How to Train Your Pokémon

A/N: Okay, this chapter was kind of hard to write because like I've said a long time ago, I'm trying to make Dawn and Mari's relationship less estranged and more loving.

Now, let's get started with Chapter 16. Roll it!

Chapter 16

Problems Piling Up

Soon, the Ketchum kids dropped Elysia off back at the cave and quickly headed back home using their newfound wings. Once they landed on the back porch of the house, they made their wings vanish and head inside.

But once they got upstairs, they immediately froze on the steps when they saw that their mother was waiting for them with her arms crossed at the top.

"Mom!" They exclaimed, praying to all the Legendaries that their mother didn't see them flying home through one of the windows facing the back of the house.

"Boys, I need to talk with your sister for a moment." Dawn said. "Alone."

Luke and Evan shared a quick worried glance with Mari before squeezing past Dawn and into the room that they shared. But, they left the door slightly open to peek on what might happen between their mother and sister.

Mari slowly made her way to her mother. "Yes, Mom?" She asked, wondering what she did wrong this time.

Dawn led her daughter over to the hallway away from the stairs. Then, she placed her hands on Mari's shoulders.

"Marianne Gloria Ketchum," she began, making Mari flinch visibly. Rarely would her mother use her full name. If she did, then either something really good or something really bad happened. As of late, it was usually something bad. "I am so proud of you."

Mari looked back up at her mother with surprise in her eyes. The twins also looked at each other with shock. Did she just say what they thought she said?

"Y-You are?" Mari asked, stammering slightly.

"Of course I am, sweetheart." Dawn said. "Gary told me about your success in training."

Mari felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders. In their room, the twins breathed out sighs of relief. "I knew you had skill, but it seems you have been sharpening them." Dawn continued.

Mari rubbed her arm with embarrassment. "Well, I had a little help." She said. "From the twins." She quickly added before her mother would ask.

"And now, you and Aiden will be competing tomorrow for who will capture their first Pokémon." Dawn said.

Mari looked down at the floor, fiddling with the small Gracidea pendant that was resting on her collar. She forgot that she had made it to the final round of training. It was now just between her and Aiden to see who who will given the "honor" to capture Lucario, the only Pokémon the recruits haven't faced in the Arena.

Dawn noticed the Gracidea pendant around her daughter's neck. She remembered that Mari had never taken it off, and yet it was still as beautiful as when her husband had given it to her as a young toddler, just barely learning to walk.

A smile came up on her face. "I remember when your father gave that necklace to you." She said. "It was your first birthday." Mari looked up at her, still touching the smooth Gracidea pendant. "It was just after your birthday party. Your dad and I wanted something small, but since you are our first child and the heir to the leadership of this faction, the whole town threw a big bash to celebrate." Mari smiled with embarrassment. "After the party, your dad showed you a small box. It was the smallest one out of all of the presents you got, so you were a little confused."

Mari snickered. "I bet I might've tried to eat it, thinking it was a snack."

Dawn chuckled. "Yeah, you did try." She said. "But then, you noticed that it was light, and that you could open it. With a little difficulty, you did, and the necklace was right there." Mari looked down at her Gracidea pendant again. "I was a little bit worried, thinking that you were too young to have a necklace like that because of how delicate it was. But your father said that you would be fine. He got it on you, and ever since then, you have never taken it off."

Mari smiled. "And I have taken good care of it." She added, making her mother smile as well.

"You know. I've been thinking." Dawn said. "I don't think I have heard you sing in so long."

Mari looked back up at her mother, and then gazed down at her feet. "I haven't sung in almost five years, Mom." She said. "Not since when people started criticizing me."

In their room, the twins looked at each other. It was true. When they were little, Mari loved to sing, and she had a wonderful voice. But ever since people started looking down on her, including Aiden Newton, she hadn't sung a note since and instead tried to find a way to get the people of their faction to accept her.

Dawn looked a little hurt when she realized this. She was too busy trying to protect her children and the faction that she didn't see how much they were struggling to fit in. She placed a hand on Mari's shoulder.

"Can you try?" She asked. "For me?"

Mari looked at her mother with wide eyes. She wanted her to sing? "I must've have forgotten by now." She said.

Dawn shook her head. "It's like riding a bike, Mari. You never truly forget."

Mari was silent for a few seconds. Then, she began to think. There was one song that she loved to sing when she was little. As she tried to remember why, all she could come up with was that she loved hearing it when her parents would sing. It was worth a try.

The Ketchum girl took a deep breath, and started to sing. It was a little shaky at first, but after clearing her throat and starting over again, Dawn heard that lovely voice of an angel singing once again.

Kenka nakanaori mata kenka
Iitai koto ippai aru kedo
Ichiban wa...
"Ite kurete arigatou!"

The twins were both in silent awe. Their sister's voice was just as amazing as when they were kids. But they weren't the only ones who heard that.

From outside, Aiden was walking home after an intense training session he had in the woods. He was still pretty angry that Mari was surpassing him in class. It just wasn't fair! One day, she was the town screw-up, and now she was the best pupil.

Suddenly, from inside the Ketchum house, he heard a familiar voice singing. It was absolutely beautiful. Aiden couldn't help but listen and attempt to remember where he had heard that voice somewhere before. But it sounded much older than he remembered it.

Tabi wa michizure yowa nasake
Wakatta you na kao shiteru kedo
Hontou wa...
"Ite kurete ureshii!"

Mari decided that that was enough for now, since she doesn't remember the whole song. She looked up at her mother. "I remember you and Dad singing that song when I was really little." She explained, hoping that Dawn wouldn't get mad.

But instead, Dawn wiped away a tear from her cheeks that she didn't know she had shed. "I haven't heard that song in so many years." She said. "It was a song that your father and I wrote." Mari looked at her with confusion, her head tilted. "Well, at first it was just in secret notes that your dad and I wrote for ourselves, hoping to one day share with each other. But apparently, when we were adults, Gary had found the notes and liked the somewhat poetry that he sent them to a music producer who was an old friend of ours. The next thing we know, it became a song, and we were performing it live. It was an unexpected surprise, but a pleasant one."

Mari smiled at the story. "What was in the notes you wished to give to Dad?"

Dawn froze, and then began explaining. "Back then, I must have acted like a teenage girl with a crush." She admitted with a blush. "But then, I realized that I felt much more than I would've ever thought I could for someone. So much that..."

"You wanted to spend the rest of your life with him." Mari finished. Her mother nodded. "We all miss him."

For one second, Mari wanted to share what she and the twins learned concerning about their dad. But then, Dawn might wonder where they got that information, and it might get complicated as to how they were going to explain that without spilling their secret. So she eventually decided against it.

Mari then tried to stifle a yawn. "Well, it's getting pretty late." She said. "I should get to bed."

Dawn smiled. "Okay, sweetie." She said. "I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight, Mari."

"Night, Mom." She said. Then she headed inside her room while Dawn went towards her own.

From outside, Aiden was amazed. That was Mari singing? No wonder it sounded familiar. She's still got it. He thought to himself with a smile. But then, he quickly erased it off his face. No! No more weaknesses! She is nothing but trouble! With that, he continued on his way back to his own home.

********************************

Back inside the Ketchum household, once Mari made sure that her mother was in her room, she peeked out of her own room and gestured to the twins to come in. Luke and Evan obeyed. Once they were in, Mari closed the door.

"This is getting too much to process." Luke said, holding his head as if it were to explode at any moment from all of what they had learned in the past couple of hours. "Mom giving us more information without even knowing that it is."

"I was more focused on not getting grossed out by how mushy Mom and Dad's story is." Evan said, making Mari slap him upside the head.

"Well, I think it's cute." Mari said. "But all romanticism aside, now what are we going to do? Mom is expecting me to win tomorrow, Aiden is going to kill me if I win, and everyone in town will be watching me capture Lucario if I win."

"That's tough." Luke said. "Now we're really in a tight spot."

"What are we going to do?" Evan asked.

Mari shrugged. "I don't know." She said. They were really stuck now. All they could do is just do what they have been doing for the past couple of weeks.

A/N: How was that? The song I used for is "High Touch", the famed song that Pearlshippers love that's sung by Ash and Dawn's Japanese voice actors. I only used the beginning part of it, but still I don't own it in any way.

Until the next chapter, I'll see y'all! Please leave a comment about what you think.

Got to fly! ;)