Chapter 108 – All in the Family

Team Rocket's Castle – Ultra Space...

The chamber into which Ash was led was luxurious, but with a very dark ambience. It was a combined officer and living space of sorts, with a large mahogany desk occupying a wall, several comfortable looking couches and chairs, a drinks cabinet, and an open fireplace. The fire seemed to be proving most of the light in the room, which was otherwise very dark. Any darker and it would have been impossible for him to see.

"You're to wait in here twerp," explained Jessie, as she and James brought him into the room. "I'm sure the boss will be along shortly."

To Ash's surprise, and relief, James undid the handcuffs around his wrists, while Jessie released Pikachu from the glass case.

"Pikachu." Ash scooped up his partner and, instinctively, took him over to one of the large couches, laying him down on a pillow. "You okay, buddy?"

"Pika." Pikachu wasn't really able to respond, he was breathing so heavily, and his eyes were closed.

Ash examined him carefully. In the time it had taken them to get here, Pikachu had dilated, and a pair of ears were now poking out of his...well, out of his backside. It reminded Ash of the birth of Ashachu. They had been in danger then too, on the run from Team Flare. Why did the birth of all of his kits have to be this way.

"Steady Pikachu," Ash cooed to him gently. "Just breath in and out and push."

"I'm...Trying," Pikachu half gasped, half growled, glaring at Ash. Tears were streaming down his face. "Have...you tried pushing a Pokémon half your size out of your butt...Ahhh!"

Ash grimaced before looking back at the two rockets by the door. They were on the way out. "Guys...Pikachu's in a bad way. He needs a Pokémon Centre."

"Like we said, someone will be a long in a minute," said James. "Take care twerp." Before he and Jessie exited the room.

Ash heard it close behind him, followed by the click of a lock. He knew there would be no getting out that way. His eyes did a sweep of the room before returning to Pikachu. They were somewhere high up in the castle, probably the highest part. There was a window behind the desk. A giant glass panel taking up nearly the entire wall space but looking out only into the dark void that was Ultra-Space.

"Chuu."

Pikachu took a deep breath and pushed hard. He felt as though a giant pair of plyers was being used to pry open his backside. Pain radiated throughout his entire torso. But there was a satisfaction to each push too as more and more of the baby Pichu was pushed from his body. A small head, slowly started to emerge, following the ears.

"That's it Pikachu. Just keep pushing. Focus on your breathing, and push," Ash whispered encouragingly.

"Focus on your damn breathing," Pikachu hissed. "F-fuck..."

[Pokémon]

Pallet Town...

"Now, you're going to do exactly as we tell you," Zoroark gasped. "You remember where we told you to open the portal."

There was a grumbling response from the Pokémon Zoroark was addressing. A small pink and purple djinn Pokémon with a mischievous face, wispy body, and giant hoops like rings hanging off its ears. This was Hoopa, a Pokémon Ash had reluctantly caught following an unpleasant incident in Unova involving Team Plasma.

And behind Hoopa, Ashachu, Geyser, Sniveon, Buizel, Snivy, Meowth, Axew, Oshawott, Totodile, Dragonite and Flygon all watched on curiously. With a newly freed Hirosaki the Latios hovering above them all in mid-air. Nova and Sylveon were still indisposed.

"Yes, master fox-khan," Hoopa retorted sarcastically, but complied with the instruction all the same. He removed a hoop from his ear and tossed it into the air. It grew large, until it's diameter was about as tall as Dragonite, and came to hover just a few inches from the ground. Enough for even a small Pokémon to jump through.

Inside was the image of a long valley, filled with trees, and a rushing river, with mountains and bridges somewhere in the distance.

"Wait, I'm confused," said Dragonite, tapping his cheek with his claw. "What in the distortion world going on."

"Uhm basically, Hoopa's rings are portals," explained Axew. "They allow him and anyone else to travel through them to somewhere else in a second."

"And where is it that we're going. What's that place?"

"We're not going anywhere," grunted Geyser. "This is the Hoenn region. We need what's here. Hirosaki."

That Latios swooped down and flew through the ring. He did not, as one without experience of Hoopa might have expected, emerge on the other side, but instead became part of the landscape in the image in the middle of the circle. A second later, his voice could be heard through the ring, "Found it...I think the ring might need to be bigger."

"Son of a," Hoopa mutter, but complied all the same. He gestured with his hands, and the ring grew in size. Soon it's circumference was large enough to encompass an entire house. Which was good, as what came floating through the portal, back into Pallet Town was another blast of the past.

The remains of what appeared to a giant mechanical Yungoos.

Dragonite's eyes widened. "What the hell is that. Is someone going to properly explain this plan of yours Geyser..."

"It's the Mechanised Automatic Geyser Acquirer," Ashachu mumbled, blushing. He felt a sentence of embarrassment and shame rush over him at the sight of the old Team Rocket Mecha. What on earth had he been thinking...

"Basically, another stupid Team Rocket Robot used for kidnapping us," growled Axew.

"Don't they normally blow up more than that," wondered Buizel. "How come it's still in one piece."

"We're actually luck it's in this good of a condition," Ashachu replied. "If the plans going to work."

"Well, that's really up to you. Isn't it Meowth!" Geyser spun around to face Meowth.

The scratch cat was standing with his arms tied behind his back. His body was wrapped in Snivy's vines. The grass snake Pokémon stood beside him, her eyes fixed tightly upon him, unblinking.

"Nyaaa." Meowth made a sound, but no words came out.

"Yeah, the deal's simple," Ashachu added. "You fix this Mecha for us. And you get to live."

Meowth shook his head. "You won't be able to take down the Halberd with this."

"Not what we need it for," said Ashachu. "You'll see!"

Hirosaki flew back through the ring, guiding the remains of the Mecha through the air, so he could set it down in the grass, away from the others.

Zoroark raised the Pokéball he was holding in his paws. "Alright Hoopa, I think we're done with you."

Hoopa folded his arms gave Zoroark an expression somewhere between a scowl and a pout. "Really. Legendary Pokémon with the power to open fucking portals, and this is all I can do for you. I could help you in so many ways!"

"We're fine thanks," Zoroark snapped in response. "Nobody likes you, and we're not letting you near him..."

The large mane on Zoroark's head quivered, and small yellow face poked out.

"You know you shouldn't trust his poor me act," said Hoopa. "There's a reason the Pokémon of the forest didn't want Hikari around. And it wasn't his sexuality."

"Yeah, like we're going to listen to you demon. Now on with ya." Zoroark activated the ball, and the red beam sucked Hoopa back up. The giant ring containing the doorway to Hoenn vanished.

[Pokémon]

Ultra-Space...

The doors to the room suddenly flew open again. Ash reluctantly tore his eyes away from Pikachu, to see who had entered. There were two people standing in the doorway. By the looks of them a man and a women. One was much taller than the other. It was hard to make out their faces in the dim light. And then one of them called his name, in a very familiar voice.

"Ash!"

"M-Mom."

Ash couldn't believe it. The sound of his mother's drove Pikachu temporarily out of his mind. He jumped up from the couch to run to greet her. But stopped as he got halfway across the room and saw what his mother was wearing; A black outfit with the letter R embossed in purple across the chest.

"What...What are you wearing. Wh-what's going on."

"Ash, I'm so glad you're okay." Despite her son's apparent hesitancy, Delia rushed over to him and embraced him in a hug.

While Ash's instinct at the sight of the Team Rocket uniform made him want to recoil, he found himself hugging her back. His suspicious and fear melting away in his mother's embrace. Tears welled up in his eyes.

"Mom I was so worried about," he cried. "When I came back home and found that you weren't there. And that note you left."

"Oh Ash," Delia replied. Her voice was strained. Sad and full of emotion, not her usual cheery self. "I didn't want you to find out this way. But he insisted."

They broke apart and Ash shook his head.

"What's going on here. Why are you wearing that. Wh-who's he."

Ash gestured to the man standing behind her. But as he approached, he realised who it was. A tall man dressed in an orange suit, with thinning brown hair and a stern look on his face. Immediately Ash was transported back in his mind to being locked in a laser cage, used a bait to threaten a legendary Pokémon in an incident that had led to a Unovan survival crisis.

"It's you," he breathed. "Of course...M-mom."

"Ash honey," said Delia in, what she hoped at the moment would be a reassuring voice. "It isn't what you think."

"Th-then what is it," Ash demanded. His heart was racing in his chest, and it was becoming difficult to breathe. Panic was threatening to overtake him and render him unable to function normally. "What in the distortion world is going on."

Delia put a hand on his bare shoulder and squeezed. "Ash. He's your grandfather..."

Behind them, Pikachu let out a loud cry of "Pika-CHUUU!"

[Pokémon]

Pallet town...

"Hey Pokémon! Leaving me trapped like this is bullying. Demands are now made that you release me at once. RELEASE ME..."

Miraidon was still frozen in the block of Ice Dragonite had trapped him upon their return to Pallet Town. It's head was unfrozen, as was part of its right hind leg, which house a small storage compartment (Miraidon was part machine after all). That left it able to scream and demand to be released, but unable to do anything else or move any other part of its body.

The other Pokémon were ignoring it, too focused on the project of restoring the Team Rocket Yungoos Mecha. It was a task that involved all the abilities, moves and skills of Ash's Pokémon. Psychic types like Hirosaki to hold the structure together while it was worked on, like an invisible scaffold.

Fire types like Sniveon to weld, electric types like Ashachu to provide power and large Pokémon like Geyser, Dragonite and Flygon to hold and move heavy objects. Slowly the Mecha was starting to take shape...With Meowth overseeing it all.

"No, no don't put dat dare," he grumbled, exasperatedly as a Dragonite tried to lower a panel into place on its back. "Hey, not as much heat," he added as Sniveon blasted the hind leg with fire. "Oi vey...You know it would be a lot easier if I had my paws free."

"Tough," sang Snivy. The grass snake had the cat's paws tied behind his back with one of his vines. "You're the foreman. You direct, we follow. You don't need your paws. You think we trust you."

Meowth sighed. "You guys really aren't makin' dis easy!"

"I commanded release me...RELEASE ME!" Miraidon continued to scream but nobody was paying any attention.

Then suddenly, POP. One of Cameron's Pokéballs, stored in the future Pokémon's pouch, burst open. A flash of white light emerged from inside Miraidon body, spilling out onto the grass where it solidified into the form of a Sneasel.

"Ahhh. That's better. What did I miss," Blade exclaimed as he stretched, wrigglingly his hips and stretching his arms above his head. He looked around, and blinked a few time, confused by the fact he was no longer on a dark beach in the Johto region, but a rainy field in Kanto. "What did I miss?"

"Are you going to release me," Miraidon asked, but Blade ignored it, as he scanned the Pokémon below and the construction project.

"That's me," he mumbled. "Always behind the time." He quickly spotted Ashachu and Geyser and ran over towards them, leaving a disgruntled Miraidon to snort angrily. "Hey Kid!"

Ashachu and Geyser were standing either side of a large crystal-like object, grasping it with their forepaws. The crystal started to glow blue as the two kits channelled their aura into it. They each looked up as they saw Blade coming.

"Blade," said Geyser, raising his brows, "Where'd you come from?"

Bladed folded his arms and replied in a deadpan expression, "Oh I dunno. Just the Pokéball where you left me."

"Yeah, well we don't have time for you now," snapped Ashachu, deliberately not looking at the Sneasel. Blade noticed a little colour rising in his cheeks. "Go find Snorlax and stick your head up his arse."

Blade ignored the remark. "What's going on around here." He looked up at the Yungoos Mecha. "Isn't this..."

"We're waging war against Team Rocket," explained Geyser. "They kidnapped Ash, Hunter, and Pikachu, as well as Cameron and Jimmy. We're going to use this Mecha to fight back."

Blade coxed his head and glanced upwards again. Fighting Team Rocket sounded far from sensible and was the last thing he wanted to do. But he thought better to argue with them. "Is there anything I can do to help."

"Yeah, go sick you head up Snorlax's arse," Ashachu repeated, not looking at him.

Geyser however took pity on him. "Uhh not us personally, but you should go asked Meowth and Snivy. They're overseeing everything. We'll explain everything later, it's just we're really busy right now and time is running out!"

Blade looked perplexed for a moment before shrugging and turning around to see if he could spot Meowth. "I really did miss a lot," he mumbled to himself. "How did I ever let myself get captured!"

[Pokémon]

Ultra-Space...

Ash turned his back to his mother and to the brown-haired man...his grandfather and rushed back to Pikachu's side. Pikachu was laying back on the pillow breathing heavily. A small Pikachu was half hanging out of him.

"Pikachu," Ash whispered.

Almost instinctively, Ash knew what he needed to do. He sat down beside Pikachu, gently put his hands around the tiny mouse, and pulled the little Pichu out of Pikachu. He then held the tiny mouse kit up...his tiny mouse kit...to get a better look.

Like all Pichu, he had an oval shaped head, a small round body with large feet, a tiny black tail, oval shaped head and two triangular ears with black tips. Like Pikachu, he had small electric sacks on his cheeks, light pink in colour. And just like Ashachu he had Ash's zigzag birthmark across his chest.

"Pi-chu." Slowly, the Pichu opened his large round eyes, making Ash's heart swell with emption. The feeling was indescribable. Like Pikachu, his pupils were chocolate coloured.

"Arceus Pikachu," Ash whispered, his voice catching in his throat. "He's beautiful!"

"Pikapi," came Pikachu's soft voice, as the rodent slowly pushed himself back up. "Can I. Can I hold him!"

Ash briefly lowered his head and kissed his Pichu on the forehead, before placing him down into Pikachu's arms. Pikachu put his arms around his son and started licking his ear.

"Ash," said Delia softly.

At the same time, a dark voice said, "How very touching."

Ash had almost forgotten they were in the room. He looked up from Pikachu and Pichu at his mother and the other man.

"Is that Pichu...yours," Delia asked gently. "Yours and Pikachu's."

Ash nodded.

"You didn't tell me."

Ash's eyes narrowed. "You didn't tell me; he was my grandfather!"

His grandfather observed him carefully. "And your mother never told me that you were my grandson. When we met in Unova, I thought that I sensed something about you. A mere child and his Pokémon able to take on the full force of Team Rocket. How could you be anybody else."

Ash felt a trickle of anger come over him, mixing with the sock and eroding the brief joy he had felt the birth of his new Pichu kit. "Believe me! It wasn't difficult."

"Perhaps introductions are in order," said his grandfather, as though Ash hadn't spoken. "I am Giovanni. Leader of Team Rocket. And it's true. Your mother is my daughter. She was once the finest agent Team Rocket ever had. A true successor to the Team Rocket criminal empire. She gave that up, and ran away, when she fell pregnant with you!"

Ash looked at his mother. "Is that true."

Delia sighed sadly and bowed his head. "I'm afraid, it's all true Ash...I grew up in Team Rocket. The family taught me to be a fighter. Not just to be a trainer, but to learn how to use and dominate Pokémon for the glory of Team Rocket. I was one of the highest-ranking operatives in Team Rocket. But all that changed when I met your father and became pregnant. I wanted nothing more to do with that life after that."

"My daughter and I had an understanding," explained Giovanni. "I would protect her and keep you and her away from the world of Team Rocket."

"But you didn't keep that promise," Ash snapped accusingly. "You've sent Jessie and James after me!"

Giovanni raised his eyebrows, as though perplexed. "No, that was an unfortunate trilogy of errors. I sent Jessie and James to capture the Zekrom-Pikachu. That Pikachu there." He pointed to Pikachu sitting on the couch snuggling Pichu. "The second of the kits of the legendries to be born in 100 years. It was an unfortunate coincidence that you happened to be its trainer." He then added as an afterthought, "and that Jessie and James proved incapable of actually stealing that Pikachu."

Ash shook his head in disbelief. "But what about Shadow in Galar. Meloetta in Unova. Lugia in Johto. Team Rocket has tried to kill me plenty of times."

"Unfortunate occurrences," Giovanni replied. "You got in our way. My agents acted. They had no idea who you were!"

"And that makes it okay." He turned back to his mother. "Mom, you're okay with this! I thought you said you'd left this life behind."

"It's complicated," said Delia.

"Your mother's identity was uncovered by the authorities," Giovanni continued. "Once does not simply leave Team Rocket. The police and our rivals are always on the hunt for our agents. Fearing for hers and your safety, your mother turned to me. And now that you are here, I hope that your presence will prove to be most useful."

Ash gritted his teeth. "I'll never help you. I'll never help Team Rocket." He sat down again and scooped both Pikachu and his Pichu into his arms. "And you're not getting Pikachu!"

"We shall see," said Giovanni. He stepped closer and eyed Ash carefully. "Why are you naked, boy? Don't you have any shame."

Ash glared at him. "Because your agents stripped me and my friends of our clothes and tied us up. That's why!"

Giovanni grimaced. "We should remedy that. I'll have Jessie and James arrange sleeping quarters for you."

Delia sat down beside Ash and put her arms around him again. Again, the urge to push her away disappeared with her touch. Whatever Delia had been...This hidden part of her life...She was still his mother. And there was still something that Ash needed to know.

"Mom...Who was my father?"

"I'll show you," said Giovanni darkly.

Ash did not like the evil glint in his eyes or the sinister smile that he gave him.