AUTHOR'S NOTE: I originally started this story last October, but never finished it because I thought it was way too dark and didn't think people would be too keen on it. However, after reading Blackjack Gabbiani's wonderful fic Amethyst Remembrance, I was inspired to complete this. However, be warned that this fic is a bit different from what I've written until now. Tissues may be in order for some of the later chapters.
And Blackjack, I did made Jiri less evil this time!
TIES OF BLOOD
"Yuck, what is all this stuff, Professor?" Tracey asked as he removed a tarp covering a pile of boxes and assorted items in the attic of the Oak house. He began to sneeze violently as the dust started billowing up in clouds. It was April and he and Professor Oak were in the middle of spring cleaning.
"Just some odds and ends from my various travels in my younger days," Professor Oak said as he waved the dust away. "Things I picked up during my Pokémon research expeditions."
"Like this?" Tracey grinned as he held up a half-naked wooden carving of a well-endowed young woman.
"Give me that," a red-faced Professor Oak scowled as he snatched the statue out of his young assistant's hands.
"Maybe you should show that to Mrs. Ketchum," Tracey said with a giggle. "She might get a kick out of…hey, what's this?" Tracey had discovered an old trunk and was trying to pry it open.
"More things from my travels," Professor Oak continued as he hid the topless statue in a nearby box. Tracey lifted the lid on the trunk and peered inside. "Wow! Look at all of this stuff."
Professor Oak knelt down next to his assistant and began to examine the items inside the trunk. "Most of this stuff came from my journey to the Manzanilla Islands about twenty years ago."
"What's this, Professor?" Tracey asked curiously as he held up a small velvet box.
"Oh my, I had forgotten all about this," Professor Oak exclaimed as he opened the box. "I had bought this for my wife from a street vendor in Naranjita. She died before I had a chance to give it to her," Professor Oak continued sadly.
"It's pretty," Tracey said as he examined the ring lying inside the box. It was gold and shaped like the head of a Kadabra. The only difference was that instead of the red star-shaped symbol that was normally in the center of the Pokémon's forehead, there was a small, clear stone. As Tracey held the ring up to the light to get a better look, the stone began to glow. "Wow, look at that."
"Unusual stone," Professor Oak murmured as he watched the rays of light dance inside the stone, forming a multitude of tiny rainbows.
"Bet Mrs. Ketchum would like this," Tracey said as he gave his boss a friendly nudge.
"Bet Mrs. Ketchum would like what?" said a female voice.
"Oh, Tracey and I were doing some spring cleaning," Professor Oak smiled as Delia came up the attic stairs.
"My, what a pretty ring!" Delia exclaimed. "Can I see it, Tracey?" Tracey handed her the ring and she slipped in on her finger. "It's beautiful," she said admiringly as she watched the crystal in the Kadabra's forehead sparkle in the sunlight.
Tracey gave his boss a "I told you so" look.
"Do you really like it, Delia?" Professor Oak asked as he took her hand in his and admired the ring sparkling on her finger.
"Oh yes, it's lovely," Delia smiled.
The delighted expression on her face alone was worth it. "Then it's yours," he replied.
Delia's mouth fell open in disbelief. "Really? You mean it?"
"I mean it," he smiled. "Consider it a birthday present."
"Samuel, you know my birthday isn't for another five months," she teased.
"Well then, consider it an early birthday present."
"Oh, thank you, darling!" Delia wrapped her arms around him and the two started kissing.
"Uh, I think I'll leave you two alone," Tracey smiled as he headed for the attic stairs.
"You know, Delia," Samuel whispered as he nuzzled her neck, "That ring could be for something else if you want."
"What do you mean, sweetheart?" Delia replied as she ran her hand through his silver-streaked hair.
"I mean, would you like for that ring to be an engagement ring instead?"
Delia gasped. "You…you don't mean…?"
With some difficulty, he found a clear space among the boxes and dropped to one knee. "I've been meaning to ask you for some time, Delia, but now seems like as good a time as any." He took a deep breath, took the hand that wore the Kadabra ring in his, and looked deeply into the eyes of the woman he had loved for years. "Will you marry me?"
"Oh, Samuel," Delia's hand flew to her mouth as she choked back tears of joy. "Yes!" She then threw herself into his arms and the two tumbled backwards into a pile of dusty boxes. As they kissed, the two started laughing in between sneezes.
---
Later that evening, Professor Oak lay in bed reminiscing about the afternoon's events. First he had finally asked Delia to marry him ("Well, it's about time!" Tracey had said when they told him the good news.), then the two had spent a blissful afternoon making love (after sending Tracey on an errand to Pewter City).
"Darling," Delia had said as she laid her head against his chest. "When would you like to get married?"
"Doesn't matter to me," he replied as he kissed her hair. "Whenever you like."
"How about Christmas? That'll give us plenty of time to get everything ready."
"Christmas? That's nearly eight months from now," Samuel said as he looked down at her. "I don't think I want to wait that long."
"I thought you said it didn't matter to you," Delia smiled as she lightly kissed his chest then slipped her hand underneath the sheets. "Besides, we've been together for so long that a few more months won't matter."
"If you keep touching me like that, I'm not going to wait any longer," he grinned as he pulled her close to him and kissed her hungrily.
Yes, life was good, Samuel thought as he turned out the light, snuggled into his pillow, and smiled contentedly. Just smelling the traces of her jasmine-scented perfume on his pillow conjured up images of earlier that afternoon – touching her, kissing her, loving her. As he was drifting off into a happy slumber, the phone rang.
"Hello, Oak Pokémon Research Laboratory," he replied as he picked up the receiver.
"Samuel?"
"Delia?" He noticed that she sounded worried. "Something the matter?"
"It's Mimie. He's acting rather odd."
"Odd? How so?"
"Well, aggressive. Like he's angry at me about something."
"Angry? Why would Mimie be angry with you?"
"I don't know. I can't think of any reason why Mimie would be upset with me. What's really bothering me is the way Mimie keeps looking at me. It's rather…almost scary. I'm actually kind of frightened."
Now that doesn't sound like Mimie at all, Samuel thought as he switched on the bedroom light.
"Could you come over and take a look at him? Please?" Delia pleaded.
"Why don't you bring Mimie over here, Delia? It'd be easier for me to figure out what's wrong since all my diagnostic equipment is here."
"Okay, I'll try."
"Let me know if you have any problems and I'll be down to help you."
"All right. See you in a few minutes."
Fifteen minutes later, Delia rang the doorbell of her fiance's house.
"Hello, sweetheart," Delia smiled apologetically as he opened the door. "I'm sorry if I bothered you. I mean, it's probably just my imagination or something."
"No, you did the right thing," Samuel assured her as he led her inside. "Where's Mimie?"
At the sound of its name, the Pokémon, who had been standing behind its owner, stepped inside. Professor Oak was shocked at the sight of the normally friendly Pokémon. Mimie's button-black eyes were an angry red and its expression was that of pure hatred.
"See what I mean?" Delia said anxiously.
"Yes, I do see what you mean," Samuel said as he tried to recover from the shock of seeing the gentle Pokémon like this. Regaining his wits, he took the Pokémon gently by the arm and spoke in a calm, soothing manner. "Mimie, why don't you come with me and let's figure out why you're acting this way, all right?"
Mimie allowed himself to be led into the lab by Professor Oak, but not before giving Delia a chilling look.
"Delia, maybe you'd better wait outside," Samuel told her. "Mimie's acting very unpredictable and I don't want to take the risk of you getting hurt."
"But I want to stay with Mimie. I'm afraid something's very wrong with him."
"So am I, Delia. But I think it'd be best if you stayed here. I'll let you know as soon as I'm through taking a look at him." He studied her face and noticed that she looked a bit pale. "Are you feeling all right?"
"Me? Oh, I'm just so worried about Mimie and all."
"Why don't you lie down on the couch and rest for a bit? I'll let you know as soon as I'm done. Come on , Mimie -- let's see if we can help you."
Fifteen minutes later, Samuel emerged from the lab.
"How's Mimie?" Delia asked anxiously.
"He appears to be fine physically," Samuel said as he sat down next to his fiancee. "Actually, about two minutes into my examination, Mimie started acting normally again. He's now busy sweeping the lab," he said with a grin.
"Oh, that's good news," Delia said, relieved. "But what do you think was causing Mimie to act that way?"
Samuel shrugged his shoulders. "Hard to say. I'd almost swear that he was under the influence of some sort of psychic attack, but I can't prove it."
"But Mimie's a psychic-type Pokémon. How can that be?"
"I don't know, Delia, but…" He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed that she seemed unusually pale, far worse than when he had left her earlier. "Delia, are you sure you're feeling all right?"
"I…I am a little bit shaky," she said as she lifted a trembling hand to her forehead. "Probably from all the excitement today."
As Delia raised her hand, the golden ring on her finger caught her fiance's attention. Instead of the clear, silvery color it had been earlier, the stone in the middle of the Kadabra's forehead was now glowing a pale crimson.
"Delia, have you noticed this?" He took her hand in his and showed her the ring.
Delia shook her head. "That's odd. It was green earlier. I thought it might be one of those old mood rings."
As another chill shook her body, Samuel turned his attention away from the ring and to his ill fiancee. "Delia, you're chilled," he said as he felt her forehead. "Are you sure you're not sick?"
"I…I don't think I am. I was fine earlier."
It was at that point that he noticed that something about Delia's eyes seemed odd. Instead of their normal soft brown, they had a tinge of red to them.
Delia noticed his alarmed expression. "Darling, what is it?"
"Your eyes," he said as he took her face in his hands and peered into their depths. "They look almost the same color as the crystal in your ring."
"But how can that be?" Delia said with some confusion.
"I don't know," Samuel replied as he continued to examine her eyes, frightened but at the same time fascinated by their unusual coloration.
Just then, Kingler came into the living room and began nuzzling Professor Oak.
"Not now, Kingler," Professor Oak said as he attempted to shake off the Pokémon's affections. "Delia isn't feeling well and I have to take care of her right now."
As the crab-type Pokémon moved towards Delia to comfort her, it caught sight of the ring. As the Pokémon drew closer, the crystal in the ring began to glow a deep, dark red. Delia watched in horror as Kingler's eyes began to turn the same color as the crystal, and the Pokémon's expression changed from friendly to the savage one she had seen on Mimie's face earlier.
"Kookie!" The Pokémon raised its massive claw and snapped it in Delia's direction.
"Kingler! What the hell are you doing?" a shocked Professor Oak exclaimed at Kingler's sudden attempt to amputate Delia's arm. "Get away from her!" As he tried to pull the crazed Pokémon away from his fiancee, Kingler turned and Professor Oak saw the glowing eyes and murderous expression that he had seen in Mimie's face earlier. Horrified, he looked at Delia and saw that her eyes were now the same blood-red shade as the crystal.
"The ring! It's the ring!" he shouted as he shoved Kingler aside. Grabbing Delia's wrist, he tugged until the ring came off of her finger and shot across the room. Almost immediately, Kingler's savage behavior abated and Delia's eyes returned to their normal brown color.
"Kookie," Kingler said apologetically as it made its way over to Delia and begged forgiveness for its actions.
"It's all right, Kingler," Professor Oak reassured the Pokémon as he patted its head. "Why don't you go have a little rest now? I know you didn't mean to do what you did." As the Pokémon scuttled away, Professor Oak turned his attention back to Delia, who was staring at him with wide, frightened eyes. "Are you all right, Delia?"
"I don't feel cold or shaky anymore, if that's what you mean."
With a trembling hand, Samuel reached up and lightly touched Delia's face. "Your eyes," he said with astonishment. "They're…they're normal again."
"But what happened? Do you really think the ring caused all this?"
"I don't know, Delia," he said as he located the ring under the coffee table and picked it up, noticing that the crystal in Kadabra's forehead was suddenly clear again. "But I'm not going to take any chances. You and Mimie are staying here tonight until I'm sure that the both of you are fine. And this is going into the safe." After locked the ring in the safe inside the lab, he returned to his still-shaken fiancee and took her hand. "Come on. You've had a long day. You're sleeping with me tonight. I'm not letting you out of my sight until I know for certain that you're all right."
For a long time he lay awake watching her sleep beside him. The whole episode that evening had frightened not only Delia, but him too. After convincing himself that she hadn't suffered any ill effects from earlier, only then did he allowed himself to relax. Being careful not to disturb her, he pulled himself close to her and rested his head on her chest. As he listened to the slow, steady beating of her heart, a reassured Professor Oak closed his eyes and wondered,
Was it really the ring?