Disclaimer – I Don't Own Pokemon

Author's Notes – Alright guys!. At last the laptop has been returned and finally after almost 7 months I can get my teeth back into the ongoing stuff, here's an update for you on this one, all be it a tad short I hope it will keep you interested for the time being till I get going again.

Chapter 2 – The Matamoros Banks

"I long, my darling, for your kiss, for your sweet love I give God thanks
The touch of your loving fingertips
Meet me on the Matamoros
Meet me on the Matamoros
Meet me on the Matamoros banks"

Bruce Springsteen "Matamoros Banks:"

A good ten minutes or so must have slipped us by in silence, as I found myself lamenting on various flashes and imagery that my mind was willing to conjure up. I wearily focused my head around to see Emily and Casey by this time had retreated themselves back to the car, merely standing alongside it in silence with their arms folded, as they continually watched me somberly, observing my every movement, they realized I needed this time for reflection and to be honest I was terribly indebted to their understanding. A trait I knew all to well they had obtained from their father.

Suddenly the sound of an engine ever increasing in volume as it dissented closer to our destination breached my ears thus snapping me out of my trance. I turned from the lake only to see that indeed another vehicle was pulling up towards our location, however it was a vehicle I could not distinguish nor recognize, for it could only be given the status of that of some sort of mini bus. Casey and Emily just stared at each other dumbfounded as the bus came to a stop beside Emily's car. The reasons as to why such an eyesore had graced us with it's presents became irrelevant to me, as my eldest daughter and first born emerged from the drivers seat of the vehicle

"Wow! Nice wheels sis!" Casey muttered with a whistle, while placing his hands on his hips.

"Geez Andie D! You told me you were just going to make modifications!" Emily emphasized as her sister approached her and I began my short descent back towards them My first child Andréa Delia Ketchum if we are being accurate, wearily glared at her younger siblings, as she stopped in front of them.

"Enough with the attitude!" she gently scolded, while shooting a reassuring smile at her brother and sister, before going on.

"The Next time we have a funeral in the family and you get stuck taking all of the kids, let's see you guys do any better" She challenged as Emily merely nodded understanding the need for the huge vehicle now.

"I see you found the place alright then?" I muttered suddenly, causing a slight gasp to emerge from Andréa's throat as she quickly reverted her eyes to me.

"Mom…" she whimpered quickly rushing up and embracing me in a hug, She pulled away slightly and cast her eyes around her surroundings.

"So…this is where it all began…" she said casting her eyes upon me with a sheepish grin, I could not help but reflect it in tow as I squeezed her hand.

"Sorry I was late" she whispered after a few seconds. I wearily shot a reassuring smile at her as to assure her it was alright.

"Did you get caught up in traffic within the inner city?" I assumed as she cast her gaze towards me once more.

"Not exactly, you see…." She paused and exhaled a deep breath.

"Besides stopping off to fill up the bus, someone else felt as if they should be here…." I was all ready for asking what she was talking about when a third familiar voice registered within my mind

"Misty…" I whirled around and upon seeing whom it was I could not cease my tears.

"Oh my god…." I choked out trying without much luck to hold back the cascade of tears engulfing me within this moment. For there in front of me was someone I hadn't seen in over five years, there in front of me, was someone I was not expecting to see for another 48 hours at best, there in front of me now with the aid of a cane in a bid to help him walk, was Brock.

"I can't believe it's you…." I croaked the sentence out shakily as I slowly walked towards him.

"I can't believe he's…." he looked away from me I feel grimacing at the words he was trying to say.

"It was an honor sweetheart.." he got out, as I had come to a halt before him, as I realized he was referring to the fact he had met and interacted with Ash for most of his life.

"Thank you.." I whimpered my response whilst rapping him in a hug, trying as best I could to remain strong through out this difficult time.

"I just can't believe…that after all this time it's….over…" I admitted sadly as I pulled away from him and gazed upon his face once more. Brock shot a somber but all be it reassuring smile at me before speaking next.

"That's where you and I see things a little differently honey, It's not…over….." he mouthed as I stood there somewhat unsure as to what he meant.

"Brock please… of course it's over" I shot back a little more forcefully than I had in mind.

"Is it?" he quizzed while cocking an eyebrow at me.

"I don't understand…." I admitted dejectedly lowering my head to the ground. He sighed as he took a few steps towards me and placed an arm around my shoulders with his free hand whilst keeping the other hand upon his cane to maintain his balance.

"Come this way…." he whispered leading me in the direction of the lake.

"Take a look down there" he gestured coming to a stop at the waters edge, As I leaned over and once again came face to face with myself upon the waters surface.

"My reflection…" I chided coolly, Brock nodded.

"Right, now take a look over at your kids.." he said as I cast my gaze on them briefly standing there stupefied, as if trying to figure out what the hell their uncle type figure was trying to accomplish by this exercise.

"Brock is there a point to this!" I exclaimed with a touch of exasperation as I turned to face him, he smiled at me sympathetically once more as he placed a hand upon my cheek.

"There is…even though Ash is no longer with us physically, he still lives….He lives on in any aspiring new trainer, who hopes to aspire to even a fraction of the heights he did" he paused and cast his gaze towards my children.

"He lives on within them….and their kids" he said stopping as he moved his hand away and grasped my right hand in his.

"But most of all…..he lives on within you…." He paused.

"In here" he gestured directing my hand to my chest. I swallowed hard as the pure force of what he was saying hit home, he was right, Ash was to big a part of many people's lives let alone mine to be cast aside like that as merely being no longer apart of this mortal coil

"You always were the philosophical member of our group" I commented as I placed a hand on his shoulder before smirking.

"That is…. as long as a busty blonde or bouncing brunette wasn't within five yards of the vicinity" I teased with a laugh as he reflected a grin at me in tow.

"The joys of ones youth…" he commented dryly casting his eyes away from me and taking a moment to sample in his surroundings.

"I know you guys were a tad sketchy on the details in terms of where you two met, but for the life of me I had no idea it would have been here…." he commented.

"What's so significant about this place?" I heard Emily ask as Brock studied her a moment before refocusing his gaze around him once more.

"I just had no idea that your parents first met on the banks of the Matamoros, that's all Emily" he explained as my ears perked up at what he had just called this place.

"The what?" Casey asked, I feel speaking for the four of us as we stood there

"This place, the whole of everything you see, alongside the subsequent other three riverbanks that make up the surrounding area…they are known as the Matamoros banks" he explained as the breath became lost in my throat.

"Does the name originate from anything?" Andréa asked all of a sudden, before I could get my breath back and probe any further.

"Funny enough now that you mention it Andréa, yes it does.." Brock paused as he exhaled some air into his lungs

"Matamoros is a unique type of sap that numerous bug type Pokemon are able to extract from the many number of trees within this surrounding forest area and this area alone hence the name" He explained.

"Is this stuff really that rare?" Emily inquired.

"It is so rare it is not even located within the warmer climate of the Orange Islands" Brock explained as he reverted his attention from Emily back towards me.

"Mist…." He uttered my name so tenderly I stood there wondering if something was a miss here.

"What's wrong?" I asked a little to eagerly than I had intended. He merely smiled at me in reply assuring me that things were fine as I now found him standing alongside me yet again.

"I did have another reason for coming here this morning, besides to offer my respects." he confessed, removing something from his inner jacket and holding it out towards me as my vision became blurred yet again at the item Brock held before me. For there in front of me was something I hadn't seen in over 60 years, there in front of me was something I last laid eyes upon the day I departed from our group to take charge of the Cerulean city gym. There in front of me was Ash's original red and white official Pokemon league hat

"He gave it to my kid brother Forest when he took charge of the Pewter gym." Brock told me, as I reluctantly took it from him and tenderly traced it with my fingers. As I locked my eyes upon Brock yet again as if asking why, Brock ever in tune with what I was thinking through out the years noted my query and merely shrugged at me with a grin.

"It was always considered to be a kind of good luck charm for him through out the first five years of our Journey. I guess he figured it would bring Forest some good fortune also" He explained as I wearily nodded at him with a soft smile feeling a tad more at ease and satisfied with his explanation.

"I guess you could….I dunno maybe give it to one of the grandkids in a few years time?" he suggested, as if thinking for me in terms of what I intended to do with it now. I pondered his suggestion for all but a few seconds before I found myself shaking my head in his direction.

"No…." I finally uttered defiantly.

"Mom?" Emily questioned uncertainly as I moved and came to a halt at the rivers edge once more.

"What are you going to do?" Andrea asked as I reverted my eyes towards my three children briefly as Casey even began to show his concern within that moment, as Brock had joined me at the rivers edge. Turning once more to face the direction of the running waterfall I composed myself as I exhaled a shuttering breath.

"I miss you so much honey…" I said as I cast my gaze upwards to the bright morning sky, as a soft smile could not help but pass by my lips.

"I also know if you were here right now you would ball me out for doing this but…." I stopped and brought the brim of the hat towards my face and traced it tenderly with my lips before kneeling down by the waters edge, It was once I did this, I feel that Brock realized what my intension's were, and the words he spoke next did nothing but consolidate this fact.

"Are you sure about this Misty?" he asked as I placed the hat on top of the lakes surface and held it in place.

"Brock…the first time I laid eyes upon this hat was when it came into contact with me that day all those years ago…from the direction of that waterfall." I paused and swallowed hard.

"I think it is only fitting to complete the cycle if you like, that it should go back from which it came…." I finished as Brock could only nod at me in reply with a soft smile respecting my wishes on the issue. And with Brock's consent, I loosened my grip on the hat and arose to my feet, as I stood there and watched it slowly drift upon the waters edge as it free flowingly went alongside the tide and before I knew it, the hat had departed into the vicinity of the waterfall.

"I thank god for every day I've known you Ash Ketchum..…." I croaked out as my emotions got the better of me again, as Brock placed a loving hand on my shoulder and softly spoke to me one last time.

"You know something Misty….Through out his whole life Ash was a fighter and displayed tremendous courage…on this day I think you've just proved you posses the exact same qualities too."

"Coffee's ready!" Emily shouted, remerging from my kitchen with a tray in hand, Sevrail hours later as I sat at the dining table alongside Andréa, as Casey distractedly flipped his way through various TV channels. Within the place Ash and I had called home for the last 20 years. I took a cup from Emily as I had distractedly noted Casey had stumbled upon the music stations of the cable TV as strains of Springsteen caught my ear before fading again.

"Casey wait," I ordered, my hand on my chest, while quickly placing my cup down in surprise at hearing what I had just heard after so many years..

"What is it mom?" he asked.

"Go back a channel would you?" I told him, settling back into my chair as he respected my wishes and the familiar music began to engulf my ears once more

"What's so special about this song, mom?" Andréa asked while placing some sugar in her cup.

"It was one of your father's favorites….and mine." I said reflectively, remembering the first time I had heard it.

"Have you guys listened to the lyrics of this thing?" Emily suddenly exclaimed.

"Dear god! They border on the pornographic!" she explained as Casey by this time had joined us at the table plopping the remote control down.

"Wait a go dad!" he mused as his sisters pouted at him in disgust.

"Alright you three, that's enough!" I snapped.

"Regardless of what any of your opinions might be, not one of you can take away what this song means to me.." I finished as my demeanor softened and I felt my short term anger dissolve.

"Have I ever told you guys that story?" I asked, a gentle and warm mother like glow remerging across my face once more.

"No, I don't think so," Andréa said quietly.

"You know it's funny to think back upon it, I never even knew your dad liked that particular type of music until the night we had gotten engaged," I said refectory as I sat back within my chair and began to recall the events of that night.

To Be Continued.

Author's Notes – Alright folks, there we have it we shall leave it there for the time being, please by all means leave any feedback you wish and I assure you the updates shall be more frequent from here on in, cheers folks!

TheBossGeo