Chapter 6/Final: Dragon His Family
Team Rocket may not be after Ash's Pikachu or Nowi after Lucina, Gregor and Panne stormed the trio. They met up with Ash's group in which Lucina petted Iris' Axew. "You have wonderful creatures," she praised. "Especially Pikachu." His name complimented, Pikachu squeaked happily.
"I believe Pikachu's saying 'Thank you', Marth," Cilan tried to translate. Lucina only told her real name to Pikachu. No one else.
"Mice nothing more than mice in Ylisse," Gregor compared. "Pikachu not normal mouse." Lucina laughed to the praises.
"Anyway, I wanted to apologize," she reverted. "I wouldn't have imagine finding a rift, let alone have our manakete causing problems." Ash shook his head.
"Nowi was great to have around," he replied with a smile. "She's a great friend, even if she's a dragon." Lucina snickered to the words.
"I suppose there are some man-spawn worthy of having for having as allies," Panne shrugged. Knowing that Lucina and her group came for Nowi, there was only one more place to go: back to the castle in Ylisse.
"So I suppose that now you have Nowi back," Iris pointed out. "You'll be heading back home?"
"That is plan," Gregor confirmed. So soon as Nowi found the Pokémon world, her time became short.
"And just when I said that I've fallen for him..." she mulled. It felt shameful for Nowi who fell for the boy who caught her heart, less her falling body.
"Nowi..." Ash hushed. He came over and hugged the manakete.
"Ash..." She reached her head in for one last kiss.
"I'm not sure about asking how many dragons have fallen for humans," Georgia coughed. "At least it's a transforming dragon and not a Dragon Girl." Iris heard the mocking, her anger greatly noticed.
"Like heck that I'd fall for a little kid," she retorted. This did leave Georgia with a whimsical comeback while shrugging her shoulders.
"So it isn't always true what they say. Iris seems to be getting younger everyday." Iris steamed at the upsetting snap.
"Listen to you!" Not willing to see the girls fighting as Ash and Nowi separated their faces, Gregor came between Iris and Georgia.
"Girls, no fighting!" he attempted peacemaking. "Other men in world for each!" The sellsword may have prevented more bloodshed like when most of Jessie's hair got sliced. The hair, driven by Gregor's sword, began blowing follicle by follicle in the gentle breeze. Iris and Georgia darted their heads away from seeing each other. "Women hard to understand. Heh!" While knowing the group needed to return to Ylisse, a concern weighed on what may occur.
"Is there trouble around Ylisse?" asked Ash.
"There is," Lucina replied. "I'm afraid the Fell Dragon, Grima, will rise from his sleep before long. If Lord Chrom and Ylisse falls, Grima may use the awakened power to cross over to this world and create ruins of despair." A scary thought toward a future. Ash knew Nowi could play a key role in stopping the Fell Dragon.
"You'll need all the support possible. If Nowi can help fend off this Grima, please make sure she's okay." Lucina smiled, offering a hand to shake. A ruse. Lucina grabbed Ash's hand before giving him a hug.
"I promise to return her safely." Lucina broke her hug while Nowi dug the stone from her pocket and gave it to Iris.
"Your Dragon Stone?" she gasped. "But don't you need it back home?"
"I've actually got another Dragon Stone so I'm prepared for anything," Nowi reassured. "From a manakete to a Dragon Trainer." Both with smiles shook hands, knowing that Iris held a memento from their encounter. After that, Gregor led the Shepards away, back to wince they entered the Pokémon world. Pikachu and Axew waived a fond farewell to their Shepard friends. An hour later, they entered the forest. Around here, they found the machine's remains of when Nowi first arrived.
"Team Rocket's trap when I used the stone to stop them," she recalled. "Also took out their jet packs they used to escape." Panne looked on, bemused to the power her little friend.
"You must not have wanted those men-spawn to get the advantage on the boy," she believed.
"Not to mention how I found out about my favorite human." Lucina snickered again, the clues connecting on Ash and Nowi's encounter together. Gregor became a little concern for her thoughts on him.
"What about Gregor?" he asked.
"Don't worry, Gregor. You're still a great friend. I just want Ash as a husband." Lucina and Panne understood Nowi's wishes, though Panne thought of another Shepard within Ylisse.
"Don't you think Donnel might be upset about this?" she wondered.
"Don? Well, there's Olivia and Cordelia… even Maribelle..."
"Okay, Nowi!" laughed Lucina. "Let's get back to celebrate Ylisse's independence." They found the rift which brought them from the forest once filled with Risen. Entering, they returned to their land which the crises involving Chrom's kingdom would be coming. Hours after they departed from Ash and his gang, the manakete and her friends arrived at Ylisse's castle where Chrom and Sumia greeted Nowi back home.
"Thank the gods for your safe return, Nowi," Chrom welcomed as the two hugged. Sumia also hugged the manakete.
"I'm sorry for making everyone worry," she apologized. Sumia and Chrom forgave Nowi with sincere smiles before the young lord turned to her escort.
"Marth, Gregor, Panne… good work."
"You're welcome, Milord," Panne spoke for the rest. Night fell, and Nowi was back on the roof overlooking the village as she did prior to finding Ash. Sumia came to the roof and found her ageless friend at the usual perch.
"From what I heard from Panne and Gregor, you've found a boy and fell in love," she mentioned. Nowi turned to Sumia, a white feather still in her hair.
"What, am I not suppose to because of who or what I am?" she questioned.
"Not at all! I'm happy that you found someone . They may help in the future." Nowi doubted Sumia's wish, but kept a smile regardless. One day to her, she and Ash would reunite.
(Four months later…/Pallet Town, Kanto)
A quiet town, hidden among hills. Nothing stood out special except for a windmill on a hillside next to a large structure. Four figures stood at the top of one hill. Two were Ash and Pikachu. The other two were a grown woman and a yellow lizard with huge ears. The bright brunette-haired woman wore gray pants and a magenta shirt with black shoulders. "Here we are, Alexa!" announced Ash. "Pallet Town, my home!" The new woman, Alexa, stepped forward to see the landscape of the town Ash resided in.
"Breathtaking!" she awed. "So the great Ash Ketchum hails from here? Also home to the great Professor Oak? Remarkable!" The yellow lizard hopped on Alexa's head to get a better look at the town. "Helioptile, what say you?" Helioptile didn't think to fondly to the view overlooking the town as they proceeded toward it.
"Too bad Cilan and Iris had to go elsewhere. Maybe Cilan will set up shop in Hoenn after passing his evaluation… and receiving S-Class ranking. Perhaps Burgundy could work for him."
"Didn't you also say that Burgundy destroyed a few benches after learning of Cilan's passing?"
"She hated Cilan with a passion and that's what clouded her judgment." Ash soon refocused on the task at hand. "I can't wait to see how my Pokémon are doing." Pikachu also wanted to see the Pokémon Ash had, but Alexa stopped.
"Ash, aren't you forgetting something?" Ash stopped and turned to Alexa, unsure of her meaning.
"Not really." Alexa started to feel somewhat irritated with his slow thought process.
"Ash Ketchum! What about your family?" Ash jumped at Alexa's snapping of his name. "Don't you think your mom should come first before your Pokémon?" Though trusting his master, Pikachu also wanted to see his mother. Ash couldn't argue with Alexa or his prized Pokémon.
"If Pikachu wants to see Mom, I guess there's nothing I can say to change his mind." The group reached a white house with a porch behind a fence. Just as Ash reached for the door to the fence…
"Ash!" cried a familiar voice. The door opened and out came Nowi and a brunette woman in a pink blouse over a yellow undershirt and skinny jeans. Nowi, now wearing similar clothes to the brunette with a green blouse and white undershirt, hugged Ash and gave him a welcoming kiss. "I suppose… welcome home!" Ash wrapped his arms around her, though bemused at her appearance.
"I thought you went back to Ylisse!"
"I did… and boy, I've got a surprise for you!" The new brunette crossed her arms in trying to understand the situation.
"Son, when were you going to tell me that I'm a grandmother?" she asked with a smug look. Ash blinked, greatly befuddled with her claim.
"Mom, what are you talking about?" he questioned. Nowi broke from the hug and turned to the mother.
"Let me show you. Nah? Ashley?" The call brought out two girls about the same age and height of Ash. One was a raven-haired girl with the same ears as Nowi. She wore a white gown with the skirt reaching her knees which her red knee-high boots covered the rest of her legs. The other looked the spitting image of Ash aside from the green hair, white t-shirt and small bumps on her chest. The new green-haired dove onto Ash with a happy squeal.
"Pops!" she cheered as she wrapped her arms around Ash and Nowi. The new raven-haired watched with a smile but nothing to egregious.
"Father..." she muttered to Ash. The green-haired peeled herself off while Ash and Pikachu looked more confused than ever.
"Hold on a second!" he gasped. "Someone clear this up? When did I have kids? I'm still… I mean..." The raven-haired stepped up to clarify the confusion.
"Ashley and I actually came from the future, Father." The green-haired, known now as Ashley, nodded. This confirmed the raven-haired was Nah.
"You and Mom adored us, even when Grima threatened to take us out," Ashley explained. Learning that their mother was Nowi, Ash had a conclusion to what the two were.
"So you're both manaketes, I take it?" he guessed.
"Uh… Half-manaketes, actually," Nah corrected. Alexa and Helioptile chuckled at the new girls.
"Well, this developed rather quickly," she laughed. Ashley now took stock of the Pokémon on her future father's shoulder.
"You must be Pop's Pikachu that he told me about," she awed as she plucked him from his perch. "No wonder you're his favorite Pokémon. You're so adorable!" Pikachu ate up the admiration from his master's future daughter. Nowi looked around to find the other two with no success.
"Ash, where's Iris and Cilan?" she asked her soon-to-be husband.
"Iris left for Blackthorn City to learn from the Gym Leader Clair about Dragon-Type Pokémon," he explained. "Cilan's on his way to a fishing competition in the Hoenn Region. I believe that since he's an S-Class Connoisseur, he may set up a shop in that region from what he told me about his plans." Nowi became a little sad that she missed her chance of seeing the two again.
"That sucks. I would've wanted to see them again." Nah patted Nowi's shoulder as comfort.
"Don't fret, mother," she reasoned.
"Yeah, there's a chance you may see them again," Ash's mother supported. Watching Nah and Ashley being acquainted with each other brought smiles to Ash and Alexa.
"Seems that I have a pair of awesome daughters to raise," he chortled.
"Sure does," Alexa agreed. "Talk about a pair of bottomless stomachs if they take after their dad's eating habits." The point jolted Ash's head down from an embarrassing stat.
"Alexa, I'm not that bad!" That's when the other girls turned to the other female that tagged along with Ash.
"I'm sorry but… who are you?" the mother, or grandmother to Ash's dragon daughters, wondered. Alexa realized the spotlight on her.
"I'm Alexa," she introduced herself. "I'm a Pokémon Journalist from the Kalos Region. This is one of my Pokémon, Helioptile." Ash's mother welcomed Alexa with a handshake.
"I'm Delia Ketchum, Ash's mom. Probably also the grandmother to Nah and Ashley." The kids chuckled to the added information. "I'm sure Ash would like to see his Pokémon that are at Professor Oak's ranch." This grew interest with Ashley.
"Pops, can we see the Pokémon you have?" she asked.
"You bet!" the "pops" nodded. However, before they could begin their voyage to the professor's house, Meowth's balloon emerged from the hills which Helioptile and Pikachu alerted. Much to Ash's and Nowi's chagrin…
"Prepare for trouble, citizens of Pallet Town!" warned Jessie. She and her partners sat in the basket.
"Make it double, and listen to our sound!" added James.
"To protect the world from devastation…"
"To unite all peoples within our growing nation..."
"To denounce-"
"Blah, blah, blah!" interrupted Ashley. "That's the lamest thing I've heard since returning to this time. Ever heard of stealth? Even Lon'qu was better at the quick attack over doing the motto." Jessie quickly became angered at Ashley's disrespect.
"Hey, didn't your mother ever tell you not to interrupt someone when they're talking?!"
"Well, not only did she, but encouraged it, too." Jessie balked at a reply to Ash's daughter. Ashley pulled a dragon stone from her pocket, as did Nah and Nowi. "Shall we?"
"It's gonna take a family effort to stop Team Dumb-Bet!" mocked Nowi. Flower buds popped from the ground and in a few seconds, the girls became dragons. Nah and Ashley's dragon forms mirrored Nowi's but Nah's was red and Ashley's black. Team Rocket gawked, scared of the dragons flying up to them. Ash rode on Nowi while Pikachu hopped on Ashley.
"Not again!" shrieked Meowth. To eye level, Ash grinned on the outcome.
"Still not learning your lesson," he shook his head. "My family will make sure it's burned in your brains… or your whole body for instance." The three dragons spat massive fireballs which united and increased to a huge size. KABOOM! The giant ball of fire turned the balloon to nothing more than cinders. Team Rocket propelled away from the scene, James wondering if what Ash said was true.
"Did the twerp declare those dragons as his family?" he gawked.
"Dat would explain why he can be rather fearsome in battle!" the cat Pokémon believed. Regardless of opinions, there wasn't anything the trio could do but fly toward the horizon.
"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they shouted while leaving. The dragons returned to earth and transformed back to their normal forms with impressed adults. Ash and Pikachu embraced the girls, knowing how strong they are.
"That's a family statement!" he cheered. Delia and Alexa could only wonder how Ash would be as a father. From his face about his dragon daughters, he couldn't be more proud. They'll head off to the ranch… as a new family.
THE END