A/N: Well, I have to say that it has been quite a long time since I've last updated, but I finally made it! This chapter is dedicated to all readers who have been so loyal and supportive to me. --tear-- Thanks so much! Your spirit has helped me in so many ways and gives me the strength to continue writing this story. But, I know you'll be more interested in reading the story (I hope) than listening to me ramble on so enjoy!
P.S.—This chappie will be more about May than the whole gang. Hope you won't mind…
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, but keep in mind that I do own the story!
The Unexpected Visit
Chapter 7
Trouble
"Welcome, welcome!" a shout of greeting was heard from many, many of the refugees. Faces lit up with hope and delight as the four newcomers arrived, out in the open road. Christopher introduced them to everyone present and started giving them a tour of the current hideout. Ash and the gang were disappointed to leave the crowd so suddenly, but were quickly reassured that they'd get a chance to mingle later.
"Now that's the market area…" he pointed toward a busy street to the south," that's the dry goods store and if you look to the right, you'll see another dry goods store---they're trying to compete against each other, so watch out--- and that's the place where you can get loans, money, etc…." The stocky boy continued to ramble on and on about the most popular and least popular places, but covered pretty much everything he thought the four needed to know.
About and hour later, they stopped touring and returned to Christopher's house for a late supper. Today, the family and guests sat around a log fire in the backyard, since the usual dining table was too small for all ten people to fit, but they had a lovely time under the speckled night sky. Ash, May, Max, and Brock were all introduced formally to each of Christopher's family members including his parents and grandparents.
"Come now. Don't be shy. Dig in!" The four adults of the Tollens family said, taking empty plates and bowls from the youngsters and replacing their empty hands with full dishes filled with steamy food. There was nearly everything you could imagine! Grilled steaks, chicken, pork, yams, garden salad, fruits, bread, different types of noodles and pastas, and more food than you could think of, including traditional Japanese-styled cooking. Aromas floated around the air, attracting neighbors and close friends and families. It was like bees to honey. Soon, the yard was filled with people eating, laughing, talking, playing, and just enjoying life.
It was almost midnight when the party of people noticed what time it was. They had nearly forgotten to go to sleep until grumpy toddlers yanked at their mother's shirts and cried out that they were tired. A wave of "thank you" and "goodnight" were passed toward the Tollens as people shook their hands and gave out hugs by the dozen, each with a tired, but jolly expression on their faces.
The women of the household looked around at the messy yard and sighed. The grounds and tables were littered with dirty dishes, leftovers, and trash. It would take at least two to three days before everything could return to its original state. Then, they sullenly began to pick up some wrappers and paper plates and cups. May tried to help, but Christopher's grandmother and mother simply refused, saying that they could manage without her help. They did not want to burden their guest and added that she should rest. After all, it had been a pretty long night.
May obliged willingly, but not until she had cleaned up a third of the yard. She wiped the sweat off of her forehead and inspected her work, everything was clean, but something just wasn't right. May didn't know what it was, but she smelled a rat, a stinking fat rat. 'I know something or somebody is keeping a close watch on us…Someone who will cause trouble…' she thought, perturbed by the previous weird things she had witnessed. What was the red streak? And what made her get the willies on the first day she stepped into the deserted town?
"May? Are you alright?" Emmelia, Christopher's mother, queried as she walked over to the girl with two glasses of water in her hands. "You look disturbed." She, then, handed a glass over to May. "Drink up. It will help relieve your stress."
May smiled warmly and took the glass with a "thank you."
She took a sip and closed her eyes, savoring the taste. "It's delicious. But, it's sweeter than any waters I've tasted.
"That's because the springs here are the purest. Their waters have never been tainted with pollution or chemicals. It's been such a blessing for us since we've been pushed out of our town." Emmelia gave May a sad smile. "You must go to bed now, rest up in the guest room next to Annie's and tomorrow an adventure will await you. Goodnight. Sweet dreams."
"You too."
With that, they silently entered the back door of the Tollens home, followed by Christopher's grandmother.
---
That night, May could barely keep her eyes closed. She kept rolling around in her bed, kept awake by the images of the strange occurrences that wouldn't cease to flash through her mind. Groaning in complete defeat, May looked up at the ceiling, counting invisible sheep, hoping that this would help her drift off to sleep.
"One…two…three…four…five…oh, this not gonna work…" sighed the frustrated girl. She kicked off her blankets.
At last, she got up and dressed herself into warm clothing and tip-toed down the oak wood staircase. Several times she had bumped her foot and toes into chair legs and tables, but remained quiet until she reached the door. Clutching her left foot, May slowly turned the brass knob and hopped out, stopping to rest on the front porch. After a few minutes more, she got up from the porch swing and went for a walk in the grassy slopes behind two miles of forest.
It was quite a peaceful place, even with the early songs of bird Pokemon. The lush green plants and trees covered the forest grounds while blooming flowers decorated its surroundings, scenting the air with sweet perfumes. One could not help but ease his mind in such a heaven.
May stayed for two and a half hours, watching the land glow with light as the sun rose behind gentle slopes, awakening to another day of fresh beginnings. It was truly a sight! Enough distractions to keep her mind from wandering and a beautiful scene to enjoy. What would be able to ruin this? Perhaps nothing, or so she thought…
Sudden screams of terror and yelling brought her back to reality and yanked her away from daydreaming. May leapt up in shock. She ran at full speed through the forest and headed back to the refuge. The clean, crisp air was no longer so pure. It had a thick, smoky smell to it and was getting stronger and stronger each time May came closer to the town's current station. A thought flashed through her mind. 'Oh, no! Please, no!'
The sight before her eyes stunned her. May couldn't move. Her eyes were glued to the burning Tollens home. Everyone busily threw bucketfuls of water on the house, hoping it would die down. A bucket of water was handed to her, snapping her out of the frozen state she was in.
May rushed over to the flaming structure and emptied her bucket. She, then, ran over to some bystanders to ask them some questions. "Excuse me, ma'am. Can you tell me what's happened? Are the Tollens and my friends and my brother alright?" May had questioned. The woman's worried expression turned into quick relief as she examined May.
"Oh, thank the heavens you're alright!" the woman cried out and then, shouted to a man in an orange suit of some sort, "Frank! The little darling's okay! We won't need to look anymore!" Then, she dragged May over to a nearby shelter and sat her on a chair, offering her some drinks and snacks. May politely push them away and asked the woman the same questions. The woman just simply shook her head.
"I don't know if I should say, but since you are so persistent…I might as well tell you."
"Please, go on, ma'am."
"Well, you probably remember last night's party, am I correct? Some citizens of this town believe this sudden fire breakout is caused by something flammable at the party. There is no evidence yet, but…they are guessing that it's true since the fire started at the same place the party did…As for your friends and brother and the Tollens…well, you just see them yourself," she said and led May over to an old wooden house.
The woman, Mazie, knocked on the door. Emmelia Tollens opened the door a crack and smiled warmly at Mazie and May, then rushed them inside. She whispered, "Most of them are resting now, we should not disturb them. May, you go ahead and wait for me in the living room while I have a talk with Mazie, here. I'll just be five minutes." May nodded silently and walked down the hall in search of the living room.
Five minutes later, Emmelia came in with a tray full of refreshments. She sat across of May in an oak chair and offered her some snacks and a drink. Slightly famished and thirsty, May gratefully accepted the snacks and questioned Emmelia about the health of everyone else who was in the fire.
"Don't worry about a thing. You should go and rest up upstairs. I know it has been a long morning for you, for everybody. We can discuss things when the time comes. Now into your bed you go!" instructed Emmelia and she marched May up to a spare bedroom in the far corner on the east side of the house.
May sighed continually, thinking deeply and trying to piece things together. She didn't have much luck since there were too many missing pieces lost in the puzzle box. Could the fire be related to the red streak or was it just a coincidence? The young pre-teen knew she would not have any restful sleep until everything was in place, but this time she managed to get a little shut-eye…
---
A/N: I hoped that you have enjoyed most of the chapter or at least part of it. I really had no idea what to write so pardon my writing; I can't do my best when I'm at a loss for inspiration, but I try. Your authoress will try to update some more chapters in the coming weeks since she now has the time to actually think. Hmm…what else shall I say before doing a little Question/Comment/Answer Time (Q.C.A.T.)? Oh, yes…as you can probably guess, I'm going to have to spend a little more time on some other things before I can let the adventurers continue their journey. I expect Misty/Kasumi will enter in a few more chapters, perhaps chapters 9 or 10. At any rate, I will continue the story, with or without reviews, although I do encourage you to do so (even one little note would count). Okies, Q.C.A.T. and remember to check my bio for info that you might not want to miss!
Question/Comment/Answer Time
C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only— Sorry, I tend to confuse people sometimes. I plan to revise this story sometime later though…
WingedWisdom— Thank you for your comment! I really appreciated you for saying that and yes, Misty will come on, eventually.
Final Genesis— Well, yes, all the other chapters are all short, but I hope you like this one better. Thank you for reviewing!
Tristan—I didn't say May and Ash were together…they're just friends.
Kitty C. Hamagochy—No, this is not a May and Ash story. They are not a couple in this story.
If I did not answer your question or comment, feel free to contact me. Look in my bio for the e-mail address. It's always there for your convenience.
Okay…Thank you for all your comments and reviews. Thank you:
C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only
WingedWisdom
Final Genesis
tristan
Kitty C. Hamagochy
Unknown
Kataan
joebobthecandyman
Tactition-Misty-15
Pretti-Sailor-scouts
SacredKoorimeKitsune
mystery
Z Girl Warrior
ash and misty4life
froggy
smiley
hobo
ghost
moo
Nick Johnson
Scarred Dragon
jade destiny
Princess Sauria
cutie