Chapter 12: A Mother's Sorrow
"Manaphy?" May wondered on finding the small Pokemon in her hammock that morning, quietly crying. "Oh no...I'm so sorry, I forgot. It's okay, Manaphy. I'm here. Please stop crying, or I'll start crying, too." Manaphy calmed down, holding May tightly. "I won't let you go. I promise."
"Love you."
She held him tightly, taking those words in joyfully. "No, Manaphy...I won't let you go...ever…"
"How much farther is Angel Island?" Sonic asked Knuckles. They were standing on the deck, their fur blowing in the winds.
"We should be there by midnight tonight. Once it's back in the air, I'll have Tails take you guys back to shore. You should be back in Vermillion by tomorrow morning."
Sonic nodded. "So, about what you told me last night...how soon does Manaphy have to leave for good?"
Knuckles regarded him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I know May and Manaphy have to separate eventually, but is there a deadline? If so, I'd like for them to have as much time together as possible before –"
"No, Sonic," Knuckles interrupted. "We have to separate them as soon as possible."
"Are you sure?" Sonic half-pleaded. "Is there really no other –"
"Sonic!" Knuckles looked at him in all seriousness. "This is no time to barter. I wouldn't inflict heartache if I didn't have to, but Manaphy has a duty to fulfill as Prince and Guardian." He turned them both around to see May cuddling Manaphy by the side of the boat. Manaphy looked adorable. "Is this how a Prince is supposed to lead? Is this how a Guardian is supposed to fulfill his duty?! She's had her fun being his mother, but it's time for them to separate, understand?" There was silence as they looked at each other again, both conflicted. "Please, Sonic. It's for everyone's good."
Sonic took a deep breath and sighed. "All right. I'll do what I can, but in the end, we're playing our cards on Baseball Head's cooperation." Knuckles nodded and started up to the top of the boat. "Well, I guess I'll just wait for him to come to me. That's better than being the instigator, right?" There was a pause. Then he rolled his eyes, sitting down. "This isn't helping."
"Hey, Sonic."
He looked up, forcing a smile when he saw who his companion was. "Top of the morning to ya, Baseball Head," he greeted. "Up so early?"
"It's 9 in the morning," Ash chuckled. "This is the earliest I get up when I'm not training, whereas I'll get up at 7 or thereabouts when I am."
Sonic's eyes widened. "You get up that early?" His voice was laced with disbelief.
"Yup."
"Pika!" Pikachu grinned, affirming what his trainer said.
"Wow," Sonic grinned a genuine grin. "Given how prone you've been to getting up late in the morning, I wouldn't have guessed you had that in you. How do you do it?"
"Well, it's not always easy," he admitted. "If Pikachu won't shock me awake, and he rarely does, I have to drag myself out of bed. It's called discipline, and it really helps me stay on top of my game."
Sonic nodded, quietly agreeing. Then his grin disappeared, replaced by a conflicted look as he prepared to say what he meant to say. Well...here goes nothing he thought.
"Uh...Ash? There's something I need to talk to you about," he started, but Ash cut in:
"You don't have to say anything, Sonic. I heard everything last night."
Sonic's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"
"I was on the roof when you and Knuckles were talking."
Sonic looked uneasy. "Oh, uh...how much did you hear?"
"Everything from when you yawned to when you two walked back in."
Sonic looked even more uneasy. "Then...did you hear about –?"
"Yes," Ash nodded somberly. "I didn't mean to. Honestly, I didn't. But you don't have to worry. Your secret's safe with me."
Sonic relaxed a little, slightly relieved. "Well, I can appreciate that. But if you heard everything, then you know that –"
"Yes," Ash nodded. "I know what you want me to do with May and Manaphy." Sonic nodded grimly. "Well, I'm sorry, Sonic, but I can't cooperate with this."
Sonic tensed up. Not good. Not good at all. "Ash –"
"Listen," Ash stopped him. "After you two went in last night, Pikachu and I stayed up on the roof for a little longer. While we were up there, we heard a soft, sweet voice singing not far from where we were." Sonic raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "It was Manaphy. I couldn't see much, but I could hear splashes, and I could tell that he was communicating with the Water Pokemon."
Sonic pondered this a moment, then nodded in understanding. "You mean to say that May's relationship with him isn't preventing him from fulfilling his duty," he mused. "If that's the case –"
"What's going on?"
The two looked up and saw May standing there, hands on her hips and an uneasy look on her face. Ash could have sworn she looked like she was about to cry.
"May?" he stammered. "Uh...uh, good morning! How –"
"Don't," she snapped. "Don't hide what you were saying, Ash."
Ash raised an eyebrow. "What? Did you hear what I said?"
"I heard enough," she choked. "About Manaphy and me. You want us to –"
"Wait," Sonic started, but she was already gone.
"Oh no," Ash breathed, fearful for his friend.
"Pika."
May looked over the edge of the boat, watching as the Pokemon and Mobians played in the water: Manaphy, Amy, Chatot, and Tails. She clutched her heart tightly. I can't do this she thought, But I have to.
"Mana!"
She looked up, smiling at the little Pokemon she had mothered. He was waving at her, calling her to come and play. "Mana! Manaphy!"
Her lips quivered as she ultimately made the most heart-rending decision she'd ever made, and spoke two words that tasted like poison on her tongue:
"I'm sorry." With that, she turned tail and ran away, covering her face with her hands as tears threatened to fall from her eyes, neither noticing nor caring that her bandana flew off her head in the wind. She slumped to the ground inside a corridor in the boat, holding herself tightly, trying as hard as she could not to cry.
"May?"
She looked up and saw Misty coming towards her. "Is everything okay?"
May choked. "It's...it's Manaphy," she stuttered. "I...I had to let him go."
Misty's eyes widened. "Why?"
"So he could do what he had to do to save Angel Island," she whispered. "Sonic said so…"
Misty looked at the broken girl in front of her, compassion swelling in her eyes. "Oh, May," she whispered, leaning down to hold her. May made no hesitations, holding Misty as tightly as she could, no longer holding back her tears. They fell freely, almost weeping themselves for May's troubled heart. Misty fought hard against her own emotions as she remembered saying goodbye to Togetic, knowing now was not the time to break down. May needed someone to lean on. She needed comfort. And so the red-haired girl sat there with her hurting friend, slowly rubbing her back, doing everything in her power to hold back her own tears.
It was truly a gut-wrenching sight that even the most emotionless soul would feel for.
Ash and Sonic were still sitting on the deck, looking downcast. Pikachu mirrored their current disposition, as he considered May to be one of his better friends. Worry clouded their eyes, pulled out of focus, as they sat in sadness and silence.
"I'm going to talk to her," Ash finally said, standing up. When Sonic made no reply, he just turned and started towards the back of the boat, only to run into a familiar face. "Oh, hey Misty."
"Hey," Misty replied, then she glared at Sonic. "May told me you hurt her."
Sonic looked up. "Look, we can explain –"
"We?"
"Yeah, we're both kinda at fault here," Ash admitted. Misty looked at him, puzzled. "Knuckles wanted Sonic to convince me to separate May and Manaphy. I was telling Sonic that it wouldn't be a problem, but she overheard us, so now she thinks she has to leave Manaphy." Misty looked at them both, an unreadable expression on her face. Ash was getting nervous. "I didn't mean for this to happen, Misty," he stated bluntly. Misty nodded, expression unchanged. "How is she?"
"What kind of a stupid question is that?" she glared at him.
"I don't know," he shrugged. "I just...don't want her to be sad, that's all."
"Well, she is sad...very sad. Even if that's not what you were going for, it's what you got. You'd be better off not talking to her."
"Then what am I supposed to do? Let her sob all night?" Misty nodded. Ash was stunned. "What?!"
"It would do her good to let her emotions out," she explained. "Just give her some time, then you can go talk to her." Ash stood there a moment, expression unreadable, before he huffed and conceded.
"Where's Manaphy?" a gruff voice suddenly asked. They turned and saw Knuckles coming towards them.
"Where was he last?" Ash raised an eyebrow.
"May told me he was playing in the water with the other Pokemon," Misty interjected. Ash ran over to where the Pokemon had been playing earlier, but there was no sign of Manaphy.
"Shoot!" Knuckles cursed.
"Well, this isn't good," Sonic groaned. "Ya think we can find him?"
"No. The ocean's too vast. We have to keep heading towards Angel Island."
Ash and Misty looked at each other, heart-rending expressions on their faces. Their thoughts, for once in the time they'd known each other, were exactly the same:
May's gonna be heartbroken.
The rest of that day was spent in a sad silence, as everyone feared the worst for Manaphy. Ash, Misty, Max, and May, who took the news of Manaphy's disappearance in seemingly calm resignation, were down in the boat's underwater section, where they kept an eye on the underwater world in the hopes of finding the lost Prince. Brock and Sonic and friends spent the rest of the day navigating their way to Angel Island.
Before they knew it, it was 11:30 at night, and still there was no sign of Manaphy. May was growing desperate.
"Manaphy?" she whispered to the window. "Can you hear me? It's me, May! Mama! Where are you?" There was no response. "Please be okay. Please come back." She looked away, fighting the urge to cry. "Please, Manaphy...I'm so sorry! Oh Manaphy...I am so sorry! Please come back!"
As Ash watched her, he felt his own heart wrench, partly because he felt responsible for this, but it was more because he cared deeply about her, and seeing her hurt so bad hurt him as well. Don't worry, May he thought. We'll find him. Please don't cry, or I'll cry, too.
"Pika? Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu suddenly exclaimed. Ash turned and gasped.
"It's Manaphy!"
Everyone clambered around him to see, and sure enough, the little blue Pokemon was there, waving happily, carrying something.
May's eyes widened. "My bandana!?"
Max lit up. "I get it! Manaphy ran off to look for your bandana!" May held her heart, which felt whole again. Manaphy swan towards her, but he bumped into the window and started whimpering.
"Hang on, Manaphy," she told him, pointing up. "I'll get you up there." With that, she turned tail and ran back up to the deck, heart pounding, while the others following close behind. But when they looked over the edge, Manaphy was nowhere to be found.
"Where is he?" Max wondered.
"Over here!" They turned and saw Tails waving at them. "We've reached Angel Island!" They ran after him and soon found themselves standing on the ground again. Sonic, Brock, Knuckles, and Amy were also there.
Manaphy was a short distance away, and when he saw his mama come ashore, he leapt into her arms, squealing with delight. May caught him and held him as close as she could, tears no longer hindered as her emotions ran free in them. When Manaphy saw this, he wiped them away, as though to say Don't be sad. We're together again!
"Manaphy," she whispered. "I'm so sorry...I won't let you go again...not like that."
"Phy," Manaphy smiled, and they held each other close.
"Come on."
She looked up and saw Knuckles beckoning her. "It's time to restore the Master Emerald."
