Nemesis
By Trish.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. I own the storyline.
A/N: Yes, I will say here that it is inspired by William Shakespeare's Hamlet, what else can you expect from a self-confessed Shakespeare buff? However it is not a retelling of the play, Pokémon style. For one thing, I have already tried and failed to cast the Pokémon characters into my favourite Shakespeare play – Twelfth Night.
OOO
Chapter Two
PalletTown, April 2010.
"Ash, honey, wake up."
The dark-haired young man mumbled in his sleep and turned over to face the wall.
Delia sighed then signalled to Pikachu. The little mouse powered up and sent an arc of electricity into her trainer. 'Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikaaaaaaaachuuuuu.'
"GAAAAAAAAAH!" came the answering yelp as a blackened and slightly smoking Ash fell onto the floor.
Delia beamed. "Happy Birthday, Sweetie!"
Her son choked out some smoke out of his lungs before smiling weakly. "Thanks, Mom. But did you have to wake me up like that on my birthday?"
"Well, a certain someone woke me up in a much worse way, eighteen years ago," his mother smirked as she sat down on his rumpled bed. "You try giving birth to a seven pound baby."
Ash grimaced as he pulled himself up beside his mother. "No, thanks. I'll leave that job to Misty." At Delia's raised eyebrow, he hastily added, "Uh, what I mean is, that she's a girl and I'm not. And she wouldn't want to have babies until she's way older."
Delia smiled and hugged her only child. "My baby boy is all grown-up now! Your father would be so proud."
Ash had certainly grown up in the past fourteen years. At age ten, he had left on his Pokémon journey with an unwilling Pikachu in tow. It was a decision that Delia had no regrets about making, despite the few grey hairs she received whenever her son was in peril, which was often.
In his first year of training he reached the fourth round of the Indigo League, then one year later he won the Orange League. The Johto and Hoen leagues soon followed, with varying results. Finally at seventeen, he realised his lifelong dream of becoming Pokémon Grand Master, residing full-time at Indigo Plateau. However he regularly came home to Pallet for a month's rest and relaxation, and pampering by Mom.
His physical appearance had undergone a transformation as well. From a gangly, scruffy haired teenager, he had developed into a tall, athletically built, handsome young man, much in demand by the paparazzi. Once he had reached the top, the marketing and PR departments of the Pokémon League had insisted that he undergo an image makeover. Delia remembered how Ash had protested getting a hair cut and over ex-Rocket Jessie being hired as his fashion consultant. The protests soon died out when he saw just how good he could look with the right hair cut and right clothes. Jessie did have impeccable taste after all. But what really decided it for Ash, was that Misty liked it. And that was the end of that.
Pikachu scrambled onto her trainer's lap and standing on her hind paws, began licking him enthusiastically on the face. Ash tried to stifle his laughter as the little pink tongue tickled his skin. "I don't need a bath, Pikachu."
'Chuuu.'
"Oh honey, she's just saying Happy Birthday in her own little way," Delia smiled before she withdrew a small box she had been hiding behind her back and placed it in her son's hands. "I wanted to give you this before everyone else descends on the house."
Ash opened the box to reveal an expensive gold men's dress watch. "It's fantastic…"
"This was your father's favourite watch. Your grandparents gave him this watch when he turned eighteen. So, I thought it would be fitting for you to have it on your eighteenth birthday."
Ash felt tears come to the corner of his eyes and he threw his arms around his mother in a tight hug. "Thanks, Mom. This really means a lot to me to have something of Dad's."
He meant it too. Ash had been four-years-old at the time of his father's death, at the time in every child's life where their father is a hero and can seem to do no wrong. This was the memory he had carried in his heart ever since. Of course his opinion of his father might have changed as he got older, as it often does, but his father's murder had prevented that.
By all accounts, from family, friends and former colleagues; Neil Ketchum was all that and more. One of the best police officers around, a good friend and colleague, and a devoted family man. Ash often worried that he would never be able to live up to people's expectations that he would be like his father. Sure he might be Pokémon Grand Master, but what did that compare to risking your life on a regular basis to ensure the safety of your community? Okay, so maybe Ash had saved the world once or twice, but he hadn't made a career of it.
The sensation of Pikachu's little tongue licking his hand, brought Ash out of his reverie. He smiled fondly down at his first and favourite Pokémon and stroked the soft fur on her striped back. "Dad was a really great guy, wasn't he."
Delia smiled. "He was. And I'm not saying that just because he was my husband and your father, but because it's the truth. There was no other man like him."
Ash carefully removed the watch and fastened it around his left wrist, the metal links cool against his skin. "I promise to take good care of this." He gave his mom another hug. "You know, sometimes I'm afraid I'll start to forget what he was like. I was only four when he died and as the years go on, the memories start to get dimmer…" He sighed. "Sometimes I wish I could just see my father again. To hear that he's been watching over me, and that he's proud of me. But then again, I'm afraid that I wouldn't know what to say to him, it's been so long."
Pikachu nuzzled her little wet nose against his arm and he let go of his mom to give the electric mouse a cuddle. As she snuggled in the crook of his arm, the Pokémon flickered one long pointed ear in contentment. 'Your father is watching you, Pikapi. He's been watching you all along.'
OOO
It was about 3 in the afternoon when the doorbell rang. Ash was getting changed in his room for a birthday dinner his mother was throwing for him later that night for his extended family and friends. As he pulled on a dark blue polo shirt, he heard his mother answer the door, followed by the familiar nasally twang of one Gary Oak.
Ash grinned to himself. He had asked Gary to drop by earlier so that the two childhood friends could reminisce about old times together. Back to those carefree days in Pallet spent climbing trees and playing in mud, and when all girls (except your Mom) were icky.
Born two months apart, Gary and Ash had grown up together in the small town of Pallet. Their families were friends as well as neighbours, and the two boys became practically inseparable. In the weeks following Neil Ketchum's death, Gary and his parents were regular visitors to the Ketchum household. The two little boys spent many hours in their cubbyhouse, trying to comprehend what had happened to rock their small world. Ash couldn't understand why his daddy was never coming home again, and Gary tried to comfort him, in as much as a four- year-old could. Death was a foreign concept to them.
Then when they were six, something changed. They became arch rivals and bitter enemies. For the life of him, Ash couldn't remember what it was that started it, neither could Gary. "Boys" Misty had snorted derisively, until Ash reminded her of the on-again-off-again 'feud' that simmered between her and her older sisters, Lily in particular.
If there was a bright side to the years of rivalry, it was that it inspired each boy to greater heights. A jibe from Gary proved more effective in getting Ash to train more than anything Brock, Misty or Tracey could say. Looking back, the now Pokémon Master wondered if he would have come so far had he not had the constant obsession with beating his arch rival.
They became best friends again after the Johto League. Gary retired from Pokémon training to follow in his grandfather's footsteps as a Pokémon researcher. Ash took to teasing his friend that he would have to start calling him 'The Acorn.' When asked why, he explained that as Gary would eventually become Professor Oak, with two on the scene, it could become confusing. "As an acorn is the fruit of an oak tree, it's an appropriate name to tell you two apart." A mischievous twinkle came into his eyes. "And besides, I always knew you were a nut!" Gary had been very much a central part of Ash's life thus far, and God willing, he always would be.
A patter of little paws along the corridor outside his room, and a cheery, 'Pika!!' informed him that Gary was upstairs and lil Pik had taken it upon herself to greet him.
"Hey there Pik," he heard the chestnut-haired researcher greet the mouse. "How's my favourite fuzzball?"
'Cha!'
"So is Birthday Boy in his room?"
'Pi.'
"Is he decent?"
'Pika!'
"Well, I should hope so! Walking in on a naked Ash could scar me for life!"
Ash rolled his eyes. Typical Gaz. "I'm dressed, you moron!"
The door swung open and Gary walked in, the familiar smirk plastered on his face. "Is that any way to greet your oldest friend?"
"In your case, it's a term of affection."
The older boy sat down on the bed. "True. What's a little insult between friends?"
"A pity Misty doesn't share our view. Mallet Madam is her name."
Gary burst out laughing. "Mallet Madam?? Oh that is priceless." He grinned at his best friend. "You're lucky she wasn't here to hear you say that."
"I know!"
"Y'know, Ashy Boy, you are one brave guy to date that girl. Do you have a death wish or something? Or do you go in for sadomasochism?"
"Gary!!!" Ash hissed. "Keep it down! Mom might overhear!"
Gary sweatdropped. "Oh yeah, I forgot about your mom being downstairs." While Mrs. K was one of the nicest and most gentle of souls, she was still a mother. Hell hath no fury like an enraged mother. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glint of metal on Ash's wrist. "Say, is that a new watch? Birthday present from your mom?"
The dark-haired trainer smiled. "Sort of. This watch belonged to my dad, it was his eighteenth birthday present. So Mom wanted me to have it for my eighteenth."
"Nice watch," Gary murmured with a little hint of envy in his tone. "Bet you're glad to have something of your dad's to remember him by." He knew how close Ash had been to his father, and was one of the few people Ash would speak about his father with. Gary had been surprised to hear that Ash had never spoken on the subject with either Brock, Misty or Tracey during their travels. When pressed for an explanation, Ash admitted that he didn't really know why. Perhaps it was because none of them had lost a parent to murder. Murder…there was an instant stigma attached to the word, and many people found it uncomfortable to be around the victim's families or friends. Ash had never been sure how his friends would react if he told them. So he never did.
Gary was different. Gary had known his father well, and had regarded Neil Ketchum as a second father. And Gary had been there when the news came. Gary understood. Beneath that gruff and abrasive exterior, beat a heart of gold; revealed to the few that knew him well.
"Yeah, I've always wanted something of his, and this makes him seem more real, if you know what I mean. Not just a distant memory…I'm always afraid that one day I'll forget all about him. I…don't ever want that to happen."
"I understand."
"This watch is gonna become my most favourite possession," the dark-haired trainer vowed. "This way, my dad will always be with me in a way."
Neither trainer noticed the watch glow very faintly before winking out.
A faint aroma of baking wafted up from the kitchen and both boys sniffed the air. "Say, do you smell cookies?" Gary questioned.
"Mom said she was going to make chocolate chip cookies to have with our afternoon coffee," Ash grinned as he stretched his arms.
"Really??" a gleam came into his friend's eyes. "I loooove your mom's cookies!" He leapt up from the bed and flung open the door. "I'll race ya down there. Last one down is a Rotten Togepi!!!"
Ash laughed as Gary sped out of the room. "Heyyy, you come back here!!!"
Later that night
Giovanni mumbled in his sleep, moving around until he found a more comfortable position. The moonlight streamed in through the open windows, as a soft breeze ruffled the sheer curtains.
A faint glimmer of light appeared in a corner of the room, growing in size and intensity before it died away to reveal the spectre of Neil Ketchum.
He looked at the slumbering form for a few minutes before he spoke. "It's been fourteen long years since I saw you last, Giovanni. That night I swore never to rest until I have had my revenge. The heavens have granted my wish…and so Giovanni…soon my son will take up where I have left off and he shall be after you like an avenging angel…" He smiled slightly, "And when you are gone, rest assured that all those you have murdered will come and dance on your grave."
To be continued…
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Author's Note As this will be the last update before Christmas, I shall say a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to my loyal readers and their families. Next year should not be as stressful for me work-wise so I should be updating more than I have this year.
Currently watching 'The Twelve Kingdoms' or 'Juuni Kokki' on DVD. I'm hooked! If anyone is interested in intricate storylines, this is an anime for you.