Devastated Boy{Amourshipping}

Chapter 4

As Ash woke up on the comfortable bed, he was surprised to find a steaming cup of coffee sitting on the table beside him.

Ignoring it for now, he couldn't help but reflect on his decision to return to the world he had left behind.

Regret washed over him as he remembered the struggles he had faced to protect Lance and his crew from Mewtwo's wrath.

He had come back to take care of Kanto, but his compassion had been taken advantage of in the past, and he was determined not to let that happen again.

The trust he once had for the world had crumbled, and he couldn't shake off the feeling of isolation.

Just then, a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. "May I come in?" the voice of Cynthia, the Sinnoh Champion, rang out from outside the room.

"Yeah, come in," Ash replied with a deep sigh, putting on his T-shirt.

Cynthia, a young blonde woman dressed in black, entered through the automated door. "My, my, you look... horrible!" she remarked, teasingly.

"Can you just stop that, Cynthia? I know I look horrible, you don't have to remind me," Ash replied, clearly displeased by her remark.

"Okay, I won't," Cynthia shrugged, taking a seat on the chair beside Ash's bed.

"Why are you even here?" Ash questioned, facing the Champion with a mix of surprise and curiosity.

"Geez, Ash, settle down a bit. We've got time," Cynthia said calmly.

"You didn't answer me yet," Ash pressed on, wanting to know her true reason for being there.

"How can I not visit when the boy I thought was lost forever comes back unscathed?" Cynthia replied with a hint of exaggeration.

"Thanks a lot for coming... I thought most people would've stopped caring that I even existed," Ash thanked her, feeling a sense of gratitude for her unexpected visit.

"That's not true, Ash. Everybody still cares for you... most miss you more than anything," Cynthia reassured him with a comforting smile.

As Cynthia got up from her seat, she said, "Come on, I've got a surprise for you."

"For me??" Ash questioned, following her curiously, unaware of the surprise that awaited him.

Ash's heart swelled with emotions as he saw his mother's face, but the sight of her in a wheelchair hit him hard. He couldn't bear to see her like this. Ignoring the man in the white coat standing beside her, he rushed towards his mom.

"Ash!" Delia's exclamation echoed through the room as Ash found himself at a loss for words. Tears welled up in his eyes as he knelt down next to his mother, trying to apologize for something only the two of them knew.

"There's nothing I wouldn't forgive you for," Delia comforted Ash, her warm smile putting him at ease.

His attention was drawn to Brock, whom he had ignored earlier. "Brock," Ash said, his face forming a small smile.

"Been a while," Brock replied, his own smile gleaming with happiness.

"Sure has, I missed ya all very much," Ash replied, getting up to give Brock a brotherly hug.

"Yo, Ashy-Boy... you dumbass idiot, where were you?" Ash didn't need to look to know that those words belonged to Gary. He felt a familiar hit on his head, but instead of getting angry, he turned around to face Gary with a point-blank stare, his face devoid of emotion.

"Stop it, Gary," Ash's words said it all, and Gary expected him to argue and get mad.

"Make me," Gary scoffed.