Hey Everybody! It's been almost five weeks, so I guess I should explain. I had my best friend in the whole world (and my own version of Gary Oak since I was eight) come visit me a few weeks ago for a week, so no writing was done then. After he left, I wrote a few thousand words, but then had to get ready to go back to school. Then, I went back to school, and am now living back in Austin and started class this last week. Oddly, this last week was the first time I've had enough time to really sit and think out the rest of this chapter. Anyway, I also haven't gotten to all of your reviews, but I will over the next few days. I also plan on drawing out a timeline for all that's happened in this story, and I'll personally send it to every person that reviews this chapter, so please stick with me and give me your thoughts on this installment. It's a longer one, so hopefully that somewhat makes up for its delay. Well, that's all for now. Read and REVIEW PLEASE!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, or any of its affiliated companies including, but not limited to, 4Kids, The Pokemon Company, Game Freaks, or Cartoon Network. The characters written within this fic are soley based upon the fictional characters created by these companies, and the story is not meant to, nor will it, receive any monetary funding.
Characters' Ages:
Ash: 17
Brock: 22
Misty: 18
Delia: 41
Oak: 56
There was no hesitation on Oak's part. The moment Ash concluded his short speech, the elderly professor led the way out the back of his lab. The two walked towards a fenced corner in the older man's three hundred acre property, where a large oak tree rested; its branches spread wide in every direction.
Ash agreed. This would be the perfect spot for a funeral.
He thanked the professor. He knew it was unorthodox for a Pokémon researcher to agree to a burial on their land - given the large amount of space needed to care for so many creatures - but somehow he'd already known Oak wouldn't turn him down. After all, these Pokémon hadn't died of natural causes, or from some harsh battle. They'd died defending their master and best friend.
So it was here, in the spot that the pair had decided upon two days ago, that the service took place.
Ash still felt better after making his decision, but the funeral was certainly more than enough to temporarily damper his spirits. The service took place at noon, with the sun in full eminence, and he was grateful, as Oak spoke highly of both creatures, that Brock had made it in time to pay his respects.
The service itself was exactly what Ash wanted. Low-toned, with few bells and whistles. Heracross remained in the Medical Ball provided by Nurse Joy. Venusaur's body, according to Lance over the phone, had been reported as completely gone after the confrontation between Red and Giovanni.
After they had decided on the plot of land to use, Oak explained that during their time together, Ash and May's Bulbasaur had bred three eggs. These eggs had hatched, and all three grass and poison types had been distributed, but nevertheless the professor asked Ash if he should contact the trainers for a possible trade.
The former Sinnoh Champion quickly turned him down. No one could replace Venusaur, and honestly, it brought a smile to his lips to think of some ten year old boy out in the woods right now with his Pokémon's child, winning battles and climbing the ranks as he'd once done.
"I think it would be appropriate now, if it's not too much, for Ash to come up and say a few words about Venusaur and Heracross," Oak concluded, stepping away from the shallow hole Heracross's pokéball had been placed in, and snapping Ash back to the present.
He nodded. Stepping up, he looked down at the white pokéball with a red cross etched across its upper-half. "I knew both of these Pokémon for a long time," he began suddenly. He didn't look up, but his voice was clear and steady. "When I caught both of them, I really just thought of them as friends that would help me become a Master...but as I've grown up, and as we battled together across Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, I've realized how much more they mean to me. Friends isn't strong enough...they were - and are - my family. I love them so much."
It was short, but no one cared or seemed to notice. All of the Pokémon, and most of the humans, had tears in their eyes as they watched Ash step away.
For his part, Ash really didn't feel as if more needed to be said. He wasn't giving the speech so much for those in the audience, but rather for himself. He needed the closure this ceremony was meant to provide, and a short speech was all that he needed to hear himself say. Honestly, what hadn't already been said or thought over the last week?
Charizard, who'd flown in from the Charicific Valley, seemed to be the only one of the Pokémon managing to grasp some control of his emotion, though even his eyes were glossy as one of Oak's assistants slowly covered the Medical Ball with shovel-full after shovel-full of dirt.
With shaky breath, Ash took one last glance at the gleaming white reflecting from the sun's rays atop the pokéball before it was completely smothered. Two small wooden crosses stood in the dirt. As the assistant wiped the sweat from his forehead and backed away, Misty placed a bouquet of mixed flowers before each.
The rest of his time on the ranch was spent hugging and crying right alongside his loyal partners.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
A couple of hours later, the trio of friends found themselves back at the Ketchum residence. Ash sat alone in the kitchen, talking through the video screen to Chris.
"I'm sorry we couldn't make it for your Pokémon funeral," Chris apologized over the phone. "We honestly wanted to, but early this morning, Lance began muttering, and we think he's starting to regain consciousness."
"Really?" Ash's heart leapt a bit at the news. "Does that mean he's gonna be okay?"
The blond shook his head. "It's still too early to tell according to the doctor, but I think he will. Lance is a tough old guy, you know?"
Smiling, Ash agreed. "I'll come and visit him soon, then. And it's no problem...Lance needs you all there to help him when he wakes up."
"Thanks. By the way, who ended up making it out there?"
"We didn't invite many people. My mom and Professor Oak were there, of course, and so were all of my Pokémon who knew Bulba- I mean, Venusaur and Heracross, but besides them and Misty and Brock, no one else came."
"I know you probably feel really bad right now...trust me, I know what it feels like to lose some of your best friends to Team Rocket, but I'm glad to hear that you did this. It's actually a good way to help you move on and heal some."
"Thanks, Chris."
The G-Men agent shook his head. "Don't thank me. I'm still mad that we didn't get there earlier. I don't know why I underestimated Team Rocket so badly, but I promise we won't let that happen again."
"Again?"
"Well yeah. Just because Giovanni's temporarily missing, it doesn't mean Team Rocket's finished, obviously."
"Why wouldn't it?"
"That's not how crime works. Several decades ago, Red finished off Giovanni's dad - the original Giovanni, you know - and supposedly 'shut down' Team Rocket forever. But after a few years, Giovanni's wife regained control over the whole organization and revitalized it. She made it even stronger than it had been under her husband's rule, and now that Red's taken away her son, I'm sure someone else will come along and try to do the same thing she did."
Ash's fist tightened. "Why don't they just give up already? We won and they lost. Can't they just quit?"
"Like I said, crime doesn't work like that, Ash. Team Rocket will exist as long as the drug and illegal Pokémon selling industries continue to make a profit. All we can do is stop them as often as we can and hope for the best." He moved a strand of hair away from his eye.
"Yeah, I guess..." Ash sighed. So there really was no happily ever after.
"Anyway, I think we've at least delayed their plans by a couple of years. We destroyed a ton of information in that hideout, and having their leader kidnapped has to slow them down somewhat."
"Speaking of the hideout," Ash mentioned, remembering a question that had plagued him earlier, "why isn't there more news out about what happened? All I've seen was a small article talking about a drug bust the police did east of Cerulean."
"That would be us, Ash. We're the ones who busted the drug ring, remember?"
"But they didn't mention us at all! And they didn't talk about the lab blowing up or anything like that."
Chris shook his head. "You haven't learned how it works yet, but you will soon enough. The police never give the credit to anyone if they can help it, and we're not exactly jumping at the opportunity to tell the Rockets that we're the ones who destroyed their most valuable drug cartel. It's better for everyone if the police just take the credit."
"But it didn't even mention all of the battling or anything! It was like four sentences about how Jenny had arrested over twenty members."
"That's how it goes. Drug busts happen all the time now, and as far as the press is concerned, this one was nothing more or less special than the previous ones. I can tell you seem disappointed, though."
"I'm just a little upset that the Pokémon didn't get the credit they deserve for all of this," Ash explained, saddened that the world would remain ignorant of all that had happened. "It seems disrespectful to just act like we didn't do anything."
"Trust me, Ash. The Rockets might be down, but the second a new leader takes charge, their first priority will be to take out whoever took out Giovanni. It's not disrespectful; it's smart."
The last statement led Ash to another question that had been bugging him. "Do you think Giovanni's really...you know, gone?"
"There's no way to tell right now. I'm not really sure why Red took him, but I've been hearing some weird rumors recently between Cynthia and Steven. They quit talking the second I'm in the room, but I get the feeling they may know something they're not telling us."
"That's odd..."
"Yeah, but whatever. If I find out anything important, I'll be sure to call you back and let you know. You're gonna be taking the next couple of weeks off, is that right?"
More like the rest of my life.
"Uh, yeah, that's right."
"Alright, you relax and enjoy for a while. When you get ready to climb Mount Silver, let us know so we can give you our questions for Red." He paused and gave a small laugh. "It's almost unreal that he's letting you come up, so we need to take advantage of the time you'll have with him. Who knows when Mr. Reclusive will pop out of hiding again?"
"Right."
The video screen blacked out, and Ash hung up the kitchen receiver.
"You done in there?" Misty asked, tapping on the kitchen door as she walked in. Ash looked over his shoulder and gave a weak smile. He was tired after the long day, and it wasn't even three yet.
"Why? Were you listening?"
She stuck her tongue out playfully. "Don't think so much of yourself, Ketchum."
The two pecked on the lips as Ash stood. Though they were still recovering from all that happened, hormones had successfully retaken their hold over the teenagers, and the two often found it difficult to go any period of time without some intimate contact.
Reaching down, she grabbed her boyfriend's hand between her own and looked him in the eye. "So what did they have to say?"
"Chris answered and told me that Lance seems to be doing better. They said he was talking earlier today."
"That's great news!" Misty cried excitedly. It was nice to have something pleasant happen after the gloominess of the funeral. "Do they think he's going to recover?"
"Chris does. He also thinks I'm still going to Mount Silver."
The gym leader narrowed her gaze at her boyfriend. "Ash, we already talked about this. You're not going to make up your mind just yet, remember?"
Ash rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right."
Misty gripped his hand a little tighter. "Ash, you have to listen to me about this. This isn't giving up a hobby...Pokémon training is your life! You can't just walk away from it as if it's nothing!"
"After what's happened, I think it's pretty easy to walk away, actually," Ash answered, a clear sharpness reverberating through his tone.
Misty took a second to calm herself. The last thing either teen needed was to start an argument while feelings were still so raw. "The funeral was just a few hours ago. You still need more time so you can look at this from a less emotional standpoint."
"Look at what?" Brock suddenly asked, walking in and joining the others. "What're you guys doing in here leaving me by myself? I just fly in and you're already ditching me?" He gave a small playful smile, hoping to ease whatever was causing the obviously tense conversation in the small suburban cooking quarters.
"It's nothing, Brock," Ash lied. "Sorry for keeping you waiting." He forced a smile that the older man instantly recognized as fake.
Misty looked to Brock with pleading eyes. "Actually, Brock, you'd be the perfect person for Ash to talk to about this." She looked over to her boyfriend. "Explain to him what you wanna do and why."
Ash gave Misty a rather obvious glare in return to her request, but Brock's curiosity was now piqued. "Yeah, Ash, why don't you guys tell me what's going on? Let's go into the den."
After a tense moment of quiet, Ash slowly nodded his head and released a small "okay".
Sitting down on the chair, Brock faced the two teens from across the coffee table, where they sat on the couch.
"So what's going on? I could tell something's been bugging you since I got here, Misty."
"I'll tell you what's happening," Ash injected suddenly, looking across at his longtime friend. "I've decided to quit battling. I don't want to be the Sinnoh Champion anymore."
For a second, Brock appeared too stunned to talk. His mouth remained slightly ajar as he appeared to struggle for words. Finally, after what seemed to be great mental exertion, he managed to mutter, "W-what do you mean?"
"I don't want to battle anymore. Is that really so hard for everyone to understand?" Ash sat back and crossed his arms indignantly. "It's not like this is out of the blue or something."
That was news to Brock, since this seemed completely out of the blue. "Um, why, uh, do you wanna quit training, Ash?"
"Because of what's happened. I put Misty and my other Pokémon in danger just because I was a champion. I can't do that again, and the only way to get Team Rocket off my back is to quit my position."
Another pause.
"Wow...um, I really never thought I'd hear you say something like that, Ash...I mean, it's really unexpected." Brock still looked a little lost, and Misty began to grow impatient with his floundering.
"So what do you think, Brock? Do you think he should make this major decision now, just a few hours after the funeral took place, or do you think he should wait a couple of weeks before he makes up his mind?"
Brock's shocked expression slowly melted away as he thought through the question. "I dunno...it's definitely Ash's decision to make, but Misty has a really good point. It's normally smart to give these kinds of big choices a few weeks before making up your mind."
"There's nothing to think about, Brock," Ash explained, feeling his blood pressure instantly rise. "I already told you, like I've told Misty, that I'm not putting anyone else in danger ever again for my job. That's just stupid."
"Well, it might be," Brock conceded, leaning back and rubbing his chin in quiet thought, "but you're still looking at this through the lens of someone who's just lost some good friends. You need to give yourself time to heal before you think about it. If you come out now and tell the world you're no longer going to battle, what happens if you change your mind after you start feeling better? You can't go back to the League and just beg them to take you back."
"I'm not even in the League right now, though," Ash contested. "You've seen the papers. I quit when Lance and Steven were fired."
"But Misty told me over the phone that they're pretty positive you'll be getting your job back in the next few days after all that's happened. They won't want to keep the League without champions for too long."
"I don't even know if that's true," Ash replied. "Chris told me that Goodshow's started to look for temporary replacements for all four regions; including Sinnoh. I might not even have to make the announcement if he replaces me."
"So then you'll just quit? What about Lance and Steven? They'll still want their jobs, and they'll need your support in order to get them back!" Misty reminded.
"I'll give them my support, Mist...I'm just not gonna join the League again."
"You know what I mean, Ash. Unless you agree to join back too, Goodshow might not take them seriously."
"And you have to think about all the people that look up to you," Brock reminded. "I can't walk anywhere without seeing your face on a magazine or newspaper. A lot of kids idolize you...how would you have felt if Lance had quit when you were a kid?"
"They're just kids, Brock. They'll find a new hero in no time."
"Then what about the next person who takes your job?" Misty chimed in. "You want to leave this position, but it's gonna have to be filled by someone. If you leave, you're just letting someone else clean up your mess...and what if they're not as strong as you? What if Team Galactic or Rocket bribe them and get control over the League like they did with you...or what if they're kidnapped too and don't make it out like we did."
"That's a good point," Brock agreed. "What if everyone did what you're doing now and didn't do their job because of the risks? We'd have no Officer Jenny's or soldiers or anything!"
"What's your point?" Ash asked with wide skepticism. "Officer Jennys know what they're getting into when they sign up. I was never told that being a Pokémon trainer might mean I'd have to shoot a crime boss in the leg someday!"
"Our point is that your job has a lot of responsibilities, and you need to think about them before you ditch it. Just because a job has risks doesn't mean you shouldn't take it. You didn't know about all the dangers of the job before you joined, and that's true, but you've loved Pokémon and training them your whole life! Giving up that kind of passion is going to be harder than it sounds right now, even if it does mean risking your life."
"You guys don't get it!" Ash yelled back at the two friends suddenly, startling both further into their seats a little. "I don't care about the risk to me, but I'm not going to risk my friends getting hurt! If it was just me getting in trouble, then I'd battle forever, but why would I continue doing a job where everyday I'll wonder if my friends are still alright? I'll come home and worry whether or not they took you again, Mist...you too, Brock. No one I know is safe!"
"But Red took Giovanni away," Misty reminded, "so that shouldn't be a concern. Besides, it's not like me and Brock are harmless...we can take care of ourselves if it comes down to it."
"That's right, Ash. You shouldn't let your fears about us effect your decision."
"Chris reminded me of how Red had beaten Team Rocket before years ago," Ash answered, his voice lower but still dripping with impatience, "and how everyone thought they were gone forever...but then they came back. He's right. Crime never goes away. Just because Giovanni's gone, it doesn't mean Team Rocket suddenly disappears!"
Misty gripped his left knee tightly. "Then we'll just be ready for them when they come back. We've made it through once, and if we need to we'll make it through again!" The determination in her tone threw Ash a little. After his small outburst, he half-expected her to scream him out in return.
He could see the concern in both of his friends' eyes as a hush fell across the living room. He was grateful Delia was at the flower shop, so she wasn't let in on his plans just yet.
"I - and I think Misty too - am just saying that you need to think through the consequences of your decision. If you decide to leave in a few weeks, after you've calmed down some, then go ahead. I won't stop you."
"Neither will I," assured the redhead, giving her boyfriend a small smile. "But you need to give it time, like we discussed."
Ash sighed. "I'll wait a few more weeks, okay? I can't imagine anything will change my mind, but I'll do it so you two feel okay about it."
"Good," Brock answered, sounding relieved at the compromise. "Now, I didn't fly all this way and sign off on two weeks of vacation to just sit around. Let's do something!"
"You guys go on ahead," Ash said, with a half-smile. "I think I wanna take the rest of the day off to...you know, kinda think about what's happened."
"Oh, right. Sorry Ash," Brock muttered, realizing the poor timing of his request. Heracross had just been put in the ground, and here he was demanding fun.
Ash's smile grew. "No worries, Brock-o! Tomorrow we'll hang out and go do something really fun! You're right, you didn't come all this way just to be sad for two weeks!"
"Well, if that's what it takes to make my best friend feel better, than I'll be more than happy to be...sad." He laughed at the odd statement, and Misty and Ash joined in. "But yeah, if you feel up to it, then we can go to the beach or something tomorrow."
"Yeah. Today we can go around the city square. They've expanded a lot since we were kids, Brock," Misty informed. "We can go visit Ms. Ketchum, do some window shopping-"
"Check out the Pallet girls..." Brock added dreamily.
"Don't make me go upstairs and grab the mallet, Brock."
"Oh, uh, right! Sorry about that." Without thinking, he rubbed the back of his head where Misty's toy mallet regularly smacked him back when they traveled together. "No need for that."
"Good. Let's get our shoes and we can go!"
The pair hurriedly laced their sneakers and bid Ash farewell. As they closed the door, Ash leaned back in the sofa and grabbed the remote.
As the television blared some sitcom, Ash thought of how weird it felt to be alone in his house. He hadn't had a second to himself, it seemed, in a long time. With Ma and Mr. Mime at the shop, Misty and Brock browsing Pallet, and Pikachu back with his friends in mourning their losses, he had temporary solitude.
With a grunt, he pushed the power button. If this was all the time he was going to get to himself, he didn't want to waste it zoning out in front of the television.
Taking off his socks, he stepped out the back door and into the yard. The Ketchum backyard wasn't nearly as floral as the front appeared; mostly because Delia didn't have extra time to grow a new garden where no one would see it anyway. Instead, the backend of the property consisted of a small patio with an umbrella table and three plastic chairs on it, and a patch of grass that went wide and deep thanks to the white picket fence's border. Beyond the yard lay miles upon miles of soft, windswept plains, and beyond those was a speck that represented the mountainous border which separated Johto from its neighbor to the east.
There was no breeze today, though the sun had mercifully begun to lower itself, allowing the temperature to fall somewhere between warm and just right. The humidity was significantly lower from where it was just days before, and from the sparse trees within view, Ash could feel fall begin to take its first steps upon one of Kanto's smaller towns.
He walked to the edge of the property where he leaned against the fence and watched as the sun stood above the silhouette of the distant mountains. He looked down the right a little, knowing what waited for him. Mount Silver was actually really not all that distinct from the other earthy structures surrounding it, but Ash had known about its legacy for being the Pokémon Master's home for years, and had thus long ago memorized its location and distinctions.
He'd read that years before there were even more mountains between Route One and Mt. Silver. These made it basically impossible to view Red's hideout without first passing over them, but from the time he could remember onwards, those mountains never existed; having been flattened by armies of Machamp over two decades earlier to make easier passage for vehicular travel between the two nations.
When he'd seen the mountain from his vantage point during his run a few days earlier, it was really something of a miracle. Normally fog or smog or something would hinder the distant sight of the natural structure. Nevertheless, he'd seen it, and now the image was burned in his memory.
It, like the Master hidden within, was simply standing there; waiting for him.
But he knew that trip was impossible now. He had so many questions to be answered; questions that, in fact, burned inside his chest every night. What happened to Giovanni? How did Giovanni find him and Misty? Why was he invited to Mount Silver in the first place?
Yet, the desire to remain as distant as possible from battling with his Pokémon was stronger even than his desire for answers. It was a weight, he realized, and the second he resolved to give it up, that weight was lifted from his heart and mind.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Yeah, it really has expanded," Brock noted as the two gym leaders walked along the sidewalk. Stores and restaurants had appeared where just a few years ago none had been. "Still nothing like a big city, but it's certainly grown."
"I kinda hope it never gets big like Cerulean or Pewter," Misty mentioned as they waited at a crosswalk for a red light.
"How come?"
"I just love the small town atmosphere." She took silent note of the almost empty streets, and the wide array of "mom and pop" stores that stood side-by-side. "There aren't too many places like this in Kanto."
"That's true. It certainly is quieter than Pewter could hope to be."
The crosswalk sign turned white and the two young adults made their way across and into the town square.
"Hey, do you wanna drop in and say 'hey' to Ms. Ketchum?"
Brock shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, we just saw her, didn't we?"
"Yeah, but maybe it'll do us some good to see her outside of a funeral. It'll be more lighthearted."
Brock nodded. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."
Walking through the front doors of the flower shop, Brock and Misty were less than surprised to find that there was very little business this afternoon. Only one man stood near a fridge, examining several dozens of roses from behind the thickly fogged glass.
Delia stood directly to the right of the door. She was hunched over, filling out some kind of paperwork, and didn't immediately look up as the bell rang to warn her of new customers.
"Just one second, please," she murmured, still filling out blank spaces frantically. "We're running lower on petunias than I'd expected, so I need to get more-"
"Ms. Ketchum, it's us!" Misty alerted, immediately causing Delia to drop her pen and look up.
"Brock, Misty! How nice to see you two!"
"We just wanted to drop in and say 'hi' to ya!" Brock mentioned, waving his hand. "Sorry if we caught you at a bad time."
She shook her head. "It's never a bad time to see you two," the older woman assured. "Is everything alright at the house?"
A worried expression suddenly crossed her face.
"Where's Ash?"
Misty shrugged. "He didn't feel like coming. He wanted to be alone for a little while, so me and Brock thought we'd come down here to check out all the new shops that Pallet's gotten since I was last here."
"That's right, you really haven't explored Pallet in a few years, have you?"
"Nope. It still looks beautiful, though."
Delia smiled. "Thank you. We take a lot of pride in appearance down here, I guess."
"Well it shows," Brock chimed in.
The man behind the pair finally opened the fridge and took out a bouquet of yellow roses. Walking to the counter he quickly handed the vase to Delia.
She scanned the container and thanked the man before looking back to Ash's friends.
"So what do you two have planned for the rest of the day?"
"Not much, really. We're just walking around...you know, browsing and stuff. I might buy something for my apartment if it looks nice."
"I don't have any money, really," Misty admitted. "The gym's closed right now, so I'm kinda living off savings."
Delia's face suddenly brightened. "Would you like to earn some easy money, Misty?"
Surprised, the redhead nodded. "Uh, sure. Do you have a job for me?"
"Well, I was just thinking, Ash and I haven't had much of a chance to talk yet since he's been back. Maybe I could head back to the house and talk to him if you'd agree to look after the shop for me till closing time."
"Wait, you mean run your store?" Misty's eyes went a little wider at the inquiry. That was a lot of faith to have in one teenager with no business experience.
Delia nodded. "I don't think it could ever be as difficult as running a gym! And all I need to teach you is how to work the cash register. Besides, it's not really busy this time of the week, and the store's only open a few more hours, and Mr. Mime will be in the back cleaning if you need any help."
"I'll even keep you company, Mist," Brock assured. "And I won't even take it out of your new salary!"
Biting her lip, Misty finally nodded. "Alright, let's do it! Like you said, it's not like there's going to be a lot of business today."
Smiling, Delia beckoned the younger woman over to her side of the counter to explain the basic mechanics of the register.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Sweety, I'm home!" Delia announced as she walked through the front door. At first, her call was answered with silence. Curious, she called again, and was still met with nothing in return.
Strange, she thought, taking off her shoes and putting up her purse.
Walking down the hallway she called out again to no avail.
"Where could he be?" she wondered aloud.
Reaching the back of the house, she was about to turn around when something caught her eye. There, near the back fence, stood her son.
Opening the sliding glass door, she took a step out onto the warm concrete patio.
"Ash! I'm home early, honey!"
Apparently startled, Ash jumped around. "Oh! It's you! Hey Ma!" He ran over to her. "What are you doing here?"
"Misty and Brock came down to the store earlier and told me you'd decided to stay behind. I thought this would be a good chance for us to catch up while everyone was out."
"Okay," Ash agreed, a little disheartened. He'd been enjoying the momentary quiet, but he didn't want to upset his mom. "You wanna go inside?"
"We can sit out here," she suggested, pulling a chair out from beneath the shaded patio table. "So how are you feeling?"
Taking a seat, Ash sighed. "I feel sad, mostly. I still don't feel as bad as I did before, but seeing that funeral really got to me again."
"It was a lovely service," Delia noted. "Not many trainers would do that for their Pokémon. Heracross and Venusaur would have been proud."
"Yeah, I guess it was..."
"Is something on your mind, Ash? I know that this has upset you a lot, but I can tell that you've been thinking a lot the last couple of days."
Ash gave a small smile.
Of course she noticed.
Bringing up his head, he steeled his resolve. "I've been thinking that I'm gonna quit my training."
Instantly, the same surprised expression that had adorned both Brock and Misty's faces graced his mom's as well as the words seemed to slowly sink in.
"Um, quit training, honey?"
At least she didn't take as long as Brock to understand.
"Yeah, I know it's a surprise...trust me, I know now, but I think it's just for the best. After all that we've been put through these last few months, it just seems silly to keep trying for the Master title. Nothing could be worth all that we've lost and fought for."
Delia opened her mouth, as if to say something, but quickly closed it again. For a few moments, both parties stayed quiet as the words lingered in the late afternoon air.
Finally, she seemed to find her voice. Ash already knew what she was gonna ask, and he prepared himself to not roll his eyes as she questioned if he really wanted to forego his lifelong dream.
"That sounds good to me, dear."
For once, it was Ash's turn to be surprised. "R-really? It's okay with you?"
"I want what you want. If you don't want to be a trainer anymore, then why would I push you to do it? Does that seem fair or make sense?"
Even as he watched her speak them, the words still seemed foreign. Of all the people he expected to put up a fight, his mother was suspect number one. She'd always been so supportive - even if that support had been at times reluctant - of his training. She'd known it was his dream, like his dad's, to become the world's greatest Pokémon Master.
Nevertheless, the statement quickly took its effect. After fighting Misty the last few days, and now Brock, it finally felt as if someone was on his side. A larger smile spread across the raven-haired teen's lips. "No, I guess it doesn't. Misty and Brock don't agree with you though."
"You've already told them about this? Why didn't you tell me?" she questioned, sounding offended.
She caught onto that quick. Though she rarely used it, his mother had a unique ability to make him feel guilty no matter what he did,
"Um, well I told Misty and she told me to keep it quiet until I was sure that it was what I wanted to do, because it's such a big decision. Then Brock told me the same thing when she told him what I was planning to do."
She raised an eyebrow. "Misty and Brock obviously have some reason. Why don't they want you to do this?"
"They say that I need to wait a while before I announce it because I might change my mind. They're afraid I'm too emotional to think clearly after all that's happened."
Leaning her head forward a little, she looked at Ash with an inquisitive stare. "Do you think they have a point? We just had the funeral today, after all."
Ash shook his head. "Time won't take away the risk. If I keep going for it, Team Rocket's still gonna go after me and my friends and family. What kind of person would I be if I kept trying?"
"Well, I know that Brock and Misty would never want to be the reason you quit your dream, and neither would I," Delia answered. "If it's a choice you want to make, then I want you to do it, but don't worry about us."
Ash's eyes widened. This felt like the same brick wall he'd hit with Misty and Brock a couple hours earlier. "How do you guys expect me not to worry about you? Your my mom and they're my best friends!"
"But no matter what you do, Team Rocket will try to get revenge if they come back," Delia reminded in a matter-of-fact tone.
Ash's eyes widened, a little thrown by the retort. Why would his mom think they'd continue hunting him? "If I'm not a trainer anymore, they won't care though, will they?"
"People like Team Rocket never forget and never forgive. They'll want to use you as an example, just like they did with Red."
If his eyes had widened at her last statement, they were absolutely bulging from his head at this point. "That's right! You said something about Red the night I was at the Pokémon Center too! You said that you knew him! How?" He'd almost jumped out of his seat as the questions raced through his mind and lips. He gripped the edge of the circular table tightly as he waited for an answer.
In response, Delia leaned back a little, slightly startled by the instantaneous outburst. She knew this question was coming after she'd mentioned Red that night a few days earlier, but it still worried her to tell the truth after all of this time.
"Um, well, it was several years ago, actually. You were only a few years old when it all took place..."
She was already hesitating, and Ash knew this was something she didn't want to discuss. At this point, though, he really didn't care. The questions just continued to pile up in his mind, and if he didn't get some answers soon he feared he might lose it.
"Yeah?" he urged on.
Taking a breath, Delia nodded. "Well, your father was a great Pokémon trainer, as you know already, but he actually got caught up in the Pokémon G-Men not long after we first met. Since you're friends with Steven and Lance, I think you already know about them. Anyway, he'd been a trainer his whole life, and you know about his losing to Lance. We'd just started dating, but I could already read him and I knew how deeply the loss hurt."
Ash knew about the battle as well. He'd watched the tape many times as a child, imagining he were there in place of Lance, battling his father's fierce fighting team one-on-one.
"But a few days after the match, he actually got a strange phone call from Lance. They sent a private jet to Pallet, and a few days after he left, he came back saying he'd joined some elite Pokémon police group called the G-Men, and he told me not to mention it to anyone."
Ash leaned forward on the table, nodding eagerly, and excited at all the new information. His dad had been a PGM member?
"Well, we got married shortly after that, and then you came along, and for a while everything was okay. Your dad worked with the G-Men and they paid him well. He had to leave every few weeks for days at a time, and sometimes he came back with a new bruise or cut I hadn't seen before, but he always told me it was alright."
Her voice went soft for a moment, and she seemed to look over Ash's shoulder. "He was always so confident...he never let me worry about him." Re-focusing, she looked back at Ash with a sad smile. "Just like you, actually."
Smiling a little himself, Ash had to force himself past the sentimentality of discussing his deceased father and back to the matter at hand. His brain wouldn't stop questioning him until he got an answer to something.
"But what does this have to do with Red?"
The information felt almost unreal, but it still didn't explain how his mom knew the most powerful trainer on Earth.
"Red was part of the G-Men too."
After finding out his father was part of a secret task force directed by the Pokémon League members, he was only mildly interested in this last tidbit which seemed to contradict what Lance had told him about Red never coming out to missions.
"I think there's a picture somewhere from a party we went to with him. You see, Red and your dad worked on a few missions together, and we invited him to the house whenever he was able. Your father admired him so much..." Her voice trailed off for a moment, and he could see a glimmer of sadness reflected in her eyes. "He enjoyed working for the G-Men so much, too. He loved Pokémon training almost as much as he loved us, and even after he made it, he kept training and working hard with the other members so that he could beat Lance the next time they faced off."
"Wow," Ash muttered, taken aback from the new slew of information. His whole grown life, Delia had never told him anything more than that his dad had been a great trainer who died in an accident. She never specifically explained how or why, but the fact that he was a member of the PGM certainly opened plenty of possibilities.
Delia gave her son a remorseful look. "I would have told you earlier, but it just never seemed like the right time. I never lied about Jay, but I never told the whole truth either. He was an excellent trainer who died in an accident, but there was more to it than that. When you were about two, he got a new mission...a long-term one. Red personally came to our house that night...I remember he was completely drenched because of the rain."
The rapt interest Ash had shown before was nothing compared to what he felt now. He knew something big was about to happen in the story, and his heart beat against his chest faster in anticipation.
"He-he told your dad that they were almost done. They'd almost gotten everything in place for some big plan he had to take down Sylvia. He told me they needed evidence, and that Jay was gonna need to go undercover a few months to make sure they got it."
"Who was Sylvia?"
Delia shook her head. "I don't know. I just know she was part of Team Rocket."
"What did Dad say?"
Delia gave a slight smile. "He said yes, of course. He never turned down a chance to take down the Rockets."
She remained quiet a moment as tears began to form in her eyes. The recap and confession were clearly beginning to take a toll on her as she recollected all that had happened.
"Anyway," she continued, sniffling a little and looking down, "I didn't like it. It was too long for Jay to be gone, and it sounded dangerous even though they tried to act like it wasn't. But neither of them listened to me. The next day, Jay put on a Rocket uniform, kissed me and you goodbye, and said...he said he'd be back in a few days."
Her voice cracked at the last few words, and she broke out into a short series of sobs.
"It's okay, Ma," Ash consoled. He got up and weakly pat her on the back; not really paying attention to his own actions as he tried to understand and take in all that had been told to him so far.
"No, I'm-I'm gonna finish this," Delia continued, wiping her eyes and telling Ash to sit back down. "You deserve the truth after all that's happened. I'm just sorry it's taken so long for me to finally tell you."
Oddly, Ash didn't really feel angry at her for not telling him sooner. Even though everything she'd told him thus far had already turned into the most interesting story he'd heard in his life, he wasn't upset that he didn't know it sooner. Perhaps he was just too numb to feel anything right now. "It's alright. Just tell me what happened when you can."
She nodded. "Well, a few days passed and I didn't hear anything from your father. I started to get worried, but I couldn't get in touch with any of his friends from work, either, so I ended up just having to wait."
"Then, one day a week later, I got a call from Red. I'd never heard him scared before in my life, but he was then. He told me to take you and get to a hotel far away from Pallet. He said he'd call in a few days to explain and then hung up. It was the middle of the night, but I got you out of bed and we drove all the way to Viridian without stopping. We waited in a hotel room for a couple of days, and then Red called back again. He told me that your father hadn't made it...hadn't made it out of the mission alive."
There was a heavy silence as Delia remembered the details. Fortunately for him, Ash had been too young at the time to recall the tragedy specifically, but he never underestimated how deeply the loss had affected his mother.
Through tears, she continued. "I asked-I asked him what happened and he said he couldn't give specifics. He just told me to go home, and that he would make sure I was taken care of...I never saw him again until last week."
"What did he mean by take care of you, then?" Ash asked, feeling as confused as he was sure his mother felt. "How could he do that if he never saw you again?"
"I'm not sure," Delia shrugged while dabbing her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "The G-Men kept paying us for years afterward, but I never saw any of them after that day. Your dad's funeral had all of our family, and a few friends, but none of them showed up..."
He couldn't believe it. Why hadn't Lance or Steven shown up for one of their own partner's funerals? And, perhaps more importantly, why did they never tell him any of this?
However, he knew Delia wouldn't know the answers to either of these questions. Instead, he focused on the one inquiry he knew she had the response for. "Why did you say they used Red as an example?"
"Oh, right," she mumbled, still wiping away tears. "Well, he told me that they'd attacked his family too, and that he'd lost his wife...I didn't even know he was married until he said that."
This was a surprise, of course, to Ash as well. All of the biographies following the Pokémon Master that he'd read as a child never once mentioned a spouse.
"I didn't either."
"Like I said, though; after that day I didn't hear from him again. A few years passed, and I slowly kind of just put what happened out of my mind. I tried to pretend like none of it had happened. That's the real reason I never told you about this...because I didn't want it to be real."
Ash nodded, already understanding. He couldn't hold it against his mother after all she'd been put through to try and act like this hadn't happened. He wished he could do the same thing.
"Of course, I'm not mad at Red, and you shouldn't be either," Delia warned from across the table suddenly. Her voice and words caught Ash by surprise and shook him from his thoughts. "Even though he said he'd take care of us, who's to say he didn't? He may have been the one paying us that whole time, after all. And he is the one who took care of Giovanni, isn't he?"
Ash shook his head. "Who knows? Steven's wondering if maybe he and Giovanni aren't partners since he took him away before the police could get there."
"That's not true," Delia answered simply, still looking down. "Steven's wrong about that."
"How do you know?" Ash asked. There was no malice in his question; just more curiosity. "It's weird that he would just disappear with him like that."
"Not if Team Rocket killed his wife," she answered in a hushed tone. "Maybe...maybe he was getting revenge for what happened."
Though it made sense, it was hard for Ash to imagine. The Pokémon Master killing the head of Team Rocket? It sounded more like an action movie than real life.
Of course, so does everything that's happened over the last two weeks, he reasoned.
"I don't know if he killed Giovanni or not," Delia continued, "but I know he didn't just release him, and I'm positive they weren't partners after all that happened."
"So why did he come to see you? Did he say?"
Delia nodded. "He just said you were in trouble. We didn't really catch up at all. All he asked was for your pokédex location. I signed onto the pokédex security site and showed him where you were and he disappeared."
"Wait, you were able to find me using my pokédex?" Ash reached into the suit jacket pocket lined on the inside. "I thought you told me you deactivated that account when I was fourteen?"
Delia gave her son a sad smile. "Sorry, but a mother can't help but worry. I don't normally use it, but I feel better knowing where you are."
Ash smiled back. "I guess I should feel grateful that you did keep it, huh? Especially if you're right about Red. He may be better able to punish Giovanni than the police."
"I think that's what he thought too."
"This just feels so weird...I can't believe dad was a member of the G-Men, just like Lance and Steven and Cynthia."
"That's right," Delia verified. "He didn't tell other people what he did because it was supposed to stay a secret, but I was always so proud of him for his work...you would have been too."
"...I think I already am."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
At six-thirty that evening, Brock and Misty both collapsed through the front door.
"Are you two okay?" Delia asked worriedly as she noted their fallen positions just inside her abode.
Breathing hard, Brock nodded. "Uh, yeah, yeah, Ms. Ketchum. We're fine...it's just, well..."
"You, uh," Misty interjected, taking a deep breath before continuing. She and Brock were both sweating profusely and appeared severely out of breath. "You apparently had signed up to do someone's wedding for tomorrow."
"And the bride threatened our lives if we didn't come and get you immediately after we told her we didn't know about any big orders," Brock concluded.
Delia's eyes widened significantly and she covered her mouth as she gasped. "I completely forgot that I had signed on to do that this evening! I'm so sorry you two!"
She and Ash had concluded their conversation a half-hour earlier, and she'd already prepared a bath, but any plans to unwind after the crying and confessing were dismissed as she instead quickly ran towards the door and slipped on her shoes.
"Ash! You'll have to make supper yourself tonight, okay? I'm going to be working late at the flower shop!"
"Alright!" came Ash's reply from up the stairs.
In the blink of an eye, Delia was gone; slamming the door behind her.
"Wow, she seems almost as scared as us," Brock mused, still catching his breath after their sprint from the store. The bride had threatened to unleash her Mankey on them if they didn't hurry; and from the crazed look in her eye, she was not one to take threats from lightly.
"She should be! That...that woman's a maniac!"
They stayed on the carpet a little longer, catching their breath, and they were surprised to hear Ash's laugh come from above after a few more winded seconds.
"You guys look like you saw a ghost!" he exclaimed.
Misty smiled as she looked up. "May as well have! There was a bride who said she'd kill us in our sleep if we didn't get your mom there in ten minutes!"
"Ma always says that brides are the scariest people to work for in the flower business," Ash reasoned as he lighted the stairway. "I guess she wasn't kidding."
"So did you two have a good talk while we were getting pummeled, at least?" Brock asked jokingly, sitting up against the wall.
Ash nodded. "You guys need to come sit down for a minute... I have some unbelievable stuff to tell the both of you!"
Looking at each other, Brock and Misty quickly got to their feet; completely forgetting the exhaustion that had just engulfed their bodies. If it was unbelievable after the last few days' events, then what had been said must have truly been Earth-shattering.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Stunned into complete silence after the fifteen minute retelling of his and Delia's conversation, Brock and Misty continued to listen as Ash concluded his thoughts.
"So after all that I've found out, I don't think Red's the one I need answers from right now. If Steven and Lance knew about Red being a member of the G-Men, and they knew my dad back when he was a member, then they need to explain why they never told me the truth."
Misty struggled, but ultimately succeeded, in finding her voice first. "B-but, uh, why do you think they didn't tell you?"
Ash shrugged. "I have no idea. That's why I need to ask. I'm not sure if they're trying to cover up or something, but they couldn't have just not known that I was Jay's son after working with me the last six months, could they?"
Brock shook his head. "It-well, it couldn't happen. If they really knew your dad when he was a member of their group, they'd know about you too."
"Then that's what I'm gonna find out next. Tomorrow morning I fly back to Cerulean on Charizard to find out what's going on."
Author's Notes: A lot happened in this chapter, and you, as the audience, just got a huge chunk of clues as to who Red is the father of, so if you didn't catch it the first time, I hope you go back and look again. I'm also starting to foreshadow some events, so if any of you want to hazard a guess on what those events are in the comments section, I'd be happy to read them! Anyway, I know this chapter was a long time in coming, but I hope its relatively good quality is payment enough for your loyal patience, and I REALLY expect to have chapter 51 out on time (in two weeks). We're kind of entering the final arc here, so if you're a loyal reader I highly suggest you pay close attention to these upcoming last chapters...there may be more to this story than you ever expected. Anyway, have a good two weeks, and REVIEW PLEASE!