Chapter Thirty-Five: Angel's Presence

Giovanni Ketchum twirled around his office chair. A single lamp was his only light in the room. Beyond transparent windows and the shadows of his cabinets showed only darkness. Ice cubes float in a glass full of whisky, and besides the class was a family of empty bottles. His hands were clammy, but he could still feel his dignity. Giovanni pulled a flat object out of the shadows. He examined it briefly with a tear rolling down his face. All four of his children; Leaf, Red, Silver and Ash all sat on his late wife's lap. He seemed to have had everything that a man could ever desire: a successful business and a beautiful family.

He devoured the drink and slammed the glass on the table leaving only the ice cubes.

Giovanni never noticed the sound of the ticking clock until it was midnight. Raindrops splattered on his window. He closed his eyes and just as he was about to drift off to sleep all the lights came on. He knew that he was no longer alone. In front of Giovanni was a a tall man with jet black hair and black robes. There was something strange about the man. His pale skin stood out from his dark attire but his skin seemed as radiant as the large wings soaring from behind his back.

"Who are you?" Giovanni asked him. "What do you think you're doing here."

The man shrugged his shoulders. "I could ask you the same question."

"I am Giovanni," he spat. "I'm the boss of Team Rocket and owner of this building. Now leave before you suffer a world of pain."

"I thank you for the offer," the man sneered back. "But I've already been there, done that and got the T-Shirt." His voice was smooth, deep and soft. "I am Severus Snape, I've been assigned to be the guardian angel for your children."

"That explains the quirky attire," Giovanni said. "But why have you revealed yourself to me?"

The angel, Snape leaned against the table and slammed his fist. "Mr. Ketchum I have been observing all your children and your parenting for over twenty years. You left your wife to fend for herself. Your parenting is a disgrace."

"You've come down from Heaven to mock me?"

"They may all be talented pokémon trainers, but they lack skills necessary for adult life," Snape explained. "Red has the social skills of a magikarp. Leaf has struggled to find happiness. And Silver was a sinful child. He will live forever with the burdens of his sins. As for Ash he has set himself on a very dark path. If you had applied yourself more in your children's upbringing, then their fate could have easily been avoided."

"Ash would never follow a dark path," Giovanni snapped back. "He's a good boy. Kinder than the other three."

"Do you honestly believe that?" Snape asked. "Ash is not the little boy he was when you left him. The influence of prison far to strong for Ash to maintain his purity."

"I had to leave Pallet Town," Giovanni said. "I had to provide for my family."

"You valued profit over family," Snape hissed. It was the horrific truth that Giovanni didn't want to hear. "Not once did you attempt to aid your wife since you left."

"I sent her money."

"Money is not everything," Snape reminded Giovanni. "Your children needed your guidance and your discipline Silver called out for you but you walked away. Red was able to defeat your employees at the mere age at ten. Leaf has been struggling to raise two infants as a single mother. She had to go back to Kanto as one of them had been rushed to hospital."

"Leaf has kids?" Giovanni asked, stunned. "Are they alright now?"

"Fortunately Leaf and her children are alright. You would have known all about this if you'd have stayed in touch." Snape sniffed and drew himself back over the powerful stench of alcohol. "I don't blame them for not wanting to contact you. Look at you, surrounding yourself with alcohol feeling sorry for yourself. I've never seen such a pathetic sight. Professor Oak was right. Delia would still alive if you hadn't have neglected your family. And you're still neglecting them even to this day. YOUR CHILDREN NEED YOU."

"What do you expect me to do?" Giovanni sighed. He reached out for another bottle. Snape confiscated the bottle and destroyed it.

"For goodness sake Giovanni use your common sense," Snape said. "Talk to them. Phone call, e-mail, find them contact them in any way."

"It's too late for that."

"As long as you're still alive it's never too late," Snape insisted. "Your children may be adults but they still need you."

"How do I do it?"

"You can start by sobering up."

Snape vanished and returned to his post in Heaven. On his way, he bumped into another angel known as Albus Dumbledore. In their mortal life, the two of them had worked together and played an important role in stopping a war between wizards.

Albus smiled. "How did it go?" he asked.

"Well enough," Snape muttered. "Only a fool could expect Giovanni Ketchum to miraculously change."

"Don't you think it's quite cute?"

"I'm sorry what are you talking about?"

"I'm a guardian angel for May Maple and you're a guardian angel for Ash Ketchum," Albus said. "I think it's nice that the mortals that we're looking over are dating. I ship it! How about you, Severus?"

"I guess..."

"You seem troubled Severus."

"I'm just curious about what will happen to Ash if he defeats Hades."

"Who knows?" Albus admitted. "It's going to be a night that no one will ever forget. That is all I know. My knowledge on pokémon is sadly rather limited."

Ash felt a great faze of deja vu. He entered the castle and followed the golden trail that lead towards the door that was previously locked. The door was wide open and revealed a large garden beneath a dead grey sky. The garden would have been magnificent if there was more colour to it. The flowers were blue but were shrivelled up with no signs of vitality. The garden was guarded with Gothic statues and figures. And in the centre of the garden was a red-head lady dressed in a white gown. Butterflies hovered around her. She was Dahlia Hawthorne the remaining member of the Elite Four.

"Hey!" Ash cried out as he marched down the stairs. "I know who you are; you're Iris' mother."

"So you do have some intelligence in you after all," Dahlia giggled. "I see you've been busy putting the dark masters and other Elite Four members to shame."

"You've all been too easy so far," Ash snarled. "Soon I will be the new champion of Hell."

Dahlia confessed, "I'm disappointed I've been waiting for my daughter to arrive. And you have the guts to steal the throne that's rightfully hers."

Ash stomped his feet and marched into the patch of flowers. "Why are you disappointed?" Ash asked him. "I'm your challenger and you can't deny me after I've come all this way to beat you."

Dahlia cackled. Her small beady fires set alight and turned red. "Only my daughter could ever defeat me."

"You really think that?" Ash asked. "Have you ever battled her?"

"No," Dahlia said. "But she's a pokémon master, and you're not! Is this your idea of extracting revenge on her? For killing your mother, framing you and trying to frame Serena."

"You possessed her didn't you?" Ash growled. "Serena only got arrested because of your interference"

"If that was the case, then why did you try to protect her?"

"Because I fight for my friends," Ash replied with a grin. Pikachu cried out and pumped his fist. "Oh, I'm sorry. You don't have any friends do you?"

The butterflies burnt to crisp. "I'M ABOUT TO TEACH YOU A LESSON THAT YOU'LL NEVER FORGET!" Dahlia's voice echoed through the garden and caused the plants to hustle and fade to dust. "I am the greatest of the Elite Four. If you thought that all the trainers here were easy just you wait until you see my venomoth."

Ash remained unaffected. His shook his head. "Your words are just empty threats." He steered his head towards Pikachu. "I hope you're ready for this Pikachu. Let's beat this witch."

A giant moth appeared before them. It was a venomoth but unlike any that Ash had ever seen before. The venomoth was white and breathing out fire. Ash and Pikachu dodged every orb of fire that formed from the venomoth. Dahlia stood there and smiled gently. "There's no escape now. This venomoth is a fire and poison type. Pick a fire pokémon if you dare, but it will be in vain."

"I've already decided," Ash hissed. "Pikachu, go for a thunderbolt."

"PIKACHU!"

venomoth spread her wings and tried to move the thunderbolts away from her. The electricity bounced from around the garden and circulated around venomoth, but it didn't hurt her yet.

"Flamethrower!" Dahlia demanded.

venomoth unleashed a line of fire that aimed at Pikachu. Pikachu used another thunderbolt to strike through the fire. The fire and electricity met in the middle and caused a growing orb of orange, red and yellow hues. It didn't take long before smoke filled the room.

"You're a joke," Dahlia told Ash. "You will lose everything."

Ash was having none of it. "You're the one who's a joke. I've got something that you will never have."

"Ha!" Dahlia snapped. "Since when has love ever done any favours?"

"It's given me plenty," Ash said. The orb moved backwards and fourth between Pikachu and venomoth and was only growing larger as the smoke grew bigger. "I have a reason to fight, but you don't. The one person you've ever really cared about wants nothing to do you you. And you've got no one to blame but yourself."

Dahlia gasped. The orb of fire and thunder exploded and Pikachu flew into Ash's arms. The electric pokémon just made it in time without leaving any scars. The smoke vanished and Dahlia kicked the fallen venomoth off from the ground. Ash had won. She screamed. "How could I lose to the likes of you?"

"Pure power isn't enough to win," Ash informed Dahlia. "You need strategy and good training."

"Rich coming from someone who has yet to win a major pokémon league."

"This time tomorrow, I will be."

"You don't stand a chance against Hades," Dahlia said, hissing with every word like a snake. "You should give up."

Ash shook his head. He took great offence to Dahlia's advice. "I would rather die than surrender."

"Fine," Dahlia hissed. "In that case I'll take great pleasure in watching you perish in the hands of Hades."

Just as she was getting ready for bed, May had received a mysterious phone call. The ringtone was different to the upbeat tune that she had chosen. Her phone yelled out a sharp pinging noise that got louder by the second. She answered the phone.

"Hello," she said, hesitantly. "

The caller gasped for breath before talking. It sounded like a young man's voice who was on the other end of the phone. "Is this May Maple?"

"Yes," May responded. "Who is this?"

"I'm...Malfoy. Scorpius Malfoy. Listen you've got to help me. It's my father. The muggles have got him."

She squinted. "Muggles?"

"They've arrested him. They just barged in and took him."

"Where are you Scorpius?"

"I'm at a cottage near Lush Jungle," Scorpius replied. May could hear him sobbing down the phone. It reminded her of herself when Ash was arrested first years ago, Lush Jungle was in Alaka Island, the one next to her. All public transport was closed for the day. She had no way of flying there because Ash was in Hell. Unless she woke up Trucy to ride on Thalassa, her altaria. "I can't use my broomstick," Scorpius told May. "I'm not allowed to use magic outside of school. Please come as soon as possible."

What will May chose to do? Wait till the morning or wake Trucy up to fly to Alaka Island? Find out in the next chapter.