Several moments of silent tension passed on the cold mountaintop. The Princess and the Trainer could only stare in shock at the portal that the Legendary Pokémon had opened before them. May's way home was just inches away. Ash's mind couldn't help but race. He promised to find her a way home, but now that the moment was here, he felt himself become deathly afraid. Would she really leave him and go back? Was it selfish of him to want her to stay? He loved her so much, that he wasn't sure he could handle it if she left. Even as these thoughts raced through his head, he knew he couldn't act upon them. He had to let her make her own choice about what to do, no matter how much it might hurt him. He had to follow through on that promise. Finally, May was able to pull her eyes away from the portal and looked back at him as she finally found her voice again.
"But...what about you...?" she asked, surprising him with her question.
"What about me..?" he questioned her back.
"I can't...I can't just leave you here...alone..." she clarified. Ash felt a twinge of guilt. He hadn't even said anything yet and already he was affecting her decision.
"Your family is there...mine is here..." he reminded her.
"I know…but…" she said as her voice trailed off. "Sir Ash what should I do…?" Ash gulped as he considered his answer carefully. He didn't want to influence her, but he had to be honest with her, just as he had always been. He wrapped his arms back around her and held her tightly.
"I...I don't want you to go..." he admitted. May remained quiet as she hugged him back. He planted a gentle kiss on the top of her head. "I love you..."
"...I love you too..." she replied. Ash lifted her head gently and kissed her lips with a loving tenderness. May kissed him back without any hesitation. He stroked her cheek with his thumb as their tongues battled for dominance, earning a shared moan. Only when they both felt a need for air, did they each slowly pull their lips away but kept their eyes locked on the other's. May closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steeling her decision before she looked back at him.
"...I want to stay...I want to stay here with you..." she announced. Ash's eyes widened in shock, almost not believing what he had just heard.
"You do..?" he asked.
"Yes…" May nodded. "I miss my family and my home greatly...but not being with you...even the thought alone hurts even more..." Ash couldn't believe his own ears. She was choosing him over her home. She was going to stay with him. He didn't have to say goodbye to the woman of his dreams. A smile crossed his face as he pulled her into the biggest kiss they'd ever shared. She happily kissed him back, unable to contain her excitement either. Ash kissed her longingly as May wrapped her arms around him, returning his affection. He held her close and she moaned softly, but their moment was suddenly interrupted when Dialga roared angrily. The sudden anger from such a powerful Pokémon caused Ash to jolt away from the kiss and May to gasp in fear. The Temporal Pokémon glared at the two young adults and began charging an attack at his mouth. Ash didn't recognize the attack but didn't have any time to think as Dialga fired it at them. Holding May close, Ash ducked the energy beam and shield her body with his own from any stray discharges. She yelped and hid up against his chest in a panic. The beam struck the ruins behind them, destroying them near instantly and showing the massive power this Pokémon held. A power that was truly terrifying. "What the?!"
"Why are you attacking us?!" Ash demanded. Dialga seemed to ignore his question and instead roared again. He floated up into the air, charging another attack. Expecting it this time, Ash jumped into action. "Plusle use Helping hand on Pikachu and Charizard! Charizard Flamethrower and Pikachu you use Thunder!"
"Plu plu plu!" Plusle cheered as his pom-poms sent extra power to Pikachu and Charizard.
"Take this!" Pikachu yelled as he launched his most powerful Thunder at Dialga.
"On it!" Charizard agreed as he fired off a Flamethrower with power near equal to Pikachu. Both attacks hit their marks and Dialga grunted in pain as he was pushed back. However, the attacks weren't enough and he was still able to fire off the same attack again. Reacting as fast as he could, Ash took hold of May's hand and ran as fast as he could. May ran quickly with him, both of them managing to get out of the direct line of fire from the attack, but they were still blown off their feet by the shockwave.
"WHOA!" Ash gasped as he flew a few feet through the air and landed flat on his back. May was forced out of his grip and landed on the ground beside him with the same amount of force.
"Ack!" she yelped. Dialga fired the same attack yet again, this time taking direct aim at her. Ash's eyes widened in horror as May gasped and braced for the worst. However, from out of nowhere, Golurk suddenly stepped in the way of the attack and blocked it with his massive body. Both young adults gasped in shock.
"Golurk..?" Ash wondered. For a moment, he couldn't figure out why Golurk had protected her. That's when he realized, Golurk's mission wasn't to get her to go home, it was to get her to Spear Pillar. And with May's father no longer around to give him a new mission, his mission was now to protect her from harm.
"Golurk be careful!" May called out as she sat up. Golurk continued to stand between her and Dialga, holding the attack back as much as he could. May and Ash could only stare in astonishment as Golurk seemed to be their only line of defense at this moment. The fact that his attack had been blocked greatly angered Dialga and he began to increase the power of the move. Golurk grunted as the increased power began to push him backward inch by inch, slowly overpowering him.
"STOP IT!" Ash screamed.
"Golurk!" May called out worriedly. Fed up with the interference, Dialga increased the power of his attack to the highest level.
"Gol…!" Golurk grunted as he tried to stand his ground against the sheer force of Dialga's power, but the strain became too much. The attack overwhelmed Golurk and he was literally blown apart by the sheer intensity of the energy beam.
"NO!" May screamed at the top of her lungs as Ash gasped in shock. May could only watch with horror as the scattered remains of her father's last gift to her littered the ground around them. Golurk had given everything he could to save her, and now he was gone. Ash was equally shocked by the death of the Pokémon he only moments ago considered an enemy. Only a truly good and loyal Pokémon would go so far to protect someone else. Dialga roared up at the sky angrily, clearly annoyed by the delay. He glared down at the young Princess as Ash grit his teeth with sheer anger.
"You'll pay for that...!" he yelled at Dialga. The Legendary Pokémon only gave off a low and deep growl in response, seemingly unfazed by Ash's threat. Ash stepped closer towards Dialga, still clearly livid, which caused May to finally tear her gaze away from Golurk's remains and look up at him.
"Sir Ash...?" she asked. He looked at her upon hearing her soft voice and she frantically shook her head. "Please don't fight him...you're going to get hurt...!"
"I'm not just going to just give up! Especially after what he did to Golurk!" he countered.
"But...!" she tried to protest. Ash clenched his fists in anger, determined not to let Golurk's sacrifice be in vain. Dialga shifted his attention back towards May and Ash quickly moved to stand between the two of them.
"You won't touch her...!" he announced. Dialga growled again as if challenging Ash to stop him. Determined, Ash took that challenge on full force. "Use Overheat Charizard!"
"Eat this!" Charizard roared as his body glowed red and he let loose a powerful Overheat attack from his snout. Dialga was able to dodge the attack and then his body glowed yellow. He launched a ball of energy into the sky and it exploded into dozens of streaks of energy that rained down on the ruins and hit Charizard, a perfect Draco Meteor.
"Charizard are you alright?!" Ash gasped. Charizard shook out his scales and nodded, able to stay airborne despite the attack. "Alright then let's strike from above!"
"On it!" Charizard agreed as he flew up high, far above Dialga.
"Dragon Tail!" Ash called out. Charizard's tail glowed green and he swung his tail down, managing to connect with Dialga's head. Dialga roared and recoiled in pain. Ash gave a slight smirk as a bit of confidence returned. But Dialga was not going to let that happen and quickly hit Charizard with a Hyper Beam. The Fire-Type was sent flying and crashed into one of the broken pillars. "Charizard!"
"Oh no!" May gasped. Charizard struggled to get up but before he could even get off the ground, Dialga hit the fallen Pokémon with the same attack he used on Golurk earlier. The attack left Charizard battered and beaten on the ground, long since knocked out.
"NO!" Ash yelled as he ran at Dialga on impulse and grabbed Dialga's leg and began punching him in rage.
"Sir Ash!" May called out. Ash ignored her cries and continued punching Dialga, not caring that his impromptu attack wouldn't do anything to such a powerful creature. Only slightly annoyed by Ash's attack, Dialga knocked Ash away with a simple flick of his leg. Ash fell backward onto his butt, yet was quick to get back onto his feet. Fearing for his safety, May quickly grabbed onto his arm to stop him from doing it again. "Sir Ash no!"
"I have to stop him!" Ash yelled as he struggled against her grip.
"Please we have to run! We can't stop him like this!" she begged. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Ash knew she was right. He quickly recalled Charizard to his pokéball as May picked up Plusle and Minun in her arms. Grabbing onto her hand with a firm grip, Ash took the lead and ran off with her. Seeing them beginning to flee, Dialga roared angrily and fired off his attack once more.
"Look out!" Pikachu screamed as he stopped running and countered the attack with Thunderbolt. His move allowed them just enough time to escape the range of Dialga's moves.
"Sir Ash over there!" May yelled as she pointed out a cave entrance just outside the ruins. Ash nodded in agreement and lead the group inside. They all ran deep into the cavern and eventually hid behind a large bolder once they felt they were far enough away from the entrance. They all sat down on the rocky floor to take a moment to catch their breath. Ash glanced at May briefly, making sure she didn't have any immediate injuries.
"Are you ok...?" he asked gently.
"I think so..." she panted. She then reached out and took his hand in her own. Ash lightly squeezed her hand as the weight of everything that had happened slowly began to fall upon them both.
"...I'm sorry..." he apologized.
"For what?" she wondered.
"About Golurk...and messing up your way back home..." he clarified.
"Sir Ash I told you I wanted to stay...and as for Golurk...I'll never forget him...he went above and beyond his duty and I will always be grateful…" she explained.
"Even so..."
"The best thing we can do for him now is to not let his sacrifice be in vain. We just...have to think of a way to stay safe...I have a feeling that the attack he was using will do more to me than just damage. We saw what it did to Golurk…who knows what it would do to someone displaced out of time..." she added.
"No kidding…what was that attack anyway?" he wondered as he pulled out his Pokédex and looked up Dialga again.
"Roar of Time, Dialga's signature attack. The user blasts the foe with power that distorts even time. The user must rest for a time afterward." The machine explained.
"Whoa…" May gasped.
"Yeah we definitely want to keep you away from something like that…" he agreed.
"Surely there must be a place we can take shelter while we come up with a plan...if only temporarily..." she suggested.
"I'm sure there is. But the first thing we need to do is get out of this cave." Ash nodded. He got up and helped her back onto her feet. The three Electric types returned to their respective trainers' shoulders and they all began to move deeper into the cave, looking for an exit.
The group traveled in relative quiet for what felt like hours. No one had even a clue of where they were, so they were mostly just wandering aimlessly.
"It's getting harder to see..." May eventually commented.
"I know…normally I'd let Charizard out to use his tail...but..." Ash replied.
"It's alright. Maybe they can help somehow." She suggested, gesturing to the three Electric Types on their shoulders. Ash thought for a moment and looked between Plusle and Minun.
"Do either of you know Flash by chance?" he questioned them.
"Plu!" Plusle piped up, waving his paw.
"Alright. Use Flash then Plusle." Ash smiled.
"Plusle!" Plusle nodded. He hopped off Ash's shoulder and then used Flash, shining light across the dark cavern from his body.
"Great job." Ash chuckled.
"Plu!" Plusle responded proudly as he started leading the group down the tunnel. Minun smiled a little as she watched her normally timid friend take charge for once. Ash and May followed Plusle further into the cavern before May spoke up.
"...Sir Ash?"
"Yeah..?"
"Earlier you apologized to me...but I wanted to apologize as well." She explained.
"What on earth for?" he asked.
"Well...it was my decision to stay that put you and your Pokémon in danger." She explained.
"Oh. Well, don't worry May. I've been in plenty of tough situations like this." He assured her. "Besides I didn't want you to go either. If you really want to stay, then I promise I'll find a way to make it happen."
"Really?" she wondered. Ash nodded and she gave him a smile, squeezing his hand gently. "Sir Ash you're wonderful…You mean the world to me..."
"And you to me..." he smiled. May smiled back and Ash hugged her lovingly. She hugged him back and chuckled softly.
"Even if it means we spend our lives on the run from an angry Legendary Pokémon...?" she half-joked.
"Even then." Ash promised as he kissed her. May kissed him back and they both pulled away after a few moments. They both smiled and blushed softly as they held each other close.
"Mmm...this is nice..." she commented as she rests her head on his shoulder.
"Sure is." Ash agreed as he gave a small smile. She giggled softly and he kissed her forehead. "It's a relief to hear you laugh..."
"It is?" she wondered. "Why?"
"It's been an exhausting few days since you were kidnapped...I'm afraid I haven't done much eating or sleeping…" he admitted.
"Oh my gosh..." May gasped as she lifts her head from his shoulder. "I'm so sorry...I didn't even think about that..."
"Don't worry. I'm just relieved you're safe..." he assured her.
"Well…I have you to thank for it..." she blushed.
"I love you..."
"I love you too." They shared another quick peck before continuing on their way with their hands still linked.
A little while later the group was still wandering near aimlessly around the inside of the mountain. And even from inside, they could tell it was getting late.
"Do you know anything about this place...?" May wondered, hoping he could give some clue as to where they were.
"Unfortunately no." Ash said with a shake of his head. "Sorry May."
"It's not your fault...we'll just need to figure out a plan. Like...should we go back to Hoenn?" she wondered.
"I don't know...that Pokémon seemed capable of following us anywhere." He reminded her.
"Yeah…I guess so." She replied.
"We can't really do anything until we find out way out of here."
"Well...maybe we should stay in here for the night...it doesn't seem like he's coming after us in here...at least for tonight." She suggested.
"I think you're right." Ash nodded. The group walked a little further down the path until they came to a clearing in the cave big enough to stay in for the night. May sat against the cave wall while Ash started a fire and all three Electric Types curled up on the floor together and promptly fell asleep. Once he had gotten a decent fire going, Ash sat next to May and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She laid her head on his shoulder and cuddled into his side, each of them giving a soft smile.
"You sure you've never done this dating thing before? If feels so...natural from you." She whispered.
"Trust me, I'm probably newer to this than you are." Ash chuckled to himself.
"Well then tell me...if we weren't fleeing for our lives, what would we be doing?" she questioned him.
"Traveling..." he answered plainly, earning him a smile from her.
"Only traveling?" she teased, gently stroking his arm.
"And everything that entails." He added as stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. They shared a gentle kiss and smile before May spoke again.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"Had you ever...thought about what you want to do when you're done traveling?"
"Not really."
"Really? How come?"
"Well, being a Pokemon trainer is all I've wanted for a long time. So I guess I never really thought about what comes next." He explained.
"But were you going to do it forever?" she inquired.
"Well...I guess I knew it wouldn't be forever, but it's not something I've really planned out." He added with a shrug. May giggled a little and caused Ash to give a sheepish smile.
"Well...maybe it could go something like this..." she suggested as she kissed him tenderly. He kissed her back without hesitation as she wrapped her arms comfortably around his torso. He shuddered a little as she giggled under his lips and requested access to his mouth. Their tongues battled for dominance as happy moans came from both sides. The need for air arose again and both of them broke the kiss, but the blushing and smiles told them both everything they needed to know.
"Mmm...yeah, I could see it going something like that." He smiled
"Good." She smiled back.
"Heh heh..." Ash chuckled as he scratched behind his head, earning a giggle from May. He smiled as she then yawned softly, catching his attention. "Sleepy already?"
"Well...running for your life can tire you out a bit..." she pointed out.
"True enough I suppose." He chuckled. She gently laid her head on his shoulder and relaxed into his side.
"I hope you don't mind..."
"Not at all." May smiled and closed her eyes.
"I love you..."
"I love you too May…" A smile graced her face as she drifted off to sleep. He rested his head on top of hers and shut his eyes before following her lead.
To be Continued...