Ash and Pikachu sat on opposite ends of the room. Pikachu was curled up on the end of the bed while Ash sat in a corner fiddling with the Thunderstone. It had taken a monumental amount of patience on May's part to calm down the electric type.
"I don't hear anything Pikachu. I think they stopped bickering." May told her Pikachu as she soaked in the tub.
"Pika? Pikaka, Pikapi pik Pikachu. Pik pika pika Pikachu?" The mouse asked from the top of the dryer.
"Never you mind Pikachu. It doesn't concern you." May said as she sank deeper into the tub.
Ash pocketed the thunderstone and grabbed the remote. "Maybe some TV will calm me down."
The TV flickered to life and displayed the region select for the news channel. Seeing something that caught his eye he went to Kanto news.
"Be nice to know what's going on back home." He muttered.
"It's been five days since the negotiations started here in the Indigo league champions room. Champion Lance and the four regional professors are gathered here with the champion of the Isshu region and Professor Araragi to discuss opening the region to trainers and coordinators from all regions." The reporter read from his teleprompter.
"Any footage or info from inside?" The anchor asked.
The reporter shook his head. "I'm afraid not."
Ash backed out to the selection screen and switched to Hoenn news.
"…And while it appears as though Max blitzed the Rustboro city gym, Brawlys fighting types proved too much for him. He will continue to train on Dewford island, similar to Superstar Trainer Ash Ketchum two years ago. His team is largely weak to fighting types as it consists of Marshstomp, Zigzagoon, Poochyena, Kirlia, Munchlax and Aron." The reporter said. "Our colleagues in Sinnoh have been unable to track down his sister, known as the Princess of Hoenn, Coordinator May, for comments."
"Well shit the news media can't leave my family alone can they?" May groaned from the doorway.
"Guess not." Ash shrugged as he stood up and handed May the remote. "But what do you expect. Your father is the most famous gym leader in Hoenn."
"Earlier we managed to track down Norman in Jubilife city to question him. This is what happened." The news anchor said as the picture next to her grew larger.
The camera was pointed at the ground and the cameramans legs were visible as he ran to keep up with the reporter.
"Norman! Norman! People back in Hoenn want to know, What will you do if you find your daughter?" The reporter asked.
"No comment." Norman said as he picked up his pace.
"What of the boy she's supposedly traveling with? Famed trainer Ash Ketchum?" The reporter asked as a picture of Ash appeared on screen.
"I'll decide when I know more about the situation." Norman grunted.
"Rumors are circulating our forum boards that the two are supposedly a couple now. What do you say to those people?" The reporter asked.
"I'll deal with it the way I see fit when I know more about the situation." Norman said as he stepped into the Pokémon center.
"Did we get anything interesting?" The reporter asked the cameraman before the video feed cut back to the studio.
Ash stepped into the bathroom while May slid under the covers of the bed.
As she flicked through the channels she pet her Pikachu who snuggled up next to her. "Are there any good movies on?"
When a search through the channels turned up nothing she settled on a documentary titled "Rare and mysterious Pokémon: The Larousse city incident."
Ash thought hard as he washed his hair. "How am I gonna do this? I could make it look like another stone and have Pikachu pick it up. No. He'd never forgive me if he found out." Ash groaned in frustration. "It's not like I'm gonna be able to trip, have the stone fly through the air and hit him and call it an accident either" He sighed and went back to cleaning himself.
"Wrong." May said for the twentieth time. "How stupid are these people?" She sighed as she turned off the TV.
"Pika?" Her Pikachu asked.
May smiled as she scratched Pikachu's chin. "It's nothing. Just brings up good memories is all." She frowned as she remembered the guy that wouldn't stop hitting on her through the whole incident. "And then there's Sid." She sighed again.
"They finally air the footage that Rebecca took in Larousse city?" Ash asked as he walked in, drying his hair with the towel.
"Yeah but they messed up a lot of the info." May huffed.
Ash discarded the towel and smiled. "As long as we know the truth." He chuckled as he slid under the covers.
May's Pikachu scampered over to Ash's and roused him. After a short conversation they jumped across to the TV bench and curled up.
"You know you still haven't given me my reward for winning the contest." May noted.
Ash chuckled again. "The moment has to be right."
May huffed again, disappointed. "Alright. If you say so." She said as she rested her head on his chest.
"Trust me." Ash said as he stroked her hair. "It'll be worth it."
When he heard her start to snore he slid out from under her and gently laid her head on the pillow. He got dressed and grabbed the thunderstone from his pocket.
"I need some time to think." He whispered as he quietly opened the door. "I'll be back by morning."
He took a stroll out by the river that flowed along the path to the contest hall and power plant, stopping halfway and leaning against the fencepost.
"Oh. So you're out here too?" A voice asked.
Ash looked around and spotted Dawn walking down the path towards him. "Yeah. I just need some time to think about something." He said as he stared at the thunderstone. He saw all the battles Pikachu had won for him, as well as the Spearow incident from when he first started out. And how close he came to leaving Pikachu behind with the wild group back in Kanto.
Dawn glanced at the thunderstone."Your Pikachu? You want to evolve it?"
"Out of necessity not want." Ash sighed as he slipped the stone into his pocket. "He's not getting any stronger anymore. He needs to evolve to keep growing." Ash told himself more than Dawn. "But I couldn't bring myself to do it if he agreed."
Dawn crouched next to him, being careful to avoid letting him see up her dress, she placed her hand on his shoulder. "We all need to do some things we don't like in life."
"You're right. But it doesn't make it any easier." Ash smiled to her. His face changed to one of anger as he realized something. "Argh I'm such an idiot!"
Dawn let go of him and fell back. "Why do you say that?"
Ash stood straight up and punched the fence. "I'm just noticing this now! He probably realized it ages ago and has been running himself ragged trying to make sure I didn't notice."
Dawn stood up and placed her hands on his shoulders. "It's not your fault. He worries about you like you worry about him."
Ash punched the fence again. "Then why? Why didn't he let me know it was bothering him?" He yelled as he picked up a stone to throw.
"Because he knew you'd react like this." Dawn said as she moved in front of him.
"All of my Pokémon I treat as equals. Pikachu is the only exception. He's like my brother." Ash said as he turned away from her. "For his sake, and my own. I will use this stone on him tomorrow."
"No you won't!" A trio of voices came from above as the stone was snatched from his hand by a mechanical claw.
"Great." Ash growled. "I'm not in the mood to deal with you three today."
"Listen is that a twerpish voice I hear?" Jesse asked.
"It shrieks to me loud and clear." James confirmed.
"On the wind!" Jesse announced.
"Past the stars!" James continued.
"In your ears!" Meowth finished.
"Brining chaos at a breakneck pace." Jesse said as she readied a pokéball.
"Dashing hope, putting fear in its place." James stated as he followed suite.
"A rose by any other name is just as sweet." Jesse turned her back towards them.
"When everything's worse our work is complete." James crouched down and lent against Jesse's legs with his sticking out, forming an R.
"Jesse!"
"James!"
"Meowth, now dats a name!"
"Putting the do gooders in their place, we're Team Rocket. In your face!" The three of them finished.
"Wobbuffet!"
"Mime mime!"
"We'll be taking this stone." Jesse called out. She glanced down and noticed a grin plastered across Ash's face. "Why are you smiling twerp?"
Ash broke out laughing and shot a glare up to the trio as he pulled the thunderstone out of his pocket. "Shall we leave the fools Dawn?"
Dawn looked up at the three crooks in their Meowth balloon and glanced to the left of them. "Yep." She smiled, holding back a laugh.
Meowth made the claw retract and saw what the two humans were laughing about. In the claw was a regular river rock.
"Try again Team Rocket!" Ash yelled out as she pulled the other stone out of his pocket. "By the way. He remembers you."
"Who does he mean?" James asked.
"Ask him Jimmy boy!" Meowth said, a look of pure terror painted on his face.
James joined his compatriots and looked to the left hand side of the basket.
Charizard huffed smoke into his face.
"Did the twerp just pull a fast one on us?" Jesse asked
"Yes. Yes he did." James nodded.
"How shameful. Crooks out swindled by dere victim." Meowth sobbed as Charizard poked their balloon with his claw.
"Looks like Team Rockets blasting off again!" The three of them screamed.
From the bushes a pair of eyes watched. "Pearl is about to grow. I repeat pearl is about to grow."
"Make preparations to take it from the Cloyster." The radio buzzed back.
"Wilco."
Ash crept back into the room and slid back into place. He placed May's head back on his chest and quickly fell asleep himself.
May took no notice of the movement, completely lost in her dream.
"A special occasion at Cameran palace, the Aura guardians that won the tournaments in the past are invited back to partake in a special dance, they are allowed to bring a date with them." Ash read aloud as he lead May toward the palace.
"And you brought me?" May asked.
"But of course." Ash smiled. "You are my love remember. Had it not been for my winning of the tournament last year I would have confessed my love to you on the dance floor. But fortune has presented to me this occasion."
"What?" May asked again.
"You shall see." Ash continued to smile. "The invitation states we must attend dressed in the costumes we wore that year."
As they ascended to the costume room they stopped at a set of lockers with names printed on them.
"That one has your name on it Ash." May pointed out.
Ash looked in the direction she was pointing. "It does too." He said as he opened it. "And it has my costume in it!"
May had been distracted by a painting hanging on the wall. It depicted sir Aaron standing next to a beautiful woman. As she looked closer she let out a gasp.
"What is it May?" Ash asked as he turned around, already dressed in his costume.
"The woman in this painting. Her dress looks exactly like the one I wore last year." She said.
Ash noticed the description underneath the painting. "Sir Aaron and his bride to be in his homeland shortly before she died of illness."
May continued to stare at the picture.
"May you might want to get your costume." Ash reminded her.
May shook her head to clear out of the stupor she was in. "Yes yes. Of course."
She ascended the last flight of stairs and entered the costume room. She found her dress rather easily and got changed.
Ash was waiting for her as she stepped out of the room.
"An image of loveliness rivaled by none."Ash smiled as he extended his hand.
May blushed at the compliment and took his hand.
He lead her down to the ballroom entrance and pushed on the doors.
A blinding light came from within, causing May to shield her eyes with her arm.
May groaned as the morning sun hit her face. "Darn it." She whined as she sat up. "I was having such a wonderful dream too." She checked her pokénav. "Five o' clock. Might as well get going." She said groggily as she rubbed her eyes. She nudged Ash until he woke up.
"What time is it?" He asked.
"Five A.M." She told him.
Ash groaned. He'd only been asleep for five hours.
May continued to nudge him. "I want to see the flowers along the path out of town wake up."
"Alright." Ash said as he rolled onto the floor. "Ow."
May caught a glimpse of the bags under his eyes as he got up. "You were up half the night thinking about it weren't you?"
"Yeah. Let's go with that." Ash groaned.
May sighed. He wasn't usually this indecisive. "You'll make the right choice no matter what."
Ash huffed, slightly angry due to lack of sleep. "I said it was up to him. Now I'm taking that choice away?"
May shook her head. "Get some more sleep. I'll be back after I see the flowers."
Ash crawled back in bed and fell asleep almost instantly.
May sighed and woke up her Pikachu. "Come on. Let's let them sleep."
"Pika." The electric type nodded as her trainer stepped into the bathroom to get dressed.
The pair crept out of the room and outside where they spotted Dawn and Lucas.
"Come on Dawn. We've got a long way to go to get to Eterna city." Lucas said grumpily as Dawn lagged behind.
With a yawn Dawn glanced at Lucas and grumbled.
"This wouldn't happen if you didn't like to go out for strolls in the middle of the night." Lucas scolded her.
May started following them. 'If Ash was outside they may have run into each other.'
"Well for your information I helped someone with an important decision. Plus… I think I fell for someone." Dawn sighed. "But they're taken."
"Dawn. No. Don't tell me." Lucas sighed.
Dawn looked down and blushed. "Yep."
"Not good." Lucas put his face in his hands. "If she finds out then there will be hell to pay."
May could feel her face burning up. 'If he's fallen for her too then I'll… I'll…' She began before tears started running down her face. She sprinted to the forest leading back to Jubilife city and sat behind a tree crying. "I'll never be happy again!" She wailed. "He's the only one I want!"
"Pikaka? Pi-ka-chu?" Her Pikachu asked.
May pulled out Pikachu's pokéball and returned her. "Just let me think." She sobbed.