Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Pokemon, its characters, locations, or names. All of them, with the exception of the original characters, belong to Nintendo
A/N: Here it is, the last chapter of Master of the World. Thank god. I'm sick and tired of this, and I want to try to finish all my fanfictions, do the rewritings of a few others, and be done with it.
I have a novel in the works, not to mention some articles I am writing, essays...so much to write, so little time to do it in.
The ending of this didn't turn out as shitty as it had originally. It makes a little more sense then it did in the original, which makes me happy. So, anyway, thank you for reading, if you would like to read the sequel, go take a gander at Shadow League.
Warnings: The pairing in this is RivalSibling.
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Chapter 10: The Chase
Hearing footsteps out in the hall, Ash quickly glanced toward the door; he didn't have much time. He gave one last glance to the garment hanging inconspicuously in the closet before quietly shutting it, sighing a breath of relief; it had turned out better then he had thought it would.
Right on time, he turned around as May entered. A pink blush crept up on him, which went unnoticed as she wordlessly went into the bathroom and shut the door with a snap. The awkward tension in the air felt constricting; he went to sit down on the edge of the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Damn it all," he muttered under his breath, "I knew it was a bad idea..."
"Pika?" A small yellow head poked out from behind him.
"I told you it was a bad idea. Pandora's Box is open now." Pikachu snorted.
"Chuuuuuu." The face Ash made was nothing short of disgust.
"Pikachu!" he hissed, "That's sick, knock it off." The Pokemon snickered.
"Piiiiikachu!" the rodent protested, "Kaaaa!" Ash sighed.
"Fine, so it's true. Doesn't mean you have to point it out to me," he said. Pikachu shrugged when they both heard the bathroom locks being undone; the knowing Pokemon gave him the peace sign before taking to it's refuge.
Wearing a fresh pair of pajamas, May padded over to the other door, peeking out quickly before shutting and locking it; at the inquiring look Ash gave her, she shrugged. "What? Did you enjoy the last visit we had at night?"
He wasn't sure if she was joking or not; either way, he managed to crack a smile, getting one in return. Putting his focus entirely on a suddenly interesting spot on the wall, Ash frowned again. "I'm sorry, May."
She shook her head; taking a seat next to him, May glanced over. "There isn't anything to say sorry for," she said.
Then the argument started.
"Yes there is-"
"No there isn't-"
"Totally uncalled for-"
"Not at all!"
"I screwed up anyway!"
"I did too!"
"I should know better!" They looked away from each other.
"No one's perfect-"
"It's my second time-"
"It's my first!"
"I should've known better-"
"So you made a-"
"Dammit May, I love you! I didn't want to screw up this time!" Ash glared at her; just as quickly he turned away again, his anger turning in on himself. He laid down on his side, his back to her. "I don't want to screw up again."
She slowly turned around to look at him. "Ash..." she started.
"Don't ask," he said quickly, "just...don't ask. I don't want to talk about it. End of story."
Snuggling up against him, she sighed. "I wasn't going to. I don't want to fight with you," May replied, peering over his shoulder and snaking an arm around him.
He took hold of her hand, squeezing it. "I know you don't. I don't exactly feel like arguing either." Ash looked at her. "Not that it matters really. We already did."
She could only smile at him, and him back.
- - -
"Chu? Pika?" Ash was leaned up against the Item Holder, his eyes focused intently on the Kanto Item. Pikachu's ears perked up when he let out a loud breath.
"I'm fine." Picking the object up, he looked at it closely, turning it in his hands. Nodding once, he turned and started out, carrying the statue with as much care as he could. "Perhaps they are linked somehow..."
"Pi chaaa?" The yellow rodent leaped up to latch onto him, nose twitching. Ash pointed out the small indentation in the top of it. It wasn't very large; he was able to cover it with his pinkie.
Ash set it down when they got to his room, placing it on the bedside table. Pikachu's head tilted to the side when he dove into the closet, pulling out boxes and opening them. He flung the lid off the one he wanted finally; books on top of books were stacked inside. "...aha."
Pulling out a thick volume, he kicked the box back into the closet, slamming the door shut. He leafed through the pages, biting his tongue in thought, until he sat down. "I think it was in here." Pikachu sniffed at it, black eyes darting up to look at him.
"Pikachu," the creature stated, shrugging. Some of the pages stuck together; he looked up as he peeled them apart, stopping only when the door opened and May peeked in.
"Oh, hey," he said, "I thought you said you were going to stay in the other room?" Plopping down beside him, she shook her head.
"I changed my mind," May replied lightly, snuggling up to him. She looked at the exposed page. "What're you reading?" Resting his chin on top of her head, Ash smiled.
"Looking into a hunch is all. Pikachu, do you remember were I put it?" Pikachu nodded, ears straight up, and bounded over to one of the dressers. Standing on his hind legs, the pokemon yanked on the bottom one until it opened – sending Pikachu tumbling backwards. With a growl Pikachu jumped back up, leaping in to ruffle through the mess inside. May and Ash looked at each other, the former in amazement and the latter is amusement.
Pikachu poked his head out, holding a poke ball up on two small arms. Throwing it out, they watched as he rolled it across the floor, and used his tail to fling it up onto the bed. "That," Ash said finally, coaxing the object over, "is what I call a resourceful pokemon."
"What is it? That's no Poke ball I've ever seen," May said, wrinkling her nose; the top half of the orb was silver, the bottom gold. The band around it was a garish purple. However, it wasn't the colouring that was the most amazing part. The fact that on the bottom, button, and the band were emeralds that stood out about an inch or so from the surface, rounded to perfection. "This has got to be the ugliest Poke ball I've ever seen."
Ash snickered. "I'm aware. Actually, this is what is called the Ancient Ball. Supposedly there are four more of these. Two in Johto, one in the Orange Islands, and one in Kanto." he replied, turning it over thoughtfully in his hand. "This is what I was looking for in this book, because look-"
Taking the Kanto Item from it's placement, he shooed her off. Placing it firmly between his knees to keep it steady, he gently placed the shining Poke ball atop it. There was a soft tap, but otherwise it stayed in place. "There's a legend that's over a thousand years old that goes with it all," he continued, "The Pokemon League hadn't started yet. It was said that there was once this force that was terrorizing the world. It's strength was supposed to be beyond that of any person or Pokemon."
May's eyes widened. At her awed look, he nodded. "The countries came together and created the Ancient Ball, and that five of them were needed to contain it. Its power was split into five sections and captured in these, the largest of which would go atop the Kanto Item."
They looked at each other, at the Item, then at each other again. "Rubbish," May said, "That can't be for real...I mean, five sections? That'd kill whatever it was to start with."
"Perhaps." Ash set them to the side, pulling the Ancient Ball off again to put it beside the Item. "I'm more curious as to how they all actually fit together, and if the others exist. If that wasn't what they were created for, then why?"
May shrugged. "I guess you're the only one that can find out now," she said, getting a slight smile. Pikachu groaned and covered his eyes when Ash dropped an impromptu kiss on her.
"Does that bother you? One day I'll be a famous researcher, all because I found out the secret behind the Ancient Ball," Ash boasted, getting a wry look from May. She picked the tome up, closing it with a soft thump, and tossed it over the edge of the bed.
"I hardly think that'll happen, so I guess you'll have to do as you are now," she said, following up with yet another peck on the lips. Pikachu peeked out from between paws, shaking his head when the pair fell over. Sighing, he jumped down, making like lightning to get out. Glancing over, Ash had to stifle a laugh.
"I think that we just officially disturbed Pikachu," he pointed out with a grin, pushing himself back up. Checking the clock, he let out a breath. "It would figure that we have no time. Aw hell."
At the curious look May gave him, Ash rose. He opened the closet door again, his eyes scanning over the clothing hanging in it until they fell on what he was seeking. Ash looked at her uneasily, then back at the clothes. Shrugging, he pulled the only pink thing in it out, putting it delicately on the bed beside her. "Ta da." he said bleakly, "If you don't like it, we have a problem."
She looked up at him with wide eyes. She stood up quickly to hug him, making him shuffle backwards. "No, I love it," she said quietly, "but what is it for?"
"Tonight. Go get dressed." May stared.
"Tonight? What's going on tonight?" she asked, and Ash nudged her.
"You'll see later," he insisted, giving her a faint, amused smile, "trust me, it's better if you don't know beforehand."
- - -
"Remember, I said no looking.," Ash whispered, guiding her along. May pulled a face.
"I don't see why I can't, everything looks the same anyway..." She could hear people talking. A lot of people.
Hearing a door open, there was a hush. May blindly looked around, looking up when Ash made her sit down. "You can look now."
Opening her eyes, they widened; tables covered the room, people sitting at them in their best attire. Ash took a seat next to her, taking a hold of her hand when she turned to stare at him. A small, discrete smile flitted across his face, before he said, "Surprise?"
"What is this?" she asked, "What is this about?"
The smile turned into a toothy grin. "Oh," Ash started, "you'll find out soon enough."
Soon enough turned out to be a few hours later. Dinner had finished already; bellies full, everyone talked and carried on, a good time being had by all. Ash stood, walking around to get to the front of the room. Nothing had to be said; most of them turned a wary eye on him, going silent. "Well, I'm sure you all are thinking that about half of you are probably going to need to start packing after this," he said, "and if we went backwards one year, you'd probably be right."
There were a few nervous laughs. "However, things are changing. I'm not going to stand here and tell you whether you stay or go. This place is my home. I live and work here, just like the rest of you do. I'm not going to take that away from any of you. Not any more, anyway," Ash continued. They stared, a tense silence falling over the room. "No...I really cannot do so without guilt. Not any longer."
He waited for the murmurs to die down before going on. "I admit that I had been seriously bent out of shape for much too long. Something had been taken from me that had been very dear, and instead of just dealing with it, I lashed out in the worst ways possible." Ash took a breath. "I've done a lot that I regret even now. I hurt quite a lot of people, even the ones I'd wanted to hurt the very least."
Looking around at them, all eyes were alert, focused, with a few confused. Ash shrugged. "I'm positive you all know what started this. It's been almost too obvious from the start. Am I correct?"
More and more smiles started appearing then, many of them nodding in agreement. Ash bowed his head, his own mouth curling upward in slight embarrassment; he was starting to feel more like a teenager trying to admit a crush then a grown man talking to an assembly. "Well, I suppose that leaves me with only the option of explaining why I bring it up. There is a reason I chose today of all days to hold this, rather then in a few weeks like I typically would. May?"
There was confusion as he turned, looking over at her. "What is today?" he asked lightly, giving no hints as to the answer.
When no answer was forthcoming, the two of them merely watching each other intently, Ash smiled. "Has it not been a few months?" he prompted.
A dawning look appeared on her face as she rose from her seat. It took only seconds for May to race over to him when he put an arm out to embrace her, both of them getting perplexed looks from their audience. "Six months." she said, "I've been here six months."
"And?"
May nuzzled him. "I've known you for six months."
"And?" At Ash's vague questioning, May glanced up at him, making a face as she mentally backtracked. Her eyes widened slightly.
"It was a month ago that you said you love me," she replied finally, and he bent slightly so they were nose-to-nose. He kissed her gently.
"That's right." He gave everyone else a lingering look. "It's been six months today since she showed up here, and it's also been a month since I was finally able to admit what I should have known all along." Ash turned to May then, his expression changing to mild nervousness. "Don't make me say it."
"Well, I surely can't. You told me to let you do it, so please, do tell," May pointed out, getting a groan from him.
"I did, didn't I?" he mused, "I suppose I have to." Taking a deep, steadying breath, Ash looked away. It was only with prompting from May that he glanced back at everyone again, lightly blushing in embarrassment. He hadn't expected the moment to be so...intimidating. He had the funny feeling if it were his own mother he was facing rather then a crowd, it would be much the same way.
Regardless, he put on another smile. "I love her." he said, "Very much. Which is good for us, not so good for you all – you have to do whatever she tells you to now. Though I really shouldn't talk. I'm her personal slave."
Laughter erupted at the jab he made at himself. May merely watched him, her eyes focused contently; Ash rose an eyebrow inquiringly, rolling his eyes in mock exasperation when she once again got close. "That'll give them something to yap about for the rest of the night." Ash remarked, lowering his voice so that it was no more then a breathy whisper, "Shall we return to my...our room?"
One look into his dark eyes showed the intent. Chewing on her lip thoughtfully, she turned to take a few steps away from him, looking over her shoulder. "Yes...I do believe we should."
At the relieved expression Ash acquired, May grinned evilly. "But only if you can catch me first," she clarified sweetly, stooping down to pull her heeled shoes off.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," he replied. Waiting until she disappeared out into the hallway, he shrugged at the questioning looks he received. "Orders are orders."
Most of them could only smile knowingly as he took chase.
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