Advanceshipping in the Wild West
By: Sheltie
I don't own Pokémon at all
A/N: this one is extremely different from anything that I've ever done before. I decided to put it in an old west kind of setting. There will be no Pokémon in it, but I'll be using the names of Pokémon for certain things. Hope you like it.
It was a hot and dusty day as May Maple woke up. She yawned and began her daily routine in the morning. Once done and dressed she went downstairs to find her mother manning the stove.
"Morning Ma" she greeted.
"May dear, it's almost eleven, you should've been up at seven" her mother scolded.
May looked sheepish as she served herself the breakfast that her mother saved for her.
"Sorry Ma, I didn't mean to. I guess I shouldn't have stayed up with Dawn and Misty last night" she said guiltily.
"Those two girls, I can see Misty being a rule breaker, but Dawn. She's the sweetest girl I've ever met" her mother said shaking her head.
"Ma, Dawn's nice and all, but she does have a wild streak. I mean, Misty has told me that I'm the most timid out of them all" May said.
Her mother sighed then the door opened and in walked her father.
"Well I see you're finally up darling. You need to get those horses out and exercise them. Max tried, but they still don't trust him" her father said.
"Alright Pa" May said. With a nod
She finished her breakfast then headed out and got changed into her work clothes. Her work clothes consisted of a pair of long pants that she wore over her regular pants, a long coat brown, a pair of leather gloves, and boots her father bought her for her birthday a year ago.
The Petalburg Ranch was one of the biggest ranches in a hundred miles or so and bred some of the best horses in all of Hoenn County. With over several hundred acres of land for them to use there's no lack of space. The homestead was a modest design with two floors and a cellar down below. There are four big stables that held the horses along with two special stables with one being for expecting mares and another for just the mares and their colts. May was the main reason for Petalburg's now kind of legendary horses. The tradition started with her great-great grandfather and passed down from generation to generation. May had been working with the horses since as long as she could remember and all the horses loved her.
"May, Help!"
May sighed and sped to the stables to find her little brother in the corner surrounded by Blaziken, her second favorite horse.
"What did you do this time Max?" May asked with her hands on her hips.
"Nothing, I was trying to feed him, that's all" Max said.
May sighed and started to pet Blaziken, which calmed the stallion instantly.
"Come on Blaze, let's get you something to eat then I'll groom you" May cooed.
The reddish copper horse snorted then followed May with no other prompting.
/Scene Break/
May worked on all the horses in her care. She had several horses that she had all names for, but she had a chosen few that were her favorites. Blaziken was one, then there was Eevee, and last was Beautifly.
Eevee was a runt when born, but May stopped her father from killing her and nursed Eevee herself. Beautifly was her first favorite. Beautifly was a mare and a striking one at that. With a black mane and black coat with a spot of white on its top hind end on either side. Eevee was a beautiful chestnut brown that shines beautifully in the sunlight.
"Come on you guys, to the pen" May called.
The three horses trotted obediently behind May like little puppies. May opened a large pen, which was used to exercise them. They were allowed to run free in the confines. They didn't let them roam wild as they feared wolves, coyotes and other predators. So they worked them out in a confined space to keep an eye on them.
May leaned against the fence as she watched her horses go through their motions. She had wishing she had their speed, their grace, their freedom.
"Hey May!"
May turned to find two girls coming towards her. One was a tall skinny girl with orangish red hair and freckles on her nose. She wore suspenders over a short sleeve shirt. On top of her head that covered her hair was a straw hat. This was Misty. Next to her was a blue haired girl who was half the size of Misty. She had a floral pattern dress that went to her knees. Her hair was done in a nice style held by clips. This was Dawn.
The two girls had been friends with May since they were little. Dawn moved from Sinnoh County and her family owned a successful general store in town. Misty's family owned the waterworks as well as part of the railroad that ran through town not to mention a few other things too.
"Hey guys, Dawn, why are you dressed up so nicely?" May asked waving to her friends.
"Oh, my mom wants me in town to help in the store today. Misty is taking me" Dawn said.
"Okay, so why are you here?" May asked confused.
"We thought you'd like to join us" Misty said.
"Sorry guys, but I have to work with the horses today, maybe tomorrow" May said.
"Come on May, when was the last time you went into town not on an errand?" Misty asked.
May sighed.
"Fine, but we're taking these three so they can get a good work out" she said.
"Yeah, I get Beautifly" Dawn called out.
"I'll take Blaziken" Misty said.
"That leaves Eevee for me, but first I'm going to tell my parents so they won't worry" May said.
After a quick trip inside her home to tell her parents and to get her pouch, which carried all of her traveling supplies she was out the door. She then saddled up all three of the horses and the three friends were off. It was about ten miles from the Ranch to town. The going was nice and easy, which May found fine. The three girls rode the horses at a nice trot since May didn't want to push them too much this early.
The town, which was called Arborfalls, was not really a town. It was more like a small city with the railroad right by it. But the founder called it a town and it had stuck.
The girls chatted with one another and Dawn pouted that she had to work while Misty and May would be able to have fun.
/Scene Break/
They soon entered Arborfalls and the found an open spot to tie the horses up right next to a water trough.
"Well, I gotta go, mom is expecting me" Dawn said before heading off to the general store.
"Okay, so now what do we do?" May asked.
"Let's just wander a bit, maybe we'll find something to do" Misty said casually.
May nodded and the two girls took off in no real direction. They'd been walking for a while and had greeted people who they know. That's when a voice stopped them.
"Misty, what are you doing here?"
Misty groaned.
"Hi Lily" she greeted with a smile she plastered on.
"Don't 'hi Lily' me, I want to know what you're doing here didn't mom and dad ground you for sneaking in last night?" Lily asked frowning at her little sister.
"I got off on good behavior" Misty said.
Lily sighed.
Misty was the youngest of four sisters. Her sisters were Lily, Daisy, and Violet. May always had trouble remembering if Lily was the eldest, then Daisy, and finally Violet. Or was it the other way around?
Lily was dressed in a orange tinged dress.
"Good behavior ha, now that is a laugh. You snuck out again and you had to involve May too. You do know that May has responsibilities that she has committed to?" Lily said frowning at her youngest sister.
"I know, I know" Misty said with a sigh.
"What are you doing here Lily?" May asked changing the subject.
"Oh, I am here to take care of some business for the family. Dad wants me to take over the boarding house" Lily said.
The Waterflower family, the family Misty is a part of, is a major player in Arborfalls. Like stated before they owned a part of the railroad and the waterworks. They also owned a big boarding house that housed travelers passing through. Like said before Misty was the youngest of the four daughters. Misty was the tomboy of the family and rarely ever wore dresses. She preferred her suspenders and wore them constantly.
"That's cool, are there any new people there?" May asked.
She was always curious about travelers coming through town.
"No, it's a bit slow right now" Lily said shaking her head.
"Anyway, could you please not tell mom and dad that you saw me?" Misty asked.
Lily sighed. She knew she had to, but she cared for her little sister and decided that her sister deserved a bit of freedom.
"Alright, but just keep an eye out. I think mom is out shopping" Lily said.
"Oh shot, we have to go. Thank you sis" Misty said then grabbed May's wrist and yanked her away.
"Hey, why the rush?" May asked as she struggled to keep up and wrestle her wrist away from her friend.
"Dawn, if she sees my mom she'll tell her that I am here and I'll be in deeper trouble" Misty said as she ran.
Soon the two girls made it to the general store. The general store was a nice space ran by Dawn's mother. Dawn's father handled all the financial stuff like taxes and that sort of thing. He also haggled with suppliers to get products on the shelf. Dawn's mom was the face of the business. She always had a cheer disposition and could handle the crankiest of people.
The two girls found Dawn sitting at the counter looking extremely bored.
"Watch this" Misty whispered.
May watched Misty tiptoed over and once she got close enough to Dawn she unleashed her attack.
"HEY DAWN!"
Dawn jerked back from the shouting that was directly in her ear. She fell back off the stool and landed on the wood floor. Misty was cracking up and May was stifling her giggles.
"Very funny Mist, I'm going to go deaf in that ear because of you" Dawn grumbled as she got up rubbing the ear that was just yelled in.
"Oh quit you're whining. I got a question to ask you" Misty said.
"What is it?" Dawn asked dusting herself off.
"Has my mother come in yet?" Misty asked.
"Well" Dawn began.
But before Dawn could say anymore Dawn's mother came out with a woman dressed nicely. She was chatting with Dawn's mother.
"Your store always have what I am looking for Johanna. I mean, Frank's store is nice, but he doesn't have your touch," the woman said.
"Now Flora, you should be kinder to Frank. He just started his store only a month ago. He's still getting his legs under him" Johanna said.
"That's another thing, you're always so kind. I am amazed that you don't get ripped off because of your kindness" Flora said.
"That's because I'm not a total pushover Flora. I do have a backbone" Johanna said.
"That you do" Flora said chuckled.
"Anyway, oh, May, Misty what are you two doing here?" Johanna asked now noticing the two girls.
Flora upon hearing her youngest daughter's name turned and she had a frown on her face.
"Misty, I thought I told you that you were confined to the house today" she said.
"Sorry mom, but Dawn had to get into town and you know she hates to go alone" Misty said.
Dawn looked a little peeved that she was drawn into this. Not because it was a lie. No, it was a fact that Dawn hated going into town alone and always had May or Misty go with her. No, what irked her was the fact that she was being used as an excuse.
May sensed this and stepped in.
"Mrs. Waterflower, if I had know that Misty was grounded then I'd have taken Dawn myself and had told Misty to go home" she said.
Flora turned to May and her face softened. She always liked May since the girl was always hardworking and had good character. She knew that came from a working background. She never cared about what class her daughter's friends were. They all got along and that was fine with her.
"Thank you May, I know you would" she said.
May bowed slightly.
"Dawn, what do you have to say about this?" Johanna asked turning to her daughter.
"I had no idea mom. I just went over to Misty's since she was the closest to ask if she would take me to town. I had no idea about her punishment" Dawn said truthfully.
Misty was scowling. Her friends just tossed her to the wolves.
"We'll be having a talk at home young lady" Flora said firmly.
"Yes mom" Misty said.
/Scene Break/
Misty was still stewing about the whole encounter with her mother with May walking beside her not saying a word. May knew that silence was the best policy when Misty had an encounter with her mother of this nature. The two walked around until they both got tired and found a place to rest. They found a saloon that they frequent. The barkeep served to a younger crowd. There were two saloons in town. One was for the adults and the other the kids. It was unusual for a town to have two saloons really, but it worked well here.
May and Misty found a table and sat down.
"Why'd you leave me hanging?" Misty asked breaking the silence between them.
"I didn't mean to, really. I just thought I should be honest" May said truthfully.
Misty sighed.
"You and you're honesty. You know you're never going to have any fun when you're honest and a goodie two shoes all the time" Misty said.
May shrugged as a waiter came by.
"What can I get you ladies?" he asked.
They ordered their usual drinks they have every time they go here. The waiter nodded then left to put in the order.
"How big a trouble?" May asked.
"Not sure, but dad won't be happy with me. I might be working for one of my sisters for a while to pay for it" Misty said with a sigh.
Soon someone walked in that the two girls didn't recognize. He had a hat on with the brim of it covering his eyes slightly. His outfit consisted of pair brown pants that looked pretty worn, a blue shirt that was covered by a light brown vest, and he had black fingerless gloves on. He looked around then headed to the bar.
"Who's that?" Misty whispered.
"No idea, I guess he's new in town" May whispered back.
"I'm going to find out," Misty said as she got up.
"Misty" May pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears.
Misty made her way to the bar and sat down next to the stranger. They chatted for a bit then Misty nodded to where she was sitting before with May. The stranger nodded and the two walked over. May groaned slightly. Why did Misty have to be so impetuous?
"May, this is Ash Ketchum. He's a rancher from the Kanto County" Misty introduced.
"Nice to meet you" May said shyly.
Ash tipped his hat up and smiled. May saw his brown eyes and she felt her heart skip a beat.
"You too ma'am. This is the first time I've ever been to the Hoenn County before. Prof. Oak, the man who is my boss, wanted to me to explore this region for some business opportunities" Ash said.
"Well look no further than here. Arborfalls is a boom town," Misty said in boastful voice.
"So I've heard," Ash said smiling.
"Kanto, that's a long ways away isn't it?" May asked in a shy tone.
"Yeah, but it is worth it" Ash said.
"How'd you get here, by train?" Misty asked.
"Nope, by horse" Ash said.
May snapped her head up at the word horse. She was now very interested in see this man's horse. She had never seen a horse from Kanto.
"Can I see your horse, please?" May asked in a bit of a hyper tone.
Ash blinked. He was unsure about May a bit. His first initial reaction to her was that she was a very shy girl, but now she seemed to change gears. This had him perplexed a bit.
"Don't mind May. She's a horse fanatic," Misty said with a laugh.
"Uh, okay" Ash said confused.
May huffed and glared at her friend.
"My family has a horse ranch where we breed and groom horses" she explained.
Ash nodded.
"Well that explains things," he said.
"So, can I see your horse?" May asked with all the patience she had at the moment.
Ash nodded and after they left the bar and May found the horse Ash had and thought it was simply beautiful.
"Oh my, he's so beautiful. Look at how well groomed he is. I've never seen a stallion brushed so fine. Not to mention that I've never seen a breed like this one before" May gushed as she ran a hand across the horse's back.
"Thanks, his name's Pikachu. I've had him since I was little and has been my companion for many years" Ash said proudly.
"You're such a beauty aren't you, I'll bet you are the prime breeding candidate" May cooed.
"Actually, I've never bred Pikachu" Ash said.
"Why not, I'm sure that he'd help produce a fine colt or two?" May asked.
"Pikachu and I have been traveling so much that we never had time to do that" Ash explained.
Before May could say anymore a shout distracted her.
"Hey you two!"
May turned to find Dawn coming towards them.
"Hey Dawn, on your lunch break?" Misty asked.
"Yeah, mom allowed me to do so, but I have to stay late in order to have a longer lunch. Oh, who is this?" Dawn asked noticing Ash.
"This is Ash, he's from Kanto County" Misty said.
"Oh, please to meet you" Dawn said holding out her hand.
"Miss, nice to meet you" Ash said shaking Dawn's hand.
"Please, call me Dawn" Dawn said smiling.
Ash nodded.
"So, what are you doing out here?" Dawn asked.
"Ash was just showing us his horse. Isn't he just magnificent?" May asked with gush.
Dawn just smiled to humor her friend. She wasn't a nut like May when it came to horses.
"Come on, lets get back inside. I'm hungry" Misty said.
She then led the three back inside the bar. May walked next to Ash chatting with him about his horse and more about the horses she raised. When they all sat down they ordered their meals with the three girls helping Ash pick out something since Ash wasn't too familiar with the cuisine in Hoenn. After they ordered they talked to get to know Ash more.
"So you're here to see what there is for business prospects?" Misty asked.
"Yeah, Prof. Oak is wanting to expand and I'm here as a scout. His nephew Gary is out in Sinnoh doing the same thing as me" Ash said.
"What kind of business are you in to?" Misty asked.
"A little of everything really. The Prof. has his hand in a lot of things" Ash said.
"So he's a businessman of some sort" Dawn said.
"Yeah, I guess that's the best way of putting it. He wants to set up shop in the other counties. He's willing to work with who he has to get it done" Ash said.
"Maybe he should talk to you mom, Dawn" May suggested.
"Not a bad idea May" Dawn said.
The meals came and they ate. Once done and they paid the bill they led Ash to the general store.
"Mom, I have someone you might want to meet" Dawn called out.
Johanna came out and greeted the two girls then Ash. The talk then went to what Oak could offer and Johanna was interested. She did say that she would want to talk to her husband about it and Ash had no problem with it. He would be staying at the boarding house he saw when coming in. It was agreed.
"So what do you want to do now?" Misty asked.
"I think I should check in while I am thinking about it" Ash said scratching his chin.
So Misty and May followed Ash as he brought Pikachu over then took his pack off and headed in to the boarding house.
"Hey Lily" May greeted.
"May, Misty what brings you in here?" Lily asked.
"You've got a tenant" Misty said.
Ash checked in and paid for a room for a couple weeks. Lily let Misty show Ash to his room since Misty knew the place well. Ash got settled and then asked what was around here for entertainment.
/Scene Break/
That night May got home and put the horses in their stables. She brushed them down and said goodnight to them. She had dinner with her family and told them about her day.
"So you met someone new in town?" her father asked.
"Yeah, he's from the Kanto region" May said.
"May's got a crush" Max sing-songed.
"I do not" May said with a blush.
"Yes, you do" Max teased.
May looked ready to hit Max, but her father stopped her.
"Max, it isn't nice to tease your sister" he said sternly.
"Sorry" Max said.
"Good, now tell me more about this Ash?" her father said.
May told her family about Ash and that he was here to look at expanding business for his employer a guy named Oak.
"I've heard of Prof. Oak. He supposed to have some great horse feed and other product" her father said.
"Really?" May asked excitedly.
Anything about horses got her hyper.
"Yes" her father said.
"How come I've never heard of him then?" May asked.
"Kanto and Hoenn are pretty far away May. It's hard to get word of anything from either county. I know about because I talked to a traveler from Kanto long ago" her father said.
That night as May went to bed she thought about what she wanted to ask Ash. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.
End of Chapter
A/N: Okay, that's the end of my first chap of this strange tale. Hope enough of you like this to keep this going. Oh, and just so you know. I am no expert or anything when it comes to horses and I am doing my best. So please take it easy on criticizing me on horse stuff. I'll also be updating this one very slowly so expect chapters coming out at odd rates. Please look on my profile for an important announcement. Thanks for reading and please review.