Another one set in the Team Flare arc, haha. Enjoy!

By that way, this is kinda dramatic and brutal. But that's kinda my style, so...enjoy!

"It's all finally over", Alain breathed with a smile as he stood with Ash on the highest point of Lysandre Labs, watching the Megalith go up in flames as their friends down below cheered.

"Yeah, finally", Ash echoed, unaware that Alain was staring into his bright, sunny eyes.

"We should go. This probably isn't the best place to be right now", Alain suggested as he stood up and held out his hand.

Ash smiled and began to slip his palm into Alain's, before he was suddenly surrounded by a light so bright he could hardly see.

-A few minutes later-

Professor Sycamore turned around to face the 18 year old desperately running towards him.

"Oh, Alain! I was just abut to look for you and A-"

"Where is he?!", Alain interrupted.

"Who? Ash?"

"Yeah! Where is he!"

"Calm down", the Professor urged as he put his hands in front of the other's face.

"We were on top of Lysandre Labs. Just talking. We were gonna leave, but then there was a flash-or something-and before I knew it, he was gone. So I got Charizard to fly me down here. Do you know where he is?", Alain explained hysterically, inhaling sharply between each sentence.

"No, I don't. Actually, now that you mention it, where's Lysandre?"

Alain choked back a gasp as he thought of the worst. Oh, no. Please, no. There were so many horrible things than scheming man could do to his precious Ash.

Without thinking, he grabbed the Professor's hand, dragged him onto Charizard's back, and took off for the tall, black building.

-A few minutes later-

"Ash? Are you here?", Alain called out as h and the Professor stepped through the empty corridor, one of many which they had searched for their dear friend. Well, to Alain, Ash was much more than a friend. He was everything.

Suddenly, multiple lights on the ceiling flickered on, following each other in a trail until they reached the two adults.

"Oh, so you found me?", uttered a suspicious voice hidden in the shadows.

"Lysandre! I know it's you! Come out!", Alain yelled.

Without hesitation, the suited man revealed himself from the darkness. Alain's blood boiled with anger when he saw him unoccupied.

"Where's Ash?!"

"Funny you ask. I was just about to talk about him"

"WHERE IS HE?!"

Alain's glass-shattering scream didn't even make the man flinch.

"Oh, I'll tell you where he is, but first, let's have a little chat", Lysandre said as he begun to pace slowly.

"Remember how I was planning to control that boy with my Mega Evolution energy? Well, I knew he was strong, but not strong enough to withstand that kind of power. He is quite impressive, I must say, for a child. No human should be able to resist that kind of pain..."

He paused as he aimed a weapon of some sort at Alain.

"...Including you"

Before he could object, Alain was hit with a beam of Mega Evolution energy. He fell to his knees, wincing.

"Oh, please. I used most of the energy on Ash, and I'm kinda running low right now, so this is nothing compared to what he went through", Lysandre informed him, rolling his eyes.

"Alain, come on! If Ash can do it, and he's so much younger, and was already in so much more pain, than you, then I'm sure you can fight it!", the Professor cheered.

Sadly, the moment of determination lasted only for a few seconds, before Alain found himself giving up. Professor Sycamore emitted a loud "Huh?!", but Lysandre laughed victoriously at his success.

"What a surprise! I was actually expecting him to be able to maintain control, since the portion I used on him was miniature compared to the one I used on Ash, but it seems, once again, my prediction was wrong!"

All of a sudden, the shattering of glass echoed through the building, as broken shards flooded the floor near Lysandre's feet.

"Oh, what magnificent timing! My hostage escaped!", Lysandre announced happily as Ash sprinted up behind him and lifted him by the leg, making him slip into the floor as he effortlessly twisted his ankle with his hands, before dropping it onto the glass. He left the man to lie there in pain as he ran up to Alain.

"Ash! Are you alright?", Sycamore questioned.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but why isn't Alain saying anything?", Ash answered as he slowly trekked up to Alain.

He seemed...out of focus. Like he didn't know what was going on. Like he was drunk or on drugs. Ash swiftly clicked his fingers in front of his face, testing his reflexes. The man didn't even flinch.

"Did Lysandre do something to him?"

Before Sycamore could answer, Alain launched his body into the younger one's, pounding him into the floor. Sycamore, without even attempting to stop him, went to stand in front of them and yell at Alain to stop.

"He won't hear you", Lysandre reminded him as he staggered next to Sycamore, "He's too weak. That's why he was controlled in the first place"

Sycamore turned to face the scientist.

"What?"

"Didn't you listen before? I already used most of the energy on Ash, thinking I'd be able to control him. No human should've been able to deal with that, but somehow, Ash did. With the part I had left, I guessed if I tried to control anyone else, it wouldn't work, since that small amount wouldn't do much. But it's clear that Alain lacks willpower"

They both turned back to face the struggling two.

"Alain, stop!", Ash tried to convince Alain as he restrained his hand from punching him. He had bruises and some blood scattered all over his body already, from what Alain had done to him.

Alain didn't say anything, he only continued to kick and punch the other. The only reason he was dominating over Ash is because, no matter what, he wouldn't fight back. Not even to save his life. He just couldn't have it in himself to go against Alain. So the only thing he could do was try and protect himself, which wasn't going very well. 

He suddenly stood up, took Ash by the arm and threw him into the glass, which immediately poked at his skin as soon as he landed.

Professor Sycamore and Lysandre caught up to the two, but neither of them could stop it. Even Lysandre didn't want this much pain for Ash.

Before the boy could try to move, Alain picked up a glass shard, yanked Ash up by the collar and violently pierced it through his chest.

Ash's eyes widened as he froze. He tried to breathe, but he couldn't exhale. He just kept slowly, painfully losing air. He whimpered slightly as he started to choke, looking down at the deep wound that covered his chest. He could feel the glass sticking out of his back. Blood trickled down from the wound, and soon, out of his mouth. Everything started to go dark and fuzzy. He was about to move when Alain, his hand still on the glass, pushed it deeper into his body. Ash's screams were halted by gasps, as if he was drowning. His head was heavy. He was numbed by agony, the sharp material forcing its way through him, pumping blood out of him. It felt like everything was going so painfully slow, but it all happened in a matter of seconds.

The last he saw was a glimpse of realization in Alain's eyes. And it hurt him more than all those punches and wounds. That Alain had finally come back, and he would feel horrible, but it would be too late to reassure him. 

Sycamore and Lysandre gasped and covered their mouths, stepping away slowly. As of now, Lysandre was noting never to control a human with Mega Evolution energy again. He never knew it would be that strong. He even started to feel a little sorry for Ash, thinking back to when he was hit with the energy.

As Ash's body fell to the ground, blood staining his body and the area around him, that damned piece of glass still sealed into his rib cage, it was like the whole world stopped. The overlapping sounds of his lifelessness continuously replayed in everyone's mind. Even as time moved on, no one could feel it. Everything else happened too quickly, but so slowly, as reality held them tighter with each passing second. Even Alain, who found himself crying into Ash's blood, clasping his jacket like there was no tomorrow, begging him to come back, felt disconnected from everything.

The echoes of tearful screaming, ambulance, police cars, and loud sirens all disappeared when Alain heard the slow beeping of a machine that seemed to be telling him that the one he loved was still alive. Nothing else mattered. All he needed was to listen to that repeated beeping, and watch Ash's chest shudder up and down behind the glass of his hospital room.

That's when it all started to come together.

"I'm...I'm in a hospital", he said to himself in a way only he could hear.

He felt his legs lift him up and carry him forward, but he wasn't doing any of it. He was still disconnected from his body, alone with his thoughts. Shock was the only thing stopping him.

"Because...because I, I almost, I"

It became hard to think when both his mind and his eyes saw how Ash was covered in bandages, lying there helplessly, attached to several machines. He felt tears roll down his face. He felt himself start to physically stutter and speak. He felt his own hands shake. 

For a brief moment, everything that had happened played back in his head. Reality flooded him. He was connected again.

Then it hit him. All at once.

"I-I'm, so sorry, I"

At first, he staggered, out of balance, towards Ash's hospital bed. The realization that everything was real weighed him down. And it wasn't going away.

"Ash, I, I didn't, I"

It wasn't long before he ran at full speed, throwing his arms around Ash's neck, clutching him as a waterfall of tears fell in between them. He began to regain the feeling of numbness, even when truth came crashing down on him, he lost his concept of time as he wailed for his loved one. He didn't care that he was losing his senses. Nothing mattered, now that he'd lost something he could never have back. He'd thrown it away. Alain had thrown his entire world away, like it was nothing. But it was everything.

Just as his surroundings started to spin and shatter around him, he felt a certain warmth caress his shoulder. He looked up. Hoping that this warmth would bring him back. And it did. 

He saw Ash's wonderful eyes flutter open. It filled his grey world with color. He saw him crack a weak smile. It made his heart glow. And he heard him say his name.

"Alain"

And, just then, he felt time come back to him. He could hear, and see, and feel in real time. And it felt like an eternity of waiting was over. 

"Ash..."

Shakily, he shuddered with breath as he sat up, hoisting Ash up with him. They had their arms around each other, both smiling through their tears. 

"I'm back"

And as he began to clench Ash's back ever so tightly, and release another waterfall of tears, he then knew, for certain, that it was Ash who gave him life. He was alive when he was with Ash. His life was with Ash.

"I was so worried! I thought that I-that I'd killed you! I thought you were going to die!"

He let everything out, and he wasn't holding back. The world, his world, was listening.

"And everything just went so fast and I, I just, you're alive! You're alive, Ash! You're alive!"

Ash himself couldn't help but cry into Alain's chest, knowing he was listening too. All they needed was each other. They didn't need anything else.

"I love you! I love you so much!"

Oh no. Should he have held back that time? What if Ash rejects him? What if it ruins their relationship? Doubt circled him.

"I love you too"

And, just like that, it was all complete. All the doubt, the sadness, the heartache, it was all gone. He pressed his lips against Ash's, sinking into a new world with him. Where they were both numb, but they could still feel each other.

Wow that was dramatic haha. Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Requests are always open, but unfortunately the process of publishing is a little slow, because, well, school. I love all your support. Bye!