"Is this really it? This place looks…" Ark said, trying to find the right words.
The house they were in front of was in shambles, paint chipped, lawn overgrown, and garbage on the outside.
"Abandoned?" Lillie offered.
"The Ketchums took the loss of their son hard, tried even to fill the hole with another child, to no avail, the pain was still there. Mr. Ketchum left years ago to search for his son, while Mrs. Ketchum stayed here with their daughter." Professor Oak admitted.
"Oh Professor, who are these folks, more travelers who think they know my son." A woman said, walking up holding several grocery bags. She had graying brown hair that was messy, and bags under her eyes. Her clothes looked a bit stained as well.
"Ahh Delia, glad to see you up and about." Professor Oak asked. "And yes young Ark here believes he is your son."
"Hi." Ark said. "I know this is weird, but do you recognize this?" Ark asked, holding out the remains of his baby blanket.
"I made this for my son when he was born, where did you get this!" Delia demanded.
"I was found, swaddled in it." Ark admitted.
"Your cheeks." Delia said, looking closely at Ark.
"Oh the marks, yeah, I've had them for as long as I can remember." Ark said.
"They're the Ketchum family birthmark. Any boy born into the family has those same exact marks." Delia said. "But it's been 10 years, where did you go, who took you?!"
"I've been in Alola, a wormhole sent me there." Ark said.
"Delia before we get any further I would like to run a genetic test, I'd Richard or Cassandra home?" Professor Oak asked.
"Last I heard from Richard, he was in Sinnoh, and Cass is at school." Delia said, going to open her front door.
"It's 2 PM on a Sunday." Lillie pointed out.
"Then she's probably home!" Delia said angrily. "Sorry for the mess, I haven't had a reason to clean up."
"I don't think she likes me." Lillie whispered to Ark.
"And I don't think she fully believes me." Ark responded.
"CASSANDRA! GET DOWN HERE!" Delia shouted up the stairs.
"No need to yell." A girl with shoulder length brown hair said from the turn of the stairs. "Hey Professor, who are they?"
"Hello Cassandra, I'm Professor Kukui of the Alola Pokemon school." Professor Kukui said, introducing himself.
"It's Cass. No one calls me Cassandra. And who are they?" Cass asked.
"Cassandra we believe that Ark here is your long lost brother." Professor Oak said calmly. "I would like to run a test to see if this is true, and you would have similar genetics to him if he is Ashton."
"Not interested." Cass commented.
"Cass!" Delia scolded.
"If this guy is Ashton, I want nothing to do with him. Because of his disappearance my entire life has been miserable!" Cass shouted angrily. "My moms a drunk, and my dads a no show. Why would I want him back!" Cass aid storming upstairs.
"Cassandra." Professor Oak said. "I'm sorry about all this."
"Let me talk to her." Delia said.
"Actually, can I try first." Lillie offered. "Hi, we haven't been introduced I'm Ark's adoptive sister Lillie. Maybe I can talk to her a bit better from a point of view that gets where she's coming from."
"If we wanted that, we should've brought Gladion." Ark joked, as Lillie carefully made her way upstairs.
Lillie made her way up to Cass's room, avoiding stepping on any of the piled up trash. "Cass was it, can we talk?" Lillie asked.
"Not interested." Cass said, from behind her closed door.
"Look, I get you're worried about what will happen if Ark is your brother, but think about how good it will be if he is. You'd finally have your family back together." Lillie said.
"I'm still not interested, my life sucks because of him disappearing." Cass said angrily.
"Look, I used to blame my mother for what happened to us, and Gladion even blamed Ark, but he did everything he could to bring my family back together." Lillie said.
"And why do you care, what's Ark to you?" Cass asked.
"Ark is my brother, which might make us sisters." Lillie said. "So you wouldn't just be getting him, you'd also get me."
"A sister, really?" Cass asked. "What you want me to wear a perfect little dress like you too?"
"Not if you don't want to." Lillie said. "And you don't have to consider Ark your brother if you don't want too, Gladion doesn't."
"And where's this Gladion?" Cass asked.
"I wish I knew." Lillie admitted. "I'd give anything to know where he is, and know he's okay."
"Okay." Cass said, opening her door, "I'll do the test, just to know."
A quick examination later
"Well Ark, you were right. You are the missing Ketchum boy." Professor Oak said, looking at the results. "It's a 95% match. Incredibly high, even by sibling standards."
"Oh Ashton, I'm so glad you're back!" Delia said excitedly.
"It's Ark." Ark reminded. "And thanks Cass. Mother will be thrilled to hear this."
"I didn't do it for you." Cass said. "I did it for her." Cass added looking over at Lillie.
"Wait what do you mean Mother?" Delia asked.
"Oh Mother, she'll want to meet you of course!" Lillie exclaimed.
"Oh your mother. I see." Delia said.
"Look, Mrs Ketchum, err Mom. This is all really new, but Lusamine was my mother growing up, I hope that's okay." Ark admitted.
"She took care of you, gave you a home, clothes, and food, of course I want to meet her, I just didn't realize you'd call her your mother." Delia said. "Though I see she didn't give you a haircut." Delia said, brushing her hand through Ark's long hair.
"No one messes with his hair." Lillie and Professor Kukui said at the same time.
"Well Lillie, Ark, the two of you are more than welcome to stay until Miss Lusamine arrives. I'm sure I can make some room." Delia said.
"Actually we're here on a field trip with some other students." Professor Kukui reminded.
"Professor, can we talk?" Ark asked.
"I have a feeling I know what this is going to be about." Professor Kukui said.
"I know we came on this trip to experience things we can't do in Alola, but…". Ark paused.
"You just found where you came from." Professor Kukui said. "I get it, know we'll be waiting for you when you come home to Alola. Both of you." Professor Kukui said, nodding to Lillie.
"Thank you Professor." Lillie said.
"Come on Sis, you can sleep in my room, it's one of the few places without bottles and cans." Cass said.
"I don't really have an extra bed, but I can ask the neighbors for a cot perhaps." Delia said to Ark.
"I'll take the couch, or wherever, I'm used to sleeping in harder places." Ark said.
"Like a cave?" Cass asked jokingly.
"For the past three years, yeah." Ark admitted with a shrug.
Authors Notes
Ark has found his blood family! Yes it finally happened. If you're wondering who Cassandra/Cass is, she's an OC that was a main character in my A New Ash story. There she was Ash's sweet little sister going by Cassie, but this is a very different reality and a very different Cassandra.
