Ash\'s Revenge

Chapter Eight

After two days of being in the hospital Mr. Brock Slate had finally woken up with the help of a very gifted Golduck. He was released a couple of hours later with a clean bill of health, although he groaned out loud when he saw the actual bill. Thank God he had excellent health insurance with the Breeding Center. Upon waking up, a very pretty Nurse Joy was there to inform him of everything that had transpired over the past two days. All he could do was nod in response, he certainly didn\'t remember getting into a fight with his best friend.

“Now, I want you to know Mr. Slate, that all charges have been dropped. It\'s no ones fault here, you were under Hypnosis.” Joy smiled and gently squeezed his hand. “Now tell me, have you been working with an Alakazam at your job?”

“Well, I\'ve only been at the Breeding Center for two months… and no actually I haven\'t worked with an Alakazam at all.”

“How curious!” The pretty young nurse exclaimed. “The Golduck that woke you from your unconscious state told her trainer that the Hypnosis attack had come from an extremely powerful Alakazam.” Joy sighed. “This is very strange indeed.”

“I\'m sorry Nurse Joy… but the past two months have really been a blur…” Brock shook his head, how did he get himself into this mess?

“Yes, of course Mr. Slate. I\'m terribly sorry about all of this. I suppose you can go home now, take it easy for a week so those bruises heal.”

“Mmm…” Brock nodded, he still couldn\'t believe that his best friend in the whole wide world had given him those bruises. What had he done?

The Rock Pokémon Trainer thanked Nurse Joy, gathered his stuff and went outside to hail down a taxi in order to return home. Twenty minutes later he was at the door of the Ketchum residence ringing the doorbell. He gazed about the well-groomed yard. Everything was perfect, just the way he liked it, and the pink rose bushes he put in for Misty were really beginning to bloom. It was funny, he could remember the work he did… but his actions… and what he had said and done to people was all a mystery.

“Ash, sweetie, could you go get that?” Misty rubbed her large belly; she found it hard to get up from the chair, especially with Togepi and Pikachu sitting on her lap watching TV. Besides, she was munching on a rather large bowl of ramen noodles covered in wasabi and didn\'t exactly feel up to the job of setting it down.

“Ok Mist.” Ash said as he walked toward the door, he glanced at the bowl of noodles and had to cover his mouth to keep from gagging… ick! How could she eat that? Opening the front door, he came face to face with his former best friend.

“Hey Ash.”

“Brock…” Ash was speechless.

“Who is it Ash?” Misty called from her sitting place in the living room.

“It\'s Brock… he\'s home from the hospital.”

That was enough for Misty to place her disgusting bowl of wasabi drenched ramen noodles down and wobble quickly to the door.

“Brock!” She embraced the tall dark man as best as she could. “We\'re so sorry Brock… we had no idea you were under Hypnosis!”

Some of the Pokémon heard the welcoming and decided to join their trainers by the door to greet their favorite chef. It wasn\'t that Ash couldn\'t cook, Brock was just better at it. And they certainly didn\'t want Misty preparing what she made herself for them.

“Hey guys, did you miss me?” Brock questioned with a grin. There was a collective cheer among the Pokémon.

“We\'re glad you\'re back Brock… and I\'m really sorry.”

“It\'s ok Ash… I understand…” His expression changed from appreciative to his goofy “pretty girl” drooling face. “And this really, really, really hot Nurse Joy explained everything to me!”

“So you\'re not mad?”

“No… not if I get to see her again… Ah! My sweet angel who saved me from a fate worse than death!”

“Brock! If I wasn\'t going on seven months pregnant, then I would so grab your ear and drag you back to your senses.” Misty glared at him dangerously. “Do, try to control yourself.”

“Wow, it\'s great to be back!” He sighed and pulled his two best friends into an embrace. It was as if nothing at all had ever happened between them, everything was fine now.

When they pulled away from their much needed group hug, Ash turned off the television set so they could all have a serious chat. He told the Pokémon to go play outside in the backyard and once the house was void of their pitter-patter and squeaky voices, the three best friends were able to talk.

“So Brock…”

“Yeah Ash?” The dark man was brought out of his daze, he was marveling at his cleanly handy work again as he observed the living area.

“Did Nurse Joy mention a… um… a bit of an argument that took place while you were still unconscious?”

“No… not at all. Why?” Brock faced Ash looking into his eyes. “Is there something wrong?”

Misty took in a sharp breath… she was crying. The young men turned to look at her.

“Everyone found out that… we\'re expecting.” Ash stated and Brock nodded. “My… my mother said some pretty nasty things to Misty, and well… I said some pretty mean things back. I kind of humiliated her in front of everyone.”

“What on Earth did you say?”

“I… I kind of told her that I had known about her relationship with Professor Oak since I was like eight or nine.” The ebony haired young man flashed his infamous smirk. “Of course… it wasn\'t stated very nicely.”

“So it was just Mrs. Ketchum and Professor Oak who were there?” Brock inquired as he sat back into the sofa.

“No… Gary, Tracey and the twins were there as well.”

“Hmm… well.” Brock rubbed his chin in thought. “I think that we should invite them all over for dinner this evening… and explain everything to them. You can\'t have your own mother mad at you Ash. You\'re all she has… it must be hard for her to except that her only child who is only sixteen, is married and has a baby on the way.”

“I know… I know…” Ash turned to look at Misty who had dozed off on the love seat. Hadn\'t she been crying just a moment ago? Strange. “Would you… call them for me?”

“Sure Ash.” He patted his best friend on the back, he needed to make sure everything was all right from this moment on, and he was going to do all he could to help. He got up to stretch and strolled silently over to the slumbering teen on the love seat. With little to no effort he picked her carefully up and brought her to her bedroom with Ash leading the way to open the door. Once she was laying on her own little bed, the two men closed the door behind them and set out to work.

“Alright… so I\'ll straighten things up… and you\'ll cook?”

“Sounds like a plan to me. Pokémon are occupied… check, pregnant teen with mood swings sleeping… check.” Ash gave Brock a funny look, as the older young man opened the refrigerator and freezer. “Food in fridge… check. Apron?” Brock looked around for his favorite frilly pink apron.

“Oh… shit…” Ash cursed. “Brock… you were sent to the hospital in it…”

Brock literally ran to the front door where he had dropped the bag with his belongings on the floor. He tore it open and pulled out the frilly pink apron. It had been washed, but it was ripped in several places. The Breeder sighed and wiped a tear from his eye.

“Thank God…” He muttered. He clutched the apron to his chest as he stood straight and turned to his friend. “This was my mothers apron… I can mend it. She had two of them that were exactly alike. One I keep in a box… untouched. The other… I wear to remind me of her.”

All Ash could do was nod, he knew Brock loved his mother more than life itself; she had been his role model. More than anything the breeder wanted to be just like the wonderful woman and take care of everything for everyone.

“Come on, let\'s get to work, I can sew this later, I\'ll just wear one of Misty\'s.”

“Misty doesn\'t have an apron.”

Brock stopped dead in his tracks… he appeared as if someone had mentioned “that name”. He was twitching slightly and grabbing tightly to a chair for support.

“She… she doesn\'t… own… an apron? Ugh!”

“Brock are you alright?” Ash went to the Breeder\'s side. “Maybe you should rest.”

The twenty two year old straightened and exhaled.

“No, I\'m fine, that was just a bit of a shocker. I\'ll have to make Misty an apron, everyone needs one.”

“Whatever you say Brocko.” Ash turned his attention to the living area and began to fluff the pillows on the sofa\'s and chairs.

They worked in silence for about two hours, tiding, sweeping, dusting and straightening the public areas of the Ketchum house. As the dinner was cooking, Brock went ahead and phoned Ash\'s mother, the Professor, and the Oak residence. Mrs. Ketchum and Professor Oak were very hesitant to come. They claimed that Ash, Misty and their “bastard child” were out of their lives for good. It took quite a while for Brock to try and convince them, he at one point, even made Delia cry. Gary and Tracey were more than delighted to come, the twins were dying to see the couple and their Pokémon again, and they were extremely excited about the baby.

“Are they coming Brock?” Ash asked nervously after Brock hung up the phone for the second time.

“Yeah…” He turned to face his friend. “Hey calm down, you have to keep your cool. Your mom and the Professor have to realize that you can handle this situation Ash. This is your chance to prove to them that you are going to be a great father, and to show them that you\'re perfectly capable of supporting a family.

Ash nodded, he didn\'t want to have another fight with his mother. He sat heavily down on the couch. He was a nervous wreck… he began to wish that he kept at least some type of hard liquor in the house to settle his nerves, not that he was old enough to drink mind you. He was brought out of his thoughts by the doorbell ringing. His heart seemed to leap in his chest as Brock opened the door to reveal the Oak family including Marill and Eevee, who quickly scampered off to see Misty and Ash\'s Pokémon.

“Hey Brock, you\'re looking good.” Gary patted him on the back and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Tracey did the same, but Tom and Ann merely shook his hand.

The Breeder ushered them all in and closed the door behind them. Gary and Tracey sat near Ash after a pleasant greeting.

“Wow, you guys sure are getting big!” The Breeder exclaimed with a laugh, he was standing near the twins who were jumping up and down from their excitement. “You\'re five now huh? That\'s practically grown up!”

“We\'re not grown ups yet!” They giggled and Brock picked them both up and tickled their tummies. He loved little children, they were so lively, energetic, creative and imaginative, yup Ash and Misty sure are lucky to have a little one on the way!

“Would you two like a little juice to drink before dinner starts?” He asked after he settled them down.

“No thank you.” They answered in unison. “We want to see Aunt Misty!” The twins continued with the ecstatic bouncing.

“Well she\'s taking a…” Brock\'s sentence was cut short.

The doorbell rang for the third time that day at the Ketchum residence, and the simple descending major third sounded more like Mozart\'s Dies Irae to Ash. He cringed at the melodic tone, his pulse quickened, his heartbeat raced with his uncertainty. Tracey and Gary each put a hand on his shoulders, they knew it would be hard to confront his mother and mentor after the other day\'s events. Brock opened the door and greeted the older couple courtly.

“We\'re glad to see you\'re back on your feet Brock.” Professor Oak said as he walked into the house. He looked around, taking everything in, very much surprised at what he saw.

“Yes, thank you.” The Rock Type Trainer turned to Delia and gave her hand a kiss, her other hand was carrying a small pastel gift bag. “As day\'s go by and rose petals wilt, you\'re beauty alone shall withstand!”

“Oh Brock!” The brunette giggled. “Stop it… you\'re such a gentle…”

“What\'s…” Misty began, walking into the living room. Apparently, the voices had roused the red head from her sleep. She stalled when she saw the cause of the sound… Mrs. Ketchum, who was staring at her, hell everyone was staring at her, their eyes piecing her like a Poison Sting attack. Tom and Ann were about to skip over to say hello but Ash hastily jumped to her side pulling her back out of the room and away from prying eyes for a moment.

“Why are they here Ash?” She whispered her eyes brimming with tears. She hated the way they all stared at her stomach, like she was some deformed Pokémon in a medical oddity museum. “She\'s just going to try and break us up… she\'s going to take you away from me and the baby!”

“Misty, no… no one can ever do that… I\'m not going any where… ever.” Ash hugged her tightly kneading his hands into the small of her back. She was shaking with fear. He whispered into her sweet smelling hair. “Come on honey… calm down, I\'m right here, I\'m not going anywhere.” He stepped back and took her hands in his. “We can do this, I know we can. We\'re going to go out there, and tell them, that whether they like it or not, we\'re married and we\'re having this baby.”

Misty nodded, hiccupping after her silent sobbing.

“Now come on, let\'s get you some water, and we\'ll sit on your favorite chair to talk to them. If you don\'t want to, you don\'t have to say a word.” He led her back to the living room. “I think there are two people who are very excited to see you here.”

Tom and Ann ran straight over to the pregnant red head, not sure if they should hug her or not, so they asked if they could.

“Yeah, you guys can hug me, just be gentle ok, you can listen to the baby move around too.” Misty smiled, she really did love the twins, they were adorable children and quite well mannered.

The two siblings eagerly hugged the mom to be and turned their heads to her tummy so they could here the sounds of the developing fetus.

“That\'s amazing!” Tom was the first to exclaim. “Did you hear the baby dear sister?”

“Uh huh! It\'s so awesome!” Ann squealed with delight. “I can\'t wait to play with the baby dear brother!”

Ash gently nudged his wife over to their favorite chair, a huge round purple monstrosity that was the most comfortable sitting place in the entire living room. They sat down together and he placed a protective arm around her shoulders. The setting resembled that of a funeral, well… minus the dead relative. The ebony haired young man glanced from one person to the next even the twins were silent. Somebody, please say something! To everyone\'s utter surprise, Mrs. Ketchum was the one to break the thick ice by walked right up to Misty and handing her the gift bag.

“Here… Misty… I… I brought the… baby a gift.” Mrs. Ketchum whispered almost inaudibly as she handed her the small pastel bag.

“Oh… you didn\'t have to Mrs. Ketchum…”

“Please… don\'t…” Delia once again surprised everyone with a genuine smile. “Go a head and open it.”

Misty opened the bag and pulled out a small bundle wrapped in white tissue paper. What could it possibly be? She had not received anything for the baby from anyone.

“Oh…” The red head gasped after Ash helped her discover the actual gift, which included, a little sweater, booties and a matching hat all crocheted in a pearly soft cream yarn. “They\'re beautiful… oh and look Ash… the booties are so little!” Misty looked up at the middle-aged woman with gratefulness. “Thank you Mrs. Ketchum… you… I… I don\'t know what to say.” She ran her delicate fingertips over the soft patterns… she wished she could make something so perfect for her little baby, she was trying but these was just gorgeous. “Did you crochet these yourself?” She inquired as Ash carefully refolded the tiny sweater and placed the items back in the bag.

“Yes, actually, I did, along time ago, before my little Ash was born.” Mrs. Ketchum explained with a smile. “I have been saving them for a long time, knowing that my little baby\'s baby would someday need them.”

“Thank you, thank you very much.” Misty smiled, stood up and hugged the woman in front of her, this was her mother in law and her baby\'s only grandparent.

“You\'re welcome Misty.”

After the two women sat down, Professor Oak cleared his throat and stood to speak.

“Now, Ash… I believe I owe you an apology.” The elderly man began. “Especially that I know that you were never really comfortable with me… um, spending time with your mom, and I\'m sorry for that, I truly am sorry, but I love your mother with all my heart and soul. And Ash, I love you too… like my own son. Could you find it in your heart to forgive me?”

Contemplating all of this was difficult for the sixteen year old. He took it all in wondering whether or not he should accept the old man\'s apologies, and the maturing man inside him told his brain yes, he should forgive and forget and then apologize himself.

“I forgive you Professor Oak… and I\'m sorry too for being such a jerk and saying all those horrible things.” He stood up and took the professor\'s hand in his and shook it. “Just do me a really big favor ok?”

“What\'s that?” The Pokémon researcher questioned curiously.

“Take good care of my mom… I have my own family to take care of now.”

Everyone in the room gave a cheer and clapped. Now everything would be just fine.

“Well now that this is all settled, who\'s ready for dinner?” Brock coughed and switched on his French connoisseurs voice and proceeded to articulate the night\'s entree. “On tonight\'s menu… fillet minion cooked to medium perfection accompanied by beautiful garlic shrimp, blanched asparagus with a delicate lemon and sage crème sauce, boiled new potatoes smothered in a light organic butter, fresh parsley and ground pepper, three loaves of large crusty Portuguese bread, a Mediterranean mix of greens, red onions, cucumber, feta and olives, sprinkled with extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar, and for this evening\'s wine selection we have a sensuously divine Merlot served in chilled glasses, a \'93 vintage, a good year if I do say so myself. ”

Now if that wasn\'t a way to lighten everyone\'s mood, then Moltres all mighty, burn us down! When the Breeder was done everyone was laughing in merriment, and a bit of confusion, however they found out quickly that Brock never joked when it came to food. They ate with merriment and after the scrumptious meal, which Misty was actually able to enjoy, the company found themselves in the living room again enjoying steaming cups of earl gray and homemade biscotti (made of course by Brock).

“Um Misty, honey may I ask you a question.” Mrs. Ketchum inquired politely after sipping her tea. She was trying to get used to the fact that the young teen was pregnant. Misty nodded in response her mouth full of cookie. “How far along are you?”

The teen swallowed and took a huge gulp of her tea.

“Seven months in just about a week and a half.”

“Oh my… you\'re carrying rather small.” Mrs. Ketchum said surprised, she would have guessed around five.

“It sure doesn\'t feel that way… it\'s so hard to move. And the doctor says that I\'ve gained a healthy amount of weight, I never knew that this…” She rubbed her tummy for emphasis. “Would be considered small.”

She smiled sympathetically at the girl; it must definitely be difficult when you\'re so young.

“How… well, how did this come about?”

“Huh!” Ash nearly spit out his tea, blushing furiously. “Things just… um… happened.”

Everyone nodded except for the twins who didn\'t understand.

“Now…” Professor Oak placed his empty cup on the coffee table. “About this wedding of yours…

“It wasn\'t much of a wedding Grampy, they got married in court.” Gary explained.

“Yeah Brock phoned us. We kind of had a feeling she was pregnant, even though he never told us.” Tracey reached to hold his husbands hand and glanced at the pregnant teen across the room. “But all three of us thought it was the best thing they could do… we kind of went along with his fib of financial reasons…”

“Yeah I kind of told them that Ash was going to have to pay back a lot of his winnings since he was unmarried… with a wife he could keep his money.” Brock explained seriously. “I knew you guys knew the truth… Misty was too obvious, I still can\'t believe I didn\'t find out until she was well into her fourth month.”

“Poor girl, you must have been so scared when you found out.” Professor Oak sighed and shifted uncomfortably… he still couldn\'t grasp the fact either, the once skinny little girl was now sitting on an over stuffed purple chair, rather chubby and very pregnant.

“We were just scared about what Brock might say, I thought I was really sick… but we were surprised, that\'s all.” The red head offered; she couldn\'t bring herself to be scared of the wonderful life that was currently growing inside her.

“And we were definitely happy.” The Pokémon Trainer finalized with a smile.

Mrs. Ketchum quickly faced Professor Oak. They were happy… how could they possibly be happy?

“Aunt Misty?”

“Yeah Tom?”

“When are you going to have the baby?”

“Uh huh! When is the baby coming?” Ann joined in eagerly.

Misty smiled warmly at them, she was definitely thankful for the twins. The two five year olds were non-discriminating, and they loved the idea of a newborn baby. It didn\'t matter to them that Misty was so young; they themselves were too young to understand the grownups morals.

“I\'m going have the baby in August the doctor said the twentieth.” Misty explained happily and gave them both of them a tight squeeze. “The three of you are all going to be really good friends.”

All too soon it was time for them all to part ways, Tom, Ann and Misty had all fallen asleep on the couch and everyone else was yawning heavily. The Pokémon had all gone to bed hours ago, even Marill and Eevee, who were allowed to spend the night so Gary and Tracey wouldn\'t disturb their slumber (although the twins had to be carried away to their own little beds at home). Little pocket monsters were gathered together on a shaggy Mareep wool carpet in Ash and Misty\'s bedroom. They said their good nights. And for the first time, in a very long time, Ash gave his mother a big hug and she kissed him gently on the cheek. Everyone else shook hands and exchanged warm embraces, and once again, the Ketchum house was silent for a well-deserved night of pleasant dreams and restful sleep.

The End