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Chapter Text

Delia Ketchum knows that her fate was sealed the moment she was born. However, that doesn't mean she cannot enjoy her life for the two and a half decades she guarantees to love for. 

Delia knows that being the youngest out of six children means that she needs to separate herself from her siblings’ success. As long as she can remember, all of her older siblings were talented trainers with their own niche. She hates to admit it, but she was jealous of her siblings’ talents and popularity. Lance was always so knowledgeable in battle strategy and is the top of his whole school. People are always praising her oldest brother for his strategy and quick thinking after the battle was over. As for Cynthia, everyone is always praising her determination and creativity during her pokemon battle. She is exceptionally talented in using any type of pokemon, unlike Lance, who specialized certain pokemon types like dragon types. Sycamore was a little different compared to his siblings. He was not an ace battler like Cynthia and Lance nor the most attractive in his school. However, he was academically the best in the entire school. At age 16, he was already submitting research journals to the Research Institute of Pokemon Behavioral Studies and the Journal of Specialized Somatic Health for Pokemon. As for Diantha, she was stunning and a skill trainer. She was viewed as an elite trainer of beauty, passion, and power. She was not as good as Cynthia or Lance, but she was not an elite trainer for nothing. Corless was an oddball, but everyone acknowledges his skills as an inventor and a scientist. Ever since he entered the regional competition of engineering, he had won first place for his inventions. Someone would always buy the rights to his designs, and Corless would always come home with cash equivalent to a year worth of salary. When she compares herself to her five older siblings, she will view herself as a worthless and dull person. Still, she loves them all very dearly.

One day, Delia was on board and went to find one of her siblings. She found Lance and ask, "Why are you so talented in Pokemon battle without trying?"

"Delia, you are already a good trainer," Lance insisted. "I just happen to have more experience with Pokemon battles and coming up with strategies. Besides, I am not that good."

"Says the ace of the entire school, much less region," Diantha sighs not so subtly. " Our teachers are already saying how you'll be the next Kanto champion!"

"You are no better, Diantha!" Corless loudly added. " I hear the upperclassmen talking about how you could become a champion one day as well. If not a champion, people are saying that you are guaranteed to become famous one day!"

"Corless, you literally pay off the house mortgage with the money you earn from last competition, "Cynthia chime in as she finishes her smoothie. " I think none of us have the right to give advice when we cannot imagine ourselves in Delia's shoes."

Once again, her siblings went off topic and started to bicker among themselves. Sadly, this is not the first time her siblings lost sight of the conservation and forget her existence. It began to become more common as she grows older. At least when she was younger, her family members would try to pay attention to her or answer her questions. Now, only one family member attempt to acknowledge her existence when he wasn't busy with work. 

"We are getting ice cream." Sycamore came out of his room with her jacket and his wallet. "I'm getting tired of hearing their voices, and I need a break from my papers."

"I could use some ice cream" Delia quickly put on her shoes and went to get some ice cream with her brother.

At age 15, she started dating someone name, Giovanni. He was only two years older than her, but he is already running his own business! Imagine being a plain girl with no real talents or unique characteristics, dating one of the school's heartthrobs. He's rich, smart, and a charmer! After dating him for four months, Delia decided that it was time to tell her mom! What she did not expect is to have a long serious talk about her future and birthmarks. 

"Mom, I have been dating a boy for four months " Delia casually stroll in the kitchen and help prepare that's night dinner. "He's a real catch and comes from a wealthy family."

"This soon? Are you too young to date?" Her mother started twiddling her thumbs as she tries to smile. However, her smile is a strain one. "Isn't it too soon, Delia? You are in school and…"

"Mom, my siblings dated people when they were my age." Delia was growing frustrated with her mother. As she has gotten older, her mother became a little more strict and place more rules upon her. She was tired of it. " Tell me one good reason why I should not date Giovanni, which may I remind you that he is a wealthy man from an upstanding family."

There was silence. No one spoke for several minutes before Delia decided that she had enough. She has it with her mother’s treatment toward her. Her mom was just too overprotective when it comes to her, but not her other sisters or brothers? Forget it, she will hang out at Giovanni’s house tonight. 

"Your father said that you will die," her mother shutter before Delia left the kitchen. "He said that the mark of a blue year drop and yellow spark means that you are in danger." 

"My birthmarks?" Delia let go of the doorknob and turn to face her mother once more. "Now that you mentioned my father, I wonder why my siblings seem to hate dad so much. It wasn't his fault that he died too soon. At least they were lucky enough to remember him while I was two when he died."

"You have a different father," her mother softly explains. " He was one of the last aura guardians in the world. He was able to see your future from the moment you are born. Delia, my sweet and innocent girl, your father saw your death. He said that you would die after you fulfill your role."

"Role, what role? "Delia look straight and her mother and began questioning her." Also, I’m destined to die? I’m going to die? How am I going to die from some stupid birthmarks? Is my dad actually dead?”

“Delia, all he told me before he departed was that your marks guarantee that you will die after you fulfill your role.” Her mother went to the small drawer next to the stove and pulled out a small box. It was a tiny caramel wooden box with a gold heart-shaped lid. Her mother pulled off the lid and handed Delia a piece of paper. “It’s one prophecy of many, but your father said that you will play a part in it. He predicted that you will die the moment you are engaged to a man. Let’s drop this conservation for tonight, and you can read the prophecy after dinner.”

Being emotionally drained from the conservation, Delia decided to drop the topic and continue helping with dinner preparations. For the rest of the evening, Delia was thinking about her mother’s words. How do her birthmarks guarantee her death? Why did her father leave her when she was two years old? After learning that she has a different father than her five siblings, she finally understood why they hated the man. Her siblings hated the man because they believe that her father abandoned his biological daughter and step-siblings. However, they fail to understand that aura guardians were hunted down for centuries due to the discrimination and prejudices against them. Perhaps, her father tried to protect his newly found family future. If he had stayed, they all could have been dead by now. Before Delia prepare for bed, she was curious about what the prophecy is about. She grabs the piece of paper with the prophecy and read it thoroughly.

After reading it, she finally understood why her mother was so upset. Finding a partner will almost guarantee engagement and a child. However, that doesn’t mean she could live her life happily. If she has only a select amount fo years to live, then she will live to fullest. Besides, she could always try to change her future. 

Guardian of the ruthless sea
Ruler of conflict and strife
A mother with royal blood
Will create a sacred life

Mother of the gods' child
Will be the one with a mark
Of a teardrop of the sea
And a bright lightning spark

Child of humans and gods
Will be born during the night
Of the shining blue full moon
In its glistening blue light.

Mother of that said child
Shall die once the babe arrives
For the cost of beating heart
For the sake of other lives. 

The dame will be asked to wed
By the man she loves so dear
But will die before that day
And set motions to time’s gears.

Death will let the father live 
As he cries for his love end
Since death claim the mother soul
Who were his lover and friend. 

For the next few years, Delia continues to date, Giovanni. After getting pregnant at age 19 and giving birth to Red at age 20, Delia decides to tell him about her father’s warning. He deserves to know that if she were to die the moment she was engaged, her partner has the right to know about her upcoming death.

“Giovanni, I need to tell you something important” Delia places a sleeping Red into his white crib. Finally, her son is sleeping, and she could have this difficult conservation with Giovanni. “My father had a vision that I would die if I was to get engaged. He doesn’t know why, but he states my birthmarks place a factor to my death.”

“If that is true, then what are the circumstances to your death” Giovanni shuffle through several papers before he faces toward Delia. “If we can prevent the circumstance of your future death, then your father predictions may be proven false.” 

“I would need to be engaged, have a child, and the baby cannot be born at a certain time.” Delia was lucky that Giovanni is a great guy. Despite having an unexpected child, he was still so attentive to her and Red. 

“Then we won’t marry, and we can cohabitate,” Giovanni explained. “I do not want you to die so the best option for our future is to live together without being legally recognized by the law. You may not like it but I would prefer that over your death.”

It was decided they would stay together and cancel their plans for marriage. It was something she did not like, but she prefers to be alive over being. Looking back, Delia should have known that Giovanni was cheating on her or that he was a leader of Team Rocket. At least she is not dead. 

Delia learned that Giovanni was cheating on her when she heard the doorbell ring. Her partner had not been home for several weeks, so she was getting worried. After hearing the doorbell ring, she ran to the door and swiftly swung the door open. Instead of seeing her partner, she saw a tan straw basket with a newborn baby. Next to the basket was a letter written with her partner's handwriting.

Delia, I will not be coming home. I will leave this baby with you since his mother, and I do not want to raise the infant. Feel free to do whatever you want it and consider it as a form of payment. Let it live or die, I don’t care. Do not try to contact me, or Red might not make it to his next birthday.

From that day forward, Delia raised her two sons on her own. However, she was ashamed of her stupidity and naivety. If only she had been smarter, then maybe she would have found a good partner! She just convinces her siblings that she was a grown, independent adult! They are starting to treat her as a functional adult! If she told her family the truth, then everyone will return to treating her as a child or someone with a fragile soul. No, she will not tell her family the truth. Instead, she will pretend that her partner had been killed by some unknown entity. It’s basically the same thing, right?

When Silver was two, Delia met a nice handsome man named Looker. At first, it was just coffee meetups and going together to social activities. Unlike Giovannie, Looker will ask for her opinion on that day's plans. Sometimes he tries too hard to be a gentleman, but it is the thought that counts! For example, he once tried to carry all her groceries, but he crashes into a pole. Looker would have seen the pole if he had just let her take a few bags instead of hugging several bags of groceries with his two arms.

" Looker, may I carry some groceries now." Delia offers her right hand to help her friend up. It was sweet of Looker to provide some assistance, but he does go overboard sometimes. 

"Alright, you were right, Delia." Looker was looking sheepishly, but that quickly transforms into a hearty laugh. "I guess I can use some help!"

"You mean offering a reasonable amount of assistance."

"Same thing."

Next, Looker will help her with finding employment after she was laid off from her housekeeping job. When she mentioned her dream to open a restaurant, Looker offers to help her establish a restaurant in Pallet town. Delia cannot believe that her friend would help her build a restaurant! Giovanni was always dismissive about her dreams of starting a family-owned restaurant. Sometimes, he would flat out call her dreams illogical and a waste of everyone's time. However, Looker will encourage her ideas and help finances her small restaurant. Before she knew it, she was dating Looker. Now she was glad that Giovanni had ditched her and his children! Looker was a much better father figure to her children!

For the next few years, Delia’s life was filled with bliss and euphoria. Although her partner was always busy with work, Looker will always attempt to come home for at least two days a week. Every time he arrives home, Looker will bring a surprise gift for her or her children. On the days he cannot come home, he would call the house phone and talk to her sons for a few minutes before he talks to her. Isn’t Looker so considerate of her! Delia's life was so perfect and domesticated that she had forgotten about her father's warnings. She had forgotten to tell Looker about her predetermined death. It wasn't until Looker proposed one day that she remembers everything. 

"Delia, you made me so happy for the last few years." Looker had taken Delia to an empty but gorgeous beach. " You know that I work for the international police and my mission to obtain as much Intel about Giovanni. However, I did not expect to meet anyone as amazing and stunning as you. You deserve to a lot more than a busy agent, but I will be honor if I can continue to stay by your side. Delia, will you marry me?"  

Looker was down on one knee and holding out a simple snow white box with a small diamond ring. How can Delia say no to that?

"Of course I will!" Delia was so excited about everything. She was engaged, getting marry, and she may be expecting a child soon! It is too early to tell so she will hold off in telling her now finance. 

The pair went back home to tell the news to Red and Silver. However, it was when Delia was explaining about Looker's proposal that she realized the gravity of the situation. Her father's vision had shown him that once she is engaged and fulfill her role, she will die. Based on the prophecy she read, her role is mostly be giving birth to a child with extraordinary power. Everything is falling into place. Looker had proposed, she had accepted his proposal, and she may be expecting a child soon.  

"May Arceus have mercy on my family and me."

Several months into the engagement, Delia felt comfortable with telling Looker the truth. He will get to decide if he would like to marry a woman like her. However, when she went to find Looker, he was speaking rapidly in an unknown language. She knows that Looker was from the Sinnoh region, so it must be his native language. After he was done talking, he ended the call and harshly put his phone away. 

“I’m sorry Delia, but I’m going to have to put the marriage on hold.” Looker was obviously not pleased, and the scowl on his face further show how pissed he is. “I’m not allowed to give you specific detail but I will tell you that I need to go undercover in an undisclosed region. “

“When are you leaving.? Delia was internally pissed but also relieve on how things turn out. Piss that Looker has an undercover task to complete and that she builds up her courage, to tell the truth for nothing. However, she is relieved that there is more time! If Looker goes undercover until the night of the blue moon pass, there may be a chance for her survival. Her sons won’t have a dead mother, and Looker won’t be a widow!

“I need to go tonight.” Now Looker appears defeated about the situation. “We can have our marriage a few days after I return home. Sadly, I will be unreachable for an entire year, so I cannot make any calls like I have done previously."

"It's fine." Delia will keep her spirits up if it means that she'll get a happy ending. An ending with her partner, sons, and her unborn child. 

Delia will admit that she was wrong many times in her life. She was wrong to believe that Giovanni was a good man. She was wrong when she thought Corless would stop blowing up his room whenever he was working on an invention. To put it simply, she was wrong many times in her life. After giving birth to Satoshi, she knew that she was wrong about the true meaning of her father's predictions. Maybe, it was her paranoia and her tired mind speaking to her. She was in delivery for over 22 hours, so perhaps it was her lack of sleep getting to her. She's alive and well, although a bit tired, in a hospital bed in the labor room. Who knew that a cruise will have a labor room?

After being handed her baby boy by a young petite nurse, she was left alone with her child. Satoshi was sleeping soundly after being fed. Everything is perfect. Looker will be so surprised once he comes home to his son! 

At last, everything good must come to an end. Nothing can last forever. 

Satoshi was sleeping soundly right beside her chess when she first heard the sounds of shouting from the nurses and the begging from other women nearby. 

“Who the hell are you?”

Delia notices that there is a smell of smoke in the air. Was the air quality always this poor?

“Please, don’t hurt my baby!

Now she is hearing a woman wailing her baby name before it transforms into endless sobs.

“Spare no baby! We have orders to slay every child under two years old, we can’t afford any risks.”

The smoky smells are slowly mixing with the new metallic smell. It started to smell more like a war zone then a luxury cruise boat.

“Spare my child, he was born yesterday! The woman in the next room was the one who gave birth to a child this night!”

Shit, she was planning on hiding with her child. Now, she needs to move before the attackers find her and kill her baby.

“Find a woman named Delia Ketchum.”

Now for sure, she knows that the attackers are looking for her. Her body still feels drain from energy, and her lower body is still in pain, but she needs to fight for her baby's survival. Don’t her wrong, she feels sorry for all the mothers who witness their children being slaughtered. However, Satoshi has a higher priority over everyone else on this floor. Red and Silver should be safe at the upper floors if the attackers are specifically looking for babies. She quickly grabbed the bedsheets and wrapped it around Satoshi. Her baby will need to be warm for the freezing and windy ocean weather. Once he was wrapped, Delia uses all her strength to run out of her room and through the thickly smoke hallways. She prays to Arceus that she will find a way to save her baby because if she is not allowed to live her life, at the very least, her son should be spared.

“Stairs, there are stairs!” Delia was finally relieved that she was able to find a set of stairs. Filled with hope, Delia dash across the stairs to finally escape from the burning floor. Sadly for her, she reached a dead end. She has trapped herself on the balcony without any chance of escape and barking orders from the attackers. They are getting closer, and she has very little time to think of an alternative plan. Francialtlly, she looked around for anything that could help. All she was able to find was a perfect size basket for Satoshi. Out of desperation, Delia places the securely wrapped Satoshi in the basket and tightly clutch the basket. If worse come to serve, she can toss the basket and hope the sea will be more merciful. 

“Delia, what a pleasant surprise to see you.” An intimidating figure leisurely strolls upstairs to reveal himself and laugh at her plight.

“Giovanni, what are you doing here.” Delia was now internally panicking. He was the one responsible for killing all the babies. He was going to kill Satoshi, a baby who is less than a day old. She only has one shot to save Satoshi, but she will need to act now.

“I’m looking for a child, but I’m sure you know that already.” Giovanni's expression was neutral, but there was malice present in his eyes. 

“I see, I guess we both will know what will happen next.” Delia swiftly spun around and hurl the basket to the open sea. Giovanni could do nothing as the basket settle on the ocean wave, far away from the cruise boat. “I may not have the prowess as my older siblings, but I will fight for what I believe in until the very end!”

“I would say I’m sorry for how everything turns out, but that would be a lie.” 

That was the last thing Delia heard before something smash into her head, and she felt burning hot pain in her lower abdomen. Her vision was starting to get blurry, and all she could hear was the muffled sounds of panicked shouts of other people. The air started to feel hotter, and she scents the burning flesh of other innocent people. Delia knew that there is no chance that she will be saved and accepted her premature death. She has so much to live for, but it was all taken away by Giovanni. 

“Why is fate so cruel, all I wanted was a family!” Delia doesn’t know who she is weeping too. Was it to Arceus? Was it to the baby she hurled into the sea? She doesn’t know for sure, but she wanted to sob out loud. “Satoshi, I have nothing I can give but this chance that you may live. Please forgive me for forcefully placing the world’s burden on you. Please, forgive me for my failure as a mother!”

On the night of the blue moon, Delia was burned to death by the roaring blaze. To the world, Delia was one of many who died from the roaring fire. However, no one will never know that Giovanni has harshly slashed her lower abdomen and left her to die in the dancing orange flames.

Chapter Text

Guzma was having a miserable day. He was currently sitting on the sandy beach floor under Aloha sky. The sun was starting to rise, but the warmth of the glowing sun did nothing for Guzma. Still, Guzma cannot stop gazing at the sun rising from the crystal blue sea. In a way, Guzam felt at ease that he was finally free from his sorry excuse of a father and his pitiful mother. Over a decade of abuse from his father and neglect from his mother, Guzma just had enough of their torture. At the time, his only saving grace was the compassion of Kahuna Hala and his former best friend, Kukui. Now, they had abandoned him in favor of believing his father lies. In exchange for his freedom, it had cost him the people who were once dear to him. 

Lost in his own thoughts, Guzma didn’t notice the tiny dot floating across the sea. How could he pay attention to a minimal detail like one small dot? Several minutes pass, and Guzma still was in deep thought about that night’s events. It wasn’t until he started to hear the cries of an infant coming from an unknown source. Why is there a baby crying out of nowhere on a beach? He must be hallucinating at this point because he knows for sure that he is alone on the beach. Guzma abruptly stood up and scouted the area. It wasn’t hard to find the source of the crying since there was a basket drifting toward the sandy shore. The basket looks beaten and may fall apart at any second. He knows that he shouldn’t be involved with the baby, but he wasn’t heartless enough to ignore the infant’s existence. Knowing that he needs to do the right thing, Guzma walks in the chilly water and collects the basket. Inside the basket, a baby was crying for something. 

“I can’t raise you.” Guzma doesn’t know why he was speaking out loud, but he knows that he is going to need guidance. Really, he doesn’t want to leave the infant alone, but he so ill-prepared to parent an infant. “You deserve so much better than me. I can’t give you a future you need.”

Guzma could always leave the baby to a hospital and let the medical staff manage the baby’s well-being. As he walks outside of the Alola’s water, he realizes that maybe that plan would not work. If the infant is sent to the hospital, then the medical staff will attempt to find the infant’s parents. If the parents cannot be found, the infant will likely be given to Hala to raise as his own. Forget giving up the infant to the hospital just to have the infant be relocated to the person who practically destroys his trust in the world. Fuck that, he will raise the baby himself and become the best father like no one ever was.

“First, you will need to be fed.” Guzma knows that the infant cannot understand him, but he doesn’t care. “Then, we will need to find a name that is easy to pronounce because there is no way anyone can call you Satoshi without butchering your name. Our region tends to only care about our native language and the old Alolan language.”

When Guzma was five years old, his father has tossed a vase above his head. It was the first time he had seen his father’s wrath and unreasonable frustration. 

“You need to do better, Guzma!” His father was piss that he was only ranked second out of his class. “One fucking point! You were beaten by one itty bitty point from Kukui, that bastard’s child! You are just so stupid to believe that second place is something you to be proud of because it is not! It means you are worth less than the person who won first place! You are going to do better, or else you will be crying for mercy!”

“I’ll try.” Call him a coward for whimpering among his father’s cold gaze, but he doesn’t want to tempt his father’s anger. “I will be ranked first next year, I promise.”

“You better hope so” His father turn around and head toward the door. “And you are going to start by taking extra classes. Starting next week, you are going to be enrolled in a martial art class so you won’t be a weak excuse for a son.”

After his father left the room, Guzma ran around the house looking for his mother. His mother will know what to do! Knowing that his mother is cooking dinner, Guzma dash from his room to the kitchen. Standing in front of the stove, his mother was making a traditional Aloha dish. Perfect, his mom can help him with what to do.

“Mom, dad is being mean to me,” Guzma explains. “He threw a vase above my head and said mean things about me.”

“Guzma, listen to your father.” The tone of his mother’s voice was neutral and dismissive. “Whatever he said to must be true, so just leave me alone. Go do something that will make your father proud of your existence. Right now, you are just a disappointed and a waste of space.”

Guzma was so shocked by his mother’s lack of concern. He thought that moms are supposed to love their children no matter what! Instead, his mother just told him to listen to his father, and his father's words are the law. That day forward, Guzma stop referring to his parents as mom and dad. Instead, he started to call them father and mother. It’s clear to tell that his parents don’t truly love him.

When Guzma was six, he started to understand that adults are not immune to the honey-sweet lies of other people. His father was meeting with Hala for something he doesn’t know. All he knows that his father bought him a beautiful set of clothes and comb his hair to be more presentable. After being left alone for an hour, his father emerges from the room with a massive smile on his face. To others, it was a smile made out of pure joy. For Guzma, it was a predatory smile, and he was his father prey.

“Guzma, I’m happy to tell you that you are a possible candidate.” His father’s voice was unusually cheerful and sweet. “This is an honor for someone like you to have. Imagine being a Kahuna of this island Guzma. Tell me, Guzma, how do you feel about that?”

“Honor, I feel honored that I’m a candidate.” Guzma knows that he was spitting out bullshit to please his father, but he doesn’t want to embarrass his father in public. If he had told his father that he doesn’t want to be a Kahuna, then his father would likely have killed him.

“Your father is a great man, and I’m glad to have him as a close friend.” Hala came out of the room and made his presence known to himself and his father. “I know as your father’s son, you are going to do great things and become the same type of man as your father. One of the several role models and leaders of the island.”

Guzma doesn’t want to be like his father. His father was a terrible man who had hurled stuff at him whenever he commits a mistake. Just yesterday, he forgot to clean up the kitchen table, so his father threw a plate toward his face. Luckily for Guzma, he ducked before the plate has the opportunity to harm his face. How does Hala or the people not notice his father’s dishonest behavior? He was like a serpent waiting for the right moment to strike. Honestly, he felt sorry for Hala. If Hala views him as a possible candidate for Kahuna, then it’s likely his father will prepare to make it into a reality. He hopes that his father won’t murder the other candidates or Hala. 

When Guzma was seven, his father started to get more physical with him. Last year, Guzma was rank first in his class, so his father’s acts of violence had decreased. However, this year, Guzma was tied for first place with Kukui. After his father found out, he was dragged by the ear to the living room and shoved to the living room floor.

“Tied, are you fucking with me, son?” His father barked in a tone of pure fury and was not stopping anytime soon. “He’s not even a candidate for the Kahuna position, so tell me how he was tied with you! That’s it, I’m going to enroll you into some language classes starting next month. Now, look what you made me do. We will need to cut your mother's spending budget to deal with your incompetence!”

Guzma hated golf after that night. The black misshapen circle bruises on his legs and lower back are just reasons why he grew to hate his father. The beating from the golf club became one of his worth fears for years to come.

When Guzma was eight, his parents had basically ditched him in favor of living in their own lives. His mother refused to speak to him because a good chunk of the money spent on her shopping addiction was used for his classes. Not like Guzma cares about her approval since she stops feeding him whenever they were alone. No, they only gave the performance of genuinely loving parents for the guest who visited the house. If they had love and care for him, then Guzma wouldn’t need to learn how to scavenge for berries, roots, and powder. The bug type Pokemon in the forest were better parental figures than his biological parents. They have no obligation to feed a human when they have their own hatchlings. Right now, he prefers to be with the bug type pokemon because acting along with his parents is so cringing. At least to him, it was cringing.

“We are pleased that you enjoy what my wife made,” His father mentioned as he walks Hala out of the house. “She is such a wonderful cook who tries her best to feed Guzma with the most nutritional ingredients.”

“Have a great night Hala.” His mother was gleeful as she spoke. “We enjoy your company very much, so please feel free to drop by anytime!” 

It was after the guest left that his mother would shove him away to his room or outside. It depends on whether there was sunlight outside or not. Physically, his parents provided him a roof over his head and some clothes. Food and love was the only thing missing from his parents. 

On his ninth birthday, Guzma was envious of his friend. Kukui’s mom had left a stir fry dish on the table for them and told them to fetch her if they need anything else. His best friend had a loving mother who prepares meals for him while his mother neglect to feed her own child. Guzma will be lucky to receive some scraps!

“My mom’s cooking is the best!” Kukui went to grab some plates that were on the bottom shelf and some utensils in the drawer above. “Whenever I’m hungry, she will make something good to eat.”

“Yeah, moms usually feed their children.” Guzma won’t bother explaining to Kukui that his parents neglect to do the basics for their child. Everyone foolishly believes that his parents are so great and extremely lucky to have a gifted child.

In his tenth birthday, Guzma became one of the most popular kids on the island. Everyone has high expectations for the child of Hala’s second-hand man and the woman who volunteers her time to charities. He fucking hates it all. The praises and acknowledgment were all useless to him in the end. Yes, learning different languages, academic subjects, and his cultural background is essential, but it was not his decision. His father had forced that upon him, so it was something he eventually grew to hate.

"Everyone, remember that if you work hard, then you will become as talented as Guzma!"

“When I grow older, I want to be just like Guzma!”

“Look, it’s Guzma. He’s the best student in the whole island.”

“Your mother must be so proud.”

“You are growing up to be just like your father.”

In his eleventh birthday, Guzma realized that his father was a monster to those who deem a threat. If Guzma was the only one being abused and harmed, then it wouldn’t be a huge issue. At least it was only him that was getting brutally hurt during his father’s period of rage. Unfortunately, his father had uncovered the names of two candidates on the island. One was a shy girl with long blond curls and with bright green eyes. The other candidate was her fraternal twin brother with spiky blond hair with shining blue eyes. 

“You knew Guzma! You fucking knew that they were possible candidates! Do you not care about the future I’m carving out for you?” His father was pacing around in circles as he was yelling at the thin air. Out of habit, his father kept grabbing household items and throwing near where Guzma was standing.

“Yes, I knew, but I don’t think they are real threats!” It was a lie, of course, but Guzma prefers to not have his father assault him with the golf club tonight. His back was still throbbing in pain from yesterday battering. 

“You right Guzma. They have nothing compared to your vigorous studying and practical talents.” His father had stopped throwing stuff and quickly composed himself. He was unusually calm when he started speaking again. “However, I will make sure that it will remain that way. Guzma, you are free from your studies if you go to your room and stay there until tomorrow morning.”

Listening to his father’s subtle command, Guzma dash to his room and kept his door lock. It wasn’t until the next day why his father was unusually calm. On that day, it was reported that the twins were reported missing and were last seen in the local pokemon center. At the end of the school day, news spread about the dismembered body parts of the siblings were found scattered across the island. Oh Tapu, is this what his father meant last night? It can’t be a fucking coincidence that the twins were killed sometime after the conservation with his father. Who does that to a set of pre-teens who were enjoying their youth? What lengths will his father go to guarantee that his son becomes the next Kahuna?

“Remember, as your father, I know what is best for you, son.”

When Guzma was twelve, he grew to hate authority figures. How could the adults of the island allow their children to be groomed to become Kahuna? He and several other children were sitting down Hala’s living room and practicing learning the old Aloha language. Despite being considered as a privileged child to learn from Melemele island’s most exceptional leader, he viewed it as a curse in disguise. Only one will become Kahuna, so what will happen to the candidates not chosen by Tapu-Koko? Dozens of children had willing or forced to sacrifice their youth, naivety, and childhood for the slight chance of becoming the next Kahuna! After Hala’s death, all but one will have wasted years of their childhood and young adulthood for something that cannot be given to everyone!  

“Always scout out your competition son, for they are our greatest threat to a fruitful future. There could only be one, so remember that the other candidates are not your friends. Do whatever it takes to become the only candidate worthy of Tapu-Koko's approval.”

Once Guzma turned thirteen, he entered the Ruins of Conflict with Hala. He didn’t expect Tapu-Koko to present himself to someone who is barely a teenager. Additionally, Guzma didn’t know how Hala can tell if Tapu-Koko gave its approval of a candidate. As Guzma walk alongside with Hala, he noticed that the cave was mostly dark, with the expectation of the crackling yellow crystal that is scattered among the walls. Clearly, it was a display of a fraction of the legendary pokemon’s power. 

“Is that the temple over there?” Guzma notices a simple temple with leafy green vegetation and some colorful flowers in clay vases. Simple wooden torches were lit and placed at each corner of the temple. Place in the middle of the temple was a Z-ring.

“Tapu-Koko must have given his approval before you presented yourself.” Although Hala's demeanor was calm, it was clear that he didn’t expect Tapu-Koko to approve a candidate so quickly. “Congratulations, this is the first time I heard of a Guardian Deity approving a candidate without the need to present himself.”

When Guzma turned fourteen, his father had nearly wholly isolated him from everyone. Once he learned about the events that occurred in the Ruins of Conflict, his father's motivation to mold his only child as the next Kahuna grew stronger. Hala’s lessons became Guzma’s single source of escape from his father's grasp and to obtain a tiny bit of socialization. Sure, he was not friends with the other candidates, but being nearly isolated was driving him crazy! Realistically, he can make friends with the candidates, but that would make them targets to his father.

“What are you plans for this weekend,” a random girl asks.

“I’m going to visit the Kanto region,” a random boy happily answer” Hala already knows that I will be gone for a week. I can’t wait to visit my extended family!”

“And you Guzma? What are you planning to do?” The girl turned her head to face Guzma.” Your family must have something grand planned, right?”

“Do you even go out? I rarely see you outside of your home.” Now the boy is interested in Guzma’s answer. “Not that I’m judging, but you tend to never join us when we planned an outing.”

“I’m going to exploring with my family.” Gritting through his teeth, Guzma gave a quick response to shut everyone up. It’s not a lie since his parents would abandon him during the weekends, and he will spend his time in the forest. The forest pokemon will always greet him and keep him company.

At age fifteen, Guzma experience freedom for the first time in years. It was also when the pillars of his life will fall apart, and he will be forced to rebuild everything on his own. 

Chapter Text

Although Guzma had a Z-ring, it was not his intention to utilize Tapu-Koko’s gift often. Call him petty, but it was a way for him to defy his father’s expectations. The moment Guzma turned fifteen, he used all of his savings to buy some luxury balls. After buying the overpriced goods, he sprinted to the forest and presented the luxury balls in front of the pokemon. 

“I’m going on a journey right now.” Guzma was upset that he had to leave some of his friends behind, but he cannot manage one more day in his father’s grasp. “But I got some luxury balls with me. I know Wimpod wanted to go with me on my journey, so I got a luxury ball for him. However, if anyone else wants to join me, I got several more.”

Wimpod allowed himself to be caught by Guzma after the luxury ball made contact with his head. After Wimpod was caught, Guzma released his first partner in pure excitement. Then, Guzma waited to see if any pokemon demonstrated interested in joining his party. First, a young Spinarak hesitantly crawls toward Guzma and look at the pile of luxury balls. Clearly, the young pokemon was thinking about his options. Spinarak could have been scared about the challenges ahead or leaving the forest. 

“You don’t have to anything you hate or cause you pain.” Guzma can see the fear in the pokemon’s eyes. “You don’t even have to battle, I just want some company.”

The Spinarak lift his head higher and boop his to one of the luxury balls. After the click, Guzma release is the second pokemon to join Wimpod. 

“I got two pokemon! Is there anyone else who wants to join me?” For the first time in his life, Guzma expresses genuine excitement and happiness. He doesn’t remember the last time he felt these emotions.

Unexpectedly, Surskit appeared out of nowhere and landed on top of Guzma’s head. After landing on Guzma’s head, Surskit happily hums in affirmation. Not wanting the pokemon to hurt himself, Guzma snatches a luxury ball and gently tap Surskit with it. Now Guzma had three pokemon with him, and Surskit is out of the Pokeball and is on top of Wimpod's head. Guzma got a feeling that Surskit will be one of the most mischievous pokemon in his party. 

“Wimpod, Surskit is on your head. Spinarak, please don’t copy Surskit. Surskit, Spinarak is a hatchling, so make sure you don’t scare him.” Guzma hopes that having a party of young pokemon would not be too difficult to maintain. Young pokemon are like human children but with a moveset that can destroy buildings. “Now, is there any other pokemon who would like to join before I leave? I would love to stay, but I don’t want to risk getting caught by my father.”

A Pinsir and a Scyther appeared in front of Guzma, ready to join the child they basically raise to his journey. Really, Guzma was not surprised that the pokemon who taught him to survive int the forest wanted to be a part of his team. Also, it would be nice to have a set of mature pokemon to guide the younger pokemon. Guzma grabs two more luxury balls, one at each hand, and toss them to the two pokemon. After the click, Guzma releases the two pokemon out in the open.

“Okay everyone, we will complete the trial, and I will become stronger than my father. Wimpod., Spinarak, Surskit, Pinsir, and Scyther, we are going to do this together!”

Eight months later…
Tonight, it was a celebration for all the candidates. Specifically, it was for the candidates who completed the trials in the past year or who are going to complete their trial in a week. For Guzma, it was the latter. The celebration was also a time to socialize with the people of Melemele Island. Adults were casually chatting and consuming alcohol, children were playing a game of tag, and the teenagers were bragging about their accomplishments. However, Guzma was not one of those bragging teenagers or talkative candidates. Instead, Guzma manages to find Kukui and engage with casual conservation with his best friend.

“I don’t get why you’re not celebrating like the other candidates. You are practically the best candidate!” Kukui was twirling the glass of alcohol he manages to subtly obtained. Despite being a lawfully good teenager, Kukui was just as capable of committing chaotic acts like underage drinking. “Sometimes, you are just too humble.”

“Nah, it just something I never saw as an accomplishment.” Starring at the group of chattering adults at the open bar, Guzma wonders how anyone can be so cheerful and open to others. You never know someone’ true nature, malicious or generous, until you spent time with them under their turf. People can foolishly believe in the lies of others if it is something that benefits them or fits with their beliefs. “ Besides, I’m chill with spending time with my best friend!”

“The betrayal! I thought I was the brother you never had!” Kukui dramatically places his right hand on his chest as pretend to make a shocked gasp.

“Perish, I guess.” Oh, how Guzma miss hanging out with his best friend. He envies those who can live a life of normalcy or those who don’t have to act like puppets on strings. At least he can enjoy the tiny ounce of innocence and youth he has with Kukui.

“If I perish, who will you be your best friend?” By now, Kukui’s glass was empty. Kukui was playing with the empty glass cup as he waited for his best friend’s answer.

“Wimpod.” Obviously, Guzma was lying. His first pokemon had already evolved into Golispod.

“Dang, I thought I didn’t have any competition.” 

“Well, you do.”

“Want to do something reckless and try to steal some alcohol to drink?

“Sure.”

Later in the night, the candidates were invited to join Hala to a traditional prayer to Tapu-Koko. Guzma gave a brief farewell to Kukui and began strolling to the ancient building. Before Guzma reach toward the doorknob, a firm hand was placed on his left shoulder blade. It was a grip so ruthless and cold, it can be no one but his father. Why does he have a sudden feeling of impending dread and a sinking feeling in his stomach? 

“Guzma, go fetch some juice for your friends and Hala.” Guzma’s father was smiling as he steers the poor child away from the door and twirls the child to the direction of the stand containing the beverages. It was a five minutes walk from their current location, but it will give enough time for Guzma’s father to enact his malicious plan. All he need was his son to disappear for five minutes. “Do this for me, and you are free to stay at Kukui’s house for a week. You don’t want to disappoint your father, right?”

He’s right, he doesn’t want to disappoint his father. Disappointment equals beatings and beatings equal black blotchy bruises. Out of fear, Guzma gave his father a quick nod and swiftly sprinted toward the stands containing all of the drinks. The quicker he can get obtained the drinks, the quicker he can relax and forget about his interactions with his father. Hastily, Guzma snatches the jug of Oran Berry juice and pour several glasses of juice. After that, Guzma scouted the stand for a tray to place the glasses. Luckily, there was a clean pastel pink tray to the corner of the stand. Now, Guzma can place the glasses on the tray and speedwalk toward Hala and the group of candidates.  

In spite of Guzma’s effort to appease his father and avoid protecting everyone from his sadistic nature, he could not have predicted his father’s plan. The closer he gets to the wooden building, the smell of burning wood became strong. How strange is that? Someone must have relit the campfire. Still, the smell of burning wood was too strong. Once Guzma was close enough to Hala’s location, he saw that the building where everyone was praying was in a bright orange blaze. Forgetting about the drinks, Guzma hurls the tray to the fire in a vain attempt to reduce the flames. Next, he ran to the door and attempt to free everyone inside. Out of panic. Guzma tried to push the door open but found that he couldn’t. Now that Guzma was more aware of the situation, he saw that heavy chains were keeping the door together. Feeling hopeless, Guzma decided that there was only one thing he could do to save everyone inside the building.

“Deity of conflict, hear my prayer!” Guzma prayed loudly in hopes that Tapu-Koko could hear him. Before, Guzma would have never had pray to the island deity. However, his journey throughout the four islands taught, he should not be hesitant to follow Alola’s traditional beliefs. If it had helped others, then perhaps it could help him. “The building is burning, and it has all of Hala’s heirs. Help stop the fire and save everyone inside. I will stay and help alongside.”

Guzma can’t believe that praying to Tapu-Koko actually summon the legendary pokemon himself. This would Guzma’s first time seeing the guardian pokemon in action, much less in front of him. Tapu-Koko only gave a quick nod before attempting to put out the flames. While the legendary pokemon was putting the fire out, the townspeople started to arrive to witness everything that is occurring. The only person he didn’t see was his father. 

Tapu-Koko manages to put out the fire and save everyone inside the building. To say that Guzma was grateful for everyone’s well-being was an understatement. He almost believed that everyone inside the building inside would burn to death. While everyone was attempting to figure out who was the culprit for setting the building on fire, Guzma’s father made an appearance. To everyone else, Guzma father’s appeared to be calm and compose. To Guzma, he saw that his father was keeping his anger in check and holding back the urge to destroy public property. Now that Guzma thinks about it, the fire must have been burning for a brief period of time. It was fine when he went to fetch some drinks, but it was ablaze when he arrived. That was when everything had clicked. His father was the last person in the area, and he was the one who pressures him to go to the stand. 

“Guzma never entered the building,” a female candidate casually mentioned. “In fact, where were you during the fire.”

“I was fetching drinks because my father asked me to” Guzma answer the female’s question. He thinks that being truthful would reveal his father’s true nature. 

“How convenient for you to disappear like that isn’t it” a younger female confidently said. “Your father happen to ask to fetch some drinks while someone locks us all inside to be burnt to death.”

“I am telling you the truth,” Guzma stated as he tries to keep himself composed. “Do you see that melted pink tray with shatter glass surrounding it? Those are the drinks I was fetching everyone.”

For a few moments, no one said anything. Hala was in deep thought, the candidates were muttering among themselves, the townspeople were gossiping about Guzma, and Tapu-Koko stood silently. Guzma gains hope that everyone would believe him. There was no way for anyone to disprove him.

“Stop lying son, I was the one who tosses the tray in a panic,” Guzma’s father coldly stated as if he was telling the truth. “In fact, I was the one who ran to get some help from the townspeople. What were you doing as the building was set to flames?”

“I was praying for Tapu Koko’s help,” Guzma responded in disbelief. His father was trying to cover his own ass because he knows that he is guilty! He was trying to make himself the hero at the cost of his own son’s future. But then again, he never actually cared about Guzma’s well-being. “Also, stop lying to cover your ass. We both know that it was you who set the building on fire!”

There were gasps heard across the crowd of townspeople and candidates. Did someone accuse one of the most beloved figures in Melemele island? No one can decide on who to believe. Unless there was evidence to prove someone’s innocence or involvement in the crime, there was nothing they can do. 

“ Really, then explain this.” Guzma father’s grab ahold of Guzma’s back and shove his son out of it. Next, Guzma’s father rummages through the backpack’s contents until he pulled out several boxes of matches, a small bottle of lighter fluid, and a few used matches. “Why would you have the supplies to start a fire.”

“How else was I suppose to set up camp for the past eight months?” Guzma desperately explains his reasoning for having several boxes of matches and a small bottle of lighter fluid. It obvious that his father was making sure his son was to get the blame for everything that had happened. It was just a case of bad luck that made it harder to prove his innocence. “Everyone, you got to believe me when I say that my father was a horrible man!”

“Guzma, I think you should stop,” Kukui softly spoken up. “You are not making things better for yourself by stating that one of the most beloved figures on the island is horrible.”

“You’re taking that bastards side?” Guzma gave up composing his emotions. Everyone was against him, and his father was getting away with his crime. “I thought you were my best friend! You know that I would never do something this foul!”

“Guzma, there is evidence proving your involvement in the fire.” Kukui looks crestfallen about the situation. “It was likely that you would have become the next Kahuna of Melemele Island. It just too much of a coincidence that you were the only one outside the building.”

Guzma looked at Hala and plead his innocence to him. “Hala, I did not cause the fire, and the fact that I have the tools to set everything ablaze is just a coincident!”

“Guzma, I thought you were better than this.” Hala look upset about Guzma’s intentions to burn everyone in the building tonight. 

“My father is manipulating you all!” Guzma shouted in anger and desperation. “He’s a horrible man who had killed people before. How else do you explain the sudden death of the twins?”

“Guzma, enough!” Now Hala appeared to be disappointed and frustrated with Guzma’s actions. “Your father would have never killed anyone. He saves my life countless times, but you claim that he was planning to kill everyone int he building tonight. Why would make such an outrageous lie?”

Everyone is refusing to listen to him! They all believe in his father’s lie and are refusing to listen to anything he is saying. Guzma decided that the people won’t believe him, he should try to get Tapu-Koko to support him. 

“Tapu-Koko, you saw me praying to you.” Guzma attempts to talk in a calm manner, but it was difficult to do so with everyone glaring at you. “ You saw me trying to save everyone in the building. You must know that I am telling the truth. Look into my eyes and see that I am telling you the truth.”

Tapu-Koko stared into Guzma’s eyes before shaking his head. Guzma had hope that Tapu-Koko would have discovered the truth. Legendary pokemon are supposed to be knowledgable about everything! They should be able to differentiate between people with good and bad intentions. Unfortunately, Tapu-Koko was not able to uncover the truth. Tapu-Koko’s lack of approval was basically a death sentence for Guzma. Being disapprove by the island’s deity means that no one would believe your story and will refuse to listen to your story. That fact that he could hear Officer Jenny’s patrol motorcycle means that everyone has made their decisions. There is no point in fighting for your innocence when they all believe the perpetrator’s lies. There was only one thing Guzma can do. He must leave at this very moment is he would like to keep his freedom. 

“Scissor and Pinsir, come on out and use X-Scissor!” Guzma was panicking and was scared about what is going to happen. However, he knows that he would need to find a way to escape be Officer Jenny arrives to unjustly arrest him. Letting his pokemon out and create a distraction was the best plan he can think of at the moment. 

Once his pokemon use his move, Guzma returned his pokemon and sprinted as far away as possible, While sprinting, Guzma call out to the forest pokemon for their support. All he asks of them is to slow down the people who are chasing him so he can go into hiding. Sensing Guzma’s fear, the forest pokemon who watch over the neglected boy listen to his request. By making sure that no one was able to follow the terrified boy, Guzma was finally able to lose everyone and take a moment to rest. 

Holding Ash close to his chest, Guzma searches for something to disguise himself with. At best, he has two hours to sneak off to another island and start a new life. At worst, he has 30 minutes to get the fuck out of Melemele island before Officer Jenny comes to arrest. Either by luck or pity by Arceus, Guzma found an oversized navy blue trench coat and a green beanie. Not his preferred style, but it would help Guzma sneak off the island unnoticed. After getting himself dressed, Guzma tosses everything out of his backpack and search something for Ash. Ash will need to be warm for the next few hours, and a worn-down blanket won’t do much. However, a black hoodie can work as a blanket for Ash. Additionally, all the valuable pearls, stardust, nuggets, and star pieces can be used to pawn off for some money. Guzma gently cradled Ash to his arms and started to walk to the ferry dock. 

“Everything will be alright,” Guzma whispers to himself as Ash sleeps. “I survived on my own before so it won’t be too hard to make a new like on a new island. As long as I have my pokemon and you by my side, I can take whatever life throws at me.”

Chapter Text

After a twenty minute walk from the sandy beach, Guzma had reached to the ferry station. Only one person was running the station this late at night, so it won’t be too hard to sneak away from Melemele island unnoticed. To make things easier for Guzma, the guy running the station was wearing a different uniform. Unlike the blue uniform that represents the Alolan ferry workers, the guy was wearing a chestnut color uniform. Great, he was from a different region, and it was almost a guarantee that the guy won’t recognize him. For once, things were going his way.

“Hey, sir, do you need to go somewhere?” The ferryman noticed Guzma's presence and started to walk over the young teenager. “I’m only authorized to take passengers to Ula’ula Island.”

“Yeah, I need to go to that island,” Guzma responded as he watches Ash sleeps. “It’s best if I can go there as soon as possible if that’s alright with you.”

“No problem, I can take you there right now,” the ferryman casually stated. “Everyone else is too busy doing something. I heard something major is occurring up north. No idea what, and it is none of my business.” 

It was two in the morning when Guzma arrived at Ula’ula Island. After bidding farewell to the oblivious ferryman, Guzma heads toward a cheap motel and let everything that occurred in the past four hours hit him. He ran away from the police and potential prosecution for arson and attempted murder for dozen of people. Even though he was innocent, everyone had believed his father’s lies and refuse to listen to his side of the story. Also, Guzma registers the fact that he basically adopted the son and is now going have to find a way to support two people. Why did he ever think that he can raise a baby that literally came out of nowhere! Guzma is going have to find a way to make some income if he would like to provide Ash a better childhood than him. For right now, he is going have a few of his pokemon guard Ash as he goes out and buys several packs of baby formula. Ash is going to be hungry real soon, and he does not want to deal with a crying, hungry baby.

“Golisopod, make sure you watch over Ash as I go out and get some baby formula.” Guzma was yawning as he was giving his pokemon instructions. He was tired and wanted to be embraced by the bed’s blanket so badly. However, he is a dad now, so he will need to step up his game and take some responsibility. “I will back in 30 minutes, so make sure you protect him.”

Twenty five minutes later, Guzma had arrived with two bags worth of baby formula, one bag of random baby clothes, and three bags worth of pokemon food. He is exhausted after shopping for supplies, but he decided that he should begin preparing Ash’s bottle. He got a feeling that at any moment, Ash will wake up and cry for some milk. The moment Guzma had prepared a bottle for Ash, he heard the sounds of a wailing baby. Golisopod also started to make some panic noises because he has no idea how to calm a baby down. The pokemon tries his best to calm Ash down by rocking the baby, but it was doing nothing to calm the baby down. 

“Golisopod, Ash is hungry.” Guzma found it amusing that his pokemon was struggling to calm down a baby. Now that he thinks about it, he never explained his intentions to any of his pokemon. He should probably clear things up before they assume the worst-case scenario. “Before you ask, I found Ash floating on the ocean. It’s likely that he is an orphan, so I decided to take him in.”

Guzma took ahold of Ash and fed him the bottle. Good, Ash had stopped crying and is devouring the formula. Guzma never knew how much a baby can consume until now. He got a feeling that taking care of a baby will be expensive. No matter, he’s Guzma! He will find a way to support Ash, all on his own! 

Two months later, Ash was taking a stroll across the island with Ash. Ash was tightly secured in a baby stroller and was grasping on a plush Stufful. Well, Ash was grasping on the plush while nobbing on the plush’s ear. Guzma decided that he needed a break from being cooped inside a motel all day and working odd jobs. He’s not doing poorly, but he was just exhausted. His pokemon was also exhausted because they were often the ones who babysit Ash while he was working. What was supposed to be a relaxing stroll across the forest turned out to be Guzma’s top ten weirdest things that ever happened to him

As Guzma stroll deeper into the forest, he saw a pile of unconscious people in the middle of the pathway. Guzma sent out his Golispod, Scizor, and Masquerain to guard Ash as he inspects the pile. Based on his personal life experiences, Guzma learned that you should never let one’s guard down. Sure, they may be a pile of helpless and injured people in front of you, but that doesn’t mean you’re safe. Guzma also learned that if you are going to poke at something, you should always use a long stick as a poking tool.

“Hey buddy, are you alive?” Guzma, he was poking the male with a stick as he asks his question. “If you’re alive, make a noise.”

“Ugg...why are you pokeing me with a stick?” The unknown male groggily got up and attempted to stay grounded in the situation.

“I was taking a stroll and saw you here.” Guzma had stopped poking the stranger with the stick and toss the stick behind him. “Now, can you tell me what happened?”

“We shouldn’t have fuck with the four island deities,” a female spoken up as she made herself stand. “Again, who’s bright idea to provoke the current Kahuna and vandalize the Ruins of Abundance?”

“It was yours,” another voice piped up.

“Oh shit, I fucked up then,” the female responded back, defeated. 

“Why was a group of people provoking not one but several of the most powerful influencers of Alola?” Guzma can feel a headache forming already. Oh no, what has he gotten into? As much as he hated a certain Kahuna and guardian deity, that doesn’t mean that he will actually cause harm or put himself in a situation where he can get into more trouble. 

 “No one will listen to us,” the first male explained. “We don’t fit in with Alola's cultural norms, and everyone refuses to believe that our home life is terrible!’

“Long story short, we were piss that no one was listening to us,” the female angerly spatted. “Either our parents are too wealthy, powerful, or master their persona of being a charitable individual. When either of us tries to explain how horrible we are treated to anyone, no one would believe us. “

Guzma glances at each standing individual and the pile of unconscious people. The more he looks at the injured people, the more he realized that they were school-aged children. Not as young as five, but they were close to eleven years old. How was Guzma supposed to handle the situation? The oldest child is staring at him while the youngest children were whispering among themselves. Great, he became the next thing to gain the children’s attention. Out of panic and discomfort from the silence, Guzma decided to make a simple joke.

“Do anyone want to take over the neighboring decorating town five minutes away from here?” Guzma made sure to speak in a mischievous and joking tone. “It’s not like anyone would care what happen to us as long we get out of the public’s way.”

“Sure!” the female said excitedly. “Hey, everyone, this random guy will help us conquer and take over the neighboring town!”

“Really?” a high pitched voice responded. “What are we waiting for? Let's cause some chaos!”

“Wait, no,” Guzma hastily spoke as he saw the children’s excitement grew, and the children on the pile started to rile up.”It was supposed to be a joke!”

“Was it really?” the female stated happily. “Even if you are joking, we still want to take over Po Town. Wouldn’t it be great to have a place of our own?”

“If you don’t want to come, that’s alright” a random voice shouted out loud. “It would just be us young, traumatized children with untrained pokemon conquering a town with no protection or supervision from a talented trainer.”

“I know you are antagonizing me to helping you conquering Po Town!" Guzma was desperately trying to calm the children down, but it appears to have the opposite effect. "Besides, what makes you believe that I am a trainer, much less a talented one?"

"There are three fully evolved pokemon protecting your baby," a young voice pointed out. 

"Are you going to help us conquer a town or not?" The male Guzma was poking at was growing impatient and restless. "We really need a place to stay and call home, so conquering a rotting town seems like a fantastic idea. I can't believe we didn't think of that. "

"You know what, I will help you conquer the town." Guzma gave up talking sense to the group of children. He didn't know how he got to this point in his life, but now he is leading a group of chaotic children to conquer a small town. Might as well make them don't do anything too reckless. 

Guzma can't believe how easy it was to force all the residents to move out Po town. All he did was release his pokemon to battle and gave instructions to the children. Sure, he may have encouraged his pokemon and the children's pokemon to cause some destruction of property, but that is to be expected in battles. Guzma sometimes forgets that most people in the Alola region tend to have three pokemon at most. Additionally,  fully evolved pokemon is rare to see for an average person. Heck, most people don't complete the four trials! At best, they will complete two and find something different to do. Bad news for the townspeople but great news for the menaces taking over Po Town. 

"I can't believe that work," the male spoke in disbelief. "It only took us five hours to conquer Po Town, and the cops haven't come yet."

"The town was in a bad state already " the girl chirp. " Why would the officials waste time and resources in restoring a town with little to residents? It cheaper to relocate them!"

"How did you know this?" Guzma was honestly curious about how a ten year old girl know about the cost of restoration."

"Mom leads the Department of Restoration," the girl stated. "She is not a good mother, but she likes to pretend she is a model citizen. 

"Dang, I'm sorry you have to live with her." Guzma didn't know what else to say.  

By the time the children settle down in their new home, it was early evening. Ash was almost finished with his nap, so Guzma was preparing to make another bottle. In addition to making Ash a bottle, he was making sure the children are not ruining the big bowl of soup he is trying to make.  His Golispod and Scizor are trying to distract the younger children, but it ended up with the younger children crawling all over the poke. As for his Vikavolt, Pinsir, and Masquerain, they were keeping a watch over Ash.

“Are you going to stay with us, Mr.Guzma?” a six year old asks as she watch Guzma make a bottle. “You seem cool.”

“Stay?” Guzma sputters and nearly drop the bottle. “ What do you mean, stay? Stay for the meal? Night? Week?”

“I think she meant if you would stay within Po Town” the girl’s older brother explained. “Most of us like you and would hate for you to leave.”

“Look, kid...I’m not the best person in the world.” Guzma was slightly hesitant to fully respond, so gave the boy an odd look.

“Yeah, you’re so strong and nice,” the girl cheered. “Not like other people at home.”

“We only know you for a day, but everyone looks up to you already,” the boy added.  “We need someone to lead us!”

“I got nothing, yet you want me to lead you guys.” Guzma was confused as to why a bunch of kids wants to follow a sixteen year old teen. “I’m just another regular nobody.”

“Please stay for a little while,” the girl begged. “Pretty please with a cherry on top? You’re our friend now.”

“...Okay” Guzma sigh. “ I guess I can take care of my new homies and make sure no one beats them down.”

Guzma’s plans to stay at Po Town for a few days turn to a few weeks, which turn into indefinitely.  The children may remind Guzma too much about his younger self, but he ain’t telling them that. If the world wants to beat down on a bunch of innocent children than he’s willing to wreak havoc to those who dare oppose them.  To protect his growing family unit, he will need to bring a beat down to all that threatens to the youth who decided to follow him. To protect Ash, his innocent and adopted son, he will need to become something greater than an average person. Guzma will need to become destruction in a human form!

Meanwhile, at Melemele Island…
For the first few weeks, there was a search party to find the teenage suspect. First, Officer Jenny had ordered the ferrymen and all the port workers to scan everyone boarding the boats. It was now required to have an ID to buy a ticket and to travel outside the borders. Next, she set up posters of Guzma’s face and a basic description. She will need the support of the community to find the suspect and turn him in for questioning. Lastly, she was leading the investigation to the arson and attempted murder of Hala and several candidates. However, Officer Jenny needed to put her focus onto a more serious and gruesome crime going on in Melemele island.

“What do you mean there was another murder last night!” Officer Jenny tried not to shout, but she failed to hold in her frustration about the increasing death count.  “This is the third murder this week! I thought we are increasing amount of officers patrolling the area and implementing the buddy system.”

“Office Jenny, I think the serial killer is targeting certain people.” The young cadet was hesitant to speak, but he can no longer stay silent. “Have you notice that they were all Hala’s candidate?”

Officer Jenny halted her movements and turned to face the young cadet. She has been busy implementing safety measures and cooperating with Hala to notice the pattern. Looking at the list of the serial killer’s victims on her desks, she noticed that they were all children who study under Hala.  Additionally, everyone on Melemele island perceives these certain children as talented and gifted individuals. Yes, all of Hala’s candidates are brilliant, but there are a select few who have talents beyond intelligence or an ace trainer. Unfortunately for those children, they were the first ones targetted by the serial killer.

“I’m going to visit Hala while it is still sunlight.” Officer Jenny sigh as she shook her head. “Cadet, make sure you keep me updated on changes in the investigation. We cannot afford another death if your theory is true.”

An hour later, Officer Jenny was standing in front of Hala’s home. Before she has the opportunity to knock, the front door was swung open and revealed a stunned Hala. Clearly, Hala did not expect any visitors and was preparing to make his own visit. 

“Officer Jenny, I was planning to make a visit to the station to inform you about a new development” Hala spoke in a softer tone while observing the area. “However, I think it is best if we talk inside. I believe this is something we need to keep quiet for the time being.”

Officer Jenny walked into the home as Hala take another quick glance around the area before closing the door.  After closing the door, Hala escorted Officer Jenny to his living room. In the living room was a fourteen year old boy littered with grievous wounds. The boy looked exhausteted and terrified. 

“Hala, please explain this!” Officer Jenny was shocked to see an injured boy in Hala’s living room. “What happen?”

“I was nearly murder by the serial killer!” The boy was taking deep breaths as he tries to explain the circumstances of nearly being murder. “Hala, we all made a mistake. Guzma was right about his father, and we fail to believe him!”

“Hey, you are safe with me.” Officer Jenny spoke in a soft tone in an attempt to calm the boy down. “All of us are here to help you.”

“Okay.” The boy looked around in an attempt to ground himself to reality before speaking. “What I was trying to say was that Guzma’s father was the one who tried to kill me.”

After the boy explained how he tricked his killer by pretending to be dead and dragged himself to the Kahuna’s home, it was decided that a trap needed to be set. If the cadet’s theory is true, then it’s likely that the serial killer is targeting the candidates. That would mean that the next victim will be another unsuspecting candidate. Officer Jenny believes that a plan needs to be developed to trap the serial killer.  First, all but one of the surviving candidates will go into hiding until the killer is caught. Next, the candidate that chooses to be the bait to lure the serial killer will stay in one place for a period of time. After a few days of developing a predictable pattern, the serial killer should be tempted to end the candidate’s life. 

What followed was a shock for the residents of Melemele Island. A girl who was a child of the boutique owner decided to be the bait. To be fair, there were only three surviving candidates left on the island, so the girl felt pressure to become the bait. The girl makes sure to help her mother’s shop at four in the afternoon to ten at night. After a couple of days of repetitive behavior, the serial killer was finally lured out. The girl was purposely, slowly strolling into an empty alleyway without looking behind her. Just like Officer Jenny predicted, the serial killer finally gained the confidence to act. However, the serial killer did not expect the girl to taze him with a taser or the sudden appearance of the police officials. 

“You are under arrest for the murder of thirteen children and attempted murder for two,” Officer Jenny shouted as she pulls out her weapon. “Do not resist!”

The Growlith beside Jenny’s side leap on top of the suspect and pull him down to the ground. The girl used as bait was escorted by the recently graduated officers while Officer Jenny handcuffs the suspect. To say that she was disturbed of the boy’s accuracy of the killer identity was underestimated. She didn’t know how to feel about the implications of the boy’s story and Guzma’s reactions that fateful night. If Guzma’s father was the serial killer, then it is possible that he was the person responsible for burning the building a few months ago. 

“Tell Hala to meet me in the station” Officer Jenny order as she grab hold of the suspect. She then tosses the suspect into the patrol of the car before heading toward her motorcycle” Tell him that the boy was right.”

Hours after the interrogation, it was discovered that Guzma’s father was responsible for the night of the fire. How Guzma was sent away under the guise of fetching some refreshment for the Kahuna and acquaintances. After the disappearance of his son, the father decided that if his son cannot become a worthy candidate, then no one else can obtain the title that is “rightfully” his son. It was the man’s only justification for murdering dozens of children in the course of a few weeks.

“Hala, please inform Tapu-Koko that Guzma is innocent,” Officer Jenny sighed in defeat. It was reasonable for her to be defeated due to recent events. This whole time, she was pursing an innocent child for his father’s crime. “It’s the very least we can do for the boy, and he does not deserve to face the wrath of a deity.”

“I will tell Tapu-Koko the truth,” Hala responded as he buried his face in his hands. “I  will need your support to inform the residents about the identity of the serial killer and the truth that occurred that night.” 

“We have a lot to fix”  Officer Jenny stated as if was a fact. “It is possible that Guzma will never forgive the people who abandon him or Tapu-Koko for questioning his character. Hala, are you ready to make amends to the boy who we fail to believe and protect?”

“Yes, I will make amends and do whatever it takes to regain Guzma’s trust,” Hala spoke in a mixture of confidence and regret. “It the very least I can do for him.”

Chapter Text

I wanted to remove the author note, but didn't want to delete the chapter.

So here is this random sentence.

Chapter Text

For Guzma, it’s a beautiful day outside. Looking out to the window, he sees birds singing, flowers blooming, and his child glowing blue underneath the window. Wait, Ash is faintly glowing blue. Why his child glowing blue? Out of panic, Guzma screamed before heading toward the bathroom. Once he reached the bathroom, he opens the drawers and snatches the mini flu kit at the corner on the shelf. Next, he dashes toward Ash and immediately took the baby’s temperature. As he waits for the thermometer to make a beeping noise, a young girl named Lilo entered the room with a cup of coffee. 

“Guzma, breakfast has been set up...why is Ash glowing blue,” Lilo asked while tilting her head. 

“I don’t know,” Guzma responded as he checked the beeping thermometer. “I don’t get it why my son is glowing blue. I checked his temperature, thinking he has the flu, but his temperature is average!

“You thought Ash had the flu because he was glowing blue?” Lilo gave Guzma a look before handing him the coffee in her hands. “That’s not how baby work.”

“Give me a break kid, I’m new to the parenting thing!” Guzma looked back at Lilo before taking a long sip of the coffee. “I’m a single dad raising a mysterious baby, I don’t know how to parent!”

Perhaps Guzma should get a professional opinion for his baby puzzling conditions. He appreciates his new crew, but they are not very useful when it comes to parenting. All they can give is sass, sarcasm, and jokes at the moment. Maybe in a year, they will become proficient trainers, but right now, they are children rediscovering themselves. 

“I’m going to the hospital,” Guzma told Lilo as he prepared to get into disguise. “I will be back by late afternoon. Whatever you do, don’t get caught or get into a shit load of trouble.”

“Okay, we will have Dave hack into some places instead of raiding some of the local businesses,” Lilo bluntly stated as she walked out of Guzma’s room. 

It’s too early to deal with chaos. How did Guzma get to this point in his life? 

Now that Guzma reached the hospital, he was waiting for the pediatrician to see his child. Ash had stopped glowing blue, but Guzma will feel more at ease if someone examines his son. After waiting for hours to see a pediatrician, the receptionist called Guzma over for his turn to visit the pediatrician. Swiftly, Guzma got himself ready and rush toward the receptionist while supporting a sleeping Ash. Once he was given the direction to the pediatrician’s office, Guzma walk in the brightly lit hallways and entered the pediatrician’s office. 

“Hello Sir, I am Dr. Charity,” the pediatrician introduces himself. Dr. Charity was prepping his equipment for the examination. “You are here due to a concern you have about your child?”

“Yeah, my baby is faintly glowing blue,” Guzma stated. “I don’t know if it is the work of a ghost pokemon or if my baby has a mysterious illness.”

“Ash was faintly glowing blue,” Dr. Charity questioned. “ Are you sure it was not the sun’s reflection or a toy that emits a faint blue color.”

“Are you questioning my intelligence, buddy?” Guzma was growing frustrated that the pediatrician is not taking his concerns seriously. 

“No, I am not,” Dr. Charity stated as he wrote something down on his clipboard. “It just that some new parents tend to imagine things or lack knowledge about certain topics. Tell me, do the mother claim to see Ash glowing blue?”

“No, I’m Ash only guardian.” Guzma doesn’t get the point of the doctor questioning but decides to humor Dr. Charity. “ His mother is out of the picture, so it is only me taking care of my son.”

“I see, so you may have been finding parenting extremely stressful?” Dr. Charity was looking at Guzma with a gaze of pity. “So young to be a parent but taking responsibility for your child, despite having your partner out of the picture.”

At first, Guzma didn’t understand what Dr. Charity was talking about. Once Guzma took a moment to think, he realized that the doctor assumes that Ash was biologically his. Nope, Guzma did not have a child with a random girl.  

“No, wait for a second, Dr.Cha-” Guzma tried to explain but got interrupted by the Dr.Charity.

“It’s alright son, life happens.” Dr. Charity attempt to reassure Guzma before handling Guzma a small pamphlet, and started Ash’s physical examination. 

Anyone who told you that Guzma was nervous is a lier and don’t know what they are talking about. He totally did not panic when the doctor lifted Ash’s head to measure his son’s head or when the pediatrician lifted his son to only place him on top of an infant scale. Guzma resists the urge to hurl the pediatrician through the window once the doctor began the head-to-toe physical exam. Seeing Dr. Charity checking the soft spots on Ash’s head made Guzma extremely nervous because the  pediatrician is going to crush Ash’s skull if he continues . Oh, Dr. Charity is moving Ash’s neck slightly to see if his neck muscles are working? Don’t snap Ash neck, or Guzma is going to do more than snapping your neck, doctor. Why Dr. Charity using so many fancy and razor-edged instruments to check his son’s health? Wait, what is that pointy tool you are using to check Ash’s ears, eyes, and mouth? By the end of the physical examination, Guzma was so close of chucking the pediatrician out of the room and dashing away from the hospital with his son. 

“Your son is healthy.” Dr. Charity explained as he ignores Guzma’s death glare. “I don’t see anything that might indicate any danger of health to your son.”

“Uh-huh, that’s all doc” Guzma answer, not convince with the doctor’s explanation. “How do you explain my son’s ability to glow faintly blue.”

“Guzma, your son is in perfect health.” Dr. Charity tried to speak in a manner that won’t offend Guzma. Trust him, the doctor has a fair share of experiences with parents from questionable origins. He knows how to phrase his words to not offend the parents while being informative. “As for your son’s glowing blue, it is possible that you are imagining it or confusing the glow with a reflection. Parenting tends to cause stress to the parent which can cloud a parent’s judgment and impair a parent’s perspective.”

Guzma wanted to correct the doctor’s assumptions about him being Ash’s biological dad. However, he decided to let the doctor believe that Ash is his biological son and not the random child he adopted without a plan to raise the child. He looked at Ash and decide that the ability to glow blue can’t be too bad. If the doctor says that Ash is in perfect health then his son is in perfect health. Maybe he will do more research about Ash’s confusing ability to glow blue.

“Thanks for your time doc.” Guzma instantly grabs ahold of Ash and cradles him close to his chest. Call him overprotective, but he doesn’t like seeing someone poking Ash with weird-looking instruments.“ I will take your word that my son is healthy.”

“Here, take this bag,” the doctor insisted. “It has all the basic baby supplies, information booklets about infant care, and a stuff Pikachu. It must be hard to be a single parent so take this bag as a gift from the hospital. If there is anything else you need, the receptionist at the front can help.”

“Uhh…..thanks?” Guzma was not accustomed to the kindness of strangers so receiving a gift was uncomfortable for him. “It was nice meeting you, doc.”

Guzma exited out of Dr. Charity’s office and stroll toward the receptionist to check out. As he was strolling, he was hearing staff members whispers things about him. 

“He’s so young to be a single dad!”

“No mother? How sad it is for the kid.”

“It’s horrible that the mother died during childbirth!”

“It’s going to be rough for the father and son.”

“May Tapu-Bulu help the poor father and child.”

How the fuck does everyone know about Dr. Charity’s assumption? If they are going to gossip about him, they will need to do a better job of whispering because he can hear everything they are talking about! Once he reaches to the receptionist, Guzma checked himself out and hastily walked out of the hospital. He doesn’t like being in a public setting for too much time! Now, everyone believes that Guzma had lost an imaginary girlfriend and became a delusional nut after the supposed death of Ash’s mother. Great, just fantastic. 

What did Guzma expect when he arrives back to his base? Well, Guzma expects that the children who made him the leader to not burn down the kitchen. Guzma scans the blackened and ash-covered kitchen before he walked out of the room and head outside. Once Guzma was outside, he placed Ash on a cream-colored baby seat. After placing Ash on his baby seat, Guzma marches right back into the kitchen to analyze the damage. Looking up to the roof, he sees that the once fully intact and coffee-colored roof is now a raven-colored. On the right corner, Guzma can see wood peeling all the way to the center of the roof. Looking at the cabinets, he saw that the once tan-colored door was now missing doors. Whatever food that was once in the cabinets were burned into ashes. Looking at the oven, Guzma saw that there was nothing worth salvaging from the oven. 

“I was only gone for one hour,” Guzma shouted while he observes the kitchen once more. “Hey, you punks! Come down here and tell me why the fuck the kitchen is destroyed!”

All the youth staying at Po Town quickly ran down to the destroyed kitchen and stared at Guzma. At least one person knows what had occurred in the kitchen while everyone else is curious.

“Look, I’m not mad,” Guzma stated as he holds his hands up. “I’m just disappointed.”

Guzma stopped holding his hands up and gestures to the destroyed kitchen. All the youths turned their heads to the kitchen and see the reason why Guzma was so disappointed. How are they supposed to make lunch now! There is literally nothing salvageable from the kitchen they can use.

“We tried to make cookies, but we messed up,” an eight-year-old boy named Akoni told everyone. “Me, Meleko, Loni, Kimo, and Kekea have our pokemon get rid of the flames.“

“Thanks for telling me, but the five of you are ban from the kitchen without proper supervision” Guzma explained he looked at the ones responsible for burning the kitchen down. “Now, I need to go hunting for new appliances. There’s some cash in the drawers near the entrances, so used that to get some takeout or whatever. Now, I need to grab Ash and make sure he isn’t causing chaos.”

Ash was indeed, not creating any type of chaos in the outside world. Just like any other innocent baby, he was memorized with his surroundings. In fact, Ash was slightly reaching his hands outs and made grasping motions to the group of Cutiefly surrounding him. Guzma thought that it was adorable that his son was trying to pet the pokemon. Perhaps his son might be a pokemon trainer one day. If Ash does decide to be a pokemon trainer, Guzma might steer him away from the island trails and convince his son to challenge the gyms in a different region. 

Six months later…

Sometimes, a parent needs to take a break after dealing with all the mayhem that comes with child-rearing. However, Guzma was not just a dad. No, he was also the leader of the newly form group Team Skull. That means that he is also in charge of keeping watch of dozens of mischievous gremlins from wrecking the place and limiting the number of acts of crime the children commit. Right now, Guzma is taking that break by wandering around the quiet town. Guzma has no real goal in mind but he needs to do something that does not require being an adult. However, when he spotted an injured woman struggling to walk, Guzma knew that he needs to act like an adult. 

“Yo, are you alright?” Guzma was concerned about the staggering woman with assorted wounds covering the woman. Worriedly, Guzma rushes to the wounded woman to attempt to assist her. Note that Guzma is attempting to help the woman because the woman was on guard. 

“Who’s asking?” The woman was giving Guzma an icy glare as she is clutching her left arm. “I don’t know who you are, but if you mess with me, I’ll show you how serious I can get!”

“Whoa, calm down” Guzma instantly tied to interrupt the unnamed woman so he can state his intentions. “I’m not planning anything funny! I saw ya limping during one of my walks, so I thought I should check if you’re alright!”

“Oh, how coincidental that there is someone to help right after the shitshow” the mysterious woman spatted. “I’m not going down that easily!”

“Wait for a second, I got no idea what you are blathering about, but I not here to hurt you!” Guzma was trying to find a way to demonstrate his innocence. “Look, what will it take for you to trust me? Like I said before, I got no idea what you are spewing, but you need medical help. I can lea6s you to my base, but you must trust me.” 

“Trust?” The young woman was now confused. Clearly, she thought that Guzma was going to do something more sinister. “You aren’t going to attack me?”

“No,” Guzma bluntly stated. “ I don’t what type of shit you were dealing with before I met ya but it’s clear that something is up. Also, you are severely hurt and need immediate medical attention. I don’t have any pokemon with me nor any weapons to harm you. Do you now trust me that I’m not going to stab you or leave you for dead?”

“Yeah,” the woman sighs. “ If you were one of them, you would have killed me already.”

Deciding not to question what the mysterious woman said, Guzma prepared to do the human crutch method. He crouched with his knees bent and made sure that his back is straight next to the unnamed woman. A good portion of the injuries was on the woman’s left side, so Guzma aligning himself to the woman’s left side. After the woman wraps her arm around his shoulder, he slowly stood up and supported the extra weight. To further support the woman, Guzma holds her hand around his shoulders and put his other hand around her waist. Carefully and slowly, Guzma leads the mysterious woman to his base.

After an hour of supporting the wounded woman, Guzma had finally reached his base. Expectedly, he saw the oldest children waving their hands and welcoming Guzma back from his trip. They were about to enthusiastically greet Guzma, but that was before they saw the injured person he is supporting. Once the children made eye contact with the woman, the children started to panic. 

“What happened to her?”

“Oh dang, she looks beaten up!”

“How is she still alive?”

“She’s not going to die, right?

“I’ll get the bandages.”

“I’ll get the wipes.”

“Meet us at the living room couch!”

It’s good to know that the children are quick to respond to urgent manners and choose to swiftly take action, despite not comprehending the circumstance. Sure, it was odd that the children knew what to do if they see someone lugging an injured person, but Guzma is not going to think too much about it. Still, how the fuck do children know how to respond to an appropriate manner while panicking about her well-being? Guzma gave the woman a quick glance before navigating her through the mess in this home and gently lay her on the couch.

“ So, while the punks get the supplies, how about we get to know each other?” Guzma wanted to make sure that the woman circumstances would not impact Ash’s or anyone else well being. “You can start by giving me a name. It doesn’t have to be your real name, but I need something else to refer you as for the time being.”

“Plumeria,” the woman responded before she turned her head to stare at Guzma. “Now that I gave you my name, what’s yours?”

“Guzma, but everyone here calls me boss.” Guzma still wonders why the youths unanimously agree to call him boss one day. “ Now that we introduce ourselves, why don’t you tell me how you were nearly half dead and walking alone in the streets late at night?”

“Those old cultists extremist hated the idea of my family line being alive,” Plumeria explains. “You know, those old dudes who are in the cult that killed most of the aura users and psychics for the past several centuries.”

“Wait, wait, wait, you mean THOSE dudes,” Guzma said in shock. He doesn’t know how the education system in the other regions functions, but he is aware that everyone has at least a brief lesson about the history of aura guardians. Psychic is briefly talked about in one of his courses about ethics, but he has enough knowledge that they are powerful. "I thought the cultists died out!"

“They are not dead,” Plumeria stated as she turns her head to look at the ceiling. “There are a few followers who practice the teachings of the ancient cult. It just a bunch of Tauros crap that part of the teachings is the slaughtering of those who are aura users or psychics.”

“I assume that you are either an aura user, psychic, or have a close relationship with one,” Guzma was about to ask about how she is involved, but the children came with some medical supplies. Grabbing the antiseptic wipes, Guzma started to clean Plumeria’s wounds and use a pair of tweezer to remove tiny specks of debris. Next, Guzma looks at all the wounds and analyze Plumeria would need some stitches. Deciding that none of Plumeria’s wounds were deep enough to require stitches, Guzma grabbed the antibiotic cream to apply it on all of Plumeria wounds. 

“As much as I like you, punks, can you leave us alone for the next 30 minutes,” Guzma order.” You can play with Ash and my pokemon as I talk with Plumeria.”

Once Guzma and Plumeria were left alone in the room, Guzma started to clean up the living area as he continues with the previous conservation. 

“Like I said before, you must have been a target or been close to their target," Guzma stated with confidence. “I highly doubt that you were an innocent bystander.”

“You’re smarter than you look” Plumeria responded as she watches Guzma cleans. “What if I told you that I’m neither an aura user or a psychic?”

“Then I would assume you had a close relationship with one,” Guzma said before pausing for a second before voicing out his next thought. “Were you related to one? You look around my age, so it must have been your parents who were the cultists’ targets.”

“Close” Plumeria said defeatedly. “Imagine that one of your parent was an aura user and the other was a psychic. Now, imagine that all your five siblings were aura users or psychics. You are the only one in the entire family who cannot use aura or perform common psychic abilities. The cultists assume that I was just like my siblings and parents.”

Out of fear of Plumeria’s possible reaction, Guzma chooses his next words carefully. “You don’t have to respond to my next question, but what happens to them? Did they escape?

Plumeria stayed silent for a minute before answering Guzma’s questions. “No, they are all dead. If I hadn’t run away in a false notion that my parents were alive and that I could have save them, my siblings may still be alive. Instead, I was nearly killed for nothing”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Guzma had stopped cleaning and put all his attention to Plumeria. “I can’t tell you what to do or that I understand your...unique circumstances. However, I don’t mind you chillin in the base until you recover. After your wounds heal, you can either decide to stay with Team Skull or go on your merry way.”

“Stay? You are not joking, are you,” Plumeria said in disbelief. “You are way too casual about everything!”

“Plumeria, after you stay a few days with us, you’ll understand that everyone in Team Skull has their own demons or tragedies,” Guzma bluntly stated. “We are just several sods who got the short end of the stick. However, that doesn’t mean you let others beat you down! Everyone here will continue wrecking everything that comes out way!” 

“You are an interesting person Guzma,” Plumeria said as she watches Guzma in amusement. “I’ll stick around to see what Team Skull has to offer.”

Chapter Text

On the first day of Plumeria’s stay, Guzma thought that she would dip when everyone was distracted.  To be honest, he half expected her to remain isolated from everyone if she does decide to hang out at the base. However, Guzma was surprised to walk into Plumeria, constructing a makeshift kitchen in the living room. Like, she is literally dragging a propane tank to the living room. What’s weirder is that she convince his crew to assist by bringing in a single burner outdoor stove into the living room. The youngest members like Loni were bringing lightweight materials like eggs, milk, and other simple ingredients.  

“Is there a microwave?” Guzma couldn’t shutter anything because he was still shocked that everyone was making a makeshift kitchen! How? Why? When?

“We stole one this morning,” Kimo excitedly cheer after she places the milk down on the floor.”It is in the corner of the living room.”

“Is it for Ash” Lilo asks out of curiosity. “It is almost time for his feeding.”

“Yeah, he needs to be fed, “Guzma answered as he gave Kekea a look. “Using fire type moves tends to overheat the formula, and I don’t want to waste several batches of formula just to get one warm bottle prepared for Ash.”

“Our pokemon still needs to be trained” was all Kekea was able to shutter. 

Guzma strolled to the corner of the living and started to prepare the formula. Surprisingly, someone from the gang placed several bottles of filter water for him. Someone must have predicted that he will forget to bring some filtered water for the formula. While creating the formula and placing it in the microwave, Guzma glance around to see if the makeshift kitchen was close to being done. It turns out that Plumeria had hooked up the single top stove to the propane tank and is now making homemade pancakes. As for everyone else, they were all gazing at the puny single top stove and was nearly drooling from the smell emitting from the pan. What an odd sight it is. 

“How long until the pancake is ready,” Kimo impatiently asks as he gazes at the pan. “It has been forever.”

“Kid, it literally has been a few minutes since I started,” Plumeria responded as she prepared another batch of pancake mix. “It takes time to make these things, and there are several hungry gremlins here!”

“But we are hungry now!” Meleko was getting impatient, along with her other pseudo siblings in the living room. “Please, we’re hungry! I’m going to die without any food!”

Perhaps Plumeria will make a good fit for Team Skull if she does choose to stay with his crew.  She is managing the mischievous kids perfectly well and keeping them well entertain with her attempt to feed several dozen stomachs.  After getting out of his deep thought, Guzma did the last remaining steps to prepare a bottle for Ash before he went back to his room. As he exited out of the living room, he didn’t notice Plumeria giving Guzma a curious look. 

Guzma watched Ash as he devours the bottle in record speed. No matter the time and day it is, Ash will always gulp down the baby formula. Now that Guzma thinks about, he should start introducing Ash to sippy cups. He knows that Ash will need to transition to a sippy cup, so he may need to start familiarizing the concept to Ash. Of course, Ash continues to greedily suck on the bottle as Guzma was having his inner moment. After Guzma was done having his inner moment, Guzma took the bottle and Ash back to the living room. He is not going to make Ash stay in his room all day. Who do you take Guzma for? His parents? Hell no to that. 

The smell of pancakes was evident the moment Guzma entered the living room. The delicious aroma of breakfast also had pipe Ash interest. Still, maybe that was due to hearing the lively chit chatter from the youth. Not trusting that Ash would stay clear of the single stovetop, Guzma continues to hold his son as he went to grab some pancakes. 

“Can someone make me a plate?” Guzma asks to no one particular. “I have nowhere to place Ash, and I’m worried that Ash will hurt himself if I let him wander around.”

“Sure” a random person cheer. “I’ll make you a stack of pancakes.”

“Thanks,” Guzma responded as he sat down on a random spot on the carpet floor. “I really don’t want to let Ash go and have him accidentally burn his hands.”

Around 30 minutes later, Plumeria finished making pancakes for everyone in the room and set aside a large plate of extra pancakes in case anyone was still hungry. Once she turned off the propane tank, she grabbed her plate of breakfast and sat next to Guzma. At the moment she sat down on the carpet, Ash began to make grabbing motions toward Plumeria.

“What is he doing,” Plumeria asks in confusion as she stares at Ash. “He’s making tiny hand motions.”

Guzma stared down Ash and saw that his son was fixated on Plumeria. His son appears to be extremely interested in Plumeria. How can Guzma tell that Ash was interested in his new friend? Well,  Ash’s eyes were shining and filled with curiosity. 

“This little guy?” Guzma began to lift Ash up and down as he continues to speak.”He seems really interested in you...for some reason.”

“Uh-huh, that’s nice,” Plumeria said reluctantly as she watches Guzma play with Ash. “Why would he be interested in little old me?”

“He’s a baby, so everything seems cool to him,” Guzma answer as he continues to entertain Ash. Suddenly, Guzma had an excellent idea. “Would you like to hold my son?”

“Son, he’s your son!” To say that Plumeria was surprised was an understatement. She thought everyone was kidding when they mention that the boss was a father. Yes, she heard Guzma mention son a few times, but she thought it was a nickname. 

“Did you not hear me call Ash son at all” Guzma said in disbelief. “Everyone here knows that I’m Ash’s father. Who do you think Ash was to me?”

“Brother, a sibling to one of the germlings, or a random baby your pokemon found!” Plumeria may not be a legal adult, but she knows that sixteen was barely old enough to be a parent.

It took a moment for Guzma to realized what he was implying when he mentioned that Ash was his son. Oh shit, Plumeria thinks that he got someone pregnant. No, he doesn’t want her to believe him that way!

“Wait, I know what you are thinking, but it is not like that!” Guzma was panicking and quickly trying to clear some things up with Plumeria. “Ash is my son, but not biologically! I found him floating in a basket on the ocean.”

“So, you took in a random floating baby?” Plumeria doesn’t know if she should be relieved or upset that Guzma found an orphan infant.  “Why didn’t you just left him at the police station or a hospital?”

“Trust me when I say that Melemele Island had done me more wrong than right,” Guzma angrily mutter. 

To ease the suddenly tense atmosphere, Plumeria took a quick glance at the gaggling baby and made her choice. 

“You said I can hold your son,” Plumeria mentioned as she opens her arms. “May I still hold your son?”

“Oh yeah, Ash is still interested in you for some reason,” Guzma spoke in a much lighter tone. “Just be careful with him. He’s extremely active for a baby.”

Plumeria grabs hold of the baby and gently cradles the baby on her chest. Plumeria may not want to initially stay with Team Skull, but now she could see herself staying for the long-term. While re-evaluating her circumstances, Ash was playing with Plumeria’s pigtails and was giggling as the pigtails swung back and forth. Like all babies, Ash was easily amused with pigtails he was playing with. Plumeria didn’t notice she was lost in thought until Ash started to lightly pull her pigtails. Now, Plumeria feels a slight pain from the pulling. 

“Ash, can you let go of my hair please,” Plumeria asked. She forgot that Ash is less than a year old and does not have a basic comprehension of speech. “You are hurting my scalp.”

“He can’t understand, remember?” Guzma was amazed by his son's actions. He took a quick photo before he distracted Ash long enough for Plumeria to pull her pigtails to her back. “In a few years from now, Ash will be running around, creating a ruckus with the rest of my crew.”

Noticing that Guzma wanted to spend time with his son, Plumeria gently passed the baby to his father as Guzma happily accepted his son. Guzma started speaking about all the things Ash is going to do when he is older, like exploring the mountains, boating, and joining in the daily crew life of mischief. To Plumeria, it sounds fantastic that Guzma is heavily invested in his son's life and is putting the effort to raise a random baby he found. Unfortunately, Plumeria was worry about Guzma’s novice experience in regard to child care.  Additionally, she fears what will happen if Ash rejects his father’s lifestyle as he becomes old enough to critically think and make decisions for himself.  As badly she wants to bring her concerns to Guzma, she decided that it was best not to address the topic at the moment.  Still, that does not mean she attracted the attention of a certain dotting father.

“Plumeria, are ya alright” Guzma ask as he began lifting Ash up and down. “Your face looks like you are gazing through another world.”

Caught on the spot, Plumeria blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.

“Are you alone raising your son?” Plumeria quickly stated, There is no way she is going to ask about his experiences with child care. It is too early in their relationship to ask personal questions.

“What do ya expect, I raising this boi on my own!” Now, Guzma is letting Ash pretend to be an airplane. “Unless his parents magically appear out of nowhere, Ash has no one else to take care of him.”

“What if you don’t have to be alone?” Plumeria is already too invested in Ash’s well-being, and she is already forming a bond with everyone in Team Skull. Heck, she can see herself being friends with Guzma. He basically saved her life despite having to deal with his own personal shit. “I have experience with children so I can help you raise Ash.”

“You? Raise Ash, a baby who previously has no relationship with you?” Guzma stopped lifting Ash and cradle him to his chest. “ Are you sure you don’t mind sticking around for a while?”

“Guzma, you are literally a leader of children who follow you around and a father of a baby with unknown origins. I want to help. I want to join Team Skull and make a difference in everyone's lives.” No offense to Guzma, but Plumeria believes that Guzma could use more guidance. Also, there is no way she is telling anyone that she found a new purpose in life. She wants to be involved in Ash’s life and the other grunts. Perhaps she wants to make amends for her failure to save her siblings. Maybe she is lonely and is scared to venture out in a world filled with extremest out to get her. One thing she knows for sure is that she is too attached to the people of Team Skull. 

“You know that you are signing up for chaos,” Guzma warns. “Ever since I arrive at Ula’ula island, nothing has been call stable.”

“There is nothing that can phase me anymore,” Plumeria responded. Seriously, there is nothing that could surprise her no more. Nope, she had seen it all.

A few days later…..

Ash was sitting on Guzma’s coat, being entertained by the grunts. No one can resist the cuteness of a baby playing with random objects. Lilo gently threw a stuffed Beware to Ash to only see Ash produce a small spark of electricity in the palms of his hands. When Ash caught the stuffed Beware, the flashes of electricity disappeared, and Ash started to snuggle to the Beware.  It was silent, beside the noises Ash made, in the room for a few mintues. 

“You all saw that, right?” Loni spoke in disbelief. “Did Ash produced sparks? Like, the same sparks from an electric type of pokemon?”

“It gotta be our imagination!” Lilo began pacing around the room to collect her thoughts. “We need to do some trials! Let's try some other stuff to see Ash will produce more sparks.” 

And so, the kids went to try out random things to discover the mystery of the sparks. First, Meleko held a battery in front of Ash to witness Ash’s reactions to the battery. To all the children's disappointment, Ash did not react to the battery. Ash didn’t even spare a glance at the battery. Next, Meleko circle the battery around Ash's head. Still, nothing has occurred at all. They were hoping for Ash to produce more sparks, but nothing has happened for a solid minute. Then, Ash began to grab the battery that was circling in his head. However, it was not to produce more sparks. Instead, he grasped the battery and attempted to stuff it in his mouth. 

“No, no ,no!” Me began to shout. “Don’t eat the battery, or else Guzma will have our heads!”

Frantically, Me hastily grab Ash’s arm and force the battery out of his hands. After she had the battery in her hands, she chucks it aside, 

“Okay, time for Plan B!” Loni already had a dead phone in his hands and was ready to try his next plan. “Let see if he can charge our stuff.!”

Some of the children began to run to find appliances that are low on battery or dead. If Ash was a living, portable charger, then they just discover an alternative to a plug-in charger. As the others began looking for stuff, Loni held Ash’s hands and maneuver his fingers to touch the phone. Moments had passed, but the phone was not charged at all. Were the sparks Ash produce just a figment of their imagination? Others had tried the same tactic with different items like a game console, a TV remote, and a drone, but nothing had worked. 

“We need to think bigger,“ Lilo spoke as she tried to get Ash to charged the dead consol. 

“I got an idea, but we will need to create a pentagram,” Kekea explained. “This may be a test to see if we are worthy to witness the mystery of the electric baby.”

The sun was setting the children went outside to prepare the pentagram. First, everyone grabs five items that are precious to Ash or has a significant meaning the baby. One item they grab was the stuff Pikachu Ash obtained several days ago. Next, they grabbed one of Guzma’s jackets and used the photo withing one of the pockets as the third item. Not knowing what to use as the last two items, the children decide to use Ash’s pillow and blanket as the last two items. After collecting the items, Kekea began to draw a pentagram on the dirt. Meanwhile, Kimo was placing and lighting up short, stubby torches at each point of the pentagram. After the pair was done, Loni place Ash at the center of the pentagram and the items near the torches. Now, the children are ready to chant for one of the Legendary pokemon to find the answers to Ash’s electrical sparks. 

“Okay, before we stand a powerful baby who came from the ocean! Arceus, hear our praye-” Kekea was going to finish with the chanting but was interrupted by Guzma and Plumeria. 

“What the fuck are you all doing!” Guzma called out in disbelief. “It look like you are trying to scarefice Ash.”

“No, we are trying to find the answers to the sparks” Lilo explained. “We tried several things but nothing had work. Now, we are using a pentagram to find answers.”

“Sparks?” Guzma was gone for a few hours. How did his life choices lead him up to this moment? He may never know the answer. 

“Sparks!” Me exclaimed excitedly. “Ash was producing sparks earlier, and we wanted to know why Ash is mimicking the move sparks. 

“Of course there is another mystery to the baby” Guzma mutters in more disbelief. “Ash is going to give me grey hairs if he continues to with the mystery.” 

“So can we finish with the ritual?” Lilo asked as she tried to relight the torches Plumeria put out. 

“Nope, wait until he is old enough to make a critical judgment and give his consent,” Guzma responded as he picked up Ash. “ For now, you are all going to clean up the mess and do something more normal, like vandalizing property. “

“Okay,” the children whined. 

It was after dinner, and everyone went to bed. Well, besides Guzma and Plumeria, who were finishing tidying up the living area. They really need to invest in fixing the kitchen if they ever to cook and eat in the kitchen. To make the cleaning more bearable, the two were engaging in basic conservation to make the time go faster. 

“I was wrong about my comment about nothing being able to phase me,” Plumeria admitted. “Is this what you have been dealing with?”

“Yes,” Guzma responded with a grin. “Are you sure you want to stay? Can’t handle a few days with dear old me?”

“Please, this is nothing,” Plumeria counter. “I’m surprised you can handle all the oddities that are your crew.”

“The crew? Nah, Ash makes them appear normal in comparison.” Guzma began to reminisce about his son’s quirks. “I’m not surprised Ash was producing sparks at all. Before I met you, he was glowing blue!”

“Glowing blue?” Plumeria spoke with a tone of concern in her voice. “Like a soft blue color of the water in the beach shore?”

“Just like that!” Guzma responded with a tone of shock. “How did you know?”

“Because that is fucking aura!” Plumeria can’t believe that she manages to find an aura user, especially a baby. It’s harder to find young aura users and physics in the world. “Guzma, Ash is an aura user! “

“He’s an aura user!” Of course, Guzma adopted baby others would love to possess in their hands. Cultists, morally corrupt people, or others who possess selfish desires would love to prance around an aura user or a psychics. “And I know nothing about aura. Nothing at all. “

“There is a lot of history to explain about aura,” Plumeria explained. “The origins, the establishment of the Council, and the trial that would later be known The Trial of Bloody Innocents.”

“Why the Trial of the Bloody Innocents?” Guzma was increasingly getting worried for his son’s safety. Have people always place the blame on those who possess such abilities?

“It was a trial where three dozen aura users were falsely accused of bringing illness to several regions.” Plumeria pause before she continues to answer her friend's question. “In reality, they were preventing the Tree of Life from dying. However, the truth was not revealed until decades later after by the princess found and presented a time flower to a high court in Hoenn.”

“That’s fuck up.” Guzma may have a shitty childhood, but the people in Plumeria’s story had a shitty time during their adulthood. “It can’t get worse than that!”

“Wrong.” Plumeria shook her head as she looked out the window. “ After the trial, people were imprisoning, torturing, exploiting, and murdering aura users. Infants, mothers, the elderly, you name them. Heck, the pokemon league council supported the opposition against the aura users!”

“No, your kidding!” Guzma can’t believe what he was hearing. He didn’t learn anything about this in any of his classes. His teachers would always say that the cultist were the ones responsible for the mistreatment of the aura users. The slaughtering of hundreds of aura users who were alive. In the textbook, the league and council were views as entities who responded too slowly but made the efforts to protect the people. 

“It’s a dark secret,” Plumeria bitterly laugh. “After the truth was revealed to the world. Eventually, the league council decided to take action to protect the remaining aura users. Legislations was made, and the league council rewrote history the moment people have forgotten the truth of the events that unfolded. Now, only a select number of the public knows the truth.”

After a moment of silence, Guzma found the composure to speak. 

“I have to protect Ash” Guzma softly spoke. “He will need to know everything about aura.

“You are not alone Guzma” Plumeria reminded Guzma. “I will teach him what I know and allow him to know the truth about the history of aura. It is our job as his parents to try our best to raise and protect the boy.”

Chapter Text

Taking care of a five-year-old is hard as fuck. Guzma wonder if it was reasonable for him to scream inside a pillow after he discovered another aspect of his son’s capability. What was that aspect Guzma was referring to? Was it Ash’s aura? No, Plumeria is currently attempting to train Ash to control his aura. Did Ash shut down the power by frying the wires? No, Ash didn’t cut out the electricity for over a year. That was a pain to figure out when it first occurred. Nope, it was the fact that Ash was playing alongside several grunts on a bright sunny day. Those grunts were entertaining his son while he checks over his paperwork regarding expanse. Since it was going to be a bright, sunny day, Guzma took a seat on a camp chair and stated with today’s paper review. Being distracted by reviewing the expense, Ash decided to dance to his heart content. 

 At first, no one noticed how the sunlight was slowly fading or that there was a sudden formation of gray, cumulonimbus clouds. How could they pay attention to what is occurring in the clear skies of Alola when everyone was busy with their things? Ash continue dancing, and the grunts were encouraging the young boy’s action. Guzma fixed a minuscule mistake and wrote down the correct date when Plumeria purchase the stove. It wasn’t until the sky was completely obscure and was taken over with grey clouds. Guzma looked up to see the gray sky. The moment Guzma took a gaze to the sky, it started to rain heavily.

“Everyone, get inside right now,” Guzma shout as he hastily collects his papers. “I thought Kimo said it would be a sunny day!”

“That what the forecast say” Kimo loudly responded as he dash toward the building. “Ask Loni. He was with me when I watch the forecast!”

“It’s true” Loni stated. “It was supposed to be a perfect day to go outside!”,

When Guzma manage to place the paperwork inside the building, he rushed outside to grab his son. There is no way he will let Ash play out in the rain on his own. Ash was blissfully jumping on the recently formed puddles, ignoring the fact that he was getting wet. The child didn’t care that he was getting wet at all. In fact, he was extremely happy that it was raining and was filled with vigor. Guzma was not having that. No way in hell he will let his son play unattended until his next birthday. 

“Ash, I know you are having fun, but you have to stop.” Guzma patted Ash’s head to help his son calm down a bit. Once Ash was calmed, he looked up at Guzma and started to frown. 

“But I like the rain,” Ash whines. He tried giving the puppy eyes, but he knows that it was a futile effort. 

“Let’s make a deal then?” Guzma knew Ash would listen the moment he said deal. What are the chances that the same thing will happen again? 

“A deal?” Ash’s eyes lit up and waited for his dad to continue speaking. 

“If it rains again, I will stay outside as you stomped on puddles.” Guzma doesn’t believe in any guardian deities, but he prays to something, anything, that there will not be another unexpected rainstorm.

When Guzma lead Ash inside the building, he began to watch the droplets that were hitting on the clear window. It took him a moment to figure out, but he got the feeling the rain was due to Ash. He stared at the grunts who are trying to teach Ash the friendship ending game called Uno. What are the odds that Ash’s dancing was the cause of the sudden rainstorm in the local area? If Lino was honest about this week’s weather, then it is highly probable that Ash can produce moves based on other types. 

“Did my son just did a Rain Dance?” Guzma looked Ash and back to the window. Guzma really loves his adopted son, he truly does. However, the older Ash gets, the less sense his son makes. He wonders who the hell was Ash’s biological parents and how the fuck did they procreate a child that defies everything was consider normal.

Somewhere in the world, in an undisclosed region, Looker sneeze.

The next day, Guzma decided to test his theory but with the help of Plumeria. If Ash does have the ability to mimic a Rain Dance, that would mean that Ash will need to learn not accidentally to initiate a Rain Dance. Guzma still cannot believe that he adopted a human version of a pokemon. Plumeria wanted to make sure that it wasn’t coincident that her son’s dancing invokes a rainstorm. If he did not, that great, that would mean that Ash does not have the power to bring unexpected rain. If Ash’s dancing invokes a rainstorm, the would mean that a little kid has partial control of the weather.  

This is not what Plumeria had in mind when she decided to take a motherly role. Guzma wished that there was a parenting book to raise a child you found in the sea. The two friends who decided to have a platonic relationship wonders if this is just the beginning of something more chaotic or beyond their normality standards. 

“Ash, we are going outside,” Plumeria said as she grabs her umbrella. “Are the grunts outside already?”

“Yes!” Ash was in a blue poncho and black rain boots. On those rain boots, there were tiny skulls that almost look like Team Skull’s logo. 

“Alright, go outside and start playing with your friends.” Plumeria opened the door and expected Ash to dash outside. However, the boy stood still and stared at Plumeria.

“Why am I wearing all this” Ash asked. “There’s no rain outside!”

“I will tell you later,” Plumeria responded. “Guzma is waiting outside with the other grunts, don’t you want to join them?”

That was all it took for Ash to rush outside. Plumeria hoped that the grunts won’t use this as an excuse to do anything ritual related. She doesn’t need them to summon Giratina and to sacrifice her son to the pokemon accidentally.  

Guzma knew the basics of science. He does not have the control group, so that limits his capability to conduct his hypothesis. If Ash dance, then the weather will change to rainy because Ash somehow has the ability to change the weather. It is not a very good hypothesis since Guzma does not have a scientific reason why Ash can change the weather but it was the best thing he could come up with. To attempt to make his hypothesis more scientific, he had not told Ash about his theory. The grunts are tasked to make his son dance but the grunts do not know why he wants Ash to dance.

“Ash, show us your moves” Lilo spoke as he began to breakdance. 

“No, I want to collect some flowers,” Ash respond as he began to crouch down to the ground. The flowers are very beautiful today.

Guzma should have expected that Ash will want to do something different today compared to yesterday. Today, he wants to pick flowers. Oh well, he was not the one convincing his to dance. He has to document everything so he will have something to reference later in the future. Plumeria believes that it was his excuse not to embarrass himself in front of his son. Guzma refuses to admit such a thing. He is afraid to embarrass himself in front of the grunts. Plumeria still calls him an idiot for thinking that the grunts will think of something less if he does manage to embarrass himself in front of the grunts. 

“You are still an idiot for believing that,” Plumeria whisper as she watches Lilo bribing Ash with cotton candy. “Look at the grunts, they made up a dance competition to get our son to dance.”

What Plumeria said was true. Kekea made up a random dance competition and convinced Ash to dance. When Ash began dancing, both Guzma and Plumeria looked at the sky. Previously, the skies were clear, and the sun was on full display. Now, the pair saw the rapid formation of gray, cumulonimbus clouds in the sky.

“Aw shit, Ash knows Rain Dance!” Guzma once again contemplated his life choices as he observes the sky. “Why is my son a human version of a pokemon?”

“I said this plenty of times before, but I will say it again.” Plumeria took a quick pause, stare at Guzma’s face of shock and back into the sky. “Ash is not a normal child. I’m starting to think he is an alien.”

It took a few minutes for the rain to fall upon the ground. Plumeria swiftly opens her umbrella and protected herself from the pouring rain. Guzma put on his gray poncho, with much less grace then Plumeria, before he was completely soaked from the rain. As for the grunts, they had no such protection from the rain. Not a single grunt was wearing a jacket, much less a long-sleeved.  Ash was blissfully aware of the grunts' plight as he was too memorized by the rain. 

“Not again!”

“Why does this keep happening!”

“~It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring!”

“No, stop singing that!”

“We are getting soak!”

“Everyone get inside!”

“GUZMA, PLUMERIA, YOU KNEW THIS WILL HAPPEN!”

All but Guzma, Plumeria, and Ash stayed outside. Guzma and Plumeria knew that they would get bombarded from the grunts, but that was the sacrifice they were willing to make. Phase one of discovering Ash’s mysterious ability to bring rain has been complete.

When Ash grew tired from playing from the rain, the three of them went outside and warmed themselves up from the rain. Plumeria was busy preparing something warm for everyone to drink while Guzma was surrounded by annoying grunts. As for Ash, he decided it was the perfect time to take a nap on the closest couch. At least  Ash remembers to remove the pancho before he fell asleep. No one likes to sit a wet couch.  

“So, Ash can bring rain” Lilo spoke with a tiny bit of annoyance in her voice. “Why did you not tell us that Ash can change the weather?”

“No concrete evidence,” Guzma answered as he removes his own pancho. “I needed proof that Ash changes the weather, but I didn’t want anyone to influence the result.”

“And then we got wet”  Me replied. “You let us get wet.”

“Okay, that was a prank on my part,” Guzma admitted as he shrugged his shoulders. “Also, I did not need you to attempt another ritual on Ash.”

“We haven’t thought of that” Loni softly said. He stared at the sleeping Ash and back at Guzma. “However, since Ash can bring rain, we need to perform a ritual to ask the all mighty Arceus about the mystery that is Ash.”

“Oh no, not this again!” Guzma should have kept his mouth shut. He does not need to encourage the grunts to dabble in magic.”

Everyone was about to grab the materials they deem essential for the ritual until Plumeria walked into the room. She took one look at the grunts before she placed the large silver tray of tapu-coco on a random table and began to stare down at each grunt. 

“No, you are performing another ritual,” Plumeria firmly stated. “Ash is five, wait until he is older if you want him to be a part of the ritual.”

“We need to know Ash’s secret,” Kekea whine and for dramatic effect, fell to the ground. “He can produce lightning, he can bring rain, and he is an aura user!”

“You guys, Ash came from the sea”Kekea stated and pointed to Ash. “He may be a sea prince! What if he is a Manaphy in disguise?”

“Manaphy cannot know an electric type move” Guzma explained. “Also, have you all been reading those conspiracy forms?”

All the grunts shoot their heads no, but it was obvious to the parents that the grunts were lying. 

“I know you are lying,” Plumeria said as she grabs the tray of warm drinks. She walked around and gave every single grunt a hot cup of tapu-coco. 

“But what  if Legendary pokemon have human forms!” Lilo have been reading old tales of witnesses who state that they met several legendaries. 

“If Ash suddenly transforms into a pokemon, we will deal with it when it happens.” Guzma highly doubts that Ash was a Manaphy, Mew, Celebi, or one of the mythical pokemon. Ash may have some strange abilities, but that does not mean that Ash was a pokemon. If powerful pokemon have a human form, that form must be temporary. Five years was too long to maintain that form in Guzma’s opinion. 

For the rest of the day, Team Skull members chatted about mundane subjects as they sipped on tapu-coco. 

One the next day, Guzma and Plumeria decided to tell Ash that he may have the capability to influence the weather partially. They didn’t know how Ash will react, so they were prepared for anything. 

“So when I dance, it will rain?” Ash showed no distinctive expression on his face. “ Is that why you wanted me to dance?”

“We wanted to make sure that I ain’t dreaming,” Guzma honestly explained. “Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but we can’t let you know unless my hypothesis was proven true.”

“It’s okay.” Ash looked at Guzma for several seconds before he found the words to speak once more. “Does that mean I’m not allowed to dance no more?”

Why would Ash be concern about his ability to dance without bringing rain? Ash’s concern may be because dancing is part of Team Skull’s lifestyle. The grunts dance all the time, Guzma dance when he feels like it, and Plumeria was beginning to pick up the habit of dancing. Dancing is part of Team Skull’s motto!. 

“No but we will need to figure out how to stop you from activating a Rain Dance,” Plumeria answered. She patted Ash’s head to ease the boy’s worry. 

“We may need to add this to your training,” Guzma mumbles.”However, it may be something that occurs once a week. We don’t want to alter Ula’ula Island’s weather by having it rain every day.”

Plumeria decided that she will need to alter her training regime for Ash. One day, her son will need to learn how to manage his unique capabilities. In addition to Ash’s homeschooling, aura training, and social skills building, Plumeria will need somehow to incorporate Ash’s increasing mysterious abilities into her curriculum.  She is not qualified to train Ash in his aura, but she is the only one who can! All she can do is teach Ash the true history regarding aura and clear up any misconceptions about major events. She can try to teach Ash to create an aura shield, but that is hard to do when she does not possess aura herself. 

Plumeria looked at Ash and decided that she and Guzma need a private talk. 

“Ash, go see what the grunts want,” Plumeria mentioned. “We’ll start class later in the day.”

“Yes mom,” Ash cheered as he ran out of the room.

Once Ash was out of the room, Plumeria turned to Guzma and initiated the conservation.

“Guzma, you have to spare some time to help develop something to help Ash trains his new ability.”

“I know, I’m not stupid enough to ask you to do all the work.”

“How are we supposed to do this? We might also need to consider to train Ash on his electric abilities.”

“I'm starting to believe in the grunts theory that Ash may be a pokemon.”

“Not you too Guzma!”

“Hear me out, Plumeria. What if, during our training, we do train him like a pokemon.”

“Like a pokemon? Guzma, he’s your son. You know, your human son.”

“Let me explain, coordinators sometimes have their pokemon dance during their contests.”

“And?”

“However, the coordinator’s pokemon does not involve a Rain Dance, Sunny Day, Hail, or other moves that change the weather.”

“Ash will need to learn to consciously not activate a Rain Dance! He’s doing it unconsciously right now, but with practice, Ash will learn how to control and maintain his abilities!”

“Teaching Ash awareness regarding his abilities might be our best options.

Guzma and Plumeria went right to developing a plan to help Ash in all areas of his life. Plumeria was providing input while Guzma was developing possible activities that can help Ash improve his awareness. Meditation may be a good start and see where they could do from there. Doing some exercises that focus on body relaxation may also help Ash, but Plumeria was not too sure how much effect it will have. It took two hours, but the pair had finally developed a plan for Ash. 

“We have our work cut out as parents,” Guzma sighs.

“I wish I can disagree with you,” Plumeria yawned. “ I really do.”

Guzma and Plumeria will look back to this day and smack themselves in the head. The grunts were not completely wrong about their theory of Ash being a pokemon or a sea prince. Ash did wear the Sea Crown during his rescue with Manaphy, but that is beside the point. Ash was literally a god in the form of a child. To make things better, Ash was no ordinary god! Guzma really wants to throttle Arceus to the void.

Chapter Text

Guzma was lying on the grassy surface as his crew was engaged in some light conservation. Today, everyone decided to take a break from their usual routine and take a day off. Picnicking is a wonderful way to take a break from the stress of being part of a delinquent group. No matter how much others had said Team Skull was a criminal organization who threaten the order and peace of the Alola, Guzma cannot see Team Skull being more than a small gang. Still, it was nice to take a break once in a while.

“Dad, come join us,” Ash shouted as he waved both of his hands. Ash was standing underneath a tree with Plumeria. “Me is taking pictures!”

“Ash wants a family picture,” Plumeria explains as she holds Ash shoulders from behind. “Now hurry off before he runs out. He’s having trouble staying still.”

“Please, Guzma, do it for your son,” Me dramatically stated. 

Deciding that he has no choice, Guzma got himself up and headed toward the tree. Ash seems to be bouncing with excitement as Plumeria was having trouble keeping their son still. Ash must want the picture because there is no other explanation for Ash’s joy when Guzma was underneath the tree, Guzma crouch down and gave Ash a quick hug before standing up. Plumeria moved to Ash’s left while he moved to Ash’s right. Ash was perfectly content standing between his parents. 

“Okay, now say cheese,” Me called out. 

A quick picture shot later, and Ash got the picture he wanted. Not only did Ash got one picture, but he got several. There was one picture showing Ash being toss in the air by Guzma as Plumeria was staring in shock and horror. Guzma thought it would be funny to take a picture of him tossing Ash high in the air as Plumeria visibly panic. Ash seems to enjoy being toss in the air as he was laughing for the entire time. The next picture was Ash standing and laughing as Plumeria punch Guzma in the shoulder.  The following picture was Guzma sitting on the grass like a petulant child being lectured by Plumeria. Ash was patting Guzma’s head for no apparent reason as Guzma sulks in the photo. The picture that came after was Ash tackling Gumza to the ground. In that photo, Guzma was caught off guard, so he was falling to the ground. Plumeria was attempting to catch Guzma’s wrist in that photo. In the last photo, Guzma was sprawled out on the ground with his son hugging him. Plumeria was sitting beside his head as she watches them fondly.

It was the end of that day that Guzma made a realization. It was the first time he notices the abundance of happiness he was displaying. When did Guzma first experience true joy? Even when he was friends with Kukui, Guzma never remembers having the same happiness during their time of being friends. Sure, Kukui once had a best friend, but he was oblivious of Guzma’s dysfunctional home life. The man he once called his best friend refused to take his word of a friend over the word of an adult he had rarely interacted with. Now, Guzma can say he was truly happy. He has a son named Ash and a platonic partner in the form of Plumeria. The children that decided to follow him for no reason all those years are now competent trainers he proudly calls his crew. All those years ago, he had never thought he would feel the warmth of a family, the support of others, and uttermost acceptance from those who are not blood-related. Whoever said that blood is the sole definer of a family is a bloody liar.

Guzma looks at his crew, packing their stuff and picking up the trash on the ground. His team may be dumb and reckless, but they are his dummies. They may try to perform rituals on Ash or go overboard on their stunts, but they are good people. He looks at Plumeria, wrapping up in her packing. He was lucky to find a friend who was willing to help and provide unconditional support. She has her fair share of the misfortune of events and was not required to help him parent Ash. Yet, she stayed with Team Skull and was helping in Ash’s studies. How lucky was of him to have such a supporting platonic partner. Guzma turns his attention to Ash picking up some flowers. He had never thought that he would be a parent to someone at a young age, but here it is. If it wasn’t for Ash, Guzma doesn’t know where he will be. Will Guzma had still had met the same people? Will, he had ever form Team Skull? He doesn’t know the answers, but there is no point in dwelling in questions any longer. 

For the first time in Guzma’s life, he realized that he was happy in his current life. If he had to go through everything again, he would do so if it meant he would be here with his makeshift family.

For the first time, Guzma realized that Ash was growing up. His son was growing to be more curious every day. He had kept Ash in the base and forest areas for over five years. However, Ash was demonstrating interest in going to the neighboring town.  His son will gaze out of the window and stare off to the distance. Whenever Ash stares at the window, he will stare where the nearest town is located. How is he supposed to explain to Ash that he is not like the other children in Ula’ula island? Guzma can’t just walk into town with his son!  No, that will bring unwanted attention to his son! Sure, he can deal with the glares of the public and the tone of the disgust that comes when the neighboring townfolk sees him. However, he does not want Ash to be subjected to the same type of glares and looks from the townspeople.  Nope, he is not letting Ash deals with that! If only Ash can understand his reasoning instead of whining. 

“Why can’t I go to the next town over” Ash whined. He was making his best attempt to give the puppy eyes as he pleads

“Because I said so?” Guzma can’t think a way to explain to Ash his current thoughts, but that was no reason to give a pathetic answer! What type of response is “because I said so?!” 

“Why did you say so?” Ash wanted to know his father won’t let him go to the neighboring town.

“It’s a secret,” Guzma responded. “I can’t tell you until you are older.”

“Okay, I’ll find someone to play with me.” Ash seems to accept the answer and wander off to find a grunt.

Guzma was relieved that Ash seems to accept that answer, but it won’t be long before Ash starts the same question. However, unlike this time, Ash will most likely be adamant about going into the neighboring town. Guzma doesn’t know how long before his son’s curiosity overpowers his compliance with the rules. He will need to think of something to satisfy his son quickly before Ash can no longer accept Guzma’s bullshit answer.

For the first time in Guzma’s life, he was unsure of his next course of action. 

For the first time, Plumeria caves to Ash desire to see the neighboring town, despite the rumors about Team Skull that plaque the area. 

Plumeria was training Ash to control his aura the best she could. Unfortunately. Ash was an energetic child and cannot stay still for an extended period. In fact, this was the longest time she was able to get Ash to sit crisscross applesauce style and close his eyes for meditation. Ten minutes was abnormally long for Ash to stay still before he has the urge to run away. However, unlike all the other times, Ash was concentrating on something. It was unusual to hear her son so quiet. Growing concern, Plumeria decided that she needs to question her son.

“Hey Ash, what are you think about?” Plumeria stops with her meditation and put all her attention to her son.

“Thinking,” Ash responded with his eyes closed. 

“Think of what,” Plumeria probed for answered.

“Guzma’s secret,” Ash honestly answered. “I wanted to see what is outside of our home.”

“I see, you really want to go out that bad?” Plumeria may need to find a way to let Ash have wishes met. Damn, Guzma was too paranoid about Ash’s well-being, but his concerns were valid. 

“Yes, but only for a little bit!” Ash appears to be guilty of wanting so trivial. Plumeria will need to see if she could convince Guzma to let their son go out a bit.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Plumeria said. “After training. I will talk to Guzma.”

For today, Plumeria wrapped up her lessons early before she heads out to find Guzma. As she expected, Guzma was wrapping up battle training with the grunts. Guzma may give off the impression that he is an oaf, but that cannot be farther from the truth. No, he is not a prodigy, but he ain’t no novice. She stood beside the door as she watched Guzma recapping that’s day lesson. The grunts took a keen interest in whatever Guzma’s was spouting before they were dismissed and scattered away like ants. When Guzma turned around to face her, Plumber gesture Guzma to comes toward her way so they can speak. Once Guzma was close enough to hear her, Plumeria began to talk.

“Ash needs the chance to go out,” Plumeria bluntly stated. “He is getting too curious, and he will sneak out the moment he not satisfied with your answers.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know that already!” Guzma was no fool. He can give spew out so much crap before Ash grows tired of it. 

“You know, I could go out with Ash,” Plumeria offer. “I can dress inconspicuously instead of my usual get up.” 

“Do you even have the time for that” Guzma questioned. “You already have much on your plate with Ash’s education and keeping the grunts from acting out of line.”

“Dude, all I do all day is watch the grunts and educate Ash” Plumeria answered, “I really don’t have much on my plate at the moment.” 

“Fine, you can take Ash out tomorrow, “ Guzma sighs. “Just make sure Ash does not act out when he eventually hears the rumors. He doesn’t need to attract attention to himself.”

For the first time in Ash life, he will explore the nearby town!

Ash was so excited that Plumeria was taking him outside today! No, not to the front yard or the forestry behind the base. Instead, Ash was going to the neighboring town! He will finally see the world outside the base and see all kinds of stuff! Sure, he needed to wear different colors instead of his usual black, white, and blue clothing. Instead, he was wearing purple shorts and a plain red shirt. He also has a red cap on his head to protect him from the sun. His mom was doing the same by wearing a simple lavender-colored sundress instead of her black crop top or black and white leggings. Plumeria’s face was also free from the white make-up she put on her face every morning. His mom almost looks like a completely different person! It was weird seeing his mom with her hair tucked and not with her usual ping tails. It was also odd to see her wearing a cream-colored sun hat.  Ash stills think his mom looks pretty with her outfit.

“Ash, we are getting close to the town,” Plumeria mentioned. “When we entered, stay close to me.”

Ash nodded his head and continue to stare at everything. The colorful buildings became bigger as he and mom approach the town. As he got closer to the town, he wonders about his family. Why don’t they live here? It’s a lot more colorful, and there are fixed buildings, unlike the run-down building they are all staying. Ash was also confused about the school. Ash thought that the school was too far away for him to go. However, it was a 30-minute walk to the nearest school. Why did his dad keep him from going to school? It will help mom a lot by having someone else be his teacher. 

“You look too cute to eat,” a woman cooed as she crouches down to get a better look at Ash. “Aren’t you precious?”

“Yes?” Ash was now confused. Why was this woman acting so weird?

“Are you two new here?” the woman asked.” I know every kid that goes to the local school, and I have seen this cutie pie enroll in the school.”

“No, I homeschool my son,” Plumeria answered. “He needs more attention compared to the other students.”

“Ah, that makes sense,” the woman replied. “Well, I hope you find everything, okay! Maybe I will see your son enrolled one day!”

“Maybe,” Plumeria said. She wasn’t lying when she said Ash needed more attention compared to other kids. Even if she and Guzma agree to send Ash to school, there was no way that the teachers can handle the kid. 

For the rest of the day, Ash continues to drag Plumeria everywhere. When his mom led him to the playground, he saw his mom asked the other mother to watch him as she goes use the restroom. He was alone for the first time with other children without no one from Team Skull. A purple hair woman gently leads Ash to the other children playing on the playground. Not knowing what to say, he simply introduced himself as Ash. All the other kids said their names but moved on to talking about what they did at school. Ash cannot say much because he never been to school. As a result, he lost interest in the conservation and headed back toward where the mothers were chatting. His mom came second laters to pick up her son and head home.

Ash learned for the first time that no one outside of his family like Team Skull. 

There was a town meeting that everyone was required to attend. An officer thought that he and his mom were residents of the town. His mom tried to explain that they were not from the area, but they were gently shoved into a bricked building. He sat the corner of the room with his mom and saw many people enter the building. When the building was filled, a man in a suit walked to the microphone and spoke. Ash wasn’t paying attention to the words the man was speaking until the man with a suit started talking about Team Skull. Ash knew that his dad and the grunts do some terrible stuff, but he didn’t know what.

“Why do we dispose of the trash already,” a tall male spoke in a deep voice. “We could be utilizing the space for urban development!”

“We can’t,” the suited man spoke. “We will be violating the protected pokemon act since Tapu Bulu likes to reside near the north forest areas.”

“Can’t we grab a bulldozer and run the forest over,” a woman spoke with empathy. “If Team Skull doesn’t evacuate, it’s their problem.”

“You’re right,” a middle-age man responded. “It will be their fault if they are run over by the bulldozers.”

Ash was hearing the loud voices about their hatred for dad. One mentioned that they could set fire to the north forest, but the suited man said it would violate the law. Ash doesn’t like hearing people talking bad things about his dad or Team Skull. Is that why his mom so quiet? She seemed distressed about everything and was holding tightly to his tiny hands. Everyone keeps calling the grunts horrible names. He doesn’t know what the word scum, low life, vermin, or disposable means, but he does know the other words. He knows what trash, waste, and bad meant. He heard those words being used with the new words he does not understand. In the end, Ash knew that everyone was saying bad things about Team Skull. 

“We will leave them alone,” the suited man explains. “Your concerns are heard, but until Team Skull does something extreme, Officer Jenny and the International Police will not involve themselves!”

“Are you kidding” a young male adult shouted. “We don’t want them here!”

“Don’t you have a sister in Team Skull,” a younger male commented.

“Please, she’s a waste of space before she joined Team Skull,” the young male said. 

“Silence everyone,” the suited man order. “Until Team Skull moves beyond delinquent behaviors, we can do nothing about their presence! We will have to tolerate them until the opportunity presented itself.”

For the first time in Ash’s life, he learned that people could be mean to each other. It was also the first time he saw Plumeria so quiet. 

Guzma gave Ash several pieces of candy as Plumeria experiences with the town meeting. She mentioned that the disdain and disgust were still present in the town and that it will be safer for Ash to not venture out on his own. Ash stayed quiet but munch on some candy. 

“So that what happened,” Guzma sigh. “I guess there is always a reason to hate others, isn’t it?”

“Still, it was disturbing to see herd mentality in action,” Plumeria mentioned. “Ash, sweetie, are you still with us?”

“Yeah, mom,” Ash answered. 

“Are you doing okay buddy,” Guzma asked. “It’s alright if you are still upset.”

“Why do they hate us,” Ash asked his father. “What is Team Skull?”

Guzma and Plumeria stayed silent before Plumeria dared to speak.

“You are too young, Ash,” Plumeria explained. “You will understand when you are older and when you can make your own choices. However, people hate us because we do bad things that they don’t like.”

“But people do bad stuff all the time,” Ash mentioned.

“But we are an organized group,” Guzma commented. “A big group of people doing bad things scares people Ash. A big group is scarier than one person doing bad things.”

“So they are scared,” Ash said.

“They are scared that will do worse things,” Guzma answered. “They will think we will grow into something horrible.”

For the first time in Ash life, he saw his mom and dad so worry. He always seems them so happy, but not they are showing a sad face. He never saw them making sad faces.

Chapter Text

For the first time in Red’s life, he felt terrified. He felt scared many times before, but it was for minor things like the darkness that encompasses his room or losing his mom in the supermarket. In the end, he will stop being scared when Delia brings a nightlight or when someone leads him to his mother. However, things are different. There’s a roaring blaze on the cruise ship, and there is no help in sight. Everyone was running past through him and his little brother, without caring about the well-being of the two children on the ship.  Fine, be that way. It will be up to him to save himself and his litter brother from the fire. 

“Here, Silver, use my jacket to cover your mouth,” Red softly stated. “Wrapped it around your mouth and nose. “

Silver listened to his older brother and wrapped the jacket around his face. Next, he let himself be dragged by Red across the deck and away from the fire. As the smoke of the fire slowly engulfs the deck, it was becoming harder to see. Red, being a small child, was struggling to breathe but pushes on to safety. He didn’t care that his chest felt heavy or that he wanted to choke. It was also becoming difficult to see, but that didn’t deter the boy. Instead, that fueled the adrenaline in the boy’s body and continued to drag his brother to safety. He wanted his mom, but he can’t find her. It doesn’t matter how hard he scouted the area as he heads toward safety, he cannot spot a single trace of his mom.

While being distracted, Red had led himself and his brother to a dead end. They were at the end of the railing, and the flames that were engulfing the cruise ship were getting closer. Red had failed to save himself and his brother. Out of panic, desperation, and uttermost fear, Red shriek as he hugged Silver tight to his chest.

For the first time in Silver life, he felt enraged. No, it wasn’t Red’s fault that Silver was so enraged. Red did his best to protect him without the support of his mom. What makes him so angry was that no one came to their rescue until the very end. Silver had thought that he will die in Red’s arm as they are burned alive. When the flames were about to make contact, it was put out by several trainers on their flying type pokemon. What made Silver so furious was that Lance had arrived at the last minute. Why now and not sooner! He should have been here faster before he and Red needed to run away from roaring fire.  It was also about the same time when his brother had stopped with his shrieking. Silver took one look behind him to see that his brother falling toward him. Silver, being a brave little brother, catches Red before hit the ground. It had appeared that his brother had fainted the moment it was safe to do so. 

Silver watched as Lance picked up Red and passed him off to one of the G-men. When Silver removed the jacket off his face, he was able to accurately look at his brother. For the first few seconds, Silver was speechless. How could he not notice his brother’s painful plight? The jacket and smoke must have obscured his vision because he had failed to see the burns and bruises on his brother. Red looked like he fought with the fire itself and barely made it out alive. Crushed, Silver shouted at no on particular. He screamed at Lance for not coming sooner and spatted at the G-men for being incompetent.  Someone needed to have their pokemon to forcibly put the boy to sleep.

For the first time in Lance’s life, he felt like his efforts were in vain. What greeted him Red shrieking for help and Silver being tuck in Red’s arm. The moment he extinguishes the fire on the deck, his oldest nephew fainted as his youngest nephew caught his bother. Lance allowed Silver to shout and hurled a list of insult in front of his face. He knows that Silver was furious, so he subjected himself to the boy’s insult. Lance was nothing like his sisters or Sycamore. He doesn’t know how to calm a raging child or how to deescalate the situation. Oh, how he wishes for one of them to be here to calm Silver down. Instead, he had someone to put the child to sleep. 

Lance’s feeling of hopelessness continued to grow as he travels across the cruise. He sees the burned corpse sprawled on the floor. He prays that his sister made it our alive. She was too much to fulfill in life. Delia must be somewhere safe, or else he won’t know what to do. Heading downstairs, he saw more corpses on the beds and the floor. It became an ongoing pattern for him to look for the bodies as the G-men went to collect them for verification purposes.

Twenty-four hours later, Lance had a list of individuals who had died. On top of the list was the name of his youngest sibling. She was one of many who had been killed on the cruise. How was he supposed to break the news to his siblings? How can he look to the faces of his nephews and explained the death of their mother? How will he look at Looker and say that the love of his life was dead, much less contact him?

Looking in the mirror across the room, Lance sees himself. In the mirror,  he sees his hair in disarray and the bags underneath his eyes. To the public, they see the duel champion of Kanto and Johto. Everyone sees a hardworking man who juggles too much responsibility. No one can find a fault in the man that tries so much for the region. However, when Lance looks at himself in the mirror, all he sees a man who has failed his family. 

For the first time in Red’s life, he lived his life without a voice. When he woke up in a hospital bed, he saw that he was covered in bandages. It was too difficult for him to prop himself up, so choose to continue laying on the bed. His throat felt scratchy, and his body felt like jelly, but Red was not to worry. However, Red cannot understand the looks of pity he saw on the nurses’ faces. Why were they looking at him with such sad faces? He wanted to ask them why they are giving him a certain look, but he can’t Red cannot physically speaking no matter how hard he tried to communicate to the nurse. He wanted words to come out of his mouth, but he had failed to produce any audible words.

“Get the doctor,” a nurse shouted. “The patient’s heart rate is increasing!”

Red chest felt heavy, and it was harder for him to breathe. His vision was blurry as spots he was seeing were increasing in numbers. He remembered hearing someone shouting for him to calm down. However, Red was not paying attention. Instead, he was rapidly breathing as he lay on the hospital dead. The more he tried to speak, the more his throat hurts. Red last thought before fainting was his desire to speak. 

When Red woked up for the second time, Silver was sitting on the right of him. Silver was staring at him oddly, for reasons unknown to him. Behind Silver, Lance was grabbing the attention of the doctor. Lance must have alerted the doctor that he was awake. Moments later, the doctor came to speak to him. What put Red on edge was the eerily neutral expression the doctor had on his face. 

“Red has a severe form of laryngeal trauma,” the doctor calmly explained. “Red has managed to not only damage his vocal box but severely damage his larynx.”

“So what doc,” Silver bitterly asked.

“Silver, let the doctor finish explaining,” Lance stated.

“Due to the severity of the damage in his organs, Red had lost the ability to speak,” the doctor explained. “If lucky, voice therapy may allow Red to speak a few sentences without needing a break.”

“He can’t talk,” Silver said in shock. “Fix him, fix him now, doc! You’re supposed to be a doc! You’re supposed to fix anything.”

“Silver, calm down,” Lance said. “There are limitations to a doctor’s ability to heal someone.”

“That’s stupid,” Silver angrily responded.”He is supposed to fix people!”

“Silver, that’s enough,” Lance stated as he raises his voice. “If you continue, you will have to wait outside.”

Not wanting to be alone, Red muster all his strength to reach out to his brother's arm and weakly grasp Silver’s hands. Silver, knowing the meaning of Red’s actions, let his brother hold to his hand and settled down. 

“I was saying previously, the damage is permanent,” the doctor said. “We can discuss your options tomorrow.”

From that day forward, Red lived his life without having a voice. What was once something he can take for granted was taken away from him. 

For the first time in Silver life, he experienced various forms of loss in a short period of time. Everything that he once knew was gone from him. First, there was his mom. Lance had told him that Delia had died on the cruise. Silver wish that his uncle was lying, but he knows that it’s a foolish wish for him to make. However, his mom did not need to die. If Lance and the G-men had come sooner, more people would be saved! Mom and other people on the ship will still be alive. However, it was the slow action of his uncle that had to fail him. Whatever respect Silver had for Lance was gone the moment he told him that his mom was dead.

Next, Silver tosses his delusion that the champions are infallible. No matter if his aunts and his uncle were champions. The title of the champion never did anything useful instead. All they get is a fancy title that makes people believe that they are heroes. He hates how on TV, the anchor was praising Lance and his men for saving a handful of people, despite the fact that a lot more people had died. It was that interview that ended Silver’s ideal concept of heroes.

Silver lost a father. No matter how hard his uncles or aunts tried to contact Looker, he cannot be reached. Was his father trying to run away from his responsibilities? Did he not care about the death of his mom? Why won’t he go to mom’s funeral when he heard him proclaim his endless love for his mom? Silver cannot believe that his father had abandoned him when he needed him the most! What could Looker be doing that is more important than his family? When Looker had failed to attend’s mom’s funeral, Silver no longer view the man his father as an invincible hero. 

For the first time in Looker’s life, he felt like a failure. After a year of leaving Delia, he had returned to the Kanto region. He was expecting to be greeted by Delia and her children but instead Sycamore to greet him instead. Sycamore was visibly distressed but maintain his composure as he musters the courage to speak.

“Delia had died a year ago,” Sycamore somberly said. “Red and Silver had survived but not without their fair of trauma.”

“She’s dead” Looker numbly responded. “Sycamore, please tell me this one of your cruel pranks. Please tell me that it was an elaborate scheme you and your siblings had planned.”

“No, I wish it was all a joke” Sycamore answered as he gave a sympathetic look to the man. “I wish I was not the one who has to tell you the terrible news of Delia’s death.”

“Do you have the boys' current location,” Looker asked.

“Yes, why?” Sycamore was startled by Looker’s sudden question.

“Please, I need to see them” Looker pleaded. “I need to see with my own eyes that Delia’s boys are alright!”

Sycamore gave Looker the location of Lance’s place of residence, ignoring Looker’s face of pure defeat. When Looker left, Sycamore immediately called Lance to warn him about a heartbroken man heading toward his way.

When Looker arrived at the address Sycamore gave to him, he saw Lance waiting to form him. In front of Lance, there was Red and Silver standing behind him. Cautiously, Looker approach Lance and the boys slowly head toward Looker. When Looker was close enough, he crouches down so he can be at eye-level with the boys. What he did not expect was Silver to shout at him.

“You were gone,” Silver shouted. “You didn’t come to mom’s funeral! Why did you leave us!”

“I’m sorry,” Looker said. 

“Sorry,” Silver stated in disbelief. “Sorry for leaving us alone when we needed you!”

“You are right to be angry with me,” Looker spoke softly. “I left you alone to deal with a lot of pain. You tried to find me but you can’t. “

“That’s right” Silver bitterly answered. “No one can find you.”

“And that is my fault,” Looker acknowledge the boy. “I will understand if you hate me.”

“I do hate you,” Silver lied as he looks away. 

“And you have the right to be angry,” Looker said, knowing that Silver was lying about hating him. 

Silver seems to be done talking, so Looker turned to face Red. Looker was expecting Red to speak, but the older boy was remaining quiet. Looker looked at Lance as if he was expecting an explanation from the man.

“Red no longer had the ability to speak,” Lance explained. “We had tutors to teach him sign language.”

“It’s not selective mutism, isn’t it,” Looker responded. “It’s because of a physical injury.”

“Unfortunately, you are right,” Lance answered.

Looker never felt more like a failure since that day. First, he had failed to save his wife from death. It was unreasonable for him to believe that he had control of the situation but the countless what if plague his mind. What if he stayed? What if he was allowed to contact his wife through phone? There were so many what if in his mind that he cannot stop thinking all the ways he could have possibly saved Delia.

For the first time in the family group life, their family unit had been broken. It started with Delia’s death on the cruise ship. Next, it was the disappearance of Colress a few years after Delia’s death. No one knew what becomes of the man, but he was becoming slightly unstable after Delia’s death. What follows Corlress disappearance was Sycamore moving to the Kalos region. He had accepted the position of a professor in the Kalos region, but he needed to move to the region immediately. Slowly, he has been withdrawing from the family and drowned himself in his work. As for Cynthia and Diantha, they went to travel to different regions to rediscover themselves. Their journey had to lead them to become champions in their respective region. However, just like Sycamore, they had drowned themselves into their responsibilities. 

In the end, Red and Silver stayed with the Oaks. Unfortunately for the boy, Lance was extremely busy running two regions so he cannot parent the boys effectively. Looker will occasionally visit the boys and stayed involved in their lives. Although they were not biologically his, Looker did raise them alongside Delia. He owes it to Delia to continue watching the boy grow and provided there needs. Despite Oak’s effort to denied his monetary gift to the professor, Looker felt the need to help the boy’s new caregivers by providing monetary resources. After several attempts, the professor let Looker give him things he did not ask for.

Chapter Text

If someone had to ask Guzma if he ever expected his son to bring a random child into their home, he would have laughed so hard and asked if they were playing. There’s no child withing the radius, and no one would dare go to the forest areas near his base. However, Guzma never expected his son to do a rain dance because that should be impossible for a kid to do. Hell, adults have their own set of limitations. Honestly, he should have known that Ash will continue to grow up into something that will defy all of his ‘normal’ expectations. 

“Hi dad,” Ash cheerfully shouted from afar. “Meet my new friend Acerola.”

“Hi, Ash’s dad,” Acerola yelled after. “I’m Acerola!.

Really, why is there a random, purple hair girl with his son? In fact, why would the girl’s parents let the girl wonder around in a forest with such a low reputation? Ash was strolling toward his directions and pointing out the various objects laying on the ground. Acerola seemed to be interested in the base and was pointing out things that look interesting. 

“What’s that circle on the ground,” Acerola asks.

“ The grunts said it is for a ritual,” Ash responded. 

“For what,” Acerola said as she crouches down and gets a closer look like the circle.

“I don’t know,” Ash answered. 

Guzma was so distracted with Ash that he barely noticed Plumeria standing right beside him. 

“You see this,” Plumeria said as she rubbed her eyes. “Please tell me you are seeing a tiny girl with purple hair with our son.”

“The girl is real” Guzma sighs. 

Ash had finally made toward his parents with the girl name Acerola behind him. The girl seems to be interested in the base as she continues to turn her head in every direction. While Guzma continued to be dumbstruck by the situation, Plumeria took control of the situation once she composed herself. Bless Plumeria’s soul for knowing what to do in any situation. She asked Acerola if she wanted to go inside and eat something before Ash continued to tour. Happily, the two children ran inside as Plumeria steered Guzma to the kitchen. After Plumeria prepared a quick snack, she placed the miniature sandwiches plate in the middle of the table, and the children devoured the food. When Guzma regained his composure, he finally asked the question he meant to ask Ash.

“How did you meet your friend Ash” Guzma ask.

Ash was playing in the forest because everyone was too busy with their own tasks and responsibilities. The grunts were growing older, so Guzma began to give them more tasks to complete. That often resulted in the grunt being bust for most of the day and Ash having no one to play with. Every day after mom’s lesson, Ash will go outside and play in the forest. As long he was home by supper, he was allowed to do anything he wants under a few conditions. First, he was not allowed to leave the forest. Second, he will run straight back home if there were any signs of trouble. Lastly, he was not to be reckless in his abilities. 

Today, Ash wanted to roll down on a huge hill. He found a perfect hill with colorful flowers all over the hill. To make things better, the hill was located in a hidden valley in the forest. Being excited, Ash ran to the valley and up the hill to only be met with a surprise. On top of the hill, he saw someone with purple hair rolling down on the hill. It was strange to see someone close to his age. He thought that all the children live in the towns and away from the base. Is the girl lost? Why is there someone in a forest? Deciding to get an answer, Ash walked down the hill. 

Once Ash was standing in front of the girl, he offered his hand to help the girl get up. It was then that the girl noticed that there was someone in front of her. She lifted her head up from the grassy ground and saw a boy offering his hand. Ash continues to wait for the girl to take his hand. When she did take Ash’s hand, he pulled her up from the ground and asked the most critical question a six-year-old can ask.

“Can I roll down a hill with you?” Ash asked. He had forgotten the original question he wanted to ask the girl. 

“Sure,” the mysterious violet hair child said. 

In a silent agreement, the two kids race each other on the hill and spend the next two hours rolling down the hill. When it was getting close to supper, Ash knew it was time to say goodbye. 

“I need to go home,” Ash whined. “Or, my parents will be scared.”
“Oh,” the girl blurted out. “But I wanted to play some more.”

“We can tomorrow around the same time,” Ash exclaimed.” I come here every day, but Fridays.”

“Why Fridays,” Acerola question.

“Family bonding night,” Ash mentioned. 

Around the same time the next day, Ash met Acerola on top of the same hill they were rolling down the previous day. Yesterday’s activity was repeated since the two wanted to roll down the hill again. However, after an hour of rolling down the hill, Acerola wanted to do something else. 

Ash stared as Acerola, thinking about what Acerola said previously, “You wanted to play in the rain?”

Acerola looked up to the sky. “Yeah, but it’s not raining.”

Ash hesitated for a bit before he got the courage to speak. “Do you want to know my secret trick?”

Ash then proceeded to do a quick dance as Acerola watch in confusion. After Ash was done with his quick dance, he pointed to the sky. Acerola looked up and saw the once clear sky transform into gray. Seconds later, it began to rain heavily rain. For the next minute, Acerola repeated the cycle in looking at the sky in amazement and back at Ash in shock. Her friend made it rain by dancing. Once the fact that her friend made it rain sank in, she started to run around the area. Acerola’s initial shock had worn off, and all she was focusing on was enjoying her time in the rain. As for Ash, he follows suit. 

Once the skies turned dark, Ash gave his friend a quick goodby and head off home. He was continuously having fun with a kid his age. The grunts were great people, but they were several years older him. Acerola also gave her goodbyes.

It was Thursday, and Acerola wanted to know what other cool things her new friend can do. Ash was excited to show someone the results of his training. His mom did her best to train Ash in his abilities, so he felt ready to show his abilities. Right now, the pair was sitting underneath a tree on top of a blue blanket Acerola brought from her room. 

“First, I’ll show my sparks,” Ash cheered. “Watch this!”

Ash produces a small ball of electricity in his hand. A person can easily mistake it for a small sphere of light with an intense glow to it from afar. However, if you were close to it like Acerola, a person can see tiny sparks popping off from the electric ball. The electric ball Ash produce was so intense that she heard the sounds of tiny sparks popping out. After Ash gave Acerola enough time to admire his creation, he tosses it to a neighboring tree. Luckily, the pair check the tree if there was any pokemon living or nesting on that particular tree. When neither Ash nor Acerola found any pokemon on the tree, it was decided that the tree will be used as a target dummy. When the electric ball Ash’s produce hit the tree, the two children happily cheer.

“That’s so cool,” Acerola commented. “I wish I could do that.”

“Dad said I’m special,” Ash pointed out.

“Do something else,” Acerola begged. “I want to see more cool tricks!”

Ash thought about showing the cool things aura could do. However, he little control of his aura and could only produce a pathetically small aura sphere. Is that cool, or should he do something else? Wait, he can glow blue. Maybe that’s a cool thing he can do. Deciding that glowing blue was one of the coolest things he could do, Ash allows himself to feel the aura within him flow throughout his body. When he heard his friend gasp in amazement, he knew that he was succeeding in glowing blue.

“You glow,” Acerola said in wonder. “Mama said that people with aura glow like that.”

“Aura” Ash repeated. 

“Yeah, but she said they are all gone,” Acerola sadly said. 

Ash, being the six-year old he is, did not question her comment. Instead, he was thinking about the other cool things he could do. He decided that making his fingers sparkles might be another cool thing he could do. Deciding to stop glowing, he diverted all his attention in making all of his fingers act like sparklers. Acerola seems too interested in that little trick he was doing. She continued to be amazed by Ash’s trick, ignoring that everything he was doing should be impossible for a human child to do.

Eventually, it was time for the pair to part ways and wait until Saturday afternoon to play again. Ash still has lessons on the weekends, much to his displeasure, but it was for the best.

Saturday came quickly, and the pair were excited to see each other. However, Ash wanted to do something different. He has a new friend, and he wanted to show everyone at his new friend. Maybe if they met her, they could let her play in the base sometime! When Ash proposes the idea, Acerola gave a quick second to think about before agreeing to it. Ash began to lead Acerola along the secret passage to reach the base. It was a confusing passage if one does not know the pattern one needs to follow.

Usually, Ash will enter the forest where his mom planted the berry fields. He will continue to walk east until he reaches a small patch of red flowers growing. He will turn left and head toward that way until he sees several different wild berry bushes. His mom and dad will plant small berry trees for the wild pokemon to eat. He doesn’t know why, but maybe it was because the grunts cause too much noise sometimes. Ash will head right because that was where the Sitrus Trees are located. It will take a while, but Ash will finally reach the tree with vines growing on it. Right next to it was a cave. For some odd reason, deep in the cave, a hidden tunnel underneath it leads him somewhere secluded in the forest. It shows him near the Vally he met Acerola. To return him, Ash will need to head back to the cave and go backward.

Once Ash was done with his storytelling, Guzma gave a sigh and turned to Acerola. Next time when he was alone with Ash, he will warn him of the dangers of openly displaying his capabilities. He wasn’t worried that Acerola was going to brag her experiences to everyone she meets. In fact, the adults might think she was an imaginative person. No one will believe a word she says unless they see it themselves.

“Acerola, do like being friends with Ash.” 

“Yes”

“Do you like to cool things he can do?”

“Yes.”

“Can you keep a secret?”

“Of course, Guzma, sir!”

“Okay, if you keep Ash existence as a secret from everyone, you can play with him every day.”

“Really?”

“Sure.”

After several moments of analyzing the situation, Guzma deems that Acerola was considered safe. He will allow her to play with her son as long as she keeps her mouth shut about Ash. Ash seems happy to have a friend around his age to play, which is excellent. The grunts’ obligations to Team Skull have increased, so having a friend around Ash will decrease his loneliness. Guzma can’t believe it, but he might allow the girl to hang out with his son and base. He glances at Plumeria briefly to see that she is relieved with the idea of Ash developing a friendship with someone close to his age. That might help Ash improve his social skills and grow comfortable around individuals from a different age group.

When it was time for Acerola to go home, everyone bid her a farewell as she heads back home. However, she did not walk alone. Plumeria was uncomfortable with the idea of a young child walking home alone in the dark. As a result, Plumeria had offered to walk alongside her until she is close to her resident.  From that day forward, it became a weekly occurrence. At least some point in the week, Ash will bring Acerola to hang out in the base. If the grunts weren’t busy, they would introduce themselves and entertain the children. 

If someone had asked Acerola to make a mysterious new friend in the middle of nowhere, she would have thought that the person was joking with her. Her parents loved her, but they were often busy with their profession. Occasionally, her uncle will come and visit, but those visits were such a rare treat. She lived on Mount Hokulani since it was the place where her parents work. However, it was such a boring place for her. One day, she was board, so wander down the mountain and scout the forest near the mountain's bottom. She was lucky that her home was located in the middle of the mountain instead of the top. At the very top, that was where the town was located but her family like a bit of privacy. 

As the days pass, she grew more adventurous and brave. She got deeper into the forest and was blessed with a hidden valley. She decided that it was the best place to be in her private play area. Every day, she will come to the valley to play on the hill. Unexpectedly, there came a day where a boy with black hair came to her secret play area. She didn’t notice the stranger until he offered her a hand. Being polite, she accepted the hand. At first, she expected the boy to leave her alone. To her delight, the boy decided to play with her. For the rest of the day, the two rolls down the hill. 

For the next few days, she learned that her new friend was really cool. First, he changed the weather and made it rain. Next, she can produce electric balls and use his fingers as sparklers. She also sees that her new friend possess aura. She thought that all the aura users were dead. That’s what his mom and dad said a while back. What surprised her the most was that Ash invited Acerola to a base he refers to as home. Curiously, she followed her friend to the base.

Guzma looks scary, but he’s a nice person. Plumeria was also nice since she provided food. They seem young, but they seem like good parents. She’s glad that Ash has loving parents. Originally, she thought that Ash was lying about going home for supper was living somewhere hidden in the forest. Now, she knows that Ash was telling the truth and didn’t have to worry about her new friend. When Guzma began to ask some questions, Acerola answered honestly. Perhaps Guzma was scared that she was a bad person? She was also confused about why Guzma wanted to keep his son as a secret. In the end, she never asked Guzma why he wanted her to keep a secret, but she agrees to it.

When it was time to go home, Plumeria offers to go alongside her. At first, she refuses her offer, but Plumeria was insistent that she guides her home. Acerola was tired, so she gave in to Plumeria’s request. It was a quiet walk, but Acerola didn’t mind. After a long time, Acerola had finally reached to the mountain.

“That’s my house,” Acerola point out. She was pointing her finger to her home up the mountain. 

“The white house I see from here,” Plumeria asked. “Away from the town?”

“Yeah,” Acerola said. “Now I need to go home”

“I trust that you can go home safely from here,” Plumeria commented. “Goodbye, kid, and see you around.”

Days become weeks, and weeks became months. No matter how much older she gets, she continues to meet up with Ash in the base or in the forest. Later, she learned that the Guzma’s crew were actually Team Skull, but she was okay with that. They were nothing like the Teams she heard from Nanu, and there are worst people out there. She also learned that Guzma was the leader of Team Skull, and Plumeria was basically an admin of the group. Still, they aren’t that scary. However, she did not like the crime they do and neither did Ash.  Maybe that’s why they let her continue to let her visit over their base?  It was a freedom of choice thing Ash’s parents are doing? She does not know the answer, but she continues her friendship with the magical boy.

After the months became a few years, Acerola kept hanging out with Ash. Everything seems so blissfully in Acerola ‘s life. A friend to play with every day but Fridays and parents to returned after her play date. Suppose she ignored the fact that Guzma and Plumeria were a part of Team Skull. In that case, Acerola can continue with her friendship with Ash. In her mind, there is absolutely nothing that goes wrong in her life. At least, that was the eight-year-old think

Chapter Text

At age nine, Ash still cannot produce an aura sphere larger than a golf ball. Plumeria continues to reassure him that it takes time to master aura. He may or may not hear Plumeria silently cursing herself when she thought he wasn’t paying attention. Ash doesn’t know why his mom was so upset with herself at times. She was trying her best to teach him despite not being an aura user herself. He also knows that she did not receive training for aura when she was young, so she was mostly creating lessons out of ancient history or what her parents said. Right now, he was watching his dad trying to lift mom’s spirits. 

“Plumeria, Ash became more heighten to his senses,” Guzma pointed out. “Your lessons are just having a different effect on the kid!”

“I still can’t teach him how to project his aura to attacks or barriers,” Plumeria restored. “I wish my parents were still here…”

“You are doing a fantastic job teaching him,” Guzma complimented. “He can control how his aura flow in his body. Oh, and don’t forget that he can basically sense his surroundings.”

“He needs to defend himself,” Plumeria explained. “There is a black market for aura users! Also, there is the whole cult of perfection followers who will be happy to kill him.”

“We still have time,” Guzma responded. “He will have pokemon in the future to defend himself.”

Ash wonders if his parents had forgotten about his presence in the room.  Should he even be hearing these things? He already knew about the cult and the bad people who want to kidnap him for his aura. The grunts already told him one night when he asked why his mom was so paranoid about his aura. Sadly, Ash could never get the grunts to tell the whole story about his mom’s past. All he knows that it must have been horrible if she was so adamant in teaching him to basically fight.  

“Well, we can send one of the grunts to the library at Malle City,” Guzma suggested. “They must have a book or a script about aura!”

“Those were burned,” Plumeria commented. “The Cult of Perfection will burn anything related to aura.”

“We can go to Rota,” Guzma said. “They may have something about aura.”

“If we can convince the queen that is.” Plumeria respond.

Growing tired of his parents’ discussion and being ignored, Ash head outside to take a breather. For some odd reason, he had the urge to go outside and walk away from the base. He doesn’t know why he felt the sudden urge to walk away from the base and into the forest. It was early afternoon, and it was too early to hang out with his friend. Still, he senses something inside him, screaming at him to hurry up and do something.  Ignoring the possible consequences for disappearing from the base without informing his parents, Ash dash toward the forest. 

At first, Ash wasn’t paying attention to where he was going. He was entirely focused on his sense until he notices the hill he and Acerola used as a meetup spot. He took a moment to stop his movement and pause to think more clearly. How did he not noticed that he was traversing through the path toward his meet-up spot? Why does he have an uneasy feeling growing inside of him? How come something inside of him is screaming at him to continue? 

Now, with more awareness and caution, Ash speedwalk to an unknown location. As the number of trees decreases, Ash can see that he was approaching a large mountain. He rarely been outside of the forest or the base for his entire life, so ending up at the bottom of the mountain was completely unexpected. What puzzled Ash was that his sense urged him to follow the faded dirt and pebble covered trail up to the white horse. Reaching this far in his travel, Ash slowly walks on the trail path as he scouted the area. Now, he was getting a creeping feeling of dread and danger, but he doesn’t know why. The closer he got to the house, the more guarded he became.

Once he approached the entrance of the house, he became slightly terrified. The front door was slightly open, but he can already see that the inside had been ransacked. Gathering up all of his courage, Ash pushed the door open and prepare himself for the worst. He crept across the hall as he surveys the area. Unsure why his sense told him to look around the house, Ash listened to his instinct and began searching for something. He checked the destroyed kitchen, the stained living room, and a bedroom that look like it had been hit by a whirlwind but found nothing. However, when he checks the other bedroom, something told him to scour this room. 

In the second bedroom, there were many pokemon lush scattered around the room. The bed was utterly tossed over, so all he saw was a destroy bedframe and overturned mattress. The dresser was also tossed aside and became a pile of clothes and broken wood pieces. Ash wishes he knew what when down in the house because everything was completely destroyed. Even the closet door was ripped out, and everything was tossed onto the ground. Ash was close to leaving until he noticed the double wheeled luggage hastily toss with the clothes inside the closet. Ash had no idea why, but he opens the luggage out of curiosity. He had not expected to find his best friend cowering with her eyes closed inside the luggage. 

“Acerola,” Ash softly whisper. “It’s me Ash.”

Acerola opened eyes to see her friend. Not being confident that it was her friend gazing down at her, Acerola remains to stay silent. As for Ash, he was unsure what to do next. He can try to soothe the first to get out of the luggage.

“Acerola, I’m Ash,” Ash reassure the girl. “You are safe with me. We can get out of here and go to the base.”

Acerola looked at Ash and crawled her way out of the luggage. Ash made room for his friend to crawled out and stand up. When Ash was able to get a better look at the girl, he saw bags underneath her eyes and red puffy eyes. Whatever has gone down in this house must have been awful. Ash decided that she needed to be somewhere safe, and he can get answers later. 

“Grab what you like, and then we will get out of here,” Ash spoke. 

Acerola grabs very little items in her room. She chooses to bring a scrapbook and a plush Mimkyu. Once Ash was confident that Acerola grabs everything she had wanted to bring with her, Ash guided her out of her home and started the long path to the base. Hopefully, Guzma and Plumeria will let Acerola stay for the night. Maybe for future nights as well. 

Right now, Guzma was frantically searching for his son. Ash had disappeared, and no one can find him anywhere! Plumeria was searching for their son inside as he was looking around the yard. Where could his son be? Guzma was so focused on looking in every nook and cranny that he failed to notice Ash approaching him. He also failed to register the fact a distressed girl is trailing behind Ash. Ash needed to poke his back to grab his attention before pointing to Acerola. 

“She’s staying with us,” Ash stated as if was a fact. “Someone attacked her house, and Acerola was hiding.”

“Is this true,” Guzma asked.

“Yes,” Acerola softly answered. 

“Fine, “ Guzma agreed. “Help yourself to anything in the kitchen, and I mean anything. I need to speak Plumeria about something.”

Guzma left the kids to their own devices as he searches for Plumeria. Luckily, he did not have to search for too long because he immediately found her. Guzma put one hand up and motion Plumiera to stay silent as he explained the situation. 

“Ash’s declared that Acerola is staying with us because her home was attacked”,” Guzma explained. “She is staying with us until we know what to do.”

“I’ll prepare an extra bed for her and informed the grunts,” Plumeria sighs. “After dinner, we will be asking her for her story about the events that transpire at her home. 

Plumeria walked out and left Guzma alone. Guzma heads toward the kitchen to grab a snack to see that the kids are relaxed. He saw his son telling an elaborate story as Acerola munch on a bread roll. Whatever was the cause of this mess can wait until the end of the night.

End of the night…

Guzma had made the grunts leave the toom so he can give the girl a little bit of privacy to speak her mind. She seems to be doing a lot better after spending hours in the base. He may or may not also have the grunts entertain the kids for the day instead of their usual obligations to Team Skull. Acerola was preparing to speak, which is indicated by her unconscious act of squeezing the plush she had brought from her place. Plumeria was leaning on the wall to Acerola’s right while sitting in an open posture several feet away. Ash was standing to Acerola’s left in an attempt to comfort the girl. 

“Dad uses to be a historian and an archaeologist,” Acerola mumbled. “Mom used to work for the IP. I don’t know what that means, but she said it is a dangerous job.

“International police,” Guzma blurted out. “ Think of it being the police of the whole world.”

“Okay,” Acerola softly answered. “Well, mom said she stopped when she had me. Dad also stopped digging up stuff. Dad said he found a lot of scripts and tools. He kept it in the basement.”

“What else Acerola,” Guzma prompted. “Were they specials things?”
“Dad said the stuff came from the time period call The Emerging Branch of Aura Guardians,” Acerola mumbled. “Whatever that means.”

“Did your dad protected the items,” Guzma question. “And what about your mom.”

“Mom said she was stopping really bad people,” Acerola said as she remembers other things her parents had said to her. “She said she was stopping them from finding and hurting  those with gifts.”

“Gifts,” Guzma repeated.

“Using aura, being psychic, all that stuff,” Acerola mumbled.

Guzma did not expect this turn of events. By its looks, Plumeria did not expect the discovery of an international task force dedicated to stopping the group who murdered her family. He took a quick look at Plumeria to see if she is having an adverse reaction to the situation. For no Plumeria seems calm but heavily invested in the girl story.

“Let me get everything straight,” Guzma summarized. He can already feel a headache forming but that didn’t deter him from speaking. “Your mom works for the international police, stop bad people, and probably made enemies.”

Acerola gave a subtle nod.

“And your dad found some pretty important stuff” Guzma continued. “ Stuff that was once lost history. He was protecting the stuff I assume.” 

Acerola gave another nod. 

“It’s official, you’re staying here,” Guzma stated as if it was a law. “I’ll be blunt and say that your parents’ jobs pissed off the wrong type of people.”

“Why,” Acerola said in confusion. “Mom and dad were good people.”

“Sometimes, others don’t like good people,” Plumeria commented. “They don’t like anyone who protects others or demonstrated interest in the things they hate.”

“But they were good people,” Acerola cried. “Why did they attack them? Why did they tell me to hide? Where did they go?”
“I’m sorry Acerola,” Guzma apologize. “I don’t have the answers to that. However, Ash brought you here. For now, you will stay here until we figure everything out.”

“Ash, show Acerola where she will be sleeping,” Plumeria said. “ It’s getting late, and your friend just had a long day.”

For the following days after, Acerola stayed at the base with Ash. She was wearing the grunt’s old clothes but she didn’t seem to mind. Guzma wonders if he could really afford to house another child in his base. First, he needs to notice the status of her parents. Next, he needs to make sure that she does not have a relative who has any potential guardianship. Lastly, he does not want Team Skull to be accused of kidnapping a child. That why Guzma had ordered some grunts to scout the neighboring areas for any information. By now, there must be some whispers of information about the whole situation. Plumeria herself is going out in public and booked herself a room for a few days in a hotel.

Why was he heavily invested in gathering information regarding her parents' living status, Acerola’s relatives, or if the ones responsible for the situation as still in the area? Guzma doesn’t know himself, but he thinks it his personal fear for his crew’s safety. If their others who are willing to attack a family once, are there those willing to attack some more? He’s not taking that gamble and prefers to stop any potential threats right now. In the meantime, he can keep things running smoothly in the base.

“Guzma sir, can I keep the necklace and hat I found” Acerola innocently asked. “I found them on the drawer.”

Guzma took a look at what Acerola was holding her hands. She was holding a basic Team Skull necklace and the skull cap that goes alongside it. He doesn’t know if it was something a child should have in their possession. She’s not a member of the team. However, he reminded himself that the girl may be an orphan, so he stopped himself voicing out his disagreement. That does not mean that he will not give a word of caution to the girl.

“Just keep that hidden, ” Guzma insisted. “ I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

“Told you that dad will give you it,” Ash called out from the kitchen. “He’s not that scary.”

“Excuse you, I’m terrifying,” Guzma joked. “I’m the big, bad, Guzma!”

“Wait, you’re supposed to be scary,” Acerola said, playing along with the joke. “But...you’re doing a horrible job.”

“Now that hurt,” Guzma complained with a fake expression of a pained face. “You crush my soul, kid.”

Really. Guzma is doing his job as an adult to make sure the kids stay positive. He’s glad that things are beginning to settle, but he was still impatient. Hopefully, he will hear back soon from either Plumeria or the grunts. All he needs to do is wait for a call or for someone to barrel inside the base.

Two days later, Plumeria woke the entire based early in the morning by flinging the door open and yelling that everyone needs to act now. Guzma, being awoken through Plumeria’s yelling, lazily stroll toward the source of the yelling. Still being half asleep, Guzma gave Plumeria a blank expression and motion her to speak.

“Apparently, Acerola has an uncle looking for her,” Plumeria explained. “Not just any uncle but someone extremely high up in the fucking International Police.”

“Of course this fucking happens,” Guzma cursed. “Can’t anything normal ever happen in our life.”

“No,” Plumeria replied. “To make things more complicated, her uncle had placed a search warrant for Acerola. We can’t hand her over to him! He will think that we kidnapped his niece!”

“We’ll think of a plan.to bring her safely to her uncle,” Guzma calmly said. “Now, have you heard anything about her parents?”

“Sadly, they are dead,” Plumeria somberly stated. “I heard that her uncle is planning their funeral and is desperately searching for his niece, preferably alive.”

“So he thinks she is alive,” Guzma commented.

“They found her parents’ body in a ditch” Plumeria bluntly answer. “I think that man is praying to Tapu Bulu that she is alive.”

Before the two can continue to speak, they notice two additional presence in the room. Guzma had finally noticed that Acerola and Ash were in the same room. Acerola seems like she wanted to cry, and Ash was giving his parents a shock expression. 

“Mom and dad are gone,” Acerola cried. “They’re gone!”

“I’m sorry for everything that had happened to you,” Plumeria apologized. “ You have been through so much.”

Guzma does not know how to comfort a crying child. He does not know the right type of words to say or the appropriate course of action. All he can do is numbly watch Plumeria comfort the girl as his son hugged the girl.

It was midnight, and everyone was preparing to do their parts in the plane. Before everyone left the base, Guzma had given Acerola a few important items. He knew that it was foolish to believe that the girl will continue to live nearby. He wants his son to stay in contact with his best friend, so he gave the girl a blank journal. In the empty journal, there is invisible writing about Plumeria’s contact information and his personal contact information. He informed the girl that she will need to get a black light to see the information, but she doesn’t seem to mind. Acerola was carrying the empty journal with her scrapbook and plush. By doing so, no one would question her about the empty journal in her possession. 

On the edge of the forest, Acerola stood alone underneath a tree. Guzma and Ash are hiding several meters away. They were watching the area in case something goes terribly wrong. Plumeria was somewhere in the town on the phone, making an anonymous call. She should have given Nanu Acerola’s specific location and claim she saw the girl while jogging. Guzma was worry that the man will not do anything. To Guzma’s relief, he saw the man he assumes was her uncle approaching the girl. 

“Acerola, are you alright?”

“Yeah.”

“Are your hurt? Do you need anything? Please tell me that nothing was done to you.”

“I’m okay. I hid in the forest.”

“Acerola, I’m so relieved that you are safe and unharmed. I would not know to do if I have lost you as well.”

“I’m here now Nanu.”

Guzma watched the heartfelt reunion between the two from afar and made sure that Acerola was safely guided to Nanu’s car. Once she was in the car, Nanu entered the car and drove off to the distance. 

“Will she be okay dad,” Ash asked.

“She’s safe now,” Guzma answered. “She’s going to a safe place. “

Chapter Text

Guzma doesn't know what entity he pissed off to deserve the endless shitstorm his crew and family are experiencing. At first, he thought that everything will resolve once Acerola was returned to her uncle. In fact, everyone believed the people who as responsible for Acerola’s parents’ death will disappear. Oh, how naive it was for him to foolishly believe that everything will slowly be resolved independently. He and Plumeria should have taken that as an early warning sign for the things that are about to come!

Several days after Acerloa was picked up by Nanu, Plumeria received a call from the girl. Exactly, Acerola told Plumeria her new place of residence. She was altering between the police station her uncle worked in and Malie City. She wonders if Ash can come and visit one day soon.  Plumeria tried explaining that it was too soon for her venture out of her own and needed time to prepare for the visit.

“But I will make sure to see you soon,” Ash cheated. “Then, we do whatever we want!”

“Of reason, “ Guzma added. “I’m not letting you run wild to the poor unsuspecting townsfolk.” 

“So no Ash doing the rain dance thing,” Acerola responded.

“That’s a firm no,” Guzma answered. 

Guzma, being the loving father he is, went right to work in securing a secret passageway to Malie City and near the police station, Acerola was mentioning in her call. It was not that difficult since he needs to add subtle marks that will lead to the base. Plumeria may or may not had mentioned the idea of underground tunnels from the base to the midpoint of the secret passageway. Luckily for Guzma, some of the grunts had some ground type pokemon to make this idea a reality, It took a week but Guzma was finally was able to make a few passageways. One leads to Outer Cap because it was the more isolated parts of Malie City. The next passageway leads near to the police station. It’s too dangerous to place a secret passageway too close to the police. Lastly, Plumeria convinces Guzma that it was necessary to have another passageway that leads to Mount Hokulani. She will deny that it is to watch over the area, but everyone knows she is lying to herself.

“We’re overreacting,” Guzma mumble to himself. “There’s no need to watch over Mount Hokulani.”

“It’s to buy supplies,” Plumeria reasoned. She knew that Guzma was talking to himself, but she felt the need to respond for reassurance. 

“Maybe Acerola will visit Mount Hokulani and want Ash to visit her,” Guzma concluded. 

“We like to plan things ahead,” Plumeria commented. “There is no reason to worry.”

Two weeks later, Guzma allowed his son to convince him to sneak over to Malie City for a playdate. He trusted Ash enough to walk alone to meet up with his friend. As much as he will like to go with Ash, Guzma cannot risk being seen by being associated with Ash. That will cause too much of a stir in the local community, and the gossip will reach the police's ears. Nope, he is not risking the possibility of his son being removed from his custody. Bidding Ash a fair well, Guzma watch as his son walks toward the secret passageway that leads to Malie City.

“They grow up so fast,” Plumeria smiled. “Sooner or later, he will be leaving the nest and starting his own journey.”

“He won’t need us no more,” Guzma spoke. “He’ll have his own path to follow and choices to make.”

“Don’t be like that, Guzma,” Plumeria countered. “His eyes are practically starry whenever someone mentions your name. He admires you so much, despite the disagreement in lifestyles,”

“Don’t get all sweet with me, it’s disgusting,” Guzma joked. 

“Oh, no wonder you disgust me so much,” Plumeria answered. 

“Haha, very funny,” Guzma said as he shakes his head. 

The two spent the rest of the afternoon engaging in several pokemon battles. While the two enjoy their time battling each other, they were blissfully unaware of the trouble that will soon follow them. 

Ash was with Acerola on the playground. She was alone, but the streets were bustling with life, Ash never saw so many people walking by, greeting each other, and doing so mundane activity. It was like the world was moving around him as he and Acerola stayed at the playground.  Ash wonders if this was like to grow up in society. He knows that the neighboring town individuals dislike Team Skull. Still, he sometimes wishes he can happily walk among everyone else. He wanted to know what it is like to buy items from a stand, to go to festivals, and to hold his head up high. 

“What are you thinking about Ash,” Acerola curiously asked. 

“What is like to live like that,” Ash wonders out loud. “To go to school, to meet new people every day, and to go to festivals.”

“You have never been to a festival,” Acerola questioned. 

“I spent my entire life in the base,” Ash disclosed. “I visited a town once in my life. They spouted horrible things about my family.”

“I’m sorry for you, Ash,” Acerola sympathize. “You felt left out, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” Ash answered. “I wonder what the world outside of the island is. No, outside of the region!”

“You’re not taking the trials,” Acerola gasped. “You’re leaving the region when you turned fifthteen!?”

“Yeah, I want to do something different than the trials,” Ash explained. “I want to be a pokemon master! I can’t be a pokemon master if I stay in Alola.”

“I’m not taking the trials either,” Acerola added. “But I’m still planning to stay in Alola.”

“Don’t worry, you will always be my friend,” Ash cheerfully said. “I’ll make sure to call you so we can stay connected!”

For the remaining afternoon, the two talked about their futures. Who will they become, and what they desire to achieve in their life. How they will live their life without regrets. For some, it may seem like the two were talking about such complex topics. However, it was something the pair have been thinking about after they were separated.

The moment to say goodbye and the two children walked to their separate path. Ash needed to pass the street filled with empty stalls if he will like to reach to Outer Cap. The closer he got to Outer Cap, the more empty the street became. The noise from people’s chatter and daily activities also continue to decrease the enter the Outer Cap. Unfortunately for Ash, he felt an uneasy present surrounding him. He didn’t understand why his stomach felt so heavy or why he has a sudden need to look around his surroundings. All he knows that he should take his feelings seriously. He quickly came to realized that three individuals were hiding and waiting to ambush him.

Aura is a wonderful thing when an individual utilized it to get a sense fo their surroundings. It was how he noticed the three figures creeping closer on the roof of the recycling plant. Ash could choose to head toward the forest greenery, run like he was on fire, and disappear to the underground tunnel. However, that was a risky gamble. If he didn’t react fast enough, hide properly, or stay quiet enough, he will be tracked down by the trio. If Ash wanted more time, he needs to make a distraction. Maybe he can even have a little bit of fun 

“Look at me, making a tiny aura sphere,” Ash said out loud. “Now, I’m glowing blue because I am an aura user.”

Ash will look back at this moment years later and bang his head on the wall. He should have run away instead of provoking the group. However, his nine-year-old self thought the best decision was to throw several tiny aura spheres at the three individuals stalking him. He wanted to continue throwing aura spheres in the direction until the three individuals grew tired of hiding and revealed himself. It went exactly as he planned but with a few extra steps. It happens all too quickly, but the three individuals jumped off the roof. As they were falling to the ground, the shortest individual pulls out a net and toss one side of the net to a different individual. Now, the three individuals were falling to the ground with a net prepared to catch Ash on the moment they make contact with the ground. Ash didn’t realize until it was too late to run away. Ash didn’t expect to be engulfed in a sturdy net and dragged by the tallest individual. 

“Let me go, you creep,” Ash shouted. “Why are you stalking a  nine-year-old near dark!”

“Can it kid,” the tallest one spoke in a low voice. “We are not interested in you.”

“You are dragging me on the ground while holding the other side of the net,” Ash counter.

“~A pretty little penny we will be getting off of you,” the shortest one said in a high tone.”Such a young one too! You’ll surely be profitable for sure!”

“That’s an underestimate,” the third and bulky figure spoke with a gruff voice. “Whoever is interest in buying him will need a payment plan to afford him!”

Ash doesn’t like how the three are talking about him. He hates how they are talking about purchasing luxurious after bringing him back to their headquarters and selling him at a ridiculously high price. He began to panic when the shortest figure grabs a blindfold, on the one hand, sneak both her hand through the net’s holes, and blindfolded the boy. He doesn’t remember much but he was forced onto a flying type pokemon and felt the pokemon moving high to the cold skies. Someone was sitting behind him and most likely preventing him from falling. Ash doesn’t remember how long he was in the skies, but he felt the air drastically turned cold at some point in his kidnapping. Minutes afterward, the pokemon appear to be landing on the ground.  When the pokemon finally landed to the ground, Ash was pushed off the pokemon and was carried by one of the individuals.

Eventually, he believed that he reached his destination. They toss him to an unknown room, removed the nets, and blindfold. The first thing Ash see was someone shutting a metal door. The room he was currently occupying had gray walls and white marble floors. There was an extremely plain bed in the right corner of the room and a toilet at the other corner of the room. What is going to happen to him now?

When Ash had not returned home after dusk, Guzma began to panic. First, he got Plumeria to call Acerola. Fortunately, Plumeria was able to reach Acerola and asked if Ash was staying over for the night. Acerola was confused and explained that Ash had left hours ago. After thanking Acerola for her time, Plumeria hanged up and began to panic as well. 

“I’m going to the secret passageway,” Guzma declared. “I need to find before something horrible happens to him.”

“I’ll scout Mount Hokulani” Plumeria stated. “It’s the perfect hub for certain information.”

Guzma was out of the door the moment Plumeria has to finish her statement. The secret passageway was a long one, with half the route being an underground tunnel hastily made by the grunts’ pokemon. He was surveying every nook and cranny in the tunnel in case of Ash as fell asleep in the underground tunnel. When he reached the end of the tunnel, he still has failed to find his son. Deciding to venture further, Guzma pulled out a flashlight and turned it on. Now, he was well equipped to walk the forestry to find his son. He tried looking in every bush and tree he sees, but he still cannot find his son. Growing increasingly upset, Guzma began to yell for Ash.

“Ash, please say something,” Guzma shouted. “We all miss you.”

Guzma had reached Outer Cap and as sneakily searching around the recycling plant. He was about to risk going inside the heart of the city until he sees a bang-up necklace, some feathers, and a shoe. He saw that the necklace was of a team skull logo and the red shoe belong to his son in closer inspection. Desperately, Guzma analyzes his surroundings to notice that the recycling plants' walls have some noticeable dents on them. The dents appeared tiny but its shape almost looked like an aura sphere had made contact with the wall. With eyes growing wide, Guzma had made a grim conclusion. Someone has taken his son. 

“Fucking damn it!” 

Plumeria was not doing much better in her search. She knows where to look if anyone wants information. All you need is a form of payment for the information or the latest news in the underground world. Sometimes, the underground world is great for people in the run or in hiding. Need a new identity? Just pay several grand worth or items or cash to get set up. Need news of the latest police raid? Just pay to save your ass. If her son is missing, it may be due to human trafficking reasons. If that was the case, words of the abduction would have reached the underground world. She cannot see any other reason for her son’s disappearance. Now, if only she doesn’t need to go to an underground bar that the Sushi High Roller host in a different outfit

“Welcome to the Sushi High Roller,” a host greeted. “What are you interested in today?

“The Necrozma special infused with the Dusk Mane side,” Plumeria answered.

“Follow the gentleman to get your special,” the host nodded.  “Pay when you are satisfied.”

Plumeria followed the gentleman to a secret staircase leading to the bar. Once she was at the bar, she sat on an empty seat and placed two heart scale on the table. By doing so, she is informing others that she is interested in obtaining the latest information. She didn’t have to wait long for someone to strolled toward her way and take the seat across from her. The individual was wearing a black leather jacket with a white tea shirt and navy blue jeans. Plumeria cannot identify the man’s face to fell since he was wearing a large fedora and sunglasses.   

“Will you like a drink sir,” Plumeria offer. “I’m quite interested in hearing all the latest news in the latest...captures.” 

“No thank you, I already have several drinks,” the man declined. “But I am willing to share the information you seek for a nugget.”

Plumeria pulled out a nugget and slide it over to the man to inspect it. People may think nuggets, star pieces, and other valuable items are hard to find. However, it’s quite easy to find if you are willing to break several boulders or explore the beach's deeper parts. She waited before the man approved of her offering and began talking.

“No human captures for the trafficking ring,” the man explained. “However, I recently have heard something exciting from my contacts.”

“Really,” Plumeria said. “How recent?”

“Ten minutes ago recent,” the man clarified. “Something of a rare species has been recently captured. I thought it was a joke until my contact gave me several photos of the subject.”

“And,” Plumeria prompted. She was growing impatient. 

“The Distortion Mercenary group have caught a hatchling,” the man explained. “A young aura user who is not even ten.  They are holding an event to sell the hatchling to those who are interested. Although in my opinion, I don’t think anyone in Alola can afford to buy him.”

“May I see the photo,” Plumeria insisted. “I just want to see who they caught.”

The man pulled out the photos from the leather jack and gave them Plumeria.  Plumeria looked at all the photos and saw that they were all Ash. He was missing his left shoes, and he looked terrified. She knew that she needed to act fast, or she may lose her son forever. Digging deep into her pockets, Plumeria pulled out a comet shard and a pearl string. She slides them across the table to the man as she made her offer.

“Give me the location of the child,” Plumeria demanded. “I want the exact coordinations of this child and the date they are selling him.”

The man looked at the Plumeria’s offering and took the items. 

“Mount Lanakila,” the man replied. “The main base of the Distortion Group is located within that mountains. You will need to act swiftly if you want to obtain that hatchling.”

“How do I find it,” Plumeria questioned. 

“I’ll give you the coordinations and the recommendation to steal the keys from someone,” the male recommended. “I can’t tell you anything else.”

“I will be back soon,” Plumeria said before she places a small pearl on the table. “Now if you excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”

Plumeria quickly left the bar, and the restaurant called Guzma in a secluded area. It took a while, but Guzma managed to answer.

“I can’t find him,” Guzma panicked. “All I found was a shoe, a necklace, and feathers.

Plumeria took a deep breath before she broke the news to Guzma.

“Ash has been kidnapped,” Plumeria uttered. “The Distortion Group had kidnapped our son because they found out that he has aura.”

Plumeria stays silent as Guzma let out a string of curse words. Once he was done, Plumeria continued to speak.

“I have the coordinations,” Plumeria explained. “We need to get ourselves and the grunts who are willing to go towards Mount Lanakila, to save Ash right now.”

“I’ll call the base phone line right now,” Guzma declared. “We will all meet in three hours.”

Guzma hangs up the phone, leaving Plumeria alone on the empty street corner. 

Chapter Text

Mount Lanakila was a barren, chilly place void of any life. The temperature was well below freezing, and it had begun to hail heavily. Guzma can understand why the group was associated with heavy black cloaks and wearing an outfit associated with dark colors. He also realized why groups associated themselves with fire and ice type pokemon. Guzma knows that his bug team will be at a massive disadvantage if he was to engage in a pokemon battle. Plumeria may have a better chance at battling, but the damage caused by the hail will still be an issue for her team. For once in his complicated life, he prays to some higher power. He knows he is not praying to any of the Alola guardians because he lost faith in them long ago. No, he praying to whatever legendary pokemon takes pity in him. 

Guzma looked behind him to see several grunts and Plumeria surrounding an unconscious body. He does not know how the grunts did it. Still, they manage to knock a mercenary out cold without raising suspicions from the other mercenaries. Me was even kind enough to tie the man up like a burrito. Still, did they have to carry the unconscious body to the place they are hiding? Couldn’t they toss the fucker off the mountain as a punishment for associating with a group that kidnapped children?

“Why did you bring the body,” Plumeria asked with a tone of annoyance. 

“Wait, are we suppose to kill him and depose the body” Loni genuinely asked. 

“No,” Plumeria harshly whisper. “I thought we told you to steal the keys without being notice.”

“The dude realized we were following him, so we knock him,” Kekea explained. “But we still have the keys to the place!”

“Are you and Guzma going inside there alone” Lilo questioned. “If you guys get caught, you are done for.”

“Please, we can handle ourselves just fine,” Plumeria reassured. “It will take less than one hour.”

“Kimo, just sent us files we need,” Meleko interrupted as he holds to the dvice he is using to communicate with Kimo. “Ash is located in the basement in a cell that locks from the outside.”

“How long can he interfere with the security cameras,” Me asked.

“An hour, but it should not take that long to reach the basement,” Meleko commented. 

“See, less than an hour,” Plumeria pointed out. “And we are wearing the same type of cloaks and get up the group are known to wearing.”

The moment Guzma was handed the keys, he headed straight to the door with Plumeria. As much he wanted to dash toward the door and leap down to the basement to save his son, it will reveal himself to the others. As much it pains him, he will need to take his time and act as he belongs to the group. That means he needs to calmly walk toward the inconspicuous cave that matches with Plumeria’s coordinations. It may look like an ordinary cave, but it was supposed to be the base entrance. Plumeria’s coordination was proven correct when they enter the cave. It may appear reasonable to an average eye, but Plumeria uncovered a hidden mechanism within the cave. All she needed to do to reveal the door was to pull the rock structure that is shaped as a lever.

“Not that clever,” Plumeria whisper. 

“I’m almost disappointed by this,” Guzma quietly responded. 

Guzma inserted the key to the door and was able to gain entrance to the hideout of the Distortion group. It was a reasonably fancy building filled with extravagant decor. The floor was white marble, and the cream color walls had gold-infused markings on them. It was hard to acknowledge, but Guzma knows that the interior design displayed their wealth. Wealth they obtained by doing their job effectively and pursuing high valuable targets. They are a group to avoid at all costs. For fuck sakes, who can afford a diamond chandelier as a decoration piece! They sure didn’t get rich through ethical means!

It took a long while, but he had finally found the staircase that leads to the basement. Before he entered the basement, he scouted the area alongside Plumeria one more time. Once the area was deemed clear, Guzma and Plumeria descended to the basement. He will never admit it out loud, but he was terrified of fucking up. Fucking up will mean being six feet under or living the rest of his life, knowing that his son was sold to a megalomaniac. Plumeria must have noticed how he felt because she placed a hand on his shoulders to reassure him. 

“We’ll save him,” Plumeria vowed. “No matter the consequences.”

Once they reached the basement, Guzma saw that all but one door where open. It must be the way they identified occupied cells. There’s no numbers, letters, or anything marking the cell. That makes no sense, but Guzma was not complaining. Together with Plumeria, the two walked to the closed door at the basement’s very end. Once they reached the closed door, he slowly opened the door to be greeted with tiny aura spheres being hurled in his direction. Guzma swiftly ducked to the ground to avoid being hit by his son’s aura spheres. 

“Calm down, it’s Guzma and me,” Plumeria cooed. “We’re here to break you out of here.”

“Are you and dad wearing disguises,” Ash said in shock. “I thought you would never find me.”

“Of course, we will find you,” Guzma reassured his son. “Even if I have to sacrifice everything, I will do whatever to find you.”

“I will always be safe with you, dad” Ash smiled. “You and mom will always be there for me.”

“Now, let’s go home,” Guzma commented. “We don’t have a lot of time.”

Now it was the time to act hasty and irrational. The one hour grace period was almost up, and he needed to get the fuck out of here. Guzma took one look at the staircase they have entered from and back to Plumeria. She nodded in understanding as holding Ash’s hands tightly and bolted to the stairs. Guzma soon followed as he prepared the homemade smoke bomb the grunts had gifted him. In case they were followed, he will toss the smoke bombs to give them time to escape. 

For the longest time, no one was trailing behind them. It was moments before the trio exited the base that someone noticed that a break-in had occurred. Guzma threw one of the homemade smoke bombs toward the individual who have seen them and hurried to get out of there. It will give them a few minutes before every mercenary in the building trails them. If lucky, they will have made it where the grunts are waiting for them with the not so stolen snowmobile from the small resort at the bottom of the mountain. 

“Ash, jump to one of the snowmobiles the grunts are riding,” Plumeria ordered. “You’ll know what I am talking about when you see the grunts.”

“And you and dad,” Ash asked. 

“We’ll be doing the same,” Plumeria responded. “We will be right behind you.”

The trio has escaped the cave and continued to run like their lives depend on it. If the mercenaries are unaware of where the grunts are hiding, it will give them extra minutes to escape. The ongoing mix of snow and hail will cover their tracks, so they don’t have to worry about them finding their footsteps too quickly. When the trio have reached grunts’ location, Guzma tossed his cloak as Plumeria gave her cloak to Ash.  
“That will keep you warm,” Plumeria softly commented. “Hold on to Lilo as tight as you can when she starts riding. She will show you the hotel rooms we booked.”

Ash got on the snowmobile and held onto Lilo tightly. When Lilo was certain that Ash was seated and securing holding her, Lilo stepped on the acceleration pedal and zoomed down the mountain. Guzma saw the pair disappeared from his sight in a matter of seconds. If he were to get caught, he would be satisfied that Ash managed to escape. 

“Plan A is still active,” Loni questioned. 

“Yeah, Plumeria, and I need to go in different directions in case someone decides to trail one of us,” Guzma explained. “Plumeria will follow Lilo as I go in a different direction.”

Plumeria went with Me and Loni as Guzma went with Meleko. With a nod of acknowledgment from each individual, each driver took off to their respective directions. Guzma and Meleko were purposely taking a more complicated route to the resort. It was more of a safety reason and a plan to handle anyone who may be trailing them. If everyone did their roles right, they should have covered all evidence that there were three snowmobiles on the mountains. Plumeria was trailing behind Ash so that mercenaries are tricked into believing that it was one snowmobile that was taking that path. Hopefully, it will never come down to that scenario and that everyone reached down to the resort safely. 

An hour later, Guzma had reached the small resort. The snowmobiles had been placed in their original spot, and no one had noticed anything out of the ordinary. No one spared him a glance as he returned to the room he booked or that he was in a disheveled state.  Pulling out his room key and entered the room. What greeted him was an excited Ash and a tired Plumeria. 

“You’re back,” Ash said as he gave a quick, tight hug. “You were taking too long, and I was scared that they have caught you.” 

“I’m alive, buddy,” Guzma stated. “Now that we are all here, we need to talk.”

Guzma sat on one of the beds as Plumeria sat on the other bed. Ash chooses to sit on the floor and stare at his parents. This was going to be a complicated discussion for everyone involved. 

“Ash, you said that choose traveling over the trials,” Guzma questioned. “That, when you are legal to travel on your own in Alola, will explore the other regions?”

“Yeah, I want to see the world,” Ash smiled. “I want to be a master, but I can’t be a master if I stay in Alola.”

“If you can start early, will you take it,” Guzma asked. 

“I would,” Ash responded. “But I’m not allowed to travel because I am an Alola citizen.”

“Technically, you are not,” Plumeria explained. “You don’t have a birth certificate, and there are little to no traces of you in the hospital’s medical records.” 

“So I don’t exist in Alola,” Ash concluded. 

“I am going to blunt and say this,” Guzma sighs. “You need to get out of Alola. The Distortion group has placed a mark on you and will not let you go so easily.”

“They will be searching all over Alola for anyone matching your description,” Plumeria added. “Your dad and I are safe since we disguised ourselves.”

“You are letting me starting my travel early,” Ash exclaimed. “But not even Kanto let anyone start their journey this early!”

“Well, your mom is a clever woman,” Guzma joked. “She knows the right people who can make almost anything possible.” 

“What does that mean,” Ash asked.

“I’m going to get all of us fake documents so you can start your journey,” Plumeria explained. “However, you are required to travel in Kanto for one year.”

“Unfortunately, you will be on your own,” Guzma said. “We can’t go with you. It’s impossible to have everyone in Team Skull to relocate with our skillset and without bringing attention. “

The next day, everyone left the resort the moment the sun started to rise. Plumeria forced Ash to wear Guzma’s jacket and baggy pair of sweatpants she had brought with her. Guzma may or may not have made Ash wear an oversize striped beanie. When everyone was dressed, they all started their journey to Malie City.  It took hours, but everyone had made it to the Sushi High Roller. The grunts were told to stay on guard as everyone else entered the building. 

Guzma may not be knowledgeable in the whole underground dealing thing, but he is smart enough that you cannot bring unnecessary people. It’s better to steer far from the underground if you are not a potential client, an informant, or someone needing some connections. He was also smart enough to have Plumeria do all of the talking since she has the most experience regards to the underground world. 

“What will you like to order,” a hostess asked.

“A Necrozma special infused with the Dawn Mane,” Plumeria replied. Since it is morning, Plumeria was using the morning password to gain access to the secret room. Dusk is for evenings and nights while Dawn is for mornings and daytime. “One for each of us.”

“Please follow the waiter,” the hostess responds. “Pay when you are satisfied.”

The trio was escorted to the underground bar and seated themselves at an empty table. Plumeria place one heart scale in front of Guzma, Ash, and herself before waiting for someone to appear. Guzma was unsure why Plumeria place a heart scale on the table until he saw a man approaching. He also heard Plumeria quietly commenting that it was the same man from her last visit. This must be the man who gave Plumeria the coordinations of the Distortion Group’s base. As much he appreciates the man for selling Plumeria the information, he does not enjoy how the man’s attention is focused on Ash.

“You are all mad,” the man commented. “No sane person will go against the Distortion group.”

“So,” Plumeria counter. “He’s my son. Now, are you going to help us, or are you going to judge us.”

“Calm down,” the man said as he put his hand up. “ You each have a heart scale in front of you, and I’m willing to make you all fake documents.”

“Here is the three-star pieces, nine big pearls, and three nuggets,” Plumeria offered. “I’ll throw in a balm mushroom if you produce the documents in record speed.”

The man looks at the trio for a second before giving a sinister grin. He took the items and started chuckling. 

“Give me the information, and I’ll have it done in two hours,” the man chuckled. “But please, entertain me by stating your plan for all of this?”

“The boy is starting his journey,” Plumeria said.  “As a ten year old boy born from Kanto while his married Kantoian parents travel around the world.”

“That’s not too hard,” the man explained. “I’ll make you a marriage certificate so no one will question your relationship to the boy.”

Plumeria handed the man a balm mushroom and a list of everything she wants the man to forge. She already prepared everything she wants the fake documents to contain on a list. The man grabs the balm mushroom, inspect it, and put it in his pockets. He also grabs Plumeria’s list, checks it, folds it, and places it underneath his fedora.

“In two hours, I will return,” the man spoke before leaving the table. 

Two hours had passed, and the man had returned with the fake documentation. He first handed Guzma the fake marriage certificate. Next, he gave Guzma a fake birth certificate that stated that the Ash was a ten-year-old boy born in Pallet Town in the Kanto region. Since the town was in the middle of nowhere, no one will pay attention to the statement’s authenticity. As for his son’s surname, it was a Necro. Plumeria’s fake surname was also Necro since she was supposedly married to a man with the surname Necro. Guzma can’t believe that they gave everyone a surname that means death. 

“The boy will need to leave within a week to the Kanto region if he is to obtain his first pokemon,” the man explained. “I would also recommend coaching the boy to respond with Ash Necro and being a ten-year-old boy instead of being barely nine years.”

Guzma looked at the fake passports, residence papers, region ID, and his son’s trainer ID. The man has thought of everything and attempted to cover all bases. He even gave Guzma his schedule for future purposes.

“If you pay the landlord every quarter, he will continue to verify that the Necro family is living in the apartment complex,” the man added. “In reality, no one is living in the apartment complex, but you need a place of residence to prevent suspicion from the league.” 

Guzma nodded his head in understanding and looked at his son. Today is the day where everything changes. No longer will he have to wake up to Ash's excitement or have him join in that’s evening dinner. For his son’s safety, Ash will be going to another region and start his journey years earlier. Guzma may not agree with Kanto’s view of adulthood, but it had been proven useful. It may be painful at first, but he will get used to not having his son around the base. 

“I appreciated everything you have done,” Plumeria thanked. “I will make sure that any future services are compensated well.”

The man chuckled and left the trio to their own devices. From this day forward, everything was going to change. Nothing will be the same for Team Skull, especially for the boy who was the boss’s son and the grunts’ youngest brother. 

Chapter Text

Before Ash departed for the Kanto region, he made sure to give Acerola a call explaining everything. He hates abandoning his best friend as he goes off to travel, but it was for his well-being. Secretly, he prays that Acerola will be understanding of everything and be lenient on her lecturing of his stupidity in challenging a mercenary group.

“Hi Ash,” Acerola exclaimed. “I was so worried about you when your parents told me that you were missing!”

“I’m fine,” Ash replied as work up the courage to inform her of everything that had transpired. “It’s just something that had happened, and I need to leave Alola.”

“What do you mean” Acerola questioned. Her smile slowly transformed into a neutral face as her eyes grow in concern. “Everything is alright….right?”

“The Distortion mercenary group has targeted me,” Ash bluntly stated. “They will start looking for me so they can capture me and sell me to the highest bidder. “

“Ash, how did this happen” Acerola shouted. 

Ash begins to mumble incohesive words as he turned his face to the right. Acerola, growing tired of not understanding Ash’s mumbling, politely ask him to speak more slowly and clearly.

“I threw aura spheres at them and tried to take them on a fight,” Ash embarrassingly admits as he ignored his friend’s tense stares. “And I let them follow me so I can fight them.”

“Ash, that was extremely stupid,” Acerola exasperatedly said. “That how you get hurt and kidnapped!”

“I’m sorry,” Ash apologizes. “I promise I will be more careful in Kanto.”

“And give me your number so we can stay in contact,” Acerola added. “Dear Arceus, we need someone to watch over you.”

Once Ash was done explaining everything to Acerola, he turned off his mother’s device and head straight to bed. Tomorrow, he will be leaving the Alola region to start his journey years ahead of schedule. He’s excited that he can accomplish his dream, but at the same time, he’s devastated that he will be leaving his family behind.  

The start of his journey did not go as planned at all. First, his obnoxious loud alarm clock did not go off with its annoying beeping. It worked in previous mornings but the day he was supposed to receive his pokemon was the day the alarm clock decided to stay silent. Next, he was running late, so he dashed to Professor’s Oak lab in his pajamas. He didn’t care he was making a fool of himself in front of the town’s resident.  Mud and grass continue to stain his pajamas as he hurries to the lab, but that didn’t matter to Ash. He can always return to his current place of residence and changes into a different set of clothes. All he cared about is obtaining a lifelong partner to share his experiences and journey to become a pokemon master. However, there was one problem.

“All the Pokemon have been taken,” Oak’s explained to Ash. “The other three trainers have come by and obtained their starter. 

“What am I suppose to do,” Ash said in a panicked tone. “Are you sure there is no other pokemon you can give me?”

“Well, there is one pokemon, but it may be too much to handle,” Oak admitted. “If you truly want to receive a pokemon today, I can give you the Pikachu I caught the other night.”

“Why did you catch the Pikachu,” Ash inquired.

“That bugger was eating the electric cable,” Oak stated with a tone of annoyance. “That Pikachu was causing thousands in damages.”

Oak had eventually lead Ash to a stand that was holding one Pokeball. He motioned Ash to stand back as he releases the pokemon from the Pokeball. Moments later, on the floor, stood an angry-looking Pikachu. Ash, none the wiser, sat on the floor so he can enthusiastically hug the Pikachu. As for Pikachu, he does not appreciate a random boy touching him and being on the receiving end of a bone-crushing hug. Out of instinct, he gave the boy an electric shock. Ash immediately let go of Pikachu as shouted in pain as Pikachu gave the boy an amused looked.

“Are you sure you want Pikachu,” Oak questioned. “You can wait for a few weeks for the next batch of pokemon to arrive.”

“No, I’m alright with Pikachu,” Ash replied as he put on rubber gloves. “After spending time alone with each other, I am sure we are going to become best friends.”

“You seem pretty confident about that,” Oak remarked.

“Oh, I’m sure we share a lot of things in common,” Ash smiled. He began to tie a rope around Pikachu as Pikachu glared at the raven hair boy.“I’m sure Pikachu will be thrilled to have someone who shared a few common traits!”

Oak gave Ash a confused look before dismissing the Boy’s oddity. Pikachu stopped glaring at the boy and gave a look of confusion. The human and pokemon were both surprised by the young trainer’s statement. The raven hair boy must be extremely confident in his ability to connect to pokemon. 

Ash spent the first hour dragging Pikachu to his residence to change into clothes more suited for travel. Pikachu did try to use it as an opportunity to escape, but Pikachu fell for Ash’s bribe of a bowl of berries. If Pikachu stays put for the 15 minutes it takes for Ash to changed and snatch his backpack, Ash will let Pikachu eat a whole bowl of berries. He listened to a human for once in Pikachu’s life and did not give an electric shock to an unsuspecting victim. The large bowl of Oran, Sitrus, Cherri, Lum, and plenty of other assorted berries Ash held out on the cups of his hands convinced Pikachu to stick around with the trainer.  

After 15 minutes of waiting, Ash walked out in a different outfit, a backpack strapped to his back, and the most important thing of all, a bowl of berries Ash promised to Pikachu. The moment Ash placed the bowl onto the ground, Pikachu began to devour the berries. As Pikachu enjoy eating some high-quality berries, Ash sat on the ground and decided to surprise the unsuspecting pokemon. While Pikachu was distracted in his eating, Ash slowly crafted a small, electric ball on his right-hand palm. When that didn’t catch Pikachu’s attention, Ash crafted another electric ball on the palm of his left hand.  After several minutes of holding two bright, electric balls in his hand, Pikachu began to notice the room's sudden brightness. He lifted his head from the bowl and looked at the source of the sudden brightness. Once Pikachu’s eyes laid on Ash, Pikachu began to shutter as berry juice drip down from his chin.

“I can produce electric spheres,” Ash happily cheered. “I can do a few other electric moves and a Rain Dance!”

Pikachu continues to stare at the boy in shock. He rubbed his eyes once to see if he was dreaming. Once Pikachu was done rubbing his eyes, he continues to see Ash giving a wide smile as he continues to hold out his hands. 

“My dad and mom said I’m special,” Ash mentioned as he stares at his two palms. “They did everything for me. Protected and love me with their heart’s content. I just wish I didn’t have to leave them so soon.”

Pikachu slowly crept closer to the mysterious trainer. Pikachu would be lying if he said that he wasn’t curious about the recent turn of events. It appears that there is more to the boy than he expected. Perhaps this was what Ash meant back in the lab when asked about his capabilities to tame a wild pokemon. 

“I can do things humans can’t normally do,” Ash rambles. “Mom and Dad told me to be careful because there is all sort of bad people who love to use me in their schemes.”

Now Pikachu began to feel something in his chest for the boy. No! He is not feeling sadness for the boy! Pikachu is still planning to have the boy release him once they get out of this building. 

“I’m on my own for the first time,” Ash bitterly laugh. “Now I think about it, my parents did shelter me from the outside world. Sure, I knew the crimes they did and got a taste of the underground world.”

Great, now Pikachu is a growing concern for the boy. He wasn’t planning on getting attached to the boy!

Ash sighs as he continues on with his ramblings. “I spent my entire life in my home, in the forest, and a few times at a playground.”

And it is too late. Pikachu had decided that he grew too attached to the boy, and now he does not have the heart to leave him. At least Ash seems like a decent trainer. It does help that Ash can perform some nonhuman abilities. 

“Now I need to run away from being tacked down from the Distortion group,” Ash said as he tried not to cry. “I alone in a new region with all my friends and my best friend is halfway across the world!”

Pikachu attempted to comfort the boy by slowly walking up to the boy and patting Ash’s knee. Pikachu may not understand everything that the boy meant but understood a few crucial things. First, the boy was alone in a new environment. Next, his life is in danger. Lastly, Ash’s special abilities can attract some unwanted attention. All thoughts of leaving have left the pokemon mind and now Pikachu is willing to stay with the boy.

“Do you really mean that Pikachu,” Ash said in shock. “You are okay being my partner?”

Pikachu gave a firm nod.

“Even if you are in danger by being associated with me,” Ash questioned. “Mom told me that some cultist would kill me if it was discovered I have an aura.”

Pikachu gave another nod. 

“Dad said that the Distortion group are hidden throughout the world,” Ash added. “Are you okay with that as well?”

Pikachu gave another nod and demanded Ash to let him get on his shoulder.

“I promise we will be together forever,” Ash smiled. “I won’t make you do anything you are uncomfortable with.”

Using Ash’s statement as an opportunity as a way to list out his demands, Pikachu pointed at the Pokeball on Ash’s belt and vigorously shook his head. Seconds later, Ash understood what Pikachu was trying to convey.

“You want to stay out of your Pokeball,” Ash commented as Pikachu nod in agreement. “Sure, you can stay out instead of being in your Pokeball. 

After a few moments of silence, Ash decided that it was a perfect time to leave his current residence and start on heading out. It will be smooth s

ailing from here on out!

The last three hours were not smooth sailing at all. Ash sat down on the Pokemon Center’s couches as he waited for news about Pikachu’s and the red-haired girl’s condition. He reviewed everything that had transpired in the past few hours that made him question his luck.

 First, Ash’s perform a Rain Dance at the worst timing ever. Ash wanted to show off Pikachu of all the cool things he can do which involved a Rain Dance. Pikachu was reasonably annoyed with Ash because now they are both soaking wet. Ash bluntly ignore Pikachu’s glare and continue walking in the lush forest. After several minutes of walking, Ash stopped to show Pikachu something else. Ash decided that it was a wonderful opportunity to perform the move Thunder. As a result, it began a thunderstorm.

Next, Ash found a red-haired girl being attacked by a flock of Spearows. The girl was unconscious as she lay trapped underneath a large tree branch. It was likely the branch was struck by lightning and fell off the tree.  Now Ash felt incredibly guilty for causing the storm and injuring an innocent bystander. Deciding that he needs to do the right thing, he hastily pulled the tree branch off the girl. After the girl was free from the tree branch, he carried the girl as he began to run away from the flock. 

Third, Ash was surrounded by dozens of Spearows. He was going to gently lay the girl on the ground so he can use his abilities to fight off the pokemon, but something else happened. Pikachu was struck by lightning and utilized it to electrocute the wild pokemon. However, Pikachu never used an electric type pokemon as strung as Thunder, so it had exhausted the pokemon. Out of panic, Ash carried the red-haired girl with one arm as he grabbed Pikachu with his free arms. Awkwardly, Ash carried the human and pokemon as he dashes to the nearest pokemon center. 

Now, Ash was sitting alone in the pokemon center, waiting to hear about his pokemon’s and the girl’s condition. Luckily, he did not have to wait long as Nurse Joy came out with Chansey. Chansey was pushing a cart that had Pikachu standing proudly on top of. 

“Pikachu is alright with some additional rest” Nurse Joy explained. “Make sure he does not use moves he is not ready to utilized or have any mastery in.”

“As for the girl,” Ash asked. “What about her?”

“She has a sprained ankle,” Nurse joy replied. “She shows no signs of a concussion but heavy bruising on top of her head. Are you her traveling companion?”

“No, I saw her unconscious as I made my way through the forest” Ash mentioned as he grabs ahold of his Pikachu. “I saw that Spearows surrounded her and I can’t just leave someone behind.”

“That’s very brave of you,” Nurse Joy commented. “However, try to be more careful next time.”

Ash smiled as Nurse Joy and Chansey left them alone. Minutes later, the red-haired girl walks out of the medical room and walks toward his direction.

“Are you Ash,” the unknown girl inquired. 

“Yes, I hope you are alright,” Ash said, hiding his guilt. “I just can leave someone alone while being attacked by wild pokemon.”

“The Spearows chased me before the storm came out of nowhere,” the girl clarified. “The next thing you know, I was knock out.”

“I’m glad you are alright,” Ash commented. “Where are you heading now?”

“I don’t know,” the girl respond before she made a realization. “Oh, I’m sorry. I never gave you my name. My name is Misty.”

“If you want, you can travel with me,” Ash suggested as Pikachu nodded. “You are free to leave anytime you want, and don’t feel like you are force to join me!”

Misty looks at Ash before giving him an answer. “That sounds like a good plan. I don’t have anything else planned.”

Chapter Text

Ash is starting to understand his father’s constant stress and worry regards to the type of situation Ash gets to. No, the incident with Jessie, James, and Meowth is not the situation he was referring to since there were no consequences for him. Heck, officer Jenny congratulated him for his courage to get into a physical altercation with Jessie and James! It is a good thing that Guzam taught Ash some basic fighting techniques, which was a nicer way of saying plain old street brawling. Fighting dirty like tossing James toward Jessie before he charged toward them of the window. It was a good thing that they were on ground level! However, this time, Ash did something that may have some potential consequences for his actions.

“Ash punched your dad,” Misty stated in complete shock. She turned to face Brock as she pointed to the scene that is happening behind her. Behind Misty’s back, there was Ash standing up and glaring at Flint. On the other hand, Flint clutching his stomach on the ground while groaning on the ground.”

 “I didn’t expect Ash to actually do it,” Brock responded as he looked at the same scene as Misty. “When he said that he will punch Flint on my behalf, I thought that he was joking.”

Ash continued to glare at the man below him, with Pikachu calmly place on Ash’s shoulder. Pikachu doesn’t care if Ash just punches a random stranger who was supposed to be his newly made friend’s father. All Pikachu cared about is Ash’s well-being and if Ash gives him attention daily. However, Pikachu does find it funny that the man Ash punched in the gut is still withering in pain. Ash was right when he explained that his father taught him to fight without mercy!

“Why would a parent do that” Ash ranted to Flint without a care to the older man’s pain. “You created him and nine other children! Act like a decent person and step up your role as a father!” 

“I deserve that,” Flint responded as he composed himself. “You didn’t hold back in that punch, didn’t you?”

“No,” Ash quickly answered. “I don’t know why you pretended to be a random guy selling overpriced stones on the street instead of, oh, I don’t know, visit the children you left behind.” 

“I was ashamed to show myself,” Flint manage to voice out. 

“I should probably hit you for not showing up to the gym, but I think Ash has already beaten enough of your pride,” Brock answered. 

“Was that really necessary Ash,” Misty questioned as she turned to face Ash. “Do you really need to punch someone to prove a point.”

“Yes,” Ash said matter of factly. “Brock is too nice to not punch his father in the face.”

“Ash, did you not hear me when I said I should probably hit my dad,” Brock stated. 

“Yes, but I feel like you are too...what’s the word for it” Ash said as he tried to find the word he was looking for,

“Mature,” Misty commented. 

“Yeah, mature,” Ash finished. 

Ash knew that Brock was not mad at him for punching at Flint. If he was, Brock would have already told him his disappointment. For some reason, when Brock mentioned that he took care of nine siblings, it reminded him of his mom. On those rare days where Plumeria talked about her past, she reminisces the times she took care of her siblings. Plumeria spoke fondly about her younger siblings and all the things she will do for them to keep them entertained. However, after reminisces for several minutes, she would complain about how often she was left alone to care for her siblings. Her parents were one of the last of their kind, so they had too many obligations to fulfill without much support from the World council. Brock shared some similarities with his Plumeria regards to loving and caring for their younger siblings, yet harbor significant disappointment in their parent’s involvement. Still, they cannot completely hate their parent.

Brock and Flint continued on with their conservation as Misty reevaluated her life choices. As for Ash, he was thinking about the chains of events that lead him to this situation. All he wanted to do is challenged the Pewter’s City gym, collect his badge, travel, and repeat the cycle until he collects eight gym badges. He didn’t expect to have two traveling companions, nor did he expect that he will punch someone so early in his journey. 

It started when Ash accidentally a few stones a random guy was selling in the streets. When the random guy with the beard and red cap commented that Ash needs to pay for the broken merchandise, Ash didn’t bother to argue. It was true that he destroyed someone else property, so he must take responsibility for his actions. He remembered when he accidentally broke a grunt’s phone, so Guzma made him buy a new phone for the grunt with his allowance. 

“I’’m sorry, here’s the money for the broken merchandise,” Ash apologized. 

“For a minute, I thought you would protest,” the unknown bearded man admitted. 

“I was raised like that,” Ash answered, completely ignoring the fact that his parents are basically criminals of a small region. “Now, I have to go somewhere.”

Ash was heading toward the Pewter City’s gym, but he was stopped when the unknown man made a comment. 

“Are you challenging the gym leader” the man questioned. 

“Yes, why else am I going there” Ash answered as he stopped walking. “I need to collect eight badges to qualify for the league.”

“Don’t bother trying,” the man warned. “His pokemon is to strong to win against.”

“And,” Ash stated as he waited for the man to continue. 

“You are not going to win,” the man answered. 

“Well, it is a good thing that I am determined to try my best,” Ash replied as he begins o pet his Pikachu. “If there is one thing I know, it is to never back down from a challenge!” 

Ash may have failed to inform the man that Misty went ahead and is waiting for him at the gym. However, the man doesn’t need to know that.

The second chain to Ash situation was battling Brock. To be fair, he had lost to the guy in the first round, but that didn’t matter. He was starting out on his journey to be a pokemon master! It had only been a few days, so of course, he didn’t understand much about battle, strategy, or other necessary components of being a trainer. His original plan was to begin studying at age 10, so he was prepared to travel years later in his mid-teens. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as plan. That is why Ash had Pikachu use a quick attack followed by a thundershock on Brock’s Onix.  Ash was about to have Pikachu finish the battle until he saw nine young children run toward the fallen Onix.

“Stop hurting him, you big bully,” the youngest girl cried out. “Our brother trained so hard to raise Onix!”

“Yeah, stop it you meanie,” the youngest boy shouted. 

“What you doing here” Brock ordered. “This is an official gym match, and we are going to finish the match.”

Ash took a few seconds to analyze the situation in front of him. Right now, there are nine angry children staring at him like he is the most evilest person to ever walk on the planet. Brock is trying to order them to leave the field so they can continue to the match. Pikachu is waiting impatiently for the children to leave so he can end the match. However, Ash decided that it was better to call off the match. There is no way he is having Pikachu finish the match where there are risks of harming others or have a part in some family conflict. 

“I forfeit,” Ash yelled, earning a surprise look from Pikachu and Misty.

“You are forfeiting the match,” Misty gasp. “Why are you forfeiting the match? You are close in defeating Onix!”

“I can always come back later,” Ash answered as he motion Pikachu to come to his side. “I proved that I can get stronger from learning from my errors. I’ll come back when I collected several other badges.”

The third event was being followed by Brock after he left the gym with Misty.  Honestly, Ash didn’t expect to be followed by the teenager. 

“You forgot your badge.” Brock was slightly out of breath as he handed Ash the badge.

“But I didn’t finish the match,” Ash pointed out. 

“You still earned it,” Brock responded. “I apologized for being rude toward you during our first match.”

What was Brock talking about? Well, Ash was all excited to have his first gym battle. He thought that will have the opportunity to learn from an experienced trainer and maybe win his first battle. However, he should have taken the huffy, red face teenage boy and his equally furious parents as a sign that the gym leader was not in a good mood. How was Ash suppose to know that Brock was overworked from accepting gym challenges, doing household tasks, dealing with entitled trainers who bring their equally entitled parents, and raising nine siblings? No, scratch that. Brock is basically the psydo-father for his nine siblings since it appears he is a gym leader as a means to support his siblings.  Ash can understand why Brock mentioned that he would like to punch his father to leave soon after Brock’s mother left.  

“Sorry you have to deal with so many entitled trainers,” Ash reassured Brock. “I didn’t know the Champion League Tournament had so many interested trainers in participating.

“If I knew you were a new trainer, I would not have gotten agitated by your lack of experience,” Brock admitted. “Some trainers like to think they can walk into a gym and win at ease without a strategy.”

“If I see your dad, I will punch him for you,” Ash bluntly told Brock. “I will hit him extra hard for you.”

“I appreciate the sentiment,” Brock answered, not taking Ash’s comment seriously. 

“ Still. You had a lot on your plate,” Ash commented as he tried to emphasize with the teenager. “I think you are doing a good job of raising your siblings without your parents.”

“That means a lot to mean,” Brock replied. “I always wanted to travel and become a pokemon breeder. However, I cannot abandon my siblings to fulfill my dreams. Take the badge given to you to fulfill my dream for me. “ 

Before Ash had a chance to replied, the unknown bearded man appeared. That said man remove his faked beard and red cap to reveal himself. 

“Go follow your dreams Brock,” the man spoke. 

“Father,” Brock said in disbelief. 

The moment Brock had said the word father, Ash decided to throw away all sense of rational thought.

“You’re the good-for-nothing father who left and never came back,” Ash said as he pointed at the man.

“Yes, and my name is Flint,” Flint replied.

Right after Flint stopped talking, Ash immediately walked calmly to Flint before surprising the man with a punch to the gut. Flint didn’t expect Ash to react in such a manner, so he was surprised when Ash begins to swing his right fist. The next thing the man know, he was lying on the ground, clutching his stomach in pain. Misty also appeared after Ash punched the man.

“Flint, did you find Brock and...what the hell happens here,” Misty shouted. 

“He was punched,” Brocked responded as he tried to collect his thought.

“I was giving him directions to find you two,” Misty commented. “He wanted to see you for some reason, Brock.”

Before challenging the Cerulean City’s gym, Ash decided that it was a wonderful time to video call his parents. He allowed Brock and Misty to join in his call instead of waiting for him to finish the call. After several minutes, Guzma answered with Plumeria standing right behind him. 

“Ash, how are you holding up,” Guzma asked. “I hope the life of a trainer is not too hard.”

“It’s great,” Ash excitedly told his parents. “I met some wonderful pokemon and made two new friends. Brock, Misty, say hi to my parents!”

To say that the pair was surprised was an understatement. They didn’t expect Ash’s parents to be so...young. At least in Brock’s and Misty’s perspective, Guzma looked like a stereotypical punk with a large S necklace, a large jacket, and maintaining a slouched position. As for Plumeria, she is heavily tattooed and have intense white eyeliner applied to her eyes. For a few seconds, they look at Ash, someone who appears to be an optimistic, cheerful, sunshine child.  After looking at Ash. They turned to face Plumeria and Guzma. The pair look like they belong to a gang or are heavily associated with the punk scene. 

“Dad, you won’t believe what happened.” Ash was barely holding in his impatience to tell his dad the story.

“What happened” Guzma questioned.

“I finally get to punch someone,” Ash exclaimed. “I punch Brock’s father in the stomach because he was a lousy parent.”

There was a “good job” from Guzma and a “no, Ash, you don’t do that” from Plumeria. 

“I knew teaching you all about a good old fashion brawl will toughen you up,” Guzma proudly said. “I’m glad you remember what your old man taught you!”

“You are only in your mid-twenties,” Ash commented. 

“No Guzma, I thought you are trying to discourage his reckless behavior.” Plumeria sighs as she looked at Ash’s friends. “I am so sorry that my son sometimes loses his rational thought.”

“It’s alright Plumeria, he was angry on my behalf,” Brock responded. 

“Does Ash usually punch random people,” Misty question. “Or is this is a new development?”

“New.” Plumeria glared at Guzma as she begins to talk once more. “I wonder where did Ash found time to learn all about street fighting?”

“I made him practice with a dummy,” Guzma quickly said to defend himself,

It was that day that Misty and Brock learned that Plumeria was a woman to fear.  The gulp from Guzma from the intense gaze of the woman was enough to make an impression on Ash’s friends. 

Chapter Text

Guzma’s first time in Kanto was a unique experience. First, it was so damn cold in this region. It was always sunny and warm in Alola, besides the rainy season, where the weather will turn cold for the rainy season. Next, people here are not that affectionate with their pokemon in public. Unless you have a small or adorable pokemon, the trainer’s pokemon are spent inside of their pokeballs. People were giving him judgemental looks when he was walking out in public with his pokemon. Plumeria doesn’t seem to mind the judgemental looks she was given. 

“The people of Kanto sure don’t like outsider,” Guzma observed. He was noticing the whisper that several Kanto residents were having among themselves. They need to do a better job in subtly talking shit about others.

“What are you talking about, “Plumeria remarked as she took a pause before speaking again. “We are a traveling, married couple who spend our time around different regions as our profession.”

“I guess you are right,” Guzma played along. “The culture and practices of other regions have rubbed some of it’s influences on us.”

Guzma got the hint! He won’t blow their cover. They are here to see their son perform in the Indigo Plateau Conference, an achievement his son worked toward for. It was such an important event for his son that he flew over from Alola to see his son! Plumeria made him dressed in a different set of clothing instead of his usual Team Skull attire. He hates the charcoal color suit jacket he is wearing, and the white plain button-up shirt Plumeria forced him to wear. The suit pants in the same charcoal color and black polished shoes are also some things he hates wearing. Plumeria can see the misery Guzma is experiencing wearing the attire she had selected for Guzma.

“You are enjoying this, “ Guzma noted. 

“Oh, I am,” She confirmed. “I know I will never get to see you so dressed up until next year.”

Plumeria does not seem to hate what she was wearing. She is wearing a scarlet long sleeve shirt and an onyx color pencil skirt. It is extremely out of character for her to dress somewhat like a businesswoman, especially with the black shoulder bag she is carrying. 

“Let us find some seats,” Guzma commented. “We will get our opportunity to talk to our son after his battle.”

“Try not to get into another fight,” Plumeria mentioned. “We don’t need to cause trouble here.”

Guzma gave Plumeria a dead-on stare before he gave his response.

“No promise.”

Plumeria gave Guzma a brief look of disappointment before moving on into finding seats.

Guzma did not expect to run into Ash’s traveling companions. Does Ash still view them as friends, or does he call everyone he meets as friends? He may never know the answer. As long they continue to treat his son decently, he will not scare them off with his pokemon or attitude. Right now, he is seeing Ash competing with a guy name Ritchie who also has a Pikachu. Plumeria seems content with everything that is occurring at the moment, pointing out critical mistakes Ash and his opponent are making. Brock is providing his own input to the battle, mainly the strategies Plumeria failed to notice occurring in the battle.

“Hey, Guzma, maybe you can answer the squirts’ question,” Plumeria said as she pointed to Ash’s two friends. “They wanted to know how Ash gains his Charizard's approval in a short period of time.”

“What do you mean,” Guzma inquired. “Is there something about his Charizard the would cause him to disobey Ash’s orders?”

“Charizard  is too powerful,” Misty said while looking at the Charizard Ash sent out. “Most trainers struggle to get a pokemon like Charizard to obey instructions or gain the respect of the pokemon.”

“Did Ash have prior experience with pokemon like Charizard,” Brock asked. “Charizard was disobedient to Ash, but it was oddly for a short period of time.”

“How short,” Plumeria interrupted, diverting her attention from the battle. 

“A week,” Brock answered. “After a week, Ash gains Charizard's approval and respect. However, nothing significant occurred during that week. Realistically, Ash’s skill level does not equal to Charizard's.”

“I wish I knew the answer to that,” Guzma lied through his teeth. “Ash has a talent of attracting pokemon, and pokemon seem to adore his presence.”

“Chalk it up to one of the mysteries that is Ash,” Brock replied. 

“Probably,” Misty accepted. “There is no point in asking questions with no answers.”

Guzma does have a theory on why Charizard was so quick too listen to Ash. Guzma may not be at the same level as the world’s champions, but he does have many years of experience under his belt. In another universe, Ash’s Charizard will have openly disobey Ash’s instructions and would most likely cost Ash the match. Pokemon like Charizard will only respect those who show strength and if the trainer’s skill is equal to the pokemon. As much Guzma loves his kid, he is not delusional to believe that his son is a perfect trainer. Realistically, Ash’s experience as a trainer is not enough to gain Charizard's respect. There must be something else that made Charizard listen to Ash.

“Ash needs to defeat one more pokemon,” Misty pointed. “Than he will win this match.”

“Ash can’t afford to get too confident,” Brock mentioned. “A trainer’s worst mistake is getting overconfident and underestimate the opponent.”

“I guess you are right,” Misty affirmed. 

Ash’s friend does have a point. His son cannot afford to become overconfident in his abilities as a trainer. That is a mistake Guzma made plenty of times. Regards to Ash’s overconfidence, Ash still needs to work on that trait. Charizard must know that as well because Guzma can occasionally see Charizard giving Ash an odd look. No, it is not Ash working on his flaws that gain Charizard's respect and intense loyalty. The only reasonable explanation for Charizard to listen to his son’s commands if the pokemon knew about Ash’s abilities. Ash never had the opportunity to speak to him about his ability to produce electricity. There is no discreet way to discuss the topic when Brock and Misty is present.

“He won the match,” Brock spoke. “Ash is moving to the top 8.”

“I am so proud of my son,“ Plumeria spoke in a fond voice. “He worked so hard to reach this far in the league.”

Charizard and Ash’s pokemon must know something that no one else knows. Guzma feels like there is a key piece of information missing. Charizard may view Ash as a pokemon because of his ability to perform pokemon moves. For crying out loud, no human can perform a Rain Dance or Thunder! Maybe Ash physically battled his pokemon and gain respect from Charizard that way? Guzma really wishes he knew the answer to Ash’s capabilities to make pokemon love and listen to him without a second thought. 

Ash did not expect his parents to be in Kanto. He expected them to be watching his battles from Alola. When he and Ritchie searched for Brock and Misty, he was surprised to see his parents. Don’t get him wrong, it was a wonderful surprise! He simply wrongly assumed that his parents would be too busy with managing Team Skull to travel across the world to see him compete. 

“Mom, dad, you are here to see me,” Ash cheered as he ran up to hug both of his parents. “Did you see me win the match? Ritchie was a very strong opponent for me to battle.”

“I see that son, you both did well,” Guzma admitted. He is not going to completely ignore the other kid’s effort to win the league. Besides, his parent's meter is going off for some reason.

“Oh, I forgot to introduce you to my parents,” Ash continued. “Ritchie, there are my mom and dad, Plumeria and Guzma. Mom, dad, this is my friend Ritchie. He has a Pikachu like me!”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Ritchie,” Plumeria warmly introduced herself. “It’s no wonder you are Ash’s friend.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Plumeria,” Ritchie stammered. 

“Please, call me by Plumeria, Ritchie,” Plumeria stated. “Miss makes me old.”

“And don’t call me Mr,” Guzma added. “Guzma is fine by me. I don’t need to feel older than I actually am.”

“Alright,” Richie confirmed.

Guzma can feel it in the air. Plumeria’s parent meter is also going off, as indicated by how warmly Plumeria is treating Ritchie. Guzma doesn’t think that Brock or Misty noticed how  Plumeria treats Ritchie slightly more gently than them. Ah, do you smell that? It smells like a potentially traumatized child who is taking his pokemon journey in an attempt to escape from his trauma. How does he know this? Because that was basically what he did when he took the trials! Also, the kid is displaying the same behavior he was displaying during his youth. 

“So, what are we eating” Ash blurted out. “I’m hungry for some food.”

“Let go to the street vendors,” Misty suggested. “ I heard they are selling some international food!”

“I heard some of the vendors are selling food items for specific trainers,” Ritchie mentioned. “I want to get something for my pokemon.” 

“Some of what the vendors are selling will heal your pokemon status condition,” Brock clarified. “There are also food items tailored to coordinators.”

“What do you mean Brock,” Ash asked.

“A lava cookie is Hoenn’s delicacy that can heal all status conditions from a pokemon,” Brock explained. “ However, Poffins are used by Sinnoh coordinators for contest performances while Pokeblock is popular for Hoenn’s coordinators.”

“Is there any regular international food,” Misty asked.

“Poke Beans from Alola,” Plumeria said. “It’s a simple but delicious snack common in the Alola region.”

“ There is also Big Malasadas in Alola,” Guzma added to Plumeria’s statement. “It is used as a cure for status conditions and confusion.”

“Great, now I want some,” Ash said as he rubbed 

“What are we waiting for, let’s go” Guzma said as he gestures his hand to the direction of the vendor. “Let get some food!” 

Meanwhile, with Ash pokemon...

While the humans eat together, Ash’s pokemon was eating with the other trainer pokemon. As the pokemon eat their respective dishes, one of the pokemon decided to start a conservation.

“Hey Charizard, I heard something interesting from Guzma earlier from today.”Pikachu was first eating a Poke Bean. He wanted to try something from his trainer’s home region. 

“How does it involve me?” Charizard is eating spicy Pokeblocks. 

“I heard Guzma muttering about possible explanations on why you were willing to listen to our trainer.” Pikachu is now eating his second Poke Bean. 

“He’s a Legendary Child.” Charizard gave his response as if every pokemon knew the story about the legendary children.

“A legendary what?” Brock’s Onix was confused about Charizard’s statement. 

“Something a pokemon told me a long time ago.” Charizard is continuing to eat his spicy Pokeblocks.

“What is it!” Squirtle was growing impatient from the suspense.

“It was said that the legendary children are scattered around the world. Ash is one of the legendary children spoken in legends.” Charizard appears to be confident in his answer, indicated by how fast he gave his answer.

“What would make you say that.” Pikachu is curious about his companion and friend reasoning.

“He can perform electric-type moves. He can do a Rain Dance and is an aura user.” Charizard had finished his Pokeblocks and is now eating some spicy poffin.

“Okay, you got us there, but what is the purpose of Legendary children?” Pikachu stopped eating because he is fully invested in Charizard’s explanation.

“Some say the deities wanted children to raise. Others say that the legendary children are supposed to fulfill the missing roles of the world, like Miracles, Karma, and other things of the world not represented by our current deities.”

“So Ash is a child god.” Pikachu should be surprised, but he knows his trainer. He’s not your average trainer.  Nothing is ever normal about his trainer. 

“And it's something we should keep to ourselves.” Charizard appears to be very serious when giving his comment.

“But I should tell my trainer.” Misty’s Staryu does not believe that secrets should be kept from trainers. 

“Staryu, it should be Ash’s decision when he figures out his status as a legendary child.” Charizard was giving the pokemon a serious look.

“But…” Some of the pokemon begin to argue with Charizard until Charazard gave his response.

“Unless you want your trainer to be targeted and killed, keep it to yourself.” Charizard was finished with his food. “The time will come when it is revealed, but it is not safe. Our trainers are too weak to defend themselves if the information is revealed to the wrong person.”

After that statement, all the pokemon reluctantly agreed that everything Charizard revealed to everyone should be kept to themselves. Additionally, they need to live with the fact that Ash is basically a child god and technically got authority over them than a typical trainer. It is something no one expects. However, Ash himself doesn’t know that his is a legendary child. When Pikachu tried to ask Charizard to tell Ash the news, Charizard said their trainer needed to hear it from his parent to believe it. 

Lance is not doing so well. First, Red went missing again after deciding to abandon his Champion position. Due to being Kanto’s former champion, he was asked to return to being Kanto’s champion while maintaining his position as Johto’s champion. That by itself is not a major concern. What was a significant problem was that Red is increasing his frequency and duration of time he spends isolating himself from the world. Lance cannot contact him, and Silver is currently unreachable. Blue refuses to tell him the reason why his nephew continues to disappear or Red’s location. Green was more willying to let bits of information slip. She claimed that Red needs time to collect his thoughts. Right now, said two trainers are in the same room as him.  If he didn’t have to prepare for an exhibition match with the league's winner, he would be searching for Red himself.

“Leave my boyfriend alone,” Blue nearly threatened. “He needs time alone from everything.”

“Time alone? He left and abandoned his position without trying to contact anyone,” Lance tried to contain his frustration, but the stress was getting into him. He was struggling to manage the Johto region due to increase activity from Team Rocket. 

“Okay, so he can do better in notifying others about his departure,” Blue acknowledge. “However, you do realize that he has severe PTSD, right?”

“How does that have to do with anything,” Lance replied back, not seeing the meaning of Blue’s statement. 

“Being a champion a few years after his mother’s death at the age of ten is too much,” Green stated. “He should have never become a champion that young! Don’t forget that he fought Team Rocket a few years into being the champion. You know, the same group who was responsible for the cruise incident.”

In the end, Red’s behavior is rooted in his childhood trauma. Even a couple of years after the cruise incident, Red cannot fully process everything that happened. Blue continues to glare daggers at Lance, as Green impatiently taps her foot on the floor. Fine, Lance got the message. He should become more aware of mental health disorders and more sensitive to what Blue describes as triggers. 

“I got the message,” Lance spoke to the angry teenagers. “I will be more sensituve to Red’s needs. “

“Make it illegal for a champion to be under the age of 18,” Blue added. “Since you know, we are still technically too young to deal with the world’s bullshit.”

“Better do it fast, I heard it is still a controversial topic among trainer’s parents,” Green explained. “I heard the parents of Pallet Town discussing how there should be an age requirement to become the champion.”

“Gold and Silver said the same thing,” Blue mentioned. “They were taking a vacation in Kalos last year, and people there have been talking about the same thing!”

Fine, Lance understands what Blue and Green want him to do. He will put a temporary order that the region’s champion must be at least 18 years old to keep the position. While the temporary order is in effect, he will propose the idea to the next World Council meeting so the risk of a child becoming a champion in any major region will not happen. He does not have to worry about the Orange Islands or the smaller region about the proposal. If he does everything correctly, no child will have the same responsibilities as the champion.

“You achieve your goal,” Lance admitted. “I will place a temporary order that will have an age requirement to become champion of Kanto.”

“And,” Blue slowly said, as if he was trying to mock the man.

“I will bring the idea to the world council,” Lance continued. “Despite doing all this, you two will continue to refuse to tell me Red’s location.”

Blue and Green silent before Blue decided to give Lance a vague answer.

“Red is finally at the final stages of grief,” Blue explained to Lance. Blue is not going to tell Lance that Red’s theory of Delia giving birth to a younger sibling, or how Red was on a years-long goose chase finding a clue about the whereabouts of his missing younger sibling. Red was certain that Delia was pregnant. 

“It was a hard time for everyone,” Lance emphasized, without knowing the true meaning of Blue’s words. 

“He accepted his reality,” Green commented. She knew that Red is at the point where he accepted that his youngest sibling was dead. A body was not found, but there were a lot of charred bodies that went unclaimed, including infants. Red’s youngest sibling likely was one of those bodies. It was an answer no one will ever know. 

Chapter Text

Guzma was extremely proud and excited! His son made it to the finals! Ash and his pokemon made it to the finals! The grunts back home must be celebrating because his boy made it to the end! If Guzma was competing in the league during his first year of a trainer, he would not have made it to the finals. Realistically, the league required a more diverse set of pokemon. He specialized in bug-type pokemon and would do poorly in the ice fields. Additionally, if he made it halfway to the league, the other trainers would have time to get familiar with their opponent. Logically, the trainers who knew that they are battling against him will use their fire-type pokemon to defeat his bug types. 

It was a bitter pill to swallow that he was that predictable as a trainer. He needs to teach his pokemon how to defend themselves when they are at a clear disadvantage. The league is completely different than the Islands’ Trials. It is a good thing that Ash is getting an early experience in the world to better defend himself from threats. Maybe he should take a trip somewhere to train his pokemon as Plumeria prevent him from dying from his dumb as self. A remote snowy mountain might do him well.

“Both of them are on their last pokemon,” Misty said with anticipation. “I can’t believe Ash might have a chance to win the league.”

“If Ash wins the league, he will have the opportunity to battle against Lance,” Brock added. “He can fight for the championship title.”

“I hate it to break it to you, buddy, but that is not going to happen,” a voice said from behind.

Everyone turned around to see two nearly identical pairs of children with brown hair. One happens to have short hair while the other kid had long hair. 

“Green, Blue, it been a while,” Brock greeted. “And you continue to wear matching outfits. Why am I not surprise.”

“You know them Brock,” Ritchie asked. 

“I became a gym leader around the same time they became trainers,” Brock clarified. 

“Brock, you became a gym leader when you were like, six” Green pointed out. “By the way, I heard your deadbeat dad was beaten by a kid and is running the gym now. Good for you.”

“Are people still talking about that,” Misty said in disbelief. “It’s because Ash punched him, isn’t it.”

“Damn right that is,” Green smiled. “Someone videotape it. It went viral on Sick Clock.”

“Only young trainers use that,” Plumeria mentioned. “Which probably make the whole incident an inside joke for the younger trainers.

Guzma can feel the glare Plumeria was giving him. She still has not forgiven Guzma for teaching their child to street fight and encourages Ash to perform acts of violence. How was he supposed to know that his son will go viral on a social media platform for the young generation? Ash doesn’t seem like the person who cares about that sort of thing, but Plumeria does. She has the mature, mother instinct that attempts to counter his impulsive, father instinct. 

“Wait, you actually encourage the kid to punch people,” Green interrupted Guzma’s train of thought. “Dude, your son is a legend.”

“Oh Arceus no,” Plumeria mutter to herself. “Why did you do this to me Guzma?”

“Can we go back to explaining why my son cannot gain the championship title,” Guzma pleaded. He does not want everyone to talk about his parenting techniques. It was not his fault that he was raised with shitty parents, has no prior parenting experiences, and spent years trying to relearn healthy relationship patterns with others! Sometimes, old habits die hard, like using physical aggression as a solution to the problem.

“Oh that,” Blue answered back. “Lance increases the age requirement to become a champion.”

“I thought Lance would take longer to increase the age requirement to become a champion,” Brock answered. “The rare times I see Red, he seems to be miserable and disconnected from reality. What had changed?”

“Red disappearing again,” Green reported. She might as well tell one of the former gym leaders about the reason for the rule changes. “Lance finally acknowledged that allowing and pressuring a ten year old to become and fulfill the responsibility of a champion is too much.”

Guzma could have sworn he heard Blue cough out “a dick move,” but that might be his imagination. 

“That actually sounds reasonable,” Misty admitted. She saw for herself the outcome of being a stressed-out gym leader. Just take a look at Brock and his first interaction with Ash. “I know it is hard to be the city’s gym leader. I cannot imagine being a champion.”

“So, what will happen if Ash wins his battle with Lance,” Ritchie inquired. He was quite curious how the rules changes will impact all future tournaments.

“Secondary Champion Status,” Blue explained. “You are acknowledged as someone who defeated the champion but is under the age of 18. Once Ash turned 18, he can have a rematch with Lance and claim prime champion status if he chooses to.”

“Will it require him to do the same duties as a champion,” Guzma asked Blue. “Or is it just a fancy old title?” 

“It’s a title that gives the individual the respect, acknowledgment, and authority of a champion,” Blue notified the father who is questioning him. “He won’t have to register his medical records to the roster or attend the galas.”

“However, that status only applies to the region,” Green informed the group. “Any other region will treat someone Secondary Champion with the same respect as the person carrying the champion title.”

“Which means,” Guzam encouraged the girl to talk.

“Outside of the region, it is treated more like an accomplishment and will not require Ash to be involved in the World Council’s affairs.”

That calms Guzma down. He does not need to worry about his son getting involved in a world-ending, life-death situation anytime soon. Ash may be a trouble magnet, but not to that severity. That’s the world champions' job, not the young trainers or parents of the said trainer. As he watched his son’s Pikachu deal the final blow that won Ash the match, he can rest easy that Ash can continue his travel without attracting the Distortion Group's attention. Ash doesn’t need to be involved in affairs that will attract a lot of attention from nosy champions, mercenary groups who want to sell his kid, or the cultist who killed those they deem “impure.” 

“Ash won the match,” Ritchie whispered. “He’s going to battle the champion tomorrow.”

Guzma took a look at Ash’s cheerful expression as he tightly hugged his Pikachu to his chest. Ash looked happy about the result of the battle. He is bursting from energy and is radiating endless supplies of joy. By looking at him, you can’t tell that Team Skull raised him. He’s far too optimistic, bright, and is not tainted by a troubled childhood. However, if anyone paid closer attention to his son’s actions, they can see that he was raised by what people call delinquents, gangsters, punks, or other similar terms. Ash is not afraid to use violence himself if it means it gets his point across. His lack of real-life experiences is replaced by increased awareness of how unfair reality can be. 

“I won,” Ash cheered. “Dad, mom, I won! I won with the help of my pokemon.”

Ash cannot believe that he won the league. He cannot believe he won! He is going to have the chance to battle with this region champion! He doesn’t know who the champion is, but he knows that the champion will be strong. Is the champion a man, woman, an adult, or a child? Is the champion non-bindary? What type of pokemon does the champion have? Should he alter his strategies so he can get the upper hand?

“I’m so proud of you son,” Plumeria congratulated as he stroke his hair. “You are such a hard-working trainer. “

“Aren’t you usually proud of me,” Ash joked. “Or was it all a lie?

“It was a lie since we are always proud of you, not usually,” Plumeria responded. “Besides, you already a better trainer than your father!”

“Hey, Plumeria, that was rude,” Guzma said as an attempt to defend himself. “I am an awesome trainer who taught Ash some battle strategies!”

“And how to fight apparently,” Misty quipped. “A sunshine boi learning how to punch absent fathers. “

“Is anyone going to let that go already,” Guzma voiced out as his embarrassment grew. “ How is it my fault that my son went viral?”

Ash did not know that we went viral on Sick Clock. How was he supposed to know that someone videotaped him punching Flint! What is humor about him punching a guy after leaving their eldest child to care for the younger siblings? He may never know the answer to that question. However, he can know the two new trainers hanging out with his friends and family. 

“I’m Blue,” Blue stated as if he read his mind.

“I’m Green,” Green added, as she also read his mind.

Oh, so now the two trainers have names. Blue and Green...why does that sound so familiar? Oh, it is because people have mentioned the color trio in Kanto. There’s Red, the mysterious and powerful trainer. No one knew too much about the trainers besides the fact he crashed and raided several of Team Rocket’s bases. He saved hundreds of poached and stolen pokemon throughout the years. He heard rumors that he lost his ability to speak after an accident, but no one can figure out what type of accident had cost the boy his voice.  As for Blue and Green, they are fraternal twins who are equally powerful trainers. However, he heard that Green is more carefree and loves to joke. Blue also loves to joke, but he hears others call Blue the ringer to keep the group together. He most likely prevented Green from doing something chaotic and keep Red in check. It is important to note that everything he knows about Red, Blue, and Green are all rumors and whispers he heard from the streets.

“Well, you are your pokemon should rest” Guzma suggested. “If you want to show who is the fuckin boss tomorrow, you better rest so you can beat his ass.”

“Guzma, there are children here,” Plumeria reminded the man.

“Children, please, we are teenagers,” Blue and Green said at the same time.

Ritchie is not used to the foul language Guzma uses on a daily basis. He was confused about how a parent like Guzma exists. Brock is used to Guzma’s personality because of the amount of time Ash will have a video call with his parents. Misty doesn’t care about the language Guzna uses. Blue and Green like the entertainment his parents bring to the world. Ash plainly accepted that this is his reality. He lived with the grunts for nine years. Nothing in the world can surprise him. 

Looker is tired and wants one day where everything is in order. Silver is currently unreachable, most likely due to him being involved with Gold’s research. Either Silver is indulging in Gold’s research or is taking down another Team Rocket’s based without approval from the International Police, G-men, a pokemon league, or the World Council. He needs someone who can locate and contact Red. Lance had called earlier today, stating that Red had run away from his champion duties again. He told the man multiple times that pressuring his nephew to become champion will backfire on him. Did the man listen? No, he prematurely assumes that time alone will heal the wounds. However, time by itself is not enough to heal. Sure, wounds heal, but the mental scars will continue to linger within the individual’s mind.

“Took you long enough,” Looker bluntly said to his phone..“I think it is about time that the age requirement should increase to age 18.” 

“Of course you would say that,” Lance responded from the phone. 

“All it took was for my eldest son to run away,” Looker added. 

In Looker’s opinion, Lance is doing a mediocre job raising the two boys recently. He was doing fantastic during the first several years after Delia’s death but not anymore. If Looker theory’s is correct, Red ran away because the pressure is getting too much for the teenager. It took a long time for everyone in Kanto to take Red seriously when he became champion. It took years of dedication, hard-work, and involvement in several operations to gain the region's approval and respect. It is the norm for ten-years-old to become trainers and attempt to collect all the badges. However, half of the new trainers do not collect all eight badges in their first year. Once they enter the league, most of the new trainers are eliminated in the first round. Rarely do you have several new trainers reach to final rounds. However, Red broke all rules and expectations. As a result, he was given the opportunity to battle Lance and won.

Unfortunately, Red took the champion position because he felt pressure to accept. It was the expectation, and it was the norm. Once Red took the championship position, his poor son was drowned in paperwork and challenges. Looker nearly lost his composure when Lance refused to give Red a two-week vacation in his first year. Looker nearly has to threaten Cynthia. Diantha, and Steven’s father to chew him out. Looker tried his best to give his son a break from his duties but the International Police often need Looker. There is so much he can do for Red in the past and now.

Regards to Silver, he continues to remain in contact with him and call him dad. Silver openly favors him over Lance, which is why Lance was not able to gain ahold of the boy. He doesn’t know what Silver was planning, but he hopes that he is tracking down his older brother and making sure Red is safe. Looker cannot afford to lose anyone else. He had lost too much already. He needs Delia’s two sons, Red and Silver, to be fine and well. 

“Red, please be alright,” Looker whispered to no one in particular once he hung up his phone. 

Many years into the future, several people would look back and wonder what would have happened if Red had not run away for the last time. What would have happened if Blue and Green never visited Lance before the exhibition match?  Would anyone have increased the age requirement that would have prevented Ash from becoming the prime champion in the regions he traveled? Even if Red was Kanto’s champion during Ash’s time in Kanto, there was a possibility Ash would have won. A possibility where Ash would need to register his medical information, which would have involved a blood test. If he lost the exhibition match in Kanto, it would have been Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, or Kalos, where he would have most likely had won. Blue and Green's persistence to increase the age requirement in Kanto would have led to an international policy change that resulted in all major regions increasing the age requirement for future primary champions. Islands like the Orange Islands do not have the same set of standards, so they are excluded and are not required to submit medical information.

Blue concerns for his boyfriend’s mental health, Green worry for Red’s well-being, Lance’s guilt, and Looker's care for his eldest son were the driving factors for the international policy change that increased the age requirement for champions. Due to the four’s individual actions, they lost the opportunity to discover Delia’s youngest son. Instead, the son will never get the chance to know his biological family and will never have the opportunity to view them as family. The child will continue to grow close to his chosen family and eventually favor his adoptive family when the time comes. 

Chapter Text

Look at his son, battling Lance,  Kanto’s current champion. Actually, that would still be Red because he never gave up his champion status. No one seems to question the Lance is currently battling his son instead of Red. Guzma theorized that Red running away from his champion position is somewhat a common occurrence. He doesn’t like the idea of everyone accepting a kid who is either traumatized or on the verge of a mental breakdown running away every so often. It is something. It leaves a sour taste in his mouth.

“What are you going to do after the exhibition match,” Ritchie questioned Guzma. 

“Stay for a few days before going back to traveling,” Guzma admitted. 

“We will figure out how we will celebrate,” Plumeria added as she continues to cheer for her son. “After the match, we will be celebrating regardless of what is the outcome of the battle.”

Guzma watched as Ash tried to come up with a strategy to counter Lance’s pokemon attack. Most new trainers don’t make it far during their first time in the league, much less collect all eight badges. Ash managed to collect 8 badges on him while befriending two former gym leaders. It was expected that Ash and several other new trainers would have lost in the first several rounds. However, like years before, a young trainer was able to reach and win the final match. It was like history is repeating itself with Ash. Ash was not like the Red kid Blue and Green frequently talk about. Ash is an active, impulsive child who engages in social activities and loves cheering others up. Red is described as a mature, responsible individual who prefers to isolate himself from others.  However, unlike years before, Ash will not be recognized as the primary champion of the Kanto region if he is to win against Lance. He won’t be shackled to the responsibility and pressure of being a champion. That is something Guzma can be secretly grateful for, and he can say confidently that Plumeria agrees with that statement. 

“You must be proud of you son,” Blue voiced out of nowhere. “I don’t remember seeing anyone from our family visiting us during our time competing in the league.”

“Of course I am proud,” Guzma started before he realized what Blue had said. “What do you mean that no one visited you competing in the league.”

“Our grandfather didn’t visit, and Gary was too young to travel on his own,” Green clarified. “He’s planning to start in Johto next year, once he turned 10.”

“Please tell me this is not a normal thing,” Plumeria expressed. “Please tell me that caregivers pr family members normally cheer on their kids?”

“Not really,” Ritchie answered. 

“No,” Misty added. 

“No, it is not the norm,” Brock affirmed. “ You and Guzma are actually acting outside the norm. The majority of individuals here are former trainers, trainers taking a break, families with young children, and bored people.” 

Guzma decided that he does not like Kanto. He never thought he will reach the point where he prefers Alola’s custom over the customs of the other regions. At least in Alola, the adults try to stay involved with their children’s lives. He was the exception and accepted that he was one of the few who fell into the cracks. That doesn’t mean forgiving the individuals who wrongly accuse him of a crime he did not perform, but he can accept it had happened. He can be a petty person when he wants to.

“Does that kid have the devil’s luck,” Green’s breathed out. “How the fuck does a tiny pokemon defeat an Aerodactyl?”

“Try traveling with Ash,” Brock suggested. “He has one of the most unique battling strategies I have ever seen.”

“He sometimes gets into a fistfight with Jessie, James, and Meowth,” Misty said as if it was something that happens every day. 

“He does what now,” Plumeria said in disbelief. “He gets into fights with crinimals!”

Oh no, Guzma knows he is going to get lectured by Plumeria. He thought his son has a tiny bit of self-preservation to not get into fights with criminals. Who is he kidding? Of course, he will getting into a physical altercation with criminals! This is the same kid who tried to fight some mercenaries by tiny aura sphere! 

“Guzma, this is all your fault,” Plumeria accused the man. “What if Ash gets hurt? Why did you think it was a good idea to teach our son how to fist fight, brawl, or whatever you teach him.”

“It’s call self-defense,” Guzma countered. “He could get into situations where he’s alone and needs to fight out of a tricky situation.”

“Ash gets his impulsivity from you,” Plumeria replied. “Brock, Misty, thank you for dealing with my child and all of his reckless behaviors.”

“No problem Plumeria,” Brock answered. “ I learned how to manage Ash’s impulsive behavior.”

“Plumeria, you don’t know how entertaining it is to see him punch James in the face,” Misty admitted. “It’s great.”

Plumeria is giving him a look of disappointment. If Plumeria was anyone else, he wouldn’t have care and would have scoffed at her action. Instead, he fears one thing in the world, and that thing is Plumeria. Why is she his best friend and platonic co-parent to his wonderful son.

“You guys are a riot,” Green laughed. “I wished Oak taught us how to do all that.”

“Green, we would have to try to kill each other,” Blue sighs.

“Everyone, look, Ash is going to beat Lance,” Ritchie voiced out as he pointed to Ash.

Ash’s Charizard and Lance Dragonite were the last two pokemon standing. Both pokemon are tired but attempting to stand strong. Both pokemon took a step forward. Charizard took one step forward, exhausted but still standing proud. Dragonite took a step forward and collapse to the floor. Guzma can’t believe what he saw with his own eyes! His almost ten-year-old son defeated that fucking champion of the Kanto region. The grunts must be going crazy by the news! Who cares if his son doesn’t share similar ideals and values like Team Skull. He already has the talent and work attitude of a trainer!

“Congratulation son,” Guzma whisper to himself. “You are proving to be a better trainer than I ever was.”

Ash had won! He had won his battle against Lance! He would have an easier time defeating Lance if he had allowed himself to use his aura to boost his pokemon’s attacks and heal their bruises. However, he needs to play fair. It is a competition, and it would be wrong to win the league by using his aura. Also, he is slightly terrified that using too much aura would bring unwanted attention like it did in Hoenn. Ash walked toward Charizard to show his appreciation for his effort to fight to the end and win the match. Pikachu is choosing to favor his shoulders at the moment, something that Ash did not mind. Pikachu will tell him when he wants cuddles. 

“Thanks, Charizard,” Ash softly spoke as he pets his pokemon head. “I’m buying everyone their favorite treats.”

Charizard closed his eyes and let Ash continue petting his head. Ash pretended that he didn’t know Charizard liked the attention he was receiving. After petting his pokemon for several minutes, he asked Charizard permission to recall him. After Charizard gave his answer, Ash recalled his pokemon and approached Lance.

“That was a fun battle,” Ash beamed. “I can’t believe that I have won the match.”

“You did well, Ash” Lance acknowledged the trainer. The man struggled to talk to the young trainer standing in front of him. That kid shares too much similarity to Red that it irony is not lost to the man.

“My parents will be so proud of me,” Ash smiled as Pikachu begin to nuzzled his neck. “ They are the reason why I am here right now.” 

What followed afterward was accepting the award and having his photograph taken. Ash does know why but Lance always appeared to be in deep thought when looking at him. Ash don’t believe he did anything wrong during his time in Kanto. Maybe Lance was dealing with a personal problem but put that in the backburner. Now that Lance completed the match, Lance can put his effort and concentration into another matter. Once the photos were taken, Ash was ambushed with a bunch of reporters, asking him too many personal questions.

“Were you born in Kanto?”

“What’s your full name?”

“What do you feel about the temporary emergency legislation?”

“What is your position in being the secondary champion of the Kanto region?”

“Why is your surname Necro?”

“Ash sounds such a foreign name, are your parents born in this region?

“Are you really ten years old?”

“Did you style your hair after Red?’

“Was your starter inspired by Red?”

“Are you an only child?”

Ash would have stammered and blurted out several incoherent words if it wasn’t for Lance guiding him out of the crowd of reporters, through the opening where Lance entered the stadium, through the hallways, and out of the stadium. Ash doesn’t remember much of the walk because he was overwhelmed with everything that was occurring around him. It was too much information to process, and he feels like his senses were being overloaded. The camera lights were getting too bright for his eyes, and the slew of questions was starting to get loud. Everything was in a daze for him. Ash will have to thank Lance for helping him get out of an overwhelming situation. 

“The reporters can get too invasive,” Lance told Ash as he continues to guide him to the pokemon center. “They need to learn how to respect the privacy of others.”

Ash was finally able to gain his bearings and looked at the destination Lance was heading toward. It was a pokemon center that was close to the stadium. It was odd that he didn’t notice exiting the stadium, but that may due to being disconnected from surroundings when he felt overwhelmed. 

“Lance sir, why are people comparing to a guy named Red,” Ash questioned the man. 

“You don’t know Red,” Lance responded in confusion. “I would assume everyone in Kanto knows Red.”

“I forget things easily,” Ash lied as he tried to remember his cover story. “ I also spent most of my childhood traveling with my parents.”

Before Lance had the opportunity to speak, Ash was tackled by Plumeria and Guzma in a bone-crushing hug. Why did his parents decide to give him a spontaneous hug out of nowhere. How did his parents find him after being guided by Lance.

“Glad you seem orientated,” Guzma sighs in relief. “I was worried that everything is getting too much for you.”

Ash reassured his parents that he is doing well and that Lance was nice enough to lead him out of a troubling situation. Plumeria and Guzma released Ash from their embrace and gave their thanks to Lance.

“Thank you so much for getting Ash from a troubling situation,” Plumeria smiled. 

“I was about to beat those reporters to the ground,” Guzma added. “If they have continued to overwhelm my son, they would have to lay on the ground wishing they are dead.”

“Guzma, no,” Plumeria commented as she shook her head. 

“Guzma yes,” Guzma counter as he gave a thumbs up.

Ash sees his friends, watching the interaction unfolding in front of them. Blue and Green seem to amuse by his parents' actions. Brock doesn’t seem to be bothered by his father's admission to beat up people, and Misty looked tired. Ritchie was videotaping the entire situation for some reason. Maybe he will post the video on TikTok. 

“It was my pleasure to help your son,” Lance interrupted the pair. “If you have not told me that Ash is your son, I would have never had a guess that he was your son.”

Brock, Misty, Ritchie, and the Oak twins looked at Lance for a few seconds, then look at Ash for a few seconds and lastly look at the parents. Guzma and Plumer appeared to be calmed and not bothered by Lance’s question. In fact, the pair look highly amused by Lance's statement.

“Here is a lesson everyone should keep in mind,” Guzma announced as he had a huge grin on his face. “Family does not mean everyone looks alike or shares too many physical characteristics.”

Ash knew that Guzma will not tell anyone that he is adopted. In the fake documentations, Ash is the biological child of Guzma and Plumeria. His parents need to give a convincing story if they are to trick everyone that he is their biological son.

“Ash’s inherited our grandparents' traits,” Plumeria lied as she provides clarification to the group. “He got all the dormant genes, and poof, he got our grandparents' physical traits.

“It is that sometimes,” Blue commented. “However, the fact that Ash looks a little bit like Red is weird.”

Why do people keep comparing him to Red? Is it because he has a Pikachu? Is it because he is another young trainer who won the league.

“Chalk it up to life’s coincidences,” Misty shrugged. “I haven’t realized that until it was pointed out to me.” 

Everyone seems to move to another topic and discussed mundane events occurring in the world. After several minutes of talking, Lance excused himself to manage some urgent business. Ash gave the man a fair well and watched him walked out of the pokemon center. 

Guzma and Plumeria were alone with Ash’s friends when Ash went to Nurse Joy to check on his pokemon health. Brock and Misty were calling to their respective siblings, so that left Ritchie alone with the pair. That was when Guzma thought it would be the perfect opportunity to act on his suspicion. 

“Hey Ritchie, I’m not going to beat around the bush, but I need you to be real with me,” Guzma explained to the boy. “I need to know if your parents treat you right.”

“Guzma, that is not how you start this type of conservation,” Plumeria scold Guzma. “You should have started off differently.”

“What do you mean Guzma,” Ritchie stuttered.

“You are not calling your folks,” Guzma noted. “At least Misty and Brock are checking up on someone. You, however, are not calling anyone specific. “

Ritchie did not grace Guzma with an answer, so Guzma continues talking.

“Look, you don’t have to answer,” Guzma reassure the boy. “I’m not the type of guy who forcibly interrogates a kid.”

Guzma was pulling out a crumpled piece of paper with an address and a group of numbers.

“Just in case you don’t have a safe place to go, we are giving you our addressed to our apartment complex,” Plumeria informed the boy. If the fedora man is going to give her an apartment complex without needing to live there, she might as well use it for good.

“Why are you doing this,” Ritchie inquired. “I’m just some kid your son befriended.”

“Parent meter was going off whenever you speak,” Guzma stated. “Our family mainly travel, so we are almost never in the apartment complex.”

If Guzma going to pay a landlord twice the value of the apartment complex every quarter, he might as well use it to his own benefit. The instruction given to Plumeria stated that the two will own the apartment complex. They are just paying a premium, stating that the pair had lived in Kanto for their entire lives and that Ash was raised in the region. However, Ash’s friends do not need to know all that information. 

“Are you going to do that to every child your son meets,” Ritchie spoke with a tone of confusion. “Also, how many rooms does it have?”

“Three-bedroom, a kitchen, a living room, and a bathroom,” Plumeria shared. “Just leave our bedroom alone. You can bring a sleeping bag in case we are all there one day.”

“If I do invite more children, would you be okay with it,” Guzma questioned the boy.

“If they are okay with it and are nice, I will,” Ritchie replied. “However, I want to know why you are doing this.”

“Call it our good deed for the year,” Guzma communicated to the kid. “Also, I know a group of delinquents who were in your shoes. You sort of remind me of them.”

That was a half-truth, but the kid doesn’t need to know that. He is not going to tell the kid that Guzma wished someone was there to offer support when he needed a safe place or somewhere to run away from potential harm. Sadly, that did not happen to him. However, that doesn’t mean that others are to suffer the same fate as he did. 

“I can go to this address when I need a safe place to go,” Ritchie vocalized.

“Anytime,” Plumeria confirmed.

“As long I want to stay,” Ritchie continued.

“You can live there if you want,” Plumeria reassured as she texted a number. The kid doesn’t need to know that she is informing the landlord to have the apartment complex furnished with simplistic furniture. “And if we ever change address, we will tell you months in advanced.”

“I will remember,” Ritchie smiled. “I can see why Ash is such a wonderful person. Thank you for everything you guys are doing for me.” 

When Ritchie stayed in the apartment rented by Guzma and Plumeria, he never questioned the inconsistently he noticed from the Necro family. He would travel to a region and take a few months break in the apartment. There will a few more individuals invited to stay in the apartment, but he would never see Guzma, Plumeria, or Ash occupied the apartment. There are no personal objects or pictures in the apartment. He should have acted on his suspicion, but he didn’t want to lose his safe place. As selfish as it sounds, he didn’t want to lose the one place where he can escape his toxic family. He sometimes envies Ash for having a simple life before feeling guilty for his envious feeling. 

Years later, he would be questioned by the league. He and several individuals who were invited to stay in the apartment would be questioned about the pair and be involved in a family affair he has no part in. Why would the International Police and champions of the world believe that children helped by the couple would remain unbiased? Of course, Ritchie would be slightly basis and favor the people who help him find a safe place to reside in!

Chapter Text

Guzma doesn’t know how he was dragged to Pallet Town with Plumeria. He thought that the Lance guy would say is an obligatory congratulation, praise, and acknowledgment to his son before he forever leaves them alone. No, that did not happen. Instead, Guzma is being invited to Pallet town to eat at some popular restaurant. Why did this happen to him? He doesn’t want to socialize with a bunch of strangers. He can tell Plumeria wants to bail on the invitation because she is giving a certain deceiving smile. A type of smile you give when you are supposed to be polite to others but want to bail out of a situation.  Blue and Green immediately departed once they step foot in Pallet town, informing everyone that they need to take care of something. Guzma didn’t give the twins’ actions much thought since they are old enough to be on their own. However, he wishes he could do the same. 

“You don’t have to take us out to eat Mr. Lance,” Ash told the man. 

“No, I insist,” Lance says as he gesture to a restaurant that is placed in the center of Pallet Town. The restaurant was simply titled “Ketchum’s Kitchen,” but it was bustling with life. 

“Look, I don’t think I can afford to pay for four hungry goblins at a five-star restaurant,” Guzma expressed, ignoring the look his son’s friends are giving him for calling them goblins. He really doesn’t want to socialize with other adults who will ask him questions about his occupation, family, goals in life, hobbies, opinions, and friends. Nope, he hates those types of questions. There are enough lies pile up on his plate. He does not need to pile up more lies on top of lies he already created. 

Lance made eye contact with Guzma before giving a slight laugh, assuming that the father was attempting to make a joke. “Five-Star? Guzma, you amused me. This is a simple, reasonably priced restaurant.”

“Does that mean I can eat the entire menu,” Ash curiously ask as he intentionally gave Plumeria the Growlith eyes. “I want to try everything on the menu.”

“You can, but you will look like a balloon,” Plumeria joked. “I don’t want my son to float away.”

“Ash, no” Guzma said as he ruffles Ash’s hair, ending Ash’s Growlith eyes. “Remember what we taught you?”

“To always finish the food that is given to us and not to leave a scape behind,” Ash recited as he memorized Team Skull’s lessons.

“Just finish one plate at a time,” Plumeria said as she looks at the simplistic restaurant in front of her. It was a simplistic restaurant with one wall that is a large, bulletproof window with caramel cover window frames. The rest of the restaurant walls were slightly darker than the window frame. If he has to guess, the concrete walls were more of a walnut color. The twin doors were a slightly lighter color than the window frames. 

“That is a good lesson to live by, “ Lance commented, losing his train of thought for a few seconds before continuing. “Someone use to tell me something similar to me a long time ago.”

“That is why Ash forced himself to eat the burnt rice,” Brock said as he looks at Guzma.

Guzma gave Brock a confused look and waited for him to continue speaking.

“Ash tried to make dinner one night,” Brock explained. “He burnt the rice by accident.”

“Brock told him that it was alright and that he can always make a new batch,” Misty added. “Brock did end up making a new batch, but Ash told us that he would be eating the burnt rice.”

 Guzma gave Ash a look. He decided to respond by giving a sheepish smile and a shrug.”

“New rule, don’t eat burnt food,” Plumeria declared as she shook her head. “You don’t have to mimic Guzma. He’s not that good of a role model.”

Guzma did not dignify Plumeria’s comment with a response. Maybe he should have been specific when he taught Ash that lesson. That rule was made because of his childhood experiences. He was forced to scavenge food to eat when his mother stopped feeding him. He learned to never take food for granted at a very young age because you may never know when you will eat your next meal. He was lucky the forest pokemon decided to teach him how to scavenge for roots and berries. In return, he would plant some seeds so more berry trees can grow for the forest pokemon. Despite living in hunger, Guzma never resorted to eating food that was no longer inedible. He didn’t want his son to misinterpret the lesson, and he definitely did not want his son to eat burned food. 

Lance, noticing the sudden change in Guzma’s mood, changes the topic to everyone’s goals and ambitions. Eventually, everyone had made it to the restaurant. Lance made sure to open the door for everyone to enter the restaurant and found a place to sit. What surprised Guzma was a professor, a kid close to Ash’s age, and the twins. Did Blue and Green disappear only to invite their family to the restaurant? Did Lance know of this? This is why he didn’t want to come to the restaurant. Now, there is another adult to socialize with. He’s not good at socializing outside of children, teenagers, and delinquents! Plumeria is an expectation because she an angel due to dealing with Team Skull’s bullshit.

When Ash first enters the restaurant, he saw Blue and Green with people he assume to be their family. He didn’t question the absence of a mother or father. Plumeria had taught him that family does not mean there is one dad, one mom, and a child. She would always say that sometimes, not everyone has parents who can love and protect the child. A family can be a grandfather and their grandchildren or two married guys and their adopted children. 

“Hey, there’s Ash,” Blue shouted as he waved his hand. “Gary, that the kid from Tic Tok. You know, the kid who punched the guy.”

Ash could swear he heard his dad choked in embarrassment. He thought everyone was kidding when he was a viral trend due to punching Flint. That was like months ago, and people are still talking about it. Gary seems to be in awe to be in his presence. Did he just encourage the next generation of trainers to punch dead-beat fathers and possibly trainers in the face? Maybe. Is it something he should be disappointed in? Most likely not. His dad encourages him to discover his values and make sure his actions reflect on his values. Ash thinks he can continue to justified punching someone if the person truly deserves it.

“I can’t believe I’m meeting you, Gary said in awe. “Everyone in the class was saying cool it was to just punch someone like.”

“Brock, it appears your dad will forever be remembered as the guy to got his ass beaten by a kid.” Misty was barely containing her amusement of the situation and attempted not to smile.”

“I have accepted that my friendship with Ash will forever remind me of that fact,” Brock replied. 

Ash looked at the older man next to the kid. It’s Professor Oak, the same guy who gives out starters to new trainers! He had not talked to the man since he started his journey. That was months ago, so he assumes that Professor Oak did not remember him.

“Ash isn’t it,” Professor Oak greeted. He gave Lance a quick look before he continues to talk to Ash. “I saw your match with Lance. I’m so glad the buffoon finally added an age requirement, so you won’t be forced to clean up his mess. “

Ash saw Blue and Green stifle their chuckles, his dad bursting out of laughter, and Plumeria smiling. Brock looks like he was use to this type of situation, not like Ash blame him at all. Misty attempted not to laugh at Lance's face of disappointment.

“Oak, I know,” Lance stated as he gave Professor Oak a dry look. “Your grandkids gave me a lecture about that.”

Ash ignored the adults talking as he took a seat from one of the tables. He was sitting between his dad and mom while his friends sat across from him. The Oak’s was to the left while his friends and Lance were to the right. He saw that his dad was staring into the menu, deciding what to eat as his mom engaged in a conservation. 

“Did your husband taught his son how to brawl,” Lance questioned the woman as he gave Guzma a glance.

“Yep,” Ash interrupted as he gave everyone a wide smiled. “You never know when you have to fight for your survival!”

Ash can feel his mom staring at him, most likely because he was upfront with his answers. It was not his fault that dad taught him how to avoid being pummeled to death!

“Fair, but why punch Flint,” Oak curiously asked. 

“Have you never want to punch a guy like that,” Ash responded as he stared at Professor Oak. He has no fear besides the wrath of an overprotective mother. 

“We tried to get an explanation out of Ash,” Brock commented as he set his menu down. “You will not get a straight answer from him anytime soon.”

“Ash, please teach me how to throw a punch like that,” Gary pleaded. Now it was Gary turns to have someone stare at him.

“Yeah, Ash, teach us,” Green said as if he was a joke. No, green secretly want the small boy to teach her something cool.”

“No, Ash, please ignore my grandchildren,” Professor Oak cautioned as he put his hand on his forehead. “They do not need to learn how to be...what is the word again?”

“Demons.”

“Annoyances?”

“Evil?”

“Chaotic.”

“Yes, chaotic” Professor Oak responded. “Thank you Ritichie. “

Ash made his decision on what he wanted to order and gave his menu to the waitress who conveniently arrived at their table at the moment. After Ash informed the waitress of his order of noodles and an Oren berry smoothie, he let his mind wander off. He wasn’t paying attention to the conservation his parents were having with the adults, nor was he noticed his friends' playful banter. Gary was too absorbed in talking to Lance about the upcoming changes the World Council is promoting.

What did caught Ash's attention was a small, mocha color cabinet in the restaurant's corner. Two outward opening doors revealed two shelves and a small cabinet handle at the very bottom of the cabinet. On top of the second shelf, there was a picture of a smiling woman. The woman in the picture appeared to be a brunette with her hair tied into a ponytail. Her eyes seem to match with her hair color, but that could be due to the picture’s quality. The woman was also slender and appeared to wear a yellow dress that matches her fair skin. 

Ash next focused on the candles that were lit. The candles were small, white, and were in a glass structure. He may not be a genius, but he knows that the candles indicated mourning. The cabinet-like structure was likely a memorial shrine to remember to the woman in the picture. The woman may be the deceased owner of the restaurant, or it could be someone close to the restaurant owner.

“I see you noticed the shrine,” Lance commented as he somberly looked at the shrine. “She was my younger sister.”

“Oh, that’s rough buddy,” Guzma said as an attempt to provide his condolences. Ash sometimes forgets how awkward his dad can be when he is outside of his comfort zone. 

“I appreciate it,” Lance respond, acknowledging Guzma’s attempt. “

“She was a student of mine,” Professor Oak added. “She was a brilliant young woman. “

“Do your families continue to stay connected,” Ritchie inquired. He look at Lance before looking at the professor.

“Everyone had been distant since Delia’s death,” Professor Oak honestly answered. “However, we continue to remain in contact with some.”

“Blue is dating her oldest son,” Green mentioned as she pointed to her brother. “Silver is probably traveling with Gold to help with his research.”

“Is Silver Delia son’s too,” Ash asked to no one particular.

“Yep, a few years younger than Red,” Blue replied. “The two are her sons. They stayed with us for a while before they started their journey.”

“That is very nice of you,” Plumeria expressed. She took a quick bite of the rice cake she ordered before she continued to talk. “Delia’s sons are fortunate to have such caring individuals to take care of her sons.”

“Oak, you did a cool thing,” Guzma admitted as he put his finished plate in the middle of the table, with all the other middle plates. “I don’t know a lot of people who will take in two kinds under their roof while taking care of three other children. “

“It is the very least I can do,” Oak voice out. Oak was looking at each of his three kids as if they meant the world to him. 

Ash heard a lot more about Red than Silver during his time in Kanto. He’s glad the two of them were able to find someone to take care of them after their mother’s death. Sometimes, he forgets how lucky he was to have two caring parents. He has a whole group of people who cares about him in Alola!

Ash was hanging out in the Pokemon Center with several of his friends. Why was he at the Pokemon Center? Ash decided that he should introduce his Kanto friends to Acerola. Ash messages Acerola to ask if she was free to go to a local Pokemon Center. She quickly responds that she is free to talk to him through a video call. Excitedly, Ash quickly logs on to the computer device in the pokemon center and connected to the Pokemon Center Acerola was located in. Once connected, Acerola excitedly greeted Ash.

“Ash, I saw your match with Lance,” Acerola cheerfully noted. “You beat Lance, and now you are the Secondary Champion.”

“You know about the rules change” Brock inquired.

“I’m close to Ash’s folks,” Acerola informed Ash’s friends. “Wait, I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Acerola, and I’m Ash’s childhood friend!”

“I’m Misty.”

“I’m Brock. It’s nice to meet you Acerola.”

“I’m Ritchie. I’m glad to meet more of Ash’s friends.”

“I’m Gary Oak. I just met Ash today.”

“Wow, you made a lot of new friends,” Acerola noted as she gets closer to the screen to look at Ash’s friends. “I hope none of you are planning to replace my best friend status.”

“Acerola, you are like a sister to me,” Ash mentioned. “I don’t think anyone can replace that status.”

“You’re right,” Acerola smiled. “So, is everyone traveling?”

“No, I’m not ten yet,” Gary told everyone. “Everyone here is at least ten or a few years older than me.”

No one noticed how uncomfortable Ash became for a second. Ash is most certainly not ten years old yet. No one needs to know the truth about his age. 

“That sucks,” Acerola replied back. “So you will be starting off in Kanto like everyone else in the region.”

“Actually, there is a new legislation being developed,” Brocked informed everyone. “In an attempt to make the age requirement more permanent than a temporary order, Lance is allowing new trainers to travel freely to any region.”

“Your kidding,” Misty said in shock. “That’s Lance’s negotiations for increasing the age requirements.”

“That’s why I’m starting my journey in Johto,” Gary spoke up. “I’m still getting my starter in Kanto, but I will go to Johto soon after.” 

“I heard Lance is pushing for more funding for the G-Men,” Ritchie added to the conservation. “If everyone agreed to the increasing age requirement and funding for the G-Men, he will allow trainers to travel freely around the world once they turn ten.”

“That means that no one is required to stay in Kanto for one year,”Ash voiced out.

 Ash didn’t care what region he traveled to first because the whole purpose of the journey is to stay hidden. It doesn’t matter if he goes to Johto, Sinnoh, Hoenn, Unova, or any other region first. As long he stays out of Alola, he should theoretically be safe. He gets to live a normal trainer life that has a few bumps in the road. Hopefully, nothing more will happen. 

“Why are we talking about legislation and negotiations,” Gary mentioned.

“I have no clue,” Acerola responded before she quickly changed the topic. “So, how much trouble has Ash caused so far?”

“He punched my dad.”

“Team Rocket is following us because of him.”

“There was an incident with Team Rocket before the League officially started.”

“I have not been around him long enough.”

For the rest of the call, everyone talked about their passions, goals, and favorite childhood memories. Occasionally, someone will mention someone’s embarrassing moment, but it was all in good fun. It was moments like these that remind Ash of his home. He hopes that he can return home to laugh, joke, and mess around with his family and grunts one day. 

Chapter Text

Even though his son had departed for his journey to Orange Island, Guzma decided that he will spend time training in a snowy mountain. When he first informed Plumeria about his plan to train his bug-type pokemon on top of a mountain, he was met with her laugher. When she realized that Guzma was serious, she stops laughing and slap her head with her right hand. After describing his reasoning to train his pokemon, Plumeria decided to extend their vacation for another week. Now, Guzma is training his pokemon in Mt. Silver. It was rumored that all the strongest trainers in Kanto and Johto train in these specific mountains. 

The mountains were filled with many dark caverns and sturdy boulders that littered the dangerous place. He made a bet with Plumeria regarding how many times the other person will trip for the entire week. The one who trips the most will be forced to foot the bill the next time the grunts order a ridiculous amount of takeout. Guzma is doing his absolute best not to trip on the stupid rocks or items on the ground. Even when Guzma exited from one of the tunnels that lead outside of the mountain, there was still a need to be careful. Outside of the mountain, there was a foot of snow on the ground. The rocks are still causing him to trip, and an occasional Pokemon are hiding in the snow. 

“Still can’t believe you decided to train your pokemon here,” Plumeria admitted. 

“Ash’s battle reminded me that I need to improve,” Guzma revealed. “I can’t remain stagnant if I want to lead Team Skull.”

Guzma’s pokemon will sometimes take a break from the training, which opens some free time to explore the mountain more freely. During one of his explorations, he ended up on top of the mountain. On top of the mountain, there was a small cavern. Out of curiosity, Guzma entered the cavern with Plumeria following behind. What was inside of the cavern was a huge surprise. When one enters a rocky cavern on a mountain, one is expected to see a bunch of rocks, boulders, and occasional rare items. What Guzma did not expect is to see an older teenager sitting by himself with his pokemon as company. There was a cute little campfire going on, a large yellow tent to the side, several camping pieces of equipment scattered on the ground, and a pile of trash to the side. The teenager was wearing a red cap with a white front, a large red jacket, blue jeans, and sneakers that are a mixture of red, white, and black. 

Being the wonderful person he is, Guzma decided the best way to enter the situation is by speaking the first thing that came to his mind. 

“Do you live here,” Guzma asks, seriously thinking that there is a kid living in a random cave on some mountain.

The mysterious teenager shook his head no before continuing to stare at the two. 

“Do you speak,” Guzma questioned the boy as he tried to figure out why the boy is not speaking. The mysterious teenager shook his head no again after Guzma finish his question.

“We don’t know sign language very well,” Plumeria spoke. “ I also don’t know why you are here alone, but that is none of my business.”

The mysterious kid’s demeanor adopted a more relaxed posture and became less guarded. Guzma didn’t realize at first, but the kid was extremely guarded when they first enter the cavern. He was prepared to bolt out of the area for reasons unknown to him. Now, the kid didn’t view them as a threat. Guzma also noticed that the kid was preparing to make something to eat. Deciding to make themselves look less hostile, he decided that it was time to use the power of food and drinks. 

“Hey kid, are you familiar with the Alola region,” Guzma asked the boy. “Wave your head yes or no.”

Puzzled, the mysterious teenager waves his head no. 

“Okay, so in Alola, there is a drink call Tapu Cocoa,” Guzma explained. “It’s like the cool uncle of hot chocolate.”

The mysterious kid appeared to be interested in the drink. As Guzma pulled out a small pot and wooden spoon, Plumeria pulled out the food ingredients. Plumeria pulled out the large bag of cocoa made from Alola local farms, Moomoo milk, a gallon of purified water, and a large bag of sugar. She also pulled out a bag of marshmallows and a tiny bag of assorted spices.

“The marshmallows and spices are not required kid,” Guzma informed the teenager. “When we are done making the Tapu Cocoa, you can add whatever you want.”

The teenager was gradually becoming interested in the process Guzma made the Tapu Cocoa. Once Guzma made the Tapu Cocoa on the pan, he serves a cup for the teenager. Once the teenager grabbed the cup of Tapu Cocoa, he reached toward the marshmallows to grab a handful to put in his drink. 

Guzma saw how the teenager’s eyes glint up in delight and greedily devour the beverage. Once the teenager finished his beverage, he immediately serves himself another cup of drink.

“Wow, you really love Tapu Cocoa,” Plumeria noticed. “Maybe we should leave you a bag of cocoa.”

“It is all about the quality,” Guzma added. “There’s something about Alola’s cocoa that makes it so delicious.”

The teenager finished his second serving of the drink and reached for the third serving. Deciding the kid needs the Alolan to drink the most, Guzma decided to kid the teenager the whole pot. Plumeria seems to approve of his action because she gave the nod to the teenager. For the first time since intruding the teenager’s caver, Guzma saw the teenager give a guinea smile.

“If you like Tapu Cocoa, maybe we should introduce you to Komala Coffee,” Guzma mentioned.

The teenager appeared to be actively listening to what Guzma was going to say next.

“It’s coffee from Alola but better,” Guzma stated.”We can teach you how to make it the correct way since all the other regions always forget to add the oran berries to make the Komala Cream! You need that for the Komala Coffee to taste Good!”

The mysterious teenager shook his head to show that he does want to know how to make Komala Coffee.

“It’s very surgery,” Plumeria warns. “The sugar, heavy cream, and sweetened condensed Moomoo Milk are not healthy at all.”

The teenager appeared to not care about the amount of sugar is in the Komola Coffee may have.

“Do you want me to tell you how to make that,” Guzma asked the teenager, fully aware that the mysterious teenager’s answer will be a yes.

As expected, the teenager waves his yes before finishing the Tapu Cocoa.

“Okay, one saucepan to put the oran berries, sugar, and water.”

Red immediately pulls a notepad out of nowhere and begins writing what Guzma was saying. 

“You will need to put 1 tablespoon of sugar, half a cup of oren berries, and ¼ of water in the saucepan for 20 minutes.”

Guzma paused in his explanation and waited for the teenager to finished writing. Once Guzma knows the teenager was done, he continued speaking.

“Stain the oren berries onto a random bowl. After that, grab a mason jar to put the oren berries,   half a cup of sweetened condensed Moomoo Milk, and heavy cream. You are going to need to shake it up and really good before putting it in the refrigerator.”

The mysterious trainer nods his head to show that he got everything written down.

“Once you think the Komala Cream is ready, grab a cup filled with crushed ice, pour black coffee, and drizzle the Komala Cream you made.”

The teenager appeared to please to learned how to make a new coffee-like beverage. However, Guzma did not expect the teenager to barely vocalize a word.

“Red…” the teenager voice out with some struggle.

Surprise, Guzma, and Plumeria were silent before Plumeria was able to get over her shock.

“That’s your name,” Plumber questioned.

The teenager nods his head.

“Well Red, it is nice to meet you,” Plumeria spoke. She took a moment to pause before she continues speaking. “Shit, we never introduced ourselves.”

“Shit,” Guzma cursed. “I knew I was fucking forgetting something! Da-.”

“I’m Plumeria, and the sailor mouth guy is my husband Guzma,” Plumeria interrupted.

Red nodded his head in acknowledgment and was giving a slight smile. At the moment, the pokemon hidden under the sleeping bag poking out of the yellow tent came out and hurriedly sat on Red’s lap. That pokemon was a Pikachu.

“My son has a starter that is a Pikachu,” Guzma pointed out. “Are Pikachus common starters in this region.”

Red shrugged his shoulders to indicate that he does not have the answer to Guzma’s questions. For the rest of the day, the three happily chat about their lives without giving identifying details like the names of their friends and family.

Red was back in Professor’s Oak house. He was currently making a batched of Tapu Cocoa for himself and everyone else that was in the house. Blue and Green watch is curiosity as Red made the drink.

“Who taught you how to make that,” Blue said as he watches the small pot steamed up.

‘I met this couple. They didn’t care who I was or what I was doing in the mountains. They taught me how to make the drink and something called Komala Coffee. It’s really good.’

“Coffee, something Lance never wants us to have,” Green quipped. “Red, you need to teach us right now how to make Komala Coffee.”

‘I will, but I want some Tapu Cocoa first.’

“Hell yeah, I can’t wait to see how the Tapu Cocoa and Komala Coffee taste like” Blue exclaimed.

‘It’s the very least I can do. I don’t need to feel forced to be the champion. I don’t feel pressure to please everyone, the stress of running the region, and hide my true feelings.'

“No problem, it was dumb of Lance to make you a champion so young,” Blue told to Red specifically. 

Red nods his head in agreement as he severed his friend the Tapu Cocoa. Meanwhile, Blue continued talking.

“Now, there is a requirement that the region’s champion must be 18 years old,” Blue explained. “You also have the right to decline to be the champion if you defeated the region’s champion.”

“That should have been the rule in the first place,” Green sighs. “But nobody expects for someone to not want to be the champion.”

“And look where it got us,” Blue said with a slight hint of anger and annoyance. “Lance nearly cause Red to have several mental breakdowns.”

Red is fully aware that Blue is speaking the truth and didn’t try to deny what Blue was saying. 

“At least Red or anyone else has to become a region’s primary champion before 18,” Green smiled. “The blood tests, fingerprint scans, and medical evaluation is still required, though.” 

“Why would you need the Primary Champion’s blood sample” Blue complained. 

“To identify biological family members who match the champion’s blood type for an emergency,” Green dryly explained. 

“Oh,” Blue simply said. 

Guzma and Plumeria were waiting in the airport for their flight. It was at that moment that Guzma realized why the name Red sounds so similar.

“Plumeria, Red was the previous champion of this region,”

“...of course, we forgot about the piece of information.”

“Do you think the kid thought we were there to drag him back to Lance?”

“Probably, he was guarded around us at first.”

“He didn’t expect anyone to find him on a mountain.”

“No, he did not.”

“What is our life?”

“Guzma, you’re dramatic again.” 

Chapter Text

Ash could not sleep no matter how hard he tried. All he would is toss and turn around his bed, running the bedsheet below him. Ash, knowing that he will not be falling asleep anytime soon, walked out of the bedroom he was sharing with Brock and Misty and walked down the Pokemon center hallway. Pikachu was soundly sleeping, so Ash didn’t bother to wake up his partner from his sleep. Ash didn’t know why, but something was calling him to go outside of the pokemon center. Specifically to the space behind the pokemon center dedicated to pokemon battles. Without any thoughts or consideration, Ash used the back entrance of the Pokemon Center and headed toward the field. What greeted him was the same Lugia he saved and Mewtwo. Lugia was fucking resting on the ground as if it was typical for a legendary pokemon to be chilling in the back of the pokemon center. As for Mewtwo, Ash noticed that the pokemon was still levitating a few feet of the ground. Being the child he knows he is, he glared at Mewtwo as he prepares to sass the pokemon.

“Your trick didn’t work with me,” Ash yawned, stretching while talking to the pokemon. “I regain my memories days after you erase mine.”

“Why didn’t it have an effect on you.” Mewtwo inquired. 

“I don’t know, maybe it’s my aura” Ash stated. “All I know is that I remember you trying to take over the world, clone our pokemon, and you fought with Mew turned me to stone. All in a normal day.” 

Mewtwo stayed silent for a few seconds before he turned to Lugia.

“He’s the child,” Mewtwo questioned as he pointed to Ash. “The child you are trying to find before your partner.”

“Yes,” Lugia responded. “Thank you for luring my son out of the building.”

Ash was confused about Lugia’s statement. Was Mewtwo the reason why he cannot sleep? How did Mewtwo lure him outside without appearing in his room? Why does Lugia want to talk to him and called him a son? That makes no sense at all! He already has a dad, and his name is Guzma. 

“I’m not a Lugia,” Ash blurted out. “I don’t think the son you are looking for.”

Mewtwo, deciding that it is best to remain quiet in the family reunion, floated away to the corner of the field. He may be a few years old, but he knows that this may be a sensitive topic. However, he doesn’t understand why Lugia wanted him to stay after he lured Ash out of the Pokemon Center. 

“You are my child,” Lugia softly explained, lifting his head off the ground to star directly at Ash. “My child, I have been waiting for you for centuries. It took me months to have the courage to speak to you.” 

“Months, why did it took you so long to talk to me” Ash questioned the pokemon that claimed to be his father. “

“I was ashamed,” Lugia admitted as he turned away from Ash’s stares. “Ashamed that I dragged you into a family mess you have no part in.”

“Shamouti,” Ash quietly said. “It is because of what happened there, isn’t it?”

Ash was traveling with Misty and Tracy when he was caught up in a freak storm and washed on Shamouti’s shore. At first, he wanted to leave but a girl name Melody decided to select him as the Chosen One. At the time, Ash decided to participate in the festival and the role of the chosen one. Misty begrudgingly agreed to let Ash participate in the festival as Tracy was excited to learn about the resident’s customs. Also, there was a banquet which means free food! He didn’t mind that Melody told him that he needed to fulfill the task of the chosen one. Collecting three glass balls from the bird trio’s island doesn’t sound too hard. Misty didn’t see the appeal of the tradition, while Tracy begins to ramble about the origins of Shamouti’s customs. 

“I will have to take the glass balls to the Shamouti’s shrine after collecting them, right?” Ash wanted to make sure that he completing the role as the festival chosen one.

“Yes, and I will end your task by playing a song,” Melody confirmed, showing the flute she will be playing. “It’s a relatively easy task so you have nothing to worry about.”

“Nothing to worry about,” Tracy chimed in. 

“Like I mentioned, this is a yearly tradition,” Melody clarified. “It nothing more a fun festival.”

Ash believed what Melody was saying. This was a simple yearly tradition everyone takes part in because it was a fun thing the resident can celebrate. Ash was ready to go when it was time for him to go to the first island. However, Pikachu begged to differ. Ash should have known that Pkachu’s insistence for him to head out to one of the islands. Really, he should have known that the moment his partner stole his hat as a method to motivate him, something horrible will begin to happen. 

“Simple you say,” Ash said, glaring at Melody as they freed Moltress from his imprisonment. “Does this happen every year?”

“No, this is the first time,” Melody answered, dismissing Ash’s glare. “No one had ever tried to capture Moltres, Zapdos, or Articuno.”

“There is a first time for everything,” Tracy said in an attempt to lighten the mood. 

“That was poor timing Tracy,” Misty commented. 

A simple tradition had resulted in Ash saving a capture of Moltres and Zapdos from their imprisonment. Ash may be silently judging Zapdos for trying to steal Moltres’ island when he had an island of his own. Seriously, it’s like they are triplets who grew up without knowing the concept of sharing. Five-year-olds can share better than the bird trio!

Ash didn’t expect to run for his life as the legendary trio tried to maimed each other. He avoided getting burn by Moltres’s flames, all thanks to his aura. His mother had taught him that aura can be used to sense his environment, which is what he is doing right now. That’s why he was able to miss being frozen by Articuno’s ice beams while facing the opposite direction. It is why he encouraged his friends to run toward the right, so they can avoid being crushed by a falling Zapdos. He was lucky that the moment he grabbed Zapdos’treasured glass ball, Lugia made an appearance and protected them from being killed. However, Lugia’s attempts to stop the fighting and protect the shrine resulted in him crashing into the sea.

“Is there anything we can do,” Ash shouted. “We can’t do nothing!”

Being the only one who knows to play the song, Melody begins to play the tune she played in the ceremony. Luckily, Lugia emerges from the cold seas and reveals himself in front of the children. Reinvigorated and orientated, Lugia informed that Ash must collect the ice ball from Articuno’s island.

“I can’t do it,” Ash said as he presented the fire and lightning balls to Lugia. “I can’t do what you are asking me to do...Lugia.”

Before Ash had a chance to argue, Misty had reiterated the prophecy.

“The world will turn to ash, the prophecy is talking about you, Ash” Misty pointed out. “Ash, you are the Chosen One, Only you can bring the world to balance!’

Knowing that he has no excuse, Ash sets out to collect the ice ball with the eventual help from Team Rocket. He pretended Team Rocket’s decision to let go of Lugia didn’t bother him too much, or the bile rising up in his throat was non-existence. No, he wasn’t scared. Who cares if his heart was racing as he held tight onto Lugia. He is not going to drown and die in the icy sea. He had Lugia with him and the pokemon who are gathered by his side.

Misty had saved him from a potential drawing when he was unconscious. She also had saved Pikachu before they headed toward the shrine. He ignored the fact that he barely escaped death, with his last memory losing consciousness as he grew numb and cold throughout his body. At that point, Ash didn’t even bother to waste his effort to hold his breath and prepared to die that time. Misty and Tracy didn’t notice how rattled or uneasy he was when they approached the shrine. He still felt the fear flowing in his veins when placing the ice ball into the shrine and was greeted with a bright, illuminating light. He needed to know that his efforts were not in vain, so he agreed to go with Lugia to tame the Beast of the Sea. Who knew the Beast of the Sea was a giant stream of water from the ocean?

Lugia didn’t say much when the legendary trio returned to their respective homes. After Lugia returned Ash to his friends, Lugia bid him a quick goodbye before leaving him to his thoughts.

“There, I’m done being the chosen one,” Ash said to no one in particular. “That was only a one-time thing. I can cross saving the world off of my bucket list.”

Ash starred at Lugia before he decided that the silence was too much to bear.

“You know it was the stupid pokemon collector's fault, right” Ash reassured the pokemon. He was gradually approaching Lugia, taking small steps while doing so. “No one could have predicted that he will try to capture you or the trio.”

“You could have drowned,” Lugia stated with guilt. “I would have been responsible for my son’s death if your red-hair friend did not save you and your partner.”

“It’s alright,” Ash responded back, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. He needs to remind himself that he is safe and on land. He is not drowning or losing sight. Everything is  fine .

“You brothers could have killed you,” Lugia explained, returning his gaze back to Ash. “I made sure that they stay grounded for a few more months before they apologize to you.”

“That’s….wait, what do you mean brothers,” Ash voice out in confusion. “You never really explain the whole father and brother thing.”

Lugia looked at Mewtwo as if he was asking the pokemon to help him explain the situation to Ash. Mewtwo gave a blank stare to Lugia before shaking his head no. The physic pokemon does not want to be involved in explaining to the trouble magnet teen about the whole Legendary god-like children thing. He is still trying to comprehend the concept himself without much luck. 

“Many centuries ago, my ex-partner and I wanted a child,” Lugia disclosed. “Arceus, at first, didn’t want to give us a child. However, after some consideration, he blessed us with a child that will be born centuries later.”

“But I’m human,” Ash reminded the pokemon. “I don’t think I am a pokemon or your son.”

“No, you are something entirely different,” Lugia clarified. “For you are equal status as pokemon some humans referred to as Gods.”

Ash tried to articulate words, but he cannot find the correct words to express his confusions. 

“Gods?” Ash sputter, looking at Lugia in disbelief.

“Have you notice anything unusual about yourself,” Lugia asked Ash. “Anything that is out of the ordinary.”

Ash took a few seconds to think about everything that was odd in life. He noticed that he can produce electricity out of his hands. He noticed that dancing a certain way will bring rain, like a pokemon using rain dance. The grunts never produced rain no matter how hard they tried or make an electric ball out of their hands. Guzma and Plumeria didn’t know how Ash developed his abilities and the grunts believe that he was a pokemon disguise as a human.

“I can produce rain and electricity,” Ash mentioned. “I can use electric-type moves like a pokemon but…..I’m like my human family.”

“Arceus decided that you will be mine child,” Lugia responded. “However, I split with my partner before I was informed about your birth.”

“I’m really your child...with human parents,” Ash said with awe. “Wait a second, that means the trio birds are my brothers! My brothers tried to kill me!”

“As I mentioned previously, they are grounded for a few more months,” Lugia explained. “When they are ungrounded, Mewtwo will lead them to you,”

“Is that why he is here,” Ash pointed out. 

“I need to get a clearer reading of your signature,” Mewtwo informs the boy. “I have a rough reading of your signature.”

“Oh,” was all Ash was able to voice out.

Guzma was enjoying his time relaxing on a random tree in the forest his son use to play with his best friend. He deserves a nice nap on the forest floor, with the tree shading him from the sun. He decided to take the time to relax and release the stress he was holding onto. However, he did not expect Plumeria to frantically search for his presence. When she found him, she pulled him off the ground and hastily dragged Guzma back to the base.

“What’s going on Plumeria,” Guzma asked, stumbling as he was roughly dragged by Plumeria.

“You’ll see,” Plumeria replied as she continues to drag her best friend. “You will not believe me until you see it with your own eyes.”

When the pair finally arrived at the base's backyard, Guzma can only stare at the sight in front of him in shock. There was a fucking Lugia in front of him with Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres beside him. The three-bird pokemon also has their head down in shame for some odd reason. 

“How,” Guzma said in disbelief. “Why are there four Legendary pokemon from the Kanto region in Alola?”

No one knows why Lugia and the legendary birds decided to transform into their respective human shape. Was it to mess with everyone or out of courtesy? Guzma will never know the answer, but now the four legendary pokemon look like average humans. All of them had pale skin, but that is all the characteristics they shared. Articuno had straight artic blue hair but his eyes color was an intense dark navy color. He was wearing a plain, average sky blue Kimono with a black stash. Guzma spotted a sword on his right but did not acknowledge the weapon. Zapdos’s hair was more spiked and was mostly blond. There was some black on the tips of Zapdos’s hair, which was odd in Guzma’s opinion. Zapdose eyes were more yellow as most electric types move. Zapdos was wearing a plain, gold-colored kimono. Moltres’s hair was a curly tangerine color that matches his eye color. His kimono was more of amber color to separate him from his brother. Lugia’s hair was white as the snow. His hair was more kept and resemble a plain old hairstyle. He was wearing a kimono as well that was white as well and was carrying dual swords.

“You see this” Guzma said mostly to Plumeria. “Pokemon can’t do that. Legendary pokemon do not have humans forms.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Guzma,” Lugia greeted. “You must be the man who raised Ash, and the woman beside you must be your female partner.”

“Platonic partner,” Guzma emphasizes. 

“Ah yes, Ash told me about that,” Lugia stated. 

“So why are you here,” Plumeria interrupted, looking unsure about the situation. “As much we should be lucky to be in your presence, why are you here.”

“Ah, right...my sons are ready to apologize," Lugia informed the parents. 

“Apologized for what,” Guzma cautiously asked.

“Sorry for nearly kill your son, Ash, who happened to be our brother as well,” the trio apologized in unison as they face Guzma and bowed their heads. 

It took a few seconds for Guzma and Plumeria to process everything, but the moment they understood what the birds were saying, they shouted in shock.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN NEARLY KILLED OUR SON,” Guzma and Plumeria simultaneously shouted. 

Chapter Text

Guzma is growing tired of the bullshit the legendary, mythical, or some other random powerful pokemon are creating for his son. Plumeria tends to disagree with his statement for the most current circumstances. The grunts are laughing behind him because of the bullshit they overheard from Ash’s latest video call. 

“Ash met a time traveling kid,” Guzma told his best friend. “Did you not hear about Ash climbing on the abomination Celebi created in an attempt to reverse the brainwashing.”

“Guzma, Celebi is practically a baby mythical pokemon,” Plumeria informed Guzma. “The poor pokemon was being hunted for decades.”

“But why does Ash have to get himself into these situations,” Guzma ranted., throwing his hands up in the air. “First, Ash told us about Mewtwo, the artificially created pokemon. That pokemon tried to kill my son and several other children!”

Plumeria took a quick second to take a deep breath and prepare to explain everything in detail with her friend.

“Remember the pokemon was created by Team Rocket scientist,” Plumeria explained. “Who was practically raised in an environment filled with abuse, torture, and unethical practices.”

“Fine, Mewtwo gets a pass” Guzma sighs in defeat. He knows it was not Mewtwo fault that his first world experiences were mess up people using him for personal gain. “I don’t blame the pokemon for trying to take over the world when he was raised in a toxic environment.”

“See, this is why Mewtwo didn’t immediately hate you when he dropped by the other day” Plumeria replied back. 

Guzma remembers the day where Mewtwo decided to make a surprise visit on his humble base. It was one of the strangest days in his life. It is not every day a powerful legendary pokemon decide to pop in the middle of your bedroom to meet the father of a young trainer. Guzma literally woke up to Mewtwo standing in the middle of the room, waiting for him to wake up so he can talk to him. Guzma wishes that Mewtwo would have teleported in the living room or outside like a normal powerful pokemon. 

“He scared the shit out of me,” Guzma admitted. “Imagine waking up to a pokemon you never saw in your life, quietly levitating as he stares into your soul. “

“All he wanted was to talk about Ash’s upbringing,” Plumeria pointed out. 

“Because Ash escapes his mind erasing voodoo,” Guzma reminded Plumeria. “He tried erasing his memories of a potentially traumatic situation, but it was only temporarily.”

Plumeria attempted to find a logical explanation for Mewtwo’s actions but cannot figure out the logic of the pokemon taking the time and effort to visit them. She would be lying if she said that she expected Mewtwo to come to visit them after nearly trying to conquer the world. When she first met Mewtwo, she was secretly hoping that it was for curiosity purposes. She does not want another person from Team Skull to be a Legendary Child. It was bad enough that her son was the Legendary child of Lugia. Fortunately, Mewtwo wanted to meet the group that raised the boys. She bet that the pokemon was surprised that Ash was raised by people who are practically the opposite of his personality. 

“At least he is trying,” Plumeria commented. 

“Find, he was trying,” Guzma said. “But Lugia does not have the same excuse as Mewtwo.”

“He nearly died trying to save our son,” Plumeria reminded Guzma. She knows that Guzma tends to forget some important key information. 

“Yeah, but he should have better control of the bird trio,” Guzma answered as he lifted his hands in a dramatic fashion. “You know, the legendary pokemon who are his sons.”

“Guzma, we barely can control the grunts” Plumeria pointed out. “You know, since they are slightly demonic and like to cause trouble everywhere they go.”

Guzma wishes he had an argument for Plumera’s statement, but he did not. He wanted to say that he is a great leader and everyone a part of Team Skull is mature, responsible, and reasonable. However, that is not the case. Guzma will have to admit that sometimes, the grunts will get into ridiculous arguments. Sometimes, a fight between two grunts will break out, and all the other grunts will encourage the fight to commence. Last time, there was a betting pool for the uninvolved grunts to place their bets as they watch the fight. Guzma immediately put a stop to that and confiscated the betting pool. He places the earnings in a glass case with a sign that states in bold letters, “Shame money.” He will continue to add more to the Shame Money case for every time the grunts make a stupid bet or get into unnecessary, unsupervised fights. 

“Okay, so I may have encouraged their violent behaviors,” Guzma acknowledged. He may have encouraged the grunts to resort to physical actions if the situation calls for it. 

“Encourage,” Plumeria repeated. “The same way you encourage our son to learn about street fighting.”

“He doesn’t fight all the time,” Guzma defended. “He only fights those who deserve a good beating.”

Plumeria gave Guzma a look before she decided to not justified her friend’s answered. Guzma took Plumeria’s silence as a secret blessing and continued to rant about Ash’s legendary pokemon problem. 

“Are you saying you are not worried about our son being murder by the trio birds” Guzma questioned his best friend. 

“Lugia informed them about Ash’s existence,” Plumeria explained. “If you were paying attention to Lugia’s last visit, gave the trio permission to visit Ash. “

“He did what,” Guzma said in shock. “Isn’t that too soon?”

“Lugia originally plan to ground them for one month,” Plumeria mentioned. “He added a few additional months to make sure they learned their lesson.”

Guzma should really start paying attention to Lugia’s visit. One would think that that the legendary pokemon in the world will be too busy in their respected roles. However, Lugia thought it is essential for him to make monthly visits to Alola. Now, it is expected to see Lugia in his human form drinking tea with Plumeria. Sometimes, the grunts will remind him about the old reports of legendary pokemon having human forms. Then, they would remind him of the time where he dismisses the idea and how pokemon can never have human forms. He could still remember their echoing laughter and his admittance of defeat. 

“Fine, I get it,” Guzma said. He was growing tired, and he finally accepts that it was not the legendary pokemon’s fault for putting Ash in harm’s way. It was the poachers, collectors, and unethical scientists’ fault for creating the situation in the first place. 

“Great, now help me make some lemon cakes,” Plumeria order. “Mewtwo is visiting again, and he is going to want some more lemon cake.”

Guzma is now confused. He thought Lugia was the only one who visited their base. He likes Mewtwo, but the pokemon’s nature and power slightly concern him about Team Skull’s wellbeing. 

“When we were alone, Mewtwo told me he loves the lemon cakes,” Plumeria specified. “He said that he would love some more for the next time he visits.”

“Did I miss something because he never said anything about visiting,” Guzma asked as he tried to remember Mewtwo’s visit. 

“He had a pokemon deliver a message,” Plumeria answered as she pulls the letter out of her pocket. “He should be here by tomorrow.”

“Why,” Guzma replied. 

“I think he’s lonely,” Plumeria concluded. “He may come up with an excuse to visit us frequently as Lugia does.”

“So we became companions to all the Legendary pokemon our son befriended,” Guzma stated. 

“We should expect Suicune and Celebi to make a visit soon,” Plumeria informed her best friend. She appears to have accepted everything that is happening so far.

“So Team Skull is now a part-time bed and breakfast joint for lonely pokemon,” Guzma commented. “This is not how I expected my life to turn out to be.”

Guzma followed Plumeria to assist her in making some lemon cake for Mewtwo’s visit tomorrow. Even after having a long in-depth conservation with Plumeria, Guzma could still hear the grunts laughing at him. He could have sworn he heard Me stating how chaotic Guzma’s son has become. 

Ash wishes that Mewtwo would stop subtly influencing his mind to go outside in the middle of the night whenever he is resting at a pokemon center. He finds it oddly suspicious that every time he is at a pokemon center, it was when a legendary pokemon wants to visit him. Usually, his companions are asleep, and he can go outside alone.  This time, Pikachu was awake and decided to join the trainer. Ash made sure to warned Pikachu that it is likely his legendary brother introducing themselves. Pikachu continued to find the humor in Ash’s complicated family tree. Human parents are normal. Having all-powerful legendary pokemon as a parent is not something you see every day. 

This time, Ash is taking a stroll out of the pokemon center into a random park that was 10 minutes away. No one was at the park due to being one in the morning. That’s great because there are currently not one, not two, but seven god-like pokemon standing in the middle of the park. Ash thought he will be meeting his siblings. No, Celebi and Suicune decided to tag along with his Legendary family. He doesn’t know why but oh well.

“Hi” Ash greeted the pokemon. “I’m Lugia’s son..”

The three bird pokemon looked at Ash and got closer to Ash. 

“He’s so smol,” Zapdos pointed out. “I now feel even worse for nearly killing our little brother.”

Articuno’s face was suddenly in front of Ash’s face, observing him with an intense stare.

“How are you alive,” Articuno said to himself. “You should have at least frozen to death.”

“Wow, that is something you should first say to someone you never met,” Moltres remarked. “It’s comforting to know that your older brother wants you dead.”

“That is not what I meant Moltres,” Articuno counter. 

“It sounds like it,” Zapdos added.

Ash once believed that legendary pokemon were mature, responsible, and reasonable pokemon who take everything seriously. However, he is being proven wrong at this very moment. The bird trio is like human siblings who like to mess with each other. He’s growing slightly concerned that he will have to be dragged into the brothers’ fights and arguments. Wait, how is he even understanding his brothers’ speech?

“Children, behave,” Lugia warned. “ You are not dragging Ash into your squabbles. If you do, I will ground you for a year.”

“Yes dad,” the three pokemon replied at the same time.

Ash decided that he wants to know why he can understand the speech of certain pokemon. He immediately asks his father about the ability he notices he can do. 

“Oh, legendary children can understand the speech of what humans call, God like pokemon,” Lugia disclosed. “It will come naturally for all the legendary children.”

Ash starred at Lugia and at the bird trio. That would make sense why he can understand pokemon that did not have the capability to speak to humans or telepathy. He is still confused why he didn’t understand the bird trio earlier during the incident on Shamouti Island. 

“They were shrieking nonsense,” Lugia informed Ash, as if he read the boy’s mind. “They were consumed by rage and confusion that they were no longer speaking in coherent sentences. “
Now that Ash questions his ability to understand certain pokemon, he looked at Celebi and Suicune. He knows why Mewtwo is there, awkwardly floating in the crowd of legendary pokemon. Mewtwo is the tracker, so Mewtwo is needed if a pokemon wants to find him. 

“ Lugia, your son save me,” Celebi cheered as she sat on Ash’s head. “He was so brave! His friends were also brave, and their pokemon were so cool!”

“Celebi, you have to be careful next time,” Suicune interrupted the mythical pokemon. “Next time, you might not be so lucky.”

“I will,” Celebi responded. “I promise to ask for help next time.”

“Good, now that is taken care of, I need to ask Ash a favor,” Suicune announced. 

“What’s the favor,” Ash inquired. 

“Like Lugia, I have a child,” Suicune explained. “My partner, Virizion, and I have been looking for our child.”

“Aren’t you young to have a child” Moltres retorted. “I mean, I don’t judge but you are the same age as us.”

“Moltres, that was rude,” Articuno remarked. “That is something you shouldn’t say to your cousin.”

“But it is a real concern,” Moltres justified. “We can barely take care of ourselves! Who to say that Suicune is not the same!”

“Moltres, Suicune is sadly one of the most responsible pokemon in the world,” Zapdos mentioned. “ Virizion is also one of the most responsible pokemon in the world too.”

Ash told everyone to hold off their comments until Suicune made his request. Suicune thanked Ash and continue in giving his request.

“If you find my child before me or Virizion, please take care of my child,” Suicune requested. “Take care of him until Virizion or I find our child. 

Ash will be happy to fulfill Suicune’s request. He really wants to meet the other legendary children, but he doesn’t know where they are located. He wonders if they have similar lives as him or do they have an entirely different life than him. Did one of them have odd abilities that plague their lives. He knows that the other legendary children may have different abilities than producing electricity out of nowhere. 

“You don’t even have to ask,” Ash answered. 

Before the pokemon left, Celebi went extremely closed to Ash's face and pinched his cheek. Out of genuie shock, Ash didn't move a muscle as the mythical pokemon continue to pinch his cheeks.

"Lugia is so lucky to have a child like you," Celebi cooed. "I wish the llama stuck in the fence would allow use single pokemon to have children."

"You could always mark a child," Suicune mentioned. "Then if the child agrees to be yours, you will have a child."

"But I don't know if that child would like to be marked," Celebi whined. "Why did Arceus give the couples and divorced couple a child but not me? Or Mesprit. Or Uxie. Or Heatran. Or Groudon. Or..."

"We get," Lugia interrupted. "Unless you find a partner you genuinely love at one point in your life, you won't be allowed to have a 'legendary child." 

Ash has no idea what they were talking about. He won't understand the meaning of "marking a child" until after the Johto league. 

Like Guzma previously stated to everyone at the base, he doesn’t know when Team Skull becomes a hotspot of the legendary pokemon his son befriended. Unexpectedly, Celebi was resting on top of Plumeria’s head without the care of the world. Plumeria looks like she was wearing an onion on her head by the way Celebi was curled on top of her head. The pokemon looked so peaceful, resting on the top of a random head.  Amazingly, Plumeria was using a giant knife to slice the lemon cake into pieces for the visiting pokemon without disturbing the resting Celebi. How? Guzma may never know the answer to that question. 

“Guzma, get the plates,” Plumeria ordered as she ignored the extra weight that was placed on top of her head. “Mewtwo, Suicune, and Celebi will want their lemon cake.”

“Why do they have to eat all of my favorite food,” Guzma jokingly complained. He was placing the plates on the old table Guzma had found while Plumeria was placed slices of cake on top of the cake. 

“You have a sweet tooth,” Plumeria reminded her platonic partner. “From what Lugia told me, all Legendary pokemon love sweets.”

“I can say goodbye to having a pantry filled with my favorite,” Guzma confessed. He grabbed one plate with two slices of lemon cake and another plate with one lemon cake. He saw Plumeria grabbing one plate of lemon cake with one slice and another plate with slices that were cut into cubes.

“Please don’t kick the kitchen door,” Plumeria warned.

Guzma, being the great listener he is, kicked the door of the kitchen while shouting to the Legendary pokemon to come to get their respected plates of lemon cakes. Mewtwo was floating on a random spot of the room while Suicune was lying down on the floor. It appeared that Suicune was taking a nap before he was rudely interrupted. Mewtwo immediately levitated the plate with the two slices of lemon cake. Celebi decides that it was a good time to wake up and floated off of Plumeria’s head. Celebi also took the plate with the miniature cubes as she sat next to Suicune. Plumeria placed the plate with a slice of lemon cake in front of Suicune.

“Suicune wanted to ask if it was necessary for you to kick the door in a dramatic fashion,” Mewtwo questioned. 

“Yes, it was,” Guzma confirmed. “My base, my rules.”

“You mean our place, our rules,” Plumeria corrected. “It would be great if you stop kicking doors whenever you decide to make an entrance.”

Celebi turned her head to Mewtwo, speaking to Mewtwo in a language Guzma does not understand. Mewtwo nodded and face Guzma.

“Celebi wants to know about our first encountered,” Mewtwo informed Guzma. 

“You scare the fuck out of me,” Guzma admitted. 

Now Suicune appeared to be interested in his first encounter with Mewtwo. How can Guzma know? Well, Suicune stopped eating his cake and turned to face Guzma. It was like he was expecting Guzma to start telling the tale of how he first met Mewtwo.

“Fine, I’ll tell you,” Guzma grumbled. “It was a rather embarrassing encountered.” 

Chapter Text

The night previous to the surprise meeting with Mewtwo, Guzma was speaking to his son, who was sharing a story of a trainer he defeated in one of the routes. Like a supportive parent he is, Guzma congratulated Ash for continuing to work hard and putting in the effort to raise his pokemon to be strong. He doesn’t understand why parents would give continuous praise to their child for being so smart after scoring a perfect score without praising the effort to the child’s hard work to achieve. Guzma is trying to incorporate more of that type of encouragement so his son can continue to work hard to become a smart, powerful trainer. Additionally, if the day comes where Ash struggles with a powerful trainer, his son won’t feel too defeated. He will know that he will have to work hard to become the master he wants to be.

“You know, dad, I sometimes forget about your other occupation,” Ash expressed. Unsurpisely, Pikachu was on Ash’s shoulders and was listening to the conservation.“You’re supportive and caring for me.”

“I’m not going to let you live a shitty childhood as I did,” Guzma unintentionally revealed. He ignored the bitterness that was forming in his mind.“ You deserve a happy life filled with the freedom to choose your own path.”

“Dad, how was your childhood,” Ash nervously asked, twiddling his thumbs before he continued speaking. “You never told me much…”

Guzma decided to go with the honest but age-appropriate approach because Ash deserves a little bit of the truth. 

“My father treated me as a tool for his gain,” Guzma explained, ignoring the choking feeling within his throat. “He wanted to mold me to be the person he wants me to be for his benefit.”

“I’m so sorry dad,” Ash emphasized. “You didn’t deserve that.”

“But when you unexpectedly came to my life, I felt a familial-like warmth in my heart for the first time,” Guzma admitted. “When I had no one, you came into my life to remind me that there is still some Alola’s light in the world.”

“The grunts use to call me a sea baby,” Ash reminded Guzma.

“Well...it’s basically true,” Guzma smiled.

Guzma remembers talking to Ash, a nine-year-old boy traveling in Kanto, about reviewing the safety rules for travel. Sometimes, Guzma feels like he was a shitty parent for his nine-year-old child traveling in an unknown region so far from Alola. Please, Ash is a nine-year-old child who is starting to think logically about concrete events. Ash is increasing his awareness of external events but struggles to think abstractly! That’s why Guzma has Ash call him frequently and bribe his Pikachu to remind Ash about the calls by sending care packages. Those care packages consist of Ash’s favorite Alola treats and a bottle of Ketchup for Pikachu. Ash may think he is overprotective, but to be fair, Ash has aura. When Ash reaches his adolescence, Guzma will allow his son to reduce the frequency and duration of his calls. 

Guzma remembered ending the call while Ash and Pikachu waved goodbye. He remembered crashing into his bed and immediately falling asleep. He doesn’t recall a pokemon that does not belong to him or anyone with Team Skill in his room. He doesn’t remember seeing any grunts or Plumeria entering his room. His disorganized room was still a chaotic mess, with laundry tossed in a basket at the corner of his room, and random burned marks that littered his room. All of the fake documentation was stored in a drawer alongside all the valuables Guzma continues to collect for the fund. He fell asleep peacefully, knowing that his son was alright.

When Guzma first wake up, he groggily rubs his eyes and is mentally preparing himself for the day. In his half-awake state, he slowly sat on his bed, to only be immediately be startled by a purple bipedal pokemon floating in the middle of the room. The pokemon was unfazed as Guzma shouted profundities and threw the first thing he grabs hold of. That thing was the pillow, and Mewtwo didn’t care that a pillow was chucked at him. 

“I did not expect Ash to have a father like you,” Mewtwo spoke, ignoring the bewildered look Guzma was giving him. “You may call me Mewtwo.”

“You talk,” Guzma shouted. “And you know my son!”

“It’s hard to forget someone like Ash,” Mewtwo informed him. “His memories were temporarily erased while everyone else who attended did not regain their memories.”

“You tried to erase my son’s memories,” Guzma continued, slapping a hand on his face and dragging it down his face. “Why?”

“He died and came back to life,” Mewtwo answered. 

Before Mewtwo had the opportunity to explain himself, Plumeria burst through the door. She was carrying a random pipe and was ready to throw down.

“I heard screaming, what’s going on,” Plumeria questioned as she looked around Guzma’s room. Her eyes met with Mewtwo, and she pointed her pipe at Mewtwo.

“I’m not attacking Guzma,” Mewtwo stated. 

“How the fuck did you know my name,” Guzma questioned.

“Ash described me in detail about his parents’ appearance,” Mewtwo explained. “He warned me that you may react in a defensive manner.”

“You were in my room, levitating as you stare at me,” Guzma slowly said. “That’s not normal behavior.”

“It’s too early in the day for this,” Plumeria mumbled, dropping the pipe on the ground. “I’m going to make some breakfast. You boys are free to join me.”

Guzma did not expect Mewtwo to follow Plumeria when she exited outside of his room. He put on his black jacket before he headed out to the kitchen. 

Guzma made sure he was seated at the opposite of where Mewtwo was sitting. There were plates of oren barry pancakes, pitchers of blended berries, and a large plate of lemon cake on the tabled. Out of all the things Mewtwo grabbed to eat, he grabbed the one plate of lemon cake. The pokemon actually hold the entire cake with his paws and started to eat the cake whole!

“You are supposed to slice the cake and grab that slice,” Guzma mentioned. “I’m surprised the cake is still intact.”

“You are not supposed to eat it whole,” Mewtwo genuinely asked.

“No,” Plumeria answered. “And Guzma will not have his daily dose of sweets today.”

“We’re out of ingredients for the cake, aren’t we” Guzma guessed.

“I didn’t expect for a pokemon to be our guest for this morning,” Plumeria shrugged. She took a seat beside Guzma as she helped herself with some food. “So, what else are you hear for?”

“I want to know who was the one responsible for raising Ash,” Mewtwo asked. 

We are,” Plumeria answered. “However, we are not biologically his parents.”

“He mentioned that,” Mewtwo spoke. 

“Can you explain about the dying and coming back to life,” Guzma questioned. 

“Wait, what,” Plumeria said.

“I will tell my whole story,” Mewtwo explained.

Guzma sat for two hours, hearing about Mewtwo’s origin. How the pokemon was created by Team Rocket by utilizing Mew’s stolen DNA and was trapped in a capsule. The inhumane and horrific conditions he confided in as the scientist continue to experiment on his abilities. Guzma learned that Pokemon was not immune to the physical and emotional abuse humans inflict on others for either control, power, or a sense of superiority. Unlike Mewtwo, Guzma never resorted to killing off his abuser like Mewtwo. While listening to Mewtwo, Guzma did not hear anything that indicates guilt, remorse, or shame for his actions. 

As Mewtwo progresses in his story, he learned that Mewtwo planned to clone the pokemon of the most determined and powerful trainers in Kanto. Ash happened to be the one selected to participate in a challenged Mewtwo made up to draw in trainers. He was one of the brave trainers who crossed the stormy seas to challenge the supposed strongest trainer in the world. Guzma learned that Ash’s pokemon was cloned with several other trainers’ pokemon. Eventually, the cloned pokemon fought with the trainer’s pokemon while Mewtwo battled against Mew. However, the ongoing battle ceased when Ash stood between Mew and Mewtwo in an attempt to stop the ongoing fight. That was when Guzma learned that his son was transformed into a stone statue. 

“He was turned into stone,” Plumeria shouted, slamming her hands on the table. “My son died and turned into a statue.”

“He’s alive now,” Mewtwo pointed out.

“How,” Guzma responded.

That was how Guzma learned how the magical power of tears of distraught pokemon and love can defy death and cause someone to come back to life. Some would call it a miracle. Guzma is not going to question it at all and assume it was somehow related to bullshit power of being the Chosen One. When Mewtwo explained how he erased everyone’s memory due to the potential consequences of having several trainers know of his existence, Guzma can understand why Mewtwo decided to erase every trainer and pokemon memories. However, for reason unknown to Mewtwo, Ash’s memories were not erased.
“Do you think it is because of his aura,” Guzma asked Plumeria.

“Maybe, I don’t know the answer to that,” Plumeria admitted. “Ash has always been the type to defy logic.”

“I think the small ball of lightning and rain dance proves that a while ago,” Guma joked. “If there’s more to Ash, we’ll find out later.

Mewtwo finished the lemon cake as the Guzma and Plumeria ate their respective pancakes. After eating, Mewtwo continued with his questioning.

“Your demeanor and appearance are nothing like your son,” Mewtwo noted. “Is there a particular reason why Ash has so many contrasts compare to you and Plumeria?”

An interesting question Mewtwo had asked of them. There comes the whole nature vs nurture debate people sometimes get into. Did Ash adopt the human behaviors that are more accepted in the norms of society based on the external influences in his travels or did Ash inherit the personality traits of his parents? Guzma knows the empirical studies conducted on adopted kids due to his parenting research. Ash is adopted by people society calls delinquents and criminals. If external factors play a role in Ash’s development and if a baby’s mind starts off as a blank state, that means that Ash should have been majorly influenced by his environmental factors. In a way, Ash did adopt some of Team Skull’s norms and values. Shows no hesitation to act on what you believe to be right and always act on your values. However, the empirical studies state that the adoptive children show a greater resemblance to their biological parents.

“It’s the whole nature vs nurture debate,” Guzma blurted out. “He may resemble his biological parents more than he resembles us.”

“Describe the debate,” Mewtwo asked. 

“It’s questioning if we are more influenced more by our genetics or by the external factors that are presented in the individual’s environment,” Plumeria added. 

An interesting concept indeed for Mewtwo situation. Guzma knows that Mewtwo has some of Mew’s DNA. He was created to be mankind’s strongest creation, but that’s the genetic aspect of Mew. Considering that Mewtwo was raised in an oppressive and abusive environment, Mewtwo was mostly exposed to the worst of what humanity has to offer. 

“It’s a complicate topic people like to talk about,” Guzma sighs.

“That was my first interaction with Mewtwo,” Guzma told the pokemon in the room. 

Celebi nods her head in approval while Suicune appeared content with the story Guzma told him. 

“You know, it will be easier to communicate if you go to your human form,” Guzma mentioned. “I don’t have the ability to communicate with pokemon or understand the pokemon speech.” 

Celebi gave Guzma an empty look as she tilts her head. Guzma doesn’t know why Celebi was staring at him as if she was reading his soul. What is the small pokemon thinking of as she tries to analyze him? Why is she looking at him in the first place? Why is Suicune is joining Celebi in the weird, awkward stare? Why is this Guzma life?

“Do you know if there are any other Legendary Children in the world,” Plumeria inquired. “I need to make sure we are mentally preparing for the chaos the world throw at us.”

Suicune and Mewtwo communicated for a few minutes before Mewtwo revealed to  Guzma and Plumeria that there are several legendary children scattered around the world. One of these children was Suicune’s children, which makes no sense to Guzma. Why do Suicune and another pokemon want a child out of all the legendary pokemon that exist in the world?

“They wanted a child,” Mewtwo stated. “And it’s likely that the legendary parents will visit your home due to its seclusion from major settlements.”

“Why my base,” Guzma said while fully accepted that he cannot stop the pokemon from doing what they want. They’re powerful and associated with Lugia. By default, that would make Suicune Ash’s cousin so he can’t kick any pokemon out. 

“You have the snacks,” Mewtwo answered. “And the forestry to allow them to stay hidden with their family if they decide to stay for the night. “

From that day forward, Team Skull’s base became the official rest stop of Legendary and mythical pokemon alike for the next several years. Guzma also gets front-row seats into seeing how much of a mess all the powerful deity pokemon are. Case in point, how much the mythical pokemon eerily resemble and behave like the fairies in those children's books. However, that is a story for another day. 

Chapter Text

Alto Mare was a lovely little place in Ash’s opinion. The canals were crystal clear to the point Ash can see the water-type pokemon living in the canals! It was almost as beautiful as the Alola’s sea back at home, but it was missing that warmth of the sun and that tropical feeling that was present in Alola. Still, Ash can admire the beauty of nature and architect when he visits the other region. This may be one of his favorite top three places for the Johto region, in his opinion. However, there was bugging him for a while. Who was that girl being attacked by Team Rocket, and what do they want with her. He tried looking for the girl after he was reunited with Brock and Misty at a fountain. Deciding not to tell them about the mysterious girl, Ash stayed silent about his encounter while entering the museum.

“Are those actual remains of pokemon,” Ash asked as he pointed to the two skeletons of pokemon that were on the floor of the Museum. He was talking to Misty and Brock, not expecting someone else to speak. 

“A Kabutops and an Aerodactyl,” Lorenzo answered as he made an appearance. 

“Is there a story to it,” Misty followed up.

Ash and his friends heard a story about a powerful weapon created to protect Alto Mare that could create metal barriers, controlling water, reviving fossils, and giving the individual operating the weapon control to all of the weapon’s function. The Defense Mechanism of Alto Mare, or DMA, was created to protect the city. Despite the good intentions, a wicked trainer and his pokemon manage to operate the DMA. There was a bittersweet ending to the story but at the cost of the original Latios’s life. 

“Grandfather, there’s something I need to talk with you in private” a girl spoke from afar.

Ash turned to face the direction of the voice and saw the same girl he saves earlier in the day. Worry about her well-being, he approached the girl to ask if she was alright after being attacked by pokemon.

“What are you talking about,” the girl questioned, raising an eyebrow at Ash’s question. “I don’t know who you are.”

Before Ash could explain the situation, the girl and Lorenzo excused themselves. He was going to forget about everything that had occurred earlier in the day and enjoy the rest of his stay in Alto Mare. That was his thought before he saw the game girl standing at the corner that leads to the hallway. She gestured for him to follow her before she disappears into the hallway. Looking behind him, he saw Brock was distracted by a pretty girl and Misty ready to drag Brock somewhere. Does he want to follow the girl who is beckoning him to follow her into a dark hallway, or does he stay with the friends he trusts with his life? Of course, he is going to follow the girl he saved and get some answers to all the confusion going on! 

Ash begins entering the hallway, occasionally seeing the girl patiently waiting as he approaches closer. Once he was a few feet away from the girl, she would begin running again down the hallway without saying a word. Pikachu seems okay with everything and is encouraging to follow the girl. After spending a good ten minutes following the girl, the girl stopped and pointed to a brick wall. Ash looked at the brick wall and back to the girl. All the girl did was smile brightly and went through the brick wall. Confused about how someone can phase through a brick wall, Ash tried to do the same. He was honestly surprised that he was able to phase through the brick wall and entered a hidden location.

“It looks so beautiful,” Ash whispered in awe, looking at all the lush trees, blossoming flowers, and vivid green grass. “It looks so magical!”

After admiring the beauty of the hidden location, he begins following the girl again. Eventually, he saw her swinging on the swing all by herself. He was about to ask her about what’s the purpose of bringing him here and her comment about never seeing him but an invisible force knocked him to the ground. Pikachu was also knocked down to the ground and was tumbling on the grass alongside him. 

“Wait,” the girl frantically protested, standing in front of the newly visible Latios. “Latios, he saved me!”

“He’s an outsider,” Latios responded, facing the girl. “He should not be in the secret garden.”

Ash don’t know if he should be questioning if the girl was a Legendary child because she understood the Latios clearly or if he should inform them that he was a Legendary child. Look at his perspective. He can’t understand the speech of normal pokemon but could easily understand the pokemon identified as “God-like.” Latios appeared to fit that category because Ash understands him perfectly clear.

“I will not hesitate to knock him out of the secret garden,” Latios warned. “Maybe I use several Dragon Pulses at him so he can leave.”

“Please don’t,” Ash spoke as he stood up and brush off the grass that was on him.”If you want me to leave, you can always politely ask.”

The girl and Latios immediately turned their heads to face Ash. Ash noticed the bewildered look they are giving him. The girl had her mouth slightly open while Latios was tilting his head as if he was a puzzle. 

“You understand me,” Latios hesitantly asked. He continued to look at Ash with pure confusion.

“It's something all Legendary Children can do,” Ash awkwardly answered. He pointed at the girl before speaking at the girl. “Like how she can understand you because she’s a Legendary Child.”

Ash saw the girl shaking her head no before she transformed into a pokemon in front of his eyes. Unlike Latios, the color palette of this pokemon was red and white. 

“And you are a pokemon,” Ash commented. 

There was some awkward silence before one of the pokemon decided that the silence was too much to bear.

“I’m Latias,” the pokemon introduced. “And did you say, Legendary Children?”

Ash nodded his head. Pikachu also nodded his head to confirm Ash’s answer.

“I have a child of my own somewhere,” Latias shared. She smiling brightly before frowning.  “I would love to meet my child. However, I was forced into hiding in the last decade after Team Rocket begins searching for us.”

“Your partner must think you are dead,” Latios announced, ignoring the blank Latias was giving him. “What, you did tell your partner that you were going into hiding!”

Ash continued to watch the two legendary pokemon bicker among themselves, wondering if he did anything in the past week to deserve being knocked on the ground and be the bystander in the two pokemon arguments.  After standing and watching the siblings make remarks about each other, an identical-looking girl arrive and order Latios to attack him. Latios stopped his sibling argument, looked at the girl, and shook his head no. Latias also shook her head no but much faster than her brother.

“No,” the girl said in shock.

Ash saw Lorenzo approaching and telling the girl to stop with the confrontation. Also, for some reason, Latios was now floating behind him while Latias was nuzzling his head to his side. When did Latias get so affectionate with him and Latios becoming protective of him? Why is this now occurring where there is an audience? Ash saw the girl opening her mouth but struggling to find the words to describe the situation. As for Lorenzo, he seems shocked for a few seconds before explaining the whole story about Latios and Latias. Sitting on Latias’s back with Pikachu sitting on his lap, hear heard a story about how the pokemon father was orphaned. Centuries ago, the evil trainer and his pokemon nearly destroyed Alto Mare. To stop the evil trainer, Latios sacrificed his life to save everyone. The Soul Dew in Lorenzo’s possession contains their father’s soul and has the power to destroy the pool of water containing Alto Mare. For the past two centuries, Lorenzo’s ancestors have been protecting the Soul Dew. 

When he was asked to keep the secret of the location, Ash gave everyone his word to keep the location. He’s no snitch and there is no way he is risking the safety of two pokemon by blabbering about the location. Oh hell no, he is doing that! 

All Ash wanted is a nice, peaceful, actionless trip that does not require him to save some people, stop some evil, or prevent another powerful pokemon's death. He was perfectly fine spending his time playing with the two legendary pokemon at the secret garden. It was easy to redirect Brock’s and Misty’s questions about his disappearance and what he was doing for the past few hours. Ash, being a good liar he is, told them that he got lost in the museum. Misty made a comment about him being a typical kid, and Brock mentioned that Ash should get a cellphone if he keeps finding himself in these situations.

Ash was at the Pokemon Center, resting for tomorrow. Misty and Brock were doing the same since they were prepared to call it a night. Pikachu, on the other hand, was suddenly alert and headed straight to the door. Ash followed Pikachu and open the door, to see that Latias in her human disguise stumbling inside the room. Ash noticed that there were tears in her eyes, and she was struggling to breathe.

“Latias, what’s wrong,” Ash gently prompted. He placed a hand on her shoulder and did his best to encouraged her to speak. When saw Latias nervously looking at his friends, Ash made sure to tell her that they are good people. “Brock and Misty are good people. You can trust them.”

Latias trusted Ash’s words and revealed her true form to the group. Ash thoroughly explained that he originally promised to keep Latias and her brother’s existence a secret earlier in the day. He made sure to include the fact that Latias was being chased earlier in the day and the same people who are chasing her are likely causing her to be so distressed.  Latias confirmed Ash’s statement receiving Latios’s sight-sharing transmission and projecting it to everyone in the room.

What Ash saw horrified him. First, there was Bianca and Lorenzo tied up. Lorenzo was protesting that DMA should not be used and that they don’t understand the severity of their actions. Bianca was also protesting, stating that the Soul Dew cannot be out of water too long. Another thing he saw was a woman stepping on the control pod of the DMA to resurrects two of the evil pokemon that threaten Alto Mare centuries ago. Lastly, he saw Latios imprisoned in the DMA. The vision ended when one of the women ordered to resurrected pokemon to find Latias. 

“We need to save Latios,” Ash stressed, preparing to run out of the pokemon center. “We don’t have a lot of time before they try to set up the metal gates.

He spoke too soon. Latias was slightly ahead of him while his friends were following behind him. He was much closer to Latias, but his friends were several meters far. Despite everyone’s best effort to avoid being trapped within the metal gates, Ash, his Pikachu, and Latias were the only ones who escaped from being imprisoned behind the metal gates. He was that determined to save Latios, to the point that he leaped on the Aerodactyle that ambushed Latias. Yes, he had his Pikachu use thunderbolt on the Aerodacyle he was riding one. No, he doesn’t care that his “typing” was a flying water type and made him more susceptible to electric-type moves.

“There’s a chariot, Latias,” Ash called out, pointing to the unattended water chariot. “Latias, can you lead us to the museum by pulling the chariot.

Latias nodded her head in approval in which Ash took as approval to quickly scrambled onto the water chariot and grasp on it tightly. He can feel the wind hitting his face as Latias is speeding through the canals toward the museum. 

Shit hit the fan when Ash was inside the museum. First, the person controlling the DMA was trying to drown him by sending a wall of water at him. Ha, you can drown someone if they are saved by a legendary pokemon. He didn’t carry that the person who sent the wave of water is trapped within the DMA's control. He has much more pressing matters to deal with, such as freeing Lorenzo and Bianca so they can help save Latios. Hastily, Ash freed the two of them from the rope by untying the knot and tossing the rope aside.

“We need to save Latios,” Ash nearly pleaded. He was bothered by Latios’s cries of pain as the machine demanded more power from Latios due to the corrupted Soul Dew. 

Ash saw Latias doing her best to free her brother by charging the spherical cage keeping her brother captive. He heard Latios begging Latias not to hurt themselves and that he would never forgive himself if she got hurt. Latias responded that she would rather get hurt than have him die in front of her. After charging at the spherical cage multiple times, Latias was able to overpower the machine drawing her brother’s energy. That allows Ash, Bianca, and Lorenzo to pull Latios free from his imprisonment. 

“You’re free, Latios,” Ash comforted, gently stroking Latios’s head. “The two rocket members are going to pay for their consequences.

In another timeline, Ash would have missed Annie retrieving the Soul Dew from the DMA before they made their escape. It would have been too late for Ash to stop Annie from touching the Soul Dew before it shattered into pieces. However, Ash was raised to stay aware of his surroundings and to be prepared for anything. Guzma would always emphasize situation awareness and never letting one guard down in an unknown environment or a dangerous situation. It was perhaps of Guzma’s lesson of situational awareness that Ash was vigilant enough to see Annie approaching the Soul Dew. 

“Stay away from that,” Ash shouted as he prepares to act. “You cause enough shit for today.”

Without thinking, Ash unconsciously used Hurricane to slam Annie within the spherical cage that once held Latios. Before Okaely had the opportunity to find the source of the Hurricane, Ash made sure to give Oakely the same treatment and trapping her with Annie. Out of anger and lack of clear thought, Ash used a Thunder at the pair stuck within the DMA. Maybe Ash was a little brutal toward the Team Rocket members since the two of them immediately passed out from the pain he inflicted on them  It wasn’t until after he knocked the two members of Team Rocket that he realized what he has done. Nervously, Ash turned around to see Lorenzo’s shocked face and Bianca’s widen eyes. Latias was too busy grabbing the Soul Dew and disappeared to return the Soul Dew.

“You can’t pretend that you didn’t see that,” Ash blurted, giving a strained smile to the two people who witness everything.

“Are you a Pokemon,” Bianca inquired. She slowly approaches Ash to get a better look at the boy. “

“No,” Ash stated. He was still giving them an uncomfortable smile toward the two people. “If Latias and Latios believe that you are trustworthy enough to know, I will allow them to tell you.”

Ash didn’t allow them the opportunity to respond and went toward Latios. Placing two of his hands on the pokemon, Ash clears his mind of the thoughts, feelings, and distractions that linger in his mind. He doesn’t have a lot of experience in using aura, but he could do some basic healing. He allowed himself to feel vulnerable as the aura sweeps outside of him and giving health to Latios. He doesn’t know how long he spent healing Latios, but his vision began to blur and his mind was foggy. He would have passed out if Bianca had forced him to stop. 

“You did enough, Ash,” Bianca told Ash, shoving him away from Latios. “Latios is healed and Latias returned the Soul Dew.

Ash automatically nodded his head and turned to face the approaching footsteps. It appeared that Misty and Brock had finally reached to the museum, missing the entire fiasco and his screw-up. That was a huge convenience for him since he doesn’t have to explain the Legendary Children to them. 

“I’m going to take a nap,” Ash blurted, laying on the ground and curling up. “You can wake me up later.”

He ignored the protests coming from everyone and fell asleep on the ground. He was so tired of all the shit he had to deal with in the past twelve hours. 

Ash woked up in the secret garden with Latias, Latios, and Bianca. It took him a while be he realized that he was in the middle of Latias and Latios and trapping him in the middle of the cuddle pile. The two pokemon were awake but refused to move from their respective spots.

“They refused to leave you alone,” Bianca clarified. She was looking at the two pokemon and back at him. It looked like she wanted to say something.

“Is there something you want to say,” Ash asked. He tried to get out of the pile, but the two pokemon shifted to prevent him from leaving.

“Latias told me that you a Legendary Child,” Bianca revealed. “What is that?”

“When two legendary pokemon love each other and want a child, they ask Arceus for a child,” Ash explained. He gave up trying to escape from the cuddle pile. “Then, a child born from human parents will be the couple’s child. That child can use Pokemon moves, have special abilities, and communicate with pokemon that are classified as gods or deities.”

“That’s...unheard of,” Bianca replied in shock. “Is that why we saw you using a Hurricane and Thunder?”

“Yep,” Ash confirmed. 

“When it’s safe for Latias to leave Alto Mare once more, will you help Latias find her child,” Biancia questioned. “She told me that she has a child herself.”

“I’m already looking for Suicune’s kid, I might as well look for Latias’s kid as well,” Ash disclosed. “You and your grandfather will tell no one, right? Misty and Brock know nothing about this, and I would like to keep it that way.

“We will not tell a single soul,” Bianca promised. “It’s the least we can do for you.”

Chapter Text

Ash is curious to know if people associated with the Pokemon League are automatically qualified to be absent or questionable parents. Look, he’s not here to judge anyone but hearing how absent Brock’s and Misty’s parents make him upset. Right now, he was lying comfortably on a comfy, big couch in their accommodated hotel room for the night. Brock was sitting on a different couch since Ash is taking all the space on the couch he is occupying. Misty is sitting in a criss-cross position, talking about how her mother was the former gym leader until her sisters took that position. 

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Ash sympathetically consoled. “It must have been difficult to lose your mother and only parent since you told me that your dad left the family.”

“Thanks, Ash, but I wasn’t close to her,” Misty yawned, stretching her arm to the roof. “ She made it known that she favored my sisters over me, stating that I was a burden in her life.”

“That was unfair of her to treat you like a burden Misty,” Brock pointed out as he straightened his posture. “Did she you treated you unfairly?”

“Of course,” Misty revealed, crossing her arms as she frowned. “ I get in trouble for the most stupid things while my sisters were able to get away with almost everything!” 

“As Brock said, that was totally unfair,” Ash confirmed. He placed his legs on the floor and moved himself to a sitting position. “If mom had not taught me how to properly treat a woman, I would have punched her.”

“Ash, no,” Brock groaned, placing a hand on his forehead. “You can’t punch everyone you hate or disapprove of.”

“Yes I can,” Ash answered with pure conviction. “You cannot stop me Brock.”

“If you manage to punch someone before Plumeria arrives tomorrow, I will tell her,” Brock warned. 

It was a sacrifice Ash was willing to make. He knows he won’t get too much trouble if Ash punches a deadbeat father or a dude with villainous intentions that involved hurting pokemon and humans. If he was to punch a woman, then he would get in significant trouble. However, that does not mean he can do some ridiculous pranks on a woman or yeet her in a pool of water. Great, now Ash wants to punch someone. Pikachu, who is currently standing on the sides of the couch, is not helping with Ash’s urge to punch people. His partner is currently standing and making punching motions. Brock is pretending to not see Pikachu punching an imaginative thing while Misty is giggling about Pikachu’s adorableness.  

“We should take a walk,” Misty suggested, standing up as she swatted the dust off her clothes. “All this absent parent talk is too depressing.”

“You know what, why not,” Brock agreed. He stood up from the couch and prepare to exited out of the room. “Ash, are you joining?”

“Of course,” Ash cheered as he excitedly hops out of the couch and headed to the door. “Maybe this will help me release some energy.”

Ash picked up Pikachu from the floor and hug him near his chest. After making sure his partner is comfortably hugged, he immediately exited the door, Brock opened. By now, Misty and Brock are used to him going ahead and learned how to catch up with him. He can hear their footsteps from behind as he rushed toward the hotel’s entrance. Despite how rushed he was walking to the hotel’s entrance, it was a peaceful walk to the entrance. Once Ash was outside, he surveys the area if there was anywhere interesting he wants to go. Misty wanted to go somewhere without a lot of people and Brock wanted to go somewhere peaceful. Ash didn’t care where they go as long he gets to release some energy. 

Fortunately for Ash and his friends, there was a neighboring park where they can simply take a peaceful walk on this cool, clear night. There were no stars due to the light pollution the buildings are causing, but at least the half-moon was still visible. At a much calmer pace, Ash took a stroll at the park, pointing at all the different pokemon they see visiting the park. It later became a competition on who can see the most pokemon species. If someone finds one species of pokemon, that species is no longer to be counted by the other two trainers. It was a simple silly game that everyone can participate in. Late in the game, there was a tie between Brock and him. Seeing a familiar figure approaching them, Ash figured out how he can break the tie.

“Hey look, it’s a Lance,” Ash called out, pointing at the now surprised Lance. He was still hugging Pikachu with his left arm.“Brock, I broke the tie. “

“We both know that Lance is not a pokemon, “Brock commented. He took a glance at Lance before speaking again. “You know what  Ash, I will let you have this point.”

“Game,” Lance asked in confusion.

“We were seeing on who can find the most Pokemon species, “ Misty clarifies. “There was a tie between Brock and Ash.”

“But now I win, “ Ash interrupted. “Brock gave me the point.”

Ash was still pointing at Lance so Misty pushed Ash’s arms down his side. He noticed that his pokemon was squirming, so he gently placed Pikachu on the ground. Happily, Pikachu cheered at his newfound freedom. It almost made Ash’s heart melt when he hears Pikachu so happy and content with the simple things of life. Turning his attention back at Lance, he noted that Lance was quietly standing near them and not leaving the area.

“Do you need something, “ Ash questioned, looking at Lance. “No offense, but you are standing quietly in the night right in front of us.”

“It’s a private manner,” Lance told Ash. He was looking a tiny bit nervous like he wishes t be somewhere else than in front of three trainers.  “Misty, I will need to speak to you privately about something you should have been informed of prior to your travels.” 

“I don’t mind Ash and Brock listening,” Misty assured. She was confused why Lance wanted to speak to her privately all of a sudden. Wouldn’t he have the opportunity to talk to her privately during her time at Kanto?

“I insist that we speak privately,” Lance urged. He was looking more hesitant the more time pass. “I think it is for the best of us that we talk somewhere without an audience.”

For the next couple of minutes, Lance would try to convince Misty to have private conservation while Misty demanded to know what the conservation would be about. Ash can see Misty losing her patience with Lance, indicated by increase deep breathing. As for Lance, the poor man is getting more flustered as Misty denies going anywhere with him without an explanation about the topic. Ash is looking at the scene in front of him as Misty and Lance continued to debate about the situation. Eventually, Brock grew tired and play the role of the mediator.

“Lance, Misty, the two of you have been debating for the past several minutes,” Brock interrupted, standing between Lance and Misty. “Lance, if the thing you want to discuss is a serious you claim to be, you have to understand the Misty would like some emotional support.”

Misty nodded her head as if she approved of Brock’s statement. 

“Misty, do you want Ash and me to stay with you,” Brock asked.

Misty nodded her head again and gave a yes answer.

“There you have it, Lance,” Brock confirmed. “Misty want’s the support of her closest friends if you want to talk to her. If you cannot respect her decision, it’s very unlikely that she would want to talk to you.”

Ash can see how nervous Lance was becoming for reasons unknown to him. Why would Lance be so nervous talking to a group of trainers who has no ill intention toward him? He is especially confused why Lance is looking at him every several seconds. It was like the man expected him to attack him! Occasionally, Ash saw Lance taking a step backward from him. 

“Speak, or I’m not having this conservation,” Misty told Lance. She was tapping her right foot impatiently.

Lance took a slow, deep breath before he started talking.

“Misty, I knew your mother,” Lance informed Misty. “I was really close with your mother. She was a wonderful lady and a talented trainer.”

“You knew her,” Misty questioned, raising her eyebrow up. “Like, developed a close relationship with her to form a friendship.”

“Friendship is one way of putting it,” Lance nervously responded. “We remain close until she passed a few years ago.

So Lance knew Misty’s mom, what’s the big deal. It’s not like the champion has any responsibility toward the family since he just a friend. Ash doesn’t understand why Brock was slowly scooting closer to Misty but making sure to place himself in front of Misty. Does Brock know something that Ash himself is not understanding?

“Is that what you want to talk about,” Misty wondered. Her posture was tensed, but she was still giving a polite smile. 

“No,” Lance revealed, stepping a step back away from Ash. “ I was really personal with your mother. We were extremely close with each other, and we met in person. Sprodatically."

Ash could have sworn that he heard Brock coughed out the word “affair” several times that was clearly heard by everyone. He saw Brock pretending that absolutely nothing had happened, and he was coughing like a regular, sane person. Lance gave Brock an unamused look as Brock give a fake innocent smile. Misty was frozen in shock, struggling to find the words to speak. 

“Your mother never told me much about her family life,” Lance revealed. “I knew she was marrier with children but nothing more.”

Now Ash is hearing Brock coughing out the word “cheater” multiple times before pretending that it was a random coughing fit he was experiencing. Ash sometimes forgets that Brock can be a little shit as well. It’s those unexpected moments that Brock was a little piece of shit, but it’s always a wonderful thing to see when it does happen. Lance might disagree with Ash’s thoughts, but who cares.

“It was recently that I made a discovery, “ Lance hesitantly admitted. “I received a letter from her ex-husband, stating that he has something to tell me.”

Why would Misty’s sorry excuse of a father want to send a letter to Lance? Did the man know that Lance was cheating with his wife and wanted to tell how much of a homewrecker Lance was? Ash will not blame the man if he wanted to do that, but he should have continued supporting Misty and her sisters. Earlier in the night, Misty was complaining about how her father stopped providing financial support to the family. Her mother’s income was in the six digits, but it was the principle that mattered to Misty. 

“On the letter, it stated how I ruined their marriage,” Lance confessed as he took another step back away from Ash. “He said he forgave his wife for cheating on him on multiple occasions, but there was one thing he can forgive.”

Ash heard Brock groaned and saw Misty widening her eyes. Misty and Brock must be getting something he does not understand. Brock was looking between Misty and at him for some reason.

“He can never forgive his wife for having another’s man child,” Lance told the group. “That child was a child I never knew I had until a few months ago. Misty, you are that child.” 

Not even a second later, Misty shrieks in pure anger. Brock place a hand on her shoulders as she started to cry. 

“You are the reason why I was the scapegoat of the family,” Misty yelled. “You’re the reason why my sisters were treated a lot more favorably than me!”

“Misty, you have to understand that I didn’t know anything until recently,” Lance quickly said. “If I knew you were my daughter and was being treated unfairly, I would have done something much about it sooner.”

“Doesn’t matter, “ Misty cut off. She was crying a lot less, but there were tears in her eyes.  “You don’t get to show your face, demand to speak privately with me, subtly tell me you have an affair with my mom, and tell me that I’m a product of an affair!” 

Lance was distracted by Misty's current conservation to spot Ash silently approaching Lance with a calm, natural face. He made sure to take light steps so Lance would not be alerted of Ash’s upcoming punch. Brock was too busy comforting Misty that he didn’t saw Ash closing the distance between him and Lance. Now Ash understands why Lance was taking steps backward and was attempting to create some distance. He knew that Ash will do something once he revealed that Misty is an affair child? A lovechild? Who knows what the correct term for it is. 

Once Ash was close enough, Ash reached out to snatch Lance’s collar and pull him down. He heard the fabric of Lance’s collar ripping when he pulls the champion down so Ash can more easily punch the man.  As quickly he pulled Lance down, he punched Lance’s stomach. Before Lance could process what was going on, Ash used all the strength he could muster to lift the man with his two arms before throwing him into a pound that was several feet away.

Misty had her mouth wide open in pure shock. Brock was lost in words and was having an inner debate on what he should be doing. Ash calmly walked to the now drenched champion from the side of the pond and looked at him.

“I have code against absent parents,” Ash shrugged, ignoring the bewildered look Lance was giving him. “You knew I was going to do that, so don’t be too surprised. 

“Was that really necessary Ash, “ Lance said. He spitted some water from his mouth before he continued talking. “You cannot copy your father’s actions and punch every person you disagree with.”

“Are you really lecturing about my lifestyle choice,” Ash spoked out loud. “ I didn’t sleep around with a married woman or had a secret baby.”

“She has a right to know,” Lance replied as he stood up. “And I want to build a relationship with her.”

“You cannot suddenly build a family-like relationship with someone who views you as a stranger,” Ash shared, giving the most serious look he could muster at the moment. “Two strangers cannot automatically become a family. It takes time to build and continuously demonstrate that type of trust, love, affection, and respect toward each other.”

Ash knows he was lucky to have his parents beside him to provide him with some type of stability and structure in his life. He’s not biologically related to Guzma and Plumeria, but he views them as his parents. They devoted their time to raise him, treating him with respect, and giving him the trust to carve his own life. They continuously provide love and affection in their own special way.

“Like dad always said to people who question my heritage… family does not mean everyone looks alike or shares too many characteristics,” Ash emphasized. “It takes so much time and energy to maintain a family. In the end, you have to let Misty deal with her feelings and decide if she would allow you to take that first step.”

Misty sighs before she made direct eye contact with Lance.

“My feelings are raw right now,” Misty mentioned.”Give me some time alone before I make that decision.”

“Take all the time you need,” Lance responded, appearing a bit more relieved. “If you ever need anything, you can always contact me.”

With nothing more to say, Ash, Misty, and Brock walked away from the park and headed back to their hotel room. For the entire trip back to their room, no one said a single word to each other. It had be an interesting night for sure.

A few hours later in the night...

Gold, being the insomniac researcher he is, was on his phone looking at all of his social media accounts. So far, nothing interesting is happening on this borning night. He should not have offered to participate in the exhibition match with the conference winner this year. Ever since Lance had passed the legislation at Kanto, all the other regions immediately adopted the increased age requirement for trainers to become champions. Due to being under 18 himself, Gold needed to gracefully resign from his primary championship status and give that title back to Lance. Now, he has the freedom to travel more freely, but he was convinced to participate in the exhibition match with the winner of the conference. 

“I’m so bored,” Gold whined. “Why did I allow myself to restrict myself again!”

“You should have told Lance to fuck off,” Silver commented as he continues to read a book. “He’s the champion of Johto at the moment so he should start acting like one.” 

“You sure do hate that man,” Gold commented as he continued browsing his phone. “Not that I blame you since it was shitty of him to make Red deal with shit that grown as people should be doing.”

“Johto allowed multiple champions, unlike Kanto,” Silver reminded Gold. “You did not have the same type of responsibility as Red.”

“Kanto’s laws are kinda questionable,” Gold responded. “I can’t blame your older brother running away all the time.” 

Gold was on his Tik Toc account and saw that there was one video being shared repeatedly. Out of curiosity, Gold allowed himself to view the video to see what the fuss was about. He was not disappointed to see that the video was about the same kid who punched someone’s dad. However, this time, it was the same kid punching freaking Lance as he pulled the man’s collar down. To make things much more entertaining, this tiny child lifted Lance off the ground and threw him at a pond. He assumed that the girl who looked liked she had been crying must be the affair child Lance was asking Professor Oak for advice last month. The clipped ended with a zoom of Lance’s soaked state, sitting on the pond.

“Silver, you have to see this,” Gold said as he shoved his phone in front of Silver face.

“Gold, I don’t want to see another video,” Silver answered, moving Gold’s phone out of his face.

“Trust me, you will love it,” Gold assured.

Gold gave his phone to Silver and waited until Silver watched the video. When Silver handed his phone back, there was a visible, small smile on his partner’s face. 

“The affair child is friends with the punchy kid,” Silver replied. “No advice could have saved Lance from that.”

There was a few seconds of silence before Gold spoke again.

“We need to meet the kid,” Gold stated. “We need to congratulate him for providing us with entertainment.”

“I need to give him my thanks,” Silver agreed. “For putting Lance at his place. He’s doing God's work."

Chapter Text

The sun is shining, the clouds are shaped like cotton candy, and the breeze is gentle. Overall, the weather is excellent at Johto. Guzma can get away wearing a boring plain navy dress shirt and black dress pants. Plumeria is wearing a violet blouse and indigo dress pants, a complete opposite of what she usually wears.  They don’t seem out of place among the spectators watching the Silver Conference Tournament.  His original plan was to find the most secluded spot, watch the battles, wait until Ash becomes available, and engage in some bonding moments with his son. He does not want to engage with the public, so he was purposely sitting where there were the least number of people. 

He should have known better. Really, he should. He saw Plumeria raised her eyebrows as two familiar children and a new red-head kid was approaching them. Can someone please tell Guzma why the Oak’s twins are smiling and laughing in pure amusement as they approach him. Heck, Green was pointing at him, mouthing some things while Blue was nodding her enthusiastically. They were too far for him to pick up on what they were saying, but they were clearly talking about him. The children couldn’t make it more obvious with their laughing and pointing. Now, the question is what they are laughing about. 

“I don’t have anything in my hair or on my face,” Guzma asked, patting his hair to see if there was something stuck in it.”

“No,” Plumeria answered, shaking her head. “I’m equally as confused as you are.”

It appears he will be getting his answers because the group of children eventually stopped right in front of him. The kid with the red hair walked past the Oak twins, grabbed his hands, and immediately started shaking his hands. Confused, he shook his hand with the kid. Why doe this random kid want to shake his hands? Is this a prank? Did the Oak twins rope someone into their pranks?

“You must be Guzma,” the red hair kid spoke as he continued to shake his hands. “Green and Blue told me so much about you.”

“They had,” Guzma replied, looking puzzled. What has he done to get the twins to talk about him to a stranger he never met. “Hopefully good things?”

“Name Silver,” the boy introduced, letting go of his hands. “ You are doing a world a wonderful service by raising a kid like Ash.”

He has a sinking feeling in his stomach, but he doesn’t know for what. He also feels like he’s going to be responsible for Plumeria’s headache. She doesn’t even have a headache at the moment!

“Why you say that,” Guzma questioned the kid. “You need to be a little more specific.”

“Wait, you don’t know what Ash did,” Blue excitedly replied.”Green, show them the video.”

Guzma saw Green swiftly pull out her phone, squinting her eyes as she tried to search for that said video, and faced the phone in his direction. On the screen of the phone, there was a specific video that was shared a ridiculous amount of times. The video shows Ash approaching Lance, pulling the champion’s collar, punching the champion, lifting that said champion with his tiny body, and chucking this man in a pond. Guzma needed to close his wide-open jaw shut and blink his eyes several times by the end of the video. Did his son actually chuck a freaking champion right after punching that said man?

“He gets this from you,” Plumeria trailed off in disbelief. “I was hoping Ash can go through one region without punching a grown adult. The Orange Islands does not count since it was a relatively short trip compared to the major regions.”

There it is, the Plumeria’s upcoming headache that was caused by him. It was not like he could control Ash’s actions or actively encourage their son to punch adults!  All he did was teach his son how to defend himself or act on his beliefs, dreams, and values. It was Ash who decided to punch random people because they had done, are doing, or will be doing something he disagrees. 

“Your kid is a riot,” Green mentioned as she put her phone away. “Now we got more shit against Lance.”

“Gold, my boyfriend, would love to meet you,” Silver added. “ He was the one who showed me the video.”

Quick, he needs a distraction to change the topic of conservation. Noticing the Green and Blue were at the Silver League Conference, Guzma used that as a perfect opportunity to discretely change the topic of conservation. He simply didn’t want to be the one on the other end of Plumeria’s disappointed stare. 

“Green, Blue, why are you at Johto,” Guzma inquired, hoping the twins would take the bait and forget about his son’s actions.

“Gary is participating in the league,” Blue explained. “Look down at the stadium. You can clearly see him battling someone at the moment.

Guzma did, in fact, looked at the stadium and noticed the ten-year-old is battling a slightly older trainer. He got to admit, Gary seems like a good trainer and knows what he’s doing. It seems living with a regional professional and being surrounded by more experienced trainers does have its perks. It gives some a leg up regarding battling techniques, raising pokemon, type matches, and trainer tips. The kid may seem a little bit cocky, but then again, the kid has years ahead of him to grow and mature. 

“What if Ash and Gary wound up battling each other in the finals,” Green wondered, appearing excited at the potential of two people she is familiar with battling each other. “I would love to see the two of them battle at the finals.”

“And then they will have a final match with Gold,” Silver pointed out. 

“Why Gold,” Plumeria questioned. “I thought Lance was the Primary Champion due to the increased age requirement for that position.”

“The higher-ups thought it would be fair to give Gold one last opportunity to fulfill his champion’s duties,” Silver shrugged. “He was one of the few primary champions to resigned from his position.”

Guzma heard the announcement from the chairman that the battle had ended. It appeared that Gary was the winner of that round. He thinks there are three more battles before his son has his match for today. He can wait patiently until his son is ready to battle. Yes, he can stay in place as three teenagers talk about their travels and share embarrassing stories about what he assumes is about his family. Is he aware that the three teens refuse to leave his side and choose to stay close to him? Yes, and he doesn’t understand why the three teens are choosing to stay here with him. Before Guzma knew it, Blue disappeared for a few minutes and returned with an additional kid. Now there are three teenagers and one Gary Oak standing near him. 

“I have so many questions,” Plumeria whispered to Guzma. “Why are they volunteering to stay with us in the stadium.”

“They must have nothing better to do,” Guzma whispered back to Plumeria. “Or curious about if I share the same chaotic nature as our son.”

“You do,” Plumeria quietly answered. “That’s a no-brainer.”

Guzma nodded his head in agreement with Plumeria’s assessment. 

After his son’s match, Guzma immediately left the stadium and begin searching for his only son. He was informed weeks prior that the league had set up accommodations for those participating in the conference, which means that he can wait near Ash’s room with Plumeria. He has the room number, so it wasn’t too difficult to find. However, there was one factor he should have considered before wandering around and waiting for his child to return from his match. That factor is the persistence of three teenagers and a curious ten-year-old child. Guzma had thought that they would leave him alone after Ash’s match but he was so wrong. Instead, the four of them followed right behind him and trailing them as if they were four Duckletts following a pair of Suwannas. 

After several minutes of contemplating his life choices and waiting for his son to return to his hotel accommodations, he saw Ash approaching them with Misty and Brock. When Ash made eye contact with him, he prepared himself to be tackled by a cheerful and energetic child. Plumeria took a step to the side as Ash began charging at him. Moments later, Ash had tackled him into a hug. Maybe the tackle hug was a little bit intense because Ash had knocked them to the ground. Ash does not appear a tiny bit guilty in tackling him into a hug and is brightly smiling. 

“Your father gets a hug but not me,” Plumeria joked, placing one of her hands on her heart and pretending to be hurt. “I see. You love your father more than me.”

Ash scrambled away from him and went to hug Plumeria in a much more gentle manner. 

“I love you mom,” Ash quickly reassured Plumeria, hugging the woman tighter. “It’s just so fun giving dad a tackle hug.”

“You knock the wind out of him,” Green commented, looking amused by the scene. “Oh, hey. It’s Brock and Misty!. How are things going for you two.”

“Interesting,” Brock shared before focusing his attention on Plumeria. “Plumeria, I should mention that yesterday night, Ash thought it was necessary to punch Lance before chucking him in a pond.”

Guzma could have sworn that Brock looked amused by the fact that his son chuck Lance in a body of water. When he glanced at Misty, he noticed that she smiling at the mention of his son’s incident with the champion. While Brock and Plumeria were engaging in the conservation, Ash let go from hugging Plumeria to opening the door and letting everyone inside the accommodations.

“I appreciate that you told me what my son did,” Plumeria acknowledged before pointing at the twins. “However, the Oak twins showed me a video that went viral.”

“Someone was recording,” Misty shouted in shock. “How much was recorded.”

“Don’t worry about someone knowing about your illegitimate status,” Silver explained. “The video starts with Ash slowly walking up to Lance.”

“Wait, you know about,” Misty started before she was interrupted.

“He was asking gramps about advice to reveal to his lovechild that he had an affair with their mom,” Gary interrupted as he shrugged his shoulders. “But then, he realized his mistake.”

“He was near the same punchy child who punched the last parent who practically abandoned his nine-plus children,” Blue added before turning his attention to Brock. “No offense, Brock.”

“It’s an open secret at this point,” Brock admitted. “I should have not been too surprised that Ash punched Lance after everything.”

“Looking back, that was funny,” Misty revealed. “I’m just relieved that no one outside of this circle knows that the truth.”

“Sweetie, the tabloids would have been all over it the moment someone catches wind of this,” Green mentioned, placing her hands on Misty’s shoulders. “But seriously, you and everyone need to keep their mouth shut about this.”

“It’s not Giovanni level bad,” Silver causally said, as if he didn’t say the missing leader of Team Rocket had an affair child.

“Wait, what the fuck,” Guzma blurted out in shock. “You do not casually say that a former villainous organization leader has an illegitimate son somewhere in the son.

Guzma noticed that Silver was giving him the most deadpan expression he had ever seen on the boy. He also noted how Ash, Brock, and Misty were also shocked by the news and looked at Silver with mixed emotions. Blue, Green, and Gary seem unfazed by Silver’s comment. 

“I just did,” Silver replied. He was clearly amused by Guzma’s reactions and those who were previously unaware of that fact. 

“Do you happen to know that child,” Ash curiously asked while staring at Silver. “It sounds like you know the kid.

“Ash, I am that kid,” Silver smirked, pointing to himself. “He cheated on his wife with as subordinate, my mother had me, and I was left in front of a door.”

“That’s really rough, buddy,” Guzma said, trying his best to console Silver. Sue him, he’s not really good at intense emotional shit.

“Wait, so Delia is not your mother,” Ash questioned Silver. “Lance said that you here Delia’s son.”

“She adopted me,” Silver clarified. “I can’t tell you the rest until you meet Red or has his approval.”

Ah, Red. The kid he met at the mountains and taught to make proper coffee. After departing from Red, he had more time to reflect on their encounter. One thing that continued to bother him to this day is how eerily similar Red was to Ash. Both have black hair, a Pikachu partner, decent battling skills, nearly similar fashion choices, similar hair cuts, and defeating Lance in a pokemon battle during their first year of being a trainer. It’s no wonder that people from Kanto continued to believe that Ash looked up to Red and applied similar styles in their battles. Ash had not heard about the guy until he began traveling in Kanto. 

“Just how many illegitimate and secret children are out there,” Misty sighs. “I swear, there are consequences for not being aware of an existence of a child.”

Every single child and teenager dramatically nodded their heads to Misty’s statement. Plumeria gave a slight nod as he himself gave a slight nod in agreement. He hoped that Ash would never get into a similar situation like Misty or Silver. As heartless and cruel as it sounds, Guzma hoped that finding Ash drifting on the Alola shore was the result of the parents abandoning their child and placing the child in a basket was an attempt to make themselves feel less guilty. However, he knows that is not likely the case. It could also be that Ash’s biological parents were in a shipwreck and did not survive. Placing Ash in a basket was a desperate attempt to preserve Ash’s life and giving him a fighting chance. It had to be one of those two options because he wouldn’t know what to do if Ash actually had a family out in the world. 

Glancing at Plumeria, he saw the grim expression on her face that went unnoticed by others. Her eyes convey the same feelings of worry he had been experiencing. She wasn’t there when he found Ash on a battered basket. She wasn’t there when he was at the lowest point in his life and having his trust broken by those who claim to support him. However, she was there when he was struggling to raise a baby who could do some pretty cool yet terrifying stuff. She grew attached to the kid and became a mother figure to Ash in the same way he became a father figure in Ash’s life. She knew that Ash was the main pillar in his life and the only reason he reached this far in his life. 

Guzma won’t know what to do if Ash is suddenly taken away from him, and he hopes he will never find out. All he wants to do is stay involved with Ash’s life without threatening his family. 

Gold was checking the latest text Silver had sent him. Pulling out his phone, Silver said that the message was several photo attachments of the punchy kid, the punchy kid’s friends, and the parents of the punchy kid. After closely inspecting the photo of the punchy kid, he can understand Lance’s and Professor Oak’s comment on how creepily similar Ash appears to Red. They both have a Pikachu on their shoulders, a distinguished red cap, and similar physical characteristics. 

“Hey Red, do you want to see the photo of the punchy kid,” Gold called out to Red, who was currently in the same room as him.”

Red nodded his head and moved his head closer to Gold’s phone screen. After several seconds of Red looking at Gold’s phone screen, Red signaled Gold that it was okay for him to put the phone away. 

‘That’s freaky. He almost looked like me when I was his age.’

“I know,” Gold agreed. “You should stay and meet the kid at the Silver League Conference.”

Red shook his head as he began signing.

‘Can’t, I promised the professor that I would spare some time to help him in the lab.’

“You are trying to avoid Lance, aren’t you,” Gold guessed. “Since you’re almost 18 and can take the primary champion spot if you win an official battle against him.”

‘I deserve a break. Pops said that I can always pretend to be an agent to get Lance to leave me alone.’

“Your family is a mess,” Gold said, shaking his head. 

Chapter Text

Guzma has experience with random, unexpected, and inconvenient moments in his life. He’s a certified professional when it comes to the odd shit or moments that happen at the most unexpected moments. Case in point, going outside to take a breather before returning back into the living room the trainers were staying at with an additional teen. Since when did another teen appear out of nowhere. In fact, why does she share a resemblance with the Oak kids? How many grandchildren does the professor have? 

“Who are you,” Guzma nearly shouted, pointing at the unknown female trainer. “Why are the germline children multiplying?” 

Plumeria begins shaking her head the moment he calls them gremlins. Blue and Green were snickering while Gary was whispering. Brock and Misty appeared to be completely unfazed by everything. Oh Arceus, is his son that much of a chaotic force that he normalized the craziest shit for his friends? 

“That’s Daisy,” Ash clarified, not noticing his father’s confusion. “She appeared a minute after you left.”

“Is there any more children I need to be aware of,” Guzma questioned, looking at each of professor Oak’s grandkids. “Because I don’t need to question my sanity every time I disappear from a room of children.”

Guzma saw Daisy approach closer, most likely to introduce herself. He thinks she’s a relatively normal trainer, probably the most normal out of the bunch of the grandchildren.

“You must be Guzma,” Daisy smiled. “Blue and Green had told me so much about you.”

“They told you about my blunders and how I encourage Ash’s behavior,” Guzma guessed. He’s not going to prematurely assume that mischievous twins spoke about his good qualities or miss the opportunity to talk about Ash’s tendency to punch people. “Let me guess, they made you watch the Tik Tocks.”

“The showed me the original Tik Tocks before mentioning your poor social skills,” Daisy admitted, not showing an ounce of shame for being honest. “I can see where they get that thought from.”

It’s not his fault he lived in near isolation from society for nearly a decade. He is surrounded by teenagers and young adults who have a thirst for destruction, chaos, and disorder.  It doesn’t help that they most likely have their own trauma or don’t exactly follow the established norms.

“Not like it’s a bad thing,” Daisy stammered, looking visibly embarrassed. “We all have our quirks. Just look at Gary. He’s a cocky little shit.”

“Rude,” Gary responded, appearing amused by Daisy’s comment. 

Guzma lay face flat on the floor for the remainder of the evening to discourage others from talking to him. Whenever someone tried to talk to him, he would make incoherent noise on the ground to make it purposely harder for the other person to understand what he’s saying. Even when someone tried to shake him with their foot, he continued to be an unmovable force that is the big boss. At some point, his back became a bench for the smaller pokemon of the trainers in the room. He can sense his son’s Pikachu walking on the back of his head before laying in his hair. Occasionally, he would feel his hair being tugged. Other times, he would feel someone’s pokemon walking on his back. It doesn’t matter if he became a sitting bench for the pokemon, it’s still better sitting awkwardly on a couch while contributing nothing to the conservation the trainer is having. Why would someone volunteer themselves to uncomfortably sit for the next few hours while everyone talks about a topic you have no expertise in. He knows nothing about gym challenges, contests, or the latest trends.

“This is why people think you are socially awkward, Guzma,” Plumeria whispered, crouching near the same spot where Guzma was lying. “You do things like this to avoid a social conservation.”

He doesn’t care. He’s perfectly fine staying like this for as long as he wants to. It doesn’t matter what other people think about his actions. 

As he departed to the stadium, something with fur had knocked him behind. There was nothing to hold onto, so he was knocked out of the sidewalk and began tumbling down the nearby hill. He attempted to stop himself from rolling down the hill, but his legs and arms managed to tangle themselves together. Guzma thinks he hears a pokemon approaching, but he could tell because of the noises of his own screams. Suddenly, he felt something grab him for a few seconds. However, the pokemon or person accidentally drop him. Being dropped had resulted in him hitting something concrete before he fell into the water fountain. Now he is sitting in a water fountain with his wet, tangled hair covering his face. Spitting the water out of his mouth, Guzma stood up to get out of the water fountain. 

“Sorry about that man, he didn’t mean that,” a voice apologized from a distance.
Squinting, Guzma sees a boy with a cap, goggles, and a Togakiss. An Apbipom was suddenly in front of his face, which resulted in him taking a few steps back and falling back into the water fountain. At least he did swallow any water this time. 

“Today isn’t your day,” the voice mentioned, helping Guzma get out of the water fountain. “Name Gold, and my Togakiss knocked you out when he was racing one of my pokemon.”

“Guzma and man, do your Togakiss do not hold back,” Guzma responded, accepting Gold’s assistance. “Did one of your pokemon also grab me or something?”

“Apibipom tried to stop you from rolling with his tail,” Gold explained. “But you manage to slip at some point, so now you are soaking wet.” 

“It’s a thought that counts,” Guzma shrugged. “But next time, pay attention to what’s in front of you, so you don’t knock anyone else through dirt and water.”

Gold was giving him an odd look like he was trying to decipher something out of him. Does he have something on his face? Was there a tiny pokemon tangle in his hair? No, please don’t tell him that Gold is another fan of Ash’s antics.

“You’re nothing like I imagine,” Gold admitted without an ounce of shame. “I thought you would be more angry, aggressive, and violent. I did not picture you to be a likable person. In fact, I thought you would be more unlikable.” 

Well, that was brutally honest. Did this kid automatically assume that he will be an unlikable piece of shit? At least Gold didn’t call him ugly. He doesn’t think someone would have the balls to call him ugly, but who knows. Still, he never thought he would parent a random infant he found floating in the seas. 

“What makes you think that,” Guzma questioned. “I know I have some scars but…”

“Silver told me all about your son,” Gold interrupted. He was getting more eager the more he talked. “Man, no one was bold and brave enough to lay a finger on Lance. Never in a million years, I thought someone would deck the man.”

“Not you too,” Guzma sighs. He is so done with his son’s internet fame. “Why is this the type of thing that captures the interest of the youth.”

“We have a thirst for needless violence and comedy,” Gold stated. “ Anyone, I expected the guy who encourages their kid to punch and throw people to be more of a brute.”

Again, the kid is brutally honest. Guzma wonders if this kid gets his entertainment front the reaction of others. Based on Gold’s Apbipom’s and Togakiss’s slight laughter, Guzma thinks that Gold is enjoying every second of this conservation. 

“You’re enjoying this,” Guzma noted. “Do you like seeing the reactions of others after your blunt comments?”

“Yeah, I tend to annoy Lance with it,” Gold claimed. “It's how I assert my dominance.”

Before Guzma could ask what the distortion world Gold was talking about, he heard a cell rings. Scouting the area, he attempted to find the source of the phone. Seconds later, he observed how Gold checked his phone for a bit before hanging up on the person who was calling him.

“I love to stay and chat, but I need to go,” Gold revealed, putting his phone away. “I look forward to battling against your son if he somehow manages to win the tournament. I’m no pushover, you know, so Ash is going to need all the luck he can get.”

Gold sprinted immediately after he finished his last sentence with his two pokemon following him. Guzma was left on a random street in wet clothes. The moment after Gold left, he realized that he was talking to the previous primary champion of Johto. He was knocked down by the previous primary champion’s pokemon and somehow landed into a random water fountain. Why does he never realize that he is talking to a previous champion until that person leaves? 

“GUZMA, where have you been,” a voice shouted from behind. 

Guzma turned around in the direction of the voice to be met with a concern Plumeria. There was also some anger displayed on her face, but she was mostly concerned. 

“You have been missed a few matches,” Plumeria pointed out. “I thought something awful happened.”

“I was knocked by Gold’s pokemon,” Guzma disclosed. “Before you asked, yes, it is the same Gold as the previous primary champion. “

Guzma saw how Plumeria was glancing at his outfit, so he inspected himself. Dang, he sees grass, mud, and some twigs sticking onto his clothes. He’s so filthy, and his clothes are still wet! Combing through his hair, Guzma sensed that there were some twigs and leaves tangled in his hair. 

“You look like a filthy mess,” Plumeria laughed, clutching her stomach. “I’m sorry, but you look like a complete disaster. There are two sticks in your hair at the front of your hair. It’s like you have two horns.”

Before Guzma had the opportunity to respond, a flock of Wingull decided that he would be a wonderful dumping ground for a pile of seaweed. The flock of pokemon dropped several pounds of seaweed on top of him before they flew away. Guzma can feel the slime of the seaweed on his skin as it clings onto him. That just causes Plumeria to laugher harder as she leans on the water fountain for support. 

“Your luck is shitty today,” Plumeria crackled, taking a second to breathe before she started laughing again. 

At least someone got some enjoyment out of his misfortune. If he was a different person, he would have gotten furious at the person laughing at him. If the person laughing at wasn’t Plumeria, he would have screamed at the person to shut the fuck up. Instead, he was feeling quite content. Seeing his best friend laughing, he feels the warmth of happiness bubbling inside of his chest. Perhaps that was why he started to laugh out loud with Plumeria.  He didn’t care about the odd looks and raised eyebrows he was receiving from every passerby. He was happy, and that is all that matters. 

In a video conference call…

The world’s most influential trainers, coordinators, agents, and other people associated with the league met to discuss important topics on the video conference call. The purpose of the video call was to check up on each respective region and discuss potential threats to the region's safety. Representing the Kanto and Johto region, there was Lance. The elite four from Kanto and Johto were also present due to the mandatory conference call, much to their displeasure. Due to the current change of policies, Gold was no longer required to partake in the conference call. Those representing the Hoenn region, there was Steven and Wallace.  Of course, Steven suggested that he would abandon his championship duties to explore a cave if one elite four members failed to show up. From the Sinnoh region, there was Cynthia, Johanna, and the Sinnoh’s elite four.  Not one person from the Sinnoh league looks happy. However, Alder and Unova’s elite four appears unbothered about the mandatory attendance. Representing the Kalos regions were Diantha and the Kalos elite four. Alola’s representative only consists of Nanu due to the small size. Leon was tending to his sick brother, so he had an excuse to be absent.

“I’m worried about Team Magma’s and Team Aqua’s continued growth,” Steven shared, looking a bit stressed. “I’m afraid we are having trouble in finding their base of operations or what their intentions are.”

“I can send a few G-men,” Lance offered. “They are trained in infiltration and can easily adapt to different settings.”

“Please don’t send someone inexperience,” Wallace requested. “The two teams are not the same threat level as Team Rocket, but they are not afraid to use violence against those who stand in their way. 

“I will send some of my men to Hoenn as soon as possible,” Lance agreed. “Does anyone else have a concern they would like to share?”

“I do,” Johanna chimed in, looking slightly agitated. “Can you tell me why is it necessary for different government bodies to headhunt trainers with the potential to become agents, G-men, or officials associated with the league?

“She’s pissed that someone associated with the International police attempted to recruit her son Lucus,” Cynthia supplemented. “You know how vastly different Sinnoh’s values are compared to Kanto’s values.”

“Ah yes, Kanto views anyone above 10 as qualified individuals for a most official position,” Agatha acknowledged. “We’ll inform the correct people about your request.”

“Good, I don’t need my children to be involved with my sorry excuse of an ex-husband,” Johanna sighs. “At least wait a few months until his 18th birthday.” 

“Before you asked, no, we can’t find any traces of the man,” Flint quickly informed everyone. "You would assume after a decade, you would find the man’s fake identity.”

Johanna gave a sharp glare on the screen in which Flint pretended to not notice. Cynthia was suddenly eating ice cream while the other three elite four members were eating a meal they had prepared ahead of time.

“Alder, are things going for you,” Lance asked. Ignoring what the people from the Sinnoh league were doing. 

“For now, there is no major threat,” Alder revealed, looking bothered. “However, there is an emergence of a radical group known as Team Plasma. They have bothered the locals with their speeches.”

“Keep an eye on them, Alder,” Diantha suggested. “ Wait and collect evidence in the meantime.”

“That was my plan,” Alder confirmed. 

“Diantha, how are things going in Kalos,” Lance inquired.

“Peaceful as always,” Diantha responded. “Although, there are reports of a suspicious group dressed in orange. For now, they pose no threat.”

“Thank you Diantha,” Lance continued. “Nanu, is Alola still peaceful?”

“Nothing major,” Nanu answered. “There’s a delinquent group, but they don’t bother anyone.” 

“Is the international police or the G-men attempting to recruit young trainers,” Cynthia mentioned. She stopped eating her ice cream in favor of talking. “Some local psychics have been warning me about potential world-ending threats.”

“Looker will attempt to recruit  Blue and Green once they turned 18,” Lance shared. “It’s likely we will  try to recruit some more young trainers from different regions such as Brandon, Gold, Silver, and other trainers when they turn 18.”

For the remainder of the video conference, everyone talked about trading, financial topics, and other regional concerns. At the same time, several trainers throughout the world sneeze at the same time. 

Chapter Text

Guzma only had a second to prepare himself until his son tackled for the millionth time to the ground. Ash had charged at him to give him a hug and tackled him to the ground. He hopes Ash’s behaviors will change after he reaches his teenage years because Guzma doesn’t think he can’t deal with being tackled to the ground for the rest of his life. He thinks that his son doesn’t know how bone-crushing his hugs are or how his son’s hugs squeeze the air out of his lungs. From the corner of his eye, he sees Plumeria shaking her head but stifling her laugher with her right hand. Next to her, his son’s friends seem unfazed by his son’s actions. 

“This actually a lot more common than one would think,” Brock mentioned, looking amused at the situation. “My younger siblings would use to tackle me every day after I returned from the gym.”

Guzma felt Ash releasing him from the bone-crushing hug. Finally, he can breathe properly again! He got himself off the floor, brushed the grass strands off his pants, and single Brock to continue.

“However, I’m curious how you manage to get a lot of grass, mud, and twigs onto your clothes from one simple hug,” Brock continued, not being a bit surprised at Guzma’s messy appearance. “Where did the mud come from?”

“Guzma told me he was tackled by Gold’s pokemon,” Plumeria informed the group. “If you were here earlier, you would have seen Guzma’s new hairdo.”

“A group of Wingull dropped seaweed on me Plumeria,” Guzma quickly stated. “ Where did they get the seaweed from? Why were they carrying seaweed in the first place.”

“Wait, you met Gold,” Misty interrupted. “The previous champion of the Johto region before he was forced to resign due to his age? That Gold? “

Guzma nodded his head. All he wants is to get a shower and drown in blankets. He also needs to apologize to his son that he missed his son’s match and has no idea if he made it to the finals. Sure, he won’t be too disappointed or furious that he missed seeing his match. Ash is naturally a more understanding and empathetic person compared to him. He would dare say that Ash is the better person compared to everyone associated with Team Skull. 

“Unfortunately, due to being knocked by Gold’s pokemon, I missed my son’s match,” Guzma explained, pointing to himself. “I was spending the entire time rolling down a hill, being soaked by water, and talking to a kid who enjoys violence a little too much.”

“Then I get to tell you that I made it to the finals,” Ash cheerfully told Guzma. “That means that I’m going to battle Gary Oak!”

“That means that Blue, Green, and Silver will be cheering for him,” Misty spoke. “Though, coming from a family of researchers and trainers does give him an advantage.”

“It depends on how he applied his knowledge into battle,” Brock added. “You can know everything about type advantages, moves, and strategies. However, if you don’t know how to apply your knowledge into practice, you can’t battle effectively.”

“But I didn’t study before I started my journey,” Ash shared. He turned to face his father, then to his mother. “And no offense, dad, but you’re not exactly book smart. Street smart, yes. Mom is not much of a battler, but she has several pokemon.”

Guzma is not even offended by his son’s comment. Sure, when he was younger, he was one of Melemele Island’s top students and was praised for his strategy. He still hasn’t forgotten how he was handpicked to possibly succeed the Kahuna alongside several other students. Many of his peers were knowledgeable but struggled to apply the information they learned into practice. He was one of the few who applied the theories, strategies, and information about types into battle. Despite his past experiences proving that he is equally academically and street smart, he had refused to share too much about his childhood with his son. That’s why he’s not correcting his son’s statement. 

“Prior knowledge is not the only thing necessary to become a good trainer,” Brock pointed out, which grabbed Ash’s attention. “ Gaining experience is one best of the best ways to become a trainer.”

“Learning from those experiences can also help,” Misty added. “Combine those two, and you are already doing much better than someone who relies solely on information without the battle experience to back up their claims of being a good trainer.”

Right, Ash’s two friends are technically gym leaders. That fact had slipped out of his mind because they were only a few years older than Ash. He guessed that it takes two gym leaders to deal with the randomness that involves Ash. Trust him, he loves his son with all of his black and cold heart. However, based on Ash's stories, it sometimes takes a professional to deal with being in the same presence of trouble management. He assumed two experienced gym leaders could keep up with frequent Team Rocket attacks or Ash’s habit of punching people in the face. 

It was all Plumeria’s fault. She wanted to go out and explore the local shops, visit some neighboring tourist spots, and buy some souvenirs to bring back to base. Their son had asked if they wanted to stay in the accommodations with them, in which Plumeria responded that they wanted to take the tour of the place. Before he knew it, Plumeria grabbed his arm and wished their son a pleasant night. He didn’t get a chance to respond as Plumeria closed the door for Ash and nonchalantly dragged him away to who knows where. Once they were outside, Guzma was able to find the words to speak about Plumeria’s action.

“What was that about,” Guzma questioned, now noticing the setting sun afar. “You want to go stargazing? Plan a grand heist? Scare people shitless? ”

“No, but we need to play the part of a happily married couple,” Plumeria expressed, showing the hand that has a fake wedding ring. “While you were missing, I had to answer well-meaning, but invasive personal questions about our so call marriage.”

“Oh,” Guzma articulated. “Did one of them question the legitimacy of our fake marriage?”

“Brock shared that we do not act like most married couples,” Plumeria revealed. “He said that we act like two roommates who are raising a child.”

Technically, that is true. He does live with Plumeria in the base and they are raising a child who is related to them in all but blood. The fake marriage certificate is supposed to cover up the fact that he adopted a random infant he found when he was at rock bottom. Plumeria tagged along because Ash tends to warm the hearts of people. He thought that all that was needed in this fake marriage was a fake marriage certificate. That should be enough evidence for everyone that they are legally and happily married! 

“So we are going to do some cliche couple stuff starting now,” Plumeria suggested, who appeared highly amused about the situation. “We don’t want the wrong people figuring out the lies we weaved, don’t we?” 

“Wait, so you actually want to do some stargazing and other shit like that,” Guzma sputtered. He’s not looking forward to spending time outside or doing the things that Plumeria is suggesting. “ You can’t be serious Plumeria! I don’t want to do any of those things!”

“You’re overreacting,” Plumeria noted. “All we have to do is hang out in a public area every time we visit Ash. Taking a walk, visiting a tourist spot, and buying shit are not that much of a hassle.”
“Why are you enjoying this,” Guzma asked, suspicious of Plumeria’s intentions. “What do you really want?”

“I was serious about wanting to buy some things here,” Plumeria shrugged. “Johto have some pretty rare items like handcrafted poke balls and aprijuice made out of apicorns. I was planning to go on my own until our son’s friends questioned our so-called marriage.”

“I really don’t want to go out in public,” Guzma complained, not liking the idea of being surrounded by dozens of people. 

He has a strong dislike of being placed in situations where he must socialize or talk to other people his age. He can deal with children because of Ash. He can deal with a typical polite greeting, but interacting with the general public causes him to have an aversion to most public locations. Tournaments are exceptions because he is an actual, supportive parent who cares about their child’s happiness and does whatever it takes to provide support. 

“What the worse that can happen,” Plumeria questioned. “Worst-case scenario, you embarrassed yourself by tripping on a random rock.”

It turns out, tripping on a rock was not the worse that could happen. No, the worst thing that could happen was running into the champion punched in the face by his son. The last time Guzma saw Lance, they were eating at Lance’s late sister’s restaurant. Everyone was polite, and Ash did not deck a regional champion in the face. There was also no lake where Ash could toss someone into. However, this time, Guzma is carrying a ridiculous amount of shopping bags filled to the brim of apricorns, aprijuice, and custom Pokeballs. He couldn’t see where he was stepping, which resulted in him failing to see a banana peel someone tossed onto the ground. He stepped on the banana peel and pathetically slipped on the ground as one would expect. To make things worse, he lost his grip on the bags he was carrying. As a result, the contents fell out of the bag and were scattered throughout the yard. He was also in pain because he fell on the cemented sidewalk this time. 

“Oh my Arceus,” Plumeria said in disbelief. “Today is really not your day.”

While groaning in pain, Guzma slowly got up from the ground and looked at the sigh in front of him. Customs Pokeballs, and apricorns were everyone on the sidewalk and the grass. Nearly all the bottles that contained the aprijuice were sealed except for a few. The few bottles that were unsealed happened to spill all of the contents after making contact with a certain, unexpecting trainer. Wait, Guzma meant the fucking champion. Lance somehow managed to be soaked in aprijuice that Plumeria purchased earlier in the evening. He can see the confusion that was plastered on the champion.

“Is the universe seriously fucking with me,” Guzma shouted in the conveniently empty park. “I can’t have one day in Johto where I don’t screw up or where some random cosmic power decides to fuck with my day. 

Lance still stood there in shock and confusion. Plumeria looked back and forth between Guzma and Lance. Guzma himself is having an internal debate on what to do about the situation. Should he apologize for the accident or should he do the classic move of a parent apologizing for their child’s action without voicing their true feelings about the situation? 

“It’s a perfect night to continue screwing up royally,” Guzma blurted out. “ Why not end today by spilling juice on the same guy my son chuck in the pond.”

Funnily enough, there is a pond nearby. He inspected the park to see that the surroundings appeared very similar for some reason. The pond, the vegetation, and even the night sky were very similar. It was almost like Guzma had seen this place before, despite never setting foot in Johto prior to the tournament. Several seconds later, Guzma made a realization. They were in the same location where the unknown passerby had taken the video of Ash punching Lance and tossing him to a pond. Everything was the same! 

“And we are in the same place where the Tik Toc was filmed,” Guzma sighs in exasperation. “Of course that what happens. “

“Did you spill aprijuice on me,” Lance asked, equally unaware of how to respond to the situation. 

“My wife loves buying region-based items,” Guzma said. He was done with this day. He wants to lay down, sleep, and never wake up. “She forced me to carry everything while she barely lifted a finger.”

“You’re a strong guy so I didn’t see the problem making you carry everything,” Plumeria slightly smiled. “So Lance, how upset you are that our son basically humiliated you for the whole internet to see.” 

Guzma saw Lance was giving Plumeria an unamused look. Plumeria seems unfazed by Lance and continued with her polite smile. 

“If you expect us to grovel and give empty apologies regarding our son’s action, I’m sorry to disappoint you,” Plumeria explained, enjoying the shocked look Lance was displaying. “From what we heard, you have your own set of character flaws. Or human desires for companionship. Take your pick.”

No, Plumeria is supposed to be the more reasonable one! She was the tactical parent while he supposes to be the impulsive parent. 

“Plumeria, rilling up the Kanto champion is not a bright idea,” Guzma warned, trying to stop whatever Plumeria is planning. “You are supposed to be the reasonable one!”

“We both know that Ash fully intended to punch him,” Plumeria responded. “And I’m not going to grovel and worship the ground someone walks because they are famous or is a region’s champion.” 

“Your point is,” Guzma prompted, getting slightly impatient. 

“Lance is not going to get a fake apology from Ash,” Plumeria clarified. “He can expect an apology from us for encouraging that type of behavior, but he can’t expect us to suck up, butter up, or perform a song and dance.”

That’s fair. He can do a simple apology for encouraging Ash to use violence as a poor method to express one’s emotions toward anyone who doesn’t follow Ash’s values. However, there is no way he’s going to bow and scrape before a champion. Not only would that be exhausting but he got a feeling that Lance will pick up on that fake shit anyway. 

“Ash is a boy true to his values,” Lance acknowledge. “I give him credit for sticking to his values but I disapprove of his methods in how he expresses his...disagreement toward others.”

No one said anything for the next several minutes. Guzma decided to pick up the spill contents on the ground with Plumeria while Lance watched them. It took a while, but Plumeria and he could pick up everything from the ground and place them back into the shopping bags. He didn’t know how much time he spent picking up everything, but eventually, Plumeria broke the silence again.

“You’re acting unusually calm about everything,” Plumeria noted. She stared at the man for any sign of fury, disappointment, or anything to indicate the man’s disapproval. “You’re seriously okay with how Ash punched and chuck you into a pond?”

“He’s the only reason why my illegitimate daughter is considering the thought of allowing me to establish a family relationship,” Lance admitted. He didn’t look upset, furious, or disappointed. Instead, he appears to be drained and dead tired. “I was hoping to speak with her privately due to her friendship with Ash but she refused.”

“I’m going to wish you luck on that,” Guzma expressed. “So first, here’s the obligatory apology for encouraging Ash’s reckless actions. Next, welcome to parenting a child. Lastly, good luck in the whole establishing a family relationship with a child you recently discovered.” 

“Just don’t rush into things,” Plumeria offered. “Take it slow as a Slowbro, let her establish the boundaries, and allow her to share what she is comfortable with. Also, remember that she is not going to view you as a parental figure anytime soon.”

“That shit takes time,” Guzma added. “Go too fast and she is going to want nothing to do with you.”

Lance looked at the delinquent parents before sighing.

“No offense but I can’t believe the best parenting advice I receive was from a pair of unorthodox punks,” Lance commented. 

Guzma can’t believe that either. He doesn’t even know what he’s doing half the time!

Ash can’t believe that he made it to the finals! If he defeats Gary, he will have the opportunity to battle Gold. From what Silver told him, Gold is an extremely talented trainer who has experience battling different trainers from across the world. He’s also knowledgeable in the different mythologies throughout the world but didn’t mention anything about legendary children. That’s probably a good thing because that means there are fewer ways for people to attempt to manipulate the legendary pokemon to do their bidding. He’s positive that the morse selfish, heartless, and twisted people would use children as a tool to obtain what they want. 

“I wonder what mom and dad is doing,” Ash said to himself as he scratched Pikachu’s chin. “I hope they are not causing too much trouble.

A lot had happened during his time on the road. There was the incident where Mewtwo basically lure selected trainers and cloned their pokemon to form an army to take over the world. That was not too bad, considering Ash learned where Mewtwo’s anger and resentment toward humanity came from. Next, there was an incident involving his legendary dad and his legendary brothers. Honestly, Ash is still confused about how the whole legendary parent works but he’s not questioning it. He was forced to save his brothers and dad while preventing the world’s climate from going into shit. Then, there was the incident involving Celebi and how he was supposed to stop a poacher. Lastly, there was the incident at Alto Mare. Although Ash technically survived everything that had happened to him, he preferred if he doesn’t have to stop the world from collapsing, save another helpless pokemon from someone, or nearly end himself kill again.

“Hoenn should be a clean sleet,” Ash whispered. He stopped scratching Pikachu’s cheek in favor or preparing to go to bed. “I don’t want to deal anymore of that. Maybe I learn to not be afraid of the cold again.”

At a young age, it’s easy to think you are invincible. It’s harder to understand one’s feelings or understand the implications of their experiences. Still, the young child continues living their daily lives. It isn’t until the person grows older where one become disturbed by all the traumatic events they experience. That can be when the person begins to be haunted and be left to deal with the psychological aftermath of the events. 

For now, it’s easy for someone like Ash to dismiss the idea that he experienced severe trauma from turning into a stone, nearly drawing in icy seawater, nearly freezing to death, surviving a monstrosity that was Celebi’s dark creation, and so many other incidents that would disturb most adults. It’s quite unfortunate that Ash adopted Guzma’s habit of not telling every detail about an uncomfortable topic and repressing uncomfortable feelings. While Guzma keeps his childhood and younger years a secret, Ash is purposely vague about his experiences. Ash either keeps things vague or omits important details of his experiences. As the Chosen One grows older, things will bound to change for the Chosen One and the family the Chosen One grew up in. 

Chapter Text

Guzma would be caught dead if anyone outside of Team Skull in Alola ever found out he took pictures of his child. This is the most dad thing he had ever done in his life. Use to scoff at the sight of parents taking pictures of their children in competitions, ceremonies, or any type of major occasion. Oh, how the table has turned. Here is he is now taking picture after picture of his son, his son pokemon, and some random moments in the battle. He overheard some parents talking about a photo album to treasure the memories about their child, so he decided to give it a try. Initially, he thought it was a silly thing that people do for fun. He takes everything back about what he said about people taking too many photos of their loved ones. He wished he had done this sooner! Now he understands why Me loves to take pictures of different grunts and the world around her!

“I didn’t expect you to be the type of guy to take pictures,” Plumeria noted, amused about Guzma’s action. “You are acting like a dad. Congratulations, you officially became a real father.”

“I have always been a real father,” Guzma counter, taking another picture. Right now, his son and Gary Oak were down to their last pokemon. “I did raise him since infancy.”

“Are you scared he’s going to grow up to the point he no longer needs us,” Plumeria asked while watching her son battle. “That he will forget his roots and transform into someone unrecognizable.”

“No, I’m not scared about that,” Guzma responded, observing his son from the stadium. “I’m terrified of his future, knowing the situation he gets into.”

To an outsider, Ash looked like a regular kid striving to accomplish the classic dream of becoming one of the best pokemon trainers in the world. However, Guzma has been doing some thinking lately. When Lugia mentioned that out of the legendary children, Ash was selected to represent the “Chosen One,” Guzma didn’t give too much thought to it. Foolishly, he believed that the title of the “Chosen One” represents someone who saves the world once and gets to live the rest of their life in peace. It wasn’t until he heard tales from the legendary pokemon that visited his base about preventing a climate disaster associated with the sea currents, saving Celebi, preventing the death of Latios, and saving the town of Alto Mar that he understood the true meaning.

“He’s not going to end up like you,” Plumeria assured. “Unlike you, he has a family that supports him and a growing number of real friends who stand by the crazy antics he tends to get involved in.”

Several rows down, he spotted Gary’s siblings and Silver. Blue and Green were expectedly loudly cheering for Gary. Although Guzma cannot exactly hear what the fraternal twins are saying, it’s clear by their dramatic movements that they are heavily invested in the battle. He sees Daisy putting her hand on Green’s face when she tries to reach for the megaphone on her other hand. Silver looked unbothered at everything happening beside him.  If Guzma was to look at the first row, he could see Misty and Brock. Unsurprisingly, they supported Ash and acted much calmer than the Oaks.  Then, he sits at the very last row to avoid getting into social interactions with strangers or being tormented (watched by) several children who enjoy messing with. 

“Yeah, he does have friends,” Guzma grumbled. “It’s doesn’t mean his old man can’t worry about his son’s future or worry that his son will fall into the same pitfalls.”

“You know, you and our son are a lot alike regards to character traits,” Plumeria revealed, looking unashamed. “You both like to repressed traumatic shit and pretend that it still doesn’t impact your state of mind.”

On the field, Pikachu narrowly avoided being blasted by Blastoise Hydro Cannon. He saw Ash instructing Pikachu to use Thunderbolt since now it was the perfect opportunity to do so.

“You’re point is,” Guzma probed, wanting to know what Plumeria meant.

“You both tend to hide shit from each other,” Plumeria explained. “You both hide the details of unpleasant experiences to avoid worrying the other person.”

Pikachu successfully landed the Thunderbolt onto Blastoise, knocking the pokemon out. Then, an announcement came that Ash had won the battle, thus becoming the winner of this league torment. It was also announced that Ash would be battling Gold in the next day our of courtesy and to finish of the Johto league. 

“ I know he hides the less… family-friendly details when it comes to saving that month’s legendary pokemon,” Guzma said, watching his son jump in pure joy and hugging his pokemon. “Still, he knows that I eventually get those details from the pokemon that visit the base.” 

“And none of us discuss any of it,” Plumeria stated, looking disappointed in herself. “Since when hiding uncomfortable memories and feelings became the norm for us.”

Guzma watched someone handing the trophy to Ash and shaking his son’s hands. On his own without his parents' guidance or watchful gaze, his son became a great person.

“Since we let Ash start his journey at a ridiculous age of nine,” Guzma answered. “The moment we can no longer protect our son in Alola, we avoid anything that can ruin our happiness.”
“You’re right. It’s likely the guilt about sending our child away from home too young,” Plumeria sighs. “Maybe, when he gets older, we can have a proper and appropriate conservation about everything.”

“What do you mean,” Guzma inquired.

“We can have a talk about the meaning of being abandoned at sea,” Plumeria replied. “About your mess up upbringing, the psychological effects of getting into traumatic shit, and how he must do everything he can to avoid becoming as fuck up like his parents.”

Guzma and Plumeria stayed silent as they watched Ash smiling and posing with all of his team for the camera. Yeah, Ash is already a far better person than him and Plumeria. If his son continues to make genuine friends and strive for success, Ash will become 100 times a better person than him. 

Gold was not surprised by the outcome of the final match. It was always great to see fresh young talent battling among each other, even if one of the trainers has one year of experience. He thought he would regret the proposed courtesy match, but that quickly went out of the window when he saw the “brute’s” son battled.  Though, he does find it slightly disturbing that Ash doesn’t resemble his parents at all and instead resembles so much of Red’s trait. For crying out loud, Ash’s starter is a Pikachu. Don’t forget the hair color and the fact that they both always wear caps! Who even wears those these days! He would have assumed Ash was somehow their illegitimate brother if Delia was still alive.

“You’re oddly excited,” Steven pointed out, making an entrance in the room. “Is it about your match tomorrow?”

“Obviously,” Gold confirmed. “I get to meet the kid who punched Lance in the face and thrown him to a pond!”

“Everyone can’t stop laughing about that,” Steven said, cracking a smile. “I wish I could meet the kid and shake his hand. I wonder who’s next on his list?”

“I don’t know,” Gold shrugged. “Hopefully, it’s someone we know. Alder? The deadbeat who nearly killed Johanna’s kid? What about the fucker who kidnapped Norman’s eldest child?”

“We still haven’t found the one responsible for the girl’s kidnapping,” Steven sighed, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “Norman is persistent in not allowing the girl to go on a journey, despite being of age.”

Kidnapping is not so rare for anyone associated with the league. At least, attempted kidnapping. Rarely do the gym leaders, champions, or elite four family members get involved in the conflict. Unfortunately, there are those situations where someone’s child or partner would be held for ransom or hostage. The last time a situation like that occurred was when Norman’s eldest child was kidnapped, held captive, and threatened the league that they would kill the girl if they don’t do what they said. Things got more complicated when the G-men invaded the base, and the girl was missing from the base. 

“The Hoenn’s league found her at an uninhabited island,” Gold recalled from previous conservation. “She was nine by that time which meant she was missing for two years.”

“I wish that was the main worry I have,” Steven commented, becoming a little more stressed. “Hoenn’s weather is getting more and more intense.”

“Intense how,” Gold inquired. This was news to him because he hadn’t heard anything about the region’s weather.

“There has been a steady increase of rainstorms all over the region,” Steven explained. “Recently, the rainstorms have become problematic. The crop yields have been impacted. Some towns will become uninhabitable in the next few years if the pattern continues.”

That does sound awful in Gold opinion. Why is there a sudden increase in rainstorms in Hoenn? How come the other regions have not been affected by drastic weather patterns? This sounds like something worth investigating.

“I can cancel my plans,” Gold suggested. “I can see if I can find any lore or mythology that could explain the phenomenon.”

“No, continue your original plan to travel across Kanto for the rumored prophecy,” Steven answered. “Lance is already sending a group to figure this out.”

Well, Gold did offer to help. Now he can deny any responsibilities in Hoenn and do his own thing after the match. He really wants to research the random prophecies about a trainer with an electric-type pokemon saving the world from shit. Preferably, we would want to document the prophecy and the details about the catastrophic events that will eventually come in the world. If Red is the trainer with the Pikachu destined to save the world from random shit, Gold would want Red to be ready to deal with the upcoming events. 

“You actually believe the rumored prophecy is speaking about Red,” Steven questioned, changing the topic of the conservation. He is hesitant about the legitimacy of the prophecies from ancient times. The meaning and context of most prophecies have been lost in the sands of time. “That the world will depend on Red to save it from catastrophic events?

“Tell me if you know a guy with a cap, a Pikachu on his shoulders, and have experiences in dealing with crap,” Gold emphasizes, forgetting that there is another trainer with a Pikachu and cap. “Red had dealt with Team Rocket and other official tasks! Name me one other person who can actually meet the description of the prophecies of the world!”

Steven couldn’t name another person the prophecies may be referring to. After a certain trainer battled all seven of the battle frontier, Gold and the many people associated with the league and governing bodies can name the person the prophecies are referring to. 

Ash can admit that defeat is part of the process of growth and personal development...or something generic like that. The point is that people, he included, will experience losses at some point in their life. He has experience losses in a few gym challenges and minor matches with a different trainer. However, he never lost a battle while being televised for the whole world to see. Ash doesn’t blame his pokemon for losing the match since Gold was clearly more experienced, didn’t underestimate him, was fully rested, and must have done his research on his battle style. 

“Not bad for a year of experience,” Gold called out, giving a genuine smile.

“Thank you,” Ash smiled, accepting his loss in the match. At least he won the tournament. Maybe the next time Ash battles against Gold, he would win. “I have learned so much from battling you.”

“Now, no need to be formal,” Gold joked. “You’re making me sound like an old man. Seriously, I don’t want to be treated as if I’m an old man. “ 

Ash did the appropriate handshake with Gold and posed for the obligatory photos. Unlike this time, the people in Johto are much calmer and less invasive. They didn’t get up in his face or invade his personal space. Ash face Gold to see that the trainer was slightly uncomfortable. 

“Do you approve of the decisions to increase the age requirement?”

“Are you aware of the controversy with your behavior, Gold?”

“Is the rumor about your orientation true?”

“What’s your opinion about how the Johto league has been operating after your departure?”

“It’s rumored that Lance has a juicy secret? Care to provide any input about that?”

Forget everything Ash had said about the reporters in the Johto region. They are equally brutal and shameless as the reporters in Kanto. Who flat out asks someone about their preference or details about a suspected rumor about someone else’s personal life?  From the corner of his eyes, he could see Gold subtly stepping backward to avoid the leeches calling the media. Feeling sorry for Gold, Ash did something that could risk damaging his reputation. Pikachu must have noticed what he was planning because he immediately went to hide in Ash’s backpack and avoided the crowd of reporters. 

“Who’s familiar with Tic Tok,” Ash stated with a sickly sweet tone. His smile masked his intentions for the reporters if they don’t stop with their shameless act. “I don’t know if you know this, but I’m pretty famous there.”

Famous is a broad and generous word to describe him on the platform. 

“Oh no, please no,” Gold groaned, suspecting what Ash is planning. Facing the reporters, Gold prepares to warn them of the punchy child. “Run if you don’t want to be laughed at by a bunch of millennials and gen Z.” 

The reporter who was the closest to Gold found himself being lifted from the ground and tossed to the crowd of other reporters. While the crowd of reporters disperses. Ash grabbed Gold’s hand and began running as far away as possible from the crowd and cameras. Was that a smart thing for Ash to do? No, it was actually really stupid of him to throw someone live on camera. Was it worth it? Hell yeah! Ash loves throwing people to random locations!

“You are a disaster,” Gold blurted, being dragged by Ash. “I didn’t actually think you would chuck someone!”

“Well, they were getting annoying,” Ash complained, pulling Gold’s wrist harder when he heard approaching voices from a distance. He also ran faster. “Since I’m not officially associated with any league, I can do what I want.”
“I think it’s a good thing that you’re not the champion of Kanto,” Gold mentioned, doing his best to keep up with Ash. “I can’t imagine the type of trouble you would cause.”

 Ash is going to ignore that comment in favor of jumping over the fence. Hopefully, Gold has some experience in jumping and climbing things. If he doesn’t, Ash hopes that the teen is athletic.

“Get ready to climb over the rook,” Ash laughed, ignoring Gold’s look of disbelief. “This reminds me of the time where I and Acerola would climb on trees and hop off the branches!”

Ash didn’t give the opportunity for Gold to back out of the fence climbing activity since Ash was literally holding onto Gold’s wrist while using his free hand and legs to climb over the roof. Someone watching the scene would see a small child successfully climbing onto a fence while having one hand dangling an older teen who weighs much more than the small child. Gold was dumbstruck that Ash was pulling him off the ground and continued pulling him up while climbing on the fence. When Ash reached on top of the fence, Gold used his free hand to grab on the fence. When Ash was sure that Gold had his grip on the fence, Ash let go of Gold’s wrist.

“I’m jumping off a fence,” Ash smiled, knowing full well that this is not what people normally do. “Feel free to jump or climb down.”

True to his word, Ash jumped off the fence and landed gracefully on the ground. Pikachu pops his head off the ground and begins to laugh. Gold was left with the option of jumping off the fence or climbing down on the fence. The sounds of the reporters caught up with them encouraged Gold to pick the former. 

“Please tell me that no one is catching this on camera,” Gold murmured before jumping off the fence. He manages to land on the ground without hurting himself. “I don’t need people to remind me that a child managed to pull me off the ground.”

Unfortunately for Gold, some people videotaped the moment Ash lifted a random reporter from the ground and tossed the reporter toward the standing group of reporters nearby. As for Ash, those in the circle know to never step within the boy’s personal bubble if you don’t want to end up being punched in the face, kick in the gut, soak in water, or toss at a random target. 

Chapter Text

Ash is not even surprised that someone managed to upload a video of Gold dangling like an idiot while he lifts the teen from the ground while he climbs a fence. Even less surprisingly, someone managed to upload a video of him chucking a report to the crowd of reporting. Right now, Misty was giving him the “I’m done with your bullshit” look while Brock doesn’t seem surprised one bit by his actions. In fact, Ash would dare say that Brock expected him to do something like this. Does raising nine siblings on your own prepare you for the random shit people younger than you get into? Probably. Ash wouldn’t know since he’s the youngest person in Team Skull. 

“Not even an hour after the last match,” Misty said, scrolling through her phone to find the two videos. “Why are you like this Ash?”

“I honestly expected more from you,” Brock admitted, unfazed by everything that happened so far. “ I expected you to punch some live on TV.”

“You almost sound disappointed,” Ash responded, pretending to not notice Gold’s mini freak out. “I mean, I could carry Gold like a sack of potatoes next time.”

Gold, who was scrolling through his phone frantically, stopped what he was doing to place his two hands on Ash’s shoulders. 

“Why do you like chaos so much,” Gold dramatically questioned, shaking Ash as he continued to speak. “Blue and Green were right. You are a force of chaos.”

“You figure this out just now,” Misty commented, eyebrow raised. “No offense Ash but it takes a few minutes spending time with you to notice how chaotic you are.”

“Gold, I knew this the moment he punched my dad,” Brock added, slightly amused by the scene in front of him. Maybe that is because others get to experience the force of chaos that was Ash. “This is the same person who sometimes chases Team Rocket with a knife.”

Gold stops shaking Ash while Ash continues to give a genuine innocent smile. Ash doesn’t know why people seem to stop whatever they are doing when they learn that he carries a knife on him. What’s the big deal? So his dad gave him a pocket knife after the Orange Islands. Don’t parents give their children gifts? 

“Why do you have a knife,” Gold asked, letting go of Ash and taking a few steps back. 

“Dad gave it to me,” Ash answered, not seeing a problem with the entire situation. 

Before Gold had the opportunity to ask for more information, Guzma and Plumeria appeared. Well, Guzma appeared out of nowhere to remove Ash’s cap and ruffle his hair. Ash made sure to voice out his concerns about his dad messing up his hair. Guzma seems unfazed, and Ash’s protests appear to motivate Guzma further to ruffle Ash’s hair. Plumeria looked at them fondly, appearing genuine happy. 

“You gave the punchy child a knife,” Gold said in disbelief. “Guzma, what have you done!”

“Kid, it’s not that bad,” Guzma shrugged. He doesn’t understand why Gold seems so shocked that Ash has a knife on him. “Do you see Ash stabbing random people for fun?”

“No,” Gold responded, taking a closer look at Ash. “I swear, Ash seems to adopt more of Red’s behavior the longer I look at him. Red even carried a knife around the same age as you, Ash.”

Again with the comparison! Ash really would love to meet this Red person. Apparently, he dressed early like Red but more in the blue color scheme. People keep saying that his hair and eyes appear eerily similar to Red everywhere he goes in the Johto region and when he was traveling Kanto. As for the fact that Red’s Pikachu hatred for Pokeballs and love sitting on the trainer’s shoulder, how was Ash suppose to know about that when he lived in Alola for the first nine years of his life! Now people are saying that he has the same type of behavior as Red! How is that possible! 

“Please stop comparing me to Red,” Ash politely requested. “I’m honestly getting tired of everyone commenting on how much I resemble a guy I never met.”

At first, Ash was okay being compared to someone who accomplished so much at such a young age. Being compared to a guy who took down several of Team Rocket’s bases? Sweet. As time passes on, people keep mentioning how much he dressed up like Red but in blue or how he copied Red’s battling technique. Everything was by accident on his part! 

“My bad Ash,” Gold apologized, looking a bit embarrassed. “You must be tired of being compared to a dude.”

“People sees me as a Red copy,” Ash groaned in frustration, placing a hand on his forehead. “I bet Red is a cool trainer, and I have a lot of respect for him. However, I want people to see me as Ash, not a Red copy.”

“I keep forgetting that Red has a Pikachu on his shoulder too,” Guzma mentioned, looking at the Pikachu on Ash’s shoulder. “For such a small pokemon, they can pack a punch.”

“Like how Ash may appear tiny but can beat you up if he chooses to,” Misty pointed up, smiling innocently as she pretended to not see Ash’s glare. “I mean, he can be vicious if he wants to.”

“I’m not tiny,” Ash mumbled. “I hadn’t hit my growth spurt, that’s all.” 

Brock looked at Guzma and Plumeria before looking back at Ash. The height difference was clearly noticeable to everyone in the area. 

“Genes are a fickle thing,” Brock explained. “Guzma and Plumeria may be tall, but they both could have a recessive gene that could give you a short stature.”

“Which means,” Ash probed for more information. 

“There’s a possibility that you might not grow as tall as your parents,” Brock clarified. “We don’t have a say on how tall we are going to grow, our physical characteristics, or if we inherit any genetic diseases.”

“You’re saying that I could stay short,” Ash asked, not looking too happy. “Oh come on!”

Ash knows he’s adopted. He also knows that Brock has no idea that he invertedly provided more excuses Ash can use to his advantage if anyone else questions his parentage. Why do people have the need to question his parentage every time he introduces them to his parents! 

“Wait for a second, did you say that Red carried a knife when he was Ash age,” Plumeria suddenly questioned. 

“Yeah, Red had a phase where he would carry a knife,” Gold smiled, fondly remembering the stories Blue shared about Red chasing several grunts with a knife for fun. “It was funny to see Looker panic while Red pulled a knife out of nowhere.”

“Who’s Looker,” Guzma questioned. “I feel like we’re missing some context.”

“Their pseudo father who was supposed to marry their mom,” Gold explained. “Even after their mother’s death, he stayed involved in the brothers’ life.”

“That’s actually really sweet,” Plumeria stated. “Hope things go well for him.” 

“Red, Silver, and Looker are doing great,” Gold shared. “They moved on and can continue living with their lives with no regrets.”

Eventually, Plumeria and Guzma needed to go back to Alola. Misty was supposed to go back to the gym because apparently, her sisters decided to drop all their responsibilities onto her. Ash tried to convince Misty shouldn’t have to cancel all of her plans to cater to her sisters’ whims. Misty responded by stating that she was allowed to travel with him in Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto because her sisters had given her permission to go. Now Ash can’t find a reasonable counterargument against everything Misty was saying. 

“You’re not telling Lance about this, aren’t you,” Brock commented, preparing to go to sleep. “Why am I not surprised.”

“Hey, Brock, why don’t you try living your entire life as a lie,” Misty countered, throwing a pillow at Brock. Brock expertly dodges from the pillow. “This type of shit is going to take some time to get used to.”

“I’m so glad I’m not you, Misty,” Ash revealed with Pikachu nodding in agreement. “I don’t want to be in your situation.”

“Neither do I but I don’t get that choice,” Misty sighs. 

Ash watched in amusement as Misty continued to throw more random pillows, blankets, and other soft items at Brock. As for Brock, he was either dodging everything that was being thrown at him or catching them with his hands. Ah, Ash will miss them both when they go their separate ways tomorrow. However, they must go their different ways if they grow up into the type of people they want to become. At least Misty and Brock can finally get a break from the unpredictable life associated with traveling with a Legendary Child and all the Chosen one bullshit. For crying out loud, he thought the only Chosen One responsibility was to save Lugia and the bird trios. He honestly didn’t expect to get involved in more life-threatening situations or drag his friends into his “Chosen One" activities.

“Misty, do you see the Mew floating right in front of the window,” Brock questioned, rubbing his eyes to make sure the Mew was not a figment of their imagination. 

Ash turned to face the window to see that Brock was actually right. There was, in fact, a Mew floating in front of the window. What is she doing here!? Ash noted how Mew was scanning around the room, searching for something. The moment Mew landed her gaze upon him, Ash got the feeling that the next several minutes were going to be either interesting or chaotically crazy.

“Good, your dad was right when he said that you were competing at Johto,” Mew smiled, waving her tail happily. “I’m going to borrow you for several minutes.”

Before Ash had time to respond, he found himself trapped within Mew’s psychic. The next thing he knew, he felt stuck in his current position and lifted off the ground. Oh come on! Is Mew seriously kidnapping him in front of his friends during nighttime! Couldn’t Mew wait until after they had all gone their separate ways?

“Hey, put me down,” Ash vocalized, struggling to escape from Mew’s psychic hold. “This is kidnapping.”

“Nope,” Mew cheerfully responded, not bothered Misty’s Brock’s, or Pikachu’s protests. “I’ll bring you back.”

Mew begins to fly away from the window, bringing Ash with her. From the corner of his eye, he sees Brock, Misty, and Pikachu climbing out of the window and chasing after Mew. While floating in the sky and wondering how no one else is seeing this, Ash reflected on how did he reached this point in his life a mythical pokemon find it perfectly acceptable to kidnap him.  

“Cool, your friends are joining us,” Mew happily said. “The more the merrier.” 

“This is my life,” Ash contemplated, watching how Pikachu and his friends continue to chase after Mew. “I hope this isn’t a habit of all mythical pokemon.”

After a few minutes, Mew floated closer to the ground at an isolated construction site. Once Ash was a few feet from the ground, Mew released Ash from the psychic hold. Ash ungracefully fell to the ground and landed on his tailbone. As he groaned in pain, he heard upcoming footsteps approaching him. An outstretched hand was right in front of him, expecting Ash to accept the offer of assisting him off the ground. Grabbing the hand, Ash found himself off the ground and standing up. His eyes widen when he sees a familiar face of a friend and rival of his. 

“It been a while, Ash,” Ritchie greeted, giving an awkward smiled. “Sorry for everything. I thought Mew was lying about everything she was telling me.”

It took a few seconds for Ritchie’s words to sink in. 

“Telling you,” Ash said in shock, trying to find the correct words to say. “You understand what she was saying?”

“Long story short, Mew marked me after she followed me for a few days,” Richie disclosed, giving an awkward chuckled. “Claimed I was a lonely child with no positive parent in my life. Got a Mew shape marked on my shoulder now and understanding the speech of deities.”

Ash made direct eye contact with Mew. 

“Please tell me Ritchie consented to all of this,” Ash stressed, facepalming. He could not believe what he was hearing right now. “Consent is very important. Both parties have to agree with this.”

Mew gave a sheepish smile and avoided making eye contact with Ash. Based on how much Mew is avoiding eye contact with him, Ash believed that Mew did not, in fact, receive Ritchie’s consent. 

“I thought she was joking when she wrote down what she wanted,” Ritchie supplemented. “Turns out, she wasn’t joking.” 

If the situation wasn’t confusing enough, Ash felt something on top of his head. Of course, Celebi suddenly decided it was a wonderful time to make an appearance and land on top of his head. 

“Oh come” Celebi whined. “How come Mew gets to mark a child before me?”

“Back off, I found him first,” Mew warned, suddenly floating toward Ritchie’s direction. “He’s my child now. Go find your own child that desperately needs a parental figure.” 

Mew was on Ritchie’s shoulders and curling her tail protectively around Ritchie’s neck. It was evident to Ash that Mew demonstrated that Ritchie was one of her possessions now. He thinks that Mew practically hissed at Celebi when the forest pokemon tried to get closer to Ritchie. These are the pokemon people worshipped and prayed to every day? The gods are practically messes! Mew is hissing like an angry feline pokemon while Celebi purposely provokes Mew. Ritchie is helplessly caught in the middle of everything and looks like he wants to be somewhere else. 

“Why did you kidnap me, Mew,” Ash asked, interrupting Celebi’s and Mew’s little conflict. 

“Oh right,” Mew started, not moving her spot from Mew’s shoulder. . “I need to prove Ritchie that Legendary Children were real and were the child of two legendary pokemon.”

“That’s it,” Ash followed up. “Nothing else.”

“Yep,” Mew confirmed. 

Ash blinked several times before he continued to speak.

“As Mew said, Legendary Children are real,” Ash explained. “They are like children, human gods that somehow have two legendary pokemon as their parents. We can do some cool stuff too.”

Ritchie blinked several times.

“If it was anyone else who was telling me this, I would have thought they were lying or playing a prank on me,” Ritchie revealed. “But since this is you, Ash, I believe you. I mean, how else could explain all of this.” 

Ritchie was waving his hands around to emphasize his point. At the same time, Brock and Misty arrived with Pikachu. Pikachu continued to run toward him and leaped into his arms. Of course, Ash was prepared for Pikachu and had his arms wide open to catch his friend. 

“Is that the same Celebi from last time,” Misty commented, trying to decipher if what she is seeing was real.

“Misty, we both know the answer to that,” Brock replied, looking at Celebi. “Although, I don’t understand why she is here with Mew.”

“I guess this is the part where I explain everything to you,” Ash sighs in defeat. “This is going to take a while.”

It took an hour to explain everything to Brock and Misty. Ash needed to explain the concept of Legendary Children first before he could explain Ritchie’s situation. He emphasized that Legendary Children had biological parents in addition to having two legendary pokemon who at some point in time was a thing or continued to be a thing. When Misty asked about his parental status, Ash made sure to tell Misty his Legendary parents were divorced. Ash also demonstrated his ability to produce electricity within his palms, proving that everything he was not saying was a pile of bullshit. Lastly, he explained that Legendary Children happened to be a child-god who supposedly represents something the world is missing a representation of. Ash admitted that he’s pretty unsure what he’s supposed to represent, but he knows that he’s actually the Chosen One.

Then Ash moved to the topic of “marked children” or what Ash likes to call “adopted children,” the lonely, single pokemon questionably adopt due to their desires to have a child of their own. Ash dismissed the blank look Mew was giving him and continued explaining that “adopted children” tend to have the mark on their skin that shows the pokemon that marked them. Although the children marked by a pokemon do not have a representation or a role in fulfilling, they do adopt capabilities similar to their “adopted parent.” For example, Mew adopted Ritchie, so he suddenly became a psychic. 

After explaining everything, Misty and Brock appeared to understand everything a bit better. 

“This explains everything about you,” Brock stated, putting down the notebook he conveniently had with him to write down all the important information. “I wish I could say that this surprises me but I can’t.”

“How does this not surprise you,” Misty blurted out. 

“Misty, this is Ash,” Brock answered as if that alone should be enough to justify his reaction. “ That should be enough of an explanation.”

“Okay, that’s fair,” Misty admitted. 

Ash noticed how Celebi was curiously starring at Brock and Misty. Suddenly, Celebi’s face lit up with pure excitement and quickly flew straight up to their face. She looked at Misty. Then she turned her attention to Brock. Celebi continues looking at each of them as if she is deciding on something. Ash got a feeling of what she was thinking. 

“Consent is a thing,” Ash stressed. “You are not tricking one of them to be marked as your child Celebi.”

“I was entertaining the thought of it,” Celebi expressed. “But now you said it, I’m going to mark one of them.”

“I don’t think that's how it works, Celebi.” Ritchie interrupted. “Brock, Misty, I’m sorry to tell you this, but it’s too late to escape now.”

“From experience,” Ash asked.

“As I said, Mew followed me for a few days,” Ritchie reminded Ash. “Once they want something, they won’t stop.” 

Misty and Brock cannot understand Celebi or Mew, unlike Ash and Ritchie. Ash noted how concerned they were getting and were looking at each other. Although they don’t understand everything that is being said, they know enough to comprehend that Celebi wants to mark one of them as her “child.”

“Who needs my guidance and attention the most,” Celebi wondered. “The water type trainer or the rock type trainer.” 

“Celebi is wondering which one of you needed her attention and guidance the most,” Ash translated for his friends, feeling sorry for whatever that was going to come afterward. “She’s probably going to try to mark the one she deems the most need for a positive parental figure...or something like that.” 

Misty looked at Brock before looking at Celebi. Then, an idea pops into her head.

“Brock parents abandoned him for a few years,”

“Really Misty, is that how doing this?”

“I need some stability in my life!”

“Are you really going to play this game?”

“Yes, no offense to Celebi, but having her as an adopted mother will not bring me stability.”

“Is that how we’re doing this, I’m not going to apologize for this.”

“For what?”

“Celebi, Misty has a somewhat strained relationship with her sisters.”

“Brock!”

 “She also has a dead mother who favors her older sister”

“Celebi, Brock was raising nine siblings. He could use the extra help.”

“Well, I thought I should let Celebi know your lack of communication with your sisters. Don’t forget a father who recently came to her life.”

Ash noted how Misty has Celebi’s full attention. At that moment, he knew that Celebi had made her decision on which of his friends she’s going to try to mark.

“Brock!”

“To be fair, I simply finished what you started.”

Now Celebi is on top of Misty’s head, nuzzling into her hair. Brock sighs in relived while Ash wonders how long it will take for Celebi to mark Misty. Overall, it was a chaotic end to his Johto journey. Hopefully, Hoenn will be tamer. 

Chapter Text

If Guzma ever have to teach a class of pokemon deities on something, he would dedicate an entire course on the importance of consent that came from someone who wasn’t influenced by external pressure, correction, under the influenced of a substance, or tricked. Seriously, Guzma was somewhat disappointed with Mew and Celebi on how they marked random children who are supposedly in “desperate need of a parental figure”  who will help the child’s development, happiness, and growth. How hard is it to properly ask permission from the other person or pokemon? Was it that difficult to express your full intentions or, to be honest? To be fair, he has no right to lecture others on how to behave. Just look at him. However, he expected much better from Mew, considering she has a following in Kanto and Johto! 

Plumeria mentioned that people forget how the ridiculously, overpowering, and cute mythical pokemon was also mischievous, selfish, and clever pokemon who would obtain what they want from others. Guzma thought she was crazy when she compared them to fairies who stole children from ancient times. That was when she showed a pile of pictures that showed a Mespriti, Unix, Hoopa, Mew, and Celebi. She dared him to question the fact that the small legendary and mythical pokemon are like pokemon fairies. He noticed the small size, the pokemon’s ability to float, and their cute appearances. No wonder Ritchie and Misty were basically tricked into being marked children! Everyone could easily underestimate them and view them as mature, selfless pokemon who have the best intentions toward people. 

Well, that wasn’t always the case. Guzma is currently speaking to Ritchie after his son had informed him that apparently lonely deities would somewhat forcibly adopt children. Of course, the two currently forcibly adopted children were two of his friends.

“So that was how you were tricked by Mew,” Guzma to over video screen, wondering why Mew of all pokemon would want to be all paternal.

“Look man, she said we’ll be doing a quick game,” Ritchie quickly justified over the screen. “If I win, she will grant me the ability to be a psychic. If she wins, she’ll have the right to marked me as her child.” 

“You won but…” Guzma started but was quickly interrupted by Ritchie.

“How was I supposed to know that she granted me psychic abilities by marking me as her child,” Ritchie frantically said, putting his hands in his head. “She didn’t tell me the entire truth or her intentions to mark me as her child no matter the circumstances!” 

Guzma felt sorry for Ritchie. The boy with no proper paternal figures was forcibly adopted by a Mew who had a strong urge to parent a child. It could also be the jealousy of the pokemon couples being allowed the right to have legendary children because they asked first. Guzma might think the Arceus have a bias toward single parents and a couple because he allowed the pokemon pair some privileges over the single pokemon. Well, that’s a debate for another day. He has more pressing issues to deal with at the moment. 

“How did you gain Mew’s attention in the first place,” Guzma questioned. It was a good starting point, in his opinion. “She couldn’t have just seen how lonely you were at our Kanto’s residence.”

“It’s exactly that,” Richie confirmed, looking slightly defeated. “She saw me alone at your place...and throwing my phone out the window when my biological parents were screaming at me.”

“Yeah, you became her target the moment she saw that,” Guzma pointed out as he wondered how he reached this point in his life. “A kid alone in an apartment being screamed at by your parents....no wonder Mew thought you would be her perfect child.”

“How does Ash deal with this,” Richie asked. 

“He doesn’t,” Guzma sighs, thinking all of the times Ash had called because the bird trio was visiting a pokemon center he was staying at. “Unlike you, he’s a legendary child, which means he was automatically signed up for this shit.”

Guzma is also an unwilling participant in everything with Ash’s life. Just the other day, Lugia visited and stole all the cupcakes Me made for everyone! Let's rephrase that. A deity held in high regard at Johto and worshiped by the region stole an entire batch of cupcakes. Lugia’s sons stole all of the candy from the base. By being associated with just one deity, a person can be subjected to the unpredictable chaos and nonsense caused by that deity. 

“Oh, I hope you don’t mind me giving your contact info to Misty,” Ritchie mentioned, looking slightly embarrassed. “I didn’t think of asking for your permission when she asked for your contact information.”

“Why,” Guzma hesitantly followed up. He got a feeling why Ritchie gave his contact information to Misty. “Is it because…”

“She held strong for an entire week,” Ritchie acknowledged as he cracked a smile. “But she made one fatal mistake.”

“She accepted a bet from Celebi without knowing the full terms,” Guzma guessed, as Ritchie nodded his head in confirmation. “No matter who won, Misty was doomed from the start.”

“Yep,” Ritchie responded. “She has a Celebi mark now.”

Guzma should be expecting a call from a very distressed and confused trainer. Though, there is one thing bothering him. How the fuck does a psychic grass-type pokemon adopting a water-type specialist make any sense? Shouldn’t Celebi be marking someone who was at least a grass or psychic specialist? At least for Ritchie, it makes sense because he has no specialization. 

Guzma was out of the base doing some errands when there was an incoming call. Instead of Guzma answering the call, Plumeria answered the call. The moment she accepted the call, she was greeted by a defeated Misty with Celebi laying comfortable on her head. The pokemon was nuzzling on top of Misty’s head while Misty was trying to make sense of everything in the past few weeks. It’s a selfish thought, but Plumeria was extremely grateful that she doesn’t have to deal with any complicated family dynamics or a pokemon forcibly marking you without proper consent.  

“What was the bet you accepted,” Plumeria inquired.

“If I could hold my breath underwater for a certain time,” Misty explained. “If I could, Celebi would leave me alone and give me the ability to heal from injuries faster.”

“That's how she deceives you,” Plumeria stated, ignoring how Celebi gave her a blank look. “Ritchie was able to heal faster because he was marked.”

“How was I supposed to know that,” Misty shouted.

Celebi somehow lost her grip and slid off Misty’s head. Misty instinctively caught Celebi and placed Celebi back on top of her head.

“They must have purposely set up the bet as something you can achieve,” Plumeria informed the girl. “By doing so, your guard is lowered, and you’re more willing to accept the bet.”

“She said she would leave me alone,” Misty stated as she pointed to the pokemon on top of her head. “This doesn’t look like she’s leaving me alone.”

“She didn’t say when or how long she’ll leave you alone,” Plumeria clarified. “She purposely was vague on the terms so she can twist it to her favor later on.”

Now Celebi flew off of Misty’s head to fly in front of the screen. When Plumeria made eye contact with the pokemon, the pixie pokemon crossed her shoulders and stuck her tongue out. Plumeria doesn’t know why the pokemon was behaving in this manner, but she thinks it has to do with the fact that the pokemon thinks she can do whatever she wants. That’s basically true at the moment, considering that the all-mighty Arceus is nowhere to be seen.

“This is one of the pokemon the league pays respects to,” Misty mentioned as she moved Celebi off the screen. “I feel sorry for any future children who are somehow tricked into being a pokemon’s marked child.”

“I’m surprised Brock wasn’t forcibly adopted,” Plumeria admitted.

She remembered her son informing her how the kid was practically abandoned by his parents to raise nine children. That is true, A-plus parenting right there. Child neglect and parentification are some quality ingredients for A-plus parenting. How come everyone was alright with a kid running a gym and taking care of nine children for several years? For Brock’s parents’ sake, she hopes that they never run into Guzma. He may have some choice words. He may also use physical violence, but that’s beside the point. 

“Legendary parents get one child,” Misty stressed, pretending not to see Celebi’s enthusiastic nod. “That means all the single pokemon who desperately wanted to parent a child can mark one child.”

“So Brock is safe,” Plumeria mentioned. “That’s good for him.”

“He was the one who convinced Celebi to choose me,” Misty emphasized before she sighed in defeat when Celebi chose to sit on her head. The pokemon was dangling her feet as Misty continued to talk. “I hope one day, he will place into a position where he is forcibly marked by a pokemon.”

“But Ash told me that you started everything,” Plumeria pointed out. “You can’t entirely blame everything on Brock.”

“Still, I wish Brock get tricked into getting a mark,” Misty commented. “Or somehow be in a situation where he has to accept the mark like Ritchie and me.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Plumeria warned, remembering the old warnings about making wishes. “The threads of fate could be a fickle thing.”

She remembered her parents repeated warning about not tempting fate. There were countless times when she was told that a person should not push their luck. She was told that fate doesn’t treat every fairly, no matter how evil or good a person is. When she asked her parents why she wasn’t gifted the ability of aura or psychic abilities, her parent would say that fate randomly give privileges and gifts to some and neglects others. They would later add that despite the tools fate gives you, it will be up to the person to use their carve out what they want from life. However, fate can choose to throw a wrench into your life whenever it wants to while the person is powerless to stop it.

“Well, it’s Brock,” Misty continued. “He’s smart enough to not fall for the same type of tricks as Ritchie or me.”

“You’re right,” Plumeria agreed. “I don’t think Brock is the type of person to get into that type of situation.”

Somehow, Ash reached a position in his life where he had to lecture his legendary dad and his legendary brothers. What he’s lecturing them about. First, he’s lecturing them to not cause a scene to the public and kidnapped him in broad daylight! When he separated from Brock and Misty, he traveled for a few days before he left for Hoenn. While waiting at the dock for the ferry to arrive, the bird trio suddenly appeared and surrounded him in a make-shift circle. He could swear that he heard everyone in the area taking pictures or filming the encounter. 

“We’re kidnapping, you know,” Articuno casually mentioned, much to Ash’s disbelief.

“Pops, we trapped him,” Zapdos called out. “You can kidnap him now.”

Ash immediately protested that they shouldn’t be doing something like this in public. He begged for them to leave him alone for a few days. Unfortunately for Ash, he failed to convince his legendary family that kidnapping him in broad daylight was a bad idea. 

“Sorry, Aunty wanted to formally meet you,” Moltres added, not looking a bit sorry for his actions.

Aunty? Do they mean Ho-oh? Before Ash had the opportunity to think about what Moltres met, he suddenly lifted off the ground, thrown high in the air, and landed safely on Lugia’s back. It took a while for him to be oriented but once he was, he realized that Lugia is flying somewhere far away from civilization and into a more secluded mountain. He turned his head over his shoulder to see the bird trio following behind them several meters away. For his remaining threads of sanity, Ash decided that he should play along with this whole kidnapping. As his legendary dad and brothers continue flying, Ash decided to kill time by talking to them about why they thought it was a good idea to tell Mew where he was at.

“She asked,” Lugia justified, not bothered by Ash’s questions. “And I didn’t want to subject myself to her pranks...again.”

“You know she basically marked Ritchie against his will,” Ash dryly said. “There’s a wonderful thing called consent. Everyone should practice it.”

“Oh, that was faster than we expected,” Articuno said, tilting his head. “I thought she was going to wait for a bit.”

“Did you guys tell her about Ritchie,” Ash asked, giving each of his brothers a questioning glare? “In fact, did you tell her about my friends because it can’t be a coincidence that both Celebi and Mew tricked two of my friends into being marked?

Ash saw his legendary brothers give a sheepish smile and look in the other direction of the sky. Zapdos was even whistling like he played no role in the situation. Ash was questioning the judgment of the league and the general public because they clearly have everything about pokemon deities wrong. They are not mature and formal pokemon they have been led to believe. No, they are equally chaotic and driven by emotions, just like the rest of the world.

“Expect this to be a common occurrence,” Lugia remarked, grabbing Ash’s attention. “If one of the deities wants something, they will do whatever it takes to get it. Whether they achieve their wants fairly is another story.”

“But the ethics,” Ash voice out, slightly bothered by what his father said. “Would you have done the same if you were at their position?”

“Do you want the truth or lie,” Lugia inquired. 

“Truth,” Ash replied..

“The majority of the legendary pairs, including my ex-partner and me, threaten that we will take any lost child we see and raise them,” Lugia explained without an ounce of shame. “After centuries of living, your sense of mortality changes, and you get immensely bored.”

“So that's how Legendary children came to be,” Ash voiced out. “Wait for a second, you were willing to abduct nay lost child you see if Arceus didn’t agree!”

“Yes,” Lugia confirmed, not seeing the problem with his statement. “Arceus didn’t want us to...adduct children, so he gave us legendary children.”

“The Mew and some of the other pokemon got jealous when they found out recently,” Articuno supplemented. 

“Arceus prepared for that,” Lugia added. “However, he had failed to inform Mew, Heatren, and several other pokemon.”

When Lugia stops talking, Ash asks Lugia to continue with what he meant. 

“Mew recently realized she could mark children when she visited Diancie,” Lugia summarized. “Now, you can expect several children to be marked in several years.”

If that was the case, does that means individuals such as Misty and Ritchie are still human? What would they be classified as?

“When marked, are you still truly human,” Ash said to himself without realizing.

“I don’t know,” Lugia admitted as he was now curious about the same thing. “Arceus never fully explained the marked status before he unexpectedly fell into a slumber.” 

Before Ash knew it, Lugia landed at the top of the mountain. In front of him were Ho-oh and the beast trio was waiting in anticipation for his arrival in front of him. 

Chapter Text

Ho-oh immediately approached him and placed her head on top of him. Ash just stood there as his aunt ruffled his hair as she coos all sorts of compliments. Raikou, Suicune, and Entei were all surrounding in a circle while his Legendary family backed away. Suddenly, Ash was scooped up by Ho-oh wings and was trapped in a tight hug. His aunt was cooing about how lucky Lugia was to have such a “precious child” and how she wished she could find her child already. He could barely see Raikou laughing at his situation. Entei was trying to convince his mother to stop with the hugs. Suicune was shaking his head as if he can’t believe this was happening. As for Lugia, he was trying to pry him off of Ho-oh with his wings. Unfortunately, Ash knows that Ho-oh will not let him go. He resigned himself to being hugged and having his aunt treat him like a doll she refused to let go. 

“He’s mine child,” Lugia pointed out, struggling to save Ash from Ho-oh’s grip. “Go search for your respective legendary child.” 

“Stop hogging Ash to yourself,” Ho-oh responded, refusing to let go of Ash. “Can’t you let your child be hugged by his favorite aunt?”

“He just met you,” Articuno mentioned.

“You’re our only aunt,” Zapdos added, giving his aunt a blank stare. 

“You’re treating him like a doll,” Moltres noted, looking at how Ash was going along with everything. 

The minor augmented continued for several more minutes. His legendary dad would try to get Ho-oh to release him while his cousin would tell Ho-oh that she was going overboard. His brothers were serious at the start, but now they’re laughing at Lugia’s and Ho-oh’s minor argument. Who wouldn’t be laughing at them at this point? Ho-oh was pouting like a petulant child who was refusing to listen to others. Ho-oh was starting to stomp her foot on the ground like a child throwing a temper tantrum, for crying out loud. Lugia was acting like an exasperated dad trying to deal with a spoiled child. Raikou and Entei were now egging their mother to hold him captive and not release him from the hug. Suicune was doing the exact opposite and was trying to convince his mother that Ash needed to be released and that Lugia would want his child back at some point. Ash thinks Suicune is the only sane pokemon in that family. 

“Fine,” Ho-oh pouted as she gently dropped Ash to the ground. “When I find my child, I’m not letting you hug them at all.”

“But I have my own child to hug,” Lugia pointed out, pointing at Ash using one of his wings. “And he’s wonderful as he is.”

“I think mom is jealous that Lugia got to meet his child first,” Entei commented, disappointed that the minor argument between his mom and uncle ended. “Word spread fast around the world about his child.

 “Or that all the single ladies who desperately want a child are already making ethically questionable plans to obtain a child,” Raikou shared, not bothered by the deities are basically planning to trick children into being their child.

“Heatran is not a single lady,” Articuno corrected. “He’s a single man. So is Resh-”

“No one cares Articuno,” Moltres interrupted. “It’s a joke.”   

Ash would bet his soul that there are already at least two children in the world who were tricked into being adopted by a pokemon. Extra points if the children are someone he will somehow befriend in the near future. He guarantees that the children will accept the same simple bet Misty and Ritchie accepted. Why must the pokemon deities be one of the most morally questionable people in the world? 

“Dad, do you know where Ho-oh may find her child,” Ash asked, realizing that Ho-oh needs to find her child. ” Or do all parents have to hope that they will run into them?”

Ash loves his aunt. Trust him. He does. However, he does not want to be inflicted with a surprise hug if he can’t help it. He can’t deal with a highly affectionate and motherly pokemon like Ho-oh. Maybe her legendary child could handle such actions from his aunt. However, there could also be the chance that her legendary child couldn’t take such affection from Ho-oh. He hopes the unexpecting child could deal with an overbearing and extremely affectionate legendary pokemon. The brothers are cool, though. They may try to drag the child into the chaos, but what group of siblings don’t pull the one sane sibling into a disaster? 

“The latter,” Suicune clarified as he poorly hid his desperation to find his child. “Most of us are relying on you to find them for us.”

“Now that’s pretty sad,” Ash said as he took note of Suicune’s state. “How can I help everyone find their legendary child when they might be anywhere in the world. 

“That’ actually the reason why we kidnapped you,” Moltres revealed. He immediately grabbed Ash’s attention. “Dad sense that you have been in contact with aunty’s child.”

How was it possible? He was already contacted and potentially met another legendary child? Ash reflected back at all the people he met on his journey that could potentially be legendary children. Misty and Ritchie are out because they were marked by their respective guardian. He could also cross Brock out because Celebi mentioned that she couldn’t choose between his friends to mark. Could it be Silver, Gary, Blue, Green, or Daisy? They are the only people he had contact with throughout his journey, but it wasn’t frequent like the others.

“Ash, was there anyone you have spent a lot of time with,” Lugia inquired, which caused Ash to divert his attention to Lugia. “Can you think about any child you have spent a lot of time with?”

No, he can’t. All the pokemon can sense he was a legendary child. Lugia didn’t mention anything about Brock or Misty, nor did all the other legendary pokemon he had met in his journey. He wouldn’t think Mew and Celebi would be the type of pokemon who would steal a legendary child from a legendary parent. Then again, he would have never believed Mew and Celebi to be the type of pokemon who tricked his friends into making bets that would result in them being marked. It could be Oak’s grandchildren or Silver. However, his contact with them wasn’t frequent. 

“Ash, that’s the reason why I forced your father to kidnapped you here,” Ho-oh admitted as hope grew within her. “He said that he sensed that you made contact with my child. Was there anyone you have instantly connected with in the past?”

 “ What Aunty meant if there was ever a person who can do something a human can’t do,” Zapdos spoke before Ho-oh could continue. “Produce flowers? Create portals? Anything strange like that.”

No, Ash can’t remember anything like that. Wait, there is someone who can meet the criteria of doing anything strange. This person could see the ghosts ever since she was young. There was also the fact that the girl sometimes shared traits of ghosts, such as the temperature decreasing whenever she entered the room. Strangely, the temperature could also increase when she enters the room.

Before the whole mercenary incident, Ash remembered Acerola looking at him strangely. It was as if she was looking for something he couldn’t see in his life. He would catch her lifting her arm and reaching for something in the air. Then, she would pause for a few seconds before pulling her hand away when Ash observed her. He would turn around to see that there was nothing behind. He would point to the open space and get Acerola to reveal what she was exactly reaching toward. At first, Acerola would simply blink before silently shaking her head. It took a while for Acerola to get comfortable. Still, she eventually revealed that she could see the spirits of those who had departed. 

“Mom and dad always dismissed it,” Acerola smiled sadly. “Nanu thought they were imaginary friends.”

“You thought I would do the same,” Ash guessed. “Why would you think that Acerola? I can shoot electricity out of my hands!”

“But that doesn’t mean you would have believed me,” Acerola stammered. Suddenly, she got embarrassed that she let Ash’s unique circumstances slip out of her mind. “And I forgot about what you can do.”

Ash gave her a blank look for a few seconds before he thought of something. If Acerola could see the departed spirits of those around her, does that mean there are spirits around them at this very moment? 

“Is there a ghost around me,” Ash quickly questioned. “Is that why you are always watching behind me?”

Acerola tilted her head to gain a better view of the space behind Ash. After staring at the presumably empty space for a few seconds, she turned to face Ash.

“Once in a while, there’s a woman behind you,” Acerola explained, double-checking if the spirit had returned. “She, like all other ghosts, would try to talk to only realize that they’re mute.”  

“Can’t they try to interact with us,” Ash followed up, getting genuinely curious about everything Acerola had to say.

“No,” Acerola responded. “I think the afterlife has a different set of rules.”

“That sucks,” Ash complained. “I would love to know about the ghost following me.”

“Sometimes, I see mom and dad watching me at night,” Acerola confessed. “Or they would be somewhere watching me play.”

“What happens when you try to talk to them,” Ash inquired. He got a feeling what Acerola would say, but he wasn’t going to put words in her mouth. “Or when you try to touch them?”

“They would open their mouths but made no noise,” Acerola disclosed, appearing bothered as she continue to talk. “ When I try to touch them, they would vanish for a bit.” 

As time progressed, Ash would stop curious about the ghost surrounding them or the ghost lady Acerola mentioned. Shortly after Acerola shared her secret, the whole mercenary incident happened. Then the gym battles and training took up much of his time and thoughts. Next came the revelations about being legendary children that took up all of his curiosity and time. At some point, Ash stopped caring about the truth about ghosts he couldn’t see, and he eventually forgot after several regions.

Ash immediately walked in a random direction in the cave until he was inches away from a wall. Without any hesitation, Ash dramatically placed his head on the wall while groaning that his aunt’s child had to be someone from his childhood. It was ironic, in Ash’s opinion. Lugia and Ho-oh are like a pair of siblings. They both have three sons who caused enough mischief on their own. There are differences, such as Suicune having a son at such a young age and that Lugia is burdened with raising him as the Chosen One. If Lugia and Ho-oh are like a pair of siblings, it makes perfect sense that their respective legendary children would be close as a pair of siblings. Acerola certainly fit the bill of being the closest thing to a sister he got. In fact, if Nanu wasn’t looking for her after her parents’ death, she would have been adopted into the family. Who knows, maybe in another universe, she’s his adopted sister. 

“Promise me you won’t scare her to death,” Ash sighed, thinking if there was anything else he should tell them. “Or kidnap her outside of Alola without her consent or getting caught by her caretaker.”

Suddenly, all the pokemon in the area turned their faces in Ash’s direction. Ash’s head was still on the wall. 

“Wait, you seriously know where our sister is,” Entei said in shock.”But, that was so fast!”

“Well, she fits the bill,” Ash informed the pokemon in the room. “She sees ghosts that may be in the area. The room gets colder or weirdly hotter when she enters the room.”

Ho’oh’s face lit up in pure excitement and joy. Then, her face briefly turned sour before she was back smiling again. 

“Ha, I found the child first,” Ho-oh declares, maintaining her large smile on her face. “This is what you get for being so rigid...you pompous fucker.”

Ash lifted his head off the wall and slowly scooted closed to his father. He wants to ask if his father knows what the fuck his aunty was talking about.

“Dad, what she’s talking about,” Ash whispered.

“She recently left her partner,” Lugia quietly explained.

Both Ash and Lugia glanced at Ho-oh to see her mumbling about how much she didn’t like her partner grew into someone so serious, rigid, and isolated as time progressed. 

 “Her partner was an introvert who preferred to stay at one location,” Lugia continued, giving his sister a concerned look. “He used to be very social, but things changed. Ho-oh continues to remain free-spirited, social, and playful about the world.”

“He eventually became incompatible with Ho-oh,” Ash guessed as he watched his aunt. “I assume he didn’t go out searching for his child.”

“Ho-oh remains hopeful and optimistic,” Lugia spoke. “Unfortunately, her partner became one of the few pokemon who lost hope of finding their child.” 

“Nice talk you two are having, but please tell us where to find our sister,” Railou interrupted the two. “Mom won’t stop ranting.”

Yeah, Ash should probably tell Ho-oh that her child was at Alola and her best bet was to stay at his parents’ base. On Acerola’s regular visits to the bases, Ho-oh could introduce herself. 

Guzma was not paid enough to babysit an energetic, excitable bird or a group of brothers who’s along with the ride. Then, there were their human forms. Ever since Lugia and the bird trio made their appearance in their human forms, the grunts had continuously told him that they were right while he was wrong. He gets it. Lilo was right about the old tales from witnesses who claimed they had met several legendaries in their human form. 

“I hope Acerola don’t mind the extra company,” Guzma told himself, noticing how Ho-oh perked up when she heard the girl’s name.

In Guzma’s opinion, Ho-oh’s style was a little unorthodox and untraditional compared to Johto’s standards. While her brother was more traditional with his simple and traditional kimono, Ho-oh’s style was different. First, the roots of her hair were gold but slowly transition to orange and the orange would transition to a crimson color when it reached the lower part of her hair. There were also the green ribbons on her head for some reason. Another way she was the opposite of her brother that the kimono she was wearing reached her knees while her brother’s reached to his ankles. The top was orange, and the color below the waist was orange. Of course, Ho-oh has to have an ...emerald belt? Orbi? Who knows what that thing was called. Also, she has to be extra with the white stockings with green at the edges and dulled orange boots. The long cape she was wearing that looked exactly like her wings was not helping.

“You’re nothing like your brother,” Guzma stated, before turning his attention to Ho-oh’s sons. 

He had never seen Suicune in his human form, but he looked exactly what Guzma expected him to look like. Suicune is dressed up like a fucking wandering priest. He’s not joking, Suicune is wearing split-leg trousers that were light blue, something snow-white underneath his sky happi coat, plain sandals, and a lavender staff. Also, he has really long hair that is the same color as plum and a white cap. Entei looked somewhat normal with a ripped, light brown trench coat which was the same color as his cargo pants. For some reason, Entei thoughts that a sleeveless shirt in the same color as smoke is perfect. It wasn’t in Guzma’s opinion. Neither were the black combat boots. However, his short, spiked mahogany was on point. As for Raikou, he was the most normal and modernly dressed out of the group. He was wearing yellow baggy pants with a black, lightning bolt patterned on each pant leg. The long sleeve he was wearing had pale blue sleeves while everything else was white. Of course, the gold color in the middle of the jersey was the number three. The shoes he was wearing were black which was normal in Guzma’s opinion. As for his hairstyle, his white long hair was tied up in a ponytail. However, the last few inches of his hair were periwinkle for some reason. 

“And you three, you guys don’t match as all like your cousins” Guzma blurted out as he pointed to each brother. 

“Our family is less traditional,” Raikou spoke, getting slightly impatient to meet his sister. “Hey, doesn’t Ash has a childhood friend who sometimes visits?”

“Yeah,” Guzma confirmed. “But why would ya want to know abo-”

“Guzma, I’m here to eat all of your food as I learned things Nanu disapproves of,” Acerola shouted, interrupting whatever Guzma was going to say next.

“Huh, you didn’t tell me you were having guests.”

“Do you know them,” Guzma inquired as he pointed to each individual. “Cause they’re looking for you for some reason.”

Ho-oh quickly approached right in front of Acerola and held both of Acerola’s hands in her hands. After staring at Acerola for a few seconds, she gasps and started to smile. She was giving a huge, genuine smile while Acerola was confused by Ho-oh’s action.

“I finally found you,” Ho-oh joyfully announced, not letting go of Acerola’s hand. “At long last, I found you!”

“What are you talking about,” Acerola spoke, raising an eyebrow. “Who are you?”

“You’re our sister,” Entei shared, noticing how Acerola was still confused by everything. “You’re like Ash!”

“This may be too much at the moment, but you’re a legendary child,” Suicune supplemented, trying to give a reassuring smile to his sister. “It’s an honor to have you as my sister.”

If Guzma was drinking something at the moment, he would have spitted everything out. They got to be kidding with him! He watched Acerola staying still as she was trying to process everything while Ho-oh pulled her into a hug. Now, if only there was a handbook on how to handle this sort of thing. 

Chapter Text

The gentle breeze felt nice against his face in addition to the sun’s warmth shining upon him. Steadily, Ash walked away from the Pokemon Center and began to walk toward the road. He’s hoping his trip at Hoeen is much tamer compared to Johto and Kanto. That thought was quickly disapproved when a girl around his age crashed into him, knocking him onto the ground. Groaning in pain, Ash lifted himself off the ground. Once he was standing up, he saw a girl with brown hair. She was wearing an outfit the most consisted of the colors red, white, and dark blue. She was bowing and muttering out apologies for knocking him onto the ground. Ash noticed the girl was hugging a Tortic tightly to her chest.

“It’s fine,” Ash told the girl. “Trust me, accidents happen.”

“Still, I’m so sorry,” the girl apologized, appearing visibly guilty. “My name is May. I hoped to get out of Littleroot town as quickly as possible.”

Watching the girl closely, Ash saw May was frequently turning her head to check her surroundings. Tortic was also doing the same as the fire type of pokemon was on guard. From Ash’s perspective, May appears to be running away from something. At the very least, she seems to be on guard about something Ash was unaware of. Now, his father raised didn’t raise an inconsiderate piece of shit. Instead, his dad raised him to be a decent human being to show concern about someone who appears to be in danger. 

“Do you want to travel with me,” Ash suggested, pulling out his Pokadex. “It’s always more fun to travel with a friend than by yourself.”

Ash stood and watched as May had an internal debate on whether or not she should take up his offer. She was also whispering something to Tortic while the pokemon made noises of agreement. After a while, May looked directly at him. 

“I would love to go with you,” May smiled, visibly nodding. “But we needed to get out of here yesterday.”

May quickly reached toward one of his wrists before dragging him into an unfamiliar path that led to a forest. Ash didn’t know why May was such in a rush, but he had no right to ask her anything. Maybe once they develop some rapport, she will tell him why she’s on guard. She could be in danger or running away from a terrible situation. Either way, Ash doesn’t have it in him to leave her alone. Besides, something within his soul is screaming at him to follow her. Ash doesn’t know why since he doesn’t believe May to be Legendary child like Acerola or him. However, he got an inkling that May was somehow involved with one of the deities. Most likely, she is involved with one of the deities in Hoenn. 

“I never got your name,” May asked as she continued checking her surroundings. “Though, I did see your Tik Toks. I was laughing when I saw you toss a reporter.”

“I’m Ash, and what the fuck,” Ash responded, not believing what he’s hearing. “I thought I was only popular at Kanto and Johto!”

“You’re somewhat popular here,” May clarified, briefly turning her head over to see Ash's shocked face. “However, you’re not as popular as Steven or Wallace.”

May went back to looking at the path ahead of her and inspecting her surroundings. Ash continues to let himself be dragged by May since she appears to know where she’s heading. 

“When I first arrived at Hoenn, the first conservation I overhead was a group of college students cooing over their latest photoshoot,” Ash said, shuddering at the memory loudly talking about their opinions about the two trainers. Ash should have offered them a large pitcher of water because the group of girls was thirsty as fuck. “I wish I could say that wasn’t the only time I heard something that made me want to rip my ears out. I’m too young to hear this type of thing.”

May begin to laugh out loud, stopping in her tracks. She turned around to see Ash’s face before laughing again. Clearing, May thought that his reactions were something to laugh about. Ash didn’t find what he experienced amusing at all, but maybe it’s amusing to the Hoenn natives.

“There is a reason why the two of them are popular here,” May mentioned, calming herself down after the laughing fit. “I think Sinnoh, Kalos, and Galar have champions people thirst over as well.”

That is something Ash can live the rest of his life without knowing. Ash made a face while May appeared to be amused by Ash’s reaction. Ash could have sworn that he heard light footsteps following them for the rest of their trip in the forest. However, whenever Ash would ask May if she noticed anything, she would shake her head no and tell him that he must be imagining things. Ash occasionally glanced behind him to see a tiny tuft of hair poking at one of the trees or bushes. He must be imagining things because May appeared to not notice anything, despite being on guard. 

Steven has a lot on his plate at the moment. First, there were concerning weather patterns regarding the increased frequency of rainstorms that plague the region. Some of the beaches will become inhabitable in the next few years if he doesn’t figure out the reason for the increased rainstorms. It could be due to a pokemon or something man-made. Either way, he’s aware enough that something abnormal is occurring. Next, Team Aqua and Team Magma are increasing their criminal activity. Cities and towns near the coast have been in conflict with Team Aqua grunts, impacting the local economy. Team Magma’s criminal activity is a little more spread out in Hoenn. Still, it continues to be a hassle to handle the conflict. Lastly, he’s at Norman’s home due to handling May’s sudden disappearance. However, unlike the last time the girl disappeared out of sight,  Max also appeared to be missing. Steven suspected that May had run away to start her pokemon journey after being restricted at home for the past few years. 

“She should have known to return home the moment she received her pokemon,” Norman stressed, restraining his anger. “What was she thinking! I should have never allowed her to obtain a pokemon.”

Steven has warned Norman that being to restrictive and overprotective would result in May doing drastic actions. He had seen it coming. However, Norman didn’t take his warning seriously. Image Steven was shocked when he heard the news that Norman had refused to allow May to travel and start her pokemon journey when she reached the age requirement. Now a few years later, May ran away the moment she obtained her first pokemon. Max most likely knew what May was planning and was following his sister.

“We should have let her start her journey,” Caroline lamented, looking out of the window. “All we wanted is for her to be safe after being missing for two years.” 

On one of the drawers, Steve saw several sketches of Kyorgre. Some drawings contain a Kyorgre and her standing right next to it. What caught her attention was that the pictures usually display a background that resembled where the rescue team had found May. Poor kid, Steven can’t imagine having to spend two years alone and having an imaginary friend as your only source of company. 

“We must find May and Max,” Norman stated, preparing to get his jacket to go outside. “Afterwards, she will remain grounded until she reaches the age of eighteen!”

No, that would only push May further away. Steven was about to speak to Norman until Caroline interrupted him.

“No, we will allow our daughter to make her choices,” Caroline countered, crossing her arms in disappointment. “We can’t treat our daughter like proclaim glass!”

“But we never have found the perpetrators,” Norman emphasized. “Her life would remain in danger until we find the ones responsible for taking our daughter away from us!”

“May resent us for restricting aspects of her life,” Caroline continued. “We haven’t been considering her feelings at all! We need to change if we want our daughter to be a part of our lives!”

Steven watched as the couple began to argue. If Norman wasn’t a gym leader or previously served in the military in a high position, he would have never involved himself in the family situation. It would have been an officer handling May’s and Max’s disappearance. However, as a champion, he is responsible for monitoring the gym leaders and their families. In addition to his other responsibilities, he must search for a girl who wants freedom and a boy who lives in the shadows of his sister’s disappearance. Steven prayed to whatever deities listening to him that he would have everything handled regarding the turmoils occurring in Hoenn. 

Ash and May were both quietly eating the bowl of grub May had prepared for the evening. It was a simple dish that had a mixture of berries, spices, and sugar. It was probably extremely unhealthy to eat, but neither of them cared. Ash happily finished up his portions but saw a bush near may rustle a bit. At first, Ash thought it was his imagination playing tricks on him until he saw something poke out of the bush. The first thing Ash did was motion May to remain silent and point to the bush behind him. Ash casually got off the ground and tiptoed to where the bush was at. The moment Ash was right next to the bush, Ash lifted the person hiding within the bush. It turns out that a small child was following them around this entire time. That said child was squirming around, kicking his legs in an attempt to get Ash to drop him. Ash wasn’t fazed and turned to face May.

“I told you we were being followed,” Ash said as he continued to lift the child. “You thought I was imagining things.”

“Max, what are you doing here,” May screamed, quickly getting up and approaching closer to Max. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“You can’t be here too,” Max argued, glaring at May. “You’re going to run away after getting your first pokemon.”

“So, I’m allowed to travel,” May countered, putting her hands on her waist. “You wouldn’t understand since you were all to do stuff I can’t do.” 

“Mom and dad always focused their attention on you,” Max responded, failing to escape from Ash’s clutches. “It’s not fair that you always got all the attention.”

“It’s not fair that mom and dad kept me inside all the time,” May continued, wiping the tears developing on her face. “Tell me, Max, why can’t you do the same things as everyone else my age! Why did no one believe me when I said I was protected during my time on the island!”

“But I do,” Max shouted, which grabbed May’s attention. “I believe you, but mom and dad told me not to encourage your fantasies!” 

The anger faded from May’s face and was replaced with hope.

“You believed me,” May whispered, motioning Ash to release Max. “You thought I was telling the truth?”

Ash did release Max from his hold. When Max was freed, he ran up to May to hug her. May, in turn, hugged max as tightly as she could.

“You survive alone on an island for two years,” Max pointed out. “No offense, but I know you can’t live that long by yourself.”

Ash has no idea what May and Max were talking about. He awkwardly waited for the two of them to enjoy their hug moment to ask the big questions. When Ash decided that the two of them had enough time to hug things out, Ash began to ask the big questions.

“What the fuck are you guys talking about,” Ash questioned, looking at May and Max. “All I got is that May ran away, and Max followed us for the entire day. Also, May was missing for a bit?”

May appeared embarrassed when she explained that she was kidnapped by a bunch of people dressed primarily in blue to be used as ransom. She continues to explain that she was fortunate enough that she was able to escape the base by swimming through the underwater caves. She was extremely lucky that the pokemon who took pity on her was Kyogre because the pokemon allowed her to rest on his back when she was about to drown in the sea. The pokemon purposely swam on the surface of the seawater and searched for a location for May to rest. That was how May ended up on an inhabited island filled with bananas, coconuts, and other fruits that could sustain her. 

“So Kyogre kept you there for two years,” Ash followed up. He has a feeling that May must have ended up making a deal at some point. That was how Misty, and Ritchie ended up being so graciously adopted without proper consent by two deities. “And taken care of you?”

“He was always nearby,” May smiled, feeling relief that Ash believed her. “ He would always get so happy when I play with him. Sometimes, I would sit on top of his head while he swam around the island.” 

“Did anything else happen,” Ash followed up, trying to get some type of evidence about his theory. “Like, can you understand what he was saying or learn a new trick? Perhaps you made a deal”

May eyes widen, understanding the implications of Ash’s words. Max appeared to be lost but tried his best to listen to the rest of the conservation.

“I bet that I can open three coconuts without the help of pokemon living on the island,” May embarrassedly admitted. “I failed, so now I can do some cool things and understand Kyogre. Also, I have a Kyogre mark on me.”

Never mind about the Hoenn region being tame. In the first few days, he managed to befriend a runaway who happened to be adopted Kyogre. He became one of the lucky adopted children in the world. That same runaway was kidnapped by an unknown group and was missing for two years. Also, the runaway has a little brother who most likely spends his time being forgotten by his parents or in his sister’s shadow. What’s next? They are the children of some actor? An elite four? A businessman? A gym leader? A leader of a crime syndicate? 

“Let me guess, you want me to hide you from your parents,” Ash guessed, noting how both May and Max nodded their heads. 

“Well, I need to find Kyogre,” May verbalized. “He must be enraged that I disappeared from his sight. I need to calm him down before he does anything drastic.”

“I don’t want to get in trouble,” Max added. 

“Fine,” Ash sighs. “I’m so glad Brock isn’t here. He would have given me so much shit. Or a disappointing dad look. Both are equally bad.” 

A few days later, Ash ran into Brock. As expected, Brock joined the group, utterly unaware that he was traveling with two runaways. 

Chapter Text

Finally, there is someone who knows the value of using violence against people you dislike or deserve to be beaten up. There is a kid wearing a white cap with brown hair underneath and wearing the same color scheme as May. When the boy was done tying up some people wearing red uniforms, he looked up and waved enthusiastically. Standing beside the boy was a frail, sickly-looking male with messy green hair. The sickly trainer mainly wore white and pastel blue clothes, unlike the red and dark blue the other trainer was wearing. 

“May, is that really you,” the trainer with the white cap shouted. “I can’t believe your dad let you out of the house.”

Ash didn’t miss how May tried to calm her nerves or how Max looked between the unknown trainer and May. Ah, they didn’t think of the possibility of running into people from their hometown. 

“Yeah, it took a lot of convincing,’ May lied, hoping it was believable enough. “Brendon, Wally, these are my friends Ash and Brock. Ash, Brock, meet Brendon and Wally. We grew up together.” 

“I’m glad that Norman allowed you to start your journey, albeit a late,” Wally commented. He pulled up a roll of rope out of nowhere and handed it to Brendon. “Did you challenge any gyms yet?”

“That’s more of Ash’s style,” May shared, pointing to Ash. “I’m thinking about participating in Pokemon Contests.”

“Another shocker,” Brendon smiled as he finished up wrapping the people in a red uniform. “I remember when we were young, your dad would say stuff about how you would become a powerful battler.”

The more Ash spends time with May, the more he understands May’s reasoning for running away. Sure, there’s the whole finding Kyogre thing. There are the whole parents not believing the things your daughter told you in favor of making the conclusion that everything she was saying was a figment of her imagination. The most factor that May ran away from home is because of the expectations set upon her before she was kidnapped and practically raised by Kyogre for two years. Now, Ash isn’t bashing anyone’s parenting skills. It’s just that he thinks parents should set up expectations about how their children will turn out. His dad never expected him to follow in his footsteps and do the same criminal activities as everyone in Team Skull. Not once did his dad say that Ash would become a specific thing or do a particular thing. However, here is Brendon talking about how a gym leader expects his children to follow a set of expectations.

“Life happens,” May smiled, internally begging that Brendon doesn’t say anything about today to anyone.”

“Anyway, can you tell us what the fuck is going on,” Ash interrupted, pointing to the tied up people. “And can I join?”

“Oh, these are grunts who have been terrorizing the public,” Brendon shrugged. “Wally and I like to ruin their plans.”

“You like to beat them up,” Wally added, taking pictures of the grunts. “I like to stop Team Aqua’s and Team Magma’s plans.” 

“You can join another time, but the cops should be here soon,” Brendon continued.”Wally, make sure you document everything so you can hand the evidence to an officer.”

And that’s Ash’s cue to get out of here because he’s technically helping two people running away from their homes. Brock is just the one person who was supposed to be unaware of everything, but maybe that’s no longer the case. Brock is giving him a look. It’s I know what you’re hiding something from, and we’ll talk about it later look. Great. Ash is not looking forward to explaining everything to Brock.

Ash, May, and Max were sitting on one of the beds in one of the rooms the pokemon center provides to trainers. Brock was standing several feet away from them, waiting for them to provide an explanation. While Brock didn’t appear to be mad or upset, he wasn’t saying toward them. Ash doesn’t know if Brock is purposely remaining silent to get one of them to crack or if he truly has nothing to say. Whatever the reason may be, May was the first one to crack under pressure and begin talking.

“I ran away from home,” May explained, twiddling her thumbs. “And I’m trying to find Kyorgre because I think he’s causing all the rainstorms.”

“Dad won’t let May leave the house,” Max blurted. “Because she went missing for two years.”

“May is marked, like Misty and Ritchie,” Ash expressed. “You know I’m obligated to help her by default!”

Brock remains silent, waiting to see if anyone would vocalize any additional information. It’s a technique he mastered after raising his siblings. The uncomfortable feeling the silence brings usually causes someone to speak to stop the suffocating silence. It’s a wonderful way to get someone to admit something or to get someone talking. Those who are uncomfortable with the silence will, at some point, crack. Brock has years of practice in becoming comfortable in the lingering silence, unlike most of the population. 

“My dad is a gym leader,” May revealed, becoming viably nervous. “ Can you please say something? This is more terrifying than being held hostage.”

“Wait, what,” Ash yelled, quickly turning his head to face May. “You didn’t tell me that!”

“Well, now you do,” Max shrugged.

Detecting that the trio had informed him correctly, Brock concluded that the three of them had suffered enough. 

“Now that I’m in the loop, explain to me why I wasn’t informed of any of this,” Brock questioned, noting how guilty the three of them appear. Especially Ash. “That was where the three of you mess up.”

“Are you actually supporting all of this,” May followed up, struggling to believe that Brock was supporting her actions. She stopped rocking side to side in favor and was not giving a puzzled look. “You’re not a bit faze? Shock? Surprise?”

“We need to reunite you with Kyogre,” Brock explained. “The sudden separation must be why Kyorgre is enraged which is causing the increase in tropical storms in Hoenn. There are rumors that Hoenn will become inhabitable in the next decade if this continues.”

“I know, Steven and everyone at Hoenn pissed off one god,” Ash groaned, hanging his head down. “And they’re none the wiser.”

“So you’re not going to say anything,” Max asked. 

“I’m more scare of letting you three run wild,” Brock answered as he received blank stares from Ash and May. “There’s no telling on the amount of destruction you will bring if I don’t tag along and help with your schemes.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Brock,” Ash said with a blank look. “I can feel the genius love and concern in your voice.”

“You’re welcome,” Brock responded with the most severe expression before slightly smiling. 

Ash knows he’s not the brightest. He knows he, not the smartest, nor he’s the most clever. However, it doesn’t take a genius to know that May participating in a contest would be an extremely terrible idea. At least, that is what he’s thinking while seeing the spokesperson introduce May as a contestant with her Torchic. Seeing May dressed up in an outfit she made during her spare time, Ash worries that she’s going to make everything harder. However, Brock told him that he can’t control the actions of others, and forcing someone to not do something will only encourage the person, even more, to follow through with their plan. Ash already knows about the second part. Case in point, every act of rebellion committed in mankind and pokemon kind. 

“Is this how you feel when I do something stupid,” Ash asked, watching everything unfold on the field. “Because if yes, I’m so sorry.” 

“Yes, I’m glad you’re understanding my pain,” Brock responded. “But knowing you, I know you won’t stop.”

“You think I’m going to punch someone’s dad again,” Ash said, dramatically. He placed a hand on his chest and pretended to look overly offended. “How could you think I would do something like that?”

“It’s a recurring pattern,” Brock justified, shaking his head in amusement. “Other recurring patterns include antagonizing reporters and recklessly risking your life every week.”
`
“And yet you continue to stick around,” Ash said.

Nearby. Ash could hear the whispers of the audience. People from all walks of life were speaking about their shock at seeing May participating in a contest, considering that her father is a gym leader. He watched as the people below him were pointing to May, speaking loud enough so Ash could understand what they were saying. As for the people above them, Ash could hear voices talking about May’s sudden kidnapping from an unknown group and how the media hounded Norman for an interview. While they were plenty talk about the shock of a gym leader daughter not following after her father’s footsteps and that she was allowed to go on her own, there was one thing people failed to mention. 

“She was never officially reported missing,” Ash quietly spoke, looking at his phone for any news of a missing child. “That makes no sense.” 

“That’s weird,” Max pondered. “I thought they would have reported us missing?”

“Unless your parents are trying to keep you in Hoenn,” Brock theorized, keeping the tone of his voice down. “If there were missing reports, would you or May have stayed in Hoenn?”

“No, we would have left,” Max admitted. A moment, Max had an ah-ha moment. “They’re trying to find us with our guard down.” 

That makes sense, in Ash's opinion. He still can’t believe that he has reached a point in his life where he’s actively helping two runaway siblings remain hidden while he’s completing his gym challenge. He also can't believe that he manages to convince Brock to go along with the plan and stick with him for the third time. However, to be fair, Brock seems desensitized after traveling two regions with a legendary child.  

On the corner of the kitchen table, there was a newspaper featuring a talent coordinator who debuted recently. That would have normally not caught a person’s attention. At least, not a person like Steven. What did catch his attention was the coordinator’s picture. Right in front of him was a picture of Norman’s daughter having the time of her life performing in front of an audience. Talking a sip of his coffee, Steven mentally prepares himself for today’s headache. Sure, the reports from a store clerk about May dragging an unknown boy into the forest were proven true. The reports of seeing May traveling in a group of four were also proven true. It’s a very fortunate thing that May and Max weren’t kidnapped, but that doesn’t mean everything is resolved. Norman and Caroline are adamant that May and Max must return home. Norman is breathing down of the next of all the officers and league members to return the children home. The parents have the legal authority to do so. 

“I’m not paid enough to handle this,” Steven groaned, pulling out his laptop from the bag. “Did anyone listen to my warning? No!”

Steven was one of the few young champions that remained after increased age requirements had taken effect. Still, he was currently the youngest champion in the world. Leon was a few years older than him, but he had several more years of experience being a champion. Additionally, the Hoenn champion’s role differs significantly from the Galar champion’s. Steven has more responsibilities and more authority compared to Leon. 

Though he didn’t have it as bad as Red, Steven struggled to get Hoenn to take him seriously. People downplay his input because of his youth and lack of experience in being the champion. Every week, the news channels would question his capabilities to run a region and successfully take down the two criminal organizations plaguing Hoenn. If it wasn’t people downplaying his input, it was people not looking past his father’s name. A good proportion of Hoenn would refer to him as Mr. Stone’s son, Joseph's son, or an heir. It’s more common than Steven likes to admit. How Norman dismissed Steven’s opinion of not restricting a child to their home or not limiting a child’s freedom was the perfect example of how some don’t listen to his input or take what he had to say seriously. 

“What’s the matter, Steven,” Wallace asked from behind.

Oh, Steven was so lost in his thoughts to notice Wallace. He should do better. 

“Everything,” Steven revealed. “I need to find a way to return May and Max to their parents without causing a spectacle or creating a media frenzy.”

“But’s that low on your priority list,” Wallace reminded. 

“Compare to everything else going on, yes, it is,” Steven confirmed. “However, there’s recent evidence that Team Aqua had kidnapped May.”

“Which means that something low priority became a high priority,” Wallace concluded. “Additionally, if what you’re saying is true, it proves that they were after Blue Orb that was once in the family’s possession.”

“But they donated the Blue Orb to the museum,” Steven disclosed. 

Steven hopes for many things. He hopes that Norman and Caroline realize how their actions have pushed May further away from them. He hopes that he can successfully take down Team Aqua and Team Magma with the assistance Lance is providing. He hopes that he solves the reason for the increased frequency of tropical storms. He hopes his uncle, Looker, finds the one responsible for murdering his fiance. However, what he hopes most of all is to gain the same level of respect as Lance, Cynthia, and the other champions in the world. 

Chapter Text

Ash stood there, smiling as Brock, May, and Max looked at him dumbfounded. At the moment, they were in the pokemon center, resting for the night before they set off to their next destination. Normally, the rooms in the pokemon centers contain a bed, a dresser, and other simplistic detectors. There is a plain TV broadcasting that day’s news in the room they are staying in. Playing on the screen was footage captured by a bypasser hiding as a pokemon battle took place between some Team Aqua grunts and Ash. After Ash had swiftly defeated the grunts, the footage shows Ash charging toward the grunts with a feigned innocent smile. The grunts frantically started to run away from the feral trainer, screaming for someone to save them as Ash pulled out a random collapsable baton. Pikachu was following right behind Ash, cheerfully following the trainer's lead to attack the grunts causing such a commotion. Pikachu was emitting some sparks from his cheeks as the pokemon looked gleeful. 

“Ash, what the fuck,” May blurted out, breaking the silence in the room. “We were separated for three hours!”

“Was it Guzma who gave you another weapon,” Brock asked, gaining confused looks from Max and May. “ And was it really necessary to traumatize the grunts today?”

Ash stayed silent for a few seconds before he pretended to be deep in thought. After a minute of pretending to reflect on his actions and the potential consequences they may bring, Ash gave a wide smile and nodded enthusiastically. He purposely didn’t give a clear answer because he doesn’t think his mom would like him to have a collapsible baton in his possession. Maybe his dad would be okay with it, but it wasn’t a weapon his dad gifted to him at the same time. Anyway, Brock doesn’t need to know that Ash happened to find the weapon when he was collecting wood a week prior. 

“Tell me where you learned to do that,” Max said, running up to Ash and staring at him with curiosity. “I need to learn how to do that!”

“No, you don’t,” May countered.

May quickly looked in Ash’s direction as she mouthed vague threats to Ash. The threats were about finding a method to kill a legendary child. Ash’s expression was neutral before he mouthed that he’ll embrace the cold release of death and thank her for killing him. May couldn’t find a response to Ash's comment. Max, not paying attention to his sister, remain oblivious about May’s threat. 

Ash was too focused on answering Max’s question that he didn’t see Brock stealthy approaching near to the dresser where the weapon was placed. Brock viewed this as an opportunity to swipe the collapsible baton on top of the dresser and hide it inside his backpack. As much as Brock respected their friendship, he doesn’t need Ash needlessly attack every grunt in the Hoenn region. He already knows that Ash is going to punch the deadbeat parents in the Hoenn region, it’s only a matter of time. However, Brock would like to reduce the number of injuries and publicity during his time in Kanto. 

“So Loni loves using stuff like Bo Staff,” Ash happily explained, unaware of Brock taking his weapon. “And being the awesome brother figure he is, he taught me how to use one of these.”

“I want to ask more about your childhood,” May responded, watching how Brock motioned her to remain quiet. She gave a raised eyebrow but continued on with her conservation. “But I know I haven’t locked that friendship level.”

“You need to be at friendship level eight,” Ash answered. “Brock is at friendship level 10 while you and Max are at friendship level 4.”

“So halfway there,” Max spoke, appearing happy. 

“But I’ll still teach Max how to use a bo staff,” Ash shared, which made Max even happier. 

Ash turned around to grab the weapon, to only see that it was gone. He scanned his surroundings, disappointed that he couldn’t find it. When he noticed that Brock was unusually quiet and looking at his phone, Ash knew that it Brock who had taken it.

“Brock, why,” Ash complained, drastically falling onto the ground. “I trusted you, and you betray that trust by taking my weapon.

Brock shifted his attention from his phone to see Ash lying face down on the ground. He gives Ash credit for the dramatic performance.

“Be lucky that I let you keep the knife your dad gave you,” Brock justified, which earned a look from Ash. “I have to protect Hoenn from a legendary child, Kyogre’s marked child, and a little kid. I can’t give either of you ammunition to cause unnecessary chaos for the Hoenn region.”

“So a little bit of chaos is fine,” May inquired. “I thought you were the responsible one.”

May pretended to be disappointed in Brock, mustering up the most convincing disappointed mom look. Brock was unfazed. 

“I’m helping you hide from your father because Kyogre is upset that you immediately went missing, “Brock tiredly stated, preparing to go to sleep for the night “If Ash and I don’t do whatever necessary to keep you hidden from the authorities, Kyogre will make Hoenn inhabitable in the next several years.” 

A heavy downpour could be heard as if Kyogre had heard Brock’s statement. Facing in the window’s direction, Ash saw the raging rainstorm taking place. The pounding rain on the roof, howling sounds of the wind, and the excessive rainfall make it all seem as if Kyogre was giving Hoenn a clear message. May stood there with a guilty expression as if she viewed herself as the one responsible for the endless rainstorms.

“It’s not your fault,” Ash pointed out, trying to cheer May up. “Deities can easily be influenced by their emotions, just like humans.”

“If I had tried harder to convince dad, maybe he Kyogre wouldn’t be so mad,” May responded sadly.

“ Kyogre needs to be held accountable,” Brock added. “He’s thousands of years old. He should have the maturity to cope with his anger in a way that doesn’t endanger others.”

“But Brock, you saw how Mew and Celebi acted,” Ash reminded Brock. “The deities people worship are flawed. You saw how selfish Celebi and Mew acted in tricking Misty and Ritchie into accepting the mark.”

“I know,” Brock sighs, shaking his head. “Kyogre nearly pulled the same tactic as them. However, he at least saved May before tricking her into accepting the deal.”

“It’s almost as if you’re critizing them,” Max said. 

“I’m not,” Brock responded. “I’m simply expressing how no one, including the world's deities, are perfect beings. They are equally flawed, driven by emotions and desires like everyone else.”

Brendan was excitedly sharing a story with Steven about a kid who had the guts to charge toward a bunch of grunts. Wally was resting on the bench, taking a much-needed break from all the traveling. Steven was curious about what the trainer had to share and was shopping to collect evidence that could be used after the arrest of Maxie and Archie.

“Why did you decide to video tap the encounter,” Steven asked. Looking over Brendan's shoulder to see the video playing on the screen of Brendan’s phone. “You’re usually the type who partakes in the violence.”

“Steven, don’t you recognize him,” Brendan gasped, dramatically. He paused the video to the timestamp that shows a clear image of the trainer. “He’s the same kid who punched Lance and that dude at Kanto!”

“He threw a reported live,” Wally interrupted. “And dragged Gold from the hood of the shirt as he climbed the fence.” 

Steven noticed several things. First, this was indeed the same kid Gold, and Silver praised. Next, this was the kid he wanted to meet for having the guts to punch a champion in the face without an ounce of fear. Steven sometimes gives Lance shit about the dragon trainer’s past actions and being beaten up by a child. Lastly, he realized that the kid shares many characteristics with the kid Steven is tracking down. Oh no, the same kid who left dozens injured at the museum was the kid who is traveling with May and Max.

“Brendan, what do you know about this kid,” Steven followed up.

“Oh, he’s traveling with Norman’s kids and another trainer,” Brendan answered, He took a paused as he tried to remember anything about the group. “Oh, he’s also planning to compete in the league!”

Okay, Steven knows what he has to do. He needs to find Ash, return May and Max without trouble, and resolve the case. The problem is that Ash and his group travel fast. It was if the group of four was in a rush for reasons unknown. Based on the reports from league officials who are trying their best to follow the group, they will never stay at the same place for more than a few hours. When the officials have the opportunity to meet with a contest judge or a gym leader, the individual will say, "You just miss them.”  The increased rainstorms' duration, frequency, and intensity make it harder to trail the group. After several injuries due to poor visibility and dangerous weather conditions, the league officials rarely follow the group under the rain conditions. Steven doesn’t know how Ash and his group are able to travel in those conditions. 

“If you do see them, please contact the local police department,” Steven stressed, hoping the teenagers got the message. “And write down every detail about the group.”

“Why, did they murder anyone,” Wally commented. 

“No, it’s something I’m not allowed to disclose,” Steven responded, leaving no room for further discussion. “Now if you would excuse me, something needs my attention at the moment.” 

Steven quickly departed from the area, leaving Wally and Brendan alone. Once Steven was out of their line of sight, Brendan and Wally turned to face each other.
Wally remained sitting while Brendan was standing up.

“We’re idiots, aren’t we,” Brendan slightly chuckled. “I can’t believe goodie two shoes May was able to lie!”

“Or how she convinced Ash and Brock to play along,” Wally pondered, slightly tilting his head as he thought of possible explanations. 

“Should we tell Norman,” Brendan said, pretending to think about the situation. “Or listen to Steven’s direction.”

The two pretended to be in deep thought, considering potential options for their strange situation. After moments of pretending, Wally innocently smiled while Brendan shook his head as he continued to chuckle again.

“I’m still upset how Norman almost convinced my parents that I should not travel in my condition,” Wally said, maintaining his innocent persona. “I’m sickly but not to the point where I should be treated like proclaim glass.”

“Yeah, your folks are descendants of ninjas,” Brendan mentioned. “And you easily were able to take down some grunts! You’re far from helpless.”

“So are we in agreement that we’re not going to say anything to Norman or Steven,” Wally followed up.

“Of course,” Brendan confirmed. “I’m not letting May return only to be sheltered by an overprotective father and mother. She should be allowed to do the same stuff as us!”

Brendan remembered the day when his childhood friend was missing. He recalled how devastated Norman and Caroline were by their daughter’s disappearance. Two years later, May was found safe on an unhabitable island. May would tell everyone stories of Kyogre saving and caring for her. He believed it was an imaginary friend she made up to avoid feeling lonely. Until they were old enough to travel by Hoenn’s standard, Brendan and Wally were only allowed to play with May if they stayed at Norman’s house. May was never allowed to leave the house, much to Brendan’s and Wally’s disappointment. When the day came for them to pick their first pokemon, Norman refused to let May obtain her first pokemon. She wasn’t allowed to take a journey like everyone else. He hoped that May, Wally, and himself would travel all across Hoenn. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. No, instead, May stayed trapped at home. Now, it’s clear for Brendan to see that May has chosen to run away from home. 

“Next time we see them, I’m going to tell them that we know,” Brendan announced. “And ask them why they didn’t include me. I thought May was our childhood friend!”

“To be fair, she could have assumed we would have told Norman about her whereabouts,” Wally guessed.

That’s a valid point that Brendan should have considered.

Ash didn’t care for all the pouring rain. He’s a legendary child who is a duel flying and water type. In fact, he enjoys the rain despite the nerve pain he may get from old injuries. Still, he can see why the rain is such a problem for many. For example, it makes it much more difficult to chase a group of grunts who are escaping with the Devan’s goos by using a fucking speed boat in  flooded area in town. First, why would a warehouse with valuable tech is stored in a random town with poor security?Next, why do a lot of residents have boats? Brock found a regular boat nearby moments after the grunts took off. 

“Can’t this boat go any faster,” May worriedly said, looking at the growing distance between them and the grunts. “We won’t be able to catch up with them!”

Ash saw that the more effort their older model speed boat put in, the more the boat struggled to keep. Deciding that he doesn’t want to risk a bunch of grunts leaving with valuable technology, Ash moved May and Max aside as he went to the very back. Brock continues to maneuver the boat, trying to lose sight of the grunts. Ash took a deep breath and remembered how Lugia briefly taught him some flying-type moves. Aunt Ho-oh was sleeping, and Ash couldn’t sleep. Ash managed to find himself outside of the cave at the sight of Lugia practicing. At some point, it leads to Lugia showing him potential moves Ash can use at some point in the future.

“Brock, prepare for the increased speed,” Ash warned, immediately using a move he assumed was Hurricane from the palms of his hands. 

Despite the rocky waters and going significantly faster, Brock could steer the speed boat with little difficulty. It didn’t take long for them to catch up with the Team Aqua grunts. Ash wished he could look at their faces when Brock blocked them from going any further by steering the speed boat right in front of their way. The grunts had no choice but to make an abrupt stop to avoid crashing into the speed boat the group was using. Sure, it was risky on Brock's part to do something like that, but people don’t tend to think when they’re filled with adrenaline.

“You made a mistake,” Ash stated, happily jumping oof the boat and onto the boat, the runts were occupying. “Now, time for you to suffer!”

Ash tackled the first grunt he saw on sight. Being the same person he, he only punched the grunt to the point the grunt became unconscious. May was right behind him, tying them up in military-grade rope so the grunts couldn’t escape. At the same time, Max decided it would be a great idea to take pictures of everything, much to May’s disappointment. As for Brock, he mostly checked the stolen items' inventory, noting everything down on paper. He made sure the paper didn’t get wet. At the same time, he would casually duck his head when something was thrown in his direction. Ash would quickly charge at the grunt if there was a grunt behind him. Once charging, Ash would swing his fist at the grunt's gut before lifting the grunt off the ground. Brock would still continue to have his back turned, knowing that Ash would throw the grunt at another grunt. At this point, the fights don’t even phase Brock anymore after spending two regions with Ash. 

“How common is this,” Max asked, watching everything unfold.

“This is new,”Brock admitted, ensuring the paper was tucked somewhere dry on the boat. “Where did May get the military rope?”

“Dad used to work for the military,” Max responded. “Or was it something else.”

“Yep, Norman and Caroline are pretty secretive about their old jobs,” Brendan called out, hoping on the speed boat from a smaller speed boat. “Only pops know, and he refuses to tell me anything!”

Ash stood up from the ground as May tied up the last grunt. He stared at Brendan, who was unusually alone. Wally is usually right next to him.

“What are you doing here,” Ash asked.

“Giving you a warning that the league officials would be here in about 10 minutes,” Brendan nonchalantly warned. “I don’t think May wants to go home yet.”

“You little shit,” May responded, shocked that Brendan knew the truth. “You knew!”

“I was able to figure it out,” Brendan supplemented, looking at his phone. “But seriously, you need to go. I’m sure May can tell her childhood friends why she didn’t tell us about the situation on another day.”

Brendan wasn’t subtle at all. Ash doesn’t blame the guy for being hurt that May didn’t tell her childhood friends the truth. Ash usually tells Acerola everything going on in his life, including the embarrassing and questionable parts. From the corner of his eye, Ash could see how May was giving a guilty expression as she tried to explain herself.

“You can tell me another time,” Brendan smiled. “But you guys should probably go now. 

Deciding that May really needed to reunite with Kyogre, Ash and everyone else were able to jump back to the old speedboat. May gave a quick goodbye as she promised to explain her reasoning in the future. Brock immediately started to drive the speedboat as Ash ensured they were far enough for him to use Hurricane. 

Brendan smiled, maintaining a calm composure as Steven began asking about the people responsible for chasing and capturing the grunts.

“Oh, it was May and her friends,” Brendan shared, not missing how tired Steven appeared to be. “But they took off. I couldn’t stall them.” 

Brendan spent the next hour providing details of the event while he saw Steven make a call. He assumed that Steven was called Norman. From afar, he could see Wally waiting and giving a thumbs up. The things childhood friends do for each other. 

Chapter Text

Sipping the tea Brock had made, Ash watched Jirachi and Max playing together meters away. Ash thought that Jirachi supposes to be hibernating for another thousand years after spending a week awake. Jirachi is still a toddler by human standards, yet the mythical pokemon forgot any sleep. To his right, he sees May shaking her head as Max falls into a puddle of mud. Brock was eating his plate of food, uninterested in the mythical pokemon. 

“So I don’t need to worry about Jirachi marking Max,” May asked, watching the scene in front of her. 

“No, I don't think Jirachi is old enough yet,” Ash responded, finishing his tea. “Though, I hope Max can hide the mythical pokemon when we enter towns and cities.”

“We’ll get him a backpack,” Brock suggested. 

Jirachi happily sang a song in his own language as he twirled around in the air. Max was trying to chase after the pokemon in the hopes of catching the pokemon. Either it was that, or the two were playing a game of tag. Ash doesn’t know because Jirachi was too far away for Ash to hear the world clearly. After several minutes had passed, Max and Jirachi grew tired from playing and headed their way toward where Ash, Brock, and May were seated. 

“Great, the food is ready,” Max commented, immediately grabbing a sandwich for himself. “Thank you, Brock.”

“You should have washed up Max,” May mentioned, pulling a spray bottle out of nowhere. “Hold still as I spray you.”

“You’re not spraying me with that,” Max responded, slowly backing away from May. “At least let me finish this sandwich first!”

In amusement, Ash saw the scene between the siblings unfold in front of him. When Max took the last bite of the sandwich, May immediately began spraying Max with the water bottle. Like an angry feline pokemon, Max whined and hissed at May. May spray Max’s hand with the water bottle until Max’s hand is clear. After Max was finished, Jirachi begged for May’s attention.

“Let me be clean too,” Jirachi stated,  putting his hands out. “And let me try the food on the table..”

“What’s he’s saying Ash,” May questioned.

“He wants his hands to be clean too,” Ash translated before taking a bite of his sandwich. Despite having a mouthful of food, Ash continues to speak. “He also wants to try the sandwiches.”

May listened to what Ash had to say and sprayed Jirachi’s hand with water. Once Jirachi’s hands were clean, he happily floated near the table and grabbed the most appealing-looking sandwich. 

“I need to create a formula specifically for Jirachi,” Brock mentioned, watching Jirachi finish his first sandwich. “We can’t have Jirachi eat what we’re having during meal time.”

Jirachi continued to happily eat the sandwiches, making sounds of enjoyment at the most random moments. Max was telling Jirachi about the different cuisine in Hoenn and how Jirachi must try every single one of them. May shared how Jirachi must learn to defend himself from other pokemon and humans. Jirachi nodded his head in agreement with everything the siblings had to say.

“Do you regret leaving the gym to travel with me,” Ash questioned, watching Jirachi steal Brock’s sandwich out of his hand. “Since this is now you r life.”

“Ash, at this point, I accepted that nothing in my life will ever be normal,” Brock answered, letting Jirachi get away with taking his sandwich. “Every second I spend time with you, the further away I get from normalcy.”

So far, Ash had accepted that his journey at Hoenn is much more chaotic compared to Kanto and Johto. At least in Johto,  the deities had waited until the end to cause mischief. Also, Ash was pretty sure there was a lot less world-ending disaster in Kanto and Johto. In the past few weeks, Ash had dealt primarily with Team Aqua grunts and sometimes with the Team Magma grunts. There was also the fact that yesterday, Ash had stopped a former Team Magma grunt from using Jirachi to create a Groudon. However, it wasn’t an actual Groudon but, in fact, an abomination that was absorbing people and pokemon. That was a fun day yesterday and something he should tell Acerola the moment they make it to a pokemon center.

In front of Ash was a screen displaying Acerola. However, Acerola wasn’t her usual cheerful self. While Acerola was visibly happy, she also appeared to be unsure. 

“Spill.” Ash blurted out, watching how Acerola glanced over her shoulder for a few seconds before turning to Ash.

Acerola said nothing to Ash. From Ash said, Brock, May, and Max were waiting for someone to speak. What broke the silence was a familiar cry coming from Acerola side of the screen. The moment Ash heard the cry, he slapped his hand onto his forehead.

“You met Ho-oh, didn’t you” Ash groaned, shaking his head. “And probably met your brothers. “

“You made me into a legendary bait,” Acerola spoke, moving to the side so everyone from Ash side could see Ho-oh happily waving one of her wings. “Why didn’t you give me a warning?”

Ash look at May and Max before turning to face Acerola once again.

“I’m helping a certain someone run away, so she can tell Kyogre to stop throwing a temper tantrum,” Ash explained.

May and Max nodded to confirm that Ash was telling the truth. Brock was writing something in the same notebook he used to write about Ash’s legendary child status. 

“Please explain,” Acerola followed up, shaking her head. “Because that makes no sense.”

“Kyogre is pissed that someone abruptly took May,” Ash clarified, gesturing in May's direction as May awkwardly waved at Acerola. “We need to reunite her with Kyogre to tell him to stop, or else Hoenn will become unlivable in a decade.”

Suddenly, Acerola was shoved off the screen by Ho-oh. Ho-oh pressed her head as close to the screen as possible and began talking. Ash thinks that Ho-oh was utterly unaware of how smushed her face appeared from his side. 

“Ash, you need to hurry,” Ho-oh stressed. “At the moment, Kyogre’s fury is only impacting the Hoenn region. However, if you don’t hurry, there’s the potential the rainstorms would spread to the nearest region.”

Ah shit. That’s fucking great. Kyogre has to be powerful enough to influence another region's weather! To be fair, Lugia is associated with the world’s air current and does whatever it takes to ensure the Island incident doesn’t repeat. Still, why can’t Kyore be a little bit more chill? 

“Well, it kinda hard to when most of the routes and roads are flooded,” Ash shared. “We often need to take a significantly longer route or wait for the routes to be clear.”

The weather for one half of the week is a downpour of rain and harsh winds, while the other half would be relatively calm. Relative calm doesn’t mean sunny and warm. It just means no rain or intense winds for the day. 

“After explaining everything to Kyogre, I can go back home,” May pointed out. “And hopefully, I could convince dad to let me travel like everyone else.”

Ho-oh removed herself from the screen, allowing Acerola to claim her spot. 

“Ash, how do you find yourself in these situations” Acerola questioned. “And you May, how did you get marked and adopted by Kyogre?”

“I don’t know,” Ash shrugged.

“I was kidnapped for reasons I don’t know,” May revealed. “Maybe for ransom or to be used as a bargaining chip.” 

After Acerola shared how Ho-oh startled his dad, ate all of his deserts, and accidentally set the table on fire, Ash bid a farewell to Acerola before hanging up on the call. 

Several days later, May successfully arranged a time to meet with Brendan and Wally at a cafe during the least busy time of the day. Unsurpisedly, May made sure she was seated at the corner with Brendan and Wally while the rest was sitting at the table next to them. Overall, May explained why she hadn’t told the trainers about running away from home. Her primary reason was that she was terrified of them accidentally spilling the beans to her dad. 

“That’s fair,” Brendan shrugged, stealing a muffin from Wally. “But we’re not snitching so you’re safe.”

“Unfortunately, you couldn’t go with us,” Wally said with a hint of sadness. “The three of us were supposed to start our journey together.”

“Maybe after the season ends, we can talk about traveling to another region like Johto,” May happily expressed. “Or I can help Brendan with his research.”

As May caught up with her friends, Ash was on his phone to see if there was anything newsworthy going on in the world. While Ash was checking the news, Max took a quick nap because he spent all night playing with Jirachi. Brock was searching for the weather reports for different areas in Hoenn. By theory, the areas with the most rainstorms should be where Kyogre is located. At this point, May is speedrunning through all of her contests while Ash is doing the same for his gym battles. As much as they want to take the time to explore every town and city they enter, they are kinda in a time crunch. 

“So the story about rescues by Kyogre is true,” Wally vocalized with excitement. “That’s why you were in a hurry!”

“Yep,” May verified. “I must hurry to convince him I’m safe and sound.”

Ash didn’t miss how May was vague in her reasoning. He listened to how May purposely left out the mark she received, her ability to understand the world’s deities, and gaining capabilities humans don’t normally have. He was silently thankful that May respected his desire to keep some things hidden. Ash doesn’t think the world is ready for legendary or marked children. Additionally, he doesn’t want to deal with people trying to hunt him down for sport or nefarious purposes. Glad to know that May was aware of that.

“Now it makes sense why you’re traveling with Ash,” Brendan acknowledges, moving to the side to better look at Ash. “I heard stories about you from Lance.”

Now, doesn’t that pipe Ash's interest of the sudden? How does Birch's son know Lance?

“Which ones,” Ash smiled. 

“Throwing him at a pond,” Brendan said before laughing at the memory of the video about the incident. “Stopping random members of Team Rocket.”

“He tried recruiting Brendan and me for th G-Men,” Wally supplemented, coughing between sentences. “But Brendan doesn’t like the idea of being limited on what he can do.”

“We’re almost at that age,” Brendan spoke. “But there’s no way I’m letting Wally be recruited. Just look at him! He’s a sick, precious boy!”

“Why do you do this to me,” Wally responded, shaking his head. “I’m not fragile.”

“I assume they’re not planning to recruit May anytime soon,” Ash joked.

“Definitely not,” Brendan quickly blurted. “Norman would skin the poor fool who tries to recruit his children.” 

For a while, Ash and Brock order something to eat for themselves while they wait for May to finish talking to her childhood friends. Max continued to sleep for a little longer until he woke up to the smell of a plate of chocolate cake in front of him. When the waiter was out of sight, Max discretely allowed Jirachi to pop out of his backpack and take a few bites from the cake. Jirachi stealthy sneaked a few bites without being sighted by May’s table, which eased Ash’s worries. He doesn’t want to explain why a Jirachi was traveling with them or that Jirachi was practically Max’s pokemon.

Several days later, Ash would regret the choices that led him to this position. Along with Brock, May, and Max, he entered Pokemart to stock up on supplies. The moment they exited the building, they were greeted with the sight of a shocked Norman. However, the shock quickly morphed into a face of disappointment toward his children's actions.

“Where have you two been,” Norman shouted, gaining the attention of bystanders. “Do you know how to worry your mother and me when we couldn’t find you!”

May and Max froze at the sight of their father.  Ash looked at Brock, silently communicating that they needed to find a solution. Unaware to the father in front of them, the fate of Hoenn depended on the reunification of Kyogre and May.

Chapter Text

From the corner of his eye, Ash sees Jirachi poking to see what the commotion is about. Instrinctiy, Ash shielded Max and May from Norman’s and the bystanders' line of sight. He doesn’t want to explain why a mythical pokemon is following Max around. Additionally, he doesn’t want Jirachi to be in harm's way by people who might be hunting the pokemon down and indirectly hurting a child. Seconds later, Ash realized that his actions may be viewed as defiant toward the gym leader, and that isn’t going to help Ash’s case in convincing the gym leader to let May travel Hoenn. Oh well, he’s already committed, so he might as well continue with the act.

“Ash, please don’t punch a gym leader’s” Brock warned, grabbing the attention of the bystanders and Norman. “I will restrain you if you even try to beat another father.”

“Why,” Ash responded in disbelief, turning his head to face Brock. “Brock, you need to let me punch him at least once!”

Brock looked unamused and unconvinced. Max was quietly chucking at the scene. May appeared unsure about what’s going on. Norman’s eyes widened slightly when he realized the trainer he was precisely talking to. Of course, Norman knows the trainer. Steven wouldn’t shut up about the video of the trainer tossing a regional champion into a lake. The trainer has a track record of getting into the most dangerous, life-threatening situation in such a short life span. That doesn’t ease any of Norman’s concerns. In fact, it made Norman even more convinced that May and Max should return home and away from the trainer. Who knows the potential trouble May and Max may get into if they stay with a trainer such as Ash? 

“May, Max, get over here right now,” Norman’s ordered, crossing his arms. “You two are grounded until further notice.” 

May and Max looked at their father and then looked at the back of Ash’s head. They did it several more times until they shook their head. 

“I like having a pokemon journey,” May spoke, maintaining her compsured. “I like making friends and not being stuck in the house all the time!”

“I’m having too much fun,” Max shrugged, discreetly trying to gently shove Jirachi’s head back into the backpack. 

“We could have a private discussion somewhere less crowded,” Brock offered, subtly gesturing to the interested bystanders. “Unless you want others to listen in our conservation.

When Ash could see that Max had successfully shoved Jirachi back into the bag, Ash lowered his arms. He surveyed the areas to see what Brock was exactly talking about. Ash is aware of his reputation for his chaotic actions and for doing things that no sane person would do. It must be of his reputation that some of the younger bystanders have their phones out, ready to record anything that would spread like rapid fire on the internet. Then, some were interested in the affairs of well-know trainers and people associated with the league. It’s why Misty sometimes calls to complain about people trying to get intel on her daily life and thanking whatever god that listened to her that day that no one is aware that Lance is her biological father. It’s probably why the coordinating circuit was interested in May’s progress and career as a coordinator. 

“Yeah, I’m sure they got better things to do with their lives,” Ash said, loudly. He wasn’t being subtle at all. “It’s not like I have tossed a reporter live on air.”

At this point, Ash had no intention in following through with any of his threats and any of the implications he had made in his statement. Still, he can have a little fun messing with people. He casually walked in a random direction with his hand to his side. Purposely, he was smiling a little bit too wide as he approached a random pair of people dressed in office attire. Once he was close enough, he slowly pretended that he was planning to lift one of them off the ground. Luckily, the office pair believed him, and they started to run away from the scene. Ash grinned as he turned to face another random group of people. The moment the group made eye contact with Ash, they began running from the scene. It didn’t take long for the other bystanders to get the message. 

“Let’s have a reasonable conservation somewhere private,” Brock suggested. “And let’s not get too carried away without our emotions or actions.”

Brock was giving Ash a look. It’s the type of look that warns the other person to not do anything stupid or something that will get them into a worse situation. The only reason why Ash hadn’t done anything too dramatic was that Brock was here. If Brock wasn’t here, Ash wouldn’t have hesitated to do something absolutely stupid.

Oddly enough, the weather was quite fine. The clouds partially covered the sun, and the air breeze was gentle. For now, no one had to worry about a potential rainstorm today. Of course, when they were all alone, Jirachi decided it would be a wonderful time to escape from the bag and joyfully circle around them. Ash is wished the pokemon could have waited for another hour to stay in the bag. Max sheepishly smiled, avoiding Norman’s gaze.

“May is old enough to travel,” Ash emphasized. “In fact, she’s like two years older than me.”

“It’s three,” May interrupted. “I’m like a year younger than Brock.” 

Everyone ignored May’s interruption, much to the girl’s dissatisfaction. Perhaps May should have been a little bit louder. 

“Norman, it’s great that you love your children,” Brock supplemented, “But you’re going overboard with your parenting. This will only strain your relationship with your kids. ”

“What do you know about parenting,” Norman questioned, not noticing Ash’s shocked face.

Ash turned his head to look at Brock and then back to Norman. Oh hell no! The gym leader did not dare question Brock about his friend’s parenting skills. Ash pulled a bag of trail mix in one of his backpack’s pouches and began eating the nuts, dried fruits, and pieces of chocolate. He poured some into Max’s hand when the boy quietly asked for some trial mix while May quietly asked why Ash was eating a snack out of all time.

“You’ll see,” Ash whispered, subtly pointing to Brock. “Your dad knows nothing about Brock’s history.”

May was about to ask what Ash meant, but Brock was beginning to speak. The older trainer was calm, collected, and unfazed by gym leader’s comment. That is how Ash expected Brock to react, considering that Brock is the most rational and level-headed of all of his friends. Well, most of the time. Ash thinks that Brock loses his brain cells when there’s a conveniently attractive woman in front of him. Or common sense. It’s one of those two. 

“I’m not going to spill my life story,” Brock revealed. “But I will say that I raised nine children alone as my father and mother remain absent for several years.”

“ But you’re a child yourself,” Norman noted, struggling to believe Brock story.

“And,” Brock continued. He wasn’t offended that Norman struggled to believe this piece of information. In fact, he expected that type of reaction. “That didn’t matter. I raised my siblings for several years. I did what I needed to take care of them, even if it meant potentially sacrificing my dreams and goals.” 

And doesn’t that piece of information sting your heart? Potentially giving up opportunities, dreams, and the potential future you can have due to the shitty cards you have been dealt in life. Ash already knows about Brock’s circumstances but having the guy saying it out loud was a reminder that not everyone was given a great hand in life. 

“Years later, you may realize your mistakes,” Brock explained, maintaining his neutral expression. “Maybe you’ll do whatever it takes to make amends. Perhaps you will allow your children to do what they wanted to do for years.” 

It’s evident to Ash that Brock was speaking from experience. Ash knows that Brock is talking from the perspective of a parentified individual and someone who had to give up everything for the benefit of nine hungry mouths. However, everyone else was previously unaware of this fact. At least, they were unaware of it until now.

“But that will do nothing to completely remove the resentment and anger that remains,” Brock emphasized. “And the opportunities that were available years prior may not be available when you do realize your mistakes.”

“She will have opportunities to become a coordinator,” Norman justified. “But right now, the world’s is too dangerous for her to continue.”

Nothing is going through the man! The man is so adamant in bringing May and Max back that he does not understand what Brock is trying to say! Ash is almost desperate enough to tell Norman that Kyogre will destroy the Hoenn region because the gym leader was too stubborn to allow his daughter take a pokemon journey right now! She was due on a pokemon journey years ago!  

“She’s going to cut contact the moment she does,” Ash shouted, getting tired of Norman’s stubbornness. “And you’re punishing May for being kidnapped, which wasn’t her fault in the first place!”

Breath in. Breath out. Breath in. Breath out. Now count to 10 while taking a deep breath after a number. Ash needs to compose himself before he does something drastic, or that could ruin the very little chance he had to convince Norman to allow May to be free from such a suffocating environment.

“I’m not punishing May,” Norman responded. He almost appeared offended by Ash’s accusation. “I only wanted to protect her.”

“You’re are punishing me,” May sighed tiredly. She was visibly frowning as she looked at her father. “I wasn’t allowed to go with Brendan and Wally when I came of age. I kinda hated you for that.”

“Ah, I should have known,” Brock voiced out, which grabbed everyone attention. “May, why didn’t you tell us that you’re dad was from the military.”

“Why’s that important,” Max asked.

“A lot of lives were lost in the war against Orre many years ago,” Brock stated. “People saw their comrades blow up into pieces. Those who survive are left with mental scars that will never fully disappear. Witnessing countless death can change a person.”

In front of him, Ash observed how Norman gave a slight recoil at the mention of war and the death of comrades. Additionally, he noticed how the gym leader’s fist clenched tightly at the mention of death. Ah. That makes sense. Ash faintly recalled Lieutenant Surge mentioning that some of the respected, high-ranking individuals in the military were offered gym leader, Interpol, or some league positions. The electric gym leader had accepted a gym leader position due to needing the adrenaline battles to tend to produce. Lilo once mentioned that trauma tends to make people need to participate in activities that bring adrenaline to feel alive. His mom had also mentioned something about trauma. She said that traumatized people attempt to cultivate the illusion of having the sense of control in highly dangerous situations or situations that produce adrenaline. 

“Which means,” May probed.

“Lieutenant Surge demonstrates a lower level of protectiveness than your father,” Brock supplemented. “He’s protective over the trainers in his gym, considering that they some were his surviving comrades. However, your dad is going overboard with his protectiveness and paranoia.”

Again, this does shed some light on the situation. Ash wondered if the man had all of his comrades killed during the war. Suppose the man was the only surviving member of something horrible. In that case, it makes sense why Norman was so adamant about protecting his children. He probably doesn’t want to lose his children due to an unseen and unpredictable event. If he had lost all his military friends and comrades in such a brutal and cruel fashion, that would mean that Norman may only be living to protect his wife and children. 

“The Kanto and Johto public schools are still teaching about war,” Norman inquired, waiting for Brock’s responses.

“There’s a reason why the Kanto’s and Johto’s population is mostly composed of women, children, the elderly, and the wealthy,” Brock calmly answered. “The two regions have been the most impacted by the war.”

Ash feels like an idiot right now. He never realized the lack of adult men in the Kanto and Johto region! It could explain why Gary and his siblings are living with their grandparents! It could explain why most of the Johto’s and Kanto’s gym leaders were either teenagers, very young adults, or visibly old. 

“Dad, we have Jirachi with us,” Max blurted out as Jirachi enthusiastically nodded. 

“We have someone who beat Lance traveling with us” May added. “Ash had protected us countless times, so please, allow me and Max to stay with them until the end of the contest season.” 

Norman stood silent for several minutes, analyzing Ash with a watchful eye. From the father’s perspective, Ash appears to be a plain, regular trainer, but this is the same trainer who had beaten Lance. He may have forgotten that piece of information when he confronted the group. The trainer in question was standing confidentiality, displeased by Norman’s persistence. Norman needs to see if the trainer can defend himself and his children.

“I will allow May to travel,” Norman proposed, which caused May’s eyes to lit up. “But only under one condition.”

“What is it,” Ash questioned.

Norman made direct eye contact with Ash as he reached for his pokeball.

“If you, Ash, can beat me in a pokemon battle,” Norman finished.

Ah, if that was the case, Ash would accept the gym leader’s proposition. Reaching for one of his pokemon, Ash prepared himself to battle Norman. Ash knows that he must win or else an angry sea god will destroy Hoenn. 

“I’ll accept,” Ash acknowledged, preparing to summon one of his pokemon to battle.

Several years prior…

In a crib, there was a baby boy soundly sleeping in the cradle. Right beside the cradle was a woman singing a gentle lullaby. In the room, there was also a man dressed in a brown trench coat and a man wearing a red jacket. 

“Do accept taking care of another child,” Looker asked, looking at the sleeping baby. 

The woman gave a slight nod without looking at the detective. She continues to sing the lullaby to the infant. 

“We wanted a family to be we cannot conceive children,” Norman reminded the agent. “If Interpol needs to find a home for another child, we’ll happily accept the infant into our family.”

The woman stopped singing the lullaby and turned to face the agent. 

“Where did you find this child,” Caroline questioned. “Was it the same circumstances?”

“Unfortunately,” Looker revealed. “The mother was placed into custody after the raid only be revealed she was pregnant. As expected, she refused to name the father. The doctors tried their best but she died during childbirth.”

“The same story as out daughter,” Caroline softly said. 

“Not exactly,” Looker corrected. “The biological mother of your daughter was associated with team Aqua. The boy’s biological mother of your son was associated with Team Magma.”

The couple accepted the boy into the family, knowing that the boy was linked to one of Hoenn’s criminal groups. Just like what they did with the boy’s older sibling, they pretended that he was another miracle child as they hid the truth from the entire region. Unknown to everyone but Interpol was that a former high-ranking military man was raising two children born into a crime group. If fate were kind, the father and mother would never need to tell the truth to the two children they view as their own. It was extremely fortunate that the girl looked so much like Caroline and the boy looked so much like Norman. It makes it easier to maintain the lie.

Chapter Text

Seconds after the battle officially began, Ash ordered Pikachu to use quick attack to avoid the Slakoth’s shadow ball. Like Ash predicted, the gym leader is immediately making his move when the battle officially starts. As he tried to come up with a strategy to defeat Slakoth’s, Jirachi was floating near his face. Ash tried his best to ignore the pokemon’s comment, but Jirachi is like a toddler or a very young child. If a young child wants your attention and to listen to them, the young child will not leave you alone and demand your attention.

“Pikachu, try using Iron Tail,” Ash shouted before lowering his voice to communicate with Jirachi. “Jirachi, I’m trying to focus here. Please leave me alone for a little while.”

“But I want to battle,” Jirachi whined, failing his arms up and dawn. The pokemon was making a stomping motion in the air. “Let me battle.”

Ash saw how Pikachu attempted to attack Slakoth with an Iron Tail, but the pokemon continued to avoid being attacked. How could a slow pokemon counter Pikachu’s speedy attacks? Most of his strategies are based on speed! 

“Oh great, Slakoth is using Blizzard,” Ash muttered., observing how Pikachu was struggling to attack the pokemon. 

Fine, he’ll use another slow pokemon to counter the Slakoth. He’ll just have Pikachu battle another opponent. He called out to Pikachu to return back as Ash summoned Torkoal instead. 

“Use Flamethrower now,” Ash shouted the moment Torkoal was on the floor. He can’t afford to miss any opportunities that will allow him to become victorious in the battle.

Sensing his trainer’s urgency, Torkoal used Flamethrower. The pokemon was able to aim to move in Slakoth’s direction despite the Blizzard reducing the visibility. Ash was happy that he managed to defeat one of the gym leader’s pokemon. Still, it’s too early to celebrate since he still needs to win the match. Observing the man’s movements, Ash prepares to shout out another command the second Norman summons another pokemon. He didn’t have to wait long as a Vigoroth was summoned. When Ash saw the pokemon make contact with the ground, Ash quickly ordered Torkoal to use Overheat, hoping the pokemon would be knocked out. However, now Ash is learning that he’s having a different problem. Now, his pokemon is too slow to keep up with Vigoroth. The fast pokemon easily dodged Torkoal’s Overheat. Before Ash had the opportunity to shout something, the Vigoroth swiftly defeated Torkoal in one swoop.

“You did great, Torkoal,” Ash smiled as he recalled the pokemon. “You deserve to rest.”

Watching how normal type pokemon were fast, he debated between using Grovyle or Pikachu. However, if he uses Grovyle, that would leave Piakchu as his last reserve pokemon. Pikachu had already sustained some damage, and Ash is unaware of the next gym leader’s pokemon. After deciding what pokemon he should use. Pikachu told Pikachu that Ash chose him.

“Pikachu, use Quick Attack to dodge the Flamethrower,” Ash called out. 

Now Ash is defiantly glad that he decided to choose Pikachu instead of Grovyle. While Ash doesn’t doubt the grass-type pokemon ability to fight against Virgoroth, Ash cannot afford to lose this match. 

“Please let me battle,” Jirachi begged, clasping his hands together as he briefly floated in front of Ash’s face. “I can easily beat his pokemon!”

“I know that,” Ash quietly said, pushing Jirachi out of his field of view. “But that wouldn’t be a fair match.”

If Ash wants people to respect him, Ash would have to make sure he’s playing by the rule. He wants the people he battles to respect him as a trainer. Using a mythical pokemon like Jirachi wouldn’t be unfair and give Ash a huge advantage. While it’s great to win battles, he doesn’t want it to win in situations where he has a ridiculous, unfair advantage.

“Now that’s just pure luck,” Ash said to himself when he saw Vigoroth paralyzed. The pokemon got himself paralyzed when the pokemon used a physical move against Pikachu. 

Pikachu was clearly tired but was still holding his ground. Ash needs to act quickly before the pokemon fully exhausts himself and faints. It’s not an if but a when situation. Noticing how Vigoroth was having difficulty making too many movements, Ash quickly seized the opportunity to use Iron Tail to knock out the pokemon hopefully. Pikachu was able to land a hit, knocking out the pokemon successfully. However, just like Ash predicted, Pikachu used too much energy then. The combination of already sustained injuries, low energy, and using too much effort had caused Pikachu to pass out onto the ground.

“You did good,” Ash said.

Jirachi used Psychic to carry Pikachu into Ash’s arms. Once the pokemon was securely in his arms, the mythical pokemon floated happily in front of Ash, preparing for battle.

“Are you using Jir-” Norman inquired but was interrupted by Ash.

“Jirachi, get your butt out of the field,” Ash told the mythical pokemon. “This is my battle for May’s and Max’s freedom!”

“But I want to battle,” Jirachi pouted, crossing his arms. “Please let me battle against the man! I’ll easily defeat the next pokemon!”

Ash was too focused on arguing with Jirachi that he didn’t notice how everyone was paying attention to the interaction.

“Yes, I know you can easily defeat Norman’s pokemon,” Ash acknowledge. “But you’re basically Max’s pokemon, not mine. I want to win a match by using my pokemon.”

Jirachi pouted and was being a petulant pokemon. The pokemon made stomping motions as he crossed his arms. The pokemon as clearly displeased.

“If you don’t bring your butt over here or go where Max is, I won’t let you eat the sweets my folks frequently send me,” Ash warned, making direct eye contact with the pokemon.

Jirachi was upset but got the message. The mythical pokemon sulked as he levitated back to where Ash was standing. The pokemon gave Ash a frown but levitated to the ground so he could join Pikachu. When the pokemon was seated right next to his partner, Ash summoned Grovyle. At the same time, the gym leader summoned Slaking. 

“Bullet seeds,” Ash called out, watching Slaking’s movement. When Ash saw the normal type pokemon easily block the move with his hands, Ash knew that something different needed to be done. “Grovyle, use Leaf Blade.”

Now Ash was noting how Slaking was swinging the blade back and force for a few seconds. After growing bored, Slaking tossed Grovly across the area. Fine, let's see what Ash can do to defeat Slaking. The opportunity presented itself when Slaking was ordered to use Focus Punch. Slaking was focusing on using Focus Punch which provided a chance for Grovyle to use Bullet Seeds! Unfortunately, Ash may have pissed off the pokemon.

“Jump to avoid the Earthquake,” Ash ordered, sensing the movement coming from the ground. “Then use Pound!”

Ash observed how Slaking caught Grovlye’s hand and tossed his pokemon up into the air. As Grovyle was in the air, Slaking immediately used Hyper Beam. Ash was worried that Grovlye would be knocked out, but thankfully, Grovlye was still standing on his feat. He briefly made eye contact with Grovlye, silently communicating with each other. Grovlye was giving him a determined look and gave the nod. Knowing that the pokemon decided to continue the battle to the very end, Ash nodded in agreement.

“Grovlye, let's show them what we got,” Ash declared loudly. “We’ll keep fighting until the very end!” 

At that moment, Grovyle appeared to be very motivated, and his grass-type moves appeared to power up. Knowing that the battle must end quickly before Grovlye sustained any more damage, Ash told the grass-type pokemon to move around at area to avoid being caught by Slaking. The very second Norman ordered Slaking to use Hyper Beam, Ash shouted for Grovlye to dodge and use Pound. Grovlye quickly leaped out of Slaking’s range as the normal pokemon attempted to grab the grass-type pokemon.

“Use Leaf Blade!”

“Slaking, use Hyper Beam!”

 The two pokemon manage to hit each successfully at the same time, which caused each pokemon to sustain damage. In anticipation, Ash waited to see if the normal-type pokemon would pass out or if Grovlye would pass out. The Slaking made the slightest movement before the pokemon passed out, making Ash the winner.

“Fuck yeah,” Ash cheered, running up to Grovlye to hug the pokemon. “We all did it!”

Ash summoned Torkoal so the fire type could join the group hug. After all, it was all thanks to the collective effort of everyone that Ash had won the battle. Ash hugged his pokemon for several minutes before he heard a cough behind him. Turning his head over his shoulder, Ash saw Norman standing several feet away. The gym leader presented the Balance Badge but didn’t appear upset about the loss. Letting go of his pokemon, Ash properly faced the gym leader and accepted the gym battle.

“A deal is a deal,” Norman vocalized, looking at May and Max before facing back to Ash. “You have proven yourself in multiple ways today.”

“Cool,” Ash responded, not knowing what else to say. 

“However, I have one question,” Norman asked, observing the Jirachi levitating behind Ash. 

“What is it,” Ash followed up, unaware of the pokemon behind him. Jirachi was making faces at Norman. “Is there something else you want to say?”

“Jirachi was willing to battle,” Norman stated. “On multiple occasions, the pokemon tried to convince you to allow him to battle.”

“Wait, how did you know that,” Ash said, forgetting that he was arguing with Jirachi out loud several minutes prior.

“You were shouting at Jirachi,” Norman reminded Ash. “Still, despite the pokemon’s willingness to fight for you, you continue to decline the pokemon’s offer. I would like to know why.”

Ash paused, not knowing what to say to the gym leader. Was Norman looking for a certain answer, or was the man curious about Ash’s decisions. Unless Ash’s life was in danger or if the situation was problematic enough, Ash would avoid using any unfair advantage. His dad uses tactics that would be considered “dirty” or “unorthodox,” but his dad would never use a mythical pokemon to win a fight. His dad would like to win a fight by using his own muscle and crew, nothing else. 

“It wouldn’t be the same,” Ash answered, earnestly. “Yeah, I’ll surely win if I allow Jirachi to battle. However, that wouldn’t be fair to you. And to the trainer profession.”

Norman stood in silence, analyzing Ash’s responses and body language. When the man saw that the boy was being genuine in his answers, Norman nodded his head in approval. It appears that this trainer was acceptable. 

“But seriously, you shouldn’t have to try to get into an argument about parenting with Brock,” Ash mentioned, getting extremely off-topic. “ If that was me, I would have punched you in the face. “

“You would use any excuse to go feral,” Brock said, approaching where Ash and Norman were standing. “I’m honestly surprised you restrained yourself from getting into a physical fight with Norman during the battle.”

“You stopped me from punching him in the face earlier,” Ash commented, ignoring Norman’s raised eyebrows. “And I was too busy battling him to punch him this time. However, I will give him credit for being deadbeat  or stupid like Misty’s dad.”

“Will you ever call Flint by his name” Brock responded, fully aware that the deadbeat Ash was referring to was his dad. 

“No, never,” Ash said with the most serious tone he could muster. He was purposely keeping his face neutral. “That’s why I bribe your siblings to call him deadbeat at least twice a day.”

“You did what,” Brock voice out, nearly shouting. “Ash, what the hell!” 

From the sidelines, Norman and his two kids watched Ash’s and Brock’s conservations. May and Max seem to not be bothered by their interactions, knowing that this was tame compared to everything else that had to happen.

“Steven had warned the gym leaders about a trainer with a Pikachu on his shoulder,” Norman shared. “This is the same kid who defeated Lance.”

“Yep,” May confirmed. “It’s never a boring day with Ash.”

Now, Ash bursts out a laugh while Brock continues to be disappointed by Ash’s actions. 

“I tell pops to send them sweets as a source of bribery,” Ash said, laughing harder when he saw Brock’s shocked reaction. 

“This is why you’re known as a menace,” Brock said. “And why is Guzma supporting your actions?”

“I don’t know,” Ash shrugged. “He hates shitty parents, and mom doesn’t care as long Guzma isn’t causing too much trouble.”

Norman is starting to understand why Steven gave the gym leaders and frontier brains a warning about the trainer with a Pikachu on his shoulder. He would need to follow up on the trainer’s track record. 

A few hours later, Brendan and Waly were visiting their hometown. Brendan was doing a quick errand for his dad. Conveniently, he was already on his phone taking pictures. Then, he felt someone tapping on his shoulder. Looking up from the screen, he sees Wally motioning him to be quiet. Before asking what Wally was doing, he discreetly pointed to Norman walking toward the pokemon market. Wally then pointed to a tree. Inspecting it, Brendan could see that Ash was hiding behind the tree. On top of one of the tree branches, Ash’s Pikachu was holding a bag filled with berries. 

The responsible thing to do was to warn Norman that Ash was hiding and waiting for an opportunity to strike. However, this is quality content, so Brendan was ready to record everything. He silently approached them without either of them noticing. At least, that is what he thinks, but he could have sworn that Ash noticed. The moment he pressed the record, Pikachu dropped the bag. The bag hits Norman’s head, which causes the gym leader to look up. That few precious moments where the gym leader was distracted were all Ash needed to strike.

Ash quickly leaped out of the tree and attempted to punch Norman. However, Norman was quick enough to shield himself front the punch. What caught everyone off guard was that this pipsqueak's punch caused Norman to lose his balance. While Norman was trying to regain his balance, Ash twisted his body and pulled back an arm. Seconds later, Ash swung his fist forward and twisted his body to effectively dished out a left hook. Norman was hit in the cheek and fell to the sidewalk. When he regained composure, he looked at Ash in disbelief. 

“My job is done,” Ash smiled, nodding his head in a job well done. “Now it’s time for me to go before Brock finds out that I snuck out to punch you in the face.”

Brendan saw Pikachu leap from the tree and onto Ash’s shoulder. The trainer began to sprint out of the area before disappearing out of his sight. He then looked back to his phone and decided that he needed to post the video on Tik Tok. However, he and Wally quickly left the area before Norman could make them delete the video. 

“Welcome to the getting punched in the face club,” Steven laughed. “Where everyone in the club has a video of them getting punched in the face on the internet to laugh at!”

Steven didn’t care that Lance was scowling at him. He was too busy laughing. Steven would catch a breather, look at Lance’s scowl, and continue laughing when Lance continued to scowl. Wallace wasn’t laughing in the same manner as Steven, but it’s clear that the coordinator was highly amused by the situation. Cynthia was right beside Lance and was highly amused by the situation

“Norman survived,” Steven stated. “He survived his interaction with Ash!”

“Don’t be so upset now,” Wallace continued. “I’m sure there will be someone Ash would toss in the lake.”

“Lance just wants the whole thing to die down,” Cynthia stated. “Maybe next time, don’t have an affair with a married woman.”

“No one is ever going to let that go,” Lance complained. 

“No,” Cynthia confirmed. “Also, I would still avoid Sinnoh if I were you.”

“Is Johanna still disappointed in me,” Lance questioned. 

“She wants to slap you across the face,” Cynthia responded. “You better hope she doesn’t tell Delia’s other close friends.”

“Why would she tell them anything,” Lance inquired. 

“Norman and Caroline are the classic lovely dovy couple, Palmer is a family man, and Juniper left her partner after she found him cheating,” Cynthia explained. “Clearly, they’re  not fond of cheating.”

“Johanna wants payback for the G-Men is trying to recruit her teenage son,” Wallace shrugged. “Maybe you should avoid visiting Hoenn for a while as well.”

Before Lance could argue that they are blowing everything out of proportion and that he had nothing to worry about, Steven interrupted Lance.

“Looker had told me some interesting things about the couple,” Steven revealed, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. He stopped laughing and became more serious. “Apparently, Lieutenant Surge and Norman were in the same war with Orre many years ago. Let’s just say that Norman was more involved with gruesome parts of the war like the Lieutenant and somehow survived in situations where all his comrades died.” 

“Why would your uncle tell you this,” Wallace wondered. 

“Looker made an effort to befriend all of Delia’s friend,” Steven answered. “What can I say? The man wanted the approval of her friends.”

“That doesn’t answer the questioned,” Wallace pointed out. 

“Hoenn needed a gym leader,” Steven supplemented. “The previous champion, not you Wallace, was informed that a veteran wanted to take the gym leader route. The Hoenn league is made aware of his history. Wallace, when you became champion, weren’t you informed of the gym leaders with unique circumstances.”

Wallace nodded. It’s an unspoken truth that some of the gym leaders came from a unique set of circumstances. Some took the gym leader position as children because they needed to sustain themselves or someone else. Others have a very unique history and want to do something that will keep their mind off of their history. 

“Lance is safe as long he stays an involved parent to his affair child,” Cynthia commented. “The couple would want my idiotic brother to raise his child, which would be hard to do if he’s hospitalized.”

“I get, I mess up and must face the consequences,” Lance stated. “How come Misty is more mature about the situation than everyone in the room.”

“Lance, she traveled with a trouble magnet,” Cynthia pointed out. “She doesn’t appear fazed when a Celebi floated beside her the other day.”

“Ash is going to corrupt his Hoenn traveling companions, isn’t he” Steven sighs, feeling an upcoming headache.

“I hope that’s all he’ll do,” Lance admitted. 

Chapter Text

The crimson crystal that littered the Tree of Beginning almost made it resemble a form of hell. Gradually, all the crystals within the tree began to turn black as it crumbled away. Parts of the ground were collapsing, making it harder for Ash to navigate toward the tree's core. The tree’s Mew was highly weakened, but she managed to muster up the strength to force herself to lead everyone. It must have taken a while to reach the core because Ash could hear Lucario and Kidd breathing heavily. Checking over his shoulder, he sees Kid leaning on the side of the wall that doesn’t have any crystal. Lucario appears out of breath but appears determined to save the tree.

“What do we need to do Mew,” Ash asked. He was getting more desperate as each second passed. “Please…”

Mew was too weak to speak. She was struggling to open her mouth and to produce any sounds. If she had been able to speak, Ash and Lucario would have been able to understand her and take the appropriate actions. Ash began to frantically search for something that could give them a clue on what to do. He then noticed a crystal that contained Sir Aaron’s body and Aaron’s gloves nearby. Not too far from the crystal formation was a Time Flower. Ash immediately runs toward the Time Flower in hopes it will provide the answers to stop the tree and, by default Mew from dying. 

“Please give us a clue about what we need to do,” Ash pleaded as he touched the Time Flower on the ground. “We need to save Mew and the Tree.”

Starring at the scene displayed, Ash saw how Aaron channeled his aura and delivered his aura toward Mew. In the scene, Mew was able to store the aura Aaron provided to her and made her way toward the tree’s core. By utilizing the aura Aaron supplied to her, Mew was able to restore the Tree to full health. While Mew was floating around in full health, Aaron stumbled onto the ground. Then, the scene ends.

“So that what happens,” Ash whispered. “He left Lucario because he didn’t want Lucario to die with him,”

Ash turned to face Mew’s direction as Lucario goes up to Mew. Like the scene the Time Flower display, Lucario begins to transfer his aura onto Mew. Unfortunately, Lucario wasn’t strong as Sir Aaron to transfer his aura onto Mew. That was when the gloves that were sticking out caught Ash’s attention. 

“Lurcario, you mentioned that my aura was the same Aaron,” Ash spoke, looking between the sickly Mew and the crystal containing Aaron’s body. “Which means that I can transfer aura onto Mew.”

“It’s exactly the same,” Lucario confirmed, realizing Ash’s intention. 

Knowing what he needed to do, Ash grabbed the gloves and put them on. Hopefully, the gloves will make it easier for him to channel his aura and will do something to make up for his lack of experience. 

“Ash, don’t do it,” Kidd warned, placing her hand on his shoulder. She made sure to stress the next thing she was going to say. “You will die like Sir Aaron if you transfer your aura.”

“I know,” Ash bluntly told her. “But if the Tree and Mew die, then all the pokemon here would die. Any chance of my friends surviving would be gone.”

Ash shoved Kidd’s hand to the side as he went up to Mew.

“Now tell me Kidd, why should I let my friends and pokemon die here,” Ash told her, silently daring her to try and stop him. “If I can save them all, I would.” 

He nodded in Lucario’s direction, and the two began channeling their energy onto Mew. At first, it was easy to transfer his aura. As time progressed, Ash felt weaker and struggled to stand up properly. Gritting his teeth, Ash forced himself to continue on. When it was getting too much, Ash closed his eyes and silently screamed not to give up. So many lives depended on him and Lucario. 

If Ash had been paying attention, he would have noticed that Lucario was looking at him. He saw Lucario’s eyes gazing at Ash’s weakened state. At the right possible moment, Lucario shoved Ash out of the way. Ash was in a daze for a second before seeing Lucario alone. 

“I’ll take it from here,” Lucario said, nearly out of breath.

“Lucario, why,” Ash responded, trying to channel his aura quick enough. He doesn’t want Lucario to do everything alone. “I could have helped.”

Ash didn’t respond fast enough. Mew was fully restored and swiftly moved toward the core of the tree. When Mew touched the Tree’s core, Ash noted how all the crimson crystals turned green. The crystals that were crumbling were fully restored back to their original state. In the room, the crystal emitted a green light that indicated that the Tree was fully restored. At the same time, Lucario fell onto the ground.

“Lucario,” Ash cried out, catching Lucario and preventing the pokemon from crashing onto the ground. “You shouldn’t have to do this alone.”

Ash gently laid Lucario next to the crystal containing Aaron. When he noticed the time flower right next to Lucario, Ash hesitantly activated the Time Flower. What he saw was Aaron apologizing for sealing Lucario in the staff. Ash felt Aaron's sadness about leaving behind the one he called his trusted partner and friend.

“I’m sorry for not understanding,” Lucario weakly apologized. “I have failed to be a true guardian of aura.”

Ash gently grabbed’ Lucario’s paw and placed it between his hand. 

“No, Lucario, you didn’t fail,” Ash said. “You were an aura guardian, and I’m sure Sir Aaron would agree.”

“Thank you, Ash,” Lucario said, looking at the crystal containing Aaron. “I’m glad to have met you.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Ash cried out. He was crying, refusing to let go of Lucario’s paw. “Please, don’t die. You can’t leave us yet.”

“I can’t,” Lucario responded. “Aaron is waiting for me on the other side.”

Ash could no longer feel Lucario’s paw when Lucario transformed into an orb of energy. He watched as the orb combined with the other orb of energy before it floated into the sky. Once it disappeared out of sight, Ash realized the crystal that had Aaron’s body was gone. 

For the next several days, everyone was quiet. Everyone would pack up everything without saying a word to each other. Then, they would walk for several hours without saying a word to each other. When it was time for lunch, Brock would make something to eat, trying to start a conservation. May appeared unsure of what to do but engaged in conservation. Max would quietly talk to Jirachi while Jirachi tried his best to cheer everyone up. The pokemon would mostly try to cheer Ash up the most because Ash was visibly sad about Lucario’s death. It wasn’t the pokemon fault that he doesn’t understand how much Lucario's death impacted Ash. The pokemon was trying his best to put a smile on everyone's face because the pokemon doesn’t like it when everyone is sad. However, Ash would isolate himself from the group until Brock was done cooking. Even then, Ash would briefly sit down, eat a few bites, and then go somewhere secluded. 

Then came a day when the cycle was broken. Ash was lamenting Lucario's death, wondering if he could have done anything differently. Pikachu was beside him, blaming himself for everything that had happened in Rota. While Ash blamed himself for Lucario’s death, Pikachu blamed himself for being so careless. If Pikachu hadn’t been so careless, he wouldn’t have been abducted by Mew. If Mew hadn’t abducted him, then Ash would have never made his way toward the Tree of Beginning. If Ash never went to the Tree of Beginning, then the Tree of Beginning wouldn’t have gotten sick. If the tree was never sick, then Lucario would have never died.

“Yveltal had made his decision prior to your involvement,” a familiar voice spoke.

Ash heard familiar footsteps approaching him before the figure stopped right behind him. Ash doesn’t need to look behind him to know who it is. 

“Hello, Lugia,” Ash responded. “What are you doing here.”

“Mew had informed me what had happened to one of her offspring at the Tree of Beginning,” Lugia explained. He’s currently in his human form, wearing his usual white attire. “It’s unfortunate that a pokemon such as Lucario died that day.”

Ash didn’t know what else to say, so he sat on the grass. He gazed toward the blue sky, wondering if Lucario is watching him from the heavens. Lugia joined as he sat on the grass, not caring if his white clothes were stained in dirt and grass. 

“The Tree of Beginning required the sacrifice of at least one life,” Lugia spoke. “Every few centuries or millennium, the tree requires the sacrifice of one life to remain alive.”

“But why,” Ash asked, visibly upset by Lugia’s comment. “Why does the Tree need someone’s aura to stay alive.”

“As you are aware, Mew and the Tree of Beginning are connected,” Lugia disclosed. “Mew bound her eldest offspring to the Tree of Beginning.”

“She did what now,” Ash said, confused by everything Lugia was saying.

“Her eldest child was weak and sickly,” Lugia revealed. “Out of what I assume selfish desires, Mew made sure that her eldest child could survive by binding the child’s life to the Tree of Beginning.”

Well, this is new. Mom explained the history of the Tree of Beginning and how countless individuals sacrificed their lives to sustain the Tree of Beginning. However, Plumeria didn’t know how the individuals sacrifice their lives or why it was necessary. 

“However, the Tree of Beginning is easily influenced by the world,” Lugia supplemented. “War, pollution, and other environmental threat can weaken and destroy the tree.”

“But there’s always an environmental threat,” Ash pointed out. It took a second for Ash to realize the meaning of what he said. “Does that mean that the tree will eventually get weak again.”

“Yes,” Lugia confirmed. “And when it’s on the verge of destruction, the sacrifice of at least one person would be needed.”

Ash wondered how many unknown heroes died protecting the Tree of Beginning. There are well-known heroes such as Sir Aaron and Lucario. However, how many unknown individuals had given up their life due to transferring their aura onto Mew? 

“But why did it have to be Lucario,” Ash said, tears welling up in his eyes. “Lucario didn’t deserve to die.”

“Yveltal decides if the pokemon or human will die,” Lugia shared. “There’s not a single pokemon who envy his role. At the same time, Xernas give humans and pokemon the strength to remain alive.”

“Did Yvetal really have to decide that Lucario die that day,” Ash asked, unsatisfied by Lugia’s answer. “And why did Xernas didn’t provide Lucario with her strength.”

“The Tree of Beginning could have recovered with your friends’ aura,” Lugia stated. “Mew had prevented the Tree’s immune system from fully absorbing them despite knowing that the Tree desperately needed aura to recover.”

His dad was basically indirectly saying that Yveltal could have allowed his traveling companions to die instead of Lucario. Xernas must have allowed Mew to have enough strength to maintain some control over the Tree’s immune system. However, the tree needed to recover, so Lucario was the only option to sacrifice his life for the Tree. 

“While Xernas's domain is life, she is very aware of the cost to sustain a life,” Lugia supplemented. “The Tree of Beginning can be considered a lifeform of it’s own that has roots across the planets. It would make sense to sustain the life of one it would cost the life of another.”

That’s one messed-up equivalent exchange, in Ash’s opinion. Ash knows that people and pokemon will die one day. However, Ash never experienced a loss of a loved one. Before Rota, all of Ash’s family members and friends were alive and well. Death was a foreign concept he was aware of but played no significant role in his life. After Rota, Ash had his first experience of a friend's death, much to his anger and sadness. If only Ash had been skilled enough to use his aura, things would have turned out differently. Everyone could have survived and lived happily. In his own opinion, Ash only has himself to blame for everything that has happened. 

“The pokemon would not want you to blame yourself,” Lugia spoke, breaking Ash’s train of thought. 

“But I do blame myself,” Ash admitted, appearing visibly sad. “If only I was more skilled in aura, I could have transferred my aura onto Mew. No one would have to die.”

“You can’t change the past, Ash,” Lugia said. “And you can’t be certain if a different course of action would have changed Lucario’s fate.”

Ash fell backward onto his back and was on the ground. He knows that Lugia was trying his best to provide an explanation as to why everything had happened. However, there was a key difference between him and his legendary dad. The difference is that Ash has little life experience in his short span of life. On the other hand, Lugia is old as the sea. Lugia must have gotten accustomed to the deaths of pokemon and humans. Additionally, Lugia’s mindset was vastly different due to being a legendary pokemon. From his observations, Ash noticed that the deities have a different perspective of the world. 

“Still, I can’t stop feeling sad and guilty,” Ash emphasizes. “What am I supposed to do with my sadness and guilt?”

Lugia paused, unsure how he could help his son’s emotional state. 

“You may need to ask someone more human,” Lugia suggested. “Perhaps your human parents can assist you in managing your guilt and sadness.”

Ash guess he’ll try that. It will take a few more days to reach the pokemon center. Hopefully, his mom would know what to do because Ash is lost on how he is supposed to deal with his survivor guilt and the grief of losing a dear friend. 

Plumeria would sometime find her mind entertaining the idea of several “what if.” What if she was born with aura or as a psychic? What if her entire family had made it out alive? What if Guzma had never found her that fateful night? She would briefly allow herself to think about all the “what ifs” before quickly dismissing those thoughts. There’s no point dwelling in the past because it would do nothing for you in the present. 

Plumeria logged onto the laptop and waited for her son to log on. When the screen displayed Ash’s face, Plumeria could tell that something had happened since the last time they had talked. 

“Mom, how had you dealt with your sadness and guilt,” Ash asked. “I just want it to all go away.”

It didn’t take a genius for Plumeria to see that Ash had been crying before the call. His eyes are slightly red, and Ash's face appears drained. That’s expected of someone who recently lost someone important or whose heart is too big for the world. 

“The hole in your heart will never disappear,” Plumeria explained. “A part of your heart will always miss the person or pokemon you lost.”

Ash appears to be defeated by her words. Plumeria doesn’t blame him. Everyone would want a quick fix and return to who they were before an incident. Plumeria was there herself many years ago.

“But that doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world,” Plumeria quickly added. “You can build new experiences, memories, and relationships around the grief.”

She reflected on the times she was lost in her own grief. Honestly, she wouldn’t know what would have happened if Guzma never had found her that day. He made her socialize with the group and introduced her to people who had been given a hard hand in life. When she isolated herself in her room, Guzma would burst into her room and drag her to the common area. 

“Is that what you did,” Ash followed up. 

“Yes,” Plumeria admitted. “But your father didn’t allow me to mope. He helped create some happy moments that I come to treasure.”

“And that helps you,” Ash questioned.

“Time doesn’t make the wound smaller or disappear,” Plumeria mentioned.”You live with this new reality as you build new moments around the void. Moments of sadness, happiness, pain, and joy. Eventually, your life will grow away from the pain."

Plumeria still has moments where she takes a moment to think about her dead parents and siblings. The aching pain lingers in her heart randomly throughout her life. However, she found new happiness, purpose, and love. She has happiness in the form of Team Skull. She aims to raise Ash to become a better person than herself and Guzma. She also has to make sure that Guzma doesn’t do anything stupid. Her love is in the form of family love toward her son, best friend, her pokemon, and all the numbskulls who join Team Skull. 

“I guess I’ll stop isolating myself from the group,” Ash sighed. “And I’ll start doing things with them like cleaning, cooking, and talking to them.”

“I’m sure Lucario would have liked that,” Plumeria said. “I’m sure if you ever need to talk, your friend wouldn’t mind taking the time to listen to you.”

Ash gave a small smile, accepting his mother's advice. Lugia was right. Talking to someone more human did help him in finding a place to start to deal with his sadness and guilt. 

Chapter Text

“That’s new,” Brock commented, not a bit fazed by the glowing blue boy in front of him.”Humans don’t usually glow blue.”

Ash could see the soft blue light that his body was emitting. He had to deal with something not even five minutes after he woke up. Brock had already packed his sleeping bag while Ash groggily stood up. Then, he began shaking his arms to see if it would make the blue light go away. It did not.

“Can you at least pretend you’re surprised,” Ash responded.

“I will when I have a decent parental figure,” Brock countered, cracking a smile.

“But that will never happen,” Ash pointed out, unamused by Brock’s response. “It’s too late for your parents to be your parental figure. And you’re too smart to be tricked by a pokemon.”

Brock shrugged as he began cleaning up the campsite. May stirred in her sleeping back for a while before she woke up. She opened her eyes to see that the sun was shining brightly. 

“So the anchorman was right,” May yawned. “It will be sunny for the next few days. Kyogre must be taking a break from his temper tantrum.”

Ash noticed Max was asleep, unbothered by all the noise around him. Jirachi was also sleeping peacefully on Max’s stomach. To be fair, Jirachi is like a baby. Babies need to sleep a lot. Max, on the other hand, needs to wake up. Deciding that May was too tired to wake up her brother, Ash approached the sleeping boy and crouched down on the ground. He gently nudges the kid’s shoulder to get him to wake up, and it’s time to head out.

“Five more minutes,” Max groaned, pulling the covers above his head.”I want to sleep more.”

“It’s not raining,” Ash mentioned. “We need to take this opportunity to cover as far as we can before Kyogre returns to throwing a temper tantrum.” 

Max tiredly got up, rubbed his eyes, and glared at Ash. Ash didn’t care and returned to where his sleeping bag was at. As he was packing up his items, he got a sneaking suspicion that something was not right. He looks over his shoulders to see the sibling packing their stuff. He looked in front of him to see Brock finishing up cleaning up the campsite. He turned his direction to the trees to see the branches gently swaying due to the wind. Overall, everything seems normal.

“I’m probably still mess up after Rota,” Ash told himself, taking a deep breath. “Just stay calm, relax, and do what I normally do.”

Then, Ash heard a scream from behind. Quickly look over his shoulders, Ash sees something that brings an impending sense of dread. The figures dressed in black attire and with facial coverings attempted to surround them. They were supposed to be at Aloha! His parents helped him leave Alola due to the mercenaries hunting him down for profit. 

“Attack them,” Ash shouted as Pikachu immediately used Thunderbolt toward the group of individuals.

Jirachi listened and utilized Psychic against some individuals trying to ambush them. At the same time, Max was throwing rocks at their faces. When someone wanted to grab Max from behind, Max would quickly duck and punch them into the gut. The individuals surrounding Brock were met with a pan being smacked onto their faces. Brock would swiftly maneuver to the right and kick the person at the side of the waist. If someone tried to attack him from behind, Brock would kick the person behind him just at the right moment. As for May, she would easily dodge the figures’ punches and kicks. At the right opportunity, she would give a nasty uppercut toward the figures. She also successfully leaped out of someone’s way before kicking them across the area.

Ash found himself tackling the unlucky bastard in front of him and charging toward the two figures. He used the unlucky bastard as a shield as he tackled more people who stood in his way. Then, he would quickly throw the individual in someone’s direction. In most cases, it knocked them out. 

“This is not how I imagine my day starting,” May called out, doing a quick leg sweep. “For one, I’m grateful for dad’s military training.”

“At least he did something right,” Ash commented, blocking a punch toward his face. He quickly kicked at the individual’s rib, which caused the guy to fall down. “It’s good that you know how to fight.”

Ash and his friends successfully fought their way out of an ambush and managed to knock everyone out. Ash managed to find a tree covered in poison ivy vines nearby, so he did the most logical thing he had ever done. He put on disposable gloves, reached for his pocket knife, and headed toward the poison ivy. Once he was standing in front of the tree, Ash began cutting the poison ivy out of the tree to be used as rope. Right behind him, he could hear May and Brock dragging the bodies onto one spot. Jirachi was also helping by using Psychic to carry some of the bodies toward the designated spot.

“Isn’t that a little cruel Ash,” Max asked, standing right behind Ash. 

“We don’t want to waste your military-grade rope,” Ash spoke, swiftly cutting the vines. “And they need to be tied up so the police can easily collect them.”

When Ash successfully cut all the vines he needed, he headed toward the unconscious body to tie them up. May purposely cut the clothes covering the figures’ legs, arms, and waists so that the poison ivy can make skin contact with the individual. 

“Brock, call the police and give them our location,” Ash said.

“After you are done tying them up,” Brock stated, shaking his head at the sight of Ash tying everyone up with poison ivy. “ I’m not going to question why you thought poison ivy vines would make great ropes.”

“I want them to wake up itching and screaming,” Ash shrugged as he continued to tie them all up.” 

Once Ash was done, May and Max quickly packed up the remaining of their items as Brock anonymously called the police about a group of shady individuals being spotted in the forest. Everyone was ready to head out when Brock was done with his call. Everyone may have collectively decided to sprint out of the area to get away as fast as possible. There was no way they wanted to deal with a group of suspicious individuals trying to kidnap a bunch of kids.

They have been traveling nonstop for the entire day. Ash and his Pikachu ate the granola bars stashed in his backpack's side pockets. May ate the bag of nuts she happened to have in her backpack. Max was eating the bag of cereal he had bought days prior. Brock was eating loaves of bread. Just for today, they wanted to walk and travel as far away as possible. They can return to making and eating meals together tomorrow or a few days later. 

“Should we take a rest,” May questioned, appearing slightly tired. “We have been running and walking for 10 hours.”

“And we’re not Ash,” Max added. He seemed a lot more tired than May. “ Brock and I are humans. You’re in the middle sis since you are a marked child.”

Brock seems less coordinated after traveling nonstop without resting. Ash could also see that Brock had little energy to continue any longer. To be fair, they had spent a lot of time running because they didn’t want the chance of being pursued by another group of individuals. To be honest, the adrenaline pumping through their veins and the fight slash flight mode made it a good idea to get out of there. 

“We should,” Ash agreed as everyone collapsed onto the ground. “We’ll just eat the junk food we stashed in our backpacks tonight.”

“That’s a good idea,” Brock mentioned. “I’m too tired to make anything tonight.”

Everyone began eating the bags of chips, cookies, and mini brownies for dinner. While everyone was munching on their snack of choice, May was commenting on the potential reason why they were ambushed.

“Political hostage,” May theorize. “That was why I was originally kidnapped by Team Aqua.”

“But what group wants to kidnap a former gym leader from a different region and two children of a gym leader,” Brock followed up. “No, it has to be something else.”

Ash was eating the cookies as he heard his friends talk about the mercenary group. He’s in an interesting position at the moment. He could explain to his friends that the group chasing them was most likely after him because of his aura. It could be that something had happened in the Tree of Beginning that cause him to be easily traced or made it easier for him to channel his aura. 

“We could blame it on Ash,” Max suggested, breaking Ash’s thought. 

“How about no,” Ash countered. 

“Ash,” Brock spoke in a warning tone. “If you’re involved with what happened this morning, please speak now. “

“What make you think that I am involved,” Ash inquired.”

“You’re currently deflecting,” Brock pointed out.

“Sometimes, I wish you didn’t know me so well,” Ash shared.

“Too bad for you,” Brock responded, dismissing Ash’s glare. 

“Long short, they want me due to my aura,” Ash revealed. “Which is why I travel to a different region.”

“Well, give us the long version,” May continued.

Ash didn’t go into too much detail, like getting fake documentation, traveling to another region, and how he was stupid enough to get their attention in the first place. All Ash said was that his mom knew about the mercenary group due to her own experiences. Ash also added that he had struggled to channel his aura so he never utilized his aura until the Rota incident. He did not mention that they had been chasing him since he was nine years old. He’s going to pretend that this was his first run-in with the group. 

“And your mom let you go travel,” Max questioned.

“Aura and psychic capabilities run in my mom's family,” Ash shared. “And she said I could start my journey as long as I’m not reckless with my aura.”

“So what are you going to do now,” Brock asked. “If a mercenary group exists, we need to take the appropriate actions.”

“If you’re thinking for a second that we contact the police about this, then you’re wrong,” May interrupted. “Ash barely convince dad to let me travel. If he hears about this, then I’m screwed.”

“I’m having too much fun to go back home,” Max added.

“I can always punch Norman again,” Ash offered.

Brock gave Ash an unamused look which Ash pretended not to see. 

“Or we can continue to be underprepared and rely on Lady Luck,” Brock sighs. “At the same time, Ash can try to work on his aura and practice making himself untraceable.”

Ash randomly started to glow blue again the moment Brock was finished talking. Unlike the morning, the glowing lasted for a few seconds. 

“I would expect you to be the one to say that we need to call the police and tell them about the mercenary,” May verbalized, confused about Brock’s action.

Brock looked at May as he pointed in Ash's direction. Ash was giving a cheeky smile while Pikachu was giggling like a madman.

“If we do that, I can guarantee that Ash will disappear from our sight,” Brock emphasized, knowing that Ash was giving a cheeky smile. “This child has a habit of running away when it gets uncomfortable or suffocating. Add the things he can do as a Legendary Child, and Ash can vanish without a trace. ”

“Awe, you do care about me,” Ash joked. “I’m so glad that you know me so well.”

“I sometimes wonder why I do these things for you,” Brock stated. 

“Because you fear what we can do when left to our own devices,” May guessed.

“We’re a threat to society,” Max added. 

“We’re the friends you made after you left the Pewter Gym,” Ash said. 

“A mixture of all three,” Brock admitted.

They ate, laughed, and showed funny pokemon compilation videos for the rest of the night. They didn’t even bother to set up their sleeping bags as they all huddled close to each other and slept with their back facing a nearby log. 

Chapter Text

Left to his own devices for a few hours, Ash decided to wander to the ports due to the reported sightings of some Team Aqua grunts. At first, there was nothing out of the ordinary. That was until he heard a combination coming from the fishing deck. He quietly approached the fishing deck while the civilians tried to escape the scene. Once he arrived at the scene, he picked up a wooden plank on the ground before returning his attention to the grunts. Noticing the grunts dressed in primarily blue, Ash discretely snuck behind the grunts before waking them both in the head with a wooden plank he found on the ground. Ash gave a feral grin to the grunts, who were lucky to avoid being hit, before charging at the grunts still standing. As expected, the grunts looked at each other before scattering in different directions. While Pikachu was chasing the grunts heading to the east, Ash chased the grunts heading to the west. 

“Get back here, you cowards,” Ash shouted, maintaining his feral grin. “This is for harassing the fisherman and terrorizing the locals.”

Dramatically, Ash tackled two grunts at the same time onto the ground. Ash gave them a good smack across the face with the wooden plank when the grunts were on the ground. He was overdramatic because of all the news about Team Aqua and Team Magma. Also, May have heard from her father, who happened to hear from someone from the league that Team Aqua had stolen the Red Orb. He wanted to find any leads to finding the Red Orb. However, he should start asking questions to do so.

“Where is the  Orb,”  Ash questioned.

The one conscious grunt on the ground gave a weak response.

“Why would I tell you” the grunt answered.

“Fine, have it your way,” Ash stated as he swung the plank to the grunt’s face.

Ash quickly got up from the ground and began chasing the few remaining grunts. Unfortunately for Ash, the grunts were smart enough to sprint when Ash targeted them. They were also smart enough to throw smoke bombs onto the ground, allowing them to flee unnoticed. When the smoke dissipated, Ash frowned and turned to where Pikachu was at. From where he was standing, Ash could see that Pikachu successfully electrocuted several grunts and knocked them unconscious with his Quick Attack. 

“What fine work,” a familiar voice called out.

Ash looks over his shoulder to see Brendan and Wally from a distance. Brendan looked like he was about to run in his direction, but Wally was holding the collar of Brendan’s shirt. For such a sickly person, Wally was really strong. It’s that or Brendan wasn’t trying too hard to escape. 

“What took you so long,” Ash smiled. “You miss all the fun!”

Wally released Brendan from his hold and casually strolled toward Ash’s direction. On the other hand, Brendan pulled out his phone and began taking pictures of the scene in front of him. Ash wonders how May befriended two guys who are noticeably different from each other.

“He’s like that,” Wally mentioned as if he read Ash’s thoughts. “He’s the exact opposite of his father.”

“Hey Ash, why do you use so much violence,” Brendan cut in. “And how does your tiny body hold up so much rage.”

“Hey, I’m doing this specifically for Team Aqua grunts,” Ash justified, waving his arms in the grunts' direction. “Everyone keeps telling me that they were the one responsible for kidnapping May, so this is a minor payback.”

“So if they were Team Magma, you wouldn’t have gone batshit crazy,” Brendan asked.

“Just a little bit,” Ash shrugged. “This is just minor violence.

“If you call this minor, then I’m terrified to know your definition of moderate,” Wally said, shaking his head. “I can see why the league sent a warning about you.”

To emphasize his point, Wally got out his phone and began scrolling. Once he found what he was looking for, he showed Ash an email sent to different individuals. Attached to the email was a twenty-page PDF file about Ash Necro. The title was “How to cope with an Ash Necro.” Ash began to burst out laughing that a PDf about him was made. Wally gave a small file before opening the PDF file. He then pointed to the first subheading, "What to do if you’re a deadbeat dad.”

“It has examples,” Ash said before returning back to laughter. “Holy shit, it has Flint as a case example! It says not to pull a Flint!”

"Steven is currently making a PDF file on how to not screw up like a Norman," Wally mentions, giving a mischievous smile. "I have seen the drafts, and they were fantastic to read."

That’s it. Ash has lost it. He began to fall to the ground and laugh his ass off at the idea that an entire PDF file was dedicated to him. He would return to a laughing fit when he tried to compose himself. He wants to give the person a gift for putting such a wonderful thing on the PDF. 

“It has potential solutions for avoiding being targeted by you,” Brendan chimed in, highly amused by the situation. “And the most likely actions you are to take if an unfortunate soul manages to be on your radar.”

“If only everyone has taken it seriously,” Wally sighs. “Not a lot of people taken it seriously.”

“They didn’t see the Tik Toks,” Brendan said. “Hopefully, after the Norman incident, people would take it seriously.”

Ash was able to calm himself down and sat crisscrossed on the ground. That was a good laugh, and knowing that there was a deadbeat category shows that he’s doing his job of punching every bad parent.

“Why do I get the feeling that I will punch more people,” Ash mentioned.

“Because they’re more deadbeat parents connected to your friends,” Brendan guessed.

“Unless he has friends who are adopted, I highly doubt that,” Wally responded. “Or if you knew someone in the Hoenn league who are secretly deadbeats dads or have illegitimate children.” 

“I usually punch one major league official every region,” Ash expressed. “I already met my quota for Hoenn, so I don’t think I will be punching any deadbeat dads.” 

For some reason, Wally and Brendan wondered if Ash would be punching someone anytime soon. 

Ash waited patiently as he read through the message his mom had sent. On the phone screen, there was a message displayed about Lugia’s random visit. The message also told him to wait outside and send her the coordination of his current locations. The last message his mom sent him was to bring a bag of donuts and toss it into the golden ring with a purple portal. 

After ten minutes of waiting, Ash saw the golden ring with the purple cortex his mom was talking about. Lugia’s head popped out of the vortex, and laid his eyes on Ash. Lugia must have thought that the coast was clear because he flew out of the vortex and landed right next to him. 

“Do you have th donuts,” Lugia asked.

“Yep,” Ash nodded, lifting the bag up in the air. “Why did mom say I need to hurl the donuts into the golden ring.”

“Hoopa requested payment,” Lugia explained. “The pokemon will make rings that will allow us to traverse the world, but he demands donuts in return.”

“Give me the donuts,” a voice demanded from the portal. “I’m getting impatient.”

For some reason, the voice made Ash think of a petulant child. Ash decided he should not anger the pokemon and threw the bag into the ring. He heard a brief cheer before the portal disappeared. 

“So, are we going flying tonight,” Ash asked.

“Oh course,” Lugia confirmed. “Hopefully, Kyorgre is not throwing a temper tantrum tonight.”

Ash climbed onto Lugia and prepared himself for the flight. Once he was ready. Lugia took off from the ground and began souring in the sky. He assumed it would be a peaceful night. The skies are clear, and there’s no life-ending situation for him to deal with at the moment. 

Then he saw the fucking oversize blue fish when Lugia flew over the seas. And the skies suddenly became cloudy as there was a sudden downpour.

“Deep breaths,” Ash told himself. “Remember what Brock taught you.” 

Stop, think, and let out a deep breath. Inhale for a few seconds and exhale for several seconds longer. Don't yell. Think about the right course of action, and take a deep breath. Now that Ash is properly calmed down, he can properly assess the situation and give Kyogre a disappointed mom look.

“Lugia, can you fly closer to Kyogre,” Ash insisted as he pointed to the blue pokemon. “I just need to talk to him.”

“Ash, I know you don’t have an ounce of self-preservation,” Lugia stated, ignoring an audible hey from Ash. “But I’m letting you near a sea god who has been throwing a temper tantrum for several years.”

The moment Lugia was done with what he had to say, the pokemon purposely flew faster and away from Kyorgre. No! His dad thinks he can’t stop the sea pokemon’s tantrum, but he can stop the temper tantrum! All he needs to do is smack some sense into the oversize goldfish and tell him that the child he tricked into being adopted was alive! 

“But dad,” Ash responded. “I need to tell him that the kid he marked is alive!”

Lugia stopped moving and remained still in the air. When the implications of Ash’s words sink in, Lugia sighs.

“I’m giving you five minutes,” Lugia said, already regretting his decision. “If he’s not calm by then, we’re leaving.” 

Ash quickly dialed May’s phone number while Lugia flew close as possible to Kyogre. The blue pokemon ignored them at first, which was something he expected. Kyogre was too busy being angry at the world and making life difficult for everyone. At least May picked up the phone.

“It’s one in the morning,” May mummbled through the phone. She was clearly tired. “You’re not done with your trip?”

Ash noted how Kyogre perked up at the sound of May’s voice. The pokemon turned to face him while Ash put his phone on speakerphone.

“Hey May, if Kyogre was here, what would you say,” Ash questioned, making direct eye contact with the pokemon.

“That I love him and miss him,” May responded as her tone indicated confusion. “I would also like to ask him to stop with the rainstorms. I don’t want him to submerge most of Hoenn.”

Ash gave Kyogre a disappointed look, shaking his head like his mom did when she caught Guzma doing something stupid. Look what Kyogre did! He gave his marked daughter a guilty consciousness! 

“You see that Kyogre, you made May sad,” Ash continued, using a disappointed tone. “So stop acting like a toddler throwing a tantrum!”

He heard a loud scream from the other end of the phone and the sound of someone falling off the bed. He also heard Max’s shouting at May for waking him and the entire pokemon center up. 

“You’re with him now,” May shouted. “How did you find him?”

“Spotted him while spending time with Lugia,” Ash explained. “Convince him to make a stop as I try to convince Kyogre to stop drowning the majority of Hoenn.”

As if the universe decided to fuck with Ash at this moment, his call was dropped. It’s probably due to being far away from the land.

“How,” Kyogre questioned. 

“She dragged me along while running away from home,” Ash shrugged. “She wanted help in finding you so you would stop with your temper tantrum.”

“It’s not a temper tantrum,” Kyogre glared, in which Ash was completely unfazed.

“It’s a temper tantrum,” Lugia cut in. “Don’t bother trying to deny it.”

“Stop acting like a petulant child, and I will bring May to you,” Ash offered. “She probably explained what had happened that day.”

“How,” Kyogre asked. 

“We’ll trespass the beach after hours,” Ash stated. “Shouldn’t be too hard considering we have done more reckless and stupid things in our lives.”

Kyogre and Ash decided to meet up at the nearest beach for several days. Lugia was surprised that his son knew how to calm down Kyogre. It was something the other pokemon had been trying to do for years, but Kyogre was too stubborn and had been untraceable for the past several years!

Ash waved his hand to motion Kyogre to swim closer to the shore while his friends waited. May was waiting right beside him while trying to contain her excitement. Max had brought his sleeping bag and was sleeping inside it. Jirachi, as expected, was lying on top of him. Brock was sitting on a lawn chair he had snuck in and was reading a book. To be fair, only May and Ash could understand Kyogre’s speech. 

“He was telling the truth,” Kyogre spoke as his eyes widened in shock. “May, you’re alive! I thought those same people had stolen you from me.”

When Kyogre was close enough, May dashed toward the pokemon. When she was close, May leaned on the pokemon like a wall.

“I’m safe,” May reassured. “I’m sorry that I left without saying goodbye! I tried to convince everyone that you were taking care of me, but no one believed me!”

“Please don’t blame yourself,” Kyogre said. “You did everything you could at the time. At the moment, I’m simply glad that you’re safe and healthy.”

How heartwarming. A pokemon is reunited with the child they tricked into being marked. It could make someone shed a tear. Not Ash but someone else. 

“Will you stop with the whole rainstorm,” Ash interrupted, not caring if he ruined the moment. He has something important to bring up. “Some people are at risk of homelessness due to rising sea waters, and the crop yields are affected by your actions.” 

“I will, Kyogre said, appearing in a positive mood. “However, I would appreciate it if May would tell me where she lives and keep me updated about her location.”

“How are you supposed to visit when you’re limited to water,” May inquired.

“The gods have human form,” Ash revealed. 

He could hear Brock muttering along the lines of “of course” and the sounds of something landing on the floor. Ash looked over his shoulder to see that Brock had tossed his book instead of grabbing a notebook and a pencil. Honestly, he should have expected that Brock would write this down. 

“Wait, why don’t you show it to me,” May pleaded. “Please show us your human form, Kyogre!”

“Not today,” Kyogre responded, which caused May to frown. “I’ll show you my human form later as a surprise.”

After some pleading, May gave up and accepted Kyogre’s answer. May began to take selfies with the pokemon because she wanted some pictures of the pokemon she cared about. Kyogre didn’t seem to mind since he still spent time with his marked child. While taking pictures, Brock used it as an opportunity to ask something on his mind. Sure, he can’t understand the pokemon, but Ash could always translate the pokemon’s response. 

“Why do you and the other pokemon gods trick the child into being marked,” Brock inquired. He didn’t appear to be affected by Kyogre’s offended look. “You never directly ask the child to be marked but steer them into taking a bet and marking them after the bet.”

Kyogre didn’t have an answer. The pokemon opened his mouth, trying to find the correct words. However, the pokemon closed his mouth and thought about Brock’s question. After several minutes, Kyogre decided that he doesn’t give a fuck and gave his answer. 

“We see a child we like and do whatever we can to quickly mark the child,” Kyogre shared.

Kyogre paused before he unleashed his honest opinion about the situation.

“I want a child, but I’m single,” Kyogre ranted with an annoyed look. “Arceus think that a single pokemon can’t raise a child as effectively as those in a relationship. He thinks we’ll be poor parents, but he forgets that he was a single parent.”

“Wow, sound like a hypocrite,” May commented. 

“So we threaten to kidnap children,” Kyogre continued. “Then he decided we were allowed to have children but not in the same way as Lugia.”

“This doesn’t explain tricking kids into making bets,” Ash pointed out.

“I was getting there,” Kyogre stated. “Arceus said that a child has to accept a deal. A bet is a disguised deal that increase the chance of the child accepting."

"More like trick," Ash mentioned. 

Ash thinks that Arceus forgot that living for thousands of years will erode a pokemon's sense of morality and how they perceive things. The deities are selfish and have their own desires. If those pokemon wanted a kid, they would find a way to get a kid. When Kyogre finished his explanation, Ash made sure to translate everything that the pokemon said to Brock. As he was speaking, Brock wrote everything down and verbalized that he would need to research Arceus.  

Now if only this were the only thing they needed to do in Hoenn. 

Chapter Text

Dressed in the classical, uncomfortable, and red uniform, Ash marched toward where the admin was leading him. At the moment, he was wearing large, circular glasses while his face was littered with fake freckles. He can’t believe Brock’s plan to disguise themselves as Team Magma grunts worked. It’s pure disbelief that the admin, Tabitha, didn’t notice who he was! 

As for Pikachu, he was smugly resting on his shoulder. 

“You will be responsible for guarding the Blue Orb,” Tabitha stressed, looking over his shoulder to see that Ash was paying attention. “That’s the only reason why you’re allowed one of your pokemon to be out of their Pokeball.”

When Tabitha was no longer looking at him, Pikachu stuck his tongue. Ash, being the immature shit he was, stuck his middle finger for a few seconds. Oh, how it took everything in his power to not get into a fistfight with all the Team Magma’s members! If it weren’t for the fact that they had Kyogre hostage in a chamber, Ash would have already punched, kicked, side sweep, and tossed dozens of people by now! Unfortunately, all Ash can do is pretend to be a Team Magma grunt! 

Then there was a thump coming from the roof. Tabitha stopped as he surveyed his surroundings. Meanwhile, Ash stood perfectly still, hoping Max wouldn’t make any more noises. Subtly looking up, Ash noticed Max taking a peak from an air vent. Luckily, Max ducts his head out of sight when Tabitha looks up at the ceiling. 

“Did you hear that,” Tabitha asked, appearing visibly unsure.

“No, sir,” Ash lied, giving Tabitha a salute. “I have not heard a single noise!”

Ash could hear Tabitha muttering that he swore he heard a thump. Ash slightly regretted that he had brought Max to the rescue mission. In Ash’s eyes, the kid is like a fetus, and Max will get into trouble if he isn’t careful. He hoped that May and Brock could rescue Kyogre as quickly as possible. 

May hate that she had to wear this uniform. She hated saluting Team Magma’s superiors and appearing invested in Team Magma’s goal. At least she has Brock beside her. He can do all the thinking since he has all the brain cells of the group ninety percent of the time.

“Remember the plan,” Brock reminded with a hushed whisper. “You save Kyogre while I deal with the guards.” 

May was walking beside Brock as they headed to the room with the containment chamber. Several more minutes and they’ll reach their destination. Impatiently tapping her fingers on her legs, May entertained the thought of dashing to the room. She was getting impatient and restless with everything! She wants to save Kyogre already! She has recently convinced Kyogre to stop drowning Hoenn in water for crying out loud. They don’t need to deal with it again! However, Brock's warning look made May dismiss the thought of dashing into the room.

“Wait for a few more minutes,” Brock warned. “You’re going to gain unwanted attention and put everything in jeopardy. “

“Fine,” May sighs. “You got the point.”

As if the world was trying to prove Brock’s point, May found herself walking by several groups of grunts heading out in the opposite direction. May was not amused, especially after Brock mouthed, “I told you so.” She gave him a glare, in which Brock simply shrugged. The two began to stroll when they took the turn leading them to the room. From the corner of her eye, she could see Brock discreetly giving her a sheet of paper with the code to the containment chamber. She quickly grabs the paper and puts it in her pocket.

When they were close enough to the room, May saw four grunts guarding the door. When Brock tells her to go, she prepares herself to run to the containment chamber.

“Hey, it’s not time to switch shifts,” a grunt mentioned.

“Wait, I don’t remember seeing you around,” another grunt stated, appearing suspicious. “What’s your-”

Brock charged at the nearest grunt and gave a nasty right hook. Immediately, the guy was knocked out and collapse on the floor. That was May's moment to run like a maniac. She maneuvered out of the way when someone tried to land a hit on her. While running, she could hear Brock fighting the remaining three grunts. 

“Kyogre,” May called out at the sight of Kyogre's chamber. “Don’t worry, we’re here to save you!”

She frowned at the sight of Kyogre being in a forced slumber. The sight of seeing the pokemon like this made her furious. How dare they do this to Kyogre! May ran even faster to the containment chamber, almost tripping herself. Once she reached the control panel, she frantically pulled out the piece of paper and punched in the code. It took a minute, but Kyogre was slowly awakening from his forced sleep.

“You have enough weight to crash through the hull,” May explained, calmly. She was highly alert to her surroundings. “Go do that and escape back into the ocean.”

Kyogre blinked several times, making sure the sight in front of him was real. Despite the kid not wearing the usual attire, Kyogre knew the person before him was May.

“How,” Kyogre said in disblief. 

“I’ll explain later,” May said quickly. “But you need to get the fuck out of here yesterday.”

Kyogre gave a slight nod before doing exactly what May suggested. Once Kyogre was free, May heard the sounds of footsteps behind her. 

“They’re taken care of,” Brock stated, slightly out of breath. “We need to get out of here and meet up with Ash.” 

May nodded as she began running out of the room with Brock. The two of them know that the moment Kyogre escapes, the ship will be at risk of sinking. That’s why Brock made everyone discretely hide a bag with water gear within the ship. There’s no way they would like to drown today. Now what was left was to escape, hoping that Ash had grabbed the orb that could control either Groudon or Kyogre. There’s no way they risk a chance of one group controlling a deity. 

Alarms started blaring, indicating that May and Brock successfully freed Kyogre. Max, who had been in the vents this whole time, hoped out of the vents and barrelled roll when he touched the ground. Ash hastily gave Max the orb as they prepared to leave. They should be far enough from the containment chamber to efficiently run out of the room and grab their respective backpacks. While getting their gear set up, Ash heard heavy footsteps coming their way. 

“Pikachu, prepare to use thunderbolt,” Ash said, helping Max put on his oxygen tank. “And Max, carry the orb and prepare to sprint out of here. “

“Why are you trusting me with an orb to control god,” Max questioned, giving Ash a judgemental look.

“I’ll be fighting whoever is after us,” Ash explained. “You need to get out of here unharmed because there is no way I’m letting a fetus join me in fighting grown men.”

Max appears disappointed that he won’t be joining Ash in the fighting. Ash responded by promising that he would teach Max how to fight when may is distracted. 

“You,” a voice shouted laced with anger. “Call for back-up! Intruders are stealing the orb.” 

Ash tackled the person onto the ground. Before the man could react, Ash squeezed a pressure point on the man’s shoulder to knock him out. 

“Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on the grunts,” Ash said. “Max, stay behind me.”

Pikachu used Thunderbolt at the group of grunts approaching them. While most of the grunts were stunned or knocked up, a few remained standing. Ash quickly fixed that by charging at them and knocking the grunts’ head together. Max snorted as he mentioned wanting to learn how to beat people up like Ash. 

Grabbing Max’s hand, Ash began to guide Max as the two of them sprinted toward the ship’s deck. Occasionally, Ash would leap in the air and kick the faces of the grunt that dared to try to stop them. It didn’t too long for them to reach the ship’s deck. What greeted them surprised both of them.

“Is that a Gyarados,” Max pointed out. He squinted his eye to see who riding the other Gyarados that was really far away. “And is that May and Brock riding the other Gyarados.”

“Kyogre must have called for some backup,” Ash theorized, gesturing for Max to get on the Gyarados. “And the Gyarados listened because Kyogre is like the king of the sea.”

Ash assisted Max in getting on top of Gyarados before he hopped onto the pokemon. Pikachu was speaking to the pokemon, most likely thanking them for their help. When everyone was on top of the pokemon, Gyarados began to swim away from Team Magma’s ship and toward an island. How thoughtful. 

Ash would have thought that everything would have gone smoothly. It had been half an hour since they rescued Kyogre. Team Magma doesn’t have the orb that could control Kyogre or Groudon. However, there was one thing everyone failed to account for. 

“You got to be kidding me,” Ash shouted, which caused Max to wince. “Why do I see the pirates fuck on the island Gyarados brings us too.”

Ash could see that the pokemon they had spent hours planning to rescue had been captured by Team Aqua. At least, that is what Ash thinks. How else do you explain Kyogre staying at one place near an island filled with Team Aqua members? Perhaps the pokemon was trapped in an invisible barrier.

“What if Team Aqua had the orb that controls Kyogre,” Max theorized, appearing upset. “And the orb we have control, Groudon?” 

Ash would very much like to bang his head against the wall. He did the next best option: smack his hand against his forehead before dragging his hand down his face. 

“Call your sister and tell her we’re going to do something stupid,” Ash sighs. “Brock should still have some of my confiscated weapons, so May could borrow one of those.”

Max immediately called his sister, put it on speakerphone, and informed her of Ash’s plan. Ash could hear Brock telling May to take the collapsible bo staff and the pepper spray. Meanwhile, Ash looked for a pocket knife to give Max because there was no way that Max would go in there without a weapon. The kid appeared gleeful to be given a weapon while May was shouting through the phone that she doesn’t feel safe with her little brother having a weapon. Ash simply clicks the end call button before looking at Max.

“The call must have dropped,” Ash said, feigning innocence. “How tragic.”

The propellers could be heard above them as the wind hit Ash’s face. Instinctively, Ash shielded Max in case something was thrown in their direction. He saw a helicopter above them with a few people he didn’t want to see. A displeased boss, Tabitha, and a few Team Magma grunts stare down at them. 

“They must be waiting for us,” Max noted, appearing a little nervous. “Ash, wh-”

Ash placed his hand on Max’s head and forced Max to duck from the mechanical hand reaching toward them. The robotic hand came out of nowhere! The only reason Ash could notice it was because Ash was looking up. 

“Pikachu, use Iron Tail on it,” Ash yelled.

Pikachu leaped off and successfully used Iron Tail on the mechanical hand. The attack caused the mechanical hand to break into pieces, causing shrapnel to fly everywhere. Instinctively, Ash shielded his face and Max from the shrapnel. Max curled into a ball to shield himself and protect the orb. Those few seconds spent covering themselves had allowed them to be caught off guard by another mechanical hand reaching for Max. However, Ash could not stop it from grabbing Max’s shirt collar this time. The mechanical hand lifted Max up to the helicopter. 

Max purposely dropped the orb as he called out to Ash and Pikachu. “Here, catch it!”

Pikachu jumped into the air to grab ahold of the orb, only to have Pikachu absorb the orb. Then, Pikachu began falling from the air as he withered in pain. Ash swiftly stood up and caught Pikachu in his arms.

“Pikachu,” Ash said worriedly. He was cradling Pikachu in his arms, not knowing what to do. “What’s going on, buddy.” 

Looking around, Ash checked his surroundings to see where the other Gyarados were at. From afar, he could see the other Gyarados surrounded by smaller helicopters. The other helicopters prevent the other Gyarados from reaching him. For once, Ash didn’t know what to do. Team Magma captures Max, Pikachu absorbs the orb, his partner is in intense pain, and his friends are likely trying to defend themselves. 

Unnoticed to Ash, his anger and fear had caused a change in precipitation and wind currents in the surroundings. Previously, the winds were rough but tolerable as the waves occasionally crashed upon them. The winds became merciless, causing the waves to become enormous as they crashed into everything in their way.

Ash, unbothered by the change in the sea conditions, tried to figure out something to deal with the situation. At the same time, the helicopter was lowering itself low enough so Ash could hear the helicopter’s occupants speak. Ash could also see what was going on inside the helicopter. He was horrified to see a grunt, tightly gripping Max’s should with one hand and using his other hand to hold the knife inches near Max’s neck.

These people were not like Jessie, James, and Meowth. No, they were much worse. At least the Rocket trio never threatens to murder a child or pokemon. At least the three idiots have enough morals not to do something so evil. 

“Let’s make this simple,” Maxie stated. “Come with us willing, and we will not harm the other boy.”

To emphasize Maxie’s point, the knife was positioned closer to Max’s next. Ash glared daggers at each individual on the helicopter. When Ash had not said anything, Tabitha spoke.

“Would you like to test us,” Tabitha warned. “Or would you surrender yourself with your Pikachu?”

“If the rumors were true, you would surrender,” Maxie added. “Everyone at Hoenn knows that Norman trusted his miracle children to be protected by you.”

Ash knew that there was very little he could do about the situation. There’s a possibility that Maxie was bluffing about harming Max, but he can’t afford that risk. Additionally, he did promise Norman that May and Max would be taken care of. Through gritted teeth, Ash surrendered himself to Team Magma. For now, he will buy time until the right opportunity appears. 

Ash received a text from his mom about some underground rumors. In the text message, Plumeria mentioned receiving news from a confirmed source that Team Magma had Kyogre in a slumbered state. When he was done reading the text, he shoved his phone in front of everyone. 

“So what are we going to do,” Max asked. “Are we going to rescue Kyogre?”

“Of course,” Ash declared. “We will need to think of a plan.”

“Can we disguise ourselves as grunts,” May suggested. “Ash, can you beat up some Team Magma grunts to steal their uniforms.?”

“That could work,” Brock agreed. “However, we need to need to decide what are we going to do with Max and Jirachi.”

“What about me,” Max followed up.

“We will be dealing with dangerous people,” Ash mentioned. If they see Jirachi, they will try to capture him.”

“And you’re a kid,” Brock mentioned.

The three trainers ignored that they were all under eighteen and were technically “kids” in the world standard. To be fair, who wants someone so little to get hurt? 

“What if Jirachi teleported to our parents,” Max said. 

“What about you,” Ash asked. “Will you join Jirachi?”

Like a petulant child, Max keeps saying he will not be left behind while everyone else gets to go. Max was making arguments such as having experience in martial arts, being raised by a military dad, and having previous experience in helping Ash deal with a disaster. 

“You really want to go,” May sighs, giving in to Max’s demands.

“I have experience with Team Rocket,” Max pointed out. “It won’t be too much of a difference.”

“Team Magma is different,” Brock reminded Max. “We don’t know the full extent of their capability.”

“If you don’t let me join then I’ll have Jirachi sneak me in,” Max responded. “You can’t treat me like a kid forever.”

“You do know you’re sounding like a brat,” May commented.

“Yep,” Max acknowledge, not caring about May’s statement.

After pinching his nose's bridge, Ash decided that there was no winning this argument. Either they let Max join or risk Max using Jirachi to sneak wherever Team Magma was hiding. Fine, Ash can give Max a minor role, such as going inside of the vents to watch over someone.

“Just don’t get yourself killed,” Ash sighed. 

Chapter Text

Max continued sniffling and apologizing for being so careless and allowing himself to be caught. Pikachu was writhing in pain while becoming hostile all of a sudden. It reached the point where Ash had to clutch Pikachu with his arms to prevent the pokemon from biting anyone else. Pikachu would occasionally bite into his arm, which drew blood. Ash bit his tongue and withstood the pain. He needs to remind himself that Pikachu’s actions resulted from the orb. 

Ash felt like he was nine years old over again. Trapped, captured, and without help from a group of criminals. However, unlike last time, there will be no reinforcements to help them. He needs to come up with something to save themselves. If Max wasn’t being held hostage, he would have tackled the grunt and beat the ever-living daylights out of him. 

Pikachu whimpered, face scrunched up in pain. Trying his best to comfort Pikachu, Ash hummed a lullaby his mother hummed to him during those nights he had a nightmare. It worked until Pikachu began to screech in absolute agony as he received a sudden surge of immense power from the orb. The most terrifying thing was a strange, red, and glowing pattern all over Pikachu’s body. 

Alone and trapped in Team Magma’s helicopter, Ash found himself unsure for the first time in a very long time. Several feet away from him was a guard keeping Max in a chokehold, positioning the knife with his free hand near Max’s face. The guard wasn’t saying anything, but he would tilt his head in Max’s direction whenever Ash tried to take a step forward. It was clear to Ash that the guard was threatening him to stay still or they will use that knife at Max.

Taking the blame for everything that had happened, Max gave an audible whisper laced with guilt. “I should have listened.”

“Pikachu,” Ash cried out, becoming increasingly worried. “You’re not alone. I’m here with you, buddy.” 

Seconds later, Pikachu's eyes shot wide open. The pokemon’s eyes were glowing the same red color as the patterns. Without wasting any time, Pikachu released a powerful Thunderbolt. Being shocked by the Thunderbolt, Ash briefly released his grip on Pikachu. Ash wanted to move his muscles, but they were paralyzed at the moment. As he crashed onto the ground, he could see Pikachu escape from the helicopter from a small window opening. 

Crawling onto the island’s ground, Brock coughed out the seawater still inside his lungs. Miraculously, he and May managed to land on the island. If May didn’t know how to swim, Brock didn’t know that he would have been able to swim onto shore while lugging another person. This was the closest he had ever been to death in all his adventures. They needed to jump out of Gyarados because of the helicopters swarming around them. The winds became harsher, and the waves began to increase in size. If they hadn’t jumped off the pokemon, the helicopters may have crashed onto them. Two of them had already crashed into each other before they decided to jump. 

May, who was doing much better than him, was trying to catch her breath. She will question later on why she can hold her breath longer than Brock. Right now, they have more pressing issues to deal with.

“What are we going to do,” May asked. “Ash and Max are captured by Team Magma, Team Aqua somehow got Kyogre subdued, and Team Aqua likely captures Groudon!”

“Stealth,” Brock responded. He was out of breath and wanted to rest. However, he knew that wasn’t an option. “We must get close to the two teams and learn about their intentions.”

“How will that help us,” May questioned. She wanted to do something, not wait until a potential opportunity arrived. “I need to save my little brother!”

“We’re not reckless running headfirst into enemy territory,” Brock stressed. Why must be the voice of reason of the group? “If we’re not careful, we could be stuck in a dangerous situation. First, let's observe and collect information. When we hear anything about where Ash and May are being kept hostage, we’ll immediately save them.” 

With a little bit of convincing, Brock was able to get May to see from his perspective. Together, they carefully made their way toward where all the commotion occurred. Oddly enough, finding the two teams didn’t take long. Brock was surprised that the spot where the two teams confronted each other was several minutes away. How did no one hear them struggling to swim to the shore or their conservation?

Deciding not to question it, Brock silently thanked whatever God was being merciful toward them for once. For once, there was an ounce of luck by their side. Example one, the plentiful amount of bushes on the island that allowed them enough coverage to hide behind them. Brock motioned for May to hide behind some bushes so that they don’t get seen by either team. Once the two hid behind the bushes, Brock stealthy crawled toward the next bush. They needed to get closer to hear what the two teams were discussing. This was repeated several more times until they could clearly listen to who was talking and what they were talking about. 

At first, it was the usual type of bickering Brock would expect. When he peaked his head out the bushes, he noted several things about his surroundings. First, Archie uses a mini-helicopter to avoid being caught by Team Magma. Next, Archie was holding the Red Orb. Ah, that would explain why Kyogre was subdued beside the island. There was also the fact that Archie was able to order Kyogre to create a thunderstorm was another big clue that the pokemon was under Archie’s influence.

Starring intently at Archie, May voiced out her concern. “Brock, something isn’t right. Look at his behavior.”

Observing the leader’s behavior, Brock saw that the man’s behavior was more erratic and that the leader was spewing things, such as drowning the island under the ocean without considering his team. Initially, Brock would have thought nothing about it if it wasn’t for Archie’s admins betrayed look. He heard someone commenting that this wasn’t the Archie they knew which showed that May was right.

“Kyogre,” Archie called out. “Begin drowning everything onsite!”

From a distance, Brock could see a tsunami heading toward their way. Rain began to pour as the winds became harsher. It was getting hard to stay put as the wind started to pick up speed. At this point, it wouldn’t take too long for this minor storm to become a threat.

“Things are getting worse,” May stated, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. “What are we going to do?”

Soon, the answer to stopping this world-ending conflict came in the form of a legendary child riding upon a giant, green seperant pokemon.

Moments after Pikachu departed, the paralysis effect wore off. Ash quickly got on his two feet and went to the window Pikachu escaped from. When things can’t get any more complicated, the world like to prove him wrong. Yes, the world can make everything more difficult for him without remorse for his feelings and mental state.

The grunt holding Max in a chokehold released Mac, causing the boy to fall onto the ground. When Max made contact with the ground, Ash charged toward the grunt. The grunt tried to stop Ash, but the grunt underestimated his strength. Although the grunt attempted to stop Ash, the grunt was tackled by the trainer and slammed onto the wall. The grunt’s head made a hard enough impact on the wall because the grunt was immediately out cold. Ash let the grunt pathetically slide down the wall and fall limp onto the ground.

“Time to break out of here,” Ash commented. 

The sounds of water crashing onto the resting helicopter could be heard as the helicopter was flipped to the side. Ash stumbled a bit before he fell onto the ground for the second time. Max landed on top of him, causing Ash to wheeze in pain. The unconscious body of the grunt lands a few feet away, much to Ash’s relief. Funnily enough, the collar of the grunt’s shirt got caught in a piece of shrapnel that pierced through the helicopter. The dude was dangling but appeared alive. 

“Ash,” Max said, getting off of Ash. “There’s water leaking inside.”

Scanning his surroundings, Ash could see that Max was right about water leaking into the helicopter. The water was leaking from the cracks and minuscule holes created by the aircraft's damage. Of course, there was also water leaking from the small window. If they don’t escape from the enclosed space they are being held hostage, they will all drown.

“Stand back,” Ash warned, getting into stance. “I’m going to use Hurricane to break the walls.”

Max listened and got right behind Ash. By this point, the water had rapidly risen to Max’s knees. 

Taking a deep breath, Ash focused all his attention on using Hurricane. He blocked out all sounds before he used Hurricane at a weak point in the helicopter. The moment the walls of the helicopter broke, water began to flood the room quickly. However, there was now a large enough hole for them to swim out of. Good thing that Team Magma didn’t force them to remove their swimming gear.

Thank you, Brock, for always preparing for the worst-case scenario!

“What’s going on,” the grunt groaned, unaware he was at risk of drowning.

“This room being flooded,” Ash bluntly told the grunt. He was gesturing Max to swim the fuck out of there. Max didn’t need to be told twice to swim to the surface. “So you may want to remove your shirt and swim to the surface. Just a suggestion.”

Ash gave a cheeky wave at the grunt before swimming up to the surface. By the time swam out of the helicopter, it was completely submerged in water. From the corner of his eye, he could see the grunt frantically swimming out of the aircraft without his shirt on. 

As he swam closer to the surface, he saw a green blurb reflecting on the water. That’s strange. What would be green, large, and floating above the water? Filled with determination, Ash swam faster to reach the surface. The moment he got his head above water, he was greeted with the face of Rayquaza staring down at him. The pokemon was levitating above the water as mist surrounded the pokemon. 

Rayquaza bows his head, showing his respect to the Chosen One. “I may need your Chosen One.”

Ash blinked. “So you’re the pokemon who suppose to keep Kyogre and Groudon in check?”

“Your pokemon is a host to unstable power,” Rayquaza explained. “The human dressed in blue is another host of unstable power. If we don’t stop Groudon, Kyogre, and the hosts, Hoenn will be in grave danger.”

“What do you need us to do,” Ash asked.

Rayquaza lowered his body enough for Ash and Max can climb on top of the pokemon. Ash helped Max climb onto the pokemon since he struggled to do it alone. To be fair, Rayquaza was soaked, and it was hard to have a good grip. Additionally, he was wet, and the water made everything slippery. Still, he managed to climb onto the pokemon in the end.

“I’m afraid that your Pikachu is close to making contact with Groudon,” Rayquaza revealed. The pokemon sensed Ash digging his nails into his skin but dismissed the stinging feeling. “Soon, Groudon and Kyogre will be battling, putting the island’s residence at risk.”

“So you’re going to battle them,” Max concluded. 

“But I will need help,” Rayquaza admitted. “I have sent a pod of Gyarados to assist your human companions.”

Ash heard a volcano erupting as the sky began to clear. The mist surrounding Rayquaza dissipated, allowing Ash to see his surroundings clearly. 

“Is that Pikachu on top of Groudon,” Max noted, squinting his eyes to get a better look.

Ash feels like he’s going to vomit. That was his partner being influenced by the Red Orb, being potentially hurt by the orb’s unstable power. Scratch that, Ash hurled to the side, much to Rayquaza’s disgust. Ash is going to make up for it for Rayquaza somehow. 

Brock rubbed his eyes to ensure he didn’t imagine that there was a Rayquaza caught in this shitstorm. Nope, that was Rayquaza using Hyper Beam at an upcoming tsunami. 

“Brock,” May called out, grabbing Brock's attention. “I think the pod of Gyarados want us to hop on and help Rayquaza.

Brock saw how all the Gyaradoses were nodding their head in agreement. A normal person would have turned around, walked as far as possible, and joined the people at emergency shelters. 

“Where are you two going,” a voice called out. “You’re insane if you thinking about stopping the fight of three legendary pokemon. You’ll drown at sea if you try to stop them.”

Brock glanced over his shoulder to see who was trying to stop them. It turned out to be Team Magma’s boss. While he does have some choice words for the man, now is not the time. There are more pressing issues to consider. Besides, there’s a possibility that Ash may track them all down and give a well-deserved punch in the face. 

“Fixing up your mess,” Brock answered, heading toward one of the Gyarados. “Right now, I see no one who can potentially help us.”

And doesn’t that leave a bitter taste in his mouth? Why does Ash have to be involved in every disaster? Why did Brock always resist the urge to push his worries for Ash, their friends, and himself down his chest until it was all over? They are not the correct people to deal with this situation.

“People could die,” May added, not looking back. “And we’re not letting Ash deal with this alone.”

Different people shouted at them to turn back and leave it to the Rayquaza. Members of the two teams were calling them reckless for going straight into danger. These are the same people who abducted Ash and Max, nearly killed the enemy group, and created this world-ending disaster. Brock continues to ignore them as he gets on a Gyarados.

“What’s the plan,” May asked. She was terrified at the sight of the weather trio fighting each other but knew something needed to be done. “Do we split up, or do we focus on one pokemon?”

“We stay together,” Brock stated. “We’ll deal with Archie while Ash can focus on saving Pikachu.”

Brock sighed, preparing to deal with another hardship that would remind them how ruthless the world can be. When did this become the norm?

Chapter Text

“Dodge,” Ash shouted, looking over his shoulders to see Groudon and Pikachu preparing an attack. “Groudon is using Hyper Beam, and Pikachu is trying to hit us with an overpower Thunderbolt.”

Ash held on tightly to Rayquaza and held his cap with his other hand. Moments after a Hyper Beam and Thunderbolt were aimed in their direction, Rayquaza did a few barrel rolls in the air to avoid being hit. When he was upside in the air, he squinted down to see the bright light emitting from the Hyper Beam. The Hyper Beam missed them by a few meters!   If they were a few seconds slower, they would have been hit. 

The Hyper Beam was easy to avoid, but the Thunderbolt was harder to dodge. At the last second, Rayquaza decreased his airspeed, performed half of an air loop, and fired Dragon Pulse to block the Thunderbolt. Somehow, the legendary Pokemon could use moves while inverted in the air. It was getting difficult to hold onto Rayquaza while being upside down. 

Rayquaza quickly rolled upright when he fired the Dagon Pulse and blocked the Thunderbolt. Not wasting the opportunity to fire back while Groudon was resting, Rayquaza attempted to use an Ice Beam on Groudon, but Pikachu's Thunderbolt blocked the Ice Beam. 

“Can’t you use your moves to help Rayquaza,” Max suggested, peaking his head over Ash’s shoulder.

“Groudon’s ability makes water type moves decrease its power base,” Ash explained. “My rain dance can’t do much since Groudon is more powerful, while my Thunder can’t do anything to a ground type.”

Before Ash could get another word in, he watched in horror as Kyogre got close enough to Groudon to viciously bite one of his legs. The Kyogre dragged Groudon into the water, attempting to drown his counterpart and Pikachu.

Ash let out an ear piercing scream, causing Rayquaza to momentarily winced. “Pikachu!”

Groudon and Pikachu were submerged in water, nowhere to be seen. Ash was tempted to let go of his grip and dive from hundreds of meters. Who cares if that was dangerous and impulsive? His buddy can be drowning for all he know.” 

“Don’t you even think about it,” Rayquaza warned, much to Ash’s displeasure. “If you die, Lugia, his sons, and the artificial Pokemon you befriended will go after me.”

Ash was about to say something like, “I don’t care,” until he saw Groudon resurface from the water, firing a Mud Shot at Kyogre. In retaliation, Kyogre used Hyper Beam at Groudon’s direction. The two moves collate, creating a minor explosion that almost knocks Ash off Rayquaza. 

Interrupting his thought, Max screamed at the sight below him. “Why is May riding a Gyarados and charging at Archie? Is she insane?”

Starring at the rough waters, Ash could see May charging at Kyogre and Archie. However, Max forgot that Brock was doing the same. He thinks he could see Brock’s Mudkip using Water Gun at Archie while Misty had her Beautifly use Silver Wind in an attempt to knock the guy out. 

“Change of plans,” Rayquaza spoke. “Let’s hope your friends are good at adapting, Chosen One.”

“I don’t like the sound of this,” Ash voiced out.

Ignoring Ash, Rayquaza continued. “I don’t like doing this often, but this is the quickest option.”

Rayquaza’s entire body began to glow brightly in an assortment of colors. As the Pokemon glowed, Ash saw how the Pokemon’s body became longer, grew lower horns, and large fin structures grew several feet below the upper horn. That was not it with the Pokemon’s transformation. Each of Rayquaza’s haors had long, beautiful, and golden tendrils flowing elegantly in the air. When the strange light diminished, Rayquaza turned to face him and Max. 

“I consumed some meteorites before arriving,” Rayquaza informed the duo. “By consuming these meteoroids, I can use its power to do something you humans call mega evolve.”

Ash noticed the black markings behind his eyes and the weird markings on the Pokemon's head. Out of curiosity, he looked behind him to see what other features where changed. Ash noticed that Rayquaza’s rubber-like wing that goes down his body was no longer marked with red lines or look like its original shape. Now, the wings looked like fins and were marked with gold lines instead. As for the Pokemon’s tail, it had become entirely yellow and was visibly longer. 

“What’s your plan for Pikachu and the Team Aqua leader,” Max nervously asked. 

“This why I said I hope the Chosen One’s friends are adaptable,” Rayquaza responded, worsening Ash’s worries. “They will be dealing with the host."

Ash stared at his friends, who were hundreds of meters below them, hoping they could adapt to whatever was thrown their way.

“Beautifly,” May called out. “Use Silver Wind to attack the pirate’s mini helicopter!”

Flashbacks of her imprisonment in a cell ran through her head, a time she had thought she had suppressed. People dressed in strange blue outfits guarding her, whispering things about theories about why the boss had captured her. A man with a weird ass goatee and a blue bandana asking questions she doesn’t have an answer to. Cowering in fear at the corner due to not understanding the situation and not knowing when she’ll return home. The memories she tried so hard to suppress were coming back to her.

“I guess this is payback,” May told herself, looking at the boss. 

How could she forget the man who kidnapped her when she was seven? Fragmented memories of her walking home from school before being lifted off the ground. A hand clamped over her mouth as she tried to scream for help. Even biting the person’s hands with as much force as possible did nothing to remove the hand covering her mouth. She recall being tossed into an unsuspecting van before the vehicle sped off. Not knowing where she was, the people dragged her out of the van and into a submarine because the base was accessed only through an underwater passage. 

“Mudkip, use Water Gun,” Brock said. “We need to see if we can force the orb out of Archie.”

May could hear Kyogre and Groudon's incoherent cries as they fought each other. Normally, she could understand Kyogre. Now, all she could listen to from Kyogre were incoherent screams and gibberish that didn’t make sense. Had he really lost his mind?

Archie maneuvered out of the way in time to avoid being hit by the Water gun. Looking at the trainers, he gave out his orders. “Kyogre, go after these two.”

Kyogre turned his head in her direction and made direct eye contact. The Pokemon stayed still, unsure if he should proceed.

From above, May could hear Ash screaming at the top of his lung to be heard. “The unstable power from the orbs is controlling Kyogre and Groudon. They’re not thinking right.”

But May could see a flash of recognition in Kyogre’s eyes before it became empty again. 

“Focus on getting the host away from there,” Ash continued. “I’ll focus on getting Pikachu while you guys focus on getting Archie.”

Gazing upon the sky above her, May sees Rayquaza circling around Groudon, trying to get close enough so that Ash can nab Pikachu out of Groudon’s head. Not liking the intrusion, Groudon was trying to chomp Rayquaza, getting more frustrated as time progressed. The Pokemon must be distracted by Rayquaza to continue attacking Kyogre. 

Brock rode his Gyarados close to May, speaking once May was within hearing range. “One of us needs to be bait while the other need to knock Archie out of his helicopter.”

“I’ll be the bait,” May suggested.

“I’m not letting you near Kyogre,” Brock stated, noticing May’s confused look. “Kyogre is not himself right now. He may try to attack you, which puts you at risk of getting hurt. Kyogre will feel overwhelming guilt for hurting you if he manages to hurt you during his unstable state.”

“So you’re going to let Kyogre try and attack you,” May exclaimed in disbelief. “You’re just as bad as Ash.”

“Kyogre is not moving because you are in his line of sight,” Brock mentioned, pointing to Kyogre’s still form. “However, we don’t know how long it will last or if Kyogre can restrain himself from attacking.

With much reluctance, May agreed to Brock’s plan. When she got out of Kyogre’s line of sight, she saw the Pokemon swimming toward Brock. Brock was shouting at the Gyarados to swim as far as they could. Ah, so that’s what Brock was doing. Brock was trying to create some distance between Kyogre and Archie. Well, she can’t let this opportunity slide. She must come up with something to prevent Archie from following them.

May can’t believe she was doing this, but this was the only thing she could come up with.

May cupped her hand and yelled as loud as she could. “Hey, you wash-up pirate wannabe, Were you born this stupid, or did you take lessons?”

Internally, she was mortified by the things she was spewing. However, she needs to grab Archie’s attention. What’s a better way to grab someone’s attention than to insult them?

Archie turned the mini-helicopter around and screamed in her direction. “What do you say punk?!”

“I called you a wash-up pirate wannabe,” May taunt. “I would be calling you an idiot, but that would be insulting to all the stupid people.”

Oh my gosh, did Ash corrupt her? He totally did because May had never spewed this type of insult toward a criminal. Scratch that. She would have never confronted someone from a criminal group. Her parents would be so disappointed, but Ash would be proud, at least. 

May motioned her Beautify to get closer and leaned into Beautifly's ear to whisper her plan. “I want you to use Silver Wind to knock Archie out as I distract him with insults. Try to attack from behind.”

The moment Beautifly flew away, Archie began to chase her. May quickly told the Gyarados to book it. Additionally, she stated that when Beautifly either destroys the mini-helicopter or Archie falls off, Gyarados must catch the boss with its mouth.

“Hey,” May continued, trying to maintain Archie’s attention. “I know everyone is entitled to act stupid once in a while, but you really abuse the privilege!”

“What do you say,” Archie shouted angrily, face reddening in rage. “Come back here, you little punk!”

May internally cheer when she saw Beautifly's stealthy approach from behind. To support her Pokemon, she will say one more thing to provoke the Team Aqua boss. 

“Thank you for helping me understand that there are some remarkably dumb people in the world,” May yelled happily. 

As a finishing touch, she gave Archie the middle finger. Archie, who already lost his composure, began cussing her out. Man, does he look pissed. The boss’s face was red as a tomato, and he was shaking his fist in rage. He continued to chase her, unaware that Beautifly was using Silver Wind. May admitted that it was funny if she ignored that she was putting her safety, health, and life at risk.

Beautifly managed to land a successful hit at Archie because the boss was lost in his rage. As planned, May had the Gyarados catch Archie using his mouth to hold Archie by the collar of his shirt. Seeing Archie thrashing, trying to escape Gyarados’s hold was funny. To be fair, he was the dumbass who wore a one-piece outfit. 

“Tell Brock that Archie is captured,” May told her Pokemon. “Tell him to be careful as we wait for Ash to do whatever he plans.”

Beautifly nodded in agreement and headed toward Brock.

 Ash stretched out his arm, trying to reach Pikachu. However, his fingers were a few inches away from his partner. He didn’t have enough time for another attempt because Rayquaza made a sharp turn. How long had he been trying to snatch Pikachu from Groudon’s head? Groudon kept trying to bite Rayquaza while Rayquaza continued to do all sorts of loops, turns, and twists to avoid getting chewed at. Then there’s the added challenge of circling Groudon to keep him in one place.

“I’m getting queasy,” Max commented, withholding the urge to vomit. “I lost count of how many times we were upside.”

“I’m trying my best,” Ash pointed out. “It’s kinda hard for me to grab Pikachu with one hand!”

With one hand, Ash is gripping Rayquaza tightly to prevent himself from falling into the sea. His other hand is trying to grab Pikachu before Rayquaza knocks out the two legendary Pokemon. The only way he’s going to grab Pikachu is if he jumps off Rayquaza, lands on top of Groudon’s head, and grabs Pikachu before he hops right back on top of Rayquaza. 

Wait a second. That might not be a bad idea. Is it a smart idea? No. Is it a bad idea? Not really.

“I’m going to get into so much trouble when Mom finds out about this,” Ash sighed, resigned to his mother’s future hours long lecture.

Inverted hundreds of feet up in the air, Rayquaza was preparing to turn downward. Any longer hanging upside down in the air, Ash will puke with all the motion sickness. Looking below him, Ash sees that he’s almost right above Pikachu. From the angle he’s at, Ash could land on top of Groudon’s head.

Having the opportunity to snatch Pikachu, Ash immediately releases his grip on Rayquaza. Moments later, he was free, falling to the top of Groudon’s head. He thinks he could hear. 

“Are you insane,” Rayquaza shrieked in the air. “You could have gotten yourself killed.

Ignoring Rayquaza’s spazz, Ash clumsy landed on Groudon’s head. It was hard to maintain his balance when the Pokemon was frequently moving. Taking several steps was difficult due to the amount of time Ash had to stop himself from slipping. Eventually, with time and patience, Ash approached close enough to Pikachu. 

Without any hesitation, Ash crouched down and trapped Pikachu in his arms. This time, Ash will not let go of Pikachu. He didn’t care that Pikachu was sinking his teeth into his arm, drawing blood. Even when Pikachu began to thrash, Ash maintained to have Pikachu tightly wrapped in his arms. 

“I got him,” Ash called out. 

“Jump when I say so,” Rayquaza instructed. “It’s time to put these two in their place.”

Ash got into a stance, ready to run and jump off Groudon. He waited for what had felt like hours for Rayquaza to give him the cue. Pikachu continued to be vicious and restless, but Ash couldn’t blame his partner. His Pokemon was under the influence of unstable power. 

“Jump,” Rayquaza called out.

Ash sprinted and jumped as far as he could. Seconds after he jumped, Ash managed to land close to Rayquaza’s head. While keeping Pikachu securely wrapped in one arm, Ash used his other arm to hold onto Rayquaza.

“I have a request from you,” Rayquaza spoke. “Lend me your strength.”

“How,” Ash asked, confused by the Pokemon’s request.

“Focus, drawing the energy from your surroundings,” Rayquaza explained. “Then, provide me a boost of energy with that same energy.”

Ah, Rayquaza must be referring to aura. Ash is unsure of his capabilities in nursing his aura due to his avoidance. However, Rayquaza needs his help. The Pokemon must be tired from being constantly on the moves and making elaborate loops to keep Groudon in place. 

Closing his eyes as he took deep breaths, Ash focused on the energy in his surroundings. It was much harder than it looked due to the wind hitting your face and a Pokemon thrashing. He almost lost his patience, but Ash managed to draw the energy from his surroundings. Opening his eyes, he realized that he was glowing bright blue. 

“Great job,” Rayquaza reassured. “Now, provide me with the energy you collected.”

Ash was unsure of himself, but he concentrated on directing the aura inside of him and onto Rayquaza. Doing everything he could to remain focused, he visualized the aura traveling to the arm, not holding Pikachu and onto Rayquaza. Eventually, Ash could see the hand holding onto Rayquaza glowing brightly until there was a blue flash of light. It didn’t take long for Rayquaza to flow in the same blue color for a few seconds.

“Hold onto me as your life depends on it,” Rayquaza warned. “I’ll show you why Hoenn view as the one who keeps Kyogre and Groudon in line.”

Taking the Pokemon’s words seriously, Ash braced himself for the worse. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Max holding Rayquaza for dear life. The Pokemon’s entire body began to glow brightly emerald for reasons unknown to Ash. When he least expected it, the Pokemon soared upward at high speeds until they reached just below the clouds. 

Before Ash could question Rayquaza about what was going on, the Pokemon dropped out of the sky at high speeds, aiming to hit both Kyogre and Groudon simultaneously. This causes Ash and Max to scream as they do whatever it takes not to let go of Rayquaza.

Below the serpent Pokemon, May and Brock were far away enough not to be at risk of being hit by Rayquaza or getting too caught up in the aftershock the Rayquaza’s attack would surely cause.

Rayquaza attacked and critically hit Groudon and Kyogre in one fell swoop, causing the two Pokemon to fly back near the island’s shore. Kyogre remained in the water but was close to the sand while Groudon landed on the sand. At the same time, the Blue Orb that Pikachu absorbed emerged out of his body, causing the Pokemon to immediately faint. From the corner of his eye, Ash could see the same thing happening with Archie but with the Red Orb. 

“Is it finally over,” Max quietly asked, most likely traumatized from today’s event.

“I think so,” Ash guessed, gently cradling Pikachu with one arm. 

A teenage girl with long blond hair, a straw hat, and a Pikachu on her shoulder kicked the door to a room where all the G-men meet for a meeting. Inside the room were Lance, his men, and some of the teen’s friends.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to kick the doors,” Lance said.

“Check your phone,” the teen frantically said. “It’s going viral on the internet!”

“What’s going on, Yellow,” Blue inquired.

“Just look,” Yellow responded, appearing done with the situation.

Everyone checked their phones to see that there were several viral videos that everyone was talking about. Clicking on the videos, everyone saw a few familiar figures. One video featured two teens riding on Gyarados while two legendary Pokemon were fighting each other. Norman’s daughter was actively taunting Team Aqua’s boss out of all people while the former Pewter City Gym leader was dodging Kyogre’s attacks. 

If only that was it. No, there has to be more. There was a video of a familiar trainer riding Rayquaza with Norman’s son! That’s not the end of it. In a different video, Rayquaza mega evolved and used Dragon Ascent against Groudon and Kyogre.

Green whistled, impressed by the trainers on the video. “That’s our troublemaker!”

“He did your job for you,” Blue added, grinning in amusement. “You have to step up your game Lance!”

“You know this kid outside of Tik Tok,” Yellow asked.

“Yep,” Green confirmed. “His parents are also great.”

Lance pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling an upcoming headache. 

Chapter Text

Guzma stirred in his bed, trying to drown out the mixed sounds of praises being shouted out loud, shrieking, concern yelling, and booming laughter heard throughout their base. When the noise level died, he would have a false hope that he could return to blissfully sleeping away on this rare lazy morning. As he was about to fall into his slumber, someone would break the silence by manically laughing or yelling that resembled a panicked mother. After an hour of trying to fall back to sleep, Guzma accepted his defeat.

“What’s up with everyone,” Guzma grumbled, getting out of bed at a snail's pace. “At least wait until noon to start screaming like a banshee.”

Above the door frame was a clock demonstrating that it was nine-thirty in the morning. Guzma could have slept for another few hours, but no! Everyone decided that they must wake him up during his rare day off. 

Plumeria popped her head inside his room, checking up with her friend. She appeared equally tired and annoyed by the loud noises the grunts made. The bags underneath her eyes was an accurate representation of her burden of being the one who carried the brain cells in Team Skull.

“What did you do,” Plumeria asked as an eyebrow raised at Guzma's disheveled state. 

“I was trying to have a lazy morning,” Guzma said, trying to prove his innocence. “I was about to head out to see what the fuck is going on with the grunts.”

Plumeria looked Guzma up and down, searching for signs that he was lying at her face. A minute later, she realized that Guzma was telling the truth. Guzma gave Plumeria an unimpressed look, to which Plumeria responded by giving him the finger. 

“Let's see what’s responsible for all this noise,” Plumeria yawned, causing Guzma to yawn after her. “Then, I could go back to sleep.”

Guzma and Plumeria headed toward where all the noise was coming from. Together, they brace themselves for whatever shitstorm the world has in store for them. Knowing their history, nothing good ever comes from hearing maniacal laughter and shrieking a few hours earlier than usual. They would have continued searching for the source of the laughter if it wasn’t for Kimo finding them first.

“There you are,” Kimo called out, eyes gleaming in mischief when he saw them. “You have to come to see this.”

Plumeria stepped out of the way as Kimo came barreling in their direction. Guzma was a second too late and was knocked onto the ground by Kimo. The grunt didn’t seem to care that he was on the floor and quickly jumped right back up into a standing position. 

“You’re all in for a surprise,” Kimo states, withholding the temptation to spill the beans. “Just follow me!”

Guzma stood up, failing to realize  Kimo’s statement should have been the first warning sign. Next was how Kimo would look over his shoulder and then quickly look away. It was faint, but Guzma could hear Kimo snort after looking at them. What the hell is wrong with everyone today? The last warning side was how Kimo was vibrating with excitement the closer they got to the noises. 

Kimo stepped into the theater room and called out to everyone. “Get the clips ready!”

Guzma entered to be greeted with either the sight of dozens of grunts laughing their asses off or worriedly muttering about his son's health. A few of the grunts were on the ground, having trouble breathing due to all of the laughing. Others were pounding their fists onto the floor or the chair they were sitting at. Several of them looked at him and Plumeria and immediately adopted the most fake ass serious expression they could muster. Guzma was disappointed. He expected better acting skills from his grunts than this.

“Hey you two,” Lilo happily shouted, waving her hand frantically. “I save you two seats!’

Lilo gestured to the two seats right in front of the TV screen. Guzma, wanting to get everything over with, strolled to the seat and made himself comfortable. Plumeria soon followed, curious about what the grunts were watching. It must be interesting if it’s the source of all the noises. For right now, the screen displayed a Pikachu on a tree. 

Realizing who’s Pikachu was displayed on the screen, Guzma scooted further away from Plumeria. It doesn’t take a genius to understand that everyone was laughing and shrieking due to his son’s antics. Plumeria, who was exhausted from yesterday, didn’t notice that this was their son’s Pikachu displayed on the screen. He doesn’t know how long it will be before Plumeria realizes what’s going on, but he’s not going to be the idiot who’s going to be within reaching distance from 

“Play the first video,” a voice called out from a far.”

Gleefully, Lilio pressed play on her phone, which was connected to the smart TV. On the screen the video started off with Pikachu dropping a bag of berries upon the unsuspecting man, causing the man to be distracted. Then, he sees his son leap out of the tree with a feral look and going for a punch to the face. The man must be from the military because he could shield himself. A foolish mistake because his son knows how to deliver a nasty hook. The bruises on Norman's cheek were an indication of that fact.

Next to him, Plumeria let out a long, deep breath. When she was ready, she calmly spoke out her thoughts. “How is our son not arrested. That was clearly assault.”

While the laughter and hollering were weaker than the first several rounds, it was still loud enough to indicate that everyone found this shit funny.

“That’s not it,” Loni said, his tone becoming more serious. He turned to face Lilo’s direction and gave his next order. “Lilo, play the next clip. They need to see this.”

Lilo broadcasted a video showing that this video occurred during a sea storm on some unlucky island. When the video played, he saw his son riding a mega evolved Rayquaza as the Pokemon landed a critical hit to two of Hoenn’s legendaries. However, that wasn’t what grabbed his attention. No, it was the fact that his son was brightly glowing blue while Raqquaza was radiating an emerald color. What was his son thinking? The mercenaries will hear about this and track down his son’s location. Why must Ash inherent his recklessness and not his mother’s rationality? 

Whoever considered presenting the videos from the least to the most dangerous things Ash had done must reevaluate their life choices. Guzma blinked as he saw a video of his son releasing his grip from the Pokemon and free falling in the air! By the devil’s luck, his son didn’t break his bones when he landed on top of the red Pokemon’s head.  

“Articles reported that Team Magma and Team Aqua were present at the scene,” Kimo shared. “Apparently, the two teams were responsible for this disaster.”

“What the hell was Ash thinking,” Plumeria shrieked, getting up from her seat. “He could have easily gotten himself killed! Where are the officials? Police, Lance’s G-men, rangers, or a trained adult!”

Guzma wondered the same thing. Where were the people responsible for stopping eco-terrorists? Shouldn’t a team be dedicated to stopping the guys dressed in blue and red? Apparently not because his son and the friends he had made in Hoenn were responsible for calming down two legendaries. The next time he sees Lance, he will give the guy so much shit for not being able to stop the two Pokemon and stopping at least one of the teams. 

“I need to make sure my son is alright,” Guzma said as the implications sink in. “I won’t be able to relax until I hear my son’s voice.”

He pulled out his phone and began to call his son. Plumeria moved beside him, desperate to hear their son’s voice and know if he’s alright. 

Everything that happened today must be sinking for everyone because everyone is acting weird. Ash and his friends found themselves isolated from the townspeople because they needed their space. Also, they were tired of being suffocated and lectured by people who frankly shouldn’t be poking their noses into their business. If they cared, why didn’t they help calm down Kyogre’s and Groudon’s rage? All they did was apprehend the leaders and admins after he, Brock, and May chase them down and knocked them out. He was about to get into a brawl if it wasn’t for Brock 

Ash sat on the grass, watching his friends cope with the aftermath of dealing with another potentially world-ending disaster. The smell of whatever Brock was cooking begins to linger in the air, causing his stomach to grumble. Glancing at his friend, Ash could see that Brock was stress cooking, which he rarely did. Ash could only tell because he had spent so much time with Brock, and Brock always goes over the top when he’s stress cooking. 

May, on the other hand, was sitting on the cliff. She looked longing at the sea, naively hoping that Kyogre would emerge from the sea. She had been anxious about Kyogre, hoping that he was alright. She had been staring at the same spot for the entire time and quietly expressing her worry for Kyogre. Ash’s is worried that May will jump off the cliff and dive into the sea in an attempt to search for Kyogre. The one thing that may be stopping her was that Max was sleeping right beside her. After everything, the kid was emotionally exhausted, so May encourage him to take a power nap until Brock was finished. Squinting his eye, Ash could see that Max was clutching the strap of her Fanny pack.

Sensing his phone vibrating, Ash pulled out his phone to see that his dad was calling. Without missing a beat, he answered the call. “Sup dad.”

“How are you doing,” Guzma asked through the phone, worry in his tone. “ Please tell me you’re alright, son.”

Ash blinked, caught off guard by his parents. Why does his dad sound so worried when he hadn’t told him about today’s events. Could it be what others call “dad instincts?”

“Some videos are going viral,” Guzma revealed. “Though, we failed to notice the video of you punching that guy in Hoenn guy a while back.”

“Videos,” Ash voices out, confused. “What are you talking about?”

“Some bystanders took videos of you and your friends’ stint,” Guzma explained, sounding relieved through the phone. “I know about you riding Rayquaza, how you got yourself involved in some conflict, and how you recklessly put your life on the line multiple times. “

“Fuck,” Ash blurted out. “I’m in trouble, aren't I?”

He heard the phone being taken away by someone and his dad complaining about not being done with talking with him. The other person said that it was their turn to talk to him.

“You’re not in trouble for doing your role as the Chosen One,” Plumeria reassured through the phone. “However, you shouldn’t have used your aura like that!”

“But Rayquaza told me to,” Ash justified. 

“Then you better be prepared to travel fast and far from where you are,” Plumeria warned, becoming extremely serious. “If they hadn’t seen it yet, they would be real soon. Once the mercenaries see the video, they will send some people to Hoenn to capture you.”

Memories flew past his eyes, bringing back feelings of fear and making him want to desperately run away somewhere far away. Ash shoved all his memories of being kidnapped, imprisoned, and nearly trafficked to the back of his mind, hoping they would stay in the dark recess of his mind. Usually, he’s better than this regarding dealing with memories of his near-death situations and the horrible stuff that happened. However, today's events are making him uncharacteristically vulnerable. He hates it. 

“I’ll tell them that we need to move,” Ash spoke, looking at every one of his friend. “However, we need to recharge today. We’ve been through shit for the past several hours. “

After talking to his mother about lighter subjects for several minutes, he said his goodbyes to his folks. When he hung up his phone, he heard Brock call everyone over to eat.

Blue has to admit he was impressed by the trouble magnet. Not only did he stop two terrorist organizations, but he booked the fuck out of there. Despite Lance and his G-men traveling non-stop to arrive here to apprehend the criminals, they failed to reach before Ash’s traveling group left. 

“And you left a prime witness to leave the premises,” Lance said in disbelief. “Why didn’t you do anything to keep them here?”

The mayor of the town simply shrugged, further irritating Lance. Green seems amused by the entire situation because this is the type of thing that only occurs in shows or stories. Sadly, Red couldn’t be here with them because he would have gotten a kick out of the situation. Yellow, a G-men in training, wondered if this was the norm. 

“We apprehend the criminals,” the mayor reminded everyone.

“But Ash and his friends was the one who did all the work,” Blue pointed out. Today, he wants to act like a bit of shit caused it’s fun to mess with people. “Ash was the one who tamed Rayquaza and stopped the conflict.”

“Yeah,” Green added, knowing what her twin was up to. “Brock was the one who distracted Kyogre while May dealt with Archie. You know. The leader of Team Aqua.”

“All you did was the clean up,” Yellow quietly stated, forgetting that she was verbalizing her thoughts out loud. “Residents said everyone waited for the kids to knock them out before restraining them.”

The mayor glared at the three, not liking how they said he did nothing to deal with the situation. It could be that a couple of teenagers are tarnishing his reputation of being a proactive mayor.  Blue doesn’t give a shit. The dude wasn’t crediting the proper people and was diminishing the group’s efforts. 

“At least tell me you them examined for any injuries,” Lance asked, hoping that the mayor did at least that. “We don’t want them traveling while injured.”

Blue could tell that the major was about to spin an elaborated tail leaning toward the desired answer Lance sought. He would have believed it if it wasn’t for Green being on her phone and stumbling across a somewhat trending video. Lance was about to scold his sister for her actions until Green showed her phone to everyone.

[On the screen played a video. Ash, Norman’s kid, and Brock were eating by a cliff. Ash was calling May out for hiding her injuries which consisted of a sprained wrist and some gashes due to being hit by floating materials hidden in the seawater. Brock then called out to Ash to hide his injuries from the many reckless shits Ash had done in the past several hours. Ash justified doing it to save Pikachu and protect Max’s ass from being killed or hurt too much. 

Shit hit the fan when Max shared that he was held at knife point, but Ash saved his dumb ass by turning himself in. May began screaming about Max hiding something like this from her. Brock commented about being the only sane one, but Ash also retorted something about Brock hiding his injuries. The pipsqueak was bluffing, but the former gym leader admitted to hiding his injuries. 

The video ended with Ash commenting about heading to the Orange Islands on his own in the next several days, looking directly at the camera with an unimpressed look.]

“You need to get your priorities straight,” Yellow blurted out, disappointed by the island's people. “We need to get them medical attention as soon we’re done here.”

Blue, his sister, Yellow, and Lance agreed with the plan. If they had known Ash and his friends a little better, they would have known that the video's end almost sounded scripted. 

Ash climbed through the window and into one of the Pokemon Center’s rooms. Brock helped Ash enter the room while Max shut the door of their room. 

“The video is doing well,” May mentioned, looking at the video’s view count. “It should buy us time for a few weeks.”

“By then, we’ll be far away from the island,” Brock added. “But you need to stay hidden for a bit.”

“Dad doesn’t go to the internet too much so he should be unaware of the video,” May shared. 

Brock’s idea was to post a misleading video after Ash explained how the same mercenaries from before may be after them due to the publicity of the video. Due to him being a somewhat well-know figure, the video was able to be shared enough time that the mercenaries should be able to find it. 

“We need a different plan for next time,” Brock continued. “And a plan for when Ash starts competing at the league.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Ash responded. “For now, let us sleep.”

Ash slept soundly that night, grateful that his friends were there to support him no matter the situation. 

Chapter Text

Steven owed it to Ash, Brock, May, and Max for stopping Team Magma and Team Aqua. It left a bitter taste in his mouth that out of all the people in the world, it was the children who ended the conflict that plagued Hoenn for years. He should have done things differently. If he did, those kids would never have been injured or threatened. 

He saw those videos Ash posted online, making light of their injuries. They were all lucky that their injuries weren’t a lot worse, considering what Steven saw posted by bystanders on every social media platform. Hopefully, they get checked out by a medical professional because they are at serious risk for secondary drowning and internal bleeding. It would bring bad publicity if four kids were reported dead due to undetected injuries, and it would eat away at his conscience. 

“You can’t change the clock back,” a familiar voice interrupted, waltzing his way inside the conference room. 

“Wallace,” Steven spoke up. “Let me self-loath for a few more minutes.”

“I can’t let you do that,” Wallace countered, already used to Steven’s antics. “I would be awful if I let the person I love drown in their self-loathing.”

Steven sighed and took a seat on one of the many chairs in the room. In front of him was a large stack of reports he was obligated to read. Grabbing a sheet of paper, he began reading the reports about Team Aqua and Team Magma members recently admitted to prison. As he read the documents, he could hear a chair being pulled out and someone sitting on top of it. Although he enjoys Wallace's company, he would appreciate it if Wallace could stop poking his face.

“What are you doing,” Steven asked, placing the first page down.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Wallace resting his head on one hand and using the other to continue poking him. When Wallace noticed he was looking, it encouraged him to continue poking him. Steven's expression remained neutral as Wallace gave a feigned innocent smile.

“I’m bored,” Wallace admitted. 

“You could be doing anything right now,” Steven pointed out. “ But instead of doing anything productive, you’re mindlessly poking me.”

“I’m not reading the reports for you,” Wallace stated. “Nor doing your paperwork.”

“Please do my paperwork,” Steven plead. “If you’re going to bother me, at least help me a little bit.”

Stroking his chin, Wallace pretended to think about Steven’s suggestion. After several seconds, he shook his head. Why would he want to do something so dull and mind-numbing! Even if Steven paid him, Wallace would refuse to help Steven with anything paperwork related.

“It’s not exciting enough,” Wallace complained. “Reading reports? Boring. Paperwork? A chore. I need some excitement in my life.”

A person frantically came barreling through the conference room seconds after Wallace finished talking. She leaned against the table, breathing heavily. On one of her hand was two file folders that were clearly labeled urgent. Steven reached his arm out as the woman handed him the file. 

“Read it,” the woman insisted. “Then, after you’re done with your usual task, you’ll need to meet with Looker and the trainers associated with the Hoenn league.

The woman quickly left the conference room, muttering that she wasn’t paid enough by Interpol to deal with this type of drama. What type of drama? Steven doesn’t know. He’s intrigued by what’s inside the two files that cause the woman to react like that. 
Opening the first file folder, he sees the reports about Maxie’s arrival at the prison. Mostly, the documents consist of basic information that is usually obtained during the prison intake process, such as a full body X-ray, mugshots, fingerprints, and prison ID. 

“Are you pranking me, Wallace,” Steven questioned, eyebrows furrowed. “Because I don’t see anything that would cause some to react like the league official.”

“No,” Wallace confirmed. “Maybe the thing that caused the woman to react like that is buried somewhere in the file?”

Steven returned his focus to the documents, curious if he would find the source of the woman's reaction. First, he read the findings of the psychological interview conducted, finding out the guy had a somewhat shitty childhood. The guy’s wife being missing during the early days of Team Magma was another unfortunate event, but that doesn’t excuse the guy's actions. 

Placing the psychological portion to the side, Steven read the medical reports, which usually consist of physical health status, bloodwork, diagnostic tests, and a genetic test to contact family members. Noticing the giant red circle around “genetic testing,” he immediately began reading it.

Unlike with the other documents, Steven took his time reading the paragraph typed underneath the “genetic testing” label. His neutral expression slowly morphed into one of disbelief which went unnoticed by Wallace. Once he was finished reading, his grip on the paper tightened slightly. 

“You got to be kidding me,” Steve breathed, shocked and eyes wide at the revelation. “He is the only living relation to this guy.”

Eventually, he placed the document down. Grabbing Archie’s file, Steven’s instincts were telling him to skip all the documents and head straight to the genetic testing proportion. Trusting his instincts, he put aside the documents. He found another “genetic testing” report circled boldly in red. In the meantime, Wallace was looking at the paper Steven had recently placed down. 

Carefully reading the paragraph written for Archie’s results from the genetic test, Steven prepared to discover a similar outcome. A similar outcome he found indeed. 

“Looker must have realized the implications of his actions,” Steven said, shaking his head in disbelief. “This whole time, she was his living relation.”

He heard Wallace gasp as he stared at him in shock. Placing Archie’s result on the table, Steven couldn’t help but stare at the one name written as his living relation. At the same time, Wallace placed Maxie’s result right next to Archie’s.

The names causing such a reaction were the names the two trainers were familiar with. How could it not when it was the “miracle children” names written on the report.

Following Brendan through the league’s hallways, Wally did everything he could to stop Brendan from doing something he would regret. He grabbed the back collar of Brendan’s shit and tugged with all his might. Seeing how Brendan was standing patiently and casually checking his phone, Wally could see that he couldn’t physically stop Brendan. 

“Can you let me go ape shit now,” Brendan spoke, tapping his foot impatiently? “I need to create some shit for everyone for not doing their jobs.”

“You’re upset that May got injured and retraumatized,” Wally responded. He let go of Brendan’s shirt collar and pleaded to Brendan to see the reason. “Take a deep breath, think about your choices, and act on a good choice.”

Brendan closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. Wally hoped that it meant that Brendan would calm down and turn back. Then, Brendan opened his eyes. Naturally, Wally assumed that Brendan had seen reason, but nope. Brendan dashed across the hallways, leaving a trail of smoke behind. Standing in confusion, Wally struggled to process what had happened. Did Brendan choose to cause some chaos and do something that will get him in trouble over an appropriate reaction? 

“Wait,” Wally shouted. He snapped out of his confusion and began chasing Brendan. “Why are everyone like this!”

While he isn’t bedridden, he doesn’t have the stamina or strength to run at the same speed or duration as most people. It took him a few minutes to catch up with Brendan. Just looking at how Brendan is leaning against the wall without being out of breath makes him feel jealous about his friend’s perfectly healthy body.

Approaching Brendan, Wally panted. “What the he-”

Brendan turned around, covered his mouth, and gestured to the door that slightly cracked open. Wally was about to lick Brendan’s hand but heard familiar voices. Was that Norman's voice just now? Why does he sound angry, shocked, and dumbfounded all at the same time? He also heard the voices of some gym leaders, but there were also some new people.

“No,” Norman verbalized, harsher than he intended to. “They don’t have the right to know! They have threatened and nearly killed them! Why should they have the right to know!”

Brendan removed his hand and crept to the door as close as he could. Wally stealthy copied Brendan's, curious about what was happening in the room. He sensed some interesting conservation was about to occur.

“But it could make the court process easier,” Liza chimed in. “They could accept the plea deal if they know about their  existence.”

“It could also haunt them for the rest of their lives,” Tate added. “Imagine living the rest of your life knowing you almost killed your kid.

Ah, sounds like a good family drama going on there. However, Wally wished they could say the names of those children. He knows that Brendan feels the same. While Brendan’s back was turned, Wally could sense that he was coming up with some mischievous scheme. He could imagine imaginary thoughts bubbles floating on top of Brendan’s head, wondering what he could plan based on the conservation he was eavesdropping into. 

Listening to the conservation for several minutes, Wally most heard how Interpol and Hoenn’s government were coming up with a plan to utilize the children to get everyone from both teams to cooperate. He has to admit he never thought the two entities had it in them to weaponize children to obtain intel from eco-terrorists. Based on how Looker was calmly explaining his superiors’ intentions, Wally had a feeling that this wasn’t the first time they had done something like this. 

“Looker,” Wattson spoke, speaking calmly. “I understand the reasoning, but what do you think this may negatively impact the children’s mental health.”

“I would be fucked up if that happened to me,” Flannery admitted, earning looks from everyone. Unimpressed, she tried to justify her comment. “What? Finding out you’re adopted and that your biological parent nearly killed you would mess up anyone. “

“Imagine the damage if they find out on their own,” Roxanne pointed out. “They would be more hurt if we keep this from them.”

Just say the names already! Wally needs to know who they are talking about! Who are the unlucky children unaware of the truth? Who are these parents so significant and questionable that the league’s parents are involved? It must be a big deal if all the gym leaders are involved.

“Are you saying that the league can’t properly secure information,” Steven retorted. 

Roxanne sighed exasperatedly. “No. I’m saying that we can’t predict the future. You know how these things work.”

“I will not let anyone use them for their agenda,” Norman interrupted, having enough of the conservation. “Not Interpol. Not the government. No one.” Raising his voice, he continued. “As their father in all but blood, I will not let the people who traumatized my children get near them!

Wally and Brendon looked at each other as the dawning realization of the children's identities hit them. Wally had to restrain himself from shouting in shock. He had known them for years, wrongly assuming they were the miracle children of a couple labeled as infertile. It’s a strange feeling to be a part of a major revelation about your friend without that said friend is a part of it. 

“Fine.” Looker sounds resigned and tired. “For now, we won’t resort to using Archie’s and Maxie’s child in our investigation.”

“And it will stay that way,” Norman warned. 

If he was drinking water, Wally would have done a spit-take. Of course, May and Max couldn’t be the children of some admin. No, they have to be the children of the leaders. 

Wally took a spot on Brendan’s bed while Brendan was leaning against the wall. They allowed the silence to linger in the room as today’s events replayed in their mind. What should one do when learning a major revelation like this? Brendan even forgoes his decision to cause destruction and give some people shit for how they poorly handle the conflict. 

“Someone is going to fuck up,” Brendan blurted out, breaking the silence. “Somehow, the information will leak, and the whole region will learn the truth!”

“Not always,” Wally said, hopefully. 

“The truth always reveals itself,” Brendan pointed out. “For some reason, family truths and lies are always discovered, mostly in the worst ways possible.”

Wally wishes he could disapprove of Brendan’s case but knows it would be a losing battle if he does. He thought about the many instances in which family secrets and lies emerged and destroyed something. It could be one’s perspective, family structure, career, or anything really. Look at Lance’s and Misty’s cases. Lance’s infidelity impacted not only his personal life but how Misty was treated during her childhood, based on what Green reported. 

“There’s not much we could do,” Wally spoke, clearly bothered. “In the end, it’s Norman’s and Caroline's responsibility to tell them the truth.”

Hopefully, they will say something sooner rather than later. He can’t imagine how horrible it will be for them to discover the truth through gossip and news outlets, especially at this point in May’s career. 

Chapter Text

Levitating above the unsuspecting humans, Jirachi ponders what he should do with the information he has learned. While Max told him to stay at his father’s gym, for the time being, it was getting boring staying in there real fast. Max nor his friends were told he had to stay at the gym for the entire time, which is why he was following Max’s father. 

Boy, was he glad he followed the man for the day! The silly humans never lay their gaze at the ceiling, or else they would have noticed his intrusion! How could they be careless about disclosing information without taking the proper security measures? Though, that’s not the main problem he has with everyone. The one that triggered his anger was the mean trench coat man. That man dare verbalized how a small child like Max and the older sister be treated like tools for his investigation! How dare he do something so thoughtless! 

Jirachi’s gazes land on Norman, who is focused on arguing with the trench coat man. While he did questionable things in the past, at least the man was adamantly against treating the siblings like tools. However, he doubts that Norman would tell his children about the truth of their origins. He suspects the man would go to extremes, like restricting his daughter’s freedom. Would the father inadvertently push his children away again, or will the man learn from his mistakes? 

Jirachi heard them discussing the court trials for Team Aqua and Team Magma leaders from below. When the Hoenn champion informed everyone that the ex-bosses court trial would be aired live on the region’s most popular channel, he recalls how the Chosen One loved to torment people for the whole world to see.

His eyes darted first to the files messily scattered on the table, then to the pictures of the two ex-bosses, and lastly to the court documents. 

“The trial is scheduled for two weeks from today,” the trench coat man informs everyone in the room. “It’s imperative that not one person disclose what we discuss in this room.”

A few moments of silence passed as everyone awkwardly made eye contact. From the corner of his eye, he sees two teenagers sneakily leaving. They appear familiar, but he can’t precisely recall from where. No matter. 

“Is it because of Ash,” Flannery concludes. When she received no response from Looker or Steven, it further solidified her conclusion. “You know, you don’t have to pretend that it's not because of a kid who has the reputation of punching fathers.”

Flannery turns to look at Norman, whose expression is calm but annoyed simultaneously. 

Norman let out a breath. “You have to bring that up. It's been weeks, so please drop the subject.”

There was a vocal “no” coming from both Liza and Tate. The other gym leaders were trying to turn away and avoid eye contact with the father. As amusing as it was to see their co-worker get decked in the face, they didn’t want to deal with an annoyed father or the awkwardness that would follow after making eye contact. Steven maintained eye contact with the gym leader, who proved correct in his suggestion. While the champion didn’t look smug, there was obvious amusement on his face.

“But she does have a point,” Roxanne points out, which made Flannery visibly happy. “As much as I like and respect Ash as a trainer, he’s the type who will not hesitate to create a national incident if it means he gets to punch, if you excuse my language, some ‘shitty fathers’ as what the internet like to call.”

“The kid has no impulse control,” Norman mutters.

Unfortunately, some of his co-workers could hear his comment and gave some slight chuckles. 

“I heard he gets his impulse control from his father,” Looker sighed, recalling his conservation with Lance. “From what he told, he theorizes that the boy’s father was raised in the streets because of the man’s demeanor and beliefs.” 

“Do you think we can get Ash’s dad to reign in his son for a bit,” Wattson suggested.

Bold of them to assume that Ash can be tame by anyone. Jirachi knows that nothing, not even Arceus himself, could stop Ash from acting on his intentions. If the kid wants to punch someone, he will find a way to punch someone one way or another. 

“Ash is currently out of the region,” Looker revealed, earning a surprised look from everyone. “He posted about going to Orange Island on his social media account. “

Several sighs of relief were heard throughout the room when they heard Ash was out of the region. It was like a heavy burden was removed from their shoulders and one less thing they didn’t have to worry about. Steven, who had already seen the video, confirmed that Looker’s statement was true. This made everyone visibly less stressed, glad that they didn’t have to deal with the fallout of a potential national incident.  

Looker turns to face  Norman, wishing he wasn’t the one to tell the father about his children’s injuries.

“I’m sure you’re aware of the incident that occurred,” Looker shared, appearing done with the situation. “But I highly recommend you watch the latest video Ash posted.”

Jirachi watched in amusement as the humans below continued to provide him entertainment. Oh! The gym leader makes a funny face when he pulls out his phone and searches the content on Ash’s account. It was hilarious how the father’s head hit the table after watching the video. Did he see something he didn’t like, or was he tired of how life treated him? 

However, he felt the two ex-bosses would not get the punishment they deserved. A trial? A jail sentence? Probation that has some limitations on their rights? No, that wasn’t enough. They need to pay for nearly destroying Hoenn’s ecosystem properly. He’ll find a way for Kyogre to pay for throwing a temper tantrum like a child. Kyogre is not the child of the gods! It was him and some newly created Mews that the original Mew liked to make some time. He forgets some other gods who are considered to be children, but that’s fine. He’ll figure it out later.

Memories of Brock lecturing Ash for punching another person in the face pass through his mind. Realizing the similarities between his memories and the current situation, Jirachi began plotting the most childish and insane plan he had ever created! He may need to reveal the ex-bosses' relations to the siblings, but that’s no problem. He’ll make Ash do all the hard work and deal with the human emotion aspect instead of himself!

Ash stirs as he feels something on his face. Groggily, he opened his eyes and noticed that Jirachi’s face was several inches apart from his face. Reaching one hand up to his face, he felt the Pokemon’s yellow flaps on top of his head. 

“What do you want,” Ash groaned tiredly. He rolls over to his hide, desperately wanting to sleep in. “Also, weren’t you supposed to wait for a few days before coming back?” 

“I have something to tell you,” Jirachi smiles, having a glint of mischief in his eyes. “Trust me, there is a reason why I’m here early!”

Ash tried to ignore the Pokemon and return back to sleep. However, the Pokemon continuously poke his cheeks while he whines about how he can’t wait for Ash to wake up to share the news. At some point, Ash couldn’t stand Jirachi’s persistence anymore. Times like these remind him that Jirachi was the equivalent of a young child. Probably a lot smarter than a human child, but Jirachi behaves like a young child.

Forgoing the thought of returning to a peaceful sleep, Ash props himself up from his sleeping bag and motions for the Pokemon to continue. Jirachi’s wide smile should have been a warning sign he was about to deal with some shit. 

“So I was following Norman,” Jirachi excitedly began. “He was going to a giant building with a bunch of other people.”

Ash was going to open his mouth to lecture Jirachi about how the Pokemon should not have left the gym, but the Pokemon was quick to shush him. 

“The mean trench coat said that a group called Interpol discovered that the ex-bosses have children,” Jirachi continues. He giggles when Ash stands there with his mouth agape. “One kid for each one! Can’t you believe it?”

The temptation to hunt them down at this very moment was strong. No wonder he had the feeling that he’d be punching more than one father figure! What he didn’t expect was to punch two former leaders of a terrorist group. He wonders how he can sneak past Brock this time because there is no way he wants to deal with Brock's disappointed dad look! It’s the worse!

“Well, I can punch them after I compete in the Hoenn league,” Ash said, calming down his instincts for justified violence. “Everyone thinks I’m in hiding right now!”

“But Ash,” Jirachi whined, stomping his foot in the air. “Their trial is going live in the air!”

“There will be policemen during the trial,” Ash corrected, much to Jirachi’s disappointment. 

“Can’t you punch them in the face as they wait for a judge,” Jirachi pleads, his hands clasping together. “The champion said they will be in a holding cell that morning!”

Damn, Jirachi really wants him to punch the two of them in the face. What could have made the Pokemon crave violence for the two of them? Ash suspects that there is something more to the story than two former leaders getting justice served. He could also have been a bad influence on the young Pokemon. Or it could be both.

“Why are you so invested in this,” Ash questions, wanting to know the Pokemon's reasoning. “As much as I love punching people in the face, I can usually wait until the right time.”

He had waited until Brock was asleep to have Jirachi teleport him near the gym and stay on top of a tree branch. Despite people believing he has no patience, he can wait and bide his time if he really puts his mind to it. 

“Cause May and Max are their children,” Jirachi revealed, a little bit too happily. “They are the children of the bad people who wanted to ruin Hoenn’s ecosystem. At least, that's what I heard other people saying.”

Jirachi poked Ash in the forehead when Ash didn’t respond and stared into the Pokemon's eyes. Ash blinked, realizing he was sitting on his butt, trying to process what he had heard. When Jirachi's words sink in, Ash shouts in pure shock. 

“MAY AND MAX ARE THEIR FUCKING CHILDREN!”

Several things happened at once. May abruptly woke up, visibly pissed off that someone woke her up from her slumber. Max jumped out of his bed, startled by the sudden noise. Brock woke up, rubbing his temple from an upcoming headache he feels coming. Pikachu, who’s used to Ash’s antics, lifted his head up and surveyed the area. When he saw no threats, he rested his head and quickly drifted off to sleep. 

The three humans turn their heads in Ash’s direction, silently demanding an explanation of why he thought waking them all up was a great idea. Ash was still shocked by the news that he didn’t notice how tired his friends were. For Ash, there are more pressing issues at hand!

“Jirachi here to spill some tea,” Ash shouted, pointing at Jirachi dramatically.”I can’t fucking believe that he told me that Maxie and Archie are shitty fathers.”

May blinked in surprise, no longer as pissed off as when her sleep was rudely interrupted. Brock doesn’t seem surprised, probably because he had dealt with Misty’s situation, so it didn’t catch him off guard. However, Brock does appear annoyed at the leaders. Max, who don’t really care about the situation, shrugged. 

“I did not expect that,” May admitted, looking at Jirachi. “I don’t know which is more surprising. The fact that a person is willing to be in a relationship with them or a person is willing to have children with them." 

Oof. May’s comment would have hurt if Ash was either of the former leaders. Though, he doesn't know how to tell them that May and her brother were their children and that they may have adopted this whole time. The fact that the two of them were traumatized by their parents doesn’t improve the situation. In fact, that makes everything a lot more complicated! 

“But I heard you shouting May’s and my name,” Max comments, visibly confused. “Why did you scream our names when it is nothing related to what you told us?”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Brock reluctantly spoke. “It’s about May and Max, isn’t it.”

Brock then looked at Jirachi for confirmation, to which the Pokemon nodded. To say that May and Max were shocked was an understatement. The two siblings looked at each other, blinked, and then screamed at the top of their lungs. Ash winced as he covered his ears. When the siblings were done with their freak-out, Ash removed his hands from his ears and glared at Brock.

“I was trying to find a way to tell them the news gently,” Ash sighed, sounding done with everything. “You can’t just blurt out life-changing news just like that.”

“They have the right to know,” Brock argues. “You never keep something as important as a child’s adoption a secret from the child. However, I will admit I could have used some tact.”

 Ash remembers that Brock is the dad's friend and can be a little too parental. The parentification Brock had experienced kinda made him act like a responsible parent. A case in point is the insistence on telling May and Max the truth. 

“What if the serious medical condition that runs in the family,” Brock continues, turning serious. “What about if they failed to develop healthy attachments during their early years? Attachment theory states that infancy to age three is the most crucial years to build healthy attachments. Those without healthy attachments develop social and emotional issues and difficulty forming relationships later in life!”

Ash was about to question why the fuck does Brock knows so much about child development, but he quickly shut his mouth. He wouldn’t be too surprised if Brock researched child rearing and development theories to help a child’s development. Though, it doesn’t explain why Brock was so passionate about May’s and Max’s circumstances. 

“What are we supposed to do with this information,” May panicked, pacing in circles. “And why didn’t our mom and dad tell us about this! Why did you treat our adoption like it was a dark, shameful secret!”

“Does that mean they don’t love us,” Max quietly said, unconsciously hugging his pillow to his chest. “Are they ashamed of us? Did they take care of us because they wanted to or because they wanted to monitor us so we don’t become our parents?”

Seeing that Max and May were distressed, Jirachi quickly explained that it appeared recently that Norman discovered the truth about the siblings’ biological fathers. He went as far as to reveal that Norman was very protective of the two, refusing to entertain the thought of using the siblings as a tool for Interpol’s investigation.

“That’s not the issue,” Ash explains, causing Jirachi to tilt his head in confusion. “The issue is that Norman adopted children but never told them about their adoption. “

“What did Jirachi tell you,” May asked, not looking at Ash and continuing to pace frantically. 

Ash quickly shared what Jirachi told him, which caused mixed reactions from everyone. He wonders if he should give Norman another punch in the face for doing something as stupid as not telling a child is adopted the moment they are old enough to understand. His dad and mom quickly told him he was adopted when he was old enough! They made sure not to blame his birth parents for anything, believing that his biological parents’ circumstances were so dire that they left him at the mercy of the seas.

“That’s not the issue,” Brock sighs, expecting this mindset from the mythical Pokemon. “From the little information we know, he was willing to adopt children associated with the two groups. Sure, he may not have known that Max and May were the children of eco-terrorist, but my friends are dealing with a sense of betrayal.”

“I don’t think I want to talk with them for a while,” May admitted, feeling a little bit shame of herself. “I think if I see them, I will scream at their faces. This is the second or third-time Dad has hurt me.”

“Does that mean we’re not siblings,” Max said, appearing dejected. 

May immediately went to her brother and tightly hugged him. Max quickly returned the hug, quietly muttering how unfair their situation appeared to be.

“You’ll always be my little brother,” May reassures, on the verge of tears. “I want you to listen to me, Max. No matter what happens, we’ll always be brother and sister. Do you hear me?”

Max subtly nodded as he began crying in his sister's arms. May, who could no longer contain her tears, began sobbing out loud. As the two cried out in frustration, betrayal, and confusion, the two other trainers stood and watched the siblings.

“I’m not the one who usually condones your actions,” Brock quietly spoke. “However, I don’t mind looking the other way if you decide to act on your impulses.”

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying,” Ash inquires in pure disbelief. Is Brock permitting him to punch people in the face?”

“Get their consent to punch their biological father,” Brock follows up, pointing to the crying at the siblings. “However, if you’re upset at Norman and Caroline, you may need to do something else.”

“You know you gave me permission to punch Archie and Maxie in their holding cells,” Ash stresses, hoping Brock knows what he is permitting Ash to do.

“I said what I said,” Brock responds, thinking about how his life ended up to this point.

Somewhere in the world, Archie and Maxie suddenly feel like they are about to get hurt. 

Chapter Text

Sadly, teleporting inside of court was ridiculously easy. People are spending millions of dollars in tax money, and this is the best security a federal court can provide. Shame on the Hoenn League!

“Do humans not look up,” Jirachi questions, tilting his head in confusion. “This is the second time it has happened.”

Suspended in the air, thanks to Jirachi using Psychic, Ash observes a bunch of people mindlessly entering and leaving the room. Everyone was so busy with their daily lives that not one person had spare a glance at the ceiling. If anyone had, that person would have seen him, Pikachu, and Jirachi causally floating in the air without a care. That person would have seen Pikachu flickering his tail impatiently, ready to laugh at the insanity of what was about to happen. They would have seen Jirachi twirling around in anticipation, ready to enact what he perceived as proper revenge against the two former bosses. Lastly, they would have seen him grinning as he cracked his knuckles.

“It’s the mean trench coat man,” Jirachi points out, narrowing his eyes at the detective. “How dare he want to use Max as a tool for some boring investigation.”

Below him, Ash saw the detective speaking to what appeared to be a security guard. Should he feel bad for doing something that will give everyone in the room, league, and viewers a massive fucking headache? Probably. Should he care? Not really. Will this make it easier for the mercenaries to track him down and realize his bluff about going to the Orange Islands? Oh definitely. Is there a risk of getting an earful from his mom? Yes, but it was a risk he was willing to make!

“I may have been a bad influence on you,” Ash admits while Pikachu nods in agreement. “And you said you also plan to enact revenge against Kyogre after this?”

“He was being a big baby,” Jirachi pouted as he crossed his arms. “He supposes to be one of the oldest gods, so why was he acting like a baby?”

Ash will deal with the chaotic mess that is Jirachi’s plan for revenge another time. He has more pressing issues, like finding the right opportunity to deck two people in the face. Sadly, Archie and Maxie had not appeared at all. All he sees is a sea of noisy reporters who have no concept of personal space. Reporters were waiting with their microphones, subtly shoving each other to make sure they were the ones to get the first scoop. He thinks he sees a few reporters elbowing each other in the ribs. The female reporters wearing heels did a terrible job of “subtly” stepping on other people's feet.

“Ohh,” Jirachi called out, pointing to the door. “I see them entering!”

Ash saw how the doors were open, revealing two ex-bosses handcuffed with hands behind their back. Several police officers with tasers were walking on each of them, reducing the opportunity for the two to escape. The reporters, who were getting antsy before their arrival, started to harass them with nonstop questions. They were shoving cameras and microphones up their faces, demanding either to speak a single sentence. 

Ash couldn’t help but snort when he noticed Archie giving them the finger. How come no one saw him do that? Do they all have tunnel vision? It was hilarious to see the reporters act like vultures, harassing anyone who went out of the doors. That means he’ll have less hesitation in the future to work like a bit of shit when there’s a camera shoved in front of his face. 

“Should you punch them now,” Jirachi suggests, looking at the two men. 

“Wait until they are inside their holding cells,” Ash replies, ignoring the frown the Pokemon gave. “Once we start, you’ll have to be ready to teleport me to the other holding cell.”

Jirachi’s mood brightened up once again. The Pokemon nodded in determination, paying extra close attention to where the holding cells were. In the meantime, Ash watched the pair being led to their respective holding cells. It took a while since there were a bunch of vultures demanding the attention and response of two guys who couldn’t give a shit about the press. 

“We’ll now wait for the judge to call for Maxie to stand trial,” Looker spoke, unaware of the chaos that was about to unfold. “I will like to tell any media personnel to please step aside as court offices bring them to their holding cells.”

The second Maxie and Archie were placed in their respective holding cells, Ash nodded to Jirachi, signaling the Pokemon that it was time to go. The Pokemon quickly teleported the three of them to Maxie’s holding cell as he began laughing at the disaster that was about to begin. 

“Hello, Maxie,” Ash cheerfully waved as Maxie stood in shock. “I will like to give you a bit of payback!”

Ash sees the reporters’ jaws dropped, with some dropping their equipment at the corner of his eye. The expressions on their faces were a mixture of sheer shock and disbelief, having a hard time believing that he snuck into court. Their expressions quickly morph into renewed interest as they detect a new scoop they can report on. Ha! As if Ash will let these vultures obtain any information from him. They will have to pry the information out of his cold, dead hands!

“What are you doing -!” Maxie is cut off by a fist flying toward him, quicker than a Pokemon using Extreme Speed. 

“Severing just deserts,” Ash shouted, a little bit too happily. 

Noticing that Maxie was still standing, Ash pulled his fist back and gave a nasty left uppercut to the cheek. Being caught off guard by a child, Maxie was unprepared to defend himself against Ash. The man stumbled back, nursing the nasty bruise on his cheeks. However, Ash wasn’t done with the guy. He quickly ran up to Maxie and punched the guy in the stomach hard enough that Maxie collapsed onto the ground.

“That’s for inflicting trauma on us,” Ash said, bending down to give Pikachu a high-five.

The sounds of laughter from the other holding cell cause Ash to pause. Slowly, he turned his head and made eye contact with the man laughing at Maxie’s misfortune. It was at that moment Ash could tell that Archie realized the grave mistake he had made,

“Don’t think I have forgotten about you,” Ash called out, not breaking eye contact with the man,  “I’m coming for you next!”

Foolishly, the reporter assumes he would run out of Maxie’s holding cell and break into Archie’s holding cell. Each of them presses themselves on the window, asking him to answer some questions. A few people with cameras came as close to the door as possible, blocking him from leaving if he decided to run out of the door. Once again, he’s questioning the intelligence of these people. Did no one notice how he appeared out of nowhere? What made them think he could open the door to the other holding cell? There was a reason why he brought Jirachi with him! Now that he thinks about it, they entirely ignore Jirachi in favor of pressuring him to talk. 

“It’s time,” Ash said as he vanished from Maxie’s holding cell. 

The reporters were confused about why Ash disappeared out of thin air, not realizing that Ash was teleported to Archie’s holding cell. It wasn’t until they heard Ash’s voice that they turned their faces to Archie’s holding cell. Expectedly, they all came rushing toward Archie’s holding cell, hoping to get Ash to comment. 

“Time for you to pay for everything you did,” Ash grinned. Much to Archie's horror, Ash’s eyes had a mischievous glint. “You were under the control of an orb, but that does not excuse you for almost killing my friends!”

Ash gave a nasty kick to Archie’s stomach, sending the guy stumbling back several steps. Unsatisfied by the results, Ash made it a point to stroll to where Archie was to deliver a final blow. Raising his arms, he swung his fist and punched it underneath the guy’s chin. That was enough to knock Archie to the ground and land on his butt for some reason. As an extra measure, he waved at Archie while the former boss gave him a dumbfounded look.

“You’re the kid who rode Rayquaza,” a female reporter mentions. She shoved a rival reporter to the side, hoping to get a comment from Ash. “Can you tell us how you and your friends manage to get yourself involved?”

“How about no” Ash responds, shaking his head to emphasize his point. “I’m only here to do some petty revenge, cause an incident, and create some headaches.”

Ash was about to continue messing with the reporters, but he saw a familiar, tired agent approaching close to him. Looker tried to pull off the disappointed parent look, but that didn’t work on him. 

“Why are you here,” Looker sighs, sounding exasperated. “You have no reason to be here, much less use physical violence against two criminals.”

Ash’s cheerful expression morphs into a more neutral expression. Ah. Looker remains oblivious to the fact that Ash and all of his friends know the truth. Honestly, he thought an Interpol agent would find out by now. If May’s short texts, lack of phone calls, and avoidance weren’t obvious clues to them, then Ash doesn’t know what would be.

“We know everything,” Ash mouths.

Ash’s gaze first to Archie, then to Maxie, and lastly to Looker. When Ash’s message sinks in, Looker tries to convince Ash to get out of the holding cell and asks how much the trainer knows. However, Ash shook his head, motioning for Jirachi to teleport them out of the courthouse. 

Ash knows the shitstorm he had released, but this time, he has the approval of his traveling companions. 

Three individuals stood at the sidelines in the Pokemon Center as a large TV screen displayed moments before the trial. Due to the public attention to the trial of Team Magma’s and Team Aqua’s former leaders, many trainers huddled close to the TV. Not wanting to deal with the crowd, the three of them were far enough to see the screen without touching shoulders with a stranger. 

Several minutes prior, they all withdrew one hundred dollars from their accounts. Each of them had a hundred dollars in their hand as part of the bet they all agreed to participate in. Now all they have to do is wait for Ash to punch Maxie or Archie first for the winner to collect their earnings. 

“I’m saying he’ll be punching Archie first,” May insisted while Max’s nodded in agreement. “He has that fake ass mustache that makes you want to punch them in the face.”

“Fair point,” Brock acknowledges. “However, I have been with Ash before Hoenn.”

“Which means,” Max asks.

“Ash can be a petty person,” Brock shares. He let out a breath, recalling all the times he has to beg Ash to stop chasing the Rocket Trio with his weapon of the day. “Whoever is the brave soul who threatens to hurt him or hurt someone in front of his face will be Ash’s main target.”

Max blinked. He remembers being threatened by knife point while Ash cradled Pikachu. The fury within Ash’s eyes was so intense that Max almost thought Ash’s fury was directed at him. He would have believed that if he wasn’t Ash’s friend.

“Dang it,” Max mutters under his breath. He stares at the screen, witnessing the two ex-bosses walking to their holding cells with handcuffs. “Is it too late to change my mind?”

On the screen, reporters were trying to get someone to respond. At first, nothing out of the ordinary occurs. There was the usual generic statements, or the lack of statements, from officers. Then, displayed clearly on the screen, Ash smiled as he magically appeared in Maxie’s holding cell. 

Without hesitation, Brock spoke. “I told you that Ash will target Maxie first.”

Max immediately handed his money to Brock. He knows when it is time to cut his losses and accept defeat. At least he lost against Brock. Knowing the teen, he assumes Brock will use the money for food, healing items, or something practical. 

May, on the other hand, reluctantly handed her money. She was so confident that Ash would target Archie first. Next time, she’ll win the bet and earn that spending money for her shopping trips! 

“Why is there someone in a holding cell with an eco-terroist?”

“Is that Tik Tok kid?”

“It’s the kid from Twitter!”

“I thought he only targets deadbeat parents?”

“Is he actually going to punch eco-terrorists in the face?”

The sounds of excited chatter could be heard throughout the Pokemon Center. Unlike the stressed-out people on screen, everyone in the Pokemon was thrilled at the implications of Ash’s surprise appearance. Some trainers had their eyes glued to the screen, not wanting to miss the crucial moment when Ash inevitably punched someone in the face or gut. Of course, there were some people on their phones. They were most likely trying to inform their family and friends about what was happening on air.

Sensing his pocket buzz in his phone, Brock pulled out his phone and saw who texted him. Turing on his phone, he saw that Misty had texted him. Curious, he opened the message to see that she had sent a laughing gif and followed up with a picture of Lance pulling out his hair. The last thing she texted was demanding he give her the whole story because she was dying to know what the hell was happening. 

Putting his phone away, he looks back to the screen just in time to see Ash punch Maxie in the face. He noted how some of the trainers were laughing aloud while others were cheering for Ash to do another punch to Maxie or target Archie. He should take this as a warning sign about his current generation's priorities, but he’ll worry about that later.

“I can’t believe you gave Ash permission to do this,” May comments, briefly looking at Brock before her eyes return to the screen. “You were so against Ash punching Dad in the face.”

“Norman did not threaten bodily harm to children, “ Brock reminded May. “Maxie and Archie almost destroyed Hoenn’s ecosystem. Also, we almost die because of them.”

“That’s true,” May admits. She didn’t say anything for several moments, but she eventually continued. “We need professional help, don’t we?”

“Yes,” Brock answers. “However, we both know that we will avoid getting professional help because of the absurdity of our lives.”

“Is Ash being a legendary child or Kyogre tricking me to be marked that gave you that idea,” May listed with an amused tone. “Or is it surviving a battle between gods that can be absurd?

“D for all of the above,” Brock answers, slightly smiling. “At this point, I hope to make it past my next birthday.”

Cheers could be heard again when Ash punched Maxie in the stomach on the screen. Brock found it highly entertaining that the reporters had the smallest glimmer of hope that they would get Ash to stand still and comment about his actions. Seeing Ash disappear from thin air and magically appear in Archie’s holding cell? That was a fantastic move on Ash's part. 

“That got to hurt,” Max winced after witnessing Ash kicking Archie in the stomach. “Ash doesn’t hold back.”

“I think he got that from his father,” Brock theorized. “In Kanto, the league theorized that Ash’s dad grew up in the streets. Intimating appearance, but he’s a nice guy.”

“You met him,” Max asks, genuinely curious. “I kinda want to know what type of parents can deal with raising Ash.”

“Guzma and Plumeria usually appear when Ash competes in the league,” Brock explains. “You should be able to meet them soon.”

Brock continues staring at the screen as Ash mouths to Looker that they all know the truth about Archie and Maxie. He does question if Ash needed to be that dramatic in the first place but is quick to realize that Ash was purposely trying to mess with the league. 

Several minutes after Ash’s disappearance, May’s phone was ringing loudly. Brock observed how May pulled out her phone and looked who was calling her. Seconds later, she declined the call without hesitation, put her phone in silence, and shoved her phone back into her pocket. Moments after May declined the call, Max’s phone began to ring. As expected, Max quickly looked at who was calling him before he refused the call.

“Still pissed at Mom and Dad,” May shrugged. “How come it took Ash creating a ruckus live on air for them to admit the truth?”

“They’ll know that we’re fine when May performs in a contest in a few days,” Max adds, not appearing too worried. 

At that moment, Brock realized that he kept befriending people with parental issues and wished every parent was required to take basic parenting classes. 

Chapter Text

Tonight, Ash decides to say fuck it and splurge on a stay at a ridiculous luxurious hotel.

After all the shit everyone has been through, they deserve a night to relax and have other people make the food for them. It had been a few weeks since the fight between Groudon and Kyogre, so why were people continuing to bombard them with questions about it? His little stunt at the federal court may also play a part because people have been trying to get him to share his secret into “breaking into federal court.”

“You’re complaining about the public ambushing us at every Pokemon Center,” Brock points out with a worn-out expression. He points to the TV screen playing the news with an anchorwoman spewing out that evening’s news. “But you will pull stunts like this every week.

Ash, alongside everyone else, looked at a clip a reporter managed after the contest was concluded. At first, it shows May flustered and overwhelmed with all the attention she receives from reporters. She took several steps back from her previous stop, acting like she was a skittish Skitty. A few coordinators, either out of sympathy or to divert the attention to them, step in front of May. After moments of the reporters trying to push through the coordinators and the coordinators refusing to budge, a scream could be heard.

“Brock does have a point,” May admits, looking at Ash. “Ever since the island incident, you have been getting a little more… chaotic? Violent? I honestly don’t know what to call it.”

Laying flat on his stomach on the floor, Ash burst out laughing when the clip showed him falling between the reporters and coordinators out of nowhere. The clip captured his subtle grin as he revealed the pipe he was hiding behind his back. Those who knew of his strong dislike of reporters wisely chose to put as much distance from the boy wielding a pipe. For those who took the risk, they were chased by a gleeful trainer swinging a sturdy pipe.

“Ash is corrupting everyone,” Max mentions, pointing to the coordinators who decided to join in the fun with their Pokemon. “He’s getting other people to do it too.”

He didn’t know there were so many potential weapons on the ground! Although Drew didn’t join, to Ash’s disappointment, at least some of the other fed-up coordinators joined! On the screen, some coordinators shouted that they deserved their privacy after years of the press harassing them and digging for information until the reporters had nothing else wrung out of them.

“Where did they find the fireplace pokers,” Max continues, eyes glued to the TV with genuine interest.

“I don’t know,” May responds, sounding slightly unsure. “I would have surely noticed them.”

From the corner of his vision, Ash sees Jirachi giggle as the Pokemon sprawl across the floor. The giggling became louder when Max and May began to debate where a bunch of fireplace poker came from and who would do something so irresponsible to do something like that. Lost in their debate, the siblings, unlike him, didn’t notice Jirachi’s behavior change.

While Ash may not be a genius, he does have an inkling that a certain mythical Pokemon was stealthily hidden from everyone and was waiting for an opportunity. Why else would the Pokemon giggle at the sight of angry teenagers chasing reporters? The only question Ash had was why did Jirachi choose to fireplace pokers?

“Is there a reason why you’re increasing the frequency of your stunts,” Brock questions, catching Ash’s attention. His tone didn’t indicate anger or disappointment in his friend, but he noticed a pattern was beginning to form. “May is right. You have been acting differently for the past few weeks.”

Huh. He never gave any thought to his actions. Mostly, he was acting on his impulses and wanted to get payback for all the shit thrown at them. He needs to prove to others that he’s not someone to be taken lightly and that he’ll not hesitate to throw down if he or others are being threatened. However, he will admit that he may have gone a little overboard with his stunts. While he continues following his values in punishing deadbeat dads and criminals, he has gradually strayed away from his values. Now, he’s reaching the point of actively tormenting others and becoming too reactive.

“People would do a lot of unusual actions to get a sense of control in their life,”

His mom’s words repeated in his mind, and Ash almost felt like he was standing beside his mom. “Even if their actions impact absolutely nothing in one’s life, it’s that illusion of control that allows one to cope with the world around them.”

Was using his fists and violence how he got a sense of control? Was it his coping mechanism to manage the intense feelings he had experienced and process the events that had occurred? Was this what his mom meant when she said those words to Dad after finding him with bloodied knuckles?

“I have been throwing hands a lot more than usual,” Ash said quietly, accepting that what he had experienced in the recent and distant past was impacting him more than he expected. He remembered how, hours before the contest, he chased a journalist because he assumed the journalist was writing information about him. “I think I need a healthy outlet.”

Ash remembers his mom and dad's hushed conservations when they wrongly assumed he was sleeping. His mom stressed that his dad needed to work on his emotional regulation if he didn’t want Ash to model destructive behaviors. At the time, Ash didn’t know what they were talking about. He was like five at the time. All he knew was that Mom was tired of Dad hurting himself when he immediately reacted to his emotions. His dad doesn’t react to his anger, stress, or pain impulsivity too much anymore, but it took years for his dad to reach that point.

“Like journaling,” Brock suggests. He paused, thinking about which words to say to Ash. “Many people use journaling as a constructive way to process emotions and thoughts.”

“What do you do,” Ash asks, genuinely curious.

“Cooking mostly,” Brock answers, not missing Ash’s look of realization. “It’s a nice way to return to the present, and repetitive motions can be soothing. Having control over the ingredients, flavor, and duration to prepare the meal helps me feel more at ease.”

“That’s why you look more at ease after cooking,” Ash continued as Brock nodded in agreement.

Now it makes sense why Ash would see his mom frequently cooking in the kitchen, humming a song as she created elaborate dishes. Her mood improved when she stepped through the kitchen alongside the other grunts who helped cook daily. He vividly recalls the pride and joy on mom’s face when others enjoying her food.

“I guess I’ll try something like journaling,” Ash states, thinking about the other things he could do to reduce his emotional reactivity. “Or maybe meditating. Mom used to make me do that every day.”

Brock, caught off guard by Ash’s latter comment, opened his mouth before he could stop it. “You can sit still long enough to practice focusing in one’s mind for a period of time? You? Ash?”

“You little shit,” Ash comments, giving Brock an unamused look. Brock didn’t care. “How else do you think I can provide the aura Rayquaza needs to deal with Kyogre and Groudon?”

“Chosen One plot armor,” Brock responds without hesitation. “If you were a painfully average guy named Larry, you may have died back at Kanto.”

Ash gave a mock gasp, pretending to be offended by Brock’s comment. How could Brock treat the one he calls his best friend in such a cruel and unjust manner! Did their time together at Kanot, Johto, and Hoenn mean nothing for the older trainer? After all the bonding they did while dealing with national disasters and risking their lives for the sake of others, Brock decides to be a little shit?

Opening his mouth, Ash was about to come up with a witty retort, but the sounds of the door knocking interrupted his train of thought. In fact, May and Max stopped with their debate about the fireplace pokers and turned to face the door. Ash looked at the sibling pair, then at Brock, and lastly, stared at the door.

“Did anyone order room service,” Ash asks no one in particular.

Whoever was at the other side of the door they were persistent with their knocking! It hadn’t been a minute, and the person knocked at the door a bit harder this time.

“I did,” Max mentions, raising his hand. “I was hungry, and we didn’t have dinner, so I ordered some food.”

Obviously joking, Ash spoke. “With the money I earned for dying for a region’s sins.”

Max nodded and smiled, indicating he had no problem spending other people's money. Ash didn’t care since he had told everyone they could use the room service earlier.

“I’ll get it,” Ash offers, getting himself off the ground to walk toward the door. “The person on the other side of the door sounds like they are in a rush.”

His hand was firmly placed on the doorknob, he twisted the doorknob and let the door swing open. Ash froze, eyes widening at the sight before him. No, his reaction wasn’t out of fear or worry. Instead, it was in disbelief.

Ash’s gaze was met with Norman and Caroline, whose expression was filled with guilt and fatigue. Behind the couple was the same detective from before and a worn-out champion. From behind, he could hear May’s and Max’s shock gasps.

“Fuck,” Ash groaned. He was not ready to deal with this right now. “How the fuck did you guys find us?”

How did Norman and Caroline figure out they were staying at a hotel, not a Pokemon Center? Most trainers won’t bother to spend money at the hotel when they could stay at the Pokemon Center for free?

“May posted the picture of the hotel she was staying at,” Caroline explains as if she was reading Ash’s thoughts. “Finding the nearest hotel to the stadium wasn't difficult.”

Ash face turned toward May’s direction, giving May a blank look. May gave a nervous chuckle, knowing full well that she had no excuse to justify her actions. Max was sitting right beside her, playing with Jirachi. When did Jirachi stop his giggling fit and take his place near Max? Ash will never know.

“Remember what I told you a week ago,” Brock casually reminded Ash. “If you had any issues with Norman’s and Caroline’s decision, you need to do something different with them.”

Ash glances at Brock, giving a reluctant nod as he exhales. Let's see how much of a disaster this will be.

Wally blinked at the screen shoved in front of his face. The video on the screen was a compilation of a familiar trainer punching either Maxie or Archie. He has a sneaking suspicion that Ash somehow uncovered the truth about Maxie and Archie. The younger trainer has such a knack for discovering scandalous information that the trainer should be recruited for Interpol or the G-men.

“I would hate to be May or Max right now,” Brendan spoke. “Imagine having your dad kidnapping or threatening to kill you.”

“How they were able to learn the truth,” Wally wonders, deep in thought. “May and Max haven’t been answering our calls, so Ash is the only person who can potentially discover the truth.”

Wally would bet his barely functional lungs that Norman and Caroline did not reveal the truth. They’re too paranoid and overprotective to let bits of the truth slip. It had to be Ash since the trainer seemed to have an internal radar for detecting deadbeat or stupidly overprotective parents.

“Bet he knows someone high up in the Hoenn league,” Brendon theorized. “It makes sense, considering that he befriended people like Silver, Oak’s grandchildren, and some gym leaders.”

“At least we don’t have to be the one to disclose the awkward revelations,” Wally sheepishly admitted. “I barely had the courage to call May or leave voicemails.”

After mustering the courage to share what they had discovered, Wally and Brendan tried to contact the siblings, but not one of them picked up their phones. Every phone call was sent to voicemail, and their messages were left unread. Obviously, there was too much information to spill on a single voicemail message or text, so they simply asked May to call them back when they had the time.

Lucky for them, Ash most likely saves them the trouble. That’s one reason out of many reasons why Wally loved that May befriended the trainer. He takes care of all the significant problems, sparing him or Brendan from getting tangled in a messy situation.

“I’ll have to ask them how they discover the truth during the Hoenn league,” Brendan mentions. “Bet I can get someone to reveal the room Ash will stay in when he competes for the Hoenn league.”

“Brendan, no,” Wally warns, shaking his head in disbelief. “We don’t need May’s friends thinking you’re a stalker or creep!”

“But why,” Brendan protests.

“You tried the same with Silver,” Wally reminded his friend. “He kicked you in the chest and chucked you out of the same window you used to crawl into his room.”

“I’m not going to sneak into Ash’s room by climbing through the window when he’s out,” Brendan said in an attempt to correct’s Wally’s assumptions. “Or suspiciously stand at the corner of the room with the lights turned off.”

Wally blinked and resigned that he couldn’t stop Brendan from following through with his plan.

Chapter Text

Somehow, the room service Max ordered came through when the adults entered. Ash shoved a slice of pizza into his mouth while making eye contact with the couple. If he has to deal with an uncomfortable situation, he damn might as well treat himself to an overpriced pizza. 

“You and your brother have been ignoring our calls,” Norman starts, causing Ash to facepalm and Brock to get a look of disappointment.

“Really,” Ash shouts in disbelief, giving Norman a judgemental look. “That’s the first thing you say to your kids? No how have you been? No we been worried for you? At least say that before you go to lecture mode.”  

At least he gets that much from Dad and Mom before they go into lecture mode. Now that he thinks about it, he might have the healthiest family out of his friends. May’s and Max’s dad have trouble conveying his emotions and thinking about how his actions can impact his kids in the long run. Brock’s dad is a deadbeat, while Misty’s dad is a homewrecker. As for his friends’ moms, they’re not bad, but they’re not winning awards anytime soon.

“Geez,” May mutters, rolling her eyes. “I wonder why we have been ignoring your calls.”

“May,” Norman said with a stern voice.

“You and Mom have been lying for our entire childhood,” May shouts, nearly shooting up from her spot on the floor. She had lost her patience and briefly gave in to her anger. “Were you going to ever tell us the truth?”

“Were you ashamed of us,” Max adds, getting upset. “Is it embarrassing to have kids not related to you by blood?”

Wasn’t that painful? To have the people you love and trust indirectly lying for your entire life. How many people knew about May’s and Max’s adoption outside of their parents? The detective? The Hoenn League? If others knew the truth about May’s and Max’s status, their silence implies that the siblings’ adoption was a dirty secret. In Ash’s perspective, it meant that the sense of trust was broken, and a shadow of devastation would follow them for a while.

“Your situation was complicated,” Looker interjects.

“You’re the detective who would visit a lot…Looker, wasn’t it,” May notes. She then scowls at the detective, realizing he must have known the truth about her adoption. “So, you said you wanted to use Max and me in your investigation? How convenient you wanted to tell us about our adoption status when it suited for Interpol.”

Ash could have sworn he had Brock silently curse about the poor decisions everyone had made so far. He tilted his head to Brock to see that Brock was frowning, holding his tongue. Ash doesn’t blame him in the slightest. When the dad friend of the group is frowning and giving the disappointed parent a look, it should be a sign that the actual parents had fucked up and made the worse possible decision.

“What are you hoping to gain from this conservation,” Brock asks, breaking the silence. “Is your goal to apologize, or is it to justify your decision to keep such a key piece of information to yourself.”

“Is it so hard to believe that Norman and Caroline want to apologize,” Steven responds, his tone lighthearted as ever. “We’re also kind of curious about how you were able to learn about the truth.”

Without missing a beat, Jirachi began giggling at Steven’s comment. The adults looked at the Pokemon weirdly, unsure what was so funny. However, Ash knew that the Pokemon was the sole reason they were in this clusterfuck. This mischievous little Pokemon follows Norman out of boredom and accidentally discovers a life-altering secret hidden from the siblings. It didn’t help that Jirachi was considered a “deity,” so Ash could easily understand the Pokemon when Jirachi disclosed what he had discovered. 

Jirachi stopped laughing, looked between the couple and their kids, and resumed laughing because the Pokemon found it funny how the adults couldn’t figure out the truth. May blinked at the Pokemon, wondering how a small Pokemon could be full of mischief. Max seems to not care and finds the Pokemon’s action amusing. Brock wasn’t really paying attention to the Pokemon. Instead, he was more focused on the adult’s intentions.

“It kinda is hard to believe,” Ash blurted out without hesitation.

 Norman and Caroline gave Ash a mildly offended look. Ash didn’t care and continued to stare at them.

“We were worried about May and Max,” Caroline shared, tone filled with worry. “When May and Max had refused to answer their calls, we thought of the worse.”

“We checked every one of your social media accounts but found nothing to indicate if May and Max were alive and well,” Steven supplements. “At least, not until May posted where she stayed for the night on her Instagram.”

This is why Ash sporadically posts on his TikTok or Twitter account! It’s so easy to track him down if he uses his social media too much! Also, there’s no point in posting stuff online when other people would film his stupid stuff and tag him on the post. Let others do all the work in building up his (hopefully positive) reputation. 

Now that Ash thinks about it, he should post another misleading video online to throw the mercenaries off. He should have Lugia or the bird trio film a random place in Kanto or Johto to make his lie more believable. 

“So what you’re apologizing for,” Brock continues, interrupting Ash’s train of thought. 

“How we handled everything,” Caroline spoke, looking at May and then at Max. “We let our emotions get in the way, fearing that the truth would drive us away.”

“But lying did the same thing,” Max frowns, tone full of sadness. “We would have still loved you and Dad. I would have kept my biological mom being a part of Team Magma a secret.”

And Ash believes it. He wholeheartedly believed that Max would have kept that tidbit of information a secret from everyone. Max was technically an academically intelligent little kid, making this situation sadder. He’s knowledgeable, but little kids have some trouble dealing with intense emotions. Actually, any major life-changing news will fuck anyone up. As awful as it sounds, he’s glad he doesn’t have to deal with this drama.

“Your fears and insecurities cost you everything,” May voice out, not holding anything back. “How can we trust you and everyone else who knew about our adoption?”

“We didn’t want you or your brother to feel any shame,” Norman explains, face filled with regret. “May, Max, we wanted you to live your life a regular child.”

“You kept me trapped in my room for years,” May drily said, looking unimpressed. “That’s not living the life of a regular child. When I came of age, you didn’t allow me to join Brendan and Wally.”

“We fear that someone from Team Aqua will kidnap you again,” Caroline expressed. “Considering that your mother was from Team Aqua, it was a real possibility that you were kidnapped because of your origins.”

It's a reasonable concern, but they could have done better. The couple could benefit from speaking to his mom and dad. Back at Alola, Ash was kinda trapped within Po Town's walls, but Mom thoroughly explains why he wasn’t allowed to wander outside the base. Mom made sure to set clear expectations of where he was allowed to go, such as the forest behind the base and the playground if Aceola was there. Dad bluntly shared how the prejudices toward Team Skull would tarnish Ash’s reputation if word got around that he was the boss’s son. 

“This would have been resolved if you two had fucking communicated,” Ash groans, slapping his hand onto his forehead. “All you had to do is talk, honestly express whatever is in your brain, and make the adoption a positive experience. That’s it!”

The obvious differences between his parents and the siblings’ parents were how much they were willing to communicate and allow themselves to be open. Dad gently told him that he was adopted when he was five, being very clear that it was the greatest thing that had ever happened to him. Mom would have these random talks once a month where she shares her feelings about his safety while acknowledging that it must be frustrating to stay within the walls of Po Town as the grunts travel freely.

“That’s why we’re apologizing,” Norman spoke, unfazed by Ash’s reaction. ”I know it took me longer than necessary to realize that I have made countless mistakes. I should have been more considerate and honest with myself. Instead, I let my paranoia get the best of me, costing me my relationship with my children.”

Sparing Brock a glance, they both silently agreed that this was an adequate start. For now, the father is heading on the right track, but it will take a lot more work for everything to be partially resolved. The dude needs to see someone to work through his lingering issues from the military and whatever is going through his mind now. The same could be said for everyone back at Alola and for himself, but at least they get everything mostly under control. 

“You and Mom have a shit load to do,” May bluntly tell her parents. “Me and Max? We feel so betrayed by your actions. We were so mad that we learned the truth from someone who wasn’t you or mom!”

Caroline let out a breath. “You and our brother have every right to be mad. What we did broke your trust, and the two of you must have a lot of mixed feelings."

Huh, props to Caroline for acknowledging her kids' feelings and admitting to her fuck up. At first, Ash had doubts that Norman and Caroline actually reflected and thought about their actions. He didn’t know if their words were genuine, but he was starting to believe that the couple meant every word they meant. He wonders how many countless nights they spent contemplating what they did wrong and how they could make amends to the children they hurt. 

“Believe it or not, Norman had been looking into some therapist who specialized with veterans,” Steven interjects. Norman was not amused, but Steven didn’t care. “From what I heard, he would give a nasty look to anyone who suggested that he see someone for his issues.”

“But your father realized that he may benefit from it,” Caroline spoke up, giving Norman the “don’t kill your superior” look or else. “Next week, we will start individual therapy to work on ourselves.”

Ash could see uncertainty in Max’s and May’s eyes, contrasting their parents' hopeful looks. He almost understands how the siblings feel. That uncertainty of what will happen and waiting to see if taking a risk will pay off later on down the road. For him, it’s risking leaving Alola behind while his friends are risking placing trust in their parents. 

“Words may seem nothing without actions to back one’s words,” Norman continues, glancing at his wife. “But you and Max deserve to hear this from me.”

Ash was caught off guard by what he heard Norman say next.

“I’m sorry for how I treated you and your brother,” Norman apologized, sounding genuine. “For May, I apologize for keeping you trapped in our home and neglecting your feelings. For Max, I apologize for neglecting you while worrying about your sister. For both, I apologize for keeping your adoption and the truth a secret for the two of you.”

Wow. Ash would have never thought that he would hear Norman apologize for his actions. Some of the adults he had met don’t hold themselves accountable for their actions and instead blame it on something else. He would have thought that Norman was the same if it wasn’t for the expression on the gym leader’s face. The man was being serious. The words the father was spewing out of his mouth were real, not just some empty words.  

It’s unfamiliar territory for everyone, especially for the siblings. He remembers his last interaction with the gym leader, and Norman did not apologize to May. Sure, May was eventually allowed to continue with her travels. However, that was only if Ash could win a Pokemon battle against the man. Even after winning the battle, he never heard Norman apologize to May. In fact, this was the first time Ash had listened to the man say sorry for anything. 

Would Norman have realized his mistake and apologized to May if Ash had lost and dragged May back home? Would the mother and father have revealed the truth to their children sometime in the future, or was this only happening because reality slapped the couple across their faces?

“I’m not expecting immediate forgiveness,” Norman reassures after a bit. “Like I said, my actions must back up my own words. May, Max, I will work on your forgiveness starting today through my actions.” 

 May and Max looked at each other before turning to face their parents. 

May gave a tired sigh. “Then prove it. Show me that you're serious.”

“We’ll believe you and Mom when we see it,” Max adds.

For May’s and Max’s sakes, Norman better follow through with his words. It’s a good first step, but a lot needs to be repaired and rebuilt for this Hoenn family to be a functional, happy family unit. 

After the couple, Looker, and Steven left the room, everyone lay on the floor. All of them were exhausted after what had occurred minutes prior. Ash never wants to be involved in another emotional family situation ever again. He assumes that wasn’t in the job description for the Chosen One!

“There’s a first for everything,” May blurted out, gazing at the ceiling. “I still can’t believe that Dad apologized. It’s like the first time I heard him say sorry for something. 

“I can’t believe I’m about to say this,” Brock comments, shaking his head. “But I think Guzma may be the most adequate father I have met out of our friend group.”

“I want to meet Ash’s dad,” Max said, wondering what type of man would be Ash’s father. “Is he a trouble magnet like Ash?”

“Absolutely,” Ash confirms, smiling at the thought of his dad. “And Brock is right. Despite Dad being rough around the edges for most people, he knows how to parent!”

“Examples,” May asks.

“He told me that I was adopted the moment I can understand the meaning,” Ash blurts out, not realizing that he is saying his thoughts aloud.

“You’re what,” May screeched, sitting up and staring at Ash in disbelief. 

At the same time as May, Max shouted. “No way!”

Opps. It appears that he blurted out his thoughts again. He’s going to get into so much trouble with Mom and Dad since they specifically told him to not tell anyone he is adopted. Brock and Misty will also call him out for lying to them for this long and demand an explanation. He hopes it won’t be for a while.

“Ash you lying little shit,” Brock responds, sitting up. “This entire time, you told me that they were your biological parent. Are you saying that you have been lying to your friends? ”

Ah, never mind. There is a God that wants him to suffer. Why can’t he catch a break when he needs it?

“I swear I trust you guys,” Ash rambles, trying to figure out something to say to them. “It’s just…”

“I was joking,” Brock quickly said, noticing Ash’s distress. 

“You’re not mad,” Ash asks, looking confused. “Everything I told you may have been a lie? How come you’re not mad?”

He lied about a lot of things. His family’s residence. His reasoning for traveling. His age. Not interacting with the mercenary group before Hoenn. There are many things he lied about to his friends, so how come Brock is not mad at him? 

“I’m not mad,” Brock reassures. “You may not notice, but you would become silent and avert your gaze before you say a lie. It simply took me a long while to notice.”

It’s official. Brock is a little shit who knew this whole time that he wasn’t truthful. Ash gave Brock an unamused look, which didn’t faze the older trainer. 

“You may be taught to lie to your aura or Plumeria’s bloodline,” Brock guessed. His voice had no trace of anger, which did nothing to help with Ash’s confusion. “Something may have happened that taught you to lie to protect yourself. I’m not going to force you to tell me anything, but I do hope you know none of us will do anything to betray your trust.”

Ash knows that Brock is telling the truth. Maybe one day, he’ll tell Brock, Misty, Tracey, Max, and May everything about his past. However, he’s not ready for it, and today is not the day. Brock, who seemed to know what Ash was thinking, nodded as if to acknowledge Ash’s wishes. 

Chapter Text

Ash waits for his parents to say something to break the lingering silence. He had wrapped up by telling them how he and his friends got involved with a Manaphy and helped the Pokemon reach the Sea Temple. Should he have left out some details about his incident with Manaphy? Yes. Could he have left out his habit of drowning, being chase by a pirate, or traveling with a group of strangers in their submarine? Probably, based on the looks of his parents through the screen. His dad looked like he was about to pull his hair out while his mom was muttering how she would get grey hairs in her thirties.

“What the fuck,” Guzma starts, sounding entirely done with his son’s lack of self-preservation. “Didn’t we teach you not to follow strangers?”

“Manaphy basically imprinted on May and forced us to come along,” Ash justifies, turning to face May. “May, can you tell my dad we didn’t have a choice.”

“It’s true,” May confirms. She then stares in Ash’s direction and continues speaking without an ounce of guilt.“But that doesn’t explain Ash’s lack of self-preservation instincts or little regard for his well-being. 

Ash gave May a mock look of betrayal. If that wasn’t bad enough, he could hear Brock snort and Max verbalizing his agreement. May turns her face away and back onto the screen displaying Ash’s parents. Plumeria nodded in agreement while Guzma took a swig out of his Tapu Coco. The mother was about to open her mouth to share her thoughts, but the sudden sounds of voices interrupted her. The voices were muffled, but it was clear that several people were excitedly chattering nearby.

On the screen, Ash could see his dad facepalming and his mom giving an exasperated sigh. In the background, screaming could be heard, and a door bursting open. Seconds later, Lilo shoved his parents aside without a single care in the world. A familiar voice called out before the source of that voice crashed into Lilo. Then, the person revealed herself by popping next to Lilo. Lilo flashed a cheeky grin while Acerola gave a big smile. 

“I fucking told Kekea that Ash wasn’t a Manaphy in disguise,” Lilo shouts, happy that she was proven right. “ He was wrong, so now he owes me a shit ton of money!”

Behind Ash, his friends were unaware of who the black haired girl on the screen was or what she was talking about. All they knew was that she was likely eavesdropping on the conservation and knew what a Manaphy was. As for the purple hair girl, Brock remembers the girl from their last interaction on the screen and the tidbits Ash would share. On the other hand, May and Max stare at the screen confusedly and wonder about the girls’ relationship with Ash. 

“People were still betting on that,” Ash blurts out. Honestly, he had forgotten how the grunts thought he was a Manaphy for the longest time. “Manaphy can’t learn Hurricane or Thunder!”

“Some of us thought so as well,” Acerola shrugged. “But they refuse to admit that they were wrong.”

“So we made a profit from the idiots,” Lilo continues, giving Acerola a high five.

“Can someone please tell me who they are,” Max complains, pointing at the scream. “And why do they know about Manaphy. Do they know other things about you, Ash?”  

Ash visibly brightened as he explained how the purple hair girl was his childhood best friend who put up his nonsense and would come over to eat all of Guzma’s snacks. Acerola laughed as she said she was one of many who ate the man’s snacks, mentioning Mewtwo between laughter. After Acerola calmed down, Ash returned to explaining how the other girl was another friend of his who was part of a group of delinquents. Lilo gave him an unamused look, mouthing delinquents in confusion.

To be fair, Ash doesn’t know how he can subtly tell his friends that his parents run a gang that does illegal things but doesn’t hurt people. Just the rich, assholes, and abusers. Now looking back, it’s just a group of outcasts composed of people who were orphaned, disowned, neglected, or tossed away from society. Huh. Maybe Team Skull is a safe haven. A safe haven for those who need one and a menace to the rest of Alola.

“Is your dad a fucking gang leader,” May yells, not knowing if it is true or false.

Everyone could hear Guzma choking on his spit off-screen and the sound of something crashing onto the floor. Plumeria could be heard saying something about a broken vase and warning Guzma to be careful when bumping his head. The large thump that came after Plumeria’s warning indicated that Guzma was not careful. The people on Ash’s side of the screen looked at each other, thinking that May was right about Guzma being a gang leader. Ash seems unfazed, and acts like this is another Tuesday for him. 

“This is great,” Lilo comments, pulling a bag of candy out of nowhere. “I didn’t know I would be receiving entertainment as well.”

Acerola nodded and robbed a fistful of candy from Lilo. “Guzma! Your son’s friends think you’re a gang leader!”

“Is it true,” Max questions? “Is Ash’s dad a gang leader?”

“That might be the most normal thing about Ash,” Brock mentions, earnings look from Ash. When Brock notices, he continues. “What? Ash, you can’t tell me everything else about you is normal.”

Ash opened his mouth, ready to say something to counter Brock’s statement. However, he quickly shut his mouth when he couldn’t come up with something from his childhood or about him now that was normal. Legendary child, using moves like Pokemon, saving the world, being a legendary magnet, and having god-like Pokemon being your parent as well was not normal.

As if Brock had read his thoughts, the older trainer gave Ash a smug look. Ash, being the little shit he is, flips him off. The Pokemon breeder took great amusement in Ash’s response. 

“Hold up,” Guzma calls out, gently pushing the girls to the screen's side. “Whoever told you I’m a gang leader is a filthy liar.”

Brock and May made direct eye contact with the father, daring the man to say more lies. Max was waiting in suspense, wondering what would happen next. Out of curiosity, Ash stood at his spot and waited to see how this all played out. Plumeria, at some point, reappeared on the screen, maintaining her usual expression. The girls’ chewing and slight laughter could be heard on Guzma's side of the screen. 

“It’s not a bad thing,” May quickly said. “I mean, I assume you’re okay with me and my brother being friends with your son despite being children of eco-terrorists.”

“You’re what,” Guzma and Plumeria simultaneously yell.

“Children of eco-terrorists,” May repeats, oblivious to the parents’ concerns. “We recently discovered that we were adopted, and our childhood was a lie.” 

“Now we told you our secret, so you must share yours,” Max continues. 

“Why are you kids so adamant about discussing this all of a sudden,” Plumeria asks, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

Brock and May shrugged while Max said something about liking to be the source of people’s headaches. Ash is starting to realize that he has been a bad influence on Max, and by the end of his time at Hoenn, Max will be left to his own devices. Add Jirachi’s mischievous personality, and Max will become a menace to society. Oh well. That’s Hoenn's problem.

“Ash accidentally let it slip that he was adopted,” Brock casually mentions. “If your family has other secrets, you might as well share them.”

Plumeria hums thoughtfully. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” Ash admits sheepishly. “I made fun of Norman’s parenting skills and let it slip that Dad was a good parent to tell me the truth about my adoption and not lie like Norman and Caroline.”

This is it. Ash will get into big trouble, and he can do nothing about it. He will get a lecture of a lifetime, and everyone back at Alola will laugh at him. They will never let him live this down for the rest of his life. He’ll be reminded of his mistakes and how he put himself and everyone at risk for some unseen danger. 

Bracing for a very long and painful lecture, Ash anticipated his mom or dad would start commenting about his reckless action or how much danger he put himself in for letting something so crucial slip. He didn’t expect his dad to groan and pull several hundred dollar bills out of his pocket. Plumeria happily took the money out of Guzma’s hand while the girls on the screen snicker.

“And here is my prize,” Plumeria spoke, counting the money in her hands. “ I need to let the others know about it.”

Ash blinks. “Mom, what is going on?”

“We made a betting pool about how many regions it will take for you to reveal your adoption status,” Plumeria discloses, taking the money Lilo handed to her. “I bet it will take you to say something before your fourth region.”

“Your dad and I were some of the people who betted that it would spill after your third region,” Lilo reveals. “I can’t believe that I lost a hundred bucks.”

Max, growing tired of the deflecting, cuts in. “Is Guzma a gang leader or not! We’re getting off-topic. “

“Fine,” Guzma spoke, throwing his hands up in defeat. “I’m the big bad boss of a group of outcasts. Fear me, I guess.”

“More like delinquents,” Acerola chimes in, popping another candy into her mouth. “People at the police station view you guys as a low threat.”

Ash snorts because he knows that back at Alola, someone is hacking and stealing increments of money from some rich guy's wallet. If it wasn’t that, it’s sneakily driving away capitalists fucker who are trying to take over Alola. While his dad isn’t a traditional man, he hates capitalism more than anything. Stealing funds and cool trinkets from the capitalists could also be a poor justification for Team Skull’s actions. 

However, that is how much of his parents’ actions he’ll approve of. Memories of his mother speaking in a hushed tone in the middle of the night rush back to him. He recalls staying quiet as he heard comments about collecting, trading, and selling information from the cracked door. If his mom wasn’t an information broker for some shady people, it was providing analysis or being a middleman in transporting weapons. Recently, some grunts had picked up engineering and mechanics, encouraging them to make and sell some of their stuff.

As for his dad, he has no people skills but can somehow unite a group of people who are labeled as outcasts, the black sheep, or unordinary. Strangely, his dad also has leadership skills to organize, lead, and guide Team Skull. However, that’s not what he has issues with Dad’s line of work. It’s that his dad was basically hired help. Want someone to beat up or distract your target? Hire dad. Want some extra muscle or a bodyguard? Hire dad. Want someone to play the villain and look like a hero to someone you’re trying to impress? Hire dad. 

“I’m going to assume that you disagree with your folks’ profession,” Brock guessed, noticing the frown on Ash’s face.

Huh, he’s frowning? Ash guesses that he can’t hide his true feelings about his parents’ line of work. At least his friends aren’t criticizing him for being related to a gang boss. That could be due to his friends’ understanding nature and the fact that May’s and Max’s parents were leaders of crime groups. 

“Kids rebel,” Guzma shrugged, not sounding disappointed or mad. “A parent won’t stop loving their kid because that kid has a different perspective on life. Or different beliefs.”

“That's the most mature thing I heard you said in a while,” Plumeria joked, earning a jab from Guzma. 

Minutes later, Ash said goodbye to his parents and friends. When the screen turned black, Brock immediately groaned, muttering about how gang bosses were better parents than his or all of their friends’ parents combined. Sadly, Ash has to agree with Brock. Why do so many parents lack the skills to properly parent, listen, or accept their children’s beliefs?

Chapter Text

Ash waits beside the water fountain, searching for one of his friends amidst the busy mall space. When his temptation to leave took over, he would take one step forward before retracting his steps. Everyone agreed to wait at the one water fountain in the mall if they were separated before entering the busy mall. They were only joking but didn’t expect several department stores to host a flash sale around the same time. He was separated from everyone from a mob who had no problem pushing, shoving, and trampling over people for some discounted garbage!

If only the Pokemon Center they were staying at hadn’t had an inconvenient power surge that destroyed anything plugged into a wall last night. An abrupt storm came out of nowhere as thunderstruck unsuspecting powerlines and buildings, giving little time to unplug appliances from outlets. Sadly, it so happened that his and all his friends’ phones were charging at an outlet vulnerable to power surges. One minute after the storm started, all of their phones were destroyed. Now, they are buying new phones to replace their destroyed phones. 

“Hey,” a voice called out from afar. “Ash! I finally found you!”

Facing toward the source of the voice, Ash saw May and Brock from the distance. When he made eye contact with them, he waved a hand in the air and shouted at them to hurry up. May darts to the water fountain as she scans her surroundings. Brock trails right behind her with a concerned expression plastered on his face.

“Ash” May said, out of breath. She grabs Ash’s shoulder, looking at Ash worriedly. “Max is not with you?”

“No,” Ash answers, noticing that Max is not with either Brock or May. “I thought he would be with you?”

“We thought he would be with you,” Brock responds. “Now that we see he isn’t with you, we must decide what to do.”

“We could split up and search around the mall,” Ash suggests.

Everyone had different ideas on how to find the missing child. While everyone agreed to make a missing child report with mall security, no one could agree on what to do after. Ash thinks it will be better if everyone split up and come back to meet at the fountain an hour from now. Brock disagreed and stated that someone needed to wait by the fountain in case Max stumble his way to the fountain. May thinks that they should wait first, then split up. For a while, no one could agree until it was decided they would play a rock paper and scissors game. They will follow the winner’s plan and not argue about it. Surprisingly, it was Brock who won the game. 

“I’ll stay by the water fountain,” May offered, sitting at the fountain's edge. “You two will come back in an hour, right?”

“That’s the plan,” Brock confirms, looking at the wall clock display. “Ash, remember to check the times when you go looking.”

“I will,” Ash assured. “Now, let’s make a report and check this whole place out. There is no saying how much trouble Max can get into.”

Pikachu, waiting patiently on the floor, sensed a powerful presence in the area. He walked several steps forward, catching someone who looked out of place. Why is there a hiker shopping in a mall when a mall doesn’t have hiking gear for them? Also, why does this one hiker give off such a powerful presence? The presence felt familiar, but he couldn’t figure out why. A name is on the tip of his tongue, but a mental blockage in his brain prevents him from saying the name.

Max aimlessly walks through the busy mall, hoping to stumble upon his sister, Ash, or Brock. He had tried looking at the signs, but someone was always blocking the sign or rudely pushing him to the side. When there’s a mall cop nearby, he would rush toward them and call out to them. However, the chatter and music would drown out his voice, and the mall cop would stroll in the opposite direction. 

No one seemed to care that he was lost and alone, which should have bothered him. He’s more annoyed and worried than bothered. He’s annoyed because he’s wasting time being lost and not finding the water fountain everyone agreed to meet at. He worries about how long he can keep Jirach sleeping in his backpack. There’s no saying how much trouble Jirachi could get into if the Pokemon is awake and bored. Last time, it was unrevealing a family secret, and he would prefer if he doesn’t go through something like that again in a long while. Never would be preferred, but knowing his track record, that would be asking for too much.

“Excuse me,” a voice spoke, tapping on Max’s shoulder. “I notice you are alone and lost, child. Do you need any help?”

Max turned his head over his shoulder to see a young hiker with crimson hair and yellow eyes. The man was smiling and gave a little wave. What grabbed his attention was that the man had a big black backpack with bright yellow lines forming an elaborate pattern. Somehow, looking at the lines made him think of the burning magma one would see inside a volcano. 

The rest of the man’s attire looks pretty cool, though it’s out of place for a mall. A scarlet long-sleeved hiking shirt, a matching red fleece jacket with black lines designs wrapped around his waist, and gray convertible pants were an odd but cool style. The man's black hiking boots were also nice but covered in mud. He also noticed that there was a black and red cap hanging from the side of the man’s backpack as well. 

“Hi,” Max greets, giving a slight wave. “Can you give me directions to the only water fountain in the mall?”

“I’m afraid that I’m bad with directions,” the man apologized, causing Max to frown. The man pauses to find the right words to boost the child’s mood. “But if you don’t mind, I will stay with you until we find someone you know.”

The events from last night replayed in his head, causing Max to hesitate at the man’s offer. He distinctly remembers how Ash’s dad mentioned something about not following strangers and how Ash was nearly lectured. If Max was to tell his mom and dad about this, they would lecture him for following a potential stranger. However, he does have Jirachi with him, sleeping in his book bag. If something terrible was to happen, he could yell for Jirachi to wake up and help him get out of trouble. 

“Don’t try anything funny,” Max warns, earning a chuckle from the man. “I will not hesitate to hurt you if you try anything.”

“I won’t do anything to harm you,” the man states, crossing his heart with his pointer finger. “Though, I hope you don’t mind accompanying me to the hot sauce store.”

“They have a hot sauce store,” Max exclaims, bouncing in excitement. “I always wanted to go to one.”

“Then you’re just in luck,” the man smiles, pulling out his wallet. “It’s several stores down.”

The man places a hand on Max’s shoulder, guiding Max away from the busy crowd of shoppers. Their pace quickens when a sign in bold red letters reads “Pepperland” from a distance, making Max forget that he needs to meet up with everyone else. All he could think about was trying something new and proving to everyone back home that he could handle spicy food. Then, he realized that May was the one who was carrying his wallet and that he couldn’t buy anything.

“Pardon me,” the man spoke, seeming apologetic. “I shouldn’t have assumed you could pay for your items.”

“Yeah,” Max admits sheepishly. “I guess I’ll return later when I have my wallet.”

The man ponders, tapping his chin with his pointer finger. Briefly, Max noticed that the man would glance between him and a sign that challenged users to try a few drops of one of the store’s special hot sauces without requesting milk. Apparently, one of the hot sauces made by the store is labeled high on the Scoville scale. He doesn’t know what that means, but it sounds like something he would want to try. 

“But I give you spending money if you participate in the challenge,” the man mentions, pulling out his wallet. “How does one hundred dollars sound.”

“That’s a lot of money,” Max points out, eyeing the wallet suspiciously. “What’s the catch?”

“Trying to ease my guilt by doing one kind action,” the man admits. “Though, if you want a star piece from me, you can try to beat me in a bet.”

A voice in his mind told him that this scenario sounded oddly familiar and he should tread carefully. However, he couldn’t remember where he had heard this scenario.

“I bet you cannot succeed in the challenge,” the man confidently states. “Even if you were to lose, I would give you the spending money, I promise.” 

“But you didn’t make any promises,” Max reminded the man. “Also, what do I get if I win?”

“Two star pieces,” the man answers, carefully watching Max’s reaction. “And if I win, you can give me your full name since I notice you haven’t given me your name. Now, do you consent to the bet?”

The man reaches out, waiting for him to shake his hand. After a moment of hesitation, Max shook the man's hands, determined to not back down from a challenge. Despite the man’s strange wording, he sees nothing wrong with it. He could have sworn he saw the man subtly grin and mutter about proving his brother wrong. 

The second they shook hands, the man guided him inside the store and to an employee to ask about the challenge. The employee gave them a questioning look, debating if she should allow a child to participate in a bet. After deciding that the child had adult supervision, the employee snatched the open bottle and a plastic spoon nearby. She carefully placed three drops on the spoon and handed it to Max.

“Let me grab a glass of milk,” the employee said, making her way to the back of the store. “Do not swallow the spoon I have a glass of milk ready.”