Chapter 2: Discovery
I figured I'd throw this out there to give people a chance to think about it or send me in the right direction... I need a beta reader...
Yeah.
Cuase i maek two manny miztaces...
That is definitely the biggest problem I have had thus far... I guess proof reading my stories twice just isn't enough. O.o
So if you know a good beta reader, or maybe you want to be my beta reader, pm me. I would rather not go hunting for one. All my stories revolve around Pokémon, and typically advanceshipping...
... Because that's what brought me to this site in the first place. :P
Oh, and the beta reader won't be doing their beta-ing until after this everyday project, when I move onto my next big project.
So keep that in mind :D
I don't own Pokémon.
May was giddy with excitement. Earlier that day, Mrs. Ketchum had asked if she would like to be one of her bridesmaid's. Without a sliver of hesitance, May accepted. She had been to her share of weddings, but she had never had the privilege of being a bride's maid.
Even though the wedding wasn't for another week or so, she couldn't help but have a little bounce to her step. She was sure her excitement would wear off eventually, but at the moment she could barely contain her enthusiasm.
Of course, the giddiness led to spontaneous bursts of excitement. May would suddenly squeal or bear hug Ash, surprising him.
"You're... A little too... Excited... About this..." He said, being crushed by her hug.
"I know," May said, letting go of him, Ash let out a breath and relief, finally able to breathe again. "But it makes me so happy to think about it! Think of how pretty I'll look in my dress!"
Ash sighed and smiled, why were girls always so excited about clothes?
"I'm glad you're excited, May," Ash said, "And it's not that I don't like hugs... Just don't crush me like that."
Ash moved his right arm around a little. "Like... I can't feel my arm right now," he said with a laugh.
May scowled and huffed, turning her back to Ash. "You're no fun," she pouted.
Ash sighed and braced himself. "Okay... One more time... But only if you promise not to- OOF!" He was tackled to the ground by a happy May.
"I'm not promising anything," She said as she hugged him tightly.
Ash chuckled and wrapped his arms around May, returning the embrace.
May smiled and kissed him, "I love you."
Ash smiled back, "I love you too..." he said, "... but I'm not going to kiss you like Mom and Isaac kiss."
May snorted and smirked. "What a relief," she said.
"Oh come on," Ash grumbled in frustration, "It shouldn't be this hard to find soy sauce..."
"Pika pika," Pikachu agreed.
Ash and Pikachu had been at the super market for twenty minutes, looking for soy sauce for his mom, but he couldn't find it for the life of him. "If May was here she would find it in two seconds," Ash grumbled, putting his hands on his hips and looking up and down the aisle.
"No, no, no, let's get the one with potatoes, it's healthier..."
"Come on, Dad, you're no fun..."
"You'll thank me someday..."
Ash looked around when he heard the familiar voices. He stepped out of his aisle and began walking down the store, looking down each one. He stopped short when he saw two blonde males standing in the frozen food section.
"Barry? Palmer?" Ash asked.
Palmer and Barry looked up from the two boxes of food they were holding. "Oh, hey Ash!" Barry said, "What are you doing here?"
Ash sighed, "I'm looking for soy sauce..."
Barry shook his head. "No, not here, I mean Pallet Town," he said.
"Oh, I live here," Ash told him, "This is where I started my journey and everything..."
"Oh, I see," Barry said scratching his head.
"So what are you doing here?" Ash asked.
Barry exchanged glances with Palmer. "We're here on a father-son time vacation," Barry explained, "But um... Neither of us can cook... Thus the frozen meals..."
Palmer nodded and sighed. "Your mom used to cook the most amazing meals," Palmer told Barry, "It's a shame I never learned anything from her."
Ash's face brightened. "Hey, you can come over to my house and eat," he said, "My mom is one of the best cooks that I know!"
Palmer scratched his head. "I don't know," he said, "I hate taking advantage of people like that."
"Come on, Dad, are you crazy?" Barry asked, "Do you really want to eat nothing but frozen foods for the next week?"
Palmer sighed and nodded. "I guess you're right, but as long as your mother approves," he said.
Ash nodded, "Oh sure, she loves having guests!"
"Awesome!" Barry exclaimed, pumping his fist.
"Oh... But could you help me find the soy sauce?" Ash asked.
"Hey, Mom, I brought home some hungry guests!"
May heard Ash shout from the front door and stepped out of her room, making her way down the stairs to see who was here. She was slightly disappointed when she found that she didn't recognize the man and the boy with Ash.
Mrs. Ketchum stepped into the room, her face brightening at the sight of a few new friendly faces. "And who might these two men be?" she asked.
Ash turned to the two newcomers. "Mom, this is my friend from the Sinnoh Region, Barry, and this is his father, Palmer." Ash said, Palmer and Barry bowed slightly.
"A pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Palmer said.
"Whoa!" Barry exclaimed, "Something smells awesome!"
Delia giggled at the remark, before asking, "Ash, did you get the sauce?"
Ash nodded, "Yeah," he handed her the bag.
May coughed slightly to get Ash's attention. He turned to her and smiled. "Oh, Barry, Palmer, this is my girlfriend, May," He said.
Palmer smiled and stepped forward, extending his hand towards May. "What a lovely young woman," he said politely, "It's a pleasure to meet you."
May blushed and bowed slightly before grabbing his hand and shaking it. "The pleasure is mine," She replied.
Palmer patted Ash's shoulder, "You got a fine taste in women," Palmer said, "Congratulations."
Barry on the other hand, was inspecting May from top to bottom. "Are you a coordinator?" he asked.
May smiled and nodded. "Yeah, how did you know?" she asked.
Barry shrugged, "You seem to be all about beauty..." May looked at him oddly, not really knowing how to respond.
Ash spoke up. "Wow Barry, you've gone over an hour without fining anyone, must be a new record," He said, glancing at the clock on the wall.
"Hey!" Barry exclaimed, making May jump, "That's no way to treat a guest; I'm totally going to fi- er... Never mind."
Ash smiled, stifling a laugh. "Keep it up, Barry, keep it up," he said.
Mrs. Ketchum had laid out dinner; the warm food was spread all around the table. "Whooaaa," Barry said, gaping at the feast before him, it was as if he had never seen anything like it before in his life.
"Oh man, Mom," Ash said, rubbing his hands together, "This is amazing, you've out done yourself!"
Delia smiled. "Well, dig in everyone, there's a lot of food to eat." she said.
Rattling and tapping swarmed the room as silverware and plates clacked together. Food was quickly placed on everyone's plates, before being eaten.
"Hey, where's Isaac?" Ash asked. Isaac indeed was not at the table.
His mother shrugged. "He said he was heading out to do a few things," she replied.
Palmer tilted his head. "Isaac?" he asked, exchanging glances with Barry.
"My fiancée," Mrs. Ketchum answered sweetly.
Palmer smiled. "Oh, you're getting married soon?" he asked.
Mrs. Ketchum nodded, "Yes, my first husband past away," she said, "I've finally decided to move on."
"Well congratulations," Palmer said, cutting a slice of beef, "I wish you two the best of luck."
Mrs. Ketchum smiled and thanked him for it kindness. Suddenly, May burst into laughter, Barry, who had been sitting across from her, had his face stuffed with food, his cheeks puffed out like balloons.
"Barry, where you're manners?" Palmer asked.
"But uts su gud!" Barry tried to say, but his mouth was too full of food. Ash, Pikachu, and Mrs. Ketchum joined May in her laughter.
Barry slowly progressed and managed to chew and swallow all the food in his mouth. "This is amazing!" he said, "I've never had something so delicious in my entire life!"
Mrs. Ketchum blushed at the kind complement. "Yes, it's very good," Palmer said, "Reminds me of my wife's cooking."
Mrs. Ketchum's face brightened, "Oh, maybe we could trade recipes some day," She said.
Palmer and Barry's face drooped. "She's passed away," he said sadly.
Mrs. Ketchum gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't realize-"
"It's no problem," Palmer said, interrupting her.
...
The table fell fairly silent, except for the constant clicking of silverware and plates. Ash and May exchanged glances, not really knowing what to say.
"How long are you staying in Pallet Town?" Mrs. Ketchum finally spoke up, breaking the unsettling silence.
Barry was the one to answer, "A few weeks or so."
Mrs. Ketchum's smile returned. "So you'll be in town on my wedding day?" she asked, "You should come!"
Palmer and Barry exchanged glances, seeming to like the idea. "Yeah, that would be nice," Palmer said.
"And you should come over dinner tomorrow too," She continued.
"Heck yeah!" Barry exclaimed.
"I'd hate to be a bother," Palmer said, "I don't like taking advantage of people like that."
Mrs. Ketchum waved it off. "Please, I love having company," she said, "Besides, I'd like for you to meet Isaac."
"We are totally going to be here tomorrow night!" Barry said before his dad could speak up.
Palmer sighed and shrugged. "Alright, sounds good," he finally agreed.
"Yes!" Barry exclaimed.
May was lying in her bed, it was late at night, Palmer and Barry had long past left. She glanced at the clock, which read 12:27 am. She should have fallen asleep hours ago, but something was keeping her up. Something was wrong. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something that was bothering her, enough to keep her from sleeping.
With a frustrated huff, she threw off her covers and sat up. It wasn't often that May wore pajamas, always being on the road prevented it, but now that she was settling down for a week or so, she figured she might as well wear them.
She glanced at the door, which was tightly shut, everyone else was asleep. Figuring maybe a drink of water would help her sleep, May stood up and walked over to the door, gripping the doorknob and gently turning it. With a light shove she pushed the door open and stepped out into the hallway. She glanced at Ash's door, which was also closed shut. May quietly walked over to his door and gently opened it. To her surprise, he wasn't sleeping in his bed like he expected. He was nowhere to be seen, leaving Pikachu asleep on the bed by himself.
The curtains hanging at the sides of the window swayed back and forth as the wind blew through the window, which was open.
Now curious, May stepped over to the window and glanced outside, she saw the ground a story below and above saw the roof, which could easily be climbed up. Taking a deep breath, May sat on the window sill and grabbed the roof, with a grunt she tried to pull herself up, but failed.
"May?" She heard Ash say. She peeked up at the roof and saw him sitting on it, looking at her with surprise. "Here let me help you," he said, quickly making his way down to he and pulling her up.
"You shouldn't be doing this, it's dangerous," Ash said.
May chuckled. "You have no room to talk," she told him.
They both scooted up to where Ash had been sitting before, May let out a sigh, laying her head down on Ash's shoulder. "Having trouble sleeping?" Ash asked.
May nodded. "Yeah, you?"
Ash took a deep breath. He lifted his hand and began to slowly stroke May's hair. "Yeah, seems like there's something bothering me, but I can't tell what," he explained.
May chuckled lightly. "Same here," she said, "I feel like something brewing..."
"... And that if we don't do something about it, something bad will happen," Ash finished for her. They smiled at each other.
"But what?" May asked.
Ash shrugged, "I don't know..." was all he said, "Maybe it has something to do with Barry, he can be pretty reckless at times."
"Ow," May complained, when Ash accidentally pulled on a knot in her hair.
"Oh, sorry," he said, ceasing the stroking.
...
"Do you come up here often?" May asked, gazing up at the stars.
Ash chuckled lightly, "Yeah, it's been my alone time spot," he explained.
May hummed happily. "Now it's our alone time spot," she said, snuggling in closer.
Ash smiled, "Yeah..."
"And then I flipped the Tauros over my bare hands!"
Ash's eyes went wide, "No way!" he exclaimed.
May tiredly sat at the table, sleepily stirring a cold bowl a cereal. Isaac was at the table telling different stories that didn't seem too creditable to May, but Ash took in every word.
"How do you flip over a Tauros?" Ash asked eagerly. May noticed a smirk on Isaac's face, she could tell he was messing with Ash.
"Well, you grab both their horns," Isaac began, pretending to grab to horns in front of him, making a twisting motion. "And flip it with man power!" he said, "But you have to have the guns," he said, pushing up his sleeve and kissing his muscular arm.
May rolled her eyes, this was stupid, how on earth did Ash buy this? Almost everything Isaac said couldn't be possible, May thought, Maybe Ash just wants it to be true, and is convincing himself so.
May jumped when she heard a crash. Ash and Isaac had been arm wrestling, and Isaac had easily won, slamming Ash's left hand into a plate on the table, shattering the glass platter. "You got a little work to do, sport," Isaac said. Ash winced and rubbed his hand.
"Are you okay, Ash?" May asked.
Ash nodded, "Yeah, It just stings..." he said, not wanting to admit how painful it had actually been.
May's eyes grew wide with worry, "Ash... You're bleeding... And the back of your hand..."
Ash raised a brow and glanced at the back of his hand, letting out a yelp as he saw all the blood. "Ack!" He yelped, "Okay, maybe it hurts a tiny bit more than I admitted."
That was more than enough for May. "Mrs. Ketchum!" She exclaimed, "Get the first aid kit quick! Ash is hurt!"
With blinding speed, Mrs. Ketchum raced into the room with her first aid kit, gasping when she saw Ash's bleeding hand. "What happened?" She asked, sounding horrified.
Isaac sunk a little in his seat. Ash just laughed. "Oh I was just goofing around, it's not that big of a deal," He said. Mrs. Ketchum wordlessly nodded and sat down at the table, opening it up.
"May, can you get me a wet cloth?" she asked, May nodded and rushed to the closet where she remembered there being small rags. She grabbed one and quickly wet it, handing it to Mrs. Ketchum.
Ash winced but didn't say anything as the cold cloth touched his hand. In a matter of minutes, Mrs. Ketchum had cleaned Ash's hand and bandaged it up; he had a surprisingly large gash on his hand. May could only wonder how much force Isaac must have used to create such a wound.
He must be incredibly strong, May thought.
Mrs. Ketchum finished up Ash's hand and closed the first aid kit. "You hurt your hand pretty bad, young man," she said sternly, "No more goofing around."
She picked up the first aid kit, stood up from her seat, and stepped out of the room.
"Okay, another round, I'll use my other hand," Ash said, positioning himself, preparing his left hand.
"I don't think so," May said, grabbing his hand and setting it down. "You don't need to hurt both hands in one day."
Ash looked from Isaac to May before sighing. "Okay..." he said sadly.
"Um... I'm gonna go... For a walk," Isaac said before rushing outside, slamming the door closed behind him.
…
"Isn't he awesome?" Ash asked, "I mean he is super strong, and he knows a lot about Pokémon, and-"
"Ash, he busted your hand," May said, motioning to his wounded hand.
Ash shrugged, "Yeah, so?" he asked.
"If hanging out with Isaac means you're going to get all beat up, you and I need to have a serious talk," She told him. "You're way too important to me to just be squashed like a fly."
Ash sighed, lowering his head. "We were just having some innocent fun, he didn't mean to hurt me," he said.
May leaned forward, her brow touching his. "Ash, if someone hurt me like Isaac did you, how would you feel?"
Ash was about to speak, but stopped, thinking for a minute before sighing in defeat. "I'd be really mad," he said, "I'd probably sock him in the face," he shook his wounded hand, "But with my good hand, of course."
May smiled at his comment, lightly kissing him before sitting back down in a normal position. "Exactly, now do you understand my concern?"
Ash sighed and looked at his hand. "Yeah," he replied.
Mrs. Ketchum had gone off to do some things in preparation of the wedding, and Isaac had still not returned from his walk. May and Ash sat on the couch back to back. Ash examined his hand, twisting his arm in different positions to get different views.
May had done several different tests, making sure he could move each finger and pushing down on certain spots to see if it hurt. He thought she was over reacting, and maybe she was, but May was like that. Ever since that contest were she forced Bulbsaur to battle, embarrassing herself in front of her friends and the audience, she had be determined to be more careful and show more concern when in those situations.
"Don't feel mad at Isaac," Ash said, "It wasn't intentional."
May gave him a quizzed look. "What makes you think I'm mad at him?" she asked.
Ash adjusted his position on the couch. "We've been together for quite a while," he said, "I can read you like a book."
May was indeed feeling a little steamed. She knew what Isaac had done wasn't intentional, but she couldn't help but twitch in anger when she thought about it. She let out a guilty sigh, nodding her head. "Okay, fine, maybe I am a little ticked," she admitted.
Ash chuckled. "If anyone should be ticked, it's me," he said.
"Yeah, well..." May stammered, trying to defend herself, "I don't know, I'm just a bit mad."
Ash shrugged, "Well you need to get over it pretty soon," he said.
They sat there quietly for a minute. The room was silent except for Pikachu's light snoring, which he let out as he laid on Ash's lap.
"I'll probably get over it tomorrow," May said, "I seem to forgive things after a good night's sleep."
...
"Hey, want to see where the wedding it going to take place?" Ash asked.
May's face perked up and she excitedly nodded. "Yeah! That would be fun!" she said. She quickly got up off the couch and ran to get ready to leave. Ash gently woke up Pikachu and told him where they were going. Pikachu seemed happy with the idea and climbed up onto Ash's shoulder.
The two teens stepped out of the house and began to walk down the road, where Ash led May to a large hill. The hill was in the opposite direction of the town, and about a half a mile away from the Ketchum Residence.
The two trudged up the hill, stopping and looking around when they reached the top. "It's beautiful," May whispered. The hill was fairly high she could see over the trees and the rooftops.
"Yeah, this is where Mom and my first dad used to hang out when they were young," Ash said, smiling and taking a deep breath of fresh air. "She said they use to lay in the grass when they were our age and look up into the sky, watching the clouds slowly float by."
Ash chuckled slightly and motioned to the slope. "And when they got bored of that, they would roll down the side of the hill," he said, "and then come back up and roll down again."'
Ash sighed and folded his arms. "Mom holds a lot of memories on this hill," he said, "Some of her and Dad's most precious moments took place up here..."
May smiled as she watched Ash admire the hill and its magnificent view. "She always said Dad was insane," he said with a chuckle, "One time, they packed a picnic to have up this hill, and as a joke, he emptied out the basket and left the food at home."
May smile widened, "Oh? And what happened?"
Ash chuckled again. "She wasn't too pleased, but he got a kick out of it," he said, "Unfortunately for him, she made him walk all the way back home to get the food."
May laughed, and which Pikachu joined in. She grabbed Ash's hand and pulled him to the ground, where they both laid in the cool grass. Together, they watched the clouds.
"What was his name?" May asked, looking at Ash.
Ash took a deep breath and laughed lightly. "That was another thing," he said, "Dad always went by the nickname 'Silver'. Mom never knew his real name until their wedding day."
May hummed in amusement. "He sounds like he was an interesting man," she said.
Ash shrugged, "Yeah..." he said, "I just wish I could have known him."
Feeling bad for Ash, May snuggled into his side, hoping to comfort him. After a while, Ash grunted and sat up. "Okay, I'm bored, let's go roll down the hill," he suggested.
Isaac finally return home after his seemingly extremely long walk. And Mrs. Ketchum came back from planning the wedding. Ash and May once again scurried up to Ash's room when Isaac and Deliah began to passionately kiss.
"Those two need to get a room," Ash grumbled as he closed the door.
Shortly afterward they heard the doorbell ring, although only Pikachu ran out of the room to see who is was. After a minute or so, he returned with Barry, who peeked into the room before stepping in.
"Hey, Ash," He said, sitting down on the floor with them. "What's up?"
The three talked for a while but where interrupted when Ash's mother called them for dinner. Barry bolted out of the room quickly followed by Ash with May hot on his heels. Pikachu scurried to the dining room not far behind.
"Oh yeah!" Barry exclaimed excitedly as he sat down at the table, which was again covered with food. "This is totally the highlight of my day!"
Delia smiled and nodded sitting down. What made this meal different from the one the previous night was that Isaac was there this time. He and Palmer began a light conversation.
"So what do you do for a living?" Palmer asked Isaac.
Isaac shrugged. "I don't have a job," he said, "I'm currently living off an inheritance. How about you?"
Palmer smiled proudly. "I'm the proud frontier brain of the Battle Tower," he said, "I have a secondary job too, but I'm not allowed to talk about that."
Ash and May exchanged glances at that statement. What else did Palmer do?
"Oh man, these meat balls are to die for," Barry said.
Ash laughed, "Geez, Barry, you're acting like you've never eaten a real home cooked meal before," he said.
Barry thought for a minute, letting out a long 'hmmmmm'. "Nope," he said, "I don't think I have, except for last night of course."
May, sat on her bed, looking through her Pokédex. She was waiting for Ash to finish his shower. Isaac and Delia were downstairs talking about who knows what, and Pikachu was with May, watching her as she played around with her device.
May lifted her head and looked around when she heard a phone ring. It didn't sound like it was in her room, but on the other side of the wall, in Isaac's room. May set down the Pokédex and walked out into the hall. The ringing must have been coming from Isaac's cell phone, which she saw also vibrating on the dresser in his room. Figuring she should probably grab his phone and give it to him, she went into his room and picked up the cell.
May froze when she saw the name on the caller ID: "Dad"
For people who are observant, you'll be able to catch onto what's going on. Hopefully you all do, or I would be concerned...
Yep, things are gonna get a lot more interesting in the next chapter.
You're all probably like "
Wth is up with Barry and Palmer? How could they have any significance in this story?" My answer is, patience, all will be revealed eventually, you only just completed chapter 2.
Anyways, besides Lessons Learned, this is the only story I've had no problem writing. It's a nice sized plot for five chapters. I'm really happy with it.
Enough about that, it's time to advertise myself. I'm posting new advanceshipping content every day for the next few weeks, so be sure to add me to your author's alerts so you are one of the first to know when I've posted new and exciting content. :D
With a goofy grin,
The Shiny Gengar