Poke-genetics: motherly strength
«Ash! » Delia said in delight.
She hugged the one with her son's body motherly, which responded to her sign of affection.
«It's good to see you again. » she whispered.
She did not notice the satisfied grin on his face, nor the small communication device in his pocket. With an illuminating smile, she invited him inside.
«Come in! »
He did not need to be told twice. He made his way into the house, following Delia closely as she led him in the kitchen.
«You must be hungry. Would you like me to cook you something? »
«Oh yes, please, mom! I'm starving and I've longed for your food ever since I left. » the teen confessed as he sat at the table.
«Now, honey, if you say things like that, I'll believe you only come back for my cooking. You're already not calling home often, you could at least pretend you've missed me. »
«Sorry mom, I didn't really have time… I was a bit busy training for the league… » he explained sheepishly.
«Ash, I'm not asking for much: just a phone call once in a while. Seriously, your last call was three months ago. »
«I know… I'll try to call you more often. » he said, embarrassed.
Happy with this small victory, Delia took her kitchen knives and began to peel vegetables.
«Well, how was your trip to Sinnoh. You surely have a lot to tell. »
«Hum… yeah. What do you want to hear about? » he asked with a little hesitation.
«Why not the league? You haven't told me about it. Was your painful training useful at least? » Delia continued, expertly handing her tools.
«Well… you could say that. I've lost in the semi-finals against a guy using legendaries. I lost, but… at least I managed to take down two of his pokemon. No one, not even the gym leaders of Sinnoh or the other finalist managed that. »
«Wow, Ash. I'm proud of you. »
With a blush on his cheeks, the boy replied small «thank you, mom».
For a few more minutes, they continued on Ash's trip to Sinnoh. He reported to her what happened in Dawn's contests and how depressed that had made her at first. Worried, Delia asked about the girl's well-being, but he assured she would get better and that she was in a good state of mind before he left.
«Here you go. » Delia said as she placed the plate in front of him.
«Thanks. »
As the boy began to eat in a gluttonous way, Delia sat in front of him. She seemed very pleased at her son's appetite.
«Is it to your taste? »
«Of course! It's even better than I remember. » he replied.
The mother smiled.
«Hey, mom, do you know if Professor Oak has received my new pokemon? It's a pikachu with spiky fur on its head, it kind of looks like my haircut. »
«Oh, yes. He's here. »
The teenager jumped on his feet.
«Can I see him? »
«Not now, Ash. He's sleeping in your room. »
It didn't last long, but for a second, there was a look of extreme interest in the boy's eyes. Without departing from her smile, Delia continued.
«Professor Oak said he was extremely tired after the long recovery he had to go through. Which reminds me: Professor Oak and I were both curious as to what happened to it. That pikachu had to rest for two days in a healing pokeball. That's a lot considering how well made his pokeball was. »
The teen hesitated. He wasn't sure how to explain it to Delia without making her sad.
«Hum… he was… humph… how can I say that? Mom… I'm… fighting against Team Blast. » he confessed with a tone that was like an apology.
«Ash… » Delia said with a few tears.
«I know it's dangerous! But I still can't let them do everything they want! Someone has to stand up against them! » he almost yelled, passionate.
«It's okay… » she said with a quiet, relaxing voice.
«Really? I thought you'd be angry. » he said, surprised.
«Ash, I was sure you'd try something like that. What kind of mother would I be if I couldn't even guess this much? » she assured. «I want you to be safe, but I know you would never just stay safe while others are in danger. »
Ash grinned. Things turned out to be going better than he assumed.
«Let's not think about this Ash. We should enjoy the little bit of time that we were given. »
The darkness of the night had fallen on Pallet Town before they had realized it. Upon seeing it through the living room's window, Delia had prompted him to go to bed. However, she had insisted that he slept in her room.
At that, her son's eyebrow rose and he asked her why. Delia replied that she had been so afraid for him that she wanted to be able to sleep at peace at least once and be sure tomorrow that it wasn't just her disillusions.
Awkwardly, he accepted and they had gone to bed together.
The creaking of an opening door made someone swear in the dark. He had to be careful not to wake anyone in the house. There was something he had to do.
Slowly, a silhouette crept through the house, looking for one thing. In a few minutes, it stopped in front of a room with a locked door: Ash's room.
It took a tool out of his pocket and tried to unlock it.
The intruder could feel he was getting closer to his goal. It was just a matter of seconds before he could open that door.
A light blinded him and a curious voice emerged from the other end of the corridor.
«Ash? What are you doing, honey? » Delia asked, a flashlight in her left hand.
«Oh, mom…I wanted to… »
Delia approached and he clearly tensed up.
«Ash… »
Her hug came out of nowhere and shocked him.
«If you didn't want to sleep in my room, you should have said so. »
His nervous chuckle badly hid his uneasiness.
«Now, you should go sleep in the living room though. Your pikachu was too exhausted. You should not wake him up. » she said as she pushed him gently toward the stairs.
He sighted in relief. Fortunately for him, she was too good-natured to be suspicious. Thank Mew for th…
Something cold was pressed against his neck and an even colder voice reached his ear.
«Who are you? »
«What are you talking about, mom? » he said, shaking from the shock. «It's me, Ash. »
«Wrong answer. »
His arm was twisted and held against his back. The flashlight fell on the ground and they were plunged in the dark.
«It's really me! Don't you recognize me? »
«I recognize my son's face, that's all. »
«Mom! » he protested in panic.
«What was the first thing that made you want to be a pokemon master? »
He gulped down. This was bad.
«I… love pokemon… »
Her hands held him more firmly than ever.
«Wrong answer. I'll give you one last chance: what is your real name? »
There was no place for mistake. If she didn't believe him, he didn't want to imagine what she'd do with her kitchen knife. In a single whisper, he said:
«Genno Avery. »
Ash's eyes twitched, waking up from his deep sleep. He had heard something outside his room, two voices, one that appealed to him more than he wanted to admit. Since when was there someone else besides his mom here? After he had ran away here, he had thought about it for a long time before his fatigue got the best of him, so he had no idea if someone had entered meanwhile. Was it her Mr Mime? He could understand him now, but he saw no reason for them to speak in the middle of the night.
Ignoring his exhausted body, he crawled out of bed.
There was a thick silence in the middle of the corridor. As soon as he had declined his identity, Delia had unconsciously loosened her grip. Was he the teen her son had talked about? The one that had involved Ash in that mess?
«I… I thought you didn't know. It's something Ash decided. He wanted to make sure you didn't know until he found a way to change back. »
«What are you talking about? Change back to what? »
He bit his lips. Shoot! He shouldn't have said that.
«Hum… I'm sorry Delia. I shouldn't be the one to tell you that. I rea…»
His pleading stopped short. The feeling of cold metal against his neck had intensified.
«I don't trust you. Don't try to hide things from me. »
«But… okay. I'll tell you, but… please don't tell me it was me… Ash… was turned into a pikachu, the one in his room. I wanted to talk to him. »
She stayed silent.
He could hear the process of her thoughts. If she was anything like the other mothers he saw in his life, she'd probably be too shaken to think straight and let him go.
His sweat was rolling down from the sides of his face. Her knife was making him too nervous.
However, Delia reacted in a strange way.
«So that's what he was trying to tell me. He was making all kind of weird signs and pointing at pictures of himself. It makes sense now. »
Her light chuckle relieved him. Phew, things were starting to get under control now.
«He could have spent all the time he wanted, I'm sure I'd never understood him. »
«Yeah, after all, he can't communicate with humans. He's stuck with saying «pikachu». There's no way he could tell you. »
Out of nowhere, she shoved him into the ground.
«What are you doing? » he yelled in indignation.
«I told you it was your last chance. You lied twice, no more chances for you. »
«What are you talking about? »
«I'm talking about you faking to be my son and then faking to be my son's friend! » she explained.
«…how? » he abandoned.
What kind of housewife was she? Holding her kitchen knife under people's neck? Seriously?
«Ash always complains when I tell him to call me more often. Usually, because he does! He called me right after the closure ceremony of the Sinnoh league. I already knew what you told me. »
«That's all? »
«No, there's this thing I said that you didn't noticed. I told you that Ash hadn't called for three months. However, he did call me a month ago! »
«Huh? That's impossible! »
«No, it's quite possible. Genno made the call and Ash told him what to say. You see, unless everything you told me, there was no way you could have known that just by looking up Ash's trainer career, you would have to be either of them. »
«They could have just forgotten. »
«They couldn't. I know it to the things we told each other, but even if that was the case, you couldn't tell the most important thing about my son's goal. »
Everything was really lost… unless he could manage to… but for that, he needed her to lose her concentration for a moment. The problem was: she didn't look like she could at this point.
«Furthermore, you made the most stupid comment you could have. When I pretended to lower my guard, you immediately made the remark that Ash could never told me who he was as a pokemon. Well, sorry to disappoint you, but he told me today, using a computer, which he confessed was not the first time he did, many times in front of that Genno kid. »
He closed his eyes. Unless some sort of miracle happened, he'd be done for.
«Mimey! Bring lots of rope here! »
Okay, if he didn't find a way to distract her NOW, he was going to get in so much trouble he'd rather ask her to use her knife once and for all.
Destiny could have been on his side, since they heard a loud cry on their left.
«MOM! »
After hearing the loud «PIKA? », Delia and her prisoner turned around.
It was all he needed. Thank Mew!
He plunged his hand in his pocket and hit a button on a small device.
The movement caught Delia's attention.
«What did you do? » she said with an authoritative tone.
He smirked.
«You'll be sorry you weren't more oblivious. » he declared.
«What's going on here?» Ash asked, completely baffled.
«Ash, I think this guy is working for Team Blast or something like that. »
«WHAT? » he shouted.
«Come and hit him on the head. My hands are full right now, honey. »
As the pikachu sprinted toward the guy in his body, he prepared an iron tail to knock out an onyx.
Ash jumped and was about to attack when a breaking noise downstairs stopped him.
«Shoot! Someone broke a window downstairs! » he said as he ran to the first floor.
Before he could get there, a beam of orange light struck him and knocked him unconscious.
«ASH! »
«As I was saying, prepare for regrets. » the person under her said with satisfaction.
Someone turned the lights on and Delia was temporarily blinded by the change of luminosity. While she was unable to see, something pushed her and she fell to the ground.
«Woah, Dave, you were taken by one woman? Dude, you are so weak! » a man mocked.
«Hey! Watch your words, Kyle! » a woman warned.
«Shut up! She got me by surprise and that teen's body is weak! »
Delia grunted.
The noise brought their attention back to her. As she struggled to get up, the trio looked at her with pity… except for Dave.
«Awww, look at her. Mommy wanted to help her kid so she fought the bad guys… but she was not strong enough. You should have called for help instead of going for me alone. » the person with Ash's body said.
«Dave. We're here for that Ash kid. Let's get him and go. » the woman said.
«Okay. »
As they turned away and went to fetch Ash, they heard a threatening tone.
«Don't… touch… him! »
«You may not be as weak as we thought. » the member called Kyle declared.
«But that's not going to stop us. » completed Dave.
As they saw her walk down the stairs, not even bothering with her knife, they noticed the fierce look in her eyes. When they fell on the trio, they couldn't help but take a step backward.
When Delia talked, there was a frighteningly arrogant accent to her voice.
«I didn't call for help, because I knew I could deal with you all myself. »
And she dropped the pokeball she was holding.
Just as they reached for theirs, Delia's pokemon finished to materialize. They froze in place.
«No… way… » they muttered in a chorus.
Before them was standing a black and red charizard.
«It can't be… that pokemon… »
«That's our boss Marco's pokemon! » Dave said, hysterical.
«Maybe, next time, you'll know better than to try to attack Marco Blaze's wife and son! »
Their voice was stuck in their throat. It was a nightmare!
The dragon-like creature walked toward them, black flames erupting from its nostrils with each step.
«Throw them out, Charizard. » Delia ordered with a furious expression.
The three members were sent flying with a single tail swipe. The landing shook them, but as they caught a glimpse of the pokemon ready to get out of the house itself, they ran away in the middle of the night.
Delia was looking through the window to make sure they were not hiding somewhere when their neighbors' went outside to determine the cause of that ruckus. Noticing the broken glass on the ground, they asked with concern:
«Delia, are you alright? »
Her usual cheerful expression having returned, she replied:
«Of course, it's nothing worth talking about. »