Sunlight's Return

by MilkywayScribbles

After being on the run from Team Rocket, Jayce Ketchum is determined to bring down the organization and at last be reunited with Ash and Delia. But while he and his unexpected recruits are forced to apprehend the organization's wish to manipulate unspeakable power, the journey to salvation endangers the family he left behind to protect. "Silently Broken" 'verse.

7. Rising Threats and Romance Novels

Author's Note:

Here it is my lovely readers! Enjoy the serious and silly madness that is about to ensue! ;)

Also, there is something I would like to bring up. For anyone who hasn't heard, I posted a poll on my profile that asks you all as readers, which story of mine would you like to read next. I wish to give you all a feel/brief idea of what each story will be like if that helps in your voting process.

The sequel to Sunlight's Return of course, follows the next installment of where this story leaves off. I can tell you there will be a lot of developments in family dynamics/relationships. It's going to be a humorous tale, but still have tons of tender and drama filled moments for the Ketchum family. That is all I'm gonna say only because I'd spoil a lot of upcoming developments. ;) Also, this story has the most development plot wise so far. This story will be told in third person like its previous novels.

As for the Pokémon AU inspired by J.J. Abram's hit show Fringe, the main pairing will be Pokeshipping. I can tell you that Ash, Misty, Prof. Oak, and Gary will serve as the four main characters. Others however, such as Brock, Delia, Drake… and some other minor characters, will be featured as well. It basically shapes Fringe's theme/ideas into its own original concoction with Pokémon, without being a copycat of the actual Fringe show. More than anything, Fringe is the inspiration for this concept. Again, this all I can say without mentioning spoilers. This story will be told in third person as well.

And lastly, the Pokémon AU inspired by Jane Austen's work. Again, this is Pokeshipping and the pairing dictates more of the story versus the Fringe AU. It will consist a lot of societal expectations, relationships (both familial/romantic), consequences of one's actions, and the overall stigma during this time period. I guess you could call it a coming of age story. While it mostly draws inspiration from Austen's work, there is a touch of the Bronte's sisters' writing in it too. I can't help myself. I love gothic novels. Lol. Misty is predominately the main character as we view the world through her actions/interactions with others. I've been working on developing Misty's family as well, who is for a spoil, upper class. But of course, we will see PLENTY of familiar faces in the Pokémon universe too and get insight on Ash's family. So those of you who enjoy all the mother/son tender moments, you might enjoy this story! :)

I hope these brief descriptions help those who wish to vote on the poll. Thank you to those who do!

Now enjoy chapter seven. :D

DISCLAIMER: Pokémon belongs to Satoshi Tajiri. My oc's belong to me.

---

Sunlight's Return

Chapter 7

Rising Threats and Romance Novels

Hurried footsteps traveled down the front porch without looking back.

Misty and Brock walked in front, Brock in particular taking on the responsibility of holding the sacred item. He felt he could handle the pressure that came along with towing the holy feather, and as much as Misty pressed she could, he insisted on job. So without much debate, the four trainers at last bid farewell to the eccentrically decorated inn. The plan, from there, was to take their separate paths to their different destinations. A course to Pallet Town and a course to the Indigo League Hall. While Jay and Drake would travel through Kanto's cities and towns taking specific routes, Misty and Brock would board a ferry in Fuchsia that would take them past Cinnabar Island, past Seafoam Island, and towards Pallet's water borders. Cellphone numbers were exchanged, securely typed into their contact lists to keep in touch during the trips. It was also mutually decided to reveal the contents of the secrets to Ash and Delia once Jay and Drake were in a secure enough setting. In the meantime, Brock and Misty would keep their eyes open and hopefully enjoy a few moments of the natural wonders summer brings.

"Call Drake when you get to Pallet," instructed Jay. His footsteps ended as they reached the edge of the sidewalk. "We'll go from there."

The two trainers nodded in unison. "Okay," Brock responded. "And you want us to go straight to Prof. Oak once we arrive?"

"When you can," the master replied, feeling the trainers had enough pressure on their brave shoulders. "Do it carefully, of course."

Brock nodded again. "We will."

The compromising and understanding seemed illustrated without utterly many words. Yet, there was still this strange feeling circulating through the air. Perhaps after meeting so briefly, the trainers had no choice but to become so close in some respect. And with that closeness delivered the unexpected need to trust and believe.

"Well then," Drake shrugged after a few seconds, his hands hitting the sides of his thighs, "I guess this is it."

"Guess so," Brock answered, feeling the awkward tension of departing as well.

"Be careful out there," Jay warned once more. He felt so responsible for the entire situation, and putting such a dangerous task in the hands of two teenagers made him feel the liability all the more. After all, this was originally his concocted idea.

"We'll be fine," Misty assured, her grip tightening on the strap of her bag. Then, a small smile bloomed on her glossed lips. "And you two do the same."

The two trainers before him...they appeared genuinely kind to Jay. They were, after all, going to great lengths of trouble to lend him aid even though they hardly knew one another. Seeing a peek of who Brock and Misty really were—Jay knew without a doubt they were a blessing in disguise. It wasn't every day that he'd happen to run into two of his son's friends, and that they would turn out to be just as passionate of trainers as they were people.

Eventually, Jay broke out a small smile. "Thank you both," he at last said. "For helping me."

The moment of which appeared to be the final goodbye for the time being ended abruptly when Jay's eyes flashed to the side. The sound of faint chatter pricked his ears, indicating the sound originated down the sidewalk. Looking to the side, he made out what appeared to be a small group of men. From what he could tell, they were most likely around his or Drake's age, and were talking amongst themselves as they moseyed along. However, their sudden appearances, their forced casual demeanor, the random act of them simply traveling down a sidewalk of a bed and breakfast with a few scattered houses around the area...

Jay's eyes narrowed. Those men, with their feet pounding against the cement, their steps growing faster and closer to them with close eyes... Then there was that dark car parked near his- he didn't remember it being there before...

His now overly-used keen senses were telling him something.

Something wasn't right.

"Go," the master ordered softly with a hint of firmness.

Icy blue eyes flashed away from the trainers, and then he looked to his brother. Drake, at first, returned Jay's gaze with a puzzled one of his own, until he glanced behind him. He saw the men and picked up on the same feeling. Instantly, the two men made their first attempt at a vanishing act. But Misty wouldn't have it. Why would they have to leave now? What was the rush? And why did Jay's eyes turn so incredibly cold?

"Go?" the girl echoed, squinting in confusion. "Why?-"

"Run."

The stern thickness in Jay's voice had morphed into something alarming, which propelled the two teens to make their move. Only a flash of what seemed to be just an average group of men wandering down the long sidewalk turned their perception upside down. As if they knew their cover had been blown, the small cluster of men dashed toward their direction without giving the anticipating trainers much time to think. Instantly, Brock grabbed hold of Misty's wrist as he tried to lead her to safety. But as they rounded the sharp corner as if they vanished to exist from peril's eyes, a jerk by Misty ended their grand escape.

"Ahh!" Her sudden yelp caught not just Brock but even herself by surprise. It felt as if her body had been jerked back, and what sounded like fabric tearing followed soon after her fumbled escape. Frantic sea-green eyes gleamed down at her burnt-red shorts, discovering a sharp end of the wire from the fence entangled in her now ripping pocket. Misty immediately looked to Brock with panicked hands as she struggled to release herself from the wire's hold. "Brock, I'm stuck!"

The young man quickly swiveled on his feet, his steps hurrying towards his panicked friend. "Just hold on, Misty!"

To Brock's surprise, he was intentionally stopped by none other than Jay. Gawking at him in shock and perplexity, Brock watched the man gracefully toss a pair of keys to Drake, then turned back to the trainer with a narrowing his brows. "There's no time!" he insisted, his voice growing deep with seriousness. "Get out of here! Before they catch you both!"

However, Brock remained where he was standing. "But I can't leave her!-"

His gesture and arguable words were cut off by Misty this time, who was wearing a very assured look. "I'll be fine, Brock," she insisted. The importance of the mission itself could not be blown over this minor misstep, nor was she about to let them both feel the wrath of the consequences. "Just take the feather and go." Then her eyes softened as she witnessed his refusal to leave. He cared too much to simply go. "I'll be okay," breathed Misty with a subtle smile.

He hated to make his exit without her, but submitted to it nonetheless. Jay had stated this task wasn't going to be a harmless adventure- not even comparable to the average danger he and his old traveling companions used to face. No. Obviously, whomever Jay was dealing with meant serious business. Dire enough consequences for the master to insist for Brock to flee... But what of Misty? He wasn't going to leave her, was he?

With one last look that communicated a promise between the trainer and master silently, Brock hurriedly rushed for cover somewhere nearby. Brock saw a glimmer of assurance in Jay's eyes, and hopefully, he wasn't simply wishing for the glimmer to be there just to ensure Misty would be safe.

Thankfully, he wasn't fooling himself.

In a flash, Jay's hands speedily worked to untangle the wire out of Misty's tearing shorts. The hole in the process grew slightly larger, though at this point Misty could care less. He had freed her, not left her alone to face whatever doom. That act alone spoke a million words.

And reminded her of someone else who would willingly do the same.

"C'mon."

With a firm grip Misty took Jays' offered hand and scurried off in a fast-paced blur. The movements happened so rapidly and swiftly that she wasn't prepared to be tossed into the back seat of the car she now realized was Jay's. Settling herself haphazardly in the right hand seat, Misty looked to the man one last time before he slammed the door and ran all the way around to the other side. Drake was already starting the ignition from his side, till Jay slipped in without even caring to buckle in his seat-belt. Instead, he pressed on the gas and turned out of the street without looking back.

In the safe corridors of a flourishing azalea bush, Brock peeked through the tiny leafs. His heart racing, his eyes skimming the surrounding area not knowing which way to look next. Why were they so scared? Why was he so scared? It was just Team Rocket. At least that's who he assumed it was. And what harm could they really do? Then again, like Misty and he had debated, it seemed these Team Rocket agents were much more threatening than whatever fear Jessie and James believed they could strike into them. And that was proven quite vividly to him once his eyes glanced over to his left again. Temper-flaring grunts finally made their way up the long steep sidewalk, harsh eyes glaring at the car escaping their grasp. Brock gulped as he peeled back the few leafs he was able to see from without attracting unwanted attention. These were not ordinary civilians.

The lead one, baring a deep husky voice, froze in his tracks. Then, his heels sharply turned to his fellow agents. "Humph! He thinks he can get away so easily. Fat chance," the grunt snickered. "Let's go, boys!"

Without needing any instructions, the small gang of thugs jumped into what was a black sleek car parked a few spaces behind Jay's. They must have been checking out all the local inns and hotels to locate their prey, explaining their sudden appearance. If the assumption was indeed true, the thought irked Brock and bothered him to a greater level than if the grunts just happened to find Misty and the others upon dumb luck.

At the first drumming of the engine starting, Brock's eyes locked onto the moving threat and soon his gaze traveled with the zooming car.

His pulse rose with a light worried head. Misty...

---

How did Team Rocket find them?

That horrendous bed and breakfast was the perfect place to hide out! Nobody would look there! That is what Jay and Drake originally thought. But now... It must be thanks to that Cassidy and Whatshisname, was Jay's initial thought, considering they were the ones who located them at the festival. Luck was apparently not on their side as they had thought. And their naiveté was biting them in the butt for it as they sped down Fuchsia's streets, the distance separating them further and further from the bed and breakfast.

Blue eyes soon flashed to the side mirror, catching sight of the abhorrent black vehicle with a red R so subtly stamped on the front, closing in behind them. "Shit," Jay cursed, tightening his grip on the wheel. "They're still riding our tail."

"What do we do?" Drake asked, just as alarmed. "We can't keep up this chase."

"I know," Jay huffed in annoyance. It didn't matter which way he turned or which street he took, they followed them regardless. The only way to lose them was for enough cars to separate the distance between the two vehicles, though as they turned every corner escaping Team Rocket seemed impossible. There was one other option that did sound remotely promising… it just wasn't the safest choice.

Sighing, Jay came to a conclusion. "I guess we have no choice but to turn up the heat."

"What?"

Drake's confused exclamatory was cut short after feeling Jay accelerate the speed they were at. That they went up nearly ten miles per hour, and in a zone that was barely out of the city limits, petrified both Drake and Misty for several reasons. What in God's name was he thinking? Was he trying to get them or someone else killed in the process?! Sure, the section of the city they were in wasn't ridden with traffic, but the idea that other cars were out was enough to justify Drake and Misty's frenzy.

"Are you trying to get a ticket?!" Drake exclaimed, looking to his brother as if he lost his mind.

But Jay kept his cool. "You could put it that way, yes."

"What? Why would you do something like that?!"

"If the police try to stop us, either Team Rocket will be caught or they'll give up on following us. They don't exactly like anything involving the law."

"Yeah, but then we'll get punished- Watchoutwatchout!"

The fast paced and overly dramatic "watch out" was thanks to a cluster of what appeared to be tourists meandering through the crosswalk without a single care. Thankfully, Jay was able to maneuver swiftly around the group, though the speeding car nearly made the group jump out of their skins as well as greatly offend the obvious tour guide. And the incident almost made everyone lose their flashing cameras and prized cheap merchandise.

Racing on forward to Fuchsia's freeway, Jay smirked at his brother. "I'm surprised going this fast bothers you," he commented, while still focusing on the road.

"Riding on Dragonite through the air with no interference is one thing, but driving into oncoming traffic without following basic Driver's Ed rules is another thing altogether!" Drake contradicted, the adrenaline the close encounter gave him still pumping erratically in his chest.

"I concur!" Misty shouted in the backseat, sitting nervously as her fingers dug into the leather interior.

Jay just smirked. "Then it's a good thing I'm not a Driver's Ed instructor."

Even with speeding, every time one of the trainers glanced over their shoulder Team Rocket was still in pursuit of them. The criminals were a few cars separated, but that didn't mean they wouldn't try threatening the lives of other drivers by swerving past them without any hesitation. It was, to call it bluntly, a real car chase Misty only thought she'd see in movies versus actually be a part of. Films that were categorized as action thrillers weren't really her thing, and now being in one for the first time, Misty knew they never would be.

It was an absolute mess. An epic scene that was drawing everyone's attention in the area. One car chasing right after the other; people hurrying to the sidewalks, some screaming; and other folks simply standing with agape mouths. They were attracting a lot of negative attention, which Jay assumed logically would entail the Fuchsia City's police squad arriving at any minute. But it didn't. Time after time, pulling in front of other cars, rudely cutting in front of others, speeding by a school zone, heck even running a few red lights… Nothing. Jay did everything he wouldn't have done on his driving test all those years ago. The irresponsible things he would have witnessed Chad do when they went to take their test. But no. There wasn't a single officer roaming the streets, parked off to the side… It was so unbelievable that it almost offended Jay. The one time he wished to make an explicit scene no one in the law enforcement cared. He made so many offences he would have reported himself!

The last thing the running trainers needed was for Team Rocket to pull out the big guns. Literally. And with how the chase was carrying on, coming closer and closer to the exit of the city, Jay was worried it was about to be carried out very violently.

"You have got to be kidding me," groaned Jay, watching the speedometer. "Where the hell is the law when you need them?"

"Apparently not coming," his brother answered, feeling the hairs still stand up on the back of his neck. "And will you slow down? This isn't getting us anywhere."

Slow down? Jay could think of thousands of reasons not to slow the speed and only a couple for why he should. They hadn't hurt anyone…although Jay knew his actions were violations against the law and that he would admittedly turn in someone who was driving in a similar manner. But Team Rocket was after them! And after dealing with Brimble and his crew for so long, Jay understood what they were capable of. He had been the one kidnapped before, punched, beaten, tied up, and yet he still managed to escape fairly unscathed. So, no. He did not like the idea of slowing down just to turn himself over to Giovanni.

No chance in hell.

Jay's brows creased. "Sure, I'll slow down," he started with a bite of sarcasm. "As long as you're okay with being caught by Team Rocket and having your cover blown, then yeah. I can definitely slow down for you."

In the back, the quietest out of three, still sat Misty who was growing extremely impatient by their bickering. Not to mention the fast ride and the jerky movements were wearing on her muscles and mind. She had had enough.

"Will you two stop arguing?!" the redhead demanded, leaning forward in her seat so they each got a good earful of her hollering. Misty was absolutely fed up with the arguing. They might have been the ones watching the road fully and people within, but she was the one in the backseat listening to it all.

But now she was the one pointing out the newest development. Sea-green eyes widened and a shrill gasp shrieked from her throat as her index finger pointed directly to the road ahead.

"Look out in front of you!" she cried.

Instantly, Jay slowed down and the car came to a screeching halt that, to the passengers inside, took forever to officially stop. Jolted back in their seats with wide eyes and hurting heads, the three trainers blinked and looked to see what obstacle was before them.

And it had to be a cruel joke. A cruel joke of pure irony.

Right before them, waltzing very slowly down the crosswalk that would soon lead them to the freeway, was a round Slowpoke with a glassy gaze, and not only naturally unresponsive itself, but its young trainer appeared to be as well. The trainer, a boy to be precise, was most likely a rookie around the age of ten to twelve. He was taking his sweet time walking as well, his footsteps gradually being made as his prized, absentminded creature waddled right in front of them.

Jay sucked in a deep long breath.

Why them?

A deep growl slipped from Jay's throat as he undid his seatbelt. "Oh, for God's sake..." Without caring about the stunned looks he was given by Misty and Drake, Jay pressed repeatedly on the horn; then, when that wasn't working, he rolled down his window and leaned out. He didn't have time for this nonsense. "Hey!" his baritone voice barked to the trainer. "C'mon kid! Move it!"

Rather alarmed, the boy looked oddly at Jay, but within time made the connection. He was considerably weak, trying to push his Slowpoke along from the behind, though it got him nowhere in the process. Soon, the boy panted and with lowered brows whined back at Jay.

"Uh, I'm trying, mister!"

Jay huffed and slouched back in his seat. Where the hell was the Pokémon's pokeball? Not that he was about to ask that question, because God knew that answer would take even longer to be explained than for the damn Slowpoke to prance to the other side.

"Of all the days..." he grumbled. From there, Jay's head fell into his right hand, and soon his fingers caressed his temple as he tried to collect his wits. But he wasn't given much time.

The screeching, repetitive sound alerted all the streets. Finally, the police were coming with their blaring sirens. And Drake was severely on edge as he gleamed over his shoulder.

"Great," the islander snorted, feeling utterly hopeless. "The cops are after us now."

"Just relax," his older brother ordered, slightly irritated. The Slowpoke was only half-way across.

"Relax?" Drake repeated, stupefied. "How can I relax?! Oh, this is my worst nightmare!" he cried, his head leaning back again as it tossed from side to side. "My worst vacation-"

"Just shut up for a minute!" his older brother shouted. If he heard one more word about Drake's precious vacation time he was going to explode. Keeping relatively calm even with his low tolerance for nonsense was all Jay could do to stay fairly even, though with Drake's whining, Misty's flaring temper, drivers behind him yelling, and his impatience, nothing was going to go over well.

"Arrgh, why isn't Team Rocket giving up?" the master eventually blurted, looking behind his shoulder again. They were coming around the corner, and even if a few cars kept them apart, it wouldn't surprise Jay if they jumped out and hauled him away, creating a bigger scene. And the fact that the sirens were blaring directly behind the thug's vehicle.

"They're coming closer!" screeched Misty, alarming the men in the front seats.

Jay produced another groan and pressed on the horn. "C'mon! Go!"

Between Jay's continuing honking of the ear bleeding horn and Drake's mild mental breakdown, Misty had her thoughts circulating through her mind. There must be something she could do. If she got out of the car and helped move the Slowpoke, she wasn't sure her upper body strength would be much assistance and with Team Rocket and the police drawing closer and closer…

At last, the gym leader had her brilliant idea for the day. And all it took was for her to look up.

"I've got an idea!" announced Misty, fiddling with her bag. "Come on out Azurill!"

In a bright flash with a toss of the 'ball, the bubbly round blue water Pokémon appeared out of its holder and happily danced on Misty's lap. Then from there, Misty rose out of her seat, Azurill tucked in one arm as she looked to the men.

"What are you doing?" inquired Drake.

"Open up the roof," she ordered, pointing to the easy accessible sunroof.

Perplexed expressions were shared between Jay and Drake, trying to comprehend what Misty had in mind. However, with her ever-growing impatience, Jay gave up trying to figure her elaborate plan out and did as he was told.

"All right, your highness," he said with a huff, opening the roof as she very sternly asked.

From there, Misty raised her upper body toward the opening, feeling the warm rays of the sun hit her skin. She was able to boost Azurill gently on top of the actual foundation of the car roof, and with that, only one last step was left to execute the plan.

"This will help Slowpoke along," she assured herself, before turning her attention to her Pokémon. "Now Azurill, use water gun on that Slowpoke and push it to the edge of the sidewalk! But gently of course," she reminded. After all, it was not her goal to harm the pink creature, nor did she wish to.

With a quick mind and feet, Azurill did as her master commanded and blasted out a powerful rushing gush of water. "Azurill!"

With one hit, cold, beautifully rich blue water splashed onto the Slowpoke from the rear end, and sent it directly onto the cement. The creature collided with a great thud, shaking its head as it looked to Misty in confusion. The trainer behind the Slowpoke raced up to his Pokémon in concern and as he bent down and checked it over, he gave Misty a very disapproving look. The Pokémon was all right, but nonetheless the action angered the boy.

"Hey, what the heck was that for, lady?!" he hollered angrily.

Misty sweat-dropped and flashed a pathetic wave of an apology. "Sorry, but we're in a rush! Thanks for understanding!"

Hurriedly she grabbed hold of Azurill and slipped back into the car with a soft collision with the seat. "I hope I didn't hurt it," she said worriedly, strapping herself back in.

Jay pressed on the gas. "It's fine."

"Let's just go already!" exclaimed Drake.

And with that, they were off. Zooming away fast enough before Team Rocket violently pulled their car in front of the short line of others, who rightfully, deserved to be furious from all chaos.

"Where the hell did Ketchum go?" the lead grunt, who was driving, asked in puzzlement.

As the criminals gawked around, finding no trace of Jayce Ketchum, they shortly realized there was only one path he could have taken to escape from them. And that path was suddenly closed off. The blasting noise of various sirens engulfed the area, police cars cramming themselves into the space where the supposed speeders had been located. The confusion provoked hysteria as the agents found themselves closed in with no way out. Then, a commanding voice rang over the obnoxious sirens.

"Stop!" they heard a female voice boom over an intercom stationed in the main police vehicle that was behind them. "By the order of Fuchsia City Police, I demand you to come out with your hands up! NOW!"

They were screwed. There was no way they could vanish from the law's eyes this time. It was possible, however, seeing as they were dressed as innocent civilians, to concoct a ridiculous lie that they were chasing down a guy and his crew who'd stolen their Pokémon. With their fake IDs, that would get them out of the pinch. All they needed was-

"Did any of you idiots get a good look at that trainer's license plate?" the lead agent asked, looking about the blank stares he was given.

They all paused.

"Uh... No."

---

"So I think it's best, like Leah suggested, to start with soup and salad. And not a warm soup. A cold soup. It's summer. One that's perhaps ethnic-"

Emily paused.

When she was included to have some say and input in the inn's anniversary preparations, the woman had no clue the likes of a certain someone would be helping out. Someone in her daughter-in-law's family who she had hardly interacted with up to this point. And from this experience alone, never wished to interact with again.

Staring blankly at the man, Emily raised a puzzled brow. "Why are you staring off into space like a slowpoke who hasn't had an 'aha' moment in days?"

Eventually, Ernest's young brother, Leo, blinked. "I just realized something."

"Dare I ask what?" retorted Emily, dreading it all.

"I get hungover on days I don't drink."

That should have been expected.

Also sitting at the table were Leah and Michelle. Leah was caught looking over patterns and various design packets Emily had brought with her to the inn, while Michelle was jotting down all their notes for the special menu of the evening. And now Leo, who, being family, just had to be included, was interrupting the delicate process with a very strange personal dilemma. Ernest trying to make his brother give aid by offering service from his restaurant was appreciated by Leah with every fiber of her being. They were short on staff currently, and swamped with the fact that nearly the entire town planned on showing up. So naturally, a little extra help was needed with at least the appetizers. But knowing how Leo operated, Leah doubted it was going to work.

And this was just the start of it all.

The fast swiveling of Michelle's pen stopped as she looked to Leo oddly. "That's...peculiar."

"I know, right?" he agreed, not sensing her tone as he simply lounged back in his chair. "I mean I've got some hardcore metal band playin' the drums like there's no tomorrow up in there and I can't figure out why."

"Perhaps it's all that sugar you insist on serving in that accursed business of yours," Emily threw in, already becoming annoyed at the conversation based upon the man's poor drinking habits...and his voice.

"I don't eat sugar- wait," Leo started slowly, eyes wide and full of vacancy.

"What?" said Michelle, watching him closely.

"I did spike my orange juice at breakfast this morning," he announced, as if the wheels in his brain were beginning to turn.

"Good grief," Emily moaned, eyes darting up towards the ceiling.

"And I had a candy bar!" the dishwater blonde man exclaimed, the pieces fitting perfectly together for his mind to come to a restful conclusion.

If this was what the entire meeting was going to consist of, then Emily was in desperate need of a gimlet and some aspirin. Not that the two should ever be mixed, though. But at this rate, she was willing to try anything to numb the twitching in her eye.

Thankfully, to everyone's already intolerant state to nonsense, Leah, being the most even tempered, stepped in. "We really need focus on this, Leo," she made sure to empathize, hoping to get everyone back on track.

And without any complaint, he nodded and folded his arms across his chest. "I'm down with it."

Holding the pen steady in her hand again, Michelle refocused her attention. "So do we want cold soup versus warm soup?" she doubled-checked.

"I just said that it would be better accompaniment considering the time of year we're in," Emily answered rather rudely, though Michelle ignored the woman's impatient remark. Her pen, though, held tightly in her hand, swiveled vigorously against the lined notebook paper. Never mind she was the one prepping and cooking the entire meal. Emily was supposed to give advice on a proper color palette for the decorations and table cloths for the elaborate dinner, not the dinner itself.

Out of the blue, Leo declared his own personal preference. And it wasn't needed or asked for. "I like warm soup," he said plainly.

Emily tapped her perfectly filed nails against the table top. "Not this again."

"I mean I've got my allergies actin' up," Leo felt inclined to explain all the grizzly details of his summer sneezes and coughs. "It's good on my sore throat from all the hackin' and coughin' up junk-"

"But that's not what we want," argued Emily before anyone could interject. Though she believed she was speaking on everyone's behalf.

"I'll just make it warm and then cool it off for everyone else," Leo retorted, becoming slightly miffed at the woman's constant demands and remarks. "No one will know the difference."

"Yes they will, because everyone knows there are certain soups you eat hot and some you eat cold-"

"Let's just move on to the salads, shall we?" Leah tried to interject, her forced smile quivering as the heightened vexation rose. What did she do wrong to get stuck with an in-law like Leo...or Emily?

"I'm cool with that," Leo replied, calming down. "Salads are supposed to be cold."

One would think most salads would consist of a chilled touch to the teeth. However, Emily of course, had her own ideas to throw into the mix.

"To go with the ethnic vibe perhaps we should have a warm slaw instead."

"Now hold on!" Leo exclaimed, as if riled up by the concept of creating something out of his comfort zone. "All the slaws I make are cold! Are you tellin' me you want me to zap one in the microwave for you?"

"Of course not!" Emily scoffed, confounded he'd suggest such a ludicrous idea. "You can't make warm slaw in a microwave!"

"Look, I can make you cold cole slaw out of a package-"

"You don't make your own cole slaw?" Michelle cut in, surprised. She was a masterful chef, and to her, everything should be made from scratch or at least with reputable sources.

"Never have and never will," he confessed without any regrets. "Never hurt my business any."

That Emily contradicted. "Until the health inspector comes and sees your place," she grumbled, gazing off to the side.

Her slip of the tongue, whether she cared or not, was heard and was not taken lightly by Leo. He held the Pancake House to his form of high standards, being the only breakfast joint in their dinky town.

Leaning forward across the table, he wagged his finger towards Emily's face. "Hey, those are fightin' words-"

"Uggh, Leo! Where the hell have you been?"

The sudden exclaim was made by a woman, who came up to their table with an obnoxious pair of jingling seashell earrings, a long tie dye dress, and bore locks of wavy dirty-blonde hair. It was Leo's prized wife, Sunshine, who looked and sounded just as dazed as he did. They were the perfect match, and apparently, she had a bone to pick with him that couldn't wait.

"We're open, I can't find the new menus, and I've got a killer hangover," she openly explained, not caring or seeing she had interrupted their meeting.

"I'm talking with Leah and her staff, Sunshine," her husband replied, motioning to the ladies across from him. "About catering the appetizers for the party."

Leo's explanation only made Sunshine's forehead wrinkle. "You're not a caterer."

"I know. Try tellin' her that," he agreed, pointing the blame to Leah. "But she's my brother's woman, I got no other option."

"But you're not a caterer," Sunshine repeated, thinking somehow everyone would get that fact drilled into their minds. "He's not a caterer," she continued, now actually looking to Leah, who passively nodded and smiled back in agreement.

As the pointless conversation persisted, Emily finally gave up paying any attention to the two "lower class invalids" before her, and found her surroundings more entertaining to watch versus the debate if Leo could rightfully be deemed a caterer or not. She already knew the answer to that question. But what she didn't know was what exactly Delia was chatting with the mayor about. They were sitting only a few tables away, some papers scattered in front of them, most likely discussing the very function itself. That was all fine and dandy; however, with Emily's already nosy personality and the rumors circulating around the mayor's divorce, she didn't want her daughter-in-law accidentally getting entangled in the web of such a vicious Ariados as the mayor himself. She did, after all, find Delia to still be the naïve, ditzy girl who her son brought home for dinner. Someone who might easily take the bait for a "broken" and "hurting" man who was in need of comfort.

Even though that wasn't the case at all.

"I hear ya," Leo answered his wife, snapping Emily's attention back into focus. "I'm just tryin' to bank some extra cash so we don't have to stay open seven days a week."

That statement alone earned an aghast and dumbfounded look from Sunshine. Then, a loud scoff followed from her stunned mouth. "We're open seven days a week? Who decided that?!"

"Don't look at me," her husband shrugged. "I dunno. I guess one of us did, at some point."

"It's stupid," she scoffed again.

"I know!"

At this point, Sunshine was in the midst of her dramatic exit, till she remembered why she came into the establishment in the first place.

"Help me find those menus!" the whiny woman ordered, storming out of the inn with her rattling seashell earrings.

Like a faithful Flareon to its master, Leo rose from his seat without further argument. Honestly, he had been looking for those new menus too that morning, so he supposed he'd find them now instead of later. "I'll be back," he announced to the women, as if he would be missed. "And I still think the soup will work by coolin' it off."

That last comment alone as he strutted off sent Emily over the edge. Another roll of her eyes could not be held back, and a desperate expression was given to Leah at her left. "What kind of family has my son married into?" she cried out. "What kind of family have you married into?"

"It's just Leo who's the black sheep. Believe me," Leah heavily stressed. Comparing Ernest to Leo...was like comparing day to night. It didn't make sense. And frankly, Leah never knew it would.

"Well you shouldn't let him talk about you like that," Emily insisted sharply. "Especially in front of you."

"Yes well, he's high or drunk half of the time so it's not worth the fight," Leah rebutted, straightening the small stack of papers she had with her. Then, she slapped them back down on the table with an exasperated sigh. "Let's just make some decisions while he's gone. Perhaps even omitting his help altogether?"

"I thought you'd never say that!" Michelle couldn't resist exclaiming. Relieved couldn't begin to describe how she felt about that suggestion. "We'll do just fine without him. We'll just have to pay our staff extra. Besides, if I have Delia as second in command, we can definitely do the appetizers on top of the desserts and entrees!" she added with enthusiasm, totally pumped about the idea. "But tell Ernest it was nice of him to offer- Leo."

Leah nodded, silently stating she would. She supposed it was just Ernest's way of getting his young brother more involved with the family. However, Leah didn't think, since he and Leo hardly ever talked, that Ernest fully understood the man's cooperation to partake in such an endeavor. And what he was capable of understanding.

Finally wrapping the last minute arrangements up with the mayor, Delia bid him a polite goodbye and ventured to the table where her mother and the others sat. She smiled a tired grin at the group, excited to be a part of the preparations she was so eager to lend ideas to.

"Sorry about that," Delia apologized, taking a seat in the chair Leo originally sat in. "Now, where were we?"

"We decided to- decline Leo's help over cold soups and warm slaws," Leah explained. She had to choose her word choice carefully. Firing just sounded too harsh. "I will just have to tell him the news when he gets back." And that would surely be a fun chore to tackle.

Delia blinked back. She wondered what all the bickering was about- and Sunshine's dramatic entrance. "Oh, well I could have told you that," she not so shamefully said.

"Despite his interruptions, from my notes it seems we got a lot of things squared away. So I guess the meeting's over?"

"You mean I missed that much?" said Delia, a little disappointed she wasn't a part of the decision making.

But Leah put her worries to rest with a warm smile. "Don't worry, honey. It wasn't a big deal. Really. Emily is helping us with décor, and you and Michelle will be in charge of the entire meal."

"Plus the appetizer course?" her daughter questioned, considering Leo was 'excused' from his expectations.

"Plus the appetizer course. If that's okay."

"Yeah," she nodded, trying to wrap her mind around everything. "It'll be fine."

From there, the four women rose from their seats, each gathering their belongings to clear the table. Emily, though, still had one last question before officially departing.

"Well then, Leah, when would you like the finished layout?" she asked, appearing open to options.

"Sometime this upcoming week," replied Leah. "If that's doable with your schedule."

"That's perfectly fine."

"And I apologize for my brother-in-law," Leah threw in suddenly. She felt horrible for the whole ordeal. It was silly and avoidable, and knowing how touchy Emily already was, well- she didn't want to make a bad impression in front of her daughter's mother-in-law. Considering she and Leah had always been civil with one another.

Thankfully, Emily understood. "Don't," the wealthy woman insisted, swinging her leather strap purse over her shoulder. "It's not your fault his IQ is lower than a Maijkarp's."

"That I second," Michelle chuckled a little. "We'll see you soon, Emily."

"Yes," she nodded. "See you both next week."

And that was supposed to be it. Yes, the four women were scheduled to go finish their own personal business. At least, that's what Delia believed. Strutting back to the front counter she was suddenly "barked" at by the person she did not want to engage in a deep discussion with.

"Delia?" the voice called sharply. "I would like a word with you, please."

The woman froze in her tracks with an uncomfortable tingle shooting up her spine. Oh, it was her mother-in-law, and Delia could only guess what Emily wanted. She was, after all, using her "come over and talk to me regardless if you have plans or simply want to engage in a conversation" tone. Holding her tongue, Delia responded promptly. "Okay." Then, turning on her heels with slight irritation, Delia walked back to Emily and soon stood before her mother-in-law. She could only pray it was something about the party and nothing about her personal life. Though Delia knew that was a stretch.

"What is it, Emily?" she asked, hiding whatever agitation she had in her voice.

"Are you lonely?" Emily asked outwardly, standing stiff and motionless.

Delia's jaw fell open. "What?-"

"It's just the way you were chatting things up with the mayor. It appeared you were enjoying his company."

"Emily-" She didn't know what to say. What was Emily thinking? Then again, could one ever understand what she was thinking or how her thought process worked? And why was she watching them as she was in the middle of her own meeting? Was she that bored? Shaking off the shock, Delia tried not losing her cool from the frenzy her mother-in-law was putting her in. There was nothing to hide, but just the idea that Emily would assume something like that made her feel...uncomfortable. As if in Emily's view, a smile meant more than just a friendly expression.

"Not to be rude, but what you're insinuating I find to be very hurtful and untrue," confessed Delia, not really caring whether Emily wished to hear her earnest response or not. "I have no feelings for Frederick. We were talking business. That's all."

It appeared in all actuality that Frederick, the mayor everyone looked up to with the highest praise, was close to blubbering about his now distant wife, Minnie. "Meanie Minnie" as Delia and Michelle so innocently nicknamed the bitter woman after the whole bake sale escapade... Delia wasn't proud of it. But Meanie Minnie was asking for a lot more than just a high school pet name for a typical mean girl.

If the conversation was consisting of anything juicy, the mayor was coming off rather weak- and desperate to mend things back together, for he was blindsided by the divorce and his spouse's harsh accusations. And all Delia wanted was his guest list for the evening, what entree he wished for, and if he felt compelled to make some kind of opening speech. So staying out of the spat, Delia offered the best distant condolences she could and an available seat if his wife chose to accompany him to the party. Those promises were nothing of any romantic provocation, and Delia certainly didn't want to witness a marriage destroy itself. God knew she could speak from similar experiences...

But Emily didn't need to know all of that. No. It was none of her business. And quite frankly, Delia knew it was none of hers as well.

"I didn't believe you were coming onto him," Emily swiftly corrected, her brows narrowing. "What I thought was that you didn't mind his flirtatious behavior."

"Well if you heard what he was saying you wouldn't deem it as flirtatious," the woman insisted, finding the whole conversation absurd. "I don't think selecting his main entree for the evening or where an available parking space would be for the event falls into the context of a romantic discussion."

"Oh, you can turn any word or phrase into a sexual perversion," Delia's mother-in-law scoffed, as if the woman's words meant nothing.

"What are you getting at?" asked Delia, folding her arms.

Pursed lips and wandering eyes were exaggerated on her face as Emily avoided eye contact. These types of talks with her daughter-in-law, the signs of subtle affection...they weren't easy for her. Or for anyone for that matter. "I'm just worried about you. Am I not allowed to worry?" the older woman added defensively, as if it was a crime.

Delia's gaze softened. "Of course you are," she sighed. "But honestly Emily, there is no reason to worry. I'm great! I've got Ash home, an amazing business, support from my family. I don't need anything else."

This just made the older woman snort. "Except a man," she mumbled.

In response, Delia's eyebrows furrowed. "A man does not necessarily complete a woman."

"I know that!" Her hiss was strong, but not as strong as the look she gave back to Delia. As if she didn't understand that a woman could stand on her own two feet. Heck, Emily probably was the prime example of an independent woman, who could climb mountains, work miracles, solve intricate tight pinches...or plan frivolous parties and boss maids and her children around.

"I'm just saying you were used to having a companion in your life," Emily furthered to explain, her temper dying down a bit. "And now that he is not here, it's still somewhat hard for you to adjust to. Believe me, I can see it. You have let go of a lot, Delia. I am not denying that. Many unfortunate circumstances in regards to the past- with my son have been let go of and forgiven," she bitterly added, a sharp glaze casting over her eyes. "However, I don't believe it has fully left you as you would like to believe."

Delia fully disagreed.

"It has. Honestly. I've moved on."

"But you still harbor feelings for him?" provoked the older woman.

That was an easy question to answer, yet complicated at the same time. The letter Delia had received on the day Ash left for his journey...it washed many negative feelings away. Back into the depths of the deep dark sea where they belonged. Still, the pain, the missing, the wanting, the need for definite closure were there. Those feelings had not faded. Even though her husband had said neither she nor Ash were the reasons for his leaving. And that he still cared so deeply for both of them. That he still loved them.

The question that haunted her was: what were the details of his leaving? And when would he come back? He said he wanted to...but couldn't.

Feeling the start of droplets forming in her eyes, Delia withheld any tears and instead put on a brave face. "I will always have feelings for Jayce," she admitted, not afraid to say it any longer. "But he's not here. And I have to accept that. No matter how much I wish for things to be different."

For a moment, Emily stared at her. Then, she came to a resolution. "Very well. I just know with..." She took a moment to consider her words; then, began again quietly. "With a certain time approaching... I thought-"

"I know what you're trying to say, Emily. And it's okay. I'll be okay," she empathized sincerely.

That certain time approaching...Delia too had thought about it. And it was drawing close.

It seemed that the reassurance did more good than harm in the discussion, thus ending Emily's tirade of worries. "If you say so," she replied, seeming to have simmered down. However, a flicker of something stern graced her lips, which transitioned into a deep frown. "But you should get out and do something. Watching those soap operas of yours and your insistent need to clean your own house isn't going to solve the problem," Emily continued to rebuke harshly. "You can only distract yourself from the truth for so long... I can speak from experience. Now, go out and live a little, for God's sake!"

For one moment, Delia really believed she and her mother-in-law were having a heart-to-heart discussion. But it was all wiped away at the stinging reminder that she needed to do more with her time than reduce herself to the likes of an eighty-year-old woman.

---

The road out of Fuchsia City was undeniably quiet. Almost content.

Beyond relieved to be far away from Team Rocket's clutches, however, travelling down a road to which she didn't know was going to lead her next with two men who she hardly knew for more than a day...that was something she had difficulty processing. Yet even with the given situation, Misty was beginning to feel safe in the company of Jay and Drake. It was still rather new and very much strange; nevertheless from what actions were exhibited to her, the gym leader knew she was secure with their watchful eyes. They had proven to be good people so far, and now being stuck with them, Misty didn't want to think otherwise. And she didn't want Brock to be up in arms about the situation either. So once feeling calm enough to dial his number, Misty rang him up. It only took one ring for him to answer, and he bore a heavy tone of concern and panic. Gently, Misty eased her worried friend who couldn't help but treat her like a baby sister.

"Hey, it's me," she announced calmly. "No, no. I'm okay."

"You sure?" Brock's voice crackled over the cellphone, still troubled.

"Yeah," she said.

"Well, what happened?" he persisted, eager to hear all the details. Once Team Rocket flew by in their speedy vehicle, he journeyed back to Misty's sisters on foot. Along the way, he couldn't help but think of the worst case scenarios.

"Let's just say we are officially in the middle of nowhere." That is, what it looked like to her. It was a long winding road, filled with nothing but trees and more trees. It had been a very long time since she traveled across Kanto by foot, though she knew wherever they were going, the paved road would eventually lead them to some kind of city. "How 'bout you? Did you get back to my sisters okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. They were asking where you were, so I told them."

Misty snorted softly, only imagining how they'd react. "How did they take it?"

She could hear him sigh heavily over the phone. So, Misty braced herself.

"Let's just say they're envious."

Figured.

A roll of her sea-green eyes slipped. "Well if they knew the whole story, they wouldn't be."

Being chased down in the city by a threatening organization while avoiding any penalties from the law or accidentally harming innocent civilians in the process…and trusting the hands of Ash's father, who she hardly knew in the first place. Yes. To Misty, that sounded like a real blast. Something her sisters would surely wish to be a part of.

Brock caught on to her irritation, and felt it best not to aggravate it anymore. He already got a harsh lecture from Daisy as to why he'd let her run off like that. The only answer that he could give was that the circumstances were complicated, and that Jay was indeed someone they knew. The accidental reveal that he was Ash's father seemed to cause effervescent giggles to burst between the sisters' lips. To them, they were under the impression that their brave little sister was escorting her secret crush's father back to his family and would hopefully get admiration for her efforts by Ash himself.

So Brock knew that it was best to give Misty the condensed version.

After Misty's reply, they both fell silent over the phone. Though there was one question riding heavily in Brock's mind. What were they to do next? Now with the plan all contorted, would their tactic need to be altered?

"So," he breathed slowly, considering his words carefully, "do you need us to come and get you?"

That was a question Misty had been asking herself ever since they officially exited Fuchsia. Of course the gym leader felt more secure riding with Brock and her sisters, taking part in the plan she was originally assigned to do. But now...

"I think my cover has been blown," Misty declared, even though she hated to admit the dilemma. "I'm sure Team Rocket saw me and if I went back with you, you and my sisters could be in danger."

That was all true. So true Brock couldn't argue his friend's point. Yet, he felt obligated to ensure Misty's safety whether she was spotted or not. As a close friend he knew perfectly well that she could take care of herself, and that she disliked being overly doted upon. But as an honest to goodness friend, he still couldn't leave her alone without showing a glimmer of concern.

"But will you be safe with them?" he asked again, setting aside the fact that she might get upset with his worrying.

To Brock's surprise, though, Misty didn't. Instead, she fell silent, pondering over a proper response. She had to consider all factors. As she had reminded herself several times during that very day, she hardly knew Jay and Drake. But on the other hand, Jay did risk his life to save her. He didn't leave her to be caught and save his own hide. So his genuineness was arguably valid, and neither he nor Drake just tossed her out of the car when they at last left the city. No, they asked her if she was all right, apologized for the scary incident in its entirety, for their yelling and panicked nature...

Lost in her thoughts, Misty didn't even notice that Jay had checked her through the mirror hanging above the front window. His icy eyes softened into something fatherly, but flashed away as he focused back on the road.

Misty smiled. "Yeah," she breathed, confident in her decision. "I think so. I'll call you later, Brock. I promise," she huffed, but still smiling. "Just get some rest. 'Kay, bye."

After hanging up, Misty settled her phone back in her purse. Then, she breathed out a long soft breath. Crazy couldn't begin to describe her day, nor what was in store for her. And she wasn't the only one feeling a similar anxiety rush.

Drake too released a deep sigh and leaned his head against the headrest. He was still feeling the aftereffects of the adrenaline from earlier. "Do you have any idea where we're going?" he questioned, blue eyes peering at his older brother. "Or where we should go for that matter?"

Jay stared at the long road ahead. "Kind of. Vermillion is our next best bet. Unless you'd prefer Lavender Town?" he threw in cheekily, getting in the one sarcastic laugh for the day.

Drake just snorted and rolled his eyes as he gazed out the window. Misty, on the other hand, generated a response that slipped from her tongue without much thought.

"God, no," she proclaimed, chortling faintly about the idea. "That place gives me the creeps."

"Then Vermillion it is," Jay decided unanimously. He wasn't scared of wandering into Lavender Town- but he didn't exactly call that place paradise or a town one would want to visit while on vacation.

Even with the lighthearted humor, the awkwardness had not completely lifted between the three. In particular, between Misty and Jay. He felt downright terrible for the mess up, for her to witness and be caught in the middle of a classic Team Rocket chase scene. That wasn't his intention at all. In fact, he and Drake were hoping that the teenagers would never have to be a part of the danger. But with the way things were going- there wasn't much the master could do to remedy the situation.

Yet he tried anyway. "Listen- Misty?" Jay called, earning the attention of sea-green eyes through the reflection of the mirror. "I believe, like you said, it would be dangerous for you to go back to Brock. I'm just- so sorry. Sorry it had to go down this way. And...I don't want you to be scared. "

Another tiny smile bloomed on Misty's lips. Jay looked apologetic. He sounded apologetic.

He cared. And because he cared, the man was reminding Misty of someone every time he spoke.

Security and confidence blossomed inside her once skeptical mind. She didn't want to be scared. She had no reason to be.

"I'm not," Misty answered, her strength not wavering. "Whatever it takes...we'll get you home, Mr. Ketchum."

---

A brilliant setting sun was falling upon Pallet's summer sky.

People retired back to their quaint dwellings, wild Pokémon retreated back to their safe shelters for the warm evening, and businesses were hanging closed signs up for the night. After how long the day felt and how tired Delia's feet and mind were, she was ready to throw in the towel. Planning the anniversary for the inn was as much work as she anticipated. Between Leo not comprehending how to make "cold soup" and a "warm slaw," then Michelle and Leah deciding to exclude his help altogether- it was a necessary nightmare that she saw coming. Though what Delia didn't anticipate was being hit from left to right with unsettling accusations and a handful of concerns. None in which she wanted to give a second thought about. However, Emily's words, a certain word in particular, bothered the woman quite a bit…though she had no desire to entertain the idea...

Lucky for her, a bright face approached the front desk towards the last hour of her shift without a single complaint. Jovial to see her son's evenly tanned face with Pikachu forever on his shoulder, Delia felt much better about her walk home. For once, she had company on the jaunt, and someone to help her make a quick shopping trip to the local grocery store.

They were still in need of some dinner.

Bounding beside her, enjoying the slight breeze, Ash looked to his mother with a raised brow. "So how was work?" he asked casually, kicking a large pebble out of his way. "You haven't talked about it much."

Delia broke out of her quiet fixed stare. She hadn't realized her silent state. "Oh, it was fine," the mother waved, not wanting to be reminded of the days ups and downs. "How 'bout you? You said something about helping Grandpa?"

"Uh, yeah. Dani and I were helping him with a couple of things. As Dani liked to put it: 'acclimating Sweetie into herding.'"

Delia couldn't resist giggling a little; hearing her son use a word that was not usually in his vocabulary was new indeed. And he recognized this too, sporting a big, goofy grin as they wandered closer to the grocery store's front door.

"And how's that going?" she eventually inquired. Delia was aware of Ernest's constant talk of needing a new herding mutt for the Mareep and Flaaffy, but never did she think he'd recruit her Sweetie. The mere mention of her old companion made her think back on all those precious times as a kid. Perhaps she would go and visit the farm more often than just for dinner...

"It's a work in progress," Ash replied, considering all he fumbles the poor Leafeon was facing. He was, with the help of Dani and Ash, getting the hang of things. But as Dani reminded, a miracle wasn't going to occur overnight. Especially since Sweetie wasn't of the assertive type. He was more on the lines of- playful.

Letting his thoughts of the day strew across his mind, Ash recalled some news Delia needed to be informed of. He led his gaze back to his mom. "Oh, and by the way," he started, putting his hand behind his head, "Dani said her mom is going to come for the party, so put Ophelia down on the list."

"I will do that." At last, some good news of the day! It had been a while since Delia saw her older sister, let alone shared a decent phone call with her. The thought of that reminded her of something else... "Now that you say that," Delia started, looking down at her blush pink purse, "she could have been the one who tried calling me earlier." For a moment, the woman froze in her steps, nearly inches away from the front entrance of the store. Ash waited patiently besides his mother, watching her pull out her cellphone only for her to nod in confirmation. "Yep, it was her. I'll have to call her back," she said, tucking her cellphone back in her purse.

That was a distraction she definitely needed. When Ophelia was still living at home, before she moved out to attend college, Delia always appreciated the time she had with her. She was, after all, her big sister, and someone she could look up to and admire. While Delia bared a more gentle side to her, Ophelia was the bold one, and with that boldness her sister was able to give excellent advice. Advice she desperately needed at a time like this- or at least have someone to listen to her vent that wasn't a biased busy-body and lived in Pallet. That was always a plus.

Soon after, the mother and son duo made their way into the grocery store. It was rather quiet, with only two cashiers at the front and hardly anyone searching the few shelves. A radio softly played eighties music overhead, the dominant noise in the little business.

Eventually, Delia turned her attention to her son with tired eyes after reaching for a grocery basket. "So I'm thinking we should have something simple for dinner. I'm sorry Ash; I'm just too tired to cook."

"That's okay," Ash quickly assured. He never expected his mom to prepare a lavish meal every night, and quite frankly, he was content with something simple too. "Can I get pizza?" he wasn't hesitant to ask, and added in a dessert suggestion for good measure with a meek smile. "And maybe even ice cream?"

"I ask for at least a vegetarian, and then a kind you like," she agreed wittily, smiling at his subtly begging eyes. "And as for the ice cream, something with chocolate."

Ash's smile grew. "All right. Vegetarian and pepperoni pineapple it is! And I'll surprise you with the ice cream," he added, turning on his heels.

Delia grinned softly back as her son began to stroll down an aisle. "Okay."

While Ash was busy fetching their frozen delights for the evening, Delia had her own selected items to pick up. Leisurely, she perused a couple of aisles, grabbing odds and ends. With Ash home, Delia finally saw how much faster certain items were diminished. After all, she wasn't the only person in the house now. Things such as dish soap, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, and Ash's still to this day favorite cold cereal of all time, Lucky Abra, were tossed into the small red painted basket she grabbed earlier. In a sense, it was nice to buy these essential items earlier than she usually would. Seeing someone was finally living with her again. And she had missed Ash terribly; however, she couldn't have been more than happy for him in regards to his dream- but still, why did it feel like a part of her world was so empty?

Like there was a void that had never fully closed no matter how hard she tried to accept it.

Shaking off the confusing feelings that returned persistently, Delia traveled to the checkout. There were only two stations open, though that wasn't much considering there were only three checkers in total. One on the left was under control by a young man who was half-asleep and the other was by a wide awake Greta who was occupied as she flipped through some kind of dirty magazine with a shirtless guy plastered on the front of it. As much as she preferred not to be rung up by Greta, waking the other checker up wasn't something she was neither in the mood to do nor felt inclined to do so.

So suppressing her pride, Delia marched over to Greta's checkout, baring a faint smile as she began to lay out her items on the counter.

The presence of Delia caught the old woman's attention from the corner of her eye. "Is this all?" Greta asked, setting down her magazine.

"Oh no," replied Delia, rummaging through her purse for her floral patterned wallet. "Ash is coming with pizza and ice cream."

"Junk food splurge I see?" she continued to inquire with a half-smile.

"Just for tonight."

As the beeping of the checked items popped up on the screen with their final prices, Delia's eyes wandered off elsewhere. Waiting patiently, she drew her focus to the collection of magazines and paperback books planted in a rack above the checkout counter. All varied in types for a certain audience: some being life/health magazines, celebrity gossip, Pokémon related ones, and Delia's utmost favorite, magazines that were filled with nothing but recipes. Even though she had more than enough recipes on everything under the moon, she couldn't resist the temptation of buying another one. However, at the start of her fingers reaching for the magazine that had a lovely chocolate cake with a rum ganache decorated in various fruits, the tips of her fingers lingered for something else.

A handful of copies sat directly next to the food-filled magazine. A handful of copies that were printed as romance novels. Realizing what she was about to do, Delia bit down on her lip and drew her hand back. The book, in simple words, had the appearance of a typical romance novel cover with God knows how many rehashed cliché lines and romantically sweeping scenes. But for some reason, she was still drawn to it.

She felt silly for wanting to grab it, considering it had been a good few years since she bought one. At least, since Ash left on his journey. And then soon after, she sold a few of her least favorite copies at a sale the town held. Letting others know she owned books of passion made her almost not want to sell them, but in the end Delia accepted the possible consequences and was finally rid of them. She was lucky in her case that Annie purchased a good few of them and that the rest were donated to charity. But there were still some she held onto, tucked away in the bottom drawer of her nightstand.

This book she was subconsciously drawn to had a man dressed in black Renaissance clothing, something a young brave knight or mercenary would wear as he stood proudly on a rocky cliff. Leaning against his chest, with her own chest exposing a little too much cleavage, was a young maiden dressed in all white. Her long, chocolate curly locks flowed with the wind and a bright, flower-weaved halo lay perfectly against her beautiful tresses of hair. They were gazing off at the sea, though as to what they were exactly looking at only God or the author would know, and whether the cover even had any relevance to the contents of the book was another guess altogether. Still, with the darkening winter sky and the eloquently drawn detail of the characters- it was an appealing cover. The Temptation of The Icy Wind it was titled, and with such a name made it all the more alluring to take a peek at. If anything, she could simply entertain her wondering thoughts. It wouldn't hurt to at least read the back to see what it was about, to suffice her curious mind...

Oh, who was she kidding? Desperate, pathetic, maybe even the word Emily described her as being, was written all over this novel if Delia dared to touch it. But she couldn't help herself. Feeling foolish or not, it was crying for her fingertips. Since her high school years, Delia always savored a good romantic drama, but once she was married it seemed her desire to read an enticing melodrama vanished... Not a single one of those books was close to real life, filled with romanticized fantasies of suave and courageous men plenty of young girls dreamed would come true, and once happily married, Delia felt so stupid for even liking them. It had been so long since she thoroughly read one of those books. She hadn't dared to pick one up again since he initially left- one of her many forms of comfort...

"You lonely, too?"

So entranced in her thoughts, Delia wasn't prepared for the provocation she caused as she finally reached for the glamorized novel.

Then with darkening cheeks, the woman's eyes flashed up. God, even Greta with the missing teeth could tell.

---

Towards the back of the store, Ash settled on the perfect ice cream for the evening: chocolate with peanut butter chunks. He knew how much his mom adored this kind, and to be honest, he did too. He supposed it was a little mother/son thing they shared, and Ash knew without even mentioning as to why he picked that specific kind, Delia would understand his choosing.

Walking away from the freezer full of frozen sweets, Ash's grip slipped one of the frozen pizzas. And so in the process of catching it, he accidentally ran into the presence of another person grabbing some last-minute items for the night. Crashing into the individual, Ash completely lost his grip on the pizzas, which crashed to the floor as Pikachu tried to balance on his shoulder. Though as Ash haphazardly caught the container of ice cream, he saw his dinner wasn't the only thing that tumbled to the ground. A bag of potato chips, a box of popcorn, and a small bottle of what appeared to be green tea fell as well. Thankfully, the drink had not spilled its contents over the tiles, but knowing his lack of attention was the cause of the downfall of someone else's food made Ash's guilt all the more greater.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" he said earnestly, looking to the individual before him. He had hoped he hadn't caused any harm. "Are you okay?"

Slowly, brown eyes shielded by sleek rectangular blue eyeglasses gleamed up at him. Strands of wavy emerald hair graced the face of a teenage girl, in which she pushed back with a slight wince. "I'm fine," she declared, trying to compose herself. She was preoccupied on her cellphone, not realizing someone else was coming from the opposite direction. Her own fault, she thought entirely, since she was the one entranced with texting to pay any attention to her whereabouts.

So when she was finally coming around, the girl was ready to pick up her scattered items. That is, till the boy whom she ran into was already on top of the job.

Witnessing this made her release a tiny smile. "Um, thank you."

Ash looked up at her briefly, handing her the bag of chips first. "No problem. It's the least I could do. And I'm really sorry," he apologized again, still feeling terrible for the entire accident.

But she dismissed his apology. "It's all right, really," she assured genuinely, taking the box of popcorn from his grasp. Pikachu even handed the bottle of tea off to her, which she took just as gently. "I wasn't the one paying attention-"

Then, she stopped for a moment. As Ash rose, she caught a good glimpse of his entire face. She recognized him.

"Say," the girl started awkwardly with a sheepish grin, "I'm sorry if this sounds weird, but are you Ash?"

Ash arched an eyebrow. How did she know his name? He had never seen her before. He assumed that maybe she was an old classmate he had forgotten about. But it didn't look that way...

"Yeah, that's me," he answered, slightly on edge.

His answer only made her smile bloom between her cherry-colored glossed lips. "Well, Gary did not give enough credit," she said with a hint of playfulness. "You are definitely as tall as him and just as toned."

Now both his brows rose. "Excuse me?"

Gary? How did he know this girl? And was this some kind of joke-

"Sorry," the girl clarified quickly, seeing the boy was rather perplexed. "I'm Harper. Gary's girlfriend."

From there, it finally dawned on him.

Ash snapped his fingers, catching on. "Oh, Harper! Yeah, I heard about you. I mean, my grandparents told me about you," he corrected himself, feeling stupid. "Gary and my grandparents-"

"I assumed," Harper cut him off, still wearing a grin.

This was...weird. Not that Gary's girlfriend seemed unapproachable. Rather, she seemed a little too friendly, too even-tempered and polite... Ash was conflicted. Gary, in his own right, had matured greatly with age and experience. That much Ash had to admit. Their senseless bickering and jealousy morphed into what seemed like a mutual respect without becoming best friends over night. But still, even if Ash's former rival had changed for the better- why was it still so odd to him that his supposed girlfriend appeared too genuine and upbeat? Why was he expecting another personality entirely?

Ash adjusted the bill of his cap, a small streak of red gleaming over his cheeks. He didn't know what to say to her in this awkward silence.

"Well um, I'm Ash- but uh, you already know that..."

Harper just kept on smiling as she watched Ash rub the back of his head. She didn't mind his nervousness. "It's okay." Instead, her attention was fixed on the yellow mouse perched on Ash's shoulder. She had seen plenty of Pikachu before, but never one with such a shiny coat and chipper personality. He was, without a doubt, absolutely adorable.

"Aww, and who's this lil' guy?" Harper cooed, her eyes lingering to the bubbly Pikachu.

Ash too averted his attention to his long-eared friend, his eyes looking upward. "This is Pikachu. He was my first Pokémon. We've been glued at the- well, I should say shoulder ever since!" he corrected not so wittily, but laughed at his word choice nonetheless.

Harper chortled softly at Ash's not so very original, but charming claim. "He's so cute!" she soon exclaimed afterwards, admiring the bright colored cheeks the mouse bared. Then, she looked to him with eager brown eyes. "Can I pet him? If it's okay, that is."

"Sure," Ash shrugged. "He won't mind."

Pikachu, at one point, was not very keen on the idea of strangers petting him at liberty. But as he aged and felt more secure with his master's trust, the mouse saw no danger if his trainer did not sense any. Besides, he wasn't sensing any negative vibes from the green-haired girl anyway.

Delicately, with light blue painted fingernails, Harper gently scratched Pikachu behind his left ear in which he enjoyed throughout with every "chu" flying from his petite mouth. "You like that, don't you sweetie?" the girl cooed.

The mouse sighed again after hearing her sweets words. Just by how friendly Pikachu was alone, Harper was already very impressed by Ash's skills as a trainer. He was so even-tempered, so clean, and so content that not a moment of discomfort was displayed. In just that instant, Pikachu reminded her of how docile her boyfriend's Umbreon was. And speaking of her boyfriend...

Eventually, Harper's hand left Pikachu's furry tresses and her eyes glanced back to Ash. "So are you staying home for the summer like Gary too, Ash?" she inquired. She figured it was best to get to know Ash now. After hearing talk about him from other townsfolk, he deserved a fair shake.

"Yeah," the teenage boy nodded. "My mom owns the inn here, and she's got this huge celebration in honor of its anniversary coming up so I'm helping out."

Harper's green eyes grew. "Wow, an inn? Gary might have mentioned your mom owned a business. Is it that one with the lovely garden in the front? With the shabby-chic vibe?" she added, trying to remember correctly.

Ash wasn't sure what "shabby-chic" exactly meant (though he had heard it before), but agreed to her claim nonetheless. His mother's inn was the only hotel/restaurant in all of Pallet Town after all.

"Yeah, that's it. The Butterfree Inn."

"Cool! Well from what I've seen the place looks great. Maybe Gary and I will have to stop by some time."

Stop by sometime? Ash supposed that would be all right. Though it wasn't as if Gary regularly visited the inn. He had hardly been there in the first place. Then again, Ash had to consider other reasons why he might. Gary did have a girlfriend now, and probably had the time and energy to take her out on dates. Make them explicitly special with all the financing he had. It wouldn't surprise Ash if his old rival was somehow a "charmer" with girls, now using his confidence and ego to attract romantic attention.

"We serve lunch for everyone on all weekdays," Ash clarified; he was open to the idea regardless of his pondering thoughts.

"Thanks for telling me. We will definitely have to try the food out."

"Feel free to."

There was another pause. It was their first meet and greet after all. The anticipation of awkwardness floating through the air was to be expected. Not that Ash felt Harper was strange or too cocky to chat with. No, he felt neutral about her. She was definitely nice. And maybe that's why he felt so stumped about the relationship's existence...

"Well, I better get back to the house," Harper sooner than later declared, pushing her glasses up. "Gary's mom is making dinner. It was nice meeting you, Ash."

"Nice meeting you too, Harper."

Ash waved back at the girl as she gave him one last smile before turning. Like Emily and Richard had claimed, Harper seemed very much amiable. And Ash was certain Annie and Chad Oak were thrilled to have her as their son's girlfriend. But as to how that happened-

Ash sighed. Maybe he was just being too narrow-minded. Too focused on the arrogant Gary Oak he once knew and severely detested.

Once parting ways, Ash scurried down an aisle and located his mom at the checkout. He was just in time, for Greta had scanned the last item Delia decided to buy. So speedily, Ash laid the remaining purchases on the counter. Seeing the choices for herself, Delia grinned and expected nothing else. She was glad to a have quart of chocolate peanut butter ice cream. It would definitely be a real treat with her new book to read tonight.

As Greta continued to ring up the last remaining items, Ash's lingering eyes landed on Harper unintentionally, who thankfully did not have to wake up the cashier in order for her items to be checked out. Though, he was yawning repeatedly as each purchase was swiped. In due time, Harper eventually caught sight of Ash as well and gave one harmless wave before paying the bill. Ash waved back in return, which was all observed by a befuddled Delia as she pulled out some dollar bills.

"Who's that, honey?" the mother soon asked casually. She didn't recognize the girl as a friend of her son's or someone who lived in town for that matter.

Ash glanced to his mom. "Gary's girlfriend."

Delia's eyes widened. Then, she looked back to the no longer mystery girl. "Oh. Well, she seems nice," she commented, an assumption made only by the kind wave and smile she gave.

"Yeah, she is," he nodded in agreement.

Either oblivious or not interested in the Harper talk only because she already knew plenty of dirt on the girl, Greta packed the romance novel in a small bag. From there, she grinned up at the woman. "I'm glad you bought this novel, Delia," said Greta, handing the bag to her. "It's a good one. There's a really vivid scene between the two main characters on this ship and-"

"Okay, thanks for the heads-up, Greta!" Delia's swift cutting her off when grabbing the bag wasn't done so skillfully, nevertheless the mother could tell where the old lady's rehashing of events was going. And preferably Delia didn't want any spoilers- but now insinuating what might be in the book made her feel all the more self-conscious to read it... That and she definitely did not want Ash hearing any talk of intimate contact.

Ignoring Delia's nervous state, Greta simply shrugged and handed the woman the receipt. "Have a good evening."

"You too."

With goodies in tow, Ash and his mother carried all their groceries out of the establishment and at last headed for home. But as they meandered down the quiet dirt road, a few wonders refused to leave Ash's mind for the evening. For one, how in the world did Gary exactly catch a girl like Harper? More than anything, had he missed so much to fully recognize Gary had indeed grown up? Maybe even more than him? And two, what book did his mom buy and what supposed 'scene' was Greta so eager to spoil for Delia?

Frowning from all the questions circulating in his head, Ash thought he could get at least one answer for the night. "So what was Greta talking about, Mom? Something about a vivid scene?"

Instantly, the mother bit her lip. Truthfully, a part of Delia didn't want to know what the old woman was talking about. And if it was what she was assuming the scene was about, then Delia had no desire to engage in such a conversation with Ash. Nor did he need to know she had bought another romance novel...

A slip of a nervous smile grew from Delia's lips. "Oh, it's nothing, Ash."

---

A/N:

Will Delia read the novel? You'll have to wait till chapter 8! This is really going to be the start for a lot of things. For Jay and the other's journey back to Pallet, to all the local drama Delia and Ash are facing, to Prof. Oak and Tracey's aiding research, to Jessie and James's tricks, to Butch and Cassidy's persistence... Then of course, let's not forget the return of Giovanni! Eek! :O It's all building up to one epic climax. I do think however, given the pace of the story and how in depth it is for all the characters, I have a feeling this will be around 25 chapters- that's right. 25 CHAPTERS. Originally I planned for just 20, but seeing how this is all panning out... I'm gonna need more chapters to spread everything out. XD I thought Silently Broken was my big magnum opus but I guess Sunlight's Return is going to top it in regards to chapters!

So please be patient with me. I am dedicated to finishing this story, whether it's long or short. I have school to contend with, but during the summer I hope to post more regularly. One way or another, IT WILL BE COMPLETED EVENTUALLY. I can say though that chapter 8 is already in the editing process... so be on the look out for that either this month or the next.

Thank you all for reading and for those who have reviewed previous chapters! It means a lot. More than I can express. And of course, reviews are greatly appreciated! :)