A/N: Hello lovely readers. I'm PancakeOwl, and this is my first fanfiction ever posted! It's a oneshot. This story will be a collection of oneshots about, well, "The Years After"! I'm new to this site, so please bear with me as I stumble around blindly and make dumb mistakes. But hey, we all make mistakes! It's okay! Anyway, I'm constantly trying to improve my writing, so any constructive criticism is highly appreciated. Heck, anyone READING this would be highly appreciated! Also, I'm not completely sure about an update schedule yet, but I'll aim for a chapter a week. Can't promise anything though- I do have a life and sometimes I'm not motivated enough to write. Stupid procrastination. Anyway, enough from me. Y'all came here for the story! Btw, it does contain Amourshipping/SatoSere/Ash x Serena/whatever you want to call it, so if you don't like that ship, feel free to move along to a different story, no hard feelings! And finally, slight trigger warning- this does contain mentions of a baby almost dying after being born, hospitals, etc. If that triggers you in any way, again, feel free to move along. Okay, NOW I'm done. Enjoy the story, beautiful readers!
Theo Ketchum, the miracle child.
People said that a lot. And they were correct.
Theo had a complicated birth. Serena somehow knew something was wrong the day before Theo was born. 5 year old Emi didn't understand, of course, but she could tell something was up from the look on her mother's face. Throughout the day, she would fiddle with her blue ribbon in worry, or sit on the couch, rubbing her stomach and muttering something to herself that Emi couldn't hear.
On the fateful day of Theo's delivery, Emi was sent to Misty's house to sleep over until her little brother was born. Misty tried to get Coral and Emi to go to sleep, but, of course they wouldn't. At around three in the morning, Misty got a call while she was drinking her (fifth) cup of coffee. Tiredly, she picked up the phone. Ash's contact flashed across the screen.
"Hi, Misty." His voice was shaking.
"What's wrong? Is the baby here yet?" Misty asked, about to go and wake Coral and Emi.
"Yes. He's here. But…" Ash stopped talking. A small sob sounded from the other side of the phone. Misty's heart shattered.
Theo had been born alive- but he didn't cry. He was very unhealthy. The doctors had given him a very slim chance of surviving. After Misty and Ash hung up, Misty burst into tears. How would she tell Emi and Coral this? She clenched her teeth, about to walk into their bedroom to tell them when she heard small footsteps walking down the hall.
"Aunt Misty? What's wrong? I heard you crying." Emi had wandered into the kitchen, holding a sleepy Coral's hand.
Misty quickly wiped her tears and tried to stay strong, kneeling down to the girls' height. "Emi, honey, your baby brother is here. But he's unhealthy. He needs a lot of love right now. Why don't we go over to the hospital and provide that love?"
Emi and Coral were extremely excited to be seeing Emi's little brother for the first time, despite the grim statement. "Sure!" They said in unison.
Emi, Coral, and Misty all arrived at the hospital. Pikachu burrowed itself into Emi's arms as soon as he saw her at the hospital entrance. He had clearly been crying. Emi hugged him close, his soft yellow fur comforting her like a warm hug. Ash embraced his daughter immediately after, as if wanting to protect her forever.
"Coral, why don't we stay out here for now?" Misty suggested, placing a hand on her daughter's head of ginger hair.
Coral seemed a bit frustrated to be separated from Emi, but cooperated nevertheless. Ash picked Emi up and the two walked over to the room where the baby was being kept. They were let in, the nurses giving sympathetic looks. Emi held tight to her father, the whirring machines and nurses intimidating her.
"Now Emi, I want you to be prepared for what you're going to see." Ash put the toddler down. "Your brother has a lot of machines connected to him, and-" He wasn't able to finish.
Emi had already walked over. She stood over his designated crib for a while. For a second, she said nothing. And then she smiled. The biggest, brightest smile Ash had ever seen. Emi waved innocently to the newborn in his crib, still smiling.
"I love him." She whispered.
"So do I." Ash replied.
Ash and Emi stood there, simply taking in the baby for how he was. He really was a beautiful baby- he had raven black hair, identical to Ash's, and sparkling cerulean eyes. Eyes just like his mother's.
"Ash? We need to speak to you. Alone." The nurses said, bursting in and giving no notice to Emi.
"But- my daughter- she's only four- I can't just leave her by herself-" Ash stammered.
"It'll only be a few minutes." They replied. "I'm sure she can't get up to that much trouble, can she?" They chuckled. Emi pouted at them.
"It's okay Daddy, I'll be fine. Just go talk to them." Emi added.
Ash nodded, trusting his daughter, and went off with the nurses. Emi was left alone with the baby. She sat there, admiring him. He looked ill, though. Very ill. His skin was a milky white, and Emi could tell by the rise and fall of his chest that his breaths were shaky and unstable.
"Beep! Beep! Beep!" Went the machines out of nowhere. Emi jumped up.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Theo wasn't moving anymore. Emi's stomach twisted in a knot, knowing something wasn't right. She needed help. What did the beeping mean?
"Help! My baby brother! Help!" Emi shouted down the hall. No one answered. She ran down the hall, looking for someone, anyone, but it was deserted.
She rushed back into the ward. Emi had begun to cry at this point. Something was wrong with her brother. Very wrong.
"No, no! Don't go! Please! It's too early for that! I need to protect you, and love you, so you can't go yet! I'm your big sister!" Emi cried. Her heart ached. If I could...I would give my heart to you, baby brother. My heart is strong and healthy. If you had it, you could be like me!
A light enveloped the room. Emi was almost blinded by it. A quadruped creature with a ring around its torso and white plates covering its body descended into the room. It was huge; at least ten feet tall.
"Little one...you love your brother a lot, don't you?" It spoke telepathically. Emi was too shocked to say or do anything else, so she just nodded.
"You have a good heart. Your brother...is destined for greatness in this life. Your love for him has altered his fate. And that, little one, is love in its most magnificent form."
The Pokemon's words struck Emi, and her tears stopped momentarily. The Pokemon placed its hoof on Theo's chest, making a light flow throughout him. Instantly, Emi relaxed. Her heart rate went down, and a warmth that hadn't been in the room before enveloped her tiny body.
"Is...is he gonna be okay?" Emi choked out.
"You mustn't worry. In time, his true destiny will present itself and he will save us all."
A bang echoed throughout the room. Arceus disappeared. Emi was left standing there, completely bewildered as to what had just happened. Suddenly, the baby began to cry. Emi walked over, standing over Theo's hospital crib. As soon as Emi placed a hand on his cheek, all of her fear, her sadness, and even anger dissipated. All she could see were those mystifying eyes, filled with wonder and hope. Theo's crying stopped, and his tiny hands reached out to grasp Emi's finger.
"Theo, that's your name. Theo Ketchum." Emi whispered, stroking her brother's nose. The name had come to her out of the blue. She liked it.
Ash entered the room with the nurses. Upon seeing Emi so close to Theo, he almost lost his footing and passed out. "Emi! Step back a little, you can't just-"
"It's okay, Daddy. Theo is okay. Something came down and saved him. He's alright now." Emi murmured, continuing to stroke Theo's nose.
"Theo?" Ash asked.
"That's his name." Emi said firmly.
The nurses came over, and checked Theo all over. His heartbeat, his movement, his pulse...
"It's a miracle. He's….perfectly healthy." One said.
Just then, Serena ame rushing in, hearing what was going on. Ash tried stopping her from over exerting herself, but she waved him off. Serena kneeled down to her daughter, gently caressing her cheek. She had had a feeling, a mothers' intuition, that something had happened- and that her new baby was going to be okay.
"Emi, my little sweetheart...I don't know what you did….or how you did it, for that matter- but thank you. What did you say his name was, again?" Serena asked gently.
"Theo. Theo Ketchum." Emi responded without hesitation.
"Theo. That's perfect, honey." Serena said, smiling.
Emi grinned. The nurses handed Theo to Serena, who gratefully took him and cradled him. Ash was immensely happy. Did Arceus really appear? Only Emi knew. But all she cared about was her new little brother- and her now happy and complete family.
"Theo Ketchum," Serena whispered. "You really are...a miracle child."