Gomen, gomen, gomen for the long wait! Hell *coughs* err school has started
up again, so not as much time to write. Also, this chapter took an extreme
amount of thought. Please enjoy!!!
"Wow.." said Ash, looking from his mother to the professor to his mother
again. "That's...an amazing story. I never knew anything about my grandmother
before. Or my grandfather." He avoided the fact that professor Oak was his father, being
almost positive that the story wasn't quite over yet.
Mrs. Ketchum shuddered. "I'd rather not have you know either of them, Ash. My
father was an awful man.but he left when I was three. That was enough, though, for my
mother to become overprotective. But I think after awhile it was clear something was
wrong with her, because she had a distorted vision of me." At mentioning her late
mother, Mrs. Ketchum felt another pang of guilt which had never totally left her.
"So where did you go, Mrs. Ketchum, after that?" Spoke up Brock. She glanced up,
surprised that her son's two companions were still in the room.
"Yes, I was just getting to that part," she said. "After I graduated, I began to live with
Professor Oak..."
****Four walls, surrounding her. Ah, they were so wonderful. Plaster over concrete,
such a simple straight up foundation. But they separated her from them.
From far below, two voices raised in heated argument drifted upstairs. They were
never a yelling family, they were never a throwing family. They were calm. They sat down
and discussed their conflicts
When June complained that David had kicked her off the tv, Shigemi made them set up an
alternation time for the tv, so they could share it. No one was punished, no one went to
their rooms.
They both need to be punished, thought Delia. I should go downstairs, tell them to go the
their rooms. The absurdity of this thought almost made her smile-but not quite.
Their tense voices almost always hung in the air, even when there was silence. At any
moment, though, they threatened to erupt..*****
It was only two short weeks after her mother's funeral. They told Delia that the
ceremony was small, that there were only a few people there.
Looking into the eyes of Delia Ketchum, Shigemi saw only a lost, scared expression
reflected there. She had no family, and no friends to stay with.
"Darling." said Mrs. Oak, rapping softly on the door or the spare bedroom. The window
was shut, and all the lights were off.
To any casual passer-by, it would appear that Delia Ketchum was sound asleep, but by
now, Shigemi Oak knew of her habits.
"Darling, talk to me," she said, "Let me in, please." There was a slight rustling under the
covers, and a small, white face turned towards her.
"Hi.hi, Mrs. Oak," she managed to say. Even in the depths of despair, Delia still
attempted a smile.
Shigemi's heart nearly broke for her. After all she'd gone through, all the pain and
suffering, she was still trying. She still had hope.
At that moment, there wasn't a doubt in her mind. She strode into the room and sat on the
bed.
"Delia, Samuel and I have discussed this with the kids, and we all agree," she said.
Delia sat up in bed. "What is it?"
"We were wondering if you would like to stay with us. You can stay here as long as you
like. It's just that, well, you're like another daughter to me, hon, and June and David are
really fond of you."
What about Professor Oak?
Delia didn't respond, and Shigemi though she might refuse.
But then she looked up with tears shining in her eyes. "I can't ask you to do that for me,
Shigemi. I don't want to burden you."
She wasn't getting it. "But we want you here. We like you a lot. Please, say yes."
After another moment's pause, she said, "I would be honored to stay with you."
And then, as Delia hugged Shigemi for the first time, startling her, she felt tears
brimming in her eyes again. Shigemi's maternal touch made her feel like she was a child
again.a young, three year old Delia Ketchum, resting in her mother's arms.
She thought she might be there a week. A month, tops. But weeks became months,
months became years, and soon she was there two whole years. No one mentioned her
presence. She was just another member of the Oak family.
There were some times she was able to forget. I am a member of this family. Soon I will
meet a guy, fall in love, get married, and move away from them.
But HE was always there.
"Professor Oak! Hi! I made you lunch!" Sang Delia as she entered his lab, heart
throbbing happily.
He didn't respond, and she felt slightly hurt, though the event was so commonplace that
she should have been used to it.
The she noticed he was on the telephone. "So you ARE a professor, now, Spencer? In
only three short years you've made your degree!"
There was a pause, then Professor Oak said, "well, I'd be happy to have you help me with
it. Yes, I've been very busy lately, and I could use the help."
He nodded, then replaced the receiver. When he didn't turn around, Delia crept a little
closer.
"Professor?" she asked timidly. Ever since Professor Oak had gotten wrapped up in his
current project, something he called a "Pokedex," he'd been acting like a totally different
person. With this new short temper, she wasn't sure when her presence was welcome.
Luckily, today the professor was in high spirits. He turned around and saw his former
student standing in the doorway. He thought again, as he often did, what a pretty young
girl she was. Someday, maybe she would find a nice husband.
"Delia, we're going to have company soon," he said excitedly. "An old student of mine,
Spencer Hale, is coming over to help me with my research."
She smiled tightly. Whenever anyone mentioned the word "research," she felt a huge
block of anxiety rest on her chest.
The name of the man echoed in her head, it seemed strangely familiar. "Wait, wait. Did
you say-Spencer Hale?"
He nodded. "He was in my last period Pokemon biology class as a senior.."
Her mind was teleporting back to the classroom, with the daydreaming girls and the
fidgety boys. There was always that smart kid, the one who sat quietly in the corner,
writing notes and raising his hand constantly.
"I think I know that guy," she said.
And she did. When the man showed up on their front doorstep two hours later, Delia
answered the door.
"Well, if it isn't Delia Ketchum, teacher's pet," he greeted her teasingly.
"I am not the teacher's pet!" she responded hotly, "he just happens to be a very good
friend of mine, like he is yours!"
He just smiled, his eyes never leaving her face. "I was just teasing, Delia. Where's
Professor Oak?"
It was then she noticed the rest of the family had crowded into the foyer. "This way," said
Shigemi coolly, leading him into the lab. When the door shut behind them, she turned to
Delia.
"Well, there's one more person to take him away from me," she added bitterly before
stalking into the kitchen. Her eyes flashed at Delia for a fraction of a second, but then
averted.
She stood in the hallway, heart racing. There days, something just wasn't right in the Oak
family. They no longer seemed like a family, in fact.
The model family had disinigrated over time, leaving a bitter mother, a work-obsessed
father, a son who was failing school, and a daughter who had nightmares almost every
night.
And a young woman who didn't belong there.
Delia crept upstairs to her bedroom and began to count money from work, setting aside a
pile for herself and one for the family.
It was so strange. For the past two years, they were her family. The people who she
belonged with, who she ate with and went to the zoo with.
But now, they were "the family," and she was a mere spectator. She sat aside
watching them fall apart while she sat unharmed on the sidelines, and now her guilt had
no bounds....
Professor Hale stayed for dinner that night. As they sat down at the dinner table, the
cheery chattering of the young man and June's demands for more mashed potatoes didn't
drown out the tension that hung around the table.
"I'll help clean up," volunteered Delia, feeling as if she needed to do something. As she
stood up, she was aware of Professor Hale staring at her. For an instant, their eyes met
and he quickly looked away. But the second she turned her back, plates in hand, she felt
his eyes boring into her back.
Suddenly she felt clumsy, and nearly dropped one of the dishes. "Sorry!" she squeaked,
and quickly finished her chore, then fled to her room. As she glanced once behind her,
she saw him. And he was still looking.
Sleep wouldn't come. Scenes from the past few weeks kept replaying themselves over in
her head. Professor Hale, staring at her. Professor Oak snapping at his family, herself
included, and Shigemi and him, fighting about everything and anything. And worst of all,
Professor Oak ignoring her.
Finally she decided that some tea or milk would help her sleep, and padded downstairs to
get it.
As she drank it, a faint mumbling sound came from the living room. Delia jumped.
"June?" she whispered.
Thinking it was maybe her "little sister," she crept into the room and saw a figure curled
up on the couch.
As it shifted, she saw Shigemi's face.
"Why are you on the couch?"
Without a word, she turned away. "Its nothing. You should go back to sleep."
"Is something wrong? Tell me."
Shigemi just shook her head.
Okay, I won't set any more deadlines for eight..because who knows when it will be done..but hopefully in a few weeks! Hope u enjoyed it, and again, I like reviews.. X~Aurora chan
"Wow.." said Ash, looking from his mother to the professor to his mother
again. "That's...an amazing story. I never knew anything about my grandmother
before. Or my grandfather." He avoided the fact that professor Oak was his father, being
almost positive that the story wasn't quite over yet.
Mrs. Ketchum shuddered. "I'd rather not have you know either of them, Ash. My
father was an awful man.but he left when I was three. That was enough, though, for my
mother to become overprotective. But I think after awhile it was clear something was
wrong with her, because she had a distorted vision of me." At mentioning her late
mother, Mrs. Ketchum felt another pang of guilt which had never totally left her.
"So where did you go, Mrs. Ketchum, after that?" Spoke up Brock. She glanced up,
surprised that her son's two companions were still in the room.
"Yes, I was just getting to that part," she said. "After I graduated, I began to live with
Professor Oak..."
****Four walls, surrounding her. Ah, they were so wonderful. Plaster over concrete,
such a simple straight up foundation. But they separated her from them.
From far below, two voices raised in heated argument drifted upstairs. They were
never a yelling family, they were never a throwing family. They were calm. They sat down
and discussed their conflicts
When June complained that David had kicked her off the tv, Shigemi made them set up an
alternation time for the tv, so they could share it. No one was punished, no one went to
their rooms.
They both need to be punished, thought Delia. I should go downstairs, tell them to go the
their rooms. The absurdity of this thought almost made her smile-but not quite.
Their tense voices almost always hung in the air, even when there was silence. At any
moment, though, they threatened to erupt..*****
It was only two short weeks after her mother's funeral. They told Delia that the
ceremony was small, that there were only a few people there.
Looking into the eyes of Delia Ketchum, Shigemi saw only a lost, scared expression
reflected there. She had no family, and no friends to stay with.
"Darling." said Mrs. Oak, rapping softly on the door or the spare bedroom. The window
was shut, and all the lights were off.
To any casual passer-by, it would appear that Delia Ketchum was sound asleep, but by
now, Shigemi Oak knew of her habits.
"Darling, talk to me," she said, "Let me in, please." There was a slight rustling under the
covers, and a small, white face turned towards her.
"Hi.hi, Mrs. Oak," she managed to say. Even in the depths of despair, Delia still
attempted a smile.
Shigemi's heart nearly broke for her. After all she'd gone through, all the pain and
suffering, she was still trying. She still had hope.
At that moment, there wasn't a doubt in her mind. She strode into the room and sat on the
bed.
"Delia, Samuel and I have discussed this with the kids, and we all agree," she said.
Delia sat up in bed. "What is it?"
"We were wondering if you would like to stay with us. You can stay here as long as you
like. It's just that, well, you're like another daughter to me, hon, and June and David are
really fond of you."
What about Professor Oak?
Delia didn't respond, and Shigemi though she might refuse.
But then she looked up with tears shining in her eyes. "I can't ask you to do that for me,
Shigemi. I don't want to burden you."
She wasn't getting it. "But we want you here. We like you a lot. Please, say yes."
After another moment's pause, she said, "I would be honored to stay with you."
And then, as Delia hugged Shigemi for the first time, startling her, she felt tears
brimming in her eyes again. Shigemi's maternal touch made her feel like she was a child
again.a young, three year old Delia Ketchum, resting in her mother's arms.
She thought she might be there a week. A month, tops. But weeks became months,
months became years, and soon she was there two whole years. No one mentioned her
presence. She was just another member of the Oak family.
There were some times she was able to forget. I am a member of this family. Soon I will
meet a guy, fall in love, get married, and move away from them.
But HE was always there.
"Professor Oak! Hi! I made you lunch!" Sang Delia as she entered his lab, heart
throbbing happily.
He didn't respond, and she felt slightly hurt, though the event was so commonplace that
she should have been used to it.
The she noticed he was on the telephone. "So you ARE a professor, now, Spencer? In
only three short years you've made your degree!"
There was a pause, then Professor Oak said, "well, I'd be happy to have you help me with
it. Yes, I've been very busy lately, and I could use the help."
He nodded, then replaced the receiver. When he didn't turn around, Delia crept a little
closer.
"Professor?" she asked timidly. Ever since Professor Oak had gotten wrapped up in his
current project, something he called a "Pokedex," he'd been acting like a totally different
person. With this new short temper, she wasn't sure when her presence was welcome.
Luckily, today the professor was in high spirits. He turned around and saw his former
student standing in the doorway. He thought again, as he often did, what a pretty young
girl she was. Someday, maybe she would find a nice husband.
"Delia, we're going to have company soon," he said excitedly. "An old student of mine,
Spencer Hale, is coming over to help me with my research."
She smiled tightly. Whenever anyone mentioned the word "research," she felt a huge
block of anxiety rest on her chest.
The name of the man echoed in her head, it seemed strangely familiar. "Wait, wait. Did
you say-Spencer Hale?"
He nodded. "He was in my last period Pokemon biology class as a senior.."
Her mind was teleporting back to the classroom, with the daydreaming girls and the
fidgety boys. There was always that smart kid, the one who sat quietly in the corner,
writing notes and raising his hand constantly.
"I think I know that guy," she said.
And she did. When the man showed up on their front doorstep two hours later, Delia
answered the door.
"Well, if it isn't Delia Ketchum, teacher's pet," he greeted her teasingly.
"I am not the teacher's pet!" she responded hotly, "he just happens to be a very good
friend of mine, like he is yours!"
He just smiled, his eyes never leaving her face. "I was just teasing, Delia. Where's
Professor Oak?"
It was then she noticed the rest of the family had crowded into the foyer. "This way," said
Shigemi coolly, leading him into the lab. When the door shut behind them, she turned to
Delia.
"Well, there's one more person to take him away from me," she added bitterly before
stalking into the kitchen. Her eyes flashed at Delia for a fraction of a second, but then
averted.
She stood in the hallway, heart racing. There days, something just wasn't right in the Oak
family. They no longer seemed like a family, in fact.
The model family had disinigrated over time, leaving a bitter mother, a work-obsessed
father, a son who was failing school, and a daughter who had nightmares almost every
night.
And a young woman who didn't belong there.
Delia crept upstairs to her bedroom and began to count money from work, setting aside a
pile for herself and one for the family.
It was so strange. For the past two years, they were her family. The people who she
belonged with, who she ate with and went to the zoo with.
But now, they were "the family," and she was a mere spectator. She sat aside
watching them fall apart while she sat unharmed on the sidelines, and now her guilt had
no bounds....
Professor Hale stayed for dinner that night. As they sat down at the dinner table, the
cheery chattering of the young man and June's demands for more mashed potatoes didn't
drown out the tension that hung around the table.
"I'll help clean up," volunteered Delia, feeling as if she needed to do something. As she
stood up, she was aware of Professor Hale staring at her. For an instant, their eyes met
and he quickly looked away. But the second she turned her back, plates in hand, she felt
his eyes boring into her back.
Suddenly she felt clumsy, and nearly dropped one of the dishes. "Sorry!" she squeaked,
and quickly finished her chore, then fled to her room. As she glanced once behind her,
she saw him. And he was still looking.
Sleep wouldn't come. Scenes from the past few weeks kept replaying themselves over in
her head. Professor Hale, staring at her. Professor Oak snapping at his family, herself
included, and Shigemi and him, fighting about everything and anything. And worst of all,
Professor Oak ignoring her.
Finally she decided that some tea or milk would help her sleep, and padded downstairs to
get it.
As she drank it, a faint mumbling sound came from the living room. Delia jumped.
"June?" she whispered.
Thinking it was maybe her "little sister," she crept into the room and saw a figure curled
up on the couch.
As it shifted, she saw Shigemi's face.
"Why are you on the couch?"
Without a word, she turned away. "Its nothing. You should go back to sleep."
"Is something wrong? Tell me."
Shigemi just shook her head.
Okay, I won't set any more deadlines for eight..because who knows when it will be done..but hopefully in a few weeks! Hope u enjoyed it, and again, I like reviews.. X~Aurora chan