Mr. Mime and Pikachu dropped tears of joy, as they looked on at the scene with their heart's content.
"I-I thought it was some kind of dream."
"Huh?"
Delia broke the hug and looked at her son, who was confused at her statement.
"When they told me that...I was in a coma for a couple of years.....I thought it was a bad dream I was in, but...." she said and placed her hand on Ash's head.
"Seeing you right now, I....." she tried to say, but her voice broke, as she slowly started sobbing. Ash quickly wiped out her teary eyes and comforted.
"It's going to be alright mom. Please don't cry," he said and embraced her again.
"Pikachu," the rodent cried and climbed Delia's shoulder before nuzzling its cheek with hers.
"Mime," the Barrier pokemon nodded affirmatively and appeared by her side.
"We are here now. So there's nothing to worry about," said Ash with a comforting smile. The two pokemon cried and chorused with him. Delia stopped sobbing and started to form a smile.
"O-okay," she said and pulled Ash's cheek.
"You've really grown into a fine gentleman... Ashy-boo," she said, teasingly.
"Mom, please," Ash wailed childishly, as his face flushed red in embarrassment. The others laughed at his reaction.
Delia suddenly realised something.
"Oh my. What have you been doing these few years?? Have you been eating well?? Where's your cap? Are you taking good care of Pikachu? Where are we right now.....?" she kept rambling with her questions as everyone sweatdropped.
"...and MOST IMPORTANTLY!" she suddenly yelled taking Ash and the pokemons by surprise.
"W-what?" he asked in concern. Delia gave him a very strict look.
"Did you change your underwear everyday?" she asked with a slight glare, earning another round of sweat drop from the others.
"Mom....you have a lot to catch up," Ash said, chuckling nervously and scratching his head as Pikachu mimicked his gesture.
"Oh, but at least tell me where we are?" she asked gesturing around.
"We are at the Headquarters of KDA. Apparently, this is the hospital wing we are residing at," replied Ash.
"KDA? What is that? And where did you learn to use those strong words in a sentence?" she asked in one breath.
"KDA is the organisation formed to maintain peace and tranquility around Kanto and other regions. As for your second question, I don't know how to answer that," he replied, slightly chuckling.
"I am impressed at how much your speaking has improved Ash," she said with a smile.
"But I still don't understand why are we..."
"I kinda work here you see," said Ash, removing all her confusion. The woman looked shocked and surprised at the same time.
"Work? As in....a job? But what about your dream? I-Is this because of me? I...." she said, fearing Ash had to start working for a living due to her past condition.The boy shook his head with a reassuring smile.
"No mom. I am still working my way to become a Pokemon Master. In fact, I've already gone a few steps ahead," he said.
"That's a relief to know," she said and sighed heavily.
"Pika Pika, Pikapi, Pika pikachu," the yellow mouse said.
"Are you trying to say something Pikachu?" asked Delia with slight confusion.
Mr. Mime took over and used its pantomiming to explain to Delia what Pikachu just said. After understanding the meaning, the woman looked shocked as she stared at Ash profoundly.
"Yeah mom, they're right. I..... got myself the Kanto Champion title," he confessed.
Delia didn't reply as she just silently gazed away and looked outside the window. Her face saddened a bit as Ash noticed this.
"Mom? What's wrong?" he asked in a concerned tone.
The woman broke out of her trance.
"O-oh, nothing Ash. Don't get me wrong. I can't tell you how happy I am to see that you have achieved something so great..."
"But..?" asked Ash, reading her thoughts.
Delia sighed and looked at him.
"I feel really guilty that I was not there to cheer you on. I-I must have been quite a burden, right?" she guessed, with a sad laugh. But it didn't brought the others even close to a smile.
"Please....." whispered Ash, lowering his head.
"Hm?"
Ash raised his head, as the woman could clearly some droplets of tears in his eyes.
"D-don't ever, say that again...." he said with a shaking voice.
"I-I am sorry," she said and looked away, yet again with a guilty look.
Ash walked towards her and hugged her again, dropping his head on her shoulder.
"What happened before was not your fault. I am guilty too. For not being strong enough to protect you."
Delia sobbed at that statement and caressed his hair lovingly, as she used to do when Ash was younger.
"No Ash. Please don't blame yourself for what ever happened. I am just glad that you're fine," she said with a smile and embraced her son, not before wiping his tears.
"Me too mom," he replied, returning the smile.
"And always remember that I am very proud of you Ash. You are my pride. You are Kanto's Pride," she said, wiping her eyes and replacing it with a brilliant smile.
"And I am glad I could make you so proud," replied the boy with sigh of relief.
Suddenly, there was a polite knock on the door as the sound diverted their attention.
"Oh, I almost forgot. The others are here too," said Ash as he walked to the door. He turned the knob and slowly opened it to reveal a certain elder professor of Kanto.
"Sorry to interrupt Ash, but I just wanted to check if everything's-" he started to say but stopped when he noticed the familar woman inside the room.
"Professor Oak!" Delia exclaimed and clasped her hands together in delight.
Oak was just speechless. All he could do was smile and wipe the tears from the corner of his eyes.
"W-what a pleasant surprise," he said and laughed wholeheartedly in a long time, as he started to talk with his former student.
"Don't worry a bit. Ash has been taking good care of himself," he said, reassuring her as Delia kept questioning him. But the old Professor was enjoying himself talking to her after so long. Six or seven minutes past when another person came.
"Hey Gramps? You in there?" asked a voice from the door as a brown, spiky haired boy appeared. He looked around the room and noticed the scene in front. He put on a smug face.
"I know you can't forget me, right Mrs. Ketchum?" he asked with a proud look and entered the room. The others looked back at him as Delia seemed to look more thoughtful than usual. After some moments of awkward silence, she looked at Ash.
"Is he a friend of yours Ash?" she asked in an innocent tone as Gary fell down on his feet, anime style.
"WHAT?! But how could you not recognize the great Gary Oak? This is unaccep-" he stopped and studied carefully the facial expression of the others. They all looked like they were trying their best to not laugh their asses off.
"I got fooled, didn't I?" he asked in a dull, after realising things. Everyone in the room bursted out laughing at his reaction.
"What's with the noise?" asked a manly voice from the door. Everyone looked to see Brock enter as well.
"Brock, its been so long," Delia greeted him with a cheery tone. Gary however, looked annoyed at the fact how quickly she recognized him.
The breeder sighed with a relieved smile. Who could possibly tell this cheerful lady has actually woken up from a long term comatose state? Of course, he didn't want to bring it up now.
"Likewise Mrs. Ketchum," the former gym leader replied with a nod. Soon, everyone started chattering on many different topics, and there was a whole lot to discuss on.
"Um hello?"
A feminine voice asked politely from the door. Ash and Brock turned and noticed the girls standing outside.
"Oh, come inside," Ash assured them. They were nervous and constantly fidgeting for some reason, but quickly came inside the room one by one.
"Oh my, who are the lovely ladies Ash?" asked Delia with a sweet tone, causing the girls to flush in embarrassment.
"I think you already know some of them," said Ash before he started the introduction.
"Mom, this is May. Remember her?" he asked. The younger brunette looked at the older brunette, with a hopeful gleam in her eyes.
"May....May...." Delia thought when she suddenly recalled.
"Ah yes, May. The girl you travelled with in the Hoenn region, right? I even remember that she and her younger brother visted our house once," she said, smiling.
"Yes, yes. You're absolutely right Mrs. Ketchum," said May, looking delightful as ever that she was recognized by her boyfriend's mother.
"Your memory is still sharp as ever, I see," commented Oak.
"And umm... I," Anabel tried to start a conversation, but was a bit nervous to do so. Ash however, understood.
"This is Anabel. I mentioned her before to you. She is one of the frontier brains of the Kanto Battle Frontier," Ash introduced the girl.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Anabel said, bowing her head politely.
"Oh, no need to be so formal dear. And its a pleasure to meet you as well. Any one of Ash's friend is always welcome," she said, smiling innocently.
'Friends?' thought Anabel with a weird look. The other girls muffled their giggles at the statement.
"Um..hehe, yeah," said Ash, chuckling nervously. Gary grinned evily, understanding what was going on there.
"I am Dawn by the way. Nice to finally meet you," said the blunette with a cheerful tone.
"Oh hello Dawn. Its good to see you too. Ash has told me a lot about you," informed Delia, casually.
"M-mom," protested Ash, embarrassed as Dawn smirked playfully.
"Oh really," she said glancing at the boy with a lenny look.
"So, you did use to talk about your 'female' friends with your mother, ehh Ashy-boi?" asked Gary with a evil sneer.
"I swear Oak tree, if you don't shut your mouth....." said Ash, threateningly.
"Ash always talked about his adventures he had with his friends so, why is it a big deal then?" asked Delia, oblivious of their talk.
"Hehe, nothing mom. Gary is actually high today...."
"Hey!"
"....so ignore him. Anyway, to conclude the introduction," Ash said quickly and gestured towards a honey blonde girl.
"Finally, this is Serena. I travelled with her in the Kalos Region along with two other people," he said.
"Its nice to meet you Mrs. Ketchum," said Serena with a polite tone and close eyed smile.
"Please, call me Delia. And I am happy to see you too. Thank you all for visiting me. It means a lot," Ash's mother expressed her gratitude with a bow.
"Of course we would Mrs. Ketchum, said Brock, quickly.
"Yeah, there is no need to thank us," said May, gesturing with her hands.
"Please tell us if we could help you with anything," said Anabel.
"We will be glad to help out. Anytime," added Dawn as Serena nodded with her.
"Aw, you girls are so sweet. I wish I could had some daughters like you," said Delia with a wistful look.
"Well Ma'am, the 'in-laws' are still on service," said Gary with a smirk.
"Huh? What do you mean Ga-?" Delia started to ask when Ash smacked his head and shoved him aside.
"Nothing mom. Told you he's been taking too much weed these days," said Ash, laughing nervously.
"Are you hiding something from me Ash Ketchum?" Delia asked in a strict tone. She could read him like a book and Ash was aware of that.
"Oh boy," Brock murmured and shook his head. The girls in the meantime, whispered something among themselves as they shared a moment of mutual thumbs-up, as if agreeing on a plan. Ash noticed it, and wasn't liking were this was going.
"Oh, Ash is just afraid to tell you Delia," spoke Serena as she stepped beside her boyfriend.
"Afraid to tell me what dear?" she asked with a confused face.
"That how much he has grown in these years," whistled Dawn as she appeared by him.
"Hey, What are you girls planning to do?" whispered Ash, but didn't get any response in return.
"Please tell me. Is it something to worry about?" asked Delia with concern.
"Oh um, you know. This things are bound to come along with growth too, right?" said May.
Anabel didn't say anything as she kept smiling with a little blush on her face.
"Ready girls?" asked May to which the others eagerly nodded.
"Brace yourself Ashy-boy," warned Gary.
Without a warning, all the girls started kissing him on the cheek one by one. After that bold act, they looked at an already already shocked Delia.
"We are dating Ash," the girls said in unison.
What happened next, was a slumped noise on the only bed in the room as the older brunette instantly fell on it, unconscious.
"Oops," the girls bit their tongues in worry and wondering if they overdid it. Gary and Pikachu was sharing the laugh of their lives, rolling on the floor. Brock and Professor Oak was standing still and watching the scene with a profound look while Mr. Mime blew air on Delia's forehead.
Ash slumped himself on a nearby chair, not seeming to take all of this any longer.