Ash and Pikachu landed on Pidgeot with a blotchy face stung with fresh tears still riveting out of his deep brown eyes. Delia and Misty looked up from there breakdowns and saw Ash and they darted over to him and pulled him into their arms.
"Ash, oh, thank God! I thought, I thought I'd lost you! I couldn't have went on, I wouldn't have had a purpose to anymore, Oh Ash, I don't know what I would've done! Oh, thank God, my baby's alright, my little boy, Ash I thought you died, I nearly did." Delia cried tears of joy and relief as she squeezed Ash in her arms, continuing to cry.
"Oh, Ash I was so scared I thought I had lost my best friend!" Misty cried also embracing Ash and crying with relief. "Oh, it's good to see Pikachu's fine too!" Misty exclaimed joyfully, still crying.
"I don't know what I would've done if anything had happened to you, Ash, you're my whole world." Delia said continuing to cry. Ash stared down, weeping himself as it dawned upon Delia that Ash hadn't uttered a single word then she realized what had what had totally blown her mind; Red wasn't there. She had just become a widow.
Delia gulped and stumbled on words. "Ash, honey…wh-where's- where is your father!" Delia stuttered as Pikachu looked down with a depressed sigh.
"Oh, no." Misty muttered, pitying the Ketchums.
"Oh, Mom!" Ash yelped his throat sounded blistered and weak as he stood there bawling as his mother pulled him into her arms, she rested her head against his and pressed his head into her chest as his tears seeped into her shirt and Delia began sobbing with Ash. The tears apparently were contagious as Misty and Pikachu cried too, hurting because of the sheer fact Ash was and they are his best friends and as weird as it sounds to say, in a way, they love Ash too so, seeing him hurt so much hurt them as well.
"Mom, mom, he only left us to protect us! We had it all wrong!" Ash cried.
"What!" Delia cried in shock.
"He-he knew that Team Rocket and Snagem would come after him just like grandpa and he didn't want us to get hurt!" Ash cried again.
"Oh, God…Oh, Red, oh, I am so so sorry Red, please forgive me!" Delia cried realizing, now, that she had loved him all along as much as the day she married him.
"He-he, Dad, that is, told me to tell you that he's sorry he left and that he didn't want to but he had to. He also said that he loves you." Ash spouted out along with his tears.
"He-he, he did! Oh, ugh, Red I love you too… how could I ever have doubted you, I'm sorry, Oh, Red." Delia cried w/guilt and grief.
"Mom, it was all that stupid, Team Snagem's fault it's the reason he had to leave and the reason he's dead! They threatened to kill me, Mom, unless Dad went with them so he did and then they blew up the studio, I-I don't know why! Oh, Mom, I barely knew him but it hurts so much I miss him so much! Dad sent me out on his Pidgeot with his Poke' balls he told me to give them to the Professor." Ash continued the explanation as he wept uncontrollably.
"He-he sacrificed himself to save you? He really does care not only must he care he-he Red, must love you something fierce! Why did I ever jump to such a conclusion, now-now he's- he's… gone and I-I-"Delia said awestruck but, stopped unable to continue her words from hysteria. The police circled what was left of the TV studio estimating about 1,900 causalities in the catastrophic explosion. Misty took Pikachu back to the S.S. Anne to inform Violet of the distressful news as hours passed as Ash and Delia stared blankly with aching hearts and many tears, I can hardly attempt to put into words the passionate pain they endured. After several hours they were taken with the rest of the causalities' families to the Pokémon Center to grieve. They all had vacant eyes of deep thought and heartache everyone in the Pokémon Center had a dappled, pink face that stung with tears and wails of anxiety could be heard from other rooms. Nurse Joy and Chansey were racing around tending to everyone giving her condolences and offering any support she could. Delia and Ash sat on a bench with Ash resting his head on his mother's lap, crying like a baby, and he had every right to, he was after all only a little boy who wanted and longed for his daddy. Delia was overcome with shock and only a few tears drippled off her check as she could hardly grapple what she had lost, as memories filled her brain of all the beautiful times she and her husband had shared. Ash cried himself to sleep on his mother's lap, like an exhausted toddler, tears still drying on his wet pink face as his mother stroked her fingers through his hair affectionately.
"I'm terribly sorry for your loss, mam, you're welcome to spend the night, is there anything I can get for you?" Nurse Joy offered courteously sympathetically looking down at Ash.
"Thank you. Could I please have a blanket, for him, looks like we'll be spending the night here?" Said Delia.
"Of course and if you need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask." Nurse Joy said.
"Thanks." Delia replied as Nurse Joy went to fetch a blanket for Ash.
"Red… Now, I wonder if Ash should become a Pokémon Master… I know it's his dream but, after how I lost you I don't think I could take losing Ash, especially this way… Oh, God, please, take care of my husband wherever he is…" Delia thought to herself now, uncertain of weather or not she should permit Ash to become a trainer, what if he should suffer the same fate?
"Here you are." Nurse Joy said handing Mrs. Ketchum the blanket.
"Thank you." Delia replied as she tucked the blanket over Ash and kissed him goodnight as he still lied on her lap, like a baby.
"Are you sure you don't want a bed or something for the two of you?" Nurse Joy suggested.
"No, it's alright besides, if I move I'll wake up my son and he won't be able to fall back asleep and I'm sure I won't be able to sleep for a couple days now…" Delia said starting to get teary eyed again and began to get a lump in her throat, fighting the tears back.
"Okay, goodnight then."
"Thank you."
Delia spent the entire night crying and grieving, denying the facts, praying for a miracle that her husband somehow managed to escape, though it was virtually impossible. Ash tossed and turned all night still on his mom's lap probably having nightmares. Of course Delia didn't mind she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep anyway and she wanted to have Ash close to her during this time in case he needed her, and she knew she needed him, he is all she has left in this cruel world. Misty had taken Pikachu back to the S.S. Anne and went over to see Violet to inform her with the news.
"Violet, can we talk?" Misty asked.
"Oh, you're back, like sure, sis." Violet replied.
Misty bit her lip as her eyes became foggy. "He-he died." Misty stumbled.
"Oh my God! But, he's like just a little boy what happened, where's his mother!" Violet exclaimed misunderstood.
"No, not Ash, his father." Misty said clearing things up.
"Oh, oh, that's still like totally horrible. Like where are they now? And like why do you have Pikachu?" Violet asked.
"These people called Team Snagem blew up the building they were in, 1,900 people dead." Misty said sorrowfully,
"Jeez…" Violet said shaking her head.
"I took Pikachu back here with me because Ash and Mrs. Ketchum aren't doing so well and I didn't want Pikachu to have to keep seeing Ash like that and it was none of my business, I think they're at the Pokémon Center now." Misty explained glumly.
"That's totally depressing! …Misty?" Violet started as her eyes watered.
"What is it, Vi?" Misty asked.
"Remember when, Mama and Papa… died." Violet asked without adding a single like or totally.
"…yeah, I was thinking about it too, seeing them cry like that brought me back to when we got the news from the people at Sootopolis City…about the plane crash." Misty said sadly.
"They were putting on a water show like me Daisy and Lilly do, except there's was world famous, I remember babysitting you while Violet ran the gym, that's when that whole Gyrados incident happened, let's just say I'm not very good with kids." Violet explained.
"I miss them." Misty sniffled.
"So do I, sis, so do I…" Violet said wrapping her arm around Misty as they watched the peaceful crash of the waves rolling on the shore and Pikachu slept in Misty's arms.
The next morning Ash and Delia were still mourning but, they knew that they had a ferry to catch and had to go hurt on the S.S. Anne.
"Ash, Ash, sweetie, wake up." Delia said as she shook Ash's arm trying to get him up.
"Oh, Mom… Ugh, did I sleep on your lap, I'm sorry; you mustn't have gotten any sleep. I-I guess we better get going home." Ash said starting to cry again.
"Yeah the ship sets sail in an hour and time waits for no man. Misty took Pikachu on board with her in case you're wondering." Delia informed.
"Oh, that's good I guess." Ash said sadly. "Can we just go home now I just wanna go back to Pallet Town." Ash cried.
"I know, let's go back to the boat now, okay?" Delia said. Then they silently walked back to the boat as the rugged streets of Pyrite fell silent today to commemorate those lost in the fire, the usual sound of screams and hoots wasn't heard for the first time in Pyrite Town history. The gang reached the ferry to Kanto as they met up with Misty, Violet, and Pikachu the S.S. Anne set its sails for Seafoam Island. Around the world people watched this infamous tragedy on the news. The whole way home Delia and Ash mourned silently to themselves with the comfort and support of Misty, Violet and of course Pikachu. After a bit of a delay it took four days but they finally had reached the Seafoam Islands and the Ketchums and Violet and Misty went their separate ways; to Pallet and Cerulean, but at long last they were home sweet home.