A Master's School Life

Lesson Learned the Hard Way

A/N: In this story, Ash is not the perfect goodie two shoes that he is in the recent seasons of the animé, where he is almost a self-insert character for kids. I want this Ash I'm writing to have flaws in him, feel anger, make mistakes but learn from them. He'll still be oblivious to some things and have the most redeeming qualities that the Battle-frontier and Sinnoh Ash once had.

Chapter 6: Lesson Learned The Hard Way

"Ms. Johanna is your mother?" Ash asked, his eyes darting between the two Sinnoh natives. That was pretty much answered with how they had reacted to each other, but his surprise pushed away that logic from his head. With their striking resemblance, he was actually more surprised that he hadn't figured it out before or at least ask any of them about it.

"Yes," Dawn replied with a surprised face of her own, not expecting to see her mother here where Ash brought her. She gave a glance at the mahogany-haired woman sitting beside Johanna before asking the latter, "What are you doing here, mom?"

"I work here," the older Berlitz replied. "This is my friend, Delia, Ash's mother. She owns this place." She introduced, wondering how the two pre-teens knew each other.

"Dawn, right? Nice to meet you! Come, please join us," Delia motioned a hand to the two empty chairs at the kitchen table, happy to finally see in person her friend's daughter.

"Yes, thank you, ma'am," Dawn bowed her head politely as she and Ash sat down. "Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Ketchum."

"Please, just call me Delia. Your mother and I have been friends since we were around your and Ash's age. We had traveled in a few regions together." The mahogany-haired woman's smile brightened at the memories. "Can I get you two something to eat?" she stood, expecting the answer.

"Yes please, mom. That's why I brought her here." Ash put a hand over his stomach, now feeling hunger pangs. His mother nodded, putting her apron back on, and went to the kitchen.

"So, are you two in the same class?" Johanna finally asked, being specific in her question, thinking that's more likely the case.

Seeing his friend did not seem to notice the question as she was marveling at the restaurant, Ash decided to be the one to answer, "yes, Ms...I mean Mrs. Johanna."

"I actually prefer Ms. Hehe," Johanna propped an elbow on the table, eyeing the two preteens. "Did you pick Dawn up from school?"

"Yes," was Ash's simple reply. Dawn suddenly stopped admiring the simple yet beautiful restaurant, hoping she was wrong on what she thought her mother would ask next.

"May I ask why?" Johanna had a curious tone but Dawn froze as she could feel motherly suspicion behind it.

"Well, uh there was this classmate of ours that asked her...ahh" Ash began to explain what had happened earlier with as much detail as he could but was cut off when the girl's elbow beside him suddenly made its way to the side of his rib cage, making him gasp in a mixture of slight pain and surprise. "Uh what was that for?"

"Ssshh you are hungry, right? Don't waste any more energy on your loudmouth or you'll pass out!" the younger bluenette hissed. She didn't feel like letting her mother know of what had happened, it was just too embarrassing for her to talk about.

"If you don't want Ash to waste energy, then how about you tell me instead, Dawn, my dear?" Johanna asked in her nicest tone as she interwound her fingers, her head leaning a bit forward. There was something in her smile that made the two preteens gulp.

"This sounds like a good story, tell us about it as we eat," Delia beamed, serving the pre-teens their food while Mr. Mime served those for the two women.