Unforgivable Errors (Rewrite)

The Beginning

When Delia and Red Ketchum found out they were going to be parents, they were ecstatic. The fact that their close friends, Richard and Sylvia Oak, were also expecting made it just that much more special. They couldn't wait for the day their children would be born and spent much of their time planning for a life full of laughter, playing, and happiness. When Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak were born-albeit a few months apart from each other, with Gary being the elder of the two-the two couples couldn't have been more overjoyed. Ash looked exactly like his father except for his eyes, which were the same color and shape as his mother's. Gary, on the other hand, was the spitting image of Sylvia, but with his father's chocolate brown eyes. And for the first year or so, everything went just as planned.

Unfortunately, not all good things will last. A month before Ash's second birthday, Red was called away on a mission. Being a member of the Elite Four, it was his duty to help keep peace in the Kanto region. He had battled against the likes of Team Rocket and other various Pokémon poachers for years and had always come away mostly unscathed. This time, however, he wasn't so lucky. Red never returned home from his mission, and after another week his body was discovered near the Viridian City gym, scarred and burned almost to the point of being unrecognizable.

When Delia heard the news of her husband's death, she was understandably devastated. This man had been the first one to accept her for who she was, and now he was gone. In her grief, she began to push away her son. She knew it wasn't right, but she couldn't help it. Every time she looked at Ash, it felt as though her heart was being ripped to pieces all over again. He just looked so much like his father. So to keep herself from giving up, Delia slowly tore away at her relationship with Ash until anyone who didn't know them would never have guessed that he was her son, instead choosing to shower Gary with attention. She did this, but she knew that if he were ever taken away from her, it would kill her. She just tried to ignore that.

Ash Ketchum was many things, but stupid was not one of them. He knew that his mother neglected him-he just didn't know why. So from an early age, he started learning how to take care of himself. He taught himself how to read and write by age three, and by age four he could speak perfectly. No more cute baby talk. Of course, Delia never took any notice of his accomplishments. Ash also learned how to cook without burning himself on the stove by age five. And by age seven, he was fluent in French, Japanese, and Mandarin. There certainly was something to be said for whoever said that young children are most adept at picking up languages. However, most of Ash's free time was dedicated to studying Pokémon. His much more well-loved rival, Gary Oak, was always receiving tutelage on the lives of Pokémon from his parents, and Ash was determined to beat him. He spent countless hours poring over pages from various books in his father's study, making entire pamphlets of notes. By age nine, he knew all there was to know about all seven core regions, and he had even managed to master his aura abilities-which he discovered when he was eight-as well.

However, even the distractions posed by his Pokémon research wasn't enough to take away the reminder of Delia's abuse. With each day that passed, Ash found himself growing more and more resentful towards his mother figure. Would it really kill her to look his way every once in a while? Why was she always ignoring him in favor of Gary? It didn't help matters that the rest of Pallet Town clearly preferred Gary over him as well. After all, no one wanted anything to do with the weird kid who didn't have any friends. He knew that thing would get better once he left on his Pokémon journey, but that wouldn't be for six months, and he didn't think he could wait that long. 

One more day, Ash decided. One more day, and then I'm out for good.