After a delicious breakfast, the new couple packed up their bags and began walking back toward Mauville City. May was resting her hand in the crook of Ash's arm as they walked, which was of course making Ash blush like crazy. His face hadn't lost its red color since they started walking hours ago and May began to take notice.
"You ok Sir Ash? You've been blushing since we left. And Mauville isn't much further..." she asked.
"I'm fine. I'm just not used to this." He answered, gesturing to her hand on his arm.
"Well, I hope that means you want to get used to it." She smiled. She pecked his lips with her own and snuggled up to his side. He smiled as he watched her, amazed that this lovely woman was his girlfriend.
"May..." he whispered dreamily.
"Yes?"
"Nothing. You're just cute." He replied.
"Thank you. And you're wonderful." She retorted. They shared a mutual blush as they reentered Mauville City. The city was just as big and bustling as ever and it made May smile happily.
"Well, back again it looks like." Ash announced. This was now the third time he had been back to Mauville in under a week. Aside from his hometown, he couldn't think of another time he had done that before.
"Yup. Always nice to see something familiar." May agreed. "Is there anything we need to do while we're here?"
"Not that I can think of." He said.
"Then shall we continue onwards to the next town?" she suggested.
"Let's." he nodded. "We'll take Route 110 down to Slateport City and take a ship to Petalburg."
"As you wish Sir Ash." She smiled. He smiled back and the two headed to the south side of town and then onto Route 110. As they walked down the path, May noticed that there appeared to be two roads running on top of each other towards the next town. One was a typical grassy path along the water. However the other seemed to be a constructed road across the water and on top of the other path. The odd split off caught May's attention as she tilted her head curiously and looked at the upper road. "What's that?"
"Oh, that's a separate path for people who are riding bikes. They call it the Cycling Road." Ash explained to her.
"Bikes?" she wondered.
"Look closely." He answered, pointing to some of the people up on the Cycling Road. May followed his gaze and looked up at the bike path and squinted, finally noticing that the people on the road above were not walking, but rather they were riding on some kind of contraptions.
"Those things they're riding?"
"That's right." Ash nodded.
"Heh...then perhaps it's better to take the walking path. I don't think we should invest much time in teaching me how to ride such a device." She chuckled.
"Fair enough. They won't let you on without one anyway." He added.
"Guess that answers that question." She giggled. Ash smiled at her and they began their walk down the lower path. Since most people were up on the Cycling Road, the walk was peaceful and quiet. And now that they were further away from the mountain and desert area, there was a lot more forest and grassy area around them, which May noticed quickly.
"There seems to be a lot more wooded areas and fields around here." She commented.
"Yup. That's one of the things I like about Hoenn. There are different types of places to find Pokemon everywhere." Ash agreed.
"Would that mean...there are Pokémon around here that I could try to catch?"
"Absolutely." He nodded.
"Then I hope I get to see some." She smiled. Ash smiled back at her as they continued along the path a little while longer. As they approached the midway point of the path, a bush nearby began to rustle, catching their attention. As both young adults looked towards the noise, two little Pokemon ran out of the bush. Both of them were small and had cream-colored bodies, big ears, and bright clear eyes. They were near identical, except for the shapes of their tails and the colors of their ears and front paws.
"Oh wow!" May gasped. The blue one stopped running at the sound of May's voice and shifted her gaze to look at the trainers.
"Mi?" she wondered. The red one stopped and followed her gaze.
"Plu?" he echoed.
"What are they?" May turned to Ash. He pulled his Pokédex out of his pocket and first scanned the red Pokemon.
"Plusle, the Cheering Pokémon. Plusle always supports its teammates, giving celebratory sparks when a teammate does well." The machine explained. Ash then shifted the device towards the blue Pokemon and scanned her as well. "Minun, the Cheering Pokémon. Minun cares more for its teammates than for itself, sending off showers of sparks while cheering them on."
"They're so cute!" May squealed. "And they look just like Pikachu!"
"Huh?" Pikachu wondered. He didn't see the resemblance, which made Ash chuckle. May smiled and turned her attention towards Ash.
"Do you think it's possible to catch them?" she asked him. Ash gave the area a quick scan, looking for anyone who might be the trainer of the two little Pokemon. When no one came near after a few moments, he nodded towards her.
"Looks like they're wild. We can give it a shot."
"Yay!" she cheered. Deciding that the best way to teach her was to catch a Pokemon alongside her, Ash grabbed a pokéball from his belt and sent out his Treecko.
"You can use Pikachu to battle." He offered. Pikachu smiled and hopped off Ash's shoulder, standing between May and Minun in a battle stance.
"Thanks, Pikachu." May smiled. Sensing a battle about to unfold, the Minun glared and got down on all four of her paws, sparking her cheeks. Plusle seemed to follow her lead but was clearly more unsure of himself than she was. Ash took an empty pokéball off his belt and handed it to May.
"Follow my lead." He instructed her.
"Right..." she nodded, giving a nervous nod. Minun was the first to attack as she ran at Pikachu with a Quick Attack. Plusle followed her lead and charged at Treecko with Spark.
"Treecko! Counter with Pound!" Ash called. Treecko shifted his stance and swung his tail forward, hitting Plusle and knocking him away.
"I-Iron Tail!" May called to Pikachu. Pikachu nodded and made his tail glow before he hit Minun with Iron Tail. Both of the Cheering Pokemon skidded backward from the hits, but they got back up quickly.
"Bullet Seed!" Ash ordered his Grass Type. Treecko leaped into the air and fired several dozen rapid-fire seeds at Plusle. Plusle tried to run around and dodge the attack, but he wasn't quick enough and ended up getting hit by several of the seeds.
"Thunderbolt!" May told Pikachu. Pikachu obeyed her order and jumped into the air, launching his Thunderbolt towards Minun. Unlike Plusle however, Minun was able to dodge the attack and then hit Pikachu with Spark, startling May. "Ah!"
"It's okay keep going!" Ash assured her. May looked towards Pikachu and saw him shaking out his fur, seemingly not taking much damage from Minun's attack, and was still raring to go.
"R-Right! Thunderbolt!" she yelled. Hearing her command, Pikachu leaped into the air and this time he was able to hit Minun with Thunderbolt. Minun cried out in pain, which drew Plusle's attention away from his own battle to check on her.
"Now!" Ash informed May. She quickly nodded and both of them threw their pokéballs at the Pokemon they each battled. The capture devices hit their targets and both wild Pokemon were turned to energy and sucked inside. Each ball began to shake as the Pokemon inside tried to escape. Both Ash and May watched with bated breath until finally, each ball clicked and stopped moving. Ash smiled and May tilted her head.
"Is that...is that it...?" she asked.
"It sure is." Ash nodded. May slowly smiled and picked up the pokéball with Minun inside.
"I really...caught a Pokémon?" she asked again.
"You sure did. You were great." He confirmed. May squealed excitedly and hugged him tightly.
"Oh thank you thank you thank you!" she exclaimed. Ash laughed and hugged her back, enjoying her excitement. After giving him another squeeze, she let him go and then hugged Pikachu. "Thank you too Pikachu!"
"You're welcome!" Pikachu laughed as he hugged her back. Once May let him go, he returned to Ash's shoulder as his trainer recalled Treecko to his pokéball. May looked over her own pokéball and then at Ash.
"So to let her out, I press the button in the center?" she wondered.
"That's right." He nodded. May pressed the button and tossed the pokéball in the air. The ball opened and in a flash of white light, Minun popped out and shook out her fur before looking around curiously.
"Mi?" she wondered. Ash followed May's lead and released Plusle from his own pokéball. Plusle appeared next to Minun and dizzily flopped down on the ground, clearly tired from the battle.
"Plus..." he groaned a little. May knelt down beside Minun and took a deep breath before speaking.
"Hello, Minun...my name is May. I'm hoping we can be friends." She greeted the little Pokemon as she offered her hand to Minun. Sensing her good heart and friendliness, Minun smiled at May and ran up her arm, perching herself on May's shoulder in a similar fashion to Pikachu. May giggled excitedly as Ash knelt down and picked up his new Plusle.
"It's nice to meet you Plusle." He greeted the small Pokemon. Plusle looked up at him and gave him a tired smile.
"Plu." He replied. Ash smiled back and then turned to May.
"We should get them to a Pokémon Center so they can recover their energy." He suggested.
"Ok." May nodded. Taking the lead, Ash began walking back towards Mauville down the path they came with May following behind him and holding his free hand.
By the midafternoon, the two had made their way back to the Mauville City Pokemon Center. They headed inside and their entrance drew the attention of Nurse Joy, who recognized them immediately.
"Oh, Ash! Princess! Welcome back!" she grinned.
"Hello." Ash greeted.
"Wonderful to see you again Nurse Joy." May said politely.
"How are things going for you two? Any leads on a way home?" Joy asked.
"Not yet. But we're still looking." Ash replied.
"That's good. Well, what can I do for you two while you're here?" Nurse Joy questioned them.
"We were hoping you could heal some Pokémon for us." Ash explained, gesturing to the three electric Pokemon currently out of their pokéballs.
"Oh of course. I'd be happy to." Joy nodded.
"Thank you so much." May replied before she looked to Minun. "Go with this nice lady ok Minun? She'll make you feel better."
"Minun!" Minun nodded as she hopped off May's shoulder onto the desk. Pikachu and Plusle followed her lead and Nurse Joy took all three of them back for treatment. Ash glanced at May and noticed that she was still smiling the same smile she was when she caught Minun, and it made her look absolutely beautiful.
"You have a cute smile." He commented. May turned towards him and smiled at him.
"I just can't stop...I'm so happy..." she replied. Ash chuckled and planted a kiss on her lips. She happily reciprocated and wrapped her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. He snaked his arms around her waist and rubbed her back. She smiled under his lips and snuggled into his embrace. Their lips slowly parted and he smiled at her.
"Come on. Let's relax while we wait." He suggested.
"Ok." She agreed. While holding her hand, Ash walked over to one of the couches in the lobby and sat himself down. May sat beside him and laid her head in his lap. He chuckled to himself and began stroking her hair gently. She smiled and closed her eyes, her body relaxing at his touch. Noticing her beginning to drift off a little, Ash kissed her cheek and continued stroking her hair.
"Sleep well May." He whispered. A sleepy smile graced her face as she drifted off to sleep. Ash allowed her to sleep peacefully for a while, all the while stroking her hair to soothe her. But the tranquility was smashed all of a sudden when May bolted upright and covered her mouth before she could scream and draw attention to them. The sudden turn in the atmosphere startled Ash as he looked toward her in a near panic. "May!?"
"S-Sir Ash…" she whimpered as she looks towards him. She was panting heavily and Ash could see the same terror in her eyes as the night before.
"Another nightmare…?" he guessed.
"Y-Yes but…" she paused as she tried to figure out how to explain what she saw. "I-It was different...I wasn't even fully asleep yet...but it came through clearer than the others...a-and the Pokémon...I could see all of it and it spoke to me..."
"A Pokemon in your dream spoke to you?" he wondered aloud.
"Yes…It told me...that I don't belong here...and that...it was on its way..." she explained. Ash's eyes widened in surprise and he grit his teeth. He was well aware that it may have only been a recurring nightmare with no meaning. But he was equally aware that there were a lot of Pokemon capable of communicating with humans through dreams. Either one was possible, but the way it seemed to terrify her so much put him into protective mode. He gently pulled her into his arms and held her close, stroking her back to help calm her down. She laid her head against his chest and clung to him as she tried to calm down. "Sir Ash I'm really really scared..."
"...I'll protect you...I promise..." he assured her.
"Do you think...some Pokemon is really looking for me...because I don't belong here...?" she whispered.
"...It's possible..." he admitted, unable to lie to her.
"...Oh..." she mumbled. The two remained locked in an embrace for several more minutes before May had finally calmed down enough to speak again. "...Is that Pokémon right...?"
"Well…I don't know." he answered truthfully. "Maybe you weren't supposed to end up in this time…but that doesn't mean you can't be here."
"It's just...The last thing I want to do is put you or anyone else in danger..." she informed him. "...If you got hurt because of me...I don't know what I'd do…"
"...May..." she avoided his gaze and looked down at her lap before speaking again.
"...When Minun is better...maybe she and I should..." before she could finish her hesitant statement, Ash took a hold of her hand and looked into her eyes.
"Don't. Don't you dare finish that sentence." He said sternly. May's eyes met his and she blushed a little.
"But..." Ash shook his head and helped her up from the couch. May followed his lead with a bit of surprise as he stood them both up and then pulled her body close to his. Without hesitation he kissed her, earning a blush from May. He held her body close and pushed his tongue into her mouth. May melted into his embrace and began to kiss him back, resting her hands on his chest as her doubts slowly faded away. Ash moaned softly and she moaned back at him. The kiss continued until the need for air forced them to separate. They looked into each other's eyes as Ash finally spoke.
"Whatever it takes...I'll help you." He promised. From the look in his eyes, she could tell that he meant that promise with every fiber of his being. And to her that was incredible. Without saying another word, May kissed him deeply and he immediately began to reciprocate. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her body into his. He held her waist in his embrace as they shared another mutual moan. She requested entrance into his mouth and their tongues battled until a voice nearby interrupted them.
"Get a room you two!" a snotty passerby commented from across the room. The two of them broke apart quickly as blushes of embarrassment lit up their cheeks. Ash took a brief look around the room and quickly became aware of just how many people were watching them have such an intimate kiss.
"We're...getting stares..." he nervously commented.
"Yes..." she whispered, but then she looked back into his eyes. "But did you really want to stop?"
"No..." he admitted.
"Then...perhaps we should take that advice..." she said as a small smile crossed her lips. Ash returned the smile as her hint was not lost on him.
"Sounds like a plan to me." He agreed. May softly blushed as Ash took her hand in his own and began walking. She followed him down the hall to the rooms available to travelers. After checking the doors of a few of them, the two finally found a door that was unlocked. They entered the unoccupied room and Ash closed the door behind them, making sure to lock it before he forgot. Once the door was secure, he slowly looked at May standing behind him. Even just as she waited for him she was breathtaking.
"Sir Ash?" she wondered, noticing him hesitating.
"Sorry." He apologized, quickly shaking off his dazed stare. "I just…I wanted to make sure you really wanted to do this. After all…you did tell me that you had a fiancée back home…"
"I do…" she acknowledged. "But right now I don't care…I want to be with you…in every way I can."
"You're amazing…" Ash smiled. Without any further hesitation, May began to kiss him passionately and he did the same right back to her. She leaned her body against his and his arms fell right back into position around her waist. In just the same way, her arms moved back around his neck and she started running her fingers through his hair. She again requested access to his mouth and he allowed her inside. Their tongues began to fight and explore together as the intimacy only deepened.
"Sir Ash…" May moaned under his lips as she knocked his hat off and her fingers began to play with his hair.
"May…" Ash moaned back at her as he started moving them both towards the bed. She happily allowed him to guild her body across the room and he supported her weight as she leaned back onto the bed. She laid on her back and Ash laid on top of her. Their lips continued to stay connected as the clothes they were wearing were discarded.
To be Continued...