- 15 -
Roxanne threw an arm out, blocking her students from going any farther. May stopped, looking curiously at her. "Return your pokemon," she said quietly, pulling out two pokeballs, and calling her own back without a word.
Nodding, May signaled to the baby pokemon to return, and brought each back into their individual pokeball one at a time. When the students had returned any of theirs that had been out, they huddled together in the shadows, giving Groudon room. The Legendary looked at them, before nodding and diving down into the ground, as the earth split along the tunnel for the pokemon to enter it.
As it repaired, the students and May looked at Roxanne. "Now, what is going on? Did you hear something?" she asked, hushing the students.
The gym leader nodded solemnly, and put a finger to her lips. Going totally silent, the group listened carefully. They could hear the footsteps that where echoing throughout the cavern tunnel, as their enemies searched. Frowning, they continued to listen to see if they could find a way past without being spotted.
Signaling for the group to stay as silent as they could, Roxanne split the group in two, taking one and going in one direction, while May took the other. They ducked down their sides of the tunnel, as more agents from Team Magma passed by, looking around wearily. May shook her head, peeking over the rock she was behind to look over at the others.
When the officials were out of sight and earshot, the two nodded to each other, and stared the slow creep through the tunnel, keeping to the shadows as much as they could. After only a short distance, though, their cover was blown, as one of the students screamed when she tripped up over a rock, slamming into the other students.
Cursing under her breath, May ran along, motioning for the students to follow, Roxanne doing the same. They didn't get far, however, as several Magma people surrounded them, cutting off any escape route they might have had. "What are we going to do?" a few of the students asked, looking at May and Roxanne.
Roxanne looked sternly at them, silencing them once again. She reached to pull a pokeball out, when a shout from behind stopped her. May bit her lip, giving the Gym Leader a hopeless look, before turning to glance down the tunnel. A group was walking toward them rapidly, grim faced and ready for an attack. "Aqua," she mouthed silently, wanting to sink into the ground.
"Now!" Roxanne yelled, and the students bolted, hiding among the rocks and shadows once again, May keeping near Roxanne. "We need to get to the building, but this…could take some time."
By then, Aqua had arrived, glaring daggers at the Magma troupe. Before anyone could count to ten, pokemon were unleashed, and a fight was going on between the two rival teams. May gave Roxanne a wry look, then nodded toward the various hiding students and smiled. Catching on quickly, she nodded in agreement. "Make havoc," she ordered to the students, who all pulled out their pokemon, "but stay out of the way as much as you can, you all aren't strong enough to win a battle against them."
Roxanne nodded in approval, as the trainers and students did as instructed perfectly, throwing their pokemon's attacks out from behind the rocks. The pair slipped off, away from the battles and down the rest of the tunnel, looking over their shoulders cautiously to ensure that no one was following.
May went in first, glancing around for any people that could get in the way, and waved Roxanne in. Near silently, they stayed to the darker areas of the compound as the search started. "Where do we start?" May asked, frowning at the younger girl.
Shrugging, she stepped past May, and entered a corridor, pulling the trainer with her. Putting a finger to her lips, Roxanne pointed out two Magma grunts, who where locked in what looked like a deep conversation. When they got closer though, it became clear all they were doing was complaining. May couldn't help but stare at Roxanne, then the two grunts, in shock; they where talking about Ash!
"Of course, we get the bare minimum, yet that Master gets a room that even a king would be envious of! Bah!" one of them muttered, glaring down the corridor. The second one shook his head in response.
"At least they let you stay! If you have a problem with him, go take it up with him and stop moaning to me." The first of the two looked critically at the other, narrowing his eyes.
"That's hard to do when I don't even know where the damned room is," he growled. The second sighed, and pointed in the direction he meant.
"Go down that hall, you idiot, and its only up the stairs, and then up another flight to the top floor. Why not use your brain for once?" Roxanne blinked, shaking her head in disbelief of how idiotic the two could be, discussing that in an open hallway! They stayed pressed against the wall, until the two grunts went on their way, and ran down the hall and up the stairs, not stopping to rest.
Slowing to a normal pace, the two ignored the seemingly unexciting door that was near the flight of steps they had just came up. It was their mistake, however, as it flew open, and several Magma members came out, blocking their way back downstairs. Roxanne pulled her pokemon out, seeing the battle that was about to happen. "Go on!" she said, releasing them, "Go find your lover! Husband, whatever!"
May hesitated, her hand at the pokeball holding Amber. She didn't want to leave her companion behind, not after having gone through the whole search together… "GO!" Roxanne yelled at her, glaring, "I'll be fine, just go find Ash!"
Roxanne turned back to the group, smiling sourly, and started the fight, ordering her pokemon. May looked thankfully at her, before turning and quickly moving on, swallowing nervously. She wondered what exactly had happened since the problems at the gym…
Getting to the last flight of stairs, she looked back, straightening her shoulders determinedly and starting up, staying alert to any sounds or movements. May was getting close; she could feel it in her very bones.
The final hall was nothing but doors! May sighed in resignation, and started trying doors, finding most of them locked, with the ones that opened being empty. "What the…what is wrong with these people?" she wondered out loud, finding yet another room empty.
Finally, she got to the last door, and put her hand on the handle. May looked at it, as it rattled quietly under her shaking hand. What would happen if this room was empty too? Would that mean the whole search of the floor was for nothing, that the guard was wrong? She shook her head, the doubts flying away, and cracked the door open, peeking in.
Inside, Ash tilted his head, trying to see what had opened the door, knowing it wasn't a normal Magma agent, since they would just barge in, not slit it. Through the minimal opening, he saw the worried, deep green eyes of his near discouraged wife. He sighed in relief, relaxing slightly, at the sight.
Eyes widening, May flung the door the rest of the way open, staring at the scene before her. Of all the things she had been expecting, seeing Ash tied down with ropes connected to the posts of a bed and wearing next to nothing was not one of them. Slyly, May cast her eyes down, putting on a pouting look, and rubbed the toe of her sneaker against the floor.
"Oh, why are you in such a condition?" she asked, her voice sounding just as sullen as she looked. It took everything in her not to start laughing at the look Ash got; a mix between shock, panic, and worry. The fact that he was falling for it was what made the whole thing hilarious to her though.
Ash frowned at May, fidgeting even though the ropes still wouldn't give enough room to actually move anywhere. "It wasn't my idea…" he protested quietly, once again looking uneasy, "it was that bi…..Kayley's."
May snickered, knowing all too clearly what Ash had intended to say instead of 'Kayley.' "But how could this happen? She couldn't have caught up with you that easily? Must have been willing to…"
He struggled against the ropes, wincing when they cut into his wrists and ankles at the movements. "No! That wasn't it at all!" he said, though it was near yelling.
The giggling stopped Ash before he could continue on, as May stood near the door, trying unsuccessfully to hide her giggles. Ash scowled at her, not finding anything about the situation funny. Her laughter stopped though, when the implications of Ash's last statement finally fell on her. "Kayley…was going to…seriously?" May asked, blanching.
Grimly, Ash nodded, biting his lower lip. "I've never been so serious," was the reply.
It was May's turn to scowl, her very blood turning hot. She knew Kayley had been making the suggestion of it, but hadn't been sure whether it was just an idle threat or if the older woman had been telling the truth. However, she didn't have time to contemplate it, as the pokemon came out, uncalled for. Even Ash's, who had been retrieved by Roxanne earlier on, were revealed, and rushed over to the Pokemon Master, who wasn't quite sure whether to be amused or not.
Amber squealed, climbing with the others to get up next to him, the group making more noise then either May or Ash would of liked. They didn't question it though, as the baby pokemon cuddled the bound man, not even noticing the state he was in except that he seemed all right. Grovyle jumped back, using a mild Razor Leaf to cut the ropes holding Ash's wrist immobile, then the ones holding his ankles. Ash rubbed his wrists, smiling at the group. "Thank you," he said.
They made their own noises in response, nodding their heads. "We need to get out of here, fast," May said, peeking out the door to make sure no one was coming, "Roxanne had to stay back and fight a group that ambushed us, and the students are at the tunnel making total chaos to keep them at bay."
Nodding absent-mindedly, Ash quickly got up, waiting a minute for the circulation to continue totally, before getting up and grabbing his clothes from the table across the room. He didn't have time to get dressed though, as the door hit the wall when Mauve entered, pushing it with her delicate hand.
"My, my, my!" she said, licking her painted lips, "It's not everyday someone sees this! Even though…it does make me wonder what is left to be seen…and touched?"
Ash froze in place, turning a very bright red in embarrassment once again. He was starting to think he'd never get away from Team Magma or Team Aqua unscathed. May wheeled around, glaring at Mauve with her fists clenched. Mauve stepped in totally, her hands on her hips, but quickly steps aside when Kayley returns.
Sighing, Ash pulled on his hair calmly, plopping down on the floor sedately. There was no point in getting aggravated over the turn of events, and making it worse. He looked away from the three women, not even wanting to witness the catfight he knew Mauve and Kayley would start, especially with May there also. His worry overtook his wish to leave though, and he turned back to watch them, not wanting his understandably upset wife to get hurt in the onslaught.
The three stared silently at each other, the tension between them building. Without speaking words, they knew exactly what was about to happen; a fight, for the claiming of the Pokemon Master. Of course, the only reason May was staying involved was that she was so she could fight for her husband, because she wasn't willing to give him up without a fight.
Kayley smirked at the younger girl, saying the one line to make the anger burning within her flare brighter, for she wanted it to prove interesting: "He shall be mine."
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AN: This is chapter 15! It took a little less time then I thought it would oO surprisingly. Anyway, I hope it is ok, and that it is up to the standards of the rest of the fic (or surpasses them!). It is getting quite dramatic so far That's neither here nor there though. Please, thank you for reading this far, and I will try to get chapter 16 up ASAP!