That Old Man

"Palletia City Tavern and Country Inn." Jenna read the sign above the tavern with a smile. "I finally made it. It didn't seem that far on the map, but man it's been a hard trip. I don't know how they ever let kids make this trip on their own." Things sure were different back then, she knew. She'd heard about it often enough, and she'd even made it her major in college. "Well, now that I'm here, I guess I'd better start looking for him. That's why I started this crazy quest, after all…" She straightened her travel weary shoulders and headed through the tavern door.

Jingle Jingle

"Excuse me." Jenna walked up to the bar and smiled. The innkeeper smiled back and nodded his head.

"Yes, miss? What can I get for you?"

"Actually, I was just looking for some information, thank you. I'm looking for Mr. and Mrs. Ash Ketchum? Can you tell me how to get to their house?"

"T'aint no Missus, Miss," said the man at the far end of the bar. "Jes crazy ol' man Ketchum."

The innkeeper nodded. "Used to be, you know. Passed away about twenty years, now. She was a beautiful lady, was Missus Ketchum. I remember one day… me and the boys was into dares, you see, Miss. Well, they dared me to climb the fence and steal an apple. This was about.. oh... thirty years now, gotta be- we were still Pallet Town, back then. Hmmm. Yes, that's right. I'm not boring you, now, am I?"

The young lady shook her head, reaching into her pack for pen and paper. She wasn't going to discourage him, if he was in the mood to talk. It definitely made her job easier. "No, please, go on."

"Well, There I was, in the middle of his yard when old man Ketchum comes a'stormin out of the house. I thought I was going to get murdered, that's for sure. The other lads had scampered off, like lightening, and I was stuck with the evidence. Well, Missus K came up and just put her hand on the old man's arm. And I tell you, he stopped. Dead in his tracks, he turns to her. 'Sorry Mist' he says. 'I lost my temper again, didn't I?' Like a miracle, it was. She looked me in the eye and I tell you, I thought she was an angel from god. 'If you'd asked, we'd have let you have one' she tells me. Then she walks me out the fence like I'd just come to visit." The innkeeper's eyes misted over. "Yep she was a lady. Can't believe it's been twenty years."

Still writing down the wonderful story, the traveler nodded. "But Mr. Ketchum? He's still around?"

"Yeah. In fact," the innkeeper looked at the clock. "He's probably at the park right now, telling his stories to the kids."

"Lies, Charley." The man at the end of the bar piped up again. "Not stories. Mayor should do something about him. Lock him up or something. He's a public nuisance."

"Mr. Daniels. I've told you before. If you're gonna talk bad about people, you can do it outside. In my place, everyone is a friend. Old Man Ketchum likes to tell stories. Let'um. He's an old man with little left but his memories, warped as they might be."

"Warped is right. The way he tells it, he's a damned war hero. And saving the world with Pokémon gods? Bah!"

The innkeeper glared a moment at the man and then turned back to the young lady in front of him. "Sorry Miss. Old man Ketchum is a somewhat touchy subject around here. What makes you so interested in him, anyway?"

Jenna shrugged and put her notebook away again. "He used to travel with my great-grandfather. How do I find the park?"

A few directions and a friendly goodbye, and Jenna was back on the road. She couldn't wait to meet Mr. Ketchum. She'd heard so much about him from her grandparents, and then finding those wonderful letters in their attic…

Jenna stopped. There was something blocking the road. Well, not something, kids. And they were all running towards her!

"STOP!" She cried, holding up her hands. To her amazement, all of them screeched to a halt and looked up at her expectantly. "Uhm. Where's everyone going?"

The lead boy, barely ten, cocked his head and smirked. "What's it to you?"

Jenna grabbed his ear. A technique passed down in her family, useful with arrogant males. "Well, I am looking for Mr. Ketchum, and I was told that I would find him with a group of kids. That's you."

"Ow owowow. Hey Leggo! Awright!"

Jenna let go and the boy rubbed his ear. "He didn't show up today. We're gonna check the museum to see if he's there. You can come along if you want."

He took off and the other children followed, not waiting for her answer. Jenna followed as best she could, but was completely out of breath by the time she caught up to them at the museum door.

"Hunh hunh hunh" Jenna tried to steady herself against the stairs and a few of the kids looked at her in concern. The boy she'd spoken with earlier was just coming out of the building. "Huhn Is hunh He huhn" She took a deep breath. "Is Mr… Ketchum… here?"

The boy shook his head. "Let's split up. You younger kids go back to the park and wait to see if he shows up. The rest of us will go out to his house to see if he's still there." He looked up at Jenna and frowned. "I'm Jax. You're coming with us, right?" she nodded and he grinned. "Good, cause we're not allowed out of town limits without an adult. Let's go."

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Knock Knock

"Mr. Ketchum? Hello?" Jenna's knock went unanswered and the kids were becoming restless. She tried the door and found to her surprise that it wasn't locked. She turned to Jax with a finger to her lips and he passed the message down the ranks. Silence.

Not knowing what to expect, Jenna crept softly into the house. It was only about 3 in the afternoon, but all of the lights were still on in the front room. It was actually a bit creepy. Once inside, the kids spread swiftly through the rooms. It was Jenna, though, that made the discovery. She couldn't help but cry out, bringing all of the children running.

He was sitting in what was apparently his study. Jenna walked to the front of the chair and knelt in front of him. He's still smiling, she thought. He was clutching an old Pokémon badge in his left hand, and Jenna smiled faintly. There was a faded letter on his lap and she picked it up. "With appreciation for his actions and valor in the Pokémon Wars, Ash Ketchum is hereby awarded the Highest Military Honours of the Indigo League…" she sighed and looked around the rest of the room. A large trunk had been pulled up to the easy chair, with papers, videos, and photographs scattered around it. The television was muted, a home-video of a little boy and a young red-headed woman dancing in falling leaves played on the screen.

"At least he died happy." Jenna heard one of the girls whisper, echoing her own thoughts. She turned back to the kids, surprised to see that they were actually more upset at his death than the idea of having found a dead body. "Maybe you kids should go home?"

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Jenna finished her notes and closed her notebook, ready to leave town and go home. She hadn't found Mr. Ketchum in time to speak with him, to talk to him about his life and experiences. But she'd gotten permission to go through his things first. That and the interviews would have to do. She shouldered her bag again and left her hotel room.

The town was going to build a memorial to him. That was something, wasn't it? They'd been surprised to find that all of his "crazy lies" had been true. Ash Ketchum. Highest level Pokémon Master in the Indigo League. Champion of the Orange League. Gym Leader. First Lieutenant of the 465th Brigade. Hero of the Pokémon Wars.

Now it was up to Jenna to tell the rest of the story. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small red object. Flipping it open, she smiled sadly. The confident look of a ten-year old boy, just starting out in life. She closed the Pokédex and put it back in her pocket. It was her job to tell *his* story. Ash Ketchum. Pokemon trainer. Son. Friend. Husband. Father... And it all started in a small town called Pallet.