Hey all! DarkSlash9 back again with another chapter! Last chapter ended with May and Max arriving at Brock's house, finally meeting up with Ash and Serena! It's time to pick up where that left off, because oooh weee, that's awkward. This chapter takes place completely in Brock's house, and is, in my opinion, a bit slower than usual, but I swear, it has to be like this. I've got most of the chapters for this story planned out and outlined in a notebook, so trust me on this, any slowness is always countered with goodness eventually.
Now, on to more pressing matters...
Q&A!
GeorgeD117
I must ask, will we see Haxs? I feel I know the answer but it would be nice to get confirmation.
Answer: Yup. Not for a while though.
JamesLion15
After reading this story I couldn't help but enjoy what this story is becoming. I can't wait to see how this turns out, but I am curious...You said Ash will choose, (By our votes) will go through a Fire Emblem Fates type deal? I'm rather curious, what about the other side, you said the ending will be different depending on the pairing? Will it really be different, or will it be like the Mass Effect 3 endings? Would you write a side story telling the story from the other side? what about a third choice?
Answer: It'll pretty much be the same, just some dialogue differences and some different scenes depending on who wins. I wouldn't say the difference would be enough to write out the alternate ending too, but if enough people ask for it, I probably will.
Tychon
Why does Pikachu remind me of my gang from seventh grade?
Answer: Because he's always on his gang shit, 100%.
Okay! Enjoy the chapter, and, as always, give the Author's Note at the end a read!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon. ;o
IX
Night had fallen, countless stars illuminating the Kanto skies. With the moon being nearly full, it was no wonder to anyone why the moonlight seemed so bright that night, its serene glow infiltrating the windows of every home it could reach. The breeze, the cool, summer breeze... it swayed all greenery back and forth, both grass and trees alike. Pewter City was never a loud city to begin with, but on this night, it was a quiet that could in no way go unnoticed. The night was a beautiful one, one that some, if not most, would even call perfect...
Unless their name was Serena Yvonne.
She had watched as May Maple, the last person she'd expected to have been at the door, fell into Ash's arms, seeming to have lost consciousness as soon as she laid eyes upon him. In that moment, Ash had looked Serena right in the eye, and at that exact second, the ex Pokemon Performer realized that the night would no longer go in the direction she had hoped for. Frankly, she thought, it had then gained the possibility of going in the exact opposite.
Once Brock had snapped Ash out of his episode of complete silence, the both of them carried May up the stairs to a guest room, laying her in the bed. Serena had chosen not to follow them up, but could hear Max insisting his sister was completely fine and would wake up sooner or later. That was why her heart sank a little when only Max and Brock came down the stairs a few seconds afterwards, with Ash remaining upstairs. He hadn't come down since then, and with each second he spent up there, with a girl who was "completely fine", the more anxious Serena became. Right when she had considered going up to check on him, under the pretense of going to the bathroom, Max joined her in the living room. At first, the subsequent conversation they had was nothing more than small talk, but things changed when Max asked a certain question a few minutes in.
"So..." he said, sitting on the opposite end of the couch. "What have you been up to these past years? How did you reunite with Ash?"
Serena, who had been relatively uninterested in the conversation before this question, looked at Max and frowned slightly.
"Well... After Ash 'died', I went back to Kalos. Pokemon Performing started to lose its luster to me, so I then went back home. I got a job at the local library, and worked there for a little over a year... until one day, when I found a bizarre book in the cart for returns. Considering how Ash was 'killed', it was impossible for me to simply re-shelf a book called 'Aura Guardians: A Complete History'. I read it-"
"Pause. Uh, crap, I mean-... I'm sorry to interrupt," interjected Max, a sudden rise in intensity overtaking his tone. "but you say you found..."
Max quickly rose from the couch and trotted to his backpack, zipping open one of the many compartments. He fished his hand into it, pulling out an all too familiar blue book, the moonlight's everlasting glimmer giving it a mystical appearance.
"...this book?" finished Max, holding it in front of Serena.
The honey blonde's eyes widened, the most awestruck of gasps sounding from her mouth. She reached forward and touched the cover of the book, looked up at Max, and quickly turned around and reached for her own backpack, which was placed nearby. She turned back around with her own copy of the book, a copy that seemed to match Max's in every way conceivable.
"Well how 'bout that..." muttered Max, staring at Serena's copy. "How in the world do you think this happened?"
"Coincidence?" answered Serena, lamely shrugging her shoulders. "Fate? We both ended up being members of the Fellowship, so I guess it was just what had to happen... in order for events to happen in way that'd allow for... for things to be the way they are, in terms of... the world being saved. By us. And Ash. Yes. ._."
"(T - T)"
"(ఠ్ఠ ˓̭ ఠ్ఠ)"
"Yep." chirped Max, evidently not satisfied by Serena's answer. "But fate or not, there had to be something that put these books where we'd find them, right? Fate only comes true if something causes it to. I find it a little hard to believe that this happened by completely unrelated actions or complete chance, especially when this book is as rare as it is. Have you looked up this book online? Do you know how much these things cost?"
"I think I did..." replied Serena. "I remember it was something ridiculously out-of-whack, so I figured it was a typo or a joke."
"Nope. These books are worth approximately 470,000 dollars, each." revealed the Pokemon Trainer, his glasses reflecting the moonlight in the most anime of fashions. "There's not many copies of 'em, and there's even less justifiable reasons for a book this rare and valuable to be chucked into a library's return cart. And my copy? Mine literally just appeared in my bookshelf one night. Yeah. They didn't even try to give me the same engaging and suspenseful discovery scene you got."
"So you think someone purposely set it all up...? That's possible too, I guess. But who would've done it?" thought Serena, putting a hand to her chin to ponder. '"Well if it were anyone, I'd think it would be Ash's masters. One of them could just come to the physical world through yet unexplained means (I should ask Ash about that later...) and make sure we get the books, which they'd probably have a whole boatload of... but if that were so, then Ash would've already known me, Max, and... May, Me-Max&~mAy, *rolls eyes and sighs* were members of the Fellowship, because they would've told him. I should ask Ash... yeah... Then I'll have a reason to head upstairs and see what he's still doing up there!"
Pumped that such a clutch plan had made itself available to her, Serena stood from the couch and gracefully walked over to the staircase, her legs only pausing when she heard Max Maple adjust his throat. She turned around, softly biting the inside of her lip as she pushed back mild waves of irritation. Max raised an eyebrow.
"Where are you going?" he asked flatly.
"I'm going to the bathroom, and then I'm gonna talk to Ash and see what he thinks about the books." she answered, barely skipping a beat.
Max skeptically stared at Serena, who, unfazed, stared back with a full-force poker face. But alas, facial expressions didn't have any capability of concealing one's Aura, and this was a fact Max was savvy to.
"No, you're going up to go see what Ash is up to with my sister, since he's been up there with her for a while now." he sighed, folding his arms. "Am I right?"
Serena's poker face gained enough EXP to reach level lv.36 and evolve into a stunned face upon Max's call out, her previously pursed lips opening slightly.
"Did you... did you just read my mind?" she asked, feeling as if her personal space was being invaded.
"No, but being an Aura-user, I can tell when people are lying without much effort. Plus I'm pretty aware of my surroundings during key moments, like when I and those affiliated with me enter a building and such. Reactions and body language can write essays on the chemistry of a situation. Plus, you left your copy of the book on the couch here, instead of taking it with you." retorted Max, tilting his head knowingly. "Well, anyway, let's go. I'm pretty curious as to why he's still up there too."
Max rose to his feet, grabbed Serena's copy of the book, and casually walked to the stairs, gesturing for Serena to continue on up as he approached. Taking a moment to accept what had just happened for what it was, Serena stared off into the distance. Max Maple was smart. But not only was he smart, he was perceptive. She clearly wasn't going to get any sort of charade past him any time soon, that much was established. So, not even trying to hide the bitter embarrassment in her face, she turned around and took her book from him.
With Max following, Serena walked up the stairs. Once they reached the top, Serena paused, not knowing which room to go to. It was then that Max took the lead, heading down the hall to a door on the right. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but stopped himself, opting to just turn the knob and enter unannounced. Serena stood at his side, eagerly waiting to see what would be on the other side of the door. For some reason she could feel her heart racing, the same way it would if she were in danger. Sensing this tension from her, Max sighed and opened the door.
The room was dark, it being on the side of the house that the moon's light barely reached. But fortunately, there was a small plug-in night light in the corner, dimly illuminating the room with its purple light. The first thing both Max and Serena noticed was that the only living thing awake in the room was Pikachu, who looked at them with a jovial grin upon their entrance.
"Question of the day: Is this not the cutest shit y'all EVER seen?" whispered the mouse, perched on a nightstand. "I ship this shit like Amazon Prime, no lie."
Neither Serena nor Max could understand what Pikachu had truly said, their attention instead focused on Ash and May, who were both fast asleep. May was placed neatly under the blankets from the neck down, while Ash sat in a chair next to the bed, head leaned downward. From the position the chair was in, he seemed to have been watching May sleep, at least until he himself lost consciousness as well. Serena looked at Max to gauge his reaction, but the shining of his glasses (how they managed to gleam like that was truly beyond her comprehension, there was barely any light in the room to reflect) hid his eyes. But she didn't need knowledge of Max's reaction.
She knew how it made herself feel.
She felt sad. She felt frustrated. She felt jealous. But at the same time, she felt ashamed. Was it right to be so upset? After all, May did immediately pass out when she came. Was it right to be upset about Ash caring for a friend of his? But at the same time, she mused, he'd sat and watched over her until sleep overtook him. Care like that was more than friendship, it had to be. Otherwise, he would've come down with Brock and Max earlier.
"Well," muttered Max. "looks like they're asleep."
At the sound of Max's voice, Ash's head began to move, a soft groan sounding from him. His head slowly rose, his eyes half closed.
"Of course..." sighed Max.
"Son of a bitch!" growled Pikachu, glaring daggers at Max. "Look what you did! She was gonna wake up sooner or later and be like 'Oh Ash you're here and older and you waited for me to wake up, you're so caring oh golly I missed you marry me please & thank you.' and then he'd be like 'Yeah babe. Let's smash.', but you and your dumbass glasses came in all shiny 'n shit and screwed it all up! Square the fuck up, I'll kill your ass-"
"Your level of hostility is vastly unwarranted..." chimed Lucario's voice in Pikachu's mind, sounding annoyed. "Your half baked-... rather, your QUARTER-baked plan was-"
"Vastly unwarrant this quarter-baked dick, alright?" snapped Pikachu, one ear perking up.
"...Once I have gained a body, you will begin to see it unwise to holler such profanities in my direction."
"Can't take the heat? Don't enter the damn kitchen, kid. I protect the ideals that I hold close to my heart, at all costs! That's my Ninja Wa-"
"What the hell is wrong with you both..." groaned/thought Ash, his grogginess upon waking causing him to speak the thought aloud as well. "So damn annoying..."
Upon hearing his own voice, Ash's eyes widened, the young Guardian realizing there were more people in the room than he last remembered. Two more to be exact. He looked back and forth between these newcomers' their faces, his expression blank. Max had an eyebrow raised, but other than that, his stare was unreadable (partly due to his glasses' lenses being so darn reflective). But Serena... Serena looked hurt. Our hero felt a pit form in his stomach as he found himself unable to open his mouth and explain his simple mistake; Instead, he got absorbed into the cyclone of emotions that was recklessly swirling in her eyes, threatening to shed tears if left unchecked.
"It's amazing how his brain can just swap places with a slab of concrete at critical moments like these, am I right?" snickered Pikachu, seeming to have dropped all hostilities.
"Indeed..." sighed Lucario, tranquility returning to his voice.
Max cleared his throat.
"Well, we were curious as to-"
"No, no..." sighed a sleepy Ash, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Don't answer that. That wasn't directed at you two... *yawn* I'm sorry. There was an argument going on in my head... Pikachu and Lucario were... *sigh* look, I didn't mean to say that."
"What've you been doing up here?" asked Serena, cutting to the chase. Her stare then traveled to May. "Is she alright?"
"Physically, yes." answered Ash, sheepishly. Serena's face was straight, but he still sensed some hints of negativity coming from her. Regardless, she asked a question, and the full answer was due. "I've been up here so long because her Aura isn't. It's stable, but at the same time, unstable. Real odd. I've been trying to understand what I'm sensing, but I ended up falling asleep before I could figure much ou-"
"She's been through a lot." said Max, bluntly. "That's what you're sensing."
Ash frowned, earning a slight glare from Max. Ignoring Max's changed expression, Ash continued speaking.
"What happened to her?" he asked, his concern as clear as day. "The type of... scars I'm sensing in her are nothing to take lightl-"
"I'm not going to explain. It's not my place. You'll have to ask her when she wakes up." said Max, keeping things short and sweet. "I do, however, want to explain why May and I came here. We were supposed to attend a tournament in Celadon City, so we booked a ferry ride to take us to Kanto. Earlier today, on said ferry, May and I lost consciousness somehow, and when we woke up, we quickly found ourselves in confrontation with a nurse on the ferry, who revealed herself to be a Dark Guardian. With some quick thinking, we escaped and made our way here."
"Whoa, wait," interjected Ash. "how do you know about the Dark G-?"
Max held both hands in front of his face, as a surgeon with sterile gloves would. Right as Ash was about to raise an eyebrow, Aura erupted from the bespectacled teen's fingertips, creating a small but dazzling display of light in the dim room.
"Boom sparkle-sparkle," said Max, his voice monotone. "I'm an Aura user."
Serena then held her copy of Aura Guardians: A Complete History forward, for Ash to see. Ash, unable to read the title of the book from his distance, looked at it with great curiosity. Finding his look to be absolutely adorable, Serena's blush bypassed her dismayed mood, her cheeks reddening. Extinguishing the Aura on his hands, Max glanced at Serena, waiting for her to speak. Once he saw her blushing, he did not hesitate in facepalming, muttering some sort of disapproving jargon.
"Remember when I said that I'd been reading up on Aura Guardians? It was after I found you in the Tree of Beginning." started Serena, waiting for Ash to nod before continuing. "Almost all of the research I did came from this book. It has a lot of lore and history regarding Aura Guardians in it. I crossed paths with it at my job, by chance. Max knows what he knows because somehow, another copy ended up in his hands too. That's why we came up here to see you. How do you think the same book, a really rare and expensive book, made its way to two different members of the Fellowship? Max said his copy just appeared in his bookshelf overnight."
At this revelation, Ash cupped his chin with his hand, pondering on what he'd just been told. His face then lit up, his mind coming to the perfect conclusion.
"Maybe it was just destin-"
"We know." droned Max, adjusting his glasses. He sounded annoyed. "That much, we were able to deduce."
"Okay, Max does not give a frosted fuck when it comes to cutting me off or interrupting me. Like, c'mon." thought Ash, sighing. "I feel so attacked right now."
"What I'm wondering is how exactly the books were manipulated to fall into Serena and I's hands." continued Max. "Maybe it's not that big of a deal, maybe it is. If anyone here would have some quality insight on anything like that, it's you, or someone you know."
"I don't know shit, man." admitted Pikachu, always honest.
"Lucario?" inquired Ash, his eyebrows furrowed. "You know anything about this?"
"I must admit, I do not. To my knowledge, this was not the action of the Guardians living within the Corridors. I would not put too much consideration into it, however. It is not a mystery that raises an alarm, as far as I'm concerned. It was most likely, as stated, the tides of destiny."
"Yeah, it's probably not that big of a deal... I think." agreed Ash, looking at Max and Serena. "I don't know anything about those books, but I don't think this is anything to lose sleep over. Those books did indirectly lead you guys to me, so whoever/whatever did this is probably some sort of ally, right? Why else would they allow you to gain more knowledge for a future journey? Long story short, I don't really see a need to discuss it further until we know more about it, if there even is more to know."
Serena and Max muttered and mumbled among themselves in response to Ash's words, both reluctantly agreeing to drop the topic. Once the two's chit chat had reached its end, they looked at Ash, who was still seated in his chair beside May. Our hero stared back at them, waiting for what he thought would be more questions. But instead, the three of them just stared at eachother, Ash at Serena, Serena at Ash, Ash to Max, Max at Ash, Max to Serena, Serena to Max, all of them to an unconscious May, Max and Serena at Ash, Ash and Serena at Max, and so on so forth. All this silence-filled staring was accompanied by a thick fog of tension, for reasons both unknown and known. All three of them desperately wanted it to end, but found themselves unable to be the first one to speak up.
Pikachu, however, was lacking such cold feet.
"So are you nincompoops gonna say something or just continue sittin' here like a bunch of... of nincomp-"
"Guys," called Brock from downstairs, catching the attention of all. "dinner's ready!"
At the sound of the word "dinner", Ash, Serena, and Max instantly remembered that they were, in fact, hungry. It was as if the mist of uneasiness in the room had completely forced out the absolutely wonderful smell that was filling the house. Mouth watering, Serena was the first to exit the room, the honey-blonde expecting Ash and Max to follow her out shortly.
However, this was not the case. Once Serena left the room, Max indeed attempted to follow her out, but when he turned towards the door, he was surprised to find a wall of Aura standing in its place, one thick enough to prevent any sort of escape. Confused to say the least, the aura-using teen blinked his widened eyes before turning back around. Much to his surprise, Ash was no longer in his seat beside May, but standing right in front of Max, auburn eyes glowing blue. Max found himself slightly intimidated by this change of location, as he, an Aura-user who'd spent most of his time honing only his healing and sensory skills, hadn't even sensed Ash move.
The Chosen Guardian gazed into Max's eyes with a stern face, with Pikachu, now on Ash's shoulder, seconding the action.
"Max," he uttered, his voice just slightly hushed. A lower volume didn't hide the dead serious tone in it, however. "let's just get something out of the way here. I don't know what happened to May while I was away, but whatever it was, it must've been beyond bad, and whatever it was, it's obviously made you resent me somehow. Maybe it's something else, or maybe it could very well be a combination of both. Regardless, I'm going to say this here and now, and I need you to listen: For the sake of both the world, and the overall smoothness of this upcoming journey, cut it out. I didn't train my ass off for five years just to be given an attitude for something you won't even tell me about."
Before Max's clever noggin could even think of a rebuttal, Ash reached for his staff and touched the tip of it to the teen's forehead, causing Aura to manifest around him in the form of a navy blue cloak, the same cloak he'd seen Serena sporting earlier.
"Welcome to the Fellowship of the Aura." said Ash, walking past Max and towards the door. "I'll see you downstairs."
And with that, Ash and Pikachu exited the room, leaving just Max and May, the latter of which still being unconscious beneath the blankets of the bed. Max sighed as he heard Ash's steps get quieter and quieter, until they could be heard no more. Giving his sister one last glance, he turned around and walked out the door, closing it behind him.
I can't see anything...
It's so dark. Oh, wait, no... there's a light. At least, I think there's one. I'm heading to it. Where am I, anyway? What happened? And what's happening right now? I'm walking closer to this light... but it isn't getting any bigger. This doesn't make any sense. Wait, now it is. I don't understand... this... this isn't a light, really. It's a... mirror...? But... my hair's black in the reflection... and my eyes are green. I don't get thi-
Rachel. This is Rachel. But... I'm not Rachel anymore. So why...?
"May...?"
Who's calling me? I can't... I can't move anymore. Where'd the mirror go? It's gone...
"May."
That voice is so familiar... Ash? You're here...?
"Blaziken! Blaze! Blaziken!"
Blaziken? But... no. This isn't possible. Both of you... both of you are gone. You're not here. You can't be.
"Rachel?"
...And Rosa.
"Rachel... how could you leave me behind? I thought we were friends... did you ever care? At all?"
Rosa... I didn't want to leave you, I wanted to save you, or even be the one taken instead. I STILL want to save you! I still think about it all the ti-
"May... you could've helped me... and now you've forgotten me, right? Because I never mattered? All the adventures we went on just meant nothing to you at the moment of truth, huh?"
Stop... please! That's nowhere near true, at all! Ash, you meant so much to me, and... you still do. I could never forget you! You've always mattered! I cherish every moment I've ever gotten to spend with you...
"You never cared."
"I guess I didn't matter."
"Blaziken..."
Stop... *sniffle* Blaziken, I will never forgive myself for what happened. Never. And Rosa, please, I-
"You left me to be taken away by Wade."
"You watched as I died. Wasn't the first time you've done something like that, was it?"
"You're so cold. A monster. Do you feel anything?"
No more... *hiccup* No...
"Blaziken!"
"How many times are you going to let everyone around you down? It gets old!"
"I... I hate you, Rachel!"
Stop! *sobs* Stop it, all of you! I love you all... I love you...
"Liar."
"LIAR!"
"Liar!"
"Liar."
"You dirty liar."
"Stop!" thought May, her eyes bursting open.
The distressed brunette immediately sat up, her breath rigid and coarse. She could feel the cold sensation of air meeting sweat all over her torso, as well as the frantic rhythm of her heart beating. As she struggled to catch her breath, she eyed a clock on the wall of the room. It was dark, but she was able to make out that it was 2:15am, or at least something close. She then buried her face in her hands, giving herself a moment to recollect herself, wipe off the tears that seemed to have been produced, as well as reflect on what she had just experienced. It was a nightmare, no doubt. But it didn't take a genius to tell that it was an unusual one. But in the end, a nightmare was a nightmare; nothing to dwell on for long.
The last voice she heard in it, however, spurred her to think about it a little more. It was different from the three she had heard speaking to her during the dream. It sounded like herself, but more... sinister. And oddly enough, the final voice was accompanied by the visual display of a torrent of blue and red energy rushing towards her, which was odd for a dream spent mostly in pitch black darkness.
"I'll talk to Max about it in the morning..." she thought, removing the blanket from her legs.
As she removed the blanket, she realized that it wasn't her blanket. She then realized she wasn't in her bed, nor was she in her room. Wide-eyed, she slid out of the bed and approached the room's door, quietly opening it. As soon as she peeked into the hallway, she vaguely recognized the setting as Brock's house. Her memory of the previous day was foggy, but at the sight of the hallway, she was able to recall that she and Max were indeed headed to this very house. She looked downward, spotting a towel and a change of clothes stationed right outside the room, along with a toothbrush, paste, and a small bottle of body wash. She grabbed said items and silently walked across the hall, into the bathroom.
Once she had brushed her teeth, taken her clothes off, and figured out how to operate the shower, she got in, letting the warm water to cascade down her slim but curved frame. She tilted her head under the water next, gently lathering her hair as she did so. As the water rinsed off the sweat from her nightmare, she closed her eyes and retreated into her thoughts, attempting to better remember what had happened earlier. But her efforts bore no fruit. Keeping at it, her time spent in the shower flew by, all of it spent trying to recall what had happened. The struggle continued into the moments she spent after her shower, until she was fully clothed and back in the room she had woken up in.
"Whatever..." she thought, yawning. "I'll just go back to sleep... After a drink of water, though."
And so, her next destination was set to the kitchen. Many tip-toe steps and cautiously slow actions later, she found herself there, in front of the sink with a cup in hand. She hadn't seemed to have disturbed anyone or anything on her way down, as the house was still dead silent... that was, until she accidentally dropped her cup. She managed to catch it before it shattered in the sink, but the corner of it still ended up making contact, creating a rather loud ping sound that echoed far more than the brunette would have liked.
Her eyes darted around, hoping nobody had been awoken by her clumsiness. Unfortunately, someone with dark hair that was resting on a couch in the living room began to stir a bit. May could only see their hair, but she knew who it was.
"Sorry, Max..." she whispered, loud enough so her voice could travel to the living room.
At first some drowsy grumbles from a deep voice were heard, causing May to pause. Max's voice was deep, but this voice seemed a little... different.
"Max?" she repeated, taking a step closer to the living room.
"Stopppp calling me Maaax, Officer Jennyyy..." sleep-talked the man in response. "And pleeeeaaaaase, tell Paul to stop stirrrrrring the marinara sauce... with his dick. He's ruuuuuined pasta night... again. Paullllllll..."
"What in the world...?" murmured May, deciding to investigate.
After filling her cup with water, she closed the distance between herself and the couch, her eyes fixed on the head of dark hair laying on it. She took a sip of water as she made the turn around the furniture, causing her to nearly choke when she finally saw the face of the person in question. It was then, like high tide waves crashing on a beach, that her memories of the day before completely returned to her, everything, up until when she passed out. Seeing the familiar tan skin and cheek birthmarks made her heart do somersaults, her hands suddenly becoming shaky, clammy, and unstable. She opted to put the cup down on a nearby coffee table, not wanting to drop it.
She then knelt on her knees, so her face could be more or less level with his head, which was resting on the arm of the couch. She couldn't bring herself to do anything else but stare at his sleeping face, her eyes barely even blinking as she did so. She had only stopped staring when she saw her vision begin to cloud up, tears quickly overstaying their welcome and migrating down her cheeks. Only one question was in her mind about this situation as a whole, and it kept on asking itself, over and over:
How?
"Paulllllll, your penne a la vodka ain't shit... Got that, Paulllllll?" yawned Ash, still sleep-talking. "You hear me? It suuuuucks... YOU suck... I have also claimed your Chimcharrrr."
Eyes still teary, May chuckled at the words, covering her mouth to avoid making too much noise. Unfortunately, she failed. As soon as her laughing ceased, Ash's eyes opened wide, staring directly into her's. May could feel her body freeze up as she stared right back, her hand still on her mouth. They remained locked in each other's gazes for a few seconds, the room so silent that the crickets outside could be heard. May's chest was tingling, her heart performing all sorts of acrobatics as her sapphire eyes carefully studied his amber ones. They hadn't changed at all; still handsome, and still warm.
But how?
"May...?" asked Ash, his voice hushed and awkward. He quickly sat up on the couch, both he and the brunette maintaining eye contact the entire time. "You're finally awake... Well duh, haha, obviously you are, you're not upstairs anymore... but um, yeah. I, um, I have a lot to explain, so-"
Ash's explanation was forced to be put on hold, as he suddenly became very occupied with something else: May's lips practically teleporting onto his own. Before our hero could understand what was even happening, he felt a pair of hands smaller than his own grab his shirt, pulling their torsos even closer together as the owner of said hands climbed up onto the couch, positioning herself on top of him. Without need of saying, our hero was more than caught off guard by May's actions; for lack of better terms, his shit was rocked off guard by them.
But it felt good, and it felt right... so he saved his questions for later.
Meanwhile, in one of Brock's siblings' rooms, an interesting assortment of people slept. Serena and Braixen were both under the blankets, sharing the bed. Serena's Pangoro sat asleep in a corner. And last but not least, Sylveon lay curled up at the edge of the bed... with none other than Pikachu snuggled up right next to her. Everyone in the room was fast asleep, but unfortunately, such harmony didn't last.
With a sole spark flying from a cheek and ears immediately perking upwards, Pikachu abruptly woke from what was quite possibly the best sleep he'd ever engaged in. He didn't know why he had woken from paradise so suddenly, but his instincts told him something was happening, something huge. His first response was to notify Ash, but once the name of his partner crossed his mind, he realized exactly why he'd woken up: Ash's Aura was sending out some interesting waves on the emotional spectrum, and in large quantities.
"Bro, you good?" asked Pikachu, addressing Ash.
No answer.
"Bro?"
No answer.
"You can't rap for shit and Tobias deserved to win the Lily of the Valley Conference."
No answer, which was strange; that line usually incited all sorts of outbursts from Ash. This could only mean one thing.
"HE BLOCKED ME?!" inquired Pikachu, silently sliding off the bed and leaving Sylveon, who was still fast asleep. "How is he even ALLOWED to block me?! Why does our mystical, life force based, soul energy powered spirit bond have the same mechanics as motherfucking Twitter?! Nah, that's not how I butter my toast. Not at all. I'm heading downstairs right now and-"
"He has not blocked us intentionally..." sighed Lucario, breaking his silence on the matter. "He's... busy, and his Aura reacted on its own."
"Fuck you." replied Pikachu politely.
Luckily, the room's door wasn't fully closed, allowing the yellow rodent to slip through without much noise. He scurried down the hallway, headed for the staircase. He originally intended to go down the stairs, but since he was little more than a foot tall, he got a pretty good view of the living room from the top stair alone. It was from such a vantage point that he was able to see why he'd woken up, and nothing in the world could put a smile on his face quicker.
Unfortunately, the smile left just as quickly as it came. The electric mouse hadn't gotten too much time to celebrate such a big step forward for his OTP before he felt a presence. No noise had been made, but his Aura sensitivities could tell someone was more or less behind him. He recognized their Aura, but he turned around anyway, mostly because there was no way it could've been her, as she was asleep literally moments ago. But once he saw a head of long, blonde hair peeking at him through the doorway he'd just snuck through, there was no doubt about it.
Serena, a light sleeper, had actually woken up several minutes earlier, to the sounds of May taking a shower. She had still been trying to fall back asleep when she felt Pikachu leave the bed. Her investigation of his departure led her to the staring contest she currently found herself in. Accepting that she had been spotted, Serena sighed and brought her full body into the hallway, intending to just ask Pikachu what was going on, even though she couldn't actually understand the mouse.
But she faltered for a second. Pikachu's cheeks began to spark, but the miniature arcs of lightning were not yellow, but blue. Before she could react, a blue Thunder Wave attack was sent her way, and instead of simply being paralyzed... she felt her consciousness slip from her. It wasn't the same feeling as being hit by Sleep Powder or even simply falling asleep - it was more of a forceful but precisely temporary robbing of her life force, as if she suddenly forgot how to be anything other than unconscious. She began to lean forward, eyes slowly closing.
"Oh... oh no." muttered the rodent, realizing the sound of Serena falling would surely startle Ash and May.
"How dare you? Using Aura against another member of the Fellowship?" growled Lucario, deeply angered by Pikachu's actions. "Especially augmenting a Thunder Wave that way! Her memory could have been affected if you were sloppy with your execution!"
"Listen, if she saw what was going on down there," retorted Pikachu, reluctantly running forward to break Serena's fall. "our beloved Fellowship would crumble before it's even completed."
"Why purposely postpone such a confrontation when it is obviously something that will need to be addressed sooner rather than later?"
"Ash will be the one to settle it, and I'm going to make sure that happens when he's ready to, and not a moment sooner." answered Pikachu, closing his eyes and bracing himself for impact.
He held his paws up and waited for Serena to land on him, knowing the impact would surely lead to a few bruises sustained on his end. But fortunately, the fall never came. When Pikachu's eyes opened, he saw what was perhaps the ugliest Aura construct he'd ever seen holding Serena up. Compared to the thin, clean, blue wall Ash would've conjured up, this was more like a shoddy sheet that would barely stay intact. From behind Serena, none other than Max Maple emerged, his eyes glowing blue. Before his construct dissipated, he grabbed Serena and picked her up, the honey-blonde's body limp in his arms.
He looked at Pikachu, who in turn looked back, completely lost on how to explain things to Max. Luckily, the bespectacled teen needed no explanation. He'd woken up to the feeling of May's Aura fluctuating like he'd never felt before. Once he sensed the other active Auras in the house, he was able to put two and two together in a short amount of time. He'd briefly considered finding a way to interrupt what was going on in the living room, but opted not to, at the stern insisting of his Gardevoir.
It was also by the stern insisting of his Gardevoir that he'd stop Serena from interrupting as well. And so, there he was. Tired, annoyed, and yawning, Max carried Serena back into her room, Pikachu following close behind. Once the honey-blonde was placed securely in the bed, Max turned to leave the room, but before he could, he felt something tugging at the bottom of his pajama pants.
It was Pikachu. Once Max looked down at him, the yellow mouse gave the teen a smile and a head nod, thanking Max for the help. In response, Max rolled his eyes and left the room. Like Lucario, he saw the entirety of that operation as a mere delaying of the inevitable, and as far as he was concerned, that was nothing to be happy about.
Down in the living room, two young adults were melting into one another's arms, communicating deep passion through a dance of lips. All the fire types in the world colliding in a collective Flare Blitz would have proved no match for the heat of such a kiss, both participants nearly suffocating from the pressure. But neither of them even considered stopping; in fact, neither of them had really considered anything at all.
That was, until May abruptly pulled away, her hitched breathing matching that of the raven-haired hero she was straddled upon. She was about push things past kissing when she had pulled away; her hips had begun to sway and push on Ash's, an action seductive enough to snap her mind back into reality. The two stared at each other for an unprecedented amount of time, until one finally spoke up.
"I'm sorry." uttered May, quickly sliding off Ash and standing up. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have, that was so random and- I just saw you and- I was just so happy to see you and-... *sigh*..."
Ash sat up, gesturing for May to sit next to him. The brunette did so, opting to leave a little space in between the two of them. He took a deep breath before adjusting his throat and opening his mouth. He didn't speak immediately, the words finding trouble coming out.
"Don't be sorry." he whispered, his voice raspy. "You, um... you enjoyed it, right?"
"Well, yes..." answered May, sheepishly. She couldn't bring herself to look Ash in the eye again just yet. "Yes, I did. You're a... really good kisser."
"Thanks?" replied Ash, not expecting to hear such a compliment. That was his first ever full kiss, he'd been winging it the entire time. Was he just naturally good? Was she just saying that? Both? ...Questions for later. "I did too... And I'm happy to see you too. I-"
"Ash?" asked May, hands on her lap. her voice seemed to be cracking a bit. "How are you here? Why are you here? Where have you been? There was so much I wanted to say before... before what happened to you happened. I thought you were dead, or at least never coming back. I fell apart. I already wasn't myself, but you being taken from us the way you were left me just... shattered. So many questions, zero answers; just a big, haunting hole where you used to be. You... you were everything to me. I wanted to tell you back then, it was the real reason I visited. Seeing you now... I don't even know what this means. I can't even begin to understand- I can hardly believe- I-... Look, are you real?"
Ash looked down at his hands, then at May, a soft smile on his face.
"I think so." he chuckled, before returning to a more serious tone. "That day... wasn't handled properly. I've heard from others how it affected my friends and family, and I can't begin to express how sorry I am to all of you. But it had to happen, May. Things happen the way the Aura wills it, and the Aura needed me. It still does, and it needs you too. I need you."
Our hero then put his arm around the brunette, holding her closer. May didn't object, leaning her head on his shoulder as he pulled her in. Ash sighed; her hair smelled like strawberries, the fragrance of the shampoo she had bathed with. But the conversation was far from over. May's Aura was still as unstable as before, and he had to get to the bottom of such a phenomenon.
"May... I'm an Aura Guardian now." he continued. "As you know, Guardians can sens-"
"You don't have to say it... my Aura's not normal, right?" she asked, avoiding Ash's eyes yet again. "Emotionally, I mean."
"What happened? I don't want to believe me leaving did that amount of damage. I'd have trouble falling back asleep if so..." he murmured, looking down at her hands, which were still on her lap, but trembling. "But... was it all me? Be honest."
"I... I can't go into it, not right now." said May, speaking so fast Ash could barely understand her. "It's a lot. Right now, I just want to enjoy being with Ash Ketchum again. I've missed you so much..."
As nice as it was to hear that, Ash was in no way ready to back down. Once he began to think about it more, he remembered that something had already been wrong with May before he'd been taken away to train. She'd called it "getting sick" or something of the sort, but with an older and more matured mind, Ash could now deduce she almost certainly meant something far graver. He wanted to know, and he wanted to know because he was worried about her. He was worried about her because he cared for her. He cared for her because he was in love with her, and at the moment, her happiness was all he could think about.
"May, I..."
Ash's voice trailed off, because, at the sound of her name, May turned her head towards Ash, establishing eye contact. Her eyes bore a trait all too familiar to the raven-haired savior, a sight that surprised him even though he had not forgotten the significance of the last name "Maple". May's eyes held the azure glow of Aura, prompting Ash to quickly take note of his surroundings. No Aura had been summoned out; in fact, it didn't seem like May even ignited the glow on purpose. Her emotions brought it forth, and from what Ash could sense, her emotional tie to her Aura was even more potent than that of what he'd sensed in Max all evening.
May, who had grown confused as to why Ash hadn't finished his sentence, frowned. The frown deepened when she noticed a blue gleam on Ash's face, seeming to come from her own.
"Ash, your face... It's blue." she whispered, tilting her head slightly.
"Not my face," corrected Ash, lighting up his own eyes with the energy. "your eyes."
As the blue light in her eyes began to fade, May blankly stared at Ash's eyes, needing only a split second to realize what he meant. She opened her mouth to say something in response, but found herself unable to dictate where to take the conversation. Luckily, Ash wasn't done talking.
"May, I need you now more than ever." he started, maintaining eye contact. "The world is in the worst danger it's faced in thousands of years. When I say "worst", I really do mean the worst. It's worse than Team Rocket, Aqua, Magma, Galactic, or anything we've ever had to deal with before. And I'm the chosen one tasked to saving it. It's why I was taken away; to train. And it's why I'm back. It has to be me to do it, but with the help of a chosen seven others. Only with them will I be able to get through all this. I've gotten two of those seven so far, and I need you to be the third. Because you are the third."
May stared at Ash for a few seconds before shifting her gaze to her lap.
"I don't know how to use it, Ash. At all."
"But you're aware you can? That it's in you?"
"Yes, and I'd like to lear-"
"That's more than enough, then." said Ash, standing up.
With a flick of his wrist, the spare pajamas Brock had given him to wear glowed and transformed into his Aura Guardian gear, earning an awestruck gasp from May. He grabbed his staff off his back and twirled it around a bit before touching the end of it to May's forehead, and in an instant, a dark blue cloak appeared around her. While Ash took a second to admire his work, May looked down at the new article of clothing, gingerly touching the fabric.
"How does Aura allow you to make clothes?" she asked, looking back up at Ash.
"Do not answer that." commanded Lucario, overriding Ash's mental block on him.
"I cannot answer that." said Ash, returning to his spot on the couch. "Aaaaaanyway, that cloak is yours. Welcome to the Fellowship... my student."
If May were a pokemon, her ears would have perked at that last word. She looked at Ash, eyebrows raised. Ash grinned.
"Your... student?" she repeated, her eyes lighting up in happiness.
"Student." he confirmed, nodding. "May, you're powerful. Your Aura's got great potential, and I've seen countless times just how hard of a worker you are. I swear, you and I are gonna bring out all of your strength. I'll teach you everything I know... But only if you're willing to open yourself up to the Aura, and that means conquering your demons. I can help, but only if you open up to me about it. It doesn't have to be tonight, but eventually... you'll have to let it go."
May stood up, her cloak gracefully falling to full length. Ash looked up at her, his face completely serious. May returned the stare, except with a smile.
"I will." she declared. "I promise I will, Ash... Thank you so much, I... I won't let you down."
"It's not me you have to worry about..." yawned Ash, laying down. In a flash of blue light, his Guardian attire reverted back to Brock's pajamas. "It's the world we're trying to save here..."
"True..." replied May, yawning as well. "Hm, I spent hours unconscious and I'm still yawning. *yawn* Maybe I should go back to bed..."
"Yeah, me too." answered Ash, getting comfortable on the couch.
"Well... goodnight, Ash. I'll see you in the morning." said May, slowly walking back to the stairs. Each step seemed hesitant, but she kept going. "It's good to have you back."
"Goodnight..." answered Ash, closing his eyes. "It's good to be back..."
...
approximately 17.4 seconds later...
...
"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck."
Ash's eyes reopened, twice as wide as they were when he'd closed them moments earlier. As soon as May had left the room, his full capacity of thoughts returned to him, allowing everything that had just happened to sink in. She had more or less confessed that she cared about him more than a friend, a mutual sentiment. They'd kissed, and frankly, the word "kiss" seemed like a bit of an understatement. The both of them had seemed to have dismissed it so quickly afterwards, he had to wonder what it truly meant for the days to come. Would it happen again? He hoped so. But if it did happen again, they'd surely become more than... whatever state of friendship they were currently in.
He closed his eyes again, desperately wanting to go back to sleep for the long day ahead. After a couple minutes, it seemed like he'd gain his wish; his thoughts were beginning to dwindle, his consciousness slipping. But unfortunately, a faint tickling sensation began to run across the side of his face, prompting him to halt his progress and reach for whatever was there. He opened his eyes slightly, only to open them wider when he saw what he held:
A long, honey-blonde hair, shining gracefully in the moonlight.
Alright, that's that. So, I have some interesting things to say here. First of all, I want to explain something about the direction this story is going to go. The chapters will continue as they have been only until Ash assembles all the members of the Fellowship. From then on, it's been my intention to write a good amount of chapters in a more episodic, shorter-length fashion, with each chapter containing it's own conflict and that conflict being solved by the end of it. These "episode" chapters will feature various and never-repeating assortments of members of the group, with the purpose being to flesh out their personalities even more and show how everyone interacts with each other, while also showing growth in strength as well. Each of these chapters will always have some bearing and relation to the overall plot to avoid any of them being mere filler. Expect this to begin after the next 3 or 4 chapters, and to last about 10. I'm excited for it.
Also, for those of you who read my other story, Pokemon: Divinus, good news. I'm also 7000 words into the next chapter of that, only about 2000 left till it's done. Keep on the lookout!
But...
How will Ash deal with both May and Serena being in the Fellowship?
Who will the NEXT member of the Fellowship be?
When will the bells of fierce battle ring once more?
Find out the answers to all these questions and more in the next chapter of Pokemon: The Fellowship of the Aura!
Toodaloo,
~DarkSlash9
