After dinner, Ash automatically began to clean the dishes.
Although Delia always told him to leave it to her, Ash hadn't let his mom wash a single dish since he was tall enough to reach the counter.
If he didn't have to go to the back hills for training every day, he would even make dinner for his mom.
Growing up, he knew exactly what Delia had given up for him and what she had sacrificed.
A single, unmarried girl suddenly has a son. Even in a simple town like Pallet, gossip and rumors were unavoidable.
But Delia never spoke of it to him, only giving him her silent support.
No matter what he did, her eyes were filled with affection. No matter how late he played, there would always be a light on at home and a warm bowl of soup waiting for him.
Ash knew he was her everything.
"Creak..." The door slowly closed.
Delia returned from the yard, carrying a large basket of berries and firewood.
But her beautiful face was clouded with worry.
Sensing trouble, Ash was about to sneak away, but she grabbed him by the arm: "Ash! How many times have I told you not to go into the back hills? Why won't you listen to your mother?"
"Uh... I just..."
Ash wanted to explain, but Delia cut him off: "You're still a child! Have you forgotten about the Rhyhorn and the Beedrill?!"
"I..." Ash opened his mouth to say something, but seeing the sorrow in her tear-filled eyes, he changed his mind. He lowered his head slightly: "I'm sorry..."
The Rhyhorn and the Beedrill were the only two times Ash's life was in danger over the past ten years.
The first time was when he encountered a Rhyhorn in the wild. But the Rhyhorn had eaten a spicy pepper, and its horn sent Ash flying.
Ash was bedridden for three months after that. But he also gained an ability from the misfortune: the move "Tackle."
That's right, Ash was born from a Pokémon egg. As Arceus's heir, it was normal for him to learn a few moves.
But after all these years of training, all he's managed to do is get better at Tackle. He hasn't learned any other moves.
The second time was when Ash secretly ran into the back hills to look for Pikachu.
According to the original story, Ash's "Pika-god" was originally a Pichu that lived with a Kangaskhan and its child in the back hills. It later realized it was a burden to the Kangaskhan mother and left them. After evolving into a Pikachu under the moonlight, it was taken in by Professor Oak.
In this life, Ash doesn't know if he'll get the same script where he starts with a yellow mouse and just picks up all the starters, but he believes his destiny is in his own hands... So he resolutely went into the back hills to search.
The result, however, was both good and bad.
Because while he did see a Pichu, its playful antics disturbed a Beedrill swarm and even knocked down their hive.
During the escape, the Pichu fell. To protect it, Ash had to use his body to shield it from the Beedrills' poisonous stingers.
When he woke up, he was in a hospital bed. According to Nurse Joy, the Beedrill venom had spread throughout his body. Delia's eyes were swollen from crying, and she had fainted several times...
In the end, Ash miraculously survived.
Since then, Delia has never allowed Ash to do anything dangerous.
But Ash still secretly does it... because he's well aware of his physical abilities and regeneration. As long as he doesn't go too deep into the forest, there won't be any problems.
...
The scene returns. Delia is holding Ash's face, her tear-filled eyes reflecting his pained expression: "Mom knows you want to help, but you're still a child..."
Ash smiles slightly and wipes away Delia's tears: "Tomorrow, I'll be an adult..."
He pulls Delia into his arms: "It's my turn to protect you, Mom."
"Ash..." Delia's eyes flicker intensely.
Ash nuzzles against her: "Mom, you've raised me for ten years, but I know you were meant to have a much more brilliant life. You gave up so much for me..."
"So, whatever I do, you deserve it."
"After all, you're the person I love most in this world..."
"Ash..."
Delia's mind replays Ash's efforts and all the touching moments of the past ten years. A vibrant smile, like a spring flower, blossoms on her face. She hugs Ash tightly.
The full and elastic sensation surrounds him. The soft flesh presses against his face, making it hard for him to breathe.
His hands instinctively want to wrap around his mother's waist, but for some reason, they land on her full, round hips.
"Mmm..." Delia suddenly feels a firm, hard pressure.
Blushing, she lets go of him and can't help but glance at a certain part of Ash...
Ash has been exceptionally well-endowed in this regard since he was a child. Now, he's carrying a "long spear" that could pierce the sky.
And after all these years, Delia has reached the age where she's "like a tiger and wolf." Just the current scene is enough to make her knees weak...
"Ash, I'm going to bed now..."
Ash smiles faintly: "Okay!"
But the next moment, he freezes.
Delia hesitates, then slowly leans down...
In Ash's eyes, a pair of beautiful red lips are rapidly getting closer.
Whether intentional or not, Delia's lips land perfectly on the corner of Ash's mouth.
"Kiss..."
She pulls away immediately, her face completely red, but she manages to throw out a shy phrase: "Mom loves you the most, too..."
Then she flees to her room as if her life depends on it.
Watching her flustered retreat, Ash's smile grows wider and wider.
Inside the room, Delia is hiding under the covers, completely enveloped.
"Ugh... what am I going to do? I think... I'm starting to have different feelings for Ash..."
"It's all his fault, always doing things that cross the line..."
Her mind replays all the things Ash has done over the past ten years—the countless kisses, touches, and hugs.
Scene after scene plays like a slide show...
Finally, it lands on the very first thing he said after being born: "Wifey!"
Delia's hand involuntarily rests on her chest and...
Her eyes are glazed over, as if she's seeing her son smiling brightly at her.
"Ash..."
"Mmmph~..."
...
The next day.
When Ash wakes up, Delia has already left for work, leaving a warm and loving breakfast behind.
That's right. Without a financial source, the two of them rely solely on Delia's meager income from the town's sewing shop.
Fortunately, Ash also earns some money by selling foraged berries. Their life, while hard, is stable.
The sweet corn porridge melts in his mouth, and Ash's eyes grow firm.
He takes a faded Poké Ball from the inner pocket of his jacket. A smile forms on his face as he thinks of a certain green-haired rival.
"Ash—are you home?"
Speak of the devil. The next moment, Gary walks in from the doorway.
"Hey? Isn't that the ball we fished up together?"
Not long ago, the two of them were fishing by the river and pulled up this old, worn-out Poké Ball.
Unlike the original story, Gary didn't fight Ash for it. Instead, he gave him this highly symbolic ball.
Having grown up together, he naturally knows Ash's love and longing for Pokémon, but the price of one Poké Ball is more than half a year's living expenses for Ash and Delia...