Nothing But Lies
SUMMARY: Ash has always been an accident-prone kid. However, rumors across Pallet Town claim his injuries aren't very 'innocent' regarding his arguing parents, pitting the Ketchums in a painful struggle to prove their innocence.
GENRE: Drama/Family
RATED: PG-13 / T
NOTABLE CONTENT: Language and Inexplicit Themes Regarding Abuse
SHIP: Parentshipping (Mr. & Mrs. Ketchum)
COPYRIGHT NOTE: I don't own Pokemon / Pocket Monsters
STORY TAKES PLACE IN: Kanto Seasons - Pre-Advanced Generation and Diamond & Pearl (aka Misty is still in the group during this story ^_^)
COMMENTS: Welcome. I usually consider Ash's accident-prone-ness to be quite comical (and cute). However, his numerous accidents often made the other side of my brain wondering, "how many times can one kid hurt himself before people start getting suspicious?" Rest assured, this story isn't explicit, though it minutely discusses some mature issues (aka there aren't any actual scenes of abuse). There's lots of Ketchum family drama ahead, so I hope you enjoy this story.
NOTHING BUT LIES
Aiselne Phoenix
Prologue / Chapter 1: "Another Hospital Visit"
Delia Ketchum was familiar with hospitals. She gave birth in one, and she often visited them afterwards thanks to her accident-prone son. The mother lost count of how many times she had visited a hospital, and each and every time, Delia was always nervous, but thankfully, each visit ended happily. She was certain this visit would end just as typically as it started.
That did not mean her concerns vanished, of course. Dear God...leave it to you to fall out of a tree, Ash, Delia sighed, shaking her head as she sat in the waiting room of the Pallet Town General Hospital on that humid summer night. It had been a few hours since they brought Ash in, but the doctors reassured her that he was 'fine.' Delia was less optimistic, since for however 'fine' Ash's condition was dubbed, he still managed to break his arm, but no further damage than that. That's bad enough, Delia thought, exhaling again. And why do I have a feeling he broke the SAME arm he broke when he was six years old? Either that, or he's got a matching set, now.
It certainly was not the first time she set foot in a hospital, and it definitely was not the first time she set foot in a hospital on her son's account. Nearly every year or so there was some fiasco that drove Ash to the hospital: falling down stairs, falling out of trees (this was not his first time falling out of a tree, either), falling off swing sets...he was very good at falling. There were a few instances where falling was not a prime factor in Ash's injuries, such as when he accidently burnt his hand after getting excited over a hot pan of fresh cookies (campfires were notorious for burns, too). Then came the freaky time he opened Delia's car door too quickly and the door swung open, its tip bashing him right in the eye. Delia still could not understand how the hell he pulled that stunt off, but alas, Ash did. Argh... Ash always had a nasty tendency to be in the wrong place at the wrong time: an ideal target for some freak accident. Delia lost count of how many broken bones, black eyes, burns, and sprains her boy somehow attracted over the years. The hospital just did a renovation...I think they did it via OUR money.
It really was not funny, though. Every time Ash went into the hospital, Delia was a nervous wreak and always feared the worst. After all, who was to say Ash might not get himself a serious injury someday? Delia hated to think like that, but she had to face facts, too; Ash was an accident-prone kid, and the odds of him getting seriously hurt were not unlikely. Delia always hoped he would have somehow gotten over his accident-prone phase as he got older, but thanks to the current situation, it was obvious that never happened.
"Delia?"
Blinking, Delia looked up at the sound of her name, recognizing the voice instantly and looking over at the man standing before her. She was somewhat surprised he showed up after all, but decided to block all past thoughts and put on a reassuring smile for the time being. They had more important things to worry about at the moment. "He's fine, Tylor. Broke' his arm, though."
That was exactly what Tylor feared. Sighing, he ran a hand through his black hair, shaking his head at the thought. Not again. "The same one as last time?"
Delia shrugged gently. "I don't know. The doctor's didn't say, or I missed them say it," she answered, sliding over on her bench to invite Tylor to sit down beside her, the man accepting it. Tiredly slouching forward to rest his arms on his lap, Tylor gazed at his watch. Nine PM.
"But other than that, he's gonna' be okay, right?" Tylor asked, wanting to be absolutely positive that Ash was okay. "I mean, he didn't hit his head or hurt anything else, did he?"
Delia simply shook her head. "Miraculously, no," she said with half-hearted humor with her continuous reassuring smile. Tylor sighed in full relief at her confirmation. "But I think breaking his arm is bad enough, don't you?"
"Of course," Tylor fully agreed. "But...how'd he even break it in the first place?"
Her smile then faded when Delia bit her lip, looking away for a moment. "How else, Ty? He was fooling around up in a tree again, just like last time."
You'd think he'd learn his lesson, Tylor thought, though not negatively. "What was he doing up there, anyway?"
"I don't know," Delia shrugged unemotionally. "He said he was going to go play or train with his Pokemon, but then somehow, he winded up climbing that old oak tree in the backyard," she said, turning back around to narrow her brown eyes at Tylor. "...The tree you said you'd get cut down."
Tylor cringed at that, knowing well enough where this conversation was headed. "I was gonna' get it cut down. The tree removers have an appointment for next Tuesday. Believe me, Del, if I had known Ash would have climbed it today, I would've had the tree chopped down by now. But how was I to know? Even you said you didn't know he'd climb it."
"The whole reason we made the appointment was to cut that rotted thing down before someone got hurt on it, or before it crashed through the house!" Delia countered, sighing and shaking her head in disgust over the matter. "We were supposed to prevent this, Tylor."
Irked by her tone, Tylor frowned offensively as Delia once again looked away from him. "Hey, don't blame me for this, Delia," he replied, a bit sharply.
"I've been hounding you to cut that damned tree down for over a year, Tylor!" Delia snapped, turning back to him and glaring into his brown eyes. "But every time I asked you to call the tree removers, you put it off, and now our son's broken his arm thanks to that! You're lucky he hadn't broken his neck!"
"Hey, I never 'put it off,' Del!" Tylor shot back, getting a tad fed up with his wife putting the blame on him for this. "I know you've wanted it to be cut, but removing a tree that big isn't a cheap expense, and when you first told me about it, we did not have the funds to remove it, we just didn't! Your job at the restaurant doesn't provide that much money, Delia, and neither does my office. Cutting down a huge tree isn't as simple as taking a hack-saw and chopping it down."
"Oh don't preach to me about money, Tylor!" Delia groaned, rolling her eyes. "Everything always comes down to money, money, money! Well, I hope you'll be happy to know we'll be spending even more money cutting down the tree AND paying for our son's hospital bill! And God help us if that rotted tree crashes down through the house between now and Tuesday!"
"And where the hell were you when this all happened?!" barked Tylor, both of their brown eyes glaring deeply into each other's. He had had it up to here with her constantly blaming him for every little mishap. So what if he was concerned about their finances? Delia certainly did not seem to be! Tylor took charge of the money matters, and while he was not trying to sound cheap, he was practical. Delia had a tendency to push aside financial problems, while Tylor was the one who worried about them. Him and his family were not rich, nor were they anywhere near poor or bankrupt, but Tylor wanted to prevent the latter. And what he said was entirely true; when Delia first approached him on the tree matter, they really did not have the finances to cut it down, at least without making some major cutbacks elsewhere. Tylor refused to have his family choose between groceries and electricity just so they could cut down a stupid tree. He had to set aside money, which he was originally planning to replace his clunky car with, in order to have ample funds for the tree removers. Cutting down such a massive tree was not a cheap expense whatsoever, but his wife did not seem to understand such.
"What do you mean, 'where was I'?!" Delia barked back, regaining her husband's attention.
"Where were you when he fell?!" Tylor repeated with just as much force. "You knew all about the tree; you should've told him to stay off of it!"
"Excuse me, but I just told you I didn't even know he was going to climb it! If I had known he would have, I would've locked him in the house!"
"Well don't you think if I knew this would happen, I would've tried to prevent it, too?"
"That would probably depend on how much money it would cost you!"
"Fine Delia! You want to blame this whole matter on me, go right ahead, just as you always do! I'm the one at fault, I'm the bad husband, I'm the bad father...it's always my fault! But don't you dare come crying to me when all our money's gone!"
"Don't you DARE speak to me about money at a time like this, Tylor Ketchum!" Delia blasted, her face red with fury, yet with a few tears glossing over her eyes. "Our son is in the emergency room right now because you're too Goddamn cheap to spend a few bucks!"
"A few bucks?! Maybe if you bothered to notice price tags, you'd realize how much things really cost! I'm not about to let my family declare bankruptcy, Delia!"
"You always make it sound like we're in the poor house! We make ample money!"
"Not when you keep spending it all!"
Delia opened her mouth, wanting to counter that, but the words never left her mouth. She and Tylor had been arguing about money matters since God-knew-when, and she was sick of it. She knew what her husband said was true; that she had a tendency to spend more than she should, but at the same time, Delia hated how all Tylor ever worried about was money. "I'm starting to think you care more about money than your own family," she said, much softer and unemotionally.
"Oh Christ, Delia," Tylor groaned, running his hands through his hair, nearly pulling his black locks out due to her damned excuse. "You know that is not true."
"Sometimes I wonder if it is true or not," Delia pondered, more tears welling in her eyes as she looked away from her husband. "You're never home. You used to always be coming to and from the office, but now you hardly bother. I know we need money, and I know you're working hard, but would it kill you to spend some time with your family, Tylor?" she challenged, turning back around to glare her glassy eyes at him.
"I'm sick and tired of hearing about money matters." Delia admitted, not even giving her husband a chance to counter. "And above all..." she paused, swallowing a few tears as her heartstrings started to get pulled at the expense of a different thought. "...I'm sick of hearing 'when is Dad coming back?' or 'is he going to visit us soon?'!" she choked, Tylor's expression instantly softening from angry to regretful, knowing well enough where this topic was going. "You..." stopped Delia, just long enough to keep herself composed. "...You weren't even there on the first day of his Pokemon journey, Tylor! And you knew that meant the world to Ash!"
Tylor hated being reminded of that; it was something that haunted him constantly. Of course, his job was out of town, in the western outskirts of Viridian City by Indigo Plateau. Between work, meetings, and commute, it was especially hard for Tylor to run back to Pallet Town on a whim. Alas, that was no excuse for Tylor not to be present the first day of his son's journey. Unfortunately, during that time, Tylor had just transferred to a higher division at his office, becoming assistant manager, and taking time off so soon was not going to be in his favor. He still knew that was a lousy excuse, but at the time, Delia's job at the restaurant was only part-time. Tylor's promotion was a one-time shot for him to get a steady and successful job. Of course, Tylor called his family the night of, informing them of the news. Delia blasted him over the phone, swearing if he preferred getting a raise to seeing his son off, she never wanted to have associations with such a man.
That was when Tylor and Delia finally agreed to spend some serious time apart. Tylor rented an apartment near his office, while Delia remained in Pallet Town. Of course, their separation did not excuse Tylor from the obligation of explaining himself to his son, something Tylor did not want Delia to do for him. Ash was clearly upset, but understood, nonetheless. He knew his father wanted and needed this job. At the very least, Ash was not quite so oblivious to money matters as his mother was, though Tylor doubted the boy fully understood their importance.
Ash claimed to understand his father's absence, and even reassured Tylor that the boy was content with not seeing his father before leaving. Sadly, Tylor still hated himself for missing such a milestone. Tylor got his promotion, and he had been excelling in his new job ever since, but knowing that he missed out on one of the most important moments of his son's life was simply unforgivable. Tylor understood his mistake.
"So what're you going to do?" Delia's voice suddenly snorted, regaining Tylor's attention via her sarcastic tone whilst she wiped a few of her tears. "Tell him you have another meeting or interview when he gets married, Tylor?"
"Of course not," Tylor swore, though his voice was a tad less forceful than he hoped. Delia's words definitely struck a painful cord with him. Tylor had already tortured himself countless times for his behavior. He did not want or need his wife to rub additional salt in his wounds, never mind and take out her frustrations on him.
"I'm amazed you showed up tonight!" scoffed Delia. "I guess you'll only show up when our son's on his death-bed now."
"Jeez, Del. I had the night off." Actually, that was a lie, but Tylor did not feel like discussing his job with Delia, since it was a sore subject with his wife.
Either way, his words still set Delia off. "Oh, so you wouldn't have shown up if you were working, is that it?! Our son could've killed himself and you'd rather stay at the office and do paperwork?!"
Tylor nearly screamed at her when suddenly, a male doctor approached them, instantly snapping them out of their argument. Both standing up, Delia and Tylor put on more composed and content looks for the sake of the doctor. After all, there was no point in dragging anymore people into their bickering, and the arrival of the doctor reminded them why they were there in the first place...and that they did have more important things to worry about.
"Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum?" the doctor addressed them, both parents nodding at their names. Lifting up a clipboard, the man flipped through the papers, skimming through them before continuing. "Your son's fine. He's going to be wearing a cast on his left arm for a while, but we didn't find any other injuries."
Delia and Tylor exchanged knowing looks, albeit only for a moment. The broken arm was the same arm Ash broke when he was six.
"He broke that arm a few years ago, doctor," Delia noted skittishly. "Is that...going to be a problem?"
"Not from what the X-rays showed us," the doctor answered, noticing the couple equally sigh in absolute relief. "But I will keep that in mind during a his next follow up, just to make sure the arm heals properly. I wouldn't mind getting any medical files recording when he originally broke it, too, just to make sure it originally healed properly in the first place."
"I'm sure the hospital has it under his file," Delia added. God knows: Ash has a file in this place, or probably FILING CABINET! "The doctors said it did heal properly the last time."
"I wouldn't be surprised," smiled the doctor. "We didn't find anything overly serious, I mean, other than the obvious. I'm not too concerned, really. He should be fine, but again, I'd like a few follow-ups and past records. But other than that, you can take him home now if you like."
That was music to Delia and Tylor's ears. For the first time that night, despite all their past and present arguing, the two Ketchums smiled brightly back at each other, simply relieved and happy that their son was truly okay.
- - - - - - - - - -
"Honey?" Delia's soft voice cooed, slowly entering the hospital room the doctors directed her and her husband to. Both she and Tylor could not help but feel relieved smiles pull their lips as they found their son, lying on a hospital bed, and his left arm in the expected cast. Again. It brought back bittersweet memories of the last time he broke it. Of course, Delia and Tylor were not the only ones hit with the nostalgic irony.
"Hey Mom," Ash greeted softly, albeit tad sheepishly as he, too, noticed how ironic his recent accident played out. Blinking, his eyes averted from his mother for only a second as he noticed the man next to her: his father. Ash could not help but feel a bit dumbfounded by his father's sudden arrival. "...Dad?"
Tylor was not quite as surprised as his son was, but Ash's amusing shock still provided a wider smile on Tylor's face. "Yeah, kiddo. It's me."
It had been only about a month since Tylor had last seen Delia. However, due to Ash's journey, it had been even longer since Ash last saw his dad…several months to be frank. The last time he saw Tylor was the past Christmas, which was hands down one of the happiest Christmases Ash ever spent in Pallet Town. Since then, Ash had been on his journey, and his dad had returned to work. Tylor still occasionally visited Pallet Town while the boy was gone, due to Delia constantly hounding Tylor to do something around his house. However, Ash never expected his short break from traveling and Pokemon training would have resulted in him seeing his father again. Of course, Ash never expected he would have wound up in the hospital during his vacation, too, breaking his left arm again, nonetheless. But now that his father was home again, Ash suddenly felt ten times better. "I...don't believe it," he gaped, before a flabbergasted smile stretched across his face. "What're you doing here?"
Chuckling, Tylor sat down on the bed, beside his son, while Ash promptly sat up, being mindful of his arm now frozen in yet another cast. Ruffling his son's hair, Tylor smirked. "I'm making sure you're okay, of course. Just when I thought you were too old to go flying out of a tree, you prove me wrong."
Ash blushed, giggling sheepishly and lowering his head slightly. "Sorry' bout' that."
"About what?" Delia chimed, joining in on the somewhat light-hearted conversation as she sat down next to Tylor, shaking her head at her son. "Sorry' over falling out of the tree…or sending your poor mother into cardiac arrest?" Ash was good at both, but even better at the latter.
Ash just continued to grin bashfully. This was definitely not the first time Delia playfully laid a guilt trip on him like this; it came standard whenever he went to the hospital. "I'm sorry Mom," he repeated, putting on a rather pitiful look to try and win some sympathy from Delia.
Of course, Delia saw that look so many times she was rather immune to it by now. "Yeah, I get that every time," she teased, before gently drawing her son into a partial hug, being mindful of his cast. Kissing his forehead, Delia then shook her head again, rolling her eyes at yet another hospital-related mishap Ash somehow got himself entangled in. "But somebody still seems to find it necessary to make his annual emergency room visit. I think we're becoming regulars here."
"I don't...do it on purpose, you' know," Ash honestly admitted, though still grinning mischievously. "The branch just...snapped."
"So did I when Misty and Brock told me you fell out of the tree, Mister," Delia countered, causing her son to giggle slightly at his helpless excuses. Delia was not mad at him, really. It was just another freak accident Ash got into, something neither of them really had any control over. Well...maybe it COULD have been prevented...but Delia did not want to spoil the moment. "Just promise me you'll try and be more careful in the future, sweetie," she asked, lovingly kissing his forehead again. "I'd like us to make one year without any ER visits, okay?"
Ash giggled, nodding in response, though both knew he could not make any promises. These hospital visits were not picnics for him, either, since he was the one who got the worst end of them. This recent episode, especially, was a killer. The doctors said he was going to be fine, but it did not get rid of how much his arm had hurt when he initially hit the ground. It did not hurt immediately, but the pain came rushing through a few seconds later; falling from eight feet up will do that. And Ash instantly remembered how he landed on the exact same arm he broke when he was six, and that was not very settling. The way his arm hurt so much, Ash feared the worst: dislocation, or more permanent damage...loss of his left arm. His imagination got the best of him, but he was genuinely frightened. Delia claimed to be scared, but Ash was just as, if not even more, scared over the matter. Falling from a tree and breaking an arm he already broke once was not exactly something Ash relished doing on his vacation.
"Sorry' I worried you," the boy sincerely apologized, directing his apology especially to his dad. He knew Tylor was very busy, and Ash had no problem with that, since he knew his dad had valid reasons for working so much. Considering all Tylor did for his family, Ash did not like to burden the man anymore with his son's foolish and reckless actions. Jeez...Misty and Brock were right. I SHOULDN'T have climbed that damn tree...but...It brought back so many fond memories. Ash used to climb, and fall, from that tree tons of times when he was a kid. Climbing it once again, and even more so falling from it, did bring back great, albeit realistic memories.
"Oh, we know, sweetie," Delia smiled, brushing Ash's disheveled black hair with a hand. She was just relieved to see he was indeed okay. Delia got especially worried when Ash claimed he could not move his arm, and the pain just seemed to multiply on the ride to the hospital. She feared it was the same arm he originally broke, and she did not want to think of the possibilities if he somehow made his arm even worse.
"What matters is, you're okay," Tylor added, rubbing his son's shoulder affectionately. He, too, had gotten quite a scare when Delia called him, screaming in near hysteria about what happened to Ash. Tylor prayed the entire ride down to Pallet that Ash would be okay, and he was just grateful his prayers were answered. His son had a broken arm, but at least the doctors did not seem to think it would be anything more serious than that, not that a broken arm was anything to celebrate over. "As long as our little martyr keeps on tickin'," he said, gently squeezing Ash's shoulder as the boy giggled. Above all, hospital or not, Tylor was just overjoyed to see his son again. The circumstances could have been much better, but Tylor would be lying if he said he regretted this night. Ash was okay, and he was together with his family again.
For now, itwas the only thing that mattered to Tylor.
- - - - - - - - - -
"Now what are you gonna' do every time Brock and I tell you not to do something, Ash?" Misty chimed sarcastically, almost sounding like Delia as she, Ash, and Brock got themselves ready for bed. It was late by the time everyone returned to the Ketchum residence, and the tired kids were quick to change into their pajamas and prep their sleeping bags for some much-needed rest.
"Uh...I'll tell you I'll be okay?" Ash teased, knowing well enough he was testing Misty's patience, but also knowing she really could not harm him too badly. After all...my poor arm... There was one consolation about getting an injury...it minimized Misty's thrashing. 'Minimized,' though...not 'eliminated.'
"That's what you said before you went sailing out of the tree, Ash," Brock noted with a grin, groaning as he shook his head. What a day it had been: starting off with simple training, ending with Ash winding up in the hospital and getting a cast on his left arm. Some vacation THIS is turning out to be.
"I didn't go 'sailing' out of the tree," Ash protested in a huff. "You make it sound like I did a swan dive off of it. The damn branch snapped off!"
"Brock and I told you it was rotted and you should stay away from it," Misty countered sharply, annoyance and exhaustion ever evident in her tone. To say it had been a long day was an understatement. "But no! You insisted on risking your neck just to go down memory lane!"
"I'm sure falling brought back plenty of memories, too," chimed Brock.
"You're lucky your arm was all you broke," Misty added, shivering at the thought of how much worse Ash's accident could have been.
"Okay, okay; I get it, Mom," Ash groaned sarcastically, rolling his eyes at Misty's lecturing. He already got an earful from Delia, so he did not need a re-run thanks to Misty, especially at eleven o'clock at night. "Look, I'm okay. Let's just leave it at that."
Of course, Misty was not convinced. "You have a freakin' cast on your left arm! I don't consider that 'okay,' Ash!"
"This is probably 'small fry' compared to some of his other injuries," Brock figured sarcastically as he slinked into bed, attempting to get some sleep. Now if only two boisterous kids can shut up...I can get back to that Jenny dream from last night.
"I don't even want to go there," Misty groaned. We could be here all night discussing Ash's past injuries. All night...hell, we could be here for a whole week! Rubbing her aching temples and shaking her head, Misty sat down on her bubble-designed sleeping bag. To the troublesome boy's credit, Ash actually offered her his bunk bed for the night, but Misty declined, figuring he deserved sleeping in his own bed after the day he endured. Plus, Misty doubted a sleeping bag would work wonders on Ash's broken arm. Pushing the covers aside before getting into them, Misty drew the bag's flap up to her lap as she sat up. Sleep was calling her, but after spending the vast majority of the afternoon and evening at the hospital, Misty somehow found it hard to settle her nerves. She was still in shock that Ash even fell out of the tree in the first place, though why she was surprised Misty could not figure out. This IS Ash we're talking about.
Meanwhile, Ash had gotten into his bed, constantly reminding himself to be careful of his arm. Sleeping with a cast was not always easy, especially since he was not a sound sleeper. Ash always tossed and turned during the night, often resulting in him unconsciously tearing his bed sheets right off or chucking his pillow (which once hit Misty at four in the morning and she gave him holy hell for it). And now with his cast, Ash had to make sure he would not toss and turn in such a way to make his injury worse. The cast protected his arm, but even that only did so much. Speaking from experience, Ash knew there was nothing worse than waking up out of a sound sleep, screaming after accidently whacking his wounded arm against his wall or bed frame.
"I'm starting to wonder if I should wait a few days before heading back to Cerulean, seeing as someone seems to be batting a thousand in the injury department."
Ash blinked, still sitting up and turning towards Misty's sleeping bag, where she still sat up, glaring irritably up at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" Ash dared to ask.
Misty just rolled her eyes. "Ash, I don't want to get a call saying you broke something else or wound up back in the hospital for some ungodly reason. I actually plan on relaxing at home."
"He hit his quota for the week," chuckled Brock, his voice somewhat muffled from under his sleeping bag. "He should be all set for this vacation at least."
"I sometimes wonder," Misty groaned, rubbing her tired blue-green eyes. "Look, are you sure you're gonna' be okay without us, Ash?"
"I'm sure his parents will lock him in the house, especially after today," Brock predicted.
Ash figured that, too, but he was starting to get a little annoyed by his friend's comments. "I'll be fine. Don't worry, I'm not going to climb that tree again, anyway."
"Trees, stairs, hills, bumps...Ash, you seem to always find some way of injuring yourself," Misty truthfully noted, making Ash wonder how the hell she seemed to keep track of his mishaps. "I want to go home to relax, but I'm going to fit to be tide if I get a call saying you almost killed yourself again."
"I'll be careful, okay?" Ash said, almost pleadingly. "I can't do too much with this cast on my arm, anyway."
That was true, and Misty did find some consolation in his arm being in that thing. But still, "Well, please do be careful, okay?" she implored, this time much more softly and a little pleadingly. Misty had been scared out of her wits when she saw Ash fall from that tree. The clumsy boy had fallen countless times for one reason or another, but Misty could have sworn she even heard the crack his arm made when he hit the ground. "You...really scared me, Ash," she admitted softly, turning to Brock, knowing he was still awake under his covers. "...Brock, too. We don't particularly like seeing our best friend sail out of a tree."
Again with the 'sailing' out of the tree, Ash thought, before scratching the back of his neck with his good hand."Well, I don't particularly enjoy falling and breaking an arm I already broke once before," he replied, not sharply or angrily, but honestly. He knew he was very accident-prone, and in all honesty, he hated being so. The last time Ash fell out of a tree at age six, he slipped on some sap. But this time around, he put in the extra effort of trying to be more careful. Ash just never expected the rotted branch to give way. Perhaps he should have known better, but nevertheless, what was done was done, and he was in the same boat as he was when he was six.
But perhaps, back then, his injury was worse. When he first fell, Ash was playing with Gary, and they had been playing deep in the woods near Professor Oak's lab. When Gary left to get help, it took a lot longer for help to return, and the waiting time was agonizing. Ash was much younger, and it was his first time ever breaking something, too, and that only made the ordeal more frightening. This time, at the very least, he fell in his own backyard, so the wait was less agonizing. Plus, even when Misty and Brock left to get help, Pikachu stayed with him for companionship, so Ash did not have to add loneliness to his list of injury-induced anxieties. Now, the mouse already dozed off beside him, making Ash smile pat his loyal Pokemon's head. His fall at age six was definitely worse when Ash was left all alone in the forest. This time around, at least Pikachu was there.
"Guys...I'm sorry about all this," muttered Ash, looking back over at his human friends apologetically. "I know this is going to be hard to believe, but I really don't try to injure myself." It just...happens.
Misty and Brock, both now sitting up from the long pause from their friend, just smiled understandingly. Despite their teasing, deep down, Misty and Brock knew what Ash said was true. It was clear as day when Ash fell out of the tree, he was not having a 'good time.' The poor kid had been crying and screaming in agonizing pain, so unless Ash was some sort of masochist (which Misty and Brock highly doubted), there was no reason for them to believe he honestly wanted to get hurt. But with Ash...injuries just seem to...happen.
"Oh, we know, Ash," Misty giggled softly, shaking her head gently.
"We just don't want to see this happen again," Brock added honestly, getting a nod from Misty. Both knew the odds of this never happening again were a million-to-one-shot, but either way, they still did not want it to happen. Apparently, Ash felt the same way.
"Same' here," Ash replied with a half-smile. "But, I don't want you guys worrying about me, either. I know you want to spend some time at your homes, and I don't want you to worry about me while you're there."
As kind and reassuring as his words were, Misty and Brock knew that, like it or not, they were going to worry about Ash, thanks to his latest accident. But they still had every intention of leaving tomorrow morning, too. They had not seen their families since Christmas, and they were starting to feel a little homesick, just like Ash did. In fact, it was his idea in the first place for them to split up for a few weeks to go back to their homes. It was not like they would never see each other again, but some time with their families was always important. Ash did not want to keep hoarding Misty and Brock all for himself in Pallet Town. After all, Brock and Misty often spent more time with his family than with their own, and Ash did not think that was very fair to the Harrisons and Williams.
"I...don't think I thanked you guys for helping me today, did I?" Ash added a little in embarrassment.
"No, only about a zillion times is all," Misty teased, laughing as did Brock. "What did you think we'd do; leave you there for the Spearows to find? Come' on, Ash, you know we'd help you at any given moment. We were just as worried about you."
Ash grinned sheepishly, but ever so grateful to have such incredible friends. He did not even want to imagine how that afternoon might have transpired if Misty and Brock were not around. As much as Ash wanted them to spend time with their own families, he also wondered how he was going to handle a few weeks apart from Misty and Brock. "...I'm gonna' miss you guys."
It was pretty obvious they felt the exact same, though neither Misty nor Brock wanted to ruin the light-heartedness of the moment. Considering the hellish day they had, they needed some comic relief. "Oh, here we go," Brock groaned kiddingly, jabbing Misty's arm teasingly. "He's gonna' start guilting us, isn't he?"
"Need I remind you this was all your brilliant idea, Ash?" Misty recalled.
"I know," Ash shrugged, still smirking sheepishly. "But...I am gonna' miss you."
Brock instantly ducked for cover under his sheets, playing along with the light-hearted moment. Nothing good ever followed when Ash started talking like this, and Brock did not want to cancel his return home just because his friend knew how to guilt him. "The lower-lip thing doesn't work with me, Ash," Brock swore, causing Misty to bop him with her pillow, chiming, "Yeah right, Brock! Suuure it doesn't!" while Brock poorly covered a few chuckles under the covers.
"But I think Brock's got the right idea about one thing..." Misty then noted, taking back her pillow and leaning up against it, stifling a yawn. "...Let's get some sleep. I'd like to head out early before it gets too hot," she said, remembering they arrived to Pallet Town two days ago in the sweltering summer heat, nearly collapsing on Delia's front doorstep. It was a rather long walk to Pewter City, and even longer to Cerulean City, so Misty wanted to beat the heat and make sure she was refreshed and ready for the haul.
The idea of sleep sounded good to Ash, too. It had been a very long day, and his body was craving some much-needed rest. The painkillers the doctors gave him were not helping him stay awake very well, either. Shutting off the lights and finally laying back down, the three kids then bided each other goodnight, finally able to give into some well-deserved sleep.
"Ash?"
Ash so nearly fell asleep before he heard Misty's soft whisper, opening his eyes and adjusting them to the dark surroundings. "What, Misty?" he asked softly and tiredly.
"...That man," Misty paused, a tad hesitantly before continuing. "...He's your dad, isn't he?"
Nodding, Ash felt a small but proud smile pull his lips. "Yup." He forgot how he never introduced Misty and Brock to his father, and vice versa. Between the ordeal with Ash's arm and Tylor's sudden arrival, Ash really never got around to formal introductions. "I can't...believe he came, too. I mean, I haven't seen him since Christmas."
Misty could not help but smile. She had a hunch that man she saw with Delia was Ash's dad, since the resemblance was obvious, especially with the black hair. Ash looked like a smaller, much younger version of his father. But at the same time, Misty knew the topic of Ash's father was a bit rocky. The man was rarely home due to his job, and it was pretty obvious Delia was not too pleased with his rare appearances.
Ash talked about his father off and on over the course of their journey, mostly about his father's career, which seemed pretty important. Originally, Mr. Ketchum was an aspiring Pokemon trainer like his son, but he never won any championships. However, his profession did relate to the Pokemon League, as Ash's dad was now the assistant manager of Indigo Plateau's communications office. His specific branch handled marketing and promotional campaigning for League events, along with passing information from the Plateau's CEOs and Elite Four to Masters of other regions. Tylor got to meet and interact with Pokemon trainers all over the world, from rookies to Masters, and while it seemed like an incredible job, it also had its price. Even Ash admitted the job often required Tylor's undivided attention and sometimes forced him to travel abroad. Sadly, even though Ash always acted very proud of his dad, it was pretty obvious to Misty that the boy wished he could see his father more often.
And now, out of the blue, Tylor showed up. The sudden reunion even stunned Misty and Brock, since they never saw pictures of Tylor Ketchum, never mind see him in person. While at the hospital, Misty and Brock were not allowed to see Ash until he was released, since the doctors only allowed immediate family. They had not gotten any chance to really 'meet' Tylor since.
"I'm glad he showed up, then," Misty smiled understandingly, her eyes adjusted just enough to notice the overjoyed smile on Ash's face. It was clear as day his father's arrival made Ash's injury feel ten times better, at least in an emotional sense.
"Me too," Ash nodded, though looking away for a brevity. "I missed him, and I just hope he'll stay with Mom and me for a little while. I mean, he's got an important job and everything, but..."
"You still miss him, don't you?" Misty finished, getting a rather humble nod from the boy. Her heart went entirely out to Ash. Whenever the boy did talk about his dad, Misty could always sense the loneliness in Ash's voice, and how he missed his father so much. Misty's parents were often traveling too, researching various Water Pokemon all over Kanto, often leaving her and her three sisters alone. Misty knew what it was like to miss parents, and she knew Brock also understood. The Harrison children were very familiar with living without parents, considering both their mother and father abandoned them before finally returning home.
"But...he's back, now," Ash smiled, though a bit less confidently. Tylor had often returned over the years, but it seemed as though he left as soon as he arrived. Ash was not foolish enough to believe this visit would be much different. The boy just hoped he would not wake up tomorrow to find out Tylor had already left for Viridian, a scenario Ash was used to, but never fond of. Misty and Brock's departure was going to be painful enough.
"Go on, Ash," Misty encouraged suddenly, making Ash blink and glance back at her, a tad confused by her words and stuttering a "What?"
Giggling, Misty beamed brightly. Her body was tired, and craved sleep, but, this was something she found more relaxation and pleasure in. "Tell me more about your dad, Ash," she coerced. "I mean, you just sound so...happy right now." And I don't want that happiness to go away. "You don't really talk much about your dad. I mean, if it's painful, you don't have to, but..."
"It's not entirely 'painful,' Misty," Ash corrected softly. "It's more...'bittersweet,' I guess. I mean, it's not like my dad purposely left us or was doing things behind my mom's back." A shiver ran down his spine at that notion. When Ash was in second grade, a few rumors flew around about Tylor cheating on Delia. The rumors assumed Tylor's 'real' reasons for rarely being in Pallet were because he had a mistress in Viridian. The rumors were not true at all, even Delia knew that, but that did not stop the comments. Unfortunately at the time, Ash was so young and he could not understand why people were insulting his daddy, a person he loved and cherished. Gary, especially, was notorious for cruelly rubbing such lies in Ash's face. Thankfully, that rumor matter got corrected. Ash did not know how it got corrected, but the rumors ceased, either way.
"I know my dad loves us," Ash continued with a confident nod. "Mom and him argue a lot, but they still somehow come back together, like they did tonight. And even when he's away, I know he's working hard for us, too. Mom and I owe a lot to him, and he always comes home for holidays. Mom even told me he comes home for holidays when I'm away, too, so at least both of them are never alone to celebrate." I just wish...I could always be there.
Misty could not help but feel her heartstrings get tugged. The way Ash talked about his dad was simply fascinating. Despite how Ash rarely got to see his dad, it was obvious the boy held no resentment whatsoever against the man. Misty knew she could not even say the same about herself. She constantly resented her parents for being away and letting her sisters get away with teasing her. "If Mommy and Daddy were here, you'd NEVER call me scrawny!" Misty always cried something of that caliber whenever Daisy, Violet, and Lily teased her, but then the older sisters would simply retort, "But they're, like, NOT here, Misty! What're you gonna' do about THAT?!"
And yet, there was Ash, a person who was in a similar circumstance, having one of his parents constantly away due to his job, just like Misty's parents. Ash still had Delia, but his father was a different story. Yet, Ash never held it against Tylor. Misty figured it must have been hard for Ash not having his father around as often as his mother, and yet, Ash never sounded resentful. She was sure there were sometimes Ash hated how his father was away, since it was only natural to feel that way at least once. However, whether or not he did feel that way, it was pretty clear to Misty that Ash held nothing against his dad. Perhaps it was because of the sudden reunion, but Misty was betting her money more so on the fact that Ash deeply loved his father.
"You don't hold anything against him, do you, Ash?" Misty asked sweetly and curiously.
Shaking his head, Ash shrugged. "I mean, sure, there were times I was upset that he was not around, especially when kids like Gary would pick on me." And running to your Mom doesn't exactly help matters. "But...I don't hate him, if that's what you're asking," he said, smiling so confidently and proudly Misty could not help but do the same. "Misty, I could ever hate him. Dad's such a great person. I can't see how anyone could hate him."
Next Episode: "The Rumor"
A/N: Well that wraps up the first chapter. For those wondering, some of Ash's past accidents were based on my own personal experience, especially the car-door-in-the-eye ordeal. Yes, that happened to me. Don't ask me how it happened, but it did, and boy, that hurt like hell! Yeah, I'm a walking disaster, just like Ash (no wonder I love him). Anyway, this chapter was a bit light-hearted to break the ice, but this story will get more dramatic very soon…as soon as the next chapter, actually.
Reviews are greatly appreciated. Feel free to offer any constructive criticism or gush away over how cute Sato-Chan is ^_^.