Chapter 6: Willing to Sacrifice

Ash watched as May struggled in the machines grasp.

"Help!" she screamed.

Her Pokemon looked at her worriedly, Blaziken growled, and made to move as though to try and help her.

"Wait Blaziken!" Ash put his hand out in front of the fire Pokemon.

"Blaze?"

Ash too was filled with the desire to fight, but May was literally being held over a hole. He'd managed to save her from a similar fate once before when she'd been in the grasp of a robot like this one. But at the time she'd been on higher ground and he'd had just enough time to call out Sceptile to catch her before she hit. He did have Staraptor, but he wasn't going to take the chance if he could help it. He had to try and get her out of danger first.

He looked up at Team Rocket. "If I agree to surrender myself to you will you let her go?"

"Certainly! Our boss has asked us to bring you to him!" Jessie said.

Ash thought back to when he'd first met Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket. Their encounter had been brief, but Ash remembered him well. He'd caused massive pain to Pokemon such as Mewtwo whom Ash had helped get back to health through a special water. He was a ruthless man. Ash certainly didn't relish the thought of meeting him again. But May's life was at stake here.

"I'll do what you say… just let her go!" Ash said.

"Huh?" May looked down at him in surprise along with all the others.

"Very good twerp!" Jessie said.

"Now just recall all your Pokemon and get in!" Meowth said as he pressed a button.

A hatch at near the bottom of the Dugtrio Machine opened up. Ash cringed at the thought of willingly going into something owned by Team Rocket. But he had to… for May. She was his friend and student… she was very precious to him. All of his friends were but he'd put so much effort into helping her grow, and she'd helped him grow stronger as well. She was a true friend… and a beautiful girl.

Ash drew his pokeballs and began to recall his pokemon. The others looked at him in shock.

"Ash what are you doing?" Brock asked.

"This is the only way to save May for sure!" Ash said. "I'm not gonna let her get hurt."

"Ash…" Dawn's eyes were tear filled as she looked at him.

"Oh… how brave. Risking your life for our little May!" Caroline was also teary.

Max gritted his teeth. He wanted to help but he knew Ash was right, one false move and they might risk May getting hurt. Norman felt utterly helpless as he looked up at his daughter trapped in the claw. At the same time he was impressed with Ash and his guts. May meanwhile could only look down at her crush and be touched by his selflessness. It brought her mind back to when they had been in the drowning Sea Temple and he'd put her in a water capsule to prevent her from drowning while he got the last piece of the Sea Crown back into place.

Pikachu was now the only one of Ash's Pokemon out of his pokeball. Ash looked up at Team Rocket.

"Okay, bring May down! I'm coming!" Ash said as he began to walk toward the open hatch.

"You got it twerp!" James said.

He adjusted the arm to bring May back over solid ground a few feet below her. She sighed in relief as she was in less danger now. But it was short lived as she looked at her hero walking toward the hatch. He put his foot on the first step.

"Ash!" she screamed.

To her relief he stopped and looked back. To her surprise he was smiling.

"It's gonna be okay May. Don't worry."

She looked at him, his lips were smiling but his eyes were sad. Still, she believed he meant what he said.

"Get in the Digger!" Jessie yelled.

"Fine, just let her go!" Ash shouted up at her.

"Right!" James said as he pressed the release.

"No wait!" Jessie tried to stop him.

May landed on the ground with a small grunt. Then she looked up at Ash, who chuckled. Then he jumped off the steps and began running towards her.

"Ha! Fooled ya!" he yelled at Team Rocket.

"What? You tricking twerp!" Jessie yelled.

"May!" Ash ran up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah!" she said. "I was scared, I thought you were gonna surrender to Team Rocket!"

"I would have… if they hadn't let you go then and there!" he said.

"Damn we let our leverage go!" James said.

"You did you idiot!" Jessie snarled. "Get the twerp!"

The mechanical hand moved toward Ash.

"Vigoroth use slash!" Norman ordered.

The white and red ape pokemon who was more active than his evolved and prevolved forms leapt into action. He hit the claw just as it was about to grab Ash and May, reducing it to ruined metal.

"Ash, May get out of there!" Brock said.

"Right! Come on May!" Ash said as he took her hand and lead her to safety.

"How dare you take my little girl as a hostage!" Norman said. "Slaking Hyper Beam!"

The largest of his pokemon trio got up from its lazy loathing position and opened its mouth. It sent a powerful orange beam at Team Rocket's machine which exploded.

"You may have defeated us this time twerp!" Jessie called as she and her partners were launched into the air.

"But our boss has made you a priority!" James went on.

"You're gonna be hearing from a lot more than just us!" Meowth finished.

"We're blasting off again!"

They crashed up through the walls of the tunnels and vanished into the sky with a flash. Ash and May were now back with their friends.

"You alright May?" Brock asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "Thanks to Ash."

"Yes, thanks to Ash," Caroline agreed. "That was a very brave thing you nearly did Ash. Don't you think so Norman?"

She turned to her husband, giving him a slight glare to tell him to behave. Norman sighed.

"Yes. That was a brave thing you did nearly giving yourself up to them. I'm grateful to you for protecting May."

His daughter looked at him hopefully. But he merely looked ahead.

"Well, we should probably get going."

"Yeah, but we better be careful. If Team Rocket's boss had made Ash a prime target we could have trouble," Max said.

"We'll talk to officer Jenny when we get to Viridian City. I'm sure she can help us!" Dawn said.

"Yes! I'd love to see the Jenny from Viridian city again!" Brock said with hearts in his eyes.

They continued until Dawn's Poketech watch read it was 6 pm. Max's flashlight had run out of batteries now so they had to use the flames from the bodies of Ash's Infernape and Dawn's Cyndaquil for light. They stopped for dinner and then the kids went to sleep. Caroline sat with Norman as the others were in their sleeping bags.

"So Norman have you reconsidered?"

Norman only sighed.

"Norman!" Caroline's voice raised a bit.

"Careful you'll wake the kids!" he said.

She lowered her voice down to a whisper. "Dear, you saw how Ash nearly gave himself up to save our May! He has protected her about a hundred times like that. I really don't think after all they've been through together Ash would do anything to hurt her. We trusted him enough to let her and Max travel with him didn't we?"

Norman sighed. She was right.

"Alright Caroline you're right. I think we can trust Ash with our daughter's safety. But he's still fifteen, and he'll be sixteen in a little over a month. Its not legal for a 16 year old to date a 13 year old."

"But it is for a 14 year old!" she told him. "In just over seven months May could date him legally."

Norman thought for a moment then looked down. "Guess I can't hold onto her forever. Alright. I'll allow her to date him when she turns 14."

Neither of them saw May smiling as her back was turned to them as she lay on her sleeping back next to Max. She opened her eyes and looked over at Ash as he snored. Dawn and Brock were on either side of him and Pikachu lay on his lap. She was almost able to date him! May smiled to herself!

So now Norman has lessened the restriction. I would have liked to allow May to go for it now but I looked it up and it is illegal for a 16 year old to date a 13 year old. This also keeps the drama going because soon Misty will join the story and try to get Ash probably in the next chapter or two. Enjoy! Edited 9/19/22