Chapter 36

Things change.

Those words were entirely simple, yet put together, they explained everything. It was strange, had you asked the boy about love a few years ago, he would have gawked at you with a puzzled expression. If you asked the boy about love now, he…would still gawk at you with a puzzled expression. Nonetheless, he was finally beginning to understand it, one small step at a time.

Ash Ketchum was a boy full of vigor and determination, his one goal of achieving greatness was only topped by his altruistic nature toward others. He was a very kind, caring boy, never hesitating to lend a hand to his family, friends or even total strangers. People enjoyed being around him, although he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, he was certainly the most endearing. Despite all his courageous attributes and his relative ease to get along with, one thing never managed to enter the equation; love.

Romantic feelings for someone that went beyond friendship were something he never once expected to enter his life. After all, the boy hardly ever thought of the matter unless others had pointed it out to him. Although he had been crushed on by various girls in the past, including one of his best friends that was the leader of the Cerulean Gym, nothing ever amounted from them. The girls would all show some interest toward him that resembled attraction, but he could never quite grasp their intentions. In turn, most of the girls never had their feelings returned. It wasn't that he was being rude, or that he didn't like the girls, it was just that the thought had never crossed his mind. He just wanted to battle with Pokemon and explore many new places, girls to him were the same as boys, just friends. As a result, all the former crushes dissolved. They were a vast assortment of girls as well; a flute playing girl from the Orange Islands, a token fan girl who desperately wanted a date, a Frontier Brain who could read peoples thoughts, a fiery tempered red-head who was one of his best friends, that painfully kept her crush hidden until it was too late, to an actual Pokemon that could transform into a human girl. It was one unrequited love after another, especially heartbreaking for one of them that had traveled with him for so long. Ash never did realize that he may have perhaps broke their hearts, but the girls were able to move on, and so their crushes faded. Maybe becoming a love interest for Ash Ketchum was a lost cause? Perhaps the boy just lived for the adventure and had no interest in relationships. Some of those girls even concluded that he would never understand the concept of love, and that no girl would ever be able to tame him.

Well…they were wrong.

"I like it when we're alone," May whispered, her arms cradling him against her body.

"We don't get that much time to ourselves anymore," Ash whispered back, his hand pushing through her silky brown hair.

"You think the others will come looking for us?" she asked.

"We finished all the work the Professor gave us, so I don't think they will just yet," Ash said softly.

"That's good," May said lovingly, "More time for just me and you, Ash."

It was a serene night, nothing could disturb this perfect evening. Ash was sitting on the grass, leaning his back against the exterior wall of the Professor's lab. His hat and blue sweatshirt were off, they were tossed in a pile on the side. His black T-shirt and sweatpants sufficed, they were what he was comfortable with, or rather, what May was comfortable with. His arms were occupied, a sweet and innocent young girl with long locks of brunette hair rested comfortably against him. His lap was occupied as well, as she sat on top of him while her knees rested on the grass. They were facing one another, with the girl resting her head on his shoulder, and Ash holding her around in his arms.

Her bandana was resting on top of his sweatshirt, it no longer needed to be wrapped around his arm due to the bandages. She was wearing her usual tight red shirt, along with her familiar skirt and shorts. She had her arms wrapped around him as well, she liked the closeness more than anything.

It was a romantic evening, despite the fact that nothing happened. The two didn't share a kiss the entire night, nor did they spend time staring at one another. The only thing they did do was hold each other tightly while sitting on the grass, not once did either attempt to do anything else during their moment of alone time together. Romantic actions toward each other wasn't important, neither had the desire or even capability to muster up another kiss out of the blue. They just wanted the feeling of closeness, something that could only be obtained by relaxing in each others arms. It was more than just attraction toward one another, the two shared a strong bond, and their ability to recognize it with each other is what strengthened their relationship the most. While other couples may have made out or went even further, that was not the case for Ash and May, it was just the feeling of leaning against someone you loved that was enough. Neither wanted any more, nor anything less.

She lifted her head off his shoulder, slowly looking up at the boy she claimed as her own, and rested her forehead against his.

"Only three more days to go, you had fun?" she asked.

"I think I did, it wasn't all that bad, really. I knew the Professor couldn't hold his word and work us to death after everything we did for him. Deep down, Professor Latrommi is a really nice guy, kind of like Prof. Oak," Ash said.

Their foreheads moved apart, as May sat up on his lap and moved her hands to the top of his shoulders. She had rested on him for more than 15 minutes, but they didn't spend much time talking to one another. It was easy to lose track of time, but in the end, they knew they still had a job to do.

May chuckled, "Not a thing like Prof. Oak, Ash, Oak is like a grandpa figure. Latrommi is nice once you get to know him, but he's still very weird and kind of crazy. Although after all the stuff we know about him, I don't think I should be surprised anymore. I still don't like the thought that a creepy old man was watching me change into a bathing suit though, it's too distracting. Now I'm a bit nervous whenever he talks to me, I…I don't like the thought that he's seen me naked."

"I can see what you mean, but…um…you'll…get over it?" Ash asked, slightly puzzled about what to say.

"Get over it? When we start traveling I may not care as much anymore, but it still bothers me. He'll probably remember it for awhile…and it just doesn't sit right. I mean, you still remember it don't you?" she asked, deeply concerned.

"Remember what?"

May smiled. "You're really dense about things, I think that's why I like you."

Ash chuckled. "You mean the fact that I saw you naked first, right?"

"Yea," May said, trailing off after she finished speaking. No matter how hard she tried to wrap her mind around it, it was still embarrassing.

"I…still remember, I thought you were…"

May silenced him by putting her finger on his lips. She shook her head and motioned for him not to finish.

"You don't have to say anything, Ash. I don't think I'm ready to hear it yet," she said softly.

"That's good, because I wasn't ready to say anything yet!" Ash exclaimed.

The grass around them began to shuffle as if something was running toward them, and for good reason, Pikachu came through the grass to greet the young pair. It was very happy to see the two together like this.

"Pikachu, pika!" Pikachu said, waving its arms.

"Oh great," Ash sighed.

"What did it say?" May asked.

"The Professor is looking for us, he must have another pile of work to shove on us," Ash said disappointingly.

"Aw, that's too bad. We probably won't be able to spend another night relaxing together like this for awhile, especially with Brock and my brother around," May said, "But they'll be plenty of time for that in the future anyway. C'mon, Ash, let's get back to work before the Professor thinks we're goofing off."

May got up off his lap and helped the boy to his feet. She picked his sweatshirt and hat off the ground and handed it to him, while she tied her bandana over her hair. Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder, as they were ready to head back into the lab for another shift of work.

"I'll make sure Latrommi gives you all the heavy stuff this time, I'm not built for carrying boxes that weigh more than I do!" May said.

"That's very reassuring," Ash said sarcastically, "At this rate I'll be doing half of your workload too."

"Nah, I'm not that mean," May giggled, "I'll do my work myself, I know you don't like to be pushed too hard. He tends to give the most work to the person he sees first anyway."

"In that case, ladies first," Ash grinned.

"Ash!" May bantered.

~*~*~*~*

The last 3 days of their work for Professor Latrommi were very taxing, yet rewarding at the same time. Even though it got a bit excessive at times, the group knew that it was a relief to finally have this stress off their backs. It was the only thing on their minds, except for Brock of course, who was still busy making trips down to the beach every so often to make sure Tana and Jamie were still there.

Ever since the Premium Ball incident and Jamie's greed for wanting to keep the money that belonged to his friends, Brock found himself having a harder time getting along with her. When they originally met, Brock saw Jamie as just another one of those "hot girls" that he would never think he could get. Yet now, oddly enough, he just didn't seem as interested. It also became apparent, that she shared the same level of interest. Tana, on the other hand, was more or less caught in the middle. Jamie was her best friend and she didn't want to upset her, yet she was still gunning for Brock at the same time. They were both aware that Brock was only going to be in the area for less than three days before he started traveling with his friends again, so they had only a limited timeframe to make their intentions known now, or else this was going to end when their time on the beach was up.

He explained to Tana that they were no longer staying at the hotel anymore, but that Ash and the others had already packed their belongings from the room and were staying in the guest room in Professor Latrommi's lab again. He also had to spend a good deal of his time working for the Professor and showing good sportsmanship to his friends, he could never let them down and not do his share of the work. Despite the fact that Ash and May were the ones who were responsible for the debt in the first place, Brock still felt that since he was the oldest in the group, he had to be responsible for it as well. Therefore, what little time he had left with Tana was sorely limited. He had wondered if this was just one lucky break, and that he managed to hit it off with two girls, but that it would only last for a limited time frame. If he started traveling with Ash, would he even see these girls ever again?

Tana still felt romantically inclined to him, but she wasn't sure how it would work out. When Brock asked her one day about what her plans were, she replied that she'd like to stay in contact with him, but she wished she had more time with him in person to make a decision. Brock left his options open, especially since Tana rode all the way to the bank with him alone this time, without Jamie. It was certainly easier, not to mention even more desirable, with only one customer at a time. He hoped that wasn't the swan song though, and Tana reassured him that she'd give him her decision the day before he had to leave with his friends.

Max was contemplating over what to spend the $300 on, but his sister told him that he was better off saving it for something he really wanted rather than to waste it along the way on minor stuff. Max knew his sister was right, he was very overwhelmed with the amount of money that Ash had given him in the first place. He was lucky if he got $20 from his parents at his age and was content with that, he never expect to have more than $100 in cash, let alone $300 total. May questioned Ash in private if it was such a good idea to give Max so much money as a present in the first place, but Ash insisted that he keep it. He felt bad enough that the Premium Ball turned rogue and ended up smashed to bits, he didn't want both of his gifts to go down the drain, especially after all the hard work retrieving it after it was stolen. May knew the feeling, especially with the swimsuit he bought her, it was better to have one gift than none at all.

During their final day of work at the lab, the group had to make a decision as to where they were going to go next. Brock was especially jittery that day, since he knew this was the day where he'd discover if Tana would dump him or not. He was so distracted by his love life that he barely focused on getting his side of the work done. Professor Latrommi jokingly suggested an offer to the young man.

"You're worried about your girlfriends, aren't you?" Latrommi asked.

"More like girlfriend," Brock sighed, "Jamie isn't terribly interested in me anymore, and I'm afraid of what Tana might say now too. Just when things were starting to look up, fate likes to play a little game called "Up yours Brock."

"Heh, I've had my fair share of lovers and heartache in my life…over 20 to be exact, give or take 15 of them," Latrommi shrugged, "It's better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all."

"I hate that saying, it's way too discouraging," Brock moped.

Latrommi could sense Brock's pain. Tana was going to visit the lab in less than ten minutes, and he would have his answer then. It could be either good or bad, and that in itself was unnerving.

"You know what, why don't I help you with your lady problem?" Latrommi suggested, raising his eyebrows repeatedly.

Brock knew what he was up to. "No, I don't think so. I'm not going to use that ray gun of yours again," Brock said defensively, "It didn't even work the last time I used it, I had to run down to the beach to see some women and it was closed! By the time we got there it wore off and it did nothing."

"Are you sure about that?" Latrommi asked, "I could recalculate the ray gun, make the effects last longer than a day this time, also allow you to have a second chance, in more ways than one. Besides, do you think girls like that are going to fall into your lap every day?"

"Forget it, no offense, Professor, but I realize that if I'm ever going to have a successful love life, I'll have to do it myself, no crazy ray gun that makes the chicks dig me is going to cut it anymore," Brock retaliated, "I'll have to decline your generous offer."

"Fair enough, if you don't want to it's your choice," Latrommi said, as he started to walk away, "Just remember what got those girls attracted to you in the first place."

"Huh?"

The front lab doors slid open as Tana entered the lab cheerfully. Brock turned around nervously, surprised to see her so soon. She had on a pair of jeans and a silky green shirt, which combined with he red hair, made her look like a Christmas tree. Brock felt himself sweating terribly as Tana approached him.

"Remember my offer," Latrommi repeated, walking off into his room.

"Hey, Brock," Tana said, a smile on her face, "We need to talk,"

Damn, this doesn't sound good, Brock thought.

~*~*~*~*

"That's a GREAT idea! I can't wait to see Mom and Dad again!" May said happily.

"Thanks, sis, I knew you were getting homesick too," Max said.

May flustered in her seat, "Maybe a little bit," she squealed.

"Max, maybe your parents will help you decide what to spend your money on!" Ash said.

"I dunno if that's such a good idea," May pondered, "I think my Mom would get all protective and well… "Momly" about it. She doesn't even let me carry around that much money by myself, I very much doubt she'll be ok with my brother having that much money."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Max sulked, slipping in his chair, "I just want to tell Mom and Dad about all the adventures we had since we were last there, I bet you want to show them the swimsuit Ash got for you!"

"Heh, I probably will. I hope Mom has no problems with it, she doesn't want me to wear swimsuits that are too risqué. I'll say that Ash bought it for me, so if she's upset about it, she can yell at him," May teased, sticking out her tongue at Ash.

Ash chortled. Max leaned back in his chair, yawning into his left arm.

"I bet Mom and Dad would love to know about the Pokemon surfing race, especially since you came in 2nd place! Are you going to tell them everything you did on the beach?" Max asked.

May blushed, and calmly shook her head. She was going to tell her Mom a lot of things, but she was too embarrassed of letting her know she shared a kiss with Ash. May was almost always completely honest with her mother about everything, the two were always on the best of terms. Telling her about love was a different story, especially since she kissed the boy twice now. It wasn't that she thought her mother wouldn't approve, after all, both her Mom and Dad really liked Ash and permitted her to travel with him in the first place, but she wasn't quite sure how she'd react if they knew she was becoming romantically involved with him. Worst of all, she'd be afraid of the teasing, especially in front of Max, and she wasn't ready for all that kind of stuff yet.

Ash smiled, he knew what May was thinking just by looking at her. That shy, bashful look on her face oddly enough reminded him of himself. He knew he would be downright embarrassed to tell his mother, Delia, that he kissed May twice as well. Delia was also a gossiper, if he told her about May, his mother would rant about it and spread the news throughout the entire town of Pallet. Everyone and their long lost cousin in Pallet Town would know, how frightening.

Ash and May shuddered at the table in unison and got up and walked away. Max was left to sit alone wondering what the heck that was all about.

~*~*~*~

Brock leaned against the wall and sighed. He had to make a big decision, and he wasn't sure if it was going to be for the best. Tana had given him an offer; she wanted to get to know him better and learn everything she could about him that he didn't already share with her during his time on the beach. To do that, he had to spend time with her outside of the beach area. Apparently, Tana and Jamie were only staying at the beach for another few days, and they were getting ready to make a hike inland back to their house in a quiet little town. He wondered if Tana and Jamie really were inseparable, the two even had a house together! He second guessed himself and wondered if it was plausible to continue this relationship(s), but he rationalized it as the only time he ever made it with a girl, and it was best not to pass up this opportunity. Tana was an attractive young woman, passing her up for the sake of her friend would be like a punch in the gut.

Professor Latrommi continued to offer the option of using a modified version of the ray gun to offer him a second chance of having Tana take a fall for him, but Brock refused.

"Listen, I got those girls to fall for me in my own way. I'd rather not screw this up with one of your crazy inventions, uh, no offense, Professor," Brock stuttered.

"None taken," Latrommi replied, "Just be wary that love is a very fickle game."

"Fair enough," Brock said. He looked over in the direction of the guest room, where his friends were getting ready for bed. They were getting ready to take a ferry to Petalburg City, and would be leaving first thing in the morning.

"I'll…have to split with them for the time being then," Brock sighed.

~*~*~*

During the next morning, May and Max were eager to get dressed and pack their bags right away, the siblings were really excited about going home again. May and Max had to rush Ash out of bed in their excitement, but poor Ash wanted to sleep for at least another hour.

"C'mon, Ash," May said, playfully removing the pillow from under his head, "It's time to wake up, sleepy head!"

Max jumped on Ash's bed and pulled the covers off of him. Ash slept there in his pajamas, the removal of his pillow and blanket barely hindered the boy. He turned his head away from the enthusiastic siblings and continued to doze off.

"Pikachu, do you think you can give Ash an electric wake up call?" Max snickered.

"Pikachu," Pikachu chortled, shaking his head.

"Aw, you're not going to make this easy for us are you?" Max sighed, "You know, May, it was probably a bad thing to let Ash sleep in the bed instead of in his sleeping bag last night. Since the Professor only has two beds here, you should have told Ash to sleep in his bag like last time rather than sleeping there yourself."

"I know, but I thought I'd be nice to Ash and let him sleep in the bed this time, since he slept in the sleeping bag the entire first week we stayed at the lab. I also really wanted to try his sleeping bag, it's really cozy," May giggled, "But anyway, I can see what you mean about it being a bad idea, he won't wake up!"

May naughtily thought of various schemes to wake Ash up in the most mischievous manner imaginable. She thought about the age old trick of pouring cold water on a persons face to wake them up, but perhaps Ash needed a bigger "splash." May giggled in amusement as she thought of her plan, but to do that, she had to scoot Max out of the room.

"Max," May motioned, "Could you be a doll and check downstairs if Brock finished his breakfast?"

Max noticed her coy expression and raised an eyebrow, "You never use that vocabulary unless you're up to something, May. What is it this time?"

May rolled her eyes, "Everyday it's the same thing with you, just listen, I'll get Ash up, I just want you to go down and see if Brock is ready. I mean, he's traveling with us too, right?"

"Not sure, I think Brock said something about Tana, but uh…"

"Go! Ask him and come back with the news, Ash'll be up by the time you get back," May insisted.

"Alright," Max uttered, "Pikachu, want to come too?"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

Pikachu scampered out of the room with Max as they ran down the balcony to see Brock. May looked out the doorway with a sly smile on her face, and then shut the door as she walked back toward Ash on the bed. She put her hand on his shoulder to turn him toward her, but the boy still slept naively.

"You're really out cold, Ash. I haven't known you to sleep like this for awhile," May said concerned, "All the hard work this past week must have finally taken its toll, he's completely exhausted."

She watched Ash sleep on the bed, he was snoring softly while his hair was all messed up that gave him an innocent little boy image. It was hard to imagine that Ash was over three years older than her, May sometimes had to act like his mother.

She pushed her hand through his jet black hair and rubbed his forehead, he was certainly out of it. She smiled jovially, it was almost a shame to wake him.

"C'mon, Ash, this'll wake you up," she said, pulling Ash off the bed with her hands under his armpits.

A still dormant Ash leaned against her body, as May carried the big lug toward the bathroom. His legs dragged across the floor since he did weigh more than she did, so he was difficult to carry all by herself. She entered the bathroom and flicked on the light, while still letting Ash lean against her.

May teased him by talking into his ear, "This is your last chance to wake up yourself, Ash, or else a girls' gotta do what a girls' gotta do to visit her parents!" she squealed.

Ash still snored in her arms, and May sweat dropped in embarrassment. She inched her way over to the bathtub and pulled apart the curtains. With one arm holding Ash against her, she used her other hand to reach into the bathtub and turn on the showerhead above. Loud pockets of water began to splash down into the tub below, it was the usual pressure that anyone would take a shower in. She tested the temperature of the water with her fingers, and then almost deviously, she lowered the temper and made it very cold.

"Cold water, this'll do. I just hope Ash doesn't kill me after I do this to him," May chortled.

She wanted to stick Ash in the bathtub and let the cold water from the showerhead shock the boy to his senses and wake him up, but there was a slight problem with this plan. If she stuck him in there as is, she would end up getting his clothes all wet in addition to waking him up. He was only wearing his black t-shirt and a pair of boxers, but it was expected that he would wear these same things when they started traveling. After all, the gang really did wear the same clothes every single day anyway.

The question was then raised; should she strip him?

Small pockets of red appeared on her cheeks as she blushed innocently while looking at the floor. She thought about how he saw her nude previously, but she certainly didn't want to do the same thing to him. That embarrassment still managed to stick with her to this day, and she didn't want to inflict the same emotions onto Ash. Aside from not wanting to take off a sleeping boys' clothes without his consent, she was incredibly timid and uneducated about male anatomy. She had never seen the adult male body nude before, and the thought of seeing it had her a bit terrified. It was pretty scary for the young girl, and she didn't want to do that to Ash.

She leaned him forward a tad and stared into his sleeping eyes. "Don't worry, Ash, I'll just take off your shirt then. Better to not let that get wet at least, you'll keep your boxers though."

She pulled his black T-shirt off his body and tossed it aside, as Ash's bare chest felt upon her. His body felt awfully warm, and gave her the same feeling as when he held her on the surfboard on the beach. May blushed and shook her head.

"Ok, enough of this nonsense," May scoffed, annoyed by her own silliness, "I'm just going to dump you in the tub to wake you up, I might as well get this over with before Max comes back. You may think I'm crazy, Ash, but you've left me no choice!"

She looked inside the tub as the water was still spraying from above. She leaned the boy half way into the tub, and picked up his legs to push him inside. Ash was now leaning against the wall in the bathtub, with the showerhead spraying water just a few inches away. The cold water on the bottom of the tub was already going on his feet.

"Jeez, this is probably the craziest idea I ever came up with," May rationalized, "Oh well, here goes nothin'!"

She reached above and turned the showerhead to his direction, as the crystal cold water sprayed on his head. The shock of the cold water woke the boy up instantly, as he nearly jumped out of his skin wondering what the heck was going on.

"WHAT THE!" Ash screamed.

May laughed profusely as Ash struggled to figure out where he was and what was going on. Ash quickly reached for the faucets and turned off the cold water of the showerhead. Droplets of water dripped off his body, his wet hair was plastered down, and his pair of boxers were completely soaked. To say he was agitated would be an understatement.

May couldn't stop laughing, "HA! I'm so sorry, Ash! It was the only way I could think of to wake you up!" she laughed profusely, "Don't take this the wrong way though, it was just something I thought was funny!"

Ash shook his head and rubbed his hand with his face, "Well isn't that something? I really can't believe I slept through all that, I should have realized I was being carried before you put me in here!"

"Tee hee! The look on your face was brilliant! Nice going, Ash," May winked in amusement.

"Hmmmm," Ash snickered.

He looked slyly at the showerhead above, and his eyes scanned the faucets right behind him. May was only standing right outside the tub, she was an easy target. Ash cracked a peculiar smile…would he dare?

May caught whim of Ash's expression, and noticed his hand resting on one of the faucets. She stopped laughing and held her breath.

"You…you wouldn't dare!" May said hesitantly.

Ash took the showerhead down from above and looked at it carefully. It was easy to aim with too.

"Well…you could just tell your parents we came straight from the beach!" Ash said playfully.

"Hey, wait a second!" May yelled, reaching toward the showerhead inside the bathtub.

Ash quickly turned the faucet, and pockets of ice cold water came spraying out! The water sprayed all over May's red shirt before she grabbed a hold of the showerhead, which was still shooting out water everywhere! Ash and May struggled for control of the water, as the two twisted and pulled the showerhead in every which direction. The water sprayed everywhere in the bathroom, getting the floor, walls and mirrors all wet. May stepped inside the bathtub to get a better grip of the situation, but that move only caused her to slip on the wet surface as she fell on her butt in the tub.

Ash lost his grip of the showerhead as it slipped to the bottom of the tub, in which May quickly seized her opportunity to turn the tide in the battle. She grabbed the showerhead and turned it back on Ash, in which the icy cold water shocked his body.

"Don't you think I'm cold enough already?!" Ash yelped.

"My clothes are all wet, you're a little sneak, Ash!" May said emotionally.

Ash and May continued to twist and pull the showerhead cord for domination of the water. In what originally was an attempt at spite work, turned into a flirtatious game of fun for the two kids. May's red outfit, skirt and shorts were completely soaked, as well as Ash's boxers and even his black T-shirt sitting on the side, but the two didn't care anymore. Their clothes were drenched, but now they were having fun splashing each other full of water.

"Maybe I'll wake you up like this one day too!" Ash laughed, twisting the showerhead so the water sprayed in her face.

May quickly pushed her wet brown hair out of her face, and grabbed a hold of the showerhead again. She laughed in amusement as the two wrestled with the water for domination. They shared a lot of nervous laughter hoping that nobody would come into the room while they were playing in the bathtub together.

After a few more crazy minutes, the two finally agreed to shut off the water and come back to their senses. The faucets were turned off and the showerhead was placed back in its holder, but the damage was done. May's outfit was completely soaked from top to bottom, everything she was wearing was drenched. Ash's clothes had also seen better days.

May took her bandana off her head and squeezed the water out of it. Ash watched as huge drops of water hit the bottom of the tub. She looked down at her soaked outfit and sighed.

"How are we supposed to explain this to Brock and Max now?" May asked.

"Don't ask me, you're the one who came up with this idea in the first place," Ash said.

"My clothes are all soaked, you don't think they're going to ask questions?" she asked.

"Just say you wanted to take a bath but you forgot to take your clothes off!" Ash suggested.

May looked at him as if he was insane.

"Ok, well, that was not the best of ideas," Ash said bashfully.

"You're lucky you're only wearing your boxers, your blue-hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants are dry. Looks like I'll have to go bake in the sun to get my clothes dry," May said.

She stepped out of the bathtub with her soaked bandana in hand, and looked back at Ash.

"Petalburg City, remember?" May reminded him.

"I know, I'll be ready soon," Ash said, "Just let me take a regular shower, please?"

May laughed as she exited the bathroom, politely shutting the door for him as she walked out. Her clothes stuck to her body and her hair was soaked, she stared at herself in the mirror looking at her appearance.

"I reeeeaaallly need to stop it with these crazy ideas of mine," May chortled, brushing her hair in the mirror.

~*~*~*~

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED IN HERE?!" Professor Latrommi screamed.

The bathroom was filled with water, and most of the tiles and walls were drenched. He turned around agitated waiting for an explanation, but May continued to nonchalantly brush her hair in the mirror.

"You probably have a few screws loose, Professor," May said, struggling to comb a knot out of her hair, "The bathroom is leaking terribly."

"Yep," Ash said, putting his hat on his head, "I just took a shower and it seems like your pipes are busted or something. Water was leaking out of everywhere."

"Yeah, everywhere!" May added, "Why do you think all my clothes are wet?"

She reached down and squeezed her white skirt, in which more droplets of water fell to the carpet below.

Professor Latrommi moped, "Thank GOD you kids are leaving here today. That is all I have to say, I don't know how your parents deal with you, but you live like a bunch of animals!"

"Pikachu, pika?" Pikachu asked, jumping on the bed.

"Brock? What did he say?" May asked.

Max came barging in the room with an urgent message.

"Guys, Brock isn't going to be traveling with us back to Petalburg City," Max panted.

"Huh? Why?" Ash demanded.

"I'll tell you myself," Brock said, entering the room, "I hope it'll only be for a little while, but I'm afraid I can't visit your parents for the time being, sorry you two."

"It's about Tana, right?" May asked, "If so, we…we understand."

Ash grunted, wanting to know the full story.

~*~*~*~

"So there you have it," Brock sighed, "I don't want to let this opportunity pass me by, and I can't be two places at once. I'm going to head back with Tana and Jamie to their house on this island, and I won't be able to head with you to Petalburg City."

"It's a shame, you won't get to taste Mom's cooking again," Max said disappointingly.

"I know, your mother is a really good cook. She even gave me some pointers last time I was there," Brock said, "Don't worry though, if I straighten everything out here, I'll be back with you guys before you know it."

"How…how long do you plan to stay with them?" Ash asked, reluctantly.

"I don't know. It probably won't be very long if Tana and Jamie kick me out of their house," Brock laughed.

"Don't be silly, you'll do fine, Brock. Tana still really likes you, she told me that herself plenty of times," May said encouragingly.

"Thanks, May," Brock said.

"And if you're really lucky, you'll get plenty of action as well," Latrommi snorted.

Brock approached Ash and put his hand on his shoulder. The two friends had parted ways a number of times in the past, and they both understood that they would have to do it again. Each time they always knew they would see each other again, as Brock was one of Ash's oldest friends. Ash nodded and thanked Brock sincerely, and told him to keep in touch via phone numbers and e-mail.

"You know we'll be back in Hoenn, so it'll be pretty easy to find us again," Ash said.

"I'll try to play catch up and see if I'm able to reunite with you guys a few weeks down the road. Any plans after visiting Petalburg City?" Brock asked.

"Hm, no. We haven't thought about anything else, have we, May?" Ash asked.

"No, because we're mostly on a break from our quests at the moment. The Contest Halls won't open again for another few months, so I can't register for any Contests at the moment. Ash already has every Gym badge from every region we've been to, so we don't know what we're going to do yet," May said, "Whatever it is though, you can bet I'll keep traveling with Ash wherever he goes!"

"Heh, I'm sure you would," Ash smiled.

"My my, don't we have a busy schedule?" Max joked.

The group shared some last minute conversations, for they would be splitting up and heading their separate ways in another ten minutes. Brock had all of his belongings in his backpack, and had the note that Tana gave him with the address to her house. He looked at the note and hoped for the best when he arrived there, he really wanted to make this relationship work.

May was still pretty uncomfortable walking around with soaked clothes, but at least she had the satisfaction that Ash's boxers and T-shirt were icy cold too. Max turned on his PokeNav and set it to Petalburg City, his home town. He already plotted the quickest and easiest way to get there, as it would only take about a day to arrive there by one of the ferries at the port.

Professor Latrommi watched the kids chatting and saying goodbye to Brock from afar. The old Professor got teary eyed as the kids were preparing to leave the lab, even though he wouldn't admit it, he really was going to miss them. He took out a handkerchief and blew his nose emotionally when he realized he might perhaps never see these kids again, and he was thankful that he met them in the first place. They may have very well saved his mind from deteriorating by telling him not to use the de-aging ray gun anymore, especially after the incident with his Tyranitar.

"Guys, I hope to see you again real soon!" Brock said, waving his arm as he walked outside the lab.

"Good luck with Tana!" May called out.

"Bye, Brock!" Max shouted.

"Pikachu pikachu pika!"

"Until we meet again, Brock!" Ash said sincerely.

Brock smiled at his friends as he walked off in the distance. He looked at Ash and May standing side by side and realized something.

I wonder if those two have something going on together that they haven't revealed yet. Heh, either way, I'm sure Max will be there to keep them on their toes, Brock thought.

~*~*~*~*

"Goodbye, Professor Latrommi, thanks for everything," Ash said.

He shook hands with the Professor, and Latrommi emotionally had to take out his handkerchief and blow his nose right in front of them.

"Oh…don't worry about the bathroom…I'll fix it up myself," he sniffed.

"Even though I still think you're a little nuts, I can tell that you mean well," May said.

"Ah, thanks," Latrommi sniffed, "How's about a big group hug?"

"Wuh?" May said alarmed, backing up a bit.

Professor Latrommi reached out with his arms and grabbed all three kids in his grasp and pressed them against him. Pikachu watched from the floor, laughing as Ash, May and Max were having the life squeezed out of them.

"Don't you think you're laying it on a little thick?" Max gasped.

"A little? Try a lot!" May cried.

Latrommi let go of the children as they stood before him. Pikachu jumped back on Ash's shoulder as they were ready to head off.

"I would go easy with those inventions of yours in the future, Professor, they seem to cause a lot of trouble," Ash said.

"Yes, yes, I've learned a lot from you kids. I better be careful with what I do from now on before I end up killing myself," he laughed.

The group waved goodbye to the Professor, as they headed down the hill back to the port which was nearby the beach. In what perhaps were the most eventful moments of the last couple of months, the group was ready to head onward. Ash, Pikachu, May and Max ran toward the port together as the sun beamed down upon them.

"Next stop, Petalburg City!" May cheered.