Pokemon: Secrets of the Stars

By Mystical Star

A Kitty-Chan Production

Disclaimer: Mystic does not own Pokemon, she does, however, own Maplewood City, Maplewood Gym, and all characters associated with the gym, you can use the ideas as long as you ask first.

Author's Note: VERY IMPORTANT!!!! If you read the last chapter and it ended with Amaya, Misao, Misty, and Ash on their way to the hospital, GO BACK!!!!! I made a mistake and excluded a part that I thought that I would include in this chapter. I have re-uploaded it now, and if you don't want to be incredibly confused, please go back and read the ending again (it's not that long, but it's crucial to the story). Sorry for the inconvenience!!

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Part VI-The Promise of Tomorrow

Maplewood City Pokemon Center, One Month after Chapter Five

"I know that I didn't exactly pass Pokemon Medicine school, but if you'd please let me just help out here, I'd learn more so one day I really can be a nurse!" A young woman with magenta hair pleaded with Nurse Joy. The pink-haired nurse clutched her clipboard and frowned as she thought.

The young woman's hair was pulled back into two braids and she wore glasses that gave an extra shine to her brilliant blue eyes. She wore a navy blue turtleneck sweater and blue skirt, giving her the appearance of a schoolgirl, but she didn't look young enough to be one.

"Well, uh," Nurse Joy checked her clipboard for the woman's name, "...Jessica, I suppose I could let you serve an internship for three months to try you out--"

"Oh thank you!" The magenta-haired woman squealed in delight.

"You'll start work tomorrow, then," Nurse Joy smiled and handed Jessica a paper "Fill this out and bring it with you tomorrow, see you then!" She said, waving Jessica goodbye.

The young woman exited the Pokemon Center, filled with glee. She saw a friend of hers sitting on a bench outside and waved to him.

Her friend had blue hair that was pulled back with sunglasses on the top of his head and green eyes. He wore a black leather jacket with a red shirt underneath and black jeans. He waved back at Jessica.

"So, Jessie, how'd you do?" He asked.

"It went really well, I start my internship tomorrow! What about you, James?" Jessie returned.

"I got a pretty good job at the Radio Station in Goldenrod, and if I teach that Fearow that I caught outside of the city, I can commute there everyday!" James said cheerily.

"Great! What job did you get?" The magenta-haired woman asked. "Voice actor!" James replied, bursting with pride.

"Oh that's wonderful!" Jessie exclaimed, hugging her friend. "Maybe if we make enough money this year, we can finally buy a house!" James said. His blue-eyed friend blushed, smiled, and fiddled with the ring on her left ring finger*

"Where's Meowth?" She asked. "He ran off somewhere chasing a Pidgey that pecked him on the head, he should be back sooner or later," James responded, gesturing in the direction of west. Jessie giggled.

"I can't wait to start our new life," She whispered, leaning close and giving James a kiss on the cheek.

Purity Canyon-Same time*

Luna got up from the table to answer a knock at the door. "Probably another traveler who missed the bus again," She sighed to her husband, who was comparing water pH charts at the table. "Yeah," He said, looking up to see who was at the door. Luna jumped when she opened the door and saw who it was.

"You!" She gasped.

The girl looked to be in her early twenties. She had short, blonde hair and was wearing a white and pink cap. Her eyes were brilliant lavender. She wore a pink zip-up sweatshirt and blue jeans. Calix recognized who it was right away.

"Domino! What do you want?" He demanded, remembering how terrible Domino was the last time they met. The blonde stared at her feet in shame.

"Have you been watching the news lately?" She asked. Calix raised an eyebrow.

"What does that have to do with anything?" The brown haired man asked. Domino turned to Luna. "Turn it on, you'll see," She said. The green-haired woman reluctantly backed over to the corner where the television was and turned it on to the news channel.

"...And in other news, the Team Rocket Mastermind, Giovanni Rasputi, was put on trial today for the attempted murder of this young boy," The reporter proclaimed as a picture of a familiar boy flashed on the screen.

"Ash!" Luna gasped.

"I would have never helped him...if I would have known he'd go after an innocent boy," Domino said in an emotional voice, still staring at the ground.

"Domino, you--?"

"Yes, I kidnapped Ash for Giovanni, but now.... now I just want a normal life." The former Rocket Agent admitted.

"Why should I trust you?" Calix interrogated.

"I believed in Giovanni before all this. I thought what Team Rocket was doing was right, but then, the boss did something that I just couldn't follow, it wasn't right. And when he tried to kill that boy.... I lost all faith in what I was doing. I don't want to live that way anymore." Domino explained as she held back sobs.

Luna put her hand on Domino's shoulder.

"What kind of normal life did you want?"

Maplewood City Gym Building

"In the latest news, Team Rocket mastermind, Giovanni Rasputi, was convicted to life in prison this afternoon for attempted murder of a young Pokemon trainer, and another life sentence for the murder of Makoto Ketchum, an important figure in the Maplewood City Gym." The television reporter announced as a picture of Ash and another one of his father flashed on the screen. "Rasputi also received a twenty years sentence for grand Pokemon theft in the first degree. The rest of Team Rocket's agents will be tried separately in the coming weeks."

"Justice is served," Hinoko Ray sighed, stretching his arms above his head as he sat on the couch, accompanied by Aurora, Midori, and Seiya.

"Yup, finally, we can forget about Team Rocket." Aurora thought cheerfully.

"I'm glad he got the life sentence. I hope they put him in a four-by-four room with the walls painted black." Seiya said.

"Seiya! Remember what I taught you!" Midori snapped Seiya sighed.

"Never wish something upon someone that you wouldn't want done to you. Revenge gets you nowhere," The young trainer recited. Aurora and Ray giggled.

Trainer's Complex-Same time

"Ash! What did you do to yourself, why do you have a bandage on your head?" Ash's mother demanded through the videophone in her house while Ash sweat dropped from the phone in the Trainer's Complex.

"Just a second, Mom," Ash said, leaning out from the chair he was seated in and glaring at Brock and Misty, who were supposed to have called Delia while Ash was recovering in the hospital.

"Mom, you haven't heard what's been going on here?" The young trainer asked.

"No, actually, I've been rather busy lately with helping Professor Oak at his lab, he's working on a new version of the Pokedex. So, what is going on in Johto?" Ash's mother asked innocently.

"Team Rocket was here and they...kidnapped me--"

"WHAT?! Ash, are you all right? Have they been caught yet? Where's my lawyer's phone number?!" Delia freaked out.

"Mom, calm down! I'm fine and Team Rocket's been arrested and lots of them are on trial, but that's not what I called about," Ash said, dreading the moments to come.

"Well then what DID you call about?! How could you not get a hold of your own mother for a month to let me know what was going on? Why, if your father was here right now--"

Delia's last words stung at Ash's heart and tears brimmed in his eyes. He held them back.

"Dad's dead." He blurted, quieting his mother out of her lecture. Delia looked at her son through the screen, not quite sure of what he had said.

"Could you repeat that, because I could have just sworn I heard you say that your father is-is-is--"

"Dead,"

Delia stopped talking and her eyes grew wide, tears brimming on them and threatening to spill over her cheeks like waterfalls of sorrow.

"Ash...I--"

"Mom, I'm coming home for a little while, okay? I think we need some time to talk about D--Dad," Ash interjected, not wanting to see his mother cry. Delia nodded and whimpered.

"I'll be seeing you in a few days then? Will you be taking the Magnet Train?" She asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Yeah, I'll be seeing you," Ash said, closing the conversation.

"I love you," Delia said, smiling. Her son smiled back. "I love you too, Mom," And then, both hung up.

"Ash, we're sorry we didn't call your mom, but we just didn't know how to let her know without her flipping out," Brock excused as he walked up to his friend.

"Oh, it's alright. I just want to get going, what about you guys?" Ash sighed, standing from the chair he'd been sitting in.

"Sure," Said Misty.

"Alrighty," Brock chimed.

"Pikachu!" Ash's Pokemon affirmed, smiling. The young Pokemon trainer smiled at his friends.

"Okay, let's get goin'!"

Outside Maplewood City Gym

"So, you're leaving?" Came a voice from behind the fence. Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu turned around to see the gym leaders and Hiroko behind the fence, walking towards them.

"Yeah, I'm we're taking a little break from training," Brock explained. Misao stepped forward.

"Ash, please, take this," She said, extending her closed fist and opening it to reveal a small object in her palm. It was a blue circular object with a yellow star in the middle of it.

"The Star badge?" Ash asked, examining it. Misao nodded.

"But I haven't even fought you yet!" The young trainer thought aloud.

"We thought about it a lot, and we decided that you are worthy of the Star badge, take it, Ash," Severina spoke up. Ash looked down on the badge, then at the leaders.

"Pikah?" Pikachu questioned from its master's shoulders. Ash smiled.

"I can't take it. I didn't earn it." He stated. Misao raised an eyebrow.

"But we think--"

"Winning the Star badge is something I want to do by Pokemon battles, to follow in my father's footsteps. He was on his way to be a master, and I want to make it there for him," Ash explained. Misao smiled.

"I have no doubt that you'll be a Pokemon master, Ash. And when you are, you can come back here, but next time, you might not be so lucky!" The red-haired leader said, winking. Ash chuckled a little.

"I'm not so sure!" He retorted.

"Well, Ash Ketchum, there is one thing I neglected to give you," Hiroko said, stepping next to Misao.

"This is the badge that your father earned, please, take it with you," She said, giving a Star badge to Ash. The young trainer examined the object in wonder, as if it was some sort of ancient relic. A large smile crossed his face.

"Thank you very much, Hiroko. And thank you, Misao, Amaya, everybody. Without you, I'm sure Team Rocket would still be trying to take over the world, and I would probably be dead," Ash said, gratefully as he and his friends turned to leave Maplewood.

"We'll never forget you!" Misty yelled back at the gym leaders. "Especially not you, Sayori!!!" Brock called, his heart all aflutter. Misty smacked him.

All of the gym leaders laughed and waved as they watched their friends leave for Goldenrod City and the Magnet Train. Misao brought her arm down from the air after Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu were nearly out of sight and sighed to herself.

"And we will certainly not forget you, Ash Ketchum," She declared quietly as she turned to re-enter gym grounds. But as she whipped around, she was startled to see a ghostly figure standing behind her a little to her left, waving at Ash. Misao wondered for only a minute as to who it was, and then smiled.

"Neither will you be alone, because your father is always watching over you," She whispered as she watched the ghostly figure of Makoto Ketchum wave his son goodbye.

THE END

Author's Note: So what do you think? Let me know and write a review, please! I hope you liked it, and I will have you know that I thoroughly enjoyed writing this, and I'm thinking about writing a story about the origins of the gym leaders, as well as a sequel to this, so keep your eyes peeled!

Notes:

*For those of you who didn't get the clue, it's a wedding ring (sorry if I'm making you feel stupid, I don't mean it)

** Purity Canyon was the setting for the second Mewtwo movie in which we first meet Domino. She went there on a secret mission to locate Mewtwo undercover with a scientist studying the water in Purity Canyon. Luna and Cullen Calix live in a cabin right above Purity River and are happily married (As of the end of Mewtwo Returns)