A Mother’s Secret

by PuffyTopianMan

Ash gets injured and sick after a battle with Team Rocket and his mother Delia takes care of him at home. However, due to her concerns with her son’s continuous risks to his life, she starts to question whether or not she’s a good mother, causing her mysterious nightmares about her past and a Pokémon she’s never seen before.

"NO! I've had enough!" a young woman's voice angrily shouted.

"Excuse me?" a man's cold tone said.

"I can't do this anymore!" The woman said in tears. "I'm watching all those Pokémon get taken…all their Trainers hurt and sad…and those Pokémon we have aren't being shown ANY of the things a Trainer is supposed to show them!"

"You're spouting nonsense, my dear," the man told the woman. "Team Rocket is molding them into EXACTLY what they're born to be since the beginning of time: weapons of conquest for humanity."

"You're wrong! They're so much more than that! Pokémon have feelings, hearts, souls, everything that makes someone alive! I…I want to raise Pokémon as if they were my own children. Not like…a tool to exploit! This isn't right!"

There was grunt from the man, and a gasp from the woman. He was having her arm grasped painfully tight, leaning her up against a wall. The man put on a very sinister growl as he talked.

"So…you're talking about raising children now, are you?"

"Ngh…let go…of me!"

"Children are useless in this world unless they're a means to an end for us adults," the man said coldly. "Same with Pokémon. The only kind of 'raised child' useful to me is one who will stand at my side as Team Rocket fully conquers this world. You swore by my ambitions when you joined my gang so many years ago. This is what Pokémon realize their destiny is once they become our property." The woman's breath was shaky hearing how sinister the man's voice was. "Now, Team Rocket is an even bigger force than even I could've ever imagined! No one has stood in our way, and our reign WILL be eternal!" The man lowered his voice to a whisper right by the woman's ear. "I'll make sure it is."

"NEVER!" the woman screamed, slapping the man across the face, then throwing down her Team Rocket hat. The man's Persian was just growling at her and wanting to Slash her to shreds for going out of line.

"During…" the woman said, her voice still shaky. "During our last Pokémon heist…I met someone. Someone who opened my eyes. He loved his Pokémon like true partners. Friends. Family. I battled him, thinking exactly like you, like he was a weakling for not seeing Pokémon for their 'true purpose'. He…he utterly defeated me."

"…What?!"

"He told me…I didn't have to live like this. He saw it in my eyes. He saw the pain welling through me for those Trainers and Pokémon as Team Rocket was terrorizing them. We both knew the truth…this isn't right. It's not right for me. Team Rocket isn't right." The woman glared at the ruthless man. "YOU'RE not right."

The man stood silent, holding his slapped cheek. Giving a small chuckle, he said, "Oh, Delia, Delia, Delia…you always looked so lovely whenever you spoke your mind. Perhaps that was why we thought we'd be a perfect match when we first met."

Young Delia just scowled at him.

"You know that once you swear allegiance to me, there's no turning back. When I found you, you were nothing but a naive lab assistant to that old fool Professor Oak, never knowing what direction you wanted your life to go in. I gave you your destiny. I gave you your purpose—to serve your master."

The man's Persian started encircling Delia like a predator encircling its prey before it'd inevitably pounce, probably in an attempt to intimidate the woman. In its mouth was some sort of remote control.

"How could one random setback like your one failure against some foolish Trainer possibly make you see any better than what I've shown you? What right has he to impede on your views, superior views of a force as invincible as Team Rocket's?

"You have power. You have force. You can take anything you want. Nothing can stand in your way. And you can destroy any who try to stop you. You have no limits here. Do you really want to throw all that away to waste your own potential, least of all, Pokémon's potential as war weapons? You're better than this, Delia. I see that in you. Someone as insignificant as him could never understand what I hope to achieve, and what you can achieve with me."

"Purrrr…" Persian was nearing Delia now, dropping the remote control into her hand.

"The green button will release every single Pokémon we've captured on that raid back into freedom to the wild and their Trainers. The red button will activate the specially designed Team Rocket Poke Balls, making them belong to us…forever."

Delia took a good, long look at the monitors behind the man. All those caged and neutralized Pokémon, even fearsome-looking ones like Gengar, Tauros, Kingler, Muk and Snorlax, were all looking sad, fearful, on the verge of crying, and as angry as Delia was feeling for what Team Rocket was doing with them. One of which was a mother Raichu holding an unhatched Egg, whom one purple-haired Grunt woman was about to take away from her.

"If you know your place, Delia…if you know what's good for you…if you're going to choose a path you know is the correct one…choose it. Now."

The words that had just come out of the man's mouth was the exact same phrase, word for word, that that Trainer had spoken once Delia was defeated. She looked at the man. Then the monitors. Then at Persian. Then her remote's two buttons. She knew what that statement meant now. She knew what she had to do. She softly uttered two simple words.

"Goodbye Giovanni."

With that, she pushed the green button.

Absolute chaos ensued once those cages opened. The freed Pokémon destroyed their own cages, freed other Pokémon, attacked the other Grunts, and wild ones were escaping back to the nature from which they were taken. The Pokémon belonging to the Trainers were heading straight for a refuge Officer Jenny and her forces had set up so they could be reunited with their Trainers. Despite the Grunts' best weaponry and detainment methods, despite their own trained Pokémon, none of them were a match for the captive Pokémon's escape charge.

Giovanni was watching everything in disappointment and fury as his latest heist was shattered to pieces by the one woman who's stuck by him the closest in Team Rocket's history. Glaring at Delia, without saying a single word, he snapped his fingers pointing to her, and his Persian bared its sharp fangs, unsheathed its blade-like claws and lunged at her for a most gruesome Slash attack. Delia shut her eyes waiting for the worst…

"CHUUUUUUUUUU!!!!"

A Thunderbolt attack suddenly zapped the Classy Cat Pokémon out of commission.

"Rai-Rai! Raichuuuuu!"

It was the mother Raichu who had just escaped from the cage! It was signaling Delia to get away from the base quick! As the two ran off, the woman could hear Giovanni's voice echo throughout the base halls.

"You've made a big mistake walking out on me my fair Delia. One day soon, when this world becomes mine, you'll know what true terror will feel like."

Delia used her Team Rocket-trained athleticism to get past the blaring alarms and shutting security doors.

"I swear it in the name of Team Rocket, that the next time you, your "Trainer" friend, or any part of your chosen path crosses mine, there will be absolutely no mercy."

As if the mother Raichu was Delia's own Pokémon, it kept zapping Grunt after Grunt in our heroes' way.

"As long as I lead this organization…as long as there's at least one Pokémon in this world to exploit and control…Team Rocket is immortal."

The purple-haired Grunt that had stolen the mother Raichu's Egg was incapacitated by the time Delia escaped the base.

"One way or another, Delia, Team Rocket will always follow you. That is because our destinies are intertwined. No matter where you run, no matter where you hide, no matter how much you try to put your past behind you…Team Rocket will now and forever be a part of it."

Giovanni watched Delia and Raichu fly away on a helicopter with the Egg in tow.

"You'll never escape me, nor can you ever truly defeat me. I will use everything in my power to secure the future that belongs to Team Rocket. I WILL make this world mine. If not with you…"

He turned to a fossilized relic of the ancient Pokémon Mew hanging on his wall.

"…then with something else…"

——————————————————————————————

"AAAHHH!!!"

Delia jolted straight up in her bed, holding her heart in a cold sweat.

Mr. Mime heard Delia shrieking and ran to her bedside to see if she was all right. "Mime Mime?" The Psychic Pokémon was holding her hand in concern.

"Oh…Mimey…" sighed Delia. "I'm…I'm okay. I'm sure it was…probably too much pot pie before bed…"

"Mime…" Mr. Mime knew this wasn't the real reason for those nightmares she's been having lately, and it knew she knew this too.

"Mmm…but still…" Delia whispered. "To tell the truth…I can't help but feel that…Ash might be in trouble somewhere." She glanced over at a framed picture of her, her son and his friends. "It's just been so long since I've seen my little man. I just wish…"

She walked to her son's empty bedroom, looking at all his Pokémon toys, games, books and videos. "I wish…"

Looking out his window at the night sky, she shut her eyes in hopefulness. "I wish I could always be there for him when he really needs me…"

Mr. Mime patted Delia's back in comfort. "Mime Mime."

"Sniff…thank you, Mimey."

She turned around to go back to sleep as a shooting star gleamed in the sky behind her, unaware something else was looking up at that same star…

——————————————————————————————

"Honey! I brought up some soup for you!"

Ash Ketchum's mother Delia was knocking on her son's bedroom door one afternoon, holding some hot soup to serve him in bed.

Ash and Pikachu had just gotten into quite a scuffle with Team Rocket back in Vermillion City; Team Rocket had a nigh invincible mecha that was preparing to teleport every single captured Pokémon to Giovanni's headquarters, and the operation was even overseen by his secretary, Matori herself. Almost losing Pikachu, the Pokémon he loved so much, some smart teamwork was required between Ash, his own Pokémon, and his friends.

Through a ton of tough battles, Ash, Goh and Pikachu managed to save the day and destroy the mecha—but not without a last attack from Matori before retreating. One of her Pokémon had used a painful Poison Jab attack—directly my on Ash's stomach!

Fearing for the young Trainer's life, Goh and Professor Cerise immediately called Delia Ketchum, who bolted straight to the Pokémon Center in almost a millisecond upon hearing the news.

During Ash's recovery in his own home, the boy was provided and cared for with all the right treatments for the poison inflicted on him: medicinal prescriptions, orange juice, Pecha Berries and of course, his mother's own homemade hot soup.

About a week had passed and even though the poison was pretty much gone, Ash still had symptoms of weakness. His mother came into his room smiling.

"Hello, dear! How are you feeling today?" She asked cheerily.

Ash coughed a little bit and smiled weakly. "Cough cough...I guess I'm...a... little better...(sniff)"

Pikachu patted Ash's forehead, feeling some warmth coming from it. "Pika-pi...Pikachuuuu..." Pikachu's ears drooped as it sighed.

"I'm so happy to see you're recovering just fine!" Delia set down Ash's food tray on his lap. "My homemade soup is always guaranteed to make you fit as a fiddle in no time! Be sure to eat every last bite while it's hot!"

Ash smiled at his mother. "Heh...th-thanks, Mom. This does...smell delicious!" He said before taking a spoonful.

"To think those Team Rocket troublemakers were going to take all those Pokémon...well luckily my big, strong young man pulled through and saved the day, just like I always know he can!" Delia rustled Ash's hair smiling.

"Yeah...you heard about that huh?" Ash said. "Heheheh...well I...uh..."

"Don't talk now, sweetie. Just eat your soup and call me if you need anything else, okay honey?"

"(Cough) Yeah...sure..."

"I'm going to the kitchen to make some more orange juice. Rest well, honey!" Delia said, still maintaining her cheerful smile as she closed the door.

Mr. Mime was sweeping up the living room when it noticed Delia walking down the stairs. As soon as she reached the last step however, her smile turned into a very worried, concerned frown. Walking over to her couch and sitting down, Delia began to think about how things have been with her son lately.

This was just one of the many instances of Ash putting other people and Pokémon over his own safety. Even though he always managed to come through in the end, something about this particular scuffle had the mother scared. She understood that stopping Team Rocket was something Ash feels is right, but if Team Rocket was that close to beating Ash today, what if...what if...next time...they...

Mr. Mime put his hand on Delia's shoulder as the woman started to sadly sigh.

"Oh Ash..." Delia whispered softly. "He's...he's just like his father, isn't he? But…I never wanted his dream…to get him hurt like this…"

Delia had seen Ash go through such trials ever since he was little; falling out of trees trying to help stuck or hurt Pokémon, that time he got bullied for rescuing that girl at summer camp, and even more recently, when she hearing about Ash's journeys in Kalos.

Delia saw the mystical power Ash and his Greninja displayed during their Bond Phenomenon when watching the Kalos League on TV, and while she was happy her son achieved such a huge height in his Pokémon training skills, that happiness soon turned to horror and terror when Team Flare's invasion started and Lysandre was planning to use that Bond Phenomenon energy Ash and Greninja had to reset the planet and make her little baby "a guide for the new humanity". What made this even scarier was whenever Greninja got hurt during the Bond Phenomenon, Ash himself would telepathically get hurt too.

As soon as Ash got home from Kalos, Delia had told her son in a VERY serious tone that she never wanted him to use that Bond Phenomenon ever again. Even though Ash bit his lip and swore not to, that didn't stop fate from calling the young Trainer to duty with crises like the Necrozma and Guzzlord incidents in Alola, or to stop Chairman Rose from summoning the Darkest Day in Galar.

It was hard enough to not see her sweetie for so long in between region travels and home visits but knowing dangers like this happen to him more often than not, especially whenever Team Rocket's involved, made her start to wonder if letting him go into this hard world so young was a good idea. Throughout his entire journey in Kanto towards the Indigo Pokemon League, the world just seemed to kick him when he was down for his inexperience and cockiness, no matter what determination he had or what kindness he had shown to others. Even his friends and his own Pikachu had been poking fun at his expense during the earliest days of his journey, not helping that his rival Gary always succeeded at every Pokémon Trainer skill Ash tried to outdo him with.

The entire world just seemed so…unfair to someone whom Delia saw as a blossom more beautiful than any flower she could've grown in her garden, and keep in mind Delia wasn't just the best cook in Pallet Town, she was the best gardener too. To her, Ash was a blossom who really could make a difference in this world. She thought back to that time when Ash got bullied at summer camp for choosing to save that lost girl instead of winning against Gary for once. Being the kind, loving, supportive mother she was, she assured him that showing that same heroism and compassion towards other Pokémon could make him the Pokémon Master he always dreamed of being.

But…just how far was Ash willing to go for that? What happiness or childhood would he have to sacrifice that meant so much to him? Would that have to mean getting himself this hurt this often?

Delia laid down on the couch, every one of these thoughts swimming around in her mind.

"Ash…I'm—I'm so sorry…"

Mr. Mime put a little blanket over Delia and placed a pillow under her head. "Mime Mime…" it said in an assuring voice.

"Mmm… thank you Mimey," Delia said. "I know I'm usually stronger than this. I just wish…I wish I could do more for Ash…to better protect him…to make his hardships so much easier…"

Mr. Mime patted Delia's back again, gave a nod, and went to the kitchen to get Ash's orange juice for him. Soon enough, Delia slowly started to doze off for an anxiety-clearing nap.

——————————————————————————————

Darkness.

There was only darkness.

When Delia opened her eyes, that was all she could see.

There was nothing around anywhere she turned. No Ash, no Mr. Mime, no Pikachu, no Pallet House. Just darkness.

Then, she started to hear a faint voice from that darkness.

"I see you as a valuable partner."

It was Giovanni.

"Together we can control the world."

Delia immediately stepped back in fear. The voice seemed low, coming from everywhere.

"Trust me and I'll show you how to use your powers that will make you invincible."

"Wh-where are you?!" Delia shouted. "How did you find me?!"

An image of a laboratory in fiery ruins appeared before her. Stepping through those flames was the silhouette…of the man she ran away from so long ago.

"Patience, my friend," Gio's voice echoed. "Your purpose will become clear."

"NO!" she shrieked. "I'm done with you! G-Get away from me!"

Delia immediately turned and started running away from the dark image of the man from her past.

"To serve your master…you were created to fight for me…that is your purpose…"

Delia covered her ears trying to block out the black-hearted Team Rocket leader's low and frightening tone as she ran. How could he have found her here now after quitting his organization and starting her new life in Pallet Town? This HAD to be some sort of nightmare!

Then, right in front of her, she saw her son Ash. He was battling Jessie in Giovanni's Viridian City Gym, his Squirtle against one of the strong Pokémon Giovanni kept at his headquarters.

Delia had hoped never to see this place again. She remembered how Giovanni used to battle other Trainers here under the guise of the Viridian City Gym Leader. This Gym was specifically designed in that whenever a challenger's Pokémon got attacked, it would cause an electrical shock to that Pokémon's trainer, making them feel whatever pain their Pokémon felt, blow for blow.

And her only child was standing right on that trap before her very eyes.

"Machamp, Karate Chop attack!" called Jessie, and as soon as the Superpower Pokemon struck Squirtle, Ash screamed in agony as the gym system shocked him.

"GASP! ASH NO!" Delia charged for her son in a panic. "Hold on…mommy's coming!"

But as soon as she ran closer, the battle scene vanished…with another one materializing behind her.

"Kingler, Bubble attack!"

The Kingler in battle shot the attack on Ash's Bulbasaur…and as the Grass-type winced in pain, the following shock on Ash was so agonizing it made the young Trainer scream even louder.

"ASH KETCHUM!" Delia shouted. "I demand you come down from there this instant! This battle's too dangerous!"

But Ash couldn't hear her. The shocks were bringing him down to his knees.

"Ash! ASH!" Delia screamed. "That badge isn't worth it! This is a trap! RUN AWAY!"

"I won't…give up…" Ash mumbled through the shocks. "I've come…too far to just…quit now…" The shock died down, Ash breathing heavily as the scene was fading again.

"I trust my Pokémon…" the boy said as he lifted his weary head. "WE CAN DO IT!"

Delia reached an arm out towards Ash in vain as the scene disappeared. The poor mother was getting more and more frightened; was this what Giovanni meant when he said Team Rocket would always follow her?

Then, finding herself right in the middle of a strange room, Delia saw Giovanni high above her, standing with his Persian at a balcony.

"You only need to do what everyone in this world does: war, destruction and conquest." Said the cruel Team Rocket leader looking down on her. "What other purpose could you possibly have?"

"N-NO!" Delia screamed. "You leave my child alone! His future is MY purpose now, so STAY AWAY FRO—"

Before she could finish her sentence however, another booming, cold, eerie voice spoke.

"Humans may have created me…but they will never enslave me! This cannot be my destiny!"

Delia turned around fast, and saw a large, armored Pokémon she had never seen before. It sounded like it was talking…but the voice was coming from her own head?

The Pokémon seemed to be generating a very high, VERY dangerous psychic power as it was breaking free of the mechanical bonds holding it back.

"Wha—?" gasped Delia. "What IS that?!?"

"STOP THIS NOW!" yelled Giovanni.

"I was not born a Pokémon, I was created…" the voice said in a tone of hurt and fury. "And my creators have used and betrayed me, so…I STAND ALONE!!!"

A large force field surrounded the Pokémon, exhibiting a power so fearsome, so terrifying, it was destroying the Team Rocket base just from its buildup! Seeing the whole place crumble around her, Delia desperately tried to escape, watching behind her as the armored creature prepared to unleash its incomprehensible might…

KABOOM!!!!

The explosion of psychic power was expanding larger and faster, obliterating everything in its path! Delia just kept running, the impact coming closer and closer, no matter how fast she ran!

"The reign of Mewtwo…will soon begin…"

With a whimper, she shut her eyes, prepared to be consumed by the blast…

——————————————————————————————

"GASP!"

Delia fell off her couch with a thud.

"Find it…find…the secret…" The voice of that mysterious Pokémon she saw in her nightmare echoed away as the woman was getting her bearings straight.

"A…secret?" She mumbled.

When she came to, she saw Mr. Mime and Ash's Pikachu looking down on her.

"Pikachu?"

"Mime Mime?"

She sat up. "Mimey! Pikachu!"

Pikachu leapt into Delia's arms, looking up at her in worry. "Pi-Pikachu?"

"Oh, d-don't worry about me, Pikachu," assured the mother. "I'm doing…okay."

"Chaaa…" it sighed.

"You know, Pikachu…I'm so grateful Ash has Pokémon like you." Delia tussled the Mouse Pokémon's head as she sat back down on the couch. "Hey…c-can I tell you something?"

"Pika." Pikachu nodded.

Looking left, then right, she set Pikachu down on the living room table and spoke. "Ever since Ash turned ten and was ready to go out into the world on his own to be a Pokémon Trainer, I was…honestly sad and scared."

"Pika?" Pikachu tilted its head.

"Don't tell Ash any of this," said Delia, "But before he started his journey…I didn't want him to go. The closest friends he had when he was little was Pokémon like you. Everyone else…bullied him for his dreams, saying he'd be just like his 'good-for-nothing' father."

Pikachu put on a sad expression.

"That's why I felt like…I had to protect him. As a mother…I thought I would be the only one actually there for him whenever he got sick, sad, hurt, scared or angry. If he was going into the wide world so young as just ten years old…I didn't know how he would've handled…how hard the road to his dream really was."

Mr. Mime crossed its arms and shut its eyes in understanding.

"If he left…I wasn't going to be there for him all the time anymore. I wouldn't know if he got in some sort of trouble. If…if something happened to him…something even worse than this, then…" Delia started to tear up. "Then…"

"Pika." Pikachu crawled into the woman's lap and wiped away her tears with its tail. "Pikachuuuuu."

"Sniff…th-thank you, Pikachu," she said softly. "Thank you…for being there for my sweet baby. I know as long as he has friends like you…his Pokémon, people like Goh and Chloe…I'm sure my son…can be safe and happy."

Pikachu smiled. It was proud to let its best friend's mama know she could count on it to watch over him for her, no matter how far away he was from home.

The three heard Ash coughing and sniffling upstairs. "Mime Mime." Mr. Mime went upstairs with a washcloth and a thermometer, Pikachu following. It looked back at Delia. "Pika?"

"I'll be fine now, Pikachu," Delia assured. "Right now, Ash is the one who needs you the most. Go nuzzle in next to him in bed for me, all right?" She winked.

"Pi…Pika!" Pikachu gave a thumbs-up and continued upstairs.

Delia, however, was still concerned about these recurring nightmares she'd been having. Picking up her phone, she decided to put in a call to someone who she knew might be able to help her understand things.

"Um…hello? Professor Oak?"

——————————————————————————————

Later that evening, Pallet Town's foremost authority on Pokémon came by Ash's house, greeting the Pokémon, checking up on Ash to see how his recovery was, and having some of Delia's freshly baked gingerbread Pokémon cookies. The two were sitting next to each other on the couch, and the professor really could tell right away that Delia wasn't exactly in her usual cheerful demeanor today.

"You're worried about Ash, aren't you?" He asked.

"Mmm…just a little." Delia honestly nodded.

"You know he's gotten out of worse scrapes than this," Oak said. "Thanks to your motherly treatment here, he'll surely be better than ever in no time! You really are a great mother, you know."

"Am I really though?" she asked.

"Hmm?" Oak raised an eyebrow. Delia lowered her head.

"I know this isn't the first time Ash risked his own safety to help others in trouble," the woman told the professor, "And I know it may not be the last…and considering what happened last week with Team Rocket…that's what I'm most afraid of."

"That attempted heist was indeed a close call," Oak said, "But if Ash and Pikachu hadn't stood up to battle them, a lot of Pokémon would've fallen into that organization's hands."

"Why can't someone else stop them?!"

Delia's sudden raised tone made Oak jump. It was completely unexpected that the normally optimistic Delia would say something like that. He noticed the woman's eyes glistening with frustration and sadness.

"Ah, classic Delia," Oak thought to himself. "Always having that motherly instinct." He sat over on the nearby armchair, and Delia lay down on the couch as if the two were having a psychological therapy appointment. Mr. Mime decided to give the two some alone time and went up to feed Ash some cookies and milk.

"Something else is bothering you, isn't it?" asked Oak. "It's not just about Ash's recovery from that Poison Jab attack." Delia knew Professor Oak all too well that he'd be able to tell that about her here and now. "What's on your mind, Delia?"

"Mmm…" she started. "Remember when I first let you know about…you know…when Giovanni had us trapped in his base that one time?" Professor Oak couldn't forget about that day. That was the day when the wicked Team Rocket leader and his Grunts locked them in cages at his base and introduced them to his world-conquering mechanical Pokémon, MechaMew2, which needed the Electric attacks of Ash's Pikachu to become complete.

"Yes," Oak recalled. "That was when you told me about your…past connections with him. I'm sure it was quite hard to face again once Ash got involved."

"It was." replied Delia. "I was afraid telling him the truth about me would break his poor little heart. I thought he'd hate me…for being a part of that terrible gang…that's tried to hunt him down for his Pikachu for so long..."

"But you know he didn't, Delia. When you did let him know, you know what he did instead."

"Uh-huh…I'm glad he forgave me…but I drove him right into Giovanni's clutches for his evil plan. I put my son in danger…that's not what a good mother is supposed to do!"

"But Ash saved Pikachu that day," Oak reminded. "He stopped Giovanni and protected the planet from his tyranny. If you hadn't told him the truth about your past—let him know where that madman was—you know what would've happened."

"He would've lost Pikachu…and Ash's spirit would've been even more broken…if Giovanni told him about me first…". Delia winced at the alternate outcome.

"Thus, his fighting spirit wouldn't have been as strong, to win against him and give you personal justice. It was thanks to your honesty that gave Ash all the more courage to stand up to that cold villain."

"But still," Delia sighed. "These are matters best suited amongst grown-ups. Ash is still just a child. He shouldn't have to get himself mixed up in such hard things!"

Professor Oak had heard Delia start on that kind of tangent before. Every time it was on the news that a group like Team Galactic, Team Plasma or Team Flare was wreaking havoc, he knew Delia's very first thought would go to Ash and wondering if he was okay.

"Ash may be a child, Delia, but he has grown to be a very capable Trainer thanks to his friends and his Pokémon. You know that."

"Yeah, b-but…"

"I mean, it's thanks to those friends and Pokémon he's been able to handle so many dangers one could never imagine a regular 10-year-old could be able to face head-on. You should be feeling proud of that."

"Yes…" Delia smiled a little bit. "As far as gym battles, Pokémon Leagues, catching new Pokémon and journeying across the world goes, I'm okay with that…since it's part of his dream to be a Pokémon Master." She then put her hands on her heart. "But when it comes to things like…saving the world…risking his life…"

Oak leaned in, willing to hear Delia out.

"Professor, I…" she sat up, looking at Oak with a serious face. "I can't understand why. I…I just can't. Ash had always been reckless and rambunctious since he was little…but I never imagined he'd be putting himself in situations…" She heard another one of Ash's coughs from upstairs. "…this bad…"

Oak held Delia's hand in comfort as she spoke. "I've always told him…to stay out of trouble and to be safe. But…he keeps running headfirst against scarier and more dangerous battles where it might be too much for him…even with the Pokémon by his side…". Her voice was starting to break. "I don't like it…when he does that! I'm…I'm trying to be strong…but…even if he is a Pokémon Trainer…he's…he's still a child! A child…without his…m-mama…"

Professor Oak sat back next to Delia on the couch. Hugging the couch pillow she was resting on earlier, she said, "What if something happened that kept my boy from helping people anymore? What if he really did lose Pikachu? What if his friends weren't there? What if this 'hero' business keeps him from reaching his dreams? And what if…he really needed me…and I'm not there?

"All I want is my little Ash to be safe and happy no matter what he does...and…in last week's Team Rocket battle…he must've been so frightened from getting so hurt! And knowing that Ash could still want to fight against threats like this, no matter how dangerous they could be…I…I…"

"Delia," said Oak. "Do you really think you're a bad mother for letting these things happen to Ash?"

Delia sat silent for a minute, a tear dripping from her face, before whispering…

"…Yes."

——————————————————————————————

Pikachu was overhearing the conversation from the top of the stairs, knowing just how serious this kind of topic was. It could see it's Trainer's mother crying into her palms as Professor Oak was trying to calm her down. Quietly it went back to Ash in bed, who was just dissolving the lozenges he had in his mouth.

"Is Mom okay, buddy?" The young Trainer asked.

"Pikachuuu…" Pikachu touched Ash's cheek, shaking its head and letting him know she was feeling deeply upset today.

"Guess she must be really worried about me, huh?" He said in a stuffed-up tone. "Heh…you know…if it weren't for her taking care of me like this…I couldn't be able to take care of you pal." He tussled Pikachu's head.

"Pikaaa!" Pikachu nuzzled up next to Ash in bed.

"My mom really is special, you know," Ash said. "There's not a single day on my journey…when I don't think of her." The boy smiled. "Heh, remember when she asked Mr. Mime to help battle against Team Rocket during the whole Pokémon Circus thing?" Pikachu recalled that battle well.

It wasn't that long after Ash got his EarthBadge from Viridian City. After seeing Gary defeated at the Gym, hearing about some "powerful, evil Pokémon" and getting shocked painfully during the Gym Battle, he was happy to be coming back home safe and sound to see his mother's happy face again. That was when Team Rocket was planning to use a rubber tank to capture all the Pokémon at a traveling circus, and he alone was powerless against it; Pikachu's electric attacks had no effect, and his disobedient Charizard was no help at all. When it looked like the boy was done for, Delia asked a wild Mr. Mime to team up with the ringmaster's Mr. Mime to corner the tank in a tower of invisible walls, it's blocked-up firepower sending Jessie, James and Meowth "blasting off again".

"Or how about when she stood up against those Team Skull guys during the Alolan Open House? I didn't even know Mom could battle like that! That was pretty awesome!"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"Yeah…making those new clothes for my journeys, her delicious meals, being able to talk to her when I can…"

Ash closed his eyes in remembrance to his younger years.

"Signing me up for Pokémon summer camp, making me feel better whenever I got picked on…". He could recall cheering in joy and hugging his mama in thanks during those great times.

"Having fun together, laughing, smiling…" He looked at a picture of him and his mother in front of Molly Hale's mansion in Greenfield.

He then petted his Pikachu again, looking up at the ceiling.

"And just how she was brave enough to quit out of Team Rocket before she had me…" He rubbed the back of his neck in bashfulness. "Heh, I guess my dad's not all where I get it from!" He coughed a little bit more, flopping his head back down on his pillow.

"Pika-Pi…". Pikachu sighed.

"You know, Pikachu?" Ash softly said. "I don't say this enough…but I got the best mom in the whole world!"

——————————————————————————————

"I just…feel like I'm the worst mom in the whole world."

Delia was wiping away her tears explaining her insecurities and concerns to Professor Oak over her young son's tendency to jump into reckless crises without concern for his own preservation.

"I know it's hard, Delia, I know it's hard." Said Oak. "However, maybe those nightmares you say you've been having...are trying to tell you otherwise."

"Otherwise?!" shouted Delia. "How are nightmares about my son getting hurt, my past with Giovanni, and some scary unknown Pokémon supposed to let me know I'm a good mom?!?"

"Calm down, Delia, calm down!" Oak assured her. "Try thinking about what Ash's heroic feats have actually done. Remember the incident at Shamouti Island?"

"I don't like to think about it," the mother said turning her head away. "That was the most frightened I've ever felt for my child that day!"

"You remember Ash was actually the true Chosen One to get those three treasures to summon Lugia and quell the fighting between Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres. If he hadn't done that, the entire world would've been flooded."

"Personally, I wouldn't have cared!" Delia said angrily. "That's too heavy a responsibility for someone as young as him!" She looked out the window. "As a parent…it should've been me. If I had the chance to protect my child from something so overwhelming…I would've stepped up to do that myself. Because Ash…is MY entire world."

"But Delia," reminded Oak. "What about the incident at Greenfield?"

"Huh?"

"When Molly had that illusionary Entei kidnap you to be her mother, she didn't care what would happen to the world around her either. She believed as long as her family was safe with her, she'd be happy, whether or not they were real."

Delia looked at the picture of her with Molly, Ash, Professor Hale and Professor Oak on her fridge. She recalled how the more Molly tried to keep her "pretend family" to herself, made real by the Unown, the more the crystallization from her mansion was obliterating the landscape around it. She also remembered how Ash and his friends braved the mysterious tower trying to rescue her.

"It was only through the efforts of Ash and his friends that she was able to let go of her fantasy bubble of eternal solitude and safety," Oak explained, "And it took their words…and yours…to accept the real world for its beauty despite its dangers.

"Not to mention, Ash cared so strongly for you he braved all those battles—including with both the Unown and Entei—to save you. When a son cares about his mother that much to do that—no matter how young or old he is—I think you're nothing less than a perfect mother to instill that kind of bravery and heroism in Ash."

Delia looked up the stairs to where Ash was resting. Was she really being no different than Molly in wanting to keep Ash away from doing what he feels is right? And was it really because of her that he keeps doing it?

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Delia," Oak said. "I'm sure Ash would say the same thing."

"I know…I just never want to be so helpless or useless to my little boy."

"Trust me," assured the professor. "You're not."

It was getting late with sunset fast approaching. "Call me if you need anything else, okay, Delia?"

"Mmm…" Delia put on a little smile. "I will. Thank you, Professor!" The two waved at each other as Professor Oak left the house.

——————————————————————————————

That night, after tucking Ash and Pikachu in and kissing them goodnight, Delia got into bed herself, looking up at her ceiling, thinking about everything she talked about with Professor Oak today.

"Me…instilling heroism and bravery?" She wondered. "Am I the reason…he keeps risking his life? I still don't understand…how that makes me…a "perfect mother…". Despite her understanding talk with Professor Oak, she still couldn't see it. She doesn't like her son risking his life at all, this much was clear; she'd rather be risking her life for HER son. If she was a perfect mother…why didn't she feel like one?

"Ash…if it is because of me…I'm…sorry...Ash…please forgive me…Ash…Ash…Ash…"

She echoed his name as she was closing her eyes to go to sleep, but soon jolted herself awake, afraid she might have another nightmare. She figured she'd probably need some prescribed sleeping pills to help her ease into it. So, she got up to her bedroom door on her way to the bathroom's medicine cabinet.

But when she opened it…a gigantic stormy wave came bursting forth at her!

"AAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!"

The wave was flooding her whole bedroom, rising higher and higher to the ceiling as if the weather forecast predicted a mass typhoon hitting Pallet Town!

"Ash?!? Pikachu?!? Mimey?!?" She shouted.

Inhaling a lungful of air, she dove under the water to see if there was some exit through her bedroom window, hoping to get them out of the flooding house.

When she dove under however, the underwater scenery suddenly looked dark and expanse like the ocean, the surface's waves pounding and crashing as badly as that storm from Shamouti Island. From what she could make out in the distance, she swore she could see three Trainers and their Pokémon swimming up to the surface, one of them being…

"ASH-BLBBLBBBLL!!!"

Almost letting out the bubble of air she was holding in, she quickly tried to swim after the three Trainers, all the while her vision was blurring, and her lungs were withering from her lack of oxygen. She managed to burst through the surface with a large gasp, only to find herself…in a very strange castle of some kind.

She was in one of its fountains, seeing several Trainers and Pokémon in a very large Pokémon battle stadium underneath the looming, stormy clouds. She spotted Ash and his friends amongst them and started to run towards them.

When she got a closer look, she instantly regretted it.

One Trainer's Venusaur was gravely injured in front of another Venusaur with strange markings on it. Another Trainer's Blastoise was lying at the feet of another Blastoise. And facing one Charizard…

"ZARR…". Another fell.

It was Ash's Charizard, and it looked like it just lost a battle against its lookalike!

"Charizard, NO!" Ash cried, running to its aid. "Are you okay?!"

"ASH KETCHUM!" Called Delia, trying to get his attention. "What on EARTH is going on here?!?"

"As the victor…"

That booming voice from Delia's earlier nightmare was back, freezing the woman in place. She looked up, and saw a tall Pokémon with white fur, a purple abdomen and tail, a tube protruding out the back of its head and into its neck, and cold, narrowed, fear-striking eyes.

Delia soon recognized it as that armored Pokémon Giovanni had in her last dream...without that armor…but what was it? And what did it want?

"I now claim my prize…your Pokémon!"

The Pokémon shot three evil looking Poké Balls to suck up the defeated Pokémon, including Charizard!

"I will extract their DNA to make clones for myself. They will remain safe on this island with me…while my storm destroys the planet."

Delia watched Ash run up to it shouting, "Mewtwo, we won't let ya!"

"'Mewtwo'…" Delia thought to herself. "I've heard that name before…something about its…reign…" the mother soon gasped in horror. "OH NO!!!"

"Do not attempt to defy me!" Mewtwo said, lifting Ash psychically and throwing him away.

"ASH!!!"

Mewtwo summoned hundreds upon hundreds of those dark Poke Balls.

"This is my world now."

From here, it was pure panic. Pokémon everywhere were trying to keep the Poke Balls at bay, trying to flee, Trainers futilely trying to stop them, but one by one, they were all getting captured, even ones still in their own Poke Balls!

Everyone was scrambling, not the least of which was Ash and Pikachu. The Poke Balls were about to strike the little electric Pokémon when Ash ran in and blocked them, all slamming against his back like a Geodude's Rock Throw attack. "Ngh…RUN PIKACHU!" Ash cried.

Ash was in trouble! Delia's motherly instinct to protect soon took the wheel as she tried herself to block those Poke Balls from hitting Ash.

"No! STOP! Leave them alone!!!" She cried. But she saw that those Poke Balls were going right through her as if she were a ghost, chasing Ash up the long spiral staircase behind her.

To her horror, Delia was seeing Ash leap right off the top of the staircase to try to save Pikachu…only for the Poke Ball to fully capture it.

"ASH!!! PIKACHU!!!"

She tried to get under Ash's fall to catch him, but again, he went right through her as if she wasn't even there, splashing into the water.

"Oh…" whimpered Delia. "Why can't I touch them? Why can't they see me? Why can't they hear me?! I HAVE TO SAVE THEM!!!"

A hole in the floor suddenly opened up under her and she started falling!

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING PIKACHUUUUUUU!!!!" She could hear Ash's voice echoing.

Landing behind first, she was now in a very dark laboratory with the Poke Balls on a conveyer belt, and Pokémon coming out of test tubes one by one. Some of those Pokémon looked like the ones Delia saw getting captured earlier; these must be those clones Mewtwo was talking about!

And the machine that was producing them…it was crackling with mechanical electric sparks…and she could hear Ash's cries inside!

"Let go! Stupid machine—AGH—give me back my—PIKACHU!!!"

This was the absolute worst nightmare Delia was having out of all the ones she's had before; a super-clone Pokémon made by Giovanni was going to destroy the whole world, and it sounded like her little baby boy was getting ripped apart inside that machine trying to stop it!

"HELP!" She was crying out. "Please! Somebody! ANYBODY! Get him out of there! My Ash is in danger! PLEASE! SOMEBODY HELP!!!"

——————————————————————————————

"WAAAAUGH!"

Ash fell out of bed that night when he was hearing his mother's calls for help. He called Pikachu to his shoulder and ran to his mother's room.

"Mom? MOM!!!"

He could see his mother tossing and turning in her sleep, tears coming down her face, constantly calling out his name in anguish.

"Mom! Wake up! WAKE UP!" Ash cried, pushing her shoulder to see if he could shake her awake. But Delia was still trapped in her painful-sounding nightmares.

"Pika! Pika, Pikachu!" Pikachu tried to shake her too, but nothing was working.

"Mr. Mime, get up here!" Ash called, the Barrier Pokémon zooming right up to the mother's bedroom.

"Sorry Mom, this might sting a little bit…Mr. Mime, use DoubleSlap!"

Reluctantly, Mr. Mime shot its attack on Delia's cheeks, hoping that would snap her out of it.

But still, her eyes stayed shut, as she was mumbling, "No…Ash…please…come back…"

"Something's not right here, buddy," Ash told Pikachu. "My mom's having a bad dream and we can't seem to wake her up! You think…maybe a Darkrai or some other Pokémon is causing this?!"

"Pika!"

"Well, I say we go see who's behind it and stop 'em!"

"Pika?!?" Pikachu wasn't too sure this was a good idea at the moment; Ash was still sick from last week's Poison Jab attack, and he was still recovering!

"Mime…" Mr. Mime touched Ash's forehead, feeling some warmth coming from it. "Mime Mime!" It was begging for Ash not to go outside.

"Cough…I promise I'll be fine," Ash said stuffily, "But right now Mom needs my help! I gotta do this!" Quickly changing into his Trainer clothes, he told Mr. Mime, "Keep watching her! I'll be right back! C'mon Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Joining its trainer, the two ran outside, with Mr. Mime holding Delia's hand as she continued to wince and whimper.

——————————————————————————————

"You cannot escape your fate," announced Mewtwo, "My hour of vengeance draws near."

"MEWTWO!!!" Delia screamed at the super-clone. "WHERE IS MY ASH?!? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!?"

"With humans and Pokémon eliminated," Mewtwo said as its army of clone Pokémon emerged, "The clones shall inherit the world."

Delia stepped back in fear and shock. Could Ash have…no…it couldn't be…but…it was just like Giovanni said! That monster of a Team Rocket leader created this frightening, super-powerful Pokémon…and it might've taken away her only pride and joy in life. Giovanni really did mean it when he said Team Rocket would always follow her and show her no mercy once they crossed paths.

"HELP!" the woman screamed, running in circles around the stadium. "HEEEEEEEELP!!!"

But no matter how loudly she called out, nobody answered. None of the human Trainers facing Mewtwo could hear her. All she could hear was the roaring waves outside, the thunder from the storm that Mewtwo had summoned, and the vengeful cries of the clone Pokemon ready to strike back at the humans and Pokémon inhabiting this world. Delia was about to drop to her knees crying, when at last…she heard a voice.

"You can't do this."

A young, boyish, brave voice.

"I won't let you."

Delia knew that voice.

Stepping out from the smoke those clones came out of…was him.

"GASP! ASH! You're…you're okay!" The mother shouted with joy as the young Trainer bravely marched up to Mewtwo with all the freed Pokémon behind him.

So relieved that her baby boy was unhurt, Delia ran over to Ash to try to give him the biggest hug she could ever give.

"Ash! It's okay, honey! I'm here now! Mommy's not gonna let—"

But like before, she went right through him.

"HUH?!? B-but…"

"It is useless to challenge me." Mewtwo told the boy.

"It's not gonna end like this, Mewtwo! We won't let it!" Ash barked back.

"Ash! Get away from that thing!" Delia begged. "It's too powerful! C'mon! We have to run!"

Instead, Ash flipped his hat backwards and uttered, "You're mine."

With that, Ash charged at Mewtwo with a yell, ready to throw a punch at the Genetic Pokémon.

"NO!" Delia shouted as Ash was psychically knocked back. He got up again to throw another punch, but Mewtwo lifted the boy up with its powers, an evil blue glow hanging him in midair.

"STOP IT! STOP IT!" screamed Delia as she tried to grab onto Mewtwo with her own hands. "LET GO OF HIM! I WILL NOT LET YOU HURT A CHILD!" But every swipe at Mewtwo she tried to make just went through the untouchable image, her hands hitting nothing.

With a mighty psychic throw, Mewtwo sent Ash flying, about to crash right into a high castle wall!

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Ash screamed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!" Delia screamed even louder.

——————————————————————————————

Ash and Pikachu were checking the corners and gardens around his house to find the Pokémon trapping Delia in her nightmares. So far, they had found nothing, not even any clues of whether it was wild, belonging to some Trainer, a scheme by Team Rocket, a Ghost-type Pokémon, a Darkrai, or whatever.

"We gotta find 'em, Pikachu," Ash said. "We just gotta! Mom's counting on us!"

"Pi?" Pikachu's ears twitched. "Pika-Pi!"

"What is it, Pikachu?" Ash asked. "Find something?"

The two looked up. Directly over Ash's house were psychic rings of pink and purple light, coming from a hovering Shadow Ball, beaming down towards Delia's bedroom and fading as they neared. This was definitely the work of a Psychic-type Pokémon.

"Hey! You up there!" Ash called hoarsely. "What do you think you're doing?!?"

"I am doing," Ash heard a voice in his head say, "what needs to be done."

"Wait a minute…n-no way…" Ash whispered. Backing up to get a better view of where the waves were coming from, he was shocked to find a familiar Pokémon hovering over his house.

"M-Mewtwo?!?"

"Pika?!?"

Mewtwo floated down in line with the young Trainer. "So…human. We meet again."

"Hey Mewtwo!" Ash shouted. "Why are you trapping my mom in some endless nightmare?"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu barked.

"A secret is hidden in the deepest recesses of the mind," explained Mewtwo, "And to reveal it…this is the only way."

"What secret?" Demanded Ash. "You think making my mom have bad dreams is gonna reveal some secret?!"

"Do not interfere, young one," warned Mewtwo. "Only when the secret has been revealed…will that human reawaken."

"I don't know what secret you're talking about! Now leave my mom alone…cough…or we'll…sniff…we'll…"

"Pika-Pi?!?" Pikachu saw Ash getting weak in the knees from his sickness.

Mewtwo raised an eyebrow, then sighed. "Do not bother. You are in no condition for a proper battle, let alone one against I."

"Pikachu…cough…use…Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu leapt up into the air and fired its attack.

"Pika…CHUUUUUUUU!!!"

But Mewtwo blocked the attack like it was nothing.

"P-Pikachu, try…cough cough…Quick Attack!"

"Pika! Pika! Pika!" Pikachu zigzagged its way up to Mewtwo for a head-on attack…only to have Mewtwo psychically pick up the little Electric Pokémon and throw it right at Ash!

"AIGH!"

The trainer was knocked down on his back. Pikachu checked to see if he was okay.

"Cough cough…I'm…" Ash croaked, "I'm fine…"

Mewtwo watched Ash struggle to stand up to his battling stance, hearing the irritated gurgle in his throat as he was breathing.

"Stand down," warned Mewtwo again. "There will only be further suffering if you insist on stopping the search for the secret."

"I'm telling you," Ash shouted, "We don't know what-COUGH COUGH-s-secret you're looking for! So, j-just…" Ash fell to his knees, his vision getting blurry and a fever feeling like it's rising. "W-wake up m-my…mm-mama…" He held onto his fast-beating heart. "…and…" He coughed up a little bit of phlegm in his mouth. "…go…awaaaaaay…"

He suddenly collapsed face-down into the ground.

"PIKA! PIKA-PI!!!" Pikachu frantically tried to shake awake the unconscious Ash before looking up at Mewtwo in both fear and anger.

Before Pikachu could do anything however, Mewtwo glowed waves of soothing blue from its eyes, hypnotizing the little yellow Pokémon into as deep a sleep as its Trainer.

Mewtwo levitated Ash and Pikachu through an open window of the house.

"This is for the best," claimed the Pokémon. "The secret…must be revealed."

——————————————————————————————

All Delia could think about was finding her son in this crazy mess and get him home to safety. Earlier on, after the mysterious Pokémon Mew appeared, Mewtwo had fired a Shadow Ball that barely missed it, and almost blasted Ash dead-on!

Exasperated that Ash might've gotten hurt or lost, the mother was running across the whole battlefield, passing through every Pokémon fighting, looking to the stone stands and trying find ANY trace of her boy that Mewtwo was tossing around like a rag doll earlier. She didn't care what would happen to her, just a nightmare or not; Ash needed his mommy!

"ASH!" She called out. "ASH! Where are you?!? It's me! It's mommy! Please answer me!"

That was when she found Ash's Pikachu…refusing to fight against the clone Pikachu that was beating it up. During all of which, the clone Pikachu was crying, as if it was begging for Pikachu to fight back.

Delia was horrified at what she was seeing. Mewtwo and its clone Pokémon were battling the originals for the right to live in this world, and every attack they made on each other was bringing them closer and closer to death.

"PIKACHU!!!"

Hearing her son's cry, she found him in the corner of the stadium, wearily crawling across the debris to get to Pikachu.

Seeing Ash in the state that he was made the poor mother feel even more torn apart. His clothes were tattered and dirty, his skin looked scraped in several areas, and he was breathing heavily in pain, just as he was when Delia first saw him poisoned from last week's Team Rocket attack.

But what horrified her even more was Ash's reaction to this entire situation.

Watching all this meaningless fighting, his eyes looked so sad, so heartbroken, so scared. Pokémon, real or clone…it didn't matter to him. They were all alive. He loved them all, and they were all killing each other under Mewtwo's command. The only other time she had seen Ash this upset was when he got bullied for rescuing that lost girl at summer camp.

Delia rushed to him, and put her hands out to try to pick Ash up from the ground…only to gravely remember she couldn't. Ash was hurt, scared, sad and in worse peril than she could ever have imagined he'd be in…and she couldn't do anything to help him!

Eventually the energy given off by Mew and Mewtwo were so off the charts it shorted out the stadium lights. Out of all the Pokémon laying helpless on the battlefield, only two were still standing and staring each other down for one final strike; the rare, original, ancestral Pokémon Mew…and the Team Rocket-created, weaponized, super-clone Pokémon Mewtwo.

Both Ash and Delia looked around at the other Pokémon. Gravely injured, weak faces, barely moving, barely breathing, struggling to just get up. Both mother and son knew if this kept going across the planet like Mewtwo aimed for, all Pokémon everywhere—original AND clone—were going to die in this endless war. It HAD to be stopped somehow. But…how?

Nobody could stop Mewtwo; it was created to be the world's most powerful Pokémon.

Nobody could run away; the whole island was surrounded by the raging storm it conjured.

Nobody could come to this island to rescue anybody; any boats or aircraft would probably be destroyed by the waves or thunder clouds.

Nobody could heal these Pokémon; New Island had no Pokémon Center, and Nurse Joy Mewtwo brought here had none of her proper equipment.

Nobody could call Professor Oak; not even he'd be able to stop this madness.

Ash felt so helpless that he couldn't do anything about this.

Delia felt so helpless that she couldn't help her son in any way.

Psychic power buildups of respective pink and blue were building up from both opposing sides. Mew and Mewtwo were generating psychic attacks on each other that'd only be described as omnipotent and massively destructive.

Delia then noticed her vision of this nightmare was starting to fade. "No, no, no!" She thought to herself. "This…this can't be where it ends! What about…what about my son?!"

Suddenly, almost as if his legs started moving by themselves, Ash came running.

"Wha—Ash?!" Delia gasped. "Wait! Stop! What are you doing?!"

"YOU GOTTA STOP RIGHT NOW!!!"

Mew and Mewtwo fired their psychic blasts…as the scene grew darker and darker before her very eyes, watching Ash run…right between the two!

"MY BABY! DON'T! COME BACK!!!!!!"

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!" Ash completely faded before a huge explosion of psychic energy blew up in the darkness, sending Delia flying!

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"

——————————————————————————————

Darkness.

There was only darkness.

When Ash opened his eyes, that was all he could see.

There was nothing around anywhere he turned. No Mom, no Mr. Mime, no Pikachu, no Pallet House. Just darkness.

Then, he started to hear a faint voice from that darkness.

"Young human…"

"Wha—?" The boy gasped, looking around. "Who—who's there?"

The image of Mewtwo itself materialized out of the darkness.

"Mewtwo!" Ash said. "Where am I? Where's my Pikachu? And my mother…" the boy formed a fist. "WHERE IS SHE?!?"

"Your…mother…" Mewtwo sagely said, "Is closer to discovering…the secret."

"Again, with the 'secret'? For the last time, I don't know! What kind of secret are you even talking about?!" Ash was demanding some answers.

"Look…" Mewtwo opened up a blue-rimmed psychic window. Inside, Ash could see himself…lying face down, petrified completely into stone.

"Is…is that…me?!" Ash wondered aloud.

"ASH!!!"

He suddenly heard his mother's worried voice.

"Mom?! It's…it's coming from in there!" Ash prepared to jump through the window. "I gotta get—OOF!"

He just slammed into it nose-first. "Oww…"

"This," explained Mewtwo, "Is the dream realm of your own mother. As it stands, you yourself cannot enter this place."

"B-but…" Ash stuttered, "My mom needs me! I gotta let her know I'm okay!" Ash shut his eyes. "I just gotta…"

"Ash…honey?" He heard her soft voice again from inside the window.

In that window, he saw Pikachu trying to nudge the petrified Ash up.

"Wake up…p-please…my Ash…"

He saw his mother fading into the scene, kneeling down to the unmoving body.

"MOM!" Ash was calling from outside the window. "I'm over here! I'm okay! HEEEY!!! "MOOOM!!! PIKACHUUUUU!!!"

"It is no use," Mewtwo said. "You cannot be heard in the realm of her dreams."

"What is this sick kind of game you're playing Mewtwo?!" Ash fumed. "I just got done fighting Team Rocket, I'm sick, Mom's worrying her head off about me, she's having nightmares she can't wake up from, she and Pikachu are crying for me down there, and now I can't even let them know I'm all right?! In her own dream?!?" Ash really wanted to punch Mewtwo in the face for tormenting his family like this. "What kind of secret is all THIS supposed to mean anyway?!? You better tell me...NOW!!!"

"Be still," hushed Mewtwo, "And observe."

Ash frustratingly clammed up and watched what was happening.

——————————————————————————————

"Oh…Ash…"

Delia knelt down to the stone statue that was once her child. Upon touching him with her soft hand…he felt so cold. His entire body was harder than concrete, all with a frozen, dead-eyed expression on his face.

"Pika-pi?" Pikachu sniffled sadly.

"Pikachu…" the mother had to get Ash up somehow. "T-try a Thunderbolt!"

"Pika…CHUUUUUUUU!"

Pikachu let out the attack, heavily weakened from being beat up so much by that clone Pikachu. Delia hoped that'd be enough to stir Ash.

It didn't.

"T-T…" Delia's voice shivered. "Try another one!"

"Pika…CHUUUUUUUUU!"

Ash still lay there, unmoving.

"K-Keep trying, Pikachu!" Delia sobbed. "Ash…please…you HAVE to get up!!!"

"CHUUUUUU! CHUUUUUU! CHUUUUUU!"

Pikachu kept shocking and shocking its Trainer's petrified body…until it had fully used up the last of its electricity, and it could shock no more.

But still…no movement. Ash Ketchum…was gone.

Delia dropped to all fours, tears dripping from her eyes, falling onto her child's body.

"No…no…please no…"

Pikachu was crying too. "Pika-pi…"

Hugging in the statue close, Delia was sobbing, her heart utterly split in two. Her worst fears had finally come true: Ash was out in a peril so scary and so painful, it was bringing him closer and closer to the mother's past with Team Rocket in the form of the vengeful Mewtwo, putting the whole world at stake. Ash was getting more and more hurt and scared, and Delia couldn't do anything. All she could do all this time…was watch helplessly as her son threw himself into the danger to stop it all…she couldn't save him…and now…this.

Delia continued to hug the statue, crying even harder, thinking she truly was the worst mother in the world.

"M-my boy…". Delia wept. "My poor little angel…" she sobbed even harder. "I'm sorry…I'M SO SORRY!!! This is…THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!!!"

Pikachu was wailing in sorrow as well. "Pi-ka-pihihihihiiii!!!!"

Observing this sad, sad scene, Ash started to cry as well, banging on the psychic window wall trying to get his loved ones' attention.

"MOM! PIKACHU!" He cried. "I'M HERE! 'I'M HERE!!!" He looked up at Mewtwo. "Mewtwo…me down there…them crying so much…am I…am I really…?"

But without really answering, Mewtwo floated its way through the psychic window towards the mother and Pokémon.

"Mewtwo, wait! Come back!" called Ash. "Let me in with you! I have to get to them! I…" Ash dropped to his knees too. "I just have to…Mom…Pikachu…mommy…"

——————————————————————————————

As Delia continued crying holding her deceased child, she felt a shadow loom over her.

"Who are you?" It asked.

Delia looked up. It was…Mewtwo. And it was talking to her directly; this wasn't just some illusion like before.

"S-Stay back!" Delia cringed, holding Ash and Pikachu away. "Don't come any closer!"

"Again, I will ask," sneered Mewtwo. "Who ARE you?"

Delia shut her eyes, and put on a defiant face.

"My name…is Delia Ketchum…and I am…was…this child's mother."

"Mother?" Mewtwo inquired. "And what, exactly, IS…a "mother"?

"I know…what a mother definitely isn't…" Delia sniffled, looking down at her petrified son, stroking her hand over his stone back. "A mother…doesn't let anything bad happen to her child. A mother doesn't just do nothing while her child is in trouble. A mother doesn't let her child feel alone, sad or scared. A mother doesn't abandon her child when she's needed. A mother…doesn't let her child…pay for…her past mistakes…"

Ash, outside the window, was seeing just how low an opinion his own mother had of herself. He knew none of what she was saying was true, and he wanted so badly to tell her that himself.

Mewtwo itself definitely recalled its own mistakes in trying to start that war on New Island. It could see the remorse and regret in this human's eyes for her involvement with the cruel human who ordered its own creation. Somehow…she reminded the Genetic Pokémon…of itself in a way.

"Do you truly believe," asked Mewtwo, "that you have failed your purpose as a 'mother', whatever it may be?"

"Just…look at this. LOOK AT THIS!!!" Delia shouted. "All…all this time I've been trying to protect him…I'M the one…whose life should be at risk all the time! NOT HIM!!!"

"Pika-pihihihi!" Pikachu crawled under his Trainer's stone arm, still sobbing.

Delia's voice continued to break as she talked, with high squeaks to her inflections trying not to outright scream her lungs out at Mewtwo.

"He's…sob…he's too young! He…he's only a child…not even all grown up!" Poor Delia's eyes were getting dehydrated from leaking so many tears. "I…I wasn't ready to let him go! I can't STAND…the thought of never seeing him smile again!!!" She was flashing back to the laughter Ash made as a toddler in her arms, making her squeeze the statue's hand even tighter. "I can't! I…can't…"

Ash sighed as his mother talked; he never realized his own impulsiveness to save or protect Pokémon would be causing his mother so much grief. In trying to keep everyone safe and happy himself through his heroics—he never thought about how his endeavors would be personally affecting his own mother in particular if she was this fragile about it.

"So…why? Why does he do it?!" Delia sobbed. "I have to know! Why would he cut his childhood so short to try to be a brave adult?!" Her sobs grew harder. "B-before he could even reach his dreams?! Why would he sacrifice himself so young?!"

She buried her face into her palms.

"I'm supposed to be there…I'm his mommy…b-but…I couldn't…protect him…and now…"

Unable to even kneel anymore, Delia fell face down, laying in close next to her petrified son, putting his arm around him.

The way this human seemed so willing to protect this little one reminded Mewtwo of its own clone clan. Back on Mt. Quena, the super clone was willing to give itself up to Giovanni to keep its own "children" safe from the potentially fatal cloning experiments Team Rocket would perform on them if it didn't submit. Mewtwo was starting to see where that unique Trainer got his inexplicable desire to help others out of the selflessness of his heart.

"Ash…I'm so sorry…why…why did I ever join Giovanni...in the first place...if this was gonna happen? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DIE?!"

"Pi…ka…pi…" Pikachu wept.

Delia's voice sank to a whisper.

"Why?…Why?…Why?…"

"M-mom…" Ash, outside the window, was crying hard too. "I'm sorry too…sniff…I don't…I don't mean to make you cry! You…you don't deserve this!" Ash wiped away his tears with his arm, wanting so much to come through that window and let his mother how much he really loved her. "Mewtwo…please…I'm begging you…" the boy was praying, "Let me in! Let me see her! Please…I…I…" he swallowed in his throat as he whispered…

"I want my mommy…"

——————————————————————————————

A twinkle appeared in the darkness out of nowhere.

It was traveling like a floating star. Ash was seeing it from outside the window, approaching Delia, Pikachu, Mewtwo and his stone body. It was encircling the laid down family up above them.

Delia cuddled in closer to the Ash's statue, noticing Pikachu wiping its tears on his other arm. "You know…" she softly said as she shut her eyes, "When Ash was just a little baby…I used to read him a bedtime story…that when Pokémon are sad…and they cry…their tears are full of life."

Mewtwo shut its own eyes at those words. They seemed…familiar somehow. Another twinkle approached the family, also encircling them.

"Impossible," Mewtwo claimed. "Only humans are said to cry from sadness. Pokémon only cry tears of pain."

Faint sounds of several Pokémon crying could be heard around the darkness as more twinkles were coming in.

"Mewtwo…look at Pikachu," sniffled Delia. "It's crying because it's feeling pain…in the heart. Just like me. Pain in the heart…that…literally is…sadness."

The darkness was starting to subside, showing the Pokémon from New Island, original and clone, crying for the petrified Ash, their tears being the source of all the twinkling.

Ash, seeing all this, was amazed at how beautiful this all looked. He remembered that bedtime story from way back when; he never imagined it was actually true and wasn't just a fairy tale.

Mewtwo could see how that young Trainer would be able to open its hardened heart that fateful day, why he was so different compared to the other untrustworthy humans it had encountered.

"Would you truly give your life for your son, to ensure his safety and happiness, to prolong his future?" asked Mewtwo.

"Of course, I would!" Delia sat up. "I'm his mother!"

A twinkle settled on the petrified Ash's arm…causing the arm on the Ash outside the window to glow blue.

"Even at the cost of your own safety?"

"Always!"

Now Ash's other arm was glowing.

"Wh-what's going on?!" Ash said in awe.

"To always be there to provide for him when he needs you?"

"That's all I want!"

Ash's whole body was covered in that blue glow now.

"Why?"

He reached his arm through that window…and walked in, his image dissolving.

"Because…because I love him."

—————————————————————————————

Delia soon saw the Pokémon all around her licking each other's wounds, the sky clearing up, a bright, heavenly light shining down on her, Pikachu, and her son…whom she could swear she saw stirring.

"Pika?" perked Pikachu. It noticed…he wasn't stone cold anymore!

"Ngh…ugh…" Ash slowly started to rise up.

Delia couldn't believe her eyes. Her son was…he was…

"Huh? M-m-m…"

"A-a-a…"

The two shared a few seconds of stunned silence.

"MOM!!!"

"ASH!!!"

The mother and son were soon locked in a warm, laughing, loving embrace, Delia spinning Ash around in the air and squeezing him as to never let go.

"PIKA-PI!"

"PIKACHU!"

Pikachu got in on the happy family reunion, too, Ash hugging his Pokémon in one arm and hugging Delia on the other.

"OOOOOOOOH, MY SWEET, DARLING, WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL LITTLE MAAAAAAN!!!" Delia cried out with joy, smothering her son with smooches. "I was…I was scared…I was…I was so scared!"

"I know, Mom!" said Ash, his eyes glistening. "I was scared too! But…I'm so glad…you're okay! Pikachu too!"

"Pika!" Pikachu leapt onto Ash's shoulder, getting a nice pet on the neck.

"Mom…" Ash sniffled. "I'm sorry…I can get into a lot of bad stuff sometimes. I don't mean to do it…I…I never even really want to! I just…don't like to see my friends get hurt! I wanna take care of them…and protect them…like you protect me!"

Delia gazed down at her son with awe.

"Honestly Mom…if it hadn't been for you…I don't think…I'd be the Pokémon Trainer I am now!"

"Ash…" whispered Delia.

"You've always been there for me…and…I wanna be there…for my friends! For ALL my Pokémon!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu chirped.

Ash and Delia were seeing the clone Pokémon rise into the sky with Mewtwo looking down on them.

"And so…the secret has finally been revealed." the clone sagely said.

The family looked up at the mighty psychic Pokémon.

"It is?" Ash asked.

"What secret?" Said Delia.

"Pikachu?" Pikachu tilted its head in confusion.

Mewtwo began to fly away into the clouds with its clone clan.

"Before…the taller human was questioning her own abilities and purpose as a mother. Haunted by her past, feeling responsible for her child when he was in danger, a desire to always be there for him…

"Little human…you feel that same desire…to be there for your Pokémon, and those close to you. To fight for their protection, like your own mother was willing to do so for you."

The sun above New Island shone bright as ever, with a rainbow emerging from the subsiding storm clouds.

"Wowwww…" said Ash.

"It's beautiful…" Delia wondered.

"Pikaaaa!" Pikachu squealed.

"By instilling this care and love into your child…to spread to others…"

Both Ash and Delia managed to catch a glimpse of Ho-oh flying across the sky, before the brightness of the sun engulfed them.

"…That is the secret…of a perfect mother."

——————————————————————————————

Delia slowly opened her eyes.

It was morning, with the sound of Pidgey chirping outside and several Bug Pokémon making noises amongst the backyard grass.

Looking around as she woke up, Delia breathed a sigh of relief as she found she was back in her bedroom safe and sound. However, she did notice one thing different.

Ash and Pikachu were sleeping right next to her in her bed.

The woman smiled. She remembered how whenever Ash had a nightmare as a kid, he'd always come into her room crying and she'd let him sleep with her, hugging him close to keep the bad dreams away. That was the very first time she felt like she could protect her child.

And now, here he was, sleeping with her because she was the one having the nightmare.

Delia smiled. Like mother, like son, she thought.

——————————————————————————————

It was a miracle! That very morning, Ash's sickness was completely gone! No more poison, no more stuffiness, no more coughing, no more weakness in the knees…it was as if that Team Rocket Poison Jab attack never happened at all!

Delia called Professor Cerise and Goh to tell them the good news, and they soon came by to congratulate Ash for a quick and successful recovery.

"Aw yeah!" Said Ash pumping his fist in the air. "I feel like a 10,000,000-Volt Thunderbolt today!"

"Pi-Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered.

"I'm so happy Ash!" Said Goh. "You had no idea how worried we all were about ya!"

"And it's all thanks to you, Mrs. Ketchum," Cerise told Delia with a thumbs-up. "Only a cook, gardener and mother of your caliber could get this kid up and well just like (snap) that!"

Delia giggled at the compliment. "Aww…thanks Professor!"

"Mime Mime!" Mr. Mime smiled.

"Now we can be research fellows again, right?" Goh said excitedly. "Man, I can't wait to see what kind of Pokémon we'll meet next!"

"Uh, well…actually…" Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm gonna stay with Mom for a little longer. She's…been through quite a lot."

"Oh nonsense!" Delia huffed.

"HUH?!?" Ash didn't expect his mother to say THAT.

Delia put her hands on Ash's shoulders. "I don't want you worrying so much about me, sweetie! You know that as long as you remember everything I've taught you…you'll never be too far from home!"

"R-really?!"

"I know so! Whenever you need me for anything, I'll be just a phone call away! And when you decide to come back to visit, I'll always have a nice warm bed and a hot delicious home cooked meal waiting for you!"

Ash's eyes lit up with hype and excitement. "ALL RIGHT!!! Mom you're the best!!!"

"Pika-pikaaaaa!" Pikachu cheered.

"I believe in you, honey! Now get out there, and have some fun, my little Pokémon Master!"

Ash ran to the car Goh and Professor Cerise were in, ready to take their drive back to Vermillion City.

"Cerise Laboratory, here we come!" Goh cheered.

Then Ash suddenly stopped them. "Oh wait, hold on guys," Ash said. "I forgot something!"

Delia saw Ash come back out of the car, running back towards her. "Ash?"

The boy then gave his mother a big, long, hard hug.

"I love you, Mom."

Kneeling down and closing her eyes, Delia hugged back.

"I love you too sweetie," she whispered. "Oodles and oodles, up to blue skies, as high as you can go, forever and ever…yes."

After twenty long seconds of that hug, and with a little kiss on his forehead, Ash and Pikachu were finally off, back to Cerise Laboratory for their next big Pokémon adventure!

THE END