Chapter 13: Home Sweet Home

The Professor parked the car by his lab and unlocked the doors. Ark opened the door and stretched. As he had been training since he was small, he was not used to sitting completely still for long periods of time. Whilst he was stretching, a voice sounded in the distance.

"Ark!! Ark!!!"

He instantly recognized this voice, how could he not! This voice belonged to the person who poured all of their love and attention into him as he grew up. Though it had only been a short parting, he could not help but get sentimental when he heard that voice. Spinning around, Ark could see two women walking along the path leading to the Professors laboratory. Much to his surprise, Ark actually recognized them both. Not only was his Mother walking up the path, she was accompanied by Ashes mother, Delia Ketchum. Ark stood there dazed as he saw the beautiful mature woman smile as she saw the two children. Coming back to reality, Ark realised it only made sense for Ashes mother to come to meet Ash.

"Ark, I have missed you so much!"

Arks mother walked up to Ark with arms wide open. Her tearful face had a beautiful smile upon it as she hugged her son.

"I missed you too Mother, don't worry I'm back now!"

A scene similar to this was occurring with Delia and Ash, the only exception was Ash immediately broke the hug after a few seconds. Once the individual welcome homes were done, Ark and his mother walked over to Delia.

"It seems I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you before, my name is Ark Bates. I presume you're Ashs older sister?"

Ark took the initiative to introduce himself. After all, first impressions are important. In response, Delia put her hand on her cheek and smiled.

"Oh my, you're so polite. It's nice to meet you Ark, my name is Delia Ketchum. I am Ashes mother"

Ark faked a surprised expression, before replying.

"That is a shock, I was sure you were his sister. It seems age didn't retract from your beauty at all"

Arks mother was astonished. She could not comprehend where Ark had picked up such masterful techniques, and was equally shocked when she saw him using them on someone similar to her age. Of course, knowing Arks dream she chose to remain quiet and question his intentions in private. While she understood that age does not truly matter, she wanted to make sure Ark was aware of the responsibility that would come with wooing someone older than himself, especially a single mother.

"You're quite the charmer, well then Ark, ash and I will be heading home now, I hope to see you soon."

Delia smiled at Ark before nodding at his mother.

"As do I. It will be my pleasure Delia."

Delia's eyes widen a tiny bit before a smile more mesmerizing than before grew upon her lips. Ark noted that she enjoyed being praised, however he was also able to see that she was able to discern whether the praise was genuine or not. The usage of her name was something Ark did to show that he saw her as a woman and it seemed she understood clearly. Though Ark was only 8, his physique was that of someone approaching their teens, in this world where marriage is applicable at 12 with parental consent, Arks behaviour was not too far-fetched. Although, it was extremely shocking to see an 8 Year old boy flirting with someone in their late twenties.

Ash and his mother left the Professors lab, followed by Ark and his mother.

After a short trip walk back home, Ark was made to sit down on the sofa by his mother as she prepared a few sandwiches for lunch. While the camp cooking was good, nothing beats home-made cooking. Ark gulped down the sandwiches within minutes with an expression of true bliss and satisfaction.

"Before I ask about the camp, Ark do you understand what you were doing with Miss Ketchum?"

"Of course I do Mother, I was flirting with her, and she seemed to be receptive to my flirting. Though, it would be a push to say she took it seriously."

Arks mother sighed since she was forced to realise how aware Ark was regarding this topic. It should be known that Ark has not been exposed to any content that could teach him such things so it was perplexing to her as to where he had learned it all. Naturally she did not ask him since she respected the path he chose and knows that Ark will take it very seriously.

"As long as you're aware of what you're doing and are ready to take responsibility when you're old enough, I will no stop you but the moment I feel you're not able to bear such a burden in the future, I will do everything in my power to stop you Ark."

That was her commitment as his Mother. She knew Ark was going down a bumpy road, she also knew that nothing will change his mind, so she chose the next best option of being the safety net to catch him in the event he falls.

Ark looked his mother in the eye and replied.

"I will get stronger, I know how to and I plan to work my hardest to secure our future happiness Mother. Please watch over me and wait."

After that was cleared up, Ark was barraged with numerous questions about camp. When his mother found out about Serena and Cynthia, a conflicted look appeared on her face. She was happy that her son was popular with girls and was starting to think about the future, however she was upset that Ark is slowly growing up right before her eyes. Along with this, she made sure that Ark promised her that he would introduce her to the two girls once he had fulfilled his promises with them.

As dinner time began to roll around, Ark stopped his mother from getting ready to prepare dinner.

"Mother, I have a surprise waiting at the Professors lab, we should head there now."

Ark and his mother made their way back to the lab despite leaving there only a few short hours ago.

"Ark dear, what are we doing here?"

Ark kept his silence as he pressed the buzzer to the lab. After a short wait, the door was opened.

The moment Ark stepped through the door, something tackled him with great force. Despite Ark training hard and having good control over his body, the unexpected shock sent him tumbling down. Arks mother was dazed as she watched a small being tackle her son, yet instead of being upset, his face had a bright smile. From his sitting position, Ark turned to his Mother.

"Mother, I would like you to meet my new partner. This is Sylph, my new Ralts!"

Jaw agape, she turned her head between Ark and Ralts. The small Pokemon had curled up in Arks chest with its head nuzzled in deeply. After a few minutes of organising her thoughts, Arks mother smiled before placing her heads in front of her chest.

"Oh my! Such an adorable Pokemon is added to our family? I am so happy!"

This was a brilliant surprise since it mean't life will be a lot more lively now, but it also showed how Ark starting to make his own decisions on his path. This made her delighted. Seeing the delight on his mothers face, Ark proceeded to explain how he and Sylph had met.

Ark had decided on this name after he spoke to the Professor during the car ride. They had called Professor Birch and had been able to identify that Sylph was in fact a female. Professor Oak had wanted to borrow Ralts for a while so that he could record the development of Sylph over the years thus they agreed to surprise his Mother and allow the Professor enough time to get necessary data.

"Mother, thank you so much for letting me go to camp and for allowing me to meet Sylph."

When Sylph heard Arks words, she removed her head and looked at Arks Mother.

"Thank"

The air froze. Arks mother stared at Sylph, her eyes were wide and her jaw had dropped. She was so shocked that she had forgotten to blink before Ark had clapped his hands. Needless to say, Ark had to explain the circumstances surrounding Sylphs unique telepathy.