Who I Am - Lightning99
Chapter 15:
Red
Clemont was nonplussed towards the new arrival – Red, as Delia had breathlessly dubbed him.
Clemont stared at him in tandem with everyone else, incredulously, because he surmised Red's identity even before he and Delia kissed, tightly clung together as if they each thought the other was a mirage. It wasn't the Pikachu perched on his shoulder as if a phantom of Ash – blinking its wide, dolefully liquid eyes and nuzzling its cheek into Delia's – nor his attire's uncanny likeness to Ash's but coloured red that unveiled his identity. Delia had exposed Red before their intimate embrace through her doting eyes and her tears, and the pitch of her voice: high because of relief, the way she had greeted Ash whenever he had called her from Kalos. It was the relief of knowing the one she loved the most was ok.
A quote from Ash wriggled free of the storm that muddled Clemont's mind as of late: "My desire to meet the man my mother loves." It couldn't be anybody else. Kissing seemed improper given the audience that was unethically transfixed, but it confirmed Clemont's theory.
Red was Ash's father.
The husband and wife stood embraced for a moment. Together. Nobody spoke; speech would be taboo in that beautifully awkward moment. Clemont locked eyes with Brock, Gary, Dawn, and he knew they had realised who he was too.
Delia and Red separated, but she held his shoulders close with trembling hands – her legs and arms trembled too, what seemed to be birthed of emotion – as if he were a feather in a tornado, liable to catch a current and whisk away if she released him. As if he were liable to disappear again. Red gently lowered Delia's hands, caressing one in his own, maintaining their connection in a way Clemont understood as reassurance. Red was affirming reality, saying he wouldn't go. Clemont didn't know how he knew it, but, somehow, Red's eyes declared it.
The reunited couple walked side-by-side into the living room, towards the breathless intruders. They really were intruders; that was how Clemont considered it and thinking as such guilted him towards leaving. How long had it been since Delia had seen her husband last? A moment bearing such intimacy and timeless love, definitely stored, and yearned for throughout their extensive separation, shouldn't have had an audience. Then, guilt stabbed Clemont a different way, unveiling the true heartbreak of the loving reunion. They were about to meet Ash's father. But Ash never had.
Like the whisper of a spirit lingering in the air, taunting his ears, Ash's earlier sentiment replayed to Clemont's mind: he wanted to become a Pokémon Master to meet his father. He had patterned his life in pursuit of the man who had arrived as an average visitor, as somebody that wasn't seated upon an impossible pedestal. Suddenly, everything seemed bitter-sweet. The Ketchum family could never be whole again. Clemont wondered why; why had Ash not been able to meet his father?
"Everybody," Delia said, wiping her watery cheeks, rosy and puffed with conflicted happiness, "this is Red, my husband, and Ash's father," Delia concluded.
"And my best friend! I'm Blue, by the way, Gary's father," Blue added, but nobody noticed.
Delia took her seat on the settee and gestured everyone else to do the same. Blue leaned over the back; there was not enough space for the whole of Ash's extended family in the room.
Clemont was muted, staring at Red, as the rest began introductions, giving his name quietly. Red was Ash if he had lived to experience his adulthood, in body and manner. Identically to Blue's, more even, Red's persona indicated his skill. But unlike Blue, who's smirk advocated his confidence and competence, Red's expression exuded calmness and calculation, but distance too. Clemont deduced a passion blazing behind his calm and almost cold front, and something else too, but he couldn't name it. He quickly dubbed Red a pariah, not because he did not fit in, but because he seemed above them all, an outcast in the sense of superiority. Clemont saw it all just by looking at him. He saw what he had in Ash. He was a man who stood above the rest. He was a Pokémon Master.
Strangely, though, Red persistently peeked discomforted glances at the people in the room and fidgeted as if he hadn't seen people in years.
"Umm… Not to be rude, but where have you been, Sir?" Gary asked, he too proving he understood Red's experienced aura given his use of such a title.
"Red will do, Gary," Delia answered for him. "He's always sorry to have to say this, but he can't answer any questions verbally in this type of environment. You see, Red has something called psychogenic mutism, otherwise known as selective mutism." Red nodded his head, dipping his cap over his eyes.
Clemont gasped. "Really?! You mean you can only talk in certain situations?" he asked, and Red nodded his head again.
"In any social situation with someone unfamiliar, or even someone familiar, Red cannot speak, even if he wants to," Delia said, rubbing her thumb over Red's hand. "However, when he's with me, Blue, or Blue's wife – our childhood friendship group – together or alone, he can speak. We've tried treatment for it, but, unfortunately, it never worked."
"That means he can't talk while in public, right?!" Paul cried, awe overtaking his expression.
"But then – if he's a Pokémon Trainer…" Dawn trailed. Red nodded again.
"Yeah, he's awesome, isn't he? He's a master trainer who doesn't have to speak to his Pokémon to let them know what to do," Blue said, broadly grinning. Red frowned. "It wasn't always that way. In our youth, he was the most talkative guy ever!" Red squinted at him. "Right, of course, besides me. Anyways, it happened in an accident."
"Yes, an accident," Delia repeated, dubiously. "Since it happened, he hasn't been able to speak in public. It is a lot rarer to happen in adults, but that is how it is. The… The only word he has said in public since the incident is Ash. That is how we named him when he was born."
"Wow… That's beautiful…" Dawn muttered, and Clemont agreed; Red and Ash were connected in a way Ash had never known.
However, their poetic connection did not engross Clemont the way Red's ability to bond with Pokémon did. He was stricken and perplexed. Were they able to read his mind, despite the likelihood they weren't all Psychic Types? That was an absurd theory; it did not seem possible. He had never heard of something so farfetched before.
But he had. Ash and Greninja had shared an analogous ability. It wasn't telepathy, it was as if they had shared hearts and minds. Does that mean Red has the same ability? Clemont wondered, awed.
"–get Bonnie out. We were going to do just that until you showed up, Red. But now, we should have a real conversation with Samuel. I feel that there is a lot more to this situation than we think."
"What do you mean?" Clemont asked quickly, his brotherly worry deepening.
Delia lightly shook her head. "Don't worry, Clemont. It has nothing to do with Bonnie and you, or Ash even. This is something us adults have to deal with, a part of our past. I'm just thinking out loud," Delia said. Clemont relaxed. He felt he could allow relief now, with men like Red and Blue present. Trainers like Ash.
"Either way, we can't do anything now. We will have to wait for Oak to be there. Do you know when that will be, Clemont?" Delia asked.
"Probably this evening."
"Then that is when we'll meet him. We could get Bonnie now, but I would prefer her to be there when we talk to him. It gives him less leverage to argue." Delia turned to the room. "Now, could I kindly ask you all to head home to wherever you are staying and get some rest? This evening might be slightly stressful, and since Red has just come home, I think we should talk about some things," Delia asked, in such a kind way that nobody argued.
"We'll be at our house," Blue said, and Gary's quartet quickly offered their farewells and disappeared with him. They began muttering as soon as they left the living room, probably sharing their surprise.
Clemont stood to leave, but Delia spoke up, delaying his departure. "Clemont, if Samuel is not going to be there, why don't you stay here for now?"
"I-I appreciate the offer, but I can't leave Bonnie alone…"
"I'm sure it will be ok for a few hours. We will get her as soon as he comes home. First thing. I promise. I wouldn't want you to be in an awkward position if you returned now. What do you say?" Delia asked.
Clemont considered momentarily. It did sound smart. "Y – Yeah, I'll stay."
"Excellent! You can rest in the guest room upstairs. You will know when you see it," Delia said, and Clemont thanked her. He left the living room, hearing Delia's voice one more time. "Are you alright, Brock?"
"Yes. I'm just shocked. I wanted to wait until everybody else was gone because I have so many questions, if I may–"
Clemont noticed Delia and Red never let their hands go.
Red may have the same ability as Ash… What does that mean? Could it be because they're father and son? Wait, I don't even know if Red actually has an ability like Ash's. I'm just guessing, but still… Clemont wondered to himself, washing his face in the bathroom mirror.
Nighttime had arrived rapidly. Everything was dark in the house now, tranquil rather than gloomy. Homely. The bathroom window hung ajar, and a therapeutic whiff of petrichor leaked in. Clemont couldn't see the rain through the frosted panels, but he heard its soothing melody.
Clemont had abandoned the day to his thoughts, attempting to make sense of everything while he stared out of the window in the guest room waiting for Oak's car to return. Ash and Red, Bonnie, Serena, Oak; there was so much rapidly pulsing through his mind that he had no time to filter it all, to think coherently.
Clemont walked out onto the landing and paused just outside the guest room when he heard Delia talking downstairs.
"Where did you go for so long, Red?" she asked in her sweet voice.
A quiet, cool voice replied, that somehow sounded heavy, fatigued. It was Red, able to speak away from the spheres of strangers. "Kanto, Sinnoh, everywhere. Most recently, Mt Silver."
"Mt Silver?! You had to go all the way up there?" Delia exclaimed.
"Yeah. It's one of the most secluded places I could think of."
"I know it's far away and hardly anybody goes there, and it's a good location to choose, but you must have felt so alone. Not to mention, it must have worsened your condition somewhat, suffering such a quick life change and isolation."
"Yeah. I did feel lonely without you. And Ash."
"I know, Red. I wish you had gotten to meet him properly before he–"
Clemont looked away. He knew he shouldn't listen to it, but he couldn't quell his curiosity.
"What if he didn't?" Red asked.
"You don't think he died? But why?" Delia asked.
"That guy came and talked to me. He knows everything, doesn't he? He said I shouldn't be sure about it," Red answered.
"What?! He talked with you?! Why, Red? I know it's complicated, but I need to know what happened, what caused you to leave. I know it was for us, but why?"
"…Ok."
Clemont wanted to listen further, but he didn't want to intrude. Hearing anymore would be less a nose out of curiosity and more an invasion of privacy. More-so than he had already committed. He walked into the spare room and closed the door, and waited, peering out of the window so that he could see Pallet's roads. He kept watching and thinking.
About an hour later, the same car Oak left in ambled along the road towards his lab, as if the man inside were contentedly admiring the sight from within it. Clemont bolted from his seat, down the stairs, and they were soon out the door and on their way to Oak's lab.
Clemont's apprehension was a drilling infection toiling to prevent his confrontation with Oak, an electric current buzzing through his bones, forcing his arms and legs to tremble. The whole-bodied, unnerving prickling coalesced with his doubt and self-questioning, emulating claustrophobia in his chest. He felt as if his heart was tautly seized by emotion. He forcibly breathed, and flexed and clenched his clammy hands and fingers, trying to ease his nerves. To calm himself. Clemont vowed never again to conform to his woes and self-doubt, so he fought it. He wouldn't let it win. Not this time; not after he had betrayed Ash by doing so previously.
Mustering the courage Ash had gifted into his heart, Clemont kept in step, walking behind their group that looked more like a mob now with the addition of Blue and the rest, minus the speared pitchforks and flickering torches. They, as a substitution for Ash, boosted his confidence. He kept going despite the worries, especially the one eluding to Oak's reaction, the many harsh possibilities he concocted. Though, the conspicuous Pokéballs bobbing on the straps of Red's bag repelled any worries: they were more threatening and would be significantly more effective than a pitchfork in subjugating Oak.
The group soon crested the walkway to Oak's lab, and Clemont enacted a final, prolonged deep breath, attaining a surprising calmness when he blew out. He was ready to go.
Clemont stepped through the lab's door – that was now only a frame of fragmented glass – after Delia herself and spotted Bonnie immediately. She was stood by the far wall, in front of a desk littered with ripped paper and a misaligned computer monitor. She was beside Serena and Calem. The Arbok's coil of his apprehension loosened against his relief. Bonnie was unhurt. He nudged past Gary – who uncharacteristically didn't complain – and opened his mouth to call her name. But Delia spoke first, saying something that unravelled a world of understanding Clemont had been unable to crack during his ponderous afternoon.
"Ash?!"
Clemont followed the woman's eye-line directly to Calem's back. Unconsciously, a blip of thought flashed in Clemont's mind, and he assumed it was exactly what Delia had thought: from behind, the double-foreigner resembled Ash. It could have merely been the clothing coupled with the colour of his hair, but the likeness rang true. Only at first glance, however. Clemont quickly spotted his hair's lighter hue and flatter style, and his different build when he properly looked at him.
No way… Clemont thought, glancing over at Serena. Is that the reason? Serena… Surely not.
"Clemont, there you are! We were worried! Who are all of these people?" Bonnie asked, bouncing across the lab, her small yellow bag knocking against her side. "Oh, I know you! You're Ash's Mum! Hi!" At that, Serena spun, her eyes reflecting a petrified Deerling.
Clemont forcefully dropped to his right knee – it slammed against the ground but he didn't register the pain – pulling Bonnie into a hug he imbued with as much brotherly compassion as was feasible. "I'm so sorry, Bonnie. I put you in danger. I'm so, so sorry," Clemont said, the recently familiarised warmth of tears tickling over his eyes. He had cried too much lately: Clemont sniffled, and wiped his eyes on his jumpsuit, pulling back. "I'm so glad you're ok."
"Why wouldn't I be?" Bonnie asked, blinking innocently at her brother. "Is everything ok, Clemont?"
"Yes, Bonnie, I'm ok. Thank you," Clemont said. He peered over his shoulder at Delia, whose smile matched his own.
"Bonnie, dear. Would you come here a moment?" Delia asked, and crouched to her height. The young blonde scampered across the lab to Delia, waving and giggling; Clemont slowly stood and followed. Delia took Bonnie's left hand gently between her own and ghosted her thumbs over the young girl's knuckles as dotingly as a Kangaskan. As she had said, with a mother's love. "Clemont came to talk with me, and I have something to ask you: would you like to stay with my husband and I for the remainder of your stay here in Kanto?"
"Y-Your husband?!" Serena breathed, staring at Red who was quite obviously the man in question, but Clemont took no notice.
"We believe it would be best, just until the pair of you can get home safely. I'm sure you will have a lot of fun; Red has lots of different Pokémon you can play with."
Bonnie's sunny bearing and expression erupted into a solar flare. She gasped aloud in glee. "Ok! Yay, I'm gonna get to play with a bunch of new Pokémon! Will Ash come home soon to play with me?"
Clemont paled. He thought she knew. Quickly affixing Delia with a grieved, wordless apology via his eyes, he moved to talk with Bonnie. But Delia shook her head lightly, her hair swaying, smiling through the heartbreak that drew lines of stress on her attractive face.
Delia ruffled Bonnie's hair gently, "Oh, I'm not so sure. You know him. Wherever he goes, he's always adventuring. I like to think that he still is, even now," Delia said.
The rest of the room, however, had stagnated. Serena was crying again while Ash's replacement attempted to console her, and the others present – Misty, May, and Drew – seemed unable to speak. Clemont had to look to the side; he couldn't let Bonnie see him cry. Delia was so, so strong. He admired her more than he had when he received her understanding when, realistically, she should have shunned him.
"Aww," Bonnie pouted, "I wanted to play with Pikachu…" Bonnie peered at Red, her eyes glistening. "Oh! Could I play with your Pikachu? Pretty please?!" Red smiled gently and glanced at his Pikachu. But his small partner had no time to jump down to Bonnie when a new voice, stern and agitated, spoke from the doorway deeper into the lab.
"What are you all doing here?!"
"Dad! Nice of you to join us!" Blue stated puckishly, and his lips bent into a smirk. "I said I'd be back, so here I am! I'm sure you know my friend here, Red Ketchum." Blue gestured Red, "Ash's father, the strongest champion to ever rule Indigo Plateau! Yes, yes, no need to berate me with your eyes, good friend, I'll stop complimenting you." Blue patted Red's shoulder, which slumped as if he had sighed.
"You're alive?!" Oak retorted, startled. He stepped backwards; Red and Delia stepped forwards.
Alive? Clemont thought, quickly considering the meaning of it. Delia and Red had probably talked about it when he stopped eavesdropping earlier. What has happened to Red?
"Yep, he is! And I love it!" Blue goaded. "I'll be quiet now so you can get to talking, Delia. Don't mind me and my glee!"
Delia quickly thanked Blue, then the mask she used to appease Bonnie slipped off, and her curious anger surfaced. "We are here to talk about Ash," Clemont noticed Delia's eyes flick towards Serena, "and everything that has happened up to this point. Firstly, I just want to say that Bonnie is coming to live with us from now on. As a mother, I cannot allow her to stay with you, not after the things I have heard."
"W-What are you insinuating?!" Oak shouted.
"You know perfectly well what, Samuel! Honestly, what has happened to you? Blackmailing Clemont with Bonnie's safety. How could you?!"
"I didn't–"
"Just think of Ritchie!" Clemont shouted, stepping away from Bonnie, who Dawn quickly ushered to the back of the group, introducing herself in whispers. Evidently, Bonnie was confused. "He spoke out against you, and suddenly he's in the hospital! Explain that!"
"Ihaven't done anything!"
"What, did someone do it for you?! Did you order them to do it?!" Gary joined, scoffing, thrusting such a forced glare at his grandfather that even Clemont flinched from its impact.
"Enough!" That was the first time Clemont had heard Delia shout. It certainly did not suit her, but it paralysed the room instantaneously. Clemont considered that was why it had such a powerful effect; it was so unnatural, and the fact that they forced it on her asserted how serious the situation truly was. "Everybody take a seat. Now. Let's talk about this without shouting the entire time."
Wordlessly, the room seated themselves either on chairs, the floor, or makeshift perches crafted from the excess debris. Clemont sat with Bonnie and Dawn on a collapsed pillar that had yet to be moved.
"I hope for your sake, Samuel, that you are telling the truth and you didn't do anything–"
"I would never harm a young girl!"
"Even so," Delia continued, "my word stands. She and Clemont will be staying with us from now on. End of discussion. Now, please tell me why you tried to stop Ash from being a trainer."
Oak grunted, looking off to the side. "Why else? It was all for his sake."
"Don't give us that crap!" Brock shouted, jumping back to his feet. Clemont had forgotten Brock's presence – he had been as silent and unmoving as a rock thus far. He looked furious. "If it was for his benefit, none of you would have tried demeaning him as we've been told you did!"
Oak stood next, shoving his hands into his lab coat pockets, wandering side-to-side. "That was simply the best method to do so. If I had asked him nicely, he wouldn't have accepted. If I had his friends bring him down, and then fix things afterwards, he would have come out ok in the end."
"Why did you believe it was necessary in the first place?" Delia calmly asked.
Stubbornly, Oak did not reply. Brock stepped forwards, clenching his fist, but a lightning-quick hand patted his shoulder and calmed the storm. Again, it was Red.
"Y'know, Red has explained to both Delia and I what happened roughly sixteen years ago, about the falsification," Blue stated, and Oak's head snapped up from staring at the dusty ground. "We could – oh I dunno – go right to Officer Jenny and – oooh I wonder – tell her everything. We'll just add on what we already know about Ash's situation, and let Lance get all the information out of you. I hear the League's Alakazam is a true connoisseur of the art."
"Alright, alright, fine! Just – please don't talk to Officer Jenny," Oak shouted. "Why else would I want Ash to stay here? If you know me at all, you will get it."
Clemont considered his words. He was Gary's grandfather, the host of a radio show, but most significantly, a world-renowned Pokémon Professor whose topic of research covered human and Pokémon relationships.
Human and Pokémon relationships…
"Stop talking in riddles, Old Man! I–" Blue started.
"It was because of their bond, wasn't it?" Clemont asked, earning everybody's attention. "Professor Samuel Oak: a world-renowned Pokémon Professor famous for his research on the bonds and relationships between humans and Pokémon. That's what people say about you. You must've realised what Ash and Greninja's ability was right away when you watched the Kalos League. But why would you want him to stay here because of that?"
"For research, of course. I wanted Ash to stay so I could study him to uncover the root of that ability, the Bond Phenomenon! Can you blame me? It is my life's work after all, and I had been denied once before," Oak said, glancing at Red.
"Rightfully so! It sounds to me as if you wanted to use Ash as some sort of human experiment!" Delia said, appalled.
"There is a lot you can discover simply by observing, as a matter of fact. Do any of you realise that Greninja is not the first Pokémon that Ash has exhibited the Bond Phenomenon with, albeit not to the same magnitude? Yes, you heard me right. It is not the Pokémon that causes the ability, but the trainer. I found that much out from you, Red, but my research was stinted there. I didn't even realise Ash had done it until I thought back," Oak explained.
"What do you mean he's used it before?" Brock asked.
"His Infernape. What usually happens when a completely deranged Pokémon is born into a pack in the wild?"
"They would either be exiled from the group or would have to put them down… I learned that much over in Sinnoh," Gary answered, rubbing his chin with his index finger and thumb.
"Precisely! It is the same if that insane Pokémon is owned by a trainer. Often, they have to be put down because they are feral and won't listen to instructions. That is the draw-back of abilities such as Blaze, Torrent, and Overgrow: if the ability is too strong and the Pokémon cannot control it, as was with Ash's Infernape, they slowly become out of control and must be put down. Of course, it is extremely rare and completely different from Pokémon that are merely angry or moody. This is a feral nature we are talking about. Many have tried controlling them, some have even lost their lives trying. But Ash was able to, as a thirteen-year-old no less. That, in itself, is an example of the Bond Phenomenon.
"As I have researched, their hearts must have connected in a way that let Ash reach Infernape through the rage. This is merely educated speculation. When I saw his Greninja's transformation, I saw the pinnacle of the Bond Phenomenon. I had to know more. I had to discover the reason."
"I never considered that when we journeyed through Sinnoh…" Paul muttered. "So, you did it out of greed? Just because Ash was able to use an ability you don't know much about?"
"Fascination, not greed."
"Surely he can't be the only one that has the ability," Dawn stated.
"Coincidentally, Ash and Red are the only two I have met. As Blue said, Red is the strongest Champion Kanto has ever had. That is because of his ability to bond so deeply with his Pokémon. They understand him or, as I have researched, they understand each other's hearts. That is what the Bond Phenomenon is. Ash took it to the next level."
"B-But Diantha, the Champion of Kalos, can battle with her Gardevoir without speaking!" Serena offered, but Oak denied her with a shake of his head.
"Gardevoir is a Psychic Type, therefore, that is not impossible. It is more telepathy. They may have a deep bond, but this is different. It's more understanding one another's intentions rather than their hearts. It's impressive, but Ash seemed to have this ability to bond with Pokémon beyond the conventional means. It's as if he becomes the Pokémon. If Ash felt pain whenever Greninja did. That constitutes their shared bond," Oak explained.
"T-That's…" Clemont muttered, unable to think of a way to retort. Oak's explanation was unflawed.
"I wouldn't half be surprised if his Pikachu's extraordinary strength was a result of the Bond Phenomenon, in that their connection somehow increased their strength," Oak said.
"So, you did all of this to keep Ash here to use him as an experiment? That is… honestly terrible," Dawn muttered, horrified.
"Y-Yeah, that's messed up!" Barry shouted in a way that showed he just wanted some involvement.
"You did do it for greed, then. Let me guess you wanted to be the one to put your name up in glory for the discovery of the phenomenon. Were you going to use that information to gain more deceitful fame?" Blue surmised.
"Well, I was going to create an article on it."
"I-I can't believe this, Samuel. Why? After everything we have been through, that you and Ash have been through. And falling to such methods of abuse, blackmailing, and imprisonment!" Delia said, her voice pleading. Red moved over and hugged her, glaring at Oak with the ferocity of a Blast Burn.
"Is your career seriously that important to you?!" Blue asked, but Oak did not reply. The conversation quickly ended as the elder Oak slumped into his rolling chair.
Clemont could hardly comprehend what he was hearing. How unethical was Oak planning to be? Would Ash have even been safe had he not died?
After a moment of careful consolation, Delia stepped away from Red and turned to face the youth in the room, specifically looking at Serena. "A-And what about the rest of you? Why did you decide to follow through with the plan?"
"Mrs Ketchum I–" Misty said in a high tone, staggering forwards, collapsing to her knees half-way. The tears burst out. "I just wanted Ash to come home! I never wanted anything like this to happen! I was being selfish – like always – and mean just because I wanted Ash to come home! I've felt so lonely ever since our journey together ended. I haven't been able to find any friends like him or you, Brock, except for one girl abroad who became my penpal. Even then, I haven't met her in person, only talked to her over the phone. I-I thought it was the only way to bring back what I – we – had. I missed having adventures together. I thought that, if I could be the one to help him when we all made him doubt himself, things could go back. I'm so sorry…"
Delia nodded but said nothing to Misty. She looked to May next, and the brunette took a moment, parted her lips, but decided to say nothing. Clemont took that to mean there was no reason. She had merely agreed and enacted the idea without consideration.
"Hah! Typical, that. I see Drew's arrogance got you, too. People really can change fast," Brock spat.
"What did you say–" Drew challenged, but Delia interrupting before Drew could move. Clemont didn't care for their theatrics. He was too curious about Serena's answer. Serena had undoubtedly loved Ash throughout their journey, and he couldn't fathom how she had changed so quickly, despite Calem's resemblance to Ash possibly affecting her decision.
"And what about you, Serena?" Delia asked, more emotionally than the others, as if it hurt her more to know Serena had been involved.
"M-Mrs Ketchum…" Serena breathed, unable to form any words. It looked as if speaking scared her at first. As if it hurt so much, she couldn't say anything. "I-I felt threatened! When I got here, I saw the Professor talking with some men in black… And I saw them there when everything happened. Calem nudged me, pointing them out. I didn't want to do it… But they were watching, the entire time." Serena looked like she wanted to say more, then, suddenly, she shouted, startling Clemont. "I–I love Ash! Even now, I still love him…"
"Then why are you with Calem?!" Clemont roared, because knowing that their feelings were shared made her decision seem significantly worse. "Because he reminds you of Ash?!"
"I-I don't know!" Serena shouted back, quickly silencing the enraged blonde. Calem merely looked down ashamedly. "Clemont, you were there! You could see I didn't want to do it, not at all!"
"Then, what, did he threaten you too when you spoke with him alone?!"
"Y-Yes…" Serena said, withdrawing into herself without providing the thing Clemont was most interested in. How?
"Alright, Clemont," Blue said, stepping between them. Clemont hadn't noticed he had slowly inched forwards, threateningly. "So, the mystery thickens! A conspiracy with some shifty men, eh? Yeah, that would explain a few things. I guess we'll have to go to Officer Jenny with that info!"
"Stop! I-I thought that convincing the girl Ash had the deepest connection with would be able to sway him! So, I did the only thing I could think of. I broke his heart. Calem here is my newest assistant, from Kalos. I asked him to go to Hoenn, dress up similarly to Ash, and act like him in the hopes of convincing Serena to date him. That would cause Ash the most pain, so I thought it would work! And it did, didn't it? She only likes Calem because he acted exactly like Ash. She was so easy to manipulate because she was in love."
"W-What?" Serena mumbled, staring at Calem in obvious disbelief, and what seemed like betrayal. Tears started dripping down her cheeks, and Clemont felt he could cry also.
"In the room, if you must know, I told her that if she didn't listen, I would make sure somebody I know would post an article about her, thus ruining her performing career," Oak added, sighing to himself.
"I've never heard something so – so disgusting in my life! It does not change the fact that she was involved but–" Delia cried, suddenly acquiring her dangerous anger again. "Not an hour before this whole fiasco, Ash told me that he loved Serena, and you caused this to happen! How dare you!" At that, Serena bolted from the room, her heartbroken whimpers echoing with her steps. Apparently, her crying was all Delia needed to snap. "That's it. I am done, Samuel. I don't care anymore, not after all of this. Blue, please contact Officer Jenny immediately and inform her of the situation. Come on, everyone. We're leaving."
"Wait, stop! You said–"
"We're not children, Samuel!" Delia screamed, her tears flowing. "You cannot be allowed to get away with this!"
Ignoring Oak's protests, they left the lab and split up. Most of the group headed back to the Ketchum's house, but Clemont waited with Red, Blue, and Brock atop the hill as Blue relayed all of the information to Officer Jenny over the phone.
Some timeless minutes later, wherein Clemont tried but failed to comprehend everything, three police cars skidded to a stop at the bottom of the hill. Officer Jenny and a few officers, along with their Growlithe and Manectric, charged up the hill and quickly entered the lab, then exited, saying one thing that satisfied Clemont more than anything could have: "Samuel Oak, you are under arrest on the suspicion of assault, blackmail, the sabotaging of a trainer's career, the wrongful distribution of a trainer's Pokémon, and minor imprisonment and endangerment."
Oak struggled against the men dragging him, sneering at the group as he passed. "There is nothing you can do about this now; Ash is dead! Your son would have been nothing without me, he was not even cut out for being a trainer anyway! I was his father figure when you failed to be here! You disgrace!"
The thump from Red's lightning-fast punch seemed to resonate over the hilltop. Red was quickly pulled back by an officer, but the action spoke everything they had felt. And Clemont was wrong. That was the most satisfying thing he had ever experienced.
They headed home contentedly after that, the air around the four of them mixed with both relief and tension. That is until Blue started complimenting Red on his punching technique and how he wished he'd had the idea first. In his words, both Red and Gary had one up on him now. That was all it took for the mood to lighten between them, the realisation that Oak was receiving retribution for his actions finally sinking in.
They arrived back at the house a few minutes later and entered the living room to a surprising amount of silence. Clemont had expected everyone to be talking about the recent confrontation.
"We have news," Clemont heard James' familiar voice when the four males walked into the living room again. Surprised by the short sentence, Clemont rushed to the front of the group, getting a look at the TV monitor. Team Rocket was on the screen, and everybody was sat around, some shocked, some not because they had probably heard of Team Rocket's conversion from Brock as he previously had.
"We should have called earlier, but we have been caught up applying for some jobs," Jessie said, almost smugly.
"You need to know: Ash is alive."