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With an angry scream, Sakura flew out of the school courtyard, angry tears falling as she ignored her fathers's calls for her to come back. She sprinted angrily through the forest until she tripped over a tree root, landing on her front. Sakura lay on the grass, temporarily stunned before crying again. It wasn’t fair. She didn't do anything wrong. Stupid H.J!
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, making her flinch. Oh no, one of her dads must have followed her. Why did he have to run with the Pokémon nearly every day?
“Saki?” a familiar voice beside her panted.
Sakura sighed. It wasn't her dad. Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself to her knees before looking over her shoulder. Her older cousin, Basil and their two best friends, twins Cordelia and Kaehi, were sitting behind her, breathing heavily.
“Hey, guys,” she sniffed, turning around and sitting cross-legged before wiping her eyes and cheeks.
"Hey, you alright, cousin?" Basil smiled.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she nodded, pulling off her hat so she could fix her long, blonde hair. "Sorry, I ran off. I'm just so angry at them. They’re being so unfair!"
"You really should apologise to your dads, Saki," Cordelia encouraged.
"No, I don't!" Sakura snapped, putting her cap back on her head. "They’re not even my real fathers, neither of them are!"
"That doesn't matter," Kaehi shrugged. "You're their daughter. They adopted and raised you. They love you. You should go back and talk to them."
Sakura crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "I'm not going back! I didn't do anything wrong!"
"You punched someone, cousin," Basil reminded her. "I know H.J. was being mean about our family, but that doesn't mean you should punch someone."
Sakura sighed. "I just don't understand why Papa is angry with me. He's always saying you should always defend friends, family and Pokémon from bullies."
"Yeah, by being the bigger person," Basil stated. "Not breaking someone's nose."
Sakura rolled her eyes again before looking around. Looks like she had gone pretty deep into the forest. She didn't recognise anything.
"How far did I run?"
"Pretty fair," Cordelia admitted. "Maybe we should head back."
Sakura scoffed. "Do we have to? I'm not in the mood for being yelled at again. Especially by Dad. You know how he gets.”
"Would you rather walk home now or have Mum send her Ninetails after us?" Basil deadpanned. “Or maybe one of your dad’s Lycanroc?”
Sakura groaned before standing. "Ugh, fine; let's go back and get this over and done with. Come on, guys.”
She then marched in the direction she was certain she came from, picturing the punishment she was in for. She hoped her dad wouldn’t make her work with Faba in his office. She couldn’t stand that creepy bug-type-looking man and his anal neat-freak tendencies. Why her grandparents liked him was beyond her.
“Saki?” Cordelia suddenly said.
“What, Lia?” Sakura grumbled.
“Do you know where we are?”
The question made Sakura pause before looking around. She didn’t recognise the area. There were no Harben berry bushes so they weren’t near Grandpa Forest’s home and there weren’t any slopes so they weren’t near Orangaru’s place either. It was silent so they weren't near any houses or close to the shopping centre and a quick sniff of the air told her that she wasn’t close to any sections of the beach either. Her stomach then started to churn with discomfort. Did that mean they were lost?
"Um, you do know the way back, don't you, Saki?" Kaehi asked, sounding nervous.
"Course I do," Sakura said, quickly looking around. "We should go....”
Then she noticed sections of the sun shining through the trees. Yeah, that’ll work. If they follow the sun, then they’ll come to an open area like a field or a road. And from there, Sakura will be able to find their way home.
“This way,” she pointed before marching determinedly in the direction she was pointing, ignoring the uncertain looks on her friends and cousin’s faces.
They walked a little longer before finally reaching a small clearing that was close to Ten Carat Hill. Sakura beamed. Yeah, she knew where they were. She and her dads took a walk through here last week. Now all she had to do was find the path and they’ll be home. She immediately spied it by a large tree that looked similar to a Trevenant. It looked a little bit more narrow than last time but that didn't matter. What mattered was that she found a way out of the forest all by herself, and now she was going to lead everyone home.
"See," Sakura beamed smugly as she led them to the path. "I know what I'm doing, no matter what Dad and Papa- Ahh!"
Sakura screamed as she suddenly slipped and started sliding down the steep, rocky slope.
"Sakura!" Basil cried.
Sakura closed her eyes, waiting for the impact, only it never came. She opened her eyes to see she was staring at the trees below her. She looked behind her to see her cousin and friends holding on to the back of her shirt with one hand while holding some branches on the Trevenant tree with the other.
"Hang on, Saki!" Cordelia cried through gritted teeth. "We'll pull you up! Just don't move too much!"
Sakura held her breath, trying to be as still as possible when she suddenly heard something crack. Looking behind her, Sakura saw the branch her friends and cousin were holding on to was starting to break. Sakura’s eyes went wide. If the branch was cracking, then that meant the tree was a dead tree. And that means….
"Let me go!" She cried, scared for her friends and cousin's safety. "The branch is about to break!"
But it was too late. The branch broke under the combined weight of the four children, sending the four of them down to the forest below. As the four closed their eyes and screamed, they didn't notice the bright green light engulfing them.
******
Ash, Gladion, Kiawe and Lana, who was seven months pregnant, sat on a large picnic blanket in a section close to Ten Carat Hills where Ash and Gladion lived, waiting for Lillie and Mallow to turn up while enjoying the sunshine. Ash had his hand on Lana's belly, trying to get the babies to kick. But there was no movement.
"They must be sleeping," he pouted.
Lana smiled as she and Kiawe rubbed her belly.
“Sleeping's good for you, but I wish you'd do it at night, so I can sleep,” she complained.
"Not even in the world yet and they’re already full of fiery energy," Kiawe beamed proudly. “I can’t wait to meet them!”
"Have you two thought up any names yet?" Gladion asked.
“We have a list, and we're trying to narrow it down,” Kiawe admitted. ”I want a name that means fire, and Lana wants a name that means water. But we just can’t decide. Guess we’ll have to meet them first.”
Gladion shrugged. “Mother was the same with Lillie and me so there's nothing wrong with that.”
“I certainly can’t wait to meet them,” Ash grinned, making Lana chuckle.
"So, do you think you two are going to try for a kid?" she asked.
Ash and Gladion looked at each other before shrugging.
"We've thought about it," Ash admitted. "We've decided to go with fostering and maybe adoption later."
"We just don't know when yet," Gladion confessed.
"I’m sure when the feeling comes, you'll know, big brother," a sweet familiar voice said.
Everyone turned to see Mallow and Lillie walking toward them, holding hands and glowing.
"Alola, you two. How did it go?" Ash asked, crossing his fingers hopefully.
"The procedures worked," Mallow beamed. "I'm pregnant. Four weeks."
With a happy cry, Ash got up and hugged his sisters-in-law, Gladion close behind.
"Have you told Mother yet?" Gladion asked as he kissed Lillie and Mallow’s cheeks.
"I don't want Mother to smother Mallow at the moment," Lillie admitted. "I know she's been excited since Mallow and I decided to try, but she's being a bit much."
"Better than what she did to us the other day," Ash sighed. "She pretended to be sick and said the only way she would heal is if Gladion and I would give her a grandchild. I think my mother put her up to it."
"Oh, Mother," Lillie sighed as she sat down, her cheeks red with embarrassment. "So, where's Sophocles?"
"He got called to Ula'ula Island by his cousin," Lana announced. "Something about helping with the telescope. He sends his love and apologies."
"Oh, what a shame," Mallow said as she sat next to Lillie, Gladion and Ash joining her. "Guess we'll have to contact him later to let him know the news."
"So, have you guys thought up some names yet?" Lana asked.
"Isn't it too early to come up with names?" Mallow asked.
Before anyone could answer, a bright green light suddenly flashed in the sky. Everyone looked up to see four children falling from the sky, screaming. Immediately, Ash, Gladion, Lillie and Kiawe stood up and ran forward, catching the children in their arms safely. The children looked around briefly before sighing in relief.
"Thank you for saving my cousin, friends and myself," the little blonde girl in Ash's arms said.
"It's alright," Ash smiled as everyone gently placed the children on their feet before stepping back to examine them while Mallow and Lana walked over to make sure everyone was okay.
There were four children, two boys and two girls. The girl Ash had caught had long blonde hair under a black and red cap, bright brown eyes and fair, sun-kissed skin. She was wearing a red vest with a hood over a black, long-sleeved shirt, denim shorts and black sandals. The boy next to her bore a striking resemblance to Lillie and Gladion with his blonde hair, green eyes and porcelain skin. He was wearing green overalls with a white t-shirt and green sneakers. The other boy and girl appeared to be identical twins with bronze skin, except the girl had ruby-red strands mixed in with her burgundy hair with bright blue eyes, whereas the boy had indigo mixed in with his burgundy hair with dark brown eyes. The girl was wearing a loose dress over a one-piece swimming costume while the boy wore a white sailor shirt similar to Lana’s and a pair of loose red shorts. Both of them had sandals on their feet.
“Are you kids hurt?” Mallow asked.
There was no answer. Instead, the children just stared at them, their faces were covered in shock.
Gladion frowned. “Are you okay?
"Papa?!" The little blonde girl exclaimed as she stared at Ash before looking at Gladion. "Dad?! What are you doing here, and why do you both look so young?"
"Wait, if you're Uncle Ash and Uncle Gladion," The blonde boy said in surprise before looking at Mallow and Lillie. "Then that means...Maman? Māmā?"
"Mum and Dad?" The red-haired girl asked while her twin stared.
Everyone looked at the children in confusion.
"I'm sorry," Lillie said politely. "You must have us confused with someone else."
"No, wait," Mallow said as she kneeled in front of the blonde boy, staring at his face. "Lillie, he looks just like you."
"And these two," Lana said, inspecting the twins. "They have our eyes, Kiawe. What are your names?"
"I'm Cordelia," the girl said. "And this is my little brother, Kaehi."
"Those names are on our list," Kiawe breathed in wonder. "Please, do you have a middle name, Kaehi?"
"Haku," the boy answered immediately.
Kiawe covered his mouth in shock. "My grandfather's name. Lana, they're our twins!"
"But how?" Gladion asked as he stepped back, completely shocked. "How is this possible? An Ultra Wormhole?"
Ash quickly looked around before looking up.
"No, love," he sighed, pointing to the sky. "Celebi."
Everyone looked up in time to see a little green Pokémon fly away into the trees. Lillie blinked as she looked between the children and the direction Celebi flew off to.
"We should go after it," she said in a panic. "They have to go back to their own time. There could be consequences."
"It's going to be fine, Lillie," Ash smiled, remembering his previous experiences with Celebi. "I’ve dealt with Celebi before. If we chase it, we're just going to scare it. But if we wait, it'll come back, see that these kids don't belong in this timeline and send them back.”
Everyone looked at him worriedly.
“Are you sure?” Lana asked.
“I promise,” Ash swore. “And while we wait, let's take advantage of this."
"Take advantage?" Gladion questioned.
"These are our kids," Ash grinned at his husband. "Why don't we get to know them? Is that okay with you four?"
The blonde girl frowned at Ash.
"Let me talk it over with my cousin and friends," she said before pulling them away from the group. As the kids huddled together and whispered, everyone else glared at Ash.
"What are you all glaring at me for?" Ash asked.
"Ash, wouldn't this put pressure on us in the future?" Kiawe asked. "Like name-choosing for Lana and me?"
"And we won't find out our baby's gender for the next fourteen weeks," Mallow pointed out. "What if something happens?"
"And we haven't even put in paperwork to qualify us for fostering or adoption," Gladion finished. "I don't think this is a good idea."
"It's going to be okay," Ash reassured them. "The legend behind Celebi is that when it appears, a bright future follows it. Celebi is not cruel in any way. There's a reason this has happened. I promise everything is going to be okay."
Ash then looked over at the children in time to see the blonde girl scowl at her friends before they disbanded and walked over.
"Besides, we have to come up with something because it appears that they've made up their minds," he pointed out.
Everyone looked at the children. The twins and the blonde boy were grinning but the girl looked sullen with her arms folded.
"We've decided that until Celebi comes back, we'll wait with you guys,” the blonde girl told them begrudgingly.
"Alright!" Ash cheered before walking back to the blanket they were sitting on.
After sitting down, he patted the blanket, indicating that everyone else should sit down too. Everyone sighed before awkwardly copying Ash, the blonde girl sitting as far away from Ash and Gladion as possible. The two groups then stared at each other, unsure about what to say. After a few minutes, Ash shook his head with a soft scoff.
"Ugh, everyone, this is silly," he complained before smiling at the blonde kids. "I'll start. We know Cordelia and Kaehi's names, but we don't know yours. So, what are your names?"
"Sakura," the blonde girl revealed sourly. "But sometimes, you call me Saki. Dad also calls me "Petals". And this is my cousin Basil.”
Mallow gasped. "Basil was my grandfather's name.”
Basil smiled shyly. “Basil Mohn.”
This time, Lillie gasped, her eyes sparkling.
"Nice to meet you, Saki and Basil," Ash smiled. “It’s nice to meet all of you.”
As the others nodded, Gladion studied Sakura's face thoughtfully. Unlike her friends, the girl had not smiled once. Her eyes kept shifting around like she was trying to find some way to escape. In a way, she almost looked like Ash when he was upset about something but didn't want to talk about it.
Well, thankfully Gladion knew how to get Ash to open up. He had spent five years learning how to get him to open up. And if this girl was anything like Ash in terms of nature, then maybe he could use his tricks to get her to relax and open up as well. Also, despite his earlier hesitation, he was curious about this little girl who called him “Dad”.
"Why do I call you Petals?" he asked.
Sakura looked down, her cheeks colouring. “Because I love flowers, and I'm always bringing flower necklaces home.”
"How old are you all?" Lana asked.
"Seven," the four children answered.
"I'm the eldest," Cordelia said proudly. "Then it goes Kaehi, Basil and Saki’s the youngest."
"So, you're not old enough to be trainers yet," Lillie said thoughtfully. "Do any of you have any Pokémon yet?"
"Not yet." Basil shook his head. "We keep busy with your Pokémon. Tsareena and Snowy are very protective of me and Magearna looks after me sometimes."
"I love water types, though," Cordelia beamed. "We go swimming or fishing with Primarina and Sandy nearly every morning."
"And I love fire types!" Kaehi cheered, his eyes glowing in a way that was similar to Kiawe's. "They're so much fun! Marowak is teaching me to fire dance!"
Kiawe and Lana's eyes went wide, making Kaehi wince.
"Without the fire!" he added quickly. "I'm not allowed to dance with actual fire until I'm eighteen. Mum's rule."
Kiawe and Lana sighed with relief, especially Kiawe who had experience with burns from Marowak’s fire.
"What about you, Saki?" Ash asked.
The girl’s lips twitched into a half-smile as she rocked her head in a way that said kind of. "Let's just say there's never a boring day in our house.”
Everyone smiled. Yeah, that sounded like Ash and Gladion’s house.
"Are you in school yet?" Lana asked.
"Yes, Uncle Ash, Maman and Professor Kukui are our teachers," Basil said happily, although the smile on Sakura's face disappeared.
Noticing this, Ash and Gladion shared a look. Yeah, this girl was struggling with something and there was a chance that either Ash or both of them were involved. But they were going to need some more information first.
"What do I teach you?" Ash asked although he was pretty sure he knew the answer.
"Pokémon from around the world," Basil said excitedly. "Regional starters, region variants, legendries, mythical and Ultra Beasts. Uncle Gladion helps with the lessons on Ultra Beasts. Those are my favourites. You also work with Professor Kukui with battle strategies and Pokémon moves."
"Auntie Lillie's classes are based around Alola's stories and traditions," Sakura added, fiddling with her hair. "You also teach us how to care for different Pokémon."
"Māmā sometimes comes in and teaches us cooking techniques and different foods to give to Pokémon," Basil beamed.
"Dad's the Kahuna of Akala," Kaehi grinned proudly. "I want to be a Kahuna when I grow up too!"
"And I want to catch and photograph every water Pokémon in the world with Mum!" Cordelia grinned.
Lana and Kiawe glowed with pride.
"What kind of lessons do I teach with Ash?" Gladion asked.
"Their worlds, how to defend yourself against certain Ultra Beasts," Sakura recited before smiling. "You told me once that Papa helped you open your heart and be kind to Ultra Beasts, but there are still some Ultra Beasts you need to be cautious with."
"Yeah, that sounds like me," Gladion chuckled. "So, Sakura, how did you become a part of my and Ash's lives?"
Finally, she looked at them. She had a surprised look on her face. She then bit her bottom lip while staring at the picnic blanket.
"Well, you fostered me when I was a baby and then you officially adopted me when I was two," she admitted, pulling her hat to cover her eyes. "You two haven't told me how, though. You say that it's better to tell me everything when I'm sixteen. The only thing you have told me is that Uncle Nanu found me and asked you to care for me. But I don't think you will anymore."
"What makes you say that?" Ash asked gently.
Sakura pulled her hat down further. Ash frowned. That's what he does when he's sad. And the looking away while lip-biting; all Gladion when he felt anxious. He looked at his sisters-in-law and friends.
"Would it be okay if you guys left Gladion and me alone for a bit with Sakura?" he asked.
Lillie studied Ash briefly before nodding. Ash grinned. Ever since they met, they always had a special relationship and it had only grown stronger since he married her brother. They always knew what each other needed and they were always there to provide a listening ear whenever either of them was having a hard day.
"Sure," she smiled before standing. "Basil, why don't you take a walk with Mallow and me?”
“Ooh, that's a good idea,” Mallow grinned as she stood up too, holding out her hand. “I spotted some berry bushes earlier so how about we go berry-picking?"
"Okay," Basil nodded, standing and taking Mallow‘s hand.
"Kiawe, would you like me up?" Lana requested. “I need to stretch my legs and get some blood flowing. I’m also kind of hungry.”
“Sure,” Kiawe nodded, quickly standing before helping his wife to her feet. “You kids want to come too?”
Cordelia and Kaehi nodded, quickly standing before taking their parents's hands. Then the group left, leaving Ash and Gladion alone with Sakura.
The two of them looked at Sakura, who was still looking at the picnic blanket, even though they couldn't see her eyes, courtesy of her hat. Slowly the two of them moved closer until they were sitting cross-legged in front of her. Her head twisted a little, letting the two men that she was watching them, but she still didn't look at them. So carefully, Ash reached out to grab the brim before gently lifting the hat off Sakura's head, revealing her face. Sakura bit her lip as she looked up. Smiling, Ash pulled off his hat and put both hats beside him while Gladion pushed his bangs back so both of his eyes were showing.
Sakura winced. “You two do that when we're about to have a "serious talk"; take off the hats and pull back your hair so I can see your eyes. It makes me nervous."
"Well, you haven't been happy since you’ve appeared,” Gladion pointed out. “And when we mentioned school, you seemed more upset. So, did something happen today?"
"We fought," Sakura admitted, fiddling with her sleeves. "And I screamed at you two that I hated you, and I wish you'd never adopted me before running away. Basil, Cordelia and Kaehi ran after me, and I got us lost."
The two men looked at each other. So that's what it was. Their future daughter fought with their future selves and she was feeling bad.
"Why would you do that?" Gladion asked calmly. "Scream at us you hated us?"
"Today at school, one of the kids was picking on me," Sakura confessed sadly. "His name is Horacio Junior, and we have a bit of a rivalry. It's usually friendly, but today, I scored well on one of Papa's tests. HJ was convinced that Papa gave me special treatment. That could be the only reason I scored so well. I tried to tell him that it was because I studied, but he just wouldn't stop. So, I tried to ignore him. But when that didn't get anywhere, he started teasing our family, saying we were freaks. He said many mean things about my cousin, my aunts and the Pokémon. Then he said you two adopted me out of pity because something must be wrong with my real parents, and that one day, you wouldn't love me anymore because we're not blood. I snapped and broke his nose. As we were fighting, everyone came over, and HJ blamed everything on me. I tried to tell you what happened, but you two kept telling me off for punching someone. "We didn't raise you to hit others," you said.”
Sakura then started to cry.
"And I got so angry that I screamed I hated you and I wished you never adopted me before running away,” she cried. “I didn't mean what I said! I don't hate you! I love you both! I was so angry at you because I thought you weren't listening to me!”
Ash and Gladion looked at each other briefly before holding out their arms. Sakura looked at them with wide eyes before she crawled into their arms.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" she asked as she hugged them.
"Not our place to say," Ash said, stroking her hair. "I think this is something you should say to future us."
"Okay," Sakura sniffed, leaning against Gladion's shoulder.
"Hey, we're back!”
The three of them looked up to see Kiawe, Lana, Lillie, Mallow and Cordelia walking towards them, with Basil on Lillie’s back, Kaehi on Kiawe’s shoulders and Lana, Mallow and Cordelia carrying armfuls of berries.
"You three okay?" Lillie asked, putting Basil down.
"We're fine," Gladion smiled, running his fingers through Sakura's hair and making the girl smile.
"That's great," Mallow smiled as she, Lana and Cordelia dropped the berries on the blanket. "We found plenty of berries, so let's eat."
The rest of the afternoon was spent playing together, laughing and telling stories. Meanwhile, above the trees, Celebi was curiously exploring its surroundings when its eyes landed on the group. Its eyes grew wide with surprise when it noticed the glowing time-travel aura surrounding the children. Quickly, Celebi flew closer, making everyone gasp.
“Solgaleo and Lunala,” Gladion breathed as Celebi flew around the children, studying them carefully. “A real-life Celebi.”
Lillie, Lana, Mallow and the children gazed at the mythical Pokémon with awe while Kiawe beamed tearfully, honoured to be in the presence of a rare and mythical creature. Ash, however, gave a bittersweet smile.
"I told you Celebi would come back," he told them, carefully reaching out and touching Celebi’s hand to get its attention. "Celebi, would you take these kids back to their time, please?"
Celebi cocked its head before nodding with a squeak. Everyone then started hugging each other as tightly as they could while whispering “See you later” rather than “Goodbye.”
When they were done, the children took each other's hands before Kaehi held his hand out for Celebi, who took the boy’s hand before glowing a beautiful shade of forest green. Everyone watched as Celebi’s time-travel aura engulfed the children before lifting them into the air towards a time portal that had opened a few feet over their heads.
"See you soon!" they called as Celebi pulled them through the portal. "Love you lots!"
Ash, Gladion, Lillie, Mallow, Lana and Kiawe sadly watched the children disappear with Celebi before the portal closed. They had only spent one day with them, but now that they were gone; they wished it could have been longer.
"Hey, could we see you guys later?" Gladion asked quickly, grabbing Ash's hand. "Ash and I need to do something."
"What is it, Big Brother?" Lillie asked, drying her eyes with her handkerchief.
"Ash and I need to research to qualify to become foster parents!" Gladion answered, pulling Ash towards the path that led to their house while his husband cheered happily.
****
After Celebi had dropped the children outside the school gate, they quickly rushed inside before sighing in relief. Waiting by the steps in the courtyard, there were Lillie, Mallow, Lana and Kiawe. Cordelia, Kaehi and Basil quickly ran over to their parents and hugged them hard, but Sakura hung back, feeling unsure and confused. Where were her fathers? Had they left already?
"Petals," a voice called.
Sakura turned to see Ash and Gladion jogging toward her, relieved looks on their faces. Sakura burst into tears as she ran toward them, meeting them halfway before jumping into their waiting arms.
"Daddy, Papa, I'm so sorry!" she sobbed into their shoulders. "I'm sorry I said I hated you! I don't hate you! I love you both so much! HJ just made me so angry! I'm sorry I punched him, and I'm sorry I said I wish you never adopted me! I'm so sorry I ran away! I'm sorry!"
"It's okay, Saki," Ash said, taking off her hat before running his fingers through her hair. "We're sorry for yelling at you. HJ told me everything after you ran off."
"Please, don't run off like that ever again," Gladion sighed, kissing her temple.
Sakura smiled contently as she hugged them before she remembered something. She had hit HJ; she was still technically in trouble. Reluctantly, she pulled away.
"How much trouble am I in?" she asked sheepishly.
"As your teacher, I'm giving you and HJ a week of detention for fighting. You two will be cleaning the classrooms after school under my and Professor Kukui’s supervision," Ash told her sternly. "As your father, I’m grounding you for breaking a student’s nose. You’re spending the next two weeks helping Professor Burnet clean up the conservation area at Aether Foundation."
"Fair enough," Sakura nodded. "I don't mind. I'm just happy you guys still love me."
"You're our baby girl, Petals," Gladion smiled as he and Ash hugged her again.
"We'll always love you," Ash added.
"I love you both too," Sakura smiled.
You can find other stories about Sakura in my Baby Girl book.