The couple slept for a few hours until Ash began to shift and wake up in the early morning hours. As if sensing his awakening, Pikachu's eyes also began to open. Pikachu shook out his fur as Ash rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Pikachu smiled at his Trainer and Ash gave him a small smile back.
"How are you holding up?" Pikachu asked him.
"Hm? Holding up with what?" Ash questioned him back.
"Well, a lot has happened over the past few days. How are you holding up?" Pikachu clarified.
"Well...I've certainly been better...but it could be worse. She's agreed to stay with me." The young man smiled a little. Pikachu smiled back and climbed into his lap.
"I'm sorry things haven't gone as we thought lately."
"It's alright. When have our journeys ever gone the way we planned anyway?" Ash chuckled lightly.
"Well, have you thought about asking for help? We know some pretty smart people who may know something that could help us all out here." Pikachu offered.
"What would you suggest?"
"We could always go back to Kanto. Professor Oak usually knows a thing or two. Maybe he could tell us something about Dialga that could help."
"Maybe."
"It would at least give us a place to start." Pikachu reminded him. Ash gave a small nod as Pikachu smiled. "Besides, you should probably introduce May to your Mom."
"Heh…you got me there." Ash replied with a nervous chuckle.
"I think she'll be happy for you just like I am." Pikachu smiled.
"Heh...sure hope so." Ash chuckled. Pikachu smiled as Ash turned his attention to May, who was still sleeping against his side with his arm clutched as she slept. The sight of her made Ash smile as he kissed her forehead ever so gently. The kiss roused her from her sleep and May slowly opened her eyes. "Hey, you."
"Good morning..." May smiled softly. She planted a small peck on his lips and Ash returned her affection.
"Sleep well?" he wondered. May smiled and nodded in response.
"I did. Your shoulder is very comfortable..." she commented with a giggle. Ash smiled and laughed along with her as May wrapped him up in an affectionate hug. He hugged her back as she continued giggling.
"And what are you laughing at?" he teased her.
"I just know I love you lots so it makes me happy." She replied back honestly.
"Well, you make me happy too." He grinned. May bat her eyelashes at him and Ash happily took the bait, planting a kiss on her lips. She happily reciprocated and they kissed until they both had to pull away for air. "Well, Highness, ready to hit the road again? We still need to find a way out of this mountain."
"I think I gave up that title yesterday." She giggled. "But yes, yes I am."
"Alright then." Ash agreed. The two of them stood up and they each took a moment to freshen up as the remaining two Pokémon also began to wake up. May smiled and picked up Minun and giggled.
"Good morning Minun. Ready to get going?" she greeted her Pokémon.
"Mi minun!" Minun happily replied as she jumped onto May's head, causing them both to laugh. Ash smiled at the two of them as Pikachu took his usual shoulder perch. Ash looked over at Plusle and noticed the little Pokemon was watching Minun with a blush on his cheeks. Ash smiled at him as May took notice too.
"Aw..." she smiled. Ash chuckled as well and decided to leave it alone for now.
"Alright then. We need to think of a better plan than spending another day wandering around in here." He reminded the group.
"Let me try this time." Pikachu piped up. He began to sniff the air carefully for any clues to their whereabouts.
"Got anything?" Ash asked. Taking another big whiff of the air, Pikachu's ears suddenly perked up and he nodded.
"Yeah! I smell fresh air!" he announced.
"Yeah? That could be coming from an exit." Ash smiled.
"Pikachu found an exit?" May wondered.
"I think so. Let's go see." He nodded. Pikachu pointed down one of the tunnels and the group headed off on their way once again.
After walking for a while, the group began to notice the walls of the cave began to grow brighter.
"Hey! It's getting lighter!" May smiled.
"Yeah." Ash grinned. "That must mean we're on the right track."
"Up there!" Pikachu announced as he pointed to an opening in the rock just head.
"Finally!" May cheered. Ash smiled and guided the group through the exit, finally finding themselves on the outside of the mountain once again.
"There we go." He smiled.
"Yay! Sunlight!" May smiled as she stretched her arms out towards the sun. "It feels great!"
"Definitely does. Never been a fan of spending too long in caves myself." Ash chuckled. May smiled at him before she looked down the mountain, seeing a lot of different towns below from so high up.
"Whoa..." she gasped. "You weren't kidding about this being another kingdom...I don't recognize any of these settlements."
"I don't either. Must be a region I've never been to." Ash agreed.
"Guess we should try to get down to one of them. Maybe there we can figure out where we are and what to do next." May suggested.
"Good idea." He nodded. He took her hand in his own and she squeezed it for support. Flashing her a smile, he began leading the group carefully down the mountain. Minun clung to May's head tightly as Pikachu and Plusle held onto Ash's shoulders just as tight. With such rough terrain, moving down the mountain was hard on the group. But even so, Ash took the lead and helped everyone down the safest path. "Watch your step."
"Right…" May said with a small nod. They all continued further down until they made it to a ledge. Ash briefly let go of May's hand to use his hands to carefully navigate a tight pathway marked with several boulders. Once Ash was able to get through himself, he turned back to May and held his hand out to her.
"Alright, just take my hand and I'll get you through." He promised.
"Ok…" May agreed. She stepped forward to grab his hand, but a weak ledge underneath her crumbled beneath her foot. She began to fall towards the rocky ground below and gasped. "Eek!"
"May!" Ash quickly dove forward and managed to grab her arm. She quickly grabbed hold of his arm as well, trying to find another foothold as quickly as she could.
"A-Ash..!" she panicked. Ash held onto her arm tightly as he looked back at her.
"May don't panic! I won't let go of you so just focus on finding a foothold!" he instructed her. With a nod of understanding, May stopped struggling, scanning the cliff next to her for somewhere to put her foot. Finally, she managed to slip her foot into a small dent in the mountain and find her footing.
"I-I think I got it..." she informed Ash.
"You're sure..?" he tried to confirm. May nodded and locked in her other foot to another ledge.
"I think so..." she confirmed.
"Okay...just take it one step at a time." He reminded her. He began pulling her back up as she began climbing back up to Ash's level. He helped her up and once they both were on stable ground again, they both plopped down onto the ground and worked to catch their breath.
"Thank you Sir Ash..." May panted.
"Of course…glad you're ok…" Ash nodded. May hugged him with a smile and Ash hugged her back, placing a kiss on her forehead as well. "Let's keep moving and get down to more stable ground huh?"
"You won't get any argument from me." May nodded. They both got back onto their feet and continued down the mountain. A little further down, Ash stopped briefly to plan out their route again.
"Hmm..."
"What is it, Sir Ash?"
"Nothing, just trying to see the best way down." He responded.
"Oh. Alright then." She said.
"Come to think of it…we've been out in the open for a while…is there any sign of that Pokémon? Dialga?" he realized. May looked up at the sky for a moment before shaking her head.
"No…but I can almost...feel his rage..." she answered. "He hasn't given up looking for me...not by a longshot..."
"Because you're both out of time…that's probably why you can sense him…but I'm sure he can sense you too…" he grit his teeth.
"I guess…" May gulped. Seeing the fear in her eyes, Ash took her hand back in his own, squeezing lightly for support. May smiled at him appreciatively, determined not to let the threat of Dialga bring her down. Not as long as she was with her Sir Ash.
After several more hours of climbing, the group finally made it down to solid ground once again. The evening sun had already begun to set once again as they found their way to one of the cities they had seen earlier. May gasped when they entered the city, one far more massive than anything they'd seen so far.
"Whoa...!" she exclaimed. Ash smiled at her enthusiasm as he noted a sign nearby that featured the name of the city.
"Jubilife City huh?" he wondered.
"This place is just…wow!" May smiled.
"Mi mi!" Minun agreed.
"Impressed?" Ash smiled.
"Yeah! I didn't know buildings could go up that high!" she replied, craning her neck up to try and see the top of some of the taller buildings, which earned a chuckle from Ash. "How could someone be up that high and not get dizzy?"
"More squeamish people still do." He commented.
"I can certainly imagine that. But what possible purpose could there be for so many tall buildings?" she questioned him.
"Well, people probably work in most of them." He explained.
"Work? As in marketplaces and trade shops?" she wondered.
"Uhh...Not exactly." He sweatdropped. May tilted her head as Ash tried to think of the best way to explain. "Let's just say there are a lot more types of jobs nowadays."
"Like what?"
"Heh. I'll just have to show you some more things that are new to you once we get out of this mess."
"Alright. You got yourself a deal." She smiled.
"For now, let's head to the nearest Pokémon Center. After that battle, I think all our Pokémon could use a good rest." He suggested.
"Alright sounds good." she agreed. The couple walked further down the streets in search of a familiar building with a red roof. However, along the way, May spotted an animated billboard that caught her attention. "That sign is flashing..."
"Which sign?" Ash asked as he followed her gaze. May blinked her eyes a few more times to adjust them to the artificial light of the sign before reading the contents of the ad.
"What is a "Pokémon Contest"?" she asked.
"I haven't seen one myself. I'm afraid I wouldn't describe it well." Ash admitted.
"Well, what do you know about them?" May insisted.
"From what I've heard, they're competitions showing off how spectacular you and your Pokémon are." He explained.
"I thought that's what your Gym Battles were for." She countered.
"I think it's in a different way though. They're more about displaying talent and beauty rather than combat capability." He added.
"Really?" Ash nodded to her to confirm and she smiled softly. "That sounds kinda fun."
"Something tells me you'd enjoy it." Ash remarked with a small smile.
"Someday will you take me to one?" she smiled at him.
"Sure thing." He nodded. May grinned excitedly and hugged him. He chuckled and put his arm around her shoulders as they continued to walk down the busy street in search of the Pokémon Center. Eventually, they spotted the familiar building and headed inside, greeted at the front desk by a familiar face.
"Good evening. Welcome to the Pokémon Center." The Center's Nurse Joy smiled at them.
"Hi, Nurse Joy. Can you heal our Pokémon and can we use one of the rooms for the night?" Ash asked.
"I'd be happy to heal your Pokémon. And you're more than welcome to use one of our rooms tonight." She replied.
"Great thanks so much." Ash said as he handed over his pokéballs as Plusle and Pikachu jumped off his shoulders and onto the counter. Minun followed their lead and hopped off May's head and stood on the counter beside them. Nurse Joy handed Ash a room key, and then took all the Pokémon back for treatment, leaving Ash and May to themselves. Ash turned to May and flashed her a small smile. "Want to get something to eat?"
"Yeah that sounds-" May was cut off and blushes as her stomach growled on cue, causing Ash to smile. "Heh...guess that answers that…"
"Sure does." He agreed. He took her hand back into his own and walked with her towards the cafeteria. However before they reached the buffet, Ash stopped short as a thought crossed his mind. "Actually, we could try something new."
"We can? Like what?" May wondered.
"What would you say about going to a restaurant?" he suggested.
"A restaurant? Is that like a tavern?" the Princess wondered.
"Kinda. Come on, it'll make sense once we get there." He replied. May smiled and nodded as they both headed back out onto the streets to look for a place to eat.
"Are you looking for something specific? A place that serves a specific type of food?" May asked.
"Nothing in particular I suppose. Just somewhere with something tasty." He replied with a smile.
"I see." She giggled. "Then maybe I'll leave the searching to the more experienced traveler."
"Don't you worry about that. My nose has never steered me wrong." He grinned. The couple continued looking at different restaurants until Ash stopped outside of a casual grill/bar place. "This seems nice enough."
"Looks very quaint." May agreed as she casually sniffed the air. "Whatever they're cooking smells delicious!"
"This is what I was talking about earlier. Pokémon Centers have a good variety, but if you want really good specific stuff, ya gotta find the right restaurant." He explained.
"Well, it sounds like a plan to me." She agreed. Ash smiled and stepped inside with her for dinner.
After a great meal and a delicious dessert, Ash and May leaned back in their booth and sighed in contentment. Ash smiled at his girlfriend as he watched her relax.
"Satisfied?" he asked her. May smiled and nodded.
"That was wonderful. Thank you, Sir Ash." She replied.
"My pleasure. Glad you liked it." He smiled back at her. May's gaze drifted towards a wall clock nearby as she noticed the time.
"Oh dear...I didn't realize it was so late." She realized.
"Yeah, you're right. We should get going." He agreed. Both of the young adults slid out of the booth and headed back up to the front of the restaurant. Ash paid for the meals, reminding May of her persistent lack of money.
"I really need to find a way to help with that part..." she commented.
"May I told you I don't mind paying for a while. But if you want to earn some money you and Minun could pick up battling." He suggested.
"How would that help?"
"During official matches, you can get prize money for winning."
"Really? I had no idea." She remarked. "That's kinda cool..."
"I'd be happy to teach you how to battle if you're interested." Ash offered. May smiled softly and nodded.
"Alright. I'll definitely think about it." She decided. Ash smiled as the two headed back towards the Pokémon Center, once again hand in hand. May smiled tiredly as they walked and she laid her head on his shoulder, which caused him to blush as they walked back into the Center's lobby. "You know…we've been apart for so many nights...maybe I can stay in your bed tonight...?"
"We could stay together every night...if you want..." he countered.
"Now that I would like..." she blushed. Ash smiled at her as May squeezed his hand happily. "You're the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me, Sir Ash..."
"And you're mine Princess May..." he reciprocated. May couldn't contain her smile and pulled him into a deep kiss, which he wasted no time in returning to her. She leaned her body into his and his fingers found their way to her spine and stroked her back ever so gently. She shivered happily at his touch and snaked her arms around his neck.
"Mmm…" May moaned softly.
"Mm…" Ash echoed her moan. He held her gently as their tongues began to battle for dominance. Both of them pressed their bodies closer together and continued to moan until May slowly pulled her away when her need for air became too much. Soft panting passed by her lips as she kept her eyes on his. Ash's eyes were locked on her's in just the same way.
"I want you…" she whispered. Ash smiled softly and passed a hand under her shirt and stroked her bare skin.
"Then you've got me..." he whispered back. Not needing to hear it again, May happily grabbed his sweatshirt in her hands and yanked him into their room. "Whoa!"
"Then let's do it." she giggled excitedly. She quickly captured his lips with her's again and Ash kissed her back without missing a beat. The two were able to move across the room without breaking their kiss and fell back on the bed. The two moaned at one another as May began fidgeting with Ash's belt buckle to undo it. Ash smiled under her lips as he moved his hands further into her shirt and up her back.
To be Continued...