Shippings in this chapter: Small amount of Ikarishipping.
Rating: PG (K+)
Chapter four
"You did WHAT?" Aunty Mimi's voice echoed in the van. My father muttered in pain when she tightened the bandage she was wrapping around his bruise. My father opened one of his eyes, they had small tears in them since Aunty Mimi tightened the bandage around his arm unexpectedly. I was watching the two of them talk. I was sitting at the front, facing to them and kneeling on the chair.
"IranintoaGigaImapctattack." My father muttered quickly. I had a fair idea he was in so much pain to talk like that so quickly.
"You could of died and-" But I heard Uncle Alex interrupt.
"Amelia." He began. "Keep that up and Ash won't make it to the Sinnoh league." Uncle looked at me next. "And sit down on your chair properly Ashlyn." I nodded and sat down and clipped my seat beat back on. I could hear Aunty sighed and did the finishing touches on father's band aid. Silence filled the van until Uncle added. "So how was your little battle with Iris, Ash?"
"Awesome." I looked to the back seats and saw my father grinning. "She is going to be a great opponent to face."
"You already have a bruised arm and you still thinking about your battle against her?" Aunty complained and crossed her arms. "You shocking big brother."
"That's Ash, always looking for great rivals to verse." Uncle laughed afterwards.
"But I don't like that Iris girl though." I added. I glared at my father. "She was acting all lover-dovey to daddy." Father laughed and so did uncle.
"No she wasn't." Uncle Alex replied. "That's who she is. I battled with her last year and after the battle she was acting all playful and childish. She doesn't flirt with anyone." I looked back at the front and crossed my arms.
"I still don't like her." I grumbled. "And same goes to her Haxorus." I looked outside my window. I soon noticed something.
There was no more snow on the ground and the clouds started to break up. I knew we weren't in Kanto anymore but in Sinnoh. A smile grew on my face when I saw what neighborhood we were in. the road turned to a classic graveled road and less commercial buildings appeared. The house were more spread apart and a lot of trees started to come into my view. My smile grew bigger when I discovered where we were.
Uncle parked the car in front of the house. He pushed the gearbox to the "P" side and touched the handbrake. He pressed the button that unlocked all of the doors. When the doors where open I quickly rushed outside and opened my arms up in the air and feel onto the grass. I giggled afterwards. I was looking up at the sky and noticed how clear it was compared back home. Soon Raichu came into my view looking confused.
"Rai?" He asked. I smiled and sat up and turned to face him.
"Nothing." I grinned. "It's just nice to be here again after so long." I glanced over my shoulder to look at the huge house.
The house was huge and for one second I thought it was a classic summer home mansion. The walls were made out of timber and where painted white, the roof had tiles to teal over them and the windows were clear and clean. There were big huge trees standing up tall near the house and there were many colorful flowers surrounding the house. I soon heard a cheerful person calling out my name.
"Ashlyn!" She cheered and ran up to embrace my tightly. "I'm so happy to see you again!" My father walked up to her and poked her on the shoulder, telling her I was choking, not breathing. She sweated dropped and broke up the hug. I fell to the ground. "Sorry." She apologized.
"No need to worry Dawny." I replied. I felt quite dizzy after her strong hug.
I heard Uncle and Aunty taking down the luggage from the back of the van and walking them up to the house while Raichu helped me regain my conscience. I shook me head and saw that I was still alive and breathing. I smiled at Raichu as we walked up to the house.
We were staying at mommy Dawny's home in Twinleaf. My father didn't want the media to catch us like last time so we avoided staying overnight at any poke centers. Dawny still lived with her mother and still looked the same from last time. She still left her hair short and a simple pink top with black bootleg jeans to go with it. It made her look different to the mini dresses in her photos back when she was my age. She led us into the living room and made us sit down while she made us some food to eat. I could hear her panic in the kitchen was pots and pans fell down the kitchen floor.
"You're just hopeless in the kitchen you know." I knew who that was.
It was Paul. Dawny's husband. Although we weren't really close we still knew each other. He was one of father's rivals and father told me he was a very strong Pokémon trainer back in his day. He had a grey turtle neck top with pale cargo pants as well. In his arms was his three year old son, Daniel. Who was cheerful as his mother when he saw me and Maykel.
"I'm not hopeless!" Mommy Dawny cried out. I could hear a wooden spoon fall down to the ground.
"Oh really?" He lifted an eyebrow up. "You want me to ask them over there what they really think of you in the kitchen." Dawn glared at him, which gave some sort of sign for him not too. But I think Paul wasn't affected by her taunt. She just shrugged his shoulder and walked to us. He greeted my father first. "So you have a battle in a few days. Good luck."
"Paul, you always stay the same." My father grinned. He patted Daniel.
Daniel was three years old and had blue hair like mommy Dawny. His clothes were rather simple as he wore a blue shirt with a white design poke ball near his chest and black pants. His eyes had a small tint of blue and grey mixed up together.
"And Daniel had grown up. I wonder if he is going to be a trainer or a coordinator."My father asked as Daniel smiled at him.
"Bb…Both." He cheered and raised his arms in the air. Paul sighed.
"Why can't he just stick to one?" Daniel's father sighed. My father laughed.
"Just support him and whatever he wants to be." He looked at me. "That reminds me, Ashlyn what do you want to be after you graduate from trainer school?"
"I don't know yet Dad." I replied. "But I'll tell you when I do." He patted me.
"Take your time LynLyn." He smiled. I always liked when my father smiled. It would always make me feel safer somehow. I soon saw Paul tap my father on the shoulder and whispering a few words to him. My father replied with a simple nod before Paul walked to the kitchen, helping her from causing a massive destruction in the kitchen.
I heard the Starly alarm clock ring loudly, echoing its call over and over again and soon forcing me to wake up and head out of my comfy bed. I slowly moved to the window sill and slammed the head of the Starly hard, making it stop finally. I walked back to my bed and landed on my pillow face first. A few seconds later I tapped the left side of the bed. Normally father would be sleeping next to me. I lifted my head and turned to the left and saw he wasn't there and Maykel was the only one left in the room. I sighed and shoved my face into the pillow hoping my concern for my father would slip off but it didn't. I sat on my knees and grumbled a few words to myself and turned to face the alarm clock which had fallen down onto the carpet. The numbers glowed neon green as the two hands on the clock showed three: fifteen in the morning. I yawned.
"It's too early to wake up." I complained. I got onto my two feet and looked for my two pink slippers Mommy Dawny gave to me to borrow. I walked out of the room and down the hall until I reached the stairs. Soon a few voices entered in my ears which made me stop in my tracks. I knew who the two voices were. I kneeled down and listened to the conversation downstairs. I had a fair idea the two were talking in the living room.
"You know Ash; I knew never I would end up like you, with a child and a wife."
"Trust me; I never expected to have children of my own either." I heard my father laugh afterwards.
"But seriously, I want to ask you how are you able to be a Sinnoh Elite Four member and be a single parent to your two children. I mean one is hard enough." I heard Paul sigh.
"I don't know. I guess the past of not having a father to raise me gives me a reason to raise my children as long as I can."
"Is that the only reason Ash?" Paul asked. There was a few seconds of silence before father replied.
"No." Dad paused before adding. "May also is the other reason."
"You still think she is alive don't you?" Paul asked once more.
"Every man who has lost their life would believe their wife is alive at some point. But sooner or later they learn to move on." I could hear my father slightly sadly.
"That still doesn't answer the question that you still wear your wedding ring." Silence grew among them once more.
"It's the only thing that reminds me what and May had together. I can't let that go as well."
Soon the image of my father's wedding ring flashed into my mind. It was emerald with encrusted diamonds wrapped around in the middle. My father told me he and my mother choose emerald rings because green was the sign of ever-lasting love, love only found in heaven you can say. It was love that could never be replaced by anybody else and also emerald was the birthstone of the month May. Since my mother's name was also a name of the fifth month of the year he decided that getting an emerald ring would mean to them both even more.
"I think that ring is what's holding you back to move on in life. You can't move on if that ring is still on your finger." I could hear Paul stand from the couch. "I've had my issues as well and I knew that holding onto them won't make anything better." Then I could hear him make his way to the stairs. "I can tell you still believe she is still alive Ash. Don't try to lie to me."
"Believe what you want Paul." My father replied in a slightly annoyed manner. "But I told you what I feel about this and you just have to learn to deal with it." I felt a little surprised to hear my father talk in such a negative manner. I had never heard him talk to anyone so mean and so…careless.
Soon I could hear the footsteps of Paul walk up the stairs as I quickly got off my knees and quickly and yet quietly rush to my room. I closed the door and threw the blanket over me, while I lay on my side, facing Maykel who was still sound asleep. I could hear Paul walk into his room but father didn't come up after him. I waited for him but he just didn't come. I had a fair idea that he wanted to be alone or maybe I just fell asleep early before he could come back to bed.
"Your coming to the Sinnoh League?" I could hear my father's voice complain from downstairs. I blinked a few times and saw I was the only one left in the room. I looked down to the ground and saw the alarm clock was still on the floor. I saw it was only nine in the morning.
"Still too early to wake up." I slammed my face onto the pillow. Just I was about to return to sleep I heard someone slammed the door wide open.
"Wakie Wakie sleepy head." Dawny called out, removing the sheets off of me which annoyed me slightly. I covered my head with my pillow hoping to reduce the 'good morning' voice Dawny had in the mornings. "Come on Lyn. If you don't get up your father will leave you hear and you will miss out on his huge battle in the League."
"Not now." I grumbled. I heard someone else's footstep enter the room.
"Come-on Ashlyn." Uncle Alex asked. "Mommy Dawny is coming to. We can't keep them waiting."
"Then I will go with them, over them. Just let me sleep first." Alex sighed as Dawny giggled. I soon felt Uncle Alex pick me up from the bed and he threw me over his shoulder. I waved my arms in the air. "Get me down! This isn't fair!" Dawn continued to laugh and wave at me.
"See you there in a few days!" She added as I was carried to the car.
After that I was forced into the car by my Uncle. I saw my father talking to Paul once more. Father looked more relax and showed no signs of that angry voice I heard last night ever existed. He was laughing and smiling. My father acted strange lately and I wonder if one of those 'signs' was that angry tone he talked to Paul last night. He turned to me and waved. In which I responded with a wave as well. I was still to tried to smile so all I could was do a simple half-asleep wave.
But something in the trees woke me up completely.
It was a woman, in some sort of outfit with long rich brown hair. A smile grew on my face.
I opened the car door wide and ran up to the tree. My father and Paul were surprised to see what had given me such energy so early in the morning. I walked up the tree and looked up. She was still there.
"Mom!" I called out. "It's me, Ashlyn!" I suddenly felt my father rush up behind me. "Please come back!" I added. I felt my father wrap his arms around me which gave my attention to him. I turned to face him. He looked disappointed and sad at the same time.
"Ashlyn." He began. "Don't get your hopes up that your mother is going to come back." He looked deep into my eyes. I knew he was beginning to be serious.
"Why?" I asked. "Is it bad to believe that mother is alive?"
"I'm not saying that it's bad to believe in things, it's just I'm afraid that you will get badly hurt when you find out some things don't turn the way you want to be." He placed his hands on my shoulders.
"But you always told me that-" but I was interrupted.
"Ashlyn!" he yelled with anger, pinching my shoulders slightly in the process. His eyes were filled with anger and pain that it was too much to understand why he was feeling like that. When he saw me in pain he calmed down. "Sorry." He apologized. He soon added with a hug. "Now come-on lets head to the car." I nodded. I knew talking about mother would just make him angry again. We both walked to the car and I sat back into my seat. Me and father didn't say another word to each other as we both waited for Aunty Mimi and Uncle Alex to get into the van. As soon everyone was in the car we all said our goodbyes and waved back to everyone. Telling them that we would see them at the league soon enough. Soon the car got moving and we started to move away from the house. As the car got further away my eyes stuck on the tree where I saw mother.
She was no longer there.
I didn't know if it was really her or that my eyes were playing tricks on me since I wasn't really fully awake when I saw her But I knew in my mind, my soul and in my heart that she was real and alive.
End of chapter four