Chapter 1
A New Expedition
"What are you doing here?" May asked, her mouth agape in shock. Eevee squealed happily, fond of the young girl despite the little time they actually spent together.
Relm glowered at May's tone, her crimson red eyes dancing with defiance. "I told you I was coming, so you can drop the loner act right now." She said calmly, her silky, white hair fluttering in the air conditioned bus.
That was Relm for you. Refined, stoic, observant, aware, and rarely satisfied. She should have known that as a rich girl, Relm always got what she wanted. And the girl saw right through her, too. May did want to continue on alone; it was what she promised herself. That didn't mean that she enjoyed it. Sometimes, I wonder if she's an eighty-year-old hiding out in a ten-year-old's body. She wouldn't doubt it for one second. Relm was more protective of her than her mother, and she was younger than May.
She couldn't ask for a better friend.
OoOoOoOoO
He was dreaming that fateful day, when it happened: Treecko, the wood gecko Pokemon? Mudkip, the mud fish Pokemon? Torchic, the chick Pokemon? Which would he choose? He stood right in front of the same lab table that his very own sister did, his hand shifting from the first, to the second, to the third Pokeball. But he just couldn't choose. And right when his hand stopped over one, his thumb seeking the button that would release his choice, the sound of his mother screaming jolted him from his slumber.
He quickly tore the sheets off of himself, grabbed his glasses, and promptly ran to the door of his room, tripping down the stairs and scrambling into the kitchen. There, his mother, Caroline, stood over a pot with a slip of paper clutched into her hand.
"I just don't understand this," she said shakily to Kinji, who seemed both stunned and horrified, the broom abandoned on the floor. The pot gurgled and steamed angrily, as if it had its own opinion of how audacious it was for this to ever happen. "No, this is just some twisted joke. Some way to get attention, that's it."
His father stormed in, ready to defend them from Team Rocket, Magma, Aqua, even the whole world. Norman, the greatest father a boy could ever ask for, the strongest trainer in the universe; he meant that and more to him. How ironic that even he would admit, at that moment, how powerless his father was, no matter who he knew, or who he could call. "What's going on Caroline?" He asked calmly, seeing there was no immediate threat.
Ready to ask the question himself, he peered from a distance at his mother's hand, where the blue Winter letter paper remained. It seemed to be the source of his mother's anguish. He paled, recognizing the stationary. "That's May's," he whispered loudly enough for the rest of the kitchen's occupants to hear.
"Let me see it," Norman demanded, gently prying her fingers from it.
He later found that it was addressed to Kinji.
Dear Kinji,
You'll probably tell my parents as soon as you get this letter. I guess I can't really call this running away. It's not like I wasn't about to go on a journey anyway. I wanted to strike out on my own. I know Mom and Dad would never agree for me to do that; I would have had to take Max and someone else to "supervise" while I became the best Coordinator out there. I have to do this on my own.
Tell my family that I love them. And please don't worry. I'll be just fine.
May
"Why would she do this?" Caroline fretted, wiping her eyes. "This isn't like her Norman. What if-." She immediately covered her mouth; the suggestions as to what could happen were forbidden to be said. Because it meant that it would happen, at least to the worried mother at the moment.
A grim expression slowly edged it's way onto the gym leader's face. He abruptly placed the note on the counter, where Kinji first found it, and walked to the phone. "I'm calling the police," he said.
"What's going on?" Max finally asked, his hands shaking slightly.
Caroline burst into tears at his question, a sob escaping her lips, and her hands searching for a chair to settle in. Kinji looked away, finally roused from his stupor.
"What happened to my sister?!" He yelled, fighting to keep his tears at bay.
Kinji finally found his voice just as Caroline lost hers. "May's gone. She left this note behind on the counter," he said steadily.
"Good morning, Officer Jenny," Norman suddenly said through the phone. "I'd like to report a missing person." He paused as one of many Jennies questioned him. "May Maple, my daughter."
Max didn't stay any longer. He was ten now; he was too old to cry. He completely disregarded the tears streaming down his face in rivulets.
What she wrote on the paper was a lie; she wouldn't be okay. He began to notice how small things angered her or provoked tears. The most common thing that brought on the waterworks was food. She ate less and sometimes skipped dinner, cooped up in her room with Eevee. In fact, ever since they left Ash, she wasn't okay.
Then it occurred to him. He had to tell Ash. He cursed his father's use of the normal phone; now he would have to use the video phone. He really didn't want Ash to see him like this. Max sighed. The next time he saw May, she was going to get an ear full.
Max searched the internet for the list of recent challengers to any gyms in Sinnoh. Sure enough, Ash was listed in a recent challenge of the Oreburgh Gym. He copied the number of the Oreburgh Pokemon Center and immediately dialed, wiping his eyes before the kind, pink haired Nurse Joy appeared on the blank screen.
"Hello," she greeted cheerfully, further souring his mood. The world wouldn't stop for his problems, and he found that he didn't like it, no matter how selfish it was. "This is the Oreburgh Pokemon Center. How may I help you?"
"Umm," Max hesitated before continuing with the best professional voice he could muster. "I'm looking for Ash Ketchum . . . . . from Pallet Town."
"One moment, please," she implored, smiling sweetly. She averted her gaze away from the screen. He figured that she was checking the computer by her hand motions, so he took that moment to briefly figure out what to say. What could he say? How could he tell Ash that his sister just left without warning or how down in the dumps she had been? He felt ashamed, more for the fact that, for once, he didn't understand his sister the way he usually did. He was brought out of his musings by Nurse Joy who returned to the video phone.
"I'm really sorry, but he left Oreburgh a few days ago," she began, recognizing her mistake when his shoulders slumped noticeably. The nurse quickly assured him, "I'm sure that your friend was on his way to Floaroma Town. Why don't you ask my sister there?"
"Thank you, Nurse Joy," he said quietly.
"You're quite welcome." With that, the screen went black again. Max searched for the Floaroma Town Pokemon Center's number on the computer again and copied it under the previous one. His glasses fell from his face in his haste. Before impatiently placing them back on his face, he realized they were fogged.
Max carried them to the bathroom and cleaned them with a tissue. Placing them back on his face, they seemed to magnify how bloodshot his eyes were in the mirror. On top of that, he still had a bed head. And to think, I went on video phone looking like this. He took a moment to clean himself up and then returned to the video phone, repeating the process with less confidence due to his previous failure.
Deja Vu couldn't even begin to explain his thoughts regarding the Nurse Joy that answered the phone this time. "Hello. This is the Floaroma Town Pokemon Center. How may I help you?"
"I'm looking for Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town," Max said, crossing his fingers, hoping that Ash would be there.
"One moment, please," Nurse Joy said, and again, he wondered if this was the same Joy. But he knew that there were many Joys, mostly with the same personality.
"I'm really sorry -,"
"That's okay," Max interrupted, startling the woman. Today's just not my day.
"Do you want me to search for his last recorded location?" She asked, the one thing so far that set her apart from her sister.
"No, that's okay," he replied politely. May was always polite. Max froze. He thought of her as if she were dead. And what if she is because she was out on her own?
"Excuse me," Nurse Joy, asked in a worried tone. The boy looked so lost to her on the other line. What happened? "Are you alright?"
"Yes, Nurse Joy," he said hurriedly. I'll try to contact him later. "If Ash comes to the Pokemon Center, can you tell him to call Max? He'll know who it is."
"Okay, so I'll be on the look out for Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, correct?"
"Yes. Thank you."
"No problem. You're-,"
"Excuse me, Nurse Joy," a voice beyond Max's view sounded. His heart leapt up to his throat. He knew that voice. "I'm Ash Ketchum."
OoOoOoOoO
Finally, Ash thought, we're in Floaroma Town. Traveling in the wilderness had its perks but there was nothing he preferred better than a nice, comfortable bed to sleep in at night. After that whole fiasco with the old woman who's Pikachu was missing, Dawn, his newest traveling companion and Pokemon Coordinator in training, had been more than eager to get baking herself creating Poffins. He too was excited since Poffins were a Sinnoh original. He wondered if it was just like baking bread. But his Pokemon needed a proper rest at the Pokemon Center, so, despite Dawn's arguing and complaining, they headed straight for the Pokemon Center, Pikachu right at his heels.
Upon entering the Pokemon Center, Ash went to the counter where Nurse Joy stood using the video phone behind it. Before Brock - who accompanied him on yet another journey - could proclaim his undying affection to the nurse, Croagunk burst from its Pokeball and poison jabbed him, dragging the breeder away.
"He never learns," Dawn said, shaking her head.
"Pika," Pikachu agreed, his best friend shaking his own head as well.
The duo walked to the counter, patiently waiting for Nurse Joy to end her conversation, when the pink haired woman mentioned his name. "Okay, so I'll be on the look out for Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, correct?" She asked the person on the receiving end of the video phone.
"Yes. Thank you," a young, male voice on the other line confirmed.
"Hey, they're talking about you, Ash," Dawn said. "Maybe you should let her know that you're Ash."
"Right," Ash nodded, agreeing. "Excuse me, Nurse Joy," he interrupted. "I'm Ash Ketchum."
"Really?" The nurse asked, elated. "That's wonderful!" Redirecting her attention to the screen, she spoke to the boy on the other line again. "Can you hold on for one minute? I'm going to transfer you to a public phone so that you may speak with Ash. He's here right now."
"Okay," the boy said, quietly. Ash couldn't put his finger on where he knew the owner of the voice from, but whoever it was didn't sound so good.
"Would you like me to take your Pokemon?" Nurse Joy asked Ash, sliding a tray across the counter.
"Yes, please." Ash placed the Poke balls that belonged to Staravia, Turtwig, and Aipom on the tray, then returned it to her.
Before accepting the tray, she typed a few keys on her keyboard and waited as the video phone screen blanked. "You have a call waiting for you at video phone two."
"Thank you, Nurse Joy." I wonder who it is.
"Hey, Ash!" Brock ran to catch up to Ash and Dawn who were headed to the phones, Croagunk already in his Pokeball. "What's up?"
"Ash has a call waiting for him," Dawn answered. "We were going to the phones now."
"I see," Brock said.
The group continued to the phones, and Ash was happy to see who was on the other line. "Max!" He figured that Max was still at home since he was still wearing his pajamas, and he looked a little weary.
"Pika-pika!" Pikachu waved a paw in greeting of his previous traveling companion.
"Hi guys," Max greeted, less enthusiastically.
"Who's that?" Dawn asked curiously, pushing her face toward the screen to get a better look. Max, in response, backed away from the screen, startled by the girls vigor. He noticed that she looked to be about his age.
"This is Max, Dawn," Brock answered. "He and his sister," - Max's eyes darkened at 'sister' ," traveled with us in Hoenn and the Battle Frontier." Brock in turn introduced Max to Dawn. "Max, this is Dawn. She helped Pikachu before we met her and has traveled with us in Sinnoh since. She's a Coordinator like May."
"So your sister's a Pokemon Coordinator?" Dawn squealed, not noticing the scowl that Max sent her.
Max wasn't too happy with this new girl. So Ash just replaces May with a bratty-looking, wannabe Coordinator? "Yes, she is," Max said impatiently.
Dawn blushed. He's kinda cute, she thought, completely oblivious of his mood.
"How is May?" Ash asked eagerly, pushing Dawn - she yelped a 'hey' in protest - out of the way. He really was disappointed that May decided to leave, and for her sake, he tried to appear happy that she was going to pursue her dream in Johto. In reality, he developed feelings for her and was hoping that she felt the same. May probably left to go travel with Drew. He shook his misery away, instead focusing on receiving information.
Everyone finally noticed that something was wrong when Max shifted his gaze away from the screen, his glasses briefly catching the light. His face fell, a troubled look marring it and replacing the calm look he had before. "That's what I called about," he said, his voice just above a whisper, his eyes still averted.
"Max, what's going on?" Brock asked, worried.
Max hesitated, keeping the tears at bay. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. . . . Once he was positive that he wasn't going to cry, Max took a deep breath - the others leaned closer in anticipation - and finally answered. "May is . . . .," Max paused, then quickly continued. " May's gone."
Ash's mouth dropped slightly in shock, Pikachu following his example. Dawn covered her mouth with both hands, horrified despite not knowing May personally. Brock held a troubled expression.
Max continued when his statement was met with silence. "I woke up to my mom . . . . screaming, and when I got down to the kitchen, she was holding the note May wrote to Kinji. It said . . . . it said that she wanted to go on her own and not to worry."
Ash flinched. Whenever Dawn said not to worry was when her mother worried most.
"She left last night when we were all asleep," Max finished.
Ash, though wary of his own words, tried to reassure Max. "May will be fine Max. She's a strong Pokemon Coordinator, and she has reliable Pokemon to protect her."
"Pikachu-pika," Pikachu added, believing that Blaziken was a fairly strong Pokemon.
Ash's words convinced Max a little, however, so he cheered up some. "Can you just keep your ears open for any information about her? My mom is a wreck, and Dad's calling the police right now."
"Did she leave any clues about what she was going to do?" Brock asked.
"She was acting weird after we came back home. She would skip out on dinner sometimes, and she always stayed locked up in her room. Dad thought it was nothing, but Mom was really worried."
"We'll help you, Max," Dawn said, hoping to gain some favor with him and cheer him up. He smiled a little bit, which earned another blush from Dawn.
"Ash is right. May is strong, and so are her Pokemon. You guys should continue on your journey. Just listen for any rumors, that's all. I can look for her in Johto since I'm starting my journey tomorrow, anyway," Max said with new confidence. And to think, he didn't believe calling Ash was a good idea. "I have to go now."
"Take care, Max," Dawn said shyly, waving a little.
"Good luck on your journey," Brock added.
"Pika-pika!" Pikachu reminded Max to clean his underwear just as Delia did for Ash.
"Yeah, good luck, Max," Ash said, still troubled by Max's news.
"Thanks guys," Max replied. "Good luck to you, too." The screen went black, signaling Max's departure.
"That's too bad," Dawn said. "Why would his sister runaway?"
"Yeah, that definitely doesn't sound like May." Brock wondered if leaving Ash and him was the cause of May's strange behavior.
Pikachu wondered if leaving May was a good idea, worried for her well being.
Ash was in a near state of panic. What if something does happen to her, and I'm not there to protect her? He couldn't let the others know he was worried. They in turn would become worried, and he didn't have the heart to ruin Dawn's training because of his selfishness. "I'm sure they'll find May, safe and sound," he reassured them, the group becoming chipper in response. "Now, let's go make Poffins!"
"Yay!" Dawn cheered, instantly forgetting about May and Max. Brock and Pikachu reluctantly pushed their worries aside, leaving only one with the burden to bear.
May , please be okay.
OoOoOoOoO
Max returned to his room, feeling slightly better about the situation than he did before. It was like May said, she was about to leave on another journey anyway. Besides, she had her Pokemon with her.
He was about to open his dresser to pull out clothes when he noticed something out of place on his desk. There was a blue sheet of paper on his desk - he instantly knew it was May's since that was her stationary. Sitting on top of the sheet was a red and white, spherical device, a white button in the center. A Pokeball.
Max removed both items from the desk and sat down on his bed. It was another note, this time longer and more detailed. He adjusted his glasses to read it.
Dear Max,
By the time you get this letter, I'll be long gone. I know you wanted to become a trainer and travel with me, and for that, I'm sorry. But I need some time to train on my own. It's for the best. You'll become a great trainer, Max. I know it.
A tear joined the page, sliding off where the note was tilted. It left a small spot that was joined by others as the letter progressed.
Go back for that Ralts you saved; make it your first Pokemon. I'll lend Munchlax to you since he seems to like you a lot anyway.
Max, not bothering to wipe the steady flow of tears, gripped the Pokeball in his hand. He stared at it blankly for one moment before pushing the button in the center to release the Pokemon inside. The device opened releasing a stream of red light. From the laser emerged a large, gluttonous Pokemon, blue in color, with a large, round belly. "Laaaaaaaaaax," it yawned, stretching it's stubby arms. It scratched it's side before assessing its whereabouts. "Munch?" It exclaimed, wondering where its trainer was. Munchlax.
Max sighed, gaining a small smile that contrasted with his tears, petting Munchlax on the head before he continued to read.
I'm only going to take Blaziken and Eevee with me so I can start fresh. Instead of joining contests, I think I'll just travel like I wanted to before I met Ash. My whole life changed after I met him, in more ways than one. I'll travel to the coolest regions ever: Fiore, Johto, Orre, Sinnoh!
I'll make sure to take lots of pictures. Collect tons of memories, and make lots of new friends, okay?
Max nodded as if the paper were speaking to him, saying, "Okay."
I know you'll do your best and be the greatest you can be, just like Dad. I love him and Mom, and I'll miss them.
She made it sound like she was never going to see them again.
I love you, too, even if you are an annoying, obnoxious brat sometimes.
May's words had the desired effect she intended; he laughed, causing Munchlax to peer up at him curiously.
The next time you speak to Ash, tell him that one day, once I become a Coordinator again, he can count on me being there to give him the next and hardest challenge he will ever face.
Max couldn't help but feel that there was a double meaning in that statement. He wished that he would have found the letter before he called Ash.
Stay strong, keep your head up, and don't let anyone tell you what you can and can't do. I love you.
May
She drew the same, stupid stars that always accompanied her name. Max wiped his tears away; he had to stay strong for May. "You ready for a new adventure, Munchlax?" Max asked with enthusiasm.
"Munch!" Muchlax replied in kind, punching a fist into the air.
Wherever May was, he sent her good luck, mentally joking over an obsession his sister developed during the beginning of their journey with Ash.
And May returns for another exciting adventure on May's Expeditions.
OoOoOoOoO
So, this is my first fic. If the fic starts out a little slow for you, I promise things will get better. I actually had no intentions of writing this fic. Instead, I was going to write the sequel to it first since the sequel is when the real juicy stuff between May and Ash happens. But I have to offer an explanation for what happens between the time May leaves and then. Besides, absence makes the heart grow fonder, so I have to describe in detail the absence! I hope you enjoyed it. Review, please!