"Ash, sweetie…what are you doing?"

"Sorry, Mom," Ash said, putting down his backpack. "I didn't mean to wake you up. I just wanted to make sure I caught the first ship to Hoenn."

A half-asleep Delia glanced at the clock in the kitchen. "Ash, it's four-thirty in the morning."

"I know, Mom. But I couldn't sleep." After his nightmare, Ash had spent the rest of the night planning his revenge on Team Rocket and was itching to get on his way to Hoenn.

"Well, at least eat something first." Delia opened the refrigerator. "Do you want some cereal?"

"Well, I do have a few minutes before I have to go catch the boat." Ash sat down at the kitchen table. "And I've got to stop at Professor Oak's and pick up Bulbasaur."

"Ash, were you going to leave without saying good-bye?" Delia said sadly while she filled a bowl with Pokéberry Crunch cereal.

"I was gonna leave you a note, Mom," Ash said as Delia placed the bowl of cereal in front of him. "I didn't want to wake you up."

"I don't care, Ash. I'm your mother. You come wake me up for something important like that, understand?"

"Sorry, Mom." Ash took a bite of cereal.

"Ash, honey, are you absolutely sure this is what you want to do? I mean, after everything that's happened the last couple of days…"

"I'm going back to Hoenn, Mom," Ash declared firmly.

"You may think I'm being overprotective, but I'm worried about you, sweetie," Delia said, reaching for her son's arm. "You've had a rough time these last couple of days. Are you sure you're feeling up to a long journey like this? Don't you want to spend a few days here resting?"

"I'm through with resting, Mom. I've done enough of that the last couple of days. Misty and everyone else are right – I need to get back on the road to Hoenn." Delia opened her mouth to protest. "And don't try to change my mind, Mom. It's made up."

"Oh."

At the sight of his mother's crestfallen face, Ash immediately felt guilty for being so blunt with her.

"Aw, Mom…it's okay." Ash gave his mother's hand a squeeze. "Don't be sad. I've been on my own for a couple of years now. I'll be okay."

Delia shook her head. "You haven't been on your own, Ash. You had Misty or Brock or Tracey with you. But all of them are staying here in Kanto. You're going to be completely on your own now."

"I won't be all alone, Mom. Bulbasaur's coming with me."

"That's not what I meant, Ash."

"Mom, I know you want me to stay here with you. But I can't. Misty and Brock and Professor Oak are right. Being a Pokémon Master is all I've ever dreamed about since I was a little kid. It's part of who I am. And it was Pikachu's dream too. That's why I've got to go back to Hoenn. Pikachu's counting on me."

Delia bit her trembling lip, trying hard not to cry. "All right then, Ash. But before you leave, take this." She reached into the pocket of her robe and pulled out a small plastic bag containing a tuft of yellow fur.

Ash felt a lump forming in his throat. "Is…is this from…?"

Delia nodded. "I asked Professor Oak to save a lock of Pikachu's fur for you. That way, you'll always have a part of Pikachu with you wherever you go."

"Oh, Mom…" Ash embraced his mother. "Thanks. I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Ash." Delia gave her son a quick kiss on the cheek. "Now you'd better hurry up and finish your breakfast. You don't want to be late."

"Don't worry, Mom," Ash said, handing her a napkin to wipe away the tears trickling down her cheeks. "I'll be okay. You don't need to worry about me."

"But I do worry about you all the time, Ash," Delia said, blowing her nose.

"I worry about you too, Mom," Ash admitted. "Tell you what – I'll ask Tracey to stop by and check on you every day. And I'll tell Brock and Misty to come visit you. Especially Misty – she's all alone in the Cerulean City Gym with her sisters being away. She really needs someone to talk to. Maybe you and she can get together and talk about…well, whatever it is women usually talk about. Girl stuff."

A tiny smile appeared on Delia's face.

"And I'll tell Professor Oak to stop by and visit you too. I know you two are friends and all."

And then Delia realized that Ash should know about the nature of her relationship with their next-door neighbor. Perhaps her son wouldn't worry about her so much if he did know the truth.

"Ash, Professor Oak does stop by to visit. Every day, as a matter of fact."

"Really?"

"Yes. Ash, I think you should know that Professor Oak and I are more than just friends."

"More than…? What do you mean, Mom?"

"Ash, Professor Oak and I have been…well, we've been involved for some time now."

"Involved? You mean like…Professor Oak's your boyfriend?"

Delia smiled and nodded.

Ash's eyes widened. "You mean, the two of you like…kiss and all?"

Delia nodded again and blushed slightly. "We have kissed a few times, yes."

Ash's mouth fell open in disbelief. "Wow. I had no idea that the two of you were…I mean, I knew that the two of you liked each other, but I didn't realize that you guys liked each other like that. You know, how Misty and I like each other."

"Have you and Misty kissed yet, Ash?" Delia asked curiously.

Ash's face turned bright red. "Well…uh…yeah."

"Have the two of you done more that just kiss?"

Ash's face turned even redder. "Well, if you mean like hugging and stuff, yeah. But if you mean have we…uh, you know, done more than that…no."

Delia inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mom, did you think that Misty and I were…?" Ash's face was crimson now.

"Oh, honey, it's just because you're growing up so quickly. When you left home, you were still my little boy. I still can't believe that you're a teenager now. Remember what I told you when you first started your Pokémon journey?"

"That I should change my underwear every single day?"

"No, although that's still a good thing to do. What I meant was that I said that you were spreading your wings and soaring like a Spearow."

"Oh, yeah. I remember now."

"And now that you have a girlfriend, I think that perhaps it's time that you should know about…well, things that boys and girls do when they like each other."

Ash's jaw dropped. The last thing in the world he had wanted to do before leaving for Hoenn was to have "The Talk" with his mother.

Ash leapt up from the kitchen table. "Uh, I'd better get going, Mom. I don't want to miss the boat to Hoenn. I'll give you a call when I get there." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and grabbed his backpack. "I'll see you soon, Mom. Love ya'."

Ash was out the door and halfway up the road to Professor Oak's house before Delia had arisen from her chair.

-

"Ready to go, Bulbasaur?" Ash asked his faithful Pokémon friend as he arrived at the Oak Pokémon Preserve.

"Bulba," he nodded. Having already said his good-byes to the other Pokémon at the preserve the night before, Bulbasaur was eager to get on the road.

"Let's go say good-bye to Pikachu before we get going," Ash said, heading down the path to the Pokémon cemetery.

The sun was starting to rise as Ash and Bulbasaur made their way to Pikachu's grave.

"Hey, Pikachu," Ash addressed the headstone atop the fresh grave. "Bulbasaur and me are gonna go back to Hoenn. We're gonna finish what you and I started." Ash took the plastic bag with the lock of Pikachu's fur in it out of his pocket and clenched it tightly in his fist. "And I'm gonna make Team Rocket pay for what they did to you."

"Ash?"

The boy whirled around in surprise and saw Tracey and Squirtle standing at the entrance to the cemetery.

"Sorry, Ash. I didn't mean to startle you," Tracey apologized. "I was busy feeding the Pokémon and showing Squirtle around the preserve, and we saw you come here." Tracey noticed his friend's backpack. "Heading back to Hoenn?"

"Yeah," Ash nodded. "Bulbasaur and I are gonna carry on Pikachu's dream. Wanna come along?"

"I'd like to, Ash, but my place is here at the lab. And now it's Squirtle's place too."

Ash knelt down and gave Squirtle a hug. "Be sure to take care of everyone here, okay?"

"Squirtle." The Pokémon gave Ash a thumbs-up sign.

"You too, Tracey." Ash gave his friend a quick hug.

"Don't worry. Professor Oak and Squirtle and I will take good care of all your Pokémon." Tracey glanced down at the small grave at his feet. "And Pikachu too."

"Thanks, Trace." Ash gathered up his things. "Oh, and one more thing – can you tell Professor Oak to watch out for my mom for me?"

Tracey was momentarily taken aback by Ash's request. He didn't think Ash knew about his mother's relationship with his mentor. "Uh…sure, Ash. I'll tell him."

"That way, I won't be so worried about her." Ash explained. "I think she really wanted me to stay here with her for a while. But if she spends more time with Professor Oak, then maybe she won't miss me so much. So how long have they been dating, Tracey?"

"They've been together as long as I've been here," replied Tracey with a smile. "So you finally figured it out, huh?"

"Mom told me. Guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Anyway, make sure my mom doesn't worry too much about me when I'm gone, okay?"

"Sure, Ash."

"Thanks, Tracey." Ash motioned to Bulbasaur. "Come on, Bulbasaur. Let's get going."

Ash looked down at the fresh grave one last time. "'Bye, Pikachu. No matter where I go, I'll never forget you."

And without looking back , he and Bulbasaur started down the path to Hoenn.

To be continued…