May a New Day Dawn Chapter 10
Howdy-ho everyone! Flamewing is back! Welp… this is it. This chapter, and the next, are the chapters I have probably put the most amount of work into. This chapter marks the point where a major plot point begins. This chapter is what sets the ball rolling for major conflicts throughout the story. This chapter is what begins it all. This… is chapter ten.
But wait! I have your kind reviews to answer first!
Jojo298- Thanks for the review! I'm glad I posted the chapter when I did, as I was originally planning to fit this chapter AND last chapter AND next chapter into one. However, I think it finally dawned on me (see what I did there?) that that just wasn't going to happen. So, I fleshed out the last chapter a bit more, and split it into three parts. Thanks for stickin' around!
Plasma57- Thanks! I'm always happy to read another review from a fan! To be honest, I never thought this story would get to where it is until I had finished it. So far, I have 32 follows, 32 favorites, and 23 reviews! You guys are all just too awesome! Thank you so much!
Jinseiwakurai-Shouganai- First off, geez is that name hard to type out! I had to open another tab and go back and forth at least a dozen times to get it right! Secondly, thanks for the review! I'm glad to hear that someone likes Stephen as a character! I've noticed that people are always too eager to stop reading stories involving OC's because they think that the character will turn into a Mary Sue. Well, I'm trying to avoid that. It's not easy, because it's simple to fall into the trap of "I know how I'd react, so I'll use my character more" But I think I have a plan on how to resolve that issue. Thanks for your support!
I apologize for these chapters taking so long to come out. It's just that my best buddy at the moment seems to be procrastination. However, I think I've come up with a bit of a schedule of a time when I can get a little writing done. And knowing myself, once I set a schedule for something… I stick to it. I'll see how it works for next time!
As a side note, I'm still taking OC submissions. Just read the rules at the end of chapter 9 and pm me to enter! I appreciate all of the submissions! Lastly, I'm having a giveaway! Details will be at the end of the chapter in the post-story notes.
Now, without further ado, onto chapter ten!
(…)
Chapter 10: The Plot Thickens
Ash walked through the crowds of Cerulean, desperately trying to spot where Stephen and Dawn had went. Beside him, May also scanned the crowd as best she could. On his shoulders, both Meowth and Pikachu were listening for either of their voices, but with no luck.
"Where do you think they got off to?" May asked.
"Well, knowing how eager Stephen gets at festivals, they could be half across the city by now," Ash replied, peering over the crowds.
"That far?!" May asked in shock. Ash simply chuckled.
"Of course. In case you haven't noticed, Stephen and I ARE in pretty good shape." May averted her eyes a bit and blushed. Oblivious to this, Ash continued on. "So it's a bit easier for us to get through crowds. Still, maybe somebody saw him come through here."
"Hey, yeah! That cape Stephen wears probably makes him stand out a bit!" May said. "Someone was sure to see him!"
"Then let's ask a few people around here if they saw either of them come through here," Ash replied, turning to stop a couple as they were walking. "Excuse me; I'm wondering if you've seen someone."
"Hm?" The man stopped. Oddly, he had one of those long, pink scarves on as did the woman he was linking arms with. "Can I help you?"
"Yeah, can you tell me if you've seen—"
"Ah, I get'cha! Lookin' for the love of your life here too eh?" The man cut in, giving his apparent girlfriend a look as he did so.
"Eh?" Ash asked, genuinely confused.
"Don't you know what festival this is?" The man asked. Earning a shake of the head from Ash, the man continued. "Why it's the Festival of Luv!"
"The Festival of…" Ash muttered. "I don't remember Cerulean City ever having a festival like this."
"Well that's 'cuz it just started a year ago!" The man revealed. "I met my girl Suzy here last year. Ain't that right, babe?"
"Yes, it was soooo romantic!" Suzy said, closing her eyes. She was no doubt picturing the scene all over again, judging from the newfound rose color in her cheeks.
"Huh… well, that's not what I was looking for," Ash replied. "See, I'm trying to find my brother who—"
"Not lookin' for a girl you say?!" The man cut in, again. "Why that just won't do I tell ya! It's what this whole festival is about, see?"
"I understand that," Ash replied, getting a little annoyed at this point. "And all I want is for—"
"Some help?" The man cut in, yet again. "Well, why didn't you say so earlier! And here we are just wastin' time while some lonely girl's surely got a spot in her heart for a guy just like you!"
"Aw, Justin… you're so sweet!" Suzy remarked, earning her a wide grin from the man, apparently named Justin.
"Aw shucks! Thanks darlin'. But no time for chit-chat, Mr. Lonely here needs himself a gal for the festival!" It took Ash all he had to not yell in frustration. "Now, let's see here. Which of these girls would like a date." Justin then stood up tall and peered into the crowds, trying to locate a girl. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, it was at this time that May walked over, obviously finished with her early part of the search.
"Hey Ash, did you find—" she began, but was cut off as Justin began whooping as if in victory.
"Ah-ha! Lookey here! I start helpin' out a stranger, and fortune comes along helps me finish the job!"
"What are you—" May began, but was cut off again as Justin took her hand and dragged her over to Ash. Then, he stepped back and smiled, as if admiring a piece of art. "There, you two look like the perfect couple!"
"Eh?!" May asked, too flustered to say anything. Thankfully, Ash took May by the hand and began leading her away through the crowds, clearly looking for any excuse to put some distance between himself and Justin.
"Take your new date to the contest hall!" Justin shouted, waving. Once satisfied, the man linked arms once more with his beloved Suzy and vanished into the crowds.
"Hey… Ash?" May asked, finally regaining her composure.
"Yeah?"
"Who were those people? And what was that about?"
"I have no idea on both of those accounts," Ash replied, then he dropped his voice. "And I think I'd rather keep it that way."
"Well… did he have any clue as to where Dawn and Stephen got off to?" Stopping, Ash released May's hand to stop and think. No, Justin hadn't really mentioned any places. He just kept cutting everyone he met off mid-sentence. But, there had to be something…
"Pika Pikachu pika pika?" Pikachu said, snapping Ash out of his brief trance.
"What was that?" May asked, not understanding the little mouse.
"He says dat yous two should go to da contest hall," Meowth said.
"Hey, yeah!" Ash said, snapping as everything clicked into place. "Since Dawn is a coordinator, just like you, then she would probably ask Stephen to go to the hall with her so she could sign up!"
"Great idea! Thanks Meowth!" May said, making the feline scratch the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Well… I… uh… it was nuttin'." At that, the two trainers began making their way to the contest hall. As Ash and May made their way through the crowds, Ash listened in as the two Pokémon on his shoulders made small talk.
"Pika Pikachu?" Pikachu asked, slightly confused.
"Well, I'm not exactly used to bein' thanked for nuttin'." Meowth replied, sounding slightly off put.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu said, sounding happy.
"Yeah, it does feel kinda nice. I tink' I could get used to dis." Meowth replied again, sounding happier than Ash had heard him in a while. Smiling, the young raven haired man continued on toward the contest hall.
(…)
Stephen left the contest hall, his arm intertwined with Dawn's, wondering what on Earth had just happened. Resisting the urge to tug at his new pink scarf, Stephen tried to collect his thoughts. However, before that could be done, he had to get a few answers.
"So, uh… what was that all about exactly?" Stephen asked of Dawn, who seemed to be in a good mood for some reason.
"Sorry for dragging you into this, but I really didn't want to pair up with Kenny… and you were the only other boy there, so I had to pick you," Dawn replied.
"I see. Kenny did seem to be acting a bit differently," Stephen mumbled, recalling Kenny's changed behavior. "What's with him?"
"Well, ever since he won the Grand Festival in Hoenn last year, he's gotten really full of himself. He's not like the Kenny I grew up with at all!"
"Wait…" Stephen said, connecting some lines mentally. "Is he the one who beat May last year? She mentioned that she came in second place."
"Yeah, Kenny's the one who beat her," Dawn replied, sounding a little sad about it. "It was pretty bad too. His Empoleon didn't hold anything back against May and her Glaceon. His bragging after winning didn't help things either."
"I see," Stephen said, already plotting to wreck Kenny if they came up against each together in a future tournament. "Well, there's not much we can do about that right now I suppose. I think we should go try to find Ash and May now, since they're probably looking for us as we speak."
"Where do you think they would go?" Dawn asked, scanning the crowd on the off chance of spotting either of their friends.
"Well, knowing Ash, he'd go to the Pokémon Center first to rent a room."
"Then let's go!" Dawn said, grabbing Stephen by the hand and leading him away.
"Hold on a second!" Stephen shouted, stopping himself and Dawn along with him. "Do you even know where the Pokémon Center is around here?"
"Uh….. not really," Dawn admitted.
"Heh heh. Then I guess it's a good thing that I do. Come on!" Stephen replied, changing the direction that the two were going. "And uh… Dawn?"
"Hm?"
"You uh… you can let go of my hand now."
"Well I would—" Dawn began, a slight hint of mischief in her tone. "—but since we're pretending to be a couple, we have to keep the act going, right?"
"I… suppose," Stephen begrudgingly admitted.
"And with the likely media coverage, any sign of lying will definitely be noticed!" Dawn continued.
"There's gonna be media coverage!" Stephen yelped, trying in vain to keep the panic from his voice.
"Most likely," Dawn replied, seeming nonchalant about it. "I mean, this IS a pretty big festival. I'd be a little surprised if the media DIDN'T cover it."
"Greeeaaat," Stephen mumbled.
"What was that?" Dawn asked.
"Oh! Uh… I said great!" Stephen said. "I've never really been filmed before, so it'll be a bit of a new experience."
"Oh, it's not that bad," Dawn said, speaking from experience. "Once you get into the battle, you don't really even know they're there."
"I see. So, it's a bit like how Ash and I get into the battle when we're at a tournament?"
"Exactly!"
"Right, then that part shouldn't be too bad. But, there's something else."
"What is it?" Dawn asked, concern in her tone.
"Well, you said that we'd have to pretend to be a couple. I've never exactly been in a relationship like that before," Stephen said, making it sound like a secret.
"No~" Dawn said sarcastically. "I heard that you're a true lady-killer!" Stephen gave Dawn a glance at that statement that clearly said "really?". "Teehee sorry. I couldn't resist." Dawn said with a giggle.
"It's fine," Stephen said with a sigh. "I kinda set myself up for that one anyways. But seriously, I'll need your help on how to act like a man in a relationship. Because just like Ash, I'm clueless." Stephen then felt a gentle squeeze of his hand. Looking at Dawn, he felt a slightly familiar warmth in his chest at her gentle smile.
"No need to worry Stephen! I'll be here for you every step f the way!"
"Good to hear!" Stephen replied with a smile of his own. At that, the young "couple" continued on their merry way, towards the Pokémon Center.
(…)
Ash and May entered the contest hall, quickly scanning the entrance room for any sign of their friends.
"Do you see them anywhere?" May asked.
"No, they don't seem to be here," Ash replied, sounding a little frustrated. This whole search would've been ten times easier if he could just search with his aura, but it would have been rather difficult to explain the blue shroud around him while searching a whole city for his friend and brother. "What do you think we should do next?"
"Well, I guess I can quickly sign up for the contest here, since I was going to do that anyways. Then we can maybe go check the Pokémon Center," May replied.
"Sounds like a plan!" Ash replied. Finally, as May walked up to the counter to register herself for the contest, Ash began vacantly scanning the room again until his eyes settled on a poster on the wall. Approaching the poster, Ash read the wording on the bottom.
"Vermillion City Pokémon Tournament. The region's best eight trainers will be selected to battle against each other for a fabulous prize."
"Huh, looks like registration is still going for a good bit yet too. Stephen and I could probably sign up for this!" Ash thought aloud. "It's been a while since either of us has entered a tournament. Should be fun!"
"Well there's a face I haven't seen in a while," A voice behind Ash said. Turning around, Ash saw a medium height, brown haired young man. The guy was wearing a green t-shirt, and tan pants. For some reason, he seemed slightly familiar.
"Hi there. Do I uh… do I know you?" The brunette trainer just sighed at this.
"It figures that you'd forget about me. I imagine that Deedee hasn't been in contact with you much after you vanished for three years." That rang a few bells in Ash's mind. He definitely remembered someone calling someone else by the name of Deedee. But who was it? "In case you forgot about me, which seems to be the case judging by your blank face, the name's Kenny.
"Kenny! That was the name! I remember how he battled Stephen back in Sinnoh to see who Dawn would travel with. If I remember correctly… he won too." Ash thought, remembering that scene from more than three years ago. "Ah, I remember you now. How've you been then?"
"Me? Never better!" Kenny boasted, a sense of pride evident in his voice. "I just won the Hoenn Grand Festival last year, so I'm getting a little practice in before heading out to win another!"
"I see," Ash replied, keeping his voice stoically calm. "He seems to be on his high-horse all right. So you figured that the Contest here would be good training then?"
"Well, I did at first, but there's a rule that stops me from competing," Kenny replied, sounding angry.
"Rule?"
"Well, duh! You DO know what festival this is, right?"
"I've been told," Ash curtly replied, crossing his arms now.
"Then you should clearly know what I'm talking about!" Kenny said.
"Well, just for the sake of avoiding any confusion, why don't you enlighten me anyways?"
"Fine," Kenny replied with an obvious sigh of annoyance. "This isn't a normal Pokémon contest. Since this whole festival is about love and togetherness, only couples are allowed to sign up. That's also what the pink scarves are for. They indicate two people who are dating."
"I see. I guess that makes sense. Cerulean Cape is even known as a good spot for dates, as far as I can remember. But… wait," Ash said, pausing as he realized something. "How is May supposed to sign up then?"
"What do you mean?" Kenny asked, sounding genuinely confused. "Aren't you here to enter the contest with May?"
"Why would I do that?"
"You're her boyfriend, aren't you? It seemed a bit obvious with the way she constantly talked about you while you were gone for all that time."
"I'm May's…" Ash mumbled, stopping as he felt an odd emotion run through him. It was definitely something he hadn't felt very often. It almost felt like… embarrassment? No, there was something else there too. It was almost as if… as if a small part of him actually LIKED the idea of being May's boyfriend… whatever that really meant. "No, see I think there's a misunderstanding here. I'm not really—" Ash began, but suddenly May's voiced called from the front desk.
"Oh Ashyyy~, could you come over here for a minute?" May called, waving Ash over.
"Coming!" Ash called back. "Ashy? Since when did she call me that?"
"Sounds like your girls waiting for you… Ashy," Kenny teased. Shooting the coordinator a quick glare, Ash walked over to the counter to see what was up. However, as soon as he got close, May took hold of his arm, cooing for some reason.
"There you are Ashy! I signed us all up for that contest!" May said, beaming.
"wha-?" Was all Ash could get out. Putting it bluntly, the poor guy was a bit confused. First off, him and May weren't dating… so they shouldn't be able to sign up for this contest. Second, May was acting a bit strange. Third, why the heck did she keep calling him Ashy? It was very off-putting!
"All right!" The clerk behind the counter cheered, breaking Ash from his trance. "Now that you two are all signed up, here's a little something to commemorate your relationship!" Reaching beneath the counter, the clerk pulled out two pink scarves that looked like they'd reach Ash's thighs.
"No, there's a bit of a misunderstanding. We're not actually a—" Ash began, but was cut off as May jumped in again.
"We're not actually a couple that believes in showing off that much. Ashy gets a little self-conscious in public about these kinds of things. Right Ashy?" May then looked up at Ash. Glancing down, Ash could see an apologetic expression in May's eyes. Then everything clicked. So May didn't really think they were going out. They were simply faking it so that May could participate in the contest. Still, that was lying. He didn't like it… but for May's sake… Ash would be willing to do this.
"Yeah, May really knows me well," Ash admitted, going along with the act now. "I get a bit embarrassed when people see us together in public."
"Oh, that is just too sweet~" The lady behind the counter cooed. "But you don't have to worry young man! Everyone here at the festival is wearing the scarves! You'll fit in perfectly!"
"Well, thanks a lot!" Ash thanked, taking the scarves from the clerk and handing one to May. "We really appreciate it. Come on May, we really need to go meet up with our friends."
"Right behind you!" May replied, following Ash as they walked to the side of the room. Once stopped, Ash immediately lowered his voice.
"Okay, what was all that about?"
"I'm sorry Ash, but when the lady at the counter told me that only couples could enter, I just immediately thought of you!" May replied apologetically. "And… there's one other reason."
"And what's that?" Ash asked. However, before he could get an answer, a new voice joined in the conversation.
"Ah, I thought I recognized you May. There's something I wanted to ask you about the con—" The voice paused as Ash turned around. Recognizing the usual purple shirt, green hair, and cocky posture, Ash felt a slight bit of resentment boiling in his chest. "Oh… Ketchum. It's certainly been a while."
"It certainly has… Drew."
(…)
Arriving at the Pokémon Center, Stephen and Dawn scanned the room for any sign of Ash and May.
"*sigh* Looks like they're not here," Stephen observed, noticing no sign of his friend and brother."
"Do you think they went to look for us at the contest hall?" Dawn asked, glancing at the door.
"Knowing how things like this tend to work out… probably," Stephen replied. "If that's the case, Ash will probably come here next to look for us. So I guess the best we can do is just get some rooms."
"Alright then." Walking up to the counter, Stephen ordered two sets of room keys.
"Are you two waiting for a couple of your friends by chance?" Nurse Joy asked, making Stephen raise an eyebrow. Had Ash been here already? It was possible.
"Yeah actually. What makes you ask?"
"Well, since you two are a couple, I wondered why you'd each need a separate room at first," Nurse Joy began, much to the embarrassment of Stephen and Dawn. "But then I figured it was because you had another couple of friends joining the two of you for the night. Here are your keys." She finished, handing Stephen two room keys.
"Thank you very much!" Stephen replied, bowing his head in thanks. Walking down the hall to the left of the counter, Stephen found the two rooms he'd rented. Thankfully, they were across the hall from one another, which was convenient. Turning to Dawn, Stephen handed her one of the keys.
"What's this for?" She asked, actually sounding confused.
"Well… your room of course," Stephen replied matter-of-factly.
"We're not staying in the same room together?"
"What?!" Stephen nearly shouted, feeling his face heat up at the suggestion. The indecency! "Why would we do that?"
"Well, because we're a couple after all," Dawn replied, now copying Stephen's matter-of-fact tone. Opening his mouth to argue, the trainer quickly re-shut it as he remembered about the whole situation.
"Do… do couples really stay in the same room together?" Stephen asked, still sounding a bit flustered. He barely resisted the urge to tug at the pink scarf that was now tied around his neck instead of his cape.
"Usually," Dawn replied. "Unless they're fighting I suppose. Does it really bother you that much?"
"Well… no. That's not it," Stephen replied. He'd explain that in Rota, it would be gossip fodder for every noble in the realm if something like this ever happened. The whole thing would be blown way out of proportion if anyone so much as heard of two unmarried people stayed in the same room together! Thankfully, they weren't in Rota. "I guess it's just my inexperience talking for me," Stephen lied, rubbing the back of his embarrassment to complete the act. Dawn simply giggled.
"Like I said Stephen, I'll be here for you every step of the way. Now come on, let's see our room."
"Right… our room," Stephen mumbled, still uneasy about the whole thing. Opening the door, Stephen nearly exhaled in relief to see that there were at least two beds. "At least it won't be a TOTAL fiasco," He thought to himself. Picking the far bed from the door, Stephen set his bag down and laid on top of the bed, exhaling as the fatigue of the day finally set in on him. Dawn did the same with her bed, but instead opted to lie on her stomach.
"What a day," Stephen said idly.
"Yeah, I kinda wonder how my mom will react to the whole thing," Dawn said, before clasping her hands over her mouth. Stephen followed suit in her reaction by feeling his whole body tense up.
"Crap! Mrs. Berlitz is gonna kill me when she hears that Dawn and I are 'dating' without her permission!" Stephen thought, feeling himself panic. Sensing the panic, he stopped himself, and took a deep breath. Now calm, Stephen spoke. "Well, I guess we could just call and tell her, right? I mean once she knows about the circumstance, she'll understand."
"There's one small problem with that though," Dawn said, sitting up and idly scratching her arm. "She's probably asleep by now."
"Why would she-?" Stephen began, stopping when it hit him. Sinnoh was in a different time zone than Kanto. Since Sinnoh was to the East, it was much later at night in Twinleaf town than it was here. "Right. Well, we can just call her tomorrow then! I mean the actual contest isn't for two days. So once we get done with tomorrow's training, we can just give her a quick call!"
"That sounds good!" Dawn said, smiling in relief. Stephen just sat where he was, letting his thoughts drift.
"Boy… who would've thought. Here I am, in Cerulean City, with one of my best friends, at a festival called the freakin' Festival of Luv. To top it all off, we're apparently supposed to pretend that we're a couple since the media will just eat this event apart. Hmpf… somehow… I get the feeling that this new journey is gonna be all kinds of weird. Come to think of it… I wonder if Ash is in the same situation that I am."
What's so funny Stephen?" Dawn asked, clearly hearing his "hmpf".
"Oh, I was just imagining May trying to teach the idea of a relationship to Ash," Stephen explained. "It's pretty funny if you think of it… poor girl."
"Oh I'm sure she'll be fine," Dawn replied optimistically. "Besides, you even admitted yourself that you don't know much about having a girlfriend."
"Well… yeah," Stephen admitted. "But come on! Even I have to know at least a little bit!"
"If you think so…" Dawn whispered to herself.
"Anyways," Stephen continued. "I suppose we should focus a bit on what exactly we're gonna do for the contest tomorrow. I haven't been in that many."
"Hm… well we're gonna need two Pokémon who really complement each other with their moves," Dawn said, sitting up now.
"Hm… How about my Espeon and your Eevee?" Stephen suggested.
"Espeon and Eevee… sure! That sounds great!" Dawn agreed, grabbing Eevee's Pokéball. At that moment, a white flash of light emerged from a capsule on Stephen's waist. Dispersing to reveal a lilac colored feline Pokémon, Espeon decided to voice his opinion.
"Espi! Espeon peon! Espeon!" Espeon said.
"Urgh… that's a good point I suppose," Stephen said, pinching his chin in thought.
"What did Espeon say?" Dawn asked, unable to understand the Poké-speech.
"Espeon pointed out to me that most of his moves are supposed to be used for battling," Stephen explained. "Unless we can learn, and learn quickly, we might not do so well in the appeal round."
"No need to worry!" Dawn said, using her usual catchphrase. "I did just say that I'd be here to help you! I can teach you all you need to know for our appeal!" Dawn then pressed the button on Eevee's Pokéball, releasing the small brown fox. "And I know you'll help me too, right Eevee?"
"Eevee!" Eevee chirped, wagging her tail in excitement.
"Heh, I guess I don't need to be nervous about this after all. Not with such great teachers. And we're gonna do our best too, right buddy?" Stephen said, glancing down at Espeon.
"Espeon!"
(…)
"So… what brings a gym trainer such as yourself to the contest hall? Did you get lost looking for the Pokémon Center?" Drew asked, brushing his hair out of his face.
"No, I just came here to enter the contest," Ash replied flatly.
"Did you, now?" Drew continued, skepticism oozing through his tone. "And who would sign up for this contest with a brute of a trainer?"
"I would!" May chimed in, stepping a little closer to Ash. Drew simply raised an eyebrow, smirk never leaving his face.
"Honestly, I'm almost amazed. The fact that a gym trainer would not only enter a contest, but force his friend into entering with him is just laughable," Drew said, spitefully. "You must be really desperate after getting crushed back in the Sinnoh League." Clenching his teeth, Ash barely resisted the urge to Aura Sphere Drew into the next city. Barely.
"Is that what you really think happened?!" May demanded, making her anger at Drew's accusation obvious.
"I won't bother listening to any excuse," Drew said, turning his back on the two. "Besides, Ash probably even told you to just go along with his story anyways. But I know the truth. We'll meet again, I'm sure." At that, Drew walked away, soon vanishing into the crowds of the contest hall.
"What's that guy's problem?" Ash mumbled, growling a little. Stopping himself, the trainer took a deep breath, and frowned. It was unlike him to get that angry at someone. What was with him today?"
"You alright Ash?" May asked, noting Ash's vacant expression.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine," Ash said, giving May a quick smile.
"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu said, making May and Ash both jump.
"Wah! How long have you been there Pikachu?" Ash asked. It was almost funny, he had nearly forgotten that Pikachu was on his shoulder. Funny… wasn't there someone else on his other—
"I guess dis means you forgot about me too?" Meowth asked, sitting on Ash's other shoulder.
"What? No!" Ash said, defending himself. "It was just that… er… you guys were so quiet during the whole thing, I guess I just forgot you were there for a second. Why didn't you guys ever say anything anyways?"
"Pikachu pikapi pika pika kachuka!" Pikachu replied, casting glances at May as he explained himself.
"What did he say?" May asked. Not seeing an answer, she paused again as Ash's face became red for a moment. "Ash?"
"Da mouse said dat he didn't wanna ruin da moment yous two were havin'." Meowth explained. "I'll admit, while it wasn't quite perfect, I'd give yous two a shot togeda!" Now it was May's turn to blush.
"Wha—We… er… I… uhm…" She said, unable to form a cohesive sentence. This simply brought a fit of laughter to the two Pokémon.
"Pika pikapi!" Pikachu said, once his fits of laughter had stopped. Ash laughed at the remark, while May once again wondered what the electric rodent had said. Noticing this, Ash decided to enlighten her.
"Pikachu here thinks that I was jealous about something. I don't know what he means by that, but whatever you wanna think buddy," Ash explained, giving Pikachu a scratch under the chin. May simply smiled at the thought. "Anyways, now that we're all signed up for this contest, I guess we should go see if Stephen and Dawn are at the Pokémon Center."
"Right behind you!" May said, following Ash out the doors of the contest hall. "But uh… Ash?"
"Hm?"
"I… never got to explain the whole other part of the contest here."
"And what is it?"
"Well… since this festival seems to be so popular and all… I'm fairly sure that the media will be at this event," May explain sheepishly.
"What's so bad about that?" Ash asked, unconcerned about being seem to the public. "It wouldn't be my first time being on T.V."
"Well… it's just that since this contest is only open to couples. And we're just… pretending," May continued. "People might get suspicious if we don't at least act like a couple, and we could be disqualified."
"Hmm…" Ash mused, furrowing his brow in thought. That was a good point. He didn't really like having to lie to the general public about being a couple… but now this changed things. He was already gonna go along with the act, for May's sake. However, now he'd apparently have to REALLY get into the act, or else someone would call them fakes. And Ash didn't have clue number one about what to do in a relationship like this! "Well… this certainly isn't the best spot to be in."
"Well… I could help you," May said, earning her a glance from Ash. "Help you earn a little about being in a relationship I mean! We just have to play the part until the contest is over though! After that, you don't have to keep pretending." Ash simply smiled.
"Then I guess I have nothing to worry about!" May looked at Ash, confused. "With such a great teacher with me, how could this go wrong?"
"Right!" May replied, smiling as well. The two then made their way to the Pokémon Center, eager to reunite with their friends.
(…)
Luna sat atop her tree branch, giving her a view of the whole city of Cerulean. It was certainly well lit, as festivities seemed to be running practically non-stop. Dangling one foot over the side, Luna again felt for that little feeling in the back of her mind. It was Stephonius. She could feel him down there, point him out exactly even. He was in the Pokémon Center, directly in the middle of town. That was a handy thing about Psionic Energy, you could detect other people with high amounts of it from a distance, and Stephonius had a LOT of it. However, there was something… slightly off about it. It was almost… repressed somehow. He wasn't utilizing his full potential with it, and that severely limited his power. Well, Luna had a plan on how to resolve that, but it was a little risky.
"Luna," Shadow's voice called from the bottom of the tree.
"Hm?" She replied, merely casting a glance downwards.
"Has the target moved his location?"
"No, he's still at the Pokémon Center, right in the middle of town."
"Hm… that complicates things," Shadow thought to himself, just loud enough for Luna to overhear him. Brushing her white bangs away from her eyes, Luna fed her emotions into the flame, and embraced her Psionic Energy. Eyes now violet, she reached out from herself, and scanned the emotions of the people below. Everyone was clearly in a joyous mood, given the occasion. It almost sounded cheesy, but love was certainly in the air tonight, from what she detected from the number of couples who were linking arms and strolling around. It was sweet… almost sickeningly so. However, from this information, Luna could tell that people would most likely be out until very late at night, complicating their mission.
They needed stealth in order to capture Stephonius. Well, they didn't really need to capture him for long, just long enough for one of the Triad to extract his Psionic Energy. However, with his powers lying dormant like they currently were, they might get next to nothing… which would surely displease Lord Ghetsis. But… if his power were somehow given a… little push… they would surely awaken. Maybe…
"So, what do we do now?" Ghost asked. He was sitting on the opposite side of the tree that Shadow was.
"What do you mean?" Luna asked, still scanning the crowds of the city. She could almost lose herself, reading the emotions from people. It was certainly an interesting power, seeing people become silhouettes filled with a purple "fire". Apparently, Aura worked in a similar way, but with a blue fire. Well, Aura could only read people's thoughts… which didn't seem very useful to Luna. People always were betrayed by their emotions, which made manipulating them that much easier.
"Well," Ghost continued, snapping Luna from her trance. "our target is in the middle of a very densely populated city, likely not to be alone for quite a while. So, how do we get to him?"
"Simple!" Luna cheered, earning her two stern looks from her comrades. "I just so happen to know that Stephonius and his little Aura Guardian brother get up early in the morning to exercise. If we happen to have a little bit of luck on our side, they might separate from one another to work of their different talents. That's when we can swoop in and extract the Psionic Energy from Stephonius."
"That sounds a little too easy," Shadow mused. "What's the catch?"
"Perceptive as ever boss!" Luna replied with a playful wink. "Well, the target's power is currently lying dormant, meaning that even if we happen to catch him, we'll not get much energy from him."
"So this is all for nothing then?" Ghost asked, barely keeping the irritation out of his voice.
"Well, it might be. But I think I have an idea," Luna replied.
"Let's hear it then," Ghost said, gesturing Luna to explain.
"Well, all I need to do is get close to Stephonius, and if I just feed a little of my Psionic energy into him, it might just draw his powers into the open. But…"
"But…?" Luna's comrades both asked, wondering what else there was to this idea of hers.
"There's a tiny chance that his power would kill him, being released all at once like that," Luna finished, grinning shyly in hopes of not being yelled at. It didn't work.
"So you would be willing to risk this entire mission over one tiny chance to get the maximum amount of energy from the brat from Romana!" Shadow yelled, his face nearly turning red with rage.
"Well, we're sorta between a rock and a hard place here boss!" Luna argued back. "If I don't try to awaken his power, we won't get enough energy for Lord Ghetsis! Besides, I even mentioned that it was a TINY chance. I'm pretty certain that he'll survive." Shadow merely looked off into the distance, thinking.
"Boss?" Ghost asked, wondering what the boss would plan on doing.
"Fine," Shadow finally said, looking Luna dead in the eye. "But if this backfires, you'll be the one responsible!"
"Have I ever let you down?" Luna replied, smirking to herself.
"Humpf…" Shadow said, looking down on the city again. Luna followed his gaze, smiling to herself. "Just remember, the kid apparently goes by Stephen now, so make sure you address him as such in public. His Romanan (Rome-on-in) name might stick out a bit if anyone would happen to overhear you."
"Yeah yeah," Luna absentmindedly replied. "Well, I hope you get a good night's sleep Stephon- Stephen. You've got a big day tomorrow after all!"
(…)
Stephen laid on top of his bed, slightly dozing. He had just finished brainstorming some ideas for his contest with Dawn, and he was certainly confident about it. She had some excellent ideas! That, and with a newfound skill that Stephen had, the contest was a sure-win!
"So… when do you think they're gonna come search the Pokémon Center?" Stephen asked, beginning to feel hungry.
"I don't know really," Dawn replied, brushing her Eevee's fur. "You'd think they would have come here by now. Do you think something held them up?"
"Like what?"
"I dunno… Maybe… Team Rocket?" Dawn suggested, voice quivering as she recalled her recent kidnapping. Stephen scowled, and tried his best not to get angry over a memory.
"I think we'd know if Team Rocket were here. They have a knack for announcing their presence."
"You're probably right," Dawn agreed. "But, what would be holding them up then?"
"I'm not sure really. But, there's no use dwelling on it. You feel like grabbin' some dinner?" Stephen said, changing the subject.
"I guess so. I AM a little hungry after today. Come on Eevee! Let's go get some dinner!" Dawn said, rising from her bed.
"Eevee!" The evolution Pokémon chirped, hopping down and standing by the door. Leaving his sword at the foot of his bed, Stephen rose and went to the door as well. Opening it, Stephen gestured for Dawn to go first.
"Ladies first!" He said with a smile.
"Why thank you!" Dawn replied, smiling. "And here you said that you didn't know anything about having a girlfriend!"
"What do you mean?" Stephen asked, genuinely confused.
"A true boyfriend should always open doors for his girlfriend," Dawn explained, holding up a finger.
"I see…" Stephen replied. "Well that seems kinda silly. My Chivalric Code already tells me to hold open doors for all 'maidens' anyways. Maybe this'll be easier than I thought," Stephen thought to himself. Reaching the lobby, Stephen nearly bumped into Dawn, who had stopped head at the entrance. Peering over her shoulder, Stephen grinned as he saw what made her stop. Just entering the center, two pink scarves around their necks, were Ash and May, happily talking the day away.
"Mayyyy~!" Dawn called, running over to embrace her friend. Squealing in delight, the two coordinators hugged it out, while the trainers simply bumped fists in greeting.
"You look like you had an interesting day," Stephen observed, glancing at Ash's newfound scarf.
"Well you look like I'm not the only one," Ash retorted, pointing out Stephen's own scarf. Stephen replied with a bark of laughter.
"HA HA HA! Well, at least I should thank you for taking care of Meowth," Stephen said, noticing the feline on Ash's shoulder. "Sorry for leavin' ya behind buddy. I got a little carried away."
"Aw, it was nuttin'." Meowth replied, hopping onto Stephen's shoulder now. "So are we getting' some grub or what? I'm starvin' over here!"
"Sounds good! But first, I wanna talk to Ash for a bit first. You can go along with the girls, alright?" Stephen said, feeling a bit bad about ditching Meowth for a second time.
"Yeah, sure. Sounds alright with me," Meowth replied, hopping down. "Come on Pikachu, I gots a little food trick to show ya!"
"Pika?" Pikachu asked, a little confused.
"Go on buddy, we'll be there in a minute," Ash said, giving Pikachu a confident smile.
"Pika!" Pikachi chirped, hopping down to stand beside Meowth.
"Aren't you guys coming?" May asked, having overheard the two boys.
"Yeah, we'll catch up. I just have to talk to Ash about a few things first," Stephen replied.
"Alright, but keep it brief. It's rude to keep a girl waiting after all!" Dawn replied, giving Stephen a playful wink.
"Yeah…" Was all he could reply, feeling his heart skip a beat. What was with him lately? After the two girls, Meowth, and Pikachu had all gone to the cafeteria, Ash and Stephen sat down on a nearby couch to discuss whatever it was Stephen had in mind.
"So, what's this all about then?" Ash asked, ever curious.
"Ah, nothing in particular," Stephen replied with a dismissive wave. "I guess I'm just a little curious to your side of the story of today's events."
"And you can't talk about this in front of the girls?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, there's one other thing too, and THAT'S what I can't talk to them about, but let's hear it first. How'd you and May get the scarves?"
"Same way as you and Dawn did I'd bet," Ash said, recalling the recent memory. "She went to sign up for the contest, and I guess the receptionist told her about it being for couples only. Then she called me over and said that she signed the two of us up together."
"Hm… yeah that's pretty similar to my story," Stephen replied with a nod. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that she also told you about the whole media coverage too?"
"Yeah," Ash replied, growing a bit more serious. "And since a lot of people will be watching this whole thing at home, I guess we have to do a really good job of pretending to be their… er…"
"Boyfriends?" Stephen finished for Ash.
"Yeah…"
"Heh, it IS a little weird using those words, isn't it?" Stephen thought aloud. "It's not like we've ever really looked at relationships like this before."
"Well, these are just pretend ones. I've never even seen a girl who would really want me as her boyfriend anyways!" Ash said, grinning as he tried to play it off. Stephen, however, was having none of it.
"Oh, really?" Stephen asked, raising an accusing eyebrow. "Then I suppose you just so happened to forget about Melody?"
"Hey, that was for their ritual!" Ash retorted, feeling his face grow a little warmer.
"Then what about Altomare?" Stephen continued.
"Well, we still don't know if that was Latias just thanking me or not!" Ash countered, face growing warmer.
"Anabel?"
"What about her?" Ash asked, now confused.
"Oh, come on! Even I could see that she liked you!" Stephen joked, giving Ash a punch in the shoulder.
"I… well…" Ash floundered, unsure what to do with this newfound knowledge. To be honest, he felt bad now for not noticing all of these things. But, there wasn't anything he could really do about it now. He just had to focus on this whole thing with May first.
"Anyways, that's about it for part one. Now for the next part," Stephen revealed, making Ash gulp.
"And what would that be?"
"What are we supposed to wear for the contest?" Stephen asked, making Ash nearly fall out of his chair.
"What do you mean?!" Ash demanded. "We just wear what we always wear!" Stephen merely shook his head.
"I don't think that'll be a good idea. I mean, with this festival being so big and all, I get the feeling that the girls would like it if we dressed up in something. I know they're going to at least," Stephen explained.
"Well…" Ash mused, scratching the back of his head. "What did you have in mind? It's not exactly like we have anything fancy to wear."
"Oh!" Stephen chirped, raising a knowledgeable finger. "But, in fact, we do my dear brother!"
"What do you mean?"
"Our royal outfits," Stephen whispered, making Ash's eyes widen.
"Are you insane?!" Ash hissed back. "Do you know how many questions we'll get if we wear those!?"
"Do you have anything else in mind?" Stephen whispered back, gesturing for Ash to offer up any other ideas. After not being able to come up with anything for a few minutes, Ash finally surrendered the argument.
"Fine, but will the Queen even be up at this hour?" Ash asked, checking the clock hanging on the far wall. It would be well into the evening back in Rota.
"Probably," Stephen replied with a shrug. "I think I remember her mentioning once that she likes to stay up and read."
"… Alright," Ash finally said. "But you're absolutely sure that we HAVE to dress up for this contest?"
"Pretty sure. May did explain to you how the media will be all over this place right?"
"She did make that pretty obvious."
"Then I see no reason that a costume of some sort isn't expected."
"I guess that makes sense," Ash said, seeing his brother's logic. "However, how are we exactly going to explain our outfits to May and Dawn? May's already seen my Aura Guardian outfit, but neither of them have seen your guardsman suit of armor."
"hm…" Stephen mumble, before finally snapping as the obvious solution hit him. "Easy! We just say that we can't tell them, since it involves the 'things' we already can't tell them about."
"Are you sure that'll work?" Ash asked. "The girls already don't seem to like that we can't tell them these things."
"True… maybe the queen would give us permission to tell them? Even if we can only thell them a little bit."
"It's worth a shot," Ash replied with a shrug. "But, let's call them after dinner."
"Why the wait?" Stephen asked, before hearing the loud rumble coming from Ash's stomach. Grinning widly, Stephen teased his brother. "Ah! Love makes you a little hungry eh?" Unfortunately for Stephen, it was at this moment that his own stomach decided to rumble as well, just as loudly as Ash's had.
"HA! I guess I'm not the only there bro!" Glaring at each other for a mere moment, both Ketchum's quickly broke out in fits of laughter. It was simply too funny. After a day of not much making sense, at least the two of them could still give one another a hard time now and again. Once calm, they got up and joined their friends for a nice meal.
(…)
Ash rubbed his stomach, amazed as always that it could hold so much. Around him, May, Dawn, Stephen, Meowth, and even Pikachu all seemed in similar states. Everyone had eaten a lot, which didn't leave much room for talking. But, there was always tomorrow for anything that needed to be said. It wasn't like they were going anywhere tomorrow!
"Phew! Well… I'm stuffed!" Ash finally said, satisfaction oozing from his tone.
"Me too," Stephen agreed. "I don't think I've ever eaten so much spaghetti at once before!"
"What is it with you and spaghetti anyways?" Dawn asked, obviously curious.
"I just really like spaghetti… or pasta of any kind really," Stephen replied, closing his eyes to picture all sorts of pasta dishes. "Anyways, I think it's time to head off to bed now. We've all got a big day of training tomorrow."
"Right! The contest!" May blurted, snapping to attention. "I still don't even know what I'm going to do!"
"Relax May," Ash said, patting the girl's shoulder. "We've got all day tomorrow to plan for the contest."
"I suppose," May replied.
"Actually," Stephen began, holding out a key and tossing it to Ash. "You two could discuss it tonight if you want to."
"What do you mean?" Ash asked, getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"I see I forgot to mention this then," Stephen mumbled to himself. "You two are staying in the same room for our time here."
"We're what?!" Ash blurted, feeling his face grow warm. A lady and a knight staying in the same room together! Why, the nobles of Rota would have a field day with this story! Ash didn't quite understand why or how, but nobles just LOVED to get under each other's skin. Beside him, May seemed just as flustered as Ash himself did. Her face was red again.
"Relax, relax," Stephen said, raising a hand. "It's just for our time here at the festival. It's what couples would do after all." Stephen made sure to put emphasis on the word "couples". That's what made it click in Ash's mind. So, couples must stay in the same bedrooms together then.
"Alright, that sounds good to me. Come on May! You too, Pikachu!" Ash said, rising and extending a hand to May, who had just snapped out of her trance.
"Oh… uh… right!" She said, taking Ash's hand.
"Pika!" Pikachu chirped, hopping down from his spot on the table. Leading May to the appropriate room down the hallway Ash opened the door to their room, as Pikachu immediately hopped onto the closest bed and curled himself into a ball, ready to sleep.
"Well, it looks like Pikachu chose my bed for me already!" Ash said with a laugh, setting his backpack down at the foot of the bed and laying down. Suddenly, all of the excitement of the day hit Ash with a wave of exhaustion. He must've been growing soft! Guardian Riley would've had Ash doing much more in a day! Well, there was always tomorrow morning to start fixing that. Speaking of tomorrow morning, Ash just got a clever idea of a way to get Stephen back for constantly sneaking up on him.
"So, you're fine with sharing a room then Ash?" May asked, sitting down on her own bed.
"Yeah, it's fine. It IS only for a few days after all."
"True," May replied, then she giggled a bit. "I just kinda wonder how my dad would react to this!" Ash's heart easily skipped about ten beats there.
"What do you mean?" Ash asked, clueless as ever.
"Oh, that's just how dad's always are. They always seem to hate their daughter's first boyfriend."
"Well, maybe I'm the exception," Ash replied, closing his eyes. "I mean, Norman DOES like me… right?"
"Totally!" May revealed. "He was crushed when he saw that Tobias guy beat you in the Sinnoh League!" Ash cringed upon hearing Tobias's name again. That… was a trainer that Ash would beat… some day.
"Well, maybe he'll be just fine about the news then," Ash said, dismissing the issue. "Besides, we're just pretending. So once we explain that to him I'm sure he'll be just fine with it."
"Right… just pretending," May whispered, probably to herself. She sounded disappointed about something. Ash wondered what it was. But, now wasn't the time for that. Now, was the time to get a good night's sleep, and get ready for a solid day of training tomorrow. Rising, both Ash and May made their evening preparations, and were soon fast asleep.
(…)
Stephen stared at the phone screen, praying that the queen would answer. It was pretty late in the evening, so he'd understand if she didn't. But there's always room for miracles… right? Thankfully, right as the trainer was about to give up, the screen blinked to like, showing Queen Ilene's face.
"Hello?" she asked, before recognizing the face before her. "Ah, Sir Stephen! It is good to see you!"
"It is good to see you as well my queen," Stephen replied, bowing his head in respect.
"What makes you call me at this hour of the night?" Ilene asked, as straight to the point as ever.
"Well… I have a favor to ask you. Two actually," Stephen replied, readying his words.
"Go ahead. I'm listening," the queen replied.
"It's about the oaths that you made Sir Ash and I swear. I'm wondering if you'd be willing to make… an exception…" Stephen began.
"What kind of exception?" Ilene asked.
"Well… here's the full story…" Stephen said, and he soon began his tale, hoping that the queen would finally allow Ash and himself to be honest with his friends.
(…)
And that's it! Chapter ten finally comes to a close! What did you guys think? I really hope it was worth the wait! And… wait a second… this chapter puts this story over 100k words… doesn't it? And I mentioned a giveaway in the pre story notes too… wonder what that's all about.
WELL I'LL TELL YA!
As my way of thanking everyone who has made this story what it is –you guy- I've decided to have a little bit of a giveaway!
"But Flamewing, what are you giving away?" you might be asking yourself. Good question! You see, recently in my copy of Pokémon Y, I happened to find a shiny Roselia. However, not just any shiny Roselia. I also gave it a fresh case of PokéRus, all set and ready to go at making EV training that much easier for all of you guys at home!
"Wow Flamewing! How do I get a chance at getting this shiny?" You're probably thinking. Good question random follower. This is why I like you! Here's what you have to do!
1. follow favorite the story
2. Look at my update profile and add me as a friend on your 3DS using my friend code.
3. P.m. me with your friend code, so I can add you back.
4. wait for me to send you a message, telling you if you won or not!
That's it! That's all you have to do for a free chance at getting a shiny Roselia with PokéRus! However, if I may be greedy, I'm also going to ask all of you at home to leave a review, as always. I do ever so love reading what you guys think of the story! So, stay tuned everyone! For in the next chapter, things really start taking off! I'm Flamewing98, signing off!