Hello, I know it's been a week since the last I've updated, but I was just so busy with band and school that I barely had time to fit in updating chapters. Enjoy!
Chapter 43: Hometown Training
"Thank you, Professor," Angelina said, sipping tea in the living room of Professor Oak's Laboratory. There were two couches which faced each other and a coffee table in the middle. A fire place was built against the wall and pictures of family members and close friends scattered the walls. "I would've arranged this sooner if I didn't have other plans with the family."
"No problem," Professor Oak replied. "They do come first, but I know you're looking forward to the upcoming Pokemon League."
"Yes, and when is it?" Angelina asked, a slight watch of her Pichu stirring from its morning sleep.
"The beginning of spring, exactly two months from today atop Indigo Plateau," Professor Oak said. "There will be over 200 trainers competing which includes a total of eight rounds through out the competition."
"Wow, two hundred?" Angelina repeated. "Maybe I should get started on my Pokemon training."
"Yes you should. Your Pokedex is also coming along nicely, keep up the good work." Professor Oak complimented.
"Thank you very much," Angelina said, standing up from the couch. "I better head up to my relatives, they're leaving this afternoon for Goldenrod City."
"Chu!" Pichu hopped onto Angelina's shoulder, nudging its cheek against its trainers affectionately. "Pii-chuu!"
"Good afternoon, Cocoa." Angelina giggled. "Have a nice sleep?"
"Pichu, pi!" Pichu squeaked happily. (Yep, it was nice)
"Amazing how tiny Pokemon can hatch from eggs only bred by their parent Pokemon." Professor Oak said intriguingly.
"Surprises me, too." Angelina took hold of her Pokemon and hugged it. "Especially since the male Pokemon wasn't a Raichu."
They walked out of the living room and Professor Oak opened the door so Angelina could leave, but they were not expecting Ash's rival, Gary to be standing on the other side.
"You remember my grandson, Gary, don't you?" Professor Oak gestured towards the arrogant boy.
"Of course, how could I not," Angelina said, her smile masked her not-so-thrilled voice.
"Guess Ashy-boy isn't my only competition, eh Angel-cake?" Gary said, flashing a cocky grin.
Angelina rolled her eyes at the nickname he fashioned her. "Better start training then, you're light-years away from defeating me." she was quite satisfied at his frowning as she descended the stone steps.
"Yeah we'll see about that," Gary muttered just as the front door closed.
Angelina turned heel, glaring up at the lab. "Oh, he's gonna get it!" she growled, placing her Pichu inside the bike basket and settled onto the bike seat, then pedals down the dirt road. She could see her uncle's mansion parked in the driveway next to the burgundy-red mini-van.
"Who do you think is here, Cocoa?" Angelina asked, pushing her bike up the driveway and puts on the kickstand.
"Pii-chu!" Pichu shrugged, hopping out of the bike basket and onto Angelina's shoulder. (Don't know)
Angelina took out her house key and unlocked the front door, stepping inside and looking around for any signs of her relatives. "Hello? Is anyone home?"
"Angel, is that you?" called the familiar female voice of Aunt Vicky. The young raven haired woman appeared in the parlor entrance and wearing the familiar purple dress under a white apron donned with purple high-heels and a slightly protruding stomache. "Oh good! There's been a change of plans. Marcus and April came in, and they brought along her parents."
"So that means you're not traveling to Goldenrod City?" Angelina asked.
"And miss you competing in the Indigo League Conference? Course not!" Aunt Vicky exclaimed.
"Well I wasn't expecting you to stay there for two months." Angelina sweatdropped. "Which is when the competition will take place."
"Then you'll have plenty of time to train your Pokemon," Aunt Vicky replied calmly. "For now, we have guests to entertain. Hurry upstairs and change your clothes. I want you to look descent for April's parents."
"Sure," Angelina smiled, climbing the staircase to the second floor. She walked down the hallway and opened the third door on the left, her own room. The walls a pastel purple and the carpeting a deep blue, French doors leading out into a small balcony, a queen-size canopy bed, a vanity, polished wooden dresser, medium screen-sized TV, walk-in closet, and a wooden desk.
"It's great to be home." Angelina sighs happily, watching her Pichu scurry to her sleeping basket and snuggle into the soft baby-blue blanket.
Angelina smiled, then sat down on her bed and emptied her backpack of her traveling items. There was the Poke-Gear, Pokedex, some empty and un-used Pokeballs, the Legendary Poke Flute, her badge box, medical kit, sleeping bag, money purse, extra clothes, and toiletries. Her eyes roamed the room after putting away her items, she spotted a white box set on-top of her dresser.
'I better not keep Aunt Vicky waiting.' Angelina thought as she opened the box and picked up a beautiful dark blue sleeveless dress with a rounded neckline. The skirt was ruffled and elegant to knee-length, with matching blue pumps and a ribbon to tie into her hair.
"Very nice, for a first impression," Angelina admitted, changing into the dress and admired herself greatly. She pulled up some of her hair into a small ponytail and placed on the blue ribbon in bow-shape, leaving the rest of her hair to cascade over her shoulders.
"Don't forget the locket," said a young male voice from behind.
Angelina turned and gasped, leaning against the doorframe was her close best friend Jeremy Cretonne. He had grown slightly, his blonde hair was short and spiked, his muscles were toned, he wore a short-sleeved dress shirt, black dress shoes, and a black tie. His smile was friendly, and he looked more mature than the last time Angelina had seen him.
"Oh hey! Thought I'd never see you again!"
"Yeah, missed you too, Angel," Jeremy chuckled, he embraced the girl gently. "The journey isn't the same without you." he stared at the brown jewelry box on the vanity. "Do you still have the locket?"
"I think so, with the matching gold earrings." Angelina walked to her vanity and opened one of the drawers to the jewelry box. She took out a gold neck chain holding a gold heart-shaped locket with a small heart-shaped diamond imbedded on the front. Her other hand held a small pair of gold heart-shaped earrings.
"Pichu, chu!" squeaked a voice from behind the young teenagers.
"Cocoa, you're awake!" Angelina held out her arms as the Pichu jumped into happily. "Enjoy your little nap?"
"Piii, chuu!" Pichu snuggled in his trainer's arms.
"Cute Pokemon you got there," Jeremy chuckled. "Cocoa, huh? Have a sweet tooth?"
"Not exactly," Angelina replied with a smirk. "This little one has the eyes of her mother and my favorite sweet, chocolate!"
"Which explains the nickname," Jeremy said and held out his arm. "So, shall we go?"
"Yes, let's." Angelina smiled and slipped her arm into his. They leave the bedroom and walk down the hallway, then descended the staircase and stepped into the parlor.
"You must be Angelina." gushed a blonde-haired woman in her late thirties wearing a dark red gown. She was seated next to a man also in his late 30s with short red-brown hair and wearing a dark blue suit. "I'm Samantha Jettison and this is my husband William. And you know April, of course."
Angelina nodded towards April sitting next to Marcus, then she turned back to April's parents. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"And the same with us," William replied, then looked over to Victoria. "Are you sure Giovanni fathered this charming child?"
Aunt Vicky smiled gently. "Far as I'm concerned, yes. We just don't speak very much about him in front of the children." she answered with caution.
"I suppose for very good reasons." Samantha understood, after taking a sip of tea from her tea-cup.
"Well I had to find out all about him for myself during my journey in Johto three years ago." Angelina spoke in a calm manner, although her eyebrow was slightly twitching while she clenched and unclenched her hands in her lap. "He's a very busy man with his organization. I'm not really surprised, he was rarely there while I was growing up. However, I successfully defeated him in a gym battle for the Earth Badge. What else am I not being told?"
Aunt Vicky flushed a bright red from embarrased and was very ashamed for not being completely truthful with her step-niece. "Clarissa was very close friends with your father, grandmother, and mother Delia, when they worked in Team Rocket many years ago. She was also an experienced Pokemon trainer and owned a dance studio on Crystal Island. Your parents fell in love and things couldn't be happier for them until things happened after you were born. Clarissa became your caretaker when your mother fled to Pallet Town, and the rest is history, of course."
Angelina's face had changed slightly paler and she couldn't find her voice. She was partial-related to the Trainum family through Victoria, but she knew Clarissa was not related to them at all and only a close friend to her family. After drinking down a glass of water and taking a couple breathes, she was ready to talk. "I need my birth certificate to confirm everything."
Aunt Vicky sighed, "You will find that in a little brown box inside the bottom drawer of your wooden dresser."
"Thank you." Angelina said, turning heel and walked out of the parlor.
"Jeremy, stay here." Mr. Jettison placed a warning hand on the boy's shoulder. "Let the girl settle down for awhile."
"Maybe it wasn't a good idea." April said, feeling very unsure about the situation. "We could've waited until after we announced our engagement, or even after the wedding for that matter."
"No, she had to know." Vicky insisted, then sighed. "It's for the best, bottling up her emotions would've made things even worse."
"Right you are, Victoria." Mrs. Jettison agreed.
While the adults continued talking, Jeremy motioned to Marcus and April to follow him out of the parlot. They climbed the staircase to the second level just as Angelina emerged from her room still looking shocked.
"So did you find out?" Jeremy asked.
Angelina nodded, then held up a folded piece of paper. "Read for yourself."
Marcus took the paper and opened it up, April and Jeremy looked over his shoulders. The three peering at the printed words of Angelina's birth certificate.
(S)nothing(S)
Name: Angelina Crystal Murakami
Gender: Female
Birth Date: October 8th, 1982
Mother: Delia Arabella Ketchum
Father: Giovanni Sakaki Murakami
Hair: Strawberry-blonde
Eyes: Hazel
(S)nothing(S)
"So you're related to Ash?" Marcus asked, then smirked. "And here I thought-"
"Don't play dumb, Marcus!" Angelina snapped, her hazel eyes flashed with anger. "You knew well before I even found out. Why couldn't you tell me sooner?"
"I would if I didn't promise-"
"That he was going to wait until after our wedding to explain everything." April finished her fiance's sentence.
"Wedding?" Angelina blinked in confusion, looking from April to Marcus. "You two? Then why is Jeremy here?!"
"His parents are related to my family. We grew up together while his grandparents were busy with their Day Care Center." April explained.
"Oh wow, that makes alot of sense! Well I'm very happy for you both," Angelina said, calming down as she pieced all the facts together. "So when's the wedding?"
"Early spring, next year. We're planning to have it at my parent's estate." April said excitedly. "You'll be a bridesmaid with Amber and Danielle."
Angelina was more than delighted knowing that the whole gang would be back together next year. She knew they'd also have to come into contact with some people from Team Rocket.
"Let me guess, your maid-of-honor is Cassidy?" Angelina asked, although she knew they were all best friends even way before they joined the organization.
"If I can get a hold of her," April said with a mixture of hope and doubt. "But then I can always ask Jessie."
"You know they've been sent on missions like crazy, especially since they're following Ash." Angelina said, heading towards the staircase.
"Not really surprised, Angelina," Marcus laughed at her comment. "We'll be able to track them down with no problem."
Angelina bypassed the parlor and walked outside, right in time to hear an explosion and smoke billowing in the sky near the vicinity of Professor Oak's Lab.
"Probably just the Electrode and Voltorb in the electric field." Marcus guessed, squinting his eyes from the sun to look in that direction. "Ya know anything can trigger their explosive attacks."
"Speaking of Ash, does he know you're his sister?" Jeremy asked.
"No, and I'm not sure if my mother will tell him. I'm also doubting he knows that Giovanni is our father," Angelina said shaking her head. "For now he needs to concentrate on the Pokemon League."
§To Be Continued§
*Angelina learns that the Pokemon League will be held at Indigo Plateau.
*Angelina is related to the Trainum's through Victoria.
*Angelina's biological mother is Delia Ketchum, her brother is Ash.
*Marcus and April announce their engagement to be married.
*Jeremy's parents and grandparents are related to April's family.
There's lots of surprises in this chapter, and I'm sure you caught all of them! Next chapter may take time to plan out, but it will be posted soon! Thanks for reading!