After Cole agreed to the DNA test, Delia eagerly dragged him to the hospital, bringing along a bewildered Ash.
On the way, Cole asked about Ash's father and was stunned when Delia revealed that the man who might be his brother was actually the former Kanto League Champion — Red!
(T/N: Author's note — This Red isn't the same as the one from the games. I'm just borrowing his name and some of his background. Since Ash is already a derivative character of Red, making them the same person would be too complicated. The same goes for Blue, who'll be mentioned later.)
Red was a legendary figure — known as the League's strongest trainer — but not long after becoming Kanto League Champion, he resigned for reasons unknown to the public.
The current Kanto League Champion is Gary's father, Blue Oak.
Blue and Red grew up together as both rivals and friends, much like Ash and Gary. Because the families were close, Professor Oak would always look after Ash and Delia whenever Red wasn't home.
Cole also learned from Delia the name of Red's missing brother — Douglas!
{T/N: The original Chinese name for the MC is Bai Feng, meaning "White Wind". The original name above was Shirobai, that means something like "White Plum". Since I'd already changed the MC's name to Cole (Coal Black), I kept the Western naming theme and used Douglas (Black Water) as his family's name. Just some context.}
Still, he thought his own name sounded better.
Medical technology in the Pokémon world is highly advanced. Cole and the others took the test in the afternoon, and by evening, the results were ready.
Holding the test results, Delia exclaimed excitedly, "No mistake, Cole really is Douglas! Cole really is Douglas."
Cole sat on a bench in the hospital corridor, watching her pace back and forth with the results in hand.
Ash tugged at his mother's sleeve, "Mom, what's going on with you and big brother?"
Delia gave him a light slap, "What big brother? Call him uncle!"
"Uncle?" Ash was confused, "But he's big brother — why call him uncle?"
"Call him uncle!" Delia insisted, giving Ash another light slap.
"Big... uncle." Ash pouted as he called out to Cole.
But Cole, lost in thought, didn't notice the child calling him.
"We need to tell your big brother right away!" Delia declared.
At this, Cole's attention drifted back, and he struggled to ask, "Big... brother — where is he now?"
Delia sighed in frustration, "Oh, I don't know. He went on a mission and hasn't been home for almost two years!"
Cole couldn't help but think his sister-in-law was truly thick-skinned. Her husband hadn't been home for nearly two years, yet she didn't seem worried at all.
"I know! Let's ask Professor Oak — he'll definitely know!" Delia suddenly exclaimed.
Without hesitation, she hurried Cole and Ash back to Pallet Town, heading straight for Professor Oak's laboratory.
When Professor Oak learned Cole was Red's brother, he was so shocked he dropped the cup noodles he was holding.
"De... Delia, you're not joking, right? Cole is... is Douglas?"
"Of course!" Delia replied firmly, "We did the DNA test. Professor Oak, quickly, tell me where Red is — I need to share this good news!"
"This... this... this..." Professor Oak stammered, unable to speak.
Delia eyed him suspiciously, "My Red hasn't had an accident, has he?"
Professor Oak's shoulders slumped as he managed a bitter smile, "Actually, Red has been missing for over a year."
"What?!" Delia screamed, "Didn't you tell me he was on a mission?"
Professor Oak admitted with guilt, "He really was on a mission at first, but he went missing during it."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Delia roared, her fury like an enraged Pyroar.
"I was afraid you'd worry." Professor Oak replied, his voice weak, "Besides, this isn't the first time he's disappeared. He might turn up on his own soon!"
"How is that the same?" Delia snapped, "He's never been gone more than a month or two before — this time it's been over a year!"
"Don't worry, Delia. Blue and the others have people searching for him. He's so strong — he'll be fine." Professor Oak tried to reassure her.
"It's not your husband who's missing!"
With that, Delia stormed off with Cole and Ash, leaving Professor Oak sighing in the hallway.
✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲
On the way home, Ash asked, "Mom, is Dad missing?"
Delia hesitated, then forced a brave smile, "Of course not! Dad's a powerful trainer — he's out there saving the world right now!"
"Oh~" Ash nodded and didn't ask again. In truth, he could barely remember his father's face anymore.
When they got home, two out of three were downcast. In the end, it was Lopunny who made dinner, while Delia and Cole ate in a daze.
Back at the dormitory that night, Cole still felt lost.
Good news: He found his biological brother!
Bad news: His brother was missing.
Daniel and Keith quickly noticed Cole seemed off. With concern, they asked, "Cole, what's wrong? You don't look like yourself."
Still reeling from the bombshell that he now had a brother, sister-in-law, and nephew, Cole kept the truth to himself.
He just shook his head, "I'm fine, just a bit tired."
Seeing this, Daniel and Keith exchanged worried glances but didn't press further.
"If something's bothering you, tell us." Keith said, "Even if we can't help, we can at least listen."
"Thanks, but really, I'm fine."
Cole washed up quickly and went straight to bed.
✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲
The next day, he went to class as usual. From a distance, he heard Ash's voice.
"Big... uncle! Uncle!"
Cole turned and saw Ash bouncing up and down, holding the now-awake Pikachu. A golden light flashed, Ash trembled, but he still wore a big grin.
Nearby, Daniel asked, curious, "Big uncle? What kind of title is that?"
"Go on, I'll catch up." Cole told him, giving Daniel a little push.
"Alright." Daniel shrugged and left.
Cole walked over to Ash, "Why are you here? Don't you have class?"
Ash was in the preschool group at summer camp. Their schedule wasn't as tight as Cole's, but if Cole remembered right, Ash had class this morning.
"I'm going right now. I just wanted to bring Pikachu to see my big... uncle." Ash said, grinning. Still not used to calling him "uncle", he kept stumbling over the word, "Pikachu, look — this is my uncle, the one who saved you in the forest!"
"Pika? Pikachu?"
Pikachu tucked its head in, studying Cole as if trying to recall something. Suddenly, recognition lit up its face. With a joyful leap, it sprang out of Ash's arms and into Cole's embrace.
"Pika~ Pika~ Pi~"
Pikachu chattered away, eager to communicate. Before long, Cole's eyes widened in surprise.
"So you're that Pichu from before!"
"Pika~ Pika~"
Pikachu nodded enthusiastically.
Watching Pikachu snuggle up to Cole, Ash exclaimed enviously, "That's so nice! I wish Pikachu would treat me like that, too!"
Cole patted Ash's head, placed Pikachu back in his arms, and said, "Pikachu, Ash, take care of each other."
Pikachu pouted but stayed in Ash's arms, refusing to move.
Ash happily rubbed his cheek against Pikachu — only to get shocked again.
"Alright, off to class!" Cole said, giving Ash a gentle pat on the back.
"Mm-hmm!" Ash called, carrying Pikachu toward his classroom. Halfway there, he turned to wave, "Big... uncle, goodbye!"
Cole shook his head with a helpless smile, then headed back to his classroom.
✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲
At noon, Ash returned to the youth group area — Delia had sent him to invite Cole home for lunch.
When the two arrived, she already had lunch prepared and was waiting for them.
"Come, wash your hands and sit down to eat." Delia called out.
After a night to process the news, her expression was no longer as distressed as the day before.
Over lunch, Delia peppered Cole with questions, mostly about his experiences over the past decade or so. He answered as much as he could.
She also asked if he wanted to move from Kalos to Pallet Town to live with them, but after considering it, Cole declined.
Though he had blood relatives here, he still saw everyone at the orphanage and the Pokémon on Mt. Ascendant as his family. Compared to these new relatives he'd just met and had little emotional connection with, he preferred to remain in Kalos.
After hearing his answer, Delia didn't press the matter. She said they'd discuss it again when Red returned, and promised to visit Kalos herself to meet those who had cared for Cole — Daisy, everyone at the orphanage, and Ramos.
As he was leaving, Cole told her, "Sister-in-law, try not to worry too much about my brother. I know quite a few trainer friends — I'll ask them to help look for him."
Delia smiled gently, "Thank you. But I'm sure he's fine. Once he hears we've found you, he'll come rushing back as fast as he can."
On the walk back to the dormitory, Cole called home in Kalos. His mom happened to answer. He told her about finding his blood relatives in Kanto, and she was silent for a long time.
Only after he assured her he would stay in Kalos and keep living with everyone did her tone return to normal. She also advised him to get along with his new family.
Cole laughed to himself: 'Don't think I don't know you're just pretending — you're actually terrified of losing your precious son!'
After chatting with Daisy for nearly an hour, his mood visibly improved.
✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲
The afternoon activity for Cole's group was chosen at the last minute: Arbok and Ekans had been vanishing from a nearby breeding farm, and Officer Jenny couldn't figure out why.
So, Professor Oak asked the students to investigate and see if they could solve the mystery.
The breeding farm sat in a village just ten minutes from Pallet. When the group arrived, the owner greeted them warmly. With so many Arbok and Ekans gone, he was at his wit's end and desperate for answers.
"Mr. Bard, could you show us the breeding room?" The teacher asked.
"Of course, of course!"
Led by Mr. Bard, Cole and the others reached the breeding room entrance. Before they entered, he handed each student a face mask.
"We make our living selling Arbok and Ekans shed skins, so we keep a lot of them. When so many gather, they give off a rather... unique smell, so it's better for everyone to wear masks." The farm owner explained.
"Understandable." The teacher said, helping to pass out the masks.
After everyone put on their masks, the farm owner finally opened the breeding room door.
Inside, they were greeted by rows upon rows of glass Snake Enclosures. Each enclosure held more than a dozen Arbok or Ekans, all writhing and tangled together — a sight that was decidedly unsettling.
There were well over a hundred of these glass Snake Enclosures!
Immediately, a powerful odor rushed into their noses. The masks did little to help.
How to describe the smell? It was something like urine, but sharper — far more intense and pungent.
"Ugh~"
"Ugh~"
...
Many students couldn't help but gag.
The farm owner gave an apologetic smile, "I'm really sorry — please bear with it for a while."
At this, Junichi pinched his nose and said, "Couldn't you add more vents or use some air fresheners? This smell is just too..."
He looked like he might throw up at any moment.
The farm owner regarded him with the patience of someone addressing a novice, "Young man, you just don't understand. This smell might be hard for humans, but it's different for Arbok and Ekans.
This is what happens when their hormones build up. Without this scent, Arbok and Ekans would lose the urge to mate, and their shedding and growth would slow down.
The Pokémon here are nothing like the ones raised by trainers like you."
"O-okay, I was being shallow, ugh~" Junichi muttered, still holding his nose and looking queasy.
Everyone covered their noses and started to inspect the breeding room. Oddly enough, there was no sign of any damage. By all logic, the Arbok and Ekans shouldn't have been able to escape.
The only connection to the outside world was a few vents in the ceiling, but the snakes couldn't fly.
✲✲✲
T/N: Hey! Liked what you read? Support your friendly neighborhood translator on Patreon! Think of it as buying me a coffee... or ten!
For just $1.50 (that's less than your daily meme budget), get extra chapters! Want more? $2 gets you bonus content, $5 unlocks premium stories, and $10 makes you my hero (and gets you everything I have, including earlier acess to new books)! You can have access to almost 15 books!
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)
https://www.patreon.com/collection/1305384