Chapter 26

"The feeling has meaning"

The water splashed around their bodies as the surfboard raced across the waves. A sense of unparalleled speed consumed the pair as the wind flicked through their hair continuously. Joyous laughter and screams could be heard during the acceleration. Surfing on the waves with their Pokemon wasn't just fun, it was exhilarating.

May clung around Ash's waist tenaciously while the surfboard zigzagged through a small course of red buoys. Corphish and Squirtle were swimming in the water with the tethers tied around their bodies. The feisty lobster moved its pincers in a spinning rotation to propel the surfboard at a fast rate. Squirtle preferred to keep its face right on the surface of the water as swimming was second nature for the small turtle. The two Pokemon glanced at each other as they prepared to turn in unison so the surfboard wouldn't crash into any of the buoys.

"Corphish, Squirtle!" Ash called out, holding onto both tethers through the circular opening on the pillar, "Remember how wide the surfboard is! We gotta make sure we fit in between the buoys or else we'll get knocked over!"

Corphish and Squirtle replied anxiously as they tried their best to not get bogged down by having the surfboard crash against a buoy.

May cheered in excitement as her brown hair constantly got blown in front of her eyes. The surfboard was moving so fast that she had to hold her arms around Ash even tighter to make sure she wouldn't fall off the back. She pressed her chest firmly against his back and made sure that she was in tight physical contact with him. She shouted gleefully not just because of how much fun she was having, but because she got to hold him around so closely and so intently without it seeming awkward or questionable.

"Ash, I sure hope you're holding onto those tethers tightly!" May teased, brushing her locks of hair out of her eyes, "If you let go, I go flying off with you so keep that in mind!"

"No problem, May, I have a firm grip on the ropes!" Ash replied, turning to her slightly, "Maybe you should hold onto me with all your might so you don't fall off yourself!"

May giggled and pressed her body against his even more. Her face was not even behind his anymore, but resting on his shoulder next to his own. She was no longer bewildered or cautious while holding him anymore, she now felt so comfortable being in such close contact with him. There were no fears, no doubts, no awkwardness. She could hold him around tightly with mutual excitement.

Ash in turn felt himself enjoying the feeling of having her holding him from behind more than the practice race himself, which had him in a sense of jubilation over these new emotions flooding his mind. It wasn't just any girl holding him around and pressing against him, no it wasn't just any girl at all. It was May that his body was in contact with, and that was what his sense of excitement was about. Their two bodies were nearly one entity with how symmetrical they were standing against each other. Since Ash was only three inches taller than May, their torsos were lined up perfectly.

Her dark red hip-hugging bottom piece of her swimsuit was cushioned by his buttocks through his black bathing suit. Her fingers tickled his belly slightly with their tender touch. Her breasts were pressed up hard against his back, so much so that it didn't even feel like she was wearing a top covering the important areas. She didn't mind however, and neither did he. Her head rested on his shoulder, with their faces a mere inch or so apart. He could feel and hear her heavy breathing right next to his ear, each of her breaths made the hairs on his neck stand up on end. The locks of her silky brown hair sometimes brushed against his cheek, tickling his face in the process. Not only that, but they were so warm together. Never before had their skin reacted so acceptingly against the skin of their friend. Their skin didn't just radiate together, they were ablaze on fire.

May would sometimes lower her face from the view as the wind was so swift against her, in which she would lean her lips against his shoulder. They were closed however, but at the same time her lips seemed to brush against his skin. She didn't quite realize what she was doing, but her lips more often than not found themselves pressing against his shoulder. Ash would felt the tickle of her moist lips against his skin, but he never mentioned it. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it for one thing, as the boy had never gotten the signifigance of lips pressed against a body part. May in turn would continue pressing her lips against his shoulder, but the sensation didn't quite hit her. Was she giving the boy a number of soft kisses on his shoulder without realizing it? Neither Ash nor May seemed to get it, but the kisses were genuine. Her face would even constantly bump up slightly due to the unpredictability of the waves, in which her lips would come down against his back and shoulder once more. She felt the scent and the slight taste of his skin, he on the other hand felt the tingle on his shoulder. The enjoyment of the feeling was mutual, but the understanding of it was beyond their comprehension.

The surfboard suddenly shook and banged quite violently against the edge of something on the waves. The pair held on tightly as they looked quite precautiously at what happened. The board had slammed into the edge of a small ramp in the waves and was now stuck in between the ramp and a buoy that was placed beside it. Corphish and Squirtle looked up at their masters disappointingly as they had unknowingly brought the surfboard to a complete halt. Ash reassured their Pokemon that it was no big deal, and it was understandable to crash into a few of the obstacles on the course, especially since this was their first time.

"That's why it's called an obstacle course," Ash said, "We have to avoid bumping into anything along the way."

May loosened her grip around his waist slightly and peered over his shoulder at her Pokemon. Ash frowned slightly as his skin felt cold without her arms around him. He tried to shrug it off all the same as he wasn't aware why he felt this way. The girl leaned over the surfboard and rubbed the head of her Squirtle nicely.

"Remember when we had talks about getting boo-boo's, Squirtle?" May smiled.

Squirtle laughed, wading in the water while Corphish was just about ready to realign the surfboard to get moving again.

"The surfboard didn't get hit too badly, did it?" May asked, bringing her hand to her mouth.

"Doesn't look like it, we only hit a small wooden ramp," Ash assured her, looking over the edge.

"I just want to make sure we didn't damage the surfboard in some way. If we end up breaking it while we practice we won't have anything to race on when the competition begins. Besides, Ash, weren't you supposed to be the one steering this thing?"

"Eh?" Ash turned facing her, the two trainers were now looking at each other face to face, "You mean turning the tethers?"

"Yea, didn't you tell me if you turn the tethers in a certain direction that the Pokemon will know to make a turn? Looks like somebody wasn't paying attention."

May took one finger and tapped Ash playfully on the nose. He returned her affection by smiling sincerely.

"You're right, it's not Corphish or Squirtles fault. We have a broader view of the obstacles ahead of us since we're standing on the surfboard, it's easier for us to tell them how to avoid stuff," Ash shrugged, "I guess I was too caught up in the moment."

May raised an eyebrow. A sly expression appeared on her face.

"What moment?" she asked sweetly.

"Hmm?"

"Well?"

May chuckled, holding her hands playfully behind her back. She looked at him squarely in his eyes and awaited his reply. She knew that she was backing him into a corner, but she wanted to hear it from him in his own words. It wasn't just the thrill of speeding along the waves with their Pokemon, no…it couldn't be just that. She admitted to herself after their first embrace on the surfboard that it was the feeling of them together that made her more excited about racing. Whether he was holding her around or whether she was holding him, it made no difference. To her it was such a strange feeling, she felt secure, confident, and most importantly, happy when she was in contact with Ash. She had already considered him to be her very best friend and the most important person on her journey, but beyond all that admiration and friendship, she was growing attached to him in a slightly different color. Confused about her own opinion on the matter slightly, it was her desire to see what he had to say about it. She swallowed her saliva waiting for him to say something.

"I…like surfing,"

That was all he said.

May's eyes nearly jumped out of her sockets in pure disbelief. That was all he could say? If it weren't for his injury on the back of his head that he was still healing from, she almost felt like slapping him.

"That's it?" May asked unsurely.

"Sure, it's so fun surfing with our Pokemon like this that I wasn't paying much attention to the obstacles in the water, and that's why we got stuck here," Ash said, noticing a hint of disappointment in her eyes, "Were you expecting me to say something else?"

May frowned. Maybe he didn't feel the same excitement in his blood from being in contact with her. She had never held a boy so closely, so tightly before that she was sure that he would comment on that. Likewise, she figured that he probably never held a girl around the waist either, especially pressing together in scantily clad bathing suits no less.

The surfboard shook a little as Corphish used his pincers to break away from the hold the board was snagged in. The board was still slightly stuck, as Corphish then launched a powerful Crabhammer attack to propel the board backwards and out from the ditch. Its pincer slammed against the wooden ramp as the surfboard flung violently backward.

During the unsteady shaking, May accidentally lost her balance and she feared that she would fall off the edge of the surfboard and face first into the water. She yelled, closing her eyes in fear while tripping, almost certain that she'd be submerged in the water a few seconds later. The shaking seemed to stop, as the surfboard was now floating peacefully on the water again. May, on the other hand, wasn't quite sure what happened. She opened her eyes slowly, thinking she probably fell overboard.

There was one problem with that however, she wasn't wet. She couldn't have fallen into the water. Another problem was that she felt warm, as if someone was holding her. Now that certainly got her to look up frantically to see what happened.

"Looks like I got the catch of the day," Ash said.

Her eyes widened as she realized she was in Ash's arms, their bodies pressed against one another while her head rested on his chest. She bit her lip, moving her face away from his body, much to her dismay since she liked his chest, but she had to register what just happened in her mind. That was not all, what was happening was still…happening.

Ash stared back at her as he held the side of her arms with her hands. She was standing an inch apart from him again like before, but this time he still had his hands on the side of her arms. She stammered a bit looking into his eyes.

"You caught me?" she asked.

"Corphish, corphish cor cor!" Corphish exclaimed energetically in the water, happy that it got the surfboard free.

"Clumsy, aren't we?" Ash replied, "I told you to hold on tight."

May was relieved, that was satisfactory enough.

"Thank you, Ash," she said softly.

Ash turned around and looked back down at Corphish and Squirtle wading in the water, still with the tethers tied around their bodies.

"Corphish, Squirtle! I think we should take a break from practicing for a bit. We're going to head back to shore, alright?" Ash called out.

"Squirtle squirtle!" Squirtle nodded.

"Coooooor-phish," Corphish added, splashing its trainer with some water.

"Hey!" Ash bantered happily.

He turned his attention back toward May, who was still standing behind him silently.

She finally uttered something to him, "That's it for today then, right?"

"Yep, I think this was a good first-run of the obstacle course. We only bumped into something once!" Ash said proudly.

"Heh, and we would have had smooth sailing if you just paid more attention to where we were going, Ash," she said teasingly.

The surfboard waded in a different direction as it now faced the shore where the waves met the sand. They were still fairly far out in the deep water, so it would take a bit for them to get back to shore. Corphish and Squirtle prepared themselves to swim but waited for their trainers to hold onto something again before they started.

Ash grinned, gripping onto the two tethers again. He turned his head back toward her.

"Aren't ya going to hold on again, May?" Ash asked.

"Of course!" May said happily as she wrapped her arms around his waist again.

The feeling of being in contact warmed both their hearts again, the coldness that their bodies felt before was now replaced by warm feelings of affection once again.

"Alright, Ash, I'm ready when you are!" May giggled, holding him tightly.

"I really like the way these surfboards are made," Ash said as his dark black hair blew in the wind, "I don't think I'd have it any other way."

May followed his eyes as he looked down at her arms holding him around. She nearly erupted with joy, but she contained her excitement. He did like it that she was holding and pressing against him.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, either," May said, pressing against him tightly and resting her chin on his shoulder.

"It's only going to be 30 seconds before we get to shore," Ash said, looking ahead.

"You sound disappointed, Ash," May teased, "I could hold you around when we're not surfing too if you like."

Neither Ash nor May knew how to respond or react to that comment, but they both stared absent-mindedly ahead. Corphish and Squirtle got a little impatient and started yelling in the water.

"CORPHISH!"

"SQUIRTLE?!"

"Ok ok! Let's get going!" Ash shouted, "You can start swimming now!"

Corphish and Squirtle rolled their eyes as they started swimming in the water, thus pulling the surfboard and their trainers with them back ashore. After half a minute, the Pokemon waded in the shallow water near the sand as they had reached their destination. Ash and May quickly hopped off the surfboard and untied the tethers around their Pokemon. Corphish and Squirtle were quite relieved to finally have those scratchy ropes off their torsos. May walked onto the sand, curling her hair with her finger as the two little Pokemon followed behind her. Ash tugged the surfboard ashore by pulling on one of the tethers and brought it next to their two Pokeballs which were still resting peacefully in the white sand.

The trainers recalled their Pokemon into their Pokeballs, ready to head back to the other end of the beach where Max and Pikachu were waiting for them.

May continued innocently curling her brown hair with her finger, she was very pleased with the way the last few hours had played out. She focused her attention on Ash's back as he tugged the surfboard behind him. Her heart began to flutter just watching the boy walk ahead of her.

There's something different about Ash now, May thought to herself, Or maybe it's me. It's strange, why do I feel so attached to him all of a sudden?"

She took a deep breath and tried to relieve herself of this strange sensation in her heart. She even tried glancing away from him and focusing on the sunset in the horizon. It was a beautiful sunset, the colors of red and orange filled the sky with a dazzling display. But at this point it was of no use. Her eyes kept wandering back toward Ash. And they didn't just look at him, they focused on him.

Why can't I take my eyes off him? she thought, I must be going crazy or something.

She blissfully twirled her hair without a care in the world besides staring at her friend as she walked behind him. It seemed like this would end a perfect day…until they showed up.

May's heart nearly leaped into her throat when she saw two people sitting at a picnic table reading a magazine. They were people she had run into before, people who seemed to get a kick out of ridiculing and humiliating her at a club on the boardwalk. The attractive woman with long jet black hair and a tight purple bikini, Precita, was stroking her boyfriends' light brown hair as she flipped through the pages of the magazine. Their overbearing laughter and snobbish voices could be heard all the way where May was standing, nearly 15 feet away.

"What are they doing here?" May asked herself nervously, "I didn't want to run into them again."

She frantically ran up next to Ash and tried to stand on the opposite side of his shoulder, so that his body was blocking her view from the two people at the table.

If I stand next to Ash hopefully they won't spot me, she thought, I don't want Ash to know what happened.

Ash noticed that she seemed to be hovering next to him, almost as if she was trying to avoid being seen by someone.

"Uh, are you alright?" Ash asked curiously.

May nodded to say, "Yes."

"Just keep walking, Ash, let's hurry up and get back to my brother," May urged him, standing ever so close to his body.

He turned to the left to see what she was trying to avoid, but he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Just a young couple reading a magazine at a picnic table, nothing shocking.

"Erm, ok," Ash shrugged.

Suddenly a flash of white light shot out from May's Pokeball that she was holding. The light formed into the shape of her Squirtle, who let itself out of its ball without its trainers command.

May gasped, "Squirtle, why did you let yourself out?!"

"Squirtle!" Squirtle said enthusiastically.

It fell backward on its shell and started twirling itself in the sand playfully. Its shell rotated in a clockwise motion heading at the same speed as the trainers.

"That looks like a lot of fun, Squirtle!" Ash said, "Your Squirtle must have realized how much fun it could have twirling in the sand."

"I know…but," May said nervously, knowing that her Squirtle spinning in the sand would catch the attention of people walking by.

She looked over in the direction of Precita and Dan, who both got up from the picnic table and appeared to be walking in the same direction they were.

Her heart skipped a beat, They're going to notice me!

"Squirtle!" May called out weakly, hoping not to draw attention to herself.

Squirtle frolicked in the sand unaware of the predicament its trainer was in. She tried to calm down, maybe the two of them wouldn't notice her as they walked by. After all, she was still standing next to Ash and the surfboard, somewhat obscure to their view. She tried to breathe a sign of relief, but her heart leaped into her throat when she heard that snobbish voice call out.

"Whose little Squirtle is this?" Precita asked, noticing it twirling itself on its shell, "Looks like it has discipline problems."

Ash turned to Precita and Dan, who were both looking down at her Squirtle with plain expressions. May was panic-stricken, how would she avoid seeing them now?

"That Squirtle belongs to my friend," Ash said cheerfully, "It let itself out to play in the sand."

"Squirtle, squirt," Squirtle said, standing upright.

"Let's itself out of its ball, eh?" Dan asked, flicking his light brown hair, "Maybe you should be more strict with it."

May bit her fingernails with her back up against Ash's. She nervously stood still hoping that they wouldn't even be aware of her existence. She stared silently out to the open sea, hoping that with her back turned to them and her friend and the surfboard nearby, that they wouldn't notice and would be on their merry way.

Please go away, please go away, May begged.

"That's not up to me," Ash laughed, "It's up to my friend, May."

May just froze. She was petrified, there was no way to avoid it now.

He said her name.

"May?" Precita asked herself, "Hey is that who I think it is standing behind you?"

Precita walked over to the side and sneered in delight. May looked up at her aghast trying to hide her nervousness.

"It IS you," Precita grinned, "I knew there couldn't be another person with the name "May" on this beach, it had to be the one and only."

"Eheh, yeah," May nodded nervously and put on a false smile.

She didn't want to make herself look uneasy around her, especially when Ash was standing right there.

"So let me get this straight, you're entering the surfing competition with that little Squirtle?" Dan asked mockingly.

"You mean you guys are entering too?" Ash asked, "That's great! It's nice to know your competition."

May glared at Ash, but he didn't know what kind of people they are. She crossed her arms over her chest, she wanted to get out of here as quick as possible, not make conversation.

Precita eyed Ash contemptuously, and then looked back at May.

"So I guess you finally found yourself a partner? Where'd you get him from? Don't tell me that someone willingly decided to race with you," Precita sneered.

"He's my friend," May replied calmly, "We came to the beach together."

"Could have fooled me," Precita said audaciously, "He looks like a frail little piece of garbage, but then again, that's probably why you paired up with him. Garbage belongs with garbage don't you think, Dan?"

"Of course," Dan cackled.

"What did you just say?" Ash asked a big miffed, "I'm not sure but I think you just insulted us."

"Ash!" May said frantically, tugging on his shoulder.

Precita and Dan laughed mockingly.

"She sure can pick 'em. This boy looks like he's just a big a loser as she is," Precita said to her boyfriend, pretending that Ash wasn't standing there right in front of them, "I mean I know some people are mentally challenged but I think we've hit rock bottom here folks."

Ash was getting agitated and very quickly at that. May could almost feel his blood boiling in his body as she clutched his arm. His face beamed in a convulsed manner as his eyes bulged.

May shook her head nervously and tried to pull him along with her, as she knew the situation would only get worse. He wouldn't budge however, no matter how desperate she wanted him to move. Squirtle quickly ran behind May's legs, a bit intimidated by the large and overbearing humans in front of it.

"Calm down, kid, you look like you're going to blow a fuse," Dan snarled.

"Who the heck are you guys anyway?" Ash asked angrily, "And how do you know May?"

"Oh, you mean she didn't tell you?" Precita clasped her face surprised.

"ASH, LET'S GO!" May pleaded, pulling on his arm.

The boy still didn't move, he wasn't going to take this lightly much to May's dismay.

"I would have thought the girl would run off crying to her friend after what happened earlier today, but I guess she's keeping it all bottled up inside instead," Precita laughed, walking around the two trainers.

"What is she talking about, May?" Ash asked.

"NOTHING!" May gasped, "Now let's go, Ash! Please!"

"Squirtle, squirtle!" Squirtle echoed its trainer. It appeared to share May's distress, as Pokemon could sense their trainers feelings better than anyone else.

Precita and Dan nodded at each other. They were just about to say something when they heard someone else calling their names from afar.

"Precita, what the hell happened to my surfboard?!" a female voice called out.

"It's time," Precita winked at her boyfriend.

Dan nodded, as the couple turned around and faced the two people running toward them in the distance.

Ash and May looked curiously over their shoulders, but May's stomach felt like it was tied in knots as she recognized the other two people running toward them. The girl was a blonde with blue eyes, the one with the strapless sky blue bikini that had a body equivalent of a porn star. It was Eliza – the girl who had tripped May at the club which caused her to scrape her arms. Running next to her was Chaz, her boyfriend, who kept his black hair in a ponytail behind his back.

May's heart felt heavy as she recalled the events of the club in her mind. Her courage began to sink, her morale dropped. What seemed to be a perfect afternoon with Ash surfing in the water was completely destroyed by the arrival of all four people from the club. She knew she had to get out of there, and fast.

Chaz and Eliza ran up toward their friends with antagonized looks on their faces. They were pissed off about something, they were not in a good mood in the slightest.

"Alright, can someone explain to me what the **** happened in our hotel room?" Chaz blurted out.

Eliza caught her breath, and eyed both Precita and Dan, completely unaware that Ash and May were standing behind them. She was too enraged to think properly.

"Like this is absolute BS!" Eliza yelled, "I feel like kicking someone in the pants!"

"Hello?" Chaz asked angrily, "Answers! I want answers!"

Precita and Dan glanced at each other calmly. They looked back at their enraged friends.

"Why, whatever are you two talking about?" Precita asked naively.

"Yeah, what did you run out of the good stuff or something?" Dan joked.

"Cut the garbage," Chaz demanded, "You two know good and well what happened."

They're fighting amongst each other, May thought, Maybe they'll just forget about us then.

Ash was still interested in what was going on however, as the boy listened intently to the two couples quarreling in front of him. May stood uncertainly next to the surfboard with her little Squirtle clinging to her legs.

"Care to explain yourselves?" Dan asked confidently, "We're not mind readers, you know."

Eliza spit to the ground ready to explain herself, "You two want to play dumb, then fine. Whoever the bastards are that destroyed our surfboard and broke it into little pieces is going to have my fist in their face!"

"So that's what you're mad about?" Precita laughed, shaking her head, "This is all a big misunderstanding then!"

"What the hell are you talking about, Precita?" Chaz demanded.

"Hey back off!" Dan said, pressing his hand against the other guys' chest, "Don't talk to my girl like that."

"In our hotel room, we found our surfboard torn to pieces. Do you know how much those damn things cost?" Eliza yelled, "You're the only two who know which hotel room we're staying in, so the only people who could have destroyed it is you two."

"Uh, are you guys having an argument or something?" Ash asked out of nowhere.

Chaz and Eliza looked irritably at this naïve little boy who disrupted their argument. May looked aghast as Ash unknowingly got himself involved into something he shouldn't have.

"Ash, come on! We have to get back to the others!" a frantic May gasped, tugging on his arm bringing him back to the surfboard.

Ash's legs trailed backwards this time as she desperately tried to get them out of the argument and out of the picture. She nervously picked up the tether of the surfboard and began pulling it with her while urging Ash to follow her.

"Like I said, it's a misunderstanding, Eliza," Precita said devilishly, "It wasn't us who destroyed your surfboard, it was those two!"

She pointed ominously toward Ash and May who looked up in shock.

"Are you serious?" Chaz asked her, "How the hell did they get into our hotel room?"

"You left your door unlocked, remember?" Dan said, "It was easy to spot your surfboard right on the floor."

"But why would they do it?" Eliza asked, "They had no reason to destroy our surfboard…unless…"

"Unless," Precita encouraged her.

Eliza grew in anger, "Unless she wanted to get revenge on me for tripping her back at the club!"

"That's right," Precita chuckled, "I saw the whole thing but was too late to stop it. That brunette girl and her friend smashed your surfboard to pieces. A pity."

"That's a lie!" May gasped, "We didn't do anything like that!"

"Who the heck are these people?" Ash asked irritably, "How could you say something like that? We would never break someone else's surfboard!"

Chaz barged right through Precita and Dan and ran up in front of Ash and May. Ash and May were taken back with how much Chaz towered over them. His face was boiling, with his hands clenching into fists.

"Thanks for telling us the truth, Precita," Eliza said, "We should have never pinned the blame on you."

"Don't sweat it, Eliza, what are friends for?" Precita laughed, "C'mon, Dan, let's get out of here."

Dan looked at her questionably, "Um, I thought we were going to…"

"NO! Now let's go, Dan, this is none of our business," Precita demanded.

"Fine, you're the boss," he replied.

Eliza walked up beside her boyfriend as Precita and Dan walked off in the distance behind them.

May's eyes twitched, Precita and Dan are leaving?

"Alright, kid, you better give me a damn good reason why I shouldn't run my fist down your throat," Chaz affronted him.

Ash looked at May for answers wondering what the heck was going on. May shook her head and pushed her little Squirtle behind her legs and out of sight.

"Listen, I don't know who those people were but they were lying!" Ash said.

"Those people?" Eliza grunted, "Those people are our good friends. They wouldn't lie to us."

"You little dirtbags went into our hotel room and smashed our surfboard to pieces, we were going to use that in the race competition!" Chaz yelled.

"You're wrong!" Ash clenched his teeth angrily, "You're accusing us of doing something we didn't do!"

"Oh I don't think so," Eliza said approaching May, "Ms. brunette here must have wanted to get back at me for making her fall onto the hard floor. I'm afraid you've gone too far this time."

"May?" Ash turned to her.

"Never mind that!" May gasped, "But thinking we went into your hotel room is absurd! We don't even know where you guys are staying!"

Ash and May backed up a bit as Eliza and Chaz moved in closer. These people were not going to listen to reason, they were too enraged to think properly. Confusion and anger filled through Ash's mind as he was trying to make sense of the situation in very little time. This was no time for games, something serious was about to happen.

"I'm trying to be nice here," Ash snarled, "May was with me the entire time practicing in the ocean. We didn't go into any hotel room and we certainly didn't destroy your surfboard!"

Ash tried to hold back his rage, it was building but he was trying his best to suppress it.

"I guess we're going to have to do this the hard way," Chaz cracked his knuckles, "One of you destroyed our surfboard that much is obvious. So if this kid didn't do it, then it had to be the girl for the reasons Eliza said."

"You're insane!" May blurted out, "Just get away from us already!"

"Wow," Chaz chuckled looking at Ash, "I'm sorry, kiddo, but I don't believe this bitch."

That last word was all it took. Ash could no longer stand by and take the false accusations, as well as the name he called his best friend. His face looked like it was about to explode, and for good reason, the adrenaline in his body was building up for an explosive release.

Before Chaz could turn his head, Ash pulled back his arm and clenched a fist, darting toward him and striking him squarely in the jaw. His fist came into full contact with his mouth, a direct hit that knocked the man off his feet. He felt down onto the sand dumbstruck, holding his aching jaw in pain.

Ash stood there agitated while May and Squirtle watched in shock. Eliza looked down at her fallen boyfriend in disbelief.

"Don't you dare call my friend that ever again!" Ash warned.

Chaz continued rubbing his jaw as the pain continued to throb through his mouth. Eliza helped him to his feet as he eyed Ash maliciously.

"That was a good punch, kid, nearly knocked my tooth out," Chaz grunted, spitting to the floor.

"Then back off!" Ash said, "And stop accusing us of doing something we didn't do. I don't care about fighting, May, let's get out of here."

Ash turned around and walked back toward May and the surfboard. May eyed the opposing couple nervously as it didn't seem like they were willing to back down and leave.

"C'mon, let's go, May," Ash said.

"Hey, kid!" Chaz called out.

Ash turned around as Chaz and Eliza walked up to him. He looked up at their hateful overbearing expressions. May knew something was about to happen, but she didn't know what.

"What is it?" Ash asked.

"You forgot something," Chaz smirked.

BAM.

One blow was all it took to bring Ash crashing down to his knees in pain. Chaz had socked him right in the belly with his fist, bringing Ash down clasping his stomach to the ground. He cowered on the floor in pain as May quickly ran over to him, putting her hands on his shoulders. She frantically tried to wipe the tears out of her eyes as she just witnessed what happened to her best friend. Squirtle froze in fear.

"ASH!" May cried as tears feel down her face, trying to bring him back to his feet to see if he was alright.

Ash continue to gasp and groan while holding his stomach, the blow was just too swift and powerful for the young 14 year old boy.

"Not much of a man is he?" Eliza joked, "Taken down with just one punch? What a weakling."

"I hope you learned your lesson, kid, but don't worry I'm a nice guy," Chaz said, walking over to Ash and May's surfboard, "I'm not going to hit you while you're on the ground, I already made my point. That punch was to get back at you for what you did to me, as well as what you did to my surfboard."

Chaz grabbed a hold of the tethers of the surfboard and began pulling it with him. May looked up in fear, still holding onto Ash who was panting on the ground. Squirtle ran up to her, sharing the tears that its trainer had cascading down her cheek.

"Since you destroyed our surfboard I think this will repay the debt," Chaz said, looking back, "We're going to take your surfboard to replace ours. Have a nice day."

Chaz and Eliza laughed as they pulled the surfboard along with them in the distance.

"No…" Ash said weakly with one eye shut, "They're taking…our surfboard…"

"Ash, what's more important is if you can still breathe!" May cried, "That hit was so loud…I…I…just…"

May pulled on Ash's body until he sat on his bottom on the sand. He finally let go of his stomach as the pain was no longer as intense as it was a few moments ago. He looked up at her in disappointment, even more so when he noticed how much she was crying.

"I'll….I'll live," Ash grunted, pushing her hands away, "But they're taking our surfboard…without it we won't be able to enter the race…and we don't have enough money to buy another one. And more importantly they're stealing from us!"

"Ash…" May said, wiping her wet cheeks with her arm.

"Squirtle…squirtle…" Squirtle whimpered, trying to comfort its master.

May stood up and looked in the distance at Chaz and Eliza tugging their surfboard. She couldn't just let them get away with this, she couldn't let Eliza do something so hurtful to her twice. Tripping her at the club, the blow to Ash's stomach her boyfriend gave him, as well as stealing their surfboard…it was just too much. They had gone just too far this time.

May's sadness suddenly turned into a will of determination. She was done crying, there was something far more important to do. Justice needed to be served, and she couldn't stand on the side and feel helpless any longer.

"Squirtle!" May commanded, looking at her Pokemon, "Come with me!"

She quickly picked up Corphish's Pokeball from the ground and turned to Ash while he still sat on the sand.

"I'm not going to let them get away with this, Ash," May assured him.

"What…what are you thinking?" Ash asked nervously.

Eliza and Chaz laughed and bantered about the scene that occurred just a minute or so before. The two walked side by side pulling the surfboard along behind them.

"Ha, you sure showed that kid what a real punch is like," Eliza said.

"Indeed I did, although that kid packed a powerful arm himself. My jaw still aches," Chaz said, rubbing his jaw with his right hand.

"Where do you two think you're going with my surfboard?!" a voice suddenly yelled out from behind.

Chaz and Eliza turned around quickly to see who yelled behind them. Suddenly, a girl swiftly body slammed into Eliza with her arm and pushed her to the ground severely. Eliza fell flat on her face in the sand before skidding a few inches and thus scrapping her arms.

"I hope you had a good taste of your own medicine," May said triumphantly.

"What the hell?" Chaz demanded letting go of the tether, "You just knocked my girl to the ground!"

"Ugh….that hurt!" Eliza said still moaning on the sand.

"I don't care if you're a girl, nobody pushes my girlfriend to the ground and gets away with it!" Chaz said enraged.

"Squirtle, use Ice beam!" May commanded.

"Squirtle!" the Pokemon jumped into the air and fired a beam of white and blue light to the ground.

The sand Chaz was walking on turned into slippery ice. The man quickly began to lose his balance and quickly plummeted to the ground.

"Nice job, Squirtle," May winked at her little Pokemon.

Eliza and Chaz quickly got back onto their feet and towered over the young teen girl and her baby Squirtle.

"CORPHISH, USE BUBBLEBEAM!" a voice commanded from behind.

"Corphish!" Corphish shouted as a series of swift bubbles shout out from both its pincers.

The bubbles quickly collided with Chaz and Eliza hurting them in the process, and due to them still standing on the slippery ice the two lost their balance and fell harshly to the ground once again.

Ash walked up beside May as Corphish jumped up in front of them next to Squirtle. The two trainers nodded at each other.

"Are you ready to give us back our surfboard yet?" May called out.

"Nice idea, May, no way are we going to let these people bully us and take our things away," Ash said.

"I see you're feeling better, punk!" Chaz gnarled, struggling to get up to his feet, "I'll be glad to give you another blow to your stomach as it seems like you got over the first one really fast."

"Hiding behind your Pokemon?" Eliza shouted, "Why don't you come at us yourselves instead of letting your Pokemon do the work?"

Ash and May stood there silently, only with mocking smiles with their hands on their hips.

"They're not talking are they?" Chaz asked his girl, "They think that because they got a few lucky shots in that they're tough guys, ay? Maybe I'll just ring their stinking necks right here on the beach."

"Or drown them in the ocean, whatever works best," Eliza said irritably, wiping the blood off the scrapes and cut on her arm.

Ash, May and their Pokemon continued to stand there silently, as if they were waiting for something.

"You damn kids picked the wrong person to mess with! I'll tear you two limb from limb!" Chaz shouted.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" a female voice declared from the side.

"Huh?" Eliza said, looking to the right.

"Right on time," May winked at Ash.

Ash nodded and watched as Officer Jenny and three security guards approached the couple. Jenny was the familiar female police officer with blue hair that Ash and May had run into before, and the three security guards were large buff men with broad shoulders.

"I've heard reports of a fight going down on the beach!" Officer Jenny shouted, "And here I see you making death threats to a pair of kids?!"

"That's not true, Officer!" Eliza pleaded, "These kids started it!"

"She's right!" Chaz added desperately.

"I'm afraid the witnesses say otherwise," Jenny said.

She turned around as about 15-20 people walked toward the security guards and told them the story. These people saw the whole thing happening, right from the very beginning when Precita approached them. At first Ash and May were oblivious to all the people walking around them, as they were too wrapped up and focused on the overbearing people confronting them. However once May helped Ash to his feet after the blow to his stomach, she noticed that several people were cautiously watching from the sides, and some even agreed to call security.

"That's right!" an old woman declared, "I saw these two hoodlums pick on these two kids."

"They picked a fight for no reason!" another man added.

"I saw that man punch the little boy right in his stomach and take his surfboard!" a teenage girl said, "What kind of people start fights with children?"

"You people are under arrest for starting a fight with these kids, stealing their surfboard, as well as making death threats on their lives," Jenny declared as she motioned for the security guards to approach them, "I have about 20 witnesses here that can argue against you, I'm afraid you're not going to have it easy."

The three buff security guards quickly put hand cuffs on Eliza and Chaz and brought their hands behind their back. They pushed them along bringing them back to the boardwalk where they would then call the police. Eliza and Chaz continued to whine and groan while the guards took them away.

"I'm sorry that you kids had to run into these people. It's a real shame," Officer Jenny said.

"It's OK," May said proudly as she walked over to the surfboard and held the tether, "We know how to take care of ourselves, right, Ash?"

"Yeah," Ash winked.

"Corphish, cor cor!"

"Squirtle squirtle!"

"You'll have to come to the office so we can file a report, but otherwise you kids are free to go on the beach," Jenny said happily.

"Thank you, Officer Jenny!" Ash and May said in unison.

Unbeknownst to Ash and May, two familiar people were watching what was happening from the boardwalk above. And it wasn't Max and Brock.

"Looks like our plan didn't work out as expected," Precita said disappointingly.

"The lie seemed like it worked perfectly," Dan said, "Chaz and Eliza fell for it and this way we could have gotten those little kids out of the competition as well, since without a surfboard they wouldn't be able to enter."

"Oh well," Precita shrugged, "We'll just have to destroy them in the actual race then. C'mon, Dan, let's go get something to eat."

"What? You mean we're not going to go and try to help Chaz and Eliza? I mean I know we destroyed their surfboard and all, but I thought that was just a ruse so they would take the kids' surfboard instead. They are our friends though, we should help them and come to their defense!"

"And I said who cares?" Precita replied hastily, "Big deal, we used them and they got busted. They were losers anyway, who needs Chaz and Eliza? Screw 'em, we have a race to practice for, remember?"

"Well ok…but…"

"Now c'mon, I'm in the mood for a steak medium rare," Precita licked her lips, "All this evil scheming works up an appetite you know."

Precita and Dan cackled as they walked along the boardwalk together.