Chapter 31:XIX. Back from the dead: Better times
Why? Why is it always like this. Why does everyone around her always dies? At first, the bloody war took away both of her parents. She didn't even know her father. He died a long time ago, in the war that was raging all across the Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn regions. Three regions have risen against the thread that appeared out of nowhere and not even they could win. After the fourth region entered, the Sinnoh region, there was finally hope of victory. And together they indeed won, but at what cost? The Unspoken War as the people called it, took away the whole generation of humans and Pokemon in those four regions. Especially in the first three regions.
Nobody dared to talk about the war. Not that she could blame anyone. The horrors of the war took a lot of lives with it, and nobody wants to remember the darkest time in the Pokemon world history.
But the consequences of the war are still with them in the form of children without parents. But mostly without grandparents. That was the generation that took the blow.
As for her mother, she died shortly after the war ended. This time it was the childbirth that took her away. When she gave birth to her. Seems like childbirths are a common issue with her family, since birthing her own child was accompanied with a lot of complications too.
After her parents, the god took her husband away, leaving her with the son they made together. The loving husband who showed her what joy it is to be loved and be a parent. He was another loved one who died. With her husband dead, the little bundle of joy was the only thing that kept her sane during that period of time.
Then the world decided to kick her in gut yet again when they took her son away. The person she loved more than anything in the world was taken away from her. She was lost after that. Everyone around her died and she was kept alive for some sick reason. But the broken woman was given yet another chance.
Supposedly by a girl that was responsible for Ash's death. That is what she heard when the news of her son's demise reached her. She wanted the person responsible for it to be there so she could release her frustrations somewhere. But when she saw her, devastated as she herself was, she couldn't give her the blame. But even when she didn't blame her, the frustrations and anger she felt towards everything resurfaced from time to time. She was unreasonably dreadful to her in the first days of her stay when she lost control, even when she knew that the girl was innocent. But the girl always came back for more. Again and again, until Delia finally softened to her.
Now she can't understand why she let the anger get the better of her sometimes. Cynthia was a very sweet young girl. Not only that, but she was considered one of the strongest Pokemon trainers in the world despite her young age. The best example of the girl she would wish for her son to have. Maybe in some alternate reality, where happiness is allowed, she has her own parents alive, her husband alive, and her son and Cynthia are together. But not in this dark reality.
Delia always wanted to visit Sinnoh, but not like this. The grand funeral for Cynthia already took place at the Lily of the Valley Island, where she shed a few tears. It wasn't surprising that Charles Goodsnow made another grand funeral. Grandiose as the funeral her own son had. After all, they both were still children when they died. And even as children, their names are engraved in history already.
When she came back to the hotel Delia was staying, she discovered a letter on the floor of her room. To her surprise, it was written by professor Carolina. Cynthia's grandmother. An invitation to the funeral. A funeral closed to the public and only for the people that Carolina considered the closest to Cynthia.
It's bad when a parent survives their own child's death. One could ask what could be worse than that? Well, there is the answer. A woman who survives not only her daughter's but her granddaughter's death as well. Not to mention her husband isn't here, and professors Carolina's parents are long gone too.
And Delia thought that she has it bad.
And so here she sits. In a chair located in the room where you can smell the grief in the air. Black color all around the room which was surprisingly small. Carolina invite just a few handful of people, because Cynthia already had her big funeral on the Lily of the Valley Island, so there was no need for extravagance.
People could be heard whispering in the wooden room about Cynthia and what adventure every one of them shared with her. Only one woman was left alone and sat in front of the empty chestnut colored wooden coffin with roses on each side and a picture of Cynthia on one of the sides.
Carolina was staring at the coffin for nearly an hour without a word uttered unless someone came to her and paid their respects. She always robotically and politely replied and went back to watching the coffin.
Delia got up from her chair and made her way to the woman. It is her time to pay respects to the surviving member of their family as well.
"I know you heard it hundreds of times already Professor Sato, but I am too incredibly sorry what happened to your granddaughter." Delia paid her respect to the fallen girl.
She can recall the day when it happened. The storm finally ended and Delia went to Cynthia's place to give her Delia's own recipe book she wanted. She was so happy that she could finally share her secret cooking techniques with someone. Both Ash's and her late husband's cooking skills were... Let's just say you should never leave them near the cooker for too long. So finally there was someone who is interested in her own recipes. But on Cynthia's terrace, she knew something was wrong. The door was kicked open and the terrace floor was covered in blood and mud. There was a bloody stain like someone pulled someone in the house. Or out. Then the bullets, bloody bed sheets and the walls. Shredded clothes were all around the floor. Then there was a message on the wall of her bedroom drawn in blood. "No one is safe from Team Rocket. Not even the Champion of Kanto can escape death."
Panicked Delia called police shortly after she recovered from the initial shock.
"Thank you, Mrs. Ketchum." Carolina replied in the same nearly robotic voice Delia heard thousands of times already. Carolina looked at Delia for a brief moment before she looked back at the coffin in front of her.
The two women watched the empty coffin together in a complete silence. It was a tense silence but Delia did not dare to break it. That was until Carolina spoke.
"I am sorry for your loss too, Mrs. Ketchum."
"...Thank you." replied surprised Delia. That was unexpecting. And what did the professor Carolina meant by it? Did she mean Cynthia too? Does she know about how close Cynthia and Delia were? Or was she paying respects for what happened to Ash?
"Cynthia spoke very highly of you." she said without averting her gaze from the coffin.
"I- I didn't know that." replied surprised Delia. She didn't expect to have a conversation with the elder woman. The expression of Carolina was unreadable. It was almost like she went through this so many time that it doesn't affect her now. But Delia knows very well, that each time someone close to her dies, it's not getting easier. Quite the opposite. It's worse every single time. You are saying to yourself: This is the last time. But then, another one comes and you are not prepared again. It's a sad cycle.
"I think you should read this." Carolina said. Reaching into her pocket in her black dress, she pulled a letter out. This time she looked at Delia. Delia with raised eyebrows took the letter and began reading.
Dear grandmother,
I know I can call you, but I thought that I will try to write a letter to you. It is said you should try everything right? And since I never wrote a letter like this, Delia suggested I should try it out. At least one time. It's kinda weird to write on the paper when I could just call to you right away. How could you survive in the time where a response from anyone took so long to get?
Anyway, how are you doing? Is the research going fine? I don't go to tombs to explore too often lately. But I don't regret it. I have much more time for my Pokemon and I can overlook the construction of my new home. It's nice to slow down once in a while. You should try it.
I am doing fine myself. Can you believe that I am learning to cook and sew? Yeah. Delia got me into it. Saying those skills are always useful. And now that I think about it, it's really nice to cook something you want to and not always order things from elsewhere.
Even though it was hard in the beginning, I am used to the Pallet Town by now. Professor Oak himself comes by sometimes to examine my Pokemon and test them. I am sure you two would get along. With both of you being such workaholics and all that.
And I know I already spoke about Delia a lot, but she is a really great woman now that I know her. And the only one that I spend time with. She can be stern at times, but there is something about her that just warms people to her. I guess it's her motherly nature. I sometimes wonder. Is this what having a mom feels like? I mean she is a lot like you. That's at least how I imagine a mother to be like. Like you only younger.
She keeps an eye on me, she teaches me things such as cooking, sewing, and gardening. She is helping me when I need it. And embarrasses me when the situation comes. Now that I think about it, you two would get along pretty well too. But if you ever meet her, do NOT talk about my goth phase when I was younger. I know you always teased me that you will show it to my closest ones, but those photos are something NOBODY can see. Including the nickname you gave me. I would die of embarrassment if that ever happened.
Gosh, this is not like a call at all. So many things that I have to cram on the piece of paper not knowing what you would say to any of it. I hoped I summed up everything I wanted. Guess this is the end. Love you, grandmother.
Your granddaughter, Cynthia
"I didn't think she would actually try it." teary-eyed Delia replied. It was just one suggestion she made when they were discussing differences between their times.
Is this how Cynthia saw her? As a mother figure? It was always kinda weird when Delia referred to the girl as a friend. The age gap between them made that term weird. Maybe they had that mother-daughter kinda relationship. With that realization, Cynthia's death hurt much more.
"You influenced my granddaughter a lot." said Carolina looking at Delia again. And again, her voice lacked any hint of emotions.
"I- I am sorry." said Delia in a low tone, not knowing what to make of what Carolina was saying.
"I didn't say it was a bad influence." Carolina replied.
That's a relief. And again, the silence followed. Delia, still holding the letter in hand, sat beside Carolina on a wooden chair and returned the letter. Delia tried to understand what could possibly go through the head of the older woman. Delia herself is in a terrible state after another close person to her died. How could Carolina take it?
"Mrs. Sato. If you will ever need help with something, you can always stop at my house." said Delia. She owes this to Carolina. If it weren't for Cynthia, god knows where Delia would end up. Like this, she will at least try to repay her debt to Cynthia and how Cynthia helped Delia.
"Thank you. I appreciate your help, Mrs. Ketchum." said Carolina. Now with a small sad smile.
"You have nothing to thank me for. I should thank you. You raised an incredible girl, Mrs. Sato. If it weren't for Cynthia, I would most likely jump off the first bridge I saw." said Delia sadly.
"I know that feeling." said Carolina, now finally with clear emotions in her voice. Sad emotions.
And both woman now paid attention to the coffin before them. The coffin looked really nice and clean. The wood was basically shining inside the room they are in. Ash didn't have a coffin. Not under the small tombstone on her backyard. But since Cynthia and her grandmother are wealthy, it's no surprise that Carolina would arrange something like this. Cynthia was the last relative Carolina had after all.
The only plus side of this all is that Carolina has nothing to lose now. Just like Delia. They are much more similar than they think. What could an unemployed mother and a famous Sinnoh scientist have in common? Well, when the right circumstances occur, everything is possible.
"You had an incredible child too, Mrs. Ketchum." said Carolina which visibly surprised Delia.
"Sorry. I don't intend to re-open old wounds like that. But I never had an option to thank you for raising a son who saved all of us dozen of times already." added Carolina.
"It's alright. But I didn't do the things he did. Ash accomplished it all alone or with the help of his friends. I had no part in it. There is nothing to thank me for." said Delia sadly averting her gaze from Carolina to her feet. It still pains a lot to talk about Ash. No matter how long it has been.
"Even if you realize it or not, a parent always has a part in their children's actions. As small as that part is, the influence of a parent is always there somewhere." replied Carolina.
"Still. The part to do the right thing. To recklessly jump into the danger without a second thought. To help people and Pokemon in need even if it hurts you. Or kill you. He didn't get that from me. That was my husbands part in him." said Delia sadly.
"Then you did a great job to keep the best parts of both of you in him." said Carolina.
Talking about all of this didn't help the mood. Even though they are at the funeral, they should share happy stories about the one who died. Delia doesn't want to be sad the whole day. Maybe...
"So. Cynthia had a 'goth phase'? She never told me." said Delia in hopes to change the topic into the more lighthearted one. Now that she thinks about it, Cynthia usually wore black. Until she moved to Pallet town, that was the only color you could see her in. Guess that was a little reminder of that time of Cynthia's life.
"Ou. She would wipe memories of all the people who saw her in the goth attire. She was really embarrassed by that phase in her life." said Carolina with a slight chuckle.
"It was that bad?" asked Delia.
"She died her hair black, black nail polish, started using black lipstick, her whole wardrobe consisted of black tight tops and shorts, with fishnet stockings and black knee-high boots. In my opinion, you can't even call 'shorts' the things she wore. And a spike on every centimeter of her black jacket." said Carolina.
"Rebellious teenagers." said Delia with a sad smile.
"Yeah. But it didn't last long. Thankfully. She came to her senses just before she won the Lily of the Valley conference. Since then, she didn't like to wear revealing clothes and being reminded if that phase of her life. It was cute though. How she would lost her composed nature as soon as I hinted at her goth phase." said Carolina.
Carolina's face wore a sad smile now too. The conversation between those two continued for the whole funeral. Delia and Carolina shared the stories of their son/granddaughter with an occasional chuckle when some funny story was shared. For Delia, the chuckle came when she found out that Cynthia hated being called 'Darling', due to the particular incident in her goth phase.
And as the evening came, only the two of them remained in the room still talking about the children they lost. But now, in a more joyful way then the sad and depressed one. Remembering the better times.
"Steven?" asked Clarance.
The expedition group that went to Mount Coronet was coming home. Of course, before that, they had to report to Charles on the topic of what they found. Which was more than enough. When the man called 'Red' left, the group discussed what to do next.
They didn't have any solid evidence if Red was saying the truth or not, so they tried to follow him when he left, but they didn't find him. They found a dead end with Red nowhere in sight. Clarance was spooked out by this. A man can't just disappear. After that, they reached the top, trying to find any solid clues, but they didn't find anything.
So the expedition ended. It was kinda successful since they have some answers for Charles. But if they are true or not, that is a mystery.
"Yes, Clarance?" asked Steven now dressed in his usual attire of black suit and red tie. The nine-man team was reaching a tall building in the middle of the Celadon City in Kanto region. The HQ of Pokemon league and home of Charles Goodsnow.
Speaking of Charles, he called them a few days ago. Telling them, the Champion of Kanto was murdered by Team Rocket. Steven was visibly shaken by the news. The two of them had a close relationship. Mainly because of their common hobby. And unfortunately for Steven, they missed the funeral, because they were still on the mountain when that all happened. Steven spends a week alone to recollect himself after he came down from the mountain. After that, he called the group of climbers, saying he is fine by now and that they will go to Celadon to give the report of the mission.
"I know you already told us that we can't be certain if Red told us the truth or not, but what is your personal opinion on that? Do you think he caused the tremors?" asked Clarance as they were walking towards the entrance to the big tall white building in the center of the Celadon Town.
"In my opinion, I think he did." said Steven.
"What makes you think so?" asked Jim in a booming voice that matched his tall figure and roguish looks.
"The battle we had." said Steven.
"And why is that?" asked Eric.
By now these men were finally inside the building and they were making their way towards the reception.
The building inside was one of the fanciest places Clarance has ever seen. Red carpets, golden chandeliers, red coaches that looked like pillows with maids and servants everywhere in this gigantic waiting room.
The reception was in the middle and behind the black counter was a short-haired woman with tanned skin, eyes black as night and a suit that screamed EXPENSIVE.
A lot of people in the waiting room turned when they saw a bell ring, announcing new guests. And it wasn't surprising when those gazes remained locked onto them since the Champion of Hoenn was here in flesh and blood.
"The Pokemon he used against me. I could see it on his face. He wasn't going all out on me. Not at all in fact. He was testing his Pokemon and their abilities. Like he caught them recently. He has something more powerful in his arsenal. And if these Pokemon train in the mountain, then it's possible they would create such tremors that even the villages near Mount Coronet would register it." said Steven during their walk to the reception. When receptionist saw them, she grabbed the phone and called Charles. Charles requested their presence immediately.
Steven opened the door to the meeting room and found out that they are not the first people that visited Charles.
Officer Jenny with some woman was already there. And by the golden badge on her blue uniform, Steven knew it was the director Jenny herself. And judging by what the other woman was wearing, she is a Pokemon Ranger.
"Charles, But how? We scouted the place hundreds of times already but there is nothing there!" said the frustrated female Pokemon Ranger. All three of them were sitting at the table and they were supposedly arguing about something.
"I do not care how! He finds these places in days! So you better figure out something!" said angry Charles.
Wow. Steven never saw Charles angry. He was always calm and composed. He could guess that it was caused by Cynthia's death. But maybe there is something more. Charles didn't strike you as the man you should fear at the first sight. He was more like a happy Santa Claus. But even Santa Claus can be scary when he wants to be. This was the proof.
"Charles. It is not that easy. You know that." said Officer Jenny.
"For us? Apparently no. For him? Yes. We look like incompetent idiots! We have to finally do something since our supposed savior vanished!" said Charles.
They didn't even notice that Steven with his party arrived. Steven eventually decided to make themselves know and he loudly cleared his throat until Charles registered him.
"Finally! I hope you bring good news. Arceus knows I need them." said Charles loudly.
"It's nice to see you too Charles. Director Jenny. And..." Steven stopped when he saw the Pokemon Ranger whose name he did not know yet.
"Solana." she replied.
"Afternoon Steven. I am sorry. I am not in the best mood these past few days." said Charles who calmed down.
"I can see that." said Steven.
"What news do you have?" asked Charles.
"Fortunately for you, I bring good news. I think I know what causes the tremors near the Mount Coronet." said Steven.
"Great. Sit with us and tell us what happened on your expedition." said Charles.
Steven took Charles's offer and sat next to Solana. Steven looked at his new eight friends that stood still in the room near the who were not saying a word the entire time.
"I am sorry, but I don't have more chairs ready for you gentleman. Hope you can stand while we discuss the things that happened." said Charles to the expedition that came back.
"I don't know if I can stand here for so long. The story we have for you Mr. Goodsnow is a long one." said Jim who was trying to keep his loud voice in check in the presence of Charles Goodsnow. After all, if Charles wants to know everything, they have a whole month of things to explain to Charles.
"Then we better get started. I have a lot of work to do afterward." said Charles calmly. And it sure looks like he has a lot of work to do. Jenny and Solana have to be here discussing something important too.
And so they did. Steven started explaining how they got to the villages first trying to get some useful information. Like when was the first tremor, if they were escalating in power, and if it ever happened before. With almost nothing helpful gathered, they set off to climb the mountain. The climb there was uneventful too, but then the juicy part of the story started.
"We encountered someone near the top." said Steven.
"In that weather?" asked director Jenny.
"We were inside the cave when we encountered him." said Steven.
"And who was it?" asked Charles.
"I don't know. But he calls himself Red." said Steven. Charles had to chuckle at the nickname.
"Why? Does he wear red clothes or something?" Charles asked.
"No. He wears a dark green cloak and a grey scarf around his mouth." said Steven.
As soon as he described the man, three pairs of widened eyes were on him. What is that surprising about that? Do they know the person he is talking about?
"Steven. Does this man have unordinary blue eyes, long black hair and beard?" asked officer Jenny.
"Yes. He does. How did you know that?" asked surprised Steven.
"I forgot to tell you before you left for your mission. Guess now is the time to enlighten you." said Charles. And Charles did so.
"You are saying I encountered an Aura Guardian?!" exclaimed Steven in disbelief to which Charles nodded.
"YES! I'm gonna be rich!" exclaimed Clarance out of nowhere drawing a lot of attention by his claim.
"What are you talking about if I may ask?" asked Charles with a raised eyebrow.
"You said there are no photos of him. That he is a complete mystery. Well, I have some pictures of him!" said Clarance proudly presenting his phone.
"If you will give these pictures only to me, I will provide you and your family with a new and bigger house." said Charles as calm as ever.
Classic. Charles is cunning and sneaky when it comes to things like this. Steven spotted how Charles is building his fortune and it is truly impressive. Most people are short sighted, so they don't see the potential in things that have a greater potential than they think. Charles can sweet talk everyone into what he wants. In the past, it was much harder, since he didn't have so much money. But now, being as wealthy as he is, it's really easy for him to get what he wants.
Steven knows very well what is going on inside Clarance's head. A completely new house just for a handful of photos? What idiot would not take that? Well, by now, Steven knows that Charles can make more money by being the only owner of those photos and slowly sell them to the press, gaining much more than one house costs.
"For the whole new house?!" asked Clarance with disbelief. His expedition friends looked at him with weary eyes. If they would just pull a phone and took at least one photo, they could have had that too.
"Sure. We can build a new one. So what do you say?" asked Charles with a smile.
"Just take the phone already!" exclaimed Clarance as he pulled the phone out and slide it to Charles on the table.
"Steven. Didn't the Aura Guardian said why he stopped looking for the Team Rocket bases?" asked officer Jenny.
"No. If I knew what was going on here, I would have asked him." answered Steven.
"There is something different about him." said Charles who was looking through the photos. Director Jenny approached him and looked over his shoulder to inspect the photos. She was the only other person, except the expedition crew and Jasmine who saw him.
"He didn't wear that cape last time I saw him." said director Jenny pointing at the picture of Red. More precisely on the left side of Red's body.
"And I don't recall this scar either." said Charles pointing to Red's face and his right eye. They had a pretty good description of him since director Jenny and Jasmine saw him. And these things didn't add up.
"Where did he get that scar? And why does he wear the cape? Isn't it impractical since he is fighting with a staff?" said director Jenny looking at the photo.
"If I may, I know some answers to your questions." said one of the men who accompanied Steven on the expedition to Mount Coronet.
"Charles, Solana, director, this is Mathew. He was one of the tech guys at the expedition. Mathew, I believe you already know these people." Steven introduced Mathew to the others.
"Well, Mathew. Go on. We are listening." said Charles. And indeed they all were listening. Except for Solana. She was furiously looking through her phone for something the whole time this debate began.
"My purpose on this expedition was to monitor the living beings and if it would come to that, examine the Pokemon who was causing the tremors inside the mountain. When we encountered the man, there were several things different about him. I was watching him carefully throughout the Pokemon battle he had with Steven." said Mathew.
"You had a battle with him?" asked Charles.
"Yeah. But that's a story for later." replied Steven. "Continue, Mathew."
"Well, I was surprised when his body temperature was higher than it was supposed to be. But the man didn't seem to have a fever. Now I know that is because he is a completely different species of a human being. However, he was visibly tired. And when I inspected his missing hand with the device, it became much clearer."
"He was missing a hand?!" asked Jenny. "But he had both hands last time!" added director Jenny.
"That confirms my suspicion. The wound on his forearm wasn't fully healed. He had to lose the hand recently. And as for the eye scar. To you, it may seem like an older scar, but I studied human biology long enough to know, that even that scar came to him recently. I think he was seriously injured not so long ago and that is why he hasn't attacked Team Rocket in this time period. He is still recovering from his injuries. That's the reason why he was tired." said Mathew. And before anyone could join the discussion, somebody shouted.
"HA! I knew it!" exclaimed someone sitting near to Steven. Looking to his left, Steven saw Solana having a great smile on her face and looking at her phone. She was unusually quiet the whole time. Well, until she shouted and nearly breaking Steven's eardrums.
"How could you know it? You weren't there!" said director Jenny.
"Huh? I wasn't where?" asked Solana slightly confused.
"Were you even here?" asked Steven.
"I was and I still am. When you all were discussing some boring stuff, I began searching. And I believe that what I found is much more interesting than what you guys came up with!" said Solana proudly.
"And that is?" asked Charles.
"Come on Charles. You out of all people should know. Red? Aura Guardian? Doesn't that ring a bell?" asked Solana.
"OH MY ARCEUS OF COURSE!" shouted Charles. How could he be so stupid and not make the connection there?!
"Uhmm... Of course what?" asked Steven.
"Richard Ketchum! He was called RED when he was with Pokemon Rangers. And he was an Aura Guardian too! Not trained, but an Aura Guardian nonetheless!" said Charles.
"But Charles. Didn't he die?" asked director Jenny. People know Richard Ketchum as the 'One week Champion'. For some reason, after he beat the previous Champion, he resigned just after he received the money from the Pokemon League.
"Yes... I saw his body. But who says Aura Guardians can't come back from the dead?" asked Charles.
"Really? Immortality? I think you are starting to get a senile old man." said Steven.
"I am not talking about immortality. His son was turned into a literal stone and came back from that. Who says Richard couldn't pull similar feat?" said Charles.
"With a hole in his head?" asked director Jenny.
"Look. It sounds impossible, but I have no other explanation. We know there are no Aura Guardians left. Except for him. The fact that he calls himself Red and is an Aura Guardian really narrows our possibilities." said Charles.
"Isn't that stretching things a bit? The whole resurrection thing?" asked Steven.
It all sounds so ridiculous. Well, he knows that Ash was turned into the stone and came back from that. A Pokemon Gym Leader named Brock shared all great feats of Ash with them. But still. Being turned into stone and be shot in the head are two different things.
But then again, things like nicknames of Pokemon Rangers were known only to Charles and Pokemon Rangers. So there are not that many people that could have known that.
"We live in the world where anything is possible. Do not forget that." said Charles seriously.
After it, the conversation drifted to a bunch of theories about how Richard Ketchum could come back to life. Or other theories.
One Steven thought about was how Red could lose his hand. More precisely, what caused him to be the way he was. Tired. Beaten up. Supposedly, he destroyed the Hoenn base, but with no prisoners to be taken by police. That was odd. Since he specifically said to Jenny to prepare more cells. Is it possible that they trapped him, fought with him and that he barely escaped? That he actually lost this fight? It could be. But it's just a theory. Like everything, they are discussing right now. Until they will meet him again, they can only theorize what exactly happened to him.
The meeting was going on for a while, since Steven had to explain the battle between them and the fact that Red's Pokemon were most likely the cause of the tremors. To say that Charles, Jenny and Solana were surprised when they find out that Steven lost would be an understatement. Then there was Steven's theory that Red didn't go all out on him. Adding another bunch of things for the debate. So the meeting ended late in the night, with bunch of questions answered, but more yet to be answered.
A beautiful tune was heard at the crossroads, where three different dirt paths lead to different towns. Right at this crossroads, under the tree sat a brown skinned man with a giant steel snake-like Pokemon who was wrapped around the tree, listening to the tune.
The harmonica which was playing the tune suddenly stopped and the man let out a big sigh. "I can do better." he thought.
"What do you think, Steelix? Was it better?" asked the man with dark brown hair. Steelix half-opened his eyes and released a huff and went back to the nap.
"That's not very helpful." the brown-haired man said. Steelix didn't even react this time.
He noticed that it was getting colder. Well, autumn is around the corner so it was no surprise. Leaves were slowly turning red and fall from the trees and shining green grass was slowly withering and turning it's color to the bland green, almost yellow. Which gave him an idea of what kind of tunes to play next. Listening to the winds of autumn and the rustling of the falling leaves, he played a new melody.
As he played, he thought about today. It was some time since he visited her. Delia had a great help from Cynthia, so there was no need for him to constantly stop by to check on her. Brock was surprised when Misty called him and said she wanted to visit Delia after Cynthia was murdered. He thought that Misty already forgot about Delia. At least it looked like it. Other girls such as May and Dawn seemed like they forgot. Or didn't have time to visit. Both coordinators dived into training their Pokemon and winning as many ribbons as they could. Not that he could blame them. They are honoring Ash in a way. That fighting spirit he had was passed onto those two girls. So he waits for Misty at the crossroads he is now very familiar with.
Misty has gone silent for nearly two years. He remembers last time they went to Delia together. Misty was there mainly to apologize for her behavior at the funeral, which Cynthia appreciated. From then, nothing. When he called if she wants to tag along with the visits at Pallet Town, only her sisters answered. Apparently, she dived into Pokemon battles too.
So he was visiting her alone. Once in two months approximately. If it weren't for Cynthia, his visits would be much more frequent. Seems like now they will truly be more frequent. But why Misty wanted to visit now?
Hopefully, there won't be any emergency call from Yolanda. He never thought that his own sister will be his receptionist at his own clinic. His younger brother Timmy worked there too. Only as a part-time job during the summer holiday, but even that is something. Even though Timmy is only a cleaner. Huh, it's slowly becoming a family business. Well, with so many siblings, he could turn it into one.
Maybe he should expand a little. The waiting room is really small and always full of people and he has a lot of work there. Hopefully, Yolanda will manage in the time he will be gone.
"I didn't know you played on harmonica. You never bragged about it." said someone in front of him.
Brock stopped playing and he didn't even need to look at the person before him to know who it is. He would recognize that voice anywhere.
"Started a few months ago. Nothing to brag about really. It still sounds awful." said Brock.
"Sounds pretty good to me." said the orange haired girl in front him.
She changed during those two years he hasn't seen her. Slightly. Her orange hair was longer, reaching her shoulders and were flowing freely. She changed her wardrobe too. Her classic yellow top was gone and she wore a light blue jacket which resembled a raincoat. Her pants consisted of white tight jeans with a blue stripe at the side. Her feet were in white sneakers which looked pretty new to Brock.
"Glad to see you, Misty." said Brock as he stood up from under the tree and hugged his longtime friend. Misty returned the hug which didn't last long.
"Glad to see you too, Brock." said Misty. "And you too Steelix." she added when she registered the big steel snake near Brock. But the steel snake only half opened his eyes made a small nod and got back to the nap.
"Energetic as always." Misty said with a smile. A short pause followed before Brock asked the question.
"Misty. Why are you going now?" asked seriously Brock straight out of the gate. He doesn't want to walk around the bush with this.
"I knew you would ask." she said quietly.
"Then you already have the answer prepared." said Brock.
"It's just. I miss the old times. When everything was simpler. I miss us. Traveling the world, meeting new people and experiencing new adventures every day. Being on the road with you and... Ash. It was the greatest time of my life. And being at the gym, battling new trainers who are on the road like we once were. It brings those memories up. I guess I just want to think back, to better times with you, Gary, Tracey, professor, and Delia." said Misty.
Yeah. It was so simple back then. Being on the adventure with Ash was the greatest time of Brock's life too. Teaching Ash all the stuff he knew about Pokemon and then see him duking it out with Tobias was the highlight of his journey and what Ash learned on that journey. And with him around, there was never a dull time during their travels.
He was in a way more of a sibling that his true siblings were. He loved his siblings, but the fact Ash and Brock were on the journey for so long together, it just created a special bond between them. Ash was, is, and always will be his tenth sibling. The closest brother.
"So it has nothing to do with the fact Cynthia was just murdered?" asked Brock.
"That too. What happened to her is truly awful. And I know I shouldn't run off as soon as I apologized. Cynthia was there to help Delia when she barely has known her. I got angry at her and myself. It should be me to help Delia! Me and you! But I just ran away, because I didn't want to be reminded of Ash. And staying near Delia would do that. Now that Cynthia is gone, we should be there for Delia, as we should have been from the beginning." said Misty.
"Glad we can agree on that. Cynthia and Delia were very close. It may not affect her as much as Ash's death, but she will surely be still devastated. " said Brock.
"Yeah..." replied Misty.
The rock and water type trainers were arriving at Pallet Town. They could already see it from the hill that overlooked the small town. With Cynthia's residence which was covered by black and white tapes with "CRIME SCENE: DO NOT ENTER" written all over them. And not wanting to look at the image longer, they made their way down the hill to the town. And along the walk, Misty remembered something.
"I nearly forgot! I have something for you Brock!" she exclaimed out of nowhere. She reached into one of the pockets that were located on her jacket and pulled a bunch of tickets. Only thing Brock was able to say was "Huh?" before Misty spoke again.
"Here! We have a Halloween performance as Sensational Sisters a few weeks from now. And I would be glad if you and your family would show up." she said as they stopped in their tracks and Misty gave the tickets to Brock.
"I- Thank you, Misty. We will gladly go and see the performance." well, that was unexpected. Seems like she really wants to reconnect with everybody now. Life as a gym leader can get boring after a while.
"There should be just enough for all of you. Nine for your siblings. One for you. And two for your mother and father." she said with a smile.
"Although. If you have been hiding the future Mrs. Harrison somewhere, I guess I would have to add one more." said Misty teasingly.
"Sorry, but you are not getting rid of another ticket. There is no 'future Mrs. Harrison'." said Brock.
He wished there was one though. His love life was always a disaster. He always wanted officer Jenny or Nurse Joy to be his future wife, for some strange reason. Something about those women was just incredibly hot to him. Maybe the nurse and police outfits?
But by now he knew neither of those group of women wanted him. Hell, no group of women wanted him. People say he is a way to forward with how he expresses his feelings. But he can't just help it. It's how he is and always will be. And if the girls don't like that, then there is no reason to be with those who don't.
So Brock has the expectations now very low. It's kinda sad. He would take any girl that showed that she doesn't mind his straightforward, over the top behavior when it comes to love. That girl would have to exist in the first place, however.
It's hard getting used to the fact he may never meet a girl like this. Who wouldn't mind those crazy confessions of his. He knows he would be a great husband. And father. He raised all of his nine siblings practically on his own. And he accomplished all of that when he was just a teenager. Siblings that he loved more than anything. Even the non-blood related. He can only wonder how much would he loved his own children if he was given a chance.
Well, he is 21 so there is still a lot of time. But with the fact that his clinic gets busier and busier every day, his free time is shortening and with that is shortening the time he has to find the chosen girl, it's hard to stay optimistic when things are like this.
"Anyway. I heard you passed the gym torch back to your father and opened the clinic. How is that going on?" asked Misty, snapping Brock out of his thoughts.
"Better than I expected. It's still a fairly new clinic, and my waiting room is always full. Don't know if that's a bad or a good thing though." replied Brock and Misty chuckled.
"And what about your performances and gym. How is that going on?" asked Brock as they were walking through the Pallet Town now.
"Always the same. In day fighting challengers, and in the evening swimming through the pool with sisters giving performances." said Misty.
"Sounds exhilarating." said Brock.
"It was in the beginning. Now it's a routine that I am trying to break by going with you on this visit." said Misty.
"Well, we are nearly at Delia's. Seems like the routine will be broken soon enough." said Brock looking at the small house in Pallet Town they were approaching.