Xannytoes: Ladies and gentlemen, considered to be almost as good as 'Ash nd May wnt 2 teh beech", it's The Return to Hoenn!
Deathwhisper7: The Return!...of...COOKIES THEY'RE BACK GUYS NO LONGER 2013 BUT 2014 PLUS PI LIKE OMG PIE IS SO YUMMY MY DAD IS GONNA MAKE PECAN PIE and yeah, this is The Return of Hoenn!~
Xannytoes: As this is the tenth chapter, it's time we introduce one of the main conflicts to the story… A LOVE TRIANGLE! Does it involve Ash and May? Or someone else?
Deathwhisper7: Silly you, Xanny! It's obviously between the cupcake, the croissant, and the muffin. And obviously the cupcake and the croissant get together cuz the muffin doesn't start with a 'c'. It's so obvious, geez!
Xannytoes: *cough* It also occurs to me Iris and Cilan were absent from the last chapter. Don't worry, they'll return… soon enough ;)
Deathwhisper7: Now, let's find out about this food triangle, I can't wait to see what happens!
"Morning Ashy,"
Ash opened his eyes to a sound sweeter than any alarm. May was perched on the end of his bed, her smile illuminating the room better than any lamp.
"Morning, err, Mayey," replied Ash, much to the brunette's amusement.
"Mayey?" she giggled, her voice the oral equivalent of sugar-free honey (cuz y'know, no cavities).
"Yeah," Ash nodded, mentally smacking himself, "You call me Ashy, so I wanted to come up with a nickname for you."
May grinned. "You'll have to do better than that, Mr Pokémon master."
Ash smiled at the compliment, "I'm sure I'll think of something, Miss Top Coordinator."
Again she giggled, standing up to allow Ash to leave. The raven-head jumped to his feet, though couldn't help but notice that… look, etched plain as Arceus' sun into May's face. The same one he'd seen when the two had reunited for the first time, and again during the dinner at the Pokémon Center. That expression of disappointment, only this time mixed with a dash of hurt.
Deciding to act before a full mood swing came into effect, Ash grabbed the softest plushie he could find, a fat Pikachu, and launched it at May.
With surprising speed, the coordinator snatched the plushie out of the air and threw it back at Ash, who took a glancing blow to the arm as he rolled out of harm's way. The raven-haired miscreant ran at full pelt towards May, arming himself with an Absol and Lucario, whilst she had equipped herself with a Scizor and an Ampharos. May sidestepped, almost causing Ash to collide head first with the wall. Luckily, the trainer was able to stop before suffering a cracked skull. He turned, facing May once again.
"Prepare for trouble – " Ash began.
" – And make it double," May interrupted, winking.
Thus marked the beginning of the war.
It was a brutal battle, with many plushies losing limbs, stuffing and as the case was for a Flygon, both its eyes. The conflict went on for almost fifteen minutes, only ending when the brave Ash Ketchum led a suicidal charge against May Maple, who sacrificed a Jigglypuff to knock Ash to the floor, winning her the war.
"I win Ashy," May grinned, offering a hand to pull him to his feet.
Without hesitation, Ash took it. Showing a surprising amount of strength, May tugged the trainer up, bringing him into very close proximity to her face. The two turned away simultaneously, in a vain attempt to cover up their all too obvious blushing.
"Hey May?" Ash asked, attempting to distract May from the situation.
"Yes Ash?"
"Where are Brock and Max?"
"Brock, why are we here?"
"Patience, young Maximillian."
The two were sitting in the lobby of the Pokémon Center, after Brock had oh-so kindly agreed to buy Max breakfast. The young boy's suspicious instincts would have normally kicked in, but the smell of warm pancakes drizzled in maple syrup and lathered with butter rendered his intuition useless. The only strange thing he could note was that Brock was wearing a hat similar to Ash's.
"OK Max, I need you to stick to the plan at all times," Brock informed the lad.
"What plan?" asked Max, bewilderment painted across his face.
"Just remember your instructions and you'll do fine."
"You haven't given me any instructions!"
"Shh, here she comes!"
And of course, it all made sense to Max.
Brock, the biggest flirt since a male Pokémon with the move 'Flex', had some sort of sick role in mind for the young boy, in the ex-Gym Leader's never-ending quest to find love. Max would have normally reached over and twisted Brock's ear, only to realize Brock was holding a yellow outfit of some sorts. It was an onesie, complete with a hood that sprouted red circles for cheeks and point ears. There was even a tail nailed to the backside.
"What's with the Pikachu outfit?" asked Max.
Brock ignored him, instead grabbing Max and fitting the Pikachu costume over his head in one quick swoop. Before the Petalburg child could rip the Pewter City teen's ear off, Brock pulled the hood up and tightened the strings, rendering Max incapable of talking. His work complete, Brock proceeded to throw himself at the feet of an approaching Nurse Joy.
"Oh Nurse Joy, please allow me the honour of taking you out to the fanciest restaurant in town," said Brock, lovehearts replacing his (closed) eyes, "Only the food of Chez Fanceh is worthy of a woman of your calibre."
"Oh my, that's awfully kind of you," Nurse Joy replied, stepping back slightly, "But I don't even know your name sir."
"Why, don't you recognize me?" asked Brock, pouting a little.
Nurse Joy only shook her head, searching for the nearest available door and debating using the window.
"I'm Ash Ketchum!" Brock declared, striking a pose and forming a peace-symbol with his hand, "This of course is my Pokémon, Pikachu."
The pink-haired nurse looked as if she was about to throw up, the dressed-up Max resembling some sort of horrific mutation. Whilst the electric mouse was normally a cute, slightly plump yet short creature, Max scraped five feet in height, almost as thin as a stick, with about as much cuteness as a Stunfisk performing the worm.
"Imposter!" a voice cried out.
The three turned. Standing at the lobby entrance was Gary, dressed in an outfit identical to Ash's. At his side was a much taller Pikachu, its hands bound by rope.
"I am the true Ash Ketchum, and this is my Pikachu!" Gary yelled, his 'Pikachu' attempting to grab him.
"Gary, I will tear your head off when I get out of this costume," said a voice that could only belong to Paul.
"Pokémon don't talk," Gary told him, tightening the hood. Paul's threats were reduced to incoherent mumbling.
"TALKING POKEMON!" Nurse Joy screamed, fainting.
"What are you doing here?" Brock demanded, walking towards Gary whilst completely ignoring his fallen lady.
"I'm here to stop you stealing my woman!" Oak's grandson replied, anger flaring.
"Over my Pikachu's fainted body!" Brock shook his fist.
Max mumbled something along the lines of "Please keep me out of this".
"There's only one way to settle this," said Gary.
"Agreed,"
"Pokémon battle!" they yelled in unison.
"The heck?" Ash rubbed his eyes as he entered the lobby.
"Something wrong Ash?" May asked, an air of concern hung around her like bad perfume.
"I could have sworn I just saw two people who looked like me walk out the door," Ash told her, "And two oversized Pikachu."
"Maybe you've got fans," May teased, lightly punching his shoulder.
"Or maybe I've been drinking too much Milktank milk," Ash grinned.
The two chuckled and took a seat by the window. Deciding to eat less than he normally did, Ash ordered a few dozen plates of pancakes and six or seven bottles of maple syrup.
"Are you feeling alright Ash?" May gasped, feeling his forehead to search for a temperature.
"Still a little weirded out by those fans." Ash shook his head, wondering if he'd been seeing things.
"I wouldn't worry too much, I saw them too," May admitted, reading Ash's mind.
The Pallet Town trainer smiled. May wasn't psychic, but they'd known each other long enough to form a bond that stretched past the ordinary ties of friendship. He recalled the Terracotta festival, where after an intense battle between Blaziken and Sceptile the judges declared a tie. With only one ribbon, they'd split it in half. He remembered standing on stage, staring at May, who'd given him nothing more than a nod, but her expression had revealed all. He absent-mindedly ran his finger across his own ribbon-half, buried within his pocket. He wondered if May still had her half.
"What have you got there Ash?" May inquired, peering over the table.
Ash smiled, pulling out the object and placing it on the table. May flashed a shade of crimson, silently rummaging through her own pocket, before pulling out her half.
"How long has it been since that festival?" Ash asked, scratching his head in thought.
"A year or two," replied May, "I think I was eleven, and you were twelve."
"I can't believe I've been travelling for four years," Ash sighed, his mind flashing memories of times long since passed. His adventures within Kanto and Johto, his journey through Hoenn, his trip to Sinnoh. Even his time in Unova was coming to an end. Here he sat, the next battle of the league looming over his head, which would determine how much longer he would remain within the region. A sudden thought struck Ash as he stared into the reflective surface of his ribbon. If he lost, would May leave? Her letter had stated she was here to watch Ash in the Pokémon league, so did that mean that she would return to Hoenn if his dreams of victory crumbled to dust?
"Earth to Ash, you in there?"
Ash broke out of his mental prison, returning to the land of delicious smells and his beautiful companion. Worry was still scribbled across her face, her head titled to one side as she attempted to decrypt the mysteries going on inside Ash's brain. That look alone told him the answer he needed to hear.
"I'm fine May," Ash assured her, giving his trademark smile.
"Alright Umbreon, use Dark Pulse!"
The slender Eevee evolution crouched down on four legs, the yellow patterns streaked across its body beginning to glow. With a flick of its head, it released a shadowy burst of purple and black energy that crossed the battlefield with astounding speed. Its target? A seemingly helpless Espeon, stationed at the opposite side of the makeshift arena.
"Now Espeon, use Psychic!"
This form of Eevee differed from its Moonlight counterpart. Whilst it still possessed a similar body shape, Espeon's purple fur bore no symbols or markings, and the tail was split into two sections at the tip. A red gem was also centred on the Sun Pokémon's face, which was currently glowing a calm blue. With a flick of its head, Espeon began forming a shield of sorts around the incoming Dark Pulse. Umbreon proved to be too swift however, and the attack impacted before Espeon could finish its Psychic, throwing the feline-like creature off balance.
Will sighed. He'd spent the better part of the day trying to find a quiet spot to practice, but things weren't going as well as he hoped. If he was going to have any sort of chance of winning the Unova League, he needed some fancy tricks no one else could come up with. And whilst it was easy coming up with some crafty moves, teaching them was another matter.
"Well look who it is,"
Will turned the blonde hair and hazel eyes of Virgil Jeffson appearing to greet him. By his side stood his own Umbreon, who stared at the other two Eeveelutions with interest. Will immediately searched his surroundings for an escape route, fearing the wrath of Virgil's raw fish…
"Train as much as you want, there's no way you'll beat my Eevee team." The rescue worker displayed a smug grin, glancing over Will's Pokémon as if he were judging their chances of taking out one of his. For a very brief moment, Will felt the urge to wipe the smirk off of Virgil's face.
"Leave him alone!"
Will's brief moment of confidence and anger was scattered to the gusts by the appearance of a female trainer, the one he'd seen at the halfway ceremony. Whilst her name had escaped him, her appearance was certainly memorable. Blonde hair that fell down to her shoulders and crystal blue eyes that were flecked with anger. Despite her simple attire, composed of a brand-less pair of jeans, a yellow shirt and a brown jacket, she was still quite pretty.
"Or what, shrimp?" Virgil challenged, his Umbreon bowing its head in an attack stance.
The girl said nothing, preferring to let her Pokéball do the talking for her. Her Salamance burst forth from a white light, a massive dragon of red and blue, teeth barred and flames searing from its open mouth. Needless to say, Virgil and Umbreon had both turned shades whiter than a Froslass.
"We'll just, err, be going now," Virgil sweat-dropped, diving through the trees with his Umbreon in hot pursuit.
Upon seeing the Salamance, Will had taken cover behind a tall oak, which might have withstood a second of the dragon's flamethrower. Trembling, he peered round the corner, the girl looking at him with an odd expression. The Eevee lover reluctantly removed himself from his shelter, as his 'saviour' returned the Salamance to its Pokéball.
"Hi there," she waved, tilting her head slightly.
Matthew was bored.
After the halfway ceremony and the delays in battling, there'd been little in the form of entertainment to keep the young boy occupied. He'd found brief amusement in pranking Nurse Joy and a few of the other trainers, but it hadn't taken him long to lose his slingshot.
Deciding that getting back to sleep wasn't really an option, Matthew rose from his bed and dressed in what could only be described as the scruffiest outfit he could find. The possibility of a shower forgotten, he left the room and began an absent-minded exploration of the Pokémon Center, eventually stumbling upon the library.
A much older boy was seated in the corner of the room. His dark clothes splashed with yellow stripes gave him an 'electrical' feel. In his hand was an incredibly old book, with a title so long and unpronounceable, Matthew could only wonder what sick person could write such a book. The boy looked up from his book, beckoning Matthew over with a smile.
"Hey there," he said, putting the book down and raising his hand in greeting. The eleven year-old nervously walked over, offering a handshake.
"Name's Kevin," stated the elder, offering Matthew the seat to his right, "Matthew right?" to which the boy in question nodded.
"I remember the halfway ceremony, your Ludicolo packs quite the Hydro Pump," Kevin complimented, with nothing more than a smile as a response.
"Don't talk much, do you?" This time Matthew replied with a shake of his head. Kevin sighed, picking up his book and returning to the page he was on.
"What you reading?"
Again, Kevin peered over the top of the book, the younger trainer having finally broken his self-imposed silence. Even so, his nervousness continued to show, represented by beads of sweat and a slight shaking.
"A collection of essays that attempt to shed a new light on Mega Evolutions," the older replied, though by the time he'd reached the word 'essays', Michael had decided staring at the wall was much more interesting. Leaving the lad to watch the paint dry, Kevin lost himself within the words and texts of philosophers since gone.
"Metagross, use Hammer Arm!"
"Meet him with Brick Break, Blaziken!"
A clash of white covered the hilltop in a blazing glow, blinding those unlucky to be within its range. The shockwave of such an attack sent trees rumbling and scattered fallen leaves and broken branches. When the fallout had cleared however, both opponents stood strong, unrelenting in their attacks.
"Hammer Arm again Metagross!"
"Brick Break, rinse and repeat!"
The steel/psychic type raised its other leg, throwing another immensely strong assault in the fire type's direction. Blaziken swung its free arm in a downward arc, crossing paths with the oncoming Hammer Arm and holding it in place. Again, the spectators were treated to a show of snow-coloured flashes.
"Shove him back with your rear legs Metagross!" Chris grinned.
With a massive amount of effort, the four-legged Pokémon began pushing Blazkien backwards, overcoming his defences and breaking through with the dual Hammer Arm attack. The result was a peeved off Blaze Pokémon rising from the dirt, covered in numerous scratches and bruises that weren't present a few seconds ago.
"Now finish him with Hyper Beam!"
Metagross reared its head, an orange ball forming from the 'X' formation carved into its metallic form. The sphere began pulsing and shaking, threatening to release an attack of immense power. Chris could only grin as his victory was all but assured…
Then, he saw Ace's grin.
"Blaziken, use Flare Blitz!"
With speed to rival Will's Umbreon, Blaziken launched itself from the earth, crossing the distance between it and the Metagross as if he were a flying Pokémon, flames encircling its body. Metagross desperately attempted to release a half-finished Hyper Beam, only to be overcome by the sheer surge of energy from the Flare Blitz attack. Although he wasn't down, Metagross was tossed to the ground like a common ragdoll, showing off its own injuries.
"Call it a day?" Ace asked, noting the tiring state of their partners.
Chris nodded, "Agreed, I don't think Metagross can go much longer."
The two returned their Pokémon, shook hands and set off back to the Pokémon Center, laughing and complimenting each other all the way. Despite the fact that they were both opponents, competing for the highest place of honour amongst trainers, Chris couldn't help but find new friends within the people he was forced to battle.
"They're good," a voice noted.
A figure shrouded in white and red and watching through binoculars sat atop one of the many trees. He examined the scorch marks left by the battlers, calculating the power of the creatures within his head.
"They're not The Target," said his partner, dressed in an identical outfit.
"Perhaps, though I think we could make good use of them,"
"They aren't acquainted with The Target,"
"They soon will be,"
The two stared at the hill for a moment more, before disappearing into the soundless air, as if they had never existed…
Xannytoes: In case any of you were wondering, there is indeed a plot to this story, which will soon become relevant in the upcoming chapters. Whilst I can't say much, expect a thrilling tale of epicness and romance! At least, y'know, in our opinion.
Deathwhisper7: (It was only Xan thinking that, I'm more modest than him ;) And a better writer too-NOTHING I SAID NOTHING COUGH COUGH ACK MY THROAT someone get me some cough medicine please, oh gosh help-)
Xannytoes: TO THE REVIEWS! *Flies off, Superman style*
Deathwhisper7:
SupernalGodzilla: Heydere! Thank you, once again, for being a regular! (I feel like Xan and I use these words too much /sighs) We're so happy that you enjoy our story, it's great to write it with a brilliant and hilarious partner like this derpy guy over there-somewhere over...hey, where'd he go? Xan! Get out of my cookie jar, you jerk!
Slvr0107: Hallo! Is Snivy? I'm not sure, I don't watch Pokemon myself. I mean, when I was younger, I was completely addicted to it! But unfortunately I don't have time to watch Pokemon, although if I did, I would surely spend most of it watching Pokemon battles! #nolyfe If Snivy is female, we apologize and will keep this in mind :D
LMC8133: Harro! What's this about a musical? You know, I'd love to see Wicked and I want to go see stuff and ohemgee like totes-anyways, we're glad that we can grant you some laughs! (Honestly, it was Xan doing most of that, my humor only comes in during the intro and outro parts ahaha ) Thanks for reviewing!
jojo298: Hey Jojo! It's great that we got such a quick response from you! And finally, I got me some attention heh /strikes pose NO XAN YOU INFLUENCED ME I DON'T WANNA STRIKE POSES GEEZ agh xD Thanks for reviewing, Jojo!
Map217: Ahem, the cookie cannon and cookies go to me. You can give Xan the love letters and complaints and such, but anything sweet is for me ;) Thank you for taking the time to review our story, these comments give us a lot of support and motivation! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
codeninjathe: Ohmygosh, your Espeon is simply adorable! Can I keep Code please? I've always wanted an Espeon, and Code is just so kawaii! Kyaaaaaaaah! Please, oh please, can I keep? ^^ Thank you for reviewing again, please accept this cupcake (I took it from Xan...but don't tell!).
Snk707: Heythere! I hope this was quick enough for you? It's great to know that you want more of our story yaaaaay, I bet it was all because of my chapters, I mean, they take awhile and are serious and stuff, but they're definitely better than Xan's! xD Please look forward to the next chapter! :D
Xannytoes:
SupernalGodzilla: You don't have a wife and kids? Welp. Also, hai! What's up my man? Rest assured we are here to stay. Death and I love writing for you guys and we have no intention of stopping. As for Ash and May getting together, we'll just have to wait and see ;) AND I'LL TAKE AS MANY COOKIES AS I WANT!
Slvr107: Mr Slvr107, how goes it? Indeed she is female. We didn't know at the time of writing (seriously, everyone is calling us out on this xD) but we shall refrain from making the mistake in the future. Thanks for reviewing!
LMC8133: LMC! Sorry, no musical. Well, maybe. Sounds like an interesting idea. But I did have an idea for a 'Return to Hoenn' movie, basically involving a villain who wants to use the power of three temples to do some evil stuff. Hehehehe. Thanks for reviewing.
jojo298: Hey Jojo! We're glad you understand us and that you like our work :P We really hope you stick around for future chapters :)
Map217: Wewt! Love letters! In your face Death! Ahem, thanks for reviewing Map. Great to see you again. We appreciate all the welcomes and stuff, makes Death and I feel warm inside. As I said before, we're both here to stay. NOW LET'S WRITE SOME FANFICTION! WOOOO!
codeninjathe: *Backs away slowly from the Espeon* I trust that thing about as much as I trust Death not to eat cookies. Keep it away from me and we'll be just fine. Also, thanks for reviewing xD
Snk707: Yay, a new fan! Welcome to the chaos! Death and I try to update as quickly as possible, but we also want to give you guys a decent chapter, so sometimes we take our time writing them out. Thanks for reviewing :)
Xannytoes: Before we go, I'd like to take the opportunity to recommend the fanfic 'Final Challenge', probably the best Advanceshipping fic you'll ever read. Without spoiling too much, it has action, drama, romance and an ending which will leave you speechless. Be warned, it has a Teen rating for a reason. And if you do read it, no spoiling the ending in the reviews, cuz that's just mean. Speaking of which, GO REVIEW THIS! We've got some work to do if we're going to catch 'League of Ultimates' and their 1,000 reviews. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to collect my advertising money.
And finally, thank you all for almost 8,000 views, 50 reviews, 50 follows, 50 favourites and an immense amount of love and support. It's you guys who help give Death and I the drive needed to write the story. We hope you stick around for the next ninety chapters of Return to Hoenn. Until next time!