Exhaustion, laziness, and sluggishness. Those were the emotions Ash had bottled in him as he let out a tired sigh when he sat down for lunch—the eventful day drained his energy like multiple grass Pokemon using mega drain simultaneously. And the day was only halfway done. But, like a small ray of sunshine in a dark and dangerous storm, the wafting aroma of his mum's cooking would give him a much-needed energy boost for the rest of the day. As long as Pikachu doesn't pull any stunts like he did with Serena or if Giovanni decides to ruin his day. Luckily, he didn't have to worry about them in the school canteen. It was only him and good old food.

"Hey Ash, can we sit with you?" A feminine voice says. 

Ash turned mid-bite to see Shauna and Clemont standing before him. Shauna had a beaming bright smile, and Clemont nervously adjusted his glasses. Wiping away some leftover crumbs on his face, Ash answered, "Sure, I'm not saving it for anyone else."

A warm, friendly smile appeared as they hurriedly sat beside Ash. When they were settled, the trio began conversing as they ate. Ash enjoyed their company and the conversations they were having. It had been a while since he talked to anyone at lunch. Well, anyone human, of course.

"I'm surprised you two play Pokemon. I thought most people thought the games were childish," he answered with a shocked tone.

Suddenly, a cocky laugh erupted from the inventor's lips as he pushed up his glasses, reflecting the light rays off his lenses. "The different strategies in the game are endless. The various moves, abilities, stats, and teams you can build are amazing!"

Shauna and Ash were silent, awkwardly peering at one another as the inventor continued his long ramble on the intricacies of Pokemon games. When he finished, Clemont realised what he had done and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, like a child getting caught stealing. Suddenly, Shauna cleared her throat, drawing the group's attention. Shauna answered innocently, "I just play it for the cute Pokemon." Everyone burst out laughing like it was some TV sitcom.

"Ashy boy!" A voice suddenly screamed from behind the raven's head after everyone had calmed down. Before Ash could turn to meet the voice, he felt an arm wrap around him as he felt another body next to him.

"Why didn't you think to introduce me to the new students, especially since there is a pretty girl?" Gary explained, quickly sending a wink to the girl from Kalos. Ash couldn't help but facepalm at the act. Gary was known to be a flirt even if he did have a girlfriend.

"Gary!" A feminine voice screamed, making the flirt freeze as his eyes widened. Speaking of which. Ash couldn't help but chuckle as he felt Dawn approach the shivering Gary. "You may have dug your grave, Gary," Ash joked quietly, making the brown head elbow him.

Stiffly turning to meet the gaze of his blue-haired girlfriend, Gary managed to stutter, "H-hey, Beautiful. H-how has your day been?"

Usually, the said girlfriend would be red because of a blush. But right now, she was as red as a Charmellon because of her growing anger toward Gary. Without words being said, a surge of pain erupted from Gary's ear. "That won't cut it this time, mister. We need to talk," Dawn hissed as she dragged Gary away around the corner. Much to his dismay and hisses of pain as he pleaded for mercy.

If the Kalos students were the emotions shocked and confused, they were perfectly illustrating them with the look on their faces. They both turned to Ash for some explanation, but the raven head shrugged his shoulders and continued eating his food, hiding his want to laugh and smile about the oncoming events.

A few moments later, a loud feminine yelp and slapping echoed around the room. Gary then warily appeared, rubbing his cheek with a massive red handprint on his face, with a smug-faced Dawn holding his other hand.

As the couple sat at their table, Shauna stuttered, "It's like..."

"This is all normal," Clemont finished, just as stunned as Shauna as they saw Dawn resting her head on Gary's shoulder, acting like nothing had happened between them just seconds before.

Ash rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed smile as he explained how these events were common. And how, aside from Gary's adventurous flirts, they were a surprisingly good and healthy couple. It is one of the best and most well-known pairings in the school.

"I did help them get together after all. I could see they would be great together," Ash finished with a cheeky smile.

The Kalos students had a look of disbelief on their faces when Ash told them this. "You should have seen when Gary confessed. He was a complete mess when confessing to Dawn. She didn't understand a single word he said."

Imagining the situation, they couldn't help but burst out laughing. With the laughter dying down, Shauna suddenly leaned closer to Ash. "So relationship maker. Any idea who I may be good with? I think I pair well with raven heads."

The raven's head face flared up like a volcano as he managed to stutter, "W-w-well, we have a couple of raven heads here if you are interested."

However, he wasn't the only person going red as a certain blonde couldn't help but feel envious of Shauna as she watched from her table.

What is going on? He rarely blushes...

***

"You two, go ahead and start the assignment. I have something to attend to real quick," Ash stated. The two Kalos students quickly nodded and went to the library with little hesitation. Once they were gone, Ash quickly went to a quiet area and sought out Pikachu's yellow aura. When finding the electric mouse, Ash stomped toward Pikachu and started banging on his hiding vent. "Pikachu, I know you are in there. Come out," Ash boomed angrily,

Laughing, Pikachu's head popped out of the vent with a devious smile.

He won't be laughing for much longer, Ash thought while hiding his growing smirk. "No Ketchup for the next week, Pikachu. Especially after your little stunt with Serena," Ash disciplined Pikachu like he was his dad.

After Pikachu processed Ash's command, his laughing stopped; his joyful face quickly turned into a face of horror. Compared to Pikachu using a quick attack or volt tackle, the Pokemon crashed into Ash's face and pleaded with a panic tone, "What! Come on. It was only a little prank."

Ash grabbed Pikachu off his face and replied, "Pikachu! She knows something is up. Who calls their mum Pikachu for crying out loud."

"You do, apparently", Pikachu mumbled under his breath.

Ash put Pikachu down and buried his face in his hands. "Look, Pikachu. Arceus, the God of Pokemon. Trusted me... Me! With the knowledge that Pokemon exist. I am the only human alive who knows this. This is a huge privilege, Pikachu. I ... I just don't wanna fuck this up."

Immediately, the electric Pokemon stiffened as he heard Ash drop the F-bomb. Pikachu spent tailing (Mew would say stalking) the raven head through the hours and days; he had only heard Ash swear twice. 

When the boy stubbed his toe on the door frame. 

And when Giovanni and Ash argued. 

Ash only swore when necessary, which meant the boy wasn't messing around. This made Pikachu feel slightly guilty over the little prank he had played that morning.

"Ok. I admit I may have crossed the line," Pikachu exclaimed with a guilty tone, rubbing the back of his neck. "And I'm sorry for that. But, if there is any consolation, I believe Serena is already somewhat suspicious of something major happening in your life, Ash. She almost caught you talking to Mew before, and there have been many other instances with me. She seems to appear in the worst of times... That or we are just bad at being inconspicuous."

The latter, Ash, mentally groaned as he leaned against the white wall of the school. "So, what are you suggesting?" Ash inquired curiously.

"Nothing for now." Ash raised an eyebrow before Pikachu continued, "It's clear she cares for you, Ash. So if she was to find out about this secret, we have... I believe it wouldn't be game over.  Heck, it might be a way to improve your relationship with her," Pikachu finished with a cheeky wink, which made Ash frown. "Don't deny it, Ashy boy," Pikachu continued to press, making the raven head's frown grow deeper. 

"Pikachu. Have you forgotten that she abandoned and blanked me for years? Do you want me to drop it and forget all that?" Ash stated with an annoyed tone. 

"Of course not-"

"So why do you keep bringing her up like that so casually then?" Ash questioned. "I know you want me to get closer to her, but do you know how much it hurt seeing her with Calem? How she watched and said nothing as they hurt me? I'm not jumping at the first opportunity to get closer to her." 

"And you shouldn't," Pikachu injected. "What she did was horrible. Despicable. All the bad words in the world. But right now, she is trying to make amends for it, and I believe she is fully committed to repairing your relationship."

"Pikachu, you aren't a mind reader. You can't even learn that move. How do you know she isn't just doing this for her conscience?"

"I don't need mind reading. I'm just good at reading people."

"Reading people?" Ash scoffed. "Your talent for reading is like trying to decipher a message from a group of Unown." 

"HEY! Its-." Pikachu paused before taking a breath to compose himself, the sparks on his cheeks dimming. 

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. I'm not asking you to jump into her arms and stuff," Pikachu continued. "But holding onto anger and resentment won't do you any good either. It's like carrying around Everstones, preventing you from evolving and growing."

Ash sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I just don't know, Pikachu. Trust doesn't come back overnight."

Pikachu nodded sympathetically. "I get it. I do. But maybe giving her a chance down the line, and letting her prove herself over time could be worth it. It's been years, and I believe people can change like how Pokémon evolve. It's not always easy and will take time, but it's worth considering."

After a moment of silence, Ash sighed and nodded. But one tiny part of his mind was suspicious of Pikachu's seemingly mature conclusion. Putting action to this thought, Ash exclaimed, "I'll think about it, thanks Pikachu." Pikachu puffed his chest out and let out a cheeky smile. "But since when did you become so mature-"

A split second before Ash could finish his sentence, Pikachu's smile turned into a smirk and cut the raven's head off by cheekily asking, "So if you had to tell one human about us... it would be her, right? Mew and some of the Pokemon back home are placing bets."

"Andddddd, he is back." Ash sighed, then let out a small chuckle before announcing, "This conversation is over."

"OK, can we start a new one about your boy Pikachu getting his ketchup supply back?" Pikachu asked, his eyes sparkling with the thought of the sauce.

Ash looked back at the electric Pokemon with a mischievous grin. "What ketchup?" He said with a glimmer of playfulness before walking back towards the library, much to the screams, bellows and swears from the floundering Pokemon over his shoulder.

As he returned to the library, Ash couldn't help but mull over Pikachu's words. The path ahead was uncertain, and forgiveness seemed like a distant possibility. But, in a world where people and now Pokemon strive to evolve and improve, only time will tell whether healing and reconciliation are in the cards for Ash and his past.

***

Ash quickly found Clemont and Shauna in the library, sitting at a table far away from anybody else. Saying their greetings and small talk about their day, the group quickly fell into their project and began working on the task. Minutes quickly flew by like a rocket as the trio would occasionally get sidetracked by topics. Either by another student in the library snoring too loudly or just getting caught up in continuing to get to know each other and their lives in Kanto and Kalos.

Once again, Ash was getting this warm fuzzy feeling he hadn't felt in years. The feeling of friendship and comradery. Sure, his mum and Pikachu had made him feel like this before. But one of them he has to hide from the public and can electrocute him for waking up a second too late. While the other is his mum. So even if he had only known these students from Kalos for less than a day, Ash couldn't help but drop his guard as the trio continued to laugh, smile and chat—something he had wished to do for a while.

When the trio finished planning the basis of their project, they decided to finish off for the day and chill out for the rest of lunch.

"Wow, science is so amazing!" Ash exclaimed happily, his eyes sparkling like stars and hands waving around like a child on Christmas day as he was captivated by Clemont's amazing invention.

Clermont let out a cocky laugh and crossed his arms in a cool pose as a smug smile ran across his face, obviously taking in all the praise from the raven head. But, as if a lightning bolt of reality struck him, his robotic arm from his backpack, or Aimpon arm as he called it, suddenly started sparking. Shauna especially started far away from the machine while a look of horror hijacked the trio's faces.

When the machine started to shake violently, and smoke appeared, Shauna boomed with a scared but authoritative tone, "Turn it off, Clemont!"

As fast as Clemont had probably moved in his life, the blonde managed to dive for his Aimpon arm and switch it off at the very last moment before it exploded like an electrode using self-destruct.

Everyone sighed in relief once the machine stopped moving and the smoke dissipated. Seeing the dejected look on Clemont's face, Shauna patted his back and tried to cheer him up. "One day, clement one day. At least my hair didn't get splashed in Ash this time," she exclaimed as she cleaned up any out-of-place hairs.

"At least I don't have to pay for damages this time," Clemont joked sadly, making the other two chuckle.

After the incident with Clemont's brilliant inventions slowly became a distant memory for the trio, the conversation shifted to Shauna and her life in Kalos.

"So Shauna, why did you move to Kalos? Is it cause of your parent's work, like Clemont?" Ash quizzed the brown-haired girl.

Brushing some of her hair away from her face, Shauna answered cheerfully, "Yeah, my parents moving was the main reason, but I had a personal reason as well, so I didn't mind the move."

"Something personal?" Clemont suddenly voiced with a curious tone. The inventor didn't realise his Kalos friend had another reason for the move to Kanto.

Shauna smiled and answered, "Yep," while popping the P. "When I was younger, I met a boy from Kanto; he was my new neighbour. At first, he was a complete dickhead, the rudest boy I have ever met. But despite that, we eventually became best friends.

"How does that work?" Ash questioned, with the boys being as confused as a Psyduck.

Laughing, Shauna shrugged, "Even I question how we become friends sometimes. But he did become nicer the more we got to know each other. He turned into a completely different person when he had to go back to Kanto." Her face turned from a bright smile into a slight frown as she remembered her final moment with the boy.

Intrigued by this friend, Ash asked for the boy's name. "Calem. Calem Xavier. He had to return to Kanto after about a year due to family problems. We lost contact since then," She answered, which made Ash's breath freeze like it was in a freezer, which then turned into the Arctic as Shauna continued to list a description that continued to align with the Calem he knew all too well. There was no way her Calem was also his Calem, right? The big nasty bully suddenly changed to be such a sweet person. Surely it was just a coincidence... right?

"What does he look like?" Ash questioned.  

"I don't know what he looks like now. But he had black hair, brown eyes-"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait... Calem Xavier with black hair, brown eyes, and wears a red cap?"

Shauna's cerulean eyes lit up excitedly as she practically jumped on the table, exclaiming, "Yes! The red cap! That's him. Do you know him?"

When the penny finally dropped for Ash as he gave him to his Calem, it was the same Calem as Shauna's. If Ash's amount of shock was somehow transformed into TNT, the library would be destroyed, maybe even the school. Seeing the happiness and excitement in his new friend's eyes made the raven head feel happy for her. Yet, simultaneously, the thought of her talking to Calem didn't sit well with him. Mainly cause the Calem he knows is not the one from Shauna's life, at least not anymore. 

"I do know him. Too well," Ash exclaimed. This made Shauna more excited as she eagerly waited for Ash to continue. 

"So, what do you know about him?" She asked with a bright smile

A chuckle escaped the raven's head lips before replying, "This will be a long conversation."

***

After the sound of water running had stopped, Ash emerged from the bathroom, fresh off Shauna's long and gruelling game of a billion questions. This only confused her while fueling Ash's growing curiosity concerning the fellow raven's head. Suddenly, the school bell ringing brought Ash out of his curious state and back to reality.

With a sudden spring to his step, Ash began heading to his next class, weaving down the school's hallways like he was a Pokemon that had used agility the turn before.

BANG. Suddenly, when Ash was rounding a turn, he was met by the force of a brick wall. Tumbling to the ground, Ash let out a hiss as his hands quickly shot up to caress his nose, moaning in pain.

When the peak of his pain slowly dissipated, Ash managed to winch open his eyes. The ceiling lights of the school pierced his vision like curtains being opened, but Ash also noticed a boy with the same coloured hair and a red cap towering over him. Calem stood there, completely unaffected by their collision, like a Machoke, while Ash was like a Squirtle stuck on its back. At first, Ash was confused about how Calem was unaffected by the collision, like a bug and windscreen. He saw the door Calem held open and the large imprint of his squished face on the glass area.

Getting over the embarrassment of running into a stationary object, Ash quickly refocused on his fellow raven-head boy. His mind was racing with worry about being chastised for being an idiot. But after the talk with Shauna and Calem being more 'passive' and less violent since their last incident, Ash was also intrigued by what Calem would do next.

Calem stood frozen at the door, Barely moving an inch like he was frozen in ice. The cold and almost oppressive stare of Calem's sent shivers down Ash's spine. Making him feel like some injured prey was about to be dined upon by the predator named Calem Xavier. But even with this concern whirling through his mind like a tumbleweed in the Barron desert, Ash still had a part interested in what his fellow raven head would do next.

"Are you going to get up or sit there like an idiot?" Calem exclaimed with a low voice. Ash's brain quickly snapped back into gear as he stood up. 

The raven head quickly dusted himself before locking eyes with Calem. Staring into each other souls, an eerie fog of silence wafted between them, as prominent as the smell of burnt food in the oven. All this didn't make sense to Ash. Just days ago, the person before him once wanted to make his life hell. Nowadays, this said person is helping him and acting like he hadn't been bullying him for the past couple of years.

After what felt like hours or even days of tense silence, Ash finally broke the awkwardness like a sword through butter, "Errrr. Thanks?" Ok, maybe not a sword through butter, but more like using a butter knife to cut through a tank. What was he thanking him for? 

Without any more words spoken and just silence between the two raven heads, Calem suddenly turned on his heels and began walking away. As Ash saw Calem slowly trundle away, his mind tossed and turned with the idea of asking about his sudden behaviour change. With every step his fellow raven head took, the more the conflict grew. It was like having a shoulder angel and devil sitting on his shoulder, violently arguing for their side. Ash breathed as he saw Calem about to turn the corner and yelled, "Are you ok, Calem?"

Calem stopped when he heard Ash ask the question. Calem stood as still as a statue before coldly replying, "Why would you care how I feel?

Ash scoffed and shook his head. "I'm just asking," He spat back. But before Calem could walk off, Ash continued, "But I am wondering. Do you know a girl named Shauna?"

After this question was put forward, Ash saw Calem freeze on the spot. His muscles stiffened, and his hands into fists. It was the first emotion Ash managed to draw out from Calem. Seeing this, Ash immediately closed his eyes and sorted out the raven head's aura. Like a homing missile, Ash quickly zeroed in on the target of Calem's aura. Successfully connecting with it, Ash felt a whole tsunami of emotions. From confusion and anger to even a bit of sorrow, as if Ash was on a rollercoaster of feelings. Examine the type of Aura Calem; it is a mixture of a black and blue sea. Looking like oil and water, his aura kept fluctuating like his soul was at war with itself.

"Why do you ask?" Calem's voice suddenly pierced Ash's thoughts.

Opening his eyes, Ash answered confidently, "There are two new students today. One of them says they know a Calem Xavier."

With his back turned to him, Ash couldn't read any emotions on Calem's face, but he could feel the tension growing as if it would explode like a water balloon.

"So... do you know her?" Ash pressed, summoning all the confidence he had in him

Calem's hands suddenly started shaking as they turned into tight fists. The action made Ash slightly nervous; was it too far? Did he push him over the edge? But before an answer could be given, the piercing sound of the school bell ringing echoed around Pallet High. "I... I don't know." Calem said before walking off.

Ash stood there for a moment, pondering over Calem's final words. Analysing Calem's every movement, every word, like he was a world-class detective on a murder case. Ultimately, the boy was still as stumped as a Psyduck on a math question, even with the intense investigation. But luckily, he had other ways to gain information. Ash rushed down the hallway to pursue his fellow raven head, aiming to get closer to Calem's erratic aura.

Stealthily moving closer to the raven head, Ash hid by the stairs and quickly connected his aura with Calem. Focusing all his attention on Calem, the aura guardian in training tried to connect with his mind, read his thoughts and see what was happening in his head. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. The time quickly whizzed by as if Ash was in a time machine. But, bit by bit, Ash slowly started to hear little whispers now and again. These whispers only drove Ash to try harder, like they were dangling carrots on a stick.

And, of course, since Ash was Ash, he tried even harder to grab them.

Reaching deeper into Calem's Aura, he suddenly felt everything become quiet, like a TV playing static being abruptly switched off. And then he sensed it.

He sensed a fist barreling toward him for a split second before a surge of pain started screaming from his right cheek. Soon after, he felt a feeling of weightlessness overcome his body. Snapping out of his aura mode, Ash opened his eyes and saw stairs growing closer and closer to him like a runaway train. With barely a second to brace himself, the pain began stabbing at him as he tumbled down the stairs. It was like he was in a washing machine filled with sharp knives. Before, one final knock to the back of his head made his world blurry.

Finally, his body stopped moving as Ash lay on the ground, barely awake. But with the throbbing pain shooting around his body, specifically the back of the head, the boy would wish for the sweet relief of unconsciousness.

Voices echoed around his sore head as his vision continued to blur, with a scream of pain echoing from all over his body. Ash heard a booming voice echoing from the top of the stairs, but none of the words. He could hear several voices speaking.

Soon after, Ash could barely hear footsteps moving away, growing quieter until they vanished. His headaches were like thousands of industrial drills drilling into his head as it began to feel light.

Ash then heard footsteps moving closer as a blurry figure suddenly appeared over Ash. Wearing a red cap and black coloured hair like his, the withering Ash could recognise who it was.

Calem.

Suddenly, the world around him started spinning and slowly grew darker. But before he could be free from the pain, a piercing scream suddenly yelled down the hall.

"Calem! What did you do!" A voice boomed.

Hearing the scream, Calem stood up and turned towards the voice. But, like black curtains falling around him, Ash felt his world darken.  

Why do bad things always happen to me?

***

Hey amazing reader,

I don't want to repeat everything I said in the announcement, but thank you for diving back into "From Another Dimension" with me. Your support means the world, especially after this two-year hiatus. 

I love hearing your thoughts and insights on the book, so don't hesitate to share your thoughts by commenting on the story or messaging me. And here's a little secret - the next chapter won't take two years to arrive... hopefully...

I hope you all enjoy this chapter and find it worth the wait. If you haven't already, follow me if you want updates on the book and leave a vote if you enjoy the chapters. I wish each of you a fantastic day. Happy reading!