Hey guys,
sorry for the delay with this chapter. I only recently moved on from school to university, and moved out of my home, so it's been an extremely busy time for me. Hope you all understand!
She'd been stood for a while before she could even make herself think about moving. She desperately wanted to run up to him, to throw her arms around him, but she knew she couldn't just yet. Anyone could be watching him, and she knew there was no way they'd let him back in without facing some sort of consequences. She twitched, struggling to hold herself back. The sun was high in the sky, but the summer was long gone, and the cold was setting in early. She shivered, sighed, and turned away from him. She'd watch a little first, then approach him when the time was right. She was here to save him after all, and the last thing she wanted was to fail.
At lunch, May sat alone again, waiting. At first, Ash made no appearance. She began to worry he wouldn't show up at all, until he walked in late, alone, and struggling. Instantly May could see that he was injured. She waited, watching him look around for an empty table. By now, most tables were full. May had sat herself in the far corner, furthest from the door, and her table was still empty aside from herself. She watched his eyes dart sadly across the room, hovering briefly on his friends. Then, his eyes met hers, and she dropped her head, her heart leaping into her chest. When she glanced back up, he was in line. She sighed, watching him pick some food without really looking at what it was, and turn towards her. Her heart sank as he began to stride in her direction. He said nothing, and barely looked at her, just sat on the other side of the table from her, as far away as he could. She pretended to eat some more, glancing up at him occasionally. It didn't seem as if anyone was watching him after all, and he wasn't eating, just staring at his tray. She shuffled to the next seat along, a little closer, and he looked up.
"Hey," she whispered. He blinked at her, saying nothing. "Do they have you wired after you ran away?" she asked quietly, pointing at his chest. He seemed confused, and a little offended.
"No." Ash turned away from her again. She looked around the room once again quickly. The guards didn't seem any more interested in him that anyone else. She shuffled closer again, and Ash began to look noticeably uncomfortable. She felt terrible for it, but she knew she needed to know everything before she could risk revealing herself.
"Then how did they punish you?"
Ash seemed annoyed at her question, and sighed. "They put me down in the cells for 2 days straight without feeding me, and the guards were extremely rough with me. One broke my finger." He held up his hand, showing the splint on his middle finger. "They check I'm in my room three times a day, not one. They told me I can't tell anyone about what really happened or they'll kill me and my friends that are still on the outside. Does that answer your question?"
For a moment, the situation left May's mind. She knew she could, if she wanted to, pry into his life a little more, and ask about herself. She could find out if he really had any feelings for her at all. She knew she couldn't do it, and shook herself back to reality. There was no one watching, and she knew it was safe now to tell him. Suddenly she felt nervous. She didn't want to tell him here, she wanted a place alone, where she could hug him without worrying about everyone watching. She was, of course, still wearing the fire type uniform, and no one would recognise her or know why she was hugging him. She could wait for the next day, but she didn't know if she could wait that long.
"Hey, will you come outside with me?"
Ash seemed even more puzzled by this question, and raised an eyebrow at her. He blinked a few times. "I don't know you."
"Will you just trust me?"
"I don't mean to be rude, but I don't have a good reason to trust anyone in here right now."
May sighed, looking right into his eyes. She had no choice. "Ash. It's me."
He studied her for a moment, his eyes growing wide. She watched it click into place in his mind, and he tensed up. He leaned in a little. "May?"
She nodded, and he quickly looked around in fear. She could see he was in shock a little. "What are you doing here?" He asked. His face had twisted in concern, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes piercing into her.
"I couldn't not come, Ash. I had to get you out."
"I can't think of another way out, May. We've lost our chance."
May searched his eyes. "You've given up, haven't you? I can see it in your eyes."
"May…" He sighed. "If you'd been through this, you would have too. There's no other way out of here. I'm so glad you're here with me, but we're stuck now."
May stood, hurt. "I wouldn't have given up. I know you're hurt, but you can't give up. I thought you would be a little happier to see me."
"May, there's no one I'd rather have here with me. You've no idea how happy I am to see you, I can't even express it. I just wish you'd stayed outside so you could be safe. All I want is for you to be safe."
"I don't care about being safe, I came back in to save you," May said, raising her voice a little, caring less around the people around her. Ash sighed, defeated.
"There's nothing to save, May, and there's no way to do it."
May paused for a moment, feeling the anger rise inside her. "I'm getting out of here. I'm getting everyone out of here, with or without you," she snapped quietly, and began to walk away, leaving Ash sitting alone again.
As she pushed past people and headed the door, she found herself suddenly stalled. Someone had stuck their arm out in front of her. She looked up. Brock stood over her, his arm blocking her path. Brock was even taller than Ash was, and he towered over her. She froze, but kept a calm face, pursing her lips slightly.
"Yes?"
"Who are you?" he asked, crossing his arms. She looked back up at him, right into his eyes, and knew that he knew something. Brock had always seemed clever, and now he was proving her right. She knew lying would do nothing. She said nothing. "Why are you back? What's going on?"
Still saying nothing, May sighed, looking around. Ash was looking their way. She took Brock's arm and dragged him away, out of the canteen and out of the building. Once outside, she began to explain. She told him everything, from how they'd figured out who she was, to how they'd begun to master their powers, and how they'd found her parents, but were brought back. Brock didn't say a word, and when she was done, still had nothing to say. He seemed to be thinking.
"I'll help you," he said suddenly. May blinked.
"You will?"
"Yeah. The only problem is, we need people on our side, but we can't let the guards find out what's going on. If they discover you, they'll kill you. If you tell people the truth, you'll die."
"I know. I'm still trying to figure that out."
"You didn't seem too happy leaving the canteen there," he observed.
May sighed. "Yeah… Ash has given up. He doesn't believe we'll make it out of here anymore."
"Let's speak to him together then. Maybe I can help you convince him."
May nodded. They'd been outside for some time, and now people had finished dinner, and the sun was almost set. She figured Ash would be in his room, and although she didn't want to draw too much attention to herself, she knew she had to go too. She and Brock headed inside, down the corridors she knew all too well, while she tried to hide the fact that she was terrified of every wall, of every door, and everything inside the place. When they reached Ash's room, Brock knocked on the door. A guard watched, but they weren't doing anything suspicious as such. No answer.
"Ash, it's Brock."
May heard shuffling from inside, and Ash appeared at the door seconds later. He looked to Brock, and to May, and no words needed to be said. He disappeared into his room, and reappeared again a second later.
"Alright, where are we going?" he asked, closing the door behind him.
"We could go out to the woods. It will be quiet there now that it's getting dark and-"
May suddenly stopped. The sound of boots on the laminate floors echoed around the empty corridors. She turned to Brock, terror in her eyes, and he looked around frantically. From around the corner came a group of guards. Brock moved closer to May.
"Step aside," they ordered, taking Ash's hands and cuffing them. He didn't look scared. "You should be in the hall already."
"The hall?" Brock asked as they began to drag Ash away. The guards did not answer. Brock and May glanced at each other, and began to run. They ran to the stairs, and raced down, heading for the hall that all major battles and contests took place in. When they arrived, everyone was already there. The stands were full, just as they had been on the first day she met him. Terrified, May squeezed onto the end of a bench, and Brock sat beside her. Nobody was on stage yet, and everyone talked amongst themselves, but May watched in silence, a lump in her throat and her nerves worse than ever. What if they know he's been talking to me? What if they mean to kill him? They're going to kill him…
Suddenly, silence fell across the hall. Then, she spotted her. Cynthia emerged from backstage, her hands clasped in front of her, wearing her longline black coat that swayed around her hips as she walked. She stopped in the middle, where a table had been placed. She cleared her throat, and adjusted a small microphone by her mouth.
"You're probably all wondering why I brought you here," she began. May's heart felt as though it would stop. "As you know, we keep you here for the good of the people on the outside and for the good of yourselves. We are not monsters. We do this for you. We do this to keep the world safe and secure." Brock muttered something under his breath as she spoke, but May did not listen. "However, there are always those that think they know what is best. We are not monsters, but we cannot let those who try to disobey go unpunished."
She clicked her fingers, and two guards emerged, leading Ash with them. May felt the familiar feeling in her chest, and fought herself to hold down the anger rising. The guards led Ash to the table, and nudged him forward. Ash climbed onto the table and stood there, his head hanging. May could hardly watch.
"This is what happens when you attempt to escape."
Cynthia approached Ash, reaching into his pocket, and pulled out a Pokeball. Pikachu's pokeball. She stepped back, holding it up, and put it in her own pocket.
"All those who make any attempts to escape or even plan to escape will face the same fate. Your Pokemon will be permanently taken away from you. As punishment, Ash will stand here for the remainder of the night, without moving. You are free to stay if you wish to watch. Other than that, that is all. You may leave now."
The hatred in May's chest was the strongest she'd ever felt. Her eyes burned as she stared down at the woman in front of her. For a moment, she lost herself, and suddenly she was snapped back into reality at the sound of Cynthia screaming. The bottom of her coat had caught fire, and it was quickly spreading. She threw it off onto the stage quickly and stumbled back. A number of guards raced forward, putting the fire out. Slowly, people began to cheer and jeer towards her, shaking their fists and complaining. With a face like thunder, Cynthia left the stage, escorted by her guards. People began to leave slowly, after they finished shouting. Brock turned to May.
"I think we just got the people on our side."
After two hours, May still remained. Everyone else had left by now. Every now and then, Ash would look up at her, and they would watch one another, but say nothing. The guards watched from every corner of the room. She lay on the bench. It was stiff, and she was not comfortable, but she wouldn't leave. She lay there, watching him. It didn't take long for her to drift off to sleep.
She woke again to a thud, and jolted upright, looking to the stage. Ash had collapsed from the table and landed on the wooden floor. May began to rush down towards the stage, when a guard took hold of her arm and pulled her back roughly. Another guard approached Ash and kicked him slightly with his boot.
"Hey, get up," he hissed. Ash struggled up onto his knees. The guard pulled him up by the arm, and gestured to the table. Ash clambered back up without saying a word, and stood there again. May knew he hadn't eaten much since he came back, and probably hadn't slept much either. His weakness showed in both his face and his eyes. With her lip trembling, she headed back to the bench and lay down again. This time, she didn't sleep.
When morning came around, May opened her eyes to the sight of Ash being helped down from the table. She'd half-slept through the night, and struggled to open her eyes. The guards led Ash out of the room. Groggily, she followed them, and watched as they pushed him inside his room and left. For a moment, the corridor was empty. May knew there were no cameras in his room, and she could go inside easily to see him. She approached the door, and her hand hovered over the handle. Sighing, she pushed the door open and quickly stepped inside, closing the door. Ash looked up at her from his bed, his eyes dull and heavy.
"When do they first check on you?" May asked quietly.
"First one is 2 like everyone else," he muttered. They both looked away from each other, and the room fell silent. May's feelings were tearing away at her, and seeing Ash this way was killing her. Part of her wanted to kiss him, tell him how she felt and that it would be okay, that once they were outside they would travel together and never be apart. The other part of her knew it was impossible, and thought of Gary. A pang of guilt hit her.
"I didn't sleep much either, and I can't go back to my old room…" She rubbed her arm nervously. "Do you mind?" She pointed to the space beside him.
He shook his head and shuffled further along. May pulled off the boots and left them by the door before crawling inside the bed with him, facing away. She closed her eyes, immediately feeling herself fall asleep, and the pair said nothing else.
They woke again to a knock on the door. May bolted upright, racing for Ash's wardrobe. She pressed herself against the back of it and pulled the door closed silently as Ash crawled out of his bed and answered the door. May could hear her own heart beating in the silence.
"Oh." Brock's voice broke the silence. "I thought she might be here."
May relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief, and emerged from the closet. Brock looked between the two suspiciously.
"I didn't sleep well, so I came here to get some," May explained. Brock nodded in understanding and gestured outside.
"There's no one here right now, and I need to speak to you May."
May walked out, leaving Ash alone again without saying goodbye. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. "What is it?" she asked as they began to walk down the corridor.
"I've had an idea." Brock watched her perk up. "You told me that you snuck into Cynthia's office one night to find out who your parents were? Well, why don't we do it again?"
The office had completely slipped May's mind, but Brock's idea sent her heart racing. She nodded, thinking deeply about how she would manage to pull this off. "I have to go alone. It'll be easier for me to hide and I'll be quieter."
Brock nodded. He trusted her to find whatever they needed to find, and knew that he would only make it harder if something were to go wrong. She could look out for herself long enough for him to get to her if things were to go sour anyway.
"Do you remember who it was that broke you in last time?"
May recalled the man that had helped them last time. She nodded. "Good," he said. "We need to find him now."
First, Brock headed to his room. The clock hit 2, and the drones made their way around the rooms. As the drone scanned Brock, May lay under his bed and watched. Once it had passed, she waited for Brock to let her know it was clear, and snuck out. They circled the building, looking out for the man. They visited the social areas and the canteens, the gym and the pool, the hall and all of the corridors. Several times, the pair encountered Misty, and tactfully avoided her. Eventually, on their second round, they found him in the gym. They approached the treadmill, and the man stopped it, hopping off and crossing his arms.
"Can I help you?"
"Sorry to bother you, we were just wondering if you would help us."
"I know Paul," May spoke up. "He said you helped him before, and we need you to help us, if you would."
The man sighed, but agreed. They would meet outside the office at 10, where he would open the door for her. Brock would wait nearby, but not by the door, in case she should get into trouble. May would search the room for any information she could find before leaving again.
When the time came, May met Brock nearby. Though he tried to hide it, she noticed the twitching in his hand, and the way his eyes darted around the room. She only nodded to him before walking in the direction of the stage towards Cynthia's office. The air was warm and stuffy, and May found herself nervous as they approached the door. Just as she turned the corner, Brock gripped her shoulder and pulled her back, covering her mouth. He gestured through the door, and May noticed the two guards posted outside, guns in their arms. Brock let go of her and pointed around the corner. Nodding, May hurried past the door before they could spot her and hid around the corner. After a moment, Brock straightened himself up and ran into the room, his acting almost flawless. He shouted at the guards that a girl had collapsed in the stage room, and May watched as he led them through the curtains and away from her. She rushed to where they'd stood, her head swirling as she searched for the man. She figured he'd noticed the guards and decided to bail. Composing herself, she looked to the door. The security had been replaced, and now an electric lock sat by the door; she'd need the keycard to enter. She wrapped her fingers around the box, feeling for a way to remove the front. Finding nothing, she sighed, and glanced behind her before closing her eyes and focusing her mind on the box. She felt the heat spreading across her palms, but it didn't burn. When she opened her eyes, it had caught fire. She backed up as it sparked.
Footsteps behind her caught her attention, and she lunged for the handle, shaking it. The door didn't budge. Panicking, she charged the fire within her palms, and shot it at the door. The force broke through the door, and the fire smashed into the back of the room, setting files alight. May abandoned the idea of the mission being secret, and pushed her way through the door, acting quickly. She didn't have long now. Tonight would decide whether she would escape or not. The fire was beginning to spread around the room, so she held her arm to her face and held back her coughing. On the desk, a file lay open, the contents spread around it. She ran for it, pushing the papers back inside the file, and ran for the other door. She dropped the file, charged her fire once more, and threw it, feeling her energy drain with every passing second. She picked up the file again and clambered through the collapsing door, the fire spreading quickly in the room behind her.
"I knew I'd be seeing you again."
Giovanni stood by a glass window. May looked around. The walls were entirely glass, and the room was entirely white, besides the small amount of furniture. Clearly, she'd found Giovanni's office. Outside, the sky was clear, and Giovanni appeared to be watching the stars. She noted the peculiar watch on his wrist. He seemed uninterested in the fire that was now roaring in the room behind them.
"Do you like it?" he held the watch up.
"What is it?" she asked, tensing up, readying herself up for a fight. Giovanni cackled.
"Observe." He pressed a button on the screen, hidden from May. She waited. It glowed, and the glow seemed to spread throughout his body. She didn't dare blink. Slowly, he raised his arm, showing a flame he'd created in it. May's eyebrows furrowed. Last time they'd fought, he'd been a psychic type. Her heart raced. He smirked. Feeling her chest grow heavy, May's eyes began to glow. She would not be outdone. After a silent moment, she paced forward, fire rising around her step, searing around her. It was a threat. Giovanni only smirked again. May charged fire, hurling it towards him. He dodged easily, but the ball found the glass, shattering the wall. Instantly, wind whipped furiously around the room. May faltered, looking up to the sky. A storm had gathered, and bolts of lightning struck quickly upon the ground. She smirked herself. Her ponytail had come loose, and her blonde hair blew in the wind, mingling with the fire whispering around her. Behind her, a crash came as the wall of the room behind her began to crash down. She lifted her arm slowly, and the fire moved around her like a snake. She was somewhat scared of her own power, but she couldn't stop now. Giovanni pressed a button on his watch, and suddenly the ground beneath her rose up, flinging her into the air. She felt a force push her back, and crashed heavily against the wall behind her, smashing through the glass and onto the cold ground outside. She coughed, rolling over in the pile of glass she'd landed in. It cut away at her skin, but she stood, paying no mind to the lightning striking the ground around her. She looked across the field to see people running towards a gap in the wall, but guards ran out, with guns, and they instantly dropped to the floor. One shouted about the fighting inside. Giovanni stepped forward, smiling down at her. The fire rose once more, and she became aware of the eyes on her from across the field. Giovanni rose the ground again, but she kept her balance, rising with it. As she rose, she focused, and the power burned so hot within her she let out a scream. She jumped from the rock, firing her strength at him. The fire moved towards him quickly, a crackling inferno, and took shape, in the form of a giant bird, flying towards Giovanni. May stared for a second in awe at her creation, until it crashed into him. May ran forward, back into the office, firing fireballs ahead of her into the smoke, screaming as the weight of using her power tore at her. She almost stopped, when she was knocked off her feet again.
She could hear him coughing, but she couldn't see for the smoke. She began choking herself, feeling a weight holding her down. She reached out, but Giovanni's shelves had collapsed upon her legs, and something was holding them down. The fire wouldn't kill her, but not being able to breath would. The smoke grew thicker, until May could see nothing around her, and began to scream for help, clawing at the object on top of her. She closed her eyes, begging herself not to cry, but the air was getting so thick with smoke it was almost impossible not to.
In an instant, May was plunged into a wave of water, as high as the room, that swallowed the fire as it moved along. She stopped herself from gasping and pushed at the shelves harder. Keeping her eyes closed, she silently screamed, the water still engulfing her. Her thoughts turned to death. She almost accepted that she would die today. She stopped her tugging and went still. Suddenly, she felt the weight removed from her legs, and she floated along with the wave, until it crashed upon the ground outside. She choked, gasping for air, crawling along the ground that was still littered with glass. Opening her eyes, they fell upon Giovanni standing, firing his own fireball over her. She pulled herself up, clambering backwards. She looked to where he was firing. Ash managed to dodge it. She felt the rage and energy build up inside her. As Ash bent over recovering, she jumped up, pulling all her remaining strength together, and fired one last fireball at him. It crashed into him, sending him flying to the floor. Breathing heavily with anger, she marched over to him, and stood over him, holding fire in her palm. She'd dropped the file on him by now, and it would be destroyed, but she didn't need it. She'd seen the blueprints on the first sheet, and the watch on his wrist.
"Go on then, kill me. You win." Giovanni spat, coughing between his words. May shook her head.
"I won't kill you." She reached down, taking the Pokeballs from his belt and pushing them into her pockets. "I still need something from you."
Giovanni squinted. May looked up, but Ash was still some distance away, though he was beginning to head towards her. She quickly looked back to Giovanni, and gestured to his wrist.
"Why would you want this?" He coughed.
"I need to change my type."
Giovanni shook his head weakly. "It won't work for you. It's specific to one person."
May's lip trembled as she stared angrily down at him. "Then I'll meet you two weeks today in Petalburg city, and we can go to where you had it made together."
Giovanni opened his mouth to protest, but May picked one of his Pokeballs from her pocket, throwing it up and catching it, daring him to question her. His mouth closed again. May's head moved up, and she saw the fighting was still underway inside the building. The storm hadn't settled- lightning still struck down guards all around her. Sighing, May gestured for Giovanni to get up. He seemed confused, and kept an eyebrow raised and his eyes on her as he rose. He held his head up before turning away and sneaking off towards the gap in the wall. Ash ran to her.
"You're letting him get away?" He asked, taking hold of her arm. May pulled her arm away quickly and moved away, looking to the fighting. The fire was spreading quickly throughout the building, and she knew who was inside. She set off running, leaving Ash behind her. She heard shouts behind her, but ignored them, plunging herself into the burning building, an arm over her mouth again. Down the hall was Drew, ushering people out to safety. As he did, Serena fought off the guards that came at them, with what seemed like the ability to fire moonbeams from her palms. She ran to them.
"Drew!" She called, and as he turned, threw herself against him, wrapping her arms around his neck. The hug was short and sweet, she pulled away.
"Giovanni is down, we have to leave."
Serena stopped, panting for breath, and jogged to join them.
"Where do we go?" she asked.
"To the wall. We can fight them off on the way there."
They headed for the field. Dawn stood, her hair soaked from the rain and her arms covered in bruises, holding her arms out, pulling the lightning strikes down from the sky. May called for her, and she dropped her arms, almost dropping to the ground with exhaustion. May helped steady her friend, until she was stable enough to walk. The adrenaline had hit May hard- so hard that she barely felt her own pain. They ran for the wall, May firing fireballs at any guard that was too close, and Serena covered the other side of them. Panicked people pushed their way through the wall, but most had left already. On the other side, May could see the police desperately trying to contain the people fleeing. As they reached the wall, May spotted Misty climbing through. When she looked to her right, Ash had already left. She watched him run to her, and her wrap her arms around him, burying her head in his chest. Around them, the police rushed through the wall, and the guards began to fall to the ground, dropping their weapons. Ash and Misty continued to hug, his arm rubbing her back. May swallowed hard, feeling numb.
"May!" She looked up. Gary ran to her, placing his hand on her chin and lifting her face up, inspecting her for injury. May found herself ecstatic to see him. She smiled. He sighed with relief. "I was so worried."
"I'm fine," May whispered and half-smiled, but her exhaustion was beginning to hit her, and her knees shook. Gary only just had time to reach out and catch her before she slumped over half conscious, and gave in to the darkness creeping into her eyes.