Chapter 3

Sitting at a cafeteria table all by his lonesome, he had his chin propped up on one hand and he could only look around at the other occupants as they ate. The food they were given wasn't half bad, but it was nothing like what he ate at home.

It wasn't often he had someone to talk to. So he had a lot of time to himself, to just think. Think about how he ended up here.

He could remember that it all began when he met a girl with blue hair.

Monday, September 5th

It was a beautiful Monday morning, and Fantina stood anxiously at the front of her first period class observing her students. This was officially the start of her curriculum since the first day was nothing but formalities and expectations. She couldn't wait to begin teaching her students, most of which were present and accounted for already. The first bell rung, signaling the countdown before classes began. The last of her missing students soon arrived, with the exception of Ash Ketchum.

Fantina had actually been looking forward to seeing him again. She was still in possession of his sketchbook, which she had gone through extensively during the weekend, and there was a lot that she wanted to talk to him about. With the thought of Ash, Fantina found that her gaze had drifted to Dawn. She could remember that she had trusted Ash to get Dawn home safely last Friday, and it appeared as though everything had gone as planned. Although Fantina couldn't help but notice that Dawn seemed to be a bit more reserved this morning.

The blue-haired beauty was often bubbly, especially when she was with her dear friend May. Not only that, Dawn was a very open person, making small talk with any of her peers, yet today she had barely spoken. Rather, she was completely wrapped up in her work. This type of behavior wasn't unusual for Dawn, she was always working hard, but Fantina hadn't assigned any type of project for the class. Yet Dawn was as focused as ever. Fantina smiled proudly at the girl's work ethic before the second bell rung.

Fantina pursed her lips a bit as she looked at her first period class roster one last time, checking off the names of the last students to arrive. Everyone but Ash was present. With a soft 'tsk', Fantina then focused on her class and called for everyone's attention.

"Bonjour~!" Fantina began cheerily. Some of the students responded to her greeting before she began her brief lesson.

Ten minutes into her lesson though, the door to her classroom quietly opened, revealing her only missing student – Ash. He slipped into the room and shut the door behind himself, trying not to draw any extra attention. Fantina furrowed her brow at the sight of him wearing a long sleeved shirt in this weather, but she quickly tossed that thought aside as Ash gingerly walked toward her desk.

"Monsieur Ketchum, being tardy will not be tolerated in my class." Fantina stated firmly as he passed her desk. Ash looked toward her, and when she got a good look at his face, Fantina could see that he was visibly drained. His eyes were exhausted, probably from a lack of sleep.

"I'm sorry. I won't let it happen again." He said, giving her a slow nod before he looked at the room for the seat he had used last time. Dawn glanced up as Ash passed by, and he looked down at her. Their gaze met for a moment before Ash broke line of sight and continued to the back of the room. Ash carefully took his seat, sighing with relief as he was finally sitting down for what felt like the first time in days.

Noticing that Dawn was looking back at Ash over her shoulder, May couldn't help but smirk.

"Pssst, Dawn." May whispered to her. "What's the deal between you two?"

"What?" Dawn whispered back.

"You and Ash. You're always looking at each other." May noted, and this caused Dawn's cheeks to gain some color as she now locked her gaze onto the sketch on her desk.

"So what?" Dawn retorted, and this only caused May's smirk to widen into a grin now.

"Do you like him or something?"

It was an innocent question, one that May had never asked Dawn before.

"I do not!" Dawn proclaimed loudly, receiving everyone's attention now. Dawn now turned bright red, unable to believe that she had shouted that in the middle of class. She apologized repeatedly to Fantina before sinking down into her chair out of embarrassment. May, on the other hand, was fighting off the urge to burst into a fit of laughter.

Dawn's denial had only furthered her suspicions now. May knew that Dawn wasn't much of a flirt, and most guys never really left a lasting impression on her. So, Dawn never really developed an interest in dating. It had been pointless to tease her for all the years May had known her, but finally, the opportunity had arrived.

At the same time though, May took a curious glance back at Ash. From what she had seen Friday, Ash didn't strike her as an interesting person. The only noteworthy thing he had done to really deserve Dawn's attention was...save her life. Was Dawn suffering from a case of the hero syndrome? It wouldn't surprise May if all Dawn could see when she looked at Ash was a knight in shining armor.

First period concluded soundly, the entire class being dedicated to Fantina giving the class a brief history of various artists that they would be studying in the coming months. Now as her students left, Fantina waved to them all and called out that they would be starting their first assignment tomorrow.

Saying goodbye to May, Dawn then looked back at Ash yet again and saw that he was focused on a sketch of his own. Even as she looked at him openly, he didn't seem to notice her in the slightest. She really wanted to speak to him; she had been planning to all weekend. When the moment arrived though, Dawn found herself struggling to work up the nerve. Then second period started, and Dawn could only sigh and shake her head.

At least she had forty minutes now to build up some more confidence.

As second period began and Fantina took charge of her fashion and design class, Dawn sat in her seat, lost in her thoughts.

"It feels like I'm looking at the work of a…skilled seventh grader."

Ash's critique had been on her mind all weekend. Why? Dawn was certain that Ash hadn't insulted her work, but she didn't like what she heard either. Her work wasn't mature? What did he mean? How could she make her artwork "grow up?"

Dawn sat in her room all weekend trying to answer these questions. She failed to find an answer, so she turned to the one thing she knew how to do. Dawn began to draw like a maniac, all weekend. She drew everything that came to mind, from dress designs, to various objects in her room, trying to practice everything that she could think of. However, nothing she completed seemed to satisfy her, and this left her frustrated!

The whole weekend she just wanted to find Ash and wring his neck to get an answer to all her questions. How could one short discussion leave her with so many questions?

Now though, seated in Fantina's room, Dawn remembered that she had completely blown Ash off after he had shared his thoughts. She felt really bad about that too. His opinion had left her confused, and she didn't really know what to say to him from there. She could only hope that her poor attitude hadn't offended him.

Finally second period came to an end, and Dawn took a deep breath before she approached Ash.

"Hey~, what's up?" Dawn greeted him with a small wave. Ash snorted softly as he looked up at her from his seat.

"So now you want to talk to me?" He inquired with a small grin, trying to put her at ease. Dawn became flustered though at the reference to her behavior last week.

"Well I, uh…" Dawn stammered, unable to find any words.

"Look, look." Ash said, waving for her to calm down. "I hope what I said last Friday didn't bother you. I didn't mean to come across like an…ass."

The short pause before he described himself with a shrug caused Dawn to stifle a laugh as she seemed to relax now.

"That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. I wasn't upset or anything, I just didn't know what to say at the time." She explained to him as he reached to the floor, grabbing the strap of his backpack with his right hand. He winced uncomfortably as he did so before lifting up his bag. "But I feel bad that I didn't even say good bye, or even thank you for helping me get home."

"Don't even worry about that." Ash stated as he rose from his seat, through his backpack over his shoulder. Releasing his hold on the strap now, Dawn's gaze became fixated on it now. It was a blue strap, but it had been stained red from where Ash had been holding it.

"What happened to…?" Dawn trailed off as she looked down at his right hand. She could see a thin trail of blood traveling down the back of his hand, and she could only imagine how much was on his palm for it to stain his backpack.

"Ash, are you okay?" Dawn asked him as he caught sight of where she was looking. Raising his palm to see for himself, Ash scrunched up his face for a moment and his expression became stoic. "Ash?"

He brushed past her, making his way toward the exit of the room. Just watching as he tried to move, Dawn could see that his steps were unsteady and he was clearly in pain. She could tell he was in pain trying to move quickly.

"Ash!" Dawn shouted, and her sudden call gained Fantina's attention. Their instructor had been standing at the entrance of the room saying goodbye to her students as they left. The only ones that remained were Ash and Dawn, and when she saw Ash struggling, he became her only focus.

"Monsieur." Fantina stated as he reached the entrance. She had positioned herself in front of the doorway to prevent Ash from leaving. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ash replied softly. Fantina stole a glance at Dawn, and she could tell by the concern on Dawn's face that something was wrong.

"No, he's not, he's bleeding." Dawn exclaimed as she tentatively approached them. She was grateful that Fantina had been standing there now. There was no telling what Ash was going to do now, and Dawn wasn't sure how to approach this situation.

"Is that true monsieur, are you injured?" Fantina asked him, giving him a hard stare as she began to put some pieces together. Her eyes quickly scanned Ash, spotting the stain on the strap of his backpack and then the trickle of blood that hung from the knuckles of his closed hand. Did Ash really think that he could leave her room in such a state? "Roll up your sleeve."

"No way, forget that." Ash responded, taking a step back from her. But he quickly realized this was futile as he was trapped in her classroom.

"Why not?" Fantina pressed. He was clearly hurt, so what reason could he have to be denying it?

"I'm telling you, I'm fine." Ash insisted firmly, meeting her stare with a stare of his own. Fantina wasn't intimated by him.

"Ash." Fantina began, and this seemed to get his attention. He had only conversed with her once on Friday, but this was the first time that she had addressed him with his name. "Injuries to our students are taken very seriously. If this isn't reported or handled properly, someone here could lose their job. I need to know what happened to you."

Ash opened his mouth but hesitated before he spoke. Fantina was warning him that her own job could be at stake because of him. He didn't want her to lose her job but…

"I can't." He said, exhaling deeply. "I just can't."

Fantina glanced up at Dawn once again and realized that her presence might be the problem.

"Dawn, can you leave us for now?" Fantina asked her as kindly as she could.

"Uh, yeah." Dawn said, giving Fantina a timid nod before she slipped out of the room, remembering that she had a class to get to. Ash didn't object to this, and Fantina shut the door to her room now to give them privacy.

"Ash. I'm going to give you two options. I can take you to the nurse's office to get checked out, and we will call your parents about this." Fantina offered, and Ash immediately began to shake his head with a grim expression. "Or, I can take you to the hospital and get you checked out there and I will handle the questions from the doctors. You will tell me everything though."

"But I-"

"This will be between just you and me. No one else will hear about this." Fantina interjected. Ash though, gave her a narrow stare that was filled with skepticism.

"How do I know I can trust you?" He asked her.

"You don't." Was all she said in response. She would leave it up to Ash to choose. She knew the boy had a conscious that he couldn't ignore. He couldn't find it in himself to leave Dawn helpless last Friday, and now it wouldn't let him ignore that Fantina was putting her job at stake for him.

Ash sighed audibly, scratching the back of his head with his left hand. He selected his second option, and Fantina gave him a grateful nod as she motioned for him to follow her. Leading him to one of the fire exits, Fantina used this as a back entrance to take Ash out the building without drawing any further attention to him.

Fantina sat in the lobby of a small clinic, quietly reading one of the magazines that had been set out in the waiting area. She had driven Ash here in her car, and she was hoping to return to the school before her fifth period class. Fantina had already notified the main office that she was going out for a bit, but if she didn't return in time for her next class she would definitely have some explaining to do.

Flipping through the magazine, Fantina failed to read anything on the pages. She was lost in her thoughts trying to understand Ash Ketchum. She could tell that he wasn't a bad kid. He cared enough to make sure none of the staff of North Vermilion High lost their job over something he had done. His lifestyle beyond school was what worried Fantina, and his safety had become her number one concern.

After going through his sketchbook during the weekend, there was no denying that Ash was an exceptional artist. He was very good at drawing, and Fantina could see that he was passionate about his work. So she could only wonder how he managed to hurt his drawing hand in such a manner.

It had been roughly thirty minutes since they had arrived, and finally, Ash returned to her along with one of the nurse practitioners. It was a female nurse who seemed to be irritated as she approached Fantina with Ash. She looked down at the clipboard she held for a moment as Ash took a seat beside Fantina.

"So, you're his legal guardian?" She asked curiously, an eyebrow raised.

"No madam, I am his instructor at school." Fantina replied as she promptly closed the magazine she held and placed it on the center table. In response to this bit of information, the nurse gave Ash a sharp glance.

"You're only a student?" She asked him, but Ash maintained the same stubborn silence he had given her while she treated him.

"Yes. He came to school today and one of his peers revealed to me that he was hurt." Fantina explained for the nurse. "He's rather stubborn, and he wouldn't even admit that he was hurt."

The nurse took a quick glance at Ash who seemed to be ignoring their conversation now. Ash had refused to answer any of her questions as she bandaged his arm, and now it became clear to her that he was hiding something from everyone.

"Young man, care to explain?" The nurse said, looking at him expectantly. Ash made eye contact with her briefly, but his silence continued.

"Madam, if I may." Fantina began, gaining the nurse's attention. "I brought him here under the agreement that I would answer the questions."

"Do you know what happened to him?" The nurse inquired.

"I'm not aware of all the details at the moment," Fantina admitted as she took a glance at Ash now. "Although I do intend to learn everything once we are done here."

The nurse raised her brow at this. Fantina seemed confident that she would get the answers that the nurse had failed to get out of Ash. Hopefully, she would find success.

"Then here's something you'll want to know. This fight, mugging, whatever it was that happened to him, it needs to be investigated." The nurse stated, causing Fantina's eyes to widen momentarily.

"Investigated?" She repeated. The nurse raised her clipboard, scanning what she had written down for a few moments.

"The bruises on his torso are nothing to take lightly. I would make sure you ice them properly. Then there's that wound on his arm." The nurse went on. "It's not a stab wound, but his arm was sliced open by a weapon. It's nothing that can't heal over time but you can't just brush this aside."

"Believe me I'll be looking into this." Fantina stated firmly, giving Ash a sharp glance with the nurse once again. Fantina had been a roller coaster of emotions, and it seemed as though this ride from far from over. The initial panic of discovering that Ash was hurt, followed by the irritation of trying to get some answers out of him. Then there was a sense of relief when she had managed to convince him to come to the clinic. Now though, a feeling of dread had washed over her as she studied her student. She had to know what happened to him.

Seeing that they were focusing on him intently now, Ash exhaled since he knew he would have to share something with them.

"I live in a rough neighborhood, this is nothing new." He responded with a huff.

"Like I was saying, bumps and bruises are one thing. What happened to your arm-" The nurse pointed at the bandages on his arm that were still visible since his shirt sleeve was rolled up. "-That's serious. Anyone that goes around hurting innocent people should be in jail. You're just lucky none of your larger blood vessels were hit."

Ash opened his mouth to defend himself but snapped it shut. Anything he could've said now wouldn't do him any good.

"So I'll just assume you tried to wrap your arm up yourself?" The nurse asked him now. In answer Ash just looked down at his shirt sleeve, choosing to roll it down now to conceal his bandages.

Ash had to admire her persistence. Most people would've been irritated at this point, but he could tell that she must have been blessed with patience if she was going into the medical field. Helping people could be a thankless job at times, and Ash wasn't making it this easier for her.

"I'll take your silence as a yes." The nurse continued. "The way your arm was wrapped wouldn't have accomplished anything. If that wound was any deeper, you'd probably be in the hospital right now suffering from blood loss. There's no point in trying to hide injuries, they're nothing to take lightly. I don't care how young you are, you aren't invincible."

"Thank you for your help madam." Fantina cut in now, causing the nurse to sigh audibly as she directed her attention at Fantina.

"I trust you'll be in contact with his family?" The nurse asked Fantina, earning a nod from the woman.

"Of course." She replied.

"Good." The nurse said before looking back at Ash, extending her hand toward him. She held three rolls of gauze, motioning for him to accept these items. "Make sure you remove those bandages in a few days and have someone rewrap your arm for you. If you don't have someone who can do it properly, come back here then."

Once Ash had taken the gauze from her, Fantina thanked the nurse graciously for helping them. Ash did the same, although very quietly in comparison to Fantina.

The two of them left the lobby of the clinic and went out into the parking lot where Fantina's two-door convertible was waiting for them. Once they were seated, Fantina leaned back into the driver's seat and stared at Ash. They sat in silence for a bit as Fantina waited for Ash to explain himself. It became clear to her that she would have to initiate this conversation though.

"So what did you tell the doctor?" She inquired.

"That I was jumped by a pair of guys last night, and rather than go to the hospital, I just tried to bandage myself up." Ash explained to her.

"And was that la vérité?" Fantina pressed, although Ash blinked at her with a furrowed brow.

"What did you say?"

"La vérité…how do you say, um, the truth." She corrected herself. Ash bit down on his lower lip for a moment, unable to determine what he should tell Fantina. He barely knew her, and yet here she was doing the same thing as Dawn. She was worried about him even though she had no reason to be.

"No, it wasn't." He responded after a few moments.

"Okay then. I want to know…the truth." Fantina said, and in return, she received silence from Ash. He just looked down at his hands that rested on his lap, breathing deeply. Fantina then removed the keys from the ignition, deciding that she needed to reinforce her stance on this matter. "And we're not going anywhere until I hear it."

Ash remained silent though, looking around at the other cars in the parking lot. Some time passed and Fantina waited patiently, her arms folded in front of her chest.

"Why?" He asked her finally.

"Why what?"

"Why do you care so much? You've talked with me a grand total of what, two or three times? You have no reason to give a damn about me." Ash said almost heatedly as he looked at her.

"Monsieur…no, Ash. First and foremost I am your teacher, and I am also your mentor. I want nothing more than to see you succeed. I have seen your work, and you're very talented." She explained, recalling the various portraits she had seen in his sketchbook. "To see a child with your potential show up to my class hurt…I have every right to care."

"This…all of this-" Ash said, motioning to her car and the clinic that she had gone out of her way to bring him to. "-goes way beyond concern."

"You're correct. It does. But I show more than just concern for my students. I love each of every one of them. And I love you." Fantina stated, and Ash was dumbfounded by this. His mouth hung agape for a moment as he stared at her with wide eyes.

He was...touched by this. It was truly the last thing he had expected to hear from her. He had done nothing to deserve this from her, yet she was going to such lengths for him. Ash sighed once again, running his left hand through his unruly hair.

"Fine." He muttered. As much as he didn't want to, he would tell her the truth. "During the weekend, I was working with the Red Skulls."

It was Fantina's turn to be dumbfounded now.

The Red Skulls! The Red Skulls!

He was working with those thugs that were always in the news!?

"Monsieur, ells sont une bande de voyous!" Fantina exclaimed before covering her mouth since she had gone straight back to speaking in French. "Those are a group of thugs!"

Ash winced as she whispered at him harshly once she repeated herself in English.

"What are you doing around people like that?" Fantina demanded to know.

"I can't give you all of the details, but I was helping them transport Pokemon around the city." Ash continued, and Fantina's eyes grew wide at this.

"That's illegal!" She declared as if Ash didn't know.

"You think I don't know that?" Ash asked before shaking his head a bit. "It doesn't matter though, I've done this with them a couple of times now. They promised me a big payday if I helped with this job over the weekend, and I needed the money."

Fantina frowned deeply, clearly disappointed. He was gifted, but involved in a terrible lifestyle. How could this happen to him?

"What could you possibly need the money for?" She asked now.

"At the end of the month, we have bills to pay at my house. The salary we live off of barely covers it, so we have to cut back on a few things…like food. And I can't stand that." Ash said scornfully, recalling the nights where his siblings had gone to bed hungry. "So I go to the Red Skulls at the end of every month to make up the money we don't have."

Fantina's disappointment faded slightly. She was glad that this was the answer she received as it allowed her to cast aside the negative thoughts she had concerning Ash. He was noble, but also foolish for turning to thugs for money. She couldn't approve of this.

"Ash, while I want to respect you for trying to help your family, I cannot support what you are doing." Fantina said to him, and this earned a sharp glance from Ash.

"Do you think I care?" He snapped suddenly. "I can't care. No one else is going to take care of us, so that means I have to. It doesn't matter how much it hurts me."

Ash held his injured forearm, perhaps subconsciously, rubbing his thumb over the bandages.

'No one else is going to do it?' Fantina repeated in her head. Perhaps Ash didn't have a father so he took it upon himself to pick up some of the slack for his family. That would explain why there were no portraits of a man in his sketchbook. Fantina's expression softened a bit as she looked at Ash's arm.

"I'm sorry for getting so worked up." Ash said after taking a deep breath, relaxing into his seat. Fantina decided that now it was better to drop the subject and focus on the last thing she needed to know.

"You know, you haven't told me how you ended up like this yet." Fantina pointed out, motioning to his forearm.

"Right." He exhaled before looking up as he recalled the events that had happened for sunrise today. "So, we were running behind schedule, and I got busted at our last pick up. We missed it and had to run. The two guys I was with were pretty pissed that I screwed up our last shipment because our pay more or less depended on that one."

Fantina now began to understand what was going to take place.

"They thought it'd be a good idea to make a point to show me what happens to someone when they screw up." Ash went on, recalling as they beat away at him with their fists and feet. "You probably don't know what a Scyther is, but it's a Pokemon with blades for arms. They thought a demonstration was in order so…"

Being pinned against the wall by the two guys, Ash watched as the green Pokemon approached him with a hiss, raising one of its arms toward his own. It was a shallow wound, one that caused Ash to cry out as his skin split. It was shallow, but Ash was bleeding nonetheless. This was only a warning though that the next time he messed up, his whole arm could be lost in an instant.

"I sincerely hope that you have no intention of working with them again." Fantina said after hearing the whole story.

"I'll do what I have to do." Ash replied stubbornly, getting a sigh from the woman as she started her car now.

She knew that Ash Ketchum was going to be a handful, and she needed to know more about him.

The school day had passed quickly for Ash after he had returned to school with Fantina. Dawn had been anxiously waiting to see if he was alright, and he assured the girl that he would be alright. Fortunately, she hadn't mentioned his injury to anyone else, and with his long sleeved shirt on, no one else would even know that his arm was all bandaged up underneath.

No one at school had any questions for him thankfully, but there was still one more person that he would have to answer to, and she was waiting for him at home.

Stepping off of the bus, Ash hopped onto the sidewalk and began walking along with the rest of the busy populace. The street he had gotten off the bus on was one of the busier streets in uptown Vermilion City, but the crowds began to thin out as Ash reached his neighborhood. It wasn't anything like the heart of Vermilion City, but the two-story buildings were tightly packed together, most of them being home to just a single family.

Arriving at the front of his home, Ash jumped up the stairs two at a time until he stood in front of the entrance. Fishing a pair of keys out of his pocket, Ash opened the front door and disappeared into his home for several minutes. Then he came back out, this time in a green polo shirt that functioned as his work uniform. Oblivious to the fact that he was being watched, Ash went on his way down the block, beginning his short trip to work.

Now with the location of Ash's home in mind, Fantina parked her car down the street and took a moment to go through some mental preparation. She had no idea what could be taking place within this household, or if they would appreciate her visit of concern. Stepping out of her car, Fantina made her way to his home and stopped at the staircase leading up to the front door. Tentatively she climbed the stairway, swallowing any uncertainty she had and knocked on the door. Immediately she heard a pair of footsteps come rushing to the door, opening it with no hesitation.

"Ashy!" A little girl chirped happily as she threw open the door, but this quickly turned to a frown at the sight of Fantina.

"Macy, I told you not to answer the door on your own." Another girl shouted as she came rushing to the front door. She yanked the smaller girl back into the house and looked up at Fantina before slamming the door shut. Fantina could only stand there in shock for a moment, blinking a couple of times. That was certainly not what she had been expecting.

Fantina then heard some shouting from behind the front door as yet another pair of footsteps approached the front door. The door was opened once more, but this time an adult was looking at her. It was a woman with long blonde hair who gave a sigh of relief that Fantina was still there.

"I'm sorry about that.' She began sheepishly before giving the two girls behind her a narrow stare. "These two knuckleheads here tend to do a lot when my back is turned."

"I see you've got your hands full." Fantina noted as she studied this woman, and then it struck her. This was the woman in the portraits Ash had drawn. Could this be his mother? There was no resemblance between them so she didn't want to jump to any conclusions.

"So what can I do for you?" She asked Fantina who shook herself out of her thoughts.

"Does Ash Ketchum reside here?" Fantina asked, causing the woman to sigh.

"Yes, he does." She stated exasperatedly. "What did he do this time?"

"I am Fantina, and I teach his art class at school. I just have some concerns about him after seeing his condition at school today." Fantina explained to her.

"I guess you're lucky he even came to school today." The woman replied as she invited Fantina into her home. "I'm Cassidy by the way."

"Nice to meet you. But um, what do you mean?" Fantina asked as she shut the door behind her, glancing down at the two girls that were now curiously listening from the mention of Ash.

"He was a little beat up today, wasn't he?" Cassidy asked as she led Fantina into the living room, the girls following close behind.

"Yes, he-" Fantina froze as she entered the room, shocked at the sight of the massive mural on the far wall. It was a brilliant painting of a forest in the middle of autumn. Fantina was impressed with the piece as a whole, but as she approached it to see some of the finer details, her expectations for Ash grew once again. Even the birds that were flying over the forest had been painted accurately, and she identified them as Pidgeots "Did...Ash do this?"

"Mhmm." Cassidy said as she motioned for Fantina to take a seat on the sofa where she was already located.

"Ashy's the best!" The smallest girl exclaimed as Cassidy scooped her up from the floor and placed her on the couch beside her.

"Incredible." Fantina said softly, mesmerized by his level of skill.

"He did this about three years ago when he was fifteen." Cassidy said with a smile of pride. As much as Fantina wanted to admire his work so more, she had to focus on the reason she had come to Ash's home.

"So you were saying that you knew he'd be hurt?" Fantina asked Cassidy as she sat down. Cassidy sighed inwardly before she began to speak.

"I'm sure if you've come here you must have talked to Ash a bit. I doubt you'd be here otherwise." Cassidy pointed out, receiving a nod of confirmation from Fantina. "He knows that we'll always have a bad week at the beginning of the month, so he disappears for the weekend, and then comes back with groceries for us. He's a little beat up each time he comes back, and I still haven't been able to get an answer out of him about what he's been doing."

"Have you tried to find out?"

"Oh, course I have. But he's almost eighteen, and he's always been hard to handle." Cassidy noted, rolling her eyes a bit. "He's too stubborn for his own good. But…I know that in the end, he's only doing this to help us."

"And you're okay with that?" Fantina asked her pointedly. "Knowing that your son is out there getting hurt for your sake?"

Cassidy raised her eyebrows a bit, and then she looked to the older of the two girls sitting beside her.

"Casey, why don't you and Macy go to the kitchen to get a snack for us?" Cassidy suggested. The purple haired girl gave her a nod.

"Come on Macy, let's go." Casey said as she helped her sister off the sofa. Once the two of them had left the living room, Cassidy sighed before making eye contact with Fantina once again.

"I see you haven't been told everything. I'm not Ash's mother. He just lives here with me." Cassidy revealed, and Fantina felt her chest tighten as new possibilities enter her mind.

"So that makes you his…aunt?" Fantina asked cautiously, but Cassidy shook her head. "Are you related to him at all?"

"No. I'm just his guardian. I still love him like a son, but he's not mine. There's only so much I can do with him." Cassidy said to her.

"So then, are either of those girls, yours?" Fantina inquired as she motioned to the doorway they had left through. Cassidy gave a small chuckle, her expression becoming very relaxed.

"They aren't 'mine', per se, but they are my family." She replied. "A couple of years ago I took in a few kids that were on their own, and I've had them ever since. I take care of them like they're my own."

"Do you know what happened to Ash's parents?" Fantina pressed, her mind running wild with different thoughts as she was now starting to delve into Ash's personal life. Cassidy put a halt to this though as she shook her head.

"You'll have to ask him yourself," Cassidy replied. "He's not too keen on talking about it, but once you get to know him better, he might open up to you."

Fantina leaned back into the sofa now, taking a deep breath. She could sympathize with Ash now. He was just trying to take care of them. But the risks he was taking were far too high, and she could see that he didn't want any of them to worry about what he was doing.

'I'll keep this to myself for now.' Fantina said to herself as she exhaled. "Well, this was enlightening. I'll be sure to keep a close eye on Ash in class."

"Thank you. It's good to know that someone will be looking out for him." Cassidy said as Fantina rose up. "Are you leaving?"

"Ah, yes." Fantina answered.

"But you said you're his art teacher right?" Cassidy continued, getting a nod from Fantina. "Then you can't leave yet. You haven't even begun to see what Ash has done around here."

"What are you talking about?" Fantina asked her politely, her curiosity piqued.

"Almost every room is like this one." Cassidy explained as the girls returned now with a small bowl of pretzels. Fantina thanked them kindly as she accepted this small snack. "Girls, why don't show her around your rooms and maybe take her into Ash's room after that."

"O-kay!" Macy said happily as she trotted off into the corridor, waiting for Fantina to follow her. As the three of them began to go up the staircase to the second floor, Fantina realized that she hadn't properly introduced herself to them yet.

"So my name is Fantina." She began, motioning to herself. "What are your names?"

"I'm Macy!" The youngest one declared. She was small, with light brown hair was braided into a pair of pigtails. Fantina couldn't get over how cute she was, smiling vibrantly at her. "I'm three!"

Fantina returned Macy's smile as they reached the top of the staircase. She then turned, looking back at the older of the two who had been trailing behind them.

"And you?" Fantina said to her as studied this girl. She had lavender colored hair, seemed to be rather short for her age. At a glance, Fantina assumed she was preteen, no older than twelve.

"I'm Casey." She replied with almost a grumble as she walked past Fantina. The woman watched as Casey took the lead, taking them to Macy's room where the door was wide open. While Casey entered without saying a thing, Macy took Fantina by the hand and guided her to the room. Fantina raised her brow a bit, realizing that Casey was already becoming a moody teenager in comparison to her sweet little sister.

Entering Macy's room, Fantina was left speechless. On the far wall of Macy's room was a lush green forest. The tree trunks were painted splendidly, with sharp details on the foliage, but at the center of the piece was a Stantler. It stood proudly on a flat stone, its head raised as it peered out at its surroundings.

"Ashy made this for me." Macy explained as she ran over to the mural, looking up at it in awe. "He's really good at drawing."

"This is a painting Macy." Casey pointed out to her sister, now standing in the doorway. She watched with amusement as Fantina took out her phone and began to take pictures of this painting from various angles.

"This is…magnifique!" Fantina exclaimed.

"You should check out the one in my room then." Casey stated, causing Fantina to perk up as she glanced at the girl.

"Please." Fantina said, motioning for Casey to lead the way.

Soon enough, Fantina was standing in another bedroom struggling to find the words to describe the latest mural she was looking at. This one was of a baseball field, from just behind home plate. An Electabuzz stood up at bat, pointing the bat at the far side of the stadium. The field was amazing, with each player standing in their positions, and the stands were packed with people. Every detail was accounted for and this left Fantina completely astounded.

Ash was amazing!

"He has a ton of paintings in his room. We keep telling him he should just become an artist but he just ignores us." Casey pointed out with a sigh. "He's so hopeless…"

"Do you wanna see Ashy's room?" Macy asked Fantina as the older woman took several snapshots of Casey's mural.

Fantina looked down at the girl and smiled heartily. She could only imagine what his room must have been like if he had gone to such lengths for these two girls. Macy led her down the hall and they came to a stop in front of a room that was locked. Much to Fantina's surprise, beside the door, was a small cushion with a Pikachu sound asleep on top of it. Macy kneeled down beside the small Pokemon and began to run her hand down his back.

"Time to wake up Pikachu." Macy said to him, and Pikachu perked up to expect his company. He identified Macy immediately and shifted his gaze to Fantina, curiosity evident in his eyes. Who was this?

"Pi?" He asked, his ear straightening up with the question.

"Don't worry Pikachu. This is Ash's teacher from school," Casey explained and Pikachu relaxed upon hearing this information. "We're going into Ash's room, okay?"

Pikachu gave her a nod and hopped off the cushion at the opportunity to enter the room as well, a devilish grin on his face. Macy then reached under the cushion on the floor to retrieve a key which she passed to Casey.

"Thanks Pikachu." She said kindly, petting his head.

With the sketches she had seen in Ash's book, Fantina had been expecting to find a Pikachu in this household, but it still surprised her that her assumption turned out to be true. The great variety of sketches Ash had drawn of this Pokemon possessed such fine details that Fantina could tell he wasn't relying on pictures from the internet for references. Fantina observed how these two girls moved around this Pokemon without the slightest bit of hesitation. They were so comfortable in the presence of a Pokemon, something that couldn't be said for the general population.

Most people didn't appreciate even the thought of being close to these creatures, especially since they're recognized for working with the gangs and thugs. Fantina now understood why Ash lacked concern for his safety with the Red Skulls. He was already accustomed to being around Pokemon. Fantina made a mental note of this and tucked the thought away as the door to Ash's room was opened.

"Why does he keep the door locked?" Fantina asked, but before either girl could respond, Pikachu darted into the room and jumped onto Ash's bed immediately, ruining the sheets that had been straightened out by Ash in the morning.

Fantina struggled to suppress her laughter at the sight of this small Pokemon rolling about on Ash's bed while Macy pleaded with him to stop. Fantina refocused herself and peered into Ash's world as she began to take in his room in its entirety. To her surprise, the walls of his room were bare. She had been expecting a mural perhaps on an even greater scale than what she had seen in the rooms before. His room, however, had nothing on the walls. It was just white. The floor though was covered with canvas' that varied in size, just like Casey said. Paintings everywhere.

Stepping into his room, Fantina stooped down to begin examining them and one, in particular, caught her attention. It was a monotone picture of a gray figure that was seated, their legs pulled up to their chest. They were hunched over as if they were cowering, but emerging from their back was a pair of enormous white wings. Unlike the wings she had seen Ash drawn on Dawn, these wings were weighed down by large black chains that rose from the floor.

Fantina furrowed her brow as she stared at this painting for a while. What was the meaning behind this? Was it some sort of self-examination?

Seeing Ash draw Dawn in a similar fashion, Fantina knew that there had to be some sort of deeper meaning behind this image.

"Well, it looks like you guys made it to his room." Cassidy noted, pulling Fantina out of her thoughts. Turning around to face the woman who stood in the doorway, Fantina saw that she had a letter in her hand now. "So what do you think of him?"

"He's incredible…I've worked with some talented children before, but…" She paused, glancing back at the painting that littered the room. "…he's the best I've seen for his age."

"I know you were planning to leave soon, but I wanted you to see this before you go." Cassidy said as she handed the envelop she held to Fantina.

"What is this?" Fantina asked as she accepted the item. Opening it, she found that there was a handwritten letter on the inside.

"Just read that." Cassidy replied, motioning for the two girls with them to head downstairs.

To whomever this concerns,

Every mother cherishes the moment that their child is placed in their arms for the first time. For just a brief moment, you can't pay attention to anything except for the life that you're now holding in your arms. A life that you will have the responsibility of molding, shaping…guiding. All you want to do is pour every ounce of your experience into this child, to make sure that they become all that they can be.

Ash Ketchum, my beloved son…I won't have the privilege of seeing what he becomes. I had thought that we would share a lifetime together, yet that is going to come to a swift end. Now as I write this, I know full well that my son will become something special. Even at the young age of seven, I can see that people just gravitate to him…the way he talks, how he stands up for himself and everyone around him. He won't give anyone anything less than his best.

Then the day arrived when Ash's father gave him a Pikachu. From that day forward, Ash and Pikachu were inseparable. They ate together, slept together and played together. You couldn't find one without the other.

His father though began to fill Ash's head with the grandeur of being a Pokemon trainer. Telling him stories of the battles that took place between trainers and their Pokemon and Ash just fell in love with it. There was no denying it, and it led to exactly what I thought would happen. Ash told me he was going to become a Pokemon trainer.

I couldn't find it in my heart to tell him how dangerous the lifestyle is. He viewed it so highly that I didn't want to shatter his dream. It didn't take me long to realize though that nothing I said would've changed his view of becoming a Pokemon trainer. He's just as stubborn as his father and will stick to whatever path he's chosen.

Where that stubbornness will lead him, I don't know. However, I am certain that Ash will go very far. He's gifted in so many ways…he can do anything he wants once he puts his mind to it. As his mother, I want nothing more than for him to be happy, but I pray for his safety above all else. I want him to have friends, to have a family if he wants to, and live his life to the fullest.

Whoever Ash is entrusted to, please watch over him and if it's possible, offer him a bit of guidance to keep him on the right path.

Sincerely,

Delia Ketchum.

Ketchum? Fantina remembered Ash introducing himself with that surname. So this was his mother.

"So…she passed away?" Fantina asked softly, looking up at the blonde woman.

"Yes, but that's all I can tell you. If you want to know anything further, you'll have to talk to Ash yourself." Cassidy replied in an equally hushed tone. "I don't show that letter to just anyone, but I can tell that you actually care about Ash. You wouldn't have come here otherwise."

Fantina opened her mouth as if to protest, but then she shut it and her lips curved upward slightly. Cassidy was a very sharp woman.

"I know earlier I might have sounded like I didn't care what happens to Ash…I really hope it didn't come across that way, but there's only so much I can do for him by myself." Cassidy admitted sorrowfully. "Please, I'm begging you on Delia's behalf; please help me keep her son safe."

Fantina exhaled audibly, and this caused Cassidy's expression to darken at the prospect of Fantina refusing. Then Fantina's face lit up though with a bright smile as she approached Cassidy, leaned forward and placed a kiss on each of her cheeks. Cassidy's eyes became wide at this as she took a step back from Fantina, but was immediately put at ease by the warmth of her expression.

"Fear not, monsieur Ash will be under my watchful eyes for the entirety of this school year. I will make sure he stays focused." Fantina assured her. Cassidy gave her a slow nod of thanks.

"Were those kisses really necessary?" Cassidy asked curiously as she invited Fantina to follow her out of the room. Noticing Cassidy's colored cheeks, Fantina realized that she might not have been comfortable with her gesture.

"My apologies madam, I was raised in Kalos and we are very affectionate people. It is only a gesture of kindness." Fantina explained, and Cassidy stifled a laugh at this. That was the first time she had been kissed by anyone besides her husband.

As they stepped out of Ash's room, Fantina glanced back at the painting of the figure with chained wings, and it clicked. Ash now faced a choice of soaring to new heights through his talents or remaining grounded forever in pursuit of something else.

A/N

Soooooo, I hope our little trip into Ash's backstory didn't steer you away from this fic. Well, if it did you probably wouldn't be reading this, but that's beside the point. I know the tragic backstory is overused in just about all forms of character development, but give me a chance. I'm not saying mine is something special that is above all of the other people that have used this plot device, but to be honest I love a good tragic backstory. We'll get deeper into this topic in a later chapter, no spoilers for you guys.

As I'm sure you're beginning to realize, this isn't the typical 'world of Pokemon' that you might be accustomed to from the game/manga/anime. As I said, I'm aiming for a different take on it, so please bear with me as I try to set the floor for you all.

Once again, big shout out to MjrGenMatt for working alongside me on this chapter!

Notable characters from this chapter.

Fantina. Ash's bilingual art teacher, better known as the Hearthome Gym Leader in the games and anime. I'm hoping to use her more in the future, but I'm uncertain at this point. I hope you enjoyed her part in this chapter though.

Macy. If you recall, she made an appearance in the Silver Conference where she battled Ash. She was that little girl that loved fire types. Like if Ash is ten, she looked like she was four to me. So now she's four in this fic.

Casey. I'm sure you must remember the girl that was obsessed with the Electabuzz baseball team in the anime during the Johto saga. She had a Chikorita that got humiliated by Ash's Charizard if that rings any bells.

Cassidy. You might remember Cassidy, one of the members of Team Rocket. She and her partner Butch were basically the serious version of Jessie and James. Anyway, she's acting as Ash's foster mother, and we'll definitely be talking about her again in the future.

That's all for now, thanks for reading everyone! I hope to see you all again at the next installment.

UPDATE 3/18/19 - Hello to those of you who made it this far, thank you very much for reading. It feels kind of weird to be writing this almost two years later, but its to help clarify some things and avoid confusion.

Up until chapter 21, I had been referring to Pokemon as 'it.' But as I developed this story, it started to feel impersonal to refer to them like that. So starting in chapter 21, I began to address Pokemon with gender pronouns. In the chapters preceding number 21, they are still referred to as 'it.' If you are a reader who reaches that point in the story, I just want you to know ahead of time to avoid any confusion as I said earlier.

I have since been going into the preceding chapters to address my usage of pronouns, but its something I do every now and then so there are a number of corrections I still have to make. Thank you for your patience, and enjoy the rest of the story from here. :D