This chapter took a bit more work than I hoped. I originally had it completed a few weeks ago, but as I gave it one final go-over I realized something... I didn't like how it turned out. So I ended up scraping the original chapter and re-wrote it into the version you see here. I hope all of you like it as much as I do.

Chapter 12: The Path of Forgiveness

That trek to Viridian City was rather uneventful. With many trainers already at the Indigo Plateau for the League Invitational Ash and his friends faced little opposition, and those they did were trainers who had just started their journeys. Because of this the group arrived in Viridian City in only a few weeks time. Their first stop was the Pokémon Center to get their Pokémon checked out.

"We're almost there, guys. Just a few more days and we'll be at the Indigo Plateau," Bianca said, her voice laced with excitement. "Oh, I can't wait until we get there!"

"Believe me, we can tell," Daisy said.

"As soon as our Pokémon are finished with their check-ups I say we hit the road running," Bianca suggested.

"Not so fast, Bianca. Don't forget that there are… 'other matters' that need to be tended to first," Misty stated. Bianca was about to ask Misty what she was talking about, but one glance at Ash was all the reminder she needed.

"Oh, right. I guess I kinda forgot," the Unova native said. Before anything else could be said a chime went off inside the Pokémon Center.

"Looks like our Pokémon are done with their check-ups," Daisy assumed. The four of them approached the front desk, where Nurse Joy was waiting with Pikachu, Zorua and their Poké Balls.

"Everyone's in perfect health," she reported.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy," Daisy said as the group collected their Poké Balls. Then, once Pikachu and Zorua had taken their places on Ash's shoulders, the group left the Center. As soon as they stepped outside they looked up. The position of the sun in the sky let them know there were only a few hours of daylight left.

"We should get going now. With any luck we'll reach Pallet Town by evening. We'll have to wait and make the return trip back to Viridian City in the morning," Ash said.

"Does that mean you'll have to spend the night in Pallet Town?" Daisy wondered.

"Probably," Ash answered.

"But where will you stay?" Bianca asked.

"I'll more than likely stay at Professor Oak's place and then head back in the morning. He's the only person in Pallet Town that I still trust," Ash told them. It seemed that Ash had everything thought out.

"Well then, I guess we'll rent a room at the Pokémon Center and wait for you," Daisy said.

"Don't be too long," Bianca said. Ash nodded to them and was about to leave when Misty approached him.

"Do you mind if I come along?" she asked. Ash originally thought he would be going to Pallet Town alone, but was thankful that Misty wanted to come along.

"Sure," he said.

"Thanks, Ash," Misty replied with a smile.

"Well then, I guess we'll be waiting for the two of you to get back," Daisy commented. "Still, I think it'll be better for you having Misty come along."

"Yeah, I think so too," Ash agreed.

"Be safe, you two," Bianca said. Ash and Misty nodded before heading for the southern exit of town on their way towards Pallet Town.

Despite it being over five years since Ash had last been down Route 1 Misty was surprised by how many things he still remembered. It was almost as if he has just walked this path yesterday as he pointed out numerous points of interest.

"Hey, Pikachu. Remember that tree there? That's where you were when I tried catching that Pidgey the first day of our journey together," Ash said.

"Pika!" Pikachu replied.

"Didn't you piss off a Spearow shortly after that?" Zorua asked.

"Boy, did we. When we were being chased by that flock I really thought we were done for," Ash admitted. "But you know, at least a few good things came out of it."

"Pi Ka?" Pikachu inquired.

"For starters if we weren't being chased by that flock of Spearow we never would have needed to borrow Misty's bike to get away," Ash stated.

"Yeah, and then it wouldn't have been wrecked in the process," Misty added.

"But if that hadn't happened we never would have met and became friends, so in the end I guess you can chalk that up as a happy accident," Ash explained.

"Well, when you put it that way I guess I can see your point," Misty agreed. "Still wish my bike hadn't been destroyed in the end."

"But you still got it back," Ash stated.

"Yeah, I did," Misty said. "Although, looking back, I wish I hadn't."

"Hey! I can see the town!" Zorua announced. The group stopped and looked ahead. Just as Zorua said they could now see Pallet Town. Misty took a glance at Ash to see how he would react to seeing his old hometown after all these years. At first she could have sworn she saw the beginnings of a smile, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah… well, about as okay as I can be right now," Ash replied. "There were times when this sight would bring a smile to my face. Those days are gone now, and I don't think they'll ever return."

"You don't know that. Things could change," Misty said.

"Maybe," Ash half-heartedly agreed. "In any case we should get going."

"Okay," Misty agreed. With Ash leading the way they headed down towards Pallet Town. As they got closer Misty silently hoped they would be able to visit Ash's mother's grave without incident.

"Look at that. Nothing's changed." It may have been five years since he last set foot in Pallet Town, but for Ash everything looked the same as it did back then. Everywhere they looked brought back some kind of memory for Ash. Under normal circumstances this would be viewed as a pleasant stroll down memory lane, but for Ash the memories were all tainted by what happened five years ago.

"Do you think it's funny that we haven't seen anyone yet?" Zorua asked.

"That is strange," Misty agreed. "Where do you suppose everyone is?"

"My guess is that most of the townspeople have already gone to the Indigo Plateau for the tournament. The ones that haven't yet have more than likely turned in for the night," Ash assumed.

"You're probably right. It is a bit late right now," Misty said. She glanced up at the sky, seeing the orange hue the setting sun cast over it.

"This actually works in our favor. The less people we run across the less of a chance there is of someone recognizing me," Ash explained.

"Yeah. I still can't believe the entire town turned on you like that. I thought there would have been a least a few people who would have sympathized with you," Misty stated.

"So did I, but the only one who showed me any kind of compassion was Professor Oak. Everyone else just looked at me and saw a villain," Ash sighed.

"But that's not what you are. If anything you're a hero," Misty declared.

"I wish everyone else thought that way," Ash said.

"P-Pika!" Pikachu's sudden outburst caused them to stop and look ahead. Ash gasped while Misty just hung her head.

"T-That's…" Before them were the remains of Ash's childhood home.

"They never rebuilt the house. Instead they chose to let it be her gravesite," Misty said, though she doubted if Ash heard her. His eyes never left the house remains as he took a few steps towards it, stopping in front of the tombstone. Misty made her way to his side to offer him any support he might need. Out of the corner of her eye she could see he was having a hard time keeping his emotions in check. She reached over and put her arm around him. Almost instantly she felt him lean into her. Down at their feet Zorua was doing her best to comfort Pikachu as he tried to fight back the tears that had begun to fall from his eyes.

"Mom… I'm sorry… I'm sorry it took me so long to come see you," Ash whispered as he brushed his hand across his mother's tombstone. Misty chose to remain silent, content with just being there for Ash.

"Five years… I didn't come to see you for five years," Ash said. "I… I hope you can forgive me."

"She does. I'm sure of it," Misty told him. They stood there in silence for a few minutes before the sound of movement caused them to turn around. Standing behind them was an elderly lady. Misty didn't know who she was, but Ash recognized her immediately.

"Oh dear me, I wasn't expecting to see anyone here this late in the evening," she said.

"It's quite alright," Misty replied.

"I don't believe we've met before," the lady said.

"I don't believe we have either," Misty agreed. "I'm Misty, one of the Cerulean City Gym Leaders, and this is Masson Cruz."

"A pleasure to meet you both. My name is Mrs. Neil, but everyone here calls me Grandma Neil," the lady said.

"Nice to meet you," Misty said.

"A pleasure," Ash added.

"I'm curious as to what bring you two here, what with that tournament taking place at the Indigo Plateau and all," Mrs. Neil said. The two of them turned back towards Delia's grave.

"We're here… as a favor to a friend," Misty answered.

"I wasn't aware you were friends of the family," Mrs. Neil commented. "Did you know them long?"

"I knew Ash ever since he first became a trainer," Misty told her. "Mrs. Ketchum would treat me like a member of the family whenever I came to visit."

"I never met his mother, but I did meet Ash when he passed through Unova. He and I became good friends," Ash lied. "When I heard what happened to told myself that if I ever came to Kanto I'd visit her grave for him."

"I see. That's a nice thing you're doing for him," Mrs. Neil said. "It's such a tragedy that he never got the chance to tell her goodbye."

"It is. He deserved at least that much," Misty commented.

"I can't believe something like that even happened," Ash added.

"No one could. Pallet Town has never been targeted by anyone, let alone Team Rocket. No one saw the attack coming, and before anyone thought about fighting back it was too late," Mrs. Neil recalled. "So many lives were affected that day, but none more than Ash's. I can't imagine how heartbroken he must have felt."

"It's one of the worst feelings in the world, having those you grew up with turn their backs on you like that," Ash mused. Everyone turned their attention to him.

"Feeling their eyes glaring at you with such hatred, such malice… it's as if the entire world has suddenly turned against you, and no matter how you try to block it out you can't escape," he continued. "No matter what you do those eyes continue to haunt you. You'd do anything, anything at all, if it meant you'd be able to escape their glare."

"Oh Ash…" Misty thought.

"Goodness… you made it sound like this happened to you," Mrs. Neil commented.

"I've experienced that pain before. I know what he went through," Ash said.

"I see," Mrs. Neil said. Ash took one more glance at his mother's tombstone before turning and walking away.

"Leaving already?" Mrs. Neil questioned.

"I'm afraid so. We need to find somewhere to spend the night before heading back to Viridian City in the morning," Ash explained.

"You're more than welcome to stay at my house," the elderly lady offered.

"That's very kind of you, but we couldn't impose on you like that," Ash replied.

"Think nothing of it," Mrs. Neil insisted. "Besides, it's been ages since I had any visitors."

"To be honest I wouldn't mind," Misty said. Ash looked her direction and nodded.

"Okay. We'll take you up on your offer," he agreed.

"Splendid. It'll be nice to have some company," Mrs. Neil said. She was about to lead them to her house when she paused.

"Is something wrong?" Misty asked.

"No, dear. I just have something I'd like to say to your friend there," she replied. Ash looked at her with a puzzled look. He had no idea what she'd have to say to him.

"I just want to let you know… it wasn't your fault," she said.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ash inquired.

"What happened here five years ago… it wasn't your fault," she repeated.

"I still don't know what…"

"Oh come now, you didn't think I didn't know it was you… Ash." Right then Ash's eyes grew wide.

"Wha… How did you…" he stuttered.

"I spent too much time helping Delia take care of you as a child to not recognize you now," Mrs. Neil said. "I knew you'd come back one day."

"So then, you don't believe I was responsible for the attack?" Ash asked.

"Not at all. What I do believe is that you were just as much a victim as the rest of us," Mrs. Neil stated. "Those who blamed you should be ashamed of themselves. Rather than fight Team Rocket themselves they let a child do it for them, and then blamed you when they failed to protect their homes." As she spoke Misty could see Ash's eyes begin to water.

"I… I didn't think anyone here… felt that way," he said. Mrs. Neil walked over to Ash and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Not everyone thinks you're to blame. I don't," she said to him. At that point Ash could no longer hold his tears back. Mrs. Neil saw knew what was happening and pulled Ash into a hug, letting him cry on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Ash. It's okay," she said.

"I miss her. I miss her so much." Ash sobbed.

"I know you do, dear," Mrs. Neil said. As she looked on Misty was also crying, but her tears were not ones of sadness. The smile on her face showed that she was crying tears of happiness, for it was now clear that Ash still had people in Pallet Town besides Professor Oak who still believed in him.

That night Mrs. Neil opened her home to Ash and Misty, even offering to cook them dinner. At first they politely refused, but the elderly lady simply would not take no for an answer. After dinner Mrs. Neil showed them the room they would be staying in for the night. Ash, who was exhausted both physical and emotionally, immediately went to sleep. Misty opted to stay up a bit longer to help Mrs. Neil clean up her kitchen.

"You didn't have to do this, dear. I could have cleaned this up myself," Mrs. Neil said.

"I know, but I wanted to," Misty replied. The elderly lady smiled and let the matter drop.

"I'm glad he decided to come back here. He needed an opportunity to say goodbye to his mother," Mrs. Neil stated.

"Yeah," Misty agreed. "That was the second time I've seen him cry like that."

"The second?" Mrs. Neil questioned.

"The first time was back in Unova when I first found him," Misty explained. "That time I was the one who gave him a shoulder to cry on."

"I see. I imagine there will be other times when he'll need someone there for him, whether to offer a shoulder to cry on or for some other reason," Mrs. Neil assumed.

"I know, and I plan on being there for him," Misty said. Mrs. Neil looked at her and smiled.

"He's lucky to have someone like you by his side. You truly do care for him," she commented.

"I do," Misty responded with a smile. "I'd do anything for him." Few words were said after that as the two women focused on cleaning up the kitchen.

The next morning Ash and Misty woke up early, completely refreshed and ready to head back to Viridian City. They two of them, along with their Pokémon and Mrs. Neil, were standing in front of the elderly lady's house.

"Thank you for everything, Grandma Neil," Ash said.

"Think nothing of it, my dear," Mrs. Neil replied. "Good luck in the tournament. I'll be cheering for you."

"Thank you," Ash said.

"Goodbye," Misty said. Ash and Misty then left the house as they began their trip back towards Viridian City. As they walked through Pallet Town they passed by Ash's old home. They paused as Ash cast his gaze on his mother's grave once more.

"Mom… I'll do it this time. I'll win," he vowed. Pikachu and Zorua nodded, both Pokémon agreeing with their trainer.

"You will win, and I know she'll be watching when you do," Misty commented.

"Yeah," Ash agreed. With that they continued on through Pallet Town.

Hours later Ash and Misty arrived back at the Viridian City Pokémon Center. Stepping inside they spotted Daisy and Bianca waiting at the front desk.

"Welcome back, you two," Daisy greeted. "So, did everything go okay?"

"Better than okay," Misty replied.

"Oh really? And what, pray tell, happened?" Bianca wondered, her curiosity piqued.

"Let's just say things in Pallet Town may not be as bleak as it used to be," Ash responded. Both girls gave them a confused look.

"Come on. We'll explain on the way to the Indigo Plateau," Misty said. The four friends left the Pokémon and continued their trip to the Indigo Plateau.

A trip to Pallet Town has not only given Ash his opportunity to say goodbye to his mother but also revealed that there are others who still support him. Now, with the Indigo Plateau as their next destination, Ash can finally shift his focus to the upcoming tournament. How far will he go? Will there be any familiar faces there? Find out in the next chapter of Regrets & Redemption!

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