Who I Am - Lightning99

Chapter 47:

The Next Step

Aside from Kanto, which retained the natural homely appearance and atmosphere it had the day he set off on his journey, Hoenn was the most unaltered region Red had revisited. Where Jubilife and Nimbassa had evolved from the modest cities they had been in his day to the bustling mini metropolises they were now, the view of Hoenn from the skies showed that its expansion was rather minimal. It appeared as infused in nature, in the land and sea, as it had always been.

The flight to Hoenn had been the most enjoyable and worrisome yet. Delia, to Red's delight, had completely awakened from her years of careful motherhood into her more adventurous self – a key trait for the woman he had fallen in love with. While riding his Altaria, she attempted spins and flips in the air, all sorts of tricks that made his heart jostle his chest. But there was a part of him that missed that recklessness, and he was not at all ashamed to admit she had adopted from him.

The flight had finished a short while ago. After visiting the cities necessary to complete their job, Red finally gave the door to May's house a few quick knocks. May answered expectantly with Drew peeking over her shoulder.

"Hi," May breathed. They both gauged Red for a moment. "Please, come in."

She led them into the living room where Max was busying himself in the kitchen, not-so-subtly glancing at them. The first thing May and Drew did after sitting on the settees was hand over several Pokéballs that could only be Ash's.

"Thank you. And thank you for having us," Delia said while taking the Pokéballs.

"Thank you for coming," May said.

"Before I get started, how is your arm, May?" Delia asked.

"O-oh! It's alright," May said and she flexed her arm. "I got out of my sling a little while ago, so I'm ok."

"That's good to hear," Delia said. "As we said, we're here to retrieve Ash's Pokémon, but Red and I also have something to tell you. We discussed it on the way over, and we decided you should know." The couple shared a glance. Red nodded. "Because you knew about Professor Oak's plan and decided to chance being hated by Ash to keep him safe, I think it is safe for us to tell you that, as you might have suspected, Ash is alive."

"H-He is?!" both May and Drew exclaimed. In the background, Red glimpsed Max's wide-eyed relief.

"That's right. We want to keep this a secret for as long we can, so please do not tell anyone. As I just said, the only reason we decided to tell you was because of your involvement in trying to protect Ash," Delia explained.

"Who else knows?" Drew asked.

"Well, most of the people who refused Professor Oak's plan: Gary, Brock, Dawn, Barry, and Paul. Gary's father knows too, as well as Team Rocket."

"T-Team Rocket?! But that's–" May exclaimed.

"No, it's alright. After the attack on Pallet Town and Ash's reported death, Jessie, James, and Meowth visited me and made amends. They were actually the ones that found Ash."

"Team Rocket is good now?" May asked. Red could relate to the hesitance in her voice. He shook his head.

"No, just Jessie, James, and Meowth," Delia said. "They left Team Rocket, so I suppose we shouldn't call them that anymore. Other than that, the only other person we are planning to tell for the moment is Misty when we return to Kanto."

"Is… Is Ash ok?" Drew asked.

"He is," Delia confirmed. "I haven't had a chance to talk to him while we have been travelling, but the last time I did, it sounded as if he is doing ok. He has met a few new friends in the Alola Region, and Brock, Dawn, and Clemont are with him."

"That–That's a relief," May said in a sad voice. "Do you think there is a chance we can fix things with him?"

"Definitely," Delia said. "I have told him the truth behind the incident, so all there is to do now is talk to him. Red and I, as well as the others back home, are heading to Alola after we have gathered all of Ash's Pokémon. We only have Johto and Kanto left."

"Could we come with you?" Drew asked.

Delia shook her head. "I'm sorry, but we want to be as inconspicuous as possible. Oak told Red that there are still some people lurking around Pallet Town. It's been difficult trying to keep Red's identity hidden from them since we don't know who they are, and if they see too many of the people involved leaving all at once, they might get suspicious. We are planning to stagger our departure a little bit to avoid that. But we don't want too many people going, so could I ask you to wait until things calm down a little bit?"

"Yeah, sure. Knowing he is alright is enough for me, anyway," May said. She looked over her shoulder, and everyone followed her gaze. "Do you hear that, Max? You have a chance to apologise."

Max froze. "I-I'm sorry!" he shouted before fleeing the room.

May sighed. "Max has been feeling awful since that day. It took this whole situation for him to grow out of his cocky phase."

"Oh, we have a good friend who still hasn't grown out of his," Delia said. Red grinned. "It will be ok. I know Ash will understand."

"He is like that, isn't he?" Drew commented.

The front door opened then. May's parents, Norman and Caroline, stepped in.

"–stole from the Poké Mart. That's the fifth theft across Hoenn this week. It's worrying, especially when it is in the town that I'm the Gym Leader of," Norman said.

"I know, dear. Does anybody know who the culprits are?" Caroline asked, closing the door.

"No, but I have my suspicions–" Norman saw Red and Delia. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realise we had guests."

"Oh, no, please don't apologise," Delia said. "My name is Delia Ketchum, and this is my husband, Red."

"Ah, you must be Ash's parents," Caroline said, and both adults delved into the natural condolences that Red and Delia had heard wherever they had gone. Sometimes, it was hard to keep up the façade when so many people were so comforting.

"Red… I swear I have heard that name before…" Norman muttered.

"Oh, I wonder where that might have been," Delia said, eyeing Red, who tried his best to not smirk.

"Nonetheless, it is nice to meet you both. What brings you here?" Caroline asked, sitting beside May. Norman ventured to the kitchen.

Delia announced Red's inability to speak before explaining their quest to retrieve Ash's Pokémon. To protect May, Max, and Drew, she phrased it as if they had been taking care of them for a while. As she did, Red's attention was lost to the snippet of conversation the couple had been having when they arrived.

From what he heard, it sounded as if a string of robberies was taking place in Hoenn. But that was not all it was, not to a man with his experiences. It was another component of a larger complication. First, a few Gym Leaders in Unova had to take care of some unknown business to the point of appointing another person for a while. Cynthia was chasing some mysterious people in Sinnoh. Now frequent crimes were occurring in Hoenn? It was worrying, to say the least.

Red quickly typed a message on his phone and showed it to Delia when the conversation paused.

"Oh? Red is curious about the robberies that have been happening in Hoenn," Delia said. "Are you able to discuss them?"

"Ah, yes," Norman said. "It's the strangest thing. Several Poké Marts have been robbed in the past month or so. All that is being taken are the Pokéball stocks."

Red typed another message.

"And, Red says sorry if this is forward of him, do you have any idea who might be committing the robberies?" Delia asked.

"Nothing concrete, no. I have a hunch, but I hope you'll understand that I don't want to throw speculation out there without any evidence," Norman said apologetically.

"No, of course. Thank you," Delia said.

Red nodded in understanding, though he imagined his own speculations were not too different to Norman's. It was a worrying situation, so he typed another message on his Pokégear. This time, he did not show it to Delia. He sent it to someone else instead.

Can you talk?

Red waited for a reply while the room chatted around him – he offered input a few times so as not to appear rude. But even as night fell and he and Delia left, no reply came. But they were not rushed at the moment, so it did not matter when the reply arrived.

They headed back to their temporary lodgings at the nearest Poké-Center in Oldale Town.

"All that is left is Kanto and Johto, and then we can finally go and see Ash," Delia said as she slipped into bed beside Red that evening.

"Huh?" Red asked because his attention had been wandering to his earlier speculations about the robberies.

"We can finally see Ash soon."

"Oh." Red felt his chest tighten. A chill suddenly coated his body. "Uh. Yeah."

"Is something wrong?" Delia asked, looking nowhere but his eyes.

"No. It's just… I don't know if it's time to visit him yet," Red had to break their eye contact. "There are still things to do. I need to visit Oak again, meet with some people for… damage control, as I said earlier, and–"

"What are you doing, Red?"

"W-What do you mean?"

"Why are you making so many different plans and ideas instead of going to see Ash?"

"I'm not intending on it… There's just a lot to do, and…" Red answered, but he didn't get to finish generating his lie.

"What's the real reason? I know you desperately want to meet Ash, to finally have him in your life. So why are you trying to put off going to Alola? I expected you to want to go there immediately after the situation with Oak. Yes, there's a lot to do, but seeing Ash is probably the most important. You did this just after Oak's trial, too. What's going on?"

Red couldn't help but chuckle. She knew him too well. "I… I don't know. You're right. I do want to go and see Ash. I just… something about it makes me uncomfortable."

"You're hesitant?"

Red sighed. "Yeah… Yeah, I think I am…"

"Why?"

"I-I don't know. I–"

"Red."

"I… think it's because I've been away all his life. I guess… I don't know if Ash will accept me. I left to protect the family and our friends, but… what if he thinks I did it because I didn't love him? A part of him must resent me for it. What if he doesn't want me in his life now?"

"You've always been a deep thinker," Delia said. She offered her hand to him. Red reached over, interlocking his fingers with hers. "How long have you thought like this?"

"It plays on my mind now and again… With so much free time over the years, I couldn't help but think. It's just in the back of my mind whenever I'm not doing something…"

"Oh, Red… You don't have to worry about any of that. Ash doesn't hate you; he wants you in his life more than you can imagine. I made sure that he loves you. When he was really young, I told him you were out on your very own journey as a Pokémon Trainer to make you seem heroic to him, all while trying to keep the evidence of your 'death' secret."

Red chuckled again. "How did he react to that?"

"He thought it was awesome. He always bragged how amazing his father was. As he got older though he started seeing other kids with their fathers, and he started to wonder where you were. So, one day, I sat him down and explained how you were a Pokémon Master. I'm not even sure what being a Pokémon Master means, but I made you out to be amazing. Then, I told him that he would only be able to meet you if he became strong. If he became a Pokémon Master. It was only a story I told him to think positively of you while you were away, but he's taken it as his life goal. He's wanted to meet you ever since then, and he tries his hardest to be a Pokémon Master every day."

Red felt a warmth tickle the underneath of his eyes, and a smile stretch his cheeks. "You really told him all of that?"

"I did. Honestly, the part about becoming strong to meet you was because I thought that, if he became strong enough to protect himself, you could come home and not have to worry about him as much anymore. Setting Ash on that path was in the hopes of making the family whole again.

"Ash loves you, Red. That's the truth. Maybe you haven't met, but he does love you. So please, stop thinking negatively. Stop putting it off. I really can't wait for the pair of you to meet."

Delia's speech was like a Refresh. Knowing Ash viewed him in such a light was something he had wanted to hear for years. Delia had done everything in her power to save their family.

Red gave Delia a gentle kiss on the lips. Though it had been frozen by the climate of Mt Silver's peak, it was always so easy to open his heart to her.

"Thank you, Delia."

"You're welcome."

With that, Red switched off the bedside lamp and the pair attempted to get to sleep. Delia drifted off soon after they finished talking, but Red pondered her words a little more.

It was as Red was drifting to sleep himself that his Pokégear buzzed.

Red groaned. He snatched his Pokégear from the table.

What is it?

Shaking his head to clear his fatigue, Red considered his reply for a moment.

Are they mobilising?

And what gives you that suspicion?

I've been to a few regions these last few weeks, and things are odd.

Right, was the only reply Red received for a good half an hour. Sometimes, they could be annoying with their replies. Finally, after silently pacing for a while, another message arrived.

Where are you?

Oldale Town in Hoenn. Why?

Ok. I have another contact that can meet with you face-to-face. It will be easier to talk that way.

Another contact?

I mentioned them a short while ago. They will be there in fifteen minutes. Delete this number.

Red deleted it. About ten minutes later, he re-dressed into his day clothes and silently left the room. He wandered to the most secluded, hidden area of Oldale Town in the hope that his cautious contact would find him, even if it was after midnight.

"It is good to finally meet you face-to-face," the voice of his contact said when they found him. He sent his Bite Pokémon to sniff the area, something Red assumed was to alert them if anybody was approaching even with the darkness hiding them well enough. "I admit, I was dubious when he contacted me, but when you were mentioned, I had to join. My once predecessor complained about your benevolence."

Red typed a message on his phone.

I still don't trust him, but he is being useful for now.

"Ah, I see you are an intuitive man like myself."

Can I trust you?

"That is a good question. But I assure you since I saw the errors of my ways partly due to your son's interference, I abandoned that life. All I want now is peace, but these – conspirators are hindering that possibility. Should you need any more reason to trust me, I have infiltrated their ranks. Ask me anything."

Red widened his eyes. That was an extremely advantageous position.

I have been to a few regions lately and noticed a few things. The Gym Leaders in Unova were so occupied with something that one of them even hired someone else to take over the gym. Cynthia, the Champion of Sinnoh, is searching for people with green-bob haircuts. In Hoenn, crimes are happening every week. Are they acting?

His contact nodded, clasping their hands behind their back. "Indeed, they are. It is as you suspect. I know from being inside that the Unova Gym Leaders are hunting a certain escapee. Those people in Sinnoh are who you undoubtedly suspect. And yes, you are right to assume the culprits here in Hoenn."

What is their goal?

"Their goal is as it always is. Power."

His plan is working?

"His plan is working because he is spearheading the operation. If it were anybody else, it would not work. While his most recent endeavour ended in failure – by your son's doing again, might I add – it was enough to incite belief in him."

We are finally getting somewhere after so long.

"Indeed. I may be new to the goal, but I understand the hardship and patience you have had to reach this point. I wish to see it through, even if we are turned on in the end."

My thoughts exactly. Thank you.

"No thanks are required. This is my new path in life," his contact said. They whistled and their Pokémon padded to their side. "I have one word of warning. Whatever it was that happened in Pallet Town has shifted their focus a little bit. I intend to learn as much as I can. I shall contact you again when I have more information."

With that, his contact left, disappearing behind the forestry. Red stood by himself for a moment, considering his next step. It was obvious. At this point, he had to tell Delia what was happening behind the scenes. It was a difficult situation to explain, but he trusted her to understand.

"I am delighted to tell you that you are completely healed, Lillie!" Professor Burnet practically yelled when Lillie and Ash entered the Dimensional Research Lab the day of Lillie's results. Burnet only confirmed what Lillie already knew, but getting confirmation was gratifying, nonetheless.

Lillie hugged Burnet. "Thank you," she said, and it felt like the final word to close this whole ordeal. She had finally stepped onto the path to recovery.

"That's alright, dear."

"That's great news, Lillie! Everything should get better from here, right?" Ash said.

"That's right," Lillie confirmed. "It may take some time, but I hope I will get there."

"I'm sure you will!" Burnet said. "Now," she continued, her chipper tone becoming more purposeful, "you are a Pokémon trainer, right, Ash?"

"Yeah," Ash said.

"How good a trainer would you say you are?"

"Uhh… I'm ok…"

"He-He's an excellent trainer! He is the best I have ever seen," Lillie intervened to save Burnet from misunderstanding Ash.

"I see. I hope this isn't too much to ask, but could you help me with something?"

"Oh, sure, yeah," Ash said.

"After your previous visit, we returned to work trying to uncover what that second Ultra reading was. We haven't yet discovered what it is, but we know it is currently at the Motel at the end of Route 8. Since you said you once battled an Ultra Beast and you are not injured as a result, I thought you might be the right person to investigate it for us. Us scientists are not too well versed in Pokémon battling."

"I guess Kukui makes up for that, huh?" Ash said.

Burnet laughed. "You bet he does!"

"Sure, I don't mind taking a look. I might not be able to go straight away, though."

"Excellent! And no matter. When you discover what it is, could you come and let us know?" Burnet asked.

"Yep, of course," Ash said. "Umm, sorry to cut this short, but we should probably get going. Hau is going to take on Kiawe's trial, so we can't be late."

"Of course. I shall await your findings, then, Ash."

"I'll get on it as soon as I can."

With that, Professor Burnet saw Ash and Lillie out, and they headed for Wela Volcano.

"There you two are! Where've ya been?" Hau asked as they rounded the corner to see most of the group there.

"Sorry, sorry," Ash said.

"I just wanted to check in with Professor Burnet," Lillie said.

"Oh, by the way, Brock's sorry he can't make it. He's saying thank you to the Aether Foundation workers since it's his last day there," Ash said.

"It's his last day?" Mallow asked.

"Yeah. He's decided to take the job at Aether Paradise," Ash said, and he made two quick gestures. One was a subtle glance at Clemont that Lillie barely saw, and another was a glance at her, one that he held as her eyes widened and she felt her heart speed up.

"I'll explain later…" Ash whispered as the others voiced their congratulations for Brock, and Lillie promptly calmed down. She nodded, and, finally, Kiawe introduced his trial to Hau as he had done for Ash. In the next few moments, the group was walking along the outer path while Hau dashed into the volcano maze.

As they ascended, just like with Ash's trial, they entered a few little outcrops in the wall where some ledges stood behind blackout curtains. They were almost like scaffolding that provided a view of Hau running around in the sections of the maze. They checked in on Hau every so often while chatting and passing comments.

They interacted only a few times, but Lillie could still sense a slight awkwardness lingering between Ash and Mallow. For some reason, it made her feel guilty. She tried to ignore it as best she could by being thankful that two of the most important people in her life were at least talking.

When they reached the top, they settled in one corner and waited for Hau to appear. It was about fifteen minutes before he did. He was panting and his Pokémon looked a little singed, but they were determined. That much was obvious.

As Kiawe stepped onto the plinth and summoned the Totem Pokémon for Hau to battle, Hau announced, pointing at the Totem Salazzle, "Alright, I struggled against my Grandpa, but I've come prepared! Let's do this! Go, Vaporeon!"

The battle started. While Ash's trials were filled with a tense excitement and cheers of encouragement, his presence on the sidelines prompted some more professional commentary. He seemed to notice more easily when a move worked well or when something could have been better or even predict how the opponent would act. He, Kiawe, Dawn, and Lana bounced commentary and cheering off one another almost effortlessly.

Despite not being as knowledgeable about battling as them, it was clear to Lillie that there was a difference in Ash's and Hau's abilities. Ash's battling was smooth and precise, while Hau's was a little more erratic, a little more predictable. It was an interesting comparison to make, but Hau battled well all the same.

A hectic five minutes of exchanging moves later, a neat combo of Quick Attack and Water Gun finished the job. Vaporeon dashed in, slammed into Salazzle's head and bounced upwards, then unleashed a powerful Water Gun from above.

"I…I did it…" Hau muttered a few seconds after Salazzle collapsed. His smile exploded. "I did it!" he yelled, throwing his arms into the air.

The small crowd joined Hau in celebrating his victory until Kiawe stepped up to congratulate him and hand over the Z-Crystal.

Upon Hau's suggestion, they headed to the Malasada shop for an enjoyable meal afterwards – a meal infused with Hau detailing and proclaiming his process and skills.

"Kiawe, after Hau, how many people need to attempt your trial for your temporary position to be finished?" Clemont asked as late afternoon arrived.

"One or two," Kiawe answered. "There were a few between Ash and Hau, so I'm nearly finished which is honestly a little bit of a relief. I have missed simply training with my Pokémon."

"I'm finished with my post," Lana said. "The last person challenged me this morning."

"Really? Good work, Lana," Mallow said.

"Indeed, it sounds like your trial is quite formidable. I'm sure Olivia will be impressed," Kiawe said.

"Thank you," Lana said. "I tried my best."

"Did you have fun?" Lillie asked.

Lana nodded. "Yep. Waiting was a bit of a bore sometimes, but I did some fishing to pass that time. It was surprisingly entertaining to see people succeeding and failing at my trial. Something was rewarding about how hard they were trying."

"That's good to hear," Clemont said.

"Yeah," Dawn added. "Now that you're finished, what's next?"

"I'm not sure, really," Lana said.

"In that case," Dawn continued, momentarily glancing at Lillie with a smile, "I was thinking of asking those two performers – Ida and Kanoa – if they could teach me some Alolan style performing techniques. Since they seem to focus on Water Type Pokémon, would you like to join me?"

"Oh, that sounds interesting. If you don't mind," Lana said.

"Of course not! We'll head over tomorrow, then." Lillie shared a small smile with Dawn as the conversation flipped yet again, this time to Clemont's newest mechanical endeavour.

Given her new state of mind, Lillie found the chatter and banter much more engaging and thrilling than it had been. She was even more appreciative of the jovial atmosphere everyone exuded. Being healed truly was solacing.

That evening, as had become their routine, Lillie sat on the edge of Ash's bed while he changed. When he returned, he sat opposite her and coaxed Pikachu over. Then, Lillie started training – training was how Ash referred to her practising getting closer to Pikachu. It made it sound a lot more professional than it was, but it also gave her a sense of purpose.

A short while later, Lillie flinched back for the fourth time, but neither of them commented on it anymore. Ash smiled encouragingly, and Lillie tried again.

"Lillie… About Brock taking that job at Aether Paradise…" Ash muttered somewhat warily. Lillie nodded, pausing her training for a moment. "It was my idea."

"It was?"

"Yeah. It's just… Because of your story, I thought that having Brock involved with the Aether Foundation would let us keep an eye on them. It could stop any other problems before they start. I guess I just… don't want to see you go through something like that again."

"It… It's all for me?" Lillie asked.

"Ah, well…" Ash muttered, scratching the back of his neck. Lillie could only assume he was slightly embarrassed. "I guess so…"

Lillie smiled to herself. They resumed their training efforts without another comment on the matter, leaving that inconspicuous implication to meld the atmosphere into something more intimate. Lillie pondered it as she practised, and what it could mean.

A few minutes later, Lillie tapped Pikachu's head before flinching back. Spurred by the adrenaline of promise, she tried again with an abnormal determination that better suited Ash himself. When she flinched back this time, she heard a gentle laugh.

"W-What was that for?" Lillie asked, gently hugging her shoulders and glancing away.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. I was just thinking that it's nice to see you so upbeat and determined. It's only now that you're back to your normal self that I kind of realise how badly you were affected that whole time," Ash said. "That, and I recognise that determination. You'd better be careful. You don't want my recklessness to rub off on you too."

Lillie giggled. "I'm sure it won't. I am much too careful to be reckless."

"I dunno," Ash said, chuckling to himself. "I'll remember that when I see you rushing into danger to make your first scientific breakthrough in the future."

Lillie laughed again, louder this time, more passionately, more openly, in a way that she only could around Ash. "I hope that day arrives. How did you know I want to be some type of scientist?"

"Oh, I guessed."

"I suppose it isn't that difficult to figure out, is it?" Lillie started training again. "Speaking of scientific breakthroughs, when are you thinking of looking into Professor Burnet's discovery?"

Ash rocked back and forth, humming. "Maybe tomorrow?"

"Could I accompany you?"

Ash stopped rocking. "Actually, I was thinking of going alone."

"Alone?"

"I was one of the only people that saw the Ultra Beast at Aether Paradise, and it was tough. If I think about it, I'm not sure it was going all-out either. I don't want to put anyone in danger if there is another Ultra Beast there."

"I see. What about Kiawe or Brock? They are more experienced trainers too, so they may be able to help."

"Maybe. I just don't want to endanger them, you know?" Ash said. Lillie could understand his stance in that regard. "Anyways, that's not important right now. You ready to give it all you've got?"

"Yep!" Lillie said, and they resumed their training with full focus. By the end of the evening, Lillie could at least pat Pikachu's head comfortably. It was minimal, but it was progress, the next step in her healing process. It was progress that meant everything to her.

Hi! I'm back again with another chapter! (It's been a while again... My bad...)

Now, I completely forgot to mention this when I uploaded the previous chapter, but it's been TWO YEARS since I started uploading this story. Honestly, that's crazy to me. My uploading schedule this year compared to the first was very messy and I'm really sorry about that. I've been busier, but I've done my best to get chapters out when I can!

But that's not the important part. I just wanna say thank you to everyone that has read/is reading this story. As we writers tend to be, I am my biggest critic so a lot of self-questioning goes into whether I am doing well, but it's a story I want to tell, so I'm going to do that right 'til the end! And I hope you'll stick around for it (even if it takes another two years)!

So, once again, thank you to everyone that has read, reviewed, favourited, and followed! It's amazing to see, and I really appreciate it! :D

I'll see you guys soon!