Part 6, the longest part yet. Amazing! There's some AshxMisty in this chapter, so, if you hate that pairing, then don't read it. I didn't suggest it- someone else did. I'm not forcing you to read this part... but, this chapter features the capture of three Pokémon, so I'd recommend reading this chapter- otherwise, you'll look at the later chapters and go o0. Enjoy.

Part 6: Rayquaza's Flight

A thick wave of water crashed into Sky Pillar, as a ship arrived there. A group of sailors pulled out a rope, and tied the boat down against a rock.

"Team Magma, attack!" Robertson ordered, and the team looked sheepish.

"Well?" she roared.

"There's no way to get from the ship to the pillar," one of them replied nervously.

Robertson sweatdropped. "You know, if the boss was here…"

"Which I am," the voice of Maxie announced, as he flew in on a Charizard.

A sense of shock ran down the admin's spine.

"S-sir!" she stuttered, saluting.

"Hmm… Robertson, I believe you should be more organized. You are, after all, an admin." Maxie sneered.

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"What happened, Misty?" Ash asked, sitting down next to her on a bench and putting a blanket over her.

While Misty had got out of the Cerulean Gym okay, she had been thoroughly shook up by the ordeal. Jordan was still missing.

"Yes? Yes? You say she was?" Officer Jenny said quickly.

Ash and Misty looked up at the Officer hopefully. Maybe they had found Jordan? Officer Jenny continued to talk, and nodded solemnly.

"Y-yes. I will tell them immediately. Goodbye." she said.

She hung up, and slowly walked over to Ash and Misty.

"I'm not sure if you want to know this, you being so young, but…"

A feeling of dread crept over the duo as they looked into the eyes of the friendly officer. "Is Jordan okay?" Misty asked quietly.

Officer Jenny took a deep breath.

" I don't know," she admitted, "but I think someone else may have been in the Gym at the time of the flood."

Misty suddenly felt as if her heart had been replaced with a lead weight. She was suddenly hit with a realisation; May was taking the Pokémon League Challenge… and she'd beaten Brock…

"I know she's a close friend of yours;"

Ash looked over at Misty- she had a haunted look around her eyes. He could only imagine he looked the same, because he certainly felt.

"It's May Maple."

Misty suddenly let out a sob, burying her face in her hands. Ash patted her on the back- it was all he could do to prevent himself from breaking down as well.

"I'm very sorry," Officer Jenny apologised, and walked off.

Ash felt that Officer Jenny's response felt rather inadequate, but was too shocked to say anything. Misty began to sob into his shoulder, and he stroked her head, tears beginning to fall down his own face.

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Rayquaza grew angry at the intruders in the Sky Pillar.

"Why are they still here?' he hissed, hovering above the small cracks in the pillar floor itself and looking down. He saw two young people sitting down- one had black hair and pale skin, and the other had brown hair and a red bandanna.

"They'll regret ever coming into the Sky Pillar," Rayquaza snarled, roaring loudly.

All of the Sky Pillar Pokémon immediately jumped to attention, going down the various holes in the roof towards the two unsuspecting teens.

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"Who would be stupid enough to leave Pokeballs just lying around?" Jordan laughed.

"I'm just thankful that words are coming out of your mouth, not vomit," May said, looking disgusted. "I think you owe me a T-Shirt."

Jordan smiled apologetically- May was wearing a black singlet instead of her red top, which was covered in… well, I think you can guess.

"Urk, my brother as a baby was cleaner than y…" she suddenly stopped, and went red. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Jordan asked quietly.

May turned around to face him- tears were still running down her face.

"Sorry," she apologised, laughing slightly, "I j-just haven't been myself lately. Ever since… my brother disappeared… I've just been so sad."

Jordan looked at her, feeling slightly ashamed.

"I know what that feels like," he mumbled awkwardly.

May looked him in the eyes. She had stopped crying. There was a moment of awkward silence between the two trainers.

"I miss him so much. I can almost see him…"

And, so could Jordan- he could see the smiling face of a boy that slightly resembled May. However, Jordan felt slightly intrusive, seeing May's thoughts.

"Um, May?" Jordan asked.

May looked over at him.

"Yes, Jordan?" May asked curiously.

"You know how you wondered how I got that Machop to open the door for us?" Jordan said.

May nodded, an invitation for Jordan to continue.

"Well… I can kinda talk to Pokémon, and… I can sometimes read their thoughts."

"You're not one of those people who think they're gifted with some kind of power, right?" May laughed, but seemed a bit nervous for Jordan's sanity.

"Um… I don't know how, but it first happened when I caught Eevee." Jordan said rather sheepishly.

"Okay. Prove it. I'm going to think a thought, and you try and see what it is." May said.

Jordan concentrated hard, trying desperately to think despite the trauma of the last few hours. He saw May hitting him over the head with a baseball bat, then yelling, "You can't hear this, or can you?"

Jordan laughed slightly.

"Okay, I'm not going to read your thoughts, at risk of being clobbered with a baseball bat." he muttered.

May gaped at him.

"You're not kidding?" she whispered, but then edged herself away from him, looking frightened.

"Don't worry; I have to really concentrate to read human's minds, so I won't be able to do it on accident." Jordan explained.

May stood up, and so did Jordan.

"We've really got to get out of here," Jordan said, "Rayquaza's sent Pokémon after us."

May's eyes widened.

"The Sky Pillar Pokémon are really strong!" she screamed, beginning to sprint faster, and Jordan managed to keep up to her.

"They'll tear through our Pokémon," she gulped.

Suddenly, a Banette suddenly appeared in front of them, and May suddenly stopped- Jordan slammed into the back of her. They both fell over, landing next to each other. They looked at each other- their faces were only a few centimetres apart.

"Umbreon, Shadow Ball!" a voice bellowed.

An Umbreon jumped into the battle, opening its mouth quickly. It spat out a black ball, and it hit Banette at full force, knocking it back. It looked much weaker.

"Pokeball, go!" the boy shouted, and he lofted a Pokeball at the unwary doll Pokémon.

It disappeared in a display of red light, and the Pokeball fell to the ground with a dull thumping sound. It began to rock slightly, and continued to do so. After a couple of seconds, it stopped.

The boy yelled in happiness, and as he turned around, May and Jordan noticed that he was Gary.

"Gary!" Jordan exclaimed.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he smirked, looking at Jordan and May.

"Just your perverted thoughts," May sneered, getting up, and Jordan laughed.

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Misty sat down, and Ash sat down next to her.

"If you need anything, Mist, just tell me." Ash said gently.

Misty smiled. "Thanks, Ash."

She got up, and kissed Ash on the forehead. He blushed.

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"There is no way that we'll be able to get out of here!" May yelled, sounding slightly hysterical.

Jordan shook his head.

"We'll get out," Jordan said firmly, but there was a tinge of uncertainty in his voice.

Gary suddenly stopped, and both Jordan and May stopped, not knocking each other over this time.

"I've just remembered," he said gravely.

"What?" May and Jordan asked in unison, shivers going down all three of their spines.

"Team Magma. They're outside the Pillar. Even if we did find the exit, we couldn't guarantee that we'd survive." Gary mumbled.

They sat down against the wall.

"Brilliant," Jordan said savagely, anger flowing through his veins. "Team Magma's going to capture Rayquaza, reawaken Groudon, and destroy Hoenn, Kanto and Johto. I really should've left challenging Misty for tomorrow. Then, most of this wouldn't have happened."

May tapped him on the shoulder. "It's not your fault," she whispered.

Then, suddenly, they both looked over at Gary, who was pretending to gag.

"You guys belong on one of those shows where everyone has issues and they all end up kissing and getting together," Gary remarked.

"What, you watch those?" Jordan replied swiftly.

May laughed, and Gary's face flushed a red colour.

"No, but when I try to watch the TV, it's already on that…" Gary tried to explain, but Jordan and May were killing themselves laughing already.

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Misty was looking at the ceiling. The moonlight was shining over her. She was pretending to concentrate on a small stain on the ceiling, but her mind was on her two friends.

It's my fault they're missing, she thought sadly.

"Misty, how are you going?" Ash asked.

There was a slight pause as Ash sat down next to her.

"Hey, Ash," she replied in a voice that didn't sound like hers, "Did you know that there's a stain on the ceiling?"

"Misty, Mum's set up a sleeping bag in my room. Maybe you should sleep," Ash yawned.

"But… I've got the whole day ahead of me!" she cried, exasperated.

"Misty… it's midnight." Ash said dully.

She quickly shook her head, and looked out the window- it was indeed dark. Misty gasped.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she cried, leaping up off the couch. "I didn't realise what time it was! I hope I didn't keep you up!"

Ash yawned. "Doesn't matter," he mumbled, slowly going up to his room, and Misty was after him.

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Jordan, May and Gary were no longer running- instead, they were walking- they didn't have enough energy to run, because they'd been running for hours. Suddenly, there was a loud boom, and all three of them jumped.

"What was that?" May asked.

"Dunno," Jordan replied.

The conversation was interrupted by another boom.

"I don't know about you two lovebirds want to stay here-"

"We are not!" Jordan replied angrily-

"But I'm gonna check whatever this is out." Gary finished.

"And so are we," May said firmly.

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"Damn that Archie!" Maxie yelled, ducking as his Sharpedo sent another Waterfall attack at him.

"Getting washed up, Maxie?" Archie called, as everyone groaned at the Aqua Leader's horrible joke.

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"Can you give me a boost up?" May asked, as she tried to see over the ledge.

Gary shrugged. "No need, I'm taller than you. I can see out."

Jordan and May, both younger and therefore shorter than Gary, scowled.

Suddenly, he gasped, then swore.

"Something huge is going on about there," he muttered. "Team Magma and Aqua… they're tearing each other apart."

"I've got to get out there," Jordan mumbled. "That Nightmare woman… she's affiliated with Magma. If we find her… maybe we can find out… I know! She sabotaged Misty's gym!"

May nodded firmly.

"We have to go." Jordan said.

May leant against the wall, stretching- and naturally, was surprised when it collapsed, and she fell backwards.

Gary and Jordan both looked out the hole that had been made, and down- May landed in the water below with a splash.

"May?" Gary called.

He turned to Jordan. "Can she swim?" he asked.

Jordan swore. "Nope," he replied.

Suddenly, an earthquake rocked the pillar, and a crack ran up its height, and eventually stopped- at the ledge that the two teenagers were standing on. It collapsed, causing Gary, Jordan, and a ton or so of rocks to plummet into the ocean.

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Not again, thought May, but then she realised she'd forgot to close her mouth upon splashing into the water. The last thing she saw was a huge splash- Jordan and Gary had fallen in as well.

Jordan hit the water head-first, plummeting metres into the dark, cold abyss. He reached out a hand, and was surprised to touch the bottom. How deep am I? he thought, then he felt a crushing weight upon him- the pressure was killing him. He tried kicking furiously towards the surface, but something hit him in the stomach, winding him. He opened his mouth, and water flowed in. Jordan gagged, and felt something hit him in the back. He gasped, and felt himself fall onto his attacker. He grabbed on- it was a Gyarados, and it was trying to bring him up to the surface. It opened its mouth, and a kind of disturbance flew out of its mouth. He felt himself growing faint- until an Azurill swam at him, and spat a Bubble attack.

"Why you-" Jordan yelled, then, he realised he could breathe; the bubble had covered his head, giving him air.

"Thanks!" he yelled, impressed, but then noticed May- she looked as if she was going to pass out.

He looked at the Azurill, and pointed towards May, who was barely hanging onto the Gyarados' tail. The Azurill had swum towards her, and had spat a bubble, which enveloped her head, when, suddenly, Gyarados burst out of the water, and went in a huge arc, roaring, and then smashed down into the water once again. He heard faint screaming- May was still just hanging onto Gyarados' tail, and her grip was beginning to loosen. Jordan reached over, and Azurill swam towards him, stretching its tail extremely far towards May, who grabbed it. Jordan pulled Azurill, therefore pulling May up.

"Are you okay?" Jordan asked Azurill.

Azurill looked shocked. "Wah? Uh, yeah… I am… are you a psychic or something?"

Jordan nodded quickly, as May tried to grab onto Gyarados, but began to slip. Jordan grabbed her hands quickly, before she fell. They both blushed slightly, and May put her arms around his waist to stop herself falling off. The two blushed even harder.

If Gary was here, and if he made a smart comment, I would drown him, May thought, as Azurill grabbed onto her arm.

Suddenly, Gyarados burst out of the water near Maxie's ship.

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"Run, Archie," Maxie sneered, as the Aqua boat sailed off quickly, admitting defeat. Suddenly, only about two metres in front of him, a Gyarados burst through the deck, spilling water and wood all over them.

"A Gyarados?" Gary said in awe from the water, as he watched it arch through the air and through Maxie's ship. To his eternal surprise, Jordan and May were riding the Gyarados. Gary noted, grinning, that May's hands were around Jordan's waist.

I'm so gonna embarrass them later, he sneered, secretly getting onto Maxie's boat.

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Maxie looked up in amazement as three figures leapt off the Gyarados, which soon revealed themselves to be Jordan, May, and an Azurill.

"What? But… how?" Maxie spluttered. "I thought I locked both of you up!"

Jordan laughed. "Not very well, obviously," he muttered.

Maxie glared, growling slightly. His Camerupt was growling.

"Camerupt! Ninetales! Charizard! Destroy them!" Maxie ordered, and Camerupt walked up to the duo, snorting- Maxie also threw two Pokeballs, and Charizard and Ninetales appeared, all of them making various roars, and trying to intimidate the two trainers.

"Eve, go!" Jordan shouted, throwing a Pokeball onto the wet deck.

"Squirtle, I choose you!" May cried.

The Pokeballs opened, and Eve and Squirtle materialised, completely and utterly outsized by the three awesomely powerful Fire types.

"You're kidding, right? Right? Jordan? Hello? Anyone in here?" Eve said, looking at Jordan mysteriously.

"Blastoise, go!" Gary's voice came from behind, and a Pokeball landed next to the two other Pokémon, out of which Blastoise came.

"You're okay then?" Jordan said, as Gary ran up next to them.

Gary grinned. "Yep. And, you're telling me to stop saying you two are a couple, and then you ride on giant sea serpents hugging each other?"

Jordan swore at Gary.

Maxie laughed. "Pottymouth… Camerupt, use Earthquake!"

Camerupt got on its hind legs, and then smashed its front legs down, shaking the whole ship. Planks of wood were thrown up into the air, and towards the trainers and their Pokémon.

"Dodge it!" Gary, Jordan and May yelled in unison, and Squirtle and Eve jumped above the shaking- however, Blastoise was hit, but not damaged much. Gary let out a sigh of relief.

They shielded their eyes, as woodchips hit their arms. Upon looking around, the trio realised that they and Maxie were the only ones left on the boat- Magma had fled.

"Ninetales, Will O' Wisp!" Maxie ordered sternly.

Ninetales opened its mouth slowly, and fired a single, mystical bluish-red flame at Eve. The little Pokémon shivered, but held its ground.

"Uh, Jordan?" she asked carefully.

"Sorry… use Sand Attack!" Jordan ordered.

Eve looked at Jordan as if he was crazy, but sighed and started kicking- sand flew into the mystical flame, extinguishing it.

"Charizard, Fly!" Maxie yelled, and the 200 pound Pokémon flapped its wings, and soared into the air, roaring.

May observed the battle- all of the Pokémon were still perfectly healthy. She sighed, knowing it was going to take a while.

"Squirtle, use Water Gun on that Camerupt!" May cried, and the little turtle jumped towards Camerupt, opening its mouth and spraying it with water.

"Pitiful," Maxie laughed.

Gary shrugged. "Yeah, that was kinda bad, May. Blastoise, Hydro Pump!"

Blastoise growled deeply, concentrating on aim as twin cannons came out of its shell.

"Blast- OISE!" Blastoise bellowed, as twin jets of cold water hit the camel of fire, propelling it into a wall.

"All right!" Gary yelled and raised a triumphant fist as the Camerupt fell.

"Cam… erupt…" it said, as its eyes became spirals and it fainted.

Maxie growled. "Urk… Houndoom, take that Blastoise down with Sunny Day!"

Gary rolled his eyes.

"Sunny Day doesn't do damage," he laughed.

"Then, use Solar Beam!" Maxie bellowed.

Suddenly, a hiss of gas filled the air. Jordan felt fear paralyse him- he vaguely remembered recalling his Pokémon.

"Jordan?" May was staring at him.

He looked over at his friends.

"Can you smell gas?" Jordan whispered to his friends.

May and Gary both sniffed the air.

"Oh…" Gary swore, but Maxie interrupted.

"Camerupt, use Fire Blast!" Maxie ordered.

At that time, Jordan felt that time had stopped. He pushed his friends towards the edge of the boat, but they were already running.

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BOOOM!

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Jordan, May (holding Azurill) and Gary leapt into the water, landing with a splashing sound as the explosion sent ripples across the water, speeding the three Trainers up a bit. A mushroom cloud burst of flame erupted from the boat, flying miles into the air. They continued to kick up to the surface, when, suddenly, a huge Pokémon flew over them. Their heads broke the surface, and they all gasped in relief.

"I saved your life, now it's your turn to challenge me," a voice said.

Jordan looked up- it was the Gyarados from earlier.

"Pokémon are better free," he said firmly.

The Gyarados almost smiled. "You're a little smarter than I thought, and that isn't much."

He felt someone swim up to him- it was May.

"What's that Gyarados saying?" she asked.

Gary was watching them curiously, and noticed that May was holding an Azurill. Where'd that Pokémon come from? he wondered.

"I want you to battle me, boy." Gyarados ordered.

May immediately looked at Jordan, her eyes asking Jordan for a translation.

"Sure, I'll battle you." Jordan agreed confidently.

May glared at Jordan as if he was nuts.

"That Gyarados saved us," May reminded him.

"It wants to battle." Jordan told her, as he looked up at the sea serpent.

"I'll take you on if I'm on the land," he continued, and Gyarados agreed.

Gyarados submerged itself in the water, and they got on, May still holding her Azurill.

"This is the same Gyarados, right?" Gary asked.

Jordan and May nodded.

"Heaps of memories, eh?" Gary smirked.

"Don't make me push you off," May scowled.

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A few hours later, Ash's eyes opened.

He looked over across his room, which was illuminated by the pale midnight moonlight- he looked at Pikachu, sleeping on a shelf- and then, at Misty, who, Ash could clearly tell, was still awake. Her shoulders were shaking.

"Mist?" Ash whispered hesitantly.

Misty looked up.

"Ash?" she called, turning around to face him.

"Are you okay, Misty?" he asked, and knew that she certainly wasn't okay- her skin was a very unhealthy whitish colour.

"I'm fine, Ash," she replied weakly, as a loud rumble erupted from her stomach.

"How long since you last ate?" he inquired.

Misty smiled feebly.

"That's not important," she replied, lying down and looking at the ceiling. "You sound like my mot-"

Misty suddenly paused, once again realising how much she missed her mother. A solitary tear crept down her pale face.

There was a moment of silence between them, and then Ash said, "I'll get something to eat; Maybe some chocolate."

As Ash left the room, Misty rolled her eyes. Ash is so clueless, she thought, smiling.

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Gyarados darted across the water, sending the water around them flying.

"Woohoo!" Jordan yelled, as the serpent cut through the water, sending wind onto his grinning face.

Behind him, May was holding the Azurill tightly, and Gary was still trying to get used to try riding a Gyarados.

"Gyarados… do you think you can go quicker?" Jordan asked quietly, noticing the inky black of the sky.

Gyarados smirked.

"Fine then," Gyarados muttered, and doubled its speed- May screamed, and Gary yelled- they'd almost fallen off.

"Jordan!" May bellowed. "I'll kill you!"

Gyarados let out a reptilian laugh.

"Fast enough?" it asked.

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"I love chocolate!" Misty cried, taking a chocolate bar and opening the packet.

She eagerly took a bite of the sweet confection, letting its flavour melt in her mouth. Ash, sitting next to her on his bed, was biting into the chocolate as well, but seemed preoccupied.

"Ash? Is something wrong?" Misty asked.

"Nothing's wrong," Ash replied, looking out the window towards the moon, and remembering something that he had heard while he had slept a long time ago…

"I wanna tell you what I'm feeling, but I
don't know how to start
I wanna tell you, but now I'm afraid that
you might break my heart
Oh, why should anything so easy, ever be so hard to do?
I wanna tell you what I'm feeling, and to
say that, I love you."

Ash's eyes had been firmly shut- he couldn't have opened them if he wanted to.

Wait, Ash thought, looking back on the memory, I know that voice. Is it Misty?

Ash suddenly looked away from the moon, and at Misty, who was watching him carefully. The colour was back in her face, and she looked a lot healthier than before.

"Misty," he asked slowly, "while I slept, one night… were you singing some kind of song?"

To his surprise, Misty blushed deeply. "Did you hear me?" she inquired.

Ash nodded slowly.

"I-I was, Ash," she mumbled. "I-I love you."

Ash and Misty looked into each other's eyes, finding comfort in them. Their faces grew closer together, and their lips met in a kiss.

After about five seconds, they broke apart. The moon was shining on their faces.

"Good night, Ash… sweet dreams." Misty told him, getting into her makeshift bed on the floor.

"Night, Misty… see you in the morning…" Ash mumbled, as sleep claimed his tired mind and his head fell against the soft pillow on his bed.

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May yawned, but was immediately aware of her surroundings- the cold morning air whipping past her face.

"When are we going to be at Kanto?" she asked Jordan, whose eyes were still focused ahead.

"Should be soon," he replied. "I just saw Lavender Town… Cerulean should be only a few minutes away. This Gyarados is fast."

She nodded, then looked to her left- the coast of Kanto was there, looking as if it was coming out of the mist.

"We're here!" yelled Jordan, as Gyarados slowed to a stop and the trainer trio jumped onto land.

"Land!" Gary exclaimed, bending down and pretending to kiss it while Jordan and May watched, amused.

"It is time for battle," Gyarados muttered, as it slithered onto dry land.

"I guess it is." Jordan muttered, as Gary and May sat down on a log and watched.

Jordan pulled out a Pokeball.

"Don't fail me now," he whispered. "Eve, I choose you!"

Jordan lofted the Pokeball up into the air- as it landed, in a crackle of red light, Eve appeared.

"Eve, use your Bite attack!" Jordan yelled.

Eve nodded, leaping at Gyarados, until it opened its mouth.

"Darn," Jordan mumbled. "Eve, back off! It's gonna use Hyper Beam!"

Gyarados did, firing a red beam at the little fox, which easily leapt over it.

"Good!" Jordan encouraged. "Take Down!"

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Eve muttered, rushing at the serpent and hitting it hard- however, Eve was also hit, falling backwards.

"Eve, try and get in a Bite!" Jordan shouted, and the little Eevee nodded, once again leaping at the towering serpent and sinking its sharp claws into it.

Gyarados let out a pained roar, sinking to the ground.

"What?" Jordan yelled, surprised at Gyarados' strength- or rather, lack of it.

Suddenly, Gyarados sank into the ground, throwing up- water?

He swore.

"It's diving. Eve, make random dodges!" Jordan yelled, now shocked by the serpent's durability.

The Eevee leapt from side to side, trying to confuse the serpent when it suddenly leapt from the water, striking Eve hard.

"Eve, no!" Jordan shouted.

The little vulpine Pokémon flipped over several times, finally landing.

"Can you get up?" Jordan asked.

Eve smiled weakly. "Sure."

Jordan nodded, proud that Eve wouldn't give in. "Hold on there, Eve."

Eve stood her ground, snarling at the Gyarados, who opened its mouth again.

"It's trying a Hydro Pump," Jordan mumbled to himself through gritted teeth.

Sure enough, Gyarados spat a precise jet of water at Eve, who continued to stand her ground.

"What are you doing, Jordan? Tell her to dodge it!" May called from behind him.

"Are you insane?" Gary yelled from next to her.

"You are insane," Eve said in wonder.

Jordan waited it out, until the water was only about a metre away. Taking a breath, he bellowed, "Eve, use Focus Energy!"

Eve made a small howl, and a ring of fire surrounded her- at that moment, the ring was hit by the Hydro Pump, causing steam to billow between Jordan and the Gyarados.

"Eve, Take Down!" Jordan shouted, and the little Eevee grinned, leaping at Gyarados and hitting it hard.

Eve once again fell backwards, but managed to stay up.

"Eve… is it down?" Jordan asked carefully.

A small shadow came out of the steam- it was Eve, limping slightly. Jordan grinned, picking her up.

"You did great," he muttered, smiling, as he patted her. "Pokeball, go!"

Jordan threw a Pokeball, which landed next to the weakened Gyarados. It shook a bit, then, as Jordan watched…

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Delia, Ash and Misty slowly ascended the mist-covered hill, and a crowd of people came into view. They had all bowed their heads, and were sitting down in chairs.

"We are here to remember our friends, May Maple and Jordan Arotto." The priest said, as Ash, Misty and Delia sat down.

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The Pokeball clicked, and Jordan, May, Eve and Gary all sighed in relief.

"We better get to Cerulean itself." Jordan said, and the four of them darted towards the city.

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"May, an avid contest competitor, journeyed around Hoenn twice- once, with her good friend Brendan Birch, and again, with her brother, Max, Brock and Ash."

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Jordan, May and Gary stopped next to a small group of trees.

"Who's the funeral for?" Gary asked.

May shrugged, but noticed Jordan concentrating. She watched him mutely.

"What is he doing?" asked Gary.

"He's a psychic," May explained simply.

"It's for… May and I." Jordan muttered.

Both of them looked at Jordan.

"But, we're not dead… are we?" May wondered aloud.

"They don't know that." Jordan grinned, leaning back against the tree.

"Uh, do you think you guys should tell them?" Gary said in amazement.

Jordan shook his head.

"We'll just wait. Besides, it's not often you get to see your own funeral." he smiled.

May laughed. "True."

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"May was a great friend, and an even better co-ordinator." Ash finished, and he sat down as the rest of them clapped sadly.

"That was so sweet, Ash," Misty said, kissing him on the cheek as he blushed slightly.

"Wait- who's that?" Ash asked, pointing up into the trees.

"It's- no, it can't be…" Misty stuttered, but everyone else was looking at them.

Sure enough, Jordan, May and Gary were walking down the hill.

"May? Jordan? Gary?" Ash said in disbelief.

They nodded, and the congregation gasped.

"Where have you been?" he asked in wonder.

"Long story," Jordan laughed.

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Misty was cheering loudly- she was sitting in a row with Ash, Brock, Gary and Jordan.

"Beautifly, Silver Wind!" May said firmly.

Beautifly flapped her wings furiously, blowing a beautiful wind at a Seedot, knocking it away and out.

"Yeah!" May cried, thrusting her fist up into the air.

"And, the winner of the Cerulean Pokémon Contest is May Maple!" the announcer said, pulling May's fist up into the air.

Jordan, Ash, Misty and Gary clapped wildly, and May walked up to them, cheering and holding a ribbon.

"Great job, May!" Jordan congratulated her.

"That was really cool!" Ash yelled.

"Well done!" Gary muttered, patting her on the back.

"Brilliant!" Brock and Misty said.

May smiled.

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"So, you're going off journeying alone again?" Brock asked.

Jordan shrugged.

"Kinda… I'm going off journeying, but May said she's coming with me."

May nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

Gary stood beside them. "Well, I'm going to Mt. Silver anyway, so… I'll journey with you guys for a while."

Jordan nodded. "I'm sorry about your Gym, Misty."

Misty laughed. "That's okay… it wasn't your fault. By the way, have this."

Misty put a Cascade Badge in his hand. Jordan stared at it for a moment, then looked at Misty, confused.

"I heard you beat a Gyarados with an Eevee… while you didn't beat my Gyarados… it was still good enough. So… here you go!"

"Thanks!" Jordan said, happy.

"I'm gonna have to go up against you sometime." Ash exclaimed, knowing that, if Jordan was a good a trainer as he thought he was, it would be soon.

"Well, see you around!" Jordan waved to Ash and Misty as he walked off, and they waved back.

As he walked, he looked over at his friends- Gary, who was looking up at the sky- and May, who was looking straight ahead. I'm gonna be ready for anything anyone can throw at me, he thought confidently, continuing to walk off into the sunset.