Hey guys! Got a bit of a short update this time, unfortunately. It's one of those times where I tried to cram in more, but it seemed to fit better as part of the next chapter instead. Sorry :\
On the bright side, though, is that a special day is coming up for us Advanceshippers, and I've got a much better update planned for that day. So be looking forward to that, if this chapter disappoints you!
It wasn't long after the two couples' reunion before they caught sight of the past selves of Ash and May entering the Pokemon Center, forcing the four to do their best to remain out of sight of the rest of the room until they had departed.
After Ash and May explained that they had just gotten their room for the night and that it was safe to show themselves, Trey and Lily decided that they would go and get a room as well for the four of them, Ash and May choosing to stay away from the front counter in order to avoid suspicions by Nurse Joy.
"So…what do we do now?" Ash asked rather plainly. The four of them were now gathered around the center of their room, Ash and May sitting on one bed and Trey and Lily across from them on the other. Though there was no window, they were fairly certain that the day had now progressed into the evening.
"We have to get back to Spear Pillar." Trey answered knowingly. "Cyrus was probably sent back in time like we were, and if he was, that's the first thing that's gonna be on his mind."
"But what are we supposed to do when we get there?" May questioned. "We already tried Darkrai's idea."
"Honestly, I don't really think Darkrai's plan failed." Trey explained. "I think Dialga and Palkia just did what they did because they felt threatened by Cyrus. If we can make it back up there before him, we might be able to calm them down and get them to reverse the time/space warps."
"Oh, yeah, I forgot about those…" Ash commented, thinking back to the strange pink and blue bubbles that had sprung into existence during Dialga and Palkia's struggle against Cyrus.
"So, sounds like we've got a plan." Lily announced happily. "We make it to Spear Pillar after Ash and May, but before Cyrus."
They all nodded in turn, closing the matter and finalizing their decision.
Later that night, each of the four of them in turn found that they were unable to actually get any amount of sleep. Ash and Trey had taken the top bunks of their respective beds, allowing May and Lily the bottoms, but it ended up making little difference either way.
"Hey, Ash." May whispered at one point, having finally gotten fed up with staring at the bottom of Ash's mattress in an attempt to fall asleep and climbed to the top instead.
"Huh?" Ash murmured, looking down across the bed to see her climbing into his bed and crawling up next to him. "Oh, hey. You couldn't sleep either?"
"Nope." May replied, giggling as she snuggled up beside him, placing her head right next to his and locking their hands together under the blanket. "I missed you. I know it wasn't for that long, but…"
"It was our first night ever that we weren't together for." Ash finished for her, chuckling softly. "I know. I missed you, too."
May stared back at him for a moment, her look of surprise slowly being replaced by a warm smile. She leaned in and gave him a brief kiss before remarking, "So after we finish with all of this, can we agree not to go off on any dangerous adventures for a while?"
Ash chuckled again. "Sure, if you think you can keep us out of any trouble for that long."
There was a brief pause before both of them laughed under their breath, a sound that was only broken when Ash pulled May into a second kiss.
The following morning, after the four had all completed their morning rituals and were preparing to leave, Trey and Lily suddenly got to their feet in unison from the side of Lily's bed.
"Huh? What's up, you guys?" Ash prompted, looking up from his own position on the side of May's bed, whose owner was currently stationed in the bathroom.
"Well…" Trey began slowly, and Ash noticed he was holding Lily's hand. "We were talking last night…about a couple of things."
"As hard as that was." Lily added, winking at Ash with a coy grin on her face, causing him to blush slightly.
"…I decided that I want to go with you and May on your way to Spear Pillar."
Ash blinked once, then twice, not quite understanding what his point was. "Um, weren't you gonna do that anyway?"
Trey shook his head. "No, not like that…I meant go with just you two."
Ash stared back at him for another moment, still not catching his meaning, but then he remembered who else was departing from the Pokemon Center that morning. "Wait…you mean…"
Trey nodded. "I know you two must've made it there alright anyway, but after what happened…I just feel like I need to go and help you two out, just in case."
Ash's head spun slightly as he suddenly remembered that Trey had appeared to meet them in the Pokemon Center from seemingly out of nowhere the last time he and May were here. His mouth dropped open, but no words came out.
"Hey…what's going on?" May inquired, stepping out of the restroom with her unfurled bandana in her hands, noticing both Trey and Lily's position as well as Ash's expression.
"M-May…" Ash choked out, turning to face her. Trey and Lily glanced at each other worriedly, not sure what the problem was. "Trey said…he wants to go with us up to Spear Pillar."
"Us?" May echoed back, having a similar initial reaction as Ash. "What do you…"
She stopped short when she caught the look in Ash's eyes, and her own mind pieced together what was happening as well. She looked over at Trey a few moments later, speechless.
"Hey, guys, what's wrong?" Lily asked, Trey eyeing the two of them strangely.
"Nothing…but…" Ash attempted to answer. "Trey…the last time me and May were here…"
"…we ran into you on our way out. Remember?" May finished for him.
Trey's own mouth dropped open when he recalled May's story about meeting him in Eterna City, and Lily's eyes lit up as well. "So…wait a minute…"
"It's just like when you used your Quilava in the square yesterday…" Ash remarked, directing his words at Lily.
May's eyes widened at Ash's words, and Trey continued, "…so…are we…just going in one big circle?"
The four of them dropped silent at his words, all of them processing the effects they were having by having been forced back in time.
Finally, Ash spoke up, deciding to break the silence. "Well, Trey, I think you should go ahead and go."
"I'm kinda scared to think about what would happen to us if you didn't…" May admitted, crossing the room and going to Ash's side as he stood up from the bed.
Trey thought for a moment, then nodded. "All right then."
He turned to Lily and pulled her into a warm embrace, whispering, "Be careful." in her ear as he did, prompting her to echo the same sentiment back. Ash and May glanced at each other and grinned as the two pulled apart.
Trey waved goodbye to Ash and May and stepped outside into the hall, making sure to shut the door behind him, in order to maintain their secrecy until they, too, departed from the room.
Lily remained staring at the closed door for a moment longer before turning to Ash and May. "So, how long do we need to wait, exactly?"
"Well, if Trey's going over to meet us right now…" Ash began, trying to recall how long it was before they all left from the Pokemon Center.
"Probably about ten minutes or so." May finished for him, reaching up to tie her bandana around her head. She was about to reach into her bag for her green flower, when she suddenly noticed the absence of a certain member of their group. "Hey, Ash, didn't you want to get Pikachu treated here before we left? And all of your other Pokemon, too…?"
Ash shot her a sad glance. "Oh…yeah, I did. But we didn't make it on time last night, and I didn't want to risk messing something up by someone seeing me after the other me had already got here."
"Oh…I'm sorry." May replied solemnly, carefully placing the flower in its traditional spot on her ear, and Lily's face fell, as well.
Ash held his expression for a moment before brightening up. "It's okay. This is more important…I know Pikachu would understand. Now, come on, let's get ready to go!"
Please R&R! And keep your eyes peeled for my November 21 update ;)