Adventure's Past

Chapter 28 - Pallet

As the group approached Pallet Town, Ash couldn't help but notice how it was incredibly unchanged; no houses had been built along the road he lived on and the wind that blew through the town seemed familiar, at least to him. "You think we should've made Goh come along with us?" Clemont asked, a little worried for their friend.

As they landed in a field near Ash's house, Chloe shook her head. "Something's off about him. I don't know what, but I think he really just needed some time to think about stuff," she responded. "After all, he was looking so hard for Ash, and I think doing that for so long tires you out." Clemont silently nodded as she said this, absorbing her answer.

Returning Dragonite to his Pokeball, Ash stood in the open field, clenching the red-and-white device as he stared upon his house. "Looks like mom fixed the front door," Ash commented. "Yeah, she said she hated it," Clemont replied sarcastically. "Apparently a Rhyperior-shaped hole in her wall wasn't too pleasing to the eye."

Ash rolled his eyes and began walking towards the house, but not before Serena grabbed his arm and pulled him back quickly. She looked into his eyes and whispered, "We're here for you." Returning the look, Ash smiled solemnly and put his hand over her's. No matter how mad they were with each other, they couldn't help but show intense care for each other.

Together, the group approached the quaint house; it was largely unchanged, barring the obvious necessary repairs that needed to happen. "What are you gonna say?" Bonnie blurted out. Ash sighed as they reached the front porch; truthfully, he just wanted to say hello and be on his way, but leaving for six years probably wasn't going to allow him a simple visit.

Ash walked up the creaking stairs and knocked a few times. After a moment of no response, he looked back at his friends, all staring back at him in anticipation. Finally, the lock began clinking around; someone was fumbling with trying to get it opened. A click was heard and the door groaned with age as it opened up.

Delia already had gray hairs from when Ash was in his coma, but the amount had increased dramatically since he had disappeared. Over the years, she began leaving her house less often, eventually getting to the point where she only left the house if she needed to.

Any visitors she received, which were usually Ash's friends or Professor Oak, had also noticed this steady decline in emotion and overall lifestyle. There wasn't any judgment, of course, as no one fully understood the pain she was probably experiencing. But that pain, the one that had been incessantly consuming her for years, faltered as she stared at the visitor at the door.

"Ash," she said weakly, her voice choking at the sight of her son. Immediately, her arms made their way around his neck, holding him tight and nearly suffocating him. "I can't believe you're still alive because everyone said you were gone forever and I didn't know what to think but I had a feeling that they were all..."

Ash softly smiled as his Mom rambled on aimlessly. He slowly and gently wrapped his arms around her; it was a little awkward given that Ash was now taller than her, but it didn't matter. All that mattered to Delia was that Ash was here, at the moment, embracing her.

"...and they never believed me but I told them that you were still out there somewhere," Delia finished her nonsensical chattering, releasing her hug from Ash and standing before him. "You've gotten taller," she remarked, noticing the height difference. Ash chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah..." was the only thing he mustered.

Up until this point, Delia hadn't noticed the small group of friends standing at the bottom of the front porch stairs, but when she did, she gave them a homely smile. "Looks like your friends were the ones that brought you here," she said happily. "Huh?" Ash asked, turning around. "Oh right. I forgot they were there," he said meekly.