Shadows on the Heart Window to the soul
by Flygon
Chapter 22

The group took the train back, but got off at Pastoria City. The spent one day there and then went on in search of the next gym. Brock told Ash that the next gym should be in Sunnyshore City and that they could get there by taking route two twenty two. The group went down the route and found a lot of trainers there to practice battle with. Eddie, still on his high feeling for beating the gym leader proved that it was not a fluke. He took out eight trainers in quick succession with either Misty or Brock reffing the battles. Tommy also proved himself more then capable by taking out almost a dozen trainers, most with very strong pokemon. Ash, took that time to build his team and tested the power of many of his pokemon that he had caught in Sinnoh. He even brought back his starly, and before they reached the end of route two twenty two, it had evolved to a staravia. During one quick side trip to Mount Coranet, a place in Sinnoh that they were told was one of the must see spots in the Sinnoh region, Eddie got separated and managed to catch a pair of onyx, three geodudes, and an odd coloured female meditite. The others managed an onyx and geodude each.

They made good time and soon they were in Sunnyshore city, and checked into the Pokemon center. later that day they saw a group of familiar faces. Jessie, James, Meowth, May, and Max came into the city together, all were smiling. Once they realized that they were all in the same city, they gathered at the cafeteria in the Pokemon center, which was oddly empty. Ash asked the Nurse Joy there about that.

"Most of the visitors to the city go to the restaurants here." She replied, leaning forward over her counter top. "We only get trainers, and right now, Ash, your the only trainer here."

"The only trainer?" Ash asked, wide eyed. "What's wrong? With the Sinnoh League getting close there should be a ton of trainers."

"There will be in a month, or so." Joy explained. "You see, most are still collecting badges from the other gyms. This is the traditional last stop for gym battling since the ferry for the League leave here for the stadium. But that is two months away."

"two months?" Ash replied with even wider eyes. "I thought I had things planned out so carefully."

"You blazed through the gyms." Joy laughed. "And your only delay was that long stop in the hospital in Eterna city. My cousins and sisters have been keeping everybody updated on your progress, Ash. Most trainers come in and take almost six to eight months to collect their badges, you and your friends have done it in five months."

"Five Months?" his mind grasped on that and flashed to his mom. "That means that?" He remembered that she was four months pregnant at the time he left and he hadn't called home in three weeks. "I need to get to a phone, sorry." and he bolted.

Ash was moving quickly to the lobby area where the phones were. He was also chiding himself for not calling more regularly. He heard some movement behind him and saw the whole gang following him, as well as Nurse Joy. He keyed in the home number and one of the lab assistants picked up.

"Hello Ash." he said with a grin. "Gary just took the professor and your mom to the hospital about ten minutes ago." he gave him a thumbs up. "Looks like this is it, had two false starts earlier in the last three weeks. And all the pokemon that you have caught are doing great."

Ash thanked him and looked at the clock and did some mental calculations. 'Ten minutes,' he thought. 'Gary should get there in five more, then give them six to eight to get her registered and into maternity.

He didn't realize that he had spoken his thoughts aloud till James and Brock told him to shift over slightly. He looked and saw that they were carrying one of the large tables from the cafeteria and moving it near the corner phone. He looked dazed.

"Misty told me what was happening," Nurse Joy told him. "And while normally we don't rearrange thing for just one trainer, I thought this was special." She smiled at the young trainer. "I'll keep a pot of coffee going for you and your friends and this phone is reserved for you tonight."

He murmured a quiet thank you and sat in the seat. He waited about fifteen minutes and then dialed the hospital. It was answered almost instantly, and he was transferred to the maternity registration area, just in time to see his mother wheeled into a room in the background, and his dad, professor Oak standing there watching.

"Dad, is she ok?" He asked into the phone and he saw the man turn and smile.

"Yes Ash." He said calmly. "The contractions are about the right rate, and she is being wheeled into the delivery room."

Then Ash heard a pause and the view shifted. He got scared for a moment.

"They just transferred your call to a different phone is all." The professor told the nervous young man. "They know this is not the first time for me, but it is for you, so they shifted it to a phone that is a bit more isolated so we can keep the line open as long as we like." Then he raised his eyebrows slightly. "Is that a table in the lobby, I see?"

Ash quickly explained what had happened and was going on as Brock and James got the last of the chairs around the table and sat down.

"Your taking this quite calmly, Professor." Misty told the man, who smiled.

"It isn't my first child, Misty." his smile broadened. "It is the first time for triplets, though. So I am a bit nervous on that. I just hide it better then most. The last scan did show that all three were fine and healthy, so I think we don't have to worry about much."

Ash silently thanked heavens that the cancer was gone, and then he and the gang settled in for a wait. Three trainers came into the center and gaped at the new arrangement for a few seconds before asking the Nurse Joy what was happening. When they were told, the gaped even more and one ran to the door and waived in a much younger boy. A quick exchange between the two and the boy was moving to Ash with a book open, and two cards in his hands as well as a look of hope.

Jessie and James told them all at that time that they were having a blast. They had added to their teams, as well as Jessie adding four ribbons to her credit. She showed the ribbons, which included two first place ones, one second and a third place. Max had also fattened his pokemon collection by getting almost a dozen different pokemon, and May had grabbed two other pokemon and was trying to work them into the contest setting. Ash told the others about Eddie beating the Snowpoint Gym leader and the boy blushed with all the praise he got. He was even coaxed to bring out the badge he won, which he carried around with him as a good luck piece. Even Meowth had some news. He had learned almost sixteen new attacks and had to fight off an urge to evolve.

"You could have been a lot more powerful," Eddie put in, "as a Persian."

"Dat may be right, Eddie." Meowth said with a smile. "But I like being a Meowth."

"Then you can stay that way," Misty told the pokemon. "You do and grow the way you feel is best for you."

"I still hafta get used ta bein treated nice." The pokemon sniffed.

"Well I have something to help you, Meowth." Tommy stated reaching into his pack. "I picked up about five of these, in Veilstone." He pulled out a small bag and looked into it. "Yep. I got these for any of those cat like pokemon here I may catch." He pulled out a royal blue collar with a small silver net like ball attached to it.

"A collar?" Meowth stared at it. "Tommie, it looks real good an all, but I ain't never wore a collar and what is dat ting in the fancy ball?"

"An everstone." he said with a smile. "if you wear this all the time, you will never evolve. And if you want to evolve, just take the collar off and battle a bit."

"You'd do that fer me?" he asked.

"Sure Meowth, your a friend." Was Tommies response. And with Mistys nod, he put it on the cat pokemon.

Ash grinned at that, and then turned back to the screen. Gary had joined professor Oak, and so did a slightly tired Duplica. Ash looked at her as she sat next to Gary and put an arm around the young man. A nurse came from the room and all eyes were on her. She went to Professor Oak and talked to him a moment, and he smiled, and thanked her.

"The first one was just born," he informed all there. He looked at the video pick up, and smiled. "Ash, you have a fine baby sister, now. And so do the boys."

Ash felt himself smile, and he felt many pats on the backs. All there were congratulating him on his new sister, when the word came that the boy was born, and now the pats and congratulations came more. By two o'clock All three babies had been born, cleaned, fed, and were being shown on the video screen, along with a beaming and tired Delia Oak. She introduced them to all, though the new additions to the family were more interested in sleeping at the moment. Ash learned that the girls were going to be named Elizabeth and Annie, while Ashes new dad, insisted that the new boy be named Mark.

It took the group two days to recover from that emotion charged night, and then Ash went and claimed his final badge. the Becon Badge. They took the ferry four days later, even though the competition was two months away. they registered at a hotel since the lodgings for the trainers would not be available for another two months and began, what Ash called, heavy training. He would take on one after another of his friends in battles in the morning, take his pokemon to the center for healing and revitalizing, then swap out some and train some more. Each morning, he would don running shorts and t-shirt and run. Soon he was back to his normal five miles a day. He also started to do push ups and sit ups as his pokemon practised some of their moves. Eddie and Tommy both joined Ash and soon it was normal to see the three of them running around the track and excersizing together. Misty looked on in amazement.

Misty realized that he was doing this so he and his pokemon would be in top shape for the competition, and that Ash repeatedly told her, this and Indigo plateau were for her. Or more accurately them. He still played it cautious on getting cocky, but he seemed to have more confidence. She watched as Ash trained, and asked her if he could use Meowth to find out what might be bothering any of his pokemon. She gladly let him use the pokemon. Jessie and James also did some excersizing together but it was more for the benefit of their pokemon. Jessie was working on new routines for her contest and James was grooming his pokemon and working out with them so they would be in top condition. All this and the weekly calls home by Ash to check on the triplets and his mother, made the time fly by so fast that they didn't realize at first the other trainers were starting to arrive.

They went to claim their apartments in the complex and found that they had a small block for their whole group. And then the media arrived. They followed Ash around as he trained, and had to be warned off quite a few times when they would get to close, several interviewers tried to corner him and have him agree to exclusives, which he refused. He finally gave in and agreed to a press conference with all the media present. He made it quick so he wouldn't lose his nerve.

"Mr. Ketchum?" one reporter asked quickly as Ash was seated. "Many of our readers write us that they are concerned that you still may have the effect of the seviper venom. Is there anything you can say that will calm them down?"

"I have been told by many doctors," he looked right at the TV camera's "That the venom is out of my system. The fact that I am running five miles a day, and have been for over a month should tell you that the venom is cleared."

"Is there any truth to the rumour," Another asked. "That your recovery has something to do with a legendary pokemon?"

"I wouldn't know." He replied, pinning the reporter with his gaze. "I wasn't in any condition at the time to know, and the doctors told me that the only injections or IVs I had was a large heavy dose of anti venom, and saline."

"Mr. Ketchum," A woman stood. "There are about six or seven girls in the various regions that have said they are your girlfriend. Any comments?"

Ash looked at her dead pan for almost fifteen seconds, before he stood. Looking at one of the people in the background he asked for another chair to be set next to his and then turned to a somewhat shocked group of reporters.

"I'll be back in a moment." He left the stage.

He walked out of the room and to the main lobby where he saw a wide eyed and surprised Misty who had been watching the live broadcast. He walked up to her, offered his hand, which she took then led her back to the room where the interview was being held. The place was in mild chaos at that time. He drew her to the stage, telling her to be brave, as he sat her down at the new seat next to his.

"First," and his voice had a slight angry tone to it. "I have a total of four females in my life. One is my mother, and two are my sisters who are only a little over two months old. As to a girlfriend, I have None." he froze the whole room with that. "I have no girlfriends." He raised Mistys hand to show the ring, and then showed the crystal ring that he wore. "I do have a fiancé."

The room exploded with questions, all of which Ash ignored. He held out his hand for quiet.

"I am here today because of this young woman." He shouted, gaining the silence that he wanted. "I have known her since the beginning of my journeys. She was there when I needed help, or a person for me to talk to. She has been with me every step of the way, even when she was not physically with me, and was instead in charge of the Cerulean City Gym. She left the gym to be with me on this journey. I should have told her how I felt a long time ago, but didn't. Something always held me back from that moment. Pride, fear, I don't know what. All I know is that I loved and cared for her since we met, and when I got attacked by the seviper, and was fading. She supplied me with the strength and will to fight the venom. She did this by telling me three words. I love you. Those three words gave me the heart I needed to fight. Those three words, gave me the drive I needed to get the badges after the hospital released me. Those three words are the one and only reason I am here today to battle in this competition, and, if I win here, then I go to Indigo Plateau next year. Because if I win here and at Indigo Plateau, I will become a Pokemon Master. And as a Pokemon Master, according to the Laws I can marry the age of fifteen years old without my parents permission. Although, I know in my head and heart, they would give that permission willingly. So it is because of this young woman," he turned to Misty, whose eyes were filling up with tears grasped both her hands in his. "That I battle. I battle now, for love. And I battle for you Misty Waterflower."

The papers screamed the headlines "Tri Champ, Ash Ketchum, battles for love", "Water Pokemon Gym Leader Misty Captures Champion's Heart" and others of that nature for almost a week. Ash was inundated by calls from people so much now that he had to ask for somebody to field the calls so he could continue to train. One call he took was from Bradley, the young boy who introduced him to his new brothers. Chad took that moment to tell the boy that he had a private box to watch the competition in, so he would not be at the mercy of the Television company. He then told Ash that his statement at that conference sparked another boom in pokemon interest. Kids were going poke crazy again. Misty was so happy after the conference that she felt like she was floating. Then one TV reporter, outside, had asked here if Ash and she had done anything yet? That combined with the smirking grin on his face caused her to blow her top. She had slapped him twice, on live world wide TV and stated that Ash was too much of a gentleman to do that, and had told her that he would never insult her like that. The reporter seemed to vanish from the area after that.