Episode 10:Aftermath

October, 23

After School 3:30 PM

Ash got off the bus and slumped into his house where his mother was preparing an after school snack for him. But he sure didn't feel like eating even if he hadn't eaten at lunch. He had lost his appatite (big suprise there) after meeting his father. He plopped down onto the couch still thinking of the events at lunch that day. Iris, this was all her fault, he knew she had good intensions when she planned this whole thing out but he wished that she had just mimded her own buisness and stayed out of it. It was bad enough that now everytime he watched TV he had to sit through commercials for Jerome Enterprises rembereing this horrible day. Just thinking about that made him regret showing Iris the letter or even opening the letter in the first place, curse his fondness for letters.

Just then Delia strutted into the living room with a bowl of Pringles in her hand, she set the Pringles down and posed. Ash looked up at his mother feeling quite confused but also amused. She posed once again.

"What are you doing?" Ash asked chuckling a bit, forgetting for a little bit his problem.

"I wanna see if I could be a model", she answered while posing. Ash just laughed of the thought of his mother being a model, then got kind of disgusted by thinking of her in a playboy magazine. He picked up a chip and brought it to his mouth but placed it back into the pile still not hungry. His mother saw this unbeleivable sight and stopped in mid pose. She ran over and took a seat next to Ash, she felt his forhead checking for a fever. He must be sick if he is turning down food, she thought quite worried.

Ash swatted his mothers hand away from his face and frowned giving her a look that said "What the hell was the all about?".

"What are you doing", he questioned still giving her the look.

"It's just you put a chip down", Delia explained, " is there something wrong". Ash just stared at his mom after the statement she had just made. Who did she think he was some kind of fatty who never turns down food and if he does there is something wrong with him, seriously. The doorbell rang and Delia stood up running to get the door. Ash was releived that she was gone and that he didn't have to answer the question. He thought that she would be mad if she knew what had happened at lunch that day. A minute or two later Delia came back into the living room but with Misty at her side. This surley put a smile on Ash's face.

"Maybe you can fix him", Delia said before heading upstairs to her room. Misty frowned at why Delia had suggested that she could fix him. He didn't look broken and even if he was she wasn't a doctor.

Misty skipped over to the couch and sat down next to her friend dropping her book bag next to her feet.

"Okay, why do you need fixing", she asked cutely in Ash opinion, while laying her hand over his shoulder affectionally. Ash just did a small shrug and stared at the television screen, he didnt feel much like talking either today not even to his crushy wushy Misty.

Misty gazed at her friend with much concern she knew he wasn't telling her something and it was her job as a best friend to figure out what it was. It wasn't good to keep secrets from your bestie anyways. She had always told him everything bad or good, personal or not and now that he had a problem he wouldn't tell her.

"What happened today Ash, you dont seem yourself?" She asked very courius two know what was troubling her bestie. Ash explained everything about his horrible day to her. By the end of the story, Misty's face was full of shock. She couldn't believe that the little girl Iris was back into his life and they were 'friends' again. I bet she is planning to ruin his life and being his friend is just a cover up, Misty thought, she does hate him after all. She remebered the day when Iris moved away, she had yelled at Ash that she hated him. That day was one of the happiest days of her life because she could have Ash all to herself without that third wheel of a best friends of his tagging along everywhere.

"Someone dosen't know how to mind her own beeswax"' Misty muttered under her breath. She glaned over at Ash, he had a look of intense thinking on his face ,the look you get when taking an important test. He must be so frusterated and it's all the stupid Iris's fault.

"Ash do you think that your dad was lying about all that he said", Misty asked gently trying to get herself off the topic that is Iris. She didn't know much about Ash's dad or what kind of man he was but by the way Ash told the story she couldn't make up her mind if he was trustworthy or not.

Ash was stunned by question that Misty had brought up to the the table. He always felt his dad was a bad man, but now he didn't know how he felt. Leaving the family made him a bad guy, but at lunch earlier that day he seemed sincere, and he seemed to look like he was about to cry when he saw Ash and talked about how much he apreciated him being there.

" I don't know anymore", Ash finally replied. Ash now wondered what Jerome used to be like, what would've happened if he had stayed with the family. What it would've been like growing with both parents like a normal person. When thinking of these things he realised that the reason his father left was all his fault. That's what he told himself anyways.

"It's all my fault", Ash muttered to himself over and over again. Misty asked him multiple times what he was saying but he just continued to mutter until he broke out in tears and he started crying on Misty's legs. She stoked his hair trying to comfert her friend but she was still confused on why he was crying in the first place.

Later that same day

Misty had left and now Ash was all alone as he lyed on his couch. He got off the couch lazily and walked up the wooden stairs not even caring for the creaks he heard. He headed to his mom's room, she was napping so instead of leaving to his own room he snuggled up into his mom's arms like he had done many years ago.

Delia felt another body near her own and opened her eyes to make out the charactor in her bed as her 15 year old son. What is up with him today, Delia wondered. He hadn't snuggled with his mom since he was 9 so this was a real shocker for Delia. " What are you doing", Delia asked her son nicely.

"Do you hate me mom", Ash asked ignoring the first question. Delia was stunned by the question, she turned on her lamp and sat up. Ash did the same, and his mother looked at him straight in the eyes with a serious expression on her face.

"No of cousrse not, why would you think that", Delia asked face softening a bit. What had gotten into Ash today, he never asked questions like this, Delia thought.

"Because I was a mistake an I'm the reason Jer- I mean dad left", Ash stated putting himself down. Delia's eyes widen for two reason, 1 because she could've sworn Ash was going to say Jerome , even though she was sure Ash didn't know his dad's name and 2 because he thought of himself as a mistake. Ash had been an accident but never a mistake.

"Ash don't say that, you weren't a mistake, and who knows why your father left because I sure dont", Delia stated, "but why are you bringing up this topic up all of a sudden?" She had just lied to her son, it didn't feel right but she had to protect him from the real reason his dad left. She didn't want him to become paraniod, she wanted his life to be just normal. She decided that one day she would tell him but today was not the day. Ash was quiet for a while, he didn't want to tell his mother, maybe one day a long time from now he would, but not now. He lied down on the bed and closed his eyes pretending to sleep. Delia noticed that her son was unresponsive and had lied down.

Yeah right, is he really sleeping, Delia thought as she shut the lights. She layed down next to him and stoked his hair till he really fell asleep.

At School

Wednsday, October,24

Ash arrived into school the next morning looking a little better then he had looked on Tuesday. He walked to Iris's locker to tell her it was all okay and he wasn't all that sad about yesterday anymore. He waited and waited at her locker but she didn't arrive. The bell eventually rang and he had to head to class. He was pretty worried about what happened to her. Ash sat all through class eyes glued to the door hoping whoever came through the door was Iris but it never was.

After school he decided he would visit her, but then noticed he didn't have her address. His mom would probably know, so he would ask her after school. Oh how he hoped she was ok. Maybe she felt really bad and didn't want to face him, he started to get anxious, he hoped that wasn't the case he never liked to make people feel bad.

Per. 7-Battle Practice Class

Ash and the whole class sat on the bleachers listening to the instructions the teacher was instructing. Ash's foot tapped quickly on the bleacher below which annoyed the guy below him though.

"Unless you want me to drag you down here, you better stop that", Trip growled. Ash stopped quickly and sighed. Maybe Trip had something to do with Iris's absence, Ash thought. He shook the thoughts off quickly not wanting to imagine something like that happening.

"Trip and Ash will battle first", The teacher ordered snapping Ash out of his thoughts.

"This will be easy", Trip said loudly enough for Ash to hear. Ash just rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth, he was so going to beat this guy's ass. The two of them raced down the stairs to the battle field each of them predicting the end results in their heads. Both of them having thoughts of creaming the other.

When both opponents were on the the opposite side of the battle feild and of each other they threw out their pokemon.

"Go Tepig!", Ash threw out his red and white pokeball and out came Tepig, who snorted out tiny bits of fire ready to battle.

"I choose you Frillish", Trip said. Frillish came out of his pokeball ready to battle as Tepig was.

"The 1 on 1 battle between Trip and Ash is now underway", The battle referee announced.

"Frillish use water pulse", Trip ordered. Frillish did as he was told and created a ball of water which he threw at Tepig.

"Tepig dodge it", Ash shouted. Tepig was aboout to dodge but was to slow and got engulfed in the the ball of water. The ball was pretty much choking the poor Tepig till the ball of water exploded dropping Tepig onto to the ground. Tepig squealed in pain and layed there pain shooting threw his whole body. He was trying hard to catch his breath after being nearly suffacated.

"Tepig, buddy get up",Ash said egging him on. Tepig struggled to pick himself but finally did stand up on his four little hooves.

"Good job buddy now use flamethrower!" Ash commanded.

"Dodge Frillish", Trip ordered simply. Tepig snorted out hot fire in the direction of Frillish, but was unlucky at aim because Frillish floated out of the way before it could burn him. Ash spaced for a moment, then realized they were still battling and called out a move.

"Try a tackle", Ash demanded not sounding that sure of the move. Tepig dashed and jumped into the air hitting Frillish in the stomach. Tepig was engulfed in a blue mists, he was paralyzed and he looked hopelessly confused.

As Cilan watched from the stands he faced palmed at his friend's rookie mistake.

Tepig quickly snapped out of the temporary paralization, but had taken more damage by his own attack then Frillish had.

"Finish it off with nigh shade", Trip demanded. And with that final attack Tepig was out. The match was over.

"Tepig is unable to battle, Frillish wins the battle goes to Trip", the referee announced holding up a green flag.

"Return Tepig, you did great"Ash praised sadly while retuning Tepig to his pokeball. Trip did the same and both of them walked back to there seats. Ash couldn't beleive he lost. His head wasn't even in the game much. But he was determined that next time he and Trip would battle he would beat Trip no matter what.

Next EP: Adventures in Lancesitting