Lost in their Past

Chapter 13:- Xovier

Weird was not the right word for the situation Serena was currently in.

She didn't know why, but when Charlus Oak introduced himself, she said her middle name. 'Charlene' was a unique middle name for a girl, then again, everything surrounding her was weird,

Charlus Oak looked haggard and tiered. His brown hair had white streaks in them and his face was decorated with wrinkles.

She knew for the fact that she had never met him before, but a strange cord seemed to be wrapped around the two of them like a bond. A long forgotten bond. He continued to stare at her with his viridian eyes until the moment Gary interrupted. No one knew her middle name except her parents and herself. Maybe not even Ash himself or Palermo.

"Charlene?" Charlus repeated. "My name is Charlus." He smiled sadly as he looked back at her mom who for some reasons was sitting on an ottoman, glaring at a Brunette and then at her knife.

"Her father named her that." Grace quickly spoke up. "I hated it."

"I'm sure you did." Charlus chuckled as he sat on the sofa.

After a moment of silence, both Grace and Delia stood up. "I know you," they said in unison but totally ignored it as if they were accustomed to it and marched towards them.

"Ash Ketchum?" Grace asked in a flabbergasted tone as she stood in front of him, "we've met before, right?" She asked.

"In the ranch, yeah." Ash smiled. "I didn't knew you were going to be here."

Grace scoffed as she examined Ash from head to toe. "You're James's spawn," she said, bedazzled. "You look like your father-" she stopped in mid air as she shook the thought out of her mind. "Forget it it was nice meeting you." She coldly smiled as she sat on the ottoman.

"For years I wondered what happened to her son and it turns out he was right under me!" She whispered to Charlus. "Also quit staring at my daughter!"

Charlus simply shrugged her off. "You know him?"

"Hell ya," she answered. "He travelled with my daughter when he participated in Kalos league. He completely rattled he-"

"My my, Serena Yvonne. You're Grace's daughter!" Delia, unlike Grace exclaimed happily, cutting Grace in mid air. "We've met before, do you remember?"

"Yeah," Serena answered. "When Ash was about to... return."

"You're a beauty like your grandmother," Delia said. "What happened to your hair? I think they used to be-"

"Hair is the only thing she inherited for Mark!" Grace suddenly shot up. "Go sit in your chair, Diane!"

Delia frowned suspiciously at the sudden change in Grace's behaviour. She smiled at Serena and caressed a strand of blonde behind her hair. "It was nice meeting you." She said as she sat next to Ailsa.

Ailsa yawned as she got up, "The show is over too soon?" She said humorously. "That's too sad, anyways, packages, if you'll please, sit next to your
parents. I have work to do."

The three of them stared at each other and then back at Ailsa. "She means you." Joanne translated.

Grace laughed at her cold sarcasm. Delia got up asked Ash help her bring a few chairs from the parlor. Ash followed his mother as he whispered in a low voice, "What the hell is going on here?!"

Delia laughed, "All in good time, my love."

Ash scoffed, "Mom, seriously what are all of these people doing here? Its like a market! And why do I know half- not half, all of them!"

Delia frowned, "Well it's a mere coincidence." She said, "you weren't meant to know them."

"That's relieving," he remarked sarcastically. "I was startled after I sa-"

"Saw Serena?" Delia said humorously. "It's been how many years?"

Ash smiled, Delia wasn't only his mother. She was also his best friend, Ash didn't need to do anything or say something for her to figure out. Delia was his mother, manager, agent and partner in crime. Perhaps that was the effect of raising a kid alone, Ash naturally became her whole world.

"Yeah," he said subconsciously as he rubbed his forearms. "Wasn't exactly pleasant."

"Why she beat you with you bag pack?" Delia said as a joke but later gasped when he didn't defend. "No! She beat you with your bag pack?"

"Kind off yeah," Ash said. "It was a disaster."

Delia smiled warmly as she pulled Ash close. "It'll be fine, sweetheart, love always finds a way."

Ash looked bedazzled, "I-I don't love her." He stammered.

"Sure," she remarked sarcastically. "And I'm in love with your uncle Charles."

"What?!"

Delia laughed, "I thought we were talking about the impossible right now. Come on now, we'll talk later. Ailsa is known for many things but patience is not one of them."

Delia grabbed a chairs by its top rails and dragged it out of the lavish parlour, ignoring the screeching that came out as its legs rubbed against the exquisite floor. She put it near Charlus and Ash put his near Grace. Ailsa got up as soon as Delia sat down.

"Well that took forever," She said. "Take your seats people, I'm not getting any younger."

Grace snorted, "You're not getting any older either."

Charlus snickered to which Ailsa eyed him in an arrogant manner, she cleared her throat to grab their attention, "As I can see, people in this room already know each other. Allow me to introduce myself." She pointed towards herself and smiled. "My name is Ailsa Oak."

Every eye present in the room diverted towards Charlus and Gary, who still was very oblivious to what she'd said. It took him a moment to realise what was happening, "What the fuck dude," He cursed to which Charlus facepalmed himself. "Dad what the hell is she talking about."

Charlus looked helplessly at Delia who mouthed Deal-with-it. He put on the most professional smile he could manage and said, "Yeah the thing is, she is your grandmother."

Ailsa laughed, "I'm sorry what did you say?"

Charlus cleated his throat as if something was physically restraining him from speaking. "Ailsa Oak is my mother," He said loud enough for everyone to hear. "And that makes her your grandmother."

Gary looked at Ailsa and then back at Charlus, "Didn't she like die twenty years ago?"

Charlus facepalmed himself, he couldn't blame Gary, after all, he too had been convincing himself that he didn't even have a mother. It was cruel, aye, but nothing isn't the whole world was devastating than having Ailsa Oak as your mother. Even those four months with Joanne were like seven minutes in heaven compared to a minute with Ailsa.

Ailsa laughed as if Gary's words didn't touch her at all, "It's a pleasant first meeting with my grandson and yes I'm still alive. As I was saying, I'm Ailsa Oak, the chairman of the Chamber of Xovier."

Serena looked as if she had woken up only to find herself in another nightmare. Dawn looked puzzled, Ash was confused and bored, almost asking what the hell wad going on and Gary was still stuck up on the fact that he even had a grandmother.

"Before you ask anything," Ailsa said. "Xovier is an acronym. It was an ancient chamber originally found by six families, the Xaviers, The Oaks, The Van Blacks, The Illés, The Eisenburgs and The Raiders."