Ash Ketcham walked beyond the city limits of Viridian City, leaving the Indigo Plateau behind. He was flanked by his companions and great friends, Misty Waterflower, Brock Slate and Pikachu, his best Pokemon. In his mind, he replayed the end of his run at the Pokemon League. He'd lost in the later rounds of the competition, when only the real contenders remained. A teenaged trainer from Fuschia City handed him his defeat. He was disappointed, obviously, but he was filled with pride. This year he'd finished fifth, better than his previous three trips to the Indigo League. Now he was fourteen, and had collected many Pokemon to compliment Pikachu. His friendships with Misty and Brock had grown since they met four years ago. The sun was setting, and he looked south to Pallet. He planned on returning home, logging some rest, spending time with his mom, but what of Misty and Brock? He felt it strange to ask them to visit Pallet, but he couldn't imagine life without them. "So, now what?"
Ash hadn't even realized he'd spoken. Misty and Brock looked at him questioningly. "What, Ash," Misty asked.
"Pallet is that way," he replied, pointing. "Cerulean and Pewter are that way." He motioned towards Mt. Moon, of which only the peak was visible.
"Oh. Right." Misty and Brock looked disappointed.
"Uh, I know," Ash said quickly, noticing their reluctance. "Why don't we all go to Pallet, and visit my mom and everybody. It'd be a nice little vacation, don't you think?"
"Okay," Misty agreed. Brock nodded. The three friends set off for Pallet, each secretly relieved that they didn't have to split up just yet.
Delia Ketcham sat in her kitchen, having a cup of tea with her friend and neighbor, Professor Samuel Oak. Years ago, Delia and the professor's daughter attended school together. Delia's friendship with his daughter faded over the years, to her surprise and dismay, but she formed a stronger bond with the professor. Oak also had a soft spot in his heart for Delia's son, Ash. He'd been behind Ash on every step of his Pokemon journey. The doorbell rang, and Ash pounded through the door, Misty and Brock close behind. "Mom, I'm home," Ash called.
Delia deposited her teacup in the sink and rushed to hug her son. "My Ash," she said joyfully. "I'm so glad you're home."
Ash squeezed back. "It's good to be home."
Oak joined the festivities. "Mom, these are my friends, Brock and Misty," Ash said. Delia smiled at each of them, though when she laid eyes on Misty, her usually sunny countenance turned a bit dark. Nobody noticed, due to the excitement surrounding Ash's homecoming. The gathering situated themselves around the living room. Ash collapsed into an overstuffed easy chair. Misty rested her head on the settee in front of the chair. Oak and Brock sat on opposite sides of the loveseat. Delia remained standing, trying to conceal her unrest. Ash filled their ears with tales of his journeys, some taller than others, until Oak remarked how late it was getting. He bid them all adieu, and retreated to his house. Ash and his friends looked at each other uncertainly. Now that is was late, were they going to head to their respective homes? Brock stood up and said, "We should probably get going now, Misty. We could make it to Cerulean by morning."
"Yeah, you're right," she said, picking up her backpack.
"Wait," Delia interrupted. "You can't go out in the dark. Who knows what could happen? You'll stay here, tonight." Misty and Brock shrugged, but underneath they were relieved.
The three friends ascended the staircase. "Brock, you can sleep in my room," Ash said. "If we move some stuff, we can make room for you. And you can sleep in here, Misty." He opened a door and ushered her into a small room. " 'night." He and Brock went into the doorway opposite of the guest room.
The next day, Misty and Brock tried to avoid leaving as much as possible. Ash pleaded and cajoled his mother enough to let them stay awhile, although she relented against her will. Ash had taken notice of it, and discussed it with Misty. Brock had taken a shine to Oak, and spent much of his day at Oak's lab, discussing Pokemon until all hours. That left Ash much time to spend with Misty, which he didn't mind at all. And, it seemed, neither did she….
He showed her around the tiny town of Pallet, unhindered by his arch-nemesis Gary Oak, who was out of town on Pokemon business. Gary was Oak's grandson, and was jealous of the close relationship Ash shared with his grandfather, although he was loath to admit it. Most days they ended up near the water. A tiny inlet at the southern tip of Pallet led into the sea, towards the Seafoam Islands, and Cinnabar Island. Misty seemed at peace near the water. Ash found she was easier to talk to, almost more fun to be with when they went to the inlet. They talked about everything, mostly sharing stories from their childhood. One day, they waded as far out into the inlet as they could. Ash told Misty that around the islands was the beach of Fuschia City. Misty's face fell. "What's the matter," he asked.
She looked at the water. "My sisters and I used to go to the beach there all the time," she said softly. So softly that Ash had to lean in to hear her. "They told me all sorts of stories about my mom, and my dad, and when they took us to that beach when I was a baby."
Ash coerced her onto dry land, and they waited for their feet to dry. Daring a pummeling, he asked, "What happened to your mom?"
"She died in a plane crash," she said flatly. "She was going to some thing in Blackthorn City, but the plane went down over the Lake of Rage. Daddy woke us up in the middle of the night to tell us what happened, my sisters say. I was just a baby. I never even knew her." Her eyes clouded. "Then, Daddy died, and it was just me and my sisters." She tried to go on, but she choked on her words.
"A plane crash, huh," Ash asked. "That's how my dad died. I never got to know him either."
They sat in saddened silence, until Misty said, "Maybe they were on the same plane." She laughed, in spite of her tears. "That would have been wild."
"What if they died… together," Ash thought aloud. He jumped suddenly. Something was crawling on his hand. He looked down at the ground. Misty's fingers had crept over to his hand, and were resting on it now. He smiled and grasped her hand. He looked at her. Her face was red from spent tears, and her blue-green eyes were puffy, but he silently remarked on how pretty she was. "Ash! Misty!" "Pika-pi! Ka-chu!"
They stood up quickly. Brock and Pikachu were calling to them from the road. "Guys! Come on! Mrs. Ketcham has dinner ready!" They picked up their shoes and ran to join Brock and Pikachu.
Back at the house, they sat down to dinner. Delia and Brock shared stories of their day, while Ash and Misty ate quietly. Before she had taken her place at the table, she'd washed her face. Nobody could tell what had happened between them. Ash tried to think of what was going on in Misty's mind. She's awfully quiet, he thought. I hope I didn't bring up a bunch of bad memories and make her sad. And, I wonder what she thought of us holding hands….
Misty poked at her baked potato. Thoughts were racing around in her head. Ash lost his dad just like I lost my mom. How sad. But, I'm lucky to have a great friend like him. She looked at Ash, who was swirling a piece of steak around in the gravy on his plate. What happened at the inlet today? Does he--?
After dinner, Delia and Brock retreated to the living room to watch a movie on TV. Misty disappeared into the guest room. Ash had volunteered to straighten the kitchen, a feat that he almost never performed. Rather than look a gift horse in the mouth, his mother welcomed the help. Ash wrapped the leftovers in tinfoil, thinking about Misty. He tried to escape it, but couldn't. He haphazardly finished his chore and crept upstairs to face her.
He stood outside the door, which was opened slightly. Inside, Misty sat with her back to him, looking at some photos of her late parents by the light of a small lamp. Togepi was sleeping quietly in the corner. The rest of the room was dark. The light from the lamp illuminated the tears that flowed freely from her eyes. Not thinking, he pushed the door open and sat by her side. "Ash," she said, surprised. She hastily wiped her tears away. She turned to him. He embraced her, and rocked her gently. "I know it hurts," he said, fighting tears himself. "But, we have each other, and we've got good friends like Brock and Pikachu, and that's all that matters." She clung to him, sobbing. He smoothed her hair. She faced him, and, suddenly, she drew her lips to his, and they were kissing. They sank to the floor, tightly wound around each other. Delia passed by the guest room on their way to retire for the night, and saw the light. Delia opened the door wide enough to see her son and Misty in each other's arms, kissing passionately. She gasped. "Stop! Stop this right now," she shouted. Ash and Misty sprang up from the floor.
"Mom," Ash said shakily. "I'm sorry. We're sorry. It was—,"
"Ash, Misty must leave. She can't stay here anymore," Delia said firmly.
"What?" Misty looked forlorn. "No, Mom, this is as much my fault as it is hers. I promise we won't do this in the house anymore--,"
Delia covered her ears with her hands. "No, don't say that! You can't do this anymore at all! It's not right," she cried.
"What are you talking about, Mom," Ash asked.
She looked at her son. She knew he had strong feelings for Misty, she knew that Misty shared those feelings, and she knew what those feelings do to young people their age. If it were with any other girl, her heart would soar for her son finding happiness. But this way was wrong… She knew she'd have to face the truth someday. "Ash, come here and sit with me," she said in a gentler tone. "You too, Misty." She pulled Ash into her lap, even though he was too big for her now. She took a deep breath, and began talking.
"Before you were born, Ash, your father, Alan, carried on many extramarital affairs, with women I knew, women I didn't know, any woman, really. He was fond of women in general. One of these women was Rachel Waterflower, from Cerulean City." Misty's tearstained face wore an expression of shock. Ash's mouth fell open. "She came to my door one day, demanding to see Alan. She claimed that he had gotten her pregnant. After she left, I questioned him, and he admitted everything. But, because my love for him was so strong, I forgave him, and we were able to move on. Soon, he announced an upcoming tournament in Blackthorn City he wanted to attend. He got on the plane, and I never saw him again." Her eyes misted over. "Days after the plane crash, Greg Waterflower visited me with a red-headed toddler in tow. He said she was Alan's child, and he wanted nothing to do with her, now that his wife was dead. She had died in the same plane crash that Alan had. He left her with me. That red-headed toddler was you, Misty." Misty drew back. Ash's eyes widened. "I took care of Misty for about six months, at the same time I was pregnant with Ash. The day came that Ash was born, and for a few weeks, I had two wonderful babies. But your sisters came after you, Misty. They told me that your father had died, and they wanted you back. Reluctantly, I gave you up, but it was the right thing to do. The good of all this is, that Ash and Misty knew each other even before Ash was born. The bad of it is, well, now you two are falling for each other, and you're… brother and sister."
Misty and Ash gazed at each other, wanting to deny the ugly words that had fallen from Delia's mouth, but they couldn't get around the truth. Misty shoved her belongings in her bag, scooped up Togepi and sprinted out the door, into the night. Ash pounded down the stairs after her, but stopped in the doorway. He'd made a good friend, fallen for her, and then lost her. And it was all due to a man he'd never met. He clenched his fists and started pummeling the doorframe. Tiny splinters poked into his hand, but his wrath made him blind to the pain. Delia descended the stairs, and saw Ash's assault on the doorjamb. She pulled him away, trying to soothe him. "Why, Mom," he asked. "Why did you marry such a jerk?"
"Because I loved him, Ash," she replied tearfully. "I honestly didn't understand why I stayed with him, but I loved him, even when he hurt me." They hugged for a long time. Delia finally retreated to her room, and left Ash in the living room. He stepped onto the porch and saw a photo lying on the stoop. He picked it up. It was a picture of a red-haired woman cradling a tiny baby. He quickly stuffed it into his pocket and retired himself.
Ash hadn't even realized he'd spoken. Misty and Brock looked at him questioningly. "What, Ash," Misty asked.
"Pallet is that way," he replied, pointing. "Cerulean and Pewter are that way." He motioned towards Mt. Moon, of which only the peak was visible.
"Oh. Right." Misty and Brock looked disappointed.
"Uh, I know," Ash said quickly, noticing their reluctance. "Why don't we all go to Pallet, and visit my mom and everybody. It'd be a nice little vacation, don't you think?"
"Okay," Misty agreed. Brock nodded. The three friends set off for Pallet, each secretly relieved that they didn't have to split up just yet.
Delia Ketcham sat in her kitchen, having a cup of tea with her friend and neighbor, Professor Samuel Oak. Years ago, Delia and the professor's daughter attended school together. Delia's friendship with his daughter faded over the years, to her surprise and dismay, but she formed a stronger bond with the professor. Oak also had a soft spot in his heart for Delia's son, Ash. He'd been behind Ash on every step of his Pokemon journey. The doorbell rang, and Ash pounded through the door, Misty and Brock close behind. "Mom, I'm home," Ash called.
Delia deposited her teacup in the sink and rushed to hug her son. "My Ash," she said joyfully. "I'm so glad you're home."
Ash squeezed back. "It's good to be home."
Oak joined the festivities. "Mom, these are my friends, Brock and Misty," Ash said. Delia smiled at each of them, though when she laid eyes on Misty, her usually sunny countenance turned a bit dark. Nobody noticed, due to the excitement surrounding Ash's homecoming. The gathering situated themselves around the living room. Ash collapsed into an overstuffed easy chair. Misty rested her head on the settee in front of the chair. Oak and Brock sat on opposite sides of the loveseat. Delia remained standing, trying to conceal her unrest. Ash filled their ears with tales of his journeys, some taller than others, until Oak remarked how late it was getting. He bid them all adieu, and retreated to his house. Ash and his friends looked at each other uncertainly. Now that is was late, were they going to head to their respective homes? Brock stood up and said, "We should probably get going now, Misty. We could make it to Cerulean by morning."
"Yeah, you're right," she said, picking up her backpack.
"Wait," Delia interrupted. "You can't go out in the dark. Who knows what could happen? You'll stay here, tonight." Misty and Brock shrugged, but underneath they were relieved.
The three friends ascended the staircase. "Brock, you can sleep in my room," Ash said. "If we move some stuff, we can make room for you. And you can sleep in here, Misty." He opened a door and ushered her into a small room. " 'night." He and Brock went into the doorway opposite of the guest room.
The next day, Misty and Brock tried to avoid leaving as much as possible. Ash pleaded and cajoled his mother enough to let them stay awhile, although she relented against her will. Ash had taken notice of it, and discussed it with Misty. Brock had taken a shine to Oak, and spent much of his day at Oak's lab, discussing Pokemon until all hours. That left Ash much time to spend with Misty, which he didn't mind at all. And, it seemed, neither did she….
He showed her around the tiny town of Pallet, unhindered by his arch-nemesis Gary Oak, who was out of town on Pokemon business. Gary was Oak's grandson, and was jealous of the close relationship Ash shared with his grandfather, although he was loath to admit it. Most days they ended up near the water. A tiny inlet at the southern tip of Pallet led into the sea, towards the Seafoam Islands, and Cinnabar Island. Misty seemed at peace near the water. Ash found she was easier to talk to, almost more fun to be with when they went to the inlet. They talked about everything, mostly sharing stories from their childhood. One day, they waded as far out into the inlet as they could. Ash told Misty that around the islands was the beach of Fuschia City. Misty's face fell. "What's the matter," he asked.
She looked at the water. "My sisters and I used to go to the beach there all the time," she said softly. So softly that Ash had to lean in to hear her. "They told me all sorts of stories about my mom, and my dad, and when they took us to that beach when I was a baby."
Ash coerced her onto dry land, and they waited for their feet to dry. Daring a pummeling, he asked, "What happened to your mom?"
"She died in a plane crash," she said flatly. "She was going to some thing in Blackthorn City, but the plane went down over the Lake of Rage. Daddy woke us up in the middle of the night to tell us what happened, my sisters say. I was just a baby. I never even knew her." Her eyes clouded. "Then, Daddy died, and it was just me and my sisters." She tried to go on, but she choked on her words.
"A plane crash, huh," Ash asked. "That's how my dad died. I never got to know him either."
They sat in saddened silence, until Misty said, "Maybe they were on the same plane." She laughed, in spite of her tears. "That would have been wild."
"What if they died… together," Ash thought aloud. He jumped suddenly. Something was crawling on his hand. He looked down at the ground. Misty's fingers had crept over to his hand, and were resting on it now. He smiled and grasped her hand. He looked at her. Her face was red from spent tears, and her blue-green eyes were puffy, but he silently remarked on how pretty she was. "Ash! Misty!" "Pika-pi! Ka-chu!"
They stood up quickly. Brock and Pikachu were calling to them from the road. "Guys! Come on! Mrs. Ketcham has dinner ready!" They picked up their shoes and ran to join Brock and Pikachu.
Back at the house, they sat down to dinner. Delia and Brock shared stories of their day, while Ash and Misty ate quietly. Before she had taken her place at the table, she'd washed her face. Nobody could tell what had happened between them. Ash tried to think of what was going on in Misty's mind. She's awfully quiet, he thought. I hope I didn't bring up a bunch of bad memories and make her sad. And, I wonder what she thought of us holding hands….
Misty poked at her baked potato. Thoughts were racing around in her head. Ash lost his dad just like I lost my mom. How sad. But, I'm lucky to have a great friend like him. She looked at Ash, who was swirling a piece of steak around in the gravy on his plate. What happened at the inlet today? Does he--?
After dinner, Delia and Brock retreated to the living room to watch a movie on TV. Misty disappeared into the guest room. Ash had volunteered to straighten the kitchen, a feat that he almost never performed. Rather than look a gift horse in the mouth, his mother welcomed the help. Ash wrapped the leftovers in tinfoil, thinking about Misty. He tried to escape it, but couldn't. He haphazardly finished his chore and crept upstairs to face her.
He stood outside the door, which was opened slightly. Inside, Misty sat with her back to him, looking at some photos of her late parents by the light of a small lamp. Togepi was sleeping quietly in the corner. The rest of the room was dark. The light from the lamp illuminated the tears that flowed freely from her eyes. Not thinking, he pushed the door open and sat by her side. "Ash," she said, surprised. She hastily wiped her tears away. She turned to him. He embraced her, and rocked her gently. "I know it hurts," he said, fighting tears himself. "But, we have each other, and we've got good friends like Brock and Pikachu, and that's all that matters." She clung to him, sobbing. He smoothed her hair. She faced him, and, suddenly, she drew her lips to his, and they were kissing. They sank to the floor, tightly wound around each other. Delia passed by the guest room on their way to retire for the night, and saw the light. Delia opened the door wide enough to see her son and Misty in each other's arms, kissing passionately. She gasped. "Stop! Stop this right now," she shouted. Ash and Misty sprang up from the floor.
"Mom," Ash said shakily. "I'm sorry. We're sorry. It was—,"
"Ash, Misty must leave. She can't stay here anymore," Delia said firmly.
"What?" Misty looked forlorn. "No, Mom, this is as much my fault as it is hers. I promise we won't do this in the house anymore--,"
Delia covered her ears with her hands. "No, don't say that! You can't do this anymore at all! It's not right," she cried.
"What are you talking about, Mom," Ash asked.
She looked at her son. She knew he had strong feelings for Misty, she knew that Misty shared those feelings, and she knew what those feelings do to young people their age. If it were with any other girl, her heart would soar for her son finding happiness. But this way was wrong… She knew she'd have to face the truth someday. "Ash, come here and sit with me," she said in a gentler tone. "You too, Misty." She pulled Ash into her lap, even though he was too big for her now. She took a deep breath, and began talking.
"Before you were born, Ash, your father, Alan, carried on many extramarital affairs, with women I knew, women I didn't know, any woman, really. He was fond of women in general. One of these women was Rachel Waterflower, from Cerulean City." Misty's tearstained face wore an expression of shock. Ash's mouth fell open. "She came to my door one day, demanding to see Alan. She claimed that he had gotten her pregnant. After she left, I questioned him, and he admitted everything. But, because my love for him was so strong, I forgave him, and we were able to move on. Soon, he announced an upcoming tournament in Blackthorn City he wanted to attend. He got on the plane, and I never saw him again." Her eyes misted over. "Days after the plane crash, Greg Waterflower visited me with a red-headed toddler in tow. He said she was Alan's child, and he wanted nothing to do with her, now that his wife was dead. She had died in the same plane crash that Alan had. He left her with me. That red-headed toddler was you, Misty." Misty drew back. Ash's eyes widened. "I took care of Misty for about six months, at the same time I was pregnant with Ash. The day came that Ash was born, and for a few weeks, I had two wonderful babies. But your sisters came after you, Misty. They told me that your father had died, and they wanted you back. Reluctantly, I gave you up, but it was the right thing to do. The good of all this is, that Ash and Misty knew each other even before Ash was born. The bad of it is, well, now you two are falling for each other, and you're… brother and sister."
Misty and Ash gazed at each other, wanting to deny the ugly words that had fallen from Delia's mouth, but they couldn't get around the truth. Misty shoved her belongings in her bag, scooped up Togepi and sprinted out the door, into the night. Ash pounded down the stairs after her, but stopped in the doorway. He'd made a good friend, fallen for her, and then lost her. And it was all due to a man he'd never met. He clenched his fists and started pummeling the doorframe. Tiny splinters poked into his hand, but his wrath made him blind to the pain. Delia descended the stairs, and saw Ash's assault on the doorjamb. She pulled him away, trying to soothe him. "Why, Mom," he asked. "Why did you marry such a jerk?"
"Because I loved him, Ash," she replied tearfully. "I honestly didn't understand why I stayed with him, but I loved him, even when he hurt me." They hugged for a long time. Delia finally retreated to her room, and left Ash in the living room. He stepped onto the porch and saw a photo lying on the stoop. He picked it up. It was a picture of a red-haired woman cradling a tiny baby. He quickly stuffed it into his pocket and retired himself.