As most of you all know... I haven't posted a story or updated anything for a while. I had suffered a severe writers block, and as you can see, it's not good for me. I apologize if I worried some of you guys... This is the first time I wrote a Pokemon battle, so sorry if its not that great.

By the way, this story has elements from CilanceYourButt's story "A Tragedy to Be Reckoned." If you like the Striaton triplets, you need to go read it. There may be some slight story spoilers in my fic, so be warned! I do not own any of her characters, such as Cilan's parents in this story. She gave me permission to name them and write this. Enjoy!

It was late in the evening and Chili was wide awake. The boy was sitting in the kitchen in his home eating out of a box of donuts (he always ate them when he was stressed). He just couldn't shake off the events that had happened earlier today. With Cilan being in the hospital, his secluded father finally came to see him and his brothers. After the tearful reunion, Chili and his dad went into a meltdown. Even so, the boy was still struggling to come to terms after the argument.

((A/N: This part is directly from CilanceYourButt's story))

"Oh, Dad."

"Hm? What is it, Chili?"

Chili was quite before he spoke. "Cilan almost died," He spit out, staring at the same thing the whole time. He shifted in his seat, waiting for his father's reaction.

The father reacted quite calmly. He gave a heaved sigh and put his head into his hands. You could tell he was pretty shocked by the shaking of his arms.

"He suffered from sudden cardiac arrest," Chili continued in a low voice, keeping the same tone throughout the whole sentence. "The doctor almost lost him..." He started to tear up, still looking in the same direction. He still felt shattered about almost loosing a part of him and Cress. They were a trio. One of them dies, everything falls apart.

Suddenly, the father shot up and slapped Chili on the face. Cress and their visitors gasped as Chili rubbed his cheek and glared at his father. The father gave him a wildly angry gaze back as he breathed loud and heavy at Chili.

"Dammit Chili!" The father roared at him with rage. "I swear I told you to look after Cilan! What the hell are you trying to tell me?!" He clenched his fists as he breathed harder. He seemed as if he was about to pick up Chili and throw him across the room.

"I'm trying to tell you that I wasn't the one driving that damn car that hit Cilan, Dad!" Chili roared louder back at his father. He swung a fist at his old man, but missed. His father grabbed ahold of Chili's wrists and held him up straight in front of him. Chili was growling, full of rage.

"You could have been more attentive and pulled Cilan out of the street before the car hit him!" The father roared his reply. He grabbed Chili's face and squeezed it, making his chubby cheeks squish together. "You swore to protect Cress and Cilan from danger when I left! Does Cilan not count for you?!" His face was now red with rage.

Tears began to run down Chili's cheeks as his fire red eyes glared at his father. "I-I...I'm sorry...!" Chili managed to growl from his cheeks being squished. The father fiercely let his face go, giving him a chance to talk better to him. "I'm sorry that... That I can't protect two people at once...! I'm sorry that you don't know your purpose to do for our lives..."

The father calmed to a sorrowful face, but his green eyes still full of rage. He was completely confused as to why his son had turned his emotions around so suddenly.

"If you hadn't left, all of this wouldn't have happened..." Chili hissed at his father in a whisper before dashing into the kitchen. Tears ran down his cheeks as he ran away from the situation.

Ash, Iris, and Cress sat there silently, waiting for the father to do something. The father gave a heaved sigh before sitting back down. He returned to having his head in his hands, but this time he was crying.

Does Dad really expect me to accept responsibility for watching over Cilan and Cress?! Cilan's the oldest brother, not me! Just because I was born last doesn't make me the responsible one! Dad's the one that left us! And it's my fault Cilan got hit by a stupid truck?! Chili thought, scarfing another donut out of the box. What does Dad know about the accident?! He wasn't even there in the first place! Some dad he is.

Elsewhere, in a guest room, Chili's father, the former Striaton City Gym Leader, Marc, slept with some difficulty. The orange haired man ((My idea of his hair is that it looks like Cilan's hairstyle, but a bit longer.)) had tossed and turned in bed. All he had done was let green eyes stay shut. His mind couldn't stop processing events in his mind instead of getting some rest.

What kind of father am I? I let my rage get to the best of me... I never meant to hurt Chili like that and leave him, Cilan and... Cress.

In the past, it hurt for Marc to look at Cress. Cress was a spitting image of his late wife and their mother, Verona. It made him upset every time he looked at Cress when the boys were much younger. The boy inherited everything from his wife: Her personality and appearance.

Thinking about his late wife made Marc get less sleep. His eyes tried to closed, but they wouldn't stay shut. He grumpily pushed the sheets off of him. "I can't do this anymore. I'm tired of getting upset over my wife. All it's doing is making me not myself. I am done getting upset at Cress. The poor boy hasn't don't anything. I need to talk to her," Marc cried softly.

He then slid out of the bed and quietly made his way to a nearby desk. The top drawer was opened and had a paper wad and pen. The man tore one sheet off of the pad along with the pen. The chair slid across the floor before Marc sat himself onto the chair. Pen now on the paper, he began to write.

Dear Verona,

It has been a very long time since I last spoke to you. I can't describe to say how I feel. If you really are watching, please forgive me... You probably think I'm the worst father. I got so angry at Chili today and didn't care if I had hit him. Cilan had gotten involved in a horrible accident. Chili told me details about it earlier and I lost my temper... Why did I do that to our own son?

I was the one who got you pregnant, brought you donuts during your cravings, and I raised the boys.

You weren't there when the boys were growing up, but I was.

The baby monitor on a nearby lamp table broke the silence in Marc's room. A baby's screams could be heard through the static. It sounded like the baby was screaming. Luckily, Marc could tell apart which triplet was crying by the sound and not all three at once. Cilan cried softly while Cress cried like he was sobbing. Chili always screamed like most little children do: Loud.

"Chili..." he moaned, getting out of bed. Every night, Chili was the only triplet to wake up screaming for Marc. Cilan and Cress weren't that cranky at night, so the father was glad both of them weren't so loud.

Marc went into the kitchen to get Chili's bottle. He and his late wife knew they would have issues telling which one belonged to who, so they used different colored tops. After taking a red bottle out if the fridge, Marc trotted up the stairs and into the nursery.

The boys' nursery was decorated with a few pictures of Pokemon hung on green walls. Toys were lined up neatly on a shelf next to a large crib designed to hold triplets. In the crib, Chili was bawling loudly while Cilan and Cress ignored their brother's cries. The red-headed baby clutched his red blanket (it had random Fire Pokemon on it) and a stuffed Charmander. His face was scrunched up as he continued to cry.

Marc pulled up a chair next to the crib. He set the bottle down on a table before lifting a cranky Chili out of the crib and into his arms. "Shh... Daddy's here. Don't cry Chili," he shushed calmly. He reached for the bottle and Chili's red eyes lit up at it. The boy stopped crying a bit and started to sniffle. The father placed the bottle into Chili's mouth and watched the child suck the formula. He finished quickly, letting out a tiny burp. Chili yawned in his dad's arms, slowly closed his eyes to drift off into the Dream World*.

"Good night Chili," Marc said softly. He placed Chili back into the crib and took one last look at his triplets. "Thank you, Verona."

-((*Pokemon Global Link))

I raised the boys, but I wasn't alone. Do you remember Lenora? She was a Gym Leader intern and her boyfriend-now-husband, Hawes, was traveling with her. Both of them helped me raise the boys and often babysat. They were a real lifesaver. It was a but difficult running a gym and raising our sons, but I couldn't have done it without the two.

There was something that Cilan said a long time ago that broke my heart.

When the boys were about two, they began to grow attached to certain people. Cilan would often cry for Lenora, Cress had a fit when Hawes wasn't around, and Chili liked me the most. Lenora and Hawes treated the boys as if they were their own children. One evening, when I came home from finishing an event at the restaurant, I almost walked into the boys' room to see Lenora cradling Cilan in a rocking chair. He was sound asleep, but I could hear him mutter something.

Marc crept around the corner near his triplets' room. His eyes spotted Lenora in a rocking chair cradling Cilan to sleep. Hawes stood behind Lenora as he watched his girlfriend handle Cilan.

Cilan held onto a green blanket that had many Grass type Pokenmon (most of them Sunfloras and Snivys) in his hand tightly.

"Goodnight Cilan. Lenora loves you," whispered Lenora, stroking the boy's green hair.

"Don't let the Scolipede bite," Hawes joined in, handing Cilan a stuffed Pansage.

The toddler snored lightly, rubbing his head against Lenora's chest. He muttered something quietly, but the adults realized what he had said. Hearing that made Lenora and Hawes get emotional. Hawes felt really bad for his girlfriend because she thought of Cilan's birth mother as a mentor.

On the corner, Marc too felt tears fall from his eyes. It broke his heart to hear those three words. "Verona..."

Cilan said "I love you, Mommy."

I love you so much, I never thought about getting remarried or cheated on you. I just couldn't bring myself to fall in love with another woman. You're the only woman in my life I truly loved.

We used to run the gym/restaurant in Striaton so well. People loved to visit a restaurant that allowed Pokemon battles. We had a deal with customers (non-Gym challengers, just regular customers) that if they won, their meal would be free. If they lost, they would have to pay. I loved battling with Talonflame with you and your Mr. Mime. Challengers didn't expect us to use foreign Pokemon!

"Finish it with Psycho Cutter, Mr. Mime!" commanded Verona.

"Miiime!" Mr. Mime's eyes turned to a light blue color as its hands gave off a kinetic energy. The challenger's Levanny and Conkeldur suddenly hovered above the ground. Before the Pokemon could react, Mr. Mime shot psychic waves out of its hands rapidly. Both Pokemon took critical damage badly. They landed on the floor but neither Pokemon could get up.

Aside Verona, Marc grinned. "Alright Talonflame, Aerial Ace!"

A grey bird with red-orange fire pattern squeaked proudly. "TALOONNN!" Talonflame increased its speed faster than a Quick Attack and aimed directly at the two Pokemon on the battlefield. The challenger's Pokemon couldn't move, so Talonflame hit both of them swiftly and with accuracy.

The opposing Pokemon then dropped onto the ground in defeat. Outside the battlefield, the referee raised a blue flag. "Conkeldur and Levanny are unable to battle! The victory goes to Marc and Verona!" he announced.

The two of us were quite the pair. You were the best chef in the restaurant. Everyone loved your cooking and my gym battles. What I like about you is your smile, your beautiful blue eyes, and the way your voice is so soft and comforting... I wish Cilan, Chili, and Cress could see you. I miss you too. Maybe when it's time for me to go, I'll see you again.

-Marc

I had fun writing this story. Imaging a character's past is like coming up with a plot: It has a beginning, middle, and end. CilanceYourButt's story really inspired me a lot to write this and I like it so far. :)

Trivia:

-Cilan's parents, Marc and Verona, are named after wine.

Now then, please review!