1 week later.
It had been a hard week for Delia, She was in the kitchen cooking lunch for her and Iris. After the press conference a week ago, she had been left in deep thought. Hearing all of Ash's old friends insult Ash was hard to hear. She did go along with the plan years prior, but she had better reasons than his so called friends. She had wanted him to stop traveling, but she did it because she felt that it was time to start planning the rest of his life. She had just the plan, she had applied Ash as a student teacher at the Pok mon Technical Institute here in Kanto, and to her joy he had been accepted as a battle instructor due to his incredible success. Unfortunaly she never got to tell him due to his friends' harsh remarks.
Flashback a 2 weeks after Ash left
It was a cold rainy Delia was in the kitchen washing dishing. She couldn't help but worry about Ash. She agreed his adventures needed to come to an end, but not because he was weak, but because she had found him a great opportunity to show how strong he was as a battle instructor at the Pok mon Technical Institute.
Her thoughts were broken by aloud knocking on the door.
Delia: Samuel if you locked yourself out of your lab again I'm not letting you stay here!
Iris: Mrs. Ketchum, please open the door.
Delia rushed to the door to see Iris on the front step shivering, dirty and soaking wet.
Delia: Iris where have you been I haven't seen you since the meeting two weeks ago. She said in a cold tone.
Iris flinched at the tone. She knew that Delia was enraged by what happened and since stop letting people come over. She had gone from the kind-hearted mother to everyone, to a mother bear that had seen her cub hurt.
Iris: I know, and I've spent every waking hour trying to organize a search party, so that we can bring him home. Iris replied with her head down so that Delia wouldn't see her cry.
Too bad for Iris, Delia had been a mother for sixteen years, so she could tell Iris was crying.
Delia: What are you crying for, all of you are the ones that betrayed him, so what do you have to cry about? Do you want to bring him back just so you can insult and belittle him more.
Iris Snapped: SHUT UP! Not everyone there thought that. I know Cilan saw Ash as his third brother, and I saw him as my big brother. Iris said with tears streaming down her cheeks. He was the one that help me sleep when the nightmares kept me up at night.
Delia looked at Iris in shock. She kneeled down to Iris and lifted her chin. As she looked into Iris eyes she saw the loneliness and pain. Not to mention the poor girl looked like she hadn't slept in days.
As iris sat continued to cry she became aware of her head being tilted up and was suddenly looking Delia in the eyes.
Delia: You really do miss him don't you?
Iris: Y-yes. I want my b-big brother back. I want the nightmares to go away. I want to be little sissy-flower again. Iris managed to choke out before breaking down and sobbing in Delia's arms.
Delia: Iris, did your parents ever tell you want the meaning of your name is? Delia asked as she took iris in an embrace. When she felt Iris shake her head she replied
Delia: It means the happiness of those who believe, and it's my belief that one day we will see Ash again, and the three of us can be a family.
She suddenly saw Iris looking up at her with a mixture of shock and longing in her eyes.
Iris: You really mean it? I could be a part of your family?
Delia: Of course I mean it. As long as you want and someday we'll get back the last member of our family. Delia said with a motherly smile on her face for the first time in two weeks.
Iris: Thank you, Thank you.
Delia: Now let's go inside before you catch a cold.
Flashback end
For seven years Iris had been a Ketchum, and trained to Find and bring Ash Home. During that time she became the gym leader of viridian city and converted it into an dual Groud and dragon type gym. She had been asked to join the elite four countless times, but always turned them down in favor of staying close to mother
Delia and Iris had avoided Ash's old friends and told people the truth to counter the lies that they had spread about Ash being weak. Iris being the toughest gym leader in Kanto had personally made sure Max never made it to the Indigo Plateau.
Delia had banned all of Ash's old Pok mon from her house; she had said that if they were too good for Ash they were too good to stay in her house.
Delia was thinking about the conference with a frown. The only reason she went was because Iris wanted to see this mysterious champion that had beaten Diantha.
To her shock she had seen some of Ash's old rival/friends.
Angie was a shock to see. She had been glaring at all of them with contempt in her eyes. She knew the girl had a small crush on Ash as a child, but it was good to see her with a young man like Paul.
To be frank she didn't know Steven and Siebold. She assumed that they were powerful though.
She could see Iris was shocked to see Roxie, but she was surprised to see the girl married to the heir of the Stone fortune of Hoenn.
She had been very shocked to see Cynthia on the arm of the champion and with a daughter was just adding to the shock. The girl had curly pigtails just like her mother, except it was jet black like her father, and when she opened her eyes she saw the same hazel eyes she tucked in for ten years.
Then she saw the champion. He could have easily passed for her deceased husband, but due to his face mask she couldn't see his eyes.
During the whole conference she became sadden by how these people who Ash once called friends could speak about him like that. She did have to giggle with Iris as she saw their insult turned against them so easily. When the little girl woke up she noticed he was able to get a better look at her, and to her surprise she saw a little cobalt blue in those hazel eyes.
When they started to play the girl to sleep she heard Iris gasp lightly and saw tears in her eyes and couldn't help but wonder why.
She was broken from her thoughts when she heard Iris come in.
Iris: Mom, I'm home.
Delia: In the Kitchen Iris.
When she walked in she took a glance at the stuff Delia had on the mantle. It was every award Ash had ever won, and her three Kanto ribbon cups she won to mess with Dawn and May.
Iris: Someday big brother I'll bring you home.
Delia: Iris why did you tear up when Andrew and Cynthia played that song for Ashley?
Iris turned away slightly shaking which was Delia's sign she was crying.
Iris: That was the song Ash would always sing to me when I was having nightmares.
Iris suddenly turned to Delia with both tears and slight hope in her chestnut colored eyes
Iris: Mom, you don't think that Andrew could be Ash do you?
Delia walked up to Irish and wrapped her in a hug.
Delia: I don't know sweetie, but what he said at the end reminds me of what ash's father used to say. 'Fate has a way of putting in front of us that which we try hardest to leave behind'.
There was a sad silence after which Iris started crying again.
Iris: I-I just miss him so much.
Delia: Iris, do you still believe we will see Ash again?
Iris: Yes and no. I don't just believe it anymore, I know for a fact it will happen. And if Andrew is Ash than that means our family is even bigger.
Delia just felt dumbstruck for a moment that Delia realized Iris was right if Andrew was Ash then that meant she was a grandma.
As they both looked at the mantle once more they had the same thought
Both: (Ash please come home soon.)
End of part 6