Chapter One

It was well into the late morning when Ash's eyes split open slightly, noticing the soft sunshine warm his face. The sound of an alarm clock beeping can be faintly heard; he must've whacked it whilst dreaming about Pokémon. Suddenly it dawned on him that today was the day he got his partner! Ash flung his bedsheets in the air and scurried out from underneath them, his eyes darting around the room, looking for clothes as quickly as he could. He fumbled around, jumping into the leg holes of his worn jeans. Changing his green pyjama top for a black t-shirt, and firmly pressing his feet into shoes he'd already adjusted the laces for.

Flying down the stairs, Ash skipped the last few steps which distracted his mother, Delia, from doing the dishes.

"Ash, you'll hurt yourself!" she moaned.

"There's no time now, I'm late to Oak's lab!" Ash snapped back.

Ash's sights were on the front door and just as he was about to reach for the handle – Delia appears with hands on hips, a disapproving frown, and a reason to believe Ash shouldn't leave.

The pairs eyes met immediately in a heated stare of defiance. Ash tried to squeeze past, but to no avail. Delia jolted forward and grabbed Ash's wrists, willing him over to the kitchen table. Ash realised his protests didn't work when he felt his peachy bum hit the hard chair.

Sulking, Ash asked, "Why the hell are you holding me back?! I need to go!"

Delia raised her voice, "There's more to life than stupid Pokémon! What about your poor mother?!"

Ash was confused and was curious what she meant. She continued, "All day, I'm here with you! If you go playing around with Pokémon you're going to leave me! I can't handle being alone..."

Delia let go of Ash's arms, holding her head in her hands, sniffling back the beginnings of a built up outburst. Feeling awful, Ash held his hand over his mothers, gently peeling them from her moistened eyes.

"If I knew you felt this way, I wouldn't have tried to leave, I'm so sorry, I'll never leave you."

Ash's mums eyes renewed with a sense of relief. She rested her other hand on top of her sons, the son she spent so long trying to instil empathy into. Tears flowed as she stood up and embraced Ash into the comfort of the dark down of her arms.

The two shared a moment that bonded them. It was a moment that made them both realise it's not yet time to let go, Delia needed Ash just as much as he needed her. For a minute, it was quiet. Delia's tears had dried, mixed with make mascara she didn't even really need to wear any more. She felt the withered, thin skin under her eyes raise up as she rested her chin on top of Ash's head and smiled widely.

"Ash..." she whispered softly, resting her pale hands on his developing shoulders.

"You know you're becoming too old for Pokémon now, surely there's other things on your mind..."

Ash didn't quite catch her drift, and returned a puzzled look for a response.

Delia took her right hand and glided it slowly down Ash's toned arm, reaching his hand and lifting it up. She placed his nervous hand onto her breast, both hands now holding his in place. Glaring at his face, she waited for an expression to take over. She wondered if what she was doing was wrong, but she really needed her son.

"M-mom?!" Ash pulled his hand away, blushing heavily.