Chapter 26: It Really is a Small World After All

"It's a Small World After All.

It's a Small World After All.

It's a Small World After All.

It's a Small, small World!"

Everyone, besides Andy, was covering their ears as Andy sang at the top of his lungs the most annoying song in the world.

"Why in the world are you singing that?" Marie asked him.

"Because it's true." Andy told her. "Both Mary's biological and foster mothers were best friends. Her foster mother is the younger sister of Ash and Aaron's father who is also the best friend of Misty's father. Mary's biological mother was murdered by Mr. Ketchem's arch rival, Giovanni, who was the gym leader of the Viridian Gym. Not to mention we found out earlier that Mary and Gary are going to get married and their kid will fall in love with Ash and Misty's kid who owns a Pikachu who is the offspring of Christine and Ash's Pikachus that were probably bred by Christine and Brock who will get married. Hey Misty? Did you ask yourself about any other small world things?" (A/N: Does that make sense?)

"When I asked myself about Brock's future girl," Misty explained. "I also asked about yours."

"Which Jenny is it?" Andy asked.

"I'm not telling." Misty said.

0000

"C'mon Snorunt!" Ash called. "Try it again."

Snorunt used ice beam again, but it missed the target…again. Aaron had taken it upon himself to start wearing a helmet when Ash worked with Snorunt.

"You're making Snorunt nervous!" Ash accused his brother.

"Excuse me?" Aaron told him. "I've been hit with frozen apples, branches, berries, apricots, and even pokemon. Don't go telling me I don't have the right to do this."

Marie and Misty laughed at the interaction between the brothers. Aaron did have a point. Snorunt seemed to like hitting trees causing thing to fall out. But it wasn't Snorunt's fault Aaron would be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"STOP THAT SANDWICH!" a voice yelled from the top of the hill.

Everyone turned to see a LARGE sandwich roll down the hill followed by a boy roughly the twins' age.

Ash and Aaron stopped the sandwich from progressing any further.

"Thanks." The boy said.

"No problem." Ash and Aaron answered.

The boy did double takes, closed his eyes, counted to five, and then opened them again.

"You're not seeing double." Andy told him. "They're identical twins."

"No kiddin'" the boy said. "I'm Morrison. And I'm going to compete in the Hoenn League."

"So are we." Ash said.

"I'm Aaron. And this is Ash."

"How many badges have you got?" Morrison asked.

"Eight." They both answered. "You?"

"Seven." Morrison sighed.

"There's still time." Ash said

"Do you want to battle?" Aaron asked Morrison. "It'll be nice battling someone I've never met after weeks of battling these six."

"Ok." Morrison said taking out a pokeball.

0000

After battling Morrison's Beldom, and winning, Aaron let Ash try the new guy out. Because of the experience difference due to the fact Morrison's family didn't let him start training until this year for some reason, Ash won.

"That was quite a battle." Misty said as the group ate dinner with Morrison in the Pokemon Center.

"It's nice to see different styles after weeks of the same five over and over and over and…" Aaron stated.

"We get it." Mary said. "We need more pokemon."

"You'll do fine in your battle for the Rain badge." Ash told Morrison.

"I hope so." Morrison said.

After saying their goodbyes the next morning, Morrison headed off to Scootopolis, while our heroes headed to the Grandfestival so Mary could make an attempt to follow in the footsteps of both of her mothers, her biological father, and her foster sister.

0000

"Okay." Mary said coming out of the Pokemon Center. "I'm registered."

"MARY!" a female voice called.

Mary turned to the voice and a smile grew on her face.

"MAY!"

The gang turned to the direction Mary was running in and saw a girl with brown hair wearing a red bandana a couple of years older than Mary running towards her. When they met, they gave each other a friendly hug. Behind the girl, a boy with green hair and a younger boy with black hair and glasses followed.

"MARK!" the younger boy yelled

"MAX!" Mark yelled back.

"I see you made it." May said to her childhood friend.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Mary said before turning to the green haired boy. "You must be Drew."

"And you must be Mary." Drew replied.

"Before I forget, these are my friends…" Mary started

"AAGGGGHHH!!!" Max screamed. "YOU TWO ARE ASH AND AARON FROM PALLET! YOU TWO TIED AT THE JOHTO LEAGUE; ASH WON THE INDIGO LEAGUE; AND AARON WON THE TOURNAMENT AT ROTA! I SAW THAT LAST ONE IN PERSON!"

"They're also my cousins." Mark told his friend

Max was speechless.

"It's nice to see you again Marie." May said shaking Marie's hand.

"You know each other already?" Mary asked.

"Yes. We were in Rota at the same time." Marie explained.

"It's a world of laughter…" Andy started to sing.

"You'll have to tell me about ALL your adventures." May said to her friend.

"Likewise." Mary added.

"Guess who." A voice said from behind May.

Mary looked to see Caroline (May's mother) put her hands over her daughter's eyes.

"Mom!" May yelled when she turned and hugged her mother.

"How many reunions will we have before you come home?" another voice said from behind the crew.

Everyone turned to see Julie again.

"Hi Mom." Mary said with a laugh.

"What about me?" Richard asked coming from behind Julie.

"Hi Dad." Mark added.

"I was wondering when I'd see my little sister here." A third voice said from a different direction.

Everyone turned to see Christine and Gary.

"What are you doing here Gary?" Ash asked.

"I have my reasons Ashy-boy." Gary told his ex-rival.

"Uh huh. What are they?" ANOTHER voice said from behind Gary.

Gary turned and got the surprise of his life.

"May?"

"That's my name!" May from Petalburg said.

"Actually, I'm older than you." The other May said. "So it's really MY name."

"What are you doing here?" Gary asked the blond girl behind him.

"Is that the greeting you give your sister whom you haven't seen in 6 years?"

(For purposes to avoid confusion, Mary's friend will be May P. while Gary's sister will be May O.)

"Just answer." Gary said annoyed.

"I heard a rumor that you were in town, and since I haven't seen you in so long, I thought, 'even though I'm heading back to Pallet, this way will at least give me more of a guarantee that I'll see my baby brother again.' But I didn't expect to see this much of a reunion."

She turned to Ash, then to a confused Aaron.

"Grandpa mentioned a twin." She said half to herself. "How are you two doing?"

"I'm fine." Ash said. "Everyone, this is…."

"She's MY sister!" Gary interrupted. "I get to introduce her. Everybody, this is my older sister May Oak. May, this is everybody."

"Oak?" Max asked. "As in Professor Oak?"

"Our Grandfather." May O. explained. "Since our parents worked so much, Grandpa practically raised us. When he got too busy, we'd go over to Mrs. Ketchem's house next door and play with Ash. She's like a second mother and Ash was like a second brother."

"YOU KNOW PROFESSOR OAK?!" Max asked Ash.

"Who do you think gave me Pikachu?" Ash asked the younger boy.

"Pikachu" (Yeah)

"I remember you." May O. said to Pikachu. "I was home visiting when Grandpa caught you. You were quite the troublemaker."

"Still is in a way." Ash added.

"Pika?" (Who me?)

"Don't give me that." Ash said. "I know you've been sneaking ketchup causing us to constantly run low."

"Pi pika Pikachu" (Buy some more then.)

0000

During the Grand Festival, Mary met a lot of fellow coordinators courtesy of May P. A lot of people recognized Julie from photos and videos of her own training days, so she spent a great deal of time giving autographs to trainers who wanted it.

"Karla would have enjoyed this." Mark heard his mother sigh after sighing another autograph.

"Mrs. O'Brien. How wonderful to see you again." Mr. Contessa said when he saw Julie.

"I'm here supporting Mary this tournament." She told him.

"Ah yes." Mr. Contessa said looking at Mary. "You have a lot to live up to young lady. Between your mother and sister."

"Not to mention my biological parents." She added with a sigh.

"Did you find out who they were?" May P. asked.

Mary nodded. "Derrick and Karla White."

"It's no wonder you're doing so well." Mr. Contessa told her. "Between spending your time with Julie Ketchem and Christine O'Brien, and the blood of Derrick White and Karla Porter running in your veins, you'll go far."

"Thanks." Mary told the chairman.

0000

The rest of the Festival went normal. Mary defeated May P.'s arch rival Harley who was an annoying idiot. However, Mary's luck was not to last. She was defeated in the next battle by May P. May P. was defeated by her boyfriend, Drew, in the semi-finals. He was defeated by Robert in the finals. Christine didn't participate this year.

0000

"Well, we have to get home." Julie said to her daughter after the festival.

"Me too." Caroline added. "I'll see you later, Sweetie."

"Okay Mom." May P. said.

"I have to get back to the lab." Gary said. "You were great Mary."

"Thanks." She answered blushing.

"Do we HAVE to?" Christine asked Gary in a whine. She had been having a great time hanging out with Brock.

"Yes we do." Gary told her.

"We'll meet again." Brock told the coordinator/researcher/breeder

"We better." She told him. "If not, I'm coming after you."

"I hope we'll meet again." Andy told May O. "It's been fun."

"Yes." May O. said with a small blush. "And if not…you'll make a great gym leader."

It was all Misty could do to keep from bursting out in a fit of giggles. Ash saw the reaction.

0000

That night on the way to Evergrande,

"What was so funny?" Ash asked his girlfriend after everyone else fell asleep.

"Remember when I said earlier that I knew about Andy's future girlfriend?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"He doesn't marry a Jenny. He marries May Oak." She whispered.

Ash groaned at the fact that it truly was a small world.

"What?" Misty asked. "Can't stand the fact that your rival's sister will marry one of your friends?"

"It's not that." Ash told her. "Andy was right. It IS a small world. I didn't want to tell you, but…May was…May was…myfirstcrush."

"Your first crush?" Misty repeated.

Ash nodded.

"So?" Misty asked. "I've had plenty of crushes before you came along. You were just my biggest one."

"Same here." Ash said as they kissed.

When they pulled out,

"I wonder what Gary would have to say about the fact that Andy will marry his sister." Ash pondered.

TBC

A/N: In case you haven't figured it out, the P. in May P. stands for Petalburg while the O. in May O. stands for Oak. Just so you know.