As promised, first chapter of new story delivered in a not-at-all-timely fashion. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of this story. All rights go to Nintendo for use of their characters, etc.
Chapter 1: New Friends, Old Foes
"May… May, wake up. We're here."
"Hmm?" the young Coordinator mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes, hearing the soft voice of her raven-haired lover. A quick look outside the small porthole window of their cabin confirmed Ash's words; they had arrived in Driftveil City. May smiled nervously. Sure, she had some anxiety, but she was excited nevertheless.
She glanced down at the blue Water-Type Pokémon sleeping in her lap. Beside her came a sleepy "Pikaaa…" as Pikachu woke up. The small Electric-Type happily leapt onto his trainer's shoulder as May picked up her own Pokémon.
"Manaphy, time to wake up," May said gently as the aquatic Pokémon opened his eyes and smiled up at his 'mother'.
"Mana, happy!" he cheered, lightly wrapping his arms around May's neck.
"The ferry will be docking any minute now, we'd better head up on deck," Ash suggested. Nodding, May followed him as he headed out. From the ship's deck, Ash waved at the two figures that could be seen waiting for them on the pier. After disembarking from the boat, May and Ash went over to greet the two; a tall, green-haired boy dressed like a waiter and a dark-skinned girl with long purple hair. She eyed May warily as they approached.
"Sorry I'm a little late. I kinda had an unexpected addition to my trip," Ash explained, scratching the back of his neck. "This is May, my fr- uh, actually, girlfriend." Man, he thought, that's gonna take some getting used to.
Then turning back to May: "This is Cilan and Iris," he introduced, gesturing towards his friends. May smiled nervously as she greeted them.
Cilan grinned and gave Ash a wink as he spoke up.
"Well Ash, I must say, yours appears to be a well-seasoned relationship. You're flavors complement each other nicely," he said.
Ash smiled and nodded, but May, slightly creeped-out by Cilan's odd choice of words, continued with what she was saying.
"… and this is Manaphy," May said, introducing the small Water-Type in her arms.
"Happy, phi happy!" Manaphy said cheerfully, waving.
"Uh, did it just… talk?" Iris asked.
"Yeah, I've been teaching him how to talk a little," May replied with a smile.
Iris was admittedly a bit impressed. She had assumed May was just another kid Ash had dragged along. But not only did she have a rare legendary Pokémon, she also taught it how to speak! In spite of herself, Iris was already starting to have a change of heart.
Suddenly, a small green Pokémon with a single horn and two tusks emerged from Iris's hair.
"A-xew! Xew!" it greeted May.
May smiled at the little Pokémon as she pulled out her Pokédex and scanned it.
*Axew, the Tusk Pokémon. Axew marks its territory by making scratch marks on trees with its tusks, which regrow if they fall out.*reported the Pokédex .
"Ahem… now that everyone's acquainted, we should hit the road," Cilan suggested. There were no words of protest, and Ash was especially anxious to get going. He and May would share their adventures together once again.
"To Mistralton!"
/-/-/
Unfortunately, the group didn't get very far. They hadn't been walking more than half an hour before they encountered some unexpected problems.
"Pikachu? Pikachu! What's wrong? Are you okay!?" Ash shouted, concerned for his companion as he fell over, seemingly exhausted.
"Piiikaaaa~" the little Electric-Type moaned, devoid of his usual electric charge.
"Ash, look! On Pikachu's back, a Joltik!" May said, pointing at the yellow Bug/Electric-Type latched onto Pikachu.
Ash and Oshawott attempted to pull the creature off of Pikachu, but succeeded only in earning a rather nasty shock from the Joltik. Seeing Pikachu's predicament, Iris and Cilan offered to help with their Emolga and Stunfisk - only to find that they too had fallen victim to the parasitic Joltiks, and were now drained of energy. They retreated to the nearest Pokémon Center, where May was introduced to another, uh, 'interesting' character.
"Outta the way!" shouted a blonde-haired girl as she frenziedly charged into the Pokémon Center, knocking Ash into a nearby fountain in the process.
"Ash!" May cried in alarm.
"Mana!" Manaphy added, equally alarmed. Taking Ash's arms, they hauled him out of the fountain.
"I'm fine," Ash said, wringing his hat out. "May, this is Bianca. Bianca, May."
"Hi! Nice to meet you!" Bianca greeted enthusiastically, forgetting her earlier frantic behavior.
May raised an eyebrow and shot a worried glance at Ash, who just shrugged and gave her a half-smile.
Just then, the power went out. Three large, yellow spider-like Pokémon could be seen outside the Pokémon Center as they walked past the window. Attempting to remain out of sight, the group quietly opened the door to get a better look. Ash quickly pulled out his Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon, who appeared to be radiating electricity.
*Galvantula, the EleSpider Pokémon and the evolved form of Joltik. Galvantula captures its enemies using its electrically-charged threads.*the Pokédex recited.
"Hmmm, they must be the cause of the blackout," remarked Nurse Joy from behind them. "But these Galvantula usually get their energy from the electric charge in Chargestone Cave."
"Seems suspicious. I wonder if something's wrong?" May wondered aloud.
Suddenly, the Galvantula began to move back into the forest.
"Quick, follow them!" Ash shouted.
Maintaining a safe distance as they pursued the Galvantula, the group formed a plan to distract the Galvantula, using their Electric-Types, if they were confronted. They didn't get a chance to put the plan into action, though, as they were soon ambushed by a mob of Galvantula.
"We're surrounded! There's too many of them!" Bianca said in despair.
"Pika. Piiiika!" Pikachu growled at the advancing Bug/Electric Types.
Suddenly, the Galvantula all simultaneously fired a large pulse of electricity at our heroes, paralyzing them. Another pair reached in with their webs and grabbed Pikachu and Bianca's Minccino, and were about to make off with the Pokémon. Manaphy had just barely avoided the electric pulse, however, and had different plans. As the Galvantula withdrew their electrical attack, Manaphy jumped down in front of the group and held up one of his club-like arms.
"Phi!" he commanded, catching the Galvantula's attention.
"Manaphy? Be careful!" May called to her child in concern, knowing full well that he was at a Type disadvantage.
Smiling, Manaphy just turned back to her and winked. He knew what he was doing. Turning back to the Galvantula, Manaphy raised his antennae. They began to glow, and the Galvantula began to calm down, as it appeared that Manaphy was somehow soothing them.
"Manaphy must be using his Heart Swap ability!" May observed. "It lets him share insight into the thoughts and feelings of people and Pokémon with others."
"That's right! Just like back at the Sea Temple, when he sent your prayers for me into my mind," Ash remembered.
They watched in awe as the Galvantula, pacified by Manaphy's intervention, gathered around and released Minccino and Pikachu, who quickly scurried back to their respective trainers.
"You okay, buddy?" Ash asked as Pikachu leapt back onto his shoulder.
"Pi-ka!" the Mouse Pokémon confirmed.
"That was a close one…" Bianca said, returning her Minccino.
Meanwhile, Manaphy began questioning the Galvantula as to the source of their distress.
"Phi? Mana-mana?"
"Antula. Antul-galvant." the Galvantula responded.
"Maa-naa?"
"Vantula!"
With that, Manaphy jumped back into May's arms and pointed at what appeared to be the leader of the Galvantula, who was gesturing with its pedipalps.
"I think they want us to follow them," Cilan observed.
"Good job, Manaphy!" May complemented her Water-Type son.
"Happy!" he cheered as the group trailed the Galvantula.
/-/-/
Eventually, the Galvantula led the group to the opening of Chargestone Cave, which they found to be blocked off by a huge metal door. Outside, energy-deprived Joltik were lying on the ground, some of them unconscious. The Galvantula were trying to recharge them, but could do little as they were suffering from a lack of electricity as well.
"Pikachu, give them a jolt," Ash commanded.
Pikachu jumped down and began sharing electricity with the Joltik, reviving them. Bianca's Minccino and May's Munchlax, the latter having recently learned Thunderbolt, also lent a helping hand. Soon, the Joltik were active again.
"Well, that's one problem out of the way, at least for now. But we still need to figure out what's going on in there," Ash said, approaching the door to the cave. Everyone attempted to pry it open, to no avail.
"Wait, stop!" Iris said quickly. A faint rumbling could be heard from inside the cave, rapidly escalating in volume.
"Get back! Something's coming!" Iris shouted. Everyone backed away from the entrance just as the door began opening.
As the doors opened fully, a massive, grey truck rolled out and stopped. From an opening on top appeared an all-too-familiar trio, with the usual amount of theatrics.
"Team Rocket!"
"I guess some things never change," May sighed, holding the bridge of her nose in frustration.
"So it was you who drove out the Joltik and Galvantula!" yelled Cilan.
"We did not. We just needed to 'borrow' some of these electrically-charged stones, and they were interfering with our little mining operation," James answered in a mock-defensive tone. And with that, the trio disappeared back into their truck as it revved up and began moving straight towards the group.
"Dwebble, come out!" Cilan yelled, releasing his Rock Inn Pokémon.
"Go, Excadrill! Use dig!" commanded Iris, sending out her Subterrene Pokémon. Excadrill quickly burrowed beneath the ground, causing Team Rocket's truck to fall into the hole.
At that moment, the swarm of Joltik and Galvantula released a combined electric beam which completely engulfed the truck. Their electricity reacted with the electrically-charged stones in the truck, causing it to be lifted high into the air. As the Pokémon withdrew the beam, the truck was sent crashing into the ground. Team Rocket bailed out at the last minute, landing in front of the 'twerps'.
"You're not getting away with this," Ash growled, each member of the group readying a Pokéball.
Jessie was about to respond, when she noticed Manaphy in May's arms. A look of recognition flashed across her face as she spoke.
"Hey, wait a minute. That Pokémon… that's the little blue brat from that trashy temple from a while back!"
"That's right! The one who gave us our little out-of-body experience!" James responded, remembering how Manaphy had used Heart Swap on the trio before even being born.
Then, with an evil grin, he continued: "Well, this certainly blows these lousy rocks right out of the water! He'll make an excellent addition to Team Rocket."
"Just wait 'til we show dis ta da Boss!" Meowth added, pulling out another of the Team's odd gadgets; a rather unoriginal-looking cage with a robotic arm extending from the top. With the press of a button, the arm shot towards May, seizing Manaphy and dragging him from her arms before she could react.
"Mama! Mamaaaa!" Manaphy cried desperately, reaching his one free arm out towards May.
"Manaphy!" May shrieked in horror. Then, with fire in her eyes, she charged toward the Rocket trio.
If there is one single thing, one rule of nature that holds true for both humans and Pokémon, it's this: Never, ever, EVER come between a mother and her baby. But Team Rocket had decided to try their luck, a decision that would not end well for them.
"May, wait!" Ash called, running after her.
"Woobat, use Gust! Don't let the twerp interfere!" Jessie said, sending out her Woobat.
"You too, Yamask! Show them the uselessness of their actions! Use Night Shade!" yelled James, releasing his Spirit Pokémon.
The combined assault from both Pokémon was enough to hold the others at bay. May, however, threw herself towards the metal claw holding Manaphy and grabbed onto it, preventing herself from being blown away by Woobat's Gust. Pulling herself along, May inched closer and closer to the Rockets.
"Pikachu, we gotta help May! Quick, use Thunderbolt on Yamask!" Ash shouted.
"You too, Minccino! Swift, now!" Bianca called.
Now with a combo of their own, the Electric and Normal Types sent Yamask flying. But Woobat was still presenting a hindrance.
"C'mon Dwebble, you can do it!" Cilan encouraged his Pokémon, who was just barely staying on its feet in the face of the Gust attack. But hearing its trainer's words, and with a look of determination, the Bug/Rock Type steadily began advancing. Within seconds, Dwebble became enveloped in a bluish-white light.
"Yes! Dwebble's evolving!" Cilan cheered.
A moment later, the newly-evolved Crustle stood where Dwebble had been. In place of his shell was a massive boulder, one not so easily slowed by a Gust attack. Before Cilan could command it, Crustle fired a powerful Rock Wrecker attack at Woobat, knocking it out instantly.
At that moment, May finally reached the cage part of Team Rocket's device, where Manaphy was still held in the metal claw's death grip. Abandoning the task at hand, Jessie and James each took hold of the contraption, trying to retain their hostage.
But May would have none of it. With one powerful tug on the mechanical arm, the Rocket trio was yanked off their feet.
May gave another furious pull, causing the arm to extend to near-full length. Then, using every last bit of her adrenaline-fueled strength, she began tearing off the robotic hand's fingers. She freed Manaphy from the machine's grip, and the little Water-Type, still sobbing, clung to her side in terror. Then, May turned her furious gaze toward the Rockets, who were trembling at the sight of her wrath. The rest of the group, including the Pokémon, stared in awe at the scene before them.
With one brutally swift movement, May drew the claw-and-arm device back like a baseball bat, and swung it with full force at the terrified Rocket trio. With a loud, painful-sounding metallic crash, Jessie, James, and Meowth were sent flying over the treetops.
"Team Rocket blasting off again!" the three shouted, vanishing in the distance.
Immediately, May dropped the device and sat down to console Manaphy, still crying and shaking.
"Sshhh, Manaphy. Sshhh. It's okay, honey, It's okay. Don't cry sweetie, mama's here," May said soothingly, rocking Manaphy in her arms.
Meanwhile, Ash and the others were staring, mouths agape, at the display of motherly rage they had just witnessed. Only one thought was on each of their minds.
Holy.
Crap.
"Well Ash, looks like you've got another incentive to treat May right," Cilan muttered.
Ash gulped, shuddering slightly at the thought of his fate should he do something stupid like forgetting their anniversary or, God forbid, her birthday.
Finally, May was able to calm Manaphy down. The Seafaring Pokémon looked up at her, then nuzzled into her chest.
"Love you, mama," he said, hugging her tightly.
May wiped tears from her eyes. If those jerks ever lay a finger on her Manaphy again, she would make sure they wouldn't live to regret it.
They departed a few minutes later for Professor Juniper's camp, which was set up somewhere around the cave. Bianca led the way, prattling on about how she was going to trade her Shelmet for the Professor's Karrablast, thereby evolving both of them, so on and so forth. Ash and May lagged behind a bit, preferring to have a little space for themselves.
Ash smiled guiltily at May before speaking.
"Heh, I should mentioned those guys were still after me."
"Honestly, I kind of expected it," May replied. "They're just the type who are either too stupid or too stubborn to know when to quit."
Then, Ash's expression turned serious.
"Listen, May, if you're worried about Manaphy… if you think it'll be too risky… you don't have to stay…"
Suddenly, he was cut off as May's lips wrapped around his own. They stopped walking, choosing instead to share their passionate moment.
"Ash, what did I tell you back in Castelia?" May asked a moment later, pulling out of the kiss. "Didn't I tell you I would be right here, right by your side, no matter what? We can face these things together. It's not like our first journey together was easy. I never expected this one to be, either."
"I know, but with Manaphy and all…" Ash started, before being cut off again, this time by Manaphy.
"Phi! Manaphy stay! Manaphy want papa, too!" the Water-Type insisted, not the least bit discouraged by his earlier ordeal. As long as he was with his mama and papa, he knew he was safe.
"Well, Ashy-boy, it seems your concerns have been overruled," May giggled, hugging Manaphy closely.
Ash grinned, pulling his girlfriend and his Pokémon 'child' into another embrace. It was the greatest feeling in the world, having May back. And this time, it was for real.
This time, she was here to stay.
Sorry about the long wait, guys. I got preoccupied with some other stuff and started procrastinating and just… yeah.
I'll admit, I'm not quite sure where to take the story from here. I've got a few ideas, but I don't really want to mirror the anime. At the same time, I do want to base it around the anime (with some elements from the games) so I have a clear reference for events and a time frame around which to work. Your ideas, comments, and suggestions are always appreciated. They're encouraged, in fact, so please leave them if you want. I will do my best not to take forever getting the next chapter up. Until then, buh-bye! :)