(edited.2020.04.01)

Locked Away, Chapter 15

"Gary Oak speaking, how can I help you?" His professional tone rang from the other end of Misty's black cellphone. She gulped, hearing his voice so soon after the explosion made her insides twist.

"Hey, Gary. It's Misty." She offered confidently. She wouldn't show weakness, Misty Waterflower never showed weakness.

"Hey! How is everything going? Ash isn't causing too much trouble, is he?" She heard the banter in his voice, imaging that twisted smirk he presented so delicately. Misty inhaled, wincing only briefly at the mention of Ash.

"I just wanted to let you know that I told him. So, whatever you were trying to do; well, it didn't work." Misty muttered callously.

"You what?!" He shrieked, the sound of the shuffle almost made her discern that he nearly dropped the phone. "Why would you tell him?"

Because I'm not a liar. "I was just calling to let you know. He's on his way there now."

"When did he leave?" Gary chimed, she could hear the shuffle of his lab coat as he pushed out of his seat and she sighed, rubbing her brow.

"...about an hour ago?" she suggested, glancing at the clock.

Gary's voice boomed on the other side. "Meet me there."

"...No thanks." She uttered.

Gary groaned. "Really? You know what he's walking into and you're just going to let him?"

"I'm sorry, Gary. But I don't know what he's walking into because you've never told me! I will see you around." Misty offered, thinking about what Ash had told her with a sullen expression. Gary sighed from the other side, but before he spoke again to explain, Misty ended the call; shutting him out of her head.

Standing barefoot in her living room, she kneaded the phone between her fingers, questioning her decisions; her motives. She was in the wrong to keep the information from Ash, but she was only trying to protect him. Sometimes the truth was worse than a good lie—but he wouldn't forget it. Misty sighed, running her shaking hand through her red hair.

Exhaling sharply, she slipped onto the couch where she tucked her knees up close to her chest. Misty wouldn't cry for Ash, not when she so clearly did this to herself. Ash had been nothing but decent to her, and she was the one who lied to him. At first, she wanted to blame Gary; had the soon-to-be-professor not asked her to keep silent, she would have probably told him. But it was more than that, she knew. Sadly, she flipped through the same images from that morning, they took a new meaning; the ones taken at the gym were soured; so she scrolled, and she scrolled, looking for one specific moment of her life. When her eyes finally caught it, her breath hitched in her throat. The picture she took of the two of them only a few weeks coming out of his coma; staring confused at her cell phone. His cheeks were still sunken in, his hair was still in that long ponytail, his skin was still pale and his eyes were still dazed.

Misty grimaced, chewing her thumbnail. Back when they hardly knew each other at all—when she thought Ash was more of a basket case than anything else. Before he knew her... but now that he did, she could only imagine what he thought about her. She was obviously a liar, a manipulator. A deceiver.

Why was she doing this to herself?

Sighing, she pressed the palm of her hand against her forehead and stared up at the ceiling as if it would give her the answers. Why did she not tell him? Obviously, she was protecting him...or at least trying to. She looked back at the picture; taken before he could take care of himself before he knew the hard truths of the real world. His innocent eyes dashing even in his battered state. Misty sighed, shuffling herself off the couch. Why indeed? Naturally, she typed in Daisy's number which was answered quickly by the blonde.

"Hey, I need a favor." Misty swayed the usual introductions, rushing to her coat rack and tugging on whichever jacket was there.

"What's up sis?"

"I need you to watch the gym for a little while," Misty grumbled tiredly, searching through her purse for her air-rewards card that had a coupon number on the back.

"...Uh, like...why?" Daisy echoed from the other side and Misty inhaled and blew out.

"I need to go get Ash."

"Did something happen to him?" Daisy snapped quickly, a worried tone washing over her voice.

Misty sighed. "It's a long story that I don't have time to explain. I have to get to the airport."

"The airport? You're in an awful hurry then... Misty, what happened?"

"I'll tell you later!" Misty snapped, looking at the number on the card and memorizing it. "Now can you watch the gym or not?"

"Yes! I will be home in under an hour." Daisy chimed worriedly.

"Thanks, I'll call you later." Misty hung up the phone, dialing the Cerulean City airport as she dashed out of the house, thankful for red sneakers and the protection of her black winter coat as she broke into a jog to cut through the forest.

Misty didn't have time to feel bad for herself or to talk herself out of her decision. She screwed up, she knew, and at some point, she would have to deal with the consequences, but Gary was right. She should be there for Ash when he finds out—even if he didn't want her to be. She may have been a lot of things; but she was his friend above all else, even if he was mad at her.

XOX

Ash took the first train to Viridian City. He didn't care when it left or how, he was on it, and he was livid. More frustrated than angry, and a little more disappointed than that. All of this time, he trusted Misty the most. She had never given him a reason not to until now. How much more did she lie about? Was that what Agatha warned him about when she suggested that Misty was always the more cunning one? Was this all just some big game for her? Ash bit hard on his bottom lip, his mind racing with questions as he watched his superhero view of Misty shatter; broken into the tiniest fragmented pieces. Misty, who had stuck around as his friend, and been his greatest ally through all of this, turned out to be... something else. Out of everything she could have lied to him about—why this? Mew, he didn't even think to ask her; but he didn't care, either. Maybe she did have a good reason?

No, to Ash, there was no reason good enough to keep this from him.

The four-hour train ride to Viridian City went by in a flash—having gone through Pewter City and making only a single stop. He was right when he realized this Misty and his Misty were different. His Misty would have never done this to him.

Never.

Yet, he was so torn up inside. A small part of him, the part of him that felt giddy and warm inside at the thought of her, the part of him that depended on her for so long, wanted to apologize for yelling at her, for reacting the way that he did. However, every other fiber of his being wanted to scream. She betrayed him; being furious with her should have been easy! ...but after a four-hour train ride, he wasn't so sure anymore. Most of his anger faded, and if he was being completely honest, he wished that Misty was here with him.

He pressed his head against the back of the seat and squeezed his eyes shut to regain his focus.

Delia Ketchum, 1314 Opal Street, Viridian City, Kanto, he repeated to himself for probably the one-hundredth time. While he couldn't think of much, and his feelings were trashed, he could think of one thing—his mother. The woman he would finally get to see again for the first time in years. For the first time, the weight of his coma felt entirely too real. Ten years, which only felt like a few hours during his recovery felt like a century of his absence. What would time do to his relationship with his mom? Would they be okay? Would she be okay?

When the train came to an abrupt halt at the Viridian City train station, he shouldered his green bag, which had a formerly-crying-non-stop-togepi wrapped inside. Originally, he wanted to leave the bag outside of the gym, his body overcome with anger. However, on the way to the station, he realized that technically everything he owned came from Misty, so what was one more thing? At least this way he didn't have to hold togepi while he slept. He winced. Even the thought of togepi made him furious. On the train ride the pokemon cried until it eventually fell asleep, distraught over Ash's yelling from earlier. Togepi was just as attached to Misty as it was to him, and he wondered if it wouldn't have been better to leave the small pokemon with Misty instead. She was better with baby pokemon.

He frowned deeply, his anger wavering slightly thinking about Misty's normal behavior as he followed the crowd of people off the train. He pushed through the crowd carelessly, bumping shoulders with other people who seemed too busy with life to look where they were going, and made a B-line to the exit gate. When he saw a flash of red from the corner of his eye, he thought that he had to be imagining things until he was halfway down the street towards the eastern suburbs and he heard her calling for him.

"Ash!" She cried behind him, the shrill rise of her voice cutting open the healing wound like a knife. She ran to him, feet pounding against the sidewalk until she was a foot or so behind him, hunching over, coughing. Misty must have been chasing him for a while because she was heaving. Carried in his own mind, he hadn't even heard her calling after him.

"How did you get here?" He growled, sounding much angrier than he actually was. Misty surprised him, the image of her tired figure filled him with both disgust, and elation. She came all the way here, for him.

"Planes are..." She heaved. "...much faster." twice as expensive, she wanted to add as she stood up, looking him in the eye. She hadn't even bothered to change out of her morning clothes on her way here. Regardless, catching her gaze, he turned away promptly, head down, shoulders up and walked away from her. She sighed aggressively.

"You don't have to listen to me." She tried, keeping pace with him. He rolled his shoulders as if he wasn't going to. "I know that I screwed up. Majorly." she winced at her own words, watching his stony features push him forward.

"But I am sorry. I know that doesn't fix it, but I am." Gritting her teeth, she dared to touch him, tagging his upper arm brief enough to slip the moment he shifted his shoulders, but firm enough to capture his attention. "If this doesn't go the way that you expect..." She assured him, watching his brown eyes carefully. "I'll still be here when you get back."

Misty's breathless tone made his eyebrows knit together worriedly, he almost stopped in his tracks as he stuffed his hands into his pockets nonchalantly, his lips flattened and he shook his head. His heart might have even skipped a beat, and his entire mind cried at him. Had she not stopped, and backed away with that slight-upturn of her lips; he might have forgiven her that very second. Damn her. He thought wistfully, forcing his entire body to turn away from the redhead.

He hated how she did that to him. One second ago he was absolutely furious with her, now he wanted to scream at her that he didn't know what he was doing; instead, he took her confidence, tucked it into his pocket and walked away from her without another word, leaving her at the bench down the street from the train station.

XOX

The same white picket fence, the same mailbox; the same pink trimming. Mr. Mime even stood outside sweeping the sidewalks of any rubble or dust as he had done so many times in the past. Ash's heart thumped in his chest as he pushed towards the fence gate, swinging it open without alerting the cleaning pokemon. Reading over the numbers written to the left of the door, he knew he was in the right place... only, "Oak" was written above the numbers. His breath felt like ice in his chest—and now that he was actually here, he wasn't sure that he wanted to be. Seeing Misty so soon again; how in the world did she do this to him? He was so certain of himself only a few moments ago, but now...

If this doesn't go the way that you expect...

Why wouldn't it? Should he have asked for a reason? What if his mom was crazy? Or dead? Or had another... his face paled. He couldn't think like that. Reaching the front door before his mind realized it, he shuddered, pressing his knuckles to the doorbell and clicked the button.

"Coming!" He heard a small voice instantly cry out before the sound of footfalls rushed to the door. The figure on the other side sounded excited and too happy to care. When the door swung open following the pattern of the child's feet, Ash forced down his fears with a hard gulp.

Hazel eyes like his mother's looked up at him, and his soul left his body. A boy no older than seven looked up at Ash, sharing an auburn colored, spiky hair much like Gary's. The boy wore a purple shirt and dark blue pants with no shoes. It was like Ash was looking at Gary again when they were kids; and his heart chilled in his chest. Oh no...

Bravely, Ash cleared his throat, unsure of the reason he was able to stay so calm—perhaps it was only the calm before the storm, or maybe, he had grown more over the last few months than he credited himself for. While his palms sweat profusely, and his chest burned like fire—Ash remained tranquil, staring at the young boy.

"Uh... Is your mom home?" Ash asked weakly, clearing his throat and tearing his eyes away from the small boy standing before him. The Gary-look-alike smacked his lips and veered away from the door, leaving it open for Ash to step inside.

"Yep! Let me go get her!" he said while jumping eagerly towards the kitchen. He cupped his smallmouth.

"Mom! There's a man at the door who wants to see you!" The small boy chanted playfully, leaving Ash standing at the door without another thought as he made his way back outside through the open door at the end of the opposite wall, near the right side of the staircase. The house itself looked identical to the one in Pallet Town.

"Okay dear, I'll be there in a moment."

There it was, the breath-hitching, chill-inducing, survival instinct voice that echoed gently through the house. Ash's body froze, his shoulders pinched and he inhaled deeply. Perhaps the shock of the moment hadn't sunk in yet, but when he heard his mother's voice answer the young boy, he shook, but his mind cleared of nervous thought. Suddenly, he became all too aware of his surroundings, the sound of the local news beaming from the living room, the tray of discarded locals newspapers beside the front door, the scent of roses that wafted in the air and the scattered picture frames on the wall that collected dust. Ash prayed for a short time that her move to Viridian City was very recent; but he knew better now. She hadn't just moved here, after all, Gary's note included a timeline.

Their eyes met from across the hallway the moment she appeared around the corner. His fingers clenched in his pockets, catching wind of his mothers scarlet hair and inhaled.

"Hey, mom." He offered weakly, watching an expression of shock and torment blink through her eyes as whatever glass object she was holding fell to the polished wooden floors, effectively shattering it.

"...Ash?"

XOX

Ash was seated in the dining room seconds after the initial shock wore off. He was escorted by his mother as the little boy followed them inside to pester his mom about breaking glass. Delia retreated into the kitchen the second Ash was seated while the boy who Ash could only assume was his younger brother sneaked back in to watch Ash with curious eyes. The boy threw a toy pokeball up and down, watching Ash amusingly while Delia worked in the kitchen to make a fresh pot of tea. Unlike their small house in Pallet, this one came with a full dining room, an extended kitchen, and from the brief glace Ash had, a full living room with a piano and fireplace. Ash could have never imagined his mother being able to afford a place like this when he was just a child; it seemed odd to believe she could afford it now.

Aside from the fancy furniture and growing collection of dust, the strangest part about being in his mother's house was the reflection of family pictures resting on the shelves; not a single one of them had him in them. Every place where Ash should be found, the little boy took his place. Most prominently in pictures that had Gary, Leaf, Professor Oak, and his mom. Ash twisted his fingers on the table in front of him, trying to keep his eyes off of the oddity in the room—his little brother. Ash couldn't believe that he had a little brother in this world; a living, breathing, half-brother.

He only knew 'half' brother by the stark resemblance the child had to Gary. Sure, Ash wasn't the brightest bulb on the street, but even he could deduce that whatever had happened while he was gone centered around Professor Oak; it made sense why Gary wouldn't have said anything. Ash might have flipped his table had Gary told him the first time he asked. Ash eyed the little boy, the features were all there: the auburn hair, the same, cocky smirk that decorated most of Ash's childhood. Whoever he was, he was related to the Oak's by some means and the only way that made sense reflected his reference to calling Delia "mom".

In comparison, Delia always said that Ash looked like his father; jet black hair, tan skin, and brown eyes. He was in every way his father's child, more so than he ever looked like his mother. This boy, however, looked like Gary did when they were kids—except for those eyes. Those eyes were his mother's.

When Delia reappeared ten minutes later, she clapped her hands together to gather both of the boy's attention. Ash assumed she took so long because she was collecting her thoughts, not because she was making tea, otherwise, there would be tea. On top of that, she did not have the reaction that Ash suspected. Instead of joy, she looked terrified of him. She tried to cover it with a forced smile, but Ash saw right through it. She was not happy to see him and that filled Ash's stomach with the benevolence of rocks.

"Cole, dear, why don't you go play outside for a while and let mommy talk to her guest?" Guest Ash echoed, shaking his head and scoffing at the idea. Calling her own 'son' a guest. The tension building up between the two of them was almost cut clean by Cole who raised his eyebrow innocently.

"Why? Is he from the, well, you know?" Cole glanced at Ash, sharing more of a curious expression than his mother; but she snapped at him, patience drained.

"I said go outside!" she snapped in a way that made Cole jump from his seat and scamper to the exit. Ash's mouth fell ajar, having never seen his mother so hostile before. Delia turned at Ash with a flat expression, though Ash did not return the look. His eyes didn't leave Cole as the young boy looked back at Ash with a thoughtful expression, and then retreated outside like he had been told.

It wasn't until the younger boy was gone that Ash finally thought to look at his mom, addressing her cold behavior and tone with his eyes. Tapping his fingers against the table, a wave of emotions crashed into him at once, making him numb from his head to his toes. She was the same, sitting opposite of him and stroking her wrist with her opposite hand. He didn't know what to do now, his throat was so dry but he wouldn't ask for refreshments. In fact, he almost wanted to run, forget he saw any of this and live in ignorance—what was he even looking at right now? The stoic expression of his mother replacing the warmth that decorated his childhood: she was not his mom. He flinched visibly when she cleared her throat but said nothing at all.

"...You and Oak, huh...?" Ash murmured sadly, trying to rope his mother in. Maybe she was just as scared as he was? Nervous. He was unable to break eye contact, she didn't flinch at the question.

"Samuel and I, yes." She said coldly, eyebrows rising only slightly.

Ash inhaled and smiled meekly. "So Cole is...?"

"Nothing to do with you." Her harsh reverberate sent vibrations down Ash's body and he exhaled, feeling his blood begin to boil under his flesh as the questions rose to his chest once more.

"Did you know I was awake?" He asked desperately, eyes narrowing as he watched her face for a response. The woman he looked at didn't look anything like his mom. Her hair was curly, her eyes were dull, she wore black and whites instead of the colorful frocks of his childhood... and her face, which used to be plastered in neat smile, was twisted into an ill frown. He inhaled, and then exhaled. But she was still his mother; that didn't change, did it?

"What is it that you want?" She asked, ignoring his questions. "Money?"

Appalled, Ash's eyes widened. "No, I don't want your money!" He hissed, horrified suggest such a thing. What was wrong with her? His anger twisted into a pit in his stomach and he thought that he might puke. He hadn't even taken off his backpack since walking into the house. This didn't feel like a home.

"What happened to you? Why didn't you come to visit me? You saw everything, didn't you?" To say that he was begging for an answer was an understatement.

"...I said my goodbyes years ago." She whispered, shaking her head. She looked away, though the depression only crossed her features temporarily as she looked back up to face Ash.

Typically, he might not have thought her statement offensive, if it hadn't been for her lack of emotional prowess. Delia didn't look sad about her words; her dead, hazel eyes looked right through Ash.

"I'm not dead, mom!" Ash bellowed, springing to his feet and knocking his chair back. It crashed against the wooden floor with a loud bang and Delia matched his anger, flinching at the title he presented her.

"Do not call me that! You are not my son!" She screamed in return, slamming her palms on the table. Horror-struck, Ash gulped, taking a step back.

"...Don't you remember...?" He tried, wanting to remind her of all the time they spent together; the memories they created, the times he sat up waiting for her to get home from work. When they would read bed-time stories and work in the garden. But her cold eyes reflected nothing. His breath hiccuped, and tears stung his eyes.

"You would have just let me sit in the hospital alone... wouldn't you?" he asked weakly, barely above a whisper.

"It's been ten years. What would you have me do?" She asked, stepping away from the dining room table.

"Be happy that I'm alive! You spent ten years visiting me! You paid for the hospital, didn't you? Doesn't that mean anything? Some part of you must have thought that I would wake up!"

The hesitation in her voice made a lasting impression far deeper than her words ever would. Suddenly, Ash felt like he was drowning and he hung his head, defeated before her answer ever came.

"Samuel was the one who paid ten years on your hospital fees. After the... I... I never thought you would wake up! The doctors told me you were a vegetable! You died years ago!" She screamed, pressing her hand against her chest, distraught.

At first, tears pooled in Ash's eyes, wetting them. He watched her breathlessly then swiped his wrists against his eyes and shook his head violently. Ash died a long time ago, huh? He was just somebody eternally trapped in a tomb of his own mind? He scoffed, shaking in disbelief. He should have known better—if everything else he grew up with was gone, why would this be different?

"So what, mom?" he cried angrily, slamming his fist into the table, the crack of his knuckles waking the sleeping pokemon in his bag. "Did you remarry, did you move, did you have a new son just to replace your whole life? Are you finally happy now that I'm out of the picture!?" His voice carried like venom, finally denting her frail facade.

"Did you at least wait a year before you said your goodbyes or did you just write me off as soon as it happened!?" He yelled, matching her contrite anger.

"Do not take that tone of voice with me!" was her only defense, glowering in his direction.

"Why not!? I'm not your son, isn't that what you said?!" he yelled back kicking one of the dainty, wooden chairs over, she yelped and shrunk away from him. From his slightly open bag, he heard the sound of togepi start to whimper, but Ash was in no mood for it. He ignored its unsettled tears and stomped his feet, leaving the dining room.

"You weren't supposed to be alive!" She yelled after him, distraught and holding her head.

"Well, I am!" Ash fought back glaring at her, for a second he thought he would leave, to never return. This was a mistake after all. He should have known better... and he would have left it there if he didn't recall one of the first things he was told when he woke up. Sighing, he glared bitterly at her. "Where's Pikachu?"

"He doesn't belong to you anymore." She urged immediately but Ash threw up his arms.

"He's licensed to me, mom. You can't give him away!" He retorted wistfully, catching sight of a balled, yellow pokemon through the open back door. Each time he addressed her, she visibly flinched, holding her chest or stomach.

"You need to leave!" she yelled desperately, but Ash had heard enough and threw up his hands at her to demonstrate that.

"I think I'll stay!" he said, walking towards the backdoor as she rushed to the kitchen to use the phone. When he cut out of the house, the scent of sunflowers wafted through his nostrils, and he saw Cole sitting in the rocking chair, humming to himself as he swayed back and forth. Ash stared at him, absolutely stunned by his little emotion; he didn't have a single care in the world. Shame Ash would never feel that way again. Right beside Cole on the porch railing slept pikachu, his pikachu, much older and rough around the edges. When Ash stepped onto the wooden boards, the pokemon twitched and looked up to Ash with watering eyes.

"Pikapi!" It squealed, jumping from its perch and directly into Ash's arms. Catching him mid-jump, Ash twirled the pokemon, holding him close, the rush silenced togepi in his bag as he hunched forward and squeezed the pokemon, separating just long enough to brush his short, aging fur against his fingers.

"I missed you so much, pikachu." Ash mused, his bottom lip quivering as he stroked the pokemon slowly. Unaffected by Ash's greeting of the pokemon, Cole rose to his feet and pointed directly at Ash. He looked a bit nervous, having heard some of the exchange between Delia and Ash in the dining room, but courageously came forward anyway.

"How do you know my pikachu?" Cole asked while around the corner both boys heard Delia frantically calling the police on Ash, muttering something about a break-in. Ash grimaced visibly and looked down at the small boy. Cole was the innocent one out of all of this, and so Ash refused to dampen his spirits with the truth, instead, Ash knelt in front of the boy as pikachu shifted in Ash's arms.

"This was my pikachu when I was a young trainer." Ash mused gently, smiling at Cole. Delia strung the address to the police, so Ash knew his time was short. Watching Cole's confused eyes, Ash shifted the pudgy pikachu from his arms and back into the young boy's.

"But..." Ash swallowed hard to keep his tears at bay as pikachu looked up at him with narrowed eyes. Ash heard the thud of Delia's footfalls against the wooden floors of the house and he inhaled carefully.

"He's yours now...okay? Take good care of him." Ash whispered, pressing the small pokemon into Cole's arms and bringing his arms forward to wrap around the squirming rodent. Cole looked absolutely stunned and confused. How could Ash give away pikachu if it already belonged to Cole? He titled his head in question.

"Pika!" pikachu yelled in retort, but Ash forced himself to smile. Cole had been with pikachu for twice as long as Ash had been, technically—he couldn't imagine separating the two of them if they bonded...it was a shame he wouldn't get the time to find out.

"Take care of Cole." Ash commanded the mouse, watching its determination deflate as it fell into Cole's arms pathetically, its tubby features squishing into the small boy's shirt. As Ash smiled back up to Cole, only to see that his wide, hazel eyes brimmed from confusion moments ago to pure alleviation as he pumped one fist forward to get a better look at Ash.

Moving forward on the balls of his heels, Cole grinned from ear to ear. "Wait! Are... Are you As-"

"Cole get away from him this instance! You know you're not supposed to talk to strangers!" Delia shouted from the open door, shoving Ash out of the way to grab her youngest boy and lift him up into her arms with impressive strength. Ash stood promptly, dusting his hands off on his thighs; seeing pikachu drained him of his anger, and he could only watch his mother stare evilly at him with a pathetic look.

"Are you sure this is it...Delia?" He changed her title, addressing her with a formal, weak tone to which he received a curt nod seconds later that knocked the air out of Ash's chest—only, he refused to show it.

"You need to leave. I've called the police already." She threatened, bouncing a squirming Cole in her arms.

"Mom, wait! I want to-" Cole tried but was shushed by his mother.

Ash couldn't believe this. He rubbed his fingers together as if to relieve some of the pain in his chest and then exhaled, looking away from her for the last time.

"...see you around then." Ash chimed slowly, glancing back at the yellow figure of pikachu who still tried to fight his way out of Cole's grasp. "Sorry for disturbing you."

Delia didn't break, she stood firm, even so much to stomp her foot at Ash as he glanced once more at the house as if to say "leave" one last time. With one swift movement, Ash jumped over the railing on the back porch and landed in the moist grass. Again, togepi shrieked, sitting in the dark and not-understanding what was happening. He didn't spare a single glance backward. It wasn't his home anyways. As he dashed off into the darkened parts of the Viridian forest, he shook his head and wanted to scream. While he took off into the trees and brush located beside Delia's house, he whipped his bag around, off of his shoulder and scooped the egg pokemon out—tears stained his small cheeks.

"I'm so sorry." he apologized to the pokemon, putting his bag back onto his back and pulling the crying pokemon in close to stifle and mute its cries. He rubbed his fingers against its small shell and he sighed tiredly. In the distance, he saw the flashes of blue and red, and unsure if the police would follow him, he dipped into the forest paths, tracing the edges of the Viridian suburbs as he danced his way onto the street block away from Delia's house. By the time his feet were on solid, paved ground, he had already removed his hat and tucked it away into his back pocket—better to be unnoticed as much as possible as he retraced his steps from the train station, mind elsewhere.

He couldn't think; not really. His mind kept falling back on those dead eyes. Only now when he was away from her cold, malicious gaze did it really sink in. His chest pounded as he lowered his head, looking down at togepi who still watched him with scared, worried eyes. So scared, it refused to even cry.

"She didn't want me anymore." Ash groaned, saying it aloud to himself only made the news that much harder. He hiccuped, and with one hand, pawed at his eyes to clear them of tears before they formed.

She wasn't anything like she used to be. She had a new family, one with Professor Oak and Cole—mew, she must have even taken his last name if the sign above the door meant anything. Did that by some means make Gary his relative? Ash shouldn't have been surprised. Delia had no reason to hold on. It wasn't uncommon for people in Ash's shoes to never wake up. Ash could not blame her; if the roles were reversed...maybe he, too, would have simply moved on? Yet he was still upset by the news, squeezing his eyes shut.

But Delia...more than he could have ever imagined was frozen; stoic to the point that his heart twisted because of it. Behind her hazel eyes, her spirit was emotionally stunted. Was it the recent death of Professor Oak and having to remove her eldest son from life support? Had she been like this for years, or was something else going on? Worst of all, Ash didn't know. He wasn't there to ask her, to help her. Ash whipped at his eyes and sniffled as togepi pressed his small arm against Ash's chest as to provide comfort to the man breaking down.

He was still in the middle of the street and shook his head vehemently to bottle the tears up. Ash wouldn't break down here. He had his answer finally, no matter how difficult it was, it was a solution—at least he could get on with his life now. His mom was alive. She lived in Viridian City... she just didn't want him. She moved on. Still, with that looming over his head, he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose sadly. A part of him wished he didn't know. Lightning ran through his nerves and he pressed his palm against his stomach to curb the waves churning there. Misty and Gary knew this about him, didn't they?

At the thought, he looked forward, almost feeling the redhead's presence the moment he turned the corner of the street, staring down the short path at the black-tights wearing woman sitting on the park bench. Unlike usual, she did not play on her phone, rather, she kicked her feet against the paved path and sighed tiredly, looking up periodically. Ash had honestly never seen her look so defeated, it wasn't a usual emotion for the gym leader. Usually, she took things in stride.

Ash watched her for a moment, the way her shoulders fell and how horrified she appeared. Her hands gripped the wooden part of the bench so tightly her knuckles turned white under pressure. In turn, his features paled, and he exhaled loudly. Misty had only been trying to help him. His reasons were just for being angry but she could probably argue that hers were equally as important. Sighing once again very loudly, he caught the woman's attention. Misty looked up, nervously catching his gaze. Promptly, she stood to meet him, but he didn't walk over right away. He was unsure if he wanted to. He could still very much walk away from her and her sullen face...but he felt compelled to approach. Still, he took his time, shuffling his feet as he found his way to her.

"I..." He started, glumly looking away. It hadn't even been thirty minutes, and here he was again. Was he supposed to say "You were right"? Because he didn't want to. It still wasn't okay that she lied to him.

She swallowed. "How did it go?"

He didn't answer, instead, he approached slowly as he shifted togepi. Misty watched him with wide eyes, lowered eyebrows and pressed her hand against his shoulder for comfort. It made every nerve in his arms catch fire as he exhaled.

"She has another son," he said flatly, and Misty's face contorted in a way that spoke the words she couldn't say: she already knew. Behind Ash, in the distance, she saw the hues of red and blue and her face scrunched up. Seeing the reflection of the lights in her eyes, he sighed.

"...She might have called the police on me, too." He suggested lowly, rubbing the back of his head. The light left Misty's eyes and she grabbed hard on Ash's shoulder and reefed him down the path to avoid the sound of impeding police troopers.

"What did you do?" Misty hissed, pulling Ash through the streets she seemed overly familiar with. He followed her aimlessly, while still mad, grateful that she came back. How horrible was that? Even when he wanted independence, even when he was blisteringly mad with her; here he was, relying on her help. He glanced at her, watching her stern expression.

"I didn't do anything, actually..." he pressed, regaining his composure slightly as the image of his mot-Delia-flashed through his mind. Misty sighed sympathetically.

"I'm sorry." She said flatly, steering him in the direction of the path leading out of Viridian City and towards Pewter City.

He couldn't read her right now. Perhaps he was too shaken up emotionally to acknowledge hers. The pressure of her fingers digging into his upper arm brought a sigh to his lips. The real reason he couldn't read her was because he wasn't sure he really knew who she was anymore. If lying to him made her protective, he wasn't sure he wanted to be protected.

"Misty why didn't you tell me?" He questioned awkwardly, the only question his brain could feasibly muster right now, getting a worried look from her, she returned her gaze to the dirt path ahead of them and then released his arm from her grasp.

"...Because." She said, shifting gracelessly while the sound of little feet pounded after them in the distance. For once, she appeared like she would give him a good reason as her mouth opened, but the bellow in the distance halted them as they turned around to face the noise.

"Ash!" The faint voice yelled after the duo, drawing the adults attention to a small boy running up the path after them.

"Cole?" Ash spun on his feet to face the small boy who carried around pikachu in his arms and barreled up the path to them. First wondering how in the world he small boy got away from his mother.

Misty's eyebrows rose, obviously catching onto the resemblance between Gary and the small boy. "Is this your little brother?"

"Shh! He doesn't know that!" Ash hissed, putting his index finger to his lips to silence Misty as Cole shook his head, hunching forward at his run.

"No," he exhaled, looking up at Ash's chocolate eyes with a gleam in his hazel ones. "I knew it had to be you!"

Author's Note:

Get it, Cole and Ash? I was going to spell it "Coal" but I thought that was pushing it.

Thanks for all the reviews/favs/follows -hearts- It means a lot guys!