This is it, folks! The Epilogue and essentially the final chapter of "Two of a Kind" is here! I've been writing this story for over a year and I'm both happy and sad that it's finally coming to a close. I definitely had fun writing this Advanceshipping fic for you guys, and I didn't expect it to become as epic as it did. In any case, enjoy the Epilogue!
Epilogue
A young teenage boy ran through the wilderness as fast as his legs would carry him. He scampered through the dense forest, brushing branches of trees and shrubs out of his path. The wood and branches nicked his legs as he tried to get through them, frantically trying to keep up with himself and not lose his breath on the way. He took his glasses off his face and held them in his hand as he ran, he knew that if he dropped them there would be no way for him to go back and get them. He saw a fallen log ahead of him and prepared to make a running jump over it, but an unforeseen fallen tree branch nicked his leg as he was making the jump.
“OUCH!” he cried as it pierced his skin.
He landed on the grass on the other side of the log but lost his balance quickly after that. He fell on his side and yelped out in pain. After moaning and groaning to himself some more, he stretched out his legs to look at the blood trickling down from where he nicked it while running.
“Damn, this hurts like hell,” the boy whined, searching in his bag for anything to cover the cut with.
He didn’t have long to search his bag however as he could already feel something breathing down its neck from behind.
“Dammit, its caught up to me,” the boy gasped.
He put his glasses back on and brushed his jet black hair out of his eyes. His blue t-shirt stuck to his skin with sweat and his tan shorts were covered with dirt and mud. He had been running from the beast for nearly an hour, hoping to lose him in the thick foliage of the forest, but the beast kept its scent on the boy and followed him the whole way through relentlessly.
“Crap. If I’m going to go down, I might as well go down fighting,” the boy said determinably, “Ivysaur, I need you!”
He threw his Pokeball into the air and called out his strongest Pokemon, the grass-type known as Ivysaur. It was the second evolution of Bulbasaur, and as such it was a bit bigger than its pre-evolved form and had a pink flower growing on the leaves on its back. Ivysaur looked back at its master and heard the upcoming roars from the forest. It assessed the situation quickly and took a defensive stance ready to protect the boy at all costs.
“Ivysaur, this could be our last stand,” he warned.
“Ivysaur, Ivy,” Ivysaur replied, promising to stand its ground.
“Man, how did I get myself into this mess?” he asked himself, “C’mon, Max, what would you sister think of you if she saw you in this situation?”
“Ivysaur!” Ivysaur bellowed as the beast reared its ugly head from the forest.
Max, now at age 15, had gotten himself into quite a pickle. His legs were bleeding and there was nobody else for miles around that could help him. His one method of defense was his starter Pokemon, his trusty Ivysaur, to protect him from the beast. He wiped his brow nervously as its footsteps pounded the ground as it got closer.
“It’ll be ok, Ivysaur, I promise, stay calm!” he called out.
“Ivy. Ivysaur,” it said, its eyes swaying from side to side.
Suddenly a huge green arm emerged from the forest and struck Ivysaur harshly on its side. The Pokemon cried out painfully as it went flying through the air and smacked into a tree.
“Ivysaur!” Max called out desperately.
His Ivysaur was lying on the ground, dazed and confused. Max looked in fear at the beast but it was gone. There was nothing surrounding him but thick forest and the chrips of flying types in the air.
Hoping that their attacker had left the vicinity, Max made a dash toward his fallen Pokemon. Just as Max was a few feet away from it, Ivysaur yelled out a warning.
“IVYSAUR!” it cried, shaking its head.
“Huh?” Max gasped.
Almost immediately afterward, the beast emerged from the forest and struck Max on his back. His backpack went flying off his shoulders and the back of his shirt had tears of claw marks. He fell to the ground and his glasses flew violently off his face.
The claws managed to slash the boy through his shirt, and he cried hopelessly as he felt the sting on his back from the strike. Blood trickled down his back and stained his clothes a deadly red.
“Ivysaur, Ivy, Ivysaur!” Ivysaur cried, rushing to defend its trainer.
“No, Ivysaur, stay back!” Max pleaded, lying on the ground, “Get out of here before we both die!”
The shadow of the beast roared from behind him and he knew that this was it. Its shadow towered over them and it prepared to deliver one final strike with its arm to crush Max’s spine.
“Ivysaur, Ivy!” Ivysaur said, shaking its head frantically.
“GET OUT OF HERE!” Max cried.
The scent of the beast was right above him. It looked down at him menacingly. It was not going to leave without a kill. Max began to cry his regrets, knowing that there was no way he would survive this.
“Ivysaur, I’m sorry!” he cried, tears cascading down his face, “May, I apologize for that fight we had! I know we haven’t spoken in two years, but I love you, big sister! Ash…I wish I could have lived up to your prestige.”
The beast delivered its blow.
Dad…I failed you.
~*~*~*~
The bright sunshine filtered through the windows and shone down on the young couple sleeping in bed together. A young man yawned and pushed his hand through his dark hair as his Pikachu jumped off the bed and scampered into the next room to hopefully find some leftovers in his food dish. The man yawned loudly again which caused his girlfriend to sleepily bury her head in her pillow. He then brushed his hand against his face and was feeling rather rugged; he realized he really needed a shave.
He sat up in his bed and stretched some more, as well as scratched his chest under his plain white t-shirt. He noticed his girlfriend still tossing in bed and chuckled, she never could get out of bed before 9 a.m. His girlfriend wore a red bra and panties to sleep, although her unstrapped bra loosely hung off her chest because of how much they were cuddling last night. He gently pulled the covers a bit off her and tapped her shoulder.
“It’s morning, you gonna get up?” he asked her.
She mumbled something into her pillow and pulled the covers back over her head.
“Guess not,” he chuckled.
He got up out of bed and headed to the bathroom to shave his face. He looked at his appearance in the mirror, he had some hair on his face, although not too much that it could be called a beard. His hair style otherwise remained exactly the same as when he first started his journey with Pikachu when he was ten years old, he still had the same spiky black haircut. His girlfriend suggested that he let his hair grow long in the back so he could have a little ponytail, but he refused and wanted his hair to remain short and have the exact same style he always had since he was little. He was never one to take his time combing his hair since he always wore a hat on his head anyway, so after shaving the hair off his face, he briefly ran his hand through his head and left his same familiar hairstyle as is.
His face had broadened and he was more muscular than the skinny little boy he used to be. He still remained relatively slim however, and was only 5’7” in height. He sometimes wondered why he stopped growing at that height and didn’t get bigger, especially since his friends and mentors like Brock and Professor Oak were still taller than him. His girlfriend was only 5’5” though, so while he didn’t grow more inches than them, he at least finally gained a few inches over his girl.
He walked back out of the bathroom and saw his girlfriend still lying like a lump in bed. Her brown hair lie messily against the pillow and her arm dangled off the side of the bed.
“May, are you awake?” he asked.
She grunted and tried to lift her head off her pillow. She sleepily gazed around the room and brushed her brunette hair out of her eyes.
“What…time is it, Ash?” she asked tiredly.
“It’s 9:30am, we slept a little late today,” he said.
She looked at her boyfriend and raised her head on her pillow. She smiled at him fondly.
“I see you finally decided to shave,” she said.
“Heh, well after you kept bugging me about how it itches you when we kiss, I suppose it was finally time to use that razor again. You know I hate using that thing, I forget half the time to plug it in and charge it up anyway,” he said, chuckling.
May lifted the covers off her body and stood up on the floor. She removed the bra which was dangling off her chest and left it on her bed. She stretched her arms behind her back and didn’t mind leaving her breasts uncovered, she had no problem being nude around her boyfriend for years now.
She had truly developed into a beautiful young woman. She let her brunette hair grow and it now cascaded down her face rather than sticking out to the sides like it did when she was younger. Her hair now went down to her shoulders, and it retained that silky smooth style she always had.
Her face continued to consist of that same hopeful yet skittish little girl that reluctantly went off to get her Torchic in Littleroot Town nearly a decade ago. Her sapphire eyes seemed to sparkle, at least when Ash looked at her, and she had the happiest smile that could cheer even the most depressed individual up just by looking at her.
Her body developed into the same womanly appearance of her mother. Her well-toned waist and legs gave her an ideal figure, and her breasts had grown slightly larger than her mothers. Her curves were nicely developed and she remained thin, making many guys envy Ash for having such a gorgeous girlfriend. Then again, May caught several girls checking Ash out over the years as well, and made it well known to them that Ash was hers.
She knew she was attractive but she never flaunted it for anyone but Ash, she wanted to make it known that she was extremely happy with her love life. After all, Ash had remained her boyfriend for nearly six years. She always prided herself that Ash was her first, and was extremely happy that she could share her first intimate moments with the same boy she shared her first kiss with. The couple had fun experimenting and going through the stages of love with one another, and she was glad their affection for each other never dwindled. She had the same guy that treasured her for all those years, and she was confident enough that they would always be together in the future as well.
Ash was currently 21, while May was two months away from being 19.
“Do you know what day it is today?” Ash asked.
May looked at him oddly, not quite remembering what was special about the current day. Ash looked at his girlfriend who was standing there topless, with only a pair of red panties on her otherwise voluptuous body. She looked awfully alluring, especially when she put on that cute confused expression. It was hard for him to stop staring at her, especially at age 21 where his hormones had finally kicked in full stop.
“Eh…not really, Ash,” she said, walking toward him and hugging him around the waist. She pressed her chest against him and kissed him softly. “Why? Am I forgetting something important?”
He held her around and kissed her forehead. “Yeah, we’re supposed to head to Pallet Town today. Don’t you remember? Your parents and Professor Oak planned your brother’s birthday party there today.”
“My brother’s birthday?” she said confused, looking up at him, “Max’s birthday is not until a little after summer, its December right now! Besides, after that huge fight Max and I had two years ago, we haven’t spoken since and you know that. My parents have had a hard time getting the two us to talk again, and it always ended in failure. Man, who would have thought that Max would turn into such a jerk when he became a teenager?”
“Uh, May…you just hit the nail on the head there. You know, the reason you and Max had a fight in the first place?” Ash reminded her, “I wasn’t talking about Max’s birthday anyway, I was talking about your other brother.”
“Oh right…you mean Ronald,” May said, sighing.
She moved away from Ash and sat back on the edge of her bed. She rubbed her eyes with her hand and looked discouraged.
“I forgot about Ronald’s birthday party,” she said, displeased with herself, “I don’t know why I keep forgetting.”
“Its probably because of the circumstances surrounding his birth, you’ve always had a hard time accepting the fact that you have another brother, and have had one for five years now,” Ash said, “You really shouldn’t forget that Ronald loves you, a lot, May.”
“I…I know. I love him too,” she said, “It’s not just because he’s only my half-brother though, I haven’t grown up with him like I did with Max. Max and I lived together before we traveled with you, Ash, and then we traveled with you together for a few years too. I suppose since we’re always on the road and I don’t see my parents much anymore, I keep forgetting I have a baby brother back home at Petalburg who loves me. Heh…every time he sees me he gets all excited that his big sister came home to visit. I shouldn’t forget about him.”
“You shouldn’t forget about either of them,” Ash said, “Aside from rarely seeing Ronald, you haven’t spoken to Max in two years either. It really isn’t like you to push your family away, especially since they’re both your younger brothers.”
May sighed again and placed her hands on her thighs.
“I’ve tried to make up with Max before, you know that, but it always ends in disaster. It bothers me that our entire fight revolved around Ronald as well…when he found out what really happened to Mom,” she said.
She looked like she was going to put herself down again, and he didn’t want that to happen. Ash sat down on the bed next to her, motioning for her to rest in his arms on the bed for a little while. She smiled agreeably and climbed on top of him and rested her head on his chest. She also told him to take off his t-shirt so she could feel the warmth of his chest, and he did so accordingly. She pressed her breasts against him and rested contently in an embrace.
“Max didn’t take it well at all,” she began, reminiscing about that moment two years ago, “The last time our family was all together, Max found out the horrifying truth behind what really happened to Mom. Ronald was only three years old at the time, and Dad was playing with him in the living room. Mom and I were talking in the bedroom together, and eventually the topic about Ross came up again. I guess no matter how hard we tried to forget Ross and the incident, we just couldn’t because we had Ronald in our family now that was a constant reminder of him.”
“It’s hard, isn’t it?” Ash asked softly, rubbing her shoulders, “I feel bad that I wasn’t there at the time, maybe I could have calmed Max down.”
“That would have probably been impossible, even for you,” she said, “Max overheard Mom and I talking about how Ross raped her and delivered us this baby to our family, and Max went ballistic. He stormed into the bedroom with a face full of tears and yelled at both me and Mom about keeping this a secret from him. He was shocked to hear that his Mom was raped, and even more shocked to hear that Ronald wasn’t our full blood brother like we told him. He broke down and went into an angry rage about how we never let him knew the origins behind Ronald’s birth, and he spent the rest of the day cursing us out and even called Dad names. The three of us tried to calm Max down and told him that we kept this a secret from him for his own good, but he just wouldn’t listen.”
“Max was 13 at the time, wasn’t he? It probably hurt him at that age at the most to know you and your parents kept it a secret for three years,” Ash said.
“Yeah, I imagine if I were in Max’s place instead, I probably would have gotten just as emotional and angry as he got. To spend three years thinking you have a new baby brother because your parents loved each other and only to find out the baby only existed because your Mom was raped really took its toll,” she said, “When little baby Ronald took his first steps walking over to Max to see what he was upset about, Max couldn’t even stare the child in the face anymore without crying. Max loved Ronald, but knowing he was the offspring of Ross rather than from his father upset him far too much. He then smashed a couple of things in the house during his rampage, and when he scared Ronald and saw the baby bursting into tears, Max couldn’t take it anymore and stormed out of the house.”
“Shame, it really bothers me that I wasn’t there,” Ash moped, “I’m sure Max would have listened to me.”
“I doubt it. Despite my parents telling me to let Max go so he could cool off for a while, I disobeyed them and ran after him anyway. I felt terrible for Max and didn’t want him to feel this angry and confront his feelings all alone, so I knew I had to go after and talk to him. I ran throughout the entire city of Petalburg looking for Max at every corner, desperately trying to catch up to him. Eventually I found him at Petalburg Square, staring solemnly into the Magikarp fountain. I approached him to try and calm him down…boy was that ever a mistake.”
*Three years ago*
“How could you and Mom lie to me like that?!” Max yelled vehemently.
“Max, calm the hell down!” May said anxiously, “I’ll explain it to you if you stop acting like such a jerk!”
“No you calm the hell down,” Max retaliated, “I can’t believe you as well as Mom and Dad fed me that bullshit about Ronald being related to us for all those years. How could you say those lies to me with a straight face?”
“They weren’t lies!” May shouted, “Ronald is related to you, you know that! Stop acting like such a brat, he’s still Mom’s son!”
“Yeah, but he isn’t Dad’s son!” Max fumed.
He paced the ground around the Magikarp fountain and kicked pebble after pebble into the water. May watched him angrily spew forth obscenities in public toward her and knew that he was blowing his top. In all the years that she had known her brother, this was definitely the angriest he had ever been.
“So just because he isn’t related to Dad you have to pull this whiny and pissy fit?” May asked.
“Why shouldn’t I?” Max yelled, “It’s not just the fact that I now know he’s my…half-brother, it’s the fact that my entire family lied to me! I can’t comprehend why you guys would leave me in the dark about this!”
“We left you in the dark about this because you were too young at the time!” May said, desperately trying to get through to him, “You were only ten years old and first starting your Pokemon journey when we found out that Mom was pregnant with Ronald. Do you honestly believe at the time when you were happier than you had ever been in your life out there on a Pokemon journey, that Mom was going to tell you that you have a new baby brother coming, but it’s not from Dad and that it was from a rapist? Do you know how crazy it would be to tell you that at that age?!”
“Mom and Dad sure had no problem telling you that,” Max remarked.
“They had to tell me,” she said squeamishly, “I’m the older sibling, for god sakes, Max, Mom had to tell at least one of us. They decided to tell me because I…already…knew that…Mom was raped.”
Max stopped fuming and looked at her in a perplexed manner.
“What?” he asked.
May sighed and took a deep breath.
“I knew Mom was taken advantage of because I heard it from the guy who did it himself, yeah, Ross,” she said, “When Mom was kidnapped, I confronted Ross in an alley alone with my Combusken, remember? During that confrontation Ross told me to my face that he raped Mom a number of times. Do…do you know how I felt at that point, Max? Do you honestly know what was going through my head when he said that?”
Max listened to her intently.
“I…I felt like falling to pieces. I could barely comprehend and stomach what he just said he did to my mother, with no pity or remorse for what he did either. He said it to me with a straight face like he was proud of himself and I felt like I could barely breathe. I was so emotionally distressed at that time that looking back, I’m surprised I managed to make it through that ordeal in one piece. Not only could I have been killed because I could barely think straight, but I could have lost it altogether and never recovered from psychological turmoil,” May said, getting angry, “So what do you think I went through, Max? You’re too busy going on a rampage because Mom, Dad and I agreed it was better to keep it a secret rather than telling you the truth. We didn’t want to tell you that such a horrible thing happened to Mom, you wouldn’t be able to understand it, and even if you did, it would have been a terrifying thing for a ten year old boy to find out his mother was raped. We kept it a secret for your own well-being, there was no reason for such a terrible revelation to be told to you at that point. Who…who knows what might have happened to you if you found that out, you were far too young and immature to handle it maturely...but then again, I guess you’re far too immature to handle it now too.”
The last comment ticked Max off again. His sister didn’t mean to do it, but she just ignited the flame that was burning in his chest again. Max began to shout to draw attention to himself so everyone around him would hear.
“WOW. So I’m too immature to handle that my mother was RAPED and I had to be told a horrible lie about how my new baby brother is from my parents rather than from a rapist,” he shouted, “Thanks a LOT, May. You sure made me feel a lot better by waiting to tell me this now.”
Several people walking by started looking at the fight the two siblings were having. People turned their heads and started making comments, since they recognized the two siblings as Norman’s children.
“Max, will you shut the hell up and get a grip?!” May said angrily, “I could barely handle the reality that Mom was carrying Ross’ child in her either, but I managed to pull through and act strong for Mom. It would be nice if you stopped acting like an asshole and did the same.”
“And to think, I probably still wouldn’t have known about this whole situation if I didn’t actually overhear you and Mom talking about it in the bedroom,” Max exclaimed, “What were you guys going to do? Planning to keep this a secret for another couple of years and never let me know?”
“M-maybe,” she said, “We…we never fully agreed whether we’d tell you someday in the future or not. I…I just feel bad that you had to find out in the way you did.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry too,” Max fumed, “I’m sorry that I have you for a sister.”
May shook her head.
“You don’t mean that,” she said, “Just…calm down, Max…please?”
“All I can say is I’m really disgusted by you and our parents right now,” Max said.
May looked around her and noticed a crowd forming around them. Many bystanders were listening to their entire argument. May started to feel nervous and embarrassed.
“Max! People…people are looking at us!” May exclaimed, “You…you don’t want the whole town to know, do you?”
“I think it’s too late for that, May, I think they already heard it all from all the yelling,” Max scoffed, “It’s sickening and repulsive that this day had to end like this. I don’t think I’ll ever look at you or Mom and Dad in the same way again.”
Max started walking off and pushing through the crowd. May quickly followed him.
“You’re…you’re overreacting. What…what about Ronald?” she called out.
Max stopped in his tracks and turned toward her.
“You…you love Ronald and he loves you. You’re not going to turn your back on your baby brother now, are you? It would be an absolutely horrible thing for you to treat him differently now that you know how he was born. You can take whatever you want out on me, but please don’t take this out on Ronald. There’s enough controversy surrounding this already, we don’t need our baby brother to grow up thinking his siblings resent him.”
Max took a deep breath. The entire crowd of people were gossiping and waiting for what he would say. May looked around her and was peeved that these people crowded around and listened in on their fight.
“I’m not going to take it out on Ronald,” Max said, “I’m just not going to going to look at you or Mom and Dad the same way again. I can’t believe my respect for my father has been shattered.”
“But it doesn’t have to be that way!” May pleaded, running up to him. She placed her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. “Max, you’re still overreacting. Once you calm down and reconcile things with yourself, you’ll think rationally. Please stop it, what do you think Ash would say if he saw you acting like this?”
“Ash…?” Max muttered.
“Yeah, you think he would approve of you acting in this manner? You know he wouldn’t think it’s acceptable for you to turn your back on your family simply because of this, he’d be extremely unhappy with you.”
“Maybe so,” Max realized, “But here’s one piece of advice, May.”
“Wh-what’s that?” she asked, skittishly.
“If you decide to have kids with Ash someday, make sure you only have them with him. I’d hate to think what your son would say if he found out his father wasn’t Ash but someone else,” Max said hastily.
“That’s a retarded thing to say, Max,” she said vehemently, “You act as if I’m going to be taken advantage of by some guy the way Mom was someday. That would never happen.”
“I used to think a lot of things would never happen,” he replied, “But now that I know you told me that lie about Mom and our brother for three years, I don’t believe anything anymore. Just make sure you don’t open your legs for anyone but Ash. You never know anymore.”
May was infuriated that he would say such a thing. Her face blew up entirely and she lost herself in rage. She furiously slapped Max across the face so hard that his glasses went flying off his face. He fell to the ground and rubbed his face hastily where she had slapped him. The surrounding people gasped.
“You don’t dare say something like that to me again, Max,” she said furiously, “Or I swear I’ll beat the crap out of you right here and now in front of everyone.”
Max rose to his feet but didn’t answer her. At age 13, he was now the same height as she was, so they were able to look each other in the eye. Both had a face full of contempt toward the other sibling. The townspeople continued to watch with shocked expressions.
“You’re not my sister anymore,” he muttered to her face.
He angrily walked away from her and picked his glasses up off the floor. The surrounding people watched as he pushed through them and stormed out of there as quickly as possible.
May felt her rage suppressing and was now somewhat sorry for what she did. His comment about her was rude and uncalled for, but she didn’t want to strike him in front of everyone and make him storm off, especially when she promised her parents that she would calm him down and bring him back to the house.
She watched her brother storm off in the distance and felt remorseful and full of sadness.
“Max…” she uttered.
*Present*
“I haven’t spoken to Max since the fight, but he did manage to make up with Mom and Dad about a month later,” May said, leaning against Ash’s chest, “Our parents tried to get us to talk to each other again, but it never worked out. I must have really humiliated him when I slapped him hard in front of all those people; Petalburg citizens, which is why he didn’t make up with me but he forgave Mom and Dad for lying about Ronald’s birth.”
“You really should have gotten me to talk to your brother, I would have been able to help!” Ash said yet again, sitting up in the bed, still holding her in his arms.
She shook her head slowly once more, her face was filled with doubt. She moved in closely and kissed him briefly for his compassion.
“It was too big a humiliation. As I said, those were people of Petalburg watching us fight. They all knew who we were, and Max felt it especially hard,” she said.
“Just because you slapped him?” he asked.
“Not only that, but because he felt a lot of pride in our town. Don’t you understand, Ash? We know Max wants to become the Petalburg Gym leader after Dad retires. How would you feel if you, a young trainer aspiring to be the Gym leader in a town, was slapped and humiliated in front of all the people who live there?” May revealed, “That must have torn him up inside, because he’s probably wondering how the Petalburg citizens can take him seriously as a future Gym leader now when he got beaten up by his own sister in public?”
“Jeez, I can see what you mean,” Ash said, frowning, “It really must have been embarrassing.”
“Yes,” she said solemnly, “I feel so bad to this day that I hit him, I regret it all the time. Back then, I was just so insulted by what he said that I lost myself in anger, but looking back, I suppose I could have been a little more responsible. I wish I could apologize to his face, but he never let me.”
Ash sighed, but thought of an idea.
“Why don’t you apologize to him today then?” he asked, “I’m sure he’ll show up for Ronald’s birthday party, you and your brother could make up with each other.”
“We’ve both been at Ronald’s previous birthdays, but whenever I tried to talk to him he just ignored me. I told you my parents tried to get us to talk to each other again, but he just wouldn’t have it. I doubt this time will be any different,” she said.
“I’m here this time,” Ash said, “I’ll try to get him to open up to you.”
He rubbed her shoulders passionately and caressed her chest as he attempted to reassure her. She slowly slid off her undergarments, and he watched as she slid her red panties off the bed.
“Ash…” she said, smiling, “Max hasn’t seen you in five years, heh, I doubt he’ll even recognize you anymore.”
“I haven’t changed that much,” Ash said, chuckling, “I’ve just gotten a little taller…why do you think I’ve kept the same hair style? I want everyone to actually recognize me when they see me again.”
“You’ve also gotten sexier,” May said flirtatiously, stroking his chest.
“Eheh, well, I guess that’s only something you’d notice,” he said.
She leaned toward him and tickled his ear with her tongue. She started rocking on his body as she stroked him alluringly.
“Of course I noticed...” she said, “There’s a reason we spend so much time in bed together.”
Ash chortled. “Sure, I guess I can’t complain. I promise though, when we go to the party at Pallet Town later, I’ll talk to Max. It isn’t right for you two to carry on this fued for any longer than you have already.”
“O…ok,” she said.
“I promise, ok?” he asked her again, gripping her shoulders as their motion continued. They both moaned slightly.
“Ok,” she replied, “We’ll see how it goes…but I’m not expecting any miracles. I’m more excited to see Ronald again, I haven’t seen him in a couple of months. I bet he’s grown taller by now.”
They talked about Ronald contently but their love soon escalated into sheer passion as they slowly lost themselves in one another. Ash’s clothes were pulled off as their flesh intertwined and they kissed and moved along the bed with one another. The party was scheduled to begin in the afternoon at 3:00pm, but it was only 9:50am in the morning for the time being. They would have plenty of hours to lose themselves in their love making before they would have to leave, and they would surely savor their time together passionately.
~*~*~*~*
Norman and Caroline held the birthday party for their son at Pallet Town this year, because they knew Ash and May were returning to Kanto since they finished their journey in the region they were currently traveling in. While May’s parents were looking for a place to rent out the party, Ash suggested that they have it on Professor Oak’s ranch, since there was plenty of free space there and his old friends could make the visit as well. Norman and Caroline agreed to the idea, and notified everyone about Ronald’s fifth birthday party.
Ash and May arrived in Pallet Town an hour early to the party and greeted their friends and family when they arrived. There were streamers and many tables set out on the grass behind Oak’s lab, and plenty of food set up as a buffet which sure made Ash’s stomach rumble. Delia was there to greet her son of course, and this time Delia had to look up into her son’s eyes rather than look down due to his height. Delia, as usual, looked like she barely aged a day. It seemed that no matter how much time passed at all, her face still had the same youthful appearance and that same lengthy brown ponytail. Caroline actually got a bit envious of Delia, for it seemed like she was able to still look young while her face showed some slight signs of age.
Professor Oak and his assistant Tracey said hello to Ash and exchanged news about their Bulbasaur. Ash and May were astonished to hear that their two Bulbasaur had mated again and continued to produce more eggs together, and Professor Oak, with the two Bulbasaur’s permission, decided to give the offspring to newbie Pokemon trainers ready to start their journey. Many trainers came to Oak’s lab week after week, eager to start their careers as trainers, and those trainers who wanted to pick Bulbasaur got the special offsprings of Ash and May’s Bulbasaur to start out with. Of course, the Bulbasaur’s first offspring belonged to Max, May’s brother, who wasn’t at the party just yet. The two Bulbasaur sighed as they wanted to see how big and strong their first born had grown into, but Ash reassured them that Max would show up to the party eventually.
May hugged her Mom and Dad after a long time no see, and asked where her brother Ronald was. Caroline told her that he had to go to the bathroom, and was going back inside Oak’s lab. Ronald was a short boy with dark black hair like his biological father and was quite skinny to boot. His face, for better or worse, also resembled Ross’. The look of his face especially is why Caroline let her son have a head full of hair, she feared that if she got him a shaved head, he’d look just like… him.
After a few more moments of chatting, Ronald exited the lab and was ecstatic when he saw his sister standing outside.
“MAY!” Ronald said jubilantly, “My big sister is here!”
May giggled and ran over to her brother and snatched him off the ground, covering him with hugs and kisses. Norman and Caroline smiled warmly appreciating that May was so close with him.
“Of course I’m here, silly, you don’t think I’d miss my baby brother’s fifth birthday party, did you?” she said excitedly, lowering Ronald to the ground.
“Mommy told me you were coming,” he said, jumping up and down, “I got so excited because I love seeing you again, big sister!”
“Me too!” she squealed, “I know sometimes there are long gaps when we don’t see each other but I try to visit every time I get a chance!”
“But why don’t you see me more often? I miss you,” he sulked.
“Aw, that’s because I’m older, Ronald. I have to travel around the world to compete in Pokemon Contests. It’s my career, it’s what I love to do. I’m sure Mom and Dad told you all about my Pokemon Contests,” she said.
“Mommy told me you look very pretty in those Contests,” he said.
“Tee hee, I guess that’s true,” she snickered, “Do you remember Ash?”
“Ash?” he asked, looking puzzled.
“Yeah, that man over there,” she said, pointing to him.
Ash walked toward the boy with Pikachu on his shoulder, and bent down on one knee so he could talk to him easily.
“Hi, Ronald, I’m Ash!” he said.
Ronald looked at him blankly.
“Pikachu, pika?” Pikachu asked.
Pikachu’s voice excited Ronald and he turned to the electric Pokemon and started grabbing his cheeks.
“This is cute!” Ronald said gleefully, squeezing Pikachu.
“Piii—iika,” Pikachu moaned as its face was being squeezed.
“Guess he doesn’t remember you too well, Ash,” May said.
“Maybe not, but he sure likes Pikachu!” Ash said, “How about it, Pikachu? Want to play with Ronald?”
“Pika!” Pikachu said.
It jumped off Ash’s shoulder to the ground and let Ronald touch it.
“Remember, Ronald, we need to be gentle with Pokemon,” May instructed, “Pet its fur nicely.”
“Nicely?” Ronald asked.
“Yea, like this,” she said, stroking Pikachu’s yellow coat as her little brother watched, “Pokemon like to be petted.”
“Ok!” Ronald said, slowly and carefully petting Pikachu.
“Pikachu, pika,” Pikachu said happily.
“Heeheee!” Ronald giggled.
Ash and May watched as Pikachu amused Ronald by making funny faces with his face. The little boy giggled and clapped his hands in amusement while Pikachu entertained him.
“Don’t take it personally, Ash,” Norman said, placing his hand on his shoulder, “But it seems my boy just likes Pokemon more than you.”
“Hey, I know perfectly. I was the same way when I was younger too!” Ash said.
“You sure were,” Delia chimed in, “You were always amused by Pokemon even when you were a baby.”
“Most infants and children DO have an attachment to Pokemon when they’re young,” Professor Oak said, walking toward them, “Pokemon are meant to be our companions, and right from an early age we humans need to learn to trust them. The connection Ronald is making with Pokemon now will surely benefit him in the future.”
Ash agreed, he surely knew it firsthand. Professor Oak then asked Ash if he wanted to see how his old Pokemon were doing on the ranch, and he of course agreed to go run over and check them out. Delia wanted to reminisce with her son some more so she went with the two, in addition to Norman, who was interested in seeing what Pokemon Ash collected over the years. May and Caroline stayed behind with Pikachu and Ronald, they wanted to watch them play some more.
Pikachu stretched out his face completely. “Piiiiikachu!”
“Heehee, you’re funny! Mommy, do you see the funny Pokemon?” Ronald asked.
“Yes I see him, dear, Pikachu is a very funny Pokemon,” Caroline said.
“Wow,” May said while watching her brother, “It’s really hard to believe its Ronald’s fifth birthday already. Time sure does fly.”
“It does indeed, I can still remember when I was pregnant with him as if it were only yesterday, it feels like the last few years have just flown by,” Caroline said.
“You…have fond memories of it now?” she asked her mother.
“Somewhat,” Caroline sighed, “I know the history behind his birth is a troubled one, but since he was born I’ve loved him so much that I can’t imagine us being without him. He really has been a joyous boy.”
“Heh, I agree. I love him every time I see him. It’s…a little bothersome though,” May admitted.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if it weren’t for…you know, what happened, Ronald wouldn’t be here right now. I kinda have mixed emotions about it, I love my brother, yet at the same time, I wish you were never kidnapped and had to go through that torture with Ross. It’s...very conflicting.”
“It is,” Caroline sighed, “I still don’t know whether to call his birth a blessing or a curse, perhaps love has overweighed the negative however. After all, your father loves Ronald as if he were his own son.”
“Yeah, I’m really proud of Dad. He’s never looked at Ronald’s birth as anything but a positive, despite everything, he’s such a great father,” she said.
“Whether or not his birth was planned, we cherish him nonetheless. I just wish you and Ross would see each other more often, he tells me all the time how he misses you,” Caroline said.
May looked at her mother in a confused manner. “Uh…Mom?”
“Hm?”
“You just called him Ross,” May said.
It took a few moments for Caroline to register what she said, she looked somewhat distressed, and tried to reassure her daughter that she didn’t say that.
“I didn’t call him that, I called him Ronald,” Caroline told her.
“No you didn’t, I heard you say Ross,” May said, “Mom…you don’t still think of him…do you?”
Caroline sighed, she knew what she said and the slip of the tongue depressed her.
“It’s…hard to forget,” Caroline said truthfully, “Every time I look into your brother’s face…he reminds me of Ross.”
“You never told me that,” May said.
“He has the same exact facial structure as his father. The resemblance is nearly uncanny,” Caroline said, “If he had a shaved head, he’d truly look one and the same.”
Caroline was telling the truth. While she tried to put on a positive demeanor in regards to her son, every time she looked at him she was reminded of the man who raped and abused her. She wasn’t confused over whether it was a blessing or a curse, to her, it did feel more like a curse. Ronald’s face was an almost exact replica of Ross as a child, and it reminded her of the pain she endured every time she saw her own son.
“He left this family a child so we all remember him,” Caroline said solemnly, watching the boy giggle and play with Pikachu, “It never lets me forget the pain.”
“Naming him Ronald probably didn’t help matters either, Mom,” May said, crossing her arms, “You could have given him a name that didn’t begin with the same first two letters. At least that way you wouldn’t have slip ups while saying his name.”
“True…the name just came to me though…I don’t know why we really decided on it. Your father and I both knew it sounded too much like Ross, but we went with it anyway.”
May shook her head.
“Just stay positive, Mom, you know, like you tell me all the time,” May said, “I love my brother and I know you and Dad do too. I’d rather him be here than not, and that’s why, for better or worse, I can accept the past now because of the present. It just isn’t fair to project all this sadness onto Ronald when he’s just an innocent boy that doesn’t even know his real father isn’t your husband.”
“You’re right, May, I do tend to try and push the conflicting thoughts out of my head. What’s done is done, but the pain still lingers, and that’s what bothers me,” Caroline said.
“Mom.”
May walked over to her Mom and hugged her while they both watched Ronald play with Pikachu with delight and cheer.
“Pikachu, pika pika!” Pikachu exclaimed, pulling its cheeks.
“Pikachu, you’re funny!” Ronald cheered, “Do it again! Do it again!”
Perhaps the depressing past did make way for a joyous future.
(continued below)
|