Project Rabere

by Erk Rauorfox

When a virus outbreak is found rapidly spreading across Kanto, Ash Ketchum, a high school student studying in Saffron City must make the perilous journey back to Pallet Town to reunite with his mother. Battling through infected pokemon and humans, he must mustered up the courage to lead a group of survivors in his hometown and flourish under these dire times. (Harem, incest)

4. Reunion

The motorcycle rolled up against the forest floors of Vermillion, thoroughly flattened and in a shoddy condition, the rider and his companions took the time to breath a sigh of relief from hours of weary travel. In the distance, through the bushes, shrubberies and dense trees, lies The Gates. A security checkpoint meant to inspect the vehicles of weary travelers and faciliate the flow of people entering and exiting the city. To his surprised, the checkpoint was not only intact, but it's tall walls were littered with spikes, barbed wires and jagged tips meant to discourage pokemon or people from climbing onto it. They were soldiers manning the ramparts and surveying from the glass windows from above, mounted turrets, heavily equipped police officers and Blastoise can be seen prowling around with heightened surveillance. Against all odds, Vermillion city seemed to be untouched by the virus that claimed Saffron and many other cities.

"Security is tight, they have fortified this point with automatic turrets and trenches. Wow they are prepared, Vermillion City seemed to be completely unravaged by the virus." The pokemon nodded in earnest, it was a miracle that any city withstand the onslaught. The trio sat behind the tree and foliage, devising a plan to sneak pass the control point just to head to the Digglet Cave. It was safe to say the city itself is twice as fortified, an impenetrable fortress where outsiders might be shot on sight. In this case, a young teenager desperately trying to reunite with his beloved mother.

In the control tower of Vermillion, a burly and strong blonde man signed a few documents and decrees. He eyed the provisions and supply inventory listed on the working computer screens and reports given by his officers, it seemed they have just enough to survive for 4 months. He nursed a frown and crossed his arms over the lack of communication from his contacts and comrades in the military, it seemed that his pleads for aid had fallen to deaf ears. A knock to his door earned the looks from his bodyguards, sergeants, strategists, city planners, and civil defense personnel. This is Vermillion City's War Room, every single decision that decides the fate of the port city are discussed, debated and quarrel over.

"Sir, we're detecting three heat signatures by the forest." The former military lieutenant raised his eyebrows, he was near certain that the infected pokemon were wiped clean during yesterday's raid from them. They stood little to no chance against their combined and coordinated might, but as supplies and ammunition dwindle with every passing wave, even the seasoned solider knew they can only last so long before reinforcements from the main army arrives, if ever.

"Human or pokemon?"

"One human, two pokemon."

"Infected?"

"Their movement suggest they are not." A survivor? The city had accepted an influx of refugees from neighbouring cities ever since the outbreak started. It was expected given Vermillion was the third most prosperous city in Kanto and an international trading hub as well, many oversea supplies, imports and materials all go through here before truck drivers distribute them from the warehouses. Now with communication and travel routes down, all of the supplies are all hoard up in Vermillion, leaving them drowning in an abundance of perishable food items, wheat, household goods and rare earth materials. The city lucked out in many sense, but without a proper defense, it would have fallen just like many of its sister cities.

"Spotlight them." The solider in question saluted and hoisted his portable intercom, giving orders to the men stationing at their post. With orders received, the head captain of the North Gates eyed the heat signature reading on their monitors that clearly show three red figures standing behind the trees. He brought up the loudspeaker mic to his mouth and gave orders to turn on the beaming light that pierce through the darkness of the night. The blinding light caught the trio off guard as they scrambled to recompose themselves, they hastily walked outside the shadows and into the light with their hands and paws in the air.

"This is the Vermillion City Self Defense Force, identify yourself!" Quivering at the sight of trained soldiers aiming down their weapons at them, the young man felt his legs shaking from the nervous and fear coursing through his body.

"U-Uh my name is Ash Ketchum, a student from Saffron Academy please don't shoot!" The soldiers looked at their captain who seemed visibly surprised by the sight of a student here. He quickly gave orders to his men on the ground, they have to properly inspect him first before letting him through. A dozen soldiers with their partner pokemon were dispatched immediately, Arcanines and Raichus stood side by side to their trainers as they eyed the human and pokemon sharply. Yet despite the intimidating presence, a lone Chansey can be seen wobbling towards them with a bright smile on its face. It closed one of its eyes and began to thoroughly inspect them one by one. After brief inspection, the civil defense officer raised his voice.

"Safe?" The pink pokemon nodded, safe and sound!

"Chanse!" Relief that did not have to resort to violence, the troops welcomed Ash and his pokemon through the checkpoint His electric motorbike were carried by Machoke with relative ease and as the gates opened with its metallic shutters rolling up, they were finally given access to the port city. The young man marveled at how tightly controlled everything is, there seemed to be soldiers stationed in every corner. Street lights were plentiful and they were all functioning! Tents and guard towers were constructed between intersections, allowing the armed defender to rest or change shift at a moment's notice.

"Our commander would like to see you." Ash remained silent as he merely went along with it, he boarded on a vehicle with Pikachu and Makuhita sitting down next to him. They drive through the inner city, passing checkpoint after checkpoint. Farm fields and crop farms covered the outer city, while the metropolitan port town have their skyscrapers and apartment block appearing pitch black, assuming to save power. It took 30 minutes for them to reach the center of the city, where armed force presence were incredibly heavy and stringent. How a city of this size manage to mobilize and organize their troops so effectively is beyond Ash, maybe having working power stations is a huge game changer after all.

"Go right in, he is waiting for you." A large bunker with sniper towers stood before him, the bastion if Ash could call it that was incredibly intimidating. He felt his courage faltering but a mere pat on the cheek by Pikachu restored his confidence, so far the soldiers treat them well and nothing horrible happened yet, yeah this is okay! Nothing bad is going to happen to him! So with a deep breath, Ash and his escorts entered the towering fortress. Rows of computers, radio and communication machines line up against the wall, with a myriad of individuals discussing the next step for the city's development. They halted what they were doing and stared at Ash, it was unnerving to say the least.

"You from Saffron kid?" The booming voice caught Ash off guard, he slowly raised his head to meet the supposed commander who towered over him. He squeaked his response out as he was incredibly intimidated by this brick house of a man, I mean just look at him! 6 foot tall with a physique that rivals Machamps!

"Y-Yes." The commander crossed his arms and let out a sigh of relief.

"Well I'll be damned, I never thought I see anyone from Saffron here. Heard all of them are holed up in that Town Hall of theirs, it's just a buffet for the infected that's for sure." Ash's eye widened at the revelation, he threw all caution and fear out of the window. What the hell did he meant buffet for the infected? It is the safest place in all of Saffron!

"W-What?"

"Aye, don't be surprise kiddo, unless all of the survivors are trained soldiers, they don't stand a chance. The infected always return stronger and larger, it's endless. Always the Rattatas with a few special pokemon throwing in the mix. But enough about that! I'm Surge, I'm sure you heard of me." How could he not? A veteran of war and a ferocious electric type master, Surge's reputation as a merciless but brilliant tactics is the pride of Kanto. For Ash however, this was the first time he seen the man and he could confirm that he is much more intimidating in person. Look at him! He is even wearing sun glasses during the night, how could you not be intimidated by someone who does that? Gary looked ridiculous doing that.

"You're the Vermillion City Gym leader?" Surge let out a laugh and nodded, the first impressions from new trainers are always the same.

"Veteran of war too, leading these poor saps to defend our city." The poor saps in question cheered to that, clearly they were proud at what they are doing. The noble task of protecting their city from infected is inspiring.

"Vermillion is on their own too?" The silence set in immediately, Ash looked around and winced internally, did he say something wrong? The Lightning Lieutenant crossed his arms and let out a pensive sigh, indeed there are on their own.

"Too huh, even the kid understands this. That's right, no direct orders from Ministry of Defense or army corps, and even if there is one, I would spit in their face. This is not how we do things in the army, someone messed up." It was damning to hear this from a person of authority, Ash knew that the army has not been able to fully control the situation but even common sense dictates that clear instruction from the top allows effective execution on the bottom. Definitely did not steal that line from Miss Roxanne.

"Why are you here Ash Ketchum? You came a long way from Saffron."

"I need to get back to Pallet Town, my mom is there." The look of sympathies from the soldier told Ash everything. He clenched his fists and refused to entertain the idea that she is no longer human. He would fight through hell and back just to be with her, nothing is going to stop him.

"I see. Listen-"

"I know what you're going to say, nothing is going to stop me! I'm going home!" The outburst from the young man drew sighs from the Lieutenant. He pulled off his sunglasses and tucked it at his breast pocket, the kid has determination and guts he would give him that.

"I was about to say that our boys can give you a ride." Ash blinked at the statement, was he serious? He had accepted that he might need to trek underground from Digglet Cave all the way to Viridian and now a leader of a city is willing to transport him home? This was a dream to Ash, to be able to reunite with his mother sooner than he expected was everything he could have wanted.

"W-What?" Surge grunted and crossed his arms, eyeing the Kanto region map that had legends, topography and terrain elevation.

"Samuel is probably still in Pallet Town, if not he's heading to Cinnabar. Either way, both points are crucial to maintain stability and control over Kanto. Pallet Town is strategically located near Johto, with mountain and forest, but more importantly it cordoned off by natural rivers and seas. If Oak is still there, then he is out best shot at understanding what the hell is causing the pokemon to go nuts." That make sense, many regions have formed a blockade of sort and closed off their borders now to prevent the infected pokemon from slipping in. Pallet Town's rivers and sea also makes it difficult for infected pokemon to attack unless they are flying or water type. The soil is rich so agriculture during an apocalypses is invaluable and Professor Oak's high security laboratory makes it difficult for the infected to storm through. If his mother and rest of the residence are holding up in the lab, then there's a chance Professor Oak and Gary would be there too. Ash's lips curled upwards, yes that make sense, they have to be safe!

"Don't look too happy kid, I can't send the entire armada but if you volunteer, I can bring you back to your mama." Despite the burly stature, the inflections in Surge's voice showed warmth and compassion. Ash bit his lower lip to suppress the tears and wiped away with his hands, he can't afford to look weak in front of all these people now.

"T-Thank you! Thank you so much! I would do anything!" The commander grunted and sat on the table, he ushered his men to take a recorder and pen to jot down the details of the following conversation.

"Well first you can start telling us what happened in Saffron, everything from your experience and how you get out." Ash nodded, it made sense they want crucial information like this and thus he told them everything. From how Trip showed them the first picture of the victims to the eventual attack itself, he however purposefully left out his encounter with Bill as he wasn't sure if they would believe his story or not. As time pass, Ash concluded his story, leaving many of Surge's men murmuring and conversing with one another.

"That's quite a tale kid, you've been through the wringer huh. It seems like the government hasn't collapsed yet, they are just prioritizing the important people. Also a EMP attack, looks like Saffron City was the only city affected by it, which explain why the National Power Grid went out."

"Sacrificing a large portion of the population just to protect the select few, like old times eh Surge?" Ash cocked his aside when Surge's second in command spoke candidly, the two army veteran exchanged small laughter. How could they possibly be laughing at something so horrible? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Minimalizing causalities and lost!?

"T-They do that?" Surge sighed at Ash's perplexed look, honestly he could blame a young child like him? Even he was surprise during his first deployment when he was serving. The sheer brutality of war on terrorism was gut wrenching to say the least.

"Resources are scarce, time is limited, you can't save everyone. So you have to roll the dice and choose the people actually worth saving, the more valuable you are, the more likely you would be chosen. The lucky ones would be put in a helicopter and transported to someplace safe and secured. The unlucky survivors are all in poorly fortified areas or infested areas, it's not logical to waste military resources just save people who can't provide any value to you. But if you give them a sense of hope that someone would come save them, then they would stay put where they are." It was hard pill to swallow but Ash knew that not everyone is worth saving in a crisis, you have to prioritize the assets and let go of the liabilities. Even so, Ash refused to believe that the military is willing to let civilians die when it is their damn duty to safeguard and protect its citizens. It was outrageous just to even think about it.

"Why would they do that? If they know where they are, isn't it better for the military to step in and help them? Or even locate them to some place more safe to stand a better chance?" The second in command shook his head, how he wished that was the case.

"That would be just wasting precious resources and manpower, you have to think of the bigger picture. In reality these survivors serve as bait to divert the attention from the main horde, while the actual military pull back from the fighting to recuperates their troops, restock on supplies and plan out a new strategy of attack, letting the survivors in poorly defended areas to absorb the pressure from the infected." Ash physically recoiled at that, his stomach churned at the idea that normal folks are forced to defend themselves with makeshift weapons while the military armed to the teeth with the latest gadgets and equipment sit by idly as they watched civilian after civilian being infected or slaughtered.

"S-So the people in the cities are forced to be on their own until the military arrives?" Surge snorted, Vermillion City has been doing that since the beginning of the outbreak.

"Oh don't worry, the military would periodically come and resupply the survivors just to give them a better chance at surviving longer and then fucks right off. Who knows? You might even bargain with them if you survive long enough." The second in command nodded, further explaining Ash what is the policymaker's decisions. Unlike people on the ground, the decision makers don't see people with lives and families, they only see people as assets and resources that are expendable.

"Once the military is finished resupplying, they would do the same thing again and again until the horde of infected thins out, then they claim decisive victory for themselves. Chances are, the elites and bureaucrats are all sealed up at Indigo Plateau planning their next move. But we are also beginning to suspect that this is no natural pandemic and these sporadic wild attacks, are not random." The nods from everyone around him perplexed Ash, this was no natural pandemic? Everything happened so fast yes but if this is not natural, then it can only me man-made. The thought itself sent a chill down his spine, this is Resident Evil levels of ridiculousness.

"Mhmm, this crisis is political more than anything, which is why nothing gets done." The disdain in the lieutenant's voice was palpable, clearly he was at wits end at the bureucrat and politician way of handling things. Ash looked around the war room and find it strange that Vermillion seemed to have everything under control, no scratched that, they were well prepared for the infection.

"How did Vermillion manage to stay clear from the infection?"

"Vigilance, strategic location and having the right men on job. If it weren't my time serving in the army and I wasn't gym leader, this city would have fallen long ago. The mayor in the city is missing- so it's up to me to lead. Martial law is declared and everyone is tasked to contribute, if not, they get tossed out the city walls, remarkably effective in motivating them." Mayor went missing huh, seems like a pattern is emerging. Even Saffron's leaders and governance mysteriously disappeared when the outbreak started, he had heard rumors that Sabrina was the one who evacuated everyone to the Town Hall and made their bastion there. He dearly wished everyone is well, there is no wind of the situation and given what Surge said earlier, there's not telling if they would hold.

"Gym Leaders seemed to be only person taking charge too." From Roxanne to Fantina, all of them were either active or former gym leaders. It made sense for them to assume leadership in times of crisis, they all have formal training for this after all. Gym Leaders have duties beyond giving gym badges, from civil defense, natural disasters to crisis aversion, they are tasked to safeguard the interest and develop the welfare of the city. Surge nodded at Ash's fair assessment, the kid was arguably more experience than some of his soldiers.

"You noticed huh, Saffron was hit hard not because Sabrina failed to act, but because it was targeted." The silence from the room was ominous enough, the occasional beeps and boops from the machines and computers broke through the eerie silence. The Pallet Town teen shuffled uncomfortably, was everyone waiting for him to say something?

"Targeted?"

"Has your pokemon been bitten or attacked by the infected?" His eyes widened at the direction question and quickly turned to his pokemon who seemed unease. What would they do if they found out? Would they toss them out? Or would they execute them!? He clenched his fists tight to hide his anxiety, what does he do now? Does he say the truth or lie? Before he could take any action, Makuhita grunted and pointed at where Mightyena bitten him to show everyone. To their surprise, none of them seemed fazed or shocked that an infected pokemon bit him.

"Yes! B-But they are completely okay! I was wondering why. They didn't have any red eyes or show any signs of aggression." Surge expected this much, he knelt down to the Makuhita and examined the bite wound. He whistled at the deep cut, there is no way that it isn't infected yet the fighting type looked docile and normal, just as he predicted. He smiled and patted the Guts pokemon on the head before standing up right.

"We did our own little experiment and found out that pokemon owned by trainers seemed to be immune to whatever the hell cause them to go berserk. After using a pokeball on an infected Pidgey, we not only managed to tame it, but we also cured it of its infection. However we need confirmation, hence we need Oak and his team of scientists. Frankly speaking, my buddies in the army did tell me something was off weeks before hell let loose, so I wasn't completely caught off guard and did some phone calls. The national broadcast by the KCDC was expected." Pikachu and Makuhita gave incredulous looks at one another, trainer pokemon are immune? Does that explain why no trainer pokemon is seen within the infected ranks? Its always the wild pokemon and never trainer own. But if it's virus mutation how does that make sense? Pokerus and viral infections affect all types of pokemon regardless of their status. Sure some may have vaccines but this is a brand new virus. For Ash, this was incredibly good news. The fact his pokemon is no longer to be infected was a blessing sent by the heavens, though he had just one last question he had for the former drill sergeant.

"I notice they grow stronger too after being bitten." Surge snapped his fingers at Ash's statement, the damn men were right after all.

"So it wasn't placebo then, good to know. That being said, purposefully exposing your pokemon to the virus so they can get stronger is a dick move, we already arrested and reprimanded some of our soldiers trying to do that. Until we figure what's going on, we are minimizing the chances of infection. We tried to use our Alakazam to mind read a cured Pidgey to know what happened to it but it lost all of its memory during it time as an infected." Using an psychic pokemon to learn of its condition during its infected state is a pretty genius move, sadly it seems the infectioun robs you of your memory and conscious too.

"What about the infected pokemon? Have you tried mind reading them too?"

"We tried. Our Alakazam gets a headache or blank slate doing that too. We thought we could get the bottom of this infection if we catch enough infected pokemon to glue together pieces of the puzzles or learn about the origin of the virus, looks like that plan is out of the picture. There is still things we don't know about the virus, it's nothing like we ever seen before." This was incredibly concerning, no recorded virus in human history had anything remotely closed to this. This virus is a novel one, one which caught the whole world off guard. But there was something Surge previously mentioned in passing that caught Ash's interest.

"You mentioned Saffron was purposefully targeted- how so?" The second in command took a chair and sat down, offering a folding chair to Ash as tea and coffee were served to them. The rain had started to set in again, another cold and wet night for the staunch defenders of their city.

"Tell me Ash, where are Pokeballs manufactured and produced?" Was this a rhetorical question? Everyone knows that pokeballs are manufactured by Silph Co, the world's most influential and profitable company. Responsible for producing anything a modern trainer needs from pokeballs, potions, supplements, vitamins and over the counter medicine, they practically revolutionize the entire world.

"Silph co in Saffron City."

"Right and with trade routes disrupted, no one can get supplies in and out between ports and warehouses. Internationally we have become a pariah state and shunned from any help or aid, exports and imports have been restricted. Considering trainer pokemon is immune to the virus and the only company that manufactures it gets shut down day one of the crisis, well you see a pattern." The realization hit Ash hard, he slammed his hands down on his thighs and learned forward.

"You're saying that they cut off pokeball supplies on purpose? Just so we can't give immunity to the pokemon?" Surge slowly nodded, now the kid is starting to see the bigger picture.

"That and the Kanto National Grid and Kanto Telecommunication Tower located in Saffron are both conveniently down on the same day, moments after the broadcast of the outbreak went live, and then Saffron City was invaded by Ratattas flooding from the sewers all at once. You tell me, coincidence? You think riots by cityfolks or those human zombies could have sabotage both sites within hours? Impossible. Our pokemon smokes the humans, it's the damn wild pokemon that is the issue. Something is causing them to attack on command, as if they were being controlled." This was a living nightmare, this is shit you see from zombie movies or horror games. Up until now Ash always wondered how cities were so ill-prepared against a Rattata attack, but if they all coordinate attacks and emerged in the sewers all at once, suddenly you have the armed forces spreading their manpower and attention unevenly. Spread too thin and they collapse and fold, just like what happened in Saffron.

"So this is not a natural cause pandemic?" There was no active confirmation it, not that Surge needed the damn cowards on Indigo to tell them what's true or not. All he knows is that something is off about this infection, it's selective and there is a fair amount of tactical planning when raiding cities.

"Who knows, it could be or it could biological terrorism, whatever it is, we must be prepared. All of this is just our little conspiracy theories of course. Arceus knows that without a leading voice and figure, we are free to think and believe whatever the hell we want. I love freedom and all, but without it abiding to the rule of law, this freedom is just a fancy word for anarchy. Rule of law must be establish soon, if not malicious groups would seize the oppurtunity to create a new world order in their image." Ash could painfully relate to that, he had already ran into so many unsavoury groups that seized the opportunity to lure survivors. He shudder to imagine if his own mother had fallen to that trap, his sweet and beautiful mother being in the hands of some dirty bastard, what he won't do to put a bullet-

"There are already news of other regions taking advantage of Kanto's pandemic to establish their own geopolitical powers and national agenda. All this talk about international solidarity, community spirit and joint global cooperation are all just for show. Kanto is on it's own, we are on our own." Politics was beyond Ash but he could see how other regions are filling in the void Kanto left. The Kanto region is a powerhouse and often have a say in geopolitics, its technological advancement and economic powerhouse allows it to influence global affairs, so maybe there's a theory that this pandemic originate from foreign soil.

'Man I'm beginning to sound like a conspiracy theorist.' What's next? The virus is engineered by a pharmaceutical company named after a household item?

"Sir, the boat is ready." Amidst his train of thought, a soldier with a futuristic visor spoke with much authority and pride. Surge smiled at the quick arrangement, he can ill-afford to send any of his men to distant lands due to the sheer size of Vermillion City. So a small task force specialized in covert operation seems like the best option he has.

"Ah good, bring the kid with you, his mama is at Pallet. You leave on the morrow, first sign of daylight." Ash waved a friendly hello the man who seemed surprised by the change of orders but went along with it nevertheless, certainly didn't expect a kid to accompany them so dangerous but if his mother's life is on the line, it made sense.

"Let's go rookie, I'll show you your quarters."

---

The smell of sulphur and burnt flesh permeated the air, corpses of human and pokemon alike lie still on the ground. The occasional twitches and groans from the zombie, still pinned down to the ground by the very house that had sheltered them and protected them from the elements, had now become their living tombstone. The young man grimaced at the sight, his gun firmly held in his hands with his finger barely touching the trigger. Discipline, discipline, it's all about training and repetition. Even with his pokemon by his side, he felt incredibly in safe and in power with a firearm in his hand. His eyes darted around the very town he grew up in, now razed to the ground with fire and ash. Farm fields that once stretched far and wide with golden paddy fields shimmering in the sunlight, are now burnt to a bitter char. Coursing rivers that once provided the town with flourishing life, now lies stagnant and rancid with the putrid smell of decay and stagnation setting in. Everything in town was absolutely horrible, it was barely recognizable even.

But he pressed on, clinging to hope and the joyful reunion with his mother. Despite the obstacle and the imminent threat of being attack by the horde of pokemon and zombies, he remains resolute in his goals. His boots crossed over the shattered glass of the windows, the debris of the fallen structures and the wooden splinters of the numerous furniture blown apart by explosives and relentless force, a grim reminder that the residence of the town were ill-prepare and caught off guard by the attack. He halted his steps once he reached the porch of his house, the beautiful green grass that was routinely trimmed had now overgrown, the flower beds near the windows had withered from the lack of water, a sign of neglect from his green-thumb mother. However, that did little to deter him, partner firmly on his shoulder, the duo moved forward as their thumping heartbeat drum louder with every passing step. The red laminated door to his house was slightly ajar, the lock was forcefully pushed opened with the door hinges and screws lying on the ground. He narrowed his eyes before pushing the door opened with his free hand, the other still tightly holding onto his gun. As the sound of the door opening creak louder, the sight of the messy and ransacked living room came to full display.

"Mom?" The quivering of his voice was filled with anxiety and worry, he bit his lower lip and continued forward. No signs of life, and no signs of his mother. He pushed back the negative thoughts, clinging on to optimism that his mother had somehow escaped all of this completely unscathed. His heart bang against his chest again and again, his eyes dilated at the possibility his mother was no longer here with him in this world, a fact that was far too cruel for him to accept.

"Ash." There it was! He turned around and saw his mother in all of her graceful and beautiful glory. Completely untouched by the horrors, she was safe and sound. He did not hesitate the rush to embrace her, hugging her tightly to his body. The wonderful curve and the supple motherly warmth from her was sorely missed, days of relentless travel has made it all worth it. The uncontrollable waterworks began, sobbing in tears as he held her tighter. The unrecognizable sobering and heartfelt words flowed naturally yet even Ash himself didn't know what nonsense he was spouting to her. All he cared at this very moment, was to reunite with his mother again.

"I miss you so much!" He choked his words out with tear tracks streaming down, his mother remained silent, perhaps allowing him to let out all of his bottled emotions and stress that cumulated from days of travel and anxiety. He held her close, gently swaying their bodies back and forth to a soothing rhythm. But the silence remained for moments on end and before long, the young man started to feel unease and tensed. The grip from his mother remains strong, too strong in fact. His efforts of readjusting his body failed as he couldn't move, struggled as he might, his heart sank once he heard the all too familiar sound of the cannibalistic growling.

"I miss you too Ash."

"NO!" Bolted from his slumber, the once sleeping Pikachu quickly became alert of the potential threat his trainer has cried out. His eyes rapidly darted around the tent Vermillion City had all so generously provided for them. The electric type peered outward from the tent's window and saw no sign of riots, instability of infected, just the sight of residence performing night watch with armed soldiers making their rounds and chatting with one another. The electric type breath a sign of relief and turned to his trainer, the source of the disturbance itself. The dilated eyes, the pale white face and the shaking body, he knew that look all too well. It was another nightmare.

"Pikapi." The warm paw from his starter broke his trance of fear, the tears that flowed from his eyes was salty, a taste that he had become accustom too since the start of the pandemic. His hands covered his face briefly, wiping away the impurities from his face before wiping them clean with his sleeved arms. The electric mouse sighed and crawled on top of his trainer's lap, nuzzling its red pouches against his stomach in an effort to cheer him up. It worked miraculously of course, the good old belly rub does wonder for both human and pokemon.

"Thank you Pikachu, I'm sorry for waking you up." It was a sight Pikachu was familiar with, the stress and mental toll had driven both of them near the brink of insanity. They were privilege enough to live in peaceful times where they know no war or famine, and now everything is nothing but chaos and uncertainty. What would tomorrow bring? Would they live to survive another day? To what end would they continue their lives where there is nothing but the infected and despair? It was so daunting and tiring, living day to day scrapping by just to repeat it all over again tomorrow. Yet his trainer is a tenacious person. Come hell or high water, nothing is going to stop him from reaching his goals, especially when his beloved mother is involved.

Almost as quick he is to cry and break down, the young man steeled himself up and blinked away the remaining moisture from his eyes. The past few nights have been incredibly rough on him, but that ends tonight. Tomorrow he would finally reach Pallet Town and learn of the truth, and while a part of him was willing to accept that his mother may succumb to the fate that many had fallen to, he still cling onto to that slim hope that she would be safe and sound.

And that hope was all he needed to keep him going.

"You're awake Rookie?" The muffled voice from outside the tent was familiar to the young man, he made sure to look presentable and zipped open the tent. The cool fresh air of early morning set in immediately, chilling Pikachu down to its bones as it squeaked on top of his trainer's jacket. The sky was still dark but a touch to pokedex told Ash that it was indeed morning now, no longer night.

"Yeah, a-are we leaving?" The soldier assigned to bring him to Pallet Town merely nodded, it was currently 5:04 AM. The first mote of sunlight begins at 5:32 AM, so they better be on the prowl.

"We are. Boat leaves in 15 minutes, once you're done come to the harbor. Here." He tossed a warm piece of custard bread to Ash who thankfully caught it between his hands. He smiled at the warm hearty bread, its been ages since he had something freshly baked from the oven.

"Thank you sir." He merely nodded and paused for a moment.

"Nathan, call me Nathan." The friendly tone from the soldier had Ash at ease, deep down he knew they were all dutybound to protect their city and were actively looking after any survivor they see, partly out of mutual benefit. Without a moment to waste, Ash dressed up and dismantled the tent. He firmly tied the bundle to his backpack with Pikachu on his shoulder and Makuhita's pokeball attached to his belt. Swift on his feet, Ash followed along the roads and marveled how much of Vermillion was untouched. He has been here once before and it was as grandiose and as majestic as it looked. Freight ships, cruise liners and expensive yacht were a common sight on these waters, now only a handful of coast guard boats and military vessels can be see along the harbor. He trailed along the the street lights, working power within the city allowed people to travel and walk without fear. Even in an apocalypse, nothing really has change here. People can be seen hanging around pubs and restaurants while soldiers actively chat with civilians, everything seemed normal and calm. But it wasn't long when Ash arrived at the docks, relatively unassuming, a man with a sniper rifle hoisted against his shoulders whistled while a towering man donning heavy duty kevlar armor stood with his arms crossed. Almost as if they sense his presence, the eccentric sniper turned and pointed his thumb towards Ash.

"This is the kid coming with us?" They were in pure disbelief and who can blame them, they are highly professional and trained soldiers while Ash is, well Ash, a child in their eyes. He only have a pistol to his name and his skill with them is subpar at best, not exactly the type of person you want to bring along for important missions.

"Yeap." Ash peered over the boat, it seems like Nathan was checking the fuel tank and conducting a inventory check on the supplies.

"Sweet, name's is Jyn by the way. The big oaf over here is Tower." Tower's impressive physique and giant appearance was a testament to his name, he merely grunted and waved to Ash, perhaps not much of a talker. The young man looked around the dock and find it strange that no water types were present, aren't they afraid of an amphibious assault from the seas?

"Does Vermillion not have any floaters?" Floaters are the term given to pokemon that can ferry people around, Lapras, Blastoise or any pokemon that can float above water, hence the name. They are essential in marine and aquatic combat, the sheer mobility and versatility of having a Lapras cannot be understated. Freezing engines, puncturing hulls and unleashing tidal waves to destroy lesser boats and frigates, they can even perform Search and Rescue operations too. Coast guards often uses these majestic pokemon in their line of duty.

"We have an army of them, but it's best to leave them for naval defenses. We are wearing heavy armor and equipment as well, unless you have tactical gear for your Lapras, they can't carry all that weight. This is a reconnaissance mission, not an invasion." Ash nodded along, a boat can carry more people and equipment than a single Lapras. It wasn't logical to have four floaters just for them, they can be used to safeguard points of interest in Vermillion waters. With pleasantries exchanged, Ash hopped into the boat with the rest of the group. The sheer breeze of the wind passing by was exhilarating to Pikachu, it let out its tongue and waved its stubby paws in the air, it was an adorable sight. So much so that the hulking behemoth Tower gave it a pat on the head.

"So you're a high school student." Ash turned to Jyn and nodded, his gray head band and spiky hair definitely stand out the most. The stock of sniper sat next to him, with the barrel pointing upwards to the gloomy sky. In the distance, the orange glow reflected across the dark waters as the sun slowly rise above the horizon, 5:32 AM just like they said it would. It was a mesmerizing sight, Ash had never woke up early just to catch the sun before, so this experience was really calming and relaxing.

"Yeah." Jyn noted Ash's sentimental mood and smiled, the kid must be hell of a tough guy to make it here.

"Hey, I'm sure your mom would be alright." The young man nursed a smile, he know she would be alright. Call it intuition or copium, he was near certain that his mother is waiting for him to come home.

"I hope so too, I'm not giving up on her." It was commendable to see a child being so determined, it brought hope to the adults that they can persevere through another day. Nathan eyed the rear mirror to see passenger's reaction and expression, it good to have quiet moments like these. High octane actions while exhilarating, loses its meaning when you forget what you're fighting for.

"How long would it take to reach Pallet?" The helmsman turned on his visor with his free hand to calculate the estimated time of arrival.

"23 minutes." The sigh set in from Jyn as he leaned laid his head against the edge of the craft, quite unsafe when you realize how turbulent the sea are and a mere bump to the head is enough to cause some serious concussion. The sniper glanced at the sky until he spotted silhouettes flapping in the distance, he swiftly took his CheyTac Intervention and zoomed into the figures.

"Nathan, flying infected." The quick and cold tone from Jyn swiftly changed the atmosphere, Ash looked around frantically a he struggled to spot anything in the sky. They are a lone boat in the sea, any serious damage to their craft and they are stranded!

"Magnezone deploy." Instantly, the magnetic pokemon materialized next to the boat, hovering on top of the waters as it matched the speeding of the vessel. It's main eye scanned for any live targets and used Lock On to secure its aim, with the targets acquired it's charged up bolts of lighting before discharging them into concentrated missile strikes, the force akin to a, intercontinental ballistic missile that blew up spectacularly in the sky. The sheer devastation and shockwave rocked the boat but everyone except Ash was unfazed by the attack. What the hell just happened? They just took that flock out like it was nothing!

"Jyn?" The sniper aimed it sights once more and a smile crept onto its face.

"No more! Magnezone wiped them clean." The cheery attitude was shared by the electric steel type who did a celebratory danced by moving its independent magnet parts up and down, an adorable sight but when you realized that it's capable of disintegrating a city to oblivion, well you have less incentive to get on its bad side. The vessel continue to glide on the water until a familiar landscape came into view. Ash felt his heart beat faster at the sight of Pallet Town docks, he could recognized that fisherman's hut anywhere!

"We're here! Pikachu, Makuhita, we're finally back home!" The fighting type rock its pokeball back and forth to show its joy for his trainer, though Ash would like to have him out, the sheer weight of the boat was just right without it. Pikachu squealed and hug his trainer, the gleeful laughter from the child brought smiles to the soldiers, they always knew they were doing a service to their countrymen but to see it with your own eyes? That is a different experience. But the jubilant celebrations were cut short when they spotted flocks of Spearow circling around the outskirts of the town, again they formed the shape of twister or cyclone, must be the virus way of altering their behavior.

"Seems like Pallet Town is swarmed with fliers." Though Nathan would have order another explosive attack, the reality is the unconscious body of the infected pokemon would rain down the sky and hurt any potential survivors or buildings. This, is the precise reason why even with powerful pokemon in their disposal, they have to thoroughly consider the application of force, or else there would be serious consequences to civilian causalities. So a more tactical approach must be needed. The boat finally settled against the dock as Nathan gently let go of the gas. The three soldiers leaped out of the boat and took their weapons out, M4 Carbines, Intervention and Remington 870, these are weapons Ash knew from playing video games but to see it up close and personal was a different experience.

'A shotgun make sense in urban settings, they are built for close range and breeching buildings. Good for a zombie apocalypse where you want to secure interest points. Sniper for picking off individual infected and maintain high vantage point and a standard assault rifles for the horde, multipurpose and functional.' Ash mused over the soldier's equipment, he sorely need something similar to theirs. This hoodie and handgun is not going to cut it, especially now he is at Pallet Town. Chances are, once he reunited with his mother he is staying put for good and focus on rebuilding the town up to a more fortified position, but that's a discussion for down the road.

"Let's go Pikachu." The electric type stood on its shoulder assume bodyguard again. They walked towards the trio who stood behind the nearby trees and grass. The Magnezone used its retina to scan to the aerial threat, identifying how many foes they need to dispatch. Nathan pulled out his pokedex and attach a cable linking it to his Magnezone, its quickly did some calculation before the answers was displayed on his pokedex.

"263 Spearows and 15 Fearows." Ash was amazed at this technology, he didn't know pokemon can do that! This is some serious military operation stuff. Pokemon and human working in perfect harmony to overcome the odds.

"All one species, does Pallet Town have any other pokemon?" There were many friendly low level pokemon here who are all docile. Ash dread not want to think what happened to them now, none of them are trainer owned.

"Y-Yes we have Oddishes, Pidgeys, Rattatas and Poliwags." Nathan frowned, so far only the Spearow line showed up on Magnezone's radar.

"Magnezone is not scanning them, something is off. Spread out and cover the ground, Ash stay close. I know you want to find your mother, but we must secure the area first." Although he wish to make a mad dash to his house right now, he knew that he couldn't jeopardize the mission just for his sake, he is just tagging along. He made it this far, a little more patience won't hurt.

'Please wait for me mom, I'm coming.' Pikachu patted his shoulders and did a paw bump to him, they can do this! It's practically the last stretch!

"Yes sir." The captain of the operation nodded and gave various hand gestures to his squadron. Jyn enlarged a pokeball from his belt and released the pokemon from within. Its head, slender arms, and tail are light blue in coloration, with its tail having a thin dark blue streak following the ridge of the tail. Its hands are black and have five fingers, with its reptilians eyes glowing yellow. Its body looks like it was wearing a tuxedo suit, an agent of sorts. It was a foreign pokemon that Ash wasn't familiar with, but common sense told Ash it was a water type.

"Inteleon Water Tower." Instantly, a geyser erupted beneath the Galarian water type and shot him up in the sky, rather than throwing him off balance or knocking him off. The mysterious pokemon took a prone position as if it was aiming down a sniper rifle, and to Ash utter surprise, the bipedal reptile materialized a water sniper riffle, its barrel glowed with aquatic energy as its yellow irises began to glow. It then dawned onto Ash that Inteleon was specifically assigned to become a marksman who dispatched key targets from a high vantage point, just like the very owner who summoned it.

"Ash why don't you draw their attention to us? Don't worry, we keep you safe." The teenager was intrigued at the request, why are trained soldiers asking him to order the first attack? He peered to aside and felt his legs shaking at the sight of a towering Rhyperior standing next to him, there was no doubt the behemoth pokemon belong to Tower, a fitting match. So with renew confidence and a sense of security from the three powerful pokemon actively protecting them, Ash gave the command.

"Pikachu Shockwave!" The electric mouse placed its paws on its red pouches and uttered a few mantra to materialize streaks lightning bolts from the sky. Akin to an air strike, the lightning descended them from the sky and strike each individual Spearow within vicinity, creating a bright lightning show that lit up the otherwise gloomy morning sky. The caws and shrieks echoed through out town as more Spearows emerged from tree lines and canopies, flocking about as they began to identify Ash.

"Nice one rookie, we take it from here. Zap cannon!" Magnezone obliged and began to rapidly gyrate the magnet gears on its arms to generate enough wattage to fire what Ash think it's a laser beam of electricity that annihilated everything in its path. The wide coverage attack knock off a whole flock, with the weaker bunch instantly evaporated into mere molecules. The airstrikes soon rain from above, with each Fearow and Spearows dive bombing in with their serrated beaks glowing white.

"Aim down the Fearows!" Steel bullets and pressurized water pellets retaliated the winged beast, with Ash actively ordering Pikachu to take out the stray Spearows that attempted to sneak up from behind. Jyn expertly shot the vital spots of the Fearows, dispatching their wings and sights with a quick draw of his rifle. With their head honchos and leaders down for the count, the rest of the Spearows fell into an uncoordinated mess and soon enough, the entire streets of dock were littered with dead or bleeding infected. Rhyperior grunted and slammed the ground, burrowing all of the infected with its stone tablets and constructs, it was a precautionary move to prevent them from recovering. Soon enough the stones from the Rhyperior would explode into molten lava, incinerating the infected whole. It was a brutal execution but it was necessary given the infectivity of the virus .

"That's all of them." Nathan spoke coolly, nary a sweat or any emotion really. Ash however was completely different, what he witnessed was a massacre and if it is just three soldiers with their pokemon that did this much damage, he was starting to understand why Vermillion City was still standing strong.

"They didn't stand a chance!" Jyn chuckled at Ash's enthusiasm and awe, he slapped his shoulders to calm the kid down as Pikachu also cheered.

"Under normal circumstances." The celebratory scene ended abruptly, Ash paused and cocked his head to aside at Nathan's pensive and grave expression.

"What do you mean?" The veteran of war sighed and leaned against his Magnezone.

"We noticed that the infected pokemon have been coordinating their attacks lately. We're not just talking about Rattatas crashing head first into stone walls. We are talking about rock types creating ramps to scale up walls, pokemon using rain dance to make visibility low or even using sweet scent to lure us to sleep. These tactics are used in warfare, normal pokemon would never pull this off." The ramification of infected pokemon coordinating with one another is insane, but using constructs or tactics? That is only capable if they were under command, even highly intelligent pokemon like Alakazams and Metagrosses would never do something like this as they prized their independence. He shuddered at the thought of a group of psychic pokemon teleporting through the defenses and infected the people from within, trapped and entombed by the very walls that protected them. Arceus, the consequences would be disastrous.

"Whenever they attack cities or fortifications, their coordination is top notch. But when they are idle or caught off guard, the outcome tell a different story." Ash glanced back at the pile of dead Spearows, the results seemed to speak for themselves.

"Surge did mention that the pokemon moved as if they were being controlled." The group nodded in agreement, they have their suspicions that a malicious entity is pulling the strings. How they are capable of controlling infected pokemon filled with unbridled rage and insatiable bloodlust was beyond them, but not beyond the brilliant and world renowned pokemon professor Samuel Oak.

"That's one theory, possibly the strongest one. But enough about that, we need to find Oak soon, where is the laboratory?" Ash was quick to lead them to the laboratory. Situated at the highest point of Pallet Town, the Oak Laboratory cast a shadow over quaint and quiet town from above. Ash felt his heart beating at the sight of his beautiful hometown now desecrated and in tatters, dried blood and debris were everywhere, just like the horrible nightmares he suffered from the past few weeks. His stomach churned and his heart clenched tightly, it was a nightmare, not an omen nor is it a prophecy! His mother would be okay, she has to be!

"Ash? You alright?" He bit his lower lip to suppress the tears, he had to put up a brave front for now. The trio shot sympathetic look to him, they knew it was difficult sight, to see the very town you grew up in now in shambles. Hell, there were rotting corpses lying in the middle of the street too, with some of its flesh peeled and feasted off. It was a disgusting sight and Tower was quick to order a swift burial from his Rhyperior. Disease is still humanity's worst adversary and this damn virus just proved it.

"J-Just up there at that hill." Pikachu drooped its ears, it was heartbreaking to see his trainer like this. Pallet Town was so beautiful, and now it was reduces to mere rubble. The crop fields were burnt and withering, the rives are stagnant and foul. The town square where people chat and socialized were replaced with decomposing bodies of their neighbors, some which Pikachu even recognized. Why oh why does this have to happen to good people? But they can ill-afford to be depressed and sentimental now, they have to find Oak and Delia. They group make haste to the laboratory, with Ash leading the charge as he sprinted forward. He ignored the protests from Nathan and ran as fast his legs can carry, he was close, he can see it. A familiar house with bright red roof came into view and Ash just froze in place. Dried blood was splattered across the wall with a groaning infected still clawing its way out underneath a flipped over car with little success, Ash hesitantly walked forward and was instantly relief that it was the shape of a man. The infected shrieked at the sight of its prey and attempted to claw and bite Ash, but the young man stood ever so out of reach. Ash narrowed his eyes at the disgusting sight, how dare this fifth stood before his home like this? Without warning, he slammed his foot down in quick motion, crushing the skull immediately and splitting the skins and brains. The young man wiped the blood off using the front lawn and took his Beretta M9 out, holding it firmly in his hands. He cared little about the infected now, they were all cannon fodder to him, he only cared about his mother.

'That was just a nightmare Ash, she is okay.' The broken door with its hinges and knob on the floor did not inspire any confidence, but he was determined to see this through. He shifted his feet and pushed the door with his leg, the creaking of the wooden door echoed across the empty house. The kitchen that his mother took pride in decorating was a mess, the pantry has been ransacked with many of the household appliances damaged on the ground.

"Mom? Mom!" His cracking voice received no response. The house was eerily silent, no groaning, no rustling and no gust of wind whistling in its wake, just the deafening sound of silence taunting at him.

"Please be okay, please be okay." His rambling whispers and choked up tears began to overwhelm him, Arceus please no. He came all this way for her, she has to be alive. He knows it in his heart that she is alive and well, ready to welcome him in her warm embrace. He looked forward to this, the only reason he still alive and had not contemplated ending it all was because of her! Rapid footfalls followed behind him, but Ash knew from the heavy clunking that there Nathan, Jyn and Tower, not his beloved mother whom he missed so dearly. They halted their steps when they reached the front door, eyeing the interior of the house that still retain its rustic charm despite the disheveled mess.

"Magnezone detected no signs of life Ash... I'm sorry." He refuse, he refuse! Ash spun around and swung his free hand on the air, his other finger was dangerously close to the trigger. He didn't care about the damn mission or his own safety, he know his mother is alive. She promised him after all! Mothers never break their promises right!?

"No no no, I know she is okay. I know she is alive." Jyn winced at the sight, he was accustomed to soldiers losing their wits and sanity after losing their loved ones. But to see a child, who clearly loved his mother more than anything breaking down and refusing to accept the harsh reality was too much for the veteran warrior. Nathan slowly walked forward and eyed Ash, his pupils was dilating and his body was shivering. The captain slowly reached for Ash's gun and subtlety pulled the safety in case of a misfire. He lowered his weapon until the muzzle aimed towards the floor, his eyes never leaving Ash as he began to take off his helmet and visor, revealing just an ordinary man in his 30s.

"The laboratory might be their last stand rookie." The warm voice from him broke Ash's train of fear, he stared at everyone who nodded at him, giving him a glimpse of hope that his mother maybe holding it out at the laboratory. It make sense after all! The lab is the safest place in the town and his mother is good friends with Oak, surely they are there waiting for him right?

"Y-You're right, let's go!" The adolescent bolted off before they could say anything, earning a myriad of sighs from the seasoned soldiers. The swiftly followed him on foot, they were near certain that it was safe since Magnezone couldn't scan any heat signature near them. The towering laboratory came into view with its pearl white walls still in pristine condition, the barbed walls and sliding gate were still remarkably functional and intact, it seems the infected didn't breach the lab yet.

"Mom?! Professor Oak? Gary! Daisy! Are you all here?" Nathan frowned at how frantic and broken Ash's voice is, what do they do with him now? They can't just leave him here to die, even if it is the most optimal and logical thing to do. His mental health has deteriorated to the point of delusion, he would pose a risk to everyone if he refused to accept reality. He sighed at the heavy burden when a familiar beep coming from his Magnezone alerted everyone.

"Wait, Magnezone picked up something." The soldiers dashed into the laboratory, they were sure everyone was dead. They hoisted their firearm and surveyed their surrounding, they only sight they have is Ash looking around the lab. The young man spun around at every corner, desperately searching for any signs of life. Soft foot steps from across the main office earned his attention, he hoisted his gun and rushed forward, throwing away caution and care just to cling on to hope, and then he saw her.

His beautiful mother was standing before him, her clothes were torn up slightly and her hair was in a disheveled mess, and yet she looked radiant as ever. Her bright amber eyes met his hazel brown ones and tears began to fill, Ash threw away his gun to aside and rushed towards her, not caring if she was potentially affected or not. Her warm soft body was finally wrapped in his arms, the sensation and touch, everything! He could feel her heart beat racing, he could hear her sobbing at his neck, her warms arms embracing him tightly, afraid to let go. It was worth it, a week of painstaking travel and numerous near death experiences could not have stop him and now, they were reunited together again.

"I-I missed you so much! You're okay! Mom! You're okay!" Delia let out a teary smile, her beloved son was finally by her side again! She caressed his cheeks softly and giggled through the tears, she eagerly pulled him into another motherly embrace, kissing his hair again and again. She could hear his sniffles and cries, her poor child had endured so much, she didn't know how he came back or why, all she knew was that he is by her side again, and that what it matters.

"I-I thought I would never see you again Ash, I love you so much." The mother and son held each other tenderly for moments, with Pikachu tearing up at the scene. They were finally reunited with Delia! His trainer undying devotion to their mother and unrivaled determination had paid off, they were back baby! The affable electric type squealed in joy and danced around, with Makuhita materializing out of its pokeball just to join the celebration. A resounding success haha!

"Delia?" The single mother pried her head away from her son and glanced at a side. She beamed at the sight of her friend who had accompanied her throughout the crisis. She wiped away the tears and loosened her grip around her son, firmly placing them on his shoulders as her bosom pinned against his chest. The young man felt his face flushed at the divine mounds softly pushing against him, his mother was pretty much pushing her warm and lithe body towards him, not that he was complaining of course. The young man glanced at a side and was pleasantly surprised by the sight of an officer Jenny standing in the laboratory hallway. Her uniform was different from the standard Officer Jenny, she wore a light blue vest, a white collar shirt and a pair of brown leggings with black shoes. Her ponytail turquoise hair was the same as any Jenny, but her beautiful sandy brown eyes really made her standout.

"Ash, this is Xenia, she is the only reason why I'm still alive. She's been taking care of me ever since Pallet Town was attacked." The young man smiled and let go of his mother, he swiftly walked towards the officer whom smiled at the young man. She had heard so much about him, during the quiet nights when Delia and her conversed, she never fails to mention her son Ash. She spoke so adoringly about him, the literally light of her life and the reason for her keeping going in this world. So to see the young man in flesh was quite surprising, he was certainly as dashing and as sweet his mother have said.

"Thank you so much Officer Jenny!" Xenia beamed and attempted to shake his hand when the young teenager gave her a grateful hug. She felt her face flushed from the physical contact but nevertheless hugged the young man back, it felt good to have a warm embrace, its been ages since anyone hugged her.

"Well looks like a happy ending eh rookie?" Ash jolted upwards and let go of the officer when Nathan spoke with a smirk plastered on his face. Dear Arceus, how long were they standing there watching the entire thing unfold!

"N-Nathan, Jyn, Tower, thank you for everything." Nathan waved him off and slowly walked inside the room, he didn't expect his mother to be alive but he was glad that she was. He eyed the officer in question and noted how young she looked, couldn't be a couple of years older than Ash even. Still, they need answers and he had a hunch that Oak and his aides had long left the town.

"No problem Ash, I'm glad you are able to reunite with your mother. Officer Jenny, if you don't mind us asking, what happened here? Is anyone else alive?" The young officer sighed and perched a hand on her hips.

"Just us I'm afraid, when the broadcast went live, Professor Oak and his family had all moved to Cinnabar Island along with his researchers. He tried to take all of us in, but Cinnabar Island barred all outsiders and closed off all connections to the outside world." Tower grunted and hoisted his shotgun against his shoulders.

"They knew." Their suspicions were confirmed, Oak and the professors were previously investigating the string of sporadic infections and cases of wild pokemon attacks on humans. It seems they were the first one to catch wind of the situation before it blew out of the proportion. Moving to Cinnabar was a tactical choice, half of Kanto labs and research facility is there while the island provides defensive value. Infected pokemon has to be flying or water types, and they have plenty of time to prepare for that.

"Then the Spearow flock attacked us, it caught us off guard. One night we were relaxing in our homes, the next was- " The quivering tone in the officer's voice was expected, Pallet Town like many other settlements were caught off guard. Ash felt his mother walking to his side and squeezing his arm to her, supposedly for comfort. Ash smiled softly and kissed his mother's cheek, reassuring her that everything would be okay.

"Where are all the human infected? They were so few of them." Xenia crossed her arms, just the thought of revisiting those traumatic memories terrified her, but these soldiers needed information.

"Many of residents already left for Viridian City, some cross over the borders to Johto when the first broadcast aired, safer they said. Pallet Town's community was splintered off between two groups, all arguing who should be in charge after Professor Oak left. Those who stayed or, left behind were all elderly." Like many rural villages and towns in the outskirts, the elderly make up half of the population. Many of them are retirees who are looking a place to relax and slow down, or have no kin or family that looks after them. The elderly and vulnerable had little value to militaries and armies, unless they were veterans or have wealth of industry experience. But political instability and leadership quarrels is by far the worst offender during a crisis, it was not surprising that Pallet Town has fallen after Oak left.

"Oak didn't assign a successor?"

"By right he shouldn't be leading at all! But our damn Mayor Lewis was coward. He promised us that we would all get through this together, bastard secretly took a private jet with his family when the infection rapidly spread." Ash narrowed his eyes, the mayor of Pallet Town is notorious for being lazy and misappropriating tax payer's money. It wasn't a huge issues before since Professor Oak practically ran the show and kept everything in order, but when he left, all hell broke loose. Jyn surveyed around the lab and found it comforting that most of the interior were untouched, any files and sensitive information were likely wiped clean or taken with them.

"So just you two survived?" Delia nodded and placed her arms around Ash's neck.

"Yes. We mostly have to hide in the lab and avoid all the Spearows, we thought it was the end since we were running out of food and water but- my little Ash came back to me." Nathan's lips curled upwards, they take any victory they can get at this rate.

"We tried to save as many as possible, but many of the elderly couldn't move or run. Some of them just walked into the flock on their own and others didn't even care when the attack happen, many of them didn't have kids or family members to look after them." It was horrible but ever since the outbreak happen, suicide rates had shot up drastically. It is not surprising after all, when all hope seems lost, friends and family dead or infected, you question what's the point of living in the world where everyday is a hassle and struggle. In many ways, the viral infection is only half of the problem, the other half comes from how humanity respond and cope with their new reality.

"I see. We expected this much, looks like we're heading to back to Vermillion." Ash blinked at the blunt statement, shouldn't they be heading to Cinnabar immediately? It was only 6:23 AM, plenty of daylight to burn and Cinnabar is only an hour and half of jetty ride.

"You're not heading straight to Cinnabar?" Jyn shook his head and waved Ash off.

"Too risky, chances are Cinnabar Defense force should just shoot our vessel down before we can even get close. We already have all the intel we need, we are just confirming them with our own eyes and report it to HQ." Ash find it perplexing that they were being so thorough, they could have sent Magnezone here just to survey and check for any signs of life before reporting it back. Why sent soldiers and waste precious fuel just to confirm something you already knew? Unless...

"What are you going to do now Ash?" The Pikachu trainer crossed his arms at Nathan's question, he only wanted to reunite with his mother. Now he is finally here with her, he had no plans. He leaned against his mother's body and relished the comfort aura she exudes.

"I don't know- I travelled all the way from Saffron just for my mom, I intend to stay by her side." It was an answer they expected, Ash only wanted to stay with his mom.

"Vermillion can't spare any resources fortifying and rebuilding this place, not yet at least. Our own city barely have enough manpower." The young man nodded, they have done more than enough for him, they even cleared out the Spearow and Fearow flock too. He wasn't sure if Surge was employing the same military plan of having pocket of survivors like him absorbing the pressure of infected from Vermillion City, but common sense dictates that it was not the case. Pallet Town was simply too far and you need a boat to get through here, infected flying and water types would not go all the way just for a small town occupied by three people. Chances are, Surge was using Pallet Town as a fallback route in case Vermillion gets swarmed and they need a safe place to retreat to.

"We would manage on our own, thank you guys." Jyn gave a wink as Tower gave a grunt, their respective pokemon waved good bye to Ash and his pokemon. Delia and Xenia gave a small bow to the soldiers, they were fortunate to have them escorting Ash back to their side.

"Good luck rookie, stay safe and vigilant. Here take this." Nathan took 4 pokeballs from his vest and placed them on the table next to Ash. They were all normal pokeballs, nothing out of the ordinary. But knowing what he knows now, Ash knew that these were extremely valuable resources. The means to manufacture them have been paralyzed, these are now limited.

"4 spares, make sure they count." Pikachu leaped onto the table and observed the pokeballs, chances are his trainer is going to be very selective at what he catches.

"But Vermillion doesn't need them?" Nathan waved his concerns off, they have pokeballs in spades.

"We have plenty, warehouse is filled with them. We can't catch too many or else we run into the trouble of feeding them." Huh, Ash never thought about that. Sure, having an army of immune pokemon protecting your city is the smart thing to do, but how are you going to feed all of them? Now that factories and farms are down, and transportation no longer works, it is all limited to self-sustaining farms and reaping the small harvest of your own soil. It seems like logistic is an omnipresent issue.

"Good luck rookie, good bye Mrs Ketchum and Officer Jenny." With that, the soldiers from Vermillion left, leaving the three in the confines of the lab. Delia was the first to speak up as she snaked her arm around Ash's neck, leaning her chin on top of his head.

"Those soldiers are from Vermillion?"

"Yes, so far it's the only city I came across that is not yet fallen. They have very tight security and surveillance." Xenia found it amusing how tough and independent woman like Delia can be so adoring and affectionate to her son. She is practically hugging him at any chance she can get, but the officer of the law knew that the single mother loved her son more than anything, and if she had to be frank, anyone would be attached to the person who travelled all the way through hell just for you.

"Good to know not all of Kanto is under sieged." Ash sighed at the thought, he dearly hoped that Vermillion is not the exception. Seeing his pensive and moody face, Delia rubbed his shoulders and stood before him. She nursed a motherly look and grasped his gloved fingers that had cuts and tear on it.

"Ash please tell me everything that happened sweetie, everything." The young man was uncharacteristically quiet, he didn't want to tell his mother now, that could be saved for later. He eyed Xenia and her, both of them looked exhausted and worn out, he should tend to their needs first.

"I will mom but let's get both of you all patch up first okay? I have food, first aid and even a sewing kit." The two beautiful woman beamed at that, that sounds lovely right now. The electric type jumped in front of them and waved its stubby paws, it was clearly excited to see them. Delia squealed at the sight of Pikachu and scooped it up, tickling its red pouches to watch it giggle in delight.

"Pikachu you're okay!" Xenia chuckled at the sight when Makuhita approached her. She blinked and knelt down to face his level, the red headband over him gave it was distinct martial artist look.

"Maku!" The chivalrous pokemon extended its hands but Xenia was having none of it. She reached to hug the fighting type, earning a frantic flailing of its limbs over the unexpected embrace. Ash nodded at the jubilant sight, all smiles and cheer, these moments should be cherished. He watched their respective introduction to each other when Ash realized something about the officer.

"Officer Jenny do you have your Growlithe with you?" Xenia frowned at the mention of her partner pokemon and sighed.

"Yes I have but unfortunately he sustained heavy injuries, its resting in my pokeball but- all the medicine for pokemon is gone. I'm frankly at a loss here." Ash suspected as much, fortunately he stocked up a hefty supply of potions from days of travel. Basic first aid administration and biology to pokemon was taught in his syllabus, so he should be able to tend to its injuries.

"I can tend to him, I know a few first aid techniques and I have the potions." The policewoman beamed and clasped her hands together in front of her toned thighs.

"Thank you Ash, and please call me Xenia." With a task in mind, the humans and pokemon exited to the main functional hall of the laboratory. It was largely untouched, none of the infected made it in and Ash had a suspicion that all of the lab's enclosure pokemon had all escaped during the commotion. His suspicions were proven correct when he took a sneak peak through the windows, all of the fences were broken through.

'This might be an issue down the line.' Or perhaps it could be to their own benefit, all of them are caught and vetted by the laboratory, which meant all of them are immune. If Ash could find them and befriend them, he could convince them to stay at Pallet Town. Ash mentally jot down the list of tasks that need to be completed, for now he must help Growlithe.

---

"Growl!" The fire type wagged its bushy tail and nuzzled against Ash's chest after a professional treatment from the teenager, and by professional treatment it was by spraying a super potion onto the wounded ligaments. Xenia patted her partner pokemon head and giggled when it licked her cheek affectionately. She didn't resist the urge to hug the fluffy doggo and sighed at its warm fur, such divinity.

"He should be okay right now, just make sure you routinely spray this on his leg if he is limping or whimpering in pain." As he prescribed the potions from his pouch, Delia noticed a faint shimmering reflection from her son's belt. She changed angle and gasped at the sight of a familiar weapon.

"Ash is that a gun?" The young man paused, his eyes slowly trailing down to the firearm he picked back up after throwing it aside, which you should never do by the way. His mother must have been hyperfixated on him that she didn't see her son throwing his pistol like its a laundry sock. He cleared his throat and slowly hoisted the weapon out, despite the scratches on the outside, it still look remarkably slick and modern.

"Yeah, it is... Xenia maybe you should hold onto it." The trained policewoman nodded and slowly took the gun from Ash, she knew that the young man had some experience firing it, the way he held it told her everything. She shudder at what Ash used the gun for, blowing up heads and shooting infected is not something a child should do. She, a police officer should be actively protecting him, not the other way round.

"That would be for the best, thank you Ash." Her soft voice made Ash smile, he felt strangely naked without the gun. It gave him a sense of security and comfort before and now he was devoid of a weapon that made him threatening and intimidating. But it made sense to give it to Xenia, she had more experience and training than him, better shooter too. Delia bit her lower lip and sat down next to Ash, hugging him tightly to her as her thoughts raced at the various horrible scenarios her little Ash has to go through. The awkward silence seep in at the moment, and Ash knew he need to bring up a topic. He cleared his throat and scratched the back of Pikachu's ears, the coos from it effectively broke the tension of the room.

"If we plan to stay in Pallet town we need a long term plan and goal." The two women nodded, for the past few weeks they only worried about their day to day survival, they barely had the strength to take on the entire flock. Now with the imminent threat gone, it was time to plan out the long-term longevity of their survival.

"What's your plan Ashy?" The young man stroke his nonexistent beard for the moment, years of playing survival sandbox video games had prepared him for this very moment. Ideally, the basics of shelter, water and food must be met. He thought back to how swiftly Saffron City has fallen, the city was too big, it was impossible to seize control and fortify each district. So if they plan to stay in Pallet Town, retaking it block by block is the best solution.

"We should do a survey around town and blocked off the areas we can't patrol. The laboratory would be our main base of operations. We will retake Pallet Town block by block, do we have a map of the town?" Xenia glanced around and rummage through the files, she distinctively remember that maps of individuals cities and towns of Kanto were stored within the cabinets. She searched through the pile and smiled at the familiar layout.

"Yes right here!" Perfect! Ash took out his pokedex and snapped a few pictures of the town map just for himself. Though electronics are still down, he was confident that the EMP that wiped out Saffron didn't affect the laboratory's machines. They just need to find a way to jumpstart the power, something which an energetic Pikachu can do easily. But with a map firmly in the middle of the table, Ash assumed military strategist mode. He twirled around a blue ball pen and began to mark the area, writing and jotting down legends and key interest points.

"Okay, so first! We must cordoned off here..." Delia and Xenia admittedly, had a hard time following an enthusiastic Ash. He marked various chokepoints of the town, blocking it off with fallen logs or barricading it so infected can't penetrate through their defenses. Arguably, he had reiterated the importance of not biting more than they can chew and ensure they retake their beloved hometown inch by inch.

"Securing a stable water supply is important, we can use the empty containers such as barrels and drums for rain collection. Then we can purified them by boiling it, we have Growlithe and Pikachu here so starting a fire isn't hard. Pallet Town is blessed with plenty of trees too, firewood is abundant." The two ladies and the pokemon nodded vigorously.

"Next we will move on to food. Pallet Town's soil is rich and fertile, if we have grass types and ground types here, then agriculture would be a piece of cake. We can burn the dead wheat and grains for fertilizers and then grow crops. Rock types and steel types meanwhile, can be used for building ramparts and fortifications. Steel types would be very useful at building and constructing tools." Having learned from Miss Roxanne's mighty Aggron and Golem, Ash was near certain that having pokemon that can build trenches, motes and walls is a huge game changer. If the town is under sieged by infected, then a fortress is that their best bet.

'Roxanne...' Oh what does he have to think of her now? He dearly hoped his teacher is okay, her warm smile, bright red eyes, warm body-

"This is impressive Ash, it seems like you know how to survive in the wilds." Ash snapped out of his questionable thoughts for his teacher and stared at an approving Xenia. He cleared his throat and looked at the checklist he had written down, these sound well and good. In practice, this would be a different matter. Pallet Town attracts what they call docile pokemon, not pokemon who grew up in harsh and rugged environments. Unfortunately, the most powerful pokemon are in dangerous mountains, caves and swamps. It's difficult to get rock types here, the closest habitat for flourishing rock types are at Indigo Plateau.

"This is all in theory, getting all of this is much harder than it seems." Delia leaned against his shoulders, as long they have a plan and stick to it, things should be smooth sailing. They still have bottled water and canned food, and her son had generously provided them a sewing kit that patch up all of their worn out shirts. Thankfully, Delia's tailoring skills rival that of an old seamstress.

"Well we can first pulled all the empty containers out first." One step at a time, it made Ash feel like he is building a starting base in a survival game. He furrowed his eyebrows, he remembered how rain catcher works as many of Pallet Town's roof have their own rain collection system that funnels it to a container. All they have to do is recycle the pipes and funnels from the other houses and attached them to the lab's or the surrounding houses.

"I would handle the rain collection system mom, I have an idea. I just need some tools." Delia was impressed by her son's hands on attitude, where was this when he was still living with her?

"There should be a toolbox at the lab, let me get them for you." He watched his mother giddily went to search for the toolbox, his eyes lingered on her figure for a brief moment before he smiled at how familiar all of this is. He wished he could tell her how much he missed her and how this was a dream come true to him, but for now he need to stay strong for her and put up a brave facade. The waterworks and tears come later once they are safe and sound.

"Great! I will get to work immediately, Makuhita can help me with lifting the barrels? I need your awesome strength." Say no more, the fighting type is eager to prove its mantle and strength. Rebuilding society and ensuring a safe place for humans to live, this was what his former master would have wanted.

"Ma!" Xenia watched as Ash and his pokemon get to the tasks. The auburn haired mother appeared from the door frame and attempted to give her son the toolbox, but Ash took it from her hands and give a peck to her cheek. The officer chuckled at the embarrassed expression plastered on her face, clearly she didn't expect her son to be so affectionate.

"You raised a fine man Delia." The single mother rubbed her other arm, her ponytails hair was finally straightened and proper. She peered over the windows of the lab and smiled at her son hard at work, both he and his pokemon were rolling the barrels with Pikachu cheering them on.

"Thank you Xenia, honestly I- I never thought I would ever see my son again. Every night I always pray that he is safe. He came all the way from Saffron just for me, all the things he has to go through. He doesn't show it, but- I know it affects him." Xenia placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly to make her feel better. The young man was tough, mentally and physically. To think he is 15 years old, how cruel is the world to force young children to grow up so quickly.

"He did it for you Delia, take comfort in that. Make sure you pamper him and show him all the motherly love in the world okay? He is putting up a brave face just for our sake." She didn't need to be told that, Delia would give him the fluffiest and comfiest hug a mother can muster. Her heart raced at the idea of sleeping next to her son just like hold times, holding him in her arms as she whisper a lullaby, just thinking about it made her giddy and mushy on the inside.

"I will." For now, both of them have a job to do. Though Ash didn't gave instructions, the ladies focused on reorganizing everything. Xenia went around the perimeter and began to mark the walls, they don't have much but Pallet Town has no shortage of trees sprouting around the fields. Palisade walls are made with logs, sticks and timber, don't be fooled however! Wood is studier and harder than people think and the infected humans have difficulty tearing down a tightly formed stockade. On the other hand, Ash mentioned using rock type and steel types to form steel or solid rock walls, and those materials obviously worked better as fortifications. The question is, do they build wooden walls now or do they wait until they catch a rock type?

'Maybe we can discuss this later, the laboratory itself is pretty well fortified.' Xenia sat down on the lush grass as the crisp breeze of the afternoon kissed her skin. She sighed at how different everything is, just yesterday she and Delia were hiding in the laboratory, sneaking around to prevent any infected Spearow from spotting them. Now she is out in the open with no immediate threat in sight, her Growlithe is right next to her enjoying the same breeze too. She and Delia owed Ash and the soldiers their life, that is for certain.

"Well time to make myself useful, can't let a child do everything Xenia!" Quick on her feet, the officer began to walked around the neighboring houses. The store fronts were barren and devoid of people, the streets that once littered with corpses were now filled with mounds. Someone had been burying the dead, perhaps it was the soldiers who escorted Ash did this.

Hours passed and Xenia hummed a tune as she push a cart filled with essentials, canned food, tools and working electronic devices, all of them should be beneficial to them. She wiped off the beads of sweat and sighed at the shirt she is wearing, good lord does she need fresh new pair of clothes. She paused for second and glanced at a boutique store, might as well get some clothes for them. Hygiene is crucial and wearing different outfits was a little confidence boost to their survival... well for vanity sake anyway.

'Laundry is important too, I never thought of this before. We really took modern technology and convenience for granted.' No matter, they can washed their clothes near the creek. Once they flushed out the rubbish and clean out the debris, the waters would flow once again. Pallet Town gets its life streams from the nearby mountain and peaks, so fresh source of water is not a problem. She wheeled the cart back to the lab and whistled at Delia's handiwork, the lab was now almost spotless, almost pristine and brand new. She placed the cart outside of the laboratory and walked inside, the smell of lavender air freshener and fresh lemons detergent was obvious, she had thoroughly disinfect and washed the area to prevent viral aerosol. Infected pokemon did roam around the lab before, so it was good she took precautions.

"Xenia, I was just preparing dinner. Where's Ash?" The police officer beamed at Delia's warm tone, is it time for dinner already?

"Installing the rain collection system I think, I'll go get him." Growlithe yawned and accompanied their trainer to pick up the young trainer. They exited the lab and found him tinkering away on the roofs of the laboratory, Makuhita was holding onto the ladders for stability while Ash is fiddling it away with a screwdriver, numerous screws were caught in his mouth since they were no space on the ladder.

"Ash dinner is ready, do you need a hand?" The young man shook his head, all he had to do was to lock PVC pipes in place with the pipe straps and they were good to go. The rain gutters were already set, stretching from one roof end to another, if this baby works as Ash intended, they would get a barrel filled with rain water in the matter of minutes. He tested the structure of the pipes by shaking it, it seems they were tightly secured. He gave a satisfied nod and a small cheer, it felt good to be hands on for once, maybe he should have done something like this a long time ago. Well this crisis would have plenty of opportunities for growth, maybe another day. He climbed down the ladder and watched in amazement as Makuhita effortless lift it up and carry into the lab.

"You did amazing Ash." The young man felt his tongue tied when Xenia gave pat on his shoulder, he wasn't exactly used to pretty women complimenting him. Still, he made the dawning realization that he is probably going to be stuck with Xenia and his mother for a very long time, might as well use the chance to get to know each other. Covered in sweat and aching arms, Ash return to the lab and felt stunned by the fragrant aroma of stew permeating in the room. He keenly recognize that smell anywhere! His mother's homemade cooking!

"Wash your hands first Ash." Xenia giggled at Ash's deadpanned expression, but he did what he was told nevertheless. He thoroughly washed his hands with the laboratory pantry, the sink had the faint smell of lemon zest. His mother was nowhere to be seen but Ash assumed she was stirring the pot outside of laboratory and on the patio, gas stoves are not working given the lack of electricity so good old fashion charcoal and kiln must do its trick.

"Dinner's ready!" That simple sentence alone sent Ash's heart ablaze, how he longed to hear that with his own ears for months. Pikachu and Makuhita cheered as they ran passed their trainer to meet the amazing woman who cooked the fine meal, the young man followed suit and was greeted by the sight of his mother stirring a large ceramic pot on the fields. Firewood was burning hotly under the stove stand, with flickers of embers crackling through and forth.

"Is this dinner?" Delia beamed and nodded, Ash was working a sweat with his hoodie soaked through.

"Mhmm, I used the canned food you gave us to make something." Beef, carrots and potatoes slowly boiling over the pot, say no more, this meal would be nothing but divine. Ash could hardly wait to dine at the culinary masterpiece his mother was concocting.

"This smells good, it's been ages since I have a homecooked meal. Thank you mom." The warm and genuine tone from her son brought a wide to Delia, though circumstances weren't ideal, part of her was even thankful that the infection crisis brought her son back to her.

"Your welcome Ash, sorry its not the grand feast I promised you." It was ridiculous his mother would think of that right now, she even looked guilty and downtrodden too. The young man nursed a smile and slowly walked behind her, his mother was still slowly stirring the stew to mix the broth together, so she gasped when she felt a pair of arms wrapping around her body.

"To be able to have dinner like this with you, it's already dream come true mom." Delia felt a chill down her spine, despite his hot and sweaty body pinning against her. The smell of his sweat and body odor strangely have her at ease, it was comforting to have him hugging her like this, it felt raw and genuine. She bit her lower lip when she felt his hot breath touching against the nape of her neck, tickling it lightly just to tease her. But most importantly of all, it was sincere tone of gratitude that made Delia bashful yet happy. This was her dream as much as his.

"I-I already cleared the rooms, there are only two mattresses so we might have to share." Seeing his mother's stuttering all adorably, Ash decide to let go. Even before she sent him off to Saffron, their relationship had always been teasing one another. He knew she loved it when he hugged her tenderly from behind or give her kisses to the forehead, so Ash was dedicated to bring it back.

"It's alright mom, I have my sleeping bag with me." Delia took out the wooden stirrer and placed it on the ceramic bowls. She wrapped her arms around her son's neck and beamed a smile, her eyelids were slightly drooped so Ash was getting mixed signals what what his mother want for him.

"Ash you can sleep with me, I don't mind." The sweet son only nodded along, the idea of sleeping with his mother was something he craved for ever since the start of the outbreak. To cuddle with her and have her hugging him close, it was embarrassing for a teenager of his age but who gives a damn about that now! He's a momma's boy and he is proud of it!

"Hey that smells good Delia!" Xenia paused when she caught the two in a rather private moment, the flushed red cheeks on the young man was simply adorable. He stammered out and sat comfortably on the folded plastic chairs Delia brought out earlier. He glanced upwards and realized that the sun had already set over the horizon, the purplish hue sky and the glimmers of stars emerging from the darkness made him smile, Pallet Town is one the best spots for stargazing. It is often said that if two souls who loved each dearly were to pass away, their memory and love would be forever immortalize in the stars. It's cheesy but Ash finds it beautiful.

"Here you go." He broke out of his train of thought and took the bowl of hot stew. The smell of tender beef broth was just begging him to devour the whole bowl. Delia chuckled when her son flinched and jerked backwards, it was obvious that the pipping hot stew scalded his tongue and he was paying the price for it.

"Slow down Ash!" The young man let out his tongue and fanned it with his hands, hoping to speed up the process of cooling it. The two ladies and pokemon laughed at his antics, the all serious and cool Ash Ketchim finally showing signs of blunder. Conversations then flowed naturally between them, from what they have done today to the next step of action, Ash finally felt at home and at ease.

"Ash if you don't mind telling us, how bad is it out there?" Xenia spoke softly, rubbing the ears of her Growlithe who sat on her lap. She eyed the young man as the flames of the fire flicker about, covering them in a gentle glow of orange.

"Pretty bad, a lot infected pokemon and humans roaming around. Some survivors turned into bandits, while the cities are very empty. They are relentless in chasing you down." The trained officer suspected Ash was not telling them the full story and only snippets of it. She wasn't sure why he wasn't being thoroughly honest, perhaps he did some unsavory things to just to survive. She wasn't in the place to judge him of course, nor would his own mother. They were just glad Ash is safe and despite the limited time they knew each other, Ash was a likable person to work with.

"I'm sorry Ash, you must have been through so much." His waved his mother's concern off, chuckling at her worried expression.

"It's okay, I'm used to it. Pikachu and Makuhita kept me safe and company." The two staunch protector nodded, they have finished their share of stew and it was delicious! The electric type jumped on Delia's lap and snuggled on top of it, the free heatpats followed soon after.

"How about you Xenia? Can you tell us a bit about yourself?" The young Jenny smiled and thought to herself, she was new to the task force. Like many of her family, she wanted to become a police officer just like her mother and aunts. She completed all the basic training courses and even receive high distinction in several fields. So imagine her surprised when she is assigned to a far away town known as Pallet Town.

"Well I'm a rookie cop, transferred from Kalos you see." Kalos is worlds away from Kanto, really beautiful too at least according to online sources. He eyed her uniform one last time, that might explain why it differs from Kanto's Officer Jenny uniform. He liked it though, the white collar shirt was simple but elegant.

"Eh no wonder your uniform looks different." Xenia nodded, she had a choice to keep her Kalos uniform and she decided to wear it, although Jennies looked identical, they were few traits that make them all different. Eye colour, shade of their turquoise hair and of course personality.

"I was assigned here a month ago, I hated it at first since nothing happens in a small town but overtime, the locals were really friendly and I begin to enjoy the slow pace life. If only I knew how lucky I was." Growlithe whimpered and nuzzled against its trainer's hands, many of their fondest memories were strolling around Pallet Town around the evening. The golden rays of sunlight coating the lush paddy fields, the sound of children cycling along river banks, all of it was so nostalgic.

The pensive silence set in momentarily and Delia knew that the conversation had came to an awkward end. She cleared her throat and extended her empty bowl to Ash.

"Ash be a dear and wash the dishes will you?" The young man nodded, he understood that his mother wanted to talk to Xenia in private. Makuhita accompanied him and took the empty stew pot with 4 empty bowls stacked on top one another. The beautiful auburn haired woman smiled at her son, he really became a fine man.

"It's good to finally see him Delia, he is exactly how I imagine him to be." Jenny hugged her Growlithe her chest, feeling it soft fluffy fur warming her up in the otherwise chilly night. She mused over the young man, he was really nice for a boy of his age, incredibly mature and responsible too, even she is struggling to go out there and do something.

"Thank you Xenia, I'm sorry if we opened old wounds." Xenia shook her head, she wasn't mad at Ash. She was just reminiscing the better times that's all.

"Oh no, don't mention it. All of us are still struggling to hold on, remembering the past is the best way to keep us moving forward." The profound statement from her friend made Delia reflect a little, she eyed where her son sat and frowned at how quiet he was. Usually over dinner, he would be excited to share and open up about the things he had done today, even if its small joke he tell his friends, he would never leave out any juicy or mundane details about his day.

"Ash has been quiet, normally he would be more open and talkative." Xenia knew that, the poor boy was keeping everything to himself. It's not good for his mental health and she was certain that he was doing it out of guilt, he probably didn't want them to worry for him and put up a brave facade just for their sake.

"Give him time Delia. He really, really loves you. I will give you two some space, I'm sure the waterworks would flow then." Delia sighed and picked Pikachu up for tight squeeze, the electric type blinked, not sure what he did to deserve such affection but he take it in stride nevertheless. It didn't take long for Ash to return with the wet pots and bowls, he smiled when his mother and officer Jenny share a laugh together, hopefully they weren't making fun of him behind his back. Upon noticing his return, Xenia faked a tired yawn and stretched her limbs.

"Uwah I'm beat, I'm hitting the hay first. Come on Growlithe, it's time we sleep on a proper mattress." The fire type nodded, tailing along his crafty trainer. With just the two of them left, Delia scooched over to her son and place a hand on his shoulder. As much as she wants him to open now, she wanted both of them to get comfortable and clean first.

"We should sleep too Ash, we need to wake up bright and early tomorrow." The high school student nodded, he was thoroughly tired and the night while young had no distractions to speak off, no internet means no online games, Youtube videos or streamers. Now, all they have for passing time, is each other's company.

---

Fresh from the showers, Ash finally have the luxury of wearing a new shirt, courtesy of Xenia. The plain white shirt comfy and just the right size, while his black t-shirt he has worn for a week straight was soaked in soap water. He laid face down on the mattress and instantly, the magical properties of a proper mattress worked its magic on his back. He gave off a sigh of content, this was the life. The room was dimly lit by the candles they found in the lab, there were scented candle made specifically for aromatherapy to calm and relax pokemon, but its work as a light source well enough.

"Ash are you not tired?" He almost shot up like a rocket ship when his mother entered the room, though he was looking forward to share a bed with her, he didn't anticipate how awkward it would be. A growing teenager eagerly wanting to sleep with his own mother, a questionable sentence at best, and a damming verdict at worse. He stared at his mother, she was looking good. Her nightwear was gone and replacing it was a black tank top and a pair of pink shorts, showing off her thicc thighs and legs that were smooth and soft to touch.

'What am I thinking? That's my mom!' Ash was certain that weeks of abstinence had practically made him horny at any sight of any attractive woman. He shifted his gaze and glanced at the window of the room, what was once a study room was now been transform into their very own bedroom. It was spacious and clean, if not a little sterile.

"N-No, I would keep watch, you can sleep first mom." He focused on the view outside the window, he saw... nothing. It was pitch black and the lack of working street lights meant the whole town is shrouded in darkness. This was an issue because infected can easily slip through their defenses the dark when they are the most active, so lights and better fortifications is needed, perhaps a town nightwatch might be needed. Secondly, the absence of anything interesting meant Ash is fully aware of his busty mother standing behind him.

"Enjoying the view?" Ash stared at the reflection of his mother learning forward, the lack of a bra meant Ash could just about see her bare breast through the neckline drooping down. He stiffened up and nodded with his hands firmly on his lap, the view is absolutely gorgeous.

"Y-Yeah, it's great." Delia giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling his hair that had only grew longer since they last saw each other. It was messy before, but now it looked really good on him. She hummed and nuzzled against his cheek, the very affectionate display have Ash paralyzed, his mother had always been physically intimate with him but never to this extent. He could feel her soft locks, her warm and sweet breath down his nape, her soft and gentle fingers dancing around his chest, the alluring scent of her shampoo, everything about his mother was perfect. He slowly turned to face her, eyeing her beautiful amber eyes that stared right back at him. Time seemed to stood still for a moment, they were sitting on a mattress with no bedframe, yet it was spacious enough to accommodate all of them. Bookshelves and file cabinets were everywhere, some with sliding glass panes, others with lacquered compartments. The scented candles permeated around the room, workings its sorcery arts as the smell of chamomile lowered both of their inhibitions.

"Ash, I missed you." Her voice was cracking, she has been suppressing her emotions ever since he came back to her. She wanted to scream how much she missed him, how months without him made her feel so lonely, that the gaping hole in the heart her bastard husband left was still there, only sated by her son's presence and love. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him, hug him and never let go! Yet she could only convey her emotions through the limited physical expressions they can show each other as mother and son.

"Mom I missed you too." The soft caress from his mother made him smile, her thumb rubbed against his cheeks ever so slightly. He locked his arm around her curvy waist, the black tank top she wore barely covered her midriff, so he could feel her firm and tone waist. The smoothness of her skin, the warm supple touch, Ash could feel his fingers eagerly sinking in. His hands roam around her waist, rubbing it up and down in one circular motion. Their eyes locked on each other with Delia slowly leaning her forehead against her son's. Her hair was loosened and draped over her shoulder, the slow rhythmic breathing from them picked up speed when she continued to caress his cheek.

"Tell me everything baby." He bit his lower lip, desperately holding onto the vestiges of pride. She was his mother, the person whom he can confide everything in, shares his worries and troubles with, so why, can't he open up and tell her how much he loved her? How every night he had nightmares of losing her to the apocalypse? He steeled himself before he felt the first stream of tears rolling down his cheek, and the waterworks quickly followed.

"I-I miss you so much mom, I love you, I- I thought you were- every night I have nightmares of losing you. I-I don't want to lose you!" Delia felt her own eyes water, the pain in Ash's voice pierce her heart. She didn't hesitate to pull him to a heartfelt embrace, squeezing him tightly in her arms. The uncontrollable sobs from him clenched her heart tighter, she buried her nose into the crook of his neck, staining his white shirt with a patch of dampness. They weep together in the dimly lit room filled with candle lights, she tried her best to whisper words of comfort to him, but she too was caught up by her own tears. He needed this so much, both of them do.

"Shhh, it's okay I'm here Ash." She pressed her lips onto his cheeks tenderly, stroking the back of his hair ever so softly. As their tears slowly subsided and the snivels had stopped, Delia rubbed her son's back to let him know that everything would be okay. His grip around her gradually loosened and he reluctantly raised his head from her. The puffy red eyes on him was a heartbreaking sight, but she took comfort knowing that he let out all of his pent up emotions. Their clothes took much of the beating, tear stains cover both of their tops. The beloved mother squeezed his hand and laid on the soft mattress, beckoning him to join her. He nestled between her arms, finding the perfect spot to cuddle and nuzzle against her body. Giggles escaped his mother's lips, she responded by simply pulling him closer to her. The mother and son duo interlocked their fingers together, clasping them tightly between them. For Ash, this was heaven.

"I must be dreaming right now." His soft murmurs showed how drained he was, both physically and emotionally. He was in total bliss, venting out his fears and emotions all at once was more exhausting than he thought. Yet he was happy, to be able to sleep with his beautiful mother was everything he can dreamed of. He pulled their clasped hand to his cheek, leaning against the back of her hand before kissing it. The womanly scent of his mother's shampoo was intoxicating, he felt so at peace and safe right now.

"You've grown up so much Ash." Her husky whispers serenaded his ears, skyrocketing his pounding heart. Her thighs graze against his own, rubbing it with much vigor and enthusiasm. The severe effects of having his beautiful mother's body kneading so passionately made Ash blushed brightly, his face was heating up rapidly but the sweet innocent smile on his mother tempered his hormones.

"I love you mom." The small but heartfelt whisper from him was barely audible, even after all the teary display, he was still shy around her. Delia closed the distance between them and placed her forehead against Ash's, one day she would show him how much she loves him but for now, she would settle with a kiss to his forehead. Her lips linger on them for a moment, her wet tongue brushed his skin before she sensually suck it lightly. The sound of wet lips squishing and squelching made Ash loosen an aroused pant, the things she was doing to his body were indescribable. The vixen mother slowly parted her lips from her son, leaving the damp mark on her son. Her bright amber eyes lit up in the dark as her bedroom eyes were tinged with love and lust for him.

"I love you too Ash." The Pallet Town son's lips curled upwards, his hands trailing against his mother's thighs before it reached to the side of her waist. Without warning, he pulled her weight and placed her body directly against his chest, allowing her to feel the consequences of her action. She whimpered at the throbbing heat through his boxers, his eyes were drippling with desire and love for her. Though she would like to go further, Delia knew they were in uncharted territory and they have plenty of time to explore their boundaries. The height of her passion just took over her but what done is done, and Delia didn't have to heart to deny what she wanted from him. Months of loneliness without him, the bitter heartbreak from her ex that left her in a mess, her son had remedied all of that and more. She slowly pat his cheeks and took her rightful spot by his side, nuzzling into the crook of Ash's neck as they tenderly embrace one another. It didn't take long for slumber to consume both of them, leaving the mother and son duo to sleep together peacefully.