Chapter 4
Three nights later, Ash smiled as he watched his six champion Pokémon gleefully chowing down on the expensive food he had bought them with part of the P150,000 he had acquired for becoming the reigning champ. Pikachu finished early and wiped off her mouth before she eagerly ran through a doorway toward Ash and climbed up his leg, stomach, and chest to perch herself on his shoulder. He giggled as she then tickled his cheek by happily rubbing her own furry little cheek against it, her red electricity sacs giving him minuscule little shocks.
“Awww. Looks like you enjoyed the chow, buddy. You really deserved it,” Ash said chuckling at her as Delia walked into his once inhabited childhood room.
Her eyes watered at what she saw. “Oh Ashy dear, I can't believe that it was around this time 11 years ago that you were here all excited about becoming a trainer and getting your first Pokémon on your quest to become the champ, and now you're here again and you've done it! My very own son. My only son.” She suddenly burst into tears. “Wait there. I have something for you,” she instructed as she left the room.
Ash and Pikachu sweatdropped with each other before Ash got down on his hands and knees and felt around under his bed. He pulled out a disgusting mold-covered slice of pizza sitting under six layers of dust. “EWWWWWWW!!!” he yelled as he flung it across the room and gagged. Trying again, he pulled out a dusty shoe box. Lifting the lid off the box and cringing at the musty smell, Ash and Pikachu peered in. Reaching in, Ash pulled out a dirty aged photograph of a teenager with short-cropped black hair holding a Pokéball, a familiar determined look etched across his face.
“Piiii kaaaa,” uttered Pikachu in awed wonder, looking from the picture, to Ash, back to the picture again.
“That was my dad,” said Ash suddenly. “He's the one that inspired me to train and befriend Pokémon in the first place.”
“Chaaaaaa,” remarked Pikachu to the photograph in appreciation.
Just then, Delia walked into the room again holding up a very snappy looking tuxedo. Pikachu and Ash looked up at her. “It was your father's,” she said before pausing. “I think you should wear it for the award ceremony and being inducted into the Hall Of Fame. There's bound to be a lot of media and photographers there and I don't want them thinking you were raised by Poochyenas.”
“Ahh, uhh, I suppose that's reasonable,” remarked Ash.
“Also, I cleaned and pressed six pairs of underwear for you to take along with you,” Delia said earnestly.
“What?! Mother, it's only a one-evening event. I don't need to take ANY underwear,” Ash retorted in annoyance.
“Don't take that tone of voice with me, young man! Besides, it's too late. I already packed them along with your teddy bear. Now, about your date --”
“MY DATE?!,” Ash interrupted violently. “Mom, this is an award ceremony. Not a freaking Sock Hop!”
“I just don't think it's right that you show up there alone. People will think you're troubled. You spend almost every living moment with your Pokémon and I'm starting to worry that you'll bring one home and tell me you're marrying her.” Delia shot back without missing a beat.
The sides of Ash's lips spasmed in annoyance as Pikachu's ears imperceptibly twitched.
She tried a different approach. “For me, Ashy? Pretty please? I want to watch you show up for your big day looking all handsome in your father's old tux, arm akimbo with your beautiful date's arm inside the loop, going up to receive your trophy and ascend to the title of Master Pokémon Trainer. It's the moment a mother dreams about from the first time she looks into her newborn's beautiful baby-blue eyes. I saw the potential in you. Just like your father.” Delia's eyes sparkled as she pleaded with her son.
Ash let out a long drawn out sigh, beginning to regret having come home. “Fine, I will ask someone to come with me if it would really make you happy.”
He began to run through a list in his mind of all the girls he knew. Ash was the first person to admit he didn't know a thing about them, but he figured that since now he was a Pokémon Superstar, girls would be throwing themselves at him and would die at the chance to share his most longed for moment with him.
Delia immediately recovered. “There's no need for that, honey. That bright red haired girl stopped by a few days ago, asking about you. We had a discussion and she said she'd be delighted to attend with you should the opportunity present itself.”
Ash flinched, staring at his Mom incredulously. She couldn't possibly mean. . .
“Isn't that wonderful? You used to travel with her. Marsha... from the Celadon Gym!”
Ash's stomach tied itself in illegal ancient militaristic knots. “Misty... from Cerulean Gym... ?”
“That's right!” proclaimed Delia excitedly, mistaking her son's working memory as enthusiasm. “She's matured into such a beautiful young woman. You two would look so absolutely cute together.”
Ash grabbed a box from the floor and put it on his bed, reaching for clothes and various miscellany trinkets from his room and placed them in the box. He then gently grabbed Pikachu and placed her in the box as well, eliciting from her a head tilt and a quizzical “Pi ka?”
“Thanks for the good times, Mom. I'm moving out now.” Ash said with not much inflection to his voice.
“Oh, come on, Ash! It's not that bad. You'll have a great time. Just this once? I'll never ask anything from you ever again. I promise.” Delia tried begging again.
Ash somehow doubted this. “All right. I'll do it, but after tonight I think I'm going to head on to Johto. If she calls, have her meet me in Cherrygrove City on the 26th and we'll take the ferry to Altomare the next morning. They have it chartered especially for me and promotional purposes, otherwise I would have just flown to Altomare on my Staraptor. Lucky for you, they told me I could invite anyone along. Are you coming?”
“Really?! You're officially inviting me?” Delia threw her arms around Ash and beamed. “I wouldn't miss it for the world.”
Ash smiled and hugged her. “Of course. Just pleeeeeease let me be an adult and don't embarrass me. That's all I ask.”
“I promise, Ash. I know you're an adult. You brought home more money yesterday than I've made in 5 years. I will be a VIP guest, nothing more.” Delia smiled and ruffled her son's spiky hair and then spotted Pikachu who had hopped out of the box and curled up in her son's lap.
“Now, let's see about getting you a frilly pink bow to wear around your neck for the ceremony.”
“Chu KA?!?!” Pikachu began to thrash and struggle, making grabby hands at Ash as Delia picked her up and started carrying her away, shutting the door behind her.
Ash fell back on to his bed amidst the mess and sighed again. He felt sorry for Pikachu, but kind of glad that it was now her turn and no longer his. He decided he would rescue her tomorrow morning and began to doze off.
“Awww. Looks like you enjoyed the chow, buddy. You really deserved it,” Ash said chuckling at her as Delia walked into his once inhabited childhood room.
Her eyes watered at what she saw. “Oh Ashy dear, I can't believe that it was around this time 11 years ago that you were here all excited about becoming a trainer and getting your first Pokémon on your quest to become the champ, and now you're here again and you've done it! My very own son. My only son.” She suddenly burst into tears. “Wait there. I have something for you,” she instructed as she left the room.
Ash and Pikachu sweatdropped with each other before Ash got down on his hands and knees and felt around under his bed. He pulled out a disgusting mold-covered slice of pizza sitting under six layers of dust. “EWWWWWWW!!!” he yelled as he flung it across the room and gagged. Trying again, he pulled out a dusty shoe box. Lifting the lid off the box and cringing at the musty smell, Ash and Pikachu peered in. Reaching in, Ash pulled out a dirty aged photograph of a teenager with short-cropped black hair holding a Pokéball, a familiar determined look etched across his face.
“Piiii kaaaa,” uttered Pikachu in awed wonder, looking from the picture, to Ash, back to the picture again.
“That was my dad,” said Ash suddenly. “He's the one that inspired me to train and befriend Pokémon in the first place.”
“Chaaaaaa,” remarked Pikachu to the photograph in appreciation.
Just then, Delia walked into the room again holding up a very snappy looking tuxedo. Pikachu and Ash looked up at her. “It was your father's,” she said before pausing. “I think you should wear it for the award ceremony and being inducted into the Hall Of Fame. There's bound to be a lot of media and photographers there and I don't want them thinking you were raised by Poochyenas.”
“Ahh, uhh, I suppose that's reasonable,” remarked Ash.
“Also, I cleaned and pressed six pairs of underwear for you to take along with you,” Delia said earnestly.
“What?! Mother, it's only a one-evening event. I don't need to take ANY underwear,” Ash retorted in annoyance.
“Don't take that tone of voice with me, young man! Besides, it's too late. I already packed them along with your teddy bear. Now, about your date --”
“MY DATE?!,” Ash interrupted violently. “Mom, this is an award ceremony. Not a freaking Sock Hop!”
“I just don't think it's right that you show up there alone. People will think you're troubled. You spend almost every living moment with your Pokémon and I'm starting to worry that you'll bring one home and tell me you're marrying her.” Delia shot back without missing a beat.
The sides of Ash's lips spasmed in annoyance as Pikachu's ears imperceptibly twitched.
She tried a different approach. “For me, Ashy? Pretty please? I want to watch you show up for your big day looking all handsome in your father's old tux, arm akimbo with your beautiful date's arm inside the loop, going up to receive your trophy and ascend to the title of Master Pokémon Trainer. It's the moment a mother dreams about from the first time she looks into her newborn's beautiful baby-blue eyes. I saw the potential in you. Just like your father.” Delia's eyes sparkled as she pleaded with her son.
Ash let out a long drawn out sigh, beginning to regret having come home. “Fine, I will ask someone to come with me if it would really make you happy.”
He began to run through a list in his mind of all the girls he knew. Ash was the first person to admit he didn't know a thing about them, but he figured that since now he was a Pokémon Superstar, girls would be throwing themselves at him and would die at the chance to share his most longed for moment with him.
Delia immediately recovered. “There's no need for that, honey. That bright red haired girl stopped by a few days ago, asking about you. We had a discussion and she said she'd be delighted to attend with you should the opportunity present itself.”
Ash flinched, staring at his Mom incredulously. She couldn't possibly mean. . .
“Isn't that wonderful? You used to travel with her. Marsha... from the Celadon Gym!”
Ash's stomach tied itself in illegal ancient militaristic knots. “Misty... from Cerulean Gym... ?”
“That's right!” proclaimed Delia excitedly, mistaking her son's working memory as enthusiasm. “She's matured into such a beautiful young woman. You two would look so absolutely cute together.”
Ash grabbed a box from the floor and put it on his bed, reaching for clothes and various miscellany trinkets from his room and placed them in the box. He then gently grabbed Pikachu and placed her in the box as well, eliciting from her a head tilt and a quizzical “Pi ka?”
“Thanks for the good times, Mom. I'm moving out now.” Ash said with not much inflection to his voice.
“Oh, come on, Ash! It's not that bad. You'll have a great time. Just this once? I'll never ask anything from you ever again. I promise.” Delia tried begging again.
Ash somehow doubted this. “All right. I'll do it, but after tonight I think I'm going to head on to Johto. If she calls, have her meet me in Cherrygrove City on the 26th and we'll take the ferry to Altomare the next morning. They have it chartered especially for me and promotional purposes, otherwise I would have just flown to Altomare on my Staraptor. Lucky for you, they told me I could invite anyone along. Are you coming?”
“Really?! You're officially inviting me?” Delia threw her arms around Ash and beamed. “I wouldn't miss it for the world.”
Ash smiled and hugged her. “Of course. Just pleeeeeease let me be an adult and don't embarrass me. That's all I ask.”
“I promise, Ash. I know you're an adult. You brought home more money yesterday than I've made in 5 years. I will be a VIP guest, nothing more.” Delia smiled and ruffled her son's spiky hair and then spotted Pikachu who had hopped out of the box and curled up in her son's lap.
“Now, let's see about getting you a frilly pink bow to wear around your neck for the ceremony.”
“Chu KA?!?!” Pikachu began to thrash and struggle, making grabby hands at Ash as Delia picked her up and started carrying her away, shutting the door behind her.
Ash fell back on to his bed amidst the mess and sighed again. He felt sorry for Pikachu, but kind of glad that it was now her turn and no longer his. He decided he would rescue her tomorrow morning and began to doze off.