Chapter 27

"Happy Birthday, Jace!" Ariel exclaims while tackling her best friend in a hug. She is finally off of the big boot, but she can't run yet. She has a smaller brace on her ankle, which is the last injury from her Team Rocket encounter.

This Saturday morning, Ariel got her father to take her to the lab for Jace's birthday party. Like Ariel, Jace prefers keeping his party small for just his close friends and family. He has a few friends from school as well as his Aunt Daisy and her family. Delia tagged along with Ash and Ariel, but Melody chose to stay back. The brunette doesn't like going out and forcing conversation in Pallet Town. If she knew about another arrival at the party, though, she definitely would've come.

After Ash had taken care of a sick Misty, he had to come up with an excuse about going on a side trip that weekend. It's why he couldn't go to Pallet Town to see Ariel. He made it sound urgent, which it was. Melody knows Ash doesn't like speaking on his secret "saving the world" missions, so she didn't question him further. Besides, he apologized immensely for not contacting her.

It's been a couple of weeks since Ash spent the weekend in Cerulean City. He and Misty have seen each other at their usual Wednesday and Saturday dinners, and the two have surprisingly been getting along better. They haven't talked like they did when he was taking care of her, but they aren't arguing as much.

Ash repeatedly gets subjected to Gary's and Leaf's teasing. He's glad they only tease him in private though, else Melody would have a lot of questions. The Oak parents don't like Melody because she never tries to get to know them. They also know about her behavior towards the children. Moreover, the Oak parents miss having Ash and Misty together. The four of them used to have a lot of fun.

While Ariel is playing with the other Pokemon and children, someone walks in through the lab fence since the party is out in the field. No one notices the woman approaching until she is beside the Oak siblings who are shielding her view of her ex who they are teasing.

"You finally gonna tell us why you needed Donphan?' snickers Gary.

"Or why you were in Cerulean City?" Leaf adds with a smirk.

Ash rolls his eyes as he sips from his drink. "I already told you. I was picking up Ariel and she wanted to ride on Donphan." lies the man.

"You're not a good liar, Ashy Boy." Gary laughs.

"Ahem!" coughs the redhead, making everyone startled. They look over to see the very person Ash was not looking forward to seeing right now. She's here because the Oaks invited her. Since she and her ex are more comfortable being around each other, then Misty figures she may as well stop limiting her visits with her friends, the Oaks, especially due to it being Ariel's best friend's birthday today. Extending a bag out to them, she says, "This is for Jace."

Leaf grins while she grabs the bag. "Thanks, Misty! I'll have him come thank you when he's free."

"Or when we're free." Gary smugly looks at the exes. He swings an arm around both of their necks, and Leaf grins mischievously. "So why was Ashy Boy in your house weeks ago, Red?"

"What are you talking about, Gary?" Misty tries to play dumb.

Leaf, though, won't let them get away with this that easily. They know the consequences of Ash sending a pokemon to Misty's house, so now they have to deal with the Oaks' relentless questions. "Lauren said Ash was in Cerulean City. It's why you three weren't here that weekend."

Misty mentally curses herself. Of course Ariel would tell the Oak siblings who would tell their parents. "Well, uh-"

"She said something about how you were sick, Red."

Misty meets Ash's nervous eyes, and they both gulp. Ash opens his mouth to explain himself, "Actually-"

"And something about how Ash was taking care of Misty?" Leaf ponders aloud, causing the targeted adults to blush.

"Stop it!" Misty hisses. There are too many eyes and ears around at the party. She doesn't want anyone to slip up false information, even though nothing happened when Ash took care of her.

Gary laughs loudly while tightening his arms around his friends. "Just teasing, Red! No need to look like you're gonna shit yourself!"

Misty frees herself from under his arm. "You're annoying, Gary."

"It's not uncommon for exes to still care about each other." Leaf mentions, making Ash and Misty blush more.

"We don't!" they shout at the brunette.

As Gary and Leaf laugh more, Ash and Misty use the opportunity to walk away. "Good times, babe!" Gary cackles.

"I know! It's just like when we were all together!" Leaf wipes tears from her eyes. She's missed this a lot. It almost felt normal. It's like when she and Gary were first dating, and Ash and Misty were just friends. Leaf and Gary used to tease them all the time, and they'd react this way.

By the food, Misty mutters, "They fucking know."

Ash sighs. "I know." He hears the same thing from them every weekend. Looking at her, he asks, "Why are you here?"

Misty rolls her eyes while grabbing more food. "Jace is the son of my friends, and he's my daughter's best friend."

Ash nods because it's also the reason he's here. Plus, Ash interacts more with Jace than Misty does. "He's 10. Ariel's next." Although Ariel doesn't turn 10 for months, Ash still isn't ready for what that means for the girl.

Misty knows he's right. She feels the same way. The adults surprisingly find themselves sitting down at the same table as they talk. "It's gonna be so quiet in the gym once she's gone."

Ash nods. "I won't be coming back here so much too."

"Same." Misty then looks at him. "Or you could have a kid with Melody, and your mom would want to see the kid a lot." Why does her heart ache saying this? Why did she even say it? Mew, Misty! This is why she lands herself in uncomfortable situations.

Chuckling, Ash replies, "That's not a good reason to have a kid."

"Then what is?"

He shrugs, and for some reason, he finds his eyes locking with hers. "Love?" Fortunately for them both, Misty looks away. This is too awkward, though it feels so normal talking to him like this.

Kids

"Hey! Your parents are eating together!" Lauren shakes Ariel's arm.

Jace is currently deep in the field with his school friends. He does come back often to hang out with Ariel, but she tells him to not be a bad host. He needs to spend time with his school friends who came here. She usually sees him on the weekends anyway. Thus, Lauren is keeping Ariel company. This is partly due to Jace not wanting her to embarrass him.

The raven haired girl looks over to the table Lauren is pointing at. "What?" Ariel's mouth falls open. She's noticed that her parents argue less ever since Ash came over to help care for sick Misty. Ariel also saw the hung up photo on the wall beside her mother's closet. It's the one that used to be on Misty's desk until Psyduck broke the frame. Of course, Misty only has her and Ariel showing, with Ash still folded back. Ariel has no idea there is more to the photo.

"Should we do something?" Lauren excitedly asks.

Ariel shakes her head with a smile on her face. "No. They look like they're talking."

Lauren is surprised too because she thought Ariel's parents only knew how to argue with each other. They would argue in public too, so Lauren knows they're not holding back due to the amount of people here. No. Ariel's parents are actually genuinely talking. She had heard Ariel saying they get along better now, but Lauren is seeing it for herself. This is amazing.

"Okay. We'll just make sure no one bothers them!" Lauren announces.

Tables

"You still coming over for dinner later?" Ash awkwardly asks.

"Yeah. Your mom invited me." Misty looks around where she sees Delia talking with some people. Delia hasn't noticed Misty's presence yet.

Ash finally finishes his food, and to Misty's surprise, he grabs her empty plate to throw away as well. She expects him not to come back, but he does. It beats having to listen to the Oaks' teasing. At least with Misty, he doesn't have to force conversation. They can just sit in silence. Moreover, he isn't ready for Ariel's questions because he sees her looking at him with her mother.

"Where's Bulbasaur?"

Ash shrugs. "He doesn't really come out to the parties. He greeted us earlier and then disappeared deep in the field."

"I miss him." Misty smiles nostalgically. She hasn't seen many of Ash's pokemon in a long time. Standing up, she starts walking away, so he curiously follows her.

"Where are you going?" She's not headed inside. No. It looks like she's walking away from the party. Of course, the Oak parents, Ariel, and Lauren are watching them.

"For a walk." Misty isn't sure why she answered him. She doesn't need to. Nevertheless, she doesn't need to ignore him anymore either. They are somewhat getting along, and Misty doesn't want to ruin it. This is all for Ariel.

"Yeah, but the party is back there." Ash notes. He isn't sure why he's following her. He normally would just mind his own business.

"Then go back to the party."

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm not gonna do anything! This is the lab." Misty snaps in his face angrily. Why is he on her like she's going to burn the place to the ground? Mew, she wouldn't even burn his stuff when they divorced; thus, she wouldn't do anything to people who haven't done a thing to her.

Furrowing his brows, Ash passes her a pokeball. "It's Charizard. In case you get lost. This place is huge."

"I'm pretty sure Bulbasaur can help me, and I won't get lost." Despite saying this, Misty still takes the pokeball from him. Why is he concerned about her? They both don't know. Nevertheless, it doesn't sit well with Ash leaving people alone anymore. He even left Quilava and Swellow at home in case Melody needs help.

When Ash walks back to the party, Ariel is quickly beside him with Lauren. "Where'd mom go?"

"A walk."

"Why didn't you go with her?" Lauren asks.

Ash raises a confused eyebrow at her. "She's a grown woman. She doesn't need a babysitter."

Ariel worriedly gazes up at her father as Pikachu has caught up with them. "But what if…"

Ash can read those scared cerulean blue eyes. They're the same ones he keeps seeing in his nightmares. Sighing, the man bends down to his daughter's eye level. "Your mom is strong. She'll be fine. And I gave her Charizard."

Although hearing this makes Ariel feel a little better, she still doesn't like the idea of her mother all alone in the large field. "I'm going with her!"

"Ariel." Ash internally groans while following the girl. He turns to Lauren. "Stay here, Lauren!" Ash then rushes off after Pikachu and Ariel. Being a parent is hard. How can he have another one, especially with Melody who doesn't spend much time with Ariel? While Ash didn't plan on having Ariel, he felt more prepared.

Flashback

"Mist, I'm really busy!" exclaims the frustrated man. He knows she's upset about him missing their first wedding anniversary, but the League has him doing a lot right now. His secretary kept telling him Misty was calling, and while he promised to call her back, he would forget. Now, he's finally picked up because she threatened to divorce him if he didn't.

"I'm fucking pregnant!" she shouts. This is not the way she planned to tell him, but with him not coming home, she has to. Else he'd find out through the media when they see her baby bump. It's going to be difficult to hide soon.

The man has stopped typing on his computer. "What?"

Massaging her temples, Misty seethes, "I'm. Pregnant."

Ash leans back in his chair to sigh deeply. This is not a good time for a child. They're too busy. Mew! He rarely sees Misty as is! How can he raise a kid? Closing his eyes, Ash mentally curses himself. How did this happen? He thought they were careful?

"Ash?" Misty whispers. She's scared he may have fainted, so she feels bad yelling at him now.

"Hm?"

"Say something."

Say something? He can't even think! How can he say something? He can't do this right now. "Misty."

"Yeah, Ash?" She hesitantly replies. She fears he'd tell her to get rid of the baby, which she never will. No. This baby is made out of their love, and while she knows they're not ready for the child, Misty won't end a life. She'll raise this baby without him.

"I'm coming home."

Flashback Over

"Thanks, dad." giggles the girl on his back. The ground became uneven, and Ash could see Ariel struggling with her ankle. Thus, he placed her on his back. Pikachu is currently leading the way by sniffing out Misty's scent. They're in the forest part of the lab's field.

"Any time, champ." Ash, being extremely tired, is trying not to show he's slowing down. Plus, Ariel is a lot bigger than from when he used to give her piggyback rides like this, and he's older.

"Pikachupi!" Pikachu exclaims, and everyone knows who he's talking about. Finding some energy, Ash quickly follows his loyal Pokemon to a small pond. He instantly spots Charizard as well as a few other Pokemon, including Bulbasaur. "Pi!" Pikachu nuzzles Bulbasaur and Charizard.

Ash is glad he can put his daughter on the ground again. "Where's mom?" Ariel asks the orange lizard. Charizard looks to the pond. Ash should've known she'd be in there. "Mom!" Ariel yells at the pond, and Misty pops up to the surface.

She's surprised to see Ariel here. Had the girl followed her? Misty wanted to see Bulbasaur and other Pokemon she hasn't seen in a while. Then Bulbasaur showed her to this pond, knowing she loves water. Misty decided to take a dip in it, though she is in her underwear. "Hey, sweetie!" Misty grins. She then notices the man behind Ariel and frowns.

Ash looks away because he knows she's in her underwear. Mew, he hopes she doesn't try to accuse him of anything. He's only here because of Ariel. However, knowing his ex, she's going to say something. Ash braces for her accusations and lectures on Melody.

Instead, he hears, "Come swimming, Ariel!" Misty knows how much Ariel loves the water like her. Also, swimming is a lot easier on her ankle. The girl quickly takes off her brace and jumps into the water with her clothes on, making Ash groan. Misty raises an eyebrow at her ex. "Why are you here?"

"We all know I only come for Ariel." Ash then sits beside Bulbasaur and Charizard. Since he doesn't want to see his ex in her underwear, he lays on the grass with his cap over his face. Maybe he'll try to take a nap? Or he could head back to the party. No. He's not ready to socialize again, especially with the Oak parents seeing him walk off with Misty and then Ariel.

"I don't think dad knows how to swim." the girl giggles to her mother. Ash never swims. He rarely wants to go to water, and when he is forced to go, he just walks around in the shallow end. Ariel has never seen her father swim before.

Misty, though, knows otherwise. "He can swim."

This makes the girl stop laughing to curiously look at her mother. They were just swimming around the pond with the Pokemon when Ariel spoke up. "But I've never seen him swim, mom."

The woman shrugs. She has an idea why Ash doesn't swim. It's why she avoids anything having to do with him. Well, it's hard because she's a gym leader who works for the League, and they share a daughter together. However, if Misty can avoid Pikachus, Charizards, little 10 year old boys wearing caps, she tries.

Ariel glances over at her snoozing father. She's glad he's getting some sleep because he always looks so tired. She knows he struggles with sleeping at night because she does too. Oftentimes, she wakes up to see him watching her from her bedroom door, like he's making sure she's still safe. Although Ariel has nightmares, she's been able to sleep through them with the help of the Pokemon. Her father seems to be having them worse, which surprises her because she knows he's been through a lot more near death experiences than her.

"Pichupi!" A small splash hits the girl making her look at the cause.

Ariel giggles at Pikachu who's laughing at her. "You're going down, Pikachu!" She then starts swimming after him and the other Pokemon.

Misty sees them swimming towards her, so she says, "We'll be heading back soon, Ariel."

"Okay, mom!"

The woman then swims to shore near Charizard who is by her clothes. She wants to dry up a bit before going back. Once on shore, she spots her ex sleeping under his cap. Throwing her shirt and pants back on, Misty rubs Charizard's neck. "Thanks for taking me here, Charizard."

He nods and resumes sleeping. He was surprised when Misty was the one who called him out. He hasn't seen her in a long time, and he hadn't given her a ride anywhere since before the divorce. Nevertheless, Charizard is always willing to help Misty. Smiling, Misty sits on the ground leaning against him so that she can watch Ariel play with the Pokemon. It looks like the girl managed to catch Pikachu.

"Ariel."

Misty looks over at the man, and Charizard rolls his eyes. Ash keeps talking in his sleep, which annoys the lizard. Pretty soon, Charizard may unleash a flamethrower attack on his trainer. Sensing Charizard's frustration, Misty rubs his head. "Rest, Charizard. I'll take care of it."

He gratefully blinks at her and closes his eyes again. The woman then walks over to her ex who is still muttering some words under his breath. It's like when they were in the clinic and he was at her house. He seems to be having nightmares about the night he found Ariel, but she thought they would be done with by now. It's been months, and Ariel is pretty much healed up.

Hearing him whimper tugs at her heart. Mew, she's supposed to hate him. Well, she does hate him, but she can be nice to her enemies, right? Everyone deserves kindness. Except those Rocket members who put her baby in the hospital. She will never forgive them. The authorities also haven't found them.

"Ash." Misty nudges his arm with her leg. Of course he's a heavy sleeper. However, Ash is only a heavy sleeper when he knows he has help protecting Ariel. With Misty here, he can sleep more deeply because he knows she will take care of Ariel. Back in Cerulean City, Misty was sick, so Ash was the only one who could protect Ariel. It's why the man was such a light sleeper over there.

Sighing, Misty realizes her foot nudging isn't going to work. She looks over at the river to see if she can get Ariel to wake up Ash. No. Ariel shouldn't have to see her parents suffering. It won't be pleasant, and she'll just feel bad. Misty already told Charizard that she'd handle it, and the other Pokemon are swimming with Ariel. The woman mentally curses herself and kneels down beside her ex-husband.

Removing his hat, she sees his brows are furrowed deeply and his eyes are shut tightly. He seems to be in pain, but he's not in any physical kind of pain. Shaking his shoulder, Misty loudly speaks in his ear, "Ash!"

To her surprise, she feels herself quickly pinned to the ground with a hand on her throat. With her eyes open wide in shock, she's staring at the angry chocolate brown eyes of the once sleeping man. When he realizes it's just her, he lets out a relieved breath before releasing her. "Don't do that."

Misty sits up to glare at him. "You're the one attacking me for waking you up!" She knows he loves his sleep, but that was uncalled for! Especially since she was waking him up from a nightmare.

Groaning, Ash presses his palm to his temple while wincing. He's tired of these nightmares. "Sorry. I thought you were Team Rocket."

Although she should be mad, she isn't. She feels somewhat bad for him. Glancing back at the lake to make sure she can still see Ariel, Misty tells him, "Ariel's fine."

"I know!" he exasperates. "I know, but I'm still so scared." No one understands. They weren't there when he found her all battered and bloody. They weren't there when she was barely breathing in his arms. They weren't there! He hates feeling all alone raising her.

A hand on his shoulder makes him look up at its owner. He's shocked to see the sincere blue eyes of his ex. "I get scared too."

"You didn't see her." Ash breathes out. "You didn't see all the blood or watch her life slowly slip away." Ash shakes his head with his eyes shut. He hates thinking about that night, but his subconscious likes to remind him while he sleeps.

Misty finally takes in the deep bags under his eyes. She had assumed they were from working and trying to spend more time with Ariel throughout the week. Now, though, she believes these constant nightmares must be the main cause. Old Misty would take him in her arms and hug his problems away. Mew, she finds herself wanting to do that right now out of habit, but that's not how they are anymore. Instead, she stands up and extends a hand to him.

"You're right. I didn't." He curiously looks up at her and her hand. "But we're smarter now. Ariel won't ever go through that again."

He shakes his head. "She's supposed to be traveling next year. I don't know if I can let her go."

"Ash!" Misty snaps at him and retracts her hand. "That's all she's ever wanted to do since she could talk!" Misty fully understands where he's coming from with his hesitation on letting Ariel go on her Pokemon journey, but holding her back will just make her resent them. It's what Ariel wants to do, so they should support her. Ash of all people should understand this!

"I know, but I'm scared!" The man stands up to glare at her. "Why aren't you? She almost died and you're so calm about it! You're ready to just let her leave on her own!"

What? She was just being nice to him and helping console him. However, he wants to attack her like this? Claiming she doesn't care about Ariel! Well, she does! That's why she's going to let her daughter travel next year! "Because it's what Ariel wants! I always choose what's best for her!"

"What's best for her is staying until she's stronger!"

"What's best for her is going on her journey with Jace! She's wanted this for years!"

"That was long before she almost died!"

"So you're just gonna lock your daughter up?" challenges the woman. "She'll hate you!"

"I'm protecting her! There's a difference!"

"No!" shouts Misty. "You're just being a fucking coward! You always want to hide from your problems!" He hid from all their problems that led to the divorce. He hid at the League. She won't let him hide Ariel due to his own selfish cowardice feelings. What ever happened to him? He used to recklessly run into battles and legendaries trying to save the world.

"Sorry I actually care about my daughter!" How dare she act like this towards him? They were getting along fine until Misty suggested they throw their daughter into the wild while she's still targeted by Team Rocket.

"No! You care about yourself! It's all you ever care about!"

He narrows his eyes angrily at her. "She's not going on her journey."

"She spends most of her time with me. She's going if she wants to go."

"She won't if I ask her not to."

"You're so fucking selfish!" screams the woman. Talking to this guy is impossible. She's the one who raises Ariel, and he wants to impose his own rules on their daughter! That's not fair.

"That's just how you are!" Ash fires back. "You never see things from others' perspectives! I'm not being selfish, I'm protecting her!"

"Tell her that then!"

"I will!"

"Stop!" shouts the girl in question. The moment she heard shouting, she and the Pokemon swam back to shore as quickly as possible. Pikachu worriedly looks between the fuming adults, Charizard is heavily annoyed, and Bulbasaur is trying to figure out how to mediate. He is the mediator.

Misty crosses her arms over her chest to smugly look at Ash. "Tell her."

The girl focuses on her nervous father. "Tell me what, dad?"

Ash sheepishly smiles at her. Mew, he wasn't ready to tell her now. He's still thinking about it. "Uh. Just that I probably won't make it to dinner on Wednesday." He lies.

Shaking her head, Misty mutters, "Coward."

"Wait. Why, dad?"

Ignoring his ex wife, the man replies, "I should make it! Just, I might have something come up. But I have a 99% chance of making it!" he grins innocently.

Sighing in disappointment, Ariel says, "Okay, dad. I hope you make it."

"I'm gonna try, champ." Soon, Ariel and Misty get on Charizard to fly back to the party. Ash doesn't want to be caught flying on Charizard with his ex. It'll cause too much trouble. Fortunately, because he doesn't know where he is, Bulbasaur walks him and Pikachu back.

"Bulba." Bulbasaur and Pikachu have been lecturing him the whole walk. They are upset at him for arguing with Misty in front of Ariel.

"I know! Okay! I lost my temper!" exasperates the man.

"Pikachupi pi pika pikapi pikachu." Pikachu knowingly tells him

Sighing, Ash looks up at the sky. "I'm not looking for an argument, but when she gives me that tone or calls me out on my parenting, it pisses me off. Just because she spends more time with Ariel, she thinks she has more say in what Ariel does. I'm Ariel's parent too!" Ash frowns. "Does she not care about Ariel's safety? Those Rockets would be too powerful for a 10 year old with a starter Pokemon!"

"Pi." Pikachu knows Ash is right. This is a hard problem. On one hand, Ariel should go on her journey because she always wanted to. On the other hand, Ariel should stay and train her starter Pokemon until it's strong enough to handle Team Rocket. However, Pikachu knows Ariel hates the latter choice.

"Bulba bulbasaur bul saur bulba ba bulbasaur." Bulbasaur nods as they're nearing the party.

"You really think we can find those Rockets?" Ash curiously asks. Bulbasaur suggests that they get rid of the Rockets searching for Ariel. That way, they can also find out why exactly the Rockets want Ariel. With that threat gone, then Ariel should be safe to go on her journey. Bulbasaur nods, so Ash now responds, "That's impossible. None of the officers have been able to find anything!" And this is a pretty high profile case because it has to do with the Champion.

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur lectures him while hitting his head with a vine whip attack.

"Hey!"

"Pika!" Pikachu thunderbolts his trainer, causing Ash to glare at his Pokemon.

"What was that for?"

"Pika pikachu pikapi pi pika!"

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur agrees.

"I'm not a coward!" Ash narrows his eyes at them. That's the same thing his ex wife likes to call him. How can he be a coward when he's saved the world countless times? He's been selfless and courageous!

"Bulba bulbasaur bul bulba bulba bulbasaur." Bulbasaur nods knowingly.

"I have not become a coward! I just don't need to save the world as often anymore!"

Pikachu shakes his head. "Pikapi pikachu pika pikachupi chu kachu."

"Parenting has not made me a worrywort!" denies the man. "Look, if the police can't find the Rockets, what makes you think I can? It's hard enough seeing Ariel every week on top of my League work!"

Bulbasaur sighs and walks away. He's ashamed of his trainer. Just what happened to Ash? Ash used to be so fearless. Well, Bulbasaur assumes it's because Ash is a parent now. Ash worries constantly about Ariel's well being, especially after the attack. However, he should be like Misty. While Misty worries, Misty will allow Ariel to be happy. Nevertheless, Bulbasaur sees Ash's side too because the Rockets are probably waiting until Ariel is all alone on her journey with a weak starter Pokemon to attack her.

At the party, Ash is still arguing with Pikachu about everything. "Pichupi pika kachu pi pikapi?"

"Of course I care about Ariel! That's why I don't want her to leave!" Why do others keep questioning his commitment to his daughter? It's annoying.

"Pikapi pikachu." Pikachu nods and then runs off to play with Ariel and the other children.

Furrowing his brows at his starter Pokemon, Ash is annoyed. Why are even his Pokemon against him? Did she brainwash them? His eyes land on his daughter who is using Charizard to battle Jace who is using his father's Blastoise. Ash watches the battle, and he can't help but soften his gaze as he's reminded about his rivalry with Gary. They went through a lot during their first journey, and now they're friends again.

Closing his eyes, he takes in a deep breath. Although he hates to admit it, they're all right. He can't hold his daughter back from her dreams. What kind of parent would he be? He would've hated his mother if she held him back. However, this time it's different. Ariel is the daughter of a gym leader and the champion. Ash was just the son of a single mother in a small town. Obviously Ash wouldn't have a target on his head like Ariel does.

Opening his eyes, he smiles at his energetic daughter. She deserves to be happy. She deserves to live out her dreams. He can't hold her back from it, but he can do everything he can to protect her. Bulbasaur is right. He can't give up unless he tries. And he loves Ariel enough to try.