Chapter
11
"Getting
a grip on things"
The
Professor opened the test tube bottle and sniffed the orange formula
inside. He then opened one of his cabinets and took out a medium
sized needle. Brock watched the Professor as Max was resting on his
shoulder.
"Once the girl comes back we'll be ready to proceed," The Professor said.
He opened up the needle and carefully poured the orange liquid inside of it. He took the cover off the point of the needle and closed the back up as he had his fingers on the prongs.
"That needle is sterile right?" Brock asked.
"Of course. As a scientist I would never use contaminated needles, you don't trust me very much do you?" the Professor asked, slyly.
"No, it's not that," Brock replied, lifting Max higher up on his chest, "I want to make sure that nothing bad happens to Ash, he is my friend, you know."
"Yes, yes, I know. Without my invention the needle will be fine, it will be just like taking a shot from the doctor. I'll have to also pour some excess liquid on the fabric of his clothes so they return to their normal size as well," The Professor said.
Pikachu hopped on the blue chair next to where Brock was standing. It looked up at Max who was still contently sucking his thumb. For a brief moment, there was an awkward silence in the room as they waited for May to return with Ash from upstairs.
"How fast will Ash turn back to normal upon receiving the shot? And will his clothes return to normal just as fast?" Brock asked to kill some time.
"Why I'm glad you asked that. It'll happen almost immediately! Just like the ray gun reversed the process within seconds, the formula should do the same. Which is why I have to pour the liquid on his clothes and then quickly give him the shot, or else his clothes will grow faster than he does," the Professor said.
Brock nodded as he started glancing around the room. He noticed a small picture frame in a cabinet behind clear see-through glass. He walked up closer to inspect the picture, which showed the Professor in his younger days standing outside his lab. At first glance, Brock didn't notice anything weird about the picture but before he turned away he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. The date of the photo was imprinted on the side of it. Brock squinted to make sure he read the date correctly.
"Huh?" Brock was astonished. The date of the picture was over 80 years ago!
Brock quickly looked at the Professor who was busy pouring the excess formula back into the test tube.
Whoa, Brock thought to himself, The Professor looks around 30-40 years old in that photo. But if that date is correct…then the Professor must be over 100 years old. He'd be nearly 120...but the Professor right now doesn't look any older than 60. Strange.
"Something wrong?" The Professor asked as he noticed Brock stepping away from the cabinet.
"Oh, uh…nothing wrong. I was just looking at my reflection in the glass, I think some of my hair is messed up," Brock said nervously, "After all, I did get up quickly when I heard Max screaming about Team Rocket, I didn't even take a shower yet!"
"Oh, that figures. No wonder you smell," the Professor said, holding his nose.
"Eheh," Brock replied, walking back toward Pikachu on the chair.
"I'm back!" May said as she entered the room, holding Ash in her arms.
"Pika!" Pikachu greeted Ash.
Ash waved to Pikachu gleefully. May walked up to her little brother again and rubbed his hair playfully.
"Ah good! Now let's get started," The Professor said hastily.
"Hey, Professor, where should I put Ash?" May asked.
"Just sit him down at the edge of the table. We tried doing this before with the ray gun but you jumped on the table and knocked your little friend off, remember?" The Professor asked.
"Oh, yeah," May laughed in embarrassment.
"Yeah…not to mention Ash would grow really fast in your arms and you wouldn't be able to hold him," Brock said.
May placed Ash down at the edge of the table. His legs hung off the side as May fixed the brim of his hat once more.
"Ready, Ash?" May asked, "You were quite a handful to take care of, but I'll never forget these days we played together."
Ash grinned as the two held hands while waiting for the Professor. May squeezed Ash's little chubby hands as she got a bit nervous thinking about how Ash will be like when he is a teen again.
"OK, listen up," The Professor instructed. He held the needle behind his back with his right hand while he held the test tube with a small batch of the formula with his right. He held it up so Ash and May could see it. "I'm going to pour the formula out of the test tube onto the infants' clothing. This will make his clothes quickly return to their normal size, in about the span of 10 seconds at the max. Each piece of clothing he's wearing will need just a drop of the formula. The rest of the formula is in the needle, which I will be injecting into the boys' arm."
"Hm, why can't you just pour some of the formula onto Ash's skin then? Wouldn't that return him back to normal just like his clothes?" May asked, still holding Ash's hands for comfort.
"There's a difference, the boy is a living breathing person. The cells in his body will need the formula in his blood steam to reverse the process quickly. Clothes are just well…clothes. They weren't de-aged you know, just shrunk to match the boys' new size. What the ray gun did was envelop the boy and everything he was wearing at the same time, as the boy was de-aging and getting younger, the clothes shrunk accordingly so they would still fit him. I designed the ray gun to do that too, aren't I a genius?" the Professor clucked his tongue.
"I suppose so," Brock interrupted, "But it's odd that you created such a device to de-age people in the first place and never told anyone about it, yet you seem to know exactly how to reverse the process. You're so calm about it too as if you've done this before."
"Yeeeeeeeees, because unlike you youngsters, those of us with a couple years on our shoulders tend to have a good grip on things. No overreacting like these two," the Professor said as he pointed at Ash and May.
May chuckled quietly and watched as the Professor took the needle out from behind his back. The orange formula could be seen through the clear casing of the needle. He walked toward the baby.
"Well, boy, let's give you your shot," The Professor said as he approached the boy with the needle.
Once Ash caught sight of the needle he panicked and grabbed May's arms timidly. Everyone in the room looked at Ash a bit astonished as the Professor held the needle toward him.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" a petrified Ash screamed as he jumped into May's arms for protection.
"What's the matter?" The Professor asked.
"Gooooo aw-ay! NOOO!" Ash yelled, burying his face in May's chest.
"Eh?" The Professor grunted.
"I think I get it. Ash is scared of needles!" Brock exclaimed.
"Oh c'mon, boy! One little poke in the arm won't hurt! You'll hardly feel a thing," The Professor said.
Ash gripped onto May's arms tightly as he hid his face in May's chest while yelling at the top of his lungs.
"Hee hee. I don't blame him," May giggled, "I'm scared of needles too!"
The Professor rolled his eyes. Max chuckled as the infant remembered how May acted when their parents took them to the doctor.
"Pikachu pika, pikachu!" Pikachu shouted at the youngster trying to calm him down.
The Professor walked a few steps toward May as the boy glanced at him quickly. He caught another sight of the needle and was as petrified as ever.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Ash cried.
"This isn't going to work. I need the boy sitting down so I can quickly pour the formula on his clothes and give him his shot right after," The Professor said.
May quickly sized up the situation as she patted Ash's hair to try to calm him down. "Shhhhhhh," May whispered into his ear, "It'll be alright."
May walked back up to the table and tried to pull Ash's hands off her shirt. The boy gripped onto her as tightly as ever, not willing to comply and receive the shot. May pulled on Ash's hands a bit and due to her strength compared to the infants', she was able to slowly pull his hands off her shirt and gently sit him on the edge of the table.
"No-no! Sto-p!" Ash cried frantically as he tried to get back in May's arms.
"Ash, calm down," May said as she held the boys' cheeks with her two hands. She looked into his face and smiled, "The Professor isn't going to hurt you. He's just going to make you big again…like me."
Ash continued to cry only quietly as he started listening to his friend. Brock stood from afar not wanting to distract Ash and make him cry hysterically again.
"Remember when I was a baby too? I was just like you. We played together, remember?" May said, removing her hands from his face and placing them on his legs, "Remember how you wanted to eat that chocolate chip cookie but I took it away from you and gobbled up the whole thing?"
Ash started to smile, "Eheh, ye-a."
"That's right. That was kind of mean for me to do, huh? All your hard work to pull the cookie off the table and I started fighting with you and made you bump your head. It doesn't hurt anymore does it?" May asked, playfully rubbing his hat.
Ash sniffled a bit and stopped crying.
"We fought a lot together didn't we? I remember nearly choking you when I tried to pull your sweatshirt off your head…heehee! I guess I was selfish enough to eat the cookie all by myself while not sharing with you. When we were both older, I was nice enough to share the strawberry shortcake with you from the frisbee game we played. We had to use the same fork too since that was the only one we had," May chuckled.
"Oooh," Ash said, licking his lips and remembering the taste of the cake.
"Yeah, that was from winning the game when you threw the frisbee through the Professor's window which made me score the final point," May said softly.
"Yeah, and I haven't forgotten about that window, you know!" The Professor shouted from the background, "After this fiasco is over, you kids still have six more days of work to do for me to pay off your debt!"
"So, Ash, do you want to be old like me again? I promise we'll still play together," May smiled at the infant.
"Ye-s," Ash said reluctantly, "Be li-ke M-ay!" Ash pointed toward the girl.
"Ash, you're so sweet!" May laughed as she hugged the infant one last time.
Pikachu's eyes watered as it watched May successfully calm Ash down.
"You're going to be all-grown up Ash again," May said, lifting herself back up, "You're going to be big and strong, you'll be able to battle with Pokemon again, and you're going to be very cute and handsome again…" May stuttered nervously, as she stood up after she realized what she just said in front of everyone.
"Uh…that was…sweet, May," Brock said, scratching his face knowingly.
May blushed heavily, "I…I was just saying that as a figure of speech you, know."
Max laughed and pointed at May for the first time since he was a baby.
"Gee, Max, even as a baby you like to pick on me," May said nervously, waving her arms, "I meant to say that Ash was going to be an older boy again…it's not like I'm saying that Ash is attractive…well I mean I'm saying that he will be good-looking again…but not…you know, good-looking where I think he's good looking, just being uh…nice looking where other people think he's nice looking…"
"OK, we get it, May," Brock laughed.
May blushed even more as she crossed her arms and approached her little brother, "So what are you laughing at anyway, Max?"
"Haha!" Max laughed as he put his right thumb back in his mouth.
Ash sat there on the edge of the table, confused. The little boy didn't quite know what was going on.
"Oh for the love of – ALRIGHT, enough stalling already!" The Professor shouted, "I'm going to quickly pour some of the formula on his clothes."
May walked back toward Ash and stood next to him at the edge of the table as her blush started to fade.
The Professor opened the test tube bottle. He quickly poured a drop of the formula on each of the apparel that Ash was wearing. He poured a droplet of the formula on his hat, sweatshirt, his black shirt underneath, his sweatpants, boxers, gloves, socks, and on his shoes. He quickly placed the test tube on the side of the table as he knew the clothes would start growing within a few seconds.
"Now I have to inject him in his arm quickly," The Professor said, bringing the needle toward Ash.
Even though Ash was calmed down, the sight of the needle so close to him scared him again. The Professor was about to poke his arm until the boy jumped.
"NOOOO!" Ash screamed, jumping right back into May's arms.
"Ash….no!" May shouted.
The Professor quickly saw Ash's clothing beginning to grow. Ash frantically kicked back and forth in May's arms.
"His clothes are already expanding! I have to inject him NOW!" The Professor shouted.
"ASH!" May said, trying to turn him to the Professor.
"You'll have to hold him while I inject the needle, we have no other choice!" the Professor instructed quickly.
May quickly turned Ash toward the Professor. She pulled out Ash's left arm nervously and stretched it out enough so the Professor could inject him. Ash screamed and raved but May held his arm out as straight as she could. She noticed the boy's shirt and pants suddenly looking incredibly baggy on him. His clothes were growing rapidly and he wasn't even injected yet!
The Professor held Ash's left arm steady so he could inject the needle. He held the needle with his right hand as he lowered it to his skin. Ash continued screaming, but May and the Professor managed to get his arm still.
"Hurry up!" Brock warned.
His shirt was already beginning to expand which started to cover his arm. The Professor quickly inserted the needle into Ash's skin.
"AAAAHHHHHH!" Ash screamed as his eyes bulged.
"THERE! I did it! He should be growing within a few seconds!" The Professor said as he backed up from May.
"Wuh?!" Ash said as he turned back to May's arms.
"Hey, Ash…you're starting to feel...REALLY HEAVY!" May gasped as the boy was quickly growing in her arms.
May started wobbling backward as she was still holding onto Ash. The boy was growing and quickly returning to his original height and weight.
"GAH!" May shouted as the weight of Ash toppled her over.
May fell behind the table as Ash fell on top of her. The Professor and Brock couldn't see what happened as the ends of the table blocked their view.
Within a few moments more, Ash returned to his original age. His clothing had also returned to their original size.
May was on the ground with her back flat against the floor. A now teenage Ash lay directly on top of her. Ash and May's bodies laid perfectly symmetrical with one another, as they were both nearly the same height.
Ash's eyes were closed as his face rested on top of May's face, as their chests, torsos, crotches, and legs also laid symmetrical on top of one another. May tried to open her eyes as she felt the weight of Ash resting on top of her body. She felt her chest pressed hard up against his, their legs intertwined, as well as the heat from his face emancipating on her own. The girl was a bit flustered as Ash was in full body contact with her.
"A-sh?" May asked softly.
Ash started to open his eyes as he felt their cheeks laying on top of each other as well as their bodies pressed up against one another.
"Ugh….MAY!" Ash said astoundingly as he quickly lifted himself off her body.
May was bewildered as she lay on the floor looking up at Ash who was towering over her. She quickly snapped out of her gaze as she lifted up her body to stand.
"It worked!" The Professor declared happily.
"Hey, Ash, how's it feel to be your age again?" Brock asked jovially.
Pikachu greeted it's trainer happily as it jumped right into his arms. Ash was a bit absent minded as Pikachu licked his face. He quickly realized what had happened and hugged Pikachu tightly.
"Hey there, little buddy!" Ash said as he squeezed Pikachu in his arms.
May watched as Ash hugged Pikachu as if the boy were someone she never saw before. The girl had mixed emotions flying through her mind while watching him. She had been so used to caring for Ash as an infant and mothering him, that seeing him back at his normal age and as her friend again was quite a shock. She knew she had to completely change her demeanor toward him, as he was no longer a little baby who wanted her to carry him. He was now a well-built, dark haired and attractive looking teenage boy, and she found herself having difficulty changing her attitude toward him so quickly. She wanted to ask him something but couldn't form the words, as she backed up again bringing her hand toward her mouth with some uncertainty.
Ash quickly remembered everything he did as a baby. He tried to hide his initial shock, but he looked over at May's direction as he tried to comprehend the different feelings he had toward her as an infant. He quickly discovered that as an infant he was almost completely infatuated with her, and just as she had difficulty reacting to Ash being a teen again, Ash had difficulty seeing May in the same light as he had before. Ash's arms began to tremble as he was quite embarrassed and unsure how to interact with her now. He remembered the feelings of love, trust, and bonding he and May shared when they slept together, when May fed and took care of him, and how he wanted nothing more than to be with her. The quick flashes of memory of resting against her chest, sleeping next to her, as well as seeing her naked gave him quite a complex barrage of emotions in his head.
May and Ash nervously felt the same way about each other now that he was his normal age again. She realized that Ash remembered how she cared for him. Meanwhile Ash realized that May remembered how much joy he gave her as an infant, and how much of a bond they shared.
Ash and May nervously made eye-contact while standing a few feet apart. The two quickly glanced away as slight blushes appeared on their faces. Neither of them had the courage to say something as simple as a gesture to one another, as they couldn't quite absorb how different they acted toward each other when he was an infant.
Ash bit his lip as he remembered walking in on May as she came out of the shower. The image of May standing right in front of him in the bathroom as water dripped off her voluptuous body was still fresh in his mind. This was even more embarrassing for Ash to grasp then the previous instances of May taking care of him. He slowly and clumsily walked toward the blue chair at the other end of the table and let Pikachu jump out of his arms.
"Ergggggh," Ash groaned as he was perplexed in a train of thought while staring at the floor.
"Ha ha! The experiment was a complete success! I knew the procedure would still work without my ray gun, I really must give myself a pat on my back for this," The Professor kicked his heels as he discarded the needle and put the test tube back in a cabinet.
May didn't budge from the other end of the table. She held her own two hands in front of herself nervously as she was too timid to acknowledge anyone or even move. The girls' thoughts were fixated on Ash, as she knew that he was remembering everything they did together. She also was completely flustered as to how to talk with Ash again, as the feelings toward him as an infant were still lingering in her mind. But this Ash was no longer an infant, and for May to quickly remember the "other" Ash that was her mentor, and best friend, was quite a shock to get used to again.
"Hey, Ash, you feel alright, right? We had a pretty fun time taking care of you as a baby," Brock bemused.
"Uh…" Ash nervously looked up at Brock as he lost his train of thought, "…yeah…I feel alright. I…."
"C'mon, boy!" The Professor shouted happily is as he slapped Ash's back, "Now that you're able-bodied again I'm sure you remember that Team Rocket made off with my ray gun and my Tyranitar!"
"Oh yeah!" Ash said as he quickly regained his composure, "Professor….thanks. I almost forgot about Team Rocket…I was thinking about something else."
"Something else?" the Professor snorted. "What else is there to think about? Now I know you were an infant for a good day and a half, and I suppose you do have some getting used to as a young man again. No more crawling on your knees and wearing diapers and making me wish I never met the lot of you….but it's time to get your head on your shoulders because I need your help to find that Team Rocket bunch!"
"Yeah…and…!" Ash tried to say before trailing off into thought. The embarrassment of seeing May nude quickly struck Ash like lightning. It wasn't the fact that he saw a naked female body for the first time that got him, but the fact that he was embarrassed that he saw May, his best friend like that, and was a bit too shaken up on how to talk to her again.
May nervously lifted her head up in Ash's direction. She took a deep breath before she gasped and uttered a sound in a shaky voice, "A-sh!"
Ash's eyes bulged as he looked over in May's direction. His throat was dry, and he hesitated for a few seconds before answering. "Y-ea?" he asked in a high pitched voice.
May was taken back that Ash responded so quickly. This was the first time they spoke with one another after the procedure, and even though it was just one word a piece, the interaction hit them like a ton of bricks.
A sweat drop dripped off her face as she licked her lips. "N-ice to…" May coughed to hide her embarrassment, "Nice to ha-ve you back."
"Uh…tha-nks," Ash responded, scratching his face.
Brock noticed that the two were behaving strangely around each other. He figured the two would be a bit nervous due to all the mothering May gave him, but he didn't expect it to this extent.
"Ash," Brock said to get his attention, "We have to find Team Rocket quickly. We spent a lot of time here, and they could have gotten far away by now. We gotta make sure they don't get off the mainland by ferry. Are you going to be well enough to help us?"
"That's right. We wasted a HELL of a lot of time already. Hurry up boy!" The Professor slapped Ash on the back again in order to encourage him.
"OK…just stop hitting me already!" Ash said impulsively, "I…I need to get my Pokemon though. They're upstairs."
The Professor nodded as Ash walked out of the room. Pikachu shouted, "Pika, chu, pika!" and followed its trainer out of the room.
May let out a deep breath once Ash left the room. "Phew," she gasped.
She then clumsily walked over to the blue chair that Ash was sitting on and slouched when she sat down. Max watched his sister from Brock's arms as the girls' face looked troubled.
Ash walked up the stairs and opened the guest room door. He looked around the room and saw his backpack on the floor. He unzipped the bag and took out five Pokeballs which contained his Pokemon. He put three in his left pants pocket and two in his right. Ash then sat down on the edge of the bed and rested his face on his hands.
"Pikachu pika?" Pikachu asked as it hopped on the bed next to Ash.
"Oh jeez…how can I ever bring myself to face her again?" Ash asked Pikachu in a worried voice, "Everything she's done for me as a baby…it seems so awkward now that I'm my own age again."
Ash looked up at the bathroom door as the image of May's figure flashed across his face. "Oh man," Ash said as he hid his hands in his face.
Ash was quite nervous about how to approach May now that he saw her completely naked. He had already known about the feminine figure before, and while seeing nude female anatomy for the first time was shocking, it wasn't exactly a complete revelation to him. He had seen girls in bikinis at the beach many times during his adventure, and having grown up with his mother until he was 10 and left on his journey, he was quite aware of what the female body looked like.
Ash quickly thought about the times that he saw May in swimsuits back on Dewford Island. He remembered admiring May's figure as her various bikini's were nicely fit and showed off some cleavage, but it was a completely different scenario with actually seeing May's body parts in the flesh without something covering them up.
It wasn't the nude female body that got him, but it was May's nude female body that got him. The girl he had taken under his wing to train since he arrived at Hoenn, as well as the girl he trusted, admired, bonded, and cared for had a big impact on his guilt that he saw her naked.
Ash stood up from the bed as Pikachu jumped on his shoulder. He took a deep breath as he fixed the brim of his hat once more.
"Well, Pikachu, I'm going to just have to make the best of it," Ash said, "I hope May and I can put that moment aside and be good friends again just like we were before."
Pikachu was confused as he didn't know what Ash meant, having not been there when Ash walked in on her.
"Heh, I really remember everything she did for me. We slept in each other's arms, and I still feel the same affection toward her now as I did when I was a baby at that moment. It's going to be a bit hard to adapt now after all that's happened, especially since I became so close to her," Ash grinned, "But no matter what, she's still my best friend. And we gotta find Team Rocket, right, Pikachu?"
"Pika!" Pikachu responded happily.
May walked out of the small room and back into the main area of the lab. She raised her fanny pack a bit higher on her waist. She walked down the aisles aimlessly with her arms crossed.
She still felt the same attachment toward Ash now as she did when he was a baby, but she also felt the strong bonds and admiration toward him as a teen. May walked down the aisles as she looked at her reflection from one of the machines.
She came to a realization. Ash wasn't just her best friend.
Ash was her hero.
May's face broadened as she fixed her hair and walked back to the front of the lab. Brock continued to hold Max in his arms while the Professor shut the door of the small room. They then quickly noticed Ash and Pikachu running down the stairs.
May watched passionately as Ash approached them. She was still a bit nervous about interacting with him, but she was calmer than she was before.
"I sure hope we're able to find Team Rocket, I really can't believe those guys sometimes. No matter how many times we defeat them, they keep coming back for more. They should have realized by now what they're doing is wrong," Ash sighed.
"Some people will never learn," Brock said.
"I decided to turn you back to normal first for a reason, I think you'll be a good asset in finding those crooks," The Professor said.
"I'll do the best I can!" Ash said in a bold voice.
"You're not taking your backpack, Ash?" Brock asked.
"No, it'll only slow me down. I have my Pokeballs in my pocket. That's all I need," Ash said assuredly.
May stood silently watching the conversation from afar. She smiled contently thinking how mature Ash was to leap into danger to help so quickly after being turned back to normal.
Ash turned to Brock, "Are you coming?"
"I – can't," Brock said, "I have to look after Max. I don't think bringing a baby with me would be such a good idea either, especially if it gets dangerous. I don't think May would approve of getting her little brother in danger either…right, May?"
"Wha?" May said as she snapped out of her train of thought, "Oh yeah, you're right Brock. I'm upset enough as it is that Team Rocket turned my brother into a baby, I wouldn't dare let him get into any more harm."
May walked up to Brock as she rubbed Max's back. Max cheerfully grunted upon receiving his sisters' comfort.
"What about you, Professor?" Ash asked.
"Are you kidding me, boy? I just told you I turned you back for a reason. You expect me to go running in the fields out there looking under every nook and cranny?" The Professor snapped.
"But it's your ray gun and Tyranitar!" Ash retorted, "Don't you want to make sure we get them back safe and sound?"
"Yes, yes, I'm absolutely ecstatic about that! But I need to make sure that those three don't come back to my lab either. One thing I learned in my lifetime, is that crooks always come back to the scene of the crime once they succeed. Besides, I'm not so sure Mr. Babysitter here will do such a great job defending the place, " The Professor responded.
"Hey! I can help out with my Foretress to defend the lab," Brock defended himself brashly.
Ash walked toward the door of the lab as Pikachu stood next to Brock. May approached him.
"You're not going alone, are you?" May stammered.
"Hmmm, noooo…." Ash said as he turned to May and grabbed her shoulder, "You're coming with me."
"I-am?" she asked a bit surprised as Ash pulled her beside him next to the doorway. Ash let go of her arm as she stared at him a few feet apart.
"I mean of course I'll be more than willing to go, I gotta make sure Team Rocket knows not to mess with my family," she finished.
"Good, because I'll need the help," Ash said as he winked at May, "We'll find them just like we always do."
May's eyebrows raised as she saw him wink at her. She quickly understood this was in response to all the winking she gave him as an infant that made him blush.
"Heh, right, Ash," May responded cunningly, "I know my brother is counting on me. Heh, I'm sure he'd rather be turned back to normal by the ray gun than receiving a needle. My brother never liked needles either."
"Pika pika?" Pikachu asked.
Ash turned to his Pokemon. He looked briefly at Brock, Max and the Professor and realized they needed help.
"Sorry, buddy, but I need you to stay here," Ash said as he kneeled down and patted Pikachu's head.
"Pika?" Pikachu asked disappointingly.
"The Professor is right, Team Rocket could come back to the lab," Ash stood up and looked at Brock, "And Brock only has one Pokemon with him, not to mention he has to take care of Max. I need you to help defend the lab in case Team Rocket shows up."
"Chu…" Pikachu frowned.
"I'm counting on you, Pikachu. I know you're the best, you'll do a great job defending the place," Ash said.
"Pikachu, pikachu pika," Pikachu understood it's trainer and ran back toward Brock and Max.
May grinned, "And I'm sure that even if Professor Lenient won't admit it, he'd like a bodyguard!"
"Wuh?" The Professor responded in a overpowering voice, "If those three lunatics show up here again I'll give 'em a good ol' knuckle sandwich."
The Professor started clenching his fists and threw punches in the air.
"I'll show 'em all what's for, a few socks to the head and a couple of black eyes will teach them never to mess with me again!" The Professor exclaimed as he threw an uppercut in the air.
Ash and May smiled as the Professor got so into his punching that he accidentally started bumping into Brock.
"Hey, watch where you're going here!" Brock exclaimed as he stepped away quickly, making sure he didn't lose his grip on Max, "I was standing right next to you, you know!"
"Oh, sorry about that," The Professor grinned, putting his hand behind his head, "I get a little carried away sometimes. Heck, did I mention I used to be a boxer back in the day?"
"Uh…I hope this is not going to be a long story," Brock sighed.
"Uh yeah, we better get going," Ash said as he turned to the door.
"Yeah, I'll be back soon Max!" May said as she blew a kiss with her hand toward her little brother.
Max took his thumb out from his mouth and waved goodbye to his sister happily.
"Get going then!" The Professor said, "You only have a few hours before that ferry leaves. There's a good chance they'll try to leave the mainland on that."
The Professor turned to Brock, "Now then, would you like me to tell you about the time I won the heavyweight boxing championship?"
Brock sighed as he shook his head, "Ugh…I know I'm going to regret this, but let me hear your story."
"Pikachu Pika!" Pikachu waved.
"See ya, Pikachu, make sure you help Brock out with Max!" Ash said. He then turned to May, "Let's go, May."
"Right," May said cheerfully.
Ash and May walked out of the lab side by side to search for Team Rocket. The two still had lingering feelings of embarrassment over their time together as infants, but they were more than ready to take care of the situation at hand. Ash grinned as May eagerly walked beside him ready to find Team Rocket and retrieve the Professor's ray gun and his Tyranitar.