Hello :P It is Wednesday and I am back with a new chapter. Though I have seen the film many times, I am currently reading the book of "Chocolat" for the first time and I was reminded that I wrote this a while back - a story inspired by that particular story. The theme of outsiders reminded me of Team Rocket and I started thinking how it would be when they quit Team Rocket and lived in Pallet Town with the Ketchum's, after Delia gives them all a place to stay while they get on their feet. And I came up with this! I hope you enjoy :3
Ages:
Misty: 19
James: 26
Delia: 37
Disclaimer: I own the story and the OCs mentioned!
Delia Ketchum's yearly summer party was in full swing and every aspect of it was making me tingle with excitement. The brightly coloured balloons floating upwards towards the sky, proudly tied to chairs with a long piece of string. The banners that hung shouting all kinds of encouraging words, watching over us all and ensuing we were having a good time. And last but certainly not least, the food. The food was heavenly and it smelled delicious. Delia had hand made it all by herself except for odd few bits and pieces that he kindly been bought by guests. She had organised the whole day, the whole event – and she certainly found her way being the star of the show.
Everybody loved my best friend's mother. Everybody loved Delia. I had never met a single person that didn't. She was a quirky lady; vivacious and accepting too. And she certainly knew how to put on a good party! It made me very happy indeed to see everybody enjoying themselves but as I perched on the shoulder of Ash while he conversed with Gary and Professor Oak by one of the buffet tables, my eyes couldn't stop themselves from wandering to a less vibrant image. It was still a colourful one; the different shades of purples and pinks couldn't be anything but. And even though it wasn't necessarily a sad spot in the party, it was certainly a divisive one.
It didn't require anyone to look very hard at all to notice a prominent split down the middle of Delia's guests. Though they were a mix of young and old, from Kanto and from afar, women and men – there was a separation of a different kind. The lavender haired male known as James was very cut off from the rest of the Pallet Town guests and along with his new wife and their bunch of children, they sat alone on the grass and kept very much to themselves.
I knew that Jessie didn't mind at all. She had James and she had Meowth and she had her children too. She had herself, most importantly. She couldn't care less if people wanted to associate with them or not. But the lavender haired ex-rocketeer didn't share the same view as her. Though he tried to act like it wasn't bugging him or getting him down, it definitely was. He had a slight frown on his face as he continued drinking his mug or something or other and I would've been tempted to go over and join their little cluster if Ash hadn't taken strides closer to the buffet table with me still on his shoulder to select his next plate of that day.
But thankfully, someone else had clearly noticed the segregation of the party and her best friend's mood and she wanted to do something about it. Misty marched over to where James had momentarily stopped frowning thoughtfully down towards his drink and was softly reminding his twins to not roll in anyone's way while they were playing on the floor. She didn't hesitate to flop right next to him, almost sending his mug flying out his hands.
"Hiya Jimmy." Misty greeted her good friend with a confident yet genuine grin and at that point I had to make sure my ears really were focusing on their conversation rather than getting distracted by the battle that Ash was enthusiastically describing to Gary Oak. After the lavender haired male mumbled a 'jeez' and covered his cup with his hand to stop the contents spilling everywhere and Misty just smirked, she continued speaking. "Great party, huh?"
"Oh, it's simply the best." The lavender haired male replied in a level tone but after he noticed his deep purple haired young son looking over in his direction from pretending to army crawl with his twin sister, James had a nonchalant smile for Misty. He pushed his hair out of his eyes. "It's great. Delia certainly knows a lot of people."
The younger female nodded her head and she smiled. It certainly wasn't a smile out of politeness or out of agreeing with the small talk with James. It was a sincere smile. It was a proper beam. She turned her head and searched for her boyfriend's mother while she replied with soft enthusiasm.
"Everybody wants to know Delia and I don't blame them. She's simply the best." She complimented the chestnut haired woman that she was so very close to and after James listened to her words but just nodded his head silently and went back to drinking from his mug, Misty then found herself moving onto other things. She moved closer to the older male though their legs were touching after she flopped next to him. She leaned her head closer to his. Then she flicked his cup. She grinned again. "You've been downing cup after cup of that. Are you okay? Are you not hungry?"
The green orbed male still didn't reply with words but that was plenty okay. He was the type of man who sometimes said more with expression. His face recoiled away from his best friend's playfully when she got closer to him and he made his eyes widen. He then just shrugged and went back to drinking. This of course led to more talk from the orange haired female. She was very charged with the contentment of a lively party.
"Well when you do decide to get off the liquid diet then you've got to try Delia's sticky toffee pudding. You'll need to book yourself into the dentist tomorrow but it will be worth it." My raven haired best friend's girlfriend said with a smirk and upon hearing her words and seeing her smirk too, James found himself smirking back. He was certainly thinking about it. "Justin seems down. Do you want to go and grab some with me?"
I turned my head towards where, once again, the deep purple haired five year old had gone back to listening to the conversation that his lavender haired father was having. His mother was occupied with quietly giving his younger brother his late lunch time bottle so the conversation between James and Misty was most appealing to him. He didn't try to hide the fact that he was eavesdropping and openly nodded along with Misty's words.
His father had a different direction and shrugged. Following that, he crinkled his nose a fraction and shook his head. Misty believed that he was going to continue being silent and it certainly looked that way. But we were wrong. He was pondering. He was thinking.
When the Water type Pokémon Trainer had first gone over to her best friend, he had been looking down at his mug of Delia's famous hot chocolate. But since then, he had gone back to eyeing the second of the buffet tables. He looked right at it, studying it. Misty began studying him studying the table, her head tilting on one side. It was then that he finally broke his silence.
He put his empty mug down on the grass next to him and stretched his legs out a bit more. He did however; wrap his arm loosely around Misty's shoulders to add an extra bit of casualness to his words.
"Maybe later on, Munchkin." He told her, his nose crinkling at the side once more as he finally stopped looking at the crowd gathering around the pudding buffet table. Like I had noticed him doing before, he was trying to look unbothered by the situation. "When it dies down a bit, I'll go over to it with you. I will."
The magenta haired female overheard her new husband's words as she stood up to carry Jaxon off to change him elsewhere and she rolled her eyes as soon as she heard them. But it wasn't in an unkind way. She just wished that things were different. She wishes some of the Pallet Townspeople weren't so set in their ways and she wished James didn't mind it as much as he did. When Jessie left and Jazmyn trotted after her, Misty's mind started ticking.
It didn't take her very long at all to piece together James' glance and James' words and the clear divide between the Pallet Town natives and the former 'hooligans' that were Jessie and James and their family. Though the orange haired female was of course empathetic, she couldn't stop herself from smirking a little and shoving her friend lightly in the chest. He blinked.
"You should go over there with me right now." She told him in that determined way of his but after James went back to being quiet; she stopped smirking as prominently and let the empathy that was in her heart show on her face. She smiled softly just for her best friend. She played with her bangs. But she still encouraged him. "Why do you give a damn what some of those narrow minded old people think, anyway? They're not your people."
"But they're yours." The older male answered quickly and you could tell that he was surprised by how speedily his thoughts entered his brain and came out his mouth by the way that he recoiled a second time that day and shut his mouth again. After having another think for a few seconds, he spoke again. He shook his head, though. "They've been good to you."
"They've been good to you too." Misty reminded James truthfully but she finally moved away from him a fraction to give him a bit more space. She was still there. She was just there a bit further away on the grass and pulling her legs to her chest. I was enjoying the way that Ash was proudly recounting our battle to Gary and Cameron too but I was itching to join Misty as well. "The town has been good to us both. But some of the people are set in their ways. Don't let it bring you down."
Naturally James mumbled the words 'I'm not' but even he went quiet all over again after saying. He knew that at that point, he wasn't exactly telling the truth and he didn't need to retract his words for Misty to understand. She did on her own. And she stopped looking at her best friend. She started looking around the party instead like I had been doing a bit before.
It really was a wonderful party. The decorations were a treat to the eye. The food was a treat to the nostrils and to the mouth. The guests were good. Mostly, the guests were good and kind. But like how it was in any large group, there were a few that ruined the atmosphere just a little bit. And it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair on Delia who accepted Jessie, James and Meowth and threw a wonderful party to spread joy.
It wasn't fair on Jessie, James and Meowth who had put their old lives behind them and were set on being better for their future together. And most importantly, it wasn't fair on the guests themselves. It was unnecessary that they had to have any kind of judgement in their hearts, especially over the ex-rocketeers.
I paused for a moment. While Ash was still in mid-sentence describing a very intense combination attack I had done during a recent battle, I had a little think to myself. It was true that at times I did still feel a little bitter towards the ex-rocketeer trio. After all, they had followed us about for years! I still felt annoyed by it and I still sometimes felt bewildered by the way that certain members of our new group seemed to have forgotten that. But then I did the right thing by admiring their forgiveness instead.
And I never acted badly towards Jessie, James or Meowth, no matter how I felt. I had seen first-hand the questionable antics they had chosen to do in their lives but that didn't mean I had to act dismissive of them. To tell you the truth, that would've made me as 'bad' as them. So I felt bothered by the townspeople who were acting in exactly that way.
"You don't have to try and be nice to me and see things from my side, you know." James finally broke his silence and spoke to Misty and it caused her to turn her head back towards him. She had gotten lost in her own thought and almost forgotten what they were talking about exactly. She was soon reminded. "This town has been your home longer than it has been mine. So you don't have to trash it. But thank you for doing so for my benefit."
James reached over to squeeze Misty's hand and in that moment, he broke out into a slight smirk just for her. And it was a smirk from the lavender haired male that I knew. He was coming back out of his shell even though he was feeling the judging eyes as soon as he reached over and made contact with the orange haired female. Misty barely noticed. She just felt the affection from the older man and didn't hesitate to return it. And she said her own genuine words to him.
"It is my home and it's been good to me. It's been good to us." She nodded her head and even though her hand was still holding onto James', her eyes broke away from his. Before I could see her gaze settle down, I already knew what she was looking for. She was looking for me. And she was looking for Ash. She smiled so very softly and even flushed a gentle rosy pink. "But I went from a city to a town. Both of those are my homes. But homes don't have to be places either. They can be people as well."
And straight away, James got that message. He squeezed his best friend's hand all over again and nodded his head in agreement. He felt the same way. Truly, he felt the exact same way as her. And he started to think about exactly that. But he was interrupted by Misty looking back at him after catching my eyes and grinning bashfully. She played with her bangs and had more things to say. Or rather, she had more things to ask. She scooted closer to James again.
"It must be weird for you though, Jimmy." She began and even before she had properly started her sentences, she had the lavender haired male's full attention. He blinked at first but then he just focused on listening. He tilted his head, his eyes widening with curiosity. "You went from place to place for years. You took your home with you. And then one day, you stopped all that. And you're here. In Pallet Town. It must be quite the adjustment."
"It is." The ex-rocketeer male nodded his head in agreement and he wholeheartedly meant his words but then he shrugged. I understood. I understood when his eyes wandered to Justin continuing to army crawl all by himself and then they travelled to Jayme joining in the conversation with Ash and Gary and Jayde sitting under a tree with Cameron. He explained the same exact things that my brain assumed. "But it's the right thing to do. Kids need stability. They need structure. Even though things are a little hectic right now and everything is up in the air, we're in the right place to be. Our future is here. Even if some of the townspeople can't forget our past."
This made Misty quieten down. I expected her to smirk fondly or at the very least, smile fondly and squeeze his hand all over again. But she didn't. She let go of his hand and her eyes flickered with a touch of sadness. For once, James didn't seem to pick up on it and occupied himself momentarily with giving his eldest son a thumbs up while he tried to impress him with his stealth. Misty stayed looking at her best friend. And she saw everything. But in the same breath, she saw nothing.
It was true that she found the ex-Team Rocket trio a little tricky to understand. She found Jessie a bit too loud and a bit too powerful and Meowth downright sneaky! But she saw who James really was from the very beginning. Even when he had a massive 'R' printed on his chest, he was a soft and kind-hearted guy.
Like me, she had had to deal with their pesky trio following her for years and if she could forgive all of that after witnessing it, then she thought the townspeople could too. She didn't understand the judgement. Sure, they were all a little out of the ordinary. Of course they had done bad things. But it was the past. And she felt that they should all be given room to at least show what they could do moving forward.
She too had made mistakes. In her eyes, she had made many many mistakes. But James taught her to let those go. So she was determined for him to do the same. She was determined to see him flourish and thrive and prove everybody damn wrong! Because when she looked at him, she didn't see a criminal. She saw a good person. She saw a friend. She saw an uncommonly gentle man.
"It's the here and now, that's what counts, James. And you've got kids to provide for so anything else is the least of your worries." She reminded him but she also encouraged him. James was looking at her again. And he was smiling. And when his middle and curly haired son came sprinting over to Misty after following Delia around prior to that, he smiled even more. The younger female didn't hesitate to stand up and hoist the wriggling and slightly over-excited two year old onto her hip. She tried to drag James off the ground too. She nuzzled Jayden's cheek with her nose to calm him down and used him to be an example to his father too. "You've got another kid here who I reckon would adore some sticky toffee pudding as well! So c'mon over with me to the buffet table. Or I'll make ya!"
And with that, Misty strutted off towards the no longer so crowded dessert table with the lavender and magenta haired child on her hip after giving Justin a knowing wink. She walked straight over to the area and ignored it when elderly ladies caught sight of Jayden hugging closely to Misty's chest and edged out of the way.
The green orbed male was left sitting alone on the grass for a few seconds after that. He was left feeling a little bit exhausted – like Misty had come and went and he was just in her wake. But he soon recovered from that. He suddenly knew to smirk and got up off his feet, taking his empty hot chocolate mug with him. He was used to strong women who stopped him from moping and encouraged him to keep putting one foot in front of the other. It was exactly what he needed. And he was so very glad that his sons were growing up witnessing that as well.
James was still slightly uneasy over the reaction that he was going to get when he sauntered over to join his best friend in the middle of the buffet table while wearing his shirt and his dungarees and his hair in a ponytail too but when he saw Misty and Jayden smile right away upon seeing him come over, he just didn't care. He didn't care at all! And that made me happy. I finally stopped loitering on Ash's table near the savoury buffet table and decided to hang by the sweet one instead. I wanted to be by my other friends too. And I didn't care who looked!
Misty continued smiling over at James after I jumped onto her shoulder instead and following us sharing our own cheek nuzzle, she reached for her best friend's sleeve to pull him even further next to her and between two groups of chatting elderly women. They cleared their throats slightly at all being so near to each other but didn't dare react too strongly with my best friend's girlfriend around. She was known for sticking up for her friends and she was known for sticking up for them fiercely.
"Seeing as I've got Jayden and Pikachu now too, it's up to you to hold all the puddings, Jimmy." Misty informed the lavender haired male and before he could offer to help anyway or even ask how he might help, the orange haired female suddenly thrust bowls full of the sweet dessert into his hold. His eyes widened at the sheer amount of them all while Misty just laughed. She touched her cheek against Jayden's and then mine. "Well it's your fault for having so many kids, isn't it? They've all got to try a bit of this - it's Misty approved!"
James tried to shake his head and quieten Misty down, already knowing how some of the Pallet Town residents felt about the amount of children he had in a short space of time. But after she shot him a lot and I did too, he focused on relaxing all over again. He just smirked, occupying his brain with juggling the bowls full of the 'Misty approved' pudding. He was so invested in that that he almost walked backwards and backed into one of Delia's guests!
Needless to say, he gave them a friendly and apologetic smile. They were, however, still not impressed. Misty wasn't either. She managed to hold her tongue and not mutter any words in front of Jayden who was trying to reach out to his father's pudding stash and instead, the orange haired female made small talk with her best friend all over again. And she did it rather loudly.
"Being in a nice place like Pallet Town surrounded by friends makes it hard to understand why you chose the moving from place to place life for so long." Misty commented to purposely get a shaking heads reaction from whoever was eavesdropping and James didn't catch on at first. He frowned. But then frown creased out after his best friend gave him a knowing look and a slight nod. I gave him the same expression and a wink. He held his breath. Then, he understood and I felt that Jayden did too. Misty continued, less loudly that time but more effectively. "Why did you prefer the freedom-filled life?"
"The price is too high." James replied with a shrug and began to stop caring so much what other people thought. When he was with Misty and he was influenced by her ballsy, courageous yet fair personality, he was almost unstoppable. He showed this by mumbling a polite 'excuse me' to some other guests before leaning forward and collecting more of the puddings. He was lifting them for his best friend who gave him confidence. He then turned to answer her properly. He no longer cared what anybody thought of him. He only cared what Misty thought. "You end up caring what people think of you. And that might be okay for some people but not for me. People should worry what they're doing with their own lives, really."
The water Pokémon trainer held back a slight snicker when James caught the eye of a grey haired lady quite obviously listening into their conversation and he gave them an unmoving but soft glance in return and a polite smile too. They quickly left the dessert table and it wasn't because there was none left! Misty wanted to laugh and pat her good friend on the back but she didn't have time. First of all, Jayden wriggled to get down and after the lavender haired male ushered Justin over to them too, the two boys were trusted with giving the sweet treats to their other siblings.
And following that, Misty was then distracted by the star of the day arriving over at their little group with a cheerful smile on her face and gladness in her eyes. She had been tickled pink by James and Misty indulging so heavily in her home made puddings and then she was approving of the words she had heard the lavender haired male saying.
"Oh you're very right about that, James. I've found that people should dance to the beat of their own rhythm." Delia hummed and she had kind smiles for us all. Needless to say, we didn't hesitate to smile back and we listened while she continued talking. She had cheek strokes for both Misty and I and a shoulder squeeze for the lavender haired male. "I'm very glad that you're eating all of your favourites here today. But I have one more for you to try."
While Misty continued smiling contentedly over at her future mother-in-law, the memory of the other people who had been disapproving of her best friend fading away, I watched James' reaction. I watched it gently at first and then I watched it hard. But then I still was smiling. I knew that the lavender haired male had found Ash's mother a bit of a strange woman at first. She was so friendly and kind and accepting he wondered if it was possible for a person to be all that nice!
But it was. Delia was a delight. And I don't say that because she made my very best friend. She is wonderfully strong and caring woman and a credit to the town, the world and most importantly, herself. She always looked out for everybody. And she certainly looked out for the ex-rocketeers even after everything they had done in their lives.
And despite the fact that the ex-Team Rocket male was being slightly shy that Delia had seen him taking all of her treats for his own family, he then had a gentle smile just for Ash's mother and he pretended to be slightly teasing to make her giggle happily.
"You have even more for me? I have filled myself up on my favourite – your amazing hot chocolate. Are you sure you want me to be fed up even more?" he asked the chestnut haired mother to purposely flatter herself and the orange haired female rolled her eyes fondly when she saw Delia touch her own cheek and blush even more. She nodded her head. She had something for James and she wanted him to try it. Misty too.
James pretended to roll his eyes – relenting – but he didn't hesitate to accept the chocolate treat that Delia had for him and split it in half to share with Misty before she was even given her own.
I moved gladly onto Delia's shoulders to watch both of the reactions of the lavender haired male and the orange haired female as they tried more of the culinary experts treats. They popped the chocolates into their mouths and didn't hesitate on chewing. You could tell from the way that Misty's eyes rolled in their own unique way that she was approving and she didn't have to say anything.
James chuckled at his best friend's reaction but then he had words for Delia. He flattered her even more. He tried not to smirk shyly, noticing the way she was staring at him especially hopefully.
"I am undone. That is a great bit of chocolate, I must say. But I can't say that I'm swayed away from your hot chocolate just yet. That is my favourite." He told her honestly and in that moment, Delia's slightly girlish hope for approval from the younger male turned into an eye narrow and playful stubbornness that I saw in my best friend. She tilted her head at him and she tapped her chin, wondering how she could top her favourite drink for him. James chuckled again and that time, wasn't trying to flatter her even more. He was being honest. "But you, Delia, are my most favourite. Thank you for inviting my mad lot to this party. You do too much for us, you know that? Way too much. We are grateful. And we will return the favour one day."
Upon hearing this, needless to say, Delia flushed yet another kind of pink and Misty giggled all over again. But she was too busy encouraging me back onto her shoulder to share her own bit of chocolate with me. I didn't hesitate to oblige. But after tasting the sweet treat and greatly approving, it was the interaction between Delia and James that was even sweeter.
The chestnut haired female waved her hand dismissively at his words but for once, the lavender haired male was insisting. He briefly grabbed hold of her hands as she waved them so she would listen to him. After that, she was most definitely listening. James ducked his head almost shyly but then he smiled earnestly at Delia.
"I'm being serious. Why are you being so nice to me? Why are you being so nice to us? After everything I put you and your son through – and Misty right here too. And the way that people are whispering about you now too for associating with us. You are too kind, Delia, you are too kind."
"It's the right thing to do, dear." Delia answered James quickly and though she wanted to blush sweetly at the grateful words she was getting from the younger man and then the hand squeeze from her future daughter-in-law too, she focused on getting her own words out. She ignored the fact that some of the guests were indeed whispering about them. She squeezed Misty's hand back and then the orange haired female reached her other one onto her belly where the new baby Ketchum was beginning to grow. Delia smiled wistfully. But she focused on James. "I was the outcast of this town once too, you know. It was just me and it was just my little boy. That was unheard of! And if they learned to accept me then they can most definitely accept you too. All of you. And believe you me I won't give up until they do!"
And right away when he heard that, James had no words. James simply had no words. I barely had any either. I had no words that I could string together. But I had thoughts instead.
Delia was a hero in my eyes. In my eyes, she was the very definition of a hero. She was a mother to all. And she was loved by all. She was certainly fiercely loved by Misty and because of that, after hearing her words for the lavender haired male, she gave her a brief but affectionate side hug and James a squeeze of her shoulder before she went on her way. She wanted to find her boyfriend and give him a hug too. And she wanted to remind him how wonderful his mother was – though of course he was the person that knew the most.
Even after Misty had left their little group and I was busy jumping onto Delia's shoulder all over again, James still didn't know what to say in response to the chestnut haired female. But after she smiled and looked down at the ground herself and tucked her own bit of hair behind one ear, he knew.
He continued shaking his head but he had words for her. He had words for Delia. Gently and gratefully, he reached for both of her shoulders. She looked up at him. He smiled sincerely.
"Thank you for being our friend." He told her and after she blushed all over again, that gentle smile quirked upwards in one corner and became a mischievous smirk. His eyes glittered in the same way. And he tilted his head at Ash's mother. "I've said it before and I'll certainly say it again. People call us the dregs of society. If you make friends with us then you make enemies of others. I hope you know that."
Delia's initial reaction upon hearing this was her own head tilt and a blink of her chocolate brown orbs but after she went over them in her head and she saw James' likeable smirk, she found herself having the same back. She put her hands on her hips. She chuckled to herself, finding it remarkable how she and Misty both considered him a friend after everything.
"Is that a promise?" she asked him teasingly and simply because she went along with his own bit of mischief, James smiled even more. He was momentarily distracted by his children seemingly having a sugar rush after the chestnut haired female's puddings and he was reminded even more of how true his words were. Delia would certainly have her hands full with them as her friends!
"It's a guarantee." The lavender haired male affirmed to the young and pretty woman and after he leaned forward and placed a kiss on the top of her hand, he stopped smirking momentarily. However, he started that up all over again when Delia took hold of his wrists and dragged him into an area that was the line that divided the Pallet townspeople from the ex-Team Rocket 'outcasts' and asked him to dance with her. Because, in her words, she wanted to give them something proper to talk about!
And in that moment, if the lavender haired male didn't respect Ash's chestnut haired mother before then he certainly did at that point. And he showed that by dancing with her. But more importantly, he showed her that by being proud of being an outcast. Because if she could handle it and she was proud to be it as well, then he could be as well.
For if someone as wonderful and kind and successful as Delia could be labelled an outcast then he knew one thing was for certain. That word was certainly not an insult. It was a compliment. And I knew that I was very lucky not only to know my raven haired best friend, Ash, but I was lucky to know the incredible woman that brought him into the world too.
The End.
There you go! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed :3 I have a lot of an idea of the backstory of Delia and a lot of it is my own thoughts but there's a good amount of detail in the official manga and stuff too. It's no doubt that she had a hard life raising Ash alone as a teenager but as you can see here, it makes her an incredibly kind and forgiving person. So much so that she forgives the Team Rocket trio for all their antics and gives them a place to stay! I want to tackle much more of Delia in the future :3 Thanks again for reading and I will be back again next Wednesday with Pikachu Tales so see you then!
AmyBieberKetchum sighing out :P