Chapter 14

"There's one of these in every love story, isn't there?"

May sat on the couch in the Pokemon Center twisting the bottom of her skirt nervously. The girl stared down at the floor preparing for the worst. Various thoughts raced through her mind, as the girl was quickly trying to comprehend everything that happened. She looked up at the white tiled wall in front of her as she waited for Nurse Joy to return and give her the news.

The Pokemon Center was fairly empty, with only a few people and Pokemon walking about. May sat by herself on the couch for a good 20 minutes, as when they entered the Pokemon Center she had to be pulled away by the Nurses as they took Ash and Swellow in. Even though the Pokemon Center primarily focused on Pokemon injuries, this one also treated humans as well. After all, the nearest hospital was over 20 miles away, and Nurse Joy felt that Ash should be treated in the Pokemon Center along with his Pokemon.

May couldn't sit any longer. She got up from her seat and started walking the halls. She looked up at the overhead TV monitors that were hanging from the ceiling. The news was playing which showed several firefighting teams working feverishly to put out the forest fire that May had narrowly escaped from. She watched as the reporter explained the situation on the news.

"The small forest right next to a secluded Pokemon lab had just recently went up in flames," The young, blonde haired female reporter detailed. The camera on the TV then panned to various firefighters and water Pokemon struggling to put out the flames. "As you can see here, rescue teams have the fire under control, thanks to the efforts of many brave men and women as well as the firefighting Pokemon team. The cause of the forest fire is still unknown however, but it was likely started by a rampaging fire Pokemon who scorched a couple of trees by accident."

"That's good," May said to herself, "At least they went to put out the fire in the forest quickly. Good thing it didn't spread all the way to where the Professor's lab was."

The reporter continued on the television monitor, "Most wild Pokemon in the forest have been rescued by the firefighting team, and as of now there are no casualties from the disaster. We have had reports of a young girl and boy being caught in the middle of this fire, with the boy receiving minor injuries according to the Pokemon center, but other than that it seems like no other injuries have been reported."

"Those jerks," May said angrily, "They didn't even bother to mention Ash's Swellow."

May stomped the floor as she sat back down on the couch. "Poor Swellow, May sniffed, "It didn't look so good. That tree really pinned it down to the floor…I…hope Nurse Joy will be able to help it. It…looked like it was bleeding heavily…"

May opened her fanny pack as she took out a tissue and wiped her eyes. "At least Ash's injury wasn't that serious…at least according to what Joy told me."

~*~*~*

Just a few miles southwest of the Pokemon Center, in a port on the mainland, Jessie, James and Meowth were walking along the sandy beach.

"What time did they say the ferry was leaving the harbor again Meowth?" Jessie asked.

"Eh…I t'ink it was 8 O'clock. We still have lotsa time to kill," Meowth replied.

James kicked up some sand with his boots, "You two saw the news didn't you?"

"Yeah, looks like that Tyranitar really scorched the whole forest," Jessie murmured as she placed its Pokeball in her pocket.

"At least the fire department was able to get there quickly and to put out the fire. I wonder who called them in the first place," James pondered, "I'm glad that nobody really got hurt however."

"James you sound like a marshmallow," Jessie sneered, "We're Team Rocket, remember? Now of course we didn't mean for the forest to go up in smoke, but if it happened, what's the big deal? So some wild Pokemon lost their homes, tough luck."

"I 'tink that reporter lady woman said some kid was injured or something," Meowth looked up at Jessie.

"I dunno, Jess, I'm feeling kind of guilty about it," James said, a bit depressed.

"Eh, it's not really our fault anyway. It was all the work of that crazed Tyranitar. It should have obeyed us when we asked it to, not fire Hyper Beams at us," Jessie said, putting her hands on her hips.

Team Rocket walked along the sandy beach as they sat along an outdoor table. The white plastic table had an umbrella attached to the middle of it which kept the suns rays blocked. The three of them sat on the plastic benches as they looked down toward the ocean. Several people in bathing suits were running alongside the beach, some of them standing on surfboards as Pokemon pulled them along by rope in the ocean.

"Boy that looks like fun," Jessie said, resting her face against her hand on the table.

"I sure wouldn't mind getting my fur wet. Besides, the ferry won't be here for awhile," Meowth said.

"Meh, I'd rather just relax. I'm a little uneasy after that Tyranitar incident," James said, leaning back on the plastic bench.

~*~*~*~

Back in the Pokemon center, May continued to pace the floors. She crossed her arms over her chest as she patted her arms softly. She looked toward the doorway of the operating room as Nurse Joy suddenly walked out.

"Joy!" May exclaimed.

"Oh, May, is it?" Joy asked.

"Yeah that's me, my friend...how is he…?"

"He's awake, in fact he just came to about a minute ago," Joy said.

"Really? Can…can I go see him?" May clasped her hands a bit more upbeat.

"He's still a little groggy," Joy said, "The branch did hit his head pretty hard which caused him to faint. On the bright side he doesn't need any stitches, but we have placed a bandage over the back of his head to stop the bleeding."

"What…what about Swellow?" May asked.

Joy's expression became a bit solemn. She folded her hands in front of her as she looked at the ground. "Swellow is in critical condition, and at the moment we're doing everything we can to save it's life. It lost a lot of blood."

"I…" May gasped in fear.

"It has a lot of fractured bones and a fractured wing. We have it in intensive care, but I'm afraid we can't give you anymore news just yet. The doctors are still working with it," Joy said softly.

"But…" May said as small tears formed in her eyes.

"Go see your friend," Joy said as she placed a hand on May's shoulder, "That will ease the pain, and he wants to see you too."

"He does?" May asked.

"Yes, in fact, your name was the second word the boy said after he mentioned his Swellow. He wanted to know where you were and if you were safe," Joy replied.

"Yeah, he didn't know if we even got out of the burning forest or not…he's probably worried about me," May said, wiping away her tears.

"Go see him, he's in the second room to your right," Joy said as she stepped out of the way.

"Thanks," May said as she started walking down the hall.

She walked over to the second room on the right as she saw that the door was open. She saw Ash sitting upright in his bed. His legs were under the covers as he only had his black T-shirt on as well as his sweatpants. The rest of his clothes were on the table on the side. He had a small white bandage on his forehead right below his hairline, which wrapped around the back of his hair where the impact of the branches must have hit. Ash saw May as soon as she stepped in the doorway.

"May! You're alright!" Ash exclaimed happily.

"Heh, I was about to say the same exact thing to you," May smiled contently as she walked next to his bed.

"Joy told me that you were waiting here in the Pokemon center. May…how…how did we get out of that forest? What happened?" Ash asked as he lifted his head toward her.

May was quite happy to see that Ash was alright. She sat on the side of Ash's bed as her legs hung off the end. She turned toward him and held his hand.

"I'm…I'm just happy to see that you didn't get hurt too badly," May smiled as she closed her grip on his left hand.

Ash was quite surprised that May was acting so comfortable around him, especially after the near-death experience they encountered. The boy felt content when she held his hand while she sat on the side his bed. He was happy to have a friend like her that cared so much.

"The doctor said I was knocked out when a tree branch hit me by surprise…I bled a little but luckily it wasn't anything too serious. The bandage should stop the bleeding," Ash said as he pointed to the bandage along his forehead with his right hand.

"Heehee. Didn't I tell you that you have a thick head, Ash? I guess that came in handy," May giggled.

"Wow, May," Ash chuckled as they continued to hold hands, "I get knocked out by a blow to the head and you're already cracking jokes on me."

"Heh, sorry, Ash. It's just that I'm happy that I was able to save your life." May said.

"You…got me out of there all by yourself? How'd you do it?" a surprised Ash asked.

"I had to pick you up and lean you against my body. I struggled to pull you alongside me as I tried to quickly get you out of the forest. It wasn't just me though, Sceptile, Combusken, Corphish and Squirtle helped too. We managed to clear a path, and I promised myself that I wouldn't let you go. I had to make sure that we would get out alive."

"I guess I really owe you my life then, don't I?" Ash asked as he looked down at his sheets, "I don't know what to say…really."

"It doesn't matter. I know you would have done the same for me. In fact, you already have saved my life on a few occasions in the past. Remember how you came to my rescue as I was dangling off a cliff while clutching my Torchic?"

"Yeah…I remember."

"It doesn't matter who saves who, all that matters is we're alive," May brushed her hair aside as it cascaded down the sides of her face. "I was lucky enough for a Nurse Joy to be in the area once we came down a hill. She was doing some fieldwork when she spotted us, I guess that was our lucky break. She called the Pokemon Center and the fire department. That's when an ambulance drove to where we were and brought us both back to the Pokemon Center. When we were in the ambulance, Joy tested our oxygen since we both breathed in a lot of smoke. She tested our Pokemon as well, and thankfully we were all breathing fine. I guess we were lucky that we were able to get out of there so quickly especially with the heavy smoke…I could have fainted."

"Yeah, and then we wouldn't be sitting here right now would we?" Ash asked.

"Guess not," May replied.

Ash noticed that she was rubbing the back of his hand while holding it. May leaned closer to him as she stretched out her body so she could lean on her elbow.

Ash beamed, "You're holding my hand the same way you did when I was a baby."

"I am?" May said a bit startled as she looked down to see their hands holding, "Jeez, I didn't even realize that. I guess…old habits die hard, huh? Eh…I think I'll always remember the infant side of you."

Ash let go of May's hand as he leaned toward her. May noticed he had a serious expression on, as his eyebrows lowered and his face looked stern. His mood looked like it completely changed, as the boy was about to ask her something serious.

"Do you know what happened to my Swellow?" Ash asked in a low voice.

"You mean Joy didn't tell you anything?" May asked a bit surprised.

"No," Ash said sadly, "I asked her if my Swellow was in the Pokemon Center, if it got out from under that tree…"

"I put it back in its Pokeball Ash…that was the only way I could get it out from under there," May said softly.

"…yeah…and Joy said it was in the Pokemon Center, so I was a bit relieved. She didn't say anything else though…is my Swellow ok?"

May opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. She turned her face away as she struggled to come up with the right words.

"May…?" Ash asked as he nervously pulled her face back toward him.

Ash's hand held her face as he wanted May to tell him exactly how his Swellow was. He was desperate for an answer. May's face was somber as she took his hand off her cheek. She then calmly began to explain exactly what Nurse Joy told her about Swellow.

Outside the small room where the two sat, Nurse Joy overheard the conversation. She then heard Ash quickly jump off his bed once May finished explaining.

"SWELLOW!" Ash yelled as he ran out of the room.

"Ash, wait!" May called out.

Nurse Joy was startled as Ash ran right up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders and started rattling her.

"Joy! MY Swellow…it's going to be ok right? Right? It's going to live…..tell me!" Ash asked as he shook Joy's body, "Answer me! My Swellow isn't that badly injured is it…?

"Get a hold of yourself!" Joy said as she pulled Ash's hands off her shoulders and pushed him gently to the side, "I know you're upset but you have to be calm!"

"Ash, calm down!" May yelled as she pulled his ar,. "Joy said they're doing everything they can!"

"But it's my Swellow, May!" Ash cried, "I gotta know how it is…I GOTTA go see it!"

"You should be resting in your bed, young man," Joy instructed, "You did get hurt you know."

Ash took a deep breath and looked at May. She let go of his arm as he started to calm down. The shock of what she told him about his Pokemon was too great a pain, as his Pokemon meant a great deal to him.

"Please Joy…I just want to see what my Swellow looks like. May told me that you said its bones were fractured…does that mean?" Ash trailed off as he broke into tears.

Joy frowned as she could feel the boys' pain. Seeing a grown teenage boy starting to burst into tears was quite a rare sight as he started to frantically wipe his eyes.

"We're doing all we can," Joy reiterated, "Right now your Swellow is alive, and we're doing our best to save it. We won't be able to give you full results until the doctors are finished."

May was a bit hesitant as she wanted to calm Ash down but didn't quite know how. She gripped his arm hoping that she could comfort him. She held his hand once more and started rubbing the back of his hand again. He allowed her to hold his hand but the boy was still incredibly upset.

Joy motioned for May to take Ash back into his room to rest, which is exactly what she did. She pulled Ash's hand as she brought him back into the room. He staggered as she guided him by pulling on his hand slowly. Joy closed the door of the room, shook her head, and walked away.

Ash walked over to the sink in his room as he stared at himself in the mirror. He trembled a bit as his arms shook while he held the sink. May watched a few feet away as she took her fanny pack off her waist and rested it on top of Ash's clothes. She then sat on the side of Ash's bed and folded her hands in her lap.

"Damn…I can't believe this is really happening," he sobbed.

May sat silently. She started twisting her skirt nervously just as she did when she was sitting in the lobby of the Pokemon Center.

"Why…why didn't Joy just let me see him? Why…couldn't she just let me see my Swellow? I…just wanted to make sure it was…" Ash turned away from the mirror.

May looked up, "It's the fear of not knowing what it looks like, isn't it?"

Ash walked a bit clumsily back to the bed as he accidentally knocked over the table where his clothes and May's fanny pack sat. The sound of the plastic table hitting the floor rattled the two of them. One of May's Pokeball's rolled out from her fanny pack.

May got up from the bed and walked over to where the table fell. Ash quickly noticed one of her Pokeball's rolling away and picked it up. He stared at the Pokeball in his hand a bit reluctantly for a few seconds.

"May…you didn't see what it looked like after you put it in the ball, did you?" he asked.

"No, I didn't. I kept Swellow in its ball and handed it over to Joy. I didn't even get to see them send it out as they went straight to the operating room with the Pokeball," she said as she picked up the plastic table.

May bent down and picked up Ash's gloves, sweatshirt, and hat from the floor and placed them back on the table. Ash continued to look at May's Pokeball in his hand

She then picked up her fanny pack and moved the front strap aside. She walked up to him and held open the pocket where she keeps her Pokeballs. "Ash?" she asked.

Ash looked at the Pokeball one more time and glanced up at May, "Without its Pokeball, Swellow probably would have died there."

The sound of the "d" word made May feel uneasy. "It's…not…going to die Ash," she whimpered.

Ash sighed and dropped the Pokeball into May's fanny pack. The girl hesitated for a few seconds and then turned and placed her fanny pack back on top of Ash's clothes. Half the fanny pack hung off the table however, as May didn't seem to notice it was on the edge.

"Can I say one thing, May?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, what is it?" she said.

"You saved my Swellow…thanks. I…I didn't even think about its Pokeball at the time. All I kept thinking about was getting that damn tree off my poor Swellow. But…you came up with an idea to save it and it worked. I wish I could have been as smart as you. I think that's something that I won't ever be able to repay you for."

May smiled as Ash walked back toward the mirror above the sink. Her uneasiness about Swellow's condition was beginning to fade, she now had positive thoughts about it recovering. She knew it had to survive, because its trainer needed it very much. She walked around and sat down on the edge of his bed once again.

"I…still don't know why that happened though," Ash muttered, "I still don't know how Swellow got slammed to the ground by that tree in the first place."

"The fire probably weakened the tree I guess…Swellow was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," May stammered.

"But…there's still something that doesn't add up," Ash said as he walked away from the mirror, wiping away the last of his tears, "The tree that fell on Swellow wasn't even in flames. Something…else had to knock it down."

"We didn't see anyone else in that forest though…" May said softly.

Ash walked over toward his bed and sat down next to her. He stared at the floor trying to make sense of the situation.

"We heard a roar though, didn't we?" he asked as he turned to her, "We heard a loud Pokemon roar while we were running through the forest."

"Do you think that Pokemon had anything do with this? Maybe…there was some other attack that knocked the tree off it's roots," May pondered.

"That's exactly what I'm thinking. That forest didn't go up on fire all by itself. And the fact that we started to smell smoke right after we heard those roars probably means that a certain Pokemon was the cause of all that destruction…." he trailed off.

"…and what badly injured my Swellow."

"Ash…" May motioned, "We may never find out for sure though. I'm…I'm positive your Swellow will pull through. It's a real headstrong Pokemon, it won't let itself go down this way…"

"You think so?"

"Yeah. And with the Pokemon Center's medical techniques I'm sure they can help it. Pokemon injuries seem to get healed much more easily than human injuries, don't they?" May comforted him.

The two now sat facing each other on the side of the bed. May's leg was leaning against Ash's thigh, and neither one of them turned away during the conversation. They both continued to look only at each others' eyes while discussing the serious situation at hand.

"You're right. Humans don't get so lucky, last time I checked there's no such thing as a "Super potion" for human beings," Ash smiled, which was for the first time since May saw him in the Pokemon Center.

"You're smiling, Ash," May said happily.

"Eh? I know…I…guess what you said made me realize that my Swellow won't give up…he'll recover. At least I hope so," he said.

"Don't be silly," May leaned toward him as she placed her hands on his thigh, "My parents always told me that no matter how hard things get, no matter how painful things may seem, they'll always be a silver lining in the end."

Ash stared into May's sapphire eyes as her face was a few inches away from his. For some reason, the same feelings that he felt as an infant toward her were resurfacing. The feelings of how he admired her as a baby were knocking through Ash's mind one after the other. New feelings of admiring her for being a heroine and saving both his and Swellow's life struck him as well. He felt indebted to her, as if there was something that connected him to her that he didn't feel with anyone else. He couldn't quite make sense of his feelings but the boy wanted to return his affection somehow. He placed his hands on May's arms while she continued to press down on his legs.

"May?" he asked softly.

"Yes, Ash?"

The two of them noticed that they were in a lot more physical contact than they usually were. The chain of events that turned both turned into infants, the motherly May who cared for infant Ash, and the protectiveness and saving of lives in the forest, made the two of them no longer had any hesitation about touching each other. The same feelings they had toward each other during the infant days were becoming apparent for both of them.

A few moments went by as the two of them continued to stare at each other. For some reason, both of them forgot what they were going to say. Instead, as May leaned against his thighs with her hands while Ash gripped her two arms, the two were almost in a hypnotic trance while staring at one another. It seemed as though neither one knew quite what to do next, yet neither one wanted to break the trance either. Suddenly, May's fanny pack slipped off the table and fell to the floor yet again.

Ash and May reacted by letting go of one another by the loud sound.

"Hehe, looks like my bag fell again," May said nervously as she got up from the bed and picked her fanny pack up from the floor. She then placed it on top of Ash's sweatshirt on the table, this time making sure that it wasn't hanging off the edge. She realized something as she placed her bag down about their Pokemon in the forest. "Our Pokemon made quite a team back there, Ash," she said.

"Oh damn!" Ash suddenly shouted as he slapped his forehead.

"What?! What's wrong now?" May suddenly panicked.

"We forgot about Team Rocket!" he exclaimed.

"Oh! Jeez, after what happened I almost forgot that we're supposed to be looking for them," May said, dumbfounded.

"Ugh. The Professor is counting on us to get back his ray gun and Tyranitar. They could be anywhere by now…" Ash said as he slapped his legs.

May peered out the small opened window in the room. She looked out at the scenery of the beach and ocean that was right next to the Pokemon Center. "Don't forget, at least we know they can't leave the mainland until that ferry comes. There's nothing but a sandy beach and ocean out there, no way can Team Rocket get across especially without their balloon."

Ash pressed on the bandage which was over his forehead and against the back of his hair. The boy grunted as his head still hurt him from the impact. He was still feeling a bit woozy, even though he tried to hide his discomfort while talking with his friend.

"May," Ash said as he stood up from the bed in a stern voice, "I'm going to have to tell you to go out there and see if you can find Team Rocket.

"What?" May said a bit disgruntled, "Are you kidding me, Ash? I'm not going anywhere without you and Swellow."

"You have to, the Professor is counting on us, remember? I'm not going to leave the Pokemon Center until I know that my Swellow will be alright. That and I still don't feel that well myself, the dizziness is setting back in…ugh."

"But…I don't want to leave you here all by yourself, Ash…you just said yourself that you're feeling a bit dizzy," May panted as she clasped her hands.

"I'll be fine, besides we only have a few hours to find Team Rocket. And you're the only person who can go search for them. Either that or we call up the Professor and ask Brock to come help us," Ash said as picked up the phone on the table next to him.

"No!" May shouted as she pressed Ash's hand which held the phone back down against the table, "I don't want to leave my little brother all alone with the Professor! Brock needs to stay there and watch him."

May firmly placed her hand against Ash's, not allowing him to pick up the phone. "But we need the help, May. Besides, why can't the Professor look after Max? Do you not trust him or something?"

"No…it's not that," May said as she let go of Ash's hand, "I trust the Professor…well kinda anyway. But it's the fact that he's my little brother, Ash. And he's not even my little brother anymore either, he's my baby brother now. I…I trust Brock to take care of Max as an infant more than anybody else…" she trailed off.

"…just like he did such a good job taking care of us as infants," Ash finished for her as he remembered how Brock used to play and tickle them.

Ash knew exactly what May meant. Max was indeed a baby, and Brock was their best friend who they trusted dearly and knew they could count on. The moments Ash and May shared together as infants weren't the only things they remembered, but they also recalled how Brock felt like a big brother to them when he was taking care of both of them. They remembered how he tickled and cared for them, and made sure they didn't get into any trouble. The fond memories of Brock playing with them were also retained in Ash and May's mind. Ash also realized how much Max's safety meant to her, especially since she was upset with herself that she was unable to protect her brother from harm when Team Rocket broke into the lab.

"Ok, I won't call the lab," Ash said agreeably as he let go of the phone.

"Thanks, Ash. I promised Max that I'd help turn him back to normal, and I'm not going to let him down either. It's just that…you…"

"Yea?"

May took a deep breath as she hesitated to say her next line. "….you… need me here Ash."

Ash looked at her reluctantly.

"I don't want to leave your side again, especially since you got knocked out in the forest just an hour ago. I don't want to leave either you or Swellow until you're both back to 100%. I helped get you two out of the burning forest…I want to make sure that I'm with you all the way and see you well again," May said in a low voice.

Ash stood up and walked toward her. "You're a good friend, May. One of the best I have."

May sniffed, "Well, Ash…I know you're always there for me when we're traveling. I…I want to make sure that I'm there for you, too."

Ash smiled and rubbed her right shoulder. May blushed slightly as she knew how strong their bond was with one another.

"Fine. We'll stay here together until we find out that my Swellow will be ok," Ash said as he smiled at her while holding her arm, "Team Rocket can run away to the ends of the Earth for all I care, but it won't matter. We're not going to let your brother down either, we'll find them no matter how far away they get."

"We've always been able to find them before, right, Ash? No matter how far away they got from us…they tend to stick out a bit too," May blushed as she moved away from Ash.

May walked to the door and placed her hand on the handle, but she then had a second thought wash over her as she let go of the doorknob.

"Can I wait here with you in this room until Nurse Joy comes to tell us about Swellow?" she asked.

"Sure. You weren't thinking about going back to the lobby, were you?"

"Well…it's just that guests aren't supposed to stay in the patients' room. I didn't know if you want to be alone for a bit either since you're still not feeling too well. I'm…I'm not bothering you am I?"

"Of course not," Ash said as he sat back down on his bed, "Just earlier I was so scared about my Swellow, not sure whether it would…make it through alive…I was ready to explode. But somehow….you've managed to comfort me so much that now I know my Swellow will recover.

"Heh. Joy said she'd let us see Swellow when they're done. Hopefully it won't take too much longer, I'm glad that you're acting like the Ash I know again."

May walked over and stood on the side of the bed while Ash opened the covers and slid himself in. May knew that he still needed rest, as she fluffed up the pillow again for him to rest his head on. He pulled the covers up to his torso as he rested contently.

"Swellow," Ash said softly under his breath, "I know you'll pull through, don't disappoint me."

May grinned contently as she playfully rubbed the top of Ash's head, the same way she did when he was a baby. She sat down on the edge of the bed again while Ash lie on his back under the covers.

"You're really unlike anyone I've ever met, Ash, always looking on the bright side and never giving up when things look bad. Working with your Pokemon to overcome impossible odds, you're a hero to so many people. You really are one of a kind aren't you, Ash?"

Ash snickered, "I think I could say the same about you, May. That makes us two of a kind, doesn't it?"