AN: Hi, it's Luky again, of course, so here a new chapter about this story, YOU NOTICED I CHANGED THE TITLE AGAIN 8DDDD So here is... the tragical chapter ((: you'll know why. Thank again, and always, of Epicocity for editing and correcting my story, it's nice to him.
And again; Satoshi : Ash, Citron : Clemont, Eurika : Bonnie, Hanako : Delia, Saki : Grace, Limone : Meyer
Satoshi had gone to Johto again. Returning home, he learned that Johto had a battle frontier, the same as in his native region, Kanto. Since he had no idea where to go, he thought he would get stronger again by confronting a different version of the Battle Frontier. It was pretty simple for him; he knew Johto, but this time he had to go alone. No one was available to accompany him and every encounter he had was short-lived. He didn't complain; it was just that he had been used to having friends. Especially amazing cooks. He missed that the most. He'd always eaten so well with his Pokémon, but now he had to pay in a restaurant or buy simple sandwiches.
He missed his friends. Especially those from Kalos. He had never been so happy to have gone on a journey like he had in Kalos. Citron had been his best friend. Unlike Dento and Takeshi, Citron was a boy who had been close to his age. He was like the brother he would have liked to have had. Eureka was obviously the little sister: energetic, her manners often cute. And Serena…He thought of her all the time. She was the one who conquered his heart. He loved her…Oh yes, he loved her…It was strange, even to him, to love a person so strongly. But he ended up getting used to it, even if it was sad that she was not there beside him to help him on his journey. He thought back to her kiss, and then to…There was some trepidation, thinking of that moment; a moment of pleasure, yet he wasn't sure it was good. Every time, he had a bad impression whenever he thought about it. From time to time, he thought of it, when he was alone, without Pikachu. Once he had thought of it when he was in the shower; he had touched his genitals and felt a strange sensation…But he had stopped… By doing it, he felt like he was betraying something. He didn't know what…but he felt it. It was hard to hold back, but he managed it.
One evening, while he was staying at a Pokémon Center, he had received a rather special call. When he answered, he noticed that it was Serena.
The girl was quite different. Although the image cut off at her shoulders, he noticed that her hair had been gently pushed back, but even though her hair seemed longer, there was something else that seemed to bother him. Serena's face looked pale, tired, and a little exhausted. Even so, a thrill passed through his spine. She tried to smile, even if it was not her usual.
"Good evening, Satoshi," she started softly, an echo of joy in her voice.
"Good evening, how are you? Are your Pokémon Contests tough?" he replied at first, with delicacy, and then ended by raising the sound of his voice at the end.
"Oh, well…It's more complicated…but hopefully, I can manage."
He wasn't really sure of that, he didn't want to call her a liar. However, he did think there was something behind her eyes that she didn't want to talk about. The tension was too great; he wanted to know if she was okay, but he preferred to change the conversation. He would wait until she talked about it.
"How did you manage to contact me?"
Serena jumped slightly, suddenly changing her mood.
"Well, you gave me the number of your house, and when I tried to contact you, your mother managed to give me a place where you could be. I called different Pokémon Centers and was able to find you!" she admitted with a proud smile.
Satoshi opened his mouth and then closed it, replying with a nod of his head.
"So, you're in Johto?"
He nodded once more.
"Yes! I'm doing the Battle Frontier! I've already come to Johto before, but it was only for the badges. This time it's different. I've already completed one Battle Frontier, by they brought it here. You'll see, Serena! I'll keep getting stronger! I'll finish this one, easy!" With his words he lifted a fist, full of determination.
Serena closed her eyes and flashed him an illuminating smile, the one Satoshi preferred to see.
"I don't doubt it. I believe in you." she replied gently.
He lowered his fist, and the boy's smile softened.
"I was thinking about you lately. I was wondering how you were handling your solo journey…because, well, it's a bit complicated over here…" He sighed and added with an exaggerated complaint, "Citron isn't here to make meals!"
Serena laughed softly.
"For me, all is well. You know, I'm pretty good at cooking!" Serena replied with humor.
"Next time you should continue your journey with me!" he said in grinning response.
This remark made Serena drop her smile. She lowered her eyes with shame and then bit her lower lip. Noticing this behavior, Satoshi gave an expression of surprise. Deep inside, he was worried for her.
"I don't know if that will be possible…" she whispered, loud enough for him to hear.
At first panicked, Satoshi moved closer to the screen, as if he could read her meaning in the girl's eyes, but unfortunately the screen blocked everything.
"Serena, tell me what's wrong!" he demanded, trying to not look angry.
She looked up at him with an innocent air, then gently inhaled and exhaled.
"Satoshi, I really wanted to ask you an important question…"
Satoshi stepped back a little, trying to look serious, but in his chest, his heart was afraid. He was afraid he might have a conversation that could go wrong with her.
"Satoshi…I…I am…"
The words did not come easily into the girl's mouth and she was already gritting her teeth. She was hesitant, reflecting on the words she wanted to use. Satoshi raised an eyebrow, not sure what the girl was trying to say on the other end of the phone. She frowned, then she announced seriously, "Satoshi, what would you do if you came to learn that you were going to receive…a little thing. You're going to have a little thing that will change your life and there's a lot of chance that this little thing can make you happy, but it could also bring you a lot of problems…Would you keep this little thing?"
At first, he blinked, surprised by what she had just asked. Then he scratched the tip of his nose, like every time he was nervous. But he didn't reflect, he replied.
"Of course, I would keep this little thing. If it can make me happy, then I would put any problems aside and I would be happy with it!"
Serena froze at first but then, she nodded her head. Maybe it was not the answer she was waiting for? Either way, she seemed convinced. And if she was, then there was no more problem.
"All right. Thank you for your honest answer!" she replied with joy.
He nodded with satisfaction but then, before she could say goodbye and turn off, Satoshi said quickly, "I miss you. "
Serena's eyes lit up, and she smiled to hide the tears she did not want to shed. "Me too... "
This time, with a simple look, just a look, they shared between themselves all the messages, and thoughts they were feeling. With a simple glance, they both said "I love you" to each other.
They managed to hang up at the same exact time. Satoshi was pleased with the call. Seeing Serena once again, there was a new light that illuminated the dark path he might've taken. At his feet was Pikachu, who looked at his best friend with a slightly mischievous expression. The yellow Mouse was still proud that his best friend had found a girl for himself.
He had finished his trip through Johto. It was exhausting, but he managed to finish the winner, just like before. Satoshi had now gone home again, and he was already bored, for he knew he had nowhere new to visit. He was asleep in his bed, Pikachu sleeping on his stomach, enjoying a well-deserved nap. The boy looked at his room, which was full of memories of his former travels. There was the picture he had taken when he was in Kalos, with Citron, Eureka, Koruni, Lucario and Serena. When he had looked at this photo on his way home from Kalos, he had noticed how Serena was so close to him, and she always was. It was funny, right now. As he looked at her again, the memories returned. He always missed his friends. Maybe he had to pay them a visit?
Before he could continue to think on this, his mother called him. Satoshi got up slowly, trying not to disturb Pikachu, though he woke up, anyway. He went down the steps and joined his mother in the living room. She handed him the phone with a mischievous smile; when she looked like that, it could only mean… He turned his head towards the screen, and he saw Serena waving to him with her hand. He quickly took the phone to his ear and sat down on the chair.
"Serena!"
"Satoshi, you're back!" she exclaimed.
"Yes! I got back today! It was long but it was fun. You know how the battles could sometimes be complicated. Well, at the Battle Frontier, the battles are always different, making them even more complicated, and then if you knew… "He stopped when he noticed that Serena was laughing softly.
"You're still so excited," she remarked.
"Yeah, I'm sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head. "And you're done? Are you in Kalos?"
She nodded.
"Yes…for a while…But hey, it's not important…I's like if you could visit me in Kalos, next week if possible. I have a…surprise for you… " Like her last call, she was hesitant. This made the boy confused.
"What kind of surprise?" the boy asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh…well, I don't know if you'll like it…But…I like it very much…" Her last words were spoken dreamily. Perhaps Satoshi would also like it, and even if the surprise wasn't good, he would still go to Kalos and see all his friends, and Serena. With luck, he would see Greninja.
"All right, I'll come!" he announced with a determined fist. " I can't wait to see you. "
"Me, too."
Once more they had hung up at the same time, with a visual message that said a lot. When he hung up this time, it was his mother who was close to him with a big smile.
"So, are you going to see your girlfriend, again?" "
"Hmm?"
"I would love to meet her. Would it be okay if I come with you?" she asked, eyes shining with excitement.
"Oh no…Mom! "
"Don't worry. When you have your moments of intimacy, I'll be out shopping. After all, Kalos is the region of fashion and love! "
"If you say so... "
One evening, when he was quietly falling asleep, he felt a terrible sensation, worse than he had ever felt before. It was oppressive, his heart suddenly beat fast, as if it wanted to run away. His body was sweating and his belly felt like a ball rolling inside of him. This sensation was so disagreeable, that he opened his eyes and began to howl while clutching his chest. Tears poured down his face like a waterfall, unceasing, and he moaned. He trembled. Never in his life had he felt such an appalling emotion. Pikachu, beside him, tried to shake him, to make him return to reason, but Satoshi seemed to not hear the cries of his Pokémon. He was too occupied by what he felt. Suddenly, the door of his room opened and Hanako entered as fast as possible with an impassive face. She immediately approached the bed of her son, who hadn't even noticed her entrance. She gently took the face of the teenager who was now suffocating. Her gentle, maternal hands seemed to calm him down for a second, but he thrashed again, tears on his face.
"Shh, Satoshi, everything's alright," the mother tried to reassure him.
He had heard it but he did not comprehend. The boy shook his head, as if he did not want to do what she was asking of him.
"Satoshi, it was only a nightmare. You had a nightmare." Of course, she didn't know if this was really the reason, but she could suspect that he had just had a terrible dream.
"No," Satoshi said with a trembling voice. "The pain is real. I can feel it! I want it to stop!" He had closed his eyes, lowering his head quickly.
"I feel it! It won't stop! Something is happening, something serious has happened!"
Suddenly, Hanako put her arms around him, letting him cry on her shoulder. Her son had often had strange reactions, but here it was the strangest of all. He was afraid; he was no longer that great boy who was full of courage. He had become frightened of what might happen later. She tried to reassure him several times with sweet words, telling him that everything would be fine, that there was no danger. Pikachu, who was a little sidelined, stroked his best friend's back, trying to make a good impression on him, even though he knew it did not help.
That night, he wept for hours and could not sleep. Hanako had to make him sleep in her bed, seeing as it was the only way to make him comfort. He needed his best friend but also his mother at that time. The maternal presence calmed him, but not enough. It was a terribly difficult night for everyone, and no one, not even Satoshi, understood the reason why it had happened.
Just out of the plane, Satoshi ran forward, filled with excitement. Pikachu was on his shoulder, trying to avoid falling. Behind him was his mother, dressed in a long pink dress, different from her usual clothes. She had wanted to feel beautiful when she came to this region. Satoshi just ran out of the airport, happy to see this wonderful region again.
"Satoshi, can you wait for me?!" his mother shouted as she walked with a normal pace behind him.
The boy closed his eyes and then nervously scratched his head, releasing his excitement:
"I'm so happy to be back here! It's been so long and I'm going to see Serena again!"
Hanako laughed softly from his excitement. There was no need to say the reason why: he was so much in love. The boy finally stopped smiling and realized something.
"We could go see Citron and Eureka before going to see Serena! "
"Pika pika!" Pikachu added with joy.
His mother simply smiled and nodded.
"It's always wonderful to meet the friends of my son!"
Following this statement, Satoshi raised his fist with playfulness.
First, they tried to go to Citron's house, but unsurprisingly, they were not there. Satoshi quickly understood that Citron would likely be at the gym. Unlike his first time, he had no problem entering, but he was surprised to see that here, too, nobody was there, apart from the Citroid in one of the rooms that served as Citron's workshop. It didn't notice, trying to clean the room.
"Oh, Citroid!" Satoshi shouted as he noticed the robot.
He approached him and the robot jumped to see him again.
"Oh, you are Satoshi! What are you doing in Kalos? "
With a big smile, Satoshi announced to him:
"I came to visit Citron and Eureka, but they don't seem to be home. I guess Limone is at work, but where are the other two?"
The Citroid seemed to freeze, and then made a rather sad face, which Satoshi and Pikachu didn't understand.
"I guess it is not up to me to tell, is it?"
This sentence seemed to address Satoshi, and he blinked several times but still couldn't understand. The robot pretended to sigh, and then continued:
"Master Citron and Eureka are with their father at the house of dear Serena…"
His voice sounded serious, despite his robotic voice, but it didn't bother the boy. Instead, he nodded and thanked him, before returning to his mother who was waiting in the corridor.
"What a horrible week…" the robot commented gently.
Satoshi and his mother took a bus to the town where Serena lived. He had never visited her house and was delighted to discover where she had grown up. On reaching the stop, Satoshi took a deep breath and then relaxed. Hanako patted him on the back, inviting him to walk forward. Serena had given him her address before they separated, but he would never have believed that where she lived would be a country house with gardens and fields around. It reminded him of home, except for the Rhyhorn sleeping at the entrance. He greeted the Pokémon quickly and ran to the door to enter. Behind him, his mother also greeted the Pokémon with her hand, delighted to see such a Pokémon.
After he knocked, he waited fifteen seconds before the door opened. Serena's mother was then there, in front of him. However, instead of the smile she usually wore, there was a terrible sadness and red eyes. Satoshi raised an eyebrow in astonishment, but before he could say anything, he received a sharp pain on his left cheek. Pikachu didn't even notice the swift action. Saki's hand was up in front of her, having moved quickly. The boy put a hand on his painful cheek and then looked at his "girlfriend's" mother, barely registering what had happened. His mother reacted faster than himself.
"What is going on?!" she asked angrily, her hands on her hips after seeing her son get slapped.
Saki gritted her teeth, and ignored the woman. It looked like she was crying, but anger was the most prevalent expression on her face.
"It's because of you! All of this is because of you!" she shrieked.
At every word uttered, she seemed to become more and more hysterical, especially towards him.
"If you hadn't come here, Serena wouldn't have…she wouldn't have…" She couldn't continue because Limone was behind her and had taken her shoulders to calm her, though she wouldn't stay still. Limone stood firm and tried to get her back so she could sit on her couch. Satoshi and his mother entered, surprised by the strange reception they had. Hanako wanted to comment on what had happened, but the Serena's mother was sitting silently, her hands covering her face. Limone looked at her for a moment and then approached the two natives of Kanto.
"Forgive her…She's not very well…right now." He sighed at the end, and he met Satoshi's eyes. "We're very happy that you're here Satoshi…but…"
Satoshi, his eyes slowly widening, looked at the surroundings. He noticed that the house was so…sad. On a table, there was a picture frame laid flat. He decided to ignore both parents feeling his best friend on his shoulder, paws tightened on his jacket. When he lifted the photo, he saw a young Serena, dressed as a Rhyhorn racer. This gave him a bad feeling, a sensation of intrusion, as if he wasn't supposed to look at this picture. Hanako seemed completely lost, but she looked at the man in front of her, with her hand against the top of her chest.
"What happened?"
Limone stopped looking at the boy, meeting the young woman's eyes. He first lowered his head shamefully, and then looked at the mother on the couch that was still silently crying.
"Well…"
A shout stopped all activity (except for Saki's silent crying). Satoshi turned with surprise to the source of the noise, attempting to discern what it was. It was a cry unlike any other. It was the cry of a…baby? From another room, Citron came out, holding the source of the noise in his arms. He hurried but froze as he saw his best friend.
"Satoshi?! "
"Citron?" the black-haired boy said in worry.
Limone, ignoring the noises for a moment, bit his lower lip and then gritted his teeth. Satoshi did not understand why he had such a reaction, and he lowered his head. He noticed that Citron was holding a baby. At first surprised, his spine shivered upon recognition of the child. But Citron did not let him see any more because he hurried off to the kitchen.
"She's hungry," he announced in a neutral tone.
The native of Kanto felt pained. Pikachu was equally worried but mostly seemed lost on what was happening. A second person came out of the room, and when Satoshi turned his head he saw Eureka, her fingers against her mouth and her eyes just as red. The child also noticed the teenager. Then she burst into tears and ran to him without the energy she usually held, clinging to his chest.
"Satoshi!" she cried with warm tears.
Satoshi's mouth was wide open, and he didn't know whether he should give her a hug or push her away. Everything was strange today. He decided to pat her head.
"What's going on?" he asked, hoping for an answer from anyone. "What happened? Where's Serena?"
The tension broke when he had said the name of the missing girl. Citron's head lowered, Eureka held tighter to him, Limone was still staring at the ground, and then Saki finally got up and, without really looking at him, screamed at him.
"She was assassinated!"
His voice was so powerful that it felt as though the house had trembled. A long silence followed. Hanako, shocked, put both hands on her mouth. She glanced at her son, whose eyes were as wide-eyed as her own. Pikachu's ears lowered. From where he was, he felt the shoulder of his best friend starting to tremble.
"How…how could it…?" he asked in a weak voice.
"Two days ago…" Limone began, without looking up. "Serena left because she wanted to find someone, but she never came home…"
The sensations he had felt the other day began to appear slowly. He froze, feeling the tears of Eureka dripping into his clothes, and his arm moved around.
"Serena promised she would come back! She had promised!" sniffled Eureka.
Satoshi, his eyes now hidden by his cap, pushed the little girl away softly and then stepped back. At first, he uttered a faint murmur: "That's not true."
Pikachu responded to his comment and looked at his best friend, stunned.
"Satoshi…" Eureka said in tears.
"That's not true!" the boy shouted violently.
He ended by going out, ignoring his mother, who called for him. He ran as fast as he could. and finally fell violently on the ground. Then he shouted, slamming a fist on the floor. Pikachu, who had never seen him in such a state, was upset by the reaction of his trainer. He tried as best he could to comfort him, but could see his anger and the tears that could not be held back. In Satoshi's head, there was only a mist, and a memory of Serena smiling that began to move away. As he struck the ground, he poured out his anger, weakening, and his cries of rage were replaced by mere cries of pain and a broken heart. Pikachu, who shared the pain, with tears that rolled gently on his cheeks, approached his trainer. He had finally stopped hitting the ground and ran straight to his best friend's chest. Satoshi squeezed him, too.
Hanako looked out the window to her son to the ground. From inside, she heard his cries. She felt terrible. She knew her son, knew what kind of reactions he could have most of the time. She remembered the disappointment he had during the Kanto and Johto leagues…But here, it was not a question of victory or defeat. Here, he had just learned about the loss of a person dear to him. Hanako was terribly sad for him, but she was also sad for the girl's mother. Losing a child was certainly the most horrible thing that could happen. She wanted to go and comfort the woman, who was sitting again. But the cries of the child called out. She noticed the blond boy trying to do the best he could to calm her down, but he seemed to be struggling. He was also a young boy in pain, and caring for a baby in those conditions was complicated. Satoshi's mother realized that in this room she was the only one to not have the same pain like the others, only due to the fact that she had just seen the girl twice and didn't really know her personally. Hanako approached the blond boy and then smiled tenderly at him.
"Would you want me to take care of it?"
Citron looked up at the young woman, initially hesitant, but he nodded his head while providing the child. He was able to recover the bottle and then gave her the drink. The baby had now calmed down. Hanako smiled at the silence she could manage, but she noticed, however, that the child was familiar to her. She looked strangely like…her son. She thought that it was only the maternal moment that made her see things that others would not notice, but the child had very blue eyes. She whispered a "no" mentally, then looked at Citron, who had not moved since then.
"She's cute. Does she have a name?"
Citron was now surprised that she was interested about the child, yet he sought for words in order to not appear impolite.
"Her name is Celeste…"
Looking down at the infant, Hanako murmured her name gently. She tried to recover slowly, not wanting to be invasive.
"Is she Serena's little sister?"
She had found it strange that a baby was present at the time of their arrival, especially in the house of the supposed girlfriend of her son. Satoshi had never mentioned Serena's family history, but the child seemed so young that she was born not so long ago, and she wondered if Serena's mother had become pregnant during their travel to other regions.
She looked at the three members of the other family, noting how they all looked empty. First, Citron scratched his head and made a nervous noise, trying to say something, but he was cut off by Serena's mother.
"This child is Serena's daughter."
First, Hanako blinked several times, then she looked at the child again. Eureka moved closer to Satoshi's mother, as if trying to get the child back, in case the mother did not want her after the second revelation. Instead, she asked gently, even if she suspected the answer: "Who is the father?"
Saki looked at the red-haired woman, and then she laughed only for a second.
"I suppose you already know. "
She looked at the baby again, realizing that apart from those blue eyes, it was the spitting image of Satoshi, if more feminine. Saki, who smiled nervously, resumed with, "So, what are you going to do now?"
Hanako replied only with a smile while seeing the eyes of the little girl she had in her arms.
"She is beautiful "
Limone had approached Saki to try to calm her again, in case if she would leave in a huff. However, he was surprised at the reaction of the mother of Satoshi, as well as the one from Kalos.
"You…You're not shocked?" he asked.
She shook her head with the same smile, and then she answered.
"Of course not. I know that Serena and Satoshi are too young to have a child…But when I had Satoshi, I was only a little older than he is now…though not the age to take care of it." She paused, looking at the people around her who were all jumping with shock. She continued again, "I met Satoshi's father when I had to take care of an inn and my mother, who was sick. We had an adventure, then he left without any news…Soon after, I had Satoshi. However, my mother died and I found myself alone with a baby and an inn, and the days were very tiring. Satoshi is lucky compared to me."
Saki lowered her eyes, realizing the courage of this young woman. Hanako laughed, then she added: "You know, I'm more surprised that Satoshi did something with a girl. "
This remark made Citron and his father smile sadly, but Eureka looked at the mother with an inquiring glance, not understanding what she meant. In the arms of the mother…well, more like grandmother, considering it was the daughter of her son, Celeste moved while yawning. Hanako laughed for two seconds and then addressed the child: "Oh? Are we going to make a big sleep?"
The child obviously did not understand, but the most important thing was that she had her eyes half closed.
"I always dreamed of having a daughter," Hanako murmured.
The small, positive atmosphere that Hanako had been able to set up disappeared when the door opened abruptly. Citron was terrified to see that the person who had come back was Satoshi, but as shocking as it was, his expression was totally hidden by the visor of his cap, his fists completely closed. Pikachu did not share the same expression. He was at his feet, the face that Satoshi had strange to him. The boy approached Serena's mother, then spoke in a trembling voice:
"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…If I had known…I would have come sooner…I could have saved her…"
With these words, Saki stood up and, contrary to what she had done earlier, she took the boy in her arms. She closed around him and squeezed even more. He wept against her, his cries stifled against the young woman. The two now shared the same tears, even though Satoshi was louder. Eureka's heart broke again, and she stuck to her brother, who pressed her close. Limone was the one who kept his tears in the most, approaching his children and putting a hand on Citron's shoulder. It allowed the boy to cry. He simply grit his teeth and let the drops of salt water fall from his eyes. Hanako's chest swelled and then she looked at the child in her arms. She decided to go into the room where the little one was to sleep in order to take care of her. After all, the only thing for the moment for her, was to take care of the child and make sure she slept.
After some hours, everyone had finally calmed down. Now, everybody was sitting on a sofa. Hanako, in the meantime, who had been with the little girl in her room, came out with the child, the little girl's eyes wide open. Satoshi, who had terribly red eyes due to the tears he was crying, finally paid attention to the baby, especially when his mother sat next to him. The baby smiled at him, and her tiny hands were stretched out to him as if she wanted him to hold her. The boy, however, twitched, as if to leave, when he noticed the child's eyes. Blue. Like Serena's eyes. Much too similar. The child was therefore related to her.
Hanako, who noticed the behavior of her son, smiled softly at him.
"I think she likes you." she announced.
Pikachu, who was on his best friend's lap, looked closely at the baby. Unlike the boy, he also smiled and with his tail, hung it just above the infant's head. The latter, with her little arms, tried to catch it, without much success.
Satoshi blinked as he watched his Pokémon play with her. In a hollow voice, he asked: "Who is she?"
Citron swallowed a lump in his throat, and Eureka wanted to answer but refused. Saki, who was also sitting on the other side of Satoshi, looked at the boy's mother to find out which one of them was going to tell him. Hanako nodded, then turned to her son.
"Satoshi, did you…do…things with Serena? Hm?"
He bit his lower lip.
"Lots of stuff…if you knew everything she did for me during our adventure…" he began in a voice that was barely audible.
Hanako smiled desperately; it was not the answer she had wanted, but she didn't know how to ask. Saki looked at the Limone family and then asked them quietly, "Can you please…leave us alone?"
Citron nodded and then took his little sister with him to another room. Limone, however, was skeptical.
"Are you sure everything will be fine?" he asked seriously.
She looked away and answered: "I don't know."
Dissatisfied with this answer, he nevertheless sighed and then arose to join his children. Satoshi watched them leave and looked at the young woman.
"Why do they have to leave us?"
Hanako preferred to answer with her usual sweet tone: "Because, this is something that concerns you and Serena."
He blinked again, confused by what his mother had just said.
"You had sex with Serena, didn't you?" This time it was Saki who asked him, rather bluntly.
Pikachu ceased his activity. Then he looked at his best friend, stunned by what had just been asked. Satoshi's eyes widened, and he sank into the couch, afraid. A ball formed in his belly, different from the one he had earlier.
"We only did it once, I swear!" Satoshi replied with panic.
Surprised by his reaction, Saki tried to reassure him, even if she hid a bit of anger for him. He continued.
"I told Serena we shouldn't have done it! I mean, I'm happy that I did it with her but I didn't want to do it again. I was so scared after!"
It was a very strange, almost nice, reaction coming from him. After all, he was only a child, having just discovered an activity played by adults. Hanako, who was still holding the baby, released one of her hands to put on her son's shoulder.
"Everything is fine, Satoshi, do not worry. It is a personal pleasure…but unfortunately…" Hanako couldn't finish the rest of her sentence, resting her eyes on those of the child.
Satoshi didn't understand at the time, but Saki preferred to continue.
"The child, you see…was born by two people who were in love to each other. She is the daughter of Serena…and you."
Pikachu retracted his ears. Satoshi, slowly turned his head to the baby. She hadn't changed her expression, yet her eyes suddenly made him more and more terrified. He got up from the sofa, dropping Pikachu. His eyes had not left those of the baby. It was like a strange cold sweat that slipped against his skin, and he felt his head start to spin. The only reaction he had was a murmur: "Serena…"
Then, at the end, he felt so heavy and his head seemed to explode. His vision became black and he fell to the ground. Pikachu, on the verge of panic, approached him, trying to pat his face.
"Pikapi! Pikapi!" he shouted at his best friend.
Saki, who was also panicked, knelt on the ground to see if the boy was fine, but Hanako could not help shouting at him.
"He just fainted," Saki reassured Hanako.
Satoshi woke for a moment, his head hurting. He opened his eyes and noticed that he was in a dark room, lying on something soft. Just before him was Pikachu, waiting for him to wake up, and when he saw his eyes open, he cried out with joy. He licked his nose with his tongue.
"Pikachu?" the boy asked.
He heard voices coming from another room. They were all different, but he couldn't discern who they were.
"Yes, I think we'll keep her. Satoshi must be with her." It was his mother's voice.
"And what if he's like his father? You said he was gone and he never came back! Who's to say that he won't do the same thing?!" That was Saki.
"No, he doesn't abandon people. Satoshi is too kind to do something so horrible."
"But this is his daughter!"
Then the memory came back to him. Serena died…
She would never come back…Never again…She won't cook for their Pokémon and him anymore. She will no longer tell him to pay attention to her. She will not dance any more, she will not sing any more. He will never have a future with her…And he had just learned that his family had just grown. Serena had a daughter thanks to him. But the child…No, he did not know his own role in this sort of thing. Was the child important to him? He was lost, he did not know where to go under these circumstances.
"And even if he left, I would be there to take care of her."
His mother had spoken again. Listening this part of the conversation, he realized that maybe…Maybe he had to leave? But he didn't want to know what would happen next. He plunged his head into a cushion and tried to not scream. He felt the little paws of Pikachu stroking his neck. His best friend was there for him. He turned his head and then smiled, despite the tears he held back. "Thanks Pikachu. "
Pikachu rubbed his head against his best friend's forehead. He had no need to thank him. He got up, put the cap back on his forehead, and walked to the door, followed by Pikachu. When he opened the door, his eyes were blinded by the light. He saw his mother with the child in her arms. He decided not to pay attention to her, simply hiding his eyes with the visor of his cap. Hanako exclaimed when she noticed him.
"Satoshi, are you okay?"
He nodded without saying anything. Hanako approached him and she added, "We…We'll take the child with us."
Satoshi nodded again and then answered in a neutral tone, "I know, I heard."
He tried to get away from his mother, who still had the child in her arms. But he could hardly continue when he heard the voice of Serena's mother.
"Promise me you'll take care of her." Satoshi bit his cheek inside, but he did not turn to her. "Serena did everything to keep her. So, don't give up."
He didn't know what to think of it. Serena really wanted to have the child? It was now an enigma that he couldn't solve.
"And also…" Saki approached him with something in her hands. She held them out to him and he noticed that it was three pokeballs. "Braixen, Pancham and Sylveon would like to be close to the child…So, they have to stay with you."
Satoshi looked at Serena's pokeballs, his eyes blinking, but he shook his head.
"No, I can't take them. You're her mother, so they have to stay with you!"
She insisted.
"The Pokémon choose who they will be with. If they want to be with the child, that's their choice. "
Reluctantly, Satoshi took the pokeballs with him.
Citron's family had decided to accompany Satoshi and Hanako to the airport. Saki had not come; it was much too hard for her. Limone, however, had promised he would come back to see her. Meanwhile, Citron held a large package in his arms, which he did not hesitate to give to Satoshi.
"Here, Serena made it during her pregnancy. Open it when you're home."
Satoshi blinked at the heavy object Citron had given him and looked at his friend.
"I took care of her as best I could…she really had character, especially when we talked about the baby." He ended with a nervous but nostalgic laugh.
Satoshi did not know what to say. Eureka approached him and offered him a hug.
"Take care of Celeste!" she said with a loud voice, tears on the edge of her eyes.
"Celeste?" Satoshi replied confusedly.
Eureka withdrew and answered with a smile, despite the tears that were pouring.
"Yes!" she said with her arms raised. "Celeste is the name I gave to your daughter! Because it's a fusion of both of your names!"
Citron laughed softly and then patted his little sister's head. "No, you didn't say exactly that."
The child pressed her arms against his hips.
"But it's thanks to me that she's called Celeste!"
Satoshi did not reply to this. In fact, he didn't even want to think about the child right now, so he replied with a fake smile.
"Thank you, anyway. You took care of Serena and that's the best thing."
Satoshi turned to follow his mother to finally embark. But before continuing, Citron said one last thing: "Serena wanted to be a family with the five of us, hoping we could all travel together again! She wanted it deep inside of her!"
Satoshi did not turn back, but he twisted his mouth, and went on without answering.