Early the next morning, Ash began to stir as fresh morning sunlight rested on his face. His eyes slowly opened and after a moment to gather his bearings, he began to realize that he, again, had no idea where he was. Instead of the forest he remembered fleeing into, he found himself in what looked to be a bedroom. He sat up and slowly began scanning the room, taking in anything he could to indicate where he was. Just as he was about to try and find a way out of this room, the door opened and someone walked in. She was perhaps a year or two younger than him and dressed mostly in red. Her brunette hair was partially pulled back into a red bandana, leaving only a few bangs hanging in between her two sapphire-colored eyes. When she saw him sitting up, she smiled and walked over to the bed he was sitting on.
"You're awake..." she said with a friendly smile. Ash slowly shifted his gaze back down to his body, still a Pikachu in every sense of the word.
"Pikachu...Pikachu-Pi...Pika..." he whispered to himself as he began to tear up.
"Oh...a-are you ok...?" the girl asked, surprised that tears were the little Pokemon's first reaction. Ash looked up at her sadly and then absentmindedly hugged her torso, just in need of comfort from someone…anyone.
"Pikachuuuu..." he cried into her shirt. The girl hesitated for a minute, but then gently began to stroke his back with her hand.
"You poor thing..." she said softly. Ash clung to her like a scared child and cried his troubles out. The girl sat on the bed beside him and continued to stroke his back in a soothing manner. "It'll be ok..." she tried to reassure him. Ash sniffled and looked up at her face for really the first time. She gave him a warm smile and gently wiped away his tears with her thumbs. Ash blushed ever so lightly at her touch. "Got it all out...?"
"Pika…" Ash responded, giving her a faint nod as he stared at her.
"My name is May...I found you outside and passed out...so I brought you home to make sure you were ok..." she explained.
"ChuPika..." Ash replied, nuzzling her as a show of appreciation for her kindness. May gave a small smile for his gesture.
"Here..." she offered, setting a bowl of water on the bed beside him. "Dad said you were really dehydrated and I should give you this when you woke up." Ash looked at the bowl, discouraged for a moment, before deciding to take her up on her hospitality and drank from the bowl. He knew she had no way to know what he really was. May smiled a little as she patiently watched him drink. Once he felt better, Ash looked up at her with a similar small smile.
"Pikachu." He thanked her. She was about to respond when his hat fell over his face, covering his eyes. May giggled softly and gently moved the hat up a bit.
"Is this yours?" she asked.
"Pika!" he yelled, quickly grabbing the hat from her and clung to it protectively. "It's all I have left...of my humanity..."
"S-Sorry! I was just moving it out of your eyes..." May tried, concerned by his reaction. Ash quickly realized she was only trying to help and calmed down. He adjusted the hat back on his head and then climbed up into her lap, trying to show her he wasn't upset with her, earning a small smile from her. "It must belong to your trainer then huh...?"
"Pi..." Ash responded, looking down uncomfortably with no clear answer to her question.
"...Sorry...did I say something I shouldn't have...?" she asked, worried that she had just upset him again. After a moment to consider his options, Ash climbed up onto her shoulder and licked her cheek, trying to convey that it's not important. May gave a small smile for his gesture. "Thanks..." He gave her his warmest smile so far in return. She then began to stroke the fur under his chin with her fingers.
"Pi...!" he gasped, immediately leaning into her hand and cooed faintly. He had no idea a simple chin stroke could feel that good.
"You're sweet...much different than I thought you'd be..." she giggled. Ash blushed a little and looks away briefly. But then her comment made him turn back to her curiously.
"Pika?" he asked, wondering why she would assume that.
"I mean...the only real interaction I've had with Pokémon are my Dad's Pokémon...they're nice and all...but they're always training and don't really play all that much...growing up around Pokemon like that...well it doesn't leave a very good impression..." May explained. He gave her a small nod. He knew full well that some Pokemon only really wanted to train and battle. And if that was the only real interaction with Pokemon she had while growing up, it was no wonder that she wasn't really fond of them. Sensing she could use a bit of comfort herself, Ash cuddled up to her torso and smiled up at her.
"Pikachu pika." He assured her.
"Thanks…You're really nice..." she smiled.
"Pika! Pika!" he replied.
"You know...it might take a day or two for you to get your full strength back...would you...want to stay here while you recover?" May suggested.
"Chu." Ash nodded. He then remembered something and thought to himself, "Actually, I don't even know where here is..."
"I'm glad. It's nice to have someone to talk to." She grinned.
"Pi Pikachu Pikachu Pi..." he nodded.
"Hungry?" she asked.
"Pika!" Ash exclaimed, his face lighting up at the mention of food.
"Me too. Let's see if we can find a snack." She smiled. She stood up from the bed and Ash smiled back and attempted to climb onto her shoulder as Pikachu did with him. After a few missteps, he managed to find his footing.
"Pikachu got the hang of this so easily..." he complained to himself. May smiled a little and headed downstairs and into the kitchen. She opened up the pantry and looked through its contents.
"Let's see...what am I in the mood for?" she wondered aloud. Ash sat quietly on her shoulder before he noticed something.
"Pi." He said, pointing at a box of noodles.
"Noodles? Do you want some?" she asked. Ash gave her a shrugged nod and she smiled. "Let's give it a try then." She took out two bowls and began preparing the food. Soon two piping hot bowls of ramen were ready. May set them both on the counter and sat down, Ash hopped off her shoulder next to the bowl for him. He gave a thankful gesture and though he struggled a bit learning how to start in his current state, he began eating quickly. May picked up a pair of chopsticks and begins eating as well. Ash finished his food quickly and looked at May, surprised to see her finish her's shortly after.
"Wow…never seen anyone keep pace with me when it comes to food." He thought, giving her a small smile as he shook out his fur.
"How was it? Did you like it?" she asked him.
"Pika!" he nodded.
"I'm glad." She smiled. He smiled back as she began taking care of the dishes. Given the free moment, Ash began looking around the room and checking his surroundings. The house seemed pretty normal all things considered, perhaps a bit bigger than his home, but nothing that indicated anything harmful. The front door opened and he saw a middle-aged man walk into the house. Ash tilted his head curiously at the new arrival as the man walked over to them.
"Ah, May. I see he's woken up." the man said with a smile.
"Oh. Hi Dad. I thought you had a Gym Challenge this afternoon." May replied, catching Ash's attention.
"Didn't take long at all. The battle was over really before it started." He explained.
"So this is her Dad…she mentioned before that his Pokemon were always training…must be so they can compete in a Gym Challenge." Ash reasoned.
"I see." May nodded.
"Since the rest of today is free, I wanted to check on your progress." Her Dad said.
"My progress?" she asked.
"You said you wanted to nurse that Pikachu back to health didn't you?" he reminded her.
"Well yes I want to make sure he's ok..." she admitted. "I think with today and tomorrow spent resting, he should be ok to go back to the wild after that."
"Pi..?" Ash questioned, his ears perking up at her talk about the wild.
"I'm sure that's where he'd be happiest..." May smiled at her Dad and then at Ash, but it was clearly a forced one.
"...If I stay here, I'll get a better chance to figure out where I am and the easier it'll be for me to get in contact with Brock and Misty...My best bet is to stay with this girl…But then...how much can that even do for me..? I didn't become human again...I just transformed further into a Pikachu...can I even turn back...?" Ash thought. He drooped his ears and then rushed into May's arms. She gasped and managed to catch him before looking at him in surprise.
"P-Pikachu?" she asked.
"Oh my." Her Dad commented.
"ChuPika..." Ash whimpered, clinging to her.
"You...don't want to go back to the wild?" she asked, holding him close.
"P-Pi..." Ash sighed, taking off his hat and staring at it. "Pika ka. Pikachu Pika Pika..." he tried to explain as he snuggled into her arms for security. "Pika..."
"You want...to stay with us...?" she guessed.
"Pika." He replied, nuzzling up to her chin.
"You want to stay...with me?" she guessed again.
"ChuPika." He smiled at her. May smiles back at him and teared up a little. A Pokemon had never really shown her such kindness and trust before and it made her feel good.
"I'd...really like that..." she nodded.
"Chaaaaaa." He replied, snuggling up to her.
"I think he's made up his mind." Her Dad smiled. May smiled and hugged Ash happily, which Ash reciprocated. She slowly released him from the embrace and looked at him.
"Listen...I don't have a lot of friends...my timidness around Pokémon makes it hard to make friends...but...I consider you a friend...and I want to be there for you..." she explained.
"Pikachu." He nodded, understanding how that could make things hard for her.
"So...do you...think we can be good friends?" she questioned.
"Pika!" Ash nodded. "Actually…if we can bond together as a team…maybe she'll be able to understand me. Just like a real Trainer and Pokemon."
"Pikachu?" she asked, wondering why he had gone quiet. Ash took a deep breath and decided to try and explain things to her.
"Pi...Pika." he said, holding out his hat towards her.
"Your hat?" she wondered.
"How am I going to explain this without talking..?" he questioned. He gave May a slight nod.
"It means a lot to you doesn't it...?" she asked.
"Well considering only a hundred of these were made yeah...but..." he sighed and then nodded.
"Was it a gift from someone special? Is that why?" she guessed.
"...Pi...Pika..." he nodded. Then, he spread his arms out as wide as he could, trying to communicate that the hat is more than just that.
"There's more?" May questioned. Ash smiled and nodded again, feeling like they were getting somewhere finally. "Wow...guess it is important." Ash then looked around the room and then back at her.
"Pika. Pika Pika. Pikachu." He continued, purposely giving her a confused look.
"You...don't know where you are?" she guessed again. He frowns but nodded and looked at her hopefully. "Hmm..."
"ChuPika?" he asked, tilting his head.
"I…I'm not sure I under-" she was suddenly interrupted when the back door opened and a young boy, maybe about three years younger than May, walked inside.
"What's going on in here?" he asked May. Ash looked over at him curiously.
"Pika?" Ash asked. The young boy spotted Ash on the table and gasped excitedly.
"Wow!" he ran over and grabbed Ash. "A Pikachu!"
"Pik! Pikaaa!" Ash yelped, squirming in his arms. The boy hugged Ash very tightly, seemingly oblivious to his struggle.
"So soft!" he exclaimed.
"Max stop it!" May yelled at the boy. Ash winced in pain from the hug and accidentally released a weak Thundershock. Max was shocked by the attack and accidentally let Ash go as a result.
"Gah!" he yelled.
"Eek!" May yelped as she shielded her eyes from the electricity. Ash quickly realized what he was doing and stopped. Max fell to the ground, twitching with electricity as May looked back at the two of them. Ash covered his mouth and drooped his ears in shame.
"Pi Pi Pika! Pi Pika Pikachu!" he panicked. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" May carefully looked between the two of them before she started giggling. Ash sweatdropped and covered his face in embarrassment.
"That was awesome!" she laughed.
"Chaaaaaa..." he blushed. She smiled and stroked his head.
"Are you ok?" she asked gently. He blushed bright red at her touch and stared at her. Just her smile seemed to cause him to blush. He forced himself to look away from her and look at Max in concern. "He'll be ok. Not the first time it's happened. That's my little brother Max by the way." Ash gave Max a nervous wave.
"Awesome…" Max commented, coughing out some smoke from the attack.
"So what should we do for the rest of the day Pikachu?" she asked. Ash thought to himself for a moment, but not knowing where he was left him without any ideas.
"Chu…" he admitted.
"Well, what do you say to a look around town?" she suggested.
"Pika!" he nodded. "Maybe I can talk with the local Pokemon for information." May smiled and picked him up before walking to the door.
"I'll be back for dinner!" she called to her Dad.
"Be careful!" he called back.
"I will!" she replied. She headed out the front door and headed into town. Ash snuggled in and got cozy in her arms as she walked.
"She has really soft hands..." he thought to himself with a smile. May noticed him getting comfortable and began stroking his fur as she walked through town, causing Ash to actually purr in content as they arrived on what looked to be the main street of the city.
"Welcome to Petalburg City." May announced.
"Pikachu Pika..?" Ash wondered. "I don't remember that on Brock's map of Johto..."
"You've already seen the pride of our town. People really love Dad as a Gym Leader." She explained.
"Pi Pika!?" he gasped, giving her a surprised look. She was the daughter of a Gym Leader?!
"Yup. Everyone loves 'A man in pursuit of power! The Petalburg Gym Leader Norman!' and anything related to him honestly." She continued. Ash scratched his head in amazement.
"If they have Gyms they must have League…I guess I would have to end up here eventually anyway." He chuckled to himself. May walked a little further down the street, then stopped by a billboard with a large map on it.
"See that?" she asked. "That's the whole region." Ash gasped when he saw the map.
"Oh no..." he worried. He hadn't even considered the possibility that he could have been taken to an entirely different region. And now that he knew he was, it seemed next to impossible to get word to his friends or find his way back on his own.
"What's wrong?" May asked.
"Pi-Pika! Pikachu Pika." Ash tried to explain, pointing at the map and then sadly shaking his head.
"You...don't know this region?" she guessed. He sadly shook his head again.
"Pikachu..."
"Oh...then you must've somehow come here from another region." May deduced. Ash nodded in confirmation.
"Well, this region is called Hoenn. See how it's almost split 50/50 between Land and Sea?" she asked.
"Pika." he nodded.
"Dad says the region in this way because of ancient and powerful Pokémon." She recalled.
"Pika..?" he wondered curiously.
"According to legend, one had the power to create land, while the other had the power to expand the ocean. They fought for a long time until they were finally separated and put into a deep sleep by a third Pokémon." May informed him.
"Pi…?" Ash listened as he tilted his head, intrigued by the story.
"I think the 3rd Pokémon was said to be some kind of flying Dragon." She nodded.
"Pika!" he smiled, always up for learning more about Pokemon.
"Oh wow! It's May Maple!" the two suddenly hear someone yell. Footsteps running towards them quickly followed. Ash, with his Pokemon ears, was able to pinpoint where the sound was coming from and turned his head towards it. May noticed him and followed his gaze. They saw a larger woman with brown hair and an apron running towards them.
"Oh boy..." May sweatdropped.
"Pika?" Ash asked curiously. The woman stopped in front of May and smiled excitedly at her.
"May it's so good to see you!" she exclaimed.
"It's good to see you too Rose...Pikachu this is Rose. She's a grocer in North Petalburg...and a big fan of Dad..." May informed him.
"Pika..?"
"May I didn't know you had a Pikachu! You really are just like your Dad! You'll be an amazing Gym Leader someday!" Rose praised her.
"Um..." May stammered, frowning a little and looking down at her feet. "R-Right...yeah..." Ash looked up at her curiously, noticing the hesitation in her voice.
"Your tenth birthday is coming up soon isn't it?" Rose commented.
"Yes...in a few months…" May nodded. This caught Ash's attention. She was going to travel around on a Pokemon Journey soon?
"I know you'll be out there soon taking on the Pokémon League and winning the whole thing! We'll all be cheering you on!" she encouraged the young girl.
"Thank you..." May replied, forcing a polite smile. Rose went on her way and left May and Ash alone.
"Well…we should keep looking around." May sighed. She began walking again, but her enthusiasm had left her, worrying Ash.
"Pika..."
That night, after a delicious family dinner where Ash met May's Mom, Caroline, May had gone to her room with Ash to get some sleep. As she was changing into her pajamas, Ash looked away, being mindful of her modesty.
"Thank you, Pikachu. I'm done now." She let him know. He turned back around and smiled at her. She laid down on the bed and let out a small sigh. Sensing her mood as still pretty down, Ash climbed up onto the bed beside her and gave her a concerned look.
"Pikachu…?" he asked.
"...I just don't know what to do Pikachu..." she admitted. He tilted his head in confusion but still allowed her to continue. "Everyone wants me to be like my Dad...become a strong Gym Leader like him..."
"Pika..." his ears drooped down.
"But...I don't think that's what I want..." she continued. Ash nuzzled her cheek in an attempt to comfort her. Thankful for his gesture, May stroked his head. "I wish I could just tell them...but then I'd be letting them down...and...to be honest I think it's formed a bit of a wedge between my Dad and I…maybe if I knew what I wanted to do instead I could tell him…but even I don't know what I want to do..."
"Pika..." he quietly nodded as he gave her a hug. She hugged him back.
"I wish I knew how to help..." Ash admitted to himself.
"Thank you for listening...it means a lot to me..." she thanked him. He nodded to let her know it wasn't a problem. "I'll see you in the morning ok?" he nodded in agreement and snuggled up to her chest. May smiled and wrapped an arm around him as she drifted to sleep. Ash looked out the window at the moon and sighed quietly to not wake May up.
"...I hope the others are alright..."
Back in Johto, Misty and Brock had found their way to the nearest Pokemon Center and were telling their story to the Nurse Joy working there in the hopes that she would know something that could help.
"Where exactly were you when your friend went missing?" Nurse Joy asked.
"He was with us out in the forest..." Misty recalled, clearly still shaken up by Ash's disappearance. "All we saw was some big boat heading away from land."
"...I thought so..." Joy said grimly.
"Thought what?" Brock questioned her.
"Nurse Joy do you know that boat?" Misty asked hopefully.
"That forest is constantly overrun by Poachers...It's very likely that...that he was caught by one and trafficked out of the region..." Joy explained.
"Oh no..." Misty gasped. "But that means..."
"He could be anywhere..." Brock finished for her. Pikachu's ears drooped in pure heartbreak.
"What are we gonna do...?" Misty wondered.
"We're going to try and find him...no matter how long it takes." Brock assured the two of them. He turned back to Nurse Joy and made a request. "Nurse Joy, could you put the word out to other Pokemon Centers?"
"Of course. The first sign of any hunting activity, or sight of his hat, we'll contact Professor Oak immediately." She nodded.
"Thank you." He nodded politely.
"So...where do we start?" Misty asked.
"...I guess...we should make sure he's not still in Johto before we go looking in other regions..." he suggested.
"But if he's moving too then he could go to a place we just left..." she pointed out.
"Pikachu pika!" Pikachu suddenly yelled at her, frustrated by the situation. Misty flinched at his outburst and he quickly realized what he did. "Pika…" he apologized. After a moment of hesitation, she gently picked him up.
"I know...you miss Ash...and you're worried about him...I am too..." she assured him. Pikachu whimpered softly and hugged her for comfort. "We'll find him...somehow..."
"...Come on. We'd better get started." Brock reminded them. Both nodded in agreement and the trio left the Center to begin their search.
To be Continued...