Pokemon: Radical Redux

The crystal started to go down as the rooms returned to normal. From outside, people saw the crystal disappear like melting ice.

Oak had just gotten off the computer with Ash. He walked out of the Pokémon Center and joined the others watching the scene unfold. Even the cameraman was recording everything.

"Yeah, they did it!" Lisa exclaimed, pumping her fist.

"They must have gotten rid of the Unown!" Schuyler agreed, giving Lisa a high five.

"We can return to the mansion. We must hurry and check on the young miss!" the butler declared. The maids nodded in agreement, but just as they prepared to dash off, Oak stopped them.

"Wait, you can't go just yet. Don't worry, I spoke with Ash. They're okay. Let's wait for more of the crystal to disappear and for them to come to us."

The butler and maids wanted to argue but couldn't. Reluctantly, they nodded and bowed, continuing to watch as the crystal gradually vanished. But one thing was still on everyone's mind, what about Spencer Hale?

—---

Ash lay on the ground, waving weakly. Immediately, everyone rushed toward him.

"Ash, are you okay?" Yellow asked, torn between healing him or holding back.

"No, I'm just peachy," Ash replied sarcastically. "And don't bother—I'm just tired… I think," he muttered, glancing at the holes in his shirt.

Nearby, Molly's eyes were fixed on Entei, who was beginning to fade away. Delia stood not far behind her. Despite her anger toward Entei, her soft heart ached to see him disappear. She didn't stop Molly from running toward him.

Still clutching Bellossom in her arms, Molly knelt beside the fallen Entei. "Pa…" she began, then hesitated. Hugging Bellossom tighter, she whispered, "No… you're not my real papa, are you?"

Entei weakly opened his eyes and gazed at her. "Forgive me…"

Molly wiped her tears and embraced him tightly. "No, don't say that. I'm not mad. I want to thank you—thank you for being my papa, Entei."

A soft light filled Entei's fading gaze. "And thank you… for loving me and giving me a purpose."

"I'm going to miss you, Entei," Molly sobbed.

He gently placed his paw on her head. "No. As long as you believe in me and remember me, I will always be in your dreams."

Then, Entei's eyes shifted to Ash. "Forgive me… I thought I knew what Molly needed, but I now realize that what she needs is not something I could provide. You can. Promise me you'll take care of her…"

Ash, though exhausted, forced himself to stand. "Yeah, I'll be here for her. I'm her brother, after all."

"I thank you," Entei murmured. He turned back to Molly. "Molly, listen carefully….your father… he is alive."

"What?" Molly gasped, and the others mirrored her surprise.

"The Unown… they made him disappear, but he is not dead. You can bring him back."

Delia spoke urgently. "How? How can we get Spencer back?"

Entei's fading eyes met Ash's. "The Unown you captured…bring it out."

Ash took out the Poké Ball and released the A-shaped Unown. It floated before them, its eye watching silently.

"Nine Unown came together to make him disappear. If you want to bring your father back, you must gather all nine once again," Entei explained, his form nearly gone.

"I'm out of time," he whispered. "Forgive me for not being able to help more…"

"No! Entei, don't be sad! Thank you for everything. You'll always be my papa. I love you," Molly cried.

"And… I love… you…" Entei's voice faded as he disappeared, turning into light.

As the last remnants of the crystal dissolved, the mansion finally returned to normal.

Molly cried harder, and as Ash knelt beside her, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Suddenly, she threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest while sobbing uncontrollably. Ash rested his hand on her head, letting her cry.

Bellossom caught between them and snuggled against Molly's chest to comfort her. Seeing this, Delia approached and wrapped her arms around both Ash and Molly, holding them close.

Delia looked up at Ash. "Hey, Ash… do you think you could… you know?"

Ash sighed softly. "Yeah, I think I've got a little left in me." He took a breath and placed his hand gently on Molly's head. A soft, light-blue glow surrounded his hand as a comforting Aura spread over her.

Molly's sobs gradually quieted. Her breathing slowed, and she peeked up at Ash with a small smile before falling asleep in his arms.

"Wait, what?!" Misty blurted out but was quickly shushed by Ash.

"Misty," he whispered, "she's sleeping."

Lowering her voice, Misty leaned closer. "Ash, why are you using that? Isn't that supposed to be a secret?"

"Yeah!" Brock added. "You've kept this from us all this time. I know the situation is different, but should you really be—" he gestured toward Delia.

Ash gave them a deadpan look. "Wait… did you seriously think my own mom doesn't know I can use Aura?"

Brock and Misty froze, their expressions contorting as if they had bitten into a lemon. "Wait… what?"

Ash's eye twitched. "Seriously? You thought I kept this a secret from my own mother? No offense—I like you guys—but I trust my mom more than I trust anyone else. Why would I not tell her?"

"Well…" Brock began awkwardly. "I guess we kinda assumed that if you didn't tell us, you didn't tell anyone…"

Yellow scratched her head sheepishly. "Yeah, I sorta thought that too…"

Ash sighed and shook his head in mock disappointment. "Yellow, not you too. I expect this kind of thinking from Misty, but from you? I'm hurt." He smirked. "You told your uncle about your powers, why wouldn't I tell my mom?"

"Hey!" Misty exclaimed, then quickly covered her mouth, glancing at the sleeping Molly. "Why am I catching strays?"

"Quiet. This isn't about you." Ash waved her off. "We can argue later. Right now, I'm tired, I want food, and I really want a nap."

He turned and returned Charizard to his Pokéball, then gently picked up Pikachu and placed him in his bag so he could sleep too. As he set the bag down, he felt it tremble. Frowning, he reached inside and pulled out the Egg he had been carrying.

"Oh… I almost forgot about this," he muttered as it began to shake more violently, he removed it from the incubator.

As soon as he held it against his chest, a crack formed on the surface. A moment later, a tiny purple dinosaur poked its head out, which they all were very familiar with since Brock had one, an Aerodactyl. 

They were shocked because once again, Pokemon that are revived can't breed yet here Ash has a baby Aerodactyl, But as soon as Ash the Aerodactyl on his chest, he saw they wanted to ask questions so he sighed.

Ash's expression turned blank. "Don't even think about asking questions." He glared at them. "I'll explain everything later. Right now, I'm too tired to deal with your babbling."

As if agreeing, the baby Aerodactyl chirped and licked Ash's cheek, imprinting on him instantly.

Ash glanced down at the tiny Pokémon and sighed. "As for you… take a nap. We all need one."

He pressed a Pokéball gently to its head, as it rolled and clicked shut.

—-

"Hey, I just realized, why did so many of your Pokémon evolve?" Delia asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

"Wait, really?" Misty said. "How many of his Pokémon evolved?"

"Uh… I think five?"

Ash interrupted. "Actually, eight. Three more evolved earlier."

"That is… ridiculous," Brock muttered. "How?"

Ash shrugged. "My best guess? When this world was active, it was controlled by Molly's imagination. Since she saw me as a cool hero, she probably thought of me as the main character in one of those cartoons we used to watch as kids. And in her mind, evolving Pokémon might've just meant I automatically win, so she probably influenced them."

"That… actually makes a lot of sense," Brock admitted. "Some of our Pokémon evolved too. I guess she must've seen us as your sidekicks or something."

"Oh wow!" Misty flexed her arms. "No wonder I felt so strong while fighting! It was like I was at my absolute peak Like I could've taken on Lorelei and won!"

"Hmm…" Ash mused. "Maybe the world put you at your full potential for a bit. Do you remember what that felt like?"

"Kind of," Brock said, clenching his hand. "It's weird, like if I was working out for years, but then suddenly I'm out of shape and lost all that muscle."

Misty nodded. "For me, it's like forgetting how to swim. My brain knows what to do, but my body just… can't."

Ash snapped his fingers. "Hold onto that feeling. Work on it. Who knows? Maybe you're closer to that strength than you think."

As he finished speaking, Kadabra appeared beside him in a flash of light.

"Hop on, everyone," Ash instructed.

Brock, Misty, and Yellow moved without hesitation, accustomed to Kadabra's teleportation by now. Delia gently lifted Molly into her arms, cradling Bellossom as well, and walked over.

Just before Kadabra teleported them, Delia placed a hand on Ash's shoulder. "I'm proud of you," she whispered.

Then, with a bright flash, they vanished from the mansion.

—

When they arrived back at the Pokémon Center, the butler and maids rushed forward, nearly throwing themselves at Molly. Delia quickly held them back, gesturing toward the sleeping girl. They sighed in relief, grateful that she was safe.

Ash staggered to a nearby chair, slumping into it with a groan. He unstrapped the PokéGear from his wrist and tossed it toward Lisa. "Here. Thanks for letting me borrow this."

Lisa caught it easily and smirked. "No problem. I'm not the one who just raided a 'haunted' mansion~"

"Yeah, yeah." Ash waved her off. "I'm just tired. I need sleep." he was completely out of Aura, he couldn't even use the most basic techniques right now.

"Well, you definitely deserve it," Delia said, settling onto a couch and tucking Molly in with Ash's jacket as a blanket.

"This was… certainly one of the most interesting adventures we've had," Brock commented, sinking into a chair across from Ash.

"You didn't have to come," Ash said, scratching his cheek. "But thanks. I appreciate it. Sorry, I… kinda lost it back there."

"Nah, don't worry about it," Misty replied. "If my mom got kidnapped, I'd probably lose it too. Honestly, you handled it better than I would've. I'd have gone totally crazy."

"But you were kinda scary," Yellow added quietly. "I'm glad you don't like getting mad."

Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah… sorry about that." He sighed, resting his head in his hands as he glanced around at his friends.

"Hey… Ash?" Brock asked as he glanced at Misty, Lisa, and Yellow, who shared the same curious look. "There's something we've been meaning to ask."

"What's up, dude?" Ash said, setting his bag between his legs.

Brock hesitated, then finally blurted, "Why are your eyes red? I mean, weren't they brown?"

Ash leaned back, his voice dropping dramatically as he narrowed his eyes at them. "You really want to know?"

They all gulped and nodded.

"Well…" He paused for effect. "I don't know."

Brock and Misty nearly fell out of their chairs. Misty gripped the table to steady herself as she shot him an incredulous look. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I mean I don't know! I didn't even realize my eyes had changed until my mom pointed it out," Ash replied, turning to Delia for answers.

Delia shrugged with a gentle smile. "It's probably just your father's genetics kicking in. His eyes were red too."

Misty blinked in confusion. "Huh… wait… what?" She rubbed her temples. "Oh yeah… I kinda forgot you have a dad. You never talk about him."

Yellow nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, even in school, you never mentioned him."

Ash shrugged again. "How could I tell you something I don't even know? This is news to me, too. Apparently, my dad had red eyes…cool, I guess, but I'm just wondering if this is permanent. Don't get me wrong, red eyes are kind of awesome, but I wasn't expecting it."

"Can't eye color change as you get older?" Lisa suggested, pulling a strand of her hair. "Like how my hair was blond when I was little, but now it's darker."

"It can, but it's rare," Ash explained. "And it usually happens when you're a baby. Most cases occur by the time you're three."

"Well, looks like you're the lucky minority," Misty teased, grinning mischievously. "Besides, if you don't like it, you could always 'pull a Brock' and keep your eyes closed all the time." She gently elbowed Brock.

Brock's eye twitched, but he smirked. "Hey, Misty, didn't you tell Yellow she had permission to slap you? Well, we're outside now, seems like it's time to settle that."

Misty froze, her grin fading. "Oh no… I did say that, didn't I?"

Yellow blushed and pulled her sunhat down, hiding her face. "I…hoped you forgot… I don't want to slap you"

Delia giggled, charmed by Yellow's timid response.

"Nope! A promise is a promise!" Misty said, tapping her cheek. "Come on, Yellow, I can take it. Right here!"

Ash made no attempt to stop the chaos. Instead, he pulled out his phone. "This'll be good."

Yellow fidgeted nervously, then raised her hand. She lightly tapped Misty's cheek with a sound barely louder than a pat.

Yellow tried to quickly flee, but Misty called after her. "Yellow… you went easy on me, didn't you?"

"B-But…" Yellow tried to say,

Misty interrupted her, "Don't! Slap me properly!"

"But-" Yellow tried again but she was interrupted yet again

"Do it, I'm already prepared! I deserve this so do it slap me and make it make a real nice sound!" Misty said, looking at Yellow seriously.

"M-Misty…" Yellow said, admiring her conviction

But Misty's serious face quickly fell, "Hehe, I'm kidding, I tried acting though, i got you good didn't I ~," Misty said as she stuck her tongue out.

But Yellow didn't hear Misty admit she was joking, Yellow's lip quivered. "M-Misty…" She clenched her fists. "Your resolve… I feel it…" Yellow said with a tear falling down her face.

Before anyone could stop her, Yellow summoned every ounce of strength and slapped Misty so hard the sound echoed. The impact sent Misty flying out of her chair and crashing into a wall, a red handprint clear on her cheek.

Ash stifled a laugh, only managing it because Delia nudged him with her elbow. He walked over to check on Misty, leaning down to inspect her. "Yep. She's out cold."

"T-that's what she wanted… right?" Yellow asked nervously, her eyes darting between everyone.

Brock shrugged, unconcerned. "She gave you permission, so I guess so."

"Well, she did literally ask for it," Ash added, hauling Misty back into her chair. He glanced toward Chansey, who was filling in for Nurse Joy. "Hey, can I get an ice pack over here?"

"Chansey!" The Pokémon chirped, quickly scurrying to the back room. She returned with a towel-wrapped ice pack and handed it to Ash.

"Thanks," Ash said with a nod. He turned to Misty, flicked her forehead lightly, and smirked. "Wake up. Hey, idiot. Wakey, wakey."

Misty groaned as her eyes fluttered open. She winced, covering her cheek. "Ahh… what happened?"

"You got smacked," Ash informed her, placing the ice pack in her hands. "Now use that, or don't complain when your face swells up."

Misty silently pressed the ice pack to her cheek. Yellow opened her mouth to apologize, but Brock and Lisa both shook their heads, reminding her with a look that Misty literally asked for it.

Before the awkward moment could linger, Professor Oak approached, flanked by Schuyler, the butler, and several maids. The professor folded his arms, his expression serious. "Now that everyone's awake, I think it's time we finally address something important."

Delia sighed, got up from her seat, and walked over to gently shake Molly. "Molly, sweetie, wake up, please."

Molly squirmed, burrowing deeper into Ash's hoodie. "Nooo, I wanna sleep more, Mama…" she mumbled, half-asleep.

Delia chuckled softly, opting for her tried-and-true method of waking a sleepy child—she scooped Molly into a tight hug. "Nope, it's time to wake up. We've got important things to talk about!"

Molly jolted awake from the surprise hug but didn't pull away. Instead, she snuggled into Delia's arms. "O-okay… What do we need to talk about?"

Delia carried her back to the table and sat with Molly on her lap. Professor Oak cleared his throat. "The question we need to answer is… what happens next? Molly doesn't have her mother or father anymore. We need to figure out where she'll live."

Molly's face fell. She hugged Delia tighter, hiding her face beneath Ash's hoodie. The weight of losing Entei, admitting he wasn't her real father, and knowing Delia wasn't truly her mother hit her all over again.

The butler stepped forward. "The answer is obvious. The young lady will stay with us. The mansion is hers now, and we will take care of her until she comes of age."

Schuyler raised a hand, pointing out the window toward the mansion. Its walls were riddled with cracks, and chunks of the roof were missing. "Yeah, about that… Entei and the Unown did a real number on the place. Until it's repaired, it's not exactly safe for a little girl to live there."

Molly's grip on Delia tightened. "Then… what happened to me? Where do I go?"

Delia met her son's eyes and saw his silent approval. Professor Oak nodded as well. She smiled gently and rested her hand on Molly's head. "How about this? I'll adopt you, for real. You can stay with us until we find your father."

Molly looked up, her eyes wide. "R-really?"

"Of course." Delia beamed. "We'll be a real family, just like you always wanted."

Ash leaned closer with a grin. "And you'll have the coolest, most handsome big brother ever. So, what do you say?"

Molly's tears welled up again, but this time they were happy ones. She clutched Bellossom and nodded. "Yeah! Thank you, Mama!"

The servants sighed with relief, smiling warmly at the happy scene. The butler stepped forward and bowed. "Don't worry, young lady. We'll repair the manor for you. When you're ready to come back, it will be as good as new."

Molly smiled brightly. "Thank you so much, everyone!"

Delia clapped her hands together. "Well, how about we all head back to Pallet Town? I'll cook up a big meal. I think we could all use a good, hearty dinner."