I'M ALIVE! QUICK, GO AND CELEBRATE BEFORE I DIE AGAIN!!
Uh, yeah. Thankies for the reviews, dudes :D It was my birthday a week ago, so I haven't had a lot of time to write this fanfiction. Sorry! But I personally think this chapter is worth the wait. I'm revealing a bit of Paul's past, you see, because I want him to be a major character along with May, Drew, Jay and so on. I've been planning to introduce him since I introduced Dawn, but I, eh, kinda forgot about him. Wanna know something? I was planning on making Max come along with May to the Johto! Imagine how different the story would be then!
"May," said Drew softly, leaning towards May, cupping her delicate face gently in his hand. He felt his heart beat faster and faster as his eyes locked gazes with her beautiful sapphire ones.
"D-Drew," stuttered May, looking surprised, but she placed her arms around his neck. They edged closer and closer towards each other...
"MAY AND DREW, SITTING IN A TREE!" screeched Max, who had popped up behind the two Co-ordinators. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G! FIRST COMES LOVE, THEN COMES MARRIAGE, THEN COMES MAY WITH A BABY- ACK!"
Max crumpled to the ground, a large bump appearing on his forehead, for May had just kicked him hard in the face.
Haha, that'd actually be pretty nice. No, Max is better off staying away from Drew and May. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Note: Ash swears quite a lot at some point, so be prepared if you don't like swearwords...
Another Note: I think Jay does too at some point...
Yet Another Note: Oh, Drew does too. Which reminds me, one of the characters in this chapter has a slightly perverted moment including one of the other character's breast... be prepared, because it made my friend laugh her head off and she fell off her chair and actually rofl'd. It was so awesome.
Disclaimer: Dydi Pokemon, Drew a May, na' m'byd arall rili yn perthyn imi. Cadwch i ffwrdd o Charlie a Jay! Fi sy' bia nhw! (Who said disclaimers had to be English?) Fine, you can have a translation. Ahem. Translation: Pokemon, Drew and May and everything else related to Pokemon does not belong to me. But keep away from Charlie and Jay! They're mine!
Ok, pip-pip :D I'm off to London tomozza.
"What do you mean!?"
Jay's shriek rang through the corridor of the hospital where he, Harley and a doctor stood. Harley's face whitened as his eyes grew wide in shock.
"I'm afraid that Charlie's right arm has been paralyzed," repeated the doctor gently. He put his arm on Jay's shoulder, who swatted it away. "I know this is difficult for you. But please, think of your brother."
Jay breathed heavily, his shoulders heaving as he tried his hardest not to punch something with his clenched fist.
"It's all my fault," whispered Harley in mortification. Jay couldn't bear to look at neither the doctor nor Harley. He brushed past his oldest brother, and stormed into the room where unconscious Charlie lay.
But his rage evaporated as he gazed at his injured older brother, and he felt immediate sadness. The whole of Charlie's right arm and shoulder was wrapped tightly and plastered in a cast, although most of it could not be seen because of the white hospital sheet which covered most of Charlie's body.
He was still wearing his clothes, but his long pristinely white winter scarf and black leather jacket had been removed, and the right sleeve of his soft green and white shirt had been cut off to make room for the large plaster cast.
'Once those bones are recovered,' thought Jay sadly to himself, 'his arm will be healed. But the arm will never be a part of Charlie's body again...'
...
...
It was three a.m. in the morning, yet Drew was awake, lying in his bed, staring at his ceiling. He had released Roselia from her Pokeball, and she sat on his pillow, half-asleep.
"What am I going to do, Roselia?" said Drew lowly, so that May wouldn't wake up. "I can't keep this Rampardos."
"Roselia." (Kill it.)
Drew was unsure whether or not Roselia was joking. He sat up and pulled Roselia onto his lap.
"I could release it into the wild," he said, sighing, "but Rampardos could destroy someone else's life. And I can't give it to someone else, it would be too unfair."
"I'll look after it, Drew."
Drew jumped in surprise as he turned to see May sitting up in her bed.
"May!"
"I woke up when I heard you talking to Roselia," explained May, smiling slightly.
"But May... you can't look after Rampardos!"
"Why not?" frowned May. "I think that with a little love and care, Rampardos could be truly tamed."
"But he killed my brother, May. I don't want you getting hurt."
Drew said the last few words in a sad manner. May could not stop herself from getting out of her bed and padding over to Drew's. She sat down beside him, and wrapped her arms around him.
"Don't worry about me, Drew," she said, embracing Drew softly. "I won't get hurt."
"But you did get hurt, May," muttered Drew. "If I hadn't stupidly gotten knocked out by that Skarmory, you would've never gotten slashed by it."
"That's in the past, Drew."
"It was four days ago!"
"My back's fine," assured May gently, settling herself into Drew's bed. Roselia greeted her happily.
"I can't let you take care of Rampardos," said Drew quietly. "Didn't you see what it did to Charlie's arm?"
"It was bad luck; I'm sure his arm is perfectly fine now."
"But Rampardos killed my brother, May. What if the same happens to you?" snapped Drew fiercly. He then sighed, and said tenderly, "I don't want to lose you too, May."
He fell silent again, and then said, "Rampardos has only caused destruction. It's a disgusting cold-blooded murderer!"
And before he could stop himself, Drew did something he had not done since the day he lost his brother; he wept.
May could do nothing but watch as she saw the cold, arrogant shell which Drew usually hid behind and saw his softer, more vulnerable side. She wrapped her arms around his shaking body as the tears fell from his eyes, softly caressing his hair as if he was a small child.
It seemed that everything had finally hit Drew; Charlie and Ally getting hurt, Harley attempting to kill his only family, the massive battle, Rampardos's re-appearance, and the memories of Dorian's death. May had never seen Drew so out of character, yet she understood his sadness. She, too, had to restrain herself from crying.
Finally, Drew calmed down enough to, without saying a word, slip into slumber. May, her arms still wrapped around Drew's taller frame, remained in his bed, as Roselia watched over the two Co-ordinators as they slept.
'It's strange,' thought Roselia to herself as she gazed at them, 'how things have changed. Just a few days ago, it was May who was crying, and it was Drew who comforted her.'
Roselia gently stroked her master's hair with her soft petals. Although she was far younger than him, she felt that she should protect him.
"Roselia..." whispered the small Pokemon, her way of saying, "I love you, Master."
...
...
Be-beep!
Be-beep!
Be-bee-CLUNK.
The small silver alarm clock was thrust across the room and smashed into pieces as it made contact with the wall, leaving a slight dent. Grumbling, Drew crawled deeper into his bedcovers, sprawling out into a comfortable position, ready to slumber once more. But as he stretched his arm, he was shocked to feel something warm and soft. Drew blinked, and squeezed the soft object. He emerged from his bedcovers, and was immediately horrified and felt slightly suicidal, for he had just groped May's breast.
May was staring at Drew in a dumbstruck manner, as the latter stared back at her, his eyes wide.
"Drew..." said May quietly, who had awoken to the sound of Drew smashing his alarm clock, "Why did you just do that?"
"I... I-I... I-uh... May don't!"
But it was too late. May, who was incredibly easy to enrage, had grabbed the scruff of Drew's neck, and had catapulted him out of his bed and straight to the floor, before proceeding to beat the living hell out of him.
"So, even though I comforted you last night when you were so depressed, you decide to repay me by feeling me up?! I could get you arrested for sexual assault, Drew! I am going to beat your ass up so bad that you won't be able to walk for a month without groaning! Argh, I wish I could throw you straight out of this window NOW!"
"I was half a-freakin'-sleep!" yelled Drew back. He had overcome his shock, and was now struggling against May's punches. "Why would anyone want to feel you up, you pig-faced bitch!"
"You ice-hearted jerk!"
Drew attempted to throw the enraged girl off, but May was now thumping his head into the posts of his bed.
Finally, after a few minutes of abusing Drew, May felt satisfied, and sauntered off into the kitchen.
"You stay away from me, you paedophile!" she shrieked before slamming the door. Drew shakily got up from the ground, rubbing his aching head. He wouldn't be able to look at May's face (or her chest) for quite a while.
'It's not my damn fault that she was in my bed,' thought Drew grumpily to himself as he sat down on his bed. 'She should really stop sleeping next to me.'
'Yeah, but she was only comforting you.'
Drew froze. Oh, no. Oh, God, no. His conscience had returned.
'You're such a little weakling, Drew,' sneered the annoying voice. 'Crying like a little baby!'
'Shut up,' snapped Drew into his inner mind.
'I can't shut up, stupid, I'm your conscience,' replied Steve.
'I think I should go to rehab...'
'Nah, I can be useful.'
'How? Your last piece of advice was to ask Ally to go with me to the ball, and that worked out like hell.'
'It isn't my fault that she's gone off with that goth! Anyway, isn't it about time for you to admit your never-ending love to May?'
'I just groped her breast, Steve. And I do not have any feelings towards her.'
'But you admitted a few weeks ago that you had a crush on her! Dear God, you're so damn confusing.'
'Shut up, go away, and burn in hell.'
Drew got up from his bed, and sighed. How could he explain to May that what had just happened had been an accident? He was slightly anxious of talking to her again; what if she beat him up again? Drew was embarrassed enough by the fact that he was considered as a pervert in May's mind.
'It's her fault,' grumbled Steve, who had trotted back from the depths of Drew's mind. 'She should really stop coming into your bed.'
'Yeah, but, well, she was... comforting me last night.'
'You bloody cry-baby.'
'Shut up.'
Drew felt a sudden blaze of anger as he thought of how weak he was; he had burst into tears at the age of thirteen! He hadn't cried since his brother's death. He hadn't even cried at the funeral. He merely stared towards the black coffin which his brother's mangled body was encased in.
He pulled on his jacket with a sigh, and knocked on the door of the kitchen.
"Go away, you pervert!"
Drew grunted back, "You're over-reacting, May. I didn't mean to do that, I thought you were a pillow or something."
"Excuses, Drew! You just stay away from me!"
Drew eventually gave up, and slipped out of the room and out onto the corridor. The final contest was in just five hours, and he needed some breakfast. He decided to go to Gary's room, and find out if Jay had returned yet.
"Hey Drew!"
Drew spun around, and saw Ally skipping down the corridor, a basket of clothes under one arm.
"Oh, hey, Ally."
The hyperactive girl bounced up to him, and grinned.
"I just came back from the laundry room. I've almost managed to clean most of the burn marks off my dress, but I'm sure that Mom will be able to sort it out when I go back to Cherrygrove City."
"Oh, that's good. How is your Mom, anyway? With the baby and all that?"
"She's due any day now," replied Ally, grinning. "I can't wait to meet my new baby sister!"
Drew smiled. "It must be nice to have such a large family."
Ally laughed, and shook her head. "It's annoying, sometimes. Ellie, Fifi and Cody can be so damn irritating, especially Fifi. She thinks she's the boss of us all, just 'cause she's the oldest. Cody is so much nicer, just he never talks. It's a bit creepy, really."
"How old are they?"
"Well, Fifi's nineteen next month, Cody is sixteen, and Ellie is his younger twin sister, so she's obviously sixteen as well. I think. I get confused with all my family. Anyway, what're you doing by yourself?"
"May's kicked me out of our room."
"Why? Did you have a fight again?"
"Yeah. I'm going to Gary's room to try and get some food, 'cause May won't let me into the kitchen."
"That sucks. I'll come with you, 'cause Solidad's still asleep and I'm bored like hell. I'll just go dump these clothes in my room and I'll join you and Gary!"
Ally scuttled down the corridor, and disappeared into her room. Drew heard a faint, "Ally! Why did you throw your damn clothes on top of me!?" and then Ally re-appeared, looking amused.
"Did you throw your clothes at Solidad?" asked Drew as Ally caught up with him.
"Yep."
"While she was asleep?"
"Yep."
They reached Gary and Jay's room. As Ally tapped on the door, she said in a sing-song voice, "Gaaary! Let us in, pleeeease!"
"Ally?" came Gary's sleepy voice from inside the room. "Is that you?"
"Yeah!" replied Ally happily. "Drew and I are here to hijack your food supplies."
"That's nice," grumbled Gary, opening the door. His messy auburn hair was even more of a rugged mess than usual, and it was obvious he had only just woken up.
"I see you're an early bird," smirked Drew as he and Ally entered the room. Gary groaned and rubbed his eyes.
"Why can't you eat breakfast in your own room?" he asked tiredly.
"I've been kicked out," shrugged Drew, mock-sighing.
"I'm just bored!" added Ally, grinning. Gary sighed.
"I've only had three hours of sleep, guys," he said exasperatedly. "Can't I have another hour?"
"Three hours?" blinked Ally. "Why?"
"I was waiting for Jay to get back here, but he never did, so he must still be in the hospital," replied Gary. "I waited for him until five a.m., but I fell asleep."
"Poor you," said Ally. "Ok, I'll go to the kitchen and make some breakfast for Drew and I, and we'll leave you in peace. Don't worry, we'll wake you up an hour or so before the contest."
"Thanks," said Gary gratefully. He rubbed his eyes again, and crawled back into his bed, and was asleep in a matter of seconds.
Eventually, Ally managed to pour some milk and cereal into bowls, and passed one of the bowls to Drew, who was sitting on the edge of the kitchen table. Ally perched herself on a chair, and they started to eat their breakfast.
"Hang on," said Drew, gulping down his cereal with slight difficulty, for he wasn't a fan of milk, "haven't you had your breakfast already, Ally?"
"Yeah."
"Why are you eating cereal here, then?"
"I dunno."
...
...
May sighed. She hated being on her own. She was sitting on her bed, and Eevee was curled up on her pillow. She had tried going to Ally and Solidad's room, but Solidad was still asleep (for some bizarre reason, she had a pile of clothes on top of her), and Ally had disappeared. May had thought of going to Gary's room to talk to him for a while, but then realized that Drew would most likely be there.
May clenched her fists.
"Drew!" she growled. "That pervert..."
She thrust her fist into her pillow, causing Eevee to squeak in shock.
"Sorry, Eevee," muttered May, stroking Eevee's fluffy fur.
"Eevee Eve!" (Just 'cause you're peeved with Drew, don't take it out on me!)
"Sorry," repeated May with a sigh. "It's just that I am so damn angry with him."
"Roselia, Ros!"
Roselia, who Drew had not returned to her Pokeball, hopped onto May's bed and sat beside Eevee.
"Roselia? Where've you been?" asked May, blinking.
"Roselia Roselia Ros Roselia." (When I saw you beating the hell out of my master, I thought it'd be best to keep out of the way.)
"Where were you?"
"Rosel." (Under his bed.)
"Oh. Well, you don't blame me for being angry with Drew, do you?"
"Roselia Roselia!" (Well, Drew was half-asleep, you know! And he was under his bed covers, so how would he have known that you were there?)
"Yeah, but-,"
"Roselia! Roselia Ros, Rosel Roselia! Lia!" (But nothing! You could've laughed this whole thing off, but instead, you decided to kick and punch my poor master, who was clearly horrified at what he'd just done. And calling him a pervert and a paedophile was just cruel, May. You know it was.)
"Eevee Eve!" (You should apologize, May!)
"B-but-,"
"Ros!" (No buts! Say sorry to him now!)
"Roselia!"
May spun around to find the source of the voice that had just said Roselia's name. It was Drew; he stood in the doorway, looking furious.
"Roselia!" he repeated, striding up to May's bed, where Roselia stood, looking mildly shocked. "Were you trying to force May into doing something she doesn't want to do?"
"R-Rosel-lia..."
"You've got nothing to do with this, Roselia. Return."
Roselia attempted to dodge the flash of red light, but she was too slow; she disappeared into her Pokeball. Drew sighed, and stuffed the Pokeball into his pocket. Without looking May, he said, "I'm just here to get the rest of my Pokemon. We're going to go and train outside in the gardens."
He opened his bedside drawer and took out some Pokeballs, and then turned to leave the room without a word. But as he reached for the doorknob, May called out, "Drew, wait!"
Drew didn't turn around to face her, but he didn't leave the room. He folded his arms and leant against the doorframe. "What?" he muttered.
"I'm sorry."
Drew said nothing as he continued to lean against the side of the door.
"Are you mad with me?" asked May softly.
"Of course I am," said Drew with a sigh. "But I forgive you. Just... don't beat me up again."
"Sorry!" repeated May, but with a grin. Drew smiled slightly too.
"Get your Pokeballs, you're going to train with me today," he said. "The final battles are today."
"Wouldn't it be awesome if both of us won the ribbons?" said May dreamily, as she collected her Pokeballs from her bedside table.
"It would," agreed Drew, "but don't get your hopes up."
"I won't!" said May, as they left the room, but inside, she was thinking, 'But it would be nice...'
As they made their way down the hallway, Drew and May saw Ally scuttling down the corridor, looking anxious.
"Hey, Ally," greeted May with a smile. "What's the matter?"
"Oh! Hi! Oh! You're friends again?" replied Ally, nodding at the two Co-ordinators.
"Yeah," replied Drew, slightly awkwardly. He had told Ally why May had kicked him out while they were eating breakfast, and he regretted it greatly.
"What's the matter, Ally?" asked May, frowning. "You look really nervous."
"Well..." said Ally slowly, biting her lip. She sighed. "The contest has been post-poned."
Drew froze. "What!?
"Why!?" demanded May, outraged.
"Because Jay still isn't back."
"Oh! Well, hopefully, the contest will be on tomorrow, yeah?"
"Probably," said Ally. "But that's not what I'm worried about..."
"Well?" prompted Drew. "Spit it out."
"If Jay and Harley are still is hospital with Charlie, that means something bad has happened to Charlie, doesn't it?" said Ally quietly. May gasped.
"Oh no!" she said worriedly. "His arm!"
Ally nodded. "If the brothers are still in hospital, it only means that Charlie's arm is in bad condition."
"He's already shattered the bones in his arm after falling from such a height when he was younger," said Drew, remembering what Charlie had told them the day before.
"Do Madame Marie and Annabelle know what's happened?" asked May. "You know, with the battle you guys had last night?"
"No," said Ally, shaking her head. "If they did, we'd be disqualified by now. Jay called Madame Marie saying that his brother had been in an accident, but he didn't specify what the accident was. He just said that his brother needed him."
"It's a good thing that Annabelle and Madame Marie don't know about the battle," said Drew, biting his lip. "I don't want any of us to get kicked out of the contest."
"Me neither," said Ally, sighing. "I think I'll go to the hospital today, seeing as there isn't a contest. I'm really worried about Charlie, but I want to make sure Jay is alright too."
"We'll come with you. But I think it's better to wake up Gary and Solidad first and tell them about the cancelation of the contest, and where we're going," said Drew, turning around and starting to walk towards Gary's room.
"Yeah," agreed May. "They'll want to come with us, especially Solidad. She needs to talk to Harley."
Ally said nothing as the three of them let themselves into Gary's room, where he was still fast asleep. May crept up to the side of his bed, and gently nudged his shoulder.
"Gary?" she said softly. "Gary, it's time to wake up."
Gary grumbled, and buried himself deeper under his bedclothes. May continued to nudge him, slightly rougher, but the young man still would not awaken.
"Why is he so sleepy?" whispered May to Drew.
"He stayed up almost all night, waiting for Jay to come back home," he answered, slightly sad.
"Poor guy," said May softly. She proceeded to nudge Gary, but got no reaction. Finally, Ally got fed up of being patient, and kicked Gary hard.
Yelling in surprise, Gary tumbled out of his bed and landed with a thud on the carpet. He blearily looked up at the three figures which towered before him.
"Good morning," said Ally, nudging Gary's form with her foot. "Get your butt off the ground, and get it moving."
"Is it time for the contest?" yawned Gary, stumbling onto his feet while glaring at Ally, who was urging him to move as fast as possible.
"It's been cancelled," said May. Both she and Drew explained to Gary what they had just learned, as Gary freshened up in the bathroom and ate a hasty breakfast. Ally disappeared to Solidad's room.
"So the contest's been cancelled because of Jay?" asked Gary through a mouthful of toast. Drew nodded.
"Yeah. We're all worried about Charlie, even though he's caused a lot of trouble."
"Man, poor Jay, being stuck with a brother with a damaged arm and another brother that's crazy," sighed Gary, dumping the crust of his toast in the trash can. He hurriedly combed his tangled hair, and the three youths headed out of the room.
"Is the hospital close?" asked May as Gary locked the door of his room.
"Ally probably knows, she's been there," replied Drew, shrugging. "Come on then, let's go get Sol and Ally."
"We're already heeeere!" came Ally's sing-song voice as she bounded down the corridor, dragging a rather sleepy-looking Solidad with her.
"Ah, Ally," greeted May. "D'you know the way to the hospital?"
"Yeah, actually!" grinned Ally. "I'm weirdly good at remembering where things are. Unfortunately, the hospital is on the other side of the city. It'd take a good three hours to get there on foot."
"I suppose we'll have to get a taxi," sighed Gary. "Who has money?"
"We can't get a taxi, even if we did have money," replied Drew impatiently. "How are we gonna fit six Co-ordinators into one tiny cab?"
"Drew has a point," grumbled Solidad, who still looked sleepy. "We can't all pile into a cab."
"So what're we going to do, then?" frowned May, leaning against a radiator.
"We'll be creative," said Drew, smirking mysteriously. Ally cocked her head.
"Creative? What do you mean?"
"Get your strongest Pokemon out. We're gonna ride them to the hospital."
"Ride them?" asked May, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't that a bit mean?"
"We ride Gyarados all the time, May," protested Drew. "Unfortunately, I don't have a Pokemon large enough for me to ride."
"You can ride my Nidoking," said Gary, grabbing a Pokeball from his belt.
"But Nidoking are usually only four or five feet tall," said Drew, but he ate his words once he saw the great size of the Nidoking which had been released from Gary's Pokeball.
"Jesus!" exclaimed Ally. "That Nidoking has to be at least eight feet tall!"
It was true; the dinosaur-like Pokemon just about managed to fit in the hallway. It thrust its tail impatiently and turned to Gary.
"Nidoking, Drew will be riding you to the hospital where our friend is, alright?" said Gary. The Nidoking nodded, and grunted at Drew in acknowledgement.
"I'll get my Blaziken to give me a piggy-back," grinned May, looking forward to riding her oldest companion as she released Blaziken from its Pokeball.
"Rapidash is perfect for this," smiled Ally, as she threw Rapidash's Pokeball into the air.
"Arcanine, of course," said Solidad, and released her large fire wolf.
"And I'll use my Arcanine, too," said Gary. Soon, all five of the Co-ordinators had their Pokemon standing next to them, except for Drew, who was borrowing.
"Man, everyone has Fire types except for me," grumbled Drew.
"You could ride my Slugma, if you'd like," smirked Gary. Drew hastily backed away and patted Nidoking on its scaly back.
"Never mind," he said quickly, "Nidoking's good enough."
"Good."
The five of them set off down the hallways, their large Pokemon following suit. May was surprised to see Tucker out in the gardens as they made their way across, and hastily ducked behind her Blaziken. Once they reached the courtyard, the Co-ordinators prepared themselves for their long ride.
"The Pokemon Centre was quite close to the hospital," called Ally, as she climbed onto Rapidash's fiery back.
"Ok!" grinned Gary, clambering onto Arcanine's back. Solidad did the same, as Nidoking and Blaziken hoisted their riders onto their backs.
"This should be interesting," chortled Solidad from her perch. "Five teenagers rushing through Goldenrod City on massive Pokemon!"
"We're destined to be interesting," replied Ally with a grin. "Ok, everyone! Follow me!"
She pressed her legs onto the sides of Rapidash's body, and with a loud neigh, the fire horse zoomed onwards. Nidoking and Blaziken followed, pounding their vast feet into the concrete of the pavement, while Solidad and Gary bounded behind them on their Arcanine.
After a few minutes, they entered the main city. Many shoppers stared at them in bewilderment, as they watched the Pokemon canter past.
"Nice Blaziken!" called a teenage boy from behind May.
"Thanks!" grinned May, winking at the boy. Drew felt immediately envious.
"What're you doing?" asked another teenager, dumbfounded.
"We're on an adventure!" laughed Ally from her Rapidash. "Hey, d'you know the way to the hospital?"
"Uh, down Golden Rose Road, and then down the Promenade, and down Silver Berry Road," replied the first teenager, looking baffled.
"Thanks!" called May, zooming down to Golden Rose Road on her Blaziken, with everyone else following speedily.
The five of them cantered down the road, and found themselves in the main Prom. Many more people stared at them and asked questions, but the Co-ordinators merely smiled and continued to zoom on. They eventually reached Silver Berry Road, and the Pokemon were obviously tired.
"C'mon, guys!" called Ally to the Pokemon. "Just down this road, and the hospital should be close!"
Nidoking roared in motivation, and pounded down the road, while Drew clung on for dear life. May laughed and urged Blaziken onwards, while the two Arcanine bounded past everyone, attempting to show off. But Rapidash had true speed; it zoomed past the four other Pokemon, and by the time Solidad, Gary, Drew and May had reached the hospital, Ally was sitting on the grass, patting her Rapidash.
"Jeez, guys, how slow can you get?" she asked, giggling. She raised her plaster cast hand. "I even had to ride with one hand!"
"Well, you live on a farm, so you've probably been riding Ponyta and Rapidash for all your life," shrugged Gary, slipping off his Arcanine.
"So?" said Ally, scowling. She returned Rapidash back to her Pokeball, and Gary returned his Arcanine and Nidoking.
"Ugh, my legs hurt like hell," grumbled May. "Blaziken kept burning my damn legs."
"Blaze!" (Whoops!)
May smiled nonetheless at her Pokemon, and kissed its Pokeball once she'd returned it.
Solidad returned her Arcanine, and said, "Well, c'mon. Into the hospital now."
May noticed how pale Solidad looked; she was obviously reluctant to meet with the father of her child. May sighed to herself. It must be awful for Solidad. Harley had once been a friend of hers, most likely one of Solidad's best friends. But he'd treated her awfully, and now she was carrying a burden within herself.
"He never told me about his brothers," said Solidad quietly to May as the five of them entered the hospital. Gary and Ally wandered over to the receptionist's desk to find out where Charlie was.
"How long have you known him, Solidad?" asked May softly.
"Three or four years," replied Solidad sadly. "We met at one of my first contests. He was such a sweet guy, but very weird. But he was so nice to talk to. I'm an only child, you see, and I live in Pewter City, which doesn't have a lot of kids living there. I only had Brock to talk to there, but he was a bit... over-attached. His massive family was a bit over-powering, too. So it was refreshing to meet someone new like Harley. We travelled with each other for a while. Harley told me that he lived in Slateport, but he never said anything else about his home, or his family. And when we met up again at the Grand Festival last year, things got a bit... out of hand."
May said nothing.
"I need to talk to him," continued Solidad, sighing. "For the sake of my child's future."
May gave Solidad a comforting hug, and said, "Everything will be fine."
Solidad smiled weakly at May as Gary and Ally made their way back to them.
"Charlie's in Ward 36 on the third floor," said Gary.
"Let's go then," urged Drew, making his way down the corridor which led to the staircase. The other four followed his lead, and none of them spoke as they walked past the many corridors. They saw depressing sights; a girl in a wheelchair who stared at the wall of her ward, her eyes glazed over; a man with gruesome scars all over his face and chest. May fingered her own scar on her back, and hissed in pain as her fingers made contact with the still-sensitive skin. Drew saw her wince, and briefly held her hand and squeezed it tightly, although he let go immediately when Gary turned around to see what was wrong with May.
They continued down the corridors, and up a few flights of stairs, which all connected to different rooms. Luckily, there was a map on almost every corner, so it was quite easy to find Ward 36. As they drew nearer to the ward, May realized that many of the wards were named after Gym Leaders and Frontier Brains. She saw the 'Misty of Cerulean City – Ward 31' sign and smiled as she thought of her friend. She then saw a
man in overalls, most likely the janitor of the hospital, taking down a sign which read 'Dome Ace Tucker' and hammering a new sign which read 'Dome Ace Ritchie' onto the door of Ward 34.
"Here it is," said Ally quietly. All five Co-ordinators stood still as they stared at the door which read 'Lance of the Elite Four – Ward 36'. Solidad gulped, and reached for the handle of the door with a shaking hand. But before her hand touched the handle, the door burst open and a nurse bustled out, carrying a clipboard in her arms.
"Oh!" she said, acknowledging the presence of the five youths. "Are you here to visit young Charlie?"
"Um, yes," said May meekly. "Is he... alright?"
"I'm afraid I can't give out information to non-relatives," said the nurse apologetically. "Are you friends of his?"
"In a way," sighed Drew. He didn't want to lie to the nurse by telling her he was a member of Charlie's family, it just wasn't right. "But can we at least talk to one of his brothers? Preferably Jay."
"Oh, alright," said the nurse, giving in. She popped back into the ward, and a few moments later, Jay came out of the room, looking exhausted and much paler than usual. Everyone was stricken to see that he had tears in his eyes.
"Jay!" cried Ally, immediately embracing the boy. "What's wrong!?"
"His arm..." said Jay quietly, wiping away the droplets of tears in his onyx eyes. "It's... it's paralyzed."
The corridor fell silent. The youths gaped at Jay in immense shock.
"It's... paralyzed?" repeated May, her face white.
"Yeah," muttered Jay. Just at that moment, Harley came out of the room, looking equally pale.
"You've told them?" he said quietly.
Jay snapped back, "Shut up, you bastard."
Harley fell silent and stared to the ground. May understood Jay's anger towards his eldest brother, yet she felt sorrow for Harley.
"He'll never be able to... use his arm again?" asked Gary softly. Jay shook his head.
"Never," he spat, glaring at Harley.
There was an uncomfortable silence. Solidad finally broke it by saying, "Can we talk somewhere, Harley?"
"Wh-what?"
"Please. I need to talk to you."
"...Alright."
Somewhat reluctantly, the tall violet-haired man followed Solidad down the corridor. Gary made to follow them, but Solidad turned around and said, "It's ok, Gary. I'll be back soon."
Harley and Solidad disappeared around the corner, leaving Jay alone with the others.
"Is Charlie awake?" asked May tenderly. Jay, who had been staring after Harley and Solidad, turned to face her.
"His eyes have been opening, but he hasn't actually woken up properly."
"At least he's alright," said Drew quietly. Jay spun to face Drew, looking enraged.
"Are you saying that being unconscious and never be able to move your arm again is alright!?" he hissed angrily.
"Yes. I do."
Drew said the words calmly, and stared coolly at Jay, who was panting heavily.
"My brother is never going to be able to move his arm again! And you're saying that's ok!?"
"You didn't even know you still had brothers yesterday," replied Drew.
"Drew, stop it," said May firmly. "Can't you see he's upset?"
"I'm not feeling exactly fantastic, May," muttered Drew. "He doesn't appreciate his brothers. I'd give anything to have my brother back."
"Stop whining," snapped Jay. "He's been dead for years, get over it."
Drew narrowed his eyes as he glared in disgust at the ghostly boy before him. Jay was unnerved to see that the wild look which he'd acquired a few days before had appeared again in Drew's emerald eyes. Jay then noticed that Drew's fist was clenched; he was trying to restrain his fury, but Jay knew that in a few seconds, the clenched fist would make heavy contact with his face.
May, too, had seen this. Before Drew could do anything, she sprung between the two boys, her arms stretched to separate them.
"Don't you dare touch Jay," she warned Drew, before turning to Jay and saying, "I know you're upset Jay, but you back off too."
Both boys unwillingly obeyed. Drew turned away from the other two, and leaned against the wall, regaining his cool and superior air. Jay also stepped away, and opened the door of the ward.
"You can come in, if you want," he muttered, before slipping into the room.
Ally and Gary, who had been watching the whole scenario in a dumbstruck manner, hastily followed Jay into the room. May made to follow them, but before going in, she turned to Drew.
"Are you coming?" she asked softly. Drew moved away from the wall, sighed, and followed her and Jay inside the room.
The ward was completely normal, except it was smaller than most hospital wards, for it only had three beds. Just one of the beds was occupied.
"Charlie."
It was May who gasped his name as she rushed to his bedside. Charlie's eyes were flickering, but not opening.
"Charlie, can you hear me?" asked Jay gently, placing his hand on his brother's undamaged one.
"...Jay..."
The whole room stiffened. Charlie was finally waking up, and Jay was the one who had the horrific job of telling Charlie about his paralyzed arm.
"...Jay... Ha...Harley..."
"Harley isn't here right now," said Jay softly to his brother, who still had his eyes closed. "He'll be back soon, don't worry."
"Ge...get away... get away from it..."
"Away? Away from what?" asked May quietly to Drew.
"That... get away from that... Rampardos... get away..."
Drew bit his lip. "He's reliving last night. He's going through the battle again in his dreams."
"Shouldn't we... wake him up?" asked Gary, moving his eyes' gaze from Charlie to Jay. Jay shook his head.
"No. It's best if he wakes up on his own."
They continued to watch Charlie as he struggled in his nightmare.
"Dragonair... Dragonair..."
"Shit!" gasped Jay suddenly. "We forgot to take Dragonair to the Pokemon Center!"
May froze; Charlie's Dragonair had been crushed under a boulder too. While the paramedics were tending to Charlie, Jay returned Dragonair, and put it in his pocket, saying he'd take it to the Pokemon Centre.
"I can't believe I forgot," he groaned.
"Dragonair... are you... okay...?" muttered Charlie, still plagued by his nightmare.
"I'll take it to the Pokemon Centre right away," said Jay. He buried into the pocket of his black jacket, which he was still wearing from the night before, and his hand emerged from it with a single Pokeball.
"Don't be ridiculous," sighed Ally. She stretched out her hand. "I'll take it. I know where the Cenre is, I saw it on the way home from the hospital last night."
"Alright, then," agreed Jay. "Get Dragonair to the Centre as soon as possible; Dragonair is his prized Pokemon."
"I'll be quicker than lightning," grinned Ally. "I'll ride Rapidash to be even faster. And while I'm on my way out of the hospital, I'll try and find out what Solidad and Harley are up to."
Jay nodded. "Thanks."
With a smile, Ally disappeared out of the room, calling, "Tell Charlie that I say HAAAAAII!"
Her voice echoed through the room, causing Charlie to stir in his sleep.
"Jay... Jay... JAY!"
Charlie yelled in what seemed to be excruciating pain, and unexpectedly raised his head from the pillow, his eyes wide open, his mouth agape in a heavy pant.
No one said a word as Charlie blinked rapidly and looked around the room, still white from his horrifying nightmare.
"Wh-where... where am I?"
His voice was much clearer now he was awake.
"You're in hospital, Charlie," explained Jay softly. "Do you remember what happened last night?"
Charlie's face was first confused, and then he bit his lip.
"The battle. I... got crushed under that rock, didn't I?" he said quietly. Before anyone could do anything, he ripped back his bedcovers and gazed at his arm.
He stared at it in an anxious manner, fingering the plaster cast which covered his entire right arm, right up to his shoulder. At once he knew his arm was broken, but there was something else wrong.
"I... I can't move my arm."
He returned his gaze to Jay once more, who had a pained expression on his face, as if he was trying to stop himself from crying.
"I can't... feel anything."
The room stiffened.
"It's paralyzed, isn't it?"
Charlie said this softly, and everyone was surprised to see that he didn't seem shocked or horrified at all. He had a sad expression on his face, but it didn't show any extreme emotion.
"...Yeah. It is." Jay muttered quietly. A tear fell from his eye. "I'm sorry."
"It's... not your fault," said Charlie, his voice weak.
"I should've protected you..." protested Jay.
"You didn't know that I... was still alive until yesterday," said Charlie, his eyes full of sadness. "I'm just happy... that I finally found you again, Jay... When I found out Harley was looking for you... I just had to follow him... so that I could find you... But it all went so wrong..."
"Don't talk, Charlie," said Jay, cupping his brother's bruised cheek in one hand. "You're still weak. And don't act as if this was your fault; everyone knows that it's mine. If I hadn't burnt down our home and tried to kill you and Harley, none of this would've ever happened..."
"Harley was... slowly killing us..." murmured Charlie with a sigh. "He was... horrible to us. If you hadn't burnt down the house, Jay... we would be dead by now."
Jay gulped. It was true. Harley, with his abusive and violent ways, would've killed his brothers, perhaps by accident, if they had stayed in their home.
"Speaking of that psycho brother of ours," continued Charlie, although he seemed to use the term affectionately, "where is he?"
"He's with Solidad. That girl with long red hair," added Jay, for Charlie seemed confused for a few moments.
"Oh, her..." said Charlie, biting his lip. "The girl that Harley..."
"Banged," nodded Jay, finishing Charlie's sentence for him.
"So... we're going to be uncles?"
"Yeah."
"What about me?" asked Gary suddenly. Drew and May turned to face him.
"What about you?" blinked Drew, baffled. "Don't tell me that you're some long-lost brother of theirs."
"Don't be stupid," snapped the auburn-haired teenager. "I'm talking about me and Solidad. We're... kinda going out now, so aren't I an uncle or something?"
"If you stay with Solidad," said May softly, "you'll be the closest thing to a father that the baby will have."
Before Gary could respond, the door opened behind them. Solidad and Harley walked into the room; Harley looked pale, while Solidad looked slightly disgruntled.
"Harley's agreed to fund me and my baby," announced Solidad to the ward. "And if he breaks that promise, I will get my Arcanine to burn his ass and kick him to hell."
"Thanks," said Harley heavily. He turned to Jay. "Is Charlie awake yet?"
"Yes, I am, actually."
Charlie's voice ringed through Harley's head. He spun around to face his younger brother.
"Charlie!" he exclaimed. "You're awake!"
"Yeah, I am."
Charlie's voice wasn't cold, but it caused an uncomfortable silence to rise in the room. May, Drew and Gary found this a good chance to leave the ward to let the three siblings talk to each other.
"Remember," whispered May into Jay's ear as she brushed past him, "You have to tell Charlie about Dragonair."
She and the two boys slipped out of the room, and into the corridor outside.
"We should go to the Centre and make sure Ally's managed to get there," suggested May.
"Yeah. There's a chance that she's managed to get herself killed by a pedestrian, knowing her and her madness," said Drew, smirking. "Or maybe she crashed herself and Rapidash into a random lamp post."
"I'll stay here and wait for Solidad," replied Gary. He leaned against the wall. "You go on ahead. Here, take Nidoking's Pokeball so you can get home faster."
He pressed a Pokeball into Drew's palm.
"Thanks," said Drew, nodding. He turned to May. "C'mon, then."
...
...
"What the hell!?"
Ash's shriek ringed through Max's head. He sleepily opened his eyes, and looked up at Ash, who was standing next to him, looking furious.
"Ash? Man, Ash, can't you shut up, I'm trying to sleep..."
He looked at his watch. It was ten o' clock.
"Shut up!? Shut up!?"
Max suddenly remembered. Paul.
"Oh crap! Sorry, Ash, I forgot, I, uh, uhm..."
He scrambled out of his bed. Brock, Dawn and Paul were still asleep, and Ash was furiously staring at the latter, his face filled with murderous intent.
"How the hell did that asshole get his assholish ass into Dawn's sleeping bag!? OH MY GOD HE'S A PERVERT!"
Before Max could stop him, Ash kicked Paul hard on the shin. Paul was immediately awoken by a shot of pain spreading through his lower body, for Ash had kicked him on his sore ankle.
"For God's sake," snapped the violet-haired boy, "haven't you heard of alarm clocks!? There's no need to kick me to wake me up."
"I'd like to kick you straight out of this damn region," growled Ash. "I have two questions for you, ass. One; why are you here? Two; why are you in Dawn's sleeping bag, you freakin' pervert!?"
"I can't be bothered to explain," replied Paul. He shuffled back into the sleeping bag. "Let Wimpy explain."
And he fell asleep again; he had snuggled closer to Dawn, just to annoy Ash and Max more.
"Alright, Max," snapped Ash, turning to face the other black-haired boy. "Explain, or I'll stuff you into Brock's cooking pot and serve you as breakfast."
"Calm down, Ash," said Max nervously. "Fine, here's what happened; Dawn and I heard someone in the trees last night, and it turned out to be your rival, Paul. Dawn pretty much forced him to stay with us, because it was so cold. Dawn shared her sleeping bag with Paul, and I shared mine with her. Then, after Dawn fell asleep, Paul realized he'd left his backpack in the trees where we'd found him. So he and I went to the trees, and on the way back, he tripped over a rock and hurt his ankle, which you just kicked."
Max was pretty adept at lying.
"Oh, damn," muttered Ash, biting his lip. His blind fury was seemingly over, and now he seemed worried about the boy who lay fast asleep beside him. "I hope it ain't broken or something."
"Brock'll know," replied Max, sitting down beside Paul. He prodded the sleeping boy. "Oi, wake up."
Paul grumbled, and moodily awoke. "What now? Wanna kick my other foot?"
"Sorry about that," murmured Ash. "I was just surprised to find you here."
Paul snorted. "Well, don't worry. I'm leaving now, anyway."
He pulled back the sleeping bag, and got up to his feet. Unfortunately, his ankle was still in a bad condition, and he hissed in pain as he stumbled onto the snowy ground again.
"You're not going anywhere with that ankle," sighed Ash, kneeling beside Paul. "Max, go and wake up Brock so he can check out Paul's foot. I'll start up the fire and get some warm water to put on his ankle."
"Stop fussing over me," scowled Paul, but he was in too much pain to move from the ground.
A few minutes later, Brock was up and awake, and was sitting beside Paul, inspecting his damaged foot.
"It's not broken," he announced, tenderly feeling the swollen ankle, "but it's really badly sprained. It'll take a few days for it to stop swelling, and it won't be properly healed for at least a month."
"A month!" snarled Paul, outraged. "I can't limp around for a month!"
"You won't be on your own, though," said Ash, wrapping a cloth soaked in hot water around Paul's foot. "We're not letting you go off on your own in this condition."
"I am not staying with you," snapped Paul. "Just let me grab my backpack and I'll be out of here."
"You're not going anywhere," said Brock sternly. "If you strain your ankle too much, it'll break. You're staying here with us, where I can keep an eye on you."
Paul opened his mouth to argue, but Ash said, "We're going to Snowpoint City to battle Candice. If you stay with us, you can battle against her too, and we'll be able to look after you at the same time."
There was no point refusing; Paul accepted the fact that he wouldn't be able to run away from the others. He sighed. "Fine then. But the minute I can walk again, I'm outta here."
"We don't exactly like you," said Max coldly, "so we don't give a damn."
"I give a damn."
Dawn's voice piped up from behind everyone. She was sitting up from her sleeping bag, she seemed to be annoyed.
"Max, stop being mean," she scowled. Max blinked.
"Since when have you been awake?" he asked, bewildered.
"When Ash started to scream at Paul," replied Dawn curtly. "I couldn't be bothered to actually say anything until now. Max, you lied to Ash about how Paul hurt his ankle!"
"What!?" Ash barked. He turned to Max, glaring. "How did he hurt his ankle, then?"
Paul sighed from behind them. "Wimpy and I got into a battle, alright? And then his stupid Kirlia attacked me."
"Kirlia isn't stupid!" argued Max hotly. "Kirlia was Confused, you idiotic retard!"
"Don't call me an idiotic retard, you neurologically advanced brat!"
"Stop fighting, both of you!" snapped Brock. He faced Paul. "So you hurt your ankle when Kirlia attacked you while it was under Confusion?"
"Yeah," muttered Paul reluctantly. "As if it makes any difference."
"As a matter of fact," said Brock, biting his lip, "it does. When I was a kid, Onix accidentally crushed my wrist while we were playing. It took me five months to learn how to use it again."
"What the-!?" barked Paul, outraged. "Are you saying that I'm gonna be with you for five freakin' months!?"
"Maybe," shrugged Brock. "Maybe it was just the weight of Onix that damaged my wrist so much, but Pokemon are much more powerful than natural accidents."
"For God's sake," snapped Paul. "If Dawn hadn't forced me to stay with you retards, I'd be completely fine now."
"Except you'd be dead!" exclaimed Dawn angrily. "You would have frozen to death in that tree!"
"I'd rather be dead than be here with you for five months!"
"You cold-hearted jerk!"
"You pig-faced bitch!"
Max blinked. Didn't Drew and May call each other nicknames like that..?
"Ok, guys, shut the hell up," he said, standing between the bickering twosome. "You really need to calm down."
"Yeah, I agree with Max," said Ash, sighing. "Come on, breakfast time now. What're you making today, Brock?"
Brock and Ash turned away to help with the campfire and make some breakfast for everyone. Dawn reluctantly took over Ash's post of tending to Paul's leg.
"Sorry for calling you names," she muttered. Max sat beside her, and urged Paul to apologize in return.
"I am not saying sorry," said Paul firmly. "And stop drenching my foot in hot water."
Dawn snapped. She flung the wet rag at Paul's face, and stomped away, screeching, "I don't know why I even bother!"
Max glared at Paul. "She was only trying to help."
"I don't need any help," muttered Paul in return. "Once my foot is better, I am leaving for good. I'm fed up of the Sinnoh. I'm fed up of everything."
"I was fed up of everything too," said Max, sighing. He sat more comfortably on the melted-snow-covered grass. "I was desperate to be a trainer. But my dad kept saying no, wait another year, you're too young... so, I ran away from home. I regret not saying goodbye to my family, but journeying on my own for once was worth it."
Paul said nothing, but he stared steely at Max, his eyes full of cold curiosity.
"If I hadn't run away, I would've never met Dawn," continued Max, smiling softly. He stared dreamily at where Dawn stood beside the campfire, venting her anger into a poor innocent lump of wood.
"Why do you like her so much?" said Paul, frowning. "It's stupid."
"Everyone likes someone at some point in their lives," said Max. "Just like how Mom and Dad love each other, and your mom and dad love each other."
"I don't have any parents," muttered Paul suddenly. The atmosphere suddenly seemed to be much tenser and colder.
Max turned to face Paul and said softly, "You're... alone?"
"If you must know, my parents were killed in a freak accident. They got trampled to death by a Rampardos."
...I really have to stop ending chapters with cliffhangers... but I hate chapters that end like "Drew and May smiled at each other as they drank their hot chocolate." because THEY'RE BORING D: Anyway, sorry for people who don't like Paul, but please bear with me. He's going to go under major past-development.
The evil Rampardos returns... dun-dun-dunn... but is it the same Rampardos!? OH MY GOD HAVE THEY BEEN BREEDING!?
Rampardos's Death List: Dorian, Paul's parents, Charlie's arm. Find out what's happened to Dragonair in the next chapter.
I'm never gonna finish this bloody fanfic, am I? It keeps dragging on D: But eh, who cares, people like my fanfic for some retarded reason! Yay! And it's all thanks to my toe! Yeah, that sounds weird. I broke my toe last year, so while I was off school, I discovered Contestshipping. I read some fanfics, so I decided to write my own. Sadly, that fanfic sucked, to I deleted it. Then I started to write Love Beats Everything (I HATE THE NAME BUT I CAN'T CHANGE IT BECAUSE I LOVE IT SO MUCH NOW ARGHHHHH POO) and it was fairly unpopular at first. But by the time I had writted Chapyer 10, I had about 70 reviews! And here I am, at Chapyer 20, with over 250 reviews! SO DANG HAPPY! Thank you, my lovely readers. YOU ALL BLOODY DESERVE MEDALS. -Throws medals at you- AHAHAHAHAHAH! Yes, I'm crazy today.
REVIEW PLEASE :D Or I will jam a pot of marmalede up your ass, and get Harley to bang you.
EDIT!: Hmm. I'm editing a few minutes after posting this chapter. Oh well. Anywayy, as I was reading this chapter, I noticed that I somtimes refer Pokemon as a 'he' or 'she', but sometimes I say 'it'. I'll try my best to refer the Pokemon as a he or she now, except for Pokemon such as Ditto or Magnemite, who are genderless. Now, I am off to do the Caramelldansen in the middle of the street because I am bored. I should get some excellent reactions from my neighbours.