He knew if he tried to stuff one more negative thought away, it would overflow. It would cause him to snap. And that was the last thing he wanted to do.

Ash let out a sigh. When did he become like this? So pessimistic, when he used to be so optimistic? Ash was what you'd call a hero to many people. Using his Pokemon and his wit, he was able to help others and shut down major organizations. Over time he started making major targets for himself, unlike his carefree self from before...

Was it the encounters with the organizations? Or was it something else? Ash didn't know and wasn't sure if he wanted to find out.

He continued jogging down the path he had taken, watching the moon that hung high up in the sky, admiring it's beauty that he had never paid much attention to. Thinking that the jogging was enough for now, he decided to walk back to the campsite briskly and maybe catch an hour or two of sleep. By the look of it, it was around 3am in the morning, and as much as Ash didn't want to admit it, his body felt like collapsing on him.

As he strided down the path he took just now, he let out a yawn, suddenly feeling more tired than he did earlier. He starts taking larger steps and slowly breaks into a jog. Why? Oh he knew that there was something causing him to suddenly feel drowsier. 'A Drowzee? But Drowzees aren't found in these areas...' Ash thought to himself.

He didn't have any of his Pokemon with him and the campsite was still a while away. Bracing himself, he breaks into a full sprint. His legs felt like they were burning due to an unimaginable speed, his breaths were ragged and his lungs felt like exploding. But he had to keep running, at least until he got his Pokemon.

Exhaustion catches up to him quick, his body is telling him to stop but he pushes forward. Ash is not yet back at the camp but he kept running anyway. He turned around and saw a figure staring at him, grayish-blue eyes glowing in the dark.

Wait glowing in the dark? Ash stops and looks closer at the eyes. "Human eyes?" He whispered to himself. The eyes seem to advance at him fast and he started running again.

'Crap!' he thought as he tripped over. He hastily got up and continued running. He turned around and saw the eyes again, but this time a silhouette could be seen pretty clearly. Ash couldn't make out any features, other than, what he would assume is the hair, looking like a lion's mane.

He doesn't think too much about it and continues to run. The person didn't seem friendly and was still chasing him anyway. He saw the campsite and sighed in relief, his legs were definitely not going to thank him for the extra workout.

Then, he saw Greninja out of his Pokeball. "Gren!" It exclaimed, leaping over to Ash. One concerned glance later, Greninja turned to look at what Ash was concerned about. But there was nothing. Ash still saw those glowing eyes when they suddenly faded into the night, slowly vanishing from sight. "Gren gren?" Greninja asked worriedly. "Huh? Uh..I'm fine." Ash said, not sparing his words a second thought.

"It's getting late, we should sleep." Ash said, patting Greninja's shoulder to assure him that he is fine, before walking towards his own tent. He heard the sound of Greninja's feet as it landed in front of the bench and retreated into its Pokeball.

That night, Ash didn't sleep a wink.