A/N

This chapter does contain a bit of violence.

And there is also a tinny bit of swearing.

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Ash POV

Giovanni stood there in shock of the gallant words that just came out of my mouth. Most of his face was unreadable, but his eyes sold the story. They were as wide as a Snorlax. If not for the situation, I would have laughed a bit due to the face he was unconsciously pulling. Suddenly, he strangely burst out laughing. Confused, I looked around me if anything happened. But nothing did. Everything still the same. Weird. When I looked back, his jet black eyes caught my chocolate brown ones. His face was this time completely unreadable, like a stone. He then callously admitted, "Like father like son. He never knew when to give up. He should have given up on you at the start. But no. The motto, 'never give up' made him care for you, even if you were useless. That was your father's downfall. You know that, right?"

I angrily roared, "Don't you dare talk like that about my father. He is still out there I feel it. I feel it in here." I then proceed to place my right hand over my heart. "I know he would never give up on us. Not until the end."

"Well guess what kid, it is the end. He is dead, as an entombed mummy," He spat.

I then retort, "With that pale skin of your people may mistake you as a mummy."

Giovanni then furiously knocked over his chair and screamed, "That's it. I had enough come here, you little shit."

He quickly rushes up to me, like a cheetah running. He proceeds to pull his right hand back, preparing for a powerful slap to my cheek. When his intensified hand calm down, I duck underneath his hand and then threw q a quick yet accurate jab to his nose. It connects right in the middle of it. I feel the crack of its bones right on my knuckle. He then stumbles back while holding his now bleeding nose. It was like a waterfall of blood. However, he swiftly recovers and grabs my face. His large hands covered my entire face. He then drags me towards the marble dining table. I try wiggling out of his vice-grip hold by kicking, squirming and flailing my arms everywhere hoping to make any contact on the beast. In reply, Giovanni then punched me in the stomach, winding me, stopping my aggression for the time being.

He grabbed my neck, bringing my feet off the ground. I felt a tremendous amount of pressure coursing through my veins in my throat as his thick hands squeezed. Vigorously, he slammed my face down into the marble dining table. The once pristine white marble now had cracks and a dent where my face made contact. Puddles of blood begin to containment the white colouring of the table. Rapidly, turning it into a sea of blood. The deranged man then held my face down with even more pressure down onto the wrecked table. He was almost compressing my face into the table. My nose and mouth submerged by the sea of blood growing on the once-white table. I began to choke and drown on my very own blood. Suddenly, Giovanni then relented the dominating grip he had on my face. I then slump down onto the ground, holding my face in pain. I began coughing out all the blood my body digested. My face wholly submerged with blood from the tip of my hair and down towards my neck. My body felt like a Truck went through it. Before I could recover from the vigorous slam, he begins kicking my ribs. Air rushed out of my already weakened body. Like a Marjikarp out of the water, I was gasping for air. I try to crawl up into a ball to protect my ribs, but there is only so much I can do against the might of the devil.

I hear my mum begging for him to stop. However, he doesn't listen. Why would he? He doesn't care for anyone. All he cares about is himself and the dollars and cents in his bank account. I begin to start coughing vigorously. Giovanni then went down onto his knees so that he could see my face clearer. He then callously spits, "not my best work of art, perhaps it will need a little more... sculpting." Abruptly, I hear a scream from my mum and soon after a loud bang sound from the blooded dining table. When my body finally gathered the strength to move my sore face, I saw Giovanni screaming and rolling on the ground ground, grabbing at his bloodied forehead. And my mum standing over me taking in long deep breaths with her fist clenched—adrenaline coursing through her veins. Giovanni then managed to elevate himself to his feet and then stumbled his way into his office slamming and locking the door when he entered. When he left, I see my mum drop her shoulders and take a sigh full of relief. She then knelt to the ground to inspect my injuries. My breath still gasping with pain. She then whispered, "Its ok Ash, everything will be fine." Abruptly, my vision begins to blur as my mum managed to sling my arm around her neck.

I managed to croak " I failed... you mum... I didn't... I didn't protect you... from him.

Delia then replied, "Ash, you have done more than your fair share to protect me. Every single day, since your dad disappeared, you have been there for me whenever I needed help. You never gave up. Now rest easy. Everything will be fine." With those words ringing in my head, I let my body fall into the curtain of darkness.

Flashback- 3rd Person

Year 7 athletics carnival

"I'm so sorry dad. I failed you," Ash muttered.

Red then exclaimed, "Sorry for what? You completed the race. It doesn't matter if you come first second 10th or last. What matter is that you finished the race. A number doesn't define who you are! I am so proud of you."

"Why? I came last," Ash questioned.

Red responded, "Cause you tried your very best. You didn't give up. Do you remember the chat we had about regrets?" Ash nodded his head. "You see the kid over there." Points to a boy with jet black hair.

"Yeah, he is in my class. His name is Calem. He always wants to do better than me. He probably came first..." Ash answers.

"Well, Calem didn't even finish the race. He gave up halfway through the race. When the going got tough, he threw in the towel. Look at him now, pointing, laughing and acting all big when he is the coward. In the future, do you think an employer would you preferably someone who pretends to be reliable but gives up when the going gets tough or something which always gives 100% effort even when they have no energy to give?

"They would want the hard worker" Ash answers.

"Correct. What does fire do if when fails a pokemon league?"Red questions.

"He is going to keep trying until he will finally win a pokemon league," Ash replies. (A/N Congratulations Ash)

"Exactly. In life, there are going to be numerous hurdles and obstacles you will have to overcome. Will it be hard? Hell yes, no way to make it easy. When you reach one of these hurdles, what are you going to do? Try your hardest and leap over it? Or give up and walk around it? Well, what if a more difficult obstacle pops up later in life? Try to skip it again? Well what if you can't, what if life forces you to complete this obstacle? Then you will not be prepared as you decided to skip the hurdle right before this one. You will be stuck in neutral. Unable to move forward. Held back by your past mistake. Do you see where I am coming from?" Ash nodded his head.

"This is why I tell you never to give up and try to accomplish every single hurdle life throws at you. It doesn't matter if you barely scrape over it. All that matters is that you did leap over. As, when you finally reach the end of your life, there is no replay button. Life isn't a movie; you can't rewind it. Life isn't a game; you can't just load a previous save. So, when you get to the end of your adventure, and you know that you could have accomplished so much more by working that bit harder, life isn't going to come to save you. It is going to hunt you down and tear you apart. Then spit you out when it is done with you, like a lion attacking its prey. However, if you do work hard, if you choose to get back up after past mistakes, then life in those final days, hours, minutes, seconds even, will be a sweet relief and joy for you. As your mind can rest easy, knowing you have done everything in your power to succeed and be the best you can be. Remember, failure is just life giving you a step into a future. It is your choice to overcome it. The only time failure wins when you give up, which is why, in my eyes, you didn't come last. You are just preparing for the next part of the race. Remember, life isn't a sprint. Life is a long Marathon filled with troublesome hurdles. And I believe that you are going to come first in the marathon. While people like Calem are going to come last if they don't change." Ash then swiftly hugs red. Red also slithered his muscular arms around the slender boy.

Red then looks up from Ash's face and sees a honey blond hair girl with a straw hat staring at Ash.

"Ash... I think your girlfriend wants to see you," Red teased. Ash's face then blushed as Red as a cherry.

Ash then bellowed, "Dadddddd stop." Red then chuckled.

"Ok ok, I'll stop. Now go. You shouldn't keep your future wife waiting. I know from experience," Red announced while winking. Ash rolled his eyes and then sprinted off to Serena.

As Ash reaches Serena, she requested, "Hey ash, What did your father say?" They both then look at Red to see him making kissing faces at them. They both quickly blush and look away from the embarrassing father and each other. With Serena attempting to us her hand to cover her red cheeks and Ash moving his cap.

After they have recovered, Ash returns, "O nothing. Don't worry about it. Just dad being, well. A dad," Ash replied while facepalming. Serena quiet giggled at his actions.

She then proclaims "I am so proud of you ash."

"Thanks," he responds.

"That's my best friend never giving up... Hopefully, maybe one day we will be more than friends" Serena stated while mumbling the last part. Serena's hazel blue eyes then attracted to the chocolate brown eyes that laid in front of her. Unable to break the trance.

After a couple of seconds, Ash questions "Umm Serena are you ok? You have been staring at me for a bit now, its kinda creeping me out."

Serena shocked by her actions quickly recovers and snaps, "Yes yes, I'm here. I'm just thinking. Will you be m-, I mean... Will we be will best friends till the end? no matter what?"

Ash as dense as ever states "Yes... Forever."

Serena then took a silent sigh. She thought, one day we will be hopefully than friends.

Present time

Ash POV

My eyes quickly shot open, and I swiftly sit up from my bed. However, this quick movement aggravated my injured ribs. I let at a small yelp and slowly lower my self back down to a laying position. After the pain subsided, I then start to reflect on the dream I just had. Yeah right, best friends forever. "I hope you are proud of my dad. Where ever you are." I say out loud. I then see the door swing open with my mum carrying in some food and tablets on a tray. When she looks in my direction, she jumps a little and yelps " Ash your awake... You have been out for hours." I slowly nodded my head in reply, not wanting to bring out pain from my body. My mum then places the tray down on my desk and wraps her graceful hand around my right hand, caressing it.

"Mum... why did you move in with him in the first place?" I inquired.

Silence then enveloped my room. I swear I could hear the accelerated heartbeat of my mother. She then sniffed and croaked, "The reason... The reason why I married Giovanni was to show that I'm a competent mother. When your father disappeared, it was like a third of my heart was gone. I was lost and broken women.

As you know, I was fired from my job a week later as, in my state, I couldn't keep up with the demands it had. And when seeing all the bills stack up, I knew I had to do something. I saw my once vibrant son turn into a shell of what you once were. I knew the disappearance took a significant toll on both of us. So that is when I promised myself to care for you at all cost and ensure that you had proper schooling. So that it could lead you to a bright future either at University or some other pathway, you may find. That is why I then married Giovanni to ensure your safety and health. I never thought that a principle could do such despicable things. God, I was so useless and stupid..."

I weakly reach out and rest my hand on my mother's shoulder and chimed, "Its ok mum. You did it for our well being. We have a roof over our head through your decision and are not on the streets freezing our asses off during the winter. I also have a decent education. Yeah, I'm no longer an A grade student in most of my subjects due to teachers not liking me. But I am passing.

Furthermore, I still get good grades with teachers like Brock. So take that as you will. Because of you, when we leave this horrible place and wretched man, I will be able to support us by getting a decent job that pays well. And you know mum that whatever obstacles life throws at me, I will not give up. I will still keep pushing. Pushing and working until we are safe." Delia then cheerfully nodded, proud of her son's resilience.

"Mum, do you think dad is still alive?" Ash questioned. She then sat there, pondering about the question.

"I feel in my heart that he is still alive," She answered. "Fighting with all his might to try to come back to us. But if he has left this world, I know that he is watching us from where he is—willing us on, praying for us—praying for our protection. But we don't need protection as long as we have each other. Now get some rest tomorrow is Sunday so you can rest the whole day. But you have to go to school on Monday so rest up. I nod my head.

She then stands up "Remember Ash. I will always be there for you. Till the end of my life," She announces.

Ash, then I weakly responded, "Same here, mum."

3rd Person

Little did Ash or Delia know, peering through a window was a yellow mouse, intrigued by the interaction in front of him. While watching the event, Pikachu was strangely attracted to the bandaged boy. As Pikachu retreated up into a tree near Ash's house, the mouse questioned, " Why do I feel like drawn to the boy? Who is he?" was rining around in its small head. And no matter what theory Pikachu tried to provided himself, the question couldn't be paired with a solution.

In Giovanni's office

"That little rat. Thinks he can be smart with me." Giovanni mumbled as he finished rolling up the badges for his forehead. "He thinks he can beat me. He is delusional." Giovanni then suddenly picks up a phone and dials a number. The receiver picks up. "Hello, Mrs Xaiver. This is Giovanni, pallet high school's principle. Is your son Calem there?" Giovanni then pauses to let the Person reply. "Ah good, could you get him for me, I have an exclusive opportunity for him." A devilish grin starts to form on his bruised lips. Even with his lips screaming with pain, his smile only grew, bigger, and brighter. "Good evening Calem, as you know I have a proposition to make with you... About Ash Ketchum."

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I hope you enjoyed that chapter. If you did, don't forget to vote! Thank you for reading! I'll see you in the next chapter of my book.